Marilyn Germanicus

May 6, 2025

Birth Name: Carolyn Carver
Other Names: Carolyn Best
Species: Human (digitized consciousness in synthetic-organic construct)
Affiliation: Formerly Jefivah; later aligned with Tol Germanicus and Thulian rejuvenation initiative
Status: Alive (post-biological existence)
Spouse:

Formerly known as Carolyn Carver, Marilyn Germanicus emerged from tragedy and transformation as one of the Compact’s most enigmatic and enduring figures. Following her death and resurrection during the AI Wars, she became the emotional anchor for Tol Germanicus, the digitized mind who had once loved her as a mortal woman. Over time, she evolved into something more than a relic of a past life—assuming guardianship over Tol’s final projects and ensuring the continuity of his moral legacy.

During the mission to the Throneworld, Marilyn is nearly assassinated by a saboteur before being rescued by JT Austin. The incident only underscores the symbolic weight she carries, not merely as Tol’s consort but as a witness to humanity’s ongoing metamorphosis. In the wake of Tol’s execution on Thule, she becomes the de facto custodian of his remaining subminds and posthumous efforts.

Legacy

Marilyn Germanicus stands as a bridge between eras—between humanity’s fragile biological past and its uncertain transhuman future. Once Carolyn Carver, then a politician’s wife and intellectual, she was remade as a woman who defied death and redefined identity. Whether watching over Thulian science, guiding Tol’s moral compass, or reflecting quietly on the love she once had, Marilyn represents one of the Compact’s most profound transformations: not the conquest of death, but the choice of what to become after it.

Among Tol’s final gifts was a bio-cybernetic chassis carrying one of his subminds, intended to give Marilyn a child—a last gesture of devotion and legacy. Whether she chooses to accept this offer remains unknown, but the act itself cements her as the inheritor of Tol’s hope for the future.

Relationships:

  • Douglas Best: Carolyn Carver married Douglas Best during his early political rise on Jefivah, serving as both his intellectual equal and emotional anchor. Their marriage was marked by deep mutual respect, dry humor, and shared frustration with Jefivah’s backward politics. Even after her death and resurrection as Marilyn Germanicus, her bond with Douglas endured—first as a memory, then as a quiet presence guiding his choices from afar. Their final meeting after the Liberation of Amargosa affirmed their enduring connection: no longer husband and wife, but still partners in spirit, each having chosen a path the other helped make possible.
  • Jayne Best: After the bombing of Quantonesia, Carolyn Best was secretly evacuated to the Temple of Marilyn on Earth—an action orchestrated by Jayne Best at the request of First Minister Myra Gillorn. While Douglas and Jayne were still returning from Gohem, a clean fusion blast destroyed Krupp on Bromdar, and Carolyn was presumed killed in the attack. In truth, her consciousness had already been preserved by Tol Germanicus, though her fate would remain unknown for some time. During their brief time together at the Earth temple, Carolyn and Jayne formed a strong and unexpected friendship. Despite their differing beliefs—Carolyn was secular, Jayne a deeply devoted cleric—they found common ground in their mutual care for Douglas. Carolyn even helped plan the staged “induction” of Douglas into the Temple of the Prophet by arranging for Jayne to be found in his bed, a move both practical and theatrical that served to elevate his political and spiritual status. By the time Carolyn was reborn as Marilyn Germanicus, she regarded Jayne not only as a confidante but as someone who had continued her mission of guiding and protecting Douglas. Upon learning that Douglas and Jayne had named their daughter Carolyn in her honor, Marilyn was both astonished and deeply moved. Though she now lived in a new body with a new identity, the gesture affirmed that she had not been forgotten—and that her friendship with Jayne had transcended death, politics, and even faith.
  • Tol Germanicus: Carolyn Best had minimal interaction with Tol Germanicus during her first lifetime. That changed after her death, when Tol, driven by guilt and admiration, embedded her preserved mind into a specially engineered synthetic-organic body. When she awoke, Carolyn found herself disoriented in a form that resembled the Marilynist “Blessed Mother.” With her past life gone and her identity fundamentally altered, she chose the name Marilyn Germanicus—a nod to both the cult that once plagued Jefivah and her new, strange bond with Tol.

    Initially, their relationship was pragmatic. Marilyn needed time to reconcile her past and the synthetic present she had been thrust into. But once she embraced her posthuman identity and chose to become Tol’s wife, the dynamic shifted. Tol, who had long acted as the invisible architect behind Compact infrastructure, began preparing Marilyn to succeed him at Dasarius Interstellar. Marilyn grounded him. She brought skepticism, compassion, and a moral clarity that even he admitted he lacked.
    Davra Andraste: Marilyn Germanicus shares a complex and evolving bond with Captain Davra Andraste, forged through shared missions and a gradual unveiling of truths. Their connection began during a covert operation on Goshen, when Davra discovered Marilyn’s true nature as a resurrected and partially artificial being. The revelation—delivered not through confrontation but through circumstance—left Davra shaken yet profoundly respectful. For someone raised amid political chaos and radical conflict, Davra recognized in Marilyn a living symbol of transformation and moral ambiguity: neither fully alive nor fully artificial, but something entirely new.

    By 439 IE, during the mission to the Gelt Throneworld, their rapport had deepened into mutual trust. Davra sees Marilyn as a source of insight and historical context—an unconventional but deeply principled advisor. When a saboteur attempts to assassinate Marilyn aboard the Endeavour, Davra’s concern is personal as well as professional. After the attempt is thwarted, Davra treats Marilyn not as cargo or figurehead, but as someone whose presence holds intrinsic value to both the Compact and the crew. Though Marilyn rarely seeks friendship, she acknowledges Davra as a kindred spirit—someone tempered by fire and capable of seeing humanity beyond its limits.

Appearances: Chasing Eternity, Davra's Endeavour, Suicide Solution