Editing Natasha Kerensky

{{Update Needed|[[Interstellar Players]]|[[Hector (short story)]]|[[Lethal Heritage]]|[[Blood Legacy]]|[[Lost Destiny]]|[[Field Manual: Warden Clans]]|[[Wolf's Dragoons (sourcebook)]]|[[The Fourth Succession War Scenarios Volume One]]|[[Era Report: 3145]]|[[The Day After]]|[[Sorenson's Sabres (scenario pack)]]}}
{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Natasha Kerensky BTLegends.jpg
| caption             = Natasha Kerensky
| name                = Natasha Kerensky
| birthdate           = [[trueborn]] [[2973]]<ref name=MToBWp54>''More Tales of the Black Widow'', p. 54</ref><ref name=ER3052-82/><ref name=ER3052-82>''Era Report: 3052'', p. 82: "Natasha Kerensky Profile"</ref>
| died                = 7 December [[3057]]<ref name="I Am Jade Falcon">''I Am Jade Falcon''</ref>
| othernames          = The Black Widow,<br>The First Lady of Death,<br>The Queen of Spades,<ref name=ToBWp9>''Tales of the Black Widow Company'', p. 9: "Captain Natasha Kerensky"</ref><br>The Captain,<ref name=ToBWp9b>''Tales of the Black Widow Company'', p. 9: "MechWarrior Colin Maclaren"</ref><br>The Lady<ref name=ToBWp9b/>
| affiliation         = [[Clan Wolf]],<br>[[Wolf's Dragoons]]
| rank                = [[Khan of Clan Wolf]],<br>[[Colonel]] of Wolf's Dragoons
| title               = 
| position            = 
| profession          = [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]
| parents             = 
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = 
}}
'''Natasha Kerensky''', also known as The Black Widow, The Queen of Spades, and many other appellations, was a [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] from [[Clan Wolf]]. She and her 22 brothers and sisters were the first children produced of a mixture of the [[Kerensky (Bloodname)|Kerensky bloodline]] and various bloodlines from [[Clan Widowmaker]].<ref name=MToBWp54/><ref>''The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky'', pp. 14–15</ref> Immensely successful and famous, she was widely regarded as the best and deadliest MechWarrior of the [[thirty-first century]], with the possible exception of [[Kai Allard-Liao]].

After a meteoric career in Clan Wolf, she volunteered for the [[Wolf's Dragoons]] mission. In the [[Inner Sphere]], she earned her reputation as leader of the [[Black Widow Company]] but returned to her Clan when the [[Clan Invasion]] began, where she quickly rose to the rank of [[Khan of Clan Wolf|Khan]].

==History==
===''Sibko''===
The location of Natasha's ''[[sibko]]'' is unknown but [[Cyrilla Ward]] was also a member.<ref name=LDc2>''Lost Destiny'', ch. 2</ref>

===Clan warrior===
The information available about Natasha Kerensky reaches back to [[3000]] when she was a [[Star Captain]] commanding a [[Trinary]] in the elite [[328th Assault (Clan Wolf)|328th Assault Cluster]] of Clan Wolf. In this time the unit achieved notable victories over [[Clan Diamond Shark]] on [[Paxon]] and over [[Clan Jade Falcon]] on [[Eden]]. Both [[Jaime Wolf]] and [[Joshua Wolf]] served under her command, the latter upon her request to replace casualties her command had suffered against the Diamond Sharks. A bond of friendship developed between her and the [[freeborn]] brothers.

Kerensky's career stalled after her promotion to [[Star Colonel]] in [[3003]]. Several high-profile assignments eluded her due to her impatience with politics, and her success on the battlefield curiously led to her unit being eliminated in biddings early on to stiffen the bidding process.

===Wolf's Dragoons===
In [[3004]] she joined [[Wolf's Dragoons]] during their long-term intelligence mission into the [[Inner Sphere]], leaping at the opportunity to see combat duty even though it involved a de facto demotion to [[Point Commander]], serving under the command of the brothers Wolf. Natasha Kerensky quickly rose through the ranks of Wolf's Dragoons. During the unit's employment with the [[Federated Suns]], she apparently came to the attention of a young [[Hanse Davion]].<ref>''Wolves on the Border'', p. 177</ref> At some point (circumstantial evidence suggests during the employment with the [[Capellan Confederation]] between [[3010]] and [[3014]]) she and Joshua Wolf became lovers.<ref>"The Memory of Pain"</ref>

After 3014 the Dragoons were in the employ of Duke [[Anton Marik]] in the [[Marik Civil War (31st c.)|Marik Civil War]]. One of the first targets of Duke Marik was [[Nova Roma]], where Lieutenant Kerensky and her heavy lance operated in June [[3014]] in conjunction with the [[Bounty Hunter]] and his team. After the Bounty Hunter had inspected a steep ravine and declared it safe to pass, Kerensky's lance entered and fell to a loyalist ambush. Only herself and [[Colin Maclaren]] survived and the Bounty Hunter salvaged their 'Mechs, including Kerensky's ''[[Marauder]]'', which became the Bounty Hunter's iconic 'Mech in his remarkably successful career.<ref>''Wolf's Dragoons'', p. 124: "The Bounty Hunter"</ref><ref>''BattleTech Dossiers: The Bounty Hunter'', p. 5</ref> (See also [[#Notes|Notes]] below.)

Shortly afterwards, Natasha Kerensky accepted command over a special Dragoon company composed of criminals, misfits and troublemakers. Promoted to Captain, she forged them into an effective fighting unit that saw action on [[Emris IV]], [[Matheran]], [[Calloway VI]], [[Semenyih]], [[Tiber (FWL)|Tiber]], [[McKenna (system)|McKenna]], and [[New Delos]].

===The Black Widow===
In [[3015]], Wolf's Dragoons fell out with their current employer, Duke Anton Marik, who subsequently took Joshua Wolf and 27 other Dragoon personnel hostage and later killed them.

As the Dragoons attacked Duke Marik on [[New Delos]] in a retaliatory strike it fell to Natasha Kerensky's band of malcontents to break through the defensive line of burning forests. In a frenzied all-out attack they razed the stronghold and killed Anton Marik in their fire-blackened 'Mechs. After the final battle on New Delos, Captain Natasha Kerensky emerged as the self-styled "Black Widow" and had command over her own, semi-independent sub-unit of Wolf's Dragoons, the notorious '''[[Black Widow Company]]'''.

From then on, the Black Widows were the Dragoons' most active raiding force, often operating independently from their parent unit. They were also typically spearheading assaults in the thick of any major Dragoon operation. As commander of this unit, the "Black Widow" became a living legend akin to the Bounty Hunter. During this time she usually piloted a jet black ''[[Warhammer]]'' that became as infamous as its pilot, the mere sight of which persuaded many foes to flee rather than face her.<ref name=CS-30>''Camo Specs'', p. 30: "Wolf's Dragoons"</ref>

She fought with the rest of the Dragoons in [[Misery]], [[Glenmora]], and [[Crossing]].<ref name=WDSp84>''Wolf's Dragoons'', p. 84: "Black Widow Company Roster"</ref>

On 16 December [[3031]] it was announced that Natasha Kerensky had been promoted to Colonel, and her unit was expanded to Battalion size. The Black Widows were the first Dragoon unit to return to combat duty after the devastating losses Wolf's Dragoons had suffered on [[Misery]] and in the subsequent [[Fourth Succession War]].

====Tsinghai====
In [[3031]], [[Tsinghai]] planetary rulers hired the new [[Black Widow Battalion]] to defend their world after discovering from the compromised [[SAFE]] spy network on planet that it was a target of the [[Duchy of Orloff]]. In [[3032]] during the midst of the [[Andurien Secession]], hawkish members of the [[Free Worlds League Parliament|Parliament]] who had felt [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] [[Janos Marik]] had not done enough during the Fourth War pressured his regent [[Thomas Marik]] to take some proactive action against the Steiner-Davion alliance. Unwilling to commit the untested [[Fourth Free Worlds Guards]] in subduing the [[Duchy of Andurien|Anduriens]], Thomas attempted to both appease the hawks in parliament and give the unbloodied unit a chance to prove itself, allowing the Fourth's commanding officer [[Colonel]] [[Veena Ligacescu]] to launch an attack against the [[Sarna March]] world of Tsinghai in February. With intelligence indicating only minimal resistance, success seemed a foregone conclusion.<ref name=FMFWLp43>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', p. 43: "Free Worlds Guards Profile"</ref><ref name=MTotBW>''More Tales of the Black Widow'', pp. 7–9</ref><ref name=HBW-62>''Historical: Brush Wars'', pp. 62–63: "The Andurien Wars - Phase 1: The Invasion of the Capellan Confederation - 3032: Counterblows - Tsinghai (February)"</ref>

Much to the new Fourth's shock, the planet was defended by the also newly reformed Black Widow Battalion. [[Natasha Kerensky]] led the sub-unit of [[Wolf's Dragoons]] and effortlessly proved their elite status by shattering the Fourth so badly that the survivors chose to defect to [[Federated Commonwealth]] rather than return home to the League. As they feared, Captain-General Janos Marik was enraged by this betrayal, and the disgraced Fourth Free Worlds Guards were permanently disbanded and struck from the rolls of the FWLM.<ref name=FMFWLp43/><ref name=MTotBW/><ref name=HBW-62/>

====Kujari====
A minor border world in [[3033]], [[Kujari]] was considered a possible target for invasion by [[Chancellor]] [[Romano Liao]] following conflicts on a number of nearby worlds including [[Wallacia]], which suggested that the local region of space was unstable. Romano elected to deploy an all-mercenary force to avoid damaging any of her regular [[CCAF]] units, choosing to send four battalion-sized mercenary units to probe the world: [[McCrimmon's Light Cavalry]], [[Rivaldi's Hussars]], [[St. Cyr's Armored Grenadiers]] and [[Steele's Eagles]], with overall command of the operation going to [[Colonel]] [[Donovan Steele]] of Steele's Eagles.<ref name="MTotBWp17+">''More Tales of the Black Widow'', pp. 17–19</ref>

Unfortunately for the Grenadiers, Romano's invasion force would face the [[Black Widow Battalion]] led by her, as Kujari had been used for some time as a base of operations for the Black Widows. Steele elected to attack using a bold, aggressive plan similar to those used by [[Wolf's Dragoons]], a plan that was largely predicted by Kerensky from the outset. Despite a contested landing, the four mercenary commands managed to link up, but couldn't bring their numbers to bear against the Black Widows, and the campaign finished in defeat when Kerensky deceived many of the mercenaries into believing that her forces had left the planet, only to then launch a decapitation raid against the Eagles. Kerensky prevailed over Colonel Steele in a duel besting his ''[[Marauder]]'' and called on him to surrender. Steele not only surrendered, he also led his unit to defect to the [[Federated Commonwealth]] rather than face a vengeful Romano Liao.<ref name="MTotBWp17+"/>

===Training Cadre===
In [[3035]] they were recalled to the Dragoon homeworld of [[Outreach]] to serve as a training cadre for a new generation of Dragoon MechWarriors for the next seven years.

===Return to the Clans===
When the [[Clan invasion]] into the Inner Sphere took place in [[3049]], she left the Dragoons to take her place amongst her fellow Bloodnamed Clan Warriors – notable as being the only member of the Clan in either the Dragoons or its offshoot [[Snord's Irregulars]] to answer the Grand Council's official recall order. Among Wolf's Dragoons, her unit, the Black Widow Battalion, was replaced by the Wolf Spider Battalion.

Upon [[Ulric Kerensky]]'s elevation to [[ilKhan of the Clans]], she was named Khan of Clan Wolf in his stead.

{{quote|''History has often taught us that the path to victories in the future is not to rush into battle like the [[Clan Smoke Jaguar|Smoke Jaguars]] or the [[Clan Jade Falcon|Jade Falcons]]. Where they rush into battle, charge where angels fear to tread, we know that victory is a matter of stalking one's prey. The hunt, the pursuit, the methodical wearing down of one's foe, that is often the key to victory. Let the Falcons say what they will about Ulric Kerensky. We shall show them how true Warriors achieve victory!''|Khan Natasha Kerensky addresses her [[352nd Assault (Clan Wolf)|352nd Assault Cluster]] before the Battle of [[Colmar]]}}

===Personal Information===
The death of Joshua Wolf, her lover, in 3015 apparently pushed Natasha Kerensky over the edge and turned the already formidable MechWarrior to a cocky, sometimes almost suicidal lifestyle on and off the battlefield for decades to come. Like her entire Black Widow command of criminals and discipline cases she displayed borderline psychotic behavior and could kill at a whim, inside or outside her ''Warhammer''. Violent bar fights that could even result in deaths occurred regularly. When [[Fadre Singh]] admitted during questioning following his capture on Misery that he had leaked critical information to the enemy, she simply shot him in the presence of the Dragoon command staff even while Jaime Wolf still raised his hand to hit Singh. She uttered a line, revealed later as a quote of [[Nicholas Kerensky]]: "Those who break faith with the Unity shall go down into darkness."  Nicholas had uttered those same words when ordering the Annihilation of [[Clan Wolverine]].

{{ApocryphalContentStart}}
At one point during the Dragoons' employment with the [[Draconis Combine]] just prior to [[3028]], [[Gideon Braver]] confronted Natasha Kerensky with false accusations about having attacked [[Ander's Moon]]. She denied the accusations and a bar fight broke out; only the interventions of a [[MIIO]] operative saved Gideon Braver from a very severe beating. ''(Since this event is depicted in the storyline of a [[MechWarrior I|computer game]], the canonicity of this information is disputed.)''
{{ApocryphalContentEnd}}

Within Wolf's Dragoons she held the rank of a mere Captain (in command of the Black Widow Company) for a long time, but was highly respected and in fact commanded the authority of a Battalion commander or better; in tactical meetings she was respected as an equal by Regimental Colonels among the Dragoons. When all Regiment and Battalion commanders assembled for the ''[[seppuku]]'' ceremony of [[Minobu Tetsuhara]] at the conclusion of the Misery campaign she was present as well.<ref name="Wolves on the Border">''Wolves on the Border'', p.{{cn}}</ref>

She spoke Russian and was known to curse in that language when a combat situation was complex.<ref>''Tales of the Black Widow Company'', pp. 40–41</ref>

===Death and legacy===
Khan Natasha Kerensky, leading the prestigious Thirteenth Wolf Guards, died in December [[3057]] in single 'Mech combat against [[Star Commander]] [[Joanna]] of [[Clan Jade Falcon]] in the [[Great Gash]] on the planet [[Twycross]] while fighting a rearguard action to cover the retreat of her unit. The Jade Falcons left Kerensky's fallen BattleMech (a ''[[Dire Wolf (Daishi)|Dire Wolf]]'') in its place as a monument to an exceptional person who was widely respected, even by her former enemies.

Decades after her death, Natasha would become a genemother to [[Anastasia Kerensky]].<ref>"Mechwarrior: Dark Age, Dossiers And Pilot Cards", p. 258</ref> Anastasia would echo the same path as her ancestor by carrying the [[Kerensky, Nicholas (Bloodname)|Kerensky Bloodname]], becoming a mercenary leader of the [[Wolf Hunters]] and later [[saKhan of Clan Wolf]].

==BattleMechs==
It is not known what 'Mech(s) Natasha Kerensky piloted in her early days as a MechWarrior.

She piloted a ''[[Marauder]]'' on Nova Roma that was famously salvaged by the Bounty Hunter, who used it as his signature 'Mech for a long time.
Natasha Kerensky is chiefly associated with the jet black ''[[Warhammer]]'', called by her ''Black Lady'' that she piloted throughout her career as the Black Widow. It was a salvaged Marik loyalist machine. Lacking Star League or Clan technology, it was only upgraded later. She left it behind at Outreach after returning to the Clans. His battalion preserved it stored in the event she returned, but it disappeared into the chaos of [[First Battle of Harlech (3067)|First Harlech]].<ref>''Brush Wars'' pp.22</ref><ref>''Battletech Legends'' p. 41</ref>

After returning to the Clans, she claimed a ''[[Timber Wolf (Mad Cat)|Timber Wolf]]'' that was the property of [[Vlad Ward]]{{cn}}. 

By the time of her death in combat on Twycross she piloted a ''Dire Wolf'' with a custom configuration, which she called ''Widowmaker''.<ref>''MWDA Uniques'', p. 418</ref>

==Rules==
<div class="gamerules">
===Game Rules===
In [[3019]], Natasha was a Heroic MechWarrior (Gunnery 1, Piloting 2) and would improve to a Legendary MechWarrior (Gunnery 0, Piloting 0) by at least [[3031]] with the [[Demoralizer]], [[Iron Will (SPA)|Iron Will]], and [[Lucky|Lucky (2)]] Special Piloting Abilities. She would retain this skill level until her death in [[3057]].<ref>''Tanda's Crossing''</ref><ref name=PC>''BattleTech: Legendary MechWarriors Pack, Pilot Cards: "Natasha Kerensky"</ref><ref>''More Tales of the Black Widow'', p. 11</ref><ref name=FatWp29>''The Falcon and the Wolf'', pp. 29-30: "Blood and Sand"</ref>

In a now retconned skill progression, Natasha was a Regular MechWarrior (Gunnery 4, Piloting 4) in [[3014]] and improved to Veteran (Gunnery 3, Piloting 4) by around [[3023]] before continuing the above advancement around 3031.<ref name=SatWp2>''The Spider and the Wolf'', p. 2: "Natasha's Surprise"</ref><ref name=TotBWp8/><ref name=TotBWp14>''Tales of the Black Widow'', pp. 16-17: "Queen's Gambit"</ref>
</div>

==Quotes==
{{Quote|''Train your young boys well, because otherwise they won't get past this old woman.''<ref name="H:Wo3039p119">''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 119: "Other Wave Two Actions"</ref>}}
{{quote|''I’ve been killing fools like you since before you were born, and I’ll still be doing it long after you’re dead!''<ref name=PC/>}}

==Portrait Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Natasha_Kerensky_color_comic.JPG|Natasha Kerensky from cover of ''The Spider and the Wolf''
Natasha Kerensky TSaW.jpg|Natasha Kerensky from inside comic ''The Spider and the Wolf''
Image:Natasha.jpg|Natasha Kerensky
Image:Natasha_Kerensky_HKSB.jpg|Natasha ca. [[3025]]
Image:Natasha Kerensky 1.JPG|Natasha Kerensky from cover of ''[[Tales of the Black Widow Company]]''
Image:Natasha Kerensky 2.JPG|Natasha Kerensky next to her ''[[Warhammer]]'' prior to the [[Fourth Succession War]]
Natasha Kerensky OTPDtM.jpg|Kerensky ca. [[3028]]
Image:Natasha Kerensky 4SW.JPG|Natasha Kerensky after the Fourth Succession War
Image:Natasha_Kerensky_More_Tales_Black_Widow_Cover.JPG|Natasha Kerensky from cover of ''[[More Tales of the Black Widow]]''
Natasha Kerensky BTLegends.jpg|Natasha Kerensky from ''[[BattleTech: Legends|BT:Legends]]''
Image:Natasha Kerensky (3).jpg|Natasha Kerensky
Image:Natasha Kerensky (4).jpg|Natasha ca. [[3028]]
Image:Natasha_Kerensky_3031.PNG|Natasha ca. [[3031]]
Image:Natasha_Kerensky_3032.PNG|Natasha ca. [[3032]]
Natasha Kerensky ER3052.jpg|Natasha at age 77 in [[3050]] from ''[[Era Report: 3052|ER:3052]]''
Image:Natasha Kerensky.jpg|Portrait of Natasha
Image:Natasha_Kerensky_MTotBW.png|Natasha ca. [[3051]]
Image:Natasha Kerensky-Wolf Ceremonial MTotBW.png|Natasha in Clan Wolf ceremonial garb, ca. 3051
Image:Natasha Kerensky CCG.jpg|CCG portrait of Natasha Kerensky
Natasha Kerensky 25YAF.jpg|Leader of the [[Black Widow Company]]
Warhammer (Black Lady) BTLegends.jpg|Natasha's ''Warhammer'', "''Black Lady''" from ''BT:Legends''
</gallery>

==Notes==
* While there is much fan speculation that Natasha piloted 'Mechs with advanced [[Star League]] technology in her early career with Wolf's Dragoons, there are no canon references to support this.  Her ''Marauder'', captured by the [[Bounty Hunter]] in [[3014]], was upgraded by him following a [[Periphery]] mission in [[3015]] with equipment from a [[Star League]] cache uncovered during that mission.<ref>''BattleTech Dossiers: The Bounty Hunter'', p. 6: "Marauder Bounty Hunter 3015"</ref>  Her iconic ''Warhammer'' is a stock WHM-6R, maintained in perfect condition.<ref name=TotBWp8>''Tales of the Black Widow Company'', p. 8</ref>

* Natasha was one of the few Trueborn and Bloodnamed Dragoons members. In fact, her Bloodname was the first clue [[ComStar]] [[ROM]] agents had to suspect a connection between the Dragoons and the SLDF army which departed in [[Operation Exodus]], but they could not substantiate their suspicions.

== References ==
<references />

==Bibliography==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* ''[[BattleTech Dossiers: The Bounty Hunter]]''
* ''[[Camo Specs]]''
* ''[[The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky]]''
* ''[[Era Report: 3052]]''
* ''[[The Falcon and the Wolf]]''
* ''[[Historical: Brush Wars]]''
* ''[[Historical: War of 3039]]''
* ''[[I Am Jade Falcon]]'' (novel)
* ''[[The Memory of Pain]]''
* ''[[More Tales of the Black Widow]]''
* ''[[Shrapnel (anthology)|Shrapnel]]'' (anthology)
* ''[[The Spider and the Wolf]]''
* ''[[Tales of the Black Widow Company]]''
* ''[[BattleCorps Scenarios#Scenario: Tanda's Crossing|Tanda's Crossing]]''
* ''[[A Time of Ice and Fire]]''
* ''[[Wolf's Dragoons (sourcebook)|Wolf's Dragoons]]''
* ''[[Wolves on the Border]]'' (novel)
{{div col end}}

[[Category: Khans|Kerensky, Natasha]]
[[Category: Clan Wolf Characters|Kerensky, Natasha]]
[[Category: Wolf's Dragoons Characters|Kerensky, Natasha]]
[[Category: Notable Warhammer Pilots|Kerensky, Natasha]]
[[Category: Notable Dire Wolf (Daishi) Pilots|Kerensky, Natasha]]
[[Category: Characters with Pilot Cards|Kerensky, Natasha]]