Part 5 – Alderaan – Part 1
The bed Sasuke slept in was comfortable, nothing compared to the bed in his father's estate on Dromund Kaas, but comfortable non-the-less.
It had taken them a standard week to reach Alderaan, and as they were getting close, Naruto was in the cockpit with Sakura when the alarm went off, "We'll be arriving at Alderaan in one hour," He said as he pointed over his shoulder, "Go wake up Sasuke."
Sakura walked into Sasuke's room to see Sasuke was fast asleep.
She walked over, and put a hand on his shoulder, his Cathar fur was silky smooth, she had never felt anything so soft.
"Enjoying that?" Sasuke asked.
Sakura looked up at Sasuke to see him looking at her.
"Sorry," Sakura said, "We're approaching Alderaan."
"I'll be on the bridge soon." Sasuke said.
Sasuke quickly got dressed, and both him and Sakura ran to the bridge as Naruto was speaking to the planetary orbital control.
Sasuke wore a pair of heavy metal boots, dark blue pants, and a metal chest-plate which looked like leather but was hand-forge metal which was covered by a black cloak.
"No, I don't have a landing pass," Naruto said, "We are Sith on executive order of Darth Tsunade."
"Hold on while we verify." The traffic controller said.
"They should go for it." Naruto said.
"Darth Saber's been down there." Sasuke said.
"I sense him too." Naruto said.
"We have just verified your clearance," the traffic controller said, "House Thul welcomes you."
As the ship touched down in the space port, and the team departed, a small group of Thul soldiers walked up to him, the one that appeared to be the leader was a female Human dressed in dark blue battle armor with long dark purple hair and purplish eyes with no pupils.
"Welcome to Alderaan my lord," the woman said as she and the guards went to their knees in front of Sasuke, "I am Hinata Hyuuga, personal bodyguard to Lady Melina Thul."
"Rise guardsmen," Sasuke said, "Bring me to Lady Thul."
Hinata led Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto to House Thul where upon entering, the entire place screamed 'Narcissist'.
The group was led into a large room with a long table, a high ceiling, and a large number of statues.
At the head of the table was Lord Rigel Thul, head of the House of Thul, Madame Regina Thul, Rigel Thul's wife, and Lady Melina Thul, heir to the head of the House of Thul.
"You must be the Sith," she said as she looked up at Sasuke.
"I am." Sasuke said.
Lord Thul ushered to the end of the table.
"Your master spoke very highly of you," Lady Thul said, "My parents and your master Lord Mascaraed were good friends."
"My late master's friendship with your parents is why I came here," Sasuke said, "I have reason to believe that my master left something for me on the planet."
"Do you know what?" Lord Thul asked.
"I was hoping your family knew," Sasuke said, "I can sense she came here."
"She stayed her a few weeks before her death," Lord Thul said, "She spent a lot of time with a smuggler named Ricard."
"Where is this Ricard?" Sasuke asked.
"Dead," Lord Thul said, "His ship was shot down by House Organa supporters over the ice cliffs."
"Have they found his ship yet?" Sasuke asked.
"Yes," Lady Thul said, "But they can't get in. The ship was designed to ward off attacks by everyone not a representative of House Thul."
"I take it you'll send one?" Sasuke asked.
"Yes," Madame Thul said as she slid a few small items across the table to Sasuke.
The item turned out to be three pins with the symbol of House Thul stamped into the faces.
"What're these?" Sasuke asked
"They have special features," Madame Thul said as she picked up one, and pointed to the face, she pressed on it, and the eyes glowed red, "Activate this, and you should be able to slip by the ship's auto defenses without any problems."
"Thank you," Sasuke said as he handed the pins to Sakura and Naruto, "We'll be taking our leave now."
"I'll arrange for an escort." Lord Thul said.
"Take Hinata," Lady Thul said, "She's a good guide."
"Have her meet us with a speeder." Sasuke said.
Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto walked outside of House Thul to see Hinata waiting with a four-seated speeder.
"I've been instructed to show you to Ricard's ship." Hinata said.
"If you would." Sasuke said.
As they were flying over the Ice Mountains, Sasuke noticed the way Hinata was scanning her environment while flying the speeder.
"What's on your mind?" Hinata asked.
"Am I that obvious?" Sasuke asked.
"No," Hinata said, "I have heightened senses."
"Because of your training?" Sasuke asked.
"Am I that obvious?" Hinata asked.
"Only to the trained eye," Sasuke said, "You're scanning the environment. Your shoulders are slightly clenched, and the fact you have that knife strapped to your arm," Hinata glanced ever so slightly at the seven-inch flat-tip knife sheathed in her left gauntlet's wrist, "You were a soldier once."
"Not exactly," Hinata said, "I was…," Sasuke held up his hand, "What?"
"Bank right," Sasuke exclaimed as a rocket came right for them.
Hinata yanked the controls right as hard as she could, and as she did, both of the speeder's engines cut off, and went into a wild tail-spin.
"I've lost all control," Hinata said, "I can't hold her!"
"Try to regain." Sasuke said.
Hinata frantically tried to restart the engines as the speeder, "I can't!" She exclaimed.
"Naruto," Sasuke exclaimed, "Jump start this thing!"
Naruto generated enough lightning in his hands to have them mistaken for small balls of lightning.
He then slapped them on top of the engine which roared to life in time for them to slow down.
As Hinata tried to pull up, they started to straighten up, but it was still too late: the speeder jammed itself three feet into the ground, and threw the four of them onto the ground in front of the speeder.
"Everyone ok," Sasuke asked as he picked up his lightsaber.
"Yea." Sakura said.
"I'm good." Naruto said.
"No injuries." Hinata said.
"Good," Sasuke said as he activated his saber, "Because we've got company."
A small band of House Organa soldiers came running down the large hill in front of them.
"Get into cover," Naruto said as he drew, and activated his own lightsaber.
The first soldier fired a shot at Sasuke who deflected the incoming shot.
The shot ricocheted off Sasuke's lightsaber blade, and went back into the soldier's chest.
The second shot went straight towards Hinata, Naruto jumped in front of her, and deflected the shot.
The rebounded shot missed the soldier's right shoulder by three inches, but the shot Hinata fired underneath Naruto's arm hit him dead-center in the chest.
"Nice shot." Naruto said as he deflected another shot.
"Get into cover." Sasuke said as he pushed Sakura into cover behind the crashed speeder.
"THIS IS HOUSE ORGANA," a soldier yelled at them, "WE KNOW YOU'RE WITH HOUSE THUL! LET US GET INTO THE SMUGGLER RICARD'S SHIP, AND WE PROMISE YOU WON'T BE HARMED!"
"He's kriffing with us," Hinata said as she checked her rifle, "The second they get to the ship out they'll shoot us."
"Yes," Sasuke said, "But not until they get inside."
"Think we can use that?" Naruto asked.
"I know we can." Sasuke said, "ALRIGHT," Sasuke shouted, "WE'RE COMING OUT!"
Sasuke and Naruto deactivated their lightsabers, and walked outside to have the soldiers take their weapons.
Sakura walked out next, and her weapons was taken, but Hinata was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's the fourth," The leader asked, "There were four of you."
"Hologram," Sasuke said, "The shot that killed your man was reflected."
"You can keep us ahead of the turrets," the leader said as he shoved Sasuke in front of them, "Start moving."
The guards then shoved Naruto ahead of them as one of them tried to kiss Sakura, the leader blackened his eye.
"What the fuck was that," he asked, "She's a prisoner not a slave, like this Sith makes her."
"She not a slave," Sasuke said, "She's my partner."
"He saved me," Sakura said as she walked next to Sasuke, "He's my friend."
"It seems not all Sith are that bad boys," the leader said, "Keep moving."
As they arrived at the area where the ship crashed, they turret targeted the small platoon, but Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura's pins allowed them to let them through.
"Just keep moving," the leader said, "That turret targets us, you die first."
The small group approached the front of the ship very slowly, making sure they turret didn't get a clean shot.
As they arrived at the entrance, the second-in-command placed a knife into Sasuke's back, "Disable it." He ordered.
Sasuke held his hands up, and using the force, tore the turret from it's socket.
"Alright," the man said as he removed the knife, "Now open the door."
Sasuke used the force, and tore the door off its hinges.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone moving in active cloak around the side of the ship, but didn't see the person climb onto the ship because the leader shoved Sasuke over.
"Thank you," the leader said as the soldiers lined up Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto in a straight line, "Now that that's finished we have no further need of you."
As he raised his blaster Sasuke said, "You're right. But now we no longer need you. Now!"
Hinata decloaked, jumped down behind the soldiers, and knocked all over them off balance.
Sasuke swung around, grabbed his lightsaber with the force, pulled it into his hands, and cut himself, Sakura, and Naruto free.
Naruto grabbed his, pulled it into his hands, and activated it in time to deflect an incoming shot.
Sasuke came down with an overhand chop, slicing one of the soldiers across the chest.
The second kill came as Sakura grabbed one of the guard's around the neck, and in one twist, cracked his neck.
The third kill came when Naruto came in with a stab, and skewered two of the soldiers in one thrust.
Hinata managed to kill another with her blaster, and killed a second bow throwing her knife into the man's eye.
Sakura grabbed the next one around the arm, broke it by bring her elbow down on the joint between his forearm and bicep, grabbed him by the chin, and snapped his neck.
The leader turned around to have Hinata retrieve her knife, and sheath it into his jugular vein, "You bitch." He said as he succumbed to his wound.
"I'm impressed," Sasuke said.
"Thanks," Hinata said as she wiped the blood from her knife clean on her sleeve.
"Come on," Sasuke said as he walked into the ship to see the place had turned into a solid block of ice, he turned toward Naruto, and nodded.
"Alright." Naruto said.
The two of them held their lightsabers near the ice, and melted it, allowing them passage, "This ship is not large, but there were seven crewmembers, a Devaronian, two Twi'leks, two droids, and a Duros, Ricard," Sasuke said, "Naruto, take Hinata, and search this side of the ship, me and Sakura will search the other."
Sasuke and Sakura moved through the side of the ship, "Its cold." Sakura said.
Sasuke wrapped his cloak and arm around her, and pulled her closer, "How about now?" Sasuke asked.
"I have to say," Sakura said as she hugged herself, "You make an excellent coat."
"Please don't say that again," Sasuke said as they came across a T-3 Utility droid in pieces, "Its Ricard's Utility droid."
Sakura knelt down to the droid, and began messing around with the electrics, once she was done, the droid projected an image of the crash in which two members of the crew were thrown against the walls.
"I can make it go faster." Sakura said.
"Do it." Sasuke said.
Sakura sped up the footage to show that Ricard was heading to the bridge, heavily wounded, but unfortunately, that was when the fed was cut.
"He was heading to the bridge." Sakura said.
"Then that's where we're going." Sasuke said.
Sasuke and Sakura moved toward the bridge to see that Ricard was dead, it looked like he had activated the turret, but died before he could send out a distress signal.
"NARUTO," Sasuke yelled, "WE FOUND HIM!"
Naruto and Hinata entered to see Sasuke and Sakura going through Ricard's pockets, "He's dead?" Naruto asked.
"Yep," Sasuke said as he pulled everything that Ricard had in his pockets, and put them into his pockets, "Start downloading everything they have on the computers."
"Copy that," Naruto said as he started downloading the data from the computers onto a small datapad.
As Sakura started, Hinata knelt over Ricard, "Go lost soul," Hinata said as she drew lines on her forehead with the frost she wiped off Ricard's body, "And find your gods, may they grant you peace in wherever you find yourself," Naruto and Sakura turned to look at Hinata as she continued, "While your soul moves on, your body remains here, to be given a final resting place. Mar'eyir manda in naak."
"I thought I recognized the armor," Sasuke said, "Ni know your joha… Mando."
"Mando?" Naruto asked.
"You didn't recognize the armor," Sasuke asked as he stood up along with Hinata, "She's a Mandalorian."
"A Mandalorian," Naruto asked, "That explains the fighting style, the accuracy."
"And the spirituality," Sakura said as she unplugged her datapad, "That's everything."
"Let's move," Sasuke said, "We've got work to do."
Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata walked into the hanger where they found two speeder-bikes.
"Looks like we found our way out." Naruto said.
"How are we going to get these things out," Hinata asked, "We won't be able to get them out the back, and we wont…"
Sasuke and Naruto activated their lightsabers, and cut a hole in the side of the ship, and used the force to push the hole they cut open.
"Did you say something?" Sasuke asked.
"I'll take this one," Naruto said as he walked over to the one more toward the back.
"This one," Sasuke said as he took his seat on the first bike, and Sakura climbed on behind him.
Naruto climbed onto the second, and Hinata climbed in behind him.
"Hang on," Naruto said, "Me and Sasuke here have been known to ruin these things while racing."
"You're kidding right," Hinata asked, "Tell me you're kidding."
Sasuke kicked the bike to life, Naruto did the same, and in one turn, the two bikes bolted forward.
As the bikes flew across the plains, Sakura held onto Sasuke for dear life.
"Hey," Sasuke said as he pointed toward a Killik cave with two ends, "Once more for old time's sake?"
"Let's do it!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Do what," Sakura asked, "Do what," Sasuke and Naruto jerked their bikes toward the cave, "Sasuke what are you doing?"
"Hang on," Sasuke said as he and Naruto spun the bikes around so they would go through the cave spinning.
Sakura screamed, closed her eyes, and hugged herself as close as she could into Sasuke's back.
Sasuke and Naruto looked down as the Killiks looked up as they flew overhead.
The two came out the other side screaming for joy, Sakura opened her eyes to see Sasuke and Naruto have a high-five.
"Please don't do that again." Sakura said.
"Ok," Sasuke said as they continued back to the palace.
When they arrived, Lady Thul arrived outside to see the team pull up, "Had fun?" She asked.
"You could say that," Sasuke said as he stepped off, and turned around to help Sakura get off.
"Thanks," she said as he feet went out from underneath her, and stumbled into Sasuke's arms.
"Ok," Sasuke said, "Maybe a little too fast."
"Maybe," Sakura said as Sasuke pulled her into his arms.
"Isn't that sweet," Lady Thul said, "You want to take her to your rooms for the night?"
"Please," Sasuke said as Naruto handed her the datapads they collected.
"Can you have these deciphered?" Naruto asked.
"I'll get our best men on it," Lady Thul said, "Food's in your rooms."
Sasuke carried Sakura to the guest rooms as Naruto and Hinata followed them.
When they entered, they found three elaborately made beds, in front was a small table covered in food.
Sasuke sat Sakura in front of the food, and sat next to her.
As they were eating, Naruto spoke, "I have to admit, Alderaan might have a completely messed up government," he took a bite of food, "But they have some pretty good food."
"Yea." Sasuke said.
"That's one of the things we excel at," Lord Thul said as he appeared in the doorway to their room.
"Lord Thul," Sasuke said, "What can I do for you?"
"I'd like to speak to you in private," Lord Thul said, "Can you speak to me in the hall?"
"Sure," Sasuke said as he stood up, and walked with him.
It was late at night, the nobles had gone home, Lady and Madame Thul were asleep, and the castle was almost dead.
The only light that was there was the dim glow of the light stones which gave a very low yellow glow that casted a low shadow from the pillars.
Lord Thul brought out a bottle of liquor, "Corellian Whiskey," Lord Thul said, "The best kind," he removed the cork, and poured them each a glass.
"Thanks," Sasuke said as he took the glass.
"To the Empire," Lord Thul said as he held out his glass.
"The Empire," Sasuke said as he tapped his glass against Lord Thul's.
The two of them swigged their drinks back, and Lord Thul poured another two, "I heard you're not like the various other Sith in the galaxy." Lord Thul said.
"No," Sasuke said, "From birth I had a very specific set of ideals hammered into me. I respect the concept of honor. I want to find a way for Sith to respect my ideals."
"That might be more difficult than you think," Lord Thul said, "But I can respect that."
After they swigged back their drinks, Lord Thul poured them another two drinks, Sasuke simply said, "Thank you."
"I actually have a task for you," Lord Thul said as he handed Sasuke a datapad, "I had my technicians decipher that datapad of yours. The secret to unlimited wealth and power?"
"It's my birthright," Sasuke said, "It belongs to my ancestor."
"Ancestor?" Lord Thul asked.
"Darth Ragure," Sasuke said, "He was an ancient Lord of the Sith who gave my family it's moral stance on honor."
"That's good," Lord Thul said, "To honor your family."
"Thank you," Sasuke said, "What's this about?"
"All that power," Lord Thul said, "Might tip the scale in case we went to war against House Organa."
"You want that power for yourself," Sasuke said, "That power belongs to my family."
"Of course you're right," Lord Thul said, "Well then," he put the bottle up, and walked off, "Good night."
Sasuke at that moment sensed a plot to steal Darth Ragure's powers for himself.
Sasuke swigged down his last gulp of whiskey, and walked back to his room
"We'll see who gets their first." Sasuke thought.
Guess what happens next…
Translation:
Mar'eyir – find
Manda – the collective soul or Heaven
Naak – peace
Ni – I
Joha – language
Mando – Mandalorian