- "Nevil... please take advantage of the counselling. You do need it."
- —Marling to Nevil Estrom, after talking with him about living on Azura
Doctor Erica Marling was a molecular biologist who worked at the hidden Coalition of Ordered Governments research facilities on Azura.
Biography[]
Meeting Nevil[]
In Brume of 10 A.E., Marling ate with recently arrived scientist Dr. Nevil Estrom, who was having trouble adjusting to life on Azura. She suggested that he go see a counsellor to help deal with his guilt at being safe on Azura instead of back in Jacinto City, and that he should not hate himself for it. Nevil retorted that he did not hate himself, but the Coalition of Ordered Governments, along with Marling and the other scientists who had hidden on Azura and stayed safe for the past ten years. Marling noted that the facilities had been built during the Pendulum Wars, and Chairman Richard Prescott would have been crazy for not making use of it. Nevil angrily responded that some of the scientists there had been on the island since the Pendulum Wars, and noted that many of them had never even seen a Locust in the flesh. Marling pointed out that Nevil and Dr. Adam Fenix had done some of the work that kept Azura hidden by working on the Maelstrom device. Nevil told her they had no idea what it would be used for, and Marling told him that was her point. Nevil told her to shove the need-to-know bullcrap, and asked where all their food and supplies came from. Marling explained that they were self-sufficient, with a lot of agriculture on the island. He guessed that they had some nice peasants to do all that work for them, and asked if they kept out of sight like the housekeeping staff. Marling told him to spare her the lecture on theoretical socialism, and that they needed that staff to keep them supplied and cared for so they could do the research. She then explained to him that the mainland did not have the facilities they needed to develop ways to win the war, and that Adam had already set them back years by keeping the existence of the Lambent to himself. Nevil asked if anyone on Azura had seen footage from the mainland of the Locust, or if they knew about the Stranded and how the COG civilians stayed alive. Marling told him that they did get news coverage, and Nevil guessed they watched it every night while sipping a brandy to help them sleep. Marling pleaded with him again to take advantage of counselling, but Nevil angrily pushed his chair away from the table and left the cafeteria in disgust.[1]
References[]
- ↑ Gears of War: The Slab pg 132-133