Imri gasped and fell back into his body with a start, and next to him Vernestra sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“I think, I think I found a planet. But not just any planet, one full of life.”

She smiled at him and nodded. “Can you show me?”

Imri nodded and reached for the Force, hesitantly at first. But then he took a deep breath and grabbed hold, ranging through the connection toward the place he’d felt before, his soul remembering the way. Vernestra followed him along the path, and with her help he could actually see the planet in his mind.

It was a lush jungle of a place, with ancient trees covered in vines that hung off of everything. The sharp sounds of animal calls pierced the air, which was hot and humid. Just as Imri began to sweat from the temperatures, which were much hotter than those within the shuttle, he landed back in his body.

“Imri! You did it,” Vernestra said. She tossed her hair back over her shoulder as she leaned forward and began to flip switches, adding power to the engines. “I can definitely steer us in that direction, and it seems like it isn’t too far away. We must have been pointed toward it this whole time, but without you we never would have known it.” She paused and turned to Imri with a wide smile. “Good job, Padawan.”

Imri flushed with happiness, his cheeks heating. Maybe he could still be a Jedi. He could do this. “Thanks,” he said. “So, what do we do now?”

Vernestra finished flipping switches and poking buttons, and then she sat back with a wide yawn. “Now, we wait.”


Star Wars The High Republic A Test of Courage Chapter 9