Carol Emeka is a Nomad techie and member of the Aldecaldos in Cyberpunk 2077.
Biography[]
Like many members of the Aldecaldos, Carol is a veteran of the Unification War, from which she has unpleasant memories of being stuffed in panzers.[1]
In 2077, Carol's clan leader Saul Bright was kidnapped during a patrol by a Raffen Shiv gang called the Wraiths. A distressed Carol acted in his place while worrying about Saul's wellbeing, the clan's supplies being stuck outside Reno, and the prospect of the Wraiths returning due to the vulnerable state of the camp. Panam Palmer, a fellow Aldecaldo who had seperated from the clan earlier, would not stand with their inactivity and took it upon herself to rescue Saul. For that reason she brought in a mercenary friend named V and, together with clan member Mitch Anderson, presented a plan to infiltrate the Wraiths Camp and extract Saul. Being in over her head, Carol simply stood by quietly and let Panam carry out her plan, resulting in Saul's safe return the next day.[2]
Together with clan members Teddy, Cassidy, and Taco, Carol then met a group of Scavengers in Santo Domingo to sell them weapons as the Aldecaldos were in dire need of money. As their delivery was delayed, however, Carol and the Scav leader agreed to a 15% discount. V can walk into their discussion, causing Cassidy to be surprised and slightly annoyed, saying that they do not need to be patronized. While Carol tries to salvage the tense situation with the jumpy Scav leader, V's presence will then prompt him to recognize them for being the merc that took out the Scavenger hideout to rescue Sandra Dorsett.[3]
If V just walks away:
- If V simply deserts the Aldecaldos by departing the scene, Carol will write a text message, saying "We put our hopes on you, V. Fool us once, right?". Carol moves on that, due to Panam seeing something special in V, she is going to let it slide this one time. Apparently her and the others survive their dealings with the Scavs even without V's assistance, though.
If V has less than 15 body:
- The negitiations go sour as the Scav leader is triggered by V's presence. After defeating all Scavangers during the ensuing firefight, Carol will be very annoyed by V ruining the deal, even if the latter pointed out that the Scavs had a sniper hidden in the back. Cassidy jumps in and points out that V might have prevented a much worse outcome, and Teddy opts for looting the Scav corpses and cars.
If V has at least 15 body:
- V can intimidate the Scav leader, who then relents and closes the deal as agreed. Even though Carol remarks that V's words "sent chills down her spine, literally", she is grateful for their help.[4]
The different outcomes described above do not alter Carol's dialogue after that mission.
Together with Teddy, Cassidy, Bob, and Mitch, Carol subsequently supported Panam's plan to strengthen the clan by stealing a Basilisk tank from a Militech convoy through the Badlands. The plan was to solicit V's help and hack a derelict train at a depot in the Eastern Wastelands to block the convoy's way. Saul staunchly objected to the risky undertaking, but Carol was convinced of Panam's plan, which she called "Damn short, sweet, and pertinent". She also hacked the Militech comms channel to make sure the entire thing is not a setup. At the abandoned train depot, Carol jokingly remarked to simply keep the Ural Kombinat AM-773 locomotive instead of getting the tank, adding that Saul would be on board with that. She then instructed Panam and V to get the authorization code from the station's control tower so that she could hack the train. During the job, Carol remained somewhat sceptical and distanced towards V, noting that Panam rallied her fellow Aldecaldos to help, but still called V, too, which she found interesting. On the eve of the heist, the group sat by the fire together, where Carol noticed Panam being nervous about defying Saul. She added that Panam was not the first one to stand up to Saul, indirectly referring to Scorpion, and later remarked that it is for the Aldecaldos to make a name for themselves again that they were doing what they did. Despite encountering more Militech resistance as initally anticipated, the group successfully hijacked the convoy and stole the Basilisk tank the next morning.[5]
Although Saul was livid about Panam's group defying his orders, he allowed them to put the Basilisk together anyways. The next day, the tank was ready and Carol made sure that Militech had not left any ICE in its systems, remarking that it is "clean as a whistle." The tank was put to good use soon, when the Raffen Shiv Wraiths attacked the Aldecaldos, probably in retaliation for them leaving incriminating Militech loot outside their camp. Carol helped in the defense, which was a huge success thanks to the Basilisk crewed by Panam and V. Seeing he was wrong, Saul subsequently made Panam co-leader of the clan besides him.[1]
If "The Star" ending was chosen at the end of Nocturne Op55N1, i.e., V asks Panam and her Aldecaldos for help to reach Mikoshi:
- Due to V's help rescuing Saul and defending the clan against the Wraiths, Saul and Panam agree to help the merc to get inside Arasaka Tower. There, V needs to reach an access port to enter an area of cyberspace called Mikoshi with the help of an AI called Alt Cunningham. The day before the mission, Carol assists Dakota Smith in providing V access to the Net so that they can talk to Alt in advance. The Net surf caused half of Dakota's tech to be fried and got Carol visibly concerned for V, remarking that their "frontal lobe was seconds away from flowing out of their ears". Carol then attends the get-together to commemorate Saul and Panam making V a full member of the Aldecaldos. On the eve before their attack on the Maglev Tunnel Construction Site, Carol can be found sitting together with Bob and Teddy, with whom V can share a few drinks. Carol will toast to "goddam safe returns" but generally welcomes the bold attack on Arasaka as it could mean a fresh start for the Aldecaldos.[6]
- The next day, Carol participates in the Aldecaldos attack on the construction site, which is defended by Militech. From the control room at the construction site, Carol and Mitch hack into the tunnel drilling machine to power it up in order to dig through to Arasaka Tower's foundations. While Panam, Saul, and V enter the tunnel with the Basilisk tank, Carol and the other Nomads stay outside to fend off any further Militech soldiers.[7]
- If V has romanced Judy Álvarez, called her to say goodbye at the end of Nocturne Op55N1, and decides to return to their own body while inside Mikoshi:
- A few weeks after the attack, which was successful albeit having cost Saul's, Bob's, and Teddy's lives, Carol gave fellow-techie Judy a ride to the temporary camp on Jackson Plains from which the Aldecaldos will depart to leave Night City, a spot Judy admits she never would have found otherwise. After Carol remarks she doubted V would care for a fresh start and show up at all, she gives V and Judy some privacy. Carol then gives Judy a ride again as the group heads off to cross the border.[8]
Database Entry[]
CAROL EMEKA
Whenever Carol received corporate job offers, she was told it would allow her to settle down in the city, save some eddies and find her place on Earth. The problem was that Carol had found this place long ago among the Aldecaldos nomads. Sure, it might have been more comfortable to work in a swanky office equipped with top-of-the-line equipment... but with the Aldecaldos she found something more valuable: a sense of belonging, a feeling of being needed, that those she holds dear can rely on her skills. That feeling of being part of something... something which she grew to call family. This was her place on Earth and she wouldn't give it up for anything. She never mentions her real family. Barely out of her teens, she fled her small town in Maryland and enlisted in the army. She was trained as a netrunner and technician, capable of operating heavy panzers. But when her contract ended, she became convinced the army was just another corporation - albeit one that didn't bother to hide the bloodshed on the front lines. So she left and joined the nomads. Life on the road helped her gain the right perspective and skills, but it wasn't until the Aldecaldos that she found a home and family - not by blood, but by choice - worth protecting. No matter the cost.
Associated Quests[]
Main Quests[]
- We Gotta Live Together
- Forward to Death
- All Along the Watchtower
- Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
(dependent)
Side Quests[]
Notes[]
- She drives a Columbus V340-F Freight.
- Along with Teddy and Cassidy, Carol is absent from the Nomad camp following Riders on the Storm, even after the Aldecaldos move to a new location at the end of Queen of the Highway. While this is to explain them being busy with Gun Music, they will not reappear even after completing the mission and are therefore not physically represented in the game until the player choses "The Star" ending and initiates We Gotta Live Together. This is unlike Taco, who also participates in Gun Music but will appear and can be talked to at the Nomad camp after the job.
Gallery[]
