Star Wars: Remix version
Chapter Twenty six: Hoth
A small figure gallopped across the windswept ice slope. The bundled rider was mounted on a large gray snow lizard, a Tauntaun. Curving plumes of snow rose from beneath the speeding paws of the two-legged beast. The rider galloped up a slope and reined his lizard to a stop. Pulling off his protective goggles, Luke Skywalker noticed something in the sky. He took a pair of electrobinoculars from his utility belt and through them saw smoke rising from where the probe robot had crashed. The wind whipped at Luke's fur-lined cap and he activated a comlink transmitter. His Tauntaun shifted and moaned nervously beneath him.
"Echo Three to Echo Seven. Han, old buddy, do you read me?" Luke spoke into the comlink.
"Loud and clear, kid. What's up?" Han replied.
"Well, I finished my circle. I don't pick up any life readings" Luke told his friend.
"There isn't enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser. The sensors are placed, I'm going back" Han said.
"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" Luke replied back.
Luke clicked off his transmitter and reined back on his nervous lizard. He patted the beast on the head to calm it.
"Hey, steady girl. What's the matter? You smell something?" He asked. Luke took a small device from his belt and started to adjust it when suddenly a large shadow fell over him from behind. He heard a monstrous howl and turned to see an eleven-foot-tall shape towering over him. It was an Wampa Ice Creature, lunging at him ferociously.
"Aaargh!" Luke cried. Luke grabbed for his pistol, but was hit flat in the face by a huge white claw. He fell unconscious into the snow and in a moment the terrified screams of the Tauntaun were cut short by the horrible snap of a neck being broken.
The Wampa Ice Creature grabbed Luke by one ankle and dragged him away across the frozen plain.
Rebel troopers rushed about unloading supplies and otherwise securing their new base. The rider, Han Solo, swung off his lizard and pulled off his goggles. He walked into the main hangar deck toward the Millennium Falcon, which was parked among several fighters. Mechanics, R2 units, and various other droids hurried about. Han stopped at the Millennium Falcon where his Wookiee copilot, Chewbacca, was welding on a central lifter. Chewie stopped his work and lifted his face shield, growling an irritated greeting to his boss.
"Chewie!" Han admonished. The Wookiee grumbled a reply.
"All right, don't lose your temper. I'll come right back and give you a hand" Han said, smirking. Chewbacca put his mask back on and returned to his welding as Han left.
A makeshift command center had been set up in a blasted area of thick ice. The low-ceilinged room is a beehive of activity. Controllers, troops, and droids moved about setting up electronic equipment and monitoring radar signals. General Rieekan straightened up from a console at Han's approach.
"Solo?" Rieekan said, turning to Han.
"No sign of life out there, General. The sensors are in place. You'll know if anything comes around" Han replied.
"Commander Skywalker reported in yet?" Rieekan asked
"No. He's checking out a meteorite that hit near him" Han said.
"with all the meteor activity in this system, it's going to be difficult to spot approaching ships" Rieekan muttered. Hann nodded.
"General, I've got to leave. I can't stay anymore" Han blurted out. Leia, standing at a console nearby, was dressed in a short white combat jacket and pants. Her hair was braided down her back. She overheard their conversation and seemed somewhat distressed.
"I'm sorry to hear that" Rieekan said.
"Well, there's a price on my head. If I don't pay off Jabba the Hut, I'm a dead man" Han explained.
"A death mark's not an easy thing to live with. You're a good fighter, Solo. I hate to lose you" Rieekan told him.
"Thank you, General. Once I pay off Jabba, I may return" He smirked.
"I'll hold you to that" Rieekan said.
He turned to Leia as Rieekan moved away.
"Well, I guess this is it" He said softly. Leia sighed and stepped away from the console.
"I thought you had decided to stay" She said. Han sighed.
"Well, the bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mantell changed my mind" Han reminded her. Leia shuttered as she thought of the bounty hunter that had tried to kill her and Han.
"Han, we need you!" She pleaded. Han sighed and motioned for her to follow him.
"What about what you need?" He asked. Leia stared at him.
"I.." She faltered. Han smirked.
"I get it" He said. "really. You want me to stay because of your feelings for me" Leia flushed red, the her eyes flashed, suddenly angry.
"And so what" She demanded. "It's not like..." Han cut her off with a kiss that left her breathless. She leaned against the wall and stared at him, tears in her eyes. Han touched her cheek.
"Don't cry" He said softly. "I promise, we'll see each other again. but I'd rather it not be on my death bed" Leia smiled a little at that.
"I'll miss you" She said. Han nodded.
"I know" He said. He turned and walked down the hall, leaving Leia to stare after him.
Two hours later Han was working on his ship, and two droids were having an argument in the hallway.
"Don't try to blame me. I didn't ask you to turn on the thermal heater. I merely commented that it was freezing in the princess' chamber. But it's supposed to be freezing. How are we going to dry out all her clothes? I really don't know" Threepio scolded. Artoo beeped a stream of protesting whistles.
"Oh, switch off" Threepio grumbled.
The two robots stopped at Han Solo's space freighter. Han and Chewie were struggling with their central lifters.
"Why do you take this apart now? I'm trying to get us out of here and you pull both of these" Han was angry. Chewie grumbled in irritation.
"Excuse me, sir" Threepio said. Han ignored him.
"Put them back together right now" He told Chewie.
"Might I have a word with you, please?" Threepio asked. Han rolled his eyes and turned to the droid.
"What do you want?"
"Well, it's Princess Anna, sir. She's been trying to get you on the communicator" Threepio replied.
"I turned it off" Han replied. "I didn't want to be bothered"
"Oh. Well, Princess Anna and Leia were wondering about Master Luke. He hasn't come back yet. They don't know where he is" Threepio said haltingly.
"I don't know where he is" Han replied.
"Nobody knows where he is" Threepio retorted. Han's blood ran cold.
"What do you mean, "nobody knows"?" He asked. Han glanced at the fading light at the entrance of the ice cave as night slowly began to fall on the planet.
"Well, uh, you see..." Threepio began. Han jumped down off the lift, as Threepio followed him.
"Deck Officer. Deck Officer!" Han shouted. The deck officer approached them.
"Yes, sir?" He replied.
"Do you know where Commander Skywalker is?" Han asked.
"I haven't seen him. It's possible he came in through the south entrance" The deck officer said.
"It's possible?" Han asked in disbelief. "Why don't you go find out? It's getting dark out there" Han snapped.
"Yes, sir" The deck officer replied. He left hurriedly.
"Come along, Artoo, let's find Princess Anna. Between ourselves, I think Master Luke is in considerable danger" Threepio said to the smaller droid.
a few minutes later, The deck officer and his assistant hurried toward Han as he entered the tunnel.
"Sir, Commander Skywalker hasn't come in through the south entrance. He might have forgotten to check in" The officer told him.
"Not likely. Are the speeders ready?" Han asked.
"Not yet. We're having some trouble adapting them to the cold" He replied.
"Then we'll have to go out on Tauntauns" Han declared.
"Sir, the temperature's dropping too rapidly" The deck officer protested.
"That's right. And my friends out in it" Han said curtly.
"I'll cover sector twelve. Have com-control set screen alpha" The assitant officer said. Han pushed through the troops and mounted a Tauntaun.
"Your Tauntaun'll freeze before you reach the first marker" The deck officer called after him.
"Then I'll see you in hell!" Han shouted back. He maneuvered his mount out of the cave and raced into the dark bitter night.