Jala and Lian were shocked to hear about Toja's tragic demise. They couldn't believe it at first. A clone scout force went back out to the wreckage, to dig through it and see if they could find anything. They eventually came back, and from Michael could see from where he was standing on the landing platform, they came back with a body.
The funeral took place not long after and was accompanied by those who knew Toja and a few masters. She was cremated and everyone was in hoods. Michael glanced over to master Harena, who seemed to be the most affected by this, and had a mixture of distraught and grief on her face.
Michael was better at hiding his guilt, but it was still showing somewhat, he had caused this master's own padawan to die, he couldn't bare to look Toja's cremation. His guilt still must've still been showing because he felt someone hold his left hand. He looked to see a red hand holding his and glanced up.
"Don't blame yourself Michael, there was nothing you could've done" Ahsoka assured him.
'Yes there was' he thought to himself. He just gave a faint smile and continued to look down. Harena refused to take on another padawan for a while after this.
There was a big debate in the Jedi council whether padawans should be allowed on missions, but they soon decided that the Jedi needed all the help they could get, just have more restrictions on what the padawans could do.
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A while passed since and Michael continued going on missions with master Plo, still sticking to the promise, although nothing had really happened that strayed off the timeline so far. Occasionally, Michael's power came in handy from time to time. When his and master Plo's cruiser was destroyed by the separatists new weapon the Malevolence, and they ended up in an escape pod, being hunted down by droids. But with Michael's assistance, they droids hunting them down were defeated in seconds.
The Time lord knew with Anakin's rebelliousness and Ahsoka's friendship with him and Plo, they would come and rescue them. Grievous tried firing his weapon at them again, but with Michael's own adjustments to their engines, they entered hyperspace much quicker than they normally would.
Anakin and Plo led a mission to go back to the Malevolence and destroy it, with Ahsoka and Michael coming along. The two friends were delighted that they got to go on another mission together. It proved to be tough due to master Skywalker's route being filled with Neebrays.
But they attacked the Malevolence in the end, although they lost half their squadron. Sat in a gunner's seat, Michael had a good view of the ion cannon, and by the looks of things, he realised that Anakin's squad wouldn't destroy it in time.
So Michael tried something drastic. Time to put his power to the test. He closed his eyes and raised his hands slightly. He concentrated and tried desperately to hold back a blast from the cannon. No one noticed Michael doing this, but he managed to stop the blast for enough time for Anakin to destroy it.
The blast Michael held back exploded as the cannon did, and he opened his eyes again to see they had succeeded, whilst he drew in breaths as that was a lot to hold back. He was the only one there to know that would be a prototype to the death star.
Michael's new assignments suited him well, they had just the right excitement and weren't too bloody. He met his master in the briefing room one day since there was a new mission which was going to involve a full scale battle this time. Michael walked in and asked "So what is it this time master?"
"The planet of Jabiim this time Michael. Due to the work of bounty hunters, the separatists have gotten a hold of top secret Jedi information inside a holocron, and are keeping it inside this secured building." A holo image came up of a battlefield.
"Jedi information? Not Republic information then?" asked Michael.
"Indeed. There is already a legion of clones engaged in a battle with them. But our mission is to achieve that holocron" Plo Koon informed.
"What exactly, is on that holocron master?"
"I'm afraid Michael, I can't share that information with you. Only masters are allowed to know that type of information. We'd better head to the ship."
"But master Plo, if it's a Jedi holocron, then the CIS won't be able to unlock themselves" Michael realised.
Plo sighed. "Exactly, that's why they captured Jedi master Layna as well, to make her talk. The holocron won't be the only thing we will be rescuing."
Plo and Michael had arrived on the planet Jabiim in their shuttle and met up with the clone commanders who would be helping them on their mission.
"Sir" the commander saluted.
"Commander, what's the situation with battle?" Plo asked.
"We've managed to hold the line sir, won't be long until we break through we think." "Well then, shall we review our plan to retrieve the holocron?" Plo's astromech droid projected an image of the schematics of the building.
"We still have to find out which room they're holding it in, and that Jedi we have to rescue" the commander pointed out.
"The holocrons have their own energy signature, if we can detect that then-" Whilst Plo Koon brought up the energy signatures on the image, Michael had already worked out which room it was in.
"Master" Michael spoke up. "If you bring up all the energy signatures in that base, since the holocron is connected with the force it'll have a unique signature So if we compare that to the others, it'll look very alienated, and that'll tell us where the holocron is being kept" Michael calculated. Plo nodded and did just that. "There" he pointed to a room in the building. "That's where it's being kept."
"And what about the Jedi?" one of the clones asked.
"Can you get thermal imagery on these things?" Michael asked. "Not with R1's programming Michael" informed Plo.
"But he has scanned that building right?" Michael assumed and walked over to the droid.
"Now just hold on R1, I'm just going to re-arrange some wires inside you, don't worry I won't damage you" Michael knelt down and fiddled with some wires inside the droid, until amazingly, thermal imagery came up on the holo image.
"Keep that setting R1" Michael said shutting the droid back up, and walked back to his master. "How did you-?" one clone was about to ask but was interrupted by Plo Koon.
"Don't worry about that now, we now a clear image of the people inside. And there" he pointed to a figure which looked like it was being held up in chains.
"That's her. Jedi master Layna." Michael however noticed something strange. He saw a thermal figure which didn't form a full figure. Almost like it was, half a person, walking around. The image shut off however and the clones programmed the schematics into their helmets.
"So how do we get into the building then? Said one of the clones.
Plo and the commander explained the plan to the rest of the clones and the commander informed them about some droid ships that they have stolen, which will use to fly over the building and skydive down onto the roof.
After the briefing, Plo Michael and the clones boarded the droid ships to fly around the battle and over the building. The ship's door opened and Michael and Plo led the jump, before activating jetpacks on their backs to land on the roof. This wasn't the first time Michael jumped from such a height.
This was part of training during the time war, and so was learning how to convert scanners into thermal scanners, to detect survivors of innocent Time lord civilians whom they had to rescue.
"Jeb, the power lines and alarm systems" the commander ordered one clone. "Yes sir." The clone ran over to what looked like a power box and broke into it, and started doing something with the wires.
"Cutting lights and alarm systems, now" he cut two wires and most lights in the building went off.
Plo Koon and Michael cut two holes in the roof and the clones as well as them jumped in whilst Jeb stayed on the roof. "Michael, take half the squad and find master Layna, I'll take the other half and achieve the holocron. Commander, go with my padawan" ordered Plo.
Michael secretly didn't like the fact that sometimes his master sent what the boy referred to as 'an escort' with him, to make sure he didn't do anything too careless, ever since the Rhen var incident. If only he knew that Michael fought and led in a bigger war.
But even the Time lord knew that sometimes masters did know best, he obeyed.
"Remember Michael, don't just play on their weaknesses, play on your strengths at the same time" Plo said to Michael and he nodded just before they parted with each group of clones.
"Night vision men, the power in this place has gone completely out" the padawan reminded as they crept through corridors. They kept along the walls and kept low so they wouldn't bump into anything.
The commander was behind Michael. "How'd you detect the holocron's location that quickly kid?" the commander whispered.
"They train us to do all sorts of things" Michael whispered back.
"Even reprogramming droids?"
"I, learnt that somewhere else."
Michael used his senses to guide his way through the corridors, he then suddenly stopped and ordered the clones to stop.
"Everyone, back against the wall now" Michael seriously whispered. Knowing that Jedi had excellent senses, the commander hand signalled to the rest to obey him. They stayed silent, and waited for a while.
"I don't get it, I-"
"Shh" the commander silenced one clone. That's when they all saw four droids with lights on their heads walking past them.
"So do you think this power outage was caused by the battle going on outside?" One of droids asked the other.
"Doesn't matter, the general wants it fixed. I don't know what's more dangerous, being on the battlefield, or being in the same room as him when he's angry and might slice you up."
The droids walked past them.
'Slice you up?' Michael wondered what he meant.
"Wow kid, those droids were a good three minutes away from us, how'd you know they'd come this way?" the commander asked.
"I just, sensed it" was Michael's reply.
"Time lord groups in seventh corridor, seek, locate, destroy!" Four Daleks patrolled the corridors of a Gallifreyan building. As soon as they left, a group of Time lord boys emerged from the shadows. "Make sure you keep that armour on you, it stops them from detecting your hearts beat" said Delta.
"Remember your training, stick to the shadows and along the walls" reminded Vael. "And if any Daleks come close, fire a shot at the other end of the corridor, they'll investigate where the shot fired" Michael advised them.
"We've got doids approaching, fire a shot at that end of the corridor" Michael whispered to the clones, and one of them shot a blast to the far end, which the Super battle droids investigated.
The clones and Michael used this to keep moving, and they eventually made their way to where they were holding master Layna. Michael hacked into the cell door after the clones shot down the droids guarding it.
'Ah, I really need some sort of device that can close and open doors, wait, I can just use the force.' Michael waved his hand and the door opened. He then saw a Miraluka woman lying on the floor, her chains deactivated, and thankfully he sensed a heartbeat. He switched on a portable light the clones brought with them and the Jedi woke up when it came on.
"Master Layna?" Michael entered the cell.
"I'm padawan Res I'm here to rescue you." He knelt down to help her up. "I'm also here with my master, Plo Koon."
"Thank you. The holocron, we have to, the general" she almost collapsed but the clones helped her stand.
"She's weak. Help her back to the roof." Two clones had her arms around their shoulders.
'What did she mean by general? Wait, slice you up! Grievous! That's what that half organism thermal figure was, he's a cyborg.' Michael had to find his master.
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"What's taking so long? Why isn't the power fixed yet?" Grievous demanded.
"We're trying our best sir" a droid replied fixing some controls.
"Just keep working on it."
"This power outage means the alarms around the holocron are down, I recommend you check on it." A holo image of Count Dooku by a droid was in the room.
"I was just about to do that Count" Grievous was followed by two guards.
Plo Koon and his clones destroyed the droids guarding a room and he entered it, using a portable light to see the holocron defenseless since the alarms are down.
"C'mon, we have to leave" as he said that, the lights came back on in the building. "That must be their backup generator, we have to move quickly, we-" the door opened in front of them and to their shock, General Grievous was standing right in the doorway with two magnaguards.
"Grievous!"
"Jedi!"
The clones opened fire but the manguards deflected the blasts, so did Grievous activating his four sabers, and some clones were killed because of that. While they were distracted, Plo cut up the magnaguards.
He then engaged Grievous in combat, and the remaining clones shot at him. Grievous jumped around Plo and killed the rest of clones with his sabers. Plo force pushed Grievous back and headed to the door with the holocron.
"Lockdown all doors" Grievous ordered on his comm. The doors then shut, trapping Plo in the room, he would have no time to cut through it.
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Michael and the clone commander were running through the corridors when the doors closed, since the other clones were taking master Layna to the roof.
"Damn it! Did you all get out?" the commander asked on the comm.
"Yeah, we got out with the Jedi just in time."
"So what do we do now kid?" he turned to Michael.
"I've got an idea" the padawan looked over to the door and rubbed both his hands, before force pushing the door blasting it completely open. Michael kept doing this on every door and droid they ran past. There was no point being subtle now.
Plo was holding his own against Grievous, but he was struggling since this was Grievous in his prime, and Grievous himself once took on five Jedi.
"You won't be leaving that holocron, or your life. You should've died anyway under the Malevolence" Grievous proclaimed unleashing a series of attacks with his sabers, which slashed against Plo Koon's arms once or twice.
It was four lightsabers against one, and Grievous was spinning his bottom two lightsabers in 360 circles around his body.
Plo jumped to the other end of the room and ripped some objects off the walls and threw them at Grievous, but he only cut them up with swift movements. Although Plo was a master, Grievous's skills were on par with his.
They both had great physical abilities, but being a droid, Grievous was able to move in more flexible ways, and kicked Plo Koon down to the floor, dropping his lightsaber. "I've never killed a Kel Dor before general Plo, but I enjoy new experiences" Grievous took the holocron back and attached it to his metal belt.
"You'll never get into that holocron anyway, we would've rescued the Jedi you captured by now" Plo retorted on the floor.
"Perhaps I should keep you here then. But, the urge to kill is too strong-" A force push then blasted Grievous back far through the wall and into the next room, and he dropped the holocron.
Michael and the commander ran through the wrecked door. "Master!" Michael and the commander knelt down to assist Plo.
"Sir, are you okay?"
"Fine. Did you get master Layna?"
"Yes master, where's the holocron?"
"In there" Plo pointed to the room where Michael threw Grievous back in. Michael had a look of determination and ran into the room.
"No Michael wait! Remember what happened with master Fisto's padawan!" Plo grunted in pain whilst the commander helped him.
"My master wants that holocron secured General" Dooku's voice sounded in Grievous's receptor.
"He'll get it." He stood up and grabbed it again, when he saw a Jedi padawan enter the room. Michael saw in person for the first time, standing before him was the famous Jedi killer, the holocron at his belt.
"A youngling? You're not the one who used that force push are you?"
Michael tried grab the holocron from Grievous with the force, but the general grabbed it mid air. "Fool. Do you know what happened to the last padawan I fought boy?"
Michael activated his lightsaber, knowing he couldn't back away from a fight now. 'Use form v' he instructed himself.
Grievous approached him and attacked. Michael engaged him and defended against all four sabers. He couldn't get cornered so he jumped off the wall, and switched to form iv, which was more physical.
He began jumping so fast that he practically glided around Grievous, dodging and blocking every strike from him. Grievous spun his arms in a 360 way like before, but he couldn't hit Michael with it at all.
Dooku appeared as a holo image on a higher level of the room, observing the two below. 'Grievous should kill this one easily.'
By looking over Grievous's body, Michael calculated quickly how far his arms could move, so at the next strikes from him, Michael moved his body from side to side, dodging the blades, before striking Grievous at a weak spot. He switched to form vi, and then force pushed Grievous against a wall.
He then preceded to lift up Grievous entirely, and threw him to the other side of the room, and then up and down hitting him on the floor.
Dooku was amazed. Grievous managed to beat a Jedi master but he was being humiliated by a padawan. Dooku recognised this boy, he was in the Geonosian arena, this was the padawan that killed Jango Fett. He didn't really pay attention to him on Geonosis, but now he could see that this boy showed incredible power for a padawan.
Grievous stood up, frustrated that he couldn't get a hit on this boy. Michael knew Grievous's frustration would take over, so he wouldn't keep a clear head.
'Switch to form vii.' Michael did a two second calming meditation, and engaged Grievous again. He pushed Grievous back, and Grievous was supposed to be attacking, but soon found himself defending. With one swift spin from Michael, all of Grievous's hands were in range of Michael's lightsaber and all four were cut off.
The boy spun around in the opposite direction and slashed across the side of his face, then his leg. Grievous fell to his knees, and Michael took the holocron.
Plo Koon managed to stand up. "Commander, get to my padawan. Grievous will kill him, he may be powerful but he's no match for Grievous" Michael then walked back into the room, the holocron in one hand and dragging Grievous, all four arms in binders, with his other hand.
"The holocron master." He made it float over to Plo.
"Michael, how did you-? That's general Grievous himself."
"I, used your training master, and from what I learned at the temple." Plo walked over and looked down at Grievous, who didn't look up.
"Bring him to the ship, before any droids come up here, but Michael wait."
'Here comes the lecture.'
"Although you must realise how incredibly dangerous to take on Grievous alone, I'm proud."
The apprentice looked up.
"You followed my advice I gave you earlier, and although you shouldn't take risks that big, taking some is what accomplishes things, and you should take on things greater than you to improve yourself in life and as a Jedi but only one small step at a time. Don't take on someone like him unless I give you permission to, understand?"
This wasn't the usual lecture that Plo was giving, so Michael just nodded. Deep down, he really knew his master didn't want him hurt, and he still pushed him to try his best, to take risks, and encourage him, despite Michael not liking him being overprotective sometimes.
"Well kid" said the commander dragging Grievous. "Keep this up and you'll have a great future as a Jedi."
Future! Michael completely forgot. Grievous wasn't supposed to be captured like this! That's not how the timeline plays out! He was supposed to die on Utapau.
'What have I done?' The padawan scorned himself.
Meanwhile, Dooku's image had shut off, and where he was now, he was thinking over what he had just saw. The head of his own army was defeated by a mere padawan. But this boy, he had never seen power in a Jedi that young. 'Master Sidious will be interested by this.'
Hey everyone, thanks for being patient. Just to let you know, we are now at the point of the beginning of the second season of the clone wars, and did anyone see that clone wars micro series reference in there. So Michael has accidently changed the timeline probably, plus his power is becoming greater. I also had to rewatch some episodes of the clone wars to remember what happens to write this. Doctor who belongs to BBC, Star wars belongs to lucasfilm/disney.