Mara Okafor

Threshold Institute · Staff record

Name

Mara Okafor

Role

Corporal of the first guard; head of the response team; trainer of the surveys and the runs

Years

Years 1 to 46

First file

T-002 Rift stalker

Last file

T-054 Porcelain Mask

Mara Okafor was a corporal in the detachment of state soldiers who were the first guards of the sealed level (T-002). On the hundred and seventh night of the calendar she saw a figure cross the dark of the anteroom faster than it could have walked. It came for her three times before dawn, each time nearer, and on its third approach she brought it down (T-002). Her report gave the guards their first standing order, never turn your back on one, and that summer Director Varga formed the response team, eight guards trained for what came out of the chamber, and gave it to her (T-002).

Her team brought down what came through in the first years. It fought the brute in the anteroom for eleven minutes, and three of the eight were carried up with broken limbs (T-003). It stood still for the echo and brought it down on the first volley (T-005), and it brought down the mirror in the yard (T-007) and the stalker that walked in among the figures of the replay room (T-015). Her rules came out of those nights. After the dark room she wrote that a dark room was never to be taken for an empty one (T-008). After the replay room she wrote: in a room that shows people, count them, and shoot the one that does not belong (T-015).

When the ministry granted the means to go through the rift, she was named to train the first survey's team (T-016). Her training notes followed the surveys. After the listening field she had the new teams cross the floor of the old firing range in socks, then in boots, then with full kit, until they crossed glass without thinking about it (T-023). After the statue she had them walk the range back to back and hand the watch over by word: "It is the first rule we have ever had that takes two people to keep." (T-027). After the cache mimic she added one line to the manual: count the crates you brought (T-032).

When the long surveys ended she wrote the rules for what the retrieval runs brought home, often on the run's own report (T-034, T-039). The lantern was to be lit where a team was ready to fight (T-034). A gift found on a run was to be treated as bait until it was proven otherwise (T-036). The compass was to be asked for little, and asked where a team was ready to fight (T-039).

In the last years her people worked above ground as well. A response team she had trained opened the sealed hold in the launch site's hangar (T-043). Rehn asked her to train the agency's crews, and the agency declined (T-045). Erik Halden led the field team under her (T-048), and Sami Lehto was her new recruit (T-050). In year 46 she agreed to teach the plant teams to walk back to back and said it would be the last class she taught. She was to retire at the year's end, and Halden was to take the response team (T-052).

Papers under their name

• Addendum T-002-A: incident log, Year 1, month 4, day 17, kept by Corporal M. Okafor, in T-002 Rift stalker
• Addendum T-003-A: from Okafor's report to the Director, Year 2, month 9, day 4, in T-003 Rift brute
• Addendum T-003-C: note, M. Okafor, Year 3, month 6, in T-003 Rift brute
• Addendum T-008-B: memorandum, M. Okafor to Director I. Varga, Year 11, month 5, day 8, in T-008 Dark room
• Addendum T-015-A: incident log, Year 21, month 10, day 11, kept by M. Okafor, in T-015 Replay room
• Addendum T-023-3: from Mara Okafor's training notes, Year 27, month 1, in T-023 Listening field
• Addendum T-027-2: from Mara Okafor's training notes, Year 29, month 4, in T-027 Statue
• Addendum T-032-2: from Mara Okafor's training notes, Year 33, month 4, in T-032 Cache mimic

In the case files

Mara Okafor is named in 22 case files. The last column says where in each file.

Part I: The tear

File	Found	Where named
T-002 Rift stalker	Year 1, month 4, day 17	Discovery, Addendum T-002-A
T-003 Rift brute	Year 2, month 9, day 3	Discovery, Addendum T-003-A, Addendum T-003-C
T-005 Echo	Year 5, month 11, day 28	Discovery
T-007 Mirror	Year 9, month 3, day 14	Discovery

Part II: The rooms turn

File	Found	Where named
T-008 Dark room	Year 11, month 5, day 6	Discovery, Addendum T-008-B
T-012 Quiet room	Year 17, month 1, day 30	Discovery, Addendum T-012-B
T-015 Replay room	Year 21, month 10, day 1	Containment procedures, Discovery, Addendum T-015-A
T-016 The watchers	Year 23, month 4, day 27	Discovery, Addendum T-016-B

Part III: Going through (the places and creatures)

File	Found	Where named
T-023 Listening field	Year 26, month 11, day 2	Addendum T-023-3
T-027 Statue	Year 29, month 3, day 27	Addendum T-027-2
T-032 Cache mimic	Year 33, month 2, day 14	Addendum T-032-2

Part III: Going through (the objects)

File	Found	Where named
T-034 Pale Lantern	Year 34, month 3, day 11	Discovery, Addendum T-034-B
T-036 Mending Jar	Year 35, month 4, day 19	Discovery
T-039 Wish Compass	Year 37, month 6, day 14	Description, Discovery
T-040 Blood Coin	Year 38, month 2, day 3	Addendum T-040-B
T-042 Endless Battery	Year 40, month 8, day 30	Discovery

Part IV: The planet and the pollution

File	Found	Where named
T-043 Alien skitter	Year 41, month 3, day 14	Discovery, Addendum T-043-2
T-045 Burrower	Year 42, month 7, day 2	Addendum T-045-2
T-048 Infected	Year 44, month 2, day 11	Addendum T-048-1
T-050 Toxic boar	Year 45, month 8, day 30	Addendum T-050-1
T-052 Mutant crawler	Year 46, month 6, day 17	Addendum T-052-3

Part V: The widening

File	Found	Where named
T-054 Porcelain Mask	Year 47, month 6, day 21	Discovery