The blue metal door slammed home. The locking bolts clunked into place. The outside world was sealed away from the soft white and blue interior of the Spirit of the Deep River. Zenya greeted Alisandra with a cool stare. "You should have made an example of that human female, now they will think of us as weak." Alisandra did not answer and walked onwards to the control room at the centre of the ship. "You should have at least disarmed them, now we are all in danger." Alisandra stopped and turned on her companion angrily. "One more crime to add to my long list of crimes against the humans?" Her face was icy now. "I caused the deaths of millions of humans, destroyed their way of life and cut them off from their own kind. I did this because it was only way to stop the Enemy from spreading deeper into inhabited space. Allow me this one indulgence of not taking another innocent life." Zenya nodded and extended a hand towards the door at the end of the corridor. A table and a number of seated Lazloi dominated the room beyond the door. Some rose to greet Alisandra but she waved at them to sit. A relief map glowed in the centre of the room, showing the area of Calton's Bluff in one corner and a range of uplands and mountains in the other. Younger Lazloi were talking amongst themselves while manipulating various lights and shapes around the map, while the senior members of the crew were conferring over glassy displays and notes perched on their knees. "We were concerned for your safety sister Alisandra," said one of them looking up from the conversation. "Were it not for the vigilance of the ship, you might have been killed. Will you allow this challenge to go unpunished?" "I will sister Rianaea," said Alisandra, ignoring Zenya's side-glance at her. "I seek their cooperation, not their fear." Rianaea put her display to one side. "If it serves our purpose-" "-it does." Alisandra turned to the display and reached into it with her right hand. "I have learned there are caves and ravines here where many of the warped animals congregate. Some of the older humans died or disappeared in these locations. We will investigate them as soon as possible." Zenya stood beside Alisandra and looked across the markers that now floated on the map. "We could destroy them from afar, we have enough reserves to obliterate the whole mountain range." "We would not know for sure that we destroyed them all, and we would learn much if we could capture one of them alive." Alisandra raised her voice and turned to address the whole room. "We cannot approach them directly with the ship, they would simply vanish and go elsewhere. We must disguise ourselves and accompany the humans out to the lairs. Since the enemy sees through its dyybuks and the birds, they will not see the deception until it is too late. We will send the ship away and then call upon it when we are sure we have found them." Rianaea raised a chiselled eyebrow. "Who will go on this mission, sister Alisandra?" "I will," replied Alisandra firmly, "and any of my sisters who wishes to volunteer." -- The map room on the 'Spirit of the Deep River' V4 figures in the Space Dweller outfit and Xurge Nano Suit, both with custom textures. Nabia hair and Embrace hair. Space craft created in Cinema 4D. Scene rendered in Cinema 4D R12 Visualise. Thanks for looking, comments appreciated.