Emile Mars-Smith

Emile Mars-Smith was an associate and friend of Bernice Summerfield.

Childhood
Emile was born into a cult (PROSE: Where Angels Fear) which followed the Natural Path and lived in a small community on an X-boat relay station. He spent most of his time alone but had to attend lessons about the Path with the other boys, although he never felt that he fit in. When he missed school because of illness, feigned or otherwise, he often watched documentaries on Franz Kryptosa, whom his father disapproved of. (PROSE: Beyond the Sun)

Emile grew up on a diet of cheap holos and comic strips. At the age of nine, he imagined that he would marry a woman and have children, (PROSE: Where Angels Fear) which his father and the mentor told him was how it was meant to be. His mother would protect him from his father's speeches by changing the subject and sending him to clean up for dinner, after which his father would shout at her and he would blame himself. His mother had a disease which eventually killed her.

Following his mother's funeral, Emile's father only permitted him to join him for Sunday lunch, which would be completely silent. Choosing archaeology because it was the first in an alphabetical list of courses, Emile copied an essay from an obscure study guide and got a Krytell scholarship to study at St Oscar's University by pretending to be eighteen instead of fifteen. He left the relay station without telling his father. (PROSE: Beyond the Sun)

Studies at St Oscar's
At St Oscar's, Emile shared a desk with Tameka Vito during an introductory lecture and heard a rumour that she was the Cat's Paw. He watched her and her boyfriend out of a library window for twenty minutes, admiring her boyfriend until he grabbed his crotch and smiled lewdly at him. He was told at the end of his first week to travel to Apollox 4 to partake in an expedition with Bernice Summerfield, as was Tameka.

Whilst on his first archaeology trip, he discovered he might be gay after he found himself sexually attracted to another man. Up until this point, he had never admitted to his sexuality even to himself, though he realised he had always truly known. (PROSE: Beyond the Sun)

When Emile returned to the relay station to speak with his father, his father forbade him from returning because of his sexuality. Emile described his father as "pathetic" but believed that they would one day sort things out. (PROSE: Deadfall)

Possession
Benny tasked Emile with investigating the murders on the Joanna due to his knowledge of cults. This led him to decide to join a different one of the increasingly-important religious groups on Dellah every few days, but ended up joining Adnan's cult and stealing The Grimoire of Atheron the Mage from them, using it to make a deal with an imp to locate the murderer in return for his soul. He and Irving Braxiatel evacuated the spaceport before the bomb was detonated, but Emile was caught in the blast; his body was possessed by a god who escaped from Dellah on one of John's ships. (PROSE: Where Angels Fear)

Emile was able to maintain a fragile hold on the god inside of his mind and exiled himself to an unnamed planet in an attempt to starve it. Benny, Jason Kane, Mira and the Stratum Seven agent picked him up and took him to Thanaxos in the hopes that the god in his mind would cancel out the one in G'jimo's. The plan was successful, although the agent had to knock Emile out to keep his god from absorbing power, and Emile was returned to his exile before exposure to the faith of the Thanaxons could break his tenuous control. (PROSE: The Mary-Sue Extrusion)

Later life
Emile's period of possession came to an end and he spent some time convalescing, having lost a lot of weight whilst in exile. As soon as he was well enough, Irving Braxiatel hired him to assist as he set up the Braxiatel Collection. He had him debrief Bernice Summerfield, Jason Kane, Chris Cwej and Clarence on his plans for Dellah and Vremnya and, after the Ferutu were dealt with, put him in charge of overseeing the initial stages of the establishment of the University of Vremnya. (PROSE: Twilight of the Gods)

Emile attended Peter Summerfield's naming ceremony on the Collection, as did Tameka and Jock. (PROSE: Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Glass Prison)

Personality
Emile lacked confidence before coming to terms with his sexuality (PROSE: Beyond the Sun) and, even afterwards, could be nervous and believed that he did not have the personality to make up for his appearance. (PROSE: Where Angels Fear)

He knew about fashion, choosing his clothing with care. He liked curry, read comic books, including one about Demona, and found academic books difficult to read. (PROSE: Beyond the Sun)

Appearance
Emile was podgy, round-faced and soft-featured (PROSE: Where Angels Fear) and had brown eyes and bleached hair styled in a flat top. (PROSE: Beyond the Sun) He lost a lot of weight after recovering from being possessed by one of the Ferutu and looked older and more confident. (PROSE: Twilight of the Gods)

Having an interest in fashion, Emile chose his clothes carefully. Bernice Summerfield thought that his combination of a patterned waistcoat with a bright shirt, cheap orange trousers and service boots looked "thrift-shop cool". He had several tiny silver earrings running up the edge of one ear and wore numerous rings and a beaded necklace with a religious icon. (PROSE: Beyond the Sun)

Behind the scenes
Matt Jones pitched Bizarre Love Triangle, a story centred on Emile, to Virgin Books as a New Adventure, which was rejected. He later pitched a story with the same name, also starring Emile, to Big Finish Productions for Bernice Summerfield. It was rejected by Gary Russell as it did not feature Benny. (REF: Bernice Summerfield: The Inside Story)