Captain Karim A. Marek
Karim A. "Spider" Marek
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix as Karim Marek
Name: Karim Marek
Alias: Spider
Age: 35
Hair & Eyes: Dark brown hair, blue eyes
Faction: Air Wing
Position: Viper pilot, CAG
Colony: Sagittaron
Play Times: Late afternoons, evenings, weekends
Timezone: PST

"There must be a place where old pilots go, When their wings become heavy, when their airspeed gets low, where the whiskey is old, and the women are young, And songs about flying and dying are sung."

- "Flying West", Michael Larkin

Biographical Info

History

Karim hails from a tiny fishing village on the poorer southern continent of Sagittaron, the middle child of missionary parents. He moved to Picon to pursue studies in medicine, fell in love with flying instead, and enlisted in the Colonial navy. Karim was a top pilot in his day, and considered to have incredible potential while a fresh-faced young Lieutenant, but he's lost some of his lustre of late. Perhaps hoping to sweep him under the rug, fleet command transferred him to the CEC Kharon for his next — and possibly last — tour of duty.

Family

Kai had an older brother, Jorska, and a younger sister, Layla. He had been married (arranged, as most traditional marriages are on Sagittaron) for eight years at the time of the cylon holocaust, and had a four year old daughter named Raven. He and his wife were expecting their second child in two months.

On PHD 242, Karim was remarried, after a roughly six month courtship, to Salazar Nikomedes Nikos.

Education

  • Colonial Naval Academy, Third-in-Class
  • Advanced Flight/Viper Weapons Training, Third-in-Class
  • Certified Flight Instructor's Qualification
  • Bachelors Degree in Biochemistry, Brunei University, Picon

Reputation (or Mil. Service)

Captain Marek has served with the Colonial navy for thirteen years now, twelve of those under active duty. He's served extensive tours of duty on the Battlestar Pegasus and Battlestar Archon, prior to having been selected for a military aerobatics squadron based out of Tencher Air Base on Caprica. Following roughly a year's leave of absence, he then served as a flight instructor at fleet HQ on Picon before being transferred to the CEC Kharon.

He has a reputation for being even-tempered, efficient and uncompromising, a stickler for rules with high expectations of those under his command, but fiercely loyal and protective to those who have earned his trust. He's not called 'Spider' for nothing: he's sneaky in the cockpit, relying more on turn-on-a-dime flying and acrobatics than brute force. Though the callsign was earned due to an incident while an Ensign on the Pegasus, where he'd managed to smuggle a pet tarantula aboard which subsequently slipped its terrarium and ran amok about the ship. He's also rumoured to have broken the nose of one particularly incorrigible recruit and sent him packing out of fleet academy.

Awards and Commendations Received

  • Distinguished Airman's Medal
  • Fleet Navy Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service

Distinguishing Features

  • A slight limp in his left leg
  • His eyes are a striking shade of blue
  • Speaks with a tiny lisp, and an accent that could be best described as 'Persian' or 'Iranian', in modern-day Earth terms

Trivia

Skills

  • Acrobatic flying.
  • Fishing. He's a mean angler.
  • He plays the guitar in his spare time.

On the Grid

Known Associates

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Captain Nini "Whiplash" Sito. Down to earth, and smarter than she looks. I've never had a CAG that didn't get there for a good reason, and I don't have a reason yet to believe she's any different. Everyone's got their story. Shame I'll never find hers out. Starting to wonder whether the gods've cursed me with Commanding Officers who buy the farm.
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Major Danika "Torch" Vendas. She was elusive, one of those open books with blank pages. She tried to be everyone's friend, but I got the feeling someone hurt her and she was afraid to get too close. She used to call me her 'lead viper', like a machine rather than a man. I'll miss our conversations about what could have been.
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Lieutenant (JG) Eddie "Mooner" Morales. Smart, funny, loyal and precocious. And somehow, I don't think she's quite the victim of circumstance that she often appears; there's a strong young woman hiding under the overcompensating exterior.
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Lieutenant (JG) Nadiv "Poet" Roubani. I have the strange sense, at times, that he's like a prodigal son come home. It feels good to have him back, and it feels good to know he's found someone. But there are other times I think he never has forgiven me.
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Lieutenant (JG) Jupiter "Fingers" Black. She's a skilled pilot. And she reminds me to breathe. But if she steals my stuff again, she'll be eating boot for breakfast.
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Lieutenant (JG) Typhys "Typhoon" Yuuri. A competent enough pilot, with a chip on his shoulder that nearly dragged him into the ground. Turns out it didn't, after all. May he rest in peace.
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Lieutenant Willem "Rebound" Price. This kid's turning out to be one of my best pilots. He also has a good head on his shoulders, which doesn't hurt, though he's a bit of a lush when there's hooch about. I don't think he's really come into his prime yet, but I'm enjoying watching him get there at his own pace.
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Lieutenant (JG) Indigo "Rainbow" Mars. Aside from the perma-scowl and raincloud constantly hanging over her head, she knew how to handle a stick and kept her nose out of trouble. May she find clear skies and green fields, where she's gone.
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Lieutenant Abraham "Rabbit" Hale. Competent, loyal and far better with people than I could ever hope to be. If things weren't as they are, with the colonies nuked to shit along with the rest of his prospects, he'd be running his own squadron in five years tops. As it stands, I couldn't ask for a better deputy.
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Lieutenant Castor "Tinman" Leda. He's a good kid and a skilled pilot, even if he has a tendency to get his panties in an epic twist now and then. He's come a long way in the months since he first reported for duty, and I'm proud to have him in my wing.
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Lieutenant Samantha "Case" Passi. She's my most senior pilot, and a sort of unofficial den mother in some respects, to the squadron. Her skill in the cockpit cuts her some slack in the tactlessness department, though I'm fond of her nonetheless.
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Ensign Christopher Helios. One of my new kids. The poor guy's a walking disaster; at this point, I'll be surprised if he makes it past his initial flight qualifications, but miracles have happened. Not only did he qualify, but he scored himself a couple of kills before he bought the farm. May the gods speed him on his journey to Elysium.
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Lieutenant (JG) Sapho Pournelle. Came in off the Bellerophon, and apparently served under Crackerjack during her tenure there. Never worked with the guy, but it seems he didn't have a problem with self-entitled pilots with chips on their shoulder. I do.
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Lieutenant (JG) Martin "Dash" Black. Don't let the act he puts on, fool you: there's a capable pilot under the cocky exterior, and a good kid. Loyalty's worth its weight in gold, these days. He also hates being called Boner, with a passion. Cracks me the hell up.
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Lieutenant (JG) Abigail "Booster" Nikos. Peri's little sister: there's a good woman and a solid officer under the barbs and bad attitude. She doesn't seem to think much of me, where her cousin's concerned. But I guess she's family now, so we'll both make the best of the situation.
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Lieutenant Kallisto "Sketch" Arturis. My current wingman. She doesn't do much asking, and I don't do much answering, which works just fine for me. Little quieter than her brother, but she has a good eye for detail. The way someone puts pencil to paper can tell you a lot about their flying.
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Lieutenant Freya "Stonewall" Ramses. If I had to pick out Sito's right hand man from the wing, this woman would be it. She's guarded around me, and I haven't figured out yet whether she sees me as a threat or a practical joke. She does however seem competent, loyal and fairly even-keeled. There are worse traits a pilot can have.

Timeline of Events

Quotes

Misc

Playlist

  • Fancy flying
  • His pilots
  • Unconventional training methods
  • Alcohol (secretly), jello
  • Murder mystery novels
  • Disobedient marines

Gallery

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