Natalia (Zakharenko) Harper

Early Life

Natalia Zakharenko grew up living a sheltered life in her father's home. An only child, she was doted on by her parents and extended family. As she matured, her natural poise and beauty endeared her to all she met...her intelligent mind and sharp tongue often undid the work.

She met Alexander Harper at a diplomatic dinner that she had begged her father Nikolai to take her to. A born romantic, Natalia assumed her father's work as a Federation administrator was akin to the historical tales of the Tsar's court. Dressed in a flowing sequin gown, Natalia felt like Cinderella going to the ball.

Reality set in, however, when she realized just how dull the diplomatic function was. Everyone was much older then she was, and they all seemed plain and drab. All, that is, except an electrifying man sitting on the other side of her father. Alexander's black hair, beginning to show gray at the temples, strong features and easy, self-confident manner seemed to come straight out of her childhood tales.

The two of them gravitated toward each other instantly. They shared a love of traditional values and Alexander spoke passionately of his plans to conquer the frontier world of trade. Between her studies and what she'd absorbed from her father's talk of work, Natalia surprised Alexander with her sharp observations and piercing insights into the intricacies of trade.

Alexander swept Natalia off her feet. The two of them were inseparable. She brushed aside her father's cautions and remonstrances regarding the age difference between them. Alexander courted her with the same passion and fervor he showed for his business plans. She saw him as the Cossack knight of her dreams who would carry her away to distant new worlds full of wondrous sights.

Within six months they were married. A year later they embarked for Mantilles, a colony on the edge of Federation space.

Mantilles

Natalia's excitement grew as they left Earth behind. The trip through deep space was an awesome experience for the sheltered young woman. As the transport ship entered orbit around Mantilles, she felt her first feelings of apprehension. There were no familiar landmarks on the globe below and the alien-ness of the planet washed over her. Next to her, Alexander seemed to glow with excitement. He held her close and stroked her hair, promising a wonderful new life.

That same night Natalia conceived her first child, and to the newness of the home was added the newness of a life growing inside her. The prospect strengthened Natalia and gave her purpose as she prepared their home for the baby's arrival.

By the time Maxwell was born, Alexander had already begun spending more time away from home. While he poured himself into his work, Natalia poured herself into raising her newborn son. Max grew up very close to his mother, who told him stories of Tsars and Cossacks, fairy godmothers and glass slippers.

As the young Max grew, Natalia would take him on long walks in the hills surrounding their home. Often, they would pack a picnic lunch and eat it on the slope of the hills overlooking the colony. If Natalia stared wistfully into the sky, Max never noticed.

Alexander's increasingly brief returns home were punctuated with intense arguments. The heat of their love seemed to burn against them. Natalia didn't mean to push Alexander away, but secretly she blamed him for dragging her out to the middle of nothing and leaving her there, alone.

One day, Max and Natalia were walking along the bottom of a steep and heavily foliaged draw, when an explosion of vines and thorns enveloped Natalia. Young Max, frightened and enraged at the sudden attack, hacked away at the vines holding his mother until he was able to drag her away from the carnivorous plant. Natalia, weakened by the plant's toxin, was half carried by Max back to the colony.

The medical facility was ill-equipped to handle the emergency, and Natalia slipped in and out of consciousness as her condition worsened. Max stayed by his mother's bedside for a week. They waited for Alexander to come home and save the day somehow. Natalia clung to life, knowing her husband was only a few days away at maximum warp.

As the few days came and went, she began to lose hope. In her half-conscious state, Natalia believed that her husband had left for good. Six days after the attack, Natalia eyes looked on Max one last time and as she touched his cheek she said, "Miy̆ kinʹ u mene zalyshylysya" (My knight has left me) and passed away.

Alexander's merchant ship arrived a day later, ironically carrying the necessary medical equipment that would have saved her life.

Natalia was laid to rest on the hillside overlooking their home.