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'Could it be ours?' Han asked. 'A speeder?'

The sensor controller shook his head. 'No, there's no signal.' Then came a sound from another monitor. 'Wait, something very weak...'

Walking as rapidly as his stiff joints allowed, Threepio approached the console. His auditory sensors tuned in the strange signals. 'I must say, sir, I'm fluent in over sixty million forms of communication, but this is something new. Must be in a code or-'

Just then the voice of a Rebel trooper cut in through the console's comlink speaker. 'This is Echo Station Three-Eight. Unidentified object is in our scope. It's just over the ridge. We should have visual contact in about-' Without warning the voice filled with fear. 'What the-? Oh, no!'

A burst of radio static followed, then the transmission broke off completely.

Han frowned. 'Whatever it is,' he said, 'it isn't friendly. Let's have a look. Come on, Chewie.'

Even before Han and Chewbacca were out of the chamber, General Rieekan had dispatched Rogues Ten and Eleven to Station Three-Eight.

The mammoth Imperial Star Destroyer occupied a position of deadly prominence in the Emperor's fleet. The sleekly elongated ship was larger and even more ominous than the five wedge-shaped Imperial Star Destroyers guarding it. Together these six cruisers were the most dreaded and devastating warships in the galaxy, capable of reducing to cosmic scrap anything that strayed too close to their weapons.

Flanking the Star Destroyers were a number of smaller fighter ships and, darting about this great space armada, were the infamous TIE fighters.

Supreme confidence reigned in the heart of every crew member in this Imperial death squadron, especially among the personnel on the monstrous central Star Destroyer. But something also blazed within their souls. Fear - fear of merely the sound of the familiar heavy footsteps as they echoed through the enormous ship. Crew members dreaded these footfalls and shuddered whenever they were heard approaching, bringing their much feared, but much respected leader.

Towering above them in his black cloak and concealing black headgear, Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, entered the main control deck, and the men around him fell silent. In what seemed to be an endless moment, no sounds except those from the ship's control boards and the loud wheezes coming from the ebony figure's metal breath screen were to be heard.

As Darth Vader watched the endless array of stars, Captain Piett rushed across the wide bridge of the ship, carrying a message for the squat, evil-looking Admiral Ozzel, who was stationed on the bridge. 'I think we've found something, Admiral,' he announced nervously, looking from Ozzel to the Dark Lord.

'Yes, Captain?' The admiral was a supremely confident man who felt relaxed in the presence of his cloaked superior.

'The report we have is only a fragment, from a probe droid in the Hoth system. But it's the best lead we've had in-'We have had thousands of probe droids searching the galaxy,' Ozzel broke in angrily. 'I want proof, not leads. I don't intend to continue to chase around from one side of-'

Abruptly the figure in black approached the two and interrupted. 'You found something?' he asked, his voice somewhat distorted by the breath mask.

Captain Piett respectfully gazed at his master, who loomed above him like a black-robed, omnipotent god. 'Yes, sir,' Piett said slowly, choosing his words with caution. 'We have visuals. The system is supposed to be devoid of human forms ...'

But Vader was no longer listening to the captain. His masked face turned toward an image beamed on one of the viewscreens - an image of a small squadron of Rebel snowspeeders streaking above the white fields.

'That's it,' Darth Vader boomed without further deliberation.

'My lord,' Admiral Ozzel protested, 'there are so many uncharted settlements. It could be smugglers-'That is the one!' the former Jedi Knight insisted, clenching a black-gloved fist. 'And Skywalker is with them. Bring in the patrol ships, Admiral, and set your course for the Hoth system.' Vader