Star Wars: The Padawan Menace

Riq Thorne

In his dream, Thorne's yellow eyes are wide with fear. He's running as fast as he can from whatever it is that's behind him. All he knows is that he's supposed to be running. "Don't stop," whispers an unseen voice in his ear. It encourages him to run faster. "Yessss," it hisses. Somehow he knows that this voice is everything. He belongs to it. May even obey it, though he never would openly admit it.

His head twists to look behind him, but the voice says sharply, "No! You mustn't lay eyes on the monstrous beast behind you, Thorne. You will stop running and it will catch up with you. Destroy you."
Thorne knows this is true. Then he hears a thud and knows the monster has tripped and fallen. As the monster does this, it cries out in pain. Thorne skids to a stop. He knows this cry. Knows it all too well. He whirls around.

A girl is on the ground. Crying. His age; his complexion; his icy blue eyes. Blue. Suddenly he knows it. His eyes are no longer yellow; not while he's in this dream state. She has blonde-ish hair that's also got a tint of brown in it. It cascades over her face softly, like a waterfall. The voice in Thorne's head is gone. He runs to the girl and kneels down next to her.

"Lana," he says, his voice silky and smooth. He reaches out to touch his sister, but Lana yelps and backs away.

"N-no," she says, her voice frail and exhausted. "Riq, please, I'm... I'm scared. What if you-"

"Lana," he repeats, just to hear himself say it. The name brings him hope, brings him the idea that maybe his sister is trying to find him right now. Maybe she's coming to rescue him from Darth Vader's clutches and bring him home. Maybe he won't be stuck under the influence of the Dark Side forever.

"Please, Riq," Lana murmurs, weeping. She curls up into the fetal position and Thorne can't see her face.

"Lana," Thorne says. "I miss you so much... So much. Darth Vader has me. Here, in a Star Destroyer. We're out in space somewhere. Maybe by Correilla."

Lana won't look at him. Thorne feels miserable. His own sister is terrified... of him.

"Lana," Thorne says. "When we wake up from this dream, it won't be like this anymore. Okay? I'll be under the influence of Vader again. I can't stop it."

Finally Lana says something. "I hate you, Riq. I hate you."
"Lana..." Thorne wraps his arms around his bawling sister and sheds a few tears himself. They stay there, terrified and yet reassured by each other's comfort. Alone and yet together. Even if it's only for a few minutes in a deep sleep. Then the dream fades.

Thorne sits bolt upright in bed, shaking off the fogginess of sleep. In the darkness of the night, a shaft of moonlight from a nearby planet creeps through his window. It shines on his face.

His eyes are yellow.