Vernestra Rwoh Tells Her Own Story in ‘The Acolyte: Wayseeker’ First Excerpt
Thanks to Entertainment Weekly, the first excerpt for Justina Ireland’s The Acolyte: Wayseeker has been released which shows Vernestra Rwoh battling against pirates from a first-person point of view.
Apr 25, 2025
Lucasfilm/Youtini Illustration
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Key takeaways:
Justina Ireland’s The Acolyte: Wayseeker tells a story of Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh and Jedi Knight Indara decades before the start of The Acolyte
The excerpt presents the first chapter of the novel which reveals that Vernestra’s sections will be written from a first-person point of view
Check out a preview of the excerpt below and be sure to visit Entertainment Weekly for a look at the full chapter!
Random House Worlds
Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh has spent years exploring the galaxy as a Wayseeker, answering to no authority but the Force itself. That journey has brought her to Cerifisis, a world in crisis, and in need of a Jedi’s aid.
CHAPTER 1
I adjusted my perch on the narrow outcropping of cobalt-hued rock overlooking the Bernerine Pass, the most direct way into Norna, the capital city of Cerifisis. And I waited.
It is a truth galactically known that where there is something of worth, there are those who will do anything to acquire it, either through honest work or through thievery and violence. As a Jedi Master, I had seen this firsthand throughout my life. I had seen humans fight over ore on Grandak and Hutts farm glaka root on Jero with the help of massive labor forces. The farther I traveled across the galaxy, the more the axiom held true.
And the work was rarely the issue.
Which was why the Force had brought me to Cerifisis, a planet plagued by piracy. As a Wayseeker, I let the whims of the Force decide my next stop, or rather J-6’s next stop, since the droid did much of the flying of the Cantaros. I disliked piloting on my own—hyperspace had a way of pulling me into Force-powered visions, which were more often than not unwelcome—but with a droid copilot I had managed to navigate the galaxy just fine, spending the past few years doing everything from helping bring in the harvest on Tiikae to corralling a bloom of fire lizards on Targusian. They were small, simple acts that just made life better for the inhabitants of their respective planets. For the people who benefited, they could be life changing. That was the point: The tiniest of efforts, when applied in the correct place, could be magnified into huge gains.
And that was why, during my tenure as a Jedi, I had returned time and again to being a Wayseeker. Spreading the light of the Jedi across the galaxy was the point of the Order. Yes, we could protect and defend those who could not help themselves, and that was always an honorable undertaking, but sometimes it was best to just help out in whatever way a Jedi could. And so I traveled where the Force led me, all in the hope of making the galaxy a better place.
The Acolyte: Wayseeker releases on May 6th wherever books are sold!
Eric Eilersen is a Senior Writer at Youtini and co-host of The Youtini Show. He loves collecting Star Wars Funkos, lightsabers, and LEGO as well as playing video games, reading Brandon Sanderson novels, watching the Dallas Cowboys, and spending time with his partner and pets. You can follow him at @EricEilersen.
