CARL

“What do you think he is up to?” Lisa asked.

Decha had dropped them into their cells again, just sweeping away his problems under the rug. Carl pressed into the corner again. How did you fight a man who conjured portals at will?

“Eyy, did you hear me?” Lisa asked.

Carl stirred awake. “Maybe, I was just thinking.”

“You do that a lot. Maybe a bit too much. I prefer taking action instead of this, instead of thinking. Thinking things through just gets too boring. Better to grab the issue by the balls and squeeze.” Lisa said. “And twist, of course. It hurts people real good.”

That streak of insanity, sometimes she seemed normal, but from time to time that craziness bled through the cracks. It could be jarring, but maybe that was just what they needed right now. A bit of action, insane action.

“Whatever he plans to do, he will spend a lot of his energy and fuel to perform it,” Carl suggested. “Then we strike.”

“Well, last time he tossed us through one of his goddamn portals. That would complicate things,” Lisa said. “What if we could stop that? Only one of us needs to reach him. And if he is too worn out, there will be no more portals to save him.”

“We need some chaos and conflict to take his mind from us,” Carl said.

-

Decha was not a nice person, but he was predictable. Something in the back of his mind wanted to show off every new feat he performed. That was the reason new portals opened, pulling them inside, Carl leaned into a roll as he hit the floor again, like last time. He finished the movement and stood up. Lisa stood right behind him, her distinct, cold presence letting him now she was fueling her manifestation.

“So, Decha, how are you doing?” Carl asked.

The bridge was full to the brim with crew, not just bridge officers were gathered but other crew from all over the ship. Something grand and bold would take place and Decha would of course be smack in the center of it.

“Carl, Carl, Carl. You are too impatient,” Decha. “Sometimes one needs to take it slowly and experience the situation fully. I have been thinking and resting, my deposits have been restocked and my newest plan is bolder and grander than ever. You will witness of course, and when the fighting starts you will fight. With teeth and claws. Since, this time we will win thoroughly or die trying. Whatever. This battle, my feat, will echo throughout mankind’s history.”

“You really have a knack for dragging it out. Making it fucking boring,” Lisa said. “Get on with it or portal me back to the brig.”

The stare Decha gave her could have cut into flesh. “Captain, have your men aim weapons at that woman.”

Laser rifles were raised and aimed towards Lisa, who snarled at them. With a single command, she would be bombarded. Carl tensed his hands into fists, with the sweetness trickling into his mouth. He would be ready, the opportunity would be brief. If only the laser beams would not take them down before he cut the distance between him and Decha.

“Stay your fire, Carl. There will be plenty of hostiles to vent yourself against. Real, plenty. Witness me,” Decha said. “Captain, give me the current coordinates of Amanda’s body.”

Decha inhaled deep, widened his feet and closed his hands into fists.

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Soon.

“Captain, the coordinates. Give me them,” Decha said.

The Captain’s face had gone cold, scared. Something was wrong, something had foiled Decha’s plan. Would the opportunity not present itself? Carl’s hands relaxed, his shoulders not as leaned forward.

“I. Don’t. Amanda’s body tracker has gone dark, sir,” the Captain said.

“They must have found her body,” Decha said. “Send the last ones. The ones that you showed me yesterday. We will just have to wing the position, they must have a destination in mind. Captain, calculate if there are any planets close to the coordinates. Carl, Lisa, we might be asking more than we can bargain. You will need to stand ready. I am unsure what will come out of that portal.”

Come out? So, he was not bringing their dreadnought through, but he was actually pulling something through to them? The Final Sight? The situation might still turn into their favor. He exchanged a glance with Lisa, she nodded back. They were ready.

“There is one planet in the vicinity of the coordinates. Here you go,” the Captain said.

Decha smiled with that smugness of his. “Thank you, Captain. Everyone, be battle ready.”

Decha closed his fists tighter, his eyes closed. A drop of blood slipped through his strained lips as the taste of iron rushed into his mouth. He extended his fists up and forwards, towards the bridge’s view screen. A large dark spot came to life, hanging in space in front of their ship. It grew. Decha’s arms shook, his hands started to open. The dark spot erupted into a violent swirling cloud. A portal, but it’s event horizon grew and kept growing.

Carl met Lisa’s eyes. “What is he doing?”

She shook her head.

The portal was larger than the one that he had created when pulling the dreadnought through.

Decha roared.

That was not the corvette that was being pulled through the portal. A goddamn planet. An entire planet was being pulled through the event horizon.

Decha’s roar transformed into a squeal, his face turned pale and he fell to his knees.

This was the moment.

Carl leapt forward, his barrier of molten rock flowed across him as sweetness flooded his mouth. Magma pooled inside his hands. Laser beams impacted his barrier, but sizzled only against his fire. He grabbed Decha by his throat, the pulsing veins underneath his hands giving him courage. He slammed the Asian down against the floor, face up. Decha’s focus slipped, his power was out. His face was so pale. How much blood had he used?

“What have you done?” Decha coughed, blood trickled from his mouth. ”I give you this gift. I hope you use it well. Saif will praise my doings! I have given him the spark he needed!”

“Die!” Carl yelled, streams of magma flowing over Decha’s throat and head, the Asian man squealed in agony as the magma burned him.

Carl stumbled back. Decha’s burnt corpse lay still, the remnants of its skull blackened and still smoldering.

“We have a problem,” Lisa said, the crew was dead on the floor around her. That was the reason the laser beams had stopped impacting on him. Lisa held out a hand to him.

Carl accepted the help, getting to his feet again. “What did he mean with that?”

“Look.” Lisa pointed to the main view screen.

The portal had closed, but parts of the planet had gone through. The portal had sliced off an entire piece of the planet and the piece was flying towards them.

“Oh,” Carl said, throwing the pilot’s corpse away from the helm, there was an ice shard through the pilot’s skull. He sat down into the seat. “I am not a pilot. Did you really have to kill the pilot, too?” His fingers went across the control board, trying to find something to help them.

“He looked menacing,” Lisa said. “It is difficult to focus when laser beams are blasting at you. Fuck you.”

The piece of the planet closed in.

Carl sighed. “Alright, alright. We know that the main drive cone is still crippled. But there has to be smaller, steering boosters. For quick side-maneuvering.”

“You have no clue, have you?” Lisa asked.

“No!” Carl yelled, frantically clicking on the right buttons. “Nothing is happening!”

Lisa walked to a corner and sat down, her ice barrier growing thicker. “Brace for impact, ‘Captain.’ Or something.”

“We will crash into the building, by the side of our ship. There will be battle. Brace for impact,” Carl opened a ship wide channel. “Brace for impact! Prepare for battle!”