Beyond - Legends On the Run: The Journal of Mark Devlin, DDC 2014

Hey, I know the owners of the Manarai. Nice update.

 

I am enjoying this. A nice mixture of romance and action.

 

Jedi_Lover, windu4

February 5th, 21 ABY​

Coruscant, Level 1315​

​

I always hate going to the Coruscant Undercity, and any level below 1400 is asking for trouble. Director Drayson wants me to pick up an information drop so here I am, in the slums not far from the Crimson Corridor, armed with a heavy blaster prominently displayed on my hip.

A Rodian passed by me and I noticed the nasty scar down his cheek. I grimaced. I really don’t like this place. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself onward, gripping the butt of my blaster.

The information drop is in an alley across the street from a seedy pub called Tiggs Leo’s tavern–named after the owner, of course. Tiggs Leo was an elderly four-armed alien who had been in business during the Clone Wars; the guy was so old he would’ve made Yoda look spry.

I bit my lip as I caught sight of the tavern. I could hear the unpleasant smazzo music coming from inside, and I had no inclination to get closer. I walked over to the alley, looked around once to make sure I wasn’t being watched, and walked into the dark corridor.

I found the information behind a dumpster and quickly pulled it out. A small datadisc about the size of my palm, it looked unimportant and I hoped it was the right thing and not some guy’s hidden entertainment.

“Well, what do we got here,” an unpleasant voice growled. “Looks like an upper city scrag-face coming down to slum it.”

I winced as I exited the alley. It was surrounded by a bunch of upleasant-looking thugs with a variety of weapons. The leader and speaker was a big, ugly human with a glass eye and a square jaw. I also spotted a Duros, an Aqualish, a Devaronian, a Trandoshan, and two Rodians.

“No need for trouble, guys,” I said.

“You hear that, boys?” joked the speaker. “There’s no need for trouble.” He turned to me. “Give us all your money and maybe there won’t be.”

“Look, I don’t really have any money on me–”

“Oh, that’s a shame.” The speaker grinned darkly. “In that case, we’ll have to take it out of your hide. Get him, boys!”

I considered running, but I wasn’t in the mood to be made a fool of. No, these guys were in for it. The Aqualish charged me with a crowbar. I grabbed a lamp-post and quickly spun on it, slamming both my feet into his chest. He dropped his crowbar and went down.

The Duros charged next, swinging his bare fists. I blocked his left hook and gave him a quick blow to the jaw. He reeled, and I finished him off with a boot to the gut.

The Trandoshan growled and came at me with a wooden club. This could be a problem. I dodged his blows, barely, and quickly danced behind the lamppost. He swung at me, his club connecting with the post and actually bending it.

While he was distracted, I quickly spun around behind him, kicked him in the lower back, and sent him staggering face-first into the lamppost. He groaned as he connected, and slumped.

The Rodians charged me together, each wielding a small knife. I dodged their blows but received a shallow cut on my forearm–man, and this is my favorite jacket!–and one on my right thigh. Wincing, I snap-kicked the first Rodian and quickly spun, punching the other in the temple. They both dropped.

As soon as my blow landed I jerked at my blaster, because I knew the human and the Devaronian had blasters, not melee weapons. It got caught in my holster and I jerked it free, spinning around to face them…

To find their blasters already pointed squarely at my face. I winced.

“Good fight,” the human said. “Haven’t seen anyone who was able to take on my boys like that. Unfortunately you’ve embarrassed us in public, so now you die.”

The Devaronian raised his blaster to fire, and then there was a flash of blue light. The Devaronian groaned and fell back, and a moment later the human joined him. I looked down at them in confusion; the Devaronian had his gun arm and one of his horns sawed off, and the human was missing his right hand.

“What…?” I muttered in astonishment.

“Think you can get yourself into any more trouble by just breathing?” a voice asked. “Or are you good with barging into Black Heth territory?”

“Black Heth?” I asked. “I thought they’d disbanded around the time of the Battle of Naboo.”

“Taken some damage, maybe,” the voice replied. “Not disbanded, though. Congratulations, you stumbled right into the heart of their territory.”

“Well, thanks for the save.” I paused. “Who are you?”

The figure stepped out into the light of the bent lamp-post. Clad in a black jumpsuit with a matching cape, he had a silver cylinder tied to his belt…a silver cylinder that looked a lot like the one that had been on Skywalker’s belt.

“You’re a Jedi!” I exclaimed in surprise.

“And you’re correct,” he replied. “My name is Redian Galos.”

“Never heard of you before,” I said, but I felt stupid as soon as I did.

“Well, there are a lot of Jedi,” Redian said.

“Yeah, I guess so. Thanks for the save, anyways. I probably could’ve shot the Devaronian but I might not have gotten the human before he fried me.”

“Don’t mention it. That’s what Jedi do.”

I nodded to him and holstered my blaster. “Well, I’d better go. The Director will probably be upset if I don’t get this data back to him soon. May the Force be with you, or however that goes.”

“Thanks,” Redian said with a smile. “Good luck.”

 

Now that was just awesome. Yay for Galos showing up when he did.

 

Luckily all the bad guys didn't come after him all at once. Nice action! Is the Jedi an OC or somebody from the movies or novels?

 

OC. I just made him up when I was writing that chapter.

 

Jedi_Lover, windu4

February 10th, 21 ABY​

My apartment, Coruscant​

​

I was having a great day. My best buddy, a Mirialan with the name of Cris Griffin, came over and we got to have a guys’ day. Cris, like me, is in the service, only he’s not in NRI. He’s in the Republic Marines.

He’s a bit edgy but when he’s off-duty he’s one of the most down-to-earth people you’d ever meet. He’ll tell it to you the way it is. Maybe it’s because of his species; all Mirialans have a slight Force sensitivity in their blood, even if it’s negligible. In addition, they’re a very family- and spiritually-oriented species; they believe one’s experiences shape their lives, and their diamond-shaped tattoos are added to every time they have a major life experience.

Cris, because he’s fought in a war, has tattoos on his chin, cheeks, and the back of his neck. That may not seem like a lot, but for a Mirialan it’s extreme: they usually have maybe a small cluster of diamonds on each cheek, or one small grouping on the chin. For him to have them on both, and on his neck, is huge.

Because of this, Cris is a deep thinker. But from time to time, he can be just one of the guys: he can sit back and watch bolo-ball, he can eat shroom-chips like no one else, he can throw off his shoes and prop his feet up on the table with a glass of fizzade in his hands.

That’s what we’re doing today. Cris came over when I was just finishing lunch and told me he had some downtime. I replied that Ana had a show today and I was going to watch her, but that I’d gladly hang out with him here.

Ana’s shoot was at 5:00, so we had about three hours of hanging out to do. We watched some action vid, which I enjoyed but not as much as I did when I was a kid since I had actually been in shootouts as an agent, so I knew what the characters were going through.

I checked my chrono. Ana’s shoot was on in a few minutes. I switched the HoloNet to the channel her show was on, stood, and went to the kitchen to dispose of the cans of fizzade that Cris and I had already downed.

“So,” I said, “you getting redeployed soon?”

“Yeah,” Cris replied. “My unit’s being pulled to the Mid Rim to take out some pirates that are preying on the cruise ships in the area.”

“Despicable,” I said with a sigh. “Who preys on the rich, vacationing civvies on those things, anyways? They can’t defend themselves.”

“I hear you,” agreed Cris. “Hey, what’s Ana going to be modeling tonight? She looked great in that green number last month.”

I grinned as I returned to the living room. “She won’t ever tell me what she’s modeling; she always wants it to be a surprise. She wants to hear my opinions when we go out after the show.”

He shrugged. “Fair enough.”

The intro to the modeling show played. The reporter working the show, a pretty Pantoran woman, informed the public that since this was the week of Romance Day, the models would be wearing outfits themed for the day. I frowned. Great, I had forgotten that Romance Day was this week. Now I had to go out and buy Ana something, quick.

The footage slid away from the reporter to show the runway. The first model, a Chalactan, came out wearing a red dress with silver-rimmed sleeves and a low-plunging neckline. The model strutted down the runway, posed, and returned.

The next model came out wearing an unusual pink number. It had a high neckline, practically a turtleneck, and the entire chest region was covered. But the outfit had a pair of vertical slashes at her sides that bared the skin there. As she turned, I saw that the slashes wrapped around the dress, baring the entirety of her back.

The model after her, a Twi’lek, wore a jet-black pantsuit, elaborately adorned with red stripes on the shoulders, sleeves, and collar. The outfit was practical but pretty; I imagined a lot of businesswomen would be rushing out to buy one.

After five more outfits, all decorated in red, black, pink, or silver, Ana still hadn’t made an appearance. I frowned a little. She was (in my biased opinion) the most beautiful of the models. Why weren’t they using her? The Twi’lek had already gone twice.

I found out why a few minutes later. The announcer came back and told the audience that half of the models, who had not yet come out on stage, would now be doing a special show, also specifically themed for Romance Day.

It was a line of swimsuits.

I couldn’t help but grin. I’d never seen Ana in anything two-piece. I’d had to be with her when she’d bought underwear before, but I’d never seen her wearing them. Even when we had gone swimming, she always wore a one-piece swimsuit. She looked beautiful in them but I always wondered why she didn’t wear a bikini.

Ana came out soon, wearing the most beautiful bikini I’d ever seen. The bottoms were slanted to minimize tan lines, and the top was curved around her chest, pushing her breasts up to amplify her cleavage. Not only that, but each cup was shaped like a heart.

My eyebrows shot up. “Oh, she’ll definitely hear my opinions on this outfit.”

Cris chuckled. “You’ve got a beautiful fiancé, Mark.”

“You’re kriffing right, I do.”

 

Nice update. He's one lucky guy.

 

This is so true! Like Cris too. Nice they can be just dudes hanging out together.

 

nice updates. He is lucky and like Cris and the Jedi

 

Jedi_Lover, windu4

February 26th, 21 ABY​

Oa Park​

​

It was a beautiful day, and I was planning to take Ana to one of Coruscant’s nicest outdoor places, Oa Park. It was a beautiful place on a large, hovering platform that was somewhere above the lowest parts of the aboveground city. Which is to say, a very reputable neighborhood.

The sun gleamed down on the park, amplified by the orbital mirrors. Ana and I reclined under a large tree and watched as members of a plethora of alien species walked through the park.

“Ah, to be able to relax,” I said with a grin.

“I’m glad you weren’t offworld on such a beautiful day,” Ana responded with a grin of her own.

Today she was dressed in a beautiful outfit that was also practical and wouldn’t be ruined by grass stains–a dark, knee-length skirt with a green sash holding it in place, a shirt the color of the sash, and a black jacket over that. The dark colors contrasted nicely with her silver eyes.

“So am I,” I agreed.

We sat in silence, watching passersby and enjoying the weather. I let out a wistful sigh. One day, after I’d retired from NRI, we’d move to some world where the weather was like this every day, and we could go out in our front yard and do this, and there wouldn’t be thousand-foot skyscrapers all around us.

“You know,” I said, “I’m eager for the wedding to happen, even if just so the planning will be over.”

She chuckled. “It will be sooner than you think. A month or so, maybe a little more.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I know. I think I’ve narrowed down what I want to wear, and what I want my best man and the other guys to wear…just need to make sure it does not clash with any of their skin tones.” I chuckled. “Cris is a Mirialan so his skin’s green, and my ‘uncle’ Varos, my dad’s best friend, is a Pantoran, so blue skin.”

“At least we’ll have a colorful wedding,” Ana said with a laugh. “What about your brother and sisters?”

“Well, my brother and dad are fighting for the ‘best man’ position so I think I’ll let them be best men, which means they’ll be wearing outfits the same as mine. Which is fine because they basically look like me except older and, in my brother’s case, younger.”

“I can’t wait to meet them,” Ana said. My parents had only talked to Ana over the comlink a few times, and seen pictures of her and heard my stories about her. I’d met her parents, but it had never worked out for her to meet mine. “I’m sure I love them.”

“I’m sure you will too.” I kissed her on the cheek. “And I know they’ll love you…because I do.”

 

So she's going to meet her future in-laws at the wedding? Talk about stress! Nice update.

 

Hi! What a nice talk and a lovely setting to have it in. Mark is sweet, that last line -- awwww.

 

More like at the wedding rehearsal. Or a few days before, I haven't decided yet.

 

A nice update with a lovely setting

 

Jedi_Lover, windu4

March 6th, 21 ABY​

Coruscant​

​

Drayson summoned me to his office today. Usually that does not happen, even if we have a mission. He either briefs us in the briefing room proper, or someone else requests a private meeting in his office. No one ever gets called into his office.

Nervously, I fiddled with my collar and stood outside, waiting. I wondered if I’d done something wrong and he was going to chew me out for it. I hoped not, because so far I’d done my best to maintain a spotless record. I laced my fingers and sat down in one of the waiting chairs. I got nervous quickly, stood, and paced.

“Director Drayson will see you now,” said his aide.

I nodded and walked inside, turning my face into a mask of impassivity. It would do no good for Drayson to smell blood. Clenching my jaw, I stood in front of his desk and stood stock-still.

“Sir,” I said.

“Agent Devlin,” Drayson said. “Please, sit.”

Please sit? Oh, Force, this must be bad. I took a seat and leaned forward, my hands laced together. Drayson was never polite before, sure as kriff he wasn’t starting now, so I was either in huge trouble or…

Or what?

“Agent Devlin, first of all, I’d like to once again thank you for your previous mission to Ord Mantell, and the information drop in the Lower Levels. It helped us greatly and you have my gratitude. Unfortunately I will not be choosing to put you on the follow-up mission.”

I felt a little disappointment. “I understand, Director.” There had to be more; he wouldn’t have called me in here for that. “Anything else, sir?”

“As a matter of fact, Agent Devlin, yes.” He paused. “I am calling you off the Black Sun/Black Heth investigation because I have a far more important mission for you. It will not be immediate; in fact, you’ll need specialized training for the next month. Maybe more.”

My gut twisted between nervousness and excitement. “I understand, sir. May I ask, what is it about?”

“You may, but you won’t get an answer, yet.” He stood. “I will send an information packet to your home with the requirements for the mission. You will partake in the training and pass it to my satisfaction before you are fully informed of the nature of the mission. That’s how sensitive this is.”

I nodded. “Understood, sir I–” Oh, nuts, I just realized why he was buttering me up. “Sir, my family’s going to be here this month, and…”

“I understand, Agent.” He paused. “But this mission is absolutely essential. I’m not saying you’ll have no time with your family. Just…don’t count on a lot. Sorry.”

I sighed, lowered my head, and then nodded. “Under–understood, sir.”

“Dismissed, Agent.”

I stood, nodded again, and left Drayson’s office. I’d just been assigned an essential mission…but I still felt like I’d been punished. Kark it, maybe this job isn’t all that it’s cut out to be.

 

Well, that screws up his wedding plans.

 

The wedding should be okay...

...hopefully.

 

Mark is thinking: Yikes, if this is what I get for doing a great job, no time with my family, no wedding or a quick ceremony but no honeymoon Anna will start to know what it's like to be a SW version of a military wife

 

I'm hoping this mission is worth nearly missing his wedding. That being said I don't really mind because I'm always a sucker for action over romance.

 

Jedi_Lover, windu4

March 13th, 21 ABY​

NRI HQ​

​

It turns out there was a reason they needed me to be in training so much. I was going undercover in an extremist terrorist group called the Empire’s Fist (not related to the 501st, which was formerly called Vader’s Fist). Admiral Pellaeon had officially denounced the Empire’s Fist as radicals, and we now had authorization from Chief Ponc Gavrisom to take them out.

First I had to perfect my Imperial accent. I’d done one before but it had never been at the level it would need to be now. Second, I had to practice my back story until I had it memorized. I was an ex-stormtrooper disgruntled by the peace treaty between the New Republic and the Empire, and I wanted to get revenge.

Third, I had to learn how to use my new weapon, because the final part of the mission was to assassinate the leader of the Empire’s Fist.

My weapon was no blaster, not even a sniper. It was a truly old-fashioned weapon–a compound bow that didn’t shoot blaster bolts or energy lances, but actual metal arrows. Drayson’s reasoning was that a compound bow would be far more anonymous assassination tool than a blaster, because no current government used bows as official weapons.

On the first day of training I was truly pathetic; I missed more than I hit. I had used bowcasters and even crossbows before, but bows relied solely on the strength of the shooter’s arm, and that took some adjusting. After the first three days I was shooting at a better-than-average rate, and today I shot a bull’s eye with almost every shot.

Slinging my bow over my shoulder with my specialized sheath–along with a quiver of arrows that included tips that had explosive rounds, poison tips, grapnels, and other tools including even a computer spike–I headed out the door. My parents and siblings were arriving in-town tonight, so I needed to get home fast.

I turned my bow and arrows in to the weapons chief and took a taxi speeder to my apartment, where I took off my mission suit and put on a pair of black slacks, a maroon shirt, and black vest. I hopped in my speeder and headed to Ana’s apartment to pick her up. We had lunch together before going to the spaceport.

A few hours later, I stood nervously bouncing on the balls of my feet, eagerly awaiting my parents’ arrival. The transport had set down and I could see them through the transparisteel screen, unloading their luggage. They finally came to the checkpoint and I ran to hug them.

“Mom!” I exclaimed, “Dad! Laya, Rani, Fena, Kor!”

I embraced my family members, back-slapping and hugging and cheek-kissing ensuing. Ana stood back and smiled. Finally, one arm around my father’s neck and the other at Fena’s waist, I led my family over to my fiancé.

“Ana,” I said, “these are my parents, Ran and Veya Devlin. These are my sisters, Laya, Rani, and Fena, and this is my brother, Kor.”

Ana extended her hand and shook my father’s, and then my mother’s. Never one for formality, Rani just strode forward and hugged her. Once she released Ana from her death-grip, Laya, Fena, and Kor shook her hand.

“So you’re my brother’s fiancé,” said Rani. “Treat him good, yeah?”

Ana smiled. “Of course.”

“Well,” I said. “Would you like to take your luggage by my apartment first? Then you can get settled and we can go out to dinner.”

My dad nodded. “That would be great, Mark.”

“Great. My speeder’s out front. Let’s go.”

“Can you fit all of us in your speeder?” Kor asked.

“Uh…yeah,” I replied hesitantly. “No problem. I think.” I leaned over to Ana. “You called the taxi speeder, right?”
She grinned. “No problem, Mark, no problem.”

 

A bow and arrow...sort of like Hawkeye (from Avengers, not M.A.S.H.)? Hopefully this won't interfere with his Honeymoon.

 

I hope he will get his honeymoon and more free time with his family. Nice updates

 

Ah! Cool and interesting details on the mission .... It actually does look legit and important. Loved the reunion with the family.

 

Thanks, everyone! Jedi_Lover, I actually had Hawkeye in mind when I chose that weapon.