THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

On the Ice planet of Hoth, it was a warm day. This meant that the temperature was only 40 below zero rather than the usual 60 below. Han Solo spoke into his com link to his partner in searching the wastes of this world for life, Leia Skywalker.

"There's no life here. Let's go back in."

"I want to check out a meteor that just landed. It'll only take a moment."

Han shook his head at the comlink. "Why don't you wait for me, we'll check it out together and then head back."

His comlink crackled the answer back in the knifing wind. "Sure. No problem."

Leia reattached her comlink to her belt, felt the tauntaun beneath her move restlessly, and threw herself off the animal as a large white hairy arm passed through where her head had been milliseconds before and then through the unfortunate riding animal's neck. Once it had the tauntaun, the snow beast became uninterested in the retreating smaller prey. Leia waited for Han to get there and rode back with him.

Chewbacca and Beth were engaged in repairing the Falcon and the Falcon was not cooperating. As Han and Leia passed on their way to the control room, Chewie emitted a loud Wookie curse and threw a spanner, barely missing his small helper's head. Han called up to him.

"Alright, don't lose your temper. I'll be right back to give you a hand." They continued on to the control room to give their report.

"Nothing alive out there that will tell on us. I have to go. I should have paid off Jabba a long time ago. Next bounty hunter we meet, I'm toast. I'll be back as soon as that's done." Han told the general. He and Leia had already talked this over. Leia left to go to her duty assignment while Han returned to the Falcon to help Chewie and Beth. Soon he and Beth were both joining Chewbacca in the cursing, but did manage to convince the wookie not to throw any more tools.

The night after the encounter with the snow beast, Leia woke up suddenly to find Obiwan sitting next to her bed. "Your apprentice must go to Dagobah, to Yoda, the Jedi Master who instructed me, to complete his training." Then he faded out, leaving his student stewing with unanswered questions. She sat for a few minutes, then beeped Luke. He answered groggily after a few insistent beeps from his comlink.

"Organa here. What's going on?"

"It's me, Leia. Obiwan Kenobi just visited me. You have to go to Dagobah to find an old Jedi master. I figure you can go in about 4 hours." She heard sounds over the comlink like he was fumbling for something and knocking things down, then a large thump.

"Fine, I'll be ready to go in about four hours. Anything I need besides me, the saber and a change of clothes that isn't already on the ship?"

"No."

"Good, I'll see you then, if not before." Luke clicked off the comlink and looked over at Beth, who had rolled over blearily to face him where he sat on the floor.

"Who was that?"

"Leia. It seems Obiwan says I have to go someplace to find a Jedi Master."

"Now?" She asked incredulously. "What time is it?"

"Bout an hour before we have to get up. I'll leave in about 4 hours. Scoot over so I can get back in. It's cold out here" He slid back under the blankets and pulled her back up against him. Nuzzling her hair. "I love you."

Beth smiled sleepily. "You say that to all the girls."

Leia was unable to go back to sleep and so got up to take a tour of the hangar. Han was working underneath the Falcon this time. Leia approached and handed him a tool he was straining to reach. "Didn't you go to bed?" she asked.

"Yeah, a little after his Highness came along to squire Beth to bed." He grinned at Leia. "I wonder how much sleep she got. He had tucking in in his eyes. What're you doing up. I started this about a half hour ago. Woke up, couldn't get back to sleep." He grunted as he twisted a large bolt.

Leia peered at what he was doing, added her strength to his and the bolt popped free. "I had a visitation and couldn't go back to sleep either. Obiwan says Luke has to go to see a Jedi master for training. I get to stay here."

"Exciting. I'm sure the generals will be ecstatic to have one of the best pilots gone for however long. Not to mention the showpiece royalty. I can imagine Beth's reaction. How long, and when does he leave?"

"He leaves in about 4 hours for I don't know how long. I'll help here for a bit. Point me at something to fix." Han did.