Kevin Tolwyn Redux

Lionheart

Spaceman
Okay, so my first thread degenerated into something better-suited for PMs, but that's okay. I did get a few answers, but I still think there's a lot more to explore about this character (I've already used the search feature to find old threads regarding this topic, but I must be terrible at searching because I didn't have much luck).

Pretty much all of my questions were answered (though, I know that commodore is a Navy rank, I meant which military was he a commodore in), but I was also kind of hoping that more of a discussion would take place. Actually, I do have a couple more questions that I forgot to add in the last thread. Is there any information about Kevin's age or anything else about his life prior to joining the war? I never managed to get my hands on a copy of "End Run," which I think is his first appearance in the WC universe, so I have no clue what is revealed about him there besides his being Geoffrey's nephew.

I really hope I'm not going over stuff that hasn't already been talked to death about. Like I said, I didn't find too much when I searched the old threads...

EDIT: Oh, yeah, also, how did he get to be called "Lone Wolf"?
 
Murray said:
More important than that, who the hell is Kewin Tolwyn? A relative of admiral Tolwyn?

Read "End Run" by William R. Fortschen. He's Admiral Sir Geoffrey Tolwyn's nephew by his brother, an Academy trainer who died in a plane crash.

As for Kevin Tolwyn, he started out as a fresh 2nd Lt. on the Tarawa, moving up to squadron command when a slot became open following their return from Kilrah. He apparently moved up the ranks in the fighter wing, and was by the time of WC3 a Brevet Captain following the Battle of Earth. He transferred to the Border Worlds during the post-Kilrathi war period for the events of False Colors and commanded the Independence (former CVE Tarawa) fighter wing, before eventually rising to the rank of Commodore by WCP's time, probably moving back into the TCN along with Wilford and other Border World forces - anyone remember Colonel Dekker? :D

(Edit: Changed 'Liberty' to 'Independence'. My bad. Thanks Psych.)
 
The Liberty was broken up for scrap, that carrier he was in was the Independence.
 
Lionheart said:
how did he get to be called "Lone Wolf"?

If I'm not mistaken, he got that moniker by having low marks in the "plays well with others" section. At least, at first . . . until Jason got ahold of him for a tour or two.
 
Wasn't it also a handle picked out by Kevin himself because, as Jason put it, he wanted to be another solo hotshot ace like Maniac?
 
I choose you... BanditLOAF!

::Waits for LOAF to appear to answer questons, as usual::
 
We should have a LOAF signal, like the Batman Spotlight thing. And in FC, it says something like"even though he still used his old handle 'Lone Wolf', he was more of a team player"(This is not an exact quote as I lost my copy of FC) This would make it seem like he picked his callsign because like ChanceKell said, he wanted to be a hotshot ace who went his own way.
 
And in FC, it says something like"even though he still used his old handle 'Lone Wolf', he was more of a team player"(This is not an exact quote as I lost my copy of FC) This would make it seem like he picked his callsign because like ChanceKell said, he wanted to be a hotshot ace who went his own way.
Who or what is FC? It does sound like Kevin Tolwyn chose this monicker because of the "I work alone", this-guy-must-be-an-ace feeling it has about it!

We should have a LOAF signal, like the Batman Spotlight thing.

A good idea, although even LOAF deserves some time off for sleep and stuff.
 
Is there any information about Kevin's age or anything else about his life prior to joining the war? I never managed to get my hands on a copy of "End Run," which I think is his first appearance in the WC universe, so I have no clue what is revealed about him there besides his being Geoffrey's nephew.

I don't think his age is ever stated -- but it stands to reason that he's ~23 in End Run, since flying a Rapier II off the Tarawa was his first assignment out of Flight School (so, think born around 2644).

We don't really know much about his early years. His family is very rich, and he had a very pampered childhood. His mother (G. Tolwyn's sister in law) expected him to go to the Academy and work his way up the ranks politically -- instead he showed a natural flying ability (top of his class in flight school, beat one of his instructors) and ended up choosing a combat assignment instead. His 'name' went far in the mid to late sixties, as G. Tolwyn's star was rising and political climbers and such wanted to impress the Admiral (the captain of the Tarawa, for instance, made Kevin acting Wing Commander until the ships veteran squadron commanders arrived). It's probably for this reason that a pilot of his skill was assigned to a support ship instead of a front line unit -- someone wanting to protect the admiral's nephew (little did they know the Tarawa would be thrown away on a suicide mission!).

EDIT: Oh, yeah, also, how did he get to be called "Lone Wolf"?

I don't think End Run gives a specific reason -- it just notes that he chose the callsign himself (which I suppose is, in and of itself, unusual).

There are three major references to him after False Colors (in terms of the timeline). We know that he eventually is made a Commodore in the Landreich Fleet (mentioned in the WCIV novel and in Action Stations), but that he eventually returns to Confed to head up one of their intelligence services (circa Prophecy).
 
Ah, thanks for the information LOAF. I appreciate it. :)

Just a question...what's Action Stations? The only one I know about is the book by William Forstchen that takes place at the beginning of the war, but that couldn't have had any of the information you just mentioned because Kevin hadn't even been born by then...
 
Lionheart said:
Just a question...what's Action Stations? The only one I know about is the book by William Forstchen that takes place at the beginning of the war, but that couldn't have had any of the information you just mentioned because Kevin hadn't even been born by then...

Although Action Stations tells the story in the beginning of the war, the story is told from a post-war perspective after the Nephelim conflict.
 
Yeah, I guess you're right. I just hate having to ask so many questions; I used to be much better in terms of WC knowledge, but it seems that over the last couple of years my memory's kind of pushed most of it out of the way to make room for other crap.
 
So far, your only "fault" seems to have not been here sooner. Compare this to more than a few brain surgeons who come in here, and generally attract an audience for much the same reason one rubbernecks at an accident scene.

I much prefer the example you're setting, Lionheart.

(My memory is known to suck, so it's not like I have much room to comment on not remembering things... though usually I remember WC stuff at the expense of non-WC items.)
 
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