sure that no native beasts might accidentally damage them But from what Luke could see there wasn’t any sign of life amidst the frozen wastes not even tracks In every direction all he saw was white Luke felt about as far as he could get from his homeworld homeworld the desert planet Tatooine not merely because because of the great distance between the two planets or their dramatically different climates So much had changed since he’d joined the Rebellion He was no longer the boy who’d felt stuck on a moisture farm who only dreamed of adventures on far-off worlds He had become a warrior a hero of the Rebel Alliance and his adventures had exceeded his dreams Yet the price had been unfortunately high Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were dead So was his childhood childhood friend Biggs Darklighter along with many other brave Rebel pilots who’d fought in the Battle of Yavin Luke remembered them all but tried not to think about them too much It was more in his nature to think of the future than dwell on the past But he couldn’t stop thinking about Ben the Jedi Knight who had served so briefly as Luke’s mentor in the ways of the Force I still miss him Luke thought I wish I’d gotten to know him better on Tatooine even though Uncle Owen would have tried to stop me I could have learned so much Luke knew he needed to focus on his assignment so
he pushed aside his thoughts and guided the tauntaun along a snow-covered ridge He reined the gray-furred beast to a stop and it exhaled through its lower pair of nostrils steaming the air and fogging Luke’s goggles goggles Luke lifted the goggles over his cap’s visor then squinted at the surrounding whiteness His keen eyes sighted a streak of light that plummeted from the sky and slammed into the top of a nearby slope close enough that he could hear the impact Luke removed his electrobinoculars from his utility belt and peered through the lenses to see a magnified image of smoke rising from the impact site Just another meteorite meteorite on Hoth Luke wasn’t sure He lowered the electrobinoculars and returned them to his belt then brushed snow from the back of his left glove to reveal a comlink transmitter As he activated the transmitter his tauntaun shifted ner vously beneath him Echo Three to Echo Seven Luke said into the comlink comlink Han old buddy do you read me Luke listened to some brief static then heard the familiar familiar voice of his friend Han Solo Loud and clear kid What’s up Luke looked around trying to catch sight of Han who was also riding a tauntaun Han’s assignment had been to plant the warning sensors Luke said Well I finished my circle I don’t pick up any life readings
There isn’t enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser Han commented over the comlink Luke grinned then caught a brief glimpse of Han’s mounted figure before he vanished into the snowy distance distance As he departed Han added The sensors are placed I’m going back Right Luke said 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 switched off his comlink and his tauntaun snorted ner vously Hey steady girl he said reining reining back Hey what’s the matter You smell something something Suddenly there was a monstrous howl Luke turned quickly to face a massive wampa its jaws flung open to display fiercely sharp teeth A huge clawed paw slammed into Luke knocking him from his saddle He was unconscious before he hit the snow Echo Base the comm-unit designation for the Alliance’s Alliance’s command headquarters on Hoth was a vast network of passages and caves concealed within a glacial mountain Some of the underground chambers chambers had formed naturally over thousands of years but most had been carved from the ice in a matter of weeks thanks to the Alliance Corps of Engineers and their industrial lasers The base had quickly become home to several thousand Rebel soldiers technicians
and pilots It also served as the temporary accommodations accommodations for two lapsed mercenaries Han Solo captain of the Millennium Falcon and his first mate Chewbacca Chewbacca the Wookiee Although Han and Chewbacca had worked steadily with the Alliance in the three years since the Battle of Yavin neither had formally enlisted This was one reason why Han unlike Luke wore a dark fur-lined heavy-weather parka instead of an Alliance uniform The other reason was that Han thought he looked better better in his own clothes Returning from his assignment Han rode his tauntaun up to the mouth of an enormous ice cave the north entrance of Echo Base He kept the tauntaun moving at a fast trot as they entered The cave had been transformed into a low-ceilinged hangar for starships Dozens of Rebel soldiers were at work some busily securing the base while others worked on vehicles Han steered his tauntaun past a group of Rebel troopers who were unloading supplies and brought the tauntaun to a stop next to a pair of waiting handlers They grabbed the beast’s reins and Han dismounted in one smooth motion Landing on the snow-covered floor he felt a stinging sensation in his legs which despite his insulated boots and leggings leggings were cold and stiff from riding As he stepped away from his tauntaun he pushed his parka’s hood
