Hey everybody! Sorry for the long wait, but I had wanted to try and finish up my Inheritance fanfic before the release of Inheritance. Well, my inspiration for that is being a bit blocked by my excitement for the book release, so I figured I might as well just go back to my original schedule, and wait for that blockage to disappear. So, without further delaying the already great delay, I give you Chapter 9 of Under the Stars.
Previously…
The two stared each other down, before a gate opened, obviously leading to the Gladiator quarters. Naruto stepped into the darkness, and the gates closed, sealing his fate.
Naruto slowly limped through the shadowed tunnels leading to the barracks, hissing when dirt occasionally fell from the ceiling onto his wounds. Now out of sight, he allowed the Kyuubi's chakra to heal enough of his minor wounds so as to lessen his pain, but not raise any questions. As he slowly reached the end of the tunnel, he paused, and leaned against the wall, suddenly tired. He absentmindedly reached for the small tattoo inked on his left shoulder, and activated it, summoning forth his three most important items, the ones he couldn't risk anyone finding; his lightsaber – until the right time, he thought – a long-distance comlink, and the equipment to make a new lightsaber. I'm doing this for Ahsoka, he thought to himself, gazing at the comlink. If I can capture Dooku, we're that much closer to the end of the war, and she'll be that much safer. He re-sealed the items, and stepped through the door.
Once he was through, he groaned, shielding his eyes from the bright light. A cacophony of sounds greeted his ears, and as his eyes adjusted, he heard the voices slowly fall to silence. He looked around, and noticed all eyes upon him, looking at the many bruises and lacerations covering his body. He heard one of them swear under their breath, before he continued through, looking for his bunk, quarters, or wherever he was to sleep. As he passed the other combatants, he saw them glare at him and size him up, obviously trying to gauge how easy it would be to kill him. He reached an empty bunk, and tossed the torn sackcloth shirt onto it, and sitting down. He ran his hands through his hair, and lay back, wondering why everyone was looking at him with a mixture of disbelief and fear. He closed his eyes, and sighed.
A moment later, something grabbed him and threw him clear across the room. He slammed hard into the stone wall, and slid down, the dirty surface setting his wounds ablaze. He roared in pain, before he rose, turning to face whoever had attacked him. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw a large Wookiee glaring back at him, its claws unsheathed. Shit, he thought, gazing at the sharp curves. Where the fuck did they find a madclaw? He briefly remembered that a madclaw was a Wookiee who had broken sacred tenets and used their claws for violence, rather than using them for tools, survival, or art.
The Wookiee roared, and Naruto clenched his fists, ignoring the crowd shrinking back. The Wookiee charged, and Naruto slowly strode forward with slow measured paces. Just as the Wookiee slashed at him, Naruto disappeared, eliciting a gasp from the crowd. A moment later, Naruto appeared above the alien, and slammed his heel into the back of the creature's head, knocking it to the ground. The Wookiee roared, and rose, striking again at the pesky ninja. Naruto grabbed it by the wrist, and twisted the Wookiee's arm, forcing it to kneel. "Yield!" he barked out, shoving the Wookiee down to the floor. The Wookiee thrashed, trying to escape, but Naruto shoved his boot into its back, pressing it against the floor and pulling the arm back as far as it would go. After a moment, the Wookiee stopped, and let out what he guessed was his admission of defeat.
Naruto released the Wookiee and strode back to his bed, noting that the other gladiators now looked at him with a mixture of fear and respect. Guess the only way to get anything is to fight for it, Naruto thought, and he lay down on the cot. A few minutes later, the world finally faded away, leaving only blissful sleep.
The escape pod finally landed on the planet with a loud bang, sending Sasuke and the Twi'lek slamming against the wall. Sasuke pulled out of her as she tried to lift herself to her feet, and he dressed as she managed to stand, shaking and crying. She reached for her furs, but Sasuke grabbed her arm, seating her down. She looked at him with confusion, before screaming as he rammed a Chidori through her heart. As the last screams faded, he stepped from the pod, blood spattered across his arm, chest, and face. He made no move to wipe it off as he bowed before a cloaked figure waiting before him.
"Good," the man said, motioning at the blood. His voice was old, and gilded, but somewhat scratchy. "You are ruthless. This shall serve you well here on Geonosis." Sasuke bowed once more, grimacing at having to be servile to this old man. But even he knew when he was over his head, and this man was definitely not to be trifled with.
"What is the name of my Master?" Sasuke asked, trying to see under the hood. The fabric cast a dark shadow over the face, even with the sun this bright, and Sasuke could only guess as to what the man wished to hide. Perhaps a disfigurement, he thought, feeling somewhat smug at the thought.
"I am Darth Sidious," he intoned, and Sasuke felt a slight shiver down his spine as he heard the words. "I shall train you to be a Sith. If you are worthy, you shall face Darth Tyranus and take his place at my side, and become a Sith in full."
Sasuke slowly bowed again, finding that he hated the man standing before him. "Yes, my Master," he droned, his expression blank. Sidious turned, and disappeared into the caves. Sasuke looked back at the blood-spattered escape pod, before he turned and walked into the darkness.
Ahsoka awoke with a gasp, her body drenched in a cold sweat. Her chest heaved as she the last dregs of her vision left her, and she hugged her legs to her chest, shivering slightly. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself, trying to rid herself of the chill her shirt and underwear couldn't. "Naruto…" she whispered, the vision still fresh in her mind.
An unfamiliar ship soared to a planet covered in green land masses and covered in water. After a moment, she recognized it as Corellia. It soared down to the planet below, landing upon a snow-covered mountain. She took a look at it in greater detail as two figures exited. In the center was a globe, obviously where the pilot would sit, and attached to each were black panes, straight near the center curving in toward the dome. The shorter figure was covered by a full body black cloak, hiding his features. The second was a tall, powerful man dressed head to toe in black armor made of leather and some identifiable metal. They turned toward a certain spot, and she recognized Naruto meditating in the snow, dressed in a white cloak and pants, blending in well with his surroundings. He slowly stood, drawing and activating a silver-bladed lightsaber. The armored man stepped forward, activating a red lightsaber, and the two dashed forward, Naruto roaring in anger and pain. As the vision faded, she could just make out tears in his eyes.
She rubbed her arm, already missing the feel of his fingertips dancing along her skin. Worry gnawed at her, and she once again saw the pain and heartache in his face, the tears in his eyes. She stood, and dressed in an outfit she had made herself; a maroon shirt with a triangle over her sternum, leather straps on her arms, gray tights with diamonds down the leg, and a leather double-belt slung across her hips. She pulled on her old boots, now more scuffed and darker than when she had first worn them. She gazed at herself in the mirror, noticing her taller montrals and longer lekku.
She sighed, and walked out of her compartment, ready for her newest battlefield mission.
Naruto awoke to much worse conditions than he had hoped; he awoke to the sting of a neuronic whip lashing across his back. He hissed, and rolled off his bunk, landing on all fours. He turned, and saw one of the Geonosians prodding the gladiators out of the barracks, bringing a whip down on anyone who refused to move. Naruto growled, and stood, shaking slightly from the pain still coursing through his body. His wounds were mostly gone, and now he had another one. Just great, he thought, following the mob trudging through the dark caves. What the hell is going on now? After ten minutes in the darkness, they entered what appeared to be a training arena, filled with racks of weapons, posts for attacks, pieces of armor, and many other paraphernalia.
Count Dooku stepped out onto the field, a Super Battle Droid on either side acting as guards. He raised his hands, and the gladiators quieted, turning toward the Separatist General. "I welcome you to Geonosis. In the following months, you will be trained to become Gladiators." Naruto turned his gaze sharply toward the old Sith Lord. Months? he thought, narrowing his eyes at the man. Dooku continued, not noticing Naruto's astute gaze. "In three months' time, you will face each other in the ring for Darth Sidious and the Separatist leaders. One of you will be granted freedom. I cannot guarantee the lives of any others." With that, the elderly man turned and began walking away.
What? Naruto thought, shaking in anger. I was supposed to compete NOW! Whoever gave us the information fucked up! A Geonosian said something in their language, and the others began parting, Naruto remaining still, gazing at the retreating form of Dooku. One of the Geonosians clicked angrily, jabbing at him with some kind of electric rod. Naruto roared in anger when it touched him, and grabbed the rod, pulling on it until he wrapped one of his hands around the creature's neck. With a quick movement, he grabbed its head with both hands before twisting, the creature's neck breaking with a wet crunch. Everyone in the training area froze, including Dooku, to turn and gaze at Naruto as the Geonosian's corpse slumped to the dirt.
As the other Geonosians charged at him with rage, he brought his right hand across his waist, to where another tattoo connected to his storage area. He quickly summoned the lightsaber, and ignited it, taking a shinobi fighting stance, rather than a Jedi one. The Geonosians froze, looking at the blue blade with fear while Dooku's eyes narrowed at the young man. One of the droids shot off a blast at him, and he dodged, the stray shot hitting a Geonosian. He quickly twisted and pivoted, cutting through enemies as they came, careful to restrict all his moves to what a shinobi might use, and purposefully making mistakes here and there. He had cut through five, and was moving for the sixth when a blast of lightning hit him square in the back, lifting him off the ground and throwing him across the stadium.
He groaned in pain as the electricity left his body, still feeling the pain of it running through his nerves. He managed to pull himself into a sitting position until he was leaning against a boulder. A metallic taste filled his mouth, and he spat out a large glob of blood. Turning his gaze up, he saw Dooku standing in front of him, holding Naruto's lightsaber in his hand, gazing at it with an arched eyebrow. Must have been knocked out of my hand, he supposed, his thoughts sluggish.
"Where did you get this?" Dooku asked, turning his gaze back to Naruto. Naruto looked at him blankly for a few seconds, trying to get his sluggish brain to bring forth the story he had come up with. After a few seconds, he succeeded, and groaned as he shifted slightly.
"I was a shinobi on Kironia, until someone captured me. I managed to steal it from the smuggler who was transporting me to whoever I was sold to. Apparently he decided to sell me himself, and keep the money from both sales." Dooku gazed at him for a while, his shrewd gaze trying to find a flaw in his actions that would prove the story true or false. After some time, he nodded, and tossed it onto Naruto's lap, turning from the young man. He motioned for a Geonosian, before speaking to him.
"See to it that he joins me for dinner. I have a… proposition to make of him." With that, Dooku finally left, disappearing into the caves with his droid guards in tow. Naruto slowly rose, and re-sealed the lightsaber to his hip, before striding over to the group, watching as they gazed at him with a new amount of fear.
"That was pretty good," a female Twi'lek said, walking up to him as the others turned away. She was dressed in a pair of skintight black tights hugging the curves of her hips, and a shirt revealing the small of her back, the sides of her abdomen, and a large amount of skin above the swell of her considerable breasts. "It's good to see those bastards finally get what they deserve. I'm Arana'samura," she said, offering her hand. He shook it, noting the strength in her grip.
"I'm Naruto," he said, meeting her gaze. She seemed entranced by the pattern of his eyes, until he looked away, turning to the watch the training being conducted. "What exactly are they trying to do here?" he asked, watching the forms the gladiators were being taught. Each wielded a short wooden blade the size of a ninjato from his home, and each form seemed strange and excessive for combat. When he remarked upon it, she laughed, shaking her head.
"The combatants are being taught how to fight with swords. They learn to fight with just about any weapon that's not a blaster. Technically speaking you are allowed to use your lightsaber against someone armed only with a spear. And seeing as they are to fight for the entertainment of the crowd, they're taught flashy techniques, rather than those used by warriors in battle. This way, you bleed, you suffer, and then you die."
Naruto gazed at the fighters, going through exaggerated motions with the wooden swords until the pattern was down right. If one made a mistake, he quickly found a neuronic whip lashed across his back. The Geonosians glared at the Twi'lek and Jedi every few minutes, obviously wanting to whip them but now afraid of Naruto's abilities.
"The way you fought with that lightsaber is rather impressive. Judging by the slight issue you had with the lack of counterbalance, I believe I can say that you aren't a Jedi." He nodded, pleased that his ruse had worked. "I have to ask, where did you learn to fight like that?" When he remained silent, she turned back to the fighters. "I apologize if that's something personal."
Naruto sighed, before shrugging off his make-shift tunic. He turned toward her, and she gasped as she saw the scar on his chest where Sasuke's Chidori had pierced him what seemed decades ago. "On my planet, I was a warrior. We were called shinobi. We learned to fight, and every now and then there would be war. Shinobi don't tend to waste time showing off. When we fight, we often fight to the death."
"And the one who gave you that?" she asked, tentatively touching the scar, fascinated someone could have survived such an attack.
An image passed before Naruto's eyes for a moment; an image of Sasuke, hatred in his eyes and darkness in his soul. "Still out there," he said, pulling the tunic back on. "And when we meet again, he'll try to finish what he started." He turned back toward the combatants, watching their forms, dissecting each move in his head, calculating the easiest way to take them out later. If I have to, I'll finish it, he thought.
He saw one of the trainees, a Wookiee, collapse suddenly, falling to the dirt from a whip across his back. The other Geonosians were on him, attacking him with various blunt weapons, whips, and other devices. "Aw hell," Arana'samura groaned, rubbing the back of her neck. She kicked at the dirt, finding herself helpless. Naruto grit his teeth, and in an instant was standing next to the Wookiee, a whip curling around his outstretched forearm. With a hard yank, he pulled it from the hand of the Geonosian, catching it by the handle.
The Geonosians began scrambling away, but he cracked the whip, wrapping the wire around one's neck before activating the neuronic pulse. The alien thrashed for a moment before he pulled hard, the cord slicing clean through the soft tissue and bone. The head spiraled into the air, landing a dozen feet away as the truncated body hit the dirt. He helped the Wookiee up, and as he released the hairy arm, he felt several thousand volts flow through his body. He yelled out in pain, and sunk to his knees, darkness consuming his vision.
Naruto groaned as he came back to awareness. As he opened his eyes, he immediately knew something was wrong; his vision seemed enhanced, throwing details into sharper contrast. His body felt strangely cool, and he realized he was floating in a bacta tank. As he looked around, he caught sight of his skin, and froze in fear.
His skin had changed color from the tan he had gained on so many missions under the sun, to a silvery-gray, crisscrossed with black lines. In horror, he realized they represented Sith Tattoos. He swam to the glass, and shouted in shock at his reflection.
The skin on his head had followed the rest of his transformation. His eyes looked different; the cerulean blue slits remained, but they looked even more wild now, more feral. Horns had appeared, circling his blond hair, turned silver, with two large horns sticking out at the corners of his forehead. His hair had lengthened, cascading between the horns like a waterfall. Had it been natural, he would have found it appealing, handsome even, but with all these changes, he felt different. Unclean. He heard a voice, and focused his hearing.
"The subject has awakened, Lord Sidious," a medical droid's voice echoed, and in the darkness outside the tank he could just barely make out the figure of the droid speaking to a cloaked and hooded figure. "As you
can see, the bonding process was successful. The subject's DNA has been combined with that of your late apprentice, Darth Maul." At the name, flashes of memories not his own appeared in his mind.
A red-skinned Zabrak boy on Dathomir played with his friends when a hooded man appeared before him. The man spoke to him with a voice unlike any he had ever heard. It was smooth, yet rough; kind yet cruel; in a word, hypnotic. He offered the young boy a chance to see the galaxy. He offered the young boy power the likes of which he would never find on Dathomir. Curious, the boy agreed to go with him.
He returned from the memory, gasping for air. He took a deep breath through the breathing apparatus, and his head cleared, returning him to the bacta tank. "As you can see," the droid continued, looking at the same hooded man, "the memories of Lord Maul are beginning to surface. If you subject is able to compartmentalize, then he will be a powerful ally." "And if not?" Sidious asked, his voice as gilded as it had been in the memory. The droid paused for a few seconds before responding. "If he is unable, then his mind will collapse. He'll wind up destroying anything in his path, before his systems fail and he dies."
As Naruto heard the droid, time seemed to slow, and the world seemed to shrink around him as ever greater fear seemed to grasp him. What did the droid mean, he had Maul's memories? And compartmentalize? Did that mean he might lose his personality, what made him him, and turn into Maul?
"Induce the memories," Sidious said, and the droid nodded, pressing a button. Naruto felt a dam break in his mind, releasing a flood of memories. His last act before he was submerged was to release all of his fury, fear, and pain in a scream that echoed through the Force.
On the frontlines of a small skirmish, Gaara sliced down a Super Battle Droid. As he deflected a shot, he heard a familiar scream, and jumped, looking all around him, realizing a moment later it was an echo through the Force. As another surge charged him, he knew Naruto was in pain.
Ahsoka sat in compartment aboard the Twilight, thinking about Naruto. Her lips tingled whenever she thought about his kiss, and her face grew flushed as she recalled the sight of his sweat-covered body as they had sparred. She shuddered, and as she grasped her forearms, a roar reverberated through the ship, causing Anakin to jerk the controls, throwing her against the door. As the echo faded away, his name appeared on her lips, conveying fear for her love.
"Naruto…"
He saw endless waves of memories. He witnessed the young Zabrak's training, which nearly killed him many times over. Every now and then, a memory would appear so sharply that it would engulf him.
He was riding his Bloodfin Speeder through the sands of Tattooine. He saw the chrome starship, its design screaming Naboo Royalty. He saw people running into the ship, and saw a Jedi turn to confront him. He leapt from the Bloodfin and clashed blades with the Jedi, red meeting green in a burst of sparks. They dueled back and forth in the sand, until the Jedi managed to escape.
He was walking through what appeared to be a swamp or a marsh, as vines, mist, and moss seemed to permeate the area. He walked further in, noticing how objects seemed to float through the air as he walked by. Figures suddenly emerged from the vines, grabbing at him, until the vines wrapped around them. They seemed to freeze, and as he looked at them, he saw their faces. They were the Naruto he had been, the Naruto he was changed into, and Darth Maul. In the center of the clearing ahead, he saw a flicker of movement, and he cautiously moved forward, gently pushing aside the limp limbs.
He entered the clearing, and saw the Kyuubi, garbed differently than when last they met. The beskar armor was now stark white, matching the cloak draped around his form. The flangs and spikes were gone, replaced by the smooth curves of Jedi clothing. For a moment he reached for his lightsaber, but his hand closed on empty air. "I am not here to fight you," he said, raising his gauntlet-covered hands to show he was unarmed. "I am here to help you."
"Oh really?" Naruto asked sarcastically, turning to keep the Kyuubi in sight as it paced around him. "And why now, when you never aided me in fourteen years?" The Kyuubi laughed, a dark, echoing sound in this hot, misty place.
"Because of what is occurring. You are being experimented on, fused with the DNA of a Sith Lord. And not just any, but Darth Maul, the most animalistic thus far. I am holding your psyche intact as you are continually assaulted with his memories. If his memories overrun yours, they will turn you in to a clone of Darth Maul. This is not what Sidious wants, and he will kill you. If you cannot distinguish who you are, your mind and body will collapse, and you will die. What they want from you is a perfect blend of your personalities, giving them your Ninja powers, and Maul's Sith Techniques."
"And just how does this involve you?" Naruto asked, looking at the dangling bodies around him. In a moment of panic, he found that it was getting harder to distinguish which face went to which name. The Kyuubi noticed, and his eyes narrowed, before continuing with his pacing.
"When you defeated me, you caused the Force to flow through you, cleansing your soul. The Force found me, and, curious, I delved into the tide. Just as you have found peace through the Force, so too have I."
Suspicious, Naruto reached forward through the Force, and found the Kyuubi's mind. When the fox offered no resistance, he dove in, finding that the fox radiated an aura of peace and truth. Pulling out, Naruto nodded curtly as he looked around him. "So you'll keep my mind intact, while giving me Maul's powers?" The Kyuubi nodded, and turned to face him.
"I will also change your body. Your skin will take its normal tan, but you will be left with the markings. I can turn them silver if you want." Naruto nodded, and the Kyuubi continued. "You'll also keep the horns. They should give Ahsoka something to play with." Naruto blushed, and the Kyuubi laughed before saying one last thing. "I will hold your psyche intact, but be warned; you shall still feel the mental strain." And with that, the swamp, bodies, and Kyuubi were gone, and the only thing left was the pain.
Well, there you have it folks. This chapter was several months in the making, so please, let me know what you think by pressing that magic little button that says Review. Zeratide, out.