Snow was falling heavily as Han Solo raced his Tauntaun through the wilderness.

Night was near and the winds were howling fiercely, piercing his heavy clothes. He

knew that he would be as useless as an icicle to Luke unless he found the young

warrior soon.

The Tauntaun was already feeling the effects of the temperature drop. Not even

its layers of insulating fat or the matted gray fur could protect it from the elements

after nightfall. Already the beast was wheezing, its breathing becoming increasingly

labored.

Han prayed that the snow-lizard wouldn't drop, at least not until he had located

Luke.

He drove his mount harder, forcing it on across the icy plains.

Another figure was moving across the snow, its metal body hovering above the

frozen ground.

The Imperial Probe Droid paused briefly in mid-flight, its sensors twitching.

Then, satisfied with its findings, the robot gently lowered itself, coming to rest

on the ground. Like spider legs, several probes separated from the metal hull,

dislodging some of the snow that had settled there.

Something began to take shape around the robot, a pulsating glow that gradually

covered the machine as if with a transparent dome. Quickly this force field

solidified, repelling the blowing snow that brushed over the droid's hull.

After a moment the glow faded, and the blowing snow soon formed a perfect

dome of white, completely concealing the droid and its protective force field.

The Tauntaun was racing at maximum speed, certainly too fast considering the

distance it had traveled and the unbearable frigid air. No longer wheezing, it had

begun moaning pitifully, and its legs were becoming more and more unsteady. Han

felt sorry about the Tauntaun's pain, but at present the creature's life was only

secondary to that of his friend Luke.

It was becoming difficult for Han to see through the thickening snowfall.

Desperate, he searched for some interruption in the eternal plains, some distant spot

that might actually be Luke. But there was nothing to see other than the darkening

expanses of snow and ice.

Yet there was a sound.
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