9 years · the Crab Nebula
Ensign Mary Halflarsen
Ensign Mary Halflarsen, 9, of the Crab Nebula, died on a Tuesday afternoon above an unnamed planet, shot down by an unknown human pilot during what her squadron leader described as 'a perfectly ordinary skirmish, until it wasn't.' Mary's mother's maiden name was Underwood; her favorite color was the precise green of certain hospital walls. She is survived by twelve sisters, a clarinet she had been meaning to take up again, and an unfinished correspondence with a cousin in the Veil.
27 years · the Pillars of Creation
Sub-Lieutenant Tobias Quibble
Sub-Lieutenant Tobias Quibble, 27, of the Pillars, was lost when his tractor beam collapsed mid-capture. Tobias was a man of small talents he took very seriously: knot-tying, the careful peeling of an apple in one continuous spiral, an essentially unjustified loyalty to the ship he served on. His mother, née Marigold, taught him that ochre was the color of patience. He is survived by an aunt in the Veil, a hand-bound book of recipes nobody asked for, and a fern named Geoffrey.
41 years · the Veil
Petty Officer Cordelia Voss
Petty Officer Cordelia Voss, 41, was lost during the collapse of formation, after the wing-commander's signal cut out and the rest of the line panicked. Cordelia was known for the steadiness of her voice in radio chatter and the violet hatpin she pretended was regulation. Her mother's maiden name was Pemberton. Her favorite color was the blue of a kitchen at 4 a.m. She is survived by a sister in the Trifid, three pen pals, and the half-finished translation of a book of poems no one will now complete.