Blake Aviation Security suffered two crippling blows this month at the hands of pirate ace Nathan Zachary. Zachary, and his Fortune Hunters gang, staged a pair of daring daylight raids on Boeing Field. In the first raid, Zachary and fliers kidnapped Dr. Ilse Fassenbiender of the Boeing Special Projects Group—and simultaneously stole the experimental airplane that she was developing with her father, noted scientist Dr. Wilhelm Fassenbiender.
Zachary's raiders also inflicted extensive damage to the Boeing fuel depot, train station, and even destroyed a supply train. Several Blake aces were shot down—fortunately with no fatalities. The raid is estimated to have cost Boeing several hundred thousand dollars in damages, damages covered by Blake's insurance policy. However, Blake's policy does not cover the wages of the hundreds of Boeing workers now idled by the destruction or the loss of sales from the subsequent production shutdown.
In the second raid, Zachary destroyed the Blake Aviation zeppelin, Promised Land, the noted aviation security specialist's personal zeppelin and command airship. Blake had come to Pacifica to personally hunt down and apprehend the air pirate, but was instead surprised by a dawn attack by the Fortune Hunters. The Promised Land was completely destroyed in the air raid and several Blake pilots downed, including Blake himself, reportedly scratched by Zachary.
Blake declined to comment from his hospital bed, though sources within BAS insist that Zachary and the Fortune Hunters were "tipped off" to Blake's presence in Pacifica. "A thorough investigation will be conducted once Mr. Blake is back on his feet," said BAS spokesman A. Tennyson. "If such a leak occurred—and I find the notion highly suspect—we'll get to the bottom of it."
Zachary's recent exploits in Hawaii have prompted some to cast the air pirate in a heroic light, but since his arrival in Pacifica, the Fortune Hunters have robbed a Soviet passenger zeppelin, performed two raids on Boeing, and attacked a Soviet tanker for its oil (and in the process created a navigation hazard for naval traffic by destroying a lighthouse). Unconfirmed reports at press time place Zachary at the sight of a hospital ship robbery conducted a few miles off the mouth of the Columbia River. AAW will report the details on this new pirate action when the reports are final.
