Naiade oil painting

The Rebel Alliance had established an outpost on the ice world little more than amonth before. Luke was well-known on the base and, although barely twenty-threeyears old, he was addressed as Commander Skywalker by other Rebel warriors. Thetitle made him feel a bit uncomfortable. Nonetheless, he was already in the positionof giving orders to a band of seasoned soldiers. So much had happened to Luke andhe had changed a great deal. Luke, himself, found it hard to believe that only threeyears ago he was a wide-eyed farm boy on his home world of Tatooine. The youthful commander spurred his Tauntaun. "Come on, girl," he urged. The snow-lizard's gray body was insulated from the cold by a covering of thickfur. It galloped on muscular hind legs, its tridact1 feet terminating in large hookedclaws that dug up great plumes of snow. The Tauntaun's 1lamalike head thrustforward and its serpentine tail coiled out behind as the beast ran up the ice slope.The animal's horned head turned from side to side buffeting the winds that assaulted itshaggy muzzle.