SHGS - Chapter Eight: The Krayt Dragon

Disclaimer: I do not own, or profit, from Naruto, Star Wars, and all associated media.

A/N

"Enjoy,"

- Darklighter

"Thoughts"

"Speech"

"Abnormal sentient thoughts"

"Abnormal sentient speech"

The system of Tatoo

The system of Tatoo was spectacular and as one of the galaxy's oldest children its beauty surpassed most.

Upon exiting hyperspace one was greeted by the competing luminescence of the aged suns Tatoo I and Tatoo II. They were glorious; still burning fierce after untold millennia of existence.

It was the first system he had the chance to truly appreciate, for he had been unconscious before leaving Terra and had only woken after arriving on Yanibar.

After his time on that planet, and after stealing the Aventis, he was so preoccupied undertaking his first space flight (A subject he knew the theory of if not the doing) that he had no time to admire the galactic scenery. Now Naruto counted himself exceedingly lucky to be in a rare binary system.

Planets that could support life were rare even in unitary systems - though the vast expanses of the galaxy made them seem abundant; therefore the planet Tatooine was a miracle, for life crawled on its face. Savage life accustomed to a daily battle for survival and moisture, but life nonetheless.

At the great distance from which he observed it Tatooine glowed as if it aspired to become a sun like the life-givers it circled.

Aventis plotted an approach vector and he settled back in his seat. His azure eyes gleamed behind his helm taking in all that was around him. Something of the juvenile lurked in Naruto's grin, and the lines killing had marked into his youthful face melted away for a second. For that second he was a thirteen year old boy, and not the powerful dark user that he had become.

The moment passed as they drew closer and fell into the sparse traffic around the planet. Now it was unassuming - a simple and arid sludge ball. To look at it one would not have thought that its existence was so miraculous.

He was connected to Aventis through the ship's helm. It fit over his face and plugged into his neural interface. He kept one eye on the data current the ship fed into his mind-space: velocity, navigational calculations, threat assessments on other vehicles, and the general chatter that centered on Mos Eisley's Tower Control facility.

"Aventis 78590 - please provide yer credentials and state yer business on Tatooine," Tower Control hailed him after they had been in orbit for ten minutes.

"Nathaniel Uzumate. I'm here on a private hunting expedition," Naruto provided the false name Traya had given him, and instructed the Aventis to forward his virtual identification.

The identity chips came in the neural interfaces, which had proliferated to the extent where they were almost universal, and there was not a single pilot in the galaxy who owned a War-Yacht, or other fighting and commercial vehicles who did not also have I.D.

To install one you needed to be a registered native of a star-faring planet.

Traya had forged his Yanibaran citizenship perfectly, and after it had checked out at Sha Kalan he did not expect any problems here.

"Gi' me a moment... just checking ya out now," Tower Control sounded bored. He probably dealt with hundreds of cases like Naruto by the month; Rodians and bounty hunters.

"Take your time. I'm not so eager to join you on that rock as I may seem. I'm hoping for a quick in and out," Naruto said cheerfully.

"I hear ya," TC grunted.

"Hold on there," the voice turned suspicious suddenly; suspicious and slightly wary. "There's two bounties on yer head. One comes from a recognized enforcement agency on yer home planet, and tha other is anonymous; but that usually means worse types are afta yer…

"Tatooine ain't no safe haven stranger. It's just a warnin but the rim is wild, and many a hunter - man, Rodian, or Twi'leck, don't matter much matter which, would go after anyone for the 'mount a credits I'm seein on ma here screen,"

"Don't worry about it," Naruto assured him. "I'm just here to hunt a Greater Krayt is all - not planning on much bloodshed at all."

There was a long pause as the Tower Control digested these words.

"I'll just let you through then," he said finally - writing Naruto off as the kind of crazy that was bound to get himself killed at any rate. "I'll be keepin an eye out fer yer bird at auction. She's a beaut."

Naruto smirked as Aventis got the go ahead and proceeded to plot a short course for the primary city; Mos Eisley. "You couldn't afford her friend."

He was well aware that Aventis would touch down within twenty minutes, but he was not in a particular hurry. For the first time in a long while he was moving at his own pace.

Naruto removed the constraining helmet when he was sure that the landing would go off without any problems. It felt as if the Aventis did not want to let him go as its connecting cord snaked out of his interface. He practically had to banish it.

The ship was a virgin and still unused to human contact. It would get addicted to his particular mind the longer they were together he knew. This was just one out of many safety protocols that helped ensure the sentient War-Yachts remained loyal to their owners.

He rose in a smooth motion and headed for the caboose. He had not eaten since leaving Yanibar; although he had done a lot of catching up on sleep.

His arms felt stiff at the shoulders where his new battle form-suit pinched. Some glitch in the software had stopped the protective garment from sorting out the issue, but the wrinkle would resolve itself in time.

It was all one piece from his head to the very soles of his feet, and as such he had no need for boots or underwear. Although the form-suit was not fully adjusted to his body he could already tell that it would allow him a far greater range of motion than his old Zeison Sha armor had. He could barely feel its weight.

As for color the suit was deep blue. So blue as to be black, and trimmed at the sleeves and high collar with a royal bronze hue. It had very limited camouflage capabilities meaning he could change the schema at will. However the system was a prototype and very power intensive. As it was this was the format he had chosen for day to day wear.

The suit was just one of three unexpected 'gifts' Traya had stashed on the Aventis, there had also been two cases packed with credits (running into the millions) but this was expected on a getaway ship, yet it was the least of the treasures he had found.

The most valuable had been Deimus's Holocron. He was sure that Traya had only stashed it away because she had no more use for it, but it nicely solved any issues concerning his continued education. After he had mastered it secrets the next step would be to develop his own strengths, and for that he did not need the Dark Lord. Furthermore he would finally be able to study the Sith tongue. He was sure that secret was in the pyramid jewel's breast.

Almost as precious, and definitely as rare, was the small Lingan crystal he had found in the Aventis's study. Traya had placed it there as an ornamental paperweight.

It had been holding down old fashioned papers that she had scribbled on in some code of her own devising. He had ruffled through the documents trying to discern their meaning for a while before he realized what the black stone was. Afterwards he had abandoned trying to decipher Mara's machinations, and became thoroughly engrossed in the puzzle the gem presented.

Eventually he surmised the reason why she had not used it herself – though he could not for the life of him say where she had found it. On the face of it the potent crystal seemed too small to be used in the crafting of a Lightsaber.

But Naruto had a very special weapon in mind. If he could help it his first Lightsaber would be a work of deadly art beyond comparison with the weapons of any other Sith, or Jedi; just as his discs had no equivalents among the Zeison Sha.

He grabbed at his shoulder again as he eased into the small kitchen. His armored suit was really pinching him as the material shifted and tried to fix the original wrinkle. The whole thing was really a flexible composite of different materials. Hence the difficulty it was having rectifying a small miss measurement it had made after he had first unpacked and donned it.

The first stratum, the one closest to Naruto's skin, was the pulmonary system of the armor. Here there were the microscopic tubes that could transport Bacta or Stims to the surface of his skin whilst at the same time monitoring his bio functions, and extracting the nutrients the form-suit's nanites needed to survive from his body.

The next layer was the electronic core of the structure; a small A.I that was weaved into a net of fibers which served as a nervous system, and relayed its instructions to the rest of the suit. The A.I capsule was located over his heart as was the power cell. To kill the suit you would have to kill him.

One level up there was the skeletal structure and armor of the form-suit. This was a greyish blue goo home to a billion nanotech machines. This 'metallic sea' was tuned to pulses from the suit's A.I, and it contracted or relaxed in rhythm with his motions granting extra speed and power; the goo would also solidify when his body was subjected to sudden stresses to protect him although it could not stop a Lightsaber.

Finally there was the external chameleon cloth whose only extra redeeming features were that it was fire retardant, and helped regulate his temperature to some degree.

Traya never paid me for my three years of service amongst the Zeison Sha. I'm sure a budding young criminal Sith such as herself can find new treasures, so excuse me if I just help myself to what I'm due.

By the time Aventis had touched down within the primitive holding pen that had been assigned to it he was digging into the meal he had prepared.

Naruto could not help but be austere in his eating habits after the time he had spent on Yanibar although the simple (unidentified) meat sandwich was massive in proportion. He closed his eyes as he savored the last bite, and accompanied it with clear water that refreshed as it passed down his throat. Soon he would savor the death of an ancient beast, but before he faced it he had to do his homework.

When he was done eating and drinking he began to review the small data pad he had on the table before him. On it were all the known habits and ranges of Greater Krayt Dragons.

Later the steps that took him away from the caboose, after he had digested for a judicious amount of time, were measured and purposeful. His form-suit had finally resolved the issue with his shoulder as he had prepared his meal, and his lanky frame cut a formidable picture as Naruto's muscles flexed against the protective material.

He headed for the armory to get his discs, for the first thing he had done after taking possession of the Aventis was to make it thoroughly his own. Exploring its nooks when they were safe in hyperspace and memorizing its passageways.

Anything belonging to Traya that he hadn't fancied had been ejected into the cold wastes outside after the ship's hyperdrive had disengaged and they entered the Tatoo system.

The armory had been outfitted by an apprentice of the dark side - one that relied on her Lightsaber despite her considerable Force abilities.

Naruto had not seen fit to change much here although if the dueling pit, which allowed him to practice against lifelike holographic opponents, hadn't been immovable he would have relocated it to the eastern quadrant.

Everything else was vital to his plans, for his first priority was to construct his Lightsaber.

He strapped on his bandolier - claiming it from the strap it clung to by the entrance. He had combined his old harness with Natsec's.

The big defensive blade still lay across his back, but it was joined by an attachment that secured his fighting disc under his right armpit.

The bandolier snaked down along his spine to merge with the last piece which was a utility belt that he cinched around his waist. The empty clip by his left thigh was where his Lightsaber would eventually go, and small brass compartments were along the rest of the belt's length. These would hold Bacta patches, Stims, and any other small odds and ends he picked up.

The armory was devoted to the art of Lightsaber combat and construction. There were three small furnaces which could be used to forge synthetic crystals; carelessly placed by their sides were marked bags containing the raw materials needed for their make.

Dominating the center was a cast durasteel anvil, and a vast workbench. The only items from the armory that had joined Naruto's clear-out of the Aventis had been on this workbench. Mostly the junk had comprised of half constructed or finished Lightsabers and hilts which he did not care for.

He paused to eye the room before he left. The inner components he would need for his saber were on the bench as he had left them.

As if there's anyone here with me.

He smiled slightly to himself as he walked for the ship's exit, but a touch of sadness lurked in the depths of his smirk. He hadn't thought that he would miss the Zeison Sha, Natsec in particular, as much as he did.

When he finally exited the ship he was greeted with his first taste of a truly barren world.

Tatooine was completely inhospitable. He wondered how the small brown cloaked and yellow eyed creatures that immediately swarmed around the Aventis's gangplank could survive in their heavy robes. As it was his suit was laboring to keep him in tolerable nick, and beads of sweat were already beginning to sprout on his brow.

"Shoo!" he said unnecessarily as the Aventis retracted its gangplank. Already he itched to grasp his fighting disc in mind and hand, but he reflected that it would not be the best of luck to begin his brief sojourn with wanton violence.

Luckily, for them, the sentients were timid, and their passive natures saved their hides as they scurried out from under his stride; thier fearful amber eyes gazing at him from within the dark hoods they wore.

The port authority was coming to meet him. The elderly woman looked ridiculous in her yellow and white uniform, but the glare in her eye – as she took in his warrior's guise and weaponry – was quite real.

"What's your business on Tatooine?" she asked as he came within speaking distance.

"I already answered that question. Tower Control cleared me to land," Naruto said looking intently into her wrinkled face.

He wasn't very skilled with mind tricks but he was reasonably sure that he could manage to deflect her unwanted attention. However he wasn't yet sure if using the mind trick would be worth the effort.

"I have to clear you to enter Mos Eisley," the woman maintained the same hostile tone with which she had greeted him.

"As you can see I carry no blasters," Naruto said; smiling broadly and lifting his arms. His fighting disc was highly visible as it dangled. "I'm a simple hunter here to experience Tatooine," he said.

The woman peered at him doubtfully; rubbing at her rummy eyes with the edge of her wrinkled knuckle. "There are bounties on your head. Young as you are. That makes me nervous," she sounded doubtful now. It would only take a few more words.

"I'm a peaceful man but I stand for my rights," he emulated the kind of mentality that was prevalent in the Rim. "I only want to ply my trade for a little bit and then I'll be off," his arms settled back down by his sides, and he waited for her response.

Finally she seemed to nod him towards the holding pen's exit.

"Off with you then lad. Try not to come by any trouble while you're here, or cause any. I'll be informing the authorities that one such as you is on planet. It's not every day you see one of... those," she looked pointedly at the Aventis.

His ship seemed to bask vainly under her stare.

"Speaking of… could you arrange something for me? I want a new paint job for my ship. Orange, but tell the person who does it to surprise me. Money is no object."

He didn't wait to hear her reply but instead strode out and into Mos Eisley.

Tatooine (Wilderness)

It had taken him two weeks to reach the mountain ranges where Greater Krayt were said to roam. Two weeks travelling through the area around the Jundland wastes avoiding marauding sand people (he had did not intend to waste his time or energy) and doing constant battle with the oppressive daytime heat and frigid night chill.

He had not used a Speeder, but rather made the journey on foot carrying his limited water supplies in a sling and occasionally hunting small game.

He intentionally turned his quest to construct a Lightsaber into a torment, for the Sith path was very clear. Power had to be earned, and the harder it is to earn then the more potent it is, earned through blood and sweat, for only power that had been gained in this way was surest and truest.

Now two weeks into his ordeal he had finally found one.

He watched the Greater Krayt surface once, and the rest of the time was forced to track the bulge it made in the surface sands as it roamed. The dragon must have recently consumed a Sarlaac, for it did not bury itself deeply and speed away, but only trusted its bulk in the shallow silt.

This continued for several days, and he grew wary of tracking the aimless wandering of the mindless bulk as the beast forayed through its territory.

He had been about to strike at it the second time it surfaced, pulling its lumbering fanged and copious body complete with six or eight trunk like legs from the dunes, but his hand had been temporarily stayed by the entrance of new players.

A group of young Tusken raiders had joined the hunt at some point over the past few days. They must have been brave and skilled youths. Not only had he not noted their presence from his observational distance, but they were foolhardy enough to take on the greatest of Krayts when a lesser dragon would have sufficed for the purposes of their ritual passage.

The Tusken came at the Greater Krayt Dragon with yodeling whoops and weapon's fire from the cycler rifles they wielded. A few of them had their slug-throwers modified for rate of fire instead of accuracy, and these were identifiable by their shorter barrels and lack of scoping sights. Each raider also carried a Gaffi stick, but even the Tusken were not so foolish as to take on a Greater Krayt with their melee weapons.

The Krayt bellowed its rage as red streaks began to open up on its blue hide. The great head swayed from side to side as it viciously surveyed the tiny bipedal mammals encircling it.

Naruto sprang into action as he sensed a shift in the battle's tide about to come. He did not move to save the raiders, but because they made for a very convenient distraction. The Greater Krayt was fully focused on the stinging pelts it was receiving from their automatic weapons, and would not consider a lone warrior such as himself a huge threat.

Uncharacteristically the Krayt Dragon tried to bury itself again, as if it wanted to flee, but the Tusken would not let it. Three brave souls scaled the beast's side, and they began to pour bullets into it from point blank range.

Enraged the Greater Krayt shuddered with great violence dislodging the foolhardy sentients – soon they were crushed underfoot as the dragon abandoned reason, and resolved to join the battle for real. The earth quaked as the monster lumbered forth and its spiked lashing tail emerged from the sand.

Seven hundred paces

He was almost upon the battle.

This was not Yanibar. There were no preternatural winds to speed his steps, but he made his best effort. He was a blur as he skipped over the dunes barely sinking into the soft sand despite his weight and lack of proper shoes.

Neither the Krayt Dragon, nor the Tusken raiders had ever done him any harm. Yet he had more than enough fuel for his dark side power. All he had to do was cast his mind back to his life in Konoha.

He felt the power grow and bubble inside, but he exerted his trademark iron control and held off. At any rate the time for release would be soon, for the battle had now coalesced into a close up that included him.

Till now the raiders had only faced the Krayt's maw. They had not had too much trouble dodging its clumsy lunges, and had been overwhelming its acute senses with the confusing cries they let loose, and with the flashes of explosive powder and noise their cycler rifles discharged.

Naruto knew that in some recess of its tiny brain the dragon was probably regretting its earlier greed when it had eaten a Sarlaac. If it had not been in its torpid state it could have made short work of the raiders, and he supposed that this was part of the reason why Sarlaacs were delicacies as far as Krayts were concerned.

They could not resist feasting until they were over sated, yet they also could not risk the deep sands after such a feast, for there was the fear that they would be unable to shake themselves free when the time came to move, nor could they risk rocky ground because they would be weak with somnolence.

This Greater Krayt was now in serious danger. Despite its lashing tail the Tusken, seventeen in number, continued to edge in close and hammer shots into the Krayt's side. Naruto saw why as the dragon bellowed its rage and agony.

The raiders had two Speeders to their name armed with light rockets. The vehicles had probably been lurking ten or 15 kilometers away waiting for their brothers' call. Although it was unusual for the sand people to use such technology, they often relied on Banthas, these youths had moved with the times, and they would gain much honor if they managed to slay the creature – Speeders or no Speeders.

Naruto felt rather than heard the dull explosion as the Land-Speeders entered the fray. The one which was in the lead fired a chemically propelled rocket which struck the lower portion of the Krayt's right foreleg. There was a sudden blossom of blood, fire, and force as the reptile was dealt a crippling blow.

Woah! Can't let y'all have all the fun!

Naruto had intended for the Tusken to serve as a distraction. Though he was loathe to recognize their skills; they were quickly making short work of the laboring dragon, and the introduction of the Speeders' missiles had swung the scales their way even further.

(While there have been some dark siders who enjoy reaping the rewards of the hard work of others; Naruto was the type who enjoyed getting his hands dirty.)

He had found a target for the power he had been building up within. Flourishing his telekinetic abilities he grabbed ahold of the lead Speeder, though the occupants did not know it, suddenly the nose of their vehicle pitched down to crash into the desert as if it were a flying fish that could surface from water for only a brief instant.

The strength of Naruto's willpower was so awesome that the vehicle's bonnet dented under his mind's pressure. The second Speeder had been trailing close behind, and the occupants had not been expecting the sort of supernatural intervention that took place.

The driver tried to veer away and avoid his downed partner, but now Naruto had the full weight of his abilities on his vehicle. He held it steady to ensure the crash, and enjoyed the familiar pleasurable thrill he experienced whenever he embraced the Force. He felt the aliens' souls shrivel away and pass on as the collision occurred, and towering gouts of flame further brightened the day.

Now the group of Tusken took note of him.

They had no choice but to do so as the flaming wrecks that contained the charred flesh of their dead clan or tribe mates greeted their eyes. He heard the harsh babble of their strange tongue as Gaffi sticks were unsheathed and pointed in his direction.

They began discharged their weapons towards Naruto, who by this time had his defensive blade out and weaving patterns of protection to his fore. This was the first time he had wielded the disc in battle although he had practiced manipulating it with his mind aboard Aventis.

It took great skill to guide the blade and adjust its trajectory as it reflected the energized metal slugs. The bullets had more mass than blaster bolts, and each one threatened to send the disc spinning out of his control, but he had always been a quick learner and the discs gyrations steadied as he became accustomed to the feel of the ricocheting shells.

As he advanced he summoned his fighting disc to his left hand. At this range he could make out the grimy re-breathers the Tusken had strapped below the neck, and he could smell their stink under the voluminous brown robes.

Although he could not see the Tusken's faces, masked as they were, he could feel their apprehension and fear grow. Even they had heard tales of Force users, and a weapon that moved under its own guidance was a glaring sign.

The massive Krayt listed to the side as it tried to support its weight with only five legs.

It found it hard to maintain its balance, or to put any weight on its mangled right foreleg, but the Tusken should have known better than to take their attention off of the beast. Even though its eyes were hooded and dull with pain, and it seemed as if it would pass out from blood loss at any moment.

The Krayt probably couldn't distinguish between him and them, but it knew which characters had brought it anguish.

The Tusken paid for their preoccupation with Naruto in the next moment as the dragon bathed the sand in their blood. Its response to the lack of concentrated suppressing fire was deadly.

The huge tail came forth and cut a swathe through the bunched sand people whilst the beast's neck snaked down. The hinged jaws crashed down into raiders and desert sand alike, and jagged and rotten teeth crushed and sliced Tusken bone and flesh.

Naruto used the flurry of chaos to his advantage and his defensive disc suddenly discovered an attacking bent. It streaked away from him to crash into the survivors of the dragon's attack.

Sprawled on the ground and trying to avoid the Krayt's stomping feet, flashing teeth, and writhing tail the raiders were unprepared for the arrival of his blade.

It zipped impossibly from side to side as it propelled itself forward, imbued with the dark-side, and it let loose with terrible and satisfied grinding shrieks as it sawed through necks and torsos.

The combined ferocity of the unlikely allies broke their will and they turned tail.

The young raiders ran like cravens, for disgrace, and their continued failure to mark their rite of passage with success, was still better than continued loss of life. Already it would take their clan a generation to replace the lives which Naruto and the Krayt had just spent.

Finally it was Sith on Beast.

The Krayt was wounded; more than ready to retreat from the battlefield - however as the Tusken ran it noticed one small meat bag holding its ground. The dragon was infuriated by the sight of this arrogant creature, and its mind was not developed enough to make a link between the whirling metal blade that hovered by the food's side and it. Still mad with pain and in no mood to withdraw it attacked.

Time slowed as the gaping mouth rushed for Naruto. He glared into the lurid yellow eyes of the weakened predator; facing down its power with his fear and hate. The dark side granted him strength and he moved backwards in a Force assisted leap - manipulating both blades telekinetically as the dragon's head plunged down sending waves of grit to cloud up the air.

Naruto watched as the head resurfaced and emitted a deeply frustrated growl. All it had gotten was a mouthful of sand for its efforts.

He already knew how he would kill the brute. There was a weak point in the sinus cavity that his discblades could puncture. After doing so they would tear into its brain and vanquish it almost instantly.

However he still needed the opportunity. The Krayt had encounter difficulties with the raiders because of their great numbers. All species of the dragon had problems distinguishing two dimensional images from reality; even the Greater Krayt. It had wasted energy attacking the long shadows of the Tusken.

Although the Greater Krayt occasionally tried to go for his shadow it was of such size that it did not much matter, and he was forced to continue tumbling through the air.

But as he began to tire so did the dragon. Already he had sent his bigger disc to bite into the side of its head twice, and the monster seemed increasingly disorientated and dopey from blood loss as its head swayed from side to side and its movements slowed.

He toyed with it a bit before the final kill. Leaping onto its back and running along the length of its body as it tried to dislodge him futilely. It was finally beginning to dawn on the beast that this was no sand person.

Finally when the dragon was so exhausted that it could barely raise its neck, talk less of lunge at him, he finished the job. Both discblades pierced either side of its great nostrils with a sickening squelch. They bored into the beasts brain before bursting out of its skull causing blood to stream from both sides of its head as if it were some kind of fountain, and the Greater Krayt collapsed to the ground as the signals animating its mass abruptly ceased.

Like a true warrior the dragon died without a sound. Naruto was forced to spend a good ten minutes shielding his eyes and struggling not to splutter as he waited for the haze of dust that had been stirred up by the dragon's fall to settle.

He approached the still form as he holstered his fighting the disc. The bigger disc hovered by his side like a faithful dog, and he sent it towards the defeated dragon as if they were playing fetch.

The great discblade began to saw into the dragon cutting open its side where the stomach was. It was time to collect the dragon pearls he had come for.

As he waded into the gaping wound his blade had opened up, and plunged his hands deep into the Krayt's ichor and stomach acids he fervently hoped that he would find a flawless one, for a dragon of this size and age would have many gizzard stones, and nothing in life was guaranteed.

Aboard The Aventis

A week after killing the Greater Krayt Dragon Naruto was safely cocooned aboard the Aventis. It had only days to make the return trip to Mos Eisley, eager as he was with his selected dragon pearl in possession, but he had been forced to spend two more waiting for Aventis's new paint job to be completed.

The artist had not gotten rid of the matte noire finish completely. He had done up the ship in 'combat fatigue' dress – painting whorls of orange along the whole exterior. Naruto was pleased with his work and had paid him handsomely.

Now, finally, it was time. Despite his potential, and despite the strength he had gained in service to the Zeison Sha this was the only rite of passage that really mattered to him. After constructing his Lightsaber Naruto would truly stop being an apprentice, and he would set foot on the path that would make him a Lord of the Sith.

He had also taken one of the dragon's long bleached fangs.

After whittling it down from its curved edge into a straight edge with a multitool - he hollowed out the middle so that it became a tube and slipped the metal housing for his blade's components into the space; then he cut seven centimeters off of each end.

These small bits would serve as the emitter shroud, and pommel cap after he soldered them back on.

He drilled a small hole in the base of the piece that would serve as his pommel cap, and threaded a metal ring through. Now he could clip it to his belt. The other piece he carefully fashioned into his blade's emitter - taking extra care to make sure that he did not invert the emitter matrix.

Then he took the same multitool and began to carve along the hilt's face where the grip would be. The rough and wavy lines would ensure that it remained firmly within his grasp.

He was finished with the external. On the workbench before him were most of the components he would need to complete his blade.

The flawless dragon pearl was there.

The first thing he had done, after trimming it down to size, was attune it to the Force and to himself. In the process he came to know every molecule contained within it, but the doing had taken a long time and had left him weak and famished.

He had not rested or eaten however – instead continuing his work and constructing the hilt.

Next to it were the mundane components required in the construction of a blade; a new power cell he had found aboard, an insulator, an Adegan crystal (salvaged from an unfinished blade Traya had left behind) that he had cut so it would serve as his focusing lens, and the pieces of his hilt that would serve as pommel cap and blade emitter.

All that was left was to forge his focusing crystals and assemble the blade into one piece.

He stood from the bench fighting the fatigue that had crept up on him as he polished off the hilt and made sure that he had everything he needed to hand. He couldn't afford any mistakes when he began work on his focusing crystals.

He began to undress by pinching his form-suit at the wrist.

The armor responded to the command by peeling off of his body and seeping to the floor. In this state it resembled nothing so much as a puddle of spilled crude oil. Naruto knew that the heat from the small furnace would thoroughly engulf him and he had no wish to die or faint due to dehydration before he was finished.

He settled down in a meditative posture before the furnace. He had already loaded it with the synthetic components he needed, but he had made an unorthodox addition. The small Lingan crystal he had found. He hoped that the dark properties of the jewel would seep into his synth crystals and provide extra power to his blade.

He activated the furnace; flipping the switch with a casual mental brush, and closing his eyes Naruto sank into the process.

He already had experience of this having tuned his dragon pearl earlier, but this forging would be longer; longer and far more arduous.

He drifted away from reality and thought as he became one with the super heated and frenzied atoms inside the furnace. Instinctively his mind moved to arrange them in some kind of coherence and order… this was going to take a while.

A/N

"The next two chapters will focus on Sasuke, Hinata, Sakura, and Kakashi whilst introducing 'Terra (Shinobi)' to the galaxy. Although Naruto will be mentioned his next 'primary' chapter will be chapter eleven. Thanks for reading, please, please review!

- Darklighter