The portal closed behind me with moments to spare. The fetid stench of corruption was replaced by the cool and sterile air of my ship, the whispered threats of the Great Enemy substituted by silence. The room was still. After what seemed an eternity, the floor shook beneath my feet. My ship followed its instincts and lifted momentarily from the ground. In the distance, the soft hum of machinery pitched lower in tone as power directed towards lines of force that now protected me. I could have asked for a view of the outside, but I knew what I had done and needed no further record of its consequences. I could not leave anything to chance, for I was certain that had I left a greater margin of time or held back from using the greatest power, the Enemy might have escaped. As it was with mere seconds to spare, I had unleashed a cataclysm so great that no conceivable hiding place or form of defence could have survived. Knowing that the Enemy would have concentrated itself to provide the strongest defence, it also placed itself within a sphere of total annihilation. This prize will come at terrible cost. The planet itself would have trembled under such a hammer blow. In the coming weeks and months, the nearby star will become obscured, blotted out by dust and debris from the yawning crater dug miles into the crust. Weather patterns will change, temperatures will drop, crops will fail. This act of destruction will reverberate for centuries. My companions believe I am dead. For now that perception is for the best, as there are other things I must do. They will grieve and depart soon, eager to escape this wounded world and join the struggle that has engulfed our kind. I take a deep breath and relent, asking the ship to show me a view of the horizon. A mushroom cloud fills the sky, so tall that it reaches into space. The sky already begins to darken, while the clouds feeling the planet’s pain, release their rain in unending torrents. --- Alisandra ny Hybritta ny Karaenia An original space craft model created in Cinema 4D R16 Visualise. Buildings by Stonemason. Rendered in Cinema 4D. Zoom for maximum pixel goodness. Thanks for looking.