Intro
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Biography
Born in the countryside of Belarus, one might expect Katsiaryna enjoyed a quiet, idyllic childhood. The omnic crisis, however, made that impossible. Near the site of one of Belarus' notorious knock-off omniums, Katsiaryna's area is consistently hit hard with omnic attacks. Some speculate that the off-brand omnics being produced in Belarus and other countries in Eastern Europe lacked a certain integrity that made them more erratic and violent in the crisis and afterwards. Despite the constant fear and feeling of impending doom, the area encouraged children to enjoy sports, and as everyone encouraged the kids to play, they became a huge part of the local culture. The government and military had their own agenda in providing the infrastructure for it all-- they hoped boys trained physically their entire lives would make good soldiers when they turned 18. What they didn't expect, though, was for a 15 year old rhythmic gymnast to become one of their greatest assets. Whatever works.
Katsiaryna was at practice when the sirens started blaring. She knew couldn't safely get to the shelter nearest her home, so she began fleeing with a friend who lived nearby. When they arrived at the shelter, the soldiers at the camp near it were obviously panicked. They were yelling and cursing about the grenade launchers being hacked in some way, their homing devices rendered useless. They needed them to shoot EMP-style bombs into one of the omnic strongholds, destroying key machinery and hopefully ending their advance on the towns. The commanders decided they'd have to lob the bombs over the walls and hope they go off in the right spot. The problem, though, was that they had a limited supply of the bombs needed. Katsiaryna's friend shuddered and scurried into the shelter, praying under her breath. Katsiaryna began to follow, but then looked at the bombs. They're the same exact size and shape as the balls she's been tossing in rhythmic gymnastics for her entire life. She approached the commander of the unit and pleaded her case. He didn't take much convincing, as he had almost no faith in his soldiers' aim and was already planning what the next moves would have to be, already resigned to the counteroffensive failing. Flanked by two officers shielding her, Katsiaryna made her way towards the stronghold. As she neared the position she'd be throwing from, dread washed over her. She'd never been this close to the machines that had been terrorizing her for her entire life. She took a few deep breaths before looking at the schematic one of the soldiers brought with him. He showed the exact point the EMP needed to go off to do an adequate enough amount of damage to the stronghold and its residents, showed her where they were currently standing, and before he could ask if she needed a second to prepare, Katsiaryna closed her eyes and lobbed the bomb with a dramatic leap. The two men watched it arc gracefully into the building, and when it went off, the omnics went dormant, the usual response to a successful mission. They'd stalled doom for at least a little longer.
After the ordeal, the commander was so taken by Katsiaryna's initiative and skill he made a personal promise that she would always have a place in the military. That if she wished, when she turned 18, he could personally guarantee she'd be put to the best use. She didn't wait that long. When she was 17, she lied about her age to join the fight.
"It was nothing, really," she said to the commander after the successful EMP, "It was just like a risk in rhythmic gymnastics."
From then on, he knew she'd be called Risk.
