Keep Him There

Prevail

"Master Skywalker?" Rey gaped, pushing both herself and Ben out of the seat. Finn stayed seated, looking nauseous.

"Hey, Rey." the figure greeted her, pushing a lock of brown hair out of his eyes.

Beside her, Ben's fell slack in recognition. Even without the bond, she knew he was awestruck. It was the man he had idolized for so long that stood in front of them, his grandfather.

"Grandfather?"

Anakin's lips turned up into a smirk at his grandson's shocked expression.

"Good to finally meet you, Ben. I've been watching you for a long time."

Ben seemed lost for words, "I-I don't know what to say. I'm so ashamed, I've ruined your legacy."

Anakin stopped him with a hand, "No, my legacy was death and destruction. I should be ashamed, I've led you down the same path. You are the one who found the strength to stand up to the dark."

"I tried so hard to make you proud." Ben muttered, "Tried so hard to reach you."

"I'm sorry, my grandson. It took me a long time to be able to face you, to face what I had ultimately created. It was your mother who finally gave me hope. She told me that you returned, just as I did. I'm so glad that your life was not wasted like mine was. You still have so much potential."

Rey couldn't help swelling with pride. The future she saw when she and Ben first touched was actually coming to pass, Ben was coming back to his family. He was at the cusp of greatness. She couldn't wait to see where it led him.

Ben put a hand to his head, still reeling from Anakin's words. Rey knitted her fingers through his and gave them a squeeze. He acknowledged her gratefully before turning back to his family member.

"I'll make you proud, Grandfather."

"You already have." Master Skywalker reassured Ben, placing a transparent hand on each of his shoulders, "Now, you needed guidance for your journey to Mortis."

Rey bobbed her head, "Yes, there is hardly any information in the archives about it. Just a small report."

"Yeah, I never was much for writing reports. Besides, Obi-Wan felt better keeping the records of our visit brief." Anakin put a hand to his chin.

"Is there anything you can tell us?" Ben asked, taking a seat again beside a silent Finn. Rey sat as well, fidgeting with excitement. Her wide eyes never left the ghost.

Anakin paced the floor, "Mortis was a long time ago. I'll try to remember all that I can."

"That's all we ask."  Ben answered.

"Back in the Clone Wars, the Jedi received a distress beacon. This beacon was unlike any other, it was 2,000 years old. Fearing that it was a trap, Master Obi-Wan, my padawan Ahsoka, and I were sent to investigate. We were to meet with my battalion commander Rex at the coordinates that the signal originated. But when we got there, Rex wasn't there. He told us that he was at those coordinates but we weren't there. It was something we hadn't seen before. Our ship ended up powering down for a moment and we lost all communication. And suddenly, a giant prismatic monolith stood in front of us. We were drawn in, put to sleep as we descended. When we woke we were on a planet we had never seen before, one incredibly strong with the Force. It was the daughter who first met us and asked us to follow her to her father. The planet was very strange, the seasons changed with the time of day. Along the way we were separated from each other, I and the daughter and Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. She told me to wait for her, something about her brother. And she left. I waited until nightfall and she had yet to return, so I started again myself. They lived in a great monastery and I walked until I got there. In it was the father. He greeted me, saying that I was his guest for the night. I did as he asked, but was visited during the night by the son. He took the form of my mother, trying to win me to his side. Immediately, I confronted the father and he told me of their imprisonment. He and the others wielded the Force like no other, each an embodiment of the sides of the Force. As his children fought against one another as dark and light, he feared that they would rip reality apart. He told me of a test, one if I passed we would be free to leave. The next day, the son and daughter took my master and padawan under the order to kill them. My task was to choose one to save."