Kebla Yurt's Equipment Emporium

"Welcome to the Equipment Emporium! You looking to buy some supplies?"

- Kebla Yurt

The Equipment Emporium was a shop owned by Kebla Yurt located within the Upper City of the planet Taris. The shop's chief products included computer slicing equipment, armor, weapons, and explosive items such as grenades and permacrete detonators, as well as large items such as swoops and speeders. The shop survived the siege of Taris and the planet's subsequent occupation by the Mandalorians, and continued to do business during the years of the Jedi Civil War and the planetary quarantine instituted by the Sith Empire. The Sith, however, confiscated the shop's heavy weapons and speeders. While trapped on Taris with Republic officer Carth Onasi following the destruction of the Endar Spire, Revan&mdash;the amnesiac former Dark Lord of the Sith&mdash;visited Yurt's shop. The Equipment Emporium was open for business until Darth Malak's orbital bombardment of the planet in 3,956 BBY.

Location and layout
The Equipment Emporium was located within a simple, one-room store that was situated near the Upper City Cantina, within the Upper City of Taris. The store was centered around a single counter at which Kebla Yurt, the shop's Human female proprietor, conducted business with her customers. Scattered about the shop were a wide variety of items, as well as a number of footlockers and other plasteel and metal containers. Also scattered along the walls were a number of computer terminals as well as droid repair and upgrade stations. When the store was closed, the room was sealed off via a large blast door.

Founding and operations
"Uh, just so you know, all prices are final. This isn't a swap meet."

- Kebla Yurt

Founded at some point prior to the siege of Taris during the Mandalorian Wars, the Emporium was still doing business in the Upper City in 3,956 BBY, when the Sith Empire, under Darth Malak, conquered the planet, instituted a blockade that prohibited all access to and travel from Taris, and set patrols of Sith troopers to police the Upper City. The reason for these actions, however, was kept from the populace: the Sith, at Malak's command, were searching for and attempting to capture a Jedi Padawan, Bastila Shan, whose abilities with battle meditation the Dark Lord coveted, after she had escaped the destruction of her vessel, the Endar Spire, above Taris. As a direct consequence, Sith forces confiscated all heavy weapons, swoops, and speeders that the Emporium had available for sale. Nonetheless, a brisk trade in weapons, armor, and computer-slicing equipment was allowed to continue; this was, however, limited due to the fact that no new stock could be imported from off-world. In addition, prices at the Emporium were as marked, with no negotiations permitted.

During the Tarisian blockade
"Hey! I know you! You're the Mysterious Stranger!"

- Kebla Yurt, to Revan

Several days after the blockade was instituted, the amnesiac former Dark Lord of the Sith, Revan, accompanied by Republic officer and fellow Endar Spire escapee Carth Onasi, visited the Emporium. The pair discussed current events with Yurt, as they were seeking information about a number of escape pods, one of which contained Shan, that had crashed into the Undercity, the lowest level of the planet's stratified world-city. Yurt confirmed that reports and rumors about downed Republic pods were circulating, and that other parties besides the Sith were interested in finding them; these included the Exchange, an interstellar crime syndicate whose operations on Taris were managed by Davik Kang, and a number of swoop gangs including the Hidden Beks and Black Vulkars. When asked about Kang and the gangs, Yurt informed the pair that conditions in the Lower City were becoming more and more dangerous due to the fighting going on between them.

As Revan and Onasi continued to comb Taris during their search for the Jedi Shan, they visited the Emporium from time to time, mostly to purchase or to sell items. Yurt recognized Revan as the "Mysterious Stranger," one of the contenders who fought in the Taris dueling ring; after his victory over Bendak Starkiller in an illegal death match, she told him that if times weren't so tough due to the blockade, she would offer him a discount for shopping at her store. At some point, Revan encountered an ex-Exchange member and informant, a Twi'lek by the name of Matrik, who was living in a run-down apartment in the Lower City. Matrik told Revan of his plight, describing how he had grown disillusioned with the Exchange, leaving them and turning state's evidence against the criminal syndicate; for this, Exchange boss Kang had a bounty placed on his head. After suggesting that Matrik fake his own death, Revan was told of a way to make it happen, by acquiring a permacrete detonator that could be used to destroy the apartment and make it appear as though Matrik had died in the blast. Revan then went back to the Emporium, purchased the device, and gave it to Matrik, who set it off before disappearing. Revan later collected the bounty from Zax the Hutt, who ran the Tarisian governmental bounty offices, claiming responsibility for the deed. Zax believed the ruse, stating that some of his people had witnessed the purchasing of the detonator and reported it.

Destruction
"The search for Bastila is taking too long. Destroy the entire planet."

- Darth Malak, to Saul Karath

Some time later, Darth Malak became frustrated with the fruitless search for Shan. Knowing that the more time that passed without finding her, the more likely it was that she could escape, the Sith Lord ordered his fleet to conduct an orbital bombardment of the planet, with the intent of ridding the galaxy of Shan if he could not have her and her abilities for himself. During the fusillade of turbolaser fire that followed, the surface of Taris was devastated, with few buildings left standing.

Behind the scenes
The Equipment Emporium was first introduced in the computer and video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, developed by BioWare. The company also received a brief mention in the in-universe news supplemental The Taris Holofeed: Invasion Edition, which was printed in Nights of Anger, Part 3, the eighteenth issue of the Knights of the Old Republic series of comic books.

The player, as Revan, is not required to enter the Equipment Emporium or interact with its proprietor, Kebla Yurt, at all, as it is not the only general-item retailer within the Taris Upper City levels of the game. However, in most instances it is convenient to do so, particularly for the information Yurt gives to an uninitiated player, the store's proximity to other areas, specifically the Upper City Cantina, and the fact that the player can sell the items that they find throughout the planet for any credits that might be needed. The canonicity of Revan's taking on Bendak Starkiller, which earns the player dark side points, is uncertain due to the canon ending of the game being the light side choice. However, this article assumes total game completion, which involves both the purchase of the permacrete detonator for Matrik and visiting Yurt before and after competing in and winning the death match.

Appearances

 * The Taris Holofeed: Invasion Edition
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic