Chapter 39

Hunters & Bounties

"So, we are in agreement?" Obi-wan asked, clasping his hands together on the flat surface of the table, watching the man across from him with a calculating gaze.

The man seated opposite him skimmed through his datapad for the umpteenth time, free hand stroking his goatee before setting the device to the side and nodding his head. "Everything seems to be in order, so yes Master Kenobi I would say we are in agreement."

Obi-wan allowed a guarded smile as he rose from his seat and offered his hand. "Excellent news, we look forward to working with you and your people."

The man hesitated for a brief moment before reaching out and clasping the Jedi Masters hand in his own, a silent sealing of the deal alongside the words. Naruto watched the whole exchange from near the exit, keeping an eye on the two armed men who had accompanied the representative to the meeting point.

It had been six months since they had started moving around the galaxy looking for allies and the results were mixed on whether they were being successful or not. He and his crew had been travelling across the galaxy with Obi-wan in toe, looking for potential allies for their fight against the empire.

They had gained silent support from several worlds including Chandrilla and Alderaan, but nothing official or public. Naruto didn't blame them. One only needed to look at Naboo to see how hard the Empire can come down on any worlds who stepped out of line.

Still they were making gains. Dozens of worlds had silently pledged their support from across the galaxy, granting supplies, equipment, weapons and even volunteers but it was a trickle, those willing to help making sure that the Imperials didn't notice the fact that equipment and people were vanishing en mass.

This latest agreement was not even with a planetary government, but with an organisation whose routes were not considered legal. The Smugglers Union was once a major enterprise, able to smuggle anything or anyone from the deepest recesses of the Core to the furthest edges of the Outer-rim but since the declaration of the New Order the Imperials had been clamping down on smuggling, hard.

"We will aide you in your fight against the Empire, and hopefully get a little payback along the way." The man had not given his full name, calling himself simply Wash. "The Empire has hit us pretty hard. Lost most of our enterprises from the Core worlds to the Mid-rim and there's talk of them clamping down in the colonies as well. Soon we'll only be able to operate in the Outer-rim territories and you know how the likes of the Hutt's and the Corporate Sector Authority can be, might as well go respectable."

Naruto can say one thing about the Empire, they could be pretty law abiding when they wanted to be. Since the declaration of the New Order crime had gone down because of more powers being given to the justice and local law enforcement, plus the slow creeping of a Stormtrooper garrison on every major planet didn't hurt matters. It was slowly getting more and more difficult for people like Wash to get through the cracks. The Outer-rim was a different matter, if anything it had become more lawless since the reformation, the Hutts and local crime lords were becoming more active, turf wars between the local criminals and those fleeing Imperial clampdowns were commonplace, smugglers and bounty hunters were rampant and people were scared out of their wits.

The Outer-rim territories were becoming real bandit country, the Wild West, with no central authority and very few worlds where the local government was willing to stand up to the likes of the Hutt's. They were standing on the surface of one of a handful of places left in the Outer-rim where the crime lords feared the tread. The ecumenopolis of Taris, a vast city planet of towering skyscrapers and numerous levels, one of the most powerful worlds in the Outer-rim, its naval power was nothing to sneeze at and neither was its military.

Obi-wan placed a hand on his shoulder, shocking Naruto out of his reverie. "It's time to go."

"About time," Naruto whispered as he followed close behind the Jedi Master.

"You were daydreaming."

"I was bored." Naruto shrugged. "Standing still isn't my thing."

"I noticed." Obi-wan replied dryly.

Naruto threw his charge a half glare before huffing. "I take it the talks went well?"

"We have the support of the smugglers union, yes."

"Good, it took them long enough to agree to anything." Naruto murmured as they left the back room and entered the cantina; music blared as a band played. The smell of alcohol and sweat was rife in the air as hundreds of people from several different races danced and drank. Naruto and Obi-wan paid the atmosphere no mind, making their way through the mass of bodies and exiting through the front.

The stuffy atmosphere gave way to the cool night air and dim lights, and the Shinobi took a deep beath of relief. "Good to be out of there."

"You don't like cantinas?" Obi-wan asked.

"It depends on the cantina," Naruto replied. "I hate nightclubs, music so loud your ears ring. Give me a quiet bar any day, able to have a drink and talk with a friend without shouting."

"Oh I agree my friend."

"Anyway, let's get back to the ship and get out of here. Where are we going next?"

"Naboo should be our next port of call. The people have always been sympathetic to the Jedi so we should be able to get some support."

"Aren't they in the middle of an Imperial crackdown?" Naruto asked. "Not exactly the best place to go."

"It's the last place they'll expect us to go, with your henge we should be able to get in and out without any hassle." Obi-wan returned. "Plus I know the current queen in passing."

"You mean the one the Empire placed on the throne?" Naruto asked with a frown. "What makes you think she won't turn us over the moment we hit planet side?"

"She's not an Imperial, more of a pacifist." Obi-wan replied. "We might be able to get some equipment and volunteers from the planet even if she declines."

"You're the envoy," the Shinobi allowed, obviously not liking it as he raised his hands in defeat. "I'm just not sure about taking an eight year old Apprentice to Imperial Central."

"Why didn't you leave her on the Frigate with Ahsoka?"

"Didn't you hear? She and Aayla are inseparable." Naruto shrugged. "The second she saw Rachi she nearly screamed and asked if we could keep her."

"I don't see her doing that," the Jedi Master gave Naruto a look.

"Well... she didn't scream exactly, and instead of 'Can we keep her' it's more along the lines of 'She needs a constant for a while' kind of thing." The blonde shoved his hands in his pockets, sulking a little even as something behind him caught his eye. "That doesn't change the fact that she follows Aayla around like a cute little puppy."

"Cute little puppy?" Obi-wan raised his brow at that, thinking.

"Oh right, I keep forgetting... you see a puppy is a baby of another animal back home called a dog. It's a domesticated-"

"Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"I know what a dog is."

"Ah."

"Let's head back to the ship, shall we?" Obi-wan asked with a sigh.

"Well, before we head back to the ship we should at least ditch our tales." Naruto muttered.

Obi-wan followed his gaze discreetly, and found two figures, garbed in black robes, following them. At first the Jedi Master thought Naruto was mistaken, but as the two of them turned into a side alley and found that they were still being followed he was soon glad that Naruto was with him. The two men continued to walk, eventually coming to a dead end before turning around to face their pursuers.

"You got our attention," Naruto stated with a feral smirk as Obi-wan pulled back his own black cloak, revealing the lightsaber clipped to his utility belt. "The only question left is how messy this needs to be."

Their pursuer's response was to reach into the folds of their cloaks and extract lightsaber hilts, activating them with a snap-hiss, crimson light flooding into the darkened side alley. Naruto whistled, drawing a kunai from his wrist launcher as Obi-wan drew and ignited his own weapon, azure light adding to the crimson hue.

"I'm guessing quite messy then."

He didn't wait for them to make the first move. Naruto threw his kunai, watching as his target brought up his lightsaber to block. He was already moving though, closing the distance, another kunai sliding into his outstretched hand. Obi-wan was right beside him, targeting the other Dark Jedi and swinging his lightsaber, both weapons meeting in a hail of sparks and a continuous crackle.

A kunai was no match for a lightsaber, Naruto knew this before he made the charge. As his opponent brought his blade forward for a stab he pivoted on his right foot, spinning around the blade, feeling the heat as it singed his clothes. The Shinobi regained his balance with the next step, stabbing out with his kunai for the Dark Jedi's neck. He wasn't surprised that his opponent was able to sidestep the strike, wasn't surprised when the lightsaber came around in a quick, devastating horizontal slash which cut right through his waist, for he was no longer there.

He vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced by a now cut in half length of piping he saw behind a trash compactor. The surprise in his opponents amber orbs was a fleeting image to Naruto as he made the switch, and reappeared on top of the compactor, hands finishing up the seals for his Jutsu, Fūton: Shinkūgyoku. He took a breath and released several bullets of air from his mouth, each one finding their mark with ruthless efficiency. The Dark Jedi didn't know what hit him, and fell to the ground with several holes running through his chest.

By the time Naruto landed on solid ground Obi-wan had finished off his own opponent, deflecting a strike and driving his azure blade through his opponent's heart. He deactivated his weapon and promptly hid it before his enemy's lifeless body hit the ground. The two of them exchanged a quick look before they began walking again, leaving the side alley and the bodies behind.

"Who were they?" Naruto asked lowly as they exiting into the busy main street.

"Dark Jedi, by their attire I would say Inquisition." Obi-wan replied.

"Not much of a challenge."

"Agreed, most likely some green recruits."

"Which means their overseer is still out there."

Obi-wan's nod was all Naruto needed.

"Do they usually travel in packs?"

"Yes, with a lot of backup."

"It's time to leave."

"Mm," Obi-wan hummed in agreement.

There was no trouble waiting for them at the port, or on the landing pad reserved for their ship. When Naruto and Obi-wan arrived they found Rex and Celeste lying back and relaxing on deck chairs, and Aayla was just leaving the confines of the Will of Fire, reading something on a datapad.

"Time to go," Naruto said hurriedly as they approached, watching as Rex and Celeste nodded before rising from their seats.

"What's the matter?" the former Commando asked.

"We were ambushed by a couple of Inquisition agents." Obi-wan replied.

"You guys look alright."

"You should see the other guys." Naruto quipped in reply as they passed by the two and up the rampway into the confines of his ship. "Get the gear packed and loaded, we're leaving this rock. Where are those two guys that came with Kenobi?"

"In the ship boss," Rex shouted back.

"Good, move it or lose it people!"

"What's our next port of call?" Celeste asked.

"Naboo!" Naruto shot back.

"Are you serious!?" Rex shouted.

"You're joking right?" Celeste added, even she had heard what had happened on Naboo.

"Wish I was!"

"Ah shit on a stick." Celeste muttered.

"Not very ladylike," Rex quipped.

"Bite me," she snapped before stomping up the rampway towards an inevitable confrontation with the boss.

Rex sighed under his breath as he followed, idly picking up the deckchairs as he went, "Women."

"I heard that!"

"You were meant to."

Theed, Naruto had to admit, was a beautiful city, a picturesque creation of unified and harmonious sandstone buildings, eloquent spires, wide paved city streets and winding pathways surrounded by gardens. In almost every opening was something which donated to the arts which the planet was famous for, from tall, well crafted monuments of philosophers and former rulers to museums, art galleries, and concert halls.

It was said that the planet was considered the most cultured and harmonious outside of the Core-worlds and the Shinobi had to admit that he felt calm about the place, an ambiance of peace and tranquillity. It was relaxing, sitting with his friends in the outer courtyards of a cafe, sipping exotic fruit juices and savouring the taste of the food on their plates. They simply watched as the world passed by them, people and vehicles moving to their destinations, the friendly hustle and bustle of a peaceful planet.

The place almost seemed like paradise.

Almost

The Imperial soldiers stood out like a sore thumb, black uniformed officers and white armoured Stormtroopers could be spotted here and there, never alone, usually in pairs, or threes or even fours. The planet was currently under imperial occupation because of a failed rebellion which took place a few months before the conclave. The Queen of the time had given refuge to a handful of Jedi. The Empire found out, Stormtroopers came, chaos ensued. The end result was that the Jedi were massacred, the planets defence forces disbanded, the Queen had been killed and several of her confidants imprisoned.

The after effects were that a puppet was made ruler of Naboo, a garrison of Stormtroopers were now keeping order, a curfew was imposed and those who wished to leave or enter Naboo needed a permit. How Obi-wan had gotten such a thing Naruto did not know, but he was grateful for the Jedi Masters insight, or his ship would currently be entering the atmosphere in pieces.

"There's another three." Rex whispered, his very posture radiating a relaxed calm Naruto knew he didn't feel. He wore a simple tunic and pants, black hair done back in a ponytail and contact lenses changing his eye colour from dark to amber, a grey cloak was draped on his chair as he took a sip of his drink.

"They are out in force aren't they?" Celeste agreed as she used her knife and fork to cut a slice of chocolate gateau and bring it up to her mouth, biting into the confectionary and humming in delight. She had used her transformation to change her appearance to that of a girl with pale skin and shoulder length red hair, a pair of emerald eyes darting back and forth as she watched her surroundings.

"That's a platoon in this block alone, twenty troopers, and at least three officers. They really are keen to make their presence known." Naruto muttered. "Not that I blame them. Its basic tactics when dealing with a subjugated population, show that you're here in numbers and you mean business."

He was pretty glad he hadn't brought Sal along and kept him guarding the ship, as much fun it would be to bring his newest crewman along he knew that in a planet where the population was mostly human the towering Wookiee would stand out like a sore thumb, bring unwanted attention. The same could be said for Aayla, though it wasn't the local population he was worried about, native Naboo were known to be friendly and curious, it was the Imperials in the crowd he worried about.

"It's been almost three hours."

"I know."

"You think they got into trouble."

"I doubt it, we'd be seeing a lot more Imps running around, maybe a few explosions." Naruto replied with a shake of his head. "The two Knights he brought with him may be a little green, but I think our charge will be able to keep them in check."

Apparently the council decided that each representative needed a few Knight Bodyguards as well as the crew of the ships they convinced to aide them. It was fairly lucky that the Jedi seemed to know a lot of trustworthy smugglers. He had heard from Schurk and the crew of the Uhumele that Shaak Ti had also brought her own guards, even though it was obvious she didn't want too.

It was made mandatory by Yoda, something Naruto himself had mentioned in passing to the millennia old Jedi Master. No Jedi was to travel alone, not even Masters. The two boys assigned to watch Obi-wan's back weren't of a bad sort though, both were young and recently knighted, eager to prove themselves. "Here they come."

Rex's voice stirred Naruto from his thoughts, looking up to see the three Jedi approach, spread out through the street, wearing Naboo styled clothes, just a few extra faces in the crowd. The two Knights took seats on a table behind them as Obi-wan sat down on theirs, and by the expression on his face he wasn't bringing very good news.

"She refused, I take it."

Obi-wan nodded.

"What did you expect, the Empire made her Queen." Rex muttered.

"The Queen understands our plight, but she will not risk the safety of her people, not after what happened." Obi-wan answered with a shrug. "She'll allow us to leave in peace and won't tell the Imperials we were here."

"That's nice of her."

"Well considering the entire population is under lockdown by the Empire I can't really say I'm surprised." Celeste countered. "Their security forces, starfighter corps, even the local law enforcement has been disbanded. She really has nothing to help us with."

"We better move on to the next one." Naruto sighed, ignoring Rex's sarcasm as he finished his fruit drink and stood up, depositing some credits on the table. "What's the next port of call?"

"Cathar will be the next course," Obi-wan explained as they began to walk. "The Senator was a founding member of the Delegation, so we can expect assistance from there."

"Good," Naruto nodded before reaching into his pocket for his comlink. "Better call Aayla and let her know it's time to go."

"Where is she anyway?"

"With Rachi on the main street, little kid saw something she liked in a shop window so Aayla decided to take her around." The blond replied as he began tapping runes on his comlink, bringing up his partners frequency.

"You sent the two of them alone?" the Jedi frowned.

"Aayla's using her Henge, and Rachi's not on any wanted posters so they'll be fine." Naruto shrugged.

"I hope your right."

"Off course I'm right." He turned back to his charge. "You and your friends there get back to the Will of Fire with Celeste, me and Rex will pick up those two and join you. Have our clearance to take off ready for when we arrive."

"Very well," Obi-wan nodded.

The wind in the towers was milder than that on the ground, strong enough to make his longcoat flail slightly as he peered through a pair of electro-goggles at his targets far below, crimson eyes narrowed as he found his targets allies. Obi-wan Kenobi was easy to spot, with their past dealings, and the wanted posters identified Naruto Uzumaki, the two Jedi, the clone and the woman with black hair took a moment longer to find.

He knew where the Jedi woman was, shopping with a little girl a few streets over. He was told to look out for not just her usual appearance, which was that of a Twi'lek of the Rutian variety, but also the appearance of a Lethan Twi'lek, a red skin with black tattoos. With that knowledge he was able to find her quite easily.

"Hmm, a good number of them," Cad Bane allowed a thin smile to spread across his leathery features. Bringing up his hat and placing it on his head he rose to his feet and turned around, entering the alcove of the towering spire he was using for his bird's eye view.

The information was accurate, a young upstart the Prince of Black Sun may be but his governing of the organisation and his own private cadre of spy rings were impressive. His cheques didn't bounce either; important when gaining the services of someone like him.

He entered the small catacomb, crimson eyes gazing left then right to take in the faces of the half dozen heavily armed men. Another thing about the Black Sun organisation was that they never seemed to have a shortage of skilled gun-hands for a big job.

Among the group of hunters he now found himself a part of was a Mandalorian, wearing the scrapped and chipped armour of a Death Watchmen, an Anzati assassin smoking on a long pipe, a burly Cathar and a pair of feral looking Zabrak twins who seemed to be armed with every type of blade imaginable.

"Move it." He said simply, and they were gone.

Naruto watched the scene before him with a raised brow and a surprised, yet satisfied smile. He walked across the small store floor towards the person at the centre of quite a few people's attention. It wasn't Rachi, who was sitting on a chair to the side, legs swinging back and forth and a wide grin on her face.

It was Aayla, who was currently looking very embarrassed, dressed in a beautiful white dress with golden embroidering around the neck, a backless white dress which also left her arms bear, slits ran down the sides of the silk gown, allowing him to get a tantalizing view of her legs. How this turn of events happened he did not know but he considered it his little miracle this afternoon.

"Now how did this happen?" Naruto asked as he approached, seeing her cheeks get even darker with the realisation that he could also see her.

"It's just as I thought," the ship assistant, an attractive girl with deep chestnut hair and a mischievous smile gushed. "That dress is perfect for you."

"Um," Aayla uttered, as if trying to form words but unable too, either from embarrassment or mortification he was unsure. She obviously very rarely had to wear anything quite as grand as the gown she currently wore.

"I couldn't agree more." His agreement made her head snap to the side, sending him a quiet glare which was met with a toothy grin. He then turned his attention to the little girl, who was jumping down from the chair and moved over to him, gripping onto his trouser leg. "You had something to do with this I take it."

She nodded.

"For such a young thing she does have an eye," the assistant beamed. "She got my attention, pointed at the dress then her big sister here, and I just had to get her into it."

Naruto grinned as he picked up Rachi and walked over to Aayla, bending down to look the former Jedi in the eye, he loved teasing her, just to see how her lekku curled when she got flustered. The intensity of his gaze didn't help her current emotional turmoil. "Stop staring."

"That's impossible." Naruto grinned before turning back to the assistant. "We'll take it."

The girls face beamed even more as she nodded and moved to the task. Naruto turned, seeing Aayla's mouth open and close repeatedly, as if she were about to protest but his beaming smile stopping her from doing so. Finally she closed her mouth, and settled on sending him a half hearted glare.

"Don't say it doesn't suit you." Naruto chastised lightly.

"It doesn't suit me." She replied firmly.

"Oh but it does." He countered, looking her in the eyes again. "You look absolutely ravishing in that dress love, and I want to see you in that dress again."

Her refusals were at the tip of her tongue, but stopped dead and melted away as she looked into his eyes. Finally, after a moment of internal turmoil she relented. She was still a Jedi in mind, living of what was necessary, no great luxuries or trinkets bought by desire. A dress like this was not considered necessary in her mind, besides when would she have an opportunity to wear it?

"Do what you want," she replied sullenly, crossing her arms under her bust and looking away, defeated by a simple pleading look. The boyish grin he gave when victory was assured made it even worse, but she couldn't help the little smile.

"Looks like this trip wasn't a waste after all," Naruto murmured as she turned back to the dressing room and her clothes. He then looked down at the little form in his arms. "What do you think?"

"Uh huh," she replied.

"That a girl."

It didn't take Aayla long to come out of the dressing room, back to wearing her skin tight leather pants and top, the dress folded across her arm as she approached the group and hesitantly gave it to the assistant. Naruto happily bought the dress, as well as a mess of other clothes for Rachi before he was finished. With that they left the shop and were back onto the main street.

That was when things started to go wrong. They made it a couple of steps before Aayla's senses began to tingle and with a call to Naruto she jumped and spun to the side. Naruto moved on pure instinct the moment he heard his lovers warning and dived to the side, a screaming Rachi and flailing shopping bags clutched in his arms as he hit the ground and rolled. The place where they once stood was peppered with blaster bolts, leaving burn marks on the cobblestone ground.

"Damn it, they move fast." A gruff voice growled.

"Kill them now!"

Naruto felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle and dropping the bags but keeping a firm hold on a disoriented child he performed a backward handstand, flexing his arm and spring boarding up and over a parked landspeeder. He hit the ground on his rear, leaning against the other side and heard the dings and zips of blaster fire as it pounded the hull.

People were screaming and running, the once tranquil street had turned into a sight of pure chaos. He peeked over the hood of the speeder in time to see Aayla skid across its surface, landing right beside him. She gave Rachi a once over, sighing in relief when she saw that she wasn't hurt but obviously in shock.

"I'm going to kill these morons." Naruto growled low in his throat.

"Calm down, Rachi's fine and they didn't even scratch me." Aayla quipped, flinching slightly when a blaster bolt slammed into the bodywork right on the opposite side of where she was sitting.

"It's not that." Naruto said simply before turning his head and sucking in a breath. "Hey assholes, you even singe that dress and I'll stick those blasters right up your asses!"

He looked back to see his girlfriend give a puzzled look. "There are a couple of assassins shooting at us, Imperial troops will be converging on this spot within moments and you're worried about a dress."

"It was expensive and I want to see you in it again." Naruto replied with a shrug. "I want to rip it off you!"

"Okay, we can talk about priorities later." Aayla said after a pause, putting a bit of a drawl on okay before a kunai knife flew into her hand. She was about to throw it, but Naruto gripping onto her forearm, stopping her. The former Jedi gave him a look of surprise. "What?"

He pointed down the street, waiting for his lover to see a dozen approaching Stormtroopers rounding a corner. Aayla bit her lip, not believing their bad luck. She turned back to Naruto, cursing him for telling her to leave most of her weapons on the ship, but a smirk stopped her. "Play along."

The Stormtroopers came to a halt, fanning out across the street and bringing their weapons to bear on the occupants of the fire-fight. Aayla had her kunai at the ready, and was considering loosing it when Naruto began shouting and pointing.

"Hey, help us, these crazies came out of nowhere and started shooting up the place!" He shouted, jumping up from his cover and pointing an accusatory finger towards the three assassins, a huge Cathar carrying a long barrelled blaster rifle and a pair of Zabrak twins, one armed with duel blaster pistols while the other had a strange melding of a thick pistol with a curved bayonet blade under the barrel.

It clicked in barely a moment for Aayla. They were both in their disguises, to the Stormtroopers they must have looked like some innocent bystanders on the street. She took a deep breath and began crying, trying to look as terrified as possible. "Please help, they just started shooting. Our daughter, did they hurt our daughter!?"

The lead, a black uniformed Lieutenant, gave them a quick look before pointing his pistol at the three mercenaries, his squad following suit. "Freeze-"

Sensing the danger, high on adrenaline the three mercenaries began shooting. The Lieutenant was caught square in the chest, and fell back, pistol dropping from slacked fingers. The Stormtrooper to his left was hit in the shoulder, spinning around but remaining on his feet. Then the rest of them levelled their weapons and opened fire with a withering storm of blaster bolts.

The three mercenaries didn't stand a chance.

The Cathar went down first; being the largest and easiest target he was riddled with crimson bolts, falling to his knees then on his side. The twin with the duel pistols managed to squeeze off a few more shots before a bolt struck his temple, head snapping back as he fell. The last twin barely had time to see his brother fall and scream in rage before he was shot, a double tap, once in the head and twice in the chest. It was all over in a matter of a few seconds.

There were a few moments of silence, and then one of the troopers began barking out orders to the rest of the squad. It brought back a few memories for Aayla, of a time when she had been commanding men like this on a battlefield. "Secure the area; make sure they're not getting back up. Get those civilians out of here."

Naruto noticed a trooper checking the vitals of his superior officer as two Stormtroopers rounded the corner of the half destroyed speeder they were hiding behind and motioned them to their feet. He felt Aayla through their bond, how tightly wound she was at being so near to these troopers and not being in combat. He grabbed her free hand with his own, making her look at him and into his eyes. He hoped he conveyed how much she needed to stay calm, well as calm as a civilian should be when they just survived a shootout.

To his luck the Jedi in her shone through and she nodded her head, the weapons she kept in her other hand shot back up into the holster out of sight. Rachi either had caught onto their rouse or she was actually terrified enough to start crying, Naruto guessed it was the latter. "Thank god you all showed up, another few moments and those animals would have probably killed us."

One of the Stormtroopers nodded his head, "Can you tell us what you saw? Were they after anyone?"

"No sir," Aayla replied, gripping onto Naruto's arm and burying her head into his shoulder. Never say that she was not very good at acting the part. "They just started shooting."

They spent another fifteen minutes in the plaza, lost in a crowd of witnesses who had seen glimpses of what had happened without gaining the whole picture. All of the statements were roughly the same. That the three of them just seemed to walk into the street pulled out weapons and started shooting at one of the shops. Three people were injured in the initial barrage, the Lieutenant was killed in the opening salvo and one of the troopers had a flesh wound to his shoulder.

The Stormtroopers had definitely taken over the role of the local law enforcement as well as acting as an occupation force. They took statements as medivac crews removed the bodies and treated the wounded. Naruto and Aayla waited, safe in their disguises and were eventually released after they had answered questions and gave fake names and addresses. Naruto was even able to retrieve their shopping bags after the contents were checked.

The three of them waited until they were safely out of earshot before speaking to each other. They were still playing the part of a traumatised family caught in the middle; Aayla was still hanging on tightly to his arm while Rachi had finally calmed down, though she was still sniffling.

"Didn't think you had it in you," Aayla murmured quietly.

"Hey, I'm a Shinobi. It's part of the rule book to use deception whenever the opportunity presents itself to me." Naruto replied. "If anything I'm surprised you were able to catch on so fast."

"Who do you think you're talking to, I did do plenty of behind enemy lines work at the beginning of the war so I do know a few tricks and as you said deception is one of the keys to being a Shinobi." Aayla gave him a questioning look. "I am a Shinobi now, am I not?"

Naruto chuckled discretely. "I guess you are."

Aayla shook her head before reaching over and securing Rachi from her boyfriend, making sure the two of them faced each other. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Rachi hesitated, sniffing before nodding.

Aayla smiled, and Rachi relaxed. "That's a brave girl."

"I think it's time we headed back to the ship."

"Agreed."

The three of them continued on, unaware that they were still being watched. Bane watched them leave, arms folded and a smirk on his features, "Hmm, well played."

The Mandalorian was right beside him, knelling on the rooftop, t-shaped visor glaring. Bane didn't know the man's full identity but did know his surname. "What do you want to do?"

"Let them go for now." Cad replied. "Trying to hit them head on will likely end with the same results and I don't want to share the bounty any more than I have to. You have attached a tracking device to their ship."

"Off course," The other hunter shrugged.

"You weren't discovered?"

"Piece of cake," Skirata replied.

"Good, then we lay low and wait for the opportune moment to strike."

Carpathian

In the greater scheme of the galaxy the planet was not very important population wise, industrially or strategically. It was a world caught and held in a perpetual winter, a planet consuming ice age which started some two thousand years ago and had no intentions of letting up any time soon. The surface was so cold that the inhabitants, mainly mineral miners and their families lived in protective domes of which only a tenth was visible above ground.

Sasuke looked over the report on the datapad one last time, uttering an intolerable sigh as he once again looked upon the white sphere before him. The planet may not be very powerful or important, but it did have a seat in the Imperial Senate, and its senator was becoming very vocal about the Empire, mainly how he considered it illegitimate and proclaimed that he was going to call a referendum for independence.

Needless to say that the Emperor considered this planet, and its leaders, an eyesore, and that was why it was on his list. His people's targets were off course the Senator, the planetary governor and the leaders of the local militia, about a dozen individual's altogether. The Director-General of Imperial Intelligences Covert Ops unit 539 smirked a little at the list of names.

"The shuttle is fully prepped and ready my lord." The Captain reported. "The unit is aboard and ready to disembark."

Sasuke did not speak, simply making a gesture with his one free hand as he read over the latest reports of ship movements across the sector, eyes catching onto a very intriguing report of a Superiority squadron of new Imperial-class Star Destroyers in the vicinity. He wandered why such a force was needed, with Carpathian considered the only rebellious world in the sector.

The Reprisal was more than enough to make the planet submit, why add an additional six Star Destroyers of the same class?

"My lord," Sasuke turned his head in time to see a single officer, Lieutenant, offering him a sheet of flimsiplast, which he took with a nod to let the man know he was dismissed. The Lieutenant saluted sharply, and turning on his heel left the command deck. With him gone Sasuke looked over the information on the report, eyes widening slightly.

"The shuttle may disembark!" the Captain ordered.

"Belay that." Sasuke said, calmly rescinding the order.

"My lord?"

"Abort the mission, dismiss the agents and get the shuttle back into storage. We have been reassigned." The Uchiha replied, waving the sheet of flimsy idly, waiting for the Captain to take it and read over what he had just read.

The man's eyes widened fractionally in surprise, before returning back to their neutral expression, "I see, seems a little harsh."

"Mm," Sasuke hummed in way or response. "The Emperor no longer considers the actions of the leadership to be above those of the inhabitants. The referendum is ninety six percent for independence. As such the Emperor considers the entire planet and its population as a rebel hotbed and enemies of the Empire, meaning that he wants to make an example."

They arrived as silently as wraiths, and they were certainly just as terrifying to the untrained eye as the mythological spirits, half a dozen dagger-shaped forms materializing right in front of them. Sasuke did not speak; neither did the Captain nor anyone present as the six mile long Imperial-class Star Destroyers took up formation in high orbit around the planet.

The naval code for the operation was known as Base Delta Zero, an order for the complete surface destruction of a planetary target, eliminating all life, industry and natural resources on the ground of the target planet. Sasuke had read up on the technique in history books and records of military significance, but he never thought he would see such an act of complete destruction and annihilation in person.

He was wrong.

They fired as one, beams of emerald green light piercing the atmosphere of the planet, blowing holes in giant clouds, burning the ozone around them, and when these beams of turbolaser fire hit the surface of the planet it could only be surmised as Armageddon, complete and total. The explosions burned through the crust of the planet, leaving volcanic like masses of fire and ash, which slowly rose up until they looked like huge mushroom shaped clouds which widened for miles and miles in every direction.

"A single Star Destroyer of that class can perform a complete Base Delta Zero on a planet of this size within twenty four hours. There are six Star Destroyers out there, doing the same job. That planet won't last the hour." Sasuke mumbled under his breath, noticing absently the looks of surprise and shock in the surrounding crew, even the Captain himself.

Ten million lives. That was the official population of that planet, and the Emperor wiped them out without even a second thought. Sasuke considered this for a moment as he rose from his command throne, considering that Palpatine and Madara would have probably gotten along very well, both were psychopaths who revelled in acts of genocide and planet wide annihilation after all.

"We have a new target Captain, set a course for Naboo." Sasuke ordered.

"Naboo, sir?"

"The Emperor considers this target take primary concern, all others are secondary," Sasuke replied with a smirk. "Assemble my troops, and make course for Naboo Captain."

"Yes my Lord."

"So Naruto it seems that the old man has seen sense," Sasuke muttered as he exited the command deck, wandering down the single long corridor towards the turbolift. "He understands that the only one who can hunt you down is me."

He entered the turbolift, doors closing behind him as he chose which floor he was to go too before leaning against the back wall and glancing at the ceiling silently. She was there again, dressed in a beautiful kimono which matched her emerald eyes and cherry blossom hair, but as the turbolift descended Sasuke felt a moment of gut wrenching pain which had nothing to do with the sudden inertia.

She looked so heartbroken.

He watched in horrified fascination as tears streamed down her face, and her mouth moved wordlessly, words which he was able to understand despite the lack of sound.

Save me.

Author's Note: Yeah the whole getting into a schedule with my writing didn't exactly pan out. I was going through a bit of a tough spot I admit, with my writing in general and not just this. I'm not going to say that I'm over it quite yet, but I think I've crossed something of a hurdle. We'll see in a month or two if I can get back into the swing of things.

Anyway the three stories I am going to concentrate on, hopefully, will be this one, my Wanderer story which was updated last Sunday (wink, wink, nudge, nudge lol) and my slightly sidetracked attempt at rewriting a Battlestar Galactica/Stargate story The Thirteenth v2. I've updated my authors profile, placing stories in finished, in progress and on hold/discontinued/deleted piles as they currently are instead of as they were in 2011.

Anyway, you guys know the drill, a review for your thoughts and all that.