Through Emanuel’s Eyes
According to one of the screens, the temperature inside our protective bubble has increased 5 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just from the heat of the tip of his blade piecing out the barrier.
Cid twists his body like spring, contracting more and getting the coils close together and tight. He places the shield in front of him, and it's clear what he is going for. His crunched body relaxes and launches his body like a missile toward Crimson. The shield rams into Crimson's body, and they are sent flying across the deck to continue their fight.
The Cosmic Swaller is chasing us on one of the floating screens. My hand gestures in the air, and the screen moves to the front so I can see it better. Cid trusts me to continue our plan as he handles Crimson, but I need to keep an eye on him. A small orb with a camera inside pops out of a far console. It flies into the air and follows Cid's fight. A new screen appears, showing me everything in real-time.
We barely made it out of our last fight. No matter how much he preaches, he’s not handling this alone.
Okay, it's time to multitask. My mind goes to one of the many lessons my Father taught me to take over the business. I was sitting in this very chair. He hovered over me from behind. He didn’t smile much, but his eyes were gentle, his tone stern but caring.
“The key to multitasking is staying in control.” He told me. back then “Don’t let your mind tunnel and clear tasks to free your mind's bandwidth. Though that doesn't mean stay ridged. At times you mind may wonder to another thing you need to do. That isn't bad, but you need to push past it to something you can finish right away. What’s your first task?”
First, I want to ensure I am keeping pace with the Cosmic Swaller. If we are to slow, we will get caught in its gravitational pull. Then its munches us up. According to the number on screen, that beast is faster than our ship. We are fighting its speed and the gravitational pull. So wee need to pick up pace.
I revert all non-essential energy to the engines. i then widen the sals and activate the spell woven in them. Solar sails grab on the cosmic winds in space. Dad would say they are the universe's energy moving about. The Source swaying in space. The sails catch them like wind and push us forward. The speel in them focuses the Source to the sails. If we can't catch a draft, we make one. We are moving so much faster now, but the Swalller is still faster. I need to find a route out of here.
Father taught me about Pocket Hopping. Many fractures in the universe, or Pockets as people have come to call them, connect random stretches of the universe together. They act as a tunnel of light that Solar Sails can ride on and travel light years in seconds. The best part is no time distortions. Seconds stay seconds, so they are a lifesaver in cargo delivery.
No one knows how they are made, but companies have come to map them out as they are permanent and always lead to the same location. This is one of the reasons our company has done so well. We have Pockets all around the colony, all leading to different locations.
Pocket B-E-L 498 is our best bet. It is close by and leads far away from the colony. It was a pocket meant to lead to other pockets so the Swaller may be led far from the colony.
“First tasks are done, but that doesn’t mean slow down.” I hear him say.
"I wasn't planning on it," I replied to him when he taught me this.
"I know, you were never a slacker, but better said than not."
"Yes, sir."
“Check on the constants while setting up for task two.”
A new screen pops up, and it’s of Cid and Crimson. I saw their fight earlier when we were in the hangar. Cid is strong. He claims to be a god, but he's just a bag of slime. Credit where credit is due, Cid is one of the best fighters I have ever seen. The way he took down the mutated Grul is something I’ll never forget. I don’t think there is anything on the colony that he can’t beat.
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He will lose to Crimson.
That maniac is a diffrent beast. The stories about him spread far when he came to our colony. An outside mercenary, Crane hired. A man wanted by the kingdom, which explains why he took the job. Crane doesn't have any royal title, but he has a lot of money, and now, with my family gone, trade routes. A lot of lords will strike deals with him, earning him special treatment. Keeping Crimson safe from the law and free to continue his rampage.
Crimson slashes at Cid faster than anything Cid throws out. I don’t care how many melt scratches my family's shield gets I’m glad he has it. That thick piece of metal as it is the only thing keeping him alive. Make sense as it was made for battle and used in great Sala Green War my great grandfather fought in.
I need to find an opening to help him. I lock on to the Pocket that works best as it's already in the ship's database. The issue lies in the Cosmic Sealler, or rather, the effects of it traveling here. A series of floating rocks, bits of ship from its rampage, and anything unlucky enough to get caught in its gravitational pull flies with it. Sudden turns or, let’s say, a ton of lasers shooting at it, dislodging these chunks of junk out of its pull.
This has created a debris field right in the Pocket's path. So, add dodging pieces of garbage that can damage the ship to the growing list of tasks.
Next is calculations. The ship scans a head and creates a map of the debris field. I need to find a path to the Pocket where the ship would statically take the least amount of damage. The ship does much of the heavy lifting regarding the numbers, but I still have to feed it the right data to produce accurate calculations.
I glance at the screen and see Cid wide open for an attack.
“Grip the floor!” I shout. I see slime threads pierce the deck and anchor him down. I flip the switch, turn off the inertia field, and make a hard turn.
Crimson moves sideways. Right where Cid has a crystallized fist waiting for him, Crimson falls into the hit. I suddenly turn on the switch, sending him flying down the deck and into a wall. I flip the switch back on, and Cid already feels it. He rushes forward, trying to capitalize on the moment I handed him.
The ship highlights the safest path on the screen. Perfect. It says we should make it to the Pocket before the Swaller can reach us. Barring anything drastic happening, we will make it out alive. I need to up our odds in any way I can. With a few clicks, I have the ship's autopilot on, and it is headed down the route to the Pocket.
"What risks are worth taking." I hear my Father ask. We were still running the simulation of me steering the ship.
"The ones that get what we want," I said, assured of myself.
"Not if it risks your life." He scolded back.
"But If we take this route, we can make the delivery."
"And you put your crew and, more importantly, yourself at risk."
"But I can win."
"I never want you risking your life like that." He kneeled down to me when he said that. "Don't treat your life as something you can toss away. You matter more than any delivery. You matter more to me. So don't risk it."
He meant those words. My Father never hid his feelings, just never expressed them openly often. So that moment caught me me by surprise, but it made me happy to hear it.
"I won't, Father," I said to him that day. I'm sorry, Father, but I know what I need to do.
I turned to Fiend, and he had already read my mind. We nod as I hop out of my chair and grab my batons in each hand. Fiend jumps to the tip of my Batton, and with all my force, I throw him at Crimson’s back. I leap off the banister toward our foe.
Fiend tail slams his tail into Crimson, embedding his spikes into his back. I follow up with a hit to his side, sending him stumbling.
I land next to Cid. His body is scratched, and I see lines of burnt slime on him. Yet he still stands tall, holding the shield tight.
“You shouldn’t be in this fight.” Here Cid goes, another lecture.
“You need our help,” I reply, holding my weapons up.
“I need you flying this ship.”
“It’s fine. It has autopilot?” When I say that, Cid glares at me. Is he really giving me that look even though this is a life-and-death situation? The “ I grew up Rich Rich” stare
We are brought back to the moment as Crimson tries to slash up at me, but Cid pulls me back as he jumps out of the way. The bottom trim of my shirt is burnt now.
I feel it, though. If we work together, all three of us will have a chance to beat him, even if I have to use my twin blasters.
"Now, what's the most important thing to keep in mind? " my father told me as the simulation ended.
"To never assume," I replied.
"Correct as a universal law that never fails looms over us all. If things can get worse. It will before it can get better."
The ship shook as something above punched a hole in our barrier and crashed into the deck. Wood splinters bounce off my protective spell as I hold Fiend, shielding him from the shockwave. Over me, blocking the major pieces of wood from impaling me, is a dome of slime.
Two slime eyeballs pop out in front and stare at me as Cid talks.
“You okay?” He asks, worried.
“We’re okay. What was that? Cid returns to his regular size as we see Crimson next to an escape pod that crashed into the ship. My heart sinks as I see him helping Crane out of the ship. The second he notices us, he takes a blaster out and fires.
