The days following the confrontation between Fenix and Kai passed with deceptive tranquility aboard the Montclair vessel. While the younger expedition members recovered from their duel and settled into the comfortable routines that the advanced ship provided, two of the veteran team members had dedicated themselves to a far more complex challenge than any training regimen could offer.
Captain Lyralei and Thorne had made Alfred Montclair their primary study subject.
The interrogation began casually enough. Veteran warriors who had survived several expeditions possessed finely tuned instincts for detecting deception, manipulation, and hidden agendas. Alfred's polished courtesy, his too-perfect responses, his mysterious knowledge of vessel operations that transcended normal pilot training - all of it triggered warning signals that experienced soldiers learned to trust above diplomatic protocol.
