Cattleya trianaei var. alba (‘White Queen’ x ‘Snow Queen’) - Repot?

[groundpounder17]

I have a Cattleya I received on 9/21/23 that looked quite healthy when I received it and seeing I have never got a bad orchid from this grower I wasn’t too concerned about the roots, but now I am.
I noticed that the roots close to the top of the sphagnum moss seems chalking. Trying to dig around and find healthy roots seems impossible so if they are there they must be deeper (but I haven’t dug too deep). From the outside the plant looks good except for the blackening of the leaves you can see in the pic (it arrived this way).
The grower claims that their plants shouldn’t need repotting until next year, but I’m concerned. Should I repot to inspect the roots? Any advice would be appreciated.

Edit: I realize it is dry and was going to water, but first deciding what I should do