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Artoo emitted a loud, startled squeal and immediately released the power lamp.

The victor grinned at the glowing object in his tiny hands, gleefully repeating, 'Mine, mine.'

Luke was about fed up with these antics and advised the robot that the battle was over. 'Okay, Artoo,' he said with a sigh, 'let him have it. Now get out of here, little fellow. We've got things to do.'

'No, no!' the creature pleaded excitedly. 'I'll stay and help you find your friend.'

'I'm not looking for a friend,' Luke said. 'I'm looking for a Jedi Master.'

'Oh,' the creature's eyes widened as he spoke, 'a Jedi Master. Different altogether. Yoda, you seek, Yoda.'

Mention of that name surprised Luke, but he felt skeptical. How could an elf like this know anything about a great teacher of the Jedi Knights? 'You know him?'

'Of course, yes,' the creature said proudly. 'I'll take you to him. But first we must eat. Good food. Come, come.'

With that, the creature scurried out of Luke's camp and into the shadows of the swamp. The tiny power lamp he carried was gradually dimming in the distance as Luke stood feeling baffled. At first he had no intention of pursuing the creature, but all at once he found himself diving into the fog after him.

As Luke started off into the jungle, he heard Artoo whistling and beeping as if he would blow his circuits. Luke turned around to see the little droid standing forlornly next to the miniature fission furnace.

'You'd better stay here and watch over the camp,' Luke instructed the robot.

But Artoo only intensified his noisy output, running through the entire gamut of his electronic articulations.

'Artoo, now settle down,' Luke called as he ran into the jungle. 'I can take care of myself. I'll be safe, okay?'

Artoo's electronic grumblings grew fainter as Luke hurried to catch up with the little guide. I must really be out of my mind, Luke thought, following this weird being into who-knows-what. But the creature had mentioned Yoda's name, and Luke felt compelled to accept any help he could get to find the Jedi Master. He stumbled in the dark over thick weeds and twisting roots as he pursued the flickering light ahead.

The creature was chattering gaily as he led the way through the swamp. 'Heh ... safe ... heh ... quite safe ... yes, of course.' Then, in his odd little way, this mysterious being started to laugh.

Two Imperial cruisers slowly moved across the surface of the great asteroid. The Millennium Falcon had to be hidden somewhere within - but where?

As the ships skimmed the surface of the asteroid, they dropped bombs on its pock-marked terrain, trying to scare out the freighter. The shock waves from the explosives violently shook the spheroid, but still there was no sign of the Falcon. As it drifted above the asteroid, one of the Imperial Star Destroyers cast an eclipsing shadow across the tunnel entrance. Yet the ship's scanners failed to note the curious hole in the bowl-like wall. Within that hole, in a winding tunnel not detected by the minions of the powerful Empire, sat the freighter. It rattled and vibrated with every explosion that pounded the surface above.

Inside, Chewbacca worked feverishly to repair the complex powertrain. He had scrambled into an overhead compartment to get at the wires that operated the hyperdrive system. But when he felt the first of the explosions, he popped his head out through the mass of wires and gave out a worried yelp.

Princess Leia, who was welding a damaged valve, stopped her work and looked up. The bombs sounded very close.

See Threepio glanced up at Leia and nervously tilted his head. 'Oh, my,' he said, 'they've found us.'

Everyone became quiet, as if fearing that the sound of their voices might somehow carry and betray their exact position. Again the ship was shaken by a blast, less intense than the last.

'They're moving away,' Leia said.

Han saw through their tactic. 'They're just trying to see if they can stir up something,' he told her. 'We're safe if we stay put.'

'Where