And so we cross the threshold into 100k territoryl. This is only the second story I've written that's gotten this far. Hope I attract a few more readers now.
They awoke the next day and dressed quickly before heading up to the Bridge. The Invictus was about to arrive at Karron and they were all keen to see their destination after almost two weeks of travel. The cruiser left hyperwarp and Hinata plotted a course that would dock them directly with the mining colony.
There were only three available docking bays available at Karron and the Invictus was too large to fit into two of them. They had to wait 20 painfully slow minutes until a huge Heavy Freighter pulled clear of the last bay and headed off into the blackness of space. Hinata skilfully docked the huge Cruiser, guiding the ship carefully into the tight fit of the bored out tunnel that opened out into the docking bay. As the Cruiser glided to a halt with the aid of retro thrusters, massive airlock doors creaked closed behind them and a force field sprung into place over the tunnel as an extra precaution against depressurisation.
"Ok then, let's get moving." Naruto said to the crew.
It had been decided that Hana would man the Bridge and the Gatling Laser defence grid, while Sasuke would get suited up and stand guard outside the airlock as a more concrete deterrent against would-be thieves. Naruto and Hinata would wear street clothes and trust in Psychic Shields in the event of any danger. With luck, people would mistake the hexagons for ordinary force fields. Of course, personal force field generators was black ops level technology for the Konoha Federation, but that was neither here nor there.
Hana gave both Hinata and Naruto a kiss before returning to the Tactical Chair. Sasuke gave his own understated hugs to both before joining them in the elevator, dressed in Naruto's Kevlar bodysuit and sporting an XR73 Rifle. He stepped out the airlock with them and took a rest position, looking every inch the trained Marine bodyguard.
"Well, you're the native. You lead the way," Naruto said, waving Hinata ahead of him.
They had landed in a huge rough hewn docking bay, designed to load the hulking Freighters that came to take away the thousands of tons of valuable ore that were mined from the asteroid. Loading equipment and Storage crates lined the darkened edges of the bay and loomed in the shadows, making the loading dock seem sinister and foreboding.
"Follow me. And Sasuke, don't be afraid to let off a few shots at any lookiloos. Intimidation without teeth isn't intimidation on Karron," Hinata advised, her whole demeanor seeming to shift being back in the place of her birth.
Naruto trailed after Hinata as they left the docking bay and entered one of the major hubs of Karron. Hinata weaved through the dirty crowds with the confidence of a lifetime of practice, Naruto trailing in her wake. She eschewed any taxis for the side tunnels, leading Naruto on a twisting journey through a warren of passageways. The tunnels got smaller and more claustrophobic the further into the bowels of the asteroid they went. How Hinata had memorized this labyrinth before getting her intellect enhanced was a mystery to Naruto.
They eventually reached Diablo territory, as evidenced by the multitude of red fabric every able-bodied man and woman was wearing. *Aren't you worried someone might recognize you?*
*You're kidding, right?* Hinata asked, looking over her shoulder, tucking a strand of her rich thick hair behind her ear.
*Right, right, dumb question.*
Hinata finally led him up to a closed steel door, flanked by two heavily scarred men in gang jackets.
"Hey chief, what do you want eh?" One of the ghostly pale gang members asked Naruto, watching him warily.
Before he could speak, Hinata cut in "We're here to buy some custom gear from Tenten, we don't want any trouble."
She handed the man a credit stick for one hundred ryo. "For your assistance..." she said, smiling disarmingly.
Powerless to resist such a beautiful woman bearing gifts, the ganger let them through with a casual wave of his hand. His dour faced companion punched a button on a wall mounted panel and the locks on the reinforced door clanked open and swung open for them with an ominous creak.
Naruto followed along behind the bluenette, the darkly lit tunnels reverberating with wolf whistles as she strolled elegantly past gangers. The flirtatious comments and whistling grew quiet in her wake as the gangers spotted Naruto and eyed him suspiciously. They eventually reached a workshop cut into a side tunnel, the bright light from a welding torch casting dancing shadows through the entrance and on to the wall of the tunnel opposite.
"Yo, Tenten. Miss me, babe?" Hinata called out.
The welding torch cut out, and a wiry figure bent over the workbench looked up. She lifted her welding mask and Naruto got his glimpse at the woman his Matriarch considered a sister. She was a pixie-like, elvin girl that was really quite pretty, except for a large burn mark over her left eye that went down her neck. Her hair was cut and laced with sweat and grime, but seemed naturally raven-haired. She had an expression of hope when she first looked up, but her face closed off when she got a good look at them.
"Custom work is over on that wall, blueberry," she said gruffly in a delicate soprano. Then she turned back to her welding, flicking the mask closed again.
Naruto turned to where she pointed and saw a wall full of weapons racks, each slot featuring a custom piece running the gamut from pistols to an actual minigun. Naruto pulled an SMG from the rack, and recognized the black and chrome weapon as the work of a master gunsmith. Tenten, it seemed, lived up to the hype Hinata had given her. The ability to craft military-grade customized hardware in a slum like Karron spoke a lot to her talent. Replacing the gun, Naruto turned back to the reunion.
"Tenten, don't you recognize me?" Hinata asked, moving closer to the tetchy figure.
Grunting with irritation, Tenten turned off the oxy-acetylene torch and turned to face Hinata, dragging her welding mask off and revealing the full scale of the burn that dominated half her face. It was years old, and had gotten no prettier over the years. Naruto would be surprised if Tenten had full use of her left eye.
"Oh, sure, I remember you from our old modeling days!" Tenten said sarcastically. "Now why are you bothering me, I've got work to do!"
Hinata sighed. "Twas brilig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe. All mimsy were the borogoves…"
"And the momeraths outgraebe," Tenten finished, her eyes wide. "That's my favorite poem, how did you know that?"
"You taught it to me, remember? After that big fight with the Fletcher brothers? I got stuck with a knife and you had me repeat that verse over and over to distract me from the pain of your stitching me up."
Tenten's face closed off. "The girl I taught that to is dead."
"This isn't a ploy by Giorgio, Tenten. It's really me, Hinata."
"You're lying. Hinata looks nothing like you, bitch," Tenten snarled.
"I realize my body is a bit different, but I kept my hair and eye colors and general facial structure. Look past the holo-model glamour and really look at me, Tenten," Hinata encouraged.
Tenten peered closer at the living goddess in her workshop and felt her jaw drop. "There's no way…" she breathed.
"You got your burn trying to fix a generator but it blew up in your face when you were 7. Your favorite food is Mama Lizetti's Vermin Surprise because it's extra salty. You thought about hiring a hooker on your 18th birthday so your first time wouldn't go to a Diablo, but you backed out at the last minute. I KNOW you, Tenten. It's me, Hyuuga Hinata. Gusied up and made pretty, and it's still me. I gophered for you for the last three years."
Tenten was gaping like a fish. "It's really you! Well, what the hell happened to you? Was it a luxury bodysculpt job? Did they suck out your brain and stick it in a robot? The Hinata I know was smaller than me and had no boobs!"
Hinata grabbed handfuls of her own titflesh with a lusty expression. "I know, the novelty still hasn't worn off. I can't get into it at length right now, just know it's all thanks to him," Hinata said, hugging Naruto's arm.
Tenten turned eyes like a laser turret on Naruto. "Who's tall, bright, and handsome?"
"Uzumaki Naruto, pleasure to meet a friend of Hinata's." Naruto held out his palm, which Tenten tentatively shook. She seemed intimidated by his firm grip.
"And you, what, shelled out for Hinata's surgery?"
"I'm actually the trader you helped her sneak away with. I understand you're the one who gave her the code to my airlock. I'll be eternally grateful to you for that, you have my word."
Tenten raised a brow. "So, how did she change? You work R&D at a bodysculpt clinic and needed a test subject for an experimental procedure?"
Hinata glanced at the dark cavern leading into the Diablo's hideout. "We can't get into it right now. Just know that if you want the same thing to happen to you, you'll get to Docking Bay 3 in the next hour."
Tenten gaped. "You mean, run away? I haven't pissed off a ganger, Hinata. My whole life is in this cave. I'm not going to abandon all that just to become pretty."
"Even if you got the chance to buy whatever you wanted out of the Engineers' Almanac? Or the chance to work on highly advanced alien technology? If you came along," Hinata added with a wink.
Tenten wavered. "You'd seriously replace all my stuff if I ran away with you?" she demanded of Naruto.
"Replace? You can buy all brand-new as far as I care. I can afford it, and it'd be exactly what my Chief Engineer deserves."
Tenten blinked. "You're clowning. You're not clowning. I sense clowns. You're offering me a job aboard that hunk of rust?"
"I actually got a new ship since leaving last time. Go to the Docking Bay, you can't miss it."
Tenten chewed her lip. "The Diablos are hardly going to let me just waltz out of here. I'm their prize possession."
"Just say you're going to scavenge for parts. By the time they realize something's wrong, you'll be safe on the Invictus behind a wall of Laser weaponry. Just tell the guy standing out front 'the Matriarch sent me', and you're good." Hinata grinned. "Come on, Tenten. It's what we always dreamed of. Leaving Karron in our dust."
"I'll… I'll think about it, okay?"
*That's the most we'll get out of her. Now she's going to shut down to weigh the pros and cons.* Hinata told Naruto mentally.
"That's all we ask, Tenten. Remember, Docking Bay 3. The Matriarch sent you." With a final nod, Naruto turned and followed Hinata as she retraced the path out of there. In a few short minutes of walking, they were out of the heart of Diablo territory and back in one of the main hubs of the asteroid.
*I really hope she says yes. I've geared up this long to have her for a sister, I'd hate to be disappointed.*
*I'm sure she'll say yes, honey. She'll probably be waiting for us when we return with the Tyrenium. Now help me flag down a cab and let's get to a mine.*
The trip to the mine seemed to flash by, and before they knew it the two of them were in Mizuki's office. All it took was the use of Emotional Sight to tell that something was wrong. The amount of rage radiating off him despite his smiling appearance would raise alarm bells with anyone.
*Imagine if we were doing this blind. He's such a good actor we'd be completely ambushed,* Hinata mused.
*Just scan his thoughts when I bring up the Tyrenium,* Naruto instructed. "Mizuki, nice to see you again! How have things been?"
"Doing great, Uzumaki old pal. What brings you back to my humble mine?"
"I was wondering if you had found any more Tyrenium," Naruto asked leadingly.
Hinata Spirit-Walked and stuck her fingers into Mizuki's forehead. His inner dialogue was broadcast like a distress siren across the pack mind.
*Come around for a second bite? You'll pay, you sonuvabitch. You're going to regret playing me for a fool!*
*I don't know about you, but I think he found out you cheated him,* Sasuke said dryly.
*Clearly. But he seems like he wants to play nice first so I might be able to secure the Tyrenium legally before we knock him out,* Naruto reasoned.
"Tyrenium? Yes, we tapped out that vein. I've got a good 20 tons in storage," Mizuki said genially, the whole mental exchange happening in the silence after Naruto's question.
"Perfect. Same price per ton as last time? That's five million ryo. You could retire if you wanted!" Naruto joked along, but his eyes were cold.
"Sure thing. I assume you want to log it with the Merchant's Guild like last time?"
"I'd prefer that, yes," Naruto said, pulling the Manifest of the Invictus out of his pocket. Mimicking the actions of a month and a half ago, Mizuki typed some commands on his console and then plugged in an auth device.
Mizuki's eyes leered at Hinata. "You get a new girlfriend, Naruto?"
"I met Hinata the last time I came here, actually. She's a local," Naruto said flatly.
Mizuki raised a brow. "You? A Karron worm?"
"Born and raised. I saw a better life in Naruto and he was kind enough to have me," Hinata said with a sugar sweet smile.
The auth device beeped and Naruto struck, sending a wave of Psychic Sleep over Mizuki. He was counting sheep in seconds, slumping over his desk. Naruto retrieved his Manifest and led Hinata out of the office. They walked up to the lead truck carrying the ore hauled from storage, and entered the cab when they confirmed they were the buyers.
It was a bleak trip through the asteroid to Docking Bay 3, but Hinata pointed out local landmarks as they passed by. The driver seemed surprised at her knowledge, but kept silent. Naruto knew Hinata could have spoken telepathically and must by chattering nervously.
*Relax, babe. Mizuki was nipped in the bud. There's no way he arranged an ambush before we entered that office and he couldn't have done it in front of us.*
*Unless he has kill-on-sight orders with all his workers on you and one of them recognizes you. You don't grasp how low people here will sink for a few extra ryo.*
*We can have Shields up in an instant, and Healing will cover any injury that slips through.*
*Even a head shot?*
*... Let's not find out.*
They arrived at Docking Bay 3. Mizuki's workers seemed intimidated by their client owning such a formidable vessel. With a swipe of his wrist communicator, Naruto opened the doors of the Cargo Bay to the aft of the Invictus. The ore containers, twice the amount as last time, were laid out and locked down in magnetic slots.
*So that's what half a billion ryo in Tyrenium looks like,* Sasuke mused, waking over from the airlock to peer into the Cargo Bay.
*Two whole Singularity Drivers, the spine for a whole Dreadnought. The K-Fed will pay through the nose for this ore. We're about to go from rich to super-rich.* Naruto scanned the entrance to the Docking Bay as the truck drivers began to drive away. *Tenten hasn't come yet.*
*No, but it's only been half an hour and we gave her one. We're secure, we can afford to wait a half hour,* Sasuke reasoned.
*I so hope she comes,* Hinata yearned.
As if on cue, Tenten arrived with a sack over her shoulder and a panicked expression on her face. "The Diablos are after me!" She yelled, even as a swarm of red-wearing gangers flooded into the Docking Bay.
Naruto reacted without thinking. Activating Psychic Speed, he raced over to pick Tenten up and ran back to the safety of the Invictus. Sasuke reacted with all the reflexes of a Marine, sinking head shots into the three closest to catching up with Tenten. Hinata rushed over to the wall and, the instant Naruto was over the threshold, activated the Cargo Bay doors and atmospheric force fields. Before the Diablos could even process what happened or get into position, Tenten was safely ensconced inside the Invictus.
Tenten blinked. "Whoa, whiplash." Looking up, she regarded Naruto with disbelief. "How did you move that fast? You a military-grade cyborg or something?"
"My race are psychics. I used Psychic Speed to run over to you and run you back here," Naruto explained. "Welcome aboard the Invictus, by the way."
Hinata wrapped Tenten in a hug. "I was so worried! What tipped them off?"
"I don't know, I guess the fact I picked the closest trash heap to the fucking Navy Cruiser to scavenge was enough to set off alarm bells." Tenten turned to the titanium walls blocking her from her former captors. "They're still out there?"
"Depends. Any of them have any redeeming qualities at all?"
Tenten raised a brow. "They're gang members. I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep shooting them all myself."
"Roger." *Hana, open fire on the gangers banging on the side of the Invictus,* Naruto instructed his Tactical Officer.
*Gatling Lasers firing… targets neutralized.*
"They're all dead now. Consider it your signing bonus."
Tenten tilted her head before her mouth opened in an 'oh'. "Right, psychic. You got a gunner up top?"
"Hana, our Tactical Officer. Quite a lovely girl, just like Hinata."
"I think someone's hankering for another lesbo loving display," Hinata teased with a wicked grin.
Tenten gaped. "Who are you? The Hinata I knew would never have the guts to make a joke like that. And she wasn't a dyke."
"I'm still Hinata, but it's safe to say I'm no longer the Hinata you knew. I changed, as part of the process of joining Naruto's race. I'm like Hinata 2.0, all the positivity and none of the character flaws." Hinata grabbed Tenten's hand. "Let us show you what's waiting for you, Tenten. You won't regret coming here, I guarantee."
Tenten nodded hesitantly. Her eyes swiveled to Sasuke and her right cheek blushed. "Hubba, hubba, who's this hunk?"
"Uchiha Sasuke, Chief of Staff. I'm third-in-command of this vessel behind Naruto and Hinata… and thank you for the compliment, it made my day," Sasuke said stoically, hiding a faint hint of blush on his cheeks.
They walked over to the elevator, and went straight up to the Bridge. They walked to their respective positions, Tenten standing awkwardly, watching in awe as Hinata talked with Flight Control and piloted the Invictus out of Karron and to the Nav Beacon. Tenten had one first and final glimpse of the star she'd been born closest to before the mighty Cruiser vanished into hyperwarp.
"Say goodbye to Karron, Tenten, we never need to see it again. Though I suppose it might become a shrine once we're co-queens of the galaxy." Hinata stood up. "Guys, I think it's time we finally use the Briefing Room."
"I'd say you're right. We have a lot to explain to your friend. Hi, I'm Hana, by the way," Hana said, holding out her hand to Tenten.
"Tenten, but I guess you knew that. Hinata, did you drag your new crew all the way back to Karron just to pick up little old me?"
Naruto chuckled. "We would have for that reason alone, but our visit served a dual purpose. Mizuki mined multiple tons of Tyrenium and was selling it for a pittance. We're officially traders, so we came to trade."
Tenten took a look around her as if to encompass the whole Invictus. "First traders I met in a decommissioned mid-tier Naval vessel."
"Tyrenium is VERY lucrative. I bought this ship for a little over half of what I earned selling 10 tons of the stuff. Now we have 20 tons. How long to Olympus Shipyard, XO?"
"16.4 days, assuming no detours," Hinata answered without even looking at the hologram above them, doing the math in her mental atlas of the galaxy.
Tenten whipped her head at her childhood friend. "Since when are you a Navigator?"
"Briefing Room. Go, go, go!"
They all went through the door on the left side of the Bridge. They entered into a large conference room without any windows but a beautiful wooden desk taking up the center of the room. Naruto sat at the head of the table, Hinata to his right, Sasuke to his left, Hana next to Hinata and Tenten sitting hesitantly next to Sasuke.
"So, Tenten. It's a little obvious what your answer is, but do you want to be our Chief Engineer?" Naruto asked.
Tenten shrugged. "Better than a life forging guns for those worms. And Hinata mentioned something about becoming like her."
"Yes, about that. You should be aware that joining my crew comes with a considerable perk package, but it carries some very long-term strings. You should be made aware of them all and then decide if you really still want to work with us. If not, I'll reimburse you for all the equipment you lost and set you up at Port Heracles, and you can just keep in touch with Hinata via vid-feed. If you agree, though, then you'll become good as family to everyone in this room," Naruto said formally.
Tenten glanced at them all, before turning to Naruto. "Okay. So what's the big secret?"
"Let me show you a few images," Naruto said. He tapped a few commands on the console built into the desk, and six holograms appeared. One was Hinata's affirmation recording, the next her regarding herself in the Fool's Gold Cockpit. The third was Hana with welts on her back, the fourth was of her naked and glorious as she was now. The last two were of Sasuke, showing the before and after of his transformation.
Tenten raked them all with her eyes. "Something fishy is definitely going on here. People don't just change appearance like that. What's the punchline?"
"Each image is taken just one week apart from the other. The process can be finished in seven days."
"The process for what?" Tenten asked.
"Becoming an Uzu, one of my people."
Tenten shrugged. "I grew up on Karron, I have zero idea what aliens are real and what are scary stories. Enlighten me about the Uzu."
"Ancient, psychic as you know, with technology that makes Konoha Federation military tech obsolete several times over. The schematics for all the devices are stored inside each of our heads, and your own too if you join."
Tenten raised a brow. "So highly advanced alien tech schematics will just appear in my mind?"
"For you to play with and work your magic on. And you'll have a blank check for materials to build all of it, too," Hinata chimed in.
"As part of becoming an Uzu, you'll get what we consider the ideal female body and become a more beautiful version of yourself. All past damage will be cured until you're pristine from a medical standpoint. That scar could be gone as soon as one day into the process, if you want that as a priority," Naruto explained.
Tenten reached up to feel the burn tissue, an old pain in her eyes. "You could just… make this go away? Like it never was? How? Needles? Cybernetics? Psychic voodoo?"
"You're closest with the voodoo. This is the awkward part, which we keep secret from all outsiders," Naruto said solemnly.
"Not like anyone would believe us if we told," Sasuke stated dryly.
"It does defy belief, you have to admit," Hana dithered.
Tenten raised her good eyebrow. "What is it? How does the change work?"
Naruto sighed. "My semen acts as a psychic catalyst. Once it's ingested, I can work my powers directly on that person's body. Three meals a day for a week, give or take, seems enough to transform a Konoha into an Uzu."
Tenten blinked. Then she burst into laughter. "Are…Are you kidding me? All three of you blew him multiple times a day for a whole week?"
"I did it for a whole month," Hinata said nonchalantly.
"It's a surprisingly comforting and rewarding act," Sasuke mused.
"I wouldn't have stopped if I didn't have to start sharing with the other two. They had him first, though," Hana reflected.
Tenten's laughter died out. "Wait, you're serious? If I want to become Tenten Barbie I have to go down on the captain for a whole week?"
"I'm technically the Commander, not the Captain. I retired before I got that promotion." Naruto nodded. "You can see why we're not sure you'll agree to our terms."
"Is there any benefit to kneeling before you besides a hot body, psychic powers, and alien tech implanted in my brain?"
Naruto shared a look with his crew. "Here's the real kicker: eternal youth."
Tenten's jaw dropped. "Say again?"
"Your new body won't age. You'll be a perky 18-year-old forever, unless you die in battle. And for that matter, you'll be expected to engage in combat training. This crew is small, and every member needs to be able to pull their weight in a conflict."
Tenten shook her head. "I'm just going to smile and nod. Any cons besides the obligatory third base action?"
"We'll have a psychic bond that lets us hear each other's thoughts at all times, one you'll be recommended to recreate with the other members of the crew, or wolf pack as we think of it. Your personality will be altered slightly during the transformation. And if we ever run into another Uzu, you'll be expected to put your life on the line alongside the rest of us."
Tenten let out a shaky breath. "So basically the old Tenten has to die for the new Tenten to live?"
Naruto snorted. "You and Hinata are so similar. She described the choice as one between life and death. All the best parts of you will survive, I swear. You'll be the best version of yourself. You'll be a member of the Uzumaki Pack, our Chief Engineer, the one who keeps us armed and armored."
Tenten sighed. "... Okay. I'll do it. But my virginity goes to Sasuke here. No offense, but I want my first time to be my type."
"Done," Naruto said like he wasn't pimping out his Patriarch.
"Do I get a say in this?"
"Popping an Uzu cherry? Why are you complaining, dude?" Naruto questioned.
Sasuke opened and then closed his mouth. "Point taken."
Hana and Hinata burst into simultaneous giggles. "Probably best that she warms up on Sasuke before taking on Naruto, especially for her first time," Hana guffawed.
"True, true. She's not a veteran whore like I was. You seemed to do okay with only two average Konoha men as practice."
"I had a dildo tucked away in my childhood bed that I once thought ruined me for any real man," Hana confessed.
"Not that we ever have to purchase any with Psychic Constructs, but should we go shopping for sex toys on Gravitus? Start building a collection?" Naruto wondered aloud.
Tenten was blushing up a storm. "You're all perverts, aren't you?"
"Pervert, Uzu. Po-tah-to, po-tay-to," Hinata said, waving her hand side to side.
"Let's get you packed in your room. Your first dose can happen whenever you're ready. Take a few days if you have to. Sasuke needs to get undressed out of that suit. Hana, you mind watching the Bridge?"
Hana nodded dutifully. "I was going to do some long-range scans for pirates anyway. I figure I might be able to use my enhanced intellect to back track the local band to their homebase."
"Enhanced intellect?" Tenten asked.
"On top of being a wonderful beauty product, Naruto's cum is a brain booster. We're all close to 200 in IQ. Well, except for Naruto. He likes being the dumb one," Hinata explained.
"Dumb being a relative term," Naruto defended himself. "Tenten, come on."
Gathering her sack of belongings, Tenten followed her childhood friend, and her two boyfriends. "So, you guys are engaged in some free love harem experiment? How long do you expect it to last before it collapses?" She asked somewhat cynically.
"With Psychic empathy and telepathy to smooth over every miscommunication and keep us totally aware of everyone else's needs, hopefully it'll be years before our first major fight. And it can grow as big as it needs to. Though if we grow to over a dozen besides Hinata and myself, that's when it will begin to feel crowded," Naruto reasoned.
Sasuke walked on into the Commander's Quarters to take off the tactical armor suit and store his Rifle, while Naruto and Hinata introduced Tenten to the cabin across from Hana's. Tenten sunk into the bed that was more comfortable than any cot she'd ever slept in.
"Dinner's in a couple hours. You can enjoy it with us or get your first dose then. Totally up to you," Hinata gently encouraged.
"We want you to feel welcome. You did abandon the only home you ever knew for us." Naruto gave his warmest smile. "If you get bored, there's a Holo-reader built into the wall. You can give the old Holonet a browse. We'll see you at dinner."
"Bye," Tenten called, and then Hinata closed her door and she was left alone with her thoughts.
*Think she'll go for it?* Naruto wondered.
*Her dearest wish her whole life has been to be beautiful and useful. You're offering her both. She'll take a while to wrap her mind around it, and then she'll commit 100%. That's just her way,* Hinata deduced.
Naruto and Hinata spent a couple hours preparing for a Sunday Roast with all the fixings. Sasuke joined Hana up on the Bridge, helping her analyze all the data they could find on the local pirates and make sense of it. Tenten had the first and longest shower of her life in her room, standing under the water until the streams stopped running black with soot and filth. She found a 3D model simulator and constructed an approximation of what her Uzu body would look like. She stared at it for a while until there was a knock on her door.
"Hey, it's time for dinner. You ready?"
"Sure." Dressed in fresh rags, Tenten felt very inadequate next to Hana in her designer outfit. "You come from money?"
"Not especially. This is Hinata's outfit, none of my old ones fit me anymore. She says when we get to Alpha Centauri I can get my own wardrobe from L'aiguille de Bijoux on Gravitus. One outfit from there costs more than a year of my old salary. We'll all be able to trade and share, though. One of the advantages of all being the same size."
Tenten nodded absently. "It doesn't bother you? That an alien man's cum has cookie-cuttered you into his ideal form, I mean.
"They didn't tell you how Uzu normally operate. Forget one-on-one attention and care from the Uzu. He just amasses hundreds upon hundreds of unthinking Thralls. And they're all straight. Naruto is bi, and is raising us each up to his own level. I have just as much psychic power now as he does. He's declared war with an Astral Entity just to keep doing things his way instead of the traditional way. He's a good man, and I consider it an honor that I'm as physically appealing to him as possible."
Tenten blinked before blushing. "Wait… the two of them… it's not just for his transformation? The guy I have a crush on took it up the butt from the blonde beefcake?"
"And it was magnificent to watch," Hana breathed. "Now, I hear the Karron diet is mostly protein blocks and questionable stews. Naruto and Hinata have made something with lots of vegetables to fill your stomach if you decide against getting your first dose tonight."
Tenten set her shoulders. "No, I want to… be like you and her. And Sasuke I suppose. Beautiful and belonging to something greater. But… does it hurt?"
"Oral sex, no. There's actually a narcotic in his precum that will knock you out the first couple times. Just suck on the head until you taste syrup and the next thing you know you're waking up in their bed," Hana advised.
"Oh, that's fine then," Tenten huffed. "Here I was worrying about my first blowjob and you're saying I won't even remember it."
They entered the Officer's Lounge, and the aromas of a Japanese hot pot filled the air. Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke were already seated in their traditional positions.
Naruto looked up and grinned. "Hey, Tenten. Hana tells us you elected for dinner from me. You want to stick around while we eat before it's off to Dreamland?"
"When did she…right, Telepathy. Gods, I can't wait until I can get in on that. Sure, I can chat."
She took her seat next to Sasuke and admired the aromas coming from the central pot placed on a heated stand. "So, Hana's the one who gunned down the Diablos?"
"Yep. Lucky we got out of there before we had to explain it to the authorities, such as they were," Hana said, utilizing chopsticks as easily as knife and fork.
"Georgio was in the pack chasing me, so Hinata owes you one too," Tenten said, scratching her scalp. Hopefully she didn't have lice, she kept her hair shorter than she liked to avoid them.
"Who's Georgio?" Sasuke asked.
"In a way, the man who started all this. He attempted to rape me as an 18th birthday present. It was to avoid him that I snuck onboard the Fool's Gold and met Naruto in the first place. Glad to hear he's chum for the rats, now," Hinata recollected over her wine glass. Naruto had pitched a fit over mixing European wine with Asian cuisine, but Hinata was becoming a bit of a wine connoisseur.
"May he rot in whatever hell takes him," Sasuke growled.
Naruto chuckled. "So protective. So, you and Hana make any progress on the pirates?"
"We've narrowed it down to the right few parsecs, it'll take a bit more sifting or another rescue encounter for us to sniff out the home base." Hana took a bite. "I really want to wipe them out so what happened to me doesn't happen to any other poor soul. I wonder if they have another Oni."
"Unlikely, their system is closer to the Unclaimed Wastes, I was surprised to see one this far into Konoha space. And they're technically sentient, so I don't know how they got one to act like a dumb ape," Naruto mused.
"Feed it pheromones. I remember its eyes were dilated like coins before I blasted its face off," Hinata remembered.
Hana shuddered. "Two foot cock and six hundred pounds of muscle bearing down on you, and you remember its eyes. I say your intellect is more enhanced than the rest of ours."
"Hardly, I'm just more used to it." Hinata turned to Tenten. "We're discussing the pirate attack where Naruto and I first rescued Hana. There was a big dumb red alien called an Oni that raped her crewmates to death. Luckily we showed up in time to kill the pirates and the Oni before they got to Hana."
Tenten nodded. "And Sasuke, what's your story?"
Sasuke sighed. "Not much to tell. Born with genius older brother, frail mother, and emotionally abusive father. Martial arts champion all through my childhood, enrolled in the Academy at 16, second youngest Commander in history, after my brother of course. Led this very ship until a raid where my shoulder got damaged and my arm went numb. Transferred to Olympus Shipyard, worked my way up to Deputy Director, until Naruto and Hinata rolled in like a hurricane and blew my life asunder. And I'll be forever grateful that they did," he added, blowing them both a kiss.
Tenten blinked. "Wow. So, you outranked Naruto?"
"Until the end of his career when he was equal in rank but subordinate to my position. And by a significant margin when we met again at Olympus. I was a Vice Admiral before I retired."
Tenten blinked. "Wow, Vice Admiral. Isn't that like a Duke these days or something?"
"Just about. The Admirals are the royal family and the Fleet Admiral is king. But it's always a bad idea to mix politics and military. I learned it was best just not to play."
Naruto sighed. "I wonder how I'll negotiate my position with High Command, once Tenten builds us an Uzu vessel with all the kit."
"They'll fear you because they can't control you. And they'll try every way, ethical and unethical, to gain it. Hana's family might be held hostage. Cousins you never knew you had will end up in government custody. Itachi could be leading the charge. Unless you single-handedly win the conflict with the Kumo, then they'll be grateful for about one generation."
"What a pessimistic view of High Command, coming from the man most qualified to have an opinion," Hinata mused. "I say we just enthrall an Admiral and promote him or her to Fleet Admiral behind the scenes. Then we have a guaranteed ally in charge of the Konoha Federation."
"Seducing an Admiral for power rather than love rubs me the wrong way. If the K-Fed won't accept us at full power, we'll just leave and never return. I have a friend in the Oto Regency, we could be the new Warning outside Port Geniya."
"The Warning?" Tenten asked.
"Proof that the Oto Regency has devastating laser weaponry. A couple centuries back a trade magnate wanted to push trade further past the border and never believed the Oto would fire on a civilian vessel. Two days later, the burned out husk of the lead Freighter appeared in the system of the most major trade port." Hana shuddered. "I've seen a photo, it's chilling."
"And Uzu Quantum weapons make lasers and kinetics obsolete. They're both at the same time, matter and energy simultaneously," Naruto detailed. "Honestly, I'm not sure whether I want to upgrade the Invictus to Uzu standards or just build the standard Uzu vessel. That's a decision to make with our Chief Engineer, I suppose."
Tenten blushed. "I'll do my best this time next week when they're in my head to look at."
"But to get them, there's something you have to do," Hinata teased musically.
Naruto stood up and took Tenten's hands leading her away from the table and into one of the comfy couches.
"Just suck on the head, just suck on the head," Tenten muttered to herself. Then Naruto opened his pants and her calm went out the window. "Holy fuck, you're massive!"
Naruto shrugged self-consciously. "If he's on this ship, he's hung. If not at first, then by the time we're done with him. If it's any consolation, I'll make you very malleable all over so you can take me without pain. And Sasuke is a bit smaller."
Tenten took a shuddering breath. "Oh, bugger it all," she muttered before chomping down on his head with a little more teeth than Naruto was comfortable with. Then her eyes glazed over and she began to bob with mechanical regularity.
"Her technique could use a lot of work," Sasuke commented from over Naruto's shoulder.
"Give her a break, this is her first sex act period," Hana defended
"There's a good girl. Take him into your snug little throat. Give Naruto's quad a new home for their squirmy contents," Hinata crooned, stroking Tenten's short hair. "You noticed how we all have different hair and eye colors? Blonde and blue, blue and lavender, blue and red, brown and brown. Now black and black. Sakura was pink and green, as I recall. Wonder if the carpets match the drapes."
"If she joins us, she won't have carpets. But let's keep the focus on our current recruit before we go looking for another," Naruto advised his Matriarch.
"For some reason, I have the image of her with panda buns stuck in my head," Sasuke mused.
"She used to tie her hair like that when it was longer. She may do it again. So, any current events besides the Kumo debacle?"
"The Iwa are acting very strangely. I almost want to say there are separatists at work. Random military vessels keep attacking Konoha traffic, but the Republic denies any accountability."
"When it rains, it pours," Naruto groaned as Tenten's lips reached the base of his shaft.
Hana narrowed her eyes. "No, seriously, it is. Pirates rampant in this sector, this FUBAR conflict with the Kumo Empire, the Iwa unable to control their own ships. If someone WANTED to destabilize the Galactic League, they couldn't do a better job than what's going on right now."
"I'm all for seeing patterns that others miss but you're talking about conspiracy theory shit. No one entity could have all the resources to pull all those strings simultaneously," Sasuke argued.
Naruto blinked open his eyes. "Except an Uzu, with a Wormhole Generator to flit around the galaxy and a Cloaking Emitter to hide virtually undetected."
Hinata snapped her head away from looking at Tenten. "You think there's another Uzu at play."
"I don't believe in coincidences, and I do believe in karma. For all this bad juju to go down just as I come into my powers and get into a position to do something about it… a rival Uzu makes as much sense as galactic bad luck."
Sasuke frowned. "Then I guess Tenten getting the schematics has just become priority one."
"We'll do four or five meals a day instead of three, that should shave a day or two off the total. She won't be able to build anything though until we get to Gravitus and can order her equipment. Even watered down Uzu tech would still be an improvement, though." Naruto groaned. "It feels wrong to discuss the fate of the galaxy over a blowjob."
"Then let's stop talking. Relax, enjoy, and fill another teenage belly with your seed," Hana comforted.
Naruto grunted even as Sasuke and Hinata both whispered loving encouragements of their own. Finally, he released his quad's load down Tenten's throat. They carried the comatose young worm girl to their bed, tucking themselves in around her so she was surrounded by the warmth of the Pack.
And that's the first arc of Wolves of Uzu done. As always, please fave, follow, or review.