Star Wars Science Adventures 002 - Journey Across Planet X

  Special thanks to Charles Doswell of the National Severe Storms Laboratory, Frank Heppner of the University of Rhode Island, Raoul Lopez of the National Severe Storms Laboratory, John Rojie of The Pennsylvania State University, David Rothstein of the University of Michigan, Mark Semon of Bates College, and Frank Summers of The American Museum of Natural History. Thanks also to SuperScience magazine for help with the Star Wars Science Activities.

  The protocol droid See-Threepio peered out the viewport of the damaged escape pod. The long night was over; and a new day was beginning.

  “It’s getting light outside,” he said, relieved. Then Threepio realized that it was time to exit the pod. Although the close quarters were cramped, he still preferred them to the perils that might lie on the unfamiliar planet.

  “Actually, it’s not that bright yet,” he added quickly.

  “Forget it, Threepio. I say we take off, pronto.” This voice rose from the padded gee-couch, where twelve-year-old Stuart Zissu had been sleeping. Now he jumped up and began to buckle on his survival belt.

  Astromech droid Artoo-Detoo let out a short whistle, then beeped.

  “Review our situation first? I’d be happy to, Artoo,” Threepio said. “We’ve crash-landed on a strange planet after being lost in space. The only thing we know for sure is that we’re still in the Delantine system. The last message we received on the comlink was from Princess Leia, who told us to get to the nearest settlement to make contact with the Rebels. We have to do it within forty-eight hours or we’ll be stranded, because the princess has ordered the evacuation of Rebel forces from all planets in the Delantine system. So we don’t know where we are, where we’re going, or who to contact, but we have to do it fast. In other words, we’re doomed!”

  Artoo gave a long warning whistle.

  “I don’t possibly see how I could be any more cheerful than I am,” Threepio replied. “Considering that I’m lost, in terrible danger, and dented, to boot.”

  “If you don’t stop complaining, I’ll take a boot to you, ” Stuart said, exasperated. “It’s time for action, not whining!”

  Everyone knew Stuart was anxious about his father. See-Threepio, Artoo-Detoo, and the research droid Forbee-X had been accompanying Governor Zissu and his young son to the planet Delantine when they’d been attacked by an Imperial warship. Governor Zissu had been captured, and the rest of them had just managed to escape in the pod.

  Unfortunately, the controls of the pod had malfunctioned. They had barely made it through an asteroid field before crash-landing on the strange planet. They were certain that the pod had been sabotaged by a double agent back on the Rebel base at Yavin 4. Luckily, they were just able to get this information to the princess before all communication had been cut off.

  “Now, now, everyone,” Forbee-X spoke up. She wheeled forward from the comer. “Threepio is right — we should get moving. And Artoo is right, too. It’s best to review our options before we start.”

  “I didn’t say it was time to get moving,” Threepio protested, waving his arms. “As a matter of fact, I think it might be best not to move at all. Maybe we should wait for the Rebels to find us.”

  Stuart ran his hands through his rumpled dark hair. “We know what we have to do,” he said crisply. “We saw a city to the south as we were landing. So let’s move!”

  Forbee-X wheeled forward. The blue screen in her egg-shaped head flashed, then changed to a warm rose color. “Stuart, I know you’re anxious to rescue your father. But the best thing we can do for him right now is be careful. If we start off in the wrong direction, we could waste precious time.”

  Stuart’s freckled face flushed. “But we’re wasting time now! We’ve already waited eight hours because you didn’t want to travel while it was dark.”

  “And you needed rest,” Forbee-X reminded him gently.

  “But now we only have forty hours left!” Stuart exclaimed anxiously.

  Artoo rolled toward Stuart. He gave a series of beeps and whirrs.

  “Artoo doesn’t want to waste any more time, either,” Threepio translated. “But he thinks we should head for that river we glimpsed as we landed. It’s to the east of us, so we should head in a southeasterly direction.”

  “East?” Stuart asked in disbelief. “But that will send us off course!”

  “Artoo has a good point,” Forbee-X said thoughtfully. “Settlements are usually built beside rivers, Stuart. It could be the most direct route.”

  “But what about the weather?” Threepio asked worriedly. “Yesterday, the temperature dropped alarmingly. The climate might be too cold for Master Stuart.”

  “The temperature dropped because the sun was setting,” Stuart protested. “It was warm when we landed.”

  “But it could change at any time,” Threepio reminded him. “Remember yesterday, when the leaves suddenly dropped off the trees all at once? This planet is strange, I tell you!”

  “You’re exaggerating!” Stuart exclaimed.

  They both turned to the viewport. The sun shone on a blanket of fallen leaves outside.

  “You see?” Stuart said. “Cool and clear. Perfect traveling weather.”

  But just as the words left his mouth, the sky turned dark gray.

  Suddenly, it began to snow.

  “You see!” Threepio cried triumphantly. “It’s a blizzard! We can’t possibly go out.”

  “It’s not snowing that hard,” Stuart protested. Artoo beeped and whirred.

  “I agree, Artoo,” Forbee-X said. “Let’s gather whatever supplies we can before we start.”

  Threepio wheeled to face Forbee-X. “Wait a minute. You understood Artoo!”

  “I’ve been compiling bits of his vocabulary since the start of the journey,” Forbee-X answered as she hooked a finger around a supply box and lifted the lid.

  “I see,” Threepio said. He felt a little jealous that Forbee-X could understand Artoo. Threepio had always been the one to interpret whatever his friend was saying. After all, Threepio was the droid with language skills. Did Forbee-X have to take the lead in everything?

  Because the crash landing had scattered all the supplies, it took some time for Stuart and the droids to locate everything they would need and load it into transport packs.

  Finally, they were done. “Do we have everything?” Forbee-X asked. “Condenser unit, glow rods, medpac, macrobinoculars? What about the fusion cutter?”

  “Artoo took it and went outside,” Threepio said. “He also said he was going to pack the parachute we used for the landing. He said it would make a good blanket for Stuart if the temperature drops at night.”

  Picking up the survival gear, Stuart, Forbee-X, and Threepio exited the pod. Outside, Artoo was busy using the fusion cutter to unscrew the bolts in the hull of the pod.

  “Artoo, what are you doing?” Threepio asked. “We can’t take the whole pod with us!”

  Artoo loosened the last bolt. Then he pulled a curved sheet of metal off the frame of the pod. Forbee-X quickly rolled forward to help him lower the sheet to the snow-topped ground. Artoo used the drill feature of the servodriver to poke a hole at the top of the sheet, which was still in the shape of the hull.

  “I see,” Forbee-X said approvingly. “Very good, Artoo.”

  “Very good what?” Stuart asked. “I don’t get it. What’s Artoo up to?”

  “Well, it’s fairly obvious,” Threepio said airily.

  “Then fill me in,” Stuart said.

  Threepio didn’t have a chance to answer which was lucky, because he had no idea what Artoo and Forbee-X were doing. Forbee-X p
lucked a supply pack out of Stuart’s hands and placed it on the sheet of metal.

  “You see?” Her screen flashed a quick rainbow of colors, something she did when she was excited. Artoo threaded a piece of carbon-spun rope into the hole he had made. “It’s a sled. This way we only have to drag the supply packs, not carry them.”

  Stuart circled the sled as Forbee-X piled on the rest of the supply packs. “It still looks heavy,” he observed doubtfully.

  Forbee-X’s screen flashed the micrograms of the sled’s weight. “Even at this weight, a small droid like Artoo should have no trouble pulling the sled,” she said. “The friction between the sled and the snow —”

  “Friction!” Threepio interrupted excitedly. “I remember that concept! But when we were heading into the planet’s atmosphere, you told us that friction slowed things down.”

  “Right,” Stuart agreed. “You said that the pod rubbed against the air to produce friction, which slowed the speed of our descent. So if Artoo’s sled rubs against the snow, won’t that slow it down, too?”

  “That is true,” Forbee-X said. Her screen flashed, and a diagram appeared. “Look!”

  “There is friction between the sled and the snow,” Forbee-X explained. “But if you look at the diagram, you can see that it’s quite low. That amount won’t slow down the sled.”

  Artoo beeped and whistled. Threepio was just about to translate when Forbee-X spoke up.

  “Yes, Artoo, we’re ready,” Forbee said.

  “I was just about to say that!” Threepio cried.

  “Wait, you guys!” Stuart called. “Look at this!”

  Stuart pointed to an animal that seemed to be frozen on one of the pod wings. It looked like a lizard, except that it had wings that folded back against its body. Its skin was iridescent, shining colors of green, yellow, and purple. Stuart picked it up gently.

  “I can feel its heartbeat,” he said. “But it’s so cold and still.”

  “That’s because it’s a cold-blooded creature,” Forbee-X said.

  “Cold-blooded?” Stuart asked. “I’m surprised its blood isn’t frozen solid.” He held it against his body, trying to warm it back up.

  Forbee-X’s screen shimmered uncertainly, then resolved into its usual cool blue. “Maybe I shouldn’t have used the term cold-blooded,” she told Stuart. “It’s more correct to say that the creature is an ectotherm. You, on the other hand, are an endotherm — sometimes called a warm-blooded animal. Look.”

  “But it doesn’t seem to be working,” Stuart said worriedly. He stroked the skin of the lizard. “The lizard feels so cold!”

  “The temperature is too low for it to survive, I’m afraid,” Forbee-X said. “That’s why it’s so strange to find it here. Maybe it got snared in the pod wing as we flew over a warmer climate. My guess is that if it doesn’t return to its home climate, it will die.”

  Stuart reached into the medpack and withdrew a piece of bandage. He made a sling around his neck and slipped the lizard inside, next to his chest.

  “Are you sure you want to do that, Stuart?” Forbee-X asked. “The lizard isn’t very large, but we’re going a long way. Carrying him could tire you out sooner.”

  “I’m not leaving him,” Stuart said firmly. “Hopefully it will get warmer as the day goes on. Right, Forbee?”

  Forbee-X’s screen flashed a wintry gray as the snowfall suddenly thickened. “I certainly hope so,” she murmured.

  But it didn’t seem to get warmer. Artoo rolled ahead of them, dragging the sled full of supplies. The snow became a dense white curtain, and they soon lost sight of him.

  “Artoo!” Threepio called. His words were snatched by the wind and tossed back at him.

  “Don’t worry, Threepio,” Forbee-X called cheerfully. “Artoo won’t get lost. He has the electrocompass.”

  Time passed in a blur of snow and wind. A weak sun struggled out from behind a cloud and beamed its feeble rays down on them. Stuart stumbled, exhausted from pushing through the wet snow.

  “I think we need to rest!” Threepio called to Forbee.

  Forbee-X stopped. She contracted her legs and settled into her sitting mode. Her egg-shaped head rotated. “I’ve been taking temperature readings. It’s warming up. And the snow is starting to lift.”

  “That’s good news,” Threepio said, peering ahead for Artoo. He saw his compact friend still moving at the same steady pace. “Oh, there’s Artoo, thank goodness,” Threepio continued, relieved. “We should tell him we’re stopping. Artoo! Artoo!” he shouted.

  But just then, as Threepio watched in horror, Artoo fell through the ground and disappeared!

  “Where did he go?” Stuart shouted.

  “I don’t know! I don’t know!” Threepio repeated, waving his arms.

  Forbee-X extended her legs again and began to move in Artoo’s direction. Threepio ran next to her. Suddenly, Forbee-X’s arm shot out to slow him down.

  “The temperature has warmed and then chilled, making this surface very dangerous,” Forbee-X said, walking across the snow at a fast clip, but testing every step. “Can you feel that icy skin on top of the snow, Threepio?”

  “Yes, it’s very slippery,” Threepio said, his arms windmilling furiously as he fought to keep his balance.

  “My hypothesis is that when the temperature rose, the top layer of snow began to melt,” Forbee-X explained. “When the temperature dropped, the melted snow froze again. When it refroze, it became a hard crust of ice on top of the other snow. Unfortunately, the crust was not hard enough to withstand the weight of the sled. So Artoo crashed through and fell in a drift. We could not have foreseen this. It happened with surprising speed! On Delantine, a crust like this would normally form after a sunny spring day followed by a freezing cold night. Don’t worry. We’ll get him out!”

  As they drew closer to where Artoo had disappeared, Forbee-X called his name. “Artoo? Where are you?”

  They heard a faint beep.

  “He’s all right! Thank heavens,” Threepio said.

  “Don’t move,” Forbee-X warned. “Stuart, you’re the lightest. We’re going to tie a rope around your waist. We don’t want to lose you, too. Lie flat and squiggle yourself over the ice until you can see Artoo.”

  “All right,” Stuart agreed. He untied the sling and handed the lizard to Threepio. “Will you hold the lizard?”

  “Anything,” Threepio said. “Just hurry!”

  Forbee-X lifted one leg, then the other. Spikes shot out from the bottom of her feet. She planted herself in the snow. She took hold of the rope that Stuart had tied around his waist. It would serve as a safety line. Then she handed Stuart another rope and kept the other end. That rope would be used to haul Artoo and the supplies out of the crevasse.

  Inch by inch, Stuart slithered over the ice-encrusted snow. Any moment he expected to crash through the ice. He could feel it shifting beneath him. But at last he reached the lip of the crevasse. Cautiously, he eased his head over the side.

  “Get you out in a second, Artoo!” he called. He tossed the rope down to Artoo and watched while the droid tied it to the sled and made sure the supplies were lashed securely. Then Stuart gave the thumbs-up sign to Forbee.

  Forbee-X pulled up the sled, hand-over-hand. As soon as it hit the lip of the hole, Stuart hauled it over the edge and pushed it back on the ice toward Forbee-X and Threepio.

  “Now for Artoo,” Threepio said.

  Artoo clasped the rope with his pincer claw. Forbee-X settled herself into the ground and pulled, using all her strength. Artoo slammed against the side of the crevasse. Snow cascaded down on his head. Artoo beeped indignantly.

  “Careful, Forbee!” Stuart called. “We don’t want to bury him! Go slower.”

  With beeps and whirrs and one long whistle, Artoo finally appeared over the edge of the hole. Stuart reached out and grabbed him. Together with Forbee-X, he pulled him over the edge. With a shrill whistle, Artoo landed on his side.

  “Hang on, Artoo,” Stuart said,
grinning. He righted the droid, and Artoo rolled to safety, beeping furiously.

  “It’s all right, Artoo,” Threepio said, hurrying toward him. “It’s just your dignity that’s hurt.”

  Forbee-X’s antennae rose. “It’s getting warm. And look at the trees! How curious. It’s like instant spring!”

  Only minutes before, they had been trudging through a heavy snowstorm. But now, green buds were appearing on the trees. The snow was melting beneath their feet and turning to mud. Threepio saw wildflowers in the meadow ahead, as though they’d sprung up in mere minutes.

  Stuart turned toward Threepio. “I’ll take the lizard back,” he said.

  Threepio eased the sling from around his neck and handed it to Stuart.

  “Let’s continue,” Forbee-X said. Her egg-shaped head rotated, her circuits clicking. The warmth of the sun would soon dry the mud, and the temperature was rising a few degrees a minute. It was perfect traveling weather, with a clear blue sky and not a cloud in sight.

  But a moment later, a shadow fell over the sun.

  “Well, that’s curious,” Forbee-X murmured.

  They all looked up. The dark cloud separated into individual shapes. Wings flapped in unison, accompanied by a distant caw caw.

  “Birds,” Stuart said. He took out the macrobinoculars to study them.

  “What huge creatures,” Forbee-X observed. “They’re almost as big as bonegnawers.”

  Threepio shuddered. “Oh, please don’t mention those terrible creatures. Their huge, teeth-filled jaws can crush boulders, let alone a droid. If those creatures are anything like bonegnawers, I say we lay low.”

  Artoo beeped a “yes,” and Forbee-X nodded.

  “No sense in attracting attention,” she agreed. “Do you see those rocks ahead? They could provide cover. I suggest we —”

  But Forbee-X didn’t get to finish her thought. Suddenly, the lizard that had been dormant in the sling poked its head out of Stuart’s jacket. It emitted a series of earsplitting shrieks.

  “Will you get that thing to quiet down?” Threepio hissed.