precious time

Luke wished his mission were finished. His body felt nearly frozen in spite ofhis heavily padded Rebel-issue clothing. But he knew that it was his choice to bethere; he had volunteered to ride across the ice fields looking for other lifeforms. Heshivered as he looked at the long shadow he and the beast cast on the snow. "Thewinds are picking up," he thought. "And these chilling winds bring unendurabletemperatures to the plains after nightfall." He was tempted to return to the base alittle early, but he knew the importance of establishing the certainty that the Rebelswere alone on Hoth. The Tauntaun quickly turned to the right, almost throwing Luke off-balance.He was still getting used to riding the unpredictable creatures. "No offense," he saidto his mount, "but I'd feel a lot more at ease in the cockpit of my old reliablelandspeeder." But for this mission, a Tauntaun—despite its disadvantages—was themost efficient and practical form of transportation available on Hoth. When the beast reached the top of another ice slope, Luke brought the animal tohalt. He pulled off his dark-lensed goggles and squinted for a few moments, justlong enough for his eyes to adjust to the blinding glare of the snow.