X-Men: The Empire Strikes Back

Prologue

Here's your prologue! :)

***

Hoth, 3 Years After the Battle of Yavin

In an abandoned part of space, a deep rumble filled space, and among the stars an Imperial Star Destroyer leaped from hyperspace. It hovered over the icy, snowy planet that was their target.

Hoth.

Probe droids dropped from the belly of the Star Destroyer and began dropping towards Hoth. The reason for the probe droids was simple.

To try and find the new Rebel base and destroy it before the Rebels even knew it.

***

Across Hoth's surface, a furry two-legged animal raced across the snow. The man that rode on its back was wearing an interesting outfit: composed of a white suit mainly leather with metal here and there. He raised his goggles from his eyes and pulled the white fur jacket he was wearing over the suit tighter around his body. He patted his mount comfortingly, then raised a pair of macrobinoculars to his eyes and scanned the horizon.

Apparently he was satisfied, because he lowered his macrobinoculars and raised a hand to his ear. "Iceman to Echo Base."

"Echo Base, Iceman," the Rebel base officer replied. "See anything out there?"

Luke Skywalker - X-Man Iceman - shook his head, looking around a little more. "No sign of anything out here."

A crackle of static came over the comm, and another voice joined in the conversation. "The scanners are set. If anything comes within range, we'll know about it."

"Good job, Pyro," the Rebel officer replied. "Is there anything else out there that needs to be done?"

Luke started to reply when a small explosion took off close by. He jerked on the reins, and his tauntaun mount rumbled in its chest. He patted her neck again, frowning. "There's an explosion close by me, maybe just a meteor, but I'm going to check it out."

"Sounds good," Han Solo - X-Man alias Pyro - replied, and out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw his friend gallop away on another tauntaun. "I'm headed back now. I'll be ready to report then. Pyro out."

"Echo Base out," the Rebel officer reported.

The comm went dead, and the tauntaun mount reared up, making a sound of surprise. Luke frowned, leaning over her. "What's wrong, girl?" he asked softly. "Something wrong?"

There was a roar behind them, and Luke instantly turned, raising his hands, but something caught him in the back of his head.

The last thing Luke remembered was the fact that he was falling from his tauntaun's back and that he was staring up into the face of a furry white monster.

Then everything was black, and he didn't remember another thing besides the fact that someone somewhere somehow knew what had happened.