The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 17 - Battle of Hoth

Nomi was happy when she heard that Luke was getting better. Some days of bacta treatment had stabilized his condition and he was almost healed. But this wasn't all which caused the Rogue Squadron pilot's good mood. When she had passed the hangar she had seen the Outrider. So Dash Rendar was back. But Nomi's mood darkened when she learned that Han Solo and his faithful companion Chewbacca had an encounter with an Imperial probe droid. They had destroyed it, but it wasn't clear if the droid hadn't sent any information already.
The odds were high that the Empire had eventually found them.

Pilots, gunners and R2-units scurried about heading for the snowspeeders. This wasn't a drill.
Nomi was ordered to fly escort for one of the transports during the evacuation and was just on the way to her X-wing at the North entrance. In all the people she saw Dash. Their eyes met and both stopped. Soldiers passed them, preparing to fend off a ground assault. Alarms sounded throughout the hidden base. A sound everybody had hoped it would never be heard. But now it happened, the enemy was at the gates.
Dash was well aware that it could be the last time they would see each other. On the way back to Echo Base he came to a decision and now everything was so chaotic.
"Do you want to marry me, Nomi?" He blurted out, just as a pilot elbowed him since he stood in the way.
The young woman stared at him in disbelief. Had she heard right?
"You...you want to propose to me now?" She finally asked. "Are you serious?"
"I'm not sure if I'll get the chance after this. I want you to know how much you mean to me, Nomi," his response came and he looked at her expectantly.
The Rogue Squadron pilot's mind was spinning. Dash wanted to marry her. Dash Rendar who always valued his independence? She nodded her head.
"Yes, I want to be your wife," her answer came, just the moment when there was an announcement over loudspeaker.
"The first transport is away!"
There was cheering about this good news which echoed through the hallway.
Dash gave Nomi a kiss and turned.
"Where are you going?" His future wife asked.
The smuggler and mercenary turned his head and gave her a lopsided grin.
"Doing what you always wanted me to do...fighting the Empire."
Then he hurried toward the hangar where the snowspeeders were standing.

Dash had just left when the ground began to vibrate. A regular rhythmic pounding was to be heard accompanied by a high-pitched, metallic rattling. Ice and snow began to fall from the walls of the hallway. It seemed that AT-ATs were on their way to do their work of destruction.
Suddenly the ceiling collapsed and cut Nomi off from the direct access to the North entrance. She cursed inwardly and hurried back from where she came. There was a shortcut near the Tauntaun stable which would circumvent the broken hallway. The pilot turned just a corner when there was another announcement to be heard.
"Imperial troops have entered the base."
She checked her blaster, set it to kill and advanced carefully, always aware to face enemy troops. The ground was still vibrating and chunks of ice fell from the ceiling when she made her way toward her destination. Nomi was pretty sure that Fuzzy would be there already and had readied the X-wing for departure since he went there earlier than her. When she reached a part of the base which was still rather intact she breathed a sigh of relief. But it was too early, then just in this moment the wall in front of her exploded and a squad of Imperial troops led by Darth Vader himself entered the base. The young woman squeezed in a niche hoping to not be seen.
Her heart skipped a beat when the Dark Lord looked right in her direction, but then he shook his head and resumed his path deeper in what was left of Echo Base.

When the coast was clear she left the niche,blaster at the ready and continued her way. More and more enemy troops wereinvading and the battle noise became deafening. On her way she was forced tostep over fallen comrades and foes. It was a nightmare which didn't seem tohave an end. There were only a few meters left until she would reach herdestination. She saw the two X-wings and the transport already, when she ranright into another squad of Imperial troopers. She fired her blaster, takingout the first one advancing toward her, before she sought cover behind a crate.Blaster bolts peppered the wall behind her and ice shards were raining on her.She was pinned down. But she knew she must reach her fighter since thoseonboard the transport were counting on her. The young pilot fired and fireduntil the blaster overheated and she nearly dropped it.
"We should hurry."
Nomi gave a start when another pilot crouched down at her side and fired at thetroopers who were still standing. It didn't take long and the last trooperfell. The other pilot jumped up and looked at Nomi.
"It's now or never. Let's go before more of these karking Imps come here," hesaid as he holstered his blaster and made a run to the North entrance.
Nomi followed him and minutes later they reached the fighters and the transportwhich they would protect until they had reached the jump point. The young womanclimbed up the ladder, settled down in the seat, donned her helmet and buckledup. Fuzzy beeped frantically when she started the engine. A quick glance at theother X-wing showed her that her comrade was doing the same while the Gallofreetransport launched already. It didn't take long and they were airborne as well.Since the lurking Imperial Star Destroyers were still suffering from the aftereffects of the shots by the ion cannon, they reached the jump point without anyincident and entered hyperspace. Nomi leaned back in the seat and made herselfcomfortable for the long trip to the rendezvous point.