Lieutenant Jessica “Fishtail” Miller

As a 24 year old, married with children shuttle pilot serving a tour aboard the Constitution, Lieutenant Jessica “Fishtail” Miller is drafted to be a fighter pilot when the Swarm invades. Her husband dies aboard the Clyburne defending the Moon, and she’s left to learn how to be a fighter pilot in less than a few hours—at least well enough to stay alive for a few battles. Drawing upon her experience as a shuttle pilot and her desperate desire to save Earth for her 4-year-old son, she proves to be a remarkable fighter jock during her first battle. During the second, she sacrifices herself to save the Constitution by flying into a singularity, disabling it.

At the end of book 2, Ballsy brings her back through his own singularity, though she is near death. She dies, and Granger makes the pivotal decision to inject her with Swarm matter, knowing it will revive her and heal her, but putting her under Swarm control.

During book 3 Ballsy continually visits her in sickbay where she is kept under almost constant sedation, but in her awake moments she taunts him, as she is fully under Swarm control, though Ballsy swears he gets through to her on occasion, especially when he mentions her son.

Fishtail plays a pivotal role in the final scenes of books 3, as she secretly stays aboard the Victory as Granger pilots it towards the black hole the Swarm originates from, and tries, successfully, to disrupt his plan. With Granger’s plan thwarted, he tosses the minisingularity at her, she disappears into it, reappears over Earth, where Ballsy manages to pull her into his fighter before passing out from decompression.

The traversal through the singularity-pair disrupted the Swarm virus, freeing her from Swarm control, and she is reunited with her son in Sacramento.