The battle ended suddenly with a deathly hush of fear and uncertainty amongst my enemies. Moments earlier they had been throwing themselves with abandon against my personal shields, burning and bleeding as my force blades sliced and reformed under my minds command. Now the dyybuks stumbled about without purpose, while the birds fluttered about the roof space of the old warehouse as though blind. Behind me, the sickly red growths that clung to the walls and columns of the building shuddered and became still, emitting a fetid sigh that trailed away into silence. I stumbled to my knees and caught my breath, but keeping a wary eye on the warped and animated flesh that circled around me. For a moment there was silence, but then building slowly, was replaced by a low hum or murmur. I spun around trying to locate the source, but it seemed to be all around me. The sound grew louder and louder, changing in tone and character till became a terrifying shriek. I stumbled to my feet and ran towards the open doors of the warehouse, pushing dyybuks aside till I was outside and in the warmth of the midday sun. The screaming behind me pitched into a desperate wail, a cacophony of tortured sounds and anger, culminating into a mighty shout. Now there was only the sound of the wind, hissing through the long grass. A bird squawked on a nearby perch, eyeing me with a diseased eye, but not making any threatening moves. Looking over my shoulder I could see the windows of the warehouse flicker briefly before fading into darkness. Now a great weariness overwhelmed me and I sank to the ground. I lay there for a while, replaying the recent battle in my mind. Something momentous had happened to distract the Enemy, something that had taken its attention elsewhere. It was a train of thought that was only broken when my communicator chimed softly on my wrist. I looked up and saw my old runabout hovering in sky before me, not the mindless drone that Clan Mother Jiram had imposed on me. I did not stop to wonder how my loyal ship had come to be here, or why the drone had ignored my pleas for help. I ran immediately towards my ship as it settled gently to the ground, to be cocooned by its force fields and walls of impenetrable Lumina. Later, after resting, eating, and resting again, I dressed in clean clothes and ventured out again towards the lair of the Enemy, this time with the considerable firepower of my small ship. A few hapless dyybuks stumbled out to meet me, but they acted purely from instinct, making it easy for me to destroy them. Inside the warehouse, the alien growths had shrunken and faded, but still exuded the malice and unnatural aura I had seen in the laboratory below Candor City. I remembered the human bodies hung there with revulsion and anger, and without any thought brought the weapons of my ship to bear. There was a brief flash, and the last remains of my enemies were annihilated; only later did I recognise the terrible consequences of that act. -- Sylenia ny Kleneptra ny Hybritta hept Zilaerion Rendered in Cinema 4D R14 Original space craft model created in C4D. V4 figure in Psyche Outfit with Neftis Sharon Hair. Faded Industry building by Stonemason. Zoom for best results, comments appreciated.