War Hero Killed in Action

Solar Newswire Service, 2634.302

WAR HERO KILLED

IN ACTION

PERON

Commodore Tolwyn released the following statement upon the death of Major Blair. “Arnold Blair was the true model of an officer, gentleman and scholar. We celebrate his heroic and honorable life, and grieve for the loss of a heart so pure and a mind so brilliant at such an early age. On behalf of myself and all the other officers who had the privilege of working with Major Blair, I wish to extent my profound sympathies to his family.”

Space Force Major Arnold Blair was killed in action over Peron yesterday, according to casualty lists from the Grand Fleet Information Office. One of the architects of the Confed Grand Fleet, Blair was also a highly decorated fighter pilot.

Born on Terra in 2597, Blair studied cybernetics, earning a BA from the University of Kingston and a Masters and Ph.D. from the Sorbonne. In 2620 he was awarded the Golden Moebius for software design. After graduation, Blair signed on as a troubleshooter for Sung Datasystems, working on many colonies in Enigma and Argent sectors, and earned two letters of commendation from Confed Colonial Services. It was also during this time that he received his light spacecraft pilot certification.

When Confed declared war, the Space Force activated Blair's reserve commision, and ordered him to report to Titan. He served a 25-month tour as a pilot aboard the carrier CS Harrison. During his combat tour he was certified a double-ace, with 11 confirmed fighter kills and two cap-ship kills, earning two Blazes for Conspicuous Gallantry.

In early 2633, Commodore Tolwyn picked him to join the (at that time deeply secret) Grand Fleet design team, where he was appointed senior cyberneticist. He was recently awarded a Conroy Medal and a Senatorial Commendation for his work designing software controlling Grand Fleet maneuvers.

In mid-year Blair returned to combat duty on board the CS Foster, earning three more confirmed kills and a citation for bravery.

According to the GFIO release, Blair was kiled at about 0900 Terran Standard Time on .301, while flying alone in a Merlin-class fighter just above the atmosphere of Peron. It is believed that his craft was detected and destroyed by a Pilgrim automated stratospheric defense drone. The exact nature of Blair's mission is classified by Grand Fleet Ops.

Blair's wife, Devi, also died recently. He is survived by a son, Christopher, his mother, Melissa, and a sister, Jennifer, who is caring for Christopher.

Behind the Scenes

From Official Authorized Wing Commander Confederation Handbook, edited by Chris McCubbin, "death, sf maj arnold blair", 23, HarperCollins Publishers.