Mardok

Mardok ("Marr-dock") is a main character in Barbarian's Choice. He is a male Mesakkah. He was the mechanic of *The Tranquil Lady* and former soldier.

He is mate to Farli and father of Farlok.

## Description

Mardok is very tall with a short tail, cropped black hair, and skin paler than Farli's. Presumably the short tail is a result of a war injury. He has "proud features and a noble nose." He is muscular, but not overly so, so as to stay balanced with his cybernetic arm.

He has several piercings too, a small ring in one ear and a stud in a more private area, as well as metal-tipped sweeping horns.

His body is mostly split between scaring and a large black tattoo. The tattoo covers half his face, as well as trailing over a shoulder, arm, half his torso, and his leg, missing his groin. The other side of his body was reconstructed after being nearly destroyed after a battle. He is marked with silvery scars covering the area from his thigh to his shoulder, including scaring on his plating over his heart. He also has lighter patches on that side are artificial skin that covers part of his hip, belly, and arm. Finally, he has a cybernetic arm which also appears lighter in color. He lives with chronic phantom pain, though it is unknown if the khui has stopped this.

## Personality

Mardok is jaded, cynical and technologically minded. He has dealt with a lot of past trauma, which he tries to bury, and struggles with his sense of self-worth. Farli thinks he can be overly serious.

Despite that, he is generous, kind and responsible. When he was younger, he considered himself a bit of a lady's man.

Over the course of his book, he has to overcome his fear of being stranded.

## History

Mardok was born in Cap City, on Ubeduc VII. When he was young, his mother often worried over and missed his father, a soldier, who was gone often. They separated sometime before she died.

Mardok's mother died with a huge pile of debt, and since she wasn’t married to his father, the debt passed on to him when he finished his mandatory schooling. He was young and just out of school, the only way he figured he could clear the debt was to enlist in the military, which was offering to clear personal debt for soldiers that took on high-risk positions. During that time he was mostly on shuttled missions and on bases. Sometime during that time, he had a number of flings with various women.

That was until war broke out on the colony planet Uzocar IV. His regiment was sent in to secure the situation, but the local militia was waiting for them and ambushed the regiment as soon as they hit the ground. Their pilot took off and left them there to get massacred. Much of Mardok's torso and all of his arm were blown off. He took a head injury and remembered little of the following hours. He was left for dead and woke up half buried in a pile of bodies. It took three days for him to be found and rescued. He blames much of what happened on himself, due to his choice of pilot and for changing retreating after landing.

After he was patched up, he got an honorable discharge for valor and pension which he set up in a trust for the families of the guys in his squad. Shortly after he signed on with various long-distance freighters for a few years before joining *The Tranquil Lady* as mechanic/security, where he worked for four years. He wasn't close to any of the other crew members. During the past three years, he remained celibate. In total, he had been out of the military for six years.

Shortly before Barbarian's Choice, Mardok spent a few weeks on a medic dealing with the death of his father and his funeral. Mardok opted to have his father cremated. However, the military funeral and the nearness of all the soldiers stirred up bad memories for him. He does feel regret he was never closer with his father.

At the beginning of Barbarian's Choice, a mechanical issue forced them to land on Not-Hoth (Kopan IV).

### Barbarian's Choice

Mardok is a Mesakkah mechanic running from his traumatic past as a soldier. He isn't happy when the ship, The Tranquil Lady, has to stop on a tiny icy hell hole in the middle of nowhere for repairs. The last thing he expected was a beautiful wild woman, Farli, walking out of the snow towards him.

But when her pet dvisti Chompy came out towards them, he was startled and shot him.

Horrified once he realizes what he has done, Mardok took Farli and Chompy inside. After ensuring Chompy would live, Mardok used the computer to discover that Farli is speaking an earlier version of his own language lost to time. The rest of the crew was introduced to Farli over a disastrous dinner, which left Mardok angry and Farli feeling patronized. That night Farli told Mardok that they were resonance mates.

The next day, the captain Chatav, a former military man himself, decided if there are stranded Mesakkah on the planet it's his duty to rescue them. The ship, with Farli and Chompy in it, flew to Croatoan.

They are greeted by a line of hunters prepared to defend the village. However, once Farli explained that she resonated with Mardok, they welcome the crew. Once arrived in the village the captain offered the rescue to Vektal, who asked for a few days to ask everyone.

While their Harlow, pregnant once again, collapsed the khui unable to deal with her brain tumor. Mardok offered the medical bay of The Tranquil Lady. As Harlow was being treated, Mardok asked Farli to leave with him when The Tranquil Lady left the planet. They were at an impasse.

Mardok and Farli stayed the night in the village. The next day Farli's brothers took Mardok out hunting with him. Farli went to speak with her mother to discuss if she should leave with Mardok or not.

On the third day, the Tranquil Lady was used right the overturned Elders Cave. That night Mardok shared the story of how he was left for dead on a hostile planet during his time in the military, explain his fear of being left behind on Not-Hoth. With this history, Farli decided to leave with him.

The next day, Farli said her goodbyes, as no other sa-khui or human has decided to leave. At the last minute aboard the ship, Mardok changed his mind and decided to stay.

The village celebrated and the crew stayed another night. The next day there is a sa-kohtsk hunt. Mardok finally resonated back to Farli.

### Later History

In Barbarian's Rescue, both Farli and Mardok are among those taken captive by the Szzt slavers. Mardok was very shaken by the death of his former crewmates.

In Barbarian's Tease, they stayed with the Tranquil Lady. They traveled with the ship to the coast and currently live at Icehome Village. Mardok helped dismantle the ship before it's sinking. He also helps install translators into the newest arrivals to Not-Hoth.

During the events of Steph's Outcast, Farli and Mardok elected to return to Croatoan.

Around year eleven, during the time jump between Steph's Outcast and Sam's Secret, Farli gave birth to Farlok.