Editing Kimmalyn

{{character
|image=Kimmalyn.PNG
|aliases=Callsign: Quirk
|profession={{cat tag|DDF pilots}}
|world=Detritus
|universe=[[Cytoverse]]
|books=[[Skyward (series)]]
}}
{{update|sf1|sf2|sf3}}
{{quote
|We can do this. Just take a deep breath. Reach up. Pluck a star. That’s what the Saint says.
|Kimmalyn meeting Spensa for the first time{{book ref|sky1|6}}
}}

'''Kimmalyn''' (Callsign: '''Quirk''') is a member of the [[DDF]] and pilot number six in [[Skyward Flight]].{{book ref|sky1|9}} She hails from [[Bountiful Cavern]], is the daughter of current DDF AA gunners,{{book ref|sky1|11}} and the great-granddaughter of the assistant quartermaster from the old ''[[Antioch]]'' gunship in the ''[[Defiant (starship)|Defiant Fleet]]''.{{book ref|sky1|7}}

Kimmalyn initially chose the callsign Quick,{{book ref|sky1|9}} however, she changed it to Quirk after it was misremembered by multiple members of her flight.{{book ref|sky1|10}}{{book ref|sky1|11}} 

Although she initially quit the DDF flight program after the death of Hurl,{{book ref|sky1|33}} Kimmalyn is reinstated as a full pilot following the [[Battle of Alta Second]].{{book ref|sky2|2}}

== Appearance and Personality ==
{{quote
|Kimmalyn had the soul of a smart aleck, but the upbringing of a polite society girl.
|Description of Kimmalyn by [[Spensa]]{{book ref|sky1|28}}
}}

Kimmalyn has tan brown skin and long, curly black hair.{{book ref|sky1|7}} She spends time on her appearance{{book ref|sky1|20}} and is in general, a very neat person.{{book ref|sky1|21}}{{book ref|sky1|28}} 

She has a slight accent, that is likely common to her home cavern, Bountiful Cavern,{{book ref|sky1|7}} and has a tendency to use old fashioned turns of phrase, likely with the intent to confuse others.{{book ref|sky1|16}}{{book ref|sky1|28}} She has a relaxed and unhurried way of speaking and sounds naturally happy, even when delivering insults.{{book ref|sky2|2}} She has a good poker face and can be hard to read, which she uses to her advantage when teasing people.{{book ref|sky2|3}}

{{sidequote
|'He thought she’d given up', I realized.
Instead, puffy eyes and all, Kimmalyn raised her chin.
Cobb nodded toward her seat, and she strode over—a model of Defiant poise—and sat down. In that moment, she seemed more like a warrior than I’d ever been.
|Kimmalyn refusing to leave the DDF after the death's of [[Morningtide]] and [[Bim]]{{book ref|sky1|20}}
|side=right
|size=350px
}}

She is a very energetic and excitable person, who can sometimes come across as silly to others.{{book ref|sky1|8}} She is not shy with physical affection even with people she does not know, and is a cheerful and friendly person.{{book ref|sky1|7}} Kimmalyn enjoys life's small pleasures{{book ref|sky1|7}} and is perky and upbeat.{{book ref|sky1|8}} She is quick to follow orders, even from those who do not necessarily have authority to give them.{{book ref|sky1|8}} 

She is genuinely kind and considers others well-being as much as her own. She will willingly decrease her comfort of living to help increase another's, so that they do not have to carry discomfort themselves.{{book ref|sky1|11}} She is perceptive about her friends and will specifically check in with them if something seems wrong, and will do what she can to help.{{book ref|sky1|13}} She does not shy away from bringing up sensitive topics, however, is sympathetic and empathetic when discussing issues.{{book ref|sky1|16}}

Despite this, Kimmalyn does not always recognize when she enables bad behavior.{{book ref|sky1|15}} She frequently uses the phrase, ''bless your stars'', however, the intention behind her comments can range from fondness{{book ref|sky1|16}} to mockery.{{book ref|sky1|23}} Kimmalyn uses subtle and confusing language when insulting others, so they do not catch on to her intention. This is a trait she has picked up from living in Bountiful Cavern where it is considered rude to be overtly insulting, but acceptable if veiled with politeness and obscurity.{{book ref|sky1|23}}

Kimmalyn's confidence is shaken during her time at [[flight school]]. Despite her talents in long distance sniping, her poor performance in flying leads her to repeatedly criticize herself to her classmates, even when they are praising her improvements.{{book ref|sky1|23}}{{book ref|sky1|28}} The death of [[Hurl]] further erodes Kimmalyn's trust in her abilities, as she believes her friend's death was because her own failure, ultimately leading her to leave the [[DDF]].{{book ref|sky1|33}}{{book ref|sky1|48}} Hurl's death fueled Kimmalyn's feelings of inadequacy leading her to question her sniper skills and cause distress when asked to make another difficult shot.{{book ref|sky1|52}} Despite this, Kimmalyn is proud of what she achieved as a cadet.{{book ref|sky1|38}} Kimmalyn's confidence in both flying and shooting likely improved following the Battle of Alta Second as she rejoins the DDF and becomes a full pilot.{{book ref|sky2|2}} 

=== Religiosity ===
{{quote
|What a lovely view of the sky we have! As the Saint always said, ‘Good thing it’s light during the day, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to see how pretty daytime is!’
|Kimmalyn trying to distract others from realizing she slipped food to [[Spensa]]{{book ref|sky1|13}}
}} 

Kimmalyn is religious{{book ref|sky1|38}} and often makes up sayings, attributing them to the Saint.{{book ref|sky1|28}} She justifies a majority of her actions through these sayings and also uses them to obscure insults.{{book ref|sky1|19}} Though offered suggestions by her fellow cadets, she does not consider using them.{{book ref|sky1|32}} Kimmalyn vehemently disagreed with the suggestion she use the callsign: Saint, when it was suggested.{{book ref|sky1|9}} She will also call out others for using the Saint's name in vain, though may be doing this in a joking manner.{{book ref|sky1|38}}

==Abilities==
{{quote
|Kind of like trying to hit the floor with a rock, sir. They aren’t even moving.
|Kimmalyn when asked to demonstrate during target practice{{book ref|sky1|14}}
}}
Kimmalyn is highly knowledgeable about piloting and [[starfighter]]s, having achieved the rank of pilot.{{book ref|sky2|2}} Following the Battle of Alta Second, Kimmalyn is placed in a specialized team made up of Skyward Flight members in the position of sniper.{{book ref|sky2|14}}

She is an expert shooter who specializes in long distance snipping of moving targets,{{book ref|Skyward|11}} a result of being trained on the [[DDF]] anti-aircraft guns prior to [[flight school]].{{book ref|sky1|11}} Even as a cadet, she was far more skillful with [[Starfighter#Destructors|destructors]] than a majority of DDF pilots due to her ability to target and destroy moving objects, with most other pilots only having used the guns long range against stationary units.{{book ref|sky1|14}} She is aware of her skill with shooting,{{book ref|sky1|14}} however, is either not used to praise from others or just unsure as to how to accept it.{{book ref|sky1|11}}

Kimmalyn is not a strong flyer, however, has improved over time.{{book ref|sky1|23}}{{book ref|sky1|31}}{{book ref|sky2|2}}{{book ref|sky2|14}} She has trained to fly in both atmosphere and a vacuum.{{book ref|sky1|9}}{{book ref|sky2|2}} As with her flying skills, her dogfighting skills have likely improved with practice.{{book ref|sky1|14}}

== History ==
=== Early Life ===
Kimmalyn is from Bountiful Cavern and the daughter of AA gunners.{{book ref|sky1|11}} She was trained on the smaller AA guns by her father prior to [[flight school]], though it is unclear when she began her training.{{book ref|Skyward|11}}  Part of her father's training involved a mushroom that resembled a squirrel.{{book ref|sky1|14}} 

=== Flight School ===
She did not plan to take the entrance exam for flight school but was approached by DDF recruiters who wanted to see a demonstration of her weaponry skills.{{book ref|Skyward|11}}  Once seeing her abilities, they encouraged her to apply for the DDF and sit the entrance exam.{{book ref|Skyward|11}} After passing the exam, Kimmalyn was placed in Skyward Flight under the tutorledge of [[Cobb]]. She was roomed with the other female members of her flight, with the exception of [[Spensa]], who was denied accommodation.{{book ref|sky1|11}} Before it became known that Spensa would not be rooming with them, Kimmalyn offered to switch out sleeping arrangements with the other girl every second night so that Spensa would not have to always sleep on a cot instead of a bed.{{book ref|sky1|11}}

On the first day of flight school, Kimmalyn ran into, and befriended Spensa, shortly after leaving the elevator from [[Igneous]].{{book ref|sky1|7}} The two girls were the first to arrive at the classroom, introducing themselves to their classmates when they arrived. When [[Jorgen]] arrived and ordered Skyward Flight to attention, Kimmalyn immediately jumped to action, however, in her excitement, she saluted Jorgen with both hands while also standing on her toes. Jorgen harshly criticized her, leading to Spensa jumping to Kimmalyn's defense. Kimmalyn, while initially hurt by Jorgen's comment, was pleased by Spensa's response.{{book ref|sky1|8}}

{{quote
|I'm just gonna sit tight here, snug and happy I didn’t crash into anyone. As the Saint said, 'Ain't nothing wrong with being a little wrong once in a while.'
|Kimmalyn during their first virtual training session when asked to fall in line with her fellow pilots{{book ref|sky1|10}}
}}

Like many of the other members of Skyward Flight, Kimmalyn crashed her mockpit during their first lesson by accidentally misusing her control sphere.  When the lesson was interrupted by a [[KRELL|Krell]] attack, Kimmalyn, along with the rest of Skyward Flight, were ordered to take to the sky and line up close to the battle to deceive the Krell into thinking there were more pilots ready to join the conflict.{{book ref|sky1|10}} When Krell attacked the group, she maneuvered herself away from her flightmates so that she could line up a clear shot with her [[Starfighter#Destructors|destructor]]s, firing upon and destroying the Krell that had targeted Jorgen. Once back at the DDF base, the other members of Skyward Flight praised her on her shooting, though she did not know how to react to the compliments.{{book ref|sky1|11}}

The next day, when Kimmalyn noticed that Spensa did not seem to be leaving with the group during lunch, she attempted to stay behind to see what was wrong. She was stopped by Cobb who explained to her the situation. After Cobb mentioned to her that the other women had forgotten her lunch Kimmalyn, snuck food back with her from the mess hall to pass on to Spensa.{{book ref|sky1|13}} When the class resumed, the cadets began testing out the weapons functions on their mockpits. After allowing the cadets to attempt to shoot targets with their destructors, Cobb ordered Kimmalyn to demonstrate how effectively the weapons could be used. When the class attempted dogfighting after her demonstration, Kimmalyn's mockpit was destroyed almost immediately.{{book ref|sky1|14}}

During the [[Starfighter#Light-lance|light-lance]] ring game Kimmalyn crashed on the first round, on the fourth ring, being the second person to lose out after [[Bim]]. Following the lesson, Kimmalyn returned from getting a drink just in time to hear that Spensa was the daughter of [[Chaser]].{{book ref|sky1|15}} Although initially shocked, she approached Spensa the next day to talk to her. Kimmalyn was not put off by the revelation and admired Spensa's courage in standing up against the backlash she had received because of her father's actions.{{book ref|sky1|16}}

A few days later, Skyward Flight was once again sent into battle against the Krell, this time fighting alongside full pilots. During the battle, Kimmalyn attempts to help [[Morningtide]] by sniping the Krell that were chasing her, however, was ultimately too late and by doing so left herself exposed to Krell attack with no wingmate nearby. Although Spensa initially wanted to go and help her, Jorgen ordered her to help Bim, going to help Kimmalyn himself. Kimmalyn survived the battle, however, lost two of her other flightmates: Bim and Morningtide.{{book ref|sky1|19}}

{{image|Quirk by Hitori Maron.jpg|side=right|height=350px}}

The next morning, Kimmalyn arrived late to class having stopped in the bathroom on her way to the classroom. Having likely spent the time crying and considering if she wished to stay with the DDF, Kimmalyn eventually made her way to the classroom, taking her seat with the intention of 
eventually decided to proceed to the classroom where, to the surprise of her teacher, she continuing the program.{{book ref|sky1|20}}

After exploding during a training exercise, Nedd prodded Kimmalyn, teasing her about the crash and provoking a polite but moderate response from the woman. Later, during her solo run, Kimmalyn successfully managed to IMP a Krell ship without crashing. Despite the praise she received by Spensa, Kimmalyn was focused on the negatives of her flying until Spensa managed to successfully distract her through a discussion about insults.{{book ref|sky1|23}}

Later, Kimmalyn and Skyward Flight took to the sky in their Pocos for a debris tagging exercise. After doing her run with Arturo, Kimmalyn shot down several pieces of debris that had been ignored by Nedd and FM who were up next, earning her a warning from Cobb about showing off. When the shipyard began falling, Kimmalyn, Nedd, and Spensa accidentally split from the rest of the flight, with Spensa picking up a tail. Kimmalyn and Nedd helped destroy and scatter Spensa's tail before the three went to try and rejoin the others. When Nedd peeled away to chase his brothers into the shipyard, Kimmalyn left Spensa to chase him, not confident in her ability to navigate inside the shipyard.{{book ref|sky1|25}}

The next week, Kimmalyn, along with FM and Hurl, devised a plan to sneak Spensa into their dormitory for the evening. Following the day's lesson, Kimmalyn and FM retired to their bunks before dinner, claiming to be unwell. Kimmalyn lead Spensa to their room, meeting up with FM near the door and smuggled Spensa inside where she found blankets piled as a makeshift bed and food waiting for her.{{book ref|sky1|27}} As the girls waited for Hurl to return, Kimmalyn teased FM about her ramblings about the militaristic Defiant culture. The four friends chatted as the night progressed, coming up with, and naming, silly flight patterns.{{book ref|sky1|28}} 

After a later training session, Skyward Flight was called to action to help defend against a Krell attack. The flight took up position near one of Alta's AA guns away from the main fight to wait as backup. After the flight was given the green light to engage, Kimmalyn found herself being swarmed by Krell and called for aid. Despite the best efforts of her teammates, the Krell kept locking onto Kimmalyn even after being driven away, causing the cadet to panic and fly erratically to try and lose them. Spensa managed to draw the Krell away from Kimmalyn, leading them to chase her instead. Free from her tail, Kimmalyn maneuvered herself above the fray to get out of range. In an effort to save Hurl, Kimmalyn tried to shoot down her persuers, however, missed her target. Moments later, Hurl's wing was destroyed by destructor fire and her ship plummeted for the planet, leading to her death.{{book ref|sky1|32}} 

=== Dropping Out of Flight School ===
{{quote
|“I failed Hurl,” she [Kimmalyn] said softly. “I’ll fail the others.”<br>
“No. The only way you fail, Kimmalyn, is if you’re not there. '''Be there'''. ”</br>
|Spensa encouraging Kimmalyn to go with [[Nedd]] and [[Arturo]] and help the overwhelmed pilots during the [[Second Battle of Alta]]{{book ref|sky1|48}}
}}

Following the battle, Kimmalyn went to Cobb, expressing her wishes to leave the cadet training program. After spending the night thinking over her decision, at Cobb's insistence, she reaffirmed her decision the next day in front of the rest of her flight. Although they tried to convince her to stay, Kimmalyn stayed firm in her choice.{{book ref|sky1|33}} When she went to clear her dorm room of her possessions, she did so chaotically, leading to some of her things becoming lost and being left behind.{{book ref|sky1|38}}

Later that week, Kimmalyn met up with her fellow Skyward Flight members, as all active members had been given a week of medical leave. After meeting with the group, Kimmalyn asked if FM would be able to fetch a necklace that she had left in their room before departing. When FM returned with the necklace, she brought Spensa with her, whom she had found on her way back to the restaurant.{{book ref|sky1|37}} After retrieving her necklace from FM, Kimmalyn and her friends spoke of Hurl, remembering their friend and reminiscing about their time in flight school. When Arturo's girlfriend, Bryn, went to the bathroom, the members of Skyward Flight talked briefly about the strangeness of Krell tactics and the DDF's hesitancy to talk about these things.{{book ref|sky1|38}}

Following the Skyward graduation, Kimmalyn and the former members of the flight met up at a restaurant in Alta Base to listen in to the battle at the shipyard on Arturo's family radio.  Hearing the desperation of the battle, the friends discussed potentially stealing the Mendez private jets to provide aid. Kimmalyn protested Spensa's suggestion that she accompany Arturo and Nedd on the mission, believing it would just be another opportunity for her to fail. After some encouraging words from Spensa, Kimmalyn went with Nedd and Arturo to steal the starfighters and help the overwhelmed DDF pilots.{{book ref|sky1|48}}

=== The Battle of Alta Second ===
Having successfully stolen the Mendez family starships, Kimmalyn, Nedd, and Arturo went to join Spensa in defending Alta Base. The group arrived shortly after Spensa was shot down, with Kimmalyn immediately wanting to go to her aid. Ironsides, however, ordered Kimmalyn and the others to attack and destroy the bomber as they were too far away to be of help to Spensa.{{book ref|sky1|51}}

{{sidequote
|A line of red light pierced the battlefield. It passed between Krell ships, went right over Jorgen’s wing as he overburned away from the bomber. And damn me if it didn’t spear the exact spot between the bomber and the bomb, severing the clamps.
|[[Spensa]] commenting on Kimmalyn detaching the [[lifebuster]] from it's carrier ship{{book ref|sky1|52}}
|side=left|size=200px
}}

After Spensa rejoined the fight in M-Bot, she ordered Kimmalyn to hang back and, once the ship's defenses had been deactivated, shoot the bomber so that the bomb would drop without detonating. Kimmalyn protested, not believing herself good enough to make such a shot, however Spensa disagreed, reminding the other woman of how they met and the encouragement she had given Spensa on that day. On Spensa's orders, Kimmalyn shot at the bomber, hitting the clamps that held the lifebuster to the ship and destroying them, cutting the bomb free.{{book ref|sky1|52}}

=== Return to the DDF ===
Following the battle, Kimmalyn rejoined the DDF as an active pilot taking up a specialized piloting role in the reformed Skyward Flight.{{book ref|sky2|2}} She accompanied Spensa, FM, and [[Sadie]] into battle against the Krell shortly before the arrival of the [[Superiority]] battleships.{{book ref|sky2|2}} After returning to base, Kimmalyn waited with Spensa who had stayed behind to speak to [[Jorgen]]. The pair chatted with Sadie as they waited, who looked up to both women. When Jorgen arrived, Kimmalyn abandoned Spensa to face Jorgen's wrath alone.{{book ref|sky1|3}}

After receiving a message from [[Rodge]] about a recording, recovered from the [[Platform Prime]] databases, Kimmalyn quickly returned to fetch Spensa and Jorgen and head to the [[Platform_Prime|Library]] to see what had been uncovered.{{book ref|sky1|3}}{{book ref|sky2|4}} When Spensa spooked at the recording, Kimmalyn tried to assist her.{{book ref|sky2|5}}

When [[Alanik]] appeared outside of [[Detritus]]' atmosphere, heading towards the ground and being badly damaged by the orbital platforms, Kimmalyn and Spensa took chase to rescue the unknown ship. After the damaged ship was successfully saved and grounded by Spensa, Kimmalyn and the other girl went to investigate, finding the alien woman inside.{{book ref|sky2|7}} Spensa tried to open Alanik's cockpit, despite Kimmalyn warnings about the unknown internal atmosphere, however, she was not quick enough, and soon the two friends were doing what they could to help the alien woman.{{book ref|sky2|8}} At some point following Spensa's sudden departure for [[Starsight]], Jorgen explained to Kimmalyn and the others about her mission.{{book ref|sky2|38}}

When Spensa returned from Starsight, Kimmalyn was the first to speak with her, radioing in shortly after she appeared near Detritus.{{book ref|sky2|37}} Kimmalyn met Spensa in the hangar dock, thrilled to see her friend again. Their reunion, however, was cut short when the [[Defiant League|Defiant]]s were called to arms, with Kimmalyn departing to face the Superiority forces and participate in the upcoming battle.{{book ref|sky2|38}}

=== After Spensa's Departure ===
{{quote
|I don't know, but I doubt it's a coincidence we're being called up now. I'm guessing she brought trouble with her. Like the Saint always says, 'Trouble follows its own'
|Kimmalyn to FM{{book ref|sf1|1}}
}}
After Spensa's departure, Kimmalyn and the rest of Skyward Flight continued to live on and operate out of Platform Prime. Kimmalyn fought with Skyward Flight when they were called up into combat outside the atmosphere of Detritus. Spensa had returned, but a large force of Krell had come as well. With Jorgen being back on Detritus, Kimmalyn flew with [[Sushi]] as her wingmate as she fought the Krell. They were suddenly ordered by Cobb to turn off all communications, and soon after, a [[delver]] appeared.{{book ref|sf1|1}} It was only there for a few moments, however, before disappearing again to attack [[Starsight (station)|Starsight]]. The enemy ships retreated, and Kimmalyn and the others in the flight returned to Platform Prime.{{book ref|sf1|2}}

After Jorgen found a multitude of different kinds of [[taynix]] in the caverns beneath Detritus and began experimenting with them with FM and Rig, Kimmalyn came to observe. After [[Boomslug|one of the taynix]] exploded outwards with mindblades, slicing Jorgen all over his skin, it was Kimmalyn who jokingly named the slug Boomslug.{{book ref|sf1|4}}

When FM and Jorgen used a fighter and a hyperslug taynix to experiment with hyperjumps, Kimmalyn and the rest of the flight accompanied them in case something went wrong. Kimmalyn and Sadie were in scout ships, and they checked the surrounding area for debris or transport ships before the experiment began.{{book ref|sf1|9}} The Superiority noticed Jorgen hyperjumping however, and decided to destroy Detritus once and for all. They sent a large battleship with a planetary cannon to begin firing on Detritus, and Skyward Flight immediately joined other flights heading up to try and stop it.{{book ref|sf1|10}} FM attempted to take out the battleship's cannon controls, and immediately began to be swarmed by Krell. Kimmalyn and Sadie stayed behind her, watching her back and fending off the Krell that came for her. Eventually the Krell became too much however, and them and the three of them had to retreat. The Engineering Corps managed to get Detritus' planetary shield up, protecting the planet from the Superiority's battleship, but out also trapped Kimmalyn and several other ships outside the shield.{{book ref|sf1|11}} The problem was eventually solved, however, when Jorgen used the taynix to hyperjump them. The members of Skyward Flight, along with a few other ships, touched wings together and were hyperjumped across to the other side of the shield.{{book ref|sf1|12}}

=== Mission to Sunreach ===
{{sidequote
|He got out, right? He had all those slugs. He must have gotten out.
|Kimmalyn after Jorgen's ship was destroyed{{book ref|sf1|16}}
|side=right|size=200px
}}
Not long after, Kimmalyn and Skyward Flight went to go rescue Minister [[Cuna]], who was stranded on the research outpost of [[Sunreach (station)|Sunreach]] and besieged by Superiority forces. Jorgen hyperjumped them to the correct location, and they began to engage the Krell. They discovered that Sunreach was built to study a dangerous [[mammoth starpod]], which Kimmalyn thought looked pretty.{{book ref|sf1|15}} When Jorgen was shot down during the fight and his fighter was destroyed, Kimmalyn correctly believed that Jorgen had gotten out using the taynix. Jorgen used [[Gill]] to hyperjump FM inside the station, and Cuna wanted to leave immediately, since the Superiority ships were targeting the station's life support functions. FM refused to abandon her friends, however, and had Jorgen use the taynix to retrieve Kimmalyn and the other members of the flight. Once inside, Jorgen hyperjumped Kimmalyn, the rest of the flight, Cuna, and their assistants back to Detritus.{{book ref|sf1|16}}

=== Helping Alanik on ReDawn ===
{{quote
|Are they feeding you algae strips? They could at least have brought you some dessert.
|Kimmalyn while visiting Alanik{{book ref|sf2|6}}
}}
When Alanik returned to Detritus to ask for help with a coup on [[ReDawn (planet)|ReDawn]], Kimmalyn and a few other members of Skyward Flight went to visit her in her temporary quarters. Kimmalyn was quite friendly, talking to Alanik about food and helping to put her at ease. Cobb arrived and informed them that Alanik's request for military aid had been denied by the National Assembly, who had been negotiating with the Superiority recently. Cobb, however, heavily hinted that while he couldn't officially order Skyward Flight to desert and go help Alanik on ReDawn, he wanted them to. The flight quickly agreed to join Alanik and aid her. While the other members of Skyward Flight went for their ships immediately, Kimmalyn ran and fetched Arturo, [[Catnip]], and [[T-Stall]] before getting in her ship. They connected their ships with light-lances, Kimmalyn attaching her ship to Alanik's, and Jorgen hyperjumped them to ReDawn.{{book ref|sf2|7}}
{{sidequote
|Saints and stars, does that thing eat people?
|Kimmalyn to Alanik upon seeing one of ReDawn's trees{{book ref|sf2|8}}
|side=left|size=200px
}}
Skyward Flight arrived outside the city of Hollow, and Kimmalyn found the view beautiful. They located the Superiority transport carrying members of the Independence faction, with whom Alanik was allied. They met resistance from numerous Unity fighter pilots, and worked to fight them off while chasing down the transport. Nedd knocked out the transport's shield, Arturo and Alanik grabbed hold of the ship with their light-lances, and Kimmalyn delivered the final shot, killing the transport's pilot.{{book ref|sf2|8}} The Independence pilots inside the transport got out of the ship, got to their planes in Hollow, and joined the fight. During the fighting, Kimmalyn was surprised by a Unity pilot's use of a light-net, but she evaded it nonetheless.{{book ref|sf2|9}} Because of the sheer number of enemy ships, Skyward Flight and the Independence pilots were forced to retreat using the taynix. They retreated to the automated, weaponized platform of [[Wandering Leaf]], Jorgen hyperjumping Kimmalyn underneath it's turrets to find a hangar for them to take shelter. She found one, and Jorgen used hyperslugs to hyperjump Skyward Flight and the Independence pilots to safety.{{book ref|sf2|10}} Once safely inside, the members of Skyward Flight met the various Independence pilots, and discussed amongst themselves if they'd all face court-martial when they returned home. Kimmalyn was a bit disbelieving that [[Jeshua Weight|Jeshua]] would imprison her own son, but Jorgen thought it was likely.{{book ref|sf2|12}} 

When FM and Jorgen got into a heated argument over the taynix that FM and Alanik brought back from Detritus while retrieving Rig, Kimmalyn and Sadie worked to help organize things and distribute food.{{book ref|sf2|16}}

When Skyward Flight decided to hyperjump Wandering Leaf to Tower to try and rescue Alanik's captured friend [[Rinakin]], Quilan and his other cytonics arrived with a force of Unity fighters to attack Wandering Leaf. To try to keep their attention, Kimmalyn and most of the other fighters went out to engage them.{{book ref|sf2|18}} The Unity cytonics got a cytonic inhibitor up, and a Superiority battleship appeared with weapons trained on the city of Tower. Kimmalyn and the others targeted the enemy cytonics, disrupting the cytonic inhibitor and allowing Rig to hyperjump Wandering Leaf close to the battleship and destroy the battleship. After that, the Unity forces retreated, and the Independence faction was able to take control.{{book ref|sf2|22}} Afterward, Kimmalyn accompanied the others on their return to Detritus, while Alanik and Jorgen went to rescue Gran-Gran, Cobb, Cuna, and Jorgen's parents from a Superiority ship. Kimmalyn waited behind on Wandering Leaf while the attempted rescue took place.{{book ref|sf2|23}}

After briefly returning to the surface of Detritus, Kimmalyn went back to ReDawn with Alanik, Nedd, and Arturo to complete the creation of an alliance between the UrDail and the humans of Detritus.{{book ref|sf3|2}}

=== Mission to Evershore ===
{{quote
|Gorgeous. And I'm reasonably certain at first glance that it isn't going to eat us.
|Kimmalyn's reaction to seeing the clouds above the surface of Evershore{{book ref|sf3|5}}
}}
When Jorgen received a [[kitsen]] communication via hypercomm, Kimmalyn and the rest of Skyward Flight went to the planet [[Evershore (planet)|Evershore]] to retrieve the unconscious Cobb and Gran-Gran.{{book ref|sf3|5}} Soon after arriving in the kitsen capital of [[Dreamspring]], Kimmalyn stopped on the street to help some kitsen load a large rock into a hovertruck. The rock was huge to the kitsen, though Kimmalyn could hold it easily in her hand.{{book ref|sf3|6}}

The members of Skyward Flight were invited to a welcome feast, and Kimmalyn and several others in the flight stayed behind to help with the meal preparation while the others went to see Cobb and Gran-Gran. Kimmalyn and Sadie worked on seasoning the fish using tiny shakers. After eating, the kitsen [[Kauri]] led the flight down to the beach, where Kimmalyn and Nedd took off their shoes and put their feet in the water.{{book ref|sf3|7}}

When a large force of Superiority ships suddenly attacked the planet, Kimmalyn and Sadie were unable to immediately get to their fighters safely. They hid in an oven together for cover, though they were pinned down. Jorgen directed [[Happy]] to retrieve Kimmalyn and hyperjump her to her ship, doing likewise with Sadie.{{book ref|sf3|12}}

{{sidequote
|I'm fine. I would feel much worse knowing you all were still up there without me.
|Kimmalyn to Jorgen after being shot down{{book ref|sf3|15}}
|side=left|size=200px
}}
During the battle, Kimmalyn was being pursued by a Superiority cytonic using mindblades, who sliced her ship into three pieces.{{book ref|sf3|14}}  Happy hyperjumped Kimmalyn to safety however, allowing her to escape without having to eject. She was teleported to the other side of the beach, and initially intended to fly in Jorgen's unoccupied fighter, but Jorgen arrived and ended up needing his ship. Kimmalyn was partially in shock from being shot down, and her hands were shaking. Jorgen told her she could sit out the rest of the battle, but Kimmalyn said it would be worse knowing her friends were fighting without her up there. At Jorgen's suggestion, Kimmalyn used Happy to return to Detritus, get a new ship, then had Happy hyperjump to Arturo to rejoin the battle.{{book ref|sf3|15}}

When the Superiority force sent a bomber with a lifebuster to try and destroy Dreamspring, Kimmalyn shot the bomber down, releasing the bomb, which Alanik hyperjumped a safe distance away by grabbing it with her light-lance.{{book ref|sf3|18}} The Superiority ships then spread out to the various islands to try and target the civilians and the various cities themselves, and Kimmalyn and the rest of the flight focused on evacuating civilians at Jorgen's order. When Jorgen and Rig managed to hyperjump the entire planet of Detritus to join the battle, however, the Superiority force was quickly defeated.{{book ref|sf3|20}}

== Relationships ==
=== Spensa ===
{{sidequote
|'Remember? The first day we met? ...You told me to take a deep breath, reach up…'<br>
'Pluck a star,' Kimmalyn whispered.</br>
|[[Spensa]] encouraging Kimmalyn during the [[Battle of Alta Second]]{{book ref|sky1|52}}
}}

{{image|BlessYourStars.PNG|width=350px|side=right|Kimmalyn and [[Spensa Nightshade]]}}

Kimmalyn and [[Spensa]] are close friends. Kimmalyn is not put out by the other women's strong personality,{{book ref|sky1|7}} or her temper.{{book ref|sky1|16}} She will follow Spensa's lead, including Spensa's bullying of Jorgen.{{book ref|sky1|10}} Kimmalyn sees no issue with Spensa's actions against Jorgen in the light-lance game, praising her for her conduct.{{book ref|sky1|15}} Spensa was not sold on the callsign, ''Quirk'', and considered talking to Kimmalyn about it, though it is unclear if she ever did.{{book ref|sky1|11}} Spensa finds the look of Kimmalyn in a space helmet strange, as it fully contains Kimmalyn's voluminous hair.{{book ref|sky2|2}} 

Kimmalyn is aware of who Spensa's [[Zeen_Nightshade|father]] and has heard the stories about him.{{book ref|sky1|15}} Although she is, at first, shocked to find out Spensa's parentage, she does not treat Spensa differently after the revelation, nor does she shy away from the topic or Spensa's anger.{{book ref|sky1|16}} She is impressed by Spensa's ability to stand up against the rumors and admires Spensa's courage.{{book ref|sky1|16}} She sees Spensa's fears of being weak as natural and encourages her to share her feelings with her teammates and rely on them.{{book ref|sky1|28}} Kimmalyn may be aware of some of Spensa's fears surrounding her cytonic abilities, however, Spensa is not always willing to share her feelings.{{book ref|sky2|2}} 

Spensa is protective of Kimmalyn, jumping to the women's aid when she is harshly criticized.{{book ref|sky1|8}} During flight school, Spensa is aware that Kimmalyn is nervous about her poor flying ability and uses silly jokes and humor to help lift Kimmalyn's spirits.{{book ref|sky1|23}} Spensa feels angry on her friends behalf, irritated that Kimmalyn so often is made to feel like a failure for her flying ability, when she is so naturally talented at shooting.{{book ref|sky1|23}}  She believes in Kimmalyn and her abilities, even when the other woman loses her confidence, and consistently provides support and encouragement to help Kimmalyn combat the lack of faith she has in herself.{{book ref|sky1|48}}{{book ref|sky1|52}}

Following the [[Battle of Alta Second]], the pair begin to live in the same barracks, where Spensa attempts to draw Kimmalyn into silly contests.{{book ref|sky2|14}} Kimmalyn and Spensa are often paired together when sent on missions,{{book ref|sky2|2}}{{book ref|sky2|7}}{{book ref|sky2|14}} and work in tandem, with Spensa chasing enemies back towards Kimmalyn so she can shoot them down.{{book ref|sky2|14}} While away in [[Starsight]], Spensa sorely missed Kimmalyn and wished for her company.{{book ref|sky2|14}}{{book ref|sky2|18}}

=== Hurl ===
{{quote
|I got her killed, Spin. You know that as well as I do... The one shot that mattered. That’s the one I missed.
|Kimmalyn explaining her departure from the [[DDF]] to [[Spensa]]{{book ref|sky1|33}}
}}

Kimmalyn and [[Hurl]] are friends and share a dorm room with [[FM]] during [[flight school]]. While rooming together, the three would come up with silly flight maneuvers they could name after each other. At some point, Hurl taught Kimmalyn wall-ball, though Kimmalyn seemed to prefer watching her friends play than participating.{{book ref|sky1|28}}

Kimmalyn believes she is at fault for Hurl's death as she was unable to shoot down Hurl's pursuers. She is strongly affected by Hurl's death and following the battle requests to be dismissed from the [[DDF]].{{book ref|sky1|33}} Kimmalyn's confidence in her abilities is shaken following the incident and she becomes anxious and unsure when faced with another situation where her shooting could change the tide of battle.{{book ref|sky1|52}}

=== Nedd ===
{{quote
|Nice explosion, Quirk. Seven out of ten. Try to spin your wreckage a little more next time you fall.
|[[Nedd]] teasing Kimmalyn during training{{book ref|sky1|23}}
}}
[[Nedd]] is aware of Kimmalyn's nervousness about her flying abilities during [[flight school]], and would deliberately tease her so she could channel her stress at someone to let off steam. Nedd believes Kimmalyn is uptight, particularly during times of stress.{{book ref|sky1|23}} 

=== Sadie ===
{{quote
|You did wonderfully, dear. But never try to be who you aren’t; you don’t have nearly enough practice to pull it off.
|Kimmalyn giving [[Sadie]] a backhanded compliment, disguised as a quote by the Saint{{book ref|sky2|3}}
}}

[[Sadie]] idolizes Kimmalyn and has a habit of recording her fake Saint quotes, not knowing that they aren't real. Kimmalyn enjoys the attention and likely is highly pleased by someone recording her sayings.{{book ref|sky2|3}}

== Trivia ==
* The phrase 'bless your stars', commonly used by Kimmalyn, is likely based on the southern US phrase, '[[Wikipedia:Bless_your_heart|bless your heart]]'. Both phrases are used in a variety of circumstances to convey expressions that range from sincerity to mockery.
* Kimmalyn is queer.{{wob ref|15166}}{{wob ref|15157}}

== Notes ==
<references />
{{partial}}
{{demoted|sf1|exemplary=yes}}
{{Skyward}}