Marguerit Maida

Marguerit Maida (IPA: /ˈmɑɹ̠ɡəɹ̠ʷit ˈmeɪdə/) was a highly experienced mercenary and former member of the Trans System Federation. Hired by <a href="/wikis/paul-torgal">Paul Torgal</a> to protect the <a href="/wikis/degasi">Degasi</a> from pirate raids, she played a crucial role in the survival of the Degasi crew on <a href="/wikis/planet-4546b">Planet 4546B</a>. Her considerable combat experience allowed her to survive catastrophic events that claimed the lives of other crew members, eventually leading her to establish a secluded existence in <a href="/wikis/sector-zero">Sector Zero</a>.

Profile

"When seamonsters are hunting you, you don't hide. You hunt the seamonsters. Then you build a bigger boat out of seamonster bones, and you hunt bigger monsters. Keep going until there aren't any monsters left to hunt you." — Marguerit Maida, Marguerit Maida's Log - Speaking Freely

History on Planet 4546B

The Degasi Crash

Marguerit, Paul Torgal, and Paul's son Bart were the only survivors of the Degasi crash approximately one decade prior to the <a href="/wikis/aurora">Aurora</a>'s crash. They arrived during a period of torrential rainfall and storms, which trapped them in their lifepods for several days. Once the weather cleared, they spotted a <a href="/wikis/floating-island">Floating Island</a> and constructed a <a href="/wikis/base">base</a> using the wreckage of the Degasi.

Tensions arose between Marguerit and Paul regarding their settlement strategy. Marguerit advocated for venturing deeper into the ocean to investigate why they had been shot down, while Paul preferred remaining on the Floating <a href="/wikis/island">Island</a>. Marguerit ultimately prevailed, and the group established habitats in the <a href="/wikis/jellyshroom">Jellyshroom</a> Caves and later in the <a href="/wikis/deep-grand-reef">Deep Grand Reef</a>. Paul tolerated this arrangement because he recognized that his own diving abilities were insufficient for their survival needs.

Life in the Deep <a href="/wikis/grand-reef">Grand Reef</a>

During their time in the Deep Grand Reef, the crew discovered they were infected with an alien disease (later identified as the <a href="/wikis/kharaa-bacterium">Kharaa Bacterium</a>). Bart required specimens to study the pathogen, and Marguerit provided these by capturing local fauna. This partnership highlighted their friendly relationship, contrasting sharply with the tense dynamic between Marguerit and Paul.

The situation turned disastrous when Marguerit brought a nearly dead <a href="/wikis/reaper-leviathan">Reaper Leviathan</a> back to the base for Bart to use as a test subject. Unbeknownst to her, a second Reaper Leviathan had trailed her back. This predator attacked and destroyed the base. In the chaos:

• Paul swam downwards towards a light source, likely dying of <a href="/wikis/oxygen">oxygen</a> deprivation.
• Bart fled toward the Floating Island and presumably succumbed to the <a href="/wikis/kharaa">Kharaa</a> infection later.
• Marguerit was last seen clinging to the neck of the attacking Reaper Leviathan, having stabbed a jagged piece of <a href="/wikis/metal">metal</a> into it.

Survival in Sector Zero

It was revealed that Marguerit survived the destruction of her base. She managed to kill the Reaper Leviathan she was attached to, causing its corpse to float to the surface. Using the leeching ribcage as shelter, rendering fat for warmth and fire, and consuming the meat for nutrition, she survived for weeks. <a href="/wikis/ghost">Ghost</a> <a href="/wikis/leviathans-2">Leviathans</a> posed no threat to her, as they feed on planktonic organisms rather than large prey.

Eventually, drifting <a href="/wikis/currents">currents</a> carried her remains to Sector Zero. Marguerit constructed a new base in a cave below the <a href="/wikis/lilypad-islands">Lilypad Islands</a> and maintained a <a href="/wikis/greenhouse">greenhouse</a> on an iceberg in the East <a href="/wikis/arctic">Arctic</a>. She kept the skull of the Reaper she killed mounted on her wall. At some point, she tamed a <a href="/wikis/snow-stalker">Snow Stalker</a>, which accompanied her at either location.

Relationships

<a href="/wikis/bart-torgal">Bart Torgal</a>

Marguerit shared a <a href="/wikis/strong">strong</a> bond with Bart, preferring him over his father. Although she initially planned to leave the Torgals alone, she could not bring herself to abandon Bart. She trusted him enough to give him an alien tablet she found in the ocean and went to extreme lengths to capture specimens for his research despite methodological disagreements.

Paul Torgal

Her relationship with Paul was hostile and strained. Paul was stubborn and dismissive of her expertise, while Marguerit frequently ignored his orders and concerns. She disregarded his panic when she brought dangerous creatures like the injured Reaper Leviathan to the base, prioritizing Bart's scientific needs over Paul's safety.

<a href="/wikis/robin-ayou">Robin Ayou</a>

Initially, Marguerit acted hostile toward Robin Ayou, mistaking her for an <a href="/wikis/alterra">Alterra</a> spy. She nearly struck Robin with her <a href="/wikis/prawn-suit">Prawn Suit</a> and warned her off her territory. However, after Robin deactivated the <a href="/wikis/communications-tower">Communications Tower</a>, proving she was not working for Alterra, Marguerit became tolerant. She invited Robin to her greenhouse, offering access to plants and information about <a href="/wikis/sam-ayou">Sam Ayou</a>.

Samantha Ayou

Marguerit initially viewed Sam as a dedicated Alterra employee spying on her via Spy Penglings. However, after Sam discovered the <a href="/wikis/frozen-leviathan">Frozen Leviathan</a> and Alterra's plan to mutate the Kharaa Bacterium, Sam approached Marguerit with a neutralization plan. Marguerit convinced Sam to destroy the cave containing the Leviathan rather than inject it with the antidote. This decision led to the destruction of the <a href="/wikis/phi-excavation-site">Phi Excavation Site</a> and the deaths of both Sam and <a href="/wikis/parvan-ivanov">Parvan Ivanov</a>.

<a href="/wikis/logs">Logs</a> and Data

Degasi Crew Manifest

Auxiliary Search & Rescue Mission: Marguerit Maida Position: Freelance Security Personnel Status: Lost in space near planet 4546B Age at time of disappearance: 42

• Mercenary, born in the Mongolian States
• Experienced in <a href="/wikis/ship">ship</a>-to-ship and close quarters combat techniques
• Tours of duty with the Mongolian Defense Force and the Trans-System Federation
• Dishonorably discharged from the TSF 15 years ago for going off mission (details classified)
• Emissary Khasar reports Maida was hired to accompany Paul Torgal onboard the Degasi into uncharted space, and defend the ship in case of assault by pirates or rival corporations

Marguerit Maida's Log – Speaking Freely

"These conniving, corporate, bourgeois, inbred, incompetent, self-absorbed jerks don't have a damn clue! The kid's not so bad─he's even useful─but I swear everything that comes out of his father's idiot face is a narcissistic lie. If he wants to stay in this cave, that's his problem. I'm the one doing the heavy lifting. Screw the contract! Screw the emergency pay! When sea monsters are hunting you, you don't hide; you hunt the sea monsters. Then you build a bigger boat out of sea monster bones and you hunt bigger monsters. Keep going until there aren't any monsters left to hunt you. I'm going deeper. I'm gonna find what shot us down and I'm going to tear its damn heart out. I've started the prep work. The kid's taught me how to make <a href="/wikis/enameled-glass">enameled glass</a>. I've started stockpiling metal ores to build myself a Seamoth. I'll raid the indoor growbeds before I leave."

Relevant Data Downloads (Below Zero)

<a href="/wikis/scan">Scan</a> Data:

Name: Marguerit Maida Occupation: Freelance Security Personnel Status: Missing. Previously thought to be dead. Last known contact was on a recording found in another sector of 4546B, which claims that she killed a Reaper Leviathan. Personality Markers: Marguerit is highly distrustful of authority figures, especially those tied to corporate entities. She is strong willed and seems cold upon initial contact. History: Not much is known about Marguerit. She was born and raised in the Mongolian States, a backwater corporate colony exploited for its mineral <a href="/wikis/resources-2">resources</a>. She left home at sixteen and went from one mercenary job to another. Eventually, she did tours with the Mongolian Defense Force and Trans-System Federation. She held an esteemed career, before being dishonorably discharged from the TSF for going off mission. The details are unclear, but our resources have unearthed some scant details. Marguerit was the head of an intel and reconnaissance mission. We aren't clear what she stumbled upon, but she silently eliminated the entire local security apparatus over the course of three days. None of the local families would give more information. They only said they thanked "God's Hand" for saving them. Her last mission was aboard the Degasi as private security against potential pirates and scavengers, which crashed on 4546B.

Log #1 (Abandoned <a href="/wikis/pda">PDA</a> in <a href="/wikis/tree-spires">Tree Spires</a>):

"There I was. 500m below sea level. Chunks of the seabase sank around me. One hand gripped the monster's scales, the other was clamped around the shard of metal I'd lodged into her eye socket. A reaper. Wounded, maybe, but still deadly. I'd already taken out one eye. I damn near carved out the other. We were headed for the <a href="/wikis/void">void</a> at <a href="/wikis/the-crater">the crater</a>'s edge. Blinded, she was spiraling deeper. I had a choice. Hold on or let go. I clung for dear life as she took us deeper. I had one minute of air in the <a href="/wikis/tank">tank</a>. Back then I could go another three with what I had in my lungs. So I had four minutes to kill the reaper, minus a few to get back to the surface. It ain't that I like killing folk. It's just sometimes what you need is on the inside of someone else's ribcage. I killed that beautiful, terrifying creature and I made for the surface. When I caught my breath, I realized we'd come further that I'd thought. I was surrounded by watery void. Just me and ocean. Nothing else."

Log #2 (PDA in <a href="/wikis/marguerit-maida-s-base">Marguerit Maida's Base</a>):

"That far out to sea, swimming back for land wasn't an option. I'd die from exhaustion long before I made it to shore. All I could do was survive long enough to wash up somewhere. I felt a suction and suddenly there were vast jaws rising out of the <a href="/wikis/water">water</a> towards me. It had taken hours for the reaper's corpse to float to the surface. Using the <a href="/wikis/knife">knife</a>, I clambered up her flank and got a perch on top. I figured she'd float for a few days at least. Enought for me to catch my breath. But would she <a href="/wikis/sink">sink</a> before or after I died of thirst? I had a knife, a <a href="/wikis/repair-tool">repair tool</a>, and 3 liters of water. At least I wasn't going to die of exhaustion. Now those reapers, they're practically all muscle, but there's some fat in there. I was able to keep warm and drink the water. And I didn't have much, but I had that repair <a href="/wikis/tool">tool</a>, so I had a spark. It took a week to light that first fire. And I know more about the burning properties of reaper fat than I ever cared to. I had to ration fires but as they burned I could smoke meat that I carved out of the beast's ribcage."

Log #3 (PDA in Marguerit Maida's Base):

"A fortnight into our voyage I was more or less living inside the creature's ribcage. It meant shelter, and it meant <a href="/wikis/food">food</a>. The flesh was starting to rot. The stench was unlike anything I'd ever smelled. As we floated, the <a href="/wikis/temperature">temperature</a> dropped, and the rotten meat began to stiffen and freeze. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the reaper began to lose buoyancy. We sank a little each day. My sanctuary was becoming my tomb and I was at the mercy of the current and the winds. Until one day, I saw a smattering of penglings in the distance. Swimming birds usually means solid land of some kind. I was lucky. The winds followed their path. Hours later, I saw a blessed sight: an unmoving cloud, sitting upon the water. Land. It renewed my spirit as I watched the land get closer and closer. The reaper slowly sank, but I was no longer worried. When the reaper finally sank below the water, I was close enough to lazily swim my way to shore. I made a note to come back for the reaper skull. I didn't ride the beast for three weeks to have no proof. Land never felt so good, even in this arctic hell."

Gallery

Robin's Initial meeting with Marguerit on <a href="/wikis/delta-island">Delta Island</a>

Marguerit in her base

Marguerit in her greenhouse

Marguerit Maida final character concept – by Pavel Goloviy

Marguerit Maida concept artwork – by Aleksandar Mihailović

Marguerit Maida concept sketches – by Aleksandar Mihailović