Chapter 3
Reaching to his lower leg, Qui-Gon touched a thick tentacle coiled around his foot. Snaking out through a hole in the tunnel wall, the tentacle tugged in ankle, drawing him into the gap. Some broken stones from the foundation lay below the hole. Despite the creature’s attack, Qui-Gon did not react with violence. It was in his nature to be empathetic to all life-forms. When he had been a Padawan, his tendency for kindness had often confounded his own Master. In the underwater tunnel, Qui-Gon found himself wondering, If I lived quietly e’ in, a hole somewhere, how would I like it if some large organism came crashing through my home?
Suddenly, the tentacle relaxed its grip and vanished into the gap in the tunnel wall. To Qui-Gon’s amazement, he heard a soft, alien voice echo in his mind, responding to his own thoughts: I apologize for attacking you, strange creature. I mistook you. for a large fish. You are welcome to swim these waters, But be careful of the current.
Behind his breather, Qui-Gon Jinn. smiled. Thank you.
Leaving the creature behind, - Qui-Gon swam on through the underwater tunnel. As he propelled himself through the darkness, his thoughts turned to Adi Gallia. Because she had rescued him some time ago, Qui-Gon believed he owed his life to her. But he also knew it was not the time to contemplate the past. The Jedi Master cleared his mind and swam faster. A. steady, mechanical thumping sound grew louder as he moved forward. He paused to listen to the sound, and realized that although he’d stopped swimming, he was still moving at a steady pace through the tunnel; Caught in its powerful current, he was being dragged deeper into the darkness. Qui-Gon wished he had paid more attention to the tentacled creature’s warning. The mechanical thumping became increasingly louder. Battling the current, he extended his arms and legs, trying to brace himself within the tunnel; Unable to get a grip on the smooth, slick tunnel, he was dragged onward. In an explosive surge, Qui-Gon was launched out of the tunnel in s concentrated waterfall, spilling him into a wide circular silo. Tumbling through the air and falling water, he splashed down into a deep pool at the base of the silo. The thumping sound was nearly deafening, echoing off the silo walls in thunderous booms. Like a gigantic drain; the water churned and swirled around-Qui-Gon, dragging him below the surface. Underwater, he realized the cause of the horrendous noise; At the base of the silo, a giant hydraulic propeller spun rapidly, drawing the water down and circulating it in the factory’s moat. Qui-Gon knew the great propeller would slice him to ribbons unless he could escape the silo; Struggling against the downward flow, Qui-Gon; broke the surface of the pool. Pounded by water falling from above, he swam for the silo wall. The inner silo appeared to be lined with thick layer of ferrocrete, a mixture of concrete and steel-like materials bonded at the molecular level. Like the tunnel, the slick walls allowed no purchase. Looking up to the top of the silo, Qui-Gon saw a maintenance hatch.
The hatch was illuminated by several greenish-yellow glow rods that dangled from a narrow beam. Qui-Gon considered throwing his compact grappling hook to the glow rods, but with both arms busy keeping him abovewater, he knew it would be a difficult effort. He also knew his breather’s air supply was nearly exhausted. Another possibility occurred to him, Saving his energy, Qui-Gon let himself be pulled beneath the surface. As he drew closer to the propeller, he concentrated on the spinning blades, visualizing them bending and twisting as they rotated. A loud cracking sound followed, then the propeller wobbled in its fixed setting. Using the Force, Qui-Gon! had turned the machine’s power against itself. The result was an underwater explosion that shook the interior of the silo and shattered the propeller. Large bits of shredded metal sailed past Qui-Gon in a rush of bubbles as he broke for the surface With the propeller’s destruction, the steady thumping sound ended and the water level began to rise. As the rising water carried him to the top of the silo, Qui-Gon quickly reached the hatch. Grabbing the wheel-shaped opening mechanism, he turned hard; The rusted wheel crumbled in his hands as the water continued to rise. He was trapped!
Qui-Gon tried concentrating on the hatch’s unseen inner tock mechanism, but he found it difficult to remain calm. The rising water would soon be over his head. The Jedi Master’s hand reached for his light - saber, tore it from his belt clip, and activated the blade. With a single, circular swing, he drove the lightsaber deep through the metal hatch. Then he deactivated the lightsaber and threw his weight hard against the center of the hatch, pushing it through its damaged frame. As the battered hatch crashed onto the floor of the next chamber, Qui - Gon leaped headfirst through the hole. A loud crunch sounded from his belt as he landed within a dry chamber. He had accidentally crushed his own comlink. Qui-Gon quickly rose to his feet and lifted the hatch’s wreckage. He jammed the cut metal back in the hole just as water began to spill into the chamber. With the hatch sealed, Qui-Gon removed his breather and inspected his new surroundings. He stood in a large subterranean chamber. Dimly illuminated by glow rods, the stone-wailed room smelled of dust and decay. In the center of the chamber, three tall pillars rose from the stone floor to the brick ceiling.