Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II Part #32 - Onderon

Part 32: Onderon - CSI Iziz

Well, we've started a riot and took out 3 Onderon guard captains, but we're no closer to finding a way into the palace. Fortunately, Mandalore has a friend in Iziz who may be able to help.

Except it doesn't look like he's here.

"Where is he?"

"What tower?"

"It's the turret tower on the other side of the market. Captain Riiken is the man to talk to."

Oops. This is the token black captain we got into trouble.

"Who got murdered?"

"Captain Sullio. She was in charge of the Starport checkpoint. A good soldier. Your friend was one of the last people that saw her alive. So far he's just a suspect. But if he did it... the punishment is death."

"How can I eliminate him as a suspect?"

"I know Dhagon personally. He's one of the worst doctors I've ever heard of. But I can't see him deliberately killing someone. He was one of the last people seen with Captain Sullio in the cantina. Ask around there. I've heard he's got a good motive for killing her. If you can somehow clear that up and prove it wasn't him, command will cut him loose. If I say any more I'll get in trouble."

"How long is Dhagon going to be questioned?"

Sounds like we have our mission.

On the left is Colonel Tobin, the dick who shot at us in space. And on the right, we finally meet General Vaklu.

"Consider the whole field, Tobin. Why would a Jedi risk all of this just to come to Iziz?"

"But the fools are here... in Iziz. The intel on this is certain. I'm ordering men loyal to us to take care of them now."

"Hmmm... I think I have an idea. Hold that order. Have him watched, instead."

He's talking about Master Kavar, who's hiding out with the Queen. Probably of more concern is that they're yet another group that seem to know exactly who Jedi Jesus is.

On our way back, more bounty hunters jump us. For a city supposedly on lockdown, there seems to be a lot of this riffraff wandering around.

Bah, wasn't the bounty on Jesus suppose to be lifted?

"Imagine what the soldiers would do to you if they knew you were wandering their streets. You're a wanted criminal now."

"How do you know me?"

"The Exchange has quite a bounty on you. Your head's worth many credits... as long as it's recognizable."

Goto finally speaks up. Which is nice since he was the one who posted the bounty in the first place.

"Very well, Jedi. You may walk Iziz unharmed. I apologize for interrupting your journey."

So, some good news and bad news. Good news, Goto talked him down and he's not going to attack us any more. Bad news? This bounty hunter has one of the starport visas we need. What to do...

Everyone keeps telling us Starport Visas are valuable, after all.

The other problem with Goto is that he's a huge fatass and it's hard to see around him when you're controlling. There's also a couple of size jokes in the game as well. HK-47 calls him 'fat one' all the time, and - I don't know why I'm mentioning this - you know those interactions Goto has with Bao-Dur's Remote? According to the voice directions for Remote, he's making fun of Goto for being so big and fat; that's what all the beeping is about.

Now the next question is: why does the Remote have voice directions in the game files?

Well, this is one of those rare visas. To make up for all this we'll go find a hungry orphan to give it to or something.

This is the Onderon cantina. If it looks familiar... that's probably because it looks like most of the art assets were reused from Taris in the first game.

We're here to look for evidence to clear Dhagon from the murder.

This is just one of those off-the-cuff mentions, but I looked at Wookieepedia, and sure enough there's an entry for Dagary Minor. I salute you for your diligence, Star Wars geeks.

"I remember Dagary Minor..."

"Enough of the past. The whole galaxy isn't safe for Jedi now. Especially here. Onderon has suffered through three wars started by fallen Jedi. Do you still serve the Republic?"

"Jedi don't really serve the Republic."

"I didn't mean any offense. But this is the first good thing that's happened to me in days. I was sent by the Republic Senate to investigate certain delicate matters that are happening on Onderon. It's worse than we feared. I have to get to Coruscant to deliver my report. But days before I was planning to leave they started requiring starport visas."

"Why is it so important if one world secedes from the Republic?"

"If Onderon secedes other worlds may follow, and that can't be allowed to happen!"

"Why not?"

"Trade between our worlds has brought economic prosperity, and people just take it for granted. All worlds are now interconnected."

"What was your mission?"

"I really can't say. The most I will say is stay clear of General Vaklu. His ambition knows no bounds. I believe the people of Iziz are absolutely correct, a civil war is brewing."

So... he's a Republic spy. You know what? Who cares. We just need to clear Dhagon of the murder.

"Dhagon Ghent didn't do it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because he was with me at the time."

"Why don't you tell the authorities?"

Oh great, he's got a rock solid alibi but this guy won't come forward.

I thought Mandalorians don't hold grudges

In the first KOTOR, there was a whole sidequest in Manaan where you acted as the defense lawyer for a Republic soldier accused of murdering a Sith agent. This quest is its equivalent in this game; lots of talking to people and investigating a murder, gathering evidence, etc. It's also got an... interesting ending.

This is Kiph, a local hacking expert. He probably saw something important the night of the murder.

"Do you know any reason why Dhagon Ghent would kill Sullio?"

"I may not be human, but even I could tell his advances were particularly unwanted. Sullio then started swearing at him."

So the two of them were having a violent argument and then she ends up dead on the street. This is starting to look bad for our guy.

"She did? Oh no, by the four moons what a mix up! They got it all wrong. Dhagon and Sullio were good friends. It's just when they got a little too much juma juice, they'd carry on. They'd call each other all manner of things. It could get quite hilarious, really. But it was just friendly banter."

Uargh - what's wrong with this guy's head?

I'd like to concentrate on what he's saying, but I can't look away from his giant melon.

You know those new fangled sports games they come out with these days that let you scan your head in and map it onto a player's face? And then you'd be all, haha, that's me in the game! But it never actually works out because your face looks like a nightmarish, hideously deformed mess when you actually load it into the game, like some Picasso painting brought to life and mapped to a polygon. It's kind of like that.

"What happened on the night of the murder?"

"I was cleaning up stakes from a particularly rewarding pazaak game when I heard a loud sound outside. I grabbed my blaster and went out the door. When I got out I saw Captain Sullio. She was quite dead. Blood was everywhere. I heard a noise and saw Dhagon Ghent coming from his office across the courtyard. We both waited for the authorities to get there. The next day they picked up Dhagon and several other people in the area. It's crazy to think he did it. Sullio was our friend."

"Where did you find the body?"

A broken robot, some debris, and blood. Hmm.

Unfortunately we need the droid's head to get anywhere.

"Do you know Dhagon Ghent?"

"I know him very well. Many sentients look towards bartenders for advice. On my world they also are sometimes sought for spiritual advice. This is a trust I try to honor."

"I found a broken serving droid by the murder scene."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Recently this area has become more dangerous. Vandalism and robbery are sadly common. My droids keep being stolen. S-0D3 went missing the night Captain Sullio was murdered."

"Why didn't you mention this before?"

One thing I just noticed now is the TV on the wall behind him changes, actually has a full shot of the Onderon swoop track. They remember to put in little details like that, and yet the game has no ending.