=Lake Paonga, just outside Otoh Gunga=
An hour after Arin laid her head back on her pillow, Kloré had retrieved them, and they tiptoed past an unguarded door to make a clear, unhindered trip to the home of Tayla Gar. Now they plunged through a hydrostatic wall in her six-seater amphibious transport, headed into the depths of Lake Paonga, which would connect them to the underwater river system flowing into Theed.
Arin couldn't see much past Tayla Gar's pinkish ears, or fins, or whatever they were. Arin wanted to ask but she didn't want to look rude. She was the smallest of the group, so she sat sideways, partially on Zade's lap, who was squished next to Naia and Kel-Ani. Halyon and Moraye sat in the front, crammed between Kloré, who was copilot, and their Gungan driver.
"Wesa through," commented Tayla Gar. Her voice was high, and when she spoke it was like water pouring into a tall glass, smooth and always bubbling higher. "'Tis called a bongo, this ship wesa in. Now, through the tunnels wesa gonna be travelin'. 'Tis the fastest way to Theed. Yousa younglings okie-dey in the back?"
"We're fine," grunted Naia pleasantly as she squirmed in her seat.
"Hey," protested Zade.
"Is not supposed to be drivin' with thissa many and no restraints," Tayla said. "So yousa best not be tellin' nobody 'bout this."
"Don't worry," assured Kloré, determinedly staring ahead, "nobody's going to know about this little adventure of ours." Then she twisted around to look at the younglings in the back. "You have three hours, and we'll be back in bed in Otoh Gunga before sunrise. Just research! If any of you get hurt…" she sank back in her seat, "…oh, I'll be done for."
"Relax, Klorie. Everything will be ju-u-ust fine. Mesa pick you up in perfect timing when yousa finished. Whatcha researchin'?"
"We have to do some research for the Jedi about someone," Naia piped up from the back.
Arin had to look up through the bubble window above them to see out. It was mostly dark aside from light scattered by the bongo's headlights. No light given off by the city reached them now. They sank deeper and deeper, and a giant rock face loomed before them, swallowing them as they entered a narrow cavern.
"Wesa gettin' deep in the abyss now."
Arin shuddered. The caves were dark, and goose bumps prickled on her arms. It was colder down here, too.
They rode along, weaving in and out of cavernous tunnels. They emerged at last into a wide trench.
"Uh oh!" said Tayla, jerking the steering wheel suddenly.
A massive eel with huge claws and fangs slithered away, recoiling from the headlight beams. Arin gaped. Finally, her whole reason for coming here: a giant fish.
"Wesa almost ran into a colo clawfish," Tayla exclaimed. "Hope that one's not too hungry, otherwise wesa might be becomin' dinner…"
"Colo clawfish…" Arin repeated quietly.
"There's your fish. Now you can die happy, Arin," said Kel-Ani dryly.
"Shush. We're not gonna die here," said Zade, grinning at Arin.
"Right," said Kloré. "We're about to begin our ascent back to the surface any minute now. We'll have to follow one of the Solleu River's underground tributaries."
"The river that runs through Theed is fed from underground entirely, right?" Moraye asked.
"Not entirely, but mostly," said Kloré. "There's a lot of hills, but the whole planet's pretty flat for the most part. You saw from the shuttle yesterday. Okay, here we go."
In about twenty minutes the bongo breached the surface and rocked to a halt, floating on a still side-canal between two tall walls. Arin assumed these were buildings, and when the hydrostatic bubble sifted away to expose them to the night air, she looked around to see that she was correct.
They leapt off the transport after Tayla Gar guided them to a dock, and constructed a hasty plan. They'd meet back in two hours exactly, just to ensure they made good timing. Wishing each other luck, the group split and departed.