Chapter Twenty

In the white desolate plains in the snowy planet of Hoth, Luke sat on his tauntaun, out on his patrol of the area. It was two hours before night would fall and Luke was almost done. Just then, something streaked from the sky and impacted on the surface not far away.

"Base One, this is Luke. A meteorite has just struck the planet. I'm going in to investigate." Luke reported.

"Copy that. Report back for signs of unusual activity. Base One out." Leia said for the base. Luke guided his tauntaun to the site, but before he reached it, a wampa ambushed him and swiped its large paw at Luke. Luke was knocked off the saddle of his mount and fell unconscious. The wampa killed the tauntaun and dragged it and Luke to its cave dwelling.

-o0o-

"Luke's in trouble." Sami said suddenly as she came inside from her patrol. Leia turned her head.

"What do you mean?" She said.

"I felt it in our bond. Luke has been attacked."

"Wampas?"

"Most likely."

Leia thought about it, and then just as Riekan was coming in, Leia turned to him.

"Riekan, Luke is in trouble. Sami says that he got attacked by a wampa. I need you to go and get Luke in here. You don't have much time." Leia commanded. Riekan nodded and went back outside to search for Luke.

-o0o-

When Luke came to, he found himself hanging upside down on a cave ceiling. Blood that had briefly run down Luke's face when he was knocked out was frozen. And his lightsaber was in the snow, having fallen from Luke's waist. The wampa was feasting on the carcass of Luke's mount. Luke called his lightsaber to his hand and cut himself free. The wampa heard the snap-hiss and turned away from its dinner. Luke rushed forward and slashed the wampa across the chest. It howled in pain before falling on the snow dead. Luke deactivated his lightsaber and put it away. He crawled out of the cave and into a full blown blizzard.

'That was a terrible idea.' Luke thought. He was too weak from the blood loss and couldn't crawl back to the cave. Then, the ghost of Qui-gon appeared.

"Luke." He said. Luke struggled to put his head up to look at him.

"Luke, you must go to Coruscant. Go to the remains of the Jedi Temple and find my lightsaber." Qui-gon said.

"Are you mad? I can't go there! That's the heart of the Empire!" Luke exclaimed weakly.

"Luke this is important to me as well as Obi-wan. It will help you towards your inevitable confrontation of Darth Vader." Qui-gon said. Luke didn't bother to argue as Qui-gon's ghost disappeared. Just then, Riekan arrived and found Luke on the ground.

"Luke! Luke! You okay?" Riekan said. Luke started mumbling about Qui-gon and the Jedi Temple. "Let's get you home."

Riekan unsaddled and turned Luke on his back. Then, Riekan's tauntaun started to bray loudly then fell on the ground dead.

"Bloody…" Riekan cursed. He took out his lightsaber and cut open the dead tauntaun's body.

"This smells bad… This'll keep you warm Luke. No chance for going back now…."

-o0o-

The next morning, a pair of snowspeeders flew over the rolling hills of snow, on the lookout for Riekan and Luke.

"Kenobi, this is Red Leader. Do you copy?" Said the pilot of one.

"This is Red Leader. Do you copy?"

At last, Red Leader spots Riekan waving up to the snowspeeder.

"Base One, this is Red Leader. I have found them. I repeat, I have found them."

-o0o-

Luke was rushed to the base's clinic once he and Riekan returned. Much to Ahsoka's relief though, Luke only suffered from minor head trauma and below normal body temperature, so after an hour in the bacta tank, Luke was feeling all better. Sami rushed in the clinic and kissed Luke before slapping him.

"What were you thinking!? How did you let a wampa attack you like that!?" She shouted. Luke bit his lip nervously.

"Well….I was going to investigate this meteorite…" He said sheepishly.

"That's no excuse for letting your guard down! Do you know how long I was worrying!? I worried that you died and Riekan couldn't find you." Sami ranted on.

"Look here, Sami. Worrying is not a Jedi trait you know." Luke said hastily. Sami calmed down and sighed.

"All I am happy for is that you are alive and well." Sami said before giving Luke another kiss.

"Just don't lose you temper again. We wouldn't want you to fall to the dark side like my dear old dad did." Luke teased. Sami chuckled and both walked out of the clinic. Ahsoka stood there dumbfounded.

'Well, I was just about to lecture Luke on that, but seems like Sami beat me to it.' Ahsoka thought as she left for the hanger. She shivered. Ahsoka never liked the cold anyway.

-o0o-

Riekan was out in the area where Luke was attacked, investigating the meteorite the latter didn't get the chance to. Suddenly, a probe droid emerged from the site.

'Bloody hell! The Empire has found us again.' Riekan thought. Igniting his lightsaber, Riekan ambushed the droid and sliced it in half. The bisected droid fell on the floor and exploded.

'The base must know of this development.' Riekan thought as he mounted on his tauntaun and raced back home.

-o0o-

Meanwhile, Darth Vader was overseeing an officer at a computer terminal on a Star Destroyer.

"Sir, I have just lost the signal from a probe droid on Hoth." He reported.

"That's where the Rebel Base is. Set course for Hoth." Darth Vader ordered.

"Are you sure….?" The officer began.

"That is the planet. Set course to Hoth." Vader interrupted sharply.

"As you wish, my Lord." The officer said before sending the order to the bridge.

-o0o-

Riekan entered the control center. Leia, Mon Mothma, and Obi-wan were examining a screen of the surrounding area.

"I have news. The Empire has found us." Riekan said worriedly. Leia and Mon Mothma looked at each other.

"Mam, several Star Destroyers have been spotted in the system!" A technician exclaimed.

"Blast! I knew we shouldn't have sent the capital ships to Gennistora! We have to evacuate! Kagyan, activate the surface ion cannon." Mon Mothma ordered. "Alert all personnel to begin evac and prepare the frontlines for possible land assault."

"Yes, mam!" Kagyan said.

"Riekan, go to the frontlines and assist the troops. I will send out the return to base beacon to get our capital ships back here." Obi-wan said.

"Yes father." Riekan said. Obi-wan then turned his comlink on.

"Sami, do you copy?" He said.

"Yes, dad?"

"You and Luke head to the hangar. The Empire has found the base and you two will be using the snowspeeders against them. Understand?"

"Alright."

Sami disconnected her comlink and looked at Luke.

"Well, you know what we have to do." She said. Luke smirked.

"It'll be just like the Death Star all over again." Luke boasted as Sami chuckled.

"Don't go in over your head. Let's go." She said as she pulled Luke out of the quarters they were in and to the hangar.

-o0o-

Riekan was looking in the distance ahead of the Rebel Base's defensive trenches. His macrobinoculars did not reveal anything yet.

"Spot anything, Commander?" A soldier asked.

"Not ye—Wait! I see them. AT-ATs dead ahead." Riekan said. "Blast, our guns can't stop them. The snowspeeder should do the trick."

Just then, the flight of snowspeeders flew over the trenches and to the distance.

"Red Leader, do you copy?" Riekan said in his comlink.

"Yes, Riekan?" Luke replied. He was Red Leader for the battle ahead.

"There are AT-ATs ahead. They are impervious to blasterfire. Tell your gunner to use the harpoons and tie the legs together. Once they trip and fall, fire on their necks to destroy them." Riekan said.

"How do you know this?" Luke asked.

"I have studied the blueprints retrieved by spies. You know what to do." Riekan said.

"Copy that, Red Leader out."

Riekan turned to the soldiers.

"Target all enemy footsoldiers and AT-STs. Leave the AT-ATs to our air support." Riekan said.

"Yes, sir!"

Riekan got on his speederbike and raced to the Imperial invaders. The Battle of Hoth was about to begin!

TBC….

A/N: Hope you like this chapter. Next chapter will be the Battle of Hoth with a difference. As always, be sure to review!