Erin Wyland

Doctor Erin Wyland is a terran xenobiologist and botanist working for the Terran Dominion. She had a firm belief in science, and is somewhat awkward around figures of authority. After the Great War, she harbored a resentment for the protoss.

Biography[]

Wyland studied biology during her time in college, as well as a unit on geology. After graduating, she served as a scientist with Doctor Talise Cogan, and gained her respect through her experience in botany. At some time in her career she learned how to use a T-270 space construction vehicle.

When Overqueen Zagara called Emperor Valerian Mengsk to the planet Gystt, recently recovered from purification, to discuss peaceful terms with Hierarch Artanis of the Daelaam, Wyland was brought along. Emperor Valerian began to set up a team to survey Gystt to ascertain if Zagara's stated intentions were true, and Talise Cogan recommended Wyland to the team. Along with her was Master Sergeant Foster Cray, a marine, Lieutenant Dennis Halkman, a reaper, Tanya Caulfield, a ghost, and Ulavu, an exiled protoss researcher. She was given a CMC-400 Powered Combat Suit, though it took her time to adjust to the suit's functions.

When the group landed on the surface, Wyland began to investigate the strange flora of the planet. However, soon the team ecountered a group of zerg who ambushed them. Using their psi blocks, they were able to defeat the zerg. When the team contacted Valerian with the information, Zagara stated that they had crossed a border between the control of broodmothers, and it would not happen again.

Wyland and the group later encountered a large structure made out of the planet's trees. As they looked for a way in, they were attacked again by groups of zerg, and forced inside. When inside, Wyland encountered a strange, cobra-like zerg named the chitha, which psionically assaulted Tanya Caulfield and sent waves of zerg against them. Though isolated, Wyland managed to survive long enough for the rest of the squad to save her, curiously the zerg did not deliver a fatal attack at her. Deeper inside, the group found strange zerg creatures in sacs that looked very similar to the chitha. After fighting off more chitha, Halkman came up with a plan to destroy the inner chamber. The attack successfully killed all zerg in the structure.

However, this had unintentional fallout; the zerg in the chamber were named adostra, a breed created from xel'naga essence. They were the ones who were able to regenerate the planet after its purification. Valerian noted that there were only two other nests of these creatures, and the protoss forces near one were under attack. Valerian ordered that the squad moved on the third nest.

Wyland and her group took a dropship to the third nest, but were ambushed by mutalisks, who sought to drag them toward a psi emitter. The group managed to fight them off and land the dropship, being forced to walk the rest of the way. Wyland and her group took what supplies they needed and moved to the last nest, discovering a biomechanical device in the structure. They then came to the realization that the evolution master Abathur was behind the chitha and their attacks, and that he used these devices to communicate with them. Before they could make further plans, the zerg attacked the third nest.

Wyland, seeing few other options, took the samples she needed of the adostra and the chitha with her bioanalyzer, and used a perdition flamethrower to ward away the zerg attack. Though she was able to stop the zerg advance, she was caught in the configuration. She was pulled out by Ulavu, who managed to cut the molten armor from her body before it gave her anything beyond first and second degree burns. Protoss forces arrived to give her medical attention. She was taken back to the medical bay of the Hyperion where she was expected to recover.^[1]

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