Natalya Ataryk

Natalya Fenachyo Atorik
Наталя Феначю Аторик
Atorik's Standard
Gender	Female
Born	January 19th 9283
Affiliation	Great Brazak, rogue
Height	171 cm
Weight	59 kg
Hair Colour	Black
Eye Colour	Red
Ethnicity	Svalic

Natalya Fenachyo Atorik (Наталя Феначю Аторик) is an ex-Line Captain of Great Brazak and revolutionary of the Liberation War. Her current whereabouts are unknown, although she maintains popularity in the culture of Brazak West and is attributed as a legendary figure of both the Old Nezzu War and the fight against Ganzabi occupation. An only child, her parents are believed to have died in the 9290s.

Background

Atorik's early family history is not well known, other than she was reputedly part Valyan: her grandfather on her mother's side. She was an underachiever in her school years, even recieving a disciplinary on more than one occasion during her military training. Despite poor performance scores she was assigned second in command of the GBC Novy Dantis due to lack of new officers, shortly before Ganzabar's big offensive of 9299.

The War Years (9299-9306)

Atorik stifled for a while as first mate under the particularly pedestrian starshiy of the Novy Dantis, Zannis Westov, chosen purposefully to keep her behaviour in check. In one engagement, starshiy Westov was mortally wounded and Atorik assumed temporary command, going on to bring the battle to an unexpected favourable conclusion. Impressed and under pressure, the Admiralty granted her command of a light escort.

Atorik quickly achieved great success as an escort, soon earning promotion to a combat destroyer. She was highly irregular in her approach and as such enjoyed much greater success against the Ganzabi than many of her contemporary officers, many of whom were slow to adjust to Ganzabar's new tactics. Once the effectiveness of her battlefield sense became apparent, her past was forgotten and she quickly rose through the ranks to become a Captain. She was given command of the GBC Rhiannon, a ship she would stick with from then on. Incidentally, on a later promotion to Line-Captain, she was encouraged to take command of a cruiser or other larger ship. She refused, stating her preference for the Fast Destroyer in her tactics.

An oft-embellished story tells of one engagement in 9305 where Atorik, facing the main invasion force of Ganzabar's latest effort, managed to lure a large proportion of the fleet into flying below the understorm, using a reflective radar signature. The damage was not particularly devastating, but the ploy had a massive effect on morale that saw her own greatly outmatched fleet rout their enemies.

Protesting the Occupation

Atorik's success was greatly celebrated, but unfortunately for Great Brazak it was not enough to restore confidence. Ganzabar sued for peace, but their terms effectively enslaved the foe they had been trying to subdue. Bribed with money and positions of great standing in the new order, the Brazakker political elite crumbled and the republic was soon divided into zones under occupation. Feeling her efforts thrown away, Atorik stormed the parliament at the signing of the peace, speaking out with such fury and disdain that calls were repeatedly made to remove her. However, public opinion and respect for her was so great that it took half an hour of argument before she was eventually removed and imprisoned.

Role in the Liberation War

See: Liberation War

Atorik remained a political prisoner for some years. Her breakout, by political dissidents inciting rebellion, sparked rumour of execution that would ignite the Liberation War itself. Atorik remained a key figure during the rebellion years, resuming command on the exiled Rhiannon and leading the largest faction of the rebels in countless operations against their Ganzabi and puppet Brazakker rulers.

Finally, Brazak West declared independence in 9317. The rebel military reinstated a new government and encouraged Atorik to take a political role, but she declined. Shortly afterward, she disappeared with the Rhiannon and several other ships. Her whereabouts since have been the subject of much rumour, but nothing is known for certain.