Darkness has come again. An Exile's path is the fate of all.
A woman dressed in Jedi Master styled robes lies dead in the morgue with other recently deceased corpses.
"Find what you are looking for amongst the dead?" she asks the Exile.
"You can enter minds, feign death, who are you?" the Exile replies.
These are often the extent of intriguing conversations in the KOTOR universe. She knows of your Jedi past, your exile from the Order, but even you cannot entirely remember the cause. You eventually meet your scoundrel-pilot, Atton Rand, locked in a stasis cell, and so it seems not all are dead.
The droids have overrun the outpost, a linear sequenced investigation reveals them as the occupants' killers, but the orders for their deaths came from someone else. The occupants divided between hiding you and giving you to the Exchange. Those that sought to hide you died, and those that were eager to sell you off were betrayed by their source, a HK-50 assassin droid. His behavior is reminiscent of HK-47, who is later found to be disabled aboard the Hawk. A prolonged stay inevitably leads to a showdown between first the HK-50. After him, the Sith Assassins swarm the outpost, but are cut down with ease as the Force as your ally proves invaluable again. The influence system becomes clear by your actions/reactions, which is how more of the pasts behind current and later traveling companions reveals itself.
T3 was given a Leia-type message from Bastila (or Carth) in regards to Revan. He (or she) disappeared four years ago after the Jedi Civil War ended to go into the Unknown Regions, for the real threat facing the galaxy. Another secret is entangled with that one, which has ties to both you and Kreia.
All the pieces begin to fall into place about the events leading up to Peragus. You came out Exile because of Telos, the Restoration, etc. However, someone alerted the Sith to your return, and they hit the Harbinger en route to its destination. You were taken off ship unconscious and away from the fight. Harbinger like Peragus is littered with corpses and cloaked assassins.
Kreia has a Kenobi-styled showdown with Sion who severs her hand in a Vader-like slice. She has many lives, and returns to your side just as you flee the outpost for good. The escape is perilous, but you get away as the asteroid field implosions incinerate the surrounding space. Sion also has many lives as he survives the destruction of Peragus.
Citadel Station and Telos will occupy the next arc of the journey. The Ithorians and Czerka will respectively call upon your assistance. It is one of many steps further to the 'light' or the 'dark'. After several rounds of finding corpses before me, I found it a welcome change, and sought to help the Ithorians being that I'm inclined to do what needs to be done, what's best for Telos.
Along the way, you will make allies and enemies depending on your allegiance. The Ithorians give you the first piece for a new lightsaber as your previous, no longer yours, fell to the possession of the Council. The Exchange sends its second of many bounty hunters to kill you, but he like the droid fails that task. Your companions come to your aid, and after a time you finally head to the surface.
The Hawk was stolen, but it is found by your arrival at the praxeum in Telos' polar region. Atris and her handmaidens are there as well. Your showdown with her sets the tone for your overall arc after Telos. Your lending assistance to her will bring the other Councilors back into the fold. Your hunt to take them down will set back the return of the Order and the Jedi. A pivotal choice for the Exile, and I chose to resurrect the Order against the seemingly unstoppable Sith.
Familiar worlds come back as you journey comes full circle. Dantooine is on the verge of conflict between the settlement and the mercenaries. Onderon heads towards Civil War and Dxun conceals the remnants of the Mandalorians. Korriban bears silent witness to collapse of Sith Unity after Revan's passage. Nar Shaada shelters refugees, soldiers, mercenaries, bounty hunters, and crime lords. Each world brings its own challenges, its own adversaries, but unexpected allies too. Who comes first, the strangers around you or yourself? The choice like always is yours...
It's not a perfect game, no game ever was, but the story offers more...