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"Lost a transport!" General McQuarrie announced scanning the monitors. He pounded his fist on the console. "I'll make sure the ready room and mess is clear! They are going to have to evacuate immediately!" He got on the comm and sounded all alarms.
General Rieekan rubbed his temples. "Princess, I really think you should consider leaving. There isn't much else we can do here. We can only hope that most of the transports are protected by the squadrons evacuating. You as well, Farr, and the rest of you. I'm going to clear the halls, follow up on the announcements and make sure the other personnel in the passages know to move. I can see from the monitors that shuttles are arriving from that star destroyer. I'm afraid I must insist."
"General, with all due respect, I intend to get out of here, but if we can clear the path for as many of the transporters waiting to leave, we can give clearance to allow more to escape! Not to mention the fighters out there still waiting on orders." Princess Leia said not budging from her post.
General Rieekan sighed. He should know that it was no use arguing with the Princess. She was so stubborn, and short of picking her up and dragging her out himself, she wasn't going to leave. He knew that Mon Mothma would have his head if she didn't get on a transport, but he felt that it was a waste of time arguing. Not when he could save as many of his men and women still waiting for orders in the trenches and in the passages of Echo Base. The base would need to be clear. "Princess, I know I'm going to regret this, but I beg of you, don't stay here much longer. That goes for the rest of you. You'll need to get out and to your transports as soon as possible. I'm going to make sure that the passages are clear. I hope to see you all in the hanger when my transport flies out. May the Force be with you all!"
The few personnel left in the command center briefly gave each other a defeated look. They all turned to the Princess. "If you wish to go, I can't stop you, but as for me, I intend to stay here and see a few more transports get out before I head to my own. There's no guarantee that we will even make it out of here, or out on to our transport, but if I can help a few more get out with communications and monitoring. I'll do it!" She said eyeing the screen.
"You're all clear, head for the eastern sky with your escorts," Princess Leia spoke into her headset. Moving away from the microphone. "We've still got fighters out there!"
"Princess, we're sending more ground crew." Farr responded.
"Ah, it's probably better at this point if they move away from there. The generators are probably going to get hit and we'll lose power. They'll have to command from the ground."
Others of those left followed General Rieekan, leaving the Princess with a bare bones staff of two and Threepio. She didn't blame them, maybe they could even help Rieekan. He could still give commands via his comms, helping the battle above them. There may be a few injured in the hallways, the walls were closing down in a few places, and they also may need assistance. She hoped they would make it to their ship.
Threepio started to panic, "Mistress Leia, we are doomed! We must escape!"
Leia shouted, "Threepio, check those systems!"
"Yes, Mistress Leia," Threepio said in a defeated manner.
Sending commands to the ships was almost futile. With just the three of them, they were able to get a clear view of the fighting, helping to direct the ships, but the truth was, many in the air were having to eye ball the whole situation. 'If they get those generators...' Leia thought, knowing the inevitable. They did have some semblance of backup in areas inside. A few essentials run by interior fuel cells, but that was just in the more dire emergencies. Farr started to sweat, and it seemed she regretted staying back with the princess. McQuarrie seemed to be the picture of cool, but he was showing signs of strain as well. Threepio had bouts of anxiety, it was unnerving that the one individual in the command center who seemed to have the least control wasn't a living being at all. Leia often forgot he was only a droid, but he seemed to be a real person to her, and he was too valuable right now to shut down. They heard walls falling in and tried to remain cool as they directed the pilots and ground staff still battling outside. Then it happened. They were being hit. The walls shook with ice falling and Leia caught Threepio before he tried to fall. She gave the General and Major Farr a look and they looked back. Stressed and worried, Leia heard bounding footsteps coming into the command center, which was now starting to show wear from the battle above. Utilities and vents falling from the ceiling as well as chunks of ice. A deep voice shouted, "Are you all right!"
She turned and couldn't believe it. Han was supposed to be long gone. "Why are you still here?" she shouted with anger. It sounded as if he was the last person she wanted to see, but in fact, she had hoped he was far away by now, safe from this fighting.
She went back to work, looking over McQuarrie's shoulder and the command center rocked again. An arm pulled her away. Leia then yelled at the others to get to their transports. She couldn't resist Han's pleas. Farr and McQuarrie dropped everything and took off with Threepio going in the opposite direction into another corridor. She was willing to stay there in the command center until it fell as long as the battle continued, but then Han had to come back. 'Why didn't he leave?' Leia asked herself. She resigned herself to his persuasion and allowed Han to pull her out of the command center.
Word on the comm as they ran through the halls informed them that stormtroopers had invaded the interior of the base. Threepio was nowhere to be seen. Leia only hoped he somehow followed McQuarrie and Farr to the transports. The ground shook and the ceiling started to fall down. Han pushed her down and fell on her to protect her from the debris. 'What did he think he was doing!' she thought to herself. He pulled her back up.
Just a few moments ago, in the command center, Leia was not afraid. She was willing to stand there until the walls fell upon her. There were often times in the middle of battle where she felt like that. She was willing to risk her own life and die for the cause. It was what was most important to her in those times, and focusing on the Rebellion was what kept her sane. She was never afraid of dying for the Rebellion. It wasn't so much that she herself wished to die, that she had a death wish, it was more of the feeling of noble sacrifice in reflection to her previous losses and the sacrifices of those who came before her. There were other moments though that took her away from that focus. Risking her comrades in the command center? She wasn't even thinking about them, and now dwelling on it, that made her feel guilty. She and Han ran through the halls of Echo Base, and suddenly she not only wanted to live, she felt alive again, but how dare he think he had to protect her as the ceiling fell on top of them and then feel he had to be the hero and pull her up again. As they ran, she caught a glimpse of Threepio off into the distance. It was then that a blast hit and a wall of ice and snow fell blocking their path. They were trapped. Han sent a comm to Rieekan telling him that he had Leia, but that the path was blocked and he would try to get her out on the Falcon.
Threepio felt all alone. He could not remember which way to head after he lost the others that he had been following. He ended up in the tauntaun cave. Threepio shrieked and headed out towards another corridor where he found another door and walked through it. It wasn't the transport hanger, but he did see a familiar face. A very worried Wookiee stood at the end of the ramp looking frantic and called for him to climb on board. "Oh Chewbacca, I'm very relieved to see you."
Chewie roared.
"Well, I never! I imagine I should expect that from a Wookiee," Threepio responded.
Chewie roared again.
"Chewbacca, Captain Solo and the Princess were just behind me, they should be along anytime now."
Chewie roared again.
"Transport? Oh, I don't think they will ever make it there, I was only able to get here myself." Threepio answered.
Chewie paced outside the ramp and tried to hail Han on the comm.
Leia could feel something familiar and it wasn't pleasant. She was tired and weak and images had come to her mind of previous encounters she had had with Darth Vader. As they moved towards the Falcon, another blast hit and they were trapped. Not only that, they were completely in the dark. "I have a bad feeling about this." she said.
"You think?" Han answered.
The comm rang and a worried Wookiee roared into it.
"We're trapped pal, going to see if we can dig our way out. Can you hang on a bit longer?" Han called back into the comm.
Chewie roared.
"He said he could hear marching in the distance." Han told Leia.
"Tell him to get out of here!" Leia whispered loudly. "At least he knows we are here, we'll think of something. He can come back, or get us help later."
"Chewie, fly out of there now! Come back later . Don't worry about us, you can help us later. You hear?" Han called into the comm.
Chewie roared.
"Don't give me that? Close that ship and get out of there!" Han demanded. "We're surrounded by ice right now. Not much we can do but wait it out. You know the Rebellion will send a rescue team after it's safe. You hear me? You get out of there!" Han demanded.
Chewie roared.
"He's already getting the engines warm. Having a bit of trouble, but he had Threepio with him," Han told Leia.
"Threepio? Threepio got there and we didn't? We're probably close enough..." Leia whispered.
"No go, you hear that fire? That's Chewie shooting from the Falcon at Vader and some stormtroopers. Quiet," Han whispered and turned off his comm. Chewie, after much effort and a few twists of wires, was able to get the ship in the air and away from the hanger, still firing from the cockpit.
Leia and Han kept still in the collapsed ice. Leia thought hard about something warm, anything to direct her thoughts to anything or anywhere else. Not laying flat on her stomach on the icy floor with Han crouched over her in the near darkness, the sounds of imperial footsteps and orders heard faintly through the icy walls. She remembered a trip she had taken with some other junior senators to a warm hot springs when she was young. She thought of the heat radiating from the hot molten lava that warmed the clear springs. How soothing it was. She could almost feel the mist and hear the hissing from the stones. In reality, the hissing was the distant breathing of Darth Vader and the mist was from Han's close warm breath.
Luke, having left the battle as the other pilots were racing to their x-wings to escape the planet, looked out to the landscapes with the Imperial shuttle and the last of the battle. He imagined it was search crews, but when he saw the Falcon depart, he had some hope that his friends were able to escape. He hopped into his x-wing, with Artoo in tow, and followed. He had intended to depart from the rest of his squadron as days before he had a vision from Obi-Wan Kenobi pleading with him to find a place called Dagobah, but since he was soon following closely, noticing that Imperials were in pursuit, called out to Wedge and Hobbie and soon they were backing the Falcon. He tried to hail the Falcon, but got no response, not knowing that Chewie was manning the ship alone with only the aid of Threepio, and with a faulty hyperdrive. Hoth was surrounded by an asteroid field and while that could act as a buffer, Luke, Wedge and Hobbie all directed the Imperials toward it while firing and protecting the Falcon. Luke found it odd that the Falcon was only firing from one canon assuming that Han or Chewie would be in one of the gun wells. After finding a window, the Imperials having taken a brief repose away from their location for the time being, Luke sent Wedge and Hobbie back to helping transporters get away to hyperspace to the rebel fleet. Luke piggybacked onto the Falcon, and boarded through the hatch. He was surprised to find a frustrated Chewie alone with Threepio.
Chewie roared.
Threepio translated, "Captain Solo and Mistress Leia are still on Hoth I'm afraid, Master Luke. Chewbacca is having some trouble with the ship."
"Well, hopefully they can hold tight until we can help them. Let me see what I can do to help with the ship," Luke said looking to Chewie.
Chewie roared with an affirmative.
Luke could tell something was wrong with the hyperdrive, and while he had other plans, plans which included leaving the rebel fleet temporarily and embarking on his own adventure to Dagobah, he had to help his friends. Getting into the ship, and having some sense of how Han had rigged the thing, though it was like no other ship he knew of, he consulted Chewie about taking parts off the hyperdrive of his own x-wing, and using it as a temporary solution until they could get somewhere to replace it. It was as they were discussing this that the Empire took notice of them again and started to fire. Chewie and Luke both ran to the cockpit. Luke riding along the asteroid field started to dart in and out of it, using the rocks to help take out some of the ships. It worked for a while, but then it didn't as the star destroyer moved closer.
Chewie roared.
"I know, Chewie, let's think. What would Han do?" Luke answered.
Han would go directly into the field he thought, as crazy an idea that would be. Luke closed his eyes and reached out into the Force. He found a path with the tie fighters chasing them that would allow the least amount of hits to their shields. He implemented the shields on his own x-wing as an added buffer, though he admitted that it did seem to slow them down some.
Chewie roared.
"Chewbacca is worried that we are going further away from Hoth and will be unable to return for Captain Solo and Mistress Leia, Master Luke," Threepio translated. "This is madness! We should turn back! Surely it's the only way!"
"We can't turn back right now. Let's see if we can find a planetoid or somewhere to hide until we can figure this out," Luke suggested.
Chewie roared in the affirmative, and tried to comm Han. They may still be close enough where Han could still hear it, if he hadn't turned it off. There had been no answer though.
Threepio cried out, "We're doomed."
In the shattered halls of Echo Base, a stormtrooper called out after returning from the hanger. "A freighter matching the description you gave us left moments ago, Lord Vader."
Darth Vader clutched his fist and then searched out into the Force. He then sent a message to his star destroyer. "Admiral Piett! Send fighters to capture that ship! I do not want it destroyed! Is that understood! I want them alive!"
Darth Vader turned, his cape flying with the stormtroopers following. Their boots crushing the debris and the fallen ice. When Vader got outside into the cold Hoth air, he looked around at the sky. Any ships that were in motion had to be outside the atmosphere. He returned to his shuttle and headed for the star destroyer.
Leia felt herself being slapped, "Wake up, come on your worshipness, wake up! Don't go to sleep on me. Come on!" Han called.
"Hey! Just what are you doing?" Leia called out with anger.
"Keeping you from freezing to death!" Han told her.
Leia apparently had dozed off. Han had a small hand lamp in his hand and it seemed to be quiet out there beyond their icy cocoon, "You got anything on you that we can dig with?" Han asked grabbing a small knife from his boot.
Leia had one as well on her, digging into the same area that Han was working, and started to pick at the wall. "Hang on, your hands will freeze."
Han pulled out a rag from his jacket and wrapped them around Leia's hands.
"Do you know where this leads to?" Leia asked.
"Not sure, but I can tell it's not too thick here, we should be able to at least get into one of the rooms," Han said while picking. "The moving will help keep us warm. Hopefully we can find one of those smaller generators once we get out of here. I haven't been able to get up with Chewie, but hopefully there might be something around we can fly out of here. There's no way I'm staying on this ice ball longer than we have to," Han suggested.
"Probably our best bet, not sure they are going to risk coming back to see if any stragglers were left behind," Leia sighed with defeat. "I wonder if there is anyone else out there stuck like we are?"
"Maybe, but if they are out there, it's a chance they will freeze or one of those monsters will get to them first. Now, don't get all high and mighty and think we can go out there and find someone. We have to stay alive, got it? If we happen to come up on someone, well, that's different," Han said as he dug.
Leia was starting to hurt from the slow moving digging, "I wish we had something better than this to dig with. You sure you don't have anything in there that might work better?"
"It gets too long, and I'll try to blast it. I don't want to risk getting heard if there are any Imps out there still. We are probably better off in here. It's cold, but if we stay awake, we'll be warm enough not to freeze. That's one thing, sweetheart, one of us dozes off, we got to wake the other one up? Got it? Don't let me sleep too long, or we both end up ice cubes. Even if we take short shifts, the danger of one of us dozing off while the other has, oh just stay awake until we get out of here," Han ordered.
"I understand. What makes you think you can give the orders though, hotshot?" Leia answered with annoyance. "It's not like we've not had to endure the cold before."
"Well, I didn't know this was going to be a fight. Look, we have to stay alive. Maybe now is not the time to argue about it," Han said poking through the small hole he was making with the knife.
"Look! I can almost see something, give me your lamp!" Leia asked.
She put the lamp through the hole and it was a room, it was dark but deserted. "Take a look, Han."
"It's the pilot's storage room. Here, help me push some of this out of the way, we might be able to squeeze you though," Han said already pulling at the icy walls.
"What about you?" Leia asked pulling.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to stay in here. There's probably something out there we can use to make the hole bigger. This is going to take some time otherwise. Take off your snowsuit." Han said.
"It's cold! And what's underneath is bound to get wet." Leia said with concern.
"You'll fit through better. Don't worry, I'll push it through and you can put it right back on again." Han said trying to reassure her.
"Just don't watch," Leia ordered.
"What? It's not like you aren't wearing anything under there. And there's barely any light with this lamp. Come on!" Han said, "I'm getting cramped in here."
She took off everything, but the thin silk coveralls underneath. "Whoa, it really is cold isn't it?" Han smirked.
Leia looked down and saw her nipples popping up visible through the clothing and turned red. "Ah now, Princess, I couldn't help myself. Now, let's see if we can slide you though without getting you stuck."
Leia went head first through the opening they made in the wall. The sides were already slippery from the ragged picks with the knives they made, and she had trouble getting through at the hips. She pulled on the icy wall trying to push herself out.
"Need a push?" Han called out.
"I think I can make it," she said as she struggled. Straining and pulling with her hands, and sucking in. It was her hipbones that were really making it hard. She accidentally kicked Han while trying to push off the floor in the icy cocoon.
"Ouch! Watch it, your worship! That was my knee," Han called out.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly.
Suddenly she felt his hands on her buttocks and a giant push as she rolled onto the floor.
"Han!" Leia shouted.
"What? You got out didn't you?" Han said innocently with a smirk on his face.
Leia got up, brushed herself off and grabbed the snowsuit through the hole after Han pushed them out at her. She looked around the room and found a large pole and a shovel. The shovel wouldn't fit through the hole, but she could use it to help on the outside, and the pole gave Han something to help make the hole bigger in order to free himself out of the icy cocoon. Pointing the lamp around, there were blankets, a few beds and a small heater. "I hope that thing works!"
"It's just one of those they use in the cockpits if they get stranded. Not going to have much heat come off it, but it's better than nothing. Hopefully there's enough of a charge to let us keep warm for a bit. Here, take these blankets and wrap them around yourself. Don't turn that heater on yet, it might make it too wet in here. The blankets will be enough for now. There's some extra coats, I'm going out a bit and see if I can find something," Han said looking through the storage lockers. "Look plenty of rations. At least we won't starve."
"Might freeze to death, but we'll have full stomachs?" Leia smirked.
"Something like that. Just stay here?" Han said putting his hand out as he put on another layer.
Leia with a worried look said, "Don't be too long, or go to far. I don't want to be stuck here by myself."
"If the corridor is clear here, I shouldn't have to go too far. Just bundle in those blankets to keep warm. It's going to be dark, but I'll see if I can dig up another lamp, too." Han said leaving Leia alone in the dark.
The blankets made it much warmer. Warm and safe enough to sleep if she needed to. She took some of the cots and put them together so they made a box to help insulate some of the heat from her body, and bundled herself into it. It made it very cozy, almost like those forts she would make as a child with cushions from one of the sitting rooms. She laughed thinking about the time she stained one of them and one of the housekeeping droids has argued that it was a rare piece of furniture that she had ruined. Then she got sad again thinking that it didn't matter anymore, that the entire palace was gone as well as the planet, let alone any of the furniture. It wasn't long before she drifted off into sleep.