Six ominous shapes appeared in the black space of the Hoth system and loomed like

vast demons of destruction, ready to unleash the furies of their Imperial weapons.

Inside the largest of the six Imperial Star Destroyer, Darth Vader sat alone in a small

spherical room. A single shaft of light gleamed on his black helmet as he sat

motionless in his raised meditation chamber.

As General Veers approached, the sphere opened slowly, the upper half lifting

like a jagged-toothed mechanical jaw. To Veers, the dark figure seated inside the

mouthlike cocoon hardly seemed alive, though a powerful aura of sheer evil emanated

from him, sending a chilling fear through the officer.

Uncertain of his own courage, Veers took a step forward. He had a message to

deliver but felt prepared to wait for hours if necessary rather than disturb Vader's

meditation.

But Vader spoke immediately. "What is it, Veers?"

"My lord," the general replied, choosing each word with care, "the fleet has

moved out of light-speed. Com-Scan has detected an energy field protecting an area

of the sixth planet in the Hoth system. The field is strong enough to deflect any

bombardment."

Vader stood, rising to his full two-meter height, his cloak swaying against the

floor. "So, the Rebel scum are alerted to our presence." Furious, he clenched his

black-gloved hands into fists. "Admiral Ozzel came out of light-speed too close to

the system."

"He felt surprise was a wiser—"

"He's as clumsy as he is stupid," Vader cut in, breathing heavily. "A clean

bombardment is impossible through their energy field. Prepare your troops for a

surface attack."

With military precision, General Veers turned and marched out of the meditation

room, leaving behind an enraged Darth Vader. Alone in the chamber, Vader

activated a large viewscreen that showed a brightly lit image of his Star Destroyer's

vast bridge.

Admiral Ozzel, responding to Vader's summons, stepped forward, his face

almost filling the Dark Lord's monitor screen. There was trepidation in Ozzel's

voice when he announced, "Lord Vader, the fleet has moved out of light-speed—"

But Vader's reply was addressed to the officer standing slightly behind Ozzel.

"Captain Piett."

Knowing better than to delay, Captain Piett stepped forward instantly as the

admiral staggered back a step, his hand automatically reaching for his throat.

"Yes, my lord," Piett answered respectfully.

Ozzel began to gag now as his throat, as if in the grip of invisible talons, began

to constrict.

"Make ready to land assault troops beyond the energy field," Vader ordered.

"Then deploy the fleet so that nothing can get off that planet. You're in command

now, Admiral Piett."

Piett was simultaneously pleased and unsettled by this news. As he turned to

carry out the orders, he saw a figure that might someday be himself. Ozzel's face

was hideously contorted as he fought for one final breath of air; then he dropped into

a dead heap on the floor.

The Empire had entered the system of Hoth.

Rebel troops rushed to their alert stations as the warning alarms wailed through

the ice tunnels. Ground crews and droids of all sizes and makes hurried to perform

their assigned duties, responding efficiently to the impending Imperial threat.

The armored snowspeeders were fueled as they waited in attack formation to

blast out of the main cavern entranceway. Meanwhile, in the hangar, Princess Leia

was addressing a small band of Rebel fighter pilots. "The large transport ship will

leave as soon as they're loaded. Only two fighter escorts per ship. The energy

shield can only be opened for a split second, so you'll have to stay very close to the

transports."

Hobbie, a Rebel veteran of many battles, looked at the princess with concern.

"Two fighters against a Star Destroyer?"

"The ion cannon will fire several blasts which should destroy any ships in your

flight path," Leia explained. "When you clear the energy shield, you will proceed to

the rendezvous point. Good luck."

Somewhat reassured, Hobbie and the other pilots raced toward their fighter

cockpits.

Meanwhile, Han was working frantically to complete welding a lifter on the

Millennium Falcon. Finishing quickly, he hopped to the hangar floor and switched

on his comlink. "All right, Chewie," he said to the hairy figure seated at the

Falcon's controls, "give it a try."

Just then Leia walked past, throwing him an angry look. Han looked at her

smugly while the freighter's lifters began to rise off the floor, whereupon the right

lifter began to shake erratically, then broke partially loose to swing back down again

with an embarrassing crash.

He turned away from Leia, catching only a glimpse of her face as she mockingly

raised an eyebrow.

"Hold it, Chewie," Han grunted into his small transmitter.

The Avenger, one of the Imperial armada's wedge-like Star Destroyers, hovered

like a mechanized death angel in the sea of stars outside the Hoth system. As the

colossal ship began to move closer to the ice world, the planet became clearly visible

through the windows which stretched 100 meters or more across the huge bridge of

the warship.

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