NationStates Jolt Archive

Taylor glanced at Eamonn but didn't say much as he gobbled down his lunch before heading back out again to stroll around Konoha. It never gets old to view the sites of the Hidden Leaf village for a couple of hours.

Then Keith's telepathy reached out to the Fire Knight and then in short order, a small *pop* of displaced air could be heard as Taylor teleported to the Colonel's workstation, smiling as he saw the reconfiguration done on his Timber Wolf. "Impressive."

"Glad you appreciate my little handiwork," Keith replied with a grin. "Now, let's get your neurohelmet configured. I know it's not exactly something you're looking forward to, but the sooner we get it over with, the sooner we get to the fun stuff. Follow me."

"All right." Taylor nodded and walked with the Colonel.

Travis headed back to Konoha after he noticed the sun going down. Man, that was fun. But now it's time to go home and rest. After all, tomorrow, Dad's going to train me again.

"All right." Taylor nodded and walked with the Colonel.

"Very well, Taylor." Colonel Allaire led the Jedi to the same cubicle/room that the other Woodian officers had led some of the other Coredians to earler...and inside, Taylor found a chair, a "blank" neurohelmet, and a few random consoles.

"Now Taylor, I want you to stay here and relax in the chair. Just let your mind wander a bit. I would like you to put on the neurohelmet, but I haven't turned it on yet. I have to do that from a remote facility though we will still be able to communicate."

"Very well, Taylor." Colonel Allaire led the Jedi to the same cubicle/room that the other Woodian officers had led some of the other Coredians to earler...and inside, Taylor found a chair, a "blank" neurohelmet, and a few random consoles.

"Now Taylor, I want you to stay here and relax in the chair. Just let your mind wander a bit. I would like you to put on the neurohelmet, but I haven't turned it on yet. I have to do that from a remote facility though we will still be able to communicate."
"Alright." Taylor sat in the chair and put on the neurohelmet. Then he allowed his mind to wander...something about a girl named Ino he used to know...

"Alright." Taylor sat in the chair and put on the neurohelmet. Then he allowed his mind to wander...something about a girl named Ino he used to know...

Taylor would know when Keith turned the neurohelmet on...there was almost always a bit of 'buzz' from it before it was properly calibrated for the individual's brain waves, and while Taylor had gotten acclimated to it during the FWT campaign, he hadn't experienced it in several months. Therefore, it would be practically impossible for him not to notice when Keith was ready to begin.

It wasn't as if the Colonel wasn't already announcing it over an intercom anyway...

"Taylor, there are a couple of things you should know about this procedure. The first thing: any reference to military rank is pretty much stripped from the whole thing. The titles 'Colonel,' 'Jedi,' 'Major' quickly become useless distractions that hinder openness. This leads into the second thing you should know: I cannot fix what I do not know is wrong. You must tell me what aches go through your mind without fail so I can make the neccessary adjustments to the helmet, until it reads your brainwaves perfectly. You and neurohelmet must be one, you must be symbiotes. If you hide a headache caused by this equipment in a display of bravado, I will not be able to adjust for it and it will be a constant presence in battle, not a good thing. Therefore, getting this done right is critically important. And it usually takes more than just one adjustment of the settings to get it right."

Keith paused for a moment to let Taylor absorb the information before asking, "Now Taylor, how do you feel?"

Taylor scrunched up his face as a headache formed. "Not good! Adjust it!"

Keith made a couple of adjustments (he could see Taylor's face on camera, so his facial reaction helped him a bit), attempting to divert Taylor's attention from the pain for just a few moments with tales of some beautiful place on White Diamond that no one from the Jedi Order except himself, Whitfield and possibly Master Elendil had visited yet.

Upon finishing his initial adjustments, he needed more information from Taylor. "What do you feel now?"

"Better." The headache faded but was not yet gone. "I think one more adjustment should do it."

"Better." The headache faded but was not yet gone. "I think one more adjustment should do it."

"I need more information to make finer adjustments. Describe the sensation, please..."

"I need more information to make finer adjustments. Describe the sensation, please..."
"The headache is duller, but not quite gone yet." Taylor replied.

OOC: How much longer until the next part of the exams start?

OOC: Not too long. I project this RL weekend at most.

"The headache is duller, but not quite gone yet." Taylor replied.

The Colonel made a few more minor tweaks. "Better? Bear in mind that 'better' means 'perfect...' "

Taylor went from smelling roses to seeing green and hearing John Williams music play before Keith finally calibrated the neurohelmet to perfection. "Hold! It's perfect!"

The Colonel held, alright.

"Done. It's getting late, and I need to inquire about volunteer recruitment, much less mount your neurohelmet in your 'Mech and jump jets on my own 'Mech to train you. Meet me on this DropShip at eight tomorrow morning for training, OK?"

"Yeah. I better sleep off listening to "Across the Stars"." Taylor agreed. "It's weird how this thing can make your senses go haywire."

Taylor headed down the mech to the ground and walked off. Tomorrow's another day!

OOC: Taylor wouldn't have actually been in his 'Mech...he would have been in a test room. I thought I had made that clear...meh.

----------------------

"See you tomorrow," the Colonel called out to Taylor before leaving to take care of his own business.

First off: Finding more volunteers for this mission in the Woodian officer corps. He didn't have to look far either...the Immortal Star Destroyer orbiting the system had had a full compliment of DropShips--and some 'MechWarriors to go with them. Including a few who had served in the civil war, though on the wrong side, and looking to atone for their shame.

These were mostly mid-level officers, i.e. captains, as usually in the Woodian military, only officers piloted BattleMechs (with few exceptions).

Next up was a quick mounting of Taylor's neurohelmet in his 'Mech, a process far easier than configuring the thing to work as one with his mind...a process that took about fifteen minutes.

The Colonel spent the next six hours reconfiguring his own BattleMech throughout the night, stripping it of its LRMs, of its fire-control-system (which was for the missiles--he no longer needed it), and removing and remounting pulse lasers to make room for adding more PPCs. In fact, he configured his 'Mech identically to the way he had configured Taylor's, with one exception, that being that he wanted to keep his Beagle Active Probe because his Force senses weren't that developed yet. Therefore, his 'Mech carried one less heat sink than Taylor's to make room for the probe; otherwise it was identical in every respect. Keith knew that he would get lots of practice with cryokinesis in Force-cooling his reactor to acceptable levels with this configuration, but he needed the practice anyway and so didn't care too much. And if he did overheat, unlike so many of the Coredians, he knew what to do.

Of course, he'd also have to use his Force powers (or better yet, Master Whitfield's) to train the Coredians for extreme-heat situations, especially as lower-heat ammunition-dependent weapons were effectively verboten for the upcoming campaign...

He used a field howdah (OOC: kind of like a lift) to get up to his 'Mech's cockpit, then took it for a brief joyride at about three in the morning, test-firing his jumpjets. He loved the gravitic nullifier that came standard with all Woodian-designed BattleMechs (courtesy of the Gaian Ascendancy), as it was great for extending the range of jump jets...in the case of a 120-ton 'Mech, from about 80 meters to 350 meters.

After about fifteen minutes of such joyriding, the Colonel returned to barracks for the three hours of sleep he could get before he had to get up to perform various officers' duties. At eight o' clock, he made sure he was readily accessible in the DropShip where he had told Taylor to meet him.

Dawn

Meanwhile, I entered Travis' apartment silently, using my master abilities to break the security wards he placed for the night. I smirked as he's gotten better lately at putting up the things, but not quite good enough to slow down a Jounin. Nevertheless, I entered his room and scowled at his snoring. Lazy brat. "Wake up, kid. Time for training."

The blue-haired boy murmured something and simply turned away, pulling the covers more tightly around him. I scowled again, then smirked as lightning crackled around my fingers. Next thing he knew...

"Yeeeeooooowwwww!" Travis shot up out of the bed, zapped by a rude Force Lightning awakening. "Damn you, I had a nice dream!"

"Hehe. Sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep, but today's the day of flight practice." I smirked, not sorry at all.

"Oh yeah, I forgot." The boy said sheepishly. "Hold on."

A few minutes later, Travis was dressed in his favorite clothes and headed with me to the massive main hangar bay of Konoha, where Rocky, my X-wing and a spare were waiting. "Ok, kid. Grab a flight suit and come back here. You remember how to do the preflight, right?"

"Yeah, you showed me that like every week." Travis grumbled, but he grabbed an orange flight suit and put it on, leaving his jeans and red shirt in a locker.

"Only the best training for the best." I reminded him and began the preflight procedures. First we checked the outer side. Engines, weapons (lasers only today), sensors, the works. All A-Ok. Next we hopped into the cockpits and flicked on the throttle. The engines thrummed to life, feeding power to the systems. "Here we go!"

"I know!" Travis griped and flew right behind me as we accelerated out into space...

=====

Taylor woke up an hour before he was expected to be at the dropship and cleaned up, pulling on clean black clothes and a fresh red cloak. He smiled as he saw his son sleep away and left some field bars out for him while he cooked a small meal for himself and headed out to the Dropship.

Taylor woke up an hour before he was expected to be at the dropship and cleaned up, pulling on clean black clothes and a fresh red cloak. He smiled as he saw his son sleep away and left some field bars out for him while he cooked a small meal for himself and headed out to the Dropship.

The Colonel arrived not a minute early, nor a minute late...on time down to the second. Seeing Taylor already there, he called out, "Get into your 'Mech and taxi it out of here," before using a lift to climb into his own cockpit. "You're going to have some fun today."

============

*somewhere in the barracks area*

Young John Masaki Watsen woke up only about ten minutes after Taylor had left. Barely noticing or caring about his absence, he simply nibbled on one of the ration bars that Taylor had left for him, then despite only being five years old, fell into a deep meditative trance that probably would have taken some of Daniel's Force Lightning to break...

...How else was he supposed to know the collective condition of the people of White Diamond, other than to sense it through the Force-amplifying planet that they lived on? A very strange youngling was he...

The Colonel arrived not a minute early, nor a minute late...on time down to the second. Seeing Taylor already there, he called out, "Get into your 'Mech and taxi it out of here," before using a lift to climb into his own cockpit. "You're going to have some fun today."
"Oh goodie!" Taylor grinned and hopped into his mech. Remembering his training, he put on the helmet and turned it on, taxiing it out to the plains.

======

Travis flew around the asteroid field at speeds that would make an elite non-Jedi pilot puke, but the Force aided his growing skills as he pursued his own father in a tag-you chase. I proved elusive for the young brat, swirling around rocks big and small, but in return, his determination and unwillingness to give up proved just as daunting. After an hour of 'battle', I noticed a single laser blast touch my shields, very impressive for a kid like him.

"Hah! I got you now, Dad!" Travis yelled.

"You sure did. Hey, who's your opponent for the Third Test?" I asked as we powered down from the battle.

"A Jedi Knight named Lialai." Travis said. "She's Cloud-nin trained, so I would expect lightning jutsus to be employed."

"Hmm. I remember her." I said. "She was a Padawan last I knew her. But now I know what to do until the Day comes."

"Huh?" Travis asked.

"In order to beat a Jedi -or a Sith- for that matter, you have to keep them off-balance so they can't effectively attack you with their powers, especially lightning. That means you would have to speedblitz Lialai and hammer her until she goes down." I said. "That means by the time you're up to face her, your speed will have to double."

"What?! In that short of a time?" Travis exclaimed. There was only a week and a half to go.

"It can be done." I promised him. "You know about Form IV, the acrobatic form?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"We can use some katas from the form and modify them for taijutsu, and increase the weighted suit Naruto gave you to 200. That together will allow your body to get used to the increase in speed that you'll need. Plus, you'll need to work on Kage Bunshin and your other moves." I said. "You have some metal-plated gloves, do you?"

"Yeah, I do." Travis affirmed.

"As soon as we get back, find them. I'll show you a taijutsu technique involving lightning to counter hers." I smirked.

"All right!" The comms was filled with his cheers.

"Last one to the planet is a rotten nerfherder!" I grinned as I gunned the engines and left him in the space dust.

"Hey!" Travis raced to catch up.

"Oh goodie!" Taylor grinned and hopped into his mech. Remembering his training, he put on the helmet and turned it on, taxiing it out to the plains.

As the two arrived on the green flatlands, the Colonel gave Taylor a bit of information. "By now you have probably noticed a green bar under your displayed weapons loadout on your HUD. This indicates how much charge you have on your jumpjets. I am sure you will be happy to notice that I said charge and not fuel," he added with a smirk on his face. Colonel Allaire continued to give Taylor a fleeting history lesson. "Yes, twenty or so years ago, jumpjets still used liquid fuel like the DropShip did, but as that makes it really easy for an enemy to fire a missile right up your ass, we switched to ion jumpjets."

Ending said brief history lesson, the Colonel continued, "You will also notice a joystick that I installed last night. Like nearly anything else in a 'Mech, there are backup hand controls that allow you to operate the thing, albeit at much reduced efficiency. In this case, it is necessary to temporarily use the joystick as the neurohelmet calculates what your brainwaves will be like on a jump command. Think of it as giving the helmet a handwriting sample. Hold down the red button on the joystick to fire the jets and use the joystick to steer. If you want forward momentum in the jump, you must run into it, otherwise the 'Mech will just jump straight up. Yes, it is possible to jump backwards in reverse throttle. Jump three or four times using the joystick so the neurohelmet can acclimate itself to your mental signals."

As the two arrived on the green flatlands, the Colonel gave Taylor a bit of information. "By now you have probably noticed a green bar under your displayed weapons loadout on your HUD. This indicates how much charge you have on your jumpjets. I am sure you will be happy to notice that I said charge and not fuel," he added with a smirk on his face. Colonel Allaire continued to give Taylor a fleeting history lesson. "Yes, twenty or so years ago, jumpjets still used liquid fuel like the DropShip did, but as that makes it really easy for an enemy to fire a missile right up your ass, we switched to ion jumpjets."

Ending said brief history lesson, the Colonel continued, "You will also notice a joystick that I installed last night. Like nearly anything else in a 'Mech, there are backup hand controls that allow you to operate the thing, albeit at much reduced efficiency. In this case, it is necessary to temporarily use the joystick as the neurohelmet calculates what your brainwaves will be like on a jump command. Think of it as giving the helmet a handwriting sample. Hold down the red button on the joystick to fire the jets and use the joystick to steer. If you want forward momentum in the jump, you must run into it, otherwise the 'Mech will just jump straight up. Yes, it is possible to jump backwards in reverse throttle. Jump three or four times using the joystick so the neurohelmet can acclimate itself to your mental signals."
"All right." Taylor said, juggling the joystick and held down the red button when he wanted to jump. The Timber Wolf jumped up and down a couple times then it made a running jump before Taylor tried a backwards jump and landed nicely.

"Not bad." He commented.

When Taylor made his jumps, the green bar that Keith had mentioned declined and then partially recharged by drawing power from the reactor before Taylor jumped again. As a result, the range of the jump declined slightly each time, with a significant decline in the later jumps, until Taylor stopped and the jumpjets finally had the four seconds or so they needed for a full recharge.

Keith noted this. "Watch that green bar, Taylor. The jumpjets need a couple of seconds to recharge before firing again. That is, if you actually want the 'Mech to jump anywhere."

He then smirked. "Firing weapons while jumping is a feat that few ever master, Taylor. You may recognize where I'm going with this." He accelerated his 'Mech to full throttle before instructing Taylor, "Time for target practice...fire on me from midair." The Colonel wore a big grin on his face, recalling Whitfield's account of when he had used a variant of this exercise on Taylor the first time...

"What? You're as crazy as Whitfield." Taylor shook his head. "Don't hold me against this..."

After the mech recharged, Taylor jumped and tried to shoot. But it was quite a bit harder than just aiming on the ground and he missed widely the first time. "Crap! Trying again."

Recharged...jumped...aimed...fired! The shot came too early. "Missed again! This is tough!"

Keith smirked, his 'Mech running around at nearly a hundred clicks an hour, as Taylor fired in his general direction but kept missing. "I am not holding it against you, but now I hope you understand why I am doing this...takes lots of practice as you may be aware by now. It is something that few 'MechWarriors in the Woodian military are even proficient at. The numbers of Woodians who have actually mastered this can be counted on your two hands; I am one of them and four others are on this planet right now. So do not feel too badly about it..."

Meanwhile, Master Whitfield happened to sense Taylor's frustration at not being able to fire accurately while jumping, and went outside to observe from a distance. His sympathies were with Taylor. Truth be told, I can't do that either...

"Oh, you did not just open that can of worms." Taylor laughed as his accuracy began to increase. "A challenge has presented itself against a Masaki! Never forget that we never give up!"

With that, a jump-shot, aided by the Force, landed a little close to Keith as he ran about, sending up sprays of dirt everywhere. A second shot came a few inches closer as Taylor learned to pivot his mech's torso to attack even in mid-air.

=====

Meanwhile, Travis and I landed at the hangar bay (I won, of course) and then after a short break whereupon we took off our flightsuits and grabbed our normal clothes and weapons (including the gloves), the two of us headed to yet another distant plain, where we would begin training.

"Hah!" Suddenly, I punched the boy in the face, hard enough to smack him down. "Get ready, kid, because I won't be slow from here on in!"

"Grrr! I'll get you!" Travis yelled despite the bruise on his face and we began to duel with our fists and feet of fury...

"Oh, you did not just open that can of worms." Taylor laughed as his accuracy began to increase. "A challenge has presented itself against a Masaki! Never forget that we never give up!"

With that, a jump-shot, aided by the Force, landed a little close to Keith as he ran about, sending up sprays of dirt everywhere. A second shot came a few inches closer as Taylor learned to pivot his mech's torso to attack even in mid-air.

"Oh, hell yeah, I opened that can of worms," Keith said with a smirk as he himself jumped and pivoted to face Taylor. "I was not kidding, either..."

This Masaki was about to meet someone who simply had more raw *experience* than him, and it was going to show. Keith fired when *both* were in the air, and hit the hardpoint where one of Taylor's missile racks would have been, on his first shot. "My mean circle of error when firing from jump is two and a half meters, Taylor; that is nothing when you're firing at another 'Mech..."

"Oh, hell yeah, I opened that can of worms," Keith said with a smirk as he himself jumped and pivoted to face Taylor. "I was not kidding, either..."

This Masaki was about to meet someone who simply had more raw *experience* than him, and it was going to show. Keith fired when *both* were in the air, and hit the hardpoint where one of Taylor's missile racks would have been, on his first shot. "My mean circle of error when firing from jump is two and a half meters, Taylor; that is nothing when you're firing at another 'Mech..."
"Gack!" Taylor yelled. "Damn, you're good..."

But giving up was not in his vocabulary and so Taylor Masaki continued to attack from the air, slowly shrinking that circle of error Keith talked about...

OOC: I have internet from this particular class...:D

"Gack!" Taylor yelled. "Damn, you're good..."

But giving up was not in his vocabulary and so Taylor Masaki continued to attack from the air, slowly shrinking that circle of error Keith talked about...

Keith smirked at Taylor's surprise. Looks like I've found the best way to train a Masaki, he grinned to himself.

Sure enough, Taylor's shots came closer and closer, one going between the legs of Keith's 'Mech and another grazing where his missile rack had been. Nevertheless, the Colonel poured shot after shot into Taylor's 'Mech, even as both jumped in what looked from the ground as a desperate attempt to evade each other.

Keith snuck a glance at his damage monitor. His damage display showed mostly green, a bit of yellow here and there (from Taylor's most recent shots), but the display for Taylor's 'Mech was starting to bloom in yellow and even a little bit of orange around the arms and legs...

Nevertheless, Taylor was making some incredibly quick progress from being off by about fifty or sixty meters to being off by five or six. Whitfield, watching from the ground, noted, Damn, he's good at training people. I'll have to get him to train me, unusual as it is for padawan to train Master...

Taylor knew he was getting more damaged, but he sure was in the thick of things. He thought to end it and aimed his lasers so that it would fire...straight...at...the...cockpit!

=====

Meanwhile, the duel between father and son continued to grow faster and more energy-intensive as Travis made the mistake of employing a Thunderbolt technique on me. Lightning smashed right on top of me, frying me to the bones and I yelled in pain, then I snickered, smoke protruding from my hair.

"What?!" Travis yelped, stepping backwards. "That should have done it!"

"Hehehe. Hahaha! Too bad, young fool!" I cackled in my best Evil Lord impression. "You'll have to fry better than that to take down the Lightning Master! Try this on for size: Raiton: Rairyuudan no Jutsu! (Lightning Dragon Explosion!)"

Instantly, the sky darkened and a huge lightning bolt in the form of a dragon smashed down on the boy, jaws agape as if to swallow him.

"Oh nooo!" Travis yelled and barely jumped out of the way, the explosion carrying him several dozen meters and leaving a nice big crater. I worried for a moment when he lay prone that I used too much power, but I noticed that the kid poofed away into a log.

"Kawarmi." I muttered in half pride/half disappointment. Only a Masaki like him would be fast enough to teleport out of the way of an area-effect attack like that. Then I sensed him behind me and smirked as he boasted.

"That would have gotten me--ack!" I grabbed the kid mid-boast by the collar of his shirt and tossed him into a tree. "Oww!"

"Never boast when your opponent is still standing." I grinned, moving into a 'come-on' stance.

"That's going to change soon!" He yelled and attacked again, surprisingly faster than ever.

Taylor knew he was getting more damaged, but he sure was in the thick of things. He thought to end it and aimed his lasers so that it would fire...straight...at...the...cockpit!

Taylor's twin pulse laser shots hit about a meter from the center of the cockpit, which meant that one scraped Keith's cockpit on the side, while the other hit the right torso a centimeter or so away from the cockpit.

Yeah, I think he's made his point. Still, time to end this, now. Keith thought for a moment and realized that he had relied almost entirely on his raw experience up to this point, and had barely used the Force at all. A smirk crossed his face as this thought dawned on him...Taylor thinks that one shot will deter me...

However, like Taylor, Keith didn't want to actually harm the other. But his methods of avoiding such damage were...slightly different.

He embraced the Force before firing the next time, specifically targeting one of the vector thrusters on Taylor's 'Mech, on the center torso, and his circle of error dropped from about two meters to two centimeters--inconsequential given the thickness of a PPC bolt. Even for a padawan, the Force was a powerful ally...

Another section of his damage display turned yellow as Taylor returned fire, this time on his center torso...

Next shot, Keith targeted another thruster mount on the legs. Taylor's left leg turned red on Keith's damage display. A smirk came across his face, even as his right torso absorbed another hit.

Another of Taylor's hits flashed the right torso orange of Keith's HUD...but Keith still had time for what he was doing...

...This time, he targeted one of the main jets themselves, even as the entire group of Coredian trainees had by now gathered on the ground, watching the duel.

Taylor was about to fire another shot when his damage indicator noted that one of his jets and his vector thrusters have suffered enough damage to force a shutdown. The rest of the jets tried to compensate, but this is a 120 ton mech we're talking about, and thus whatever goes up must come down.

"Shit!" Taylor cursed and braced...*CRASH!*

The crash jarred his bones and his senses and then the duel was over.

"Damn it!" One of the trainees, a specialist, cursed as he was forced to hand over some credits to his comrades, obviously a lost bet.

The Godaime Kazakage, Gaara stared intently at the planet below him.

“Remembering back to our first visit?” came the voice of his sensei, Baki.

The Jounin, now a team leader in Sunaarashi, was stood directly behind him on the bridge of the Kazekage’s personal ship. Since Gaara said nothing, Baki knew that meant yes.

“That was long ago Konoha and ourselves have put that far behind us,” Baki assured him. “We have had a number of visits to the Chuunin Exams here since then.”

Gaara just silently nodded as the Draconian King entered the bridge.

“Hope you have good insurance,” Kurt joked. “Those Cyredathem-Telemmaitë twins are pretty violent while training.”

Gaara just groaned, he’d only agreed to letting them aboard since they were here to support Suna.

“Anyway, how much longer until we’re there?” the King then asked.

The Kazekage just pointed to the large planet on screen. He tapped into the controls to relay a message to Konoha Air Control.

“This is Godaime Kazekage of the Sunaarashi 1 requesting permission to enter airspace for landing, over.”

"Kazekage-sama, please take the VIP corridor, sir." The traffic-nin said. One could almost hear them tripping over themselves to make him welcome. "The Hokage and Supreme Commander will be there to meet with you soon."

The sensor screens will note a holographic red carpet rolling out to meet them.

=====

"Oof." Travis groaned as his battered and bruised body was thrown onto the ground.

"Getting a bit faster, kid, but not fast enough!" I smirked, wiping sweat from my brow. Then my comlink chirped. "Yes, what is it?"

"The Kazekage has arrived, Lord Masaki." I still flinch slightly at the title, but it's getting less and less noticeable every moment.

"Lord?" Travis smirked. "Does that me I'm Lord too?"

I chuckled and noogied his hair. He won't get that title for a very long time. "Nope, just Supreme Brat of the nation."

"What? That's not--" Travis sputtered as he tried to get out of the painful lock. "Liar!"

"Who are we kidding? You're still an apprentice and just entering puberty. Now let's go rest up and find the old crowd. There's lots of old-times stories to spare." I suggested, teleporting back to the apartment to brook no argument.

=====

The Hokage was also notified (and had to be pried from the local casino with a fusion torch and 20 ninjas) and as an added bonus, someone went out to get the Prime Minister of Evil Woody Thoughts. After all, the Kazekage is an important person, equal to Tsunade in all respects. And I had a very good hunch that the King of Draconis Nightcrawlis, my counterpart and oldest friend, was with him.

At the same time, a large cigar-shaped ship with a smaller Star Destroyer by its side reverted to realspace as well, containing the last members of the Masaki Clan: Jacob Masaki and Rina Masaki. The Battlestar has at long last arrived after a week of dodging Imperial fleets.

Jacob sighed in obvious relief as he headed down to the surface. Now I can rest and tell everything about Jurai...and see about the kids. Hey, I sense DN people in the system!

The Masaki Clan was now back together at last.

"Thank you," Gaara replied.

After a careful landing, Gaara was rather skilled at flying, the Kazekage and the King walked out into the VIP corridor. Behind them came the entourage consisting of Baki, Quatre and many friends of the Wagner family, they were guarded by members of the Sunaarashi.

Taylor was about to fire another shot when his damage indicator noted that one of his jets and his vector thrusters have suffered enough damage to force a shutdown. The rest of the jets tried to compensate, but this is a 120 ton mech we're talking about, and thus whatever goes up must come down.

"Shit!" Taylor cursed and braced...*CRASH!*

The crash jarred his bones and his senses and then the duel was over.

"Damn it!" One of the trainees, a specialist, cursed as he was forced to hand over some credits to his comrades, obviously a lost bet.

Keith's own 'Mech thudded to the ground, however, unlike Taylor, Keith had a controlled landing.

Though the two of them had had an unspoken rivalry of sorts since the Free Woody Thoughts campaign, and this was the first time Keith had beat him in much of anything, he did not gloat. Instead, he reached out with the Force to verify that Taylor was still conscious, and after giving him a moment to regain his balance, spoke through the 'Mech's private channels. "Well fought and done, Taylor. Get your 'Mech upright again and let's go back to the DropShip so I can get it repaired and refitted. It will probably take three or four hours to remount the jumpjets."

Meanwhile, Major Mrozik approached the specialist who had lost his bet. "I hear Taylor Masaki has a reputation for being hardheaded at times. Probably hotheaded enough to challenge the one of the best 'MechWarriors ever to set foot in Evil Woody Thoughts to an honor duel."

Meanwhile, some random Coredian courier came running up to Prime Minister Whitfield as he watched the end of the duel between his apprentice and Taylor. "Your presence is requested to greet the Draconis Nightcrawlis delegation immediately, Prime Minister."

Whitfield wasn't exactly happy about the complete lack of notice, but he accepted it, albeit with a slight scowl on his face. I'm going to have to have a chat with Master Daniel and the Hokage about making schedules in advance... He sent Keith a quick telepathic note directing him to repair Taylor's 'Mech and ensure that everyone else was trained before running off to follow the courier.

"Thanks, I think." Taylor replied as he pulled his 'mech upright and took it back to the Dropship. There, as he got out of the cockpit, he sensed a presence he hasn't felt since... "Um. You do that. I've got an old friend to meet. See ya."

Meanwhile, Major Mrozik approached the specialist who had lost his bet. "I hear Taylor Masaki has a reputation for being hardheaded at times. Probably hotheaded enough to challenge the one of the best 'MechWarriors ever to set foot in Evil Woody Thoughts to an honor duel."
"Yeah. He's hotheaded enough to challenge anyone. But he's tempered a lot over the years, or so I've heard." The specialist, a man in his thirties, said.

"Thank you," Gaara replied.

After a careful landing, Gaara was rather skilled at flying, the Kazekage and the King walked out into the VIP corridor. Behind them came the entourage consisting of Baki, Quatre and many friends of the Wagner family, they were guarded by members of the Sunaarashi.
Soon enough, a majority of the Old Crowd piled out to meet with the Kazekage, some saluting and some merely smiling or nodding. A lot of memories have passed between Gaara and Konoha's nin over the last decades.

Not to mention the Masaki Clan, Jacob and Rina included.

Gaara greeted each and every person that came up to him. Kurt meanwhile looked around and saw the Masaki Clan.

"Looks like the old gangs here," the King grinned. "How are you guys?"

Two silver-haired twin girls of about ten emerged through the crowd.

"There had better be vampires around," one of them muttered.

"Thanks, I think." Taylor replied as he pulled his 'mech upright and took it back to the Dropship. There, as he got out of the cockpit, he sensed a presence he hasn't felt since... "Um. You do that. I've got an old friend to meet. See ya."

"Later," the Colonel called out to Taylor as he began repairing his 'Mech. Man, I really shouldn't have made so much work for myself... He began the process of prying open bolts that held the slagged remains of the vector thrusters off the 'Mech...

He was going to be busy for a while. He might have (finally!) had the honor of defeating Taylor Masaki in honor combat, however abbreviated, but it had its unintended consequences. Meanwhile, Taylor got to hobnob with Draconian nobility, or so it would seem when Keith learned who had arrived...

"Yeah. He's hotheaded enough to challenge anyone. But he's tempered a lot over the years, or so I've heard." The specialist, a man in his thirties, said.

"Heh. If you're going to challenge us to honor duels, at least have the common sense to specify using weapons that aren't BattleMechs. Though we are trained in quite a few other forms of combat too."

Major Chris Mrozik paused for a moment. "That said, we had better start training you, too." He started herding all of the Coredians, those who had fought in the Free Woody Thoughts campaign and those who hadn't, into some classroom somewhere. The ones who had already piloted 'Mechs groaned a bit, but when reminded that their loadouts were going to be all energy weapons and that they had had the advantage of fighting in the winter when heat wasn't as much of an issue, they moved along. It helped when the Woodian commanders told them they would be piloting their 'Mechs by afternoon...

Gaara greeted each and every person that came up to him. Kurt meanwhile looked around and saw the Masaki Clan.

"Looks like the old gangs here," the King grinned. "How are you guys?"

Two silver-haired twin girls of about ten emerged through the crowd.

"There had better be vampires around," one of them muttered.

Whitfield took a few seconds to slow his breathing before approaching the foreign delegation, as summoned by the Coredian courier. Finally he walked up to Gaara, and taking a moment to try to recall the proper title (he knew practically nothing of Draconis Nightcrawlis, nor did he know more than a few words in Japanese), he introduced himself. "Hello there." He bowed, as was Woodian custom at least, before adding, "I am Prime Minister Jacob Whitfield of Evil Woody Thoughts, and you must be the...Godaime Kazakage?"

"Yes I am," Gaara said, bowing politely. "I am pleased to meet you."

Gaara greeted each and every person that came up to him. Kurt meanwhile looked around and saw the Masaki Clan.

"Looks like the old gangs here," the King grinned. "How are you guys?"

Two silver-haired twin girls of about ten emerged through the crowd.

"There had better be vampires around," one of them muttered.
"Sorry, kid, but there are some demons around if you'd like to meet them." Travis said to the girls, striking up a conversation.

"I've had better." I replied to the King with a tired smile. "Good to see you at last. Hey, Jacob."

"Yo. You guys are a sight for sore eyes." Jacob shook his head as he shook hands with everyone.

"Yeah. By the way, do you know a kid named Umino Haruka?" Taylor asked.

Jacob suddenly slapped his head. "The kid alchemist? I knew I should have left with Daniel...how is he?"

"He's waiting for a mentor to teach him the finer points of alchemy without circles." Taylor said off-handedly. "I remember he's training well the other day, but still..."

"Oh, right. I'll get to him later." Jacob sighed. Leave it to the Empire to mess up the schedule.

"Yes I am," Gaara said, bowing politely. "I am pleased to meet you."
"And I'm pleased to see you are well." The Hokage said politely.

"Been a while, old friend." Naruto smirked. Sasuke nodded a greeting, Sakura was just pleased to meet the Kazekage, and Rock Lee burst into tears and ranted about how the "flower of youth" still blossoms around Gaara.

"Sorry, kid, but there are some demons around if you'd like to meet them." Travis said to the girls, striking up a conversation.


"Oh demons aren't as fun as vampires, they don't explode into dust when you stake them," one of the girls said. "I'm Kaemar by the way."

"And I'm Zaonna," her sister then said.


"I've had better." I replied to the King with a tired smile. "Good to see you at last. Hey, Jacob."

"It has been a while," Kurt said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how Gabriel does, I'm pleased he's made it to the third round of the exams but I just hope Eamonn hasn't been pushing him to hard.

"Oh knowing my brother he won't be able to feel anything for a while," came the sarcastic remark from Eamonn's brother, Daniel.


"And I'm pleased to see you are well." The Hokage said politely.

"Been a while, old friend." Naruto smirked. Sasuke nodded a greeting, Sakura was just pleased to meet the Kazekage, and Rock Lee burst into tears and ranted about how the "flower of youth" still blossoms around Gaara.

Just like Lee, Gaara silently thought to himself. "I look forward to seeing the new generation in action."

"Oh demons aren't as fun as vampires, they don't explode into dust when you stake them," one of the girls said. "I'm Kaemar by the way."

"And I'm Zaonna," her sister then said.
"And I'm Travis Masaki." Travis grinned. He saw Keith, Anakin and Nina. "My cousins Keith, Anakin and Nina."

"Yo." "Hey." "Hi! *giggles*"

"It has been a while," Kurt said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how Gabriel does, I'm pleased he's made it to the third round of the exams but I just hope Eamonn hasn't been pushing him to hard.

"Oh knowing my brother he won't be able to feel anything for a while," came the sarcastic remark from Eamonn's brother, Daniel.
I laughed. "Naruto and I've been dealing with Travis the same way. I swear, he's going to be full of surprises." I smiled knowingly.

Just like Lee, Gaara silently thought to himself. "I look forward to seeing the new generation in action."
"Just between you and me, I believe the new crop certainly have much potential. More than Naruto's generation, I'd say." Tsunade smiled.

"Hey! I resent that!" Naruto pouted.

"And I'm Travis Masaki." Travis grinned. He saw Keith, Anakin and Nina. "My cousins Keith, Anakin and Nina."

"Yo." "Hey." "Hi! *giggles*"

"So what else is there to do around here?" Kaemar asked. "You sure there aren't vampires around?"


I laughed. "Naruto and I've been dealing with Travis the same way. I swear, he's going to be full of surprises." I smiled knowingly.

Kurt sighed. "Well Gabriel will probably surprise myself as well," he said and looked over at Quatre. "It's his fault, he left Gabriel with Gaara as a baby, that got him interested in this whole ninja thing."

Quatre narrowed his eyes at his husband. "It wouldn't have happened if you'd let me know you were planning to go to Svartalfheim."


"Just between you and me, I believe the new crop certainly have much potential. More than Naruto's generation, I'd say." Tsunade smiled.

"Hey! I resent that!" Naruto pouted.

"Every generation does seem better than the last," Gaara remarked and leaned toward Naruto. "And besides, Gabriel easily beats you when it comes to ramen eating contests."

"So what else is there to do around here?" Kaemar asked. "You sure there aren't vampires around?"
"Nope." Travis shook his head.


Kurt sighed. "Well Gabriel will probably surprise myself as well," he said and looked over at Quatre. "It's his fault, he left Gabriel with Gaara as a baby, that got him interested in this whole ninja thing."

Quatre narrowed his eyes at his husband. "It wouldn't have happened if you'd let me know you were planning to go to Svartalfheim."
"Oh." I said, remembering *that* report Taylor gave me a few years back.

"Every generation does seem better than the last," Gaara remarked and leaned toward Naruto. "And besides, Gabriel easily beats you when it comes to ramen eating contests."
Naruto choked. "What? No one beats me at ramen-eating! No one!"

Sakura sighed. "Here we go."

"Yes I am," Gaara said, bowing politely. "I am pleased to meet you."

"I am pleased to meet you as well, Godaime Kazakage," the Prime Minister replied with another bow, yet not really knowing if Kazakage was a name or some extra title. "Though I must confess that I have not had the time to learn anything about you nor the nation from which you hail ahead of time."

"Nope." Travis shook his head.

The twins sighed. "Well we'll just have to find one then," they both said.


"Oh." I said, remembering *that* report Taylor gave me a few years back.

Kurt nodded. "Which reminds me, Lady Nocturne still has a large bounty offered on Taylor's head for his part in the destruction of her DNA lab," he then said.


Naruto choked. "What? No one beats me at ramen-eating! No one!"

Sakura sighed. "Here we go."

Gaara just smirked at Naruto's reaction.


"I am pleased to meet you as well, Godaime Kazakage," the Prime Minister replied with another bow, yet not really knowing if Kazakage was a name or some extra title. "Though I must confess that I have not had the time to learn anything about you nor the nation from which you hail ahead of time."

Gaara gave him a smirk. "Likewise to be honest I know nothing of your nation," he admitted.

Gaara gave him a smirk. "Likewise to be honest I know nothing of your nation," he admitted.

"Well, such is what happens when Daniel Masaki informs neither party that they will meet each other. I will have to have a chat with him about that..."

The Prime Minister looked around at all the other people milling about the room; some he recognized as Masakis, others he had not the slightest clue of who they might be. "That said, I see you are not the only one whom I need to get acquainted with while I am here..."

Gaara nodded. "Well the blue elf you see over there," he said, nodding in the direction of Kurt. "He is King Kurt II, ruler of Draconis Nightcrawlis. The blond next to him is his husband, it is their son Gabriel whom is partaking in the Chuunin Exam."

The twins sighed. "Well we'll just have to find one then," they both said.
"Last I checked, they're extinct in Coreworlds thanks to the Jedi Order." Travis shrugged. "Although one never really knows. Maybe you'll get lucky."

"Well, such is what happens when Daniel Masaki informs neither party that they will meet each other. I will have to have a chat with him about that..."
"Hey. They arrived more quickly than I thought." I said. "I'll get a quick-facts list of Draconis Nightcrawlis and the Sand Village to you as soon as possible. I'll do the same for Evil Woody Thoughts to them."

Kurt nodded. "Which reminds me, Lady Nocturne still has a large bounty offered on Taylor's head for his part in the destruction of her DNA lab," he then said.
"Yeah. Fortunately, I'm still around." Taylor chuckled.

The Prime Minister looked around at all the other people milling about the room; some he recognized as Masakis, others he had not the slightest clue of who they might be. "That said, I see you are not the only one whom I need to get acquainted with while I am here..."
"The most important people are these two." I said, waving my fingers to Kurt and Gaara. Then to Naruto, the orange-clad, blond hair and blue eyed young man next to me. "And possibly Naruto, as he's a good candidate to be the next Hokage after Tsunade retires." What I didn't add was: If the Konoha Council didn't continue dragging it's heels over that issue...

Naruto beamed. "Yeah, soon, my dream will finally come true. Nice to meet you, Mr. Prime Minister."

"Last I checked, they're extinct in Coreworlds thanks to the Jedi Order." Travis shrugged. "Although one never really knows. Maybe you'll get lucky."

Kaemar rubbed her hands together. "Well they'd probably sneak in," she then said. "A whole new feeding ground with no rivals, it would be too tempting for a vampire to pass up."


"Hey. They arrived more quickly than I thought." I said. "I'll get a quick-facts list of Draconis Nightcrawlis and the Sand Village to you as soon as possible. I'll do the same for Evil Woody Thoughts to them."


"Yeah. Fortunately, I'm still around." Taylor chuckled.



"Well best to keep on your guard," Kurt warned. "Ichigo's had a few problems with Lady Nocturnes goons."

One of the nearby masked Sunnaarashi Nin nodded.

The next few days would be fairly interesting for Shamman. Deshoonde, reluctantly, agreed to teach him some of the more quiet, and brutal ways of assasination.

"No no no! Shamman, you're doing it all wrong. This power is a combination of force choke, and desintergration! Not choke and lightning."

"It's not that easy when your rank is only Warrior my lord," Shamman said.

"Look, it's fairly simple. You use the force to break down the molecular cells which combine the blood vessiles first. Then you go to the bone tissue. You save the skin for last. It's one of the more painfull ways of dying. Would you like to see the films of me executing some incompitent troopers?"

Shamman thought for a few moments, "No..."

"*Sigh* Watch me," Deshoonde grabbed another captured furry rodent (similar to a rabbit), and staired into it's eyes. At first, the creature began to struggle to get free by scratching at Deshoonde's arms and chest. Soon, it grew quitet due to a new sensation it was feeling in it's body. If you were to look over Deshoonde's sholders and looked into the rabbit's eyes, you could vaguely see flames burn around inside the puples. The creature suddenly let out a terrifying scream of aggony, one which could be heard for a couple of miles, as it began to burn up on the inside and it's inards turned to dust.

The creature looked into Deshoonde's eyes with aggony, and it disentergrated into a pile of ash with Deshoone's hands and arms in the previous position he was holding the creature in. Deshoonde sighed and turned to Shamman, "Spontanious Combustion is an ancient, and rare force form through out the Universe. People have reported it for thousands of years and no one can find out why people just randomly puffed into a pile of ashes."

"Are you saying, you're the cause of most of the spontanious combustions of political leaders in the Empire for the last four thousand years?"

Deshoonde lifted a finger to his mouth and sarcastically told Shamman to hush, "Shhhh! Can't let the public know of that, now can we?"

Shamman smiled wickedly and walked up to another cage and picked out another furry animal. This time, one resembling a squirrel. "I think I got it this time..." The creature, also went through the same motions as the previous one did with Deshoonde. It soon stoped struggling, due to a strainge sensation in it's body. It's innards soon began to disentergrade...

Just as Prime Minister Whitfield was thanking the Godaime Kazakage, Daniel Masaki started to notice his arrival...

"Hey. They arrived more quickly than I thought." I said. "I'll get a quick-facts list of Draconis Nightcrawlis and the Sand Village to you as soon as possible. I'll do the same for Evil Woody Thoughts to them."

"The most important people are these two." I said, waving my fingers to Kurt and Gaara. Then to Naruto, the orange-clad, blond hair and blue eyed young man next to me. "And possibly Naruto, as he's a good candidate to be the next Hokage after Tsunade retires." What I didn't add was: If the Konoha Council didn't continue dragging it's heels over that issue...

Naruto beamed. "Yeah, soon, my dream will finally come true. Nice to meet you, Mr. Prime Minister."

"It is a pleasure to meet you to, Mr. Naruto." Whitfield hoped he wasn't missing a title somewhere.

Then he sent a telepathic thought to Master Daniel, feeling it best to keep such things private... Yes, let us get that fact sheet ASAP. But would you care to explain why you did not bother to notify me of this event in advance? I could have better prepared for it given the chance, you know... The message carried just the right tone to let Daniel know that Whitfield was Not. Happy.

"It is a pleasure to meet you to, Mr. Naruto." Whitfield hoped he wasn't missing a title somewhere.
"That's Mr. Uzumaki. Naming conventions are reversed on Konoha. Just call me Naruto anyway. Everyone does." The blond-haired ninja grinned.

Then he sent a telepathic thought to Master Daniel, feeling it best to keep such things private... Yes, let us get that fact sheet ASAP. But would you care to explain why you did not bother to notify me of this event in advance? I could have better prepared for it given the chance, you know... The message carried just the right tone to let Daniel know that Whitfield was Not. Happy.
Sorry. I forgot between training my son and doing duties of state. I answered. Plus, you've only arrived a few days ago too.

"That's Mr. Uzumaki. Naming conventions are reversed on Konoha. Just call me Naruto anyway. Everyone does." The blond-haired ninja grinned.

"My apologies," Whitfield offered, not really wanting to be here but doing a damn good politician's job of hiding it. I could be learning relevant skills to the upcoming campaign right now. Speaking of which...


Sorry. I forgot between training my son and doing duties of state. I answered. Plus, you've only arrived a few days ago too.

Whitfield wasn't buying it. The difference is my arrival was planned more than five minutes in advance...

And I expected the DN delegates to arrive later. I replied in a tone of finality. It was short notice for me too.

OOC: Soon should be a good time for a timeskip. All other people with delegates may arrive within the week and a half between now and the Day.

"That reminds me," Kurt began. "Where are we staying?"

"That reminds me," Kurt began. "Where are we staying?"

"Well, that is simple to answer. VIP suites at the Hotel Hokage. Down the road, under the giant busts carved in the cliff wall overlooking the Village, a Genin will show you if you need help." Tsunade said, smiling. "No head of state gets less than treatment fit for a king."

Kurt smiled. "Thank you," he said, bowing slightly.

"No problem." Tsunade answered with a bow of her own.

And I expected the DN delegates to arrive later. I replied in a tone of finality. It was short notice for me too.

Still, you never bothered to notify me that you were expecting them at all, and now, when I was perhaps a few moments from starting to learn a skill that might serve us all well in the upcoming campaign, I am stuck here. Whitfield replied with an equally final tone in his thoughts...

OOC: Soon should be a good time for a timeskip. All other people with delegates may arrive within the week and a half between now and the Day.

OOC: Agreed. I'll do my part...

---------------------------------------

The Coredians-in-training rejoiced when the classroom training was over, as now they could get to the fun part--training in the actual 'Mechs themselves. The Woodian military officers divided them into two groups--those who had some experience from the Free Woody Thoughts campaign and those who did not.

It also probably helped that around this time, Colonel Keith Allaire finally emerged from repairing Taylor's (as well as his own) 'Mech, and volunteered himself as an extra instructor on the field. The Coredians instantly perked up a bit upon seeing him walk to his 'Mech, simply because it was so unusual to see anyone other than another Jedi or a Sith to defeat a fully trained Jedi Knight, as they had seen just that morning. That duel had shown the Coredians, including the specialist who lost his bet, more than anything, that Colonel Allaire knew his shit.

The advanced group started by learning how to torso-twist, and how to get used to maneuvering when torso-twisted (the sensation was slightly disconcerting to some). Meanwhile, those who had never piloted a 'Mech before learned the more basic stuff, such as reading the various items on the HUD (some of which they would have already been familiar with, such as the heading indicator, some of which were less familiar, such as the heat indicator).

For several hours the two groups drilled. Then the Woodians decided to have a bit of fun...

Colonel Allaire thought of his jumpjets as his voice boomed over everyone's intercom. "All Coredians, you are hereby ordered to fire on me."

"Uh, fine sir, but isn't that a little dangerous if one of us gets lucky?" the nervous voice of the specialist who had lost his bet asked.

"It is the military. Shit happens," came Keith's curt reply.

"Uh, OK..." came a chorus of nervous Coredian voices. It was clear they didn't like the order, but they would follow it...

A bunch of PPC bolts and a few missiles fired from 'Mechs that hadn't been reconfigured yet lashed out at Keith's 'Mech just as he fired his jump jets. All of the PPCs missed, but some of the missiles impacted on the 'Mech's legs (as they did have some tracking capability); however, they only caused superficial damage. Keith continued to dodge and evade the Coredians' fire...he was having just a little bit too much fun doing it.

After a minute or so, he decided that they had gotten their point across. "You may cease fire." The Coredians breathed a sigh of relief, tired from the day of training, not to mention the jitters that Keith's previous order had given them...

"Hey look who it is," Kaemar suddenly grinned. "Lil' ninja prince himself."

Daniel, Eamonn and Katana had all finally shown up.

"Well we were caught by surprise," Eamonn remarked.

Kurt looked at his son. "He looks dead."

Daniel just nodded.

"He's just off training," his sensei explained.

"Hey look who it is," Kaemar suddenly grinned. "Lil' ninja prince himself."

Daniel, Eamonn and Katana had all finally shown up.

"Well we were caught by surprise," Eamonn remarked.

Kurt looked at his son. "He looks dead."

Daniel just nodded.

"He's just off training," his sensei explained.
"So this is the kid who's named after me." I smirked. "Ought to be interesting, Kurt."

"Oh yes I am looking to see how he should do," Kurt smiled and ruffled his sons hair.

Daniel just yawned rather sleepily.

"Unfortunately he has you manners as well," Quatre remarked.

I chuckled. "Including the part when he's a slob at the dinnertable? Shall I give you the tour of the place, Kurt?"

Quatre just nodded.

"Oh don't remind me," Katana sighed.

Kurt ignored the pair of them, he was a little concerned that Eamonn might be pushing his son a little too hard but he decided to say something about that later.

"Sure, a tour would be good," he smiled.

Still, you never bothered to notify me that you were expecting them at all, and now, when I was perhaps a few moments from starting to learn a skill that might serve us all well in the upcoming campaign, I am stuck here. Whitfield replied with an equally final tone in his thoughts...
I just sighed and made a note to ensure that Whitfield gets the quick-facts sheet he wanted.

Quatre just nodded.

"Oh don't remind me," Katana sighed.

Kurt ignored the pair of them, he was a little concerned that Eamonn might be pushing his son a little too hard but he decided to say something about that later.

"Sure, a tour would be good," he smiled.

As the DN people got themselves settled and the Coredians under Keith got themselves trained, the hours and then days began to slide by quickly. Spectators began to arrive, many of them members of the rich and powerful, the so-called aristocracy of Coreworlds. Businesspeople looking for security and, well, business. Senators looking for favors and merchants hawking their wares were in increasing abundance.

But a slight chill in the air would be noted by the Jedi and Shinobi as people, executing Nightshade's grand plan to attack Konoha, began to trickle in. Disguised so as to not alert the ANBU, the enemy dispersed themselves into the crowd and would wait until the time came. Nightshade herself and her two crazy alchemical assistants were nowhere to be seen, but the Huntaer Dark Lords will know discreetly that they're in place.

All through the week and a half, Travis, Haruka, Janus and Jesse all trained long and hard from sunup to sundown (and sometimes later) to best their opponents. Travis still had trouble with the Rasengan, but I assured him that he would figure out how to master it. Nevertheless, I was pleased with the progress my son has made in his abilities and between his natural cleverness and a speed that would match a younger Rock Lee, I ensured that he would, if not best Lialai, then give her the biggest fight of her life.

And finally, after one long month of hellish training, the Third Test of the Chuunin Exams was only a single day away...

Lightning. Fire. Wind. Water. Ninjutsu. Genjutsu. Taijutsu.

The last day before the Test was the hardest on Travis. Naruto and I made sure that each and every one of his skills and tactics were tested out, pointing out mistakes and formulating a plan of action to beat Lialai. Basically, it involves a major element of surprise, but I'm not going reveal the plan just yet. You'd have to wait.

As Travis punched trees with lightning-enhanced punches with the metal-plated gloves, Naruto and I were deciding something.

"So which would make a bigger statement? Master and apprentice or father and son?" Naruto asked.

"Politically, I'd say father and son." I said. "Then again, Master and Apprentice does have a ring to it. I would say go for Master and Apprentice. After all, showing off the top students will be a plus to the crowd. "Here be Travis, trained by only the best Jounin in Konoha, 'The Second Flash'"!"

"'Second Flash'?" Naruto asked, incredulous.

I smirked. "You learned Hirashin, same as your father. You'd be the spitting image of Yondaime (Fourth Hokage) when that's revealed."

"Hehe. Good point." Naruto chuckled.

Come to think of it, our lives are no different, really. We both have the legacy of our fallen fathers on our shoulders and we both are attempting to follow in their footsteps. Naruto never knew his father, being born the day Yondaime died sealing the fox demon into his belly, but when he was 16, a few years after the Coreworlds/Empire war began, he learned about his family through Jiraiya. And when I was 16, Dad was killed by Palpatine. Yeah, 16 was an important year for us two.

So Master and Apprentice it is. As the sun went down on this last, day, I called for Travis.

"Hey Travis! Your training session's over." I called.

"Aww, Dad! I haven't even finished Rasengan!" The boy whined.

"Should we give him a hint on that?" I whispered.

Naruto shook his head. "No. He'll figure it out."

"All right." I nodded. "Don't worry about it, kid. You'll figure it out."

"Yeah. Maybe you'll even master it in the heat of battle. That's how it went for me." Naruto smirked.

"All right." Travis said, his morale pushed up by our words. There's something I'm not getting about Rasengan, but what? Oh well...

"Right. To the showers. We'll treat you to Ichiraku's before long." I grinned as his cheers sounded amist the stars popping out.

Darth Plagueis took note of the young apprentice and his father and Master as he walked in the shadows. The boy will be interesting tomorrow indeed. And if my foresight is correct, even more interesting events will occur soon...

=====

Across another plain, massive energy surges began to disappear and revealed a crater full of random alchemized objects.

"Huff, huff, huff. How did I do, Jacob-sensei?" Haruka asked, breathing hard.

"Excellent work." Jacob Masaki nodded. "You've mastered it. Now it's time to rest. You have a big day tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." The apprentice alchemist bowed and so did the master, and they walked off to eat and rest.

=====

"Hah!" A dozen trees were ripped apart as Jesse slashed his chain into them, tearing them apart with ease. He then whipped his chain at a passing bird, surging electromagnetic energy into it. The bird slumped onto the ground, blackened with burnt flesh. "Got it."

A rock was torn apart by gravity and the sharp pieces were hurled at other rocks as shrapnel. A rabbit was picked up and it screamed horribly as it was squeezed into a pulp. Janus smirked. "So far so good. Now we rest."

Gareth trained hard too, unleashing devastating claw strikes that turned another part of the forest into logwood and even a boulder wasn't safe, slashed into quarters by a finishing move.

"Of course." Jesse said as he nodded to Kabuto, watching them silently from a living tree. "Sensei?"

"Everything as your mother has forseen. Our assets are in place, waiting for the word." The grey-haired Jounin said.

"Very good." Janus smirked. "Tomorrow, Konoha shall crumble into dust by our Imperial might!"

I just sighed and made a note to ensure that Whitfield gets the quick-facts sheet he wanted.

As the DN people got themselves settled and the Coredians under Keith got themselves trained, the hours and then days began to slide by quickly. Spectators began to arrive, many of them members of the rich and powerful, the so-called aristocracy of Coreworlds. Businesspeople looking for security and, well, business. Senators looking for favors and merchants hawking their wares were in increasing abundance.

In the final days of frantic training for the participants, Master Whitfield, too, sought out training at the first oppurtunity he had to extricate himself from the DN social hour (of course, without looking like he was extricating himself from such social hour). More specifically, he approached his apprentice (a strange situation for any Jedi, much less a Master) about training him in the operation of jump jets. Colonel Allaire assented, and trained Coredians by day, Master Whitfield by night, in their operation, and of course, the hard part, firing from midair.

It also meant that the Coredian trainees were treated to a nightly light show. However, after the Colonel had defeated Taylor Masaki, they simply didn't know how to bet...

But a slight chill in the air would be noted by the Jedi and Shinobi as people, executing Nightshade's grand plan to attack Konoha, began to trickle in. Disguised so as to not alert the ANBU, the enemy dispersed themselves into the crowd and would wait until the time came. Nightshade herself and her two crazy alchemical assistants were nowhere to be seen, but the Huntaer Dark Lords will know discreetly that they're in place.

=====

"Hah!" A dozen trees were ripped apart as Jesse slashed his chain into them, tearing them apart with ease. He then whipped his chain at a passing bird, surging electromagnetic energy into it. The bird slumped onto the ground, blackened with burnt flesh. "Got it."

A rock was torn apart by gravity and the sharp pieces were hurled at other rocks as shrapnel. A rabbit was picked up and it screamed horribly as it was squeezed into a pulp. Janus smirked. "So far so good. Now we rest."

Gareth trained hard too, unleashing devastating claw strikes that turned another part of the forest into logwood and even a boulder wasn't safe, slashed into quarters by a finishing move.

"Of course." Jesse said as he nodded to Kabuto, watching them silently from a living tree. "Sensei?"

"Everything as your mother has forseen. Our assets are in place, waiting for the word." The grey-haired Jounin said.

"Very good." Janus smirked. "Tomorrow, Konoha shall crumble into dust by our Imperial might!"

The evening before Exams

Konoha's sun had not quite yet gotten around to setting, but even before nightfall, Master Whitfield had an uneasy feeling. More specifically, the same kind of dark feeling he had had in the weeks before Darth Ebolus had initiated a coup d'etat in the Woodian Parliament, the kind of feeling that indicated that something was seriously amiss but didn't indicate what...

It wasn't just the presence of the ANBU-held Sith Lords. It wasn't just the expected presence of Janus and Jesse. Nay, it was something far more sinister...

The Jedi Master's sense of deja vu was utterly overwhelming, so much so that he rubbed his temples in pain. Though his premonitions did not reveal specific plots, he had no choice but to warn the others nonetheless...

Using the Force, he sought out Daniel Masaki. Something is very wrong...the Dark Side grows like an emerging thunderstorm. Even accounting for the expected presence of Janus and Jesse, and the captured Sith, I feel a strong sense of deja vu from the weeks immediately proceeding the start of the Woodian Civil War...

Naruto seemed oblivious to everything, as usual, but underneath that ignorant exterior, his heightened senses began to tingle. "Daniel..."

"I know..." I was hit by Whitfield's warning and nodded mentally. I've noticed it growing lately as well. There's a big sense of deja vu, and not just from the Civil War. The last time I felt it this bad in Konoha was when I was 14. Let's just say...history's about to repeat itself.

I hoped I was wrong. I really do. But the Force never lies...

Shouldn't we be making contingency plans of some sort? came Whitfield's reply.

Shouldn't we be making contingency plans of some sort? came Whitfield's reply.
I thought about it for a moment. I suggest putting the Mechwarriors on alert. Between the Empire and the Exams, the military's already on a high state of alert as well so stepping up patrols in space and on the ground shouldn't hurt.

"With this much of a dark presence tonight, Tsunade will have incrreased ANBU patrols already." Naruto said as if reading our minds.

I nodded. "A good idea. Never know what might happen."

"Yeah." Naruto sighed.

Done. The Prime Minister's reply was short and to the point, and he ran off to find the Colonel.

It didn't take too long to find him, his eyes bored straight into Whitfield from down a barracks hallway somewhere, which meant the Colonel sensed that something would need pwning in short order. The look on the Colonel's face probably would have sent Otto von Bismarck running in terror.

But not Prime Minister Whitfield, who spoke first. "Colonel Allaire, I need all ground forces to go on highest alert. Commence twenty-four hour patrols of the barracks area, and the area surrounding where exams are to take place. If the patrols encounter anything where they need assistance, they are to call for backup immediately. I will alert the Battlestar in orbit, then rest for an hour or so, then join you out on patrol. Has every 'Mech been reconfigured properly for the Jurai operation?"

"Aff. All 'Mechs not piloted by thermokinetics are equipped with triple PPCs, twin large pulse lasers, four tons of extra armor, and extra heat sinks. I will coordinate patrols immediately, and look forward to meeting you out on the field."

"Done, Colonel." Whitfield went to alert the orbiting Immortal Star Destroyer whilst the Colonel aroused the ground forces, Woodian and Coredian alike. Moreover, Whitfield dragged Taylor Masaki into this, as he had been entrusted with a 'Mech, and with that came certain responsibilities.

The Jedi Master did not expect a Masaki to shy away from potential combat.

Taylor Masaki wasn't sure what's up -he isn't as attuned to the Sense side of the Force as Daniel or Whitfield was- but he allowed himself time to do a patrol in his mech as well. After all, one never knows...

Kurt felt it as he looked out the window of where he was staying, Quatre could see the worry upon his face.

"Whats wrong?" Quatre asked.

"I don't know," the King replied.

He did know someone whom might.

Daniel are you also getting this feeling of dread that I feel, he asked via the force.

Yeah. Talked with the Prime Minister. Gaara brought his Sunaarashi people right? Have them help the ANBU with patrols. I suggested.

Will do, Kurt replied and looked over at Quatre. "Something bad might be brewing."

Quatre nodded, he stayed behind as the King went to talk to the Kazekage. Within half an hour, Gaara had briefed the Sunaarashi and were now on patrol alongside ANBU.

They've been sent out, I hope this will blow over but I guess a Ninja Village is just like a Jedi Academy, always attracts the bad guys, Kurt told Daniel.

I shook my head. You have no idea.

Kurt sighed. But the exams will continue won't they? he then asked.

Until whatever happens breaks out. I said. That way we draw out the source of the darkness we felt.

One of these days they'll just leave us in peace, Kurt replied. Probably just wishful thinking, theres alot of space out there for them to fester in.

True, but they'll never feel comfortable with us still alive. I answered.

Later that night, the patrols began to notice that *something* was out in the forests surrounding Konohagekure and the village. Nightshade's plan was too large to be fully stealthed, but even so, it was as if it was a sensor ghost...

OOC: Your cue, EWT.

That's true, Kurt agreed. We just have to keep routing them out where ever they might be.

Max had continued his extensive, brutal training under the eye of his sensai, Merry and Victoria, once she'd be released from the care of the medical-nin. He'd learnt a few new jutsu, advanced some others including one of his favourites and increased his strength, speed, stamina, control and chakra levels.

Interspaced during the training he was lectured on noted tactics of his opponent, new tricks as well as forcing him to be able to multi-task in intensive enviroments under gruelling conditions.

Twenty-four hours prior to the conmencement of the third stage, his training came to an end as he was given a chance to fully recover and work out any kinks stress and to come up with his strategies. It wouldn't dofor him to lose due to his training afterall.

He'd also heard the Mizukage would be attending, and thus intended to be at his peak so he wouldn't be a disappoint in front of the leader of Kirigakure.

True, but they'll never feel comfortable with us still alive. I answered.

Later that night, the patrols began to notice that *something* was out in the forests surrounding Konohagekure and the village. Nightshade's plan was too large to be fully stealthed, but even so, it was as if it was a sensor ghost...

OOC: Your cue, EWT.

"I've got something..." Major Mrozik's voice on the comm made the rest of the Woodians on active patrol duty, which included the Colonel, Major Sorensen, and Master Whitfield, perk up, as they knew that Major Chris Mrozik was about as good with 'Mech sensors as the Colonel was at blasting Jedi-piloted 'Mechs while firing and using jumpjets at the same time. "One contact, 1.2 clicks from our position, heading 350."

That is to say, damn good. There were few others that could pick up a stationary speeder bike on a 'Mech's sensors from a kilometer out. Not even the Colonel.

The Colonel knew well enough to let Major Mrozik to do his thing. "All units, hold." Meanwhile, Major Mrozik did his thing...

The forest wasn't particularly thick, so the Major swiveled his torso in the direction of the sensor contact, activating his HUD zoom. He loved doing these sorts of things...

He maneuvered ever-so-slightly before managing a line-of-sight through the forest. The moment he had his crosshairs on the target, his sensor display spat out a bit of additional data. "Twin laser cannon, looks to be a military speeder. I think there are more of them just outside of sensor range but I cannot be sure."

The Colonel smirked. "Major, keep your zoom open and on your target. Prime Minister, keep your Force senses out for any movement. Everyone, go to passive sensors and close to eight hundred meters, twenty percent throttle. I feel like a little bit of pulse laser sniping tonight...

"Aff," came the reply from Majors Mrozik and Sorensen. Whitfield scowled slightly at being addressed by his political title whilst on a military mission, but otherwise let it slide.

It was a member of the Rock nins, out on patrol against ANBU patrols. A few camo-clad stormtroopers were around, obviously commanded by the Rock-nin. They were completely oblivous to the fact that someone has already detected them. And that, will be their loss.

"Eight hundred meters to target." Major C. Mrozik smirked. "Should I open fire, Colonel?"

"All units, hold. Major, open fire," came a prompt reply. Meanwhile, within the confines of his cockpit, the Colonel's eyes blazed that bright-PPC blue so infamous amongst those that knew him...

One instantaneous flash of red later, the speeder bike in question disappeared into a flowery little explosion. Of course, this made the rest of the unit panic, as no one had seen from what direction the fire came from.

"All units, advance at full throttle. We are to eliminate the enemy before they stop panicking."

As everyone revved up their engines, Whitfield sent a telepathic note to Master Daniel: We are engaging a platoon or so of speeder bikes...looks and feels like stormtroopers...

It didn't take more than about ten seconds for the group to get visuals on the speeder bikes' lights, and they were fired on as such. The Rock-nin were suddenly facing down several hundred-twenty ton machines of death, each one with anti-infantry weapons creating a ruby light show in the dark of night, barreling towards them, with no heavy equipment of their own...

Oh? I replied in some surprise. Well, this gives substance to the feeling we've felt.

The platoon was completely decimated by the Mechs' surprise attack and not one speeder made it a few meters off the ground before lasers destroyed them. Some time later, deep within a forest hundreds of kilometers from Konoha Village, a Shadow nin, his forehead protector painted with the ancient symbol of the Sith, bowed deeply in fear and respect to a trio of powerful and deadly S-level criminals.

"My Lady, a Rock-nin platoon failed to report back five minutes ago. Shall we investigate?"

A voice sounded from the darkness. "No. We'll not give away our positions to the enemy this early."

"They know now that we're here." A voice hissed like a snake.

"Nevertheless, they would find nothing else the rest of the night." A third voice sporting red eyes asked. Itachi. "Our forces are hidden too well."

"Yes. But to fully ensure that that remains true, all platoons will fall back to the designated zone." Nightshade instructed. The platoons are all infantry, so it won't be hard to do so.

True to her word, the Mechs would find nothing else to report about this night...

OOC: New thread is here!

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=11674593#post11674593

Lialai stood tall. She was a new ninja now. Her powers had increased rapidly with Master Wescolum's techniques. She now had a brand-new jutsu under her belt also. Lialai looked at Barak and smiled. Barak said, "Lialai you have come a long way. I wouldn't want to be the genin who has to fight you in the next round." Lialai's training had finally concluded. She bowed her head to her masters and went to bed for tomorrow would be a busy day.

OOC: Heh. The invasion of Konoha has begun now in the thread above. Fight accordingly. There's plenty of goons for everyone.