Naruto looked out from the cockpit of his Aliit's (Clan) Bristag (Starship) as he watched the stars and thought about the day when a lad was introduced to his new people…the Mandalorians. They were his people, they were his aliit, and he was theirs to use. Naruto closed his eyes as he imagined his late buir (father/mother, in this case father) telling him about how he was found.
Rain. That is all that this planet does, or at least that s what Ral Tyr would say. Ral Tyr was a Mandalorian field scout commander trainer. Like his title said, it was his job to teach hopeful commanders how to lead a scouting party through difficult terrain. He was lucky today- instead of a group, he was tasked with teaching an up-and-coming verd (warrior) named Jaster Mereel how to lead men across a thick forest. Ral shook his helmeted head as he watched Jaster stumble over himself while trying to find a good footing. Ral's armor was a glaring green, however the vest that the armor was attached to was a light brown. His pants looked like cargo pants even though they were a part of his flight suit. The only armoring on them was some armored knee pads that were a dark green color. The gauntlets were standard issue, but were colored a forest green with a burnt orange stripe going down the middle of them. "Come on, Jaster! As soon as we check out that weird power reading that showed up not an half hour ago, then we can leave this dar'yaim (a hell or place you want to forget)." Ral called out as he helped Jaster get his footing. About an half hour ago the mando base started picking up a strange energy signature. Since Ral and Jaster were in the area, the commander of the base sent them to quote 'see what the Firfiek (mando F word)is going on.' Hence the movement though the densest part of the whole forest.
"I don't know how you stay standing up in this…this…osik (shit)!" Jaster nearly yelled as he stumbled yet again in the thick swampy mud. Ral merely ignored him in favor of concentrating on the fact that he was getting very close to the energy reading. Both Mandalorians had their blasters up when they heard movement a few feet away. Ral made a silent hand gesture signaling Jaster to move to the right. Jaster saw this and nodded as he took position behind a tree, never once taking his blaster off the target. The brush shifted a little before a frog/dog like creature burst though the brush and ran off. Ral recognized that the thing had hunters teeth as it speed though the jungle.
"That was a predator or scavenger what ever caused the energy must have scared it off." Ral commented as he lowered his blaster, but kept the safety off.
"Or the energy itself scared off the beast." Jaster added his own two cents as he walked forward…only to trip again. "Osik!"
Ral shook his head as he walked gracefully to Jaster's fallen form. "You know mate…I think scouting is not for you." Ral reached down and grabbed Jaster's forearm and helped him up to his feet. Ral looked at Jaster before making a decision. "Stay here and watch my back. The energy signal is close and I don't need you tripping on it." Ral said the last part in a joking manner as he walked over to where the beast had burst out…so far he had seen nothing, but then a soft sound reached his ears. "What the Firfiek is that." Ral cussed as he found what was making that sound…blankets? "This is not good…" Ral pondered out loud as he picked up the mass of blankets only to realize that they were more then just any blankets…they were baby blankets. "Firfiek!" Ral quickly pulled back the covers and saw a round face with tan skin and a tuft of blond hair…most interesting was what appeared to be tribal scarring on both cheeks- three lines. "This kid…is a survivor to have lasted as long as he did out here….let's see no family….no name, oh wait there is a dog tag 'Naruto' hmmm, okay so there is a name, but still no family and no home…my lucky day." Ral thought in his head as he had a rare genetic disorder which rendered him infertile, meaning that his clan name would end with him…that however was no longer the case…this caused him to break into a grin that threatened to tear his head in half.
"Jaster…I think I just found my new son…" Ral said aloud as he turned to the shocked Jaster holding the baby in one arm and his blaster in the other. Jaster looked at this and he actually feared for the future, as many if not all the clans were hoping that Ral stayed sonless….but now, well, things were going to change in the Mandalorian arena of politics- only if the kid grew up to be a good warrior. "Come on. Let's get back to base. It is clear that the thing that caused the energy is gone." Jaster heard Ral say before he started on the trek back to base.
Ral looked at the bundle in his arms. That sleeping face…so peaceful, so serene. Well, he would just have to fix that- after all a Mandalorian can't be caught off guard, and would have to learn to sleep even if uncomfortable. He shifted it- albeit not enough to wake the baby, but enough to make him uncomfortable. Ral smirked as the peaceful face contorted into a bit of annoyance.
Jaster saw this and he remembered that some Mandalorian fathers became obsessed with making a perfect warrior son. So much though, that they would go a little bit over board and start training the kid before they could even move. Jaster could feel that this is what would happen to the boy. Jaster kept up his thoughts about the boy's future as they neared base, knowing that the commander would have a lot to say to them. Their commander was a highly respected mando veteran from many battles.
Ral smirked at the expressions that were given to them as they made their way to the command center. Watching the other Mandalorians' dumbfounded expressions were worth the way they used to tease him about a dying legacy as they walked past. Ral saw the command center up ahead- it was a hastily constructed place that looked like some one took ship parts and just slapped them together to get a basic structure, then added a nice sized door that lead into the base. Ral quickly walked though the doors and stared at there Al'verde (commander). "Sir" Ral said to get their commander's attention.
The Al'verde was a large man standing at 6 feet 5 inches. He wore an impressive suit of sliver armor with a red cape that draped over one of his shoulders. Currently he was bent over a computer trying to make sense of the earlier readings. The man turned when he heard Ral walking though the door. The commander looked over at Ral and was very shocked to see baby blankets in the Mandalorian's arms. The old veteran knew that something interesting was coming to his clan. "So I take it that you could not find the power source?" he asked, in reality though he just wanted to know about the kid.
"What ever that power source was…it's gone. However I did find an heir." Ral said as he looked down at the baby, noticing that it had gotten comfortable by laying in a different manner. He shifted his arms again. Ral smirked as he saw the kid's face yet again shift from a peaceful sleep to an annoyed, yet still sleeping, one. The commander saw this and realized that Ral would probably go over board with training the kid in the near future. "If I have your leave, I would like to get started on a place for young Naruto here." Ral spoke as he walked out of the room and started to head to his quarters on the other side of the compound.
His quarters were very interesting as he preferred to live in his ship. His ship's type was normally used as a smugglers vehicle. It was smooth and semi-small, making it lack luxuries that larger ships would have. In fact it was very Spartan in it's design. However the good thing that came from it's Spartan design was the fact that it was VERY fast. The ship would not really be a good place to raise a child…however Ral was not going to raise a normal child, he thought. Oh no, he was raising a Mandalorian warrior.
Ral walked over to his room, opened up a compartment and started to cut the wiring that allowed the compartment to open/close. Ral then sat Naruto in the compartment. He smiled down at his sleeping son. He just knew that Naruto was going to change the galaxy...he could feel that in his bones.
Ral looked at his child once more before using the communications system to call a mobile medic check to give the boy a though and though. Ral smirked as the halo-screen lit up with the face of the lead medic...Erick. Erick was about as tall as Ral, but very broad shouldered with short red hair and full bushy beard to match. Erick's armor was bleached white and on his right shoulder was the Mandalorian skull, on his left was a red cross signaling him as a combat medic. "What is it this time, Ral?" Erick asked impatiently.
"Well…I got myself a kid and I would like him to be examined by something other than a mindless droid." Ral said, not missing a beat as he knew that Erick was better than any droid there was…well in understanding the patient…"Okay, now I am just lying to myself, he is about as nice as a rabid rancor." he thought dryly to himself. However, there was one thing that Erick had that a droid did not and that was Ral's trust and to Ral that was more important.
"….Fine I will be there soon." Erick said after a long moments pause as he did not know what to do about the fact that his…let's say 'friend'… had a son out of the blue.
Erick switched off his side of the communications device, stood from his chair, and walked over to a big black leather bag that was about the size of a man's torso. Erick quickly grabbed it and walked out of the door with a sneer on his face….of course he always had a sneer on his face- so much so that it was joked that it was painted on by some of the braver troopers...though they still didn't say that when he was around them, unless they wanted a impromptu prostate exam with a viro-knife.
Ral smiled behind his helmet as he could finally find out more about his son. Hell, Ral did not even knew if his son was human, one example would be Zabrak, as they do not grow horns 'til they hit puberty. Before that though, they look like a really skinny human child. Personally, he did not care what species Naruto was as long as he could wear Mandalorian armor. Ral took off his helmet and set it down on the dash, his face completely hidden by the shadows that the artificial lighting cast.
Ral looked over as his ship indicated that someone was within ten feet of the ramp, so it must be Erick…but just in case that it is not Erick, he grabbed his blaster and went to confirm. Ral walked though the corridors 'til he reached the ramp, then cautiously walked down, and sure enough there was Erick in all his scathing glory. "Su cuy'gar (still alive/friendly mando greeting)" Ral said as he walked over to where Erick was standing and patted the man playfully on the back. Of course Erick responded with a punch to the face, which knocked Ral on his back.
"Quit, you old goat" Erick jokingly teased as he helped his 'friend' up. Erick then walked up the ramp and into the ship with Ral right behind him "So…where is the kid?" Erick asked as he looked around, only to have his fore-arm grabbed by Ral, then he was pulled to where Naruto was asleep. Erick looked at the babe and started to examine him, pulling out tools from his bag and checking for whatever he could think of. "You might want to wait outside…this could take a while…" Erick trailed off as he was so intent on studying the boy.
Ral studied him for awhile, but then shrugged as went to the cafeteria for some food. Ral watched as other Mandalorians sat down for a meal, removing their helmets to eat. He soon joined them with his own tray of unrecognizable slop. Ral slowly stepped into a well lighted area to reveal a military hair cut on a broad face with a large chin and a massive mustache. His eyes were a dark brown. The man ate slowly, allowing time for the doc to do his work on his new son. Ral watched carefully for a while as the time went by, but soon he had found a group of vets and all of them were trading stories of battles past…of course he joined them.
Time passed as he talked about battles in his heyday when there were less Republic rules on what needed to be done to hire an outside force. Ral had then been talked into going to play cards with them for a while. They did insult his pride as a card player, so he had to accept. The doc would understand.
After several hours messing around with the boys, Ral had finally returned to his ship. Ral walked up the ramp and moved quickly to his room where Erick was still checking out Naruto. "So… normally you would be done by now?" Ral asked as he knew something interesting had come up.
Erick turned briefly to regarded Ral before turning back to Naruto "So you're back." he commented distractedly. Erick then begin to scan the boy with a very expensive looking instrument. "He's not human…though he will look just like one. He seems to possess a more potent muscle system."
"In basic please." Ral said, annoyed as he had trouble understanding the medic's mumbo jumbo.
"Imagine that normal human muscles are dursteel, his would be beskar (rare Mandalorian iron)" Erick explained, knowing that the analogue would hit home with Ral. "His brain seems to process info better than a human's and I would wager that his hand/eye coordination will be very good, even before training." Erick then continued " I also have reason to believe that his life span is naturally longer then a Wookiee's." Erick watched the surprised look pass over Ral's face, but there was one more thing that Erick wanted to say. "He also has a vast amount of white blood cells compared to a 'normal' human…I bet that he could live though and kill any disease in his system as long as it takes more then 2 to 3 hours to kill him, and that is without medicine."
"…any idea what he is?" Ral had never heard of such a being in the known galaxy, the only one that came even close was Darth Reaven's species, but she was dead, not to mention that her species died out a long time ago with her being the last one while she was alive…at least that was the story.
"I think that kid that you found…maybe is the last of Darth Reaven's species." Erick concluded. Both men just looked at each other, and then at the baby.
"He will become a great Mandalorian!" Ral promised himself that he would make it so. Ral was also thinking about how he could train his new son using the knowledge that he just now gained. Ral knew that if his son was naturally skilled, that he would be the longest lived Mandalorian that had ever existed so long as he does not die in battle.
"If trained properly, he could very well teach generations of Mandalorians to come." Erick saw the value of the babe right off and if Ral had not already adopted the kid, he sure would have. Just think- a warrior that could gain centuries of experience and not age after reaching their prime for at least a few centuries. To tell the truth, he was slightly jealous of the boy, 'til he realized that the babe would outlive everyone he knew, as well as their great grandkid's sons/daughters. Now Erick also realized that Naruto's only true outlet would be the Mandalorians…it was only logical that Naruto would lose everything else, but being a Mandalorian. Erick would bet that he would become a fanatic Mandalorian, to the point where that was all that he existed for- nothing else. Erick had seen men like that and to tell you the truth, he pitied them more then he envied their impressive track records.
Five years later
A young blond haired boy was doing pushups and sit-ups under the watchful gaze of his father. The blond was wearing a dark blue poncho over a set of gray pants and shirt along with a pair of black boots. If you looked closely at the boots, you would see a hidden knife in there. The boy had already done one hundred pushups and sit-ups. The boy's father was coaching him in how to do pushups for the greatest possible movement of muscles and thereby the greatest result.
Ral smiled at the progress his son has been making as he trained him with iron diligence. He would not let the boy fail at any task without him being punished for such failure- within reason of course. The boy had already mastered the art of drawing and firing a pistol to a t, well- the movements, not so much the aim. Naruto also had a knack for evasive maneuvers on both foot and speeder and he loved to tinker on tech he found. In fact, he actually had to stop the lad before the boy could take apart a thermal detonator and possibly blow the ship sky high.
"Buir, I have finished my workouts." Naruto spoke in an even and measured tone that some would feel out of place for a child. "Are we going to do range combat training or close quarters training today?" Naruto asked (he preferred close quarters).
"Ranged. That is where most combat takes place now a days." Ral stated the fact as he stood up and walked to the 'target practice field' with Naruto in tow. Ral knew that he had just the thing to work with as his son preferred the use of a rifle to a pistol, even though he was much faster at drawing with the pistol. So he had to make his son an expert at using both as they could very well save his life one day.
The firing range was set up so that there were simulations of different types of combat- from close quarters pistol runs, to extreme range sniping set ups, along with the standard semi-auto machine blaster range. Not only were there set ups for each of the blaster types, but there were also different environments available, and for each set all was controlled by a panel that allowed changes in the aspects of the area. The only way that it could do all that was because the whole firing range was inside and segregated….it was the most expensive part of the base.
"Go select your pistol and prepare for an urban assault course." Ral told Naruto as he watched his son run to the pistol rack. He knew Naruto would grab a heavy, close- quarters pistol that doubled as a club. Ral knew though, that his son chose it for the damage that the thing inflected, he figured- why waste ammo space when one hit could put a hole though both the enemy's armor and the enemy in question. Ral knew most Mandalorians preferred speed over power, focusing on aiming at the enemy's weak spots and exploiting it. Naruto however, seemed to prefer power over speed and he often aimed at limbs if he wanted to incapacitate. What better way to accomplish that than blowing off your enemy's arm/leg? Ral also knew that even with the weapons his son preferred, he was still pretty fast for that type of gun.
Naruto had moved into the starting position and was ready to go. All he had to do now was wait 'til his father said to start. Naruto started to take control of his breathing and steadied his hand as his fingers wrapped around the kid-sized blaster.
Ral saw what Naruto was doing and started to set up the sim. He decided to use heavily armored Trandos, bad lighting, and finally explosive booby traps. All of these things were simulated so they could not actually hurt anyone. The explosions were nothing but light and sound. They were there to show if you "died" or not. Ral then hit the simulate button and nodded to Naruto who stepped determinedly forward.
Naruto walked into the scene, studying his surroundings carefully. It appeared to be an abandoned building with a maze of deserted hallways, large vents, and many rooms. The rooms themselves were very dark, so Naruto assumed that his father had picked a species that did not need a lot of light to see. His father would also have chosen a tough race as well and probably outfitted them with heavy armor…Trandoshans- they were one of the few races that fit that description. Naruto saw a dark outline near the entrance into the next hallway. "Hmm…if I use my blaster they will hear me for sure…I need to get creative." Naruto thought as he looked around the room for something useful. What caught Naruto's attention was a large vent. Naruto quietly made his way over there and carefully unscrewed the hinges. After loosening the thing, Naruto carefully peeled it off the wall and set it down, then crawled in it. Naruto was lucky that he could jump to the next level above him and was able to pull himself up.
Naruto quickly crawled though the vent until he was above the Trando. The Trandoshan was very large, with black armor that had bits of gray. Now that Naruto was close, he could make out some color. "Well…now what?" Naruto thought to himself as he looked around and saw that the vent was weak in the suspension…he could probably drop the whole thing down on the Trando. Of course that would make a lot of noise, not to mention that he was IN the vent. "You know what" Naruto thought, "Screw stealth." and he drew his blaster, then pointed it down- firing twice. Both shots hit the Trandoshan's forehead as it looked up. It fell dead with a large thud…And Naruto heard the rough language of the rest of the Trandoshans coming.
After killing the Trando, Naruto crawled farther though the vent and was pleasantly surprised that it lead behind the body to the point were he would have perfect shots of the Trandos that were coming to investigate.
As Naruto predicted they came and started hissing and pointing at the dead body. They were leaning over the body, actually giving him the prefect shots where they would hit their heads. Naruto knew that he would have to act fast if he wanted to win the sim.
Ral watched as his son dispatched two more Trandoshans, knowing that there was one last one and he was in the darkest part of the building. His son would have to compensate for the near total darkness and the fact that Trandoshans can see infrared. Now normally that would give the Trando a win against a non-helmeted Mandalorian, but Naruto had a keen sense of smell, so he could pull it off.
After walking towards the corpses, Naruto begin to pull out his viro-knife. Trandoshans are a tough people so he had to make sure they were dead. He quickly thrust the knife into their necks and a blood squirt was followed, but no sound. The blaster shots had killed them. Naruto looked up and stared down the hallway that they came from…it was pitch black and if Naruto knew his father, he would have had the last Trando in there.
Naruto bounded in, using his nose to pick up any type of sent that was available. Sure enough, there was a very powerful smell coming from his right. Naruto could only thank Mandalore that Trandoshans were not very hygienic and therefore stunk. Naruto trained his blaster at the largest source of smell and started firing. His shot were answered with a roar of pain and return fire. One of the poorly aimed shots hit Naruto's left shoulder.
Where the blaster bolt hit a red light now lit up Naruto's shoulder as the simulation ended. First the lights came on and then the Trandoshans disappeared along with their gear. What went next was the random daubery that was scattered about and finally all the walls turned to segmented metal plates. Naruto was semi-pleased with the results. All Trandos dead, and only an injured shoulder… he also knew that his father would be less then pleased.
Ral smiled, but quickly schooled his features to a disappointed frown. Naruto had done extremely well even for a full grown Mandalorian, however he could not let the boy know that or he would stop trying to get better. "After all", Ral thought. "What boy does not want their father's approval?". Ral started to walk into the room with a heavy stride, trying and succeeding in faking disappointment. He knew that his plan was working when Naruto excused himself from the room and put the blaster away. Ral knew that this was the time where Naruto would run off to his 'secret' spot on base and think about how he could get better, or brooding over his perceived mistakes in the sim. Ral knew that his son did not brood much- just when it is a very bad 'failure'. Generally Naruto identified his weaknesses and then strove to correct them.
Naruto ran to the outskirts of base, then to an old tree that had long since reached maturity. Grabbing the base he started the long climb up, working all his muscles as he did so. After reaching nearly five times his height, he stepped out onto a very thick branch and started to crawl. He did keep his goal in sight- an old abandoned sniper stand. The stand was little more than a plank nailed onto the tree. A steady plank, but still a plank. Since it was so low tech, most snipers did not even consider it a option when there were better spots available. Naruto had found the abandoned spot a few months ago and had instantly made it his spot.
Naruto came here to think about… well anything as it quickly became his spot for being alone. Naruto came here for now for one reason and one reason only…he had failed his father again. "I must be the weakest Mandalorian in the history of Mandalore (planet not person). I mean what kind of mando disappointed his own father so many times." Naruto said to the sky as he looked up trying to see any answers. "I promise that one day I will make my father proud!" Naruto loudly exclaimed standing up and yelling at the heavens, releasing all his emotions in one strong vow. "One day I will show my quality and power as a TRUE MANDALORIAN!" Naruto made a vow that day that will unknowingly lead him to an adventure such as the galaxy has never seen.
Here is a story that I wanted to do for a while, but failed the first time with Naruto: Birth of a Bounty Hunter. I know a lot of people liked the story, but I felt that it was kind of rushed and poorly executed. Please review!
PS: Tell me about any Naruto/Star Wars crossover that has Mandalorians/Jango or Boba Fett in it…use the review part to tell me and not a private message. Also if there are any bored artists out there I would like to see how people picture the things in this story and if you draw something and tell me about it, I will give a shout out in the next chapter.
If you reached here you are patient and in for a little treat as the next part of the story…hints.
The old man in a brown cloak looked at the young boy standing in the old abandoned sniper post. "Hmm…something in the force is moving. Something about the child…" the old man mused as he seemed to melt into the background…