Charles Pike

[Pike]

| ~ • ~ | Character Basics | ~ • ~ |

.:Name:. Charles Oscar Pike

.:Nick Name:. Pike, Pike kom Skaikru.

.:Affiliation:. Arker

.:Age:. 47

| ~ • ~ | Appearance | ~ • ~ |

.:Physical Appearance:.

Whilst not exactly a tall man, Pike is still physically imposing. Even on the Ark, as a teacher he kept himself physically fit on the outside possibility that Earth Skills would become an asset. Whilst he was more equipped than most after the landing on the ground, months of a harsh life took a visibile show on Pike’s features. Weather-worn and world-weary, Pike willingly shoulders the responsibility he sought, and whilst for the most part he projects a strong and powerful presence, many things in the latter days of the Ark and the first months on the ground have clearly taken their toll.



.:Height:. 5’7

.:Portrayed by:. Michael Beach

| ~ • ~ | Personality | ~ • ~ |

.:Personality:.

Pike is pragmatic, to the point, and will do whatever it takes for the survival of his people. It’s not about the lives we take, it’s the lives that are saved. Pike believes that the end justifies the means, so long as his people survive, everything else is simply necessary. Pike sees the former verdant world of Earth as completely black and white. The grounders are the enemy, our enemy must die for us to survive, for Arkadia to flourish. Stubborn and unmoving, Pike will often carry out with his beliefs and cause, despite conflicting evidence to disprove him. Bordering on the despotic, Pike was heavily influenced by his first confrontations with the grounders – belonging to the ice nation – and refuses to see the other clans as anything other than the savage, merciless warriors of Azgeda. Incredibly charismatic, Pike was authoritative and demanding as a teacher on the Ark – albeit not always listened to. On the ground, his natural dominance and hard-line anti grounder rhetoric bought him many followers, which lead to a quick ascension to Chancellor.

.:Special Skills:.

Earth Skills – Learning from his predecessors, and the written records that survived the journey to the sky, Pike became adept at a large variety of survival skills that would be vital to life on the ground. Including identifying edible flora, building a camp, starting a fire – and plenty of other essential skills.



Charisma – Pike’s stoic, straight to the point, never-say-die attitude has influenced a lot of people from the Ark, starting with Farm station, and continuing in Arkadia. An inspiring presence, his leadership was confirmed early on. His zero tolerance attitude and do what must be done policies only cemented the following with farm station and more than enough Arkers down the road.

| ~ • ~ | History | ~ • ~ |

.:Birthplace:.

Agro Station, the Ark



.:Family:.



Gloria Pike, wife. Deceased.



.:Occupation:.



Ark – Earth Skills teacher

Ground – Farm station Leader, Arkadia Guardsman, Chancellor.



.:History:.



Like many born on the Ark, Pike learnt from an early age the costs of survival. Even the slightest offence was punishable by death, so you did as you were told. You did what was best for your family, the station, and the entire remnants of the human race. Growing up on Agro station, Charles worked with his family in the hydroponic farms as soon as he was old enough. Although the work was important, his parents and the Ark as a whole felt it necessary for all children to have a certain amount of education. As such, the young Pike was put in a class mixed with children from all the other stations on the Ark. Charles attended school attentively, and would always complete his assignments on time. Not that he didn’t allow himself time for social interaction, and Pike made connections in the classroom that would last a long time. This would include a young man from Alpha Station called Marcus Kane, and a lovely lady from Aero Station, Gloria Vasquez. Gloria was a kind, light hearted woman who always saw the good in everyone. Charles felt an instant connection, and the two soon formed a relationship. He felt that whilst they were all born in the heavens, this is the first time he’d ever met an angel. Once they’d finished school, they were swiftly married, and Gloria Pike moved to farm station to be with her new husband. The famers life was all well and good for the Pikes, but Gloria knew her husband was capable of much more. Intelligent, charismatic, and enthusiastic, Gloria pushed for Charles to see what more he could do on the Ark. Growing food was important, of course, but any of us could do that. Go out there and be better, Charles. Words that would echo around his head many years after her last moonrise.



After six years of marriage, Gloria passed away quickly and unexpectedly from a short illness. Unexpectedly to Charles, who was not made aware until it was far too late. The illness was diagnosed, but the treatments and medications that could have helped were not in their allowance. They were needed for the betterment of all the Ark, and Gloria Pike was not enough of a priority. In the aftermath of his wife’s death, Pike’s beliefs and his faith in the system he was born into was rocked to its very core. Whilst he understood the reality of life in space, he could not fathom allowing one person to die, when the means to save them were readily available. It was his friend Marcus, who managed to calm him down at least a little, bring his dangling legs away from the edge. It took a while, but eventually Charles pushed himself to a new purpose. For a while it was the memory of his wife that pulled him down, but eventually he realised it was for her that he had to do better, be better. He tried his hands at several positions around the Ark, including a brief stint with the guard, but nothing seemed to fulfil him. That was until he heard of the pending retirement of the Earth Skills teacher, a man who had taught Charles, Marcus and Gloria once upon a time. Charles had excelled in this class, and enjoyed every minute of it, it made sense to apply for the position. There were few other candidates, and none to match Pike’s grades in Earth skills, so he was appointed the new teacher. Finally, he had found purpose once more.



Pike flourished in his new role, and he felt that his students – for the most part – took on board what he was trying to teach them. This was a transient generation, keeping humanity going until it was safe to go back to Earth. He knew that none of them would probably go down to the ground, and that his class would likely have no practical applications down the line. But he threw himself into every class with every fibre of his being, on the small chance that one day, the things these kids learnt, could save lives. One day came a lot sooner than anyone expected. Whilst Pike was never looped into what the Council was planning, it soon dawned on him that there was a problem with the Ark. It couldn’t support them all for the next generation, or the one after that. They needed to know if the ground was survivable, before space no longer was. Pike railed against the decision to send a group of delinquents, know nothings who were unwilling to learn, down to the earth unprepared and uninformed. He begged the Chancellor to send him down with them, he at least had the knowledge that would help them survive. Yet he was told he was too important to be sent down to Earth, to be left to die like these kids, like his wife so many years before. Now he was a priority. Now his life mattered. Infuriated by the decision of the council, of the chancellor, and knowing that these kids were ill equipped for life on the ground, Pike decided it was time to take graver measures. Using one of the more disruptive members of the class to illustrate his point, Pike took his anger out on John Murphy. The idea was to force the rest of the criminal children to stand up as one, work together to survive. The key to surviving on Earth is to never stop fighting. This is life or death.



Sending the children down to Earth was a small measure, the Ark was dying and only had so many cycles left. Even with the sacrifice of 300 brave souls, the day they would all meet again on the ground was coming soon. Pike did everything he could to prepare his people for that day, and had to hope it would be enough. When Exodus came, the Ark stations separated and went their own way for landfall. Staying with his people on Farm station, Pike knew that death could be just around the corner. Impact could kill them all, they could burn up in atmosphere – a thousand other tragedies were waiting for them. Yet there was no turning back, and no other option. As farm station prepared for Exodus, his final thoughts in space were of Gloria. Of all the tragedies Pike had dreamt up, none befell Farm station on the way down. In fact, the near 200 men, women and children on board survived all the way down to Earth. They crashed down in some snowy mountain scape, the vista of white powder a surprising pleasure to all these denizens who had lived a life in space. Yet the first few lungful’s of pure Earth air was to be the last for many of his people. Clearly attracted by the crash, Grounders came out of nowhere and peppered the Farm station survivors with arrows. The white powder was drenched in crimson, and many died in the first volley. Taking up arms and commanding a voice of authority, Pike lead his people to push back the Grounders, the thunder of gunfire filling the mountainside. They lost a lot of people, but Pike made sure that the Grounders suffered more. Kill or be killed, and his people would win in the end. Grounder killers – hoo-rah!



The fighting went on for months, and more and more of his people were captured or killed by the Grounder savages. A hunting party sent out by Pike with an Ark beacon on it failed to return, and Pike himself went out to retrieve them – following the beacon. Eventually they came across other Ark survivors, including his old friend Marcus Kane, and former student Bellamy Blake. The reunion was short lived, there was still much to be done. Pike was disgusted to see that Indra kom Trikru was amongst them, and trusted as an ally. After losing so many of his people to the grounder spears, Pike could not, and would not see the difference between clans. He knew nothing of Azgeda, of Trikru. Only grounder savages, one and all. By the time they get back to Arkadia, Pike is filled in with all that has happened on the ground, including the tenuous truth with Lexa kom Trikru and her grounder clans. Pike cannot trust the word of a grounder, any grounder, and knows that one day they will break the truth – and that Arkadia must be prepared.



Taking Mount Weather for his people, Farm station are quickly moved in. Despite the terms of the truce, Pike does not believe such a valuable strategic location should be used just for storage. This unilateral decision proves ill thought out, and Pike soon loses half of his people as the mountain explodes. The death of his people was down to him, Pike knew. Trusting the grounder Echo - on Bellamy's say so – was a mistake. Grounders could not be trusted, and because of his doubt, a further thirty-six people died under his command. There was too much Arker blood spilt these few months on the ground, Pike knew that only an ocean of dead grounders would avenge them. Returning to Arkadia, Pike used the deaths of their loved ones to bring people to his cause, to inspire the same anti-grounder beliefs he felt to his bones in all his people. Or at least, as many as would listen. As they sat there, there were three hundred Trikru warriors surrounding them, supposedly for their own protection, but all it took was one order and once again the snow would be crimson. Pike would not allow that, not now not ever. Us or them. Forming a small splinter group, they took weapons out under the cover of darkness to slaughter the warriors in their sleep. This plan failed, however, and Pike was arrested for his treachery. Instead of being executed as per the Exodus charter, mercy was shown on the ground. A mercy that Pike himself would not share when it became his turn. His show of strength, and passion against the grounders, the kill or be killed spirit soon became embodied in a significant portion of Arkadian citizens. The first elections to be held on the ground was supposed to be a smooth handover between Chancellor Abby Griffin, and former Chancellor Marcus Kane – but Pike’s name became a third option, and an enticing one at that. Whilst only elected on a narrow majority, it was still enough, and the prisoner became Chancellor Pike. His first action being to pardon himself of his supposed crimes.



Being elected based on a mandate of effective military opposition of the grounder threat, his second action as Chancellor carried great impact. His thwarted attempt against the Trikru was carried out, with flying colours. Ten against three hundred, and they walked away unharmed. This was a tribute to the fallen, revenge for their deaths, and a message to all twelve clans of grounders. Arkadia was free and independent, they rejected the Coalition, and under his leadership Arkadia would be safe, prosperous, and self-sustaining. Pike’s promises of death to all those who opposed were greeted with thunderous applause by his people. Of course, not all his people agreed, and not all of them applauded. Whilst he knew his policies and beliefs to be right, while he knew his actions were justified – others disagreed. To Pike’s disappointment, this was led by his old friend and former Chancellor, Marcus. A civil war was brewing within Arkadia’s walls, and the rebellion would have to be put down for the greater good of all of their people. Friend or not, Pike had promised death to all those who opposed.

| ~ • ~ | Member Info | ~ • ~ |

.:Name or Online Alias:. Vitriol

.:How Did You Find Us:. RPG-D

[The Ark]