Jedi Padawans Explore Corellia in an Exclusive Star Wars: The High Republic Excerpt

When Star Wars followers consider Corellia, they consider Han Solo. They consider Qi’ra. Maybe they consider piloting the Millennium Falcon there for Hondo Onaka. What they don’t consider is Jedi roaming the streets, however that’s going to vary in Star Wars: The High Republic: Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older—and we’ve obtained a glance inside.

Set centuries earlier than Han was Solo, Midnight Horizon is a YA novel telling a narrative within the High Republic Star Wars timeline. It’s out February 1 and follows two Jedi Masters, Cohmac Vitus and Kantam Sy, and their Padawans, Reath Silas and Ram Jomaram, who’re dispatched to Corellia to research an assault by the evil Nihil. All of this happens across the similar time because the occasions in Claudia Gray’s The Fallen Star. Of course, as Padawans are inclined to do, they go off on their very own and that’s the place this unique excerpt picks up.

“One of the most fun parts of Midnight Horizon is the chaotic, joyful, sometimes dangerous camaraderie among the Jedi and their allies,” Older informed io9 by way of electronic mail. “In this scene, we find Ram and Reath learning about the mean streets of Corellia with a new friend who they’re not sure if they can trust. As you can probably tell, I had a lot of fun writing this.”

Oh, you can positively inform—it’s a bit crammed with enjoyable, witty Star Wars banter, in addition to acquainted creatures, catchphrases, and extra. Check it out under the duvet.

“Okay, hold up.” Crash raised her hand as they approached the turnoff that led to the place two burly municipal officers guarded the shipyard entrance. The boys stopped of their tracks and glanced round warily. At least they knew sufficient to maintain an eye fixed out for hassle; that was one thing. And they appeared general to be smart lads with good hearts. Whether or not they have been any use in a jam was one other query, however time would inform. She eyed them. “We have a deal?”

Ram grinned. “Abso—”

“Ram,” Reath stated. “Hold on. We don’t agree to deals we don’t fully understand.”

“That’s wise,” Crash allowed.

“The deal is this: you take us to the famous, impossible-to-get-into shipyard that Ram is dying to see, and we . . .” Reath made go on circles along with his arms.

“Pretend to be my minions so we can solve the disappearance of my frie—employees.”

“And whether the Nihil are responsible,” Ram added. “Our interests actually align, basically.”

“If we’re helping you,” Reath stated, “it means you’re being up-front with us. We’re sharing information. Remember, we just met you.”

“And yet you find me strangely charming and reliable?” Crash advised.

“I do,” Ram admitted.

“That’s beside the point,” Reath stated. “But yes.”

“Yes, we have a deal, or yes, you find me charming and reliable?”

Ram and Reath traded glances. Then the older boy narrowed his eyes. “Yes, I find you charming. Reliable remains to be seen.” He caught out his hand. “And yes, we have a deal.”

“Wizard!” Ram yelled, pumping his fist one time. Crash blinked at him. “I’m going to understand that to be a good thing.” She positioned a single credit score in Reath’s hand and one other in Ram’s. “So here. Let’s do it!”

Ram squinted at it prefer it may bounce up and chew him. “What’s this?”

“Money,” Crash stated. “For to purchase things.”

“I know that!” Ram growled. “But I mean—”

“You can’t pay us,” Reath stated, providing the credit score again to her. “We’re Jedi. That would be . . . weird.”

Crash was already heading towards the nook. “It’s one credit. Give it away, for all I care. But if you’re working for me, even just pretend working for me, you gotta be on payroll. For clarity’s sake, if nothing else.” She pulled out her comlink. “Ten-Kayt?”

“Here, Master Crash.”

“Make a note in the fi les that we have two new employees, please. Just put”—she eyed them—“Starlight A and Starlight B. Fee: one credit each.”

“Done.”

She rounded the nook and instantly set free a low groan.

“What is it?” Ram requested as he and Reath fell into step beside her.

The two guards, a Gamorrean and a bored-looking burly human, have been in municipal police uniforms, however they weren’t any of those she knew. Of course they weren’t. Most of the latest hires have been introduced particularly to guard the Santhe Shipyards, and from what Crash had heard, they have been a bunch of randoms that no person, not even the numerous low-lifes and avenue thugs of the Bottoms, knew something about.

“Things are just never as simple as they could be,” she stated. She had hoped perhaps one factor could possibly be straightforward one time. But no. “Doesn’t matter. C’mon.”

“Greetings, excellent pig!” Crash snorted in Gamorrean as the primary guard strutted as much as them, already in search of a combat.

He launched a string of swears that they positively didn’t educate in Intro to Gamorrean. Fortunately, she had realized on the imply streets of the shipyards, so she replied in variety, with an much more colourful epic saga of horrific issues in regards to the man’s grandma, forefathers, how he had sprung from a pile of rancor poodoo and appeared it, and the way all his nieces and nephews have been regurgitated fetal worrts. A beautiful language, really.

For a quick second, the guard simply blinked at her along with his piggy little eyes.

“Uh,” Reath stated quietly. The child was most likely reaching for his lightsaber, simply in case.

Then the guard set free an unlimited, fatuous guffaw and ran over to embrace Crash. It was one of many least nice hugs she’d ever gotten, but it surely was higher than having her face break up in two by his sizable bayonet. He threw a sweaty arm over her shoulder and proceeded to escort her and the others towards the gate, demanding to know the way she had come to talk Gamorrean so colorfully and the way she knew a lot about his household, and on and on.

“Hold it,” the human guard demanded, placing up one hand and nonetheless trying like he may barely be bothered to even stand in any respect. “Borgar, what are you doing making friends? Nobody gets in. Period. Not even Jedi.”

The man had a big blaster rifle slung over his shoulder, which was . . . uncommon for a muni. Crash made a tiny psychological observe about it after which started working. “My friends are visiting from out of town, sir, to get medicine, you see—they’re from a very small planet with no resources, and I promised their dear dying mother that I would show them the famous ship-yards of Coronet City before they returned to her bedside!”

“It’s true,” Ram piped up awkwardly. It was a superb effort although; no less than he was prepared to play alongside.

“Not my problem,” the guard stated. “Their problem.”

Borgar launched Crash and obtained within the different guard’s private area, snorting and squealing.

“I don’t speak pig!” the man yelled, proper earlier than getting his jaw damaged by a stable left hook. He dropped quick, and Borgar started working lugging him into the guard home.

“Thanks, excellent pig!” Crash yelled in Gamorrean, gesturing elaborately on the boys to comply with her into the yards. “Your grandfather is an absolute bag of festering garbage!”

Borgar waved and snorted a cheerful curse-out in reply after which went about his enterprise.

“When you said you could get us into anywhere in Corellia we wanted to go,” Reath stated, obvious down at her as soon as they’d made it just a little methods in and ducked behind a warehouse, “I thought you meant you had behind-the-scenes passes or something! Not that you were going to con some helpless Gamorrean into assaulting his work buddy.”

Crash obtained on her tiptoes to nearly attain Reath’s chin and held up one finger. “He was hardly helpless.” Then one other. “That was clearly not his buddy.” Then a 3rd. “And I never said how we’d get in, in part because I didn’t know. It depended where you guys wanted to go and also who happened to be at the door that day. Okay?”

“I thought it was pretty wizard,” Ram stated, standing between them however a protected distance away. “Personally.”

“What happened to you being up-front with us about your plans?” Reath demanded.

“It’s called improvising. I can’t be up-front with you about plans I don’t know about until they happen. Next time I’ll ask the huge war hog to hold on a moment while I explain to my partners how we’re going to confuse him. Cool?”

“I—”

“And anyway, who’s the one being deceitful, mighty Jedi Knights?”

That stopped Reath like a smack within the face, similar to it was speculated to. Crash stored her smile inside—there was no level rubbing it in.

“Oh, yeah, that one was my bad,” Ram stated.

Reath pivoted, but it surely was too late for that. “We are technically Jedi of Starlight Beacon, which is what you asked.”

“Uh-huh. A lie by omission is still a lie, last I heard,” Crash countered.

“How did you know?” Reath requested, deflated.

Crash cocked her head to 1 facet, eyes extensive. “How did I know that the Jedi Council, in their infinite wisdom, didn’t send two goofy kids to investigate a potential incursion of Nihil raiders deeper into the galactic Core than they’ve ever been, all by themselves?”

“Goofy?” Ram complained.

“Okay, I take that part back,” Crash allowed. “The point remains. Also, I saw the other two Jedi leaving before I came in, and they were clearly older than you two. And they didn’t have those cute little plaits you fellas wear.”

Ram pulled his Padawan braid out from the place he’d tucked it into his bun and held it in entrance of his face. “You think they’re cute?”

“You mean you were staking out the place,” Reath stated, “waiting for us to be on our own before you came over and conned us.”

“It’s not a con!” Crash insisted. “I’ve told you exactly what I’m doing this whole time!” She shook her head. “I gotta tell Svi’no this being up-front with people thing is not all it’s cracked up to be.”

“Who’no?” Ram requested.

“She’s a big-deal singer,” Reath knowledgeable him, not trying notably impressed. “And Crash here is clearly name-dropping.”

“She’s the greatest music artist the galaxy has ever known,” Crash stated. “And I can’t help it if my friends are a big deal. She’s also a royal pain in my ass. Point is—we’re even, okay? Yes, I waited till the adults were gone, because I deal with enough already at work, and all they do is underestimate you until you prove yourself smarter than them and then act surprised that what you’ve been saying all along is true. It’s exhausting. I keep a very small, select group of ’em in my inner circle, and all of them are on payroll. And anyway: adults come with too many rules. Can you honestly imagine Master Surly Ponytail and Master Muttonchops rolling with us on that last little stunt?”

“Master Muttonchops!” Ram squealed, protecting his mouth to mute the giggles.

Reath appeared like he was doing all the pieces in his energy to not crack up. Crash determined she favored him all proper, even when he was just a little caught in his methods. And Ram was clearly the best child within the galaxy; he simply wanted to work on his appearing abilities a bit.

All issues thought of, she’d ended up with a reasonably good set of potential companions, she needed to admit. “So,” she stated, folding her arms throughout her chest. “We’re even. Truce?”

Reath smiled out of the nook of his mouth, nonetheless attempting to not chortle. Nodded. “Truce.”

“Now let’s go see these starshiiiiips!” Ram yelled, already operating off .

Star Wars: The High Republic: Midnight Horizon is out February 1, and is offered to pre-order right here.

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