Kylo Ren walked through the rubble of the once grand city, Theed. The capital city of Naboo was at one time a beutiful sprawling symbol of royalty in the old republic, but now, it was nothing. Deep red flames flickering in the night saw the city in a new perspective. It was no longer a symbol of royalty, but a symbol of The Supreme Leader's might.
First Order troopers gunned down civilians as Kylo stepped through the burning vistas. Theed was about the last place Kylo had suspected his mother to be hiding, seeing as it was the birth place of his grandmother, it just seemed too easy. If she was here, however, he knew exactly where she would be right now.
Kylo's deep yellow eyes peered from beneath the black hood he had pulled over his head as he began to walk through Naboo's palace courtyard. The large arcing colonnade that ran along the edge of the courtyard featured flickering holograms that depicted Naboo's greatest philosophers and artists.
The palace courtyard was originally built over a part of the city that had been bombed by The Trade Federation during the invasion of Naboo. It was meant to nurture and encourage principles of enlightened thought and practice. Something the now Supreme Leader thought he was certainly guilty of.
Kylo Ren opened the massive doors. The flames from outside cast a dim light into the dark palace as he steps forward. His footsteps echoed in the almost silent palace, the sound of blaster fire only subtle from the outside raid.
"Mother..." He spoke quietly into the air, his eyes searching the interior.
After a few moments of silce, the sound of someone running somewhere in the palace became clearly audible. It seemed he had scared someone. Kylo quickly ignited his lightsaber, the dark red blade hissing to life and casting a sinister light.
"Show yourself!" He yelled, his voice echoing a few times against the magnificant stone walls.
The sound of scuttering footsteps were heard again, this time they seemed to be racing up a staircase. Kylo broke into a sprint after the sound, running through a series of staircases and hallways until he was finally catching up to whoever he was chasing. Whoever they were, they were wearing a black cloak to conceal their identity and were rather tall, about 6'5.
Kylo then slid to a halt and grabbed the creature by the back of the cloak and spun him around, gripping his neck.
He was an old Gungan. Kylo knew the gungans were a native of this planet, but they were normally a very reserved people, and didn't go far from their city beneath Naboo's sea.
Kylo raised his sparking lightsaber into the air, the blade causing a wizzing hum as it was lifted into the air. He was ready to strike this pathetic lifeform before an unfamiliar voice broke his concentration and called Kylo by his old name.
"Drop him, Ben!" The voice yelled in a stern, powerful tone.
Kylo turned his head to try and find where the voice came from, and it was then that he realized where he was. He had ran into his grandmother's mausoleum.
A soft-colored stain glass window was stationed above a rectangular sarcophagus, showing the effigy of his deceased grandmother. Stone pots filled with red flowers sat on a collum to each side of the coffin. The sarcophagus was decorated with the symbol of Naboo, and various engravings along the stone it was sat upon told the story of her royalty.
The swirling echos in the tomb conglomerated into a singular voice and image. The spirit of Anakin Skywalker.
"Stop this madness, Ben..." His voice trembled with sympathy for his grandson, who had been manipulated by the evil Snoke. Something he could relate all too well with.
Kylo Ren dropped the gungan against the ground and spun around, finally able to meet the man he had idolized for so long. At least, that's what he thought. The words of his grandfather left him in a daze of confusion.
"Madness?" He thought to himself as be stared at the sparkling blue Jedi Master. "This was all in his name. He should be proud!"
The Gungan hit the ground hard, an audible breath escaping his mouth as the wind was knocked ouf of him. He stared in awe at his old friend, as this Gungan, Jar Jar Binks, hadn't seen Anakin in over nearly 60 years.
Anakin's voice had come to Jar Jar in the night, and had given him instruction to lead Kylo to the mausoleum once he arrived, so that his grandfather could give him a lesson. The old Gungan figured himself to just be a crazy old man, but the guilt he felt having been a key player in palpatine's rise to power, gave him drive to at least try to help. Now was no time to catch up however, and he simply smiled at his old friend, little Annie, for what he knew would be the last time.
"Why did you wait til' now!" Kylo yelled at the ghost of his grandfather, who was simply gazing upon the face of his tortured grandson.
"If this wasn't what you wanted, you could have stopped it!" He yelled, his voice cracking with sorrow, and perhaps a hint of remorse.
"I'm sorry, grandson..." Anakin spoke softly and solemnly. "When snoke tainted your soul, it made me, as well as the other Jedi masters unable to reach you. Only here is my soul light enough to be able to reach you, and not bogged down by tbe terrible darkness Snoke awakened in you."
"Liar!" Kylo shouted in retaliation
"Ben..." Anakin turned to gaze upon the sarcophagus of his wife, the design of the talisman he had given her as a little boy was represented on the top of her coffin, however the actual necklace was still being held in her hands in death.
"When Anakin Skywalker died, and Darth Vader war born, he lost everything. I, lost everything." He said, a ghostly hand running along the top of her sarcophagus.
"The love of my life passed away due to my arrogance. My best friend was forced to try and kill me, and I, nearly watched my own son die over my pursuit of power. I had hoped that one day with my strength I could bring her back."
He turned his head to Ben, who was still staring with a nasty grimace and look of betrayal in his eyes.
"Just like you lost your father, your mentor, and wish to kill your mother. All in the name of power... Power over what? A galaxy that will despise your tyranny?" He took a step closer to Kylo, gazing into his eyes.
"Don't follow this path, Ben..."
Kylo stared for a few more moments, silent before he finally turned off his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt.
"You were right about one thing, grandfather." He said as he turned his back to Anakin's ghost, and began to walk towards the door.
"Anakin Skywalker is dead."
He reaches into his robe and pulls out a thermal detonator, activating it. The blinking red light flashing as the hum and frantic beeping echos in the mausoleum as the detonater is tossed over his shoulder as he headed towards the exit.
"Ben! No!" Skywalker screamed to his grandson before the beutiful resting place of his grandmother bursted info a pile of rubble and fire.
The boy was no longer Ben Solo, grandson of Anakin Skywalker. He was Kylo Ren, heir to Lord Vader.
