Part 21: Dantooine: A Snooty British Exposition Machine

We have a new, non-South Park Jesus emoticon today!



Before we go into the Jedi Enclave ruins, we'll stop at the salvager camp. Yeah, a whole 3 people here.





This salvager hag sells stuff she pilfered from the Academy. It's like a whole local economy based on grave robbing.



Ah, the Jedi Enclave. In KOTOR 1, Bastila says Malak wouldn't attack this place because 'there is great power here' or some such. At yet he does it anyway. I don't know what 'power' exactly would have prevented a bunch of space lasers from firing at it, but it certainly wasn't enough.



We could try to get into the upper levels from the same door as in KOTOR 1, but unfortunately the place is totaled.





More graverobbers.





Jorran was the guy who stole the moisture vaporator from earlier.



Smells like a rescue sidequest.



There's a missing scene here if you have Kreia in your party.

"Do you feel it? The wound on this world... it is centered here."
"If we succeed in gathering the Jedi, they will come to this place - and if those Jedi are slain, then all that remains of the Order shall be drawn here as well."
"Is it long off?"
"We will know when the times comes. And I hope our enemies do not."

Why was it cut? Well, the sequence is not expository; it's to remind the player that you're suppose to return here when you've finished all the planets. But you get told that several other times as well, so it becomes a little redundant.



The main foyer of the sublevel.

I accidently took the screenshot from the exact same angle as this concept art below, so now you can compare the difference.



The main difference is really the enclosed roof. But they managed to spend a lot of time on getting the dripping water right, which looks quite nice.



Anyway this is the sublevel, basically a giant circle. We start in the west, and the Jedi library is in the very back, which is where Master Vrook is most likely to be.



The place is filled is laigreks, which are these black bug things that hit really hard. Want to get up close and say hi to one?



Cute little buggers aren't they.



Thankfully we don't have to fight them all. There's opportunities for a sneaky character to do a lot of damage here. We can stealth to a control room back here...



Jackpot.



The real problem is that the Sith-cursed power cell of the new model runs too hot. And worse, the output modulator was installed right next to the cell, and is the first thing to get melted into slag when the cell overheats. Needless to say, without a functioning output modulator, you could jostle the droid and it would pop like fireworks on Republic Day. So I'm working with the Czerka rep to get these defective droids replaced. In the mean time, I've powered down the new protocol droids so that they don't cause any more accidents.

Czerka Corporation is the General Motors of the KotOR universe.



I had a friend who got a new Pontiac, like, 6 or 7 years back.



And she was generally happy with it. The plastic trim above the doors and around the windshields kept falling off, and the gas mileage was fucking horrendous, but other than that it was ok.



Unfortunately this was during the era when GM was building supercharged engines without knowing how to build superchargers.



So one day she's idling at a red light in the middle of rush hour and the engine suddenly bursts into flames.



Not a small fire either. Like, a great big hood-on-fire type of deal, with the fire department coming and everything. Apparently some gas or something leaked onto the supercharger and then everything when kablooey.



So she takes what's left of it back to the dealership and sees what they can do about it. I don't know what she was expecting, because the engine was total melted slag. The smell was terrible.

I'm told their exact words were, "Oh, this happens all the time."



So in conclusion, don't buy GM cars.



Or Czerka droids.



This looks like a typical Jedi classroom. Or it was until School District B387 negotiated the class sizes down from 50 students or however many this room fits.





Poor baby.







This guy looks... kinda like God. A hobo God.



Hello God. It's me, your son Jesus.





"Didn't you find anything here?"
"Listen, I didn't ask for your help. I appreciate it, but I don't owe you anything."
"Do you mean to imply that your life is worth zero credits? Even the clothes on your back would be worth something to a merchant."
"There's no way I'm going to give those to you. I risked my life for those. I've given you all the credits I got. But I earned what I found."
"Could I buy them off of you?"
"Now... I hadn't thought of that. We could arrange something like that. That would work. I-I managed to grab three things. One's some sort of crystal and the other looks like parts. For a lightsaber maybe, I don't know. If you give me 1300 credits, you can have it all. That'll be enough for me to get off this rock. No returns on this, you're stuck with what you buy."



People don't like Goto because they never take him with their party, so they never see him pull stunts like this. And thus they don't like Goto that much. It's a paradox.



"Paragraph twelve: "salvageable items include organic matter incapable of leaving the boundaries of the salvage area..."
"You wouldn't!"



Oh, Goto.



"Hey, yeah. So, 800 credits for this valuable salvage?"
"Here's 800 credits."

What we got for our money was a double-ended lightsaber and some crystals to put in it. We'll give that one to Visas later.



There's another giant mob of laigreks here. It's hard to tell from this distance but there's around 10 of them in the hallway.



Fortunately, with a bit of stealth we don't have to fight them all. There's a power control station to the side here.



Which is just totally filled with power conduits.



30 seconds should be enough time to get the hell out of here.

I'm fairly okay with putting points into Stealth in this game. It's no Deus Ex, but it's not as useless as it was in the first game. At first glance it doesn't seem like there are a lot of stealth-oriented puzzles, but you just have a look a little harder sometimes.



Mmm, the smell of fried laigreks in the morning.



There's suppose to be an NPC here called Kaevee. She was one of the Jedi padawans still training down here when the place got bombed; she's actually the one controlling the laigreks to attack the salvagers, in an attempt to keep them out. Unfortunately, I cannot for the life of me find her dialog file in the game at this moment, so you'll just have to make due with a link.



This is the lost Jedi library of Dantooine. Unfortunately, that's not Master Vrook.



To clarify here, he's bowing, not puking.



In my head, this line delivered sarcastically.



This is the Disciple, a prissy little git that you can add to your party if you've picked female for your Exile. Jesus is male, so we got Handmaiden instead. A better pickup, in my opinion.

"What are you doing here?"



[Awareness] "That's not the only reason."
"Much had been taken from the Enclave, both by raiders... and others. I wished to preserve what I could. Many artifacts were taken from the Enclave, but these thefts... they had to have been done by someone who knew the Enclave well."





Speaking of Handmaiden...



Getting a bit defensive isn't she? She seems like she might know more than she's letting on.

"It was my mistake to use the term "thefts". I apologize. In any case, if Jedi did take things, for the sake of preservation, of course, then they left no clue as to where they may have taken them."





"The situation on Dantooine is echoed in other places in the galaxy. Raiders, smugglers, all seek to plunder what remains of the Jedi... and even the Sith. More so than the Jedi themselves, I fear the loss of their history."
"Why is that?"
"Much has been forgotten in recent wars, and I fear that greater troubles shall stem from that loss of knowledge in the future. The destruction of the Academy on Ossus near the Cron Drift in the Sith War."



The Adventures of Jolee Bindo: The Rimward Missions. Sounds like a new series of KotOR comic books to me.





Disciple is a Jedi historian, seeking out Jedi knowledge, a little like Atris and Kreia. Unlike them, Disciple is not even a Jedi himself. That basically makes him a Jedi fanboy.

"It is not the way of the Jedi to vanish in such a way... especially when the Republic is in need of them. I fear that there is something else at work, something that we cannot see."
"Then again, perhaps the Jedi are hiding simply because so many people hate them these days."
"Why do you think people hate the Jedi?"



"But the reason the Jedi Civil War was named such was because few in the galaxy can recognize the difference between the Sith and the Jedi. To them, they are both Jedi - with different philosophies."
"But Jedi have protected the galaxy for centuries, they seek peace, often through sacrifice."
"Not always. Jedi often fall. They caused much harm on Onderon, for example, in the name of peace and protection. Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun, the two dark lords during the Sith War many decades ago, were once Jedi Knights, as were Revan and Malak."
"It is perhaps more amazing that some still trust Jedi after many have fallen and endangered the galaxy. It is also proof that a single Force wielder can change the face of the galaxy, and that is a frightening thing indeed."
"Do you hate the Jedi?"
"Hate? No, I do not hate them. They only raise questions without answers."
"Jedi are not supposed to be like the rest of us. They are supposed to see a higher purpose in all things. And they are supposed to train students responsibly and well, so mistakes of the past are not repeated."
"Yet all I saw was ignorance and arrogance, and what those seeds created in the Republic. It is difficult to follow the Jedi Code, when so few others have. But you know this."



There's some heavy, heavy exposition going on here, but underlying it is the one of basic threads of the Revan/Jedi subplot: who exactly was to blame for Revan turning to the Dark Side? Academies like this one trained some very powerful individuals; if they go on to blow up half the galaxy, shouldn't the teachers share some of the blame? Or is it the teachings themselves that were flawed?









"Revan and Malak would have received the same training as I did."
"I am not certain you understand what happened with Revan. Do you wish me to explain?"
"Go on."

Here comes the KOTOR 1 plot in 30 seconds, right?



Correct so far.



That's... sort of right.



Okay, that's wrong. I don't think mindwiping counts as 'convincing'.



Very very wrong. No wonder he flunked out of being a real Jedi.

This conversation does reveal a certain perspective though: what the common people outside of the Jedi Order thought about the Jedi Civil War. There's a bit of revisionist history going on. Basically, they knew about Revan's level of power, but they didn't know about Revan's mindwipe, and they thought Sith and Jedi were two sides of the same religion. It's the basis of everyone's hostile attitudes towards Jedi in this game.





Zhar and Dorak were here at in Dantooine during KOTOR 1. I don't recognize Master Kae though.



Interesting. He doesn't quite say who this 'first Master' is though.

"Why do you work for the Republic?"
"I'm trying to save the Republic - Dantooine and the Jedi Order are instrumental to that effort. Despite the troubles of the Jedi Civil War, there are those among the Republic who still favor the Jedi and wish them to return."
"And there are Admirals within the fleet, who recognize that the Jedi must be found if the Republic is to hold together. Yet as long as Onderon remains within the Republic, and the efforts on Telos succeed, that is all that matters."
"Why Telos and Onderon?"
"The Republic is fragile right now - Telos is important because its success will determine whether or not other dead worlds receive the same reconstruction efforts. If Telos is rebuilt and made habitable again, it will affect a string of worlds along the Rim.
"Onderon, strangely enough, was unaffected by the Jedi Civil War. It's almost as if Revan didn't want to attack it. Its position and resources on the Rim make it a vital supply line and a guardpost against Outer Rim attacks. Also, it's the only world in the Republic still capable of seeding ecosystems into other dead worlds - Onderon's wildlife is some of the most aggressive in the known galaxy. Merely placing some of those beasts on target worlds will guarantee their habitation for years to come."
"Why are the Jedi Order important?"
"The Jedi are a symbol. As much damage as their reputation took during the Sith War and the Jedi Civil War, there are still many to whom they serve as an example. Plus... there have been times in the past where a single Jedi has been enough to change the face of a world... or a galaxy. I suppose I still believe that might be possible. Despite the betrayal of many of the Jedi against the Republic, I must concede that as figureheads, they serve a vital role."



"To get some answers."
"What answers do you seek? It has been my experience that Jedi rarely answer such questions - or instead, indulge in half-truths."
"I need to know why they sentenced me to exile."
"Exiled you? It is strange they would sentence you and not speak honestly of your crime."





So not only is he a Jedi fanboy...



... he's a Jedi sycophant too.





Maybe. But most likely the Jedi Council was being cryptic for the sake of being cryptic.





Anyway, this is the library of Dantooine. Look at those computers. This place got bombed five years ago and the computers are still running.

I can't even get through a day at work without having to reboot. Windows!



These look kind of fresh.







Looks like Vrook has left the building. We'll have to pick up his trail at this Kinrath cave they're talking about.

Now, time to get out of here.



What have we here?



It's the asshole salvager we met earlier in Khoonda.

This is the end of the dungeon, so this guy was suppose to fulfill the 'end boss' requirement. But he's just not intimidating enough.



And he's like the only black dude on Dantooine. And they made him into a bad guy.

That's just really racist. For shame, Obsidian, for shame.





Everybody breakdance!



The salvager camp is quite a bit more populated now with all the people we elected not to kill earlier.



This is the guy who stole the thing and the other thing from the other guy earlier.

"I'm here about Suulru's moisture vaporator."
"Oh, that again? I sold Suulru the moisture vaporator in the same condition it was in when I found it."



"All right. Daraala got there before me and she just took the modulator, because she was loaded down with the other stuff that Suulru abandoned. But after I sold the farmer back his moisture vaporator, I won the modulator from Daraala in a game of stones."
"Don't you think it's despicable to make someone buy back their own possessions from you?"
"Finders keepers. I've got a permit that allows me to salvage anything on the enclave grounds. I didn't make up the laws here, but I abide by them all the same."





Oh for god's sakes, we just finished saving this guy's life too. It's a whole planet full of selfish pricks.



I believe this is called the 'Chaotic Good' response.





There's also this snake oil salesmen at the camp.



"This saddens me to hear. True this camp isn't as opulent as you are used to with your offworld notions of comfort and decadence. But this is a place of people who toil."

This guy likes to talk in big fancy words.





Handmaiden pipes up about the Holocrons in the ruins. Again.

Yes, in case you haven't figured it out yet, this isn't the first time she's been here. Atris sent her to these ruins in the past to search for any leftovers artifacts from the Jedi Enclave. Reading in between her lines, she was able to find at least some Holocrons to bring back to her master.

"How much do you want for it?"
"A shrewd question from a discerning mind. My price will be very low. You could sell it for thousands. I ask a mere 1000 credits for this rare find. This is not a matter of negotiation. You should buy it quickly before others come."



"Ahh, I assure you it isn't. I will show it to you presently."
"As you can see it is in fine shape. A real bargain at a mere 1000 credits."





"That's all you can say?"
"This forgery has passed through several hands in this camp. I am merely the latest victim. I wish to abandon this dung heap."
"So you didn't make this?"
"No, of course not, another salvager sold it to me. And he bought it from another one before him. When there were more salvagers, incidents like this were common."



Oh, don't try that. We know all about the ol' 'wife and kids' guilt trick. We just finished using it on the other guy.



"You with all your 'observations.' I'm not going to talk to you about the holocron any more."

As far as I know, if you bought the fake holocron, there's nothing you can do with it. You can't just pass it off to Atris or something and get her all pissy again. Though that would have been fun.



Back at Khoonda, the town hall of this settlement, the Disciple is busing giving away our position.



To Carth, no less.

I'm going spoil the Disciple's backstory here, because we're not picking him up and we won't really see him again.

First, he's a Republic spy, as you just saw. He's been running around trying to gather the last of the Jedi and their knowledge, and use them to save the Republic.

Second, he's met the Exile before. He was in line to undergo training as a Jedi at Dantooine, and it was likely that the Exile was to be his Master. When the Mandalorian War broke out, the Exile and a bunch of other Jedi left or died, and soon there was no one left to train him. So his dreams of prancing around the galaxy with a lightsaber, saving maidens in distress, was horribly crushed.

Sad story, I know, but he would have made for a terrible Jedi anyway.



We give it back to him and get good reward.

What is it with Star Wars and moisture vaporators anyway? What IS a moisture vaporator? If it's suppose to collect water from atmosphere, shouldn't it be called a moisture condenser?



Finally, some decent pistols to use.



Well it's been a while, let's check in with what's happening back at the Ebon Hawk.



Estrogen... overload...



This is part of the ongoing love triangle (or whatever you want to call it) with Handmaiden and Visas.



Mira of course can't stay out of it, so she gives Handmaiden the 'chick' talk.









I get the feeling anyone who would date Mira would be the sort to end up with an E/N thread in GBS.

Help, my girlfriend wants to use a purple 'Bothan Stunner' on me!