A member of the Koudelka family on Barrayar, Kareen Koudelka was the youngest and, at about five feet nine inches in height, the shortest of four daughters of Kou and Drou. At age eighteen, she received a scholarship from Cordelia Vorkosigan to spend a year studying at Beta Colony. While she was there, she became romantically involved with Mark Vorkosigan, with whom she forged a lasting partnership. The two of them spent some of their time on Escobar, and more on Barrayar, though they traveled widely to scout out interesting financial deals to invest in.