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A long time ago in a galaxy far far away -
Three years had now passed since the passing of Luke Skywalker into the Force. Rey had been attempting to help the Resistance fend off the remaining forces of the First Order, all the while trying to recruit new child students to rebuild the Jedi Order that had been destroyed by the human who stiled himself as "Kylo Ren". Part of this challenge was to shut down the connection between the two of them through the Force that had been established by Snoke, so Ren (whose proper name was Ben Solo) could not sense Rey's activities or come after the same Force-sensitive children. She had been successful up to now, having recruited three former slave children (two boys and one girl) and spirited them away from the casino in which they were enslaved. Now, she was training them on a planet in the Outer Rim. She knew it was possible that Ben would find her and she was constantly on the alert. However, she tried the best she could just to train these younglings, since that was her first order of responsibility.
Ultimately, Ben tracked her down.
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It was just after sundown, and the three younglings had just settled down for a meal with their mentor. Suddenly, they heard the sound of a First Order transport vessel making its arrival at their location. Rey immediately sensed that they were about to face a squad of stormtroopers. She bade the others abandon their meal and try to look for a safe location. Armed with the lightsaber she had constructed herself, she left their cabin on foot to face the troops, while the children got into her speeder and took off toward the horizon. Rey faced the troops, demanding that they cease and desist. Naturally, they refused. However, they were no match for her. She was able to use the Force to defend herself and ultimately subdue the troops.
Her efforts gave the children just enough time to escape the region - but it almost looked momentarily as if the effort had been in vain. Ben knew where to find those younglings. Apparently, this standoff between Rey and the troops was a diversion to render the children vulnerable. It was his intention to slaughter these children as he had slaughtered his fellow Padawans under his uncle. He didn't want there to be any Jedi left in the galaxy.
It appeared that he would get his way. He had used the Dark Side of the Force to disable the speeder carrying the younglings. They had gotten out and were trying to run. Ben bore down on them. He was within 50 meters and reaching for his saber - when a bright, translucent figure of an adult human male with long, curly hair down his back suddenly materialized right in his path.
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Ben became petrified where he stood. All thought of pursuing the children was wiped clear out of his mind. His mouth was hanging open. His right arm slackened, and he dropped the saber. He knew that this spirit was there for him and him alone.
Then he spoke, and though his voice was calm and measured, it rang out in Ben's ears like the blast of an ion cannon.
"DOWN ON YOUR KNEES! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!"
Ben didn't move. He just stood still, his mouth trembling voluntarily.
"I SAID" the Force spirit boomed out, "GET DOWN!"
Ben shrieked and fell to his left side. He struggled to pull himself together. As he got to his knees, he was afraid to look the spirit in the face. Something about him terrified him in a way he had not felt since he was seduced by the Dark Side.
Finally, he mustered the courage to stammer the words, "Who - are you?"
"SEARCH YOUR FEELINGS. YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHO I AM, YOUNG ONE," replied the spirit, "I AM THE ONE YOU HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR YOUR ENTIRE LIFE."
Ben's eyes widened to the size of proton torpedoes. His mouth fell all the way open. "Grandfather!" he stammered.
The spirit nodded his head.
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"I knew it," said Ben, as he began to straighten up, 'I knew there would come a time when I would meet you and tell you of all I had done -"
"I DID NOT GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO STAND UP," said the spirit, "REMAIN ON YOUR KNEES, BOY!"
"But why?" Ben asked, suddenly perplexed, "Why is Darth Vader angry with his grandson and successor?"
The spirit shifted his appearance so that he bore down slightly on his sniveling offspring. "DARTH VADER IS NOT MY NAME. YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHO I AM. MY NAME IS ANAKIN SKYWALKER."
Ben grew, if possible, more perplexed. He had not anticipated that the apparition of his grandfather would find the identification of Darth Vader to be disdainful. He clasped his hands together, as if in prayer. Vader had been his Messiah. "But - I have done all that I could to carry on your legacy," he cried, "I have endeavored to finish what you began! What you and the Empire did was wonderful!"
The spirit of Anakin Skywalker's voice grew even louder, although he did not seem to be raising his voice or shouting. It was agony in Ben's ears. "YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE THE EMPEROR AND I DID WONDERS? YOU FIND IT WONDERFUL TO RAPE, PILLAGE, BLUNDER AND MURDER? THAT IS NOT THE TRUE NATURE OF THE FORCE, BOY. IF YOU WANTED TO HONOR MY LEGACY, YOU HAVE GONE ABOUT IT COMPLETELY THE WRONG WAY."
"No grandfather," Ben began to raise his voice, reaching up a hand to the spirit of Anakin Skywalker, "I can do better! Tell me what you want, and it will be done!"
"IF YOU REALLY WANT TO DO ME PROUD," thundered Anikin, "YOU MUST TURN COMPLETELY AWAY FROM THE DARK SIDE OF THE FORCE."
"I can't do that! I've seen and done too much!"
"YOU MUST ATONE FOR EVERY TRANSGRESSION YOU HAVE COMMITTED, MURDERING YOUR OWN FATHER, ALL THE JEDI WITH WHOM YOU STUDIED, CITIZENS OF THE REPUBLIC - AND YOUR ATTEMPT TO KILL THESE CHILDREN! REJECT EVERYTHING THAT WAS PUT INTO YOUR HEAD ABOUT EMULATING DARTH VADER BY THAT SNEAK NAMED SNOKE."
"No I can't!" Ben yelled.
"YOUR NAME IS NOT KYLO REN," said Anikin, "YOU ARE NO SITH. YOU ARE A JEDI. YOU MUST RETURN TO THE LIGHT SIDE OF THE FORCE AND REMAIN THERE."
"No!"
"KYLO REN IS HISTORY! JUST AS DARTH VADER IS HISTORY!"
"No!"
"YOUR NAME -" Anakin bore down harder on his grandson, "- IS BEN SOLO!"
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
Ben lost control completely, jumped back to his feet and tried to take a swipe at the apparition of his grandfather with his fist. He was grossed out and appalled to hear the voice of his hero condemning everything that he had done. Not only did he meet with thin air, but at that exact moment his lightsaber flew away from the ground next to him. Rey had materialized on the scene. She had used the force to disarm Ben. Now, she drew her own lightsaber and held it to his throat.
"I witnessed everything," she told him, "I heard what Master Anakin told you. What is your decision, Ben?"
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Two months later, Ben awoke before dawn. He was in a cubicle isolation room. He looked around. The spirit of Anakin Skywalker was watching over him again.
"Hello again Grandfather," said Ben softly.
"I SENSE THAT YOU HAVE HEEDED MY WORD AND FORSAKEN THE DARK SIDE. YOU HAVE MADE ME PROUD, BEN," said Anakin.
Ben hung his head. "It has been anything but easy, sir," he responded, "coming to terms with the reality that my actions were destructive cannot happen all at once."
"THE IMPACT WHICH SNOKE HAD ON YOU CANNOT BE DENIED," admitted Anakin, "JUST AS THE IMPACT WHICH DARTH SIDEUS HAD ON ME WILL ALWAYS REMAIN WITH ME. I BECAME A DIFFERENT PERSON ALSO. I BETRAYED EVERYBODY I LOVED. I EVEN KILLED MY OWN WIFE."
"What was it which actually helped you to break away from the Dark Side?" asked an understandably-curious Ben.
For the first time, Anakin smiled broadly. "IT WAS THE IMAGE OF THE EMPEROR UNLEASHING HIS WORST ON THE MAN - WHO IS MY SON."
At that precise moment, another Force spirit appeared next to that of Anakin. It was the imprint of someone that Ben knew only too well. It was the imprint of his own mentor, Luke Skywalker.
Been immediately started to cry. "Master, I hope you will please forgive me! I had no right to do any of what I did!"
The spirits of father and son waited for Ben to control himself again before either one of them spoke. It was Luke who said, "IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM YOUR GRANDFATHER, IT IS THAT ANYONE THAT HAS BEEN SEDUCED BY THE DARK SIDE OF THE FORCE CAN STILL FIND THEIR WAY HOME. IT IS NEVER TOO LATE. IF YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM THE MISTAKE YOU MADE, BEN, YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE OUR FORGIVENESS. YOU CAN ALSO MORE THAN LIKELY PREVENT OTHER JEDI FROM GOING DOWN THE SAME PATH.
"I will join with Rey," said Ben resolutely, "and we shall both endeavor to make both of you proud, along with those that instructed you, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda."