It does not count toward legendary status. You basically get a "blank slate" character with no alignment, no romance, no influence with companions, etc. From what I've read/been told, certain decisions from your class story will apparently be assumed, but I don't know which ones.

There is definitely a bug with courting gifts (for at least some people and some romances). Unfortunately, there is also a bug with romances not being recognized in the expansion for some people - there is no dialogue option to mention your character has a loved one among their companions and you get no letter from the romanced companion (whether it actually means the romance is totally "turned off" is unknown). I also saw someone mention a romance being "turned off" mid-arc on a leveling character. The first two are apparently not necessarily related, as I saw someone on reddit who mentioned having the courting gifts bug with Elara but still got her letter.

I have the same issue with several romanced companions not giving the proper response to courting gifts, and have seen other people with the same issue. Would be great to see it acknowledged because I don't want to be surprised by a romance not carrying over

Neutral alignment, no romance and companions started with level 1 influence. Class companions do react positively to you when you recruit them as part of the alliance, and there are minor references to your class story. The visions/ghosts you face in at least one instance are characters from the class story as well. I didn't notice anything about any assumptions being made about choices in class story (except the romance), but I might have missed something and/or those might be coming later. *Edit* Actually there may have been one based on one of the spirits I encountered but I can't say for sure.

Because the game needs to know what your character did in certain situations or with certain characters to determine what dialogue and dialogue options you get in some circumstances (i.e. to know my trooper would reference romancing Elara or that my knight should get a letter from Doc). Non-boosted characters have everything completed and tracked, so the game can simply look for what my knight did on Alderaan, for example, and go from there. With a boosted character there is none of that history, so they basically auto-populate the fields/choices they need to reference later on. The instant-60 is just to skip 90% of the story to go right into KotFE, for whatever reason you want to do that. It was never intended to be used to avoid fulfilling requirements for achievements or titles, etc.

I've run KotFE with my LS Jedi Knight and boosted an Inquisitor. I am holding off on my other characters until they've addressed the bugs affecting companion romances that I've seen on my characters/with other people.

There seem to be two (maybe related?) bugs with companion romances - courting gifts stopped working properly (or at all) for some people with some romances (but might work for other people with the same companion) and KotFE does not acknowledge romances, possibly without any warning. Here's a topic about the courting gifts issue Here's one on romances not being recognized There's probably more topics on it, too. I know I've seen it mentioned on the SWTOR subreddit when I lurk there. I've experienced the courting gifts bug on many of my characters and at this point I don't want to take any of my characters with romances into the expansion because I can't be sure the bug can be fixed at that point. Some sort of acknowledgement from Bioware and statement that they're working on it would be great. Fixing it would be even better.

Even as a big fan of KOTOR/KOTOR 2, I found the change jarring and I'm really not a fan of the implementation. There have been several "conversations" where there were only 3-4 response options rather than the variety that the system supposedly offers. Also, it really bugged me when my characters encountered their former companions and couldn't actually talk to them. Choosing text options felt so impersonal when reconnecting with people that actually mattered to them.

Not your LI - the same companion boards for each class regardless of relationship. Knights get Kira (mine romanced Doc), Inquisitors get Andronikos, etc. Elara's letter (link to image)

I checked this morning on my level 60 trooper that romanced Elara and still no influence gain with a level 5 (blue) courting gift. If the gift values are just bugged for romanced companions, I'm not really fussed about it because I can just keep my courting gifts around. What I am concerned about is whether the romances might not be flagged properly.

I'm having the same issue with some companions as well.

Haven't cheated on any character but am only getting influence gains from some characters but not others. Hoping this doesn't mean the game isn't recognizing those romances where the gifts aren't working...

Jorgan set the ship down in a camouflaged hangar at the nearby Resistance base. The local fighters were busy celebrating the victory in Sobrik, drinking and partying as if they’d already won the damn war. I couldn’t really blame them – a big part of their home was now free – but the joy melted to ash in my mouth every time I remembered the way the Imps had left the bodies back at Vik’s camp. Bastards claim to be soldiers but can’t even treat the dead with respect. I’d forwarded what information we had back to Commander Madine, who’d promised to run our mission profile past the Resistance so we wouldn’t find ourselves up **** creek without a paddle once we’d gotten into the factory. We needed that intelligence, but with it came the inevitable delay caused by the back and forth between everyone involved, and we didn’t have time to waste. Every minute we spent sitting around and waiting was another minute the Imperials had to torture Vik, assuming he was still alive. The rest of the squad was just as restless as I was – Jorgan was wandering around with his jaw set as firmly as it’d been since Ord Mantell, Forex kept prattling on about showing the Imperials the righteous fist of Republic justice, and Elara… Elara had a determined expression about her that I’d never seen from her before and almost reminded me of Jorgan. It reminded me that while she was a damn fine soldier, she was a healer first and foremost, and what the Imperials had done to Vik’s men was basically the antithesis of everything that Elara believed in. And the very reason she defected in the first place. I knew that she’d be ready to go when it was time to head out, but I wished like all hell that I could do something to help her, to show I was there to support her. Too bad you can’t do **** with everyone else around. The best I could do was ensure that the squad was ready to go when called upon – ammo and supplies fully restocked, maps and navigational materials ready to go and local contacts properly set up. We’d only have one shot at the mission; we couldn’t afford to waste it. Fortunately, our wait ended up being mercifully short – the Resistance sent over their suggested mission plan that evening and a liaison the next morning. The latter ended up being a bit of a disappointment - an awkward looking man named Sanju Pyne. He was some sort of business man who’d apparently ingratiated himself enough with the Imperials to use them for whatever the Resistance needed, even tricking them into wandering into a handful of Resistance ambushes. He knew how to handle a briefing too, as he clearly outlined the Resistance’s knowledge of what the Imperials were up to in the factory while also concisely describing where there were gaps in the Balmorran intelligence. Guy might have even had a future in the Republic military if he wanted it, but I couldn’t blame him for wanting to make a difference on his homeworld instead. People had their priorities, and his made perfect sense. The Resistance intel he provided didn’t add a whole lot onto what their mission plan had suggested, but it was still useful – a worker access ramp to the northeast of the factory would give us the chance to get inside with minimal attention from the troops stationed inside. The initial mission plan hadn’t even included the ramp at all, and would have meant fighting through at least two security checkpoints. It’d also save us at least five minutes on either end of the mission, which was pretty damned helpful when you were heading into a large facility filled with hostile soldiers. When he was finished, I decided to show my appreciation. “You’re a good man, Pyne. Wish we had more of you in Logistics, actually.” I reached out with my hand and shook his. “Be sure to have the drinks ready for us when we get back.” His eyes flashed for a moment as he smiled. “I’ll have to take a rain check on that one – drinking doesn’t go well with the underground lifestyle.” “Makes sense.” Drinking tended to be a popular pastime among soldiers, but it was probably easier to do when you were in an organized unit, less so when you were a civilian on an occupied world. Maker knows how much stupid **** you got away with because you weren’t somewhere like Balmorra when you got drunk. “Still, not every day you liberate a capital, right?” Pyne smiled weakly. “I suppose not, but we have plenty of work to do before Balmorra is free.” He glanced across the room and nodded in Elara’s direction. “I couldn’t help noticing her accent - your medic’s Imperial?” “Was,” I corrected gently. “She defected years ago. Took a lot of guts – her family’s apparently a big deal in the Empire.” “Oh,” he replied. “I’m surprised the Republic doesn’t have her locked away so they can get all the intelligence they can on the Empire.” “I’m sure they tried. She actually worked in a clinic on Coruscant for a few months while they questioned her and did the usual intelligence checks – she even has the name printed on her armor to remember it.” I rubbed the back of my head and scratched the itch I felt coming. “It was only after she got cleared that they let her into the military and even that is still on a provisional basis.” “At least it sounds like they’re giving her a chance now. Must have been difficult with her family being so important.” He paused. “I didn’t recognize the name, though. Dorne, was it?” “Yeah. Apparently her family’s been a big part of the military for generations.” I took a sip of water from the bottle I’d grabbed from our supplies. “Kinda like mine, I guess. Maybe that’s why we work well together.” Maybe you’re a damned idiot, too. He gave another weak grin. “I’ll have to keep that in mind if I ever need a character reference in the Empire.” “Ha. Definitely a reason to stay on her good side.” I glanced at the time and realized I needed to get prepped for the mission. “Anyway, let me know if you change your mind about that drink. We’ll be sure to have some extra for you.” “We’ll see.” He grimaced and glance down at his data pad. “I’ve got a few messages I need to send out and a lot of work to take care of. Sobrik was a great start, but it was just the beginning. We’ve got a long fight ahead of us.” I slapped him playfully on the back. “You’ll get there. One way or another, Balmorra will be free.” Then I pushed past him and reunited with the rest of the squad. Elara stepped forward .“I have updated our mission profile to account for the entrance that was previously unaccounted for. Sergeant Jorgan and I have calculated that it will save us approximately nine minutes of transit time, and scans suggest it will allow us to avoid several highly secured areas as well.” “Excellent. Commander Madine stated that the Resistance would be lending us one of their transports so we can get in close to the factory without attracting as much attention as we would with the Thunderclap. We’ll be heading out in thirty minutes, so make sure everything’s in order.” I eyed Forex carefully. “If anything comes up, let me know. I’ll be on board the ship.” Nobody had any problems, apparently, as I ended up sitting in the Resistance ship for most of the remaining time without so much as a hint that anyone was going to join me. Part of me – a stupid part – had hoped Elara might sneak on board, but someone would have noticed that and we didn’t need any complications before an important operation. We departed the Resistance camp on schedule, with Jorgan piloting the ship behind the cover of the medium-sized mountains that stretched northward toward the factory. There was a bit of an issue with a camouflaged Resistance unit, which took a shot at us with an RPG, but the Cathar handled it easily. After that, we enjoyed smooth sailing until the landing zone that the Resistance had marked off for us, nestled in some smaller hills that kept the ship safely out of sight of anyone at the factory, despite being only a few minutes away from the complex. Hopefully our Balmorran friends did their jobs and knocked out the sensor net. Forex took point, like always, carefully navigating the rocky terrain between us and our objective with the help of the mini-repulsors someone had thankfully thought to install on its chassis. Jorgan and Elara followed closely, while I swept the rear to ensure we didn’t have any unwelcome surprises from behind. Pyne’s information ended up being exactly right – almost too right[/i]; there was only a pair of Imperials lounging outside the main door at the ramp as we approached. A couple of lights above the door winked on and off, but only in an automated pattern that suggested no one inside the factory was paying any more attention to the area than the two Imperials ahead of us. A couple of silenced shots from Forex made sure that the guards wouldn’t be paying anyone attention. The droid then stepped aside as I strode forward to the door and began cracking the lock on it – it was simple cipher that a youth scout group would have been ashamed to come up with. That gave me pause – if only for a moment. The ramp might have been small and easy to overlook, but it should still have been secured better than it had been. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck raise slightly as I considered the various things the lack of security could imply, and found myself not liking most of them. Maybe if we hadn’t hit Sobrik, maybe, I could see them having slacked off on security here but now this place is the strategic center for their position in the region. “Seems a bit too quiet.” I tried to keep my tone casual over the comm channel. “Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious.” I glanced at the scanner displays in my helmet, but the concentration of heat signatures didn’t look unusual for a facility the size of the factory. “Might be nothing, but I don’t want any surprises.” There weren’t any surprises, though, just a couple of brief skirmishes with mostly unarmored and unprepared Imperials that we encountered on our way to the section where Vik was being held. They looked surprisingly young as we passed their corpses, but I supposed it made sense given the Imperial mindset - why send your best troops to get bogged down fighting a resistance movement when you could bloody your green recruits instead? Especially when you can use the experience to turn them into the kind of soldiers that target civilians and massacre innocents. Suddenly, I didn’t feel quite as bad about the dead Imperials we were leaving behind us. We continued on, weaving in and out of corridors that led to rooms full of enough weaponry to take the entire planet over if you had enough soldiers to use them. I’d heard stories about Balmorra’s industrial capacity, but it was thing to see numbers on a data pad and quite another to see what those numbers represented in person. There was no time to gawk, though, not with the threat of Vik being killed or hauled away at any minute. I winged a couple more Imperials that happened to patrol around the corner and toward us and then hustled forward; the rest of the squad followed behind me. Up ahead was the intersection of several main throughways, one of which led directly to the area that Vik was being held in. There were Imperials stationed throughout the intersection, a lot of them – way more than there should have been based on the intelligence estimate provided by the Resistance the previous night. Instead of the half dozen or so soldiers that should have been stationed in the room, there were at least two dozen armored soldiers and a uniformed officer standing to the rear. There was something…wrong…about their formation, too – there were two heavy blaster cannon emplacements welded to the floor, as if they were expecting hostile company. One was pointed in our direction, the other down the corridor that we would have been coming down had we stuck to our original operational plan. It was almost certainly just a coincidence, but… Something’s not right, but we don’t have time for this ****. We need to move quickly, or else we’ll find that Vik’s not right, either. I made an arm motion at Forex to attract its attention. “Forex, we’re going to need you to blast the crap out of the turret on the left – we don’t have enough firepower to keep up suppressive fire long enough if both of their emplacements are blasting us. Station yourself in the alcove thirty degrees to my left, then use your repulsors and let them have it when you get my signal.” The droid ‘nodded’ and began shuffling away as I turned to Elara and Jorgan. “Elara, I need you coordinating from the rear, watching out for me and Sergeant Jorgan. I’ll take point and open up with flashbangs and a couple of fragmentation grenades to soften them up. Jorgan, you’re going to drop some mortar rounds on them. Forex and I will clean up whatever’s left.” The Cathar nodded. “Locked and loaded, sir.” “Please keep your head down, Sir, I –“ Elara paused, catching herself. “I would rather not have to perform emergency surgery during the middle of an operation.” I gave her a cheeky thumbs up, but couldn’t tell if she appreciated the flippant gesture. I guessed not. “Think of it this way – if things go wrong, you’ll get to prove yourself as the new commander of Havoc Squad.” I knew I’d screwed up immediately from the way I could hear her breath quicken over the command channel. You can’t act like your expendable any more, you idiot, not even as a joke. You wouldn’t have said that to Ris, you sure as hell shouldn’t be saying it to Elara. She’s the best thing that’s happened to you in years and you’re someone she feels comfortable opening up to and feeling something for…maybe the only one. I realized that I needed to learn when that kind of joking might not be appropriate…at least after the mission was over. I gently tapped Elara on the shoulder to reassure her, hoping Jorgan wouldn’t notice – it was about all I could do for now. I turned back to Forex, who was in position using the oddly shaped walls of the building as cover. I double tapped the communicator on my helmet, to let it know that I was starting the countdown – even without the looming threat of something happening to Vik, someone was going to notice us eventually if we didn’t make our move, and our best weapon was surprise anyway. 3…2…1… Forex roared out of its hiding spot with a loud burst from its repulsors, the sound catching the Imperials entirely off-guard. Several immediately scrambled for cover, though I noticed that they drew their weapons and scanned the area for threats beyond Forex as they did so. Whatever unit they were from was clearly pretty well trained – these weren’t the same local forces we’d run into so far. It didn’t matter, though – we were trained to kill elite troops just as well as unseasoned ones. I reached into my utility belt and grabbed a pair of flashbangs, activated them, and tossed them into opposite corners of the room. The bright glare added to the conflagration caused by the explosions from the rockets Forex was firing at the two turrets and blinded the Imperials, who had just started returning fire at the droid. The screens on their helmets kicked into gear to normalize the glare, but it took them a second or two that they just didn’t have. My frag grenades landed, clanking along a couple of times before they exploded in a rush of energy, sending shrapnel and debris that tore through even the strongest armor the Imperials had. The half dozen or so troopers who were closest to the grenades fell where they stood, and the rest were either thrown backward by the blast or were forced to take cover to avoid taking hits themselves. The delay was short, but fatal. Forex swept the room with its blasters, which turned almost red as they overheated from overuse. Jorgan’s cannon opened up on them, dropping explosive rounds into the bloody mess rapidly developing in the intersection. One round caught an Imperial right in the head, exploding it into a fine red mist that I’d have been disgusted by if I had the time. I didn’t have time for anything but the fight, so I rolled out from cover and sprayed the room with more blaster bolts, picking off a couple of the troopers that had managed to crawl out from cover and were trying to fire on Forex. Jorgan whirled and blasted another trooper as he rose from behind an overturned table to bring his pistol to bear on me, while Forex continued to rain rockets at what little was left of the second turret. Behind the smoking wreckage, I could see the officer on his hands and knees, scrambling for what looked like his comm. I couldn’t get a good shot off with my rifle, so I drew my pistol and picked him off from range. I dropped my gun immediately after, and swept the room with my scanners. There were only two life-signs left, and they were faint and flickering. I motioned for Jorgan and Forex to sweep the room again. The life signs disappeared. Forex forged ahead down the corridor, followed by the rest of us. We needed to keep moving and get to Vik as soon as we could – someone would have heard the explosions and weapons fire, even if the officer hadn’t managed to get a communications out. It wasn’t like we wanted to stick around the area, anyway. What was left of the Imperials was…hard to see. As I stepped over what remained of the Imperial commander, I noticed that the comm wasn’t a comm after all – it was a data pad. I leaned over his corpse and lifted the device off the ground, wiping away the blood and viscera from the screen. The pad was locked, which wasn’t surprising, but the cipher key was one I didn’t recognize, and looked more sophisticated than I would have expected for an Imperial unit on Balmorra, even if they had been stationed in a strategically critical location like the Arms Factory. I didn’t have time to puzzle that out, though, especially when the rest of the squad was impatiently waiting for me, so I slipped the pad into my pack and hustled to catch up. We didn’t run into much resistance on the way to the area the Resistance said Vik was being held in, just a regular patrol of three Imperial soldiers that seemed almost blissfully unaware of what they had run into and a disorganized group of five poorly-armed Imperials that almost ran directly into us and lasted only a second or two after that. I couldn’t help but notice their old, patched-up, armor – I wondered if they were just conscripts caught up in a war they didn’t belong in. Things rarely work out the way they should. You know that better than most. I frowned as Forex trundled forward and leaned against the door leading into Vik’s room. “Sir, I detect no fewer than four voices with Imperial accents, located around a central location in the room.” Forex’s “eyes” turned to Elara for a moment, almost as if it recognized that its comment might have offended her. “I recommend we use Attack Formation Omega to surprise those Imperial fiends!” Elara shook her head and pointed at a vent entrance in the wall. “Perhaps we might enter through that service entrance instead,” She said quietly. “It would allow us the element of surprise while also reducing the chance of accidentally harming Specialist Vik during the engagement.” “Whatever best allows us to free our intrepid comrade!” The droid shut up real quick once all three of us stared at it. “El-Lieutenant Dorne and I will enter through the vent. It’s a bit cramped for Sergeant Jorgan’s cannon and even worse for your bulk, Forex. You two will provide cover from the doorway.” Each of my companions acknowledged my order, so I strode over to the vent and removed the entrance, opening the entry into the room. “Move in ten seconds.” I paused. “Or when you hear loud noises coming from the room, whichever comes first.” It sounded like either Elara or Jorgan huffed in response to the last bit. Maybe both. I lowered my head slightly and moved into the vent, taking care not to bump my head against the top, and special care not to make too much noise. Elara followed a few steps behind, pistol at the ready. We reached the end of the vent nine seconds into the ten second count. Perfect. I lowered my shoulder and powered my way into the room just as Forex broke down the main door. There were three Imperials standing around Vik, not four. All of them had their pistols in their holsters, and each had an expression that suggested they didn’t have any interest in fighting, either. Their leader – a portly, middle-aged, man with an ugly moustache – turned a rather unhealthy looking shade of pink, while his compatriots both began shaking like a teenager asking a girl to a dance for the first time. I decided to take advantage of their weakness and motioned for them to drop their belts onto the floor. They complied without hesitation. “On your hands and knees in the name of the Balmorran Resistance.” I was probably breaking a few rules by pretending to be Balmorran, but I didn’t see the need to properly identify us to the Imperials. “The sergeant over here is going to truss you up real good and make sure you don’t give us any trouble.” I glanced over at Vik, only to find him grinning like an idiot despite being bound and on the ground. “You should have run when you had the chance. He’s going to show you what a real soldier does to chumps like you.” The Imperial leader gaped at me as if I’d turned into some kind of monster. Karking Vik. This isn’t a game. “Ignore Vik. The sergeant will bind you, but we aren’t going to hurt you.” I looked back at the Weequay, feeling the sudden urge to hit him instead. “As long as you don’t do anything stupid, nobody has to get hurt here.” The Imperials nodded silently, so I walked over behind Vik and cut his bindings with my service knife. He stretched out his arms for a few seconds, then forced himself to his feet. “It’s good to finally meet you in person.” I couldn't quite tell if he was being sarcastic. "You're a true hero." “Welcome aboard, Vik.” I decided to keep things casual. “How about we socialize somewhere where we aren’t likely to run into a few dozen Imperial troops.” I glanced over at Jorgan and saw that the three Imperials were tied up and no longer a threat. “Time to go.” Vik nodded as we started making our way to the door. “Since we’re all on the same team, Captain, I should probably let you in on the nature of my mission.” “What mission?” I shot him a suspicious look. “Commander Ardon wasn’t aware of the change in orders you decided to give yourself.” “Ah, that.” He had a thoughtful look on his face as he directed us away from our exit and toward one of the storage areas. “I found a target of opportunity and decided to hit it. Would have worked, too. Damned Imps.” “What target was that?” I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like the answer. "The weapons prototypes, you mean?" Vik didn’t respond at first. Instead, he walked over to a smaller storeroom and quickly punched in a ten digit code. “Of course. You didn't think I'd leave those behind, did you?" “So you think we’re going to walk into a heavily guarded storeroom, make off with these weapons prototypes and saunter out of here?” I wondered how Vik had lasted long enough in the military to get a disciplinary record like his with that kind of tactical planning. “Of course not, boss.” He nodded at a rapidly approaching Twi’lek. “My contact clears the storeroom, leaving the prototypes to us.” “To the Resistance, you mean.” He gave me a strange look. “My buyers aren’t in the Resistance.” “Your buyers?” It suddenly clicked. “You mean we’ve been chasing you around this planet to help you make a business deal?” My face reddened and heated up as the full implications clicked. “This – this is outrageous.” Elara sounded furious. “It would be bad enough if you had merely misappropriated resources and manpower for your scheme, but you also led dozens of Resistance members to their death simply to get rich. How could you?” “Pretty easily, actually.” Vik began to smirk… So I caught him full in the face with an armored fist that dropped him to his knees again. His Twi’lek friend halted a few feet away and put his hands up to make it clear he wasn’t going to interfere. I gave him a wary look, then hit Vik again, opening up a cut right above his left eye. I noticed Jorgan stepping forward, clenching a fist like he wanted to join in. I waved him away. “You karking son of a *****. You got people killed for some damned credits. You could have gotten my people killed too.” I seethed as I thought back on my conversation with Garza. She must have known he could be capable of something like this, which made her dismissal of my concerns that much worse. “Tell me why I shouldn’t tie you back up and leave you for the karking Imperials?” *********** piece of ****. Vik’s face twisted into a sneering smile. “Because you have your orders from General Garza, and you wouldn’t want to upset your commanding officer.” I cocked my arm back to hit him again, but stopped short – Vik was an ******e who deserved everything he’d gotten and more, but he was also right. It wasn’t like he was the only villain in the situation too – Garza had had full access to his records and disciplinary information and had clearly decided not to fully inform me about my newest squad member. The hell he’s getting on my squad, now, though. **** this. And **** Garza. "We have orders to bring Vik in, but not anything specific beyond that." Jorgan spoke as if we were discussing some mundane, everyday, topic. "Maybe we could take him to see the families of the men and women who died so he could have his fun." "Tempting, but we don't have the time." The Cathar shrugged, but I couldn't help but notice the murderous glint in his eye when he looked at the Weequay. When I looked at Vik again, he was still oozing smug condescension. “What’ll it be, boss?” “Jorgan, secure and monitor Specialist Vik. Use whatever methods are necessary to ensure he complies with orders.” I pointed at the Twi’lek. “You. There’s a change in delivery for those weapons. You will deliver them to the Resistance outpost in Bugtown. I will be giving the coordinates to this trusty droid.” I turned to Forex, suddenly only my second least-favorite member of the squad. “Forex, you will ensure the weapons prototypes are delivered as I requested.” Vik gave us a baleful look as Forex responded with an enthusiastic “For the Republic!” “We’ll use one of these supply transports to get back to the ship. The factory will be crawling with Imperials, and we’ll be short Forex. There’s no point in courting trouble.” I turned back to the droid. “Once the weapons are delivered to Commanders Ardon and Madine, you will allow him to go on his way.” I gave the Twi’lek a wry grin. “Though I suspect you won’t be all that welcome back here.” “This is bulls-“ Vik began, before I caught him across the face with an open-palmed slap. “Jorgan – if he talks again, muzzle him.” “With pleasure, sir!” Jorgan sounded happy about the possibility. A bit too happy. "Son of a ***** doesn't deserve a rescue." I didn't really disagree, but it wouldn't do anyone any good for me to say so. We climbed into one of the transports scattered through the room. They were normally used for short distance cargo transportation, so it was uncomfortable as all hell, but it did the job. I sent the hangar door a query identifying us as another standard shipment – the Imperials hadn’t anticipated us going out this way, so there was no lockout or override in place to stop us. In fact, we didn’t run into anything at all the entire way back to our ship. Small blessings. Since Jorgan was watching Vik, I climbed into the pilot’s seat to get us back to the Resistance outpost. Jorgan and Elara clambered in after Vik, strapping themselves into the seats in case we ran into trouble. I hoped like hell that we didn’t, because I didn’t have Jorgan’s experience as a pilot and doubted I’d be able to come close to matching him if things got hairy. Luckily, the trip back to the base was as uneventful as the flight out of the storage area – the only craft in the air seemed to be the small fighters the Balmorrans were fond of. Jorgan took Vik to the brig, while Elara followed me into the small closet the local Resistance commander had set aside as my “command center”. I still wasn’t sure if he’d just been doing his best or if he was trying to take a potshot at the Republic interlopers. Maybe a bit of both. I sighed heavily as I slumped against the wall. I realized I’d be more comfortable in my chair, though, so I started stripping off my armor and piling it on a table. “Sir, permission to speak freely?” Elara gave me a concerned look. “Of course, Elara? What’s on your mind?” “I realize that you would like to unwind, but was hoping we could prepare a statement to General Garza regarding Tanno Vik’s conduct here on Balmorra. Surely she would not continue to insist upon his inclusion in the squad now.” She furrowed her brow. “To be so callous over the deaths he caused simply to get a little richer…” “Maybe tomorrow morning, Elara.” Her frown deepened. “It’s not that I disagree, I just want to make sure I cool off a bit and approach it with a clear head. I – I almost lost control for a moment there. I just wanted to make him hurt to pay him back for all the hurt he’s caused.” I stopped fiddling with my armor for a second and looked guiltily at my hands. “I almost became exactly what I’m supposed to be fighting.” Elara placed one of her hands on mind and gently cupped my cheek with the other. “The fact you recognized what you were doing was wrong is why you aren't like them at all, Ayrs. I think any of us would have felt right hitting Specialist Vik.” “I doubt you would have,” I shot back lightly. “Probably would have just piled up some paperwork for him and some extra physical exams to clear him medically.” “Perhaps.” Elara wrinkled her nose and smiled slightly. “I should go check in on Sergeant Jorgan and Vik – I would not be surprised if Jorgan was as eager to mete out punishment as you were.” “Wouldn’t surprise me either,” I replied as I slipped onto my chair. Then, a thought occurred to me. “Actually, can you take a look at something for me?” I reached into my pack and pulled out the Imperial data pad, which I handed to her. “I pulled this off of the Imperial officer commanding that ambush we ran into in the factory. It’s encrypted, of course, but the key doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen from the Imperial military. I wasn’t sure if you might recognize it from when you, uh, were an Imperial.” Elara stared at the pad pensively, hitting a few keys now and then. “I must admit that I do not recognize this particular encryption key, Sir. But if I’m not mistaken…” She paled slightly as her voice trailed off. “If you aren’t mistaken…” I repeated gently. “I believe this bears several hallmarks of Imperial Intelligence, especially this pattern here.” She turned the pad so I could see the screen and pointed to a series of numbers. “It’s just – I don’t understand why simple garrison troops would be using such a cipher.” “Me neither.” I felt a chill travel down my spine. Imperial Intelligence had a reputation. “I’ll…I’ll forward it to Commander Madine and see if he has anyone on staff that can crack it. It might be nothing.” Or, it could mean that our activities were attracting more attention from across the border than we’d thought. Maybe the Empire was working just as hard to get ready for the next war as we were. “Of course, Sir.” Elara paused, then leaned over and kissed me gently on my forehead. “Please be sure to get some rest.” I grinned up at her. “Hard to get much rest when I’m busy thinking about you.” “I will have to investigate some remedies for that, Sir” she replied in a jaunty tone. “Good,” I growled as I pushed myself up from the chair and slipped around the desk. She flushed slightly but smiled again and more broadly as I wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her in for a quick kiss. I felt her shiver slightly as our lips pressed against each other, and felt myself do the same a heartbeat later. Stars, she feels good. “I’ll find some time for us. Somewhere nice, too.” Her green eyes twinkled like precious gems. “I would like that.” “Have a good night, Elara.” “Good night, Ayrs.” I watched her closely as she left, partly so I could have a second to catch my breath and partly because she made trooper armor look damned good. Then, I sat down again and quickly forwarded the cipher key to Madine back at Bugtown. If Imperial Intelligence was operating against us on Balmorra, we needed to know how much they knew and what their plans were. And fast.

Honestly, I think Rakton being lower-key/a soldier actually makes him a much better fit for the trooper story, which is much more about experiencing the grittier, grounded, side of a galactic war and less about the "epic rivalry" of say Sith Warrior/Baras. In some ways he also serves as an interesting reflection on Garza and [possibly] the trooper as well, especially given his refusal to commit the kind of war crimes and punishment of soldiers under his command that do commit them. I just think he should have been introduced and included in the story earlier in Act 2 and the following story adjusted to integrate him better. Doing so would also allow the Act 2-3 story to have a more strategic, even feel where Rakton and the Havoc Squad commander/Garza make moves and counter-moves against each other. Kilran is too much of a mustache-twirling villain for me to see him as being a good opponent for the trooper.

I'm going to be referencing explicit spoilers and realized there's no spoiler warning, so I will mark specific spoilers as best I can. Yes, military units do tend to have their missions decided on by others...and then the actual tactical decisions are made by those actually going on the mission to determine how to accomplish what the higher-ups want. It's also a weird argument to use if you're trying to say Cipher Nine is a better planner than the Havoc Squad commander, because the agent gets ordered around by Keeper, Watcher 2, Kothe, possibly Jadus, etc. At what point does the agent display this tactical prowess you keep assuming? How far did you get? The trooper does the same thing on two separate occasions (at the ends of act 2 and 3), and during the second example they're actually commanding and directing several other units too. Talking down Jadus, sure (although that's more persuasion than smarts and the Jadus confrontation really treads the line of lore silliness, especially if you fight him.) The Star Cabal? Agent Act 3 Spoilers: So, how is that proof that the agent is smart or a tactical powerhouse? You have the villain monologue that reveals way too much, you have Intelligence actively supporting and directing the agent throughout the chapter, and you have other agents/sources assisting the agent or telling them where to go. The agent does demonstrate skill at infiltration/coercion at multiple points, but if you're going to try to downplay the trooper's tactical abilities because they take orders or are part of a larger organization, the Star Cabal episode demonstrates the exact same for the agent. And blackmailing people doesn't really prove anything about intelligence, and doesn't really demonstrate anything about the agent's capabilities against the trooper's. You're falling into the trap of assuming skill or expertise in specific areas (in this case, subterfuge/infiltration) inherently means general expertise. Yes, the agent is obviously very well trained in subterfuge/infiltration, but that means they're an expert in those areas and better at the trooper in those areas, not that they're smarter than the trooper in general. Military operations also require all sorts of precise knowledge - what kind of weaponry/gear is needed, where to detonate explosives, how to infiltrate specific areas without alerting the defensive forces, etc. The agent is hardly the only one with expertise of some kind. That's not how the trooper specifically or Special Forces in general work. Havoc Squad is responsible for a variety of mission types against a variety of targets and (despite your claim above) the trooper/player also has to make tactical command decisions at least twice, and (just like in real life) the trooper would be required to react to the situation on the ground, not just mindlessly follow orders. I really think people need to consider how a Special Forces unit would actually operate, outside of gameplay restrictions. And? I've never claimed that the agent is not smart or capable, I've said there's no particularly good support for these "the Agent is so much smarter than the trooper" and "with prep time, the agent will definitely win" type opinions. After all, you could also say this: The Havoc Squad commander is such a capable soldier that they were not only assigned directly to Havoc Squad out of Special Forces training, but were given a field promotion to run the squad. The position of commanding Havoc Squad is extremely prestigious, given that the unit is the (seemingly) the most elite in the Republic, and is typically held be soldiers considered the best or among the best in the galaxy (Tavus, and especially Malcolm). Clearly, the story implies the Havoc Squad commander is considered either the best or one of the best soldiers in the Republic/galaxy.* * I think the trooper is probably one of many super-elite soldiers, not the best. Kothe was SIS, not Special Forces (for clarification). Yes, but I wasn't referring to Jorgan - there is an ex-Imperial in Havoc Squad and Cipher 9 was never fully integrated into the SIS team (as is pointed out several times during Act 2). Also, Jorgan was a black ops soldier for some time, so he probably would have some understanding of Imperial tactics from that (I don't think he ever mentions tangling with counter forces from the Empire, though I might just be forgetting). And all of the trooper crew has been fighting the Empire as well and have more experience (in general and in combat) and have demonstrated success in combat as well. Huh? Leaving aside that the only real comparison I made between the two was to note that people were acting like Cipher Nine was some AMAZING sniper without peer while ignoring Jorgan's experience/skill, how would Jorgan not be superior in at least combat/military related ways, including tactical planning? That's what he has significant experience doing, while Cipher Nine would not. Do you not see how the problem with the logic in your argument? "Cipher Nine can handle the Republic (apparently even the most elite unit in the Republic Special Forces) because (s)he's faced Republic forces before" while "Havoc would not be able to handle Cipher 9 because (s)he wouldn't use standard Imperial tactics".... (1) Special Forces wouldn't use standard Republic tactics either (2) Cipher Nine's experience is with an SIS Unit, anyway (3) Havoc Squad would have experience dealing with "non-standard" tactics and has members skilled in those tactics. Being "unpredictable" (which I don't think most would be) isn't necessarily a good thing, and I'm guessing the top unit in the Republic Special Forces would have some experience with dealing with "unpredictable" opponents. Temple is very weak with the Force - Havoc Squad has dealt with rakghouls as well, and its medic is probably something of an expert on them. He also would be going up against people with actual combat experience who are better trained and equipped. I don't want my cute bugboy dying in combat, why do you? I didn't say she was imprisoned, I said she was locked away and that being locked away was how she developed sentience (you had previously argued that the agent's crew had shown how capable they were by surviving for so long). And yes, she's actually the agent companion I think would be most useful against Havoc Squad, though it's unclear how much she would know of its tactics (or of Forex, who is new/experimental). An untrustworthy but lovable (okay, maybe not lovable) rogue? Yes, I already accounted for her ability to handle herself in a scrap. Why isn't the reverse true? This is I keep harping on - not just with you, but others as well. Jorgan is a decorated soldier and the former commander of a top sniper/black ops squad Elara is highly decorated and one of the top medics in the Republic and has extensive expertise with Imperial tactics. Also highly decorated and possibly some informal Intelligence training (given that her father/uncle (per the writer) is the IA advanced class quest guy. Forex is a top of the line war droid nobody on the agent crew would have experience with dealing with and has demonstrated extreme capability in assassinations/solo missions (including killing a Sith) Vik is basically Kaliyo only with explosives expertise and combat experience (and probably physical strength, but it likely wouldnt matter) Yuun is a savant with electronics (including vaguely/poorly defined shamanistic skills) as well as a combat veteran Isn't it a lot more likely that the more experienced, more skilled crew (i.e. Havoc Squad) would be more likely to identify and counter act the traps/preparations set forth by the agent and their crew? Yes, because that's a poor basis for debate, and the halo effect around all things agent (except for people who incorrectly don't like Vector) makes it really annoying to deal with people who get super defensive about the mildest hint of criticism about the story or their characters. I pity people who actually don't like the agent story, not because I think they're wrong, but because they tend to get dogpiled whenever they bring it up (or downvoted, if they mention it on reddit, for example). Uh, Rakton is specifically mentioned as being (at least) one of the Empire's top minds multiple times (by Jorgan, Saresh, Garza and by Pierce as well around Corellia). I would also suggest looking at the level of authority he has during the trooper's mission at the end of Act 2, which either you haven't finished or forgot - he's very clearly not "some random general". Edit: His Codex entry: Also, your examples from the agent story were hardly convincing, especially when the Star Cabal aspects make explicitly clear how reliant the agent is on their support structure to tell them where to go and what to do (ironically, the very thing people seem to assume proves the trooper is some kind of idiotic bruiser). You can't say "Trooper can't think for themselves, Garza tells them what to do" while also claiming "Agent is smart, doesn't need anyone". Uh, apparently you've completely missed my point. I'm not arguing that the trooper is definitely better at tactics/planningor smarter than the agent, I'm saying that there's an inherent/implicit skill level in reaching the position they do and that people are being way too dismissive of the trooper's capabilities while at the same time making broad, unsupported claims about how the agent is some kind of tactical savant and genius that is not supported in the story. The reason I think the trooper probably wins even with prep time (although, again, I think the agent definitely could win) is because even if you grant that the agent is smarter/better at planning, I have yet to see a convincing argument that such advantages would be anywhere near enough to counter Havoc's advantages beyond vague "agent is totally awesome and can snipe stupid soldiers who can't think for themselves!" As someone else put it - That is why I keep pointing out all the assumptions people make in favor of the agent and against the trooper to justify "My agent is an amazing planner and tactician and really smart and would annihilate the most elite unit in the Republic (which is apparently little more than a squad of muscle and idiots)". Even leaving aside the dismissal of the headmaster (who would probably actually be a significant Special Forces veteran themselves), several high-ranking officers agree (Garza and the general on Ord Mantell, whose name slips my mind at the moment). Jadus isn't exactly all that impressive, though (especially if you make certain choices at the end of Act I), and there are plenty of idiots on the Dark Council, so I don't find that a particularly convincing argument (especially when their judgement comes across as really bad/idiotic in other stories). You don't actually always do that (for example, you infiltrate enemy locations several times). In any case, that's something called Gameplay and Story Segregation. It's the same reason why the agent doesn't just get immediately fried if they fight their Act I boss. Yes, and (shockingly!) military units are well aware that snipers exist and have strategies for dealing with them. Given that Havoc Squad has their own sniper as well as other members with expertise that could help (Vik rigging traps, Yuun setting up a sensor net or other device) and a war droid that can apparently take out Sith on its own..."Cipher Nine could totally just snipe them!" is really unconvincing. I mean, if we're writing fanfic here. Cipher Nine sat in her post, waiting for Havoc to march directly into her kill zone in their white armor that clashed completely with the jungle landscape. Suddenly, a large crashing noise came from overhead. As Cipher NIne rolled onto her back to look up, the ceiling caved in and a large war droid landed on top of her. Cipher struggled to reach for her sidearm, but the droid ended things quickly, putting two blaster bolts into her head as it yelled "For the Republic, Imperial scum! Your treacherous villainy will never again threaten the galaxy". Why do you assume that Havoc Squad is brain-dead while the agent is some sort of mastermind plotter and trap-setter? You do understand that just because that's what your characters where at one point of the game doesn't mean that's what they would wear all the time, right? Given that armor can be different colors (with dyes or without), there's no reason to think Havoc Squad would be wearing white armor. Do you think Navy Seals go on a mission in their dress whites? It's a cinematic intended to sell the game to prospective players. Watching soldiers in camouflaged gear sniping at Sith from several kilometers away doesn't sell games. Having someone carrying around a ridiculous (I hate them) assault cannon and blasting things and heroically fighting Malgus long enough for Satele to show up and do more in 2 minutes than she has in 3 years of game play does. Rakton actually makes more sense, as he's an army/special forces guy himself, while Kilran is more of a naval commander (and, honestly, Kilran's more annoying than impressive in-game). They just needed to introduce Rakton a little earlier and more substantively so the rivalry was more established. I did notice that he gets name-dropped on...Balmorra...I think it was (which was earlier than I remembered), but he doesn't have enough of a presence in Act 2.

How does the agent's strengths being subterfuge and infiltration mean that they "gotta" be much smarter than the CO of Havoc Squad? That makes no sense - all that would mean is that the agent is better at subterfuge and infiltration. It says nothing about the agent's intelligence or ability to plan ahead especially since (and I feel like I'm saying this every post) a Special Forces unit would excel at planning ahead as well and would have experience with the kind of "nonstandard" military action that would lend itself well to dealing with someone like the agent (counter-terrorism, infiltration, hostage rescue, etc.). And, again, there's nothing to suggest the agent is better than the trooper at planning or tactics, especially since someone commanding the elite Special Forces squad in the Republic would need to be good at those things to hold the position. It's something people keep saying but have no actual evidence for - where in the story does the agent demonstrate this incredible tactical planning ability that would remotely compare with the trooper's? As someone else mentioned, General Rakton (referenced several times as one of the great military minds) in the Empire, regards the Havoc commander as a worthy opponent. As an addendum to countering the whole "Cipher Nine is a better planner" argument, the trooper would also benefit from having an experienced soldier with experience in sniper operations/black ops and an soldier with experience with Imperial tactics to bolster his/her tactical planning. The agent has no one with any expertise or insight into how Havoc Squad would operate. Other than Kaliyo, there's nobody in that crew that fits that description. Temple was protected by her father and then hid with the Chiss. Vector is/was an Imperial diplomat. Lokin was a (presumably skilled/valuable) science and medical adviser to the Empire/Imperial Intelligence and scientific researcher. SCORPIO was locked away on Belsavis for something like 150 years. If anything, the agent crew is notable for not having to do much to stay alive because of their positions/ranks or outside assistance and factors, especially compared to the trooper crew, where four of the five companions are veterans (and Vik has the same scumbag experience as Kaliyo). I guess you could say Temple "managed to say alive", but she did so because of the assistance of other people. Lokin sort of fits when the agents from Project Protean came after him, but that was only one incident and he seems to have had a fairly standard scientific/research career (save for his Rakghoul fun) otherwise. Neither Vector nor SCORPIO had to "manage to survive" - SCOPRIO is in fact notable because she gained sentience in large part because she was left alone for so long. Vector and Lokin are also notable because of their lack of combat experience (especially Vector), and Temple requires basic training from the agent during the story as well. I guess I'm not seeing any basis for your argument at all. The Trooper crew is more skilled, more experienced, more combat-capable, better trained and capable of working together as a unit. If you're going to argue that Cipher Nine would beat the Havoc Squad, I don't think arguing their crew is more useful in a fight makes for a remotely convincing argument. EDIT I want to reiterate that I think the agent definitely could beat the trooper in certain circumstances - I just think people seem to be making a lot of assumptions about what the agent can do (especially with regards to their agents being master manipulators/planners) and are ignoring or being dismissive of what the Havoc Squad commander would be capable of, especially with regards to things like tactical planning or intelligence (smarts, not the organization!) in general.

I found where the dialogue option asking him to explain how he cut you off from the Force was taken. Paladius responds with I took that to mean that he was doing it, not the artifact, and that it was a technique that he had used against others that had attacked him - it sounded like something that was part of a regular strategy, not something he had stumbled upon by finding a particular artifact.

Do you not understand what Special Forces units are for (in real life or in the game)? They aren't blunt instruments. Forward assault doesn't literally mean you're only skilled in brute forcing an attack. Search and destroy means precisely targeting and taking out a target (which you seem to think only an agent is capable of) and recon is almost the definition of being subtle and not being a blunt instrument. Special Forces units exist specifically to handle the kind of work regular units can't handle but that require more muscle than an agent could handle on their own. Since you wanted to point to real life snipers as proof of how amazing a sniper agent would be, why not look at what real life Special Forces do, too? It isn't acting as a blunt instrument. You do realize that's just a game mechanic, right? There's no reason why a supposed secret agent would be able to call in an orbital strike when a soldier wouldn't, anyway. Why? Because you said so? Troopers would have training to deal with snipers, the trooper has a sniper in their squad, and the trooper would be perfectly capable of planning ahead too. Do you think the Havoc Squad commander would be so inept as to not consider there being a sniper or other kind of surprise/ambush planned? You mean the part where you hand-waved away all the trooper's training and advantages to say the operative would just stab them once and kill them? Preparation and planning is also a "huge part" of being a soldier too. Even more so when you're a Special Forces unit that is specifically assigned to difficult and delicate missions that regular military units can't handle, especially when you're in a unit that has resources that would help prepare you as well (i.e. the SIS). I don't understand why you seem to think only an agent would benefit from prep time. So I'll be generous and assume the agent is not only a sniper but better than Jorgan. So what? Why would a trooper be unable to deal with a sniper? You seem to be arguing that the agent would always win because (1) The agent is not only a sniper but an incredibly skilled one (despite never showing that skill during the story - the agent's strengths seem to be infiltration and sabotage) (2) Havoc is incapable of dealing with a "prepared" sniper because it "doesn't have the tools"(?) (3) Havoc would blindly walk into the ambush/attack (4) Havoc has no method for dealing with surprise attacks and/or has no way of preparing itself for the situation (5) Havoc is a blunt instrument incapable of dealing with any kind of subtlety or nuance in a mission I really feel like you're grossly underestimating and misunderstanding what Havoc would be capable of, especially since the unit is specifically used in the kind of "shadow warfare" people seem to think the agent is the only one capable of handling. Edit I don't think it's ever explained. It could be for aesthetic reasons/wanting to have a commando companion that's clearly a commando (since Elara uses a pistol). I don't know - Zenith can use a sniper rifle, so I don't understand why they didn't have Jorgan use one too. Double edit: I actually found an old reddit post that said he did use sniper rifles in beta at one point but that that was removed. Disappointing...

(1) Not every trooper is a commando (2) Special Forces units, especially elite ones like Havoc, are precise instruments. That's the entire point of having a Special Forces in the first place. The agent is still known by people and (worse) it's even known if they were disloyal at the end of Act 3 - Darth Marr even specifically references it. Regardless, Special Forces operates independently in the Republic - the fact Garza doesn't always inform the Senate/military/SIS of what's going on is a plot point and suggests that Imperial agents wouldn't actually have access to mission plans (especially as Garza tends to manage Havoc directly). Why would Havoc be advancing as a squad instead of using their own tactics? That's not how Special Forces works - Havoc would be operating under similar plans as the agent (Jorgan providing cover as a sniper, Yuun maybe using special scanners to detect things, 4X as "bait"). Why would Havoc Squad be wearing white armor, because in-game your armor doesn't switch color? Special Forces in real life use camouflage and disguise themselves, so why would Havoc Squad be any different? Also, part of the point was that his kills were against a Soviet army that performed very poorly as a whole, had just gone through a major purge of its officer corps and whose skill level simply doesn't compare to what Havoc's would be.

You know what elite military units, especially when they're Special Forces, do? The exact same thing - they stack as many advantages as they can. Special Forces units like Havoc Squad, which again is more akin to something like Delta Force or the Seals than a regular Army squad, would be using similar strategies as the agent. I guess I don't understand why people think the agent is the only character involved who's capable of planning ahead, or why people act as if Havoc Squad is some blunt instrument/"dumb" squad that doesn't know how to fight "dirty" or against the kind of tactics the agent would use and doesn't benefit from working with the SIS (Balkar), for example, which would also counter the agent's advantage. Again, Havoc Squad is a Special Forces unit that specializes in dealing with situations that have it used as a "scalpel". It isn't a front-line unit that is only used in brute combat. Did you pay attention to the trooper story, where you're tasked with infiltrating hostile areas and conducting precise operations? Special Forces units are used specifically for particularly difficult/complicated missions or those that require precision - that's their entire point. Uh, okay. The agent story is actually my favorite story and I've enjoyed replaying it multiple times. The fan(boy/girl)ing and rampant exaggeration of how capable the agent is, however, is annoying. The agent story is great because there are twists and turns your agent has to uncover and deal with, not because the agent is some omnipotent, omniscient, Batman-esque character. I also find it annoying that people seem to either ignore or be ignorant about what Havoc Squad's capabilities would be and just write the trooper off as "dumb soldier with a big gun", as that's completely inaccurate. From the Simo Häyhä Wiki article: So he racked up a huge (and possibly disputed, I only had time for a quick search) kill count on largely inexperienced targets who stood out because of their uniforms given the weather conditions. Great! And, in any case, there's no reason to assume that Cipher Nine is a better sniper than Jorgan.

The topic specifically asks I've been pointing out how people tend to blow the agent's abilities way out of proportion while completely downplaying the skill and expertise of the trooper (again, a Special Forces soldier who is not just some random soldier and would be trained and have experience dealing with non-standard targets/missions) and Havoc Squad in general. Maybe Cipher Nine is smarter, but there's no reason to assume that. Maybe they're "more skilled" in some areas, but the trooper would be more skilled in other ways and would have at least some training in the same areas as the agent. Speaking of assumptions, though, you're assuming that - (1) Cipher 9 is a sniper (2) Cipher 9 is a more skilled sniper than an experienced Republic sniper that commanded a sniper unit specifically assigned to taking out high-value targets despite their sniping never being described or shown as anywhere near that good in the game or story (3) Republic Special Forces training/experience is somehow so lacking that even their best soldiers are rendered helpless by a sniper, even when a member of that Special Forces unit is a sniper themselves (4) That Cipher Nine can "just keep hunting" the trooper while going up against an elite squad of Republic soldiers, at least one of which has more experience than them at sniping and is almost certainly better at it too. (5) That Cipher Nine can just call down "orbital bombardment". Why can't Havoc counteract this or have Cipher 9 bombarded instead? As for your "RL Snipers" analogy - real life snipers tend to have grossly exaggerated and unconfirmed kill counts which also tend to be run up against relatively unskilled opponents. They don't tend to be against a squad of soldiers considered elite on a galaxy-wide level. Plus, that assumes that Cipher 9 is a sniper at all and[/] that they're somehow an amazing sniper despite never demonstrating that skill in the story. Not to mention, the only character on either side of this equation you could compare to one of those top snipers in terms of experience and success is Jorgan. Your argument that even an operative would just sneak up and stab the trooper with their totally poisoned blade is kind of ridiculous as well - nobody in the most elite squad in the Republic notices someone sneaking up? They don't have any kind of sensors or life-scans? One of the best soldiers in the Republic can't handle a one-on-one fight? Or that the trooper is a human and not a cyborg with implants or an alien species that might be more resistant to poison. More likely, Cipher Nine would be getting a blaster bolt to the head. The only way the agent wins is something like the poster right above me describes - some sort of trick/ambush that Havoc would actually respond to, but that requires Havoc Squad to (1) be the one to respond, (2) fall into the trap and not notice until it's too late (i.e. perform like a less experienced/skilled squad) and (3) assumes Havoc would be unable to salvage the situation when that's part of what they're trained to do. Is it possible? Sure, but you've changed from "who would win in a fight with crews?" to "who would win if we stacked the deck in the agent's favor and ignore Havoc Squad's capabilities and advantages?".

Yes, but the argument for Cipher 9 and/or their crew beating the trooper and/or their crew is that they're some kind of super-amazing expert of underhanded combat and trickery, which there's very little evidence for. The reason I brought up their inexperience is because there's no real reason to think they had the kind of extensive combat/tactical training they would need to go up against the top Special Forces commander in the Republic and little evidence they developed those skills during the story, while the trooper is specifically trained in combat (including "non-standard" combat, since they are Special Forces) and their story centers around utilizing that training. This is also important to remember when looking at the agent crew, which has at least two members without significant combat backgrounds (Lokin, Vector) and a third member that is inexperienced (Temple). Other than maybe Kaliyo, there's nobody in the agent crew that's particularly good at the kind of "dirty warfare" that people seem to think the agent is an expert at. I would also note that the agent class story, apart from maybe the Jadus fight, focused on the agent's infiltration/undercover work and not their tactical genius or combat capability, and Intelligence training would have included a lot of non-combat stuff that would not apply to this question (interrogation techniques, for example). The agent is recognized as being a top agent because of their ability to unravel conspiracies and gather intelligence, not because they're tactical geniuses or regularly handle combat against superior opponents (and it's not like they "prepped" against Jadus, anyway). I guess there's the fight at the end of Act 2, as well, though the agent didn't prep for that fight either (and I'm not sure how skilled the opponent was). The trooper, on the other hand, has Special Forces training (which would almost certainly include one-on-one combat training well beyond what the agent would) and is assigned to the elite unit in that branch, which implies a level of skill well beyond the "just a soldier" label the character seems to have in certain parts of the fandom. Once assigned to Havoc Squad, the trooper gets more experience in developing their training as the story goes on with a variety of scenarios (hostage rescues, dealing with explosives, infiltration, dealing with Sith, etc.) and gets a crew of similarly well-trained and highly-skilled soldiers to boot. Again, I'm not saying the agent is unskilled or incapable of handling themselves in combat - I'm just saying that people seem to blow the agent's combat/tactical expertise way out of proportion (because they like the story and are attached to the idea of their character being an unstoppable James Bond-figure, I think), and seem to drastically underestimate the trooper and trooper crew's skill/expertise. Like I said, I certainly could see the agent winning, but the odds are stacked against them and I think the trooper and their crew are clearly well above the agent/agent crew's pay grade combat-wise with or without "prep time" or "fighting dirty".

Havoc Squad is an elite Special Forces squad, not a standard military unit, so the trooper (at the least) would have considerable training in "non-standard" combat - think Delta Force, not some random military unit. They might not have the exact level of specific training that Cipher 9 would (although Cipher 9 is a relatively new agent at the start of the story, so it's not as if they're an expert), but a Special Forces squad would certainly be aware of how to fight dirty. Not to mention...Havoc Squad also has someone with firsthand knowledge and experience with Imperial tactics in the squad and Jorgan has considerable experience with sniping and "dirty" fighting from his time with the Deadeyes. I'd imagine Vik probably has his own experience as well. Also, everyone in Havoc has actual combat experience, and they're good at it (even Vik is a skilled solider, his problem is that he's a disobedient scumbag). On the agent side, Vector is a diplomat and Lokin was a researcher/scientist. Turning into a rakghoul isn't going to do much against an elite military unit with a member that has firsthand experience of how to deal with rakghouls. Even Temple is pretty inexperienced and has to be trained in combat techniques during the story. The agent crew also would not have the experience of working together as a unit in combat like Havoc Squad would. Could the agent and/or their crew win against the trooper and/or their crew? Yeah, sure, but I think people get caught up in the "secret agent" mystique and the general halo effect around anything related to the agent story. In a fight on neutral ground (per OP), Havoc Squad would annihilate the agent crew. Edit: Even "with prep", Havoc Squad is still better trained, better equipped, more experienced, more skilled in combat and has more experience in the agent's area of expertise than the agent's crew has in the trooper's area of expertise.

As someone who has a lot of alts, I actually am starting to miss grinding extra quests because (1) I don't feel like I get the full story experience (and story is what makes SWTOR stand out) and (2) I don't get enough opportunities to get affection with my companions, so I end up having to spend lots of credits on gifts so I can get their conversations. Sure, being able to power through stories is great in many ways, but (for me) the experience feels very hollow and incomplete. The system that will be in place in KotFE seems like it really isn't asking much of players (especially since the game is story-focused), and I actually see myself spending time doing extra quests for the reasons mentioned above. It's not like having to do a handful of quests per planet requires much effort, and not requiring them would mean (1) it would be difficult for Bioware to incorporate any plot points into KotFE story because not everyone will have experienced them and (2) Bioware would be essentially saying "go ahead and skip 95% of the content we worked for so long on" . I mean, I get that doing the same planetary arcs over and over (at some point, I doubt most people are doing the same arcs right after each other) isn't necessarily ideal, but what's the point of skipping them? Once you finish your class story you have the exact same "repetitive content" problem people are complaining about with vanilla planetary arcs. Makeb, faction-based arcs Oricon, faction-based arcs (very limited) SoR, Essentially one arc, class-specific questline KotFE, One arc period So you skip repeating planetary quests because it's boring/repetitive so you can get to a different kind of repetitive content? (yes, I know KotFE stuff is new, but you'll see the same complaints about it sooner or later) At least in vanilla content you can get some companion affection and (in my opinion) there's more variety/interesting content. If people only want the 12x XP bonus to avoid repeating content, how are they going to survive post-50 content, especially in KotFE where basically everything about questing is streamlined into a single experience?

My back was on fire, the pain radiating from where its base to my neck. I could feel the tenderness in my ribs as well – possibly broken, but damaged enough to make it too painful to breathe normally. At least two fingers on my left hand and one on my right were broken, and I could taste blood in my mouth as well. I opened one eye and the next, and found myself peering into near complete darkness, though I was not entirely certain I wished to see what was left in the room, regardless. A vile smell from elsewhere in the chamber wafted into my nostrils, nearly overloading my gag reflex. I strained with every muscle to move my head to the side to relieve my stomach of its contents. How dreadful. But I was still alive, somehow. It was a not entirely unpleasant realization. “Khem.” My voice was scratchy and weak; my throat felt as parched as Tatooine. “Khem?” There was no response, only the faint sound of something moving on the other side of the chamber. I could not be sure of who or what it was, but I could not help but imagine it was some creature from within the temple. Most likely a creature with terrible claws and fangs, as well. I forced myself into a sitting position, though the dizziness and pain that resulted almost forced me back to the ground. The room was spinning, or would have been if I could have seen anything, but I did not appear to be in any immediate danger. I could sense Khem, but he felt…different in the Force, though I could not quite describe the manner of difference There was a hint of Zash remaining in the area as well, but only the faintest impression of her; as my eyes adjusted to the dimness, I saw that her body lay lifeless on the floor, arms sprawled about awkwardly. That would explain the smell. I smiled anyway. After a few minutes, I was able to infuse myself with enough Force energy to rise to my feet, though I still felt decidedly unsteady. I surveyed the scene and finally located Khem; he was slowly recovering as well, holding his head gingerly as he also came to a seated position. He had cuts all up and down his body, and a deeper gash in his abdomen. Still, his wounds did not appear to be any more significant than mine. “Khem, you survived.” I thought about smiling at him, but felt a wave of overwhelming nausea instead. I pointed at Zash, instead. “She is dead. I hope that makes you as happy as it makes me.” The Dashade did not respond. Instead, he stared at me curiously and then shook his head. After a moment, he rose to his feet, somewhat less shakily than I had, and recovered his blade. “Khem.” I waited a moment. “Khem, can you hear me?” It was strange that he did not respond, because he had clearly heard me. What game is he playing? I strode toward him, a motion he mirrored. As I approached within a few feet of him, he suddenly raised his blade over his head, then lowered it in a sweeping motion that clearly aimed for a decapitating blow. I rolled out of the way and activated my lightsaber, but kept my distance from him. The Dashade followed me with his eyes, but did not move. “I cannot….I cannot do it. Why can I not do it?” Khem’s voice was strange as well – slightly higher in pitch and even angrier than usual. His eyes gleamed with raw hatred as he stared at me. “Khem? What is wrong with you?” I narrowed my eyes and attempted to decipher my very strange companion. “Curse you and your bond! That body should have been mine! I planned for so many months, only to be foiled by this creature!” Zash! I recoiled in horror. “This is not how it was meant to be!” “Zash? What are you doing in Khem’s body?” I scowled and made an angry gesture at her. Him. Whatever. “Khem is my monster, not yours. Release him now!” There was no response. Khem - or Zash, I could not be sure - shook his head, as if clearing out mental cobwebs. <The witch is inside my head> He sounded as angry as I had ever heard him. <I can hear her whispering, trying to take control.> His voice deepened, and sounded more determined. <I will not let her have me. This body is mine. She will not have it!> I could not decide if I wanted to laugh or cry - instead of stealing my body, she had stolen Khem’s. It was an infuriating situation. While I was more than grateful to have not lost my life or body, the Dashade was my most reliable fr-resource. I could not…would not…allow my treacherous former master to steal him from me in this manner. I could not let her control him like this. Not, that is not entirely accurate. She does not completely control him – perhaps we can work together to drive her out entirely. I cannot allow her to remain within him for any longer than is absolutely necessary. “Can you fight against her influence, Khem? Drive her away!” I grit my teeth in frustration. Nothing I had studied had prepared me for a situation like this. “I must admit that I do not know how to rid you of her, but I swear to you that I will find the way.” He looked at me again, but this time his expression was almost appreciative. <That…that is what we must do. The witch will be our undoing if we do not get rid of her soon.> “Agreed.” I leaned over Zash’s corpse before nudging it away with a small kick. “I look forward to the day that this galaxy is rid of her forever.” “Of course,” Khem replied, a bit too agreeably for my liking. “We will uncover the information we need sooner or later, and then we will set things right.” Zash again. I would need to be far more cautious around Khem – given Zash’s expertise with Force rituals, she might well attempt to trick me into another attempt at body theft. Of course, being more cautious in general would be a more intelligent thing to do, you fool. You regularly place yourself in dangerous situations through your negligence. I sighed and turned back toward the Dashade. “Of course.” I grimaced as another flash of heat and pain exploded across my back, but managed to soothe the discomfort with the Force.“We should leave now, and regroup somewhere safer. I do not wish to face the horrors of the Dark Temple at less than full strength, to say nothing of the dangers present elsewhere in Dromund Kaas.” Khem did not respond immediately, as he was too busy massaging his forehead with both of his hands. When he looked up, though, his eyes were clear. <I am with you, Little Sith.> It was strangely comforting to hear to hear those words again – perhaps it was a sign of my growing desperation that I found solace in Khem’s presence. Perhaps you are merely losing your mind. Regardless, it was a good thing that Khem was back in control for the moment. I motioned for him to follow me as I shuffled out of the chamber; he followed a moment later. We had only managed to walk a few steps when I heard loud footsteps coming toward us from the corridor ahead. Khem tensed at the same time that I did, and we both drew our weapons. He looked far more threatening with his large blade at the ready, as I lacked the energy to do much more than raise my saber in a pathetic imitation of a guard position. We stood there and waited the agonizingly long minute it took for the oncoming visitors to appear. There were two of them – an angry-looking young man already bearing the skin discoloration that marked being overcome by Dark Side corruption and a younger woman with strangely white hair. They stopped fast at the sight of Khem and me, and gaped further when they saw Zash’s corpse sprawled on the floor behind us. The woman simply took a step back to put more room between her and us, but her companion swept his cloak off his shoulders and activated his lightsaber. Its red blade glowed eerily in the darkness as he held it out in front of him. <Who are you to threaten my master?> Khem’s voice rumbled as he took one step forward. <Put your blade down and we might let you live.> “You killed her,” the man replied angrily. “You struck down our master!” Ah, so these are the other apprentices the accursed spirit warned me about. “Our master.” I looked over at Zash’s corpse again and corrected myself. “Our former master, more like. Though I doubt any of us will miss her.” The fool was practically quivering with rage. “I should cut you down where you stand. You are unworthy of the honor of being a Sith.” “You might be surprised to hear how popular a sentiment that is,” I replied dryly. “I do admire your loyalty to Zash, but it is entirely misplaced. She betrayed me and would have sentenced me to a fate worse than death. She would have done the same to you given enough time.” The woman spoke for the first time. “What do you mean?” I already liked her better than her partner – a willingness to hear someone out rather than immediately waving a lightsaber around and threatening them was always a pleasant surprise in a Sith. “What was she doing?” “Our dear friend Zash was attempting to perform a ritual that would allow her to transfer her essence from her body into mine. Naturally, she did not feel the need to inform me of her intentions until it was time for the ritual.” I gave each of the two apprentices a small smile. “If you wish to see what your cherished master really looked like, with no Sith magic to mask the horror, feel free to investigate her corpse.” “C-Corrin, you go check it out.” The man – boy, really - sounded far less sure of himself now, which was good. I did not want to fight them. Not because I had any particular attachment to these Sith pretenders, of course. I was simply too exhausted for a prolonged fight. And I am tired of being forced to kill anyone that raises a hand against me. It would be nice to resolve things as Father would have, for once. The woman – Corrin – walked cautiously over to where Zash lay sprawled on the floor. She went down to one knee and gingerly turned the corpse over so it lay fully on its back. Her instant recoiling in horror was enough for me to know that she saw the truth in what I had said. “Kaal – there’s something wrong with Zash.” Corrin swallowed hard. “I don’t even know how to describe it – it’s as if she’s been drained.” “W-what do y-you mean?” Kaal’s resolve was clearly failing him. I allowed myself to breathe a little easier. “Her body – it’s almost not human. And it reeks of Dark Side energy.” I caught sight of Khem twitching slightly out of the corner of my eye, but could not tell if Zash was attempting to seize control or not. “Maybe what we heard about Zash back on Korriban was true.” That piqued my interest. “What did you hear about Zash on Korriban?” The two apprentices exchanged a glance before Kaal responded. “She had a…bad…reputation among the overseers and other teachers. They were always talking about how ‘unorthodox’ she was and how overly ambitious she seemed.” “It seems they knew her far better than they probably realized. Perhaps even better than I did as well.” That realization made me feel a pang of sadness. Though Zash had been untrustworthy and manipulative, I had come close to thinking of her as something like a mentor. For better or worse, her…end…had left a large hole. “Though I wonder if anyone truly knew her. I suspect not.” A part of me wondered how Zash had become the person she was – had she been plucked from a happy childhood like I was, and then twisted and corrupted into yet another Sith that viewed people as playthings and the galaxy as their playground? Or had she been born into the Sith hierarchy played the role that had been set out for her by so many generations of Sith before her? Perhaps the truth was somewhere in between – I doubted I would ever find out. “I-I think that makes you our new master.” Kaal went down to one knee before me; his lightsaber lay on the ground beside him, deactivated and forgotten. “We will serve you as we served Zash.” My mind raced as I attempted to calculate variables that I had not even known existed – I did not want apprentices. I had no wish to spread Sith knowledge to anyone, but I also could not exactly tell two Sith apprentices what my own thoughts about the Force and Sith were like. If they had found Zash to be unorthodox, I could well imagine what their reaction would be to someone that advocated the eradication of the Sith and their Empire. Somehow I did not imagine my thoughts would endear me to either of the two apprentices. But they require an answer just the same. “I – I accept your offer of service, though I am not prepared to fully take on Zash’s role. We must take stock of what has happened and prepare ourselves for the consequences. Zash’s allies will no doubt seek vengeance, while her enemies will see this as an opportunity to strike against us. Once matters have settled somewhat, we will be better able to move forward.” I pursed my lips as I stood a little straight; I felt a sudden surge of energy now that I had a more clearly defined issue to deal with. “I will need both of you to consider whatever tasks Zash had assigned to you and determine if they might be important for me to know about. In the meantime, Khem and I will need to find a safe place to lay low for some time.” “You might stop by Zash’s office before you do so,” Kaal replied. “She kept many of most valuable items and information there, which will probably help you figure out what other plans she might have made.” “As well as information on what kind of threats she was facing that might well be directed at us. A good plan.” I paused and looked at each of them in turn - I would not miss either of them if something went awry, but I did not want to risk having either of them interrogated about me. “Do you have a place to hide?” “We’ll make do,” Corrin replied, almost too quickly. It would only be fair for them to have the same reservations about you that you have about them, fool. “I should give you our communications code before you leave – contact us whenever you require anything, Master.” I bristled slightly at the word but nodded as she uploaded their code – it was not being called master that bothered me so much as the subservient way in which she did so. Now is neither the time nor place for such moralizing. “I will be in touch sometime soon.” My mouth closed as I attempted to piece together some sort of reassuring message for my new apprentices, but I could find no inspiration. “Do not get yourselves killed.” “Uh, we’ll try not to.” Kaal’s expression softened slightly. “Stay safe, Master.” “You, as well.” I nodded awkwardly at both of my new charges, then directed Khem to follow me out of the chamber and back the way that we had come. The same shadowy presences still hovered around us, but neither they nor the crazed inhabitants of the temple seemed interested in a fight. It was another welcome respite from what we had already gone through. Revel made none of his usual futile attempts at witty banter when we arrived back at the Imperial encampment. Strangely enough, he had almost nothing else to say even after greeting us, though I suspected that was because he had enough good sense to recognize that neither Khem nor I had any interest in his antics. Pirates rarely lasted long in the business when their tongues were sharper than their minds. The rest of the trip passed in uncomfortable silence, broken only when Revel deigned to tell us that we had arrived at the Sith Sanctum. We disembarked and proceeded toward our destination as inconspicuously as was possible given the circumstances. There was no one waiting for us in Zash’s office, which was an unexpected but quite welcome surprise. Given her high profile and the number of enemies that she had made in recent weeks, I would have expected hostile company of some kind, but I neither saw nor sensed anyone. I shrugged as Khem and I made our way into her inner office – the day had been long and trying enough without the extra stress of seeing shadows where there were none. Better to enjoy whatever luck we were granted, now more than ever. Unfortunately, our investigation of the office did not yield any useful information – whatever texts or artifacts she had studied in order to prepare the ritual were either long gone or simply not obvious to me. It was quite difficult to piece together the truth of something totally unknown was determining which pieces of the puzzle actually mattered. I had no way of knowing what was relevant to our search and what was not - perhaps the very tomes I was tossing aside were the ones that had all the answers I needed. “Khem, any thoughts on what sort of material Zash would have been referencing for the ritual?” The artifacts that she had used had belonged to his precious Tulak Hord; perhaps that could be used to our advantage. “I must admit that I have not found anything.” The Dashade shook his head vigorously…and a little sadly. <I do not know what the witch would have used in her studies. Tulak Hord was a great Sith that did not share his secrets with me.> “I do not blame him,” I quipped. “You are not the sort of creature that secrets are meant to be shared with.” He gave me a pointed look, but did not disagree. <Perhaps you are not as foolish as you sometimes act.> He sifted through a few documents before staring at a holoprojecter I had just discarded. <Perhaps…> Whether our minds were moving along the same track or not, I would never know, but his present condition suddenly felt like an opportunity rather than a dangerous vulnerability. What we lacked was Zash’s knowledge and expertise with Sith lore, but it was not as if she was entirely gone. “Khem, perhaps you could…allow… Zash to take control of your body. Temporarily.” His stared daggers at me but did not respond; I suspected he knew full well what my reasoning would be and did not entirely disagree with it. “So long as you do not allow her to seize full control, we might use her as a resource to determine what we need to reverse the ritual.” <I have changed my mind.> I gave him a quizzical look. “What do you mean?” <You are as foolish as ever, Little Sith. Even if the witch did not gain control over my body, it would be impossible to trust anything she says. Why would she tell you how to reverse the ritual, if it would mean the end of her?> “Of course.” My cheeks felt warmer, and I imagined they were turning a rather embarrassing shade of pink. Khem was right – thinking that Zash would be willing to provide the very information that would lead to her undoing had been profoundly stupid. If anything, whatever Zash told me would be inherently suspect, and likely something intended to mislead me into doing whatever would assist her in finally completing her plans. “Perhaps we should leave, then. I suspect that this office will become rather full of all the wrong people soon.” <Agreed. Though our safe house was provided for by the witch, as well.> His mouth twitched. <Perhaps we should seek another refuge.> “My ship is surely being watched. The bounty hunter I was speaking to will be shadowed by the Sith as well.” I bit down on my lower lip, wincing as the pain forced me to stop. “I believe there is someone that I can turn to, though I cannot say that I trust her any more than I can trust anyone else on this world. Even you, Khem.” The Dashade huffed, but I suspected he was more amused than he was willing to admit. <There is no one on this world that you should trust. That is a lesson you must learn.> He was not wrong - not entirely wrong, at least - but I did not have the luxury of relying only on those that I could trust. It is not as if you have anyone you trust in that way, regardless. Only Ayrs…and possibly Quorian. I cursed at myself silently – my brother was in no position to help and the Jedi would be unwilling to do so even if he were not surely half a galaxy away. I still had resources, though, if not friends. I entered the contact code that I preferred to ignore as much as possible into my communicator, and waited the few seconds it took for the call to go through. A moment later, two red eyes framed by a blue face appeared before me, flickering slightly due to the interference. The woman blinked once, then offered the same false smile that her victims saw before her blade entered their back. “Veresia. I did not expect to hear from you so soon after our talk.” Her smile disappeared for a moment, but then reappeared. “It is a pleasure to speak with you now, as always.” “I can only imagine how hard it must have been to survive those lonely hours since we last spoke, Mina.” I decided I did not really care all that much if I came across too harshly to her. “But I suspect Imperial Intelligence has you prepared for just about anything at any time. I only hope that is still true today.” Her red eyes narrowed, and she did not respond for some time. No doubt, she was processing the implications of what I was saying and determining if the value I had to Imperial Intelligence outweighed the risks of assisting me when I was clearly in a bad spot. I wondered if she – or Intelligence – knew about what had happened in the Temple. There were stories about what the organization as capable of… “I see,” she said, at long last. “What is it that I can do for you? I never took you to be the kind of person who made social calls to Intelligence agents.” No longer, and never again. We gave each other false smiles that meant nothing and everything at the same time. “Your assessment of my character is accurate,” I said slowly. “This is not a social call.” I swallowed hard – it was difficult to admit that I needed the help of anyone else, let alone someone I could not and would not fully trust. “I require your assistance – I must…lay low for a few days while certain events blow over. Perhaps you would be able to arrange for a safe location for me to do so.” Mina sighed heavily. “Do I want to know what you did that warrants going into hiding?” Before I could respond, she shook her head vigorously and put her hand out to quash any intention I had of speaking. “Actually, never mind. Keeper did warn me not to involve myself in Sith affairs.” “Keeper’s advice is sound.” Those that meddled in Sith affairs, regardless of station or influence, often times ended up dead because of it. Sith politics were a breed apart even from the infighting that was so common in the Imperial military and political hierarchies, and the number of victims they had claimed was too numerous to count. “I do not know whether I am actually in trouble or not, I merely suspect I will be.” “Oh,” Mina replied lightly, teasingly. “You just suspect that some unknown number of homicidal Sith might be trying to find you. That’s not nearly as bad as I feared.” “No, I imagine not.” I managed to squelch the stupid, girlish, giggle that threatened to escape my mouth. “That being said, I would prefer to be prudent and I would imagine your superiors would agree.” The Chiss nodded. “I agree. Fortunately, I have a certain degree of operational freedom that will allow me to assist you without authorization from my superiors.” Her eyes twinkled slightly as she finished the sentence. “Leave your transport where it is and meet me at the Dark Star café in Imperium Plaza in…” she glanced at her display for a moment. “In thirty minutes. Do try and be as inconspicuous as you can manage with a Dashade in tow.” “Of course.” The screen went blank before I could finish. “And…thank you.” <Why thank her when she will only use this as leverage against you? She is not your friend or ally, she is a coward who operates in the shadows.> It did not surprise me that Khem was not thrilled with my plan. <This will create more problems for you soon enough, Little Sith.> “Perhaps. But it is the option I have chosen to take, and you will respect my decision.” I glared up at him just long enough for him to flinch. “Contact Revel and inform him of our destination – ensure he removes anything that might lead any pursuer to us. I will finish my search of the office and take anything of value.” He nodded and left the room. I surveyed Zash’s office again, but found no more inspiration than I had before; there were too many tomes I had no time to read, too many artifacts I had no time to research and too much information for me to possibly absorb. The idea had been a good one, but in retrospect it had been one that was doomed to fail. Perhaps you might return again, when your life is not in imminent jeopardy. Perhaps not. But now is not the time to waste valuable time staring blankly into space. I swept out of the room with nothing more than regret about how much time we had spent in the office that would have been better utilized in making ourselves scarce. That uncomfortable truth was emphasized as Khem and I began the trek out of the sanctum and toward Imperium Plaza – we received the usual attention and then some. One acolyte even attempted to follow us surreptitiously, though I could not tell if he was acting on his own initiative or on behalf of some member of the Sith hierarchy. In the end, it did not matter – a lightsaber through the ribs ended the threat of an overly-curious individual just as well as it did the established agent of a high-ranking Sith. The Dark Star café did not live up to its name – it was cold and sterile, but also flooded with as much natural light as was possible on a world like Dromund Kaas. The clientele was made up of mainly low-ranking Imperial bureaucrats and even a few aliens; Khem still garnered a few glances in spite of the latter, though. Revel was there as well, seated on the opposite side of the building as he chatted up a young woman who would surely regret the experience soon enough. I sighed and rolled my eyes slightly as I slipped into the booth across from Mina. She flashed me a smile and a look that would have passed for one of concern had she been capable of that emotion. “We should move quickly,” she said quietly. “Send your Dashade through the back and have him speak with Urmon. We’ll watch to see if anyone follows him.” “What will we be doing? I hope you aren’t about to suggest we have a meal here.” “You don’t want to spend some quality time with me?” Mina arched an eyebrow and then laughed lightly. “No, I don’t want to tempt fate like that. I have a speeder waiting outside.” I frowned. “I see. And Revel?” “He insisted he had his own plan in place.” Mina’s nose twitched. “I can’t imagine it would work as well as one backed by Imperial Intelligence, but I didn’t have any interest in fighting him over it.” “His presence is rather tiresome,” I agreed. I turned to Khem. “Do as she said. Be on your guard for any surprises.” I did not need to say any more – both of my companions would understand how broad my final statement was. <As you command, Little Sith.> Khem rose from the table and sidled toward the kitchen, drawing more stares from the other patrons. I wondered how many of them would report his presence to their superiors – having so many witnesses might prove inconvenient. Not that there was much that could be done about that. “So, how are things?” Mina’s airy, almost careless tone, brought me back to reality. “It has been way too long.” “Um.” I found myself struggling to remember what a normal conversation would be for someone my age, let alone someone in the Empire. Let alone a Sith. “Quite busy. You know how it is in the Sanctum. All torture and no play makes for a dull life.” “Of course. I have heard such dreadful stories about the Sith.” Her red eyes were twinkling with amusement. “Is what they say about the akk dog livers true?” “Oh, the truth is far worse.” I gave her an exaggerated grimace. “You would not believe what they have us do after we finish disemboweling the slaves the moffs send us. The screaming is bad enough, but the smell, as well.” I made a wafting motion in front of my face. “There was this one man who clearly had not relieved himself before –“ From behind me came the sound of someone valiantly, but futilely, attempting to keep their lunch down. Mina and I shared an inappropriate giggle at the sound. “That sound absolutely dreadful darling. You must tell me all about it when we get home.” Mina gave me a careful look and nodded. I stood up and walked with her to the door, then allowed her to lead me toward an unmarked speeder that I otherwise would never have noticed. There was a nondescript man piloting the vehicle, who paid neither of us any attention as we slid into the passenger area in the back. Mina remained silent for a few minutes as we made what felt like at least two dozen turns, presumably to shake off any possible pursuit. It was only after she was apparently certain that we had evaded any would-be followers, she finally spoke. “What in the hell do you think you are doing, Veresia?” And here I thought the Chiss were known for being exceedingly unemotional. “When I approached you about working with Intelligence, I didn’t mean for you to run off and become a fugitive immediately afterwards!” “It is not as if I meant for this to happen,” I retorted. “I was forced into a situation that left me with no options save for the one that I took.” She almost sneered, but maintained enough self-control to turn it into a mirthless smile. “No doubt. Can you at least tell me why you have to go into hiding, so I can tell Keeper why my prized asset needed an extraction on such short notice?” I am a prized asset now, how droll. “I killed Darth Zash in the Dark Temple.” I could not help but enjoy watching Mina’s eyes widen with surprise. “It was self-defense, but somehow I doubt that too many people will care about that.” “I suppose not,” she murmured. “This…this is a good deal more complicated of a situation than I thought. I’ll need to consult with my superiors before we can decide our next move.” It was interesting that she referred to it as our next move rather than hers – I was not quite sure how to take that. “That sounds more than fair. In the meantime, I could use some quiet time to meditate on what has happened.” “After you’re debriefed,” she said flatly. “It’s a story I need to hear for myself before I file any reports. I want to be sure I understand exactly what happened.” Mina's smile was warm, but I felt myself shiver as the speeder suddenly felt rather chilly.