R.A. Skinner
| R.A. Skinner | |
|---|---|
| -March 2654 | |
 | |
| Callsign | Mule-Skinner |
| Place of death | Vega Sector |
| Allegiance | Terran Confederation |
| Service/branch | Terran Confederation Space Force |
| Years of service | -2654 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | TCS Tiger's Claw |
R.A. Skinner, aka "Mule-Skinner", was a Terran Confederation fighter pilot assigned to the TCS Tiger's Claw. In March 2654, then-Captain Skinner was assigned as wingleader for Lieutenant Larry Dibbles and ordered to take part in a combined strike against the KIS Rathtak. The wing left the carrier at 2300 hours. Twenty minutes later they encountered two crippled Jalthi. One thrusted away intermittently as though it had suffered engine damage while the other spun powerlessly. Dibbles broke formation to attack the active Jalthi. At 2321 hours, Skinner ordered him back into formation. This was the final transmission made by either Scimiar: neither Jalthi was damaged. The disabled ship powered up and destroyed Skinner's fighter, then joined the other to shoot down Dibbles. Both Skinner and Dibbles were killed. The incident became the impetus for Taggart's Tactics. A recovery team later located Skinner's flight recorder.
Behind the scenes
The story of Skinner and Dibbles and their last mission were featured in the manual "Claw Marks" for the first Wing Commander game.
