Natalya Ataryk

Natalya Fenachyo Ataryk
Наталя Феначю Атарик
Ataryk'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/Valyan

Natalya Fenachyo Ataryk (Наталя Феначю Атарик) is an ex-Line Captain of Great Brazak and revolutionary of the Liberation War. She has kept her location unknown since the end of the Liberation War, 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. Her ship, the Rhiannon, has become a symbol of her fiery temperament and tactical cunning.

Background

Ataryk'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)

Ataryk 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 Ataryk 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.

Ataryk 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 Ataryk, 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, and her greatly outmatched fleet were able to rout their enemies.

Protesting the Occupation

Ataryk'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 gradually overthrown. By 9307, the country was under effective occupation, with a vote to transfer executive authority to Zanopolis. Feeling her efforts thrown away, Ataryk stormed the parliament at the passing of the bill, speaking out with such fury and disdain that calls were repeatedly made to silence her. However, public opinion and respect for her was so great that it took hours of argument before she was eventually removed. She is said to have scratched off the "GBC" prefix on the Rhiannon's prow in declaration of her bitter contempt. To her first officer, Luan Marquette, she reportedly said: "Those conceited worms mean nothing to me; Great Brazak means nothing to me."

Role in the Liberation War

See: Liberation War

Ataryk was later arrested and remained a political prisoner for some years. Her breakout, by political dissidents inciting rebellion, was denied by the authorities. Unable to prove her still alive, rumour sparked of execution; rumour that would ignite the Liberation War itself. Ataryk 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.

Brazak West finally declared independence in 9317 and the rebels reinstated a new government. They requested Ataryk take a political role, but she declined. Shortly afterward, she and the Rhiannon disappeared. Her whereabouts since have been the subject of much rumour, but nothing is known for certain.