Nephele II

Nephele II
A starport on the surface of Nephele II, circa 2673.

Nephele II is a Terran colony and the second planet of the Nephele System. It was formerly a territory of the Terran Confederation, but is now a member of the Union of Border Worlds. It is the homeworld of famed Terran pilot Christopher Blair.

Nephele II is a moderately-populated desert planet where most of the colonists make a living as farmers. It plays a small role in agriculture. If the people are not planting crops, many become crop dusters. It was the home of Arnold Blair and Devi Soulsong, the parents of Christopher Blair. Arnold was a Pilgrim. After they were killed on the planet Peron during a massacre committed by the vicious Pilgrim Alliance, Blair lived with his aunt Jennifer and her husband. When the latter was killed in an accident, Blair lived with his maternal grandparents while Jennifer left to remarry.

Blair attended the Academy while on Nephele II during the 2640s and passed with high marks. He originally planned to fulfill six years at the Academy and become a crop duster, but ultimately he enlisted for frontline service in the Terran-Kilrathi War upon graduation, and left Nephele II in 2653.

There is little information regarding the Nephele System's role in the Terran-Kilrathi War.

After the war ended in 2669, Blair returned to Nephele II and resumed his civilian life as a farmer and crop duster in the planet's southern region. By this point, Blair had married Rachel Coriolis from the TCS Victory, but the marriage disintegrated. Blair remained in the Space Force Reserves and received half-pay for his expenses as a result, as well as royalties from "The Treacherous Hero" holovid that highlighted his unjust conviction for the loss of the TCS Tiger's Claw. Unfortunately, even with these payments, his farm failed and was on the brink of bankruptcy in 2673.

Blair arrived at the Nephele Starport in 2673 during the Border Worlds Conflict. While at the local bar, he met former wingman Major Todd Marshall, who had been personally sent to reactivate Blair to active duty status under Confed Emergency Decree 394A. Blair accepted and went on to fight the Union of Border Worlds until he discovered that he was actually fighting Confed mercenaries who were instigating the war between the Border Worlds and Confed.

After peace between the two factions was reestablished, Blair remained in the Confederation Space Navy and presumably sold his failing farm. He found that he was happier flying.

When Blair was lost in combat against the Nephilim in 2681, memorial services were held on Nephele II in honor of Blair's memory.

Note

Nephele II greatly resembles Luke Skywalker's homeworld of Tatooine in the Star Wars trilogy. This may or may not be an allusion to that planet. Skywalker was portrayed by Mark Hamill, who also portrays Blair.