"Sabine! Sabine!" Ezra sat up straighter, trying not dislodge Violet-Meadows as he cradled his unresponsive wife. "You've got to stay awake. It's too cold!"
He looked at the shuttle's central aisle, where their friends had gathered, huddling together for warmth. Scooping up his wife and daughter, he eased the three of them down into the floor and scooted closer to his friends. He opened the carrier and added the Loth-kittens and Tricky to their pile of people.
"Let's use the Force," he suggested through numb lips.
Luke nodded silently, clutching Mara to his chest. The Jedi extended a bubble of warmth around the group, with Vah'nya aiding to the best of her abilities. Sabine was too delirious to summon any of her Force-strength.
"How will anybody find us?" Mara burrowed into Luke. "I doubt the shuttle's visible, even if they were right over it."
"Thrawn will find me," Eli whispered, barely conscious.
"If we can make it through the night, most parts of Hoth get slightly above freezing during the day." Luke shivered in spite of their bubble of warmth.
"I guess we can get out and wave." Ezra tried to joke. Surviving the night was a big if. He wasn't sure how long they could keep the bubble going. "Or we could paint a big "X" in the snow."
"I was thinking we could look for the old Rebel Base." Luke's teeth were chattering now.
Ezra poured more warmth into the bubble, feeling his own strength slipping. "I don't know. We don't even know where on Hoth we are. We don't want anyone getting lost from the group. I've always heard that it's best to stick together and wait for rescue when you're lost. I got lost on Lothal once, even though I've lived there my whole life. Loth-wolves found me."
Ezra knew that he was rambling, but he was afraid to stop talking.
"Maybe we should try to start a fire. The Noti had great tools for building fires. Too bad we didn't bring any Noti. Maybe there's a Force power for lighting a campfire. And chopping fire wood. You know, if we had Chopper or Artoo, they could call Lando. They're sturdier than Lando's romance droids."
He wasn't even making sense, but he knew he couldn't stop. He had to stay awake and keep the bubble going.
"If we have a campfire, we'll need marshmallows. Sabine always likes to toast marshmallows….We make …Loth-s'mores … with chocolate...for my Coco Bean. They're…really…really…good."
He couldn't go on. Desperately, he threw one last burst of heat into the bubble and called out in the Force to anyone who might be listening. As darkness claimed him, he managed to unfasten his tunic, nestling Sabine and Violet-Meadows as close to his heart as he could.
"Bridger. Ezra Bridger."
The soft, cultured voice was commanding, insisting that Ezra pay attention. He pried his eyes open to see a familiar blue face with glowing red eyes. It wasn't Vah'nya.
"Thrawn." He forced the name through stiff lips. He was cold, but, surprisingly, not frozen. He pushed himself to a sitting position and found a heated blanket covering him.
Thrawn rose and moved to kneel beside Eli, who was still unconscious and covered with three heated blankets. "Why did you not confirm your location before journeying to this planet?" he demanded.
"We assumed Lando knew where we were." Ezra lifted the edge of the blanket to peer at Sabine. "We were, well, a little preoccupied."
"Because you lacked confidence in your dancing abilities?" Thrawn's icy tone matched Hoth's temperature. "That is a poor excuse for endangering Eli and Vah'nya."
Eli and Vah'nya could have double-checked our location. She's a navigator, after all. I notice you're not mad at them. Ezra decided not to voice his thoughts.
"I was doing it for Sabine. And it's not my fault Tricky got into the wiring- here or on the Love Commander."
"He is drawn to you through the Force. Could it be that the real cause of the hyperdrive malfunction was the misguided action of a Jedi? You sent a calming wave of Force-energy to Tricky. Instead of reaching and calming the dog, the Force-wave traveled as a burst of energy along the wiring until it reached the nav-computer."
"Maybe. But I didn't mean to."
Thrawn lifted a blanket-swathed Eli in one arm and Vah'nya in the other. "Wake Master Skywalker and his wife. You all may join me in my ship."
Ezra used the Force to shake Luke. "How did you find us?"
"My agent Stross contacted me as soon as he suspected trouble. When I arrived, the Purrgil circling this location provided an excellent clue to your whereabouts. Also, many years ago, I took the precaution of implanting a small tracking chip in Eli's right shoulder. The tracker is paired to a single locating device in my possession."
The Purrgil. He should have known. And he should have guessed Thrawn would have had a way to locate Eli. "A tracking chip? Does Eli know?"
Thrawn smiled mysteriously. "Of course not."
"Of course not," Ezra repeated under his breath. He wrapped Sabine and Violet-Meadows in the blanket, refastening his tunic.
"What's going on?" Luke sat up under his own warming blanket.
Ezra smirked. "Come on, Skywalker. We're being rescued by Thrawn."
"I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies." Lando dipped his head penitently. "It never even occurred to me that we could be in the wrong system until Tendra suggested it. This old girl's never, well, almost never failed me."
"Indeed." Thrawn motioned for LOV-3 to refill Eli's hot chocolate mug. Although the medical droid had given everyone an "all clear", Thrawn apparently felt Eli needed more warming. "Then you have had a similar hyperdrive problem in the past."
"Yeah. A long time ago." Lando leaned on his desk. "Actually, your parents were on board at the time, Luke."
"A Jedi?" Thrawn's eyes narrowed. "Interesting."
Ezra dropped his gaze, feeling unwelcome heat rush to his cheeks. "Thrawn thinks this is all my fault."
"Actually, I've about reached the same conclusion. Lucky for you, Mrs. Pumphrey thinks you saved her Tricky, so at least you haven't lost your best customer." Lando keyed up his computer. "As for the innocent parties in this mess, I'm giving you a full refund and two free tickets for a cruise next year."
"That's very generous, Lando, but not necessary," Mara protested. "You're out a lot of money on repairs- the nav-computer, the shuttle, HON-3."
"I've got to be honest with you." Lando flashed a trademark grin. "I think I've hit on something. I was able to buy Hoth for song- nobody else wants it. And I'm rebranding this week into the Winter Wonderland Cruise."
Luke gaped. "You did what?"
Lando chuckled. "I'm turning the place into a resort- skiing, sledding, cozy cabins, hot tubs. And I'll highlight it with an exclusive once a year cruise. It can't miss!"
"All because Tricky and I messed with the nav-computer?" Ezra frowned. "Shouldn't you be thanking me?"
Lando shook his head. "You're just lucky it all worked out. And you've still got Thrawn to worry about."
"You might be wise to instate a 'no Jedi' policy on your cruises, Captain," Thrawn observed.
"Maybe, but some of my best friends are Jedi." Lando smiled at Luke and Mara. "I do think I might need a 'no pets' rule."
"Pets are people, too," Ezra pouted. "At least, Thrawn's pet is."
"It's either that or a 'no Bridgers' rule." Lando folded his arms while Ezra huffed.
Mara rose, taking Luke's hand. "If that's all settled, I promised to dance for my husband. If you'll excuse us."
Luke followed her from the office, beaming.
Thrawn helped Eli and Vah'nya to their feet. "You two need to rest. Ar'alani and I will be staying with you for the rest of the cruise to ensure that you are safe and well."
"Thanks." Eli leaned on him, already half-asleep.
Vah'nya glanced at the Bridgers. "It was fun while it lasted, anyway."
As they left the office, Ezra asked, "Are you going to confiscate the Loth-kittens, Lando?"
"I probably should, but I won't as long as you can behave. I have moved you to a different suite- away Mrs. Pumphrey and Tricky."
"Just as long as it's cozy and private." Sabine gave Ezra a peck on the cheek. "We have some dancing of our own to do."
Ezra stared at Sabine in blissful wonder. That nightie really was something. His wife really was something.
"Are we going to dance or are you just going to stare?" Sabine nestled up to him.
A glance at the monitor assured him that Violet-Meadows still slept peacefully in the next room. He took Sabine in his arms and kissed her soundly. Holding her close, he swayed softly to the music flowing from the room's speakers.
"Coco Bean, I'm really glad that your Jedi does dance."
Author's Note:
I decided that Ezra should call Sabine Coco Bean. It goes nicely with Blueberry, and of course, Ezra is Blueberry.
Also, Mara really did train as a dancer in Legends/EU, so I think she should do a special dance for Luke. It is their honeymoon after all! And Luke is such a sweet Farmboy.
I hope you enjoyed the story. Everyone gets a happy ending on the Love Commander. (Except maybe poor Vah'nya. She has an over-protective Thrawn and Ar'alani in her suite now. The Big Blue Guy finally showed up!)
If you liked this story, you might want to check out the rest of the Love Commander Collection on my page.
Thank you for reading and God bless you!