STAR WARS: Knights of the Old Republic

Chapter 21

The submersible was only big enough to fit six people, but you really would only be comfortable with four. Despite only being three, the dark ocean depths that surrounded them made Venar feel claustrophobic.

As he steered the submersible down, he watched as the lights from the city above faded and gave way to nothing but darkness. There was nothing but water on every side. Even the ocean floor was not visible yet. He wondered how deep this ocean actually got.

"Why would a star map be all the way down here?" He asked.

"I haven't a clue..." Bastila mused. "It's possible that maybe there used to be some sort of ancient underwater structure... Or maybe it sunk to the bottom somehow."

"If these star maps are as old as you say," Juhani said, "it's possible that maybe it wasn't always underwater."

Venar hadn't considered this. Could the planet really have changed that much over time? Then again, he couldn't even fathom twenty thousand years.

"Regardless," Bastila said, "I sense these waters hold a great many dangers for us."

"A great many dangers..." Venar mocked, "Jeez you even talk like a Jedi..."

"Well I AM a Jedi," Bastila countered.

"Yeah but do you really have to talk like a Jedi?"

"Why must you be so imposs-"

"Look!" Juhani interrupted. "Down there." She pointed out the window of the submersible.

Down below, was a massive rift in the ocean floor. In ran for miles in either direction and seemed to be at least a mile wide. Inside they could see nothing but darkness. There was various types of aquatic life swimming around as they got closer.

"Can you feel it?" Bastila said in wonder. "Can you feel all the life around us in the Force? Each and every one of them unique."

Venar had to admit he felt it. It was truly special. Everything was moving and coexisting in harmony, in balance.

"This is as the Force is meant to be," she said.

"I've never felt anything like this," Juhani said, gazing out the window in amazement.

There were tons of fish and crazy looking aquatic creatures everywhere. A large whale with five fins on either side swam gracefully by, uninterested in the submersible.

"Look, down there," Venar said pointed towards the edge of the large chasm. A large underwater facility sat right on the edge of the large drop. A long glass tunnel ran from the facility across the mile wide gap to a large fenced off area on the other side. It looked like a construction site of some kind with machinery and pipes running all along the ocean floor.

Venar steered them towards the first section of the facility. As they got closer, they realized it was a research facility of some type. The lights of the facility broke through the darkness of the ocean floor. There were a strip of red flashing marker lights that indicated a path to the docking bay. He steered the submersible towards the docking lane. The lights cast and illuminated red glow on either side of them as they cruised just above the ocean floor.

"Woah did you see that?" Bastila said suddenly.

"See what?" He hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary.

"There!" This time he saw it. He could just make out a blurred shape move by one of the lights. Whatever it was it was large. Everyone got quiet and focused. He brought the submersible to an idle and sat for a moment.