Star Wars KOTOR #3 The Search for the Plot.

Last time I played this game I was showing some of the things I forgot to look for when i started playing, this time we'll actually get the plot moving.

Somewhat.

The beginning of this game is reeeeeally slow.

It gets better, trust me.

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Last time, through the use of flawless disguises, Carth and Avren managed to sneak by the Sith guarding the entrance to the Lower City.

There seems to be some sort of confrontation right in front of me however, and I'm greeted by this cutscene after taking two steps forward.

And then they fight...

The "Beks" however, lose this battle.

...And then WE have to fight. Surprisingly (not really) these guys are not much of a threat.

With these gentlemen dead I proceed to explore the Lower City, since i have no clear method of accomplishing Carth and Avren's goal of finding Bastila i decide to go where the plot can be usually found, The Cantina.

I mean, we could keep going and head into the Undercity but that's kind of a stretch. Really, what are the chances that we could find Bastila in a random corner of a city infested by what seems to be space zombies?
...

There should be a Cantina around here somewhere...

And after a little bit of walking i finally find one. For some reason Avren gets an option to "lockpick" the door despite the fact it's open.

Not two seconds inside this Cantina and another cutscene starts...

For context, the guy in the blue coat/jacket is named Calo Nord

"Go away."

"Hey, you not talk like that. We just want say hi to big, bad bounty hunter Calo Nord!" Says Alien 1.

"Nah, this can't be Calo Nord. He's supposed to be tough. This guy's nothing but a runt!" Says Alien 2.

"One."

"One? What that mean? You be funny, tough guy?"

"You know who we are, Calo? We're members of the Black Vulkar gang! You don't want to be getting funny with us, tough guy."

"Two."

"Me no understand. One? Two? Why he count? He trying to count how many of us is against him?"

"It's three against one, Calo. What do you think about those odds? Well? You have something more to say?"

"Three."

Calo drops some sort of flash grenade, a couple of blaster shots are heard while the effects of the grenade are still strong. After Avren regains his sight...

...The three aliens are dead.

Avren then tries to talk to Calo after the altercation.

->"That was really cool!"

"One."

->"Kbye"

That's how any attemps to speak to him go. If you try and fight him (by making him count to three) he'll just kill your party with an Instant Death effect. If you don't interact with him he just keeps walking to the exit and shortly disappears.

After this little cutscene I start looking for an NPC to advance the plot-

Jesus, so many cutscenes...

"Who you calling a little girl, Chuba-face?"

"Little girl needs lesson in manners!"

"Quit complaining... you can finish eating later. Besides, you need the exercise so get over here."

"We no want trouble with Wookiee. Our problem with you, little girl!"

"You got a problem with me, then you got a problem with Big Z. So unless you want to take on my furry friend, I suggest you greenies hop on out of here."

"...Little girl lucky she has big friend."

...
...

Is it done?

Is the cutscene over?

Okay then, now we can actually start looking for ways to advance the plot. Before i do that though i have to speak to these two.

Because reasons.

->"Hey – we speak the same language!"

Most aliens in this game "speak" in an alien language, and by "speak" i mean that the voice i hear is just the same 4 or 5 lines of random noises repeated over and over. When you play for a while you'll realize that sometimes the voice lines don't really make much sense given the actual words the characters are speaking, for example an Alien says "Hello" in their language but the "voice" you hear is 3 lines that definitely mean way more than what the subtitles tell you.

Thankfully, this little character here speaks in the same language Avren and Carth do.

"My name's Mission Vao and this big Wookiee is my best friend, Zaalbar. I'd offer to give you a tour, but the streets down here aren't safe. But if there's anything else you need..."

Question time...

->"How do a Wookiee and a Twi'lek street urchin end up as best friends?"

"We just kind of fell in together. It ain't easy on your own here in the Lower City- everyone's always looking to push you around."

Carth has something to add:

"So we noticed. Still, you seem like an odd pair."

"When I met up with Zaalbar it seemed like a good match. I knew we could look out for each other. With my street smarts and his muscle, we make a great team."

Let's try asking more questions, see if that gets us somewhere.

->"Oooh, Calo Nord, tell me about him!"

"Calo Nord's one of the most famous bounty hunters in the galaxy. He's killed more people than the Iridian Plague! I've seen him kill people just for trying to talk to him!"

Yup that's him.

"He hangs around Zax's bounty office, but I don't think he's looking for work there. All the postings there are small time – way beneath a bounty hunter of his calibre. I figure Calo's been hired by Davik to do a special job for the Exchange. I'd wager a thousand credits that as soon as the quarantine ends, he'll be getting off this rock."

That last part sounds interesting. Though i wonder what Davik hired Calo for...

->"Do you have a way to advance the plot? I believe I'm currently stuck here."

"There's only two gangs worth worrying about here in the Lower City: the Black Vulkars and the Hidden Beks. The Beks are led by Gadon Thek – he's a good guy. Lost his sight in a swoop bike accident a few years ago, but even blind he's a great leader."

->"Okay thanks, i'll try talking to that Gadon guy."

"You're going? Yeah, this dive is pretty boring. No action around here. Come on, Big Z, let's go."

See? I told you the plot can be found in the various Cantina's in the Star Wars Universe.

With the goal of talking to this Gadon person our valiant heroes Carth and Avren exit the Cantina and look for the Hidden Bek base, dealing with several enemies along the way.

Despite all my worries Avren is actually managing to survive and deal damage to the enemies instead of dying instantly and soon enough I find the entrance to the base.

But the lady in front won't let our heroes pass...

->"But Mission said i had to talk to this Gadon guy to progress the story!"

"Between the Sith conquest and the Vulkar gang war Gadon has more enemies than he used to. We're being careful about who we let in now."

->"...I could do some sidequests for him."

"Well, we do need all the help we can get. And you don't look like you're with the Vulkars or the Sith. Besides, it's not like you can do anything to harm Gadon in the heart of his own base. Not with Zaerdra watching his back."

"Go in and speak to Gadon if you want. Just remember to be on your best behaviour… the Hidden Beks are watching you."

After this she lets me enter the Hidden Bek hideout.

This is how the inside looks:

And after walking towards the man behind the desk...

...Another cutscene starts.

"You're too trusting, Gadon. Brejik and his Vulkars want you dead. Anyone we don't know is a potential threat, and it's my job to make sure you're safe!"

They continue to argue...

"Do you want us to start attacking strangers on sight, Zaerdra – like the Vulkars do? I will never let it come to that! Now step aside and let them pass."

"...As you wish. You can speak to Gadon if you want, but I've got my eye on you! You try anything and you'll be vaporized before you can say "Vulkar spy"!"

Now we can talk to Gadon...

->"I need information on those Republic escape pods that crashed in the Undercity."

Uh oh.

"Calm down, Zaerdra. If the Sith thought we knew anything useful they'd have a battalion of troops kicking down our door."

"No, I think this offworlder has his own agenda."

->"Yeah, I'm not working for the Sith."

"The Vulkars stripped those pods clean within hours after they landed. It's too bad we didn't get there first, considering what my spies reported the Vulkars found."

Well that's not good.

Okay that does sound good.

"She's too valuable to leave with the Vulkar scum at the base."

Dangit.

"Brejik's probably got your Republic friend hidden away somewhere safe until the big swoop race. You'll never find her."

->"Wait, what does a swoop race have to do with anything?"

"I'm afraid your friend has become a pawn in Brejik's game to take over the Lower City. He's offered her up as the Vulkar's share of the prize in the annual swoop gang race. By putting up such a valuable prize Brejik hopes to win the loyalty of some of the smaller gangs. Their numbers will allow him to finally destroy me and my followers."

Oh so it gets even better.

"The only hope you have of rescuing Bastila is to somehow win the big season opener of the swoop race."

->"But I don't even have a swoop bike."

->"I'm listening..."

"The swoop race is for the Lower City gangs only. I could sponsor you as a rider for the Hidden Beks this year. If you win the race, you'll win your friend's freedom. But first you have to do something for me. My mechanics have developed an accelerator for a swoop engine."

"A bike with the accelerator installed can beat any other swoop out there! But the Vulkars stole the prototype from us. They plan to use it to guarantee a victory in this year's swoop race. I need you to break into their base and steal it back."

->"How am I supposed to get inside the Vulkar base?"

"Getting into the Vulkar base won't be easy – the front doors are locked tight. But I know someone who might be able to get you in the back way – Mission Vao."

"Mission's explored every step of every back alley in the Lower City. Plus she knows the Undercity sewers better than anyone. If anyone can get inside the Vulkar base, it's her."

->"Where can we find her?"

"Your best bet is to look for her in the Undercity. But you'll need some way past the Sith guard post at the elevator."

->"I got past the Upper City guard no problem."

"A simple disguise might have worked on the Upper City guard, but the security down here is much tougher. You'll need the proper papers to get past him. Luckily my gang ambushed one of the Sith patrols headed down to the Undercity. They never made it, and their security papers fell into my hands."

"Since we're working together now I suppose I could give them to you in exchange for your uniforms. With the security papers you won't need a disguise anyway."

Why would you even want a single Sith disguise for?

"I like to be prepared. Eventually the Sith are going to try to drive us out of the Undercity. Sith disguises might give my people the edge we need in a crucial battle!"

->"But it's just one..."

He doesn't seem to care and accepts the single suit in exchange for the papers.

"I suggest you hurry. The swoop race is coming up, and we want you to have time to practice before the race."

With the papers acquired and a clear goal in mind our duo heads into the Undercity to find Mission and her Wookie friend. There's some enemies in the way there but as usual they're not difficult things to kill.

A little further ahead there's another cutscene waiting for us...

"Yeah, let's see the big crime lord come and get his money from the Black Vulkars!"

A man walks into the scene.

"Yeah, we were just goofin' around here. We don't want no trouble with a Mandalorian. Here's Davik's cut."

"I knew you boys would see reason. Now get out of here."

"Maybe next time, Canderous. I better get this over to Davik. I'll call you if anyone else gets behind on their payments."

Who is this man? Let's try talking to him!

->"Who are you?"

"I'm someone you don't want to get on the bad side of, and I'm not one for small talk."

"I don't have time to stick around here, anyway. Davik's got me working on a special assignment."

Him too? I wonder what he's making him and Calo do.

Anyway, after this the person disappears and we can keep moving.

It doesn't take long to reach the door to the Undercity Elevator.

"Hold on there, civilian! Only those with official Sith business are allowed into the Undercity. Unless you've got the proper security papers you better just turn around and go back the way you came." Says the Sith guard.

->"I've got my security papers right here."

"Let me see… hmmm, these look to be in order. Okay, you can go down if you want. Can't say I envy you, though. The Undercity is crawling with mutants. Rakghouls, they call 'em. If you see anything moving down there, shoot first and ask questions later."

This planet is really a mess...

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When you actually sit down and begin to recite or remember everything you do at the beginning of this game you begin to realize how long it takes to actually "start" playing the game. Tune in next time as i continue to play through the first level of the game that i'll probably finish in 1 year or something.

I'm kidding, it's really fast when you play through it but seeing the pictures and reading everything like this just makes it look like it takes even longer...

Hope next time we get to see a Rakghoul...

As always thank you for reading and remember to upvote. See you later!