Edwin Carver

 was an archaeologist. In 2541, he found a crystal scarab on a dig in Cairo. It was stolen by a young pickpocket, but Carver managed to recover it. The pickpocket cursed Carver.

Several years later, hampered by gambling debt, Carver accepted an offer from Anwar Nazir, owner of the Black Pyramid casino on Beta Osiris, who wanted to buy the scarab. However, before Carver could complete the deal, he learned that the scarab was a threat to the universe.

Nazir's men shot him, and he ran from them through the desert. Dying, he found himself near the Black Pyramid, and realising he could not escape, he buried himself in the sand. (PROSE: Scarab of Death)