Betrayals: Notes

WARNING: the following contains heavy spoilers about KOTOR I and KOTOR II. Do not read it if you haven't played the games yet.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: these are rough notes for a fanfic idea (and associated playthrough of both games).

ANOTHER WARNING: you saw that there were going to be spoilers, right? If you haven't played the games, stop reading now.


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My notes for the Betrayals fanfic follow. The first chapter is here.

Revan is the big bad, and knows who he/she is the whole time (or at least almost the whole time). Writing this idea as female Revan, but it'd work either way. On her flagship, Revan realizes that her mistake was her choice of leadership. She should have killed Malak when he first challenged her, and never should have elevated Bandon. This is when she locks in on the Rule of Two idea that gets holocroned to Bane. When she sees Bastila, she realizes that Bastila is everything she's looking for in a new apprentice. And that she never should have let Meetra get exiled, because Meetra, now cut off from using the Force in a traditional way, is an ideal civilian military commander to complete Revan and Bastila's leadership of the Sith Force-users. So, in that moment, she makes a whole plan to get Bastila AND Meetra back. The rest of both games is Revan's plan unfolding. She does something-or-other so that either the Council's mind-wipe won't work, or else she can recover from it. I'd love it if she could attach herself to the mask, such that it retriggered the emergence of her actual personality. But how? Is Bastila carrying it around everywhere they go? Could Revan see/contact it somehow? What else could I use? Bastila's lightsaber? Bastila herself? Regardless, Revan either remembers who she is right away, or else very early on, Dantooine at the latest. Then she spends the rest of the game prepping Bastila for the inevitable confrontation with Malak, which is all part of Revan's plan to turn Bastila. Of course, Revan with her full memory could have just run straight to the Star Forge, already knowing where it is. But she plays along with the Star Map quest, pretending to not know where they are, because she needs the time to turn Bastila. Maybe the destruction of Dantooine was a planned part of this, Revan knowing Malak would do it, and maybe doing something we don't see in-game to encourage Malak. Maybe getting Bastila to kill Carth was a big part of the plan - having her attack Revan is no big deal, she might have done that as Light Side as well. But getting her to kill Carth - an innocent friend - really seals her conversion to being Revan's apprentice. So seducing Carth and luring him to the Star Forge after Malak's death is part of plan to turn Bastila. (If you say Revan was Light Side, Carth is in KOTOR 2 but if you say Revan was Dark Side, he's replaced by a different Admiral. At least, according to the internet, haven't confirmed it.) Could HK-47 be involved in anything along the way? Getting Dantooine destroyed? Getting Carth to the Star Forge? Anything else? Does Revan reactivate his actual assassination protocols, maybe without his knowledge and re-hiding those memories each time? Or maybe with HK-47 playing along? How early might Canderous be involved? Is he Revan's undercover agent starting very early in the first game and continuing on to the second? What about T3, who may not be as innocent as he seems? This is a subtle and patient Revan, so lots of possibilities. Revan's long-term goal in this one could be just to overthrow the Republic. Even possible the True Sith thing was completely made up as part of this plan. Or her goal could be to first take over the True Sith and then the galaxy from there.

The associated Exile could be Revan's servant and maybe even true apprentice the whole time as well. Somewhere near the end of the Mandalorian Wars, Revan saw that Malak's loyalty had shifted and he was doing things to indicate that, and that the Exile's had risen and was being continuously proven. (Are there things from the comics I can use to bring this out? Saul and Telos? Jolee had the line in KOTOR I, after the reveal I think, about everyone knowing it was Malak's order to destroy Telos, not Revan's.) Malachor V could have been crafted by the Exile and Revan together, or even mostly by the Exile, in preparation for the Jedi Civil War. The Exile appearing before the Jedi Council could have been a test of the Jedi hatched by the two of them, maybe even a recruitment tool to help attract Jedi of a certain mindset who would object to the Council's actions. Rather than wandering around having barfights for a decade, the Exile could have been doing some other aspect of the plan. Could the Exile have been scouting the True Sith? Gathering followers? Their return was timed to coincide with the Triumverate's success - the Republic and Jedi Order had been sufficiently weakened, and the Exile returned to finish off the Triumverate (who were useful tools) and the Jedi Masters. They put up with Kreia as long as they do, playing dumb, because they need Kreia to get them to Nihilus and Sion. Then it is time to kill Kreia too. This Exile (would play well as either gender) has no regrets whatsoever about Malachor, because it was at least partially their idea the whole time.

One idea that sounds pretty good: the Exile left for Wild Space on a mission for Revan, to create an organized crime syndicate rivaling the Exchange out there. The purpose is to finance Revan's upcoming war against the True Sith. And also as a source of mercenaries - the syndicate can be heavy into mercs, which Revan intends to shape into a Mandalorian-esque military, with less of the honor tradition but with the looser organization and the emphasis on individuality. The Exile does a tremendous job of this, so that by the time Revan makes it to Wild Space after KOTOR 1, the organization has crushed all competition save one.

Revan, meanwhile, pretty much did all of KOTOR 1 just to get Bastila. Because he wants her Battle Meditation on his side for the coming war. Defeating the Republic was icing on the cake. He encouraged and allowed the rise of the Triumverate to kill off most of the remaining Jedi, and they served their purpose.

Now, Revan needs just three more things in order to be ready for his next war. First, he needs the remaining Jedi Masters killed, so they don't interfere. Second, he needs the Triumverate taken out, now that he's done with them. Finally, he needs Bao-Dur turned to his side, to construct a new Mass Shadow Generator to take out Droumund Kaas with Vitiate still on the planet. (Do the HK-50s figure in too? Is there a Dark Side version where you can take control of them?)

The Exile is the right person for the job for all of that. Revan arrives in Wild Space in the Ebon Hawk, with HK-47 and T3-M4 already disabled and their memories adjusted. He just needs to hand it off to the Exile, who will take it back for the next phase of the plan. The Exile can be concerned that they can't manage all this without being able to command the Force anymore. Revan can say that his (Revan's) old Master (Kreia) will teach the Exile a new way to connect to the Force. This old Master's goals differ from Revan's and she'll need to be discarded at the end, but the Exile should learn everything possible from her first. And the Exile is the only person who can kill Nihilus. And the only person who can turn Bao-Dur.

This Revan will probably have been surprised by the timing of Malak's betrayal, and unprepared. He'd rather be captured by the Jedi than killed by Malak, but he knows the Jedi may mess with his head. He needs something to connect him to himself, something to trigger himself back if they affect his mind. He does this, in the moment before Malak's shots land, while he's on the bridge of his flagship, by creating a Force Bond between himself and Bastila and forcing some of his memories into her. When they inevitably resurface, this will return him to himself. And that starts happening when he crashes on Taris, when he's just near her, not even with her. One idea: I could do a fanfic for each vision as he progressively recovers all of himself. Don't do one for the flagship, though, I've already done that a lot. Instead, he can remember what happened on the flagship in the others. He might also remember himself and Meetra talking back in the Mandalorian Wars, even before Malachor V.

I might use cheats to bump myself to max level on Dantooine, or at least give myself a huge bump with each vision. Because Revan should be powerful. And it'd be kinda fun to see what it is like to play the game through overleveled. If I pick a strong build (as I should with this character) I could even increase the difficulty. This Revan should be persuasive, but doesn't necessarily need to be good at any other stat, as he'd be happy slashing his way through doors, etc. He might get Repair, though, as he'll know HK-47's value.

So in the transitional fanfic chapter, Revan is on his way to the bar while the Exile and the barkeep (who is a trusted agent of the Exile's and commonly uses the bar as a meeting place) are talking. The Exile has let slip to the rival organization where the Exile wil be that night, and they've sent their top three assassins (the three barfight dudes, who I can talk up for this iteration). The Exile has no hope against all three of them (Edar can say as much, and the Exile won't disagree). But then right as the fight is about to start, Revan walks into the bar and casually annihilates them. Maybe leaves the leader alive to take him to his employer, where Revan will inform them that their org now belongs to him. Revan tells the Exile that "the Jedi" will escort him (probably a male Exile, I think) to the Hawk. The Exile then steps outside, where Bastila is waiting, in all her dark robes and stuff.

Might have a line about how Bastila thinks she's Revan's true apprentice, and the Exile will get to kill her later. But for now, while the Exile is on his mission back to Republic space, Revan needs Bastila. Then after Bastila returns from escorting the Exile, he tells her that the Exile thinks he's Revan's true apprentice, and Bastila will get to kill him later. But for now Revan needs him to go on this mission.

This Revan, in the playthrough, won't be cruel for no reason, but he'll happily betray anyone and everyone for any advantage that he can gain. He's absolutely betraying Gadon Thek on Taris. And doing the triple cross on Korriban. Czerka will own Kashyyyk. He probably will help Bastila and her mother end on good terms, though, because he wants to ingratiate himself with Bastila. Not sure if he'll kill Juhani or keep her as someone to turn, but I can see him keeping her. She's already Dark Side when he meets here, and about 3/4 of the way still there in most of her dialog. He'll probably use a lot of the [Persuade/Lie] dialog lines too.

Per Wookieepedia, a year passed between the Battle of Malachor and Revan returning as Darth Revan. Bastila is not listed as involved in any way with Surik's trial, but is mentioned as witnessing Surik leave to fight for Revan in the Mandalorian Wars. So there's a case to be made the Surik was aware of her. FWIW, Bastila is ten years younger than Surik. There is no mention that Bastila was present at Surik's trial, or even aware of it, but there's also no mention that she wasn't...

Per Wookieepedia (Surik's page) "Malak originally wanted Revan to use his assassin droid HK-47 to eliminate Surik, but Revan, who referred to her as a Jedi "who was already dead," wanted her to face the Council and show them the hypocrisy of their teachings, and so let her leave."

One idea is that After Surik's trial, as Surik is leaving for Wild Space, Revan makes contact and arranges a meeting. Revan assigns Surik the duty of establishing a criminal syndicate in Wild Space to fund their upcoming efforts. They might discuss Bastila, who Surik could know of from before the Mandalorian Wars, and again encountered at/during/after the trial. Surik could have (at the first meeting) perceived that Bastila had exceptional abilities. Surik wouldn't have use of the Force by the trial, and therefore couldn't sense anything, but could be reminded of Bastila in some way. In any case, Revan says he'll meet Surik in Wild Space when the time is right. Do I actually have a chapter for this, or do I tell it in flashbacks?

Could have the Darth Bandon on the Endar Spire trigger Revan's memories. Start the story there, he's having trouble focusing as he and Carth board the escape pods, memories are resurfacing. Carth thinks Revan hit his head and that's why he was out for so long (which is medically stupid) but it is actually Revan's mind restoring itself. He wakes up knowing who he is and remembering everything.

Except, he's a nobody, and his Force abilities haven't returned yet (he knows it is a matter of time), and he's on a planet occupied by his mortal enemy (Malak). So he starts rebuilding from scratch.

Meets Bastila at the swoop race. His abilities are starting to return now. He can't actually do much, but he can sense things again. And he can tell she's his new target for an apprentice. Or should this chapter come later in the game? He could figure this out post-Dantooine, maybe? He'd have his abilities back by then.

Recruits Canderous, reprograms T3, maybe uses HK-47 (and rewipes him every time, so HK-47's reveal dialog makes sense still)


This video of the KOTOR 1 temple top has both Jolee and Juhani and is full Dark Side: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVssSrl60DI&list=PLzUNBD-xWMd2iuGanuBkAJmBa6kwide_w&index=73

The following is 100% transcribed from the game. All possible dialog options are not shown, just the ones from the videos I watched.

Initial dialog after you run out on the temple top and encounter Bastila, double-bladed red lightsaber in hand:

Bastila: "Revan - I knew you'd come for me. Malak thought you might be afraid to enter the Temple again, but he doesn't know you like I do. Not anymore. Not since you've changed."

Juhani (or Jolee, if Juhani isn't there): "Quickly, Bastila - come with us! We have to escape before Malak arrives!"

Bastila: "Escape? You don't understand. I have sworn allegiance to Lord Malak and the Sith. I am no longer a pawn of the Jedi Council."

Revan: "A pawn of the Jedi Council? What are you talking about?"

Bastila: "Surely you know what I mean. Revan, look at what the Council did to you: they turned you into their puppet. The same thing they do to all who are truly strong in the Force. They think of the Dark Side as if it is something to be feared. But in reality their only goal is to manipulate those who are strong in the Force. The fear of the Dark Side is a tool to maintain control. Why do you think the Jedi forbid you and Malak from joining the Mandalorian Wars? They knew you would realize your true potential and break free of their domination. Malak has shown me how the Jedi Council have been using me the same way they once tried to use you. They've been holding me back because they knew one day I would surpass them all."

Revan: "No - I don't believe it! How could you betray us like this, Bastila?"
Revan alternative: "It didn't take long to convert you, did it? I always knew you were weak!"

Bastila (either way): "I resisted at first. I endured the Sith torments with the passionless serenity of a true Jedi, emptying my mind. But after a week of endless tortures I finally saw the truth. Malak forced me to acknowledge my anger and pain. He showed me the liberating power of these emotions. Then he made me see how the Jedi Council has denied me what is mine by right! The Jedi Council gladly used my Battle Meditation in their wars, but they still treated me like a child - like an inferior. They were jealous of my power ... of what I could become! They wanted me to bow and call them Master and follow their Code and obey their every order. But all the while they were exploiting my Battle Meditation for their own use!"

Revan: "Don't be lured by these Sith lies, Bastila!"
Revan alternative: "I am Revan, the Dark Lord! Bow down to me, Bastila!"
Revan alternative: "If you've fallen under Malak's control you must die!"

Bastila (only if you say the first thing): "Lies? You are the one living a lie, Revan. The Jedi Council made you into something you are not. They programmed you to be their slave.

Bastila (if you say the first or the second thing. Dunno about the third): "You used to be Revan, Master of the Sith, but no longer. You are simply a pawn of the Jedi Council and the Republic they serve ... like I was until Malak freed me from their shackles! A pity the power you once had is so diluted in you. You could have been strong as I am now ... stronger, even. But that will never happen, now. With the power of the Star Forge Malak will destroy the Republic and conquer the galaxy. And I will be the apprentice at his side - after I prove my worth by killing you!"

Fight with Bastila ensues. You win.

Bastila: "You are stronger than I would have thought possible. after what the Jedi Council did to you. Seems that Malak was wrong - the power of the Dark Side is not lost to you after all, Revan."

Revan: "I draw my power from the Light now, Bastila"
Revan alternative: "Don't call me that. I'm not Revan anymore. I'm insert-name now." (lol, my name will be "Darth Revan")
Revan alternative: "Now you see the power of the true Dark Lord!"

Bastila (if you say the last thing): "Yes, Revan! I was there when you almost died in the trap set by the Jedi Council. I used the Force to preserve your life. We are forever linked by my actions on that bridge. The Council tried to exploit our bond. They hoped your memories would lead me to the Star Forge. But in our shared visions of the Star Maps I also tasted the power of the taint within you! You deserve to be the true Master of the Sith, not Malak. I see this now. Together we can destroy your old apprentice. Join with me and reclaim your lost identity!"

Revan: "I'm not Revan anymore. I don't even remember those days."
Revan alternative: "How can I reclaim my identity if I can't even remember it?"

Bastila: "Your mind was too badly damaged to ever fully restore your memories, Revan. But your power, your strength of will, the essence of who and what you are: these things still remain! Once long ago you defied the Jedi Council, freeing yourself from their control. You claimed your rightful title of Dark Lord of the Sith. Together we can defeat Malak and take back what is yours! You deserve to be the true Master of the Sith, not Malak. I see this now. Together we can destroy your old apprentice. Join with me and reclaim your lost identity!"

Revan: "Turn away from this path, Bastila. The Dark Side leads only to destruction."
Revan alternative: "Yes! Together we can rule the galaxy!"
Revan alternative: "How do I know you won't betray me?"

Assuming the last option, Bastila says: "It is your power that will keep me as your loyal apprentice, Revan. I swore allegiance to Malak only because I thought you had lost the power you once wielded. But you have proven yourself in our battle: I see you possess the strength to destroy Malak and reclaim the mantle of Dark Lord. Now I see you will make a worthy Sith Master."
Revan: "Turn away from this path, Bastila. The Dark Side leads only to destruction."
Revan alternative: "Yes! Together we can rule the galaxy!"
Revan alternative: "I don't trust you. I think I'll just kill you instead!"

Assuming the second option, Jolee: "Listen to me ... the Dark Side leads to death and destruction. I've seen the horrors the Sith have unleashed on the galaxy. Turn away from this path."

Bastila: "Shut up, old man. Your time is over! The age of the Jedi and the Republic is no more! This is the age of Darth Revan and the Sith!"

Jolee (to Revan): "Don't do this, kid. I don't want to, but I'll fight you if I have to. Even if it costs me my life."

Revan: "I am the Lord of the Sith! Bow down before me!"
Revan alternative: "Then you must die!"
Revan alternative: "You ... you're right. I cannot do this. I reject the Dark Side!"

Assuming the middle one, Bastila: "Yes! The sacrificial blood will consecrate this ancient temple in the name of the Sith! With the death of the Jedi the rebirth of Darth Revan will be complete!"

Bastila and I fight Jolee (and presumably Juhani, she wasn't in the Dark Side video I used to get these lines, so not sure if she says anything in all that). We win.

Bastila: "You will have to disable the energy shield around this temple before we can leave. There is a computer here on the Temple summit that has access to the power generators. You can also use it to disable the disruptor field that protects the Star Forge. Otherwise, the Ebon Hawk will not be able to leave the planet without crashing."

I run to the other end of the temple summit behind Bastila's ship to the computer terminal and disable the energy shields. Then we leave the temple summit.


Lots of speculation and ideas above. Everything below here is what's actually going into the story.

Toward the end of the Mandalorian Wars, Revan sees that Surik is progressing well, is loyal, and shares Revan's affinity for and ability with subtle mechinations. This is in comparision to Malak, who has shown disloyal tendencies and is progressing only in power. However, Revan feels both are useful in their own ways. (This is one of Revan's rare mistakes. He should have killed Malak right then.)

Revan and Surik craft the Malachor V plan together. Revan is the chief architect, but Surik is a knowing and willing collaborator and participant. By this time, Revan is aware of the existence of the True Sith but doesn't know any details about them. However, he's perceptive enough to know that a real war is coming, and he plans to win it.

Revan will need allies, resources, information, and a strategy. Malachor V sets up much of that. Revan is prepping for the Jedi Civil War, to weaken the Republic so that he can take it over and use it as bait for the True Sith. He needs it weak enough that they'll attack, but not so weak that it can't defend itself long enough for Revan's full plan to unfold.

Surik is going to help with all of that, but primarily the "allies and resources" bit. Revan and Surik know the Jedi won't really take them back after the war. So Surik is tasked with confronting the Jedi Council. This will galvanize the remaining Jedi, some of whom will support Surik and some of whom will support the Council. And Revan will recruit those who support Surik. This all requires Surik to play the part of a (metaphorical) martyr. So Surik will either be exiled (they suspect the Jedi may go there) or else leave in protest. What Surik will actually do is go to Wild Space and set up a massive organized crime syndicate rivaling the Exchange. The purpose is to finance Revan's upcoming war against the True Sith. And also be a source of mercenaries - the syndicate will be heavy into mercs, which Revan intends to shape into a Mandalorian-esque military, with less of the honor tradition but with the looser organization and the emphasis on individuality.

Information is Revan and Malak's responsibility. They'll scout the True Sith to learn details of what they're up against. Then they'll return to conquer the Republic (with both Malachor V and Surik's trial having prepared a crop of disillusioned Jedi ripe for Revan to recruit). The conquest will take a few years, during which time Surik will do his part. By the time they're done, the True Sith will have learned about the weakened Republic, and it will be time to spring the trap.

This all works in broad strokes, but a lot of details don't go to plan. They didn't anticipate Surik losing his connection to the Force, or the subsequent rise of the Triumverate. Also, Revan and Malak get mind-controlled by Vitiate, who puts them to doing basically what they'd already planned to, but as his pawns, and using the Star Forge (which Revan previously was unaware of). Per KOTOR 1, Malak betrays Revan, who is severely injured and captured by the Jedi, who insert a new personality. Surik doesn't know about any of the KOTOR 1 events - he's busy doing his thing, which is going very well despite his loss of the Force.

The new personality inserted into Revan by the Jedi doesn't really take. Mostly it just helps break Vitiate's control. Revan quickly gets his memories back, but doesn't immediately regain his powers. He realizes Bastila's potential and, with Surik no longer able to use the Force, he needs a new apprentice. So he decides to play along. He does basically the entirety of KOTOR 1 just to get Bastila turned. Well, and Malak defeated, although he could have done that a lot quicker if that had been the only goal.

After KOTOR 1, Revan has to reassess. Learning of Surik's loss of the Force, He assumes Surik has failed, but now he has the Star Forge and the ability to build a new fleet. So the mercs are less urgent, and Revan can take some time to build up the new Star Forge Fleet (which he does slowly anc carefully, recognizing the Star Forge's dangers and not wanting to succumb to it) The Jedi Civil War did its job, so he lets the Republic wallow, still planning to use it as bait for the True Sith, which he'll now flank with his Star Forge fleet. Instead, the Triumverate rises, and Nihilus in particular could be a real problem. Revan realizes that Surik can take down Nihilus, and that Kreia will position him to do so. Hopefully Surik will take down Kreia and Sion too, although Revan could send Bastila to do that if Surik fails. So he goes looking for Surik. That's when he learns how successful Surik has been, which opens a new possibility. Instead of waiting for the True Sith to attack (which they annoyingly aren't doing yet), the combined strength of the Star Forge fleet and Surik's organization will allow him to invade True Sith space, making a surprise attack and shortening the war probably by decades. Only thing is, taking out Vitiate, in Vitiate's seat of power, is probably still too much. And then he thinks of Bao-Dur, and the Mass Shadow Generator. So he conceives the plan to send Surik back to clean up the Triumverate and recurit Bao-Dur, while he and Bastila prep the organization. (Maybe Revan already thought of the Mass Shadow Generator angle, but didn't see the opportunity to put it to use. Because it'd be cool for T3 to be working for Darth Revan early in KOTOR 1 to steal the Mass Shadow Generator. So what he sees in the between-games times is a way to take advantage of it.)

Surik again does a beautiful job. KOTOR 2 happens, and afterward Surik meets Revan and Bastila at a predesignated spot, where Revan institutes an early version of the Rule of Two by having Surik and Bastila fight over who gets to be the surviving apprentice, while Revan gets Bao-Dur started.

One downside to the chapters I've laid out below: most of that backstory is never shown. Does the reader ever get to see/hear it? How? Maybe I can drop bits in various places. After all, most of this fanfic is dialog, with only a bit of action. And it is intended to be a shorter one anyway.

Five chapters:


Context for the chapter that occurs near the end of KOTOR 2. This is what is going on in the game shortly before and shortly after this chapter of the fanfic:

This chapter occurs after the Dantooine meeting with the Jedi Masters. So Kreia is revealed and the Jedi Master are dead, all of which are kind of big deals that may have affected The Exile, and which I should probably mention. This is a good chance to explore that not terribly long after learning about it.

The Jedi Masters will have talked about my connections to others, how I feed off others, how I basically corrupt and control my companions. This Exile will be pretty pumped about that. They'll have talked about Force Bonds, and this Exile may wonder about what kind of connection he has with Revan.

I'll have learned the Jedi didn't cut me off from the Force, but that I became a Wound at Malachor V.
This is where we get Kreia's famous dialog, where she's in the outer courtyard while I'm with the Jedi Masters in the inner one:
Vrook: you were deafened
Kreia: At least, you could hear
Kavar: You were broken
Kreia: You were made whole
El-Whoever: You were blinded
Kreia: And at last, you saw

Dunno who says what if I've killed them all. Can I kill them all?

Kavar: in you, we saw a wound in the Force
El: in you, we saw the end of the Force
Vrook calls me "a breach that must be closed" and says "what you carry may mean the death of the Force"

I'll be pretty happy to use this bond/connection thing to dominate Bao-Dur for Revan's purpose. I may have a post-Jedi-Master enlightenment moment when I realize that Revan knew all this, and that's why he sent me. The stuff he said on Desprar finally clicks for me.

At the end, the Jedi Master are about to cut me off from the Force, when Kreia shows up and does that to them, which kills them. And I see their weakness. Where I survived, succeeded, even thrived, they died. This was the lesson Revan sent me to learn.

THAT IS ALL IF I LEAVE THE MASTERS ALIVE.

If I kill some of them, the remaining Master(s) want to fight instead of talk when I get there.

If I kill all of them, only Kreia is there, and she's scathingly disappointed in me. I get a lot less exposition that way, but it does nicely frame the final conflict with Kreia. The old witch still never figured out WHY I didn't do what she wanted. And that is because I was never working for her in the first place, I was working for Revan. So for all her talk of me as a failure, I consider myself a success. This is the moment I realize I've done what Revan asked - learn all I can from her. I have, and now I need to do as Revan said and kill her.

Also, Kreia's voice after she leaves tells me I've brought the death of all who feel the Force. Which would include Revan. So I have to silence the echo, which means killing Kreia apparently

However, Dantooine goes, I then go to Telos and kill Atris (after Kreia has already been there and broken her).

Then there's a cutscene of the Ravager flying through space, brining Nihilus comes to Telos.

If TSLRCM is installed the next thing that happens is a brief cutscene of a shuttle flying, with no indication who is on it or where it is going. Then HK-47 is in the droid factory. It is a sharp cut in the YouTube video I watched. Presumably, this is Bao-Dur and HK-47, on a shuttle that was at Atris' polar base and they're headed back to the Telos military base from early in the game.

At the end of the HK-47 sequence, several things can happen. In this particular YouTube video, HK-47 tells the HK-51s they should stop being crutches for the meatbags who use them as nothing but blasters and should start showing some independence. So not going to help Revan, or at least that's not what he says. Could still be a ploy. And I don't have to get into this in the fanfic if I don't want to.

After that, or if TSLRCM isn't installed immediately after the cutscene showing the Ravager, there's a cutscene of the Ravager actually making it to Citadel Station, accompanied by a bunch of Sith fighters. I go to Citadel Station and fight a bunch of Sith on the station. In the early dialog with the dude in charge on Citadel Station (Lieutenant Grenn), Atton has a line about wondering where Bao-Dur and HK-47 have gone. So they're definitely gone at this point. They aren't available as party members on Citadel Station (or ever again for that matter). Neither are Mandalore (who says he has to go gather the Mandalorians) or Handmaiden (did she sneak back or something? I forget, and I didn't watch that part of the video).

After defeating the Sith on Citadel Station, I go to the Ravager. There's a cutscene with Republic ships showing up and attacking the Ravager. During the battle I fly on a shuttle to the Ravager. I'll probably have Visas kill herself to weaken Nihilus, so she'll be gone after that.

I leave the Ravager, and there's a cutscene of it blowing up. Then the Ebon Hawk leaves Citadel Station and enters hyperspace, coming out at Malachor V, where it crashes.

So my last chance to talk to Bao-Dur is at Atris' place, just after I've killed her, and before I head back to Citadel Station. (Or maybe earlier, as the timeline is messy and problematic, see below.)

Now, how did Bao-Dur and HK-47 know where the droid factory was? There's this snipped from Wookieepedia:
"I suspect when the time is right, this device can be used to pinpoint the location of the HK factory - and I... I mean, we... can deal with them once and for all." ―HK-47, to Meetra Surik

I don't remember if that quote is actually in the game or not, and if so when. Or what device they're talking about. I should notice that during the next playthrough.

It is known that GO-TO knew about the HK-50s, and used them to search for The Exile. The Wookieepedia page linked above says that GO-TO discovered the droid factory and reactivated it. I don't remember if that's actually in the game or if Wookieepedia is inferring that.

HK-47's Wookieepedia page says this:

HK-47 continued to follow Surik until after the Battle of Telos IV. During the battle, HK-47 left the group after capturing and torturing an HK-50 unit into telling him the location where the HK-50 models were being produced. HK-47 eventually tracked the HK-50s to the HK Manufacturing Plant under the surface of Telos IV and, upon arrival, persuaded the HK-50s to join his cause. HK-47 then returned with Surik to Malachor V in order to defeat the Sith Lord Darth Traya.

Parts of that content reference KOTOR 2 itself, and others the New Essential Guide to Droids

The problem I see with that timeline is that when I return to Telos after Dantooine, I got to Atris' polar base. And then the cutscene of the shuttle with (presumably) Bao-Dur and HK-47 on it occurs BEFORE I got back to Citadel Station. So, did HK-47 find an HK-50 at Atris' base? Or did HK-47 go elsewhere and find the HK-50? If they did, how did he get there? Was there a shuttle at Atris' base they could commandeer? And did Bao-Dur go with him to seek out the HK-50? And how would they know where to find one? Does the game contradict this in any way, by showing either HK-47 or Bao-Dur on the Ebon Hawk at any point? Can I even get onto the Ebon Hawk, or am I just dumped into Atris' base? If they did leave directly from Atris' base, did that happen while I was fighting Atris? Or after? If after, seems like they wouldn't have had time to find and interrogate an HK-50 before I get to Citadel station, meaning the cutscene with the shuttle is kind of misleading. If before, I don't get to talk to them after they find the HK-50. And I suppose I don't get to talk to them after finding it if they leave after I face Atris either.

Early in the game, I confront three HK-50s at Atris' place after crashlanding. So the HK-50s know about the polar base.

The thing that seems to make the most sense is:
  1. The Ebon Hawk leaves Dantooine for Telos
  2. The Ebon Hawk lands at Atris' polar base. Someone notices an HK-50 (or maybe a group of them) on the surface during the arrival, staking it out in case I return.
  3. I send a subset of the team to deal with the HK-50(s) to eliminate that problem while I confront Atris.
  4. HK-47 (maybe with Bao-Dur) captures and interrogate one of the HK-50s, and learns of the military base
  5. After I defeat Atris, we pow-wow and decide that Bao-Dur and HK-47 will proceed to the military base, while everyone else heads to Citadel Station (we are probably aware the Ravager is inbound by now)
  6. Bao-Dur and HK-47 leave on a shuttle that was at Atris' polar base.
  7. I leave on the Ebon Hawk with everyone else.
This means that HK-47 is in the droid factory at roughly the same time I'm fighting Sith on Citadel Station. Need to confirm the game doesn't contradict any of that.

Chapter name ideas:

Revan should, at some point, tell Bastila about Surik, and that he's useful for now, might even regain his powers, but she's Revan's true apprentice and she'll have a chance to prove it by killing Surik eventually. And, of course, tell Surik the mirror story. Then they get to fight it out in the final chapter.

Possible names for this fanfic:

If I go with "Betrayals", who is betraying who? Here are some:
So, other than Surik being completely loyal to Revan, pretty much everyone is betraying everyone.