Anatoly Korenchkin is the fictional captain of the starship Von Braun and the main human antagonist within the world of the cyberpunk personal computer game System Shock 2.

Overview

When he was singled out by TriOptimum Corporation to head the Von Braun on its history making voyage in 2114, Korenchkin at first faced strong opposition from UNN Navy captain William Diego. Diego (who himself would be put in charge of the Von Braun's UNN escort, the Rickenbacker) strongly suspected the ambitious Korenchkin of having assassinated a key UNN official who had stood in the way of the Faster-Than-Light drive's approval.

A strong "company man" who believed in the advancement of Tri-Op over all else, Korenchkin and Diego (a staunch enemy of the company) would be at the head of the confrontational atmosphere which would come to permeate the expedition over the next four months. All this changes with the arrival of a distress signal from the Tau Ceti system. Anatoly is ecstatic at the promise of discovering extraterrestrial life, and when an expedition is sent to the planet from which the signal is emanating, both he and Captain Diego are the first to set foot on its surface - each desiring the most glory for his perspective sphere.

When they find the source of the unknown signal, it seems to be coming from a large crash crater, one that is filled with hundreds of mysterious egg-like structures. Overcome by a strong psychic force emanating from the eggs, and seduced by its promise of power, Korenchkin orders that the eggs be taken aboard ship and the entire Hydroponics deck of the Von Braun be devoted to their future care.

effectively absorbed into this alien force (who call themselves "The Many" ) along with Diego, Capt. Korenchkin becomes one of their greatest assets. Rejoicing in their quest to return to earth and absorb its population into their numbers, Korenchkin also heads the struggle against the Many's few remaining enemies aboard ship, including Marie Delacroix; the "Machine Mother", SHODAN; and her "avatar", the player.
Though Diego eventually rebels before he can be completely overtaken by the Many's hive mind, Korenchkin reaches the full potential of his transformation and attains the form of a Psi-Reaver. In this form, he eventually forces the player to face him on the deck of the Von Braun, an encounter which - depending on the actions of the player - can ultimately result in his permanent demise.