Skirmish aboard the Leviathan

The Skirmish on the Leviathan was one of the key events of the Jedi Civil War. Occurring not long before the end of that conflict, it saw the crew of the Ebon Hawk, led by the amnesiac former Dark Lord of the Sith Revan, captured by the Sith Empire's flagship. In a daring bid for escape, the party arranged for one of their number to become separated from the rest, in an effort to break free of the Sith troopers holding them in order to rescue the rest of the crew. Once free of their cells the party split up; Revan, Bastila Shan, and Carth Onasi made their way to the ship's bridge to deactivate the vessel's tractor beam, while the others went to the hangar deck in order to secure the Ebon Hawk so that they could escape before the arrival of Darth Malak.

Battling their way through the command deck to the bridge, Revan, Bastila and Carth encountered the former Galactic Republic Admiral Saul Karath, who was accompanied by a number of Dark Jedi and Sith troops. Declining the commander of the Sith fleet's offer to accept their surrender, the party fought Karath and his bodyguards, overcoming them and the Admiral. Dying, he revealed to his former protégé, Carth, the true nature of his companion's identity; with Darth Malak approaching, however, there was no time to explain everything and the party swiftly headed for the Hawk, which by then had been secured and prepped for flight. However they were not quick enough, and were intercepted by the Sith Lord, who confirmed Revan's true nature before engaging his old master in a lightsaber duel. In an effort to ensure the successful escape of her companions, however, Bastila intervened, distracting Malak long enough for the rest of the crew to board their vessel and flee the Sith warship.

The Star Maps
Having been retrained in the use of the Force some time during 3,956 BBY while taking refuge from the Sith Empire within the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, the mindwiped Revan, along with his companions who had escaped the destruction of Taris, had been assigned by the Jedi Council there to locate a number of Star Maps that had been scattered around the galaxy. Located on the workds of Kashyyyk, Tatooine, Manaan, and Korriban, they were seen as vital clues to finding the source of the seemingly infinite fleet that powered the Sith war effort, the Star Forge. It was hoped that, by finding these maps and putting together the clues offered from each, together with the map found on that remote colony, that the Jedi Order would be able to pinpoint the location of the mysterious space station. After uncovering four of the five maps that were to be found, the Ebon Hawk was dragged out of hyperspace by the Interdictor cruiser Leviathan, the flagship of Sith Admiral Saul Karath. Caught in the larger warship's powerful tractor beams, the crew was faced with certain capture.

Capture
While their ship was being dragged through space and into the interdictor's hangar bay, the party was briefed on the nature of their enemy by Carth Onasi, who had known Karath during both of their service with the Galactic Republic's fleet during the Mandalorian Wars and had regarded him as a mentor. Knowing that the traitorous Admiral was no fool, it was decided by Revan, Carth, and Bastila Shan that it was no use attempting to arrange an attempt themselves, instead choosing from among the rest of the crew who had the better chance of ensuring that they were separated enough so as to be able to effect their own escape before coming for the others. After selecting a companion to fulfill this role, the rest of the crew braced for imminent capture, offering no resistance to the overwhelming numbers of Sith troopers.

Separation and interrogation
When the Hawk had been secured within the Leviathan's hangar, a number of troops boarded the small freighter and secured most of the crew, keeping on alert for treachery as instructed by Karath through their commander. While the rest of the party was stripped of their clothing and equipment and placed in a high-security cell, Revan, Carth and Bastila were singled out for interrogation by Karath himself. Similarly stripped and placed in force cages, the trio was soon visited by the admiral, who after informing the party of Malak's coming, attempted to find out for himself what mission they had been sent on by the Jedi Council. Knowing that he was unlikely to gain cooperation by torturing Revan himself, Karath instead directed the consequences for refusal at Bastila. Revan, however, did not cooperate; after informing the party of the sacking of Dantooine, he continued to press Revan for answers, but the Jedi was unrelenting. Growing tired of dealing with his prisoners and achieving nothing, Karath ordered them all to be tortured into unconsciousness before leaving, with Revan receiving the lion's share of pain.

Breakout
"Carth, Bastila, and the rest of the crew have been taken prisoner as ordered, Commander."

- Sith trooper

Meanwhile, the party member who had been isolated made their own escape. Working their way though the sparsely-defended detention level of the Leviathan, they encountered a Rodian prisoner who was being taken captive along with the rest of his crew in an earlier ambush. In exchange for helping him to escape, he gave the companion an ICE breaker, a specialized slicing device that enabled the user to easily bypass the lockouts on the detention level computer systems, enabling them to thin the number of Sith personnel on that level, as well as unlocking the detention area's secured doors and releasing the rest of the party. Once freed, the crew retrieved their equipment and made plans for their next move.

While Revan, Carth and Bastila made their way to the bridge in an effort to deactivate the tractor beams that held the Ebon Hawk in detention, the rest of the group, led by the Mandalorian warrior Canderous Ordo, went down to the hangar level in order to seize control of their ship and prep it for launch. With their plans laid, the party broke up once again to fulfill their separate missions.

Assault on the Leviathan's bridge
After successfully escaping from the detention level of the Interdictor cruiser, Bastila, Carth and Revan worked their way through the command deck toward the bridge, facing large numbers of Sith troops and Dark Jedi along the way. They eventually made it to the bridge access corridor, only to find it sealed due to the intruder alert that had been triggered by their escape. Forced to seek other meas to entering the bridge, the trio found space suits and accessed an airlock that led to an alternate route via the ship's exterior. Once back inside, they renewed their assault.

The bridge itself, however, was far from empty. A phalanx of Sith troops and Dark Jedi stood guard alongside Admiral Karath, who offered the two Jedi and Carth a chance to surrender. When they refused, Karath ordered his guards to dispose of them; in the intense firefight that followed, the entire Sith retinue was killed, and Karath lay dying of wounds suffered during the melee. Coughing and spluttering as he lay on the deck, he called Carth over to him and, before dying, revealed that the one he traveled with was in fact the former Dark Lord of the Sith who had begun the Jedi Civil War, Revan. Enraged, Carth accused Bastila of knowing all along of this, however, the Jedi was able to convince him to wait until their successful escape before revealing the details--to both of them. Making haste, they quickly disabled the tractor beam and left for the hangar deck.

Revelation and flight
"What greater weapon is there than to turn an enemy to your cause? To use their own knowledge against them?"

- Bastila Shan

As Bastila, Carth and Revan attempted to make good their escape, they were contacted by Canderous via comlink and informed that the Hawk, which had been placed under heavy guard, had been secured and was ready to go. The party continued to race through the hangar deck, encountering yet more Sith forces, augmented by yet more Dark Jedi. However, just as it seemed as though they had a clear run to freedom, Darth Malak made his entrance.

Duel with Malak
As Malak appeared, Carth attempted to shoot him, but the Sith Lord easily deflected his blaster shots and unceremoniously dumped the Republic pilot onto the deck. With the three companions squared off against him, Malak taunted Revan, who had not yet realized who he in fact had been, and at last revealed the truth. In the conversation that followed, Bastila confirmed what the Dark Lord was saying; both attempted to explain to Revan, with each adding their own point of view, what had happened during the trap that had been laid for the two Sith Lords by the Jedi, and the choice that the Jedi Council had made in the aftermath. Believing that she was acting out of a selfless desire to bring him to redemption for his past crimes, Revan forgave Bastila and prepared to face his former apprentice in combat.

The battle that followed was intense, with both combatants drawing heavily upon the Force as they fought among the blast tunnels that separated the hangar bay from the rest of the warship. Though Malak held a slight advantage in physical power, Revan was able to keep pace with the Sith Lord, forcing him to flee deeper into the tunnerls. However, when Carth and Bastila caught up with the two duelists, Malak immobilized Revan within a Force-generated whilrwind. With an exclamation, Bastila took up her own blade and hurled it at the Dark Lord, catching him off-guard and entering the fray despite being outmatched. The blast doors sealed around them, giving Carth and Revan time to make the final dash to the Ebon Hawk.

Flight of the Hawk
With the rest of the Sith forces onboard dead or otherwise occupied, the crew of the Ebon Hawk was able to escape from the hangar bay itself despite taking fire from the Leviathan's turbolasers. Before they could make the jump to hyperspace, however, a half-squadron of Sith fighters bore down on them; manning the quad lasers as he always did in such situations, Revan dispatched the enemy ships. Their tails clear, the freighter made good its escape.

Aftermath
Safely within hyperspace, the crew of the Ebon Hawk met to discuss what happened aboard the Leviathan. At this point, Revan admitted to the rest of the crew his true nature, seeking reactions from each of them in turn, hoping to allay any doubts that they might have had. Carth in particular was, at first, very distrustful, having been betrayed by others before (including the newly-deceased Admiral Karath). Mission Vao at first thought it was a joke, however both she and Zaalbar, who had sworn a life-debt to Revan on Taris, agreed that there was no threat. Jolee Bindo claimed to have already known, stating that he didn't think it was his place to tell them, though it was for the best that the truth was out there. Canderous, who had been in awe of the Jedi, and Revan in particular in the wake of his peoples' defeat at the Battle of Malachor V, was incredulous that Revan would even think to ask about his loyalty. Juhani was equally as surprised, but also agreed to follow Revan, as did T3-M4. HK-47, when asked, revealed the rest of his hidden past, informing the crew of the homing beacon that had been programmed into him.

With the rest of the crew dedicating themselves to a redeemed Revan, Carth reluctantly accepted his leadership. Putting aside thoughts of going back for Bastila, the crew continued onward in the hopes of uncovering the fifth Star Map as quickly as possible, so that they could find the Star Forge and put a stop to the Sith.

Behind the scenes
Though this incident does not have a canonical name, it is based on circumstances that occur in the course of the game's storyline that the player must complete as well as the canon light side ending. If the player takes the dark path throughout, a number of alternate possibilities are available to them. They can choose to give Admiral Karath correct answers to his questions, or answer falsely just to see their companions tortured. In addition, they can choose to blame the Jedi and Bastila in particular for Revan's amnesia, succumbing to anger and facing off against Malak as though to reclaim the title of Dark Lord of the Sith. Furthermore, once the party has made its escape, the player can threaten various party members, forcing them to accept his leadership.

Party choices
During the initial breakout from the prison complex, the player will take control of what is usually an NPC party member. There are a total of six potential party members that can be assigned to rescue the rest of the crew once the Leviathan captures the Ebon Hawk: Canderous, HK-47, Jolee, Juhani, Mission, and T3-M4. Each has different dialogue from when the crew are captured as well as starting positions, circumstances, options and choices to make while fulfilling this aspect of the story.

Canderous If Canderous Ordo is selected, he will use his special healing implant to keep himself alive after administering a self-inflicted blaster shot designed to render him unconscious when the crew is taken prisoner. He will be taken to the medical bay and treated; the sidequest starts with him regaining consciousness in the vacant bay. The player will be able to grab his gear and weapons, arm him, and set him about the task at hand, dispatching the Sith troopers and technicians before freeing the Rodian smuggler and accessing the computer system.

HK-47 If he is selected, HK-47 will activate a dormancy program and power himself down. The Sith will take him to the droid bay, intending to administer a memory wipe and adding him to their own army. The scenario begins with him waking up; the player then can retrieve his upgrades, items and weapons and proceed to carry out the breakout as stated previously.

Jolee Bindo If selected, Jolee will use a series of mind tricks to baffle the guards to take the crew prisoner. They will put him in a separate holding cell, where he will further persuade, using the Force, the guard to open the cell and let him out, then stepping into the cell and locking himself in. From there, the player will attempt the escape as stated above.

Juhani If Juhani is tasked with breaking out the rest of the crew, she will use her ability with Force Camouflage to hide on the Ebon Hawk while Sith troops search it after capture. The player will then start with her "decloaking" within the detention level with all of her weapons, gear and items; from there it is possible to complete the mission as described.

Mission Mission Vao, if selected to rescue the rest of the party, will make a successful attempt to antagonize the Sith troopers who come to arrest her and the crew. One of the guards will make mention of this, suggesting that she be placed in solitary confinement until a torturer can teach her "proper respect for the Sith". Once isolated, she will pick the pocked of the guard, relieving him of the key to her cell. The player will then take control of her in order to fulfill the task as stated.

T3-M4

If chosen to save the party, T3-M4 will be given a backup memory chip set to a timer in case the Sith decide to perform a memory wipe on the astromech droid. Unlike with the rest of the party members, this then presents the player with a logic puzzle which involves completing three sequences of numbers. This is supposed to interfere with the droid attempting to perform the wipe, the failure of which represents the end of the game (the answers are 3, 10 and 11}. If successful, T3-M4 will end up in the droid bay with all of his current gear, where he will be able to complete the rescue.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic