“The Council would like to issue its humble apologies, Silverstream.”

Silverstream was in the Jedi Council Chambers after having been summoned by Mace Windu. Katooni had insisted on coming with her friend in order to be a source of comfort. Mace had initially refused, but Katooni had stood her ground once more, refusing to leave her. Now they both were in the Chambers, where the Council would tell Silver about her reassignment to Anakin Skywalker. But first, an apology was in order. Anakin was also there, sporting an expression of disdain and anger. The rage on his face hurt Silverstream a little, considering the context, but she didn’t fault him for it. He probably didn’t even want a Padawan. He just seemed so carefree.

“The Council has reviewed your testimony,” Mace Windu explained, “and we have come to the conclusion that you are telling the truth. It is not in your nature to lie to the Order and I should apologize for insinuating that you would do as such.”

Silverstream felt a massive wave of relief come over her. It was not in her nature to hold a grudge, but her family and her peers back home had taught her to value her sense of integrity along with her insatiable curiosity. The question as to whether she would lie at all had dealt a massive blow to her self-esteem, and she was glad that had been resolved.

“However,” continued Mace Windu, “Master Kenobi has personally requested that you be reassigned to Anakin Skywalker as his Padawan instead of Master Yoda’s, seeing as you two have a closer bond with one another and trained together before. It is our belief that this will help you get your memory back, as well as helping Anakin get over losing…Ahsoka Tano.”

Anakin stood there, unmoving. Both Silverstream and Katooni looked at him, concerned. He did not look at the Council, the rage in his eyes hidden beneath his messy brown hair. Silver did not know who this Ahsoka Tano was, but it was obvious from Anakin’s reaction that she must’ve meant a great deal.

“Master Yoda,” Silverstream asked cautiously, “How come you don’t want me as your Padawan anymore…? Did I…do something wrong?”

“In the best interests of you and Padawan Skywalker, this is,” Master Yoda spoke solemnly, a hint of emotion in his voice, “Grieving over the loss of Ahsoka, Skywalker is. A healthy distraction for him, you will be. A difficult decision, this was for me, Padawan Silverstream.”

Silverstream nodded in understanding. She had no idea that Anakin was grieving as when she had met him earlier in the day, he seemed so happy. But it all made sense. During their walk, he had avoided mentioning anything about his past or about himself. When she had asked about whether he had a Padawan before, Anakin had avoided the question. There was a period of silence in the Chambers for a brief period before Anakin broke the silence.

“If I may object,” Anakin stepped forward in a defiant manner, “I had a Padawan before. It didn’t work out. They’re all the same. I’m happy being without one. Silverstream and I are close, yes, but she’s gotten along with you great, Master Yoda.”

“Anakin, this is for your own good,” Obi Wan chimed in, “We’re very concerned about you. We thought you would like this arrangement considering you and Silverstream are the closest. You try to deny it in front of me, Anakin, but I know you’re still bitter over Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order.”

“We’ll talk about this in private, Obi Wan.” Anakin replied firmly, leaving no room for further conversation at the moment. Silverstream glanced over at Katooni, who had her head down in sadness. ‘She must’ve known Ahsoka too,’ Silverstream realized, ‘It must’ve been hard on them both. At least Ahsoka isn’t dead.’ Katooni must’ve caught Silverstream looking at her because she quickly turned to look back at her and Silver could see tears forming.

“Can Katooni and I step out?” Silverstream asked, “I don’t think she likes hearing about what happened to this Ahsoka if…that’s okay.”

“Of course,” Mace Windu waved his hand for them to go. Once Silverstream and Katooni left the room, he addressed the rest of the Jedi Masters assembled, “The Council is dismissed. Let’s give Obi Wan and Anakin their privacy to talk about this matter alone.” The Jedi all got up and walked out of the Chambers single file, leaving the former and the latter by themselves.

Obi Wan motioned for Anakin to take a seat right next to him. From the large window looking out to the Galactic City, the sun beginning to set across the horizon, creating a mixture of orange and pink across the sky. Anakin took a seat next to Obi Wan, who was stroking his beard in deep thought, most likely trying to think of a good way to approach the subject in a way that would neither upset his former Padawan nor make light of Anakin’s obvious raw emotions hidden beneath the angry exterior.

“I can’t believe you would do this,” Anakin wasted no time in confronting his former master, “You know I’m happier without a Padawan! It didn’t work with Ahsoka, it will not work now! I can’t train her. Not while she’s like this. I’d sooner trust Katooni, a youngling, to handle Silver than myself. At least she knows Silverstream better than I do. They grew up together. You can’t get me to replace Ahsoka. She just….she just means too much to me.”

“Anakin, I’m not trying to get you to replace Ahsoka,” Obi Wan countered, “To try and do that would be madness. She was our companion. Your companion. You loved her, she admired you. The fact that things got out of hand the way they did still baffles me and I still cannot forgive the Council for accusing her of downright treason and sedition. But you have to move on, Anakin. You and I both know that you’re still holding on to your memories of her.”

“Oh so I can’t now?!” Anakin spat, “Well excuse me, Master!!”

“Anakin!!” Obi Wan cut his verbal tirade off before it could begin, “It’s good that you remember her, but you know you can’t hold on to her forever, Anakin. She’s probably found a better place now. You know the ban against attachments. If the Council were to find out about that-“

“To hell with that ban,” Anakin growled, “At least I’m not the Council, who turned their backs on her with no evidence to speak of!! She fought alongside us loyally, was on her way to becoming a Jedi Knight, and the Council had to do that. Don’t speak to me about attachments, Obi Wan. You know you’d break that vow in a heartbeat if you found someone you cared about.” Obi Wan had nothing to say about that. Anakin was right. He would and he did. He loved Anakin like a son. Was that breaking the vow?

“Anakin, please try,” Obi Wan was practically pleading with him now, “I do believe that training Silverstream will help you. I don’t want you to replace Ahsoka, but I want you to take comfort in having someone by your side again. I think that’s what you need. And who knows? Maybe Silverstream will bring you a refreshing experience as a mentor.”

Anakin sighed. “I’m not sure this is right, Master…it still feels like yesterday when she left. I’ve been trying to move on like you said, but every time there’s this big mission, I feel…I feel so empty inside knowing that adventure was what she lived for…I didn’t even want a Padawan, but she made it worth it.”

“Give Silverstream the same chance, Anakin,” Obi Wan assured him, “I guarantee you it won’t be a mistake.”
———————————————————————————————————————————————
Meanwhile in the Great Hall, Silverstream was comforting Katooni over the topic of Ahsoka being brought up. Katooni had ended up crying after they had left the Council Chambers and Silver had been consoling her for the past 15 minutes. Finally Katooni wiped her tears and sat up.

“Are you okay?” Silverstream asked, “I don’t know what happened to this Ahsoka, but she must’ve meant a lot to you.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay,” Katooni said, sniffling once, “You see, Ahsoka was Master Skywalker’s old Padawan. They did everything together, protected one another, learned from each other, you name it. If attachments were allowed, you might even say that she was practically his adopted daughter. But then…when another Padawan….Bariss Offee framed Ahsoka for masterminding the bombing of the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka was so disheartened by the Council’s lack of faith in her integrity and loyalty, that even after things were cleared up…she couldn’t bring herself to return to the Order that shunned her. She left and it was hard on all of us, particularly on Master Skywalker…and me.”

“Why you?” Silverstream asked her gently.

“We went on a mission with Ahsoka once,” Katooni explained, “You were back in the Temple studying, but the rest of us, my friends, we got caught up in this whole mission with Hondo Ohnaka and his pirate crew. They kidnapped Ahsoka and we ended up saving her. It only worked because I was able to get on Hondo’s good side, but we developed a particular bond with Ahsoka throughout the mission…losing her was hard on me because of that. That’s why I don’t like bringing it up.”

Silverstream nodded again. She understood now. If she was supposed to be a replacement for Ahsoka, she had a lot to live up to. The Togruta had made quite a name for herself throughout the Order and it would be hard to live up to. But she was determined to try. Anakin deserved her best efforts. Katooni did also. She would not let them down.

“Good.”

Silverstream almost screamed. She hadn’t heard that voice in a long time. Could it be…?

“Silverstream, look!” Katooni pointed in front of them. Materializing in front of them both was a Force Ghost of a tall man with long brownish whitish hair. He was holding a green lightsaber.

“The spell worked. I was beginning to believe I had failed again.”

Katooni stared wide-eyed at the figure, but Silverstream somehow recognized him immediately. She could feel the same warm connection she had felt back at the museum. It was him.

“Qui-Gon Jinn.” Silverstream named him out loud, causing Katooni to glance at her in total shock. Qui-Gon nodded solemnly, his Jedi robes waving in an ethereal manner through nonexistent wind.

“I am the person who sent you here, Silverstream.” Qui-Gon spoke, his voice having an echo effect around the seemingly empty room. “I am a part of the Cosmic Force, neither alive or dead, existing outside of time and space.”

“I have so many questions,” Silverstream told him, “Why did you choose me? How does that Mirror work? Are my friends okay? My life in Equestria really happened?”

Qui-Gon turned off his lightsaber, raising a hand to stop her endless questions. He stood in front of them, seeming almost like a commanding figure to them, but with the warm atmosphere of the Cosmic Force that drew Silverstream towards him, the same way she was drawn to the Mirror. He spoke again to answer one question at a time, “A great tragedy befell the galaxy, Silver. An irreparable tragedy that caused the Force great imbalance.” He waved his hands and a hologram appeared of Anakin standing in front of what seemed to be a disfigured man in a cloak. The hologram shifted at Qui-Gon’s whim as he explained, “Not to long from now, Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, betrayed the Jedi Order and joined the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. The Jedi were hunted to extinction and the Republic was reshaped into the Galactic Empire. For several years, the Empire oppressed the galaxy. Force-sensitive children were abandoned without proper training. Worlds enslaved, the Jedi teachings destroyed.”

Silverstream gasped. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The Jedi were hunted to extinction?! Why? They hadn’t done anything wrong. It made her angry and sad thinking about it. Whoever the Sith were, they were certainly awful people. She shook with rage as Qui-Gon explained the Great Jedi Purge and Anakin’s role in it.

“What happened?” Katooni asked him.

“After years of fighting in a civil war, the Empire was destroyed and Anakin redeemed…by his own son. Passing on into the Force, Anakin found redemption and fulfillment in his son’s love, something he could never acquire in his days as a Sith. But that was not the end. For the Empire rose again 20 years later, only this time more powerful than before. They destroyed the New Republic, commencing war on all the free worlds. This time, the son of Anakin was nowhere to be found, having failed to rebuild the Jedi Order and exiling himself in the Outer Rim. It seemed like all hope would be lost again. But we chose a new champion, a scavenger girl on the planet of Jakku. She had no family to speak of. She aspired to something greater. We gave her that chance.” The holograms changed and evolved to fit with whatever he was describing. It felt like watching a movie right in front of her.

“And she failed too?” Silverstream asked, already knowing the answer to that. She felt like crying. This was all too much to take in. Anakin turning to the dark side, the Empire enslaving worlds, the Jedi hunted to extinction…why would anyone do that, let alone a second time?!

“Unfortunately, yes. It was a great tragedy. She gave in to her family heritage after learning that she was a product of Sidious. No matter how many people in her life tried to sway her in the right direction, she took over the reigns of the new Empire, now called the Final Order.” explained Qui-Gon.

“So you chose me,” Silverstream deduced, “I’m your new Chosen One.”

Qui-Gon nodded, “Yes. I risked so much making this gamble. The Jedi didn’t trust me. They still don’t. But you can prove them wrong, Silverstream. Your kindness and compassion is why I chose you.” He motioned with his hand and the holograms dissipated. He looked at Silverstream right in the eyes, “I sent you back to the time of the Old Republic because you have a chance. A chance to save Anakin. A chance to give him love. Your mission is to save the Jedi Order and the Republic, to bring hope to the galaxy. Do you think you can do that?”

As Silverstream looked Qui-Gon in the eyes, she felt a sudden unrelenting desire to set things right. She didn’t know the Jedi very well, but they knew her. And after learning of their fate and the chance she had to give them a second chance, it would’ve been criminal to not do so. Her friends and family had always said that she had the innate ability to see the good within others, to help others see the good in themselves. She could help Anakin. She could help the Jedi. She could save them, all of them. And that was what she was going to do no matter the cost.

Author's Note

I should’ve titled this the exposition chapter. I took inspiration from Man of Steel for the Qui-Gon Jinn Force Ghost part. Next up will be Silverstream training. This is going to be awesome! With newfound resolve in her heart, Silverstream will now work to save the Jedi Order from destruction, even if that means convincing one of the most stubborn Jedi ever not to turn to the dark side of the Force. Will it work? Stay tuned, y’all!