Ezra Mason

**Ezra Mason** is a major protagonist in Illuminae, and a minor character in Gemina and Obsidio.

## Plot

### *Illuminae*

#### Assault on Kerenza IV

An employee of BeiTech Industries shot Ezra during the assault on Kerenza IV. Kady Grant, with whom he had recently broken up, saved him and took him aboard the Alexander (while Kady was taken aboard the scientific vessel Hypatia), where he ran into a distraught Olivia Klein. His injuries were attended to there. When he was completely recovered, he discovered that the attack had murdered his father.

##### Destruction of *Copernicus* and Aftermath

He was afterwards hired by the UTA to fly cyclones. He saw the Copernicus being destroyed by a missile assault while on one of his missions by the ship's artificial intelligence, AIDAN. His unit saved the survivors and transported them to the Alexander against AIDAN's instructions. He assisted Kady in gathering information on the attack while trying to figure out why AIDAN destroyed the Copernicus (for which AIDAN was eventually shut down).

After the demolition of the Copernicus, Ezra's buddy James McNulty, with whom he maintained touch, was summoned into service. Ezra was unaware that James's team had been instructed to kill all the Copernicus refugees because they had contracted the deadly Phobos virus. Phobos had an effect on the brain, driving its victims mad. James never showed up again, and Ezra subsequently learned that he had killed himself after being stranded in hangar bay 4 with the sick.

Additionally, the approaching BeiTech dreadnought Lincoln, which had been chasing the fleet ever since their escape, was becoming a greater menace. Ezra helped buy Kady the time she required to create and employ a "logic bomb," a very complex piece of code that momentarily shut down the Lincoln. He made a triumphant comeback to the Alexander.

##### Phobos Virus

A few hours after temporarily defeating Lincoln, the Phobos-afflicted stormed out of Hangar Bay 4 and massacred the Alexander's commanding commanders. Some of the passengers from Alexander managed to get off the ship, but the most were abandoned (and subsequently found by Kady Grant). The evading fleet reached the Hypatia but was separated when one of its members displayed Phobos symptoms.

When Kady went to the Alexander to look for Ezra, she was informed by a recovered but slightly unsteady AIDAN that he had passed away. Kady remained on board the Alexander despite the threat, assisting in the evacuation of the healthy citizens and eventually destroying the Lincoln when it approached once more. The Hypatia then came to her aid, and it was then that she met Ezra. It turns out that he was part of the first evacuation fleet, but owing to an injury, he came later and was not spaced.

### *Gemina*

Compared to Illuminae, Ezra has a much smaller part in Gemina. Before Heimdall Jump Station is destroyed, he is only glimpsed in group discussions momentarily.

### *Obsidio*

#### Aboard the *Mao*

In Obsidio, Ezra pulls the trigger and launches a single pulse missile, which, with the help of a strategically placed Thermex, utterly destroys the ship. Syra Boll had ordered the demolition of Hypatia in order to leave no evidence of their existence.

Ezra then joins the Illuminae Group and assists in building a substantial dossier of accusatory information on BeiTech. On board the Mao, Ezra trains a number of resistant passengers as well as Niklas Malikov (who Syra Boll specifically instructed should never be trained). Ezra was stripped of his pilot status when Boll learned of this.

Ezra later helped Niklas and Hanna Donnelly free the prisoners during Ben Garver's insurrection. Following Syra's passing, Winifred McCall reinstated Ezra as a pilot.

#### Second Battle of Kerenza IV and Aftermath

Ezra caused several BeiTech casualties in the second battle of Kerenza IV, but his jet was shot down, along with Niklas'. He was then regarded as being deceased. It was eventually discovered that Niklas had packed a parachute on board despite several concerns, and they had survived the crash.

Ezra and the other members of the Illuminae Group celebrated their triumph in a restaurant named "Vitaly's" in New Petersburg months after BeiTech industries was found guilty (and Ezra's mother Leanne Frobisher was found guilty).

## Personality

Ezra is known as a pretty laid-back man who enjoys making jokes. He has the ability to manage social situations and take the initiative when necessary, which he probably learned while playing Geeball on a team in high school. However, his psychiatric examination records indicate that he developed PTSD and anxiety following the passing of Anthony Mason, his father. Additionally, he is said to harbour resentment towards BeiTech Industries since he attributes his father's passing on that company.

He frequently expresses his love for Kady Grant and shows a lot of tenderness for her, but he always concludes by claiming that she deserves more and that he is unworthy of her. He also repeatedly demonstrates his sincere desire for Kady to be safe, even pleading with her to quit hacking since it puts her in danger.

Ezra is typically portrayed as someone who is easily moved to tears but attempts to cover up his anxieties with humour. However, he is not hesitant to express his own thoughts and frequently challenges directives and acts from those in positions of authority over him.

## Appearance

Ezra is said to have received little circular scars from his mother when he was eight years old and to have them on his arms. In addition, he has a babyface compared to many of his fellow pilots, brown eyes, and is extremely tall. His other qualities, however, are hardly ever discussed in the novel.

## References

Illuminae

Gemina

Obsidio