Star Wars_ Death Star - Michael Reaves [150]
71
E-2T MEDSHUTTLE 5537
Dance dropped into the pilot’s seat and fired up the central processor. The heads-up display appeared.
“Sublight drive up,” he reported. “Now, if someone’ll just open the door …”
It took only a couple of seconds for Door Control to query over the comm: “E-Two-Tee Medical Shuttle Five-Five-Three-Seven, why are you powering up?”
Dance looked at Uli. Uli activated the comm.
“This is Dr. Kornell Divini, op number 504614575. We have an emergency pickup.”
“Transmit your orders, Doctor.”
Uli looked at Dance. “Do it, Vil.”
Dance sent the file.
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES, DEATH STAR
The hardwired comm line lit. Atour picked up the headset. “Flight Control,” he said.
“Flight Control? The comm station must have given me the wrong connection. Sorry.”
Atour blinked. “Who are you trying to contact?”
“The library. This is Lieutenant Esture. We just had a droid we were examining do a firmware meltdown and we need to talk to its supervisor.”
“Sorry I can’t help you, Lieutenant—we’re kind of busy here.”
“Right. Out.”
Atour broke the connection and began to sweat. This was bad. They’d recheck the number and call again. If he didn’t answer—and he had to answer, in case it was Bay Door Control—they’d know something was wrong, and they’d be sending somebody to have a little talk with him right away. Droids that suddenly went blank were rare enough that they’d suspect tampering. Add that to a comm number that was misconnected more than once, and even an Imperial officer could do the math.
How much time did he have? Minutes, if he was lucky. Seconds, more likely …
The comm lit again. Atour activated it. “Flight Control.”
“Flight Control, this is Bay Door Control Five-Seven-Five-Four-One. We have orders for departure of an E-Two-Tee Medshuttle.”
Atour tried to sound bored. “Order number?”
The tech read off the code. Atour counted slowly to three. “Ah, yeah, here it is. That’s a valid number, Control. Let ’em go.”
“Copy that, Flight Control.”
Atour shut down the comm and leaned back in his chair. Now if P-RC3’s programming continued to work, the ship would be away in a moment or two, and if anybody tried to stop it with the rigged tractor beam—which they might, because Tractor Beam Control wouldn’t have a copy of the ship’s order in its computer any more than the real Flight Control did—then, in theory, the beam wouldn’t work and they should fly free.
In theory.
In any event, there was nothing else he could do now. He rose and stepped away from his desk. If Teela Kaarz’s evaluation of the danger was correct, and if the Rebels could read the plans well enough to spot the design flaw—both entirely reasonable assumptions—then the Death Star might have only a few minutes more of existence left to it. If that indeed proved to be the case, he knew where he wanted to spend those last few minutes.
Atour walked into the stacks until he was surrounded by shelves of various data storage. Tapes, chips, disks, even books. As always, it comforted him to be encompassed by knowledge. He sat down on a bench.
A pity he would never write that book. The destruction of the Death Star would have made a powerful final chapter. Ah, well … perhaps someone else would put stylus to screen someday and tell the tale.
Atour smiled. He took a deep breath of the musty air.
He was content.
COMMAND CENTER CONTROL ROOM, DEATH STAR
Tarkin stood watching the planet/moon graphic as the orbit around the world came closer to being complete.
Vader had taken out his elite TIE squad and knocked off several of the Rebels, though that hadn’t been necessary. They couldn’t hurt this station. Nothing could.
An operations lieutenant approached. Tarkin looked at him. The man was obviously worried. He said, “We’ve analyzed their attack, sir, and there is a danger.”
Danger? Impossible!
“Should I have your ship standing by?”
Tarkin stared at the man. “Evacuate? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances.” He turned back to watch the graphic.
Cut and run just as they were about to wipe out the head base of the Rebellion?