"Don't Get Caught" - Mykael Shone Is Back! (Resurfaced 11-16!)

Well, I was thinking I'd get some more done over spring break, but the intro was just so good I had to put it up for laughs.

Mykael Shone was introduced in Snow Job, one year prior to "Don't Get Caught." It's not necessary to read it, just a suggestion if you find this and like it.

As usual, George Lucas controls all creative bits of the Star Wars saga, and I have no intention of poaching on Skywalker Ranch.

First post today, another post on 3-17-03!


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?Don?t Get Caught?

You know, I generally hate Coruscant, but sometimes the view makes up for it. When the sun begins to set on the planet that?s served as the seat of twenty-five millennia of galactic governance, you can see why it was named after the scintillant corusca jewel. From space, the rays of the sun reflect off ferrocrete and transparisteel spires to turn the planet into a vibrant gem amid the blackness of space, and from the rooftops one can feel a sense of awe looking at the manmade canyons and the floating traffic streams.

Speaking for the underestimatable Mykael Shone, I?d rather watch the sun go down over a vast blue sea of calm water any day. But the action?s not on Pantolomin or Chad III, although at the rate this crazy universe turns topsy-turvy one can never be sure. At this point in time ? four years after I?d started job training with a quiet little agency known as New Republic Intelligence ? Coruscant was the humming nerve center of my profession, only a year after the Empire had packed up and left. Once I?d been hauled back from a med leave on Pantolomin last year, Sunnar Jan-lo, my boss, had set aside a room for her pet agent in one of the old Senatorial apartment towers within spitting distance of the Imperial Palace. Since the New Republic government was still in a provisional state, consisting of the same small body that shepherded the fledgeling Rebel Alliance through the pre-Endor years, there wasn?t a lot of demand for the governmental residences vacated by the Imperials, so I somehow ended up in a high-level flat with a balcony view. I think Sunnar knew that cutting me off from the fresh air would likely turn me into a screaming homicidal maniac. The décor helped ease the pain of being trapped in the galaxy?s largest metropolis ? I remember Sunnar telling me the place had been owned by the Naboo delegation prior to the dismantling of the Senate, which gave it a very ritzy, old-fashioned sleekness. The fact that the amenities were fit for royalty didn?t hurt.

In any case, after returning from my seventeenth mission with NRI ? three more left until I could quit the field and get myself a cushy desk job, something I wasn?t sure I wanted ? I?d hopped off the shuttle at Imperial Palace, hopped on a vintage Bespin Motors JR-4 swoop bike that I had purchased at auction on Pantolomin a year ago, made my way to the apartment, and immediately proceeded to set up a sentry watch on the airspace from my balcony, armed with my trusty folding recliner, my music collection, and a bottle of Whyren?s Reserve Corellian whiskey. Of course, in the state I was in two hours later, it was questionable if I could have noticed the Imperial Scimitar Bomber Wing conducting strafing runs on the Palace, but between the sounds of Pekkie Blu and the Starboys ? okay, my musical tastes average about thirty years behind the curve and show no signs of modernization ? and the good buzz of the Corellian rocket fuel I was content to mellow out and contemplate my life through the clarity of being tanked.

My latest set of missions, following a short deployment to Thyferra during the Bacta War to keep track of Wedge Antilles and his merry crew of mutineers, had been close to home. With Imperial Intelligence Director and de facto empress Ysanne Isard reduced to atoms by Rogue Squadron torpedoes over Thyferra ? although that lunatic Face Loran had sent Intel into a tizzy a few months back with his theory on how she mi

 

Good one, Alion. 'Specially the parts on the reactions everyone had to Han and Leia's reaction. LOL. You're right - anyone who does what Han did and not suffer any repercussions is a piece of work.

Frankly, to call Han a Corellian is an understatement. The man's in a league of his own, and his kids obviously inherited some of that quality, much to Leia's dismay.

Nice to see Lynia. Mentioned her in my fanfic too. Why do I see Mykael is going to be as vexing to Lynia as Han is to Leia and Mon Mothma.

 

Well, part of Myk's cheekiness here is likely due to Corellian whiskey. Still, I did partially model him on Nelson DeMille's John Corey, so he's a smartmouth in most situations.

Lynia is a character who also appears in my planned Halberd Squadron series alongside Keyan and Sunnar. In both that series and this fic I intend to make full use of all the blank spaces left in her stated occupation.

 

Maybe my approach technique is too subtle. Either that or I just haven?t found a lady with the head, the grit, and the heart to go through the wringer with me and not want me dead.

Wouldn't they want him dead anyway?



Very nice. I have a sneaking suspicion that Myk won't fit in very well to the matriarchal Hapan society

 

Well, sounds like Myk hasn't changed any! "Since when have I been considered normal?" HAH!

General Han Solo, who?s given Corellians the galaxy over a bad reputation for being what one might politely term ?audacious,? although most of us call that particular stripe crazy. Loved that line!

I have to give the old scoundrel credit, few of us can kidnap a girl from a fairy-tale engagement to a handsome prince from a vast star kingdom, drag her through a blockade to crash-land on a primative planet, get involved in a clan war between tribes of amazonian Force-witches and an ex-Imperial renegade, and get a trip to the altar out of it without legal or personal repercussions. This isn't foreshadowing, is it? Nah ... not our Mykael.

I can't wait to see what does happen to him at the Hapan Court, though. A Hapan seductress? Male liberation movement? Even if those two things don't happen, sounds like we're in for another bumpy ride here, and I'm looking forward to every minute of it!

 

?Do I have permission to start a masculine liberation movement while I?m there?? I loved that line. It sounds like the sort of place for Robert Bly to set up camp. Late night poetry readings around the campfires - can't you just see the look on Ta'Chume's face!

Myk's a great character, and I can't wait to see what havoc he creates amongst the Hapans. Lynia is a character that I know little about, so this story will be especially interesting to me.

 

Okay, back from Spring Break. I did write one more post, I'll take another look at it before putting it up and making some edits to the first one.

As with "Snow Job," this is sort of a play-it-by-ear fic. I have some sketchy concept of the plot, but it's mostly a way to pass time while I work on my big "Halberd Squadron" trilogy and other projects. It's meant to be a fun little romp where Mykael has a few adventures on Hapes, tweaks a few noses, gets caught in some of the back-blading in the Royal Family, and makes a contact he'll get better acquainted with later on.

Next post withing 48 hours, hopefully!

 

This might need additional tweaking, but I trust you'll be patient

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The next morning, I awoke from my sleep bright and early, pleasantly noting that my head was clear and unhurt by my drinking the night before, although I?d had my usual assortment of weird dreams. I think it was just that apartment somehow, with that old-fashioned look and the knowledge that the Old Republic?s fate was once affected by whoever occupied those rooms. Some nights when I was alone ? which was every night - I got the feeling someone or something else was there with me, nonthreatening but spooky as hell. Sometimes I swear I could smell perfume wafting through the air, which was somewhat incongruous since despite its appeal, Sunnar was the only female who visited me on even a rare basis, and she sure as hell doesn?t wear that sort of knockout love-in-the-air stuff. I wonder if the Naboo senator was female and a looker. Despite that lovely idea, there was something extremely sad in the air, like a broken dream. Shaking any thoughts of paranormal activity off, I dressed myself in a respectable-looking set of clothes and made my way into the kitchen.

After whipping up my usual not-approved-by-physicians banquet breakfast and paging through the news stat in my habitual order - front page first, then local and editorial, sports if shockball season is on, and finally the comics ? I went into the bedroom, where I?d thrown my mission kit. I figured it was best to draw the blinds on the wraparound windows, as the neighbors might get perturbed if they saw a veritable sabotage kit laid out on the floor. As usual, I?d made sure to break down most of my weapons and gadgetry into assorted parts that your average bag-rifling snoops wouldn?t be able to recognize, let alone piece together. After six months of field training, I could put them together in a pitch-dark room. I wouldn?t be needing my trusty DL-44 for this job, so I left that out on the bed, and I figured that I could likely afford to go light on my other weapons, so I kept it down to my vibroblade, snap baton, PRP-502 dart pistol, and SH-9 silenced slugthrower. Of course, if I had to use any of them during this assignment, things had already gone horribly wrong, but it?s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. My specially rigged portable computer, which was a standard DataCompanion 2000 with a beefed-up processor, a ton of extra memory, and a few nice little extras, was much more useful and versatile than any weapon. It could even be used as a weapon, since the edge of the casing was weighted and reinforced. I packed that in my backpack along with my wristcomm, which is another nice little spy gadget. A pair of infrared/low-light snooper goggles went in to my suitcase. Holorecording electrobinoculars, check. Electronic lock breaker, check. Climbing boots and gloves, check. Ascension gun attachment, check. Shadowsuit, check. Of course, by this time I might as well have placed a label saying ?SPY? on my luggage, but this was all going in the diplomatic bag. So long as the Hapans didn?t decide to break the rules and take a look, I should be safe. There?s an old Huttese saying about assumptions leading to shallow graves, but to assume nothing leaves you stuck with what you have to start with, which in Intel can be zilch.

I left my battered old Horsemen swoop jacket behind, but I figured I could use my tattered black flight duster. I packed some spiffier clothes ? when prompted, I can be a really snappy dresser ? and trusted that upon arrival I could get a few examples of native fashions so I could blend in. More basic necessities and oddities ended up crammed in my shoulder bag, and I went into the bathroom with my shaver. I figured a clean-shaven look would better match me with the diplomatic go-fer I was expected to be, and it might help me look a little less suspicious. Besides, I?d wanted to get rid of the face fuzz for just a little bit, to see how I liked the look. I assumed t

 

Sky rage? That's a new one. Definitely doesn't fit in with Luke's personality. Chewie, on the other hand,...

Nice tie-in with the Farlander papers. I know about Lynia and Sunnar. Is Delline Lynia's maiden name? And is Kitha's really Keyan's sister, or is she an original character.

 

Lynia was originally Lynia Delline. Kitha is mentioned briefly in TFP, she was Keyan's younger sister who as of Yavin had still not recovered from the bombardment of Agamar. She was still unconscious and under the care of an aunt and uncle on Oorn Tchis.

My planned "Halberd Squadron" trilogy (or duology, depending on what I can come up with) is a continuation of the Farlander Papers that follows Keyan and his new squadron from Hoth to Endor. Sunnar and Lynia are both in it, and some things from it are foretold in "Snow Job" and this fic. Later in my Mykael Shone arc, Keyan plays a big role.

(waits for somebody to comment on the cheap usage of a prequel connection)

 

I always end up snorting with amusement at Mykael! Disappointed not to hear terrified screams, indeed. Loved the way he claimed he didn't worship celebrities, but did cool down the stunts after finding out it was Luke Skywalker whom he'd just buzzed.

I also really liked the way that Lynia told him that children and pets were good judges of character -- he must really be a softy inside there somewhere, despite all the weapons and attitudes. Kitha was sharp, too. I wonder if Lynia was thinking of her when she told Mykael that some women were good judges of character, too.

Loved the way that Lynia's ship was capable of mowing down anything in its parking spot! <g> And the cool way that Lynia reacted to all the aerial gymnastics, merely telling Mykael that she thought he'd do.

I don't know, though, if I were that Senator from Naboo with the broken dream, I think there'd be other places that I'd prefer to haunt.

 

Well, I just wanted to put Mykael in an apartment on Coruscant, and because I was lazy I thought I'd set him up at Padmé's old place, since I could describe the layout if necessary. Maybe she isn't haunting it, but I wouldn't be surprised if a non-Force sensitive dolt like Mykael could pick up some weird vibes. Plus, Naboo decor sounds like his style.

Still working on the next post! I'll mix in a little mystery and maybe a little breeze from the past to tickle Mykael's nose . . .

 

Nice post, even though naming twins something like "Katrina and Karinne" is a crime against their poor little souls.

Can't wait until Mykael starts running into feminists. Can't wait until the feminists run into Mykael

Breeze from the past, hmm? SOunds interesting...

 

Well, the Farlanders seem to have a bad habit of keeping with "K" names - Keyan, Kitha. Corny, but who am I to buck established tradition? I'm open to better suggestions along those lines, since if I ever get around to writing in the NJO era the twins are going to be very active Jedi Knights in the sibling-team mold of Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma. By then the Farlanders have at least two more kids, although neither of them has a "K" name.

I originally had them as Katrina and Kitha when I introduced them as online RP characters, but then I realized that Keyan's sister would still be in the picture and made a last-minute change. The Farlanders are sort of the central thread tying most of my fics together, as Keyan is the main character in the "Halberd Squadron" fics and gets involved with the Mykael Shone arc before the YJK/NJO era, where I segue into a lot of Jedi characters.

 

So are KK Force-sensitives? Cute.

How long until you start posting on Halberd Squadron?

 

That's up for grabs. Most of what I have was written about four years ago, and I want to keep going over it to bring it up to my current standard. Hopefully I can start posting it by May or so. I'm currently working with Coota to see if maybe we can post cooperatively on the rest of the first fic, "Unlikely to Survive."

 

I love the laconic narration in this story - it has me constantly smiling.
so I kept it down to my vibroblade, snap baton, 2VX dart pistol, and SH-9 silenced slugthrower. Yep - always travel light I say.
He does sound like he has a soft centre - and he also realises it himself. Plenty of scope for some development there.

I'm finding this is really filling in some of the copious gaps in my SW knowledge. Looking forward to more.

 

OK, shameless upping for some administrative details.

First, this fic will remain here until its conclusion. Once I finish "Snow Job"'s revision, I'll likely repost it in the new post-ROTJ forum. I'll do the same with this fic once it's completed and smoothed out.

Second, I was lucky enough to get some excellent background info on the Hapan Consortium from tmihah, which I'll be working into the two posts already up and a third which is just in search of a snappy closing. Suffice to say it's given me loads of possible plot angles.

Third, I hope to have a new post ready at the end of the week, although after all my labs are done on Wednesday I have to cram two dinner dates into the week. Gotta celebrate my 20th, even if it's delayed by 48 hours or so.

 

Well, happy birthday, whenever it is!

 

Well, I'm working on the next post, but it's a Basil Exposition bit with reams of background on the Hapes Cluster. I'm trying to bring it to a merciful conclusion and post it before the triple whammy of exams hits next week

 

Re-reading Talion: Revenant by Stackpole, it struck me that the main character Nolan is very similar to that of Mykael. Have you ever read that book, Al?

 

No, I haven't. Maybe I should expand my sci-fi repertoire ...

Fire three!



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Once we entered hyperspace for the two-day run to Hapes, I took the opportunity to check out the accomodations aboard the Rebellious. While much of the cavernous cargo bay remained ? we could still haul around twenty or so fully-equipped combat troops and a few speeder bikes, not counting the sensor-stealthed Mobquet Overracer stored next to the forward ramp ? four double cabins and a pair of fresher units had been installed behind the cockpit module. The cabins were actually pretty nice affairs, with a twin bunk, a work desk, and a storage locker. It wasn?t exactly the Star of Empire or the Kuari Princess, but it was better than a cot or an improvised hammock. Evidently, somebody had made quite an effort to convert the landing craft into an executive transport, probably Bolts, although the furnishings had a woman?s touch to them, functional yet elegant. The deorations were mostly Chandrilan, elegantly sculped seashell and watery frames enclosing holos of the planet?s beautiful oceans and green plains, although there were examples here and there of the more rustic Agamarian influence, undoubtedly Colonel Farlander?s stuff. While the planet?s been the butt of stupidity jokes throughout the galaxy ? one comedian had a great routine going on the subject before his monologue on the bodily odors of Rodians merited a disintigration from an irate bounty hunter of the species ? I figure that simple farmboys like Farlander, Skywalker, Biggs Darklighter, and Kyle Katarn seem to have a propensity for kicking the Empire where it hurts. Maybe the jokes started because farmfolk are stubborn people who tend to spit in tyrants? eyes, which the cowards define as stupidity.

After stowing my bags, I returned to the cockpit to find Lynia, now changed into an emerald green Starfighter Command-issue flightsuit that set off her eyes and hair in spectacular fashion. Some people have the gift of looking good in anything. I?m one of them, although that?s by my ambiguous definition of looking good. Bolts had disappeared, leaving Shocker manning the systems as I plopped into the left-side seat. I?d noted that Lynia had dropped her seat beck to recline lazily with her feet propped atop the instrument panel, and I copied her posture after I found the lever that released the seat.

?Find everything??

?Everything but the drinks.?

?Those are in my cabin, although I?d advise you not to get smashed like you did the night Sunnar brought me over.?

?I only get drunk when I?m resting. I?m never resting on a mission.?

?Good policy. There?s also an E-11 carbine under the lower bunk in your cabin, along with some other supplies. There?s heavier stuff in the cargo bay, although it?s in a hidden compartment.?

I felt a little miffed that I?d missed the blaster, although I hadn?t been expecting to find a concealed arms locker. ?Diplomatic balls get that rough??

?Sometimes,? she admitted with a chuckle. ?It?s all left over from when Keyan had this ship as a squadron support vessel. I prettied it up and kept all the guns. Nice to have some high cards in the sabacc deck when the local terrorist group decides a New Republic official would make a good hostage.?

?I?m sure the Hapans would soil themselves if they had any idea what you?re coming in with.?

?They can?t complain about what they don?t know.?

?Good point.? I was starting to regret not having brought my blaster and vac blades ? no point in traveling lightly armed if your ride?s already stocked with an arsenal. At least that?s how I figure it. I dropped my feet to the deck with a thud. ?Now, since the briefing I?ve gotten could be inscribed on my nail clippings with a Death Star, what exactly are we going to be up against??

An eyebrow went up. ?I figured you?d ask that. Hapes has been isolated for the past three millennia, due to both politics and the navigational difficulties caused by the Tra

 

Whew! Fascinating look at the Hapan Consortium there, sounds like the worst excesses of our own dear Roman Empire. Treachery, murder, and sex -- yes indeed. Now I see why Lynia has all the weapons hidden on her ship.

Loved this line: ?So she kills her family members. What do allies rate, a Sarlacc feeding??

Looking forward to more, as usual.

 

Nice opinion about the farmboys.


Some people have the gift of looking good in anything.

Definitely applies to Leia and Tionne.

I recall a line in Ambush at Corellia where Han was unwilling to strip the Millennium Falcon of all the modifications just so the ship meets the regs. His reason for doing so makes sense - it's his ship, and those modifications would become quite useful in a pinch. Apparently, Keyan, Lynia, and Mykael are of the same mentality.


Women. Take the dashing pirates out of the picture and they have nothing to do but gab and form useless social institutions.

That's a rather sexist view, isn't it. One that Mykael might consider revising before this fanfic is over. You might want to change it, or Tahi will be venting fumes.


We should appoint Borsk Fey?lya as ambassador to Hapes. He?ll be tied up out-backstabbing the Hapans, and the Provisional Council might actually make some decisions that don?t have some little angle for his own career.

Oh, yeah. Borsk would feel almost at home on Hapes. His only gripe would be the matriarchal dominance on the planet. And knowing him to be a racial agitator, he'd do the "humans are trying to oppress me again" routine.


Ask stupid questions like a dumb tourist.

Considering it's Hapes and Mykael is a male, the Hapans are expecting him to ask stupid questions.


Treachery, murder, and sex, that?s what royalty?s about.

He'd better watch it. One princess in particular would take great offense over that comment. Chances are her husband would send his best friend to personally teach Mykael how his species first defined the term "disarmed."

Nice reference to the fact that Lynia probably went through an entire year without a good night sleep.


Teneniel comes from a line of warrior women ? they prefer honesty and straight fights to gossip and plotting.?

?Nice. Why can?t the rest of them think like that??

I think many in the GFFA have begun to want their politicians to be like Teneniel. I know I do. Leia and her diplomatic methods have their place, but such methods are useless against Zsinj, Thrawn, and the Yuuzhan Vongs. Put away the scalpel, take out the sledge hammer in their cases.

Why do I get the feeling Mykael's going to be having a reunion on Hapes?

 

I love where you're going with this so far. All the posts have been really intriguing, because not only do I get to hear Myk's totally sarcastic quips about everything, but it's also sorta a brush-up course on GFFA history for me.

Treachery, murder, and sex, that?s what royalty?s about.

That is so true. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next bit.