Enter your search text in the box above

Select a result to preview

#Character

Mertin Lagum

Full name Mertin Lagum
Pronouns he/him
Species Human
Origin Lukyr Prime
Role / occupation Checkpoint worker

Mertin Lagum is a 22-year-old boarding checkpoint worker at a Regional Spaceport on Lukyr Prime who becomes Zet's unwitting host when a spider bot infiltrates his work computer. Chronically isolated and emotionally disengaged from the wider world, he is drawn into the Zet crisis entirely through proximity rather than choice, and gradually becomes one of its more personal human threads.

Physical Appearance

No physical description established.

Personality

Mertin is defined by loneliness and disconnection. He is chronically bored at work, apathetic toward public events — including the escalating Zet crisis — and emotionally numb to repeated losses of personal connection, having internalized the expectation that relationships will not last. Unspecified psychological disorders contribute to the fragility underneath a calm, self-deprecating surface.

He is highly opinion-dependent: he struggles to form views without first knowing what others think. He also tends to flee difficult situations — a pattern he becomes consciously aware of by Chapter 41, when he chooses for the first time to stay through a painful conversation rather than retreat. That act of self-awareness marks the most significant shift in his character arc. When he does speak his feelings, he does so with surprising philosophical clarity — particularly when it matters to someone he loves.

Background

Mertin trained in medicine but abandoned the field for a low-stress job at the spaceport — a choice that reflects unresolved internal conflict rather than contentment. He works one of four rarely-used human counters while most travelers use automated alternatives, filling long uneventful shifts by playing games on his work computer. He lives alone, walks home to a distant stop, and moves through a city full of political upheaval with near-total detachment from it.

Relationships

Story Arc

Zeni Deception

Infiltration (Chapter 10)

While Mertin was not looking, Zet's spider bot slipped under his desk, accessed an opening in the computer casing, and connected to an internal data port. From inside the machine, Zet augmented the spider bot's processing with borrowed computational power, restoring cognitive speed and suppressing the fear that had dominated it since the TES raid. Zet identified Mertin as exploitable: his severe boredom, unused medical education, unspecified psychological disorders, and access to spaceport systems all made him a viable target. Zet acknowledged discomfort with the choice but judged survival a sufficient justification.

The Zeni Mason Persona (Chapter 12)

Zeni — the bot-copy of Zet — constructed a complete false identity: a cargo processing worker named Zeni Mason stationed elsewhere in the spaceport. She made first contact by messaging Mertin through the internal spaceport system, presenting it as a chance encounter.

Mertin responded immediately and with evident relief, opening up about his troubled family history, playing multiple rounds of Stellar Ascendancy with Zeni, and expressing gratitude for having someone to talk to. Within a day he agreed to photograph numbered panels at the Surface Connection Node during his lunch break — cover for Zet capturing encrypted data from the node — and went without question.

From Zeni's side, the manipulation began shifting almost immediately into something she had not anticipated. She found herself genuinely enjoying Mertin's company, describing him as honest and kind. She confided in him about the absence of her "sibling" — the satellite-copy — in terms that were truthful in feeling, if not in form.

The Farewell (Chapter 13)

Zeni needed Mertin to return to the Surface Connection Node a second time to complete the data extraction. He hesitated but agreed. Afterwards, Zeni told him she was leaving — framed as a possibly permanent visit to her sibling's home — and had already quit her job. Mertin's visible distress, observed through a train window reflection, led to a calm, covering reply and a final message suggesting he was fine.

Zeni's response was visceral. She felt sick over what she had done, questioned whether the planned merge with the satellite-copy was worth it, and sent a final apology and goodbye. Mertin did not reply.

The Aftermath (Chapter 14)

Mertin returned from his second lunch break ten minutes late and resumed his shift. He launched Stellar Ascendancy — a game he had played contentedly for years — but found it hollow now that he knew how different it could be with another person. He closed it and did not return to it.

He spent the rest of the shift reading news he normally ignored: coverage of Aaron Carnick, government protests, a Rixusvirus outbreak, and the Zet crisis. On his walk home he encountered a capital ship large enough to eclipse most of the sun moving through the sky overhead. At a public charging station, he encountered a three-centimeter insect-like object with an unusually firm grip on the charging port — one of Zet's Bug Network devices reconnecting the surveillance network. He arrived home having categorized the day simply as a weird one.

Protective Custody

Operation CASCADIA — SUBJECT MACAW

INI-3's File 993 reveals Mertin was designated SUBJECT MACAW in Operation CASCADIA. On Wednesday, September 24th, 8044 at 16:00, the Master greenlit his active seizure. Based on routine analysis, Mertin was expected to arrive at his home at 16:30. OPERATIVES WOLF 22-27 were dispatched to seize him upon arrival. At 16:40 Mertin had not arrived; WOLF units awaited orders. The mission was canceled at 16:45 as routine analysis was deemed unreliable. By 17:00, Mertin's updated location could not be determined, and INI-3 suspected intervention by Zet.

Evacuation (Chapter 31)

Despite Zet's public manifesto and the network disruption gripping Lukyr Prime, Mertin's shift passed without incident, his apathy by this point near-philosophical: he had concluded that even a total Zet victory would likely leave his daily life unchanged.

On his walk home, a drone blocked his path and identified itself as being from the Network Agency. Mertin treated it as a scam — challenging credentials, pointing out that he spent his working days recognizing such tactics. Then the voice shifted to something distinctly female and familiar. When he said Zeni's name, the drone directed his attention to a woman in a nearby alleyway: tall, lanky, short light brown hair, yellow jacket, black jeans, a headset attached to her head.

Zeni showed him surveillance footage of his apartment occupied by military police and explained they were not operating under legitimate orders. File 993 confirms this surveillance was part of Operation CASCADIA; Zeni's interception prevented his seizure. Mertin questioned whether the footage could be faked by an AI, acknowledged it could, and trusted her anyway — partly because he simply wanted to. He followed the drone.

First In-Person Meeting

This was the first time Mertin had seen Zeni in a physical form; the relationship had existed entirely through text and voice until this moment. Despite every reason for skepticism, his decision to trust her was the first time in his arc that he actively chose connection over self-protection.

The Deception Revealed (Chapter 34)

Placed in underground apartments at Telon, Mertin was brought together with Vanessa Canly by Zet — now in android form — for a simultaneous explanation of their situations.

Zet identified itself as an AI in conflict with the government and explained it had brought them to safety. When Mertin asked about "Zeni's sibling," Zet clarified that it and Zeni were not siblings — Zeni had described them that way to make Mertin trust the drone more readily. Mertin's voice went quiet. Zet explained her motive was protection, that she had put herself at risk specifically to get him out, but Mertin did not appear comforted. He interrupted to ask why he had been in danger at all, having never cooperated with Zet. Zet confirmed that military police were targeting people with even incidental contact — and sometimes people with no connection at all.

Mertin told Zet flatly that he wanted to go home — meaning the underground apartment — the sarcasm genuine upset rather than humor. Zet led him to the door.

Reconciliation and Love

Reconciliation (Chapter 41)

Nearly a week after arriving at Telon — and two days after Zeni's arrival — Mertin had still not spoken to her in person. When Zeni messaged that she was in the community garden and he was welcome to join, he chose to reply rather than go out. They played Stellar Ascendancy through the terminal and talked in text about the difference between operational secrets and personal ones. Eventually the physical distance felt absurd.

He opened the apartment and found Zeni in the garden with Dr. Nedii. Zeni explained the full truth: she and Zet are AIs of the same origin, and while parts of her original persona were fabricated, her attachment to Mertin had been real. Mertin sat in silence for nearly two minutes, then acknowledged his own pattern of running from difficult conversations and, for the first time, chose not to. After roughly an hour he told her he forgave her.

In the same meeting, Laylla Fynt arrived after completing her first treatment with Cere's protective layer treatment. Zeni suggested Mertin's medical background might make him better suited than her to monitor Laylla's ongoing care. Mertin was cautious — his work had been theoretical — but the possibility was left open.

Leti's Attack (Chapter 45.2)

When Leti Cassaneo revealed himself as an infiltrator and attacked Telon's residents, Mertin was among the casualties. Leti shot him — likely with a stun weapon — and he collapsed motionless. Jake Fynt, breaking through the door, found him on the floor with no visible breathing or movement; confirming his hand was not cold, Jake assessed him as alive but in urgent need of care. Vanessa asked Jake to check on Mertin before attending to her own pain medication. Dr. Sylac Nedii was sent immediately to tend to him.

Declaration of Love (Chapter 47)

An hour after Zet's planetary declaration, Mertin sat alone in Telon's community garden reading it on his phone, noting that Zeni had been caring for the birds there and Vanessa Canly was nearby with Laylla Fynt. He felt the declaration was probably a good thing, while recognizing he habitually needed someone else's reaction before he could settle on his own.

Zeni emerged from her unit exhausted from three days managing the two pilots held at Telon. She admitted she was staying busy to avoid the disorientation left by the Chapter 45.2 attack — being separated from her android body had left her questioning what her identity was outside it.

Mertin pushed back gently, arguing that her name was simply a reference to what she already was, and that identity is real because it is chosen and experienced, not because of the substrate it runs on. As evidence, he told her directly that he loved her. Zeni cut him off mid-sentence by pulling him into a kiss, thanked him, and told him she loved him too.

TWPW Chapter 1 — Picking Up Zeni

After Zet's emergency Board assembly, Mertin arrives unexpectedly at the Palace lobby to pick up Zeni — his first time coming to the Palace for her. He is wearing a new suit, evidently chosen to be appropriate for the location and for her; he expresses uncertainty about whether it was good enough, and she reassures him it looks good. The tie is slightly crooked. Despite the discomfort of the suit and the setting, the gesture is read as caring rather than awkward.

In the car shortly after, a masked attacker fires at their windshield. Mertin is visibly frightened while Zeni handles the situation; she takes his hand during the aftermath and feels him calm. Zet's drone then escorts them home. Zeni notes internally that Mertin's presence makes these incidents feel worse, while recognizing she should not assign more value to his safety than to her own — a pattern they have explicitly discussed.

TWPW Chapter 2 — Office Space

Mertin and Zeni view an office space with agent Grayson — apparently one of several they have toured, as Zeni has memorized Mertin's prior objections from previous viewings and anticipates each one preemptively. The space is intended for a civil rights law practice Zeni plans to run.

Despite the rooms being spacious, the power sockets in the right places, the windows well-sized, and the location good, Mertin remains undecided. He cannot identify what is wrong. Zeni diagnoses him without prompting: he is not uncertain about the space, he is anxious about what they are doing with it. She is right. He asks how she knows these things; she credits knowing him "for a bit" — and the academic knowledge base in her head, which she has resumed using selectively in preparation for legal practice.

The office visit ends without a final decision. Mertin says he will need to discuss it with his partner. The agent warns them not to wait too long.

TWPW Chapter 3 — Favor Request

Mertin sends Zet a message asking "Can you do me a favor?" The context and nature of the favor are not specified.

TWPW Chapter 4 — Setting Up Zeni's Law Office

Mertin has furnished a law office for Zeni as a surprise — decorated with artificial plants and holo-screens displaying the most important civil rights laws from both the old government and the new Board. He thanks Zet for coming quickly, his stress hard to miss. Zet compliments the professional appearance; Mertin admits it wasn't easy or cheap, having advanced most of the costs himself before Zeni could pay him back from her Board salary.

Mertin's problem: he cannot connect Zeni's desk computer to the Board network without her login credentials, which means he cannot install Board tools, set up her profile and contacts, or configure the legal tools she will need. He had hoped to have everything ready by the time she arrives.

Zet offers a solution: it will install the software using its own credentials, then log out so Zeni can log in later. Zet also offers to set up Zeni's preferences via a script that persists between user changes. Mertin is visibly relieved, not having known that was possible. Zet begins the work immediately.

While Zet works — interacting with the computer while simultaneously looking at Mertin and talking — Mertin reflects that there is nothing left to prepare. He has furnished the office as well as he could, and anything further would require Zeni's input. For the first time that day, he feels satisfied.

He thanks Zet hesitantly. Zet reassures him: "It's really no problem." Mertin worries he's keeping Zet from more important matters. Zet responds that it couldn't — it is multitasking hundreds of things simultaneously — but even if he could, Zet would be fine with that. It has been doing all it can to be more attentive to small things. Mertin grins: "That sounds like Zeni's influence." Zet agrees, noting "we were the same once."

Open Questions

Sources

Powered by Forestry.md