Naruto jerked awake when he felt a familiar presence settle in the seat next to him. The Ebon Hawk made a little lurch as Revan pulled them out of hyperspace.
"You're going to enjoy this part," commented the Jedi as they settled back into normal space.
Naruto was, for all intents and purposes, glued to the window as a great dark blue planet loomed into view. Swiveling around it was a single but wide ring of rock, ice, and debris. Much of the surface glittered with the countless billions of lights of a planet-spanning city. What amazed Naruto the most however were the thousands of starships of all shapes and sizes commuting to and from the planet.
"Welcome my apprentice, to Metellos."
Naruto couldn't form anything coherent. To see a city on such a massive scale, it left him breathless to say the least.
"We'll be stopping here for a few hours to gather supplies. Try not to get into too much trouble, yeah?"
The boy simply nodded dumbly as Revan brought them into the atmosphere. Metellos was much like Coruscant; colonized by humans around twenty thousand years ago, the first colonists had arrived by sleeper ships in wake of the Infinite Empire's fall. As time passed, however, the planet became densely overcrowded. Despite having a smaller population than Coruscant, the seas became septic and much of the land barren thanks to lack of development. The inhabitants then attempted the establishment of trade routes to streamline traffic and bring in badly needed supplies, but had only minor success in trading with its much more popular neighbor. Nowadays, the surface was dominated by seventeen stratablocks, massive skyscrapers that bunched together to form small pockets of wealthy habitations that stood over a kilometer above ground. Each block was surrounded by a sea of similarly sized structures, and more often than not, the only way in and out of these residencies was by ship or speeder, neither of which the poverty stricken masses could afford. If you were to describe them as if they were chunks of Coruscant dropped at random, you'd be spot on. If those weren't enough, there were also thousands of floating cities to further escape the disgusting state of the surface. Needless to say, those were falling into disrepair as well.
Despite the sorry conditions most of the planet was in, Naruto still remained awed as they docked at one of the stratablocks. The Ebon Hawk touched down at an unassuming platform, the landing struts giving off a hiss of pressure as they disengaged.
"Don't be fooled by the supposedly well-kept conditions of the stratablock Naruto. The supposedly cleaner surroundings are just as vile as the rest of the planet."
The blonde nodded as he, like Revan, threw on an overcoat to hide his Jedi apparel. With a hiss, the exit ramp slid down and allowed the duo to enter the spaceport. After a quick check-in and fee with customs, they soon found themselves in a speeder headed for one of many market districts. Naruto, now with his initial shock of witnessing his first ecumenopolis wearing off,frowned when he got a better look of the deplorable conditions of the surface dwellers.
"Sensei, all those people down there... doesn't anyone think to help them?" he asked.
"I know, it's a sorry sight to see. Metellos could have very well turned out like Coruscant, but it grew too fast, too many people flocking to the world before it was ready. Now, those with credits to spare spend fortunes on these mediocre floating cities or stratablocks, away from the dirt and grime that is the surface. It's an out of sight, out of mind attitude that prevents the planet from thriving as it should."
"I don't like this place. Just being here makes me sick," mumbled Naruto.
"It won't be for long. We're only here to grab a few things and we'll be off. The Metellos system was a necessary stop anyway."
Naruto fell silent as they arrived at the bazaar. Revan parked the craft at the ledge of the durasteel platform and hopped out, his apprentice close behind. They soon became lost in the sea of people, the young blonde struggling not to get separated. He was surrounded by countless species; twileks, ithorians, devaronians, rodians, neimoidians, and of course humans. It was a terrible culture shock for him, but he schooled himself well. There would be plenty of time for him to lose his guts back on the ship. Then there were the stares, the off-hand comments in too many languages to recognize. The blonde thought he heard "good for nothing surface dwellers" or "dirty ass tourists". More than once he received an unkindly shove and a half-arsed apology, if he was lucky enough to get one in the first place. At first he couldn't wait to set foot on Metellos. Now he was aching for the chance to leave.
They made their way into a small shop. Naruto made note that many of the wares were survival equipment. He stored that little bit to the back of his mind as he shifted through the various items. Heat generators, field rations, plenty of extreme temperature protection, compact shelters, the list went on. Vaguely he got the feeling they were headed for someplace cold. Revan in the meantime approached the twilek who ran the store and struck up a conversation. The blonde tried to eavesdrop but couldn't for the life of him understand the language. As they became more animated and irate, the twilek more so, Naruto toned out the banter and returned to examining some of the droids. One in particular quickly caught his eye. In a way, it almost looked like those HK droids Revan had tending the compound. The only real difference was the head, which was not the angular box with yellow slits. It seemed more like a cylinder and a single red line jutted across the "faceplate". A speaker was implanted in the middle of that plate, but that was its only feature. Strapped to its back, to Naruto's surprise, was a rifle. Slowly, the blonde reached out to it, curiosity getting the better of him when the droid activated. Its cold, metal hand shot out and grabbed the boy by the arm. He let out a startled cry as the droid's grip tightened, the other hand moving for the rifle.
Both Revan and the shopkeeper heard the commotion. With a yell in Huttese, the twilek pulled out a jamming device and the droid deactivated.
"Your kid should know better than to mess around with an armed droid," berated the twilek.
"My apologies, he meant no harm," replied the Jedi.
"Of course, that's what they all say. Don't blame me if he gets blasted for touching things he's not supposed to."
The two resumed their bartering, now far more sedated and civil than they left off. Naruto nursed his wrist and quickly moved away from the droid. He didn't want anymore trouble than he could handle. Besides, he didn't think the twilek would take kindly to him wrecking the thing. Deciding to play it safe, the boy waited near the entrance as Revan finished up paying for the wares. A few more words in Huttese and directions to the ship for drop off, and they were soon leaving the store.
"How much longer are we staying here, sensei? This place is making me uneasy."
"Relax Naruto. Nothing can try anything out in public like this. That bodyguard droid was left on standby by whoever sold it. At the same time though, you might want to keep your hands to yourself from now on."
The boy nodded as they made their way through the crowded streets. In all honesty, Revan too felt something was off the moment they landed. In silent agreement, the two jedi made their way back to the Ebon Hawk. As he piloted the speeder through the fly-lanes, Revan had confirmed his suspicions when he noticed another speeder, completely covered and sporting black windows, began tailing them. He steadily increased speed and gently prodded the other speeder for any threats. He sensed three figures, but he couldn't sense their auras. In fact, they seemed almost like pits in the Force. Bounty hunters maybe? Not likely. Even they had souls. Droids? Then how come he didn't pick up their electrical signals? No, whatever these things were, they certainly weren't living.
"Naruto, when we get to the ship, I want you to board immediately. I'll be along shortly."
"Is something wrong sensei?"
"We may have some unwelcome guests. Don't worry, it shouldn't take long."
Naruto didn't ask anymore questions but still let his frustration show.
"I can take care of myself, you know. You have been training me my whole life."
"If my suspicions are right, you're not ready for this enemy. Do as I say."
The tone in his master's voice did not go unnoticed. If Revan had a certain edge in his voice like he did now, he knew not to question that judgment. The speeder came to a stop at the space port. The two Jedi quickly disembarked and made their way to the docking bay. Revan made a note how the second speeder had parked behind theirs and that the occupants, he found out as the doors slid open, wore stealth field generators. It was easy for him to tell they were Sith Assassins, but how the hell did they find them so quickly?
"And to think I just had Sarutobi use a memory of one of these things to test Naruto," he thought wryly. "Shit fuck damn."
The place was deserted, many lights had gone out despite the fact that they still had power running. Even the maintenance droids were nowhere to be seen. The duo quickened their pace. It seemed to take an eerily longer amount of time to return than it did to leave. A shiver went down Naruto's spine as they made their way through the empty corridors. Almost there he kept thinking. Almost to the ship.
"We've got company, boy. Hope you're ready for a fight."
There it was again. That same voice that spoke to him when he fought that assassin. He had to remember to ask Revan about that when they were finally off this rock. As they came to the last corner, Naruto broke into a run, fear gripping him at the heels. He was almost there. Almost-
"Damn it," he swore. The heavy blast doors to their bay were sealed shut.
Revan calmly walked up beside him.
"Looks like we'll have to do this the hard way," he commented. Naruto glanced down as Revan handed him one of his lightsabers.
"That old training blade won't do you any good now. Try not to lose it."
"What's happening sensei? Why do I feel so cold?"
As if on cue, the last of the lights shut off. It took all of Naruto's willpower not to lose his composure and cry out in alarm. This was beyond creepy, and was he hearing things or were those footsteps just now? A familiar snap-hiss and hum echoed throughout the corridor as Revan ignited a blue saber. Naruto did the same with what turned out to be a silver one. The two jedi stood ready, neither making any noises or sudden movements. While one was composed and poised, the other was literally shaking in his boots.
"Here they come," whispered Revan.
The jedi master stepped forward, Naruto close behind him as the echo of footsteps became much louder. Whoever it was that was coming must have realized they were found. Revan held out a hand and clenched it. With several flashes, the stealth field failed as the assassin it hid suddenly jerked and convulsed, the bones in its body shattering under the enormous pressure of a force crush. The body crumpled to the floor and Revan engaged two more assassins as they shimmered into sight. The elder jedi moved with precision and grace, parrying an attack one moment and striking out the next. As he weaved and spun throughout the chaos, he would occasionally "flicker" his blade, activating and deactivating when their enemies least expected it. At one moment he was redirecting an attack, at another the blade was gone, and the next it was piercing the chest of his attacker. But with each body that fell, another took its place. Naruto, to his fortune, seemed all but forgotten as the assassins quickly identified Revan as the greater threat. The boy moved instead to try and cut through the doors. He would have too if not for the swing of a force pike, the little nudge from the Force in the back of his mind the only thing tipping him off before it cracked his head open.
Naruto raised his saber to block as the black clad sith flickered into view. The two traded blows, both ends of the staff bouncing back and forth against the silver blade. Sparks flew as they clashed, Naruto ducking under a swipe and lashing back with a sweeping kick. He caught the sith off guard and as it fell to the ground, the jedi quickly impaled him with his saber. As he turned to help his master, he watched massive tendrils of lightning erupt from the elder jedi's fingers. An entire group of assassins found themselves thrown back, the malicious bolts setting their bodies on fire.
"We don't have time for this," muttered Revan.
Naruto found himself surprised again as the jedi made a familiar handseal and calmly stated, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Five more Revans poofed into existence and took their place alongside their creator. Once more, Naruto found himself unable to form words. Never had he seen his master practice any jutsu.
"All of you, I want that door cut open. Do it quickly, I've got a feeling they've got plenty more on hand. Naruto, help them out. The sooner we're out of here, the better." Revan glanced back to see his apprentice standing dumbly in place. A tick mark formed on the jedi's forehead as he yelled out, "Hey! Wake the hell up!"
That got his attention. Naruto gave a short nod and added his lightsaber to the five others as they worked on the blast door. By now, the soft patters of footsteps had lightened as Revan struck down another sith. Bodies of black were strewn all across the hall, some bearing stabs, others were decapitated. There were even a couple cleaved in half. Revan's lips thinned as he looked at his handiwork. How did they find them so quickly? How did they know where and when to find them? Were there any more? Have they already gotten to the rest of the jedi? A churning of fear developed in his stomach as he remembered Bastila. No, she would be fine. She was powerful in her own right, and like him had powerful friends. If something had happened to her he would have felt it. He shook those thoughts from his mind and checked on his clones' progress. A faint smile tugged his lips as the bulkhead fell open, a molten but large hole in its place.
"Stay here and cover our escape. When the Hawk is airborne, dispel."
They nodded as the two Jedi quickly made their way up the boarding ramp, T3 chirping wildly about tracking beacons. Revan conjured two more shadow clones that immediately went about clearing the hull for bugs.
"Keep your guard up. We're not out of this yet," commented the Jedi as he heard fighting erupt in the hall again. "Get on those guns. Blast anything that comes through. I'm warming up the engines."
Naruto ran into the ship and up to the gunner's seat. He vaguely remembered how to operate the weapon from some datapads he had stored in his room, but got settled in nicely. The crashing of lightsaber blades echoed throughout the empty hanger as the massive doors slid open, allowing rays of sunlight to stream through. Anxiety settled in as Naruto continued to wait, his eyes locked on the molten hole for anything that would slip through. That was when he saw them. Except they weren't the black clad assassins he was used to seeing but fully armored troops. Black visors covered their faces, their silver armor sending countless reflections across the room. Then they started shooting at them. Red bolts flew from their rifles, sparking and bouncing off the hull as Revan switched on the deflector shields. The two remaining clones were able to finish their scanning but were quickly gunned down. Relief started flowing through the blonde when he heard the low rumbling of the engines kick on. Still, Naruto did want to take any more chances and let loose with the turret, shooting down five soldiers with the first volley. The soldiers took cover and resolved to popping up to get a few shots off. Some made a run for the exit ramp but they never got very far.
"Hang on kid, we're leaving!"Naruto heard Revan announce through the commlink.
The engines roared to life as the Ebon Hawk launched out of the hanger as stray bolts of energy vainly chased after them. Naruto, still new to space travel, gripped the seat tightly as he felt the g-forces work against his body. He took a deep breath as Metellos shrank away behind them.
"What a great way to start," he thought sarcastically. "My first visit to another planet almost gets me killed."
As the Hawk soared further away from the ecumenopolis, Naruto made his way down the ladder and back to the cockpit to find Revan punching in a new set of coordinates.
"Huh, that went well," commented the blonde as he settled into the co-pilot's chair.
"Surprisingly well," agreed Revan. "Still, I'm concerned at how quickly we were discovered. If the Sith have their assassins this widespread, then we're going to have a tougher job than I've anticipated."
"Does this mean we won't be going back to Konoha for a while...?"
"Oh no, you'll still be heading home after this stage of your training is complete. I on the other hand am going to have to look into this new Sith activity. The Jedi are going to have to be warned, that is unless the Sith got to them already. The appearance of actual armed soldiers only strengthens my unease. The Republic is in no shape to fight another war so soon."
"So we'll find where they're coming from and knock em senseless."
Revan chuckled. "If only it were that easy."
With a final pull of a lever, the Ebon Hawk found itself in hyperspace once more. The elder jedi glanced at his apprentice, but instead of seeing the energy and drive he was expecting, what greeted him instead was a paling and haunted face as the adrenaline faded and reality settled back in.
"I... I killed them," he whispered.
Revan listened carefully as Naruto continued.
"I was so caught up in the moment, I hadn't even realized what I was doing..."
Naruto felt sick, genuinely sick. While his rational mind tried to reason it was a life or death situation, his heart berated him for how those men, regardless of whose side they were on, had families of their own, families that would never see them again because of him. Revan paused briefly in case the boy had more to say, but nothing came.
"The first kill is never an easy thing to deal with. In a better world, no one would ever have to take someone else's life, but unfortunately that is not the case."
"How many have you killed sensei? You sound so calm about it."
Revan slightly furrowed his brow, but quickly relaxed. Naruto didn't know how to handle it. There was no reason for him to get frustrated with the boy now of all times.
"I've taken more lives than I would like, but I can tell you now it never gets easier. I would hope that the moments where you have to kill are few and far between, but that's just blissful idealism." Revan gave a small but sad smile. "There is no death..."
"There is the Force," finished the blonde. It was odd how those words seemed to settle him so easily.
"I'm going to get some shuteye. We should be at our next destination in about nine hours."
Naruto absentmindedly waved him farewell as he started some meditation exercises. Now that he had his feelings back under control, it was time to tie a loose end. He had to find out who, or what, this voice in his head belonged to. He closed his eyes and went through the familiar routines. He reached out into the Force around him, but also reached deep into his own body and mind. There he found what he assumed was his own soul. It pulsed with a warm, blue light. It was almost... beautiful to see. Except there was something else, something that was entirely not him. This presence was red, and it was dark. Curious as ever though, he continued deeper into the recesses of his mind until suddenly he felt himself "leave" his physical body. Unsure of how to stop the feeling, he simply gave in as he fell into a dark void. Still, the further he fell the more panicked he became. At least what looked like the bottom was coming up, and quick too.
He let out a grunt as he landed in water. He pushed himself to his feet, the sloshing liquid reaching over his knees. Naruto got a good look at his surroundings; never had he imagined his own mind to take on the appearance of a sewer.
"It even stinks like one," he muttered as he scrunched up his nose.
"Don't be so surprised. You humans are far from a pure race."
There was that voice again, and unlike the faint echo he heard while he was conscious, this time the sound boomed and reverberated throughout the tunnels. At least now Naruto had an idea as to where to go. He stretched out with his senses and let them guide him, ever closer to the darker presence he shared his mind with. Naruto had absolutely no clue where he was or how far he had come, but he continued his trek deeper into the cesspool that apparently was his mind, that same voice taunting him all the way. After what had seemed like an hour, the tunnel came to an end and opened up into a massive cavern. It was almost identical to all the tunnels he had waded through, just bigger, except for a massive gate on the opposite end. Placed over the lock was what appeared to be a strip of paper with the kanji for "seal" printed upon it.
"So, my jailer decides to grace me with his oh so mighty presence," came a booming drawl... from inside the cage. Naruto tentatively took a step forward.
"And what are you supposed to be...?"
As if on cue, two slanted and crimson eyes with slits for pupils appeared in the darkness, accompanied by a massive, toothy grin.
"You have no clue do you? Here's a hint... I am the Lord of the Bijuu, both the protector and the scourge of man, the source of your power."
"This can't be real..."
"I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, mortal. And here, all alone in the deepest reaches of your insignificant soul, you... are... mine."
A/N: What can I say. I was on a roll with this one. Tell me what you think about the direction you may think I'm taking this ride. Review!
Ecumenopolis: a term given to planets, or moons, whose surfaces were entirely, or almost entirely, covered by a vast city. Notable examples are Nar Shadaa, Taris, and of course Coruscant.
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: Honestly, who doesn't know this one? On the off chance someone is that unfamiliar, it stands for "Shadow Clone Technique." A normal clone technique is simply an illusion, but shadow clones are in fact solid copies, able to perform tasks and attacks as a normal human would as long as the caster has the appropriate amount of chakra to spare.