SHGS - Chapter Thirteen: Sora no Kuni

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

"… I need to get better at keeping threats,"

- Darklighter

Yugakure Spaceport

Shikamaru was sunk under alongside the rest of battalion. It had taken an age to transport the whole group unto their vehicle. Not only due to the logistics of it, which he had to be aware of seeing as it was the Lieutenant's duty to overlook deployments, but also because the troops were tired. They were all damned tired. The conflict on Nar Shadaa had seen to that.

Their metal cage wrenched through the air as it took off. From here on out they would remain within the feverish embrace of the liquid that kept them frozen between life and death.

They would remain within its embrace for the duration of the short skip to the point of engagement – the Umaren'k system.

Little had been known about this planet until recently due to the unique nature of travel within the confines of the rim. The lush jungle world's only drawback was the ferocity of its wildlife, but for the Shinobi this was a blessing in disguise – the training of that planet's future generations would be just as exacting as that of their forefathers who were to colonize it.

The planet was called Umaren'k like its predecessor, but the Council had decided to rename it. In truth the colonization efforts had taken a long time to gain headwind because of this delicate political situation.

As was usual the civilian governments quickly got wind of the situation. Their representatives took it upon themselves to squabble the issue out and the name they chose was typically cringe-worthy. The planet would be called Sora no Kuni (The Land of the Sky) in honor of the Shinobi who had born that name and been defeated by the five great Villages, but also to commemorate Terra's first tentative forays into the stars.

Shikamaru thought it was a load of bullshit. Firstly they still had to turn away the Vagaari incursion. What was the point of naming a planet they were not even sure to control? Then there was the fact that the dispensation was by no means equal. There were no settlers from the Wind country or any of the smaller nations that had followed their lead.

The Water country had fifteen percent of the dispensation on account of the strength of their interstellar trade agreements - especially those dealing in droids. The Fire weighed in at thirty-eight percent whilst the Cloud Shinobi had acquired a whopping forty-two percent for their nation.

Earth had been hit the hardest and their populous lands only yielded five percent. Perhaps there is some truth in the words of those who say that a people tend to mirror their Leaders, for in the not too distant past the Earth home had hailed Ōnoki and his Council as astute when those wise ones had urged a caution response to the discovery of life outside Terra.

Shikamaru would have sighed if he had not been constrained so by the protective liquid. These old school vessels were hardened to endure deep-space for they were designed to take colonists on extremely long distance flights at low speed and for a low cost.

The Shinobi had purchased the vessels and improved their hyperdrive cores with expensive models gifted – and purchased – from the Chiss. If there was one area of science where the Shinobi were rapidly becoming renowned for craftsmanship it was in the area of shielding, and the refurbished ships could take quite a pounding. Enough of one to allow them to deliver their deadly payloads whilst the buzzing cloud of Terra's medium to small sized star fighters offered what protection they could.

Shikamaru's people were a pragmatic lot, and they focused their research and acquisition of new techs in those areas that would bring the most material success on the battlefield. A homebrew mech model to replace the army surplus units that they had purchased from the Chiss had been in development for over four years, and the first land combat vehicles would soon begin to roll of the production lines of the earth bound factories that had sprung up in the Land of Fire.

Most Shinobi were still nervous where space combat was concerned. They were utterly dependent on their pilots – dissatisfied civilians almost to a man – to deliver them to any engagement. If there was more respect between these pilots and the Shinobi they served now than there had been in the beginning then the pilots also now walked with a definite swagger. These had been men and women who had been dying to excel at war, and now they finally had their chance.

Success in any space engagement depended on the carrier ship which brought the swarm of eager pilots – the Fangs lacked hyper-drives – to the fight. Apparently creating an A.I powerful enough to govern such a large construct was dangerous and had well documented consequences on the few occasions when it had been attempted.

There was no software law or neurotic stimulant powerful enough to govern such a creature, so the carrier was controlled by a cluster of pilots. They did battle against the five great minds that governed the workings of the ship, dubbed, The First Hokage, for it was the first carrier that had been purchased by the Leaf.

The First Hokage was accompanied by three destroyers owned by the Cloud. There was an unspoken of division of labor even in this. The people of the Leaf were invested in carriers and Fangs whilst the pilots of the Cloud worked in teams to control the medium sized Capital ships needed to protect Terra's nascent flotillas - although of course there was some crossover.

They would be accompanied by the new Chiss ambassador's Colonial Phalanx. The man's house had a vested interest in their success, and without his ships they would have been no chance that the Terran force would be able to gain space superiority over the Vagaari.

Shikamaru itched to be able to at least turn his head. He was bored to shit. He was forced to stare straight out of the Transparisteel egg which contained him and he had no choice but to look out at the dim glowing nest clusters that housed the rest of the troop.

They would die without the capsules for there was no tangible atmosphere in the hold and Shinobi detested heavy body armour and life support. They had been forced to change the balance of the yellow liquid that sustained the soldiers during hyperspace journeys. Going into a deep hibernation was not good for the body and it was preferable that their minds be forced to stay partially active whilst their bodies were nourished and refreshed.

We all have to suffer like this, even Commander Asuma, all of us except Karin and Naruto - Karin, Naruto, their traitors, and the Aventis.

Aboard The Aventis

They hyperspace journey was over. They had arrived at their destination after the long sojourn within the speedy confines of the tunnel that their own scientists were yet to comprehend, and they had arrived in the system of Umaren'k.

There partially shadowed by its moon was Sora no Kuni - the planet that had been designated to his people by the Chiss. Of course a people's march to the stars could not be simple or without consequence. The Vagaari vessels were already beginning to transition into defensive patterns. The rotund shapes varied in size but the principals behind their construction were the same. They were designed to cover a wide lens area with their targeting computers, but they had an obvious weak-spot which was the thrust emitter that fixed the rest of the vessels in place.

Naruto knew that the Vagaari excelled in ground warfare – unlike the Ebruchi whose squat forms and limited array of Force sensitive talents were not suited to such combat.

Therefore they did not have many true pilots – they relied a lot on A.I's, but they were limited in that if the creatures were too powerful what pilots they did have would be quickly overwhelmed. Already they had deployed their large population transports. A similar motley of ships hung behind the Terran and Chiss armadas. The Shinobi's civilian seeding transports were bulky. Many of them were refurbished slaves ships similar to the ones that had invaded Terra. Aventis' sleek form contrasted sharply with the desperate crew that shadowed her.

The Fighter Carrier had begun to release the Fangs it clutched in its spindly arms into the Vacuum of Space whilst one of the Destroyers escorting her remained by her side. The other two slowly gained thrust, but soon they were booming through the volume towards his position. The weird physics of space meant that he perceived on approaching as if on an ascent whilst the other descended, but all three converged on the mass of spheres that was protecting the disembarking Vagaari.

The Chiss fleet moved sleekly but it did not seem eager to join the battle. Although they had taken a side the protocols of galactic events meant that their role had to be limited, and if the Vagaari pilots were smart they would only have to deal with the Terran vehicles.

Three pairs of War-Yachts peeled off from the main body and formed an escorting guard in front of the approaching Terran civilians. Two obscured forms were perceived in the far reaches of the star system by the acute sensors that were embedded in the Chiss Flagship. One boasted of an obscene sensory array. This smaller ship would record all that transpired on the behest of the Media Corporations whilst the other's deadly presence was only there to inspire doubt should the pair be discovered and some Commander consider attack.

Naruto had not yet had time to modify The Aventis's internals so that she could more easily contain his troop. This wasn't' due to any slack on his part, but because he had only revealed her existence in his hour of dying need – just before the calamitous raid on Nar Shadaa. As it was he was engrossed in the budding array of active star ships, and could not ponder what the rest of his troop was doing.

If he had not deserted the troop only to return aboard his ship and turn the joined battle with Lightsaber in hand then only Kami knew what would have happened to Asuma's Battalion, and his personal unit – the Traitor's – probably wouldn't have made it out of that cesspit with enough coherence to survive the next round of redeployments and reformations. His Commander's Battalion had been in the thick of the fighting, for their reputation as a crack force was not unjustified. As far as he was concerned they deserved what comforts his fighting vessel could because now they were verifiably an elite unit. Their lead NCO commanded the single deadliest fighting vessel in the whole fleet.

Had it not been for politics Naruto would already be the first Missing soldier to make Lieutenant, and Asuma was already talking about writing up a request for better shield gens for his personal unit.

The hardened and tall blond knew the men and women deserved the protection. They were always to be found at the fore no matter the terrain or world, and yet they were efficient. Many enemy troops could perish trying to take the lives of just a few Traitors.

Despite the opinions of all the other Shinobi Naruto liked the name Sora no Kuni.

He didn't know much about the Nin who the name was derived from, and he didn't care much about the politics – the phrase was nicely neutral- but he enjoyed the simple symbolism. Indeed it was a land in the skies because his people would become firmly entrenched in the galaxy once they had colonized more living space.

Perhaps he embraced this single minded nationalism to replace what felt lost. However although it wouldn't be true to say that Naruto had lost the way of the Sith code it would be fair to say that he had attained a certain bittersweet mastery over it, for an alternate interpretation to some of its simple words had wrung the same effect on him as the words of the Jedi code have been known to do on followers of that sect - the kind of interpretation that could lead a stalwart like the long forgotten Kyp Durron to implode a star.

Naruto was rapidly becoming a creature of the grey – much closer to the people who he had birthed him than to the dark, but much further from the light than any Jedi would have found tasteful. He was rapidly becoming a Shinobi – in morals if not in abilities, for him there was no betrayal in this return to his roots. He had found his home amongst the Traitors.

Thoughts of his crew brought to mind thoughts of his ship, and he was dragged away from his contemplation of the maneuvering formations. He worried that the crew were taking unwarranted liberties with her. Plugged in as he was to her interface he heard the low keen of her distress in the background as they hurtled through the cosmos.

She had been pleased to emerge from her slumber after all those years and welcome him back into her being, but she had gotten more than she bargained for after they arrived on Nar Shadaa and rescued the traitors – including their commanding officer what was left of his unit- off the ground. She had been truly cramped during that flight, but although there was now more space the rambunctious Traitors were beginning to make her their own.

Naruto had made it known after their storming return that he was not going to hand over his private property, and Asuma had been a somber pillar of smoke. His chain smoking form would have handed in his resignation there and then if his intrepid NCO had not had his way.

Danzo had been so flush with rage and embarrassment following the failure of a plan that was of his, and his team of strategist's, devising, and he had ceded ground in this to the upstart NCO who had turned a nightmare that could have resulted in his assassination into a global 'hero' story.

Naruto of course had not fully abandoned the ways of the Sith. He had simply learned to look at its precepts dispassionately. Following the strictest of definitions they were just another chain after all. In this however he knew what to do and he had allowed the media to build him up with the popular masses whilst his close knit crew made sure that he did not lose too much face with the general soldiery.

The story had been too good to pass up. 'Local boy was the first off of his planet. He was abducted to the stars where he learned strange arts, and now he has returned to aid his world in its goals.' The media had lapped it up, and a few scattered reports had even made it to the General Nets.

To cut a long story short Uzumaki Naruto was becoming famous, and he was doing it being known as himself, and not as Nathaniel Uzumate. He had no fear of the bounty hunters from his past who had no doubt noted his new fame. When and if they came he would have a military unit of five Mechs, and forty-five Shinobi at his disposal.

Of course Osvaldus had not been pleased, and ominously he had not heard from Traya or from Deimus despite the fact that by now they must know where he was. He had heard something rather interesting though. He had heard that the Jedi Order was considering sending an embassy into the Unknown Regions.

It was practically unheard of for the Order to make such a gesture. Especially towards a nascent world, but the news had been hot on the tongue of many merchants. Enough so that Terra's native spy network had thought the information worth uploading to the anonymous gossip channels which you had to been an officer to access – Ino had told him about it.

Although the news was interesting he didn't have much time to concern himself with it, for Naruto was fully focused on the colonization of Sora no Sato.

He had no problems with Terra moving its timescale forward - especially not if the Vagaari had already been spotted in the system. However after what had happened on Nar Shadaa Asuma's battalion was not in fighting trim.

The men were still jaded from the death they had dealt and witnessed, and friends had been lost. He himself had been taken aback at the ferocity with which the Hutts' slaves and mercenaries defended their masters. They must have had been possessed of a very instinct and deep seated fear, and the Shinobi had tasted defeat. They had been fed an almost overwhelming defeat.

Terrestrial media spun it as well as they could but the rest of the galaxy, including the Unknown Region, relied on the General Nets – and the Hutts had their fingers in many of the great Media Corporations. Prices were already beginning to rise on Terra and a defeat at the hands of the Vagaari was not tolerable.

It was for these reasons that he could make out the vector lines of the Chiss Phalanx protecting their civilians. Their pilots were more skilled than those who controlled the vehicles the Aventis had painted brilliant gold. The bright green lines of the Chiss flight paths were a reassuring presence as he perceived the fleet through the diffuse senses of his baby.

Word had it that Osvaldus had not been best pleased with the Chiss decision to send a Phalanx in support. Unlike most of the Shinobi Uzumaki NCO realized Osvaldus was a cancer. The male was a Sith just as Naruto still could be when he willed it, and the Zabrak was not a native.

He couldn't uncover him yet though. To do so would cast doubt on the NCO himself as he had recently been revealed to all in the Battalion as Sith trained, and he was sure it was similar reasoning in mind that had stayed Osvaldus from denouncing him when Naruto had justified his right to retain control over the Aventis before all the council.

He sighed. The battle was about to be joined. The purposeful movements of the various fighting forces as they ate up the distance betwixt them devolved into a headlong race through the kilometers.

Although the lean of his control room was comfortable he could not bear leave Karin and the rest of his monsters alone with his ship for a moment longer than was necessary.

Sora no Kuni (Inner Atmosphere)

The modified transport carrier was only just breaking through. She was named The Trawler, and her flattened belly began to heat and boil to dull red as she blasted through Sora no Sato's atmosphere.

This obese vessel was Naruto's primary concern, for she contained Asuma and his entire battalion.

The civilians had broken through unscathed as he had predicted. The Vagaari overlords did not want to give the Chiss a reason to employ their weapons, and the galaxy at large believed that the colonization of a virgin world was not a matter that could often go uncontested.

The Shinobi approach had caused some casualties. The Chiss herded most of the transport vessels into the dense foliage that covered the eastern continent – well away for the primary Vagaari settlement which seemed to be forming on the Northern most of the three large landmasses that made up the world.

The vegetation here was not as lush, but instead of grass the planet's vegetation had evolved a rolling carpet of vines - complete with sparse thorny patches. They would be in the open as they did battle with the Vagaari, for the Shinobi pilots had managed to punch through the screen of fighters they had put in place over their settlement, and transports were beginning to dislodge troops within the comforting range of the mighty river that governed this landmass.

The fighting on the way through had been brutal but he hoped that it would be worth it. While their people began to lay their first marks on the planet the Shinobi warriors would try their best to eliminate the already seeded Vagaari settlers. Although some in the galaxy might frown at Terran aggression the Vagaari had done themselves no favors over the centuries with their unbridled lust for piracy, and victory here would mean that the fallout from the debacle on Nar Shadaa would fade to memory.

Although he had maintained a constant vigil over the perimeter of his Commander's new vessel he had at times darted off to obliterate the spherical drones of the Vagaari. These clashes pained him for the army Fangs that were burned from the skies in those moments housed valuable pilots in their slender chassis, whilst the Vagaari vehicles and their cheap A.I's were expendable.

One of the Cloud destroyers had made a great sacrifice before they had pierced Sora's atmosphere. The vessel had gamely gone toe to toe with its opposite member amongst the Vagaari which must have house a full third of what pilots they had, for the army Fang's had found it easy going against the massed dumb drones that impeded them.

There had been other losses although that destroyer had limped away from the fight – disabled but not finished. The fangs were born down through sheer numbers, and because their pilots were driven in ensuring the safety of the Mechs and Shinobi they escorted many of them had laid down their lives intercepting fire aimed at the shielded transports.

Now however battle was finally being joined on the ground. Naruto was forced to keep Aventis aloft. His ship did not like this turn of events – although his unit must have longed to join Asuma's disembarking Battalion. He was inclined to see off the stragglers before he set her down however.

Most of the spheres – especially the bigger ones had pulled away to protect the pilot's housed Vagaari's remaining destroyers. In addition to shields the destroyers had living sentients housed in transparisteel bubbles in their hulls to dissuade attackers. The Terran space force had already shown that they had no qualms when it came to engaging enemies.

Their society was an odd one, and although they excelled in ground combat they revered the intellectuals who enabled them to traverse the stars. These learned individuals, the Miskara's guard were more valuable than the grunts and slaves that had been sent to colonize Sora, and though a few of their number would already be on ground controlling the spheres that remained the rest would soon depart into hyperspace and return to their home world – Vagar Praxut.

There was a sphere in his sights. The ion sphere that guided the vessel was hot in Aventis' thoughts and it was all he could do to hold her off from making the kill instantly before he examined the greater consequences. No friendlies would be harmed by his strike and he let her bite. She shot off a proton torpedo – she had already known that the way was clear – and the atomic bomb sank right into the housing of the sphere's drive. The counter measures and shielding of the vehicle were no match for the A.I guided bomb, and the resulting conflagration sent more of the enemy streaking back for the safety of the military fort the Vagaari were constructing on the planet.

For the moment he was satisfied. The fight was tapering off and the first round had gone to the invading Shinobi. When they had arrived the civilians escorted by the Chiss had landed into night, but now the day was turning and it was the Vagaari's continent that was succumbing to the dark. Although all of the transports had landed Naruto made a couple more fly overs.

Zabuza's techniques had been copied by Water Element users in the Missing Battalion that Asuma commanded. Naruto was pleased to see that a shroud of fog already concealed their forms as they dug into their landing spot. The soldiers threw heat dulling shrouds over the transports whilst the budding Mech center was a hive of activity as pilots strapped in and prepared for the night's patrol.

The other invading Battalion's employed their own means of defense, but they did not have Zabuza's techniques. They were comprised of regular Shinobi, and in many ways every Battalion was quickly becoming a kind of Hidden Village. They guarded their secrets jealously.

Sora no Kuni

Perhaps the Vagaari were more suited to this world than the Terran's after all, for they brought wild beasts with them to the fight. Beasts that would have been at home in the lush jungle that housed Terra's colony on the planet.

A month after the initial contestation of Sora's ownership had commenced things had settled into deadlock.

The Terran colony existed in relative safety protected by external attack by the Chiss Phalanx that still lurked in system. The Vagaari existed in a similar state of peace on their own continent, and both groups were offered further protection by the squads of Fangs and Spheres that refueled out of the colonies.

The war raged between both continents. At times the Shinobi and Mech pilots were forced to defend the jungles around the colony and at other times they struck out for the plains which the Vagaari soldiery controlled to take out a vital installation or disperse a massing of troops.

Both groups had been reinforced by small fleets that darted in-system before gingerly stepping out. The fighting had been particularly harsh in those months as they each attempted to intercept the vital provisions and personnel meant for the enemy, but neither group had created enough damage to warrant the expenditure of lives.

Now Naruto and his unit raced across the plains of the Vagaari continent. The strike he was overseeing today could be the prelude to a greater movement in the war over Sora. If the Traitors succeeded then the planet's future might swing firmly into the hands of the Terrans.

Karin was by his side. Zabuza and Haku had recently been promoted and given command over another unit under Asuma's command. That unit raced over the dense and thorny undergrowth as they kept up with his group. Asuma lurked by the river along with the rest of the battalion. That group formed an obvious target that was already drawing the Vagaari forces, and they had dug in for pitched battle.

Whilst the Fangs of their division provided air support they would form a distraction as Naruto's group punched through the Vagaari's mainlines and attempted to take out the power generator that would keep their colony alive over the winter months. There would be no re-supply for a good while, and without the warmth the Vagaari would freeze to death before their brethren were able to intervene. It was a good plan – assuming Naruto and the Shinobi under his command were able to achieve the impossible.

Asuma and Shikamaru had held their own misgivings but in the end they had not been given much choice in the matter. Osvaldus had arrived on the last re-supply and he was nominally in charge of all Missing-nin units. Naruto knew that in this scenario he was just a piece the Sith Lord could move at will – despite how tightly he grit his teeth at the fact. By this time he had given The Aventis free reign and loose orders to protect the colony, so he and his unit were available for deployment.

Osvaldus knew that if Naruto's traitor's and Zabuza's unit were able to achieve their objective then he would gain much political favor for coming up with the plan. If they failed the burden would fall squarely on Naruto's shoulders and it was even possible that the blue eyed warrior would be dead in any such scenario. For the Sith Lord it was a win-win scenario.

"They've spotted us," Karin's harsh whisper came over the headset he had strapped on.

"Got that Zabz?" he enquired.

"Hai," Haku the Missing-nin's second in command replied in his mentor's stead.

"Tell the pilots to start bringing their legs forward," Naruto instructed.

Karin whispered to confirm his command whilst he continued to hack away at the undergrowth barring his unit's progress alongside a line of his men. Although he held his Lightsaber in his right hand he used the fighting disc in his left. The bright beam of the energy sword and the deep thrum of his Defensive disc were too jarring for this work. This was quiet work. They had stolen a march on the scouting armies of the Vagaari by doing it so, and it was for this reason that the Mech's stalked slowly miles behind them, and relied on their sensors to evade the Vagaari.

"It was the Mechs that gave us away – just like you thought," Karin supplied.

It was true that he had considered leaving the Pilots behind because of the noise levels their vehicles generated. He counted the troop lucky however. They were on an overhang that overlooked the Vagaari encampment. They had managed to remain obscured so far, and it was only now that the enemy was aware to their presence.

Already lights were coming on in the barrack structure and they were beginning to scramble their drones. He did not fear their air power however. His own support had left base on the other continent several hours after they had crossed the planet's mighty ocean on hastily constructed barges, and he had faith in his people's sense of timing. The Fangs would arrive in time.

For an instant his men stood on the lip. They were dark shadows that hung over the protected city – complete with its cowed Vagaari civilians - The choking forest the Shinobi had hacked through lay behind them and the ground trembled as the Mechs abandoned their clumsy attempts at stealth and surged forward.

Zabuza's concealers had worked their shroud and the Shinobis' craft was efficient. They had called up the mist and it flowed out before them over the edge banking downwards to devour the panicked masses of the gathering defenders.

A single wavering candle was visible through the darkness. The bar seemed to linger with restrained malice in the air - the fist that grabbed its hilt concealed by the enveloping fog.

An angry pulse of dark orange ran through Naruto's lit blade. The wordless symbol spurned his troops forward and they all plunged over the brink.

"Disperse! Mechs engage! Shinobi in support!" Naruto's voice was hoarse from the constant shouting. He could not even see most of the forces under his command. They had arrived under the guise of night but now everything was alight with flame as they fled the scene of the crime. Ghostly shadows fought in the background as beings died and the purple shields of the Shinobi warriors flared in consternation.

He had entrusted the mission proper to Zabuza and he and his unit were fighting a last stand. The Water Shinobi had lost a considerable number of his troop but that could not be helped. The man had pulled a miracle out of his ass and the power station was down. The structure was irretrievable for Zabuza's unit was comprised of Water and Earth Shinobi. The sappers had been sorely missing in Naruto's first holographic taste of modern combat and so he had been sure to include them for the mission. Even though he was stained with the battle's grime he did not regret that choice.

He had known the primary and reserve power facilities were undermined when the Vagaari drones had begun to drop from the skies. Although the Terran jets had then established control over the city razing many pockets of resistance eventually there had been the need for more fuel. The Fangs had been forced to turn away leaving his tattered force to fend for themselves as they put up a fighting retreat across the plains and back to the barges.

They had been ambushed by the same scouting army that had detected them in the first instant. The commander had kept his forces at the edge of the battle for the city and they were fresh. The soldiers and their leader knew that the Vagaari's strength on the planet was broken. Despite whatever tone the General Nets took the Chiss would from now on consider the world Terra's, and they would interdict the system to prevent further Vagaari reinforcements. Therefore these men were filled with pain, and they aimed to sate their anguish with the blood of Naruto's troops.

Luckily he was blessed with Karin's sensory powers, and her loud voice. Although he had shouted himself hoarse it was she who ensured that his men remembered his commands, and his Mech pilots had moved forward into the loose fist formation he favored. His Pyromancers and Lightning Bearers stalked amongst the legs of the powerful weapon's platforms. Some of them clung to the steel backs of the titans in leather slings that were unique to his unit.

These men lacked protection if the Mech's shields gave out but they added extra fire power in the form of cutting Wind Element Jutsu. They were nimble and brave as they scrambled to and fro to find angles of fire for their slashing blasts, for their shields were slaved to those of the Mech's and they could be picked off by ricocheting bolts.

He was in the vanguard. There were many reasons why he and Karin made a good team and this was one of them. She orchestrated the unit's movements from the rear whilst he brought his deadly skill to bear at the fore. Occasionally something he saw in the moment was worthy of greater tactical implications, and she saw to such episodes as was fit, but in the main Naruto exploited her sensory abilities to the maximum whilst bringing his deadly weight to bear.

There was no way he could survive without his Defensive disc. The alien Vagaari sought to strike him down valiantly for by now his legend has spread to their slave pits and sparked many a revolt. Already the beings they suppressed were rising up to overthrow their masters now that the habitation had lost power. There was no way they would survive the winter months and everybody knew it.

The great blade protected his back. Its presence was a constant in his mind. He did not realize it truly but his exposure to true battle had been a greater teacher than any simulation. His powers had grown and as it reflected blaster bolts he cut down enemies with gales of wind. Buffeting those that were distant and crushing many in his peripheral vision into mashed paste against the ground. These were often enemies that were threatening members of his beloved troops who fought by his side.

Lightning-nin discharging their bolt and skipping forward to impale enemies with their sorcerous swords and Pyromancers ablaze and easy targets, but doing mass damage with the long range balls of scorching Fire Element they sent careening into the enemy unit's formations.

The enemy commander had learnt many lessons in the month since the war had begun. The short man carried a tall ceremonial mask that made him appear to be much taller than he actually was, and though the battle, and war, had gone badly he was a trained acolyte, and he had a personal escape vessel that would take he and his troop off-planet.

He deployed his men gallantly but they could not avoid entering into Tai-Jutsu range with the Terrans where their Shinobi held the advantage, nor could they destroy the mobile weapon's emplacements – the Mechs- which formed pillars of support for the Shinobi.

Already he could hear a dull drone as the enemy ships returned from their refueling run. He would have to pull his personal guard out quickly. It was unfortunate that they had not brought more Schostri or Wolvkil with them to this world, but that was a lesson learnt for the future.

He did not feel particularly sore over this loss. The acquisition of this planet had been nothing but a feint, and he was alright with allowing the Chiss to feel they held overwhelming superiority over the Vagaari for the moment. Things had changed and they were training more pilots than ever before. The next time you heard of them you will even know the Vagaari commander's name, for his exploits would be heard of on the General Nets.

Naruto in the meantime was still engaged with the commander's men. He noted the unit that broke off and yelled an instruction to Karin but she was prioritizing guiding the Mech's unscathed through the battle. The vehicles were a great weapon but also a weakness for they made obvious strategic targets, and without much air support she had to be careful for the moment. They allowed the commander to leave but still had to deal with his fanatical troops.

Naruto jammed himself into the thick of the fighting sending the enemy quaking back with an explosion of Force power. His glimmering blade left his hand on an arcing flight as it sheered itself through the battle-masks of the Vagaari grunts. The hilt that returned to his hand was stained with blood, but then so was the fist that plunged his fighting disc into the guts of the enemy before him – extracting the mass that clung to its hooked fingers.

A blaster rifle pulled up to the side level with his face. Naruto's defensive disc had already deployed to protect him from an incoming stream of laser fire on his left flank. He was about to reach out in the Force to wrench the weapon aside but there was no need. One of his Lightning-nin had been covering his back and the Shinobi darted forward to intercept the Vagaari grunt.

The clash was very brief although the enemy let off one ricocheting burst that forced Naruto to dart to the side – relieving himself from his entanglement with the man's friend.

Sparking power manifested itself on the chakra metal throwing stars the Shinobi's launcher hurled at the Vagaari's weapon. The rifle exploded before the Shinobi was upon him. He was still alive however when the cool blade the man held punched through his armor. Entering at the collar bone and penetrating through the opposite hip. The threads of Lightning Element froze the being in place as his insides gave out and he died.

Naruto surveyed the battlefield. Karin had given the Mech's free reign to wade forward and their cannon laid down pillars of suppressing fire that cut off the fleeing enemy. The Shinobi that were slung to some of their backs let loose with bursts of wind that killed off the few stragglers who were still going for the mobile emplacements.

He had been so engrossed in the fighting that he had lost his words, and to an extent he had lost his hearing. It was only now Naruto heard the boom of his returning air support and something eased in his chest. It seemed that they had pulled off something incredible, and it did not bother him that he felt relief. He was not bothered by the fact that he cared about the men under his command. Uzumaki Naruto is who he is, and whoever you are and whatever you think – you can be damned. Dattebayo.