Star Wars: Remix version

Chapter Twenty eight: The attack

Strange robot surgeons adjusted a mass of electronic equipment. A switch was thrown and a sudden blinding flash obscured Luke in a bacta tank filled with a thick, gelatinous slime. He began to thrash about, raving in delirium. Later that day, Luke sat up in a recovery-room bed, weak but smiling. His face showed terrible wounds from the Wampa's attack. Threepio and Artoo entered the room.

"Master Luke, sir, it's so good to see you fully functional again" Threepio said smiling. Artoo beeped his good wishes. "Artoo expresses his relief, also"

Han and Chewie made their entrance. The Wookiee growled a greeting.

"How are you feeling, kid? You don't look so bad to me. In fact, you look strong enough to pull the ears off a Gundark" He grinned his signature grin.

"Thanks to you" Luke said smiling back at his friend.

"That's two you owe me, junior" Han said, turning as Leia and Anna entered the room. He grinned.

"Well your Worship, looks like you managed to keep me around for a little while longer" He said to the princess. Leia hid a smile as Anna rolled her eyes.

"I had nothing to do with it. General Rieekan thinks it's dangerous for any ships to leave the system until we've activated the energy shield" She said sternly. Han smiled.

"I know" He said cheekily. "I'm just messin with you"

"I am glad you can stay longer" Leia said quietly. Han smiled at her, and Anna and Luke glanced at each other knowingly.

Suddenly, in the distance, the muffled sound of an alarm is heard.

"Headquarters personnel, report to command center" The voice repeated the order and Leia, Anna, Han, Chewie, Artoo, and Threepio hurried out of the room, bidding farewell to Luke.

"Take it easy" Han winked at the younger man.

In the control center, Rieekan and Padme were looking at a console screen. Padme looked up grimly. She called over to Leia, Anna and Han.

"we have a visitor" She said, tight lipped. The group hurried over to the screen.

"We've picked up something outside the base in zone twelve, moving east" Rieekan told them.

"It's metal" The senior controller mentioned.

"Then it couldn't be one of those creatures that attacked Luke" Leia muttered.

"It could be a speeder, one of ours" Han suggested.

"No. Wait - there's something very weak coming through" The controller said. Threepio stepped up to the control panel and listened intently to the strange signal.

"Sir, I am fluent in six million forms of communication. This signal is not used by the Alliance. It could be an Imperial code" He said worriedly.

The transmission ended in static.

"It isn't friendly, whatever it is. Come on, Chewie, let's check it out" Han motioned for the wookie to follow him.

After several minutes of waiting, they heard Han's voice over the comlink.

"Afraid there's not much left" He said.

"What was it?" Anna asked.

"Droid of some kind. I didn't hit it that hard. It must have had a self-destruct" Han replied.

"An Imperial probe droid" Padme said into the comlink.

"It's a good bet the Empire knows we're here" Han said.

"We'd better start the evacuation" Padme said quickly.

Darth Sky's Star Destroyer, larger and more awesome than the five Imperial Star Destroyers that surrounded it, sat in the vastness of

space. The six huge ships were surrounded by a convoy of smaller spacecraft. TIE fighters darted to and fro.

Controllers working the vast complex of electronic controls heard ominous approaching footsteps and looked up from their controls. The

squat, evil-looking Admiral Ozzel and the young, powerfully built General Veers, who had been conferring near the front, also felt the approaching presence and turned toward it. Darth Sky, Lord of the Sith, entered like a chill wind. As Sky moved across the wide bridge, Captain Piett hurried over to Ozzel.

"Admiral" He said quickly.

"Yes, Captain" Ozzel enquired.

"I think we've got something, sir. The report is only a fragment from a probe droid in the Hoth system, but it's the best lead we've had" Piett told the Admiral.

"We have thousands of probe droids searching the galaxy. I want proof, not leads!" Ozzel snapped.

"The visuals indicate life readings" Piett said.

"It could mean anything. If we followed every lead..." Piett cut him off.

"But, sir, the Hoth system is supposed to be devoid of human forms" He protested.

Sky moved to a large screen showing an image of the Rebel snow base. Rebel speeders could be seen approaching the base in the distance.

"You found something?" He asked, in a low voice.

"Yes, my lord" Piett said anxiously, glancing at Ozzel, who looked furious.

"That's it. The Rebels are there" Sky said darkly.

"My lord, there are so many uncharted settlements. It could be smugglers, it could be..." Ozzel tried to protest, but Sky wouldn't hear it.

"That is the system. And I am sure the skywalker spawn is with them. Set your course for the Hoth system. General Veers, prepare your men" Sky ordered.

Back at the base, A captain issued instructions to two of his men at the entrance to the main transport bay. Several Rebel transports behind them were being loaded by men carrying heavy boxes and moving quickly, but not in panic.

"Groups seven and ten will stay behind to fly the speeders. As soon as each transport is loaded, evacuation control will give clearance for immediate launch" The captain ordered.

"Right, sir" A rebel fighter replied.

Alarms sounded. Troops, ground crews, and droids rushed to their alert stations. Armored snowspeeders were lined up in attack formation near the main entrance. In the midst of all this activity, Han did some frantic welding on the lifters of the Millennium Falcon. Han finished his work and hopped down to the hangar floor. He pulled out his comlink, all the while eyeing problematic lifters.

"Okay, that's it. Try it... Off! Turn it off! Turn it off! Off!" He shouted. Smoke rose from a minor explosion on the lifter. Exasperated, Han surveyed the new damage.

Luke dresses in readiness for the evacuation as his attending medical droid stood by.

"Sir, it will take quite a while to evacuate the T-forty- sevens" The droid reminded him.

"Well, forget the heavy equipment. There's plenty of time to get the smaller modules on the transports" Luke ordered.

"Take care, sir" The droid said

'Thanks" Luke smiled and jogged out of the bay. Pilots, gunners, and R2 units scurried about. Luke, pulling on his heavy-weather jacket, was headed toward a row of armored speeders. He stopped at the rear of the Millennium Falcon, where Han and Chewie were trying to repair the right lifter with even more haste than before.

"Chewie, take care of yourself, okay?" Luke said gently. As Luke patted Chewie on the arm, Chewie put his arms around Luke and gave him a tight hug. Han was discussing the lifter with a repair droid when he saw Luke.

"Hi, kid" He said, turning to the droid. "There's got to be a reason for it. Check it at the other end. Wait a second" Turned back to Luke. "You all right?"

"Yeah" Luke said quietly.

"Be careful" Han said, staring at his friend.

"You, too" Luke replied. He smiled, then waved at his friend and walked on. After a few steps,he stopped and looked back. Han glanced up and the two exchanged a silent communication, each wishing the other safety, happiness - many things, all difficult to verbalize.

Alarms sounded throughout the hidden Rebel base. In the control room, a controller urgently gestured for General Rieekan to check a computer scan.

"General, there's a fleet of Star Destroyers coming out of hyperspace in sector four" The controller said.

"Reroute all power to the energy shield. We've got to hold them till all transports are away. Prepare for ground assault" Rieekan commanded. Padme wrung her hands nervously and glanced at Anna who, with a sense of urgency, was quickly briefing a group of pilots gathered in the center of the hangar.

"All troop carriers will assemble at the north entrance. The heavy transport ships will leave as soon as they're loaded. Only two fighter escorts per ship. The energy shield can only be opened for a short time, so you'll have to stay very close to your transports" She instructed.

"Two fighters against a Star Destroyer?" One of the pilots asked.

"The ion cannon will fire several shots to make sure that any enemy ships will be out of your flight path. When you've gotten past the energy shield, proceed directly to the rendezvous point. Understood?" She asked. The pilots nodded and murmered amongst each other.

"Good luck" Anna said, walking back to Padme and Leia.

Out in the snow, Rebel troops carried heavy bazooka-type weapons and positioned them along the snow trench. Men hurriedly responded to their officers' yelled orders and braced themselves against the rhythmic gusts of bitter-cold wind. Other troops loaded power packs into a gun turret and swing its guns into position.

Near the base power generators, troops rushed to set up their heavy battle equipment. Buzzing loudly, the generators were sent along, sparking fingers of energy into the bitter Hoth wind.

The long line of Rebel controllers was tense, as were Princess Anna, Padme and General Rieekan, who were trying very hard not to show any fear.

"Their primary target will be the power generators. Prepare to open the shield" Rieekan announced.

A huge Imperial Star Destroyer rested against a sea of stars, far above the white surface of the planet Hoth.

An Imperial controller approached his commander.

"Sir, Rebel ships are coming into our sector" The controller said.

"Good. Our first catch of the day" The commander replied.

At the rebel base,

"Stand by, ion control... Fire!" A woman controller commaded.

The giant ball-shaped ion cannon rotated into position and blasted two red energy beams skyward.

The Rebel transport and its escort raced away from the white planet, closely followed by the two red energy beams. As the Rebel transport raced toward the waiting Imperial Star Destroyer, it was overtaken by the two scarlet energy bolts. The Imperial Star Destroyer was hit in the conning tower by the powerful bolts, which set up fiery explosions on its metal hull. The big Star Destroyer veered, then spun wildly out of control. As the Imperial ship careened into deep space, the Rebel transport raced away to safety.

Pilots, gunners, and troopers hurried to their stations and their vehicles.

"The first transport is away" The announcer said. Everyone cheered at the announcement, which echoed through the hangar.

Luke turned and walked on, heading toward his snowspeeder. His gunner, Dack, a fresh-faced, eager kid, was glad to see him. They climbed in.

"Feeling all right, sir?" Dack asked.

"Just like new, Dack. How about you?" Luke asked.

"Right now I feel like I could take on the whole Empire myself" Dack said, grinning.

"I know what you mean" Luke said quietly.

A thin horizon line cut across the bleak landscape. Small dot-size objects began to appear on the horizon, moving in the direction of the Rebel base. A Rebel officer lifted a pair of electrobinoculars to his eyes. Through the lens he saw a very close view of a giant Imperial snow walker. He adjusted the view which then zoomed back to reveal three more of the ominous battle machines. Small flashes of yellow fire billowed from the guns of the lumbering snow walkers. The officer lowered his binoculars as the regular rhythmic pounding began to make the ground vibrate. The pounding grew louder and was accompanied by a high-pitched, metallic rattling. The officer spoke into his comlink.

"Echo Station Three-T-Eight"

Pilots and gunners raced to their waiting snowspeeders. Ice and snow began falling from the walls of the corridor, shaken by the pounding Imperial snow walker as they drew ever nearer.

"We have spotted Imperial walkers!"

"Imperial walkers on the north ridge" A controller said, looking at the screen.

The Rebel troops aimed their weapons at the horizon as explosions erupted all around them. They were nervous and their grip on their weapons tightened from the cold and from fear. Behind the troops a dozen snowspeeders raced through the sky.

"Echo station Five-Seven. We're on our way" Luke said over the comlink.

The fleet of snowspeeders raced above the ice field at full throttle. They accelerated away from the base and headed toward the distant walkers.

"All right, boys, keep tight now" Luke said over the comlink.

"Luke, I have no approach vector. I'm not set" Dack replied.

"Steady, Dack. Attack pattern delta. Go now!" Luke said swiftly.

The cannons mounted on the walker shot fire at the speeders. Other walkers loomed in the background. Two speeders raced away past two of the enormous walkers and banked to the right.

"All right, I'm coming in" Luke announced.

He turned his speeder and headed directly at one of the walkers, flying toward its towering legs. The horizon twisted as the speeder banked between the legs.

"Hobbie, you still with me?" Luke asked over the comlink.

Two speeders raced directly at the head of a walker, then split and flew past it. Three other walkers marched onward, firing all cannons.

Rebel troops fired on the approaching walkers, as the snow and ice exploded all around them. A speeder banked through and away from the legs of a walker. Two other speeders passed the first speeder from the opposite direction. Other Rebel craft raced just above the icy plain. A giant walker head swiveled and fired, striking a snowspeeder and sending it crashing in a ball of flames.

General Veers and two walker pilots kept a careful eye on the racing Rebel snowspeeders as they maneuverrf their lumbering war machine forward.

Luke's speeder banked in from the side of Veers's walker and headed straight for its viewport, blasting away. An explosion hit the walker window, but dissipated, doing no harm. The speeder roared up and over the impregnable war machine. Luke looked back at the walker as it grew smaller in the distance.

"That armor's too strong for blasters" He muttered. On the horizon, another walker moved up past Luke's cockpit window, twisting out of sight as Luke banked and started another run.

"Rogue Group, use your harpoons and tow cables. Go for the legs. It might be our only chance of stopping them" Luke spoke into the comlink. "All right, stand by, Dack" Dack was at the gunner's controls.

"Luke, we've got a malfunction in fire control. I'll have to cut in the auxiliary" Dack muttered.

"Just hang on. Hang on, Dack. Get ready to fire that tow cable" Luke ordered. Barely keeping his seat in the tumbling ship, Dack struggled to set up his harpoon gun. Luke swung his speeder around and headed toward an oncoming walker. Laser bolts and flak filled the air, creating a deadly obstacle course for the tiny craft.

Luke and another snowspeeder flew in tight formation toward the walker as explosions burst all around them. After sustaining a heavy volley of fire, Luke turned around to see if Dack was all right.

"Dack? Dack!" He cried, but Dack was lost. Blood streamed down his forehead, which rested on his smoldering controls. Out the back window, an Imperial walker receded in the distance.

Rebel troops fired the dishlike ray gun while explosions erupted around them. Two walkers lumbered toward the Rebel base as a speeder between them exploded in a ball of flames.

The dislike ray gun was hit by a laser bolt and instantly exploded.

Through the cockpit window, Veers and his pilot could see the Rebel power generators in the distance. A hologram of Darth Sky appeared on a control panel screen.

"Yes, Lord Vader. I've reached the main power generator. The shield will be down in moments. You may start your landing" Veers told the dark lord.

"Rogue Three" Luke said over the comlink.

"Copy, Rogue Leader" Wedge replied.

"Wedge, I've lost my gunner. You'll have to make this shot. I'll cover for you. Set your harpoon. Follow me on the next pass" Luke ordered.

'Coming around, Rogue Leader" Wedge replied. Wedge's speeder raced through the legs of one of the monstrous walkers.

"Activate harpoon" Wedge told his gunner. Wedge's gunner reached for a firing switch to activate the harpoon. The harpoon flashed out, and sped toward the receding legs of the walker. The harpoon hurtled toward the walker, In an instant it was embedded in one of the walker's legs. "Good shot, Janson" The speeder Rogue Three raced around one of the giant walker's feet, trailing the cable behind it. Continuing around the back foot, Rogue Three then circled the walker around the tail end. Wedge checked his controls and banked around the front of the walker.

"One more pass" He said.

"Coming around. Once more" Janson echoed. The speeder swept left to right in front of the giant legs, towing the cable behind it. "Once more" Wedge swung the speeder between the legs of the giant walker. "Cable out! Let her go!"

"Detach cable" wedge instructed. The cable released on the back of the speeder snapped loose and the cable dropped away.

"Cable detached" Janson replied.

The speeder zoomed away into the distance. The tangled legs of the enormous war machine attempted a step, but as they do the giant Imperial walker began to topple. It teetered for a moment, and then crashed onto the icy ground, sending snow and metal pieces flying.

The troops in the trenches cheered at the sight of the crashing walker. An officer gave a signal to his men and Rebel troops charged the fallen war machine.

"Come on!" He shouted. The troops ran toward the downed walker, followed by two Rebel speeders flying overhead. Just as they reached the walker, it exploded, the impact throwing some of the men onto the frozen ground.

Wedge let out a triumphant yell, banking his speeder away from the fallen walker. "Whooha! That got him!"

"I see it, Wedge. Good work" Luke replied.