Джуд Уотсон: Jedi Apprentice 7: The Captive Temple

Bant's silver eyes met each of their glances. "I was thinking about all the different attacks," she said eagerly. "They all took place near water.

Think about it — Yoda was attacked in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. The turbolift controls are by the lake. And you could reach the tech center itself through the water purification tanks."

Qui-Gon nodded. "A series of water tunnels links all the systems. I saw it on Miro's diagrams, but I didn't think the tunnels were navigable."

"They are," Bant assured him. "I use them. It's against the rules, I know," she added sheepishly. "But if I'm late for a class, it's so much faster for me to swim than walk."

"The sporting gear," Obi-Wan said suddenly. "The kit must have several breathers."

"Good work, Bant," Tahl said approvingly.

"Excellent deduction." Qui-Gon put his hand on Bant's slender shoulder.

She smiled shyly.

Jealousy trickled through Obi-Wan. He fought against it. Jealousy was not an appropriate emotion for a Jedi. Yet he couldn't dampen it, or make it go away. Bant had always trailed after him. She'd worshipped him. Now, in the short time he'd been gone, she'd grown up. Her mind was agile and clever, and she wasn't afraid to challenge him.

And Qui-Gon saw how special she was.

Obi-Wan felt a shock as he realized that if Qui-Gon didn't take him back, he most likely would want another Padawan. Was he thinking of Bant?

"Bant, can you show us the tunnel?" Qui-Gon asked. "We'll need a guide."

Bant nodded. "Of course."

"If any trouble crops up, I want you to fade back," Qui-Gon warned.

"Don't engage with Xanatos. He is extremely dangerous."

Bant nodded solemnly. Qui-Gon turned to Obi-Wan. "We'll need breathers."

"I brought some," Bant told him. "I thought you'd want to go right away."

"That was quick thinking," Qui-Gon said approvingly.

Obi-Wan trailed after Qui-Gon and Bant. Now I'm the one who is tagging behind her, he thought, entering the turbolift with them. They took the lift to the cordoned-off lake area.

"I found the tunnel entrance when I was exploring the bottom of the lake," Bant explained as they waded into the cool water. "Water is flushed through every twenty minutes past the hour, so I always keep track of time.

It's easy to get out in time, or there are plenty of places to climb to when the water flushes through."

She dove under the surface. Obi-Wan followed the trail of her bubbles.

Bant was so graceful underwater that she soon pulled ahead. When she realized this, she stopped and waited for them.

They wound through a grotto of underwater rocks. A panel was cleverly hidden in the face of a large boulder. Bant accessed the panel and swam through. Qui-Gon followed, and then Obi-Wan.

They surfaced in a large tunnel of blue tile with a ceiling that curved overhead. The water was clear and clean.

"This services the fountains and reflecting pools in the wing," Bant explained, her voice echoing against the tiled surface. "There are landing platforms every thousand meters or so. Some of them are high enough to conceal someone who wants to hide. I'll stop as we go along."

Qui-Gon nodded. Bant took a breath and dove under the water. They followed.

Obi-Wan followed Bant's waving pink-orange legs through the crystal water. She led them down tunnel after tunnel, curving and twisting throughout the Temple. They stopped at every landing platform to examine it for traces of Xanatos or Bruck. They found nothing.

At last Bant surfaced at a place where a wide main tunnel narrowed and fed into three smaller tunnels.

"This feeds into the water purification tanks," she said as she bobbed.

"We've seen everything. I guess I was wrong." Bant looked discouraged. "We should head back."

"It was a good deduction, Bant," Qui-Gon told her kindly. "And we haven't disproved it yet. We didn't find anything. That doesn't mean that Xanatos wasn't here."

Qui-Gon treaded water, surveying the area. "What's that?" he suddenly asked, pointing to a recessed area to one side.

"It's too small to be a landing platform," Bant said. "I think it's a service area for the purification tanks."

Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon's powerful stroke toward the recessed area. The Jedi hoisted himself up on a narrow ledge, water streaming down his tunic. Obi-Wan followed, and Bant easily vaulted up behind them.

Qui-Gon worked his way along the ledge. It ran alongside the side tunnel for a time. Then it ended in a sheer wall. From here they could hear the hum of machinery.

"We're close to the purification tanks," Bant said.

"But why would the ledge just end?" Qui-Gon wondered. He bent to examine the curving wall on one side. "Here. There's an access panel," he said. "Bant?"

Bant eased past Obi-Wan. "I see it," she said excitedly. Her fingers ran alongside the edges. She pressed something, and the curved panel slid open.

Qui-Gon stepped through. When Obi-Wan followed, he saw that they were on some sort of service platform that was suspended above the water in the durasteel purification tank. A narrow, tiled staircase led down to the water below.

Qui-Gon strode to a corner. He bent down to examine a servo-tool kit and some items stacked against the wall.

"They were here," he said.

Obi-Wan felt something that began as a whisper, like a soft breath against the back of his neck. The disturbance in the Force was muffled, and he couldn't quite place it. But Qui-Gon looked up, his keen eyes alert. His gaze met Obi-Wan's.

Yes, his eyes seemed to say, as they had said many times when he was his Master. / feel it, too, Padawan.

Then the muffled disturbance escalated to a roar. Below them the water parted, and a black form rose. It was Xanatos.

Xanatos was perfectly still, waist-high in deep water, suspended by the Force without kicking or moving his arms. His wet black hair flowed to his shoulders and his sharp blue eyes, as clear and cold as ice crystals, gleamed in the dim light. Watery shadows sent flickering patterns across his black tunic.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had already activated their lightsabers. They stood waiting.

But Xanatos didn't move to engage them. He smiled.

"It took longer than even I imagined for you to figure out it was me,"

he called mockingly to Qui-Gon. "That noble head of yours can be so thick.

Foolishly, I continue to give you credit for some intelligence."

Qui-Gon stood easily, his lightsaber activated but held loosely at his side. He did not appear to be in attack position, but Obi-Wan knew his fight- ing style well. If Xanatos were to spring, Qui-Gon had only to shift slightly in order to meet the attack.

Qui-Gon didn't answer Xanatos. His face was a study in composure. He didn't appear to have heard Xanatos at all.

Obi-Wan knew they could not attack while Xanatos remained in the water.

If they jumped in after him, their lightsabers would short out if the activated lasers came into contact with water. Xanatos knew it, too. Perhaps that was why he taunted Qui-Gon, goading him to attack.

"You don't even answer me?" he called. "Still holding a grudge? What a hard heart you have, Qui-Gon."

"I wasn't aware we were having a conversation," Qui-Gon answered. He moved forward a step. "That was always the way with you, Xanatos — you prefer the sound of your own voice."

Obi-Wan saw a momentary flush on Xanatos' cheeks. Then he laughed. "How tiresome you are, Qui-Gon. Your petty taunts still miss their mark. You never were very clever. And you still rely on children to do your work. You never would have figured out the water tunnels on your own."

Suddenly, he flew through the air in a great leap, propelled by the Force. His black cape streamed water as he activated his lightsaber in the blink of an eye.