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~ Marie Delacroix, A New Friend?
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Template:Infobox characterDr. Marie St. Anne Delacroix was the principal designer of the FTL drive and a crew member of the Von Braun. Working under a grant from TriOptimum, Delacroix was able to design a device that could bend and warp space. However, there were some concerns regarding the reliability of the device and its side effects.
Biography
Background
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~ Marie Delacroix to William Diego, System Shock 2 Short Story
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Delacroix is an important figure in the story of System Shock 2 and is one of the most important members of the Von Braun's crew.
Delacroix' work obsoleted the theories of Einstein, and ushered in the first wave of serious post-relativity thinkers. Delacroix became a celebrity, and spent the following 2 years building simulation models on her hand-modified Electra D3 system.
Delacroix researched under a grant from TriOptimum majority shareholder Anatoly Korenchkin, who saw profit potential in her work. Her research in faster-than-light travel lead to the development of a device code-named Sarah. However, Tri-Op had a hard deadline coming up, despite Delacroix wanting more time to ensure that the device would operate as intended.
Delacroix met with UNN Admiral William Diego, who offered to keep Tri-Optimum in check. Secretly, Diego and the UNN were wary of how Anatoly may take advantage of the technology in the coming years. This meeting would lay the foundation for the Von Braun mission months later.
During the proceedings of the UNN senate sub-committee concerning this new technology, it was decided that development of Sarah would continue, and that a prototype would be launched in the next 3 months. After the meeting, Delacroix told Korenchkin that she'd never finish Sarah. However, Anatoly persuaded her to stay, claiming that she'd be needed to stand between the UNN and Tri-Op.
Von Braun
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Delacroix was granted the position of chief engineer aboard the Von Braun to monitor the FTL drive.
Despite the public excitement, Dr. Delacroix went on record saying that the ship was not ready for deployment. Her warnings fell on deaf ears, as Tri-Op pushed the Von Braun and the UNN Rickenbacker on their maiden voyage in 2114.
A few months into the mission, the situation had begun to deteriorate. Tensions ran high between the civilian crew of the Von Braun and the military presence on the Rickenbacker.
In addition, Delacroix’s predictions proved to be accurate, as the Von Braun was plagued with malfunctions. The coolant tubes on the engineering deck were in need of constant repairs, the scrubbers in the air-recirculators on the hydroponics deck had the tendency to pump out carbon dioxide, and the integration of the core computer system, XERXES, was buggy and easily exploited.
First Contact and The Many
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~ Marie Delacroix, Trusting SHODAN
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After first contact with The Many, and during the ensuing bloodbath, Dr. Delacroix became one of two important figures among the surviving crew of the Von Braun, with Janice Polito. She established a series of backdoors in the ships systems that would later help the Soldier reestablish control of the ship.
Dr. Delacroix set up an emergency transmitter to warn Earth of the fate of the Von Braun's mission. She was assisted by SHODAN, who became her unlikely ally after SHODAN was discovered on Tau Ceti.
Death
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~ Marie Delacroix, Some Small Assistance
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During the events of the game, Delacroix is trapped in Shuttle Bay 2 on Deck 6. When the player arrives, she had been killed. The audio log on Delacroix' body reveals that SHODAN had been planning to use the ship's FTL drive for her own ends.
After the Soldier destroys The Many and enters SHODAN's mind, he finds more messages from Delacroix that she had managed to stow in SHODAN's primary data loop. Delacroix is also responsible for opening a weakness in SHODAN's defenses for the Soldier to exploit in their fight.
Audio Logs and E-Mails
Audio Logs
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E-Mails
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Trivia
- Oddly, despite being French, she pronounces her surname as "deh-luh-croy" instead of "deh-luh-quah" - the proper, French pronunciation of the name.
- A removed audio file was set to play upon discovering her body, pleading to the player; "Beware, Mon petit, do not trust..."
Template:SS2 Characters