Chapter Three
Three years have passed, since Kayla found herself in the midst of the conflict known as the post-Clone War era. She is now twenty years of age and a pilot with full honors. She rivals fellow pilots Biggs Darklighter and Wedge Antilles. Even though Kayla remembered her life back on earth, her memories of how she'd gotten into the war were dimming with each year; but her growing attraction for the dashing Biggs Darklighter was growing every day. The Rebellion had been pushed back onto the snowy planet of Hoth, where the scenery was as bleak as the prospects of defeating the Empire………
"Could we have chosen a more inhospitable planet to hide on?" Kayla grumbled, as she zipped her coat all the way up.
"Well, it's either here or someplace on Tatooine. Either extreme is unpleasant." Biggs said, trying to placate his impatient friend.
"That's true. I seem to remember you and Luke describing that place as a sandy wasteland where moisture farming is essential to survival." Kayla said, as she adjusted a gear on one of the snowspeeders.
"Yeah. Luke's aunt and uncle were moisture farmers. They were nice folks, even though they were strict about Luke remaining with them for another year." Biggs said, as he got down from his ladder and helped Kayla get down too. Kayla nodded. She could remember the heartbreaking scene when Luke had returned to the moisture farm and found his aunt and uncle dead. She knew how Luke must have felt.
"Devans! Darklighter! There's going to be a meeting in the main chamber in ten minutes! Move your butts!" Wedge shouted.
"All right! Keep your snowsuit on! C'mon, Kayla!" Biggs said, as he led Kayla to the main audience chamber. After the meeting was over, Kayla walked back into the hangar, smiling when she heard Chewbacca roar something to Han.
"All right! Don't lose your temper! I'll come right back and give you a hand!" Han shouts back.
"Leaving us Captain?" Kayla asked, as Han walked past her.
"Yeah." Han said, before disappearing into the command room. Chewbacca growled a greeting to her.
"Heya, Chewie. Having trouble with the Falcon again?" Kayla asked. She got an affirmative grunt from the Wookie.
"Well, if it needs fixing, you're the one to do it. If you can't do it, I don't know who can!" Kayla said, getting an appreciative bellow from Chewbacca.
"I can see why Chewie likes you better than the others, you flatter him!" Biggs teased, before Han rushed past him.
"Hey! What's goin' on?" Kayla asked, as she and Biggs trailed after Han.
"Luke hasn't come back yet." Han said, concern evident in his tone. Kayla and Biggs exchange a look of alarm. Luke had not returned yet?! The two pilots watch as Han mounts a tauntaun.
"Your tauntaun will freeze before you reach the first marker!" a deck officer shouts, trying to persuade Han to stay.
"Then I'll see you in hell!" Han retorts, as he gives the tauntaun a good kick and starts on his way. Kayla looked worriedly out at the quickly dimming light; she knew that Han would find Luke, but the fact that she was now faced with this problem too only made her doubtful.
"Do not doubt yourself. The Force is with you and Luke. Do not worry." The voice Kayla had first heard three years ago murmured.
"Kayla?" Biggs asked, noticing that Kayla's eyes looked distant and sad.
"I'm okay, Biggs. Let's see if we can do anything to help find Luke." Kayla said, as she walked over to some other mechanics and helped them get a snowspeeder ready for the next day. Hours pass and still no sign of Luke. Artoo Detoo, Luke's loyal and plucky astromech droid, sits in the open hangar door, searching for any sign that Luke was still alive out there.
"You must come along now, Artoo. There's really nothing more we can do. And my joints are freezing up." Threepio said, with even more worry than usual in his voice. Artoo beeps sadly.
"Don't say things like that! Of course we'll see Master Luke again! And he'll be quite all right! Stupid little short-circuit. He'll be quite all right." Threepio murmurs, as he sadly walks away from the door, leaving Artoo to continue his lonely vigil. Kayla, who had remained in the docking bay with Biggs and Wedge, was also keeping an eye out for their missing friends.
"We all got out of the Death Star battle only to lose Luke now? Dammit!" Wedge mutters, smacking the hard steel floor with his fist.
"Luke's a tough kid, he'll make it back alive. He's survived one extreme, he's sure to survive this!" Biggs said, trying to comfort Wedge's feeling of loss.
"Luke will come back, you'll see." Kayla said, in agreement with Biggs. They all look up when the shield doors close and Chewbacca lets out a mournful moan.
"He will come back, you'll see." Kayla thought, as she sipped her coffee and huddled down into the blankets she had brought out with her.
Morning came cold and clear to the frozen world. A lone snowspeeder flies over the frozen terrain in search of Luke and Han.
"Echo Base….I've got something! Not much, but it could be a life form." Zev, the speeder's pilot says, as he turns the speeder around for another look. Then he turned on another transmitter and spoke into it.
"Commander Skywalker, do you copy? This is Rogue Two. This is Rogue Two. Captain Solo, do you copy?" Zev asks, getting nothing but static.
"Commander Skywalker, do you copy? This is Rogue Two." Zev tries again, not willing to give up just yet.
"Good morning! Nice of you guys to drop by!" Han's voice shouted, in response to Zev's calling. Zev grins. A small miracle had been granted.
"Echo Base, this is Rogue Two. I found them. Repeat, I found them." Zev said, still smiling as he swooped in low over the area where a makeshift tent had been erected.
Kayla dashed into the crew quarters, her eyes glittering with joy.
"They found them! Commander Skywalker and Captain Solo have been found!" Kayla shouted, jubilantly, before whoops and shouts of joy and relief filled the room. Biggs picked Kayla up and whirled her around, overjoyed to hear that his friend was returning to base alive.
"I knew it! I knew it!" Biggs shouted, as he hugged Kayla, still laughing as he set her down. Kayla was also grinning from ear to ear. Within moments, the medical ship had a welcoming committee waiting in the hangar. Leia smiled at the anxious and eager faces of the pilots and mechanics. They had all befriended the wiry young man from the sandy backwater planet of Tatooine and were hoping that he was all right. The moment Luke was brought out of the ship and Han walked alongside his stretcher, the group let out a cheer very similar to the one they had released after the ceremony at Yavin4.
"A hero's welcome." Leia thought, smiling as the procession led to the medical bay where Luke would be treated for his wounds. Within hours, half of the base's occupants had visited Luke, the last of those being Leia, Han, and Chewbacca along with an anxious Threepio and Artoo. Before they could even relax, the alarm sounded. Something was up. Kayla nearly jumped out of her skin when the alarms started blaring.
"What's going on?!" Kayla shouted, over the din the alarms were making.
"The Imps have found us! Rieeken's just ordered the evacuation of the base." Another pilot shouted, as he got into one of the snowspeeders.
"Oh hell…………." Kayla grumbled, as she and Biggs dashed to where the evacuation group waited.