Star Wars_ The Black Fleet Crisis 03_ Tyrant's Test - Michael P. Kube-McDowell [143]
“But the orrery was destroyed.”
“Perhaps not rebuilding it was a choice, not a necessity.”
“All right,” Lando said, gesturing with both hands. “Let’s go find out.”
When all four members of the quartet were clinging somewhere on the auditorium’s inner face, the chamber’s outer face once again underwent the transformation to a great transparent panel. Once more they found themselves suspended in space, looking down on the sphere of a planet, and beyond it to the disc of a blue star.
“What’s going on here?” Lando cried in dismay. “Lobot, what did you ask for? This is a different planetary system. I don’t want a tour of the astrographic catalog.”
“I believe your first impression has misled you,” said Lobot. “This is the same system.”
“The hell it is. Look, that planet is an iceball,” Lando said. “It looks like Hoth.” He shook his head. “Oh, blast—this must mean the vagabond didn’t make it home.”
“I think you are mistaken,” said Lobot. “Artoo, scan and analyze. Compare with your recordings of our first visit to this chamber.”
“Oh, come on—the other planet had two moons,” Lando said. “I don’t have to have an analysis module to see that there aren’t any moons.” Lando squinted at the orrery. “But there is something there, in orbit. Something tiny.”
“The moons could both be eclipsed from our perspective.”
The astromech droid squawked briefly. “Pardon me, Master Lobot,” Threepio interrupted. “Artoo-Detoo says that the principal elements of this display are identical in both absolute and apparent size to the one we previously viewed.”
“I told you,” said Lobot. “Lando, what we saw the first time was Qella as it was when the vagabond last saw it. What we see now is Qella as it now appears.”
Threepio resumed his report as soon as Lobot stopped speaking. “Artoo also says that there is no correspondence in size, number, or orbital configuration between the minor elements of this display and the earlier one—”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you,” said Lando. “If that’s Qella, where are the moons? This isn’t of any use to us. It’s a one-size-fits-all planetarium show.”
Artoo began chirping more urgently. “Artoo says, however, that he can identify four of the minor elements,” Threepio reported. “The largest and closest of them is—”
“—is this ship,” Lobot exulted. “Lando, it’s a real-time tracking display—a scale model of the neighborhood, including this vessel.”
“What? Artoo, illuminate this object you’re talking about with your laser pointer.”
“It’s right there in front of your eyes,” Lobot said. “It’s just small—I said scale model. Threepio, what are the other objects Artoo can identify?”
Threepio nodded formally. “Of course, sir. The other objects are all orbiting the planet. In increasing order of size, they are a New Republic Engineering orbital relay satellite, a SoroSuub PLY-Three-thousand, and a Dobrutz DB-Four starliner—”
“Just a—SoroSuub Three thousand? That’s Lady Luck!” Lando shouted, punching the air with a fist. “I can’t believe it—we’re going to get out of here! Where is she? Artoo, illuminate Lady Luck—show me where my lovely lady is—”
The request was lost in the sounds of exuberant rejoicing coming from the droids and reverberating off the faces of the chamber.
Only Lobot did not join in the celebration. “Lando, please—wait,” he said. “There’s still something very wrong.”
“What are you talking about?” Lando said, letting go of his handhold and drifting down in front of Lobot. “Our ride is here. All we have to do is ask the vagabond to sheathe her claws and then call Lady Luck alongside. Food, a hot shower—gravity—”
Lobot shook his head. “Lando, please listen—you were right. If this is Qella—if this model is accurate enough to show us objects the size of an orbital relay satellite, in enough detail for Artoo to identify it—where are the moons of Maltha Obex?”
“What’s our strategy?” asked Colonel Hammax, studying the tracking display over Pakkpekatt’s right shoulder.