DEADLY SHADOWS
Out on galaxy’s edge, not everyone is packing a blaster or has access to a bot to do their fighting for them. Even in the places where lawlessness thrives like a cancer, the locals have ways of carving out justice when they need to.
In the often chaotic worlds of Sinasian space, the criminal elements hold as much power as the local governments. But where criminals closer to edge space might be more chaotic and random, the Sinasion crime lords prefer a more nuanced approach to their activities. Not out of fear of the law or whatever attention they might get from the Republic. The criminals in Sinasia chose to be more cautious in a place where the people they prey upon might just hire the shadows to kill them.
Brought along to the Sinasian cluster when colonists first left Earth, the ninja clans blended into the migrants making their ways to the stars. Hiding in plain sight, these familial groups of spies and assassins helped to build colonies that would eventually become the Sinasian worlds. They became laborers, doctors, and many other professions that would allow them to travel while not being noticed. The entire time practicing their true trade in secret.
Although trained in ancient martial arts perfected over centuries, the ninja clans also learned modern weaponry and tactics, even sending their children off to the Repub military. Those recruits would go onto proud military careers, bringing the lessons learned back to the clans to train the next generations of ninja in modern combat. From swords and poisons to TT-16 observation bots and modern blasters, the ninja became the stuff of myth and legend across the galaxy. A mysterious boogie man that could pass as anyone so they could get to anyone.
While the ninja has become a cultural curiosity in the Republic, they rarely travel outside of Sinasian space. First and foremost, the cost of hiring the mysterious killers is exorbitantly expensive. Why hire a human when a repulsor driven bot carrying explosives can do the job just as well? Then there is the finding of such clans and negotiating a contract for their service. It doesn’t help that the clans word the agreements to put the hiring party at the same risk as the ninja. Many a crime lord in Repub space have bankrupted themselves or been killed because of a failed mission. What started as looking to score style points by hiring the clans ended in disaster for the client when the ninja couldn’t accomplish the task.
The Sinasian home worlds are where the ninja really shines. Familiarity with the worlds and players, as well as blending in with the populace, allows the clans to operate with little fear of being discovered. In the low-tech worlds of the cluster, they shape events, spy on their neighbors, and keep petty criminals in check by savagely killing any who stray too far out of line.
In a galaxy of Gods and Legionnaires, the ninja exploit their place in media and legend to convince the people they are nothing more than a scary story told to frighten criminals. A story repeated through the underworld when one of their own is mailed in pieces to those who’ll spread the tale.
See the danger in the shadows in Chasing the Dragon!
