- "Have you come to protect the Shock Drum like Master Kiwiiks?"
"What happened to her?"
"She defended us against Imperial soldiers led by a Sith. She fought bravely, but the Sith was stronger." - ―Hare'en and Kira Carsen
In 3643 BBY, during the Sith Lord Darth Angral's personal war of vengeance against the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order for the death of his son, Tarnis, Angral's apprentice, Lord Praven, attacked the Shock Drum facility on the planet Tatooine with the support of a complement of Imperial soldiers. The facility, which hosted the Republic research team working on the Shock Drum superweapon, was defended by a host of security droids and the Jedi Master Bela Kiwiiks, and Kiwiiks defeated many of the Imperial attackers before Praven engaged her in battle. The Sith Pureblood defeated Kiwiiks in their duel and destroyed the remaining security droids before departing the compound with the Shock Drum prototype and an unconscious Kiwiiks as his prisoner.
Prelude[]
- "Last we heard, Kiwiiks secured our weapons research facility. She's missed every comm check since then."
- ―General Var Suthra
In 3643 BBY,[3] the Sith Lord Tarnis' undercover mission as a Republic scientist during the Cold War with the Sith Empire was threatened by the arrival of the Jedi Master Bela Kiwiiks and her Padawan, Kira Carsen, on the Republic capital Coruscant. Abandoning his persona as a scientist working on the Planet Prison superweapon, Tarnis led Republic security forces and several Jedi on a chase across the capital before attempting to use the stolen Planet Prison against Coruscant itself. However, Tarnis was killed by a Jedi Knight—the former apprentice of Jedi Master Orgus Din—before his plans could come to fruition. The Knight's duel with Tarnis was witnessed by the Sith's father, Darth Angral.[1]
Armed with information on the entire Republic superweapon initiative courtesy of his son, a furious Angral proceeded to wage war on the Republic and the Jedi Order as revenge for his son's death. The elder Sith Lord dispatched his three apprentices, Sadic, Nefarid, and Praven, to take control of the Republic's three off-world weapons facilities.[1] The Sith pureblood Praven traveled to the desert world Tatooine in order to seek the Shock Drum weapon. However, Kiwiiks had also come to Tatooine a short time earlier,[2] as the Republic became aware of the vulnerability of its weapons facilities not long before Tarnis' death,[4] and she arrived at the Shock Drum facility in the Northern Jundland Wastes before Praven and his complement of Imperial soldiers did.[2]
The attack[]
- "I assumed he was going to kill us all. Instead, he captured Master Kiwiiks alive and ignored us."
"Not ignoring! Scary man destroying Brrik's droids. Taking Brrik many hours rebuilding!" - ―Hare'en and the Jawa Brrik
The Shock Drum, the target of Praven's forces
Before launching their attack on the facility, Praven's soldiers took out the compound's power generators, deactivating the exterior defenses. When the soldiers stormed the facility itself, the Togruta Jedi Master Kiwiiks single-handedly defeated many of them in an attempt to defend both the Shock Drum prototype and the project's research team, a seismologist named Hare'en and a clan of the planet's native Jawas. Kiwiiks was supported by the compound's security droids, but the presence of Praven turned the tide in the Imperials' favor. The Sith Lord dispatched the droid defenders and engaged Kiwiiks in a duel, driving the older combatant onto the defensive. Kiwiiks held her own against Praven's assault for a short time, but their battle eventually ended when Praven knocked her unconscious and departed with his remaining soldiers, taking both the Jedi Master and the Shock Drum as his prizes.[2]
Aftermath[]
- "She faced me as a warrior. She should die as one."
- ―Praven, on his regret that he did not disobey Angral's orders
Upon learning that Praven had captured the Jedi Master who had detected Tarnis on Coruscant, a vengeful Angral ordered his apprentice to leave Kiwiiks to die with the Shock Drum. He also ordered Praven to activate the superweapon and change the deactivation codes, ensuring that Tarnis's killer would fail regardless of whether they reached the Shock Drum or not. Despite his personal disgust for his Master's orders, as they violated Praven's strict code of honor, the Sith Lord complied with his instructions and left the Shock Drum beneath a mining complex in Tatooine's Dune Sea region.[5] With the Shock Drum Facility's defenses disabled, the native Tusken Raiders began to raid the compound, forcing Hare'en and the Jawas to lock themselves in one of the facility's secure chambers. The Jedi Knight responsible for Tarnis's death soon arrived on Tatooine and cleared the compound of the Tusken Raiders, learning Kiwiiks's fate from Hare'en, and then set out to locate the stolen Shock Drum.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
The attack on the Shock Drum Facility was mentioned in the 2011 video game Star Wars: The Old Republic.[2]
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: The Old Republic (First mentioned)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2
Star Wars: The Old Republic — Jedi Knight Mission: "Race to the Ruins" on Coruscant
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 Star Wars: The Old Republic — Jedi Knight Mission: "The Shock Drum" on Tatooine
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Act I of the Jedi Knight storyline in Star Wars: The Old Republic takes place in 3643 BBY per the reasoning here.
- ↑
Star Wars: The Old Republic — Jedi Knight Mission: "The Rescue" on Coruscant
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic — Jedi Knight Mission: "Desert Duel" on Tatooine