Rescue of Bastila Shan

Darth Malak, Dark Lord of the Sith and leader of the Sith Empire, pursued the Jedi Bastila Shan in an effort to gain an advantage in the war against the Republic. Malak was afraid of Shan's power of battle meditation, which had been instrumental in the Republic's successful defense against the Sith. The Dark Lord of the Sith eventually located the young Jedi aboard the Republic Navy's Hammerhead-class cruiser Endar Spire, which she commanded. In an effort to capture the Jedi, an attack was launched against the ship above the planet Taris, but Shan was able to flee the Endar Spire. The lifepods that were ejected from the ship, one of which contained Shan, crashed on Taris's surface, with many landing deep within the Tarisian Undercity. Shan was rendered incapacitated and lost her lightsaber during her pod's crash. As a result, the Black Vulkars, a swoop gang from the Lower City, apprehended her.

Carth Onasi contacted an amnesiac Revan—who thought he was just a Republic soldier—via communicator in the final moments of the attack on the Endar Spire. Onasi, a former Republic pilot who was serving as an advisor on the Endar Spire, directed Revan to the ship's lifepods. After they met, Onasi and Revan boarded an escape pod together and crashed on the surface, landing in the Upper City, and Revan was injured. Onasi, on the other hand, was not seriously hurt and pulled Revan from the pod before a Sith inspection team arrived to retrieve it. While fleeing, Onasi came across an abandoned apartment and secured it as a safe haven.

While Revan was still unconscious, Onasi started looking around and gathering information. He discovered that the majority of the pods had crashed in the Undercity and reasoned that a Jedi like Bastila Shan might have also survived given their survival. Onasi then came to the conclusion that finding her was essential in order to continue supporting the Republic's war effort. At the same time, Revan—oblivious to his real past identity as the Sith Lord—had visions through the Force of the attack, led by Shan, aboard Revan's former flagship. Onasi said that Revan had been tossing and turning in his sleep for a couple of days.

Revan and Onasi decided that their situation—being separated from Bastila Shan and stranded on Taris—required immediate action, so they left their apartment and started looking for her. The pair ran into a Sith inspection team arguing with Ixgil and another Duros who co-owned the property as soon as they left their apartment and entered the complex's main concourse. Revan's and Onasi's presence, along with Ixgil's remarks, sparked a fight. During the fight, Ixgil was killed by blaster fire. Revan and Onasi then moved to defend the other Duros landlord, killing the inspection team. The leaser was appreciative and said that he would hide the bodies before other Sith teams showed up. After the encounter with the Sith patrol, Onasi said that it would be wise to remain discreet and avoid drawing unwanted attention to their presence because they were Republic personnel.

Revan and Onasi continued their search for more information by visiting the neighborhood cantina and other locations in the Upper City. The pair eventually located an elevator to the Lower City that was guarded. The elevator guard informed them that only Sith were permitted to use the elevator and access the lower levels. Realizing the need for a disguise, Revan and Onasi continued their search through the Upper City.

The pair came across a Sith interrogation of an Aqualish black market dealer in the North Apartments of the Upper City. A Sith guard attempted to usher Revan and Onasi along, but the pair stopped and attempted to defend the unarmed dealer. The other Sith interrogators were not pleased by this, and another fight broke out. After Revan and Onasi defended the Aqualish by defeating the Sith investigators, it was revealed that the dealer had been obtaining Sith armor for the Hidden Beks, a Lower City swoop gang, so that the Beks could move between levels without being stopped. The Aqualish was unable to provide Revan with armor, but he encouraged him to steal it from the bodies of the deceased inspectors. As the dealer fled the scene to go incognito, the pair took the armor off of one of the bodies. Revan and Onasi were granted access to the Lower City via the guarded elevator thanks to their Sith armor disguise.

The disguise worked as Revan and Onasi had anticipated: the elevator guard was persuaded that Revan was a Sith soldier dispatched to patrol the Lower City. After taking the elevator down to the Lower City, the pair was ambushed by members of the Black Vulkar gang. After dealing with the attackers, they entered Javyar's Cantina, a haven for a wide range of people, including bounty hunters, pazaak players, gang members, entertainers, and other citizens. Mission Vao, a Rutian Twi'lek and native of Taris, and her companion, Zaalbar, a Wookiee, were among the regular customers Revan and Onasi encountered. The bubbly Twi'lek regarded herself as Revan's and Onasi's "welcome party" to Taris and proceeded to answer all of their questions. Vao decided it was time to leave as the conversation came to an end. Vao suggested they check out the food at the Hidden Bek Base because Zaalbar hadn't finished eating, and they left. Revan and Onasi followed suit later and headed over to the base as well.

Revan and Onasi approached Gadon Thek, the swoop gang leader, inside the Hidden Bek Base. Thek was willing to strike a deal to assist the pair in their pursuit of Bastila Shan after being abruptly introduced to Zaerdra, Thek's bodyguard, the jumpy Twi'lek. Thek revealed that Brejik, their leader, had captured her and placed her as the prize in the annual season-opening swoop race. Thek reasoned that Revan would have to win the swoop race and claim his prize in order to save Shan. Thek offered Revan the chance to compete in the race on behalf of and sponsored by the Hidden Beks if he could retrieve a prototype accelerator that Vulkar gang members had stolen. The Black Vulkar Base was off-limits, and the only way in was through the Undercity sewers. Thek suggested that Mission Vao lead Revan through the sewers, claiming that she knew every inch of them better than anyone else. Vao and Zaalbar, on the other hand, had recently left to explore the Undercity further. Thek suggested that Revan and Onasi meet them there. Access to the Undercity was restricted to everyone unless they had the necessary security documents. Unlike the guard in the Upper City, a simple disguise was insufficient to grant them access. In exchange, Thek gave Revan the proper security documents that had been stolen from a Sith patrol in exchange for the Sith armor that he had initially worn. Revan and Onasi proceeded to the elevator that led to the Undercity with the necessary security documents in hand.

Revan and Onasi were approached by two men as they exited the elevator to the Undercity, who demanded a five-credit toll for using the elevator. An Outcast woman named Shaleena, however, rushed to the elevator to scatter the panhandlers. Shaleena informed the exploring pair of Gendar, the Outcasts' leader, and suggested speaking with him. Gendar claimed that the Outcasts were the descendants of those who had been banished from the Upper City for crimes against the people. They were plagued by rakghouls and other marauders, such as swoop gang members from the Lower City who came to scavenge remains. A large gate on the northeast side of their village kept them safe from the rakghouls. Revan then inquired of Gendar whether he was familiar with Mission Vao. He answered affirmatively, but only that she usually went into the sewers to explore. He then directed the pair toward the sewer entrances.

Revan and Onasi were immediately attacked by rakghouls as they left the Outcast village through the main gate. They had to fend off numerous attacks as they approached the sewers. Mission Vao appeared while they were making their way through the rakghoul-infested area, running toward the pair and pleading for assistance. Gamorrean slavers had captured Zaalbar, but Vao had managed to escape. Revan and the young Twi'lek agreed that Vao would assist the pair in entering the Black Vulkar Base if Revan would assist in rescuing Zaalbar. With this agreement, the trio entered the Lower City sewers.

Revan, Onasi, and Vao immediately encountered a few Gamorrean raiders upon entering the sewers. The Gamorreans had patrols and warriors stationed throughout the sewers, and as the trio searched for Zaalbar, they continued to encounter more and more of the slavers. Zaalbar was eventually found and freed after the trio defeated the Gamorrean chieftain. Zaalbar pledged a life debt to Revan in an act of gratitude, which is one of the highest honors in Wookiee culture. With Zaalbar promising to be at Revan's side, his Twi'lek companion also pledged her support to Revan, as well as agreeing to uphold her promise to help get him into the Black Vulkar Base. Vao, however, had to open a force field that was blocking passage into the depths of the sewers in order to lead him there.

As Revan's party was led by Mission Vao into the depths of the sewers, the team continuously encountered more rakghouls and Gamorrean slavers. They were eventually able to fight their way to the entrance of the Black Vulkar base, which was blocked by a rancor that had taken lair in the sewers. Vao mentioned that she had previously been able to sneak past it using stealth techniques. Revan and his party, using the input and advice from their team and surroundings, slew the rancor and opened the entrance to the swoop gang's base. Revan defeated two Nikto guards inside the immediate entrance area before entering the base.

Revan and his party began scoping out the location of the prototype accelerator inside the Black Vulkar base. The party attempted to access the garage, but it was guarded by gun turrets. The party needed to find the controls, so they continued to search the base. Throughout the base, however, numerous patrol droids and other gang members attacked Revan on sight. He eventually gained access to the main control terminal and deactivated the turrets. The party entered the garage, still looking for the accelerator, with the way clear.

The search for the prototype accelerator reached its climax inside the garage. Vulkar enforcer Kandon Ark and three of his bodyguards heavily guarded the engine. Ark initially taunted Revan and Mission Vao, urging them to kill Gadon Thek and join the Black Vulkars. Ark promised that Revan could compete in the Season Opener and be awarded 500 credits as further incentive to plot against Thek. Revan refused, and a skirmish broke out; Revan and his party eventually defeated Ark and his bodyguards, taking the prototype accelerator upon leaving. They returned to the Hidden Bek Base with the engine in hand and returned the loot to Thek.

Gadon Thek kept his word to Revan. Thek sponsored Revan in the race upon the return of the prototype accelerator. Thek noted that the engine was only a prototype and not entirely stable. If the engine malfunctioned, the swoop would explode and kill the racer. The engine, on the other hand, promised to increase the vessel's speed during the race. The gang leader decided to protect his regular racers from potential injury and have Revan race with the prototype in his swoop bike since Revan was a participant. Revan was taken to the track to register after a night of rest. Revan began learning how to run a swoop after meeting with the registrar and his mechanic. He quickly picked up the skill, however, and had a successful first run. His time was not the fastest, having been surpassed by the heralded Black Vulkar Redros, and he had to compete again. Revan would turn in the best time by race's end, defeating Redros and Anglu, a Hidden Bek Twi'lek racer.

The prize for winning the race was for the winner to take Bastila Shan as his or her personal slave. Brejik, however, protested and refused to turn the unconscious Jedi over to Revan. In fact, Brejik was still unaware that Shan was a Jedi. Shan, releasing herself from a neural suppressing restraint supposedly keeping her incapacitated at that instant, attempted to free herself from the cage in which she was being held. Realizing Shan as a Jedi, a fight ensued, with all nearby members of the Black Vulkars battling Revan and the now alert Shan. The gang members attacked the pair with blasters, vibroblades, and bare hands. The two fought through the onslaught, and defeated all those who stood against them. Redros and Brejik were among those killed.

The first primary objective—finding Bastila Shan and retrieving her from the swoop gang—had seemingly been accomplished. Shan, however, was spiteful of Revan and refused to acknowledge that he had come to rescue her. She scolded him, saying that the entire endeavor was a poor attempt at a rescue. When Revan mentioned that Carth Onasi was still alive, however, she apologized for her initial response, believing she may have misjudged him if Onasi was confident in Revan's abilities, and immediately shifted her attention to meeting with Onasi in order to leave the planet. The two proceeded back to the Upper City apartment, where they met with Onasi and began to discuss how to escape the Sith blockade around Taris.

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Revan, Carth Onasi, and Bastila Shan were in dire need of a plan if they hoped to escape Taris. Having only agreed that they needed to continue their search, the group departed from the apartment, intent on finding a way to leave the planet. As they exited, Revan was approached by a Twi'lek messenger who had been dispatched by Mandalorian mercenary Canderous Ordo. This messenger conveyed Ordo's request for Revan to meet him at Javyar's Cantina, where he claimed to have an offer that Revan "couldn't refuse." Subsequently, Revan made his way to the cantina in the Lower City and met with the mercenary. Canderous, having been impressed by Revan's victory in the Season Opener and the subsequent conflict, believed that Revan would be an ideal asset for his own goal of escaping Taris. Ordo proposed that he could arrange transport off-world if Revan could acquire the necessary blockade codes from the Sith Military Base. Due to the blockade surrounding Taris, any ship attempting to leave the system without proper authorization would be intercepted. The mercenary explained that once Revan delivered the codes, he and his team would be able to commandeer the Ebon Hawk, the flagship belonging to crime lord Davik Kang, as their means of escape. Elaborating on the plan, Ordo added that the Sith Base possessed a sophisticated security system that would necessitate the use of an astromech droid to bypass. Ordo instructed Revan to seek out Janice Nall, a Twi'lek droid specialist located in the Upper City, and to inform her that Canderous Ordo had sent him. The mercenary believed that mentioning his name would ensure Revan's easy acquisition of a pre-ordered droid from Nall. This droid had been originally commissioned by Kang and was ready for collection. Seeing no other viable option, Revan consented to the arrangement and left the cantina.

Revan then went to Janice Nall's droid shop and inquired about the astromech droid Ordo had mentioned. Upon hearing that Ordo had sent him, Nall agreed to sell the droid for 2000 credits. Revan purchased T3-M4 and then headed to the military base.

Utilizing his specialized skills, the newly acquired astromech droid, T3-M4, was able to override the security systems and unlock the main entrance to the military base. Following this, Revan and his team descended via elevator to the main reception area. There, they were immediately confronted by the receptionist stationed at the front desk. The receptionist, unwilling to engage in combat with Revan, offered not to trigger the security alarm in exchange for her freedom to leave. Revan granted her request, and the group proceeded further into the base. Throughout the base, sentry droids patrolled the corridors, and Sith soldiers occupied the various rooms. During one of these encounters, Revan obtained a Sith ID passcard. However, a significant obstacle awaited them at the elevator entranceway. A security droid, equipped with a powerful shield, was stationed there. This particular droid had recently undergone repairs and was functioning at peak performance. Earlier that day, a technician had repaired the transformer in the elevator, thereby eliminating the glitches that had previously plagued the droid's shield. Despite this, Revan and his companions managed to overcome the enhanced shield and ultimately destroyed the droid.

After defeating the droid, Revan used the passcard discovered in one of the rooms to gain access to the elevator shaft. Upon exiting the elevator, the team unexpectedly found themselves in the chambers of the Tarisian Sith Governor. Revan's arrival interrupted the governor's meditation, and he was further surprised to sense that Revan possessed Force-sensitive abilities. Believing this to be his opportunity to earn his lightsaber from his superiors, the dark side adept launched an attack on Revan. Throughout the ensuing conflict, the governor employed the dark side of the Force in an attempt to gain an advantage over his opponent. However, Revan ultimately prevailed. Having defeated the governor, Revan retrieved the launch codes from within the governor's quarters and made his escape from the base.

Following their escape from the Sith base, Revan and his team proceeded to Javyar's Cantina to rendezvous with Canderous Ordo, as previously arranged. Before their arrival, Ordo had already received word that the Sith base had been breached and raided. Upon Revan's arrival, Ordo, aware of the situation, remarked that he knew Revan had obtained the codes. Ordo then suggested that he introduce Revan to Davik Kang's estate, the headquarters of the Exchange crime syndicate, as a potential recruit. His plan was for Revan to remain on the estate grounds while Kang conducted background checks. During this waiting period, Ordo proposed that the team make their move toward the Ebon Hawk and escape the planet. Bastila Shan voiced her disapproval of this plan, expressing her distrust of Ordo. In response, the mercenary acknowledged that he was not particularly enthusiastic about partnering with them either. However, recognizing that no other viable alternative existed, the uneasy alliance departed from the cantina and made their way to Kang's estate.

Inside Kang's estate, Davik Kang and bounty hunter Calo Nord greeted Ordo and Revan. Initially, Kang and Nord expressed surprise at Ordo's companion. Ordo argued that Revan would be a valuable addition to the Exchange, citing his accomplishments, particularly his victory in the Tarisian Season Opener. Based on Ordo's recommendation, Kang agreed to consider Revan's potential recruitment into the Exchange. The crimelord then led Revan and his companions on a tour of the estate, highlighting the Ebon Hawk and its supposedly impenetrable security systems. Finally, they arrived at a room designated as Revan's quarters during the background check process. Kang instructed Revan not to venture beyond the guest area or disturb the other guests, warning that the guards would attack and attempt to subdue him or his companions if they did so. The slave quarters, however, were available if Revan required food or other amenities.

Once Kang had departed, Canderous Ordo advised Revan to begin searching for a way to disable the Ebon Hawk's security system and seize control of the ship. As he ventured deeper into the estate, he encountered guards and security droids stationed throughout. Alerted to his presence, the guards, as Kang had warned, attacked Revan. However, Revan defeated the guards and used a computer to disable the security systems of the hangar. Despite this, Revan still required the launch codes for the Ebon Hawk. In one of the rooms, two K-X12 probe droids were torturing an imprisoned man. Revan destroyed the droids and freed the man, named Hudrow, who had served as Davik Kang's pilot for the Ebon Hawk. In gratitude for being rescued, Hudrow provided Revan with the launch codes for the ship and then fled the base.

With the launch codes now stored in his datapad, Revan and Ordo made their way to the hangar. At that moment, explosions echoed through the estate, and the structure began to collapse. The Sith fleet had initiated the process of bombarding the planet from orbit. While inside the hangar, Kang and Nord spotted the pair attempting to escape. In the ensuing firefight, Revan and Ordo eliminated Kang, and part of the hangar collapsed onto Nord. Believing that both men had been defeated, Revan boarded the Ebon Hawk and initiated the launch sequence. As the bombardment continued, he collected his companions from the Upper City and fled the planet's surface.

Following their departure from the surface of Taris, Revan and his team found themselves caught in the midst of the planet's destruction. Sith fighters engaged the ship as it attempted to break through the blockade. After Revan shot down several of the fighters, Carth Onasi piloted the ship away from Taris. The Ebon Hawk then jumped to hyperspace and traveled to the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. There, Revan began his retraining as a Jedi Padawan and embarked on a quest to locate the Star Forge superweapon that the Sith were using to fuel their war effort, still unaware of his previous identity as Darth Revan.

Back on Taris, the planet was subjected to extensive bombardment, with Onasi later noting that no building taller than two stories remained standing. Nord, however, managed to survive the devastation and would later align himself with Darth Malak in an attempt to assassinate Revan.

The Rescue of Bastila Shan was a mission controlled by the player on Taris that was featured in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. This rescue serves as a plot device to formally introduce the characters of Bastila Shan, T3-M4, Mission Vao, and Zaalbar. In addition, the rescue serves to further familiarize the player with Carth Onasi and his backstory. Other characters that are introduced through cut-scenes include Darth Malak and Admiral Saul Karath of the Leviathan. The events on Taris also serve the purpose of further acquainting the player with elements of the game and beginning to drop hints about Revan's identity. Shan, however, must be rescued for the plot to continue.

The personnel used at any given moment in gameplay is fluid, although some party members are required for certain actions. Mission Vao, for example, is required to travel into the Undercity sewers with the player in order to open the force field. T3-M4 is required as a party member to break into the Sith Base and Canderous Ordo must stay as a party member to get into Davik Kang's estate. During each of these missions, the third party member is selectable by the player. While Revan is considered the principal character in gameplay, whomever the player is controlling can dispatch enemies in combat.

In gameplay, numerous side-quests can be completed concurrent to the main objective of rescuing Shan. These side-quests, such as fighting in the Taris dueling ring or completing some of the Hutt Zax's bounties, can provide a means of more credits. Others, such as assisting Tarisian locals or providing a cure for the Rakghoul plague to Zelka Forn, can sway the character's alignment either light-sided or dark-sided. Similarly, other actions, such as responses to characters, can change an alignment as well. For example, killing Hudrow in Davik Kang's estate after initially saving him gives the player dark side points.

The mission objective of obtaining the Sith armor can be achieved through an alternative means. While in the cantina, Revan can choose to converse with Sarna—or Yun Genda if the player is female. While conversing with her, she will reject his empathetic comments as being terse. If Revan chooses to continue the conversation, he can flirt with Sarna and be invited to a party in the North Apartments. If he attends, the party-goers pass out due to debauchery with Tarisian ale and their Sith armor is available for confiscation. Other than the ability to converse with Yun Genda instead of Sarna, no other objective is altered if the player chooses to play as a female, rather than the canonical male character.

Before proceeding to the Undercity sewers, the player has an option to speak to the Outcast Rukil, who asks if Revan was the one chosen to lead the Outcasts to the Promised Land. After explaining the Outcast legend, Rukil then asks Revan to look for his apprentice's journal while he searches the sewers. Completion of this optional side-quest causes the remaining Outcasts to begin their journey to the Promised Land and is part of the light-sided angle of the game.

The orbital bombardment of Taris is experienced regardless of the player's actions while rescuing Shan. Interpolated scenes are periodically shown during the rescue and escape missions indicating that Darth Malak was preparing to destroy the planet while Shan was being rescued.

In the Tarisian Season Opener, the player has a limited number of heats that can be run. It is possible to complete the challenge in two heats. After the third heat, however, the Hidden Beks's mechanic will inform the player that the temperature of the swoop engine was of concern and that a simple cooling system was added to enable at least one more run. After the fourth heat, the mechanic reroutes the cooling system's power to the accelerator hoping to give the swoop an extra boost. He tells the player that this modification is liable to cause the swoop to eventually explode. If the player does not complete the race within thirty-eight seconds during the fifth heat, the swoop explodes, killing Revan and prematurely ending the game.