Part 30: The Aftermath

Part 30: The Aftermath

Last time, we barely escaped the Leviathan, but more imporantly learned the truth. Darth Revan didn't die when Malak attacked her flagship, but was actually saved by Bastila and taken to the Jedi Council. The Council then proceeded to repair her damaged mind and program a new identity for her as a former smuggler and Republic soldier under Bastila's command, with the idea that she'd unwittingly help the Jedi discover the secret of the Star Forge. That's us, and now that we're back on the Ebon Hawk we're in for one hell of a debriefing...



Where do we start? Would you like the bad news or the worse news first?



This scene, by the way, is where the dreaded Carth glitch (which I believe is technically a bug, but never mind) will trigger if you played as Mission on the Leviathan and were in stealth when you freed the party. It does not happen if you played as Juhani, because Juhani is absent from this scene presumably due to the fact she was added back into the game long after the scene was completed.





Malak is an idiot, but he won't kill Bastila if he thinks there's any chance he could turn her to the dark side.



Of course, there is still the matter of the Star Maps.





Better come clean right away. A lot of the time, these dialogue scenes give us the option to choose whether we wish to keep calling ourselves Zila Galcyon or if we assume the Revan identity again despite being light side, although infuriatingly not all the time. As you'll see eventually, there will be occasions where your options are "Please stop calling me Revan, I'm Zila Galcyon" and "I AM DARTH REVAN, THE TRUE DARK LORD OF THE SITH" and it's annoying.







No, can't say we do.





It seems to me that if you don't really remember anything about being Revan, then it doesn't really matter anymore. You are who you are now, right?

Mission really seems to be the wisest person on this ship sometimes.



Carth, however, is going to need some convincing before he'll accept us.



The whole time we've been chasing after Malak we've had his old Sith Master right at our side; listening to our secrets; hearing our plans!

It's not our fault, is it?







Big Z and I will stick by you. We owe you our lives; we won't desert you now!

Mission and Zaalbar will have our back because we've proven time and again that we're not the evil Sith lord anymore.





That said, since Revan was responsible for teaching Malak the ways of the dark side in the first place, we probably have to shoulder at least a little bit of the blame for Malak's actions even if attacking Telos went directly against Revan's plans not to destroy any of the Republic infrastructure.



I don't know. Let's find out.





Does it change anything? I'm not here to judge you. You'll do what you have to, and I'll help if I can.

Jolee apparently knew all along and doesn't seem to mind. Well, that's helpful.



How about Canderous?



We had never met one like you before, and never since. How can you even ask if I will follow you? Whatever you are fighting, it will be worthy of my skill. I'm your man until the end, Revan, no matter how this plays out.

Canderous will support you no matter what you do.



What about the droids? Apparently, nobody cares what Juhani thinks (since she's not in the scene at all).



Why? What's happening?

Answer: My programming is activating my deleted memory core. I believe I have a... a homing system that is restoring it, master.

A what now?





It seems that the homing system deliberately restores my deleted memory core upon... upon returning to my original master.

Seriously?



Seriously?



I have returned to you, and my full functionality is now under your personal command. It is a distinct pleasure to see you again, master.

I know, I know, the will of the Force and all, but I always thought HK-47 being Revan's personal assassin droid whom we just happened to stumble upon on Tatooine was some "Darth Vader built C-3PO" shit and I never liked this particular reveal very much. It just feels too convenient.







Remember we're talking about the Force, here. At this point Malak himself could drop out of the sky and I wouldn't bat an eyelash.

Good point.

You guys can lampshade or handwave it all you want, I'm not changing my mind.





I thought he'd say that.



I'm not so sure about that, Mission. HK-47 seems like the type, at least.





Not really, no.







Carth is so preoccupied by his own feelings on this bombshell of a revelation that he's never bothered to consider what Zila/Revan might think of the whole situation.



Don't worry - I won't let my personal feelings get in the way of my assignments or this mission. But don't forget: I've sworn an oath to defend the Republic! As long as this mission stays on course I'll stick with you. But I won't let you betray the Republic under any circumstances! So I guess that's it then... we keep going. We've still got one more Star Map to uncover if we're going to find that Star Forge and save Bastila, so let's do it before it's too late.

That ends the debriefing, but now that we've got control again we can ask our crew members about how each of them feels about the whole Revan thing.





And?

I can't hate you. I tried... I wanted to hold you responsible for all the things you've done. For my... for my wife, for Telos... for Dustil. But I can't.





Despite whatever part of Revan is inside you, the... the darkness that must surely be there, it isn't who you are. That's why I can't hate you, why I don't want any more revenge. You don't have to be Revan, you can be so much more. Whatever the Jedi did to you, they gave you that chance. Whatever's happened up until this point, there's going to come a time very soon where you're going to have to make a choice. And there won't be any turning back.

And if I make the wrong choice?



Fair enough.



I will stay with you to the end, Zila Galcyon. And I will judge you on your actions as I see them, not on a history I have never known.

Zaalbar, as we heard before, has our back.



The one... the Jedi whose troops saved me on Taris... It was Revan, leading an army out to defeat the Mandalorians. It was you...

Why didn't she recognize us before? Surely, Revan didn't wear the whole Sith Lord getup with the mask and everything when she was still a Jedi.



The woman who saved me, who I... I have come to care for, could never go completely to the dark side.





I do not think now that I will fall to the dark side. I only have to look to you and follow by your example and there is no way I can fail.





I will never forget what you did for me, even if you do not remember it.

Juhani has the utmost respect for us and, in her words, has come to care for us. We're not going to betray her trust.



So it doesn't bother you at all?

I don't see the Sith Lord standing here, I see a friend who's been with us through thick and thin! Remember - Malak's the one who tried to destroy Taris!

Again, Mission couldn't care less about our past.



Let's see what HK-47 has to say.



Statement: My functionality has now been fully restored, master. I exist to serve Revan as your personal battle droid. In time, my assassination protocol can be restored... and at that point I will once again endeavour to eliminate any meatbag opposition you may have.

With HK's memory core restored, we can no longer attempt any repairs on him, which locks us out of any repairs we didn't complete prior to the Leviathan. Apparently, if you don't talk to him in the debriefing, you'll still be able to complete the repairs until the end of the game but won't actually get the reveal about him originally being your droid. That might actually not be so bad, now that I think of it...





I was sent on an assassination mission into Mandalorian space, but I was damaged and unable to return to you. Exclamation: I find this most distressing. I could certainly have protected you from the Jedi and your pupil's betrayal had I returned.







Maybe HK-47 can tell us something about the person we used to be. Hell, maybe he knows something about the Star Forge or can offer some insight on Malak.



This cannot solely be caused by memory loss. I do not know how to explain it. Regardless, you do seem to be improved, overall, from the human I once knew.

Do you know anything about the Star Forge?

Answer: No, master. You never did make me privy to any of the Star Forge's secrets.

Oh well. It was worth a try.





If I had known what he would do to you, master, I would have gladly removed his entrails right then!

So... why the 'meatbag' references?

Answer: It was you who programmed me thus, master. Your pupil once asked what I thought of him and I informed him of his meatbag status. He was unimpressed, but you found the reference humorous. You changed my programming so that I would continue to use the term. It drove your pupil to extreme lengths of frustration.

It can't just be an amusing quirk HK-47 has developed on his own, it's gotta be because YOU THE PLAYER CHARACTER programmed it in all along!



I'm not sure I do, to be honest.



That'll be all.



Jolee doesn't have anything to say about us being Revan because he doesn't really care all that much, which is just as well because we could use a conversation that isn't about Revan at this point.



So you weren't an adventurer?

Didn't I say that my past was my affair? You don't see me poking and prodding you with questions, do you?

I'm sure if we actually remembered anything from our time as the Dark Lord of the Sith or prior to that, we'd have plenty of stories Jolee might find interesting.





And besides... you don't really want to hear about me. We're talking ancient history, probably before you were born. History bores kids. Proven fact.





Yes, yes, I was an adventurer. Happy now? I wasn't even done with my Jedi training back then. I had a full head of hair and an eagerness to see absolutely everything. Sound familiar? The Council was never very happy with willful, brash Jolee Bindo, you see. Even less so when I began my smuggling career.



Somehow, I don't think we should pick the "A Jedi would never be a smuggler!" option, considering the fact we recently sold spice to some dubious individuals and are currently carrying an even more questionable package in the cargo hold. We should take a look at that later, actually.



At the time the Ukatis system was interdicted by its own King. He preferred to keep his people starving and poor, all the better to oppress them. The Senate was trying to negotiate a peace, but they were getting nowhere as usual. I decided I wasn't going to wait. I found myself a ship and a partner and we began smuggling food and supplies to the Ukatis citizenry through the blockade.







Pilot, smuggler... several other things, too. Or did you suppose I was always a crotchety hermit?

Where did you get the credits for all the supplies?



Ah. Somehow I get the feeling the Jedi wouldn't approve.





We only got caught once. A lone Ukatish frigate shot us down and forced a crash landing. I thought the Force had abandoned me, as I remember.





That was the day you what?



Oh.





I... If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to stop talking now. My mouth is starting to draw flies.

Certainly, but first let's ask about this Sunry we heard about just before we left Korriban.





A man could have changed a lot in that span of time, though. But to become a murderer? Oh, mm mm mm. I can't see it. That's not the Sunry I knew. He was a good man. Put me up in his home for a year back after I left the order. War hero, too, or so I hear. I wouldn't mind helping the fellow, if we can. I owe it to him. Or you can be a young monkey-lizard and ignore me, I guess... well, I don't expect much these days.



We'll get back to Jolee soon enough, but first we need to offload some junk at the Yavin station.



Then, we'll head to Tatooine. Why Tatooine? Well, because there are a couple more sidequests we need to start, and landing on Tatooine or Korriban is the most reliable way to do so.



Namely, we've got two more party member sidequests.



With Canderous back in the party, we'll equip the Mandalorian battle armor on him because... well, come on. One problem with this armor is the fact it removes any DEX bonus you might have, but that'll be fine because Canderous is going to be a melee attacker from here on out.



Canderous has been out of the party for so long that he'll be getting two extra attribute points, and I'll put both of them into STR to get that up to 17. That will then get boosted by equipment so we can get the next modifier.



Apparently, I did give him Toughness when he first joined the party. Oops. Or maybe he already had it, like Juhani. Well, whatever. It's not going to matter. I didn't take Dueling, that's just where the cursor was when I took the screenshot.



We'll give Canderous all the melee combat feats.



There we go. Now he just needs a weapon, and maybe an implant or another accessory to get to 18+ STR.



Naga Sadow's poison blade seems it'd be right up his alley.



Juhani has also leveled up and gained a new feat, so we'll give her Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, as well as Destroy Droid for her new power.



Right, now we're ready to move on.



This looks promising...



Uh, okay?





I'll bet.





Traditionally, we have always done business with the owner of the Ebon Hawk: Davik Kang, most recently. Ahita Othar before him. Forii Haxa before her. But we were reluctant to approach you. You had no ties to the Exchange, which was a problem. Even worse, you were a Jedi! Not the sort of person we normally associate with.





The tracking device reported back to us that you had been captured by the Leviathan. Once we had that information, we began digging into our sources within the Sith fleet.





Your escapades on the Leviathan created quite a stir in the Sith fleet. Of course Malak tried to suppress the truth about your identity: there were more than a few summary executions.

That sounds like something Malak would do, yes.





I think their sources might have gotten a couple of key details slightly wrong.





My partner and I deal in very rare and powerful items. Weapons, armor: things you could use in your battles against Malak and the Sith.

Sounds good to me.





We're currently walking around with approximately 75,000 credits, so we should be able to afford something decent. Where is this partner?



Ah, the bartender. Okay then. We'll be sure to drop by once we're done here.





I guess my work here is done. Goodbye, Revan. And once Malak is beaten, don't forget who helped you to victory.

Would you mind removing that tracking beacon of yours from our ship before we go? No? Okay, just wondering.



After Ziagrom leaves, another NPC approaches us.



This is Xor. If you've played the PC version, you may remember him being a Twi'lek for whatever reason. Xor being human makes more sense if you know what his deal is, but we're getting slightly ahead of ourselves here. Who is this idiot and what does he have against Cathar?







Well, we can certainly tell Xor here is a raging asshole.





What? You...

This seems bad.





Hm... now where could I have... No, he's dead and she likely is too. I...

What are you talking about??

Maybe I was wrong. Still, I think a specimen like you would be a nice addition to my collection. So what would it take, Jedi, for you to sell your pet here to me?

What the fuck? What kind of a moron comes up to a Jedi and casually asks them to sell one of their friends as a slave?





The females make amusing pets, but males should be put down like the animals they are. I remember one time on Taris...

Oh no.







Put one of you down like the animals you are. So easy... then I saw one of the females on the auction block, but those darn Jedi...

It was you!

What? Me? Oh ho! Now I recognize where I've seen that face before. You were the little Cathar I was going to purchase. But those Jedi came and stole my pet away from me!

So yeah, Xor here killed Juhani's father and tried to buy her from the Exchange slavers just as the Jedi showed up... just as we showed up and put a stop to their business dealings.



Xor being a human makes a lot more sense than him being a Twi'lek, because no Twi'lek on Taris would've been in any position to buy slaves.



You Jedi act all prim and proper, but inside you must feel the same way I do about the lesser, non-human species. The Sith at least let their feelings show on the outside.

Would you say the Sith "tell it like it is"?



Juhani, of course, is distraught.







Uh... hold on a second! Don't be hasty!

Xor talks big, but he's a coward. Of course he is, they always are.



We promised to intervene if we ever thought Juhani was about to cross the line over to the dark side again, and this is definitely one of those cases. Xor is so vile that this quest is also one of the very few situations in KotOR where it's genuinely difficult to resist the temptation of the dark side. This fucker deserves to get a lightsaber right through his junk.





Yes, yes... Say no to the dark side...



Jesus, what an asshole.





We'll encounter Xor again later, as you might expect. Now, I've heard that starting this quest can lock you out of all the other party member sidequests, but that was not the case for me on this playthrough because we'll be able to do Canderous's quest just fine.



Before we get to any of that, Jolee has more to say. Well, maybe he does. We need to get him to talk first.







Yeah, that got us nowhere.



Let's try a little harder.



Here and there, yeah. Surprisingly often, to be honest.



If you're lucky, most of them will be good. If you're not, some will be bad. If you're really unlucky, some will be so bad you never want to be reminded of them again... ever. You'll go far away, to a place that doesn't hold any memories at all. And there you'll be happy just to forget and be forgotten.





Err...





That's quite an assumption you're making there, gramps.



At least he shares our opinions on the Jedi in this regard.





Controlling your passions while being in love... that's what they should teach you to beware. But love, itself, will save you... not condemn you. Ahhhh, but listen to me go on as if I had all the answers. What do I know of love anymore? I'm just a lonely old man who's not even a Jedi.





Love causes pain, certainly. Inevitably love is going to lead to as much sorrow and regret as it does joy. I suppose there are perfect, eternal loves out there... but I haven't seen any.

Indeed. As a great philosopher of ancient times once said, "It's strong and it's sudden and it's cruel sometimes, but it might just save your life. That's the power of love."





He's trying to distract us with all this rambling, isn't he?



I'll tell you one thing: sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you and the one you love simply aren't meant to be together. The trick is to know when that is, to know when it's time to fight and when it's time to part ways.



He'll have to tell us eventually.



However, before we get there, we have something else to deal with - this box Lurze gave us on Korriban. Lurze was adamant we should never open it under any circumstances. But why? It's just a box, and he said it wasn't a bomb or anything like that.



You know, if we're going to be delivering this thing to Motta the Hutt, we should know what the hell it actually is. We're opening the box right now, I don't care what's inside it.







What have we just gotten ourselves into?