Hello everyone,
I have returned with the next book.
I made the decision to make a small change that can have a big impact, I don't want to spoil it so I will explain at the end
Anyway here it is, Chapter 1 of book 3
Book 3 - Star Trek Predator: For Freedom - Chapter 1, New ship, New Captain, New mission
It had been eight months since the destruction of the USS Thunder, Naruto and the rest of the gang were now learning from the best crew in Starfleet, aboard the Federation Flagship. The crew had grown attached to the group of cadets over time
The New alliance with Romulus was growing stronger then ever, the Romulans still had reservations about working with the Klingons and the Klingons with the Romulans but for the sake of the alliance they worked together to bring an end to this war
The war itself was going well for the alliance, the new enemy had not shown up since there attack on Starbase twelve, but the Federation was always on the look out for them
The Enterprise was in Orbit of earth, a large number of the Crew including Picard and the actual senior staff were in dress uniform, they were getting ready to beam down. Naruto and the group had all gathered at Starfleet Academy and they were also in their dress uniforms, however they still wore their Red Squad pins to set them apart from the other cadets who were also graduating
They had gathered in the Academies court yard as per tradition for the ceremony where a large crowed had gathered for the event, including a large portion of the Enterprises crew as well as Voyager's crew who had made the trip just for this occasion. Out of all forty two Red Squad Cadets only fourteen were graduating that year, and twelve of them were the Konoha group. The rest of them still had a year or two to go, although they to had gathered with the crew of the Enterprise to see their upper classmates. The fourteen of them had their own row separated from the rest of the cadets
"Welcome everyone to the Starfleet Academies Graduations of twenty three eighty two, each year we have outstanding cadets who join the ranks of Starfleet and become outstanding officers, but their are always the ones that stand out from the rest. These cadets get a much sought after spot on the Red Squad list. This group behind me has already seen battle, they have already seen there fair share of the war and lost many friends and almost died themselves in the line of duty. Because of their bravery they were all awarded commendations and a one year skip from the academy. This year fourteen out of the forty two are graduating and they now stand behind me, Captain Picard as their commanding officer I would like for you to do the honor of giving them these" Janeway said as she handed Picard a case containing fourteen pips
Picard took the box and made his way to the podium "It has been a privilege and an honor to have these cadets on the Enterprise, they have been a light in what is otherwise the darkness of this war. This war has been tough on all of us, and my crew were no exception. Since they came aboard the Enterprise their excitement and sense of wonder has brought an much needed boost to crew moral during this dark period in our history. These young men and women behind me are an shining example of the best Starfleet has to offer, and I am proud to have been a part of their journey" He said finishing up his speech
He began to go towards the Red Squad cadets and began pinning the pips on their collars, other teachers proceeded to give the pips to the other Cadets at the same time, they then took the oath to the Federation
"Congratulations Class of twenty three eighty two" Janeway stated to end the graduating ceremony
A large roar from the crowd and the cadets erupted, cheering and holo images were taken. The cadets were hugging each others and parties started
The next day Naruto and the group were assembled in one of the academies conference room to receive their assignments
"Congratulations again Ensigns, I have just received your assignments" Janeway told them
"Are we staying together?" Naruto asked
"I am sorry ensign, I did my best and I was able to pair some of you but you guys have no idea how much captains are fighting to have you on their crew" Janeway explained
"Well as long as I am with someone that should be fine" Sakura stated
"Naruto and Sasuke you two will be on the USS Freedom, she is a Justice Class ship, state of the art under the command of Captain Jason Tucker. She is also one of our newest ships, she entered service just at the beginning of this war" Janeway told them
Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other and nodded
"Shikamaru you will be on the USS Kingston a Phalanx class under the command of Captain Jimmie Knox" She continued
Shikamaru didn't look bothered as he stared at the clouds through the glass ceiling above them
"Tenten you're being assigned to the USS York a Madora class under the command of Captain Mary Sanshaze"
Tenten was a bit disappointed but nodded
"Sakura and Kiba, Captain Chakotay has been calling in some favors, you two will be assigned to Voyager"
Sakura was sad that she was being separated from Sasuke and Naruto, but she was happy to be with someone from the group, and being no Voyager also meant that she would be learning from The Doctor himself, they both nodded
"Hinata you will be on the USS Lexington, Achilles class under captain Lena Hease"
Hinata looked at Naruto while he wasn't looking, she really wanted to be with him she sighed as she nodded in disappointment
"Suzu, you are being placed on the USS Century, Harper Class under the command of Jillian White"
she nodded, she was also disappointed for not being assigned to the same ship as Sasuke and Naruto
"Neji, Captain Sisko has also been pulling in some favors, your being posted onto Deep Space Nine, this also means that you get to serve on the USS Defiant" She explained
Neji grinned, Sisko had become somewhat of a role model for him and he nodded
"Ino, you will be going to the USS Galaxy A, a Galaxy Mk two class, under Captain Carl Michaels
Ino just nodded
"And finally Yuki and Sai, you two are being assigned to the USS Serenity, Akira class under Captain Jess Brown" She finished
Yuki let out a sigh "Oh all the people to be paired up with"
Sai simply smiled, over the years he had learned not to go randomly blurt out stuff that could get him in trouble
"What about the other two? I know they aren't from Konoha but they were still part of Red Squad" Naruto asked out of curiosity
"Honestly I cannot answer that, all I can say is that they have been recruited by Starfleet Intelligence" Janeway explained
Although Naruto was now very curious, he knew better then to push the issue and simply nodded
That night they all gathered at their favorite bar, this was their last night together and they wanted to have as much fun as they could. The next morning Sasuke and Naruto were on the Enterprise packing up, the Freedom would be in orbit to pick them up soon
"So what do you think our captain is going to be like?" Naruto asked as he continued to pack his things
"We will find out when we meet him, just hurry up" Sasuke told him as he finished packing up
"Well I am happy that I am not alone" Naruto stated as he finished packing up
"They would of never allowed it" Sasuke answered back
"And why is that?" Naruto asked as picked up his bag
"One of us had to keep an eye on you, do you think Starfleet is ready for an idiot like you to be left alone?" Sasuke said teasingly
"Very funny Sasuke" Naruto said as he was obviously not amused, Sasuke grinned knowing he had accomplished his goal
"Ensigns Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, the USS Freedom has arrived and they are requesting for you beam over as soon as possible" A voice came over the comm
"Already? they are early" Sasuke commented as he picked up his bag
"Who cares, we are ready to go anyway" He said as he began walking towards the exit
"Go on ahead I will catch up" Sasuke told him
Naruto ran out of the room and and bumped into someone just outside their quarters, when he back up to see who it was he was shocked to see Captain Picard standing in front of him
"Whoa there, your in a hurry" Picard told him
"Sorry sir, the Freedom has just arrived and are requesting we beam over as soon as we can" Naruto explained
"Yes, I was coming to see you two off" Picard told him just as Sasuke ran out of the room and bumped straight into Naruto
"What the hell man, why are you just standing outside like that!" Sasuke said a bit frustrated, that is until he saw the reason why Naruto was just standing there "Oh, so sorry captain" he quickly added
Picard smiled and grinned at the pair "That's alright, I was just thinking how its going to be quiet around here without all of you" He explained
"You still have twenty six Red Squad cadets left don't you?" Naruto asked
"Yes and Janeway told me that I will be getting more" Picard answered
"More?" Sasuke asked confused
"Yes, until further notice the Enterprise is now the training ship for Red Squad, I made the decision after spending time with you guys. Having young cadets on board seems to have boosted crew moral, however I have the feeling that I won't be able to find anyone quiet like you twelve" Picard admitted
Both Naruto and Sasuke smiled at the compliment, it was high praise indeed coming from the famous and legendary Captain Picard
"Thank you captain, we are going to miss being on the Enterprise serving under your command sir" Naruto said as he bowed with respect
"Who knows, perhaps you will serve as part of my crew one day, I am sure both of you shall become great officers" Picard stated, he shook both of their hands before they all began walking towards the transporter room.
On their way they bumped into Suzu "Oh hey guys, are you leaving already?" She asked
"Yeah, our ship has arrived and is in a hurry to leave for some reason" Naruto answered
"Captain, do you mind if I take a minute to say goodbye to Suzu?" Sasuke asked
"Of course, we will be waiting in the transporter room" Picard answered as both he and Naruto continued walking down the corridor
Suzu was standing in front of Sasuke "Its going to suck not being a part of the same crew" She started "I worked so hard training you to be a good sparing partner" She added with a smile
As their eyes connect she quickly turned away to hide a blush "If by good sparing partner you mean punching bag, then yes" He said jokingly
"I want you to keep up your training" she started saying and then suddenly held out her hand with what seemed to be a chip of some sort
"What's this?" He asked as he took it from her
"Its a copy of my training program, I know that you could probably just create a new one but I figured since you had been using my program to train in that you might want to use it" She started to explain as she turned around to hide the obvious blush all over her face "But you know you don't really have to if you don't want to" She added
Sasuke smiled as he grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, she looked away to avoid staring into his eyes as he held both of both of her hands, she wanted to resist but her body didn't obey her commands as she stayed in place. She finally turned her head and could see his face, he was smiling as it was rare for him to genuinely smile
Sasuke on the other hand was smiling because he found this side of Suzu surprising, only a few months ago this girl was shouting at him for being a jerk. She was the first and only person to really stand up to him and she had won over his admiration as he spent more and more time with her "I am really going to miss spending time with you. And I don't just mean our sparing sessions, just being with you always brightened my days" He admitted to her
Suzu smiled back "Well mister Uchiha, If I didn't know any better it would say you have a crush on me" She said teasingly
It was not Sasuke's turn to blush as he looked away "I don't know if I would go that far" He answered back causing her to smirk. He let out a sigh as he stared back at her "As much as I hate it, I must go now" He told her, however he was still holding onto her hands as neither one of them moved
Without warning she hugged him tightly "I really am going to miss your arrogant ass" she said as she hid some tears from him
Suddenly they was transported without warning and they find themselves next to Naruto
"Got them sir" The man behind the console stated as they felt the ship jump to warp almost instantly
"What the hell just happened?" Sasuke asked as both he and Suzu let go of each other
"Very well, send them up" A voice over the comm stated
"What is going on?" Naruto asked "I was in the middle of a conversation with Captain Picard
"Sorry guys, this isn't how we normally welcome new crew members, well welcome to the USS Freedom, my name is Lieutenant Junior grade Troy Hoyaka
"We are ensigns Naruto Namikazi, Sasuke Uchiha" he paused for a brief moment "And ensign Suzu Nohara" he added, a bit confused by her presence
"What am I doing here? I am not a part of the Freedom's crew" She asked as she stepped off of the transporter pad
"Ah yes, well I warned the captain that Sasuke seemed to be with someone and that I couldn't get a lock onto him due to the close proximity you both had to each other, so he ordered me to beam both of you up" Troy explained
"So what is the rush that couldn't wait a few minutes for us to say our goodbyes?" Sasuke asked
"I don't know, all I know is that the captain is in a hurry, being transporter chief normally means being last to get any news on the ship, I will escort you to the bridge. A tour will be offered once the captain has greeted you
"What about me? The Century is suppose to pick me up this afternoon" Suzu asked
"I am sure the captain will explain everything, so you should just come with us for now" Troy answered
All three of them followed him out of the transporter room and into a turbo lift that would take them to the bridge. The bridge was exactly like a Prometheus class since the Justice class was a variant of it. It could do everything a Prometheus class could except for separating into battle sections, it only had one hull
Troy led them onto the bridge "Captain, these are the two new ensigns, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, as well as the extra we picked up, her name is ensign Suzu Nohara"
The captain got up to get a better look at them "These guys are what everyone is talking about? They aren't much to look at" He commented
"What was that?" Suzu asked slightly insulted, sure he wasn't her captain and this wasn't her ship, but he was essentially insulting them
"After everything Janeway told me about you people, I was expecting something more, oh well" He added
Sasuke could tell that Suzu wanted to speak her mind but he stopped her by putting his hand on her shoulder and spoke up first "I am sorry that we are a disappointment to you captain, but may I ask what is with this departure?" Sasuke asked
The captain briefly looked at his first officers empty chair and began making his way towards his ready room "Come with me" he said as they all followed him into his ready room. He sat down at his desk "Mr Hoyaka, you can return to your post"
"Understood sir" Troy said as he left
"What about me?" Suzu asked still confused
"You can stay for now" He answered "I seriously don't know why Janeway asked me to take you people for this mission, you just graduated, there is no way you have the experience to pull this mission off" He said with a bit of frustration
"Mission? What mission?" Sasuke asked
"Yes, you see my first officer was on an intelligence mission, his mission was to find out all he could about the new aliens. We lost contact with him one week ago. We sent officers to investigate but we found them all dead, and now they are telling me that I am suppose to send a bunch of kids to do the job?" Tucker explained
"I see, well sir I think we would be the best choice for this mission" Naruto told him
"And what makes you think that? You have no experience as intelligence officers what so ever, your raw right out of the academy and those Red Squad pins mean very little out here" Tucker said sternly
"We may be fresh out of the academy but we have been on the front line since the very first battle of this war, and we have been vital in a few battles!" Suzu stated wanting to defend Red Squad
"Suzu, calm down" Sasuke whispered to her
"Sir, I am not referring to our Starfleet Red Squad training, I think what makes us best suited for this mission is our Konoha Ninja training" Naruto explained
"Konoha Ninja?" Tucker asked
"Our home planet of Konoha is a planet with a culture based entirely around the life style of ninjitsu and with the added powers the planet gave us, it would give us an edge in any intelligence mission we would be sent on" Naruto explained
"What Powers?"
"Explaining it so many times is becoming, how would Shikamaru put it?...Troublesome?" Naruto said with a grin
"Yeah, lets just show him instead" Sasuke suggested
Naruto began making seals "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" suddenly five shadow clones of Naruto appeared next to him
"My god!" Tucker said shocked and surprised
"Not bad eh?" Sasuke stated
"And this is just one of many techniques we can use" Naruto added as his clones disappeared in a poof of smoke
"What the hell was that, was it some kind of illusionary trick?" He asked
"Well not really, to be clear illusions are actually things that we can do, but each of those clones had a physical body" Naruto explained
"Its what we call chakra, we can use it in many ways. We use to be ninjas on our planet and we have had many intelligence missions, we can find your first officer sir, of that I am sure of" Sasuke added
"Well I don't have a choice anyway, Starfleet command has already made the decision" Tucker admitted
"What about me sir?" Suzu asked, no one had really answered her question to begin with
"Right sorry ensign, we are on a very tight schedule so we cannot turn back to return you. Until this is over you are more then welcome to stay as a guest until we can get you to your ship, I will contact Jillian myself and explain the situation" Tucker answered
She looked at Sasuke and Naruto then back at Tucker "Sir, if its all the same to you, I would rather be a part of this mission. I am just as capable as they are, we would normally work in teams of three back home anyway" She suggested
Tucker let out a sigh "Very well, I will have someone give you all a tour of the ship and to show you your quarters, you are dismissed" He told them
All three of them left the ready room, an officer greeted them "Ah, hello, my name is Lieutenant Jake Robinson, I will be showing you around the ship, I still show you to your quarters first and then we will go on a full tour" He told them. They followed him into the turbolift "You know we are all excited to have some people from Red Squad, Deck four" He informed them as he ordered the lift to take them to the fourth deck
"The captain doesn't seem really impressed" Naruto pointed out
"You will have to excuse him, he has been under a lot of stress" Jake explained
As they exit the turbo lift and began walking Naruto whispered at Sasuke "So, you and Suzu hurm?" He said teasingly
"Just shut up and drop it" He whispered back
They arrived at some quarters and entered "These quarters have been assigned to you two, all junior officers have to double up, I just recently got promoted to full Lieutenant and got my own quarters, although if you make it onto the senior staff you would be assigned your own quarters" Jake explained
"What about me?" Suzu asked
"Well since you are a guest I will show you to some guest quarter" Jake answered "You two get settled in while I take her there, I will be back in about one hour to give you all the tour" He added as he led Suzu away
Naruto had one of the biggest grins Sasuke had ever seen "You know, if you want to bunk up with Suzu I am sure it can be arranged" Naruto teased
"I swear to god if you don't shut up" Sasuke answered back
End Chapter 1
Alright, that was fun :P
So by now I think I have kind of made up my mind about Sasuke/Suzu pairing
The biggest change is obviously the fact that Suzu is on the Freedom since the original story only had Naruto and Sasuke. the direction of the story will remain the same of course but scenes may be different from the original. either way I am still having loads of fun with this :)
Anyway, review or don't, either way Rick & Morty is awesome