Star Wars Science Adventures 002 - Journey Across Planet X Read online

  “They have decided on space poker. I have one suggestion,” Threepio said. He turned to Forbee-X. “Don’t lose.”

  “Space poker?” Stuart exclaimed. “That’s my game!”

  “But Forbee-X can calculate odds and strategies,” Threepio protested. “She should play.”

  “Poker isn’t about knowing the odds,” Stuart declared. “It’s about playing against them. I haven’t met my match yet.”

  “I confess that I don’t feel confident about my abilities in this area,” Forbee-X said. “Perhaps we should let Stuart try.”

  Artoo whistled agreement. Threepio nodded reluctantly, and the four of them followed Granit to his cavelike dwelling.

  Stuart and Granit sat across from each other at a small round table. Granit dealt out a series of cards marked with basic symbols. Threepio didn’t understand the game, and he didn’t want to try. He just had to trust Stuart.

  Stuart studied his hand while Granit did the same.

  Forbee-X inched over to Threepio’s side. “Congratulations, Threepio. It would have been terrible to come so far only to be captured or dismantled. If we make it out of here soon, we might be able to make it to the city in time. How did you know to wager the azurite?”

  “It was fairly simple,” Threepio whispered back. “I guessed the cave dwellers were devoted to games of chance when I scanned their vocabulary. There were many expressions that had to do with betting and odds. I also saw that they wore laser dice hanging on their belts.”

  “I see,” Forbee-X said, nodding. “They most likely gamble as a way to pass the time during the many retreats they must make underground. Excellent deduction. We couldn’t have done it without you,” she whispered as Stuart slapped down a card.

  Artoo softly whistled his agreement. Granit played a card, and Stuart studied his hand.

  “I just hope Stuart is able to win,” Threepio added in a murmur to Forbee-X.

  “Well, if he doesn’t, we’re just out a chunk of azurite,” Forbee-X answered philosophically.

  Threepio gulped. He didn’t want to mention that the stakes were much higher.

  He turned back to Granit and Stuart. He couldn’t tell who was winning and who was losing. Stuart held his cards and regarded them with a face carved in stone. Granit whistled under his breath in a careless way.

  “Two turbos,” Stuart said. “Down easy.”

  “One propulsion,” Granit said. “Over and down.”

  Threepio had no idea what that meant. But Stuart looked confident, so that gave him hope. Unless Stuart was bluffing. Threepio grew nervous again.

  Granit squinted at Stuart as Stuart lay down a card. Then, he laughed. Threepio did not like the sound of the laugh. Not at all.

  Granit threw down his cards. Stuart did the same. “Full planetary system,” Granit said in a satisfied tone, using Stuart’s language instead of his native N’or. “That beats three satellites any day.”

  “What does that mean?” Threepio asked nervously.

  “It means I lost,” Stuart said, dejected. “Give him the azurite, Threepio. Then let’s get out of here.”

  Granit held out his beefy hand. Threepio placed the azurite in his palm. A second later, it disappeared into the pocket of his tunic.

  “And now, the fun begins,” Granit said. He reached into a dark corner and withdrew a long, sharp weapon.

  Threepio took a step backward as he was struck dumb with fear. He recognized the weapon as a force pike, a pole arm tipped with a vibro-edged head that could kill or stun with a single touch. The force pike was the weapon of choice of the Emperor’s Royal Guard.

  Artoo gave a soft, warning beep. Forbee-X’s screen rapidly flashed red.

  “What’s going on, Granit?” Stuart asked, edging next to the droids. “We had a deal. You got your azurite.”

  “Didn’t your friend tell you?” Granit asked. “Now you are our slaves.”

  “Uh, Threepio? D-did you leave something out?” Stuart stammered, backing away from the tip of the force pike.

  Granit leaned close to them. His black gaze was fierce and ruthless. Threepio shrank back in fear. What would he do? Destroy them? Sell them to a slave trader?

  “Looks like the Force wasn’t with you today, Stuie,” Granit said. He winked. “The princess will probably tell you not to gamble so much in the future.”

  “The p-princess?” Threepio stammered. “You can’t be ...”

  “On your side,” Granit answered gruffly. “Lucky for you.” He shook the force pike. “I got this off an Imperial during a Rebel skirmish on Romm. Princess Leia contacted me and told me to be on the lookout for three droids and a small boy. My orders are to transport you off the planet.”

  Artoo beeped a question, and Threepio translated. “What exactly is this planet? Are we still in the Delantine system?”

  Granit nodded. “This is the planet Da’nor. Unfortunately, the Imperials have taken over. Rebel operatives have all transported off the planet. My orders were to stay behind and wait for you four.”

  “So the domed city isn’t safe,” Threepio said. “Oh, dear.”

  “You’re lucky you didn’t reach it,” Granit told them. “You would have been arrested immediately. The Imperials are conducting surprise searches of all the camps around the city like this one. Every moment you’re here puts you in danger.”

  “Can you arrange to get us back to Yavin 4?” Threepio asked hopefully.

  “Sorry,” Granit said shortly. “Our ships on Da’nor no longer have that range. The Imperials have removed all hyperspace controls to keep us local and within their control.”

  Artoo whirred and beeped.

  “Do you have the range to send us to a port that isn’t under Imperial control?” Threepio translated.

  Granit shook his head. “The best I can do is bring you to the secret Rebel base on Romm.”

  “But the Princess ordered evacuation of the entire Delantine system,” Forbee-X pointed out.

  “Officially, yes,” Granit admitted. “But one faction remains to help coordinate an overthrow of the Imperials. It’s not an easy journey. Imperial troops and spies are reported to be everywhere.”

  “That sounds dangerous,” Threepio remarked nervously.

  “Staying here would be more so,” Granit told them grimly.

  “But Romm is exactly where we want to go!” Stuart said excitedly. “My father has been captured. We can form a rescue party on Romm.”

  Granit frowned. “Princess Leia didn’t say anything about a rescue party.”

  “I suggest we deal with one thing at a time,” Forbee-X said. “If Granit is correct, we must leave Da’nor as quickly as possible.”

  “Excuse me, Granit,” Threepio said politely. “Would you mind if we talked it over privately? We all have to agree on decisions.”

  “Of course.” Granit bowed and retreated out of his dwelling.

  As soon as the door closed behind him, Threepio turned to the others worriedly. “How do we know we can trust Granit?” he asked. “He could be lying about the last Rebel faction on Romm. What if he’s really an Imperial? After all, he has a force pike!”

  “I read him as sincere,” Forbee-X said.

  Artoo beeped agreement.

  “I don’t think we have a choice,” Stuart said. “We have to trust him.”

  “We can’t stay here,” Forbee-X pointed out. They all turned to Threepio.

  “Oh, all right,” Threepio agreed fretfully. “We’ll go with Granit. But don’t blame me if we get into another dreadful adventure!”

  Experiments for your own world

  1. Hot Air Power

  When Stuart and the droids escaped the desert in a balloon, they used rising hot air to get off the ground. Can you harness this power in your own room? Give this activity a spin to find out.

  Materials

  notebook paper

  pen

  scissors

  thread (heavier string won’t work)

  paper clip
<
br />   table lamp (with a shade) or desk lamp

  It must have a regular incandescent bulb. A fluorescent bulb won’t work. If you use a desk lamp, turn it upside down so that the bulb points up.

  1. Trace the pattern on the next page onto notebook paper.

  2. Cut along the curving line to make a spiral.

  3. Use a pen to poke a small hole through the dot. Tie a piece of thread to a paper clip. Push the other

  end of the thread through the hole. Hold the thread so that the paper spiral dangles.

  4. Close any open windows and turn off any fans. Hold the spiral over an unlit lamp. (See diagram below.) The spiral may turn for a minute if the thread is twisted. Wait until the spiral is still.

  5. Turn on the lamp. Wait a few seconds. What happens?

  The lit bulb warms the air around it. That makes the air less dense than the other air in the room. The heated air rises, turning the spiral as it goes.

  2. Mouth Lightning

  Crunch up some candy to create static electricity — and make some mini-lightning in your own mouth!

  Materials

  wintergreen candy (like Wint-O-Green Life Savers)

  dark room or closet

  mirror

  1. Read these directions ahead of time, because you’re going to have to do this in the dark!

  2. Go into an unlit room. Let your eyes get used to the dark.

  3. Hold a mirror in front of your face. Put a wintergreen candy between your back teeth. Try to keep it as dry as possible. Bite down on it with your mouth open. Do you see any flashes of light in the mirror?

  When you bite into hard candy, your teeth crunch the sugar crystals inside. That makes static electricity, which causes sparks to fly. The sparks themselves aren’t bright enough to see. However, they cause some gas molecules in the air to give off ultraviolet, or UV, light. The wintergreen flavoring in the candy absorbs the UV light. That makes the candy glow for a split second.

  3. Balloon Thunder

  How does lightning make thunder? This balloon experiment is bursting with answers.

  Materials

  two balloons (use stretchy latex balloons; shiny Mylar balloons won’t work)

  water

  pin

  1. Blow up one balloon. Fill the other with water.

  2. Hold the air-filled balloon away from you and pop it with a pin. Listen to the sound it makes.

  A balloon compresses the air inside it — squeezes it into a smaller space. When you popped your balloon, the air expanded again. Any time air expands quickly, it makes a loud sound.

  Thunder works much the same way. As lightning streaks through the sky, it heats the air around it to more than 43,000°F. As the air heats up, it expands superquickly — making the superloud sound we call thunder.

  3. Hold the water-filled balloon over a sink and pop it with a pin. Listen to the sound it makes.

  A balloon can’t compress water very much. So when you pop a water balloon, there isn’t nearly as much sound.

  4. Tornado in a Jar

  Twist up a tiny “tornado” that can fit in the palm of your hand.

  Materials

  empty plastic jar with lid (it should be about the size of a peanut butter jar)

  teaspoon

  dishwashing detergent

  vinegar

  food coloring

  1. Fill the empty jar two-thirds full of water.

  2. Add 1 teaspoon dishwashing detergent.

  3. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar.

  4. Add 2 drops of food coloring.

  5. Replace the lid and tighten it well.

  6. Hold the jar from the bottom and swirl it around quickly a few times. Hold it up to a light. (A brightly lit window or computer screen works well.) Watch for a funnel-shaped cloud of bubbles. If you don’t see one, swirl the jar again.

  The forces that created your “tornado in a jar” are much different than those that produce real tornadoes. However, a funnel-shaped cloud often appears in the center of a tornado. The tornado itself is an invisible tube of fast-whirling wind.

  You Can’t Break Newton’s Laws:

  The Third Law of Motion is known to Earth scientists as Newton’s Third Law. Here’s a rundown of all three of Newton’s laws:

  • Newton’s First Law of Motion: If no outside forces act on a moving object, it will keep traveling in the same direction and at the same speed. If the object isn’t moving at all, it will stay still. Forces include pushes, pulls, friction, and gravity. Almost every object on Earth is under the influence of some of these forces. But an object hurtling through space, far from any planets or stars, is free of them.

  • Newton’s Second Law of Motion: When you apply a force to an object, its speed and/or direction changes. The change is determined by the amount of force, and its direction. Even if you never heard of this law, you apply it with every move you make. For instance, anyone knows that the harder you hit a baseball, the faster it flies. And where your bat touches the ball helps determine whether you make a line drive or a pop foul.

  • Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every force, there is an equal force in the opposite direction.

  The Birds and the V’s

  Many migrating Earth birds, like Canada geese, fly in V-formation just like the birds of Planet X. Scientists think this gives them two advantages, but they aren’t sure which is more important:

  • Easier flying. As the lead goose flies, it creates an updraft behind each of its wings. Two geese fall in behind the lead bird to take advantage of the updrafts, which makes flying easier. Other geese could follow those two to take advantage of those birds’ updrafts, and so on.

  • Better communication. To avoid crashes, each goose needs to see the geese around it. Following in a V-formation allows the birds to avoid each other’s blind spots. (See diagram on the next page.)

  Four Seasons in One Day?

  Forbee-X has good reason to doubt the existence of a planet with four seasons between sunrise and sunset. For a planet to circle its sun twice in twenty-four hours, it would have to orbit incredibly close to its sun. Temperatures would reach thousands of degrees Fahrenheit — way too hot for plants or animals to survive. Liquid water would boil away instantly. A planet that close to the sun would also experience “tidal lock” — the same side of the planet would always face the sun. That means there would be no day and night. Instead, half the planet would always have daylight while the other half was always in the dark.

  In our solar system, there is one planet that orbits the sun in less than a day — Venus. But a “day” on Venus is about eight Earth months long! (Remember a planet’s day is the time it takes to rotate once on its axis.)

  Insulate This!

  Different animals use different kinds of insulation to keep themselves warm.

  • Polar bears are so well adapted for staying warm that they’re more likely to overheat than to get too chilly!

  • Since fat makes a great insulator, seals and whales have a thick layer surrounding their bodies. The thick fat keeps their body heat from seeping into the cold ocean waters. Camels, on the other hand, have to endure hot desert days. They don’t want a heat-keeping layer of fat. So they pile up their fat in a hump instead.

  The Eye of the Storm

  On average, more people are killed by lightning in a year than by tornadoes and hurricanes put together. The safest place to be during a lightning storm is inside a house or other building with plumbing or electricity. Stay away from electrical appliances and running water. Hard-topped cars and buses are also safe, especially if you sit away from the sides of the vehicle. However, a close lightning strike could cause an auto accident by damaging a car or startling a driver. So if you’re caught on the road during a thunderstorm, it’s safest to have the driver pull over until the storm passes.

  More people are struck by lightning just before and just after a thunderstorm than during the storm itself. If you see storm clouds approaching, head for safety. And don’t hea
d outside again until half an hour after the last lightning flash you see or the last rumbling of thunder you hear.

  Tornadoes produce the world’s strongest winds. The greatest danger during a tornado is from objects being thrown around by the wind. The safest place to wait out a tornado is somewhere below ground. If no good shelter is available, try to get as low as possible, like in a ditch.

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