Naruto stretched contentedly as he awoke, feeling full of energy and ready to go. He looked down to see his four girls curled up sound asleep on the bed with him, and he smiled and stretched again. Not wanting to disturb any of the young women, he lay back, closed his eyes and just revelled in the close physical contact.
With his eyes closed, he suddenly remembered the odd dream he'd had while he'd been sleeping. He recalled being embraced by radiant figures, a glowing nimbus of light had surrounded them and enveloped him, swathing him in a caring and loving aura. The feelings of peace and contentment had been heartbreakingly wonderful, like nothing he had ever experienced before, and he longed to feel that sensation again. He opened his eyes again, and shook his head as if to clear it. These disturbances in his sleep were driving him crazy; from nightmares full of terrifying horrors, to last night's dream, which left him yearning to feel that sense of love and closeness once again.
Now fully awake he glanced down again at the girls, eager for their company, but they were all still deep in sleep. He noticed the trauma kit on his lower torso, and he suddenly remembered the events aboard the Drakkar battleship. He winced as he recalled that huge four armed brute driving a steel blade through his chest, but he was surprised he didn't feel any undue pain or discomfort. Carefully extricating himself from the girls, he sat up and tentatively peeled off the bloodstained bandage, worried at the damage that might be revealed beneath. All he could see was normal looking healthy skin, and he gently prodded the area beneath his ribs, but didn't even feel any tenderness. Wide eyed with disbelief, he reached around to his back and carefully peeled off the rest of the bandage, but he couldn't feel any damaged skin there either. He seemed to have miraculously healed the severe wound in a matter of hours!
Trying to be quiet and not disturb anyone, he climbed out of the covers and then headed down the bed. He hopped off and padded into the walk-in-wardrobe, to go and stare at his chest in the mirrors there. He could see both his front and his back in the reflections, and he turned to look from different angles, but the mirrors confirmed the same thing; he was fully healed. "Well I'll be damned..." he said in wonder.
"Are you ok, Naruto?" Tenten called out to him softly, her voice sounding worried.
"Yeah, I'm feeling great actually," he whispered back quietly, as he crept back into the room.
"Holy shit! You're completely healed!" she exclaimed in astonishment, gawping at the fully restored skin on his chest.
"What is it?" Hana said groggily.
"Is everyone ok?" Hinata, yawned, sounding exhausted.
"What's all the noise?" Fu asked rubbing her eyes tiredly, and then bundling herself up in the covers.
"Everything's fine, just go to sleep," he said reassuringly, and the three fatigued young women did exactly that.
"Come on." Naruto whispered, holding his hand out to the perky ravenette. She nodded eagerly and slipped out of the covers, following him into the bathroom, where they shut the door behind them. "How's your arm this morning?" he asked her, concerned.
"I don't feel any pain," Tenten said, lifting her bandaged and splinted right arm experimentally. She began to carefully unwrap the bandages, to reveal that both the bruising and swelling around the break seemed to have disappeared completely.
"You look as good as new!" Naruto exclaimed with surprise.
Tenten poked her arm experimentally with a finger, but didn't feel any kind of discomfort. She then looked down at her shapely thigh and the hideous purple bruise had vanished as well, leaving healthy tanned skin. "We've both been fully healed!" she gasped with surprise.
"Amazing..." Naruto said, shaking his head with wonder. "You healed so fast!"
"I know!" Tenten agreed, nodding animatedly. "It took a couple of weeks for my scars to heal, but this only took a few hours."
"True, and then there's me..." Naruto said thoughtfully. "That was a nasty chest wound. How come I healed so quick?"
Tenten shrugged helplessly. "I've no idea, sorry."
"Let's go grab a shower, then we can make breakfast for the others. They looked like they needed a good lie-in," he said with a smile. His ebony haired companion nodded eagerly and they walked into the shower to get ready.
An hour later they walked back into the bedroom, with Naruto carrying a tray overflowing with a full cooked breakfast for everyone. The tantalising aromas woke the three girls up, and they yawned drowsily as they sat up.
"You three look wasted this morning!" Tenten said with surprise. "You've been asleep eight hours already and you still seem like you need a good night's rest."
"How come you're so perky all of a sudden?" Hinata grumbled, rubbing her tired eyes. "And where's your bandage?" she asked suddenly in alarm.
"I'm completely fine this morning - fully healed!" Tenten said excitedly, as she bounced over and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Me too," Naruto grinned, as he brought the tray over to the sleepy young women.
The girls looked at him in surprise, and he carefully placed the tray down before turning to show them his fully healed chest.
"Wow! That's amazing," Hana exclaimed, then stifled another yawn before suddenly frowning with irritation. "I feel exhausted this morning, and I wasn't even involved in the battleship fight."
"Perhaps you'll feel better after having something to eat," Naruto said comfortingly, uncovering the lids from the various piles of cooked food on the tray. He handed out plates and cutlery, and the girls tucked in, eager to get started on the mouth watering feast in front of them. They hungrily ploughed through breakfast, but still looked tired after they were done.
"I know what will perk you three right up," Tenten said suggestively, looking at Naruto. "What do you think Naruto, do you feel like rounding out some tummies?" she asked him with a sly wink.
"Sure, but I feel like burning off some of this energy first. What do you think, my sexy little black haired minx?" he asked playfully.
Tenten scampered over the bed and threw herself into his arms. "Always!" she gasped exuberantly.
The girls smiled fondly and moved the tray full of breakfast plates out of the way, giving Naruto plenty of room to carry the eager ravenette to the middle of the bed. He laid her down gently, holding her protectively in his arms, and she grinned up at him excitedly.
"No foreplay needed, I'm turned on already," she gasped, spreading her toned athletic thighs for him welcomingly.
Naruto pushed into her tight pussy with his broad cock, spreading her open for him as he sank deep inside her.
"I love it when you're inside me," she said, sighing contentedly as she felt his pulsing heat pushing all the way into her womb. She let out a cute gasp as the blunt head brushed against her far walls and then brought her legs up to hook around his back.
He cradled her head protectively in his hands as he looked down at her, and then leaned in to kiss her tenderly. "You frightened the life out of me when you got attacked," he said, remembering the horrible feeling of fear and worry. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."
"Well I'm safe and sound now," she replied with a smile, staring up at him with her sky blue eyes as she relished feeling safe and protected in his arms.
They kissed passionately, their bodies moving together in harmony as they physically expressed the strength of their emotions. Tenten clung to him tightly, gasping and panting as he fucked her powerfully, her smoothly rocking hips urging him onwards. She arched her back, rubbing her erect nipples against his chest as he pounded into her, letting out appreciative little moans. She eventually pulled his head down toward her, and leaned up to whisper in his ear, "Let me ride you instead."
Naruto rolled on his back, bringing the ebony haired beauty with him so that she was lying on top, with his cock still buried up to the balls inside her. They stared into each other's eyes as she leaned back and balanced gracefully astride him, her hands resting lightly on his muscular chest as her hips began to undulate slowly. He sighed happily as she began to move faster, her tight pussy gliding up and down his length. Tearing his eyes away from her beautiful face, he gazed at her magnificently toned teenage body, as she rode him expertly. She moved with a sinuous grace that accentuated the strong muscles in her perfect physique, and his gaze dropped appreciatively to her trim tummy. Tenten had the well defined figure of a girl who lived in the gym, but she stopped just short of having a six pack. She still maintained her soft feminine curves that he loved so much, and those curves looked incredible as she writhed on top of him.
"You love my toned stomach, don't you?" she purred seductively, as she followed his heated gaze.
"You're absolutely beautiful," he agreed, his eyes burning with lust.
"But there's something about filling up my young tummy with your cum that you really love isn't there?" she pushed, her mouth turned up in an eager smile. "Is it the thought of having me carry around your spunk in my belly, that gets you so turned on?"
"Ah, god!" Naruto moaned, his hands gripping her flexing thighs as she rode him closer to the edge.
"Or is that just a temporary high? What you really want is to impregnate me isn't it?" she hissed excitedly. "Show the world your dominance over me, by breeding my hot little ass?"
"Ahhh! fuck me!" Naruto groaned, as he thrust up powerfully into her, his tight quad flexing as he came.
Tenten wore a contented smile on her face, as she continued rocking up and down on his throbbing cock, her abdomen slowly swelling as she carried more and more of his cum inside her. "That feels so good, fill me right up," she crooned delightedly.
Finally spent, the tension in Naruto's body was released and he laughed happily. "That was so hot! I loved what you were saying," he admitted with a grin.
"Who needs telepathy? I know what my man likes," Tenten laughed along with him, as she stroked her swollen belly. She gently eased his still hard cock from her pussy, gracefully dismounted him and then lay on her back. She glanced over at Hinata, Hana and Fu who had been watching them both lustily. "So, I believe you girls needed a pick-me-up?" she asked coyly, while spreading her thighs for them. "Who wants to go first?"
Naruto enjoyed himself immensely, watching the three other girls hungrily lick the beautiful young ravenette to a succession of powerful orgasms, as they sucked his cum out of her pussy. When Fu had greatly extended her tongue to make sure she got every last drop of spunk from the quivering girl's womb, Tenten had shrieked with pleasure and clawed at the bed. The nymph left Tenten panting and gasping for breath as she recovered, and came over to Naruto to give him an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for a lovely breakfast," Fu sighed contentedly, as glowing ethereal lines spread slowly out from her slightly rounded stomach.
"You're welcum," Naruto laughed, running his hand through her thick green hair affectionately and pulling her in for a big kiss. The Nymph smiled at him adoringly, and then curled up in bed with Hana and Hinata, who wore similarly happy expressions on their faces. "You girls rest, I'm going to go up to the bridge," he told them kindly. "Come and join me when you feel better."
He dressed and then waved goodbye to the girls who were snuggled up in bed together. They promised him they would join him shortly, while Tenten just groaned and waved feebly at him. Chuckling to himself, Naruto strolled down the corridor past the officer's quarters, and then stepped into the soft blue glow of the grav-tube. He rose steadily up to the command deck, and he climbed the illuminated steps to sit in the Commander's chair. He was about to ask Hinata reflexively to bring up the system map, then smiled wryly to himself, and then leaned forward to press the button for the map on his own console. It had been quite some time since he'd had to operate all the systems himself, and he'd gotten used to ordering around his exceptionally capable bridge crew.
The system map appeared in the centre of the bridge, showing that they now orbited Ashana. Nodding to himself, as this was what he expected, he pressed another button on the console to bring up the communications interface. He was about to contact the high council, when he noticed that there had been several missed calls from them already that morning. He pressed the button that would raise a secure communication to Senior Councillor Ularean, and a few moments later, the Ashanath leader's grey bulbous head filled the viewscreen.
"Ah, NarutoUzumaki!" the robed alien said with relief, even over the unemotional computer voice modulator. "When your ship appeared in this system, and moved to high orbit above Ashana, we attempted to contact you. When there was no answer, we grew concerned."
"Sorry to have worried you unnecessarily," Naruto apologised. "We took a few hits clearing out the Drakkar, and we've been asleep and recovering for the last few hours."
"No apology is necessary, NarutoUzumaki," Ularean said softly in his ethereal voice. "Did I hear you correctly? You have defeated the Drakkar Raiders?"
"Yeah, we did it," Naruto grinned happily, with no small degree of satisfaction. "The Drakkar had a battleship in the Kappa-Indarran system, as well as two more cruisers they were going to equip with the black armour. We've destroyed them all."
"You have exceeded our wildest expectations, NarutoUzumaki," Ularean whispered in his eerie voice, and seemed to sag with relief. "The Ashanath Collective is profoundly grateful for what you've done for us."
"That's what allies are for," Naruto gave him a self-effacing smile and nodded.
Ularean tilted his head slightly to the side, and blinked slowly with his huge black eyes as he stared at Naruto. "We made a bargain with you to seal our alliance. If you wish it, we will now reveal what we kept from you earlier," he murmured quietly.
Naruto sat forward eagerly, his curiosity peaked. "I'm all ears!" he said wryly, with a hungry glint in his eyes.
"It would be easier for us to show you," Ularean said mysteriously. "Please travel to these coordinates, Councillor Talari will await you there."
The comm interface flashed, the incoming details arriving for a location on the surface of the planet Ashana. Naruto looked up at Ularean, who stared at him as if studying his every reaction. "Thank you Ularean," he said, suddenly unsure of himself.
"We will speak again before you depart, NarutoUzumaki. I hope we are able to provide some of the answers you seek." the senior councillor said, before ending the call.
Naruto sat there in his command chair for a long while, just mulling over recent events. Answers he'd been seeking for decades now awaited him on the surface of the planet below, but he couldn't help but worry that he might not like what he was about to find out. Soft footfalls coming up the steps to the command podium reached his ears and Hinata moved around to his side, coming into view. She ran her slender fingers through his hair and then leaned down to kiss him.
"Come on," she said to him soothingly. "Let's find out what you've wanted to know for all those years."
Naruto nodded at her, making up his mind, and then looked around to see the other girls assembled on the bridge as well, looking at him with understanding eyes. "Ok, let's find out who or what I am exactly," he told them decisively.
Hinata walked over to sit in the executive officer's chair, and entered the coordinates that Ularean had given to Naruto. The four powerful engines on the Invictus fired up, taking them around to the other side of the planet, before they began to descend into the atmosphere. Hinata brought them down closer to the Reddish-orange surface of Ashana, and a green guidepath lit up to lead them to their destination. They flew over what seemed like an abandoned, desolate area of arid scrubland, with no discernible features or buildings whatsoever, but the guidepath was still leading them directly towards it.
As they glided forward on their final approach, the surface of the planet seemed to split, and it became clear that there was a huge hangar bay concealed below them, that was now opening to grant them entry.
"Oh wow!" Tenten gasped, where she had been studying her engineering console intently.
"What is it Tenten?" Naruto asked her curiously.
"I just did an active scan when they revealed the hangar. Check this out!" she said in wonder, hitting a few buttons on her console. A holographic representation of Ashana's surface appeared in the bridge, red, dry and dusty. Tenten manipulated a few more controls and then the newly revealed hangar was displayed, as well as hundreds of subterranean installations surrounding the underground facility.
"Those are planetary defence lasers!" Hana gasped in shock, as she spotted row upon row of massive weapons concealed below the surface. "A couple of hits from one of those would blow us out of the sky!"
"What are they hiding down there?" Fu asked, looking at Naruto with wide eyes.
Hinata brought the Invictus in for a gentle landing, right in the middle of the underground hangar bay. She powered off the engines, and then looked at Naruto expectantly with a reassuring smile on her face.
"Ok let's find out what they know," Naruto said resolutely, as he rose from his chair. The girls followed his lead, and they headed out of the bridge, down the grav-tube and then out the airlock on deck nine. When the outer airlock spun open at Naruto's behest, they noticed a silvery-grey disk shaped ship parked nearby, with one of the robed Ashanath waiting for them patiently.
*Greetings Hinata. It's wonderful to see you again!* Councillor Talari's voice sounded clearly in the bluenette girl's head.
*It's great to see you too Talari!* she replied, genuinely pleased to see the helpful Ashanath high councillor.
"It's Talari," she said to the rest of her group, as they walked purposefully towards the Grey.
"Ah, NarutoUzumaki!" Talari said softly, when they arrived in front of him. "Thank you for proving my faith in you was well founded."
"Your faith?" Hinata asked perceptively.
"Yes Hinata. I am head of the Collective's security division, and it was I who recommended the alliance to the High Council," Talari revealed, in his quiet whispering voice.
"What made you recommend that?" Naruto asked, curiously. "Was it our victory against those Drakkar that interdicted us?"
"That only brought you to my attention, NarutoUzumaki. Although our ships were severely outclassed by the Drakkar, and your success against them was the first we had witnessed, that was not the main factor that swayed my decision. It was when Hinata revealed her psychic potency, that I realised there was so much more to you and your companions," he murmured cryptically.
"Which is what exactly?" Naruto asked, dying to know what the Ashanath had kept from him so far.
"It will be easier for me to show you," Talari said infuriatingly, and then turned and walked towards a set of heavy doors, that were covered in silvery Ashanath glyphs.
Naruto strode after the quickly gliding councillor, with the girls following in his wake. Talari opened the door and went inside, then led them past several security checkpoints, until they reached a grav tube. Dozens of anti-personnel weapons were built into the walls, and the barrels tracked the group ominously as they walked closer to the tube. Talari went in first, leaving Naruto and his crew to follow behind him down the anti-grav tube. They descended in pensive silence, travelling downwards for what seemed like an eternity, before the tube eventually ended with a single exit. The robed Ashanath was waiting for them to land, and then he turned, leading them down a corridor to a high archway containing two heavily glyphed doors.
Walking up to a Psi-scanner set into the wall, he stood stationary, while his grey bulbous head was enveloped in a soft green glow. The doors to his side cracked open and then slowly split apart, revealing a huge cavernous room built hundreds of metres below the planet's surface. The room was shrouded in darkness, the faint overhead lights only offering tantalising glimpses of the unevenly shaped objects contained inside.
"What is this place?" Naruto asked in awe, breaking the tense stillness of the underground cavern.
"This is our repository of everything we have found on the Progenitors," he replied quietly, even the computer modulated voice conveying his reverence for the chamber.
"The Progenitors?" Naruto asked.
"It is the name we have assigned to your species," Talari replied.
Talari turned and faced a control panel set into a wall, and it began to glow with an ethereal green radiance. Throughout the room, spotlights began to activate, focused specifically on each of the objects stored within.
"We used to claim ownership of many worlds," the Ashanath councillor began quietly. "We gathered every reference to your people we discovered."
He led Naruto over to the first object, which was a series of massive stone tablets, inscribed with a primitive pictorial form of language. The images showed a pointy eared humanoid, wielding what looked like a bulky staff, and slaying red skinned humanoid men with lightning bolts. As they followed the story conveyed by the pictures, the mysterious staff wielding character seemed to amass a throng of red skinned females. There had clearly been more to the story, but the rest of the pictures had been sheared away from the crumbling stone edifice.
Naruto and the girls shot each other glances, as they looked up at the pictures with wide eyes. "This looks strangely familiar," Hinata said quietly.
Councillor Talari seemed to be studying Naruto intently. "We removed these stones from the ruins of a long dead, pre-industrial civilisation. They are nearly twenty thousand years old."
Unsure what to say, Naruto could only nod mutely in response. Turning away, Talari glided over to the next set of stone blocks. They showed another member of the Progenitor race destroying what looked like a city. Diminutive creatures were shown to be fleeing, as the Progenitor strode through streets, with red rays shooting out of his eyes, killing indiscriminately.
"We retrieved this one from a system near Terra. The planet no longer bore any life," Talari whispered, his eerie voice making the images seem even more unsettling.
"Are they all like this?" Naruto asked, his own voice as subdued as the Ashanath's.
"No, not all," Talari replied, offering faint hope.
"See, it's not all bad Naruto," Tenten piped up optimistically.
"Most of them follow a similar theme of destruction, however," Talari whispered depressingly.
"Ok, could you show us something a little more upbeat then?" Hinata asked hopefully.
Talari nodded and took them past image after image depicting acts of war and subjugation, of sharp eared Progenitors slaying indiscriminately, and collecting legions of female slaves. He finally came to a halt, pausing in front of a series of tall stone mosaics that were in excellent condition, each showing a Progenitor, and dozens of blue skinned, white haired women. Naruto and the girls walked along, studying each picture in turn, and the murals showed a Progenitor working in what looked like a lab, and then moving from world to world establishing new civilisations.
"So the Progenitors were able to create life?" Fu asked in wonder.
"It seems so," Talari said softly, nodding slightly. "We have found a number of pictographs that seem to support this theory."
Tenten had reached the end of the stone mosaics, and she peeked her head around the corner, when she spotted that the backs of the huge slabs were lit as well. "Hey, Naruto! There's more on the back too!" she called out excitedly.
Naruto walked eagerly around the corner, looking for any more positive signs of benevolence amongst the Progenitors. In the next few images, the blue skinned women were massed in legions and were shown fighting other species. One of the stone mosaics showed the Progenitor using what looked to be psychic powers to slay his enemies. The final picture showed a lush green world burning, as the progenitor and his legions boarded a black hulled spacecraft.
"I'm sorry Naruto," Hana said, seeing his hopeful expression fade, as they studied the rest of the pictures.
"So my species are basically a bunch of completely evil bastards?" Naruto sighed dejectedly.
"It appears so NarutoUzumaki," Talari said quietly, his voice modulator conveying his sadness at having to deliver bad news. "We found each of these ancient edifices on devastated worlds, once home to civilisations that had been completely destroyed."
Hinata stood by Naruto's side and ran her hand around his waist, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry this wasn't what you were hoping to find," she said comfortingly.
"If it's any consolation, we have found you to be an honest, diligent and trustworthy ally. The Ashanath high council has no reservations about the wisdom of forming an alliance with you."
"If you knew how evil my species seems to be, why didn't you just kill me on the spot?" Naruto asked curiously. "Why would you possibly want to make an alliance with me?"
Before Talari could reply, Fu spoke up. "They were afraid of you, Naruto," she said soberly.
"It is as your companion deduced," Talari whispered in his eerie voice. "We had no wish to anger a creature capable of that," he said, pointing to the mural showing a world being incinerated.
"So you made me your ally, purely in the hope I wouldn't start wiping out your civilisation?" Naruto asked, wide eyed. "Gifting me access to your most powerful technology was pretty reckless!"
Before Talari could explain his reasoning, Hinata cut in. "You made your decision after our little chat outside the council chamber, didn't you?" she asked him, perceptively.
"You are correct Hinata," Talari said softly, before bowing to her respectfully. He then turned to face Naruto and spoke again, "Truly, you have surrounded yourself with quite remarkable females NarutoUzumaki."
"You don't need to tell me that," Naruto said, smiling at his girls. "But why did speaking to Hinata lead you to offering me an alliance?"
Talari turned his attention back to Hinata once more. "When we spoke, it very quickly became apparent that you had received no form of Psychic training. I have never met someone displaying such impressive potency before, and to do so untrained almost defies belief."
"You mean the null-zone I created by accident?" Hinata said, flushing a little with embarrassment.
"Yes, that's correct. It is possible to create a null-zone of that size, but only by combining one's will with other trained psychics, and powerful ones at that. For you to have done so on a reflex is absolutely unheard of amongst my people, and the Ashanath are gifted psychics." He paused for a moment. "Or so we believed..."
"Ok, so you knew I was powerful, but why did you trust us enough for an alliance?" Hinata asked puzzled.
"As you know, it's possible to probe another individual's mind." Talari began tentatively. "I must make a confession however, that the entire High council merged wills with me, but we were unable to penetrate your mind-shield, NarutoUzumaki."
"Hinata mentioned that before, but I've never consciously made this 'mind-shield' you're referring to!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Which makes you all the more remarkable," Talari murmured quietly. "When we were unable to find out more from your mind, we then studied your companions," he said apologetically, glancing at Hinata.
"You studied my mind?" she asked in surprise.
"Yes, and we examined all your interactions with Naruto since you've known him." Talari admitted. "Both of you have been nothing but benevolent in your actions with others, in particular saving each of your other companions from dire circumstances." he continued, looking at Hana, Tenten and Fu.
"Based on what we were able to glean, we knew you would be dependable and kindly allies." he said, sounding a little self satisfied, even with the unemotional speech modulator speaking for him.
" 'All' our interactions?" Hinata asked archly.
"I am sorry for the invasion of your privacy, but you must understand what we had at stake." Talari said remorsefully, before his already huge eyes widened as he recalled the memories. "What we witnessed was spectacular, I must say..." he tailed off wistfully.
Naruto and the girls laughed, clearing the air, and Talari at least had the good grace to look embarrassed.
"Ok, so these Progenitors were able to create life, they seemed to get off on enslaving hordes of women and they fought and killed a whole lot of people," Tenten summarised for them succinctly, unsubtly changing the subject to save Talari further embarrassment. "Is there anything else that you can tell us about them?"
"Only that the most recent of our findings here has been dated to just over ten thousand years ago. We have found nothing showing Progenitor activity in this quadrant of the galaxy since that time, but that is no guarantee that such activity has not occurred," Talari conceded regretfully.
"There must have been some kind of much more recent activity though," Naruto said quietly.
"Your mother..." Hinata said, reading his thoughts.
Naruto nodded, looking thoughtful. "She must have stumbled across one of these Progenitors. Though how she was able to escape, for me to be born back in Terran space, is a mystery," he said grimly.
"Aren't the Progenitors active in Ashanath territory right now?" Fu asked curiously. She pointed at the black hulled ship in the mosaic behind them. "It can't just be coincidence that we saw that mysterious black hulled ship with the Drakkar, and no-one was able to identify what race it belonged to."
"What ship is this?" Talari asked quickly, sounding worried.
"We found them delivering supplies to the Drakkar. It looked like they had a wormhole generator!" Tenten said excitedly.
"We suspect that's how they snuck the Drakkar forces so deeply into your territory," Naruto explained to the alarmed Ashanath councillor.
"This is deeply concerning news NarutoUzumaki!" Talari exclaimed. "Were you able to scan their ship?" he asked hopefully.
"Only partial passive scans, but I can send you what images and data we have," Tenten said apologetically.
"My thanks Tenten. We will do what we can to analyse anything you send us." Talari said gratefully.
"If my mother ran into one of these Progenitors, I wonder if there was any data about them on her ship." Naruto mused.
"Perhaps there's more information we could find out in the Terran military archives?" Tenten asked curiously.
"She's right! There could well be some more information there, at a higher security clearance than you at Commander rank had access to," Hana said eagerly.
"I'm not opposed to having a little snoop around, see what tasty data I can sniff out!" Tenten said excitedly.
"I appreciate the enthusiasm, but let's hold off on any major felonies with the Terran Federation for the moment, ok?" he said with a grin.
"Just let me know when!" Tenten laughed and gave him a theatrical wink.
The laughter lightened the bleak mood that had previously descended over them, and Naruto turned towards Talari. "Thank you for showing me this Talari. It means a lot," he said, reaching out to clasp the smaller creature on the shoulder in a friendly gesture.
"You are welcome NarutoUzumaki. I am only sorry that we were unable to furnish you with better news," the Ashanath said regretfully.
"It's not your fault Talari. At least I know now, and on the bright side, I built a great friendship with your people due to your research," Naruto said smiling at him warmly.
The Ashanath councillor nodded awkwardly, before looking up. "I have just been reminded that the high council wishes to reveal a surprise for you and your crew. Would you be willing to stay as honoured guests on Ashana for another day? I recall you have an urgent meeting that you must attend in several days time."
"With the Tachyon drive, we can make it back in time with no problem," Hinata said with a smile.
"We'd be delighted to Talari, please pass on my thanks to the rest of the high council," he replied warmly.
Tenten cleared her throat unsubtly. "The Raptor..." she said under her breath, as she coughed into her hand.
Naruto stifled a laugh and then continued, "Talari, we would greatly appreciate it if you were able to install a Tachyon Drive in our dropship, as well as installing grav-tubes, as we did in the Invictus. We were in such a hurry to clean out the Drakkar, we forgot to request those upgrades."
"Of course NarutoUzumaki, we will carry out the work immediately," Talari replied with a bow. "The refit will be completed by the time you are ready to leave tomorrow."
"Excellent! Thanks very much Talari," Naruto said appreciatively, before turning to the girls. "We should probably head back to the ship."
"Land at the drydock you visited last time, and the work you have requested will be performed on your Raptor gunship," Talari said quietly.
Naruto nodded and then ushered the girls ahead of him and back to the way out.
After a short flight back to the Ashana shipyard, they landed in the drydock, where a team of engineers were waiting to make the modifications to the Raptor that he had requested. Leaving them to it, Naruto and the girls reconvened to their favourite meeting place, their bedroom. Naruto sat in the middle, with the four girls seated in a semi-circle around him, watching him expectantly and waiting for him to start the discussion.
"So it seems I have a few skeletons in the family closet," Naruto said, then winced at the awfully inappropriate pun.
"To put it mildly," Hinata smiled at him affectionately, "But to put your mind at ease, it doesn't change the way I feel about you one bit."
Tenten, Fu and Hana echoed her sentiments and they all moved in to hug him reassuringly.
"I think a joint family dinner might not be a good idea though," Hana said with a gentle smile.
They laughed at her joke and the mood lifted considerably.
"Do you still want to try and find out more about your father and mother?" Fu asked him curiously.
"I've got a feeling it's not going to be good news, so I'm not in any hurry." he replied ruefully. "I think we'll just continue with my old plan for now, and visit the Maliri for some weapon upgrades on the Invictus. At least, once we've met Hana's family!" he said with a grin, nudging the Latina gently with his left elbow.
"Have you decided how you want to broach our relationship?" Hinata asked the brunette curiously.
"Well I'd like you all to come and visit, if you'd all like to?" Hana replied cautiously, looking to Hinata, Tenten and Fu in turn who each nodded eagerly.
"But, if it's ok with you, I think it will probably be easier if we keep up the pretence that it's just Naruto and I in a relationship," she said apologetically. "My family is quite conservative, so I think we probably ought to play it safe."
"So I can't tell them how much I love it when you eat Naruto's cum from my pussy?" Tenten pouted, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Let's just keep that between us for the moment," Hana laughed nervously, just imagining the reaction that little titbit might provoke.
"It's your call," Hinata said soothingly. "I'd love to meet your family, but I don't want to cause any kind of problems for you."
"I think it's a wise decision," Naruto said, putting his arm around Hana's shoulder and hugging her gently. "You're probably going to have some fast talking to do already, considering the physical changes you've undergone recently. You're taller now than when we first met you, right?"
"That's true. I was 5'6" and I'm three inches taller now," Hana said, grinning. She then glanced down at her enhanced bust with a raised eyebrow. "And these will cause quite a stir," she giggled. "I've gone from a 30B cup to a 32D!"
"They are quite wonderful, though," Fu said fondly, with a smile on her face. "I always sleep soundly, being able to cuddle up behind you, holding them in my hands."
Hana turned to her left to face the Nymph and gave her an intimate hug. They smiled at each other coyly as their sensitive breasts pressed against each other, the pliant flesh rubbing together and sending excited shivers through each girl's body. Dark brown and garnet eyes flashed with arousal as they stared at one another, and the two of them began to kiss tenderly. Hana moved lithely to sit in Fu's lap and encircled her with her athletic legs, while the Nymph pulled her into a tight embrace, neither interrupting the soft, gentle dance of their lips and tongues.
Naruto, Hinata and Tenten watched the two of them entranced as they kissed sensually, their lovely pouting lips brushing together, accompanied by breathy sighs and moans. Hinata caressed Tenten's shoulder teasingly, and the ravenette turned back towards her friend with a hungry smile on her lips. The bluenette opened her arms invitingly, and Tenten moved gracefully to sit in her lap, copying the other two girls who were fully absorbed in their erotic embrace.
Grinning happily, Naruto watched both pairs of girls kissing and touching each other intimately, the room echoing with the wonderful sounds of aroused young women. As they got more turned on, more clothes started to come off, until all four girls were gloriously nude, and presenting him with a spectacular sight. He slid off the bed and removed his own clothes, before moving to sit in the comfortable chair that offered him an excellent view of the bed.
"Hinata, come here and suck my cock," he requested firmly, causing the girls from Karron to pause in their loving kisses, and glance at him excitedly.
Tenten unfolded herself from her friend's embrace, and then eagerly joined Hana and Fu, freeing the bluenette to prowl towards him at a languid pace.
*My, my, this is a masterful new side of you* her approving voice sounded clearly in his mind.
*Well considering my... background, it does feels natural,* he explained carefully. *I figure, why fight it? But I'll need you to rein me in, if I get out of hand!* his thoughts carried a playful tone, letting her know he would never for one moment allow that to be a possibility.
*My only wish is to obey you, master,* she purred, making him tremble excitedly. Hinata sank smoothly to her knees in front of him, and spread his thighs to give her plenty of room. She reached out with both hands to cradle his balls lovingly, feeling their weight , before moving her fingers back to caress the second set in turn.
*These have done so much for us, it's only right that we service them whenever they need,* she mused, glancing up at him coyly for just a second, flashing her piercing lavender eyes at him.
*You've learned your place well, slavegirl.* Naruto replied, amused and aroused at her little game.
*If my place is to kneel and worship your cock, it's one that I've learned to love,* her voice said in his mind, as she opened her luscious lips, and engulfed the head of his throbbing cock in her mouth.
*Fuck, that feels good,* He gasped, staring at her face as she looked up at him adoringly.
*You feel so big in my mouth,* she sighed contentedly, *When you push your way into my body, it's the best feeling in the world.*
*Let's make you happy then,* he thought to her, taking her tousled bluenette head in his hands, and guiding her down his shaft. Hinata swallowed repeatedly, making it easy for him to sink right down her throat, so her lips were tightly stretched around the base of his cock.
*That feels amazing, so hot and hard,* she sighed as she eased back slightly, before taking him fully inside her again, rocking imperceptibly as she massaged every inch of his cock.
Naruto closed his eyes, luxuriating in her masterful blowjob, before the gasps and moans coming from the bed drew his attention. He glanced at the other girls and saw that Hana, Tenten and Fu were lying on their sides in a triangle, noisily lapping away at each other's pussies. His cock lurched in Hinata's throat, drawing a throaty moan from her.
*I can hear them licking each other, they must look incredible,* she said, her lusty thoughts echoing in his mind.
*It's hard to know where to look,* he admitted, returning his gaze to her as she stared up at him.
Hinata smiled knowingly, and then her expression changed to one of wide eyed unquestioning devotion as she sucked on him eagerly, as though desperate to have his cum fill her belly. The phenomenal head she was giving him, combined with that look of blind obedience, sent electric shivers down his spine.
*All I wish is to please you, master!* she begged him, *Please let your slavegirl know she is worthy, and let me carry your cum in my belly!*
"Holy fuck!" Naruto roared as he stared into her big purple eyes, his balls flexing and convulsing as they sent his cum rocketing down her throat to splash in her empty stomach. She sucked on him powerfully, running her tongue back and forth over his sensitive head, as he shot spurt after spurt into her growing tummy.
*That's feels so good, my stomach's getting heavy with your sperm,* her telepathic voice whispered adoringly. *Thank you for blessing me with your seed, master.*
"Oh my god!" he groaned, writhing as she sucked him relentlessly, and murmured loving thoughts in his mind as she drained his balls dry.
Finally she relented and let him collapse back in the chair, gasping and panting for breath. Standing gracefully she bent over him, as he watched her with awestruck eyes, leaning in to press her lips up against his ear.
"No-one knows you like I do," her beautiful melodic voice whispered to him softly, before she planted a loving kiss on his cheek, and held it for a few seconds. She then stood up straight, and gently stroked her hugely swollen belly with both hands, only inches in front of his eyes.
*I think you liked dominating your submissive slavegirl. That was a big load for my poor little tummy to take,* her thoughts danced playfully through his mind as she posed for him, letting him appreciate her heavily rounded stomach.
*You're incredible, do you know that?* he replied in wonder.
*You can indulge any dark fantasy with me, whenever you want,* she promised him, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
She offered him her hand and he stood on unsteady legs, following her over to join the other girls. Hana, Tenten and Fu were watching them avidly, and they made room for Naruto and Hinata to lie down in the middle of the big bed, then curled up around them.
"Sorry ladies, I was planning on giving you each a turn, but Hinata decided she wanted me all for herself," Naruto laughed in a daze.
"We just needed to let you indulge your dominant side a little, didn't we handsome?" Hinata grinned at him teasingly.
"You're a very naughty girl," he sighed happily, as she snuggled under his protective arm that he wrapped around her shoulder possessively.
"That's ok," Tenten replied, licking her lips and savouring the taste. "We managed to keep ourselves occupied," she said with a cute giggle.
"That was the most intriguing triangle I've ever seen, who came up with that idea?" Naruto smirked, thinking back to their Sapphic display.
"Fu seems to have a creative side to her," Hana said fondly, looking over her shoulder at the Nymph who was pressed up against her back.
The dark green skinned shapeshifter hugged her friend tightly, and gently squeezed the Latina's firm breast that she held in her left hand. "When I have such a gorgeous muse to work with, it gets my creative juices flowing," Fu laughed gaily.
The others laughed along with her and then settled back in companionable silence, just enjoying the peace after the chaos of the last week.
"I wonder what surprise the council has in store for us tomorrow?" Hinata eventually wondered out loud.
"Whatever it is, I just want to say how proud of all of you I am," Naruto said sincerely. "This confrontation with the Drakkar has pushed all of you harder and further than anything we've experienced before, and you all excelled yourselves."
"Thanks, Naruto," They chorused together, before exchanging startled glances and then wry smiles.
"More than that, I want you to know how much you all mean to me, and how I love you all so much!" he exclaimed, his heartfelt words moving the girls.
They hugged him tightly, murmuring their gratitude and appreciation, before lying there in bed with blissful smiles on their beautiful faces.
"Maybe we need to let Hinata go to work on Naruto more often, if it makes him express himself like that," Hana grinned delightedly.
"Mmm, you have no complaints from me," Hinata purred contentedly, stroking the hefty load of cream in her spherical stomach.
"That's too heavy a price to pay," Tenten said regretfully, looking up at Naruto. "I'm afraid you'll have to settle for each of us taking our turn with you," she added with a smirk.
"It's a heavy burden, but I think I'll cope," he replied, chuckling contentedly. He glanced across at the ship's chronometer to find out the time. "It's still a bit early for dinner, does anyone fancy coming to the gym for a workout?"
"Our martial arts training schedule got somewhat disrupted by the Drakkar," Hana said with a smile, "But I'd like to keep it going, if you're up for it?"
"Sounds great!" Naruto replied enthusiastically.
"I'd like to take a swim, so I'll keep you company too," Fu grinned at him.
"Perfect, two out of four so far," Naruto laughed. "How about you ladies?" he asked Hinata and Tenten with his eyebrow raised, knowing both of them had an instinctive dislike of the gym, mainly due to their fear of water and the big swimming pool it contained.
"I'll go and check on the Ashanath, see how they're getting on with refitting the Raptor," Tenten said slyly.
"If it's ok with you, I'm going to have a nap; sleep off this late lunch," Hinata smiled lazily, walking her fingertips over her cum-bloated belly.
"Sure, you earned it," Naruto grinned wickedly, and leaned over to give her a peck on the lips.
They all got up and prepared to go their separate ways, before agreeing to meet up for dinner in a few hours time.
Fu cavorted around the pool, her aquatic form allowing her to scythe through the water like a knife. Naruto and Hana watched her while they performed their stretching routines, and they couldn't help but smile at her pure enjoyment of the pool.
"Fu," Naruto called out to her loudly as she raced past, and she spun back to face him, swimming to a halt at the pool edge.
"Yes, Naruto, is there something the matter?" she asked him inquisitively.
"No, nothing like that, but seeing you swim, you seem so confined by the pool. Would you like to go to an aquatic planet for our next vacation?" he asked, suspecting he knew what her answer might be.
"Oh, wow! That would be amazing!" Fu replied, clapping excitedly. "Being able to swim as fast as I can would be wonderful."
He smiled, pleased at her delighted reaction and turned to Hana. "How about you, gorgeous? Are you a fan of beach holidays?"
"I've never been on one before," the brunette said excitedly. "We used to go on quite a few skiing holidays, as there are some amazing snowy mountains on Jericho, but the planet didn't have the climate for beach vacations."
"Perfect. I'll remember to pick up a bucket and spade the next time we go shopping," he laughed.
"What do you mean?" Hana asked, looking confused.
"You haven't lived until you've built a sand castle," he grinned at her bemused expression. "Now show me how much you appreciate my vacation plans, by kicking my ass. Or trying to!" he challenged her, whilst moving nimbly out on to the fighting mats.
Hana moved out on the mat as well, walking confidently and watching his every move.
"Now, the big choice for today, is how I'm going to celebrate my victory," he goaded her, dancing around and showboating. "Would you like me to stre-," his sentence was cut off as she darted forward, and threw a lightning fast punch at his stomach.
"Wow, very nice," he whistled appreciatively, barely able to dodge back in time, "It looks like you really too the last less-," his speech was cut off again as he had to block a furious flurry of punches and leap aside from a leg sweep.
Hana backed off, dancing out of reach and grinning at him. He smiled back and nodded appreciatively, acknowledging her taking of his last lesson to heart. "Very impressive, honey," he praised her, proud of how well she was improving.
"What happens if I beat you?" she asked him, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"We'll just have to see when that happens," he smiled, moving forwards to engage her again.
Naruto launched his own chain of attacks, with Hana blocking and deflecting as he'd trained her. Her aptitude for martial arts was astounding, and she was coming on in leaps and bounds every time they practiced together. He saw a few opportunities where he could have ended the fight, but he was having such a good time training with her, he didn't want to end it yet. After he'd refused to exploit one of her mistakes for the third time, Hana held up her hand calling for a timeout.
"You could have beaten me there, I overexposed myself with that roundhouse kick," she said looking puzzled. "Why didn't you finish it?"
"Firstly, well done for realising your mistake," he commended her. "It shows how much you've improved, when you can recognise your own errors without me having to point them out."
"Thanks, but that didn't answer my question," the Latina said, smiling happily at his praise.
"I was enjoying myself too much, and didn't want the session to end," he admitted honestly.
"Unwillingness to finish a vulnerable foe? I'm sure that sounds like a lesson I'd need to be chastised for," Hana said in a seductive voice, as she prowled towards him. "Maybe the spoils of victory aren't enticing enough?"
Naruto watched the graceful, enchanting way she glided towards him, her hips swaying teasingly. She came to a halt right next to him, brushing her legs against his, and gazed up at his face with a challenging look in her eyes. Closing her long lashes, she tilted her head back with her full lips slightly parted, looking exceptionally kissable. Grinning happily, he leaned forward to accept her lovely invitation and then before he knew it, he was whirling through the air to fall flat on his back, as the cunning brunette hooked one of her athletic legs behind him and then tripped him up.
"Woohoo!" she cheered, leaping around triumphantly.
"Well done Hana!" Fu laughed, applauding her.
"Hey! That was cheating," Naruto laughed where he lay prone on the mat.
"Promise me you'll fight dirty, and do anything you have to," she replied in a gruff baritone voice, quoting him from their first lesson together, a gleeful, impish expression on her face. "I did promise my Sensei, after all!"
"Ok, ok, you won that one," Naruto conceded, laughing heartily. "What do you want as your prize?"
Hana glided over to him and offered him her hand. He took it, and she pulled him to his feet with her strong grip. Naruto opened his arms and she stepped into his warm embrace, resting her head on his chest, and sighing contentedly. "I've already won the best prize."
He hugged her tightly, returning the sentiment, and then she looked up at him with her lovely dark brown eyes. "Fight to win next time though, ok?" she said with a coy smile.
Naruto nodded wholeheartedly, and then turned to the pool where Fu was watching them. "Want some company?" he asked her playfully.
The nymph nodded excitedly and then Naruto and Hana stripped off and dived in.
Tenten smiled happily as she watched the Ashanath engineers carefully installing the new Tachyon drive in the Raptor gunship. The gunship had not originally been designed to have hyper-warp capability, but the drive was only relatively small, and they had been able to install it with the minimum of fuss. Reasoning that they no longer needed such a large armoury, which was originally designed to store gear for thirty special forces marines, she had partitioned the room off, taking half the space to home the new drive.
Turning and walking out the door, she examined the new grav-tubes where the elevator had previously been fitted. There was only two floors to the Raptor, but that had made waiting for the elevator even more annoying.
"We have finished calibration of the anti-gravity devices," whispered the Ashanath engineer who stepped out of the red glow of the grav-tube. "Would you care to inspect the readings to confirm they fall into acceptable parameters?"
"It's ok Zanthus, I trust you," she said, beaming a gleaming smile at him. "The refit you and your team did on the Invictus was top-notch."
"My thanks Tenten, it was an honour to see you at work," he replied in his quiet voice, staring at her in admiration.
"Oh, I didn't do much," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "You and your boys did the hard work."
"That is not so!" Zanthus protested, his big eyes opening even wider with wonder. "The engineering academies are still marvelling at the way you reverse engineered the Drakkar's armour, and then developed a new Etherite based alloy in a matter of hours."
"Well, we were in a hurry," Tenten laughed.
"If you should ever require an apprentice, I would humbly request that I be allowed to submit my own application." Zanthus said, hopefully.
"Ah, that's very sweet, and you'd be my first pick," Tenten told him gently. "Unfortunately Hinata is in charge of recruitment and she has certain... criteria she's looking for when she hires new crew."
"Well I would have always regretted it, had I not asked," Zanthus said in his softly echoing voice.
Tenten sidled up to him and leaned down to give him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for all you've done for us Zanthus, I really appreciate it," she said warmly. "I wish you all the best for your future."
Zanthus' normally unblinking eyelids fluttered rapidly, as he stood speechless in the corridor, watching in wonder as the red haired goddess walked away, waving at him as she departed.
Dinner was a relaxed affair with Naruto and the girls sitting around eating pasta and drinking wine. It felt nice to just have some normal time together, without the pressure of racing around having to save the day. They went over the events on the Drakkar battleship again, and going over in more detail what had led to Tenten getting shot, then the confrontation with the Overlord.
"I'm thinking it might be a good idea to expand the crew," Naruto raised with the girls hesitantly. "At the very least a medical officer would be invaluable."
"Well we have been getting into a lot of scrapes recently," Tenten agreed wholeheartedly, "My poor head and arm can attest to that!"
"That would be a wise precaution," Hana said, nodding her agreement. "No matter how good you are in combat, you can't predict some random accident causing injuries."
"Are you saying my services as resident nurse are no longer required?" Fu laughed.
"You can nurse me any time!" Tenten said playfully.
"So, what are you thinking Naruto? Blonde, brunette, redhead? Perhaps someone more exotic?" Hinata asked him archly.
The other girls giggled and then looked at him expectantly, awaiting his answer.
"You four girls keep me more than satisfied," Naruto laughed, his hands held up defensively. "I really am basing this decision on trying to make sure we have all the necessary roles filled."
"Hah! Yeah, I'm sure you'll be very dutiful about "filling in" whoever we get as a new recruit," Tenten smirked.
"Well it is his job as Commander to make sure we're kept abreast of every situation..." Hinata began, before stopping abruptly. "Ah, I can't be bothered with the double entendres," she grinned, rolling her eyes. "I'll find you some hot young medic, we'll convince her to join the crew, and we'll all have fun fucking her brains out. Everyone agreed?"
"Sounds perfect!" Fu said excitedly.
"Excellent plan, Hinata," Hana said with smile.
"I can't wait!" Tenten grinned happily.
"Well, it's been a winning formula so far," Naruto laughed, delighted at how well his crew expansion plan was being received.
"Were you thinking of recruiting Sakura?" Hinata asked him hopefully.
"Well it would be rude not to ask," Naruto said while locking eyes with Hinata, and remembering the kind and beautiful pinkette they had met back on Gravitus.
"Perhaps I will get my wish after all," Hinata laughed merrily. "I'll reach out to her, see how she's getting on in the Dragon march."
"I'll leave the finer details in my XO's capable hands," Naruto smiled, raising his glass to the excited bluenette.
"To meeting interesting new people," Hinata said, raising her glass in a toast, her eyes sparkling as brightly as the cut glass crystal she held in her delicate hand.
They raised their glasses to the prospect of adding another person to the crew, laughing and joking together animatedly. Dinner was soon over, and the girls sent their dedicated chef to go and put his feet up, while Hana brought him a fresh drink. She sat with him and they chatted a little more about her family, both of them thinking about the upcoming meeting with the Fernandez clan.
The other girls soon joined them and they whiled away a few hours just relaxing and chatting together, the heady wine taking its toll. Everyone was curious about what the Ashanath High Council had in store for them, and it dominated the subject of conversation for most of the evening. Eventually they began to move on to other topics, and when the girl's laughter turned into giggling, Naruto decided to wind things up before the alcohol took a heavy toll. They headed off to bed hand in hand, eager to see what surprise they had in wait for them tomorrow.
They woke up early, with everyone feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep. They showered and dressed in more formal clothes than they normally wore, suspecting that they would be meeting up with the Ashanath High Council at some point that day.
"If only we didn't have a prior engagement..." Naruto said, whistling appreciatively, when Hinata appeared from the walk-in-wardrobe wearing her figure hugging, pencil skirt suit. He walked over to her and stared into her eyes, as he slid his hand under her formal shirt to stroke her toned abdomen suggestively.
"The Ashanath appreciate curves, I'm sure they wouldn't be offended," she replied coyly, leaning into his hand as she looked up at him. "You only have to say the word, and you'll be emptying your quad down your compliant little secretary's throat."
"I've got something in mind, otherwise you'd be on your knees right now," he said, pulling her tightly to him and kissing her fiercely.
"Oh, I like your plan even better," she said in a soft, low voice, when they finally broke apart.
She walked out of the room with an added sway to her hips, making her killer body look even more mouth wateringly delicious. Naruto followed after her, gathering up the rest of the girls as they went.
The Raptor was parked outside the Invictus where Fu had left it, the glistening black gunship looking mean and dangerous as it crouched in the shadow of the assault cruiser. One of the robed Ashanath was waiting for them, standing by a disc shaped craft, and Naruto instinctively knew it was High Councillor Talari.
"Good morning, Talari," Naruto called out a warm greeting.
"Greetings NarutoUzumaki, it is wonderful to see you and your companions today," the Ashanath councillor replied.
"Are you going to give us any clues as to what this surprise is?" Naruto asked playfully.
"I'm afraid not, but if you would like to load up your gunship in the Invictus, I will lead you to it. We have completed the additional modifications that you requested, on the vessel you refer to as the Raptor." he said quietly.
"Fantastic, thanks Talari," Naruto said gratefully.
"What did you make of the images and data I sent you about that mystery black ship?" Tenten asked him curiously.
"We thank you for those, Tenten. My team are analysing what we can ascertain from them as we speak, but I fear it will not be much. What I would give for an active scan of that ship," Talari said, even his synthetic computer voice sounding wistful.
The Ashanath Councillor returned to his ship, while Fu jogged over to the Raptor, excited to see the new modifications. The rest of the crew waited for her in the hangar bay of the Invictus, and the Nymph brought the gunship in through the huge doors, bringing it down for a perfect landing in the middle of the bay. They then travelled up the Grav-tubes and on to the bridge, where Hinata fired up the engines on the assault cruiser, so that they could follow the nimble Ashanath saucer.
Talari led them away from the drydock in his agile disc shaped vessel, and they seemed to be retracing their earlier path through the twisting caverns, until they were back at the first docking bay that they had landed at several days earlier.
"This is eerily familiar," Hinata said, as she brought them up to the awaiting robotic arms, in the rocky cavernous hangar in the underbelly of the Ashana shipyard. The arms attached themselves to their ship's hull with a magnetic clunk, before smoothly rotating them 180 degrees, and setting them down on the hangar bay floor.
"Let's go see what they have in store for us," Naruto said, feeling a surge of excitement. The girls were equally as eager, anticipation building in the air, and they followed him down in the grav-tubes so that they could disembark.
Talari was waiting for them by his ship, and when they strode over to meet him, he turned to lead them over to the anti-grav shafts up to the surface of the shipyard. A hushed silence had fallen over their little group as they floated up to the top level, and stepped out onto the dusty red street. They followed the robed Grey quietly, as he guided them down the road to the main thoroughfare.
"Where are we heading?" Naruto eventually asked their Grey guide, as he grew ever more intrigued.
"To the Trader's Emporium, you will see why, shortly," Talari said, as they re-trod familiar steps, the first they had taken on this alien world.
After they had walked for a few hundred more metres along the bustling main boulevard, Talari brought them to a stop by one of the anti-gravity tubes, that led up to the mezzanine level above them. "The high council is awaiting you up there, we will join them momentarily," he advised them in his quiet, eerie voice.
Naruto nodded, and they stepped into the anti-gravity field, ascending upwards after Talari. They finally reached the top level, and stepped out, but stopped in stunned surprise at what awaited them.
All the merchant booths had been temporarily cleared, leaving the vast mezzanine completely open. Thousands of Ashanath awaited them, lined up in orderly rows and all watching and waiting for High Councillor Talari to appear with his honoured guests. There was a wide path through the throng of Grey citizens, leading directly towards eight robed Ashanath, who Naruto recognised as being the High Council. They stood in a row, awaiting Naruto and his crew, in front of a large silvery object that dominated the otherwise empty traders emporium.
"If you would follow me please." Talari whispered, with a deep respectful bow.
Naruto glanced at the girls, who were looking a little overawed, and then nodded his assent to Talari. The councillor glided ahead of them, and the Invictus crew followed behind him as he led them through the huge crowd of staring alien citizens. Feeling very self conscious, they were relieved when they finally arrived in front of the High Council. Talari went to stand at his place with his colleagues, and Senior Councillor Ularean stepped forward.
"NarutoUzumaki, we are honoured that you and your companions would grace us with your presence this day. As our loyal allies, you have done so much for the Ashanath Collective, saving many thousands of lives with your elimination of the vicious Drakkar raiders," he said, the unemotional voice of his speech modulator still conveying the gratitude in his words.
"It gives me great pleasure to announce that you will always be welcome on Ashana as a friend to the Ashanath people, and we wish to unveil a tribute we have constructed in your honour," he declared, before turning around to face the large silvery object behind him.
The silvery object began to rustle, and it became apparent that it was a silver coloured cloth of some kind, that was being pulled back to reveal whatever was concealed beneath. Naruto and the girls watched spellbound, as the silvery cloth moved slowly up and backwards, before finally dropping away, leaving the huge monument to gleam brightly in the sunlight.
"Oh, wow!" Tenten muttered, awestruck, as she stared up with disbelieving eyes at the monument that loomed above them.
The monument was made out of Etherium, and was a perfect replica of Naruto, Hinata, Hana, Tenten and Fu. The attention to detail by the Ashanath sculptors was incredible, having managed to perfectly capture the beauty of each of the girls, and even going so far as to manage to get the order right in the way they arranged themselves around Naruto. The five of them were positioned in a heroic pose, and the fifty foot tall statue dominated the view over the Mezzanine, clearly viewable from all areas.
"This is incredible," Naruto said in wonder, his voice hushed.
"You have saved a great many lives with your intervention against... the Drakkar." Ularean murmured to him quietly, pausing significantly when he spoke. "We hope that by positioning the monument to you and your companions here, then tales of your exploits will spread amongst the other races that come to trade with us."
"Thank you for your amazing generosity, Ularean," Naruto said sincerely, before turning to face the assembled Ashanath citizens.
"I feel honoured to consider the wonderful people of the Ashanath Collective my ally," Naruto began, addressing the crowd in a strong voice that echoed around the plaza. "It was only through the hard work and technical skills of citizens here on Ashana, that we were able to defeat the Drakkar and bring an end to their brutal attacks. I hope that through future cooperation, we can continue to achieve great things together, forging a bright future, side by side as allies and friends!"
*That caused quite a stir, Naruto!* Hinata's voice said clearly in his mind, sounding impressed. *I didn't know you had a talent for public speaking!*
Naruto turned back to the council once more, before he bowed to them, and they in turn all bowed deeply towards him. Ularean then stepped forward and spoke to him again, "We wish you a safe journey, and will always offer you the hand of friendship should you ever find yourself in need NarutoUzumaki."
"Likewise, Senior Councillor," Naruto replied, and then turned to walk back through the huge crowds of Ashanath civilians who looked on, following their every move as they left the mezzanine of the trader's emporium. They stopped by the anti-gravity tube that led back down to the boulevard and Naruto and the girls waved the assembled Ashanath a warm wave goodbye. The aliens copied the movement awkwardly and then the crew stepped into the tubes and away from sight.
They walked along in silence for a few minutes until they were back in the anti-grav passage leading down to the hangar bay housing the Invictus. They glanced at each other with excited eyes, and managed to keep it together until they opened the airlock into the assault cruiser, and walked inside. The moment the airlock door spiralled shut, the spell of silence was broken and they exploded into excited chatter.
"That was wonderful!" Fu exclaimed excitedly, looking up at Naruto adoringly.
"They built a statue to us!" Tenten said, bouncing up and down with glee.
"My family would freak if they saw this!" Hana gasped in wonder.
Naruto grinned indulgently at the exuberant reaction from the girls, but he glanced at Hinata, communicating wordlessly with her. They both understood the deeper meaning behind the magnificent statue of themselves, now standing protectively over the trader's emporium. He led the girls up to the officer's lounge, where they sat on the comfortable sofa's to the sound of excited chatter.
"What's wrong?" Hana asked, finally noticing that Naruto and Hinata were not leaping up and down like the rest of them.
"The statue was meant to honour us," Naruto said, reluctant to bring down their buoyant good mood. "But it has a secondary purpose as well."
"It's meant as a warning," Hinata finished for him soberly. "The Ashanath are terrified of the Progenitors, and they hope that by flaunting their alliance with Naruto, it will protect them from further harm from the Progenitors or their allies."
"Well that's an interesting take on it," Tenten said, quietening down abruptly.
"It makes a lot of sense though," Hana said thoughtfully. "Positioned where it is, the message will pass around to the other races very quickly."
"Possibly making us a big target, for more fearsome predators," Fu said ominously.
"We better make sure we're ready for them then," Naruto said confidently.
"Where are you, you elusive bastard?!" the brooding figure snarled in anger, slamming his fist down on the gothic throne. He had been working through his vast network of informants, but none of his contacts seemed to have a clue where Commander Naruto Uzumaki had disappeared to.
"You can't have just vanished!" he exclaimed, finding this particular target to be absolutely infuriating.
The last reports he had received, showed Naruto Uzumaki and his assault cruiser to be sighted at Olympus Shipyard, but that was nearly two weeks ago, and there had been neither sight nor sound of him since then. Fortunately the contract didn't specify a deadline for its completion, but this was the longest he had ever taken to eliminate a target, and he wouldn't risk anything tarnishing his darkly won reputation.
"Maybe another approach is needed here," he mused to himself, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
He reached over to his console and made a call.