Star Wars: Remix version
Chapter Twenty seven: Found
The jagged face of a huge ice wall sat gloomily in the dim twilight of a Hoth day. Luke hung upside down, ankles frozen into icy stalactites, his extended arms within a foot of the snow floor. One side of his face was covered in a dried mask of frozen blood. He opened his eyes as a chilling moan of the hideous ice creature echoed off the gorge walls. Luke pulled himself up, grabbed hold of his ankles, and futilely tried to unfasten the throngs. Exhausted, he dropped back into his hanging position. As he hung there, he spied his lightsaber lying near a pile of his discarded gear, about three feet out of reach. He focused on the saber and, as his hand strained toward the weapon, he squeezed his eyes tight in concentration. Just as the ice creature loomed over Luke, the lightsaber jumped into Luke's hand. The young warrior instantly ignites his sword, swinging up, and cut himself loose from the ice. He flopped to the snow in a heap. The startled creature moved back, his giant yellow eyes blinking. Luke scrambled to his feet. He swung his lightsaber and the beast screamed in pain. Luke staggered out of the gorge into the dark and snowy twilight. Weak and exhausted, he stumbled down a snow bank.
A small, lone figure riding a Tauntaun raced through the hostile vastness of snow and cold. As it ran, the Tauntaun's legs kicked up large clouds of snow and ice into the snowy air.
right outside the Hoth Hangar, Artoo stood in the falling snow, beeping worriedly. Threepio moved stiffly over to him.
"You must come along now, Artoo. There's really nothing more we can do. And my joints are freezing up." Threepio said sadly. Artoo beeped, long and low.
"Don't say thing like that! Of course we'll see Master Luke again. He'll be quite all right, you'll see." Threepio muttered. "Stupid little short-circuit. He'll be quite all right." Threepio turned to go back inside the main hangar as Artoo mournfully kept his vigil.
The wind was blowing quite strong now. Luke struggled to stay upright, but a blast of freezing snow knocks him over. He struggled to get up, but he couldn't. The young warrior from Tatooine dragged himself a couple of feet and then collapsed.
Leia stood inside the dark entrance to the Rebel base, waiting for a sign of her brother, and the man she had grown to love. She shivered in the cold wind as, nearby, Chewie sat with his head in his hands. In the background, Artoo and Threepio moved through the doors. Anna watched Leia from a distance, concern in her chocolate brown eyes. A Rebel lieutenant moved to Major Derlin, an officer keeping watch with the princess.
"Sir, all the patrols are in. There's still no contact from Skywalker or Solo." The lietenant said softly. Threepio turned to Leia.
"Mistress Leia, Artoo 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." Leia nodded an acknowledgment, but she was lost in thought. She turned when she heard Derlin speaking to the princess.
"Your Highness, there's nothing more we can do tonight. The shield doors must be closed." Leia gasped as Anna looked up at her, sorrow evident in her eyes. Derlin turned to the lieutenant.
"Close the doors." He commanded.
"Yes, sir." The lieutenant walked away. Chewie let out a long, mournful howl, somewhat like a coyote. At the same moment, Artoo began a complex series of efficient beeps.
"Artoo says the chances of survival are seven hundred seventy-five...to one." Threepio said slowly. Leia stood praying to herself as the huge metal doors slammed across the entrance of the ice cave. The loud booms echoed throughout the huge cavern. Chewie let out another suffering howl. "Actually, Artoo has been known to make mistakes... from time to time. Oh, dear, oh, dear. Don't worry about Master Luke. I'm sure he'll be all right. He's quite clever, you know... for a human being." But Leia wasn't really paying attention to him.
Meanwhile, Luke lay face down in the snow, nearly unconscious. Slowly he looked up and saw Ben Kenobi, barely visible through the blowing snow. It was hard to tell if Kenobi is real or a hallucination.
"Luke... Luke." Ben said.
"Ben?" Luke muttered, weakly.
"You will go to the Dagobah system." Ben said quietly.
"Dagobah system?" Luke asked, slightly nauseous.
"There you will learn from Yoda, a wise Jedi Master." Ben replied.
The image of Ben faded, revealing a lone Tauntaun rider approaching from the windswept horizon.
"Ben... Ben." Luke said weakly. Luke dropped into unconsciousness. Han pulled up and leapt off his mount. He hurried to his snow-covered friend, cradling him in his arms. Han's Tauntaun let out a low, pitiful bellow. But Han's concern was with Luke, and he shook him urgently.
"Luke! Luke! Don't do this, Luke. Come on, give me a sign here." Han said frantically. Luke didn't respond. Han began frantically rubbing and slapping Luke's unconscious face. As he started to lift the youth, Han heard a rasping sound behind him. He turned, just in time to see his Tauntaun stagger and then fall over into the snow. Han carried Luke to the moaning beast. Then, with a final groan, the Tauntaun expired.
"Not much time." Han muttered. He pushed Luke's inert form against the belly of the dead beast.
"Ben... Ben..." Luke moaned.
"Hang on, kid." Han said.
"Dagobah system..." Luke moaned, not opening his eyes. Han found and ignited Luke's saber and cut the beast from head to toe. He quickly tossed it's steaming innards into the snow, then lifted Luke's inert form.
"Whew.." he said, shaking his head at the stench.
"Dagobah..." Luke muttered.
"This may smell bad, kid but it will keep you warm til I get the shelter built" Han muttered. he struggled to get Luke inside the carcass. "Ooh... I thought they smelled bad on the outside!" The wind had picked up considerably, making it difficult to move. Han removed a pack from the dead creature's back, taking out a shelter container. He began to set up what could only be a pitiful protection against a bitter Hoth night.
The next morning, Four snub-nosed armored snow speeders raced across the white landscape. There was only one pilot, Zev, in the enclosed two-man craft. He concentrated on the scopes which rang his cockpit. He heard a low beep from one of his monitors.
"Echo Base... I've got something! Not much, but it could be a life form." Zev spoke into the comlink. The small craft banked and made a slow arc, then raced off in a new direction. The pilot switched over to a new transmitter,
"This is Rogue Two. this is Rogue Two. Captain Solo, so you copy? Commander Skywalker, do you copy? This is Rogue Two." He spoke into the transmitter. There was a sharp crackleof static, then a faint voice.
"Good morning. Nice of you guys to drop by." Han's voice replied. Zev switched transmitters again.
"Echo Base... this is Rogue Two. I found them. Repeat, I found them."
The small shelter Han set up was covered with snow on the windward side. A makeshift antenna rested gingerly on top the snowdrift. Han spotted Zev's snow speeder approaching in the distance, and begins waving his
arms frantically at the tiny craft.