The Rebel command center, its walls and ceiling still shaking and cracking under the

force of the battle on the surface, was attempting to operate amid the destruction.

Pipes, torn apart by the blasting, belched sprays of scalding stem. The white floor

were littered with broken pieces of machinery and chunks of ice were scattered

everywhere. Except for the distant rumbling of laser fire, the command center was

forebodingly quiet.

There were still Rebel personnel on duty, including Princess Leia, who watched

the images on the few still-functioning console screens. She wanted to be certain

that the last of the transport ships had slipped past the Imperial armada and were

approaching their rendezvous point in space.

Han Solo rushed into the command center, dodging great sections of the ice

ceiling that came plunging down at him. One great chunk was followed by an

avalanche of ice that poured onto the floor near the entrance to the chamber.

Undaunted, Han hurried to the control board where Leia stood beside See-Threepio.

"I heard the command center was hit." Han appeared concerned. "Are you all

right?"

The princess nodded. She was surprised to see him there where the danger was

severest.

"Come on," he urged before she could reply. "You've got to get to your ship."

Leia looked exhausted. She had been standing at the console viewscreens for

hours and had participated in dispatching Rebel personnel to their posts. Taking her

hand, Han led her from the chamber, with the protocol droid clacking after them.

As they left, Leia gave one final order to the controller. "Give the evacuation

code signal…and get to the transport."

Then, as Leia, Han, and Threepio made their hasty exit from the command center,

a voice blared from the public address speakers, echoing in the nearby deserted ice

corridors. "Disengage, disengage! Begin retreat action!"

"Come, on," Han urged, grimacing. "If you don't get there fast, your ship

won't be able to take off."

The walls quaked even more violently than before. Ice chunks continued to fall

throughout the underground base as the three hurried toward the transport ships.

They had nearly reached the hangar where Leia's transport ship was waiting, ready for

departure. But as they neared the corner they found the entrance to the hangar

completely blocked by ice and snow.

Han knew they would have to find some other route to Leia's escape ship—and

quickly. He began to lead them back down the corridor, careful to avoid falling ice,

and snapped on his comlink as they hurried toward the ship. "Transport C One

Seven!" he yelled into the small microphone. "We're coming! Hold on!"

They were close enough to the hangar to hear Leia's escape vessel preparing for

lift-off from the Rebel ice base. If he could lead them safely just a few meters more,

the princess would be safe and—

The chamber suddenly quaked with a terrible noise that thundered through the

underground base. In an instant the entire ceiling had crashed down in front of them,

creating a solid barrier of ice between them and the hangar docks. They stared in

shock at the dense white mass.

"We're cut off," Han yelled into his comlink, knowing that if the transport were

to make good its escape there could be no time wasted in melting down or blasting

through the barricade. "You'll have to take off without Princess Organa." He

turned to her. "If we're lucky we can still make it to the Falcon."

The princess and See-Threepio followed as Han dashed toward another chamber,

hoping that the Millennium Falcon and his Wookiee copilot had not already been

buried under an avalanche of ice.

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