Erich (Books)

This page is about the  books character. For the TV incarnation, see Erich (TV).

Books character	TV character

Erich was a childhood friend of Amos Burton.

AppearanceEdit

As a result of being badly beaten as a child, Erich has a shortened, scarred left arm no larger than that of a six-year-old child, and he walks with a limp. When agitated, he has a tendency to clench the fist of his bad hand.

Biography Edit

Background Edit

Erich worked as a computer hacker for Burton's organization, specializing in creating false documentation and identities.

History Edit

Beyond making small time fakes, Erich was known to make more comprehensive false identities for people like Burton. During a crackdown on crime in Baltimore, Erich has to flee and is forced to abandon his deck in a squatter's camp. It is confiscated by Star Helix Security personnel. His fingerprints are on it, which effectively ruins his own chances of leaving Earth with a clean identity. It also means that if he is arrested they can connect the deck to him, and from him back to Burton.

When Burton hears of this, he sends Erich's own friend, Timmy, to end his life. Timmy doesn't go through with the assigned murder. He kills Burton instead. In thanks, Erich gives Timmy the identity he created for Amos Burton, along with a ticket on a spaceship, and a coveted apprenticeship on Luna.

Decades later, when Erich informs him of Lydia's death, Amos returns to Earth to discover the circumstances. After meeting Lydia's widower, Charles Jacob Allen, in Philadelphia, he travels to Baltimore and to find Erich. Erich is now quite successful as the boss of Burton's former criminal enterprises. During a tense meeting with Amos, Erich agrees to support Lydia's widower as he supported Lydia after Amos left Earth, so that Charles can continue to live comfortably until he dies. Erich does do partly because he'd prefer not to have a Timmy on his street. After giving Amos a box of real Earth tequila, the two part amiably, but agreeing it would be open season if Amos returned.

Two weeks later, after the rocks dropped, Amos again returns to Erich's steps and insists on another meeting, this time, Amos has a job. Amos and Clarissa explain to Erich, the plan of leaving Earth. Initially Erich is hesitant, but Clarissa gives a speech about a women in prison who killed her kids and lost everything but pretends they are still alive. Surprising Amos, Erich burst into tears and cries for 15 minutes on Clarissa's shoulder.

Agreeing to the plan, Erich gathers his best crew with Butch and the group leaves in a helicopter for the opulent private spaceport which Clarissa visited as a child. When the group arrives at the spaceport near a lake, they find a group of servants, one of which happened to be familiar with Clarissa. The group of servants lead them to a hangar that has a ship, but is not working. Luckily, Clarissa and Amos are skilled mechanics with experience dealing with the dangerous fusion drive. While Erich runs some diagnostics on the ship, Amos and Clarissa chase some bad electrical leads on the ship. After replacing the bad connection, Erich runs the final diagnostic, which if he didn't run, would have lead to losing the attitude controls on the ship, Zhang Guo.

After a group of two local security are pushed away from the hangar, a greater security team begins to surround the hangar. As the ship begins to warm up, the group of servants and Erich's crew enter the ship, with Amos being the last. After a fast launch into the Earth Orbit where every one except Amos passes out, the ship lands on Luna. With Amos's contact, the acting UN Secretary General Chrisjen Avasarala, the ship does not need to be boarded. Erich, who is in debt to Amos at this point, offers to give up control of his crew to Erich. Amos declines, choosing to return to his own tribe. Erich is initially scared but relaxes, proving the excitement of a new challenge of making a life in space.