"Gone? Many planets have been destroyed before, both inside and outside of this galaxy, but Gallifrey of all planets? The Time lords are dead? Hm, shame. How did that happen? It may be millenia but I recall that we were the mightiest race in the universe how could they-? Oh, they interfered with time didn't they?" Tempus realised.
"Yes that explains it. At a certain point in my long life a began to have visions, of war but not war in this galaxy. War of a most destructive kind, with our people fighting it. But who against? What race could possibly wipe out the-, wait, the only time the Time lords drastically interfered was when they sent the doctor to-, oh of course, and war finally triggered between the two. Imagine how destructive that must've been. Oh, but look who I'm asking, someone who's lived through it. Tell me boy, what was it like?"
Michael didn't make eye contact. "That isn't any of your business, I-" Tempus interrupted him.
"Those eyes, I know those eyes. A Time lord can regenerate as many times as he likes but his eyes still remain the same." He stepped off the table. "Those are the eyes of someone who's seen his brothers and friends die in battle, his comrades, someone who has seen devastating horrors of war. How many did you kill?"
Michael paused for a while before replying "Approximately two million seven hundred and twenty Daleks. I kept track."
"Did they win?"
"No. They took the Daleks with them as Gallifrey imploded."
"The two mightiest races in the universes burning together. It's like the light and dark converging together, matter and antimatter" Tempus remarked turning his back to Michael. "How did you survive?" he asked turning back.
"I was aboard a stray ship, which was out of range of Gallifrey's implosion."
"And you ended up in this galaxy?" there was a pause between them. "That's, too coincidental. I can tell that you didn't just live through the war but fought in it, meaning you must've been quite grown already. But the Jedi only take infants, so you must've regenerated? Strange how you end up in this galaxy and just happen to regenerate down into an infant for the Jedi to find you. And you just happen to also be a force sensitive? The Time lords must've done something before they died right?" Tempus figured, and he started moving his hand around in a strange way.
Michael wasn't really sure what to tell him. Should he tell him about the mission, I mean he should right? The whole point of finding Tempus was to ask him about if he supposedly could use the force to change time. Tempus couldn't do anything anyway as he was technically dead. And he was the only other Time lord after that wasn't Kaben and Henga he could talk to, despite being a Sith. What did come first? The Time lords or the Jedi? His race or his religion?
"Yes they did. That's actually part of the reason why I sought you out. I heard a legend about you changing the timeline with the force-"
"And you know the future of this galaxy and want to change it? I just force read your mind" Tempus revealed why he was moving his hand around. "Although that was the conclusion I was coming to anyway. The timeline must be in serious danger if the Time lords are intervening. And the only way you could have serious effect on the galaxy is having the power of a Jedi. I see what happened here. The Time lord council picked someone to later become a Jedi and be sent to this galaxy with a mission of protecting the timeline, and made him force sensitive. But the war happened which delayed that." Tempus guessed correctly.
He continued. "And when you were in the stray ship, some sort of device that they gave you, something like the projector I'm using right now, transported you here and you had to use a regeneration, one I'm guessing they placed in you, and you are carrying out that mission of protecting the timeline in memory of them."
"At least, I'm trying to" Michael couldn't hide anything anymore.
"Not easy is it?" Tempus sat down on the table with as close as a sympathetic tone as he could get. "Having to befriend and make family of the people whose death dates you know. I've force read your mind, and this galaxy does not have a very bright future does it? Your master, the Kel Dor. The other padawans at that temple, your Togruta friend in the other room, and the one who found you. You know her fate don't you? What is it?"
"Why are you asking me? If you can force read my mind then you know what happens to her" Michael shot back.
"Indeed. This temple can play tricks on you, Michael, is it? It can even make an image of what happens to her" Tempus gestured to behind Michael, and he turned around to see an image, or some sort of hallucination in front of him. It was Felucia, near some sort of Sarlacc pit, and he recognised Shaak Ti, fighting then Vader's apprentice Starkiller. And just like how it should play out in the timeline, he was winning.
Michael stepped forward a bit but then stepped back, turning his gaze away from the scene, despite still being able to hear it. 'It's just an image, it's not happening yet' he tried to convince himself. However the image wouldn't go away, it was still playing out in front of him as a reminder of what will happen.
Darth Tempus didn't say anything except "After all we have to abide by time don't we Michael? If only it could be changed." He watched Michael closely.
Starkiller in the vision was easily about to deliver a devastating blow to Shaak with his saber, but it was blocked surprisingly, by an orange one. Michael himself was now in the vision, and force pushed Starkiller back against a tree. Suddenly, Michael wasn't even in the temple anymore but in the image of Felucia. He looked back to see Shaak Ti on the ground. "Master-" he tried to say but was forced pushed by the Sith apprentice. He got to his feet. "No, this is just an image, it can't hurt me" he proclaimed.
"Then let's put that to the test, and besides, if this isn't real then why did you rush to save that master?" Michael heard Tempus's voice but didn't see him. Michael prepared to engage in a duel with one of the the best force wielders. Even though he wasn't actually there, Starkiller seemed all too real. Even to someone as intelligent as him, Michael could not tell whether this temple could actually kill him or not. He engaged Starkiller in defense of Shaak, and this was more violent than any other fight Michael had been in.
Starkiller had the reverse hold grip, so Michael worked out that staying in the front hold grip whilst using different fighting styles would be the best. Their sabers locked and they actually were surprisingly equal in their dueling.
"You know if you escalate your fighting style the enemy just will as well" he heard Tempus's voice. Michael did not want to take combat advice from a Sith, but in his situation knew that Tempus was right. He switched to force powers, and grabbed Starkiller with the force and started throwing him around, but Starkiller within seconds broke out of the force hold and unleashed force lightning directly at Michael, which he blocked with his saber.
"Hold out your hands boy, that saber won't take that lightning for much longer. Absorb its energy through your skin and let it go directly back into the force" Tempus advised. Michael wasn't exactly in a position to disregard Tempus's words. Hesitantly, he held out his left hand and touched the lightning, and amazingly, he blocked it. He did the same with his other and blocked Starkiller's force lightning. The lightning ceased and Michael calculated what to do next.
He jumped from ledge to ledge as quick as he could to avoid being caught in a force hold, then suddenly threw his saber and pulled it back at Starkiller's own, destroying it. Disarmed, Starkiller jumped up onto the sarlacc tentacles and attempted to force push them into Michael. Michael knew he would do this however. He pushed the tentacles straight back at him, and made several tentacles at once slam into him. Starkiller fell to the ground, and Michael knew he had to finish him quick. He prepared to force dash, but Starkiller looked like he was preparing to do something.
"I would not do that if I were you-" Tempus tried warn Michael, but the boy force dashed and Starkiller force repulsed, slamming back anything in a close radius to him, and Michael was knocked back straight out of the image and found himself back in the temple.
Michael rubbed his head, being lead on the floor after the blast, and Tempus paced around him. "What a fool. When a force user summons up the force like that you have to jump out of there immediately. He's using a force repulse."
Michael stood up rubbing his head. "Why are you giving me such advice?" he questioned.
"You sought me out for help didn't you?"
"Yes, on how to change time without creating a paradox, I take lessons on how to use the force from my own master."
"Oh but that's it. I did manage to change time with the force at least once, but only after I became so immersed in the force. Particularly the dark side. And by the looks of things, you aren't so keen on the events that play out in the future, or making sure they happen at least."
And for the first time, upon hearing the words 'dark side', Michael was starting to regret coming here. He had been so keen before on finding out a way to control time or at least change it without any consequences. He thought he could learn it without becoming too involved in the dark side's powers, but he realised the risk was too great. He may be powerful but doesn't mean he was immune to temptation. "Maybe, I shouldn't have come here. I should go."
Tempus just simply walked back to the table the projector was on. "Very well, you may leave" with a wave of his hand a door opened behind Michael. "I'll be awaiting your return."
"And what makes you think I'm coming back?" Michael asked cautiously.
"Your uncertainty does." Tempus disappeared into the projector, the door behind Michael still open. He stood there for a bit, every instinct telling him to leave. But deep down, he knew that there probably wouldn't be another chance like this to save the galaxy from it's fate. His head said leave but his hearts said stay. There was still a lot of time between now and order 66 and the rise of the empire. He decided to leave, still with doubt in his mind.
Ahsoka was still looking around for Michael with her saber activated for light. "How am I meant to find him in such a maze like this?" she said to herself, just when an opening came from her right, letting in sunlight. "An exit?" she looked out to the desert of Tatooine and the Jundland wastes. She deactivated her saber and had to find her friend first before leaving. Before she could look around however, she heard a voice, a familiar voice speak to her.
"Before you leave child, I bestow on you one gift." Ahsoka recognised the voice. "I'm done listening to you Zannah!" "Oh but this gift can give you everything you want. It is the key, to becoming a magnificent force wielder in all of your masters eyes." A small light then appeared to shine down on a small rock. On that rock, was a Sith holocron. That was the gift?
They could only be opened by using the dark side, and Ahsoka knew it was wrong to have something like this, besides the Jedi would just find out anyway. But could this possibly be something that could hold secrets? Secrets her master wouldn't tell her? But deep down she couldn't deny the small feeling of temptation inside her. Her head said leave it there but her heart said take it. It wasn't like she was going to embrace the darkness or anything. She decided to take it, as another door opened not too far away.
She saw Michael walk out of it, and quickly hid the holocron in a small pouch like bag she had on her hip. "Michael there you are what happened?" Michael looked down to see himself covered in dirt. "I had a hard time finding my way out" he lied. "Is that an exit?" he saw the opening.
"Oh, yes c'mon let's get out of here" Ahsoka lead them both outside. The opening shut behind them. "Whew! I never thought I'd be glad to see these wastes" Michael remarked. Ahsoka stayed oddly quiet. "We'd better head back to the ship, before anyone starts wondering where we are" he suggested. "Huh, oh right of course" Ahsoka followed him back.
"Are you alright? Didn't encounter anything strange or dangerous did you?" Michael asked her.
"No, not really. I was just trying to find you" she lied. "You?"
"Nothing either" he lied in turn. "Do you think, that maybe we should tell the Jedi about this temple after all?"
"No! I mean, we'll only get in trouble won't we, for exploring something like that without their permission. And besides I don't think that temple's going to do any harm if we don't tell anyone" Ahsoka reasoned, quickly saving herself.
Michael just nodded, quite suspicious as this was something Ahsoka would probably not suggest. They got back to the ship, both remaining silent for most of the journey. Michael was thinking over the whole way back, of what would happen now. Tempus himself did admit he did change the timeline at least once with the force, but the dark side was too big of a danger. With someone of his power, that would effect the galaxy in so many ways. But it didn't mean he was going to become evil or anything. Then again, if he did gain the power to change fixed points in time whilst using the dark, what else would he be tempted to do? How could, even something like the force, change fixed points in time anyway? That was impossible. It was just best to leave it. For now.
Ahsoka got back to her quarters in the temple, managing to keep the Sith holocron a secret. She stood in the middle of her room staring at it, as she placed it on a table. She had to get rid of it, the Jedi would surely sense it here. Oh why did she bring it here? But wait, there was all this talk of the Jedi's vision being clouded anyway, and they did have bigger problems with this war. Who knows, maybe she could use the dark side's secrets, but not the dark side itself. She grabbed it and placed it in a drawer, hiding it out of sight, deciding to keep it.
I suppose more could've happened in this chapter. I need to give Michael more motivation first to be pushed towards learning a possible dark side power. Plus I want Tempus to be more of a manipulative intelligent Sith, but can use aggression when needed. Kind of like Sidious.
ADChipmunk: I think it's just Sidious, and Dooku now I suppose, who know about Tempus, through Sith holocrons most likely. Which means Plagueis most likely knew too, presuming Plagueis is actually dead. I'm not sure if the Jedi will face Tempus or if it'll just be Michael meeting with him yet in this story, and as for Michael's regenerations, he's only ever done it once, which we saw earlier in the story. He's currently in his second body. Thanks for sticking around.
Doctor who belongs to BBC, Star wars belongs to lucasfilm/disney.