B A R G H E S T
NUBIA
The acidic smell of rain pouring down the lower levels of Nubia reminds me of a scene all-too familiar. The way the water splashes on the canopy, how the neon lights reflect on the puddles, the ashy stench from the cheap noodle bars, the deadbeat drunks grazing the dirty alleyways, spending the rest of their credits on temporary release and instant gratification, while their family is facing a slow death of hunger and sorrow, it all effortlessly takes me back to the days of old, the cold, harsh reality of life right in the former center of the great Galactic Alliance.
I was sent here, with the Grandmaster of the NJO herself, to uncover and solve the mystery of a presumably darkside-aligned serial-killer. Having spent most of my last year on Sith space, the council deemed me suitable for this mission. Coupled with my way-too-deep experience living, getting-by in an urban underground environment, I can offer quite substantial assistance for Valery, who at this point I can consider as somewhat a close friend.
Funny how life goes, it feels just like yesterday when I talked to her personally for the first time, all anxious and even a bit scared.
The flight to Nubia flew so quickly. We caught-up on life, I haven't been spending time in the Core when the Dark Empire invaded, and we brainstormed about the mission. Our suspect could be a Sith, yet the reckless operations, so deep in GA space, they're most likely an unaffiliated darksider. Should be clearer once we go through our laundry list.
We stopped in front of a shack where one of the supposed eyewitnesses live. The place and the family living there reminds me of our place back then in Coruscant. Five people in a very small room, thin and dirty mattresses right beside a barely standing dining table, refrigerator as the only source of light. Are we really doing the best we could, if billions of people are still living under this condition?
I greeted the middle-aged lady, handing her a bag of meat and basic sustenance. That's the least I can do for potentially putting this family at the crosshair.
"The shadow, it didn't move like a man. The movement was so erratic, and I can only hear the victim. That's when I started running away from the area. I'm lucky he was so focused on his victim." The middle child, a boy around the age of thirteen and fifteen told us. Escaping a rampaging darksider after coming so close to them should've been nearly impossible, unless... right. Tapping into the Force, I could feel that this boy has a connection to it. I glanced at Valery to see if she noticed the same thing as well. There are probably thousands of Force-sensitive children in the galaxy who never got the chance to learn of their ability due to their circumstances. That could've been me if I wasn't so lucky to be caught by a Jedi.
"Are you sure that it's a man?" I asked the kid since he referred to the John Doe as he.
"I only saw shadow, it was big. Could be a woman too, I guess."
I took another look at Valery. Perhaps she has some questions that would help our investigation.
