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 CHAPTER 30: THE HIDDEN HAND Previously posted:It's time for a FINAL CONFRONTATION with mind-controlling Jedi MASTER DURAS FAIN to break his sinister hold on the gangs of NAR SHADDAA. But the ruthless HUTT CARTEL is moving its own forces into position...   : Remarkable that Fain was able to transport all this tacky Jedi paraphernalia into the heart of Imperial territory. : Hey! Don't call the trappings of my religion “tacky”. These statues are very... iconic.: You don't know what they actually represent, do you?: Yeah, I do! They represent... “Jediness”.: No wonder they look bored.  [VIDEO: Creep]  : Master Yuon prepared me to face anything. Especially if it involved a lot of running around and interacting with random stuff. : Has dear Yuon ever told you about Malachor Three? The truth, I mean.For the record: Malachor Five was the planet in KOTOR2. Malachor Three is new to the franchise, but we have seen someone mention it before...  :  : … You're trying to distract me, Fain. It won't work. Seriously, that's your idea of trash talk? “I had sex with a girl once” ?: I thought you would be more interested in knowing Master Par isn't as righteous as she pretends.: I really don't care about whatever you two did together, and I really could do without those mental images. : Our passion... it paved the way for darkness to enthrall the others. And destroy our friend, Parkanas Tark.: Wait... the Jedi Order is imploding because you two couldn't keep it in your pants? Dozens of people are dead already because of this plague!: What can I say? Oops. : Enough of this. I have the ability to shield you from the plague and stop this insanity.: Fain, if the Hutt Cartel finds out about you, the Republic's finished out here. This has to stop.: My my. You got Tharan Cedrax to care about something, Jedi. That's a gift I want on my side.  : Ugh, my head. I should have know you'd bring one of your damned toys!: How does it feel to have your mind attacked, Fain? That's exactly what your victims felt.: Nice line. Rings slightly hollow though, considering you've mind tricked every single person we've met on the way here.: Sssh!  : Yes I do, actually. Fain is a joke. Given his whole “mind control” schtick, it seems the idea for this battle was for him to swarm you with minions, to contrast with the 1v1 duel against Tykan on Taris. But although there are quite a few cultists around him before the battle, all but two flee when the fighting starts, and those two might as well be made out of tissue paper for how long they last.  Fain himself survives a bit longer, but this fight was over before I even found out whether he had any special moves or not.  [VIDEO: Kill or Cure] : Enough! I-- I yield! : Lord Vivicar. Tell me, Fain-- who is he? Where can I find him?: Like darkness, Vivicar is everywhere, in everything!: His condition's deteriorating. We should act quickly.: … Should we?: Jedi?: I- I know he was your friend and all... but he took to the Dark Side like a space duck to water. Do I-   : Save whom some trouble? What's going on? : I'm an official representative of the Hutt Cartel, and that man belongs to us. The Guiding Hand has gone too far- Jedi don't get to interfere with our business. Not without consequences.: Which are... ?: They didn't hire me for my imagination. Now, the bosses on the other hand... Hand Fain over or the Republic sees what unhappy Hutts can do. : If the Hutts don't get him, every Republic agent on Nar Shaddaa will find their lives suddenly... complicated.: …: Jedi, you can't do this. Not even for the Republic. Do you have any idea what the Hutts would do to him? I could draw you a picture, but I'd need lots and lots of red crayon.: … The Order is powerful, and we don't forget our friends. Compassion would be rewarded. : I guess we can negotiate with your Council over the details. Okay. Fain's yours. But we will collect, Jedi.: It was a pleasure doing business with you. : And with you. Goodbye. : ”It was a pleasure doing business with you”?: Those droids could have turned everyone in this room to mince before I'd have had a chance to wave my mind trick hand. I'm just relieved he was a criminal with a more complex thought pattern than “I can't get what I want = KILL PEOPLE”.: The Cartel always did like the long game... What are you going to do now?: Given that I've just put the Jedi Order in hock to organised crime for him, I guess I'm going to have to save Duras Fain.: Thank you.: You have made a break in the darkness, but it is only momentary.: The darkness won't trouble you anymore.   : nope: You woke me from that nightmare. I-- I've done some terrible things, haven't I?: Phew... Anything you could tell me about Lord Vivicar would help make amends.: Vivicar? He... it's all slipping away. I'm sorry. : The deal I struck was for the greater good, not to appease anyone.: I've never been that cool-headed. I envy you. Once I've freed the gang leaders, I'll return to Tython. I'm sure Syo Bakarn is already preparing to lecture me.: Do consider listening this time, Fain. It might save you some tribulation in the future. WITH MASTER FAIN SAFELY ON A SHUTTLE OFF WORLD...   : Tharan, honey, someone's been calling our offices. Master Syo Bakarn of the Jedi Council, asking for our friend to call back.: Master Syo should know what happened right away.: I suppose... I should get back to my offices. Genius never takes a vacation. : Take care, Tharan. You're not as bad as you seem, you know.: That has to be one of the nicest things anyone has ever said about me.THARAN CEDRAX HAS LEFT THE PARTY!  There were a couple of other ways that confrontation could have gone. We could have handed over Fain to the Cartel (which is very Dark Side) instead of making a deal. We also get the option of killing him ourselves after saving him from the Cartel, which doesn't make much sense really. Unlike almost everyone else we've met on Nar Shaddaa, we don't get the option to kill Vorlo and his robots- we have to use our words to deal with him.  : Well, Fain's defeated, and Nar Shaddaa is safe once more for violent drug-dealing slavers.: …:   : You caught your prey. That is what matters.: I guess... wait, is that? : Ah! Here she is, our fair Jedi. Fashionably late, making an entrance.: I came straight here from Shadow Town! I'm not late for anything!: Did spend hour buying Space Toblerone in duty free shop.: Well, yes, but... shut up! Why are you here Tharan?: I'm here to make you a wonderful offer! : After our thrilling sojourn in Shadow Town, I came back to all the contracts piled up on my desk. Humdrum. Tedious. Boring. And I realized-- Nar Shaddaa's charms have staled. I want adventure, excitement, to see something of the galaxy. : I'm not showering you with credits every time you have an idea. : Genius is its own reward, Jedi. Besides... good looks, brains and battle prowess-- we share a rare combination. Our kind should stick together...:  : Hmph. Why not just drape yourself over her a little more, Tharan?: Holiday, no other woman has the run-time to understand me like you do. Now, shall we go?THARAN CEDRAX HAS REJOINED THE PARTY!  *VWOOOOOOSH!* AND SO...   : Your handling of the Cartel was extremely impressive. Diplomatic skill under pressure is a rare gift.:  : Now perhaps Duras Fain can be rehabilitated.: Maybe Master Fain will be wiser after this.: He often shrugs off the lessons life gives him. With luck, this one will stick. : We received a distress signal from the Republic starship Carida, and we suspect it's plague-related.: Is there a Jedi Master on board?: No, not a Master, a Jedi passenger. She has lost her mind and killed several people. Of particular interest-- the Jedi in question is Laranna Fain, Master Duras Fain's daughter. Fain is on his way back to Tython, but I've asked him to join us over holo; I thought he should be kept informed. : Do you think the plague is spread though families?: No, but this can't be a coincidence, either. Vivicar chooses his targets for a reason. You will dock in the ship's forward section, where Lieutenant Bela Whinn and her men have managed to find safety. NEXT TIME: Questions and answers. BONUS THARAN FACE-CHANGE TIME: You don't just walk out on Cartel contracts without consequences. Tharan better change his appearance fast! Here are the choices:        From left to right: a) “Cletus” b) “Chet” c) “Dandy Dan” d) “Cyb3rN1nj4” e) “Artyom” f) ”Cletus Lite” g) “Deramir, Son of Bolomir” or we can stick with what we have now: h) “Cedric” The choice is yours! Voting closes in 72 hours! Inferior fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Jan 14, 2014 |
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