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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
Marguerit Maida (IPA: /ˈmɑɹ̠ɡəɹ̠ʷit ˈmeɪdə/) was a highly experienced mercenary and former member of the Trans System Federation, hired by Paul Torgal to protect the Degasi from pirate raids. Marguerit and Paul didn't get along well and argued often about where to establish themselves. Marguerit wished to go deeper into the sea, but Paul wanted to remain on the Floating Island. In the end Marguerit had her way and they set up habitats in the Jellyshroom Cave and later in the Deep Grand Reef. Paul allowed this to happen because, despite being the captain, he knew that he and Bart needed her to survive.
Marguerit's considerable experience was demonstrated on multiple occasions, once when she wrestled Stalkers and took their teeth by force and again when she brought a nearly dead Reaper Leviathan to their base in the Deep Grand Reef, and was last seen clinging to the Reaper Leviathan responsible for the destruction of that base, having stabbed a jagged piece of metal into its neck.
As it turns out, Marguerit survived these events and later appears in person in Subnautica: Below Zero.
Time on 4546B
Crater
Marguerit, Paul, and Paul's son Bart were the only survivors from the Degasi crash approximately one decade prior to the Aurora's crash. They arrived during a period of torrential rainfall and storms which rendered them stuck within their lifepods for several days. After the storms cleared they were able to see a Floating Island and created a base on it from the scrapped wreckage of the Degasi. They remained on the island until the rainfall caused a landslide which destroyed part of their base.
After this, they moved to the Jellyshroom Caves where they remained for some months before Marguerit wished to venture even deeper into the ocean in search of the answer to why they were shot down. Subsequently, a base was constructed within the Deep Grand Reef and here they learned that they had been infected by an alien disease. Bart needed specimens to test on and Marguerit would bring him creatures for this purpose.
This arrangement continued up until Marguerit brought a near-dead Reaper Leviathan back to the base. Unknown to Marguerit, a second Reaper Leviathan had trailed her back to the base which it then attacked and destroyed. After this, Paul swam downwards towards a light, likely dying of oxygen deprivation whilst Bart fled towards the Floating Island and presumably died due to Kharaa some time later. Marguerit's fate remained unknown. She was last seen by Paul, clutching onto the neck of the Reaper Leviathan.
Sector Zero
It turns out Marguerit survived the events of 10 years prior came to reside within Sector Zero after the destruction of the Deep Grand Reef Degasi Base caused by a Reaper Leviathan. Marguerit clung onto the Reaper whilst attacking it, eventually killing the Leviathan causing its body to float to the surface. Once the Reaper's body floated to the surface, due to the Ghost Leviathans consuming only planktonic organisms. Marguerit remained on the body of the Reaper, (using its ribcage as a shelter, fat as a source of fire, and meat as nutrition) and over a long period of time eventually drifted to Sector Zero.
Currently, she has a base in a cave below the Lilypad Islands with the skull and mandibles of the Reaper that she killed, as well as a greenhouse located on an iceberg in the East Arctic. At some point in time between her arrival in Sector Zero, and the events of Subnautica: Below Zero, Marguerit managed to tame a snow stalker, who she can be seen with at either of these locations.
Relationships
Bart Torgal
Marguerit and Bart seem to get along, and it is highly obvious that she prefers him over his father. An example of this is when Marguerit planned to leave the Torgals while they were sleeping, take what she needed and go off on her own. However, while she expressed relief at the prospect of leaving Paul, she couldn't bring herself to abandon Bart, claiming that he wasn't "so bad." Whether their friendship caused her to stay is unknown. Throughout their time on the planet, their relationship is further explored, with Marguerit capturing specimens for Bart to study. When she found an alien tablet in the ocean she gave it to Bart to study, showing that she trusts him. When Bart realized that they were infected with an unknown pathogen, she took extreme measures to capture specimens for him. Despite their disagreement over her methods, the two shared a friendly relationship.
Paul Torgal
Marguerit's relationship with Bart's father was tense, to put it mildly. Paul was bullheaded and stubborn, set in his ways and the belief that his way was the only way. But Marguerit often did things her own way and refused to even consider Paul's point of view. An example of this is when she proposed to move to the Jellyshroom Caves, which Paul flatly refused multiple times. She was aware of and chose to ignore Paul's dislike towards her friendship with Bart. She also ignored his frantic reactions to her actions, such as bringing back a severely injured Reaper Leviathan on the back of their Cyclops, as she merely stated Bart needed a "test subject."
Robin Ayou
Initially, Marguerit acts hostile towards Robin, nearly hitting her with her prawn suit, and telling her that Robin is intruding upon her land. This comes as a result of her belief that Robin is a part of the Alterra Corporation, and is there to spy on Marguerit. However, once Robin deactivates the Communications Tower she learns that this is not the case. She invites Robin to her greenhouse, where she is more tolerant of her presence, offering her access to any plants in her greenhouse as well as information about Sam.
Samantha Ayou
At first Marguerit finds Sam to be a dedicated Alterra employee, often spying on Marguerit using Spy Penglings. However, following Sam's discovery of the Frozen Leviathan, and Alterra's plan to mutate the Kharaa Bacterium contained within it, Sam comes to Marguerit with a plan to neutralize it. Marguerit is surprised by Sam's defiance and convinces her to instead destroy the cave that contains the leviathan, rather than simply injecting it with the Kharaa Antidote. This results in the destruction of Phi Excavation Site and the deaths of both Sam and Parvan Ivanov.
Degasi Crew Manifest: Marguerit Maida
“ | Auxiliary Search & Rescue Mission: Marguerit Maida |
” |
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. 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 enameled glass. 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)
Marguerit Maida |
Name: Marguerit Maida 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 resources. 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. |
Source: Scan Marguerit Maida |
Marguerit Maida's Log #1 |
Marguerit: 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 void at the crater'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 tank. 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. |
Source: Abandoned PDA in the Tree Spires (-3 -453 -1117) |
Marguerit Maida's Log #2 |
Marguerit: 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 water towards me. It had taken hours for the reaper's corpse to float to the surface. Using the knife, 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 sink before or after I died of thirst? I had a knife, a repair tool, 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 tool, 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. |
Source: PDA in Marguerit Maida's Base |
Marguerit Maida's Log #3 |
Marguerit: A fortnight into our voyage I was more or less living inside the creature's ribcage. It meant shelter, and it meant food. The flesh was starting to rot. The stench was unlike anything I'd ever smelled. As we floated, the temperature 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. |
Source: PDA in Marguerit Maida's Base (After she invites you to her greenhouse.) |
Gallery
Trivia
- Marguerit means "daisy" in Danish.
- Marguerit's appearance in below zero has been the subject of discussion; furthermore, it's a mystery how she recovered from the alien disease.
References
Aurora | |
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Degasi |
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Other |