The vibrations from the explosion had damaged the sensors that watched for catastrophic failures. The clamps that held the pylon to the ship blew away, and the pylon sank rapidly into the darkening depths of the sea. Several small plugged holes popped open under the increasing pressure of the depth. Water flowed in, eliminating any pressure differential between the exterior and the interior of the pylon. Consequently, the pylon was not crushed by the water pressure as the depth increased.
The pylon continued to sink till it hit the ocean floor, where it caused an enormous splash of slow-moving mud. Inside, the lithium fluoride cooled enough to start to solidify. The pylon settled into a quiet state of equilibrium.
The radiation level around the pylon rose slightly. The sparse plant life
