Author's Note: Hello! Sorry for the delay; I was seduced by the amazing world and story of Dragon Age. If I could be half as creative as Bioware's writers… Anyways, here we are, enjoy!
Chapter 19: Bearer of Bad News
"Have our ravens returned from Iwa and Kumo yet?" Ino asked.
"No. None of them have radioed in for at least 20 minutes."
"None of them? That's disturbing. Have you tried to contact them?"
"Yeah, but there was no response. Either something's jamming the radio transmissions, or we've lost all of them."
"Damn. I knew sending ravens was a bad idea. We shouldn't have committed such high value resources."
"We knew it was a risk, but it was a risk we had to take," Shikamaru told her, "We have to know why the other Kages aren't responding."
"Even if we knew, and even if they were in trouble, we can't afford to allocate any manpower to help them," Ino leaned back against a table, "It would leave Antioch vulnerable."
"And if we lose this base, Konoha might just follow," Shikamaru predicted grimly.
"We can't think like that," Ino told him sharply.
Sai walked in. He looked tired and even slightly haggard. He went over to a chair and sat down. He had been on patrol flying an assault raven around the perimeter for about two hours.
"Anything interesting to report?" Shikamaru asked him.
"Just one thing. There's still mutalisks in the sky," he rolled his head to look at him.
"Impossible," Ino shook her head in disbelief, "We destroyed their spires, all intel confirms it! And Selendis assured us that with the spires gone they can't make that strain anymore."
"Well there's still winged worms flying around being generally annoying out there, so either one or both of your guys' intel is faulty, or there's another spire out there somewhere, or something," Sai said tiredly.
"I'm going to double-check all of the information we've got," Ino declared, "I'll make sure we're not overlooking anything. I'll need to get up to the Gantrithor."
"Sorry, but I'm not going to be flying you up there until I've had a nap," Sai said with his eyes closed, "In my condition I'd probably crash into the hull a foot to the side of the hangar, or smash it into the hangar ceiling by accident."
"Ugh, useless," Ino said teasingly.
"Go flirt somewhere else you two," Shikamaru waved his hand at them, "Preferably somewhere private so innocent bystanders don't start puking their guts out from having to see it."
"Shikamaru, when this war is over, the first thing I'm going to do is find you and hurt you badly for that one," Ino glared at him as she walked out the door.
"If I don't crash my raven into him first," Sai glared at Shikamaru too.
"Assuming of course you're actually capable of hitting anything at all let alone a moving target," Shikamaru said laughing slightly.
Sai just shook his head.
Tenten was tinkering around with something; she wanted to apply a new concept she'd learned from studying terran technology, but she was having just the slightest bit of trouble figuring it all out.
"Okay, so, if you can figure all this out, why can't you figure out things like jutsus and stuff? Unless you can. I never see you use anything other than weapons," Temari asked. She had been watching Tenten work for a while.
"I don't know," Tenten didn't even look up she was concentrating on her design so hard, "It takes some time, and then it just clicks for me. Jutsus just don't click for me."
"Is that why you can't put anything else besides basic jutsus on your creations?"
"No, that's not it at all. It's not easy to mix alien technology with our stuff."
"But what about the ravens? Those box things that impale anything that tries to burrow underneath us? Aren't they combinations of alien and shinobi technology?"
"In a sense, but not exactly," Tenten looked up, "The thing about those is that those use alien technological concepts more than actual technology."
"Then how did you make the ravens fly?"
"That's simple math. That's a mathematical concept that is applicable to both worlds, so incorporating that is relatively simple. Things like that are easily replicated. It's when things become more complex that things start to get weird."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for example, the tanks and the diamondhide jutsu. We tried to apply it directly to the armor using various methods, but none of them worked. The jutsu was unstable, and quickly deteriorated and became unreliable. Even regular ninjutsu became unstable fairly quickly, and the only solution was to use a power cell instead. We tested the problem a lot, and the main thing is simply the fact that our chakra doesn't mesh well with technology from the alien universe."
"Why not?"
"Well, I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure it comes down to the rules of our two universes. The basic math and rules apply to both, but the more complex rules don't. Psionic energy and chakra can't mix very well, and neither can jutsus and technology due to the fact that the rules that apply to them don't apply to both. That's also why we've been less effective against the Zerg in battle. Our weapons and jutsus are specifically tailored to fighting enemies of our universe, whereas Zerg use biological weaponry and basic energy that is applicable to both worlds. Our universe was never supposed to meet the protoss universe at all, so we can't just assume that what's good enough for our world is good enough for theirs. Combining concepts that require two different types of energy is dangerous, so until I have a better understanding of psionic energy and the rules of the protoss universe, experimenting with anything more complex just isn't an option."
"So, the stories about Rasenshuriken and Amaterasu not doing anything were true?"
"Yeah, they were. Against the Protoss, our best techniques were nearly useless."
"How is that even possible?"
"Well, for both cases, it was all because of their shields. Amaterasu; Sasuke targets say, a carrier. He's looking at the carrier, but technically he's really looking at the shield first. So, Amaterasu eventually burns away the shield, but leaves the carrier unharmed. For Rasenshuriken; Naruto throws a Rasenshuriken at a zealot right? Against a shinobi, if that thing hits they are dead end of story. But against a zealot, the jutsu hits their shield first. The wind needles are supposed to attack every individual cell, but plasma shields don't have cells to attack, so it doesn't do anything. Also, it's not going to attack the zealot, because technically it never hit anything. It needs to hit something if it's going to work, and it never actually hit the target, so it doesn't. They'll feel the force of the thing though."
"Oh. So, what about the Zerg? Is it the same story there too?"
"Yeah, it is, just in a different way. Amaterasu burns through all the smaller or even medium sized zerg, but it takes a lot longer for bigger ones. Ultralisks especially, have really thick armor that's meant to protect them and withstand very toxic and hostile environments, so the fire takes a lot longer to burn through the armor to be effective. As for Rasenshuriken, attacking every individual cell will just take way too long, so long that it's not worth it. It's like against a Tailed-Beast; the bigger and stronger they are, the less effective the move gets. And it's not worth using such a powerful move against the smaller ones, 'cause there's 50 more right behind that one."
"Is there a way to compensate for that?" Temari asked.
"Well, I'm trying my best to give us edges and make up for weaknesses, so there better be, or I'm going to be rather upset," Tenten hit the thing she was working on hard. The thing went off with a loud bang, making a dent in the wall, "Well hey, there we go!"
Up on the Gantrithor Naruto, Sasuke, and the other Kages were discussing their situation with Selendis and her surviving templars. Naruto and Sasuke were pushing for another counter-offensive in order to permanently destroy the Zerg now that their numbers were much higher.
"We may have control of the skies, and a much stronger hold on our positions on the ground, but we're still not doing well enough for comfort," Selendis told them, "With such limited resources, I am simply unable to commit more of my warriors to any type of offensive until we are assured that chances of victory are acceptably high."
"How much higher can our chances get?" Sasuke asked exasperated, "Our numbers are higher than they've ever been, we have almost completely uncontested control of the skies, and our firepower and defenses are higher and stronger than anything we could have ever imagined. Even with the losses from all the previous battles since the start of this war, we're stronger than we'd ever hoped to be. What more do you want?"
"First of all, a commanding officer groundside would be prudent before we launched any sort of attack," Selendis stated flatly, "Secondly, better intel on our enemy. Why haven't they been as active as before? What are they doing holding their positions instead of attempting to advance their front line? And the most concerning, why do we not have complete control of the skies? We know we destroyed their spires, we know they no longer have the capabilities to mutate any kind of air force, and yet there are still small groups of mutalisks patrolling and harassing the front lines. The only logical explanation is that they're continuing to spawn more, even though we've ensured that is impossible. I want an explanation and a solution to what could become a grave threat if not dealt with quickly."
"Well, we can figure out the aerial problem later," Sasuke snapped, "Just appoint a new commanding officer so we can return our ground forces to normal."
"The lines of succession are clear. We know who is supposed to lead, but they are refusing to talk at all!" one of the high templars threw up his hands, "It is not the place of anyone else to replace him unless the situation genuinely calls for it."
"Oh for the love of -," Sasuke threw up his hands, "Naruto, come on, we're going to slap some sense into that moron or die trying!"
"Agreed. The faster the better!"
Ino and Shikamaru continued planning even as everyone left. No matter how much had been done, there was still so much more they needed to do.
"What we need to do to maximize our effectiveness now is find a way to take advantage of all the different clan's talents," Ino stated.
"I've been trying, but most of our strategies don't work," Shikamaru leaned over the table, "The Aburame clan's talents are great against shinobi, especially those who fear bugs, but bugs won't do a thing against Zerg, and the Zerg have no fear of bugs, so the psychological impact of them is nonexistent. The Inuzuka clan is barely any better; dogs are only slightly more effective, and the Zerg are not afraid of them either. So right there that's two clans whose talents are not suited for combat with our current enemy."
"What about the Hyuga? Hinata's stopped a hydralisk's heart before, amongst other things. Their Vacuum Palm and Rotations could be pretty useful."
"Yeah, kept in a support role for every group, they could do a substantial amount of damage, as well as shield others from harm. We should -."
"Sir, we've just gotten a visual of one of our ravens!"
"Finally, I thought we'd lost them for good!"
Down on the airfield both Shikamaru and Ino went to question the raven's crew. The minute they came into view it was obvious that neither the raven or the crew was in good condition. The raven had a huge hole taken out of the side, a hole in the left wing, and all over the machine was riddled with spine damage, some of the spines still stuck in the metal. The shinobi crewmen were sitting next to it; they didn't look so great themselves. Two of them had burn wounds from acid, and a third clearly took a hydralisk spine in the leg.
"We never stood a chance," the pilot explained, "Spore crawlers shot two of us down, damaged almost all the rest. Our radio was blasted before we even knew we were in danger. Hydralisks came out the ground behind us when we veered off to try to escape. We tried to meet up with the rest of the squadron that went to Iwa, but they never showed up. I don't think they….."
"It's alright. You did the best you could," Ino told them, "What's the situation with Kumo and Iwa?"
"The Zerg have Kumo completely surrounded. Spine and spore crawlers in the dozens making a huge blockade all around the city. There's no way anyone could possibly get in or out; they're locked down tight. From the absence of the rest of the squadron, I'd hazard a guess that Iwa is in the same position."
"Damn it!" Shikamaru swore, "Well, we can't help them now. Iwa and Kumo are going to have to continue to hold out on their own."
"The Zerg are more clever than we thought," Ino shook her head, "To divide us so quickly and quietly… We'll need to reassess what we know about our enemy."
"Agreed."
Near the wall, Naruto and Sasuke found the still silent Thanatos in what appeared to be meditation. Whether that was actually the case, Naruto doubted just slightly. Sasuke walked over and leaned against the wall next to the zealot.
"You know, when I was a young kid, I had a great family, just like you did. I had loving parents, and the greatest, most loving and protective older brother a guy could ever ask for. He was the best shinobi of his age, maybe the best of the history of the entire village; I certainly believed he was. One day, when I was maybe eight years old, I came back home to find my entire compound was silent. All the houses were dark, and every member of my family, aunts, uncles, and cousins, were dead. I ran home to find my perfect brother, Itachi, standing over the dead bodies of my parents. He even admitted to killing them to me, before fleeing the village. For the longest time, it tore me apart, not knowing the true motives behind his cold-blooded slaughter of my entire family. But, I found out what the motives were, and while that didn't bring peace for a long time, it did in the end, and also helped me learn something else: life goes on, whether you like it or not. The people you lost aren't coming back because you're sad and you want them to, and they wouldn't want you to sit there and waste your life mourning the loss of theirs. The best way to show you truly cared is not to sit there and do nothing. The greatest way is to show them that you remember and honor their lives and memory is through your actions, not just thoughts."
Thanatos gave him a look that clearly said, "And your point is….what?"
"We've all experienced loss," Naruto told him, "For us, it's been more than others by a long shot. But we can't afford to fall apart because of it. None of the people any of us lost would want us to sit there and mope because they're dead. So get up, and act like the templar you mentor taught you to be. For him and his memory, if for nothing else!"
"It's that easy is it?" the first words the zealot had spoken in days echoed in their minds.
"I know from experience that it's that easy if you let it be. It can also be nearly impossible to do if you let it too, as I also know from experience," Sasuke nodded, "But believe me that's not the road you want to take."
The young alien got up slowly, and nodded to the pair of them in a "I suppose you're right" kind of fashion.
Naruto was just starting to smile and about to offer his hand to help the alien up, when the ground began shaking strongly.
"Never fails," Sasuke jumped up to the wall to see what was happening, "Why must the Zerg have this habit of showing up when it's least convenient?"
"What is it, ultralisks?" Naruto called up to him.
Thanatos put a hand on the ground, "Can't be; they're too strong. These are deep tremors."