Though young, the bronzerider proved to be a capable leader, and continued his tenure through several events worthy of note: his brush with amnesia after being lost for a month on an uncharted island, a Wing mission that involved going between times to procure enough healthy grubs to restock Valley Hold, his service as Weyrsecond under bronze Kedranth's rider D'vin, and his own term as Weyrleader when Tzornth caught Weyrwoman Krystlin's gold Tiamanth in a mating flight. This was the first time, of course, that Thunderbolt had been the Weyrleader's Wing--but it proved not to be the last.
Further complications arrived in the form of Malrek, a renegade leader with a particular grudge against F'hlan--for it was the bronzerider who had cast him out of Benden for thievery during his nearly four Turns of Weyrleadership. It was the injury dealt to Tzornth's rider during his encounter with the man that eventually led to his transfer to the South and subsequent retirement... leaving Thunderbolt in the hands of his young Wingsecond P'tran, bronze Laerth's rider.
P'tran's Wingleadership was even more fraught with turmoil than his predecessor's. Not long after he took control of the Wing, his Laerth caught Jehrina's gold Leilanth in a senior flight that made him Weyrleader as well--a position he served for many Turns, which added considerably to Thunderbolt's prestige. While Laerth and Leilanth's eggs lay hardening on the Sands, a great storm struck the Benden Weyr area that called for dragonrider volunteers to rescue those cast adrift at sea. The Sands themselves had to be barracaded by sandbags to keep Leilanth's clutch from being endangered. This trial by fire--or water, as it were--may have served to help temper P'tran into the efficient and respected leader he was to become.
Through the further tangles with renegades that ensnared the Weyr, the return of F'hlan from the South, and several changes of Wingseconds, Thunderbolt remained a steady and well-trained fighting force, serving Benden loyally... until the day that it was volunteered by its leader as one of the Wings sent to Telgar to bolster their flagging stock. Trouble arrived then in the form of the established Telgarians who were taken into the Wing; their resentment of Benden's techniques and formations caused a schism in the ranks that was healed somewhat by the expulsion of H'tor, bronze Candeth's rider. Things eventually found their even keel, and the Wing could concentrate once more on the business of fighting Thread.
The latest shift of leaders for the Wing has been P'tran's own retirement from his position as Wingleader. The rigors of his Turns of leading both Wing and Weyr seem to have taken their toll, and P'tran chose to resign in favor of his erstwhile Wingsecond Kassima, green Lysseth's rider. Her Wingleadership has so far been primarily stable, though she has been peculiar in rarely keeping the standard number of Wingseconds. Under her regime, Thunderbolt has developed a friendly rivalry with Skyfire and become somewhat known for being a Wing whose riders tend to have high numbers of children.
The Wing has also been involved in more dangerous activities than procreation during her term, if none quite as taxing as those seen by her predecessors: when Bitra Hold suffered a blizzard that left a number of its residents lost in the snow, Thunderbolt was at the forefront of the rescue effort; likewise, the Wing has participated in assisting minor northern holdings when they were buried by avalanches and in the dousing of the fire which occured when the Smithcraft's Chemistry Workshop exploded. If asked why she seems so keen on having her Wing be of aid to the sweep area, Kassima will probably shrug off the question with some facetious comment. Still, it's possible she has some interest in making such efforts a sideline Thunderbolt specialty, especially given that snow rescue techniques have become a part of basic Wing training.
| Wingleader | Tenure | Wingseconds | Tenure |
| F'hlan, bronze Tzornth's rider | July 26, 1992 -- November 16, 1994 | K'dahl, brown Cavenath's rider T'garrick, brown Chiloth's rider J'lor, brown Vnareth's rider Cl'rek, brown Orrith's rider T'dah, bronze Jariveth's rider P'tran, bronze Laerth's rider |
July 29, 1992 -- April 26, 1993 April 26, 1993 -- May 11, 1993
May 11, 1993 -- January 30, 1994 |
| P'tran, bronze Laerth's rider | November 16, 1994 -- March 28, 1998 | Cl'rek, brown Orrith's rider F'nar, blue Pavanth's rider N'fan, blue Reveth's rider F'hlan, bronze Tzornth's rider Kassima, green Lysseth's rider J'lyn, green Lorieth's rider |
November 16, 1994 -- ? ? -- November 6, 1997 ? -- January, 1996 January, 1996 -- November 6, 1997 May 16, 1997 -- March 28, 1998 November 6, 1997 -- March 28, 1998 |
| Kassima, green Lysseth's rider | March 28, 1998 -- Present | J'lyn, green Lorieth's rider Kena, green Cymrith's rider E'vrin, bronze Sharath's rider Leya, brown Tovith's rider T'kar, brown Fasolth's rider Yashira, brown Decarath's rider |
March 28, 1998 -- April 10, 1999 November 8, 1999 -- June 15, 2000 June 10, 2000 -- October 29, 2000 June 11, 2000 -- January 3, 2004 January 23, 2001 -- June 9, 2003 June 9, 2003 -- Present |
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Last updated February 2, 2004.