Ravneby (KTN) — Socialist leader Steve Bennett announced Monday that his daughter, Lucilla, was killed in battle during a firefight early Wednesday morning in the Hystaigan city of Dystalia, about 50 kilometres from the capital. His daughter's death makes Bennett the highest-ranking Valkyrian government official to have an immediate family member die in the Kalkara War and the first such case for a member of Parliament.

Lucilla Stefánsdóttir Bennett, born 9 July 2000, was a second lieutenant in the Ground Service, conscripted after spending two years at the University of Stockholm (now Ravneby) studying biochemistry. Before the war, Bennett was the vice president of the university's Young Socialists bureau and worked for Júlía Kjaransdóttir's successful parliamentary campaign in the 2019 election, eventually taking a part-time position in the politician's office.

Before she could complete university and follow her career pursuits, the Kalkara War interrupted Bennett's studies and saw her become a soldier, fighting like many Valkyrians her age, conscripted after the government declared war against Hystaiga. Despite her personal and familial opposition to the war, Bennett accepted her conscription and undertook training before her deployment to Hystaiga. She served in the 9th Infantry Regiment and was on deployment since February 2020.

Lucilla's service mirrored that of her father, Steve, who served in the Great War of 2014 as part of Qvait's naval special operations unit, Neptune Group. During his 2017 parliamentary campaign, Bennett expressed his opposition to the 2014 war, calling himself, his comrades, and those he fought "victims of ideological aggression". Despite his opposition, Bennett's peers and superiors said that the Socialist politician "fought with valour and honour", earning the nickname "Captain Valkyria".

Today, Bennett serves as the second-highest-ranking opposition leader in Parliament and the leading voice among those who oppose the Kalkara War. As a member of Parliament, Bennett opposed the war from the beginning, accusing the government of "rushing into a war without all of the facts". However, Bennett's opposition to the war did little favour for his approval ratings and made him the most unpopular member of Parliament, with 72 per cent of Valkyrians disapproving of him in March 2020.

Despite his unpopularity early in the war, Valkyria's continued presence in Hystaiga and the military's inability to pacify the Hystaigan resistance has resulted in more Valkyrians agreeing with Bennett and opposing the war. In March 2021, 34 per cent of Valkyrians approved of him, up from 12 per cent from the same time last year. Consequently, from March 2020 to the same month in 2021, support for the war reduced from 71 per cent to 58 per cent. As the war wages on, more Valkyrians have begun to agree with Bennett's views and opposition to the war.

In a message written on social media, Bennett wrote that his "daughter has moved on to Valhalla, taken by the valkyries so soon in her life after dying in a war that she never believed in". Bennett also wrote that he will remain vocal in his opposition to the Kalkara War, claiming that his daughter would still be alive had it not been for the war.