Chapter One: Echo Base
The Doctor stood in the command center of Echo Base, the Rebel Alliance's new main base of operations. Echo Base was located on the frozen tundra of Hoth, a planet that had long been almost completely devoid of life. The only organisms known to inhabit Hoth were wampas, tauntauns, Hoth hogs, a few rodent species, and some others, and the Doctor had never actually seen anything other than the tauntauns, which were being used by the Rebel Alliance as a quick mode of transportation around the planet's icy surface.
Han Solo had suggested that the Rebels use Hoth as a main base of operations. He had known of the planet from his days as a smuggler, and it, to him, was the perfect hiding spot. Few beings could adapt quickly enough to survive Hoth's environment without prior knowledge of the planet, so the Empire would almost certainly not think to look there.
The Doctor had been given plenty of things to do over the past three years. He had aided in the construction of Echo Base, which had taken approximately two years to complete. After that, he was tasked with leading the Rebels stationed here alongside General Carlist Rieekan and Princess Leia Organa. The Doctor was well-liked around the base, and he felt that people respected his command, which was good. It almost reminded him of the Clone Wars and his loyal ARC troopers who had served under him until the end of the war, except that the Rebels were not so quick to turn on him as the clones were. He remembered the first clone he had ever been forced to kill, Commander Gree, and shuddered. He didn't want to relive those days anymore. Too many bad memories.
"How's it looking?" asked a voice the Doctor recognized instantly as Jennara Oswin.
The Doctor turned to have a look at his former Padawan, who seemed to have taken to the Doctor's own habit of not aging with time. She looked exactly the same as she had three years ago, and it made the Doctor smile. He found himself smiling whenever he looked at her. He smiled whenever he noticed that her big brown eyes were fixated on him, or when her hair flew in the wind when she ran, or when she smiled that cheeky little grin and looked at the Doctor as though he were a silly old man.
"Well?" asked Jennara, putting on that very same cheeky smile. "Don't just stand there gazing into my soul. How's it looking?"
The Doctor snapped out of his thoughts and clapped his hands together.
"Yes, well, outside, it's very brrrrr," he said, shaking his head when he said "brrrrr." "Inside, also quite brrrrr."
"If it's so brrrrr," said Jennara, shaking her head as well in playful mockery of the Doctor, "why are you not in cold gear like the rest of us mortals?"
"Gallifreyans are resistant to extreme temperatures," said the Doctor casually. "These robes should do me just fine."
"Even that bow tie?" asked Jennara cheekily.
"Bow ties are cool," said the Doctor, adjusting his bow tie subconsciously. "And yes."
"Fair enough," said Jennara as Leia Organa and General Rieekan walked into the command center right towards the Doctor.
"General Doctor," said General Rieekan, saluting the Gallifreyan Master. "Princess Leia wishes to speak with you."
"It's just the Doctor, Carlist," reminded the Doctor as he, Leia, and Jennara walked from the command center into the adjoining hallway.
"I'm worried, Doctor," said Leia.
"What do you mean?" asked the Doctor, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Something bad is going to happen," answered Leia. "I can feel it."
"I've sensed it as well," said the Doctor.
"What do you think it might be?" asked Jennara.
"I've got a feeling that it's the Empire," said Leia worriedly. "They may have found us already."
"Do you want to run a scout mission?" asked the Doctor. "I can order that for you if you like."
"We just need some sensors to be placed for any Imperial vehicles in the vicinity of the base," said Leia. "And we need to run a scan for any life forms that aren't indigenous to this planet."
"Of course," said the Doctor. "I'll get Han and Luke on it right away."
"Thank you, Doctor," said Leia.
"Anytime," said the Doctor as he and Jennara walked down to the hangar bay of Echo Base, where they were sure to find Luke and Han.
The Doctor needed only to look to the topside of the YT-1300 freighter known as the Millenium Falcon to find Han Solo and his Wookiee first mate, Chewbacca, working diligently to repair their ship. The Millenium Falcon had fallen into quite a bit of disrepair over the last three years, especially after Han had encountered two bounty hunters, Skorr and Cypher Bos, on Ord Mantell. The Doctor thought that it was in such a decrepit state simply because it was an old ship that had taken a lot of damage and wasn't regularly repaired due to its illegal modifications being noticed if that were to happen. The Doctor and Jennara were in a similar situation during the construction of Echo Base with their own freighter. After the Battle of Yavin, the Doctor and Jennara traveled back to Tatooine to retrieve their old freighter. They barely made it to Hoth without the ship completely falling apart on them. After that, the both of them worked very hard to fix up their ship. The Doctor saw that Han and Chewbacca were in the "work-hard-to-fix-up-ship" phase of that process.
"Chewie, hand me that hydrospanner!" called Han, pointing to the desired object absently. Chewie did as Han asked, and the Corellian smuggler was soon at work again.
"You might not want to get started on that just yet, Captain Solo," called Jennara with a small smile on her face.
Han regarded Jennara and the Doctor for a moment, then jumped down from the top of the Millenium Falcon.
"Why's that?" he asked.
"Princess Leia wants you and Luke to do a little reconnaissance around the base," reported the Doctor.
"She's joking, right?" asked Han incredulously.
"Afraid not," said the Doctor. "She needs you to place some sensors and scan the area for life forms."
"Why?" asked Han.
"She's got a bad feeling that the Empire's about to find us, if they haven't already," answered Jennara. "The Doctor and I have sensed it, and I'm sure Obi-Wan has as well."
"All right, fine," said Han. "But this is the last thing I do for her! After this, I'm done! Chewie, keep working on the Falcon! I'll be back!"
Han then ran off to grab his cold gear, leaving the Doctor, Jennara, and Chewbacca to stare off after him.
"What did he mean by that?" asked Jennara.
"Han has been shaken by the recent events on Ord Mantell, which left a price on his head," answered Chewbacca. "He wishes to leave the spotlight of the Rebellion and hide for a while."
The Doctor was saddened by this news. He had come to really respect Han and his abilities as a natural leader. Wherever he went, Captain Solo would surely be missed by the Rebellion. But even as he felt Han's genuine desire to leave the Rebellion, the Doctor also sensed that Han's role to play in these events would not end on Hoth, nor would it end at any point in the future. Han Solo still had a few hands left in the pazaak game before all was said and done.
"Come on, Doctor," said Jennara. "We've got to find Luke."
"Right-o," said the Doctor, clapping his hands together, nearly forgetting completely about Han. "Ooh, there's another phrase I should probably never say again."
"Another?" asked Jennara.
"Yes, I should never say 'right-o' or 'correctamundo,'" explained the Doctor. "I told all this to Macey boy and-"
The Doctor stopped, a sadness filling his hearts. He had not thought about Mace Windu, or any of his other friends who were claimed over twenty years ago, for a long time. He had almost completely forgotten about them, and they were part of the reason that he was fighting the Empire.
"I know, Doctor," said Jennara sympathetically, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. She knew what it was like to lose someone she cared about. She had been through it when she was eight years old and her first Master, Coleman Kcaj, was gunned down by Republic soldiers right in front of her. The Doctor's previous incarnation put her through it again on the Death Star, but she had made it through it all with her sanity. The Doctor knew that she would make sure he did the same.
Commander Luke Skywalker was found talking to one of his good friends, Wedge Antilles, a Rebel pilot who had aided in the destruction of the Death Star. Together, the two of them had formed Rogue Squadron, an elite group of Rebel pilots who took on the toughest of assignments against the Empire. He was also talking to his friend and mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, a famed Jedi Master who was very good friends with the Doctor, as they had served on the Jedi High Council together during the Republic's final days, as well as survived the Great Jedi Purge for well over twenty years.
"I'm telling you, Luke," said Wedge enthusiastically. "This new maneuver will absolutely counter the Tallon Roll without fail."
"Alright," said Luke, eagerly listening to his friend's description of the maneuver. "We'll run it with the Rogues tomorrow."
"You got it, boss," said Wedge.
"Ah, Doctor," said Obi-Wan, having noticed his long-time friend approaching. "Good to see you out and about the base."
"Doctor, sir," greeted Wedge with a crisp salute.
"Hello, Wedge," said the Doctor rather informally. "I need to speak to Luke if you don't mind."
"Certainly, sir," said Wedge. "I'll tell the other Rogues about the new maneuver, Luke."
"You do that, Wedge," said Luke. "What is it, Doctor?" he asked after Wedge had left.
"Princess Leia has asked that you and Han go on a little reconnaissance mission," said the Doctor. "Scanning life forms and putting up sensors. She's afraid the Empire might find us soon, and she likes to be prepared."
"Of course," said Luke. "I'll get my gear right away."
With that, Luke ran off quite quickly to grab his environmental gear and complete the task assigned to him.
"He seems to be in a chipper mood," observed Jennara.
"It's because of his seeming attraction to the Princess," said Obi-Wan.
"But she's his sister," said Jennara with a little laugh in her voice.
"Yes, but he hasn't exactly been told that, has he?" asked the Doctor.
"If he were to find out about their sibling relationship, his brotherly instincts would betray her," said Obi-Wan. "Better to not tell him until the threat of the Sith is vanquished."
"Which could be a while," muttered Jennara.
"It won't be too much longer, I should think," said the Doctor, an idea already forming in his head.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Obi-Wan.
"Dagobah," answered the Doctor.
"Ah, yes," said Obi-Wan, nodding his head in understanding. "Of course."
"Dagobah?" asked Jennara. "What's that?"
"It's the planet where I learned how to preserve my consciousness after death," said the Doctor. "Well, my last death, anyway."
"We're going to teach him immortality?" asked Jennara.
"No, that would be silly," said the Doctor. "He hasn't even finished his basic training. We can't expect him to learn immortality on a whim. But there is a lot more he can learn there."
"Why Dagobah?" asked Jennara. "I've never even heard of it."
"Technically speaking, it doesn't exist," said the Doctor. "During the Clone War, Dagobah was deleted from the memory of the Jedi Archives. No record of its existence is available anywhere."
"But what about the Sith?" asked Obi-Wan. "Surely, they would be able to sense our presence."
"I've taken the liberty of masking our presence in the Force," explained the Doctor. "Vader and Sidious can't sense us unless they are within the planet's atmosphere. Why do you think they haven't found us already? Three powerful Jedi, a fourth on the way, and a fifth on deck for training? I had to cloak us."
"Makes sense to me," agreed Jennara.
"And to me," said Obi-Wan.
"Good," said the Doctor, clapping his hands once more. "Let's get back to the command center, then."
The three Jedi then made the trek back to the command center and rejoined General Rieekan and Princess Leia.
"They're away," reported the Doctor. "Should be back in a few hours or so."
"Thank you, Doctor," said Leia with a smile. "Knowing that those sensors will be out there definitely puts my mind at ease."
"Good," said the Doctor. "If you get any more of those strange feelings, let me, Jennara, or Obi-Wan know."
"Of course, Doctor," said Leia, returning to her observations of the technicians around her.
The Doctor, Jennara, and Obi-Wan joined General Rieekan in the central part of the room. From here, the Doctor could sense everything going on in the command center. Everyone was busying themselves with their work, doing their best to keep Echo Base operational for the time being. The Doctor busied himself by sifting through the thoughts of the Rebel technicians and officers. Some of them were certainly interesting.
Those Imperials better hope they don't cross my path, thought one officer rather aggressively. Otherwise I'll blow all their faces off.
Rieekan's really intimidating, thought another, much younger officer. The Doctor and General Kenobi are pretty cool, though.
That Doctor is just dreamy, thought a female technician sitting at one of the desks. I wonder if he knows I exist.
Not really knowing what to do with that last thought, the Doctor casually diverted his brain elsewhere, an action that was noticed by Jennara. The Doctor felt her consciousness follow to where his had just been, and he definitely sensed the telepathic equivalent of an icy glare being shot at the offending technician.
What was that all about? asked the Doctor to Jennara.
What was what all about? Jennara quickly asked back, feigning ignorance.
The Doctor decided not to push the discussion. It would probably get him nowhere, anyway. Yeah, that was it. That was exactly what would happen. Nothing else whatsoever.
Not too much happened in the command center while Han and Luke were out on their mission. The Doctor spent much of his time meditating and thinking about his past incarnations and memories as the command center awaited the return of two of its more famous soldiers. He sifted through each and every incarnation he had had at the time, deciding which ones he liked and which ones he didn't. He decided that he didn't particularly care for the condescending nature of his first life, the slight arrogance of his sixth life, or the dark thought processes adopted by his seventh life. Other than those three, he decided that he liked all of the other ones. For the Doctor, eight out of eleven wasn't too shabby.
About an hour later, the Doctor opened his eyes and stood. He sensed the first of the two men to return. It was Han.
The Corellian strolled into the command center and walked over to General Rieekan, but not before looking to Princess Leia. The Doctor sensed the thoughts going through Han's head. He was going through with his plan to leave the Rebellion. The Doctor had a good feeling that Leia had figured it out just from that one look alone.
"Anything to report, Solo?" asked General Rieekan formally after he took notice of Han.
"No sign of any intelligent life out there, General, apart from us," reported Han. "But we placed the sensors. If anything does come around, you'll hear about it."
"Is Commander Skywalker with you?" asked Rieekan.
"No, he's staying out for just a little longer to check out a meteorite that impacted near his location," said Han.
"And that's just what I'm afraid of," said Rieekan. "With all the meteor activity in the system, our sensors are going to be hard-pressed to pick anything up that isn't meteors."
"Right, sir," said Han, putting his head down. The Doctor knew what that meant. Han wanted to tell General Rieekan about his intentions, but he was hesitating.
"Pardon me, Carlist," said the Doctor, speeding things along. "I believe Captain Solo has something to say."
"Is that true, Solo?" asked Rieekan, turning his gaze from the Doctor to Han.
"General, I can't stay anymore," said Han after a brief moment of hesitation. "I've got to leave."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said Rieekan, taking a second to digest the information.
"To be fair, though, there is a price on his head," consoled the Doctor.
"He's right, sir," said Han. "If I don't go to Jabba the Hutt on my hands and knees with a fistful of cash and then some, I'm a dead man."
"Well, a death mark's not an easy thing to live with," said Rieekan, nodding his head in acceptance of the situation presented to him. "You're a damn good fighter, Solo. I hate to lose you."
"Thank you, General," said Han, taking the outstretched hand that General Rieekan had offered him and shaking it. He shook the Doctor's hand as well as Obi-Wan's before he made to leave the command center once and for all, but not before one final chat with Leia.
"Well, Your Highness, I guess this is it," said Han.
"That's right," said Leia. The Doctor could sense she was trying to keep her tone neutral, but her emotions were all out of whack. She desperately did not want Han to leave.
"Well, don't get mushy on me, Your Worshipfulness. I'm going," Han said angrily.
The Doctor saw Leia's expression change from neutral to genuinely stung as Han left the command center.
"Han!" she called after him.
"Here we go again," muttered Jennara under her breath. She and the Doctor knew what was coming: yet another argument between the married couple who weren't actually married.
Another hour passed after the Princess's most recent row with the smuggler, and something was odd about the atmosphere of Echo Base. The Doctor had not seen Luke at all. Normally, he would have reported in right away after he got back from a mission, which logically meant that he hadn't come back. But why? Why was he gone for so long? It couldn't have taken him this long to check out one meteor, so what was wrong?
"Has anyone seen or heard anything from Luke?" the Doctor randomly called out to nobody in particular. Everyone in the command center looked at the Doctor, then looked in all directions, shocked that they had, in fact, not seen or heard from Luke since he left the command center.
"Where could he be?" asked Jennara.
"More than likely, he is in danger," said Obi-Wan. "We must help him."
"I've been trying to get Han on his communicator, but he won't respond," offered Leia. "He was the last person who had contact with Luke before he went missing. Maybe you can get something out of him."
"We'll do it, Leia," said Jennara, leading her elder Jedi out of the command center and into the adjacent hallway. The Doctor followed her, noticing the swishing of her soft brown hair as she sped-walked down the hallway of Echo Base. She bounced when she walked. The Doctor had never noticed that until just then. He definitely liked Jennara Oswin. She was funny, smart, great to talk to, attractive-
The Doctor stopped himself from going any further.
Remember Stass, he thought to himself. He didn't want to go through another heartbreak if Jennara were to die because he had grown too attached to her. The Doctor would keep his distance, no matter how he may or may not have felt about her.
In order to force himself back into reality, he focused on just about anything else in Echo Base besides Jennara Oswin. It kept him busy until the three Jedi reached the hangar bay in which the Millenium Falcon still sat, damaged. Han was yelling at Chewbacca to fix something the Wookiee had broken accidentally.
"Hey, come on, Chewie!" he shouted. "I'm trying to get us out of here, and you go and pull both of these out? Put 'em back together!"
"Han!" called Jennara as she, Obi-Wan, and the Doctor ran up to him.
"Honestly, I don't even know," muttered Han under his breath.
"Captain Solo, could we have a word, please?" asked Obi-Wan.
"Okay, what do you want?" Han asked back, clearly irritated with his circumstances.
"Princess Leia has been trying to get you on her communicator for the last hour," said Jennara.
"I turned it off," said Han. "I don't want to talk to her. What could she possibly want from me?"
"She is worried about Luke," said Obi-Wan. "He has not returned from his mission yet."
"Yes, and she doesn't know where he is," chimed the Doctor.
"I don't know where he is," said Han a bit defensively.
"Well, you see, that's the problem," said the Doctor.
"Why's that a problem?" asked Han, a hint of worry in his voice.
The Doctor's response was simple and direct.
"Nobody knows where he is."
Dun dun DUUUUUUUUUUUN! Getting right back into suspenseful-ish stuff with this volume! Although, we, of course, know what happens, so maybe not too suspenseful, but it is for the characters!
Hello, my friends! Welcome to the sixth volume of Star Wars (Starring the Doctor), Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back! I'm so glad you've decided to read my story, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
If you have stumbled upon this particular story without having read the previous five volumes, I'd recommend reading them. Otherwise you might not know what the heck is going on! Or you might get it instantly. I don't know. I can't read your minds.
Anyway, my friends, reviews are always nice! Leave your thoughts about this chapter (and maybe even the prologue) in one of those! *shameless plug is shameless*
Next Friday: The Doctor and Han journey out into the bitter Hoth snow to look for Luke. Later, the Doctor makes plans for Luke's training, and the Rebels discover the baleful presence of a certain probe droid.
And that about wraps up this short-and-sweet author's note. Until the next chapter, my friends!