Imri groaned as he sat up. Vernestra had thrown him like a child’s toy. It was both impressive and infuriating. He was lucky that he had landed on an especially springy patch of ferns, and nothing seemed injured but his pride. She’d overpowered him so easily, but he wouldn’t let it happen again.

He would have his vengeance. And if Vernestra tried to stop him she would regret her decision.

Just as Imri drew his lightsaber, Vernestra appeared before him, her green skin bright against the darker coloring of the plants around her. Wisps of hair had come loose from the tie that held it back, and she stood in the ready position with her bright purple lightsaber.

“Imri, stop. You are not going to kill those pirates.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I am going to kill them. And if you don’t let me pass I will kill you first.” The words coming from Imri’s mouth sounded like someone else’s. He didn’t really want to kill Vern, did he?

Guilt swept over him. Vernestra had only been kind to him, but there was nothing for him without his master to guide him. He owed it to Douglas to punish the Nihil for their crimes.

So Imri decided he would stand up against Vernestra. He would kill her if she did not let him take care of that despicable human woman and that awful Aqualish man. They did not deserve to live, and he would make certain they did not.

“Move, Vern. I have to do this. For Douglas.”

“This is the last thing he would have wanted.”

“Move or be moved,” Imri said, his voice flat.

Vernestra’s expression hardened. “Well then, Padawan. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Imri ignited his lightsaber blade. It was a steady, strong blue for once, and that gave him confidence. He was as good as Vernestra. He would show her that she had been wrong to underestimate him, just like everyone else.

Then he was charging forward, his anger and the Force propelling him.

Vernestra met his attack easily, and though she was more powerful and better trained, Imri was more than a head taller than her. She said nothing as she fought, her blade striking his again and again as she repelled his attacks. No matter what Imri tried, Vernestra would not yield. So he reached for the Force and pushed.

It did nothing. Vernestra would not be moved.

Her expression hardened, and she leapt into the air and somersaulted backward to avoid his next strike. Imri ran forward, determined to cut the Jedi down, and yelped in surprise as something burned across the back of his hand, causing him to drop his lightsaber.

Vernestra stood before him, her lightsaber transformed into a lightwhip. As Imri reached for his dropped lightsaber, the edge of the lightwhip zipped across the ground, leaving a sizzling groove in the dirt between him and the weapon. Imri tried for his lightsaber once more, but this time Vernestra’s whip crackled across the hilt itself, leaving behind two smoking pieces.

“Enough, Imri,” Vernestra said. “That’s enough. You used the Force in an aggressive manner when you choked that woman! Douglas never would have wanted any of this, especially not Jedi fighting among themselves.”

Imri growled in anger at the mention of his dead master. He might not have a lightsaber, but he could still fight. He reached for the Force, but as he did his anger, which had also been fueled by Honesty’s rage, began to melt away and he felt for the briefest moment his master’s hand resting heavily on his shoulder.

To be a Jedi is to always trust that the Force works in mysterious ways, Imri. We accept and we try our best, but we do not forget that in the end all is as the Force wills it.

Douglas’s voice could have been a memory, but it felt like more than that. All the rage drained from Imri and he fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands. He couldn’t even sense the anger Honesty had carried, as though the boy had also lost his taste for revenge. He didn’t want to cry; he wanted to be angry. But his sadness was more than he could bear and he began to sob.

“It isn’t fair. It’s not. Douglas was good and kind and strong, and those people killed him. And why? For nothing.”

“We’re going to find out why, Imri. And you can be angry, but giving in to your rage, letting that single emotion drive your actions, that is a direct path to the dark side. We can bring those people back there to justice, but what that looks like is not up to us. We serve the Force, and the Force does not pick sides.”

Vernestra patted Imri once and again before walking over to pick up his broken lightsaber. A deep shame filled Imri. He’d made a mistake, and it was one he would be working to repair for a very long time.

“Come on,” Vernestra said. “Let’s go find out why those pirates destroyed the Steady Wing.”