Arrival
Shoto Aizawa looked out the Unforeseen Simulation joint or USJ, the reality of what had happened refusing to sink in, it had happened so fast, he'd brought Class 1A for their rescue training, after the incident in Kamino Ward how could UA's defences have been so easily compromised but wouldn't of all his class was who knows where they were. He shook in silent tears; Vlad King approached him slowly and gulped as he said "There's no sign of them"
"How could this have happened again?" Aizawa asked as Vlad shook his head slowly but Aizawa didn't need an answer, he needed to find his students but if the GPS devices installed in their hero costumes could not find them then they were beyond reach "I'm an awful teacher"
"Don't say that. We must hope they'll make it back and hopefully what you've taught them will keep them alive" Vlad said as Nezu and Midnight walked up slowly, their expressions ones of regret but nodding as Vlad spoke "And I'll need your help to prevent what happened to 1A from happening to 1B"
Far from UA, in fact far from Earth, on a distant planet, Izuku Midoriya passed out and injured lay on a rocky lump of ground, however nearby the sounds of battle raged, the heavy blasts of cannon fire from strange tanks firing on a line of white walking vehicles and finally Izuku groaned as he awoke. He blinked slowly as he looked around, it was like his mind was foggy but he could just see the tanks firing "What the?! Where am I?!" he asked as a figure approached him with a black gun in hand "Who are you!?"
"Don't move, Jedi" the figure said as Izuku sensed the danger and jumped just in time to avoid a blast of energy that singed the ground he'd been lying on but Izuku didn't have time to worry while airborne he surged forward and kicked the figure in the head, the head of the figure flew off and clanged on the ground nearby. Izuku gasped in horror but realised it was some kind of robot, he poked the body and noticed dozens more nearby.
One of the other robots turned and said "Target the jedi!"
"Jedi?" Izuku asked but one of the tanks' barrels was already turning to blast at him, he dodged the blast and ran forward punching and kicking each robot in turn before, getting under one of the tanks. He lifted with all his might and flipped it over.
One of the surviving robots asked "Since when could jedi do that?! Fire!" Izuku had to hide as the remaining robots opened fire on him, he hid behind the tank. Just as he was ready to give up, a group of two-legged running things ran up firing on the robots, the lead one stopped near him and a man jumped off.
"Seems we owe you thanks for the help" the man said, Izuku turned to see an older bald black man wearing tanned coloured robes, white arm guards and brown boots "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
"I...I don't know but my name is Izuku Midoriya" Izuku said as the other running things approached each with a man wearing white armour and the walkers aiming their guns at him. Izuku felt very much in the wrong place at the wrong time as the men stared at him but he gulped down his anxiety and said "I was at the USJ in UA when..."
"Calm yourself and take your time" the man said as he bend down and placed a reassuring hand on Izuku's shoulder "I'm General Mace Windu...relax and understand we mean you no harm. I can sense you've been through a lot and are very scared" he turned to one of the other men wearing white armour like the others but with brown decoration "Ponds, how many men did we lose?"
"32 I think" Ponds said as he removed his helmet revealing a bald man who glanced at Izuku with a stern but somehow kind gaze "Might have been worse if he hadn't helped us"
"Yes...how did you manage to flip a tank?" Mace asked as he rubbed his chin "I don't sense much force energy in you"
"I...It...It's my quirk" Izuku stammered
"Well it is quite a quirky advantage" Ponds laughed and looked at Izuku with confusion when Izuku didn't laugh "Wait are you being serious?" Izuku nodded and Ponds sighed "What do you mean by quirk?"
"Super power" Izuku said, both of the men looked at him like he was crazy but Izuku gulped and said "I'm telling the truth"
"I can sense that you are but it seems unbelievable" Mace said as suddenly a device on his arm beeped to life and Mace turned "Master Kenobi?"
A voice issued from the device and said "Master Windu we have an...Interesting development here. My units have come across a girl with an unusual ability" Mace looked to Izuku and made a noise for Kenobi to continue "She appears to have a really long tongue, along with superior agility but the desert conditions seem to have taken it out of her"
"Tsu!" Izuku yelled in alarm and grabbed Mace's arm before saying "Her quirk is frog! She needs water! The heat is too much for her!" Mace yanked his arm away and Kenobi laughed on his end.
"It would appear you have your own interesting development" Kenobi joked as he added "Tell your new friend we'll get... Tsu was it? Seen to with water"
Mace nodded as he ended the call "Don't grab my arm again!" he said firmly but Izuku just looked relieved before looking embarrassed and nodded "How do you know this girl? And is her tongue another... quirk?"
"Yes, her quirk is called Frog and she's a classmate of mine but also a friend" Izuku explained as Mace nodded "Her quirk makes her sensitive to cold or dry conditions"
Ponds said "Sounds like a handicap"
"It would be if her abilities didn't have a lot of strengths to go along with them" Izuku explained and Ponds nodded "But like me she'll be worried about all this... And I have to find my classmates"
"Just how many classmates do you have?" Mace asked slowly
"There's 20 of us" Izuku said as Mace exhaled slowly and pinched his nose "We have to find them!"
"Do you know if they're all here on Ryloth?" Mace asked but when Izuku looked confused, Mace got his answer and turned to Ponds "Get some spare armour for this boy... that outfit is completely inappropriate, and I can sense he'll be of help" Izuku climbed onto the back of a six-legged tanks "It's time to explain something to you. I suspect you are not here by choice and that you are not from this galaxy...Ryloth is a planet and we are elements of the Grand army of the republic"
Izuku gasped as he sat in a seat as Ponds brought him a drink of water "So I'm not on Earth?"
"Earth? Is that your home planet?" Mace asked to which Izuku nodded "As I had suspected... but I wish I was wrong. It would appear you're from a planet not in our achieves and thus we have no way of knowing where it is"
Izuku felt the bottom of his stomach drop out as the implications of Mace's words hit like a wrecking ball, he was on a distant planet and there may be no way back to Earth and for all he knew, with the exception of Tsu, all his other classmate could be injured or worse but he asked "What can I do?"
Mace sensing Izuku's despair knelt down and looked into the boy's green eyes, he could see so much pain and sadness in them but he said "I won't promise we'll find your friends because it may very well be you and this Tsu person are the only ones who are within our reach but I will promise that we will help you" Izuku looked up hope returning to his eyes as Mace then added "But I hope you'll help us as well?"
"Whatever you need" Izuku said as the computer in the centre of the tank began to beep "What's that?"
"A call from the war council... now I'll explain to them about your situation and about your powers but please don't interrupt or speak unless spoken to" Mace said trying to sound reassuring but he had a concern if the boy had these abilities, then he had to play them down as to not draw too much attention from the Counsellor, if the boy proved to be a military asset then Mace was concerned that Izuku could become little better than a clone and used against his will. Mace could see in the boy a heroic spirit, one who only wanted to help others, but he knew as well if the power he'd displayed was only a fraction of what he was capable of then it was unlikely the Counsellor would let him go. The meeting began and Mace was happy with who was launching the call "Good to see you Master Yoda"
"Happy I am to see you too, yes" Yoda said as Izuku gaped at the small green, pointy eared being who appeared as a hologram, but he nodded as the old master pointed at him "Hmm story to tell you have?"
"Indeed, Master Yoda" Mace said as he quickly explained the situation with Izuku to Master Yoda who nodded in contemplation "I have offered him our aid in finding his friends"
"Hmmm troubling this development is...Yes but sense I do that this boy will be of great help" Yoda said as he looked up into Izuku's eyes, despite being a hologram, Izuku could tell the old jedi meant well and he gulped as Yoda chuckled "Nervous you are?"
"Yes Master Yoda" Izuku said unsure of how to address the alien before him.
"Hmmm over 800 years older than you, i am" Yoda joked as Izuku looked surprised but Yoda then added "Wanted to know how much older I am than you, yes?" Izuku shook his head and Yoda shrugged "Oh well..."
Just then the hologram of an old man sitting in a black chair emerged and interrupted the joke "General Windu, Master Yoda not..." the man paused as he noticed Izuku, this man made Izuku feel nothing but anxiety there was something about the cold calculating way he seemed to be observing him, it made Izuku feel uncomfortable and a pain go through his head "Hmmm who is this boy, General Windu?"
Mace knew if he lied the Counsellor would likely find a way to get the truth so said, "His name is Izuku Midoriya, and he helped us with an earlier battle" Mace could see the Counsellor observing Izuku more, but he then added "We're not sure how he came to be there"
Another two holograms appeared revealing an older man in a military uniform and a younger man in robes with armoured hands. The younger man looked around and spotted Izuku "Another one?"
"Another one, Skywalker?" Mace repeated as Anakin Skywalker looked surprised at Izuku "What do you mean?"
"It would appear you have picked up another stray" Commander Yularen said as he appraised the situation "Just a moment..." he walked away leaving the hologram and returned a moment later with a girl with small horns on her head, pink skin, pink hair and black irises "This is Mina Ashido, she suddenly appeared in the hanger deck an hour ago and caused us no small amount of surprise"
"I was there refuelling my fighter when she appeared" Anakin explained as he added "So Mina this one of your classmates?"
Mina placed a finger and thumb against her chin before pretending to give Izuku an appraising look but then laughed and said "Yep that's Midoriya" there was a collective groan from everyone except Yoda who was trying to suppress the urge to laugh "Hey Midoriya! Where are you!"
"I'm in a walking tank" Izuku said honestly
"Hmmm that's not as cool" Mina said as she then looked at Yoda "Wow are you an alien?!"
Yoda finally couldn't supress his laughter anymore and chuckled a bit as he said "Indeed but recognise the alien species you are...I do not"
"I'm a human" Mina said cheerly as Mace, the councillor, Anakin and Admiral Yularen all shared a confused glance.
"Are you sure about that?" Mace asked slowly.
"Yep" Mina said happily.
Mace shook his head as a finally figure appeared, a large blue Twi'lek and the meeting began properly, Mina and Izuku were told to be quiet during the meeting. When the meeting concluded but said to Izuku "I have to go and find Syndulla...Please do as Ponds says" Mace left with two scout troopers as Izuku sat down.
"Don't worry, kid" Ponds said as he added "I won't make you clean the tank from top to bottom" Izuku laughed and the tank advanced on. Izuku spend the proceeding hours asking Ponds many questions about where they were and what was going on. As the night closed in Izuku was sleeping against the side of the tank, he yawned as he heard Ponds speak "Our Scouts reported in from the village that's up ahead?"
Another clone answering "The Enemy has already pulled out, sir. Friendlies are all that's left mostly women and children"
"See if we can spare some rations, they'll be hungry" Ponds said logically but compassionately only for a computer to beep a warning.
Another Clone yelled "Sir! Enemy ships are entering our sector!" next second Izuku heard the scream of bombers and the explosion of bombs. He heard Ponds say something but what the clone said next made Izuku's heart sink "There's no technical damage, sir... they didn't hit us. They bombed the village!"
Izuku jumped to his feet and Ponds turned to open the tank's top panel to see the damage for himself but forgot Izuku was there who jumped out the opening "Kid! No! Stop!"
Izuku ran straight towards the village, the fire storm that had consumed the village was horrific, in the fire he could hear the screams of trapped people and the groans of the wounded. He looked around as he wanted to help but there was so much damage, he focused his mind and moved towards the nearest building. It was a residential building; he could hear screams from inside as the fire threatened to consume it completely, but Izuku ran inside "Hello! Is anyone in here!?" the screams grew worse, they were in a language Izuku couldn't understand but he saw a small green child pulling at a pile of rubble "Is your mother under there?!" the child nodded as Izuku began to dig and found a woman under the rubble, she was alive but barely. The fire was nearly to them, Izuku picked up the child and wrapped their arms around his neck "Keep a tight hold" before gently picking up the woman and jumping from the window, using One for all to cushion the landing "Ponds!"
The clone commander ran up with some of his men and was about to scream at him before he noticed the woman and child "Get the medics up here now!" he ordered another clone before turning to Izuku "And as for yo... Get back here!" Izuku had already turned and was running deeper into the inferno "Get me General Windu!"
Izuku jumped from building to building as he tried to find other survivors; the fires were getting worse but the clones could only move so quickly and Izuku refused to watch. He pulled an old blue man from the rubble of his home as a squad of clones ran up "Sir...Commander Ponds has ordered us to keep an eye on you since you won't obey his orders. We're a medical unit. I'm Patches"
"Help him, please" Izuku asked as the medics nodded and got to work on the elderly man "I can't just sit around and watch these people die"
"Commander Ponds thought that was the reason" Patches said as he treated the man "But the scouts have said several other villages have been destroyed as well"
"Then that's just more people to save" Izuku growled determined as he turned and jumped through the inferno. By night's end, Izuku had saved over 30 villagers from the inferno but as morning broke, the damage spoke for itself, and the number of dead outnumbered the saved by an amount Izuku didn't want to dwell on "AHHHHHH!" he screamed as he found another dead family. Ponds approached him but quietly set his weapon to stun "Why! Why did this have to happen?!"
"I don't know" Ponds said as he aimed his blaster at Izuku "But I'm sorry" he fired a single shot knocking Izuku out "But you've done all you can" an hour later Izuku stirred inside one of the tanks as it walked on "You're awake"
"Why!?" Izuku snapped as he realised, he couldn't move, he was strapped down as Patches checked him over and was muttering darkly about the injuries.
"I did what I had to" Ponds said as he sighed and sat next to Izuku "You did what you knew to be right but this is a war and you could have been killed!" he sighed again and pitched the bridge of his nose "However it'd be wrong to not say well done... I know my men and I wanted to do something, and you did what we could not... that quirk thing is impressive" however Izuku still lay seething as he hated what the droids had done "I have received word from General Windu we'll be meeting up with him and the Ryloth forces to take the capital..."
"I want to help" Izuku interrupted
"Would you follow orders?" Ponds asked as Izuku looked furious at the suggestion but then his expression shifted to one of confusion. Izuku thought hard about it, he wanted to be a hero and what role did a hero have in a war like this? He couldn't just throw away his ideals to follow orders that might contradict every instinct he had but also, he remembered when he'd followed orders most recently without thinking and the thought only angered him. There was the incident with Eri when he'd let her go and that had indirectly led to Sir Knighteye's death. Ponds could tell Izuku didn't know and guessed "As I thought" he said coldly.
Izuku glared up at him and snarled "I'm not naïve! I know…."
"Listen kid!" Ponds snapped as he took a deep and heavy breath "You are naïve…. end of. We clones are trained for combat from the moment we're created. You're just a kid training to be a hero….if you can't follow orders you'd put every one of my men at risk" Izuku wanted to argue, wanted to protest but all he could do was numbly nod as Ponds then added in an even more harsh tone "You aren't a clone and you aren't a Jedi! You'd only get in the way"
Izuku nodded but then he smirked and said "Then you have no right to stop me"
Ponds looked at him like he'd grown a second and third head and growled "Try it" Izuku strained against the binders and Ponds raised his blaster but then Patches forced the barrel down "What are you doing?!"
"What's right" Patches sighed and added "This kid maybe no clone but he saved one of my men during the firestorm... he's a good kid"
Ponds sighed "Maybe but... he scared me half to death" he paused and asked "Izuku...I'm not asking you to follow my orders but General Windu... would you do as he orders?" Izuku nodded, despite his misgivings, he could tell Windu meant well and he could respect the man. Just then the tank drew to a stop "What's going on?"
"Don't know" Patches said as he opened the panel above them and gasped "Uh Izuku? Is that one of your friends?" Ponds undid Izuku's bindings, and he jumped up to the roof smiling as he saw General Windu in the company of Mezo Shoji who looked relieved when he spied Izuku who nodded to Patches.
Izuku jumped out of the tank and ran up to Shoji who nodded in approval as Izuku screamed "You're okay!"
Shoji nodded as a twi-lek man sitting on a strange creature approached. Shoji said through a mouth sprouting from one of his tentacles like appendages "I awoke yesterday with Syndulla here staring down at me... you look like you've been busy"
"Uh yeah I..." Izuku began but Windu walked up looking annoyed.
"I thought I told you to do as Ponds told you" Windu said in a low angry tone "He told me what happened... I shouldn't have to tell you how dangerous what you did is!" he sighed and added "Your impulse control is worse than Skywalker's. If I had any hair left it would have gone grey just from that" he shook his head "Oh well, I suppose you did what was right and Shoji told me you did what all your classmates would have..."
"And if not for you 30 more of my people wouldn't still be alive" Syndulla said as he jumped from his mount and grabbed Izuku in a fierce hug "You're just as brave and kind as Shoji described to me... you involved yourself when you didn't have to" he smiled and added "You're a hero of our people"
Izuku pulled away as he said in a heartfelt voice "Thank you" he turned to Shoji and asked, "Do I want to know what you told them?"
Shoji shrugged "I only told them the truth"
Author's Note
I began working on this chapter months ago and I decided to publish it because... I was bored and One Quirk Short and The Last Rangers of UA are well, because I'm working on arcs, I want to get each arc done before publishing and well I was looking through my other story attempts because I was stuck. I may publish the others but I'm not sure if this is the best idea.
I honestly would love to hear what you think. Please have a lovely day!
