A G U I
Reports kept flooding in — too many for Kito to ignore any longer. Each one spoke of a Sith, one performing rituals. But Kito knew better. The patterns weren't Sith at all. Messier, improvised maybe, but unmistakable. She would know Kro Var shamanism anywhere.
And that chilled her more than the word "Sith." These were rituals her clan had once used. If someone from her people had been twisted into something darker, something Sith… then Kito would have to silence them. It would be the only kindness she could offer
She wrinkled her nose, trying not to think about it. Picturing it would only make it more real.
But with every new report, one name kept surfacing. Ashbone.
Nar Shaddaa — the deepest hive in the underworld. Sith trafficked here, smugglers, killers, the unwanted. A Jedi had no place on this moon. Fortunately, Kito didn't look like one.
No one paid her mind when she stepped off the shuttle. A good sign. Her weapons rested at her side as she gathered her things and moved through the smog-choked streets. The syndicates' corruption hung everywhere. She could feel it in the air, see it in every neon reflection. Another mission for another time.
Her leads pulled her into an alley where even the criminals avoided.
Rodents scurried across damp stones; symbols scrawled along the walls twisted like things alive. She didn't recognize them. Her studies of Sith had never gone far. Fear of the dark side always kept her from diving too deeply.
Despite the uncertainty of what awaited, Kito pressed on. The alleyway twisted, as if there was no end in sight. Turning a corner, a wall stood suddenly blocking the rest of her path.
A dead end.
The Shaper's hand hovered over her blade, preparing for the worst.
"…Hello?" Her voice was steady, even as she swallowed the knot inside her chest.
"Ashbone?"