"It's the horizontal turbolift," Bant said, horrified. "It's going to crash!"
Obi-Wan saw everything in a flash, but with the clarity of slow motion.
The turbolift ran horizontally high above, crossing above the lake and surrounding trails. Normally, it was hidden from view by the glare from the giant illumination banks. But a portion of the lift had fallen through its shaft, knocking out a bank of lights.
"The repulsorlift engines must have blown," Obi-Wan guessed. "It's hanging by a thread."
"That turbolift links the nursery and care centers for the younger children to the dining halls," Bant said, her eyes on it. "It could be filled with children." She wrenched her eyes away.
"I don't have my comlink," Obi-Wan said quickly. "It was damaged on Melida/Daan."
"I'll go," Bant decided. "You stay in case… in case it falls."
Bant streaked away. Obi-Wan knew she was heading for the comm unit at the entrance to the lake level. He could not tear his eyes from the turbolift. The shaft swayed slightly. Any moment it could plunge into the lake below.
But the turbolift held.
He couldn't stand around and do nothing. Obi-Wan scanned the tech area overhead. He hadn't realized what a maze of catwalks it was. If the children could climb out of the turbolift, they could escape over the catwalks to the tech service level….
The thought flashed across his mind and he sprinted toward the tech door hidden in the foliage. He burst through and pressed the button for the vertical lift tube. Nothing happened. Obi-Wan turned and saw a narrow staircase heading up.
He took the stairs two at a time, his legs pumping, his muscles tiring as the long climb went on. Still he did not falter.
At last he burst out onto the top level. A tunnel led to a series of doors marked with numbers: B27, B28, B29, and on and on. Which door would lead to a catwalk closest to the damaged turbolift?
Obi-Wan paused. His heart was beating furiously. He wanted to charge ahead, but he would waste precious time if he didn't think this through. He oriented himself to the floor below, picturing where the turbolift hung.
Then he quickly walked down the tunnel past the doors until he felt he was close to where the lift would be. He pressed the button marked access on door B37. The door hissed open and he stepped out onto a small landing.
The turbolift still hung precariously out in the middle of the giant space. If he followed the catwalk, it would bring him close to the part of the shaft that was still intact. He could cut a hole in it with his lightsaber by leaning over the catwalk railing. Then he would have to hoist himself into the shaft and walk a short distance to the turbolift.
If the shaft didn't break free because of his weight..
Obi-Wan knew he would have to take the chance. Peering over the catwalk, he could see that Bant hadn't arrived with help. If the service lift tube was out of order, perhaps the comm unit was as well.
Quickly he moved down the catwalk. Massive illumination banks surrounded him. Peering through them, he could see the glint of the lake far below. Even the tallest trees seemed impossibly small from this height.
When he reached the area of the shaft that curved close to the catwalk, Obi-Wan powered up his lightsaber. Carefully and slowly, he carved an opening in the shaft. He did not want the peeled metal to fall back into the shaft itself. Then he returned his lightsaber to his belt.
He climbed over the railing. Now there was nothing between him and the lake hundreds of meters below. He could not hear any noise from the turbolift, but he felt the ripples of distress and fear. He could sense that children were trapped inside.
Obi-Wan slid himself halfway into the shaft. Without letting go of the railing, he tested his weight. The shaft didn't wobble, or make a noise. It would hold him. He eased off the catwalk, ready to spring back if the shaft began to swing. But it didn't move.
He would have to move slowly. If he ran, the vibration could jostle the shaft and it could break free. Obi-Wan closed his mind against the dark lake below, the image of trapped children falling. He began to walk. The shaft was dark, and he activated his lightsaber for illumination. Ahead he could see the bulky form of the turbo-lift. As he drew closer, he could hear the deep voice of a Jedi caretaker and the occasional murmuring of the children.
His progress was agonizingly slow, but he reached the turbolift wall at last. He tapped on it.
"It's Obi-Wan Kenobi," he called. "I'm in the turbolift shaft."
"It's Ali-Alann," the deep voice said. "I am the children's caretaker."
"How many are inside?"
"Ten children and myself."
"Help is on the way."
Ali-Alann's voice had not a trace of nerves in it. "The repulsorlift engines malfunctioned one by one. Only one holds us. The comm unit is not working. The escape hatch will not open. I don't carry a lightsaber."
Obi-Wan knew what Ali-Alann was telling him. The last repulsorlift engine could go at any time. They were trapped.
"Keep the children away from this wall," Obi-Wan directed him.
Again moving more slowly than he liked, Obi-Wan cut a hole in the turbolift wall. The metal peeled back but did not separate from the lift itself. Good. Obi-Wan held his lightsaber like a torch. The glow revealed the upturned, serious faces of the children and the evident relief on Ali-Alann's face.
"We have to move very slowly," Obi-Wan told Ali-Alann, then shifted to a low voice so that the children would not overhear. "The shaft is precarious. I'm not sure how much weight it can hold."
Ali-Alann nodded. "We'll bring them out one at a time then."
The process was agonizingly slow. The children were all under four years of age. They could walk, of course, but Obi-Wan thought it better to carry them. Ali-Alann handed him the first child, a small human girl who trustingly wound her arms around Obi-Wan's neck.
"What's your name?" he asked.
Her red hair was braided in coils around her head, and her brown eyes were serious. "Honi. I'm almost three."
"Well, Honi-who-is-almost-three, hang on to me."
She pressed her head against his chest. Obi-Wan walked back down the shaft. When he got to the opening, he held Honi against him with one hand and reached out to grab the catwalk railing with the other. It would require perfect balance to make the move to the catwalk.