Chapter 3: Ice

Luke rode his tauntaun through the ice plains of Hoth, thinking about the evening he had secretly planned with Mara when he returned. 'I can't believe two months passed so quickly. Between working with the Rebellion, catching up with Mara and getting to know Ben, I don't know how I've managed to find the time. But tonight will be special. We can't do anything too romantic in a Rebel base on an ice planet, but it'll do. Leia agreed to watch Ben and Han picked up some decent food on his last supply run. Well, better than ration bars anyway. I just wish I could do this the right way. Force, I hope she says yes.'

Luke removed his scarf and goggles in order to release the stale air that had been building up and took a deep breath of the cold, clean air. He heard a crash in the distance and turned to see what looked like a meteor strike about half a kilometer away. Luke pulled out his electrobinoculars, hoping to get a better look, but was unable to make out anything definite. He decided to be on the safe side and take a closer look before returning to base. Being a few minutes wouldn't hurt. Keying on his communicator, he linked up to Han. "Echo 3 to Echo 7. Han, old buddy, you read me?"

The smuggler's voice crackled over the speaker. "Loud and clear, Kid. What's up?"

"Well, I finished my circle. I don't pick up any life readings."

"There isn't enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser." Luke couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's description of the planet. "Sensors are placed. I'm going back. By the way, good luck tonight. You're gonna need it."

"Right. I'll see you shortly. There's a meteorite that hit the ground near here. I want to check it out. It won't take long." When he completed his communication, Luke noticed that his tauntaun was becoming uneasy. "Steady. Hey. Steady girl. Hey, what's the matter? Do you smell something?" Luke caught a warning in the Force just in time to see a large white furred ice monster swing his arm at him before everything went black.

Back at the base, Mara couldn't help but feel uneasy. Ben seemed to be picking up the same thing because he was unable to focus on even his favorite holo and had a worried look in his eyes. Mara decided that this was not some fleeting feeling reached out with the Force in hopes of locating the source of her unease. 'Something's happened to Luke.' Mara quickly ran out her quarters after instructing the nearby R2-D2 to watch Ben for a while in order to find out what could have happened.

After unsuccessfully trying to locate Luke through the patrol staff, Mara began to make her way to the command center, hoping that someone there would have an answer. As she walked down a corridor near the entrance, she was able to overhear Han yell "You could use a good kiss!"

Mara let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. 'Oh, great. Those two are at it again.' Han quickly brushed past Mara as he made his way down the hall, completely ignoring where he was going. 'If anyone knows where Luke is, it's Han. He was on patrol at the same time.' Mara changed directions in order to follow the smuggler down the corridor. "Han, wait up!"

Han spun around on the heel of his boot and threw Mara an irritated look. "What!"

Mara was not about to let his brusque reply get the best of her and ignored it. "Have you seen Luke? I've tried the patrol staff, but he hasn't checked in and I…I think something happened to him." Her worry was clearly evident when she finished her statement.

Han quickly softened at the idea that his friend could be in danger. He knew Luke would have found Mara as soon as he came in considering what he had planned for that evening. He motioned for Mara to follow as he made his way to the hangar. "Come on. Let's go check it out."

The deck officer came up to Han and Mara. "Commander Skywalker hasn't come in the south entrance. He might have forgotten to check in."

Mara snorted at this statement, knowing how Luke was. "Not likely."

Han turned to the deck officer, a plan to help his friend already forming in his head. "Are the speeders ready?"

"Uh, not yet. We're having some trouble adapting them to the cold."

Han began moving to the saddled tauntaun nearby, not discouraged by the unavailability of the speeders. "Then I'll have to go out on tauntaun."

"Sir, the temperature's dropping too rapidly."

Han spun on his heel and pointed a finger at the deck officer. "That's right and my friend's out in it."

As Han moved to saddle up, he was stopped by a hand on his forearm. He turned to see Mara looking at him, worry evident on her face. "Wait. I'm coming with you."

Han met her with deadly serious look. "No you're not. You're staying here with your son. I'll bring Luke back."

Mara wanted to argue, but knew that he was right. She couldn't risk Ben losing both of his parents tonight. Mara looked down at the snow covered floor for a moment before turning her gaze back up at the man she who had become a good friend to her over the past couple months. "Both of you come back safely."

Han climbed into the saddle of the tauntaun and looked down at Mara, trying to put on a brave front. "We will."

In a last ditch effort to keep Han in the base, the deck officer called out to him "Your tauntaun will freeze before you reach the first marker."

Without turning around, Han called back to the deck officer "Then I'll see you in hell!" and spurred his tauntaun forward as Mara looked on, afraid of what the coming night would bring.

Luke woke to the sickening sounds of the ice creature that attacked him eating and a painful pressure in his skull. He surveyed his surroundings and quickly realized that the pressure in his skull was due to being hung upside down by his boots in an ice cave. Luke reached up and attempted to release his boots from the ice, but was unable to reach them. He began looking around for any means of escape and noticed something in the snow bank next to him. 'My lightsaber!' He reached out with his hands, trying to grab the weapon, but fell short.

'I need to clear my mind. The Force is my ally.' Taking a deep breath and focusing on a mental picture of his lightsaber in his hand, Luke was able to retrieve his weapon in spite of the fact it was out of reach. He thumbed on the blue blade and cut himself loose from the ice. His escape did not go unnoticed, however, and the ice creature came bounding into the part of cave where Luke had been held. The young Jedi was ready for the ice creature's attack this time, however, and brought up his lightsaber to defend himself. Luke managed to swing his blade up cut to off the creature's arm. The wampa howled at the pain of the lost limb and Luke took advantage of its distraction to flee the cave.

Luke exited the cave and staggered forward into a blizzard. He soon tumbled over a nearby ridge covering his survival gear in snow. Wrapping himself up as best he could in his weakened state, Luke set off across the icy plains of Hoth, hoping to reach a safe haven before the cold overtook him.

After putting her troubled son to bed with reassurances that his father was just out late, Mara found herself with a worried Leia Organa in the base's main hangar. Both of them were hoping against the odds that the two men stuck out in the bitter chill of Hoth's night would return any moment, safe and sound. The two women turned as a young patrol officer came up to the commander in charge of the night shift.

"Sir, all the patrols are in. Still no…" The commander held up his hand and looked in the direction of Leia and Mara. At this, the patrol officer quieted his voice realizing the meaning of his superior's silent signal. "Still no contact from Skywalker or Solo."

Mara closed her eyes to hold back the tears that threatened to spill and could feel the worry coming off of Leia in waves through the Force. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself when she heard the telltale sound of servo motors announce C-3PO's approach.

"Mistress Leia, Mistress Mara, R2 says he's been quite unable to pick up any signals. Although, he does admit that his own range is far too weak to abandon all hope." Mara closed her eyes and decided she had to try something to keep back the despair. The young woman tried to cast out her Force presence in an attempt to sense Luke's location. She was soon distracted, however, by what she heard from the commander and opened her eyes once more.

"…the shield doors must be closed." Leia cast an uncertain look toward Mara. After what seemed like and eternity, Mara nodded almost imperceptibly. Leia followed with a nod of her own. "Close the doors." The patrol officer quickly responded. "Yes sir."

The two women stood silently, afraid of the consequences of the decision they had just made to insure the safety of the base. C-3PO returned from consulting with R2-D2 as the doors began to close. "R2 says that the chances of survival are 725 to 1." This comment earned him a sharp glare from Mara while Leia was unable to respond in any way, verbal or otherwise. The protocol droid slowly shuffled away still speaking. "R2 has been known to make mistakes…from time to time."

The sound of the doors shutting was accompanied by the mournful howl of a Wookiee. The same thought kept rolling through Mara's mind as she leaned against Luke's nearby X-Wing and once again tried in vain to find her lover through the Force. 'I can't lose him again. Not when I just got him back.'