Does anybody have any clues as to what's going to happen with the rest of the companions? There are plenty I want back and a few I want the chance to play with non-Classic main characters - for example, my BH and a certain padawan. What's going on here? Are there just going to be a bunch who never come back? Are they thinking of continuing the story and having the rest show up later? Does anybody have any ideas?

Exactly! These decisions should have consequences. People who accept the Emperor's power should become massively powerful, and that should be obvious in the gameplay. Likewise, those who don't should have some sort of response from the Emperor other than, "I'm disappointed."

Koth rebelled against Arcann when he was ordered to kill a bunch of innocents, but he's perfectly willing to accept that the Emperor committed genocide, PERSONALLY, on a scale only galactic civilizations can achieve. I think, at some point, the Commander should have just taken him and Senya to Ziost. It would have made a very good excuse for some of the more ruthless actions the Commander takes. -Koth and Senya watch, still stunned into silence, as the Commander reaches down and takes a handful of ash. The Commander looks them in the eyes as the ashes fall through loose fingers. "Are you going to stand here, in the ashes of a billion dead souls, and tell me that honour matters?" The Zakuulans stay silent, barely able to process the atrocity they can still feel the effects of. The Commander nods, as if they've proven a point.-

I was wondering if anybody had heard anything regarding Fatal Alliance's place in the SWTOR continuity. Are any of the characters ever mentioned? What about the events? Some of those characters seemed pretty important, but I don't even remember a Darth Howl in the SWTOR game. Is this just something the game decided to completely ignore?

This seems like an odd way to look at it. Why shoehorn in an extra Outlander when you can give one of the characters fantastic development by having them deal with the apparent death of the Outlander over the course of five years? There's plenty of potential in a character who fights the Eternal Empire even after the rest of the galaxy has given up, then hears about some great leader and an Alliance that might finally be able to push back, only to find that their long-lost friend is still alive and well. For example, my BH went through a lot during the Interim. Her sister disappeared in the hunt for the Emperor, then one of her best friends died while she was out hunting for her sister. She blamed herself for not being there, and took up her friend's cause. She's been wrestling with the dilemma of abandoning either her sister or best friend for five years, and her family has seen it take a massive toll on her.

I'm loving this thread. It's cool to see characters' reactions to the Eternal Empire. So I'll share my story: Dar'vao, called Darth Occlus, is motivated by hatred of the Sith, seeing her career as having infiltrated them to destroy them. Lying to herself? Sure, but holding desperately to what little good she's ever done, between acting the most ruthless Sith in the Empire. Now, it's been five years. The Empire has effectively fallen. Everything she ever did to destroy the Empire is worthless. She's not only a monster, she's a monster who's cruel means came to no end. And, if not for the Alliance, it would have finally broken her. For Dar'vao, her life is that of Atlas, holding up the weight of her own evils, and the loss of her power structure is the proverbial last straw. The Alliance needs her, though. And there, she can act as she's always wanted to, helping who she can and atoning for her misdeeds. Dar'vao acts rashly now, where she used to win before the fight even began. She saves people at cost to herself, where she used to balance damage to the Empire and gain for herself with every choice. She's spoken the truth to friends once or twice, a first in a lifetime. Her life has changed, and whether her new outlook will destroy the Alliance that is entrusted to her or inspire those who now serve her, we have yet to see. Suffice to say: she knelt, in the hopes of killing the Emperor later. She's refused his power without a contract. She killed a star at great personal risk and assaulted a Star Fortress with almost no plan, and she practically kissed Talos (she's gay) when they met and he offered her favourite thing: explore ruins. She's a changed woman, and we'll be discovering together what that means. Important: all of my characters have an interwoven story, and so Dar'vao is my canonical Outlander, and several of the others are dead or indisposed. She never knew Lana well, that was my Knight's story, and Dar came in on Yavin when my Knight called in a team (BH, SI, SW, JC). Dar'vao is also wrestling with the idea of finally admitting her feelings for Embry, my JC, who helped gather the Alliance, then handed it to Darth Occlus.

*SERIOUS spoilers* The fates of several characters seem to be hinted at. For example, the SI is likely dead, definitely MIA, due to being so high-profile. The Rep Trooper is MIA, not dead. We know this because Yuun went searching for her for a year and never found her, and I'm sure he could have tracked down a corpse. The JK is MIA, possibly dead, because he disappeared in the fighting over the core worlds. Cipher Nine is missing, 50/50 dead. JC is MIA, likely dead, having disappeared without her most loyal hunter years ago. SW is possibly fine, possibly MIA, possibly dead, but is one of the only ones you could easily say might have just... left. ALL of this is conjecture taken from bits of information in the accomplice profiles, Yuun, T7, SCORPIO, Qyzen, etc. If you've read something a little more accurate into it, please inform me. If I might interject with some massive headcanon, please indulge me a moment. The fates of several of the PCs are left to the imagination, and I had my own story taking place during the extensive time between each of the expansions. Example: 1) Agent is dead, killed by my BH after a major altercation spanning Malgus to SoR. 2) JK is catatonic after being present for the ritual on Ziost (mine is Miralukan). His body disappeared in the invasion of the core worlds. 3) Trooper is MIA, presumed dead after Havoc Squad's defeat in the Zak invasion of the core worlds(the only way she'd stop is if they killed her). 4) JC disappeared shortly after the Outlander was taken, and has been instrumental in raising the Alliance (my headcanon has her welcoming the Outlander on Odessan. In fact, she may have sent Lana to rescue the Outlander.) 5) My smugglers (twins) are effectively in hiding, after having made themselves a major thorn in the side of invading Zak forces. 6) SW is retired with Vette. The fate of the galaxy doesn't concern him much, though he misses having servants. 7) BH has been searching for her sister, the SI, since she disappeared looking for the Emperor. The Alliance has been unable to find her to report the good news. 8) Darth Occlus is the Outlander. Friend of the JC, sister to my BH, and barely acquainted with Lana, who worked closely with the JK, she begged for help from Revan after the Prodigal Knight's defeat, and offers to bind the Emperor any time he offers power.

All of this is so true. I built up some headcanon while my SI had her career, but really a whole lot of stuff is left out that would have made the SI more than perfect for the KotFE storyline. *Minor Spoilers* For example, a ghost offers the main character power in KotFE, and it's expected that the light side choice is to avoid being possessed by the scary ghost, but that's unnecessary for the SI, for reasons obvious if you've played the story. *End Spoilers* Without putting too fine a point on it, the story doesn't work well for BH, Smg, IA, or Trp. It's expected that they have zero or limited (Heroic Moment) Force power, and are therefore pretty helpless against a PREPARED (and powerful) Force-user. Additionally, some fights in the story seem to portray the MC as helpless, Force-wise. Makes sense for these classes, but there's no reason they aren't finished off. As for the JK and SW, it makes sense they could be overpowered, in most interpretations, but not necessarily easily finished off the same way. As for JC and SI? No way. JC is stupid powerful and, even if not initially, the SI gains great power, too. So, only the JK and SW are of a level in power that they could be expected to play the main character here. Maybe the JC, but immersion is going to be broken the first time she's tossed aside like a ragdoll (no, not by the Emperor, who's powerful enough to do that to a planet).

I'd like to see speculation on what the voices meant when they spoke on Rishi during the Consular's Holocron quest. Naturally, personal canon and stories are welcome. Servant One: "The Hand closes. Rejuvenation begins." Moff Pyran: "Fire on Republic vessels!" Lt. Iresso: "You were the best I ever knew. Goodbye, Jedi." "There is no life. There is the Force." Aric Jorgan: "For the Republic!" Clearly, Servant One is referring to the resurrection of the Emperor. Moff Pyran's line is referring to the firing of the Silencer by Lord Kallig. What about Iresso? His death is mentioned shortly after, so perhaps these are his last words to the Barsen'thor. "There is no life", seems the sort of thing the Emperor would say. Could this line simply be more foreshadowing of His return? Aric's line couldn't be a simple battlecry. That would be too ordinary. Perhaps they are his last words, just as Iresso's voice is? These lines hit particularly close for me because the Silencer was the most difficult decision my Inquisitor, Darth Occlus, ever had to make, and my Consular has been fighting for Occlus' redemption for most of the war. Aric's line also struck me as a last stand and, with the Fallen Empire incoming, I realized the Major would die before the Republic fell. I heard it as the last words of Havoc Squad.

Telkwa Thema Job: Security Officer Security Officer: Completion of Class Seven psychological profile required. Applicants with abundant conflict experience will receive priority consideration. 1. Please tell us a little about yourself. Why do you want to be a part of the Czerka family? Czerka is well-known as one of the most reliable and varied companies in the galaxy, easily able to service the Republic, Empire, and various neutral parties for most needs, common and esoteric. Czerka is both cutting-edge and growing further. With my help, the company would be capable of unprecedented growth, becoming known as the most powerful and profitable business in the galaxy. This mutually beneficial arrangement is, of course, my reason for applying for this job. As a neutral party, I can be expected to have none of the qualms likely held by other applicants over working with or against either faction in the ongoing conflict. In personal situations, I'm known to be quite charming and resourceful, able to find diplomatic solutions to almost impossible situations, resolving potentially volatile situations without conflict and ensuring the best possible solutions for myself and my employer. Should conflict occur, I have years of experience in both aggressive conflict resolution and tactical command, and I am confident that any situation will be resolved promptly and with minimal loss of profit by the company. 2. At Czerka, we pride ourselves on our accomplishments. Please name three of your accomplishments that you are most proud of. (Please do not include family milestones such as marriages or the birth of your children.) A) I am particularly proud of an event on Tatooine where I exhibited both initiative and skill by discovering and neutralizing a Czerka research project gone rogue. B) The now-infamous planet Makeb was the site of a recent job I accomplished, retrieving valuable resources for my employer regardless of the risk incurred by working on a planet facing imminent destruction. C) During a job on the planet Belsavis, I demonstrated perseverence and leadership skills by quickly gathering an uncooperative crew and successfully encouraging them to work together towards a mutually beneficial goal, recovery of data and resources of significant importance to my employer, while working past Rakatan defenses and more recent fortification emplaced by neutral parties in the current conflict. 3. How did you go about achieving the accomplishments above. Would you say you would do "whatever it takes" for success? A) In the case of Tatooine, I enlisted the help of a group of experts in ancient artifact recovery, personally accomplishing fieldwork and solving complications of a significantly dangerous nature. In particular, the Rakatan artifact discovered by Czerka was found able to modify the bodies of those who came in contact with them into cybernetic organisms, which were hostile to our continued research. Personally infiltrating the Czerka facility, I was able to neutralize the threats of the modified sentients and the Rakatan artifact itself, preventing further loss of manpower and profit by my employer. B) While my actions on Makeb were of a discreet nature, I can elaborate by saying that I was given control of a group of operatives, with whom I worked to accomplish my assigned task, facing determined resistance from both Hutt forces and, of course, the planet itself. I most significantly demonstrated my ability to get results in this mission by causing the rebellion of the citizens of Makeb against the Hutt forces, which allowed myself and my team to accomplish our mission relatively free of opposition. C) On the planet Belsavis, I was able to individually motivate a group of inmates who were initially resistant to the idea of working together, and resolve conflict between these inmates without bloodshed, while enabling the team to work together towards a common goal. In doing so, I demonstrated by abilities to motivate and mediate, even with the most potentially hostile of teammates. In cases of both physical and diplomatic intervention, I proved able of subduing or persuading the most uncooperative of the galaxy's sentients. This eventually included an ancient AI guarding the area my team had been assigned to infiltrate. I proved capable of both subduing and converting this AI, and its services will also be available to you, should you choose to employ my abilities. I am, of course, willing to work with anyone or do anything in my power to accomplish an objective, as I have described above. Rest assured that any goal assigned to me will be reached in a timely and, if preferred, diplomatic manner. Any objective requiring requiring more aggressive measures will be handled efficiently and discreetly, and, naturally, any enemy of my employer is an enemy of mine. 4. Would you say you have a strong moral compass? Do you think this could get in the way of your job, should you be asked to do something...questionable? Any action required by my employer to accomplish the company's goals will be undertaken with the assurance that the job will be completed. Czerka is, of course, not the sort of company that would ever commit any action requiring legal restitution by any nation with which it deals, and I trust the company to work toward its goals in a manner befitting a company of such reputation. Any matters which require... facilitation of negotiations and cessation of hostilities... will be handled discreetly, and Czerka will find my efforts to be swift, efficient, and very beneficial to the company. 5. You are about to enjoy our wide variety of complimentary cocktails and snacks, when you notice that your esteemed colleague's newest experiment is likely to break out of their confines while you are gone. How would you handle this situation? I am experienced with rapid subjugation techniques, and am readily capable of of subduing both organic and synthetic threats without permanent harm to the subject, should such action be required. Should the experiment be of a less standard and readily manageable nature, such as a bomb or airborne virus, all measures will be taken to contain the threat, evacuation protocols will be enabled, and my superiors will be notified of the situation as on-site correction is attempted.

I don't really understand the ability bloat everybody's talking about, so I don't understand the reason behind removing these abilities (especially since I really like Tumult and the BH's version). Here are my arguments against your perception of ability bloat (please help me understand what you're doing differently or what I'm doing wrong): I have 6 quickbars, which I think is way too many. So I reduced two of the quickbars to one slot each and plunked them on the right side of my screen with quickbar 4. QB1&2 are in the bottom middle, and I scroll QB1 to get to QB3. Feels like an easy setup to me, I just put all my stuff in the QBs I see, except the stuff that I only use VERY rarely, like Legacy abilities, my favourite pet, my speeder, and my change of "stance" or "cylinder". With this setup, I have easy access to everything I need easy access to, and find that only one or two abilities is a touch difficult to reach on the keyboard (alt+E, ctrl+B). Additionally, the extra abilities make for a more varied game/fighting experience. Since I'm not the sort to ever get a pattern down or take notes on what does the most damage, I find it nice to be able to look at my QB and realize, oh hey, that other ability is off CD! This makes for a more interesting fight because battles aren't so much math and it's nice to see what ability I could use next. Is there something I should know about what you guys are doing, that you're experiencing troubles with this?

I didn't know it was possible to have negative affection until Skadge. I have 4 companions with 10,000 and 1 with -1000. Guess which one? I tried to tell him to go away before he wound up on my ship, mostly because I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, but he got to go with me anyway. As for fighting with him, I took away all his armour and weapons, so I bring him along once in a while just to happily watch him get torn apart by whatever I happen to be facing at the time. For some context, the reasons I hate him mostly stem back to him being a big, dumb brute. Doesn't help that he's evil and I feel like I should constantly have two people on the ship just to watch him and make sure he doesn't kill Gault, eat Blizz, or... well, worse.

Mmm... I'm debating it. I took a name I hold dear when I was on the server, "Mandalore the Indomitable," and when I transfered, I was forced to change the name. Though I was able to take a name only slightly different (the difference between the words being something like the active/passive verb difference), I miss my old name, if only because it was slightly more fitting and somewhat better sounding with the character whose surname it was. I can function with the new name, but would prefer the old one. That said, I don't know if I want to have somebody else's Legacy name as mine. Conundrum.

That's quite the rant... that's also truly pointless or hypocritical. You seem to be mocking people for not being able to be imaginative, but then you start complaining that people will steal your name, and list very unimaginative names. Are you that unimaginative, or do you really want to cater to the unimaginative? So many mixed messages! I admit, I come off a bit insulting, but some clarification would honestly be great.

I'm with the prior poster. I have about 540 light on my SI, and I'm Darth Occlus (which I'm thrilled with, even aside from having my own Darth title). So, for future reference...? Light side = Imperius Neutral = Occlus Dark Side = Nox