AN: I don't own Naruto/Star Wars: Legends
4:9:22
Aboard the Breakaway: Aurra's Room
Aurra grumbled softly as her hand slowly gripped the sheets of her bed. Her sleep had been peaceful, yet there was some anxiousness she felt. No, she didn't feel it herself; Naruto was anxious.
Sighing, she shoved her hand down on the bed, frowning when it sunk into the mattress. Slowly shifting, she turned and looked at Naruto's back as he went through a few early morning stretches. Rolling her eyes, she reached out and jabbed his back, getting him to jump as she cackled tiredly. "G'morning."
"Is it? Can't tell anything on this thing." Naruto shifted, laughing weakly as he continued his stretching. "... how'd you sleep?"
"Calm. But then, I've actually been able to get actual sleep lately. No more worrying about Jedi Masters watching over us, and keeping you on your toes." Aurra sat up, stretching herself for just a moment before hopping up and moving to get dressed. "So... you're really doing it? The thing?"
"... kinda? I'm, getting a feel for it. Testing the waves." Naruto slowly twisted until a faint pop echoed in the room and he shuddered. "Uck, I hate doing that."
"Better to get it out now." Aurra frowned, slowly leaning against the wall and staring Naruto down. Naruto took a moment to notice, but when he did he simply stayed put, looking like a hound that had caught someone staring, and didn't know what to do under their gaze. Slowly, Aurra leaned forward, tapping her foot on the ground with a sigh. "... did it have to be her?"
"... I don't follow what you mean?"
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't."
"Yes, you -" Aurra exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down her face. "Look, Aayla is a good enough person, I'll give her that. She's been through trauma, and she's struggled... but couldn't you pick anyone else? Just, anyone?"
"I mean.. yes, I could." Naruto shifted, looking uncomfortable as Aurra pressed on.
"Then why don't you?"
Naruto slowly locked eyes with her, eyes distant, in clear thought. Slowly, Aurra found herself crumbling, slowly reaching out to cup his cheek in her hand. As her fingers brushed his cheek, she felt him open to her in the Force. She ignored it again, preferring to watch him, to listen, and wait for him to speak his own thoughts. It was more clear that way, rather than feeling like she was simply stealing them from his mouth.
"... because I get some of what she felt. And I don't want her to feel that she was so molded by Volfe that she can't be herself... to be free again."
There it was. Slowly, she stepped forward, pressing her head into his chest and wrapping her arms around him. She could make out some of the scars as her fingers traced across his back, pulling him close, listening to that damned wholesome heart of his. Not a beat of it meaning ill will, poor intentions, or otherwise; even if some were fools and interpreted them as such. Fools who didn't deserve him, yet she knew he would give his heart to them regardless.
"You're going to go back though." Closing her eyes, she buried her face against him. "The Jedi will just, take you again, and I'll have to wait to see you."
Naruto slowly wrapped his arms around her in return, breathing out slowly as he pulled her closer. She could tell there was some words he was trying to say. Something that might soothe her, and help her feel more at ease. He stayed silent though, tightening his grip with a faint feeling of some desperation to it. "I'm still here..."
"You'll leave."
"I'll be back."
"When?"
"... I don't know."
"I know."
They fell silent. She was right, and he knew it. He was honest, and she knew it. Both could be upset in knowing this, yet the feeling in the air between them was one of worry, and an aching. Slowly, Aurra pulled back, reaching up to gently curl her fingers against his cheek, pulling him into a kiss. They held each other there for a moment, neither wishing to break apart, holding each other till their air ran out, and they gasped for air.
"... go." Aurra said softly, patting his cheek gently. "Go, you bolt brain, and figure all this out."
"... I will."
Watching Naruto walk away was hard, and was only made harder when the door shut behind him. Clenching her hand, she slowly stepped back, closed her eyes, and screamed into her hands. She hated saying that. Letting him out, letting him go, was not what she wanted.
Was she not enough? Had she not done enough for him, for herself? Was this the Force punishing her for hubris?
The last thought received a choked scoff, and an easy dismissal. The Force didn't care about people's love lives, and even then she hardly considered or let the thought that the Force forced her destiny persist. She was in control of herself, her destiny, and she wouldn't let anyone change it.
Gritting her teeth, she stared at her hands, slowly balling them into fists. Jealously, hatred, and so many emotions. Yet, the more she thought on them, she didn't feel any 'dark side' welling up in her. They were certainly frustrating emotions, and she dwelt on them, sunk into them, let them persist. Then, she turned her mind back to Naruto... and their hold loosened, and she stepped out.
The feelings weren't gone, and they almost felt like they were at her back, whispering, caressing at her and making her wish to dive back into them. The thoughts had a catharsis, a freeing sensation, but one that did not free her in the same way. Freedom to express herself, to scream and shout, but that didn't move her forward, or get her anywhere.
Stepping out of her room, she stared down the hallway, silently. Then, sighing, she found herself moving to the helm. She had much she needed to do, and hovering wouldn't help anyone. That, and she was hungry. Maybe she just needed a quick bite to clear her mind.
Yeah, that was all she needed. Just that...
[=-x-=]
The Breakaway: Cargo Bay
Naruto shifted about, watching for Aayla to come for the start of lessons, then returning to his own forms to keep his mind clear. Had he come to early? Was he expecting to much, for her to come at a time that even he wasn't certain of? What if he'd been late, slept in and through it, and now Aayla thought that he hadn't considered her important enough to come to the training he himself had set up?
It was all too much thought, and not enough truth. He couldn't linger on those thoughts, and so he kept moving through the forms. Vaapad wasn't the most helpful for this, but it allowed him enough time to practice and channel the emotions into something constructive. No lightsaber at this moment, as he didn't wish to harm someone by accident, but even without it he was a force to be reckoned with. The mindset allowed him to channel it through every fighting style he had suddenly gave each of them a ferocity it may not have held before.
Slamming his hands through the air, he leapt atop one crate and flipped backwards, splaying his hands as though against a target, imagining them with a weapon he them disarmed them of as he 'flung it' off to the side, Landing on his toes, he used the momentum of hitting the ground to fall quickly into a crouch, spinning to deal with a shadow behind himself - and almost slammed face first into Aayla.
Drawing to a quick halt, he almost fell back on his back, only training and the technique of sticking to objects to hold him from having his legs just snap out from under him. Coughing lightly, he pushed himself back to his feet, trying not to look too awkward as he did so. "Aha, hey. You're here."
"Yeah," Aayla shuffled a bit, clearly a bit awkward. "I slept through the alarm I set, and just got here. I, was almost worried that you'd just, show up."
"Hm? I mean, we're in space. There's no sun to wake you up with." Naruto shrugged, rolling his shoulders and sighing softly. "I can't wait till we're back on solid ground again."
"... you're, nervous about space flight?'
"Yeah. Well, that, and most other forms of flying transport. There's just..."
"You remember the fire."
Naruto stared back at her, a sad smile crossing his face. "You remember the story."
"Not, not all of it. Just enough to remember some of what you told me." Shuffling in place, she lightly rubbed her arm awkwardly. "I, definitely could see why you were called the Red Lord during your fight... but, not the red part."
"I didn't need it."
"Didn't-" Her eyes widened in shock, her mouth moving rapidly as though to form words that were escaping faster than she could say them. Naruto felt confused, shifting in place awkwardly. Was it something he'd said. "But, he had so many advantages! Why would you hold back?"
"Because I haven't been able to use it without destroying myself to use it." Naruto closed his eyes, recalling each time he'd used it before. It made his skin itch considering how it often was ripped off during such events. "And I couldn't risk the Anzati coming after us even without Volfe's influence. Thinking to the future isn't the easiest, and planning around it... I just try my best."
"... okay..."
Aayla didn't sound convinced, but seemed to accept that answer. It wasn't much, but it was what Naruto could give her in response. How could anyone simply say that the power was like a drug, and a toxin; making one want to draw deeply on it when angry, yet it would literally rip him apart to use.
Holding up his hand, he smiled, then shifted as he had her follow him. Thinking back over what he'd tried to think over the night before, he slowly rolled a few ideas in his head. "So, what do you remember from your past? In terms of the Force, lightsaber combat, and so forth?"
"I, remember bits and pieces." Aayla was hesitant, chewing on her lip and gently running her hand against her lekku as though it held the knowledge for her. "Most of what I remembered was either in the heat of the moment, while the rest was from guessing... and some brief flashes of someone telling me instructions from... somewhere. Some-when."
"Alright." Naruto shifted, moving to the area he'd cleared out a bit earlier, then sat on a box. "There's a few ways we can do this. The more direct and quick method, that needs your say-so, and the harder path back that will let you get a handle on things one step at a time."
"... what's the difference?" Aayla shifted back, idly trying to consider that. Direct, and quick. It sounded too good, but then it required her to give permission to do.
"There is a Force technique we can perform, called a Mind Meld. It would allow me to access your memories, and to try and help you coax them out with you. I'd feel your emotions, and we'd work it out together. It'd be, very personal though, and that's why I'm not offering it lightly." Naruto shifted, smiling lightly, shrugging after Aayla simply stared at him. "I know you might want some privacy in your mind, particularly after Volfe..."
"Yes, I would."
"Then we can go with the long road back." Naruto smiled, hopping off of the crate. "Relearning the simple exercises, honing our concentration, and if we're having a good time with it, we might even go into lightsaber combat."
Aayla nodded, the transition immediately into his next bit seeming like he'd expected her to say no to it. Part of her wondered if she should say that she wanted to change her mind immediately, but that was immediately met with her shutting her mind off more tightly. She didn't want someone in her mind again. Not so soon. Even with the best intentions, she didn't want that.
"So!" Naruto stepped to the side, rocking his body from side to side before motioning to the crate he'd been seated on. "Try to lift this."
"... just like that?"
"Mhmm." Naruto held up a finger, seeing her confusion. "Lifting and moving things is a basic skill Jedi have. For many, it's the basics of all the skills they eventually use through their... life." He paused, realizing he was about to say career. The Jedi way was a lifestyle, not a career. "That said, it makes lifting and manipulating things at a distance a good way to start learning what you can and cannot do with the Force. It'll help you figure out where we have to go, if it's more control, or simply practicing more helping clear your mind. We'll work on meditation and other things like that later."
"Why later? Isn't meditation the part that helps you truly find balance? To... be able to concentrate better when you go into places?" Aayla could recall as much, through shadowed times as a child. They seemed so simple in listening to them, but a part of her was also thinking about how Naruto had put it and... it sounded kind of fun.
"For children, who are still able to be poked and gotten to listen and learn that stuff, yeah. But you're not a child. You're... an adult, really." Naruto considered that before shaking his head. Focus on the now, not the future. "So teaching you in that way would be ignoring that you do have experiences, and feelings towards what's around you, even if you don't remember them."
"That, makes sense." The words seemed to make Aayla relax, shifting and smiling faintly. Suddenly, it was instructions, but not as she'd felt they were. This wasn't fully a teacher-student moment, but more of two people who knew enough, but with her needing to have some instruction from a friend. "So, you're going to see what I need, and then go from there?"
"Yup!"
"Okay..." Staring at the box, she slowly tried to think of what to do. With Volfe, the connection to the Force had come, but with a number of parts that required to focus through anger. So, following through that logic, she grit her teeth, straining, then attempted to lift the crate.
The crate creaked lightly as it lifted off the ground, levitation up, and up, till it was quite clearly suspended. Holding it there, she exhaled slowly, a smirk of confidence on her face. If this was how it would be, then this would be easy.
"Good. Now set it down gently."
And like that, she felt her confidence shift. Set it down gently? With the power she'd drawn on, she wanted to set it down, but by nearly slamming it against the hull. Suddenly, there was more than a bit of difficulty to her task. Or, she could simply let it go, then catch it. That could work, couldn't it?
Breathing out, she tried that. Letting go of the crate, she let it drop, trying to time when she needed to grab it. As soon as she prepared to reach out, she realize to late that she wouldn't make it in time, and with a loud, hollow clattering, it slammed into the floor. Staring in horror, she shifted in on herself, looking away in shame.
"Okay, we've got the up, but the control part is the problem." Naruto pat the side of the crate gently, nodding to himself. "That's good. We have a direction to go."
"... You're not upset?"
"Hm? No, I emptied that shortly after our talk. It's a little banged up, but it's not like you broke it." Naruto checked the bottom of it where it had impacted, seeing very little damage on it and nodded. "Nothing broken, nothing lost.
"I didn't mean that... I mean I didn't control it at all. I just-"
"You let it fall."
Aayla hung her head in shame. "Yes..."
"I mean, you had a plan, and while it wasn't exactly what I asked, it was clever." Naruto laughed heartily, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it like that. It's literally your first lesson. I didn't expect you to get it first try, or even second try. The fact you lifted it was great. Now, we just need to figure out what you did, help you ease into it, then control it."
She shifted, trying not to kick her foot as she considered that. Another voice had said not to use her anger to move things, while Volfe's countered that by saying anger would lead her to freedom. Naruto mentioned neither, simply accepting that she could do it, but making it apparent that there would be more work to do int his matter.
"So, ready to begin?"
"I... yes."
"Alright! Let's get started."
[=-x-=]
Coruscant: Room of a Thousand Fountains
Yoda hummed gently as he sat down, leaning back lightly as he listened to the gentle waters in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. The room was melodious, with the faint waves from each waterfall helping to relax and calm those who came into it, making it an ideal mediation room. Yoda had often found himself using his own room for such things, but lately he'd felt a need to seat himself here, with a sense of serenity, and companionship around himself.
Reaching out in meditation slowly, thinking on what information he'd been given. There was a softness to the water around him, and he felt it contradicting with the roughness of the information he'd been given. Two sides of the Force, conflicting, yet in balance. Dangerous thoughts, in a place of peace. Thoughts he needed sorted, to ensure that he could form the best decisions he could.
There was a darkness that had begun overshadowing the galaxy for some many years now. Before, Yoda had been sure that it was simply a darkness in the galaxy itself. A reminder that the Jedi needed to humble themselves, to ensure that they did not fall to the Dark Side. Then Naruto had brought a Sith before them, alive and baring fangs, and his galactic view had to change.
The Sith were alive. There was a time when he'd recalled the mutterings of Dark Jedi Kibh Jeen, near two hundred years ago. He'd heard of the scholars of an Academy on Almas, where the tale and subsequent warning of Kibh Jeen had gone from the rantings of a mad Dark Jedi, to a warning of a Dark Jedi, seeped so deeply within the dark side that he'd been able to discover and open the eyes of the Jedi.
Except, they hadn't opened their eyes at all. They had turned away, feeling themselves assured that he had spoken lies. Trickery and deceit were the ways of the Sith, and had been major parts of their conflicts. However, as Yoda thought on this, he found himself sighing yet again, his own reasoning of why he'd kept them in mind, if not belief, still standing. Jeen had been a Dark Jedi, not a Sith.
That had caused him to consider deeper the connection between the two. Despite there being many things that the Jedi had written down, filed away, and tried to record, much of the past needed some digging to find out what had happened, and when. One such secret was what now sat on Yoda's mind, an idle thought, but one that he felt he needed to ponder.
What was the difference between a Dark Jedi, and a Sith?
Surely, he thought, as much as the Sith had been a group that had organized, and led themselves through the ages, there had been shown some who had returned to the light. Jedi who had become Sith by joining their order, yet with the Sith having been destroyed one thousand years ago, there were only Dark Jedi now. Dark Jedi, and the Sith in hiding.
More information came to mind, and he sighed again. The one who on Pelgrin attacked the Jedi there with a group of pirates, and ultimately destroyed the Oracle. A man that many claimed must have been a man who simply was Force-sensitive without fully understanding his power, others a Dark Jedi, and some others insisted he must be the Sith Master - or apprentice - to the one who called himself Maul. Something Yoda himself disagreed with, which was a problem.
Always two, no more, no less.
Had that been a lie? No more, no less. Yet, there was another. Was this the new second? One who had been trained, then left for Maul? Or was it the other way around? The option that it was another lie of the dark side was apparent to him, and he knew that was the most likely option, yet the words still hung to him. This had to be either the master, or the apprentice.
Sensing another seating themselves next to him, he slowly lifted his head. "Master Windu. A question you have?"
Mace Windu shifted, used to Yoda's ability to know who it was who had joined him without so much as a movement, nodding slowly to himself. "I do. I've been thinking more on my choice to seen Quinlan Vos to investigate the potential of the Witches of Dathomir."
"A planet, missing it is. Good it is, to have an investigation for, wouldn't you say?" Yoda slowly peaked open an eye to him, ear twitching slowly. He had formed his own opinions on the matter, but often when one came for advice, they needed to hear their own conclusions to know if they were right or wrong. So, he waited, listening to hear what Windu's true feelings were.
"That's not what I'm saying Master." Mace slowly cupped his hands in his lap, meditating alongside Yoda. "I meant that Quinlan was only a few months into his training when we sent him. He is a good man, with his head on his shoulders, but I can't say that he's the most trained or prepared for such a mission."
"Gone only a few months he is, and worry we do." Yoda sighed, his ears drooping. "His abilities, strong they are. Returning his memories, yes, they have. But making him again Quinlan Vos... no, they have not."
"Remembering and living them are two different things." Mace nodded. "He knows he did it, and how to do so, but that doesn't in turn make him that same person."
"Mm... young Uzumaki called me regarding this matter. And the matter of padawan Aayla." Yoda watched Mace turn to him, his expression stalwart and unchanging.
Mace always seemed to hold an air of disapproval, but Yoda knew how to read him better. In a constant battle with his own emotions and the darkness of the galaxy, Mace was always trying to separate things in a way that would allow him to deal with them so that he didn't end up mixing things in such a way that they became volatile. Adding atop to that his abilities with shatterpoint, seeing where the removal of small things could cause deep changes through the Force, made it so he had to be careful with each action and decision he made. And, in this moment, he seemed to hold a moment of relief.
"That is good. If he's speaking of her without concern for her safety, then surely he has found her." Mace nodded, then paused when Yoda shook his head. "Unless, there is more to it?"
"Questioned, and worried he was, should padawan Aayla not wish to return."
"She shouldn't consider that an option." Mace said without question, his frown deepening. "She's been trained as a Jedi, and should know of the dangers. Being alone in the galaxy is not safe without the unity and structure the Jedi have helped provide to each individual here. It'd be safer to train again in the temple."
"Perhaps," Yoda nodded, slowly chewing on his cane idly, thoughtfully. "However, should she not desire to return, can we then stop her? Her choice it is, her freedom to do so it is. Many we have who wander with the Force."
"Many Knights, and Masters. Not padawans."
"Mm," Yoda shifted, tapping his fingers on his knee idly. Mace was one who would be more vocal about such things, as he'd once caused a great deal of unintentional harm as a padawan that he then had to fix. It had been humbling, and a learning experience that he'd not soon forgotten, even over all these years.
Seeming to recall his own past, Mace slowly sighed and hung his head. "She's an adult by galactic standards, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't want our help."
"What help then, would we be giving? Taken, her uncle was. Lost her memories are, and lost she is. Lost... alone, with few to call friend she can recall. Her closest friend, her master..."
"... so what did you tell Naruto then?"
"He desired to instruct her."
They sat in silence, pondering that. Mace slowly crossed his arms, his expression souring a bit further before he resolved it. "... he's too young for such things."
"And training Anakin will not be?"
"Anakin shouldn't've been brought in to be trained because he is too old."
"Too old..." Yoda mused, a faint smile on his face. "And yet, young Aayla is having to relearn as well. Too old she is?"
"She was a padawan who has learnt all this before." Mace still seemed to slow down with his words, pondering and shaking his head.
"And Quinlan? Relearned quickly he did, but through innate pychometry he used. Unconscious the ability is, without his permission did it happen. If given the choice, do you think Knight Vos, returned to us he would have?"
Mace remained silent at that, staring into the fountains as he considered that. Quinlan hadn't had much time, or choice in regaining his memories. And, likely, neither would Aayla. They would return in time, and that meant that, at that time, she would return as well. However, in the meantime that her memories weren't hers, she could begin making choices that then made her not want to return either.
"... Naruto has had many months to consider this." Mace was soft spoken for this, with an idle sound of respect. "He's, thinking more about people, and how they feel... he's becoming quickly a wise man. Yet, he still has much pride, thinking he can simply take over her training."
"Reteach the basics he is." Yoda amended, smiling faintly. "Give her control, and a foundation. A desire perhaps, to learn more. When she has come to know this, return she may, to understand better she can."
"What if his teaching her makes her not wish to return then?" Mace squeezed his palm, a hint of worry to his voice. "He's a good man, but good men don't always make the right choices."
Yoda considered that as well. Naruto certainly wasn't going to make the right choices, and it was a gamble to place a mind-wiped padawan under his tutelage. Naruto had fallen; unabashedly, and openly admitted as such. That was why Yoda had faith in him; because he had done so humbly, admitting to his mistake and owning it, yet not letting it weigh him down to a point that he could not grow. If Aayla began slipping into the dark side, he had the most likelihood of recognizing and assisting her in altering her ways to avoid her own fall.
"You trust his judgement." Mace watched Yoda's expression himself, watching the faint flickers and changes in his expression. He had worked with Yoda for a long time, and both knew and understand one another and grown more together even over the years he'd been with. "You think... what? That he will bring her back? That by training her he will remind her what it means to be a Jedi?"
"A slave to her own mind she is." Yoda's ears drooped, recalling Quinlan's own state during his own time training the young man. "Naruto, a slave he has been, and come out of it, with only brushes with the dark side. Lessons he has learnt. Wisdom he has gained. Pitfalls, he can help her avoid."
"But will it be enough?"
Both remained silent, only the sound of the fountains around them resounding through the room. Neither could predict what would come of Naruto, or of him teaching Aayla. It was a wild card, much like Naruto himself. He was a danger, yet he was also the most stable thing Aayla likely would be experiencing and could trust. Trust was not something easily earned, and could be easily lost. It was a dangerous game, trusting Naruto with such a thing.
Yet, even Mace slowly closed his eyes, slowly sighing as he too seemed to realize Yoda's thought process. "I hope we know what we're doing. The dark side clouds everything... I cannot say I trust it."
"Trust in the future, no. Trust in Naruto...?"
"... I have..." Mace recalled his training of Naruto, the basics of Vaapad. Remembering how he'd thrown himself wholeheartedly into it, trying to impress upon himself the skills, and in turn shown that he did understand, even through the darkness in him. No, he was not perfect. But he tried. "And, I suppose it means that I should trust him again. I worry though. He's one of the more popular topics, and in no way good. They think that he has an anger and vendetta against Master Jmmaar, and that he'll one day he'll cause some grief within the temple."
"No such things has Naruto done, nor implied." Yoda's ears quivered lightly, his expression seeming shadowed slightly. "Stop these words we must, least poor thoughts continue. A darkness in the Temple, growing it is."
Taking the silent moment between them, Mace slowly shifted, a nervous look growing on his face. "This feels like it is being purposefully instigated. It has grown beyond what any master reasonably should have allowed. Yet the padawans and Knights still speak of it..."
"Troubling this is. Danger someone seeks to bring, and Naruto, much blame to place." Yoda closed his eyes, sighing softly. "If true, danger to Master Jmmaar there is."
"Either way, the Temple is beginning to feel less and less like a safe place."
"... indeed, it is. Changes we must make. Preparations, to ensure we can prevent harm from others."
"And, how do you propose we do that?"
Yoda rocked slightly, exhaling slowly as he gave Mace a remorseful look. "Knowing this, I do not. Meditate on this, I must. Request others of the Council do the same."
"I can do that." Mace slowly stood up, exhaling slowly. "... there's always been something with that boy. He's a catalyst. Change seems to just... gravitate towards him." Taking a moment more, he recalled another point to bring up. "There's one more thing. Another rumor, floating around that Naruto is the Chosen One, that Anakin is... a false promise, meant to destroy Naruto."
"A false promise." Yoda drooped visibly at that, his entire demeanor disheartened and his expression forlorn. "A child he is. Prophecy, the future... they are his to mold, not ours. If a prophecy to fulfill he has, fulfill it he will."
"I know this, but the fact that there are people saying this is because some others are making the presumption that he is the Chosen One. Anakin, not Naruto. And those who feel that think that Naruto is meant to sway and destroy the Jedi using Anakin as a catalyst."
"Dangerous thoughts these are... wandering the halls unchecked." Yoda tapped his fingers together. "On this too I will meditate. This as well, stopped it should be. Fighting over this, foolish it is."
"There's only so much we can do, but I will let them know." Mace turned and walked away, leaving Yoda with the soft sound of the thousand fountains, and more thoughts to plague him as he mulled over the darkened future before them.
Omake: What Would Boss Do?
The sound of screaming and other such things was par the course for some things. Except, most things would not see screaming as normal, or par the course. No, that couldn't be right at all.
This was the processing of one Gonk droid aboard Rogue One, as it shifted down the ramp to peak outside. There was apparently something going on outside, and some sort of commotion was occurring. How strange. Customers these days were not nearly as straightforward with what they did, and sometimes screaming was simply something that they did. Certainly not something it was meant to worry about, unless they came in towards the ship.
Gonk had been given an uplink to Rogue One to allow it to start it up if needed, but this didn't feel like such a necessity. After all, it was just a bunch of people screaming and running into the hanger bay looking wide eyed and panicked. Ah, just another customer, and no product to sell. Shame.
"There is no product to sell to you, do not persist." Gonk announced, watching as they stumbled and rushing into the hanger. A robotic buzz, like a sigh, emanated as they tried saying something to it. It wasn't here for their screams, it was there to defend the ship.
"No! Please! Let us in! We can't - they're coming!" The customers were shouting behind it, trying to run up the ramp as Gonk made the buzzing noise again.
"You are not boss. Do not approach the ramp." Flicking open its panels, two automatic rifles protruding towards them, forcing them to stop. "Theft is not allowed. No further."
"They're going to kill us!" One shouted, falling to their knees in obvious despair. "We're going to die, and we're stuck here on this rock!"
As they shouted and screamed, some more customers came racing around the corner. These customers were quite clearly in the throws of some high that they required much more of the product. Yet, once more, it had no product to give. These though were practically frothing at their mouths as they raced towards the ship. These were the sort who were incapable of reasoning with, and thus were the sort Gonk had been sent to feel like slag over.
But, people were screaming, crying, sobbing. Boss had stopped, spoken to such people, and even beaten a few who were acting the fool. Gonk had no such weakness as points where it could be stabbed, but boss acted like they did not either. Perhaps they could try the same? But, those who were coming could not be reasoned with.
Shooting it was.
Snapping its body towards the oncoming force, it focused its targeting computer towards those ravenous and incapable of reason. Half a dozen. It was like they were gathering the foolish together. Easier to cull those who could not maintain their taste, or cut their teeth... whatever that meant.
The stream of rapid plasma bolts flew into them near instantaneously. The first two were able to push through for a moment, but that was not unexpected. Those who had taken too much of their own material sometimes were capable of taking far more than they realistically should have. Blowing a hole through their chest, or head, sometimes helped prevent that from being an issue. After all, a creature could only take so much damage before it ultimately fell apart.
Laying waste to the fools who dared approach, Gonk watched as a few more people ran past. Surprisingly, those who had originally been crying were now starting to shout at them to come into the hanger. Odd choice. When they looked like they were moving towards the ramp, the original people quickly seemed to understand and spell out that going up it was not optimal for their survival. Wise.
Hearing some of their conversation, Gonk was idly proud of itself. It had done what it could, in the way it thought boss would have done. And, from the way those around were speaking of it, they were correctly in awe of it's capability. Excellent.
Seeing more of the crazed out group racing after some, Gonk turned its blasters on them. No time like the present. Blasters on full auto, it was time to perform what the boss would call, "tactical rescue."
... it really hoped it was doing this right. Otherwise, boss would be so mad at it later.
AN: Couldn't help myself there at the end; gives just enough of Naruto's starting to train Aayla, then give a peak into some of the chaos occurring both from what Naruto decided to do, and from simply him existing and acting as he has been. Fun times all around!
I now have a Discord server for this story; if anyone wants a link to it, say so in either a PM or review (whichever is more convenient for you). It'll have a section where as each chapter goes up I'll post that it has, so those who don't want to always check their email will know when the next chapter is up.
Thank you all for your reviews, they are always great to read. If you haven't seen, there's a poll to go over the pairing options for Naruto for everyone, as well as those new to the story on my Profile. I look forward to seeing who you choose, and how I'll be able to consider and use it through the building story.
May this chapter find you well, and may the Force be with you.
