August 17, 2023
What Luke should have done on Hoth
August 17, 2023
By Zachary Hale
For a short while, all Luke could see was a white blur. He tried opening his eyes all the way but couldn't. He was having a massive headache; it was making him dazed and confused. He couldn't get his thoughts straight about where he was or what he was doing. He was certain he was standing. He could feel his feet on the hard ground. However, when he tried to move, his feet felt stuck, like they were glued to the floor. After a few moments, he was able to gain his strength back and get his eyes open. That's when he saw where he was.
He was inside a giant ice cave. Ahead of him was a darkened tunnel that led deeper into the cavern. He then looked towards the ground and noticed light coming in from behind him. When he got the feeling back in his head, he glanced backward and saw another tunnel with a great amount of light coming from it.
That must be the cave entrance, Luke thought, Am I back at the base? How did I get back?
He looked around, but there was nobody else there. He couldn't spot anything else, except ice and a pile of equipment on the ceiling.
That got his attention. He looked at the equipment again.
What was it doing on the ceiling, Luke thought again, Am I dreaming?
After a few moments, when he let reality sink in, he realized he wasn't. He was in a foreign cave, not belonging to the rebel base, and he wasn't on the floor. He was dangling upside down from the cave's ceiling. He looked at his feet. They were frozen to the ceiling by some sort of icy substance.
He then heard something. A loud roar from the tunnel. By the sound of it, it came from something big.
Horror took hold of Luke, and he knew he had to get out. He bent his body forward and reached for his feet. He tried to pull them free, but the strength of the ice was too great. He then gave up and fell back into a dangling position. He then remembered something.
There's only one thing I have that can break that ice.
He reached for his weapons belt but found nothing there. He looked back towards the equipment on the cave floor and spotted it. Punctured into the snowbank, was his father's lightsaber, the weapon of the Jedi, the protectors of the galaxy. He tried to reach for it, but it was at least two or three feet away. He then drew his hand back and tried to think of something. Another roar.
He then got an idea and closed his eyes.
He tried to feel everything around him. His body, the cave, the planet. Then he felt for the saber. He reached for it again. Then, the lightsaber began to vibrate. Luke had called upon the Force, the energy field studied by him and millions of other Jedi. Luke heard another roar, this one closer, but didn't let it break his concentration. He continued to reach for the lightsaber. It began to shake more violently.
Suddenly, the saber burst out of the snow and flew into Luke's hand. He then pressed a red button on the handle's side. A blue, laser beam shot out of the tip of the handle and stood as a piercing blade. Luke quickly brought the blade to his feet and sliced the ice. Finally free, he fell to the ground but quickly got to his feet. When he did, he met face-to-face with a giant, white-furred creature. It stood ten feet high, with giant claws and razor-sharp teeth. A Wampa. An inhabitant of this planet. Luke then remembered. The Wampa jumped him and his taun-taun when he was out scouting for the rebel base. The creature's giant claws went to grab Luke. In response, Luke swung his lightsaber and cut the creature's right arm clean off. The creature howled in pain and Luke took the opportunity to run for the cave's entrance.
After he deactivated his laser blade and attached the handle back onto his weapons belt, Luke ascended an ice incline and crawled out the cave's entrance. His eyes were quickly blinded by snow and, with a wrong step, slipped and tumbled down a snow embankment. He hit the ground hard but was unharmed. He got back on his feet and looked around.
A great storm took the surrounding lands of the cave. In all directions, winter and snow covered everything from Luke's view. He looked to the east, where he was sure the base was, then back up the snow embankment. With some consideration, he gave a loud sigh, then ascended back up the embankment.
Back in the cave, Luke slowly rounded the corner with his lightsaber ignited in his hand. He then spotted the Wampa. It was on the ground, moaning in pain. A circle of red snow surrounded it. Luke slowly approached the creature, giving a feeling of sympathy. Despite everything it did, attacking him, stringing up, he still felt sympathy. In his heart, Luke knew it was the working of the force. It connected all living creatures and was connecting the two of them right there. The Wampa noticed him and moved back in fear.
"I'm sorry," Luke said, "But I had to do it. And this."
Luke raised the blade toward the ice creature. The Wampa cried for mercy, but Luke didn't draw away.
"It's ok," Luke whispered, "I think it's better to put you out of your misery."
The creature met Luke's eyes and understood what he meant. It closed its eyes. With the blade, Luke made a jab at the Wampa's chest. The creature howled with pain again but then grew more silent. Luke gave it a few more jabs, and soon the ice monster was motionless. Luke stood back, looked down at the blade, then deactivated it.
He walked towards the pile of equipment. He looked through it and sorted what he had into groups; A blaster, an empty canteen with a fresh hole, and a white pair of macrobinoculars. When he had finished sorting, he looked to his sleeve. Attached to his glove, was a line of buttons. He pressed a couple of them and then brought the sleeve to his mouth.
"Echo 3 to Echo 7," Luke spoke into it.
He listened for any response but received nothing but static.
"Echo 3 to Echo 7," Luke said again, "Han, do you read me? Over."
Still nothing.
"Han...Echo Base...Anybody?"
The soft static played to the empty cave.
Luke groaned. He took his hand away and looked around the cave. He looked at the dead Wampa, his equipment, then himself. He groaned again. The odds were not in his favor. A chill came over him, causing Luke to rub his arms. He looked at the canteen and got an idea.
Luke spent the next few hours making camp.
First, he gathered the broken canton pieces into a pile, then lit them with his lightsaber. Within a moment, a small fire erupted. Luke had a moment of gratitude, only for it to diminish as the fire began to die out. Luke quickly looked around the room and spotted the rotted remains of a large, grey creature. It used to be his taun-taun When it was alive, it stood on two hind legs, had two long arms, with horns attached to both sides of its head. Luke grabbed the saddle strapped to its back, ripped off pieces from it, and threw them into the fire. The fire took them and continued to burn. Luke looked at what was left of the grey creature and said, "Thanks, old girl."
He then felt a tingle on his shoulder. He looked up and saw icicles suspended from the ceiling. They seemed to be dripping. As the fire was heating the cave, the ice was beginning to melt. The fire wasn't big enough to make the ceiling give way or the walls break and flood the whole cave, but extra ice was slowly disappearing. Luke got another idea. He took the winter goggles off his hat and placed it under a dripping icicle. Within an hour, he gathered enough water for a single swallow.
After another hour, another swallow.
After leaving the goggles to collect more water, he took the macrobinoculars and stepped outside. The storm was still roaring, with no end in sight. He stood on top of the snow embankment, near the entrance to the cave. He put the binoculars to his eyes and scanned the white horizon. The storm was blinding, but the binoculars were powerful enough to spot anything that stood out. Not a soul. Luke sighed once again and went back inside the cave
When he was back in the cave, Luke's stomach growled. He looked at the grey taun-taun and groaned again. He hoped it wouldn't come to this. He went back to the remains of the grey creature and picked up a bone with a slab of meat on it. He took it back to the fire and began rotating it over the flames. When it was cooked just right, he took a bite. It was surprisingly good.
He then started a pattern. Every hour, he would try his communicator for anybody. If it didn't work, he would take the macrobincolaurs out and scan the horizon. If he got hungry, he would eat some of the taun-taun meat. He had plenty to spare, including the meat of the wampa.
As the hours went by, Luke concluded that he would eventually run out of things to fuel the fire with. He ignited his lightsaber and went back to the wampa. He started by stabbing the creature near the anus and cutting it across its body toward the head. Luke cut out the skin on one side of the creature's body and peeled it off. He then cut off extra flesh from inside the skin. Soon, he had a nice white fur coat and wrapped it around his body.
With his new coat, Luke sat down next to the fire and activated his commlink again. "Han...Echo base..."
Luke shrugged and added, "If you can hear me, I'm alright. See you guys in the morning...hopefully."
He took away his sleeve and picked up another slap of meat. That's when he heard a voice.
"Luke..."
Luek looked around with a start. He was still alone in the cave.
"Hello?"
"Luke..."
It was strange. The voice sounded distant, yet close at the same time. It didn't seem like he was hearing it, as much as feeling it. Luke's eyes then set on the cave's entrance.
"Luke..."
Luke quickly got up, pulled his coat more snuggly around his body, and, walked toward the entrance, but not before grabbing his lightsaber and blaster.
As he was once again blinded by the snowstorm, Luke grabbed hold of his coat, so it wouldn't be blown away with the wind. He peered out at the surrounding area. Nobody.
"Luke..."
Luke looked again. He started down the embankment, but his foot caught the rim of his coat. He tripped and tumbled down the embankment once again. As he lay on the ground, Luke felt that he didn't have the coat anymore. It must have fallen from his body during his tumble. He knew he had to get it back before he froze. Yet, before he got up...
"Luke..."
Luke tilted his head up and saw a man. Except it wasn't. It looked more like the outline of one. Like a drawing. Then the outline grew and the picture became clearer. Soon, Luke could make out the face.
"Ben?"
It was the face of Ben Kenobi, formally named Obi-Wan Kenobi, his old mentor and friend. Luke recognized the old man's face and short white beard. He was nestled in his old brown cloak, that stood out from the Hoth white. It was Ben, but it couldn't be. Ben was dead. He gave his life, so Luke and his friends could escape the empire's dreaded battle station, the Death Star. Yet, when his wise and gracious eyes fell on Luke, the boy knew it was Ben.
"Luke," Ben spoke, "You must go to the Dagobah system."
"Dagobah system?" Luke got up from the snow.
"There you will meet Yoda. The wise Jedi master who instructed me."
"Ben!"
Luke started toward the man with his hand out. Yet, immediately, the man began to change. His face disappeared and the image seemed to be getting bigger. Before Luke's eyes, it transformed into a silhouette of a man on horseback.
"LUKE!"
The man stopped his stead and jumped from the saddle. He was suited in a blue, Parka coat with a gun holstered to his side. He stumbled over the snow toward Luke.
"Luke! You're alright! Are you alright?"
The Parka man placed both hands on Luke's shoulders. Luke squinted at the man's face.
"Han?"
Han Solo. The Smuggler and Luke's friend. The one who Luke's been on plenty of adventures with and owes him his life a million times over.
Han gave him the old Correllian smile. "Good to see you, kid."
"What are you doing here?"
"I've come to save you. Now, come on. We've got to get back to the base. Get on the taun-taun."
Han pulled Luke toward his taun taun. It was just like the dead one in the cave, except alive and covered in snow. It then began to howl in pain. Both Han and Luke looked up, as the taun taun began to fuss and toss its head back and forth.
"Oh, no," Han said, "Come girl, don't-"
Suddenly, the taun-taun fell over to the snow.
"Aw, no," Han griped. "It's dead."
Luke looked down at the dead taun-taun, then backed up the snow embankment. After considering his options, he turned to Han. "You brought survival gear, right?"
"Yes?"
Luke smiled and put his hand on Han's shoulder. "Grab it and follow me."
Before Han could reply, Luke started up the snow embankment, then stopped to pick up his fur coat, covered in snow.
Luke made his way back into the cave, with the frost-bitten coat underneath his arm. He smiled at the still-burning fire and held the coat out with two arms. He flapped it several times, flinging off most of the frost, then rolled it up and placed it next to the fire. That's when Han walked in with some equipment and whistled. "Wow, look at this place."
Han placed the equipment down and looked at Luke. "You made yourself a little camp here. I'm impressed."
"Thanks," Luke said, "There wasn't much I had..."
"Whoa!"
Han stood back in shock. Luke followed his gaze toward the dead Wampa on the floor.
"Oh, yeah," Luke replied, "That was the last patron."
"It's one of those Wampa creatures." Han cringed, then stared at Luke, "Luke, what happened? You said you were just checking out a meteorite and never came back. You were only a few minutes behind me."
"Well, you can thank my friend here for that," Luke gestured toward the Wampa. "After I got off the comm, it jumped me."
"He did that to you?" Han pointed at Luke's facial scars.
Luke nodded.
Han cringed again, "Aw, man, right to the face?"
Luke felt his scars. "Don't worry, it doesn't feel as bad as it looks. Anyway, the Wampa brought me and my taun-taun back to its cave. It strung me up from the ceiling and started eating my taun-taun for dinner. I guess I was dessert. I was able to get down and kill the Wampa. I then had two options, try to make it back on foot, or stay here in the cave for the night. I took the ladder."
Han frowned, "I'm sorry kid, I should have been with you. I should have been riding with you."
Luke waved his hand. "Eh, how could you've known?"
"Still...Hey, I still got some gear on the Taun Taun..."
"Let's go get them before they're completely covered in snow."
With a few trips between the taun-taun and the cave, Luke and Han moved all of the equipment to the camp.
"That should be the last of it," Han said after laying another bag on the cave floor.
"Good," Luke replied.
Han sat down in front of the fire and threw back his hood. "So much for the rescue."
Luke looked at him and sat down on the other side of the fire. "Hey, uh, Han? Thanks for coming out here."
"Don't bother," Han rubbed the back of his head. "I don't think we would've made it back to the base in time, anyway."
"Think they already closed the shield doors by now?"
"Probably, they were about to when I left."
"If I know Liea, she probably tried to keep them open long enough for us to come back. By now, they probably did. Otherwise, the base would lose heat. Don't worry, Rogue flight will come looking for us in the morning."
"They said the speeders still need time to adapt to the cold."
"Yeah, but that should only take the night. They'll come."
"I suspect they're going to have trouble without you flying the lead."
Luke shrugged. "Eh, Wedge has got them."
"So, guess, it's just us tonight?"
"Suppose so. Hey, you got a radio? We need a connection to flag down a speeder. I have my commlink, but it's too small."
"Yeah, right here." Han patted a box next to him.
"Good, we'll set it up in the morning, when the storm's gone."
Luke picked the coat off the ground and squeezed extra water out.
Hand watched as Luke whipped the coat. "Hey, where did you get that thing?"
"I skinned it off the Wampa."
"What?!"
"Yeah, a little trick I learned on Tatooine. My Aunt Bureau used to skin banthas. She taught me a thing or two."
"Ugh, and you skinned it off the Wampa?"
Luke shrugged. "Well, he doesn't need it anymore. You know, there's plenty of fur left, want me to make you one?"
"Nah, it's ok kid. I'm good." Han patted his Parka coat.
Luke shrugged and swung the coat around his torso. It felt warm and solitary. It reminded him of something.
"Hey, Han?" He asked.
"Yeah?" Han relaxed against the wall.
"Did...did you see anybody else?"
"What do you mean?"
"Out in the glaciers. Did you see anybody?"
"The only people stupid enough to be out in this storm are right in this room."
Luke nodded but couldn't lose the thought.
"Ever heard of a planet called Dagobah?"
Han thought for a second, repeating the name to himself. "Dagobah...Dagobah...I don't think so. Why?"
"Ah, forget it. It's...nothing."
Luke then leaned against the ice walls. His head kept on going to Ben, Dagobah, and this person Yoda. His eyes began to close
"Luke?...Luuuke?...LUKE?!"
Luke jolted awake. "Huh?! What?"
He looked up and saw Han standing over him with his hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry, just wanted to make sure you weren't dead. Well, rise and shine, chum. It's morning."
Luke rubbed his eyes. "Right. We got to set up the radio. But first, let's have some breakfast."
As Han picked a silver box up from the equipment, Luke started over toward the dead taun-taun.
"Where are you going?" Han asked, opening the box.
Luke stopped in his tracks as if catching himself. "Oh, um, nothing. You got the survival rations, right?"
"Yeah, right here."
As Luke walked over, Han picked through the rations and sighed. "Not exactly a gourmet meal, but it'll do."
Han picked out a few things and handed the box to Luke. They ate in silence as the only sound was the winter wind outside. After trying the rations, Luke already missed the taun-taun meat. He then ran the through his head a second time.
"I got to get out of here." Luke stared around the cave, horrified, "I think I'm going insane."
"I know it's only morning, but that's the best advice I heard all day," Han said.
After breakfast, Han and Luke set up the radio outside the cave. Han fidgeted with it, while Luke looked out onto the glaciers with the macrobinoculars.
"Anything?" Luke asked, with the Macro still at his eyes.
"No. I don't get it. Where are they?"
"Rogue flight should be out by now; it just might take them some time to find us. How far are we from the base?"
"About 6 miles, last I check."
"Hm, you want to walk back?"
"What?" Han got up.
"With the storm gone, we should be able to make it back on foot."
"Six miles?"
"Well, Han, think about it. This cave is out of our scouting course. The speeders will be scanning our usual courses to find us. Maybe if we make our way back on the trail and start walking toward the base, we could meet Rogue flight halfway."
"I don't know Luke..."
"Han, I'm sorry, but I don't want to stay in the cave for another minute. Let's just start walking and see how far we get."
With some convincing, Luke was able to get Han to gather their stuff together and set out onto the glaciers. They each had a gathering of supplies tied to their backs. Luke was nestled in his wampa coat, except there wasn't much need for it. The sun rose higher into the sky, clearing away any clouds. It gave off a warm blaze that made Han pull back his Parka hood and Luke take off his winter cap. The sun even made the snow glow purely white. Luke looked out at it intently.
"I keep forgetting how beautiful this planet is."
"Yeah...it's great," Han replied, looking down at the map. "We should be back on the trail."
"So, Rogue flight must be coming along anytime now."
"Good."
Every stomp made a loud crunching sound on the snow. Over time, it made Han look around at the snow-covered hills.
"I hope there aren't any more Wampas around here."
"I don't think so," Luke reassured, "As far as I could tell, it was just that one."
"Maybe it had neighbors."
"I wouldn't worry."
"Why?"
"Because we got each other to back us up."
Han smiled and slapped Luke on the shoulders, to which Luke reacted with a playful, "Ow."
"You know?" Luke said, shrugging off the pain, "When they said we were going to settle on an ice planet, I actually got excited."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. Growing up on Tatooine, I was looking forward to a nice vacation on ice. I just...didn't know it was going to be this cold. I guess I'm just not used to this."
"Oh, plenty of worse places to be in the galaxy than this, trust me."
"Oh, really, where?"
Han thought for a moment. "There's Mustafar."
"Mustafar?"
"Yeah, I did a mining job there once. It's a lava planet. If you think Tatooine is hot, pay that place a visit."
"As long as it's not ruled by a Hutt, I'll consider it."
A thought then ran through Han's head at light speed. It was big and cold.
"Hey, Luke?" He sighed.
"Yeah, buddy?"
"I might be going away for a while."
Luke stopped in his tracks. "What do you mean?"
Han stopped as well. "You remember that debt I have with Jabba the Hutt?"
"How could I? It's all you ever talk about."
"Well, I think it's time I go back to Tatooine and finally pay him off."
"Oh," Luke glanced down at the snow and continued walking.
Han followed him. "I'm sorry, Chum, but with the price on my head, I'm a threat to the rebellion by just sticking around."
"No, I get it." Luke shrugged.
"You do?"
"You're talking to a guy that lived under the control of the Hutts. I've heard enough stories to know you don't want to get on their bad side."
"Yeah." Han laughed, "Leia hates me for going."
"She'll come around eventually. Hey, I might be going too."
Han tripped on a snow mound. "What?"
"Remember last night when I asked you about a planet called Dagobah?"
"Yes?"
"Well, I'm going to find it. There's somebody there I need to see."
"Who?"
"Somebody called...Yoda."
"Yoda? Are you sure you have to go?"
"Yes," Luke stated.
Han rubbed the back of his head, mostly to shrug off some snowflakes. "Ah, kid, can't you hold off on the trip? It's bad enough for the princess that I'm leaving, but if you leave too, it'll kill her."
"I'm sorry, Han, but I have to go. I saw Ben last night."
Han's eyes widened. "What?"
"Outside the cave, right before you found me, I saw him."
"It was pretty cold, Luke. You probably just saw me."
"But it was him, Han. I know it was him. He told me to go to the Dagobah system and find Yoda, another Jedi Master."
"Another Jedi Master? I thought you said they were all gone."
"Ben told me they are out there, they're just not together. I have to go see him, Han. I need to."
"You still need that Jedi training?"
"I can only do so much on my own."
Han nodded. "Alright, I get it."
"You do?"
"Yeah, you got to do what you got to do. You know? We still owe that old badger our lives."
"Yeah?"
"Back on the Death Star. He gave his life to shut down the tractor beam and distract the imperials so we could escape. I haven't seen that many people do that for me. I called his whole force religion nonsense and he still did it."
Luke smiled. " The way of the Jedi is to remain civil and good, even when faced with adversity."
The remark made Han chuckle. "Heh, he was a good man. If you feel like you have to Dagobah for him, I won't stop you."
"Thanks, Han."
"Before you go, be sure to give the princess a kiss. The girl needs it."
Luke looked embarrassed and turned his focus to the trail. Soon, he began to hear a scratching sound.
"What's that?"
Luke's head turned to Han's belt, which held the radio. Han quickly turned a knob and an anxious voice emerged out of the speaker.
"Commander Skywalker...do you copy?...this is Rogue Two."
"ZEV!"
Luke grabbed the radio off Han's belt and began fidgeting with the knobs.
"Zev! It's me, Luke! I'm with Han! Come in!"
"Commander! There you are." The voice sounded happy. "Echo Base, this rogue Two. I found them! Repeat, I found them! Hang tight Commander, I'll be with you in a second!"
The voice cut off and Luke and Han high-fived.
"Now, that's a rescue," Han said.
"Ah, don't sell yourself short." Luke waved it off. "I never would have made it if it weren't for you."
"There they are!"
Luke followed Han's finger to a small, W-shaped spaceship, jetting across the sky. A Snowspeeder, the spaceship of Echo Base's Rogue Flight. It was soon followed by another.
Within a second, both ships landed, and their pilots got out to greet the survivors.
Lev, the pilot of Rogue 2, shook Luke's hand violently. "Good to see you, sir? Everybody back on base will be happy to see you."
"You have no idea how good it is to see you," Luke said.
Luke took a seat in the first ship, with the Han in the second. Both ships took off into the sky and disappeared into the snowbank horizon. The snowy glacier was left behind, with the sun warming them by the second.