Thank you to all those who reviewed the last chapter. Several of you pointed out in the your reviews that Naruto seemed to recover too quickly from the news that he had time travelled. Looking back on the chapter, I agree. I altered parts of this chapter to try and correct that, so if it seems a little jarring, that would be why. I would appreciate your guys' feedback on whether or not this seems more realistic than last chapter's muted emotions.

A note on dates; I will be using the GrS (Great Resynchronization) system for this story. It is the dating system that was in use in-universe at the time this is set. I will include BBY years for now, but I will probably stop as this story progresses.

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Chapter 3

Year: 9 GrS (26 BBY)

One week earlier

Deep within the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Jedi Master Yoda sat in silent meditation.

Earlier that day, a powerful pulse had run through the Force. If the Force were a pond, it would have been akin to dropping a large stone into it, with the waves spreading outward in every direction. Every Jedi in the galaxy had felt those waves, crashing out from somewhere deep in the Galactic Core.

Yoda, along with several of the other senior masters in the order, had felt more than just that though. He could sense the millions of subtle shifts that the ripples had created. In a thousand ways, both big and small, the future had changed. The nature of those changes, however, was not immediately apparent. Thus he and the others in the temple who had sensed the shifts, retired to their quarters to meditate on this new development.

Yoda breathed deeply, immersing himself in the Force. Long centuries of experience had him swiftly navigating its eddies, looking for a hint as to the cause of the recent ripple in the Force, and a glimpse at its possible effects on the future. His task was not made easier by the ever present stain of the Dark Side.

It had begun years ago, barely being noticeable at first. Over the past decade its power had been growing though. It acted like a cold fog, clouding the Jedi's view of the future. By now, only experienced masters could reliably see more than a few months ahead, and even that was becoming harder. What they got were mostly murky, disjointed images and brief feelings, but none of it was good.

This recent wave in the Force, however, seemed to have thrown off that fog somewhat. Yoda could see more clearly now than he had in nearly a decade. As he searched the currents of the Force for answers to his questions, he was struck by perhaps the most powerful vision he had felt in nearly 300 years.

A slew of images seemed to swirl around him. They poured through his mind, faster than he could process. Echoes of shouting and laughter, voices raised in anger and in joy all bombarded the ancient Jedi.

A lesser being would have been overwhelmed by the intensity of it all, but Yoda was no stranger to visions such as these. He relaxed his mind, and allowed the sights and sounds to wash over him. He calmly examined those fragments that rose to the top of the storm. The rest he dutifully memorized as best he could, to review later.

What he did see was confusing. He saw armies of men wearing white armor, firing blasters at a shadowy enemy. He saw young Skywalker surrounded by flames, his face a mask of anguished pain. He saw Master Luminara Unduli sitting at a table, laughing and smiling. He saw an orange skinned Togruta girl whom he recognized as one of the more promising Initiates currently at the temple.

He saw others as well. A blonde human boy standing next to a tall, white haired man. Yoda did not recognize them, but their image lingered in his mind for several seconds, before it too was whisked back into the whirlpool of the vision.

Above all else, he saw two things. The first was a vast shadow, looming over the entire galaxy. It seemed to cover over the stars like a blanket, snuffing them out, one by one. As it reached the center of the galaxy, the vision shifted to the second prominent thing. Tython.

The name and image of the planet burned in Yoda's mind like a bonfire. The Force seemed to practically hit him over the head with the idea of the old Jedi homeworld. Clearly, whatever had caused this violent shift in the Force, it could be found on Tython.

With that, the vision faded away. Panting slightly from the Force of it, Yoda opened his eyes. He took a few moments to gather himself, and then reached for his communicator. Pressing a button, he contacted the next highest ranking Jedi after himself; Master Mace Windu.

No more than ten seconds later, the device beeped, before the Korrun Jedi's strong voice sounded from it.

"Master Yoda. Is there something I can help you with?"

Yoda smiled a bit at that. The man hadn't changed since he was a Padawan. Always so formal and direct, even now. Dismissing the thought, he refocused on the communicator.

"Mmm, A vision I have had," he said. "Inform the council of it I must. Much, there is, for us to do."

"Very well. I will assemble the council immediately."

"Thank you, my friend. See you shortly I will."

With that, Yoda shut off the communicator and reached for his gimer stick. He absently chewed on one end of it as he waited for the council to gather. It would take nearly an hour, as many of them were deep in meditation themselves. He could feel their presences in the Force. Several had the slow, steady thrum that indicated meditation.

The ancient Jedi Grandmaster allowed the soothing juices of the gimer stick to quiet his mind for several minutes. Finally, when he sensed the last of the council members rouse themselves from their trances, he leaned on the cane and walked out of his quarters and towards the council chambers.

Ten minutes later, Yoda surveyed the council. All but one of them were present. Master Yaddle had left to accompany Kenobi and Skywalker on a mission to Mawan. He would miss her wise counsel, but her mission was important. Looking away from her empty chair, he addressed the rest of the council.

"While meditating on the shift in the Force, a vision I had," he said, jumping straight to the point. "Much to think on it gave me, but made clear, two things were. The first; a calamity in the near future there is."

A tremor went through the Force as the council processed this. Several seemed confused, or even doubtful. A few, namely Mace Windu, Plo Koon, and Ki-Adi Munda, seemed to have almost been expecting such a statement. It seemed he was not the only one to have seen such a vision.

As if prompted by his thoughts, Plo Koon spoke up.

"I too saw such a future earlier today. A great wave of darkness was overtaking the galaxy. It was…unspecific, but I feel as though it will be upon us before long. I suspect it has something to do with the rising tensions within the Senate."

Many of the other council members clearly had questions, but Mace Windu forestalled them with a raised hand. Turning to Yoda, he spoke.

"Master Yoda, you said two things were made clear by your vision. What was the second thing you spoke of?"

"Mmm, the origins of this wave we all felt," Yoda answered. "From Tython this shift in the Force came. Send a Jedi to investigate this we must."

"Tython is in the Deep Core," Saesee Tiin said with a frown. "The hyperspace routes to that system are dangerous and unstable. Whoever we send will need a skilled navigator. Perhaps a member of the Exploration corps?"

Several masters nodded at this, including Yoda. Master Tiin may have been notoriously stubborn and hardheaded, but he was also a legendary pilot amongst the Jedi. He had earned his seat on the High Council, and it was wise to listen when he chose to speak, particularly on matters of space travel.

Yarael Poof was the next to speak up. At over 200 years old, the Quermian master was the third oldest member of the council, after Yoda and Yaddle. The venerable Jedi was well known for many things, a keen knowledge of the Order's history being one of them.

"There is also the issue of the planet itself," Yarael said. "It is said to be dangerous and difficult to traverse the surface. There are many conflicting reports of what may or may not still dwell on the planet. Our knowledge is limited, and whatever caused this disturbance may be difficult to find. We should send a team, one well skilled in both tracking and combat."

"Quinlan Vos is the best tracker currently at the temple," Mace Windu stated, "And both he and his Padawan are highly competent duelists. I nominate them for this mission."

"Knight Vos and Padawan Secura have had…troubles in the past," Master Tiin countered. "After that incident that wiped their memories, are you sure they can handle something like this?"

"I retrained Vos myself," Mace said, his voice calm but unyielding. "Padawan Secura was cleared by Master Tholme, with my approval. They are ready to handle this."

Master Tiin nodded his assent to that. Any objections the other council members may have had faded away in the face of such complete surety. Yoda took that as his cue to move things along.

"Decided it is then. To Tython, Knight Vos and his Padawan shall go. Inform them of their mission now, I will. Meditate further on these visions we must. Tomorrow, discuss them more we shall."

With that, the diminutive Jedi Grandmaster slid off of his chair and hobbled out of the room. The rest of the masters followed soon after, each going to seek some measure of insight into the revelations of the day.

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One week later

Aayla Secura breathed a sigh of relief when the ship dropped out of hyperspace for the last time. She could feel that her good cheer was shared by both of her companions. The journey had been stressful for everyone on board the Consular-class cruiser the Exploration corps had provided. Even with an ExplorCorps pilot, hyperspace travel this far into the Deep Core was a risky and tedious proposition.

Fortunately for them, their pilot, a male Cerean who went only by Vek, was an expert at this sort of off the grid hyperspace navigation. As a Pathfinder of the ExplorCorps, he used the Force to guide their jumps, managing to do in a week what would have taken the best navicomputers three months to manage.

Even so, the constant start and stop travel, along with the ever present danger of a misguided jump sending them into a star or a black hole, served to wear on the nerves of all three beings on the ship. With her empathic abilities, Aayla could feel the anxiety and frustration of their pilot as he plotted their treacherous course, as well as her master's concern for their potential demise. It all served to give her a triple dose of stress that she was constantly having to release into the Force.

Thus, she was quite glad to see their target planet looming in the viewport. Her master must have sensed her feelings through the Padawan bond, as he sent her quick smile before turning serious again.

'Focus,' he sent her through the bond. 'This will likely be dangerous. We cannot afford to be distracted.'

Aayla accepted the advice without complaint. There was no heat behind his words, only experience and concern for her well-being. Breathing deeply, she centered herself in the moment, putting any irrelevant concerns to the side.

Quinlan nodded his approval before turning to their pilot.

"Vek, get us in range for a bio scan and hold there please."

"You got it," the now cheerful pilot replied.

While Vek maneuvered the ship into position, Quinlan gestured for his Padawan to join him at the viewport. She hurried to his side, sensing his intentions.

"You wish to search the planet together," she said. It wasn't a question. She was familiar with her master's methods.

"Hopefully whatever caused that pulse should be easy to find. It would be a pain to have to do this the hard way," he said with another quick smile.

Reaching out through their bond, he placed one hand on her shoulder and the other on the transparisteel of the viewport facing Tython. Their minds linked together as they stretched their senses down towards the planet. With their powers working as one like this, they could sense the whole planet.

Aayla gasped and nearly let her hold on the gestalt slip when she felt the planet through the Force. It was like looking at an exploding star, it shined so bright and chaotic. The Light and Dark sides of the Force surged across the world like vast storms, forming a kaleidoscope of ever shifting powers.

Her master squeezed her shoulder, and sent feelings of calm and peace through the bond.

'Steady Aayla,' he sent. 'Take it slow. Remember what I taught you. Look for the breaks in the pattern. That's where our quarry should be.'

Her balance restored, Aayla reached out once again, a little more cautious this time. Now that she knew what to expect, it wasn't quite so overwhelming. As she began studying the ever shifting patterns of the Force on the planet's surface, she became aware that her master was allowing her to take the lead on their search. It bolstered her confidence to know that he trusted her with such a vital task.

After nearly an hour of searching, her patience began to run thin. The Force on the planet shifted too quickly and too often for her to get a read on it. She began to contemplate swallowing her pride and asking her master to take the lead from her. Just as she was about to give up, though, she felt something. It was faint and fleeting, but it was definitely a break from the pattern around it.

Focusing on what she had sensed, she followed it back to the source. It was tricky work. She had to go slow, and she nearly lost the thread more than once. But eventually…

'There,' she said through the bond. 'I've got it.'

"Very good Aayla. That was not an easy task"

"Oh please," she said. "You had already found it, hadn't you?"

A look of mock hurt crossed Quinlan's face, before he let out a deep laugh.

"You caught me," he said. "But I only got it a few minutes before you did. You are getting far too good at that. I'm going to have to up my training to stay ahead of you."

Aayla smiled at the compliment. Her self-confidence was still often shaky after losing her memories to a forced glitteryl overdose and nearly falling to the dark side. Having her skills reaffirmed every once in a while by her Master felt good. It may not have been very Jedi-like to enjoy praise so much, but for now, she could live with that.

Politely ignoring his Padawan's embarrassed happiness, Quinlan pulled up a holomap of the planet below them. With a few button presses he highlighted a few hundred square kilometers of land in the southeastern part of the largest continent.

"Vek, begin a bio scan focused in this area," the Kiffar Jedi Knight requested.

"Scan initiated," came Vek's response a few seconds later. "It'll probably take about two hours to get full coverage, so just hang out."

A little less than two hours later, the ship's computer indicated the scan was completed. Quinlan pulled up the results onto a screen and stared at them intensely.

"A few dozen large signatures," he said. "Can you see which ones are our quarry, Aayla?"

Leaning forward, Aayla scrolled through the data from the scan. After several seconds she highlighted two particular signatures.

"These two, master," she said. He motioned for her to explain. "They're the only two signatures that don't match the rest. The Force tells me that these two are what we are looking for."

"I agree. Vek, lock onto these two signatures. Take us down and land as near to them as you can manage. I don't want us to have to track them across the surface."

Vek nodded in acknowledgement, and started bringing their ship down towards the area where the two bio signs were located. It seemed to be mostly covered by a vast semi-tropical forest. The verdant landscape was dotted here and there with various clearings and meadows. It was into one of the larger of those clearings that Vek eventually piloted them, and began the landing sequence.

As the ship landed a short distance from the two bio signs, the two Jedi moved to stand by the boarding ramp. As soon as the ship was on the ground, Quinlan lowered the ramp and began to walk down it, followed by his Padawan. As their eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight, they saw the apparent source of the two bio signs they had been tracking.

It was two humans, Aayla noted without shock. Of course it was humans, she thought. They seemed to inhabit every spare corner of the galaxy. The adaptable species made up nearly a third of the sentient population of the Republic after all.

Both of them were strong in the Force, Aayla noted. The boy in particular had a remarkably powerful presence, but it was difficult to say just how powerful either truly were. Their Force signatures were strange, as if the Force was all bound up within their bodies. It was unlike anything she had sensed before.

They were both male. One was a very tall, well-built man, with a long mane of pure white hair. Despite his hair color, Aayla estimated him to be in his mid to late forties. He seemed to be restraining his companion from running towards them.

Said companion was a young boy, no more than 12 or 13, going by his height and build. He had bright golden blonde hair, and the most brilliant pair of blue eyes Aayla had ever seen. The rest of his features were obscured by a cloth mask that covered the bottom half of his face.

His clothes consisted of a pair of navy blue pants and an identically colored shirt. A thick green vest covered his torso. Perhaps some sort of armor? He wore metal bracers on his forearms, and metal backed gloves. He had a headband tied around his forehead, with a metal plate affixed to it. The plate was adorned with a stylized carving of a leaf.

He was looking at her with a mixture of shock and, judging by the hint of a blush she could see poking out above his mask, some embarrassment. She smirked at that. The poor boy looked hilarious, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Aayla knew she was beautiful. It wasn't pride or arrogance, it was just a fact, like her skin being blue. She also knew that her typical outfit was considered somewhat risqué by many. While the leers she often got from men were, at best, wearisome; she tried to approach situations like this with good humor. The boy wasn't being lecherous, he was simply young and embarrassed. It was a little funny.

She frowned a little when she sensed what lay beneath the embarrassment though. Both of the strangers held strong feelings of loss and grief. Clearly they had suffered some terrible loss recently. The white haired man seemed to be dealing with it as well as could be expected; grieving, but trying not to let it destroy him. She sensed feelings of duty towards his hound companion. The boy was a different matter.

His pain was wrapped up in a shell of denial and buried beneath a veneer of calm. He was suppressing his grief rather than dealing with it, and Aayla did not like the feel of how much anger and pain he had locked away. It disturbed her that a child would suffer so much, but sadly it did not surprise her.

Before she could say anything though, her master stepped forward, raising one of his hands to greet the strangers.

"Hello there," he said. "I am Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos, and this is my padawan, Aayla Secura. Would you mind telling me what you're doing on Tython?"

The two humans looked at him blankly, no hint of understanding on their faces. Aayla had a feeling she knew where this was going, one that was confirmed when the older of the pair opened his mouth.

"{I didn't understand what you just said,}" the white haired man said. His language wasn't one either of the Jedi recognized. "{We don't want any trouble.}"

Quinlan lowered his hand upon hearing the bizarre language the man spoke. He sighed with some exasperation. Things just couldn't be easy, could they?

"Well, this could be awkward," he said.

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Jiraiya was at something of an impasse. On the one hand, these two were strangers. He had no idea of their intentions, and he couldn't speak their language. The typical shinobi response to such a situation would have been to capture them, tie them up, and grill them for information. Possibly literally.

On the other hand, neither of the two had made any hostile moves. Judging by the shape and position of the metal cylinders he spotted on their hips, they carried weapons. Neither had made any move to draw those weapons, though. That didn't necessarily make Jiraiya trust them, but it was a definite point in their favor.

He also couldn't ignore the fact that these two represented the only sign of civilization he had seen since Naruto and he were brought to this time. Their flying machine told him that these two came from a larger group. Such a device would require more than two people to build it.

There was also the fact that the woman wasn't human. He didn't know what she was, but she definitely wasn't human. The part of him that often played the pervert idly took note of her stunning form and features, but the rest of him simply shoved the mystery of what she was to the back of his mind. He could deal with that later, preferably with the help of alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.

Before he could come to a decision, the dark haired man with the stripe across his face spoke again.

"Let's try this again," he said. "Can you understand me now?"

It was odd. Jiraiya could hear that the man's words were still in a different language. Now, however, their meaning also seemed to come across to him as well. He raised his guard a little higher, but nodded slowly.

"Ah, good. Now as I was saying, I am Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos. This is my padawan, Aayla Secura. Would you mind telling us what the two of you are doing on Tython?"

"What's Tython?" Naruto asked loudly. "And how come I can understand what you're saying now?"

"Tython is the name of this planet," the newly named Aayla Secura said. "And you can understand us because we are using the Force to translate our words in your mind."

Jiraiya tensed at that. He didn't know what this "Force" was that they had mentioned, but he definitely didn't like the idea of two total strangers having access to his mind, let alone his godson's.

Before he could take a step forward, a guttural roar echoed across the clearing. It was followed by a series of harsh snarls and growls, all coming from the tree line at the closest edge of the clearing. All four of them turned as one to try and see what had caused the unnerving racket.

They didn't have to wait long to find out. From out of the trees burst dozens of what could only be labeled as monsters. They were roughly two meters tall and powerfully built, with broad shoulders and heavily muscled limbs. Their wrinkled skin was mottled gray and red, and looked to be tough and leathery. Their heads were flattened, with their eyes set out on the ends of a pair of short, horizontal stalks. They all had sharp claws and mouths full of jagged teeth. Many carried primitive spears and clubs, made mostly of wood and stone.

The two Jedi could sense even more than that, though. These creatures were soaked in the Dark side. It permeated their every cell. They radiated nothing but hatred, hunger, and a low, vicious cunning. Whatever these things were, talking was not going to be an option with them.

Jiraiya was the first to react. He flashed through hand signs in a blur, before holding two fingers up by his mouth.

"Katon: Endan."

A five meter wide ball of flame shot out of his mouth, speeding towards the center of the group of monsters. Before the creatures could react, the attack hit them, burning one to a crisp, and severely wounding several others.

"Damn, their skin is tough," he swore. "That should have taken out at least four of them."

The Jedi were staring at him in naked shock. They had never seen the Force used in such a manner. It had felt quite unlike anything they had encountered before. It was only the cries of their attackers that shook them out of their daze and spurred them to action.

With the galaxy renowned snap-hiss, their lightsabers sprung to life. Quinlan moved first, a Force enhanced leap bringing him within striking range of the foul beasts. His lightsaber blurred into motion, turning into an emerald arc of pain and death for his foes.

The first monster before him lost its head before it even knew it was in danger. A second fell to a quick thrust through the heart, and a third to a short slash across its neck. By then the Jedi Knight had to dodge out of the way of a spear thrust. It seemed the rest of his opponents had recovered their wits.

Aayla and Naruto were the last to move to face this new threat. Aayla dashed to the side, before looping around to charge at the attacking group's flank. Taking advantage of the distraction her master was providing, she crashed into the pack of monsters with a wild yell. Her blue blade made short work of a half dozen of the ugly beasts, until the flailing clubs and spears forced her to draw back or risk being flanked herself.

Naruto formed his signature hand sign and twenty clones poofed into being. Most of the clones pulled out a kunai and charged. Only one remained by its creator, circling its hands back and forth over Naruto's outstretched palm.

"Are you ugly bastards the reason my people are gone? Huh? Come and get some!" Naruto shouted. It felt good to finally have an outlet for everything he had been going through for the past few days. In the face of this sudden threat, his tenuous mask over his emotions broke.

Within seconds, a blue ball of compressed, spiraling energy formed in Naruto's hand.

His clone then grabbed him and threw him at the nearest enemy. Holding his father's signature juts out in front of him, Naruto slammed the sphere into the creature's head with a yell.

"Rasengan."

The grapefruit sized sphere of destructive power quickly shredded through the beast's tough skin. It's less than a second it ground through the skull and pulped the brain inside. The creature instantly went limp, not even having time for a scream.

Ignoring the mess of blood, bone, and brains that was now leaking onto the ground, Naruto jumped out of the way of another one of the savage predators as it tried to tackle him. While in midair, he threw a kunai and formed a quick set of hand signs.

"Kunai Kage Bushin no Jutsu."

One kunai became fifty, and the sudden hail of deadly metal forced most of the attacking group to cover their vulnerable eyes and necks. For the most part the knives had little obvious effect. The creatures' skin was too tough for them to penetrate more than a couple of centimeters. Shaking off their fear, the beasts moved to attack once more.

It was then that Naruto initiated the second part of his hasty plan. Each cloned kunai had an explosive tag wrapped around the handle. Before the creatures could resume their attack, Naruto formed one final hand sign. The following explosion was quite impressive.

Sadly, Naruto had not had time to think his plan all the way through. Though the explosion killed four or five of the beasts nearest to him, it also destroyed the remainder of his clones. Their kunai may not have been especially effective at killing their enemies, but they had served as a very effective deterrent. Until now.

With the irritating chakra constructs all gone, the snarling monsters now had only one target. Jiraiya was distracted, dealing with a dozen of the things at once. Quinlan was busy throwing a couple of the creatures around with the Force. Neither noticed that Naruto was about to be overwhelmed.

To be fair, Naruto didn't notice this either. The pain and grief of the last week was beginning to overwhelm him, now that he was channeling it towards these monsters. His eyes flickered red, and his mind clouded with rage as he began to draw on the dark power of the Kyuubi.

'Yes, use my power whelp. You are nothing without it, after all. Feel that pain and hate. Let me destroy what hurts you. Give me control.'

The Kyuubi's voice echoed in Naruto's mind, further clouding his thoughts. It was so tempting to just wallow in his grief and rage, to let the fox's power fuel him into a rampage. Between the potent rush of the fox's power, the whispers in his mind, and the emotional pain of the last week, Naruto snapped. His vision went red and uncontrollable rage filled him.

Naruto charged forward recklessly, screaming a raw battle cry. He tackled the nearest of the beasts, smashing its head against the ground with his enhanced strength. Dazed, it offered no resistance as Naruto crushed its skull.

He moved on to the next one, tearing out its throat with a swipe of his newly elongated claws. It felt so good to let loose, to make these ugly things suffer like he was suffering. It wasn't fair that he be the only one in pain, Naruto thought, as his conscious mind retreated further beneath a tide of bestial rage. It wasn't fair that he got torn from his home right as things were improving. And he would make something, anything, pay for that injustice.

The boy let out a feral roar, throwing his head back in triumph. A blaze of red power seemed to emanate from his body, surrounding him like a cloak. Just as it began to take shape though, one of the creatures snuck up behind Naruto. Taking advantage of his distraction, it bashed him over the head with a heavy wooden club. Naruto dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, the red cloak around him dissipating. The last thing he heard before darkness claimed him was the Kyuubi howling in frustration. The rest of the beasts tensed, ready to jump and claim their meal.

Just as the first of them was about to lunge at the boy, a blue skinned blur landed between them. Aayla had seen the blonde's plight. Though she had once again been baffled at the odd Force abilities these strangers displayed, she wasn't about to let that stop her from helping a child in danger. Especially not one that seemed to be in such distress. She recognized the signs of emotional trauma in the boy's reckless use of the Dark side. They had been present in her not all that long ago, after all.

She vaulted over her current opponent, before pushing off its back like a springboard. Her Force enhanced jump carried her directly over the group about to charge down the masked boy. Her blade hummed as she swung it in a wide arc, bisecting the leader and forcing the rest to halt their wild charge.

Using the Force to grant her speed above what any ordinary sentient could achieve, she moved forward in a blur of noise and blue light. The first two creatures didn't even have time to mount a defense. She cut them down with swift, sure motions of her lightsaber.

The next two raised their primitive weapons in an attempt to ward off her strikes, but in vain. The superheated plasma blade seared through the wooden spears as if they weren't there, before carrying on into their bodies.

The last few were a bit cleverer than their fallen brethren. One threw its spear at her head, forcing her to dodge. While she was distracted by this, another one managed to close the distance and slash at her with its claws. The razor sharp implements carved deep, bloody furrows in her arm, forcing her to drop her lightsaber. It deactivated with a hiss and bounced out of her reach. Before she could use the Force to retrieve it, the final creature smashed her twice in the head with its club.

Stars exploded in her vision, and she nearly passed out from the pain. As she rolled over, she dimly saw the three beasts approaching her. She tried to stand up, to do something, anything, but her limbs refused to respond. It seemed that this was it. She probably should have been afraid, but honestly, her head hurt too much to feel anything else.

Right as Aayla accepted her imminent demise, she saw a yellow haired blur smash into one of her would be killers. It seemed the boy had awakened. He held another of those strange blue spheres, and he had thrust it into his victim's lower back. The technique, whatever it was, seemed to have some kick to it, as it propelled the squealing creature into its fellows.

Her savior didn't waste any time. He immediately drew a knife and charged the closer of his two downed opponents. He put all of his weight behind his first thrust, using his body mass to pierce the tough skin of the beast's throat. It felt like stabbing through cured leather, but he managed it, putting an end to one of his remaining foes.

The last creature, though, had managed to get to its feet. While the boy was finishing off the other one, this one grabbed the spear Aayla had dodged earlier. As the boy turned around, it charged at him with the primitive weapon.

Aayla tried to shout a warning, but all that came out was a weak croak. As the beast neared her savior, she felt a twist in the Force, as though he were trying to use another of his strange techniques. It was too late, however, as she watched in horror as the spear impaled the blonde through the chest.

Then much to her surprise and confusion, the seemingly mortally wounded boy burst into smoke, leaving a thoroughly stabbed log in his place. The would-be child killer reeled back in shock, snarling at having been tricked. Before it could do much more than that, though, a blue lightsaber blade stabbed into its back, emerging through the left side of its chest.

The creature whined feebly before it slumped forward off the blade. As it fell to the ground it revealed the blonde boy, alive and distinctly not sporting a stab wound to his chest. He was holding her lightsaber clumsily, clearly unfamiliar with the exotic weapon.

As he stood there panting he shut the blade off, before running towards her. He was speaking rapidly in his native language, but she was too out of it to use the Force to translate. Her vision swam, and the sounds of his voice seemed to be coming from very far away. As the last of the adrenaline left her, Aayla passed out on the ground.

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And that is chapter 3, and the first action scene out of the way. As those of you who have played SWTOR will have probably guessed, the creatures that attacked them were Flesh Raiders. I needed a stressor in order for Naruto to snap, and they came in the box with Tython.

We also got to see a bit more of the Star Wars side of things, including the most criminally underrated Jedi Council member of all time: Yarael Poof. For those who don't know, he's the long necked, Kaminoan looking one we see for about 7 seconds in Phantom Menace. Seriously, read his Legends page on Wookiepedia. Someone put some real effort into making him an awesome character.

Until next time.