"Empty," the Sergeant in charge finally declared in surprise. "Check the cockpit." Several troopers made their way forward and slid the portal aside, only to discover the pilot’s chairs as vacant as the rest of the freighter. The controls were deactivated and all systems shut down. Only a single light on the console winked on and off fitfully. The sergeant moved forward, recognized the source of the light, and activated the appropriate controls. A printout appeared on a nearby screen. He studied it intently, then turned to convey the information to his superior, who was waiting by the main hatch.
That worthy listened carefully before he turned and called down to the Commander and Vader. "There is no one aboard; the ship is completely deserted, sirs. According to the ship’s log, her crew abandoned ship immediately after lift-off, then set her on automatics for Alderaan." "Possibly a decoy," the Commander ventured aloud. "Then they should still be on Tatooine!" "Possibly," Vader admitted reluctantly.
"Several of the escape pods have been jettisoned," the officer went on.
"Did you find any ’droids on board?" Vader called.
"No, sir—nothing. If there were any, they must have abandoned the ship along with the organic crew." Vader hesitated before replying. When he did so, uncertainty was evident in his voice. "This doesn’t feel right. Send a fully equipped scanning team on board. I want every centimeter of that ship checked out. See to it as soon as possible." With that, he whirled and stalked from the hangar, pursued by the infuriating feeling that he was overlooking something of vital importance.
责任编辑：mman
