Part 14: The Overseer

Part 14: The Overseer

Last time, we put an end to a long-standing family feud (at least until the next time the two patriarchs have an argument about something), explored some crystal caves, and killed a bunch of Mandalorian raiders who had been attacking the settlers on Dantooine.



We also mercy-killed this lady's droid, and now we have to give her the news. I'm sure this will go well.





You can tell her that the droid is still out there and she will run off into the wilderness, never to be seen again. You can also say the droid was destroyed by kath hounds, which has the exact same result as telling the truth here. In case you're wondering, we're glowing because our Arkanian energy shield is still active after the last battle. Probably would've been a better idea to use the Mandalorian melee shield against Sherruk, but at least the energy shield ensured we didn't get damaged by any of the henchmen.





Elise takes the news about as well as expected, and wanders off towards the Jedi Enclave.



Our objective for today is to actually make some progress in the plot, and that means heading to the ruins we saw in our vision of Revan and Malak. Naturally, the way to the ruins is crawling with kath hounds.



And we're here. Really not a long walk at all, which makes it odd the Jedi have never investigated the ruins before. They did say they assumed these were just burial mounds, but why would they not have checked them out anyway in case there's... I don't know, ancient holocrons or something in there?





Well, regardless, we are here now.



It's time to find out what Revan and Malak discovered in here.



This is definitely the place we saw in the vision.



Surprisingly, the first door we encounter opens without any issue. That strange droid up ahead looks slightly worrying, though.



Come again?





The droid switches to something that sounds like Tusken, which we can't understand either.





Thanks, Bastila. We figured out that much.



The droid now begins emitting horrible gurgling noises, which... we can understand perfectly!





Selkath are the fish people of Manaan, one of whom appears front and center on KotOR's box art for some reason. Bastila makes a good point as well - why would this droid be able to speak Selkath or especially Tusken?



But you are not of the slave species. Neither are you of the Builders. You are like the one who came before.

It must be referring to Revan. The Dark Lord and Malak likely encountered this droid when they explored these ruins.





At project completion all slaves were executed. I was reprogrammed to serve should a Builder return in search of knowledge of the Star Forge.



We heard something about the Star Forge in the vision and the droid has mentioned it again, so let's see if it can tell us something more.



That isn't much of an answer.



The... the Star Forge is the glory of the Builders, the apex of their infinite empire. It is a machine of invincible might, a tool of unstoppable conquest.





The "Forge" part seems to imply something to that effect.



Maybe the droid has more information we can use. It seems to respond to you; perhaps you should ask it something else.





Ten revolutions would take more than 20,000 years. If this is true then this droid is nearly 5,000 years older than the Republic itself! There must be some mistake.

There is no mistake. The Builders constructed my chronological circuitry using the technology of the Star Forge itself. My calculations are infallible.

How is this thing still running after all that time? What is this Star Forge technology and where did it come from?





Right, but who are they?



In the years before the Republic the Hutts were a dominant force in the galaxy, but they never constructed an empire. In fact, I know of no species that would fit with this information.



This seems like a reasonable assumption at this point.



If they did get wiped out thousands of years ago, Overseer here clearly wasn't informed.



I have been here ever since the completion of this monument. In all this time no Builder has returned to seek information on the Star Forge.

Where can we find the Star Forge?

Now that the slaves are gone, my purpose is to aid those who seek knowledge of the Star Forge... if they are worthy.

Tell me about Revan and Malak... the ones who came before us.





The droid must be talking about poor Nemo. The Council sent him here to investigate... and it cost him his life.

I guess that answers the question of what happened to the Jedi that was sent to investigate the ruins.







Enter the proving grounds to the east and west. Within them those who understand the will of the Builders can unlock their secrets and open the doors. But those who fail will be destroyed by the power of the temple itself. More than this, I am not programmed to say.



We have to find out what they uncovered. We have to find a way to unseal these doors to learn more about the Star Forge! The Republic is depending on us.



Before we enter the proving grounds, we'll check Nemo's body. The Sigil crystal adds a nice damage bonus to your lightsaber, and the Jedi Knight robe has slightly increased defense over the basic Jedi robe (+2 instead of +1).



It also looks nicer, which is much appreciated.



We can tackle either of the proving grounds first, so let's open the east door and find out what lurks behind. The answer to that question seems to be a hostile guard droid.



These droids have energy shields that will absorb the first 30 points of damage, but they're also resistant to energy damage in general. We're still doing okay damage with our lightsabers, though.





The droid is also equipped with a flamethrower, which is slightly annoying but doesn't help it much in the end.



Okay then. Let's see what we can do with this ancient computer.



Can we slice into this thing?



Well, that didn't work at all. I guess we'll just press buttons, then.



Okay, fine, then we'll press even more buttons. Time to button mash!



Does this pile of shit even function?



Violence doesn't help either, so the only option is to talk to the computer. We don't know what to say or if the computer even understands us, but it's worth a shot. What do you think Zila would say to the computer?



Hey, that looks vaguely like progress.



Sure, we'll shove our datapad into the ancient computer we can barely operate. What could go wrong?



Okay, that seems like it might be good...



Er... Itasoo'khf yourself?



[Your datapad is released from the receptacle and the machine goes silent for a moment before flickering to life again.]





Life-giving seed? Hm... well, considering our options, Oceanic, Grassland, and Arboreal would make sense (the first time I played this as a teenager in Finland, I had no clue what "arboreal" meant, but since the only other remaining options are Desert, Volcanic, and Barren it wasn't too difficult to figure out it was one of the correct choices).



These world types also happen to mostly correspond to the planets we visit over the course of the game. Grassland is of course Dantooine. Oceanic seems to be Manaan, and since the Overseer speaks Tusken we can infer Tatooine is the desert world. So what are the other ones? We'll find that out soon enough, but I should also point out there is no volcanic planet in the game. There was meant to be one (Sleheyron) but it got cut early in development and no content for it exists in the game. There was a mod in the works many years ago to "restore" Sleheyron (i.e. create the whole thing from scratch and make up a bunch of stuff) but I don't know if it ever got finished.



The door to the west has another guardian droid behind it. This one uses a freeze ray instead of a flamethrower, which is quite irritating.



Still, this droid meets the same fate as his counterpart at the other end.



Another ancient terminal. This is accessed in the exact same way as the other one, so I'll skip that part.



Naturally, this is where you choose the options you didn't pick for the life-giving seed world types.



If you fuck up and enter the wrong options, the temple defenses will create another guardian droid you have to fight, and then you can try again. It doesn't kill you outright or anything.



The seals on the door are now broken, and we can access the rest of the temple. We can also talk to the Overseer again if we want.



We could also ask him some of our previous questions again, but we'll just leave him be and head through the formerly sealed door.



Have a good time, buddy.







And here we are. That contraption must be the same one we saw Revan and Malak activate in our vision.







This is a... a map. Some sort of intergalactic navigational chart. Revan and Malak must have used this to lead them to the Star Forge. We could use this map to follow their path and find the Star Forge ourselves. But we must be wary... they may have laid traps or concealed what they found.





But I think this map might be the key to finding the Star Forge, whatever it is.



But there are pieces missing: incomplete hyperspace coordinates, corrupted data... and there doesn't seem to be anything indicating where the Star Forge itself might be.





They may have found something on each of the other worlds that completed this map. Maybe if we find all the pieces they will lead us to the Star Forge... and some way to destroy it. We must inform the Council of what we have discovered. They must decide our next course of action, though I suspect our task has only just begun.



Well then. If we want to find the Star Forge, it looks like we're going to have to keep following in Revan and Malak's footsteps, hopefully not all the way to the dark side.



First off, let's return to the Enclave and see what the Council has to say about this latest development.



Oh. Yeah. This happens if your party members are too far away.



Come along, T3. The AI companions occasionally get stuck on geometry, but if all else fails you can take direct control of them and free them of their predicament.



I kept this in because using Force Whirlwind on some of these creatures looks hilarious.



When we killed the Mandalorian leader last time, we also avenged the murder of Jon's daughter, so let's inform him of Sherruk's demise.





Thank you, young Master. My daughter can now, I think, rest in peace. Here is the reward I promised you.

Thank you, Jon.

Again, I thank you. I will be sure to tell the Council of your great deed.



As usual, we would've earned light side points for refusing the reward, but we're not going to say no to 1000 credits. At this point in the game, that is still a sizable sum of money.



Now, before we talk to the Council, we should take a small detour back to the guest room area.



Hey, it's Elise! And some guy with a weird name!





Hm. Elise apparently moves quite fast.





But I must. I was much too attached to my droid... It was all that was left of my husband, you see. Maybe I thought that, through the droid, my husband could live again... be with me still...







Yes, the way he told us to fuck off just now was rather pleasant. Still, Elise seems happy so we're not going to insult her new beau in front of her.



But I think we should be going now... we have so much more to talk about! I just wanted to thank you for what you've done for me, and what you tried to do. Goodbye, and thank you.

The ways of the Force are strange indeed.



Anyhow, now we can go meet with the Council.







Return to your ship with Bastila and we will summon you when we are done.

Some time passes...



We Jedi know victory over the Sith will not come through martial might. The Council has a mission for you, Padawan.





The Star Map in the ruins showed you four planets, but it was incomplete. It did not show the location of the Star Forge itself. We believe there may be similar Star Maps on other planets. Each Star Map is likely a small piece of a larger puzzle. Find the Star Maps on Kashyyyk, Tatooine, Manaan and Korriban and we believe they will lead you to the Star Forge.



I don't like either of these dialogue options much.



Yet if we sent a company of Jedi Knights with you we would surely draw the full attention of Malak and the Sith, dooming your efforts to failure.





Bastila will accompany you, for there is a powerful connection between you two... a connection that might be the key to unraveling the mysteries uncovered by Revan. And Juhani has also asked to accompany you. After long deliberation we have granted her request.

Juhani nearly fell to the dark side. Perhaps her presence will serve as a reminder to you of the dangers of that path.

Nearly? She absolutely fell to the dark side, which as we've established caused the wild animals to go on a rampage and attack settlers. All of which you knew about, and did nothing.





You will not be able to hide the fact that you are Jedi, nor should you. But the true nature of your mission must not reach Malak's ears. You may return here at any time. Dantooine will be a sanctuary for you, a safe haven. Here you can find supplies and whatever advice or other aid we may give you.

Now, I don't usually go for the cheap jokes, but I simply can't unsee how... well, baked Vandar looks in this scene. He looks weirdly off-model here, and just comes across like he's been hanging out with the Palpatine clone from Dark Empire.





The lure of the dark side is difficult to resist. I fear this quest to find the Star Forge could lead you down an all too familiar path.



May the Force be with you.

We've received our mission, and we know what to do. Now, all that's left for us here on Dantooine is to head back to the Ebon Hawk and start our quest for the Star Forge.



We can still talk to some folks along the way. Let's see if Belaya has anything new to say to us.



You should be proud of your accomplishment... but never forget that you still have much to learn. As your power grows you will constantly face temptations to slip to the dark side. This is the eternal struggle of the Jedi.

Okay, thanks. I was hoping she'd mention something about Juhani, but I guess that's all on the dark side path. Oh well.



Who blabbed about that already?





I only wanted to wish you well, and to warn you to be careful. There are many evils out there, many dangers. The Sith are not the only minions of the dark side.



He didn't really say that this thing he's talking about is more dangerous than the Sith, just that it's dangerous. Still, it'd be nice to know what he means.



The worst of these abominations is the terentatek, a beast that feeds on the blood of those who are strong in the Force. Over the centuries, many Jedi have fallen to their ravenous hunger.





There are some who believe the terentatek is a monster bred by the ancient Sith, and spread throughout the galaxy to destroy the Jedi. Fortunately, the terentatek is quite rare. They only dwell in the most dangerous and darkest of places. In fact, one has not been seen in nearly forty years.



Well, that doesn't sound too bad then.



I fear Malak's rise may have woken these creatures from their dormant state. Once the Sith are beaten, I would not be surprised if the Council organized another Great Hunt to try and exterminate them.





Many Jedi vanished during this period, disappearing from a variety of worlds without warning. We did not know they had been slain until their mutilated bodies began to be discovered. The Council investigated, and discovered the terentatek were behind the killings. It was decided the galaxy had to be purged of these insatiable monsters - though the cost proved high.



The terentatek are an abomination, they are ruthless engines of death and destruction. The Council had no choice but to destroy them, for the greater good of the galaxy.

But if they only lurk in the darkest corners of the galaxy, it seems like it wouldn't be too difficult to avoid them. Right? It's not like they were actively attacking the Republic.



There were still rumors of terentatek on the planet of Korriban, a dark world some believe to be the birthplace of the Sith. That is where Exar Kun was corrupted during the first Sith War. They never went to Korriban. The Council, fearing more Jedi might fall to the dark side, declared the Great Hunt was officially over... though three Jedi were appointed to continue the work.

We will of course be going to Korriban, so maybe we should keep an eye out for these creatures. Korriban is a Sith world anyway, so who knows what we'll find out there?





The Council felt that together they would be able to defeat any terentatek they found. And by supporting each other they could resist the temptations of Korriban and the lure of the dark side.

Yes, the Qel-Dromas are well known in the galaxy for resisting the lure of the dark side and not being possessed by ancient Sith ghosts.



But none of the three survived. Their Master felt them become one with the Force when they left this world. He believed they were slain by one of the monsters they sought. The Council felt it was too dangerous to send anyone else in search of their remains, so their exact fate is not known. But let their deaths serve as a warning to you, Padawan.

Thanks for the warning. I'll be careful.

A final warning as you go, Padawan: do not underestimate the terentatek. If you do, you may suffer the same fate as those who disappeared after the Great Hunt.

We'll keep that in mind.



Anyway, now we can return to the Ebon Hawk and start our quest proper.



Really? Now? Fine.





There is a bond between us, I do not dispute that. I can feel it, as I'm sure you can. The nature of that bond and its effect on our mission remain in question.





I saw your service records when you were transferred aboard the Endar Spire, but nothing beyond that. I know very little about you. I'd like to ask you some questions, given our relationship.



Sure, why not.





We could turn this whole thing into a joke or just tell Bastila to fuck off with her questions, but I'm sure she'd appreciate it more if we actually took this seriously and gave proper answers.









Yes, well... The truth is I was studying *how* you responded to my questions. Your reactions help me judge you; this was a test for me to learn more about your character.

And what did you find out?

You were honest, which is good. And you treated this as a serious matter, which it is. This bond we share will shape both our destinies, it is not to be taken lightly. But I imagine you've had enough questions for a while. So many things have happened to you since Taris. It's probably a lot for you to absorb.

Is this how our party members feel when we ask them to tell us about themselves?





Next time, we'll take a closer look at the Ebon Hawk and have some chats with our companions, and then the quest for the Star Forge begins for real!