The Second Glimmer Fades
I don't own Naruto or Star Wars.
"That's it." said Naruto as he and Alar dueled with sticks outside in the forests of Tython, "Just like that."
Alar moved in and Naruto went deeply into Soresu. He continuously parried Alar and meet her strikes occasionally but never really went on the offensive.
"That's enough." said Naruto after five more minutes of sparring.
Alar fell to her knees and panted for breath.
"How... can... Jedi and... Sith... keep... up... at... this... pace?" asked Alar.
"Well, most of them don't keep using Ataru for the entire fight." said Naruto, "It is the most taxing form there is."
"Then why did you have me spar with it, Master?" asked Alar as she looked up at Naruto and finally caught her breath.
"To build up your stamina." responded Naruto, "The training I went through as a Mandalorian may possibly kill you so that training was out of the question and this was the next best thing."
"Young Master!" called out Elie as she ran toward them, "Young Master, over here!"
"What is it, Elie?" asked Naruto as he and Alar turned to her.
"Master Satele would like to see you in her quarters." informed Elie.
"Did you ask her if I did something wrong?" questioned Naruto as he thought of what he could have possibly done.
"She said that you're not in trouble and she just wants to talk." said Elie.
"Alright." said Naruto with a sigh, "Tell her I'm on my way."
Elie bowed and headed back to the Temple as Alar went up to her master.
"Why didn't Master Satele just use your holocom?" she asked.
"She only summons me in person if its extremely important." explained Naruto, "And I have no idea of what could be so special about this. Come."
He and Alar headed toward the Jedi Temple and went inside. They entered Satele's room and found her going over some charts on a holoprojector.
"What are those?" asked Alar when she saw the charts.
"These are what was on that holocron that your master recovered." said Satele as she continued to examine the charts, "They're hyperspace routes."
"What holocron?" asked Naruto.
"The one that Shae recovered when you fought Tayuya for the first time." explained Satele as she was just finishing up, "We sent it to Naboo and these are the results."
Naruto fell silent when he saw one particular hyperspace route just before Satele shut it off.
"Master, are you alright?" asked Alar.
"Yeah." said Naruto as he snapped out of his trance, "Just a little tired. So, what did you need, mother?"
"Apparently, the Chancellor heard about your skills during the incident with Darth Vowrawn and wants to meet you." explained Satele.
"Even after I set the building on fire years ago?" asked Naruto in confusion.
"Yes, even after that." said Satele with a chuckle, "He said he would like to meet you right away."
"Then we'll be on our way then." said Naruto as he and Alar headed to the door but he stopped short of exiting, "By the way, do you happen to know where Tayuya is right now?"
"She should be on Hoth with her master." said Satele, "Why?"
"Just worried about her." said Naruto as he left the room.
"What was that about, Master?" asked Alar.
"One of the hyperspace routes was to mine and Tayuya's home planet." said Naruto, "It means that my home will be dragged into this whole war soon."
They headed on a shuttle with R2 and headed to Coruscant.
(An Hour Later)
Naruto and Alar walked through the halls of the Senate Building with R2 close behind and into the Chancellor's office. Sitting at the desk was a human male in his mid fifties with gray hair and brown eyes.
"Ah, the young prodigy at last." said the Chancellor with joy.
"You humble me too much, Chancellor Tenebrae." said Naruto as he and Alar bowed to the man.
"And I'm guessing this must be your Padawan." said Tenebrae as he looked at Alar.
"I'm Alar, sir." said Alar nervously.
"No need to be nervous, child." said the Chancellor.
"I understand you wish to congratulate me for my rescue of Darth Vowrawn." said Naruto.
"Ah, yes." said Tenebrae as he picked up a small holoprojector and handed it to Naruto.
Naruto activated it and looked at the holoimage of a unique starship.
"That is the Rogue Shadow." said Tenebrae, "It's the pride of all the hard working individuals and droids that worked on it. Sadly, they passed away in accidents and street crimes. I want you to have it."
"M-My own ship?" asked Naruto in disbelief, "You're giving me my own ship?"
"Yes." said Tenebrae, "For someone who has a birthday coming up, I couldn't think of a better gift."
"Thank you, Chancellor." said Naruto as he bowed and the Chancellor chuckled.
"I look forward to getting to know you better, Master Jedi." said the Chancellor as he turned to look out at Coruscant, "We need more Jedi and soldiers who would do anything to protect the Republic. If we are to defeat the Sith Empire should war break out again, I want you leading the charge."
"That is a great honor, Chancellor." said Naruto, "Now, I must excuse my Padawan and myself. We have some business on Hoth to take care of."
"Very well." said Tenebrae as he turned back to Naruto and Alar, "Your ship is in my private hanger. May the Force be with you."
"And you as well, Chancellor." said Naruto as he and Alar bowed then left.
"Are we going to Hoth to see your sister, Master?" asked Alar.
"Of course." said Naruto as he and Alar entered the Chancellor's private hanger, "I need to speak with my sister on a family matter."
They walked onto the Rogue Shadow and looked in disbelief at how high tech it was. It had a workshop and meditation chamber that could double as a training room, a crew quarters, commons area, and a fully functional med bay in addition to Naruto's own personal quarters.
They went into the cockpit and Alar turned on the engines as Naruto steered them out of the hanger and they flew away from Coruscant.
"Artoo, prepare to make the jump to lightspeed." ordered Naruto as he flipped some switches.
R2 beeped and and stuck one of his arms into a port. After a moment, R2 alerted Naruto and he nodded. Naruto slowly pulled back the lever and they shot off into the darkness of space.
(Several Hours Later)
Naruto, Alar, and R2 walked into the main control room of the Aurek Base and found the Exile and Tayuya going over some plans.
"Sister!" exclaimed Naruto in joy as he tackled her.
The Exile and Alar were caught off guard by this while R2 beeped like he was chuckling.
"Damn it, Naruto!" shouted Tayuya in anger, "Don't do that!"
"Sister isn't happy to see me." said Naruto as he suddenly appeared in a corner, sulking.
"What are you doing here, Naruto?" asked the Exile.
"I was wondering if we could swap Padawans for a few days." said Naruto.
"Swap Padawans?" asked Alar of her master.
"The family business I need to take care of must concern only Tayuya and I." said Naruto to his student, "It is something only my sister and I can handle."
He turned to the Exile and bowed.
"Please accept my request, Master Meetra." begged Naruto.
The Exile thought about this and sighed.
"Have her back in three days." said the Exile in defeat.
"You don't have to worry about your training." said Naruto as he turned to his Padawan, "Master Meetra was taught by Lord Revan himself and is more than capable of handling your training."
"Alright, Master." said Meetra, "May the Force be with you, Master."
"And you, my Padawan." said Naruto as he left with Tayuya and R2.
(Five Minutes Later)
"What's the family business?" asked Tayuya as she and Naruto sat in the commons of the Rogue Shadow.
"The Republic has a hyperspace route to our home." said Naruto in dismay.
"So?" asked Tayuya in annoyance.
"So, if the Republic actually manages to station ships there, our home will get dragged into the war." said Naruto, "I can't let that happen, sister. I just can't let what happened to Coruscant happen to our home."
Tayuya felt Naruto's feelings in the Force and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"What do we need to do?" asked Tayuya.
"We have to go to Mand'alor." said Naruto with a frown.
"Who's that?" asked Tayuya.
"He's the leader of the Mandalorian clans." said Naruto, "I've never met him personally but from what buir told me, he's not someone you want to make angry."
"Sounds like a really charmer." said Tayuya sarcastically.
"Kaysh mirsh solus." said Naruto in agreement, "We need some Imperial Troops though. Do you still maintain contact with Darth Vowrawn?"
"Yeah." said Tayuya in shame.
"Good." said Naruto as he stood up, "I'll take us to Mand'alor while you contact Darth Vowrawn."
He headed into the cockpit and Tayuya went to the holocommunicator. She put in the codes and waited for under two minutes before Darth Vowrawn's image appeared.
"Ah, how is my apprentice doing?" asked Darth Vowrawn.
"Pretty good, my master." said Tayuya in shame, "My brother requires troops for a mission."
"Why doesn't he ask Darth Marr?" asked Darth Vowrawn, "That is his department."
"Can you get us the troops or not?" asked Tayuya in an edgy tone.
"Very well." said Darth Vowrawn, "I will speak to an friend of mine and get you your troops."
"Thank you, my master." said Tayuya as she bowed and the call ended.
(Twenty Minutes Later)
The Rogue Shadow approached the main hanger of the Spirit of Vengeance and they docked inside. Naruto and Tayuya walked out of the Rogue Shadow while R2 stayed aboard and headed toward the bridge. They entered and found Mandalore himself waiting for them.
"Be quiet and let me do the talking." whispered Naruto.
They stopped several feet away from Mandalore and Naruto knelt down.
"Su cuy'gar, Mand'alor." said Naruto as he pulled Tayuya down to one knee as well, "Ni slanar Naruto Vizla."
"Motir." said Mandalore the Vindicated.
Naruto pulled Tayuya up with him and swallowed the lump in his throat.
"I ask that you allow me the use of our covert forces on Naboo." said Naruto nervously.
"It has been a long time since I saw your mother." said Mandalore as he walked up to Naruto with a smile, "She was a great warrior and deserves to retire in peace."
Mandalore placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and the young boy began shaking and broke into a cold sweat.
"T-Thank you, sir." said Naruto in an even more nervous tone as Mandalore removed his hand.
"Why do you need command of my forces?" asked Mandalore as he walked to the window to look out the stars.
"W-Well, as you know, my home is a lost planet, sir." explained Naruto, "The Republic has a holocron with a map of hyperspace lanes that lead to it as well as several routes that could seriously cut off our supplies as well as those of the Imperials."
Mandalore thought about this and nodded.
"Kill them." ordered Mandalore.
The guards drew their blasters and Naruto threw his lightsaber faster than anyone could react to and decapitated all of the guards. He then put his lightsaber away.
"Impressive." complimented Mandalore.
"Thank you, sir." said Naruto as he reached for the Darksaber, "About those troops commandos..."
"Very well." said Mandalore, "You have command of them."
"Thank you, sir." said Naruto as he left with Tayuya next to him.
They got back to the hanger and Naruto went over ths ship as Tayuya went inside. He cut off several tracking devices then hopped on top and cut off five more before shocking everyone else inside the hanger with Force Lightning and headed into his ship then taking it out of the hanger.
(The Next Night)
Under the cover of darkness, over 50,000 members of the Imperial Army unloaded their gear, droids, and heavy artillery at a base camp in the forest surrounding Naboo's capital. Naruto and Tayuya were currently going over the plans for their infiltration of the capital with an undercover Mandalorian while R2 remained on the ship when an Imperial Soldier walked up to them.
"Sgt. Pierce, reporting, my lord." said Pierce as he saluted Naruto.
"Alright, now that we've got everybody here, we can go over the plan of attack." said Naruto as he brought up blueprints of the interior of the palace, "The holocron is located here."
Naruto pointed to a room and it started blinking red.
"To get there, while the main bulk of our forces hold off the Republic's army, we'll infiltrate the city then I'll give the order for the Mandalorians to turn off the security and eliminate anybody around them. Then, we will go in through a side entrance and go through the hanger to secure their ships that'll provide our escape. After that, we move to secure the holocron and take it back to the main fleet with the ships in the hanger and head to Hutta."
"But what if Republic reinforcements show up?" asked Tayuya.
"The Jedi inside has a remote that can signal the Republic fleet and they would be here in a manner of minutes." informed the Mandalorian, "That could cause us trouble."
"What do you think the rest of the army is for?" asked Naruto, "The Republic will focus on them and the droids mainly while deploying a smaller force to the palace. If all else fails, use this to remove the section of data from the holocron and get out using the ships in the hanger."
He gave the Mandalorian a data disk and the Mandalorian put it in his pocket.
"By the way, what's the name of the Jedi stationed at the palace?" asked Tayuya.
"Shigar Konshii." stated the Mandalorian.
Naruto tensed and drew his Darksaber but didn't activate it.
"Mother's old Padawan yet again." said Naruto as he held his head, "It seems like I'm destined to fight him. First on Illum and now here on Naboo."
"We can still pull out." suggested Tayuya.
"That's not a choice anymore." said Pierce, "We already have ninety percent of our weapons out. Leaving isn't an option."
Naruto sighed and put the Darksaber away.
"How many Mandalorians have infiltraited the captial city?" asked Naruto.
"Over three hundred." replied the Mandalorian.
"Get the troops ready." ordered Naruto, "We'll do this tomorrow afternoon."
(The Next Morning)
Naruto sat in the training room and stood at the holocommunicator.
"Naruto, it's almost time to go." said Tayuya.
"I'll be there in a minute." said Naruto as Tayuya headed out and he made a call.
"What is it, Naruto?" asked Satele's image.
"Mother, how important is Brentaal IV to you?" he asked.
"Huh?" replied Satele.
"What would you do if the planet you were born on was attacked?" asked Naruto in doubt, "What would you do?"
"Where is this coming from?" asked Satele.
"I'm afraid that the Republic is going to drag Ibonihs into the war and I don't want that to happen." said Naruto with heavy guilt.
"You don't want to see it get hurt, do you?" asked Satele.
Naruto nodded in response and looked away.
"All things have strong ties to the planet they're born on." said Naruto, "I can feel through the Force that Brentaal IV has a very strong place in your heart. Grandfather is still there."
"He is." replied Satele, "I would do anything to make sure that the planet he and my mother on met is safe. Besides, that is the last place I saw my mother before her exile."
"So, it's okay to protect your home no matter the cost?" asked Naruto hopfully.
"Within reason." said Satele, "Remember, love and attachment are pathes to the dark side."
"Thank you, mother." said Naruto with a little more confidence, "May the Force be with you."
"And with you as well." said Satele as the call ended and Naruto went out.
(An Hour Later)
Naruto peered around a corner and looked at the patrolling soldier and the tank they had with them.
"Everybody ready?" asked Naruto as he looked back at the Imperial commandos.
"What was the excuse for doing this again?" asked Tayuya.
"The Republic attacked an Imperial settlement and this is them retaliating." explained Naruto as he raised a flare gun over his head.
He fired it and a moment later, the tank began firing on the other tanks and all hell broke loose. Naruto and Tayuya rushed out with they lightsabers on, Naruto using his cyan one, and began deflecting blaster bolts while the commandos returned fire at the soldiers firing at them. They made their way to the doors and Naruto struck down a soldier as the doors opened and they fought their way inside.
Satele was currently on the Aegis and looked out at the sea of stars before her.
"Been a long time, Satele." said Colonel Malcom as he joined her on the bridge.
"It has, Malcom." said Satele solmnly.
"Sir, we just got a distress call from Naboo." alerted one of the lieutenants monitoring the computers, "It's the Imperials. They say its retaliation for the Republic attacking an Imperial colony."
"Well, looks like we're heading off together to battle again." said Malcom.
"Looks like it." said Satele as the fleet made the jump to lightspeed.
Naruto and Tayuya fought their way into the hanger with the commandos and began helping the Mandalorians clear it out. After three minutes of fighting, the hanger was secured and Naruto sighed.
"Now, get to the holocron." ordered Naruto as they all headed back to the main door.
The doors opened and they all stopped when they came face to face with Shigar.
"We'll handle this." said Tayuya as she and Naruto, who phased into his older form, walked toward Shigar.
"We'll take the long way." said Pierce as he and the other commandos and Mandalorians went through a side door.
The three lightsaber duelists dropped their cloaks and Shigar drew a double-bladed lightsaber that emitted two golden blades, one on either end. Naruto drew his Darksaber in a reverse grip while Tayuya drew her lightsaber and both activated their black and white blades respectively. They stared at each other for a moment before Shigar stepped forward with a flurry of his lightsaber as Naruto jumped over him and the three began fighting with Naruto and Tayuya using Ataru while Shigar countered with Niman.
Shigar blocked Naruto's strike to the head and they all proceeded down the hanger. Shigar began giving up ground as he backed to a door and kicked Tayuya to the ground. He spun back to avoid Naruto's strike and threw a crate at the blast door controls. The doors opened and they dueled into the generator complex. Shigar kicked Naruto away just as they entered then proceeded to duel Tayuya alone. Naruto quickly got up and joined Tayuya as they cornered Shigar on a ledge. They glared into each others eyes and Tayuya stepped forward, forcing Shigar to use the Force to backflip onto a catwalk. Naruto and Tayuya followed with Naruto attempting a blow to the head but Shigar blocked it and caught Naruto in a blade lock.
Pierce, the commandos, and the Mandalorians rushed into the holocron room and the Mandalorian from last night inserted the disk into the computer. The holocron seemed to dim a little bit and Pierce sighed.
"Sir, the Republic's got reinforcements incoming!" came a call over his radio.
"Bail out!" ordered Pierce as he ran out of the room.
Before the other commandos could react the Mandalorians gunned them down and stood over the bodies before leaving to find places to hide.
Naruto moved in to attack Shigar but it was blocked at the same time Tayuya went for an attack. Shigar forced Naruto's blade to the ground the kicked him off the catwalk. Naruto landed on the one below and held on for dear life as he had rolled off the edge. Meanwhile, Tayuya sent Shigar to the ground with a small Force Wave and began to use her Vaapad style before Shigar kicked her in the head and staggered her. He got to his feet and continued backing away from her.
Naruto pulled himself up and over the ledge of the catwalk he was on and grabbed his Darksaber. He looked up at Tayuya and Shigar dueling as they neared the end of the catwalk and Naruto took a deep breath as he Force Jumped up to the catwalk and activated his Darksaber as he ran along to try and catch up to them. Tayuya and Shigar reached the end of the central catwalk and started going down a hall of laser fields that shut off one at a time as Shigar continued down it with Tayuya. By the time they reached the end, Shigar spun away from Tayuya as a laser field came up between them and separated them. She shut off her lightsaber just as Naruto reached the other end of the hall and the rest of the laser fields came on, preventing him from proceeding.
Shigar tapped the barrier with his lightsaber but it didn't go through. All combatants shut off their weapons and Tayuya began meditating.
Satele panted as she cut her way through Imperials with her lightsaber when a beeping reached her ears.
"Yes?" asked Satele as she took cover behind a tree.
She heard a familiar beeping and began moving through Imperials.
"Artoo, where are you?" asked Satele as she struck down several Imperials.
R2 beeped and Satele went wide eyed.
"What do you mean that Naruto's in Theed?" asked Satele urgently.
She got some more beeping and whirling and gritted her teeth. An Imperial with a Vibroblade got up behind Satele but was shot by an assault cannon held by Colonel Malcom.
"We've got this!" shouted Malcom at Satele.
The Jedi Grand Master smiled at Malcom then raced off to Theed.
Naruto activated his Darksaber as the laser fields began shutting off and Tayuya and Shigar went back to fighting the instant the laser field between them shut off. Naruto managed to get to the last laser field before it came back on and he was forced to watch Tayuya and Shigar duel around a melting pit. Shigar stunned Tayuya by hitting her in the handle with the handle of his lightsaber then stabbed her through the abdomen.
"NOOOOO!" shouted Naruto as Shigar removed his lightsaber from Tayuya's body and she slumped to the floor.
Shigar turned to Naruto, who suddenly didn't move a muscle as his hair grew longer and turned white while his nails became sharper, a pair of white dog ear appeared atop his head, and his eyes turned golden and slitted. A few moments later, the laser fields shut off and Naruto furiously began using Vaapad against Shigar at twice the speed Tayuya had been using it at. He eventually managed to cut Shigar's lightsaber in half and Naruto kicked him square in the chest. Naruto jumped over Shigar as red markings appeared on his cheeks like that made it look like he was crying blood.
Shigar scrambled to his feet and began using Juyo to match Naruto's agression. They each parried and blocked each other's attacks before Shgar kicked Naruto, who flipped and landed on his feet, then continued dueling. Naruto eventually went for a heavy overhead strike and Shigar caught it with his blade then broke the blade lock and sent Naruto back with a Force Push. Naruto dropped his Darksaber just before he fell over the edge of the melting pit and managed to grab a hold of a power node. Shigar walked up to the edge and kicked the Darksaber back down the hall as the laser fields went up again.
Shigar swung his lightsaber at the edge of the pit against the lightsaber resistant metal to send sparks down on Naruto. Naruto looked in the direction of Tayuya's body out of the corner of his eye and her lightsaber shook. Naruto took several deep breaths as Tayuya's lightsaber began to move toward the pit and he pulled himself up and over Shigar with the Force as he activated Tayuya's lightsaber and began cutting him ferousiously into what seemed like hundreds of pieces. The many pieces of Shigar fell down into the melting pit along with one half of his lightsaber and Naruto came out of his Force Rage.
He shut off the lightsaber and Naruto ran over to the dying Tayuya and held up her head.
It's… too late." said the red head weakly.
No." said Naruto through tears.
Naruto… promise…" began Tayuya, "Promise me you'll keep our home safe."
Yes, sister." said Naruto.
You… are the chosen one." said Tayuya as she cupped Naruto's cheek, "You will bring balance."
Her hand fell and Naruto cried into her shoulder as his eyes turned red with a hint of bright yellow.
Satele panted as she had finished off the last bit of Imperials that had managed to enter Theed and looked toward the main palace doors as they opened. She watched in disbelief and horror as Naruto carried Tayuya's limp body out of the palace. He briefly stopped next to Satele and didn't even bother to look at her.
"Teach your next Padawan to tell the difference between friends and enemies." snapped Naruto as he started walking again.
(That Night)
The entire Jedi High Council as well as the Exile, Alar, and Naruto stood around Tayuya's funeral pyre and watched as the flames burned her body.
"What's going to happen now?" whispered Alar to the Exile.
"Naruto will be given time off to cope with his loss and then it's up to him." explained the Exile.
"Naruto..." said Satele as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
He jerked it away from her then went up to the flames as he took one last look at his sister's face. He clutched her lightsaber extremely tightly and stared into the flames while cursing his own weakness.
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