“Briefing in my wardroom, thirty minutes, ” he announced to the bridge. “I want preliminary encounter data from all teams at that time. And I want the commanders of the landing teams present. “
“Did you get it? ” Lando asked Lobot eagerly.
“We could not help but ‘get it, ‘ ” said Lobot. “The same pattern was broadcast at multiple frequencies along the energy spectrum, and not only monitored by active receivers, but induced in passive circuits. “
“Is it the same as the Hrasskis signal? It sounded like it to me. “
Artoo-Detoo chirped a short, emphatic response.
Threepio straightened himself to a formal standing posture before translating. “Artoo reports that if he allows for the missing and distorted sections of the original recording, the probability that the new signal is identical is greater than ninety-nine percent. “
“So we’ve filled in all the blanks? That’s something. Do you recognize the language now, Threepio? “
“No, Master Lando, ” Threepio said with a convincing emulation of regret. “Although I am fluent in more than one thousand languages and codes which employ single-frequency vibrations as meaning units, this does not match the syntax of any of those methods of communication. “
“Blast, ” said Lando. “I think Pakky’s about to send in the landing teams, and we still don’t know what that ship’s been trying to say to us. Keep working on it, everyone. We’ll talk more when I get back. “
The captain’s wardroom aboard theGlorious had not been built to accommodate as many bodies as were crowded into it. By the time Lando arrived, there was no room left at the table, and all but one of the auxiliary seats along the walls were occupied.
The vacant chair was directly behind Pakkpekatt, who was seated in the middle along one side of the oblong table. Lando opted to leave the chair vacant, settling instead for standing in front of the panels where the ship’s history was recounted.
“We can begin now, ” Pakkpekatt said, indirectly acknowledging Lando’s presence. “I’d like the report from the tracking team first. Keep it succinct. “
“Yes, sir, ” said a slender officer seated to Lando’s right. “Close approach was twelve-point-zero-zero-one kilometers. Initial target response occurred point-eight seconds after close approach and lasted six seconds. Secondary target response occurred six seconds later-“
“Not long on patience, are they, ” Lando said.
Two officers laughed, then immediately looked sheepish.
“-and resulted in an aborted jump of two-point-eight kilometers along the flight vector. “
“Nor am I, as a rule, General Calrissian. If you could confine your comments to matters germane to this meeting-“
“I think the quick trigger these folks have shown is absolutely one hundred percent germane, ” Lando said. “Whatever the meaning of that signal we all heard, they don’t wait very long for the right response on our part. We’d better be awfully sure of ourselves the next time we cross that line. “
“Thank you for your thoughts, General, ” Pakkpekatt said in a decidedly ungrateful tone. “Was there anything else, Agent Jiod? “
The slender officer shook his head. “Only that by all appearances, the hyperspace entry and exit of the target were indistinguishable from those of a ship equipped with our standard Class Two fusion engine and motivator. “
“Very good, ” Pakkpekatt said, glancing meaningfully at Lando. “Report of the scanning team, please. “
“There were a total of twenty-eight distinct variances and events detected by the combined sensor array during the encounter. The six we’ve been able to identify… “
Leaning his broad back against the plaque, Lando suffered silently through six more reports before Pakkpekatt called for the one which most concerned him.
“Foray commander, your report on team readiness. “
The foray commander, Bijo Hammax, was one of the few officers under Pakkpekatt’s command for whom Lando still had any respect after a month’s exposure. Technically astute and mentally tough, Bijo had been a member of the Narvath underground and fought with the Alliance regulars through the last year of the Rebellion.
“The team is as ready as can be, ” Bijo said, standing slowly. “We’ve identified two suspected hatchways and a couple of candidate sites in case we have to cut our way in. Of course, we’ll take active soundings right off the hull as soon as we have the cofferdam up, and be ready to adjust accordingly. I’ve got one man down with a cold and not fit for work in a suit, but that shouldn’t affect our ability to do the job. “