SHGS - Chapter Twelve: The Year 755 ABY

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

"Thoughts"

"Speech"

"Abnormal sentient thoughts"

"Abnormal sentient speech"

A/N

"Enjoy,"

- Darklighter

Naruto could not remember ever being as terrified as he now was. He could barely suppress the shaking that was dying to break out all over him.

It was that in between time between night and day. Often it can be experienced early in the morning or for a brief instant at twilight.

The neat rows of writing on the datapad glistened primly whilst the square boxes that escorted them gazed at him with expectation.

He knew what they wanted from him. All he had to do was classify the techniques many of his soldiers used so that Asuma and Shikamaru could gain a squad level understanding of the resources available to them, but he was hesitant.

Karin besides him had already dived into her own pad. Asuma wasn't around but Shikamaru was in the annex common room besides them. Some of the unit had been in this part of the barrack earlier on taking rec time, but Naruto had cleared them out of the isolated space to welcome his superior.

He knuckled down to it.

'Do any members of the Squad utilize Earth Element or Earth type Jutsu?'

"No," it seemed simple enough now that he looked at it properly. He tapped the box and the next question automatically scrolled up into optimal reading space.

He went through the next few questions quickly.

All other Elements, yes. Rank in order? Alright… Good. Next question is…

This continued for a while. The process was tedious not only because the questions grew increasingly complex, but also because Naruto had a very intimate knowledge of the abilities of his battalion's Shinobi. However he did not have the 'language' to transmit this knowledge efficiently. He did not have the foundational training that was presumed of him.

You see at this level it wasn't just the introductory training of the academy. At this level he was expected to be able to express himself – at the very least – with the grammar and vocabulary of a Chuunin, and his attempts to do so was abysmal.

Finally it was over. He was scrolled to the personal questionnaire. It was a single question.

'Why are you hiding Uzumaki Naruto?'

His heart stopped. His training took ahold and his mind grasped his Lightsaber. His mental thumb itched over the trigger, and he was about to rip the weapon out of its containing shell.

'None of your fucking business,' he typed.

A million emotions warred within as his eyes tightened. His head seemed to come up slowly, oh so slowly. Karin's rapidly clicking fingers were in the distant background as she completed her own personal questions. A beeping noise sounded on Shikamaru just as Naruto locked eyes with him.

Naruto felt as if everything zoomed into an odd sort of tunnel vision as his hungry astonishment settled on the pulse at the Chuunin's neck.

The fear was writ plain on Shikamaru, even though Karin and her awesome abilities as a sensor was so engrossed in giving a detailed account of her every good point that she could not sense the change in the pitch, but still he managed a hesitant smile.

The Chuunin consulted the beeping datapad as Naruto's legs began to coil in under him. Although one hand still held the datapad the other was about to clamp down on the desk before him and send him vaulting over to assault his superior, but his own device beeped once when Shikamaru began to type and he reluctantly consulted it.

"I haven't told Asuma, and afterwards you can destroy both of our data pads. I'm only going to use the data from Karin anyway," Shikamaru was frantic.

Naruto settled down as it became obvious that the lieutenant was just as unsettled by this turn as he was - in fact the pineapple haired one was terrified. Slowly he eased up his mental grip on his Lightsaber. Faced with a desperate situation he had been ready to rely on the ways of the Sith once more.

Once more? No. Always.

He settled back down. Shikamaru continued to type in the time it took him to do this.

"I can't expect you to know the things she does, but you know other things don't you? Things no one has yet had time to learn on this world except for the most experienced battalions - the first year guys.

"Our Commander – Asuma – was one of those guys. We've been watching the holos of your battalion's performances over training. Asuma pointed it out from the very first exercise when your unit snuck its Mechs up behind the river using a column of Water Element Mist for cover. He made me a bet that one of the two of you – either you or Karin – was in that unit, and he was right. The both of you were. Asuma thinks it's because you guys are intuitive and fantastic but I -"

"You think we're what? No good? It would be typical. We're only missing-nin after all," Although Naruto was shocked by the depth of Shikamaru's thinking he did not allow this to show in his expression as his fingers depressed his pad.

"No I think it's because of you. You were taken away from us, but you came back with knowledge didn't you?

"I recognized you from all those years ago. Even though there's no way you look like a fourteen year old I know it's you Naruto, and if I only had suspicions before your reactions confirm it for me," the young Chuunin's posture and expression became stony despite the stench of his fear in the Force. Karin had almost finished with her own datapad. Belatedly Naruto realized that she would not allow him to strike down Shikamaru without just cause – even though they were friends. If he had acted on his initial impulse then he would have had to slay her as well.

"We played together a few times Shikamaru," Naruto almost sighed. "I'm here for my own reasons. Don't make things difficult for me."

"But you don't have to be here!" Shikamaru persisted, "I know – everyone knows - that you were never logged as a Missing-nin. We sent out search teams for you, and the Hokage –"

"I want to be in this battalion Shikamaru. I don't know if you really didn't say anything to Asuma, but for now I'm going to trust you. I don't want to trust you but if I kill you. Well if I kill you then they will say that all Missing-nin are the same, and - believe it or not - these soldiers have been greater friends to me than anyone in Konoha ever was."

There was a lull in the electronic conversation as Shikamaru pondered all the words Naruto had written.

Finally the Chuunin nodded. He was tall for his age and his soft Bantha hide boots barely made a sound as he edged off his high backed chair. Funnily enough it was this insignificant sound that awakened Karin just as she completed her questionnaire. Shikamaru smoothly took it from her and placed it in the same hand within which he held his. He then placed the stack on the table before Naruto.

"Naruto take these to Asuma will you?" he nodded slightly and if there was still fear in his eyes then there was now comprehension in his smile.

"Alright, it's not a problem Lieutenant," there was no irony in Naruto voice as he addressed his superior although they both knew that only one datapad would end up in their commander's possession.

Jedi Enclave, Corellia

755 ABY, Late Spring

Nothing she had ever done in this life was as difficult as what she was trying to learn now. Hinata had never faced so much adversity and doubt, but she had struggled through – attaining ever greater levels of mastery over the abilities she was trying to direct. She had been tempered over the years by her attempts and now at seventeen years of age she had progressed at a rate that astonished her Master - her Master Pav Qeral.

She still did not understand the reasons behind the deception. The order had led her to believe that she was going to study under a Corellian Master. They had led her to believe that she was to study more of the Lightsaber, and although she knew that her Master came from one of the worlds in the system – from Talus to be exact – she had not thought that she would study under Pav's guidance, or that the arts she would struggle to absorb would be spiritual in nature.

She eased into her clothes. Every day it was the same sequence, for how could she hope to achieve a level of meditation so deep and pure that she could guide troops in battle if she could not remain in total command over her morning rituals?

The cleansing had come before and she would not sully her insides with food before the day's training. She was allowed some water and this she sipped gingerly as she stood in her austere stone chamber. The cold seeped up from under the cool flagstones, and the bare walls resembled the parched environs of a drained out marsh.

The water was much needed and gave her some relief. She could not bother to count how long it had been since she had seen Sakura, Sasuke, or even Kakashi who had only dropped in to visit the temple on rare and brief occasions after that initial period of acclimatization on Coruscant.

Less so those others she had left behind in Konoha – although the frantic reports over the General Nets over the past few years had pierced her contemplative isolation and often brought thoughts of her home planet to the fore.

Mistress Pav was waiting for her in the aerie. It seemed as if her whole life since leaving Konohagakure no sato had been spent in the clouds.

Yugakure

June 17th 755 ABY (Terran Calendar)

A wise commander once said that if you continued to map the Unknown Regions then you would have to call the area something else. That man went by the name of Wedge Antilles, and he did not know how right he would eventually prove to be.

Although travel between the area and the rest of the decaying galaxy remained difficult 'The Chiss Conglomerate' dominated the systems past the hyperspace disturbances, and it was their trade vessels that kept the galaxy at large aware of life beyond the veil.

This conglomerate was the result of centuries of interaction between the Chiss and the various slaver species in the unknown regions such as the Ebruchi and the Vagaari. Under the umbrella of Chiss protection lesser races were able to flourish somewhat, but only a scant few years since Terra's emergence the landscape was beginning to change at a rate that was utterly anathema to the normal and slow workings of historically consequent galactic events.

Until now the Chiss Ascendancy had found itself the only force for order in a region a swirl with madness, and often their ordered barbarity had matched the savagery of the pirate species they did sworn battle against.

In the modern period new dense clusters of habitable worlds had been mapped out, and many new intelligent species introduced to Galactic society. The lost human tribe that the people of Terra surely sprung from were but one of these, and further evidence that humans must have spread beyond the hyperspace disturbances to colonize the Unknown Regions - just like the Chiss themselves.

For the Chiss Ambassador there was a certain brotherhood to be found in their common ancestry when faced with multitudes of hostile alien physiognomies, and the mercenaries of Terra had served those missions his embassy had granted them diligently and executed objectives with ruthless efficiency.

If the people of Terra had not been conveniently present then the tall humanoid Vagaari and the crouching mouth-tentacled and green Ebruchi would not have consumed all, but they would not be cowering in terror as they were presently.

As he walked through the buzzing barracks quarters, where his face was now a welcome sight, the Chiss ambassador reflected on the strong bonds he was forging for his House with this planet.

As a Syndic of his House his Colonial Phalanx was ensconced nearby. Not in system and after their first fledgling steps into the Galaxy the people of Terra had discovered his flotilla, but it still remained a less than idle threat in their minds.

Yugakure had really grown. He remembered when his embassy had been one of the city's prominent structures, but now it was almost tucked away – although the government had been kind enough to keep the environs secluded.

He had grown attached to the residential area although the next House and its ambassador may want to move. Appearances were still important when dealing with nascent species.

His escort was doing a good job of taking them through the shanty town barracks but it was hard going. The place was ordered. He granted them that as he gazed out of the Executive Speeder's dimmed viewing ports, but it was still a chaos as the various hangers-on of the vast Shinobi lived their lives.

Despite its best efforts it was impossible for the government to drag their people away from their roots, and the center of Yugakure was a beehive of clandestine activity as the natives formed a 'super hidden village' complete with sects and clans – that was surrounded by vast manufacturing and agricultural works.

Overhead the skies were abuzz with activity. They were alive with the roar of military vehicles exiting and entering Terra's atmosphere. Mostly military vehicles because Terra was now a firm part of the Unknown's consciousness, and was quickly becoming famed beyond the Region's borders where its Shinobi had begun to take contracts.

Two years ago the ruling Council had designated the Twin Cities, as they were calling the former Hidden Villages in the Leaf and Cloud as the planets commercial ports to ease the strain on the first installation at Yugakure. A year later fledgling ports had sprung up and now any merchants who wanted to do business with the planet's businesspeople on home turf where prices were favorable, and not in space where they were exorbitant flocked to one of the two.

Port Yugakure had continued to grow. It had become a hive of military activity and there was nowhere else for him to be as representative of his people. This close to the council chambers there was a constant dull thud in the background which penetrated the proofing of his vehicle. The Council had flat out refused his tentative suggestions to change the location of their deliberations. The noise was caused by the Mechs that stalked their designated highways on route to the launching pads. Cowled Shinobi clustered in the transports which accompanied the mechs on antigrav tracks.

The Chiss Ambassador would miss this world, but he did not have much hope that his replacement would be able to accomplish as much as he. Not if he was able to convince the Council to accept his latest treaty.

He had hope in the treaty. Although the balance of power had changed in the region – two of the Kage now possessed fleets that could rival his own for firepower if not experience – it had not changed in the wider scheme of things. It was better that he who they knew tried to extract this latest concession from them as opposed to some neophyte who would not know his head from his ass when it came to the cloak and dagger politics of the Shinobi.

He managed a smile despite the thumping of the Mechs. The vehicles were so old-fashioned, but supported by the esoteric powers of the Terran grunts they had been given a brilliant make-over.

Barracks of the 13th Missing Battalion

"Thirty-two Mechs and pilots, nineteen pilots without Mechs, three hundred and Forty one healthy Shinobi, fifty four injured Shinobi, and a full complement of Fang pilots after the recent redeployment," Shikamaru finished rattling off the figures for the benefit of the officers and non-commissioned in the room. Asuma was in a gloomy mood, but was identifiable by the curls of smoke that spread out from him to poison their lungs.

"We started with a whole lot more than that," Naruto said grimly. Of course usually the battalion's officers had their attention riveted on him. That was if Asuma wasn't speaking, but presently his mentor was in a foul mood.

"Yeah we did," Shikamaru closed his eyes and recited the figures from memory. "Five hundred Mechs and pilots, Ten thousand Shinobi, and the combined second exploration fleet left for Nar Shadaa under Danzo and A's command," to be precise he concluded.

Everyone could tell he was angry. Even Choji who was constantly caught between eating and obsessing over whether Haku was a guy or girl, and what the masked NCO's true relationship was to his mentor Zabuza – also an NCO in the battalion.

"I didn't realize that many," to his credit Naruto appeared chagrined. It was true that it was his hair brained scheme which had one the day for their particular battalion. They had won through even when Shikamaru's ordered processing of events had failed them.

He scratched at his beard as he stared at the 'Lightsaber' proudly displayed on his violent friend's thigh. It sat there rebelliously next two the huge blade strapped on the blonds back, and the smaller disc that dangled under his opposite armpit. The harness was dyed the same color as their dull and slim combat fatigues.

"We got off lucky," Zabuza ground out. Next to the blond Shinobi he stood out the most with his archaic weapon. The gigantic broadsword spanned the length of the bandaged man's back. Shikamaru and Asuma had made the man's acquaintance after Naruto had reflected on the fact that they reviewed the tape of his first holographic engagement. Zabuza and Haku had been the Missing-nin in his battalion that conjured the concealing the mist that had led them to victory.

For the moment Haku did not speak, but usually he held the same opinion as his Master. He did fidget slightly at the words though. He disliked death as much as any of them – any of them except Naruto. The only thing Naruto did when his friends died was get angry, and no matter how much he had seemed to love you in life when you were gone he moved on, but you could be sure that if he could he would murder your killers.

"To the higher ups it's just more Missing-nin dead," Karin was blunt as usual. She and Ino were sat at ease besides each other. The two sensory Kunoichi had formed a tight friendship – although their disagreements could be brutal, but in this they were not on the same side. Ino seemed to sidle away from her and eye her warily. The old divides between Missing-nin and the regular Shinobi were yet to fade, and in a way Shikamaru and his team had been set to keep watch over this lot.

"Let's not go down that route," even Asuma who was lax with his Missing-nin when contrasted with other commanders of similar forces wouldn't tolerate this line of conversation.

Shikamaru could not help but take note of his new trench knives as his mentor stood up. Asuma had commissioned these knives to be made from the same chakra absorbent material that the originals had been composed of, but in addition discreet blaster nozzles peered out of the hilts. When he held the grip a certain way they could emit a shotgun spray of laser bursts.

The battalion commander rounded his desk. He and his Lieutenants carried refined and powerful shields at the small of their backs unlike their Missing-nin who still carried bulky backpacks. (Except of course for Naruto and Zabuza for neither would give up the weapons on their backs and neither of whom was quite sane by anyone's definition of the word.)

"We're headed straight back out and we're gonna have to take our rec time in transit. Command just patched a message through to me. The Chiss need us on a Class S concerning the Vagaari. Their encroaching into territory that has been set aside for our use – word is that they are moving settlers in, and that world was scheduled for our colonization within the next three years.

"A lot of us Commanders told Danzo and A that we had to stick to priorities and they didn't listen. Nar Shadaa could have waited and I don't know what the fall-out is gonna be, but we've got to keep the battalion on its feet no matter what, and that means lots of successful missions so we get rec time and recruitment privileges. Officers dismissed."

A/N

"I've been ignoring my girlfriend because of you people. R- E –V – I – E – W, and if I am happy with how many I get the next chapter will be ultra-combat centric!"

Darklighter