#kyrian nessar

[depizan]

I never did post this year's May calendar image. I guess today's the day.

I'm not as satisfied with it as some of my previous ones, but it'll do.

[depizan]

1 (What was the original thought that led to the creation of this character?), 11 (Is there any existing character from other media that your character resembles? Was the resemblance intentional or was it a coincidence?) for Kyrian!

"I'm going to make James Bond in Star Wars!" This, like many plans, did not survive contact with the enemy, or at least not contact with more than maybe the first NPC.

(Arguably, it didn't survive contact with the character creator, since his appearance also owes a bit to a City of Heroes character I had who was a MacGyver-y gadgeteer. Something of that character's personality and tactics might have come along, as well.)

11. That's a good question. Obviously, he ended up pretty far away from his initial inspiration. He's more the sort of guile hero who tries to talk their way out of everything, but I don't know that he's that much like any particular other example of that.

He's got a little MacGyver by way of my City of Heroes character. Not so much the solving everything with a paperclip and some duct tape, but the preferring to sneak in, avoid fights, and generally talk your way out thing. He's got Bond's willingness to use sex to solve things. He's got the general '80s TV hero thing of being genuinely good, but not The Best (tm)--skilled, but still has to work at it.

Could I list a whole lot of characters who likely had some influence on him? Yes. Is he very like any specific one of them. Not so much.

[depizan]

Well, I've made my calendar picture for next May. I really need to get back to drawing, because assembling these out of what I can edit just keeps getting harder.

(It doesn't help that movie posters are vertical and the space for art on the calendar template is horizontal. Ah well.)

I also need to have another fic written in the next couple of years or I won't have anything for my 2027 calendar pic. (2026 will, of course, be "Consequences.")

[depizan]

I forget where this template and idea came from (it has been four years)...maybe the NaNoWriMo forums? In any event, I do remember that I had a lot of fun making these, even if they might lean a little on the dramatic side of things. (And suffer a bit from my having to rely on game shots and royalty free images. If I had greater art skills, I'd probably have done homages to appropriate movies and TV shows.)

I know I posted these on here back then, but Tumblr's search feature sucks. (And I think I include the made up episodes pages as well, which I'd probably do with real "episodes" if I were doing it again.)

I'm trying to inspire myself with old ficverse stuff. Perhaps this time it will actually work.

[depizan]

I should've been in bed over an hour ago, but I am dumb. Please enjoy (or "enjoy") another installment of Kyrian's career somehow going even worse in ficverse than in game.

Watcher X Escapes

Kyrian slowed the speeder to a stop outside the row of docking bays and shut off its engine and repulsor field. Not that either could have been heard over the heavy equipment loading the large freighter in the first bay.

It was a cargo port. Not one of Nar Shaddaa’s finest and not one of its grimiest. Some of the cargo being loaded might even have been legal in the civilized parts of the galaxy. Regular passenger services ran from Mezenti and Ducalon Spaceports, as did more reputable charter services. There were no fellow passengers here to get lost among, no crowds for Watcher X to disappear into, just a scattering of droids and dockworkers and a few guards in mismatched body armor.

Yet Watcher Two had been certain this was the port her long disgraced former colleague had chosen. Docking bay Isk-7, a short-range cargo shuttle bound for Hutta. How he’d contacted the pilot was just as much a mystery as how he’d disabled the cranial bomb that should have prevented his escape. He’d had access to far more than a prisoner should have, even one in so loose a prison as Shadow Town.

Watcher X—just X now that he was only an escaped prisoner?—wouldn’t quietly return to his quarters, no matter what Kyrian promised. He’d only aided the mission under threat of punishment from his conditioning; what loyalty he’d had to the Empire had ended with his imprisonment. He’d all but said as much.

Kaliyo glared at the guards as they passed, daring them to raise a weapon or object. They ignored her, focused only on the docking bay they protected.

No one spared them more than a quick appraisal as they made their way to Isk-7. With Kaliyo’s well-used armor and his dark clothing, they looked like they belonged. Just another ship captain or businessman and his bodyguard. That he was only armed with a blaster pistol at present simply added to that impression.

Infiltrating VerveGen had necessitated leaving his rifle and armorweave coat behind. There’d been no time afterward to retrieve them from Shadow Town. Not if they wanted any chance of stopping X’s flight.

Watcher Two certainly wanted them to. And Kaliyo was angry he’d used them.

Kyrian could see a corner of the blocky shuttle through the docking bay’s open doorway. It was the second time that day he’d been faced with a mission that had no hope of a peaceful resolution. VerveGen had been a mission to stop terrorists, a situation in which there’d truly been no other option, involving people who thought nothing of dooming others to a hideous death. Watcher X…

Kaliyo nudged him, none too gently. “C’mon, Agent. He’s getting away.”

Kyrian drew the blaster pistol and cautiously stepped through the doorway. If X had already boarded the ship, there would be little they could do.

The former watcher stood by one of the shuttle’s landing struts. He’d taken the time to clean up and change into sturdy spacer’s clothes. He looked ordinary, relaxed; even the cybernetics at his left ear and eyebrow wouldn’t have kept him from blending into any crowd.

He looked up almost as if he’d been expecting them.

“Scan your target,” he said, as coolly as ever. “Check him for weapons—held, concealed, improvised.” There was a holdout blaster clipped to his belt and something small in his left hand. “Now scan the rest of the area. Does he have allies? Are they hiding?”

Kyrian resisted the urge to look away from the man, to follow his direction and scan the docking bay for hiding places, for the shuttle’s pilot, for hired mercenaries. The bay had been empty save for the ship and X when he’d entered it. It was still empty.

“Are you outmatched without realizing?”

“Shut up,” Kaliyo snapped. “You’re just fucking with us.”

“I’m disappointed, Cipher.” X continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “I offered you information that could have given you power over your masters.”

“Don’t even.”

“Your help was invaluable,” Kyrian said. “Perhaps something could be arranged.”

“Oh, Cipher, you know that isn’t possible.” He looked thoughtful. “I misjudged you. I offered you power, information most Ciphers would leap at. I should have offered you freedom.”

“Shut up!” Kaliyo repeated. “Drop your weapons, don’t try anything funny, and maybe we don’t shoot you.”

“Yes.” X nodded slightly. “You balked at our methods, shied away from the hard necessities of your work, offered soft, inefficient solutions. I should have realized you’re too young, too naïve to be an actual Cipher agent. You’re in over your head.”

“You’re stalling,” Kyrian said. “You know you can’t escape. Let me find another solution.”

X chuckled. “Even now, you hesitate. Would you like a way out? A traitor’s end is far less pleasant than my own was meant to be.”

“I’m loyal to the Empire.”

“Are you?”

“Just shoot him!” Kaliyo raised her blaster.

“You should have taken my offer.” His left hand moved.

White agony blazed up Kyrian’s spine. He didn’t hear his blaster clatter to the docking bay floor or feel the ground slam into him as he collapsed. There was nothing but all-consuming pain. Then cold darkness swallowed him.

.

Blurry shapes bent over him. Indistinct voices muttered. The world tilted, slipped sideways, and vanished.

.

When he finally came to, it was to the familiar antiseptic smell of an infirmary. He felt drained, his muscles rubbery, and there was a foul taste in his mouth. The pain had faded to a dull ache along his spine.

“I kinda thought you were dead,” Kaliyo said.

“You’re lucky you’re not.” The doctor was middle aged, her steely gray hair cropped short. She shook her head. “Those implants could just as easily have killed you.”

Kyrian sat up stiffly, the thin sheet pooling around his hips.

“Careful.” The doctor put a steadying hand on his shoulder. “You’d be in a kolto tank if I had any free.”

“Thank you.” He could think of nothing else to say.

The room was small, the walls Imperial gray, the overhead light just a little too bright. A monitor beside the bed helpfully displayed his vitals. Kaliyo slouched against the far wall, her arms folded.

“You look like shit, Agent.”

“I’ve had better days.”

“I know you Intelligence folks don’t listen to the rest of us, but don’t stick experimental tech in your spine in the future.” The doctor set a clear jar on the table next to the bed. The implants lay at the bottom, fine strands of wire curling out of them like the legs of dead insects.

Kyrian swallowed, suddenly queasy.

“Rest,” the doctor ordered. “Eat something when you’re able to. Keep kolto patches on those incisions until they’re healed and there shouldn’t be any scarring. You’ll be fully recovered in a day or two, if you manage not to do anything else foolish.”

Kaliyo snorted.

“I should have time to rest.”

“That wasn’t a suggestion,” the doctor said. “You’re not cleared for duty until you’ve fully healed. I’ll explain it to your superiors if I have to.”

He nodded. “I understand.”

“Good.” She tossed a comm to him. “You’re to check in now that you’re awake.” The door closed behind her.

Kaliyo pushed off from the wall. “Bastard got away. You probably figured that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You gotta get smarter, Agent. That freak was right about one thing: you’re too soft. It’s gonna get you killed.”

Kyrian turned the comm in his hands. “I don’t think that’s what Watcher X intended.”

“Naw, he thought it’d be more fun to leave you screaming on a docking bay floor. People aren’t like you think, Agent.”

“I know.” He switched on the comm.

[depizan]

anyone from imp int that appears semi regularly in the agent story (watcher two/shara jenn, keeper, etc?) mayhaps?

They're both characters I find really interesting. I'd say it's surprising they haven't put any fic appearances (other than Keeper informing Kyrian over holo that he's being arrested for treason), except that I haven't done that much with Kyrian's career when he's not out in the field actively coloring outside the lines.

Well, I do have a couple of Keeper mini-fics. LIke I said, interesting character. He's not a character type you often get on the "bad" side, being more of an "M" or...what's his name on Stargate SG1...Hammond than the sort of leader you normally see in the Empire. He clearly cares about the people who work under him, even if he's able to send them into deadly danger, exile them to Shadow Town, or worse...when necessary. He's a very effective combination of "good authority figure" and "did what I had to do/made the hard (but necessary) decisions."

If I do go back and fill in more of Kyrian's career, or write any Pheodra fics, he's likely to put in more appearances. Getting a little insight into why he ignored concerns about Kyrian for as long as he did (besides that Kyrian tended to succeed where it really mattered) could be fun. The game writing suggests that Keeper sees something of himself in a light side agent, and I've carried that over to ficverse. Of course, Keeper remained loyal to the Empire, despite its flaws, and gained the hardness and big picture thinking that Kyrian...did not.

Watcher Two is...hm, how to phrase it... She's more unquestioningly Imperial than Keeper, but that's unsurprising considering she was literally designed by the Empire. That she still came out a decent coworker/boss is more surprising. Her soft spots are different from Keeper's, and somewhat more personal, but she lacks his experience (I'm pretty sure he was Imperial military before his Imp Int career. Or is that just my headcanon?) and she rises in the ranks at nearly the worst possible time, given how quickly the Sith wreck everything.

Hm, actually I think the most interesting stuff with her, as far as the game story goes, comes later. Which means that if she were to appear in fic beyond giving mission info or taking a post-mission briefing, it'd probably be if I fic stuff with Pheodra. (Who, to her irritation, inherits Kyrian's designation and mission. She is cypher agent material; it was clear in training that he would never be.)

Then again, Watcher Two is so much more what a member of Imperial Intelligence should be than Kyrian, it could be interesting to give them a chance to interact around that. Especially as it's clear Kyrian did trust her (and Keeper) more than was wise. That means some discussion of methods is possible, or other concerns. Hell, she's observant enough--and close enough to being a coworker, rather than a superior--that she might pick up on his doubts about whether he is cypher agent material. (Okay, he knows he's not, he's just trying to do the job anyway. And dreading the eventual training he's certain he'll fail.)

Which raises the question of what Keeper (and Watcher Two, for that matter) thought of their skilled but squeamish field agent who'd been promoted way too soon. Did Keeper think that field experience would eventually file off his soft edges and make him cypher material? Are there aspects of cypher training that would make his flaws irrelevant? Was Keeper going to quietly demote him back to normal field agent once the crisis was over? Let him continue indefinitely as an untrained, field promoted cypher agent? (I mean, obviously, he had field agent training. But that's not the same thing.)

Was part of Watcher Two's job deciding what would be best to do with Kyrian once the crisis was over?

[depizan]

When I got a promotion to a position that has a cubical, it was in the middle of the year, so I just made calendar pages, rather than buying a calendar (if I could even have found one). And from that point on, I just kept making calendar pages. The ultimate in customization!

Here's the pic I stitched together for May 2023.

[depizan]

I tried, not terribly successfully, to Five Man Band the crew of the Luck. They just don't slot into the available roles all that well, which says something about either them or the available roles.

Jezari and Savler were a pretty typical odd couple adventuring team who could be each other's lancers and took turns being the sensible one and the idiot.

Savler and Mako are a pretty typical battle couple. (And Savler can still serve as a drive by extra lancer/planner/voice of good sense to Jezari.)

Even Kyrian and Kaliyo made a reasonable hero/lancer duo, at least if we allow for lancers you should nearly always say "no" to.

But Jezari and her crew, man. You start going down the list and it seems great: the leader, the lancer, the big guy... and then it all fizzles out in a bunch of question marks. (And that's not assuming that doesn't go: the leader, the smart guy, the big guy... ????)

So I improvised.

The crew of the Luck as something resembling the Five Man Band trope:

Jezari: the Leader (occasionally the Face)

Risha: the Lancer/the Smart Guy

Bowdaar: the Big Guy (also possibly a back up Smart Guy)

Corso: the Kid

Kyrian: the Face (possibly occasionally the Smart Guy and or the Lancer)

(with nearly everyone taking on the Heart duties as needed)

*consider this something between the Tagalong Kid and the Young Gun (or some more general newby trope for adventuring)