It only took Naruto and Sakura a few hours to get to there Target destination. Daratar was a barren, desert planet with two moons. On it's surface, ancient riverbeds can be seen even from space, showing that at one point, this planet had water.
"This will be the perfect place for us to set up shop." Naruto commented. "Sakura, set an orbit around one of the moons, you know what to do."
"Already on it." Not long afterwards, they were orbiting the largest moon the planet had. "Orbit set, releasing POS pod." One of the cargo bays of the ship opened up, releasing a large pod that drifted several meters from the ship before bursting open. "Now comes the boring part." Sakura comments over the ship's intercom.
"Boring or not it has to be done." Naruto said. "Keep watch on sensors and monitor all communications. For the next 24 hours you have free reign to hack, break, and spy on anything and everything. If anything is headed our way, I want to know Immediately."
Normally having all clearance to do anything she wanted would make Sakura's day. But she understood the gravity of the situation. Currently, they were in the process forming their base of operations, a very delicate operation that can't be simply stopped, at least not without messing up the master control programming that the nanites follow, which would render finishing the construction impossible, and seeing how this was the only POS pod they had, they needed to be vigilant.
"I understand."
TIMESKIP 20 HOURS….
Construction of the POS has been going smoothly. The main structure itself was complete, At around 7000 meters tall, the tower was an quite large. At the very top, was the main control hub, designed with a massive convex glass structure, able to withstand a modest amount of bombardment before breaking. Below the control hub, was a large, round platform with 4 medium protrusions sticking out from it's four corners. This was the place where all the vital supplies for the POS was kept, as such, it has the thickest armor in the entire structure. Below the platform, the tower continued down with an extremely narrow structure before widening slightly. This was the compartment that generated the protective shield and where the energy for the POS was stored and distributed. Just below this, were 4 rotating solar panels that captured the local star's energy to power the orbital body. Below the this, was a long 200 meter spike that housed all the various scanners and transmitters. All in all, the POS control tower was complete structurally. Right now the only thing stopping it was the activation of it's systems.
"How are the systems coming along?" Naruto asked.
"A bit slower than normal, some of the systems were corrupted." Sakura answered. "I'm replacing them with backups."
"Good. try to work faster, being out here in the open isn't what I call having a fun time."
"Understo-"
"What's wrong?"
"We may have company." Sakura answered.
"How long?"
" Five hours." Sakura answered. "Apparently they just discovered us, they are forming up to attack."
At this Naruto laughed. "We'll be up and running a good hour or two before they get here. How large will their forces be?"
"2 frigates." Sakura said in Amusement.
"They are going to be in for quite a surprise."
4 Hours later….
"All POS systems online." Sakura said. "Shields deploying." Soon after, a massive spherical shield surrounded the orbital structure. "Now all we need is to place the structural modules."
"Those can wait." Naruto said. "Get us in position to deploy the defense turrets"
"Oh right."
1 hour later….
"All the turrets are in place." Sakura announced, having placed 2 massive blaster turrets and 2 massive rail guns high above and below the POS, outside it's protective shields. The blasters were short range cannons, while the rail guns were able to hammer targets as far as 500km away. "Turrets online."
"Good. Our friends should be here soon." Naruto said. "We'll continue setting up the POS after we've dealt with our guests. I want you to monitor this little skirmish down to the last detail."
"Got it." Sakura said, now back in her body. "Now all we do is wait."
After an additional hour of waiting, the 2 expected frigates warped within 20km of the POS. immediately, the guns of the POS targeted them and opened fire. It was a short fight to say the least. After only a mere 3 volleys, both frigates were completely destroyed, leaving no survivors.
"That was faster than I expected." Naruto said in surprise. He honestly didn't expect the frigates, which were more in line with the destroyers in New Eden, to go down so easily. The Space tech from his home galaxy may very well be more powerful than he had anticipated . "Sakura did you get anything useful?"
"Yeah. Check your Omni tool. I've already sent you the data."
Upon hearing this, Naruto checked his Omni-tool. "Thanks. I'm going to check this out. I leave the installing of the POS arrays and modules to you. Call me if you run into any kind of trouble." Naruto said as he left the bridge.
24 hours had past since the little skirmish. Sakura had installed lunched the pods for the various arrays that would aid them in their stay in the milky way. A ship maintenance array to dock and repair any ships, a lab for Naruto's research, an assembly array that could be used to make anything from ships to ammo, a mineral refinery, and a storage facility. Now that all the arrays were deployed the entire set up looked more imposing. All the arrays floated a short distance away from the actual tower, all of them connected to the control tower via docking tubes that also provided the life support for the entire operation. (A/N will explain why I changed the pos mechanics a bit at the end of story)
Currently Naruto was in the control hub of the tower, carefully looking over the status of the entire set up. It was at this time Sakura entered.
"Sakura" Naruto began. "I see you didn't put the experimental comm online."
"No I couldn't. We've only tested that thing when it was connected to an actual station." Sakura started. "We are using a tiny POS now, when I tried to put the thing online it pushed the power grid of the tower nearly to it's limits, and don't get me started on the CPU."
At this Naruto sighed. "Leave it to our military to stick a half assed developed device on us. Dammit I knew I should have looked at that thing personally before we left home. Is there any way we can use it?" He asked.
"We MIGHT be able to barely get it online, but there is a risk." Sakura answered.
"I know I'm just gonna love this." Naruto deadpanned.
"We would have to put everything offline….the shield included." Sakura continued, causing Naruto to slap the palm of his hand onto his face. "Even then, I think it would be best if I gave the system my full attention just in case something happens."
"In other words, we would be leaving ourselves wide open." Naruto sighed. "Well, we've done stupider things and walked away scott free. We'll try it out when we've settled in. Right now we only have enough supplies to sustain the life support systems for a week."
"I take it you'll want to check out Omega then?" Sakura stated more than asked. "What'll we do for creds? We'll need at least 6 months worth of the stuff, not exactly cheap."
"Shepard arranged for Anderson to give us a small account." Naruto answered. "It's not enough for a 6 month supply, but what we get with it should be enough to last us until we make our own cash." Naruto finished as he entered the elevator with Sakura in tow.
"Please tell me you're not going to do what I think you're going to do to make money." Sakura whined, causing a smirk to form on Naruto's face.
"You know, we have just enough material to build a Venture mining frigate…." Naruto let his statement hang, knowing full well that Sakura HATED mining with a passion.
"What the fuck do we even need to mine for?" She asked in aggravation. "We have a few of those probes they use on the Normandy that get resources for us."
"Those probes are limited in number and use, and they can't mine roids. You already know this." Naruto said as the elevator stopped at their destination. He walked out, heading toward the docking tube for the ship maintenance bay. "You shouldn't worry too much about the mining. I don't see us having to do too much of it." Naruto said causing a bit of relief to show on Sakura's face. "Although I can't say for sure." Causing Sakura to look dejected again.
By now they had reached the docking tube for the ship maintenance bay. Naruto entered the pass code, causing the doors to open with an audible hiss. They made their way to the cargo ship and began their journey to Omega.
4 HOURS LATER…
Naruto and Sakura had finally made it to Omega. They carefully navigated the asteroid field that surrounded the massive station and docked. Naruto and Sakura left the ship and headed for the market area of the station, passing all manner of unsavory intervals and activities. One of the most glaring being a fight between an unarmed human and 3 Vorcha, the poor man never stood a chance. As they moved from store to store a Sakura intercepted a bit of info that sounded interesting.
"Naruto hold up."
"What is it?"
"I just intercepted an interesting transmission." Sakura answered. "It's about Cerberus."
Upon hearing this, Naruto's eyes widened a bit in surprise. He grabbed Sakura by the hand and yanked her into a nearby corner, away from the prying eyes and ears of the denizens of Omega. He looked around, making sure no one was around. "Let's hear it."
Sakura activated her omnitool, seconds later the recording was heard.
Cerberus operative: "Yes sir. We are on her trial."
Unknown: "Don't underestimate her, she's been trained by Aria, and it shows. She has the skill of an asari commando without the restraint."
"Cerberus operative: "We won't sir. We'll have her soon, we plan to engage her in the warehouse district, we believe she's heading to warehouse block D."
Unknown: "I'll send reinforcements. Do not fail this mission. She is key to securing Omega under Cerberus, something the illusive man has put on the top priority list."
Cerberus Operative: "Understood."
"That's it." Sakura said as she shut off her Omni-tool.
After hearing the transmission Naruto stood quietly in thought for a few moments. "So Sakura, ready for a little firefight?" He asked.
"I'm always ready. But why bother with this?" Sakura asked. "We are trying to keep a low profile from Cerberus. Messing with them at this point seems a bit reckless coming from you."
"You're right." Naruto admitted. "But chances are, Cerberus is already on our trail. Then there is the fact that if they take this place over, they'll be right at our back door. And to top it off, this operative seems to be high up aria's chain of command, helping her may earn us a few favors from Aria."
"Ahhh the old earning favors from crime lords angle again huh?" Sakura said in slight displeasure.
"Heh I always find it funny that giving your crazy ass personality you are against me getting on someone like Aria's good side." Naruto said. "Playing by the book will only get you so far, I wouldn't have gotten where I am today if I didn't break a few eggs."
"I'd like to note how many of those eggs ended up being rotten on the inside and almost killed both of us." Sakura deadpanned.
"So says the one who caused more ships to get blown from under me more times than I can count." Naruto shot back. "But enough banter, lets get going to the warehouse district." Naruto said walking off to the nearest transit station.
It took them just over an hour to get to the Warehouse district. Right away they could tell a full scale gun battle was on. Loud explosions and gunfire could be heard in the distance, and smoke could be seen drifting up from what one would assume to be the warehouse that was being attacked. Wasting no time, Naruto and Sakura moved quickly toward the sound of battle, noticing several bodies along the way and tell tale signs of explosions. It didn't take long to get to the warehouse, it was one of the smaller warehouses in the area, inconspicuous, out of the way, and unassuming, perfect for illegal activities. Naruto and Sakura hid in a dark area near the warehouse and assessed the situation. Currently, there were armed humans stationed outside the warehouse, dressed in an assortment of equipment, making them seem more like a terrorist group than Cerberus operatives.
"How are we going to do this?" Sakura asked. "We don't have anything other than our guns. No grenades, not biotics, no tech, nothing."
Naruto understood exactly where Sakura was coming from. Shepard can lead a squad of 3 into a base of hostiles and can take them down due to the diverse abilities that would be present across the squad. Simply having guns will not be enough for this task. "We'll have to be sneaky."
"What kind of plan is-" Sakura was interrupted by Naruto covering her mouth and pushing her further into their hiding spot, forcing her into a corner.
"Quiet" Naruto whispered forcefully.
Moments later, 2 operatives with full helmets came running to the area and aimed their lights down the alley, illuminating the entire alley way.
"Must have been hearing things." One of them commented.
"Come on, we better get back to the to the getaway vehicle the gunshots have died down, they may have the target soon." The other operative said, her voice clearly female.
Upon hearing this Naruto came up with an idea. "Sakura follow my lead." He whispered, dashing out of his hiding spot. Silently sneaking up on the two soldiers, Naruto and Sakura took them down. "Now hurry up and put on their armor." Naruto ordered.
Not long after, Naruto and Sakura under disguise went to the escape shuttle. After a few minutes they saw some operatives escorting an asari out of the warehouse and towards the shuttle. The asari was restrained with Omni-cuffs on both her hands and feet. They loaded her up into the shuttle along with the 4 men escorting her.
"Alright target secured. Let's get back to the ship." One of the escorts said as he banged on the shuttle wall.
"Understood." Naruto said as he started the shuttle and took off.
After they were airborne the escorting soldiers began to chatter. "This bitch put up a hell of a fight." One of them commented, causing the captive asari to struggle in her seat.
"She's quite the looker. Maybe we can have a little fun with her when we get on the ship." Another operative said suggestively.
"Heh would be nice. Finally getting a chance to put an asari in her place. I swear their stuck up attitudes piss me off."
All the while Naruto and Sakura were there listening in. Waiting for them to get enough distance to swap the shuttle.
Meanwhile back at the warehouse, the last of the Cerberus troops were planting false clues that would suggest that the blood pack, eclipse, and blue suns, the three top merc groups where responsible for the attack. It was during this time the bodies of the get away driver was found.
"Come in delta!" The commanding officer said over the radio.
Back in the shuttle, the soldiers were shaken out of their fantasies with their captive by the sudden outburst on the comms. "Delta here."
"Who is driving the shuttle?" The commander asked immediately causing Sakura to spring into action. Quickly dashing in the area the soldiers were in, she took out a pistol and shot 2 of them, killing them instantly. The two other men shot up, one attempted to cut Sakura with an Omni blade only for her to bend back, missing her completely. She fell to the ground and swept her attacker off his feet and bought her foot down on him with incredible force, shaking the entire shuttle, which made the last man stumble. Sakura took the opportunity to punch the would be attacker, again causing the shuttle to weave off course a bit.
"Hey does the word "restraint" mean anything to you?" Naruto asked in annoyance.
"Oh shut up."
"Hurry up and free the asari. We need to ditch this shuttle NOW."
"Got it." Sakura replied while turning her attention to the asari who was looking at her with suspicion. "It's alright." She began as she took off her helmet. "We're here to help." She finished as she used the fallen soldier's onmitool to free the captive.
The asari stood up, rubbing her wrists. "Who are you?" She asked in suspicion as she took out a towel she happened to have and tied it on her bleeding arm..
"Just two nut jobs that get a kick out of messing with-" Sakura began before being interrupted but the shuttle violently shaking.
"They've caught up with us!" Naruto shouted, as the shuttle was suddenly shaken again. "Dammit! They have us boxed in!" He said noting shuttles surrounding him. "Hold on tight! I'm going to try something!" He shouted as he made the shuttle turn suddenly, colliding with one of the enemy shuttles. The shuttle had taken considerable damage at this point, several warnings sounded from within the cockpit. "We're going to have to make a fast landing! Get ready to get the hell outta here as soon as the door opens!"
The shuttle quickly descended and landed harshly. The doors opened and the 3 ran out as fast as they could before Cerberus could get to them. "Where the hell are we?" Sakura asked.
"We're in the slums district not too far from afterlife." The asari responded, noting shuttles ahead of them.
"You should know this place, can you get to safety without being detected?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah I know a few discreet routes to get to safety."
"Then go, we'll keep them occupied. Hopefully they'll be too caught up in battle to realized you're missing." Naruto said, eyeing the asari's makeshift bandage. "That towel, give it to me before you go. We can use that to lure them to us."
Without saying another word, the asari undid the towel she had on her arm and gave it to Naruto and turned into an alleyway and left them. "Well she could at least said thank you." Sakura commented.
"Not now Sakura." Naruto said as he finally slowed down to take in his surroundings. The area was a plaza that had only 2 ways to enter. There was a lot of cover that could be used with a small building near the center that was slightly elevated. Naruto threw the bloodied towel in the open for their pursuers to see and then they Both entered the small building, it being the perfect spot as it offered decent cover, and it gave full view of the two possible routes which the hostiles could enter.
As they hid, Sakura took out 2 grenades. "It's a good thing a got theses." She commented.
"Where the hell did you get-" Naruto just stopped. "Never mind forget it." He ended causing Sakura to chuckle. "Just be sure to use those wisely, they can tip the odds in our favor." Naruto said as he watched the entrances carefully. Not long after, six armed men entered the plaza from the direction they came from, while another 6 entered from the other.
"Did you see them?" One of the soldiers that was pursuing Naruto asked the other group that was acting to cut them off..
"No they didn't come by us."
"There were a few alley ways as we past, we have some of our men searching now." The pursuit squad captain said.
"That may not be necessary." Another soldier said as he picked up the bloodied towel Naruto left on the ground. "It's purple blood, and it's fresh. They're here somewhere."
Upon hearing this the captain opened up a comm. "Attention we've narrowed down their position to the nearby plaza all units converge on my position, we're not going to let her escape again."
At this Naruto smirked. "Suckers." He commented before Sakura threw a grenade at the group of soldiers, causing them to duck for cover. Unfortunately most of them were not able to get out of the way in time, seven of them were killed right off while the other 5 no doubt suffered injuries.
Naruto and Sakura wiped out of cover and opened fire, killing 2 who were covered from their line of fire. The last remaining 3 returned fire, causing Naruto and Sakura to duck back down. When they jumped back out of cover again they saw the soldiers were already trying to flank them. The managed to kill off another man trying to duck to another cover before they both started to open fire on the last two. The constant gunfire chipped away at the soldiers weak cover, allowing Naruto and Sakura to take them down.
"I think we bought more then enough time for our little friend to make her get away." Naruto said. "I think it's time we made ours."
"How? Their coming from both exits." Sakura said.
"Come on!" Naruto said as he ran out the building towards the center of the plaza. Stopping in front of a manhole cover. "Open this lid hurry."
Sakura quickly opened up the manhole and they quickly climbed down, making sure to put the lid back to it's original position.
Timeskip: one hour later….
Naruto and Sakura remerged in the market area, slightly battered from their ordeal but alive. "Whew nothing like a gunfight to stir up a little excitement." Sakura said.
"Come on lets get outta here." Naruto said.
"What you're not going to try to cash in on the favor you did for Aria?" Sakura asked.
"Not at the moment. I would much rather get our supplies back to the POS, that and Aria seems to be the type you don't want to pop up on right after something like this happens." Naruto chuckled at the last part as they made their way back to their cargo ship.
It didn't take long for them to get back to the ship docks. Just when they stepped out of the elevator, they found themselves surrounded by turians and Batarians, all with guns pointed at them, causing them to immediately raise their hands up in surrender. The Batarian in front of them, who appeared to be the leader spoke.
"Aria would like a word with you." He said.
There was only one word that ran through Naruto's mind. "FUCK!"
A/N for those of you who know about eve online, I want to point out that for the sake of practicality, the POS (Privately owned station) is not quite the same as what you would see in the game. The modules and arrays are MUCH closer to the tower and are all connected via tubes, said tubes also deliver power oxygen and water from the tower to all the other modules and arrays connected to the tower save fore the guns that have their own built in power.
One note about the ships off ME and eve online. Their sizes are VASTLY different from each other. As shown in this chapter, a frig in ME is about the size of a destroyer in Eve online, while a frig in eve is a bit bigger than a fighter these sizes are just guess work on my part but I believe they are accurate for the most part. It kinda stays like this to a point but more details on this will be explained later on in the story.
Again, I'd like to say sorry for the long updates, but I'm trying to put a fair deal of thought in every chapter. This is not simply Naruto who tags along with Shepard on his mission to save the galaxy, Naruto will be on his own adventure and THAT is something I'm building from the ground up for the most part, and add in the fact that due to work, my drive to write is shoot to hell, It's not something I can churn out in a week or two, as much as I would love toL. but rest assured, this is anything BUT abandoned, I'm just updating very slowly, but reviews (in particular helpful ones that can help me improve) would motivate me to get my ass in gear . so until next time, happy reading.