Marie Delacroix

"I've been contacted by some kind of artificial intelligence that wants to help me reclaim control of the Von Braun from whomever... or whatever is now in charge. I don't know where it came from, but I must confess I'm happy it is here."

- Marie Delacroix, A New Friend? Dr. Marie St. Anne Delacroix was the principal designer of the FTL drive and the chief engineer of the Von Braun. Working under a grant from TriOptimum Corporation, 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.

Background
"I'm not some...hacker. I'm a scientist. I don't believe in shortcuts or luck. I believe in research, statistics and the scientific method. And time. I believe in lots and lots of time. My work has nothing to do with recognition or avarice. I'm already more wealthy and famous than I ever contemplated."

- Marie Delacroix to William Diego, System Shock 2 Short Story

Delacroix is an important figure in the story of System Shock 2 and one of the most important members of the Von Braun's crew.

Delacroix's 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's 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, TriOptimum 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 TriOptimum 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 would be needed to stand between the UNN and TriOptimum.

Von Braun
"I don't know where we'd be without Delacroix - This whole ship is falling apart and she's the only one who knows what from what."

- Constance Sanger, Delacroix

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 TriOptimum 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
"Who should I trust less? An impostor claiming to be that monster, or the monster herself?"

- Marie Delacroix, Trusting SHODAN

After the first contact with the Many and during the ensuing bloodbath, Dr. Delacroix became one of the two important figures among the surviving crew of the Von Braun, along with Janice Polito. She established a series of backdoors in the ship's systems that would later help soldier reestablish control of the ship.

Dr. Delacroix and members of Human Resistance set up an emergency transmitter to warn Earth of the Von Braun mission's fate. She was assisted by SHODAN, who became her unlikely ally after the AI was discovered on Tau Ceti.

Death
"If you are receiving this, I am already dead. When I realized SHODAN had betrayed me, I integrated these comments into her primary data loop."

- Marie Delacroix, Some Small Assistance

During the events of the game, Delacroix gets trapped in Cargo Bay A on Deck 6, betrayed and abandoned by SHODAN to be killed by the Many. When the player arrives, she is already dead. The presence of a Cyborg Midwife in Cargo Bay A suggests that Delacroix may have been killed by her. The Audio Log on Delacroix's body reveals that SHODAN had been planning to use the ship's FTL drive for her own ends.

After 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 before her death. Delacroix is also responsible for opening a weakness in SHODAN's defenses for soldier to exploit during the final fight.

Audio Logs

 * MedSci Deck


 * XERXES
 * Not Ready
 * Engineering Deck


 * Taking Action
 * Tau Ceti 5
 * Be Brave
 * Fluidics Backdoor
 * A New Friend?
 * Hydroponics Deck


 * Killing the Worms
 * A Ray of Hope
 * Making a Change
 * Operations Deck


 * The Main Elevator
 * Recreation Deck


 * Friends and Enemies
 * Trusting SHODAN
 * Turn On Transmitter
 * Command Deck


 * SHODAN
 * SHODAN's Plan
 * Where Am I?


 * Some Small Assistance
 * A Caution
 * The End
 * Stakes

E-Mails

 * Command Deck


 * Soldier!

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.
 * There's an audio file in game assets that was set to play upon discovering her body, with Marie pleading to the player: "Beware, Mon petit, do not trust...".
 * There are 10 Cybernetic Modules on Delacroix's body. If soldier - in spite of SHODAN's warnings - searches her (even without taking anything), the AI will deduct 10 Modules from the current amount upon leaving the Cargo Bay A, at the same time scorning soldier. However, it is possible to avoid this using the following methods:
 * Spend ideally all of your Cyber Modules, so that you have none before you enter Cargo Bay A. Once inside, dispose of the enemies and search Delacroix's body, but do not take the Modules. Exit the Bay. You'll receive SHODAN's E-Mail, but the AI will be unable to subtract any Modules as their count cannot fall below 0. Now you can safely return and grab the 10 Cyber Modules without repercussions.
 * Alternatively, if you have invested in the Instantaneous Quantum Relocation Power, you can first place a teleport marker outside of the Bay, go in and loot it, and then simply teleport out with SHODAN none the wiser.
 * There's also another, yet very difficult trick. Place an armor at the Bay's exit where SHODAN's trigger is placed (precision is very important), go in and loot it. Make a savegame before leaving. You need to use a Speed Booster to slide-jump above the armor to avoid the trigger. This trick also works on Engineering Deck to avoid the Many's cutscene (useful for speedruns).