Erika was born and raised in the city of Glass, her parents old already when she was young. They grew up under OmniStat rule and though they had misgivings about the direction new fledgling nation of Cascadia was headed in they claimed anything was better than the Party and its dogmas. Erika's father was a physicist and her mother a mathematician and they managed to instill in their daughter a deep love of the natural sciences and informed discussion. Being old, they both passed away when Erika was in her late teens, but their legacy was a young woman with a sharply honed mind and an informed, altruistic stance on the political shifts sweeping the country.

She met Martin Connors while at the university, and only two years later Faith was born – not planned but deeply loved all the same. In Martin Erika had found a kindred spirit. He might have been the more socially adept and overtly passionate of the two, but deep down they were the same.

As a mother Erika was quite stern, though she loved Caitlyn and Faith to death. She believed the sternness was needed because of the tough times she was certain would come. She also saw Faith turn into quite the little rebel, and though Erika endorsed free thinking and a healthy distrust of authority she didn't want her daughter to become completely wayward.

She never wanted to bring the kids along to the protest rally on that fateful day in November, but they couldn't find a babysitter and Martin wanted his daughters to be part of what would surely be a historical event.