It's less than two weeks until consulars get their second(!) companion return. Based on recent very brief returns like Corso/Risha, Ashara, etc., I am trying not to have especially high hopes for Felix's return. But however much I try to stop thinking about it, I can't help but speculate! So I might as well share my speculations and see how ye think the return will go as well. (It's a long post so skip to the TL;DR if you like.)

Dev info on the return:

• "The Jedi Consular’s loyal soldier has had a rough time these last few years – can the Consular help him?" (Roadmap)
  
• We'll find out the "somewhat tragic circumstances he's been through in our absence and hopefully get him to a better place." (Vulkk interview)
  

Official info on his absence:

• From Choza Rabaat's recruitment mission, we know that Felix is "missing in action."
  

Everything else we know about Iresso (spoiler-tagged due to length):

Of everything we know about Felix, the holocron in his head stands out as the largest unresolved element. He continues serving with the consular, a person of some prominence, yet isn't identified and tracked down by sith looking to raid his brain. Maybe that's because they're intimidated by the consular, but I can't see that stopping everyone. There always seem to be some sith who want to fight, no matter how badly that's gone for previous sith. So the holocron is ultimately more of a ticking time bomb. Maybe one day its knowledge will start to leak through to Felix's conscious mind, hurting his mental health. Alternatively, perhaps Darth Ouzal (or some other sith) will find out about the successful copy to his brain and seek him out.

Now, we know Iresso disappeared "in action," presumably on a military mission. Even while part of the consular's crew, he retained a military rank. Once the consular disappears, if there's a call to arms, I imagine he'd answer it. At some point, something went wrong. I feel it's most appropriate if this misfortune is something to do with the holocron. This makes sense not only because it's the most prominent mystery still associated with him but because Charles describes what happened to him as "tragic." Now, there's a 99% chance I'm over-dissecting his words here, but in storytelling terms tragedy is a very specific thing. It involves catastrophe that in some ways is rooted in understandable human mistakes and thus very foreseeable (the tragic hero is a flawed one), yet in other ways no one had much reason to predict (due to not knowing the full picture). Someone may predict what eventually happens but people don't listen to them. Wouldn't it be interesting if the military superiors who didn't trust Iresso after his capture, who never promoted him again and shunted him around from one short posting to the next, ended up being right? What if a seed of disaster was planted during his capture? Years later, its roots snarl up around him and hurt one of the things he cares about most: his subordinates.

Perhaps something goes wrong during the mission that naturally/accidentally causes Felix's mind to access the buried knowledge. He loses control and ends up hurting or even killing his subordinates. In the mayhem, their shuttle is disabled: communications and escape from their mission site are rendered impossible. Felix is left in a state where he alternates between lucidity (and horror at what he's done) and madness. Or Ouzal (or some other sith) intercepts the mission with the aim of recovering the holocron. Maybe Felix again unwittingly accesses the holocron's knowledge during the desperate fight that ensues, leading to the same result as before (except this time the dead and/or injured include sith). Or perhaps the sith is successful in taking Felix prisoner. Either the sith kills the rest of the unit (as they are useless to him and he doesn't want them telling tales) or he uses them against Felix to get him to cooperate. Felix then ends up suffering as a result of the sith's attempts to break through to the knowledge.

How would this all link in with his return? We know that recent returns are pretty short, so we wouldn't have time to go into detail with all of the above - it's just what I'm considering might have happened during the lost years. Whether Felix is stranded on some planet (or space station, or wherever), or a prisoner of some sith, he is eventually found. (By the Alliance, the Republic, or the Empire? I don't know. We have some indication that who we side with on Iokath may matter to Felix, but that may be due to his past sufferings at the hands of the Empire, not his present circumstances.) He is in a bad condition due to the effects of the holocron on his mind and the sad fates of his subordinates. The return mission starts when he is brought to the consular. It then consists of us having a choice about how/whether to help him. We might use the special healing technique (which might be applicable to his affliction; it doesn't work for everything). Or maybe we'll simply by talk with him, meditate, and guide him back to health (via timeskip / montage). Maybe a not-very-nice consular would opt not to help him at all, in which case he wouldn't become available in our roster. Perhaps some consulars would try to access his hidden knowledge themselves - in which case I don't know what would happen.

That's the best I can do. What do people think?

TL;DR: Holocron-related disasters leave Felix in a terrible state; our mission is to pick up the pieces or throw them away.

Iresso: "I've had a rough time, The Sith and Knights of Zakuul hunted me relentlessly after you vanished. It was worse than a death mark in 12 systems, they wanted me alive. I just escaped a rogue sith less than a month ago."

JC: "That's tough. Want to join my alliance? We have pie."

Iresso: "Sure why not."

fade to black.

Felix is honestly one of those companions with such an important thing (the holocron information) that he deserves much more than a 2 minute scene

I’d want a whole freaking chapter detailing how the info in his head exploded turning him into a straight up Darkside Monster that only the Consulars friendship (or love) can calm and put him back in his box

Felix is honestly one of those companions with such an important thing (the holocron information) that he deserves much more than a 2 minute scene

 

I’d want a whole freaking chapter detailing how the info in his head exploded turning him into a straight up Darkside Monster that only the Consulars friendship (or love) can calm and put him back in his box

I mean... I don't know that I'd want him to turn into a straight up darkside monster. That would be a horrible ordeal. Overcoming such an experience would be heavy stuff, particularly given that his normal personality is quite relaxed and low-drama. And I'd have a hard time understanding how we could navigate that in two minutes. Vector seems to have gone through a nightmare and still had quite a short return. But I don't think the return scene involved the agent helping him (apart from welcoming him back, of course), whereas the devs imply Felix needs the consular's help (and we'll have a chance to give it).

I also wish we'd get a really substantial chapter with him. Not only does Felix deserve a decent return, consulars do. With some other classes getting multiple companion returns with rich cutscenes and significant involvement in the main story, but consulars receiving none (and having to wait a very long time), I'm hoping this return bucks the recent curve of minimal returns. I don't necessarily expect it, but I can still hope (even if I sometimes try not to). Even if the return is just longer than the average recent ones, I'll be glad. But, no matter what happens, I hope the devs eventually tell us what they originally meant to create for his return before the chapter format got cancelled.

This tweet from the official SWTOR account seems to show Felix on Tython:

I suppose it could be a few different planets - maaaaaybe Alderaan? - but to me it looks very clearly like Tython. So maybe, after being found, he is brought there, and we receive a message asking us to go there and help him.

Looks like Tython to me though it could be Alderaan too, I can't wait to find out.

I'm looking forward to his return, or rather my lady JC is. Even though it'll be short, I didn't dislike all the short Alert returns, so chances still are I may like whatever they thought up for Iresso. Interesting ideas in here though! I'm inclined to lean towards something to do with the holocron brain, myself.

Yes, here's hoping for a decent connection with earlier story for Felix and the consular, even if it is short.

Looks like Tython to me though it could be Alderaan too, I can't wait to find out.

Makes me wonder if Felix is doing something there other than recovery? Hopefully he hasn't been there a long time and the jedi haven't been hiding his presence from us.

Looks like Tython!! Just a few more days Este.

So close! Don't let me down, Bioware.

It will most likely be a pointless 2min alert, just like the others. And frankly, if it's not, I will be majorly ticked. Not to say that Iresso doesn't deserve more...they all do. But, if they do return him with actual story involvement, it will be yet another elbow jab to the ribs from BioWare saying that the other companions (Andronikos, Ashara, Vector, Risha, Corso) don't matter.

And in reference to his personal character development from the original class story...it wouldn't be the first thread left hanging to blow in the breeze.

It will most likely be a pointless 2min alert, just like the others. And frankly, if it's not, I will be majorly ticked. Not to say that Iresso doesn't deserve more...they all do. But, if they do return him with actual story involvement, it will be yet another elbow jab to the ribs from BioWare saying that the other companions (Andronikos, Ashara, Vector, Risha, Corso) don't matter.

I don't fully agree with this. Yes, I do expect it'll most likely be a minimal two-minute alert (not "pointless" but not amazing either). But if it's more, that's nothing against any other companion. I see it as an issue of balance between classes. No other class has received as little companion-return attention as the consular. Consulars getting a little more content in this instance wouldn't be an imbalance but a restoration of balance.

Though I am not sure Tython should be like it was considering the attack on Tython during the Revan expansion and the destruction that Arcann caused in a lot of the planets. Sure it may been a few years but I don't think Tython should be like it was, but then again they did that to Voss considering the destruction. Some times I don't think the writers/dev remember the destruction on the planets.

They don't totally ignore the destruction, but they hand-wave how long it would actually take to repair buildings and such. I think I remember an offhand mention of "repairs are already beginning" at the end of Assault on Tython (when played as a Pub char). I feel like this is an issue of resources: because it's making two versions of Tython, Korriban, and Voss, vs. simply stating that repairs are occurring, they choose the path of least resistance.

I don't fully agree with this. Yes, I do expect it'll most likely be a minimal two-minute alert (not "pointless" but not amazing either). But if it's more, that's nothing against any other companion. I see it as an issue of balance between classes. No other class has received as little companion-return attention as the consular. Consulars getting a little more content in this instance wouldn't be an imbalance but a restoration of balance.

 

But, it would be an imbalance, because *all* romance companions should have gotten meaningful returns. Giving Jorgan, Torian, Vette, and Kaliyo actual story involvement, with the return and romance threaded within, was wonderful. Quinn and Dorne were the first to get snubbed. Andronikos, Risha/Corso, Vector, and Ashara were all thrown at us with absolutely no care or consideration. "Here, take these and shut up." I would have rather just returned them all via the console and made something up in my head. Pretty much anything I could have come up with would have been better or have made more sense. Not to mention the fact I'd still have working character models.

I'm not counting companion for companion as "you have more than me and that's not fair". I'm looking at meaningful returns of romances (and if you really want to start counting in that respect, the Knight hasn't gotten anybody back yet either). And returning Iresso with a story-threaded romance, though nice for those who love him, would still be a slap across the face for the romances who got the shaft.

That's just the way I look at it. YMMV of course.

I'm not counting companion for companion as "you have more than me and that's not fair". I'm looking at meaningful returns of romances (and if you really want to start counting in that respect, the Knight hasn't gotten anybody back yet either). And returning Iresso with a story-threaded romance, though nice for those who love him, would still be a slap across the face for the romances who got the shaft.

Well we already know from dev streams that we're getting more of the same in terms of companion returns. Everything going forward will be like the recent ones, not the earlier ones. But if we got just one more minute of content with one newly-returning companion vs. another that's already been released, do you think that'd really be so bad? That's kinda all I'm saying...

I mean, if we let the worst thing that's already come out be the new bar for all future content, because making something better would be unfair considering something that came out already, then all we can ever expect from this game is mediocrity. Nothing better, ever. That... doesn't seem great.

Well we already know from dev streams that we're getting more of the same in terms of companion returns. Everything going forward will be like the recent ones, not the earlier ones. But if we got just one more minute of content with one newly-returning companion vs. another that's already been released, do you think that'd really be so bad? That's kinda all I'm saying...

 

I mean, if we let the worst thing that's already come out be the new bar for all future content, because making something better would be unfair considering something that came out already, then all we can ever expect from this game is mediocrity. Nothing better, ever. That... doesn't seem great.

A three-minute alert vs a two-minute alert? No. It would still be a separate alert, held away from anything actually hitting the single one-size-fits-all storyline. I'm talking about actual multi-class content where your character's romance is interwoven with what's going on...such as having a conversation beyond various incarnations of "Gee, I didn't know you were alive...*shrugs*...we good?"

They've already set the precedent, and they've already told us that the other companions don't matter or are somehow undeserving of the same level of care and/or treatment. Short staffed, budget cuts...I get it...but it still doesn't make it right, especially when they're expecting my $$$.

A three-minute alert vs a two-minute alert? No. It would still be a separate alert, held away from anything actually hitting the single one-size-fits-all storyline. I'm talking about actual multi-class content where your character's romance is interwoven with what's going on...such as having a conversation beyond various incarnations of "Gee, I didn't know you were alive...*shrugs*...we good?"

 

They've already set the precedent, and they've already told us that the other companions don't matter or are somehow undeserving of the same level of care and/or treatment. Short staffed, budget cuts...I get it...but it still doesn't make it right, especially when they're expecting my $$$.

Well, just to be clear, I wasn't suggesting I expect to get amazing chaper-level context for Iresso. Of course I want it. And if BW moved back to that style of content, I'd be delighted, even though some companions fell through the cracks in the meantime. Keeping everything at a low level out of some idea of fairness, if they had the means to return things to a higher level, I think would be a mistake. But they've been pretty clear about producing short returns from now on. This is all we can expect going forwards. I guess it's up to each of us to decide if that's worth our financial support.

I also get it. And I also don't like it. I feel like some promises to us have been broken. And I especially don't understand why they built a story around taking another companion, Theron, away from us - a story with multiple flashpoints and several cutscenes - yet these short returns are all they can do for the companions we'd already been waiting to get back for years at the point when they took Theron too. I just don't understand what they were thinking.

That being said, I do believe that even truncated content can be well-written. I think that the return for Vector was really appropriate. With just a few lines, it made me feel like he was going through his own struggles all this time. So, even though I wish we got chapters for everyone, it's not all bad.

Makes me wonder if Felix is doing something there other than recovery? Hopefully he hasn't been there a long time and the jedi haven't been hiding his presence from us.

I think he might defending Tython from possible invasion. He has shown that he's interested in them and since Tython is JCs home planet, he might be there to look after his/her holocron while seeking knowledge about what happened to him (Felix) in the hands of that Sith.

Well, just to be clear, I wasn't suggesting I expect to get amazing chaper-level context for Iresso. Of course I want it. And if BW moved back to that style of content, I'd be delighted, even though some companions fell through the cracks in the meantime. Keeping everything at a low level out of some idea of fairness, if they had the means to return things to a higher level, I think would be a mistake. But they've been pretty clear about producing short returns from now on. This is all we can expect going forwards. I guess it's up to each of us to decide if that's worth our financial support.

 

I also get it. And I also don't like it. I feel like some promises to us have been broken. And I especially don't understand why they built a story around taking another companion, Theron, away from us - a story with multiple flashpoints and several cutscenes - yet these short returns are all they can do for the companions we'd already been waiting to get back for years at the point when they took Theron too. I just don't understand what they were thinking.

 

That being said, I do believe that even truncated content can be well-written. I think that the return for Vector was really appropriate. With just a few lines, it made me feel like he was going through his own struggles all this time. So, even though I wish we got chapters for everyone, it's not all bad.

I agree with this. While the small reunions may not have been on the same level as KoTFE-ones, there have been few good ones. I liked Vector's very much.

Sooooooo naturally the first thing I did on the servers going back up was play through this. I am happy with it. Certainly I would've liked a full repeatable chapter. But I think what we have is true to Felix's character and to the consular.

I video'd the entire thing, esc'ing out to record all conversation options apart from the one that would break the romance (I didn't want to risk that, lol). Here's a transcript, for anyone who's interested but doesn't play a consular.

My thoughts:

Sooooooo naturally the first thing I did on the servers going back up was play through this. I am happy with it. Certainly I would've liked a full repeatable chapter. But I think what we have is true to Felix's character and to the consular.

 

I video'd the entire thing, esc'ing out to record all conversation options apart from the one that would break the romance (I didn't want to risk that, lol). Here's a transcript, for anyone who's interested but doesn't play a consular.

 

 

Alliance Alert: "Jail Broken."

 

Contact: Bey'wan Aygo

 

"Commander,

 

"The Zakuulan government has just released a prisoner to the Alliance. The prisoner was a Republic soldier and former crewmate of yours, Felix Iresso. The dossier on him states that he was held in a military prison on a remote planet in the Zakuul empire. The Zakuulan liaison we spoke to was a little cagey on why it took this long to have him released from their custody.

 

"Given your prior history with him, we took the liberty of transporting Iresso to Odessen for you. He is waiting for you in the Alliance base."

 

___

 

Iresso: Been a while since I saw the sky. Almost forgot what it looked like. It's been a long time. I'm... glad you're okay.

 

Consular:

1) [i'm relieved to see you.] I've worried about you for so long. I didn't even know if you were alive.

-> Iresso: I'm here now. Just a little worse for wear.

2) [That scar...] Felix, what happened to you?

-> Iresso: I hardly know there to start.

3) [No thanks to you.] I've gone through a lot without you, Felix. Where have you been?

-> Iresso: Trust me, I have a good excuse.

 

Iresso: About a year after you vanished, the Republic got an anonymous message saying you'd been sighted on Zakuul. The Chancellor refused to act... so I went alone. It was stupid. The Knights were waiting for me as soon as I landed.

 

Consular: It was a setup.

 

Iresso: Somehow, a scientist named Jarak discovered the holocron in my head and decided I was too valuable to kill. He shipped me off to a prison on a remote colony world. At first I thought I'd gotten lucky, but then... the experiments began. For five years, they tried to extract the data from me. The things I went through... well, it's better if you don't know.

 

Consular:

1) [i'm so sorry, Felix.] If I'd known, I would've stopped at nothing to free you. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you.

-> Iresso: I know. It feels like you're the only one I can trust.

2) [What about the Republic?] Where was the Republic during all this? Surely there was a rescue attempt.

-> Iresso: I admire the faith you have in them. I sure don't. Not anymore.

3) [They did this behind my back.] Zakuul kept secrets from me. I'll have to think of a fitting punishment.

-> Iresso: The funny thing is, I'm not even angry anymore. Not at them.

 

Iresso: The Republic heard I'd been captured. They knew what Zakuul was doing to me. You know what they did? Not a single thing. "Missing in action," they called it. Wrote me off, just like that. I gave my life to the Republic, and they just... turned their backs on me.

 

Consular: Felix...

 

Iresso: I thought I'd given up on humanity. But then the Alliance you built... your people... saved me. Should've known the last heroes in the galaxy would follow you. You know... all those years, the only thing that kept me from giving up... was the thought of seeing your face again. After all this, I'm not the same person you fell for. I'll understand if you'd... rather not deal with that. But one thing hasn't changed--you're everything to me. I'll love you for the rest of my days... if you let me.

 

Consular:

1) [i love you, too.] I always knew you would come back to me, Felix. I never stopped loving you.

-> Iresso: I've waited so long to hear you say that. *kiss* I'm finally home. I'll fight for you until my last breath. No matter what gets thrown at us, I'll be here. Always.

2) [it's not right, Felix.] *<Nope, nope, nope.>*

 

My thoughts:

 

As predicted, he went through a terrible ordeal because of the holocron. I didn't predict it being at the hands of Zakuul, though. There are a few questions to be answered about that. Like, the alert description from Aygo says that Zakuul handed him over, belatedly and shamefacedly. But Felix says that the Alliance saved him. Which one is it? The only way I see for it to be true is that Felix was released because the Alliance is now in a position of authority over Zakuul, but I still think that doesn't quite hold together.

 

Privately - I didn't want to be posting a bajillion times to this thread, lol - I wondered if Felix might end up getting burned by Republic command. Say, if he started losing it and they locked him up on Belsavis or something like that. Or if, after he went missing, they decided he'd been a liability for a few years now and they were better off rid of him. But one thing I didn't expect was that he initially went missing on a private mission, trying to save the consular. And that this was a mission the Republic didn't support. Well, in fairness, they turned out to be right about that, since it was a trap...

 

It does make me wonder about dev comments from long ago that Felix would have an opinion about our choice of faction on Iokath, but while he feels hurt by Republic leadership I still could never see him wanting to side with the Empire. I'm pretty sure he'd draw a distinction between Republic command and ordinary people, plus it was Imperial actions that put the holocron in his head in the first place.

 

Anyway, my personal feelings are that it's really sad that he went through all this, but from a writing perspective it gives character development and connects well to his existing story. I approve of the writing choices. I hope my consular will be able to comfort him and help him feel better, so that, little by little, he can recover emotionally.

 

After the alert, I went through Odessen to see if they put Felix anywhere. I like the choice of a spot at the edge of the military area, leaning on a rock, looking out at the consular's ship. In my mind, I always imagined her going out to her ship when she felt lonely and missed him. For a long time, it was their home. This is just a small nice touch that fits well with what I imagined.

 

For what it's worth: thumbs up, Bioware.

agreed. It was like his character. Very sweet which is one of the reasons I did the romance with him. It kind of reminded me of how my boyfriend is with me. Sweet and protective.

Holy cow. I just realised something!!