Part 11: Nar Shaddaa: Everyone and Their Grandmothers are Bounty Hunters

Last update we met Atris, former member of the high council, and the self-proclaimed last of the Jedi.

We had a friendly chat, then we promptly beat up her students and jacked all her computer files.



"I knew all those Jedi Masters."



"It is no coincidence. There is some larger plan at work here."
"And we are walking into it. This is too convenient to be anything but a trap."







Way to let the inconspicuous albino sneak aboard.



"It is just me. And I am doing this because Atris believes you will need help."

Remember the cut scene where Atris specifically sends her to follow the Exile? But this line remained, so there's some ambiguity as to whether Atris really did send her.



"Indeed? But of course - what does one more matter to our journey?"
"I have had enough of this - I will be in my chambers."



Have fun alone in your... cockpit.







Or take our room. Wait, do we even have a room?

"It is no matter. I am used to worse conditions."
"But... thank you for your kindness."

So the Handmaiden's joined our little happy fun crew. I think this is the train of thought that went into her design at Obsidian:

"Hey guys, we made this kick ass animation system for hand-to-hand combat. And we added all these new unarmed feats too."
"What, you mean it's actually viable now?"
"Yeah."
"But you realize no one will ever SEE any of it. Everybody will be using lightsabers."
"Yeah, but-"
"Lightsabers, man. Lightsabers."
"Sigh."

So that's how you end up with a party member who specializes in unarmed combat.



Let's see what she has to say for herself.



Some random trivia: Handmaiden is voiced by a VA named Grey DeLisle. You might know her as Nalia and Viconia from Baldur's Gate 2, and Jeanette & Therese sisters in Vampire Bloodlines. She's quite a bit more nasally in this game.

"I am training. So that if danger should strike, my body and my reflexes will be prepared."
"That, and I had forgotten how long hyperspace travel can be. If I do not have something to focus my attention on, I fear my sanity will erode as well."







"No, I do not trust him."
"At cards?"
"That, too."



"That is untrue. You and the Iridonian trust each other... or at least, the Iridonian trusts you. We heard much of the Iridonian when we served Atris. Atris believed that the Iridonian held the knowledge to restoring Telos."
"Who? Bao-Dur?"
"Yes. His skill with machines is something beyond which most can aspire to. His shield technology surpasses the designs of even the most skilled of Echani power architects."
"I do not realize if you know what it means to have such a one respect and follow you. The Iridonian allied himself with no one on the entire world of Telos, yet he will follow you at the risk of his life. His stance, in many ways, mirrors yours. Where he walks, he carries a world upon his shoulders. And like you, I do not know if he has ever faced it."
"You'd never understand, hidden away in your academy, listening to some schutta who never fought in the wars."
"I see. Forgive my words. They were poorly chosen."

That'll put her in her place. No influence lost either.

Let's see what Kreia thinks of all this.



Oi, she really doesn't like the idea of Handmaiden coming along.

"As many as want to come with us and help us."
"Then prepare for an army, I think, for it seems many more will come in time."







"Why are you angry?"



I think she might be wrong there.

"They obey you because you are a leader, and perhaps something more."
"I've noticed their behavior is changing - Atton, especially."
"The fool dances in your shadow for your favor. The woman... she worships you. The alien obeys you. Even within the machines, there are echoes."





To get on her good side, like always, we acknowledge her advice.



[Influence: Success] "Have you never asked yourself how Revan took the Republic and Jedi beneath him, how he made them his? To make officers turn on their own people, to bomb innocent worlds to make pacts... strong influence, indeed."
"And where did these Sith teachings come from? And why did Revan embrace them so strongly? So many questions... yet the answers are few."
"They came from the Sith empire."
"Oh, did they? No, Revan met no Sith empire, yet he learned their teachings. Many have mistaken the soldiers beneath Revan, the machines that were constructed, to be the "Sith.""
"They are wrong - the Sith is a belief. And what Revan formed was not an empire, but something else - yet how he did it is curious. And I suspect the answer to that question is tied to another - how was Revan able to corrupt so many, so quickly?"
"Do you have any ideas?"
"Not a one. But we shall see where our journey takes us, I think. And see how many answers we come across, yes?"

You think she just lied to us again?

Also, more curiously, she seems to know a lot about Revan. And also the Sith. Hmm.



Bao-Dur is the next to bug us.

"Atris and the Jedi Council took it from me."
"That's not your lightsaber anymore. That belonged to someone who served Revan in the wars, not the person you are now."
"You could build another one - if you wanted to. But you know that."



"The lightsaber isn't always a weapon of the Jedi, General. You don't need me to tell you that."
"I know this - a lightsaber is part of who you are. Without it, you're not complete."
"With the Jedi enclaves all destroyed, I don't know where to get the parts."
"I think I can help you out there. I happen to know the parts you need."







"Just bring the parts to me before you get started building it, I'll make sure they're usable."

It'll be a while before we see our first lightsaber, but we've already found our first piece (the Ithorians gave it to us way back). Jesus won't use it, but maybe Kreia or the others want to try it out. I guess my reasoning is that despite what Bao-Dur says, lightsabers are a symbol of the Jedi, and the Exile was suppose to have left all that behind.

Anyway, can we go to Nar Shaddaa yet?



Erk, guess not. What's this?



Another patented Star Wars slow pan shot of a ship moving past the camera. They really like these, don't they?



Ah. Say hello to the Ravager. A former Republic ship, now home to a Sith Lord.









This is Darth Nihilus. He's got a peculiar speech impediment which renders anything he says indecipherable. I think it has something to do with the fact his ship has a giant hole in it and he's trying to talk in hard vacuum.

In space, no one can hear you mumble.

*um nash dai no kari to. un na tari to.*

This is the best I can approximate.



"But now I wonder if it has always been there, I merely could not hear it before."
"The sound built so slowly, yet when you listen for it, you can make out the strains, even over the background life of the universe."



*day no kash day nam temnay tari.*













...



That was the scene that introduces Darth Nihilus and his apprentice, Visas Marr. They're yet another party that's decided to come gunning for us, so we'll be seeing them soon enough.

For now, we can finally go to Nar Shaddaa.









At last, Atton's sleaziness will come in handy.



Ah, this is famous Nar Shaddaa.



The concept behind this planet is interesting. At first there were cities. Then the cities got larger and wider. Eventually the cities sprawled so much, they fused into one another, and the surface of the planet became covered by this mega-city. But that still wasn't enough room, so the city grew vertically. As the city grew higher and higher, the lower levels fell into disarray. Eventually, this is what you end up with.



The idea is called an Ecumenopolis.

(I had to look that up.)



Hey look everybody, Atton managed to land a ship without crashing or having it blown to kingdom come! That's 2 for 4.





Another cut scene. This is the finest collection of bounty hunters this city has to offer.



I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.



Yes, I will be making HAL comments for the duration of Nar Shaddaa, get use to it.





We'll eventually have to fight everyone present here, so we should get familiar with them.





So that was the infamous Goto, the Exchange boss who put a price on Jesus's head.















Oh HK, always the badass.







Unless otherwise pissed off.





Er wait, what?

I got distracted.







Okay, let's go and... where are we going exactly?



What does that even mean?

Damn you, old woman.





Okay Atton, we'll trust your word on these matters. You're the expert and all.



Atton!



This is a Toydarian. If Jesus had seen a certain 1999 movie with a certain annoying kid in it, he would know a few things about Toydarians.



But since he hasn't, let's just do what we normally do: try to Force Persuade him out of the way.



It worked!



Or not.



We'll try another tact.





He also tells us another ship is suppose to arrive here soon on this landing pad, but who cares. What's the worse they can do?



This is a cut scene that comes in at about this point. It relates to the Genoharadran subplot, so when that got cut, this went as well.

It's a scene showing Darth Sion meditating on a hologram of the player. A Sith Assassin approaches him from behind.



"I did not summon you."
*mumble*
"Does he live?"
*mumble*
"Prepare my ship. I will travel to the Smuggler's Moon myself."



Awww, leave that poor guy alone.

"Nnh? Another human - what you look at?"







Bad idea, fellas.





"I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
- Matthew 19:24















"If you don't give me the money, I'll shove my arm right through your chest!"



"I warned you!"



"But... your arm- how did you- ungff..."











It's not a bad point, to be honest. It's one of the things about Kreia; what she says usually makes sense. It's neither Dark Side or Light Side, just sort of morally relativist.



We'll stop here for now because the screenshots are getting a little out of hand.

One last thought for today:

ATRIS...
TARIS...
TRAIS...
TRIAS.