Author's Note: Hello everyone. I apologize for the delay; unforeseen events caused me to put all projects on hold for quite some time. That said, don't worry the story is still going as planned.
Chapter 17: Safe Haven
Selendis walked the empty metal halls of the Gantrithor. It was dark; all the lights were out. And it was quiet …. too quiet. Where was the ship's crew? She walked into the medical bay. The room was dark, empty. By ship protocol, by the protocols she created, there should always be at least one medical officer manning the facility in case of emergency. So why would the medics abandon their posts like this? It didn't make sense; did something happen while she was unconscious? She went over to the windows. She at least had to know where she was.
The planet's surface was approximately 11,600 meters closer than the minimum orbiting altitude was ever allowed to be. A hulking colossus lay scattered in pieces across the field at her window. Had the ship crashed? Couldn't have; she would have felt the impact. Everything was so dark, like a shroud had wrapped itself around this world's sun. The ship creaked and groaned as she walked the halls. Running her hands on the wall, she discovered cracks and holes had been blasted into them. What happened here while she was asleep? A clanging noise of footsteps on metal echoed from deeper inside the ship. Perhaps she was not alone here.
She followed the sound through the ship, still finding nothing but darkness and abandoned things as she went. The consoles she came across were offline- unpowered. She walked onto the walkways above the supercarrier's internal cybernetics core. Something moved in the gloom below, in between the rows of damaged and unfinished sentries and machines. She leaned on the railings, trying to get a better view. Just then, something shook the entire ship with the force of a scourge impact. Selendis' walkway buckled beneath her, sending them both falling to the floor below.
Selendis' eyes flew open, ending the falling sensation abruptly. She was in the med bay; well lit, and staffed. Things felt normal; she was actually awake this time. She started to get up slowly.
"Ah, you're awake. Good," the medical officer greeted her.
"How long was I out?" Selendis put a hand to her head. It was still slightly sore.
"Two days, nine hours, forty-seven minutes," the officer reported.
"That long?" Selendis shook her head in disgust at her lack of foresight and control, "What is our current situation?"
"The Gantrithor is holding about 300 meters above our forward operations base. The base is nearing completion, but several structures are still in progress. You'll have to ask for a report on the bridge for anything more."
"Thank you," Selendis nodded.
"Officer on deck!"
Every crew member on the bridge saluted. Selendis simply used the Khala to respond.
"Status report," she ordered.
"We're operating at maximum efficiency ma'am. We've seen some small aerial parties, but nothing larger than four at any time. The enemy's been rather quiet the past few days."
"Ground reports?"
"No major activity of note. Some small scouting parties, but the threat of the Gantrithor seems to be keeping them at bay for the moment. The shinobi engineers are still working with ours to improve our technology, as well as the construction of the new base."
"Have the leaders come up with a name for this base?"
"The general consensus is heavily favoring the name 'Antioch', after the temple and fortification that proved so instrumental to the defense of Aiur during the Great War."
"Hmmm. It is a fitting name. I approve of their choice. What is the status of the base's construction?"
"We haven't been updated for some time. Recommend taking a warp prism down there to see for yourself."
Down in the robotics bays, Sasuke and Tenten were having a conversation, working nonstop.
"Tenten tell me, how do you do it?" Sasuke called up to her.
Tenten looked down from the top of the machine she was working on, "How do I do what?"
"This. I gave you this incredibly complex idea, no one's ever tried this before, and yet you do it so perfectly. I mean, you're surrounded by alien technology thousands of years more advanced than ours, using things that aren't even from our universe, and yet you understand it all, learn to use it within days, and figure out how to improve on it within a week. How do you do that?"
Tenten paused from her work, "I don't know," she admitted, "It just comes naturally. I learn it, it takes a while sometimes, but I think it out, and eventually I get it. It's mainly just logic and keeping an open mind I guess."
"I envy you in that regard," Sasuke told her, "I am pretty good at jutsus and stuff, improving myself maybe, but I still have to work so hard at it. What you do helps everyone, and you make it look so effortless."
"Well, it's not easy I can tell you that," Tenten started taking a crowbar to a piece of metal, "It does require quite a bit of brain power."
Sasuke jumped out of the way as a large piece of metal plating crashed less than half a foot away.
"Hey! Watch it! What the heck are you doing up there anyways, I thought this thing was finished."
"Just making a few last minute modifications, that's all."
"Well don't do anything major that needs to be tested. Don't forget we're presenting this today now that all of us are back in action."
"Don't worry, it's just a small thing. It'll be ready by the time everyone gets here."
Kiba and Akamaru were helping carry materials around Antioch.
"We'll need to shore up the supports for the armory roof," an architect told them, "We have to make sure it can withstand raids long enough for us to react."
"I'm not sure I understand why," Kiba remarked, "There's nothing in the sky to threaten it from that angle anymore. What's the point in using resources for something that's already safe? We could use the materials for another defense tower, or another barracks, or something else."
"We need to be prepared for any scenario. Even one that contains mutas, as unlikely as that is now."
"Well, why not reinforce against more obvious threats like ultralisks?"
"No point," Ino told him, "If an ultra gets past our perimeter, no amount of armor we could possibly come up with will stop it for long."
Kiba shrugged, and continued on with his work. He looked around, marveling at what the two races had accomplished in last few days. A large metal and stone wall around the perimeter, a few feet thick to make sure nothing could get through it. Defensive towers every 25 feet along the wall, manned with photon cannons and vantage points for shinobi. A gleaming gold nexus in the middle of it all, with warp gates, pylons, barracks, dining halls, all integrated nearly seamlessly. Near the nexus was a taller building, where Ino and the rest of the Intel unit operated. Another derelict tower had been built over at the edge, closer to Konoha, right next to a large open area they had flattened. They were able to practice there at the moment, but they were forbidden to set up anything on Tenten's orders. Hell if he knew why though.
"Okay, I need to head over to Intel HQ," Ino told them, "I'll catch up with you guys later."
"Wait, Intel HQ? Where's that?" Kiba asked.
"It's in the center of the base, near the Protoss Nexus," Ino turned to leave, "Don't forget, Tenten wants to see all of us in a couple hours."
"Oh yeah. Why does she want to see us again?"
"Didn't say, though if I had to guess I'd say she's got another round of new inventions and improvements to show us."
Shikamaru leaned over a world map filled with little markers. There were markers of three different colors, each color representing a different race. He looked at the map; the number of shinobi and Protoss markers paled in comparison to the estimated number of Zerg markers. Even as the shinobi grew stronger, they were losing more and more of their alien allies… and without reinforcements that number was starting to become quite small. Why was it their enemies always outnumbered and outgunned them? Why couldn't it ever be the other way around for a change? He sighed; this was becoming a real drag.
"Oh why so gloomy?" a voice asked behind him.
Temari walked over to the table beside him, "You need to relax. All this work constantly stressing out over this stuff is not healthy. C'mon."
Shikamaru allowed himself to be led out onto the HQ's observation balcony. The pair of them leaned on the railings looking over the newly constructed Antioch.
"Look at this place," Temari said, "It's an engineering marvel. Alien and shinobi technology coupled with alien and shinobi architecture. Never would have thought it possible if I wasn't here to see it for myself."
"Of course, if we don't win, we won't be able to enjoy it for long," Shikamaru remarked.
"Oh stop it. We'll win. You'll figure something out, you just need the right resources. But for now, let's just enjoy the moment; just the two of us. Okay?"
Shikamaru smiled, "I guess I can do that."
Far below, Naruto was conversing with one of the high templars. The alien looked nervous, or at least as nervous as one could get without any sort of facial expression besides eyes.
"Yes, we've integrated our species' technology and architecture almost flawlessly, but that's not what's concerning me at the moment," the Templar admitted.
"Then what is it?" Naruto asked.
"My people's numbers are wearing thin. With no reinforcements, we won't be around much longer. And even if we did receive aid from our brethren, it will only help so much. Our numbers is beginning to severely limit our capabilities in this war."
"Well, we can keep your people on defense or support roles for the time being."
"Even then, our warriors will not be able to mount a proper defense. With the Praetor dead, our forces no longer have a groundside commanding officer to coordinate them. Our defense would be only a fraction of its full potential."
"Well, who's the next highest ranking you have? Couldn't one of you Templars lead in his stead?"
"Most of the Templars are dead or too badly injured to lead. The second in command was supposed to be the Praetor's protégé, but it doesn't look like he will be leading for some time," the templar nodded at Thanatos' silent profile.
"Still nothing?" Naruto asked quietly.
"Nothing," the templar shook his head, "Not a word since his mentor's death. We've attempted to access his thoughts through the Khala, but it didn't work. He's cut himself off completely."
"He's lost the closest thing he's had to family since your last war," Naruto shook his head, "I know how he feels all too well."
"His behavior is completely unbecoming of a Templar. It is despicable."
"How can you say that? He's-."
"He's a Templar, and this is war," the alien said scathingly, "Casualties are expected; he should know that just as well as any of us. This is not the time to act in such an infantile manner; not when there are the lives of thousands at stake."
Naruto did not agree exactly, but he couldn't deny that the templar was right; now wasn't the time. Naruto sighed.
"Let me try to talk to him. Maybe I can get through to him," he offered.
"I wish you luck human. It appears you will need it."
Naruto walked up to the silent alien. Thanatos didn't move, or even make any attempt to acknowledge his presence.
"Hey, you doing okay?" he asked. There was no answer. No movement to indicate the young alien had even heard him.
"I know how you feel you know. I know how it feels to lose people who are as close to family as possible. It's okay to talk about it."
Thanatos still didn't move, still didn't show he even knew Naruto was there. Nothing at all.
"I know it hurts, but you can't let this affect you so badly. Not right now. Not like this. He wouldn't want you to-."
Thanatos turned and glared at Naruto. He held up a hand and clenched it into a fist; his meaning couldn't be clearer. Naruto shook his head in disbelief and walked away.
"It looks like you're in charge for a while," Naruto told the high templar.
The templar shook his head in disgust, "The hierarchs will hear of this when we return. If we return."
Naruto was going to try to reassure him that they would, but they had turned and left before he got the chance. He sighed; keeping things together like this was becoming exhausting. No war he had ever been in before lasted this long; this one was stretching into almost a month. The last war he was in barely lasted a few days. Such a drastic difference from what he and his people were used to. He was just beginning to drift into his thoughts when a voice jolted him back to earth.
"Hey, Tenten's ready to show us the new stuff she's been working on," Shikamaru and Temari walked up, "Come on, best we not keep her waiting."
Naruto nodded, and went with them. They headed into the robotics bays, just like before. Naruto looked around, but he did not see his best friend amongst those gathered.
"Hey, where's Sasuke?" he asked.
"Right here," Sasuke and Tenten walked in.
"Sasuke helped me with this set of new inventions," Tenten explained before they could ask.
"Wait, are you telling me Sasuke is capable of doing more than just screwing everything up?!"
"Shut up."
"Well, we're all here like you asked," Shikamaru prompted their friend, "What do you have to show us this time?"
"Unlike the last set of inventions, this set is almost completely dedicated to improving our shinobi forces. As our war has progressed, one fact has become painfully clear to me: everything the shinobi have in their arsenal, their weapons, their ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu; it's all tailored for combat with one specific type of enemy: ourselves. Some of us have powerful jutsus and weapons, weapons capable of defeating our alien opponents with ease. However, the majority of shinobi do not have the strength or the capability to use such jutsus. So, we needed to find ways to compensate; strengthen the abilities of the average shinobi."
"So, what did you come up with?" Ino asked.
"We've continued to upgrade the protoss weapons, armor, and shields as a generic standby, as well as some extra features for both races. We also came up with several new inventions that should help us control the battlefield, as well as give us extra maneuverability. As such, we created weapons that give us a stronger presence in both the air and on the ground. So, which one do you want to see first?"
"We saw ground first last time, so let's see air first this time around," Sakura suggested.
Tenten nodded her approval and led them to two veiled objects over in a corner near a nearly finished phoenix. She and Sasuke pulled the veils off the two objects, revealing a pair of large machines that bore similarities to the phoenix. Both objects were very similar in design; both had a large rectangular box as a body, with slanted back wings on the top. A slanted glass area in the front looked very similar to the cockpit of the phoenix. The only major differences between the two models was that one was armed with heavy weaponry and was more bulky, the other wasn't.
"Okay, what the heck are those things?" Temari asked, "They look like boxes with wings."
"It appears your people have discovered a means of flight. The design is crude, but it appears to be sound," Selendis observed.
"Correct," Tenten nodded, "Sasuke came to me with the idea a few days ago."
"It only took you two or three days to make this thing work?" Temari asked, "Impressive."
Tenten smiled at the compliment, "Thanks, but it wasn't just me this time, remember. Sasuke and I noticed a few details in our army composition, and we worked together to fix them.
This whole time, we've been using protoss shuttles to ferry our people back and forth. But those things are bulky and slow, and make pretty easy targets. We need a more reliable way to get around, not to mention that the distance between Antioch and Konoha makes speed critical. Since we're so far away, we need to be able move back and forth between bases a lot more swiftly if we're going to be able to hold this place effectively. This transport model moves just under four times faster than a shinobi is capable of running, making it much more efficient. And since it runs on chakra, fuel for any of these should never be an issue. The only downside that just can't be fixed is the problem of weight. The transport is capable of carrying about eight or nine shinobi comfortably, and up to a dozen while still maintaining maximum speed. That however leaves no room for armor or weapons. Anything we put on after that reduces velocity, making the vehicle less effective at its job."
"So it's fast and can carry a good number of people, but any attack that hits it is just going rip right through it?" Naruto asked.
"Pretty much."
"Well, how is that going to work then? We can't just have our people in the air so vulnerable to attack all the time."
"That's why we created the assault model too, to coincide with the transport model," Sasuke responded, "The assault model is very heavily armed and armored and can keep up with the transport model up until top speeds are reached."
"This assault model is equipped with all of our latest technological advances," Tenten explained, "Anti-matter missiles on the wings, chakra amplifiers and flamethrowers on the sides, and a rapid-fire shuriken launcher protecting the back. The launcher is capable of launching 3 shuriken per second, and the model can hold a maximum of 1080 at any time. These things are also very heavily armored, and are built to secure and maintain air superiority in whatever region they're operating in."
"Just out of curiosity, do these things have names?" Sai was looking at them with extreme interest in his eyes.
"Originally, we were going to name it the Crow, as a tribute to my brother, but the Transport Crow and Assault Crow didn't sound all that great, so we changed it to the crow's cousin, the Raven," Sasuke told them.
"Amusing," Selendis commented, "the terrans of our world have a flying vehicle known as the Raven as well. Only, their ravens are unmanned combat support drones instead of a duel model platform."
"Huh, the other engineers failed to mention that. But either way, these should give the shinobi an edge in the air, and allow us to truly assist protoss air forces."
"Okay good, because no offense Sai, but your painted birds are only so useful tactically, and they're almost useless as transports," Kankurō said.
"None taken," Sai told him, "Though, on that note, I think Kankurō and I should be the first to begin flying these Ravens, seeing as we have the closest thing to flight experience that anyone's got."
"Agreed."
"Either way, the fact that you invented a machine capable of rapid sustained flight is very impressive. We'll make sure it's put to good use," Ino promised, "Now, you said you had other things too right?"
"Yes we do; several inventions to help with defense, as well as heavy fire support," Tenten walked over to another group of machines, "When we were given access to the intel the protoss had on the humans of their world, I immediately began searching all their records, trying to find technology the humans used that had proven effective against the Zerg in their wars. Unfortunately, everything the terrans have is simply too advanced for us; it'll be centuries at least before we are capable of building anything they have. However, we can replicate some of the concepts the terrans use in their weapons.
The first thing I figured we needed was a heavier offensive platform. Shinobi are quick, agile, good at dealing lots of damage and then leaving before the enemy can react, but we're not built to withstand a whole lot of punishment on principle. We need something that can get onto the battlefield and dish out a lot of damage, and be able to absorb large amounts of it in return. My solution was a construct with similar capabilities of that of what their universe's humans call a siege tank."
Tenten revealed another large machine. This one had six wheels supporting a flat rectangular body. The body was well armored, and had slots with shuriken launchers, and a large chakra amplifier on the very top.
"The shinobi tank is a highly durable mobile infantry unit meant to dominate and control the battlefield. When it gets onto the battleground, it is meant to lay down superior cover and suppressive fire to support and protect our shinobi forces as well as draw and absorb large amounts of hostile fire.
All six wheels of the tank are capable of moving independently from one another, and are designed to ensure maximum maneuverability while navigating rough terrain; the possibility of the tank becoming stuck in a pothole or ditch is very remote. As you can see though, it is also armored well enough to withstand most attacks. Though, just like the other inventions, in order to maximize speed and maneuverability, the armor is not thick enough to withstand extremely heavy attacks like those of an ultralisk."
"Well what good is that? What use is a tank that's supposed to absorb devastating attacks that would destroy most of our forces if it can't absorb the damage of the enemy's heaviest weapons?" Gaara asked, "If I'm going to put the lives of my generals and the shinobi of my village under the protection of these things, I need to know that they're capable of the task."
"Agreed," Baki nodded, "I'm not risking the lives of my shinobi unless I can be sure that these things will do their jobs correctly."
"Oh I can guarantee they'll work, believe me," Tenten smiled, "Sasuke and I realized that there was no way we could just conventionally work both heavy armor and mobility at the same time, so we devised a jutsu we imbued into the tank's armor."
"With a chakra power cell, we can put a jutsu onto the armor indefinitely; so long as the cell remains functional and it has power, it can provide that jutsu as many times as necessary until the chakra supply is depleted," Sasuke explained, "The power cell provides what we call a diamondhide jutsu. Moments before something with enough force to potentially damage the tank hits, the jutsu activates, hardening the tank's metal armor to a hardness level beyond that of diamond. Once that jutsu is activated, not even Kurama's Tailed-Beast Bomb could damage it."
"Niiiice," Temari whistled, "We should use those power cells for everything. They could make us completely invulnerable!"
"If I could, I would do it in a heartbeat," Tenten told her, "but these power cells are complicated and costly to make and they are very inflexible with they can do. Once a power cell has been, for lack of a better word, programmed, it will only ever provide that one specific jutsu, and it requires a connection with whatever it's providing that jutsu to. So we can't just take one of these power cells and reprogram it to do whatever jutsu we tell it to whenever we want, it'll only provide that one specific jutsu. The other thing is, the bigger the object it's providing power for, the faster it gets depleted."
"Then why don't we just give these to all our frontline shinobi; they'll be unstoppable," Baki suggested.
"Tried that," Sasuke answered, "We experimented with giving a regular shinobi a diamondhide jutsu power cell, but the connection is too complex. This is new technology; we don't fully understand all of the specifics. Regardless, the connection seems to draw chakra from the shinobi, so it'll drain all the chakra out of that shinobi in order to maintain the jutsu it performs, making it too dangerous. If we can solve that problem, then maybe we will reopen that project, but until then, that particular branch of research has been shut down."
"For now though, there's one more thing we've come up with," Tenten continued, "We've made a high-velocity projectile launcher designed to launch volleys of obsidian spears or arrows. We mix chakra to create a contained explosion, launching the projectiles at a decent speed. Coupled with the new shuriken launchers, we should be well protected against any ground assault."
"What about burrowed attacks?" Sakura reminded them, "We don't want a repeat of what happened last time. It would be pretty stupid of us to not defend that and have infestors spewing infested shinobi all over the place."
"Don't worry, I've built and upgraded the underground defenses. The rock spears they will make are even stronger now, and they have a much larger effect radius. No infestor or roach will be able to get within 40 meters of the walls without being turned into a giant pincushion."
"Well, these are going to be very useful. Is there anything else?" Ino asked.
"No, for now, this is it. Everything else is still in experimental stages."
"Excellent," Shikamaru said briskly, "Ino, Gaara, Naruto, I'd like to see you and the other heads in the war room in 15 minutes."
Everyone nodded, and left the room.
Naruto walked into the war room to find Sasuke and Kankurō arguing across the table with Shikamaru and Gaara.
"Why not?" Sasuke was yelling, "We have the power to end this right now. Why not just do it?"
"Sasuke's right," Kankurō nodded, "If we combine our resources and power, we could flatten the Zerg right now."
"No, we don't. It's not that simple," Shikamaru argued.
"The Zerg's numbers are too high; we'd get overwhelmed by the sheer weight of them all. And even if we could keep them at bay, the ultralisks would tear us apart," Gaara was shaking his head.
"Then I use Susanoo, Naruto uses Kurama, Gaara you use your sand and just crush them all, rain explosives from the sky!"
"And then what? The Zerg hive is huge, and the battle will rage for a long distance all around it."
"So? If it gets the job done, then we should go for it!"
"And what about when it's all said and done hmmm?" Shikamaru continued to argue, "Look at the cost of our last war with Obito and Madara; tens of thousands dead, strewn out across the ground for miles. And look at the toll on the continent; we destroyed a third of it trying to save it! Forests obliterated, mountains flattened, entire villages reduced to ash and ruins! We've spent the last two years rebuilding the continent, and there's still huge sections we haven't even started on yet."
"There's no point in protecting this world if it means destroying the whole thing in the process," Naruto cut into the debate, "We will wait for the Mizukage, and then we will protect our world in a manner that doesn't leave the next generations struggling to undo the damage we caused."
"That could cost us a lot of lives in the long run," Sasuke still argued back.
"The cost of lives willingly given to protect a world worth giving to our children is well worth the sacrifice," Naruto's tone was final, "We wait until we're ready."
Sasuke frowned, "Fine. We'll wait. I still disagree, but I trust you will do what's best for our people."
Naruto nodded, "Thank you. Don't worry, we won't have to wait long."