Star Wars: The Padawan Menace

Lana Thorne

"Good night's sleep, Lana?" Luke asks the next morning as she slides into a seat at the breakfast table.

Lana shakes her head and Luke raises an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

"It's Riq," Lana says. "Or... Thorne. He calls himself Thorne now. Our last name." Lana had explained the situation to Luke the night before. Luke hadn't really sympathized, which Lana was glad for. She sighs heavily when Luke gives her a doubtful glance. "I can't explain it. I just... feel it."

Luke nods. "I understand the feeling. I've been training with the Force more. I kind of get stuff like that a lot."

Lana doesn't know how to respond to this, but then she doesn't have to. R2-D2 has come barreling in. Lana can't help but smile at the cute little astromech droid, but then she hears heavy metallic footfalls and in comes C-3PO, huffing irritably.

"A-two Dee-two," he complains in a heavy accent that Lana doesn't understand. "You really must stop running off like this for no reason."

The astromech beeps a couple of times, exasperated. Then he swivels his dome head to Luke and starts bleeping and blooping excitedly.

"Calm down, you insensitive bucket of bolts!" C-3PO orders. "What do you mean, the cargo has been stolen? What cargo?" He pauses as his counterpart starts beeping all over again. "Secret cargo?" The golden protocol droid turns to Luke and Lana. "Masta Luke, do you know of any secret cargo aboard this ship?"
Lana looks over at the Jedi-in-training. His face is expressionless, but his blue eyes are definitely panicked. Stolen secret cargo? However, Luke just shakes his head. "No, Threepio," he says. "We don't have any kind of secret cargo on board. Maybe a bolt-"

"-is out of place," Threepio finishes Luke's thought. "Yes, that must be it. The little twerp is malfunctioning again."

Artoo begins to beep in protest, but C-3PO pushes him out of the room and down the hall.

Lana turns on Luke. "What's on here that's so important? Secret cargo?"

Luke shakes his head, shocked. "It was a disk," he says absently, as if in a trance. "A disk containing stolen plans for... for..."

"For what?" Lana presses.

Luke trains his startlingly turquoise blue gaze on her. "For a second Death Star."