Another explosion rocked the Rebel hangar deck, cracking the ceiling and almost

burying the docked Millennium Falcon in a mound of ice. At any moment the entire

ceiling might cave in. the only safe place in the hangar seemed to be underneath the

ship itself where Chewbacca was impatiently awaiting the return of his captain. The

Wookiee had begun to worry. If Han did not return soon, the Falcon would surely

be buried in a tomb of ice. But loyalty to his partner kept Chewie from taking off in

the freighter alone.

As the hangar started to tremble more violently, Chewbacca detected movement

in the adjoining chamber. Throwing back his head, the shaggy giant filled the

hangar with his loudest roar as he saw Han Solo climb over hills of ice and snow and

enter the chamber, followed closely by Princess Leia and an obviously nervous

See-Threepio.

Not far from the hangar, Imperial stormtroopers, their faces shielded by white

helmets and white snowscreens, had begun moving down deserted corridors. With

them strode their leader, the dark-robed figure who surveyed the shambles that had

been the Rebel base at Hoth. Darth Vader's black image stood out starkly against the

white walls, ceiling, and floor. As he moved through the white catacombs, he

regally stepped aside to avoid a falling section of ice ceiling. Then he continued on

his way with such quick strides that his troops had to hurry to keep up.

A low whine, rising in pitch, began to issue from the saucer-shaped freighter.

Han Solo stood at the controls in the Millennium Falcon's cockpit, at last feeling at

home. He quickly flipped one switch after another, expecting to see the board flash

its familiar mosaic of light; but only some of the lights were working.

Chewbacca had also noticed something amiss and barked with concern as Leia

examined a gauge that seemed to be malfunctioning.

"How's that, Chewie?" asked Han anxiously.

The Wookiee's bark was distinctly negative.

"Would it help if I got out and pushed?" snapped Princess Leia, who was

beginning to wonder if it were the Corellian's spit that held the ship together.

"Don't worry, Your Holiness. I'll get it started."

See-Threepio clanked into the hold and, gesturing, tried to get Han's attention.

"Sir," the robot volunteered, "I was wondering if I might—" But his scanners read

the scowl on the face staring at him. "It can wait," he concluded.

Imperial stormtroopers, accompanied by the rapidly moving Darth Vader,

thundered through the ice corridors of the Rebel base. Their pace quickened as they

rushed in the direction of the low whine coming from the ion engines. Vader's body

tensed slightly as, entering the hangar, he perceived the familiar saucer-shaped form

of the Millennium Falcon.

Within the battered freighter ship, Han Solo and Chewbacca were trying

desperately to get the craft moving.

"This bucket of bolts is never going to get us past that blockade," Princess Leia

complained.

Han pretended that he didn't hear her. Instead, he checked the Falcon's

controls and struggled to keep his patience even though his companion had so

obviously lost hers. He flipped switches on the control console, ignoring the

princess's look of disdain. Clearly, she doubted that this assemblage of spare parts

and welded hunks of scrap metal would hold together even if they did manage to get

beyond the blockade.

Han pushed a button on the intercom. "Chewie…come on!" Then, winking at

Leia, he said, "This baby's still got a few surprise left in her."

"I'll be surprised if we start moving."

Before Han could make a carefully honed retort, the Falcon was jolted by a blast

of Imperial laser fire that flashed outside the cockpit window. They could all see the

squad of Imperial stormtroopers rushing with drawn weapons into the far end of the

ice hangar. Han knew that the Falcon's dented hull might resist the force of those

hand weapons, but would be destroyed by the more powerful bazooka-shaped weapon

that two of the Imperial troopers were hurriedly setting up.

"Chewie!" Han yelled as he quickly strapped himself into his pilot's chair.

Meanwhile, a somewhat subdued young woman seated herself in the navigator's

chair.

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