Lost in the Snow

Star Wars is copyright to Disney, Lucasfilm etc. I own nothing except my OCs

This story is the second in the Band of Heroes series, featuring my OCs Kali Marek and Juno Kosem. I'd recommend reading the first story in this series, Band of Heroes: A New Hope first in order to get an introduction to Kali and Juno. Just a reminder to those returning from that story, I picture Kali as looking like Nina Dobrev and Juno as looking like Phoebe Tonkin.

It is a dark time for the Rebellion. Although the Death Star has been destroyed, Imperial troops have driven the Rebel forces from their hidden base and pursued them across the galaxy.

Evading the dreaded Imperial Starfleet, a group of freedom fighters led by Luke Skywalker and Juno Kosem have established a new secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth.

The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space...

A Star Destroyer moved through space, releasing Imperial Probe droids from it's underside. One of these probes zoomed towards the frigid sixth planet of the Hoth system and entered the planet's atmosphere.

It was afternoon on Hoth as a Tauntaun galloped across the windswept snow plains with a single, bundled figure on it's back. The rider galloped up to the top of a hillock and reined their Tauntaun to a stop. Lifting up his snow goggles, Luke Skywalker saw a flaming object crash to the ground nearby, so he took out his electrobinoculars and looked at the impact area to see a large plume of smoke rising from the site. He then lowered his binoculars and switched on his wrist comlink. "Echo Three to Echo Seven. Han, ol' buddy, do ya read me?" he asked.

"Loud and clear, kid." the voice of Han Solo answered. "What's up?"

"Well, I finished my circle." Luke replied. "I don't pick up any life reading."

"There isn't enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser." Han snorted. "Sensors are in place, I'm going back."

"Right, I'll see you shortly." Luke acknowledged, "There's a meteorite that hit the ground near here. I wanna check it out. Won't take long." Just as he hung up his comlink, his Tauntaun began to bray nervously. "Steady girl!" Luke soothed. "Hey, steady! What's the matter? Ya smell something?"

The Tauntaun had indeed smelt something, for without warning, an eleven-foot tall Wampa ice creature suddenly came out of nowhere and roared at the Human. Before Luke could reach for his weapons, the Wampa swung it's enormous paw at him and knocked him clean off the Tauntaun, causing him to fall unconscious into the snow. The Wampa then proceeded to kill the Tauntaun with a quick snap of the neck, then it dragged both the unconscious Luke and the dead Tauntaun away.

~8~

Han Solo rode his Tauntaun up to the entrance of a huge ice cave. This was the main hangar of the new Rebel base, dubbed Echo Base, and the hanger was home to X-wings and T-47 airspeeders all undergoing maintenance. Han dismounted from his Tauntaun, pulled down the hood of his thick snow coat and made his way through the hangar to where the Millennium Falcon was undergoing repairs. Chewbacca was sitting atop of the Falcon, welding on a central lifter. "Chewie." Han called. "Chewie?"

The Wookie removed his welding goggles and growled at Han, yelling at him for buggering off and leaving him to carry out the repairs by himself.

"Alright, don't lose your temper." Han said to him. "I'll come right back and give ya a hand."

Chewbacca just gave an irritated grunt and got back to work, while Han set off to the base's control room.

~8~

Echo Base's makeshift control room had been made in one of the ice caverns and was a hive of activity, with officers and Protocol droids all hard at work at computer consoles. Princess Leia Organa and Kali Marek were working at one of the consoles. Leia gave Han a slight look as he entered the room, then turned back to her console. Han went over to General Carlist Rieekan. "Solo." the general greeted.

"No sign of life out there, General." Han reported. "Sensors're in place, you'll know if anything comes around."

"Commander Skywalker reported in yet?" Rieekan asked.

"No, he's checkin' out a meteorite that hit near him." Han replied.

"With all the meteor activity in this system, it's gonna be difficult to spot approaching ships." Rieekan commented.

Han decided there was no point in beating about the bush any longer. "General, I gotta leave. I can't stay anymore."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Well, there's a price on my head." Han explained. "If I don't pay off Jabba the Hutt, I'm a dead man."

"A death mark's not an easy thing to live with." Rieekan said understandingly. "You're a good fighter, Solo, I hate to lose you." He held out a hand.

"Thank you, General." Han said as he shook Rieekan's hand, then he walked over to Leia. "Well, Your Highness, I guess this is goodbye." Han remarked.

"That's right." Leia said curtly, apparently not caring in the slightest.

Han was somewhat offended. "Well, don't get all mushy on me. So long, Princess." he said sarcastically, and stalked away.

"Oh, so I don't get a goodbye." Kali muttered to herself as she resumed her work.

Leia meanwhile stormed out after the smuggler. "Han!" she called.

"Yes, Your Highnessness?" Han said as he turned to her.

"I thought you had decided to stay." Leia reminded him.

"Well, the bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mantell changed my mind." Han replied.

"Han, we need you." Leia implored him.

"We need?" Han cocked an eyebrow smugly.

"Yes."

"What about you need?"

"I need?" Leia frowned in confusion. "I don't know what ya talking about."

"You probably don't." Han smirked, and walked away.

"And what precisely am I supposed to know?" Leia demanded as she followed him.

"Come on!" Han snorted. "You want me to stay because of the way you feel about me."

"Yes. You're a great help to us. You're a natural leader." Leia said.

Han stopped and spun round to face her. "No! That's not it." he smirked. "Come on. Ah-hah! Come on!" he egged.

Leia realised what he was implying. "You're imagining things." she snorted, eyeing him with distaste.

"Am I? Then why're you following me?" Han countered. "Afraid I was gonna leave without giving you a goodbye kiss?"

"I'd just as soon kiss a Wookie." Leia retorted.

"I can arrange that." Han shot back as he stalked away again. "You could use a good kiss!"

~8~

Two hours later, Kali was walking along a corridor with Juno Kosem, R2-D2 and C-3PO, the two droids arguing as usual. "Don't try to blame me." 3PO said to R2. "I didn't ask you to turn the thermal heater on. I merely commented that it was freezing in the Princess' chamber."

R2 beeped a stream of protesting whistles.

"But it's SUPPPOSED to be freezing." 3PO argued. "How we're going to dry out all her clothes I really don't know."

"Stow it, you two." Juno interrupted. "We've got more important things to worry about than a bit of melted ice." She and Kali led the droids into the hangar, where Han was currently yelling at Chewbacca.

"Why'd you take this apart now?" the smuggler grumbled. "I'm tryin' to get us out of here, and you pull both of these..."

"Hey, Han..." Kali called as she, Juno and the droids approached.

"Put 'em back together right now." Han told Chewbacca, and turned to the women. "What's up?"

"Well, first of all, I'd like to know why you're not answering ya communicator." Kali replied. "We've been trying to get you for the last 10 minutes."

"I turned it off." Han replied. "I don't wanna talk to Leia."

"Yeah, well, you can be childish if you want, Hotshot," Juno deadpanned, "but just answer this: where is Luke? He doesn't seem to have come back yet."

"I don't know where he is." Han replied.

"Nobody knows where he is." 3PO observed.

"What d'ya mean. 'nobody knows'?" Han frowned.

"Well, uh, you see..."

"Deck officer." Han yelled, cutting the droid off. "Deck officer!"

"Excuse me." 3PO began. "Might I..."

"Not now, 3PO." Kali cut him off as the deck officer joined them.

"D'ya know where Commander Skywalker is?" Han asked the deck officer.

"I haven't seen him." the deck officer replied. "It's possible he came in through the south entrance."

"It's possible? Why don't you find out?" Han ordered. "It's getting dark out there."

"Yes, sir." the deck officer acknowledged, and hurriedly went off to do so.

"Might I enquire what's going on?" 3PO ventured.

"Why not?" Han waved him off as he and the women went off in the direction the deck officer had gone.

"Impossible man." 3PO grumbled. "Come on, R2, let's find Princess Leia. Between ourselves, I think Master Luke is in considerable danger."

~8~

Han, Kali and Juno arrived at the base's south entrance, where the Tauntaun pens were located. They found the deck officer talking to Major Bren Derlin about Luke's whereabouts. "Commander Skywalker hasn't come in through the south entrance." Derlin informed Han and the women. "He might've forgotten to check in."

"I doubt it." Juno told him. "Luke's very meticulous about following procedure."

"Are the speeders ready?" Han asked her.

"I'm afraid not." Juno shook her head. The Rebels had been having trouble adapting the T-47s to work in the cold environment. "The first ones won't be ready 'till morning."

"Then we'll have to go out on Tauntauns." Han decided, moving to one of the pens.

"Well, what're we waiting for?" Kali asked rhetorically, grabbing a backpack full of equipment and following him.

"Sir, ma'am, the temperature's dropping too rapidly!" the deck officer told them.

"Yeah, and Luke's out there in it!" Kali said grimly as she and Han both mounted a pair of Tauntauns.

"Don't even think of going without me." Juno said as she mounted a third Tauntaun.

"Your Tauntauns will freeze before any of you reach the first marker." the deck officer warned them.

"Then we'll see you in hell!" Han retorted, and he and the women set off to find Luke.

~8~

Luke regained consciousness to find himself hanging upside down in an ice cavern. As he regained his bearings, he heard the roar of the Wampa and saw the vicious creature feasting on his dead Tauntaun. Ignoring the pain from the nasty wound on the side of his face, Luke immediately tried to get himself free, but found that his feet were frozen into icy stalactites on the cave's ceiling and it was no use. Exhausted, Luke dropped back into his hanging position and suddenly noticed his lightsabre lying in the snow near a pile of his discarded gear. Luke stretched his arm out to try and grab his weapon, but it was just out of reach. Luke closed his eyes and concentrated, letting the Force flow through him. The Wampa seemed to realise that it's prey was awake and began to advance towards Luke. Luke's eyes snapped open and his lightsabre shot out of the snow into his outstretched hand. Luke quickly ignited the blade and used it to melt the ice binding his feet. He flopped to the floor and picked himself up to see the Wampa almost on him. Luke swung his sabre around and sliced the Wampa's right arm clean off. The creature promptly gave an enraged roar of pain and anger. Luke quickly deactivated his lightsabre and fled from the cave. He scrambled outside to find that it was now dusk and a biting wind was blowing. Seeing that he had no choice, Luke began the long walk back to base.

~8~

R2 stood outside the Rebel base with his sensor scope extended, hoping to pick up any signal from his master. "You must come along, R2." 3PO told him. "There's really nothing more we can do. And my joints are freezing up."

R2 gave a long, slow beep.

"Don't say things like that!" 3PO chided him. "Of course we'll see Master Luke again! And he'll be quite alright. Miss Kali, Miss Juno and Captain Solo will find him, you'll see." He then turned on his heel and went back inside the base. "Stupid little short-circuit." he muttered to himself. "He'll be quite alright."

~8~

The biting cold wind continued to howl as Luke slowly trudged through the snow. He was getting dark spots in his vision, but he tried his best to keep going. Suddenly, a strong blast of wind knocked him over. Panting heavily for breath, Luke struggled to his feet and plodded on. He lost his footing and fell flat on his face in the snow, too weak to continue.

~8~

Han, Juno and Kali's Tauntauns galloped through the snow. All three Humans felt the biting cold but their protective gear saved them from the worst of it. Presently, they stopped and Han dismounted, taking out a scanning device from his backpack. Kali meanwhile decided to try her comlink. "Echo Ten to Echo Three. Luke, do ya read me?" No answer. "Luke, it's Kali. Can you hear me? Are you alright? Luke?!" But it was no use.

Juno meanwhile reached out through the Force to try and find her fellow Jedi. "This way!" she said after a moment, and headed off in the direction her instincts told her.

~8~

"Sir, all the patrols are in." a Rebel officer reported to Major Derlin. "Still no..." Derlin held a hand up to silence the officer and gestured to Leia, who was pacing anxiously next to Luke's X-wing. "Still no contact with Skywalker, Solo, Marek or Kosem." the officer told Derlin quietly.

R2 and 3PO. came over to Leia. "Mistress Leia, R2 says he's been quite unable to pick up any signals," 3PO reported sadly, "although... he does admit that his own range is far too weak to abandon all hope."

"Your Highness, there's nothing more we can do tonight." Derlin told Leia gently. "The shield doors must be closed." Leia gave a resigned nod. "Close the doors." Derlin ordered.

"Yes, sir." the officer acknowledged.

R2 began a complex series of efficient beeps as the hangar doors began to close.

"R2 says the chances of survival are 725 to 1." 3PO translated for Leia.

Chewbacca gave a long, mournful howl as the hangars doors slammed shut, effectively shutting out his four friends who were still out there.

3PO turned back to Leia. "Actually, R2 has been known to make mistakes... from time to time." he said in a feeble attempt to lift everyone's spirits. "Oh, dear, oh, dear." he sighed as he turned walked back over to R2. "Don't worry about Master Luke." he told his counterpart. "I'm sure he'll be alright. He's quite clever, you know... for a Human being."

All R2 could do was beep in response, telling 3PO that he hoped he was right.

~8~

A barely-conscious Luke lay face down in the snow, lacking the strength to move even a single muscle as hypothermia began to take effect. "Luke..." a familiar voice called. "Luke."

Luke managed to lift his head in time to see a Force spirit of the late Obi-Wan Kenobi appear in front of him. "Ben?" he gasped weakly.

"You will go to the Dagobah system." Obi-Wan instructed Luke.

"Dagobah system?"

"There you will learn from Yoda... the Jedi Master who instructed me." Obi-Wan finished, then faded into nothing just as three Tauntauns came into view.

"Ben..." Luke croaked before lapsing into unconsciousness again.

"Luke!" Kali cried as she leapt off her Tauntaun and raced over to her fallen friend, cradling in her arms. "Hang on, Luke. Stay with me!" Luke didn't respond. Kali took out some medical equipment from her backpack and used it on him. "Please don't do this to us, Luke. Keep fighting! Han, Juno, help me!"

As they began to lift the unconscious youth, the trio heard three simultaneous rasping sounds behind them and they turned to see their Tauntauns keel over in the snow and expire, the cold proving too much for them. "Not much time." Han groaned, realising that they had to act quickly to avoid suffering the same fate as the Tauntauns.

"Get him over to the Tauntauns." Juno instructed. "I've got an idea. It's not pretty, but it's our best hope." So the trio carried Luke over to the dead Tauntauns, Luke babbling derliously in his sleep. "Hang on, Luke." Juno told her unconscious friend as she ignited her lightsabre and used it to slice open one of the dead Tauntauns' stomach. "This isn't gonna smell nice, but it'll keep ya warm 'till we can get the shelter up."

"Whew!" Kali grimaced as she, Han and Juno cleared the Tauntaun's internal organs out of the way and managed to get Luke inside the carcass.

"I thought they smelt bad... on the outside." Han rasped, pausing for breath, then he and the women set to work putting up an insulated tent they'd brought with them, knowing that they had no choice but to hunker down for the night and hope for rescue in the morning.

~8~

Next morning, four airspeeders flew over over Hoth's snow plains, searching for the four missing Rebels. Leading the search was pilot Zev Senesca. "Echo Base, I've got something." he reported, detecting a signal on his scopes. "Not much but it could be a lifeform." He then piloted his speeder in the direction the signal was coming from. "Commander Skywalker, do you copy?" he said into the radio. "This is Rogue Two. Captain Solo, do you copy? This is Rogue Two. Lieutenant Marek, Captain Kosem, do you copy? This is Rogue Two."

There was a sharp crackle of static, then the voice of Han Solo came over the radio, "Good morning. Nice of you guys to drop by."

Zev laughed, glad that they were alright. "Echo Base, this is Rogue Two." he reported to base. "I've found them. Repeat: I've found them." And he brought his speeder into land where Han and the women were waving him down.

Author's notes: So we begin the second instalment of the Band of Heroes series. As I'd done with Malia in The Farmer's Adventure series, I had the OCs accompany Han to rescue Luke. I figured it was in character for both Kali and Juno to want to rescue Luke. So, welcome to the new story and see you next time!