I wrote this shortly after seeing The Force Awakens, anticipating what would be happening in the sequel (not realizing how completely terrible that entry would turn out to be). Anyway, I think of it as being in the same vein as Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", and I'm sure after reading it you'll probably understand why. Enjoy. 
STAR WARS: DARK SIDE VISIONS
Ben Solo lies in the medical bay of the First Order's most secure starship. The crew has one mission: returning the wounded Sith-in-training to his master, the so-called "supreme leader" Snoke. At the moment, all is quiet in the treatment area...at least on the outside. Mentally and emotionally, Han Solo and Leia Organa's son is experiencing something there are no words for. Images flash through his being, making the chaos even worse.
A snowy forest. That traitorous stormtrooper. A lightsaber...no...the lightsaber. His birthright. His father's expression...selfless love in the moment of death. No...this wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to be free...he deserved to be free. Wounds...that girl...she had beaten him...that scavenger...she had beaten him! He who should be a master of darkness, humiliated and crushed! No...no...NOOOO!!!!!
Suddenly, Ben Solo found himself somwhere he did not recognize. It was almost total blackness, with just enough light for him to realize he was no longer in the medical bay. He was somewhere else. There are voices...thousands of voices...fading in and out. At last they subside, and a single presence remains. Ben can feel it...but the mysterious being gives him no peace. There is fear, more than Snoke could ever give. There is a sense of power, oh yes...but no control. Then, he hears them...footsteps. The dark environment begins to change. He is in a hallway, with lit steps and a large circular window. Then, a sound registers he knows all too well...
Breathing. Labored, mechanical breathing. The steps get heavier, and louder. Knowing who's approaching, Ben can't help but smile. This is his idol, the legacy he comes from. This is who he wishes to be. Not knowing any better, the Dark Jedi chuckles to himself. "Grandfather...I knew it. I knew if I waited...if I was patient...I knew you would help me."
But the figure does not respond as he expected. Instead, there is a large red flash from behind Ben's head, and he feels the raw power of Darth Vader's lightsaber. Then, the familiar mechanical voice speaks. "Young fool...I find your faith in this disturbing." There is a slash, and Ben feels genuine pain. Screaming, he looks down...only to realize his lifeless hand now lies on the floor. His wrist is cauterized by the blow, yet the pain affects Ben in a far greater way than he could ever expect. Dropping to the floor from the agony. Vader looms over him, saber still at the ready. Barely able to look up, Ben still smiles defiantly. "My real grandfather would never hesitate to strike an enemy dead. Kill me now, you coward." The red flash disappears, but the voice speaks again. "You claim to worship darkness; I will show you the true nature of it." He gestures, and Ben sees his hand has been replaced with a bionic one. Vader's voice then booms again: "This is but one price of the Dark Side; you have many more to see."
"No!" Ben refuses. "You are no Vader! My grandfather was the master of all evil, with endless troops at his command! He answered to no one, even killing the Emperor himself! End this charade, and let me be!" Suddenly, Ben finds himself somewhere else...and its hot. The one who would call himself Vader is gone, but flames and volcanoes surround Ben, with a river of lava bound only by dunes of darkest sand. At first, he does not know what to make of this...and then he sees them. Two warriors, locked in an epic duel...and from the looks of it, both Jedi. One is older with a beard, skilled yet reserved. The other has a scar over one eye, and Ben sees the same evil on his face that he wished adorned his own. Their duel is brutal, with no room for even the slighest error. After a short time, he hears their voices...and the exchange surprises him.
"Its over, Anakin! I have the high ground." "You underestimate my power!" "Don't try it." The younger man leaps in rage...only to be cut down and fall to the black sand. Angered even further, Ben cries out toward the void. "Its a lie! Anakin Skywalker was no weakling, beaten by one of less experience! Now, I demand again, as his rightful heir...end this madness!"
Suddenly, a calm voice sounds. Recognizing it, Ben simply crumples to the black sand, watching the horror in front of him. "It...its impossible. This can't be true..."
"Sadly, Benjamin", the calm voice intones. "This is nothing but pure truth. No one regrets more than I, the choices which led me here." Why show me this?" Ben asked. "What do you hope to gain?"
"My only desire was to show you how this journey ended for me. If you embrace the darkness that Snoke offers, it will be only worse for you." Ben looks, and sees the shimmering blue Force Ghost of his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker. He greatly resembles the young man on the black sand, writhing in pain as flames consume what's left of his body. But the man standing before him is whole, his eyes showing only deep concern and love.
"It is too late for me," Ben says, a single tear leaving his eye. "I have gone too far. I killed...no...I murdered my own father." "That is precisely what Snoke wants you to think. He is lying to you...just as Palpatine before him lied to me." Realizing Ben doesn't understand, Anakin simply gestures with one hand...and the scene changes again. Palpatine's engaged in a lightsaber fight, his opponent a human with dark skin and a purple blade. After a few moments, Anakin's younger self enters, conflict evident through his whole being. Everyone's words are suddenly audible.
"I am going to end this, once and for all!" "You can't; he must stand trial!" "He has control of the Senate and the courts! He's too dangerous to be kept alive!" "Please, don't kill me!" "I need him!" "No, don't...no..." "No!"
A flash of blue from Anakin's lightsaber, followed by a barrage of lightning from Palapatine...and the Jedi opponent flies out the window to his death. Helpless, Ben can only watch history unfold, as his grandfather is deemed Darth Vader. The scene fades, and Ben is now in the ancient Jedi Temple...bodies of dead students and Masters everywhere. The ghostly version of his ancestor speaks. "Every one of these people were slaughtered by me...but they were far from the last. The battle you saw on Mustafar took place shortly after, and my wounds made necessary that dark armor you worship so much. If seeing these visons has taught you anything, my work is done. But as always, the choice moving forward is yours."
Suddenly, Ben awakes with a start in the medical lab. An officer's voice sounds on the comlink: "Please inform Supreme Leader Snoke, that Master Ren's transport has arrived."
STAR WARS: DARK SIDE VISIONS
Ben Solo lies in the medical bay of the First Order's most secure starship. The crew has one mission: returning the wounded Sith-in-training to his master, the so-called "supreme leader" Snoke. At the moment, all is quiet in the treatment area...at least on the outside. Mentally and emotionally, Han Solo and Leia Organa's son is experiencing something there are no words for. Images flash through his being, making the chaos even worse.
A snowy forest. That traitorous stormtrooper. A lightsaber...no...the lightsaber. His birthright. His father's expression...selfless love in the moment of death. No...this wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to be free...he deserved to be free. Wounds...that girl...she had beaten him...that scavenger...she had beaten him! He who should be a master of darkness, humiliated and crushed! No...no...NOOOO!!!!!
Suddenly, Ben Solo found himself somwhere he did not recognize. It was almost total blackness, with just enough light for him to realize he was no longer in the medical bay. He was somewhere else. There are voices...thousands of voices...fading in and out. At last they subside, and a single presence remains. Ben can feel it...but the mysterious being gives him no peace. There is fear, more than Snoke could ever give. There is a sense of power, oh yes...but no control. Then, he hears them...footsteps. The dark environment begins to change. He is in a hallway, with lit steps and a large circular window. Then, a sound registers he knows all too well...
Breathing. Labored, mechanical breathing. The steps get heavier, and louder. Knowing who's approaching, Ben can't help but smile. This is his idol, the legacy he comes from. This is who he wishes to be. Not knowing any better, the Dark Jedi chuckles to himself. "Grandfather...I knew it. I knew if I waited...if I was patient...I knew you would help me."
But the figure does not respond as he expected. Instead, there is a large red flash from behind Ben's head, and he feels the raw power of Darth Vader's lightsaber. Then, the familiar mechanical voice speaks. "Young fool...I find your faith in this disturbing." There is a slash, and Ben feels genuine pain. Screaming, he looks down...only to realize his lifeless hand now lies on the floor. His wrist is cauterized by the blow, yet the pain affects Ben in a far greater way than he could ever expect. Dropping to the floor from the agony. Vader looms over him, saber still at the ready. Barely able to look up, Ben still smiles defiantly. "My real grandfather would never hesitate to strike an enemy dead. Kill me now, you coward." The red flash disappears, but the voice speaks again. "You claim to worship darkness; I will show you the true nature of it." He gestures, and Ben sees his hand has been replaced with a bionic one. Vader's voice then booms again: "This is but one price of the Dark Side; you have many more to see."
"No!" Ben refuses. "You are no Vader! My grandfather was the master of all evil, with endless troops at his command! He answered to no one, even killing the Emperor himself! End this charade, and let me be!" Suddenly, Ben finds himself somewhere else...and its hot. The one who would call himself Vader is gone, but flames and volcanoes surround Ben, with a river of lava bound only by dunes of darkest sand. At first, he does not know what to make of this...and then he sees them. Two warriors, locked in an epic duel...and from the looks of it, both Jedi. One is older with a beard, skilled yet reserved. The other has a scar over one eye, and Ben sees the same evil on his face that he wished adorned his own. Their duel is brutal, with no room for even the slighest error. After a short time, he hears their voices...and the exchange surprises him.
"Its over, Anakin! I have the high ground." "You underestimate my power!" "Don't try it." The younger man leaps in rage...only to be cut down and fall to the black sand. Angered even further, Ben cries out toward the void. "Its a lie! Anakin Skywalker was no weakling, beaten by one of less experience! Now, I demand again, as his rightful heir...end this madness!"
Suddenly, a calm voice sounds. Recognizing it, Ben simply crumples to the black sand, watching the horror in front of him. "It...its impossible. This can't be true..."
"Sadly, Benjamin", the calm voice intones. "This is nothing but pure truth. No one regrets more than I, the choices which led me here." Why show me this?" Ben asked. "What do you hope to gain?"
"My only desire was to show you how this journey ended for me. If you embrace the darkness that Snoke offers, it will be only worse for you." Ben looks, and sees the shimmering blue Force Ghost of his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker. He greatly resembles the young man on the black sand, writhing in pain as flames consume what's left of his body. But the man standing before him is whole, his eyes showing only deep concern and love.
"It is too late for me," Ben says, a single tear leaving his eye. "I have gone too far. I killed...no...I murdered my own father." "That is precisely what Snoke wants you to think. He is lying to you...just as Palpatine before him lied to me." Realizing Ben doesn't understand, Anakin simply gestures with one hand...and the scene changes again. Palpatine's engaged in a lightsaber fight, his opponent a human with dark skin and a purple blade. After a few moments, Anakin's younger self enters, conflict evident through his whole being. Everyone's words are suddenly audible.
"I am going to end this, once and for all!" "You can't; he must stand trial!" "He has control of the Senate and the courts! He's too dangerous to be kept alive!" "Please, don't kill me!" "I need him!" "No, don't...no..." "No!"
A flash of blue from Anakin's lightsaber, followed by a barrage of lightning from Palapatine...and the Jedi opponent flies out the window to his death. Helpless, Ben can only watch history unfold, as his grandfather is deemed Darth Vader. The scene fades, and Ben is now in the ancient Jedi Temple...bodies of dead students and Masters everywhere. The ghostly version of his ancestor speaks. "Every one of these people were slaughtered by me...but they were far from the last. The battle you saw on Mustafar took place shortly after, and my wounds made necessary that dark armor you worship so much. If seeing these visons has taught you anything, my work is done. But as always, the choice moving forward is yours."
Suddenly, Ben awakes with a start in the medical lab. An officer's voice sounds on the comlink: "Please inform Supreme Leader Snoke, that Master Ren's transport has arrived."
