Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back Page #3

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Luke drops into unconsciousness.

Han pulls up and leaps off his mount. He hurries to his snow-covered

friend, cradling him in his arms. Han's Tauntaun lets out a low,

pitiful bellow. But Han's concern is with Luke, and he shakes him

urgently.

HAN:

Luke! Luke! Don't do this, Luke.

Come on, give me a sign here.

Luke doesn't respond. Han begins frantically rubbing and slapping

Luke's unconscious face. As he starts to lift the youth, Han hears a

rasping sound behind him. He turns, just in time to see his Tauntaun

stagger and then fall over into the snow.

Han carries Luke to the moaning beast. Then, with a final groan, the

Tauntaun expires.

HAN:

Not much time.

He pushes Luke's inert form against the belly of the dead beast.

LUKE:

(moaning)

Ben... Ben...

HAN:

Hang on, kid.

LUKE:

Dagobah system...

Han ignites Luke's saber and cuts the beast from head to toe. He

quickly tosses it's steaming innards into the snow, then lifts Luke's

inert form and stuffs him inside the carcass.

HAN:

(reeling from the

odor)

Whew...

LUKE:

Dagobah...

HAN:

This may smell bad, kid...

LUKE:

(moaning)

Yoda...

HAN:

...but it will keep you warm...

til I get the shelter built.

(struggling to get

Luke inside the

carcass)

Ooh... I thought they smelled bad

on the outside!

The wind has picked up considerably, making it difficult to move. Han

removes a pack from the dead creature's back, taking out a shelter

container. He begins to set up what can only be a pitiful protection

against a bitter Hoth night.

EXT. HOTH - SNOWDRIFT - DAWN

Four snub-nosed armored snowspeeders race across the white landscape.

INT. SNOWSPEEDER COCKPIT

There is only one pilot, Zev, in the enclosed two-man craft. He

concentrates on the scopes which ring his cockpit. He hears a low beep

from one of his monitors.

ZEV:

(into transmitter)

Echo Base... I've got something! Not

much, but it could be a life form.

EXT. HOTH - SNOWDRIFT

The small craft banks and makes a slow arc, then races off in a new

direction.

INT. SNOWSPEEDER - COCKPIT

The pilot switches over to a new transmitter.

ZEV:

(into transmitter)

This is Rogue Two. this is Rogue

Two. Captain Solo, so you copy?

Commander Skywalker, do you copy?

This is Rogue Two.

There is a sharp crackle of static, then a faint voice.

HAN:

(filtered over

Zev's receiver)

Good morning. Nice of you guys

to drop by.

ZEV:

(switching transmitters)

Echo Base... this is Rogue Two. I

found them. Repeat, I found them.

EXT. HOTH - SNOWDRIFT - DAY

The small shelter Han set up is covered with snow on the windward side.

A makeshift antenna rests gingerly on top the snowdrift. Han spots

Zev's snowspeeder approaching in the distance, and begins waving his

arms frantically at the tiny craft.

INT. REBEL BASE - MEDICAL CENTER

Strange robot surgeons adjust a mass of electronic equipment. A switch

is thrown and a sudden blinding flash obscures Luke in a bacta tank

filled with a thick, gelatinous slime. He begins to thrash about,

raving in delirium.

INT. REBEL BASE - MEDICAL CENTER - RECOVERY ROOM

Luke sits up in a recovery-room bed, weak but smiling. His face shows

terrible wounds from the Wampa's attack. Threepio and Artoo enter the

room.

THREEPIO:

Master Luke, sir, it's so good

to see you fully functional again.

Artoo beeps his good wishes.

THREEPIO:

Artoo expresses his relief, also.

Han and Chewie make their entrance. The Wookiee growls a greeting.

HAN:

How are you feeling, kid? You

don't look so bad to me. In

fact, you look strong enough to

pull the ears off a Gundark.

LUKE:

Thanks to you.

HAN:

That's two you owe me, junior.

Han turns as Leia enters the room. He looks at her with a big,

devilish grin.

HAN:

Well your Worship, looks like

you managed to keep me around for

a little while longer.

LEIA:

(haughtily)

I had nothing to do with it. General

Rieekan thinks it's dangerous for

any ships to leave the system until

we've activated the energy shield.

HAN:

That's a good story. I think you

just can't bear to let a gorgeous

guy like me out of your sight.

LEIA:

I don't know where you get your

delusions, laser brain.

Chewie is amused; he laughs in his manner. Han, enjoying himself,

regards Chewie good-humoredly.

HAN:

Laugh it up, fuzzball. But you

didn't see us alone in the south

passage.

Luke sparks to this; he looks at Leia.

HAN:

She expressed her true feelings

for me.

Leia is flushed, eyes darting between Luke and Han.

LEIA:

My...! Why, you stuck up,... half-

witted... scruffy-looking ...nerf-

herder!

HAN:

Who's scruffy-looking?

(to Luke)

I must have hit pretty close to

the mark to get her all riled up

like that, huh, kid?

Leia looks vulnerable for a moment, then the mask falls again, and she

focuses on Luke.

LEIA:

Why, I guess you don't know

everything about women yet?

With that she leans over and kisses Luke on the lips. Then she turns

on her heel and walks out, leaving everyone in the room slightly

dumbstruck. With some smugness, Luke puts his hands behind his head

and grins.

Suddenly, in the distance, the muffled sound of an alarm is heard.

ANNOUNCER:

(over loudspeaker)

Headquarters personnel, report to

command center.

The voice repeats the order and Han, Chewie, Artoo, and Threepio hurry

out of the room, bidding farewell to Luke.

HAN:

Take it easy.

THREEPIO:

Excuse us, please.

INT. HOTH - REBEL BASE - COMMAND CENTER

Rieekan looks up grimly from a console screen. He calls over to Leia

and Han.

RIEEKAN:

Princess... we have a visitor.

The group hurries over to Rieekan.

RIEEKAN:

We've picked up something outside

the base in zone twelve, moving

east.

SENIOR CONTROLLER

It's metal.

LEIA:

Then it couldn't be one of those

creatures that attacked Luke.

HAN:

It could be a speeder, one of ours.

SENIOR CONTROLLER

No. Wait - there's something very

weak coming through.

Threepio steps up to the control panel and listens intently to the

strange signal.

THREEPIO:

Sir, I am fluent in six million

forms of communication. This signal

is not used by the Alliance. It

could be an Imperial code.

The transmission ends in static.

HAN:

It isn't friendly, whatever it is.

Come on, Chewie, let's check it out.

RIEEKAN:

Send Rogues Ten and Eleven to

station three-eight.

EXT. HOTH - SNOW PLAIN - DAY

The dark probe robot moves past the smoldering ruins of station three-

eight and down a ridge toward the Rebel base. It raises a large

antenna from the top of its head and begins to send out a piercing

signal.

The probe droid has spotted Chewbacca who, not thirty feet away, has

popped his head over a snow bank. Instantly, the probe robot swings

around, its deadly ray ready to fire. But before it can get a shot

off, it is hit from behind by a laser bolt, and explodes in a million

pieces.

Han Solo replaces his blaster in its holster and peers intently at the

smoldering remains of the Imperial probe.

INT. HOTH - REBEL BASE - COMMAND CENTER

Leia and Rieekan listen to Han on the comlink.

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