Editing Duncan Marik

{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Duncan Marik (2).jpg
| name                = Duncan Marik
| birthdate           = [[2986]]<ref name=HM:FWLft>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', foldout (p. 171 in PDF): "The Captains-General Line of Succession and Partial Marik Family Tree"</ref>
| died                = 4 February [[3037]]<ref name=H:BWp74>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 74</ref><ref name=HB:HMp50>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 50</ref>
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[House Marik]]
| rank                = [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]]
| title               = 
| position            = 
| profession          = Noble
| parents             = [[Sylvia Marik]] (mother)<ref name=HM:FWLp142>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 142: "Duncan Marik"</ref><ref name=HM:FWLft/>
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = [[Carlos Marik (31st c.)|Carlos Marik]]<ref name=HBWp84>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 84</ref>
}}
'''Duncan Marik''' was the nephew of [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] [[Janos Marik]]. He assassinated his uncle and briefly seized the throne of the [[Free Worlds League]] in [[3035]], being killed in combat barely two years later.

==History==
===Early Life and Military Career===
Duncan was the only son of Janos' sister, [[Sylvia Marik]], who died in childbirth. He showed a natural aptitude for both piloting a [[BattleMech]] and military command, and quickly rose through the ranks of the [[FWLM]]. By [[3025]], he was the Supreme Commander of the [[Marik Militia]] regiments.{{cn}}

Despite his successes – or perhaps because of them – Janos never looked at Duncan as a potential heir, seeing too much of Janos' rebellious brother, [[Anton Marik]], in his nephew. Duncan never bothered to conceal his ambition for the throne.{{cn}}

In [[3015]], he gave a speech in [[Parliament]] supporting his uncle's decision to hire [[Wolf's Dragoons]] after [[Marik Civil War (31st c.)|Anton's Civil War]].<ref>''Wolf's Dragoons'', p. 21</ref>

===Andurien Secession and Ascension===
By 19 March 3035, Janos Marik was fully recovered from his stroke and well enough to resume the Captain-Generalcy.  Thomas Marik's strategy of slowly isolating the Duchy had done its job and the time seemed right for the Free Worlds League to go on the offensive and bring its rebellious Duchy back under League control.  On 1 June, a strategy meeting was held on Atreus, with Janos, Thomas, Duncan and Duggan in attendance.  A little after thirty minutes into the meeting, Duncan was called away on important news shortly before a bomb hidden in a portable holotable exploded.  Both Janos and Duggan Marik were killed instantly; Thomas' body and those of several others in attendance were never found but presumed dead.  Though himself injured in the blast, Duncan was the first to start digging through the rubble to try and find survivors.  A battered and still-bruised Duncan was the one to announce the Captain-General's death, winning him much sympathy among the masses, and with none of the other surviving Mariks to dispute his claim, Duncan Marik was nominated and confirmed the new Captain-General on 18 June.  Nine days later, Duncan announced incontrovertible evidence that it was Andurien forces responsible for the bombing and declared that the time for diplomacy was over – the invasion of Andurien would begin.<ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 68</ref><ref name=FWL-910>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', pp. 9–10</ref><ref name=20YU>''20 Year Update'', pp. 52–53</ref><ref name=HHM49>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 49–50</ref>

Almost as soon as he had assumed the Captain-Generalcy, Duncan Marik began moving FWLM units into position for the assault on Andurien.  Almost as quickly, Parliament, ever eager to quarrel even in a crisis, began to hamstring his efforts.  In the preceding years of regency, Thomas had been able to use diplomacy to get what was needed, but the authoritarian Duncan rubbed many MPs the wrong way.  While only Regulus and Oriente could actually deny the Captain-General their provincial military forces under the new [[Internal Emergency Act]], the other provinces provided the requested units but not the logistical support for them, forcing the federal government to foot the bill.  The Captain-General's initial request for a blank check caused consternation for many MPs, and it was only through the diplomatic maneuverings of Speaker Stewart and the Duke of Oriente that sufficient funding was secured.<ref name=HBW70>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 70</ref>

As soon as he could escape the "petty matters of politics," Duncan left for the front line, selecting [[Mosiro]] to serve as his base of operations and, as the disparate forces of the FWLM shuffled in, ordering war games take place on [[El Giza]] and [[Kwamashu]] so units could become acclimated to working with each other. Duncan began the invasion in full with the targeting of seven Duchy worlds in 3036, most of which were seen as easy conquests.  He was quickly disabused of this opinion on many of the worlds, with FWLM forces bloodied and bruised by surprising opposition.  Perhaps the greatest surprise of the campaign, however, did not come on the battlefield. On 5 December, Thomas Marik presented himself before Parliament, worse for wear but clearly alive.  Thomas reported that he had been pulled from the rubble by ComStar and undergone rehabilitation on [[Terra]], all the while keeping abreast of the situation.  He revealed that ComStar's own investigation into the bombing revealed no participation by Andurien, and while not outright accusing him, suspicion quickly fell on Duncan as the culprit.  After a battery of tests proved Thomas' identity (and, perhaps most importantly, a lack of any bionic enhancements), Parliament took the unprecedented step of voting Duncan out of office and bestowing the title of Captain-General on Thomas.  Duncan, however, remained in the field and in command of the forces attacking Andurien, leading to a potentially precarious situation for the League.<ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', pp. 72–74</ref><ref name=HHM49/><ref name=20YU/>

===Death===
With [[Thomas Marik]] having returned and won the unyielding support of Parliament, Duncan Marik was a desperate man. The former Captain-General was convinced there was only one course of action left if he was to regain everything he'd lost: win the war decisively and quickly.  Casting his previous strategy aside, Duncan gathered his forces for a bold attack on the important world of [[Xanthe III]].  Unfortunately, that same boldness would see the [[Battle of Xanthe (3037)|Battle of Xanthe III]] cost Duncan his life.<ref name=FM:FWLp10>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', p. 10 "Crisis and Renaissance"</ref>

Duncan's ''Orion'' was destroyed in battle against the Andurien forces. He managed to eject, and attempted to surrender to an Andurien ''[[Warhammer]]'', but the pilot instead opened fire with the ''Warhammer''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s machine guns, killing Duncan on the spot.<ref name=H:BWp96>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 96</ref>

==BattleMech==
Duncan was a MechWarrior and piloted an ''[[Orion]]'' BattleMech.<ref name=H:BWp74/>

==Portrait Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Duncan Marik.jpg|At age 39
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[20 Year Update]]''
* ''[[Historical: Brush Wars]]''
* ''[[House Marik (The Free Worlds League)]]''
* ''[[Wolf's Dragoons (sourcebook)|Wolf's Dragoons]]''


[[Category:Free Worlds League Characters|Marik, Duncan]]
[[Category:Captains-General|Marik, Duncan]]
[[Category:Notable Orion Pilots|Marik, Duncan]]