Being born into a wealthy family gave Nathan many opportunities. His parents traveled quite a bit, which added to his education, but also gave him a love for the stars. Even though his family had not yet produced a Mechwarrior, his father had high hopes when he enrolled his son into military school.

It was not Nathan's ambition to become a Mechwarrior, however, he took to his training like he had been destined for it all along. In spite of his success in that area, being forced into Mechwarrior training created a rift between father and son, a rift that still exists today.

However, the Pietch family name did earn him a reputation that he did not like, and earned a tour of duty that saw most of his battles in politics rather than on the field. Finally, sick of the "Battle of the Twits", as he called it, he took his command to the field and it paid off. One of Nathan's rivals was attempting to force him out by staging an attack, but with Nathan there he was able to prove who was behind the attacks.

Armed with this new information, Nathan was able to retain his command and earn the respect he desired. Not wanting to deal with other petty officers, he took a posting that would see his command get some action against the Jade Falcons and a little from the Steel Vipers prior to their leaving the Inner Sphere. However, somewhere in all that glory, he was left with an empty feeling...like there was more he needed to do, or perhaps, someone who needed him more than the Lyran Alliance, whom he felt did not fully appreciate his abilities.

Nathan resigned his commission and struck it out on his own, a BattleMaster his BattleMech. While doing odd jobs here and there with his unit, he ran into a situation that forced him into action without a contract. A lance of Light 'Mech was taking attack positions on a well armoured home, but with the only defender already destroyed, the people inside stood no chance at all.

When the hour long battle was over, the BattleMaster was only good for parts, but the highly skilled attackers were all gone and the house with its occupants saved.

Marquess Anthony Durant was very grateful to Nathan for having saving his life and the life of his family. They were on vacation at their summer residence on another planet, no one was supposed to know where they were. The Marquess hired Nathan on the spot, and gave him power to do whatever he felt was necessary to protect the Durant family.

Dispossessed after the attack, Nathan accepted the offer and faithfully served the Marquess as the family protector. The vacation was cut short, at Nathan's insistence, and the family went home. A month later, two individuals were found to be spies for a rival family in the Capellan Confederation. This was odd to Nathan, but not understanding the whys was not something that concerned him, he simply protected the family.

After two years of faithful and loyal service, Nathan was awarded a Nova Cat, which he spent the last few years upgrading to his preference. Anthony refused to tell Nathan where and how he got it, just told him to say "Thank you," and leave it at that.

In December of 3057, the Marquess and his wife were victims of a tragic accident that saw Tamia Durant take over the family business and the title. Nathan helped her through the transition as best he could, as it was overwhelming at first for her. The two grew quite fond of each other, and a relationship began to take shape.

December 3059, on the anniversary of their parents death, the Durant estate was attacked by a known force...their rivals, the Hongs, from the Capellan Confederation. The sisters were not shipped off to safety in time, a fact that has haunted Nathan to this day, and the younger sister was badly injured, while Tamia was killed.

This left Nathan only one person to protect, a bitter yet controlled hatred of Tran Hong, and the loss of a young woman he was beginning to love.

This page was created by: Copyright March 4, 2003.