The Stryers were, of course, famous before ever they joined the Exodus. The story of Escher's strange upbringing by the ship's computer aboard his parents' derelict spaceship, his daring rescue of Lara from the dastardly Darwin Verrill, all these are well-documented in the sensationalist tabloids of the time.

Less well-known are his efforts to aid the Fleet during their flight from Earth. Rumours still persist around the 'poisoned' food he supposedly spread on the St Nikolaos, but nothing ever showed that to be more that a poorly-timed joke taken badly by starving refugees with a limited sense of humour. The rest of Escher's endeavours show a much more high-minded individual, not the most sociable of people but determined to help where he could. Examples are numerous: his willingness to investigate all suspicious activity within the Fleet, his repeated offers of private investigation work for any concerned citizen requiring it, even the fiendishly complex riddles he sent through to the Hussar while they were under quarantine - all of these speak to the finer qualities of his character.

But his final legacy, of course, will be his second rescue of his sister: once more from Darwin Verrill, now disguised within the fleet as shady businessman 'Garland Bora.' Yet again holding Lara hostage for still-unknown reasons, the villain and the cult he had amassed were defeated and captured by a strike team entirely led and coordinated by Escher - no mean feat for someone still known as 'the kid' to his friends. Who knows what he could have achieved in the rest of his lifetime, had he not been so cruelly and inexplicably cut down by Apparitions shortly thereafter.

- an excerpt from Unsung Heroes of the Exodus: They Shall Be Remembered, 2115