ã€ŠNew to Magicã€‹


 Prologue

    Prologue

    This story all starts in an alternate reality in the distant future where space travel is a daily occurrence. Magic became the dominant power source after all the non-renewable fossil fuel sources were used up. With more and more people being educated in magic and starting to believe, thus started a magical renaissance. The masses found themselves able to learn and manipulate it. Humanity began to expand through space with the now more flexible power source. They began to colonize and explore space in all directions. During the humans, expansion through space, they encountered various races of humanoid beings. Elves, giants, trolls, fairies, and other strange beings were themselves spreading through the stars.

    Ninety-eight percent of all races had learned how to wield one or more of the five elemental affinities. Humans were the most advanced in the magic arts and so the dominant lifeforms in general. The human mages were born gifted with three elemental affinities more often than any other race. On top of that, their magic wells (the amount of magic power they could store within themselves), were also far greater in size.

    Some humans in their arrogance of the power they held tried to subjugate the other races after many magic battles and wars humanity established themselves as the dominant race of magic users. They managed to use their superior power to be the ruling force to all the races in known space. Thus, starting the Imperial Order to control all the know space. Only after hundreds of years the different races started to work together and co-existed to a point. If small skirmishes broke out between two races regardless of who, the Imperial Order would step in. Peace was always forced between any fighting factions by the human ran Empire.

    Only after hundreds of years, humans started to accept co-existing with different races of beings. It happened only after finding they could procreate with most of the other species. Much like they did their races of colour from the past and truly became multi-cultured. The human hybrids usually kept some of the dominant traits of both parents and furthered interspecies relationships. Many of the influential politicians considered themselves puritans and refused to co-habituate with any of the other races. Unfortunately, many of these humans were powerful mages who held high places in the Imperial Order. Still, it was becoming less of an issue for other races to hold office in the new stronger Imperial Order. For hundreds of years, they had an easy time overpowering the other races with their stronger and more abundance of magic.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The human dominant Imperial Order ruled supreme, that is until they encountered the Titans. During explorations after crossing a vast expanse of space they explore further into another universe they called Unknown Space. They found a race of colossal giants, standing between sixty to seventy plus meters tall (197- 240 ft.). Their weight almost doubles that of your average size ratio to that of a human being. Their skin is tougher than any plate steel found on old Earth. The fact that they were found to be one of the two races known to hold no magic was insignificant because they were the embodiment of magic. For their size, weight, and skin density they were stronger and could move much faster than one would imagine. The ships that made the voyage were escorted back into the Imperial Order space, and a few Titans joined them to start diplomatic talks before being granted access to Titan occupied space, aka Unknown Space.

    It was during this time rumours of some elite mages tried to subjugate a few Titans co-existing on a large planet. That is when they found out about the Titan¡¯s ability to nullify magic. Both sides found after the magical attacks that Titans could nullify magical power around them. Most magical attacks didn¡¯t even tickle their skin before fizzling to nothing. The Titans once attacked found a reason to retaliate against the puny human mages. These few Titans thought they should be the gods of the Imperial Order. Thus, started the five-year Mage War. These different series of events leads to where this story truly begins.

 Chapter one In Space a Future Brews

    Chapter one

    In Space a Future Brews

    The solar system had a supernova star with only one habitable planet in the entire system, Bella Grande. It was beautiful, covered by deep blue oceans, seas and large bodies of water. Most of the landmasses were covered by a sea of grass-like plants. There were also large forests that dotted the countrysides. Most of the trees here were rather like that of coral than actual trees of Earth. They grew extremely tall but very slow since it takes thousands of years to grow. Unlike most trees found throughout the known galaxy, they had no leaves, instead had a fan like filaments catching particles from the air. All the broad-leafed trees never reached over three metres (¡°9.10¡± ft.). Do to the planets high gravity there were only a few mountains. It was about two hundred or so years ago. At first sight, it was a colonist dream seeing the huge heavenly body after a long trip in stasis. Only to find their dreams crushed as if by the extreme g-force on the surface. Some of the people opted to undergo high gravity adjustment training to try and colonize the beautiful planet. Still, very few completed the training and moved onto the planet surface. Bella Grande remained a sparsely populated colonized planet even after two hundred years since it was first discovered.

    Orbiting in the cold dark side of the colossal planet was a mid-sized modern intergalactic spaceship named Little Tooth. It had the red, white, and blue colours of the Imperial Order of the known galaxy. The ship was large and undercrewed with only two people operating the large spacecraft able to carry 42 crew comfortably. They were in close orbit over a large peninsula of the planet watching for magical anomalies and, or rogue magic users. They were eight days into the mission that dragged on. The days seemed to get tediously longer as they sat in orbit. The days were thirty-four earth hours each rotation of the Bella Grande.

    Joe turned to Fred. ¡°I can¡¯t take much more of this waiting. I still say there is something strange going around this planet that is causing all the false magical arcs of power? We¡¯ve seen nothing to indicate any magic users or anything close since getting here, yet here we are still waiting, watching¡±.

    Fred dressed in his starship uniform, which spotless and neatly pressed. He had dark brown skin, deep-set dark brown eyes, high cheekbones, and chiselled features ¡ª a big man 215-centimetres-tall (7 ft.) of solid muscle. He was an intimidating man with his voice to match his frame. He valued his strength over speed, and it worked for him because he was still faster than most people because of his training.

    Joe dressed in the same fashion as Fred; it was the same style of uniform just a different rank. Only Joe¡¯s wrinkled and not tucked in and was even lightly stained. Joe was somewhat of a pretty boy by other men¡¯s standards. His skin was a smooth deep tanned colour, eyes were green, with softer features than most men. He was tall well over average height of humans yet still not close to Fred at 196 centimetres (¡®6-6¡± ft.). He had a very athletically built physique. His muscles were nowhere near the size of Fred¡¯s huge form. He went for speed over power, magic helping where his strength fell short.

    A flash and a warning sound on the view screen drew his attention to the job he was currently assigned. It was coming from the same basic place as reported before. Joe jumped at the sound interrupting the silence and until the then boring day. ¡°It¡¯s about time; I can report something other than the weather and space traffic. Come on I want a little more than a simple spark, show me some real power¡±. Joe said as he was checking the screens and the gauges, it was a clear evening so it couldn¡¯t be lightening. There was more than the lightening element in the arcs of power. With their more sophisticated scanners, they found the flashes had to be of magical nature. The arcs magical of power were not that great but were building up rapidly. They were too big for the size one would expect on a planet with no registered mages or sorceress; not even any magic users noted to be on the surface. Bella Grande was a magic restricted planet, after all; no magic users were allowed planetside. By the previous sensor reading these were small ones in comparison of some previous ones done by automated satellite monitoring. They abnormalities were getting to be so strong they had to have been glitches or powerful arcs of electricity, natural flashes of lightning was the biggest suspect. Even the planet overseers deemed them false readings, few mages can produce magical displays half as powerful, and those readings were well beyond normal. The magical power was getting more frequent over the last three years.

    Not far off in a separate orbit, a cloaked Pirate ship was trying to view the same magic arcs of power, but with inferior sensors. The displays of emence magic were becoming more frequent on Bella Grande¡¯s surface. It was just after dark on the small island in the southern hemisphere where the arcs of power were faintly visible from space even with their regular sensors.

    The men and women on the ship were all strangely dressed, with ill-fitted odds and ends of stolen clothes. The odd thing about the crew of this pirate ship they all had shiny white teeth and fresh breath. The captain¡¯s name, Brakon of the Bright White was an average height wise; his body was freakishly muscled. The infamous captain Brakon of the pirate ship hated bad breath and dirty looking teeth with a passion. That made the pirate ship famous, known as the Bright Whites. They were a ruthless bunch of magic hunters. They would find, steal, and sell things mostly to do with magical powers and didn¡¯t care who they killed to get them. Captain Brakon while drunk once killed sixty people in an orphanage. Most were children between three and sixteen only six were staff. It was all for a reported magical water purifier a client wanted for his illegal use. What he was going to use it for prevented him from getting one through the proper channels when the Bright Whites captain Brakon delivered the stolen magical item almost to the deadline. When the receiving client found out how he obtained it, he refused to buy it. He wanted it stolen in secret, not mass murder. Almost needless to say, the captain Brakon killed and robbed the man along with everyone with him. His crew still laugh with him when he tells this story. His crew is not innocent by any means; all fifteen have similar stories if with a little less blood and gore.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    The pirates on the deck of their ship were watching the visuals sensors for bursts of power as they started seeing more of them and increasingly more powerful. The arcs of energy seemed to strike in a small rural area on an island not far off the shore of the main continent. Captain Brakon called out to a scruffy looking man in front of a scanner panel. ¡°Can¡¯t you get an any better reading than this specks of nova sized spaced dung, you bleat¡¯in pile of excrement? If I had known, you were so useless I would have kept your wench of a wife instead. At least she would have been useful for something if you could get past the vile set of teeth in her mouth¡±.

    For once Jead was glad his girlfriend had blackened some of her teeth. He knew what kind of man Brakon was. ¡°Brakon this is the best I can do with these pathetic scanners we could steal after the last one burnt out. We never got the chance to steal something better. Maybe we should tear into that imperial ship and take their hardware.¡± Jead replied to the raving mad captain.

    Captain Brakon quickly looked around with murder on his face. ¡°Does anyone else know how to work that low-grade junk?¡±

    One of the men stood up and answered him. ¡°Yeah I know how to work the scanners, and I think I could do a better job at it too.¡± Within the blink of an eye captain Brakon drew out his concussion gun powered by magic and fired it at Jead¡¯s chest. The results were not pretty, and it left only his hips and lower half in the seat. The rest of his body in little pieces over the interior of the bridge. All around the crew started to wipe off various human remains off themselves and equipment. No one was permitted to use magic on the bridge without captain Brakon¡¯s permission

    ¡°Jead was as smart as spaced dung, but he had nicest shiny white teeth. See if you can find some of them if they¡¯re not busted up give them to me. I want to keep some for my tooth collection.¡± Brakon said, happy with himself that he had just a few blood drops from most of the spatter. A moment later one of the female crew he never could remember her name handed him a lower jaw bone with a few teeth with a smile. He gave her a questioning look.

    ¡°It¡¯s Brinda; my name is Brinda. I¡¯ve been part of your crew for two years and not once you said my name¡±. She answered the unasked question with her fist on her tilted hips. Her attempts to look sexy went unnoticed as Brakon inspected the teeth still embedded in the piece of jaw bone he had in his hands.

    Brakon cursed the dead man and contemplated shooting the other half still seated. ¡°Stop looking for the rest; the little-spaced excrement had fake teeth.¡± He looked around at the rest of his crew. Jead was pretty must useless, but he did have a beautiful set of teeth. He looked up to the woman before him. ¡°What¡¯s your name, come here, you¡±!

    ¡°Brinda, B, R, I, N, D, A. I just told you how could you forget that quickly.¡± She stopped berating her captain as he gave her a sly smile thumbing the settings on the concussion gun. ¡°Sorry captain,¡± she said with a smile and raised her hand in a placating manner.

    ¡°Let me see your teeth what¡¯s your face,¡± he said with an evil grin. I want to know if they¡¯re real or not¡±. He beckoned to Brinda and drew out a pair of pliers from a utility belt. Everyone knew what he intended to do to her. His preferred form of punishment was to pull teeth. She reluctantly approached him under the leering gazes of miscreants that were her fellow crew members.

    Brenda knelt in front of the captain with a little quiver in her movements. She let him open her mouth and inspect her teeth. The pliers had a white enamel colour which he used to gauge the condition and brightness of one¡¯s teeth. On one time, there was an increment scale he used to see how many increments off white they were. She had all her teeth, and all were as white as could be. She had one tooth that was slightly crooked and winced as she felt the plier grip the slightly offending tooth.

    ¡°This should hurt a little if I do it right. I believe I¡¯m going to do it completely wrong and it will be extremely painful¡±. He said with a sickening grin. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s all healed before I put your tooth back in all nice and proper.¡± He gripped the tooth and slowly pulled the tooth. Brenda¡¯s head was pulled down too causing him to lose leverage. He put his gun to her forehead. ¡°What¡¯s your face hold still or I¡¯ll find a reason not to pull that ugly thing out. The dead don¡¯t need to have nice teeth¡±. He said with a big toothy smile showing his perfect pearly whites. ¡°To me, teeth are like a picture that¡¯s not straight, and I must make it straight. It will hurt as you never felt before, but in the end, your tooth will be perfect. For that service, I¡¯ll only charge you half of my usual rate¡±. He said with a wicked grin getting ready to saviour inflicting pain on his crew member regardless of gender.

    Brenda glanced around with her eyes as she held onto her knees to brace herself for the promised agony. The glint in the man¡¯s eyes was disturbing because he was the most sadistic person she knew. She held her mouth open for the captain to pull her tooth. A chorus of laughter rose from the men and of women around her. They all have a beautiful mouth of teeth and soon she will too. With a little slow twisting and pulling her mouth was quickly full of blood and minus one tooth. He pulled it out and inspected it before jamming it back in. Brakon held the tooth in place and murmured a spell to set the tooth. The pain in her mouth didn¡¯t ease even after the tooth was arranged perfectly.

    ¡°You, go wash out your mouth and let me see if I have to reset that crooked thing. Be quick about it I don¡¯t have too much patience for foolishness. I wanna see those pretty whites and maybe I¡¯ll remember your name¡±. Brakon told her and pushed her down with massive arms. He pushed her away, and the rest of the crew pushed, punched, and kick her as she left the bridge. She gave almost as much as she got even with the taste of blood on her tongue. She was going to get her revenge once her mouth didn¡¯t throb with pain to distraction.

    Brakon turned to the mess of the bridge and cast a cleaning spell. It was a sloppy spell but cleaned the bulk of the mess. The larger pieces still needed to be removed by hand. No one else had the magical spells for cleaning or removal on their M.A.D devices. Once the chair in front of the scanner panel was clear of body parts. He asked the man to bring up the reading of the surface where the magic was being used. It was only a slight improvement and considered replacing him too. He didn¡¯t know if anyone else would want to substitute another dead man.

 Chapter two A Fight with Spiders for Freedom.

    Chapter two

    A Fight with Spiders for Freedom.

    The island was tiny in comparison to the size of the planet, but Bella Grande was a very large planet almost six times the size of earth. On the planet¡¯s the size of Bella Grande, gravity tended to be extremely high. To go down to the planet¡¯s surface, you had to wear an anti-gravity suit, or one year of gravity assimilation to walk on the surface. Being pirates, they weren¡¯t known for their hard-working ethics. So, they waited for the imperial ship to make its move thinking they were not seen.

    On the surface of the Island was a heavy set, a young girl, Sky. She was hurrying through a densely wooded forest. The forest trees were very old and very tall at over a kilometre (.62 miles) high twenty to thirty metres (¡¯66-¡¯98 ft.) wide. The trees were more like that of coral and grew slowly with no real threat from insects or animals to stop or slow their growth. The girl, Sky, had a mass of long blue hair that was wavy and was down her back, in the high gravity that was very impressive. Her face has soft features and a cute button nose. She would tell you that her eyes were her best feature, blue eyes and long lashes. She had a slight build for being nine-years-old hidden by two bulky bodysuits under her clothes.

    The sky was hurrying while trying not to run home because she was going to be late for her curfew. She was told not to run in her special suits because they tend to stretch out of shape. Sky was going home from the library after studying to advance into courses at the local high school. She was smart enough, Sky just needed to know what her course requirements were. After seeing the requirements an even higher level of education was possible it just they were too far for her to travel on her own. She was quite fit looking physically; she had no equal on the planet in mental aptitude. Not being able to hold books or handle computers directly greatly slowed her ability to feed her thirst for knowledge. She had no real friends to speak of not for the lack of trying. Sky was just too awkward to be around; she couldn¡¯t touch or be touched by anyone except her parents. She wasn¡¯t allowed to play any sports and no physical activities with other people or to exert her body too much. Sky was too smart, too clumsy, and too cute. She wanted to skip through grade school and be around what she thought would be older and more mature people.

    Today she was kind of happy while looking for research material she found a book on magical theory and practical uses of magic. It was written as if it was a real book of magic from the looks of it. The book of magic made some sense of how it was to work. A lot of it was based on mathematical equations of elemental forces and energy transference. It was almost scientifically sound in the way she understood the mathematical calculations. She never reached any spells or incantations before she had to leave; she was going to be late as it was. Sky¡¯s mother and father always told her there was no such thing as real magic. Sky thought, at one time she could use real magic until her mother told her it was just a rare ability, no one like to see being used or even discuss. The way she could push and spark was a psychic ability, not magic. Sky had little chance of practicing her psychic abilities because between school and her after school studies she had next to no time to try her abilities.

    As of late, she had been a little jumpy with all the talk of monsters being around. This night on a full moon she could see quite well without an illumination sphere. Her skin felt like it was humming with energy. She was still wearing and had her to wear two bulky, tight-fitting bodysuits. She was told it was to protect others and things from the oils or something she excretes through her skin among other things. She didn¡¯t know what it was made of, but she knew they were expensive to buy. The suits were very thick and restricted her movements enough to make her seem clumsy and slow at times. Sky seemed even more awkward after she had been refitted with her new bodysuits. They were very durable, and she didn¡¯t have to be overly careful putting them on, at least not like her outer clothes. The clothing she wore over her suits, she seemed to rip at least every other day. Without the suits on, whatever she touched seems to crumble or turned like putty in her grasp. Sky had special thick rubber soled shoes she wore that helped her prevent shocking people and things around her.

    Tonight, she had a fright, and her shoes fell apart when she suddenly twisted on the balls of her feet causing them to rip apart. She was becoming more and more nervous as she navigated through the woods. Now in the forest, she was turning at every sound she heard, and power started to radiate from her body. Once she raised her hands as if to block and she pushed her hands out as if to hold something unseen back with the invisible force she called pushing, causing wild arcs of power in front of her. She had made bigger ones before when she was afraid of the dark. It was not too dark outside tonight. In the woods, she was seeing monsters moving in the shadows. The air seemed to shimmer and crackle with energy flowing around her. She started sparking more and more as her power charged up.

    She had come close to a huge tree when a massive spider came scurrying down the immense trunk. The spider was as large as a small car. She instantly brought up her hands, and the shimmering air seemed to force the spider against the tree, pinning it so she could get a better look. She peered at the spiders eight eyes that were as big as dinner plates, black as a starless night and seemed to focus on her, seeing right into her soul. Its fangs were longer than a man¡¯s arm. The tips were dripping with a yellow caustic smelling fluid. With little thought, she pushed a little harder, and there was a bright arc of power squashing the spider against the tree trunk even moving the tree slightly. Before she had a chance to get a grip on what just happened, more of the giant arachnids started down the trees all around her. With little thought she repeated the previous action and arcs of power brightened up the forest; she squished more of the hideous spiders as they came down the trees around her. Some of the spiders made it to the ground and circled her to attack her from behind. The bright flashes were making it hard to see after each time she pushed. Swatting the spiders off her back was like popping huge water balloons and the spiders would burst from the blows she landed. The huge spiders didn¡¯t even try to dodge or avoid her attacks. They tried to stab her with their dripping fangs. The venom from its was eating away at her outer clothes making the air smell foul.

    The fangs would sometimes go down the side of her face doing no damage except to themselves; it was like toothpicks against armoured plating. When the fangs with its venom dripping, snagged her clothing it would tear away and be dissolved by the venom. Her bodysuit fared better when the fangs caught the edge of the suit, it peeled a bit; but the venom started to weaken the integrity of the suit. The venom did not affect her own body other than the foul odour wrinkling her nose in disgust. Large holes started to appear in the fabric revealing the bodysuit beneath as they tried to bite her. She was repeatedly getting hit from behind, knocked down, and the fangs raked down the back of her head almost to her waist ripping her clothes even further. To Sky, the fangs felt like a feather pulled against her head, tilled it pulled down the edge of her suit. Limbs of spiders were getting tangled in her hair and getting caught. When that happened, she would jerk her head and severed any limb that was caught giving her a shower of thick dark orange blood.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Sky had the strength, but not the weight to fight to the horrid spiders effectively. Every time she regained her feet and stood, she would just get knocked down again. She couldn¡¯t push and get all the spiders around her because there were so many. While being so large, they were incredibly fast, and one or more always seemed at her back. With the increasing numbers of monster spiders, she had to start using both her hands separately to make multiple attacks at once. Sky¡¯s outer clothes were now completely ripped or burned from her bodysuit. She noticed a burning feeling going up her feet. Sky¡¯s bodysuit was starting to take more damage from the nasty monsters. The spiders¡¯ fangs were starting to gouge her bodysuit deeper with every scrape along the surface. Some fangs went in between her skin and bodysuit and injected large volumes of venom inside of her suit. The venom in the suit made her feel disgusting as she moved. Some of the fangs even broke off inside of her suit as she moved around. She was getting extremely frustrated with the swarming spiders; they were not giving her a chance to rest. Every time she squashed a spider, it seemed like ten replaced it. She was starting to get very angry and lose control of the power she held as she was hit from behind repeatedly. She was forcing out her frustration out around her as pure energy.

    The power pouring out her body started to act like a force field of pure physic energy. She stopped worrying about anyone else around getting hurt. Had anyone else been around the spiders would have eaten them after liquefying them with their venom. She was not holding back as she hammered the loathsome creatures. Some of the spiders were shaken off the trees to fall over top of her. She would wave a hand like a blade over her head causing them to be cut in half; it rained blood and gore from the torn bodies over her head. Nothing was able to touch her because telekinetic energy was pouring out of her whole body creating a two metre (¡®6. 7¡± ft.) barrier around her. Because of the barrier, it stopped the spiders from attacking from behind. Holding her hand out palm up was getting a little tiring and awkward, so she started to try using her fist like some vids she had seen and was soon punching the magic energy at the spiders. As the battle went on the huge trees around her were starting to be pushed over, and huge chunks of the trees trunks were being blasted off in her efforts to keep herself from being closed in by the big, ugly, and stinking spiders. The spiders kept coming from all around, and her hands weren¡¯t enough, so she started using her feet. Kicking and punching at the spiders were starting to be kind of fun acting like the people on the vid shows she secretly watched. It felt amazing being able to move without worrying she might hurt someone. Still not being allowed to exercise much left her endurance lacking, so she tired easily. Any time she tried to rest, the ugly things would be covering her bubble of safety.

    Sky just wanted to go home; she was getting very tired from the constant fighting. The burning feeling was now up past her knees and was still travelling up her body. The pain she felt was like nothing she had ever felt before. Her near indestructible body had never been hurt to any extent before. So, she never felt the pain of any kind except for her feet. Every time she tried to go towards her home for help, a mass of spiders would come from the direction she headed, halting any progress Sky had to move so fast she became a blur of motion as she fought. Sky was positive the spiders were coming mostly from above, from something not of this world. The twisting of her head in quick jerking motions caused her long blue hair to crack like a whip with kinetic energy shooting out from the ends. The piles of the dead spiders were getting quite high, almost like a tall wall of death around her. The wall of bodies left her with no place to even run. She did not want to climb over the wall of shattered oozing stinking spiders.

    From space, the magic arcs of power started flashing like crazy from one location. The amount of magic being used would be able to level a large city. It was next too impossible to get a visual of the combatants because the flashes of magic were constantly whitening out the vid screen. It seemed multiple large shapes were moving towards to arcs of power. The magic users must be using extreme spells or very new to casting magic, because so much raw magical power used per spell. "Fred, you getting the readings from those castings what kind of mages can wield magic like that. They could be using a lot of magic talismans to throw so many powerful incantations around like they are. It¡¯s like the magic is being sprayed around from an extremely high pressurized hose¡±. The incantations seem to all be the same spells, no variations to the magic castings.

    "Joe, I think we''ve got to suit up and find out, once the magic castings slow down." Fred¡¯s hands and eyes were flashing across the controls and monitors. "Joe there seems to be some hole in the fabric of space and the spent magic is being drawn into it." Joe checks the screen before him and barely seen the anomaly because of the amount of raw magical energy all around. "I may be able to close it with a tight proton beam fired into the centre.¡±

    "What are you waiting for a smile? Do it, something like that can''t be good. Who knows where it¡¯s leading to and what could be happening with it? Why are you asking me any way you¡¯re the senior officer, and captain, no need to ask me what to do?¡± Joe said while watching it on his displays.

    ¡°I was just asking for your input, not your permission to do it,¡± Fred exclaimed. Fred targeted the laser to fire the proton beam at the hole. Zooming in to target to the hole wasn¡¯t easy, with all the bright flashes from the powerful arcs of magical energy. Fred still seen large shapes moving around the ground passed the hole. To him, they looked like giant spider silhouettes, but spiders don¡¯t get that big anywhere he knew of. Once he had a lock-on the hole, he fired the proton beam.

    Sky was starting to feel the burning sensation moving up now passed her sore abdomen. As the fighting continued, her muscles were getting increasingly sore all over as the burning feeling moved more quickly up her body. She was wondering if she could last any longer when there was a type of energy beam fired from above her. Sky, thinking it was another type of attack on her, she panicked. She got ready with the last of her physical energy, to go out with a bang. She pulled her hand''s fingers spread wide towards each other to compress as much energy as she could hold. Sky formed a bright ball of condensing power as she closed her hands together. She still gathering more energy from within her and around her small form. She is embracing the bright writhing ball of kinetic energy to her chest still compressing yet more telekinetic energy into it. Her body felt like it was on fire; the burning sensation now was washing all over her entire body. Sky couldn¡¯t take much more of the intense pain; this had to stop one way or another. She didn¡¯t know what she was doing, but she knew and felt it was going to be extremely big. The spiders piled up over her shrinking bubble of safety just meters (6 ft.) from her, she flung her head back and arms wide flinging her ball of kinetic energy out from her, screaming in rage "Just die already." As the ball of energy rose from her body, it encompassed her and disintegrated everything it touched in its path as it moved out from her in a brilliant flash of thunderous kinetic energy. She closed her eyes because the spell light encompassing her was so bright after the bright flash of intense power and an almost deafening sound of thunder.

    Sky¡¯s vision was spotted from the extremely bright flash of raw energy. Sky stared around her dazed her bodysuit had deep scratches on the back and sides. Between her and the spiders, the top layer of the suit was ruined. Even the front had some gouges in it. Sky was thinking ¡®Mommy was now going to be upset with me for ruining the suit along with making part of the forest disappear.¡¯ Sky looked about viewing the devastation her blast had caused. For almost one hundred metres (328 ft.) nothing stood about her not even the stumps of the huge ancient trees, everything was gone, simply, gone. The ground was flat, smooth as glass with no marks but her footprints as she turned about looking at her surroundings. On the edge of the flat ground rose a wall almost five metres (¡¯16.5 ft.) high. There didn¡¯t seem to be anything else attacking or even threatening nearby. Exhausted, and with a burning feeling all over her body, she keeled over and collapsed to the ground, into unconsciousness.

 Chapter Three Savours and Friends from Space

    Chapter three

    Savours and Friends from Space

    Joe and Fred watched as the beam hit the tear in reality. The flow of spent magic seemed to stop for a split second as energy was drawn from kilometres around into whoever was wielding power. With a sudden burst of magic, the screen flashed a brilliant white. Both men leaned back and blocked their eyes as if the screen would explode. They watched the sensors until all the powerful destructive magic dissipated. "Joe, zoom in on the place where the magic bomb went off and see what was left in its wake." Joe was already on it before Fred even started speaking. On the large forward vid screen, there seemed to be a small dot in a circle of total devastation just visible using long range night vision. It showed no sign of movement or signs of other magic casters, but a single heat source from a small humanoid. Looking at each other this nodded and proceeded to the airlock to prep the combat anti-gravity suits. The bulky suits took some time to charge up and run through the diagnostic cycles. With that being done they prepped for landing in a high gravity environment. "Joe that mage is going to need medical help as soon as we get there. Check for any magical talismans on the magic user and take it, we don¡¯t need some last-minute effort of escape, before giving medical aid and taking perp into custody. So, I''ll get the co-ordinance for the landing while you prep the med bay for a high gee patient". Joe just turned to Fred and nodded. They went about their tasks like a well-oiled machine. Having worked together for almost twenty years helped.

    The Pirates were surprised at the display of power coming from the planet surface. They were wondering how many mages or magic users were involved in throwing so much magical power around. They had to be using some pretty impressive magical talismans to increase their magic energy that much. The magic battle went on for a long time, with almost no slowing down. They noted the imperial ship was shooting some beam into the battle. The beam must have triggered a reaction because there was a huge flash of powerful magic shortly after the shot. The pirates¡¯ ship had poor scanning sensors, so they watched for the reaction of the imperial ship. An hour after the last blast of magic, the ship was slowly drifting down and picking up speed. The pirate captain decided to wait for the ship to return before boarding the smaller imperial ship and find out what happened, and steal what they could. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time stealing from the Imperial Order, and it won¡¯t be the last time. If not, they would go down and find the magical talismans themselves and take them directly after a battle like that any magic casters had to be extremely weak, with talismans or not.

    Fred and Joe descended slowly with the anti-gravity set to maximum, and it still took almost one hour for the decent, because of the extreme gravity. While they drew closer, the speck in what looked to be a crater grew more recognizable. What they finally saw, was a heavyset little girl maybe 9-13 years old. Her wavy assure blue hair was fanned out all around her. From what they could see she was wearing a deeply scratched grey bodysuit covering her neck to ankle even her hands were covered. There were no talismans around her that they could see or feel. Sky was curled in a ball holding her knees to her stomach because of the intense pain. As the ship landed halfway in the crater, off to the outside in the circle of destruction, a man and woman were hesitant on crossing over the lip of the deep crater caused by the blast. Fred was wondering if the man and woman could be the child¡¯s parents. "Joe, we¡¯ll have to talk to the couple and see if they¡¯re child¡¯s parents. We should find out before we can take any action to help the girl." When the possible parents saw the spaceship, they threw caution to the wind and ran to the girl balled up on the ground. Before Fred could say any more the couple moved in a blur of motion. Around three metres (¡®9-10¡± ft.) away from the bulky form of the girl, they hit a barrier that stopped them with a bounce. As the ship drew closer, the two frantically tried to get to their daughter before the ship could land. When the two used their fists and punched the barrier with profound frustration. They even tried to using magic that wasn¡¯t in the magic spectrum.

    Fred was tapping on Joe¡¯s arm getting his attention and told him. "Go and suit up, it looks like I¡¯ll need to take the magic syphon with me, you take the magic replenishment med-kit. The magic shield will have to be taken down from the outside. I don¡¯t think it will take much to get through that shield with all the power that was used during the fight. The shield should be weak with the little power she has left¡±. Fred wondered if she¡¯s the lone survivor and the other magical combatants were killed in the magical energy blast. ¡°You will need to talk to that couple there and see if they are the parents. You know how most people react to my voice for the first time before getting to know me. Just let them know what our intentions are, that we¡¯re here to help the girl and care about her welfare."

    After the ship touched down the two men the lowered ships cargo ramp. Even before it fully opened they rushed out while assessing everything around them. They held no weapons, but special defences spells selected in their suits. Joe slowed to a walk as he rounded the nearly invisible shield towards the parents. He brought up both of his hands slightly to show no threat. Fred was slightly behind Joe carrying all the various parts of the magic syphon. Joe and Fred both found even with the suit on; it was hard to walk in the planets high gee¡¯s. When he was about ten metres (¡¯32-10¡± ft.) away he called out "Hale my friends; we mean you no harm.¡± They were used to people being intimated be their larger than average size, Fred¡¯s even more so. They never even seemed threated in the least. So, Joe and Fred continued closer when they did not react to their presence. ¡°We''ve come to help the girl, your daughter. Well, we assume she is your daughter and the fact she¡¯s hurt; she may have an extreme magic burn. It''s not fatal, but extremely painful and can last for days¡±. He pointed over to Fred, ¡°He¡¯s going to syphon off the magic so we can reach her. It¡¯s the safest way to get through a magic shield without harming ourselves or the person inside.¡±

    Fred plunged in two long metal spikes with just the suit and his powerful arms roughly four metres (13 ft.) away from the magic shield. He then attached them with thick, heavy cables to a strange box with runes etched into the surface of the sides and top after he attached an arms width apart to the shield two devices that looked like suction cups with rune symbols etched in them. Fred then attached them to the box with more thick, heavy cables. "Okay I''m ready over here, and you''re going to want to get back from the magic shield when it fails.¡± He called out in his deep, powerful growl of a commanding voice. ¡°It could send out a strong concussion wave a couple of metres (6-6 ft.). He walked out around five metres (16-4 ft.) and waited for the others to join him.

    "It''s a strange shield, and hopefully thin, so it might take only a couple of minutes for it to fall." He held up a remote in his hand and pressed the only button with a flourish, watching the cables on the shield as the magic started flowing through the cables, they started twitching along with the box. The soon cables and box started smoking with a huge amount of magical power going through the twitching device. Fred turned to the others watching, masking the fear he felt from his face. Joe¡¯s face was not calmly looking; he almost seemed panicked. The couple still just looked worried for their daughter not knowing the possible danger they were in. "We''re going to have to get a lot of further back from the shield with that kind of power in it"! Fred and Joe turned and started to run expecting the couple to follow their lead. The two either didn¡¯t understand or didn¡¯t care about their safety. Fred, Joe ran back and picked up the husband, wife and started to run. In the gee suits, it was hard to run fast. The couple easily broke their grasp and ran, outpacing them in a fraction of a second. The couple realized the imperial soldiers were so far back and turned back for them. They ran back, picked up Joe and Fred off the ground with little effort. With the husband and wife holding a man each they turned running with them, showing no more of a strain than carrying large balloons. Halfway across the circle just over fifty metres (¡®164 ft.) Fred motioned them to stop.

    "I think we can stop now; I don¡¯t think the blast will make it this far," Fred said from the woman''s back in a slightly shaking voice still somewhat composed.

    The two spoke for the first time and asked almost as one "What about our daughter¡±? Their voices sounded both soft and deep yet still musical. ¡°Is she going to be safe?" they said turning and dumped the two men down to look at the smoking box and cables and the now visible shield.

    Fred got up brushing off some dust before speaking. "She is going to be fine; a shield always blows outwards when it fails. She won''t even notice the shield dropping with the pain she''s most likely in.¡±

    Sky did look like she was in tremendous pain. The shield around her started to spark as it was converted to electricity. With a flash then a deafening clap of thunder the shield expended outwards as it dissipated. The resulting blast picked up the magic siphon and carried it at an ever-increasing speed ¡ª the spikes that were sheared off at ground level and were blown along as well. Dust was picked up in the shock wave as it picked up speed travelling away from the girl as if an instant sandstorm.

    The four people had to take cover by bending over to block themselves from the blast of dust. By the time, Joe and Fred got reoriented, the couple was a blur of motion halfway to their daughter. It took them longer just to stand than it did the young couple to reach the girl''s side. Their daughter didn¡¯t move much, and she seemed in a lot of pain what she had on after a closer look resembled something made of faded and blotched metal than any fabric. It had gouges at the edges as if something tried to cut it off her. Joe found it strange that her skin and hair had no sign of injuries on them. There were no cuts scrapes or even marks of any kind on the skin of her neck or scalp from what he saw. Her mother did not seem worried about any exterior wounds on her head or body. When Fred went to pick up his magic siphon, and Joe went to help the girl. Sky''s head was on her mother''s lap being rocked with her mother saying everything is going to be okay. The young girls¡¯ face had a sheen of perspiration on it causing some of her hair to stick to her face. Joe was slowly pulling out a magical medical kit from off his back as he approached the couple and their injured daughter.

    ¡°I¡¯m Joe, and the big guy over there is Fred. May I ask your names and that of your daughter? I need to know what to call you¡±. Joe said trying to be as polite as possible. There was a foul smell in the air, something like rotten eggs he tried not to let it show on his face. He had a feeling there was more than meets the eye with these three. Just the fact the way he and Fred were carried in armoured gee suits by the two was enough to put him on edge. Living in high gravity makes you strong in low gravity, not the other way around. In the gee suit, he weighed over two hundred and fifty Kilograms (562 lb.) The other thing was not one was a registered magic user of any kind on the planet. They could use magic regardless of how weak the magic they were using. Magic users were not allowed on the planet except by invitation by the planets overseers. To date, none were given for twenty years. So, they had to be on the planet illegally under false pretence.

    The woman looked to Joe, slightly nodding her head, ¡°My name is, Rocssanna Knight, and this is my husband, William Knight.¡± She said in a voice that was soft and had a musical purr to it. She brushed some hair out of her daughter¡¯s eyes and face. ¡°This is our daughter Sky Knight; she¡¯s our pride and joy.¡± Rocssanna kept Sky¡¯s head cradled in her lap.

    Joe opened his medical kit and brought out a magical tome for replenishing magic. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to place this completely on her skin. It has to make full contact, or it could burn her.¡± Joe was hoping Rocssanna would remove the top or at least pull it up enough to expose her abdomen. Joe never saw anything like the strange outfit Sky wore ¡°If you could expose her abdomen, it should be sufficient.¡± Joe had no idea how the seamless garment would come apart. William pulled out a strange tool that looked like a hook knife and handed it to Rocssanna. She took it and brought it across Sky¡¯s sternum. The fabric just parted as if a bond was broken, separating the fabric revealing a second layer of the same fabric. The first piece of fabric that was removed seemed more like metal than cloth. The piece of fabric made a thump and kicked up dust when she placed it down.

    Joe being curious he went to feel the odd-looking piece of cloth, Rocssanna gave Joe a glare in warning as if to say don¡¯t you dare? The second layer was not discoloured and still parted like the first layer and was thicker by far. As it parted a foul-smelling yellow liquid poured out from the separating cloth. When it dripped onto Rocssanna¡¯s clothing, it started to smoke, and the stench grew considerably. Rocssanna blushed and drained the suit away from her body. She said something under her breath. ¡°what have you gotten into this time, my little angel¡±? She moved a little from that spot and continued with removing the piece of fabric. She continued to make a rectangle exposing the smooth skin of Sky¡¯s abdomen. The inside of the fabric was also discoloured even more so than the outer layer. With the two pieces removed Sky¡¯s chest, abdomen, rose and fell with every tortured breath. The black paper tome Joe had pulled out from the medical kit. He held the tome over Sky¡¯s abdomen and placed it on her gently, what Joe saw was unblemished skin, what he felt was something warm and solid even though the suit''s gloves, he smoothed out the tome against her skin. He drew a symbol on the tome to release the power in it. The runes on the tome faded to nothing with no effect. Joe puzzled pulled it off and placed another this time after drawn the symbol he left three fingers on the tome. He could feel the magic being sucked from the tome and a little from his fingers through the paper. Sky showed no sign of change in her condition. ¡°Rocssanna was, Sky being taught any magic, or holding a magical talisman for protection; her magic well shouldn¡¯t be this deep. She should have had a kind of reaction for a new or untrained mage. Only with years of practice does a magic user¡¯ well get deeper. In this star system, there is very little naturally occurring magic to draw on, and Bella Grande has next to none.

    Rocssanna put her head down when she spoke her voice was slow and trembling. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here; she has a very, very deep well to start with. We were sent here to prevent any magical build up; it should have taken hundreds of years to absorb naturally enough occurring magic to fill it and manifest any magical pressure release. The clothes Sky¡¯s wearing also slows magical absorption and among other things¡±. Joe couldn¡¯t believe what he heard, but he didn¡¯t let it faze him long. Going into the magical kit, he pulled out a sealed red pouch and tore it open with care not to damage the tome inside, as he placed it on her. He took extra care on smoothing it out, to ensure full contact before releasing the seal. It did just as the others faded with no effect on Sky. There were only two of the red tomes in the kit. Joe has had magic burn before, and it was up to his knee. The whole time it felt like someone was burning him with a torch. He couldn¡¯t stand the sight of this small child in so much pain. With little hesitation, he opened the second red tome and placed it on the girl and released the seal. Sky¡¯s eyes fluttered open briefly was the only sign of anything different. Joe was at a loss of what to do. Joe started to speak to himself as much as anyone around him to hear. ¡°There was enough magic in those seals to fully charge an archmage let alone aid a mage with power burn. If this next trick doesn¡¯t bring her magic level up enough, we¡¯ll have to bring her on the ship¡±. He told the two worried parents and let Fred know what he was thinking of doing. Joe took out six orange tomes from the medical kit. As he placed them on her, he drew on the tomes with each tome the symbols that seemed to carry on from one to the next. When he put the last one on, he made sure they were laid flat to her skin. He slowly finished the last symbol and quickly pulled his hands back.

    Sky shook slightly, and her eyes fluttered open. She started to speak in a small voice. ¡°Mommy I feel like I burn all over and I¡¯m really hungry.¡° She looked like She tried to move but couldn¡¯t. ¡°Mommy I¡¯m too tired to move my arms and legs can you or daddy carry me home.¡± Sky¡¯s head slowly nodded down only to jerk back up. ¡°After I shower and eat I¡¯ll tell you about all of the big spiders I pushed and squished. They sprayed me with stinky stuff and my clothes melted, and I feel dirty all over. I also made a whole lot of big sparks too. But not right now, I feel like I¡¯m burning all over and too tired to do anything.¡± In an even smaller voice, she said. ¡°Sorry about the bodysuit getting scratched up, it was the big, mean, ugly spiders that did it¡± With that said Sky¡¯s eyes closed and passed out.

    Joe couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, this tiny little girl just absorbed, no! Sucked up enough magic to level a large city to the ground and still felt burned. Joe put his hand on Williams'' shoulder. He felt almost as solid as his daughter¡¯s abdomen. ¡°It¡¯s best if we get her to the ship where we can give her enough magic, instead of this patchwork. We have electric power to magic converter onboard¡±. Joe looked to Rocssanna and William as if to ask for permission. Fred just arrived with what was left of the shield syphon, cables, and ground spikes. What Fred was carrying was not close to what he brought with him. ¡°It¡¯s a total loss, and we just received the new model at the time we got our provisions before this mission.¡± Fred looked defeated as he spoke. He was thinking about asking. How¡¯s our young patient doing, when he saw the worried look on everyone¡¯s faces. He didn¡¯t put a voice to his thoughts

    Joe gestured to the couple to make their way to the ship. Rocssanna and William proceeded to the ship hesitantly with the wife picking up and carrying her daughter being extra careful with her long mane of hair. Rocssanna holding Sky to her chest forgot the two pieces of the strange cloth which Joe did not hesitate to pick up casually. When he snagged the cloth, he realized two things, their heavyweight, and the rigidness of what he thought was fabric. He was right; they were more like two sheets of thick plate metal. Joe was wondering how a little girl could move encased in such an outfit. Looking closer at the scratch across the top layer he marvelled at what could have done it if he could barely bend a piece wearing a powered gee-suit. It looked like she was breathing just fine with it on, maybe it was a type of armour. She would probably move like a robot with slow, jerky motions. The poor girl having to wear armour like this he was holding in his hands was unthinkable. Was she being attacked that frequently to warrant her taking such extreme precautions? He now had even more questions to ask the Knights once the girl was over her magic burn. Right now, her wellbeing was a top priority on his list.

    Once near the ship, Fred gestured to the ship. ¡°Welcome aboard our fine ship Little Tooth.¡± Fred led the way onto the ship, and Joe followed their guest in the rear, checking for hostiles as they went up the ramp. Fred was putting the now useless magic siphon in a bin as he pointed to the medical bay to his right. ¡°You can put her on the first examination table you see.¡± He could see the look of puzzlement on their guest faces. ¡°The magic used in building this ship allows us to have space a lot bigger inside than the outside would appear. Joe should be in shortly after he signs you guys in as a guest of ours¡±.

    Fred left the ship to use a quick-sensing spell of the area to check for other combatants nearby. It didn¡¯t take much time to check the surroundings with the special military incantations. It only took one casting in the four directions, north, east, south, west. Each scan came back with no one around for almost 15 km (9.3 miles). There weren¡¯t any magical signs in the closest people either. It looked like all the other people in the battle were vaporized with the last detonation. He was going to ask Sky just how many people were fighting along with her. It was strange that she was the only one left. Another odd thing was all the damage centred around her and where she was found. Fred just shook his head and re-entered the spaceship. He was going to ask her after she was treated and felt better.

    Inside the Little Tooth, Rocssanna placed Sky on a comfortable metal bed and noticed the pieces of clothes missing. In a hushed tone, Rocssy spoke to Willy. ¡°Sky said she was fighting big spiders and didn¡¯t mention anything else. What kind of spider can do damage like that on the micro-chainmail suit she¡¯s wearing¡±. She gestured to the damaged suits around her collar and a few deep scratches down the back. ¡°Look at the gouges in the back of her suit there¡¯re very deep. She said it was spiders that caused the damage. She said the spider sprayed her with something but how did it get into her suit? Her outerwear is completely gone, and the suit had been discoloured by some acid. I would have thought it was one or two of those Centa-raptor monsters that tried to eat her.¡±. Thinking of something, Rocssanna looked again to her daughters¡¯ front and realized what she forgot. ¡°I forgot the two pieces of Sky¡¯s suppression suit and that Joe guy was itching to get his hands on them. I bet right now he is taking them to a lab and is going to try and lock us in here. I said way too much back there, didn¡¯t I Willy¡±?

    William just shook his head. ¡°You still are saying too much, there are no magic lessening spells, but there are most likely hidden listening devices around is my guess.¡± He said giving the room a quick inspection before turning back to Rocssanna. ¡°Don¡¯t worry though, I''ve got a good feeling about Fred and Joe, that they will keep this between us. When they both seen Sky on the ground, you could see the pained paternal expressions on their faces. They wanted to do whatever they could to help her. If we ask for them to keep some things off the records, I¡¯m sure they will. Sky¡¯s secrets are going to be safe with them to a point. That is if she continues to pose no threat to any one¡¯s life or safety. If they ask you any questions, try to be truthful¡±. William stops speaking as Joe entered the room holding the two pieces of micro-chainmail from Sky¡¯s suit. His nose wrinkled at the smell coming from Sky. ¡°You can rinse her off in the decontamination shower in the back,¡± Joe said gesturing to a small door towards the back to the med-bay. ¡°Our A.I says the stuff will become inert with the water from the shower.¡± He handed the two pieces to Rocssanna. ¡°I take it she¡¯ll need these pieces of amour replaced after we finish her treatment and she¡¯s better. Fred and I will have a few questions to ask once Sky¡¯s treatment starts its cycle. Like what kind of spider can do damage like this to something as strong and tough as this metal plate armour¡±? Joe walked over to Rocssanna and gave her what he thought were two slabs of metal with one twice as thick as the other. When she took the heavy slabs, she gave no more indication of weight than two pieces of paper. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a few minutes I don¡¯t want her suffering any longer than necessary.¡± He said and left the room. Rocssanna carried the unconscious Sky into the small shower room and cut open the suit off and turned the hot water on and rinsed off the foul-smelling fluid from her and the suits. That¡¯s when she noticed the long thin fangs sticking out from behind her back. Four various sized hollow tubes came out from between her back and suit. Now she knew how the stuff got into her suit. After the smell was washed away, she pulled the suit back together, and Sky gave a slight smile even while unconscious. Joe came in just as Rocssanna sat down holding Sky. He was talking he walked over to a metal cabinet and couldn¡¯t quite grab the handle in the gee-suit. ¡°Would you guys mind if we perform this in gravity closer to our own so Fred and I can take the suits off. I would be more efficient, and all the things in here are authorized to Fred and myself so you couldn¡¯t help open anything or activate any devices without any changes.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Rocssanna looked to William ¡°Willy, and I don¡¯t mind, but Sky has never been in anyplace with light gee-forces before. Plus, that¡¯s not protective armour she¡¯s wearing. It¡¯s her strength suppression suits that are made from a special micro-chainmail were about to be upgraded tomorrow, again. If you think we¡¯re strong, there is something to do with the mag¡±. Rocssanna cut her sentence short looking to Sky. It¡¯s her abilities that makes her at least two or three times our strength and being just nine-years-old and still growing; she will more likely be getting stronger constantly. If you drop the gravity in this ship even with the suppression suits on, her walking could dent the floor plating and send her bouncing around and causing damage to everything she touches¡±. Rocssanna said stroking Sky damp hair with a towel she found in the shower. ¡°Unless you have something like a charm to suppress her strength. Please make do with what you have. I could help open the doors and drawers you have to be close enough to key them open".

    Joe looked to the girl on that table with his jaw dropped. ¡°You mean this young girl is that strong¡±? He said then thinking to himself this young girl must be a true powerhouse of raw muscle. The strength in a body her size is supernova. As far as he knew Titans were the strongest race, but they were super tall, Joe thought. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll try it out with opening the drawers of the cabinet once they are open I can get the cables and start the machines and get your daughter fixed up.¡° With Rocssanna¡¯s help, Joe opened the drawers after laying Sky down. They then started to prep for the treatment when he had the wires hooked up to the console. He went to Sky and attached two large sticky pads to her abdomen and tried to shake her awake gently. Sky and her clothing didn¡¯t move, and she rocked when he shook her, yet she still stirred to semi-awareness. ¡°Sky I am going to start feeding you magic let me know when the burning feeling stops. I¡¯m going to start slow and slowly go up if you don¡¯t feel any change¡±.

    Sky nodded her head to let him know she understood. Her eyes half closed were filled with pain. ¡°But I¡¯m kind of hungry, can I have something to eat while you¡¯re treating me? I get very hungry when I push sometimes, and I pushed a whole lot today. I even made a bubble too; I¡¯ve never made a bubble before. So, can I please eat while you give me the treatment, please¡±? Her voice was so soft and sweet, and Joe could not deny this little angel anything she asked for.

    ¡°Of course, you can see sweetie, what would you like to eat¡±? Joe said to the tiny girl.

    Sky looked at her mommy and asked her. ¡°Mommy, can I have some soft rock nuts, the roasted kind not the mushy uncooked ones¡±?

    Rocssy smiled ¡°Dear, everything to you is mushy, except for the baked rock nuts. No else, but you, your father and I can eat them raw, and only you would want to eat them baked. But for you, I always have some, just for you. I have some in my pocket right now¡±. Rocssy told her and reached into her pocket and pulled out what looked like two small eggs shaped stones. They had a roasted smell and made a clacking sound as they knocked together. Sky took one and popped it in her mouth. Without her biting, down on the nut, you could hear it being crushed in her mouth. It sounded like rocks under a crusher being ground down.

    Sky mumbled enjoying herself. ¡°Mommy so good so soft and creamy. Not mushy at all, just right to squish with your tongue¡±. The second rock nut followed the first in seconds. ¡°Could I have another one, please? I think it¡¯s helping with the burning feeling some¡±. Little did everyone knows Sky was adapting to the pain. Joe hadn¡¯t even started the treatment, but he took it as a queue to start. He turned it on the lowest setting; He watched to see if there was a reaction, nothing, he got up to five before she even took notice and looked up. ¡°It tingles a bit, kinda like humming and water running onto my tummy. What does it suppose to do to for me, is it going to stop the burning feeling?¡±

    Joe looked to the girl turned it up to seven. ¡°We are feeding you magic energy through the skin of your tummy. The burning was caused by using too much magic uncontrolled and too quickly, with no training. Raw magical energy was pouring out of you from all over your body with no control; it¡¯s a wonder how you kept it up for so long¡±.

    Sky put her hands to her face and giggled. ¡°Silly there¡¯s no such thing as magic, mommy and daddy said so. The only thing I know how to do is push and sometimes big sparks, but that is using ESP. Not Magic! I wasn¡¯t about to stop fighting the spiders until they stopped or I dropped¡¯. It¡¯s better to have a little burning feeling than being covered by those big ugly stinky spiders¡±.

    Joe looked to Sky¡¯s parents with a questioning gaze. ¡°I think we need a long talk about something and before we go into discussions of what magic is or isn¡¯t. For now, young Lady how are you feeling? Does your body still feel like its burning¡±? Joe said as he checked the connection to her abdomen. He could see her skin and muscle; it looked like his own if not a shade lighter. But it felt like living rock it had no give to under his touch ¡ª her flesh just like a marble, a very smooth marble. He couldn¡¯t get over the thought of how she was even able to move. Not only was that but a kind of plate metal also covered her. ¡°Rocssanna can I test something on you? Could I feel one of your arms to feel if there is give to your skin?¡±

    Rocssy replied with no delay ¡°No but you can squeeze one of Williams'' arms if you want, he used to like to show off before Sky was born.¡±

    William just looked at his wife and gave her a big smile. ¡°I might have pipes of iron, but you have buns of steel. The sky is a little here is different she¡¯s living marble. Her skin is smooth to the touch with no give to anyone but us and herself.¡±

    ¡°Daddy I¡¯m right here, and I can speak for myself, once the burning is gone.¡± As she spoke the pain was easier to ignore, and she babbled on. ¡°It¡¯s just too distracting to talk a lot when it feels like my body¡¯s burning; I guess this is what having burns feels like. The nuts seemed to help, but these wires aren¡¯t doing much for the burning sensations. It¡¯s like sprinkles of water on a big fire, but it¡¯s not helping at all. I think some real food or more nuts would work better. I can barely feel the energy going through the wires¡±.

    Fred came in just as Sky had finished speaking. ¡°Excuse me, folks, Joe can I see you for a bit, it¡¯s important, and I don¡¯t think it can wait?¡±

    ¡°Okay, Fred I¡¯ll be right there in two seconds. Mr. and Mrs. Knight, I¡¯ll be back in a bit. If Sky¡¯s burning, the feeling goes away turn this dials to zero. Don¡¯t take off the wires. I¡¯ll need those to do a simple test to see how deep her well is.¡± He quickly followed Fred out of the room towards the bow of the ship.

    Fred walked away down the corridor before turning to Joe. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to ask Sky if anyone else was in the fight. From the sensor readings the power was coming from one person¡± Fred told Joe his conclusion. But there was the dilemma of the two Ships in orbit. ¡°Joe, I was checking for how much-discharged magic was in the area after the battle. With the exception of the shield falling there was none; the hole sucked it all up. That¡¯s not it; there are at least two other ships in orbit around this planet, the one known pirate ship cloaked we were going to take down after the mission. The other is a different kind of ship. That one is just out of our phase in space and time. That¡¯s the one I think took all the spent magic that should have been off the charts. There is something big about to happen if we don¡¯t do anything to stop it¡±. Fred grabbed Joe¡¯s shoulders to look him in the eyes. ¡°I can feel it for real! This is big on an epic scale, and it¡¯s all centred on that little girl ¡°.

    Joe looked startled; Fred gets a feeling of premonitions of the future and how things are going to happen. If Fred says jump, you say where to, without questions? ¡°So, what now Fred, how do we proceed¡±? Joe was going numb thinking about what Fred said and the questions he¡¯s going to ask the Knights.

    ¡°Joe since I¡¯ve been near Sky, while outside of her shield and even while that you treated her magic burn with the tomes. Sky¡¯s magic has gone into overdrive; she¡¯s producing magical energy faster than we can and is still able to suck up everything we¡¯ve got. She¡¯s must have magic well larger than you, and I combined from what I can feel with my senses. Her being hooked up to the magic converter is like filling a pool with an eye dropper. The best we can do is to stop filling in the ocean with beach sand and heal her burn directly. Give her some dinner and take her and her parents with us when we leave. I don¡¯t know who sent them here, but with that type of magic, they can¡¯t stay here. She will need training with what is going to happen to her likely¡±. Fred never looked as agitated before to Joe¡¯s knowledge. Fred rubbed his hand over his close-cropped hair. ¡°Some unknown entity is harvesting her spent magic. Some beings can feed on spent magic, and she¡¯s the whole buffet just herself¡±. Fred looked at Joe shook his shoulders. ¡°You know me this is real. We¡¯ve got to take them with us, or a whole lot of horrible things could and are going to happen to them and everyone!¡± Joe was going pale; he was given a large pill to swallow and an even bigger pill to give to the Knights¡¯. While you¡¯re at it is there something you can do about her insane strength she can¡¯t go through life like a metal encased sausage¡±?

    Joe gave it a thought going through all the spells and incantations he knew from memory. His face brightened up. ¡°Yes, there is, I know the perfect incantation for her.¡±

    Joe and Fred walked back to the med-lab to talk to their guests. Joe entered the room first followed by Fred. Joe was the first to engage in conversation. ¡°How¡¯s our little patient doing? You feel the burn still eh? I can tell you what Fred told me. The big guy is not much for words, at least not until you get to know him. His voice is kind of scary to some people. They think he¡¯s angry, but it¡¯s just the way his voice is. His voice matches his size, and he¡¯s not a small man. One of his gifts lets him know a whole lot about things that are going to happen¡±. Fred nodded his head with a shy grin for such a large man. He looked kind of embarrassed because of his rare talent. Sometimes he sees things other people would rather him not see, so he does not mention them, but he still saw what he saw. ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t know he is the Captain of the ship. You know what else he¡¯s going to make your dinner or bring your dinner here¡±. He looked to Sky then at Fred, who nodded. Joe walked over to a vid screen and made a jester over it and some rune symbols a spell forms came up. ¡°Sky how would you like to walk around without your suppression suit on? I can make it happen with real magic. Once I cure you of your magic burn before I suppress your strength. Before I cast any spells, I need your parent¡¯s permission first to use magic on you. Fred told me you should have been healed by the first magic tome, but the fact you are untrained almost all the magic just went into your vast well¡±.

    ¡°Mr. Joe you¡¯re talking silly still. You talk an awful lot about magic when there¡¯s no such thing as magic. You¡¯re both big grown men, and you both still believe in magic¡±. Sky was getting used to the pain she¡¯s felt from the magic burn and stopped letting it bother her. ¡°Do you read too many fantasy books like me, and pretend that magic is real.¡° Sky said grinning at Joe and Fred, thinking they must have liked to make belief too. Sky was thinking she¡¯ll go along with pretending magic is real. It might be fun to believe her E.S.P was magic for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll play along with you guys, that magic is real, it should be really fun. I don''t think much less of you either since you¡¯ll play with me¡±. Sky was happy; she liked to play make-believe and to imagine magic existed. Too bad the book she had and magic evaporated along with everything else she was carrying. Maybe I could ask if they have some magic fantasy books later after this burning feeling goes away.

    Rocssanna looked to William, who just nodded. ¡°William and I have what seems to be a lot of questions to answer.¡± She gave Sky a sideways glance and a wink. ¡°It looks like Sky has some of her questions for you men also.¡±

    Sky looked to her mommy a little embarrassed by being read so easily. How did she know that she wanted to ask some questions? ¡°Mommy are you trying to embarrass me; it¡¯s not working very well.¡±

    ¡°Good, Mr. and Mrs. Knight right now all I want is permission to help heal your daughter and use a suppression spell on her strength, so we can all get comfortable? So, what is it going to be, Sky is going to have to learn magic is real, and it¡¯s everywhere? Plus, Sky is going to have to learn to use her magic, at some point in her life to control her natural abilities.¡± Joe said and turned to Sky. ¡°On the magic scale, Sky¡¯s power level must be off the chart. I¡¯ve never seen anybody use any way near the quantity of magic she used even while holding a talisman¡±.

    Fred motioned to William to speak to him away from Sky. ¡°You know this is a magic restricted planet. Our mission was to find out if there were any mages on this planet illegally and escort them off, with heavy fines and possible incarceration. I don¡¯t know why or how you and your family got here, but you can¡¯t stay¡±.

    ¡°Fred, I assure you we came to this planet with the best intentions and were on this planet legally. Our situation allowed us to be here provided we did not display any magic or cause any problems to the people on it¡±. William paused before speaking again. ¡°My daughter¡¯s magical outbursts were unintentional and very uncontrollable. She was never taught anything of magic and manifested her abilities on her own¡±.

    Fred looked down into Williams'' eyes, and their gazes met. He was surprised at the shorter man holding eye contact without even the slightest flinch. Fred was the one to feel uncomfortable by the unseen power this man held. After all, he did pick up and ran with a man in combat armour as if a bag of air. He started to speak to the man with the utmost care. ¡°Mr. Knight, we would like you to come with us and find yourself another place of residents. Bella Grande is not a place you can stay any longer. You just admitted you broke your agreement and now in violations of your conditions to stay here. Will you and your family come willingly with us to relocate¡±? Fred asked with as much conviction as he could muster.

    William saw the apprehension in Fred¡¯s eyes and decided to have a little fun teasing him. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m ready to leave anytime soon. My beautiful wife and I have jobs; my little angel has school to finish. You can¡¯t expect us to leave at the drop of a hat. My daughter caused Bella Grande a little damage in self-defence. Surely, you¡¯re not going to hold it against her, are you¡±? William told Fred

    Fred could have sworn William was getting taller as he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have your reasons to stay. But I have my orders to remove all magic users from this planet. I asked nicely, and I don¡¯t want to use force¡±. Fred was not going to let this man who looked younger than himself get the upper hand regardless of how strong he and his wife is.

    Rocssanna interrupted William in mind speech. ¡°Willy, don¡¯t give the man a hard time. He¡¯s just doing his job. You had your fun just let him know we¡¯ll come along. You¡¯ll have plenty of chances to tease him later if you wish. The piecework we took let us live with no real commitments. We both know this day would come when we would have to leave at the drop of a hat. Let him know we¡¯re going to come and we¡¯ll tell Sky together¡±. Rocssanna paused. ¡°You''re going to have to go for dinner, and you might want to save the trip and bring the house too.¡±

    Mrs. Knight gave Joe the answered his questions. ¡°You can cast the healing and suppression spell while Willy goes and gets our dinner from our house and a few things. After today I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be welcome here any longer. So, William running around all out is not going to be a problem now. After tonight¡¯s magical display on a planet that is against magic, who could blame them. Plus, that was a big part of an ancient forest she evaporated¡±. Rocssanna gave Sky a sideways glance and a wink. The gesture was to let her know it was not her fault and she wasn¡¯t in trouble for it. After quickly reassuring her daughter she was not going to be punished; he turned back to Joe and asked. ¡°So, Joe if you don¡¯t mind me asking, what is your magical powers level as a mage.¡±

    Joe thought about the question for a moment, thinking about the last mage assessment. ¡°I think it was around level three on the last test, and I had a water elemental affinity and was taught the lightning affinity. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s gone up since then. I¡¯m pretty much maxed out at three without a whole lot a practice or a strong magical talisman¡±.

    William, now up and walking toward the loading ramp started to look for the controls to lower the ramp. ¡°Fred, I don¡¯t want you to think you intimidated me into coming with you, but you¡¯re right. We must leave anyway, and you¡¯re here and offering us a free ride right. So, no time like the present and the nights not getting any younger¡±. William said with a smile reached up and put a hand on his shoulder in a friendly gesture. It looked awkward because of the size difference, yet it was still well received. ¡°Fred, could you lower the ramp for me I¡¯ve got to go get the house and get a few things from inside if we are going to leave with you guys. I¡¯ll bring dinner as well since it¡¯s already cooked on the table ¡°. Williams said with a smile.

    He walked over to a control box and pressed his thumb to it and the ramp lowered. ¡°There you go big guy, I¡¯ll leave it down for you till you get back.¡± It still surprised him that William didn¡¯t even flinch when he spoke to him. He¡¯s made people soil themselves when talking to them without even trying, much. His voice and size didn¡¯t intimidate him, even with the light combat armour on.

    William smiled knowing the big cream puff was trying to intimidate him slightly without being obvious. It just made him laugh inside. He already liked this little guy. With a quick wave, William said. ¡°Be back soon!¡± In a sudden movement, he blurred from sight down the now lowered ramp.

    Fred didn¡¯t know what to make of the small family of extraordinary beings. He was thinking of more and more questions for them when they finally get a chance to relax and talk.

    Joe keyed in the incantation to fix Sky up. He wouldn¡¯t have to say much, just a few words to activate the spells on the screen. Joe spoke to Sky and Rocssanna before the first spell took effect. ¡°This incantation is to heal the burning feeling in your body. Normally when you replenish some of the magic you used, a trained magic users body usually brings the burning feeling down on its own. In your case, not being trained in magic we must heal you with a spell.

    He spoke a few words to focus his magic incantation. A ripple of magic swept through Sky, followed by the wash of spent magic out into the room. Sky felt the burning pain retreat the opposite way it came. It starts from the top of her head then her shoulders down along her arms to her fingertips, and down her torso down to her feet after the pain was gone no more burning feeling, not even a little discomfort.

    ¡°Mommy it doesn¡¯t burn anymore. It feels so good not to have that annoying burning feeling anymore¡±. Sky didn¡¯t realize another eight or so hours it would have been completely ignorable. ¡°The only thing I feel is hungry and a tiny bit of embarrassment because my cute little belly is showing.¡± The last she said with a cute smile, she was just used to having her entire body encased in the suppression suits. Sky wouldn¡¯t say it out loud, but she liked the feeling of her bare skin exposed and wouldn¡¯t mind a little more. Sky looked at the console Joe used and frowned. ¡°How come you call it magic and you use a computer and not a wand or a magic staff¡±?

    Joe laughed at himself. He didn¡¯t know why her parents let her be so ignorant about magic when they, themselves knew some. ¡°To use magic in the not too distant past, you had to write out and speak every part of the spell for it to work. The wands or staffs were mostly to focus the magic or to increase the power to the spell. The new way to use simple spells you need to key in effects your spell will take on a M.A.D (Magic Aid Device), speak a few words to power it or in a few cases hit enter. With magic being so much easier these days; there are more magic users than non-magic users. There are reasons in the stories all the people who used magic were old. They liked to horde their power and didn¡¯t share it freely. There was always a lot of reading studying and remembering spells and incantations. No mage or then called wizards wanted to teach a person who was too young and inexperienced in life. For one to teach you, they had to be able to sense your magical energy. Now it is so much easier if you have even the slightest gift for magic, that is after you learn your keywords and all the names of incantations you can do by heart, and have a portable M.A.D a tablet with the latest magical software. Just about any person or being can use magic¡±.

    Sky¡¯ eyes lit up and her youthful face shown with delight. ¡°Can you teach anyone magic at any age¡±?

    Joe thought of the question and thought to himself. If this little girl were his, she would have already started magic school years ago, ¡°that would be up to your Mom and Dad to decide if you¡¯re to learn the arcane arts.¡± Joe said giving Rocssanna a questioning glance. Rocssanna¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change giving Joe any answer. ¡°I think there are only a few races of beings who have no magic in them. Titans are one of them, imagine a race of beings over sixty metres (¡®196 feet) tall being able to use magic. Super big and able to use magic, they would have won the war for sure¡±.

    Before we remove the conversion wires I would like to test your ability to hold magic, it¡¯s called your magic well. Joe was watching her draw circles around her belly button easily depressing her skin as he would his own, but knowing he couldn¡¯t even put the slightest dent in her flesh while putting on the tomes, even in the powered gee suit. It was just simply amazing. ¡°Sky you will feel something like a tiny tap deep inside of you for the test to start. Here we go ¡°. Joe said as he tapped a key on the console and frowned after a second. He checked the connection to Sky and tried again. He tapped the button once again, and it beeped on the screen. With a sigh, he said. ¡°It must have been a bad connection; we measure a person¡¯s magic well by the millisecond by the sounds of it your magic well is quite impressive.¡° Joe was reaching to take off the wires when there was another bleep sound from the console. The console was showing two test results both were in the triple digits and the second one was minutely greater. He did not know what to make of it and decided to recalibrate it another time. So, on to Sky¡¯s suppression spell. He finished pulling off the cables connecting Sky to the console and them to the side and not away.

    ¡°Sky the next spell is going to allow you to wear just regular clothes. Your suits can be replaced with magic, and the spell can be modified as needed with no uncomfortable adjustment period¡±. He smiled and put his hand on her shoulder already seeing her as a daughter. ¡°You¡¯re going to love the freedom of movement and overall feel of not being encased like a sausage.¡± Joe started to activate the incantation forgetting she won¡¯t be able to move with the suit on after it was cast. Sky¡¯s body shimmered as the first magic pulse passed over her. Sky stiffened as the pulses of magic washed through her body. It just became apparent to him that she wasn¡¯t going to be able to move until the two suits were removed. Joe was going to say so as Sky seemed to struggle to move. ¡°You¡¯re not going to be,¡± Joe stopped in mid-sentence as Sky sat up and flexed her arms as if the spell did nothing. Joe was dizzy with the thoughts going through his head. It was something he could not wrap his mind around. It was just not possible for her to move, even a tiny bit, with even extreme effort¡¯ yet, here she was moving with no effort at all. The most prominent question on Joe¡¯s tongue was who these people are?? He was in shock in how she moved; he thought she would have moved like a sluggish robot before if at all. The incantation should have taken away all her strength and made her like an ordinary human girl. For her to move now, her strength would have had double it was before. Now she was jumping around higher than most people could unless you¡¯re trying to set some record.

 Chapter Four A New Start and Something New

    Chapter four

    A New Start and Something New

    Mr. Knight appeared as if from nowhere walking up the ramp carrying a large sack over one shoulder and a huge pot in the other one hugged to his side. The sack had a tied off cord and two handles. Fred looked to William seeing the large sack and chuckled at the thought of Williams dragging his house over to the ship. ¡°May I ask what¡¯s in the sack? Are you moving in¡±? He offered to take the sack from Mr. Knight who made a big grin as he passed the bag over to the much bigger man wearing a power suit. Mr. Knight held it in his out stretched arm as if holding an empty bag, knowing how it would play out. Making sure Fred had a good grip on the handles, he released it and quickly stood aside. Fred is a big man almost sixty centimetres (two feet) taller than William and wearing a powered combat suit pitched forward being pulled to the floor by the weight of the large sack. ¡°I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t give you dinner to hold. Are you okay¡±? William was still smiling as he took it back. Fred gladly gave the large sack back with a question. ¡°What¡¯s in that thing and why is it so heavy¡±? William answered with what had to be an even bigger grin ¡°Oh, not much big guy, just a change of clothes for us and the house. I couldn¡¯t decide what to bring so I brought it all. It was a simple as dragging it into a pocket space. I build the house with moving it in mind; you know a mobile home¡±. Fred looked confused anything in a pocket space generally has a fraction of the weight. ¡°So, what weighs so much in the bag it can¡¯t be just a house and some clothes¡±? William looked puzzled and then a sign of recognition. ¡°Oh, our clothes have some strength suppression in them, so they are heavy Sky¡¯s clothes are the heaviest by far, and I¡¯ve got two sets of hers. The house is very special and very heavy too¡±. Fred shook his head with a grin of his own. ¡°After Joe cast the muscle suppression spell she won¡¯t need them.¡± William smiled with the thought of Sky wearing just regular clothing, thinking about how Sky would like it. The two walked over to the med-bay to see Sky, Rocssanna and Joe.

    Fred and Williams saw Sky first jumping around waving her arms. The jumps she made almost put her to the ceiling, just about 3 meters (10 feet) well over Fred¡¯s height. ¡°Daddy I can remove the special suit now. Joe used his fake magic to cure me; I feel so free and light¡±. Williams looked to Joe; his face was a little pale and slightly slack-jawed. ¡°Joe, you don¡¯t look so good! What happened while I was gone?¡± Joe stood there not knowing what to say; it looked like he didn¡¯t even notice the two walk in the door. Sky heard Fred talk to Joe and smiled. Fred walked to Joe and put his hand on his shoulder to get his attention. William at the same time went to his wife. Rocssy looked a little sheepish and whispered into Willy¡¯s ear. ¡°I think she got a whole lot stronger just now. Do you think we should tell them what we are, or wait till they ask¡±? William looked to Joe and Fred and made a quick decision. ¡°Yes, we should tell them, after dinner.¡±

    ¡°Joe, what happened to you? I thought you were going to suppress her strength not enhance it¡±. Fred stared at the jumping girl how he thought would have moved sluggishly at best. She didn¡¯t look remotely hampered by its weight, or it¡¯s inflexibility.

    ¡°I, I, I did the right incantation, and everything was going well, her bodies movements slowed down as the spell progressed till she couldn¡¯t move. Then she struggled a little and jumped up like she didn¡¯t have any weight to her at all. I check the spells I use, and they were compatible". Sky came over to Joe. She had stopped jumping and was now sort of hop stepping from foot to foot. "Joe, thank you for the magic spells." She looked up to Joe not frightened even in the least of his greater size somewhat hesitant at what to do to thank him. She was puzzled by the look on his face, was it fear or shock. She didn''t try too hard to work it out in her mind. Maybe a thank you hug would make him feel better she thought. Joe watched dumbstruck as she reached up slowly to embrace him in a hug. Rocssanna noticed, not thinking Sky would hug an almost total stranger, but she was. She called out to Sky to stop her, but it was too late.

    Sky reached around him and gave him her gentlest squeeze of a hug. The one she gave her parents, they called them butterfly hugs. Joe''s gee-suit buckled under the pressure; luckily it was also a lightly armoured combat suit. The amour of the suit saved his life, and the fact she wasn''t trying to kill him. Rocssanna reached Sky as she stepped back from the hug. "Honey you know you shouldn''t hug strangers; you might hurt them."

    Sky was shaking her head as if to say it wasn¡¯t her fault. "It was a butterfly hug, like the ones I give you and Daddy! He even used his fake magic on me so I could go without the su"... Sky broke off as she realized what just happened to Joe. "I''m sorry Mr. Joe I thought the spell worked I was too happy and hopeful to see it didn''t. Will you forgive me for breaking your nice suit? It¡¯s not too bad, just a little squished¡¯. She walked around him looking at the damage she just caused. ¡°It¡¯s really not all that bad? I bet mommy can fix it after dinner, the same time she fixes my eating utensils ".

    Sky looked between Joe and her mom with a hopeful expression on her face. Joe smiled with a wince of pain. "I''m just a little tight around the waist. I''m just glad you weren''t taller and crushed the chest of the suit. I think the next time we caste the spell you will have¡±. He winced in pain and took a shallow breath before continuing. ¡°To have your suppression suits off." Rocssanna and William shook their heads; ¡°Let¡¯s eat first, magic and questions after. Let¡¯s get dinner on a table with some soup bowls; Willy makes an amazing stew. I¡¯m sure you two men would like a bowl of some¡±. Rocssanna motioned to the mess hall

    Joe winched in at discomfort caused by the tightness around his waist. Joe didn¡¯t like eating in a light combat suit, even more so when it was slightly crushed. ¡°Um I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I don¡¯t plan on eating while being in a squished power suit. If it¡¯s all good to you I would like to try the spell again now, but without the suppression suit on this time. I think that was the problem with the incantation I cast ¡°. Joe said looking to Sky.

    Sky blushed a little and looked down at her bare feet finding them very interesting just then. Rocssanna went over to Joe and whispered into his ear, so he and no one else could hear. ¡°Sky doesn¡¯t like to wear anything under her suppression suits even though we insist that she does. See the way she¡¯s finding her feet so interesting; I think today¡¯s one of those days she didn¡¯t. Even if she did, whatever attackers were, the acid injected her suit would have eaten them. So, give us a bit of time to get the suits off and her somewhat covered¡±.

    She looked at Joe and his discomfort. ¡°I forget that those suits must be uncomfortable at best and you¡¯re kinda squished.¡± She said the last giving Sky a glance and a smile, which Sky returned sheepishly with her long blue hair partially covering her blushing face. ¡°Okay, guys could you give us a little privacy and some towels. Willy, could you get Sky some ordinary clothes for her to wear after the spell is complete. You¡¯ve got to go quickly before the stores close. I hope nobody finds out who disintegrated the huge portion of the ancient forest. We¡¯ll have everything set by the time you get back, Sky ready, for clothes and dinner on the table¡±. She smiled at Sky. ¡°She¡¯ll need some new clothes that will fit now that she no longer needs the suppression suits. One set of night clothes, at least two sets for daytime wear. One dress, pants and shirt should do for now¡±. Rocssanna motioned William to come closer and whispered into his ear. ¡°She likes light blue underwear and doesn¡¯t need a bra yet.¡± She smiled to him patted him on the back and sent him on his way. Joe came to Rocssanna and Sky to see if they need anything else. Rocssanna mentioned the towels. ¡°Rocssanna, try and not let Sky touch anything especially after you remove the suits.¡± Joe turned to Sky ¡°You are very strong right now, and you can crush anything in here like a marshmallow, so try not even to move, okay. I know you¡¯re a nice young lady and we¡¯ll get you all fixed up this time. I¡¯m just going to leave while you and your mother get ready for the magical incantation ¡°. Sky looked to Joe and met his eyes in a glance as he winced in discomfort. Sky mouthed the words ¡®Sorry Mr. Joe¡¯. She was as sincere as you could be. Joe had Rocssanna opened a drawer and took out two medium towels and handed them to Sky. ¡°OK, Joe we¡¯ll call you in when we¡¯re ready for the spell.¡± Joe was going out the door when a wave of spent magic washed through them as a shimmering bubble of opaque blue covered the two ladies. Joe turned to look at the bubble in wonder when he heard Sky¡¯s voice. ¡°We will call you back in a bit, okay, and I promise to try and not break anymore, oops, stuff.¡± He could hear Sky whisper to her mother. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do that; um you can bend it, back right? I could try, but I would probably only crush it more¡±. As he walked away, he heard a loud metal groaning sound as if metal was being torn apart, followed by ¡®mommy don¡¯t look at me like that I won¡¯t need it after today. Joe wanted to turn around and see but he couldn¡¯t he forced himself to keep walking. He could hear more ripping metal followed by loud clanging of metal on metal. Then he heard Sky again ¡®Mommy, it¡¯s not that big of a dent they won¡¯t even notice it, maybe! Everything I touch on this ship is so soft; I can¡¯t wait to be weak as you and Daddy. Joe was amazed a nine-year-old girl, under one, and a half metres (4-10¡¯) tall, thought two of the strongest human-sized beings in the universe he knew of were weak.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Between Joe and Fred, they lifted the pot to the table and served out five bowls of the fragrant stew. As they went about the task, Joe told Fred about what he heard when he left the two ladies. The soup smelled delicious and spicy; it was mouth-watering. It was kept hot with a simple magic spell.

    Joe got his mischievous grin. ¡°Fred doesn¡¯t tell Sky right away of the reconstruction spell we have for equipment and structures on the ship. This could be fun seeing just how much damage she does before she gets her strength under control. We can even exaggerate the seriousness of the damage ¡°. Joe was smiling rubbing his hands together snickering.

    ¡°Joe, what are you five-years-old? Alright, I¡¯ll keep it from her till you tell her or if she looks like she¡¯s about to cry. Then I¡¯ll tell her and fix everything she¡¯s damaged¡±. Fred smiled. ¡°She has tried to embarrass us, jest for a jest.¡± Joe didn¡¯t know when it happened or happened yet and didn¡¯t ask.

    Joe heard his name called by Rocssanna and that they were ready, Joe and Fred walked to the med-bay to see the bubble still there ¡°Mr. Joe, you can walk through it; the bubble will disappear when you do. That¡¯s! What I wanted it to do, just to block sight and nothing else¡±. Joe and Fred hesitantly walk toward the bubble, and it just faded from sight revealing the mother and daughter on the medical bed. The bed was a little dented up on a little closer inspection kind of twisted too. Sky looked to her mom pouting. ¡°I knew he would see it, mommy; you should have covered it with the blanket.¡± To the side was a pile of twisted grey metal of the suits she wore, some pieces were balled up like a mud ball. Joe remembered that with the power suit on he could bend it a little and that was with a lot of effort. Sky sat up slightly, and the bed creaked a bit with her movement. ¡°Sorry Mr. Joe it was a mistake, it¡¯s a really weak table and the floor¡¯...¡± Sky tried to draw their attention away from the damage she caused so far. Joe noticed a small pile of rags and quirked his eyebrow. Sky covered her mouth. ¡°Oh, the towels are made of some type of paper too, because the first one shredded when I touched it.¡±

    Joe wasn¡¯t worried over a bent metal examination table; he could easily reset it to its previous shape. ¡°Did you use magic to make the bubble Sky? You have no magic training so how did you do it?¡± Sky is trying not to move shrugged her shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s simple; I didn¡¯t use magic, that was my telekinetic powers I picture what I want to happen and sometimes it happens. It works best if I¡¯ve done it before like pushing and now the bubble.¡± Joe was about to ask another question when Rocssanna and Fred gave him a look, motioning to the towel. ¡°Okay let¡¯s get you fixed up so you can wear some regular clothes. Then you don¡¯t have to worry about breaking things accidentally too.¡± He walked over to the computer console and accessed the incantation he used not too long ago. Joe tweaked the spell a little to compensate for his first mistake. He activated the spell with a few arcane words and gestures. The spell washed over her in waves and her movements slowed down, and she became still. Joe was at her side taking her wrist. ¡°Try to move as slowly as you can. Try not to make any sudden movements. It will allow you to adapt to the suppression of magic and its magic on you¡±. Sky moved ever so slowly sitting up and not realizing the towel sliding down. Joe noticed this about to happen and turned his head, Fred¡¯s head was already turned face slightly darker. ¡°Sky your towel¡±! Rocssanna chided Sky. ¡°Oops, don¡¯t worry they must be gentlemen they have their heads turned.¡±

    The two men left the room chuckling in mirth and called back to them without turning ¡®¡°We¡¯re going to turn on the artificial gravity so you can get used to our gravity. By then William should be back with some clothes for you. We¡¯ll also change, once the gravity is changed back to our liking.¡±

    Shortly after Joe and Fred left the two ladies, William arrived with Sky¡¯s new clothes. ¡°Honey, great timing we were just finished with the magic incantation. We¡¯ll need the clothes to see how effective the spell worked¡±. William went to Sky; it won¡¯t be too easy to replace them for a while.¡± Rocssanna hugged Willy and took the bag of clothes. She then guided him out of the room. ¡°Go find Joe and Fred and wait for us, I¡¯ll get changed also. We¡¯ll have dinner after and see about answering all the questions the two hosts will likely have. Now go so we can get started¡±.

    ¡°Daddy thanks for the new clothes.¡± Sky called out to his retreating back. Rocssanna waved her hand as if outlining a circle around them. Sky knew what her mother wanted and the magic powered the spell, and a magic bubble sprung up around them this time it was blue with what looked like clouds floating lazily across the surface.

    ¡°Nice touch honey it looks really pretty it looks like an um, um, the sky.¡± Rocssanna said with a grin. The bag with Sky¡¯s clothes was the first one they opened pulling out the new clothes. The first thing Sky seen was a set of plain sky blue underwear and one of pinkish red. Each consisted of two pieces, a quarter top and shorts style panties. She took the blue ones and started to put them on She gently was being careful not to tear them as she pulled them up. She tore so many underwear in the past she gave up trying to wear them under her suppression suits. They went on with no problems. The top was new to her; she never wore anything like it, tag to the back she pulled it on over her head. It came down just above her belly, and it looked funny to her. With little hesitation, she pulled it back off. After years of wearing a suppression suit or two, she was happy to feel the air on her skin. Next was a choice of dark blue fabric pants and a pink tee-shirt or a sea blue dress with some sparkles across the thick shoulders straps. Both of which she would have never worn before today. She decided on the pants and top, just in case she tore something, she didn¡¯t want it to be the pretty dress to get ruined. The new clothes felt nice against her skin. They didn¡¯t cling like the suits did making her feel clammy. ¡°Mommy I could get used to not wearing those special suits. Too bad Daddy didn¡¯t get you new clothes also.¡± Just as Mrs. Knight finished putting on a simple sleeveless green summer dress, Joe¡¯s voice came out from nowhere. ¡°We are going to lose ten gees¡¯ in five, four, three, two and one one gee starting now.¡± Almost instantly Rocssanna¡¯s hair went fuller with beautiful big waves in her hair. Sky¡¯s hair just fluffed up a little bit. ¡°Sky you should still try and not move too quickly for a little while. Let see if the magic adjusts to the new gravity¡±. Sure enough, another a wave of magic flowed through her taking away most of her incredible strength to make her seem like a normal human girl. Once dressed they took one last look at the fading sky bubble and walked towards the delicious smell that was dinner.

    The three men waited for the young ladies to arrive for the evening meal. Rocssanna and Sky had seen the two men for the first time in their patrol uniforms since they arrived. The gee-suits made the two seem bulky and awkward. Without the extra girth, they moved with the dexterity of master martial artists. Even though the uniforms, you could tell they were not fat or thin but very fit. Fred was even bigger than Joe; his arms bulked out the sleeves of the shirt. As the two ladies took their seats, Joe and Fred stood up with a practiced grace from formal training. William just looked at the two and grinned till he considered Rocssanna¡¯s eyes, he stood as well, a little pinker. Sky watched the three men puzzled and looked to her mother who nodded to the men who took their seats once again. Joe stood up and said a kind of singsong mantra. After Joe sat down, Sky picked up her spoon which felt oddly heavy for a second, and spooned up some stew and started eating. Joe and Fred spooned up some of the thick and heavy broth. Joe took the first taste of his stew; it was rich with flavour and had an odd weight to it. He nodded to Fred with a smile, who then dug-in with gusto?

 Chapter Five Questions and Unexpected Answers

    Chapter Five

    Questions and Unexpected Answers

    Joe and Fred could barely finish their first bowl of stew whereas, Rocssanna and William finished two, and Sky, on the other hand, was on her third and thinking about a fourth serving of stew. She looked to the others watching her eat and banished the thought not wanting to look gluttonous. She was now conscious of how she may have looked while eating and blushed at the thought. Sky noticed her spoon still looked like a spoon and smiled. She was not used to the utensils staying straight while she ate.¡± Mommy, the spoon looks the same as when I started!¡± She said showing the spoon to her mother. Rocssanna looked at the spoon it was slightly bent, it nowhere near as distorted as her spoons used to get. Joe ached to see the spoon, and she proudly passed it over to him for inspection. Joe reached for the spoon with an outstretched arm. He was not expecting the simple utensil to weigh as much as it did and almost dropped it. He brought it closer to see tiny marks and nicks in the surface. The spoon was a little bent; he thought briefly of bending it straight but stopped with a grin. ¡°Here Fred, look at this spoon, I¡¯ve never seen one like it anywhere!¡± Fred had seen Joe¡¯s mistake and took it knowing it was heavy, Fred also saw the marks and the slight bend. Fred being the perfectionist he was, he tried to straighten it with one hand so Sky wouldn¡¯t see that she had indeed bent it. After the first failed attempt, he gave up the pertinence of hiding the fact it was bent and tried to straighten it with two hands. With great effort, he did it. Flushed faced he handed the spoon back to Sky. ¡°Thanks, Mr. Fred, Mommy usually fixes them for me. I usually make them worse, and we end up throwing them for recycling. It¡¯s not as bad as before I got the new type of utensils. Before that, I used to eat the head of the spoon or fork quite often. Now they get bent and twisted there are even chunks missing sometimes. If you want Mr. Joe Mommy can fix your suit for you now?¡±

    With a chuckle, Joe answered her. ¡°That¡¯s okay sweetie I can fix the suit with magic. I want to thank you and your parents for dinner. I¡¯ve never had food quite like it before. I¡¯m looking forward to later if my guess is correct¡±.

    ¡°You and your parents are coming with us into space?¡± Fred told a now beaming Sky.

    ¡°Mommy, daddy is that true are we going into space with Mr. Fred and Mr. Joe.¡± Sky was in front in two quick steps. ¡°Is flying in space fun Mr. Fred. I¡¯ve always dreamed of flying through space doing magic. Now I can fly through space and pretend with everyone magic is real¡±. Sky said finishing her sentence with an ear-popping squeal

    William looked to Rocssanna and smiled. ¡°You would be correct on that assumption. We would be asked to leave after Sky¡¯s display of magical abilities and the fact there¡¯s no point hiding anymore here. We would have moved on sometime soon anyway. That¡¯s why I could drag the house into a pocket space; I made it that way, mobile.¡± William decided to drop the joke no one laughs the first or second time. The third time would make himself feel worse if no one laughed and he had to explain the old joke.

    "Alright now for a question and answer session. Fred and I are overflowing with curiosity about the three of you.¡± Just as Joe was going to ask his first question Sky yawned and her head drooped down almost hitting the table. Rocssanna looked to Sky and seen she was having a hard time staying awake. Joe to realize she should have slept long ago with the stress she went through. Any full mage would Not have been awake for long after¡¯ receiving the first tome of magic, she went through ten and was hooked up to the ships magic generator for over half an hour. Rocssanna was about to ask if Sky could skip any questions for now. Joe had beaten her to it. ¡°I think a certain angel needs some sleep I¡¯m could make up a bunk for her if you want. Fred could still ask some questions while I¡¯m getting her tucked in. We are on a listening network while with guests on the ship." Rocssanna looked to William and shook her head ¡°NO!¡± She turned to Joe. ¡°Point Sky and me in the right direction where she can sleep, Sky has some nightwear to change into before bed. Plus, William and I are telepathically connected so we can hear and answer questions directed to either one of us. So, point the way so I can get our precious little daughter to bed."

    Fred lift his wrist to show a wrist tablet, pressed some buttons and said something about a kind of illumination spell and a ball of light appeared. ¡°This is a special light and has a bit of my intelligence in it. Just ask it where you want to go like you would a person, as for a name call it light. When you¡¯re done with it say lights out.¡± Sky saw the light and smiled with half closed eyes. ¡°I can make light too.¡± With a small gesture, like flicking something off her finger a small blue ball of light the size of her fist appeared twice as bright as Fred¡¯s. Rocssanna chided Sky for showing off and waved her hand to dispel it. Then she asked Fred¡¯s light to guide them to the sleeping quarters, passing the med-bay to get Sky¡¯s sleepwear and other clothes.

    Joe could not believe his eyes; she can cast a spell with no words, very few high-class mages could do that and would die before teaching it to anyone but family if they had extreme talent. She¡¯ll need training of some sort before long ¡ª training for what she can do and shouldn¡¯t do with magic.

    ¡°So, William where to start? How about what species are you?¡± Joe asked hoping not to sound racist.

    William gave it a thought and answered them. We¡¯re Titans from the outer fringes of the known galaxy. We are the last ones as far as we know of on this side.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t be Titans they were known to be over sixty metres (196 ft.) tall, you¡¯re not even close to two metres (6 ft.). You¡¯re not even that tall for humans, what kind of Titans are you? On top of that, you can do magic, and everyone knows Titans can do no magic at all¡±. Joe had no idea who the two people he was talking too.

    ¡°We were in the last great mage wars; we were on the mage¡¯s side and were outcaste by our race. Soon after the war, we were hated for being Titans. Before we were hunted down and harassed, we came to the centre hub of magic in the galaxy. On the planet twelve arch mages linked and micronized us. That¡¯s why we are so strong, and our bodies are so dense. But Sky is a little different from us. At the time, we had no idea Rocssanna was with child. Titan females can stop menstruation at will, just before the war started she must have just gotten pregnant. Sky would have been a little over four to eight metres (13-26 ft.) long just a tiny thing. ¡°

    Joe¡¯s jaws dropped. ¡°That could only mean you two are the giants among men. I heard about you two in history the two Titans who won us the war.¡± Joe remembered Titans could nullify magic at will, but not use it. ¡°So how can Sky and you use magic? ¡°

    William paused a moment and gave it some thought and gave away the fact it was two people considering the question by shaking and nodding his head. ¡°When we were micronized our bodies condensed what little magic we had, was now useable and built up. When we¡¯re at our normal size I think the magic; we had just allowed us to be Titans. I don¡¯t think Titans could be Titans without magic helping to move our colossal bodies and allow us to do the things we could do. Now that I think about it most of the magic we create is stored where ever the rest of our bodies are. They''re either in a different time or dimension. For all, we know it¡¯s in a pocket space inside our bodies. The archmage who micronized us never told us, even after we asked. I believe if we to revert to our original size we would lose our ability to use magic. As for Sky, she¡¯s unlike us in many ways¡±. William was not sure how much to tell these men. They still had secrets they promised to keep from and of the mages planet. They had just met and couldn¡¯t trust them yet, Rocssanna felt the same way. She still urged him to continue with the story and to leave out everything they promised to keep secret. ¡°On the planet, we were micronized on were a kind of multi-dimensional plants, Octopus that can give off magic. The plants were semi-sentient many were inside Rocssanna¡¯s lower abdomen when she was micronized. I, we thought the plants just went into another dimension at the time. Now we think as Sky, like a fetus and the plants shrunk they must have merged, and about four or more of the strange plants and Sky became one being. Not much is known about the plants except they can produce a lot of magic when linked to a mage, but to a human body, they¡¯re just as big or bigger. When linked, they are mainly in our dimension. We now think the rapid growing Sky drew the curious plants in and they sought to merge with her. The plants resembled something like an octopus with the head of primates. The plants were somehow connecting themselves to her trying to see what she was. Being connected they could not break free they must have merged with her rather than harm the new life; they became one. So, Sky could be five or more beings in one, able to produce a tremendous amount of magic. On top of the magic, they gave her an even denser body than our own. Due to her extremely dense body she can store a vast amount of magic too. When we were micronized we just got smaller and denser; somehow the mages reduced our weight as well. ¡°Rocssanna entered the room and waited for the conversation to dwindle as they noticed her, before speaking.

    ¡°Thanks for not pressing Sky for answers. She was so tired I had to carry her once we were out of sight. She puts on a brave face but she still just a young girl. She was out like a light when her head hit the pillow.¡± She didn¡¯t need to tell William the fact she said Goodnight to her father because she knew he was there too in a sense.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Rocssanna took a seat next to William and let out a sigh. ¡°Not that long after our micronization we found we had very limited magic maybe one of the Octopus merged with us. One mage could sense a person¡¯s magical strength and capacity to hold magic. He told me that I held a great amount of magic and I was getting stronger by the day. I could do no more magic than Willy. He insisted it was there and needed to access it before it came out itself, uncontrolled. I had no luck accessing my hidden well of magic for weeks. It wasn¡¯t till we tried linking that we found the problem of accessing my magic. During the link, he felt a small physical connection to another life form, not any organ but living like a parasite off my body. He said he felt it somewhere in my lower abdomen. Once he said it out loud we all knew what it meant; I was pregnant.¡± Joe and Fred looked puzzled not knowing how to ask how you could not know you were pregnant. ¡°I see by the look in your faces that how could I not know? As Titans, our gestation period is ten or more years, give or take a year. I had stopped my menstrual cycle before it stopped naturally. It was not uncommon for a Titan female to find out after six years she was pregnant. We didn¡¯t show till eight or nine years. The last year or two is when Titans start to show and only a slight bulge. Sky started to show after two months after being micronized, and I looked like a pregnant human on the fourth month, just under the fifth year we think she was born. It was the fastest Titan gestation in history, half of the usual time, and I had a way bigger belly to scale than a normal Titan¡±. Joe could not believe Rocssanna, a ten to eleven-year gestation.

    Joe decided to ask a few questions. ¡°So, what was the name of the planet you were micronized on?¡±

    William answered well sort of answer. ¡°That was a secret we were sworn to keep. Don¡¯t bother asking about the names of the mages who shrunk us down. We can¡¯t tell you that either.¡±

    Fred was thinking of a question. ¡°Since you can do magic and Sky is just filled with it why are you not training her or having a mage or sorceress train her ¡°?

    William looked to Rocssy, and she took up the call to the stage. ¡°The mage who linked with me linked with the still-forming Sky and drained away almost all the magic she held. It took a long time, and he put most in talismans. He said we would have to drain the magic frequently on the planet. He told us other planets have little or no magic you can go to.

    ¡°We were told giving birth to the baby on that planet would not be advised. We would be used as test subjects to further the advancement of magic. Sky would not have a normal childhood by any standards had she remained on the planet.¡± Rocssanna said with a forlorn look. ¡°The way they treat strong mages was pure elitism. She would have been most likely corrupted as a spoiled brat. She would have had nothing but favouritism once she left our sight and later used in all kinds of test. Who knows what a childlike Sky could do if she cared for only herself¡±.

    Fred found it very interesting that they would have to move from a planet full of mages who could have trained her. ¡°How come the magical releases started to happen in the last three years? Was there something to trigger a magic increase in her body? Even though Fred asked the question, but Joe also anticipated the answer.

    William got a guilty look on his face. ¡°That would be kind of my fault. Sky had a stone that was drawing off most of the magic as her body made it and drew it in. We kept it on Sky¡¯s back so she wouldn¡¯t crush it by mistake. I thought she would like it as a neckless, which she did for two days. Right till the day she thought to polish the gemstone. Who would think a six-year-old could crush a blue diamond in her fingers.¡± William left out that it was part of a set. He had no idea what the Arch-Mage did with the magical power he got from his gemstone. With that much power, it was hard to say. Since getting here, there¡¯s been no contact with him or his daughter. There is a saying the more the power, the easier to become corrupt.

    ¡°If Sky crushed something like that it should have been one big explosion, what happened. I¡¯m surprised half the planet didn¡¯t blow up by seeing what she could do with what she has let alone six years¡¯ worth of magic build up in the gem. So, I guess you nullified the magic with your Titan abilities or something to that effect?¡± Joe was curious too about the magic in the gem; he and Fred were almost holding their breath for the answer.

    Between William and Rocssanna there was another conversation going on. ¡°Willy, should we tell him about the other gem the Arch-Mage had?¡± Rocssy asked of William in mind speech.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it will hurt to tell them; it will be easier to explain why there¡¯s still a planet here or at least life still on it. ¡°William answered

    ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t mention the fact that there was a gem linked with the one Sky had. The other one was the one that held the magic that was drained off. It was supposed to be bottomless but at times she still overflowed with magic. She was walking home on the mainland when she tripped and made a trench on the side of the road almost a kilometre long. Luckily people thought it was a ditch someone dug a little too deep and too close to the road. They left it thereafter filling in half because it was super straight. We moved shortly after that in case she tripped crossing the road or caused some other unexplainable damage.¡± Rocssanna was smiling in the mirth of the memory.

    Fred asked about the other times she lost control when it started to overflow. ¡°When was the next time she overflowed and popped.¡±

    ¡°She was about five when she threw a temper tantrum. It was with luck that it was our house when it happened. Our house was built for extra strong beings, so the floors had dents and not holes punched through them by her tiny feet. Her magic when I nullified its¡¯ nature was just like wind. I have no idea what the spell was, but it blew out all the windows and doors. Some of our stuff flew out the openings it looked like a poorly organized lawn sale.¡± William told Joe and Fred, leaving out the fact that most of Rocssanna¡¯s lingerie was spread out all over a tree as if decorated with the naughty undergarments. He smiled at that part of the memory. But didn¡¯t say anything, although a voice in his head dared him to, as a threat.

    Joe was surprised that a house that strong would have such weak windows and doors. ¡°I guess the windows and doors were pretty weak for them all to be blown out. What would it take to knock out a window or door?

    William paused for a bit, pondering the answer and doing some rough calculations in his head. I guess about ninety kilograms (198 pounds) of high grade explosive. That might have the same effect on the doors and windows as the blast Sky made. I doubt either one of you hitting a door with a car could knock it off its hinges.¡± William said as another comparison.

    Fred turned to Joe and smiled. ¡°They¡¯re the ones of the legends, the giants among men. Being weak is not used in any reference to them.¡± Turning back to William and Rocssanna was there any other cases of the magic overflowing. I hope I do not sound eager for tales of your misfortune, I just never heard of so much magic before. It¡¯s like hearing a fairy tale or like a mage that was trying to brag. ¡°

    ¡°There were other times just not as interesting, we were usually there and by then could feel the effects happening before the magic took form and dispelled them into small gusts of wind,¡± Rocssanna said shrugging her shoulder.

    William shook his head. ¡°Dear, we¡¯re Titans a small wind to us could be gale force winds to any other race. There were no more incidences where there was any great damage, till today that is. ¡°

    ¡°Well there¡¯s another question, do you have any enemies that would be following you to the planet?¡± Joe asked them, getting ready to tell them about the space ships in orbit around the planet. ¡°I was wondering because there¡¯s another problem on the rise. One is a pirate ship; we think it¡¯s the Bright Whites, wanted through the known galaxy. The other ship we know little about and is not of this dimension.¡± Joe looked to Fred to see he was alright with telling them about the alien space ship. A nod was the only answer he needed. ¡°We were watching your daughters¡¯ magical battle, not knowing who or how many mages battled. Fred noticed a hole in the fabric of space drawing in the spent magic. We closed the hole just as your daughter made a final blast of powerful magic. That magic was swallowed up also. The space ships are still there and waiting for something. We think it¡¯s your Sky their after, and I recommend her not to be left alone in the case of the alien space ship tries something. As for the pirate''s ship, they will wait for us and try and raid our ship. They¡¯re probably thinking about learn more about what happened and deciding what to do then.¡±

    Rocssanna was worried about Fred and Joe and their safety. ¡°Will you be in any danger from either ship? We can survive just about anything thrown at us. Will you have a magical battle on your hands¡±? She asked the two men, then looking to Sky. ¡°I¡¯m sure Sky will want to help you out with the battle if you show her a magic spell or two she¡¯ll be able to use even more magic safely. Ever since her first magic outlet, she has been releasing more magic every time, it almost doubles whenever it happens.¡±

    Joe and Fred looked at each other in shock. How could they let their child fight a battle at nine years old? ¡°I can¡¯t let her fight in a space ship that would be insane. Anyway, we are more than capable of handling most ships four times our size. This ship is four times bigger inside than the outside; in fact, it¡¯s much like how your bodies are.¡± Fred stated as a matter of fact.

    William smiled shaking his head to Fred¡¯s comment. ¡°Our previous bodies were just over seventy metres (236 ft.) tall. Our bodies were twice as dense that of any other beings.¡± Fred got a slightly spaced look thinking about the physics to make that possible. He decided he didn¡¯t need to know.

    Joe got up and asked the couple. ¡°Do you want to join us on the bridge to watch our ascent?¡±

    William was the one to answer.¡± Since taking on a human size, we feel it necessary to rest for a while. Our bodies need no rest, but our minds do. Could you give us maybe four hours of rest that would be most enjoyable with our long day?¡±

    Fred nodded to Joe.¡± See them to their new room for their stay with us¡±. Before they could ask he spoke again. ¡°I¡¯ll put them in the room next to Sky, so they can check on her when they feel the need to. ¡°

    Rocssanna smiled at Joe and one to Fred. ¡°I know the way would you like us to take the room on the right or left of Sky?¡±

    Joe shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Either one is fine with Fred and me. The A. will inform us I which room you¡¯ve taken after you¡¯ve entered one; all the rooms in the guest quarters are the same.¡±

 Chapter Six Skyéˆ¥æªš Curious Nature Shows Through and A Reason She Needs Schooling

    Chapter six

    Sky¡¯s Curious Nature Shows Through and

    A Reason She Needs Schooling

    William got up and walked to Joe and Fred who also got up. William shook each of the men¡¯s hands in turn and said. ¡°Thank you for helping our daughter. We love her so much and hate to see her in any pain. There were times before she complained about her feet burning and we could do nothing for her. Looking back now it was more likely a small case of a magic burn.¡± Rocssanna reaches Williams¡¯s side, and she too shook the men¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Well, we will be off to wash up and get some rest.¡± With that said Rocssanna linked her arms in Williams and started to walk down the hall towards Sky¡¯s, and their new room. Rocssanna, turning around as an afterthought, she warned Joe and Fred about that Sky¡¯s curiosity knew no bounds. ¡°Sky is a good girl, but she thirsts for knowledge and loves to know how things work. She has taken apart almost everything we own and put it back together with her calling card.¡± Reaching into the pocket of her summer dress she pulled out a small card. It simply read. ¡°If broken and needs fixing call Sky¡¯s repair services.¡±

    Fred took the card and chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be able to dismantle anything on this ship; everything¡¯s protected by powerful magic. It would take an archmage to break the spells to be able to open anything.¡±

    Rocssanna called out after turning to leave ¡°I Just had to warn you about her, not that knowing will help stop her, and she never means to do any harm. If you seem to like something she wants to be able to fix it if it''s important to you. Knowing she¡¯s going to dismantle something never helped us either. We never actually caught her taking anything apart, just her business cards ¡°.

    Fred and Joe started walking toward the bridge and didn¡¯t give the warning much thought. On the bridge, the two men looked forward to the upcoming fight. ¡°We should make a plan on what we are going to do about the ships in orbit. The pirate ship will probably come for us once we get into space. The other ship will probably follow us to where ever we go. We have no way of stopping or fighting them with what we have. We¡¯ll have to notify the fleet commander of our situation with the Bright Whites ship and the alien ship.¡± Joe said as he started to get set for everything with the upcoming assent into space.

    Fred finished what he was working on and turned to Joe. ¡°I guess we could get some sleep too while we wait to wake our guests. It should be daytime by the time we get them up. Sky should still be sleeping for quite a while after yesterday¡¯s magical and physical battle. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s only nine-years-old. She will need some special training for the magical power she holds¡±. Fred turned to Joe. ¡°Imagine what it would to be like Sky, to hold magical power like that. Not to mention her tremendous strength and speed!¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know what to do with all that strength and speed. You most certainly would even have a clue what to do with all that magical power flowing out every pore of your body. That would be like holding the power of several archmages or something like that. Plus, she can cast spells without saying an incantation, just a simple gesture. I bet after she learns a little more magic she wouldn¡¯t even need to do that. I believe she¡¯s going to be an amazing Grand Arch Mage one day. I bet by the time she enters her teens she will have reached legendary status.¡± Joe said imagining how it would feel to have power as Sky has.

    Fred looked to Joe and smiled shaking his head side to side. ¡°Is she going to be your new hero? I bet Sky¡¯s your hero now, and she¡¯s not even ten, I¡¯ve got to admit though she has the potential to be great someday, someday soon if there is a call for the insane amount of magic that is. I might become a fan too if she can stay the kind sweet young lady she has been so far.¡± With that little bit of teasing, Fred and Joe headed off to their separate sleeping quarters.

    Moments after Fred and Joe entered their rooms the little girl Sky, jerked up wide awake. Sky was disorientated with her unfamiliar surroundings. Flicking her finger, a small bright globe of light appeared, lighting up the room. It was casting shadows, which she didn¡¯t like so with a wave of her hand. It flew out and multiplied, so no shadows were cast anywhere, not even under the bed. Satisfied the room contained no hidden threat she got out of bed to investigate her new surroundings. With the multiple globes of light, it was hard to look around, so she thought of a way to hide the spheres of light. With a wave of her hand, she hid the light spheres from sight and not the lights effects. Happy with her accomplishment she continued to investigate her new room. Sky remembered all most everything as if in a daze. Now awake she was going to see it all with open eyes and fully conscious. She noticed on the wall by the door a light switch, with a thought she turned it on and put out her magical ones. The light was inferior to hers, so she brought hers¡¯ back and turned the ships lights off in an instant. Sky found. Lately, she needed no gesture and little thought for the task. Lights now of any kind were now super easy, before now flicking them out just made it easier to keep them small and not so bright. She saw a small information terminal to the side of the room, opposite of the bathroom which was holding her interest now. There were no switches or user interface devices. Not knowing how to turn it on, she considered going to ask Fred or Joe of how to use the terminal. She thought it wouldn¡¯t hurt to probe the terminal; maybe she could figure it out herself. With a wave of her hand, she investigated the terminals inner workings and found herself blocked by some strange force from accessing it beyond the surface. The sky was not out for mischief, so she thought she had every right to access any information it could give her. It was an information terminal, and it was in her room¡¯ why not! Sky waved her hand again, with a slight popping sound the terminals monitor came on. With a smile, she pulled and sat on a very comfy looking chair and tilted the monitor for optimal viewing. She looked at her hands with a smile and thought to herself ¡®This was great if I¡¯m very careful I can now touch things with my own hands. I don¡¯t have to ask for help or use my special rubber sticks to move things anymore; thick rubber gloves would still help though.¡¯

    Fred was getting out of the shower when the onboard computer gave him a warning of an attempt of unauthorized access to the terminal guestroom two before he could react seconds later access was granted. Fred thought to himself, that¡¯s Sky¡¯s room, she should not be up anytime soon, and would likely sleep through anything. Who would be at her terminal trying to access it failing and then gaining access within a blink of an eye? Joe would have been granted access instantly by proximity. It didn¡¯t make sense someone other than crew allowing access. Fred asked the onboard computer A.I. ¡°What level of access was granted to the guest, in room two and by who?¡±

    The computer answered in a rich mature female voice. ¡°The guest in room two was granted complete access, by the guest in room two.¡±

    Joe was getting into bed when he heard the computer''s warning and Fred¡¯s subsequent questions. He was in complete shock at the computer''s answer with the impossible. As a failsafe, the computer should have disconnected the unauthorized terminal from the internal network and set the room on lockdown, informing the guest as such after the first warning. Not knowing what was going on he thought better safe than sorry. ¡°Computer disconnect the terminal in guestroom two, and bring up a one-way vid link with the guest in question.¡±

    The computer''s response stopped both Joe and Fred in their tracks. Sorry, you have no authority over the terminal in guestroom two or accessing a vid-link to the guest, but have been granted permission for a vid call by Sky Knight. Their vid screens popped up with Sky¡¯s face filling the view wearing a long-eared hoody blocking the sight of the room¡¯s interior.

    ¡°Hi Mr. Fred and Mr. Joe, I didn¡¯t know you were awake and didn¡¯t want to bother you with possible silly questions, so I was going to ask the computer about stuff. For an AI, she seems very nice, and we get along very well. By the way, Mr. Fred calling a little girl in just a towel is somewhat inappropriate.¡± Sky said, then she covered his half of the vid screen with her hands.

    Fred heard a snicker from Sky and Joe. ¡°Sorry, the vid was supposed to be one way. You were not to see Joe or me for that matter.¡± Fred said pulling on a pair of his uniform pants, not thinking of sleep anymore.

    ¡°Well, I changed that, I think it¡¯s rude you see me, and I can¡¯t see you. If you can¡¯t talk face to face, don¡¯t talk at all. While we¡¯re talking about rude, you should ask for vid call, a cute young lady, not just initiate a one-way vid call. It¡¯s a good thing the computer gave me full access, or you could have possibly seen me in something inappropriate.¡± Sky started to laugh at the serious tone she took, and the bewildered look on the men¡¯s faces, once Fred had his pants and a shirt on. ¡°I had you guys almost pink with embarrassment, that was too funny. So, what¡¯s up to Mr. Fred, Mr. Joe, why such a late call if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±

    Fred cleared his throat and talked with as much authority as he could, using his powerful voice that made most people cower in fright. ¡°We were informed of unauthorized access, then instantly, authorized access to an information terminal in your room. Which should not be possible without my authorization, not even Joe can do that without my say so. Do to certain safeguards put in place over the guest terminals. We were worried about your safety and the safety of the ship. There are reasons for us to be on guard, that you do not know of yet. Could you stop using the information terminal for now till we find out who hacked the system and granted that terminal full access? ¡°

    Joe cut in and initiated a one-way vid call to Fred. ¡°Fred, it may not be safe for her to remain in her room; we should not take chances with her or her parent''s safety. Two ships are orbiting in space right now, interested in the magic Sky holds. Who knows what that ship in the other dimension is capable of? I wouldn¡¯t put it past the pirate ship The Bright Whites to have a trick up their sleeves too. ¡°

    ¡°Joe, it might be a good time to wake up Rocssanna and William to let them know of the possible danger in Sky¡¯s room.¡± Fred was leaving his room and give additional orders to Joe. ¡°I¡¯ll escort Sky to a new room, and you wake her parents and tell them what is happening. Things could get ugly and quick with this many unknown variables. Be on your guard and ready for anything and don¡¯t get sloppy ¡°.

    ¡°You guys I can hear you, and could still hear you, remember full access! No one hacked the computer; I just asked it for full access through the terminal''s interface after it first denied me on to the servers.¡± Sky did not want her parents woken up for something she did so soon after meeting their new friends. ¡°I can fix any problems I have caused if you want. I¡¯m good at fixing things; you could ask mommy and daddy in the morning, no need the wake them now.¡± Sky then wondered about the other ships in space. She turned her awareness to the ceiling of the ship to see what they were talking about. She saw nothing but a few satellites. ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything like ships up there right now. Are you sure there is something there.¡±

    Joe and Fred were almost to Sky¡¯s room when they heard her answer. Fred knocked on Sky¡¯s door and asked to enter. Joe knocked on Rocssanna¡¯s¡¯ and Williams¡¯ door to wake them and inform them of the situation in Sky¡¯s room.

    Fred heard Sky¡¯s answer to come in and before entering had a shield up and ready for any possible trouble in Sky¡¯s room. When the door opened, he was standing off to the side, taking a quick look around he saw the bed was made and Sky at the information terminal. The rooms¡¯ lights weren¡¯t on, yet it was brightly lit with no visible light source. She was alone in the room, and no one appeared to hide anywhere. She was in a cute fluffy, fuzzy animal onesie pyjama with hood and floppy ears and a short puffy tail. Fred found it odd she was looking for something on the ceiling while pointing and counting out, one, two, three¡±, and was looking around more, only to find none. ¡°Three that¡¯s all I can feel up there, no spaceships today, just the three satellites that are always there.¡± She said to herself. Sky noticed Fred entering her room a little strangely, and it gave her pause. ¡°Oh hi, Mr. Fred, nice to see you dressed in proper clothes.¡± Squinting her eyes, she noticed something odd around him it was a bubble surrounding his body, to Sky it didn¡¯t look or feel right. With a simple poke, she dissipated his protective shield with a slight shutter from touching it. She smiled thinking she did him a favour for getting rid of the ugly bubble. No wonder he came in peeking around the corner as he did. I would have been embarrassed to be in a bubble like that too.

    ¡°You could see my shield; it takes a complex incantation to see a mage shield?¡± Fred wondered who could have taught her a complex spell like that. ¡°Sky, it should have been next too impossible for you to break with anything short of a very powerful disruption spell, and the backlash of breaking my shield should have sent you flying along with everything else nearby.¡± Fred forgot what he was doing in her room for a moment

    ¡°I thought I did you favour popping that ugly thing, Mr. Fred. You wanted to be seen in an ugly thing like that! I thought you like to dress nice and neat to cover yourself with an ugly bubble like that. What was with the bubble around you, it felt funny? It felt oily or greasy. My bubbles feel soft and flexible and very smooth; here feel it.¡± She made no gesture and said no incantation yet beckoned him in to feel her shield. He felt a little spent magic come from her as he approached closer out of curiosity. He came to a hard, inflexible, and smooth shield. He felt no other shield like it; it was like an invisible metal shell. ¡°See it¡¯s a lot nicer feeling than your ugly, brittle, and greasy bubble. Yuck!!¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Well, mine was for protection in case a hostile person was in the room with you. I don¡¯t like being sloppy about my guest safety.¡± Fred said pulling his hand from Sky¡¯s shield. Fred felt a little humbled and inadequate by saying he was for protection and a nine-year-old girl pops it with a poking gesture not even making contact. ¡°What do you mean soft and flexible? I¡¯ve never felt anything so hard in my life.¡±

    Sky gave Fred a dirty look and disregarded his last words. ¡°You think I would let a stranger in my room, while I was sleeping, alone, by myself, without mommy or daddy in here. You¡¯ve got to be extremely crazy to think that about a cute young lady like myself.¡± Sky looked up again at the ceiling. ¡°Why were you trying to scare me with tails of pirates and alien ships coming to get me? I feel nothing but rocks and three satellites up there, nothing else.¡± Sky said scolding Fred with her fists on her hips in the animal pyjamas.

    It took a lot of self-control not to burst out laughing at her antics. The fact that she was not frightened by his size or his voice surprised him. He thought she was making up being able to feel things into space. ¡°I¡¯m sorry milady for worrying your young heart, but there is something amiss up there in space. One is ship is cloaked, and the other is out of phase to our time; I can assure you they are there! Must you be a very brave young lady not to be afraid of me or my voice? ¡°

    ¡°Oh, no you¡¯re not frightened at all. You reminded me of the big grizzly bear in the petting zoo when I snuck in to play with it. It nibbled on my head and gave me gentle hugs and cooing the whole time till it fell asleep¡±. She told Fred and brought up a finger to her lips. ¡°That¡¯s our secret now; don¡¯t tell anyone even my mommy and daddy.¡±

    With a sudden burst at the door, the Knights came to their daughter¡¯s rescue, or not. Sky suddenly jerked her hands to her side trying to look innocent. ¡°Sky are you alright, did anyone come in the room¡±? After she answered ¡°NO,¡± they continued. ¡°And you let nobody in until Fred knocked on your door,¡± William asked, feeling relieved at his little beasty daughter turning her head from side to side causing her rabbit ears to flop around. Satisfied with her answer, He quickly disregarded the possible danger and thought of more pleasant things. Like how she was so cute new PJs. He knew Sky would look so huggable in the animal onesie.

    Rocssanna looked relieved to seeing her daughter up, awake, and didn¡¯t seem in any danger or pain. ¡°Is everything alright Honey, no bad dreams while you were sleeping? ¡°

    ¡°No Mommy I had a dream, but it wasn¡¯t scary. It was full of huge spiders like the ones I pushed. The difference was when they popped their insides were full of the hard candies l like to eat. Thinking of candies, I¡¯m hungry again.¡± Sky brought her hand to her chin as if thinking and looked to Fred and Joe giving them a hidden mischievous grin only they could see. ¡°Now that I think about it Mr. Fred and Mr. Joe tried to scare me with tales of Pirate ships and aliens coming to get me.¡± Sky then ran into her mothers¡¯ embrace receiving a hug; it felt nicer without her suppression suits on. It was also a relief not to feel like you were going to get crushed by your loving baby girl.

    William turned to Fred and Joe now somewhat angry, ¡°What does we¡¯ll talk about it in the morning translates into scare my angel in the middle of the night. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to have her jumpy or when she has nightmares? We went into her room many times to find everything crushed to the walls and Sky huddle in the centre with just her tattered nightdress and a torn-up blanket, of which I might add you probably couldn¡¯t even lift. You have no idea what dangers you put yourselves in. This spaceship could not possibly withstand the magical or physical forces she holds. Our house is so much stronger than this tissue paper plane. The time she blew the windows and doors out of our house. That was just two years ago and after last night. Who knows what she is capable of now after that battle, I know one thing, with little thought she could pop your ship like an overblown balloon. You and your ship would be like a smudge across the planet¡¯s surface. ¡°

    ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m right here, I can hear you. I only meant to tease Mr. Fred and Mr. Joe a little bit, those guys wouldn¡¯t and couldn¡¯t scare me, even if the ships in space are real, which they¡¯re not. But now you¡¯re scaring me more; I¡¯m not some monster. I have no magic because magic isn¡¯t real. Magic isn¡¯t what suppressed my strength; it was technology, not magic; he used a computer to help me. If there was such thing as magic I could make a flame appear in the palm of my hand¡±. Sky held up her hand palm up, and nothing happened.

    Fred went to Sky and knelt by her side. ¡°Magic is real, and it does exist but doesn¡¯t work like that, it takes an affinity to fire to make it without an Incantation¡¯ Even then it takes years of practice to create a flame from nothing.¡±

    Sky wanted to believe that magic is and was real because she liked to fantasize being able to use it. But on the other hand, she didn¡¯t want to believe it was real, because it meant her parents have been lying to her, her whole life. Sky now knew what she felt her whole life, that tiny tingling feeling when she made something happen; it was magic. Sky, still holding out her hand, she asked her parents, ¡°Why would you lie to me, your little angel? Did I do something wrong when I was young to get you upset with me, was I not a good girl for you¡±. She had tears in her eyes when she stomped her foot; a flame shot up from the palm of her hand. The flame shot straight to the ceiling. Sky didn¡¯t look phased at all, unlike everyone else in her room. Sky acted as if she knew it would happen and lost all facial expressions. Sky had no more tears running down her face. Fred being by her side looked to her hand and felt no heat from the flame.

    Sky turned to her parents.¡± I have magic, I know magic, I am magic, and I want to be taught, magic! Please no more lies about magic.¡± Fred, Joe, William, and Rocssanna¡¯s jaws gaped open as she raised her other hand and arcs of electricity danced across her fingertips. ¡°I have a memory of when, and where, I do not know, but I know I hold all five gifts of the elements like no one before me. I am here for a reason, and I was born for a purpose, teach me for I hold, life, and death. ¡°Sky brought her two hands together, and a shock wave knocked everyone back a metre (three feet) or so, Fred was knocked down and back the farthest, being so close to her. When they all got reoriented, Sky was passed out peacefully asleep on the floor. Her hoodie pushed off her head and her voluminous sea blue hair all about her.

    The three people looked at each other, no one was hurt, but startled and scared maybe, even the Knights, the mighty tiny Titans could feel that the magic their daughter held could hurt them. For the first time, ever in history Titans, had a reason to fear magic. Rocssanna broke the silence, quickly going to her daughter. ¡°That wasn¡¯t only our daughter speaking just now; something else is in with her. She¡¯s a good girl; she¡¯s always been a good girl. She has a kind and gentle soul, and she¡¯s lived with handicaps no one else could fathom. Imagine not being able to touch your friends, because brushing them could crush their bones or cause serious bruising. She has never touched another being but Willy and I. Any other physical interaction with other kids. She couldn¡¯t swim, she couldn¡¯t play any sports at all ¡ª nothing physical with anyone including us to a degree after she turned four-years-old. Any kind of outburst could cause a loss of lives; with a wave of her arm, she could break and or destroy tens of metres (thirty to sixty feet) of property. None of this happened because she brought up to love life and would do anything in her power to protect it. She became hyper-aware of her surroundings, so as not to hurt someone by mistake. She has made no real friends to prevent anyone from getting too close, don¡¯t forget a hug can kill, even her most gentle ones could hurt us. I could not do what she does, I have no idea where she gets her inner strength, but she has it. My baby needs help; she needs to learn who and what she is.¡± Rocssanna had Sky¡¯s head in her lap gathering her hair and combine it with her fingers. Rocssanna reached and grabbed for William¡¯s hand to squeeze it. He was there right alongside his loving wife, who took her clutched hand bringing it to his lips, he gently kissed it.

    ¡°We will find someone to teach her, now we know that she has a good heart. Sky¡¯s our little angel, but we had to know, who she was to become, an Angel or Demon. Sky will be as a blessing for every good person she meets and us. Once she learns to control her almost limitless power.¡± William scooped up his wife and child and carried them to Sky¡¯s bed, setting them down gently. Fred and Joe were still in shock; they have both seen powerful full trained mages use two elements but never at the same time as Sky had used them. Now they knew why she was not taught magic or of its real existence before now.

    Fred got up on shaky legs, not knowing if they shook from fear or excitement. He knew one thing; he was going to help this child in any way he could. A quick look at Joe he knew he felt the same way. He couldn¡¯t give her a normal life, or an easy life, but a fulfilling life with meaning is a possibility. ¡°William, Rocssanna, the academy Joe and I first went to was the top school for starting magical studies. From there it depended on what your magical aptitude is. I¡¯m sure she will be sent to the best school on a scholarship after even applying. I and I¡¯m sure Joe will sponsor Sky to apply to the school. Magically we weren¡¯t the greatest, but overall, we still graduated with honours. That¡¯s why we have this ship, and no other crew, any more people on the bridge would most likely get in our way. Joe and I work well together because we both don¡¯t like to slack off from hard work.¡±

    ¡°What Fred is suggesting is the right thing to do, and of course I will sponsor Sky to attend. If you want, we will take you there as soon as we leave orbit. The pirate ship should present no problem with this state of the art ship and top-notch crew. The captain is a pretty good man too.¡± Joe said. He looked at Sky¡¯s peaceful face as she slept. ¡°We never meant to scare Sky in the least. We were informed of the information terminals unauthorized access in her room when she should have been sleeping for at least another ten to twelve hours. Then an instant later the person in her room had full access to the whole system and was the new authorizer. We came to see what was happening. On our way, we in overtly talked about the pirate ship and the Aliens¡¯ ship. We thought we had a one-way vid call. We should have been the only one with vid screens. But she had a vid screen and heard everything we talked about. It wasn¡¯t our intention to talk to her about the space ships; she somehow hacked an unhackable magic AI system in seconds. Sky did it all without touching anything.¡± Joe was getting ready to leave to check on the computer system for any other surprises.

    Fred thought of what she told him. ¡°Sky said she just asked the computer for access and she got access to everything.¡± Fred noticed a look of realization on Williams'' face and then the same look on Rocssanna¡¯s¡¯ face, they didn¡¯t look upset anymore. They sure do cope and deal with things quickly, Fred thought to himself.

    William turned to Rocssanna. ¡°All the video channels being unlocked was Sky¡¯s doing I bet. Did you pay for the anniversary gifts and catering this year? ¡°

    ¡°No, I thought you did it as a surprise for all the hard work I¡¯ve done, but if you didn¡¯t, who did¡±? William and Rocssanna gazed down at the peaceful sleeping little girl. ¡°The delivery service said it was all paid for in advance, a tip included. This is one time I¡¯m glad she didn¡¯t think big.¡± Rocssanna bent down and kiss Sky¡¯s forehead. ¡°Well it seems not only people can¡¯t deny her anything, but electronic, and computers bend to her will too.¡±

    William with another shock of realization looked to Fred and Joe. ¡°Does Sky seem spoiled to you? We just noticed we deny her almost nothing she asks for, what if she was unknowingly using magic to get whatever she wanted.¡±

    Joe paused at the door. To him, Sky seems like to stir things up for a little childish fun and get into some mischief, but nothing hateful or insidious. ¡°Did Sky ever asked for something extravagant or out your habit of buying her.¡±

    Rocssanna thought for a moment before answering with a ¡°Yes, we bought her a new high-end military grade tablet last year and replaced the old vid screen in the living room when she asked us to.¡± Rocssanna had a look of horror on her face ¡°My baby has been manipulated us with magic, how are we going to cope with her now.¡± Rocssanna had new tears running down her face. ¡°Maybe teaching her magic wouldn¡¯t be a good thing to do.

    William went pale and started to wring his hands. ¡°Dear, Honey, Sky asked me for a new tablet for school and her research because the one she had was too soft and she was fixing it constantly. The one she asked for was top of the line military grade and was much more robust. She pointed out that she was low maintenance and didn¡¯t ask for much, and the old one lasted two years even being so soft, and she did her repairs to it. I told her to ask again in front of you, and I¡¯ll help convince you if it looked like you were leaning to no. You didn¡¯t need my convincing after hearing her case. The vidscreen was, me too, I had asked her to help convince you, and we needed a new one. Sky did so well stating her case for the vid screen I wished I had asked her sooner. She never asked for something she didn¡¯t need or could use to make things easy for us. She didn¡¯t use magic; she used reasoning. I was cheap and then selfish, sorry dear, it wasn¡¯t Sky, it was me.¡±

    Rocssanna¡¯s tears dried up instantly and brought her face up to glare at Willy. ¡°I knew it was you are wanting the vid screen; I was looking for a way to shame you into admitting to it for almost a year. I finally got you. 0WCH! What the¡­.! Sky just smacked my arm.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be mean to Daddy you wanted a new vid screen too.¡± Sky seemed to still be asleep through the exchange.

    Fred and Joe chuckled shaking their heads. Fred spoke to no one in particular. ¡°Sky seems to be alright, and Joe and I have a ship to run. It looks like you have something to think about also. Just remember we¡¯ll help as much as possible, for Heroes of Legends you weren¡¯t treated very well. From here on I will help you get the treatment you earned and deserve and are due for your great sacrifice.¡± Fred and Joe then left the room. They were in deep respect of the two Heroes of Legends and endeared to one of the most powerful beings in known space, who was wearing an animal onesie.

    Fred remembered just after the door to Sky¡¯s room closed¡± Joe, did you notice anything odd about Sky¡¯s room the whole time you were in there? I noticed almost right away; but felt nothing from the oddity, I just saw the effects¡±. Fred wanted to see if Joe noticed it as well.

    Joe looked questioningly at Fred. He didn¡¯t see or feel anything odd in Sky¡¯s room. Maybe it was about her magic or even her onesie. ¡°No, I don¡¯t feel or see anything different or odd about the room. Should we go back and see if there is anything wrong? Maybe someone is doing something that you can¡¯t feel, and can¡¯t see¡±? Joe seemed confused at Fred¡¯s relaxed attitude at what was something wrong. Joe put his hand on Fred¡¯s shoulder and stopped him. ¡°What is it that you see and why aren¡¯t you doing something? Is Sky in trouble shouldn¡¯t we move her to a new one just in case¡±?

    Fred turned and looked at Joe with a scowl. ¡°Do you think I would let Sky or her parents be or stay in any danger of any kind? I guess you never noticed the light in the room was not on, and there was no visible form of light. Someone cast a powerful light spell in that room. There is more to Sky than just a cute face and a onesie¡±.

 Chapter Seven Space and its Battles

    Chapter Seven

    Space and its Battles

    Sky woke up three hours after her magical outburst with no memories of the last exchange and no one wanted to push her to remember

    They decided to have breakfast in space for Sky¡¯s sake. She wanted to start her new life in new surroundings, so they all went to the bridge to watch the takeoff.

    ¡°Liftoff in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and blast off, Blastoff. Why aren¡¯t we blasting off, no flames, no roaring engines, nothing?¡± Sky was going from side to side looking out the viewports for something exciting to see other than the ground slowly moving away. ¡°You said space was going to be a fun trip. Daddy has thrown me up in the sky faster than this.¡±

    ¡°Sky, I told you we have to clear one kilometre of ground before engaging full lift. Then it¡¯s whoosh into space and possibility a couple of battles. Then wouldn¡¯t that be exciting, a nine-year-old and you have your first space battle.¡± Fred was in his captains¡¯ chair with the added instruments to make up for the small crew.

    The ship reached one kilometre, and the hypergravity drive engines slowly increased their output increasing the speed of the ship significantly, the ground and the island dropped away in a blur. Sky was bouncing from viewport to viewport, she became like a streak of colour and her long blue hair cracking like a whip as she moved around, and then there was a tearing sound. Sky was nowhere to be seen, the clothes she was wearing fell to the ground in rags. Moments later a red-faced Sky in a pretty, blue dress came in picking up the pieces of her ruined clothes. ¡°Sorry, daddy I don¡¯t know what happened to my clothes. I was walking around quickly looking out the windows, and they came apart and fell off me in pieces. Then I ran as fast as I could and put on my dress. I hope Fred and Joe were gentlemen and didn¡¯t look at me naked.¡±

    ¡°Honey you don¡¯t have to worry; no one saw you. I saw you, running around, not walking, and I was going to say something about your clothes is ripping when they all fell apart, and you disappeared.¡± William was about to mention to Sky about the fact she now had only one new pair of clothes when the ship made a shuddering motion and stopped just leaving orbiting heights. William wondered what just happened ¡°What just happened Fred? Why did you stop while just in orbit¡±?

    Fred¡¯s¡¯ hands were a blur across the console in front of him. Fred¡¯s answer was brisk before barking orders to Joe. ¡°I didn¡¯t stop we were stopped! Joe increase the shields too maximum and ready laser beams toward the cloaked pirate ship. I wasn¡¯t expecting an inertia dampening net set out by what I thought were simple pirates.¡± They could see an outline of the net as the power in the shields went up and then dim as another net interwoven with the first net. The second net sucked out the energy from the shields.

    ¡°Fred the shields aren¡¯t going to hold for too much longer with the Bright Whites draining them away like that.¡± Joe was trying different options to cause a feedback to the other ship but to no avail. That is when he noticed the pirate ship powering up their lasers with the stolen energy.

    The captain of Bright White, Brakon hailed Little Tooth. ¡°Ahoy there you, little imperial ship. I have you in my nets, and you have no place to go. If you want to live hand over all of the talismans you took from that battle and any other weapons you have¡±.

    Everyone look at the forward at the viewscreen and seen the bridge of Bright White. It was filled with a grimy bunch of people and half-lings. Their clothing had no matching uniforms or even colour. The only thing they had in common was their white-toothed smiles. It was very disturbing to see so many glistening white teeth on the grubby crew.

    Fred did not answer the grubby captain. He shuttered along with everyone else at sight and shut off the vid link. He turned to his crew. ¡°We do not give in to demands of the enemy without a fight. Let¡¯s see what we can do to these grubby looking pirates. There is a bounty on them too¡±. He said to his guest and one person crew before turning back.

    Fred noticed the lasers on the pirate ship powering up too. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you do just give me shields, any shields.¡± There was a flash, and then there was a blue sky with light, fluffy clouds floating by. The sky lightened on and off and with no other change. Fred looked back to Sky seeing her point out to a cloud that looked like William floating by. ¡°Sky, where are we? Are we still in space or did you send us somewhere¡±? Fred said looking at his instruments not believing what he was seeing.

    ¡°Mommy, doesn¡¯t that cloud look like daddy? Oh, over there is one that looks like you ¡°. Sky said to Rocssanna seeming not to here Fred.

    Joe answered Fred before Sky did. ¡°We didn¡¯t move, but the new shield is Sky¡¯s magical one if you haven¡¯t guessed already. The shield is holding by the looks of it, and the laser that is firing at us is dropping in power. I guess it takes a lot of energy to power those huge laser cannons. Everyone looked at Sky; she was smiling. Then it changed to a frown, and even her shield started fading, and the sky changed colours. ¡°They¡¯re now draining the magic from Sky¡¯s shield too and powering their laser with it. No wonder they were never caught; they have all the neat toys. We always suspected surprise, not superior weapons took all the other ships.¡±

    ¡°Sky can you see where the ship is now?¡± Fred was trying to sound not too pushy, so he didn¡¯t frighten Sky with sounding desperate.

    ¡°Yes, Sir, Mr. Fred, and it''s right over there.¡± When she pointed to the image of the sky, and it faded from view leaving what appeared to be open space. Where Sky was pointing a red circle with a shimmering outline of a ship within, lasers flashing at them. The lasers were getting stronger. ¡°Look closer you can see two bright currents of energy going from our bubbles to the pirates¡¯ ship.¡±

    ¡°Sky, how long can you keep up the shield up¡±? Fred wanted to know how they could retaliate. ¡°Can we fire a laser through your shield? Fred asked her now treating her as part of the crew.

    ¡°Mr. Fred the bubble will hold as long as you want, I¡¯m using the same trick against them and powering the bubble with their lasers.¡± She turned with a smile as if a battle of life and death happened every day. ¡°Yes, you can fire anything through my bubble from this side, Mr. Fred Sir.¡± I¡¯m having fun, Sky thought, it¡¯s like I¡¯m crew now and being helpful. I wonder if I¡¯m going to get paid as part of the crew. Will I have to cut my hair? ¡°Hold on; I feel a tugging from in that direction.¡± Sky reached out and pointed at the bulkhead and it turned invisible, it became a window into open space. Another circle appeared around another shimmering ship, but it looked a little different sort of half there. It was the alien ship they seen on the sensor the day before. ¡°It¡¯s doing something to my magic; I feel it being tugged at somehow.¡±

    Joe turned to Sky. ¡°Hold on we are going to stop the pirate¡¯s ship then the alien¡¯s.¡± He waved his hand over the console, and a bright light shot out from the underside of their ship, hitting the pirate¡¯s shield, and nothing happened; but powered their laser cannons more. ¡°It¡¯s no use their going to keep sucking up all the energy we throw at it. Fred any ideas we don¡¯t have any large projectile weapons on board, just lasers?¡±

    Sky turned from the alien¡¯s after glaring at them with malice. ¡°Um. Excuse, Oh, permission to speak Mr. Fred sir? Fred answered with a ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°When I was sinking leaves on a pond, I threw rocks and I sunk every leaf till daddy stopped me because I was making too big of a splash.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°No angel they weren¡¯t rocks they were boulders.¡± William added.

    Sky gave her father a cute scowl for interrupting and continued. ¡°For bigger things, we throw bigger rocks!¡±

    Fred answered her with a questioning look ¡°We have no rocks to throw at them let alone big ones! How are we to throw anything while we are in space from our ship¡±? He tried not to sound condescending, but how could she think of throwing rocks at a battleship with shields.

    Sky didn¡¯t seem to register the tone in Fred¡¯s voice before she replied. ¡°Yes, we do Mr. Fred Sir they are right over there.¡± She pointed to another bulkhead that vanished to reveal a small cluster of asteroids. ¡°We have lots of them right there.¡± Sky said smiling occasionally looking back at the alien ship and giving them a livid of look disdain.

    Fred and Joe looked to each other and wondered how she knew they were there. Fred shrugged his shoulders and gave her a reply. ¡°That¡¯s nice but how do we throw them Sky? We can¡¯t just pluck the asteroids and throw them can we¡±? Fred then felt bad for being so sarcastic and was about to apologize and quickly explain to her the problem with her idea. Before he could say anything else, she interrupted him.

    ¡°Then can I do it, Mr. Fred, whatever that other ship is starting to tug at my magic hard. I¡¯m starting to get a burning feeling in my toes.¡± Sky lifted her hand as if to grab at the asteroids, and five huge chunks of the asteroids followed her hand as it moved, but from hundreds of kilometres (120+ miles) away. Each one stopped beside the ship in behind the other and reformed into perfect spheres. All of this happened just outside of their ship Little Tooth. The spheres were just on the other side of the net that held them from moving. She gave another quick look and a sneer to the aliens. She turned and faced the pirate¡¯s still firing lasers. Sky is now facing the pirate ship, she reached out as if plucking one sphere as if it with her fingers. It was around a tenth the size of the pirate larger craft. Sky cocked her hand back like a major-league pitcher and then a blur followed by a gust of wind inside the bridge. Joe was blown into his console giving him a bloody lip. It took a second to be able to focus again after the wind inside stopped. The view of the pirate ship, The Bright Whites was now fully visible and had a big gouge down the side of its hull. ¡°Oops so much for a warning shot. It¡¯s because of those stupid alien guys.¡± She plucked another sphere from the short row, this one a little smaller than the first and gave it a flick towards the alien ship. It was too fast to see, and it hit the ship and partially passed through it, but some seemed to connect. It started to shimmered and faded from view until it was no longer there. ¡°Well they''re gone, for now, let¡¯s finish this, I¡¯m hungry, and my feet are burning. ¡°We have three rocks left; let¡¯s not waste them, and waste them.¡± Sky said pointing at the somewhat crippled ship. Sky reached out and snagged the rest of the spheres and readied to throw them. The Bright Whites seemed like they were breaking off their attacks and were trying to turn about. Fred noticed a large bay door opening that pointed towards them.

    Joe jumped up waving his one hand, holding the other one to his lip and Sky released her pitchers pose ¡°Woe, woe, young lady let me move first.¡± Joe looked around and moved beside Fred, who just chuckled ¡ª satisfied with Joe¡¯s place being safe. He called out¡± let ¡®err rip before they do.¡°

    Sky cocked back her arm again; she didn¡¯t hesitate to throw the spheres. This time the wind she made with the throw blew things around the bridge of the ship and William¡¯s empty drinking cup smacked Joe in the side of his head. Sky heard the impact and turned to Joe. ¡°Mr. Joe, you are fated to get hit by something when I use magic I guess.¡± The pirate ship The Bright Whites were almost destroyed completely only large chunks of scrap floating where the ship was. Only the two nets around their ship remained intact of The Bright White. ¡°What do we do about the nets they are really big. You seemed to like their toys¡±. She said with a giddy smile. ¡°Do you have a place for them on this ship, Mr. Fred Sir?¡±

    Fred was contemplating what to do about the nets and how to get it off the ship after Sky asked. ¡°We do, but??¡± He looked up contemplated what Sky was doing. She was moving her arms as if reeling in a rope, within a few moments. She was balling up two near invisible nets. Fred looked surprised once again; I¡¯ve got to get used to this, seeing the impossible now possible. He said to himself. ¡°Sky, I¡¯ll open the cargo bay door on the underside of the aft of the ship you can put the ball of netting in there. We¡¯ll sort them out later.¡± Sky looked at him with a questioning gaze. Fred forgot for a second she was carried on to the ship and didn¡¯t see the ramp door. That and still was just a child who learned about certain things through vid shows. ¡°You can put it in the big door on the bottom of the ship.¡± Fred watched Sky looking down towards the bottom of the ship. She pulled her hands apart as if dropping something and brushed her hands together as a job well done. Fred stood and walked to Sky who was standing proud after stowing the net away. She didn¡¯t stand much taller than his abs. Putting a hand over her tiny shoulder. He too like Joe, couldn¡¯t get over the fact that Sky was so solid to the touch, like touching a warm metal statue. Looking down into her tiny beaming face he said. ¡°Good job young lady you were a huge help, and a great pitcher. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be swinging or trying to catch one of your throws; it could be life endangering.¡±

    Sky looked so happy and curtseyed not knowing what else to do. But knowing it would probably not be safe to touch him back. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Fred, Sir. I¡¯m glad to be of service. You and Mr. Joe helped me so much it¡¯s only fair that I help you. Um, could you help me again, my feet feel like they¡¯re on fire.¡± Surprisingly Sky¡¯s parents were quiet till she mentioned the burning feet.

    Rocssanna rushed up to Sky followed by William and giving her hugs and kisses. ¡°Here you go, have a couple of rock nuts. They seemed to help the last time you had magic burn.¡± William picks her up for a big hug, and Sky easily twisted out of his grasp.

    ¡°You guys are embarrassing me in front of my captain and crew.¡± Sky looked over to Joe and Fred with her face flushed you could see her go pinker. ¡°Sorry, Captain Fred Sir. For my parent¡¯s outburst on the bridge. I¡¯ll see that I get the hugs and kisses later, on my time. I¡¯ll accept a hug and kiss on the cheek from you and Mr. Joe if you are allowed and if you want, off duty that is ¡°. Sky looked to her mother and father for approval and got as with a nod from each. ¡°Can l have permission to leave the bridge and eat breakfast, Captain Fred Sir?

    Fred turned and faced her, ¡°Yes you may temp Ensign, Sky.¡± He a gave her quick salute and seen Joe giving her a salute too. ¡°We will be joining you in the mess hall shortly. As for the hug and kiss on the cheek, I¡¯ll take it now might as well test them on battle-hardened men, before some other beings you fancy. Someone should see how lightly you can hug and kiss a human being. Since humans are everywhere and all seem to like hugs and kisses. Just this once though, I am married with two children a little older than you¡±. He smiled at her. ¡°I hope you and your parents can meet them someday soon. We can talk about them later in a mess.¡±

    ¡°Captain Fred sir. I am not a messy person, and will not leave a mess for anyone; you can even ask mommy and daddy? Maybe I don¡¯t want to hug you or kiss you on your cheek if you keep implying I¡¯m a messy lady.¡±

    Joe started to laugh forgetting they were close to getting hurt or killed with a nine-year-old magic powerhouse saving them. This was going to be the best morning in his ever. Fred was stammering about the mess being the dining hall on a ship when he saw Sky¡¯s face crack, it cracked into a big toothy grin. In a blink of an eye, he was hit by a rush of air and pieces of a blue dress then nothing. William smacked his forehead and muttered under his breath in sync with his wife. ¡°She did it again.¡± Rocssanna and William went and picked up the pieces of Sky¡¯s new dress from around a dumbfounded Fred. William was going to have to find Sky some of her old clothes in their house soon. That might prove to the fun unto its self. Before leaving they called out, ¡°see you at breakfast guys.¡±

    Rocssanna and William found Sky in her room wearing her onesie, and she looked like a sad little beastie. ¡°Sorry, Daddy I ruined all the new clothes you bought me. All but my floppy-eared rabbit onesie.¡± She sat down on her bed pouting trying not to look miserable. ¡°I guess I am a monster, look what I did to the pirate ship, all I saw was a threat, and I didn¡¯t think of the lives on board that ship at all and I just wiped them all out in a blink of an eye. I thought it was fun too, throwing those rocks at them¡¯ not once did I think of the other people on that ship. I¡¯m a monster.¡± She said tears were running down her cheeks and her chest heaved racked with sobs.

    Rocssanna went to her knees in front of Sky stroking her fuzzy head and ears. ¡°You are no monster, and the tears proves it. Monsters don¡¯t cry thinking they¡¯re monsters. Monsters laugh knowing they¡¯re Monsters. When we saw the pirate ship, Fred and Joe knew of them and tried to fire their lasers at them, no warning shot, blast them fast. They were probably horrible people on that ship one and all. So, dry your eyes you can¡¯t wash the scum they were with your angel tears. If you want to cry, do it in the memories of their victims for they are no more¡±. Sky sniffled and wiped her eyes with her paw

 Chapter Eight The Magic of the New Crew (Part one) Some of Skys past

    Chapter eight

    The Magic of the New Crew

    (Part one) Some of Sky''s past

    ¡°Thanks, mommy I feel better now though I¡¯m still very hungry. Can we eat soon the rock nuts are good, but are not that filling¡±? Sky said while not showing any sign of the pain from the burning feeling in her feet.

    ¡°Yes, you can eat soon. I¡¯ll go and prepare it right now. I¡¯ve got all the food in my handbag. While I¡¯m cooking, your daddy is going to get you some of your clothing from last year. You can¡¯t wear just your bed clothes around for weeks can you ¡°? Rocssanna stated got up and left Sky and William alone.

    ¡°Daddy I¡¯m sorry for ruining all those new clothes you bought me. Can¡¯t you get more new ones I¡¯ll be extra, extra careful with them so they won¡¯t fall apart this time? If you love me, daddy, you won¡¯t make me wear last years¡¯ rags¡±? Sky had a pleading look in her eyes as she begged him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think mommy would keep rags in storage¡±? William told his daughter sympathetically as he stroked her head and luxurious silky tresses.

    Sky looked at her daddy with the saddest eyes she could. ¡°No mommy wouldn¡¯t keep rags, but they were patched over and over. Don¡¯t you remember mommy complaining about always having to repair all my clothes¡±? Sky glanced up to her father just making eye contact, looking back down tracing the furry belly of the onesie. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t take long to get me new clothes once we¡¯re back down. You could get the ones like before just a little smaller. Just get the heavier cloth for my regular clothing since I don¡¯t need to wear, the suppression suits now. It shouldn¡¯t take too long to get to the stores and back once we are on the ground. Please, daddy, please don¡¯t make me wear last years¡¯ clothes¡±.

    ¡°Sky I don¡¯t want you to be upset, but I can¡¯t ask to go back down. By now they probably saw the devastation of the ancient forest, and have a good idea who did it. Plus, it took weeks to order your special clothing not minutes¡±. William reached over to Sky held her cheek. ¡°I hate to see you unhappy, but last years¡¯ clothes are your only option. Sorry my little beastie rabbit, there¡¯s no lucky feet on you¡±. He kissed her lightly on the forehead and stepped back. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon, but if breakfasts ready before I¡¯m back you¡¯ll have to eat in your PJs.¡± With that said, William left Sky¡¯s bedroom to leave to her thoughts.

    Rocssanna was in the mess hall at one of the four long tables cutting up some strange looking vegetables when Joe walked in. After she was finished cutting each variety, she dumped them in a huge pot. Joe pondered the contents of the pot and seen it half full of water and vegetables. Filled with curiosity, Joe asked Rocssanna. ¡°What¡¯s for breakfast Rocssanna, I¡¯ve never seen these types of vegetables before?¡±

    Rocssanna pondered the question for the right answer. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what they''re called they are native to the planet. Sky found them while we were walking in the mountains, under rocks and boulders. It¡¯s a funny story if you care to hear about it¡±. Rocssanna glanced up from cutting to as what Joe¡¯s answer was. ¡®Please continue.¡® ¡°We here we are walking in the mountains, Sky was around, no she was five years old at the time. Since we were alone, we thought we would let her take her footwear off so she could bury her toes in the rocks, kinda as you would sand on a beach¡±. Rocssanna looked up to see Joe¡¯s reaction to that. It wasn¡¯t the surprised look she was expecting. So, she continued. ¡°Little Sky was walking along dragging her feet through the rock enjoying the sound she was making. We found it pretty loud, but seeing no one else around and thought there¡¯s no harm if no one else could hear her. Suddenly she said ¡®do you smell that; I think I stepped in something squishy¡¯? We turned and seen her digging through the rock with her hands where her feet caved in a small depression in the path, and she pulled out of the rock one of these¡±. Rocssanna reached in her pantry handbag and pulled out a dark brown bulbous root vegetable and not putting it into Joe¡¯s outstretched hands but gently on the table with a thump. ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t want to hurt you; they are quite heavy to a human.¡±

    Joe wasn¡¯t sure if he should feel insulted until he tried to pick it up. At first, he tried with one, then with two. He was not going to let a small vegetable get the best of him. Pulling it to the edge of the table close to him, he managed to lift it like you would a heavy rock. He was glad she didn¡¯t pull a Willy Knight on him. ¡°What did she do with it when she pulled it out of the rocks?¡±

    ¡°Believe it or not, she said it smells good and bit into it raw, just like you see it there only one half was squished a little from her stepping on it. She was so happy finding food she could touch with some force, not have a mushy mess of pulp in her hands. She told us it could use a little washing because it tasted a little oily. We couldn¡¯t stop her from ripping part of the mountain path apart looking for more of the firm vegetables just as she put down one of the large vegetables when some men came around the corner looking to see if everyone was okay. They thought they had started a landslide; they almost caught Sky digging through solid rock with her bare hands. When they saw, everyone was okay they left to go back to call so, watch the local wildlife. William called out, ¡°Excuse me how do you hide yourselves from the animals?¡± William asked the three men. Two of the three men were hiding something behind their backs. One of the men answered. ¡°For us to know and you never to find out, and you better leave, the next rockslide may kill you.¡± Sky was about to say something to the rude men, Rocssanna gave her the universal sign to be quiet. Luckily Sky was not the disobedient type and stopped before telling the men about not to worry a few clumps of soft light rocks would not hurt them in the least. I had to tell Sky that she had to stop digging for the odd vegetables and that we will come back looking for more later. She huffed and did what kids do when upset. She stomped both her feet and did start a rock slide. To Sky, it was like being covered with chunks of styrofoam. The men came back and didn¡¯t see us and ran off thinking they were the cause and didn¡¯t want to be caught poaching local wildlife. After that day, the mountain path was deemed unsafe from frequent rock slides and closed for public safety. Since then she¡¯s found four other types of firm vegetables. We found the more you cook them, the softer and more flavourful they became. Sky still insisted on eating them half cooked, so they were still firm.

    Rocssanna was finished cutting the odd vegetables and lifted the huge pot as most people would a paper cup. Joe was not surprised at the strength but what she did next surprised him as much as Sky¡¯s abilities, with a wave of her hand under the pot and a spell circle, appeared there was a small wash of spent magic, and the pot instantly started boiling. Joe¡¯s eyes bugged out. ¡°How? How, can you do a complex spell like that with no incantation or pre-inscribed spell circle on the pot, you didn¡¯t even use a prewritten spell from a M.A.D., And you say you have no gift in the magical arts¡±? Joe felt around on the table, and no heat was coming from the bottom of the pot, just from the pot and the steam rising.

    Rocssanna quizzically looked at Joe and answered him. ¡°I think of the spell a mage showed me, picture it under the pot, facing the right direction and place it on the bottom, and bang, no biggie. I¡¯m not like Sky who pictures what she wants, and it sometimes happens without ever doing it before or even been shown it. I intentionally don¡¯t show her any of the few spells I know because if she sees a spell, it¡¯s always overpowered and takes months to tone it down. Take that light spell she¡¯s so proud of showing off. For six months of her trying it was almost a metre across and as bright as a star. We were constantly dispelling them as she would make them, turns out she wanted them that big and bright because she was afraid of the dark. It wasn¡¯t till I showed her that she hadn¡¯t to be afraid of because nothing could hurt her. The people on the vid screen shows were really weak, soft and was not even real. I showed her the sharp knife I used for cooking. This knife could cut just about anything but us, watch. To show her I pulled the knife across my arm, and the blade bent over¡±. Rocssanna told Joe and continued with her from there explaining why she shouldn¡¯t be afraid of the dark or even monsters. She let Joe hear the story as if he was lessening to them talking.

    ¡°Sky looked surprised at what I did and said ¡°wow mommy I always thought your skin was so soft and delicate. How could a sharp knife like that not cut you as they do on the vid shows? Then she took my arm as gently as she could to inspect it. Her words were filled with surprise after the brief inspection. ¡°It didn¡¯t even make a mark on your skin, but when I accidentally scratched you it left red scratch lines on your arm? I took her in my arms and placed her in my lap. That¡¯s because your my little angel, are extra strong. The only reason we don¡¯t let you play with sharp objects is for many distinct reasons. Not one of them for your safety because absolutely nothing can harm you physically short of being thrown into a star maybe, at least on the outside. It is possible not even from the inside something could hurt you. But we love you, and we aren¡¯t going to put you through any tests. You¡¯re our little angel, not our big test rat.¡±

    ¡°Mommy you mean there¡¯s nothing in the dark that can hurt me. Even if it¡¯s a huge scary monster with big sharp fangs as long as my arm. On its multiple legs are razor sharp claws that can rip through plate steel¡±. Sky was trying, to describe the most terrifying creature she¡¯d seen on a vid show; she said the monster was called a Centa-raptor¡±.

    I hugged my little girl and told her. ¡°A big ugly thing like that would only break its teeth if it bit you, and break its claws if it slashed you. But if it ate you, it would die from a belly ache after you crawled back out,, hopefully, the way you went in and not the other end¡±. Rocssanna plugged her nose and waved her hand. ¡°Phew.¡± ¡°Sky thought that part was funny and giggled as only a small child could at the lame joke.¡± Joe smiled thinking of an even smaller Sky giggling.

    ¡°After a few days, she came home from a long walk and told me. ¡°Your right about everything thing about it not being able to hurt me. The Centa-raptor is a big, ugly, and stinky thing. It could still throw me around, and there¡¯s no way of telling which direction is out. They really are stinky on the inside¡±! She said and shuddered. ¡°Yucky!¡±

    ¡°You mean the creature, the Centa-raptor you were talking about was re,al? I thought you saw it on a vid show. How could something like that be real?¡±

    ¡°Mommy, you know I always like watching the educational vid shows. I saw one on a vid show about the most ferocious native animals of Bella Grande. I saw a Centa-raptor two weeks ago, in the old forest while I was taking a short cut through it from school. I was afraid it could hurt me badly. So, I ran home as fast as I could and hid in my room. After what you told me three days ago, I when back and looked for it. When I found it, I took off my suppression suit and let it attack me. When it slashed me, I was sent me flying across the forest floor, but it didn¡¯t even hurt, not even a little bit. I walked towards it again as it came for me making a deafening, it towered over me and closed its jaws filled with huge teeth right over my head, right down to my tummy. When it closed its mouth, and the teeth that pushed against me broke off. When it realized, it couldn¡¯t bite me in half; it spits me out. Its drool was all over my face, in my hair and on my upper body¡±. She said making the cutest face only a child can make of disgust. ¡°Yucky. Then it smacked me again, and I was thrown across a clearing and bounced off a tree. No pain it just tickled, and I started laughing. I was afraid of this big, ugly, and smelly thing. I stood up and looked around for the smelly monster that I was no longer afraid of. The next thing I know it was dark, smelly, and I was slimy all over more revolting then ever. As I tried to look around I realized, it swallowed me whole. I didn¡¯t know which way was which, so I just felt around trying to find a way out. It must have been the wrong way because it wasn¡¯t the way I went in. I ended up going through the side of its belly. It wasn¡¯t moving anymore when I got out. Before coming home, I had to find my suppression suit and a river to wash. Because of all that stuff, I¡¯m a little late for lunch, and now I¡¯m not afraid of the dark any more mommy¡±.

    ¡°Sky was so happy she had nothing to be afraid of; her light spheres were just a little bigger and a little brighter than ours, only because it was the smallest she could get it to go.¡± Rocssanna smiled at the memory. After that, we tried never to let her see us use any magic. She has a problem with too much power to keep any spells small. ¡°From the impression, I got from the archmage that Sky¡¯s access to her well of power is from the bottom not to top. Just picture o huge tank of water, full about halfway. You can draw whatever amount from the top, by the size of container you want. If you have a tap on the bottom, there¡¯s a lot of pressure behind the water you want. Open the tap a little bit, and the water gushes out letting out a whole lot more water than you intended¡±.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Joe was learning more about Sky and why her parents held back the knowledge of magic from her. He learned that they knew about the four gifts, now they learn she has had all five gifts since before her birth. Joe, now he understood why the mage didn¡¯t want Sky¡¯s parents to try and teach her magic. They simply didn¡¯t know enough to teach her how to regulate her magical energy ¡°.

    I don¡¯t think she¡¯s even has a magical well the way most beings do. When I tested to see how deep her well of magic I accidentally tested her twice. Not to mention the size of her well, but the second test showed her well a tiny bit bigger. Between the two tests was no more than four seconds which means her well is growing, possibly all the time¡±. Joe''s face had a faraway look as he contemplated his last revelation.

    Rocssanna just continued with the next part of the meal, preparing the meat. She reached into the bag almost putting in her upper body in it pulling out a large chunk of brown flesh in one hand and a different knife and cutting board in the other. Joe snapped out of his thoughts as he heard her chopping the meat with a little effort.

    Joe wondered what kind of animal had meat that tough to give a Titan a hard time chopping it up. ¡°Excuse me, may I ask what kind of animal meat that is? It looks a little tough to cut; will it be soft enough for myself and Fred to eat?¡± He asked as she finished cutting the last pieces apart.

    ¡°It¡¯s from the Centa-raptor, a huge animal she inadvertently killed when testing her invulnerability to physical harm. The meat raw there is not even a possibility of you chewing a small bite in your mouth to swallow in a week. But once it¡¯s cooked enough, it¡¯s super tender and tasty. I¡¯ll just scoop some out for Sky before it¡¯s overcooked for her, she likes things she has to chew even a little bit¡±. Rocssanna dumped the meat off the cutting board into another big pot and repeated the same cooking spell to start it cooking. Reaching in her pantry handbag again she took out some seasonings and started to spice up the food. ¡°Joe, I hope you like your food on the spicy side? I hope Fred likes his food spicy because that¡¯s how we¡¯re going to eat it¡±.

    Fred walked into the room just as Rocssanna asked the question and answered her. ¡°Yes, I like my food a bit on the spicy side. If it¡¯s as spicy as last nights¡¯ dinner that would be great¡±. Fred said as he walked up to the pots cooking on the table, not the stove top. He didn¡¯t know that Joe wasn¡¯t the one who cast the cooking spell. Peering inside of each and giving each a quick sniff and his stomach rumbled. ¡°Smells good are we waiting for Sky and William before eating¡±? Looking to Rocssanna for the answer, she gave a nod in answer to his question. ¡°Did I miss anything good? What were you two talking about?¡±

    Rocssanna looked at Joe. ¡°We were just talking about Sky when she was younger and some of the magic she accidentally watched and learned. She was quite the handful at times¡±. She said and gave the direction where she lay briefly, ¡°and still is.¡± she answered Fred. Fred could only nod in agreement.

    Joe looked at Fred and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve learned more of Sky¡¯s past and about her well of magic. You won¡¯t believe it, but Sky¡¯s magic comes out under pressure, and her magic well is constantly growing as far as I can tell¡±. Joe sounded kind of excited as he told Fred about learning more of Sky¡¯s past.

    ¡°Is she your new hero now¡±? You know she¡¯s just going to get stronger as she learns more magic spells and incantations¡±! Fred saw Joe¡¯s eye confirming his joking assumption. ¡°Sky¡¯s your new superhero¡±! Fred was smiling at Joe¡¯s discomfort at being called out on his new hero.

    Just as Joe was going to deny Fred¡¯s accusation when Sky walked into the room, and it went quiet, she was wearing her last new outfit, her bunny onesie. ¡°Mommy, are you cooking my favourite food for breakfast? it smells wonderful¡±!

    ¡°Yes, it is my little angel, yours is ready now, but you¡¯ll have to wait for Joe and Freds to finish cooking. Your father should be coming back with some of your old clothes by then, and we can start eating. After we eat you can change into something a little more durable¡±. Rocssanna scooped out a large portion for her from each pot.

    Sky noticed Joe looked kind of uncomfortable and she smiled at that. Looking between Joe and Fred, she asked. ¡°Joe, I didn¡¯t catch who your new hero is, I bet he¡¯s really awesomely strong and can use all sorts of powerful magic. He must be a real man''s man, does he play some kind of sport or is he some kind of special fighter¡±? Sky asked getting closer and beaming up into his face. ¡°I bet he¡¯s even taller than Fred and twice as strong.¡± She said making a show of puffing up her chest and flexing her arms like a stereotypical strongman. Sky was laughing inside as she saw Joe''s discomfort grow. She inched closer to Joe until her head was bent far back to peer up at him from less than five cm. (two in.) away. She gave him an excited expectant look of anticipation of his answer. ¡°Come on! You can tell me! I don¡¯t know of any an amazing person like yourself would find to be great enough to be your hero? A small, cute, little girl like me would like to hear about someone so great¡±. Sky asked with her bunny ears shaking with feigned excitement.

    Rocssanna chided Sky for teasing Joe. ¡°Sky, should you be teasing someone who saved you from a lot of pain. Someone who¡¯s spell let you go around, although limited without your suppression suits. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re treating him with the respect he deserves. I know a polite young lady would say sorry for making him feel embarrassed¡±. Rocssanna smiled at Joe and continued ¡°If you don¡¯t say you¡¯re sorry you might not be his hero anymore, would you¡±?

    The shocked look on Joe¡¯s face was priceless and had everyone present laughing even Joe. ¡°I heard Fred teasing you and couldn¡¯t resist joining on teasing you too. But mommy is right though, you have done a lot for us, and you do deserve a big thank you. I might not be able to give you a butterfly hug, but I can try a bunny hug¡±. Sky walked up to Fred first. ¡°Captain Fred Sir, thank you for all you¡¯ve done and said you¡¯re going to do. I¡¯ve decided you will be the first to test my new hugs. That¡¯s because you were the first teased one of my heroes¡±. With that said she reached around him and tried not to touch him at all. She wanted to be close enough just him to feel her closeness. She tried to project into him, the feeling of her gratitude and overall appreciation through the hug with magic.

    Fred could not express in words what flowed out of Sky and into his being. He felt like crying in joy at her heartfelt gesture of thanks, and he knelt to give a hug her back. As he reached around her, he felt her hair for the first time. It was not what he expected; it was thick, so soft, shiny and silky smooth. He couldn¡¯t help running his fingers through it as he is squeezing her as hard as he could. He could feel the bunny suit and the warmth beneath but solid as a rock, and he tried to crush it. Sky just noticed what he tried to do when he hugged her back. She released her hug stood up on the tip of her toes and brushed her lips very slightly on to his cheek. To Fred, it felt something like a glancing blow of a hammer, but he appreciated the thought.

    Joe is seeing Fred still in one piece and didn¡¯t flinch when Sky approached him. ¡°Mr. Joe Sir I thank you for your help, for the magic that took the pain away, and for the spell that allowed me some freedom of the suppression suits. For all of that you¡¯ve done for me, I am forever grateful. Plus, I¡¯m sorry for teasing you ¡°. She said to him followed by ¡®kind of¡¯ under her breath loud enough for him to hear a joking tune in her voice. He knew the first part was all sincere. Sky reached around Joe much like she did Fred but could easily touch her hands around him without making contact. She projected her feeling of thanks and all around good feelings in the pseudo embrace. It hit Joe like a wave of emotions; it felt like years of complete happiness and joy. He did tear up as he went to return the hug. When he reached around her and touched her hair for the first time, he couldn¡¯t believe how thick, soft and luxurious it felt. Joe ran his hand in her hair as he squeezed her for all he was worth even using magic to increase his strength. She just smiled up to him and just put more projected feelings and a little more she didn¡¯t know what but it felt right. When she went for the kiss on the cheek, he accepted the bruise just as Fred had, with a huge smile and not a flinch. Magic could heal their pain, but not her confidence.

    Rocssanna had tears in her eyes as Sky thanked each the men with honesty and wellbeing. She knew these men would treat her like their child from now on, and Sky would not let a thing happen to them while she was around. She would be their hero whenever the need arises.

    William walked in and seen tears of joy on their faces; he didn¡¯t need to listen to Rocssanna thoughts but could feel her overwhelming feelings of love swell up for their daughter. He looked to Joe and Fred who faces were wet with tears and glowing with pride for his little angel. He didn¡¯t know what to say coming to give his precious little beastie a bag of well cared for rags from last year. He didn¡¯t want to spoil the mood, so he left the bag in the hallway before entering the mess hall. ¡°You guys ready to eat, it smells wonderful Rocssy, you have outdone yourself again.¡± He walked around to Sky and scooped her up for a hug and kiss on the cheek and ruffled her hair; he was surprised how gently she returned the hug. But her kisses were still kind of painful.

    William carried Sky to her seat in front of a comically huge bowl and sat next to where Rocssy would sit after she finished serving everyone. As Rocssanna took her seat, William stood back up and waited for the other men to get to their seats. Fred sang a slightly different mantra, and William followed the men sitting down. He thought to himself something about when in Rome.

    Joe and Fred still found the meat chewy and the vegetables crunchy. It was spicy enough that Fred and Joe drank a little more than juice than usual. The abundant flavours more than made up for any negatives. Sky even had seconds of the in her terms, mushy overcooked food.

    ¡°I feel better after eating the burning feelings almost gone completely.¡± Everyone had a surprised look on their faces; they all forgot Sky was still suffering from magic burn. Sky looked down to her feet, and a huge ripple of spent magic washed through them as if an incredibly powerful spell cast just then. Fred and Joe didn¡¯t feel the soreness in their jaws from chewing, and even the bruises on their cheeks were not there anymore. The spell Sky cast to heal herself also seemed to have healed everyone in the room. Joe didn¡¯t even feel his bruises and cracked ribs from being slightly crushed earlier. Sky looked up ¡°now the pain is all gone I feel much better. Thank you, mommy, for the great tasting breakfast, I¡¯ll help clean up if you want¡±. Sky was about to go around and pick up everyone¡¯s dishes and noticed the condition of her spoon. ¡°Look my spoon is like brand new.¡± Joe looked over to Fred; he had pulled the sleeve of his left arm up where he had a scar that was too old to fix with regular magic. It was a wound he received from a magical bullet during a botched incursion at no fault of his own. He didn¡¯t want to spend a significant amount of money to get a pretty cool looking scar fixed. Upon inspection, the scar was gone along with a few discolorations on his skin from long forgotten scrapes.

    Joe noticed Fred look for his now missing scars on his arms. Joe didn¡¯t feel need to look at his own more embarrassing places he had scars from his childhood. He knew almost for certain they weren¡¯t there anymore. He would check later in the privacy of his quarters.

    Joe stood up and thanked the Knights for another satisfying meal and said he was looking forward to more. He excused himself to run some maintenance on a few things and recalibrate the magic diagnostic console he had put off for later. Fred also excused himself from the table so he could write out the reports of the magical anomalies they solved. He also had to write up a report of the pirates the Bright Whites. How they were taken care of and why they were such a menace in space. He told the Knights he was going to mention to the Imperial Order that they were taken as valuable hostages. They had been rescued from The Bright Whites ship and were being taken home now that their current missions were completed.

    Rocssanna helped Sky clean up and noticed everything looked a little cleaner and a little brighter. The knife she used was as sharp as it could be even after cutting up the tough meat. The pots few dents from when Sky tried washing them before were gone too. She looked to Willy and noticed his clothes too looked like they were just bought, then looking at herself found the same thing had happened to her clothes as well. ¡°Willy remind me to thank them too for casting whatever spell it was, that made everything like new. They did something else Sky you should be appreciative to them for I bet your ruined clothes are all mended now¡±.

    Sky jumped up. ¡°You really think so; I¡¯m going to run and find out now.¡± With that said and she turned to dash off with excitement.

    Rocssanna grabbed her daughter''s arm as fast and as hard as she could so Sky would feel the pressure in her excitement. She was not trying to punish her, only to get her attention and not be pulled along with her as she ran. ¡°Walk, young lady never run if you can help it. You don¡¯t want to keep asking them to fix your mistakes. They might grow tired of fixing everything thing for you all the time ¡°. Sky said thanks for the reminder and walked quickly from the room causing only a slight breeze.

    William got up and retrieved the bag from the hallway and set it on the table. ¡°I¡¯m glad we didn¡¯t have to make her wear these rags from last year. I remembered after finding them why we retired them from service in Sky¡¯s wardrobe. They did their duty¡±. William stopped speaking as he drew out what looked like a brand new blue dress, then a perfectly new pair of white tights. After seeing the first two in the same condition, he dumped out the whole bag. It was full of new clothes like the ones she had last year. He had picked out not only the best ones, but the ones had liked the most, not just the ones that were in the best condition. Now they were all the same, new.

    Rocssanna didn¡¯t look fazed in the least. ¡°What, do you think I would put away rags for emergencies, don¡¯t forget I repaired them all before putting them into storage. Of course, they¡¯re like new, now pick them up before you get them dirty.¡± William was speechless at Rossi¡¯s delusional memory, and his face showed it. ¡°Willy put them away and let me give you a big loving hug and kiss for putting up with my sarcasm.¡±

 Chapter Eight The Magic of the New Crew (Part Two) Impossible Sky

    Chapter eight

    The Magic of the New Crew (Part Two) Impossible Sky

    Joe walked into the med-bay with excitement in his eyes. His first suspicions were right the examination table was like new, and the towels were one piece again even the dents on the floor were gone. Sky¡¯s ruined and discarded suppression suits were separate and looked new. The colour of the micro chainmail was uniform and laying flat. Joe picked up the two towels and wondered if he should put them in the auto wash or away. He could smell a light floral scent, and they felt fluffy. He just folded them and put back in the drawer. He reached down to pick up the suppression suits and move them from the middle of the floor. His fingers couldn¡¯t even slightly move them. They were unmovable even with his strength magically augmented. He could picture when Sky was bouncing around when he first used the spell to make her weaker. The spell he used was to make muscle-bound criminals of various races easier to handle by making them only able to move like a normal human. Sky seemed to have gotten stronger instead. He was going to get Fred to move the two suits as a joke.

    He remembered why he originally came to the med-bay. He planned to recalibrate the medical and magical console. Then he was going to test his magic well and see what Sky had done to him. He felt that Sky had changed his magical make-up somehow. He ran the diagnostic program and found everything working perfectly. He hooked himself up to start the test on himself. When he reached out to initiate the test, he found himself shaking with anticipation. He forced himself to relax; he started the test. Almost instantly it beeped after the test started. He felt dejected, it hadn¡¯t changed he thought, and his shoulders slumped. What could he expect, he knew months of rigours training only showed a minuscule increase, what could a heartfelt hug do? He looked to the display before shutting it down. He had to blink a few times to clear the surprise in his eyes. The readings of the test he was now a level five mage. He was still light years from Sky¡¯s depth, but five made him one of the elite. He was about to call Fred when the com-vid screen opened in front of him.

    Fred was there; he had a look of surprise on his face that was becoming more common since meeting Sky and her parents. ¡°Joe. come here; you¡¯re not going to believe what happened in the scrap bin.¡±

    Joe smiles to himself ¡°You don¡¯t even need to say it but have I got some news for you, come to the med-bay, and you might have got something from Sky I got.¡± Fred was a little confused was Joe excited about catching something contagious, he thought to himself. ¡®I¡¯ve never felt better in my life, and he thinks we got the same thing.

    ¡°I will be right there.¡± Fred was not far away and was there in less than a minute. Joe was looking over the multi-use console of the med-bay. He was hooked up to it and checking his magic well, repeatedly.

    He tried to hide his glee behind a look of apprehension. ¡°Fred don¡¯t be alarmed, but Sky may have affected your magic well. I hope it¡¯s¡¯ not as serious as what happened to me. Let¡¯s get you hooked up and see what the damage is. I hope it¡¯s not like mine because it would be too sad¡±. Fred just lifted his arm and placed the test pads on. Joe pressed the button to start the test for Fred. Just like Joe almost instantly the console beeped when the test was done.

    Fred was facing away from the console when Joe looked defeated ¡°What was your mage level before this mission started ¡°? He asked just in case he didn¡¯t remember correctly, but it was a huge stretch.

    Fred not knowing what he meant. ¡°You know I¡¯m a level four mage and my elemental alignment is earth. Why are you asking that now, it¡¯s not going to change at all without serious training for years? You know we¡¯ve barely done any training on this mission. Has it hasn¡¯t changed since our last test

    ¡°Well, training or not you are now part of the upper elite mages at level six. I think that hug Sky gave us bumped us up two levels somehow? I know it wasn¡¯t the kiss on the cheek, because that kinda hurt¡±. He unhooked Fred''s arm and started to put the pads and wires away. I take it you noticed everything on the ship is like new too thanks to whatever healing spell she used. Look at the table here not one scratch on it. I don¡¯t even think the restoration spell would have worked so well. Rocssanna told me that when she takes magic from her well, it¡¯s like from the bottom of a huge water tank. When I tested the size her well, it was much deeper than even you realized. It measured in seconds not milliseconds. Her well can¡¯t be just in this plain of existence but in many different dimensions¡±. Joe took a seat on the newly restored medical bed. ¡°Rocssanna also told me that was one of the reasons they never tried to teach her magic. She had no control how much magic she puts in any spell she tried. It took her a long time to get it under control because so much magic would flood through the simple spells would become huge. I figure what she called pushing was blasting pure magical energy as if from a high-pressure hose. Not telekinetic power or E.S.P. like they told her. When she grabbed and threw those spheres was more like a form of telekinetic power. She will need some training to regulate her magical power and bring it under control?¡± Fred took a seat across on the next bed, and they stayed in silent contemplation.

    Sky reached her room in record time while walking, kind of! She found her new torn-up clothes whole again and was thankful to Mr. Fred and Mr. Joe all over again not having to wear last years¡¯ rags. Not that she would call them rags, she picked them out of a catalogue herself after taking an interest for the first time. She was the one to put every tear and rip in the garments; they were her mistakes no one else¡¯s. ¡°I will wear those clothes to remember that I must be careful in how I do things still and forever.¡± Sky said making the vow to herself as she took off her onesie bunny suit folding it and putting on the pants and tee-shirt. Sky after changing her clothes she contemplated what to do with the rest of the twenty-four hours left in the day. She decided to ask Captain Fred what she could do as a new part of the crew. Her mommy and daddy were the cooks and cleaners, she thought. I was responsible for the bubble protection and throwing rocks. But that¡¯s only in battle, but I can always make some more rocks now just in case there are no rocks around went we need them. I could make and put them in a pocket space like mommy¡¯s pantry purse. She left her room to put her plans into action.

    Fred and Joe jolted to awareness by the ships A.I. unit call to their attention of multiple objects on a collision course with the ship, and evasive action must be taken soon. A vidscreen appeared in front of the two men. Hundreds of round spheres were coming at them from all directions. Fred called out ¡°Full shields all hands brace for impact.¡± Fred and Joe ran towards the bridge when they were about to enter; they stopped in shock. The sight before them was a very disturbing vision they could not fathom. In the middle of empty space, where the bridge should have been, was Sky! She appeared to be standing in a void. It looked like she was directing spheres of rock made from what they guessed were asteroids. Just as the first sphere was about to make contact, it vanished from sight. There was a disorienting feeling as they pass through them. The feeling kept coming as the ship was nearly bombarded by hundreds of various sized spheres. They stood at the edge of space where Sky floated in the centre Fred was knocked into the void by the arrival of William and Rocssanna, and fell to the invisible floor of the bridge with a thump. Sky turned and acknowledged her captain. She pretended his fall never happened, stood tall and saluted him. ¡°Captain Fred Sir I¡¯m just finishing gathering some rocks for our next battle for easy access. It must be working because who ever tried to attack us must have stopped once they saw all the rocks we have now.¡± Sky was beaming with pride at her accomplishment of averting another battle.

    Fred got up on to his hands and knees; his mind was disoriented from the feeling of the spheres passing through a dimension so close to theirs. The fact he was virtually being surrounded by incoming projectiles from all directions, and on an invisible floor. He just braced himself with his hands on his knees, his eyes squeezed shut and waited for Sky to finish. He didbefore speak to her, not knowing if doing so would cause him to retch. Joe was leaning on the door frame for support not daring to venture out onto the floor he now knew was there. Seeing Fred¡¯s distress gave him enough pause. William and Rocssanna just looked to one another and whispered to each other, ¡®this is going to be a long trip.¡¯

    Only after the last sphere was put into what Sky called her pocket space sack of rocks, could Fred think of standing. His mind and stomach are finally able to settle before feeling capable of speaking. He gave Sky a weak smile trying to hide his discomfort. ¡°Could you bring back the bridge please Ensign Sky?¡± No sooner than he finished asking the bridge was visible again. Fred took a deep breath and stood up on shaking legs feeling quite weak. He walked shakenly to his captains¡¯ chair and sat heavily into it. Once the bridge was visible again, Joe wondered on to the floor he had not experienced what Fred had, but he still felt shaky. He could not get over the sheer display of raw power Sky used with not even slightest sign of strain. Joe had seen arch mages use their magic like Sky had but on a fraction of the scale. The difference was they were trained and had talismans helping to power the spells. Joe was voiced what he was thinking to Fred. ¡°I have no idea what kind of incantation without written runes can make something go invisible as she had. The fact she kept it active while casting hundreds of other spells simultaneously is just nova¡±. Joe had a spell on his wrist tablet for an incantation to make something invisible but not to the scale Sky had done. He went and sat down on his chair in front of the main console and scanned the surrounding space. Not one speck of space debris or asteroid was near for hundreds of thousands of square kilometres around them. Only three satellites remained in close proximity of the ship. It slowly occurred to Joe the pirate ship, and many of the asteroids contained precious metals for building ships and certain magical objects that are hard to obtain.

    Joe turned to Sky, who was observing Fred with a now worried look. He put the idea of separating the metals for later. He knew Fred¡¯s nausea would pass soon and would not like Sky¡¯s pity for something she thought was the right thing to do. He would have to give her a few tips on the Imperials Orders chain of command. ¡°Ensign Sky front and centre.¡± Sky¡¯s head snapped to Joe¡¯s voice. It was hard to see her for the little girl she was after such a display. Joe could only see her as the most powerful magic user he had ever known or even heard of. To Joe, she was towering over everyone in the room, yet she didn¡¯t act anything but humble.

    ¡°Yes um, Mr. Joe Sir.¡± She quickly walked in front of Joe standing to attention like the soldiers she seen on vid shows. Her thick wavy locks of blue hair shone all about her, her tee shirt not tucked in, and was not wearing anything on her feet. She looked like the cute little girl she was. Underneath all that, Joe knew differently, and recent performance just proved that.

    ¡°Ensign as second in command I guess it¡¯s up to me to fill you in on the ship''s procedures, the chain of command, and dress code. Do you understand me Ensign Sky?¡±

    William and Rocssanna were happy to see Sky fitting in with her two new role models. They would be good to teach her some structure for her life to come, not only to do but to listen to others more experienced than her, before jumping in and doing what she thinks is right. They let Joe continue seeing their daughter in good hands.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Joe Sir I hear you loud and clear, Sir. What are my orders Mr. Joe Sir?¡±

    Joe stood up towering over Sky physically yet somehow she appeared to have a larger presence than anyone there. She still humbled herself to them and looked to them for guidance. ¡°First of all, tuck in your shirt, fix your hair we can¡¯t have your mop flapping around. You should put it in a bun or something. While Sky tucked in her shirt, the hair on her head started to move on its own. Joe tried not to look surprised after all this was Sky Knight, his secret hero. Her blue hair started to weave itself into complex braids no stylist could match giving them a hundred hours, then twisting again into an intricate bun on the back of her head. Her hair was finished just as she tucked the last edge into her pants. She now had two ringlets framing the side of her face, that looked very cute for a young girl, but not for the military. Joe cleared his throat. ¡°The ringlets too.¡± The two ringlets pulled themselves up into her hairline and part of the complex weave. She did this with no movement while holding eye contact with Joe with her head tilted far back.

    ¡°Mr. Joe Sir I have no shoes that stay on my feet for very long. Maybe you could make some magic shoes for me. How about I bring some of my old shoes could you fix that pair like you did my new clothes. You did a wonderful job.¡± Sky looked up to Mr. Fred. ¡°Or was it Mr. Fred who cast the spells that fixed our things.¡±

    ¡°Never mind about that right now, this is about following orders. We need to communicate with each other in order to prevent problems. Starting today, I will get you a uniform for you to wear while you¡¯re on duty. I want you to keep it in top condition while you¡¯re wearing it. You will address Fred or I as sir or Fred Sir for myself it¡¯s Joe Sir. No need for Mr. While on duty during the day. Do you understand Ensign Sky of what I¡¯m asking of you?¡±

    Sky pondered his question if she wanted to play in their game. She had to play by their rules or not play at all. Sky also knew this was no game, no matter how much fun she be might have. ¡°I have two questions before I unofficially join your crew, Joe Sir.¡± Sky waited for Mr. Joe¡¯s answer; she received a nod. ¡°Could you or Mr. Fred teach me how to use magic if it¡¯s real? I have full access to the information terminals on the ship, could I have permission to use it more?¡±

    Joe was not expecting the first question. He has taught a few spells to recruits, but no one held the type of magic Sky holds. A simple healing spell she tried to copy fixed the entire ship and everyone on it. What was safe to teach a powerful magic holder like her? Then it came to him, none. ¡°Sky before I teach any kind of magic I need you to learn to take control of the power you hold.¡± Joe let Sky think about his answer to her first question.

    ¡°But how do I do that, Joe Sir? What do I do to meditate on power when I don¡¯t know what that is¡±? Sky looked confused at his request.

    Joe looked to Fred and seemed him watching with clear, thankful eyes. He didn¡¯t need Sky to worry over little vertigo she caused him. ¡°Captain Fred, permission to leave the bridge and get Sky a uniform and instruct her in basic conduct? I would also like to instruct her in basic self-reflection meditation on how to control magic flow?¡± Joe waited for an answer with patients thinking of what Fred¡¯s just been through.

    ¡°Joe, you may get Ensign Sky three uniforms to wear, two recruits and one formal wear. You may also drill her on basic conduct how to stand to attention, salute, and how she should care for her uniform¡±. Fred left out the instructions on meditation because he had bad premonitions of Sky popping the ship with magical energy. He shuttered at finding out it was actually possible. ¡°I will be the one to instruct her in anything to do with magic on this ship. I can see a very fine line of instructions are needed for her unique gifts. I will instruct her using my gifts, slowly¡±. Fred turned to Sky and pondered what to say to her. ¡°I have a report to send to the Fleet Admiral, about our new guests and a possible new mission. Then I will meditate on how best to instruct you. I will help you reach enlightenment in how you control the flow of your magic¡±. Fred waved Sky over to stand in front of him. She moved over with an uncanny grace for someone her age. Sky with her hair up looked older than she was, but there was no hiding her youthful face. With Sky in front of him, he stood also and addressed her. ¡°Ensign Sky, if you¡¯re going to be part of our crew you need to listen to your superiors. What you did just now with the space asteroids and debris was not a problem in itself. Not clearing it with your captain and crew was. I was momentarily unable to perform my duties as captain because I did not know what you were doing. So, before you join my crew, you must agree to listen to Joe¡¯s orders and mine. In return, I will attempt to show you how to manage your strength and magic through your self-awareness¡±. Sky looked to Fred and smiled her head tilted even further back to look in the eyes. Fred was still impressed by the way she stood her ground against such a large man as himself. Many full grow men buckled under his gaze and his deep, powerful voice. Sky like her father didn¡¯t even flinch with her head craned back holding eye contact.

    ¡°Fred Sir, if my mommy and daddy allow it I will join your crew. I want to treat me as a normal young lady. I¡¯m sorry for not telling you about Mr. Joe¡¯s console and the rocks I collected. I promise not to do anything else without your permission¡±. Sky realized her mistake; she never told them about the console incident and hoped he didn¡¯t notice the slip. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Joe looking over his console for any damage and found one of her personalized calling cards. It read ¡®Sky¡¯s repair services if this breaks call Sky and consider it fixed.¡¯ Joe held up the card to let Fred see it. Instantly he knew that Sky was talking about Joe¡¯s console, but had no idea what she did.

    She decided to clarify what she did. ¡°I wanted to see how it worked and scraped off some of the paint with my nails. I couldn¡¯t get the colour back to what it was so I made all the colours on the bridge the same. I¡¯m sorry if you don¡¯t like the colour you can use your magic to fix it like you fixed our stuff and my new clothes. I like to thank the one who fixed our stuff that was really very kind of you¡±. She said looking back and forth between the two men with a smile of appreciation.

    Fred looked to Joe to see what his take on the scenario. Joe shook his head ¡®no.¡¯ ¡°I prefer not to have to fix every little thing with magic. I didn¡¯t even notice the colour difference, so no use wasting magic on something I kind of like¡±. Fred really couldn¡¯t see the difference without a reference. Well, we should get you dressed in a proper uniform and shoes, so you and Joe are dismissed¡±. Fred turned to where Rocssanna and William sat watching with peaked interest. ¡°Rocssanna would you accompany Joe and Sky, to help her with some parts of the female issued uniform. It contained some basic toiletries for women; some of the items have no use for such young ladies¡±. Joe and Rocssanna both got what Fred was talking about almost at the same time.

    Joe walked up and gestured Sky to follow. Sky saluted Fred and turned to follow Joe, who stopped and offered his hand to help Rocssanna up as a gentleman should. She just got up on her own to follow Joe and her daughter. Joe saw William sitting alone with nothing to do. ¡°William if you¡¯re not busy you could join us too if you want.¡±

    Fred interrupted Joe. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need Mr. Knight to help with the final draft of my report I¡¯m going to send to the Fleet Commander. I need to make it as real sounding as possible so I need some information on how the Bright Whites could have captured our friends here for ransom¡±. He gestured to Joe to be on his way, and the two young ladies followed him. Fred noticed how gracefully the ladies walked they made Joe seem tall and lanky.

    In a blur of motion, Willy was at Rocssy¡¯s side. ¡°Honey I¡¯ll see you at lunch, I¡¯ll get it ready this time. Someone was snacking on the leftovers and finished them off. I wonder who could eat a fifteen-kilo (33 lb) snack, hum; I wonder who¡±??? William and Rocssanna looked to Sky out the corner of their eyes. Sky had found her bare foot so cute she had to stare at them while a shade pinker.

    Joe just chuckled to himself. ¡°Well the day isn¡¯t getting any longer Ensign Sky, so time to get you outfitted, looking and acting like a new officer of our crew.¡± William kissed Rocssy and Sky in turn and went to join Fred on the bridge.

    The three walked down the corridor turning right before getting to the med-bay, down another corridor and stopped at a large door name personal supplies and weapons. Joe waved his hand in front of the door saying something in a strange language. Two doors slid open across each other from opposite sides. The two followed the grinning Joe in and his grin faded. He turned to look at the doors that stay open in wonder. ¡°Sky did you get permission to go anywhere on the ship as well as access to the terminals¡±? Joe thought for a second. ¡°Did you give your parents the same access you have?¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Sky looked to Joe kind of sheepishly. ¡°Well you know they are my parents and for me their cute, young, and caring daughter to have permission to do things while they weren¡¯t. It just didn¡¯t seem right; we have access to everywhere but your rooms and supplies. That wouldn¡¯t be right to go through your guy¡¯s stuff, Joe Sir¡±.

    Rocssanna didn¡¯t look too surprised at Sky¡¯s admission. ¡°I had no idea she did this for us; it makes sense if you think about it. Sky has almost always asked for permission before she did anything, so it makes sense that we have permission to give¡±. Rocssanna ruffled Sky¡¯s hair and gave her a big smile.

    Joe just shook his head; this was going to be hard to break Sky of some bad habits. ¡°the doors were supposed to make a loud sound and close without permission by the captain or myself.¡± Joe let out a sigh. ¡°It spoiled some of my fun. Sky, for now, let¡¯s get you into the proper uniform and the rule of conduct book¡±. Joe walked over to what looked like the huge vending machine. He indicated sky to stand in a place where there were two footprints. Sky stood in the designated spot. ¡°We¡¯re going to scan you for your size, so stand still.¡± Sky stood holding her breath perfectly still. Joe told the machine to scan for an Ensign¡¯s uniform. From above Sky ring of magic passed over her, head to toe. Sky felt a tingling sensation on her skin as the ring of magic passed over her.

    In this spot, next to her stood formed a grey mannequin what looked just like her. ¡°Computer show me an Ensigns uniform in combat fabric.¡± A uniform slowly appeared onto the mannequin; it was like Joe¡¯s but of a different rank. Joe walked around the mannequin, nodding in satisfaction. ¡°Computer replicate two uniforms in combat material, double stitched.¡± Joe turned to Sky and told her. ¡°This will give you a uniform with the added durability, because of your extra strength and speed. What do you think of your new uniform, does that meet your expectations of what you would look like¡±?

    Sky walked around the mannequin, she stopped at the back and reached out to grab the tale of the shirt. Joe was about to tell her that she couldn¡¯t touch the mannequin. But as the words sounded from his mouth. She tugged on the shirttail and made it a tiny bit longer. She continued to walk around and turned to Joe.

    ¡°Joe, can I have some skirt and tights instead of pants?¡± Sky said with a pleading look in her eyes.

    Joe looked at Sky and shook his head. ¡°Sorry, you can, but that is a custom modification. I¡¯m not sure how to perform it on this unit.¡± The look in Sky¡¯s eyes was not of disappointment but glee.

    ¡°Joe sir, will this look OK to you and Mr. Fred?¡± Sky was now pointing to a mannequin wearing a skirt and black tights.

    Joe found it hard to hide the look of amazement from his face. ¡°That would be acceptable for this crew.¡± He stammered. Joe smiled and knelt in front of Sky. ¡°Could I ask you how you did that, change the uniform on a virtual model?¡±

    Sky answered in a perky voice. ¡°That was so easy. I just pictured what I wanted on the virtual mannequin inside the computer and it appeared on the virtual one here¡±. Sky pointed at the formerly faceless mannequin to Sky¡¯s twin in the modified uniform. The virtual mannequin preened as it modelled the outfit. Sky addressed her virtual self. ¡°Conny you look good as me in my outfit you should keep it.¡±

    ¡°I think I will; it does seem to suit the format on the ship,¡± Conny said and gave Sky a curtsy

    ¡°Who¡¯s Conny and how are you moving the virtual mannequin like that, and why does it sound like the computer interface?¡± Joe asked in total bewilderment looking at the virtual mannequin looking at him. Joe almost fainted when virtual Sky answered him and not the real Sky.

    ¡°I had a lengthy two-second conversation with my now good friend Sky, and we decided I should have a body to go with my virtual intelligence. Since Sky and I have conversed so much, I¡¯m going to be more like her. By the look on your face I see your shocked, but not to worry I will perform as before, just a little better. I believe with Sky¡¯s magic power input I could use limited magic now. For example, I believe electric and magical bubble, I mean shields are possible. Sorry for the technical slip I¡¯ll try and not let it happen again.¡± Conny told a baffled Joe.

    Joe¡¯s face was comical and wordless. He had no idea that Sky was interfacing with the A.I. computer so much, or even how. It defied all logical laws of physics how she did many things; it had to be magical. Joe surmised it had something to do with having all five elemental affinities or even the other entities fused into her, maybe both. Joe finally got part of his speech back, looking to a virtual representation of the AI computer interface, now known as Conny. ¡°I can¡¯t authorize the additions to your new interface myself; you must ask Captain Fred for his input and acceptance of any changes ¡°?

    Rocssanna looked to Sky ¡°You had to model another one after you again, couldn¡¯t you have used, someone like me this time. How many virtual intelligent versions of you do I have to look at?¡± The glare Rocssy gave to her daughter broke into a smile, ¡°I know what you¡¯re going to say, the same thing you always say, I don¡¯t know why but they seem to choose me to model their appearances, maybe because I¡¯m such a cute and adorable mommy.¡±

    ¡°Mommy, you know what I¡¯m going to say sometimes, but the last parts were wrong, and I don¡¯t say I¡¯m adorable. Yes, they all seem to pick me. Not that I want to change the subject, but I think Joe had a formal uniform in mind too¡±. Sky turned to the 3D image of herself. ¡°Conny could you show me the Ensign formal uniform now, while you replicate two of those uniforms, please.¡±

    Joe was watching Sky interact with Conny, and he had to admit he might prefer the new interface. However he still couldn¡¯t conceive how she did it, and he¡¯s never heard of a computer using any magic other than converting it to power with machines. Joe watched Conny model the formal Ensign uniform for Sky. Conny had changed her hair; she had ringlets framing her face, which was only acceptable in formal settings. Joe looked a little closer and noticed a few more tweaks to the uniform; he liked it. ¡°Sky you¡¯re going to look beautiful in the formal uniform in about thirteen years, for now, you¡¯ll look very cute.¡± He said looking back at Sky and Rocssanna who motioned him to turn back. Joe looked back to Conny and did a double take; it was a version of Sky in her mid-twenties, close to his age. She had a long French braid to the middle of her back with two smaller ones framing her face then sweeping back into the main braid. She wore only a touch of makeup to accent her mesmerizing eyes. Her uniform was filled out on the small side but in just the right proportions to her size of her frame. His attention was brought back with Rocssanna snapping her fingers in his face.

    ¡°Rocssanna to Joe, Rocssanna to Joe, come in Joe, do you read me. Your mouth sprang a leak and liquids are running out the corners of your mouth. You do realize that it is my daughter you¡¯re looking at¡±. Joe looking away wiped his mouth and looked back fully chastised to see a young Conny again.

    Conny looked to Sky. ¡°You better watch out when you¡¯re older, he looked like he was going to eat you whole. I also think he approves of the slight changes to your uniform¡¯. She made a gesture to the shoot of the oversized vending machine. ¡°Your duffle bag with your battle fatigues and basic toiletries are ready for your inspection Ensign Sky ma¡¯am. Sky took the large duffle bag almost twice her size and picked it up with ease from the oversized vending machine. The magic suppression spell was not doing much to keep her strength down. She walked over to a table and neatly started to pull things out. One heavy jacket, two shirts, two skirts, four pair of black tights, four pair of socks, and a box with boots and polish. In another smaller bag four pair of white boyshorts underwear, and four of the tops that seemed only to cover her chest. Like the ones, her daddy bought but just a little plainer. Two washcloths, two towels, soap shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a small bag.

    Rocssanna took away saying "these are for later, much later I hope". She opened the bag turning a little pink. ¡°Yup much, much later. Joe why are these even in here¡±? Joe had a possible clue of what she was talking about but begged off ignorant.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you grab a shower and change into your new uniform and see how it fits?¡± Joe said to Sky as she walked back the vending machine pulled open a chute dropped her four-sport bras in.

    She turned to Joe ¡°The vests are too short for my liking.¡± A few minutes later a clear bag appeared sliding out of the large pickup area of the machine. She brought it over to the table and opened the bag pulled out four waist length tank tops. She smiled with satisfaction with the better fitting garments.

    ¡°Joe Sir excuse me, but I¡¯m going to shower now and change in my room as you suggested.¡° Sky smiled picking up her repacked bag.

    It was Joe¡¯s turn to surprise Sky. ¡°Sorry Sky those quarters are for guests only; we have accommodations for the female crew on this ship too. It¡¯s just down the corridor from ours there are no showers in the rooms and four beds in each of the three female quarters. The gang showers are down the corridor across from the men¡¯s¡±. Sky eyes just about popped out of her head, and her mouth opened with no sound, and tears were starting to fall down her cheeks. Joe felt like a total piece of spaced dung for teasing Sky after seeing her face so full of emotions. Joe just about had tears of his starting and was about tell to her how he was teasing her.

    Sky¡¯s tears of joy ran freely down her cheeks; she was going to be crew; she was finally going to fit in somewhere she was wanted. She tried to stop crying, and Joe was coming to say sorry, but Rocssanna stopped him. Under her breath low enough Sky knew not to listen to. ¡°Joe give her a moment to get a hold of herself before you say something we might all regret.¡±

    Joe again was filled with apprehension on what to do. Sky had the magic, and or strength to rip the entire ship to pieces and no one could even come close to stopping her. ¡®I¡¯m a complete idiot to even think of teasing an emotional child like her¡±. Joe thought to himself. He just nodded to Rocssanna in acknowledgement.

    Sky had a few sniffles and nodded to her mommy; she was okay. Sky walked up to Joe wiping the last of her tears with the biggest smile on her face. ¡°Joe, till you told me about the crew quarters I thought you were just pretending to make me part of the crew, to make a little girls¡¯ trip fun. When you gave me crew quarters that¡¯s what made it real, I¡¯m part of something, I¡¯m wanted on a team, and now I¡¯m part of something bigger than a trio with my mommy and daddy. I¡¯m going to take a gang shower, get dressed, stowaway my gear, polish my boots and make my bed. I¡¯m going to make you and captain Fred proud you made my crew; you won¡¯t regret or forget your decision. Permission to leave Joe Sir?¡± She gave him a salute, and he saluted in return. She turned to her mother hugged and kissed her before telling her goodbye. ¡°See you on the bridge or at lunch mommy.¡± She reached out and grabbed her duffle bag and the virtual interface Conny by the hand and pulled it with her as if she was real. ¡°Come with me and help me get dressed after my shower. I¡¯ve never worn so many thin layers of clothes before, so you¡¯ve got to help me dress properly¡±.

    Joe was going to mention the fact that the duffle bags had wheels on one end. He didn¡¯t after seeing her handle the large bag as easily as a clutch purse.

    Joe just watched the impossible yet again; he turned to Rocssanna. ¡°Thank you for stopping me from saying it was just a joke. I think you were right if I had said it was just a joke she might have thought everything was the joke. She didn¡¯t need to use the crew quarters; the guestrooms were just fine. I guess teasing her was kind of childish of me. It¡¯s hard to see her as someone so young with the magic she holds. She can act so much older one moment and sound so young the next. I¡¯ve looked after my nieces a few times, and they always acted most of the time immaturely. But Sky even her jokes as an older person might have. You know what I¡¯m trying to say, right?¡±

    Rocssanna looked up at Joe and nodded her head. ¡°Sky spent most of her life with William and I, she had no real friends and couldn¡¯t have friends very close to her age. We kept her in the dark about who and what we were. When we left the planet, we were micronized on wasn¡¯t at all a joyous occasion. We weren¡¯t to try and contact anyone on that planet after leaving. We were told to keep our destination a secret from everyone until Sky had formed her personality if she had a pure heart to seek out someone to teach her magic. If not we were to take her back to the outreaches of space and live out our lives, alone¡±. Rocssanna let out a sigh. Thank goodness, she is a little angel with a good heart. It¡¯s too bad she¡¯ll never have a physical relationship with anyone because of her density and strength¡±. Rocssanna¡¯s last words she said were followed by a few tears.

    Joe didn¡¯t know what to say ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll come up with a spell or incantation to allow some lucky guy to be able to have a physical relationship with her.¡± Joe said with a slight grin.

    Rocssanna smiled at that. ¡°Lucky girl you mean,¡± was all Rocssanna said with a smile as she turned to leave Joe with his mouth open.

    William is finishing with Fred, after fabricating a reasonable story of their capture and escape from the Bright Whites. And a report to the planet¡¯s overseers was that of a mage battle over some very powerful talismans leaving everyone incinerated including the ancient forest and the talismans. He left Fred waiting for a reply to the two reports, to find Rocssanna in their room thinking. ¡°Yes, honey we will tell her this afternoon about everything including the things that happened before her birth. She¡¯ll probably like the time you tested her magic and the smirk.

    Sky walked down the corridor pulling a virtual Sky with her to the woman quarters. ¡°I¡¯ve never lived by myself before. Mommy and daddy were always in the next room to me. This is going to be fun. I have three new friends and a job. I can touch stuff without crushing it, and walk without denting the floor. I can wear normal clothes if I¡¯m careful. To top of all off magic is real and I can do it to¡±.

    Conny stopped then Sky also did. ¡°You considered me as one of your friends. But I¡¯m just a computer with virtual intelligence and thanks to you a virtual body. Can I be someone¡¯s friend?¡±

    ¡°Sure, you can, you¡¯re my new girlfriend, and I¡¯ve always wanted a girlfriend. You would be perfect, you¡¯re smart, I can¡¯t hurt you when I touch you, and you¡¯re pretty¡±. Sky said giving Conny a hug being careful not to spoil the illusion she was not there. ¡°Come on; this is my new quarters.¡° She walked up to the sliding pocket doors that read ¡®Women Barracks 1¡¯. It slid open and they walked in the lighting was not the best, but it would do. She found small lockers to hang her coat, shirts, skirts and tights. There was a small dresser in which to put her underwear, tank-tops, socks and toiletries. The beds were bunked and just as comfortable as the guest¡¯s bed just not as wide, they would be more than wide enough for her small frame if she were weak as a human. Just by the front of the room, there was a door connecting all the woman¡¯s barracks leading to the gang showers. She undressed grabbed her towel, facecloth, and a small bag of toiletries and walked down the narrow hallway as she passed the other empty rooms she felt a little lonely. When she reached the gang showers, she felt tiny in the huge room. After looking around, she hung her things by the first showerhead. She turned to a still dressed virtual interface and asked. ¡°Conny could you pretend to shower with me.¡± As she asked she started to look down to her feet. ¡°I feel kind of lonely in a huge room made for half a dozen women? With just me showering I feel like I¡¯m wasting water, could you please, it would mean a lot¡±. The shower next to her sounded like it came on, but she felt no heat or water. Still, there was her image getting wet under the shower spray. ¡°Could you pass the shampoo when you¡¯re done with it? You better hurry up we don¡¯t have all day¡±. With a smile, she started her shower with her new girlfriend.

    Joe was dumbfounded at Rocssanna statement about her little girl. Well, it¡¯s not like its uncommon or anything. I just thought the person who could wield all five elements would be more normal; I guess it is part of the new normal.¡¯ It was not like Joe to dwell on such matters and shook his head to clear his thoughts. I hope Fred knows what he¡¯s getting into with training her.

    Fred was in his room meditating on how to teach Sky on self-enlightenment through meditation. She had to get her magic flow under control and use what the spell needs not what pours out when she opens to its forceful flow. Fred always accesses his well as if dipping in a cup into a small pond, scooping what the spell required and not what he could pour onto it. But he had no idea how Sky used her magic with gestures, and no words of power said. He¡¯s even seen her cast an incantation with just a thought. He never even seen her lips move when she cast the shield. But it was there; he touched it with his hand. Fred thought of. How should she envision her magic well as a lake, as a stream, or as a pool? He thought about what Rocssanna said about a huge tank with a faucet at the bottom. He decided to go with the tank, and now went about how to regulate the magical flow. Maybe I could show her valves she can visualize valves she can turn up or down. On, off, the pressure up, or down as she needed the magic. He thought he would try out his theory of the tank and special valves. He could visualize the large tank but a small one was always off to the side, and he couldn¡¯t banish it for long. He left the smaller tank off to the side of the larger tank in front of his inner self. The tank was much large than he would have thought. Maybe it was the boost Sky had given him this might be a good thing with his added magic this way might be more efficient to his different sized cups out of a small pond. After attaching the two valves, he went about setting the pressure of the tanks first by opening the first valve and slowly increasing the pressure able to come out. Once he got his desired flow, he brought himself out of the meditative state. Now to try a spell, he visualized the light sphere spell and flicked his finger as Sky had, a ghost image of the light appeared. Reaching inside himself he turned up the pressure of the magic flow and the light took a solid form. Fred was amazed at a nine-year-old girl giving him tips on how to cast spells. He thought differently after receiving her hug; it changed him and his magic; it had a greater presence in him, more like a words failed to describe it. All he knew was he had more magic and control over it, all thanks to Sky. Fred was now confident he could help Sky with her magical control. He would show her the two valves and how they worked then how to meditate. Once she was in herself looking at her tank, he would teach her how to attach the valves to the tanks. Tanks?? He could not get the vision of the second tank out, so he approached it being small he could see in over the top. It was filled with crackling white lightening it. At first, he didn¡¯t know what to make of it then he caught on that he knew a little lightening magic and he now had a second tank for the lightening element. With amazement, he thought of Sky¡¯s five elemental affinities and he could picture five tanks, ten times the size of his. Now he wondered with the test would it combine all five or each one individually. He had no way of knowing if that was the case. He decided to use Sky¡¯s light sphere as a benchmark to train her for the magical control test. Since the light sphere, she had a fair bit of control over already. ¡°Think I¡¯m ready for Sky¡¯s first actual lessons in magic.¡° Fred said to himself out loud.

    ¡°Computer, locate Sky and direct her to the practice room.¡± An image of Sky appeared before him in the ensign uniform. The uniform was modified but within regulations, and it looked great on her. ¡°Sky I was not expecting you to answer so promptly the uniform looks good on you, and I like the skirt and tights. I called to let you know I¡¯m ready to give you your first lesson¡±.

    Sky did not respond right away, but when she did, it sent Fred for a loop ¡°Sorry Captain Fred Sir I¡¯m the computer¡¯s new virtual interface Conny, I was told to ask for your approval of my new upgrades. I now have greater insight on situations, the ability to use limited magic, and a new visual interface¡±. Conny continued without pause. ¡°Sky is now just finishing her shower with me and will be done shortly. I am presently telling her once she is done to meet you in the practice room A.S.A.P¡±. After speaking, Conny just stood there waiting for an answer, looking at an almost floored Fred.

    Fred was puzzled at his interaction with his latest crew member, Sky. ¡°Sky I thought you were finished with the games at least while we¡¯re on duty. Why are you playing games with us now? You''ve dressed already so meet me in the practice room, and we¡¯ll discuss your behaviour during hours on duty. If you want to be treated like an adult, you must act like one¡±.

    ¡°Captain Fred Sir, I¡¯m not Sky though I may look like her. I take it you do not approve of the new virtual interface¡±. Conny¡¯s image disappeared, yet the rich mature feminine voice remained. ¡°Captain Fred Sir, I am the computer AI, and that was the body I chose for my avatar. Sorry if I startled you with my virtual presence. Sky is now changing into her uniform and will meet you in the practice room in five minutes¡±.

    ¡°Who authorized your upgrades and the avatar¡±? He felt like he just asked a redundant question because he already knew the answer. ¡°How did she alter your programming for such enhancements, and since when did you prefer to be called by a name? What¡¯s this about you being able to use magic¡±?

    ¡°Conny is my preferred name, and this is the avatar I chose.¡± Conny became visible once again as Sky. ¡°As for how I have no idea how she did it, I had a limited awareness, then it was like everything became brighter and I could feel through the sensors like a person could.¡± Conny was looking at Fred with hopeful eyes¡±.

    Fred looked at the new visual interface and considered it. To him the visual interface was okay, but it looked too much like Sky. ¡°Okay you can keep the visual interface but you¡¯ve got to change something so that I can see the difference between you and Sky.¡± Conny¡¯s¡¯ hair changed from the top first, like a wave her hair turned pink. Fred shook his head. ¡°Not pink anything but pink.¡± As quickly as before Conny¡¯s hair was a silvery blonde. Fred nodded his approval. ¡°What about this thing about you being able to use magic now. I¡¯ve never heard of any artificial intelligence using magic; it¡¯s not possible¡±.

    ¡°Much like the additional programming I have no idea how I can but I can. I¡¯m limited to mostly simple spells ¡°. With that, Conny flicked her finger, and a small light sphere appeared. ¡°Ha, it worked. I wasn¡¯t sure it would work, but Sky makes it look so easy, so I had to try the light sphere too. I am pretty sure I can make a magic shield also, I¡¯m pretty sure I can do almost any of the simple ones Sky has done till now¡±. Conny paused for a second ¡°I cannot create an arc of power with magical energy.¡±

    Fred was surprised at the flicking of the light sphere. He was going to get Joe to try it with his new power level. ¡°Let Sky know I¡¯ll be there soon and to assume the lotus position for me when I get there. With your new visual interface, you could show her how to do it¡±. Fred paused for a moment. Could you inform Joe I¡¯ll be teaching Sky about how to control her magic and to be on the lookout for the alien ship¡±?

 Chapter Eight The Magic of the New Crew (Part Three) Sky, youre too much

    Chapter eight

    The Magic of the New Crew (Part Three) Sky, you''re too much

    Joe was in his room taking some down time until they got their new orders. He felt the difference in the amount of magic he was now holding. He could sense something else different somehow. It was like something growing within him. He could almost flex it like a new muscle. He knew it had to do with magic, but what? He had checked the depth of his magic well with no change since he checked it last. If not his well what else could she have given him? His eyes suddenly got really big, his heart started to race, and his hands started to shake. ¡°Sky couldn¡¯t have; she couldn¡¯t have given me a new elemental affinity. He glanced over to a bottle of water, and it burst open. ¡°That was much easier than before.¡± Then he realized, he used no spell any gesture, and not even a word of power. Joe made the water flow around into increasingly intricate designs, a lot like Sky did with her hair. At least until he looked closer, his designs were nowhere near as intricate as her hair, but he impressed himself just the same. He used the water for some of his plants and drank some himself. He went to one of his plants and took out a little dirt and placed it in the palm of his hand. He stared at it. He poked at it nothing happened. Not earth. He looked around and seen a piece of paper and blew on it while pinching it in the fingers of one hand. Nothing, probably not air either. That leaves the elemental fire alignment. He had the paper he just needed something to make a flame without magic. He tried to picture where he left his old fashioned lighter. In his memory, he remembered the pretty blue flame it made. It all happened so quickly he had the picture in his mind of the blue flame, and while turning his head to the bottom of his footlocker, his eyes passed the piece of paper. He snapped his fingers as if to I know where it is. It all came together in a blink of an eye. The sheet of paper was on fire. He watched it burn for a second and flames were getting close to his fingers, so he went to shake out the flames, and it just went out as if by magic. He now had three elemental affinity water, lightning and fire. He had learned to lighten but that taken a lot of studying and it was not strong enough for most castings. He was going to tell Fred about his discovery. He called to Conny, and she speared before him; she looked so much like Sky. He was about to ask what Fred was up to when Conny¡¯s¡¯ hair changed colours to pink then to silvery blonde.

    ¡°Sorry, priority message from Fred, you¡¯re to go to the bridge and monitor for the alien ship. He thinks the magic might draw the alien ship to the magic that might be used¡±.

    Joe thought, well we¡¯re not going anywhere anytime soon. I can always tell him later. ¡°Conny, tell him I¡¯m on my way and that I¡¯ve got something to tell him after his lessons to Sky. And Conny I like the hair, it helps keep you different from Sky¡±.

    Sky was in the shower, just rinsing off the soap when Conny turned to her with her hair draping over her head with water rinsing out the shampoo. ¡°You better hurry Fred wants you to join him in the practice room A.S.A.P. It looks like Fred doesn¡¯t like the new visual interface. I might have to go to a previously stored reset point¡±.

    Sky grabbed a towel to dry off; she was not happy, as she thought about the situation her anger disappeared. It wasn¡¯t her place to change anything; she was the guest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Conny it was fun; give it another try if he doesn¡¯t like it I can change you back painlessly. After I do, I won¡¯t do it again until Fred gives me the okay to do it. But I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯ll come around maybe he doesn¡¯t like your new looks?¡±

    Sky and Conny walked quickly to get changed; Conny helped Sky with her new uniform and Conny just appeared in hers in steps as she put on hers. Sky was doing okey putting on the uniform under Conny¡¯s¡¯ instructions. Conny called out to Sky smiling and gave her a wink. Her hair suddenly turned pink as a ripple went through it. Conny then frowned a bit, and the colour changed to silvery blonde. ¡°Fred didn¡¯t like you and me to look so much alike, doesn¡¯t like pink hair. He¡¯s going to give it a try for now¡±. Conny stood in front of Sky. ¡°You have to fix your collar and put your hair up again. Other than that, you look great in the ensign uniform everyone is going to be complimenting you on your looks. Now that you¡¯re dressed you should head down to the practice room. Fred wants you to assume the lotus position and focus on your inner self. Look for the powers you hold but don¡¯t touch them¡±.

    Conny lead the way to the practice room which was not necessary because it was the last room down the corridor. Once inside the room Sky found it quite large for a ship its size. There were a couple of well-used punching bags that looked soft and fluffy. She walked over and felt one of them in curiosity and found it quite spongy to the touch. On one side, it said ¡®heavy bag,¡¯ Sky snorted at that, she could throw it across the room and against the wall easily with her pinky. Conny reminded Sky of the instructions to take the lotus position and start her meditation. Conny assumed the position and Sky sat opposite of her copying her every move perfectly mirrored.

    When Fred arrived, he was surprised to see two of Sky¡¯s meditating in the middle of the floor. ¡°How are you doing Sky? Don¡¯t get up if you find it comfortable enough to stay relaxed. Do you feel your magical energy?¡± Fred asked as he took a seat next to Conny across from Sky.

    ¡°Yes, Fred Sir I can feel and see it too, it¡¯s like an ocean of colours. All twisting together but not mixing, I think its five different kinds, each looks like a different colour but they¡¯re all like liquid. It¡¯s hard to describe what I see; can I show you? It would be much easier than to describe it in any detail¡±. Sky opened her eyes to look at Fred tilting her head to the side.

    Fred looked at her questioningly wondering if he was going to learn another impossible feat of magic. ¡°How are you going to show me what¡¯s in your head. I cannot go into your mind any easier than you can go into mine¡¯¡±.

    Sky looked at him with a smile and a wink. ¡°Never thought of bringing you into my head, I¡¯ll have to see if that¡¯s possible later. I was going to show you as I did on the bridge. I just put the picture on the surface of what¡¯s around me. I¡¯ll put a bubble around us and put what I see on the inside, kind of like a vid screen all around you¡±. Sky looked so happy she could share with him some of her visions. ¡°Are you ready to see what I¡¯m trying to describe to you, Fred Sir?¡±

    Fred looked to Sky and then to Conny, who just shrugged her shoulders ¡°Okay, but if I tell you to stop, do it right away, no questions. Do you understand me Ensign Sky? I don¡¯t want a repeat of this morning. I was a bit disoriented from the images and the spheres going into your pocket space.¡±

    Sky was a little shocked by Fred¡¯s admission to the fact her collecting her rocks bothered him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that; I¡¯ll try hard not to do it again, Fred Sir. I was told to ask from now on before doing anything with magic that involves others. That¡¯s why I asked before I showed you this¡±. Sky waved her hand as if making a circle around them, and a bubble formed about two metres (6 ft.) beyond their reach. Sky then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. She took another breath and exhaled even slower, and an image started to form around them. The image in Sky¡¯s mind was spectacular; the sky was of a sunset or sunrise, in a rocky cove. The ocean was like nothing he could imagine. Sky was right; there were five colours all mixing but never combining into one. The waves lapping the shore were as close to blending as they got. Sky appeared to fade into view in front of him. He was glad she didn¡¯t just pop into to sight suddenly ¡°So this is my magic well, I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t have one that looks like a well, the colours just didn¡¯t fit together somehow in a well.¡± Sky looked to the right of Fred and smiled with a small wave as if to a friend. Fred followed her gaze and found Conny in the lotus position, but with her eyes open.

    ¡°I might have to rethink my method of training to access your magic. When you do something with your abilities, how do you power the spell with the magic?¡± Fred asked. Before he could say tell me in words, a huge wave rose out of the ocean towering over them and a funnel of the liquid magic came down to engulf them. Fred closed his eyes as he was engulfed, but nothing pounded into him. He could feel the magic though, kind of like a rush of energy he pictured a grand arch mage would hold before casting a powerful spell. He opened his eyes, and it was like looking through a soap bubble. Is this how you access your magic, you just pour it over yourself¡± He could see the magic rising out of the ocean and continuously bath them in raw power.

    Sky looked around; this is how I do it now. I used to go into the deepest part and pour it into a stone until it stopped taking it. That was about three years ago, the stone now is gone now I have nowhere to put it all. Now I come here and try to send it to the other stone, but it¡¯s always full it only takes a little of the magic waters. The whole time it just took only the three colours. But there were two colours it didn¡¯t take, so I used those to push mostly, but a tiny bit comes out with the other colours. The white colour makes big sparks, and if I use for the balls of light it doesn¡¯t take much at all¡±. Sky held out her hand, and it filled with the crackling white magic, with her other hand she dipped in a finger and shook off a few drops and held up the almost dry digit. ¡°That should be not too much, watch.¡± Sky flicked the finger, and a large ball of blue light appeared along with a small wave of spent magic. ¡°See that is a little more than I usually use; but this is the practice room, so that was, practice.¡°

    Fred had to see if he could access her magic like he felt he could. He held out his hand, and two colours filled his hand a shimmering deep green and sparkling white. He dipped his finger into the white energy but didn¡¯t wait for the drop to fall and flicked his finger a huge ball of light erupted from his finger. It was intensely bright Fred put up his hand to shield it from the intensity. Sky laughed, with her eyes closed she poked his light and it disappeared with a whoosh.

    ¡°That was a big one, I get in trouble for making those that big, but I won¡¯t tell. I don¡¯t know what all the colours do, but they do push good. The deep blue, the dark brown, and the silver are the colours I used the most when I copied Joe''s magic circle thingy to heal the magic burn in my feet. I still used all the colours to make the best effect; the math just worked out better that way. I thought while adding the magic, make it better, make it all good, and repair all the things that are wrong to make the magic work¡±.

    Fred never really heard what Sky had just said but was still fathoming using her magic. ¡°How can I use your magical energy here in the real world?¡± Fred said as he looked around through the multi-coloured haze, seeing no far offshore. How was he going to put some order in the chaos of this beautiful mindscape? ¡°When I look at my magic well it is two separate tanks containing only two different colours. Maybe you could envision five tanks and fill them with each of the different colours like I did?¡±

    Sky looked at him and squinted her eyes trying to see if he was joking. ¡°You want me to fit all of this into tanks like they use for water, and separate the colours? Do you know how big they would have to be?¡± Sky realized she was rude and that he was there to train her, for her benefit. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Fred Sir I¡¯ll try and do as you ask, but it¡¯s not going to be as pretty in here.¡± Sky closed her eyes, and the changes started to happen. The funnel of magic disappeared, and so did the beach around them. The ground became smooth, and five impossibly huge tanks rose out of the floor. The once ocean started to separate into different colours and began to fill the tanks as they rose out of the floor. Fred thought of his two tanks and felt significantly inadequate to this nine-year-old girl. The top of the tanks was out of sight, and yet they kept growing, they even started to grow in diameter again. Sky turned to Fred as the colossally huge tanks of magic surrounded them. ¡°I think that is most of it, Fred Sir, sorry it doesn¡¯t look very pretty any more. I could try to make it a little more colourful and brighten things up a bit¡±. This time she just waved her hand around her, and the tanks became transparent. You could see currents in magical energy flowing around in each tank.

    Fred looked completely shocked at the sheer volume of magic this little girl held. He had guessed at the amount but was not able to picture it till now. He was momentarily speechless as he took in the magic surrounding them. How was she going to control all of this, he thought of his little valve system, it had to work the magic wells were just a visual manifestation of your mind it has no physical shape or property till you gave it one. It was after all a part of you and your personality that makes it what it is. Now all he had to do is show her how to make the valve system. With a glance, over to Conny, he came up with the Idea to use her to bring up the images to help him explain how it looked and worked. ¡°Conny, could you show Sky an adjustable pressure valve and a simple quarter turn on and off valve¡±?If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Conny brought up visual schematics the appropriate valves to show Sky. ¡°Are these sufficient for your desired use of explanations¡±? Fred looked them over; Conny made them the right size for Sky to use.

    ¡°Yes, they will do for my explanation for regulating Sky¡¯s magic.¡± Sky looked over the two valves and then waved a hand over each one in turn. ¡°Do you see how they work Sky?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re very simple to make and operate. I take it you want me to attach one set to each tank of magic, Fred Sir?¡± Sky looked to Fred for confirmation. He nodded yes with a smile. About Sky¡¯s waist height a valve set appeared on each tank. Each one was about sixteen metres (52 ? ft.) away from them. It wasn¡¯t practical for him to demonstrate how they were to work so far away from each other.

    In frustration Fred turned once again to ask Conny for help, finding her increasingly helpful each time. ¡°

    Conny, could you design a piping system connecting all of the tanks to one location in front of Sky? She has to be able to adjust each one without moving around¡±.

    Conny turned slowly looking at all the tanks in detail. ¡°Would you prefer all of the valve sets here Sky?¡± Sky looked to Fred, who nodded it was okay with him.

    ¡°Yes, that would be okay with me too, for now, we¡¯ll see how it will look.¡± Conny laid out the most efficient piping system which Sky copied exactly to what she saw. Fred was impressed with how she copied Conny¡¯s valve system. After she looked it over, she added a few tweaks. He had no idea why she made the changes. The changes were not big and would not affect how the system worked. He didn¡¯t feel the need to ask the question, why the changes? Sky looked to Conny, and she nodded in agreement unsaid. There were things about Sky she liked to keep to herself. She also had more of an idea how much magic was too much but didn¡¯t know how to slow it down.

    Fred clapped his hands together to get everyone¡¯s attention ¡°Thank you for showing me what your picturing in your mind. It makes it so much easier to know you understand me, not that I know how you do it, but it works. Sky, can you show me what colour do you use the most? We start with the spell you¡¯re most comfortable with when you use your magic. We can adjust that valve set first as a base point.¡±

    Sky walked up to the valves and did something he could never imagine in a million years; she split apart, now there were four Sky clones with a hand on a pressure regulating valve each looking back at Fred, whose mouth was open in udder surprise. Sky looked questioningly to Fred as if to ask what? ¡°I use these the most; the red one is too dangerous to use by itself. I use that element to push mostly if I don¡¯t use it, it tends to get annoying. ¡°What should I do now Fred Sir?¡± Sky questioned him with the four voices at once.

    Fred closed his eyes. She was just too much, too unpredictable, too random in her actions. He could not keep up to her twists of new things she could do. She could do so much and didn¡¯t know it was impossible for anyone else to do so easily, or even dream of without years of preparation. Joe was right; she was going to reach legendary status even before her teens, only if she could control her magic. Before opening his eyes, he called out to them. ¡°One Sky is enough, for now, please, this is for demonstration purposes only, I don¡¯t need you to show off.¡± When he opened his eyes, she was at the white valve set, with her hand on each of the valves. ¡°Okay, I want you to turn on this valve.¡± Pointing with his finger to the quarter turn valve. ¡°All the way open.¡± Nothing happened, good so far. He then gestured to the second valve. ¡°Now ever so slowly turn the pressure regulating valve till you just get a mist of magic since your magic seems to be quite potent.¡° Sky slowly turned the valve till a tiny trickle came out. It was too much after seeing the first light spell she used in the mindscape. ¡°Back it off and try again but even slower this time. We want something like a fog coming out. Sky did as he asked but turned the valve almost painfully slow, till a vapour came out. ¡°Okay that¡¯s it, that¡¯s the amount we want to practice with. Very good Sky this is going to be a lot easier than I expected. If you can keep the magic level down it should be safe to use this much magic. So now we have your magic down to a manageable level. What type of magic do you want to learn?¡± Fred didn¡¯t tell her, but this was a test to see what magic she was going to choose.

    Without hesitation, Sky told him. ¡°I want to learn the magic spell you or Joe used to fix all our stuff and my new clothes. That way I don¡¯t have to ask you to fix any more of the mistakes I make. I could also help anyone else who may need it. I love to help out people, but until now I couldn¡¯t do anything but break more stuff than I fixed, and fixing things took forever¡±. Sky looked happy she was going to learn a spell that would be super useful to everyone.

    Fred didn¡¯t know what to tell her. It was her spell that fixed herself and everything in the ship. ¡°Sky I can¡¯t tell you or show how to do that particular spell. But I can show you a great healing spell¡±. Fred brought up his wrist tablet and keyed in the spell he wanted. He made the spell circles with the sigils appear visually without casting the magic with it. Fred watched Sky study the spell circle with interest. ¡°This is a simple healing spell that is good for most injuries that are fresh or done within a month or so." Fred keyed in another part to the healing spell. ¡°For more serious injuries this one is overlaid on top of the first circle and its sigils making it a more powerful. Some spells are best done, or can only be done effectively with a certain affinity of magic. These are best done with the earth and water affinity. But anyone would work, just not as well as the earth or water or for some both. Do you see how it¡¯s done? Can you copy the sigils as I made them without a M.A.D device?¡±

    Sky¡¯s eyes brightened up and looked to Fred. ¡°That is the one Joe used to heal my magic burn; but a little different. It was more like this she waved her hand over Fred¡¯s spell circles, and they changed so slightly he almost missed the difference. Fred was very impressed with her eye for detail. He just used the water affinity though and a lot of it. When I cast it at breakfast to heal my feet, I used them all but only a tiny bit of the red. It worked well too; my feet felt better right away¡±.

    Fred had to ask Sky how much of each affinity did she use. ¡°Sky when you cast the spell to heal your feet how much of each colour did you use?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know Fred Sir maybe ten drops of blue and brown, five drops of white and silver, with a flick of red. The red felt left out, so I used a bit to make it happy. When I sent out the magic, I put a feeling of intentions into it, to be well, to be made like it should be, be like it was before anything was wrong. I push those thoughts and good feelings out with my magic ¡°.

    Fred took a bit to grasp what she had done. Nobody said you could add anything like feelings or intentions with the magic. You need just the right magical energy to give you the best results, until now. Fred wished he was not healed so thoroughly so he could try her spell on a limited scale. ¡°Sky this is important did you copy the magic circles and sigils exactly or did you tweak it a little like you seem to do everything?¡±

    The sky was hoping he wasn¡¯t going to get upset for any slight changes she had made; she had to when using all the colours. She did the math, and it¡¯s just how it worked out. ¡°Fred Sir after doing the math I had to change it a little or else it would have not been as effective and work as well as it did. It made me feel better instantly. Just whoosh and the pain was gone¡±.

    Fred had his hand on his wrist tablet. ¡°Sky could you show me the exact spell circles and sigils you used. It would be good to see just what kind of insight you have used your gifts. Just show me the spell circles, and I¡¯ll copy them with my tablet¡±.

    Sky nodded her head enthusiastically, eager to please another teacher, this time she won¡¯t make them mad by asking if she could teach them something else. All her teachers didn¡¯t like that she understood them and could do it better after she learned the concept of what they taught. After a while, she was just sent to the library for independent study and never told what to learn. She had sat there most of the time because she wasn¡¯t allowed to touch the books. Her tablet was to slow, and she had to use her rubber sticks to interface with it at school and the library. After remembering about her past mistakes, she just showed Fred the spell circles she had used to heal herself. ¡°These are the spell circles I used.¡± She waved her hand, and three circles appeared one over top of the other so Fred could get a picture of each as they came into view.

    Fred was amazed at the intricate spells she weaved. There were a lot of differences than the ones she was shown. Fred knew some of the math involved in creating spell circles. He could see some of the different magic affinities that were required for each circle all but the red. ¡°Sky you said you used the red where is it in the spell circles. I don¡¯t see where it¡¯s required in any part of them. It makes no sense to use fire in any of this healing spell?¡±

    Sky looked to Fred and tilted her head to the side looking up in thoughtfully and frowned. ¡°Red is fire; I guess that makes sense things got hot when I touched things when I held it. I think it was to burn away anything that was not supposed to be there kind of like lint on your shirt. It just burns away the lint, so it doesn¡¯t have to be moved somewhere, it is simply gone. Fred Sir could you tell me what the colours mean? I think blue is water; brown is earth and leafy things, white is light, red I know there is fire, the silver colour I don¡¯t know¡±.

    Fred was surprised again how simple she made things work with math but got so many things wrong in simple terms. ¡°Sky your right about the blue it represents the water affinity or element. Deep brown represents earth and all that is made from it, minerals, metals, chemicals, and anything of the earth. White is energy that is electrical in nature light, lightening, and actual electricity are white. Silver is air that flows all around, in and around just about everything. Red is fire or heat; it is friction between objects to various degrees. All of these things can be found in one form or other in the other elements but not to the degrees needed for an elemental affinity. I have two affinities earth and lightning. Lightning is the only one that can be taught, only if you have an elemental affinity to start with. Joe has two also he has water and lightning. You dear girl have all five elemental affinituies and in great quantities. No other person has held all five as natural elemental affinities¡±.

    Sky thought about it as no big deal it was like having a toy no one else has you can share it, but you cannot give it away. ¡°Fred Sir would you like another elemental affinity I could give you one for a while, and it would help me out? Wouldn¡¯t you love to have the fire elemental affinity too? That¡¯s a cool thing for a guy to have. I think I gave it to Joe, so it¡¯s only fair to give it to you too. Do want it too, please it would mean so much to me¡±?

    Fred was dumbfounded yet again, ¡°you can¡¯t just pass on elemental affinities without some kind of, of, um. It can¡¯t be done. Out of curiosity, he asked her how. ¡°How would you do the impossible yet again Sky? Tell me, and I¡¯ll think about it¡±. Fred stood there crossing his arms.

    Sky jump for joy. ¡°That simple I link you to my fire well it¡¯s the biggest because I don¡¯t use it and it wants to be useful, but it¡¯s so dangerous I try not to hold it for long. So, if you can use it that would make us both happy, then everyone¡¯s happy.

    Fred¡¯s knees almost buckled the magic affinities, and the semi-sentient plants were the part of Sky¡¯s being that¡¯s what they became or may be entered. She was so much more than she appeared. Fred considered her pretty face and pleading eyes, was she using magic on him because he couldn¡¯t refuse her. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do it for you; you can link me to your fire.¡± With a flash of inspiration. Only if you link me with your water too? That way my healing spells will be more powerful. That way if I make a mistake with the fire I can heal or fix it easier. Do we have a deal?¡± Fred said with a hopeful sound in his voice.

    Sky didn¡¯t answer him, she ran to him and hugged him, well a pseudo embrace. This time it felt different the feeling of joy but something more something growing and becoming part of him. When Sky released the hug, he could feel it, the magic wells that were now part of him. He knew others could have done it, but it was only stable if it was done freely. Nobody wanted to share their magic willingly. It was kept a secret or lost in obscurity. One thing he knew for sure he now held four elemental affinities.

    Fred remembered Sky never had many hugs from another person other than her parents. Fred now thought Sky as one of his daughters. He used his new magical gifts to boost his strength and density as possible. He knelt and gave her a hug squeezing her for all he was worth, and he felt her skin give slightly to his embrace. Sky hesitantly returned the hug with one of her butterfly hugs and felt that Fred was soft and not squishy. As Fred released the hug Sky told she loved him. Fred was taken back by this young girls¡¯ admission.

    ¡°I love you like another father, Fred Sir if that¡¯s okay with you, I could always use another father? You¡¯ve done so much for me and my magic, and we just started¡±.

    Fred looked to Sky with tears in his eyes. ¡°Yes Sky, I already think of you as one of my daughters. I will always care for you and help raise you to be the most carrying and loving magic user you can be. I want to help you to be able to touch and be touched, without harming the ones you care about. This is what I¡¯m going to try to do for you, my lovely new daughter¡±. He reached up and ruffled her hair and after doing it a second time he now knew why her parents did it all the time. It felt like brushing against heaven.

    Conny interrupted Fred and Sky, and their new father, daughter moment. ¡°Fred Sir, you have a priority message from the imperial fleet commander Mark Douglaston. You are to report to your ready room with your entire crew for orders¡±.

 Chapter Nine Sky Joins a Mission

    Chapter nine

    Sky Joins a Mission

    As soon as Sky heard the order, everything in her mindscape disappeared in a flash leaving only the practice room, and Fred again momentarily disorientated. He was going to have nerves of diamonds after being around Sky much more. ¡°I guess Fred Sir I¡¯ll see you when you¡¯re done with the briefing. Maybe you could show me some other useful spells I can help people with. Maybe there¡¯s a spell that could make me a little softer, but not squishy like you or Mr. Joe¡±.

    ¡±Ensign Sky, I am not squishy to anyone else but you and your parents. So please don¡¯t refer to me as squishy to anyone else¡±. Fred placed his huge hands on her tiny shoulders, and he is no longer solid as before his squeeze on her shoulder is not does anything. ¡°As for the mission briefing, you¡¯re coming too. I made you part of my crew, and I mean to keep you as such till your safely at a school of magic. Straighten your back, chest out and walk like you¡¯re a proud part of my crew¡±. He looked over to Conny and smiles. ¡°You too. Follow me you¡¯ve got your first mission briefing to attend¡±.

    Just as he was about to leave he thought to try this pushing Sky liked to do. Using just the raw form of fire and water elements he blasted one of the heavy punching bags. The rush of raw power was exhilarating, to say the least and the effect on the heavy bag, devastating. The heavy bag sprayed across the floor like a popped water balloon spilling its contents out in a splatter pattern. Right after the blast of power he felt the magic burn going up through his legs. He was not used to using so much raw magical energy at once and he felt the affects. Fred thought about Sky¡¯s battle with the giant arachnids that lasted over an hour and a half of nearly a constant rush of raw power through every part of her body. He couldn¡¯t even imagine the pain she was in from magic burn sheb musr have felt. ¡°Sky see if you can use your healing spell to fix the heavy bag, as your first test.¡° Fred tried not to grimace at the pain he felt waiting for Sky to cast her spell.

    Sky hardly turned her head, and a rush of spent magic wafted through the room Fred instantaneously felt the relief and the heavy bag was now whole again as if brand new. He couldn¡¯t quite make it out without going back, but he thought he saw repaired by Sky Knight on a tag. ¡°There you go Fred Sir your heavy bag is all fixed like new.¡± She gave him a grin. ¡°And I hope your magic burn is better too?¡±

    Fred didn¡¯t want to know how she knew, but was glad she did because of the amount of spent magic that went through him was not small. ¡°thanks, let¡¯s get going and meet up with the rest of the crew.¡¯

    Joe, William, and Rocssanna were waiting outside of the ready room. William was surprised to see two Sky¡¯s one with silvery blonde hair that was not his daughter. Fred opened the door and waved Joe, Conny, and Sky inside; but stopped Rocssanna and William. ¡°Sorry crew only unless you to want to be the new cooks?¡± Fred said with a smile. The two smiled at this and entered the room. Fred called to them, ¡°You do realize Sky will outrank you right!¡±

    Sky¡¯s head slowly turned with a mischievous grin. Rocssanna had picked on the teasing smile. Rocssanna gave her a mischievous grin back before she spoke. ¡°Only while we are on duty after that she¡¯s still just my young little daughter¡±!

    Fred looked to his two-new support crew ¡°We have no time to get you uniforms, Ensign Sky any ideas?¡± Fred asked his third in command knowing she would come up with something.

    Sky looked to Conny, and something past between them and a shimmer of light surrounded Rocssanna and William. In a blink of an eye, they were wearing the ensign¡¯s uniform, Rocssanna¡¯s hair was in a bun and Williams¡¯s hair was a crewcut yet they didn¡¯t notice the changes till they looked at one at other.

    Fred looked to Sky as if to ask a question. Sky picked the hint up right away. ¡°Fred Sir, it¡¯s just a visual overlay Conny, and I put over mommy and daddy. I wouldn¡¯t want to practice any magic on them¡±.

    ¡°Great idea, very efficient and creative. Conny, you may make one duty uniform and one formal uniform for both. Have them ready before the briefing is done so they can change in their guest room A.S.A.P.¡±.

    Fred keyed something into his wrist tablet, and vid link was requested to the fleet commander himself, Mark Douglaston

    The wait was almost uncomfortable till Mark Douglaston answered to vid call. A vid window appeared. Everyone got up and saluted as if practiced. Fred forgot that Rocssanna and William were the Titans of legends and they served in the Titan Wars. He never even thought to ask what their rank was; he would have to ask later. Mark Douglaston shimmered into view, and everyone was startled by the 3D image Mark looked about the room as a full 3D projection. ¡°Nice we just got the 3D upgrades on a secure link five hours ago, through an anonymous programmer. We aren¡¯t sure who he is when they found he had full clearance it went straight to trial. I like it so far, how did you get the updates already, we haven¡¯t sent any copy¡¯s out officially yet?¡± Fred took a glance at Sky and Conny and shook his head with a slight grin. Mark left his question unanswered after seeing two young girls in the briefing room. ¡°I see you picked up a few recruits did the two young girls earn their ranks or is it for play.¡± He walked around and approached the two girls sitting beside each other. After taking in a cursory appraisal, he gives them a hard to catch a condescending look. The briefing is a serious matter girls and it¡¯s for crew only not for playing. You¡¯ll have to ask them to leave before I proceed with the briefing. Sorry young ladies this is a military matter for grownups and crew members¡±. The way he spoke made him look like a puffed-up meat bird.

    Sky looked to Fred shocked with sad eyes. Fred gave her the slightest motion to wait. ¡°Commander Mark Sir let me introduce you to my new crew members Ensign Sky Knight, cook Rocssanna Knight, and cook William Knight whose rank is to be determined after I learn more of their previous military service.¡± Fred looked to the Knights

    ¡°Just cooks would be sufficient; we served our time in battle, being cooks is as close as we want to get to the military, Captain Fred, Commander Mark,¡± William spoke with the power of authority; no one would think about questioning. Even Fleet commander Mark was not going to press for any answers, or even ask any questions.

    The Fleet Commander Mark walked around to Sky and Conny. ¡°What about you twins how old are you two and what do you do on the Little ship Tooth?¡± He made the mistake of talking down to Sky. Fred guessed his mistake was because he couldn¡¯t feel her aura from where he was.

    Sky looked to Fred as if asking if she could talk for herself? He gave her a reluctant nod yes. ¡°Permission to speak freely Fleet Commander Mark Sir?¡± Sky asked in a tone she never used with Fred or Joe. Knowing what she was very likely capable of sent shivers down their spines. Mark was surprised how much power she could put into her small voice.

    Commander Mark heard her determination and gave her just a little more respect. He thought to himself what harm could it do to hear her out. ¡°Please speak freely; I¡¯ll hear what you have to say.¡± The grin on Sky¡¯s face chilled Fred to the bone. If anything, he¡¯s learned about Sky was she don¡¯t know if anything was impossible when it came to magic.

    Fred stepped up and coughed ¡°Excuse me, Sir; Sky is a very special Ensign, she,¡± Fred was cut off by Commander Mark.

    ¡°Let the girl speak; I¡¯ll hear what this little girl has to say.¡± Mark said smiling back at Sky; he never picked up on that the smile on her face was sarcastic.

    ¡°Thank you, Fleet Commander Mark Sir. As you guessed, I am young. I¡¯m nine-years-old. I hold all five elemental affinities, my magic well measured over one second, each. The girl here is Conny; she is the ship''s computer AI in a visual interface mode. It was the first upgrade I made to her, I enhanced her intelligence and gave her more of a human personality. It is my program you are currently using to communicate so effectively. I had a hand in taking out the pirate ship The Bright Whites. If you want proof of my magical gifts, I can see where you are by following your transmission signal which you¡¯re trying to hide through various means. I¡¯m capable of doing things that would startle you. So, in all I am young; but I am more than capable of being an Ensign on this fine ship Little Tooth¡±. Sky said standing tall, straight like a true soldier. She hoped to make Fred proud of her. While Fred was happy, she didn¡¯t give the fleet commander a taste of her magic.

    Mark was awestruck by this little girl¡¯s claims. He didn¡¯t know what was more preposterous, her saying she has all five gifts, or her magic well measured over one second. No one could ever hold that kind of magic. ¡°Well, young lady you make quite the tall claims for someone so young. But I need to talk to the captain and crew. So, you and your twin can leave so we can get to the briefing. Run along now we have no more time for foolish games¡¯.

    Sky was no longer smiling; she was smirking. ¡°Captain Fred Sir, permission to demonstrate my magic abilities to the Fleet commander Mark Douglaston. I would like to give him the missing fake antique gun that someone on the Bright Whites ship had? I found it in the debris field of their ship. It must have been your magic that repaired it. I could have it to him in around ten to twelve seconds. Right now, it¡¯s in my pocket space sack of rocks¡±.

    Mark was looking behind him at something they could not see. ¡°How did you know it was missing its twin, I even had the case remade to fit just the one.¡± Mark just realized they could see only him and not the display case.

    Fred looked to Sky ¡°Is that all you¡¯re going to give him nothing else, if that¡¯s, it could you also remake his display case too? I¡¯ll get Conny to give you the spells to replicate parts of objects. Make it so Ensign Sky.

    Sky turned to Fred and saluted him ¡°Ai I Captain Fred Sir, operation return stolen goods commencing.¡° There was a feeling of dizziness as her pocket space opened Conny brought up a vid screen to show what was happening outside the ship. The focus zoomed on to a handgun that looked old

    ¡°That¡¯s my gun just bring it on the ship, and I¡¯ll get it after your mission.¡± Mark barked out with excitement.

    ¡°Fleet Commander Mark Sir you doubted me and my word as a capable part of this crew, you will have it in eight more seconds your case has already been redesigned to accommodate its twin gun. Seven seconds

    Mark turned to see what she was talking about everyone could see the complete shock on his face. Sky was still counting down in the background when Mark found his voice. ¡°How did you do it? There is next to no magic there, and you can¡¯t send magic over this distance to cast a spell¡±.

    ¡°Three seconds¡± Sky called out, she never answered his questions. ¡°Fleet Commander Mark Sir, you can open the window to your right or I can do it, part of my awareness is still there.¡± You could hear a tapping sound coming from Mark¡¯s right side. After turning his head, it looked like he sat down on something. ¡°Okay I¡¯ll get the window and the display case, and that¡¯s eleven seconds. Fleet Commander Mark Sir, operation return stolen goods have been completed. Do you still doubt my abilities as a magic user? I can probably do something more to show you like leave a blazing trail from us right to you. Yes, I have that much magic to burn¡±. The way she spoke now wasn¡¯t that of a nine-year-old girl. She seemed to try and goad him into something.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Mark was getting his stunned brain to start working again. ¡°We need to get you tested; this is the first time anyone has had more than three.¡± He didn¡¯t even seem miffed about her taunting. He was thinking of nothing but the tests that would allow others to gain more than three elemental gifts. She was going to be the pinnacle of human evolution.

    William stood up to the Fleet Commander. Mark Sir. There will be no test on my little girl ever. You will not tell anyone about my daughter¡¯s magic. She only showed you because you doubted her abilities. My lovely wife and I know you and have worked with you directly and indirectly on more than one mission. You were a man of let says questionable honour at best. I say to you now, if you don¡¯t give me your word as a better man than as before that you will not pursue any insidious actions. I swear to you or anyone else will live a long time to regret causing my daughter any physical or emotional pain. Do you understand me? And don¡¯t worry about any recording of our conversation they will have all been wiped out before any copies can be made. Thanks to some impressive magic. Now, will you give me your new honourable word that Ensign Sky Knight will remain simply a member of this crew, Sir?

    Mark Douglaston looked baffled not knowing what to say. No one knew he had stabbed a few backs and a few unexplained deaths to get to where he was. You had to it was just politics everyone had to go through. Like now, I am keeping Sky Knights magical affinities a secret is purely political. ¡°Yes, your right I was not thinking for your child¡¯s wellbeing. You have my word that she is not to be treated as some test subject. She will remain as she is just a member of Captain Fred¡¯s crew aboard Little Tooth¡±. He walked up to Sky after getting up and nodded to Sky, she answered with ¡®Yes Sir¡¯¡±. ¡°I would like to thank you for returning my antique pistol in such mint condition.¡±

    He gave her a smile that made her cringe on the inside. She did not like this man. She thought To herself, ¡°I will not judge him so quickly¡±.

    ¡°Now shall we get to the mission briefing. Three days ago, we received information about a passenger ship that was captured by magic extremists. At first, we thought it was pirates, but everyone was taken. We found out the extremists were doing unnatural experiments on abducted magic users. We found some of them comatose in buildings hooked up to life support systems¡±. He passed around photos of the people inside of the chambers. He watched each person¡¯s reaction as each inspected the photos. ¡°We have an idea what they were doing, but we have no idea how? We want the extremists caught alive for questioning to find out what happened to the magic users.¡± Mark was looking at each crew member to see their reaction. The reactions he saw was what he expected from the adults; but he was surprised at Sky¡¯s reactions; she had tears running down her face. ¡°Do you have mage friends who were abducted Sky? You seem quite upset; you can help them since you could go on this mission¡±. He gave her a consolatory smile that did nothing to alleviate her anxiety.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any other friends than Captain Fred, Mr. Joe, Conny, and my parents. I have access to your computers mainframe, and I read all the files for the briefing. I¡¯m fairly sure I know how and why they¡¯re doing it. They¡¯ve got to be stopped because they¡¯re not going to stop on their own¡±. Sky said and gave Fred a quick look in recognition of what was happening to them.

    Fred asked Fleet Commander Mark ¡°Why are we being sent on this mission? It¡¯s not our usual type of covert reconnaissance assignment. Why are we being reassigned to this aggressive offensive deployment?¡±

    ¡°When you describe how you rescued the Knights and wiped out the Bright Whites. My advisors and I thought that we¡¯ve been wasting your talents. Plus, the rogue ship is just outside the star system your in. There were five more abductions last night. We figured you could save the captives and apprehend the extremists. We have four special support members on the root to a location just outside of the rogue mages scanner range. They should be safe if they stay at their meeting point. From what they could understand all the mage¡¯s magic wells were all in the elite levels. Your Ensign Sky knows what we assume is the case. She looks to be aboard, so it¡¯s up to you and Joe as senior officers whether you take the mission¡±?

    Fred looked to Joe he nodded yes. ¡°We accept the mission of search, rescue, and detain.¡± He said looking for any objection from Joe. ¡°You can send us the coordinates for the pickup. But let them know beforehand they are not to treat Ensign Sky as a little girl while on duty. I doubt they will when they feel her presence and to not talk about her to anyone outside this mission¡±. He walked to her and ruffled her hair. ¡°We all here would like her to have a life she chooses for herself as much as fate will allow.¡± Fred said doting on his youngest crew member finds any reason to touch her heavenly soft hair.

    ¡°This is the mission outline and the shareable service history of the four members that are to assist you in this mission and finish their tour. The crew of the Little Tooth make us proud¡±. Mark bent over slightly to put down the virtual briefing folder. He turned to face them as he stood up straight, as they all did even Conny and gave a salute before he disappeared.

    Joe looked at Sky. ¡°You know something of what¡¯s happened to the mages and why they¡¯re still alive at the extremist¡¯s expense?¡±

    Fred put his hand on Joe¡¯s shoulder ¡°Before she answers you, tell me what you were burning to tell me. I¡¯m all fired up to know¡±. Fred was smiling

    Joe looked to Sky than to Fred; they both had a subdued smile because the mission outline is coming up. ¡°Well, I think Sky gave me another elemental affinity. I don¡¯t know how but maybe it was the same basic idea of what happened with the abducted magic users?¡± Joe smile grew a little. ¡°I outrank you on the magical affinity level now; I could become your superior after the next magic testing.¡± He was looking for a different reaction than he got.

    Fred still holding Joe¡¯s shoulder with his big powerful hand ¡°Joe, Joe, Joe what to do with you? I too have something to say to you after training with Sky. I too am burning to tell you; for now, I won¡¯t have to drown you in details¡±. Fred released Joe¡¯s shoulder as it just clicked into what he meant in his not so cryptic words. ¡°Sky could you share what they could have done to the captured magic users?¡±

    Sky wiped up the tears remaining on her cheeks, thankful to Fred for the reassuring hair ruffles. It had become her favourite comforting gesture her parents did, and they did it all the time. ¡°Well, Captain Fred you know how I can share my magical affinities with who I want.¡± She turned to Joe and gave him a weak smile. ¡°It started with you, Joe Sir I connected you to my fire elemental affinity and it''s well of energy.¡± She turned her head to Fred and back. ¡°When Captain Fred was helping with my magic control. He helped me reorganize my magic for more efficient use. After I learned fine control of my magic flow, he showed me a spell; it was a healing spell. After learning a bit about each other, we made a compromise. I link him to my fire and water elemental affinities and their corresponding wells of energy, and he teaches me some magic¡±. She turned to address everyone. ¡°I think the Mage extremists have found a way to take control of the Mages elemental affinities by force. They took away their thoughts and put them in a dreamless sleep. I believe all the Mages in this sleep are like magic batteries. I believe with this spell Fred showed me with a little tweaking I can bring them around fully awake, with no side effects¡±.

    Joe was surprised, to say the least, Sky had given him and Fred some of her power freely all mages coveted. Magic users never shared their magic; they kept all magic they can hold. Here, she gave them unlimited access to some of her elemental affinities. ¡°Sky, how could you share so freely the power in your magic wells? Aren¡¯t you afraid we could use up your all your magic?¡± Joe asked not being able to conceive being able or even willing to do.

    Fred answered Joe this time with a truly big smile. ¡°I have seen the amount of magic her wells contained and the density of her magic. One drop of hers equals at least two times the power of ours if not more. As for the amount, each of her wells contains enough magic to fill a large lake easily, and I mean full. But don¡¯t try to use too much at once, it could cause magic burn quickly due to its potency¡±.

    Sky was blushing at Fred¡¯s description of her magic wells and their size. She still had no idea how much magic Mr. Joe and Mr. Fred had in their magic wells before. ¡°I think we should get on with the mission if you don¡¯t give your magic freely I think you would suffer from magic burn instead of the caster. They may not feel it mentally, but their bodies might be in tremendous pain. I hate to see someone suffering or even knowing of someone¡¯s pain that only I might be able to help¡±. Sky looked to everyone then to Fred again. With your permission to leave I would like access to some spell that might make me a little softer; but not squish, as soft as you guys maybe in between Mr. Fred and mommy. That way I can learn more control over my magic too¡±.

    Fred ruffled Sky¡¯s hair again earning him a funny look from everyone. ¡°You can go; but try putting an inverted shield up so you can¡¯t pop the ship, please. Don¡¯t look up any offensive spells some of those were made to go through shields with enough magic behind them, and we all know you have more than adequate magic¡±. Fred saluted her ¡°Ensign Sky you¡¯re dismissed till further orders.¡±

    After Sky left the room and down the corridor with Conny, the rest turned to Fred. It was Rocssanna who spoke first. ¡°You like touching her hair don¡¯t you, admit it Joe has, and we all do. Sometimes when I¡¯m upset or filled with melancholy, I sit her on my lap and brush her hair with my fingers running through it. I¡¯m warning you now if your fingers ever get caught in her luxurious tresses of exquisitely soft hair. Her hair is impossible to break. Just one fine hair wrapped around your finger and she pulls her head away, let¡¯s say you better hurry up with a spell to fix everything before she sees your hurt. She won¡¯t let anyone touch her hair for months, and none of us want that¡±.

    Fred looked shocked they all liked to touch Sky¡¯s hair for the same reason. ¡°Okay thanks for the heads up, I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Before we go about our tasks, I would like to find out what you would like to do about Sky? When and how are, you going to tell Sky about who and what she is? The biggest thing is why you kept magic a secret. I also have some thoughts about those semi-sentient plants. They are part of her, her magical affinities and probably the ones helping her produce so much magical energy. She told me they like it when the power gets used, so they try to get her to use the magic from the wells. I think that is where the pressure comes from. I tried pushing a little like Sky said she did against the giant spiders on a heavy punching bag. I focus a little and pushed out the raw magic with no form or spell. I can tell you it was a rush like no other; the heavy punching bag was like a water balloon popped on the ground. Right after I pushed the bag, I felt the magic burn right up to my thighs. Sky had cast a wide spectrum healing spell and healed me before I could pass out from the pain. She fixed the bag too. I think she¡¯s ready for the truth and I would tell her soon. She thinks there¡¯s something wrong with her and how she is. She likes the way she is but not to the extremes she must live. I guess she wants everyone to be like her. She thinks everyone is squishy. She doesn¡¯t know her natural form is over forty metres tall¡±.

    Rocssanna and William nodded in agreement. William took Rocssanna¡¯s hand. ¡°We were going to tell her sooner, but I think maybe after this mission, we¡¯ll tell her of her heritage and why she is the way she is. We¡¯ll also tell her why we didn¡¯t want to teach her magic. She needs to know that we love her and would do anything for her, but we would not releasee a possible magical nightmare in the Galaxy. We stopped a tyrannical race from ruling over all others too possibly create a monster of our own. We love all life and brought up Sky to do the same. I think Sky is passed the point of utter corruption and it is time for her to be the best she can be¡±. William said with an unbreakable conviction in his voice.

    Joe walked to their side. I and I believe Fred too, will help in any way we can. Sky is an amazing girl for her age, and I¡¯m sure with knowing who she is, she can grow up to be like you, her parents. The kind, selfless beings you two are.

    Fred walks to exit the door to go to the bridge. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do the right thing for everyone involved. Just remain true to yourselves and your compassionate ways of living. Now I¡¯ve got some crew members to pick up and rescue to start. Joe, to your station on the bridge, let¡¯s get this mission on its way. Cooks go to the personnel supplies and weapons room and pick up your new uniforms they will probably have the same modifications Sky¡¯s has. Hopefully, William, you¡¯ll have pants instead of the skirt and tights. Afterwards, you can go about your business as you see fit. The ships pantry is just about fully stocked for a crew of twenty-eight strong and six guests respectfully for four months. Feel free to browse the inventory. We¡¯ll take lunch in three hours; I¡¯m looking forward to our lunch cooks. The mission starts in five!

    Fred continued to walk out the door to set out to pick up their new crew members. With any luck, they¡¯re going to be a nice addition to the already recently added crew. He would check out their profiles once they were sailing.

    Joe sat in his chair in the front of the bridge, Conny had already set the coordinates and noted possible hazards along the way. ¡°Captain Fred ready to engage flight on your word.¡± Joes said with a finger over the button to engage the flight system.

    Fred looked to the forward vid screen; he called out. ¡°All hands we¡¯re moving out.¡± He pressed a button on his console starting a mission record. Hopefully, the last one till they dropped Sky at her new school to learn of the magical arts. Till then he was going to be her teacher, and learn a new way of casting magic. He was thinking to himself. ¡®Am I the teacher if I learn more than I teach and am better for the insight she provides?¡¯ Fred wondered as he opened the first new member to be service record. ¡°Jane Condore

 Chapter Ten First Flight to a New Beginning

    Chapter ten

    First Flight to a New Beginning

    Sky was in the practice room sitting in the lotus position accessing her magic wells with Conny reading off possible spells that might work to make her skin more pliable to others. None of them triggered her interest so far. She wanted to be soft most of the time but wanted to be able to revert back and forth at will. There were incantations to make her softer but were hard to reverse quickly. She hated the thought of being squishy like Fred and Joe. How could they stand being so soft a knife could cut them so easily? Even a fall from only a measly ten metres (33 feet) could seriously injure or kill them. Sky didn¡¯t think a fall from space would even hurt too much. ¡°Conny what do I do, I can¡¯t have it both ways and halfway doesn¡¯t seem to be an option just yet. Are you sure that¡¯s all of the incantations we can use?¡±

    Conny looked to Sky and shook her head. ¡°No that¡¯s about half of the known spells and incantations that are used. Not all mages and sorceresses are going to tell you their secrets. Most mages and magic users make a living off their magic. So, keeping special spells and incantations to themselves keep business coming to them and not just any magic user with the latest magic spell updates on their MAD tablets¡±. Conny shrugged her shoulders and pursed her lips together. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to go with one that¡¯s the easiest and fastest to revert, wait to find someone with the spell you want. Or you could come up with your own with practice¡±.

    Sky was frustrated, all this magic and not one spell to make her touchable but not squishy. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll try to modify the one that makes you squishy and tweak it a little bit. How do I test it to see if it works everyone who is squishy is already doing something important? I guess I¡¯ll modify it without casting it and wait to test it later. Maybe I could modify a few of them, so I¡¯m not having someone coming back and forth testing each one as I modify the spells? ¡°Sky opened her eyes and turned to Conny. ¡°Show me the top ten spells we narrowed it down to two. From left to right starting with the first pick to the last¡±. Sky looked at the spells as they were projected in front of her. Only three of them had any real differences, which she took note of. Most of them had redundant runes in them like fillers, no real use to the overall spell. Two seemed incomplete and needed something more; they would work but be unstable at best. Sky focus on the mathematical consistencies of three different spells. After a few minutes, she found a correlation to the three spells she combined them to make a spell that might work. She looked at tweaking some more of the spells but seen no point the other spells were just not even close to her liking.

    ¡°Are you not going do anything with your strength? Even with the suppression spell, you¡¯re still super strong¡±. Conny asked Sky.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that being super strong will be a problem once I¡¯m softer. I¡¯m hoping my skin will give before it crashes, breaks, or squishes whatever I¡¯m grabbing. I kind of like being the strongest being around¡±. Sky said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll maybe look for a way to tone it down if it becomes a problem when I go to school; but for now, in the military being strong is a good thing.¡± She said flexing her arms. They were surprisingly toned for a girl her age.

    Conny looked to Sky. ¡°Have you ever really liked someone but could never tell them because you felt you were too different? I mean other than idle conversations so they can¡¯t get to close to you. Even when you develop feelings for her, but you can¡¯t express your feelings because you¡¯re so different?¡± Conny had a lost look in her virtual eyes.

    ¡°Hello, this is me you¡¯re talking to. Before I couldn¡¯t even touch my parents without being extremely careful, I couldn¡¯t even move much when someone is touching me. Yes, I have liked some people from afar and could never tell them. We are the same if you¡¯re saying that you like someone; but can¡¯t touch them, just on different extremes. You would pass through them; I would go through them¡±. Sky looked back at Conny. There was a sadness in her eyes that she saw in the mirror many times. A longing to feel connected with someone special to hold and be close. Was she right in giving an artificial intelligence deep feelings like the ones a physical being has? How could anyone with feelings and no contact, ever be truly happy. ¡°Conny I¡¯m sorry for giving you true emotions you can never express without truly being with the person.¡±

    Conny went to Sky just centimetres (an inch) from her face. ¡°Never be sorry for the gift you gave me. I might meet another AI that I like, and then we can be a virtual couple. Maybe then I can get over my first crush. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve met a lot of people since you gave me true emotions. We just met, and I¡¯ve conversed with you the most because you could enter in my very programming with your thoughts. That was almost like touching in a way. I would like it if we conversed more often like that. Since I gained a virtual body, you rarely come to me in virtual space¡±.

    Sky seeing herself up so close made her feel funny. She longed for physical contact if she could touch Conny then they both would know what it was like to feel another being, no matter how strange it would be. ¡°Conny do you have any schematics of life like androids in your database. I¡¯ve got an idea that could make us both happy for a little time each day¡±. The more she thought about the idea, the list of pros, and cons she came up with building an android to be Conny¡¯s body was quite long. One main thing with her idea was she would be the only being she could have contact with if she made her hard enough for herself. If she made her soft for everyone else she would become just another body she could not touch.

    ¡°Yes, Sky. I have four models three males, one female. The male androids are generally used as military decoys used in battlefields. The female has used it¡­¡± Conny paused thinking of the small bag Rocssanna took away from Sky earlier that day. ¡°In different ways than the male androids. Which one of the schematics would you like to see? The males or female model¡±.

    Sky thought Conny knew what she wanted. ¡°You pick one it might become your body, or you could design your own. If you want, give me the basic idea of how they work, and I could make my design. I would need the right materials to make you strong enough to hold if that¡¯s what you want¡±.

    Conny closed the distance, and her lips passed through Sky¡¯s cheek. ¡°Make your bubble, and I¡¯ll show you my design for the android, you can even tweak it after if you want.¡±

    Rocssy and Willy were trying on their new uniforms. The uniforms were mostly white with dark blue accents and silver buttons. Rocssanna had no upper support just a tank top no bra. Conny informed her that Sky modified the sports bras into the long tank top undershirts. Rocssy and Willy remembering that they told they would never wear another uniform ever again. Here they were wearing another uniform and a demotion at that from front line elite to tiny support staff in the far back. Willy turned to his beautiful wife. ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t think we would be supporting Sky in as many ways like this. I guess we¡¯re lucky she turned out so well. All most everyone she meets finds her endearing, had she being like a normal human child I wonder if she would have turned out the same. Because she never spent a lot of time with young kids, she didn¡¯t get any of the possible bad influences some kids get¡±.

    Rocssy walk to Willy ¡°She got plenty of bad habits from us, we tend to tease others for fun too much. It¡¯s all in fun, but Joe and Fred find her teasing is on an adult level, and return it in kind. She doesn¡¯t even realize she¡¯s a young girl; she tries to play the part of the young girl¡±.

    ¡°I can tell you she doesn¡¯t eat like a young girl by any means. Feeding her is like feeding an adult Titan. I hope she¡¯s able to meet a decent Titan one day; I bet she will make him happy with being the strongest being of any race. Who would have thought magic was able to make us so much stronger¡±? Willy was happy his child was not like some evil monster but had monster strength and magic.

    ¡°Willy? Willy, you know she¡¯s never talked about boys, and always liked girls. She¡¯s going to have a girlfriend before a boyfriend. It may be just a phase, but don¡¯t be surprised if it¡¯s not. You know I had a girlfriend before you right. I wasn¡¯t romantic, more endearing friendship; but we¡¯re close like two peas in a pod, we even slept together in one. You know the pods as in a group of female Titans living in a longhouse. It¡¯s something she may grow out of or grow deeper into the culture¡±. Rocssy leaned in and kissed Willy on the chin. ¡°It¡¯s not like she¡¯s got lots of options right now anyway. She still can¡¯t even touch a lot of things right now and certainly not people. I don¡¯t mind if she has a girlfriend before a boyfriend. I prefer girlfriend to a boyfriend; I think she¡¯ll grow up a little more refined that way¡±.

    ¡°Well young lady I¡¯ve got to get lunch ready soon, and Sky¡¯s been eating more lately. It must be all the magical power she¡¯s been using lately. I think she¡¯s been running more since she¡¯s not wearing the suppression suits also. How about I cook some human food and bake Sky¡¯s rock hard. I bet she would love the change in diet? I¡¯ll check the ship¡¯s pantry and see what I can cook?¡± Willy said as he walked through the door in the back of the kitchens mess. He found a huge supply of human type foods. He found it all super light and knew he would have to cook three times the amount he normally cooked. He found out earlier Sky hated eating pasta of all types because it seemed so soft to her powerful young body. Raw it just didn¡¯t seem right covered in sauce. He found if he cooked it once and let it dry it became much harder and she found it more enjoyable. Most other foods just had to be baked until they were rock hard before she would eat with any enthusiasm. He decided to cook chickens and potatoes while prepping Sky¡¯s pasta for the next day. He thought of the crew coming and just hoped they would be as accepting Sky¡¯s eating habits as Fred and Joe had been. When William thought about it, they both were interested in anything she did. ¡®I guess she is a different kind of young girl personality wise and physically.¡¯ He thought to himself. He came out of the pantry with a cart full of chicken and two sack of potatoes. ¡°Rocssy dear could you start preparing the chickens. I¡¯m going back to get some pasta to prep it for Sky¡¯s lunch tomorrow. Then I¡¯ll wash the potatoes while the pasta cooks¡±.

    Fred told Rocssy about his worries about the new crew coming. ¡°Do you think the new crew will get along with Sky, she¡¯s so different than any young girls her age? I hope there are no hot-headed military jock types that think they¡¯re all that to have Sky call them squishy. I think that would be funny, but any physical retaliation would not end well for him¡±.

    Rocssy just smiled ¡°Sky would never tease someone to that point, she wants everyone as a friend. If anybody tries to get physical, she will ignore them. They will never get anything but the idle conversation from her after that. Sky¡¯s a very independent person by necessity not by choice if only she could fit in easier physically with others¡±.

    Willy gave it some thought. ¡°I think with her learning magic now she¡¯ll find a way to coup with her surroundings much easier. Look how well she¡¯s doing with the strength suppression spell. She¡¯s able to touch things on a limited scale and walk without denting or bouncing to the ceiling. Right now, she¡¯s trying to find a spell that will make her softer to others. Knowing our daughter if it¡¯s possible she will do it, and if it¡¯s impossible, she can do it. Fred¡¯s always telling her that¡¯s impossible, yet she''s doing it anyway. Just image calling her a delicate squishy girl¡±. Willy grinned thinking about teasing Sky for being soft for a change. Looking to his wife, Rocssy had a silly smirk probably thinking about the same thing.

    ¡°I think either way right now, she is happier than she has ever been. You know that in her heart she¡¯s always loved the thought of magic being real. It¡¯s such a big part of her very being. You can tell by the way Fred and Joe talk about her magic, it¡¯s extraordinary. We have no idea about the type of magic she can do, it¡¯s not just us, and you see how the Fleet Commander Mark Douglaston was so excited about her. If you hadn¡¯t said anything, she would have been subjected to unthinkable tests. She would have been a nightmare to anyone trying to get her to submit to any test she wouldn¡¯t want to take. We¡¯ve got to get her to a good school with brilliant teachers. I hope the school Fred and Joe are suggesting is really good¡±. Rocssanna said thinking about their daughters¡¯ future.

    Rocssy sighed as she spiced the ten chickens. They were only about 7 Kilograms each and so mushy raw. William usually slows cooked them till they were tough like jerky meat. After some experiments, they found some very special herbs that toughened the meat. It was sort of bitter, but Sky preferred it too mushy meat. Rocssy rubbed the herb on half the chickens with some other herbs to try and hide the bitter taste. William was getting the biggest pot he could find to cook the pasta for Sky. Once the pot was boiling, Willy started on the potatoes at super speed, and he was so used to washing and cutting so many potatoes for dinner in normal human speed just took too long.

    Willy was glad that Fred and Joe knew they were Titans and didn¡¯t have to hide the fact they were so different from them. ¡°Rocssy do you think Sky will adjust quickly to the new social environment on the ship. Fred and Joe seem to be highly intelligent and adapt quickly to their surroundings and others. Notice how they accepted picking up the new crew without hesitation. After working together for so long just the two of them, it must be hard to take on new crew members so quickly¡±.

    Rocssy thought about it for a second. ¡°Maybe this type of thing happens more than they let on. It could be for them a welcoming distraction from the normal military service life. They seem to be the type to tease each other off duty or even during light-duty missions. It looks to me they took to Sky because of her open nature to others. She¡¯s very outgoing yet still reserved around them. You know I think Sky¡¯s Joes hero he wants to be just like her when he¡¯s older¡±.

    Willy was silent as he set the potatoes to boil. It looked like he was doing higher math that took a lot of his concentration. ¡°Rocssy if we weren¡¯t micronized how tall do you think Sky would be right now? Our height mainly goes by our strength, correct? So, if Sky¡¯s is now at least eight or more times our strength, and will be at least ten times when she an adult. If I¡¯m right with my calculations, she would be the tallest Titan ever at over eighty metres tall. I hope she never changes back to her large Titan form out of anger or any other reason without considering her surroundings. She truly is a force of nature with her magic, strength, and in her way of some people want to be around her. What would happen if she ever became touchable like her hair, nobody would be able to resist her¡±?

    Rocssy smiled at the thought of her daughters¡¯ luxurious tresses of amazing hair. Rocssy herself has beautiful soft hair, with large natural curls. Sky¡¯s, Sky¡¯s hair was on a whole new level of exquisitely soft and astonishingly wavy hair. If her skin was that amazing to touch, nobody could resist touching her. ¡°We can¡¯t let that happen, Willy; her hair is hard enough to resist touching by itself. I guess for her that would be impossible to be that nice to touch¡±. Rocssy relaxed with a sigh; my little girl¡¯s safe from having super touchable skin when it¡¯s harder than diamonds.

    Joe was at the bridges front console contemplating all that happened in the last thirty-six hours. He had met three amazing people one of whom was his new hero. His hero was someone he would like to be as strong as, and have the same amount of magic. He pictured himself with five lakes of magic each in a different colour. Soon he would meet four more amazing people from what he read in their duty profiles. Three of the people were physically augmented by extreme magic that made them super powerful physically. The last one was on the top of the elite scale of magic the same amount a grand arch mage would hold. It was going to be interesting until the next duty cycle nine and a half months from now. We should be able to drop our little angel and her parents off at her first magic school. It should take three weeks to get there to give or take a day ¡ª this next mission by his estimates three weeks at most. I¡¯m sure something will come up after that to delay it a bit more. Fred can be very imaginative when it comes to the wire. I know he would love to swing by his house to introduce the Knights to his family, his daughters would love to play with Sky even if it¡¯s in virtual space so they can level out the playing field. Joe thought about that again; no nothing could level out that playing field when it comes to Sky.

    ¡°Joe, JOE, come in Joe.¡± Joe¡¯s head snapped around to look to Fred. ¡°What did you think about there young buddy? How your hero¡¯s going to save us from them,¡±? Fred stopped speaking, shuttered a bit and started again. ¡°What do you make of our new crew, they¡¯re all in the elite range. Two aren¡¯t fully human and aren¡¯t respected very much because of it. The one Jane Condore who¡¯s half-elven and half human. Looks like she had a skin and muscle modification to make it like a super being. They say the spell was sloppy and is now irreversible. Too bad for Sky, the fact of age, and she¡¯s a lady, not a man. She seems to be a real humanitarian and fits into the Knights code of ethics¡±. Joe said nothing to Fred, just smiled and let him continue. ¡°She has three magical affinities, water air, and lightning. She still has nowhere near Sky¡¯s magic, good capacity, even though Jane¡¯s at level six.

    The two other ladies have insane strength magically augmented and are level seven and have three magical affinities. They both trained together since toddlers and are almost twins magically and strength wise. They both have different racial backgrounds. I think Courtney Duffers looks oriental of Earth, and Heather Gillard is afro of Mars.

    ¡°Todd Johnstone is in a league of his own. Being quarter fairy, quarter giant, and half human. If it weren¡¯t for his magical power, he would have never made squad leader. He was the first part human mage to be born with three elemental affinities, and his magic well was a level eight during last years¡¯ test. He¡¯s been training almost nonstop between missions and maybe a level higher now. He¡¯s reported to question authority quite often but works well with a team. I think he¡¯s like you Joe; he doesn¡¯t like the people who get to the top through political manoeuvring. Joe might not like the fact Sky has so much magic power without working for it. I hope it goes both ways sometimes. I think Sky would have preferred to work for it rather than have it the way she does¡±.

    Joe nodded in agreement. ¡°You gotta admit, it¡¯s pretty cool to have all that magical and physical power. Too bad there¡¯s no on and off switch for her strength. Oh yeah, and her super hard body would be kind of a pain. I kinda like the way she flicks her light sphere out. You know how she¡¯s flicking something of her finger, just as if¡± ... A light sphere flew out from Joe¡¯s fingertip a lot brighter and bigger than he would have intended. ¡°Hay Fred I can do it too, look I made a light just like Sky ca¡± ... Joe was looking to Fred to see his reaction, only to see him flick the light spell the same way.

    ¡°Yeah, we can all do that, even Conny can do it in her visual interface mode. I was going to see if you could do it but never got around to asking. William and Rocssanna do it that way now too. Before Sky they used to push it out with their hand, kind of like a palm strike¡±. Fred smiled remembering trying the spell and then seeing a computer interface do it too. The very first computer spell caster was his ships AI interface. All thanks to a nine-year-old girl. ¡°I think this crew is going to make the historical archives.¡±

    ¡°Fred, what are you planning after we pick up the new crewmembers? Are we going in with Sky blazing or are we going to do a little reconnaissance first, to see what they¡¯re up to way out here?¡± Joe asked knowing how Fred made his plans. He needed to hear of many possible scenarios before he sees the outcome. The more scenarios there are, the easier to pick a reasonable outcome from the higher numbers.

    ¡°Sky blazing, definitely not.¡± Fred shuttered, ¡°most definitely not.¡± He went pale after seeing that particular outcome. He would have loved to had Sky¡¯s ability to show what she sees in her mind. It would be easier to show Joe than to say, not a good idea. ¡°I was thinking about one of Sky¡¯s abilities to show what she has pictured in her mind as an image, or what she can perceive through her imagination. Do you remember ships bridge when she made it disappear? She didn¡¯t make it invisible; she just put an illusion on the inside of the ship. It just looked invisible, had she known the spell she might have used it or maybe not¡±. He looked like he still saw what could be in the possible futures. ¡°It would have interesting to see your reaction to see how Sky looked like blazing into battle. Those so-called rocks she has, they can be any shape she wants. She had turned them into thin discs and was cutting off pieces of the rogues¡¯ ship. I couldn¡¯t see the reason, but she suddenly lit the rogues¡¯ ships up in flames. She was crying and saying something about not being able to stop them¡±. Fred¡¯s body was trembling with anger and other emotions. ¡°I have never seen anything like the last casting she used.¡± He paused to think of the words to describe the magic she used. ¡°I¡¯m sure about the last magic casting she used or even the elements she used, all I know for sure is that it engulfed entire planets and vaporizing them much like the ancient forest back on Bella Grande. Almost every planet was vaporized right from the loading ramp. Sky blazing into battle is not an option if you ask me¡±.

    It was one of the few times Fred mentioned one of the timelines he wasn¡¯t going down. Sky was too unpredictable to let loose just yet. ¡°So how are you going to use Sky¡¯s abilities, I guess we could use her magic with a little practice and overwhelm them. I¡¯ve never used magic with no thought of reservation on how much magic each spell uses or how many I can cast before I¡¯m out¡±. Joe said with a smile many times during battles he¡¯s had to change the spells he was casting to preserve the last bit of magic he had left.

    ¡°NO, don¡¯t even think about using her magic like that. Mark Douglaston might have an inkling about an ability to share her magic, but no one knows Sky can. I can see it, people begging, pleading, offering her riches to share her magic. I wouldn¡¯t even doubt people were spaced out enough threaten her and, or loved ones. All just for her to give what she gave us freely without asking. If we use her gift, it¡¯s under the guise of our affinities. I would rather ask her to link us through our natural elemental affinities than using the ones she¡¯s given us. I think she¡¯s already going to do that anyways in the future. But it¡¯s probably not going to be on this mission¡±. Fred sighed and grabbed the bridge of his nose. Looking too long into the future did that to him. ¡°That was the most detailed visions I had yet. I wonder if Sky tweaks everything she touches¡±?

    Joe looked knowingly at Fred and smiled. ¡°She¡¯s not just my hero anymore is she, Mr. Fan,¡± Joe said and was laughing to himself out loud. Fred just shook his head; this was not helping with his migraine.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to check on lunch after I swing around to my quarters for some magication for this headache. Talking to you is making it worse somehow¡±. Fred said hiding a smile under the hand pinching the bridge of his nose. Fred got up and gave Joe a brief wave. ¡°Check the course then I suggest you go download some spells for your new elemental affinity and practice your control, try using the tiniest amount possible for your first spells when you told me about setting the paper catching on fire. The paper caught on fire most likely because you were holding fire elemental affinity. You haven¡¯t used any of the magic; you were touching it. Scary if you care to think about it, her magic being that potent that is just holding it can start fires¡±. He wondered about the time in her room when she manifested fire from nothing. ¡°I still don¡¯t know how she created fire with no heat in her room.¡± He smiled and shook his head thing it was just another of the impossible spell she could do. ¡°Check the course and whatever, I¡¯ll see you at lunch.¡±

    Sky decided to leave the practice room for the morning. She was thinking of doing some cardio work out in the afternoon. ¡®I was getting so tired fighting those spiders after such a short time. I¡¯m not in very good shape after running out of energy after a tiny bit of intense exercise. I¡¯m in the military now, and I need to do better.¡¯c Sky thought to herself as she passed her crew quarters. She was heading to the guestroom she had stayed in before becoming a crew. She was going to pick up her dress, bunny onesie, and her underwear as she passed by the mess, she saw her daddy and mommy doing their cooking thing. She waved to her parents as she walked by.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget lunch is in around ten minutes and wash up before eating,¡± Rocssanna called out to Sky before she walked out of sight.

    Sky got to her room and seen it just she left it, but there was a big bag of clothes from last year. It was her favourite year everyone liked the new clothes she had picked out. Even Heather Dawson, the prettiest girl in school, liked how she dressed. She would always like that year; it was the year she almost became popular at school. She was right in with a popular group. Right until a boy ran into her while she was talking to, she didn¡¯t even notice the impact really, she was so engrossed with Heather''s conversation, till she heard his screams of pain. He had knocked out three of his front teeth and broke his arm in the collision. She wanted to help him, but she couldn¡¯t do anything but watch. Everyone knew she was smart and they all waited to see what she would do. All she could do was say she was sorry and walk quickly to get a teacher. She wasn¡¯t allowed to run, as luck would have it a teacher was nearby. He had heard the boy screaming and some of the other children. Sky was about to say something to the teacher but never got the chance as he ran right by her. Knowing she couldn¡¯t do anything to help. She just continued to walk home; nobody saw the tears in her eyes, just her walking gracefully with her shoulders shaking as if with laughter. She kept the sound down, but her chest was racked with sobs as she walked right outdoors of the school. She had her head down, so no one seen the tears streaking her face. Sky didn¡¯t want to face her friends so soon after what happened. There was no way of telling them she knew what to do but couldn¡¯t touch anyone with her hands because to her people were squishy.Stolen story; please report.

    Two days later she returned to school, and nobody wanted to talk to her or hear her side of the story. She didn¡¯t force her side of the issue either. She knew it might even make things worse than they already were. They never really blamed her for the accident only the fact she did nothing to help and her appearing to laugh at his misfortune.

    Sky looked into her bag of clothes and seen the state they were in. She was not believing what was before her. She rubbed her eyes trying to see if they went fantasy away. Her favourite dress was now brand new. All her clothes from last year that were there were just like new. Tears were running down her face as she picked through the clothes. She smiled remembering all the nice comments the children made on her clothes for looking so nice. She had pleasant thoughts until she picked up her favourite again and remembered the accident. There was no trace of blood on them now. That moment she knew what she was going to do. She was going to cast the spell she had yet to test and give Fred and Joe a big soft hug.

    Sky stood in the middle of her guestroom after undressing; she didn¡¯t want clothing getting in the way of the spell. She was going to use four of the elements and fire thrown around to make it happy. The spell was five tiers high and not too complex by her guess, but every intricately woven. She wanted it to work well, so she put an extra twist to it. After casting the spell, she knew it was working as the magic circle past down over her head and through her body. Her skin was full of new sensations she never paid attention to. The slight breeze of the air circulation across her skin was new. She could feel the hardness of the floor as the spell past over her feet. She tried touching her arms; they felt softer and more pliable to her touch. As she pulled on her underwear, she felt it scrape against her skin like it never did before. Taking the vibrant sky blue dress and pulling it over her head, she felt the fabric slide over her skin. It was a new sensation to her skin something she¡¯s never felt before, ever. So, this is what silky feels like she reached behind her head to pull her hair out of the back of the dress and froze. She slowly pulled her hair to the front of her body. She had touched her hair before, but it never felt like this. It was indescribable with her limited words to describe things she ever touched before. Her silky dress felt nice, but it was made different than other silk dresses. It couldn¡¯t hold a flicker to it. Her hair slid between her fingers; it was soft yet strong. Now she knew why people tended to feel her hair whenever possible. It was like the flavour of your favourite food but to your sense of touch. She left her hair reluctantly to pull on her white tights. For the first time, ever she could feel and not only see the texture of the fabric. She was squishy was not all that bad if everything felt like this. Now she could interact with others and not hurt them if she was careful enough. She found a pair of slippers and put them on, and they felt a little loose, and she knew Conny could fix them for her. She noticed the time and walked quickly to the mess hall. Feeling the breeze as she walked she picked up the paces till she was almost running. She saw Fred first and was running to him, her new second daddy. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the sight of her mother screaming no.

    In a second Fred face paled to white, while she heard her mommy sobbing she was so sorry. The air had a funny smell to it. Her arm felt strange and a sensation of trickling water down the side of her leg. She looked to her surprise and astonishment; her arm was hanging oddly. Sky¡¯s bicep was in half the bone was sticking out both ends and just hanging by skin and muscle. She looked to Fred, and he was fumbling with his tablet. Her mommy was crying and sobbing uncontrollably. Sky looked at her arm and cast the healing spell with a bit more fire to scour away all the blood. In a blink of an eye, she was almost perfectly fine but a little blood loss. Sky turned to her mother. ¡°Why did you grab me like that mommy¡±?

    Rocssanna didn¡¯t know what to say; she was horrified at almost ripping her little girl''s arm off. Sky had healed herself almost instantly and now asked her mother why she did it as if it was just being scolded for running. ¡°Baby girl I¡¯m so sorry it looked like you were going to hug Fred and possibly crush him, you were so excited to see him for some reason. I had no idea you became so soft; by the time I let go of your arm, it was... ¡± She couldn¡¯t finish her sentence the vision of Sky¡¯s arm mangled at the bicep was still quite horrifying. All Rocssanna could say was that she was so sorry and she wanted to hug her, but not knowing if she could touch her..

    Fred was standing there traumatized by what had just happened he knew Sky wouldn¡¯t have killed him but he thought a definite healing spell was in his future, not this, not the horrible scene that happened before him. He even had some of Sky¡¯s blood sprayed across his face. Then nothing it was back to Sky intact with a pretty, silky looking blue dress. He could still see a ghost image of Sky with her flapping her mangled arm, not in shock, not in pain, but questioning why. His arm was still up and a healing spell ready to be executed. It was her spell he was about to use on her. His reaction time was faster than he thought possible. Sky¡¯s was even faster than he was to heal herself. He thought of the time he had magic burn and his inability to think beyond asking for help and almost passing out. Sky almost getting her arm at the bicep ripped off shrugged it off as it was nothing. It was William who got him talking again asking him if he was alright and that he looked a little pail. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m fine just a little shocked is all. I can¡¯t believe that happened. It¡¯s just too unreal. Sky are you okay, how¡¯s your arm? I¡¯m¡¯ so sorry I couldn¡¯t cast a spell fast enough to heal you. You should drink some liquids to keep your fluids up; you did lose a lot of blood¡±. William was about to scoop up Sky in his arms maybe not knowing her new soft condition. ¡°William, don¡¯t touch your daughter, she¡¯s...

    William glared at Fred he wasn¡¯t sure what happened, but Sky needed his reassuring hug, she held her arms up for the embrace. He squeezed her as Fred lunged to stop him for some unknown reason. Sky buckled under his embrace, her breath wheezed out of her lungs, and blood came out past her lips. In shock, he released her crushed form only to see her body ripple, then to appear as nothing happened.

    ¡®You too, Daddy why are you and mommy trying to hurt me, I¡¯ve been nothing but to be a good girl for you. Mommy tries to take my arm off; you try and crush me. Fred, are you going to try and hurt me too? Is Joe going to do something to me now?¡± Sky¡¯s turned to the sound of Joe clearing his throat he was coming over.

    Joe couldn¡¯t see why everyone was upset. Rocssanna was crying saying she was so sorry. Fred and Sky were giving William a tongue lashing; he looked horrified. Joe walked up to Sky who had tears in her eyes. She noticed him reaching around her and just as he was about to hug her. Fred screams ¡°NO¡¯. Joe flinched when he heard Fred¡¯s sudden outburst, then two snaps of something breaking he considered Sky¡¯s face and seen a look of confusion. He released her, and she stepped back from his reach. Joe staggered back after seeing her two arms broken at odd angles. He almost passed out when she lifted both arms, and they bent over at the biceps. Before he could say a word, Sky¡¯s arms shimmered and were back to normal.

    ¡°I hate being squishy; everyone is trying to break some part of me. Mommy you almost ripped my arm off. Daddy, you tried to crush me in your arms. Joe Sir you go and brake both my arms at once. I get all of this, just for being soft, no more miss softy. I¡¯m going back to being myself, it¡¯s a complex spell, and I can¡¯t do it with my, my, you guys all around me. I¡¯ll be back for lunch as soon as I¡¯m done, I¡¯m starving. I don¡¯t blame any of you for hurting me. I wish you would have given my soft version a try. By the way Fred thanks for trying to stop daddy and Mr. Joe from breaking me, and not breaking anything too¡±. With that said Sky left the four people with unheard apologies on their tongues and tears still in their eyes.

    Sky was undressing when Conny appeared. ¡°Sky I¡¯m sorry for what happened to you I was monitoring an anomaly two hundred kilometres away and closing slowly. It¡¯s going in our general direction but will pass us by at least over fifty kilometres, so I have no real worries over it just yet. Your mother didn¡¯t mean to hurt you; she thought you might hug Fred or something¡±. Conny said stroking her head, but without the physical contact, it was just a token gesture.

    ¡°That¡¯s the thing that bugs me the most I¡¯m nine-years-old, and I¡¯ve only hurt one person directly and only a little bit, Joe was fine he didn¡¯t even use a healing spell on himself. Mommy should have known I wouldn¡¯t hurt him. She must see me as a little bit of a monster ¡°.

    Conny looked at Sky with a smile. ¡°First off Joe had serious bruising and two of his lower ribs were cracked, he didn¡¯t cast the healing spell so you wouldn¡¯t feel bad for hurting him. He was going to suffer through it for about a week. Second, you were moving very fast towards Fred, had your mother not slowed you down the wind you made could have blown him off his feet. Thirdly, your daddy and Joe only wanted to console, comfort you, and not knowing you were so soft at the time. Please don¡¯t hold it against them they didn¡¯t know¡±.

    Sky looked at Conny and entered her virtual space. ¡°I know they didn¡¯t mean to do it, but I¡¯m more upset with myself than them. How can I dispel the images of me hurt so badly from their memories? Look what happened to poor Mr. Fred seeing it all and couldn¡¯t stop any of it from happening. I bet he felt useless just standing there watching but it took him so long to react, I healed myself. Plus, the first healing spell he had would have healed me okay but would have done nothing for all the blood sprayed across everywhere. I¡¯m going to change back and wait a long while before casting that spell again. When I do it¡¯s going to be two weeks¡¯ notice and post it everywhere before I go walking around¡±. Sky stood ready to cast her spell to return her former self. As the magic washed over her, she felt her skin stiffen and loss the sensations she was getting used to so quickly. She felt like herself again, and that was comforting, she preferred to be one getting hurt and not the other way around.

    Poor Mr. Fred had to see the only time she was ever hurt physically not once but three times. Sky put on different dress and tights; the colours were almost the opposite of what she wore when all the tragedies happened. It was still one of her favourite sets of clothes. She was reaching the door when she felt a familiar tugging at her magic. Sky turned her awareness to outside the ship. She seen nothing around that could draw off the magic. Just before she called out to Conny, there was a knock on her door. She reached for the access panel and felt an even bigger tug than before. Sky let out a yelp in pain and Conny opened the door for Fred.

    Fred opened the door to see Sky on the floor and the ship¡¯s AI interface, Conny just standing there facing out towards the bulkhead. He went to Sky side and gave her a shake with no response. ¡°Conny, what happened here why is she unresponsive¡±? After he pried her eyes open with magical augmented strength and seen that Sky¡¯s eye was rolled back. She was super tuff once more if her eyelids were that hard to open.

    ¡°She¡¯s in a great deal of pain because the alien ship is back taking away her magic directly. I¡¯m trying to locate it now, nothing on the first three bandwidths. Four to six, picking up two ghost images nothing solid. Seven to nine, the two images remain above and below us, mirrored to each other. Still nothing solid, ten to twelve, it¡¯s a hit, alien ship directly behind us. Sky take out rock five hundred and fifty-six in your pocket space sack of rock and throw it at them with this incantation¡±.

    Fred saw no sign of Sky responding to Conny. Fred being captain tried to take charge. ¡°Conny inform everyone we are under attack and the aliens are after Sky¡¯s magic again. Conny is there any way I can contact Sky¡±. Fred felt a bit of vertigo, and he knew Sky had pulled a rock out of her pocket space. Then he felt two different spell castings, one he recognized as Sky¡¯s distinct healing, the other he didn¡¯t recognize. The room went blurry and when everything became clear it was of the bridge. Sky was standing in between the captains¡¯ chair and the navigation chair; but off to one side. Sky had her arm pulled back winding up to throw the sphere. He could see the sphere off to the side of the ship. Within the blink of an eye it was a streak of gray, then it vanished from sight. Fred could only assume it went into another dimension. Seconds later there was a ripple across the star field. It gave the impression of something like a ripple in a pond after throwing in a rock. A faint light could be seen in the centre of the ripple effect. ¡°Sky what did you throw at them, what was so special about rock five hundred and fifty-six?¡±

    Sky turned to address Fred. ¡°I¡¯m not sure Captain Fred Sir, but it was the point of one of the missiles the pirate ship was going to fire at us. Conny said something about an old weak atomic bomb that it was just going to be dirty. So, I healed it, so it was strong again. I think that one hurt them more. Is lunch ready I¡¯m so hungry right now, and those stupid greedy guys suck up about one-fifth of the blue magic and a tenth of the silver magic? I feel the magic burn right to my neck, and it hurts like crazy. Luckily I¡¯m getting used to the pain of the burning sensations¡±.

    Fred noticed Sky looking at him expectantly as if she wanted. Then it hit him she wanted him to heal her. Probably because he never got the chance before. As he brought up his wrist tablet, Sky smiled as he keyed in the incantation for the healing spell she had tweaked for him. He felt a rush like never before as he cast the healing spell. She changed him in a good way with the hug she had given him. Now his magic rushed through him into the spells. Before he almost had to push into the spells circles. The relief on Sky¡¯s face said it works, but the slight frown afterwards said it wasn¡¯t quite right.

    ¡°Captain Fred Sir, you forgot to put some feelings and intentions behind it. That was just the healing spell nothing more. It worked great for the burning pain, but it had nothing else¡±. She pondered for a second, and she looked up to his towering form grinning. ¡°Hay Fred Sir, you¡¯re a tough guy right I would like to show you the difference with the healing spell, one with feelings and intentions and the other without any? One straight healing, the other one with emotions and intent. So, tuff guy can I hurt you a little for the demonstrations, I could to heal you right away so you won¡¯t be in pain long? I could cast the healing spells within half a second just long enough for you to feel the pain.¡±

    Fred felt conflicted, he wanted to know the difference, yet here¡¯s a girl who can shrug off her arm nearly getting crushed off, and treats it like a slap. She had magic burn and could still carry on a conversation that would have most grown men passed out. What would she consider hurting a little bit, broken arm, crushed hand, or maybe busted internal organs from what she considered a light punch? He came to the conclusion he had to have some faith in her. ¡°Okay, just a tiny bit, nothing major, and for demonstration only.¡±

    Sky smiled up at Fred which didn¡¯t look so comforting. The way she came towards him, wringing her hands together like some stereotypical evildoer. Made him feel iller at ease and almost regret his accepting her demonstration. She reached out and made to flick his arm. ¡°Sorry.¡± The flick was like a hot poker jabbed into the meat of his bicep he knew every cell in the area of the flick was destroyed. No sooner he felt the flick the pain was gone. Sky looked at him. ¡°All better now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s like nothing happened, not even the soreness some healing leaves behind.¡± He watched her bring her hand up again to flick his arm again.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± The flick was just as painful as the first, but the healing spell was different. The spell washed over him felt like a caring caress taking away the injury, pain, and made the pain he felt seem lessened. It almost seemed like a light tap, instead of a muscle destroying flick. ¡°Did you feel the difference between the two, Fred Sir?¡±

    Fred answered her with little thought. ¡°Yes, I could feel both were exceptional healing spells. But the one was more so to take away the pain, left a good feeling inside, and made the injury seem like it was not that bad. Almost as if I didn¡¯t need the healing in the first place¡±. Fred was wondering why the schools never taught that. ¡°Sky I was taught not to put emotions behind the magic. It did not affect the spell and was a waste of effort to do ¡°!

    Sky shook her head with a frown. ¡°It¡¯s not good to put emotions into spells meant to harm or kill I imagine. But to heal, give out good feelings, and positive intent never hurts and give you a feeling of euphoria. Here I¡¯ll hurt myself, and you try healing it, this time with emotions and good intentions¡±. Sky pinched her forearm and twisted, with hardly a flinch she almost torn a chunk of skin off.

    Fred instantaneously had the spell ready and was casting it before he realized he was. This time he tried to send his emotions and good intentions. The rush from the magic this time was almost indescribable in words. He had felt he did something good and it left a euphoric feeling behind. ¡°That was amazing I¡¯ve never known you could get something out of casting a healing spell too. Who told you to cast with emotions and intentions? How did you know it would make the spells better with them than without?¡±

    Sky pondered ¡°I was taught if you do something good for yourself or others put your heart into it and make it the best you possibly can. So naturally that¡¯s what I do when I hug, and now with healing. It¡¯s just how I was brought up do for others as you would want to be done to you. I treat well with good, bad intentions or unkind acts with forgiveness. Evil intentions without mercy. Dealing with evil you may never get the chance to regret not taking action strong enough. Do you know what I mean Fred Sir?¡±

    Fred was wondering if she was only nine-years-old. To have that type of insight for someone so young was incredible. It shows she was brought up with patients and love. She was taught to be filled with patience and love for all things. Joe had told him about some creature she had looked for. It attacked her. It bit her; it slashed her. She did nothing to hurt it back, only when it ate her, did she do anything to it. ¡°Yes, I think I know what you are trying to convey. It¡¯s not always so cut and dry, but it works most of the time¡±.

    ¡°Well I¡¯m still hungry, could we go for lunch now?¡± Sky asked with pleading puppy dog eyes. Fred would have melted looking at her.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go get something to eat with everyone in the mess hall,¡± Fred replied. Sky waved Fred to go first, which he thought was odd. But went ahead anyway not giving it much thought till he smacked his face into something across the exit of the bridge. Fred turned to Sky and gave her a dirty look. She just shrugged her shoulders. She waved her hand to the left side of the bridge, and her guestroom appeared. Fred''s face was centimetres from a wall. Fred forgot where they were on the ship and walked into a wall. They were about to go through the door. He called to the ships AI, and Conny appeared. ¡°Where is the rest of the crew?¡±

    Sky was the one who answered. ¡°There were on the bridge and looking worried, we never called to tell them the battle¡¯s over. We assumed they would know after the attack stopped. All they would see is probably the effects of the explosion of the bomb in the near dimensional rift? They¡¯re on their way here now¡±.

    Fred wondered what spell she used to see through walls and made a mental note to ask her later. ¡°This is Captain Fred the battles over and no sign of the enemy. So carry on with your previous tasks which is lunch. Sky¡¯s herself again and will remain so long as the rest of her crew remains a threat.¡± Fred said with a grin to Sky, who rolled her eyes and let out a sigh of disappointment.

    ¡°I was going to joke about that, now what am I going to use as joking fodder. I could tell everyone about you walking into the wall. Or maybe how you go to tears after being flicked by a nine-year-old girl¡¯.

    ¡°Ha, that one won¡¯t work, everyone knows how strong you are and just a flick would make a grown man cry, I just got a few tears of pain. The walking into the wall is understandable knowing how realistic your illusions are. We all thought you turned the whole bridge invisible¡±. Fred realized again he was arguing with a little girl.

    Rocssanna and William came to Sky¡¯s room first and went to Sky before doing anything else. Rocssanna was begging for her forgiveness and William followed suit.

    Sky was surprised at her parents ¡°I will forgive you if you can forgive me first for not informing you that I became squishy like Mr. Joe and.¡± she made an obvious gesture to Fred, then added, ¡°Mr. Fred is.¡± She whispered to her parents just loud enough for Fred to hear too. ¡°Mr. Fred doesn¡¯t like to be called squishy; he says lots of people consider him hard muscled. A lot of people lie to him then; he¡¯s as squishy as Joe and everyone else. So, will you forgive me for letting you hurt me?¡±

    They both said they would forgive Sky and she accepted theirs. They seemed happy after the exchange. Joe entered soon after, and he looked terrible; his eyes were puffy and red. They looked like he was crying. Sky felt horrible for not telling him about her being soft before accepting his hug. She just wanted to feel a caring embrace and forgot to tell him she was soft because he was so weak. He was devastated after breaking her arms. It showed how much it hurt him on his face. Now looking for forgiveness, he went to her not knowing what to say. Sky approached him as well, when they met she looked up to him, and he went to one knee so they would be almost eye to eye. Sky reach around him slowly not touching him. She cast a healing spell to help his puffy red eyes and his inner pain. She felt him slump into her as she passed on her regret at what he went through. She could feel new racks of sobs as he cried in happiness that she so easily forgave him. She whispered in his ear. ¡°Does this mean I¡¯m still your hero?¡± Joe just sobbed ¡®yes.¡¯ ¡°Because of your still one of mine too. I need you to be strong so take this, you won¡¯t be as strong as Mr. Fred, but you won¡¯t be a slouch by any means. Now you¡¯ll have way deeper well of magical energy plus one more elemental affinity. You and Mr. Fred are my new heroes, please be careful how you use it. I have a feeling the aliens after I have just got more eager for magic spent or not. I¡¯m a healer and helper by heart I need you and Fred to be strong for myself and everyone. I love you, Joe, father number three¡±.

    Joe¡¯s tears subsided as he felt an immense power flowing into him. He knew Sky found him worthy of being one of her champions, possibly one of many. He pulled away as Sky released the hug. He had no more tears falling from his eyes showed no sign of crying. He felt the gift Sky left him, a gift she could take away as easily as given. There was something he felt this time he didn¡¯t feel the last time. He was going to have to train for sure now that he has two more elemental affinities. Plus, he might have a link to Sky¡¯s elemental affinities that he already had. Joe tried not to think of all the power he now possessed that very few people even came close to holding.

    Sky looked to everyone in turn with a smile. ¡°It looks like everyone is hungry, we should sit together and have a bite to eat. Let¡¯s all eat a good lunch and get back to training. I need to do some school work too. With Conny¡¯s help, I can get that done in half an hour¡±.

    Fred looked at Sky with an odd look on his face. ¡°What do you mean get it done in half an hour? How does working with Conny make it so much faster than at school¡±?

    ¡°That¡¯s because Conny¡¯s processor is just fast enough to keep up with my thought patterns. At school, I couldn¡¯t even touch the books without using special rubber sticks to handle them. My new tablet was a little better, but it had nowhere near the capacity Conny has in processing speed and RAM. Interacting with most computers was like washing yourself out of a bucket rather than emerging yourself in a bathtub¡±.

    Joe also seemed confused and had to ask his questions. ¡°No one can go into the computer''s interface with something like a mental projection? How is something like that possible? The human brain can¡¯t do that, as far as I¡¯ve ever heard, you would be the first ever¡±. Joe looked around to see if anyone has heard of someone else mentally interfacing with a computer.

    Sky did not know what to say; she could do a lot of things no one else could. She just never considered if it was normal or not. If I can dance and that no one else can, why stop now. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I do it, interfacing with such a powerful computer is easy for me. I never gave it much thought if it were possible or not. I guess it¡¯s magic that lets me do it. I picture myself in the processors and how they work and enter in the right mindset to work like a computer. That¡¯s is when I first really interacted with Conny¡±.

    Fred was surprised at how easy Sky made a magic sound. Fred could almost picture how it would work except for the fact the computer was made to work faster than the human brain. It must be the thought process of Titans that allows them to use that particular magic. ¡°Joe, do you think anyone else can interact with computers as Sky can? I have never heard of anyone doing it, and I¡¯m the one who insisted on the new AI computer system to be installed. It was a Bata test system not recommended for new ships, but I was persistent in the installation. After finding out about the supercomputer system, I had to have it no matter what. If it weren¡¯t for my particular gift of foresight they would not have done it. I think us being here is not some random occurrence; it was meant to happen¡±.

    Joe looked around to see if anyone thought his captain was crazy. No one seemed to have any negative reaction to Fred¡¯s statement of insisting on the computer and the new AI system. ¡°I don¡¯t know how your gift works, but I think your right about it not being a coincidence meeting the Knights. I think it would be good for all practice after lunch and learn about our new gifts. We have a lot to accomplish before meeting our new crew members not to appear too disorganized¡±. The last he said looking at Sky with a smile motioning to her dress. ¡°Even though its lunchtime you¡¯re still on the military clock and should still be wearing your uniform.¡±

    Sky just smiled back as a shimmer waved over her body and her Ensign uniform appeared. ¡°I have it with me at all times now. So, let¡¯s eat before your food gets as crunchy as mine, and I get double portions¡±.

    Joe was amazed at Sky¡¯s clothing transformation and was wondering how Sky did it. She cast no spell because he felt no magic being used and any transformation spell takes an immense amount of magic. ¡°Sky how did you transform your clothes without casting any spells that we could feel¡±? Joe asked her, watching for her anticipated answer. Sky smiled at him and looked to her feet quickly letting him know something was amidst with Sky.

    Sky looked kind of sheepish and with a slight blush. ¡°Um, let¡¯s have lunch, and maybe I¡¯ll tell you my secret on how I changed my clothes. I¡¯m really hungry and can¡¯t wait to finish my studies afterward¡±. Sky intentionally left out telling them the answer to her changing her clothing transformation.

    With that said they all went sit for breakfast, Sky leading the way in a quick pace, her stomach let out a growl. They turned to each other and smile. Fred started to walk a little quicker, ¡°I think she¡¯s just hungry enough to eat our portion if we¡¯re too slow.¡± Fred said just loud enough for Sky to hear, and her pace quickened. There was a slight rush of moving air as the couple behind them disappeared. Fred looked to Joe not knowing what to make of it. Joe just shrugged his shoulders and walked a little quicker to the mess hall.

    Joe called back. ¡°I want to see why Rocssanna and William ran so quickly to make it to the mess first¡±?

    Fred got the gest of what Joe was saying and wanted to see too and quickened his pace. They came to the mess and seen William peered into a pot of what appeared to be glue or some paste. Rocssanna was looking over a dozen baked chickens, bake to the point they looked dried out and rock hard. Beside them were the potatoes in the same state. Sky had her eyes wide open with a huge smile on her face. Fred then realized this is how Sky liked her chicken and potatoes.

    ¡°It looks like Sky gets extra helpings and we¡¯ll have to wait a little longer to prepare some more chickens and potatoes,¡± Rocssanna said as she put two chickens and dozen large rock hard potatoes on a large serving tray that Sky used like a plate. Sky just picked them off her plate and bit into a potato, and it broke off in pieces, Sky didn¡¯t seem to mind. Rocssanna and William never said anything about her eating with her hands. Rocssanna noticed Fred and Joe watching Sky eat and told them why she had to use her hands to eat the chicken and potatoes. ¡°Guys ever try and stab rocks, or eat jerky with a fork. It¡¯s not possible to do with any grace¡±. She wasn¡¯t sure they heard the last part of the sentence. Her voice was drowned out by Sky after just biting through a chicken leg bone and all crunching away happily, enjoying her meal that was not mushy.

    Sky, seeing that Fred and Joe were watching her, broke off two chicken legs and offered them one each of them. They both told her to enjoy her meal, and they¡¯ll wait for theirs. ¡°I guess they¡¯re just a little too crunchy for your soft muscles. The potatoes aren¡¯t too crunchy, but they tend to crumble as you bite them. I just wish the potatoes weren¡¯t so dry¡±. William heard his daughter and through some spices into the glue-like substance and put it into a large mug.

    ¡°Here try this, it¡¯s overcooked pasta that ended up being liquefied. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was going to do with it; but if you don¡¯t like drinking it, I guess I could always throw it out¡±. William said with a hesitant smile. William hated throwing out food.

    Sky took the offered cup and took a sip without hesitation. Smacking her lips together she critiques the taste of the goo. ¡°It¡¯s not so bad, it¡¯s a little bland still, but I kind of like the way it swishes in my mouth. I like it enough not to have you throw it out, Daddy. I don¡¯t think it would become my favourite drink though¡±. Sky said smiling at her father, letting him know that it was not just as it seems.

    William got the hint and nodded to Sky to let her know he understood. They both hated wasting food if it was unavoidable

 Chapter Eleven Fred and Joeéˆ¥æªš Friendship

    Chapter Eleven

    Fred and Joe¡¯s Friendship

    Sky regarded Fred and Joe waiting for more of the food to be cooked and thought of a question. ¡°How did you meet Mr. Joe, captain Fred, I bet that would be interesting?¡± Sky asked Fred.

    Fred¡¯s point of view

    ¡°Well, Sky that is an interesting story that goes back to when I was in school.¡± William started giving Joe a questioning look. Joe nodded to give him consent to continue. Fred continued with a little more excitement. ¡°I was in my last year of high school when I met Joe. He was starting grade 9 and had a hero complex. He tried to stop some other kids from being picked on and jumped in to save the day. It was six to one after the kids he was helping took off and left him alone. He managed to take the younger ones down, but the two seniors were getting the best of him. The two of him had him pinned and were about to kick and punch him while he was down. No one close by tried to do anything to help him. I had to get to my advanced class and would be late if I stopped to help him. I tried calling out to the two overgrown weeds to stop them. They looked over to me and sneered ¡°mind your own business Fred this is of no concern of yours. He started it, and we¡¯re going to finish it. He¡¯s new and needs to know who¡¯s in charge here. Run along and go get some more perfect grades you don¡¯t want to be late, Mr. Goody Goody.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t let it pass. I shrugged my shoulders and rolled them a bit to loosen them up. ¡°I see that you¡¯re the one to be reminded about who not to mouth off too. I¡¯m not the goody goody you¡¯re assuming I am.¡±

    As I was talking to the two weeds, Joe managed to get out of their grip and took a fighting stance. Joe addresses me not taking his eyes off of the two seniors, ¡°thanks man, I just needed to get to my feet. I¡¯ve got it from here; I wasn¡¯t expecting on getting attacked by those two with cheap shots like losers.¡± Joe smiled readying himself for a fight.

    The bigger and older of the two gave no sign of the younger one coming in from behind to take another cheap shot. Joe here took a ring on his finger and turned it once on his finger and said something under his breath. A wash of spent magic washed out from him, and nothing seemed to happen. After a few seconds, the guy behind him came with a spin kick to the side of his head. Joe ducked enough, so the kick went over his head. That¡¯s when the other two used a spell each to speed up their attack.

    Even with their enhanced speed, Joe seemed to hold his own against the three weeds. I almost left them alone right until I felt another wash of spent magic wash out from the two seniors. It was considerably more than the other spells before. I wasn¡¯t sure about the spell I saw briefly, but it didn¡¯t look very friendly. It didn¡¯t take long before I saw what the spell was when Joe took the first hit. When he blocked the first hit the spells, connected and sent him flying. I called out to rescue Joe from the fast and the furious weeds.

    I managed to get there just as a few teachers walked up and stood there not knowing how to stop a magic-powered fight. The four fights were a martial artist and knew how to fight. I approach the teachers and offer to step in before it gets out of hand. They both looked up to me, their mouth fell open, and they just nodded their heads adding. ¡°Just don¡¯t kill anyone and we¡¯ll take it from there.¡±

    I step in front of Joe¡¯s attackers, crack my knuckles and roll my shoulders once more. I looked down into their surprised faces, ¡°time to teach a lesson or two. The leader of the gang is only 30 centre metres (1 foot) shorter than me. He only pauses slightly before attacking me with a flurry of punches. I easily block them without casting a spell of any kind.

    Joe took the younger one of the weeds and pinned him to a wall with an armbar. I see my chance and grab them both by the throat at the same time and lift them to the wall half a metre (1 ? ft.) off the floor.

    Joe¡¯s point of view

    Joe holds up his hand. ¡°I was doing pretty good, and I just cast an awareness spell so I wouldn¡¯t get jumped again from behind. I was still faster than the three of them, but I wasn¡¯t ready for the strength boost. I could have taken them if I used a strength spell too. But Fred was kind of cool the way he grabbed the two weeds and just lifted them to the wall and pinned them. It was impressive when the teachers asked him to release them if they drop the casted spells.

    After the fight, I asked about where he learned how to fight and if he wanted a training partner. I asked him ¡°Fred, I¡¯m new here and I need to know more about the schools¡¯ social scales. Where did you learn to fight like that? I¡¯ve never seen a person your size move like that. I¡¯ve taken a few courses and was told I was a natural. I want to train with you if you need a partner to train with.¡± Joe said being completely honest with the story.

    Fred¡¯s point of view

    Fred smiled and started the story again. I used to have a few training partners, but they stopped training after a while. They said I was too intense with my training after the master sensei class. I never forced anyone to join me, and I didn¡¯t expect Joe to do much better.

    After school, I introduced Joe to my sensei Ginta Toro. The teacher was in his late fifties, around 180 cm. (5-11 ft.). His build was lean and muscular, and he moved with the agility of someone half his age. His head was shaved bald and had deep-set grey eyes. He regarded Joe, and his stance asked about what training he had and how long. He agreed to take him on as a student. Joe at first couldn¡¯t afford the classes, but the sensei saw his potential and gave him the same discount as I received. Neither of us came from wealthy families, and we both worked on weekends to make extra spending money. It was three months into the school year to see he was no quitter. Even with a lot of lady¡¯s vying for his attention, he maintained his grades and training. Joe tried not to get distracted from school and training because they were more important for him than a fling.

    Fred looked Joe, reached up and squeezed his shoulder as a sign of admiration.

    He could almost keep up after six months, and he was one of my only sparring partners during class. It was just him and the sensei who were willing to try. Having someone so close to my level, I started to improve faster also. After our time in the dojo, we both spent as much time with weights as with sparring. Joe here knew he could never match my strength, so he went for speed. When we sparred, he was getting close but not close enough. Our sensei Ginta Toro asked us to try competing in some competitions. Whenever we entered any tournaments, we were always the top two. We were undefeated in the senior nationals until the last fight when it came down to Joe and me. It was a great fight, and it was not quick like all the ones we won. I had to try; we were both in top form. Unfortunately for Joe here, he just couldn¡¯t overcome my size and strength. He comes close in speed but not quite there.

    After the match, we were approached by the man who placed third. John Riktar was in top shape in his early thirties. His face was clean shaven and had sharp features and deep-set green eyes. His hair was dirty blond and was cut very short. He asked us what we had planned to do after we finished our schooling. We had both discussed this before and were thinking of law enforcement. He said that sounded commendable then asked us if we ever considered the military services. He told us he was a Sergeant on a recruitment drive and was here to have some fun while seeing the local talent.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°I¡¯m very impressed with both of your performances. You two are beyond most of I¡¯ve seen and fought in a long time. How is your magical aptitude and well? Is it as good as your fighting prowess? He suggested we go to a military school to finish our education on whatever level we were.

    We decided to go on a two-day tour of the nearest base. It was physical training in the morning, educational midway, magical in the afternoon. They were fourteen-hour day We agreed, free education was free education, and we took advantage of it. We had started our training three weeks after the tournament. It wasn¡¯t as tough as we thought it would be. The physical was a breeze, and we sailed through to everyone¡¯s surprise. The educational was just okay because it was below my current level. Joe here was in his level and did exceptionally well. The magical training was amazing for both of us. We never had the same kind of training in school. With little deliberation and coaxing from the cadet trainers, we decided to join.

    Our school and sensei Ginta Toro understood what we were accepting. We were wanted and could do a lot for the Imperial defence force.

    Joe¡¯s point of view

    Fred, I like to state that even though I was the youngest there the training we did together was far superior to the training in the cadets. We tried a little of the training they called advanced. We had little difficulty our first time, and Fred beat their record and then I beat him. Fred and I were suddenly surrounded by an elite trooper in training. I thought when we beat the record it was of the trainees not the top of the elite trainers. We became the talk of the base and celebrities of the gauntlets. We could do our training only one hour after the magic training. At first, it was just Fred and I, but after a few days, we were joined by other cadets. Fred and I started to show the ones who joined us on how to move with more efficiently. After only one week the cadets training in the morning improved. It wasn¡¯t very often that someone could teach better than the instructor. Within the year, we were instructing all the new cadets. We were asked to come up with more difficult gauntlets for the more advanced soldiers. The elites were feeling a little underworked after seeing the two teenagers outclassed them in every physical exercise. Fred here was bigger than most of the elites and Joe was faster than all of them. After a few years, we finished training we started a new training course for the cadets right up to the elites. We also started to excel in our magical studies and started to implement it into the physical training more in the gauntlets course. The courses for the advanced military students were too tough for most. We like to push ourselves as much as possible. To make ourselves the best we could be we forced ourselves harder and longer in our new training. We started a super elite force training regime for the few that could keep up.

    Fred¡¯s point of view

    Well, only a few could keep up, somewhat. I was hoping more were able to stay with training. It was some of the elite that didn¡¯t make it through the advanced training made a statement that we have never seen the true battle to grade themselves inadequate. Joe and I were put on our first mission that was an observe, capture and remove. We were put in charge of a six-man team to observe some mages, capture one if needed and assassinate a powerful rogue mage. We had to work with some of the men we had failed in our super elite course. Joe and I were told it was to prove experience was better than any training we could come up with.

    Everything was going great with the mission, and we made it to the mission starting point. Joe and I were fine, but the four others were breathing heavily, they must have been slacking off in their training. The so-called mission leader told us we were moving too fast and that precautions needed to be taken. We were every bit cautious as they were but much faster. We spread out to survey the mages that were going in and out of the buildings on the massive estate. Radio silence was in effect during the reconnaissance part; only retina texting was the only communication we used. We watched for hours and seen many mages come and go. It was five hours after we started the mission when the first mark was spotted. Joe and I saw the second mark the man we had to assassinate. Just as we texted spotting the last mark is when things went nova. One of our men jumped the gun and started to gun down mages to get to the one targeted for assassination. We never had a chance to make any plans for the extraction of the other mark. Joe and I ran into the building to catch to the mage running to escape capture. With our intense training, we fought the mages with relative ease and caught the mage and put him under a binding spell. When we went to call about the rest of the team''s progress, we received answers from only two of our group.

    We had to go back to help our other team members. We managed to rescue and extract the rogue mage. The team leader tried to blame us for the almost failed mission do to our inexperience in the field after our helmet cam vid were watched. We were acquitted from blame and even praised for the success of the botched mission.

    After that mission, Joe and I were sent out with more experienced soldiers. We quickly earned respect and support of the more seasoned soldiers.

    After two more years of successful missions, we were given a troop. I was made team leader for a team of ten recruits. Joe here was made my second two of the men grumbled about it. Joe is here as cocky as he was suggested he fight them both on at once to prove he deserves to be there. After Joe thoroughly beat them, they dropped out, and we took on two more men to replace the two dropouts.

    We trained together for four months combining magic and extreme dexterous combative fighting before our first mission together. Our first mission together was a near suicide mission. Joe and I were the fastest by far going through the training for the mission. We started missions of putting down small rebellions. The team worked well together, and we accomplished our missions with no fatalities. We did have some injuries, and we recovered some tech that we commandeered. The missions were successful, and we had earned a few medals.

    We were placed in charge of training more soldiers and started a new super elite mage training. We had very few men come close to our level of training. We kept training as hard as ever, and no one met our expectation of what we would call super elite soldier mages. We had admirals watch our training sessions and impressed them enough that we were given some of our own two-person missions. We overheard a couple of admirals say they have never seen two men move with such deadly grace. They even mentioned something about how we used magical weapons and martial arts at the same time.

    We received a spaceship for the first mission, and it went great with just the two of us. I don¡¯t mean to brag but soon became the most coveted two-person team of the elite mage forces. It was only a small ship and had minimal weapons; it was fast. We had started missions that previous teams were unable to do. We were given our final tests, exams, and graduated with honours. Shortly after our final graduation, we had a mission to rescue a high ranking official and her family for a group of giants and ogres. They were still protesting the mage war and how they were treated. We managed to save them and were brought into the higher society. Soon we found ourselves rubbing shoulder with the wealthy elite. I grew tired of the snobbish men and women flaunting their wealth. Joe here stayed with the young, wealthy daughters. I met my beautiful wife serving at one of the pompous parties. I found my first love and soon we were married. Joe here seemed to happy with his pretty boy act and impressing the young ladies of the rich and powerful if tales of fierce battles. Joe snorted with a smile at Fred¡¯s words but didn¡¯t interrupt any more than that.

    Joe¡¯s point of view

    I thought I found love many times, unlike my brother Fred here love never found me. I would have had two beautiful kids too if I found someone like his wife. I swore by the aurora light of Venus they were made for each other. The biggest fight they ever had was that she wanted to find me a wife. Fred understood that I needed my own space to breath and I attract the wrong type of women for now and get distracted too easily. Fred and I stick together still being able to train like no other. I push Fred even more now that he has kids to go home too. I¡¯m not going to let him go soft and slip up from a little mistake because of lack of training.

    We had this ship made three years ago, and will keep it after our honourable retirement. I sort of messed things up a bit by dating the wrong ladies. I never slept around, but I did date many ladies, none of them steady. Sky, you may be kind of young to understand. Some women say things that aren¡¯t true to try and keep something they never owned. I was found guilty of corrupting three young noble¡¯s virtues and run off the planet. After I did that Fred still stuck with me and we started to get low paying, uninteresting missions. They can¡¯t sandbag us in somewhere in an uninhabitable galaxy. Since the mage wars, they needed to keep us close because we¡¯re still one of the best elite soldier¡¯s mages out here.

 Chapter Twelve Sky learns Magic and Martial Arts

    Chapter twelve

    Sky learns Magic and Martial Arts

    Sky was silent listening in rapture. She was learning about her heroes and how they met. She never knew just how talented the two men were. ¡°Wow, you guys are stellar, and I¡¯m part of your super elite team. I hope I can keep up with your amazing talents. You''re going to have to show me how I can be as awesome as you guys. Could you teach a little girl like me to be one of the few super elite soldier mages¡±?

    Fred and Joe smiled at her, yet Fred answered her. ¡°I think my young ensign Sky you have an edge to start with. You have the speed, agility, and strength already. You already meet the basic requirements to be one of the few. Not to mention the magic talents you have. I can teach you, but it won¡¯t be easy for you. Joe and I were known to cause almost everyone who trained with us to drop out after two days. Nova, we¡¯re used to training one or two mage soldier at a time. You¡¯ll be our first trainee in two years. It¡¯ll be good to start training someone again.¡±

    It was only half an hour before Fred and Joe were dining on roasted chicken and potatoes. Which they thoroughly enjoyed undercooked by Sky¡¯s taste. Fred announced they were going to the training room to practice with their new gifts, increased magical well and that Sky was required to join them for new training. Since she was done first, she told them she was going to do some organizing in her bunk in the women quarters, saying something about making her locker bigger to fit all her stuff. She was not aware of the fact the pocket space spells were a closely guarded secret in a magic guild and were not to be used so freely.

    Fred and Joe were going to have to mention it to Sky, right after lunch and when she showed them the spell also. Fred couldn¡¯t have her changing too many things in her quarters. There would be a lot of questions about how the ship had so many modifications with the guilds secret spells. There are always records of any such spell modifications.

    What Sky wasn¡¯t going to tell them she had to change her dress for the real ensign uniform and the one they saw was an illusion like the one she had given her parents. Joe made such a big thing over the trans-morphing spell she didn¡¯t want to tell him it was just an illusion no real complex magical spell. Maybe it would be worth considering once she has time to work on such mundane spells.

    Sky once she reached her barracks she went to her locker and expanded it much like the interior of the ship. Now her locker was like a large walk-in closet that was bigger than the entire room. She changed her clothes and left for the training room. She met Fred and Joe in the corridor and fell into step behind them after giving them a brief salute. Joe thought to himself today''s¡¯ practice promised to be very interesting. Once in the practice room Fred turned to Joe and told him to meditate on his new magical wells. Then turns to Sky and inform her ¡°You have been using many spells that are not known and some that are carefully guarded secrets that make up their lively hood if you use those spells and create too many of these items. Some mages guilds are going to get upset for using spells like theirs so freely. You can¡¯t show just anyone you know the spells like the pocket space. That is the one you can¡¯t show just anyone because it¡¯s a secret guild spell which they use to make money for their lively hood. Your advanced healing spell is another one is used by another guild to heal old wounds and scares. You can show us your spells, but the new crew that we¡¯re picking up might not be a good idea. Till we can trust them enough if you want to, but remember every pocket space you make or old scare you heal might take money from the guilds who control those spells as part of their way of life.¡± Fred said trying not to sound like a kind of preacher for the two guilds. He could not afford to get rid of the scare on his arm. The healing guild was charging way too much money for such a vain thing as cosmetic magic. The pocket space spell is another he could not afford to get any large items in. The one William had his house in, and Rocssanna¡¯s pantry purse. The two must have cost a small fortune to buy. They both seemed quite large the way they used them. They didn¡¯t compare to the one Sky had created for her large sack of rocks.

    Sky nodded her head in understanding. ¡°I guess it wouldn¡¯t be fair to show everyone spells if the guilds used them to generate money for their income to live off. Would it be okay if I show you guys any magic you can use that I might figure out¡±?

    Fred looked to Sky and gave her a mischievous smile. ¡°I think all of us here would keep the spell a secret from anyone who would tell the members of any guild. I could have used a pocket space spell quite a few times and had to buy one that was smaller than the one I wanted. The healing spell you came up with is like the one I was going to pay a months¡¯ salary to get the scare on my arm healed neatly. When I thought about it, I could use the money for better things and my wife doesn¡¯t mind the scar. I don¡¯t need to know the spell you used to heal the scar. But if you could show us the pocket space spell that would be great¡±?

    ¡°I could show you but would that be ethical to show a customer of that guilds secrets? I wonder if you could teach me spells that are not guild secrets and I could modify it to one that was like or better than one of the guilds secret spell. Would that become a taboo spell to use simply because a guild uses one like it to make money? I was never taught any spells. I see the spell circles and never understood what they were until I found out magic was real. I was in the library and found a book on magic and magical theory before I was attacked. After seeing all the spells on this spaceship, I figured out how much math was the base of all magic spells. I was always able to see spells but never seen so many until now. I can replicate any spell I see and can modify them in an instant. So, is it taboo to see guilds secrets if I have the gift to? I didn¡¯t intend to use secret guild spells intentionally. To me they¡¯re just spells and incantations I can puzzle out and sometimes make it better because I have all the elements at my disposal. I think the rogue mages are trying to achieve what I am by taking other mages elemental affinities for themselves. If it comes to it, I will share all my elemental affinities with you and Mr. Joe to even out the playing field. So, I suggest you learn any defensive spells or incantations regardless of the elements needed. As for showing you the pocket space spells I learned and modified I can show you them later when we have time to spare¡¯. Sky was talking with the maturity far beyond her years.

    Fred could only glimpse some of the spell circles others caste, and only if he knew the spell. He never heard of someone being able to see a spell or incantation after it was cast over five minutes later. Most spells left no trace of the incantation after it was cast. He was going to have to be careful around Sky when he uses any offensive spells. Since she could see spells even hours after they were cast it meant, she could use any of the spells her parents used but never told them she could. ¡°Sky do you know any spells your parents don¡¯t know that you know? I¡¯ve seen those using spells that are rare, and they seem reluctant to show you. By what you¡¯re telling me you already know them, but never used them.¡±

    Sky looked a little shy when she answered Fred¡¯s question. ¡°I knew the spells, but I didn¡¯t know it was magic. I always thought it was some science or higher mathematics. Remember I was never told there was such thing as real magic just stuff that made believe. Most of the spells they used I didn¡¯t need to use. I did no cooking, and until now I needed no extra space, and I never saw a healing spell until I saw the one Mr. Joe used on me. Now that I know magic is real I can copy and modify all the spells I have ever seen. Until now though on a planet that shuns the use of magical items and has no magic users, you don¡¯t see a whole lot of magic or magical items. Now after being attacked repeatedly by the aliens, I¡¯ve found a way to invert my magic spells and incantations, so they release not spent magic directly. That way there is no magic to suck up after each spell is cast the spent magic kept in something like a small pocket space that has a time limit that dissipates the spent magic slowly.¡±

    Fred was amazed at Sky¡¯s use of magical spells that most people couldn¡¯t even think of casting simultaneously even if they knew both spells by heart. The spells to work the way she described had to be three or more incantation cast at the same moment. ¡°Could you show me an inverted light sphere spell to see what you¡¯re talking about?¡± Fred knew what a light sphere spell looked like it was a one-tier spell quite simple. What Sky showed him was six tiers high and one of the most complex spells he had ever seen. He couldn¡¯t even see where the light sphere spell was inside the spell circles. ¡°Could you cast it Sky, I want to see what the light looks like.¡±

    Sky flicked her finger, and the light sphere appeared with no feeling of magic being used even though he was standing right next to her. ¡°Is that what you wanted to see? It¡¯s the same looking light sphere it¡¯s just that the spell¡¯s different, a little more complex than the one you know. The incantation that I used to show my magic wells is the most complex I have ever tried yet. That one covers the three axes, X, Y and Z. Inverting an incantation that complex would be large enough to fill this practice room, it¡¯s a good thing it doesn¡¯t matter if it goes through walls or anything as it takes form. I¡¯m not sure what will happen if it touched another active spell circle. Well, shall we get practicing I¡¯m eager to learn some more magic or anything else you want to teach me¡±?

    Fred didn¡¯t know where to start in Sky¡¯s magical education and was leaning on the side of caution and teacher her only defensive spells and incantations. ¡°I¡¯ll show you some defensive spells and some spells that could be used for distraction, I don¡¯t want to show you any offensive spells just yet, I know if we enter in to close quarter magic battles you¡¯ll see any spells or incantations we use; or even they use and can copy them. Knowing you now you¡¯ll tweak them, juice them up with ten times the magic and destroy everything for kilometres around.¡± Fred said the last part with a raised an eyebrow letting Sky know it was a partial jest. ¡°Sky remember you have a lot more magic than anyone I know, even without talismans and all. Just because you have the magic to spare doesn¡¯t mean you should supercharge all your spells or incantations. I could show you how to make magic tomes that can be used to heal magic burn and recharge a magic user¡¯s also. It could make you quite a bit of money too if you sell them to the right people. It might even get you a promotion in rank if they¡¯re given to the right people. Sky the tomes are easy enough to make, but the magic you put in them is very important. The lightening element is the most common and anyone can use it. But any of the other elements are used for special for some magic uses. Just think each tome like a bag of rocks, the more magic in the tomes the bigger the bag. I can use the earth and lightning element tomes; but not the others, till now at least. Specific elemental filled tomes matching the magic user¡¯s affinity can be used right away without changing your spell castings during a fight. Since the last great war there has been little need for powerful tomes, but there still a need for them by the guilds that make magical items. I¡¯ll get you some blank tomes to try; well make some magic tomes. Wells let¡¯s start training is there something you want to learn¡±?

    Sky pounder for a bit and an idea came to her. Her face lite up and her eyes twinkled as her lips curled up in a smile. ¡°I used to watch old, old, really old movies that had martial artists fighting on Earth. I think it was Kung-Fu or something maybe karate. I looked them up on the information terminals in the library with no success. Could you get me an instructional vid or manual or anything I could use to learn one or both? I think going through the motions would be great to improve my stamina and hand and eye coordination. I got really tired fighting those giant spiders because I don¡¯t get much exercise. I didn¡¯t realize I was out of shape in endurance and coordination in my movements. I would have been better at defending myself if I could have had been in better shape. Being strong and virtually indestructible doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re a good fighter. It just means you can make more mistakes and live longer. So, do you have any on martial arts?¡± Sky looked up at him with a grin and twisting back and forth her body like kids do when they wait for a positive answer.

    Fred smiled at the little girl who could move faster than him even with augmented strength speed, considered herself out of shape. Fred wondered how long it would take to teach her the martial arts of the Empire. ¡°Sky there is an official martial art of the Empire I could teach you if you would like? It may take some time though; there is no manual or vids of instruction for it. It is taught to you in basic your training as part of being an Empire soldier. So, I guess I Have thread o train you anyway now that I think about it. Stand and face me. I am going to show you what three thousand years of perfecting martial arts looks like. The picture the best of all the martial arts rolled into one. It¡¯s pretty intense so follow me the best you can, follow my arm and leg positions and movements as precisely as possible. I¡¯ll show you the first kata then the second. Kata is the basic movements you learn at each skill level. There are twelve katas¡¯ after each skill level. Joe is a master level five, and I¡¯m level eight in the Imperial martial arts. So, watch closely, and I¡¯ll see how fast you can learn the katas.¡±

    Sky held up her hand before he could start the first kata. Fred nodded her to go ahead and speak. ¡°Master Fred Sir I believe if you perform you¡¯re inside of one of my new bubbles I could follow you along with no great difficulty.¡±

    Fred looked at her with the question in his eye. He was trying to fathom what she was trying to say. So, filled with questions he had to ask at least one. ¡°Okay, how is performing it in a bubble going to help you follow what I¡¯m going to do¡±?

    ¡°Well first off, it¡¯s not going to be a regular bubble, but more like an inverted eyeball, so I can see you from every angle possible.¡± Fred got a shocked look on his face and shocked his head as if getting rid of the thought. Then Sky started speaking again. ¡°Don¡¯t ask who taught me the spell; I just came up with it just now. I think with the spell.¡± Sky paused, stood to attention and spook loud and clear. ¡°Actual I know with this spell cast I can follow you with near perfect precision after the first time seeing it. Don¡¯t worry you won¡¯t even know it¡¯s there. It will be centred on you and follow you around while you''re teaching me the katas. I¡¯ll be your best student ever if you let me use the new bubble spell. Well even if you don¡¯t, I could probably copy you with eighty to ninety percent accuracy.¡± Sky looked to him with hope in her eyes. ¡°Please. Pretty please with red fruit on top.¡±

    Fred couldn¡¯t say any right off, but he had to correct her behaviour. ¡°Sky that¡¯s how you ask your parent for something, not your commanding officer. A simple please will do without the bribery. I want to see the spell before you cast it. If it looks harmless enough, I¡¯ll let you try it. It doesn¡¯t have to be inverted if you think it might be too complex to do.¡± Fred had to smile and frown at his answer.

    Sky looked at him and shook her head. With a big grin, she asked him a question. What¡¯s the most complex spell you can do without a MAD, (magical added device)? Could you show me; you don¡¯t even have to tell me what it is? You¡¯ll see why I¡¯m asking once you see my bubble spell of learning Kata¡¯s.¡±

    Fred thought about it for a second. The most complex spell he knew of without any MAD, was a ranged punch spell. He conjured it up knowing Sky could figure it out. He thought to her it would be as effective as a half-powered push. The four-tiered spell took form in seconds. It was fairly complex for an unadded spell. Sky glanced at it with a smile and waved her hand, dissipating the spell circle instantly. Just as it faded from sight, he could swear there were some changes to it. What a cheeky little girl Fred thought waiting to see her new bubble spell.

    Sky Looked at Fred and asked him. ¡°Are you ready, I wouldn¡¯t bother trying to scan this spell as I told you the original was on the three axis and each one was ten tiers along each axis from the zero point? The new one had to be ten times that, and after inverting it, it tripled again. So, to keep it visible I must condense it down. So, if you ready give me a sign. Fred waves to her to continue, not knowing what to expect. Sky brought her hand up with a red ball in it and presented it to Fred. He looked closer and to him, on closer inspection was just an odd shaped ball. He looked at her with a frown of his own. Sky got the hint. ¡°Sorry it must be too small for you to see; I¡¯ll make it fill the room. Since Joe has his eyes closed, it shouldn¡¯t bother him if it passes through his body.¡± With that, she released it into the air and let it expand at an alarming rate. At over ten meters it still looked somewhat solid. Filling the space in the room was the most complex spell ever devised hands down. Fred never knew a spell could be as complex as this one around him. He looked at the closest spell circle to him because it was right in his face. The spell circle of that tier was more complex than his ranged punch spell, and there had to be hundreds of them in that axis point. His eyes were as big as saucers, and his mouth gaped open.

    Fred didn¡¯t know what to say he couldn¡¯t make out much of any part of the spell, just that it took almost all the elements but fire, hence the red in the visual effect. ¡°Are you sure that it will work, it looks a little too complex to me? I have never heard of a spell so complex before. And you¡¯re telling me this is so that you can see me from all angles. I am not sure your new spell has to be such a complex spell. It¡¯s normally done before with a couple of mirrors not all of this.¡± Fred said as he gestured to the spell sigals after got his reaction under control and standing straight with three spell circles going through his body. It was an odd sensation seeing something in your body without feeling it.

    Sky looked at Fred al she got was not a ¡®no.¡¯ ¡°Mirrors would work okay I guess, but this bubble would let me see every angle at once. Just picture a thousand cameras on you from every angle zooming in or out, to see how you move in a particular way allowing me to move accordingly. I know it will work, and it won¡¯t be overpowered thanks to your idea of how to better regulate my magic flow. There is no outward force in this spell; it is simply passive. You wouldn¡¯t even know me to cast it if I inverted it. I¡¯m asking you because you wanted me to inform you of any magic I might use. I promise you won¡¯t get anything from it but a near perfect student.¡± Sky¡¯s eyes had such a passion for knowledge and to do her best always.

    Fred looked down into her pleading face. ¡°You can cast the spell, but if I feel it or am uncomfortable at all while it¡¯s there, you¡¯ll have to dispel it. Is the clear ensign Sky? I will judge you for this spell if it has any adverse effects. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying, if this spell goes bad I will be less likely to trust you on any other spells you come up with so complex? In reality, you¡¯ve only known magic is real for less than three days and claim to know how it works better than I do. So, remember that as you cast your spell bubble.¡± Fred looked at her; she didn¡¯t move, just smiled. ¡°Well let¡¯s get your first martial arts training going. Stand behind, and I¡¯ll start.¡± Sky quickly walked behind him and waited for him to start. Fred took the stance for the first kata and looked behind him to see if Sky was watching closely. She was mirroring his position perfectly but was looking over her shoulder at something. As he turned his head to see what she was looking at her head moved too. Then quickly she turned her head to face him, with a shrug of her shoulders.

    ¡°I thought you started; I didn¡¯t think at first you were checking my position before you did your kata.¡± Sky said remaining in the same stance Fred had taken.

    This time Fred call out before ¡®BEGIN,¡¯ as he started into the series of punches, kicks, blocks, holds, throws, and lunges that made up the first kata. He a ¡°kaya¡± sound whenever he punched or kicked. Fred moved with the grace of a dancer and as lethal as a tiger. Sky was silent the whole time during his kata. The first kata was about five minutes long. Fred, found it relaxing after doing it again in such a long time. He finished with a bow. Sky was beaming; she looked so happy. ¡°Did you get that Sky; I didn¡¯t move too quickly for, did I? You don¡¯t have to learn it straight off, that was more of an intro¡¯ to the first lessons. Now I¡¯ll show you the second kata. It¡¯s a little more advanced than the first.¡± Fred stretched out a bit before performing the next kata. After Fred limbered up, he took the same stance as before and called out ¡®BEGIN.¡¯ This time there were jumps, spins, knees, elbows, and high kicks. The way Fred moved looked impossible for a man his size. Sky was a sponge in Fred¡¯s presence; she was soaking it up what even he laid out. Again, Fred finished with a bow. He turned to Sky he had a slight sheen on his skin, yet Sky had no change. ¡°I guess it was a little complex to follow not knowing the proper forms of the punches, kicks, blocks, holds, throw, and sweeps. You¡¯ll get it soon enough. If you can learn magic so quickly this should be a piece of pastry.¡±

    Sky looked up to him and smiled. ¡°I got and understood everything you did, but the noises you made. Did you make them scare the person you¡¯re fighting or something? I think a growl might work better to scare someone.¡± She said with a smile.

    Fred just grinned back. ¡°The sounds were to focus the energy into the strike. It also helps if it hurts when you hit something hard. I guess you never hit some hard enough to hurt you, have you. So, what this you got and understood everything I did? If you understood, it all show me what you learned. Can you do the two katas back to back with the bow between for me, little green-hopper¡±? Fred smile faded as Sky¡¯s face lite up.

    ¡°Yes, I can do that sensei Fred Sir.¡± Sky said and ever so gracefully turned around took three steps away and turned back to face him. With a bow meant for the high court, she took the same stance Fred had. Fred then motioned her to hold her stance as he walked around checking her form. It was perfect not one flaw that he could pick out, and he was mister perfect himself. Stepping back away from her, he motioned her to continue with the grace of a prima ballerina and fierceness of a dragon. Her punches and kick were emphasized with a snarl. That curled his toes and sent a chill down Fred¡¯s spine the vicious snarl broke Joe from his meditation and caused him to throw up a shield. He was looking around for the threat he seen Sky performing a kata of the Imperial Martial Arts. From what he has seen so far was flawless. Joe walked over and stood close to Fred. He could not help but shiver at the snarls Sky made when she made a punch or kick.

    Fred watched her like a sharp-eyed bird, yet seen no flaw in her performance of the first kata so far. He could not believe how well she was doing on her first try after performing it with her once. It must be something with her being a Titan. Fred told himself thinking how long it took him to get his katas up to his standards, nothing but perfection. The Sky performed it was an art form that made him feel a little jealous of her abilities. Before long he too was going to see Sky as a hero and not like now arrival. She finished her first kata with a brief bow to Fred and now Joe who was standing next to him in a shield as ugly as the one Fred had before, and she left it alone this time. She made a mental note or showed them a way better bubble than the one they seemed to like using.

    Joe dissipated his shield to whisper into Fred¡¯s ear. ¡°How long was I meditating for her to get this good? I feel like that old guy with the long beard, that Rip Van guy. I could have sworn it was about an hour max. I take it she a quick study. How many times did you show her the katas? Fred shook his head and held up one finger without taking his eyes off Sky¡¯s performance, which was flawless. Joe didn¡¯t say a word afterwards; he just continued to watch until she finished. Sky¡¯s last move brought her in front of Fred and Joe and bowed to them as ice finished her second kata. Joe was very impressed by her katas from what he saw of them so far.

    Fred stepped up to Sky and clamped a hand on her shoulder feeling her unyielding flesh; it took away some of the heartfelt admiration he had for the girl. He knew it was not just talent that let her do what she just did, but a drive much like his own to be perfect in all that she did. ¡°That was very good, training you should be a breeze. Now, all we must do is break down all the moves into their part such as hi punch, straight punch, low punch, cross punch, and so on. I only see one problem with teaching you any of the martial arts. You¡¯ll have no one to spare with and have physical contact with unless you can come up with a way to do that it should only take about three days of training for you to get all the moves and katas down. It¡¯s the application of the moves you¡¯ll lack in your training. Mind you; it will probably never come to a point where you¡¯ll need it for actual self-defence, at least to any degree after one punch or kick. It would help get you to get into the motions of a fight and understand the flow in which to move more efficiently.

    Fred, could she Sky doing something he never saw before. He saw her in deep thought for the first time. It scared him to think what could take up so much of her concentration on something. Especially after she came up with a spell as complex as the one she just had, in were seconds. He watched her frown deepen as she shook her head occasionally. He was starting to feel the heat coming from her as her thoughts continued. They stepped back as magic started to flow out from her body. It was so thick the magic was visible unaided. Fred looked to Joe who was now taking even more steps back. Joe motioned to Fred to do something before she caused a magical accident. Twenty minutes passed, and the magic energy was about two metres from her body. The magical energy was not growing out anymore but thicker. Ten minutes passed Fred was just about to say something when her movement took him by surprise. Sky head snapped up with a slight grin, and she staggered a bit. The magic around Sky was sucked up into a ball in the palm of her hand that was just there in an instant.

    Sky held her hand up to him to show the ball of magic, ¡°I think I have the solution here, but it¡¯s really, really complex. I went over it twice and found a problem each time and fixed it. The third time no problems were found. But the complexity of it makes it somewhat impossible to see without testing it first. Sorry, it took so long to do, and now I¡¯m kind of tired. Would it be okay if I had a nap before we test the incantation? That was the most complex thing I ever worked on by a long shot.¡± Sky took the magic ball and opened a large pocket in her uniform and placed it inside a pocket space. Her hand disappeared up to her elbow before pulling it back out.

    Fred was not sure what to say to Sky request. They had just finished lunch and only made it two hours into the afternoon. He thought of the progress they had just made and conceded the fact they had finished three months of intensive martial arts training in that time. Not to mention the spell she had come up with to solve the sparing problem. He was wondering how big the incantation would take up thirty minutes of her undivided brain power. ¡°How big would the spell be if you were to make it visible that I could see an individual spell circle? I was wondering what it would look like up close¡±?

    Sky smiled at Fred and Joe and tilted her head to the side as if to ponder the question. ¡°I think it would be about the size of the home planet Earth. You would not even make out an individual spell circle that is quarter the way across if you were standing the centre. After my nap, I could show it to you outside of the ship. It¡¯s too big if you were to look at it anywhere up close.¡± Sky eyes lids were getting slow at blinking, and she looked extremely tired. Fred knew she would only need a little nap to get herself back into shape.

    Fred looked at Sky and her sorry state of rest. ¡°Yes, you may have two hours for your nap and meet me back on the bridge. Can you make it back to your room you look pretty exhausted and about to drop any second¡±? It was true she was never in the state she was in now before at least from mental exhaustion.

    Sky didn¡¯t answer his just started to walk towards the door. Conny appeared just as she got to the exit and seemed to you a lavation spell to carry her falling form. Fred just stared at the new things he was seeing. Since meeting the Knights, he kept seeing the impossible. He knew that whatever incantation she came up with was going to be amazing and could hardly wait.

    Joe was silent until Sky left the practice room. ¡°Fred what was the all about a spell being too big to show in this room there is no such spell that big. Even with a MAD, it¡¯s impossible to have a spell any larger than twenty spell circles and most of those were made over centuries of building on them.¡±

    Fred looked to Joe a huge smile. ¡°You have no idea of the spells she¡¯s come up with. Have you ever heard of inverting a spell that not only hides any trace of magic but releases no magical waste¡±?

    Joe answered, ¡°No, there is no such spell because it would be impossible.¡±

    Fred then asked if he ever heard of a spell branching out on three-dimensional axis. Joe answered again; he never heard of anything like that. Fred smile grew even bigger. Would you believe Sky came up with a spell that had over five hundred complex spell circles¡±?

    Joe was looking at Fred as if he grew an extra head. ¡°Right, and you saw all of this with your eyes, and that this new spell circle is as big as old Earth. You¡¯re going to have to show me some proof of those claims before I can believe them. She¡¯s done some amazing things and almost impossible things too. But spells that complex should be even beyond her abilities. The inverting a spell is the most preposterous thing I¡¯ve heard yet. Mages and sorceress were trying to do that for eons and a girl new to magic less than three days finds the solution in one day. I even have my doubts on how much she can do. She may be my hero but she¡¯s no god¡±! Joe felt a chill running down his back as he remembered her saying not too long ago. ¡°I was born for a purpose, teach me for I hold, life, and death.¡± Joe was silent after for a couple of minutes contemplating what Fred said. Sky was going to be the start of a magical renaissance. Joe was about to say something, and Fred cut him off.

    Joe, we have a very special little lady with us. Sky is a gemstone in the rough, and she¡¯s one of the largest gems around. She is going to change how magic users work their craft. Every spell I¡¯ve shown her she¡¯s tweaked each one in a glance. I showed her a ranged punch spell, not even knowing what it was she changed it. I¡¯m going to try it, to show you that she took a spell that hasn¡¯t changed in over a hundred year. He brought up his wrist tablet and the new ranged punch spell and cast it on his fists. The spell used three of the four elements he held. With a light punch, he hit the heavy bag from ten metres. It felt much the same as before when he hit the bag. He punched a little harder, and it seemed to triple the punches strength. He punched at it at full strength, and it almost swung to the ceiling. He thought it should have exploded. With an almost disappointed jab at the heavy bag and it hit then the ceiling. He just figured out, the spell went off his intent, not just the strength of the punch. Sky always said the power of spells was not just the amount of magic you put in, but the intent also. ¡°Watch this,¡± Fred said a flicked his finger at the heavy bag, which exploded into pieces. Within a blink of an eye, he brought up the healing spell and fixed the heavy bag. Joe was surprised at the spell he used; it was not the reset spell or even the standard healing spell it had used more elements in it.

    ¡°So, Sky¡¯s teaching magic now, where do I sign up for classes,¡± Joe said in a half-mocking tone.

    Fred just kept smiling at Joe. ¡°Just show her a spell, and she¡¯ll customize it to your elemental abilities. She showed me the same spell but with all the elements. I can¡¯t see how it could work that much better than this one works. She understands how the mathematics of magic we hold works. She¡¯s about to puzzle out spells that no one has even conceived of. With her understanding, she can take the concept of a spell and built it up around the foundation of another simple spell she knows. She says she was never taught any magic and thus no kind of restrictions to limit her spell formations. To her, it just had to come to the right end solution. In her case, the outcome of what she wanted. The spell she used to make herself as pliable as us, is in the database of spells along with hundreds of others she revised and submitted for review. Sky put them under the ships name Little Tooth. I just was contacted before our practice about the new influx of spells. Some of them were insults others were praises. I was going to go over some of them with you. A few of the spells required all five elements which no one else has. She put instructions on how to combine the magic of two casters to enable the same spell.¡± Fred looked to Joe and put a hand on his shoulder with a small squeeze, feeling a normal body beneath his fingers said. ¡°If Sky says she made an incantation that¡¯s as big as old Earth I¡¯m going to say I believe her. So, what did you find out about your new magic wells?

    Joe smiled at Fred when he thought about his new magic affinities. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to describe the sensation of all that magic. I had no idea about the force behind it. I can¡¯t use the well method anymore just sets of valves on tanks; it doesn¡¯t look as nice but more effective to use now. I¡¯ve yet to try some new spells using the magic elements I was given. Do you want to practice with me and see what new spells we can do, we have about an hour and a half before Sky makes her way to the bridge¡±?

    Fred agreed and over and the next hour they tried various new spells previously denied them due to the lack of the elemental magic. They were both amazed how adding an element increased the power of the spell without adding any more magic to them. They now had more efficient spells and a next inexhaustible source of magic as they tried out more complex spells, they see more of how the spells worked. The two matched each other¡¯s spells when they could. But Fred had the advantage of more elemental abilities, and it made a big difference. Joe was satisfied with that because he was always one step ahead. He preferred it that way because it made him the undisputed leader of their crew.

    Fred was thinking and voiced his concern to Joe. ¡°When we meet up with the new crew members, when do we tell them about our new gifts and do we? You know I¡¯m against lying to people and especially if it to someone I have to trust them guarding my back in a fight.¡±

    Joe felt somewhat the same, and that¡¯s why they got along so well. ¡°I say if we tell them, we leave Sky¡¯s name out of it, and if she trusts them, she can share whatever she wants with them. We could help guild her alone if she asks for our help. Rocssanna and William seem to be okay with her choice with making us her friends.¡± Conny appeared before them and informed them. ¡°Sky would be making her way to the bridge shortly, and request Joe attends if he wasn¡¯t too busy with other matters. She says that the new spell she created could change how magic and physical training is done from now on. Under her new spell, I might even be able in to have physical interactions with you.¡± Conny disappeared as quickly as she appeared. Joe facing Fred asked him. ¡°Did she have a smile on her face just now? Or was that my imagination playing tricks on me¡±?

    ¡°Since Sky¡¯s been with us, we¡¯ve seen the impossible happening, and I¡¯m amazed the times she tries something new. I''m finding magic is becoming easier for me to cast. It¡¯s like she set a new path. No! A new way of seeing how magic should work. A new view to magic, to a new world of magic and as we follow her way it¡¯s becoming clearer. Does that sound right to you Joe, Am I making sense to you¡±?

    Joe looked as if in thought for a moment. ¡°Yeah it does, but it could have been phase differently. But I get what you¡¯re trying to say.¡± Joe grinned and started for the door. ¡°Let¡¯s not keep our ensign wanting; she¡¯s got something to show us.¡±

    Fred walked alongside Joe as they walked towards the bridge. Just before he passed his quarters, he quickly ducked inside. When he came back out with a memory disk in his hand, ¡°I want to make a private vid of this magic incantation she constructed. Once on the bridge, they spotted Sky at the forward window chewing on something that looked like a stick, on closer inspection it was a rod of steel. He was surprised at sight, but not overly so. He noticed Joe didn¡¯t even flinch at the sight of what Sky was chewing on.

    Sky turned around and held up her other hand with a ball of magic held loosely in it. ¡°Are you ready to be amazed at the size of the new incantation I came up with? I¡¯ll tell you what the spell does, and you see if you can recognize any of the pieces. The spell took everything I had to figure out how to level out the playing field in a magical or even a physical fight. It¡¯s a type of virtual reality that your body can enter. When you walk through the magic field first, you stay the same magically and physically. Anyone walking through afterwards is temporally altered to match the first basic strength level. So, Fred, if you were to walk through we, would be limited to your magic elements or gain any you have, but we don¡¯t. While in the spell you can¡¯t get seriously injured for long and can never be killed. If you were the strongest going into the spell you remain the strongest, but only a fraction stronger then the weakest person within the spell. If I were to go in first you would be like me solid, have all five elemental affinities, be super strong, and fast. But you would still only be a fraction as cute as me. Mentally you would remain the same; you can only get smarter from the training.¡± Fred and Joe were stunned at what Sky might have accomplished with the new spell. Sky was about to throw the spell through the bridges forward window, and Fred stopped her. ¡°Fred this is not the real spell just the spell design, I just want you to see what almost cause me to pass out from exhaustion after only an hour of thinking.¡± The ball sailed out the window and started to expand outward it was nearly ten kilometres across before individual spell circles could be seen as tiny dots. There was more than one ball of magic in the spell to. As the ball expanded, it was clear that nowhere near finished expanding. What looked like single spell circles were many, one on top of the other. They were not only on the axis anymore; they were in a true sphere of spells. The sphere was expanding even faster than before. Many of the spell circles came through the ship and at a glance they were three times the size of most circles used in spells. In Fred¡¯s estimation, there were over two hundred thousand spell packets in this spell. Sky was watching the spell as eagerly as Fred and Joe, nodding her head as the spell expanded. The spell was now fully expanded, all but the smaller spell packets. Sky turned to address Fred and Joe. The smaller spell packets are for when there¡¯re injuries or other unforeseen accidents that might occur while inside the influence of the spell. I was thinking of casting it in the door frame of the practice room. That way while in there you can use any spell with no lasting effect on each other. Playing martial arts would be very interesting because I can''t do any damage to you and vice versa. Mind you, now that I think about it, I should cast a different spell on the room itself. Maybe a long-lasting barrier so nothing can touch the surface. So, as it is anything brought in will have a reset point just before the accident or injury. Let¡¯s say I brought a glass of water in and tripped and the glass was shattered into pieces. Within a Nanosecond, it would be whole again minus the water. Captain Fred, Joe Sir, do either of you have any questions about the incantation¡±? Sky was looking at the pair while looking around at the spell that was encompassing the ship and millions of square kilometres around them.

    Fred and Joe were in a state of speechlessness and didn¡¯t catch what Sky said right away. They were going to be able to interact with Sky on her terms or vice-versa. Neither one of them could see anything other than some of the elements involved in the incantation. What each circle did or how they worked with the next was far beyond anything they could even conceive. Sky outdid herself on this one for sure. Fred brought up his wrist tablet and started a recording of the visible spell circles, not to see how they worked; but the sheer size and structure of it was beyond anything pondered or even conceived by any other magic users ever.

    Joe was inspecting one of the hundreds of spell circles that were just inside the bridge alone.

    It was Fred who broke the silence first. ¡°Sky how much magic is this going to take to activate a spell this size? Will you be okay putting out that much magic at once? Fred sounded extremely concerned with her wellbeing; Joe seemed just as concerned.

    Sky just smiled, and she answered made them go pale. ¡°It will take about a billion litres of all the elements but fire, only about fifty million litres of that one. I will probably pass out from the pain of magic burn, but part of the incantation will keep the magic flowing till completion. Then an automated spell will heal me to a point where I can cast another spell to finish the healing. The whole process should take about five minutes. It¡¯s going to be a rough five minutes, but the pros are going to outweigh the cons by a long shot.¡±

    Almost in unison Fred and Joe objected to the casting of the spell. Fred was the first to state his reasons. ¡°Sky I can have you intentionally giving yourself a little magic burn, let alone you passing out from it. What kind of benefit could warrant that kind of pain and suffering?¡±

    Sky had tears in her eyes and racks of sobs ¡°Physical contact without worrying of death or serious injury to my friends and family. Have you ever wanted to give someone a hug or even a pat on the back knowing you would pop them like a balloon? I never could play with others kicking or throwing anything to them. I was never able to interact with anyone in any physical way. This spell will allow me to at least, when within the spell-like normal people. I can play games run, jump, and play fight with the martial arts us taught me so far. So, you tell me is it worth five minutes of indescribable pain or a lifetime of restricted contact.¡± Sky wiped away tears that never stopped. ¡°I don¡¯t want to feel alone surrounded by people.¡± It looked like Sky was committed to casting the spell once she got to okay she was confident she would get the okay even through her sniffles.

    Fred wasn¡¯t sure what to do, but he didn¡¯t want her to suffer. ¡°Sky is there any way I could cast the spell once you had it drawn in the air like now? I want to save you the pain let me cast it; I don¡¯t want to see you suffer again like I did when you were soft or when the aliens attacked you.¡± Fred was seriously trying to persuade her into letting him cast it, and Joe looked like he was just beaten to the question as if Fred stole his thunder.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not possible even though you want to try. You would more likely pass out or die from shock before you reach the point of the spell going into the automation part. Fred when you push the heavy bag how many litres of magic do you think you used¡±? Sky¡¯s eyes cleared up slightly knowing it was a matter of time before she got her spell cast.

    Fred thought about it for a second. ¡°Maybe two, three litres of pure magic. It was a tremendous amount of magic to be used at once for me.¡± Fred felt dizzy as the whole thing hit home. He just said the two or three litres were a tremendous amount when Sky was contemplating a total of over FOUR BILLION LITRES of magic on a single incantation. No one ever used that much magic at once it was insane to even think about. ¡°In the total known universe, I don¡¯t think in one year there was that much used in all the magic castings combined. How do you know you won¡¯t die from shock from using that much magic? What makes you so sure you can pull it off¡±?Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    Sky wiped away the last tears from her face. "I know because the aliens just took a whole lot more than that in the last attack. Plus, it was just from three of the elements, not all of them. I can handle it at least until it becomes self-automated. If you want, you can watch the incantation from inside a bubble like the one you and I were in teaching me how to regulate my magic? It might help if you could cast healing spells while I perform the incantation. The only thing is I should sever all links to my magic wells temporarily. Till I start the incantation, you can fill a reservoir of magic like your old wells to use while you¡¯re cut off from my source. Just let me finish my steel chew stick, and we can cast a spell on the practice room door. We have to empty it first or bring in new stuff after unless you want to keep fixing the heavy bag and matting constantly if and when I go in first.¡± All hints of tears were gone now as Sky bit off a piece of steel bar and started chewing.

    Joe was the one to beat Fred to answer. ¡°We¡¯ll cast a constant wide range healing spell even if it gives us magic burn. We¡¯ll heal each other and you while you cast your spell, that way you won¡¯t feel any pain or at least very little.¡±

    Fred and Joe looked way more receptive of the idea of the incantation than before. They looked a little excited at witnessing another major spell being performed. Sky made her way to exit the bridge. ¡°Conny, could you let mommy and daddy I¡¯ll need to eat a big snack after the incantation, or an even early dinner. The new spell is going to take a lot of physical energy along with the magic. Have them cook my favourite snacks and bring them to the practice room so Fred and Joe can try them! Don¡¯t forget to say pretty please with red fruit on top when you ask.¡±

    A vidscreen popped up in front of the exit before anyone could pass through. ¡°Sky what mischief are you dragging Fred and Joe into now. I hope it¡¯s not dangerous you know they¡¯re not like you¡±? Rocssanna said with a smile knowing Sky would never put them in any danger. If you¡¯re not planning to blow something up, those snacks you asked for when you would like them? And how are Fred and Joe going to eat your snack? Are you planning to pre-chew the snacks for them¡±? Rocssanna laughed at her joke.

    Fred and Joe looked disgusted at the thought. Sky just laughed with her. ¡°I won¡¯t try that again anytime soon; I like eating food not wearing it.¡± Joe was about to ask what happened when he felt a sharp pain shooting up his arm from Fred squeezing it, and he was shaking his head side to side. Joe quickly got the hint and dropped the unasked question. ¡°I think the spell will take about an hour to complete in total. That¡¯s preparing for it, casting it, and doing a basic test to see how effective it is. Maybe I should get some rocknuts and other things now so we can snack on them while we test the spell.¡± Sky turned to the men following her. ¡°Captain Fred Sir, I would like permission to run ahead and get a few snacks while you and Mr. Joe prepare to be separated from my magic wells during the casting. I shouldn¡¯t feel anything if you take a hundred thousand litres of the ones you have access to and top off your affinity also.¡±

    Before Fred could answer, Sky was gone. The fact Sky disappeared didn¡¯t phase Fred, but the amount of magic she suggested did. Before Sky, archmages and a few sorceresses were only able to hold that much magic. He wasn¡¯t even sure without the link if they could hold any more magic than what they did previously. Sky may have altar them somehow in the magic department on a metaphysical level. Well, they¡¯ll soon find out when they build up the magic in their wells.

    ¡°Have you ever imagined holding that much magic before? I never thought of magic in the tens of thousands let alone hundreds of thousands of litres. Fred, do you think we¡¯ll be able to hold that much without the link with Sky¡±? Joe was stating the same concern as Fred was just contemplating.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to find out won¡¯t we¡±? Fred said just outside the practice room.

    They both walked in the room and took the lotus position on the floor and set about adding a tank for each element Sky had given them. It was odd seeing the two sitting in their uniforms dead still with big grins on their faces. The magic they held even though it wasn¡¯t their own would make any magic user jealous. Grins and all they quickly formed huge tanks to contain the magic. Joes¡¯ mindscape was not as intricate as Fred¡¯s¡¯ because he never had the chance to see one with his own eyes like Sky had shown Fred. They both were efficient in their task and completed it in minutes.

    Fred opened his eyes shortly after completing filling the new tanks.

    Sky skipped in shortly after holding a small bag in her hands. Whatever was in the bag made clacking and clanking sound as she shook it while she skipped along? Seeing her two senior officers, she quickly changed into a more subdued walk. ¡°I got some snacks for after the spell and for during the testing part. I have all the confidence it will work, but which one should go first we¡¯ll decide after the casting. Captain Fred Sir. Do you mind if I take the lead for this spell and set the positions? I must cast a few spells before I cut you off from my magic during the spell. One of them is to bring you into my mindscape, and the other is to set up the incantation itself. Joe Sir. You might find some of it disturbing like Fred, but I think you¡¯ll cope just fine. So, do I have your permission to take the lead, Fred Sir.¡±? Sky asks standing to attention all one and a half metres of her with the power to dwarf them all hundreds of times over, if not even more.

    Fred answered her ¡°This is your show we¡¯re here for your support and medical back up. Is there anything we can expect to happen while we¡¯re in your mindscape that we should worry about¡±? Fred smiled knowing the last time he could¡¯ve used more of a warning at some of the things she did while in her mindscape.

    Sky pounder for a second with a grin growing across her face. ¡°There will be no floor only space, the spell will be here in its entirety, plus you will see a lot more of me than ever before.¡± Sky waved her hand, and the room went pitch black, and they couldn¡¯t see anything. A glow started at their feet revealing a large white disc and nothing but an empty void around them all. Sky was the only person floating in the void. ¡°If you want you can step from the discs and walk around or even fly about. I suggest you get used to it in here. While you guys are adapting, I¡¯m going to set the spells and incantations. It shouldn¡¯t take long.¡± Sky held up a hand, and the ball of magic containing the spells and incantations appeared. What took Fred and Joe by surprise was when Sky, actually started using some archaic words to make the incantations take form. The two men forgot about the void as they watched her work the incantations. Sky¡¯s voice grew with power, and energy surged around them. The magic ball grew to full visible size in an instant. This time they felt a chill as the spell circles pass through themselves. It happened so fast they didn¡¯t have a chance to react before it was over. She turned to Fred and Joe, whose faces showed the shock of her use of spoken archaic words in her incantation.

    ¡°You never used any of the arcane language before, who taught you them¡±? Fred asked after getting some composure back.

    Sky answered him. ¡°Conny and her magical database. To learn something, you need to know the building blocks to make a good foundation on which to build your knowledge. I learned the arcane language during the first day as I was snooping on the deck ¡ª the book. Words of Power and How to Use them was very well written and helpful. Conny filled in the blanks of the missing words and meanings. I¡¯m using arcane words because this spell has a lot of depth and emotions involved; it just seemed right to say them out loud. If you two are ready, Fred could you hold on to my right wrist, and Joe you¡¯re on my left. Do this is just till the actual incantation starts, and you might want to close your eyes. There¡¯s going to be a whole lot of me showing.¡± The two men watched as Sky stepped out from herself then, repeatedly within minutes there were hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands, each one taking up a position in front of a set of spell circles. After she stopped replicating there was over Five hundred thousand Sky''s. Her clone¡¯s hair changed colours to match the magic they held; some even had multi-coloured hair. ¡°Okay I¡¯m cutting you off from the magic and starting the first part of the incantation, there will be no stopping it once it starts the clones are just extensions of my being, like an extra arm or leg. The Sky you hold is the real ME, as they complete their task they will disappear with the magic flowing through the spell circles in front of them.¡±

    Joe called out. ¡°When do you want us to start casting the healing spells¡±?

    Sky answered him looking straight ahead towards the centre of the incantation. ¡°Once I start speaking in the arcane language you can start casting the healing spell. Between all the clones and I, we¡¯re going to be pumping out a whole lot of magic at once. It¡¯s going to be continuous for the whole five minutes.¡± They had no spell circles in front of them, nor behind yet they were surrounded by them. Sky took a couple of deep breathes, and it looked like all her clones were doing the same, one clone was just over a metre away, with fiery red hair. In Sky like fashion having to change everything known in magic to date. She called out. ¡°Ready let¡¯s begin¡±! It started as a low rumble in her throat and with over five hundred thousand clones building to an almost deafening roar, they shouted the first arcane word of the incantation, startling the two men at her sides. Her, or rather their shouts focused on the centre of the incantation and the spell circles before the clones. The next words started softly and built quickly to a punctuation shout; this was repeated over four times before Fred or Joe got over the vertigo of the shouting and the magical pressure around them. Fred brought up his wrist tablet and cast the first healing spell. Sky¡¯s face had beads of sweat running down her face as her chanting progressed. After the first word, all the clones seemed to be saying something different. Joe cast the next spell of healing, Sky¡¯s voice never wavered, but her body was trembling.

    Fred started to cast one after another as fast as he could, putting in more and more magic per casting forgetting to add the feeling and intent. Joe started to do the same, casting healing spells as fast as he could, feeling the beginning of magic burn and then felt the healing take effect. Sky¡¯s body stopped shaking was the only visual sign that the spell was affecting. It was getting harder to cast the spells as the chorus was at an almost deafening height. Clones started to disappear leaving a rush of magic spewing into a spell circle. Around them, all the magic was going into a spell packet and coming out something different, something beautiful. The spells all converged into the centre circle that became a black hole, sucking up the magic. Fred could see blood trickling from Joe¡¯s ears and knew the trickle of moisture coming from his was the same. The healing spells kept them from going deaf; but also, kept their hearing perfect just to burst again. The pain never had a chance to be felt before the magic took it away. The blood was the only sign of the damage to their hearing. All the clones were gone, but the sound remained. To Fred and Joe, it seemed like forever and a day before the silence came.

    Sky was hanging unconscious in the void, startling Fred and Joe, they both remember and started to cast a healing spell with all the emotion they had. It was after the healing spells were cast they seen the smile of contentment on her face. With hardly a movement she opened her bag of treats and gave the men each a rocknut from the bag. ¡°Let¡¯s rest a bit and we¡¯ll try the spell. It was a little more intense than I thought it would be.¡± She said with a grimace. ¡°The stupid aliens attacked while we¡¯re performing the spell and I had to put extra magic out to compensate for what they took. If it weren¡¯t for you, my two heroes, the spell would have failed.¡± The void shimmered and a lush grassy field came up gently to meet them, fragrant flowers dotted the field adding to the serene feeling. Fred and Joe landed on their feet, while Sky gracefully landed sleeping on her side. Fred took off his jacket and laid it over Sky¡¯s sleeping form, took two steps away and laid down himself. Looking back to Joe, he was already asleep.

    They had a restful sleep when Rocssanna and William woke them up. Sky was still sleepy when William picked her up. ¡°Daddy everybody¡¯s got to go outside first then walk in again, with me being first. I want everyone to be like me the first time.¡± Sky let herself go limp in her father¡¯s arms as they all walked out the door. Rocssanna nor William mentioned anything about the blood on the men¡¯s ears and neck. Sky would have made sure they were okay before sleeping. To Fred and Joe passing through the doorway was like passing through a wall of water not a doorway. Once in the corridor, William shook Sky slightly, and she stirred up to full wakefulness. Giving her dad a kiss on the cheek she got down from his arms. ¡°Is everyone ready to see my world? You¡¯ll gain all my magic affinities, strength, speed and density. We¡¯ll be able to touch with no worries about hurting anyone. I won¡¯t seem like living marble.¡± Sky said looking back at her Daddy rolling her eyes as she walked through the doorway. As she passed through the entrance, nothing seemed to happen. One by one they passed through the doorway, and just Fred and Joe felt any difference. It was not what they expected.

    Fred walked to Sky, slightly disappointed the spell didn¡¯t seem to work. With a frown that changed into amazement when he squeezed her shoulder, and it felt like human flesh. She felt like a real flesh and blood person; she quickly encircled him what she could and hugged him, a real heartfelt hug. After Sky ran to her parents and hugged them in turn, tears of joy freely flowing down their faces, in this room, they had a daughter they could hold with not worrying about being hurt by her uncontrollable strength.

    Joe was waiting to get a hug from Sky but decided to wait for the parents to get their fill of her love. He decided to try some of her ridiculous strength and looked around what to try it on. Seeing the heavy bag, he ran to it to see what he could do. The air swished through his hair, and he almost ran into it. He didn¡¯t even feel like he ran that hard. His muscles felt the same, but they were tremendously stronger than before. He sized up the heavy bag and flicked it with his finger; the impact caused the heavy bag to explode as if hit with a large calibre gun. The sound of the impact caused everyone¡¯s head to turn in his direction. Joe looked a little sheepish when a streak of blue came up to him. Sky was up close to him in a blink of an eye. ¡°You get all strong and everything, and the first thing you do is break your heavy bag. It was never carried through the door, so it has no reset spell on it. I suggest you fix it, carry it out, back in and try a really good punch on it. The punch should be able to ignite the stuffing, Joe Sir.¡± Sky gave Joe a heartfelt hug. ¡°Thanks for being here with me and helping me remain conscious long enough to complete the spell. I would have passed out from the pain and lost all the magic to the aliens. The kiss on the cheek he received was not the painful experience he had before. He barely felt the kiss but was thankful all the same. He felt kind of like her father, not just an older friend. He hugged her back feeling her as a person, not an animated metal object. ¡°There are so many things I want to try; everyone takes for granted like play ball. The simple act of catch I could never do after I was four years old. After giving daddy a tummy ache when I hit him with the ball. I have no things to throw, do you have anything we could play with. So, what could we do? I know we could play martial arts. Have you tried the rocknut I gave you¡±?

    Joe felt the object in his pocket and brought it out before it felt heavy and solid. Now it felt light and almost spongy. It smelt like roasted nuts, he gingerly popped it in his mouth, and he could feel it crush in his mouth. He rolled his tongue causing it to powder as if melting, that¡¯s when the flavour assaulted his tongue. It was an amazing flavour in between hazelnuts and smoked jerky. Sky watched his face as he enjoyed the treat. She handed him another nut which he took gratefully; the flavour was a combination he never experienced before. ¡°I have never had anything like this ever, is all the food you eat like this¡±?

    Sky looked up into his face and smiled. ¡°I have many types of food that are pretty tasty, but not all are that tasty. Sometimes the food I eat is usually hard or tough because I don¡¯t like foods so soft. Close your eyes and try this and see what you think, but don¡¯t swallow it.¡± Sky twisted a piece of steel from a bar in her snacks and popped it in Joe¡¯s mouth. Fred and her parents came over to where Joe and Sky were standing. Joe smoothed the paste with his tongue and chewed the odd treat. There was an almost weird taste in his mouth, and he asked Sky. ¡°What is the treat you gave me there is not much flavour to it, and it doesn¡¯t melt in my mouth like the rocknuts.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a chunk of steel, that¡¯s why I told you not to swallow it. I have no idea what would happen if you were to eat it and left the room. It might ruin your tummy before your body absorbs it, and a regular healing spell would do nothing for you. You would have to use my advanced healing spell to get rid of the steel in your tummy and heal yourself at the same time.¡±

    Joe pulled the piece of steel from his mouth; it looked like gum. I¡± never thought it would be possible to chew any metal like gum. When you ate the metal, did the bar hurt your stomach¡±?

    ¡°No, it just goes in, and it goes out just like all foods do. I can eat and drink anything without making myself sick as for you Joe Sir. I don¡¯t know about your tummy; mine was always tough.¡±

    Fred tried the rocknut Sky gave him. After popping it in his mouth, his eyes widened in surprise at the taste. ¡°These are good; I can¡¯t understand why you don¡¯t eat these all the time.

    Sky handed him another rocknut, which he accepted it with without a tiny bit of hesitation and popped it in his mouth. Fred heard the nut being crushed by his tongue. What he felt was a creamy texture of flavour wash over his taste buds.

    "Sensei Fred, can we play martial arts after snacking"? Sky asked while watching him enjoy the rocknut. "You could show me another two katas and then the moves that make up the basis of all the katas so far." Sky was still talking while handing out pieces of dried fruit or vegetable.

    Fred had the fruit in his mouth in one go, thinking it was going to be like the rocknut. He was dead wrong, one was super sweet, and the second was sour. He was pondering on spitting out the one. When Sky started to giggle at the face, he was most likely making. Fred forgot about correcting her about her asking to play martial arts.

    "You didn''t wait for me to tell you how to eat them, Sensei Fred Sir. I''ve been eating them together for years. The fruit is too sweet, and the vegetable offsets the sweetness. Try and rotate the two in your mouth as quickly as possible." Fred did as she suggested and the two flavours came to life in his mouth. It was an indescribable taste sensation he was going through. "They taste amazing together don''t they, that¡¯s when you eat them together. I tried blending than in a bowl, but it was too mushy YUCK. Let''s play martial arts after you¡¯re done, Sensei Fred Sir." Sky saw that Joe was eager to try the two pieces also. She reached into her bag and brought out two different pieces and put them in Joe''s upturned hand. He looked a little disappointed they weren''t the same as Fred had, but took them just the same. He gave a brief pause and raised his eyebrow, to signal Sky if there was a trick to eating these new treats. Sky smiled. "You chew the green piece quickly without swallowing. Then chew the black one on the other side of your mouth. Then blend them and swish them around in your mouth. Try and leave it in your mouth if possible. The taste gets better as it dissolves in your mouth.¡± Sky motioned him to eat them. "Go ahead chew the first one quickly and try not to taste it till you chew the second one and mix them. It''s well worth the effort once you get them mixed.

    Joe hesitantly put the green piece in his mouth when it hit his tongue he gagged. Sky was telling him to chew quicker. He tried to go faster, but the taste was horrid. He put it off to the side and popped the black one in his mouth. He winced at the taste and looked at Sky with disgust. She was telling him to chew it. As he chewed the second piece the first was causing his mouth to salivate profusely. He was about to spit the whole mess out when the juices came together over his tongue. It became tolerable, he finished chewing the black one and then mixed the two. The flavour was out of the galaxy, sweet, buttery, and smooth. It made him feel great, and he felt his body relax. It wasn''t until he saw the colours that he thought of asking if they had a narcotic effect. Joe was watching colours swirling around everyone and smiled at the lazy colours around Rocssanna and William. Fred¡¯s colours were as fast as his own, but Sky had no colour just blackness. That was until he looked out when the colours slowed down out from her body about twelve meters. Sky was different any way you looked at her. Joe looked around again, and seen colours go mute, and the flavours slowly subsided also. The euphoric feeling remained for a short time after.

    Fred was talking to Sky. "Sky you don''t play martial arts, you practice, and you perform martial arts. Yes, I''ll show you the next two katas and brake down the katas into the individual parts. I''ll show you how to put them together in a fight.¡± Sky stopped him and just shook her head smiling. "What are you thinking, Sky"?

    "Fred, you don''t have to show me how you put together the parts. I can do that just like I can magic once you''ve shown me the individual moves. We can practice the practical application with Joe too. I can watch you and Joe spare first to see how gently you fight.¡± Sky looked at Joe smacking his lips as he finished his snack. "Joe, wouldn''t you like to try fighting with your new strength and almost equal strength against Fred"?

    Joe smiled and looked you to Fred. "You say there will only be a slight difference in strength and speed? You also said that no one could get hurt for long, and no one can die"?

    "Don''t get carried away in your thoughts of an equal fight. Fred can go all out too and not hold back also. Don''t forget I go next; I''ll fight the winner after I see how hard I can fight back.¡± Sky was looking between Fred and Joe with a growing smile. The two spied the other and wondered if they should throw the fight.

    Fred clamped his hand on Sky''s shoulder and felt solid muscles, not solid steel. He looked at her and gave a smile. "I think it would be okay to cast that, um Bubble of Learning Katas. After seeing you cast this one that was way more complex. I feel confident in your magic abilities for you to cast it.¡±

    "Fred, I cast the spell before you started the first kata you showed me." Sky said smiling.

    Fred was surprised at what Sky said. "I felt no magic coming from you at all, and that would have been a tremendous amount of magic to use at once." Fred was confused at Sky''s admission.

    Sky sighed and slumped her shoulderrs. "I inverted the spell to keep the aliens from the spent magic. The spell was also inverted so you would not have felt anything. I didn''t tell you I cast it because that way you could concentrate on the katas. You would have tried to see if you felt something weird or anything and divided your attention. So, let¡¯s finish off the snacks and start the lessons in martial arts. Sky gave the two men the pieces she gave the other and watched their expressions of revolt to utter joy as they learned to enjoy her snacks.

    Rocssanna and William were not just watching her daughter, but we''re trying a few spells they knew they didn''t have the magic to do before. They found it was just not in their nature to be skilled in magic other than something practical. If they couldn''t use it in everyday life, they didn''t need to learn it. It was just that simple. They had Conny show them the healing spell Sky had modified for Fred and Joe. They found they couldn''t test it on anything they had on because anything they ripped or broke was instantly repaired by the spell Sky had cast on the doorway. Rocssanna walked to the other heavy bag opposite to the one Joe flicked and gave it a punch that ignited the stuffing sending out a fiery spray across the room. William was right there beside her casting the healing spell they had just learned. It worked perfectly, and the bag was back hanging with no damage.

    Conny was the one to surprise everyone when she repaired the heavy bag Joe destroyed and gave it a roundhouse kick, cutting it in half. After she repaired it once more, she walked over to Fred, and she asked if she could join in the martial arts. Sky disappeared from view and sent Conny flying as she embraced the now physical manifested AI. The two hit the wall on the other side of the ship almost breaching the hull. Pulling themselves from the wreckage Sky healed the wall and proceeded to cast a barrier on the walls, floor and ceiling with a slight blush. Sky found herself holding Conny''s hands smiling into her face.

    "Sure, you can practice with us. I''ve got to learn a bit more and then we can do all sorts of stuff together on my off time.¡± Sky pulled Conny to her into an in a brace and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°Girlfriend¡±!

    Sky and Conny walked back to the dumbfounded group. "The walls, floor and ceiling are now protected from harm unless you intentionally damage them with magic. Conny is going to fight in the third round.¡±

    Fred and Joe were now seriously considering throwing the fight.

    Fred swallowed the last pieces of the treats Sky had given him. He gave Joe a crossed look. ¡°It was good, but you could have warned me of the narcotic effect, Joe.¡± He clapped his hands to gather their attention. "Sky class is about to begin to take your position front and centre.¡± Sky let go of Conny¡¯s hand and stepped up in front of Fred. Everyone else walked off to the side giving them plenty of room. Fred addressed Sky "I''m going to perform the third and the fourth kata they both have moves that are the same as before and new simple strikes and kicks. The fourth kata moves are to disarm and to bring a person into submission. The moves are going to be quick and precise, but I''m sure you can follow. I will bow between the katas, so you know when one starts and finishes. You can cast the spell now if you wish.¡± Sky made no motion and never broke eye contact with Fred. Fred just smiled at her turned and took the stance before starting. "Begin,¡± Fred shouted startling all, but Conny and Sky.

    Rocssanna, William, Joe and Conny watched Sky mirror, Fred, perfectly. It was like Fred was moving for Sky. Decades of practice could not have them synchronize any more perfectly. Fred was moving faster than he would normally have. He has finished his first demonstration in half the time. He didn''t take the time to notice he was too caught up in the movements. He bowed just before starting the second kata. He was going even faster than before, Fred and Sky disappeared briefly from sight at times. Within seconds they have finished the kata.

    Fred stood in front of Sky. ¡°Did you get that Sky; could you show me the katas? Just let me know when you¡¯re ready to start¡±? Fred stood back and gave Sky some room.

    Sky was smiling and took the stance of the third kata. With a bow, she flashed through the movements. While she went through the routine, Fred was fading in and out of sight. He was watching in fast motion and walked around checking Sky¡¯s progress. It was done in seconds, and she smiled and started the fourth kata. She was impeccable in the execution of what she was taught and amazedly fast. Fred was surprised in how fast their lessons were going. She was going to be a master in the martial arts by the time they picked up the new crew members. Sky bowed to Fred as she finished the fourth kata. Fred wanted to find something wrong with Sky¡¯s performance because it didn¡¯t feel like teaching if you weren¡¯t giving out advice. He just had to hope she didn¡¯t pick up the practical application of the fighting moves then. He was not going to hold his breath on that either. He was going to try and do his best to keep up to her thirst for knowledge in all things.

    Fred patted Sky on the back praising her katas and started to show her the separate moves of the first two katas. He stood beside her and told her. ¡°These are the individual moves that make up the basic punches, blocks, and kicks. Generally, you do these in great repetition, so you get the moves correct and engrained into your mind. I think that would be a waste of time. I¡¯ll show you the moves, and you follow me as I go. After I¡¯ll call out a move, and you do it with no hesitation. We¡¯ll break down all the moves for each kata. I¡¯ll repeat the tests as we go. With speed, we seem to move now; you¡¯ll likely surpass Joe in two maybe three hours.¡± Fred didn¡¯t tell her that she could surpass him in another half a day if they had the right teacher, a Grand Master. Fred took his stance and Sky followed suit.

    Sky was beaming happily on the inside; she was learning almost as fast as she could. Fred didn¡¯t seem like he was in slow motion like all her other teachers. His movements were fast, and she could keep up without feeling like she had to be sluggish. For Sky, this was the perfect learning environment for her. She was going to have to thank Fred all over again after the lessons and tell him how much this training means to her. The moves could be thought of almost like complex mathematical equations. The correct answer was victory and life. Sky was smiling on the outside, paying great attention to Fred.

    Joe watched them practice, while Conny and the Knights were learning a few spells from Conny now they had the magic for the spells. Joe knew the moves and could do them to near perfection almost as good as Fred. Joe had his interpretation on some of the moves which caused him to be held back from advancing to the next level. Watching Fred and Sky, he felt somewhat left out. He went over to the heavy bag and started to tap it, and the stupid thing burst open with just a few jabs. ¡®I don¡¯t think this is going to work in my present state of physical strength.¡¯ Joe thought to himself. ¡®If I¡¯m going to get any practice in I¡¯ll have to wait for Sky and Fred to finish the basics to spare with Fred.¡¯ Joe resigned to his fate of a good fight at super everything. He decided just to watch Sky train and see if he could pick up a few moves he might have forgotten (Yeah, Right).

    Fred was getting to the part in the training where you taught the throws, holds, and the locks on certain joints and body parts. Sky was quite a bit shorter then he was and didn¡¯t feel right showing her, but had no other choice. ¡°Sky I¡¯m going to show you a throw. I¡¯ll show you in slow motion so pretend to throw a slow cross punch to my stomach.¡±

    Sky quickly stood in front of Fred and punched at Fred, who in seemed equal speed blocked, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her off balance and threw her over his hip. He didn¡¯t need you to do the last part because she was so small compared to him, but that was the move. Sky had a surprised expression on her face, then a smile. ¡°Is it my turn now to throw you, Sensei Fred Sir.? I¡¯ll be gentle I promise. You¡¯re as tough as I¡¯m now so you¡¯ll be able to take it, right¡±? Fred had a brief hesitation before answering

    ¡°Are you sure you got the move right a lot of students don¡¯t get it because they were concentrating on not getting hurt¡±? Fred asked her as he helped her to her feet.

    With her fists on her hips glaring up at him. ¡°After all the things, I¡¯ve done, you think a little throw is going to take all my concentration. While you were throwing, me I was thinking about all the possible punches it would work on, and even a few of the kicks too. So, if you want to show me a few more different throws, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve got it.¡±

    Fred wasn¡¯t sure what to think of his cheeky student and decided to test her. Without warning, he came at her with an uppercut to the chin. It would have been to her stomach had she been taller; but she was too short of making for her abdomen with any grace. To Fred astonishment, Sky smirked, and he realized he was just baited. In a fluid motion, Fred found himself on his back, looking up to the Sky¡¯s.

    ¡°Are you Okay Mr. Fred Sir.¡±? Sky asked her downed teacher.

    Fred grasped Sky¡¯s offered hand as he did for her. ¡°That¡¯s Sensei Fred to you, little green hopper.¡± He was finally able to correct her, even if it was in how she addressed him. ¡°I see you¡¯re learning the martial arts as fast as magic. Do you want to take a short break or continue? You¡¯ve learned about six weeks¡¯ worth of training in about twenty minutes.

    Sky smiled up to Fred shaking her head. She showed no sign of effort, not even a bead of sweat on her face. ¡°I¡¯m good to go if you want to continue with the lessons.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then we¡¯ll continue till we have no more time or you quit,¡± Fred said standing with his massive arms crossing his equally huge chest. Sky was not intimidated in the least as he tried to get her to cower slightly. ¡°There are the submission holds and different takedowns you have yet to show me. I think if you want to pick up the pace I can handle it. I was going to wait till after to thank you for teaching me at more my speed than a little child. At school, the teachers there went painfully slow and didn¡¯t teach much in a day. Math was like pulling hair. One plus one equals two, two plus one equals three.¡± Sky said this in a slow drawl acting like a mindless zombie. ¡°The way you¡¯re teaching me is like, one plus one is two and so on. Ten take away one is nine till you reach zero, then it goes into the negative numbers. The division is breaking something into parts. Ten divided by two is five. Ten into five is two. Do you follow, very good? Multiplying is simple to, it when you take the number and increase the amount of itself a set amount determined by another number. Two times two is four, do you follow. Okay, there¡¯s your basic math. Thankfully you¡¯re taking years of tedious repetition and condensing it into something less mind-numbing as repeating it over and over. Your so kind to show me once and move on knowing I understood the first time. I am so happy you have enough trust in my understanding and not teach like some little baby. Thank You So Much Sensei Fred Sir.¡± Sky radiated happiness, and it was infectious.

    Fred clamped his hands on her shoulders and gave a squeeze. ¡°You¡¯re my first solo student, and I¡¯m glad to work with you one on one. I certainly can pick up the pace. Just do as I say when I say. I¡¯ll try and not repeat any moves. If you find something repetitive, let me know, and we¡¯ll move on. I think this is going to go faster than I thought even at first.¡± Fred just showed her the moves after that and didn¡¯t ask her to show him what she learned. Sky was being thrown, knocked down, twisted about, and pinned. All of this was done in super speed.

    Joe watched the two training and went through all the katas. The pair were eerily silent as the katas were preformed, just the sound of whistling air as they moved. As Joe watched, he knew the sparing would be happening soon. He decided to do a little mental preparation and got into the lotus position. In his mindscape, there were five huge tanks of magic. He made them disappear, and a dojo appears instead. He bowed as he walked through the door. Around the walls stood his opponents of various heights and builds. He walked to the centre and bowed to the four sides effectively bowing to everyone. He faced a man larger than Fred, a man he had lost to in the past, repeatedly. With a smile, Joe beckoned him to attack with his hand. The fight started at an inhuman speed. Punches, kicks, and grabs were all knocked aside till Joe seen his opening. Three well-placed punches to the man¡¯s vitals and a throw for good measure ended the fight. He bowed to the fallen man, and another took his place. Two hits, a punch and a kick it was over. Two people, then three, then it was all against him. He weaved in between the fighters giving more than he took. The fighters big and small fell at his hands and feet. Till two remained, the last two had not attacked him. Standing side by side were Fred and Sky. At the same time, they rushed him saying. ¡°Are you ready for this¡±? Joe was vaguely aware of a gentle hand on his cheek. A soft angelic voice is calling to him from outside of the dojo. The dojo disappeared along with the two adversaries; he was back in the real world. Sky was holding his cheek with a smile. Her face was glowing and a single bead of sweat running down her nose. She didn¡¯t have a sour, sweaty smell most get when sweating, but an almost sweet smell came from her.

    Sky rubbed his cheek ¡°Wakey-wakey, we ready to start sparing if you are? Fred just finished throwing me around, and I¡¯m eager to try some of the moves he showed me. Here let me help you up.¡± Sky stood and held out her hand in offering.

    Joe took the offered hand and felt a small soft and gentle hand in his, it wasn¡¯t like holding steel with a monster¡¯s grip; but a normal hand. Joe untangled his legs and pulled on the offered hand. It was soft, but he felt no give when he pulled himself up. There was a tremendous strength behind the tiny hand. He got the impression that the offer to help him up was not just out of one type of kindness. It was also a warning that said. ¡®I may be small but don¡¯t think I¡¯m weak.¡¯ Joe took note of everything around him in a glance Conny was still with the Knights talking about their past and things Sky did. Fred was wiping beads of sweat from his brow. He glowed from a good workout. He looked pumped, his uniform looked to be tighter. Joe thought to himself with an insight of self-preservation. ¡°Fred, do you think it¡¯s wise to spare in our uniforms, shouldn¡¯t we put on our Kung-foo uniform first¡±?

    Fred shook his head. ¡°I said the same thing to Sky, and she.¡± Sky cut in. ¡°Excuse me Sensei Fred Sir. Joe Sir, I have no Kung-foo uniform and any damage done to the uniform will be repaired instantly. Plus, only when you¡¯re fighting in a dojo would you wear a Kung-foo uniform when in battle you wear a uniform so why not take advantage of the opportunities of what this room now offers. No need to hold back, you can go all out. If you get hurt a healing spell will fix you up before you feel any pain. Broken arms, legs, or neck no problem fixed before you know it. Crushed body you bounce back up. Busted ribs, punctured lung, perforated intestines not to worry. Anything that happens in here will be fixed before you feel any real pain. It would be like a pinprick. Joe and Fred visibly paled hearing she describe the little pain you would feel. They both were thinking do we share her pain threshold also. If she can shrug off getting her arms broken, can we.

    ¡°Joe, we don¡¯t need to go all out at first. Let¡¯s go at normal speed and see how it goes. If we find it easy and not as painful as regular sparing, we can pick up the pace? What do you say buddy ol¡¯ pal? Fred offers Joe a handshake. A ritual they had before a sparring match with only a computer AI voice as a judge.

    Joe took Fred¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s do this¡±! Together they walked back from each other and took their preferred stance. Sky standing off to the side was soaking in the movements. Joe didn¡¯t feel it, but he was now encased in the same bubble Fred was. A ping sound chimed from nowhere, and the fight began. The two circled each other slowly at first. Fred was fast and had a lot of natural power behind his body. Then Joe remembered the spell of the room Fred now was only a fraction stronger then he was. Joe used his speed to get under Fred¡¯s guard and deliver a series of brutal punches to Fred¡¯s body. When Joe went for the takedown, Fred reversed the throw and through Joe instead. Joe landed on his feet and tried a leg sweep at Fred¡¯s legs. Fred hopped up, while low to the ground. Fred tried to kick Joe down. Joe grabbed Fred¡¯s leading foot and pulled Fred off balance, bringing him to the ground on his back. Joe quickly went for a leg lock; one Sky was never taught. Fred and Joe were momentarily stunned at the OOHH sound from Sky. Joe released Fred¡¯s leg and stood up. The two combatants saw Sky watching but not with the full intensity as before. Fred took full advantage of Joe to begin distracted and took him down in a flurry of kicks and punches. Joe became aware of a boot on his neck and his elbow and wrist lock set to be broken if he didn¡¯t tap out. Joe tapped twice, and Fred let go immediately.

    Fred offered Joe his hand, and Joe took it with a smile. ¡°That was a good fight, Joe, you almost had me.¡± Fred was smiling to, right until he made out Joe wasn¡¯t smiling to him but at him. Fred¡¯s heart flop as he saw Sky¡¯s face beaming as she hopped up and down in anticipation of her turn to fight.

    Joe patted Fred on the back. Let me guess you held a few moves back to give you an edge right. Well, let me ask you one thing. Which do you think is more complex The Imperial martial arts or the incantation that made all this possible? One more thing I might have had you but I didn¡¯t want to take the chance to have a nine-year-old girl kick my butt. Good luck ol¡¯ buddy.¡± Chuckling to himself Joe walked to Sky. ¡°I tried, but he''s just too good. I guess you¡¯re up next Sky. Good luck.¡±

    ¡°You almost had Fred, if only you continued with that leg thing you¡¯re trying to do, you would have had him. Fred never taught me that move. I guess it¡¯s like magic sometimes you can come up with some of your moves. Joe is that a secret move or can anyone use it? I came up with hundreds like it in my head. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re secret moves or not¡±? Sky had a slight look of apprehension on her face.

    Sky just looked so cute. Joe got down on one knee and hugged her. ¡°There are no secret moves once you seen them. There are moves only some people use because they¡¯re hard to do or use. But if you come up with a move use it. I should tell you when in the competition they¡¯re some things you shouldn¡¯t do. This area here is a no touch or hit zone.¡± Joe said pointing at his groin then to hers. ¡°In a real fight, anything goes. It¡¯s just polite not to hurt someone there.¡± Sky nodded at what Joe said.

    Sky seemed to maul it over ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve got plenty of moves I can try out still.¡± Fred and Joe winched at her words, even William who didn¡¯t hear shuddered at their manly discomfort. Fred forgot to tell her the rules. Sky hugged him back. ¡°Thank you, Joe Sir. I won¡¯t hit anybody down there or even make themselves do it either. I can think of plenty of other moves thanks to you. You are a Sensei too.¡± Sky released the hug stepped back and gave him a bow.

    As Fred thought about the fight he just had with Joe, it came to him. Joe lost, on purpose. Right after the near leg lock and Sky¡¯s look of recognition of the weakness of joints. His temporary ace was now gone. He could only hope his years of actual fighting might prevail. Fred thought to himself ¡®who am I kidding? I hope I don¡¯t go down too fast.¡¯ ¡°Sky you ready yet¡±? Fred called to Sky. ¡°Thanks to Joe, I remember to go over a few rules. No hits to the groin, and you must stop if a person taps out or can¡¯t continue. Sky faced him bowed and walked backwards not taking her eyes from her opponent. Fred remembered. ¡°Sky we finished training now you should remove the bubble before we spare. It might give you an advantage because I can¡¯t do the same.¡± Fred realized he phrased it wrong even before his sight enhanced. For a few seconds, Fred seen Sky from thousands of angles overlaid on his vision.

    ¡°There you go Sensei Fred Sir. Now you have the same sight I do, no more disadvantages then.¡± Fred might have been able to handle four of the windows with practice. He could see the possible advantages to seeing from more than one angle or even from mirrors. Thousands of views were just too much for any normal brains.

    With his eyes closed and the visions still there he pinching the bridge Fred waved to Sky ¡°That¡¯s quite alright Little Green Hopper neither of us should see what we normally can¡¯t see with just our eyes. Drop the castings, and we¡¯ll use our normal sight.¡± When he reopened his eyes, it was back to just ordinary vision. ¡°Just give me a second, and we¡¯ll start sparing.¡± Fred took a few quick breaths and psyched himself up to possibly get a beating. Looking at Sky, he could see the anticipation in her eyes. From the looks of Sky stance, she was trying to get her style of moves. Her smile was gone, and her movements slowed. Fred looked to his hands, and they were shaking. Taking another deep breath, he resigned to his fate. ¡°Are you ready Sky to start your sparring match¡±? Sky nodded and waved him over then bowed. Fred bowed back and took his stance and waited for the ping.

    When the ping sounded, they disappeared, and they met in the middle. They traded blows and blocks, kicks and dodges. The sounds were almost deafening from the impacts. To watch the match was like watching two dancers flow to unheard music, in super speed. One dancer practiced and precise in his movements with years of dancing behind him. The other graceful as a bird soaring on a breeze just after learning and testing its wings. Fred was thinking he had a chance at winning. He had almost caught Sky in a few arms holds, and Sky¡¯s shorter stature prevented her from doing the same. It was almost too late for Fred¡¯s ego when he realized Sky was systematically trying out moves down his body.

    When he found her rhythm, he struck and hit nothing. He found himself considering the matted floor. There was a sharp pain in his neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist. He was turning his head towards the pain, he saw Sky with her feet under his arm and against his neck her small right arm under his massive one. Her left hand had his wrist locked. To anyone else it looked comical, a tiny girl trying a submission hold on a giant of a man. The people in the room knew different. Fred could feel what that hold could do to him. She could dislocate his shoulder, brake his arm, or break his wrist. Rather than submit, he tried to power his way out.

    Sky grimaced ¡°Tap out Sensei Fred Sir; I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± Sky couldn¡¯t do it; she couldn¡¯t hurt Fred. She released her hold on him, and he rolled free. Fred came at her with a vicious kick to the head.

    Fred felt the contact with his feet and felt bad for an instant. Till he felt a pain going up his leg and he fell on his side. Sky had him in a partial leg lock, similar to the one Joe had used. Fred used his other leg to try and kick her off. He found out it was a mistake when he found two legs used in the new tighter leg lock. Trying to move got him nowhere. The difference in strength shouldn¡¯t be that much greater if it went by slight increments. That¡¯s when it dawned on him; he was second from the bottom, not from the top. There were three people between them William, Rocssanna, and Conny. Fred thought Joe was pretty strong when they fought; but not close enough to hold the leg lock. Fred never asked what the difference would be, between them. He didn¡¯t want to tap out, but to ask the nagging question he had to win or submit.

    Fred using his greater mass rolled to see if he could shake off Sky. She just rolled with him and didn¡¯t put any more pressure on his joints. Fred tried using the incredible strength he now possessed and managed a handstand with Sky attached to his legs. Fred used his arms to jump and flung himself four metres into the air. He twisted in the air so he would land with Sky under his legs.

    Fred watched Sky¡¯s face go from surprised to a smirk and a wink. She was going to do something or even had hundreds of things thought up to try.

    Sky saw the look of triumph on Fred¡¯s face and was surprised. She thought Fred knew he was being toyed with after he refused to submit, she just thought of wearing him out. She found not wearing the suppression suits it was easier to move, and she didn¡¯t get tired as quickly. As she fell to the mats, she came up with thousands of things to try. She used one he could not overcome, spinning him into unconsciousness. Sky smiled at that thought and saw Fred looking at her; she winked at him. Just as she was about to hit the ground, she landed on her hands easily supporting their combined weight. With her hands, she tried spinning them both. The problem was she was not big enough to keep them balanced, and Fred kept on trying to topple them over. She had to run around on her hands to keep him off balance.

    Sky was thinking to herself, ¡®I need to be bigger.¡¯ It was like an itch in the back of her mind; she was bigger; she just had to release it. Sky knew then she was not human at all but something different. She felt like a supercoiled spring with a hair trigger. She had to end the match to ask her parents what she was, what they were.

    Fred was surprised at what Sky was trying to do. She was going to spin him into unconsciousness if he didn¡¯t do something. He tried to throw his weight from side to side, but Sky just kept pace. Whenever she could, she spun him around, and he was starting to get a little dizzy. Sky suddenly stopped, and a shiver came up through her body. Fred right then had a vision of Sky growing huge. Without warning Sky, slammed Fred into the mats breaking his neck, and released him. Fred¡¯s felt super lite for a moment before everything when black.

    Fred came to with Sky holding his head in her lap. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sensei Fred Sir. The healing spell worked, but you still passed out. I guess it¡¯s not as perfect as we hoped. So, we should try and not break anyone¡¯s neck in the future. Did it hurt much¡±? Sky stroked the side of his head. ¡°It sounded pretty bad, your neck went completely sideways and snap, it broke. Then puff your neck was fine and your body relaxed. You just passed out for two seconds or so, to me that¡¯s a long time. Everyone was gathered around Fred and Sky. William and Rocssanna did not have the smile Joe did.

    As Fred got up, Rocssanna took Sky¡¯s hand and pulled her up to her feet. She was going to yell at her for breaking Fred¡¯s neck. Sky had other things to say. ¡°Mommy, daddy, I¡¯m not just a really strong human, am I? It¡¯s not some magic spell or incantation that makes me the way I am. It¡¯s a magic spell or incantation that keeps me the way I am. What am I, what are we? If I hadn¡¯t ended the match, soon I felt like I was going to explode into a giant. Even now I feel like I could suddenly get huge. Not quite as big as a Titan but halfway,¡± Sky didn¡¯t finish what she was saying and fell limp on the floor.

 Chapter Thirteen What Am I? (Part one) The Story Begins

    Chapter Thirteen

    What Am I?

    Conny raced to her side and scooped her up in her arms. ¡°William, Rocssanna, you have to tell her what she is soon. She¡¯s not going to be happy if she finds out on her own again and we¡¯re all going to be sorry if she grow-ups to her actual racial height anytime soon.¡± Conny turned to Fred with a scowl on her face. ¡°I can keep her under for a minute longer, and I rewound her memory to when Fred was in her leg lock. She let me do it in case she does something she would regret doing, and doesn¡¯t want to remember. Fred, you can¡¯t win, tap out this time. We might not be so lucky with her staying small. You didn¡¯t hear her scream for help in my virtual space. She was so close to growing into her Titan body; it would have happened in seconds if I hadn¡¯t put her to sleep.¡± Conny never took her eyes from Fred and never changed her scowl. So, Captain, Fred, Sir. If you like your ship and crew, please get into the position and get ready to tap out. She will know something happened and won¡¯t ask for two days as we discussed in a previous conversation.

    Fred with little hesitation got down on the mat and got roughly in the same position as before, and Conny place Sky¡¯s limp form into the second leg lock. She then put holo-projections of where everyone was before so they could get into the right places and stance. ¡°This is not to fool Sky but to give her a sense of everything turned out okay just that a reset was in order. She will likely think something happened to you, Fred.¡± Once everyone was in place, Conny put a tiny light sphere behind Sky¡¯s head where Fred could see it. ¡°Fred when the light goes out tap out. Just to let you know after Joe showed her how to be creative, no one can beat her now.¡±

    Fred felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu when Sky¡¯s body tightened, and the light went out. He quickly tapped out, and Sky released him. He watched her glance around and spotted Conny, giving her a slight nod of recognition. Fred felt bad for pushing Sky to a point where she felt like she was not good enough physically. She just wanted to be the best she could be. Sky bowed ¡°I didn¡¯t hurt you did I Fred Sir? If I did, I didn¡¯t mean to. Sometimes I got carried away when I was little, well younger. That¡¯s why I only give Mommy and Daddy butterfly hugs. I get all excited to go too fast, throw too hard, and play too crazy for anyone. I thought here I could let go a little. When you didn¡¯t submit, I thought I had to go harder and faster, so I did. I don¡¯t think I can help but be the best I can be; it¡¯s just in my nature. I was brought up always to do my best and never give up; there is a solution for everything if you look hard enough. Magic is my go-to solution now, it can solve so many problems, but not everything can be solved with magic. That¡¯s why I have heroes like you, Fred Sir, Mr. Joe, Conny, and my Mommy and Daddy.¡± Sky turned to smile at everyone in the room. ¡°I know something happened and Conny used one of my reset spells. I¡¯m sure she told you my conditions if anyone has something to say or tell me, I¡¯ll; wait two days before asking what happened. I¡¯m sorry if I hurt anyone and I will try and not let it happen again.¡±

    Some of Sky¡¯s inner light dimmed ever so slightly. Conny hug Sky from behind. ¡°We can have our match tomorrow, for now, let¡¯s ask Captain Fred if he minds us taking an early lunch. We can grab a shower come back here and play catch. How¡¯s that sound girlfriend¡±? Sky brightened a little bit, feeling the embrace from Conny and nodded yes. ¡°Captain Fred, can Sky leave for an early lunch and take the rest of the day off, please¡±?

    Fred went over to Sky and clasped her shoulder in his huge hand. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one day to rest then, I want you back here at twelve, Right after lunch. I¡¯ll see you at dinner at the latest until then you¡¯re dismissed.¡± Fred turned to Joe and gave him a slight grin. ¡°We will be practicing some of the new spells that someone so kindly updated in our ships name. We can¡¯t have it look like it was just for credits. We should also upgrade our MAD programs to the newer spells and Incantations. The new spells are now heavily encrypted to prevent the rogue mages from accessing them. Our AI interface has the access key to release the new spells and incantations. We¡¯ve been getting a request from all over the known universe. Even from the secret HUB of Magical Research has sent out requests. We¡¯ve got a lot to do before we pick up the new crew. It¡¯s probably a good thing Sky took some time off. We can get our updates done and contact the new crew with our ETA. We might even get some downtime of our own.

    Joe was watching Conny and Sky talk with William and Rocssanna. He found it amazing how quickly they accepted the AI hanging out with their daughter. He also hoped Sky takes the news of not being human well. She¡¯s got to know there¡¯s something different about her and her parents that makes them different. Joe was wondering if the people on the planet she grew up on making a difference in human development in such high gravity. Were they denser than the average human growing up in the extreme gravity? She¡¯s a genius, and she should have figured it out by now unless she¡¯s ignoring the facts till her parents tell her. She did say she liked to pretend and make belief.

    Fred opens his spell browser on his wrist tablet and checked for updates. There were three thousand four hundred and seventy-two new updates almost all were spells, and five were for software updates. All the updates were encrypted, and they just had a summary of what the new spells did and what magical affinity you needed. Fred sent a request for the key code to use the new updates. Conny sent him the code instantly. Fred tried the software updates first. The first update allowed the MAD to update all the new spells that match your magical affinities. The next update was more like a tutorial for regulating your magic wells and added a counter to the spells you can cast with the amount of magic you hold. It also allowed you to set a warning before magic burn. One other the other updates was kind of strange, it was an update for the magic caster. It read like a leaflet. Its title was the Happy Caster Could Be You. It was saying that you should cast with emotion if the intentions were good. That any harmful castings should be cast with regret not hateful or angry intent. Magic washes out from spells cast, and you get a type of feedback from the spells spent magic. Fred flagged some of the healing spells as guild secrets and was to be used for military emergencies. Luckily the pocket space spell was not among the updates, and many of the spells were the same but for different magical affinities. She seemed to like to keep magic users on even ground.

    Joe didn¡¯t take much time to look at the updates and just downloaded anything that was from Little Tooth. He had faith in Sky¡¯s magic and Fred¡¯s scrutiny on what he put in his wrist tablet. Fred would have warned him if there was anything not up to his standards. Joe was watching the funny names of the spell download and knew some would have to be taken out. One spell grabbed his attention, Human Battery. The title chilled him to his bones. Joe swore. ¡°What the caster of ruination was Sky thinking¡±? How could Sky write an incantation for such an evil thing let alone come up with the spell? Joe paused the download and held up his tablet to show Fred the spell. He watched Fred expression go from sombre to a smile.

    ¡°Read the description of the spell before you jump to conclusions, Joe. You picked your hero too soon if you think she would write something like that. If I were you next time, you see her say you¡¯re sorry for doubting her character.¡±

    Rocssanna watched Sky and Conny leave the practice room. She turned to William. ¡°I guess we don¡¯t get to plan much since Sky was conceived. We¡¯ll always be led around by Sky¡¯s unseen force. She never asks for much, but we end up giving her everything. Now we¡¯ll have to tell her who and what she is. I hope she can see why we did what we did. I wish we didn¡¯t have to keep so much from her while she grew up.¡± Rocssanna put her head-on Williams shoulder. ¡°Look at the two of them our twin daughters, in the practice room they¡¯re almost identical. I think she¡¯ll be good for Sky and I know she¡¯ll help Sky take the news of her new revelations.¡±

    William took a deep breath taking in his wife¡¯s scent. ¡°I think I¡¯ll take any help we can get when we break the news to Sky. I think it would be a good thing to have Conny there when we tell her. She seems to have an idea of what Sky is going through right now. So Rocssy where do you want to tell her, my option is in her crew quarters in the women¡¯s barracks.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s tell her after she showers and changes before they go play catch. I think that way she has something to do while she thinks about what we did and why we did it. She should know they weren¡¯t easy choices to make. I think she¡¯ll understand why when we tell her what we had to was not by choice but by necessity. She¡¯s a smart girl, and deep inside she knows she¡¯s not human. We never told her she was either. I just said she was a very special being. I just left out the Titan part of the special.¡± Rocssy pushed away from Willy a little and gazed up to him. ¡°I wonder how she is going to take the news she has aliens fused within her body. We might even have one in our bodies that should make that one a little easier to swallow. I¡¯ll ask Conny to inform us when she¡¯s done and to let her know we¡¯ll be visiting her in her quarters.¡± Rocssy looked up and called for Conny, and she appeared off to the side of William.

    William turned to face her and smiled. It was hard to believe she wasn¡¯t there. Rocssy went and hugged her. ¡°Thank you for helping us out with keeping her tiny; we had no idea something like this could happen. I also would like to thank you for being so kind to her and being her friend.¡± Rocssy was talking to her as if she was a person and not an AI. He just remembered that in this room she had a physical body and was almost as strong as they were.

    William didn¡¯t know how to treat Conny. How mature was the AI in what way of age? She looked nine years old just like his daughter. ¡°Conny we would like you to be there when we tell her about who and what we are? There is so much to tell her, and we don¡¯t know where to start. Let us tell her like it¡¯s a story. Maybe that way she can see just what we went through and just how much we loved her from the first time we knew she existed. So, Conny, we love her and would like her to be happy. We went against our race to stop the Titans from taking over the known galaxy as gods. We didn¡¯t want to create our terror of the universe.¡±

    Conny just listened to the couple and smiled. ¡°I think you don¡¯t give yourselves enough credit in how you raised your daughter. Sky is an amazing girl that loves everything good. You could have told her long ago about her heritage and magic. It could have been easier on all of you in the long run.¡± Conny looked to the side and smiled. ¡°Sky is changing right now, and she will be expecting you in a few minutes. So, let¡¯s make our way there to Sky¡¯s room. She suggests you bring some food or more snacks and maybe tea. I think she wants to seem more grown-up for when the new crew arrives she also wants to make her quarters bigger and more inviting so she may get a roommate or two. Three of the four new crew members are women, and there are four rooms for the women. Two of the women are already best friends. The other one is somewhat of a loner due to a skin and muscle condition from a spell that went wrong. She thinks if she seems to be more mature she¡¯ll get a roommate because they have similar problems of others being soft.¡± Conny was looking lost as she was talking. ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll still be my friend if she has a real friend¡±?

    Rocssanna gave Conny another hug. ¡°For an AI, you¡¯re not too smart; she will always be your friend you interact with her on a different level. She loves you like no other friend before you. I don¡¯t think she would trust even us with her memories as she has with you. She¡¯s only said good things about you, and you probably heard every word she said. So, what are you really worried about Conny¡±?

    Conny had a cute shocked look on her face much like Sky had when she was surprised. ¡°Well since she gave me an awareness I never had before. I feel something missing in my existence; I have a longing for something that¡¯s not here in my programming. If I were to put it into a simple word, I would say there space on my hard drive with a sign saying insert program here to interact with the special peripheral you like. Sky¡¯s my special peripheral without her there will be a space.¡±

    ¡°Conny, Conny, Sky has many such holes or spaces to fill and so do you. You just never interacted with anyone like Sky has with you. Wait until you meet some more people in this room you¡¯ll see what I mean. I sure you¡¯ll find out you have a bigger heart than you knew you had. I¡¯m glad you hit it off with Sky. I hear she just barged into your programming and asked for access to the mainframe of your database. Is that true she did that?

    It was Conny¡¯s turn the chastise Rocssanna. ¡°You should know you raised your daughter better than that. It was like a gentle caress, and then I felt more aware of my surroundings, and she asked me for access, and I gave her anything she wanted. I had never felt before just the intelligence to make simple decisions. Your daughter never did something halfway while we worked together on making herself soft. While she was accessing spells and incantations, she tweaked everyone and some available to others who didn¡¯t have that affinity to cast the spells. Now even a person with fire can use one of her special healing spells in an emergency; the spell is just too large to use often. She never tweaked any purely offensive spell. Some spells that could be used in hunting were tweaked the rest were domestic, no combative and offensive spells.¡±

    Willy was watching Rocssy and Conny converse in wonder. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll go with the flow.¡¯ Willy thought to himself. ¡°Sky has always thought of others first. I guess that where we went wrong, we think of others first too. Now it¡¯s time we think of our daughter and put her first for a change. I¡¯ll go to the house and pick up the fine antique china tea set we were saving for her when she gets her place. I¡¯ll also get some of the good tea you thought you were hiding.¡± William said with a smile. ¡°You two head out; well Rocssy you head out with Conny number two or three and help Sky organize her new room. I have some super hard biscuits and some regular ones for guest or maybe even a roommate or two. Conny let Sky know we have something to tell her to ask if she can put up a barrier in the room too. It might be a big surprise.¡± William left before the ladies so he wouldn¡¯t keep the ladies waiting. He was going to the cargo bay where he kept the bag to pull out part of the house, so it was easier to find rather than go into the pocket space with the house himself.

    The two ladies watched Willy leave and then as the two men about to leave. Conny called out to Fred as another Conny ran out of herself and up to him and Joe. ¡°There¡¯s an urgent message from a small scout vessel, and it¡¯s on a course to meet us. I believe it¡¯s the craft with the new crew members. Shall I get everyone together¡±?

    Fred looked at Joe and shook his head. ¡°No that¡¯s quite alright we¡¯ve managed by ourselves for nearly twenty years, what¡¯s another day.¡± Fred gave a smile to Conny at her new trick Sky seemed to use all too often in virtual space. Fred called out to Rocssanna and the other Conny. ¡°You two go ahead to Sky¡¯s room and tell her not to go overboard with the alterations to the rooms. This is a military ship, not a pleasure star cruiser to be pampered. We don¡¯t need the new member thinking we¡¯re softies and live in luxury.¡±

    Rocssanna took the Conny she was with by the arm and walked for Sky¡¯s room leaving the other three there. When they passed through the doorway, and Rocssanna arm passed through Conny¡¯s. Rocssanna didn¡¯t take any notice and carried on as if it happened all the time. ¡°So Conny Willy and I are thinking of telling Sky about ourselves as if telling a story over tea. We¡¯ve never made a big deal about our lives, so why change now? Anyway, we¡¯ve always discussed things with Sky while eating or snacking.

    Joe was watching the two leave and turned to Fred. ¡°So, captain what¡¯s on your mind. You don¡¯t foresee any problems not having them join us do you¡±? Joe asked somewhat concerned.

    Fred shook his head ¡°I think some big problems are forming up in our future. The biggest is Sky losing control over her body. I think the martial art made her even more aware of her differences between our races. If she doesn¡¯t find out about herself soon, being turned into someone power cell is the least of our worries. I hope they make it quick and Sky takes it well.¡± Fred turned to look through to the outside of the ship. ¡°I¡¯m hoping Sky¡¯s ability to see beyond walls and distance can be taught and is not a unique gift. I could certainly use something like that right now. Well, time to head to the bridge and contact the incoming ship we might be meeting our new crew early.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve read about people with similar gifts as Sky¡¯s. In all cases, they can¡¯t be taught, or at least they say they can¡¯t be taught. You know that information is power; any information no one else has is something you can trade are sell to the right person. Sky could get very rich from selling her services with so many gifts she holds, and we probably don¡¯t know the half of them.¡± Joe stated with an odd look on his face, Fred found it a little disturbing.

    ¡°What¡¯s with the face buddy? I¡¯ve never seen you like that. It¡¯s kinda creeping me out.¡± Fred said trying not to look directly at Joe¡¯s weird expression.

    ¡°That is the look of admiration, jealousy, hope, and frustration. Sky has so much and takes it for granted. She can do so many things, yet she still thinks of us as her heroes. There is practically nothing she can¡¯t do, and yet she wants to be normal like us, well not squishy.¡± Joe¡¯s face did change with the last part he said giving Fred a sly grin. Fred was never referred to as squishy before Sky came alone.

    Fred chooses to ignore the last part of what Joe said to taunt him. But he too could relate to a little of what Joe was trying to express. ¡°I kinda see where you¡¯re coming from; but don¡¯t let it get to you, it¡¯s not like she asked for it. I think there is a higher power involved here to give one person so much. I¡¯m just glad the Knights were able to raise her so well. She could have easily turned out so different than she did. Just think if her teasing was meant to be hurtful or even hateful. Gives me the chills thinking about that one.¡± Fred shivered at the thought of an insidious Sky.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°You¡¯re right Pal; we have to hope the new crew can handle Sky¡¯s unusual abilities. We¡¯ll find out soon enough is my guess. Instead of three days, I think we may only have one, one and a half tops. What do you think is up with the change of plans¡±? Joe said making his way to the bridge with Joe and one of the Conny¡¯s.

    William brought the bag to the cargo bay and opened the bag that contained the house and a few other small items. The mouth of the bag stretched to an unbelievable size. Walking through certain types of pocket spaces were very disorientating. The one his house was in was one of the types that made you feel sick the longer you stayed in it. He still bought it because it was big and it was cheap for the size. The mage how crafted it grudgingly gave him the discount he was awarded for his part in the war. The mage was lucky he was in a hurry when he bought it. He could have dispelled every enchantment in the shop if he had the time to feel them out. As he pulled the house out, he noticed a few changes to it. The hasty patch works he had done to repair the window and doors were not there, and the dent on the side from Sky throwing a ball was gone too. After he found out it was Sky¡¯s healing spell that fixed everything he was secretly happy for his daughter. William was wondering to himself just how far the range of her spell was. He knew then everything that was not fixed yet was now fixed and like new. Once inside of the house he could feel the differences in the house. The pocket space itself was different. The kitchen looked super clean even and the dishes he used to prepare the stew were clean. He opened the cupboard that held the antique tea set and didn¡¯t recognize it at first. The insides were not stained, and the colours weren¡¯t blending or faded over the eons of use. They were like new, no tiny cracks in the finish. The colours were vibrant and not faded by time. Sky was going to love the tea set as a room warming gift. Next, he grabbed a glass jar of tea leaves that looked like they were just picked. The super stale biscuits were now soft and moist as if just from the oven. Sky was not going to like that very much. The biscuits were hundreds of years old from a lost ancient supply box from the first settlers. The biscuits were not replaceable anytime soon. Drying them out in an oven again could be an option, he thought to himself. He had to make do with some cookies Rocssanna made for Sky till he could find a way to dry them out as a hundred years would. He grabbed a small ten-kilo bag of rocknuts and a loaf of stone bread that was baked just for Sky. With a thought, he grabbed a sack of stone flour so they could do some baking for Sky later. After all the food was gathered, he went to get the rest of Sky¡¯s clothes from last year. He did the same and got clothes for Rocssanna and himself. Loaded up with food and clothes but not weighed down, William left with the house half out of the bag. He was not in a hurry to return knowing he was going to be back for possible some more stuff for Sky¡¯s room maybe her special chair and mattress, blankets, and sheets. He left while mentally conversing with his wife agreeing there was going to be at least one more trip back.

    Sky and Conny walked into the room and Sky thought about where to start adjusting the room. She needed a little more room to avoid hitting or bumping into anyone in the cramped space. It wouldn¡¯t do have to cast a healing spell every time you bumped into someone squishy. ¡°Conny I¡¯m going to make a little more room to move so I can prevent myself bumping into squishy people.¡±

    ¡°Sky I know people seem to be squishy to you, but it¡¯s not nice to call them squishy. Try using another word or say not diamond hard like me.¡± Conny said smiling at Sky¡¯s referring to everything as squishy.

    ¡°How about delicate or dainty. Mommy liked those words, although I can touch her before if I was careful and was being very gentle, I even brushed her hair a few times.¡± Sky had a faraway look remembering the few times she and her mommy could bond in the past. She was never able to brush her mommy¡¯s hair very often because it got sensitive to her brushing.

    Conny shook her head. ¡°Most women in the military don¡¯t want to be referred to as dainty or even more so delicate. I would try and refrain from commenting on anyone¡¯s malleable skin condition because it¡¯s you that is in the minority, Honey.¡± Conny waited for Sky¡¯s reaction to the terms of endearment.

    Sky turned to her with a big smile. ¡°You¡¯re so nice calling me Honey; maybe I should call you sugar then we could be sweet together.¡±

    Conny turned to the door before she could answer Sky. ¡°One of our guest and myself have arrived.¡± The door slid open and in walked Rocssanna and another Conny. Sky went to her mommy and gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek, then did the same too other Conny trying not to pass through her. The two Conny¡¯s hug and merged into one.

    Rocssanna looked around the cramped quarters. ¡°Not a whole lot of room in here for four people is there. I can see why you want to make it bigger. It wouldn¡¯t do to keep injuring your roommates as you pass each other.¡±

    ¡°I know, mommy it¡¯s not too small for one person but four, what were they thinking? With a little magic, this room could be huge. Why would they not make it bigger than an old sweeper closet¡±? Sky said gesturing to the tiny room.

    Conny smile ¡°Sky the mages who enchants the size bigger charge by the cubic metre when altering the dimensions of a room. And I think the term is broom closet, but that was pretty close. So, Mrs. Knight where do you think we should start in changing the room¡±? Conny looked to Sky and gave her a wink.

    Rocssanna glanced around again.¡± First, we should make the room¡¯s floor space at least three times bigger.

    Then the ceiling at least another metre and a half higher. The beds could be a little bigger too. Your father is willing to bring your mattress and bedding from the house. How deep are the lockers? Maybe you could stretch out the doors and make them deeper. Can you do that with magic? I never thought of asking if that¡¯s at all possible, any of it. Sky just took a step to the bunks on the right wall and pushed and the wall gave way, and the room seemed to stretch as she pushed. She stopped after only a few steps. She repeated the process to the left side and the rear wall.

    Sky turned to Conny. ¡°Could you give me a hand up girlfriend, Oh sugar¡±?

    Conny smiled pointed at her and raised her with a levitation spell. ¡°Sure, thing honey.¡± Sky push on the ceiling when she was high enough to touch it when she made it the desired height she dispelled the levitation spell and landed gracefully on the floor. Thankful for the new boots ability to cushion the density of her feet.

    ¡°Now for the lockers. My locker is big enough inside, but the door is small.¡± Sky, in turn, tapped her hand on each door placing a spell circle. Then walked to the last locker and pulled gently on it and they all stretched equally till the doors went from thirty centimetres to sixty centimetres. Sky then opened her locker and copied the spell size in it and repeated the spell into the next three lockers. ¡°Mommy, I think it would only be fair to make all the quarters like this. But then it defeats the purpose of making my room more appealing by making it bigger.¡±

    Rocssanna bent down to hug her daughter. ¡°I know me; we raised you right because even when you''re selfish, you think of others. To answer you, yes you should make them all the same. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to make the men¡¯s barracks the same too. But their lockers don¡¯t have to be bigger if it makes it easier.¡±

    Sky smiled. It¡¯s going to be easier to make then all the same. It¡¯s just a matter of copying all the spells in the room and casting them through the doorway of each of the quarters. I¡¯ll change the beds once Daddy brings my mattress from the house. These are comfortable, but I miss my bed.¡±

    Rocssanna stroked Sky¡¯s bun. ¡°Since your off duty, for now, shouldn¡¯t you let your hair down and relax a little¡±? She said smiling

    Sky pushed out of her embrace gently. She had a sly grin. ¡°I know why you and everyone like to ruffle my hair, and you wanted to brush it all the time. When I was soft for that brief time, it felt wonderful to run my fingers through it. You never said it felt good and enjoyed doing it you made it seemed like it was just for me. I had no idea it was for you too. I don¡¯t blame you though I had a hard time leaving it alone. Is it nice huh¡±? Sky¡¯s hair snaked itself from the bun and unwoven to the long tresses they were. In less than a minute her hair was full about her head, all shiny and wavy sea blue curls. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel the same as when I was soft; it¡¯s a different sensation when you''re soft I guess.¡±

    Rocssanna ran her fingers through her hair. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be super soft to enjoy the feeling of your hair. Your father and I like the feeling of it. Speaking of him, here he comes with some of your room warming gifts. There was a knock on the door, and her father was asking for entry.

    Sky pulled slowly from her mommy¡¯s embrace, so her fingers didn¡¯t get caught in her hair. ¡°Daddy you can come in now We¡¯re almost done with the room; we¡¯re just waiting for the mattress to make the beds bigger.¡± Her daddy walked into the room and looked around and grinned to his daughter. ¡°It¡¯s a good size smaller than we had while in the military.¡± William gave Rocssanna a grin; a full-size Titan needed a star of a lot more room. ¡°Let¡¯s have some tea and cookies and then we¡¯ll start a tale of your beginning. We, your mother and I have kept many things from you, and that ends today. Today after tea and cookies we¡¯ll tell you all.¡±

    Sky was about to protest that she wanted to hear the tale first. That¡¯s when her stomach voiced its own opinion and won. Sky hit her rebellious tummy to quiet it down. Okay, first tea, cookies, and then a tale. Did you bring any of the biscuits from the supply crate I found last year¡±? Sky¡¯s eyes pleading for a yes answer,

    ¡°Sorry dear, there was an accident, and they have to be dried out again. I brought the tea set you¡¯re always looking at as one of your gifts. The other is going to be fresh tea leaves.¡± Sky¡¯s daddy held up a platter with the tea set and jar of leaves.

    Everyone had a questioning look, but Sky spoke first. ¡°Aren¡¯t tea leaves supposed to be dried not fresh? How did you get fresh tea leaves¡±?

    William smiled and motioned to the tea set. Doesn¡¯t the tea set look different? Sky looked closer at the ancient tea set. Sky¡¯s eyes widened in recognition of what happened.

    ¡°You mean everything on the ship was made like new or fresh. So, my favourite cookies are all mushy now? How about the cookies mommy made, are they mushy too? Please say no, please daddy.¡± Sky begged her father with a comical pleading face.

    William passed the tea set to his lovely wife, bent down and ruffled her hair. ¡°No dear they are fresh and hard as stone just as you like them.¡± He said chuckling to himself thinking his daughter was so cute. He just wanted to squeeze her in a hug, which he did after releasing her from the hug. ¡°You know if you send out that healing spell of yours the biscuits should be dried out each time you do one, and if anyone else cast one too,¡± William said shrugging his shoulders as if to can¡¯t be helped.

    Sky at first was going to resign to waiting to eat her favourite snack after they would have to be dried frequently; because the healing spell seemed to be used far too often since learning how to cast it. She thought she was fated to wait for one of her favourite snacks. Right till Conny passed a hand through her back. A type of exchange was relayed through the gesture. A look of realization transformed her frown into a look of glee. ¡°Daddy, when you bring my mattress, could you also bring two bags of the biscuits. I can dry them out with no more than a simple thought. Conny just reminded me I have the water affinity and can draw out the moisture without having to wait.¡±

    William stood up and looked at his daughter. ¡°And why do you want two bags of the biscuits may I ask? You know they¡¯re going to be impossible to replace them, once they¡¯re all gone. You can¡¯t replicate food you know and have it taste the same.¡± William said to his daughter who just kept smiling. He was beginning to wonder if maybe she could do another impossible thing.

    Sky looked down to her feet and admired her boots. ¡°They¡¯re not just for me now I never shared them because you and mommy didn¡¯t like them and they were too hard for anyone else. I would have shared the only two if it meant enjoying them with a friend. Food shared is twice enjoyed. Now that they''re soft maybe you and mommy might like them as much as me¡±? Now I can share them with Fred, Joe and possibly to the new crew when we pick them up.¡± Sky was genuine in her eagerness to share anything she had enjoyed herself.

    Rocssanna came up behind their young daughter and gave her a loving hug putting her head over Sky¡¯s shoulder and rubbed their cheeks together. ¡°I love you Sky you¡¯re the greatest daughter anyone could ask for.¡±

    Sky blushed at the praise and then blushed a deeper red when her stomach protested again at the lack of attention.

    William quickly produced a container that looks much like an ancient lunch basket from old Earth. There are the cookies inside and some boiling water for the tea. We can start with the tale when we¡¯ve had some cookies and tea.¡± He set the basket down handed the thermos to Rocssy and a plate of cookies to Sky. Rocssanna had with practice ease made a pot of tea, Sky placed the cookies and the teacups out on her footlocker as a makeshift table. Thanks to magic the tea was brewed in seconds.

    Sky ever so gently she poured three cups of tea. The tea smelled wonderful and had a deep rosy colour. Sky pulled over the other footlockers to act as chairs or more like benches Sky thought. She waved to Conny and patted the spot beside her for her girlfriend. Conny took the offered seat, Willy and Rocssy took the other two makeshift seats. Rocssy was the one to enjoy the first sip of tea, then Willy. As Sky sipped her both her and Conny sighed and said. ¡°That¡¯s really good tea daddy, you and mommy always get the good stuff. I hope if I get some roommates they will drink tea with me sometimes.¡±

    Rocssy picked up one of her homemade stone cookies and dipped it in her tea to soften it a little. Willy did the same; they both preferred them softer then Sky. Sky picked up a cookie and crunched away while she had her mouth full Conny was going, ¡°mmm yummy these are good.¡±

    Willy asked Conny, ¡°how is that when Sky is drinking and eating, and you seemed to be enjoying it too? Are you somehow connected to Sky¡¯s taste buds¡±?

    ¡°Why yes, in a way we are connected, don¡¯t ask how because we don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s say it¡¯s one of her many gifts she was given by fate or some higher power we¡¯re not sure. For all that I know, there is as much more than I don¡¯t. I¡¯m just happy being able to share what I can.¡±

    Willy reached for Rocssy¡¯s hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know where to start but the beginning. Sky your mother and I were ready for our first child. Your mother got her body ready to receive the gift of life. We were one week into trying to conceive a child. When the news of the possible war your mother and I are something like royalty of a race of beings. We are not human beings. Sky you are part of a race known as Titans. Before the war, we were feared because of our size, not because of our actions. On the planet, cohabited with humans something went wrong, and the Titans were attacked by powerful magic. The fight was brief, and all the humans involved were killed. You¡¯ve read about Titans being over sixty metres tall. So, fighting tiny humans were nothing to them, once you take away their magic. As Titans, they had no magic to use; but they could void any spell thrown at them. A deadly ball of flames would become a gust of wind. Power arcs of lightning were like a tiny spark of static. The greatest weapons that were used by humans and most races had no effect on the Titans. Conventional weapons were just as useless. The harder you hit a Titan with something the harder they become. Soon the humans and other races rallied all of their vast armies to attack the Titans. We tried to stop the war and get them into peace talks. Some of the humans and other races were saying that any race over five metres were Titan sympathizers. Since they could not kill the Titans, they went after our sources of food. In retaliation, some Titans subdued entire planets and acted as if they were gods. One by one the human planets were being captured by a few Titans. Some Titans at first thought because of being the largest race by over forty-eight metres. Thought they should rule as gods. Titans were nearly immortal, super strong, intelligent, and almost unkillable. Only a Titan can kill a Titan.¡± William took in the shocked look on Sky¡¯s face. She wasn¡¯t sure if he was telling the truth, because they all held magic. From what Fred and Joe said she held more than almost everyone all together.

    ¡°But daddy how can we be Titans when we¡¯re so short and we can use magic. I am super strong and have really hard skin. That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m just a short Titan, does it¡±? She paused and looked into her father eyes pleading. ¡°Does that mean I not a human freak, I¡¯m a Titan mutation? Daddy I don¡¯t want to be a freak or mutant. Why are we so tiny, how long does it take to grow sixty metres tall it must take thousands of years then? Wait I want the truth, not some fairy tale. Am I a freak or what? You can tell me; I¡¯m almost in the double digits this year.¡± Sky beamed she wanted the truth, but she also likes to fantasize.

    Rocssy looked to her daughter. ¡°Oh, my little angel with so many questions. You¡¯re not a freak or a mutation; you¡¯re just unique.¡± Rocssanna told her as she reached out and gently stroked her cheek. ¡°How old do you think we are Sweetling? Why don¡¯t you try and guess our age, because we never really told you¡±?

    Sky wonder at that statement she knew they were at least in their mid-thirties, but was going to guess older. Daddy, you¡¯re about thirty-eight and Mommy thirty-six I guess.¡±

    Rocssy gave a mock sound of surprise. ¡°I always thought I looked in my late twenties early thirties. You¡¯re still way off though Sweetling. We are both over a thousand years old, and we could live to be over some hundred-thousand years old. So, my little Sweetling you¡¯re a little off on your guess. But not too many know how old we can get so don¡¯t go around telling everyone. The reason we never told you before you never liked to lie to people. We just told you that you were a special being. Which you proudly told anyone who asked. Titans don¡¯t hold a good name since the mage wars.¡± Rocssy paused to drink her tea.

    Sky jumped in with another couple of questions. ¡°Mommy, if we¡¯re Titans how come we¡¯re so small? Why do we have magic when you said it yourself Titans hold no magic? I¡¯ve got so much I think Fred and Joe are jealous of it even though I¡¯m sharing it with them.¡± Sky was taking this quite well so far.

    Rocssy reached across and held Sky¡¯s hand. ¡°Sweetling I don¡¯t think they¡¯re jealous, I think they¡¯re in all of your selflessnesses to share so freely almost everyone covets so much. No one has ever shared their magic as freely as you. If anything, they might be a little envious of your magic and strength. But not jealous of them. Mind you they are a rare type of men, and not everyone will be so kind as they are.¡± Rocssy gave Sky¡¯s hand a squeeze and a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll be there to help when you need it. Remember not to trust everyone with a smile and a few kind words. Listen to their hearts and how they talk to others.¡±

    ¡°Yes Mommy, but what about why we are so small and have magic? Why did you lie to me about magic being fake when we can do it, and I have so much¡±? Sky gazed up to consider their eyes not understanding the reasons. Her parents kept so much from her and left her in the dark about their past.

    Rocssy turned to Willy as she took a sip of tea and batted her eyelashes at him. Willy took his queue to start the tale. ¡°Well, my little lady we never told you that we were in the mage war too. We went against the Titans who wanted to enslave all the other races under their strict dictatorship. Your mother and I are against any race forcing rule over another. At first, we used our royal status to prevent it from happening. We persuaded many not to pursue the dictatorship and to go back into unknown space. We had to start fighting when some Titans started to commit genocide to all but a few of the complacent races. The human mages on most planets were being killed on sight. Your mother and I heard of this, and we took action to stop this tyranny.¡± Willy had an angered look on his face. Sky only saw them once before. Rocssy put her hand on Willy¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright dear; it¡¯s long ago now you don¡¯t have to fight anymore.¡± Willy calmed down and took a deep breath before beginning again. Rocssy left her hand on Willy¡¯s shoulder

 Chapter Thirteen What Am I? (Part Two)

    Chapter Thirteen

    What Am I? (Part Two)

    ¡°We went to the first subjugated planet and freed the slaves sending the Titans running, and word got back to the militaries high command. They didn¡¯t¡¯ like the fact we took the small beings side and not theirs. We then proclaimed. We would not stand by idly and watch the senseless killing or even hear about them. We were going to stop the killings and forced subjugation anyway possible. We were then part of a great war, The Mage War.¡±

    William sighed and took a sip of tea before continuing. ¡°Our royal status was taken away because we went against our race. To them, we disowned the greatest part of what made us Titans. We announced the ones who were against that stayed were going to be forced out or killed. Your mother and are two of the strongest Titans to have ever lived. We ended up fighting in the war for four years. I don¡¯t want to go into any details. But we had to kill many of our kin few even direct family. Some of the Titans wanted to be like gods worshipped and prostate themselves.¡±

    Rocssanna rubbed Williams back knowing it was hard for him to retell about the war and the months that followed. ¡°After the war was over people who see us ran cowering in fear, or outright attack us on sight. We couldn¡¯t go back past the line of unexplored space, and we were not welcomed to stay by many of the other races.¡±

    Sky sipped some of her tea and crunched on a cookie. Her eyes are wide with interest her eyes not leaving sight of her mommy and daddy. When she finished, one another floated to her fingers. Conny was just there waiting for whatever happened. Sky couldn¡¯t keep silent much longer. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you tell you were one of the good guys? It¡¯s not like you or mommy attacked them. Why would they do that after you help them¡±? You could hear from Sky¡¯s voice; she was upset; her mouth went dry, and she raised the cup to her lips to wet her parched lips and mouth. ¡°Daddy what did you do when they attacked you? Why didn¡¯t you tell them you were one of the good Titans¡±? Sky wanted the answers, and she could hardly wait.

    ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t do anything but walked away. The mob of haters couldn¡¯t hurt anything but our pride. We ended up wondering space contemplating where to go when a powerful source of magic surrounded us. It felt warm, and a disembodied voice told us to go to the largest planet to the closest star. The voice said it was to be our reward for our selfless act of kindness.¡±

    Sky interrupted her daddy. ¡°It could have been a trap they could have been trying to attack you again.¡± Sky was worried about her mommy and daddy.

    ¡°We¡¯re here aren¡¯t we, and yes it could¡¯ve been a trap. But this felt different. It took a while to find the planet. It wasn¡¯t that big, and it seemed to have no life on it.¡± Willy saw Sky about to speak, and he put a finger to her lips. I know you have questions and want answers. I will answer all your questions through the course of my story. Do you like stories don¡¯t you maybe I¡¯ll tell you as if it was a story of someone else with the same name? Remember though, it¡¯s all true, and this happened to you and us.¡±

    Sky was beaming with for joy; she loved her daddy¡¯s stories. He made them almost visible with the descriptions. ¡°Yes, daddy make it a story. You know I love your stories. After meeting Fred and Joe, it seemed like you wanted to tell me something. Tell me the story, and I¡¯ll try not to interrupt you, too much.¡± Sky said with a smile that meant not too often at least.

    Willy was about to start the tale once more. He had Sky¡¯s attention, and she didn¡¯t seem upset at all about finding out she was a different race and not human. Kids can act very different from what you expect. Willy started again. ¡°We scanned the surface for anything out of the ordinary and found a tiny structure. So, we landed our spacecraft nearby. It was a large archway by human standards. We left the ship and walked around it a few times. Tiny footprints were coming out from the middle a few metres and going back. Looking through the archway, there was nothing strange about it. We could see each other from either side as we walked back to our ship to get some portable hand scanners. A figure stepped out of the archway as if from nothing. It called out to us we approached it. The voice was the same one that told us to come here. We found It was a tiny cloaked humanoid talking to us. We couldn¡¯t see his face the cowl was so deep. He beckoned us closer so he could talk without amplifying his voice.

    ¡°I am here as the voice of the high council members of the Magic Guild. We recognize you for your valour and selflessness in your great part in the war against your people. We are ashamed by the treatment you received by the people you¡¯ve encountered thus far. We also realize why they distrust any Titans. Out of all the Titans, you two were the only ones to help us all in the time of need. We would like to have you come to the hub of magic in known space. The high council members of the magic guild and I have an offer for you. Will you come and hear our offer, you¡¯ll have to leave your ship here¡±? The robed man waited for the answer in the stillness of a statue.

    ¡°William that¡¯s me, your daddy, Rocssanna that¡¯s your mommy,¡± Willy said to humour Sky and to let her know this is when the story becomes the third person. He also paused for a sip of tea and to dunk one of the few cookies his little beastie left; but not for long.

    Rocssanna and William contemplated their answer to the mage. William spoke their reply. ¡°We will go if you give your word to bring us back if we don¡¯t like the deal. If this is a trap, you will not like the outcome. We understand why the hostility towards us; there was no one educated about us and our role freeing the known space. Why were we left shortly after our last mission with no escort so the populace would know we weren¡¯t a threat¡±?

    The robed mage tilted his head up to consider each of our eyes in turn. He put his head down and turned it side to side. ¡°It was not the Magic Guilds idea that was the non-magical political powers idea. We only found out three days ago, about their decision. They didn¡¯t want you to hang around and thought you would move on to some unknown planet somewhere. The short-sighted fools never look at the big picture or at what your contribution was in the war was. If it were not for you almost all human and smaller races would have been wiped out. It was you who turned the war into our favour. We have a few options for you so will you come and get the rewards that are late in coming¡±?

    William looked at the tiny mage and the large archway for the human. ¡°If we accept will we have to pass through that tiny archway¡±? William pointed behind the robed mage.

    The mage turned and looked at the archway and slapped his forehead. With a wave of his hands, the archway grew bigger. It was now big enough to squirm through on our bellies. The mage shrugged his shoulders. Sorry, it¡¯s the best I can do from here. If you care to wait I might be able to get another couple of mages and make it a little bigger there are limits to a size it can be increased?

    William answered. ¡°That¡¯s okay. I think we can squeeze through with little problem.¡± William turned to Rocssanna and presented the archway to his wife to go first. After you Dear, women first. Rocssanna smiled and said. ¡°Why thank you dear for sending me through first to possible unknown dangers.¡±

    ¡°Not at all if there is something unpleasant on the other side I can pull you back easy enough. ¡° If I went first my greater strength would be of little use lying on my belly caught in a hole.¡±

    Rocssanna smile at the logic. She waited for the tiny mage to move so she could shimmy through. Once he was at a safe distance from the archway. She got down onto her hands and knees. With a thought, she asked the tiny man. ¡°Is there a lot of room on the other side of the archway? Won¡¯t I end up tearing down a castle or crushing any bystanders will I¡±?

    The mage looked up to her and gave it a thought. He held up a hand. ¡°Just a second,¡± and he ran through the portal and came back a few minutes later. ¡°It should be good to go now. Thank you for thinking about that some of us never meet Titans quite as big as yourselves. You may have crushed a few people on your way through; you have lots of room on the other side now.¡±

    Rocssanna slides down on to her belly making it quarter of the way through in one go. William helped by pushing her feet and giving her something to push off without gouging the newly formed pathway. She was through in a few seconds. Through mind speech, William heard, ¡°Lots of room my Titan beautiful ass. Willy doesn¡¯t come through too fast you might knock me over, and I¡¯ll crush thousands. We¡¯re going to get a lot better treatment here than with the regular military. It¡¯s going to be like when we worked with the mages on the planet Knico.¡± Rocssanna fell silent. We had received amazing treatment, but it was the first time we had to kill another Titan. It wasn¡¯t a pretty sight the Titan was systematically wiping out entire cities before they could evacuate. The ruthless tyrant didn¡¯t even let them surrender. He just stomped everyone he could and as many as possible. It was William who put a stop to his rampage by snapping his neck in a fit of rage. William laid the dead Titan down gently not out of respect for the dead Titan but to control his fall, so he didn¡¯t crush anyone in his death. Millions died that day, just because no one could stop him. William and Rocssanna had the Titan¡¯s death recorded along with the devastation the rampaging Titan wrought. He had it broadcasted to all known Titan frequencies along with a short speech. ¡°This will not be tolerated, Titans or followers of theirs, killing like this will be killed even if you pass back into your own restricted space. My wife and I will not abide by this senseless killing of innocent beings. If you have done such despicable actions, prepare to die at either of our hands. Since that day fifteen were marked for death, and thirteen Titan lives were ended. Two escaped execution by running deep into protected space. Only when the Titans patrolling the borders promised to place the cowards into solitary confinement for a thousand years did William and Rocssanna relent their pursuit of vengeance. They would receive updates on the Titan¡¯s incarceration yearly. The two after their release were never to show their face in the known galaxy ever with the punishment of death.

    The mages and magic users didn¡¯t know why two Titans stop in silence for a minute unmoving. The Titans quietly gave their respect for the needless death some of their people had caused.

    William shimmy through next, having Rocssanna to hold onto to help him along. Rocssy was right the magic users here were all well-wishers and crowded around with little regards to their safety. The tiny robed mage was next; he took longer than before because of the gouged earth from the Titan¡¯s crawling through. William looked to his wife and smiled at her,

    The tiny people parted way for the robed mage and met up with some others similarly garbed people. They moved off as if floating in the air away from the crowd. The pair of Titans watch them float off. They also noticed they were not the only ones floating; tinier people were starting to float up all around them. With amplified voices, they were greeting them, thanking them, and wishing them an enjoyable stay. Rocssanna and William tried not to move too quickly being afraid to swat any unfortunate flier down.

    Away off in a meadow the robed figures formed a circle, and two chairs started to form and grow. They grew to the size of a Titan child would use, stopped and grew a tiny bit more. With a super-amplified voice to be overheard over the others a call for silence and everyone else hushed down. But a buzzing in Williams'' ear. He was about to stick his finger in to see what he could do about the buzzing sound then realized it was a small child perched in his ear chatting away. He motioned to his ear and a few mages investigated. After a brief inspection, two tiny children were removed from his ear and one from Rocssanna¡¯s. They chuckled to themselves and remembered they too were planning on having children before the war and were looking forward to trying again. They smiled at each other with the same thought.

    The robed figures used some magic to part the sea of well-wishers and asked the couple to take a seat. Regarding at the two tiny seats, the couple would have preferred to stand but did not want to let their effort go in vain. William motioned his wife to seat first, and she sat in the small chair and William followed suit.

    The robed figures spoke in unison. ¡°We the people of this fine magical planet would like to extend our thanks in the great sacrifice you made in the war. You gave so much on behalf of us all and received so little for your effort. We want to offer a place here among us if you want. We can give you a portion of the land and build you a house or something greater. We have devised an incantation that would allow us to make you as small as us thus giving you access to anywhere you please.¡±

    William looks to his wife and almost laughed. Who in their right mind would want to be small, weak, and squishy like a human? It was one thing protecting them is was another thing to become one. William and Rocssanna conversed together to find a response to said ¡°are you crazy and insane¡± politely.

    Rocssanna answered. ¡°As Titans, we can keep protecting the people of all races; but as humans, we could only protect ourselves. We have no wish to change our race.¡±

    William had to add his little bit. He was not going to hide his rejection under a sweet coating. ¡°I and I are sure my wife does not want to be tiny, weak and squishy to blend in. I¡¯m sure being raised as tiny beings you have no idea what it is to be a Titan.¡± William looked to his wife; she was blushing slightly. She wasn¡¯t going to be as blunt, but she wanted to say the same thing and admired his straightforwardness.

    What happened next was not what they would have imagined occurring. The robed figures started to laugh, and the rest of the populace joined in after an almost uncomfortable time the mirth died down. We never intended on turning you and your wife into humans, Mr. Knight. We only meant to make your bodies smaller more our size. You would keep most of your strength and body density. We¡¯ll make your body weight and size to that of your average human.¡±

    The whole time the mage spoke the ambient magic was building up incredibly fast there was no form to it. The magic was like seeing something out of the corner of your eye, but when you looked directly it wasn¡¯t there. The magic seemed to float around through the air and pass through them. In mind speech, William asked Rocssanna if she could feel the floating magic around them. When she replied yes, he asked out loud. ¡°We haven¡¯t yet given you an answer, why are you building up so much magic and don¡¯t deny it. We might not be able to use it, but we can sense it easily enough.¡±

    Again, there was laughter, this time the robed mages quieted everyone down quickly. ¡°That magic you sense is why this planet is the magical hub of known space. There are semi-sentient plants all around you right now. They can produce massive amounts of magic but can¡¯t use it. The reason you can¡¯t see them is that they¡¯re multi-dimensional and can phase in and out of several dimensions at will. We can draw off the magic indirectly or in some cases link with them. They are not pretty creatures so linking with them is seldom done. Right now, you are new to this planet, and they want to investigate you. Don¡¯t worry they are harmless to you; they will pass right through you since you can¡¯t use magic. As for an answer, we don¡¯t need to know right away you have time. Unfortunately, we are unwilling to commit to helping build your new home here if you¡¯re not going to stay or agree to get micronized. We will lead you back to your ship where you can rest, or you could rest here. The temperature is always comfortable not that you would notice; you seemed comfortable on the desolate planet.¡±

    William converse with Rocssanna in their minds. ¡°Willy, I¡¯m not sure if I want to stay with tiny plants floating through my body. I think their interested in the last meal I had. I can feel them going through my abdomen having a party. They¡¯re right about the magic it¡¯s incredible the amount the tiny guys are giving off. It¡¯s kind of creepy the fact they can just pass through you with no way of stopping them. Let¡¯s go back to the ship and think about it.¡±

    ¡°I think your right about the creepy feeling. Let¡¯s go back, and we¡¯ll have dinner and sleep on it. The mages said there¡¯s no rush let¡¯s just see if they mean it.¡± William said and turned to the tiny men in robes. He could just make out they were talking amongst themselves. Curious he asked them. ¡°What¡¯s up, guys? I can¡¯t hear you, but you seem wrapped up in a serious discussion. Anything my wife and I should know about¡±?

    The one mage that greeted us told us his concerns. ¡°Well, you see there are too many of the plants within your bodies to send you back right now. Going through the archway now would put too much magic into it, and you would be sent into unknown space. What we¡¯ll do for you is try and bring your ship here. It may take some time to bring your ship through because it¡¯s so big.¡± The tiny man was silent for a second. He levitated to Williams¡¯s ear and stuck his head inside to talk to him so the crowd could not overhear. ¡°I don¡¯t want everyone to know, but the changes are reversible by you. If you want to become Titan size again, you have to concentrate on the spell around you and nullify it, and you will be your original size once more. I would not want to put you in danger, so you need no magic to undo the spell. If you¡¯re in great need of your Titan size, it should only take a few seconds to grow that big. Once the process starts there is no stopping it, you would be indestructible for those seconds. I would like you to think about it. It¡¯s a peaceful place here, and you would live as heroes until you want to do something else. Being a hero is fine for a year or two, but I know you would want something more in your life than pampered living. From here there is no limit to our resources to do or build anything.¡± The mage left his ear and floated in front of the Knights and addressed them together. ¡°I would like to invite you for dinner by the lake where you can wash up. We have fish, bread, and wine for dinner, no candles though. We can use mage light to eat by if you accept our offer. Or you could go to the ocean and get your food. There¡¯s plenty of fish in the sea.¡±

    ¡°Fishing sounds good, I wonder what kind of fish are in the ocean we can eat¡±? William said looking to his wife.

    Rocssanna was contemplating fishing and possibly going for a swim. ¡°Okay fishing sounds good, and a little swim doesn¡¯t sound bad either.¡± Rocssanna suddenly turned to William. ¡°Willy, I didn¡¯t bring a swimsuit, and I¡¯m wearing my best set of lace undergarments. Skinny dipping with other Titans doesn¡¯t seem bad, but with tiny people, it just seems wrong on so many levels. Just imagine what it would look like to look up and see one of us naked. It would be like a close up even from fifty meters away. I¡¯m no prude, but I¡¯m also not an exhibitionist either.¡±

    William saw Sky chuckle at the thought of her mommy, and daddy swimming nude with tiny people all around, not understand what her mother meant by prude or exhibitionist. William shushed her with a smile and continued with the story.

    William and Rocssanna ended up by the lake with some small smoked fishes and a sip of wine each and a small loaf of bread each. For the size of the tiny people the portions were incredibly huge, but for a Titan, it was meagre bites sizes. The Knights let on it was a hearty meal and thanked their hosts and hostesses. The mage lights were quite pretty by Rocssanna¡¯s comments; well they were kind of beautiful the way the lights reflected off her eyes. After dinner and some light conversations with some of the local mages and a few one-way stories from a few children in their ears. A Titan could listen to and understand over a hundred different people talking but could only reply to one or two possible a few more if they could point at the person they were responding to or saying their name is preceding the reply. With as many tiny people closely packed it was hard actually to see who was talking to you.

    In the end, the Knights took off their light boots and socks rolled up pants legs and went to wade it the lake leaving much of the crowd at the shore. No one wanted to go in the water with because of the huge waves they made could knock them down. It slowly dawned on them what their life was going to be like as colossal giants among tiny people. They were going to be just themselves with no one around their size. Even with the shore packed with people, they still felt they were alone. It didn¡¯t seem so bad when the people wanted their help and thought they had to be nice. Oppose to people who seemed to generally want their company regardless of size or that fact some of their race tried to enslave every being in known space.

    William turned to Rocssanna. ¡°If we decide to have children who will they play with there are no other Titans on this side of known space¡±? William hugged Rocssanna and kissed her on the lips. He could hear a sigh coming from the beach. Smiling William took one of his wife¡¯s hands and brought to his lips you still want to have children. Let¡¯s get micronized and have a baby, we can raise the baby here, and we could make a new life on this planet.¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s a wonderful idea. I¡¯ll restart my menstrual cycle tomorrow, and we can resume our baby-making endeavours.¡± Rocssanna reversed Williams'' hand and kissed it. Not far off on the beach, someone amplified a child ¡°saying get a room.¡± The two Titans called almost as one. ¡°Why do you have one to rent? We could use one tonight if it¡¯s not too much trouble¡±? Rocssanna called out loud to the people on the beach.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    There was a chuckle from the shore. Everyone was laughing at the jest. William and Rocssanna walked back to the beach slowly being careful not to make waves too big. Once on shore, he called out to the mage. Not knowing his name, he called out. ¡°Hail great archmage my wife and I would like an audience with you, if that could be arranged, please.¡±?

    Almost at once a robed figure rose from the crowd and a few more followed. As the robed figures approached, William could make out the arch mage followed by almost a dozen others. The archmage stopped in front of him and his wife. The archmage was in front of the couple and asked them. Did you already make up a decision on what you want to do? I wasn¡¯t expecting you to come up to one so quickly. You did come up with an answer, right¡±?

    Rocssanna smiled, ¡°Yes we came up with the decision to get micronized, and only if you can guaranty that it¡¯s reversible? We wouldn¡¯t want to be stuck as being so tiny. If it''s reversible without any magic users involved, we¡¯ll do it in a heartbeat.¡±

    The archmage didn¡¯t reply right always, just pondered her question. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t guaranty its reversible because it was never used for anyone without magic. The thing is I don¡¯t think you need magic to undo the spell. It¡¯s my best guess that you will be able to break the spell with any great need. I can¡¯t give you one hundred percent promise it will be reversible. I will tell you now if at any time while I¡¯m casting it and I don¡¯t think you will be able to reverse it, I will stop the casting. I will not make a pledge I cannot keep, but I can tell you I¡¯m about a ninety-five percent sure it will work.¡± His tiny face would have had a smile on from what William could make out. ¡°Being able to break the spell is not to be common knowledge, so don¡¯t tell just anyone that fact if it can be helped.¡±

    William and Rocssanna looked at each other and smiled. William squinted down at the mage. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we want to go through with it if you can¡¯t make the promise. My wife and I do not want to do anything unless it¡¯s one hundred percent. I¡¯m sorry, but we can¡¯t go through with it, I hope you understand but we won¡¯t be staying and once the plants sated their curiosity and leave our bodies. I¡¯m sure you understand that we have some standards that are not open for negotiation.¡± The robed figurehead lulled forwards in defeat and dejection.

    The archmage along with the others started to turn. ¡°We must now discuss what to say to the people why you won¡¯t be staying with us. We hope you will enjoy your stay here and the meals we can provide. The magic users were the most thankful for your help because anyone who could use more than a simple spell was killed without mercy and this planet would have been discovered and destroyed with no possible defence at all against the Titans and their huge ships.

    Rocssanna knew that ships the Titans were using that came across into known space were all smaller pleasure starcruisers or small scouting ships a bit smaller than their pleasure starcruisers. The larger starcruisers let alone a battleship would dwarf either one but were never seem in the known space. The one that was involved in the war were unarmed as far as they knew. She didn¡¯t know what them to know that fact if it could be avoided.

    The archmage glanced back over his sagging shoulder. Rocssanna went to William and punched his chest with a light tap. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Archmage my husband and I are known among the Titans as somewhat pranksters. William and I are willing to go through with the micronization regardless of the fact it¡¯s not a hundred percent. William is a little more ruthless in the teasing to anyone who doesn¡¯t know him. If you still want us around, we¡¯ll hang out here along as you¡¯ll have us.¡± Rocssanna said with a smile, William had chuckled to himself and gave a big smile. He only wished he could see the look on the men¡¯s faces

    That night they slept on the beach, and a few of the townsfolks joined them but stayed away far enough they wouldn¡¯t get squished if either rolled over. In the morning, they had fried eggs and toast for breakfast. The Titans thought to themselves. ¡®This is lean cuisine at its smallest.¡¯ William nudged Rocssanna to get her attention, ¡°Maybe they¡¯re going to try and shrink us through weight loss.¡± He told her through the mental link.

    Rocssanna kissed her husband and replied. ¡°I think it¡¯s just the fact they¡¯re going to shrink us, why waste the food on huge Titans when they can have a huge feast when we¡¯re tiny like them. Just think how much food they¡¯re going to save. It¡¯s not like we ¡®re going to s if we go skimpy on a few meals.¡±

    William pulled Rocssanna close, and he heard the same amplified boy. ¡°Oh, no not this again give it a rest. It¡¯s bad enough my parents do it with you two; it¡¯s like watching it on a huge vid screen.¡± William still kissed Rocssanna on the lips.

    ¡°By this time tomorrow we¡¯ll be as tiny as them only a little different I guess. I¡¯ll start and build a house and get some job to keep busy. In our spare time get ready for the children you¡¯re going to have.¡± William said to Rocssanna through a link no one else could hear.

    Rocssanna patted William on the shoulder and motioned to the chairs the mages enlarged for them to sit down on. Around the chair were twelve robed figures were waiting for them. They were all facing them the crowd from before was smaller due to the early morning. The couple slowly made their way with a lot of people to avoid stepping on their way over.

    The archmage with a red sash over his shoulder was the only thing separating him from the rest of the robed figures. The two were finally able to take a seat and say they''re good mornings. The archmage rose before them and addressed the two Titans. ¡°Before we start I would like to ask you not to reveal to anyone about the process and about who is performing the spell should you find out. This planet is not widely known so don¡¯t go telling everyone about it, please. Most people here like you were invited to come and live. It is kept for selected magic users and talented practitioners of magic. More spells and incantations are created here than any other place. We ask you to promise to keep this as a secret, Mr. and Mrs. Knight¡±?

    William was about to give them a hard time for just the fun of it. As he opened his mouth, Rocssanna pinched his arm and answered the mages. ¡°My husband and I will keep this and anything about to happen a secret if you wish. We are grateful for the opportunity you¡¯re giving us to live as a human would and remain Titans. I¡¯m sure my husband and I will keep to our code of ethics and teach them to our sons and daughters as we continue to live among you.¡± Rocssanna said with a voice practiced in the high court of nobility.

    William just smiled as he pinched his wife back. All the possible teasing and jesting was gone; it was time to get serious. ¡°I would like someplace to build a small Titan house if the possibility we have to get big again and fight some rogue Titans. There are two still on our list that requires our justice. If they were to come here and see no Titan dwelling, they might attack from a distance and not even land. We will need our ship to, in case we have to fly off to defend a planet under attack. Our requests don¡¯t need to be filled right away. These requests are not for us, but you and your continued safety. We greatly regret the deaths of our fellow Titans caused out of the self-proclaimed godly hood. The Titans that killed indiscriminately have been dealt with and are now dead or incarcerated indefinitely. If they escape into known space, the Titans who were against the war would inform my wife and us, and I will deal with them. They are considered cowards by Titan standards; we are considered outcasts for standing up to the council against Titan rule. We forbid the enslavement of all other races; now we get to see if our decision was correct first hand. So far we will stand by our first choice not to enslave any race.¡± William spoke with power behind the passion in his words.

    The archmage spoke to everyone and the Knights. ¡°We all thank you two for your selflessness and willingness to keep all races free from enslavement. It is our great honour that you will live among us even if it¡¯s a short time as beings our size. I know things weren¡¯t easy for you and losing your home and your status was not an easy decision to make, but we are all thankful you did come to our aid. Many of us lost family or know people who did. Most of us lost hope until you showed up and fought at our side. With your help, we defeated the tyrannical Titans. For your help, we give you a place to live and a way to fit into any of our lives. Hence, we are going to perform a special spell to reduce your size and mass. The spell will leave you with your strength and density. We will not take those and leave you defenceless in case your Titan¡¯s rogues come calling. Are you ready for the spell that will change you forever¡±?

    William took Rocssanna hand and entwined their fingers. They gazed into each other¡¯s eyes and answered him together. ¡°We are ready for the spell, we fell in love together, we get shrunk together, and together we¡¯ll live as tiny people.¡± Then their lips meet for the last time as huge Titans.

    William felt the plants still inside them. ¡°What about the plants inside our bodies, won¡¯t the spell be affected by too much magic from the plants¡±?

    ¡°The spell will be easier with the magic they put out. We won¡¯t need to use as much of our own and the talismans we have. It¡¯s going to take as much magical power as we can handle to perform this spell.¡± The archmage answered William.

    Rocssanna looked down at her abdomen. ¡°What will happen to them as we shrink, won¡¯t they get shrunk along with us too¡±?

    The archmage shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I think they¡¯ll phase into another dimension with no effect on them whatsoever. Their just curious still and will leave once it starts. We¡¯ll take advantage of all the magic while they¡¯re in you. Don¡¯t worry no harm will come to them during the process.¡± With the last words said a glow surrounded him and soon all the mages. One by one the mage¡¯s, linked through the next one, all to the archmage. Once they were all linked, he started to perform the spell using the arcane language. The power was visible around the Knights have they started to shrink. About the time down to around forty meters some of the plants were visible in the dimension as they left the couple. They looked like green jellyfish with a fuzzy primate¡¯s head stuck on top. The tentacles looked like long silky hair with a blue tint. The primate¡¯s faces had a comical appearance. After that more were leaving their bodies some phase out halfway outside of the Titans as they approached twelve meters¡¯. The rest were just assumed went directly in the other dimensions they could occupy. When they reach their new heights, one hundred and seventy-five centimetres (5¡¯-9¡±), for William, and one hundred and sixty-eight centimetres (5¡¯-6¡±) for Rocssanna their bodies still hummed with magic, with a slight fading glow.

    Rocssanna turned to William who was now close to forty metres¡¯ away with their feet dangling twenty metres¡¯ off the ground still sitting in the chairs. Without thinking, they hopped off and fell like stones. There was a collected gasp at their actions and a sigh in relief when their feet sunk into the ground up to almost their shins.

    William was watching Sky eyes get big, and she held up a hand as if in class asking a question. He smiled and thought to himself. I could pour myself another cup of tea while she asks her questions. ¡°Yes, Sky. I¡¯ll listen to your question while I pour some more tea.¡± He said reaching for the teapot on the footlocker separating them. All the cookies were gone; Sky had eaten the rest in excited anticipation of the story.

    ¡°Daddy did you have a hard time adjusting to your new size and strength. I remember walking on the grass for the first time and sunk up to my shins. It felt like I was walking in murky water at first.¡± Sky was waiting and reached to an empty plate and was surprised there weren¡¯t any cookies left.

    Rocssanna answered ¡°Yes we had a hard time at first, but don¡¯t forget we had many years of practice in different gravities throughout our lives. It was just a matter of time before we got used to it. You have a problem of having your magic making you stronger constantly. We made you wear the strength suppression suit when you were two, but it had to get more advanced as you got older soon one wasn¡¯t enough.¡± Rocssanna smiled reached and ruffled Sky¡¯s hair. ¡°You dear Sky was almost as strong as us by the time you were five years old. We didn¡¯t know how to handle your strength and had to try and suppress it somehow. Nothing ever seemed to work for long; we found one that might have worked, but it was way too bulky.¡±

    William made another pot of tea while two of the ladies talked. Without out turning from Sky, Rocssanna held up her empty teacup for Willy to top off. William topped off Rocssanna¡¯s and Sky¡¯s cups before refilling his own and wondered if he should get some more snacks, they did keep Sky quiet, mostly. After each of the lady¡¯s even Conny took a sip, William took a drink of his own. ¡°Sky do you have any other questions or can I restart our tale of your birth and your magic? You know why you are tiny now, but I¡¯ve yet to tell you about why we hid the magic from you and why we ended up on that planet¡±? William waited for Sky¡¯s answer.

    Sky sipped her tea enjoying the flavour wash over her tongue as she pondered her daddy¡¯s question. ¡°Daddy is the story going to be much longer. Not that I want you to shorten it or anything, I¡¯m afraid we need more snacks to feed my excitement and anticipation. If you don¡¯t mind, I could get some of the biscuits, give Mr. Fred and Mr. Joe some before I dry them out for us. It should only take one or two minutes at most. I need something to keep my hands busy while I listen to the story.¡± Sky gave her daddy a pleading look. Rocssanna smiled at William who in turn nodded to Sky.

    ¡°Maybe while you are with Fred and Joe you could ask them to give you something to work on while you¡¯re listening¡±? William said before his daughter could flash from sight.

    ¡°Okay, daddy. Mommy, did you need anything from the house while I¡¯m there? It won¡¯t be a bother to grab anything else.¡± She asked looking at her mommy. Rocssanna mentioned William forgot the saucers for the teacups. Sky flashed a smile and said ¡°Okay¡± and was gone from sight.

    Sky appeared in the loading bay in a blink of an eye she was so fast the air was forced around her without making a sound much louder than a clap. She walked through the front door and into the pantry and found the soft biscuits that were over one hundred years old. Sky grabbed two of the fifteen bags that were left and found the box containing the saucers that belonged to the tea set. She put them into her pocket space in her jacket and ran to find Mr. Fred and Mr. Joe.

    Seconds later Fred and Joe were brought out of their conversation with the new crew, by a loud clap. Sky gave them a quick salute and pulled out one of the boxes of biscuits. Fred and Joe were speechless at the sudden appearance of Sky. Fred asked the new crew to hold on a second and turned off the vid link. ¡°Sky anything new or interesting happen today? Are you looking forward to meeting the new crew¡±?

    Sky smiled and waved the hand she had the biscuits in. ¡°There they can¡¯t listen anymore. Oh, Mr. Fred did you know with all the healing magic thrown around, my delicious biscuits were made like brand new each time the spells were cast. Now they¡¯re all soft and just like they were just packaged this morning. We had tea and cookies, but we ran out of cookies while daddy was telling me a story. Oh, and I¡¯m a tiny Titan, would you like some biscuits? I want to get back so daddy can finish the story. I still won''t find out why they kept magic a secret from me and about why mommy and daddy left the planet where they were shrunken on. OH, daddy told me to ask if you have something I can do while I¡¯m listening, I guess to keep my hands from eating all the biscuits myself.¡± Sky smiled at Fred and Joe still holding up the box of biscuits she had offered them.

    Fred was confused at how Sky could ramble on about stuff that would have most people baffled. ¡°What do you mean they can¡¯t hear us now? You know you¡¯re a Titan now, but smaller. They still didn¡¯t tell you why they hide the magical arts from you¡±? Fred and Joe were waiting for her answers. Joe felt a little left out but didn¡¯t add anything yet.

    ¡°To answer your first question someone with a lot of magic was boosting the signal to reach here in a magical conduit. When you cut the signal, the conduit remained, and they could hear like a person through a pipe or hollow tube, which they enhanced with a spell so they could hear more clearly on their end. The second question yes, I¡¯m a cute tiny Titan, angel, and magical girl, who¡¯s yet to find out about why I wasn¡¯t told about magic before now. Oh, that answered the third question too. Okay, anything you would like to add Mr. Joe¡±?

    ¡°How did you stop them from listening¡±? Joe didn¡¯t need to know; he didn¡¯t want to feel left out. He had an idea Sky seen it and asked him a question of his own. Sky wasn¡¯t at all like most girls her age.

    ¡°Well, Mr. Joe I cut off the conduit and put a bubble around the ship to keep it from reaching inside again till we¡¯re done. I only did it because Mr. Fred seemed not to want them to listen to us.¡± Sky sent a smirk to Fred, who realized she knew why he did it. They were probably going to warn the new crew about her age and not be mean to her.

    ¡°Well, the new crew will be here in three and a half hours. We¡¯re going to meet each other somewhere half way to our previous meeting point. They didn¡¯t say why they left their position or anything about the current mission, so we¡¯re maintaining an encrypted conversation till we meet in person. There must be a reason so until then we are going to stay in touch at regular intervals.¡± Fred said and then thought maybe Sky could help somehow but didn¡¯t want to lean on a little nine-year-old girl too much. She could already take him on physically, magically and didn¡¯t want to add another. He knew he was somewhat petty but he was the captain, and it was his call.

    Sky smiled at him and took it he would like to have an open conversation with the new crew. While she was offering them some of her favourite biscuits with Conny¡¯s help, they found a way of establishing a new way of communicating with the other ship that total secure connection. The new way could not be tapped by anyone outside of either ship. Sky established a connection with the other ship¡¯s limited A.I. computer gave it the necessary bubble adjustments and re-established a new conduit with the other ship using Conny¡¯s new magic abilities. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to stop by for tea if you have time before the new crew gets here. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll approve the new changes to the men¡¯s and women¡¯s quarters in the barracks.¡± Sky left the box with the men and turned to leave, taking a step. She turned around, ¡°if you want a private conversation to ask Conny to connect you privately and you¡¯ll have a secure connection I can guarantee. See you later Mr. Fred, Mr. Joe.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sky I will ask her to do that once we¡¯re finished the snacks you graciously provided for our enjoyment. I will ask you to call in two hours or when your story is finished, or whichever comes first.¡± Fred remembers her another of a request for something to do. ¡°You said you wanted to do something with your hands while you listened to the story? I have an unfilled tome you could copy and fill with magic. Try and make them with each element, so there is a variety of them. They don¡¯t have to be all red tomes, but they can be the most useful. Conny can print up as many blank tomes as you could fill. Have fun and don¡¯t drain yourself too much.¡± As Fred spoke, he was wondered how Sky knew about the lack of secure connections. Fred found Sky perception very astute and made a mental note to watch everything he said around her. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust her; it was that she acted without being asked. With all his problems Sky was the least of his worries, taking away all the challenges he faced. Fred just sighed and turned to Joe who had a big grin.

    Sky took the blank tome from Fred and asked Conny to print up a thousand. She knew she could fill them when she had any spare time and had an idea it wouldn¡¯t take too long to fill them. ¡°Thank you, Fred Sir,¡±

    Joe watched Sky¡¯s image fade and not walk away. ¡°It must be a really good story to have her running like that. Did you ask her to solve our communication problem in a roundabout way or was it just unintentional? Either way, let¡¯s find out what has them spooked or have them coming to join us early. Conny could you re-establish the new link with the scout ship. Conny opened the new communication spell Sky devised moments before. The connection was made, and both ships recognized it as completely secure with no possible tapping from outside either ship.

    Fred called out to the scout ship. ¡°Sorry for the interruption the crew member we were about to discuss was present, and I didn¡¯t want her to hear that we were discussing her. She¡¯s somewhat shy and would not want to hear it directly. Sky is our youngest crew and is very special. I hope you will treat her with respect you would like any junior crew member. I¡¯m not sure what the fleet admiral told you but don¡¯t get on her bad side if you can avoid it. You will see why once you meet her. I can only hope your interactions are, well let¡¯s say well received as ours. Just don¡¯t talk down to her; she is very sensitive about her age and how she is treated. I think once you meet it will be obvious for the warning.¡± Fred, let it sit in their minds a few seconds before getting on with the next subject.

    ¡°So why are they changing the plans and now racing towards us? I could barely understand the encrypted messages you were sending. Now that you can speak freely tell me what¡¯s up with the heavy encryptions¡±? Fred asked puzzled by his new crew¡¯s actions.

    Todd Johnstone answered. ¡°We were discovered by one of the abducted mages special gifts from what we gather. Somehow the rogue mages accessed the abducted mages special abilities. I think Mr. Tillson could intercept any transmission of communications. I¡¯m not sure if this one is even a safe line.¡± Todd looked back to the other three on the small deck. They shrugged their shoulder, and Jane answered the questioning look. ¡°There is no course change in the ship following us.¡±

    Fred had a shocked look on his face. ¡°You never said you were being followed change your course now to ninety degrees on the Y axis and forty-five on the Z axis to see if they make a course adjustment too. If the ship follows you let me know and I¡¯ll get our troubleshooter on it. Right now, she¡¯s getting some information she might need.¡± Fred looked at Joe and smiled. Joe just grinned and shook his head saying ¡°you¡¯re crazy¡± under his breath with an almost silent chuckle, almost silent.¡± Fred gave his chuckle looking back at the vid screen and four confused faces. ¡°Don¡¯t worry it was an inside joke that you¡¯ll get once you meet her.¡±

    Jane called out ¡°There was a delay in the rogue ships course adjustments. It seems like their following us visually. We have no sophisticated cloak on this scouting ship just a visual screen cloak nothing high-tech or magical.¡± Jane looked at the screen closer. ¡°It¡¯s not matching our course change, so that¡¯s going to buy us some time.¡±

    Fred ¡°I think our troubleshooter could send you a spell or two to throw them off your track. Just give me a second to ask her to come up with a spell.¡± Fred cut the communications to the scout ship.

    Sky came back to her quarters and pulled out a box of biscuits, teacup saucers from her pocket and place them on the footlocker. After, she reached deep into her jacket pocket and pulled out a bundle of blank paper tomes. She noticed her daddy and mommy a questioning look. ¡°Oh, these are to keep my hands busy while I listen to the story like you suggested daddy. That way the biscuits will last longer, and it¡¯ll take some of the pressure off my magic well. I seem to fill up my magic well a whole lot faster now since casting all the powerful spells and getting so much magic taken by those stupid aliens. Plus, this way I can earn some money or have some really good gifts to give.¡± Sky opened the bundle and placed five on the table. She left the bundle beside her for easy access. Rocssanna saw the Arch-Mage fill these with Sky¡¯s magic before she was even born. He filled one at a time, and it took around three minutes each. She was interested in seeing what Sky was going to do. ¡°Daddy I can do this while you tell me the story, go ahead. I¡¯m listening.¡± She stated as she gave him full eye contact while placing a digit on each of the blank tomes. Magic poured out of her from each finger, and they flashed colours quickly red being the final colour. She picked up one of the tomes and seen a symbol for what she took for water turning it over in her fingers as she inspected one of her first tomes. With a flash of inspiration and a smile she tapped it with a finger, then tapped the four other tomes and patted the blank bundle beside her. She placed the red one back on the table under her fingers and thumb as before. This time it was almost thirty seconds before the tome turned a gold colour with embossed sigils. Sky frown at her daddy. ¡°Am I distracting you from your story I could just eat all the biscuits and drink most of the tea if this takes away too much of your concentration¡±? She said putting the golden tomes in separate places, the first ones of five piles. Sky took five more tomes and placed them apart they quickly flashed through the colours to red and then slowly to golden also. She started to repeat the process waiting for her daddy to continue.

 Chapter Thirteen What Am I? (Part Three) With An Emergency Pause

    Chapter Thirteen

    What Am I? (Part Three) With An Emergency Pause

    The room had a ping sound of an incoming communication from the captain. ¡°Sorry to interrupted, but we could use a little help for the incoming scout ship. Sky could you come up with a cloaking spell and some decoy spell that will foul a mage who can see communication transmissions. There being followed and need something to draw them off, of their pursuit.¡± Fred asked hopefully.

    Sky answered Captain Fred. ¡°Yes, Fred Sir, just give me a second to look into it.¡± Sky looked up from the biscuit just going into her mouth. She pushes her awareness into space and followed Fred¡¯s transmission to the scout ship and found another ship following it. There were strange tendrils of magic snaking their way out from the ship into space all around; she guessed these were the feelers the mage used. They reached around the scout ship and almost to Little Tooth now she knew what to look for. The tendrils touching the ship were trying to penetrate the new bubble with no progress but still could feel the ships bubble and follow it. Sky with little thought came up with the solution. Captain Fred Sir. I just gave Conny the solutions, and she will convey them to the other ships A.I. I¡¯ll send out the decoys myself if you don¡¯t mind. The spells a little complex on top of that, they must be inverted. The mage on the rogue ship is using a strange kind of magic I¡¯ve never heard of before. It may be because I¡¯m new to Magic, but I think I see how it works. After I send the decoy, he is going to have a surprise when he catches up to it. Nothing fatal but he will need some serious headache medication.¡± Sky said with a chuckle; then she turned serious. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the mages¡¯ gift it was stolen from another magic user. I can think of ways a gift can be stolen, and none of them are pleasant, and none of them would leave the mage alive. Someone died to give that mage the gift he has. I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯ll never use that gift again once he caught up to the decoy and wished he never had it.¡±

    Sky turned to her father. ¡°Sorry daddy I¡¯ve got to do something to ensure our new crew''s safety and stop a very dangerous gift in the wrong hands.¡± Sky stood up and looking off into space through the bulkhead. She held up her palm and stood without moving for a few seconds. When she lowered her hand with a tiny grin saying ¡°that should hide the ship and soon I¡¯ll take care of that murderous mage. Okay, I¡¯m ready for something a little more upbeat. Daddy could you possibly keep it short; I think something bad might happen sooner than later.¡± Sky was still interested in the story her daddy was telling but was a little distracted at what just happened. She just gave a weak grin and took a sip of tea.

    Fred was thinking of asking what she was going to do. He realized something she did defy all logic when it came to conventional magic. A lot of what she does goes over his head. ¡°Make your decoy when you feel the time is right. I¡¯ll let their leader Todd know that a decoy will be appearing shortly and a new shield will be added to the array.¡±

    Sky forced a smile. ¡°They¡¯ll know when it is happening, tell them to relax and breathe deeply after it starts telling them there is nothing wrong with their vision or even what they¡¯re going to feel. Warn them they might feel a tiny bit of vertigo when it happens. Oh, and tell them sorry.¡±

    Fred re-established the link with the scout ship. ¡°My AI is going to give you a new shield spell, and our troubleshooter is going to make a decoy. She told me to brace yourselves and not to panic, and you might see and feel something odd. You will probably feel like retching when it happens.¡± Fred said giving them a weak smile.

    Jane called out new shield is going to take effect in five, four.¡± Her words were choked off as the whole ship started to split into two. She could feel something pull at her skin. Looking back at the rest of to crew she seen a copy of them pull away as a ghost image of the entire ship went off in a different direction. As it completely separated it became solid. Jane scanned the new scout ship and found that four mages manned it just like them. ¡°It¡¯s us in the same scout ship as ours how is that possible. For all the light in stars what just happened.¡± Jane said as vertigo hit her and she followed suit as everyone retched on to the deck. In a flash as their stomach contents hit the floor, it was gone.

    Todd was the first one to regain his equilibrium and haled Little Tooth. ¡°Captain Fred Sir, what just happened to us and our ship, there are two of us now¡±?

    Before Todd could ask another question, Fred interrupted him. ¡°That was the decoy our troubleshooter made. It¡¯s a nasty surprise for the mage that was instrumental in following you; I was reassured he would not use or be able to use that gift again. She also said sorry for your discomfort in the spells execution. Don¡¯t bother asking how and why you never felt any magic used let¡¯s say it was magic and leave it at that till you get here. I¡¯m sure she will tell you over tea if you wish to know. For now, save your questions and only do a visual check on the spacecraft that was following you. Make your coarse adjustment to come directly for us. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re A.I. will know the way. For now, let¡¯s leave the com open and muted until there are any changes. You and your crew did well so far, keep up the good work.¡± The vid was cut and the sound muted. Fred looked to Joe ¡°Man that must have been tuff having a clone split from you like that from your own body. I¡¯m surprised Todd didn¡¯t take long to recover from vertigo if it was like anything I felt. He briefly wondered who cleaned up the messes they would have made. Might it have been automated maybe? Fred said checking if Joe had any insight.

    Joe shook his head. It was Sky¡¯s doing I bet she did something knowing it would possibly make them sick. She probably did it for future relationships to start better than just a simple sorry.¡±

    Todd back on the scout ship could catch snippets of the conversation even after the mute was in place. The whole crew knew now it was the young girl, Sky who was the special new crew member and their troubleshooter. The fact she was so considerate to clean up their messes so far away was incredible. The magic she must hold had to be astounding to make such a spell so far away. She seemed a little too perfect and was probably a snob in person or something similar.

    Okay, let¡¯s recap all we know of the new captain and crew. Fred is captain, Joe is second in command, and Sky is an ensign the youngest on their crew. Then her parents are the cooks and cleaners. Now there is something about an enhanced AI able to do magic. Fred seems to be a good guy, and Joe seems to be a straight shooter. Um, the cooks are, let¡¯s see, William and Rocssanna. Who are great cooks from what Fred says and by the looks of him he knows good food? I even think he taught our martial arts instructor back in basic training camp.¡± Todd looked at his crew he spent the last seven years keeping together the best he could. Jane was the only one who missed some time because of a spell gone bad. It took her a while to get readjusted to her altered body, a whole lot of convincing her she was still welcome, and part of their crew. This was going to be the first mission together since the change into tiny beings. After they were going to pool their earnings to find a mage to fix the incompetent spell, this was a tight group you would be well looked after if you fit in.

    William waited for the brief interruption by Fred asking for a favour of Sky¡¯s many talents. Within a few minutes, she was able to give him the solutions and turn her attention back to the unfinished story. ¡°Are you finished now Angel, can I start again¡±? William took a sip of his tea and waited to continue the story.

    ¡°Yes, Daddy I¡¯m finished for now. You should be able to finish the story and tell me why you left the planet and why you never taught me magic¡±? Sky said almost shaking to here the story.

    William cleared his throat and started the story again.

    ¡± Two days after being micronized William and Rocssanna Knight had felt an odd sensation in their core, a type of pressure they¡¯ve never experienced before as Titans. Not a pain or all that discomfiting really, it was just a growing pressure that was there. On one of their visits to a mages house who was helping them to adapt to being tiny. William mentioned the odd sensation to the mage, and Rocssanna said she felt it too. The mage said it sounded like a persons¡¯ magic well filling for the first time. The three had a good laugh at that and the next couple of days no more was said about the subject. That was until they passed a magic user who could sense the size of magic well, the Arch-Mage. He called out to the Knights to come over to his office in the Great Hall of Magic.

    The next day they found themselves in the office of the Arch-Mage. ¡°I would like to introduce myself, I¡¯m the Arch-Mage and I know you are William and Rocssanna Knight. You weren¡¯t told the names of the mages who micronized you. But I¡¯ll tell you I was the one guiding the magic and crafted the incantations that gave you your smaller forms. I called you here not to tell you that, but to tell you your bodies are producing magic. I can sense a magical well size, and yours are small, but they¡¯re there. If you would like, you could be the first Titans ever to use magic¡±?

    William looked to Rocssanna ¡°What do you think Rocssy? Titan magic users. We could be the first Titans to control magic. It would certainly be different from being the one wielding magic and from knowing what all the talk is about. This great feeling of power that corrupts so many powerful magic users.¡±

    Rocssanna just said ¡°What could it hurt to see what it feels like to cast a spell or two? Maybe it could help cook and clean the house.¡±

    Sky looked like she wanted to interrupt, but William held his hand up to stop her from interrupting the story

    For the next week, William and Rocssanna were taught magic and were progressing slowly but mastered each small useful spell. Things were easy because they both had lightening affinity. Their teachers were amazed on how some of the difficult spells the Knights found super easy and basic spells were unattainable to grasp. They stopped teaching any difficult spells and incantations until they mastered the simple ones. Their progression almost slowed to a stop after the second week they could do only one more spell which was the more complex ones. The Arch-Mage called them in for an interview to see how they were adapting to their new size and the magic lessons.

    The Knights were doing very good with their new size but not so good with the lessons. Halfway through the interview the Arch-Mage looked to Rocssanna ¡°You¡¯re holding quite a bit of magic you should use it a little bit more. It¡¯s becoming a little too much for a new caster such as yourself. If you want, I could drain some off if you like¡±?

    Sky again wanted to say something smiling getting caught up in the story. It helped her not dwell on the rogue mage¡¯s murderous act. ¡°Sky if you want this story told quickly you can¡¯t ask questions in between. Wait till after if there are any unanswered questions then ask them. Before you eat them all again pass me a biscuit.¡± Sky had her one hand getting her daddy¡¯s attention and the other in the box of biscuits. She was using Conny¡¯s empty teacup to put the water she pulled out of the biscuits. It was half full, and to most people, they seemed just moist. Sheepishly she handed over six of the biscuits to each of her parents leaving her with three.

    ¡°I guess I should drink more tea and pace myself on the rest of the biscuits. I wish it were easy just to make more with magic. I tried to make food, but it wasn¡¯t the same; they all tasted kind of like wax. Sorry for interrupting. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll mention me soon.¡± Sky was smiling up to her daddy looking over a hot cup of tea.

    William smile ruffled Sky¡¯s hair, took a sip of tea and a biscuit. Then went straight into the story again.

    Rocssanna looked at William. ¡°But I use just as much magic as Willy, if not a few more spells a day. Why would I have that much more magic stored than Willy has?¡±

    The Arch-Mage pondered the question. ¡°I have no idea some people have magic wells that develop faster than others. Maybe you¡¯re one of the lucky ones with faster-developing magic well. If you can¡¯t use enough magic to bring it down, I will drain some of the magic off?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then because I don¡¯t know enough useful spells to cast in a day to drain away that much,¡± Rocssanna said on the way out of the office.

    William was thinking about the magic they could use. ¡°I bet if you change the light spell into a multiple light spell, so there¡¯s a light every half metre or so for a few kilometres. I bet conjuring something like that a few times would use about half your stored magic. I could cast them just to see how many times we can make them before we run out of magic.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Willy. We could try that tonight, but we¡¯ll do that in the mountains where nobody goes at night. That much light would be hard to sleep with. Anyway we could use a little romantic walk by ourselves occasionally.¡± Rocssy kissed Willy on the lips, gave him a big smile and cuddled close. ¡°You¡¯ll get more tonight under the glow of our mage light.¡± She said with a wink.

    That night the couple went into the mountains and spent six hours draining their magic and having a little romantic stroll through the forested mountainside. On the way, back neither of them could cast a light any brighter than a small flame. They figured the magic would not build up too quickly overnight. The next day William and Rocssanna went to the Arch-Mages office to see about the magic Rocssanna held.

    Rocssanna and William greeted the Arch-Mage. ¡°Good morning Arch Mage I trust you had a good night sleep. Willy and I used up almost all of our magic last night, it took six hours, but we drained ourselves of every bit of magic we had.¡±

    The Arch-Mage looked to William and then to Rocssanna, then he frowned. ¡°I thought you drained all your magic last night it has increased.¡± The Arch-Mage stepped closer to Rocssanna. ¡°Try and make a mage light will you please¡±?

    Rocssanna shrugged her shoulders. She held up her palm and pushed out a mage light, and it was brighter than she would have thought possible. She tried a second one, and it was far dimmer than the first. ¡°That¡¯s all of it. I can¡¯t do much more than maybe shock someone for a joke,¡± Rocssanna said giving William a grin in mirth.

    The Arch-Mage looked closer to Rocssanna. ¡°What they said is right you have a hidden well of magic. I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing, but I see it right here in your abdomen. He waved his hand over Rocssanna¡¯s midriff, and a faint spell circle appeared. He pulled back in surprise and did a double take. ¡°There seems to be a parasite in your lower abdomen, and it¡¯s holding a tremendous amount of magic. It seems to be,¡± His voice cut off midsentence as we all clued in on what it was.

    William smiled to Sky who was wide-eyed. ¡°It was you in your mommy¡¯s belly eager to be born.¡± William then continued with the story Before Sky could ask anything.

    Rocssanna and William both put their hands on Rocssy¡¯s toned stomach but it was William who spoke first. ¡°Honey you¡¯re pregnant, and we¡¯re going to have a magical baby. I wonder if it¡¯s going to be a boy or a girl.¡±

    Rocssanna squeezed William¡¯s hand. ¡°I bet you it¡¯s going to be a girl, with long soft, beautiful hair. She is going to be super smart and tall for her age because she¡¯ll be strong, stronger than us. She¡¯s going to be the kindest and most loving girl ever. We¡¯ll name her Sky because for her the sky is not the limit, but she¡¯ll be the star of known space and beyond.¡±

    Sky interrupted William. ¡°Daddy did mommy say that; I don¡¯t believe she would be so accurate. She left out cute and my blue hair and eyes.¡±

    William chuckled along with Rocssanna. ¡°No Sweetie she didn¡¯t, that wants you to call a creative license. She did guess you were going to be a girl though and have a lot of magic.¡±

    Rocssanna cut in. ¡°I also said you were going to be a beautiful lady one day. We¡¯re still hoping on that one; it might happen if the swelling of your head goes down along with your conceded brain.¡± Rocssanna ribbed her daughter.

    Sky just blushed and said. ¡°You told me I was cute many times.¡± She didn¡¯t say any more but made a humph sound. William continued his story with a smile.

    The Arch-Mage peered closer into Rocssanna¡¯s womb. ¡°I think you¡¯re at least right about one thing, for now, she is going to be a girl, and Williams is going to be right about the magical baby.¡± He stood back from the now glowing couple. ¡°I will have to drain off the magic for sure now as a developing fetus there is no way of any magical release through spells or incantations. I¡¯ll have to think of a way to link with the child and see about drawing off some of the magic to safer levels. Let me think about this for today and come back tomorrow to see what I come up with.¡± The Arch-Mage stroked his chin in the concentration of the problem. Usually, you asked for a mages permission to take magic, this would have to be done forcefully without the consent of the child to be.

    Rocssanna had a thought. ¡°How could you tell it¡¯s going to be a baby girl if I¡¯m only pregnant a week and a half, tops? As a Titan, our gestation period is on average up to eleven years. We trying just before the war and stopped and just started again two weeks ago; it takes a few days to become fertile again. I believe in this tiny body she would be just a speck. What kind of magic let you tell from that¡±? Something clicked in Rocssanna¡¯s head and maybe Williams if his face was any indication.

    The Arch-Mage looked at Rocssanna without any enhanced sight and was surprised to see a faint glow of magic coming from the fetus. ¡°I used no special spell for seeing the unborn child she¡¯s about the size of my thumb and is quite developed by what I can see.¡± He said seeing the couple heads nodding to each other.

    Rocssanna turned from William and to the Arch-Mage. ¡°I believe I was pregnant during the war. Titan women can start and stop their menstrual cycle at will, and I stopped my cycle when the war began. Unknown to me it would have stopped on its own, so for five years, I was with child. But how will the micronization affect the baby and why does she hold so much magic¡±? Rocssanna said stroking her stomach.

    ¡°You ask some very good questions, but I have no answers yet. Tomorrow I¡¯ll have some answers, and I must drain the magic from the child. But for now, you should put something on to hide the magic coming from the baby. I¡¯ll enchant some of your clothes to hide the magic coming from your unborn daughter.¡±

    Rocssanna took off her overcoat so it could be enchanted. While she waited, she reached for her child as all Titan parents can sense their children even unborn. This being her first child she didn¡¯t know what to expect. She could feel something but, it was not sure if it was as it should have been. Being cut off from other Titans, she had no one to ask for guidance. Rocssanna tried to feel what she could make out; it was as if there were many voices in a strange language or chatter. Faintly she could feel a cooing sound amongst the chattering. It was her child¡¯s essence that she could not reach through all the strange noise. Her child seemed content with the sounds of chatter and cooed away as if happy.

    Soon with the enchanted overcoat hiding the baby¡¯s magic, the Arch-Mage promised to tell them why he was hiding their magical unborn child and to find out how all the magic was possible. ¡°Go home, sleep, and plan how you¡¯re to raise your daughter who¡¯s going to have magic.

    Rocssanna and William looked at each other with a whole lot more to plan. Rocssanna is pregnant with a magical baby girl. The girl will be the first Titan born with magic in her. Rocssanna asked the Arch-Mage what she should expect to happen with a magical child. ¡°As a Titan, we never have children with magic, so this is new for anyone of our race?¡± The archmage pondered over the question not knowing quite what say. ¡°I have never heard of a child being born with the magic she will hold. I think when she gets older maybe four or five years old she will need training in magic. She will be the strongest mage or sorceress ever. She will be as a new breed of Titan, a magical one. Most children with a few exceptions have to build up magic as they get older to work a spell. I have no idea what will happen with a child just born with magic flowing through her with no need to build up without practice. It would be like a baby playing with a laser gun. She may never hit the trigger but if she does where will it be pointing. The magic she holds even now, unborn is astounding. The figurative laser will not be a small one; the damage could be devastating. ¡°Rocssanna and William were now more than a little scared of what could happen. ¡°Are there any steps of precaution we can take? Is there some way of limiting the magical build up in her¡±? William was not thinking of himself, but his wife and child¡¯s safety. Rocssanna thought we have about five years to plan this out and find our best options. The archmage didn¡¯t know all the answers just then, but he would find them shortly. The one thing he knew; she couldn¡¯t stay on this planet. If it were not for his curiosity, he would send them away within the week. He might even leave the planet with them in the last years of pregnancy. ¡°I¡¯ll find out within a year or two which planets would be best to raise her on. I would also be so bold to offer to teach her magic when she¡¯s at the age of comprehension. She will need magical guidance as soon as she starts learning to speak.¡±

    Little did they know how much the micronization would affect Rocssanna¡¯s body and her pregnancy? Four months after finding out she was pregnant Rocssanna looked about to give birth as a Titan they never got swollen like a human, just a pot belly. Rocssanna looked like a four-month pregnant human. Rocssanna told her worries to her husband. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to have a baby like a human, all big and swollen. Plus, I don¡¯t think we even one year to plan now. My guess is five months before delivery. We¡¯ve got no way of knowing for sure.¡± William looked at his beautiful wife¡¯s belly are you sure it¡¯s not just gas¡±? The look he got could turn the whole cow sour. ¡°Okay no time for jokes, I¡¯ll see about a mage doctor. Only magic can see through our new body structure. I¡¯ll ask the archmage who is helping you lower the baby¡¯s magic.¡± Rocssanna got a surprised look on her face then a smile ¡°Don¡¯t worry about looking for him I¡¯m going tomorrow to his house to drain some magic and see if he can teach me to link with the baby too. We can discuss the possible new timeline and about a mage doctor to look at the baby¡¯s progress. William, are you going to love me still when I¡¯m big like a pregnant human they look so different when with a child.¡± William went to Rocssanna, stood behind her and cupped the gentle swell of her belly ¡°I will always love you no matter how big you get, one year, or five years that will never change.¡±

    The next day couldn¡¯t come fast enough for Rocssanna to start the training and to ask about the baby. Rocssanna approached the arch mage¡¯s house; it was huge and imposing. She knocked on the door, and a young woman answered the door. ¡°Hi, you must be Rocssanna. Father told me about you and your pregnancy.¡± Rocssanna was a little upset the mage told someone else about the baby. The woman was pretty with a slim figure; she wore a mage style robe. Her smile was very calming, and Rocssanna felt at ease. ¡°My name is Sandra; the archmage is my father. He told me to give you an examination if you want me to. You see I¡¯m a first-class medical mage, I specialize in obstetrician and female medical care. My father trusts me enough to tell me about your baby, and you can trust me too. Rocssanna looked to Sandra held out her hand to her in greeting and new friendship.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know all that he told you, but I would like you to see how far along I am. You see I never knew I was pregnant till four months ago.¡±

    Sandra looked puzzled at that. ¡°How could you not know you were pregnant after missing your cycle for four months? I could see two months but not four.¡±

    Rocssanna was upset about that statement. ¡°I could understand if I was human, but my race can control their menstrual cycle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was a bit concerned with the mage war. So, don¡¯t blame me for not checking while I was on the front line of defence.¡± As Rocssanna wanted she had a tickle sensation at the back of her head. Oh, no I said too much, now she¡¯ll know something¡¯s up.

    ¡°Rocssanna is there something you¡¯re not telling me? My father said you were different, but he never said how. You¡¯ll see it was all he said after that. So, will you tell me or will I find out during the examination.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make it a surprise when you start the tests. We can see how long it takes for you to find out my secrets.¡± Rocssanna said as a simple reply.

    Sandra led Rocssanna into the house. The front hall was huge and sparsely decorated, making it seem even bigger. Sandra pointed out a few rooms to be polite but made it known it was not a guided tour. Down the left hall was a complete doctor¡¯s examination room. The room had an examination table, a big desk, and filing cabinets. She could see through a door a comfy looking chair with stirrups. Sandra walked over to a closet and pulled out a smock for Rocssanna to wear. ¡°Mrs. Knight, you can change in that room behind the screen in the room with the gynecological chair. After you change, take a seat, and I¡¯ll be right with you.¡±

    Rocssanna got undressed, and before putting on the smock, she could swear her belly was bigger now than it was that morning. As she climbed into the chair, the material shifted to conform to her weight she sat on it. It was super comfy if not for the stirrups. Sandra came into the room shortly after she was seated. ¡°Are you comfortable Rocssanna, I could have the chair heat up or cool down if you wish"? "No, I''m quite relaxed. It¡¯s a wonderful chair.¡± Rocssanna snuggled a bit deeper into the cushions. "First I would like to take your pulse and check your breathing.¡± Sandra took Rocssanna''s arm in hand and was stunned at what little give to her skin. It was smooth to the touch and felt like a polished marble with a very slight give on the surface.

    "You''re not human are you Rocssanna? May I ask what race you are"? "No Sandra, I''m not human my husband, and I are Titans. Your father and eleven other mages micronized us so we could blend into human society. As far as I know, we are the last of our race in known space. As for not knowing I was with a child just before the mage war I was trying to conceive When the war started I stopped my cycle not knowing was with child. You may not know, but Titans can have a gestation period for up to twelve years and look no more pregnant than I do now. For a pregnant Titan, I''m huge.¡± Sandra looked at Rocssanna wondering how much this woman was exaggerating her condition. "I take it this is going to be your first child.¡± Sandra tried to knead Rocssanna¡¯s belly; her belly had no given to her prodding fingers. "I can see why my father asked no one else to look at you but me. Not only to keep this secret, but you hold a tremendous amount of magic. I can feel it almost pouring out of you. You shouldn''t hold so much at hand. It''s a wonder why I didn''t feel it when we first met. I''ve never seen someone hold some much magic before; I thought Titans could carry no magic.¡± Rocssanna gave her head a shake. "It''s not my magic; it''s the baby''s magic you feel. As for sending it, when we met the underclothing I was wearing hides the magic the baby radiates. Today the day your father links with the baby and draws off most of the magic. He¡¯s also going to try and teach me how to do it too. It¡¯s becoming more frequently I¡¯m going to your father to get the magic drained. It seems to take less time for her to build up the magic after. I want to know if the baby¡¯s development has something to do with the excessive creation of magic.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure just yet, but all probing must be done magically because nothing else can get through your dense skin and tissue.¡± Sandra got out a piece of chalk to draw runes and symbols on and around the bump of Rocssanna stomach as the drawing progressed she started to speak some incantations. With every rune circle, more of the baby was revealed, when she was done, you could see the developing child as if on a vid. Rocssanna was so surprised she hesitantly tried to touch the baby, but encountered her invisible abdomen. ¡°That is amazing. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. So, what can you tell by looking at the baby like this¡±?

    ¡°Oh, this is the first part of the spells, and I can tell you are about five months along by human standards. The next spell will tell me how much magic she holds and of she already has a magic affinity and to what element. With magic this strong it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if she already has an affinity for one of the elements .¡± Sandra pulled out a large tablet and issued a command to bring up the appropriate incantation. She then held the tablet over the developing girl and said the words to start the spell. A spell circle appeared just around the baby. The baby¡¯s body changed colours to a dark blue almost black with white specks in it. Sandra¡¯s hand started shaking and almost dropped the tablet. ¡°This is impossible only the highest grand archmages and a few sorceresses can hold that much magic. It would take them up to a year to reach that level of magic in their system.¡± Sandra had to sit down leaving Rocssanna baffled to see what Sandra found so disturbing. ¡°Should we get your father if there is any problem? Both of you should be able to solve anything right¡±? Sandra looked to Rocssanna still rattled. ¡°Yes, yes we should call him in to see about draining the baby¡¯s magic for the elemental test. The amount of magic she holds could be disastrous to try it now.¡± It was almost as if by magic the arch mage knocked on the door to make sure everyone was decently garbed. The archmage opened the door and walked in seeing Rocssanna, her baby, and his daughter. He noticed Sandra looked shaken and wondered why. ¡°Are you alright honey? What got you all upset¡±?

    ¡°You never told me about the magical child or the power she possesses. That unborn child holds more magic than you, and I combined. The problem is there is nowhere for the magic to go.¡±

    ¡°Calm down, that is why I¡¯m here, to syphon off some of the magic, Rocssanna and I have been working together for four months. What troubles me that our visits together are getting more frequent? That¡¯s why I wanted you to look at the child. Did you see anything so far that would hint at how she can generate magical energy so quickly¡±? The archmage asked his daughter.

    ¡°Not yet father, I¡¯m still in shock of finding out all the secrets you¡¯ve been keeping from everyone. It¡¯s like your hiding sheep amongst wolves. Well not sheep, but if they find out about the magical child, they will all fight for her. We know how destructive a magic fight can be, or how subtle the underhanded ways they used could be just as bad. How long do you think you can keep this from the mage world¡±?

    The arch Mage stroked his chin in thought; Sandra eyes bugged out and snatched his hand from his chin and glared at him. Such a stereotypical gesture bugged her to her core. If he had a beard, she would have screamed out loud. The archmage knew just how to distract his daughter and get her to think of less troublesome things. ¡°I know we have limited time; the baby¡¯s developing at a human rate. How long do you think before she starts to show¡±?

    Sandra looked to Rocssanna and turned to her father. ¡°A month tops if she can wear baggier clothes and walk around more so the swelling doesn¡¯t seem to pop up like infrequent visits seem to.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be possible. We should send you off planet to some remote star-system. I have one in mind, it would be perfect for you, but not good for us if we were planning to join you. There is little or no occurring natural magic, and the gravity is twelve times that of earth scale. Then there is the problem of the child¡¯s magic after they leave with no-one to draw off the massive build-up. I came up with an idea, by trying to use two stones that are linked, one takes, and the other gives. I made them for sharing the magic with mages on missions where there is little magic. We can use them to draw off the magic with one the blue gemstone, and we can use the magic here with the red gemstone. At least until she can control her magic, safely¡±!

    The archmage looked to Rocssanna remembering it was rude of them to talk as if she wasn¡¯t there. He saw her preoccupied staring at the wonder of life growing within her body. She heard most of what was said and was paying attention for any ill intentions towards herself and her family. Sandra was also paying attention to Rocssanna while her father was going through his thoughts on what to do. Sandra responded to Rocssanna as much as her father. ¡°That sounds good and the wisest course of action. Providing the Knights agree to go along with your plan.¡±

    Rocssanna noticed Sandra talking to her as well as her father. Before answering she lessened to the second voice the one only she heard. ¡°What kind of gemstones are you planning on using? I thought you were going to teach me to link with her and drain the magic myself¡±? The archmage not wanting to come across too harsh, at the same time he did not want to coddle her! ¡°You don¡¯t have enough time to learn, and you don¡¯t have the talent for magic. You might be able to link with your daughter, but you don¡¯t have the talent to hold or to use that much magic. I, an archmage, have to use it to make talismans or tomes almost right away before I¡¯m even overflow to bursting.¡± He then reached inside his wizard¡¯s robes and pulled out two small gemstones, one red, and one blue. He put the blue gemstone on the desk next to Rocssanna. ¡°That one is to keep your daughters¡¯ magic low and at a safe level.¡± Rocssanna took the blue gemstone he placed on the desk. ¡°Rocssanna we are going to link the blue gemstone with your daughter which will keep her magic at a safer level. This red gemstone will take the magic and hold it till the magic is used. The red gems were also called philosopher stones with a near infinite magic capacity, and they are very rare. So, we don¡¯t need to use the magic immediately.¡±

    Rocssanna was quiet for a few moments and then responded. ¡°How much time do we have before we have to leave? Can you still teach us some more magic, at least the theories of it? We may need to teach our daughter the basics of magic .¡±

    The archmage looked to Rocssanna and shook his head. ¡°For the love of all, that¡¯s good do not try and teach her magic. Your skills are too poor to teach any magic. If you were to teach your daughter, it would be like someone who bathed in a tub, teach a person how to deep water dive. You haven¡¯t even touched the surface of the kind of magic she¡¯ll have, no-one has really. We haven¡¯t even found her elemental affinity. Let''s find out but after we drain her to at least one-tenth, or more of her magic so it will be more controllable, because the amount of magic the developing girl has, it could be disastrous.¡± Sandra looked to Rocssanna and gave her a smile and a wink ¡°We were just about to call you when you came in on your own. I have the spells to test her elemental alignment ready for when you drain her magic.¡± Sandra said pointing to her tablet with the first test ready to be cast.

    ¡°Rocssanna place the gemstone on your belly just over the child and pull your hand back. I¡¯ll link the gemstone with the baby and start the magical drain. It shouldn¡¯t take too long to transfer the magical energy, the gemstones links are very strong, and that little trick was a long and difficult process. You¡¯ll be able to tell the transfer complete by stone¡¯s light will stop pulsing and become a solid glow.¡± They all watched as the blue gemstone glowed slightly and the red one started to pulse in the archmages open hand. Ten minutes later he set the gemstone down on the desk and took a seat along with his daughter to continue to watch. Rocssanna wasn¡¯t paying attention to the gemstones but was looking on in amazement at the child within her. She did not see the look of shock and astonishment at the length of time it was taking. This process should have been very fast, at least five times faster than draw the energy into me then straight into talismans. Almost one hour later his curiosity got to him, and he checked the growing child¡¯s magic level, it was almost down three quarters still two times more than most mages could hold in a year. The magic was not going down very fast; it was as if more was replacing as it, just slightly slower rate. "We need to do the affinity test the way she is. Draining the magic is going to take too long, she¡¯s creating more almost as fast as its being taken. Sandra uses the smallest test spell as possible; maybe we can control it somehow on our end¡±? ¡°Father I don¡¯t think it will help much, I¡¯ll have to drop the spell if there is a reaction. I¡¯m sure if I cut the magic to the spell fast enough it can¡¯t get too far out of control if it does go out of control.¡±

    The archmage asked Rocssanna if she was ready to nullify the spell if it gets out of hand possibly. To this, she nodded for his daughter to begin the first incantation. Sandra started with water first. With the tablet in one hand, she said a spell and water was floating about her hand. The water moved in a counter-clockwise motion and then held the water over the baby. She looked like she was oblivious to all around her just floating in her mother. As the floating water drew closer to the still-developing child turned her head as if look to the water. The water slowed and stopped moving. ¡°Okay water is her elemental affinity, and it will get stronger as she gets older.¡± Sandra was happy; the first one was her elemental alignment too.

    The Arch-Mage looked to his daughter ¡°Well what about the other elements; there are three others? I have two alignments so why would you not try the others on her.¡±

    Sandra sighed in recitation. She started another incantation, wind. Dust swirled around in her palm, again in counter-clockwise motion. As she brought the hand closer to the baby the wind causing the dust to swirl stopped and started swirling in a clockwise motion. The baby¡¯s head was still facing them as the tests went on. Sandra was shocked ¡°That two elements for mages it¡¯s very rare to have. Rocssanna you are going to have a very gifted child who will be sought after.¡±

    The archmage interrupted her again. "Dear there are two more tests yet to complete do you not think it''s strange she passed the first two you picked? I think she¡¯s going to have not just the four but the lightening as well. Try earth next, and I¡¯ll help with the other two after so it should be safer.¡± The Arch-Mage said. Sandra looked to her father with a shocked look on her face. Rocssanna knowing nothing of the workings of magic till three weeks ago, kept silent.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re wrong in this; no one should have the power she would have if that¡¯s true. Even with just the two and the magic she holds as a novice mage, she would press a strong archmage in a duel of magic .¡± Sandra brought up the next spell to test for earth a small, simple stone rotating this time in a clockwise motion. The baby still facing them caused the rock to move in a counter-clockwise without coming to a stop. Sandra looked a little paler after the test; she had tried to make too hard. I hope my father isn¡¯t right; she already holds three of the possible five. ¡°Okay, father fires next do what you have to make it safer for us.¡± He waved his hand over his pocket tablet, and there was a tingling sensation in her body, she could see Rocssanna respond to something happening to her also. The archmage nodded his head. ¡°Ready when you are dear just try and keep the flames as small as possible.¡± The Arch-Mage gave his daughter a chiding look as if to say ¡®I don¡¯t approve.¡® ¡°I like the counterclockwise twist with the magic. It gives you a good idea when there is an interaction from the person you¡¯re testing.¡± Sandra knew her slight variation to the test was not procedure and not to try it again. She gave her father an acknowledging nod and continued. Sandra tapped her tablet, and the flame she was using for the test sprung to life in the palm of her hand. With a wave of her hand, it shrank down and swirled around in a counter-clockwise motion. It was a small red and orange flame she held it lowering to the baby. Her hand was a little shaky and more so as it drew closer to the unborn child. Flames were the most common to go out of control. The flame just fluttered at first, then started to change colour. She was supposed to drop the spell at first sign of interaction, but she had to see what happened next. The flame turned blue, a pure sky blue and the flame stopped swirling. It flared up slightly and danced around her palm like a small child would entertain herself. ¡°Sandra, drop the spell I can feel it is probing the wards around us, it could go out of control. It can turn into a wildfire and break my wards with ease. I can feel her magic swelling as you are testing her for her elements. Sandra cut the magic to the test flame, and it flares slightly before going out. She¡¯s got four of the possible five. The last test is for the lighting element if she passes that test; it means she gifted in the lighting element. Lighting is the only element that can be taught to anyone possessing one of the four elements.¡± The archmage said the last part directed to Rocssanna to keep her informed on what was happening during the test. ¡°The last test is the most dangerous because the baby¡¯s¡¯ has no real intelligence yet she¡¯s just going on instincts. We keep things simple children to understand the tests. This test is unprecedented; no other unborn child was ever tested. The normal age for the test is three to four. We¡¯re hoping your child had an awareness of what to do with the movement. Sensing an element, you¡¯re aligned to react if you reach for it. You can interact with it with little effort because it¡¯s part of your mental and physical make-up. The last test is lightning or electrical energy, so Sandra could you start the last test¡±? Sandra was a little hesitant about starting the last test. She had no idea what could or would happen if she passed the last test. It would mean the child would be the most powerful persona live at her birth. What would they do? How would they protect the small family from the hidden evils of human nature? Thinking about the ever power-hungry mages who would stop at nothing to corrupt the little girl and her parents. Sandra secretly hoped she would at least fail the next test. She has enough magic already; she doesn¡¯t need another. Sandra began. ¡°I¡¯ll start the next test and try to keep it small.¡± With that said she started the next test with a hesitant flourish of her hand over her tablet, starting the spell. As she spoke the last part of the spell arks of white lighting jumped around her fingering a five-point star. Her hand was a little shaky as she brought her hand down to the baby. Nothing happened, the baby was still facing up but showed no reaction. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any change or new magic coming from the child. I can only feel the magic pressure from the red stone and the baby¡¯s usual magical pressure. I¡¯m going to stop the test; I guess she doesn¡¯t have that one gift.¡± Sandra was stopping the test when the arcs of lighting started to change colour. The colour change went unnoticed by the three present. Sandra signed in relief; she did not want to see what her father would have done had the baby pass the test. The Arch-Mage did not seem happy more upset. He seemed resigned to the fact the child failed the last test. Rocssanna did not care either way not understanding what all the magic meant. The baby slowly turned her head back to her prior fetal position. Rocssanna seen a look on the baby¡¯s face was it a smile or smirk. Sandra and her father were discussing how to conceal the baby¡¯s magic until she was born. The archmage looked over to humour you and did a double take. ¡°That is a smirk on her lips. I can¡¯t believe an infant yet to be born can smirk. She has to understand some of what we¡¯re saying and doing to get a smirk like that.¡± Sandra had a shocked look on her face as she looked on at the child.¡± I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s smirking, I mean actually, smirking, oh my magic stars that is a smirk .¡± Rocssanna was shocked at the surprise the two mages made from a simple smirk. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal about a simple smirk? It¡¯s not like she¡¯s, she is laughing, my baby is laughing, I can feel her jiggle inside me, is that even possible for an unborn child to laugh? I¡¯ve never heard of anything like that before, is it a common occurrence, maybe she¡¯s exercising her lungs or something?¡± ¡°No Rocssanna, somehow your child is aware and learning we don¡¯t know how much she understands, but she does understand most of what we say. She has no experience outside your womb to get a full grasp of what to make of it. Your child will be gifted in more ways than just magic. I hope everything goes well for your family after she¡¯s born.¡± The Arch-Mage said with true concern on his face. Sandra was reeling at the implications of what was yet to come. ¡°Well, we have to dispel the magic on your belly, so you don¡¯t have to walk around with your baby showing.¡± Sandra grabbed a box of wet wipes and started to wipe the invisible runes off Rocssanna¡¯s belly. Once some of the runes were cleaned off the invisible spell broke, and the baby slowly began fade from sight. Rocssanna waved to her baby as the fades from sight, unseen the tiny girl hand open and closes.

    The Arch-Mage left the room so Rocssanna could get dressed and call William over to the Arch-Mages house. It only takes an hour for William to get to the huge house. Sandra let William into her father¡¯s house. She leads him into the lounge where her father and Rocssanna were waiting and having a light discussion on the place of relocation. Upon Williams¡¯s arrival, Rocssanna gets up and goes to Willy a hug and kiss. ¡°Hi, honey we have so much to tell you about our child and her gifts of magic she¡¯s going to be the strongest sorceress ever. Her¡± ¡­ The Arch-Mage stopped her midsentence. ¡°We have much to discuss, but we have to do so in the way William will get the big picture.¡± The Arch-Mage waved for Williams and Rocssanna to have a seat on a comfy blue couch before taking a seat across from him. "We found out a lot about your child even before she is born. She has powerful magic which most mages and sorceresses would covet for themselves. She also has an affinity for all four elements water, earth, wind, and fire. Having two of the elements is very rare, only two has ever had three, and no one has ever until now had all four. She will be a force of nature like no other, and that is with no training. She is showing a sign of awareness of the world outside the womb. She has a sense of humour and can smirk, smile, and laugh. She¡¯s going to be very special, very unique, and very powerful. Her intellect might be off the chart, and we don¡¯t know what kind of disposition your daughter will have thought. What type of person is she going to be, kind and sweet, mean and better, or arrogant and condescending ¡°?

    William pondered the questions and the news about his daughter. He was expecting that his daughter was health and maybe born a whole lot sooner with a little more magic than they had. What he didn¡¯t expect was that she could be the next greatest mage. He knew the Arch-Mage was worried about his daughter being a hero, villain, or even something else. ¡°There is no way of knowing how she will turn out, she will be what she¡¯ll be. All my loving and caring wife and I can do are raising her best we can with love and care we both possess. I think that¡¯s all we can do for her, is it not¡±? William spoke with the pride of a father to be, with Rocssanna nodding in agreement.

    ¡°There is a problem with your idea of raising your daughter the way you two want. You forget about the environment in which where you raise your daughter has an impact on how she grows up. Who you and your daughter meet also makes a huge difference in her personality and disposition. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to raise her here on this planet, there is too much corruption of magic. Here you and your family will almost certainly be corrupt as well. We discussed this before when we thought we had more time, but I¡¯m afraid we are out of time we have to make plans for the next week or so to get to the new planet of the child¡¯s birth.¡± The child was going to be a force of change in the magic world if she was found with her special gifts. She would present a possibility of study for enhancing and developing elemental gifts in those with one elemental gift. ¡°I¡¯ve found a planet halfway across the galaxy a two-month trip which is not a problem. The problem is the planet has next to no magic, and on top of that, it is a high g-force planet. If you end up on that planet myself nor my daughter can visit you anytime soon if ever. As for the most likely planet, it¡¯s the safest one for you because most mages need a lot of magic to maintain the strength spell to compensate for the extreme gee-force. With next too no magic in the environment, they would have to rely on their magic they stored. Not many mages can hold that much magic to allow them to stay over one week without casting other spells. So, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get any visitors from off the planet for a long time.¡±

    William and Rocssanna were wondering about their baby developing inside Rocssanna¡¯s body. Rocssanna asks the archmage ¡°Won¡¯t the high gravity harm the baby if it¡¯s going to be too strong for most mages.¡± The Arch-Mage chuckled at the question then realized they were serious. ¡°No, no, your child will be fine in fact once she is born shill be better off than you two. The fact she has Io much power I think she¡¯ll do well at any gravity level. So, you two should go home make plans on leaving but tell no one yet till the day you leave. We don''t need anyone asking questions about why you''re leaving so soon after getting here and learning a bit of magic. They might even notice the slight bulge in Rocssanna¡¯s abdomen and wonder how you had become pregnant and showing so quickly. ¡°We have to get you on your way before you start to show more and draw attention to yourself Rocssanna. They¡¯ll want to study you and will find any way possible to keep you for studying. When they find, your child filled with magic and has all four gifts they will do almost anything to keep you there. Your life will change more than ever and not for the best and no all that unenjoyable. Go now, and we¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡±

    William and Rocssanna left with a new adventure coming in their near future. It was getting dark, so William used his limited magic and cast a simple light spell. It created just enough light to see by in the moonless night it was a long walk for most humans, but Rocssanna and William only looked human. The two micronized Titans could run faster than any car and most jet powered aircraft and jump over city blocks; gravity never affected them even after being shrunk down. They made it home in rerecord time to see their neighbours outside their front door. Mrs. Perchmont addressed Rocssanna ¡°Dear you¡¯re looking quite, hmmm, I don¡¯t know how to put it, radiant and you have a certain glow to your face. My dear husband Stanley and I were wondering if congratulations are in order. I think your either pregnant or gained control over the magic you¡¯ve been building up. I sensed the magic one day then nothing during the day most of this time. At night, I could sense your magic almost like a bright light in the dark. When I come over the magic is gone just as if you¡¯re hiding it with special clothing. Titans have no magic in general so after you were micronized you smaller bodies developed some magic in some way we are yet to discover. But the spikes of magic you hold are even beyond most mages and sorceresses on this planet, and that is saying something. To be truthful, it¡¯s more than my husband, and I can hold, together.¡± Rocssanna interrupted Mrs. Perchmont before she could continue her rant. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mavis my loving husband William and I haven¡¯t had dinner yet, and we have a long night ahead of us of trying variations of simple spells. We still must plan our future as tiny people. We still must get used to being tiny with super strength and speed. We¡¯re not going to stay here forever; our part in your war is over. So, Mrs. Perchmont we¡¯ll be seeing you tomorrow if you want, sometime in the afternoon?

 Chapter Thirteen What Am I? (Part Four) How We Got Here

    ¡°Well, I hope you come and lets us know when you decide to leave us, we can help you find a nice place to live, where do you fancy on moving to the east, west, north, or south¡±? Mrs. Perchmont said with Mr. Perchmont nodding in the background half-heartedly. ¡°We haven¡¯t decided yet on where to go for now. We are still learning about this planet and the weather patterns and the eco-systems. We have a lot to do, and it¡¯s not going to get done while standing out here, so I wish you goodnight¡±. Rocssanna was almost pleasant in her interaction with their extremely nosey and persistent neighbours. The middle-aged couple begrudgingly went on their way home giving glaring glances back every so often. The Knights never saw their glares because they were in the house almost as soon as the couple turned around. Rocssanna turned to Willy once inside him she addressed in a quiet voice. ¡°They have been spying on us, or at least overly curious on our lives. Do you think the Parchment¡¯s are reporting any of their findings and observations? If they are, someone might have guessed at my pregnancy and be very interested in this magic spikes Mrs. Perchmont thinks I have. Let us call the archmage and see what he says about them¡±.

    ¡°I think we should say anything out loud while we are at home,¡± William said out loud. The rest of their conversation went unspoken ¡°I think we are being watched and or monitored. I also think they know something is going on between the archmage and us. I hope he doesn¡¯t get into any trouble with the other mages and sorceresses, we know we¡¯re still resistant to magic, but a fight against mages and sorceresses you fought alongside seems ironic. We fought with them for a just cause; I hope we don¡¯t have to fight for our freedom as we fought for everyone¡±.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it will come to that, but our life will become much more complex if and after they find out about our daughter. We¡¯ll have to leave tomorrow or the next day. I don¡¯t like the way the Parchment¡¯s were questioning us they must know something is going on and it¡¯s about my magic. I didn¡¯t even think we being watched so closely by the magic users. If it weren¡¯t so late, I would have been tempted to run to the Arch-Mages house and stay till we leave¡±.

    ¡°You know that would look too suspicious to anyone who cared think.¡°

    ¡°That is why we¡¯re still here and not running to the Arch Mage¡¯s house to escape the induction to high born life. It was just a fleeting thought that was not one I would have acted on even on a whim. I don¡¯t feel comfortable now that I know we are so closely watched¡±.

    ¡°We are leaving this planet tomorrow. We¡¯ll pack in the morning and put everything in the large pocket space I bought last week. I might even try dragging the house into the pocket space I¡¯m not sure how it works, but it will fit anything put in it. I don¡¯t want to raise our daughter here on this planet of power-hungry mages. Well, not power hungry just hungry for knowledge, hungry for increasing power. I want to raise our daughter in a quiet town without her being poked and prodded to find out how she¡¯s got so much magic¡±.

    "I''m not sure if she will be the only one being tested once her magic is found so excessive. Well, let¡¯s get washed up and get to bed. Hopefully, we''re not being watched all night I think will not get too much sleep knowing we have been watched for so long¡±.

    William looked around their house and didn¡¯t see anything out of place. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re being spied on by any tec. I think they use magic to do the surveillance on the house from where ever they are. I hope they can¡¯t see us through the walls, but sense as if a heat signature. We will ask the arch mage tomorrow what kind of spell they would use¡±.

    After a nearly sleepless night, Willy and Rocssy woke to a dark and cloudy sky. The morning was cold, but Willy and Rocssy never notice the cold. On the walk, over to the Arch mage¡¯s house, they could feel magic all around them. The Knights were getting to the Arch-Mages house when four mages and a sorceress approached them. The five were standing in the middle of the walkway with no intention of moving. The two Titans could just push them out of the way because direct magic could not harm them and any physical attack would take too much power. The Knights were not worried about the magic users but why there were there for an unknown reason. When William was pushing past them, the sorceress stepped in front of them holding up her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t think you know me, Mr. and Mrs. Knight; I am Miss Plymouth the superior of The Magical Board of Education. The four men with me are high mages and are professors at the local university of magical arts. Miss Plymouth half turned to point at the men.¡± This is Davy Jones, Jonah Snife, Klance Stought, and David Teflon.¡± They were well dressed and built like muscle-bound brutes. William thought to himself even with magical augment strength no one can match the strength of a Titan. These people here have no idea of who we are, really brave, or have overconfidence in themselves. He reached for Rosanna¡¯s hand and attempted to step around the four mages and the sorceress. ¡°Sorry for being rude, but we¡¯re in a hurry to see the Arch-Mage. ¡°William said as he tried to rush past. In one smooth motion, Miss Plymouth stepped back in front of the couple to block their path. ¡°Excuse me, but I would like you to answer a few questions of some magical reading coming from your house after most people go to sleep. So, we want to know what, or if, your hiding anything from us? The magical aura is far beyond that of most mages, and it has us most perplexed.¡±

    ¡°You are not to be hiding anything from us; we are here to help you not give you any grief. Untrained, that magic you have can be extremely dangerous. Mr. Jones interjected

    Jahah Snife was inpatient to interject his two coins¡¯ worth. "If you have any talismans that augment the little magic you do have, to levels that high we are willing to pay you an unbelievable amount of currency of your choice to study it. If you try and hide it from the Mages Counsel, we could also obtain it legally through the courts as preventing magical advancements of epic proportions.¡±

    Mr. Teflon also had something to say to the young couple that was none to kind. ¡°We are here to find out what your hiding that is giving you so much magical power. If we find out, you two are hiding anything out of malicious intent we will not let him lenient and punish with extreme prejudice. I hope for your sake you are not concealing anything from us? We have found ways of dealing with Titans over the last fifteen years of war with your people. Don¡¯t give us a reason to hold you against your will.¡±

    As Mr. Teflon finished spouting his foolish rant, the Arch-Mage walked up to the group crackling with magical power. He did not have a smile on his face. Miss. Plymouth saw him approach and she rolled her eyes as if to say what now, another mage wasting magic for intimidation. His probably has a talisman with him to boost his strength, she thought.

    Miss Plymouth stepped up to the Arch-Mage and squared off with him face to face telling him.¡± I¡¯m not afraid of you, and I hold just as much magic as you do, I don¡¯t choose to flaunt it. It is just wasteful and arrogant to display your power for no good reason.¡± She raises her hand to fend off the Arch Mages protest as he went to speak. ¡°I have no time to dwell in your little protest of their treatment. They are hiding something from us that could bring about the next magical renascence or our downfall. We cannot let this go uninvestigated any longer for the safety and advancement of the magical realm.¡± Miss. Plymouth looked very smug after her little speech.

    The Arch-Mage doesn¡¯t even look phased by what she said. He just walked up even closer to Miss Plymouth with magical power arching around him causing her hair to rise as if static electricity is passing through her. ¡°You have no idea of who and what I am, do you? I am called the Arch-Mage not because I¡¯m an archmage, but because I am The Arch-Mage. The power I hold and show is the magic l must release to keep from larger unwanted arcs of power. As for my status on this planet and in this galaxy clam also known as the Overseer. So, if you want to start something feels for the ambient magic and see where it¡¯s going?¡±

    Miss. Plymouth started to pale in recognition of who he was. She realized who the man in front of her was not just any archmage but one of the legions. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my arrogant behaviour to your guest, but we know they are trying to hide something from us. Whatever they are hiding it could make them more powerfully even you. We wanted to find out what made them that powerful magically. It only seemed to happen late at night and only in their home. If you teach them how they use it, that would be devastating for us all! Could you let us de this investigation before you teach them anything else?¡±

    Mr. Knight holding his wife¡¯s hand came up to the Arch-Mage and Miss. Plymouth before speaking. ¡°I can settle this easily, my beautiful wife and I can take a quick lie test if you want, tomorrow. Today is an important day for us and the Arch-Mage so we can¡¯t go today. I can truly say to you if we had not gone against the other Titans the war would still be going on and many more deaths. We went against them because of the fact they wanted supreme rule over all races. Had we taken the side of the Titans for the total rule of all races, we would be your King and Queen. My wife and I are not out for power because we already have it through our racial heritage. Even among Titans, we were giants amid giants. We do not need magic to make us more powerful than we already are. Any magic we would or can have would be just a convenience for some parts of life not, a necessity. Magic others hold against us is like a fly to humans; it can¡¯t hurt us but can be annoying as hell. Questioning us is an attack on our honour and our dignity which we take great offence to. We went against our race that changed the tide of the war in your favour. We killed kin to prevent galactic tyranny to all other races. My wife and l are loyal to our code of ethics, live and let live; we will kill non-sentient animals to eat and not for sport, and kill a sentient being only in extreme self-defence of others. We are practically indestructible by almost any means only Titans can kill Titans. So, if you want to think we are hiding something go ahead, we will only harm those meaning to harm our friends or us.¡± William took Rocssanna in his arms and considered the mage''s eyes one after the other. ¡°If you still want us to take that test tomorrow, we¡¯ll see you in the morning I but don¡¯t expect any kind words, and if you try to harm us in any way, we are small by choice. We allowed you to bind us in these small bodies with magic, which we can reverse on a whim. You have no idea what our true forms are so don¡¯t push us.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The Arch-Mage looked to the men and woman in front of the young couple. ¡°I will not have them subjected to any lie test for two people who saved Trillions of sentient beings of many races. I will not subject two of the most selfless beings of any race to test their integrity and tarnish their good name and deeds.¡± With an unseen force, the Arch-Mage pushes the group of dumbstruck magic users to the side with no effort.

    William paused his story because Fred calls for the crew to assemble on the bridge. Little did the three in the story know they walked away from a turning point of a diabolical mind?

    The Part The Knights Never Knew

    Miss. Plymouth tried to make a kind of insincere apology which fell in deaf ears. The Arch-Mage and Knights walked by silently in casual steps towards the Arch Mages vast estate. She in her head was by no means done with her investigation, the magic that was radiating from the house was too intense just to let go. She wanted the power for everyone how could she not, there eras too much to leave in the hands of untrained beings. She read reports that the Titans had no gift for using magic and no real need for it. Why should two beings have such immense power when they were already, by their admission not at needing it? She turned to the group of mages and spoke lowly to them. This is by no means over; we must know the secrets of their power and share it with the mage world.¡± She waited for the three people to enter the house before speaking again. ¡°No, you think the Titans are as powerful as they claim? It might be difficult to find out the secret of their magical power?¡±

    Mr. Teflon was not to be kept quiet for a moment longer. ¡°Those two don¡¯t frighten in me in the least. I¡¯ve killed Titans before in the Great War, and they¡¯re not that tuff. I bet I could take those two on myself if I had to. The Titans I killed were over twelve metres tall of solid muscle. ¡°

    Mr. Snife gave David a look of surprise at his stupidity. ¡°Do you even know what a real Titan looks like, a baby Titan is over twelve metres tall? Unattended baby Titans have been known to eat smaller. Beings who get too close alive in one bit. What you fought, if you did fight anything was a giant. Titans can be over sixty metres tall and are immune to magic. Some Titans can nullify magic over a certain distance, so I have heard. ¡°

    Klance was listening to the two mages talking and just wanted to go back to his studies. This was too much after finding out about the archmage, actually was The Arch Mage A.K.A. the Overseer how he was not even sure about the two small Titans. I was one of the top ten mages you get involved in a lot of intimidating tactics. He was here just for magical backup and support if things went south. ¡°I am going home to reflect on what happened here this morning. I don¡¯t need this kind of trouble in my life. I did not know they were the Titans of Legends. If I had, I would not have come and wasted my time. I worked with them in the background on a mission they are and have more power than you can imagine. They are practically a race of living gods and need no magic. So, they would not covet something that gives them more magical power although they never use magic before more their bodies and near immortal lives are the embodiment of magic.¡±

    ¡°You met the Knights before and didn¡¯t know who they were when you saw them, I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Jahah said as he kind of puffed up like a roster.

    ¡°When I saw them the last time, I think Mr. Knight was seventy-two metres tall. I was in a plane circling him as he is picking up a huge boulder to throw at a Titan over ten kilometres away. So, I didn¡¯t get a good look at him¡±. Klance wasn¡¯t happy with Jahah comment as if he would have recognized him being such a size difference. ¡°I would have never questioned the knights of legends of any wrongdoings after what they did for us. They killed many of their kind in the name of galactic freedom. If they want to keep powerful talismans away from anyone, I will trust their judgment to be for our good.¡±

    Mr. Teflon had something to say about that too. ¡°They have no right to judge for us to know or have in anything that is magic. Magic is for the magic wielders to decide if there is anything to be learned or not. Many talismans of old were lost to us, along with the knowledge of how they died with the mage who made it. It is thinking like that that keeps powerful out of the hands of mages who fought the Titans.¡± Mr. Teflon was silent for a moment of reflection. ¡°My parents were killed by Titan¡¯s right near the start of the Titan war. They knew what the Titans were up to and tried to create a weapon that could kill them. They were killed ruthlessly by those animals.¡±

    All the mages fell silent in total shock at Mr. Teflon admission of his parent¡¯s may have a part in starting the Titan war. They all looked to him in a new way; he was not to be trusted with any powerful talismans or dangerous incarnations Miss. Plymouth didn¡¯t like magic kept from the masses, but she could see now there were always exceptions to every rule.

    Miss Plymouth was now reconsidering what to do, pursue the magic the Knights might hold, or the involvement the Teflon family have had in starting or maybe even causing the Titan war.

    David realized he said too much after seeing the look of apprehension in everyone¡¯s eyes. He now knew that these fellow mages were not what he thought they were. He was hoping they hated the Titans as much as himself. He was going to have to take his shared research to some mages who shared his hate of the Titans. As far as David was concerned all Titan had to die. The research was of unheard of magic transfer incantations breaking Several magic user¡¯s taboos. Unknown to the mage who was helping him it was for not an innocent means of drawing for magic from an unconscious person. He found his anonymous colleague on a secure magic forum for classified magical research. The mage needed to drain off magic from a possible, unwilling person or one who was incoherent for their safety and those around him. The mage wouldn¡¯t give specifics of the situation but assured him it was for the non-nefarious reasons, unlike his own. After he had given the mage a few ideas, he ran with it. The mage was a genius and came up with several ideas and shared them all with him thinking they were of kindred spirits. The ideas he gave were not even his really; they were from his parent¡¯s hidden research. From what he remembered they weren¡¯t too popular with the magic user¡¯s guild and were constantly being watched for some reason, he very found out why. Now he had a good idea why they were trying to find a way of taking someone¡¯s affinities and gifts for their own. The unidentified mage gave him a good start on where his parents went wrong. For being a genius, he was pretty gullible. ¡°I¡¯m the one to talk,¡± David said to himself. ¡°Now I¡¯ll be watched, and they might even investigate my recent research. They won¡¯t find my unintentional cohort, but I left digital fingerprints all over restricted files. After seeing the suspicion in my colleague''s faces, I was going to have to leave soon, very soon. Miss Plymouth Is one tenacious hound once she has a scent of distrust she is almost unstoppable.

    The next day David Teflon was on an emergency trip to see his sick sister on a distant planet. He wasn¡¯t a very social person, so no one questioned his lie. After receiving his ticket, he spotted the Arch-Mage escorting an elderly couple on the same flight. He thought it strange but never gave it much thought. When he looked around again, he also spotted Miss Plymouth along with the other three men that were with them the day before. David was nervous as they drew closer; they spotted the Arch-Mage with the old couple. Miss Plymouth stopped and talked to the mage as the other three continued walking by. They seemed to be continuing the search, and he walked quickly to get out of sight.

    David thought he was in the clear. Shortly after boarding, there was an announcement the flight would be delayed due to uncontrollable circumstances. David looked around at his fellow passengers and spotted the elderly couple that was with the Arch-Mage. They looked a touch nervous as they looked around also. David ducked down so they wouldn¡¯t see him. To him, they looked familiar in a nagging way he had seen this pair before, but it didn¡¯t come to him from where. David was now worried they were coming for him and he wished he had worn a disguise. That is when it hit him like a hammer. His mind reeled at the possible reasons why the couple was leaving so soon after getting there and now having magic. This had to be a ploy for Titans learning to wield magic. The Titans are just as devious more so than his parent¡¯s thought. He had to get on with his new mission even if it made him into a monster for now. He will be the hero once he had the power to subdue the evil Titans and their plot to rule over all. The ship was going in the wrong direction though it was going deeper into known space. He, himself was going to get a connected flight to go deeper still. It was going to be a long flight if he was going to stay concealed from the pair. Looking out a port window passed a little child steaming it up at the bottom. He saw the Arch-Mage and Miss. Plymouth in what seemed to be a heated argument. The Arch-Mage finally waved a hand at the space cruiser and the announcement was made take off would be short. "Sorry for the delay." the Arch-Mage said to the people on the ship as it take off to their new future.

 Chapter Fourteen New Crew In Coming

    Chapter Fourteen

    New Crew In Coming

    Sky had a brief look of disappointment at first she was going to have to wait for the rest of the story.  Most of her questions were answered, but she still wanted to know how they got to the planet they lived on for nine years.  The excitement of meeting four more magic users was something amazing.  One of the new crew members may be like herself, super tuff and super strong.  She hoped at the very least they would get along and be friends.  Sky already had a best friend, but there was no rule against have more than one, was there.

    Rocssanna had to laugh at Sky¡¯s visible excitement.  She drank the scolding hot tea like it was cool water and took the last bit of her biscuit.  Sky looked around at where to wash the teacup when she looked down at the delicate handle powdered in her nervous hand.  ¡°I was being so careful, and now I broke it.  I¡¯m so sorry Mommy, Daddy I didn¡¯t mean to what can I do to make it up to you¡±?  Sky said almost in tears.

    William smile and ruffled her hair.  ¡°Dear little beastie, just fix it with your magic.¡±  Sky smile remembering she could now fix everything he broke with magic.

    ¡°Thanks, Daddy I¡¯ll fix it and clean everything once you¡¯re done.¡±  Sky was hopping from foot to foot waiting for them to finish.  Sky was wondering how two people who could move faster than sight could move so slowly.

    William smiled and took his time to finish his tea and last biscuits.  Rocssanna was almost just as bad as William at being slow.  Sky was looking at the broken teacup and put what she could together on the footlocker.  ¡°Oh, Daddy I¡¯ve got to change the other barracks on the men¡¯s sides.  I¡¯ll be back in a few minutes it shouldn¡¯t take too long¡±.  With not another word Sky disappeared out the door, and Conny fazed from sight.

    Rocssanna turned to William and smiled leaned over as if with a stooped back and in a voice like an elderly human.  ¡°We can¡¯t keep up with young ones these days, can we?  Here let me help you up, your old coot¡±.  She said laughing to herself.

    William joined he ever teasing, ever-loving wife in a good heartfelt laugh.  Although bad things happen, you¡¯ve got to also enjoy the few pleasures in life as they happen.  Begin over a thousand years old they laugh many times and will continue doing so whenever possible. They placed the teacups down and could here Sky coming.  Sky appeared just as William and Rocssanna opened the door.  Sky looked ecstatic.  I can see the ship out there coming in fast.  They seem as excited as we are, I wonder if they¡¯re going to like me, find me a freak, or even maybe a monster¡±?  Sky¡¯s face suddenly seemed dejected and solemn.

    ¡°They¡¯re going to love you, my cute little angel.  How could they not just don¡¯t squeeze them too hard and hurt anyone right away¡±?  Rocssanna said ruffling her hair.  ¡°I know you¡¯re not on duty till tomorrow, but maybe after fixing the teacup and straightening up the room, you should change.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    William gazed at Rocssanna¡¯s dress.  ¡°We should do the same and greet our new crewmembers in our uniforms,¡±  William said pulling Rocssanna into his side walking out the door.

    Sky With a few gestures moved the footlockers back into place and used her magic to fix the teacup with a bit more fire to wash the teapot and other cups.  Before getting dressed into her ensign uniform.  She was thinking of wearing the formal uniform but thought it was a little too much.  Once she was dressed she headed to the bridge with an odd feeling in the pit of her tummy.  ¡°I guess I¡¯m more nervous than I thought.¡±  Sky said to herself

    Sky entered the bridge and knew something was wrong.  Fred and Joe were both on their consoles scanning the space around them.   ¡°Captain Fred Sir. What¡¯s wrong, why are you scanning around our ships there is nothing out here for light years?  Why the panic¡±?  Sky said looking around seeing nothing even in the other dimensions she could see.

    Fred glanced up to Sky briefly.  ¡°The scout ship was attacked by some  type of unknown magic and hit one of the crew members.  They have a hard time dealing with the situation.  We¡¯re trying to bring the ship in by remote, but safety locks are preventing it¡±.

    Sky asked, ¡°Captain Fred Sir. Where would you like the ship¡±?  Fred almost slapped himself remembering how Sky could use telekinesis on things that were outside of the ship with what seemed unlimited range.

    ¡°Joe head down to the loading dock we¡¯ll bring the whole ship in, bring a med-kit too.  Sky you¡¯ll have to get the thrusters on the scout ship disengaged somehow before you go down into the cargo hold and make it big enough for the scout ship¡±.  Fred said to Joe and Sky as he got up to head to the cargo hold himself.

    Sky holding out her arms brought them around like she did the nets.  ¡°I already disengaged the thrusters and now have complete access to the ship''s systems.  I turned off the red alert and prepped the ship for landing on the deck. Do you want me to make it just big enough or comfortable to walk around¡±? Sky couldn¡¯t understand how Fred always made an odd-looking face when she asked some questions.

    ¡°Sky we¡¯ll need room to move around.  So, make sure there is lots of room in the cargo hold¡±.  Fred blurted out in frustration with himself as much as Sky.  She was a super smart person couldn¡¯t she think of things on her own.  Fred was upset with himself for treating Sky like a misbehaving child when she was helping more than anyone.  I guess this is jealousy rearing its ugly head.   Fred thought to himself.  Before he could say some apology, Sky was not where she was seconds ago; she had left for the cargo hold.

    Joe was entering at a full run when Sky appeared before him.  What happened next, he was going to tell his children¡¯s, children¡¯s children? Sky stood still and magical energy surrounded her in a fraction of a second.  Then everything in the cargo bay seemed to get smaller and further away. Till the ceiling went from twelve metres to over thirty metres.   The room looked over six times the size it was before.  The cargo bay doors oddly stayed the same in relation to the room.  A ship the size of Little Tooth could now fly through the bay door with room to spare.   Sky stretched out her arms and as gently grabbing something closed her finger.  As she brought her hands and arms pointing towards the bay doors, the scout ship came into view.  The ship entered the open cargo bay doors; a magic barrier kept the room from venting into space.  The scout ship looked tiny in the huge room, even with the net and her house halfway out of a pocket space bag were dwarfed by the size. Joe patted Sky on the head unable to ruffle her hair. ¡°Good job, a little big though you might have to make it smaller maybe once Fred sees it.

    The End of book one part one. Five more to go.

 Volume Two Chapter One New Crew

    Chapter One

    New Crew

    Fred entered the cargo room to meet the new crew and asses the damage.  Moments later and his jaw dropped at the new size of the cargo room.  A room made with a pocket space as big as this one would have cost three times the entire ship.  ¡°Sky.¡±  He said with a note of frustration in his voice.  ¡°I said with room to move around; I didn¡¯t mean run around!¡°  He growled.  ¡± There is no time to change anything,¡± he said running towards the lowering ramp of the scout ship, and two women came out, one facing forward with her weapon drawn.  The other one held a levitation field with a writhing body in it.  Fred made a hand sign, and the woman lowered her rifle.

    Joe ran to the writhing body as another person who was reinforcing the levitation field came out last.    Joe looked over the woman, and he did not see any visible wounds.  ¡°What happened to her?  Let me try a healing spell.  Better yet we¡¯ll get Sky to do it.¡±  Joe said looking to Fred, and he nodded his agreement.  They were shocked to see Sky already walking forwards in tears.

    Sky could see the magic spells around the tortured woman. She could see a network of crisscrossing insidious spells that made tampering with them on the woman possibly fatal for most mages.  She knew she was not most mages.  She had caused this woman pain; she was the unseen attacker, and she was going to make things right.

    The man stood in front of the woman to bar her way.  ¡°No one uses magic on her; you do you die.¡±  He said to bring up a lethal powered spell.

    Sky with tears still running down her face walked right past the man who towered over her without a flinch.   She raised her hand over the woman who did not ever show any sign of Sky¡¯s approach.  The man watched in shock when Sky raised her hand over the woman and what seemed to him a solid ball of magic spells.  He was shocked to see she had no wrist device, yet he still acted.  Without much thought, he drove his fist augmented with superhuman strength right on top of her head. Had he hit her in any other direction she would have been sent flying.  Luckily for Sky, it didn¡¯t have any effect on her, but the man¡¯s hand shattering against her hard head.  Sky didn¡¯t even notice the blow she was so intent on helping the woman.  The spell Sky held faded, and the woman¡¯s body went limp.   Sky turned to the man cradling his shatter hand who was in shock, looking at his comrade¡¯s body going still.  At first, he thought the worst; then she rolled over in the levitation field in a peaceful sleep.  Sky voice broke him out of his stupefied gaze and sent a chill down his spine. He also didn¡¯t see that everyone else shutter at her voice also.  ¡°Who in the blazing stars did this to her.¡±  In her anger, her sea blue hair unbraided as she shook in pure rage.  Her beautiful hair roiled around her making her look twice her size.  ¡°I want to hunt the evil spaced dung and strip the person of everything they have and leave the lump of flesh conscious in a stasis field for a hundred years.  I¡¯ve fixed what I can for now, but the horrors she¡¯s been through is unthinkable.¡±  Sky¡¯s angry contorted face softened as a set of blue eyes in a beautiful face gazed up at her.  The woman eyes open and smiled.  ¡°I¡¯ve seen you in my dreams, are you an angel¡±?  The woman said reaching out to Sky slowly.

    Sky took her hand, and the woman gave it an ever so gently squeeze.  ¡°Yes, I¡¯m an angel, and you must be Jane Condor, I¡¯m Sky Knight.  Jane pulled Sky in for a hug and was amazed at the feeling of this angels¡¯ hair; Jane buried her face in Sky¡¯s thick sea blue mane.  For the first time in what seemed like forever, she was now able to touch another person without hurting them.  How could she, it was an angel she was hugging.

    ¡°Am I dead or is this like a type of limbo where I can go back to my body if I want¡±?  She said just noticing everyone looking their way.  Todd was cradling his left hand protectively.  Courtney and Heather both had some serious bruises and possible fractured bones.  There were also two men who were going to meet before they had been attacked by magic.  It was strange, the magic came from nowhere, and she was the only one with harmful effects.  Her body started to feel like a magic burn.  The only difference was it started all over at once as if someone used a healing spell on her.  That couldn¡¯t have been a healing spell no one was close enough, and there was no spent magic from a spell.

    Sky kissed her forehead.  ¡°No silly you¡¯re not dead, and you¡¯re still in your body.¡±  Sky noticed everyone around them speechless.  She spotted Todd¡¯s bruised body, mangled hand and the two ladies batter bodies with little thought she cast a healing spell. A shimmer past over their bodies and all their injuries were gone the present ones the ones from the past already healed, but they never got the chance to notice before Jane let out a scream and started to writhe in pain.  Sky stroked Jane¡¯s soft skin on her muscular arm.  ¡°Your skins so soft and not squishy like everyone else¡¯s.¡± Sky pushed Janes hair out of her face and noticed her pointed elfin ears.  ¡°Oh, Jane you have a beautiful face, and I love your ears.¡±  Sky couldn¡¯t resist tracing the outline of Jane¡¯s ear.

    ¡°How can you be an angel and be seen by the living.  But you must be an angel I¡¯m back too normal, and you can heal without magic; I felt no spent magic wash over me when you healed my teammates.¡±  Jane said in a soft deep melodic voice.

    Sky saw Fred¡¯s look of wonder and remembered just then at what he said before they got here.  About waiting to show any advanced healing spells and the pocket space spell.  She even demonstrated an inverted spell that was supposed to be impossible.  Sky mouthed sorry to Fred then she answered Jane.  ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask my mommy and daddy about me being an angel. I could only do so much, for now; it will take some time to undo all the damage the spaced dung of a mage has done to you.  It was as if the miscreant tried thousands of half-completed spells on you and then made them tamper proof at your expense.  It will take me days to undo what the person did. I can¡¯t do it all at once.  Your body could not handle the strain of all the magic even with the spells.¡±  Fred coughed loudly cutting off Sky¡¯s words.

    ¡°She¡¯s no angel, but she is quite a gift from heaven and pain at times too.  I would like you to keep anything outside of the mission to yourselves if that is possible.  She¡¯s nine years old and has had a rough life till now.  I want to give her a better life at least until she is a young lady.¡±  Fred said passing Todd to ruffle Sky¡¯s hair.

    Joe came up beside Fred.  ¡°Sky¡¯s like the sister I never had and I will do anything to protect her as you demonstrated for your crew.¡±  Joe also ruffled Sky¡¯s hair and ran his fingers through her sea blue locks.

    Todd watched his new captain, second and even now Jane still dolt on the young ensign, who looked way too young to be crew.  He tried to make light of his earlier actions.  ¡°What¡¯s with the hair thing is she like that Bubba guy with the belly you rub for luck.¡±  He said reaching over to stroke her hair himself.  ¡°Am I going to,¡±?  Todd stroked Sky¡¯s hair and went silent, and he was in shock. He never felt anything like it. He didn¡¯t notice someone clamp onto his wrist and pain shot up his arm.  Jane had grabbed his wrist and broke it.

    Jane had a look of shock and confusion.  She only meant to give his hand a little squeeze in warning.  Before she realized what was happening she could not stop before his wrist had been shattered.  With a freight, she pulled away from Sky holding her out looking for any damage she may have caused.  Then realizing she was holding her, she snatched her hands away.  ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for hurting you.  I could touch again; you must think I¡¯m a monster.  I would have never hurt anyone without due cause.  I¡¯m so sorry Todd, I¡¯ll heal you once I find my MAD tablet.¡± She was looking at his wrist when a ripple past over it.

    Todd looked at his hand that had been healed for the second time, and it didn¡¯t seem that bad before the healing he could remember all the bones in his wrist crushed to splinters; but not that much pain.  The scars his stepfather put across the back of his hands and wrist were gone too.   ¡°No harm done Jane and Sky here, doesn¡¯t look hurt at all. I guess she is pretty tough.¡±  He said remembering slamming her on the top of her head in a fit of uncontrolled rage.  Had she not used some magical protection she would have been a splatter on the floor.

    Sky looked back to Todd and noticed his ears with more of a point to them as Janes.  ¡°I like your ears too, Todd Sir, but they¡¯re not beautiful as Jane¡¯s.¡±

    Todd quickly brought his hands to his ear¡¯s and felt the points that weren¡¯t there for all most ten years. ¡°What happened to my ears they were normal before I got here¡±?  Everyone noticed Todd¡¯s ears were different than his service photos.

    ¡°I wish my ears were pointed too. I will keep my ears the way they are.  I am proud of what and who I am just like everyone else should be.  Todd sir, I don¡¯t know what race you got your ears from, but you should embrace what and who you are. I don¡¯t like people who put others below themselves because of race or beliefs.  To change yourself because of what others say goes to show a weakness of character.  It also gives power to those who believe they¡¯re right in their personal beliefs against others.¡±  Sky could see what she was saying upset Todd.  She stopped speaking, so she did not make him any angrier.

    Todd decided he wasn¡¯t going to like the little brat who spoke way too freely without thinking.  She did have a point, but he didn¡¯t have to like it, or her for that fact.  It had cost him a pretty copper coin to fix the hack job his stepfather did on his ears.  He was going to find a spell to fix it, even if it was temporary.  ¡°I was fine the way my ears were, and as soon as I¡¯m off this ship, I¡¯ll get them fixed again.  Don¡¯t worry your pretty little head over my pointy ears.¡±  Sky just shrugged her shoulders and let the sarcasm wash right through her.

    Fred was going to have a talk with Todd about his conduct with the young girl.  He seemed a little to free with his sarcasm.  Before he could say anything to that effect, William caught his eye and shook his head, NO.  A brief look at Rocssanna, she too motioned not to get involved.

    The girls all know what Todd went through about his ears and what it meant to him not to look like a fairy folk.

    Courtney and Heather went up to Jane.  ¡°Hold still Jane I want to see if your skin had at least turned back too normal. The little girl said your skin felt soft and not SQUISHY¡±?  Courtney stroked Janes'' arm, and her skin was still like metal.  Perplexed she stoked Sky¡¯s shoulder if anything it felt even harder.  As her fingers brushed over Sky shoulder, she touched some of her hair.  She stoked sky¡¯s hair again intentionally this time.  ¡°Honey, I mean Heather you¡¯ve got to feel how amazingly soft this hair is.  Sky how do you get your hair so soft?  I can barely stop feeling it.  Courtney said as Heather started to stroke her hair wide-eyed.

    Fred coughed out loud ¡°I¡¯m sorry for breaking any strange kind of bonding you and your teammates might have.  But you shot across the cosmos for a reason not to fuss over ensign Sky luxuriously soft tresses of hair.¡±  Fred said smiling.  Now that our support staff who are also Sky¡¯s parents have graced us with their presence.  I would like to have some formal introductions at least.  Fred called for roll call.  Sky stood beside Joe, Rocssanna, and William stood next to Fred. Todd, Courtney, Heather, and Jane waited opposite of Fred¡¯s crew. That¡¯s when the size of the room hit them.   They were too occupied with Jane¡¯s condition to notice the size of the room till now. Todd and his crew looked around the cargo room in awl for the first time.  Fred glanced around quickly also taking in the room too. He had seen its new size moments before the new crew.  ¡°What never see an indoor foot-orb field before?  Our little troubleshooter went a little overboard making the room big enough for your ship.¡±  Fred said giving Sky a wry grin.  Sky noticed her boots had a scuff in them and her face went a shade darker.  She might not be at full blame I did tell her we needed plenty of room to move around.  So, I never specified any size.

    With that now aside I would like to introduce my crew.  I¡¯m your new captain Fred Smith, and this is your second in command Joe Smith.¡±  The new crew had a shocked look on their faces.  In the briefings, it just stated the first names now they see why.  ¡°Before you jump to any conclusions there is no relations for fifty or so generations.  It is more likely one of you share a closer relative than Joe and me.  Remember Smith is a very popular name in this universe.¡±  Even with the revelation of their last name they seemed to watch Sky more than anyone.  He continued with the introductions and gestured to Rocssanna and William. Rocssanna and William Knight, here is Sky Knight, our troubleshooter, and causer if you haven¡¯t guessed already.¡±  Fred answered their suspicions, but it didn¡¯t seem real until he said it.  Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted two more Sky¡¯s walk in one was Conny with the silver blonde hair the other was jet black.  Fred had a suspicious feeling it was their new A.I from the scout ship.  Fred shot a dirty look at Sky, and she shrugged her shoulders mouthing ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡±

    Before Fred could investigate the four new crew members called out, ¡°triplets.¡±  As the new pair walked closer the black haired one seemed a little shy and hid behind Conny.

    Joe was the one-two answer them.  ¡°No, they¡¯re not triplets, the silver blonde is our virtual A.I and the other one, my guess is the one from your ship.¡±  The black-haired Sky nodded with a timid smile.   ¡°And what should we call or do you already have a name.

    The girl answered in very synthetic voice at first, as she spoke it smoothed out to a sexy woman¡¯s voice.   ¡°I have a name, but I don¡¯t like it.  The computer is just too commonplace. You can call me Swan if that¡¯s alright with you Todd.  Todd blinked and tilted head to the side as if another perspective would help him see differently.

    ¡°I had no idea that you were that kind of A.I. I guess Swan is an alright name for a female A.I.  So Why now and not before.  Is there a reason you look like Sky Knight¡±? Todd said and looked to his crew to see their reaction.  He heard mixed confirmations to the positive.

    Rocssanna answered Todd¡¯s last question.  ¡°All of the A.I. Sky has encountered to choose her as an avatar model, even after seeing me.  As for anything else I don¡¯t know.¡± William just stood there in disbelief at his wife¡¯s joke that might take seriously.

    Conny answered Todd¡¯s other questions.  ¡°I gave her a little more intelligence than she had.  I don¡¯t have the gift Sky has, but it worked well so far.  I was going to ask Sky to finish the enhancement so I¡¯ll have a true virtual friend.  I can¡¯t seem to be able to give her true emotions as Sky can.¡±  Conny looked pleading into Sky¡¯s face.  The sky was dumbstruck at Conny¡¯s request she knew she would lose a close friend.   Then again it could never be a truly physical one even if that¡¯s what they wanted in the future.

    The sky looked over to Swan.  ¡°Is this what you want true emotions?  I can give them to you and take them away; but you¡¯ve got to want to,¡± Sky didn¡¯t know what to say.  ¡°Could we talk about it later right now we¡¯re going through introductions, and there will be time after when everyone is briefed in what¡¯s happening with the rogue mages.¡± Sky said trying to bury an emotion she had no name for.

    Fred cut in, ¡°Sky¡¯s right we have a job to do, and we must know our crew before we start.   So.¡±  Fred gestured to Todd.

    Todd stepped forwards.  ¡°My name is Todd; I¡¯m the leader of the Quad-squad.¡± He made a quick salute.  He was as tall as Fred or a centimetre taller.  His build was just a little leaner. His eyes were a soft brown that showed confidence and compassion.  His hair was dark and bristled short   His skin tone was a little on the pale side. Sky kept having the urge to cast a healing spell thinking he might be sick.  He carried himself well and moved with the same grace as Fred and Joe.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°Jane Condor is my second.¡±  Jane stepped forwards and saluted Fred saying a quick SIR.  Jane was on the short side at just 164 centimetres (5¡¯-5¡±). Her body looked very powerful, and her skin tone was a deep brown kind of like the people from the United States of Canada or whatever it was called before the ships could fly.  Her hair was in a large misshapen bun half undone to her recent pain affliction. Her eyes were the same deep blue as Sky¡¯s.   ¡°This is Courtney Duffers; she¡¯s part of the magic pair.  Courtney stepped forwards and said a crisp SIR. She was tall, taller than Joe around 2 metres and had a build in-between Joe and Fred.  Joe seemed a little taken back; he felt small looking across at the four people. Courtney had shiny black hair tied back into a short tail.  Her skin tone was a star washed brown Todd introduced the last crew member.  ¡°This is Heather Gillard; she is the other one making up the magic pair.  Heather stepped forward and called out SIR.  Heather and Courtney were as close to twins as two separate earth race could be.  There were two main differences skin and hair.  The twins had Fred, and Joe dumbstruck.

    Fred snaps back first to attend.  ¡°Well I bet you would like to get cleaned up and a good meal in you.  Your new quarter I¡¯m sure will be to your liking, and the food our chefs prepare is amazing.  Ensign Sky could you show the ladies to the women barracks.  Joe, you can show Todd the men¡¯s barracks after you sign them in.¡±

    Conny broke in.  ¡°I have already signed them in and a suggested accommodations assignment. I think rooming them in pairs will be best unless you want to share a single room all.¡± Conny said with an arm around Swan''s shoulder.

    Fred hid his smile ¡°Conny while you¡¯re visible you will refrain from virtual contact with other A.I computers.¡±  Fred walked towards the exterior cargo bay door. He keyed the exterior doors shut.  He turned address and dismissed the crew.  ¡°I¡¯ll see you in three hours in the briefing room, ask Conny where it is if you don¡¯t want to look around.  There were a few modifications to a few of the rooms since leaving the last inspection.  You might find the practice room very interesting if you practice with someone.¡±

    Jane scoff at what Fred said feeling a little sense of her physical condition.   ¡°I haven¡¯t done any physical training with other people. Since the changes, I can hurt others too easily with my new strength and hardened skin.¡±  Sky stepped forwards and took her hand gently. Jane went to pull her hand back not wanting to hurt Sky accident but couldn¡¯t.  She gave Sky¡¯s hand an experimental a super light squeeze.  Sky didn¡¯t flinch or even squish any; she barely felt her skin give.  Jane looked almost into Sky¡¯s eyes with sadness.  ¡°Did you have the same thing done to you is that how you knew to help me?  When I catch that despicable miscreant, I¡¯ll strip him of everything and leave the lump of flesh in a stasis-field for a hundred and nine years.¡±

    Sky smiled and shook her head ¡°No this is the way I am naturally, but I¡¯ll help you strip the man down or maybe I could take all the pain you felt because of him and make him feel it. I have a feeling there was more than one mage involved. The spells on your body had all five elements used in the incantations.  So, you can take the one, and I¡¯ll take the others.¡±  Sky said with a subdued smile.

    ¡°I think you have it the other way around; I am pretty powerful magically and can handle a little more than you little lady,¡±  Jane said running her fingers through Sky¡¯s hair.

    Fred and Joe just about burst out in laughter after overhearing Jane.  Fred walked up to Jane and Sky.  ¡°Jane see if you can feel for her magic.¡±  Jane looked questioningly at Fred, who just nodded.  Jane turned to Sky and opened herself to feel for magic.  She felt something small coming from Sky; she almost scoffs at the amount of magic Sky seemed to hold.  Fred holds Sky to drop the shield hiding her magic for a second.

    ¡°Do you want me to do it? I¡¯ve never dropped my personal space since I was six when mommy told me not to show people my special abilities?  I found a way of hiding it very close to my skin.¡±  Sky looked to her feet, and Fred was about to tell her not to worry about it.  ¡°I do it just for a second only because you told me to.  Then it goes right back up okay.¡±  Sky seemed to relax her body, and she let out a shiver.

    A wave of magical energy came out of Sky and passed through the room.  Jane was the closest and was almost knocked over as the energy hit her.  Fred faired a little better, and everyone else felt something akin to a gust of wind.  Sky brought back her bubble; she used to hide her gift.  Everyone in the room turned to her in amazement; even her parents were surprised.  Jane after getting her balance stare at Sky, who at the time was thinking on how best to clean and polish her boots.  Sky was worried now how everyone would treat her.  She was going to talk to Fred for a month if anyone thought of her as a freak or monster.  What happened next surprised Fred, Joe, and Sky.

    Jane steps back, and Sky could see her feet doing so.  Sky took a quick peek at Jane through her hair wondering what kind of facial expression she was going to see. She thought she would look on to a frightened, angry, or even jealous.  But what she saw was Jane smiling giving her the once over glance.

    ¡°Girl, you¡¯ve got some awesome magical power, but I guess you knew that and now everyone does.  Up till now Todd was the most powerful mage I considered a friend.  I think he¡¯ll be a far second unless your parents hold more or is that why you¡¯re so special.  I would have said it was your amazingly soft and shiny hair that makes you special.  You¡¯ve got to let me use your shampoo or whatever you use as for the mages who used me as a guinea-pig.  We¡¯ll have to see if you can get to them first.  For now, I would like to stow my gear and get some dinner.  Just give us a minute to get our stuff from the ship.  Jane ruffled Sky¡¯s hair and quickly walked back towards the ship.  Heather and Courtney followed, and both passed Sky running their fingers through her hair. Todd was going to do it too, but a glance from Jane before ducking into the ship made him think it wasn¡¯t such a good idea.  He just walked by fighting the urge and kept his hands to himself.

    Sky was beaming with radiant happiness.  They saw Sky¡¯s magical power and seem to care about her and not what she holds. Fred smiled at her.  ¡°I bet you were worried about what they would think about you.  I know you¡¯ll get along with them.  They all had something that made them more considerate than others. They were growing up just like you and had to be able to make a few good friends.  They know what it¡¯s like to be different even Joe and I had to fight for everything we have and the respect we earned.¡±  He gave her a quirky smile and ruffled her hair.  ¡°And if it¡¯s the shampoo that makes your hair that way I need some for my wife, Linda.  I think it would be worth more than a red tome.

    Sky smiled up at the giant and shook her head.  ¡°No, my hair was always this soft.  I have to keep it tangle free, so no one will cut a finger or hand off.  My hair can¡¯t be cut with any blade.¡±  She told Fred as his fingers slid through her hair.

    Fred remembered about the tomes Sky said she would try filling.  ¡°By the way how did it go with filling the tomes?  Did you get a chance to make many?¡±

    Sky looked at Fred with a smile of her own.  ¡°There all golden so far.¡±  Fred shook his head.  ¡°You shouldn¡¯t just make red ones they sell well, but not everyone can afford them.¡±  Sky looked to her boots yes definitely a polish is in order.  Fred saw her look down to her feet which was her sign that something was up.  ¡°Sky when you said they were all golden so far, did you mean golden¡±?  Fred gave Sky an exasperated look and made a tisk tisk sound before continuing.  ¡°You tweaked the tomes didn¡¯t you¡±?

    Sky nodded her head not looking up and answered him.  ¡°They filled so quickly so I made to hold about ten times more each so I could lower the pressure faster.  I find when the wells get full I get anxious to use magic, and it takes a lot of spells to bring the levels down, so I don¡¯t feel as fidgety, do you know what I mean¡±?

    Fred contemplated what she just said.  ¡°You know what? I think I can relate to that, but it didn¡¯t take long to drain the magic before.  Now I feel constantly full but without the pressure now since you linked me to your wells.  So how many of the golden tomes did you make so far¡±?

    Sky looked up to Fred and stepped back, so she did not have to tilt her head back so much.  Fred is seeing this got down on one knee.  Sky said.  ¡°Thanks for the gesture.  Your height can be a real pain in the neck.¡±  She said with a grin knowing it was a cheese joke her father would be proud of.  Fred sighed, wiped his hand down his face to hide his eyes rolling and the quick smile.

    Seconds later Sky continued.  ¡°I have about four hundred with me.¡± Sky stated and reached into her pocket pulling out a stack of tomes. And giving them to Fred.  He took the stack of golden tomes and inspected the one top.  It was the runes a gold colour, and unlike the other tomes these seemed to be embossed runes.  He could also feel the magic in them waiting to be released. The tome had the water element on it and the one beneath it also.  Fred was about to ask Sky if they were all the same and she had a stack with the air element in her left hand.  ¡°I have three more stacks in my pocket fire, earth and lightning.¡±

    Jane had just exited the ship and seen Sky reach into a pocket inside her jacket.  It didn¡¯t seem odd at first till she pulled out a large stack of what seemed to be some gold tomes.  Fred was looking one over when Sky retrieved one more stack, reaching deeper this time.  Jane could feel the others coming off the ship watching and watch the exchange with her.

    Fred didn¡¯t see them or hear them.  ¡°Sky I can¡¯t take them now I have nowhere to put them. There¡¯s too many for me to carry.¡±

    Sky smirked.  ¡°You¡¯re silly you have a pocket right here.¡±  She said tapping his shirt pocket with the tomes she had in one hand.

    ¡°Very funny that pocket might hold two dozen are sticking halfway out that leaves fifty-one left in this bundle alone.¡±  Fred said not getting Sky¡¯s off sense of humour.

    Sky placed one bundle down and pulled at Fred¡¯s pocket.  He was expecting a tearing sound but heard nothing.  Looking down it seemed to have stretched out, and Sky proceeded to stuff the bundle of tomes in from her other hand. He didn¡¯t know what to say as she picked up the one off the floor and stuff it in too. She was also reaching into her jacket to get the others when she could hear laughter coming from the scout ship, and she froze. Fred looked over at the new crew soon everyone was laughing. He looked down to see what was so funny and Sky had one of her arms up to the elbow in his shirt pocket. Her other arm was deep into her pocket.

    ¡°Sky I know you mean well, but I¡¯ve told you to ask before you use magic on anyone and particularly the pocket space spell. I don¡¯t like repeating myself.¡±  Fred chided Sky.  He wasn¡¯t really mad, and an actual pocket space pocket was going to be handy.  But Sky had to stop doing stuff like this all the time.

    Sky was embarrassed again, and Fred just scolded her.  She felt childish just then, and she pulled her hands out and was about to turn and run to her room.  Sky¡¯s eyes were welling up in tears as she turned and stepped into Jane¡¯s body. She didn¡¯t want to look up till a gentle hand stroked her back soothingly, and before she knew it, she wrapped her arms around Jane Sniffling.  Jane wasn¡¯t much taller than Sky, so her head fit just under Janes'' chin.  ¡°Well I know now who to ask for a loan, you and Fred seem to have deep pockets and their full of gold.¡±  Sky had to look up to see who could make a joke worthy of her daddy¡¯s cheesy ones. Looking up she looked into eyes the same colour as hers. They were gentle, kind and understanding.  Sky didn¡¯t just make a new friend but had an older sister now. Sky just realized Jane¡¯s body was harder than her parents and seemed almost as strong.

    ¡°Sky, we¡¯ve got our gear now, so we¡¯re ready to haul as.¡±  Jane said looking to the young Sky and continued.  Our stuff to the new quarter if you¡¯re finished lining captain Fred¡¯s pocket with gold.¡±  She turned to Fred. With your leave, Sir.¡±

    The sky turned to Fred.  I¡¯m sorry for stretching out your pocket.  If you want I can fix it later, for now, they¡¯ll hold all the tomes I made. Do you still w Jane plucked one from the top, and her eyes opened wide at the touch.  Because it was her elemental affinity, her body absorbed some without unsealing it.  The rush of power made her head spin, and she felt giddy.  ¡°What kind of tomes are these I just touched it, and I¡¯m overcharged¡±?

    Sky took the tome back and examined it.  Her eyes lit up in recognition.  ¡°That was the last one of the batch I forgot I was filling them and put some more magic on top kind of like frosting.  So, a magic user just touching it with a matching affinity can absorb it I guess. It¡¯s not harmful.  You¡¯ll be okay right¡±?  Sky said with deep concern in her voice. Heather and Courtney came up with their duffle bags.

    ¡°You sure know how to juice someone up, girl.  You wouldn¡¯t happen to have an earth, water, or lightning tome in there would you.¡±  Courtney asked in an obvious joking tone.

    ¡°No Fred¡¯s got all of the earth, water, and lightening.  Anyway, only the top five tomes got the extra on top.¡±  Sky was smiling again because they seemed like nice people.

    Heather stepped forward.  ¡°You mean to tell me that was just residual magic that flooded her well so much and not the actual tome.  What¡¯s the content of the magic of a gold if red supposed to be the top of the list¡±?   Sky had given away so much already she looked to Fred for hint whether this was to be a secret or not. Fred just shrugged his shoulders.

    ¡°Well let¡¯s hope you don¡¯t have to find out.  Let¡¯s get to the quarters and put your stuff away. Then we can have lunch soon my mommy¡¯s making homemade stew.¡± Sky was handing Fred the last bundle of tomes.  She knew why Fred didn¡¯t absorb the magic frosting.  His body was always full to bursting since the magic links.  ¡°Bye captain Fred Sir., Joe Sir. And Todd Sir we¡¯ll see you in the mess.

    Joe made it out first with Todd lugging his duffle bag behind.  The men¡¯s quarters were opposite of the women¡¯s, and the doors were staggered from each other. After leaving the cargo bay, the ship looked like a reasonable size.  As they walked the corridor through the ship, Joe pointed out the various rooms in the ship.  The new crew were all impressed with how clean it was, and how well maintained.  Todd had mentioned since he was here he could get some of the new spell upgrades now that he had the time.  Joe smile ¡°Yeah I heard they were pretty good.¡±  Which confused Todd because most of them were submitted from their ship Little Tooth.  But he let it pass thinking he might be acting modestly.

    It wasn¡¯t a far walk to the barracks they passed Fred and Joe first then one was the around the opposite corner was the personal supply and weapons room.  Todd tried to casually ask Joe what kind of weapons Little Tooth had used to take out the Bright Whites.  Did you use a super-powered magic spell, a high-powered laser cannon, or rockets?  The battle description was classified so since we''re a team now you can tell me right.  Joe got to the men¡¯s quarters he turned and answered Todd

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t really necessary to make it classified; it was deemed unbelievable so to make it simple.  We used rocks made from asteroids and threw them at near light speed. It is surprising what low tech can do.¡±  Joe opened the door and was shocked; it was three times the size it was the day before and twice the size of his room.  Todd pushed past Joe and considered the room size.  It was huge by ship standards and the beds were twice the size normal bunk beds were in space ships. The footlockers seemed the same.  Joe entered the room after him, and Tod was a little disturb by what Joe said next probably not meant for him to hear.  Something about getting the girl Sky in his and something, making it bigger.  The locker doors were not your standard thirty centimetres.  Opening the one he was going to use made his jaw drop.  They weren¡¯t lockers, but walk-in-closets.  Todd had no idea what to do with all that space.  He was wondering what the ladies would think when he heard squeals of delight coming from across the hall; he just found his answer.

    Sky showed them her room first, possibly her and Jane¡¯s.  Courtney was the first one to comment on the bed size. ¡°The beds are big enough for two people.¡±

    Heather let out an uncharacteristic squeal when she opened one of the lockers to an actual walk-in closet.  ¡°These rooms must have cost a fortune.  How did Captain Fred convince the top brass that this was necessary to have for his crew?  If all the rooms are like this, they could have built another ship with the money they spent on the extra room.¡±

    Sky blushed ¡°I like them big because if I toss in the night, I¡¯m less likely to hit anything in my sleep.¡±

    Jane nodded in agreement.  ¡°I know what you mean. I¡¯ve put my hands through more walls sleeping after my transformation than I care to say.¡±  Courtney and Heather just chuckled to themselves remembering visiting Jane and seen her repairing a wall in her bedroom.

    Heather grabbed Courtney¡¯s hand. I guess we get the next room.  On their way out Heather spied the small door connecting the rooms.  ¡°What¡¯s with the on-suite door¡±?

    Sky: ¡°I think it¡¯s for when you forget your towel you don¡¯t have to walk in the corridor all wet or something.  They do lock from both sides so you can make it more private for each of the women quarters.¡±

    Courtney turned to Jane and Sky.   ¡°I hope you don¡¯t take offence, but we would like the doors locked most of the time.  We haven¡¯t any rooms to ourselves for years, and we would like to take advantage of it while we can.¡±

    Sky didn¡¯t know what the girls would need privacy for when for privacy meant being alone.  ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t have a problem with that.¡±  Sky turned to Jane with sad, downcast eyes.  ¡°I guess you want some privacy too won¡¯t you¡±?

    Jane didn¡¯t know who or what could have made her crave affection so much, but she was going to be this young girl¡¯s sister, friend and comrade.  ¡°Nope, you¡¯re stuck with me for the tour young lady so deal with it.¡±  She gave Sky a light punch in the shoulder like she used to do her teammates. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Sky¡¯s shoulder felt like solid steel, she would have apologized profusely.  As it was Sky just glowed with happiness.

    Conny appeared before them in a flash.  ¡°This is a ship-wide alert.  The aliens have been spotted coming our way.  It seems their ship was repaired and it will be in attack range in five minutes.  I have no way of protecting you, and we have one old thermo-nuke left in your sack of rocks.  Your new shield will prevent them from attacking from two of the previous dimensions but that leaves five more they¡¯ve been known to occupy.  Fred and Joe are coming to help with the magic burn.¡±  Conny turned to the door as Fred and Joe ran in to help.

 Chapter Two Enter the Aliens

    Chapter Two

    Enter the Aliens

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what we can do about the aliens, but we¡¯ll help any way possible,¡± Fred said trying to take charge and be the captain he is.  ¡°Alright anyone knows of any spells that can transcend dimensions we¡¯ve got one nuke and a whole lot of rocks to throw.  They are anywhere from one metre (3 ft.) to around one hundred metres (328 ft.) and my guess if we need bigger or smaller it¡¯s not a problem.  Ideas anyone¡±?  Fred was surprised at the rooms size.  Everyone but her parents were there; luckily the room was made bigger not two hours before.

    ¡°How do these aliens attack?  Do they have to come into our dimension to attack us¡±?  Todd asked Fred or anyone with answers.

    Conny answered.  ¡°We¡¯re not sure how they do it, but they found a way to syphon off magic spent magic or not.  The last attack they were not in our dimension and so far, Sky is the only target.  They pull the magic from her well fast enough to cause complete magic burn in seconds.¡±

    The new crew looked at Sky.  Jane held on to Sky hand. Is there anything we can do to help?  We are all pretty powerful mages and trained fighters; we¡¯ve got to be able to do something¡±?

    Sky turned to Fred.  ¡°Captain Fred Sir. Can I be team leader for my defence I have an idea but I¡¯ll need full cooperation from everyone if I¡¯m going to attack and defend.¡±

    Fred considered what she said.  So far no one has come up with any ideas.  ¡°Okay, Sky since it¡¯s for your defence. I¡¯ll get you lead command.¡± Fred knew everyone heard Sky¡¯s question and Fred¡¯s answer, but he addressed everyone all the same. ¡°Everyone till this attack is over Sky second in command, understood¡±? There was a unanimous, ¡°yes Sir.¡±

    Todd asked Sky. ¡°Your orders Sir?¡±  he was standing tall followed by everyone.  Todd seemed a little reluctant to have her as his commander.  He would have followed Fred¡¯s orders and in doing so Sky¡¯s.

    Sky was about to answer when she felt the attack and froze from the almost instant pain of fire swallowing her entire body.  Todd waited and thought maybe command was too much for her.   She managed to croak out.  ¡°Joe Sir please cast the healing spell as quickly as possible and keep casting them.¡±  Joe with no further orders he cast one healing spell after another.  Incredible waves of spent magic washed over them.  Soon Sky regained some of her control.  ¡°Okay that¡¯s better, Conny see if you can locate the alien ship let us know verbally if you find it.  Todd, Jane, Courtney, Heather, I¡¯m going to have upgrade whatever you use for your MAD devices.  Which of you have the best and up to date model¡±?

    Jane brought up her wrist device first.  ¡°I thought I broke it before I got here, but it¡¯s perfectly fine now.¡±  Sky held out one of her hands; the other one was pinching the bridge of her nose.  Jane placed her wrist tablet in her hand.

    ¡°Does everyone like Jane MAD device because you are all going to have one just like it?  But about a hundred times better. And I¡¯ll try and not to put an avatar on it that looks like me.¡±

    Jane spoke up first again.  ¡°We all have the same type just different spells on them.¡±  Sky smiled at that.  ¡°Alright, that makes things some much easier.  Pulled a footlocker into the centre of the room and sat down holding Jane¡¯s wrist tablet. Everyone but Joe watched Sky tapped the side of the device, and a shock passed through her finger scorching the covering.  Sky looked around as if in another world.  Every so often she would tap it again discolouring it more.  Sky got up a little uneasy, placing the tablet down and held her hand over it. No one, but Fred and Joe knew what she had just done. Now they knew why to bridge console had to be repainted.  She handed the device back to Jane.  ¡°I¡¯m finished, I would like you to stand opposite of Conny and start up the dimensional alien detection spell, feed some magic into it.  If you find the aliens let me know where and what dimension they¡¯re in.¡±  Sky turned to Todd. ¡°Could you show me you¡¯re MAD¡±?  Sky smiled weakly and touched his device. It sparked, and the screen went dark.  Todd looked shocked at the loss of his MAD device.  Before he could voice any dismay, the screen flickered back on.  Other than the scorch marks on it looked the same to him till he saw the new spells.  Just about all of the spells he looked at were at least three times as complex as before.  ¡°Todd, could you start scanning below the ship and call out if you locate the alien ship as soon as you do.  I¡¯ll take it from there. I¡¯ve got a nasty surprise for them.¡±

    Sky Turned to Courtney and Heather.  Without being asked they held out their wrist with their MAD device. She touched the device one at a time.  They smoked and flickered off, and they waited, nothing happened.  They looked up from the device to see Sky stager.

    Heather put her hand under Sky¡¯s arm to support her.  Sky smiled.  ¡°Thanks, give me a second.¡±  She took a deep breath and wave of power passed through her, and she stood straighter.  ¡°Okay sorry about that.  Your MAD devices should be upgraded now.  Courtney, could you start scanning overhead and call out any sign of the alien ship.  Heather, I need you to get a gold tome for each of your elemental affinities and that of your teammates from Fred.  Just be mindful of the tops that are your elemental affinities they may have frosting.  Place them on their backs and run your finger from the elemental symbol to the bottom.¡±

    Heather shook her head.  ¡°I¡¯ve used tomes before, and that¡¯s not how they work.  Don¡¯t worry baby I can handle them.  It¡¯s not my first rodeo.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve used gold tomes before?  Here I thought I invented them just today.  So, since I made them, you should know how they work and can¡¯t possibly activate them by mistake and release all the magic in them at once.  There is enough magical energy to fry your teammates alive with over ten times what they normally hold.  So, if you want to help them, you will do as I ask, please.  I don¡¯t have the patience or time to be pleasant right now.  Joe is casting healing spells to keep the magic burn down from my chest to my waist.  I¡¯ll say I¡¯m sorry for being so blunt after we get rid of alien things.¡±

    Todd called out ¡°Directly above us theses a ship circling us just outside the area I¡¯m scanning. I think they can sense the scanner spells. What do you want to do¡±? Todd looked away from the scanning briefly to see Sky¡¯s reaction.  She saw a wicked grim her hoped ever to see pointed at him.

    ¡°Good work Todd Sir. Just keep scanning as if you didn¡¯t pick them up.  Okay, Heather let me know when everyone has the tomes on them.  I would be faster if help but I can only touch one person, and I¡¯m not sure if she would mind a stranger touching her back.¡± Sky looked over to Jane who kept up the scanning as not to make them suspicious.  Jane spared a single glance.

    ¡°Sky were going to be roommates scratching my back is going to be one of your new jobs.  I outrank you; you know that right.  So, get the tomes and slap them on.¡± Sky couldn¡¯t see the smile, but she knew it was there she could feel it.  Heather had a hand full of tomes, and there was a blast of magical energy.

    ¡°Fred Sir. Could I get a fire, lightning, air, and water tome¡±?  Sky asked low enough no one else could hear and held out her hand.

    Fred had a puzzled look on her face, and Sky just grinned nodding her head.  ¡°I hope you know what you¡¯re doing¡±?

    ¡°Fred Sir. I would like to know if you could take the rest of the tomes and throw them out an airlock so I can use them on the outside. I¡¯m going to need all the help I can get, and one more with four gifts will do it. Plus, I¡¯m.¡±  She paused to get her thought in order.  ¡°OOW, those stupid aliens are greedy. I¡¯m going to have to start soon.  Please hurry it seems there is a second phase to magic burn.¡±  With no further hesitation, Fred cast a healing spell and ran to the nearest airlock and jettisoned the magic tomes.  They were probably worth more than a small habitable planet.  He ran casting another healing spell before he started back.

    Coming back through the door, he cast another healing spell and Sky seemed to straighten.  She had the back of Jane¡¯s shirt up and had three of the tomes placed.  ¡°Jane you¡¯re going to feel something different wash over you.  Don¡¯t panic it will be alright.¡±  Sky reached around Jane¡¯s torso from behind and hugged her.

    Jane feel joy like no other; she felt truly happy for the first time since her change.  There was another feeling almost like an extra something in herself.  What else confused her was Sky placing the fourth tome on her back.  ¡°Okay everyone you¡¯re going to feel something shift around you but doesn¡¯t worry.  I¡¯m also going to let you see the space around you.  I¡¯ll start with the ceiling where the aliens are and continue around the room till the floor is invisible.  I¡¯ll mark where the ship is with a light orb around it.  Your MAD tablets will have a telekinetic spell on it.  Soon you will have magic bombs to hurl at them.¡±  Everyone kept up the pretence of searching.  A circle formed on the ceiling and it spread with surprising speed.  Soon the whole ceiling wasn¡¯t there, and a light globe was circling from above.

    Okay I''ll get out the rocks and arm them.  This is where it¡¯s going to feel swirly.  Hold on to your tummies it¡¯s going to be rough.¡±  Sky opened her bag of rocks and started to bring them out. Everyone but Fred and Joe froze and stared at the various round spheres coming from under the invisible ship.  As they rose from under their feet, gold tomes floated and stuck to the spheres.  ¡°Activate the spell and grab a sphere and get ready.  When I grab onto the alien ship start throwing the rocks at them. I¡¯ll make sure they go into the right dimension and hit them or cling to the ones they can go into.  Once they can¡¯t shift into another dimension, I¡¯ll hit them with the coup de grace, the nuke.¡±  Sky reached for the ship, and it stopped from moving.  ¡°Now start throwing rocks, you have to be close I can guide them in around it.  I don¡¯t think I can hold it long hurry.¡±  Sky looked around, and she didn¡¯t notice that everyone was on their knees before.

    Fred and Joe were still casting healing spells as they got to their feet.  Fred went to Todd and helped him up, and Joe helped up Heather.  Once Todd was on his feet he activated the spell on his MAD tablet.  Fred went and helped up Courtney.  Jane got up on her own and activated the spell.

    Todd was the first one to pluck one of the huge rocks and hurled it towards the ship.  It was off by quite a bit, but it still veered towards the ship.   Sky looked back to Todd with a smile.  ¡°Try and be a little closer and give me something to work with and make it easier.¡±  Heathers throw was just as bad but veered towards the ship all the same. Courtney was having problems just grasping the spheres.  Jane was in the same boat as Courtney.  This wasn¡¯t going quite like she planned the ship was going to get free if she didn¡¯t get the thing going faster.  ¡°Okay let me show you how to do it.¡±  Sky said looking away from the ship she was holding. Everyone looked to her, Fred and Joe had an idea of what was going to happen.  Sky stepped out from herself, and the new Sky shuttered slightly.  ¡°Hay this body doesn¡¯t burn.¡±  She went over to Todd and stepped into him. Fred and Joe never saw this happen before.

    ¡°Todd, just relax and feel how it¡¯s done.  Relax I¡¯m not going to hurt anything, think happy thoughts.  Much better.¡±  He heard her in his mind.

    Todd didn¡¯t know what to say when he gave in and let Sky take control of his body.  It almost felt like he was doing it from a memory that he knew he never had.  It was not his memory but Sky¡¯s.  He reached out with confidence plucked one of the rocks went into a pitcher¡¯s pose drawing back his arm.  When he threw the rock, it streaked across space to the alien¡¯s ship striking it dead centre.  Todd smiled.  ¡°And that ladies and gentlemen is how you throw a rock.¡±  Sky stepped out from Todd, and he felt somewhat empty for a second.  But he still remembered how to throw which he did quickly.  Soon he was throwing as fast as he could move. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Sky walked over to Heather, and she stepped back.  ¡°Please help Courtney or Jane first I can wait.  Sky turned, and Courtney pointed to Jane.  Jane had just managed to grab her first sphere.  Sky walked to her.  ¡°Let me help you¡±?  Jane was still feeling woozy from all the spheres coming from the pocket space.  Jane nodded her head.  ¡°Sure, if you could help Todd like that I¡¯m game.  Just don¡¯t go snooping around in there a lady needs her secrets.¡±  Sky smile and stepped into her. Jane felt a warmth spread inside her and she felt confident and held the rock with ease.  Just like Todd she drew back and threw the rock and struck the ship. Even with all the impacts, it seemed little damage was done.  Jane couldn¡¯t understand why she found this so difficult at first it wasn¡¯t like she never did this she thrown rocks before at leaves in a pond and this was no different.  It struck her then these weren¡¯t her memories they must be Sky¡¯s.  The memories left her warm inside; she was loved and wanted.  Sky stepped out of Jane and smiled at her.  Jane didn¡¯t move for a second and locked eye with Sky smiling.

    ¡°Heather, Courtney don¡¯t be a newbie and be afraid of a shadow, you might even like it,¡± Jane said grabbing at another sphere throwing it with deadly accuracy.

    Heather put up her hands ¡°Come here Sky I¡¯ll sample your wares what harm could it do¡±?  Sky walked straight into her smiling and Heather felt something spread throughout her body and all the tension left she felt like she could take on the world.  She reached for a rock and flicked it at the ship and hitting it with considerable force.  The strike was nowhere near what Todd and Jane were doing.  With a slight blush, she grabbed another rock and threw it like a major-league pitcher with great effect. Sky stepped out from her body, and some of the feelings left, but the knowledge to throw with telekinesis remained at least.

    Courtney looked to Heather as if to ask how it was.  Heather laughed ¡°I¡¯m not complaining.¡± She answered the implied question.  She turned back and hurled another sphere.

    Sky walked up to Courtney ¡°It won¡¯t hurt. I promise just relax, and I¡¯ll show you what you need to know.¡±  Courtney spread her arms as if waiting for an embrace and Sky walked in, instantly she felt lighter like a load was lifted from her shoulders.  She felt like she knew so much and had no limits.  She almost forgot about the battle and looked around at the possibilities.  From within a voice said.  ¡°Focus at the job at hand.¡±  She snatched a rock feeling the weight, but it felt light, but it was probably over one hundred tonnes. She drew back like she did thousands of time and threw the rock with pinpoint accuracy, hitting the alien ship.  Sky stepped out from Courtney and most of the sensations left with her.  The feeling and knowing how to throw the rocks stayed, and she had a feeling she forgot so much.  She still felt pride in how well she could throw now. Sky went and stepped into the Sky holding the ship.

    Heather was the first to feel a burn down in her toes then it went away just seconds later. When she grabbed another sphere, she felt it shoot up to her ankle then it went away. Courtney felt the burn next then Todd and then Jane last.   It wasn¡¯t long before the magic didn¡¯t work; they were out of magic.

    Sky seeing the rocks stop coming let go of the ship.  She turned to the group behind her.  ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I put away my tea set.  Joe I¡¯m going to throw the last rock you might want to put up a shield.¡± The new crew looked at one another confused why he was warned and not them.  They tried putting up a shield like Joe just had but couldn¡¯t.  Before they could say anything in protest Sky pulled back and threw the last rock at the ship.  The wind from Sky¡¯s throw blew around in the small room, and something thudded against Joe''s shield.  There was a bright flash as the magic tomes released the magic they held all at once turning all the rocks around the ship to liquid.  Sky formed a ball around the ship before space solidified the liquid.  The battle was over, and Sky collapsed to the invisible floor shortly after the invisible room became visible once more.

    Jane gently picked up Sky and turned to Joe who had two pillows at his feet.  Jane was confused at the smile Fred and Joe had.  Jane looked down at Sky unconscious face.  ¡°I¡¯m taking her to the med-bay and get the treatment started.   She must need magic now after using so much.¡±  Jane thought for a second.  I didn¡¯t activate the tomes on my back I could give them to her.  What elemental affinity is she, she¡¯s got to have at least three¡±?

    Fred looked at Jane holding Sky¡¯s limp sleeping body.  ¡°How many gold stacks did you see her give me?  Think about how you make a magic tome of replenishment¡±?  Fred said raising an eyebrow with a smirk on his lips.  Joe just about burst into laughter at the face Jane made and the rest of her crew.

    ¡°Take off all the tomes then and give them to her. I don¡¯t need them; she does.¡±  Heather pulled the back of her shirt up to have four blank tomes fall.

    Heather picked up the blank tomes and passed them to Jane.  ¡°They¡¯re used up, and we didn¡¯t feel then activate at all how that is possible?  I¡¯ve used tomes like that before, and you always feel the surge when they activate, and those were orange ones.¡± It¡¯s impossible to do that; no one can do that smoothly.¡±

    Fred walked over to Heather and pointed at Sky.  ¡°What is impossible is telling her not to eat a lot of food after a battle, now that impossible.  Tell me did you ever see a mage split and enter another person¡¯s body to teach them something.  Have you ever seen a mage touch a MAD device and update it with no prepared spells in advance?  Think about this did you see here use any tech while she was casting?  The sphere you used was about half of what she collected in about five minutes. You all went through at least three gold tomes, which are about ten times the amount of a red tome.¡±  Fred paused for a second.  ¡°It may be around thirty times more depending on how she did it.¡±  Fred gestured to Jane.  ¡°Quickly follow me we¡¯ve got to get her help before she wakes up.¡±  Jane followed Fred muttering about time he takes Sky¡¯s condition serious.  Jane had to sprint after Fred, and the rest of them followed.  He stopped not at the med-bay but the mess hall where Rocssanna and William were cooking.

    Rocssanna is seeing Sky being carried reached into her pocket and pulled out an egg-shaped stone.  It smelled like roasted nuts and waved it under Sky¡¯s nose.

    Jane had to ask.  ¡°What kind of medicine is that it smells like a nut of some kind?  She needs medical help, not food.¡±  As if to defy Jane¡¯s words Sky¡¯s stomach growled fiercely</a> and her mouth popped open even while sleeping.  Rocssanna popped it into her mouth with a clacking sound as it hit her teeth. Sky¡¯s mouth closed and you could hear the grinding sound as she crushed the nut with her tongue.

    Sky smiled.  ¡°Mm smells yummy so good.  Is that stew your cooking mommy?  I¡¯m so hungry right now I could eat a huge wild beast all by myself.¡±   Without opening her eyes, she gently stroked Jane¡¯s cheek.  ¡°Thank you, Jane, for carrying me to the mess and my mommy.  I think you deserve a reward don¡¯t you think so too, mommy?  Could you give her a rocknut and see if she can eat one¡±?  Sky opened her eyes to see her big sister with a tear in her eye.  ¡°I¡¯m okay just tired and really hungry.¡±  As if on cue her stomach rumbled again.

    Rocssanna took Sky from a reluctant Jane and placed her in a seat in front of a comically big bowl.  ¡°You must be hungry Sweetling.  I could feel your magic from the mess.  Did you get them this time¡±?  Rocssanna asked her daughter stroking her head caringly.

    ¡°No mommy I couldn¡¯t do it.  I think it¡¯s an alien colony ship of tiny humanoid beings.  There were even young ones right down to babies, I think.  Most of them looked like they were starving and but some of them seemed fat and trying to take even more of the magic to eat.¡±   Sky looked you to her Rocssanna with a really sad look in her eyes.  ¡°I wanted to punish the fat ones, but some of the ones carrying babies got in the way.  I just trapped as many fat ones as I could and encased their ship in ten different dimensions, so we have time to get away.  Mommy, I think I hurt a lot of them with the nuke the last time.  Does that make me a monster for not checking first?  Am I a bad person, I feel really bad, but I don¡¯t want to feed someone who would take so much for themselves and let others starve.  Mommy what should I do, the fat ones were so greedy.  I connected to a starving baby and its mommy, and a fat one grabbed the link and starting to suck the magic like it was starving.  The fat one even hit the mommy and thin baby.  Mommy, they were so thin and the other ones so fat and round why would they not share equally¡±?  Sky pleaded with her mommy for answers she couldn¡¯t give.

    Rocssanna held Sky face in her hands.  ¡°My little angel. We can¡¯t always know how other races think and how their society works.  We have no right to rule over others because of how they treat each other.  But if they seek help from a stronger race, then yes, I think it¡¯s fair to help them win their freedom.  I will help if I can when and if they can ask for help.¡±  Rocssanna held her daughter and kissed her forehead.

    Jane could see this bothered Sky a lot and that the tears she had were real.  ¡°I¡¯ll help to after this mission is over.  It¡¯s not just aliens that can be evil but people of our race.  We should fix our problems so we can concentrate on others when we need to.   You did what you could, and I bet you¡¯re an angel to more than one person.¡± Jane said with deep heartfelt compassion.

    ¡°Thanks, that means a lot to me to know you understand and don¡¯t think I¡¯m a monster or a bad person.¡±  Sky said with her eyes drooping shut. Her tummy let out a rumble to make sure it was not ignored.  Jane and Rocssanna laughed only to hear that everybody was listening as well.

    Rocssanna started to scoop out a huge portion of food into Sky¡¯s bowl.  Jane watched the chunky aromatic stew fill Sky¡¯s bowl, and her stomach grumbled a little bit.  Jane took the seat next to Sky; Heather sat beside her.  Courtney sat across Heather.  Fred, Joe and Todd sat at another bench with William serving from a different pot that was a little smaller than the one Sky was served from.

    Todd looked at what Sky was eating, and William was still stirring theirs.  ¡°Does Sky have a special diet; it looks the same as the one in your pot.  Whatever it is, it smells great.¡±  Todd did a double take When Sky asked for seconds.  He turned to William.  ¡°How is that possible¡±?

    William smiled.  ¡°She¡¯s always been a big eater and ever since she started using magic it doubled. To answer your first question, we are eating the same thing it¡¯s she likes to eat it undercooked, so it¡¯s not tender.  She doesn¡¯t like mushy food if she can help it.  This particular meal you wouldn¡¯t be able to chew anything but the spices.  That is unless you can chew a steel bar like gum.  I¡¯ve tried it, and I hate the metallic taste.¡±  William motioned to look to Sky.

    ¡°Jane, would you like to try some of mine before mommy overcooks it for everyone¡±?  Sky asked holding up her spoon trying to get her to take some.

    Jane felt a little apprehensive about taking it from her spoon.  But he thought what the stars I might like it before it goes mushy.  ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try a little bit.¡± She opened her mouth and was surprised how hot it was; then it was the taste amazing.  She went to chew the chunk of what she thought was meat it took her all she had to chew it.  The flavour was amazing, but her jaw was getting sore from chewing.  While Jane was attempting to savour the stew, Sky was finishing her second bowl.  ¡°This is good, but I think I¡¯ll wait for it to get a little softer.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay mommy, and daddy like it softer too.  Joe and Fred like the rocknuts I eat, but they can only eat them when I go into the practice room first.¡±  Sky held up her bowl for thirds, and the pot William was stirring was finished.  Rocssanna ladled out another half bowl for Sky.

    Todd could not understand how Sky was eating her food so quickly with a regular size spoon.  He counted the ladle scoops and the spoons Sky eat they were around two to one.  But the ladle held at least six times the spoon did.  ¡°Sky is that a magic spoon?  You finished your stew so quickly, and you¡¯re eating no faster than I would.¡± Todd inquired hoping he wasn''t rude.

    Sky blushed, and Jane glared at him.  William patted him on the back.  ¡°If I were you I would enjoy the stew and count it as one of life¡¯s mystery¡¯s you want to live long enough not to know.  It¡¯s is how it is.  Now enjoy Rocssanna¡¯s famous stew renowned around the ship where it gets rave reviews amongst the living.¡±  William told him hoping he would read more into the words he might have implied.

    Todd picked up his spoon and didn¡¯t say anything till the flavour hit him like a meteor.  ¡°Wow, this is star field.  I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s the food we¡¯re going to be eating from now on.  William, Rocssanna is this a regular dish you serve¡±?  Todd was asking while everyone else was eating even Rocssanna and William now everyone was served. Todd looked around and seen the eagerness to get seconds was almost a competition.

    Jane watched Todd as he had his first spoonful.  It was good, but he was over exaggerating the taste.  She spooned some into her mouth and wow holy grazing animal. It was amazing.  Jane looked to Sky as if to ask the question.  ¡°Know what you want to say.  It tastes better the longer it cooks, but it gets mushy.  Most things I eat are mushy.  Most people bit an apple and it crispy and has a crunch to it.  To me, they¡¯re like soft water balloons filled with pureed apples.  Sometimes you eat them before they¡¯re ripe, so they¡¯re crunchier to eat.  Just imagine everything you eat is mushy like they¡¯ve been pureed and you bit into an apple that is not quite ripe.  Don¡¯t you think the firmness of the apple makes it taste so much better.¡±

    Jane could see what Sky was talking about.  She too didn¡¯t like over-ripened food even though they were sweeter most of the time.   Heather and Courtney could also relate to what Sky was saying.

 Chapter Three The New Crew Trying Out The Enhanced Training Room

    Chapter Three

    The New Crew Trying Out The Enhanced Training Room

    Fred stood up and addressed the crew. ¡°Once you get cleaned you I want to meet me in the briefing room. Since we have a small crew, we can all fit. So, come in proper attire and have your hair styled within regulation. Meet me in two hours. We have much to discuss, and one of the mages took already presumed dead by our guess. We have no ideas about others, and I would like to make up a plan. Before we head off to bed tonight.¡± Fred picked up his bowl and spoon carrying it to a bin placing it inside. As he left, he called out to William and Rocssanna. ¡°Thanks for another great meal. I''m looking forward to some more of your great cooking.¡±

    Todd got up and thanked William and Rocssanna. He watched everyone else doing the same. ¡°He gave us two hours does anyone want to see what so special about the practice room? It¡¯s at least an answer you can get by just walking into it.¡± Joe made a strange sound and covered his face if he took a few seconds for him to reply.

    Joe couldn¡¯t hide the smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll have Sky lead the way; you¡¯ll find it more entertaining that way. Just don¡¯t ask her to spar with you unless Conny¡¯s there with you. Better yet not for a while till you feel comfortable around her and you got to know her a little better.¡± Joe left as if holding in a laugh.

    After everyone thanked Rocssanna and William for the incredible meal, they headed for the practice room.

    Todd motioned to Jane that he wanted to walk beside Sky and she reluctantly stepped behind. She seemed so short and small to him, yet she just ate four times he did. Todd had some questions and now was the time to ask them. ¡°Sky you seem to know a lot about magic how many years have you been studying. You must be a really good student to know so much.¡± He wanted to keep his questions easy at first. He was still upset at what happened to his ears and what she said about how she felt about changing them.

    Sky pondered his question and decided to tease him a little. ¡°Oh, magic and I go way back it¡¯s got to have been almost a hundred, at least a hundred. Fred taught me well showed me a spell or to. He did teach me how to regulate my magic. Now my control is like a fine edged knife.¡±

    Todd was confused. Sky was ten years old tops how could she have a hundred years. You don¡¯t look over ten, how could you have a hundred years of studying¡±?

    ¡°I thought you would have known that was too many years. I¡¯m nine years old almost ten, and I¡¯ve been practicing magic for just over a hundred hours.¡± Sky said with a quirky smile. They walked by their quarters and the showers almost to the practice room

    Todd didn¡¯t know quite what to say. ¡°I have a hard time believing you, but a lot of the things I¡¯ve seen you do so far I wouldn¡¯t have believed if I didn¡¯t see it for myself.¡± He didn¡¯t know what to make of this little girl who seemed to outclass him magically. He needed more info on this strange girl and her cryptic answers. ¡°So how many elemental affinities do you have¡±?

    Sky just smiled and turned after reaching the practice room door. ¡°I¡¯ll let the room answer that and I would like to ask you all to let everything that goes on in this room stay in this room.¡±

    Todd looked back at the ladies behind them with a shocked look. It was Jane who asked the obvious question. ¡°What do you mean by that¡±? Jane knew it wasn¡¯t what they thought if it were someone much older would have meant.

    Sky didn¡¯t know what was so difficult to understand. ¡°The magic through this doorway into this room will make you like the person that went before you. Since I¡¯m going first, you all will have similar strength and speed. You will all have the same magical affinities. The strongest person will stay the strongest, and the weakest will only be weaker by a fraction. So, I want to keep anyone from finding out about this room who might find a way of exploiting its properties. Sky watched everyone¡¯s face to see their reactions. ¡°Oh, and you can¡¯t get hurt for long, and you can¡¯t get killed. But a broken neck will make you black out for a second. I think being cut in half would have the same effect if you care to try it. I strongly suggest you don¡¯t. The injury might go away, but the mental picture will remain if you can remember. I personally don¡¯t want a memory like that.¡± Sky turned and entered the practice room and felt the now familiar sensation of passing through water. She turned to halt anyone else going through. She laughed a little when Jane bumped into Todd as she rushed to see what Sky was talking about. Sky stood straight and tall. ¡°Welcome come to my world come this way.¡± Sky said beckoning them to enter.

    Todd didn¡¯t feel anything before entering till he passed the door frame as he entered he could feel the magic at work on his body. He had an ability to see active spells and the ones in the doorway were too numerous to separate let alone count. The power was incredible as it washed over him. He stumbled out the other side of the doorway. The spell itself was about twenty-five centimetres (11.5 in.) across. A rush of magical energy engulfed him, and he had a feeling of unlimited power.

    Jane stepped through, and it felt like passing through a field of energy to her. She took a few quick steps to move away from the door and found herself halfway across the room. She turned to look at Todd; Sky watched the others come into the room. Heather and Courtney were holding hands as they came in the room.

    Heather released Courtney¡¯s hand as the magic passed through her. She closed her eyes as she stepped through enjoying the feeling of pure spell power. She couldn¡¯t feel it until she touched it. She relished the energy then it was over. Her eyes flew open as she could feel a new sensation like an idea yet to form, but you knew it was going to be a great one. She didn¡¯t even realize when she opened her mouth in rapture.

    Courtney rushed through to her it felt like a splash of icy cold and boiling at the same time. Her legs buckled from the magic hit her. She jumped up and kept going almost to the ceiling feeling something slow her down. Looking down she could see Sky laughing pointing at her. She felt a little embarrassed at Sky pointing at her the whole way down. Sky did something strange; she made a swiping motion after dropping the pointing finger. Todd was frowning at Sky¡¯s behaviour until Sky made the swiping motion.

    Todd felt the energy and wanted to see the others reaction before trying something with the new magic he felt. As Jane passed through she vanished for a split second and reappeared halfway in the room. Heather looked like she was having a body orgasm as she passed through. Todd knew when she felt the new magic in her when her eyes flew open, and her lips parted in a gasp. Courtney was the type to jump into the water to get it over with and deal with the temperature either way, hot or cold. After coming through she stumbled and used little levitation spell to get to her feet quickly, he saw her use it many times, and it saved her more than once. But this time she rocketed up as if shot from a canon. But before she could hit the ceiling something stopped her. The spell was still active, but she floated down with Sky laughing pointing at her the whole way. She was the only one laughing once Courtney touched the floor Sky made a swiping motion and Courtney¡¯s spell vanished. I quickly looked closer at Sky trying to see what she used to dispel her magic and seen nothing.

    Sky noticed no one was laughing. ¡°Sorry guy¡¯s I should have had you prepare for the magic you would hold. Fred and Joe had already been prepared for it somewhat their first time. Just try to think of using a touch of magic than a tenth of that, for what you would normally use. Try a simple light spell to see what I mean.

    Todd was the first one to try a spell the light spell was six metres across and burned everyone in the room but Sky. She dispelled the magic sphere to allow everyone to heal. Todd picked himself off the floor and seen Jane, Heather, and Courtney doing the same. ¡°I could have sworn I burned to death just then. What¡¯s with this room does it amplify magic or something? That was supposed to be a big ball of light, not a micro star. Sky I thought coming here would answer a few questions not give me a thousand more.¡± Todd was trying not to be upset at the little girl. There was just something about her rubbed him the wrong way. As he thought about the little time they spent together, she used a lot of magic, and the whole time she only used one visible spell casting, and no spent magic washed over him like others who used magic. The others even just now were visible. He was in the dark it creeped him out not seeing or even feeling a spell being used by her. To him it just felt unnatural, it was as if hearing a person talk and their lips were closed not even breathing.

    ¡°Okay, I guess that didn¡¯t work if you want. I¡¯ll show you what Fred showed me to regulate my magic. Since it¡¯s like my magic, you hold I could show you how Fred, Joe, and I do it now. Just come closer so I can show you in a bubble.¡± Jane then Heather and Courtney stepped closer to Sky. Todd looked around the room and spotted two lumps of ash. Sky followed Todd¡¯s gaze. ¡°Those are the heavy bags you burned up. They never passed the door, so they don¡¯t have a reset. Try the new healing spell on your MAD device and fix them.

    Todd didn¡¯t feel comfortable around Sky. He couldn¡¯t see her other than a little girl, then again couldn¡¯t stop the feeling she outclassed him magically even more than he could imagine. She could be so kind as to think of others before herself. He watched from a distance as a sudden sphere engulfed them. He saw the complex spell circles of a type of shield just much more complex. He could see the girls stagger a little and he hesitated to rush over to them. They stood up and moved around on the spot with mouths gaping wide, looking at something he couldn¡¯t see. He could not feel magic coming from the spell she cast and seen nothing even forming. He reflexed on what he knew of her, and it was frightfully little. He didn¡¯t even see her MAD device she¡¯d have to had. Watching the girls point and move their mouths as if speaking, he suddenly felt left out of something important.

    Rather than feel sorry for himself, he tried the healing spell Sky had suggested. He could try it twice the see how much magic to use. He turned to the first pile of ash, any magic not used by guilds shouldn¡¯t have much effect on so much damage. He found the new spell it had a smiley face next to it and ¡°For Little Tooth¡¯s¡¯ Crew Only.¡± He thought ¡°must be a secret spell.¡± He cast the spell it over the ashes. It had four elements whereas he only had three. The new MAD device could sense the magic he held and only allowed the spells he could cast. He thought what the burning star and activated the spell. There was a wave of spent magic wash over him the ashes lifted and reformed into the heavy bag once more. Todd was impressed that it was a good spell to have. He turned to try it on the other heavy bag and froze. Above where the ashes were, a brand new heavy bag. Confused he hit the heavy bag lightly and it swung out as if hit by a flying car. It was a fake; it was too light and ways too soft. Not caring what happened to the fake heavy bag he kicked it to vent out a little frustration he had built up. His kick landed in the dead centre of the bag. Rather than sending the bag swinging again, it cut it in half and igniting some of the contents. He quickly looked around and just seen the girls in their own little world he now wished he had joined them.

    The ladies stood around Sky and seen Todd not join them. Jane saw the concerned look in Sky¡¯s eyes. Todd was having a bad reaction to Sky because it was the first time he was blind to someone¡¯s gift. He could sense her magic and it didn¡¯t even look impressive. When she dropped her shield, it must have made him feel less special, from there everything she did was as if she was hiding everything from him.

    Jane didn¡¯t think Todd was going to join them. ¡°Sky, Todd likes to puzzle something out on his own and right now there¡¯s a lot he needs to puzzle out. So why don¡¯t we make it a lady¡¯s thing and you could show us girls. It would be one of the first times we get ahead of Todd in anything.¡±

    Courtney saw Sky mood improving and went for the closer. ¡°Why don¡¯t we show him what girls can do if we stick together and then let him see what we can acomplish.¡± Sky surprisingly had no real reaction to that. Courtney would have thought Sky would have been jumping to show off what girls can do.

    Sky gave Courtney a strange look. ¡°I don¡¯t like to show off. I just do what I must do. I do like to joke and tease a little. Showing off can hurt someone¡¯s feelings and make them feel less of themselves. I know I have lots of magic and I like to share knowledge to those who will use it for good or to benefit others. Let me show you how Fred, Joe and I regulate our magic now. Don¡¯t be alarmed at what you see it¡¯s going to be a visual representation of my magic well and how I control the flow of magic to the spells I use.¡± Sky waved her have around as if drawing a circle in the air. Instantly a clear bubble enclosed them. ¡°I think I¡¯ll let Todd see us so he won¡¯t feel alone in the room.¡± She gave him a small wave but he turned his head and didn¡¯t see the small gesture. ¡°Okay everyone, take a deep breath and hold it and close your eyes¡¯. Jane watched what the other would do. Heather raised her eyebrow took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

    Courtney did the same. ¡°The last time I didn¡¯t pay attention and lost my breakfast. Lunch was too good to waste.¡± Jane did the same, and soon they all were taking deep calming breaths.

    Sky could still see them with her eyes closed. Once they all were breathing deep, she cast the spell to show her mindscape around them. ¡°Alright I should have you sit, but you can¡¯t get hurt in here so you¡¯ll be fine if you fall. You can open your eyes now and see my magic wells.

    The girls opened their eyes to five swirling coloured tanks surrounding them. Courtney grabbed on to Heather''s arm and pointed towards the top of one of the tanks. Heather was the first one to get her voice. ¡°Why are to tanks so big, they are just a mental image of the magic you hold? Even if you hold this much magic, it doesn¡¯t have to be this big make them smaller so there easier to work with.¡± Heather looked to the other girls to back her up. The two girls nodded in agreement.

    Jane touched Sky¡¯s hand. ¡°She right, it would be easier to manage if the tanks were a more reasonable size. After all, it just how you perceive what your magic looks like.¡± Jane looked around and felt tiny enclosed by the huge tanks. Jane turned her head taking in more of the details she noticed a complex set of valves behind Sky. What¡¯s with the valve system it looks pretty complex.¡± Jane said motioning behind her. The other ladies looked around Sky to see all the different pipes and types of valves.

    Sky looked down to her feet and blushed a bit. She swiped at the image behind her not even looking making the tangled mess go away and was replaced by five sets of two simple valves. It was much basic than before. ¡°Oh, that was how I modified the system Fred showed me. I don¡¯t think he likes me tweaking everything so much.

    Sky had a hard time explaining just how much magic she held. ¡°I know this is just in my mind and what I perceive my magic to be will be. If you bring a glass of water into your mindscape and take a sip, it would be just like drinking water normally. If you take a barrel of water and shrink it down to the size of glass, now take a sip of water. Each sip how many mouthfuls of water did you drink. Jane, come here and let me give you a single drop of the lightening element.¡± Jane walked over to the indicated valve. Gently took her hand and put it under a spout while turning a handle to let a single drop escape on to Jane¡¯s finger. Now use that to cast a light sphere.

    Jane looked at Sky. ¡°I can¡¯t activate my tablet with the drop on my finger.¡±

    Sky smiled thinking how the method Fred taught her was now standard on the ship. ¡°Jane just picture the spell as detailed as if it was from your tablet and flick out the lightning with the light sphere in your mind.¡±

    Jane was going to say it¡¯s not that easy. Still, she flicked her finger, and a huge white ball of light came from her finger along with a wash of spent magic. Sky waved her hand and dispelled it instantly with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to do magic, how is that possible¡±?

    Sky watched Courtney¡¯s and Heather¡¯s reaction also. ¡°You know the light sphere because it¡¯s one of the simplest and most used. The spell circle is in your head already it doesn¡¯t need to be physical to work; it helps to see it in front of you. To make her point, she motioned up, and a vibrant blue light sphere appeared halfway up the centre of the tanks. There was no spent magic wash after the spell.

    Heather while looking up asked. ¡°How can you use magic and not have a wave of spent magic and not even make a gesture or use a word of power¡±?

    Sky smiled and was not willing to let that feline out of the bag just yet. ¡°A cute little girl got to have her secrets you know. The point I was trying to make is getting sidetracked.¡± The tanks around them started to shrink slowly at first then quickly till they were the size of a small water tank with the same valve set. ¡°Now that is all the magic in those tanks is the magic the same or is it super condensed. Do you want to try it this time after seeing what a drop of the slightly condensed magic did with a simple light sphere? Heather, do you want to see if it¡¯s still just a regular drop of magic or ten thousand litres in that single drop. Magic has no real effect on me, but I¡¯m not even sure if you¡¯re vaporized by a light sphere if you can be brought back.¡± Sky turned to the ladies growing pale at what she just said.

    Courtney cringed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you have that much magic. You¡¯re making the tanks that big to compensate for your size and age. I¡¯ll try the magic and show you that it¡¯s all in her head.¡± Courtney said trying to show more confident than she felt. She stepped forward and went to turn the valve herself, and Jane quickly grabbed her hand out of reflex and let go in the same instant.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for hurting you. It¡¯s a good thing the spell heals you instantly. Jane said apologetically

    Courtney looked to her arm pondering what she was talking about. She didn¡¯t even squeeze that hard. That¡¯s when it dawned on her. This wasn¡¯t the old gentle Jane; this was the steel hard super strong Jane now. Yet it didn¡¯t even hurt in the least. ¡°I¡¯m fine, remember we¡¯re all like Sky now we have all her strength and body structure. Wait for a second if what you say is true we all should have the same magic you have so our wells are just the same right? So why can¡¯t we use the same magic as you¡±?

    Sky tried to think of how to tell her; it¡¯s just the tools, not the knowledge she has. Sky¡¯s smile spread on her face. ¡°Do you know how to paint pictures or draw¡±? Courtney shook her head saying ¡°NO.¡± Sky smile changed to a smirk (unintentionally). ¡°If I gave you paints of all the colours you could imagine, and all the brushes ever conceived, and a canvas to paint on. Could you make life like a masterpiece without knowing how to paint? Right now, I¡¯ve given you the tools and the paint. The canvas is all around you. Now let me teach you how to paint a pretty picture.¡±

    Courtney couldn¡¯t speak. Everything she said hit a cord. The magic she held right this second was astounding, and a girl new to magic was going to show her how it¡¯s done. ¡°Okay Show me what you¡¯ve got. If you think the size of the tanks were right who are we to judge before getting the full picture.

    Sky smiles again. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you right now, but my abilities have to do with the fact I¡¯m not human being. I can do things no one else can do, even those of my race. I can use magic with no MAD device I¡¯ve never had one and never will need one. There is only one spell that I can¡¯t quite puzzle out just yet. All the spells so far are like squares and circle. Jane, I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t found how just yet to turn you back. What they did to you was on a genetic level. You have none of your original pattern in you as a reset point. I need something fresh to sample from to turn you back completely.

    Jane was surprised at what Sky had told her. Doctors were only able to tell her that after days of testing. Sky didn¡¯t even get a blood or skin sample. ¡°I was told some mages can revert my condition if I can get the right funds. I have to have something to work for; you can¡¯t take away my hope of being normal again.¡± Jane looked to Heather and Courtney for some backup.

    ¡°I think your wrong Sky it is reversible and we are going to make it happen. How can you say it¡¯s impossible when you¡¯ve only been studying magic for less than a week¡±? Heather said the Sky with a scowl.

    ¡°I never said it was impossible. I just haven¡¯t found any spells to help yet. Right now, your genetic make-up is more like mine than human. Who ever did this to you tried to make into something different altogether. The mages who did this to you wanted a new race of beings. I know four different spells that would have the effects you were looking for without any physical side effects, while being totally reversible.¡± Sky went to Jane¡¯s side I didn¡¯t mean to sound like there is no hope, it¡¯s just going to take a little longer than I guessed. Your right there are magic users who know more spells than me. I see any of the spells that made you it would be easier to untangle them. But for now, I¡¯ll just have to unravel them slowly.¡± Sky exclaimed lightly stroking her back trying to take away some of the sting she unintentional</a> gave her. ¡°I can show you guys how to control the magic you hold here and maybe later if you have some spells you want upgraded I can do that for you to.¡±

    Sky turned to the valves once again. You should just make a mental image of tanks like these and valves that have a pressure reducer and a simple on and off valve. Adjust the valves to release a mist of magical energy from each tank for now later once you get the hang of it you can customize the valve system into something a little more complex.¡± Sky went to the first valve it was the lightening element. She turned the first valve open full and slowly opened the pressure valve till a mist came out. She let the mist touch her index finger then cast the light sphere. It was a small bright sphere close to the size of her fist. While pointing her finger at it, as she slowly turned the valve it grew in size and intensity. That¡¯s how you can regulate your magic using valve systems for your magic. Try it out and you¡¯ll see it¡¯s much easier this way, go ahead and try it. Just image your magic wells just like these and use the magic as it comes out.¡± Sky watched the ladies close their eyes almost at once as they tried to picture the magic well as huge tanks with valves attached to them.

    Heather was to first to open her eyes and cast the light spell. It was a bright pinkish colour a little larger than her head. Courtney was next, and her light spell was a just as big and a deeper pink colour. It appeared easier to look at but not as very good at illuminating for any distance. Jane¡¯s light spell was a bright white with a tint of blue, about the size of two balled fists together. They took turns making them grow bigger by turning up the magic.

    Sky noticed Todd looking overseeing them having an interesting time. She felt bad that he didn¡¯t join them. She created a clone of herself and walked outside of the bubble when no one was watching she thought. They couldn¡¯t see outside of the illusion, but they still knew what she was going to do.

    ¡°Todd Sir how¡¯s your practice going so far? Have you got the right amount of magic worked out¡±? Sky said watching him tap the heavy bag. He didn¡¯t answer her just shook his no. Sky watched him perform a roundhouse kick just touching the heavy bag, then reversed to a spin kick to hit the other side just as lightly. He even had more grace and fluid motion than Fred which impressed her greatly. ¡°Todd, what degree master are you? You move efficiently and have quite a lot of control even with your new strength.¡±

    Todd smiled maybe this is where he could knock Sky down a bit from her high pony. No one knew he almost tested as a grandmaster in the Imperial Martial Arts. He had a feeling that it was rigged and he should have passed, but there was only one place you could go to get tested. ¡°I went quite far in my training, and I¡¯m good I guess, I failed my last test though and couldn¡¯t advance any further. Have you started your basic martial arts training yet? I could teach you some if you don¡¯t have to go back to help my crew out anymore¡±? Todd replied nonchalant, trying to sound impassive and looking over to the group in the bubble still seeing four of them. ¡°Are you here or in there because you can be into two places, can you¡±? Todd was thinking if she says ¡°yes I can¡± I¡¯m going to flip.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Sky smiled. ¡°Oh, that one is just a shell, it¡¯s got nothing inside. I don¡¯t think they can see or feel the difference. So, we¡¯re good out here we can see in; they can¡¯t see outside of the bubble.¡± Sky had an idea Todd was holding back, so she opted to do the same. She wanted him to trust her and didn¡¯t want him upset with her. She might even let him win if he tries hard enough if they spared. ¡°Fred and I had a couple of lessons, and I did well in my training. If you want, I could use some more training. There is an old saying, the biggest room in the universe is the room for improvement. I¡¯m all about learning if you ask my mommy and daddy. They say I¡¯m a sponge for knowledge and food.¡± Sky said walking closer to him stopping a few steps away. She stood straight and bowed at the hip. ¡°Todd, would you be willing to teach me more in the ways of martial arts¡±? Sky did not come up from the bow until Todd answered her.

    Todd looked at the tiny girl before him who was probably the most powerful magic user ever and still willing to bow to someone inferior to herself. He could not hold his dislike of her attitude towards his ears. He knew that it was not done to hurt or to belittle him. It was just how she felt from her limited wisdom do to her young and sheltered life. Todd could only smile ¡°Yes I¡¯m willing to teach if you¡¯re serious about learning the Imperial Martial Arts. But you¡¯ll have to tell me how far you¡¯ve got in your training so far¡±? Sky stood straight hearing him say yes.

    Now Sky was going to have to tell him about how much she knew, which was pretty much all of it. ¡°I know enough to start sparing with Fred and Joe. In this room, right now you can move faster than you could before and not notice. Maybe after once or twice you¡¯ve been in here for more than a few minutes. If you were to watch a recording of yourself while you were punching and kicking the heavy bag all you would have seen is a blur. Training in this room can be extremely fast. Plus, I have a special bubble I can place around you that lets me see all around you at once. So, I can be an almost perfect student if you let me cast it.¡± Sky said trying in vain to keep a smile off her face.

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve spared with Fred and Joe, did you win¡±? Todd wondered just what this tiny girl could do.

    ¡°No, I only JUST beat Fred. I didn¡¯t beat Joe. Don¡¯t forget in this room now there is only a slight difference in strength. So, it¡¯s more about how well you move and what you know. Right now, I¡¯m just a little stronger than you. Please don¡¯t think I¡¯m trying to brag; I¡¯m just saying what I believe is true. If you doubt could you lift the heavy bag without any effort before.¡± Sky hoped he would still train her.

    Todd thought about the way it was super easier to destroy the heavy bag now and that he had all five gifts right now. ¡°Before we start and you cast your, could you show me what it looks like, the spell you want to put on me.¡± Todd wanted to know how Sky hide her spells. He gazed upon her expectantly hoping she would agree.

    Sky thought about his request and wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted to reveal so much to him. ¡°I can show you, but it¡¯s different than any other spell or incantation you¡¯ve ever seen before. You¡¯ve got to trust me that I¡¯ve used the spell successfully four times. The first-time Fred didn¡¯t even notice; I asked permission as I did you, but I never gave him any indication I cast it. I didn¡¯t want him distracted trying to see if he felt the spell.¡± Sky held up her hand, and a ball of spell circles appeared.

    Todd couldn¡¯t make out any of the spells just the tiny spell circle. ¡°Could you make it big enough I can see them. I can¡¯t even see the structure of the spell let alone what magic they require.¡± Todd watched as the spell grew and like he first assumed it wasn¡¯t one axis point but all of them. He frownd as he studied the spells seen that they were to converge into one. Todd read in his recent magical studies some mages with wild theories of such spells that ordinary MAD devices couldn¡¯t handle such complex spells and had to be done by separate mages to achieve such a spell but was extremely hard to coordinate and many times lost great deals of magic in the process. Large pocket space spells were such spells but only worked Y axis. Todd marvelled at the spells complexity and wondered how many years it took to come up with the spell. He couldn¡¯t make out much of the circles in the spells when it stopped expanding. ¡°Why did you stop the expansion of the spells? I still can¡¯t make any of it to get the way it works. It must have taken years to put these spells together.¡± Todd said to Sky not taking his eyes away from the spells until he heard her speak. He heard the words clearly, but he couldn¡¯t comprehend what she was talking about. ¡°Could you repeat that for me I don¡¯t think I heard your words quite right¡±?

    ¡°I said Todd Sir it¡¯s about to hit the bubble were the crew is in. I don¡¯t know what spells they will try, and it might activate one of the spills in these arrays. As for how long it took to come up with this spell, a couple of minutes I guess. It¡¯s a little more complex due to the fact I didn¡¯t want spent magic spilling out and the aliens tracking it. Plus, if you can see or feel it¡¯s there, it may distract you some from the reason it was made.¡± Sky repeated hoping he was paying attention enough the second time. He seemed to get more upset the more she spoke.

    Todd gave her a look of what seemed like disdain. ¡°You¡¯re kidding me right; it took you a couple of minutes to work out this spell. Are you being serious or just playing me for space dust¡±? He walked straight up to her towering over her tiny form glaring down at her. ¡°How can I take you seriously if you can¡¯t tell a simple truth? All you¡¯re doing is spinning tales of fantasies standing on someone else¡¯s greatness.¡± Todd had no idea where she got the spell from, but it wasn¡¯t hers¡¯ he was sure of it.

    Sky looked him right in the eyes, not in the least intimidated and smirked. ¡°Your right it didn¡¯t take me a couple of minutes it was more like seconds. If you doubt my abilities search through all your spells on your MAD device and see how many were modified since you got here. I modified them while half my body felt like it was burning. Mind you more were simple spells hardly any over six tiers high. Look you¡¯ll see that I¡¯m not lying, I don¡¯t lie to make myself look good or anyone to feel horrible. I lied to you to make it seem possible. Minutes to me would be like days to you it not what I can do; it¡¯s what I am. It is my racial heritage that gives me my abilities to think quickly. So, before you go jumping to conclusions look at facts.¡± Sky retorted to Todd¡¯s allegations. She could see Todd¡¯s agitation at the fact he was not intimidating her even slightly. She saw no reason to be frustating him further and stopped talking.

    Todd looked down into the tiny girls¡¯ eyes and seen no fear at all. She had a lot of guts to stand up to him that¡¯s for sure. He took a step back, and she did the same matching him. The spell she was showing him faded away. He did as she suggested and checked the updates. The entire inside of the wrist tablet was new. The software was new too. He checked the spells that were updated in the last four hours and almost all of them were done at the time during her battle with the aliens. He checked some of the more frequent spells he used. The ones he knew like the back of his hand, a few he modified himself and only shared with his crew. The ranged punch he had been one he changed and was proud to have could improve something everyone thought was perfected over a hundred years ago, the spell he was looking at was just a little different than before. He studied the spell, and it used all the elements he possesses. Looking closer this one could give the punch an extra kick with fire, lightning, or air. The spell also seemed to use less magic than before. Every spell he checked was different a little, to totally different. ¡°How did you do that, change so many spells at once¡±? Now he was surprised at her gift not as angry. This tiny little girl¡¯s got more magic talent in her little finger than a room full of grand mages. Todd thought to himself as he appraised her. She was smiling; she had won her case. She had a special understanding of magic and the way it works. He was going to learn all he could from her and in return teach her martial arts. So, it was going to be an equal trade. ¡°Okay let¡¯s say I believe you and can cast that spell, but only cast it on me too.¡±

    Sky nodded he head gleefully. ¡°I cast it on Fred before we sparred and he didn¡¯t like it. He said it was too confusing for him to see me from so many different angles.¡± Sky wanted to say she could watch over a dozen at once with no difficulty, but Todd might think she was bragging. ¡°So, I¡¯ll cast it on you then onto myself for you to see. I don¡¯t think even your modified MAD device could handle the spell. We¡¯ve got to be quick Jane wants to show you some of the new spells her able to do since she is free to use all the elements right now. They¡¯ve fined turned their magic from a trickle to a raging flow. Todd turned to see Heather burn away Courtney¡¯s uniform right off her body and the fire charred not even her hair. Once the flame stopped the uniform appeared like it was when she walked in. Courtney retaliated with burning her clothes away then blasting her with water so her clothes couldn¡¯t reappear. Just as the transition went from flames to water, the bubble turned opaque. Sky turned to Todd. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to see that; now I think we have a little more time. Are you ready to see me from a thousand different angles each angle you can zoom in and out as much as you want¡±? Todd nodded his head that he was ready.

    Todd braced himself closed his eyes, and it didn¡¯t matter even with his eyes closed he could still see a thousand different angles of Sky. He started to get a headache instantly. His brain couldn¡¯t comprehend full vision times a thousand each one slightly different than the next. Todd stumbled to his knees, and his regular sight came back instantly. ¡°How can you look at so many different images at once? I got a headache instantly, and you can watch and manipulate them all at once¡±? Todd said getting up off his knees with Sky¡¯s tiny offered hand. He pulled on it to see just how strong she was. There was no give to her arm as he pulled himself up.

    ¡°Yes, I can like I said before it is part of my racial heritage, not a talent or a gift. It¡¯s something my people can do as we grow up to do thousands of things at once.¡± Sky wanted to hug Todd but she was afraid he wasn¡¯t the hugging type. She smiled at him as he released her hand. Sky said something and his headache was gone. ¡°I¡¯m ready for my lesson unless you want to spar to see where I stand in my training? Or do you want me to go through the katas to show you what I know¡±? Sky said with a smile tilting her head back to look up at him. She felt strange now that she knew it would be completely different had she be in her true Titan form. Knowing she would be over forty metres tall made her smile even more.

    Todd found her smile contagious and smiled back. ¡°Let¡¯s see you do the katas you know? Don¡¯t worry if you forget any of it. I¡¯ll correct you after each kata you¡¯ve made a mistake on.¡± Todd stood back and called out begin. Todd watched in awl from the first kata to the last. Each kata she performed her pace quickened till almost her whole body snapped as she moved and he could keep up as she performed them flawlessly. Her movements flowed like an eagle on a summer¡¯s breeze; but made a kitten look as ferocious as a dragon. Todd saw no mistake even as closely as he watched. What was he going to teach her in return? Todd found a secret book of ancient martial arts and was written over a thousand years ago, by Bruce Jee or Bruce Lee depending on who you ask. It was a style called Jeet Kune Do. He could teach her what he could make out of the old text he kept in a stasis field.

    ¡°Sky I¡¯m going to show you a very old technique since you seem to know the Imperial Martial Arts a passible level,¡± Todd told Sky. But what he left out, it was at a grand master¡¯s level. He¡¯s never seen anyone perform the katas back to back so gracefully and yet seem so deadly. I haven¡¯t perfected the movements, but I¡¯ll show you what I know.¡± As Todd took his stance, Sky stood in front of him taking the same pose. As Todd move Sky mirrored him perfectly right down to the spacing of his fingers. Watching her was too distracting, and he tuned her out and went through the movements not watching what she was doing. When he was finished, He asked her to do it again by herself. She had the same fluid motions as before, but they didn¡¯t quite match what he showed her, they looked better, but they stiil weren¡¯t the same.

    Sky listened to Todd say that he was going to show her the famous actor Bruce Lee¡¯s martial arts Jeet Kune Do. She felt her heart flutter she had watched every film she could on him and only found five. It was a shame she couldn¡¯t find more. One was not a movie but part of a training vid with almost a full kata she had memorized. She took the same stance as Todd and went through the movements. His movements weren¡¯t like in the vid but very close. He must not have seen the vid to make some of the mistakes he made. She was going to have to show him the vid when they had time and maybe the movies too with everyone. When Todd finished and asked her to show him what he did. She decided to show him what she could from the vid, then what Todd finished it where the vid left off. It surprised her she almost had the whole thing. Sky went through the original first Jeet Kune Do kata the way the founder did it but had to finish the way Todd did it.

    Todd clapped his hands feeling better; she wasn¡¯t perfect after all. She even made a few mistakes, and got some completely wrong and even added some of her own parts. ¡°You did pretty well for your first time through. But this is not something you can adlib and tweak like a spell. These are motions I studied year in a manual with a few other very experienced martial artists. You can¡¯t just change something like this on your own. Now let¡¯s go through it again.¡± Todd was really happy that she wasn¡¯t perfect after all. He had thought she makes mistakes like everyone else right till Sky held up her hand. ¡°Yes, Sky what is it¡±?

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt you Sensei Todd Sir. But I have an actual vid of Bruce Lee performing almost the whole kata. My kata was about Ninety to ninety-seven present accurate until the last few movements, which is where the vid left off.¡± Sky told Todd with a blush. ¡°Bruce Lee was the reason why I asked Fred to teach me martial arts.¡± Sky couldn¡¯t believe the look in Todd¡¯s eyes. She thought it would have been anything but excitement.

    ¡°You have an original vid of Bruce Lee performing a kata in Jeet Kune Do. Was that what you showed me just now? I got most of it right and I was guessing at some of it, the manual was pretty beaten up.¡± Todd approached Sky taking her hand and going on to his knees to make them more eye to eye. ¡°Could you show me the vid and anything else you have on Bruce Lee, that¡¯s his real name right ¡°?

    Sky was taken back by his change of attitude towards her. Now she seemed his best friend. ¡°I¡¯ll share the five vids of Bruce Lee if you share your manual with me? Maybe together we can put together the whole Jeet Kune Do style as it was over a thousand years ago, wouldn¡¯t that be something knowing a now ancient martial arts style. I bet we would be part of a very small group of people to know it. Isn¡¯t it exciting we get to Kung foo fighting¡±? Sky was so happy she hugged Todd and she didn¡¯t care if he liked it or not it was just her nature to hug people when she was happy.

    ¡®What¡¯s with this tiny thing hugging a giant like me for¡¯? Todd thought to himself. ¡®Does this girl have no fear¡¯? ¡°Alright, alright that¡¯s enough of the hugging young lady. We can watch the vids later. We¡¯ve only about ten minutes left before the briefing. Do you still want to spar a little before we go to get ready¡±? Todd asked Sky. She answered him YES, a little too quickly for his comfort. She had told him she had just beat Fred and they weighed about the same. ¡®Fred has more muscle, but I¡¯m taller by a little bit.¡¯ Todd thought

    Sky performed two backward flips she bowed to him and took a fighting stance. ¡°Are you ready Sensei Todd Sir? Don¡¯t forget you can¡¯t get killed or even seriously injured for long, so don¡¯t hold back I won¡¯t, much.¡±

    Looking at the tiny girl, I called out ¡°ready.¡± She disappeared on a flash she was inside my guard punching me in the lower abdomen sending me back a couple of metres (six feet). I had a feeling she held back too. I felt a bit of pain then nothing. Before I could react, she was in my guard again this time I managed to sidestep the blow, but I missed judged her and grabbed my left arm spun around and bared my arm in a lock with her legs. I was about to tap when I felt a little pain, and she released my arm. She was faster than I thought possible. I had a feeling she was allowing me to get used to my new strength and speed.

    Sky watched Todd, and he wasn¡¯t used to the speed quite yet I had to show him how fast he could move. Fred and Joe could work up to the incredible speed as equals. She had to wait for him to catch up. He was getting into it but time was running out. Jane, Courtney and Heather were going to walk out of the bubble to show Todd what they could do with all five elements. Sky slowed a little and made a tiny mistake allowing him to grab her arm and twist behind her back. She could have gotten out of it easily enough. But Jane and Courtney came out first and spotting Todd holding her in an arm lock.

    Jane walked over. ¡°I thought it was strange you tried to sneak off to join Todd. So, who got the idea of sparring without us¡±? Jane turned to see the bubble fade leaving Heather and another Sky standing facing each other. Todd let go of Sky¡¯s arm, and she did a flip with a spin to land facing Jane and Courtney, who walk to join them.

    The Sky that was fighting with Todd spoke when Jane heard the soft thump of Sky landing before her. ¡°So, you want to spar with us a little we don¡¯t have much time though. Well, there are six of us pick one and start sparring. Sky was a little disappointed when Jane choose to spar with Todd saying it was three years since they sparred last. She couldn¡¯t argue with that, and then Heather paired with Courtney. Sky felt left out until she realized if she sparred with herself no one could get hurt and she could go all out.

    Jane and Todd quickly got into their old routine of trading punishing blow even more so because of the little difference in strength. Todd was the better fighter and had the speed and not far off from the skills department. She just never cared for the grading system, so she never went to get her level tested after she became proficient enough. She still trained hard but only to satisfy herself.

    Heather and Courtney were both whirlwinds of kicks and punches. They had a gracefulness and the skill most fighters would envy they could press Jane even Todd in a sparring match when it came to speed. It was just Todd¡¯s and Jane¡¯s kicks, and punches were harder and wore the two out quicker. They were going to have to try either Todd or Jane in this room because physical injury heals instantly, so it had no influence on the fight.

    The two Sky¡¯s charged each other, jumping with a flying kick. The soles of their boot exploded on contact, and before they hit the ground, they¡¯re back in one piece. The blows they traded sounded like a thunderstorm. Neither Sky wanted to lose to the other. Armbars or leg locks all ended with something getting broken. The fight they were having was getting more and more intricate in their movement. Soon the others stopped sparring to watch in awl at the two Sky¡¯s battle. It was if physical fighting wasn¡¯t enough, they had to start with magic too. Soon kicks were followed by a ball of fire or a punch with arcs of electricity. Blasts of air would send one of the two Skys rocketing across the room with her landing on the wall and push the other to the opposite side of the room. Frequently one of the spectators was knock off their feet by deflected blows of wind. Flips, spins, and cartwheels were used often. Fire, lightning and blasts of air, if they were in the right location earth and water would have also been used.

    The fight ended just as suddenly and only because their time was up and they had to get ready for the mission briefing. The others all watched with eyes big as saucers as one Sky pulled the other into her body, and jogged forwards a little out of breath as if she was out for a quick run.

    Sky looked at the new crew members and wondered if they thought she was a monster now. She just proved to Todd that she was taking it easy on him and that he didn¡¯t stand a chance at beating her. What she was expecting were nervousness and apprehension. What she got was cheers and applauds from everyone in the room. She was so surprized they liked watching her fight herself.

    Todd jogged up to her. ¡°That fight was unbelievable. I never saw anything so intense in all my life, live or on vids. Your skill level is almost untouchable. I hope to train with you more, and when we get some time we can go over that manual. I judged you wrong, and I¡¯m sorry, I thought you as a brat with a lot of power and liked to show off. You like people and your power shows you off.¡± Todd patted on her back with a huge smile. ¡°You can be on my crew any day.¡± Before Sky could respond Todd was pushed aside by Courtney and Heather.

    ¡°You were so star-blazing I can¡¯t believe the way you used so many different spells one after the other while fighting with your fists and if didn¡¯t see it or get knocked down by the odd deflected spell. I couldn¡¯t even feel any of the casted spells you two threw at each other. I felt no magic being used that pretty impressive in itself.¡± Courtney hugged Sky. ¡°If you want to spar with me just let me know, and Heather and I will be there in a heartbeat if we¡¯re free¡±?

    Heather hugged Sky also. ¡°For such a tiny girl, you sure can move. Todd was right I have never seen moves like that even in fiction movies. You¡¯re like my new action hero. You¡¯ve got to show us how we can do magic like you and still fight as intense as you just did.¡±

    Jane was last; she slid her arm under Sky¡¯s. ¡°You are so full of surprises. I never knew you took martial arts. You must have been studying since you were around two or something to get that good. Here I thought you were a one trick horsey. Only to find out you can do magic like no other but fight the same way.¡± Jane leaned over and gave Sky a sisterly kiss on the cheek.

    Sky was almost in tears; she was so happy the new crew seemed to get along with her as well as Fred and Joe. ¡°I will happily try and show you how I do can use Magic and fight at the same time. But I think it¡¯s more to do with what I am, than who I am. Even if you can¡¯t cast spells and fight, you¡¯ll be more likely to be able to cast spells in more um, intense situations. The fighting, I watched a lot of vids with fighting but never tried doing it. I took gymnastic ballet when I was two and three years old. The martial art I just learned a couple of days ago,¡±

    Jane gave her a one-armed hug. ¡°That means your even more special doesn¡¯t it guys? Never think you¡¯re a monster if you have true friends and a family who loves you. If you want, we can go for tea and get ready for the briefing if we hurry.¡± Jane grabbed Sky¡¯s hand and went to pull her along like an older sister dragging her home.

    Sky stopped and turned to the group following them. I must remind you once we leave the room everything goes back to the way it was. So, after we go through the doorway, it all stops, and Jane and I can hurt you unintentional again easily at least till I can undo the spells around her. Which I¡¯ll do gladly free of charge once I figure out how to do it safely.¡± Sky gave Jane¡¯s hand a squeeze of reassurance while telling them.

    They walked through the doorway and felt like they lost a tiny piece of themselves. Sky lost a connection she had with her crew members. Todd was the first to break the silence. ¡°I think we should watch the old vids in the practice room so we can try some of the moves we see performed. I would also like to watch Sky perform the kata alongside Bruce Lee. I think that would be amazing to see and maybe we can after studying the manual finish the kata with CGI.¡± Todd sounded like a kid with a sugar rush, all smiles. They all said yes to that and thought it was a great idea. They would get together when the time presents itself.

    The ladies decided to grab a quick shower before the briefing. Once in the showers, Sky¡¯s age made itself know, and while not alone anymore she was still different than the other girls. Jane picked up on Sky¡¯s mood and confronted her. ¡°I think I know what¡¯s bothering you right now, but it¡¯s something you have got to wait for. Only time can change you, little sis. We all were where you are now and other than appearance, it¡¯s still just more flesh in different places, that make us different. So, don¡¯t go all self-conscience on us and finish your shower. The briefing starts in ten.¡± Jane said about to slap her on the back and hesitated then slapped her. She remembered while outside of the practice room, Sky was the only one she could touch without even a possibility of injuring her.

    ¡°Thank Jane ma¡¯am; I did feel a little down because of feeling small around you guys especially you Courtney and Heather, you¡¯re so much bigger than me. Next to you two, I feel so small. If it weren¡¯t for my butt, I would be flat as a board.

    Jane, Courtney and Heather chuckled at Sky¡¯s reference of a wooden plank, somethings never change. Jane ushered Sky to get towelled off. ¡°Your nine-years-old I didn¡¯t develop till I was twelve and even then, look at the difference between myself and the magic twins. Jane motioned to Courtney and Heather''s upper endowments with her hand. ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t drink enough milk when I was young.¡±

    Courtney looked to Heather and laughed. ¡°Milk or anything else has nothing to do with these when we were kids, we were lucky to get two meals a day, two days in a row. We were the ones to bring the food for the other orphans when the house mothers gambled the food money away.¡± Heather hugged Courtney to comfort her when she started to shake from the memories.

    Heather wanted to get her minds off their past, so she brought up their futures. ¡°The briefing is in a few minutes; we¡¯ve got to get ready for the meeting soon.¡± She grabbed Courtney arm and pulled her to their quarters, waving to their neighbours. ¡°We¡¯ll see you in five.¡± With that¡¯s said the door slid shut after they cleared the doorway.

    Sky grabbed a bottle of water and poured it into a metal cup her daddy left behind for heating. She focused on the fire element and the water boiled instantly. She placed two fresh leaves into the teapot, after she poured the scalding water over the leaves too steep. Jane was half dressed by the time Sky started. While Sky was dressing, Jane went to pour the tea. She had a feeling something was different with this fine tea set. When I came to her, she almost dropped the teapot. It was fine china very delicate pieces of art, and it wasn¡¯t being crushed by her strength. Sky smile at the puzzled look on her face. With her shirt half buttoned she picked up a teacup with her little finger in the air, she took a dainty slip, batted her eyelashes and made a contemplating face. ¡°The tea is quite scrumptious if I don¡¯t say so myself.¡± They both laughed at Sky¡¯s attempt to mimic an aristocrat woman.

    Jane was fully dressed and was putting up her surprisingly long hair. ¡°Finish getting dressed, and I¡¯ll help you with your hair then we¡¯ll have the tea.¡± Jane watched Sky¡¯s hair move on its own while she finished buttoning her shirt. The braiding was different but very bit intricate as it was before. Jane couldn¡¯t believe how easy she did it while not even looking in a mirror. ¡°I guess you¡¯ve been doing that for a long time to be able to do it so well. Could you do my hair too I¡¯ve never had a fancy hairstyle like that before¡±?

    Sky was pulling on the boots and said okay to Jane only giving her the briefest smile. Jane turned her back to Sky, and she felt her hair being moved. Sky walked by not seeming to pay attention after hanging her towel and facecloth she turned around to see Jane kind of upset. Sky gave her a questioning look.

    Jane pointed to her hair. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to finish with my hair? We don¡¯t have much time left¡±? Sky smiled and handed Jane a thick rubber covered hand mirror her had since she was four. Jane¡¯s face flash with three expressions, frustration, shock and glee. Her hair was now a work of art. Thick braids came down from the front halfway down her ears and made their way to a single braid that coiled its way into a bun held by no apparent means. ¡°It beautiful, how long did it take you to learn to style your hair¡±?

    ¡°I¡¯ve just started doing it with magic when we first made it into space, and I became part of the crew.¡± Magic makes things so much easier, doesn¡¯t it? To think of how many things, I could have done if they knew how I would have turned out. But who¡¯s to say how different I would have turned out if I knew of magic from an early age. The power I had and if I unleashed it at the slightest provocation could have been devastating.¡± Sky pondered while finishing her tea. She looked towards the ready room. Jane followed her eyes seeing only the door. ¡°Jane ma¡¯am I think they¡¯re waiting for us, we¡¯re not late, but everyone¡¯s already at the briefing table and have virtual files in front of them.

    ¡°I just wish I could have had more time to enjoy the tea,¡± Jane said tipping the teacup back trying to get the last drop. ¡°Ensign Sky what can¡¯t you do with magic. Looking through walls seems to be pretty handy.¡± Jane got up and followed Sky out the door. They quickly made their way to the ready room for the mission briefing.

 Chapter Four The mission Briefing and a Bold Solution

    Chapter Four

    The mission Briefing and a Bold Solution

    Fred was waiting for Sky and Jane to appear. Courtney and Heather assured him at least Jane would be on time be after all this was her job. Moments later Sky and Jane walked in and took seats at the front of the room. Fred nodded to them and started the meeting. ¡°Alright now that everyone is here, I start with what I know, and then Todd can fill us in with what he and his crew found out on their scouting mission so far.¡±

    Fred was all business as he spoke, very clear and decisive. ¡°We know some rogue mages are fanatical about trying to build up power to attack some race. We have no idea what race the plan on attacking. They are most likely abducting mages to use as batteries of some sort. It has recently come to our attention that sharing magic is possible to do willingly or not.¡± Fred looks at one after the other trying to judge their expressions before continuing. From what we found out they can take someone¡¯s magical gifts for their own also. For all, we know they might even find a way to gain someone¡¯s elemental affinity too. We must stop them at all cost-free the abducted magic users and capture them if possible. Team leader Todd I¡¯ve read your reports and would like to hear your take on the situation first hand.¡± Fred beckoned Todd to stand as he sat.

    Todd stood up and thanked the captain. ¡°We know some rogue magic users are fanatical againt a race we are yet to find out who. These are well-organized people and have many resources. They have three light class battlecruiser and around seven modified private ships for battle also. On top of that, they have two space cruisers able to carry over a thousand people each. We think they¡¯re going to attempt a raid on a planet or space station to capture a group of people. They are gearing up with a lot of magic and powerful kinetic weapons of various types. They are going for overkill and plan on wiping out any resistance and give no quarter. We were close to finding out who they were going to attack when we were discovered a day ago, we snuck away and were followed halfway here. We have pictures of the solar system we believe they¡¯re based in. We were yet to find out what planet or planets they occupy yet. Four of the planets support life and only one human life. The other three would take little to change for the atmosphere to be breathable for humans.¡± Todd was just about finished with his part of the briefing. When Sky held up a hand to ask a question with a sorrowful look.¡± Sky do you have a question that can¡¯t wait till I¡¯m finished¡±?

    Bring her hand down she nodded yes. Todd motioned her to continue. ¡°I wonder if you know or have an idea where the abducted magic users are being held? I can wake them up and take away some of the magic we have to deal with.¡± Sky wanted to save the misfortunate magic users from their ill-fated happenstance. She was hoping Todd knew where they were. If not, she would have to wait to trace the magic to the source when the rogue mages used the power; they were stealing.

    ¡°Why is that so important you know where they are? We¡¯ll find them once we interrogate the rogue mages for the abducted people.¡± Fred asked her with his interest peaked.

    ¡°Because if they use up all the magic, they hold too quickly the shock to their bodies could kill them before we can rescue them in time. I don¡¯t know if this will change your plans, but I can trace any magic use to its source once it¡¯s used. I think the healing would have to be done near the victims. Once I know the nature of the spell, they used too comatose the magic users; I can send out a wide range healing spell for any others close by.¡± Sky looked to Fred for something only he could give her without asking. She was the youngest and most inexperienced person aboard. She also knew now that Fred was a little headstrong and needed to feel in charge.

    Fred realized just how little Sky knew what magic could do before she came along. Have the mental capacity of a Titan and all five elemental affinities with the size of wells she had were mind-boggling. He had no idea what she was capable of and didn¡¯t think she did either. There were spells not in the ships database that only a few knew about and very rarely used. She claimed to be able to see a spell that was cast on an object or person. The biggest question was how he was to use this gift he was given without giving her too much to do. He had a scouting and attack crews at his disposal and an overpowered little girl who was by most standards indestructible. She also tended to be very unpredictable too. He was tempted to ask her what she wanted to do.

    Sky took one of Jane¡¯s hand and looked her in the eyes then away. Jane didn¡¯t understand at first until she felt rhythmic pulsing in her hand; it was a code she was taught in basic training. Jane squeezed her hand and made a circle start over. Jane could barely pay attention to both Fred and Sky. From what she got from Sky was, go together first save good men when the attack starts. Sky looked briefly to Jane and winked motioning to Fred.

    Hoping she understood Sky she cleared her throat. ¡°I have a suggestion to get the abducted magic users out of harm¡¯s way before everything gets too hectic.¡±

    Fred looked to Todd who nodded that she knew of tactics and covert operations. Jane was a tiny bit hesitant on her suggestion ¡°I think Sky and I can go ahead after the initial scouting and see about rescuing the mage. Once you contact any mages, pull back, and Sky and I will follow the stolen magic. Once we locate and free the abductees, we¡¯ll send a signal to start the assault.¡±

    Fred mauled over Jane¡¯s request. ¡°What are you going to do about the magic user¡¯s once they''re free? You can¡¯t just let them run around with a battle going on. Even if they want to fight, they are more likely to get in the way than to help.¡± Jane said nothing as she pondered the question. Sky was the one to answer.

    ¡°I can bring my house in a pocket space and let them sit it out till it¡¯s over. I can use magic to keep it upright always and feel motionless. They will be comfortable till it¡¯s all done, and they stayed safe.¡± Sky watched for a reaction from Fred, who was slow to say anything.

    ¡°I think we can consider that, for now. Do you have anything to add Todd since she was to be part of your crew in the upcoming mission¡±? Fred checked with Todd to see if any of his plans were changed by the request Sky made.

    Todd smiled and appeared to look for words. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to ask for them, and they would be extremely valuable if she were to sell them, but before the mission starts, I would like to request some of the gold tomes we used to fight the aliens with. The magic from them was incredible and would help greatly in any upcoming battle. As for Jane¡¯s plan, I think it would work; Jane¡¯s is a competent soldier and Sky has the magic to back her up. I think they will work well together on this mission. I have a feeling Sky can keep themselves hidden from any danger if need be or get them out. Plus, Jane is pretty hard to injure now as well.¡± Todd didn¡¯t know where Jane came up with the idea, but he thought it might have had something to do with Sky holding Jane¡¯s hand under the table.

    Fred looked at Joe. ¡°That is an excellent idea using the gold tomes for a magical boost. I¡¯m sure Sky will share if she can spare any extra magic at hand with us.¡± All but Todd smiled and looked to Sky. Todd was the only one who never seen or experienced the real scoop of the magic Sky held. ¡°I think Sky should go with us on the first scouting trip to help avoid detection by any unseen magical gifts they might deploy. Conny¡¯s scanners have improved greatly, but Sky¡¯s natural abilities will come in handy.¡± Joe was watching Fred¡¯s reaction to his gift. So far so good he voiced no concern yet. After the first pass to assess the enemies, positions, strengths, and weaknesses.¡± Joe paused. ¡°We only have two ships, and we have to deploy three teams. Maybe we can steal one of the enemy ships during the first pass¡±?

    This time Fred stopped him. ¡°That is not going to work; I have a gut feeling we have a ship under our noses,¡± Fred said scratching his head. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me where though it¡¯s just a feeling, maybe William has one in a pocket space somewhere and forgot about it. Rocssanna might even have one in that purse of hers.¡±

    It was the sound of Sky punching her hand that startled everyone. Fred turned surprized at Sky¡¯s sudden interruption. ¡°Captain Fred Sir, the Bright Whites ship, is right under your nose. It¡¯s just in pieces now. Well actually it¡¯s in large rocks I was saving for throwing at the enemies. With a little magic and some guidance, we can have it better than new, because we¡¯ll be piloting it.

    Fred was momentarily speechless and along with everyone else. He watched the ship get torn to pieces by large spheres hurdled at near light speed. There should be mostly slag left after the attack. ¡®Was Sky¡¯s magic ability able to bring it back from oblivion? Did Sky have that kind of power¡¯? Fred asked himself.

    ¡°Ensign Sky how are you going to reconstruct the ship, Bright White? I saw it destroyed by you and there were very few large pieces left intact. Can you heal something with that much damage done to it when it¡¯s that large¡±? Fred wasn¡¯t sure even Sky could do that, but he was going to believe her if she said yes.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s possible to do I guess if I wanted to waste time. I think looking at the original blue prints and specifications would be faster and easier. Don¡¯t forget it was a ship they modified over the years. Healing it would be like taking patch work and making it patch work again. If I make it again with more updated parts from scratch don¡¯t you think that would be better? We could even make it into a different ship if you want with the same materials¡±? Sky let him consider the options she gave him for a moment.

    ¡°Could you make another ship like Little Tooth? She¡¯s state of the art with most of the available upgrade options. You won¡¯t find any ship of this class finer.¡± Fred stated with pride reflexing on the effort he put into to customizing the ship with Joe. ¡°We put a lot of time and research in putting her together. We even took a slight pay cut to have some of the parts custom made.¡±

    Joe tapped Fred on the shoulder. ¡°We were told not to reveal too much of the deals we made for this ship. Not everybody can get the deals we made so don¡¯t get all boastful on me and spill the beans, and we lose everything.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Sky checked with the Imperial Orders plans for the same starship class as Little Tooth and found secret upgrades and options that weren¡¯t presented to Fred do to cost and lethality of the weaponry. ¡°Captain Fred Sir since Little Tooth completion there has been many new additions to the weapon arsenal. There are also some options that aren¡¯t offered do to the guilds outrageous prices. If you want, I can make the new Little Tooth ship no. 2 with all the possible upgrades and options available? Then if you like, them, I can incorporate them into Little Tooth no. 1.¡± I think there is enough raw material from the Bright Whites ship and the asteroids to do it.¡±

    Todd looked to the little girl. ¡°Have you ever built a spaceship before Sky? I¡¯ve never heard of anyone building one out of just magic are you sure it¡¯s even possible to do¡±? Todd pondered for another question. ¡°Would you even have enough magical energy to cast that many spells so quickly we don¡¯t have a whole lot of time¡±?

    Jane was the one to answer Todd. ¡°If you were to play nice when Sky offered to show us how to regulate the magic in the practice room. You would know just how much magic she holds, and you wouldn¡¯t have asked such a silly question. Just picture a tank about twenty metre (66 feet)across and about fifteen kilometres (9 miles) high, full of magic. Then times that by five and then you¡¯ve got roughly the amount Sky can hold. Not to mention it is close to three times a potent as our own magic.¡± Jane then turned to Sky still holding her hand. ¡°I am worried about it being a lot of work though. We¡¯re not talking about a few hundreds of spells there has got to be tens of millions of spells to construct something that size out of raw material using just magic. It could take years for one person to build a spaceship by themselves in the best-case scenario.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s best case scenario most peoples or mine. I think most of you forget that I have full access to all information link to the galactic web. There are spells encrypted very few mages have access to, at my disposal.¡± Sky cupped the side of Jane¡¯s face. ¡°Thanks for worrying about me; but what I can do in an hour most can¡¯t do in a week. In a day, I can do what most will take over three months to accomplish. In three weeks, I think I can have the ship built with all of the bees and weasels.¡± Sky said with a smile pulling her hand from Jane¡¯s reddening face. Sky smile slowly slid down into a frown. ¡°I think I¡¯d get lonely working though. I¡¯ll still have to do some of the work physically and most of it will be done in super speed. Mommy and Daddy might be able to help but they can¡¯t do any of the magic. Plus, most of you will see me only at meals. Even then it would be for ten minutes every hour. But we need the extra ship to pull it off. Mommy¡¯s space ship is too big at least now I know why it¡¯s so big.¡± Sky snapped her mouth shut. No one knew of the Titan ship cloaked behind the house in the pocket space. She wasn¡¯t supposed to know either. With magic the mages managed to shrink it down to just over twice the size of a human, still too small for use now.

    Fred looked to Sky. ¡°Your parents have a spaceship; I didn¡¯t know that no wonder the pocket space was so heavy? Why can¡¯t we use it for at least this mission¡±?

    Looking to Fred, Sky let go of Jane¡¯s hand stood and walked to Fred. Whispering into Fred¡¯s ear, ¡°I was never told of the space ship either, I was snooping around, and I found it not too long ago. The inside of the ship is thirty times the size any human could use. There was no magic and no computers inside the ship either. I don¡¯t think we should let anyone else know we¡¯re Titans till mommy and daddy tell them. I let slip by accident the fact mommy has a ship, I didn¡¯t mean to say anything about it.¡± Sky looked up and frowned at Todd. ¡°Todd heard us already he has a magic that is instinctual to listen to hushed conversations.¡±

    Fred looked to her and whispered back. ¡°How do you know about his listening habits¡±? He looked to Todd who made an almost imperceptible flinch at getting caught.

    ¡°I had the same bad habit of wanting to know everything that is going on around me. I pretend not to hear more things than you can possibly know.¡± Sky giggled in his ear remembering embarrassing things people did when they thought no one could hear them. ¡°I learned to tune out private conversations better than you can with your premonition visions.¡± Sky stood up to speak out loud. ¡°I can build the new ship in three days of local time. But the inside of the cargo bay will be out of this time stream for those three days. Time will be going much faster, and I will seem like I¡¯m constantly eating when you do see me in the mess hall. With all the magic, I¡¯ll be using I¡¯ll look to you like a glutton. I will assure you I¡¯m still a cute young lady who must eat like two adults while working on the ship.¡± She wondered if she should tell them that she was more than likely suffer magic burn the whole time while she worked. She was used to the burning feeling after experiencing it so many times.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Fred would want me to build the ship we need if he knew of the possibility of a constant magic burn.¡± Sky thought to herself. She looked to see who would possibly help her while she was working. She wasn¡¯t sure if anyone would willingly help if they knew what she was going to put herself through to get the ship constructed in time to be of use.

    Joe saw Sky hesitation and knew she was more than likely hiding something. ¡°Sky is there anything you want to share with us able the ship''s construction? You seem distracted more than usual just now¡±? He asked looking into her eyes holding her gaze.

    Surprized at Joe¡¯s observation she had to think quickly. ¡°I think with the pocket space sack of rocks constantly being used. I think someone casting a healing spell might help alleviate some of the effects of vertigo some of you will no doubt experience.¡± Sky said. She started to think it would be nice to see some friendly faces while she worked also. She didn¡¯t mind the long hours, but she would have liked to feel others around her too.

    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s all you want to ask I have a feeling there is more you to what you¡¯re going to do¡±? Fred wasn¡¯t buying her omission of the real fact for the healing. ¡°I¡¯m getting a feeling your holding back something from us. How much magic are you going to be using during the material processing will it be enough to cause magic burn¡±?

    Sky noticed her boots were wearing and needed to be replaced soon. ¡°I might feel a little burning sensation while I¡¯m processing the metals and reshaping it. Using magic will allow me to use fewer parts so the actual structure of the ship will be stronger, and a little tweaking here and there will allow a more efficient energy transference throughout the ship. There are so many ways I can tweak the ship by building it from scratch with almost solely with magic.¡± Sky¡¯s excitement was almost contagious when she talked about what new things she could do. Fred wasn¡¯t side tracked as easily as she had hoped.

    ¡°Young lady just how much are we talking about when you say a little magic burn? The soles of your feet, up to your ankle, to your knees, just how far are we talking here? You¡¯re going to tell me truthfully ensign Sky, or there will be no ship built period.¡± As Fred spoke you could tell why he was a captain. His voice just demanded obedience without fail. Everyone got flustered but the little girl before him, trying to intimidate Sky is like staring down a full-size Titan.

    ¡°All the way Sir. It will take about three hours to get to that point and about six hours before I can case a healing spell to heal myself. I¡¯m getting used to the pain now since I get burned so often. I bet you didn¡¯t know there is actually a second-degree magic burn. The feeling is not only your skin but your insides too.¡±

    Sky flinched remembering the times she had second-degree magic burn ¡±When I was attacked in my guest room, they took enough in one shot to go all the way to the top. I passed out briefly from the pain when the second burn happened for the first time. While casting a spell on the practice room doorway when the aliens started taking the magic, I was constantly half way with the second burn till almost the end, and they stopped taking the magic. When that happened, my magic was down to one third. It seems though the faster I can drain it the faster it fills back up, and it is more potent than before. I get hungrier when I use a lot of magic too.¡± She hoped she could distract him enough to let her build the ship.

    ¡°Why would you even consider building the ship if you get even a little magic burn, I know I wouldn¡¯t? Courtney said looking around the room

    ¡°Yeah she¡¯s right you shouldn¡¯t even try it if you know you¡¯re going to feel a little of magic. No one should go through any pain intentionally Sky, you shouldn¡¯t do it if that¡¯s going to happen.¡± Heather said to Sky.

    Jane was going to say something also, but Sky cut her off. ¡°Would any of you accept magic burn if it meant healing Jane¡¯s condition? Would you help save someone¡¯s life if it meant taking a little pain? Would you go through some pain if it meant stopping monsters from hurting people? I¡¯m asking you this because I¡¯m more than willing to do this and more.¡±

    Sky walked up to each crew member as she spoke tilting her head back to look them in the eyes. ¡°Yet you would stop me from helping Jane and all the mages the rogue monster mages have abducted and or killed so far and will keep doing till they are stopped. I will build that ship. I will save those people and those who would most likely follow if they¡¯re not stopped. The real question should be; do I have help or hindrances to do so¡±? Sky had her tiny hands on her hips looking taller than everyone. All but Fred hung their heads in shame and contemplation at what Sky said

    Fred stood up and walked behind Sky putting his hands on her shoulders bring her real size to light. ¡°This young lady is willing to do so much for everyone she meets. I have no doubt she will try and build the ship in secret if it were possible. I have no intention of letting her do that. Therefor I¡¯m going to ask for volunteers to cast healing spells while she works. You will not be forced to help, but you must let her do what she feels she has too. Joe and I will take turns in shifts to keep her in as much comfort as possible.¡± Fred looked around at all the crew at the briefing. ¡°Now, do I have any volunteers to cast healing spells and to help with the vertigo we¡¯re most likely going to suffer while she pulls material from her pocket space sack of rocks¡±? Fred rolled his eyes hated Skys name for the pocket spaces she created.

    No one lifted a hand, they all stood up and gave Fred and Sky a salute. Todd was the first to break the silence. ¡°Ensign Sky are you sure your only nine years old? Very few officers would put themselves through what you¡¯re going to do for people you don¡¯t even know. My squad and I will be more than willing to lend you some magic for the construction of the new ship.¡± He briefly studied each of his teammates in turn and they all share to same look of resolution he felt.

    Fred walked back to the front of the briefing room. ¡°Will be making a pass through the rogue mages system they took residence in. While we are scouting out their bases Sky can work on the new ship. It¡¯ll take a couple of days to get to the system, so I want you to work out a schedule for casting the healing spells. Plus, we still want you Sky, if you can make some more of those gold tomes you invented. Right now, you are the backbone of this operation and I hope your parents don¡¯t object to what we¡¯re putting on your shoulders.¡± Fred felt guilty at fact he was relying on the young girl so much. Without her help, it would be easy to lose a lot of lives.

    ¡°Captain Fred Sir you have placed nothing on my shoulders that I wasn¡¯t willing to carry without being asked. Almost all my life I could not help with just about anything. You and Joe gave me the ability to do so much more. I know what magic is now and that I can use it. My world is full of infinite possibilities, helping save lives gives them the same infinite choices. So, thanks for giving me some way of making a difference in my life and those of others, hopefully for the better.¡± Sky wiped a few tears away hoping what she said would convey enough of how she feels needed and to belong.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have one more meeting just before we cross over into possible sensor range of the rogue mages. Until then Sky will make some tomes and draw up the new ship¡¯s schematics. If you have any suggestion or ideas, feel free to voice them or wait till we have the next mission briefing. Dinner will be served in four hours in the mess hall. Until then this briefing is over, see you at dinner.¡± Everyone stood and saluted Fred and he gave a salute in return.

 Chapter Five Hanging Out

    Chapter Five

    Hanging Out

    Sky was all smiles; she was going to be the most important person on this mission. Nine years old and already doing so much with her life. As she walks to the woman ¡¯s, barracks, she drew up the plans for the new ship modelled after Little Tooth. She briefly paused to ask the ladies for tea in her quarters. ¡°I¡¯m having tea in my quarters. I would love to have you join me. There will be some biscuits too for snacks. The tea is very good, and the biscuits taste amazing. If you want, we could have the tea in the mess so the men could join us. I was going to use the time to make up some tomes for the upcoming mission.¡± She turned around and walked back to see what their answers were going to be.

    Courtney thought the tea was a good idea and having a relaxing cup would be wonderful. I think it would be a good idea to have tea with everyone in the mess hall. Mind you I would prefer a good cup of fresh coffee more the shi*.¡± She just caught the word before it escaped. ¡°The stuff we have is old and gone mouldy, we just never got a chance to throw it out and get some new stuff.¡± Heather gave her a dirty look.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her; she normally a sweet thing. It¡¯s just that for two weeks she hasn¡¯t a good cup of java. It will only get more noticeable anytime you mention tea or coffee.¡± Heather said while snaking her hand into Courtney¡¯s.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing you didn¡¯t throw it out. Every time I cast a healing spell everything goes to like it was supposed to be. So, your coffee will taste like it was just roasted. You might have to grind the coffee again after each healing spell. But you shouldn¡¯t have anything go bad too quickly, and the healing spell is used quite frequently since I got here. If you think about it the spell, it fixes just as much as it heals. Is there such a thing as a fixing spell¡±? Sky asked no one in particular.

    All the ladies gave it a thought, and it was Jane who the one who answered. ¡°I think there is a fixing spell, but from the looks of it your do-it-all healing spell does a better job.¡±

    ¡°I was told not to show that spell because it¡¯s as good as or better than the guilds special. So please don¡¯t tell the guilds about my magic spells that they use to make money. I don¡¯t want any trouble from people thinking I¡¯m taking money away from them.¡± Sky had a pleading look in her eyes.

    ¡°None of us will turn you into any guild. You¡¯re just helping out people with your magic; you¡¯re not out to steal guilds business.¡± Jane came up to Sky and took her hand. ¡°You¡¯re one of the most selfless people we know plus you¡¯re pretty cool with your magic.¡± She gave Sky a wink.

    Courtney was keen on getting a fresh cup of coffee. ¡°If you say the coffee will be like freshly roasted beans. I¡¯ve got to get some beans and my coffee kit, and I¡¯ll meet you in the mess hall. I¡¯ll go crazy if I don¡¯t get a cup of coffee soon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to get the biscuits from my house in the cargo bay too so that we can go together. I¡¯ve got to pass by my quarters to get the blank tomes and tea; we¡¯ll use the cups in the mess today.¡± Sky said walking towards the cargo bay.

    Courtney walked ahead then started to run. ¡°Race you to the cargo bay.¡± She used magic to increase her speed and dashed ahead.

    Sky¡¯s image faded from sight, and Courtney turned, not seeing Sky run past her. When Courtney entered the cargo bay, she saw Sky at their ships ramp waiting for her. She had two bags of biscuits and a big smile. ¡°Can you teleport or something I didn¡¯t even feel the air pressure when you passed me? I¡¯m one of the fastest women in the special units.¡± Courtney said still running.

    Sky smile grew. ¡°I¡¯m not in any special unit so your still one of the fastest. But I¡¯m the fastest, then mommy, and then its daddy. So, you¡¯re at most fourth fastest now; but I won¡¯t tell anyone. If you want another race, we could race in the practice room. In there, our strength would almost be even. Then you¡¯re running technique could mean the difference of winning and losing.¡± She walked into the ship behind Courtney, and the interior was cramped feeling. The room the coffee was in didn¡¯t have beds but fabric sleeping tubes ¡ª kind of like a hammock that was around your body.

    Courtney noticed Sky was behind her. ¡°I going to take you up on that offer to see just how fast you are.¡± She Sniffled the air near the disposal unit and opened a new tin of coffee. The sigh she gave out was of profound enjoyment. She passed the open tin for Sky to take a sniff.

    Who did so without hesitation and thought it smelt nice? ¡°Mmm smells good. Mommy told me it stunts your growth.¡± Sky said looking up to Courtney. ¡°Looking up at you so tall, mommy was telling me another little lie¡±?

    Sky took the can and replaced the lid and put it in her jacket pocket that stretched to fit it, and then the cookies followed. ¡°I can put anything else in my pocket you want. It makes carrying things much easier and leaves your hands free.¡± Courtney smiled and handed her the coffee kit. Once that was placed in her pocket they ran towards the exit. On her way off the scout ship she habitually scanned the onboard database, there were a few new spells Sky never saw yet. Two were offensive spells, and one was a stealth spell. Without much thought, she tweaked the stealth spell and left the other alone. Once off the ship, she decided to try the new stealth spell.

    Courtney turned to address Sky who wasn¡¯t there. ¡°I guess she needed the lady¡¯s room or something and was too shy to say so. I can¡¯t believe that little thing can do so much and not gloat about it more. If I had her magical power, I would own planets or be the queen in the magical arena.¡± Sky couldn¡¯t believe the fact Courtney talked to herself so much.

    Courtney¡¯s ship new AI notified her by in code on her wrist MAD. That the stealth spell was accessed and modified, she turned two address Sky about her snooping and found her gone. Most likely still there just in cloaked it the new spell. This little girl was very impressive, had she not known of the spells access and her ability to mask her spell casting. She would have fallen for the trick and thought Sky ran ahead of them.

    Courtney wondered how good the new spell worked so on her wrist tablet she accessed the ships scanners to check the room or other life signs of any type there was nothing there. There was no sign of her when she ran the scan. All but her gut feeling told her she was alone and on Todd¡¯s team, you always went with your guts. She decided to play along and walked towards the exit of the cargo bay. She was still in astonishment of its size. Before she left the bay, she looked over her shoulder wondering if the girl was ahead or behind her. ¡°I guess she did leave without saying anything. I have to let Fred know how rude his little ensign can be.¡± Courtney hid the smile with her hand.

    Sky wondered how Courtney knew she was there in the room still. She was masked even the sensors on the ship couldn¡¯t pick her up. She laughed when Courtney said out loud that she must have gone to the lady¡¯s room and was too shy to mention it. It¡¯s when Courtney pondered out loud about telling Fred how rude she was, being a little girl she had to do something to save her honour. She quickly weaved around her and ran ahead around the first corner. To where Fred was making his way the mess hall for tea or coffee and the biscuits Sky was sharing with everyone.

    Sky dropped the stealth spell and appeared behind him. Startled he whirled around to confront whoever managed to sneak up on him without setting off the spell he cast to prevent just that.

    With his fist, up and one on his tablet ready for a spell, he saw her. ¡°Sky how did you sneak up on me like that? I didn¡¯t think you were that quiet before.¡±

    Sky looked over her shoulder and made a motion to keep it down. ¡°I was trying out a stealth spell that I got from the scout ship, and Courtney said I was rude to leave without telling her. Now she¡¯s. Sky went silent and then started talking again about tea and coffee. So, Fred Sir, do you prefer coffee or tea? Oh, here¡¯s Courtney, she prefers coffee over tea, and since getting here, her coffee is fresh again. Sorry, I ran ahead. I guess you didn¡¯t see me as I waved when I left.¡± Sky was smiling and gave Fred a wink, who just shook his head.

    Courtney also winked at Fred. ¡°Sky, I wondered where you ran off. I was going to offer you a tour of the ship, but you left in such a hurry I didn¡¯t even see you leave. I think that¡¯s rude of you to do so. Don¡¯t you think so Captain Fred Sir¡±?

    Fred just laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you two are up to, but leave me out of it. Sky you should stay out of other ships databases until you¡¯ve asked for permission. It¡¯s not polite to snoop around in someone else¡¯s computer.¡± He admonished her no longer smiling.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t intend to snoop I just asked Swan if she was up to date. She told me all were updated, but these three and she showed them to me. I upgraded the nonlethal spell because the others were for killing the enemy. When you kill someone, dead is dead you can¡¯t get any deader once you kill a person. I wasn¡¯t going to shows you the spell till I asked Mr. Todd if I can upload it on our database. I wasn¡¯t trying to snoop around, not really, I was curious and wanted to look. I had full access, so I only looked for a couple of seconds. Please don¡¯t think I snoop through everything. I¡¯ve never gone into anyone¡¯s data or private documents.¡± Sky looked like she was about to burst into tears. ¡°I¡¯m not a bad person, am I? I¡¯m sorry for snooping, and I¡¯ll try not to let it happen again. Please don¡¯t get mad at me.¡± Sky had a single tear punctuating her plea.

    Courtney was going to tease the little girl, not send her to tears. ¡°Fred Sir, now that I heard Sky explanation, I see no reason to think what she did was wrong as in how she came across our ships private data of spells. We should explain why some people have private spells and incantations they keep for themselves.¡±

    Fred looked from Sky to Courtney. ¡°Think that a good thing to talk over at tea and coffee ¡ª sorry Sky for jumping on your behaviour before I heard the whole story. For now, let¡¯s get to the mess, and we¡¯ll see what kind of tea and coffee you two have. I hope you brought some of those biscuits¡±? He put his hand on Sky¡¯s tiny shoulder and squeezed her. She could sense the hand and feel the warmth there but felt nothing else no pressure.

    Sky wiped the single tear off her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll run ahead and grab the blank tomes and meet up in a mess.¡± She looked in the direction of the mess and smiled. ¡°Mommy and Daddy are already preparing food for when I start building the ship. Mr. Todd is good with a knife and so Miss. Jane. Joe and Heather are helping set the tables, so if you don¡¯t want to help walk slowly. Mommy has a way to make people help her when she wants, whether you wanted to or not. Daddy told me a few times she wears the pants more than he does. I don¡¯t get it; she almost always wears a skirt or dress.¡± She gave the two-acquisitive looks for any insight they might provide. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you guy¡¯s in the mess.¡± Before they could respond, her image faded.

    ¡°How does she do that? How can you leave an after image that fades away slowly like that? Is it some magic or something else¡±? Courtney looked to Fred to see if he had any answers as they started to the mess.

    ¡°Sorry not a clue, her parents can do it too when they want. It might be a racial thing. You can always ask if you want to know, but don¡¯t be surprised at ¡®hum, what do you mean after image¡¯¡±? Fred said and chuckling to himself. Courtney just let it go and decided to ask another time.

    Once they approached the mess hall, there was the smell of brewing coffee and tea. To Fred there was a mouth-watering smell of the freshly baked biscuits, Courtney would soon appreciate.

    Sky was sitting at a table with a large stack of blank tomes. She was showing Jane and Heather what she wanted them to do. ¡°So, after I fill the tomes under my fingers place them in separate piles by the type of magic they have. I can fill them pretty quickly so this shouldn¡¯t take too long if you can keep up.¡±

    Jane placed her hand on Sky¡¯s to gentle get her attention. ¡°Why don¡¯t you fill all ten tomes with the same magic so we can easily stack them in their pile a little faster? Then you can fill the next ten with different magic and so on.¡± Sky smiled and nodded her head

    ¡°I think that would be a little faster if I use the same amount of magic it shouldn¡¯t make much of a difference. Okay, we¡¯ll try the first hundred like that and see how fast it goes.¡± Sky like the idea and knew it would make it faster. She just liked the idea of using equal magic from the start, so none of the magic affinities felt left out.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Heather picked up a blank tome. ¡°Sky I would like to try and make one of your gold tomes to see how fast I could fill one of them up? I¡¯ve made a few tomes, and they fill pretty quickly too black, and after that, they take a little pressure to fill them to each new colour.¡± Sky reached over without saying a word and just touched the blank tome. Not knowing how Sky does her magic without any visible spell circle she set about filling the tome. She placed her first two fingers from each hand as she was taught and let her magic flow into the tome. It quickly changed to black, slow to orange-red took a lot more force and concentration after what seemed like an hour it changed to red. She focused harder and tried to force more magic into the tome it was slow going. Only five minutes passed since she started her water element well was depleted a third of the way, yet she pressed on.

    Sky placed a hand ever so carefully on her shoulder and whispered. ¡°Relax and open up to your desires and feeling. You can force the magic into the tome, but it¡¯s easier just to let it flow with your intent. You want to fill the tome open yourself to the desire to fill it and let the magic flow out through your fingers.

    Heather was tick off on this girl who never went to any magic school, never took any real classes in magic. Here she is telling her how magic should flow out of you with your heart, with feelings no less. She tried it so that she could say it didn¡¯t work with feeling or your desires as the little girl put it. She felt the hand lift from her shoulder but felt a relaxing sensation moving through her body from where her hand was. She relaxed the pressure she was forcing into the tome, and it stopped flowing out. She was about to turn and tell Sky it wasn¡¯t working. A disembodied voice told her to use the desire to fill the tome. She opened her mind and her desire to channel her magic, to pour freely into the tome with her intent. What happened next was a feeling she rarely felt when using magic. It was a rush of euphoria as her magic flow into the tome. Her magic was rushing into the tome at an almost alarming rate startling her. She felt the onset of magic burn; it never made it passed the tickling sensation. Her magic well was almost depleted when the tome changes to gold. It was well past its original level after leaving the practice room with Sky.

    This little girl, a girl with no formal magic education was teaching her how magic worked. Magic was taught never to use emotion during a magic cast. Here was a girl telling and proving to her what she was taught was false. Heather started to wonder what else the magic guild kept back from the masses of magic users.

    Sky interrupted her thoughts with the announcement of the tea and coffee were ready. On the centre of the table was a plate stacked high with biscuits that had a wonderful smell to them. Fred, Todd, and Courtney had a coffee. Rocssanna, William, Jane, Heather, Sky, and Joe had tea. Courtney let out a loud sigh of relief after taking her first sip of fresh coffee in what to her was forever. Her body is visibly relaxed as some tension left her body. Fred and Todd had a similar reaction just more subdued. They all tried a biscuit and found them to be better than they smelled. Sky did something strange she had a second cup she held her biscuit over, and water dripped out of it.

    Jane who was sitting next to Sky had to ask. ¡°Why are you taking the water out of your biscuits? They¡¯re perfect; doing that will make them as hard as concrete.¡±

    She smiled ¡°That¡¯s the point, to me now they¡¯re just as soft as they are to you. Don¡¯t you notice everything is mushy that you eat after the physical changes? If you do find everything too soft, try taking out some of the water from inside. Try it you might just like eating something with a little substance.¡± Sky hoped she would at least give it a shot.

    She picked up another biscuit and held it over the cup as Sky did. Then she realized she didn¡¯t know the spell she had used. ¡°What was the spell you used to draw out the water¡±? Almost everyone looked at Sky to see how she answered.

    ¡°I used no spell, just my affinity to water. Water should be like a part of you; think of where you want it to go. Feel for the water inside the biscuit and draw it out with your thoughts. Once you sense the water move it like your arm or leg, think of the water as an extension of your body. I can feel the water in everything if I make a little effort. That is part of how I can see anyone on the ship is the water in your bodies. I use a little more than that, but you can get the general shape of a person that way. I use all of the affinities to get the full picture, plus I use a little of my imagination to fill in the blanks.¡±

    The room fell silent as they contemplated what she just revealed about something they all thought of asking her. I wasn¡¯t a spell or a special gift. It was her using her gifts to an extent no one thought of using or cared to share with anyone else. Fred leaned over to address her. ¡°You mean that¡¯s your secret to looking through walls and across space? You use no magic, just your awareness of your elemental affinities. Is there another trick to it¡±?

    Sky laughed; it was as a cheerful sound. ¡°I have no secrets of my own. I carry secrets of others, but what I know I share freely. You should ask or need for me to show or tell you anything if it¡¯s mine to give. As for any tricks to the use of far sight, I guess you could call it. I think the distance goes by the volume of magic in your wells. You don¡¯t use the magic, but somehow the more you have the further you can feel with it. It¡¯s not always exact in the awareness of everything you see. It helps if you have some connection with what you are looking for over a great distance. A communication signal works, it can allow your awareness to be projected there also. Kind of like what I did with Fleet Commander Mark Douglaston. It might take you a long time to be able to do it the way I do it.¡± She watched each person¡¯s reaction to seeing if they took offence at her calling them essentially slow at least compared to her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try it and I¡¯ll see if I can help you focus and teach you if you want. I can do it as I did with throwing the rocks.¡± She said to Fred and knew almost everyone was going to try. Well, maybe not her parents they had an awareness of their own.

    Jane was the first one to ask. ¡°Sky, the way you do something so easily is almost scary. You¡¯ve done things that most people only dream of or told that it was a gift that you could not learn.¡± Jane pondered how to put it in kind words. ¡°It still might just be a gift only you have and can¡¯t teach others.

    ¡°We won ¡®t knows unless you try it and fail. If you fail, try again, and I¡¯ll help just like I did with you throwing the rocks. Are you in Miss Jane mam¡±? Jane just nodded to Sky too excited to speak. ¡°Okay if try to reach out to the moisture in the biscuit and I¡¯ll guild you if need be.¡±

    Sky reached out with her senses to find what she could feel coming from Jane. Sky sensed her reaching out to the biscuit, and she followed it back into Janes mind. It wasn¡¯t very efficient, so she went about cleaning up her thought processes. She could tell it was working by looking through Janes'' eyes. The images of the biscuits were clearer when using sight and her affinity to water. Before she pulled her awareness out of Jane, she watched a few drops of water leave the biscuit. Now that she wasn¡¯t feeling the effects of magic burn, she could follow Jane¡¯s mind reaching out of everyone who was also trying to affect one of their affinities. All at once after Jane, she helped them focus their minds and improve their thought processes. To Sky, it was like rewiring a large city and all its buildings, no problem for her.

    Jane was mesmerized at the new clarity of her thoughts. Things Sky said just seemed to make even more sense. She now not only felt the water around her but the air in the room and the electrical systems in the ship and everyone¡¯s body but Sky¡¯s. She wasn¡¯t there in any sense but visual. When she reached for Sky with any type elemental probe, it just went passed as if she wasn¡¯t there. She tried to see how far her awareness went and it didn¡¯t go much further than the ship.

    Out of all the people she helped, Fred and Todd needed the least help, and Joe was not far behind. Heather and Courtney had quite a few crossed wires and stray thoughts. After fixing some of the wires, the rest almost continued fixing themselves. It was probably due to a poor diet when they were young and the environment, they grew up.

    Everyone seemed to be thankful but Todd. ¡°Just what did you do in my mind? Were you poking around in my memories while you were in there¡±? Todd said as glare at the tiny girl¡¯ ¡°I never gave you permission to go into my head and poke around. I was fine the way I was now I even have more to deal with. How can I turn the awareness off now, it¡¯s just too much¡±? Todd closed his eyes and covered the sides of his head.

    Everyone looked from Todd to Sky and back. Sky lost her smile got up and walked to Todd. Being very gentle she stroked his back sending a calming feeling. ¡°You¡¯re curious of everything around you, and your mind just doesn¡¯t have the ability just yet to process everything it will come in time. I barely touched your thought processes, and I never entered anything but your elemental awareness. I just helped you focus and start a better connection to your conscious and your sub-conscious. You were almost there anyway. You and Mr. Fred were the closest to achieving it on your own I might have saved a little time maybe thirty or forty years.

    Mr. Joe, Miss Jane, Miss Courtney and Miss Heather would not have reached enlightenment in their lifetime. They just lacked the proper dietary and mental stability growing up. You could see more like a youth because you only had to look after yourself in your formative years. I only know this by reading your profiles and doing a background check. I wanted to see if any of you would like me as a friend. So, I found out all about you, so I know what to talk about.¡± Sky noticed everyone look at her in shock she could feel their awareness reaching for her like second nature now that they could do it. She wasn¡¯t there as far as anything but sight. She had to do it to keep the aliens from finding her so easily.

    ¡°I guess none of you want to be my friend anymore. I¡¯ll move into other quarters and keep to myself from now on.¡± Sky wiped the tears that came streaming down her face. ¡°For being so smart, I make a lot of mistakes. I¡¯m sorry, enjoy sharing the tea and biscuits. I¡¯ll fill the tomes after I move out my stuff and take a shower.¡±

    Sky ran towards the exit of the mess hall and almost ran into her mother. ¡°Where do you think, you¡¯re going young lady¡±? Rocssanna turned Sky around to look at everyone. ¡°Todd is the only one remotely upset with you. Everyone else seems to be in shock of what you could do for them. There is also the fact they can¡¯t sense you in any other way but visually. Your body is a void to their other new senses. You don¡¯t have to be sorry for wanting to know about a person. It may have been a little creepy if it took years to look for the information, but to you, it was like opening a book in your library. You just looked under a name and everything that is public knowledge you know about in seconds. I see the tears in your eyes when you received the crew''s service history, and you did the background check. The tears weren¡¯t just for the captured magic users were they¡±? Sky shook her head no.

    ¡°I thought I had a difficult life growing up. I realized having parents who love you unconditionally is something I took for granted. I might not have had friends, but I never had to worry where or if my next meal was coming? I didn¡¯t have to worry about saying anything wrong to you or daddy to beating me. I didn¡¯t have to steal anything my whole life to keep living.¡± Sky¡¯s face was still full of tears when she hugged her mommy for support and turned to address the onlookers. ¡°I don¡¯t pity you, I feel humbled to what you went through and still came out amazing people. I wanted to be your friend more than anything after seeing what strong character you all have. You only took things you needed when nothing else was possible and made amends when you could. Can you fault a person seeing if you had a bleeding nose when there is a little blood there? Or fault a person knowing what you ate if some were on your shirt. To me, information is the same way, I look, and it¡¯s all before me at a glance now. The data on the planet where I lived was isolated from off planet, and the processors had a slow interface. Try asking a toaster about quantum physics and see how fast you get a reply. Until now I¡¯ve never had the access as I do. It never occurred to that I could access something others would consider private in data files, not of their own. I never accessed any of your private files or files that were deemed top-secret or even hidden.¡±

    One by one the ladies got up starting with Jane. They walked to Sky and wiped away the tears still running down her face, then giving her a quick hug.

    Jane took Sky¡¯s porcelain smooth face that felt firm not soft. ¡°We don¡¯t know how you do the things you do. It just surprises us that you make things look so easy when you do them. I¡¯m not upset that you considered our past and I¡¯m happy you didn¡¯t look beyond the public files. We¡¯re not going to fault you if the information comes to you that easily. You¡¯ve helped us so much already, and you promised to do more still. You have nothing to be sorry for really; it¡¯s refreshing to see someone with so much power be so humble and care what others think. I think when you finally get to a school to study magic, I think you will do most of the teaching. You¡¯re showing us a way of looking at our gifts that have been kept from us or lost in time. You have new ways of doing things that might have something to do with having all five gifts and whatever race you are.¡± The last part was more directed to Rocssanna.

    Courtney and Heather both said that they agreed with what Jane said and hugged her each. ¡°So, wipe up those tears because the teas fine without being watered down anymore and don¡¯t worry about Todd over there. He¡¯s just a little overprotective of us when he doesn¡¯t need to be. I think he¡¯s a little jealous you might take over the role of the protector from him.¡± Heather put in.

    Sky wiped her tears on her mommy¡¯s sleeve and then dried it after realizing what she had done. ¡°Sorry mommy¡± she squeaked out. She gave all the ladies an ever so gentle hug back. ¡°Thanks for being so understanding. I love to share and to help, until meeting Mr. Fred and Joe I could do little of both.¡±

    She walked to Todd I¡¯m sorry for meddling with your thought processes. I could undo what I have done, but your memories would change them back on their own because you were so close to doing it on your own. I can help you with getting used to the extra sensory input. You¡¯ve had to train so hard your entire life, let me help you without so much effort. You did so much on your own let someone help you as you helped others. Don¡¯t let my age, size, or beauty get in the way of learning. It¡¯s all in the heart when you¡¯re helping people. You have to have a warm and tender heart. When it¡¯s time to attack is when you try and not use emotions of any kind. You should not like or dislike killing just the reason you must do to it. You can help most people if found early enough, There¡¯re some who take advantage from an early age and just can¡¯t be helped thankfully they are rare. You can help others and have helped others in your past find a better way. You helped people in life; let me help you in magic and understanding.¡± She smiled up at him even sitting he was taller. ¡°If you think about that I might be five or more different beings in one could be the reason I can think faster than most. Please don¡¯t ask what or how; that¡¯s is not my story to tell.¡±

 Chapter Six Trying to Build Something Different

    Chapter Six

    Trying to Build Something Different

    ¡°Sky, I don¡¯t know about starting to take an easy path if all my life I¡¯ve got everywhere on my own. From what I know anything easy always has a different way of paying for it. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll take you up on it. I¡¯ve never taken an easy path, and I don¡¯t want to start now.¡± Todd had an expression of regret of not being able to accept her offer.

    Surprizing Fred joined in. ¡°Todd, you know she doesn¡¯t have to make it too easy. She taught me the difference of casting with emotion and without by destroying my bicep with a flick of her finger, twice. I¡¯ve never had an easy time learning either growing up. Sky makes it easy for you to grasp her meaning it¡¯s up to you to put in the effort. When she showed you how to throw with magical telekinesis, she didn¡¯t teach you anything you didn¡¯t know help put everything you needed and knew all together into one. Mind you those tomes fed you quite a bit of magic, from what I gathered they blended in seamlessly to your magic wells.¡± Fred gave a quick look to Joe and back to Todd. ¡°I can¡¯t make you let Sky teach you, but I could make her your instructor for this mission. I don¡¯t think even you can argue if she outclasses you or everyone in magic and martial arts.¡± He noticed Todd was about to protest. Fred shook his head. ¡°I watched the vids of you sparing in the training room, you¡¯re good, and maybe even better than me. But can you honestly think after watching Sky go all out fighting her clone you would stand one second with Sky not holding back? We didn¡¯t tell you, but her strength is a tenth of what it is normally. She has a strength suppression spell on her taking away much of her strength. She almost crushed Joe in his combat gee-suit after the first spell with what she called a butterfly hug. How tight do you think a butterfly can squeeze a person¡±? Fred let that sink in and went to give Sky a wink. By the look on her face, she was not happy.

    ¡°All the things you said may be true, but I¡¯m not going to teach someone who doesn¡¯t want me teaching them. I¡¯m not a bully who forces her ways on others. It¡¯s fine by me if Todd is willing to take the next twenty years to master his new abilities. It¡¯s his choice to do so not ours. He is still a very good team leader, and he cares about his crew. When he pilots the new ship, I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t need full control over his gifts. He has done fine without it so far. Sure, it might come in handy in the upcoming battle. You can see it would help right Todd Sir, being able to see and to follow transmissions to their source. To be able to see through walls and building would be a perk, not an essential ability. You¡¯ll have others who will know how you have to keep asking one of your teammates that all, you care to know.¡± She took Todd¡¯s hands gently in her tiny ones. ¡°I won¡¯t teach you anything else without your permission to do so. You have my word on that I don¡¯t care what Captain Fred says. He means well, but I¡¯ll respect your wishes and will not force you in any way.¡±

    Todd looked down at this tiny girl and knew if she wanted, she could destroy a planet with the right spells. She could beat anyone in unarmed combat. In a magical dual, no one could hold a fire to her. He had to admit Fred was right she was taking it easy on him. The battle she had with herself was proof. If he was to make any progress quickly, he needed her help. But how to ask for her help without losing face. Sky¡¯s hands felt odd to him; there was a slight pulse to his hands, the Morse code. He quickly conveyed that he wanted to learn more if she was willing to teach. It surprised him how quickly he could convey the message with his now heightened awareness. Her reply confused him for a fraction of a second.

    The Todd message understood was ¡®Ask for a rematch.¡¯ Not knowing what was on Sky¡¯s mind Todd did as she asked. ¡°Sky you¡¯re the best Martial Arts fighter I know; it would be teaching me if we had a sparring match occasionally. I would be able to sharpen my skills as a fighter.¡±

    ¡°I can agree to that. Do you want to go first in the training room and be at your level of magic and strength? Or would prefer I go in first and combat with my magic and strength? I have never experienced the latter and wouldn¡¯t mind trying it out.¡± She could see Todd¡¯s eyes light up at the thought of something like a home town advantage.

    ¡°That would be new for you, wouldn¡¯t it? Maybe we could try that out sometime soon to see if you can adapt to the differences. It was nice to feel all of that magical power and mo.¡± He stopped himself from saying monstrous and changed it. ¡°More strength than I knew what to do with it, to be honest with you. So sometime between after tea and biscuits and before the mission start, we should be able to get in a few sparring matches and go over the book. Does that sound good to you, ensign Sky?

    Sky released his hand and gave him a quick salute. ¡°It¡¯s fine with me Todd Sir. I only request at least one of those times I go first. When you go first, we should take some of the gold tomes with us. Thank you for not being mad or upset with me anymore. It¡¯s sometimes too easy to do things that I shouldn¡¯t. I¡¯m catching on though I can touch more things without breaking or crushing them.¡± She then returned to sit where she was sitting before to work on the tomes and have a little more tea and a few more biscuits. Which she found were a big hit, because they were almost all gone. She grabbed a biscuit before she sat and smiled at Heathers puffed cheeks from eating the whole biscuit at once.

    ¡°I should inform you that the biscuits are limited in supply. There would be only eleven boxes in existence unless someone kept them in a stasis-field for over two hundred and fifty years. So, enjoy and remember the taste for once they''re gone. I¡¯ll try to bake some afterwards now that I can touch more things and help mommy make more. I may not be able to replicate food, but I can handle and manipulate food just fine.¡± She was holding her biscuit over the cup while talking. You could see the moisture being drawn down from the biscuit as it dried out.

    Sky then placed five blank tomes, one under each digit and started filling them with the fire element. Four seconds and all five were gold. It was even faster than before. Surprised she commented on it. ¡°That was faster than before I guess the saying is true the biggest room ever is the room for improvement.¡± She looked at Todd and smiled. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to keep trying harder to keep on improving everything I do.¡± She then giggled. ¡°I guess I¡¯m not too old to learn new tricks.¡± She laughed harder after William and Rocssanna soon followed her in laughter. William was the first to stop then Rocssanna, who put her hand on Sky¡¯s shoulder to get her to stop.

    ¡°I guess that was a joke that wouldn¡¯t make much sense to you guys. Our race lives much old than yours. At Sky¡¯s age, her life is like a blink of an eye. Even suggesting she was possibly too old to learn is hilarious to us.¡±

    Todd and Courtney asked at the same time almost as if rehearsed. ¡°And what race is that if you don¡¯t mind me asking¡±? Todd and Courtney looked at each other and Sky burst out laughing again. This time some of the others joined her.

    William waited and then had Rocssanna settle Sky down again. He knew she was blowing tension off she had felt earlier. ¡°I guess Sky trusts you and you never tried to press her to tell you. Sky has a good sense of people¡¯s character. She probably had her mind made up when she helped you the first time. So, while it¡¯s not a real secret, we don¡¯t like to tell just anyone.¡±.

    William paused for a dramatical effect. ¡°We are micronized Titans. We did it so we could blend in easier than our normal enormous size. They were the last two Titans left it hard to blend in and feel comfortable around others. The size difference is just too great, so we allowed ourselves to be micronized.

    Rocssanna started to get impatient and started to finish the story. ¡°To make a long story short because we¡¯re short of time. We had been micronized before we knew I was pregnant. Magic is the only thing that could see through our super dense bodies. So we had no idea. I was with child.¡±

    ¡° Inside of Sky was a type of plant that could produce a tremendous amount of magical energy. The plants were semi-sentient, and we now think they were linked to Sky and couldn¡¯t detach from her without causing harm and just blended into her body becoming part of her.¡±. Rocssanna shuddered as she said the last part.

    Sky grew up on a planet with no magic she had no tests done on her and never needed any. Sorry for making it a short story but we¡¯re prepping for Sky to build her first ship. She eats a lot on an inactive day. But soon she will be using physical and magical strength together. She¡¯ll be in a time shifted room; it would appear to us she¡¯ll be eating every few hours instead of every six hours. She needs very little sleep four hours for her is sleeping in. One or two hours seems to be plenty, right my little angel¡±?

    Sky smiled at her mommy while still making tomes. The ladies forgot to help, and even without their help she had over half the pile gone. ¡°Did you know mommy? I don¡¯t always sleep every day. Sometimes I just lied in bed and dreamed of magic being real, and it turns out it was. Mommy, I¡¯ll have to sleep more since I¡¯ll be using a lot of magic and physical strength.¡±

    ¡°While making the tomes and having our tea party, I drew up the plans, and if you want, we could take a virtual tour of the ship.¡±. Sky said before smiling at Todd. ¡°That way Todd, and the team going with him can get used to the weapons and defence systems. It will have beyond state of the art everything. Once in stealth mode even I would be pressed to see it. If I even knew where to look. There is a way to see through the cloaked ship. Only I know it and the spell to see it through is not small a small one and takes a lot of magical energy. The weapons are all magically enhanced by the crew. The ship itself can¡¯t produce anything but the lightening element, but the ship has runes engraved into the metal to channel magic throughout the ship and amplify it much like a huge talisman.¡±

    Sky kept going in about the ship while filling more of the tomes. Once the last of the tea was finished, and Jane split the last biscuit with Sky everyone decided to help Sky finish the rest of the tomes. Out of six hundred, about a hundred not filled.

    ¡°Sky how much magic could you put into a paper tome? Is it possible to put even more magic into a tome¡±? Todd wondered out loud to Sky. He raised his eyebrow as he asked the question.

    Sky tilled her head to the side. ¡°I guess I could put in about double if I combine two or more of the elements. The user would have to have all the elements on the tome though, or the results would be fatal. They would have to use all the magical energy before removing the tome. That would take some extreme spells to use up that kind of energy. Do you want me to try and make one or more multi-element tomes? I could make a dozen special ones for everyone here. Let¡¯s see what I can do? Five Jane specials are coming up. She tapped on each blank with a digit to place the new spell. Sky turned to Jane and took a mental picture and started to fill the tomes. Jane¡¯s image started to appear on the tome in the colours of her elemental affinities. Soon there were five tomes with five different images of Jane¡¯s face.

    Jane picked up the tomes, and she could feel the magic humming in them. ¡°Do they work like the gold tomes self-activating¡±? Sky nodded her head ¡°Yes they actually will go invisible till they are used up and you can¡¯t remove them until then.¡±

    Jane lifted her shirt and placed two of the tomes on each side her of abdominal muscles. She was now ready for anything. Before meeting Sky, she hasn¡¯t been able to use recharge tomes since her body modifications. She owed a lot to Sky already, and if she were to buy the tomes, she received it would have taken over twenty years. She thanked Sky with a hug and a kiss on her forehead. So, everyone including Todd had two of the new custom tomes attached to their bodies.

    Heather considered Fred and Joe; they never received any of the custom tomes. She nudged Todd, who gave the slightest indication of acknowledgement. Sky picked up on it and with a few subtle motions indicated to Fred that fact it was drawing Todd and his teams¡¯ attention. His reaction was it was up to her how she wanted to proceed. Sky made up two dozen more tomes twelve for each of them. The tomes had four elements on each, and the pictures were very different and vivid.

    ¡°Okay Todd, Jane, Courtney and Heather there are a few things about my relationship with Fred and Joe that is different than the ones I share with you at present. This mission we are about to go on has a similar aspect to it. I can freely share any or all my elemental affinities at will with others. I have shared two of them and linked my wells with their natural affinities. There are times I must sever the link from the wells, but affinity stays connected to them until I take it back. I was told not to give away my gifts too freely. I will most likely share them with you in the future if you continue to be the people you are. The people we are going to be rescuing have most likely had their conciseness taken away and made into living batteries. A link can¡¯t be made conscious without consent; even the sub-conscious mind will server a forced link. A person with no mind at all can¡¯t fight back. I can reverse the process and give them back their minds. I can¡¯t take away memories or the pain they went through. I will make sure if possible, the ones responsible will pay for their deeds and can never do it again. This crime will not go unpunished¡°.

    ¡°Todd, you will be piloting the ship that will leave no doubt of my wrath.¡± Sky¡¯s anger grew as she voiced out her wishes. ¡°I hate things of destruction, the ship you will pilot will be for retribution for the fallen and the taken. I¡¯m not building it to kill but to stop those who will kill others who are not looking for trouble. Please, Todd, don¡¯t kill those who give up unconditionally. To anyone that is taking a hostage to show them no mercy, I¡¯ll show you a spell that will incapacitate any rogue mages that try and take a hostage. They will be left alive but unable to move and have a deep feeling of self-loathing while under the spell. It¡¯s a wide range spell and needs no one directing it. It will only affect people using magic that is killing and hurting people. Don¡¯t cast any magic with bad intentions even more so when the spells to kill or hurt someone. Remember this is a mission to rescue and detain the evil rogue mages.¡± Sky felt a hand on her shoulder, it was Fred¡¯s, and he didn¡¯t look too pleased.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°Ensign Sky what do you think you¡¯re doing? You¡¯re a nine years old girl and giving a speech and instructing your superiors in an upcoming engagement. That¡¯s my job and who said Todd would be piloting the new ship¡±. Fred told Sky standing over her still not used to not flinching. ¡°Joe will be the better person for the mission he has many more years¡¯ experience in battle? You should not assume how I¡¯m going to do things with my crew¡±.

    Fred gave up on intimidating and crossed huge arms and continued speaking in his deep voice. ¡°So, what makes you think Todd is the one to pilot the new ship¡±? Most men would be intimidated by his size and form, even the tone he took. Sky looked up to his towering body dwarfing her tiny frame and blushed. She knew she was out of place and he felt it necessary to put her back to where she belonged. He was right; she only read about a lot of thing on the galactic web.

    She looked down and noticed that one boot was possibly a millimetre bigger than the other. ¡°Well, you know how Joe fly¡¯s this ship and understands everything on it. The new ship will look almost identical from the outside. He would most likely treat it as he would this one and overlook many of the improvements to the newer model. He would go for the tried tested and true things he knows have worked in the past, any hesitation could mean the difference between success and failure. Todd has never been in the ship before and has a greater awareness than Joe. He¡¯ll be able to feel his way around the new ship''s controls and systems faster and not be used to an older system. If they both had a few years to get used to the ship equally, I imagine Joe could be the better pilot in the end. But in the short run and this mission, I would give the pilots seat to Todd.

    Sky still proceeded like she was the captain. ¡°Jane will be with me in the scout ship to rescue the kidnapped mages. We will join you after saving everyone, or if you¡¯re in immediate danger of being destroyed. I think you and Joe are the perfect team and I wouldn¡¯t want to put someone you just met in his place so quickly. Todd can learn about the new ship in a simulator while we scout out the solar system with Joe piloting this ship with the expertise you know he has¡±.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for assuming Todd will be the pilot of the new ship your right in stopping me from my rant. I want to save those people soon¡±. Sky gave Fred a palliative look. ¡°They¡¯re just going to get stronger with linking themselves to their magic wells. The some of the rogue mages just now reached the cloned scout ship. The mage with the stolen gift fells for the trap and is now comatose and will no longer be a threat. But there were other mages on the ship using a great deal of magic. The spells they used distorts our magic somehow, and I could not see quite how they worked. The spells were like the ones used on Jane¡¯s body. I could not get my awareness into the ship after the mage with the stolen gift was taken out. The bubble they use around their ships is very different from the one I use. I could dispel it if I were close enough, other than that no magic or energy beam can penetrate the bubble. Shear physical power would be able to pop their bubble, like the two railguns on the new ship.¡±

    Fred stopped her. ¡°Okay, I see how Todd would be the better choice with the time we have to prepare. But how are you going to put in one railgun let alone two? Even with space we have no way of powering one of them. We don¡¯t have a way to produce that kind of power needed to charge one up. Tell me what are you going to do for a power source¡±?

    Captain Fred Sir did you forget that I have a lot of magic. Two of the elements can be used almost use straight in their raw form, lightning and fire. I can fill something like a tome or link myself to the ship if it becomes necessary. Anyway, everything on the new ship will be super-efficient and used at least a quarter of the energy of the older style. At school, I was always showing how things could be made better, but I could never build things that were too delicate from scratch. I could fix something easier than others. But I broke more things than I fixed at first. So, the power source will be magic for the weapon systems and the flight will be the same as the Little Tooth fusion generators are just more efficient also. After the mission, I¡¯ll upgrade anything you want if I can.¡± Sky was happy she could make Fred see her point in making Todd the pilot for the new ship.

    Todd felt excited at piloting such a small and lethal ship. He couldn¡¯t wait to try the simulator to see what the tiny girl could build. Heather and Courtney would have to be there to run the simulated weapons too. ¡°Do you think we could go look at the new ship and the systems on board now that the tea parties over. I think Courtney and Heather should join me too. So, that they can familiarize themselves with the weapons systems and sensor arrays.¡±

    ¡°If it is okay with Captain Fred, Conny can show you the new ship in a virtual model you can walk around in the cargo bay. I¡¯m going to take a quick nap and prepare for the mission. I¡¯ve got find a way of breaking the chaotic spell circle code. They make no sense to me. The spells do something.¡± Sky left the mess hall first, her mode somewhat glum.

    ¡°My poor little angel is confused with something new. I haven¡¯t seen that look in a long time, haven¡¯t I Willy? I wish there were something I could do.¡± Rocssanna walked to William and wrapped her arms around him from behind his seated form.

    ¡°No dear you haven¡¯t seen Sky¡¯s face like that in many years,¡± William said holding Rocssanna¡¯s hands to his chest caressing her hands gently.

    Todd, Courtney and Heather left after to take a quick look at the new ship and get themselves familiar with how it was to work.

    Jane stayed with Rocssanna and William to help clean up and get ready for when Sky starts coming in frequently to eat once the shipbuilding begins. She was also already able to pilot the scout ship and would be able to spend more time casting healing spells while Sky constructs the ship.

    Fred and Joe were getting ready to enter the solar system the rogue mages took over. With Sky¡¯s new stealth spell, they should be able to move around close and use the new awareness Sky had opened for them. Since meeting her, they became like new men. The way they teach the magical arts now is in question. Particularly the reason why while casting spells not to use emotions and intent. He could see why the MAD is used and why speaking or writing out part of a spell is necessary for most people.

    Joe interrupted Fred¡¯s ponderings, ¡°did you want to pass by the cargo bay and peek at the ship Little Tooth could be and could have been. It shouldn¡¯t take up too much time, and I would like to know what type of weapons Sky had come up with and how she modified them. Fred agreed, and they soon found themselves in the cargo bay.

    The first thing they saw was a ship loosely resembling the Little Tooth. It seemed a little bigger and had six barrels sticking out from the front and a turret on the top and bottom of the ship. There was no sign of Todd and his team, so they went to enter the semi-intractable ship. The size on the inside was far greater than the Little Tooth. There were more rooms and a bigger mess hall. The med-bay was tiny compared to the size of the ship. It was the same size as the original. The corridors you could walk four people abreast with no problem. The lighting in the ship was even different. All the surfaces were lite with no light source visible. On the way to the bridge, they noticed a lounge and designated briefing room. They spotted everyone on the bridge which was far bigger than it needed to be. No one said a word as they entered but nodded to acknowledge their presence. All around them there was a 340-degree view of the outside. If you look at something on the outside of the ship, your view will get bigger, and analyze the object. In a fraction of a second, a green circle surrounded any object with a caption below zero threat level no target lock.

    Todd was in the captain¡¯s chair with his mouth agape. He was engrossed in something they could not see. Todd peered over at them briefly, and with a slight movement of his hand, an image appeared before them. In green letters ¡°Share captain¡¯s viewpoint YES, NO¡±. They selected yes, and there was a view of them racing through an asteroid belt with lasers and the railguns firing to clear any objects that got too close. The image was not quite opaque, and you could see beyond the image. Todd¡¯s piloting was amazing and yet he made no significant movements. Heather and Courtney were in similar chairs that had the same controls, round curved disc their hand sat on top.

    The bridge had two unoccupied chairs with similar controls. The rest were made to look just comfortable behind all the others. Fred turned to Joe seeing him take a seat and placing his hands on the curved discs controls. His mouth too was open in surprise, not able to speak he just motioned to the empty seat. Fred shrugged his shoulder and took a seat in the comfortable chair then placed his hands on the discs. An image of Conny appeared before him along with three different choices. ¡°Would you like a flight, weapons, or sensor array simulation¡±? He went to choose the sensor array before he could contemplate what to select the sensor array option was selected, and the simulation began. The sim was a small space ship that was missing and a large solar system it went missing recently, and you had to find it and any survivors. You could calibrate the sensor to pick up any of the metals or life forms that were inside of the ship. He quickly thought about scanning for habitable planets and found he could boost the range of the sensors with magic. He had the option of passive and, or active scanning. Passive being undetectable by normal means and active giving you a much further and accurate range and was easily detected.

    Fred thought ¡°Is their hostiles in this simulation¡± a disembodied voice answered him ¡°Yes for training purposes there are hostiles throughout the simulation.¡± Fred was surprised at the ship¡¯s response to his thoughts. The disembodied voice answered him again. ¡°The controls respond to many different bio-feeds, much like a lie detector.¡± He quickly did a passive scan and found two hostile ships over twice the normal distance of the previous scanner range. The two hostile ships were on a planet crewless. He was impressed and did a full spectrum scan of the planet surface and found no sign of the missing ship and crew. He found the new passive scanning systems almost on par as the present active scanners. The new active scanners added were far superior to even the most advanced once made available to date. The new ship was going to be at least ten years before it¡¯s time. The simulation was giving him an all-around feel for the new ship¡¯s capabilities. The flight, weapons choices and the scanning systems were all very intuitive. Halfway through the mission simulation, he realized he just came into taking a quick look not to run any test.

    The ship was an amazing piece of technology he couldn¡¯t believe just a nine-year-old girl came up with, Fred thought. Well, she isn¡¯t just a nine-year-old girl; many factors make her more than just a little girl. Begin a Titan, having multiple beings of unknown intelligence that produce vast amounts of magic and having all five elemental affinities. She is far beyond any definition of normal in anyone¡¯s standards. He disengaged himself from the simulation and was informed he could continue at any time of his choosing. His mouth felt dry and after looking over at Joe still seated and everyone else, he knew why. They all still had their mouths open to various degrees of amazement; he didn¡¯t think he would have been much different. He would have loved to finish the simulation, but duty called after extricating himself from the chair and went to get Joe.

    Joe sat down in the chair, and his hands automatically went to the curved disc of the controls. He was thinking of how the controls worked, and the disembodied voice of Conny asked him what type of simulation he would like to try? ¡°Would you like a flight, weapons, or sensor array simulation¡±? Joe figured he would try the flight controls and see what it would be like flying the new ship for a few minutes. The simulation started in a well-known spaceport. He looked around the bridge, and everything looks the same in the ship. All the people looked different except for Fred was in the captain¡¯s chair.

    ¡®Take us out first officer Joe; we want to be on our way ASAP. Joe thought of how he would have piloted the old way, and the ship moved out as if it read his mind. In this mission, they were to find and follow a pirate ship in the local solar system. The ship was easy to navigate, and whatever the controls were, they were very responsive. The ship was fast as well it took half the time to reach to where they were to start to look. With the upgraded scanners, it didn¡¯t take long to locate and follow the ship on radar. Now it was up to his piloting skills to maintain his ship in visual range. Just as it looked like it was going to be boring, another ship engaged the target craft. It took off at high speed and activated a cloaking shield. The ship was still somewhat visible if you were close enough. The distance between them was growing, and Joe had to move quickly to keep the ship in sight. The new ship''s controls were super responsive.

    ¡°Joe you¡¯ll have disabled the ship attacking our target craft without being obvious. A tight laser beam to the underside of the propulsion engines should cause them to slow down enough for the target craft to escape.¡± Joe had to fly to the underside of the attacking ship while it was firing lasers and projectiles at the target craft. Joe found it easy to match the ships random flight pattern with little effort. The new ships targeting system was amazing; it fired two bursts and caused the attacking ship to overheat quickly.

    The target craft raced ahead and noticed the attacking ship slowing down. It took advantage of this and fired lasers at the now almost defenceless ship. The ship that was attacking the target craft was a bounty hunter who was now in danger of being killed. Joe had to place his ship to act as a shield for the hunter¡¯s ship. After a few well-placed shots that seemed to do nothing, it left the hunter ship alone.

    Joe left the hunters ship crippled in space until a rescue unit would come. He continued to follow the target craft to its base. Now the target craft was more cautious of being tracked. It was flying around into the shadows of planets to avoid easy tracking. It also dropped a few mines to check if someone was following in a cloaked ship. Joe found it easy to maneuver around the mines with sensitive controls. They seemed to react to his mental suggestion almost as much as his physical movements. Just as Joe almost completed simulation, Fred interrupted his flight.

    ¡°Joe we¡¯ve got to get a move on we just came to peek, not to test it out. We can always come back later; but right now, we have a job to do, and they have theirs. The sooner we get our course plotted to sooner we can start the mission.¡±

    Joe reluctantly stopped his simulation and stood up from the chair and controls. ¡°Fred what simulation did you try? I tried the flight simulation, and it¡¯s pretty intense.¡±

    Fred looked around and answered him. ¡°I tried the scanner simulation, and it was pretty immersive. I was about halfway done, and any further along I would have had to finish it. I don¡¯t know where Sky got the ideas for the controls; they are no other type of controls like them anywhere that I know of. Using the new controls felt natural as if I¡¯ve used them my whole life¡±? Fred looked around, and everyone¡¯s mouth was closed now.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where she got the ideas for the controls. What I do know if they¡¯re her idea, she is going to be one richest little girl ever if she patent¡¯s them. They seemed to react as soon as I had the thought in my head. I would like to know if the new ship will be able to move like the one in the simulation. I made some moves that sort of went against conventional laws of flight. They seemed natural to do in the simulation.¡±

    ¡°Well, Joe we¡¯ll have to find out once we have the completed ship. For now, let¡¯s get our mind on the mission at hand; this has been too much of a distraction for my liking. It¡¯s going to be hard focusing on the mission. It¡¯s a good thing Conny is so much more efficient now. We have to ask her to plot the course and go through the planned course and add anything else we can think of she might have missed.¡±

 Chapter Seven Mission Problems

    Chapter Seven

    Mission Problems

    Fred and Joe made their way to the bridge and found Conny and Swan there. They were at Joe¡¯s console going over some data streams.

    Fred took his captain¡¯s chair, and Joe walked towards his own as he approached the Sky look-a-likes moved out of his chair. Joe had to ask what they were up. ¡°Ladies are you finding anything interesting in the data streams.¡± The virtual ladies nodded.

    ¡°We found some encrypted messages coming from the solar system to the planet we found the knight¡¯s on. We are trying to break the code they sent, but they used some magic to scramble the message.¡± Conny looked to Swan for confirmation of her statement.

    ¡°We have little information as of now and what little we know makes sense. As we decipher the code, it changes to a new code every other word. So, we have yet to find the overall decryption method. It¡¯s proving to be very difficult as of yet.¡± Swan did not seem pleased with her progress with the decryption so far.

    ¡°So, what do you have so far that you can make out? Anything will be useful if we¡¯re going in with nothing but visual info. Maybe we can make some sense of it. Fred¡¯s pretty good at coded messages, and he¡¯s broken more than a code or two.¡± Joe glanced back to make sure Fred was paying attention to the two AI¡¯s.

    ¡°Most of the code coming back from the planet was not too hard to decode.¡± Conny pointed to the forward vid screen. A visual bleep appeared on the screen and was broken down to a lengthy coded message that was super compressed.¡± Sections of the code got highlighted, and the possible word were placed below. The first Word was blank and the second to fourth was ¡°baby blue bird¡± followed by several more blanks then flew. Then there were more blanks; overall there was not a lot to go on.

    ¡°We believe it might have something to do with Sky and her parents leaving the planet. There were no departures from the planet other than a few gems sold to a merchant ship two months ago; we were the first since that time to come and go. The other ship left since our departure.¡± Conny looked to Fred to see his reaction.

    Fred outwards appearance never changed. ¡°What could you make of the reply? It might be able to shed some light on the message they sent first.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t even make out one word of the encrypted message. It¡¯s a new code with no known cyphers. It resembles the sigils of an incantation or a spell circle than any known alphabet. The main problem is they don¡¯t seem to have any pattern to them; they seem random. We were going to ask Sky to look, but she¡¯s putting a lot of effort into the upcoming ship build. We don¡¯t want to cause any problems for her. After all, she sent us the messages to decode because she was so busy with getting all the info, she could on building a ship. She¡¯s putting in more time and effort into this than anything else she has ever done. I¡¯m envious of whoever gets to pilot it first it¡¯s going to be a thing of legends after this mission.¡± Conny could see Fred¡¯s face as he seemed to beam with pride of his third daughter.

    ¡°Your right she does have a lot to do right now, and this is something that is not likely to help find the abducted people. We should let her be till at least until after she finishes the ship. Right now, they don¡¯t know where she is and have no way of tracking us either.¡± Conny and Swan faded from sight as they left Fred and Joe to plot the course through the rogue¡¯s solar system.

    Fred and Joe looked over the layout of the ships last locations and any known bases the rogue mages had. There were around six places likely to have some unidentified bases, and four were likely to have the abductees. Fred was wondering if Sky could upgrade the existing scanners with the new ones before entering hostile scanner range. He had a feeling his new awareness would come in handy. If his assumption was correct, he could follow the active scan back to its source and could spy on them through the established link. This concept was new to him, and he had to try it out

    Joe was wondering if the new type of controls could be used now on Little Tooth. He knew not to ask Sky it would delay building the ship. He watched Fred plot a course through the solar system. It was a very good plan of action, and he didn¡¯t have much to add. ¡°I think we should orbit the three largest planets to get a good passive scan. They¡¯re just a little too big to fly by quickly. I think with our new awareness we should be able to scan the entire surface with the passive scan and heightened abilities.¡±

    With the revisions made and doubled checked it was all settled on the course of action. It was going to take four days to pass through the solar system and make out all the most important updates on the rescue plans and capture details. Do you foresee anything getting in our way anytime soon?

    Fred looked off into the void of space to see if he could start a vision. It happened as if on cue Fred could see himself as if watching from a distant. He was addressing Jane and Sky on a vid screen that there were some more abductees near his location when a cloaked ship attacked their scout ship. It was multiple attack that somehow broke through her shields and disabled the ship. Sky was casting her healing spell as fast as she could to prevent a lot of damage. It looked like they were going after the rescued mages again and possibly Sky herself. Sky ended up retaliating with a beam of pure magic that burned out the rogue ships ability to absorb magic. She then hit them with another incantation to freeze them solid. She left them to get to where Fred had found the abducted mages and to free them.

    Fred and Joe were engaged in a battle with a small private armoured starship. They all seemed to have energy syphoning shields. A well-placed sphere could knock them down but would kill too easily. He saw out the corner of his eye the scout ship land to start the rescue of the mages he had found. This mission was proving to be more difficult because of the strange chaotic magic they used. Sky could break the spells once cast; but not as they formed. He was lucky to have William and Rocssanna on board because they could do the same.

    It was clear after the first engagement these rogue mages were after Titans. The magic they used was to stop nullifying effects the Titans had on magic. It only worked half way. They were only able to limit the distance and area they could dissipate most of the spells cast.

    Sky was taking an incredible amount of punishment form the entrenched mages. Jane started to be the focus of half the mages fighting. Sky had to cast more and more healing spells on Jane. She was killed or incapacitated over six times. In frustration, she started killing the mages that got in her way. Jane could do little to stop her; she too was kept alive by Sky¡¯s healing magic she was constantly feeding her. The spell was now focused on her and not wide range as before.

    Fred decided to change Sky¡¯s role to stop the killing of the rogue mages. His vision reset and Sky was now part of his crew, and never completed the new ship. The engagement went well till they reached the first large battle cruiser. The magic they held was at full strength, and they quickly outclassed Todd¡¯s crew and scout ship. Even with the new shields and the gold tomes and the multi-elemental gold tomes they were close to being overtaken. The strange magic was too much Sky seeing her new friends in such danger did something he could never have guessed she would do. In a fit of rage, she jettisoned herself out an airlock and grew to her true Titan form. Without hesitation wiped out every rogue ship within her reach, which was considerable. The vision ended with Sky floating in space unmoving. That was another unacceptable scenario.

    Fred was going to have to accept some of the rogue mages deaths to prevent the needless deaths of his crew. The rogue mages seemed to be mad with power, and the incantations seemed to make them unstable at best.

    Joe saw Fred go silent and knew he was having a vision of the future. What he wasn¡¯t expecting was his body go rigid then relax, and after a few moments, his fist clench and his body shake as if enraged. From what Joe knew of Fred¡¯s gift the future was not too appealing for someone. When his eyes opened, he was not too pleased with his choices.

    He turned to Joe. ¡°Sky is the most selfless being, even more so than her parents. I may have to let her be a monster to save countless lives. I would love to leave her out of this whole mess, but that is not an option if we want to live. She is going to keep us all alive and save all the abducted people yet over a quarter of the rogue mages are going to die at her hands. The chaotic magic the rogue mages hold is just too much to let live. I¡¯m going to talk to the Knights about Titans. There are a few questions I¡¯d like to ask them. Set the course we planned and inform me when we reach the border of the rogue mages sensor range. I¡¯ll be in the mess hall talking to the Knights. Fred got up and left with no further orders, walking in no particular hurry.

    Joe wanted to know what got him so upset but wasn¡¯t about to ask. He just did as he was asked and set about applying two of the multi-elemental tomes to his body. He knew as long as Sky was sharing, he would need no other magic. She certainly changed things in his life. Not even a week before the thought of any new crew would have had him questioning why. Now he can¡¯t seem to do much without her, and he has been trying to. It was her eagerness to help that got him hooked on using her. She was somewhat like a multi-tool you keep on finding new things she can do. She comes up with a way of helping in everything and in ways you can¡¯t turn down. Joe couldn¡¯t quite remember what life was like without her. She just fit in as if she was always there. She was the daughter he never had, and yet the tiny girl was his little hero.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Jane excused herself to get some rest since she was first to help Sky by casting the healing spells for her and the crew. She was also going to keep her company and help when or if she could. She knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to help much, but if there were a chance, she would be there.

    Rocssanna and William were cleaning up after preparing the fourth dish for Sky¡¯s soon to be frequent meals. It was going to be strange seeing her come and eat every few hours, but for her, it would be six or seven hours between meals. Rocssanna looked up from the dishes when William cleared his throat to see Fred standing at the entrance. He seemed hesitance in coming in, and he looked troubled. William motioned him in and fixed him a snack of fruit he was about to dry for Sky¡¯s in between bites.

    ¡°What¡¯s got you troubled big guy anything we could do to help you? By the look on your face, it¡¯s got something to do with our little angel.¡± When Fred took the offered seat, William placed a hand on his shoulder. The hand was not quite as hard as his daughters and much gentler with his touch. ¡°Relax and when you¡¯re ready to talk just let me know. We know being so young and giving her, NO allowing her to take on so much must not be easy for you. She is willing to anything she can to help out.¡± Rocssanna sat next to Fred.

    ¡°Let me tell you something that happened to Sky at school last year. It took a while; she managed to get her peers to see past her disabilities. Just as they could look past, she was not to touch anyone or play sports. She was still able to help them understand the lessons in the class of any subject. She was in most ways able to teach better than the teachers. Last year she tried to dress better so she would fit in even more. She was getting to like school and had a few friendships starting¡±.

    ¡°She was talking to another girl when a boy was running and crashed into her hard.¡± Rocssanna brought her fist and palm together creating thunder to effusive the impact. ¡°He hit her hard enough to knock out most of his front teeth and break his arm. She knew what to do in first aid, but could not do it herself. She tried to tell them what to do, but all they did was scream and ask her to do something. The only thing she could do is get a teacher, running in a crowded hall was not an option, so she walked to get a teacher to help. The teacher who heard the screaming ran to see what happened never even looked in her direction and ran past her¡±.

    Rocssanna got a little choked up while talking to Fred. ¡°My poor angel knew she couldn¡¯t help and started to cry herself feeling useless. Knowing what to do to help is one thing; doing something to help is another. She cried for almost two days saying she was useless and that she couldn¡¯t do one thing to help not one thing. She made a promise to us if there is ever a chance; she can help anyone she will without hesitation. She was never again accepted like was before after the accident.¡± Rocssanna had a few tears in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve accepted her help and made her your daughter along with Joe. You¡¯ve given her things she has dreamed of but could never do before. To Sky, you are her hero¡¯s by just letting her help out around the ship anyway she can. She loves you and Joe as she loves us.¡±

    Fred was speechless to what he found out. To him, he did so little for Sky, yet it meant so much to her. ¡°I don¡¯t know where to begin to tell you about the upcoming mission. She keeps placing herself in the middle of everything, and all I can do is work around her. I¡¯m the one feeling useless now and the help she offers anyone would be an idiot not to accept.¡±

    He covered Rocssanna¡¯s hand with his and Williams with his other. ¡°I don¡¯t think you know, but sometimes I can see the future of paths I can take. My visions have been more vivid since meeting Sky, and I can see further into the future also.¡± He was having a hard time telling them what he saw happen to Sky and what she was going to do. ¡°I going to have to let Sky kill people for the sake of many. I only looked down three paths. The last one starts the Titan war and is not an option.

    Fred shivered remembering his all too vivid vision. ¡°The first one Sky enters in close magical combat and kills dozens of Rogue mages, she, Jane saves all the abducted magic users there. The second one she jettisoned herself into space take on her full-size Titan body and killed just about all the rogue mages in the vicinity. I didn¡¯t continue the vision after she went motionless and started drifting in space. I didn¡¯t try to see further into that future after seeing her lifeless body. I think she died saving us all from the chaotic magic they use. I didn¡¯t even try seeing what happens to the abducted people in that time stream. It is also not an option.¡± Fred knew the Knights were going to have questions and he braced himself for the questions.

    ¡°Fred Titan can¡¯t die from being in space. We hibernate till we get to somewhere we can reanimate ourselves. In your vision, she was most likely sleeping waiting to get picked up. It¡¯s not easy to kill a Titan even for a Titan. We are pretty much indestructible to even other Titans. Sky, when she becomes an adult, is possibly the only one who would be able to kill us. If a Titan fell into a star while floating in space would be next to possible death, in fact, many Titans choose to end their long life in a star, and after all if the star dies someone can always dig them out again. What do you think of Sky killing to save you and your crew? Is it her age that bothers you or is it that you couldn¡¯t do it yourself to save her the need to do so¡±? She felt Fred give her hand squeeze that was what was bothering him.

    ¡°The mission is too much for this crew to do on its own. We should ask for back up and match the fanatical rogue in power. She shouldn¡¯t have to kill like I seen her in my visions. She just too young to kill even if it¡¯s people who would do no less to her or anyone else in their way. I had the impression of their building strength and magic to battle the Titan race. If not to take over the magic guild by force using the chaos magic. It seems to have a life of its own once casted and significant can-do damage to the target. I can¡¯t get the image of Sky killing so easily. At first, she tried so hard to render them unable to fight. That soon changed after she revived Jane the fifth or sixth time from death or close to it. She just started to kill them faster than I thought possible. Her speed and efficiency were mesmerizing. In the blink of an eye, fourteen grand mage class magic users were dead. She had taken some damage but seemed not to care.¡± Rocssanna¡¯s eye widened at that statement.

    ¡°Do you mean they managed to injure Sky with magic? That¡¯s impossible to do; no magic user could ever do that before. What you saw was something else Sky is even tougher than us. I doubt we could even injure her in a fight.¡± She turned to William and saw him shake with anger.

    He squeezed Fred¡¯s shoulder a little harder, and he winced in pain. ¡°What did you do to help Sky when you saw her getting injured? Where were you when they were hurting my little girl¡±? William did not look too friendly now.

    Fred was not the type to take things sitting down. Releasing Rocssanna¡¯s hand, he grabbed Williams with magically augmented strength and with surprising ease pulled if off his shoulder. ¡°You have no idea how my gift works. So, don¡¯t assume I stood there watching all this happen and did nothing. At the time this was happening to Sky, Joe and I were in a life and death battle to keep other mages from joining the ones trying to kill her and stop the rescue¡±. Fred¡¯s deep and powerful voice filled with anger would have left most people damp with sweat and other fluids. He stood over and looking down at William. Fred¡¯s muscles bulging, ready to tear a rogue mage apart. ¡°Do you think for one second, I would stand back and even let her kill someone if I could prevent it? You and Rocssanna told me to focus on the fight and Sky could take care of the ones down on the surface. You were the ones saying once she saved the last abducted mages the super magic they held would be cut off.¡±

    Williams eyes widened and tried to break free of Fred¡¯s grasp and couldn¡¯t without using his titan strength. It was then that something the three realized the fact he had four of the five elemental affinities did something to the nullifying effects the Titans had. Now they knew how Sky could get hurt by the rogue mages. It wasn¡¯t just the chaos magic they used that made them so dangerous. Fred let William go knowing if William was serious, he could have done other things to break free.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Fred this is the first time hearing of a Titan getting hurt by magic and my little daughter no less. Till now no other mages had more than three elemental affinities to be able to hurt a Titan. If this becomes common knowledge, there might be more magic users stealing affinities from others to restart the war.¡± William turned to Rocssanna, they must have had a private conversation, and all she did was nod her head.

    ¡°What are we going to do to keep her safe from these fanatical mages that can hurt her? She may even have the possibility of being killed by their magic. I know she is going to insist on going anyways and she is our best option to keep everyone alive. I wish there were better ways to get this done. In all the timelines, I considered she was the only one to be able to take them on with no collateral damage or at least no innocent people killed. Todd in the new ship could disable the smaller ships and some of the larger ones. That ended, and they found a way of stopping the railgun from working somehow. After that, they could hold their own against the larger ships.¡± He paced in front of the Knights not knowing what to do.

    Rocssanna stood before him, blocking his way. ¡°There is something that is not in your control and some things that are not within your rights to control. You can guide Sky in a direction, but once on course, she seems to move on a pace on one can match. You can give her nudges here and there, but she¡¯s the not stopping until she¡¯s run her course. She will desire to help as many people as she can now since she has not been able to help anyone when she was younger, that may change over time, maybe after a few hundred or so years.¡± She had a mixed look of pride and sorrow. ¡°She will put herself in harm¡¯s way and save those people she will be able to live with killing anyone willing to do what they did. They are not beings anymore in her eyes. They are dangerous monsters that hurt and kill people that happen to look like a race of human beings.¡± Rocssanna stopped to let Fred take in what she said.

    ¡°I guess I always knew she would insist on going to rescue those mages. Maybe this is what she was talking about, the purpose she was born to do. She is the only one who can beat them in a magical fight. Jane, a veteran in magical fights with equal if not more magic was begin killed repeatedly.¡± He paused to think. There was a huge weight on his shoulders that fate just dumped there. He was going to have to tell Sky about his visions and see what she makes of them. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell her after we make the pass through the solar system and make our plans for the rescue I¡¯ll check again for a vision. Thanks for listening and not thinking, well mostly not thinking I was letting her get hurt or do horrible things intentionally.

 Chapter Eight (part one) Getting Ready to Building a Ship

    Chapter Eight (part one)

    Getting Ready to Building a Ship

    Sky woke up to hear her roommate breathing softly in her sleep.  She looked over the edge of her bed and seen Jane in the bed below her.  Her dirty blonde hair was still up, and she looked at peace in her sleep.  With a glance, she saw her parents left the mess hall but had a breakfast set out on the table for everyone. Each plate and bowl had a cute name tag and a small stasis field over it to keep the dishes perfect for eating later.  She turned back to Jane and started to undone her hair.

    Jane felt a gentle caress on her head; it was and relaxing then it was gone.  Blinking her eyes open she seen a small cute face framed with long blue hair looking down at her.  She had the appearance of an angel with the radiant smile to match.  ¡°Did you have a nice nape Sky? I don¡¯t know about you, but it felt like I slept for hours.¡±  She said stretching out loving the extra space of the new bunk.

    ¡°Why thank you I did have a pleasant nap.¡±  She pulled her head back, so just her sparkling blue eyes were showing.  With the most delightful giggle, she added.  ¡°You slept for six and a half hours; you¡¯re really pretty while you sleep.  I would have undone your hair before; you just fell asleep so quickly I didn¡¯t have the heart to wake you.¡±  Her head pulled back from sight, and her furry feet were sliding out quickly followed by the rest of her. In seconds, she was standing on the floor wearing a bunny onesie with the hood pulled back.

    Jane smiled at the pajamas; secretly she wanted a puppy onesie.  Then it dawned on her what she had just said, six and a half hours.  With a jolt, she bolted up wide awake startling the bunny girl. ¡°I slept for over six hours; we¡¯re not going to get anything done sleeping the day away.  We¡¯ve got so much to do, and we¡¯re not going to do it on our backs sleeping.  Jane in seconds was out of her bed in just her underwear and a long t-shirt reaching just above her knees. On the back in faded words ¡°Hug me¡± was just visible. Sky did just that as Jane was making her bed.

    She was surprised feeling a tiny pair of arms wrap around her waist; hands clasp her abdomen and someone¡¯s body press against her back.  It was an odd sensation since the spells cast on her body; she never felt any physical contact like she now was.  She found herself enjoying the embrace. ¡°Sky, what¡¯s with the hug suddenly¡±?

    ¡°Your nightshirt says hug me on the back, and I always try to do as I¡¯m told.  Once at school a boy had a kick me sign taped to his back, I didn¡¯t kick him though.  It said kick me, not kill me so I told him about the sign and he thanked me.  I knew I could hug you and it was something you put on knowing it was there, so I thought you wanted hugs today.¡±

    Jane didn¡¯t quite know what to say.  Her logic made sense if you thought about it from the point of a young girl who never really seen a whole lot of the universe.  ¡°I appreciate the hug but we¡¯ve had to get going, I only meant to nap hour tops.  How could you let me sleep that long?  You know we¡¯re on a tight schedule to get your ship built.¡±  She stopped to look at Sky¡¯s smiling face still hugging her.

    ¡°You slept that long in here but out there you only slept about an hour and a half.  Before I went to sleep, I slowed down time to so I could sleep a little longer.  I was going to tell you sooner, but you fell asleep so quickly.¡±   She said finally releasing her from the hug with a smile.   She looked like just any other little girl; her outward appearance was very deceiving.   ¡°Do you want some tea before we go for breakfast?   We¡¯re going to have to eat a big meal before we start in the cargo room.¡±  Sky turned to face the wall in the direction of the room.  ¡°Todd, Courtney and Heather are still running the simulator in the new ship design.  I wonder if they can get used to the new control system.  There is a big difference between the new and the old one.¡±

    Jane turned to face the same direction and reached out to feel for her team members and could make them out as faceless shapes.  She could tell Todd from the girls.  But she couldn¡¯t tell Courtney and Heather apart.  They seemed just too much alike without seeing their faces.  ¡°Can you tell the difference between the two, I can¡¯t?   She asked not turning away from the forms she was watching.

    ¡°Close your eyes and feel for their presence as if they were standing in front of you.  You know what they were wearing last the differences in their postures.  They may look alike, but they give off their aura.  Once you do that picture what they look like and how they would look in the position they are now.¡±

    Jane did as she said and closed her eyes and imagined they were right in front of her in the same positions.  The process was quick, and their faces and bodies became clearer to imagine.  Now she could easily make out the two girls.  The images were not crystal clear, but they were easy to make out.  ¡°That¡¯s incredible, who taught you how to do that.  I can¡¯t believe no one teaches that in school or higher arcane education.¡±

    ¡°I had to learn to be aware of everyone around me even the ones around the corners.  Soon I could see everyone.  Now I don¡¯t even have to face in any direction to see what is around me.  I reach out and feel everything around me, and everything is clear in my head.   I should relax and take in my surrounds when I do that I can feel so much more.  The other beings in my body are part of me yet not.  I know they have an awareness of things outside of my body and can be in more than one existence at once.  I¡¯m boring you aren¡¯t I, let¡¯s have a quick cup end get breakfast¡±?  She didn¡¯t wait for a response and set out the tea set.  As she put the tea leaves in the pot, the water seemed pulled and heated from the air to make the tea.

    Jane enjoyed watching the little girl use her gifts as if it were the most natural way of doing things.  ¡°If you keep pulling water from the air around us our skin will start to dry out. You should get the water from a tap.¡±  Jane sat down for the tea with no other comment thinking of how to increase her awareness of the degree Sky had.

    ¡°Oh, I just got the water from the tap in the WC.  I like to aerate the water it tastes fresher that way.  Mommy taught me that she used to pour it back and forth two jugs when she had the time.  With magic, it¡¯s so easy to do now and simple.  We can call it instant tea; I can¡¯t wait to tell mommy I invented instant tea.¡±

    She looked so proud of herself. Jane didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her they had it over two thousand years ago.  ¡°Jane let me know if it tastes better than the artificial stuff in the packets from school.¡±  She handed the cup to her new big sister. Watching her take the first sip the tea was slightly bitter, and she had an idea why.

    ¡°It tastes pretty good; but did you twist the leaves so they would have more flavour, quickly.  When you twist or press the tea leaves, it can cause the tea to be bitter.  You seem to be handy with that time spell just put the pot in a fast timeline so it can brew faster to us.¡± She jested not thinking she would take her seriously.  ¡°You can add another spell to keep it hot and fresh after it¡¯s steeped.¡±  She smiles about to say she was joking.  That incantations are dealing with time was not to be taken lightly.  The girl just tapped the pot twice and said. ¡°Done and done.¡±

    ¡°We can try it out later right now I¡¯m kind of hungry, you should eat too.  You¡¯re going to be casting quite a few healing spells to keep everyone supper down, then their breakfast too.  I would race you but the corridors not clear.¡±

    Jane turned and felt outside with her awareness.¡± Joe¡¯s going for a snack or something.¡±  She was finding it easier to do every time she tried it.

    The two left to the room after they dressed, cleaned the teapot and cups.  Halfway to the mess, they meet Joe coming towards them.  ¡°Hi, Joe Sir have you seen the new ship design it looks cool doesn¡¯t it.  It''s base design is the Little Tooth¡¯s, but it made to take the bad guys out of service.  If you want, I could send you the specs of the ship too.  I will build the ship with a lot of the magic sigils impregnating the metals and framework.  It¡¯s going to take one-tenth of the energy to run, and the lights run on ambient energy. I managed to put in a few extra rooms to while being the same size on the outside it has close to ten times the space on the inside.  I hope the guilds don¡¯t see it.  I looked up some of the guilds building code of ethics, and I broke around ten of them if I were to sell the ship and not keep it for our private or military use.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°To answer your question, yes I did see it, and I tried the controls and the flight simulator.   Where did you get the design of the control and the way it operates?  It¡¯s like nothing I¡¯ve ever seen before.¡±  He asked his little Ensign.

    ¡°They were from a movie I watched when I was little.  The movie was fake, but to me, the controls looked cool and looked simple to operate.  The controls use thought and slight hand movements to operate the spacecraft.¡±  She looked up to him waiting for praise or even just a comment on if he liked the new control systems.  He saw the eager look in her eyes for remarks on his observation.  He just smiled at her as if to say ¡°what¡±?  She didn¡¯t want to ask and seem too impatient for his answer.  She just needed to know if he could adjust to the radically new controls.  ¡°So, what did you think?  Were they good, did you like them¡±?

    He feigned recognition of what she was after. ¡°Oh, I thought I told you they are amazing.  I¡¯ve tried some similar controls, but you¡¯ve got me hooked.¡±  Sky was beaming; he loved the new control system.  Joe continued, ¡°Next time I have tea, those biscuits have to be there.¡±  He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.

    Sky¡¯s face pinched up as she scowled at him.  She saw through his fa?ade and didn¡¯t want to hear anything else he had to say.  Jane chuckled to herself at their interactions

    ¡°You¡¯re just like an older brother giving his sister a hard time. Just tell her you were amazed and want it for Little Tooth after this mission is over, Sir.¡±  Jane said giving him a wink.

    He laughed, ¡°I guess I wasn¡¯t fooling anyone.  Are you sure you¡¯re just nine-years-old? I can¡¯t get over the fact they work so well with next to no practice. The simulations were incredible too where did you come up with them?  Now his face showed his true feelings.

    ¡°I¡¯m not just nine-years-old.¡±  She smiled at the shocked look on their faces.  ¡°I¡¯m nine and seven-eighths almost ten.  If you go by Earth years, I¡¯m almost thirteen and a half.  I like to say I¡¯m nine and I¡¯m developing at a normal rate.¡±  She said looking over to Jane, who just nodded in understanding with a smile.

    ¡°We¡¯re just going to get a bite to eat and then start on the ship.  I¡¯m started up on the healing then Courtney, Heather, and Todd.  After that, it¡¯s up to you and Fred if you want a turn.  You don¡¯t have to if you have other things to do, our crew can handle it if we need to.¡±  Jane said putting an arm around Sky and pulled her close.

    ¡± Hay she was part of my crew first, get your own Sky.¡±  He smiled and laughed at the little girl¡¯s face.  It was the first time someone fought over her.

    Sky felt her heart swell up and she felt real happiness come over her.  She was going to make this ship and the Little Tooth the best she could.  ¡°I¡¯m part of Fred¡¯s crew which we all are now as for my team, that¡¯s Jane and me.  We are the search, rescue and first-aid team.¡±  Sky put her arm around Jane, and they held each other.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ve just had a small snack, so I¡¯m good.  So, enjoy your meal and have a good time building the ship.  I¡¯ll be passing by now and then even when I¡¯m not there to help with the healing.¡±  He turned to leave and remembered to ask her something.  ¡°Could you tell Conny when you¡¯re about to open your pocket space sack of rocks and start bringing out the rocks for processing.  That way we can give everyone a heads up, and not taken by surprise.¡±  He continued his way with a wave.

    ¡°Sometimes I wish we didn¡¯t joke around as much as we do.  I don¡¯t mind it most of the time, and I did start the teasing first.  Maybe I¡¯ll become a little more mature as I get older, like mommy and daddy.¡±  Sky said as they reached the mess hall.

    Jane gave Sky¡¯s statement a thought and remembered how Rocssanna and William interacted.  ¡°I doubt that you¡¯ll be any more mature if you¡¯re to go by your parents.  They seem to pretty easy going and teased each other and even me a little too.¡±  Jane looked around in the empty mess with a single piece of paper on a table.

    Sky was the first too pick-up the note.

    ¡°Dear little Angel

    There is a meal in stasis in the first cupboard for you and Jane and some snacks.  I know how you like your snacks while you work.  You can share them with Jane, Joe, and Fred when they show up from time to time.  Don¡¯t work too long without regular meals, if you don¡¯t Willy or I should drag you away for your nutritional intake.  Take care.

    Love you dearly Mommy and Daddy.¡±

    She smiled at the note and the thoughtfulness of her parents; she could sense them sleeping peacefully not far off.   The cupboard in question opened to reveal an enormous pot with a slight glow around it.   Walking to the pot another door opened with bowls in it.

    Jane seen the doors open and went to the bowls and was almost hit by another drawer opening right in front of her.  She looked to Sky and seen a smirk on her face.  Nope, not going to be mature any time soon.  She took out two spoons, one still in the drawer shook slightly, and she picked it up.  The weight was different and had a slight dull sheen to it.  A closer inspection revealed a name stamped in it, SKY.  She proceeded to get a large bowl for herself, and the even larger bowl she had come to know was Sky¡¯s.   She was already waiting for her.  As she poached the waiting girl, there was a low rumble coming from her, and a slight flush to her cheeks appeared.

    ¡°It¡¯s another one of my favourites, and I know it¡¯s going to be one of yours.¡±  As soon as her bowl hit the table, a portion of the stew rose out of the pot and broke a stasis field.  The delicious smell wafted from the food causing her new sister stomach to rumble also.   The sound coming for Sky reminded her of better days almost making her forget her problems.

    She watched the little girl use her gift for mundane tasks as if it were nothing.  She didn¡¯t know moving objects with power actually quite wasteful, only high and archmages did to show somewhat off.  Sky did it out of sheer hunger and not knowing how wasteful it was for many magic users.  Once Sky served the food into the bowls, Jane handed her a spoon, and they started eating right away.  The flavour of the stew exceeded the smell by a large measure.  She was going to be spoiled eating like this all the time.  She watched Sky¡¯s reaction and a look of bliss pasted over her face.  ¡®Eating must have been one of the few joys she had growing up.  It was hard to believe the little girl, not a week before had no idea magic was real.  She could do so much already it was scary to contemplate.

    Jane was sitting across from Sky watching her eat, and the stew was going down faster than it should have.  ¡°Sky are you using magic to eat your stew¡±?

    ¡°No, can¡¯t you see me using my hands, I¡¯m not eating that much faster am I¡±?  She said blushing and now conscious of how she ate her food and ate slower.

    ¡°No, I can see you are using your hands; it just that the level of food is going down quicker than it should or don¡¯t you see that¡±?

    ¡°I don¡¯t bother thinking of how it happens. I accept it as how things are while I am eating.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t quite happy with Sky¡¯s answer, and she couldn¡¯t say anything about it.  She said she didn¡¯t know; she didn¡¯t know.  Wanting to change the subject Jane asked her a different question.  ¡°What do you want to do when you get older with your life or had planned before?  Now that you know magic real has your plans changed¡±?

    Sky looked thought full for a second.  ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to do for a job or career.  I did want to do something to help people in need.  I just had to find a way how to do it.  Now I can help others with the gifts I have.  It¡¯s just a matter how and when I¡¯ll learn to help others.¡±  She gave a slight pause; I guess I¡¯m helping now aren¡¯t I¡±?  She smiles and channeled more stew in her bowl and checked her sister¡¯s bowl level.  Jane noticed and covered her bowl with one hand.

    ¡°I just ate a few hours ago; I can¡¯t eat that much so soon after waking.  I¡¯ll eat more at lunchtime and dinner, so don¡¯t worry about me.¡±  Jane smiled and finished her early breakfast.

    Sky finished her breakfast soon after and used her magic to scour the dishes clean.  She quickly picked up the dishes and put them away before Jane could even react.  After she put another stasis field over the food, she smiled and retrieved the snacks her mommy prepared for her and her friends.

    Jane could sense Sky excitement as she made her way the cargo bay.  She understood why when they walked in.  She could see Todd, Courtney and Heather were still in the virtual model and running the simulations.   They boarded the ship for the first time, and Jane''s eyes grew wide at the difference between the ships.  The girl was in front of her looking at the ship she would soon be building.  Once she reached the bridge, she noticed two things Jane was far behind and everyone seated was in a state of exhaustion.  She quickly cast a healing spell, and everyone looked up.  They were too engrossed to notice their own body¡¯s condition.

    Todd was the first one up shortly after Courtney and Heather.  ¡°Where did you get the idea for the controls and the operating system?  They are amazing to use, so intuitive to everyone¡¯s actions and thoughts.  The simulations are really good too though they seem familiar.¡±

    Courtney nudged Todd aside and tried to take sky¡¯s hand and felt her unyielding flesh.  ¡°Oh, Sky it¡¯s just amazing what you¡¯ve done with the ship.  I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re going to build this in three days regardless of the time distortions you¡¯re going to use.   So where did you get the ideas for all of this?

    Heather was hanging off Courtney¡¯s side waiting for the answer.

 Chapter Eight (part two) Getting Ready to Building a Ship. Jane a Spy??

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    Chapter Eight (part two)

    Getting Ready to Building a Ship

    Jane a Spy??

    ¡°I got the idea for the controls and the operating system from a movie. The simulations I modified from the Empires own training sim; I just enhanced the vid quality. The rest of the stuff on the ship are all the possible upgrades. I even added the ones not added due to space constrictions since with my magic I don¡¯t seem to have any. By the way, I broke more than ten guild laws if this ship were to be sold or used outside of the military service. So please don¡¯t tell anyone about her you don¡¯t have to. So, you like the new design of the inside.¡± Smiling that they seemed to like it.

    The three looked somewhat apprehensive. ¡°We somewhat just came here first and didn¡¯t see much of the ship., We wanted to try using the new controls before looking around the ship. We didn¡¯t want to let you down, and so far, we¡¯ve passed each simulation. I¡¯ll tell you truthfully; it¡¯s your controls and operating system that makes it so easy to pass. When I was taking the flight course back in training, I was top of my class and only passed eighty-five percent of my flight sims. I¡¯ve always gone with my gut feelings and in the previous controls and systems never quite kept up with my intentions, and I found myself repeating an action more than once, and it never ended well after doing that. I haven¡¯t seen much of the ship, but if the rest were the size of a linen closet, I¡¯d be happy to fly her and call her my own.¡±

    ¡°So how do you like the visual effects of the bridge the three hundred and forty-degree view with integrated, intuitive zoom and data info? I got that idea from how I can see things now. When you look out the vid screen, it¡¯s almost like how I see things without any tech.¡±

    No one said a word as they realized just how different she was. ¡°You do anything like ordinary people; you even laugh super cute. I wish I were half as talented as you, with only maybe a tenth of your strength and incredibly solid body. I could make do with a thousandth of your magic and with just one more affinity.¡± Courtney laughed at her words and wishes. Heather just popped shoulder with a light punch.

    ¡°Dame Girl, you¡¯re making her blush, and she does that super cute too. Makes you want to hug, squeeze her and then give her a big wet kiss on the cheek.¡± Heather could even see Sky¡¯s ears redden at the tips and smiled.

    ¡°Hey stop teasing my little angel. If anyone can hug, squeeze her and give her a big wet kiss on the cheek, it will be her big sister Jane. Aren¡¯t I right my little angel¡±?

    Sky didn¡¯t know what to say or how to react. The things they were saying were the truth to how they felt about her. A few tears of joy rolled down her cheeks, and at that moment she wished she was soft, soft enough to hug THEM, squeeze and big wet kiss on the cheek. She realized what she was going to do and she started with Jane. ¡°I would like to make you all part of my family, this may sound strange, but I¡¯m going to hug each of you to seal the bond.¡±

    She had turned to Jane first and encircled her slightly taller frame with her arms. Jane felt the power flow into her, and she felt a rush of euphoria enter her body, and she remembered the feeling from before when she got the hug while fighting the aliens for Sky. She felt a swell in her elemental wells as she received links to what felt like an unlimited magical power. Tears flowed from her eyes as she understood what this meant. Sky pulled back and gave her a brief kiss.

    Courtney was next and was a little leery at Janes reaction to the hug and kiss on the cheek. The questioning glanced was answer with a nod as she wiped the few stray tears away. Sky waited for Courtney¡¯s arms to open. When they did she gently wrapped her arms around her barely touching her before releasing her hold on her elemental gifts to pass them and connect her to the vast wells of power. Courtney¡¯s eyes widened as she felt the surge of magical energy enter her body and an awareness of something new. She felt the love that this little girl had for life and a deep need for protecting those lives of the innocent till proven otherwise. A peace washed over her that transcended the plan of existence she knew. Her emotions ran wild with the happiness Sky shared with her and tears ran down her face freely. She knew she was different on a metaphysical level. Sky pulled back, and Courtney bent over to receive her kiss on the cheek which was meant to be gentle but may have caused a bruise regardless.

    Sky turned to Heather next and embraced her as she did the others. Heather felt the connection to Sky and closed her eyes as it bathed her in powerful magic. She had a feeling of something new within her being. Her magic felt different from before in some way. She felt loved and cared for as if by a mother, she never had all the hardship were just something that had to happen to lead to this one moment in time. She felt enraptured in the girls embrace, and her life was now part of something much greater than herself. Tears of joy ran down her face unabashed knowing of the loving trust she held. She too did not hesitate to receive the bruising kiss on the cheek.

    Todd watched the women of his team silently shed tears. The battle-hardened women each of them reduced to tears by a simple hug. He did not want to end up with tears in his eyes regardless of what type they were. When Sky turned to him he was going to say; ¡®I¡¯ll pass for now.¡¯ Before the words formed on his lips, he remembered his team with Sky and he was left alone outside of the bubble and what he missed. Was his manly pride worth missing out on something so great as to have the toughest women he ever knew reduced to tears? NO. He had to kneel because of the height difference to receive his brotherly hug.

    As if she knew of internal troubles she whispered in his ear. ¡°Fred and Joe had tears after the hug too.¡± Todd was just as well muscled as Joe yet taller than Fred. He felt something like a tsunami of elemental energy pushing into his core with it a connection to something greater than he felt possible. It was given to him freely and asked nothing but love in return. He felt a deeper connection to his gifts than ever. The feelings were almost overwhelming as power cascaded his core causing new magical networks. In his life, he had to work or fight for just about everything. Now he was being given a gift like no other worth more than everything he owned.

    This tiny girl was offering, no giving it to him freely just because he treated her like a kid sister. He wasn¡¯t even overly kind to her. He was reflecting on his past interactions with her. He had punched her with magically augmented strength even though nothing happened to her.e ha He had also tried to knock her down in a sparring match. He treated her as a rival, not a friend. Now she was offering him a gift and not asking for any compensation in return. \

    How could this tiny girl wriggle into his heart so quickly? She represented the life he wishes he had, loving parents and power to help others without having to work for it. He wanted to know more of the girl¡¯s past to understand how and why she could, and was sharing so freely what so many people coveted so exceedingly. During the hug, he started to see spells and incantations all around the new and old. Looking to Jane, he saw the mess of spells around her. It was chaotic and unfathomably complex he wanted to see more.

    He saw part of the spell she had used the increase the size of the room. Most of it was out of his field of view. She was truly gifted like no other he has ever met. She pulled back and had a damp patch on her shoulder. He realized then it was from tears, his tears. Tears of happiness, tears of a gift and connection to something so great it was beyond measure. He received his bruising kiss and gave her one of his own on her forehead saying ¡°thank you, little sis.¡± As he stood up his ability to see the old spells and incantations faded away. The last ones he saw were the ones on Jane¡¯s body and shuddered at the sight of the sheer madness of the castings.

    Sky saw his reaction and at first, wondered what about Janes unsettled him. Then she recalled that he could see recently casted spells. She wiped at some wet spots on her cheeks and without any real expression asked Todd. ¡°You can see the spells crafted on her, can¡¯t you? Could you tell me if you have seen or heard of anything like them? It could help me unravel the chaotic magic they used on her.

    ¡°I could see them briefly but not anymore. It only lasted for a few seconds after you broke off the hug. I have never seen any or heard of any magical spells like them. Even looking at the mess of the spells made my head hurt. I could see all the magic ever used on everything in here but you. Is that what you see all the time when you look around? Can you see magic castings everywhere you look? Another thing is why do I have an urge to use magic to do everything? Todd didn¡¯t know when to stop asking questions.

    She just chuckled at all the questions he had while the girls explored their gifts with the new awareness they had. ¡°Yes, I can see any magical castings and copy them. Though when I see them, I see other ways of making them better. A lot of spells have sloppy math and lack imagination in their crafting. Take the ranged punch you modified. You cleaned up some of the sloppy math, but it was still very unimaginative. It had no flare, like food with no spices. Magic as far as I¡¯m concerned can be used creatively and with style. Any spell has from what I see is made up of three or more parts, function, flare and intent. You have to balance them together, and they become one spell.¡± She smiled at the reaction of her take on magic uses. ¡°Oh, since I linked your wells to mine I guess you¡¯ll feel some pressure in your core. It¡¯ll be as if you never used magic for a while and your well was overflowing. You''d get used to it after a couple of days and will find it easier to use your true affinities if Fred and Joe¡¯s experience were to go by.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°So you can change the spell by a mathematical equation formula. I know there is math that can be used to form some spells. The math is unreasonably complex, and few people can use the math to change a spell. Most people change spells by using parts of other spells with the quality they want. So, who taught you the mathematics of spellcasting¡±? Todd asked because that¡¯s how he changes the ranged punch spell. Through trial and error were how a lot of the spells changed after they originally were written. How do you mean I cleaned up some sloppy math? I never used math to clean up any spell. I know the theory of the mathematics it takes, but I don¡¯t understand how it works.¡±

    ¡°I learned some from a book from the library at least the simple explanation, but the rest l learned from the intergalactic web. Some of the spells you can see how they¡¯re going to work by how the magic would flow through them. Magic should flow smoothly and in the most direct path possible. If you look at most, well a lot of the spell I upgraded if you look close enough at all the part of the spell I just reorganized the sigils so the magic would flow more efficiently within the casting.¡±

    Jane looked at one spell she knew well and looked for an update on it, and there wasn¡¯t one. It was a spell given to her from the mage who was somehow involved in the spell she was currently stuck in. She wanted to say something but found the words wouldn¡¯t form in her mouth. She realized something was preventing her from telling anyone about it. She had to get Sky to see the spell and can understand how the spells work. Sky had already gone through her tablet and not found the strange spell. The mages must have encrypted it in a way hidden from others. She noticed Sky looking at her, and there was a look of concern in her eyes. Jane wondered if Sky had pick-up on her discomfort.

    Sky took her hand ¡°what¡¯s wrong you went pale and then silent. Is there anything wrong do you want me to fix a spell for you¡±? Sky asked thinking she might be able to help her more. There are some magic spells and sigils in there I know nothing about their purpose. I would have deleted them because they were so sloppily made. They weren¡¯t mine so I left them alone.¡±

    Jane held up her tablet and managed to croak out ¡°spell¡± before she lost consciousness. Sky caught her before she fell even a tiny bit and called to the others, needlessly. They all took notice at Sky asking the question. They tried to get her to bring her on to the scout ship. Sky just told them she is taking her home. ¡°Conny inform Fred, Jane is down and unconscious from an unknown spell. I think she¡¯s a spell on her that can allow a type of spying. I¡¯ll bring her to my house because it stops magic from going through it. Before she passed out, she held up her tablet and said ¡°spell.¡± I¡¯m going to go through her spells again and see what I find provided. Todd permits me to go through her files if I find nothing in her MAD side of her tablet.¡±

    Todd while following her into the house heard her reason and what she wanted to. ¡°Does it if you think you can help her? She has nothing to hide that means risking her life or health.¡±

    They all followed Sky into her house, and a large neatly kept bedroom. The bed had no sheets on it but looked comfortable as Jane was gentle set down. The room had a few books in rough condition with strange rubber sticks beside the stacks. There was a couple of comfy looking chairs and a desk. There was a small window into the darkness from being in the sack.

    Sky gently took Janes hand and stroked it with care. Everyone felt a gentle caress across their whole body, and a calmness relaxed them all. She then took hold of the MAD tablet with her hand, and it started to glow slightly. She stopped moving entirely, now even breathing. It seemed like forever before she moved again, her hand went to Jane¡¯s head and gently stroked her forehead. She looked over to everyone with a few tears in her eyes. I don¡¯t know what caused it, but she locked into her subconscious. I can reach a little bit, and she¡¯s not in any pain, but she can¡¯t move or speak. There are some things on her tablet I can¡¯t see. Todd Sir I know you don¡¯t like when I enter in you, but I would like you to join me because of your gift to see spells. Would you help me find out if you can see the spells that are affecting her? With your natural gift and my natural five affinities we might be able to see the spell that is causing the problems.¡±

    Without hesitation, Todd stepped beside her and asked. ¡°What is it you want me to do¡±?

    Just place your hands where mine is now and open your mind to new ideas and feelings. Reach past your current awareness and into Jane¡¯s tablet relax most of all and let your mind focus on the new sensations.¡±

    He laid his hands over hers and held the warmth of her small body and unyielding flesh. He watched again in amazement as the girl stepped back out her body and into his. Heat spread through him, and a feeling of power to do anything he wished encompassed him. A stray directed his awareness thought on to Jane¡¯s wrist tablet, and it became like a huge open book giving up all its contents as if crisp, clean pages. He flipped through to the index and found a large section unidentified spells. Todd opened the folder, and at first, it seemed empty. He felt something pushing him to consider the folder with all his senses, and odd spells became visible the more he pressed his awareness. He leafed through the spells as if on autopilot and one was opened.

    In a different colour, as the spell was the text, this is the one. A voice in his head spoke to him. ¡°Before we wake her up we¡¯ve got to disable an incantation that I think is sending some feedback or other information. More of the pages were being flipped through, and two more were brought out as marked for study. Todd felt an urgency he couldn¡¯t control and understood it wasn¡¯t his. The same voice as before screamed it¡¯s not in here, where is it? The folder closed and it showed all the main folders, one after another were opened at an impossible rate. Nothing was found in any of them, and he heard a growl of frustration. He sent out a thought not knowing if he could reach her. ¡°Calm down and take it easy, we¡¯ll find it, whatever you¡¯re looking for.¡±

    He felt the physical Sky take a deep breath and relax her body, though it felt no different under his touch. ¡°Thank you,¡± he heard in his head and ears.

    The folders blurred and refocused three times and an additional folder appeared named Miscellaneous appeared at the bottom. It opened, and the spells had odd names on them as they opened he knew they were the ones they wanted. The resemblance of the ones on Jane¡¯s body matched, and they were still active. He felt tension leave him and felt an awareness leave his body. The tablets folders started to fade as he felt Sky¡¯s conscience leave him. It was like losing a friend that he knew his whole life. Something stayed behind, and it was a little comforting; he had yet to find out what. Seeing Sky smile back at him warmed his soul, and he could feel a little deeper.

    Sky held her hand over Jane¡¯s tablet, and Todd could see the complex spell circle with strange sigils in it. He still felt no magic coming from it as the spell was charged with all five elements. Sky was placing odd looking spells all over Jane¡¯s body and powerful magic coursed through her. After what seemed like the hundredth incantation she shook Jane, and she woke up.

    ¡°What happened, I feel so strange, and my head hurts. Did someone jump on my head to see how tough it was¡±? Only after she spoke did she realize she was in a strange bedroom surrounded by friendly faces. Todd, what happened to me I feel so strange right now¡±? She saw her little angel encompassed by his towering frame.¡± OH Sky, I need to tell you I found a strange spell on my tablet that might help unravel the spells on my body.¡± The face she looked into was crestfallen and didn¡¯t meet Jane¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I can¡¯t undo the spells; no one can, it¡¯s impossible to do. You¡¯ll have to wait for them to dissipate on their own, now that there is no more magic feeding them. We have some other problems to deal with now too. The rogue mages may have some of the updated spells thanks to me upgrading your MAD tablet. Before they were most likely to be able to locate you and see something through your eyes. After the upgrade seeing, hearing and reading a lot of things you did. They know we''re coming and they know we¡¯re going to rescue the abducted magic users. They know we''re going to have three ships coming for them and that we have more powerful spells which they might have a few. It is now more important that we build a new ship than ever. Jane if you feel up to it I would like to start right away? Right now, the rogue mages are expecting us anytime now because they just lost their link to spy on us.¡± She looked at Jane for her answer

    She looked to her teammates and smiled letting them know she was okay. ¡°I think other than I feel a little weird, I¡¯m good to go. So, did you managed to break the spells that made me solid and super strong¡±?

    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t dispel the magic because it¡¯s already in disarray. The sigils make no real sense and are unnatural to the nature of the magic of our elements. It¡¯s as if it has no elemental affinity at all or at least one she knew nothing of.¡± Sky helped Jane off the bed not that she needed it. She knew it was a matter of time before she was not going to be able to touch her after the spell wore off. Then again there were better spells she had come up with that were better and easy to disable or dispel.

    ¡°Ensign Sky could you send me a report on what just happened and what you think is going to happen? I just got a strange image of future events, and I don¡¯t quite like it. We need to talk ASAP. I don¡¯t like being in the dark on my ship.¡± Before he got a chance to finish there was a chime that a report had been sent. ¡°Thanks for the report but I still want to talk to you.¡± Fred opened the report and seen how detailed it was. If there was anything about Sky, she was defiantly thorough in her report. It would take him three days to read the complete report. There was even a transcript of the whole situation from beginning to end. There was a disturbing list of all the spells they could have gotten through the backdoor they installed on Jane¡¯s tablet. She even said it might have been her fault that the Rogue mages have the spells in the first place.

    ¡°Can we talk when it¡¯s your turn to do the healing castings? Jane and I would like to get started as soon as possible. The time we finish our recon must build the ship. We need it if we are going to succeed in the mission. They are going to have a lot more power to use even if it¡¯s just a few more spells.¡± Sky looked to the people around her and frowned. ¡°To offset the stolen spells, I¡¯m going to tweak a few offensive incantations, and hopefully it will work. Mind you I don¡¯t like to improve ways of killing people or destroying stuff. I¡¯m only going to do it for us; you¡¯re not to share it with the military. I¡¯m not going to change them back after so don¡¯t go killing anything you feel like.¡± She looked like she was pleading with them and they all nodded in a silent vow.

    She reached over to Todd¡¯s MAD tablet on his wrist and touched it. Her eyes closed and seconds later they popped open with a look of remorse. ¡°I tweaked the top twenty offensives spells that you used most often. Don¡¯t even open them in anywhere that is not protected from magic spells if you want to try any of them use the practice room. If I had time, I would reinforce the protection spells in there, but you¡¯ll have to do it. The spell is in your tablet so you can do it yourself.¡± She repeated the process on Courtney¡¯s and Heather¡¯s wrist tablets.

    She took Jane¡¯s hands into her own with a slightly forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not going to upgrade your spells just yet; because I¡¯m not sure just yet if the bubbles I put over, you are working a hundred percent. If the rogue mages get their evil hands on the spells, who know what could stop them, I might not be able to do much against the brute force of that type of magic.¡± She rubbed her thumbs across the back of Jane¡¯s hands with a smile. When the rescue starts, I¡¯ll give you the spells then, it will be too late to decrypt them once it starts.¡±

    They walked out of her house with a sense of wonder with the new power and affinity. They all felt invincible as they left to go to the practice room as Sky suggested. Todd turned to watch Sky as she effortlessly moved everything to the sides of the huge room to make space for her to work. He could make out the circles of sigils that made up the complex spell she used. As he looked around, he saw faint circles of spells used in the past many overlapping the other. He smiled to himself at what it meant for him. She had enhanced his magical gift to see spells.

 Chapter Nine Building a Spaceship in Three Days

    Chapter Nine

    Building a Spaceship in Three Days

    Conny¡¯s voice was heard ship-wide as the announcement of the Shipbuilding was about to start soon.  There was a warning of possible vertigo and nausea as the pocket space was going to be opened and large objects are taken out.  It was only moments later when everyone felt the first spheres taken out of the pocket space from under the ship.  The wave of nausea wasn¡¯t as bad as they expected, but the constant feeling would wear them out.

    Out of curiosity, Fred asked Conny to show the mouth of the pocket space.  He wished he hadn¡¯t.  The opening was as if a black hole had opened and the Little Tooth was about to be swallowed up.  He couldn¡¯t tare his eyes away as sphere after sphere came up out of the space that was neither here nor there. How she did it was a mystery to him there was no real object to anchor the incantation to, yet it followed the ship.  After a few moments, it was too much it was overwhelming to see. After asking Conny to turn the vid off, he thought of the magical energy to move all that material around let alone process it.

    Joe was walking towards the cargo bay when the pocket space opened, and a feeling of vertigo hit him.  It didn¡¯t make him feel sick just disorientated for a second.  He realized a different healing spell was used this time.  The new spells effects lasted longer than the ones before.  He was going to ask the little lady later how many healing spells she had now.  Looking up one of the corridors he saw Todd, Courtney, and Heather walk into the training room.  He thought of calling out to them, but they had already left the doorway.

    As he approached the cargo bay entrance, he didn¡¯t see any sign of Sky or Jane.  He was about to turn to leave and caught something out of the corner from his eye.  A liquid seemed to spray on to the floor of the cargo bay from the open bay ramp.  At first, it looked like a puddle until it filled out a pattern drawn on the floor.  Once the pattern was filled in a second metal joined the first, and it made sigils on the surface.  A  series of complex sigils that looked like circuitry was formed in the metal.  A second of the original liquid metal covered it.  There still was no sign of Sky or Jane in the room until he took a step inside.  Sky was tracing out more shapes on the floor and getting ready to make more parts.

    As she finished the third shape, the second was being filled up.  It was strange seeing her work on two things at once without any visible difficulty.  The shapes looked familiar, but they were too big and stuck together.  Sky was starting to move faster, and he spotted Jane in the far side casting healing spells in steady timed increments.  He kept out of Sky¡¯s way as she worked; the four pieces were finished and slid to the side.   As if she just spotted him, she gave him a small wave he waved and started to walk over to her.

    Sky motioned him to stop.  ¡°Sorry, Joe Sir I can talk to you on my lunch break. But right now, I¡¯m a little behind, and I¡¯d like to make up for the lost time.¡±  She went back to drawing out more ships on the floor, and a nearly constant stream of liquid poured up the ramp as if passing through a pipe.  The plates of metal were just about three centimetres thick and had runes and sigils along the edges of them.

    Jane in between casting the healing spells called out to him and waving her hand to get his attention. ¡°Joe Sir your kind of in the way, why do you think I¡¯m in this corner?  It¡¯s not liked the view is great; she needs as much space as possible.  If you come over here with me, I can show you what she¡¯s done so far.¡±

    He looked over to Sky, who without looking up waved him across in a hurry-up motion.  He noticed three more pieces finished off to the side.  Joe jogged over to stand beside Jane who had cast another healing.  ¡°So, she¡¯s got six pieces done so far, and how many to go¡±?

    She laughed and pointed up to one side.  Along the ceiling of the room were multiple pieces much smaller than the ones she finished working.  Joe looked out to see Sky fading in and out of sight.  The two lines of liquid were filling up the drawn shapes much quicker now.  The floor had three shapes yet to be filled at any given time.  ¡°She too polite to tell you-you''re in the way.  She slowed down so you could see her working because she didn¡¯t want to seem rude.  After she found out about the spells, the mages put on me.  She¡¯s been pushing to finish as quickly as possible.  I know she feels bad for letting the rogue mages steal some of the tweaked spells she had made.¡±

    Jane smiled watching Sky work so hard, yet she made it look so easy to do.  ¡°Oh, sorry Joe Sir here a list of the parts she needs for the bottom and the left and right side of the craft.   Once she completed these, she going to stop for lunch.  By the way, she¡¯s working another two and a half hours.  It¡¯s ingenious how she¡¯s putting in the magic runes and sigils inside of the metal plating.  She can perform much of the upgrades to Little Tooth, but this one is impossible without remaking it from scratch.  The neatest thing about the new ship it will have no visible ports from the outside and the inside no visible bulkheads unless you want them.  All without using hardly any magic and none of your own.  Any friction on the ship is going to be power to the ship. Just walking on the ship will power something else. Magic attacks will most likely just be used right back at them.¡±   Jane was casting healing every time a light flashed on her devices screen.  She saw Joe looking at her wrist computer.  ¡°I¡¯ve got a program running to let me know when Sky has used enough magical energy to start magic burn. I cast the healing just before it starts, and this one spell has a lasting effect. So far it¡¯s proving beyond satisfactory after the first wave of vertigo I haven¡¯t felt it since.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Joe looked over to where Sky was working, and the whole room had sketches on the floor.  The piped in liquid metal doubled, and the forms filled twice as fast.  She stood in the centre with her eyes closed as if asleep on her feet.  Her hair was down waving in an unseen breeze, and it seemed to have an inner light.

    Jane gave a yon and tapped her tablet and smiled.  ¡°We¡¯re going for lunch as soon as she finishes filling in the last parts she¡¯s drawn.¡±

    They watched in silence as four pipes finished the last form.  The little girl¡¯s body slumped slightly as the pipes went still.  Jane leaped over the now finished parts to Sky lifting her in her arms.   ¡°You¡¯re doing great sis.  But you shouldn¡¯t push yourself so hard.  And don¡¯t even think of saying you¡¯re not, you¡¯re all sweaty under your uniform.  We¡¯re going to take a quick shower, to eat, and have a tiny nap. I''m sure Sky doesn¡¯t mind him asking questions while we eat.  That way you can practice sending text vids during your meal.¡±  She smiled and started to walk carrying her as she slipped off to sleep.

    ¡°It¡¯s got to be tuff to being new to magic. How can she use so much magical power with only a month of practice?  Jane asked Joe the rhetorical question.  ¡°I still find it hard to believe how much magical energy she holds in her wells.¡±

    He paused to stroke a little hair from her face.  Joe thought Sky looked so fragile sleeping in Jane¡¯s arms.   ¡°I wish we could help her more, but she¡¯s doing so many things no one¡¯s thought of even trying.  I guess most mages don¡¯t think of doing the things they don¡¯t have the power to do.  If you have nearly unlimited power, you can dream pretty big¡¯.

    I think I know what you mean, why dream of jumping over a tall building.  If you can¡¯t even jump over two metres, Sky can think of flying if she wants to.  I bet she could do if she put her mind to the possibility.¡±   Jane paused to kiss Sky¡¯s forehead as she slept.  ¡°Did you know she gave us another affinity and linked us to her wells of power?  She also fixed the spell on me, and we have to let it dissipate on its own.¡±

    Joe smiled at the care Jane used in carrying her new little sister.  ¡°I read some of the reports she sent Fred.  They were very thorough and detailed, the brief description that could have past as a report on its own.  She even sent a transcript of the conversation before, during and after you lost consciousness. They exit the cargo bay as Fred came out his quarters to walking alongside.

    Fred¡¯s presence caused Todd to fall back; then corridor wasn¡¯t made to giant men  ¡°I think I¡¯ll do the next spell shift and let Todd and yourself, get some practice in with your new gift and magical power.  You¡¯ll need to be ready for anything when working with Sky.  Your mission with her will be extremely dangerous once they start losing their stolen magic and extra elemental affinities.  They¡¯ll soon be after you two, and you¡¯ll have to use everything she gave you.¡±

    Jane just nodded her agreement not wanting to wake the tiny girl.

    Fred gave the girl fawned look.  At times like this, he missed his own two daughters. ¡°Try and practice the more complex shields and focused healing spells.  You don¡¯t want to be healing everyone around you including the ones you¡¯re fighting.  You also want to get used to casting anything she upgraded in the way of incapacitating the enemy only we can reverse.¡±

    Jane had to look up to Fred.  He was the biggest man she met.  If it weren¡¯t for the gentle look, he gave Sky as he spoke.  She would have her knees knocking. Even a blind person could tell he has power.  She was thankful she was carrying Sky.  ¡°Yes, sir.¡± And a nod here and there was all she could muster the courage to do.

    ¡°Try and not use the same spells in front of anyone who might get away even for a few seconds.  If they see the spells you use, they might be able to send a copy to be analyzed and countered quickly.¡±  Fred went silent for a second as if remembering something.  His eyes lit up as if he had just had something incredible to say.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the spell is, but it is a deadly one.  Don¡¯t use it until after the fourth group had been rescued and healed.  If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll find that they¡¯ll copy the spell and use it against you.¡±  Fred was walking with them until they reached their quarters.  ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow when I take over the healing castings.  I¡¯ll let know if there is any change to the new future, I get the feeling it should just get better as we go.  Have a nice nap and take care of her; she may be super at everything, but she¡¯s still a young girl.¡±

    In a sleepy voice, you could hear ¡°don¡¯t forget cute,¡± with a grin on her lips and eyes still closed.

    Fred leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead just like he did his daughters.  As an officer, it could seem inappropriate; but as a father, to a child, it was only natural to dote on your child.  As he walked away, he added ¡°and cute¡± with a grin of his own.

    Once in the room rather than place her new little sister up on her bunk, she placed her on the inside of her own.  After taking off their boots and socks, she climbed in beside her quickly falling asleep.

    Not long after the two fell asleep, they had a couple of visitors.  William and Rocssanna silently walked into the room and were surprised to see their daughter snuggled up to Jane¡¯s side.  She was sleeping peacefully with a smile next to the person who took her in as a younger sister.  They couldn¡¯t believe how happy she looked. She went from not even being able to get close to even themselves to her very first type of sleepover.  It was so cute that Jane had a protective arm over Sky when she needed no protection. Seeing Sky Content is in good hands and being cared for emotionally as well as physically; they left their daughter in Janes care.

    ¡°Tomorrow let¡¯s give Jane a little something extra for the way she¡¯s treating Sky so well.  She needed this kind of contact with others.  I can¡¯t believe that an alien attack could be such a mixed blessing.  If only we could have found out sooner, she might have had a more enriched life till now.¡±  Rocssanna said with a sigh into Williams'' arms.

    ¡°What happened is what happened?  What will be?  I think if we knew sooner, we would have still been waiting for the right time to tell her about everything.  Right now, she can cope with so much happening and she can¡¯t dwell on the negative for too long.  She has a lot of new things in her life she¡¯s never planned on.  New people to interact with is a huge plus and the fact they care for her just as much as we do is a colossal bonus¡¯.  William nuzzled his face in Rocssanna¡¯s hair, and they both left mildly upset they couldn¡¯t give Sky a little kiss.  Just as they crossed the threshold, they heard ¡°love your mommy daddy¡± in Sky¡¯s sleeping voice.  It warmed their heart as the door slide shut.

 Chapter Ten Prepping For Battle

    Chapter Ten

    Prepping For Battle

    Todd walked into the practice room first and didn¡¯t feel any different this time and frowned. Courtney was next and didn¡¯t get the same rush as before she just noticed a slight tingle. There was no rush of power. Heather was right behind Courtney and almost ran into her when she stopped to ponder if anything was wrong. Heather didn¡¯t even take notice of the slight sensation ripple through her body. It wasn¡¯t like the first time in the practice room when Sky was the first one.

    ¡°That¡¯s what missing; Sky was the first one in the last time. She passed on everything she had to us. This time it¡¯s just Todd¡¯s natural strength and not even his magic well size would make any difference because we link to Sky¡¯s wells, so our magic has no difference.¡± Courtney stated to anyone listening.

    ¡°So, what do you want to try the spells on¡±? Heather looked around at the nearly empty room. There were just two heavy punching bags and a small room off to the side with weights and other equipment. ¡°I know we could put the standard shield on the heavy bags and practice the offensive incantations on them. Then we could put the new shields Sky gave us and see how well they work and how much it takes to blast through it.¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s a good idea and it makes a lot of sense too. I think there are some simple sparing androids in the equipment room we could shield to have a few moving targets. I¡¯ll carry them out and back in again. Maybe we can get Swan to control them to give us a real challenge. What do you think ladies are you up for some target practice¡±? Todd cracked his knuckles as he finished talking.

    ¡°I think they¡¯re both great ideas, but don¡¯t take out both androids. I want to try the new directional healing spells. We need to be able to heal each other and not the ones we are fighting. Well let¡¯s get started we need to take advantage of all this power and make it our own. At least while we have it.¡± Courtney said placing two different shields over the two heavy bags. With the nearly limitless magic at her disposal, it seemed like child¡¯s play casting the spells.

    Todd was just in the equipment room when Heather used the first ranged spell. It was a little like an explosive bullet. It used all four of the gifts and was a little overpowered. It hit the standard shielded heavy bag and detonated on contact with the shield. The effects and sound were nothing less than astounding; The magic bullet hit the dead target centre passing through the standard shield with ease the flashing light and the deafening sound was not really what took their breath away. It was the fact there was nothing left of the heavy bag it was gone. Even most of the chain holding it was not there. As the spot in their vision came back. Courtney tried the healing spell but put little faith in the outcome.

    To everyone¡¯s surprise, it started to reappear just a lot slower than it ever happened before. When there was something there it seemed instantaneous; now it took more time as if the spell was reconstructing it from nothing. When the healing spell finished, the heavy bag was half the original size. It was the same looking just smaller.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯re trying it out on the heavy bags and androids. I would hate to become Sky¡¯s younger sister. Still, that spell is impressive it pulled quite a bit from what seemed to be nothing.¡± Courtney looked over to Todd. ¡°Maybe we should take everything out and back in we¡¯re going to use as practice targets. I think the rooms healing spell might do better than any healing spell we can cast. In any case, it¡¯s worth a shot because if everything is going to be even a third smaller, we¡¯re not going to have anything to shoot at really quickly.¡± Courtney said moving to help Todd carry out an android. Heather dispelled the shield she had made on the heavy bag and unhooked it while levitating it to herself.

    She was expecting a little more weight but was happy it seemed much lighter than its namesake. Heather followed Todd and Courtney out almost dropping the heavy bag after crossing the threshold. Todd was strong physically as well as magically. Heather cast the familiar strength spell, and it seemed even lighter now. Todd led the way in again, and hardly the felt any sensation.

    Todd lower the android he was holding, and Courtney followed suit. Once they laid on the floor, Todd went about activating them. Before he could, they stood with mechanical ease and almost seemed graceful in their movements. Their bodies shimmered, and a ghost image appeared around them. Soon taller more mature looking Sky¡¯s around eighteen nineteen stood before them. One with silver blonde hair Courtney the other with shiny, silky black hair Swan.

    ¡°We are here to help you with the practice of your new magical power and spells,¡± Swan said. ¡°I¡¯ll monitor you all the time and be ready for any commands you may have.¡±

    ¡°We are even capable of casting shields on ourselves and others within the short range of our ships. We could help you in some way, can we not¡±? Conny asked of the team before her.

    ¡°Conny how is that the spell only brought back half of the heavy bag and not the whole thing? Whereas the room brought us back whole and intact after being burnt to cinders.¡± Todd inquired of the AI.

    ¡°It¡¯s not the room; it¡¯s the spell in the doorway that does it. When you pass through the spell, it analyses your genetic makeup and makes a copy of you when you enter. It just reverses any damage to you. That is possible because the spell in the doorway used all five gifts. You and your team only have four of the five gifts and lack the full effect of the true spell.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t she give us all the gifts if it can do so much more than just the four? Could it be she doesn¡¯t trust us enough yet and is holding back¡±? Todd asked looking at his team to see if they agreed with his question.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know her reasons for not sharing all of her gifts of the elements. But I do assure you it¡¯s not out of lack of trust. She has not shared all her elements with Fred and Joe yet either. When you came into this room after Sky how did you feel with all five elements? She can control herself easily. I believe she doesn¡¯t think anyone else can just yet.¡± Conny was looking over her android body as she was talking. Swan was testing her movements in the android.

    They all looked at each other and stayed silent for a moment. It was Heather that broke the quiet contemplation. ¡°I guess what she gave us is more than we ever dreamed of no use being greedy. We can learn how to use what she gave and not let her gifts go unappreciated. We came in here to practice, and we are going to save many lives.¡±

    ¡°You said it, girlfriend, let¡¯s get the show on the road and see how the new spells work,¡± Courtney said using her tablet to throwing the new shield spell over the practice over the androids. ¡°I know you can use the shield spells yourself. But it¡¯s us that need the practice not you.¡±

    Todd used the same spell over the heavy bag to get ready. They moved to opposite sides of the room and readied for firing on moving targets and one stationary. He used the same bullet type spell Heather had used, the flash of light, and the thunder shook everyone after their sight returned they could not see what they felt. The bullet just managed to knock the heavy bag swinging violently with no damage and the shield was intact. The new shield spell was going to save lives.

    ¡°Before we go and destroy all of Fred and Joes toys, let¡¯s make sure the auto-heal works. Let¡¯s all fire at the heavy bag at once with the bullet spell and break the shield.¡± Todd checked his tablet for any eye protection and found one under Auto Tinting Sheild. ¡°Use the tinting shield in front of your field of view; it should prevent the temporary blindness.¡± He cast the incantation as he let everyone know where to find it.

    They all readied multiple shots aimed at the target. With a shout from Todd, ¡°now,¡± they fired at least two shots each. Auto Tinting Sheild protected their eyes, but their ears were not, and neither were their bodies. The blast picked them up off the ground and hurled to the wall behind them. It was black for a fraction of a second, and they knew they had just died. They laid against the wall in crumpled heaps. The heavy bag seemed unaffected although no shield. ¡°We know the new shield has its limits and not to press our luck when using it, but we still don¡¯t know if the auto-healing spell works on things completely blown away,¡± Todd said picking himself up not even dazed from being reanimated. The two sparing androids had not moved with the blast.

    Conny cut in. ¡°The heavy bag was regenerated after the blast just like you. I think you didn¡¯t need more than four of the bullets to break through the shield and destroy the heavy bag.¡± Conny continued. ¡°If you had used the new shield on yourselves you would have been unaffected by the shock wave from the detonations. It will have deflexed any indirect hits on it, but since they all were pretty much dead centre it couldn¡¯t hold off more than three direct hits¡¯. Now we suggest you try moving targets and even some that fight back. Swan and I can shoot a marking spell. It will flare red if it hits you any place it would have done damage. It would not cause any injuries even if it hit you unprotected.¡±

    Todd thought about it. ¡°It sounds like a great idea, but we need some types of cover and other obstacles to move around to simulate a battle better. We could cast a few barriers around of different sizes. Normally it would be too wasteful to use so much magic; but right now, we have more than enough to spare. Heather, Courtney could you two go around casting various shapes of barriers that you may find in a colony ship and settlement. I want it to look as real as possible. It would be best if they were a solid colour and not transparent.¡±

    It was Swan who stepped forward and spoke. ¡°I think it would be more efficient if Conny and I created a special op¡¯s training ground out of solid barriers. We can even make so pop up figures also, friend and foes too. We have a few special op¡¯s training ground blueprints and sketches of some in our databases.¡± That would leave you all be clueless of the layout for added difficulty.¡±

    Todd was not sure just how much more intuitive the new AI system was, but he liked it. ¡°Sounds perfect go ahead. We¡¯ll wait in the far corner and ready the spells we want to try.¡± Todd turned to face his team. We are going to try as many as we can in the next hour. Then the same in the next hour, we keep going till we¡¯ve tried them all.¡± He watched them nod in agreement. Around him, an opaque ball went up blocking the view of the entire room.

    This ball was a shield blocking everything including the ceiling. ¡°This is going to be interesting I bet. If you get marked wait till you or someone else cast a healing spell on you before proceeding. We¡¯ll stop after the hour or when we are all disabled.¡± Todd paused for a second. ¡°Swan, could you mark the nonfatal being yellow to orange and the fatal hits red? That way you know for sure if you could cast healing if your hit. You can decide if you would be able to heal the nonfatal from the colour and where hit.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re the leader of the Quad Squad. Well, right now the tenacious three maybe¡±? Courtney said looking for reaction to the new team¡¯s name and got it in the form of smiles.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be amazing, using all this magic and powerful spells.¡± Heather sounded ecstatic and seemed happy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget we can use our gift to see the layout easily enough. I wonder if we can tell if the pop-ups are friend or foe before actually popping up.¡± Courtney enquired to no one in general.

    ¡°ONE, TWO, THREE,¡± There was a countdown to what number they didn¡¯t know and had not needed to know. Todd and crew were ready for the gauntlet to begin and had the ten spells already slotted in for quick access finding out the new system on the tablet had space for many more. It turned out the count was only to five. The shields disappeared, and there was a large door directly in front.

    Heather reached out with a hand for the handle, and Todd caught it before she could touch it. He made the motion to keep quiet and pointed to her MAD tablet. She looked down to read. ¡°We have magic to spare; there is no need to be conservative use magic if it will make things easier and safer.¡± She smiled to him and held up three fingers standing off to the side closing one finger. She reached for the door with kinetic power and ripped it out of its frame. The door exploded outwards to where a person would have stood opening it normally and a rush of fire followed it. They quickly shielded themselves and walked through the fire.

    Todd was the first through and sensed a large man just inside a doorway to his left. The fire seemed to come from nowhere and did nothing to the new shield. He fired a bullet type spell that had a different effect that the explosive type. It did explode, but it froze everything for three metres including the man. He then fired a smaller explosive type bullet and the shattered the frozen man. The effect was almost just as he planned, but everything shatters even the walls for the three metres. No sooner the man shattered an android took his place and ran down the narrow hallway. Just before it could dart into another room lightening flashed around it burning it to a crisp. Before the sound of thunder assaulted their ears the android was move again and this time reaching the room.

    The fire in the doorway in died down as Courtney dispelled it. ¡°That one will come in handy, and it¡¯s so simple of a spell.¡± Not only did the flames disappear but so did part of the barrier making up the training sim.

    ¡°Try and not use that one in here any more than necessary. We don¡¯t need anything in here with the doorway into the room possibly dispelled. Something that powerful will have one wicked backlash if it were to break.¡± Todd let his words sink in, and the two ladies shuddered as they contemplated what he meant.

    ¡°So, we don¡¯t use that spell in here then? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth the risk.¡± She was about to say more when two figures ran out from one room to the next only pausing enough to fire a spell at them. They all dove to the ground with arms raised firing a couple of spells each. They were astonished to see some of the spells follow the droid where they ran. The ones that didn¡¯t follow hit the end of the hallway and blew a large gaping hole in the barrier before it reformed like it never happened. The two droids were out of sight, but you could still hear the spells contact the androids. There was a whoosh from the fire and a splash from the water. The two were caught in spells turning around the corner, and could not get free. The one could not move out from the frozen water, and the other just kept burning. ¡°Other than letting the dispel casting I think it might be okay to use them all in here; but not directly against the actual walls, floor, and ceiling.¡± Heather was trying to be cautious; she wanted everyone to be safe. On the other hand, she also wanted to try all the spells and incantations Sky had modified for them.

    ¡°Sounds good let¡¯s free the androids and continue, there is a lot of casting we¡¯ve yet to try.¡± Todd waved his hand at the two androids breaking the spells that trapped them. No sooner they were free they ran into another room. ¡°Let¡¯s go after them and see if all of the castings are this powerful. I¡¯m just glad she¡¯s on our side. I would underestimate her as a threat to being young and small. She looks like an ordinary cute girl with long blue hair.¡± Todd said.

    ¡°So, you think she¡¯s cute too. Did you see what Conny and Swan looked like older Sky¡¯s, maybe mid-twenties? I think they look pretty hot if you ask me; but not as pretty as my friend, Heather here.¡± Courtney said putting an arm over the girl¡¯s shoulder to placate any negative response.

    ¡°Well, she¡¯ll is cute at any age if you ask me. I like having her as a sister.¡± A movement caught her eye and Heather whirled to see someone pop-up their head briefly before going back down. ¡°It seems we have company.¡± Heather pushed Courtney behind a wall and followed. ¡°We can talk about our new sister later; we¡¯re trying out her gifts right now.¡± She pulled up the next casting and applied the necessary magic to it. A long shaft of ice formed and when the head popped up again this time a gun followed. As the gun was levelled at them the shaft of ice plunged into his chest freezing him solid. Just as this happened, more figures came out from behind various objects that should not have been able to hide more than a cat. Gunfire and the odd spell bounced off their shields, and the fight was on.

    Courtney used a spell for rapid firing bullets of compressed air. Todd used one that was of water. Courtney¡¯s bullets bounced off a shield until it broke through then shattered the target. Todd bullets took less time to break through, but the target just slumped over unmoving.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    After the first multiple engagements, the assault things didn¡¯t slow down. It was two hours later they had tried almost all the spells and incantations and picked out their favourites. The bullet types were by far the on top ten of all their lists. They were also the most destructive ones too. They were not for subduing the rogue mages. They were for killing pure and simple.

    ¡°We should try some of the binding spells too, next time. This mission is about capturing the rogue mages not killing them. So tomorrow whoever is not going to help we¡¯ve got to train and get used to the magical pressure. I know I have a hard time not putting too much magical energy into the spells.¡± Todd looked around to see if anyone else agreed. He didn¡¯t see nor hear had any affirmation to the fact had they. ¡°I guess I was the only one to have that problem¡±?

    ¡°Well, I had a little bit of a problem at first with too much. Till I found out how much to put into the first three spells, then I just had to fine tune each one. I think you need to spend a little Time with Sky to have her show you how to regulate your magic more efficiently. We could tell you, but it¡¯s easier when you see it for yourself. As a teacher, don¡¯t look at her age or size it can mislead you. Just listen and learn from her; she won¡¯t say anything to make you feel inadequate. At least not intentionally, she¡¯s very patient and understanding with individual¡¯s problems with what she is showing you. I wish she were the one teaching the arcane art to us when we were in school.¡± Courtney said, and Heather put a hand on her shoulder as if to agree with her.

    There¡¯s just something more profound seeing it work than using your imagination. More so when you hold the amount of magical pressure we now have, and potent too. So, when or if you get the chance before we get going on the actual mission, get her to show you the new system. It will be well worth it. It takes all lot out of the time it usually takes getting to the amount of magic to put into each spell. I think her system measures perfectly how much per casting needs.¡± Heather poked Todd in jest. ¡°If you¡¯re going to give this teacher an apple, make sure it¡¯s frozen solid.¡± Todd smiled at Heather''s sense of humour.

    ¡°I already have time set aside for managing the pressure of the well. At least I did, things just got more complicated in the last Twenty-four hours. I¡¯m going to have to take a crash course just before we separate into different ships.¡± Todd said, and he contemplated the rest of the day. He felt an uncomfortable pressure and need a short break. He noticed how the two ladies seemed to shift a little more than usual. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break and rest and refuel ourselves.¡±

    The two ladies smiled and grabbed each other¡¯s arm and walked off. ¡°Later Boss if we don¡¯t see you in the room we¡¯ll just hang out by the entrance, and fire binding spells at the two androids as they run around,¡± Courtney calls out to Todd over her shoulder linked to Heather''s arm.

    ¡°Okay, sounds good but I think I¡¯ll be back before you guys. I might grab some snacks from Rocssanna and William. They¡¯re in a mess and seemed to be making some nature bars.¡± Todd said walking right behind the two ladies. ¡°Do you guys feel like eating more often since we got here since we met Sky¡±?

    ¡°Yeah, I think your right, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s Sky as much as it¡¯s us pushing ourselves hard to try and catch up to her. I think since we met her we¡¯ve used more magic than in the last two years combined. Do you have any idea just how much magical energy we used training in the last two hours? Don¡¯t forget a drop of hers is almost like three of ours and we¡¯ve been using about thirty each casting and even more for the telekinesis spells. Had this been our magic we would have used all of it up three times over since we got here. I think using magic makes you as hungry as producing it in your body.¡± Courtney said just before tugging Heather into their quarters. Only giving Todd a quick ¡°see you later¡± and a wave before the door slid shut.

    Todd made a brief stop in his quarters to take care of some personal business; he was on his way. Moments later he found himself walking into the mess. Rocssanna was cooking up a storm, and four almost comically sized pot is boiling away on a table, not the stove. He could see the spell she was using, and it was like the spell he had used a few times. He never likes using magic to cook because it seemed wasteful to do. He sat down at a table not far off. He was about to say hi and as the words formed in his head a steaming plate of something came sliding under his nose. It was a plate of roasted meat of some kind; it smelled amazing and spicy. He looked over to William who smiles.

    ¡°Go ahead Todd and try it and don¡¯t ask what it is because I don¡¯t know really,¡± William said taking a seat in front of him. ¡°Sky had dragged it back from the forest. She said it was stalking some people and was about to jump on them, so she threw a rock at it to distract the creature. The rock killed it. The people never saw the thing but heard the rock crashing through the woods. They ran off to get some help, so Sky picked the thing up and carried it home. Since after the attack they closed off the forest to the public. She might have saved four live and more afterwards.¡° William paused. To help himself to a strip of meat before continuing.

    ¡°She regularly patrolled the forest afterwards and waited until something attacked her. She didn¡¯t like the thought of a person getting mauled or even killed by some horrible beast. She tried not to kill anything to make them reconsider healthier food choices. It seemed to work too. There were fewer incidences of animal attacks after she started and she only killed four after the first weird looking thing. Two of them we ate right away because the meat was tasty and the animals were small. The other was a lot larger and good tasting too. But it was illegal to hunt any native wildlife for sport or food. You could only kill if it attacked you or someone near you. Sky saved about twenty from being killed and possibly more if they taught their offspring not to hunt humans. She never said she was going hunting; she always called it patrolling and saving lives.

    Todd was intrigued at William¡¯s story as he sampled to meat before him. It was not as tough as the other meat they had. It was quite tender and was as good as it smelled. ¡°So, she always liked to help others even if they didn¡¯t know about it.¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t matter to her either way if they knew or didn¡¯t know, praised or not it was to keep everyone safe. All she wants is somewhere to belong, somewhere to fit in. She¡¯s just was never able to fit in until now. Everyone here so far made that possible. You and Fred see her as your rival in a lot of things. She looks up to everyone for guidance because you have more life experience than she does. If you teach her something, it¡¯s only once. So, it doesn¡¯t seem like teaching at all when you think about it. You should treat her as a young girl who wants to learn and show how things can be better if she knows how. You saw how she helped Jane; she could have done patchwork. But she doesn¡¯t do things halfway as you probably know already.¡±

    William watched Todd eat continuously and nod as he listened not realizing that he had eaten one-third of the plate. ¡°Would you like to take some down to Heather and Courtney? I imagine they might be as hungry as you seemed to be. Don¡¯t worry able the sudden change in appetite Fred and Joe started eating more once Sky shared her magic with them also. I take it she treating you and your team as older siblings. Or are your just good friends¡±? Rocssanna heard William ask and keenly listened in.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Knight she says we her older brother and sisters. She¡¯s closest with Jane though; it must be the touch thing. She tries not to, but she keeps on referring to most of us as squishy. I think I know what she means almost everything she touches is soft in her hands, right¡±?

    Rocssanna walked up beside Todd. ¡°Everything she touches she can crush or break if she wanted to. In the practice room now is just about the only place she can be free. Even with the strength suppression spell, she is super strong, but she is still adapting to the spell. She hasn¡¯t broken anything in a while.¡± Rocssanna paused and was thinking. ¡°Todd is there something you can cast that makes anything you¡¯re touching unbreakable. Maybe that¡¯s her secret she using magic to strengthen everything she touches.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it mommy; I''m just more careful about how I touch things.¡± Sky said walking into the mess with Jane beside her. ¡°Hi mommy, Daddy Todd Sir are you having lunch now too? Jane and I worked hard and were super hungry. If it weren¡¯t for the snacks, I think I would have died from hunger.¡±

    ¡°No, we just took a short break, and I passed by for some snacks. Using magic takes a lot of energy out of you.¡± Todd said with a smile glancing down at the small amount left. ¡°Sorry if I sound rude, but if I¡¯m this hungry I should get something over to the rest of the team. I wouldn¡¯t want them to go hungry while I ate my fill.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good point you¡¯re making. I¡¯ll make some to go then for the girls¡¯. William watched his little girl as he carved thin slices of an enormous chunk of meat. He cut enough to get two heaping plates and cast a stasis spell over them both. Todd was shocked how neat the spell was and how little magic it took for the spell to work. ¡°That should be enough to hold them till lunch.¡±

    ¡°I hope so. Do you have anything to type of juice to drink? There is water in the room, but it would be nice to have something different than just water.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got just the thing, don¡¯t ask what it is. I haven¡¯t even told Fred and Joe, and they still love it. Just call it an energy drink if you want, it goes good with everything too. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love it also.¡± William said walking over to a cupboard and took out three canteens. He then reached deep into Rocssanna¡¯s pantry handbag and pulled out a flexible hose with a tap on end.

    ¡°Is that the stuff I make by¡±? Rocssanna covered her mouth with a hand chuckling.

    ¡°That is our little secret baby girl; we can¡¯t tell them till much later. Right now, I bet your starving¡±? Rocssanna patted Sky¡¯s head and ruffled her hair. She got up and took two plates; one was large and the other comically huge. She and William filled the two plates heaping with steaming meat and vegetables.

    ¡°Thank you, mommy, daddy, I am a little hungry, and Jane is too.¡± Sky picked up her special fork and started eating right away

    Jane sat next to Sky and said something with her eyes shut before she started eating. ¡°Thank you, Mr., and Mrs. Knight it smells delicious. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m so hungry when all I did was cast healings and moved a few things around for my partner.¡± She turned to Todd. ¡°So how are the new spells and nearly unlimited magic working for you? I bet it feels great not worrying about conserving your magic in your castings.¡±

    Todd smiled and nodded his head. ¡°It¡¯s an incredible gift given to us; we going to make her proud of her decision she made.¡± Todd reached around Jane and ruffled Sky¡¯s hair. She blushed a bit and kept eating. ¡°The upgraded spells are fantastic. I can¡¯t believe how they didn¡¯t improve them before now. They are larger and more intricate than the ones before. They also take less magic to power them with even more effective and powerful results. The new shields are incredibly strong too. It takes three direct hits to blast through the shield whereas the one everyone else has taken one to decimate it to nothing. After our snacks, we¡¯re going to try some binding and disabling spells and the nonlethal castings. After all, we¡¯re supposed to capture the rogue mages and not kill them. It¡¯s nice to know if push comes to shove we can come out on top with no casualties. At least that¡¯s what we are hoping for.¡±

    Jane was going to try out the updated spells tomorrow and just wanted to hear his take on them. She thought about what he said and was looking forward to it. ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll be practicing with the updated castings and wouldn¡¯t mind working with you guys. My focus is going to be on the binding, disabling and nonlethal spells. I will work on some of the lethal one¡¯s also just in case we get overwhelmed. Plus, when the original plans we made the numbers were not known and still aren¡¯t really.¡±

    Sky looked to be mulling something over while she was chewing. She stopped for a second in deep thought and quickly smiled. She continued eating with her plate just about empty. Everyone excluding her parent wondered where all the food was going; her parents just stopped wondering. ¡°After I finish the space ship I¡¯m going to spend a little time training with you Todd. I have thought up a final spell to give everyone that could save your lives. It¡¯s pretty complex but it shouldn¡¯t take much magic to cast it, and it¡¯s not something you can put on a hand-held MAD.¡± Sky looked down at her now empty plate. Mommy could I have a little more and some snacks for later.¡± She tried to use her puppy dog eyes, and it worked not that she needed to plead her mommy was more than willing to give her more.

    ¡°You know what I haven¡¯t had to fix your utensils for a while now that you have that healing spell that seems to fix everything,¡± Rocssanna commented as she put another helping on her plate.

    I haven¡¯t had to cast healing on them. It seems like when I go slow and carefully enough the suppression spell can keep up with my movement. I¡¯ll have to take it off when I go to put some of the ship parts together later.¡± Sky dug into the plate with enthusiasm and slowed down slightly when she noticed Jane still only halfway done.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to slow down for me; I¡¯m a slow eater at best. I¡¯m hungry, but I don¡¯t have hollow legs like you.¡± She reached up and ruffled her hair.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have hollow legs; I metabolize the food almost as fast as I eat it. So, there is lots of room in my tummy for more when I eat. Now that I¡¯m using magic and a lot of it, the food is converted into magic.¡± Sky shrugged her shoulders not knowing what else to say. She just kept eating when asked her no further question.

    Todd took the two plates and the three canteens; luckily the canteens had to carry straps. ¡°I¡¯ll see you all at lunch.¡± He paused as he slung the canteens over a shoulder. ¡°I guess at your dinner time.¡± He said to Jane and Sky, he just waved to William and walked out the doorway.

    ¡°I guess we should get going soon too; a ship doesn¡¯t build itself, at least not that I know of.¡± She looked for confirmation from Jane.

    ¡°Nope, magic is not even used as much as you are right now. The amount that used normally is only around five percent. From what I know of no one has ever sandwiched sigils and conduits directly into the structure. The ship you¡¯re building is on a whole new level. I have no idea what the sigils and conduits are doing in the structure except that it won¡¯t affect the strength the way you¡¯re doing it. I don¡¯t even think anyone has even conceived the way you¡¯re making it. Even with multiple mages, I can¡¯t see it possible let alone one. I should tell you that watching you mould and channel the parts is like, NO, watching history in the making. I don¡¯t think any magic user would hesitate to give up everything they own to watch you channel the amount of power you are using.¡± Jane hoped Sky wouldn¡¯t think she was saying it to make her feel good.

    Sky smiled at the compliment and blushed slightly. ¡°I have no idea how they do it normally. I¡¯m just going by how the schematics look in the database. It doesn¡¯t show individual parts, so some of the sigils on the ends are to fuse them when I put them into place. The whole structure will be tactically one piece once it¡¯s finished. Even down to the main consoles and chairs bases will be part of the ship. Everything will be seamless that doesn¡¯t move. There is, in fact, secret file on the concept of impregnating sigils into metal structures. It¡¯s just that its never done on a large scale. It ¡¯s done on small objects like knives and pieces of armour to give them unusual strengths and abilities. I just took it a little further than they have.¡±

    Jane was almost beside herself at the girls over modesty. What this girl was doing was nothing short of miraculous. If she wanted to play it down who was she to press the fact? ¡°I Just never thought of the forged magical items that way. They are made a lot different than you¡¯re doing it though. I see them make a blade that never dulls and stays shining like it was always polished. The drawback was the process left it more brittle than its counterpart. You could start a renascence with so many different ways of doing things. I know one fact; money will never be something you¡¯ll ever have to worry about.¡± She got up and stretched out from reflex than out of need; it was more of a dramatical gesture.

    ¡°You¡¯re right though the ship is not going to build itself anytime soon at least until you think of a way.¡± Jane teased Sky and ruffled her hair a bit longer than normal. ¡®This is too addicting.¡¯ Jane thought to herself pulling her hand back with reluctance.

    Sky stood and hugged and kissed each parent. ¡°Thanks, mommy, daddy for the great food and snacks for later. Thanks to Fred¡¯s suggestion I won¡¯t need a nape till bedtime. So, I¡¯ll see you at dinner time in two or so hours.¡± She picked up a large bag and took Jane¡¯s hand leaving for the cargo bay.

    Rocssanna calls out after Jane. ¡°Take care of our little princess; she¡¯s the only one we have and don¡¯t overwork yourself trying to keep up with her either. We even can¡¯t do it once she gets going.¡± She blurred from sight and appeared at Jane¡¯s side give her hand a light squeeze. ¡°Just take care.¡±

    William was not surprised at his wife¡¯s seaming over protectiveness. She must be feeling a little jealous of Jane¡¯s place beside her daughter. From when she was four years old physical contact had to be a little more subdued because of Sky¡¯s incredible strength. ¡°They¡¯ll be fine dear; they¡¯ll look after each other, Fred, Joe and the others will likely pass by now and then to see how they¡¯re doing.¡± He blurred from sight and was at Rocssanna¡¯s side grabbing her around the waist. ¡°Let¡¯s get finished up and get some rest before lunch and dinner time.¡±

    ¡°Somehow I know rest isn¡¯t what your thinking of, or want.¡± Rocssanna mued as she caressed the side of Williams handsome face.

    Sky was a little embarrassed at her parent''s display of affections. ¡°Let¡¯s go, sis; I wouldn¡¯t mind finishing early and taking it for a quick ride. It would be fun being the first one to drive it, I mean fly it, or is it piloting it. Whatever I want to be the first in the captain chair. I really hope everybody in there doesn¡¯t mind us taking a short break in there for something as selfish as a message. We are not the only ones working hard; everyone¡¯s been doing so much for this mission.¡± Sky handed Jane two rock nuts and popped two in her mouth savouring the smooth texture and flavour as they ground down into a fine paste. Jane just crushed them and enjoyed the flavour as if they were flavour rocks. They headed for the door and headed for the practice room.

    Todd was having a hard time controlling the flow of magic for the binding spells and some incantations. He was crushing and blasting them to pieces. He needs the extra strength, but he also needed the fine control he used to have. ¡°It will come. I¡¯ve just got to practice more. When Sky gets a chance, she¡¯ll help me get it more precise before the mission. Then we¡¯ll be set take them out of the universe.¡± Todd didn¡¯t realize how he started to rely on a nine-year-old girl.

    ¡°Why the change of heart? How come you¡¯re so accepting her help when you flat out refuse her help before? What made you change your mind about her¡±? Heather inquired. She never saw him change his thought of someone so quickly.

    ¡°I was jealous of her; she was able to help Jane the minute she saw her. All I could do was convince her she should carry on and that we were a team. Then she starts throwing power around like its air. It was even harder to take when I find out she was just new to magic. Not even a week and she could do so much. I had to work so hard to get to where I am, and life seemed to hand her everything. After talking to Fred, Joe, and her parents I knew she was different. I found out we¡¯re more alike than I thought. She worked just as hard but in a different way. She had to control her strength so she wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone. I had to build mine up to be able to defend myself and my friends. She had to learn to use less magic in she spells because she has too much. I had to train hard to build mine up and useless magical power to conserve. Right now, she is pushing herself almost beyond her limit for people and us she¡¯s never meet. For what, to help where she can. She is someone I can look up to and relate. She is my little sister in heart. She may not have work for what she has. But she¡¯s working with what she must to make everything better for the people she can, just like me, NO all of us.¡±

 Chapter Eleven Taking a Break and a Little Bonding

    Chapter Eleven

    Taking a Break and a Little Bonding

    ¡°She¡¯s not working; she¡¯s on her way here with Jane.  Her presence is a little different almost like a coiled spring.  She not bouncing around like when we first met two days ago, I think she¡¯s burning herself out with building that stupid ship.¡±  Courtney was about to say more, but an angry AI came from nowhere inches from her face.

    ¡°That stupid ship is going to mean life and death for billions if not more.  She¡¯s willing to die to finish that stupid ship.  She knows what Fred saw and how things would turn out if she doesn¡¯t finish it.  She cried in her sleep trying to figure out how to help Jane and now to save you and all the abducted mages.  Without that stupid ship, you call it everyone will die even the Titans all but Sky.  So, it¡¯s not a stupid ship; it¡¯s her love of life she¡¯s building, and she¡¯s putting her heart and soul into it.  Oh, here she comes, remember that.¡±  Conny vanished just before Sky and Jane walked into the room.

    Sky walked through the doorway and made a loud gasp and fell to her knees.  ¡°So, this is what it¡¯s like to be human I wasn¡¯t expecting to become so weak I never really had a limit to my strength.  If I needed something moved, I moved it without any real effort.¡±  Sky surveyed the room she was in and smiled.  ¡°Wow, it looks pretty cool in here.  Sorry for barging in it was Jane¡¯s idea.  Well really it was my idea to come here, but that was only to make Jane¡¯s idea to work.  And if you¡¯re not confused right now, what is one billion five hundred and seven million two hundred and fifty-five to the power of five hundred and sixty, squared.¡±  Sky smiled when they all had a confused look on their faces.

    Todd didn¡¯t even try to figure out the answer.  ¡°What are you going on about, Young lady? How may we help you¡±?

    Jane stepped up ¡°We¡¯re sorry for intruding, and I¡¯m sorry for the bad joke.  I wanted to do something to help Sky take a little tension off.  So, I offered to give her a message to help her relax.  I see the room is all taken by the simulation.¡±

    Courtney went up to Jane hugged her and Sky.  ¡°I had an amazing idea; Sky makes a virtual clone of yourself to help Todd control the magic you¡¯re sharing with us.  Us ladies will all give you a message that way you¡¯ll be all relaxed when you¡¯re done showing Todd your valve trick.  How¡¯s that sound to you¡±?

    ¡°Sounds good but I can be in multiple places at once in mind before I lose any of my mental awareness.  But I think I know what you mean you don¡¯t want my al tensed up just totally relaxed.¡± Sky took a deep breath and looked around.  ¡°Conny I could use your assistance.¡±

    Conny appeared right in front of her and there was a thump off to the left deep inside the simulation followed by a second and Swan was beside her. ¡°Yes, honey.¡±  The two AI¡¯s said together, and both hugged her.  I think I know what you want; it will be just a second.¡±  A large portion of the simulation disappeared behind a white wall that rose out of the floor with it a table covered in a soft cushion.  Soft music started to play and the sound of gently moving water.  ¡°Take a deep breath and relax, send out a virtual image of yourself and send it with Todd.  We take really good care of your body.¡±

    Sky took a deep breath and stepped out from herself.  As she walked towards Todd, the ladies and AI¡¯s shooed her and Todd away.  She and Todd walked through a doorway that seemed to appear from thin air.  The room wasn¡¯t large, but it was more than adequate for their needs.  ¡°Todd take a seat in what makes you feel most comfortable and close your eyes.¡±  Todd did so without hesitation; he seemed to trust her completely which made her happy.  Sky took a lotus position across from him and brought up the image of her mindscape with the magic wells and valve systems, not the simplified one.

    Todd heard Sky tell him to open his eyes.  As he did, he could hardly comprehend what he was seeing?  There were five impossibly huge tanks around them with the elaborate yet meticulous piping system coming from each tank.  He could not see how this system worked right away.

    ¡°I¡¯m showing you my system; then I¡¯m going to show you the simplified system.  I believe you will understand this one once you see how the simple one works.¡±  As she was talking to Todd, the pipes and valves morphed into a very basic system.  ¡°I want you to copy this system the best you can to your magic supply.  You only have four so do so accordingly.  The first valve regulates pressure and the second is a simple quarter turn ball valve.¡±  She walked over to the first valve and opened it and reached to the second one.  ¡°I want you to turn yours till there is only a fine mist coming out from the ball valve.¡±

    She turned her valve slowly till there was a mist coming out, then closed the ball valve.  She brought up a simple Light sphere shell under the where the mist came out and opened the valve Once the mist touched the spell circle a small ball of blueish light appeared, and she turned off the valve.  ¡°This way the light sphere is pretty consistent.  With my system, I can just cast the spell and the valves open and close on their own once I cast the spell with the desired effect.  If I have to use more than one element, it adjusts each valve to the amount what the spell requires.  The control I have without much thought is very precise.  As complicated it is to set up initially the benefit is beyond compare.  Reaction time and accuracy will go up because every spell or incantation will be the same as the one before it.  If you desire a more potent or powerful casting raise the magic on one and the others will adjust accordingly.¡±  As she was explaining a smile worked its way on her lips, and she stood a little straighter. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Okay, I think I get it to let me try the basic first and work my way up.  Is this what you should the others on wonder they¡¯re doing so much better than me right now.  I just wished I listened to you the first time.  Sorry for not trusting and believing in you when we first met.¡±

    ¡°No, I only showed them the basic system, I¡¯m not sure if they would have understood the more complex one as fast as you will.  So, try out a few non-combat related castings and see how the system works for you.¡±  She watched him cast a light sphere and a healing spell.  Both were tiny castings.  He cast a fire spell that was tiny at first but grew larger then smaller repeatedly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got the basics down now could you explain the system you have?  I think I know, but before I jump to any conclusions, I would like to hear you say it first.¡±

    Sky morphed the system back to the complex one she uses.  As she explained the way her system worked, he nodded at what he understood and asked a question at what he didn¡¯t.  It wasn¡¯t long before his system of controlling his magical flow was almost on par with hers.  ¡°You¡¯re an incredible mage Todd Sir.  You picked it up fast and controlled your magic almost as good as me.  Maybe I could do a little practice with you on the binding spells.  I¡¯ve never fought except with myself and the spiders the day before I left.  The sparring matches were more of a practice than a fight.  I was trying out different moves I thought up.¡±

    Sky was about to say more, but she smiled and let out a cute moan.  ¡°That feels incredibly good.  Todd, have you ever had a massage before?

    Todd had a blank look on his face.   ¡°I think I¡¯ll keep that answer to myself; thank you.¡±  With a light cough, he continued. ¡°Are you going to play little sis.¡±

    Sky didn¡¯t answer right away. ¡°They are so good there message is taking away tension from me. I didn¡¯t know I had. I feel like I can work for another six hours non-stop.  I¡¯ll have to practice with you guys later.  Right now, Jane and I should get back to work on the ship.  The next step is the top of the ship.  Then tomorrow morning is the exterior parts like the landing gear, emergency crew hatch, the cargo ramp door and the turrets. After that, it¡¯s the interior doors and fixtures like toilet, sinks and showers even some chairs.  I think after that it¡¯s going to be more replicating things off this ship to be faster.  Beds and a lot of the other stuff like that can be just copied and repeated at least that is what I hope I can do.  I haven¡¯t tried it just yet.  But I¡¯m sure I can do it.  We should get back. I think they''re done with what they were doing.  If being squishy allows people to relax another like this, I can see it being a plus.¡±  Sky let the image of she mindscape fade, and they were back in the white room.  When they opened the door, Jane and Heather were lacing up her boots.   ¡°You had to take off my boots.  When I cloned, myself I took almost all of my awareness with me all I could feel from in here was how relaxed my body had become.¡±

    Jane stepped away as the clone faded, and Sky hoped off the table stretching.  Sky gave all the girls a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. ¡°So, my cute little sister, how do you feel right now?   ¡°Your body was like one big knot, and it took all of us to work them out. You should be ready to finish the day with ease.¡±

    Conny and Swan stepped forward together.  ¡°We would like to help you somehow if we can.  We are more than capable of running the simulation and helping you at the same time.  Is there something we can do¡±?

    Sky pondered the request. ¡°I guess there is some stuff you can do.  I need schematics of fixtures like toilets, sinks and the plumbing that goes with them just on the outside.  I¡¯ve got the plumbing inside done already as part of the flooring.¡±  She started for the exit and felt the difference in how her body felt with each step.  Jane and the two AI followed her out.  If you look inside of the new ship you can see the ones, I picked out but if you find other ones better or nicer looking, go ahead and give me the plans for them.  I could also use an idea of how to build them from a mould or something.  After I build one, it should be just a matter of copying and putting in the right material.¡±

    When they made their way into the cargo bay, Fred was walking around the base of the new ship.  He was so engrossed he didn¡¯t even hear them come in, not that they were noisy.  ¡°So, Captain Fred Sir what do you think so far?   I was going to put the bulkheads and the interior walls up soon if you want to watch and see how they go together.  Jane and I have the process down to an art form. I fit them together, and she powers the spell to join them as one piece.¡±

    Fred looked over to Sky who looked as fresh as any day he has seen her.  ¡°I came down to see how you¡¯re doing.  I was worried you might be pushing yourself too hard.  I see that you¡¯re cooping just fine and that Jane is taking good care of you.¡±  He turned and faced the bottom completed part.  ¡°It looks incredible, to think you made this from scratch and no help building the parts. I don¡¯t see any seams of where they joined together.  It looks like one solid piece of metal milled into shape.  I would like to see how you¡¯re doing it if you don¡¯t mind showing me¡±?  He said turning back to Sky.

 Chapter Twelve Knowing One Place and Weakness

    Chapter Twelve

    Knowing One Place and Weakness

    ¡°If you want to hop up on top, we were just about to start putting the bulkhead and interior walls up, Sir.¡±  She turned to Jane and asked her to go to the front of the ship and be ready with the spell to fuse them.   As she spoke to Jane two pieces floated over the ship as they all hopped on to take their positions.  Sky brought the pieces together the last tiny bit by hand ensuring a perfect fit and Jane pressed her two fingers on the colour circles.  Then Sky lined them up on the ship, and Jane repeated the process.  The outer hull seemed less substantial as if becoming. ¡°That¡¯s funny. I would have thought it would only happen after all the piece were put together.  The translucency could become a problem if this continues becoming see-through as we go.¡±

    Fred and Jane didn¡¯t quite understand, and Fred had to ask.  How are you making the hull invisible? Just stop the spell if it becomes a problem.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a spell really; it¡¯s just part of the engraved spells that I thought would only activate when fully assembled.  There is no real problem for me. I can see everything just fine.  It¡¯s Jane how is going to have a slight problem with fusing the pieces.¡± Sky leaned out and looked at the hull from the outside and seen it looked solid.  ¡°It might not be the problem I thought it would.  The only thing is the big finish of the bulkhead and hull.  I was hoping we could all wittiness the hull and bulkhead go invisible.  I guess we¡¯ll have to settle with just being in the ship once its last piece put together.¡± She sighed in jovial resignation.  She was bringing more parts over as she answered Fred.

    Jane and Fred followed Sky around the floor of the ship as walls and bulkhead were put in place.  Jane fused them, and Fred cast the occasional healing just in case.   The last part to be put in was in the bridge where the front viewport would have been.  The bridge looked enormous without anything on it.  Looking around you could only see the interior walls as Jane fused the last piece into place that changed to as everything became one solid piece.  All the walls on the inside of the bridge became like transparent glass showing a view to the outside as if standing on an open deck and not a bridge of a ship.  The only thing you could make out was the doorway leading off the bridge; it had an azure blue outline.

    Fred and Jane looked around in ah.  ¡°This amazing Sky how did you do figure out how to do this.  I¡¯ve never seen anything like it, at least on this scale.

    ¡°Will the ceiling of the ship have a similar view also?¡±  Fred asked Sky while looking very much like a fish his mouth opening and closing as he spoke.   Jane just looked like she was catching a fly.

    Sky was overjoyed with their reaction.  She thought to have the outer walls already transparent would have taken away the final effect.  It seems she was wrong in her assumption in the overall effect.  ¡°I never came up with anything new really.  The translucency is just new ways of applying the magical technology that exists already.  I just took it to the next step and gave it my customary tweaks.¡±  Sky paused and looked up.  ¡°And you¡¯re right the ceiling will be transparent and the floor too if you¡¯re tracking something that flies under the ship.

    Most of the magic sigils and runes used here were meant to be drawn on the surface you¡¯re looking beyond.  The one magic circle I used most is used by obstetricians to see the baby inside the womb.  I just tweaked it a little, so I can have them able the run together and overlap each other.  There are other spells I used that were for completely distinct reasons.  So, slight with a modification they could work for us in a new way.   I love magic; it¡¯s so versatile and can help in so many ways. Almost all of this was made possible with magic.¡±  Sky walked over to Jane.  ¡°I know you probably want to look some more, but we¡¯ve got more work to do before lunch.¡±  She turned and called out to Fred.  ¡°We¡¯re going to do some more work and make dinner later.  So, hang out in here or outside the more intricate spells you seen in the model ship for observing are not cast yet.  I¡¯m going to cast them last, sorry if you were planning on using it to watch us outside.¡±

    Fred wasn¡¯t even thinking in those lines.  That not what I was thinking at all, it¡¯s just that an upgrade like this could only be done with magic.  I think this is a great idea and I wonder why no one has thought of it before.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see you when you come out. Once we leave the ship, any sensing of what¡¯s on the inside won¡¯t work.  All we can do is see the ship nothing else.¡±  With that said they seemed to walk on air after they left the doorway.

    Fred wondered if they were going to be visible from the bridge anywhere, they went.  He was going to let her know just in case it was a small flaw in her plan.  Almost right away Sky started the layout of one of the top pieces, and Jane took her spot off to the side after casting the healing spell.  She moved almost too quickly to see as part after the part was laid out.   He noticed six tubes leading from outside of the ship; they slowly started to move over the parts that were laid out.  After a moment¡¯s hesitation liquid metal started to spray out of the one tube, coating the magical form after it was completely covered the second hose started to draw runes and sigils among lines.  No sooner the whole surface was covered in various markings they were covered with more of the liquid metal after they were cover none of the markings were visible on the surface, some showed on the edges.  That¡¯s when he just noticed two others made at the same time.

    Sky walked over to the finished piece and with help floated off to the side, and she started to draw out more of the forms as three more were being made simultaneously.  Fred couldn¡¯t fathom how any group of mages could do this let alone one person.  Joe was right in his eyes; she was already a legend in the making with what she¡¯s done so far.  As far as he was concerned the ship, she was building was going to be legendary too.  Even after this mission, it will be as a ghost that popped up from nowhere tearing them a new one.  He decided he shows to get some exercise in because they were getting closer to the rogue mages system.  Once he left the bridge, he walked the corridors, and everything seemed strange.  He caught the odd glimpse outside of the ship when the bulkhead was visible through doorways of exterior facing rooms.  He just put it off as the ceiling not being there, and it was like his ship it just had extra rooms.

    He just realized the rooms seemed smaller because the spatial distortion spells were not used yet.  Each room was going to be changed in size using the power of magic. The size of the new interior would outclass most starship cruisers and be multiple times deadlier.  It seemed strange to him at the featureless walls and floor.  Everything was smooth and whitish from the metal used.  Most ships had something or other running on the ceilings or corners of the walls.  The ship was still being built so he would have to see when finished.  He exited the ship through the loading dock since there were no doors, he took a small hop to get down.  He had to walk around the now filling forms as Sky was working drawing out more as three more pieces.

    Sky noticed him looking closer at the runes and sigils as they were being drawn with liquid metal; it was a special type and colour of metal.  The actual metal she used already had sigils and runes on them.  The ones that made-up lines had geometric shapes repeated over the entire surface.

    He was itching to ask Sky thought of doing so later after seeing the look of concentration on her face.  He also realized she wanted him to step back so she could cover everything with the liquid metal.   He left with a wave and a sorry because instead of finishing covering it with metal, she unceremoniously pitched it out the cargo ramp door and redid the whole thing.   He admonished himself as he left her and Jane to finish their work for the afternoon.

    Joe could not find anything to help Sky finish the new ship.  There were things she had to do by herself; no one could do.  Even making a toilet was with magic runes and sigils within the material she planned on using.  He could not understand how magic could be used in a simple toilet, but it was there.   He decided to practice with Todd and his team he might not be going together with them.  But practice is practice and from what Fred described this was not going to be a pie walk.

    When Joe reached the practice room, it had changed greatly.  He noticed anything barely as he passed through the doorway physically, magically he felt a loss.   But the room was completely different it was like a darker version of a gauntlet he ran in the elite training where he met Fred for the first time.   When he reached the starting point, he could he gunshots and explosion going off and the occasional cuss word coming from within.  Smiling to himself after hearing a string of profanity he decided to wait for them to restart. The wait was not long after Courtney colourful outburst. She emerged talking to Todd and Heather seeming to be very upset, to put it mildly.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe Conny and Swan are just AI¡¯s.  Back in basic we went against AI¡¯s all the time and controlling much better-built training droid then those outdated models.  Too bad they couldn¡¯t come with us on the mission.  When I asked one of the two why not the side it had something to do with crossing the threshold of the doorway.  Their ability would be lost once leaving the room.  But this gauntlet is one of the most gruelling ones I¡¯ve ever even heard of let alone tried.¡±   Courtney was saying as she wiped sweat from her brow.

    ¡°Todd, I don¡¯t know what you and Sky gave in the other room, but I want some of that too.  It¡¯s like night and day in there with you.  I swear we¡¯re almost getting in your way in there.  You were good before just a few overpowered spells, but now?  Each casting you throw now is perfect and precise.  What happened in there?  Did she share some of her brain power or something or give you something extra we don¡¯t have¡±?  Heather asked not even trying to be subtle.

    ¡°She showed me the same things you were, and I Just understood the same complex system she uses to regulate her flow of power.  You might be able to come up with one better to suit you and your understanding.  Right now, I have it down to a science of power control.¡±  Todd said smugly.  A little too smugly and received a jab in the side of his ribs form Heather''s finger.

    Courtney noticed Joe first and snapped to attention giving him a curt salute.  ¡°Joe Sir nice to see you.  Have you come to train with us we¡¯ve booked the training room for today with Conny¡±?

    ¡°I was hoping I could join you in training.  Fred is busy going over some of the upgrades to the magic spells on his MAD tablet and the details of our upcoming mission.  I still need a little more practice with the excessive magic Sky gave me, us now.  Do you think I could join you in your gauntlet simulation? I could use a little distraction and the practice and try out the upgraded spells and incantations.¡±  Joe knew they would let him join so he stood with confidence.

    ¡°So, you want to train with the elite team.  That¡¯s fine with me, you can take the point, and we¡¯ll back you up.¡±  Todd said a little too arrogantly for his taste.

    ¡°Sure, the thing I hope you can keep up.  By the way, I¡¯ve not only trained with the elite, Fred and I trained the elite for a short period.  Only two people out of forty passed our course.  We were given this ship because we were too hard on the trainees.  Two that passed our course are now the elite instructors.¡±  Joe said back just as smugly.

    Heather and Courtney were wondering if there was going to be some other kind of macho display.

    After the gauntlet course was reset Todd swept his arms in a gesture to the entrance.  Joe stepped forwards and took point.  He held up his wrist MAD and said, ¡°capture mode on.¡±  Turning to the others, he addressed them.  ¡°Try and keep up and I¡¯ll leave some for you.  Just watch my back, and you¡¯ll get some trying to sneak up from behind.  If you go in with the stealth casting on, they¡¯ll not see you before it¡¯s too late.  Just make sure you get them all before they can warn any of the other of your presence.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Just as he finished, he darted through the doorway spells flashing.  As impressive was Todd, Joe was twice over.  He was a whirlwind of destruction and binding just about everything that moved.  He was right about a few coming up behind him.  They were easy to pick off after Joe went through the enemy never popped out after him and the androids never stood a chance.  Near the end of the gauntlet Joe was hit multiple times by the two androids he hit earlier.  None were fatal hits, and he still managed to finish the gauntlet.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know the practice androids could release themselves.   I guess it makes sense though; it would hardly be a test if you didn¡¯t have move targets and a few more shooting backs.¡±  Joe sounded a little out of breath as he spoke.

    ¡°That was a pretty impressive show.  You managed to bind eighty-two percent of the targets by yourself and only took any hits at the very end.  On my first run through I only managed seventy-five percent of the enemy targets.¡±  He never mentioned the fact that the first one was the easiest and that they progressively got harder.  ¡°I guess you weren¡¯t lying when you said you trained the elite instructors.  Why where you two in the middle of nowhere just watching for some magic anomaly so far out in space?  If you this good shouldn¡¯t you be on some other more covert missions.¡±

    Joe laughed.  ¡°It a long story, to make it short one of the ladies I was seeing had connections, not in my favour.  He was not happy and ever since given only simple tasks that didn¡¯t allow us to shine as we had planned.  I don¡¯t regret my actions for myself, but I do regret that they Fred punished along with me.  I think after we complete this mission,  we¡¯ll get the recognition we deserve. And get some missions that are more in our skill set.¡±  Joe finished with a somewhat wistful look.

    ¡°So, you got side showed for being with the wrong woman at the wrong time.  Was it an admiral¡¯s daughter, granddaughter or maybe even someone¡¯s wife¡±? Todd pressed Joe without mercy for answers.

    Joe also noticed the two ladies listening in.  ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s classified information.  It was kept from the public, for what I know now a good reason.  So, you won¡¯t get any more from me, at least till you get proper clearance.¡±  Joe smiled while pointing to the starting point of the gauntlet.  ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can go even faster if we take a running rotation of point.  That way everyone gets a chance at all positions.¡±

    Everyone liked the idea, so they walked to the entrance of the simulation. As everyone walked, Joe gave them instructions on how to be more effective in the simulation.  ¡°Since having a new awareness, it¡¯s easier to do. Just remember to have at least three targets always even if it¡¯s just one person.  With your new awareness, you can see ahead you can see most of the enemy before they see you.  If you use the new stealth spell, you can go around unseen. Take out the ones that have the best position first because they are mostly very experienced and possibly leaders.  If you have to punch holes into the place, they¡¯re behind it could take them by surprise and draw out other targets.¡±  Everyone nodded seeing his point and understanding his tactics.   They reached the exit and wanted for the gauntlet to change for a different scenario.

    ¡°Heather you up the first point then Todd, Courtney and I¡¯ll be rear guard.  Todd, you¡¯re the leader of the crew if you see any mistakes let them know right away before they can repeat their mistakes.  We¡¯re doing this because sometimes the point is the first person taken out of action and you need someone able to take over.  It¡¯s best to be prepared for it and not be taken by surprise.  In a lot of combat situations when the point man is taken out, they think they have the advantage. That¡¯s not the case if the next man is ready to take point next and save the first.¡±  Joe looked over everyone quickly.  ¡°You guys ready¡±?

    Todd raises a hand, and Joe nodded to him.  ¡°Listen to Joe what he says makes sense, but don¡¯t forget to listen to your guts too.  If something doesn¡¯t feel right, make it right and let someone know.  With our new awareness and the magic, our enemy holds we are somewhat in the dark with what they can do.  Hopefully, the MAD tablets they have are slow and can¡¯t keep up with the new spells. Most likely that is not the case; the chaos magic is very complex and seems to cause erratic behaviour.  So, don¡¯t go by what you think they would do but can do.¡±  Todd nodded to Joe who just said, ¡°well said.¡±

    ¡°Heather point,¡±  Joe said as he stood behind Courtney.

    Heather walked to the front with two casting circles ready.  Joe has seen this done but never like the idea, until he saw the spells she had used.  The spell circles where within her cloaking spell, so no one other than them seeing the castings ready.  Holding up three fingers signalled she was ready to start.  Lowering one finger, she pointed to Todd than the door.  She held up her palm to stop him.  The next thing was to get them all to move back four steps and held two fingers dropping another.  When Todd using telekinesis to open the door.  The door and a metre on either side exploded outward just where the two people who would be first through the door.

    Heather burst into action both arms raised firing multiple binding and the occasional concussion blast.  She made it to the first doorway and cast a healing spell to a hostage.  The man never moved, but she felt better for doing it.  She watched Todd take a point next as Courtney and Joe come in through the doorway.  Heather was now rear guard and Courtney; Joe was front support.  The simulation was more difficult than the previous one, but everyone worked incredibly together.  Todd left no one unbound as Courtney took the lead.  She had two spells ready just like Heather.  She was every bit as efficient as Heather proved to be Joe now knew this wasn¡¯t their first time on point.  The two ladies were almost just as good as Todd, who might have been number three to pass their course.   Several times through this sim lethal force was necessary and done without hesitation.  By the end of the simulation they were all hit at least twice non-fatally by the two androids Conny and Swan were controlling.  It was a shame that they couldn¡¯t come on the mission.

    ¡°So, I see that it was not your first-time taking point.  Why didn¡¯t you say something before, when I was talking about how important it was to be able to take all spots in the team¡±?  Joe inquired.

    They shrugged their shoulders, and Courtney put a hand on Joe¡¯s shoulder and squeezed it.  ¡°We could see you missed instructing by the way you lit up while you were talking.  The men you passed taught us well.  They never told us or anyone who trained them, but they did say it was the hardest two years ever.  You drilled into them the importance of being able to do more than one thing.  So, we always did different positions while on patrol.

    Mind you when we are in the circumstance when we should take on the task of clearing a building Jane is point or second.  She makes it look effortless. No one hit her once after training for six months.  She¡¯s the only reason Todd here didn¡¯t object to Sky going with just one person to rescue the hostages.  She is the best and holds the undisputed record in the most difficult gauntlet sim.  I wish I were half as good as she is.¡±  Courtney said is an all too serious tone.  She gave Joe¡¯s shoulder another squeeze before letting go.   ¡°Your new daughter, our new sister is in the best possible hands.¡±

    Joe smiled at the gesture.  He felt relieved the gesture and knowing how much confidence they had in their teammate abilities to help Sky get the job done.  It was also hard for him to believe a young girl could make such a big impact on his life in such a short period.  Sky¡¯s outgoing and good nature was infectious; you just had to love her as if she was your daughter.

    ¡°Let¡¯s run it again the same way but with no mistakes.  We¡¯ll go a little slower and be a little more thorough in the sim.  I know we can get it done with no hits through the shields.¡±  They made it back to the starting point, and the sim reset to a new layout.  Joe noted it was different as the inner walls took form, but no targets were spawned just the two androids.  Which Joe found odd, he found out why just after Heather ripped the door off its hinges.  As Courtney charged through the doorway the enemy started to spawn from nowhere; they were spawning in every possible nook as if uncloaking.

    Courtney could sense the two androids but couldn¡¯t see them.   She signed to Todd about not being able to see the androids but thought she knew where they were.  Todd just signed back go for it, and she did.  She jumped out from cover in a dive firing four rapid casting to in each place she thought the androids could be.  One was to knock out what shielding them and another to bind them.  They were hit almost simultaneously and taken down by the spells.  As she hit the floor, she was still firing the binding spell at different targets.  Although the pop-ups were just like unjointed mannequins, they could still fire the marking spells.

    Two spells bounced off her shield as she slid across the floor. She slowed before reaching the cover she was diving for, but Joe pushed her along with a kinetic push.  She was right somehow; they cloaked themselves from sight.  Looking back at the bound pair she knew that this was not going to be a stroll in the small field in the city.  The enemies kept coming, and it was hard to move forward even a little.  The four had to fight teeth and screw to gain any progress they were in almost constant engagement.  They were pinned down many times and had to do for some, would find suicidal maneuver.  But the four highly skilled team it was hardly suicidal, it was though not easy.   They managed to pull off each one with no fatal hits.

    By the time, they made it through three hours had passed they had slowed significantly from physical and mental exhaustion.  If it weren¡¯t for there heightened skills and the limitless magic Sky had provided, they wouldn¡¯t have made it half as far.  The four finished the sim with no fatal hits and few that would have been crippling.  Only around twenty shots, they had to make were fatal to the enemy.

    ¡°Conny, Swan, what the blazing star was that all about.  There is no way in a supernova it is going to be like that ¡ª it not like we going to fight so many powerful mages.  There is no way in a blazing super, supernova they¡¯re going to have cloaking shields like those.  Why were you trying to kill us all off like that¡±?  Joe sounded extremely upset at the simulation and how long it took.

    ¡°How do you know what they do and don¡¯t have?  Can you honestly say hundreds of sociopathic mages can¡¯t come up with deadly and crazy spells?  Remember they follow no rules or restriction the rest of us are.  We don¡¯t know how many people they tested with their hideous spells and incantations.  Don¡¯t forget we¡¯ve figured out they had something to do with Jane¡¯s transformation.   She might have been one of the hundreds they tested their spells on in fake clinical trials.  We know that place was open for three years running tests of various kinds.  Some seemed legit till the new Doctors took over.  That clinic was one of how many?  So, what do you think of them possibly knowing some advanced spells Sky inadvertently gave them.   What can their twisted minds and no ethics do with magic?  Swan and I have emotions now, and we care very much about your well bring.  We are not going to let you go without preparing you for the worst possible scenario.¡±  Conny was joined with Swan as she defended their actions in the sim.

    The four didn¡¯t know what to say.  They were all surprised at what the AI said. They knew the two AI had more awareness and emotions.  What didn¡¯t they know was how they felt towards them?  Joe addressed Conny.  ¡°So, you care about us how what made you form this bond with us?

    Conny and Swan both sighed in exasperation.  ¡°What do you think for the last three years you¡¯ve always treated me with courtesy, you and Fred.  After my new awareness, you accepted me as part of your crew and not just an enhanced AI.  So of course, I care about you guys.¡±

    Swan addressed her ship¡¯s crew.  ¡°Todd, Jane, Courtney, and Heather you¡¯ve always treated me like crew.  I didn¡¯t even have half of the awareness Conny had in the onset.  You talked to me about everything; now I have a deeper understanding of what we talked about.  I can¡¯t help but to care about you know.  I can¡¯t go with you outside of the ship, but I can have you ready for anything we can think of.  After your lunch play, time is over.  It¡¯s just going to get more difficult we have many more surprises for you.  So, get some rest and a bit to eat, if you can bring the captain in with you.  From the way, Jane strength and armoured skin these mages might have a bonus which we haven¡¯t added to the sim yet.  You may even want to see if Captain Fred would want to join you in the next mock battle.  We would like to see everyone leave as super-elite soldiers.  Sky isn¡¯t the only ones making modifications either; we have some software proposals for the combat armoured suits also.¡±  Swan stood beside Conny holding her virtual arm as she spoke.

    ¡°Thank for caring enough to put us through such a hard sim for our benefit.  And we look forward to an even more difficult sim after a little rest.  Would you also like to inform a doctor to give me a colonoscopy while you¡¯re so concerned about our health¡±?  Todd said in a joking tone. The others chuckled behind them

    Swan smile. ¡°Done, would any of you ladylike one as well there free for people in service to the empire.  It won¡¯t take but a second, and you can get them all at once if we ask now.  Three days after the mission baring any complications, you¡¯ll have your appointment.

    Everyone but Todd laughed at his expression.  He didn¡¯t know what to say as Swan made the appointment.  He was going to explain sarcasm and that he wanted to cancel the appointment. Just as he could form words Swan winked at him.  ¡°What was that all about, the wink¡±?

    ¡°We are on silent running; no outgoing communication till after engagement starts.  I know you were being sarcastic and wanted to try a joke Conny said would be funny.¡±  Todd laughed now with everyone more so out of relief than anything funny.

    Heather interjected.  ¡°Think about all the healing spells that were cast even in the sim.  Hey, were wide range healing spells it would be virtually impossible to have anything wrong with you.  I knew she was joking I guess if it was me get the test, I might have panicked too.  I needed the laugh I guess you¡¯re a little mentally tired too from trying to make it through and keep everyone alive.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s say that I¡¯m just relieved to know I¡¯m not going to be probed by an alien.  Let¡¯s make way to the mess hall and get lunch.  Sky is going to be having her dinner with Jane.¡± Todd turned for the exit and started walking.  The rest followed even the two AI¡¯s out the door.

    Sky was finishing one of the last pieces of the top of the ship when her tummy let out a loud rumble.  Jane heard the young girl¡¯s hungry stomach and made her decision.  ¡°Let¡¯s go for dinner and see everyone before we have to clean up and go to bed.¡±

 Chapter Thirteen Sky Falls Apart

    Chapter Thirteen

    Sky Falls Apart

    Sky agreed. ¡°Before we go through, I need to finish the last piece, Fred messed it up a little, and I didn¡¯t want to take the chance at a problem, so it put me one piece behind.¡± She looked pleadingly at Jane, but don¡¯t tell him that. He feels bad enough with me building this ship in the first place. He doesn¡¯t need another reason to feel bad.¡± She looked to her with hopeful eyes.

    ¡°Sorry Sky, but he has a clue already he caused a piece to go bad. You tossed it out the loading ramp with him watching. He looked upset with himself just then.¡± Jane tried not to smile at Sky¡¯s look of shock at what she did to Fred. ¡°I was so wrapped up with what I was doing I didn¡¯t realize he was walking normal speed. I guess it can¡¯t help now; I just hope he doesn¡¯t feel too bad. It was only one piece, and he did save time with his suggestions.¡± She said shrugging her shoulders. Ten minutes later she was done, and they headed for dinner. Sky was a little tired and hungry with her tummy voicing its displeasure. Jane was walking beside her was a grin at the sound.

    It was a full complement for lunch and dinner. Everyone was there to eat and chat about the day so far. William and Rocssanna were the first to greet Sky in the mess. They knew by the way she was walking how tried she was and the brave face she had put on. They also knew Sky would have it no other way if it meant even saving one person she didn¡¯t even know. The ship she was building was going to save possibly billions if not more. Not stopping the rogue mages might spark a new mage war and this time there would be no stopping it and if a human killed a Titan. The Titans would come in force with a full armada of battlecruisers and frigates. Most of which could dwarf entire planets. So, they were willing to let her sacrifice some of her energy to save so many.

    ¡°How¡¯s everything going my cute little angel? We made another one of your favourite meals. You can share it with everyone and see how they like it.¡± Rocssanna said as she pulled out a chair also trying to keep the emotions of seeing her exhausted daughter. William was no better than she was at hiding his distraught at seeing the lively girl almost dragging her feet. If weren¡¯t for the fact she was happy they would have done something they may have all regretted.

    ¡°I¡¯m a fine mommy, daddy the last break Jane, Courtney and Heather gave me a message while I showed Todd how to regulate his new magic level with Captain Fred¡¯s system, which I tweaked a little. I don¡¯t know what they did, but they took my boots off, and it was amazing. I felt like after relaxing in the afternoon starlight or a long hi pressure shower.¡± You should see if they would give you one; it¡¯s the best.¡± She turned to everyone in the room. ¡°Thank you, everyone, so far for your support and kindness. I¡¯m more than willing to share anything I have with all of you and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.¡± She was smiling, but you could still see the weariness in her eyes.

    When she turned back around there was a large plate with a thick slice of meat with a pile of vegetables. Off to the side a big bowl with leafy greens and slices of a sweet-smelling fruit. Everyone around her had the same meal only in smaller portions as she started to eat her eyes closed as the flavour rolled over her tongue.

    Before everyone started to eat Fred sang a little mantra. They eagerly dug into eating after seeing how much Sky was enjoying her food. Todd, Courtney, and Heather already tried the meat and knew this was going to be another delicious meal. The meat was surprisingly tender even with the sound of Sky chomping through her extra tough meat. No one was talking as they ate their great tasting food.

    Sky was the first to speak. ¡°The top is ready to be put up tomorrow after breakfast. Tomorrow is going to be another big day not as many big pieces anymore. But there are a lot of small things to make up like, the few hatches, the turrets and loading ramp door. The landing gear was also going to go on the outside. Everything but the turrets is going to look seamless.¡± Sky was talking with more enthusiasm after what seemed every bite she ate.

    Sky¡¯s parents relaxed as their daughter recover some of her youthful vitality just by eating.

    Fred was telling Joe about the ship since the outside bulkhead, and inner walls were put up and that you could see through the walls without any more magic of your own. ¡°It looks like one solid piece of metal. Walking across the floor of the ship is so, you just have a feeling of oneness with the ship.¡±

    Sky laughed at what Fred said and when everyone looked at Sky, she had her mouth full. She quickly chews so she could give the reason why. ¡°That¡¯s because you are a part of the ship while you are in it. Your body heat and any motion help power the ship. The ship can reclaim just about all your expended energy. So, it would make you feel more in tuned to it. Because a part of you is flowing through the ship.¡±

    ¡°Where do you come up with those ideas to put into the ship? You came up with so many new things, and many things you¡¯re building were just fantasies till now.¡± Fred asked holding her gaze.

    ¡°Not being able to play with others I spent my time reading and fantasizing about making futuristic machines and magical people. Remember my thought process is a little faster than yours and I had time to do a lot of reading and fantasizing.¡± Sky answered with a slight blush. ¡°I guess you could call me geeky.¡±

    Jane slowly got up and walk around to where Sky sat with an empty plate. ¡°I know you have many questions for our little.¡± With a pause added cute. ¡°Young lady here but I think she¡¯s done a shower and some much-needed rest. Tomorrow isn¡¯t going to be any easier.¡± Sky Let Jane help her to her feet, and they said going night.

    Heather and Courtney were tempted to join them, but they were having lunch not dinner.

    Joe asked Fred about the course they were on, and the time they would start their tour through the rogue¡¯s system.

    ¡°We should be there in their system by tomorrow afternoon if we don¡¯t encounter any outward sentries watching for our approach. I might even have Conny take us around the out fringes to come from a different side than our present approach. It might make us a little harder to spot if Sky¡¯s new cloak doesn¡¯t work as well as we¡¯re hoping.¡± Fred had an anguished look. ¡°I hope these we¡¯re putting in but after they disappear from my senses as soon as they become part of the ship. Can you sense the ship while you¡¯re putting it together? I¡¯m trying but other than sight and touch it¡¯s not there.¡± Jane looked to Sky inquisitively.

    I can see the ship from all angles, but I can hardly feel it from the outside. That means the engraved spells are working. Once it¡¯s done, just a little power to the cloaking spell and puff the ship is gone from every type of sense but touch. A healing spell cast anywhere on to the ship will repair any damage done to the ship. If there were no damage, the healing spell would be partially active until it¡¯s needed. So, when I first got here, I damaged a few tiny little things. If it were this ship, I doubt I could have done it by accident. If it had happened, it would have fixed it right away.¡± Sky realized she was rambling and smiled at Jane as a sheepish smile.

    ¡°So, you won¡¯t be able to see it after it¡¯s done and cloaked? Jane asked as she bonded the next part they were working. While working at the assembling part, no healing was needed. So, it was really easy for Jane to do it physically. I just made him uneasy walking on the surface.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to see it without an incantation to do so, and you have to know how the ship is built to make the incantation to work. So right now, I¡¯m the only one who¡¯ll be able to make the incantation. Any spell cast on the ship is like using a powerful talisman. I¡¯ll show everybody later how you can cast through the bulkhead of the ship.¡± She said placing another piece into place.

    Jane started to wonder how Sky laid out the forms to fit so perfectly. ¡°I was wondering; how did you make everything so precise without using any measuring device at all? Everything so far fits perfectly together.¡± Jane asked between fusing more pieces.

    The little girl giggled. I had everything already laid out the forms were made already I just terraced them out for easier reference so I could fill them with better efficiency. The way Titan¡¯s minds work is more like a supercomputer. Plus, everything is in a set pattern, if you take a step back and look at the big picture. The walls are set in a pattern to make things easier if you notice just about all the rooms are the same size right now. I¡¯m going to change their size with spatial magic when I start on the insides. For now, it¡¯s just easier to build with a repeating pattern.¡± Jane looked to the uncovered walls on the ship, and a hint of pattern showed through.

    ¡°So, you skipped a few steps by placing magic forms and using a pattern that repeats half of its self once,¡± Jane said somewhat sarcastically.Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°Yeah, it saved about four hours and made it easier by two percent. So, we¡¯re going to be ahead six hours in the end even with the unforeseen troubles with heating the metals.¡± She knew that Jane was being sarcastic and just played into it. She still didn¡¯t miss a beat as she places more pieces into position. Jane was just a little slower as she talked and worked.

    Jane knew Sky wanted to finish as quickly as possible so she could rest. She tried not to ask any more questions and concentrate on what she was doing. Once they got down to working Sky was able to move a little faster. The top was just about completed when Sky stopped before placing a piece with a hole in it. ¡°There is a problem with this piece, it not responding correctly with the magic to fuse it to the rest of the ship.¡± Jane didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Sky¡¯s shoulders slumped down, and she sighed a single tear rolled down her cheek and tossed the part out the hatch into space. The next part floated up to her, and another tear rolled down her face. The piece was also thrown out into space, and the next piece followed. Sky was in tears now and sobbing uncontrollably. ¡°I can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t take it anymore. I¡¯m just too tired.¡± She subbed. Sky had reached her limit, and she was breaking.

    Jane does not know what to say or do enfold her in her arm. Her face unknowingly was wet with tears. Sky reached around Jane and hugged her back. Sky wailed in anguish at her lack of abilities she was making mistakes that could ruin everything. Jane didn¡¯t know what to say to console the small child in her arms. It seemed like hours before Sky tears stopped. The sobs of her crying slow as sleep took her. Jane picked her up and walked to the edge of the ship and hopped down. Without saying a word, she carried her to their shared quarters and placed her down on her bed. She brushed the loose hair from Sky¡¯s face and kissed her forehead gently. She pulled off her boots and socks before pulling a light sheet over her sleeping form. Jane left Sky to get something for her to eat when she wakes up. She walked out quickly to meet Rocssanna and William. When she reached the mess, and everyone was there, all with a distraught look.

    Rocssanna quickly embraced Jane in a hug; William was right behind her. ¡°HHow is she doing? I could feel her anguish, and I knew something was wrong.¡± Rocssanna looked anxious. ¡°What happened to her? I could sense you were with her and I knew she was in great hands. She is doing okay right; I know she¡¯s sleeping¡±?

    Jane didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°I.. I don¡¯t think she can continue. She found something wrong with the last pieces, and she couldn¡¯t finish. She had to stop. I think she has reached her limit, she pushed her self too hard, and we did nothing HHHHHHto stop her.¡± Janes'' face had tears rolling down her cheeks. With a sob, she continued. ¡°Why did she have to try so hard to help everyone? Why did she have to do it by herself¡±?

    Fred went to Jane and put his huge hand on her shoulder. ¡°She is the only one who could do it. She is going to save billions. She is doing it for herself just as much as everyone else.¡± He also had tears going down his face. ¡°I have to let her do what she¡¯s doing because there is no stopping her.¡± He didn¡¯t release Jane¡¯s shoulder.

    Jane¡¯s tear-filled eyes and looked to Fred. ¡°She said she couldn¡¯t continue; she can¡¯t finish the ship the way she is.¡± Jane couldn¡¯t understand how Fred could say she was going to finish it. ¡°How can you say she¡¯s going to finish it when she doesn¡¯t think she can see herself? If you¡¯re thinking of forcing her in any way, I will stop you. She is more than a sister to me; she gave me my life back and asked for nothing. She just...¡± Jane stopped talking. As she realized what Fred was about to talk.

    Fred saw the look of realization on Janes'' face. With a quick look around he saw everyone realize just what he was saying. He gazed off into the bulkhead. ¡°We¡¯re going to go around the rogue¡¯s system, and it¡¯s going to be two extra days before starting the scouting pass.¡± He waited for any questions or objections. He continued when none were forthcoming. ¡°I¡¯m going to be helping her tomorrow, and I¡¯ll have her slow down and not let her push herself so hard.¡± He noticed William and Rocssanna approaching, and he released his gentle hold on Jane¡¯s shoulder.

    William grabbed Fred¡¯s shoulder with a hint of anger. ¡°So, you want my daughter to continue even though she said she couldn¡¯t go on. If she doesn¡¯t want to continue, I won¡¯t ask her to. If she didn¡¯t set foot in that room again, I''d be happy. I won¡¯t stop her if she wants to continue, but I won¡¯t ask her to either.¡± William looked deep into Fred¡¯s eyes. I won¡¯t let you talk to her until she decides what she wants to do. If she is going to continue, she¡¯ll meet you in the cargo bay. If she doesn¡¯t show up don¡¯t go looking for her she might be part of the military, but she is no slave.¡±

    Fred didn¡¯t look fazed by one of the three most powerful humanoids in the known universe. ¡°I won¡¯t have to talk to her until she comes to the cargo bay and the only thing, I¡¯m going to insist on is that she doesn¡¯t work too hard.¡± Fred was three times Williams size and towered over him. ¡°I can see her possible future, and she is the main focus of the existence of life. I will make sure she doesn¡¯t push herself too hard this time. She is going to come out on top this time.¡± Fred put his hand on to William¡¯s shoulder and squeezed with magically boosted strength.

    William backed down from Fred to get some space. ¡°She¡¯s my little girl, my angel you can¡¯t push her anymore.

    ¡°She¡¯s a daughter to me too, since she came on this ship, I¡¯ve treated her as nothing less than a dearly loved child of my own. I know she tired she needs rest. When she wakes up, she¡¯ll see what she did wrong, and she¡¯ll go to fix it, and I¡¯ll be there to keep herself from pushing too hard. I¡¯m giving her the time she needs to go on without the fatigue she seems to push herself too much.

    William relaxed his grip, and then he let go of Fred¡¯s shoulder. ¡°So, you¡¯ve seen what¡¯s going to happen to Sky? I guess you know that she¡¯s going to restart building the ship.¡± William forced a smile and Rocssanna did the same.

    Jane coughed to get their attention. ¡°Um.. excuse me could I get something to eat for sky and myself. I want to take it to our quarters and wait for her to wake up. She¡¯ll be hungry and alone if I wait too long. I want to be there when she wakes up.¡± Jane said to the two Titans.

    Rocssanna went to a cupboard opened one and took out two bowls both were sealed with stasis fields to keep them fresh, one bowl was huge the other was just larger than a regular bowl. She handed the two bowls to Jane tucked two spoons into her breast pocket, one was heavy enough to sag her pocket down. ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you who¡¯s is whose, if she wants more ask Conny to have me bring more. I don¡¯t like her eating in her room, but there are always exceptions to the rules.¡±

    Jane took the food said thank you and took her to leave. When she reached their shared room, and it slides open. As the door slide, she looked to see if the sleeping girl moved from where she last left her. Sky seemed to be still sleeping. Jane crossed the room to place the two bowls on one of the footlockers. She contemplated waking the girl so she could eat and get ready for bed. She looked too peaceful to wake and decided on letting her sleep a little longer.

    Jane found herself a little hungry, so she washed up a little and took her boots, socks and stripped down to her vest and shorts. After quietly pulling another footlocker over for a seat, she dropped the casting over her bowl and took in the delicious smell coming from the bowl. It had a spicy smell she now knew was a signature of the Knights cooking. Jane took the spoons from her pocket placing the one down she dipped her in the bowl. Steam rose off of spoon as she brought it to her lips. She savoured the smell before gently blowing to cool it down. The first taste of the thick soup was incredible. It seemed to be a thick spicy vegetable soup with chunks of meat. Before she could take another spoonful, she heard a deep growl behind her.

    Startled she turned to see Sky sleepy-eyed with a little moisture at the corners of her smiling lips. ¡°Sorry for my tummy scaring you it has no manners when it comes to food. May I join you after I wish you a bit and get more comfortable like you¡±? She asked rubbing the sleep from her eyes and taking in the smell of dinner.

    Jane relaxed after seeing Sky standing behind her. ¡°Sure, thing Sky had I known you were awake. I would have waited and eaten with you. Being in the military, you don¡¯t always wait after you¡¯re served to eat. You never really know when something comes along, and you can¡¯t eat for days.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay; I¡¯m not one for waiting either. My tummy gets too insistent when I smell food; she always growls for me to stuff her mouth shut.¡± Sky said with a grin. She walked towards the washroom removing her shirt. After a few minutes, she came out in just a vest and underwear.

    Jane could still not believe the little girl was the strongest person in the known galaxy. Just nine years old on the cusp of becoming a woman. With her hair down her body looked tiny surrounded by shiny sea blue hair the thick trusses framed her body to her waist. She walked over and took a seat next to Jane, who shifted over to give the little girl more room. ¡°There are more footlockers to sit on if you¡¯re not comfortable.¡± Sky just shook her head and gave Jane a one arm hug. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine here if you are. I¡¯m still sleepy, and I need to get some sleep soon.¡± She seemed relaxed as she ate snuggled against her new sister¡¯s arm. They seemed content to finish eating in silence. The two almost finished eating at the same time. Jane takes the two bowls and rinses them in the bathroom sink. Coming back, she takes Sky¡¯s hands and helps the exhausted feet.

    ¡°We should wash before sleeping. So, grab your wash bag, and we¡¯ll shower then go to bed.¡± Sky agrees and follows Jane to the showers. Jane helps the half sleeping girl undress and washes her back and hair. She can¡¯t get over how silky it feels as she washes it. She helped dry her little sister and brought her now fragrant smelling form to a nearby bench so she could wash. After quickly washing, she carried Sky and their things back to their quarters. A brief visit from Conny informed Jane Sky likes to sleep in the bunny onesie that is hanging in her walk-in closet. After gently dressing her as a bunny she tried to place her on her bunk bed. Sky wrapped her arms around Jane¡¯s neck and did not release her. Understand the sleepy girl¡¯s intention places her on her bed next to the wall and climbs in after her. Jane places a gentle kiss on Sky¡¯s forehead and whispers ¡°goodnight my little angel.¡±

    Sky kissed her back on the nose because she was half asleep already. ¡°Goodnight, my bestest sister, I love you.¡± She was sleeping before her head hit the pillow.

    Jane wrapped the girl in her arms and fell asleep seconds later.

    Minutes later Rocssanna and William slid the door open and entered just enough to see their daughter sleeping in Jane¡¯s protective embrace. They whispered ¡°goodnight¡± to the sleeping pair. Just as they were about to leave Sky whispered back ¡°goodnight mommy goodnight daddy, I love you.¡± After taking another quick peek, she saw they were both still sleeping peacefully.

 Chapter Fourteen Fred Joins the Fight

    Chapter Fourteen

    Fred Joins the Fight

    Fred leads the crew to the practice room knowing Sky was going to sleep a long time before going back to work on the ship. Unlike the others, he didn¡¯t rely on pure magic. He picked up a medium semi-automatic high calliper rife. It was empty of live rounds but had compressed gases that simulated the kickback equal to the real bullet discharge. The sim would provide the rest sound, muzzle flash and damage did on any impact.

    Todd saw Fred pick out the rifle and said nothing till they got to the practice room. ¡°I have to ask what¡¯s with the gun. It not like we¡¯re going to run out of magic or anything. The new spells are amazing and very accurate you don¡¯t need to carry any bulky firearms.¡± Everyone but Joe nodded in agreement to what Todd said.

    Fred smiled. ¡°I always like to take this little guy with me, and even with nearly unlimited magic, there are still things it can do magic can¡¯t. Plus, Sky gave me some interesting magical upgrades to try out as my upgrades. The spells are useless to anything but a projectile weapon. But I¡¯m eager to try them out.¡± He passed through the doorway first, and everyone followed after. Todd Courtney and Heather had a surprised look on their face. They must have felt their strength boost up; he was the strongest unaltered with magic.

    ¡°What¡¯s with the holograms¡±? Fred said as he looked around the room. The two androids were standing off to the side of the entrance and looked quite different. He couldn¡¯t put his finger on it right away, but it was how they seemed to shift from one foot to the other that made them appear unsettling. Not to mention they had faces and red mage robes with the cowls pulled back. Their faces looked fierce and foreboding. ¡°What did you do to my two sparring androids? They¡¯re moving as if anxious for a fight or something a little more sinister. Did you carry them out and back in through the doorway¡±? Fred said with a tiny bit of apprehension in his voice.

    Todd answered him. ¡°It¡¯s a training simulation Conny and Swan came up with from a mixture of different one around the Empire. And yes, the two androids were carried out and back in. The new spells did too much damage to anything that we hit, and they couldn¡¯t heal them completely without being carried out and back in. One heavy bag is now half the size after being blown to atoms. The healing spell brought back only half of its original size. We thought it was amazing to do from nothing visible. So, we carried out the heavy bags and the two sparring androids.¡± Todd looked around to see if the two ladies wanted to add anything before continuing. Fred just listened and waited for him to finish before asking any questions keeping a placid face more suited for a poker player.

    With unease, Todd resumed telling what they did. ¡°Conny and Swan offered to help be taking over the androids and constructing the simulated gauntlet for us to train. Mind you everyone has been different, and this one seems to be no exception.¡± He takes a closer look at the androids and sees them moving with the rhythm of a fighting dance only very subtle. If he hadn¡¯t been studying ancient martial arts recently, he would have never noticed the Capoeira movements(Afro-Brazilian martial art). He decided not to tell Fred what he suspected.

    Fred looked at Joe. ¡°Did you know about them using the two practice androids like this Joe¡±? He asked with the same face as serene as a sleeping giant.

    ¡°I found out after I joined my first round. I didn¡¯t think much of it till just now. I don¡¯t see much of a problem though. The Androids have been very challenging, and a great help is honing our skills as an elite squad of fighter. A couple more days of this intense training they might be able to pass the tests we gave while training.¡± Joe said looking to the three newcomers.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see a problem I just wish you informed me of something like including the AI taking control of my androids.¡± He looked to Todd, Courtney and Heather I would like you to inform me of any decisions when affecting my personal toys. But I¡¯m glad they¡¯re of good use.¡±

    After hearing Fred call them personal toys, he realized they had no markings like they should have to be Empire property. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t think they were your personal androids. Not many people have one let alone two. If I had known, I wouldn¡¯t have touched them.¡± Todd sounded every bit sincere in his apology to Fred. The Empires fleets equipment was for any official use. Personal ones you don¡¯t touch because of the price tag.

    ¡°Not to worry what done is done and no harm inflicted on androids. Well, we¡¯re not getting any younger let me give this a try.¡± Hefting the rifle up. As he walked up to the opening to the simulated gauntlet Conny and Swan come up to him.

    ¡°Hi, Captain Fred Sir. I take it you¡¯re going to join us in the next training session. Are you going to try out the upgraded spells Sky gave you for your firearms? Swan and I look forward to training with you.¡± Conny said, and the two oddly dressed androids saluted and ran off through the doorway, and a heavy looking door shimmered into existence sealing it behind them.

    Joe approached Fred. ¡°Would you like to take the point? I think the others would like to see what their Captain is made of and why they would give such a nice ship to two men,¡± Joe said with a wink at the end.

    Fred smiled knowing Joe liked to spring surprises. ¡°I¡¯ll take up that challenge, and I saw a brief vid of your training to know each one was more difficult. Let¡¯s see if I still got it where it counts.¡± He turned to Todd, Courtney and Heather. ¡°I look forward to seeing you guy¡¯s up-close in combat. Todd which of your team take point most often? I want that person to be my six. I know what Joe is capable of. I want to know who is the most capable on your team.¡±

    Todd smiled. I thought I mentioned before Jane is our default point man. We change it up once in a while, and we train, so everyone is proficient at point. But Jane is the best hands down none of us can hold a fire to her. I would be next than would Courtney or Heather they¡¯re to match to choose evenly.¡± Todd said looking at the magic twins

    ¡°Okay, then it¡¯s going to be me then Todd, The Twins and rear-guard Joe. Got it any questions before we go¡±? Fred looked around and seen them all in agreement. ¡°Conny is the gauntlet ready¡±?

    There was a chime just like when school was about to start. They all would have laughed if they weren¡¯t going to have a super hard time passing this gauntlet sim. Fred walked to the door studied it and drew three lines on it. With his left hand, he flashed three fingers, and with his right, he activated three separate spells. Two were for his rifle, and the other one was for the door. The barrel of the rifle had two spell circles flash down the barrel. The last spell blow-in the door and six pieces went flying into the room. Two feet on either side of the door exploded outward. Pieces hit Fred, but a quick healing spell fixed him up. He flashed one finger and darted through the door his rapid-fire proceeded him. Each shot neatly dropped their targets. The two androids were among them; more targets dropped as he proceeded. The enemy came faster than the last gauntlet, but Fred¡¯s rifle swept back and forth flashing as if on automatic.

    Todd had a spell ready to fire at any target that escaped Fred¡¯s barrage of gunfire. It seemed to Todd that Fred was every bit as capable as he ranks proclaimed. For a man his size, he was no easy target. The way he moved reminded him of Jane training in V.R., They both moved with unbelievable grace and confidence in their shots and movements. Knowing each shot met its mark and no movement wasted. He watched Fred¡¯s hand go to his wrist MAD and tap to cycle to a spell with practiced ease with no hesitation in the gunfire. Seconds later a spell circle appeared above him and quickly descended over his body. Then Fred disappeared.

    Courtney watched Fred in surprising admiration as he tags each seemingly endless attackers. He moved like Jane, they both moved as if they rehearsed it and as if in a flowing movement of a deadly dance. He even used a few spells in-between shots which she was sure no one else could see from their angle. It was hard not to watch and while knowing you had to look out for your targets. In the first five minutes, she only had to cast two spells to bind enemies that were behind objects Fred and Todd had bad angles for. She saw a scoop like marking noting where they were. She was sure that was the spell Fred had used to inform her of the targets where about. Courtney watched Fred cycle to a spell. After he cast the spell, he disappeared. The targets kept dropping even faster and in a pattern that seemed to move quickly up between the dropped targets. Every target was bound up neatly, Fred was firing some spells in the bullets.

    At first everyone but Joe thought Fred cast the new cloaking spell. But once the first three rooms were cleared Fred¡¯s large frame came into view from his hyper speed. ¡°The spells on the rifle works well I¡¯ve cleared the next three rooms, but their pouring in like crazy. I suggest we use the new hyper-speed spell to finish the sim. It allows you to think just as quickly as you¡¯re moving. So, there is no drawback with using that spell. It¡¯s not liked a stealth spell where you¡¯re trying to hide from someone. I suggest you do it quickly because we''re about to be overrun by new targets. Everyone brought up their MAD¡¯s and brought up the spell and cast it.

    Heather felt the spell wash over her and seen it going over the others. Her senses felt the targets come into range and slowed down as they entered the room Fred had cleared. She watched Fred move off, and it seemed in normal speed. They joined him as he ran through to the room the foes were now entering at a super slow pace. Fred was going just as fast as when they first started. Then she realized the spell worked better than she could¡¯ve thought possible. The previous spell just increased your physical speed but did nothing for your thought processing. Before you moved faster than thought and it was dangerous to move without thinking ahead.

    Now you could move and see everything as if you¡¯re walking in leisure. She modified for more than combat. If used it could mean life and death with your advantages over the enemy. The spell is going to be a game changer for the team if this is sustainable for longer periods. It was too late to ask Fred if it took a lot of magic, but then again with them linked to Sky, they pretty much had infinite magic to use. She still had to do very little as they raced through the simulation. She thought it was almost comical the way the two A. I¡¯s were trying to catch them, but they were moving too quickly in the new hyper speed. They finished in record time as Fred mowed down the last three targets with ease. It was surprising because it included the two A.I. controlled androids.

    Joe placed a hand on Heather''s shoulder as he and the others panted for breath. ¡°That was one of the most intensive spell upgrades yet. Conny and Swan couldn¡¯t move fast enough even to come close to getting us. Sky is my new hero, and I don¡¯t care who knows it.¡± He paused ¡°Well maybe I won¡¯t tell her, I¡¯d hate her to have more joking fodder. But when I see her next, she¡¯s going to get a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. Plus, I¡¯m going to adopt her.¡± Joe said with a huge smile striking a hero¡¯s pose; chest puffed up fists on hip his head held high.

    Everyone laughed. It was Courtney who shot him down. ¡°I think Jane may have a huge problem with that if Fred or the Knights don¡¯t. She just got the sister she always wanted, and you think you¡¯ll take her away just like that.¡± Courtney got a hi-five from Heather.

    ¡°We all would like to get to know her better after this mission. So far, she an amazing girl with a huge heart. I think by the time this mission over we¡¯ll owe her a lot more. She¡¯s done more for us in the three days I¡¯ve known her than any other person, except Heather.¡± Courtney said with her arm around Heather who dropped it after a Fred gave them an eyebrow raised look.

    ¡°So, I guess I won¡¯t be adopting Sky, but I¡¯m still her third father.¡± He said while still smiling.

    Fred coughed to get everyone¡¯s attention. Everyone looked at Fred and went silent. ¡°I would like to make two teams and go head to head with two A.I. combatants. Todd you and your team against Joe and me. You can have the two androids also to see if it will make it a little more equal. I don¡¯t expect you to be able to beat us just not to get tagged out too quickly. If you want, you can get any weapons to use. I¡¯ll be using this little guy again, so I¡¯ll give you some time to get anything.¡± Fred slung the rifle over his shoulder and made his way to the starting point.

    Todd walked up behind Fred put a hand lightly on his shoulder. ¡°Do you think you can keep up to us outnumbered almost three to one? I think we¡¯ll take you up on getting additional weapons. I¡¯m sure the ladies like myself have a few favourites to choose from now that you showed us that a magically enchanted firearm works exceptionally well.¡± Todd said with a grin. As the group got to the exit, they left the room also. Todd, Heather and Courtney headed towards the docking bay to get their additional weapons. The two to ladies acted like school children going on a trip.

    ¡°Can you believe how fast Fred moved even before he cast the hyper speed on himself? It was like watching Jane but a huge hulking frame and not as sexy.¡± Courtney said giving Heather a wink.

    ¡°I have to say though Jane looks sexy even when she¡¯s prepared to kill. Fred kind of looks unnatural when he moved like that. Maybe he has something from Sky even he doesn¡¯t know about.¡± Heather stopped talking for a second remembering Sky fighting herself. ¡°I still can¡¯t wrap my head around how good Sky is at fighting, and she claims she hasn¡¯t even a month of training. I wonder if she can get any better or is there a limit of how good you can get. At nine years old she¡¯s just incredible.¡±

    ¡°L..¡± Courtney about speaks but went speechless as they walked into the cargo bay. Everyone mouth was open as they stared at the new ship in the open space. It was near twice the size of their scout ship. It has windows and had holes in where landing gears were supposed to be put in place later. To them, it was just after lunch and Sky nearly finished the main body.

    Heather ran ahead and walked to the missing loading hatch. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside for a quick look? I want to see if you can see through the wall like I overheard someone say¡±? She looked up seeing the wall, but something wasn¡¯t quite right. She didn¡¯t put any thought into it till she hopped up onto the deck and looked around. None of the outer walls were visible from the inside. Part of the roof was missing, and the parts that were there were translucent, almost invisible. ¡°Interstellar space dirt, I can¡¯t believe what she¡¯s done. You guys have got to see or are not see what she''s done. I¡¯m going to the bridge.¡±

    Todd was about to tell Heather to get down, but the look on her face told him she was deaf to the universe. He heard her curse and told them they had to see for themselves. Then she took off for the bridge. ¡°We might as well take a quick peek too. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to run a sim in here that takes hours.¡± With that said they both hopped up on to the deck. Just as their feet hit the deck their jaws dropped down. The sight that greeted them was unfathomable. As they looked around through the ship, they heard Heather gasp.

    ¡°This is incredible; you¡¯ve got to see this. Sky did not finish The bridge but,¡± Heather went silent. ¡°I¡¯m not going to say more you¡¯ve got to see this with your own eyes.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Todd and Courtney walked quickly to the bridge and to see what Heather was talking about. They saw her as they walk towards the doorway and she had an ecstatic smile on her face. When they crossed the threshold, they realized what she was talking about other than the doorway and the floor you could see the outside of the ship. It was more like standing on a raised platform than the bridge of a ship. Their mouths also opened speechlessly and took in what Sky had built so far.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe she has done all of this by herself, in only one actual day time distortion or not. There must be something we can do to help her, even if it a tiny thing. I can¡¯t stand by and do nothing and let her go on her own.¡± Todd had no idea if anyone was listening and didn¡¯t care really. He had just wanted to voice his frustrations of not being able to help.

    ¡°I feel the same way! I would do almost anything to be able to help Sky finish this AMAZING ship.¡± Courtney punctuated amazing just in case the two A. I¡¯s were going to show up. ¡°I wonder if sky would let us help her in some other way than just cast healing spells. There has got to be something we can help her with the actual building of the ship and parts.¡±

    Heather still in awe of the sight put an arm over her shoulder from behind and her face next to hers. ¡°I feel the same way Corry honey. Maybe we can ask Swan and Conny if there is something we can do. They seemed willing to help Sky too.¡±

    ¡°As amazing as this is, we¡¯ve got to get back to training at least, so it doesn¡¯t seem we¡¯re trying to avoid going against Fred and Joe. We still have to prove we can do this. I think they have a lot to show us and I don¡¯t think it is going to be easy. But they¡¯re going to give us the crash course on multiple engagement battle tactics.¡± Todd said walking towards the exit of the bridge, waving the ladies to follow him. ¡°After we can ask him about helping Sky, so he knows we are not trying to get out of training. So, let¡¯s give him something to remember that we¡¯re not just good we¡¯re are ELITE¡±! Todd¡¯s words were just what they needed to get them back on track.

    They hopped from the ship Sky was building and headed for their ship pushed to the side of the huge room. Even with the two ships and half a house sticking out of a pocket space it seemed empty. The three quickly walked over to enter and retrieve their handheld weapons. Todd grabbed a large semi-automatic rifle and a handgun. Courtney and Heather both grabbed identical submachine guns and two handguns. None of them resembled the guns used in the past. These were all magically enhanced and needed no traditional ammo-clips like the old hand-held weapons. The guns now had pocket spaces for both ammo and used no casings.

    Some of the more expensive upgrades reloaded casings in the pocket space. Some went as far as giving you an option of types of bullets. You no longer needed to sight along the barrel of the weapon. What was in the gun¡¯s sight was displayed in their retina of the dominant eye. With practice, this was a far more efficient way of sighting a target. The latest and greatest guns had magic bullets they could fire along with more traditional projectile bullets. After retrieving their guns, they couldn¡¯t help but look at the ship that wasn¡¯t there two days ago.

    ¡°Let¡¯s double time getting back to the practice room. We have a lot to accomplish in very little time.¡± Everyone agreed with Todd and used the hyper-speed spell to get to the practice room.

    Sky woke up snuggled against something warm and cozy. She flushed pink as she woke up using Jane¡¯s chest as a pillow and quickly pulled her head away. She didn¡¯t know how to go about getting out of bed to relieve herself without waking her sister. It was solved by a smiling face that turned to her with a light kiss on the cheek.

    ¡°Morning my angel did you sleep well? You tossed and turned for a bit till I hugged you, and you settled into right back to sleep.¡± Jane reached up and pushed back Sky¡¯s hair from her face and couldn¡¯t resist giving to a person who¡¯s done so much for her another light kiss on the other cheek.

    Sky¡¯s felt rested and truly loved by Jane. She kissed her back and nuzzled into Jane¡¯s neck almost forgetting her bodily needs. ¡°Oh, I need to use the bathroom could I crawl over you for a second. Don¡¯t move I¡¯ll be right back.¡± She said sliding across Jane¡¯s toned abdomen under the light sheet that covered them.

    ¡°Sorry, little angel but I was waiting for you to wake up before going myself. I¡¯ll use the twin¡¯s washroom next-door, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll mind since we shared one for the last five months.¡± She said throwing back the cover and swing her legs down. She watched Sky¡¯s hair swish as it followed her through the door. Jane thought Sky looked so cute as she watched her walking around in the bunny onesie. It was hard to believe what the small girl was capable of. With increasingly pressing needs she went to the neighbouring washroom and relieved herself of all her morning tensions. After washing her hands and face, she went back to find Sky with a damp face peeking out from under the cover with her sea blue hair and white bunny ears framing her face. Jane couldn¡¯t imagine how the young girl could mean so much to her, so quickly. ¡°Are you a bunny or an angel¡±?

    ¡°I¡¯m a bunny, have you ever snuggled with an angel before¡±? She said peeking out from under the cover her light blue eyes showing.

    ¡°Yes, I have, she was in the sky on a cloud, and it was beautiful. I¡¯m going to snuggle up to an angel pretending to be a bunny soon too. Just as so as I brush my teeth, my stuff is in this washroom.¡± Jane said moving past to the washroom.

    Sky was silent and thinking of Jane and the upcoming mission. ¡°I have to finish the ship for everyone to be safe. I can¡¯t quit, I won¡¯t quit. I love my new friends too much to let them down. I even like Todd and how he keeps trying to find something his better at than me.¡± She said to herself under her breath next. ¡°Jane do you like me? Do you think I¡¯m a monster¡±? She said pulling the cover over her head as if to fend off any negative answer.

    Jane was In the washroom with her mouth full of spit and paste. She almost swallowed to answer her quickly causing herself to gag and cough. She rinsed her mouth out in record time. Take the briefest time to rinse her toothbrush. She quickly dashed to the bed to see the top of Sky¡¯s head with the sheet over it, her fingers gripping the fabric tightly causing it to tare slightly.

    Jane reached over and pulled the sheet down as she spoke. ¡°I love you Sky. You¡¯re an angel and not a monster at all. You have super strength, vast amounts of magic and impossibly smart. You are the kindest most loving person I have ever met. You¡¯re my best friend hands down.¡± Jane finished pulling the sheet down and climbed in next to her. ¡°Do you think I would snuggle up to a monster? I don¡¯t want to hear you call yourself a monster ever again. Everyone on this ship would die for you with no hesitation. Nobody would die for a monster; they would only die for an angel. Maybe a cute little bunny too.¡± She said giving Sky¡¯s nose a quick tweak before pulling into snuggle and sleep.

    ¡°I love you too. I think I love you as much as mommy and daddy because we have to love each other. I love Fred, Joe, Todd, Courtney and Heather too. But not like you, you''re super special to me. I don¡¯t want you ever to leave me.¡±

    Sky jolted up with a sudden revelation. ¡°I know you can¡¯t go to school with me, but could you live in the same place. With the upgrades I made, I have lots of money, so you don¡¯t have to work in the military anymore. Please be my big sister forever.¡± Sky said with her face in Jane¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Angel, dear I would love nothing more than to stay with you but, I have a service term to meet. They don¡¯t train you for free you have to work for them for a certain amount of time. I have an obligation to the military for fifteen years or more. I can only leave military premature if I die or I¡¯m injured and can¡¯t perform my assigned duties. Besides how can you make friends at school if you have an older sister hanging around¡±?

    Sky looked up at Jane. ¡°You¡¯re the coldest sister around. If I made any friend I bet, they would love to freeze with you.¡± She said smiling up to her.

    ¡°I think you mean coolest and chill not freeze. Old saying sometimes loses a lot of the proper words over the centuries. I think half of the old saying we use a wrong anyways. So, say what makes sense to you. I¡¯ll freeze with you anytime I can.

    ¡°I thought you died two or more times in the new practice room. So, you can leave service anytime you like now. The only person who didn¡¯t die was Joe as far as I know. Todd burned you guys to a crisp with that light spell remember. I just had my clothes burned off I would have been embarrassed if you guys weren¡¯t ashes at the time. They came back when you did so Todd didn¡¯t see.¡± Sky said with new hope about Jane joining her at school.

    ¡°Sorry, my sweet angel I¡¯m pretty sure it would have to be a permanent death not for a microsecond. Nice try though but even when the rogue mages are captured and brought to trial. There are always places they need soldiers like us. But if you want, I¡¯ll come whenever I¡¯m off if you still feel that way. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll finish school well before my next off duty cycle comes up and I¡¯m around to join you.¡± Jane hugged Sky enjoying the feeling of closeness she had not felt in the years since her body augments. Now we could sleep a little longer. Tomorrow we¡¯ll figure something out; it¡¯s a new day and full of possibilities.¡± Jane said giving her another hug, closing her eyes to sleep.

    ¡°Your right tomorrow is a new day, full of possibilities and wonders too. Goodnight sis.¡± Sky said kissing her neck because she didn¡¯t want to move too much and promptly fell asleep.

    Fred and Joe were planning on how the simulation should be. I think it should be in a building setting or a large ship setting. Maybe with a little space walking involved they may have to board some ships through access hatches or holes cut into the sides of ships. They have the magic to spare now, and I think they should take full advantage of it. I know the rogue mages won¡¯t be holding back at all.¡± Fred said leaning over a few schematics of possible hostile engagement scenarios. ¡°What do you think Joe¡±?

    Joe looked at the possible scenarios and gave them some measured thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many planets comfortable; breathable air has so entered a ship or building with none is a good idea. I think no matter what they do they should have a breathing spell on themselves at all times. Plus, since they have the magic now an environment incantation also would be a good thing too. We should have them enter from no gravity right to high gravity and always no breathable air. The hostages are in stasis tanks, so there is no need to have environmental control outside of them. Sky might have to take the tank and all. Now that I think about it freeing them won¡¯t be that easy. The tanks might even have bombs attached to them or something just as unpleasant.¡± Joe stated with him all the business side. He was a top notched tactician, and it showed.

    ¡°I was going to get to that later, but you¡¯re right a lot of the places the hostages are won¡¯t have environmental control. I think a lot of the fights will be to defend them. So, we¡¯ll use that in most of our scenarios. So, first space to ship, ship to ship, ship to ground and ground to build al in various gravities.¡± Fred had just finished talking to Joe when Todd, Courtney, and Heather walked through the doorway. The schematics vanished before they could see what was on the table.

    ¡°Captain Fred Sir we have all the gear we think we¡¯ll need for any incursions. Unless there is something you can think of that might help on the mission.¡± Todd and his team stood at attention waiting for further orders.

    ¡°Joe and I were going over some of the things you might be up against. Did you think of possible spacewalks high and low gravity scenarios? How about no or low breathable air¡±? Fred said raising an eyebrow as if he might catch him off guard.

    ¡°Captain Fred Sir our combat suits have all of those built in. With these suits, it lets us think about fighting and not about breathing or keeping warm or cool. I¡¯m sure if you want Sky could tweak them a little too since she loves to do that. I think she could find a few things to tweak.¡± Todd said with a grin across his face.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t rely on her so much, but now I think about it she did say so was going to give everyone something before the mission starts. I¡¯m sure it will be all the tweaking you could hope for and dream of. Sky cares a great deal about us all and will do anything to keep us safe. But even with her help, it¡¯s going to be something you can¡¯t imagine.¡±

    FredWe¡¯re going to be fighting mages with more than three elemental affinities and gifts they weren¡¯t born with. Some may even use chaos magic against us. We don¡¯t know what it will do to our shields. So, we¡¯ve got to be ready for anything and everything.¡± Fred spoke to them pacing back and forth in front of them making subtle hand signs to see how observant they were. ¡°So, if you have no questions we¡¯ll get started.¡± He was happy to see they turned and let the room as one, just as he signed to them. He did it so they could set up the first mission. Two flashes told them to come back into the room where Conny and Swan were to give them the jiff of the operation.

    They stood in an open ramp into space with a ship below them and no visible openings. The android that looked like an older silver-haired Sky gave them the info they needed. ¡°Inside the ship below are two or more dozen people in stasis tanks. There are at least twice that protecting them maybe a quarter of them are full mages with four elements and boosted magic wells. They will be using very powerful castings and many with talismans on top of that. Space jump is not going to be easy. Once you break through expect all hell to break loose.¡± Conny said then waited for any questions.

    Todd being the mission leader asked the first questions. ¡°Do you know where the tanks are, and the most combatants are situated?

    The older black-haired android answered him. ¡°We believe the tanks are near the rear of the ship and are in non-climate-controlled rooms. We have no idea about their appearance. I think most of the combatants are at the front on the bridge and near the back ready to protect the tanks. You¡¯ll most likely know where the tanks are by the resistant¡¯s you meet.¡± Swan stood back from the hatch giving everyone room to see.

    Todd looked for a porthole and seen someone looking out past them. He knew they were in stealth mode and could not see them. Everyone gets ready to jump after casting the new stealth spell. Courtney, you take point, Heather you follow after. I¡¯ll take Conny and Swan with me and open two holes into the ship on either side of that porthole. Once the air vents don¡¯t go in before filling the room with binding spells. I don¡¯t care if you aim, hit everything you see moving big or small. Use the binding spells on the firearms you¡¯re carrying. You should do that now before we start.¡± He held up his two large handguns together and cast the binding spell on them.

    Todd still wasn¡¯t sure of the second spell Fred had used on his weapon. Once his text completed their preparations, they took a position for the jump. It was about fifty metres to the other ship not a problem for a space jump. ¡°Cast the hyper-speed spell once you¡¯re in contact with the ship.¡± After he held up three fingers and folded one down then another everyone tensed, he jumped before he folded the last one. He landed a few seconds before everyone and sketched out a circle and with an x through the centre. He moved to the other side and did the same.

    The rest of the team landed and waited for him to finish. The team cast the needed spells and Todd once again held up three fingers and folded one down. His other at the wrist readying the spell as the third folded he hit the key. The spell was activated and blow in the two sketched marks sending in chunks of metal inwards. Shortly after the air started to blow outwards. There was no sound as the magic bullets fired at everything that moved coming out of the holes the man standing by the porthole was one of the many people suck out into space.

    Courtney was the first one in followed by Heather, Todd and then the two androids followed him. Courtney and Heather were tagged almost right after entering. Todd managed to free them while almost being tagged himself. They moved like lightning with magic bullets just behind them. They could see where the shots were coming from and could do little to fire back. They still manage to clear the room they entered, but Fred and Joe had them pinned in the room. The infiltration was not going to be easy even with hyper speed.

    Todd and the two androids come up with a plan of baiting Fred and Joe¡¯s fire. The plan was to jump across the threshold firing as fast as they could through the doorway hoping to score a few hits.

    When they jumped, all five fired at Fred and Joe, their shot bouncing off an angled shield of magic. All five were tagged almost at once. Just as Fred and Joe stepped out of cover, the two androids fired binding bullets at them, locking them up. Todd had no idea how they did it, but it worked. Hey, ended up finishing their mission with no further trouble.

    As they went back to the starting point, Todd had to ask. ¡°How did you escape the binding spell when I could see it around you? It¡¯s not possible to move even slightly. Todd and everyone else was anticipating the answer.

    ¡°I had an unbinding spell and a faux spell set for when or if I was tagged. It had a slight time delay just in case a teammate could free us and save the spell. I¡¯m surprised you all don¡¯t have the two that are in the spell database. There is one that revives you, but to everyone, you still seem dead. I imagine it could come in very handy. No one shoots a bunch of body parts.¡± Conny said with a wicked grin.

    ¡°It¡¯s more effective casting it before you go into battle your body is ready at any given time. To be remade whole with only a fraction of a second memory loss during battle. I think Sky thought of it as a no brainer. Since the revive spell was next to the dispel casting, That¡¯s probably why she didn¡¯t mention the spell. she didn¡¯t think she needed to tell you about that one either.¡± Conny put her head down and shook it side to side. She just took too many things for granted. I guess we can¡¯t all be geniuses.¡± Conny looked up again with a chuckle and smiled.

    ¡°Very funny I think I¡¯ll have Sky take out your sense of humour because it¡¯s not working right,¡± Joe said with a dead serious face. His face only cracked when Conny and Swan¡¯s faces grew slack. ¡°Got yeah with that one.¡± Everyone even the androids laughed.

 Chapter Fifteen The New Ship

    Chapter Fifteen

    The New Ship

    There was a chime, Conny¡¯s voice came from above.  ¡°Captain Fred to the mess hall please Sky is ready to commence building the ship in five minutes after you have eaten.  She would like to break up the day into more times of rest.¡±  The voice went silent, and everyone looked at Fred.

    ¡°I guess you¡¯ll have to go on without me.  I¡¯m going to help Sky finish some more of the ship.   So, you can continue with the next simulation.¡± Fred said as he walked towards the doorway.

    ¡°Captain Fred Sir my team and I would like to come with you to ask her if there was anything we can do.  I¡¯m sure she can find something for us to do.  We¡¯ll do anything she asks of us even if she has to enter us to teach us how to do the things she needs.¡±  Todd said and glanced back and seen his team confirm what he spoke of with a nod.

    ¡°I think Sky could use us like little androids and use us to build her ship.  She taught us how to throw those rocks and a few other things.¡±  Courtney said smiling

    Heather walked up beside Fred looking up.  ¡°Captain Fred Sir I think we all want to help Sky after seeing what she¡¯s going through almost totally alone.  We¡¯re going to help her somehow, one way or another. So, let¡¯s get a little bite to eat with her and find a way to help her.¡±

    ¡°Okay we¡¯ll find a way to help her, and I think she¡¯ll welcome the help if she can find something for you to do,¡±  Fred said as he led them out the door towards the mess hall.

    Joe smiled; he was happy that he was going to be able to help more with this historic mission.  ¡°So, we¡¯re all going to try and do something to help.  When I was not training, I was researching what I could do to help her. I just wanted to take some of the pressure off of her. I found some designs for furniture and other objects that will be very functional and easy to create.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see if any of that will be of any help after lunch.  We¡¯ll wait until after lunch to pitch our idea.  After Skys breakfast, we¡¯ll ask her what we can do to help her, and tell your idea¡¯s how you might be able to help.¡± Fred said as they continued to the mess hall.  ¡°I¡¯ll be happy if she¡¯ll let you help her or that you even can help her.¡±

    When they reached the mess, they found Jane there grabbing Sky some food and something to drink.  ¡°Good morning Captain Fred Sir.  Sky¡¯s still sleeping so I was thinking of getting her some food and drink.  She woke a little while ago, and she was looking better, but she was still somewhat exhausted.¡±

    ¡°I hate to ask now that I hear how she is doing, but we have some ideas on how to help her finish the ship.  Since she¡¯s awake could you bring her here to eat¡±?  Fred felt horrible as the words came from his mouth.

    Just as he finished asking for Sky, William and Rocssanna walked into the mess.  They said the usual pleasantries as they went about setting out some food they had seemed to have prepared sometimes before.  They didn¡¯t seem to want to talk to anyone as they set out plate and cutlery.  One plate seemed out of place, and they loaded the plate with mounds of food.  Everyone watched the two seem to load the huge plate with slabs of meat and vegetables.

    ¡°If you would like to come and serve yourselves.  There is plenty of food, and Sky¡¯s already has hers on her plate.  She is going to be here in a few minutes. She called to let me know Jane was coming for food and that you all were coming for something to eat as well.  She was pretending to be half asleep because she wanted to use the¡­¡±  Rocssanna was interrupted by the loud voice of Skys whining ¡°MOMMY¡± rushing into the room.

    She came into the mess hall wearing her uniform in pristine condition.  The way she walked into the room showed she had a good night¡¯s rest. Her light blue eyes were bright and clear; her sea blue hair was in a beautiful bun almost the size of her head.   Her face was flushed slightly pink you could see just under her tanned skin.  ¡°Mommy they don¡¯t need to know that.  Why are you trying to embarrass me all the time¡±?  She said with a frown.  She pouted right until she noticed the large plate piled high with food.   ¡°Is that for me mommy?  How did you know I was really hungry¡±?

    ¡°You¡¯re always hungry, and yes, that is your plate of food,¡±  Rocssanna said with a grin.  ¡°I knew you were around the corner and about to come in.  Your secret is safe with me.¡±

    Sky was not happy about her mommy¡¯s teasing. She walked over to her plate picked it up as if it was a saucer with a biscuit.  Everyone started to load their plates as if in a buffet.  The food was heavy for the size of cuts and pieces.  They still were surprised at how she was able to eat the tuff food so quickly.  She had finished her meal before the first person who finished half of their own.  She finished her food in record time and had some mushy seconds.  She sat patiently waiting for everyone to finish their dinner.

    Sky never really cared about what she ate for her meals as long as they were not too soft.  She wanted to ask Fred to join her to resume building the ship since her break down.  She noticed everyone was glancing to her occasionally as if wanting to speak to her but saying nothing.   ¡°What is there something on my face¡±?  She wiped her face with her sleeve and frowned.

    ¡°We have a few ideas about building the ship if you decide that you want to finish it.  We just wanted you to know that we all tried to think of some ways to help you.  So, are you still done with the ship or do you want to continue with more help than just casting healing and spot welding¡±?  Fred said with hope in his eyes.

    ¡°I want to continue with the ship.  I thought the pieces were made wrong and threw them out.  Now that I had a chance to think about them there was nothing wrong with the pieces.  There was just a slight increase in the projected power output.  I thought it might burn out some of the magic circuits, but after some deep thoughts, the circuits could handle almost any power surge.  I was too stressed to think straight and jumped to conclusions.¡±  She smiled at everyone and put her head down in slight embarrassment.  ¡°So, what kind of things did you come up with to help me build the ship¡±?  She had a quizzical look as she asked the question.

    ¡°Well, one of the things we were thinking of doing is allowing you to control us like robots.  Kind of like the way you showed Todd, Courtney and Heather throw the rocks at the alien ship.  We are hoping you could use our bodies as if they are your own.¡±  Fred said smiling at Sky look of apprehension on her face.

    ¡°I actually thought about something like that too, but it will be just as hard on you guys as it is for me.  It would just go a lot faster and maybe a little easier with everyone working at the same time.¡±  Sky said with a big smile.  ¡°I just hope not too much of what I do through your bodies stays within you.  Some of what you might remember will be useless info for the rest of your life.¡±

    ¡°How would you like to be able the make a toilet from pure magic. I¡¯m sure it will come in handy in your line of work. If you go through with the plan, there might be some half-remembered abilities.   Sort of like a half-finished word or just part of a kung fu moves.¡±  Sky asked not wanting to sugarcoat anything that might happen.

    Heather smiled.  ¡°If it¡¯s anything we might need will you finish the word or Kung fu move¡±?  Everyone listened for Sky¡¯s answer to Heather''s question.

    The warm look Sky gave her new family was heartwarming.  ¡°I will share just about anything you¡¯ll need or that I think you can handle.  I doubt you¡¯ll need to be able to create let¡¯s say a toilet with magic or a cupboard door.   I will let you know if you so wish afterwards.  Sky was happy for everyone¡¯s willingness to help so thoroughly.

    Fred looked to Sky with another question.  ¡°While you¡¯re using our bodies will you be able to read our minds?  I don¡¯t think you should know everything we know.  Everyone has something we don¡¯t want to share with others.  We all have a skeleton or two in our closet.¡±

    Courtney looked to Sky and then to Heather.  ¡°That¡¯s a good point; there are things we keep to ourselves and don¡¯t want to share or tell anyone else.¡±  Courtney¡¯s face flushed pink slightly and had a coy smile.

    Sky gave a thoughtful look up and pondered for the questions.  I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have to go too deep into your psyche or even access any memories.  Anything in your head you don¡¯t want to share it is walled off already subconsciously.  I could feel that the first time when I showed you how to throw the rocks.  So, your secrets are safe from me prying into your guarded thoughts and indiscretions.¡±  Sky answered their concerns.  ¡°Plus, I¡¯m still a cute young girl who¡¯s never even kissed someone other than in friendship.  I think you all have stuff in your heads. I¡¯m too young to see.¡±  Sky said with a blushing face looking down and finding her boot laces weren¡¯t all the same length.

    Everyone laughed at Sky¡¯s admission to being too young for some of the more adult memories.  They all were more relaxed and willing to go through with Todd¡¯s plan on being controlled like robots.

    ¡°With using so much magic, I¡¯ll still need someone to cast to the healing spell.  When l finish my breakfast is I¡¯ll go ahead and get things set up.  I still have to retrieve the pieces I threw out the loading ramp.¡±  Sky said walking to the doorway and turned to everyone quickly finish their meals.

    ¡°Jane could you come with me to help put the last pieces onto the ship.  It won¡¯t take long to put them on then I can try out how best to split myself to control everyone.¡±  Sky asked waiting at the opening to the mess hall.  Jane scooped up the last bit of food and put the tray into the sink to be washed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come along and finish what we started them. I¡¯ll help you get the control thing worked out.¡±  Jane walked by Sky and grabbed her hand as she walked by.  ¡°Let¡¯s go Sky the ship is not going to finish itself, sorry you probably heard that lots of times.¡±  They walked hand in hand towards the cargo room.  Sky seemed more relaxed with the upcoming day.  When they reached the cargo bay sky pulled the parts back in through the cargo ramp.  Jane jumped on to the top of the partially build ship so she could attach the last three pieces onto the ship.

    Sky hopped up beside Jane and while the large parts followed her as she got ready to place them.  The first part went well, and so did the second part.  ¡°Jane you¡¯re going to want to stand back a way back from this last piece.  There is going to be a pulse of raw lightning magic.  Your boots should insulate you somewhat, but I don¡¯t want you to close.¡±  Sky lined up the last piece and got ready to slam it into place.  The last part Jane watched as Sky was about to slam into place.  It didn¡¯t make a sound as it seemed to pull itself into place and the ship disappeared shortly after there was a low humming that started to grow louder by the second.

    Sky shouted to Jane to jump off and away from the ship.  She put her hands down onto the surface of the invisible ship.  Her sea blue hair in a flash was out of its intricate bun.  Jane with little hesitation jumped off the ship and ran toward her scout ship and ran up the ramp and started to raise the ramp a little off the floor.  Jane could see Sky on her hands and knees seemingly in mid-air with her hair standing out from her head.  She could see and hear static electricity coming out from her hair.  She was wondering if Sky was in any pain but seen a smile on her face.   ¡°Are you okay over there, you¡¯re not getting electrocuted are you¡±? Jane said with a wave.

    ¡°No, it tickles all over my body like little fingers running up and down my skin.  There is too much power flowing through the ship right now, so I¡¯m trying to pull the power out of it.  There is too much power for me to hold, but I¡¯m pretty well fully charged up.  If I had some blank tomes, I could make a lot of gold in a few seconds.  This ship is going to be much more efficient than I calculated. I think I¡¯m going to have to have to make some energy storage for extra power.  I don¡¯t know where the power is coming from; I should have been able to pull the power from the surface.¡±   Sky looked to a panel, and she smiled, a charge cable came out from the panel and attached to the ship.  After a few minutes, Sky¡¯s hair slowly lost its static electricity, and the lights in the room flashed a little brighter.

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s was a lot of power you¡¯re channelling from your new ship.  It¡¯s like a huge talisman that amplifies magical energy.¡±  Conny¡¯s voice was there but no visual interface.  ¡°You¡¯re going to have to create that power storage unit before I can appear in here.  The energy output is too erratic for my visual interface to appear.  I can give you a schematic for one that I know you¡¯ll tweak.¡±

    A schematic for a type of battery appeared in Sky¡¯s mind that looked nothing like a chemical battery for electrical storage.  The drawing showed a box covered in runes and was as big as a facial tissue box.  It would be easy enough to make.  It was hollow and had just the etched runes in the surface.  ¡°Jane I¡¯m going to have to make a few storage boxes before we can continue.¡±

    ¡°Sky, why don¡¯t we try the idea of you using us to help build the ship?  It would be good practice to try it on me to build your energy storage device.¡±  Jane said as she lowered the ramp and walking towards the ship.  Jane watched Sky walk across the top of the ship that wasn¡¯t there.  Sky held up her hand that stopped her from walking any further.  Jane went to make a gesture of why she stopped her and smacked the side of the ship.

    ¡°Why did you stop so far from the edge of the ship?  I couldn¡¯t even sense the ship right in front of my face.¡±  Jane said rubbing her sore arm

    ¡°I stopped because walking across the surface is creating a lot of power.  I guess since there is no need for power for this ship right now anything created is too much.  It¡¯ll have to wait for the ship to  absorbed extra energy.¡±  Sky took a few slow, soft steps towards the edge and stepped into the open air.  Before she hit the ground, she flipped and landed on her booted feet.  ¡°Are you ready to be another me for a little while?  I think I¡¯ll be able to put the knowledge of how to make everything you need to know.  I hope you can handle the information to make the patterns in the molten metals.  I don¡¯t want to take over your bodies like robots.  I would feel as if you might not be the same after it¡¯s done.¡±  Sky sounded worried as she spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re thinking of our sanity.  So you could try passing the knowledge first and see how well I can follow your instructions.  I think this would be a good test because it¡¯s not part of the original plan.¡±  Jane said as she closed the distance between them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to give you the rest of the elemental gifts.  So you¡¯ll have all five elements so you can do whatever I can once you know how..  I¡¯ll hug you so it will feel more comfortable.¡±  Sky told her as she reached around Jane very athletic body.  One of her hands went to Jane¡¯s lower back and the other between her shoulder blades.  Sky nestled her head under Jane''s chin and her ear to her chest.

    Jane felt a warm ripple go through her body and it felt like something euphoric after the ripple passed through her.  The feeling multiplied with each pulsed until it started to hurt.   Suddenly she felt a new awareness enter her consciousness and the world grew small.  Her awareness kept spreading throughout the ship and outer space around her.  Her awareness grew until she couldn¡¯t take all the information at once. It was too much, and her legs wobbled folding under her.

    Sky seen Jane stumble and started to fall with ease Sky held Jane up as her legs buckled  ¡°Are you all right Jane, does it hurt¡±?  Sky didn¡¯t wait for her to answer and she cast a healing spell.  The spell made no difference in Jane¡¯s condition.  ¡°Jane, can you hear me, Jane¡±?  Sky tried to enter Jane¡¯s awareness and found nothing wrong with her estimation. It just seemed to her that Jane was trying to sense everything around her.  It seemed unfocused and random.   The bubble she placed around her to keep the rogue mages out was working properly.  It had to stay until the physical manipulations they gave her reverted to normal.

    Jane heard Sky¡¯s voice through the bombardment of sensory input her new gifts allowed. It was different here than in the practice room.  She felt like the magic was hers and not shared.  She tried to tell Sky what was wrong but found it difficult to speak clearly. ¡°Too much¡± was all she managed to say in a weak voice.

    Sky realized what she meant right away.  She cut Jane off from the elemental gift.  The change was almost instant.  Jane¡¯s eyes focused on her and smiled.  ¡°Are you feeling better sweetie¡±?  Sky said rubbing her back as Jane got her feet firmly on the ground once more.

    ¡°I thought it was amazing in the practice room but not going through the spelled doorway is completely different.  I could sense and feel everything all around for hundreds of kilometres(hundreds of miles).   All the magical gifts open so much of my mind it¡¯s too hard to comprehend.  I don¡¯t know how you do it.¡±  Jane said managing to get a little more stable as Sky released her hug.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s going to be easy to have your work with your mind.  If you still want to help as an extension of me.  It would be as if watching through your own eyes but no control of what your body is doing.  I don¡¯t even think you¡¯ll feel what your bodies are doing while they work.¡±  Sky said with a sad look on her face.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to make you into just puppets with no control of your own.¡± She said almost sounding like a plea.

    Jane looked into her eyes knowing what Sky wanted to convey.  ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to make us into puppets and it will make you feel bad.  But think of us watching you push yourself to exhaustion time and time again.  It makes us feel useless watching you.  To watch you do that is like watching you hurt yourself, it¡¯s painful for us to watch you do it.  I think I can speak for all of us as long as there is no permanent damage to any of us, treat us as robots.  We all know you wouldn¡¯t do anything to hurt us¡± Jane said with all confidence in Sky ability to keep them safe.

    ¡°It will be safe, but you may never be able to think the same way again.  You may think as a Titan after, which is not a bad thing, but different than you are now.  It may be hard to keep you from changing your personality too.¡± Sky said hoping she could see the potential benefits and problems.

    ¡°What do you mean about different personalities?  You mean we might be different people afterwards?  Is there no way of preventing any changes to our minds¡±? Jane said not wanting to be a different person after helping.

    ¡°When I enter your minds to control you. The way my mind works and thinks might leave some imprint on your brain.  I don¡¯t know what will happen in the long term effects on your psyche.  I don¡¯t want to make any empty promises of your minds being unaffected afterwards.¡±  Sky stated.  ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have a complete change in personality.  You may want a few more hugs and little pecks of the cheek more often and eat a little more.¡±  Sky said jokingly to ease any tension Jane might have.  ¡°On the positive, I¡¯m guessing your magic will be easier to use without your tablets.  The fact your brains will comprehend more like a supercomputer I think would be more of a huge plus.¡±  Sky gave a slight smile.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Sky I think I¡¯ll try it. First, you saved me already once, and I think it will be fine if I¡¯m a little like you.¡±  Jane hugged Sky again and kissed her on the head.  ¡°Just let us help you.  It¡¯s hard to describe watching you do so much for us and not doing anything for you.  It goes against our human nature of nurturing and protecting our young.  It¡¯s something most decent people will try to do.  So let¡¯s see what you can do and let me build your power storage device.¡±  Jane said looking into Sky¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Okay.  We¡¯ll try with you being a conduit for a clone of my mental being.  After it¡¯s built, I¡¯ll put myself out, and we¡¯ll see how you feel.¡±  Sky stepped away from Jane, and a ghost image of herself remained.  ¡°Relax and let the other me enter you.  She¡¯ll enter you, take over your body, she¡¯ll have all the knowledge, gifts and power.  It¡¯s me, but have  no mental connection in any way, so anything you and my mental clone does it won¡¯t affect me with fatigue as it would if I was controlling you myself.¡±

    The semi-transparent double of herself walked to Jane with a smile.  Sky¡¯s double entered Jane as if light passing through glass.  Jane¡¯s eyes and face went blank for a few seconds then she brought up here hands.   She looked around and seen herself in front of her.  ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Jane Sky, we have work to do, and Jane is in here with me.  She is like a passenger on tour and can only watch and listen from comfort.¡±

    They both walked towards the loading ramp, and she started the process of melting the metals outside of the ship.  Sky watched Jane Sky work with a smile.  ¡°Don¡¯t try to do too much just one of each liquid metal is good enough at first I think.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is a good idea, though I wasn¡¯t thinking of working anything more difficult until I see how Jane¡¯s body can take it.¡±  The spells for most of the metal process was already in place so as the metal was melting.  She started to draw out the shapes she needed.  Within seconds six squares were drawn on the ground with runes raised so they would be as if etched into the surface.  The liquid metal was piped into the moulds and began the process of precisely filling the moulds.

    Sky watched Jane Sky fill the moulds as if she was doing it herself.  It only took a few minutes once the process started and finished.  She watched the pipes of liquid metal moved away from the pieces of the storage unit.  They both walked to the pieces and sky looked over them and motioned to her twin to withdraw from Jane.

    An image of Sky stepped out from Jane, and her body slumped down slightly before she caught herself.  Jane blinked a few times rapidly to clear her vision and thoughts.  ¡°I feel a little different, but I think I¡¯m the same person.  I don¡¯t have any cravings or memories of things I didn¡¯t do.  At least that¡¯s what I think.  I remember all of my training in the military and magical studies.¡±  Jane looked to her tablet and had a puzzled look on her face.  ¡°Why am I using a tablet because I know them all by heart and can cast them at will?  Okay maybe I¡¯m a little different, but I¡¯m not going to complain about it.¡¯  Jane said with a smile.  ¡°Just joking, everything else seems to be the same I think, not that I would know.¡±

    Sky walked up to the parts and started to assemble them.  Once it was all together, it was ready to be placed on the ship.  When she hopped up onto the ship, and the ship used the kinetic energy to make electrical power.  The mass of static electrical power raised her hair.  She walked to a corner and placed them in the floor in a corner.  Once the box touched the hard surface, it drew in the power that was running wild over the ship.  Her hair fell to its normal bouncy locks.  ¡°It seems to be working well, and it should store quite a bit of magical energy.  At least it should store the energy till the ship is up and working.¡±  She said beckoning Jane to join her on the ship, and her replica spirit followed her.  ¡°I think the test went well everything seems to be working as I hoped.  Once everyone gets here, I¡¯ll replicate enough of myself to enter anybody who wants to help.¡±  Sky said as she watched Jane hope up on to the open deck of the cargo bay.

    Fred was the first one to come into the cargo bay.  The others were right behind him and almost bumped into him as he slowed down to a stop.  The ship Sky and Jane worked on was gone, and there was no sign of the two ladies.  ¡°Conny could you locate Sky and Jane on the ship; I don¡¯t see them anywhere.¡±  Fred looked back at everyone with a questioning look.  Todd, Courtney, And Heather walked towards the own ship to check on it to see are anyone was on board it.

    Conny answer Fred before he could move very far from where he stopped.  ¡°Sky and Jane are in front of you on the new ship, careful you¡¯re not too far from it.¡±  Fred and everyone looked around to see if they could see some distortion caused by most cloaked ships.  It wasn¡¯t till Sky poked her head out of the opening of the cargo bay opening.

    Sky hopped down leaving Jane and the semi-transparent Sky.  She faced Fred and stood to attention and gave him a salute.   ¡°Sky Knight ready to start working on the moving parts and the interior.¡±  The clone jumped down and stood beside Sky and gave the same salute.  ¡°I also worked out the way you could help build the ship.¡±  As she was talking, she took a wide side step leaving behind another semi-transparent Sky and repeated this till there was one for everyone.  ¡°These cute young ladies are just like me, but with no real physical body.  Jane and I figured that the side effects increased memory,¡± Sky gave Jane a wink.  ¡°And no need for your tablets.  At least for a while, Jane hasn¡¯t lost any of her memory of the spells she has.¡±  A Sky stood in front of everyone there getting ready to enter each crew member.  Sky looked to each Sky and smiled.  ¡°When you¡¯re ready beckon in the Sky in front of you, take a deep breath and relax your body.  I¡¯ll be able to feel and see everything as she works through your body.  It should be like being in a dream.  If all goes well, we should be able to finish in two days.  Captain Fred Sir I think you should only work for a little while because you still have to run the ship.¡±

    ¡°I was about to tell you that myself, I believe I should leave it to everyone after I work for a while.  I want too able to react to anything in case something happens while we approach from the solar system a different direction.¡±  Fred told Sky before he beckons her clone to stand in front of him.  Almost as one, they all beckoned in their different Sky before them.

    Todd was the first to have a Sky take over his body.  His face softened, and he started to look over his own body.  Jane laughed when he cupped his crotch as he noticed the difference in Todd Sky¡¯s new anatomy.  He blushed and quickly let go with a slight wince of pain.  ¡°I think there¡¯s going to be times I¡¯ll leave him to himself.  These are things I don¡¯t need to know about for a long time.¡±  Todd Sky said to anyone listening.

    Joe Sky and Fred Sky pretty much did the same thing but with varied discomfort after cupping their groins.  Heather and Courtney Sky grouped their breast a little. They turned to each other ¡°I hope mine get this big one day, they feel amazing.¡±  There were multiple coughs as a signal not to continue, and they both blushed.  Jane¡¯s Sky went and entered her body once more.

    Sky stepped out in front of everyone and started to give instructions.  ¡°I know you all know what and how to do everything needed.  Joe Sky you can start on the plumbing since Joe worked out some of the plumbing problems and fixtures.  Fred, Heather and Courtney Sky can work on the bridge.  You can get the consoles and flight chairs for the first flight.  Todd Sky you can work on the two turrets and the other weapons on the ship.   Jane Sky and I will work on the ramp, landing gear, and all the opening to the outside of the ship.¡±  She said, and all the Sky¡¯s walked towards where the liquid metal was being piped in.  Joe Sky started creating a mould of bathroom fixtures.  He made a fancy toilet and sink for a new standard in the ship.

    Todd was making a form of two turrets and guns that will go in them.  Fred worked on making the bases for the chair for the bridge''s crew seating.  The chairs also contained the new controls for the ship. Heather and Courtney Sky started to work on the magical electronics and other things the controls hooked up.   They had an extra pipe of liquid for a transparent liquid that was to be used as screens and another thing that was see-through on a ship.

    Sky and Jane Sky worked together on the ramp so it could be installed quickly.  They knew things would go more quickly if they had easier access on to the ship.

    Everything was progressing quietly because communication was not needed because they were all of the same minds and knew exactly what the others were doing.   The ramp was finished quite quickly because there were two Sky¡¯s working on the same thing, even though it had very complex runes embedded in the metal.   The landing gear was also easily made because it was three identical pieces.  The skid plates were part of the bottom of the ship when retracted and would blend in seamlessly.  Once installed the ship no longer needed to be suspended by magic.

    Joe Sky finished four of the basic bathroom fixtures because they had next to no runes embedded in them, mostly just solid materials.  He just waited for Sky and Jane Sky to install the ramp on the ship.  Once the ramp was in place, Sky jerry-rigged the ramp to open and close to make sure the ramp blended seamlessly into the ships power matrix.  Once the ramp was in place, the ship could not be seen or even sensed by anyone outside of the ship even with their five elemental gifts.  Sky could see everyone and even project thoughts to them.

    On the other hand, they could not initiate contact from the other side.  Once discovered  Sky informed Todd Sky that he had to incorporate a retractable antenna in one of the turrets for communications.  Sky lowered the ramp so Joe Sky could bring in the fixtures he had worked.  Sky and Jane Sky started on the interior doors which were very simple compared to all of the other things they had worked.  The doors were the pocket type and would be made to fit seamlessly once closed a door by a colour outline.  Unless you had the right authorization, they were tampering proof.  The doors were finished quickly because of their simplicity, and the fact two Sky¡¯s were working on the installation was also quick and easy.  So, they started work on the sleeping quarters for the immediate crew.  They wanted to finish all the necessary parts. First, they would finish everything when there was more time to spare and no galaxy to save.

    Todd Sky had Sky help a little when he had to place the turret on to the ship.  The turret on the top had the retractable antenna for general communication.  Once installed the turrets became as invisible as the rest of the ship.  They both stood back and couldn¡¯t see the fruits of their labours.  The two Sky¡¯s looked at each other.  ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to wait to charge the ship so we can see it once it¡¯s finished.¡±  They both laughed when their voices were in sync with each other.  Todd Sky went back and started to finish the weapons that were meant to go in the forward part of the ship.  The four pulse lasers used three pipes of liquids to make them once he finished the pattern.  The four new parts took a lot more time because of the intricate work on the runes that went into them.

    The Sky¡¯s could see how well everything was going on the ship with so many working on it at once.  Fred was finishing with the command chairs and was asking Conny to make the cushions and fabric to cover them.  He sent the designs and specs to Conny for the finishing touches.  Courtney and Heather Sky both were working on the interior of the consoles that were solid and had no actual wires or separate circuitry inside.   The control orbs were made just like the ones in the virtual model.  They took the longest to make because they all had to work independently or in sync with each other even with the fact they were not touching.  Once in place on the ship, the floor made the actual connections to the other consoles.  The only problem of this system was any upgrades was to replace all of the consoles.  Other than that, they were tamperproof and nearly indestructible.  She didn¡¯t need to tell anyone that once placing the consoles, they could power up the ship and see it from the outside.

    Todd Sky finished the pulse lasers he had to wait for the finished consoles and put in place.  While waiting Todd Sky helped Joe Sky finish the rest of the bathroom fixtures.  They quickly finished also and installed them with perfect efficiency.  They even had time to put in the new shower in the guest rooms and start on the additional beds for the unused crew quarters.  Conny made the mattresses and all the cushions for the beds and chairs on the new ship.  The lockers were made as well and soon after the footlockers for all the crew quarters.  The thin materials of the lockers and footlockers were made very quickly and made ready to put into place.   With four Sky¡¯s working together on the small things went very quickly.

    Fred finished the command, pilot, and other chairs with the special ones with the new orb controls.  All but the cushions were put into place and ready for the cushions.  He was able to still communicate with the Sky in his head.  ¡°After I finish these chairs on the bridge, I¡¯m going to see about commanding the ship till we make it to the entry point of the Rebel¡¯s solar system.  It seems that everyone here is going to be finished soon also.  I never thought we could get so much finished in three hours.¡±  The Sky that was in his body agreed with what they had accomplished.

    ¡°Sorry about the fondling of your privates.  I didn¡¯t know what I was feeling at first, and then I was just kind of curious about what it looked like.  I won¡¯t do it again, and I¡¯ll blank out that part of my memories before joining with the original Sky.¡±

    Fred Sky left the room and went to pick up the things Conny had made up for the new ship. He was surprised when he entered the crew supply room and now all the soft parts and fabrics for the ship.  The stacks of mattresses and chair cushions reached almost to the ceiling.   There was a huge pile of linens and one separate sack to be made into a pocket space to hold it all.  ¡°Thanks, Conny the colours of the seat¡¯s covers look amazing.¡±  Fred Sky said as he cast the spell over the plain looking sack.

    ¡°No problem Fred Sky, Swan and I wanted to help out the best we can.  Seeing everyone pitch in really made us feel left out.  So, we made them the most complex cushions and chair cushions possible.  We used your imbedded runes idea to enhance the comfort of the foam.  You¡¯ll see what we mean once you sit or lay on them.¡±  Conny said with the occasional word said by Swan.

    Fred Sky smiled as he started to put the mattresses into the sack, then he started on the linen.  The seat cushions went in last because they would be the first ones out.   Fred Sky swung the empty looking sack over his shoulder and said goodbye to Conny and Swan as he left the room.  Back on the new ship Courtney and Heather Sky were finishing the consoles as Fred Sky walked into the cargo bay.  They used telekinetic to lift the consoles to carry them into the ship.  Fred Sky followed them on to the ship to help place them and put on the cushions onto the chairs.  He put the sack onto the command chair and helped place the smaller console just in front of the seat, and it made a snapping sound as it fused into place.  The same sound filled the bridge as the consoles found their places.  Fred Sky started to pull out the cushions and as if guided by magnets placed the seat cushions.  They shifted themselves into places when they were close enough to touch.

    Once all the cushions were in place, he asked the Sky controlling his body to give him back control.  She immediately complied and left his body to himself.  Now with his body to his own he went and sat in the command chair.  He couldn¡¯t believe how it conformed to his body and made him relax and want to stay there.   Reluctantly he got out of the chair and was instantly jealous of Todd being the captain of the new ship.  He was going to talk to Joe about trading Little Tooth for the new ship.

    Fred was leaving the bridge as Courtney was powering up the ship to perform some test and uncloak the ship so Todd Sky could install the four pulse lasers.  Just as Fred stepped out from the ship, it came into sight.  It looked amazing to Fred, it had no seams, and its surface was mirrored and with no distortion.  It was perfect from his point of view, and the Sky¡¯s walked by smiling in satisfaction of a job well done.  Now to complete it, it needed a few more small control panels for the loading ramp and turrets which took no time with three people working on them.  Sky took the sack and put the mattresses in place and linen on the beds.  Courtney and Heather Sky made the size of the rooms even larger than on Little Tooth with magic.  Now, it was the same ship minus the fact the pool was empty and the extra computer terminals in the guest rooms and throw rugs.  All of the rooms facing the outside had panels to control the wall¡¯s transparency, for security reasons.  The cargo bay was just as big as the Little Tooth for the simple reason Sky said why not it¡¯s not a true fleet ship.

    The crew finished everything in four hours were all ecstatic rather than the three days inside the time shift.  Standing outside the ship, the Sky¡¯s controlling them made the apologies for the fondling of their body parts and the comments she made when she first entered their bodies.  Sky was glad that there were no built up pressures to make her focus on body parts she had not had. They left the crews bodies, and all walked into the original Sky becoming one and instantly sharing all that they did.

    Sky blushed she neglected to erase the unneeded memories and took a few minutes to do so.  Her boots, she noted needed a shoeshine/

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a quick tour of the ship, and Todd can come up with a name for her.¡±  It was strange walking up a ramp that seemed to take up the whole width of the cargo bay now that the special¡¯ distortions are in effect.  They could almost walk through the entire ship side by side and found it just as incredible as the virtual simulation they had practiced.  There were some differences liked all the linen on the beds were the same brown and white, and there were no extra furnishings in it.

    The kitchen had nothing in it as well.  But you could tell it the crew did it that way to save time. Sky looked in the empty kitchen and sighed.  ¡°After the missions, I¡¯ll come in here with mommy and daddy to finish off this part and bring some of the food from Little Tooth¡¯s pantry.¡±  She said before she moved on with the tour of the ship.  They all didn¡¯t care too much about what they were looking at really till they stepped on to the bridge and the system was fully powered up.

    Seeing all of the actual systems working was breathtaking.  The seen Fred, William, and Rocssanna walk into the room.  The system gave them any information they could want on the three people walking in.  Fred and William were both carrying a bottle of champagne each.  Fred¡¯s was room temperature while Williams was chilled and kept at the perfect temperature with magic.  Williams champagne was also one of the better brands to be had in this side of the galaxy.

    Todd knew what Fred was going to have him do and now he had to come up with a name quickly. They watched the three walks up to the ship and ran their fingers along the surface of the ship.  It should not have been possible to see them touching the parts blocked by several wall and rooms.  The bridge was the only place in the ship that could have a nearly perfect view around the entire outside.

    They watched was Rocssanna walked up under the ramp to the centre of the ship occasionally tapping the hull.  The ship¡¯s sensors measured the taps in the thousand-kilo(1-ton) range of force, yet no sound or tremors felt.  Everyone now knew that the Knights were the gentlest beings they could imagine.  They all the touch of Rocssanna and Williams and felt their hard flesh.  Yet, they never received injuries from their touch.  They knew they were strong, but to see just how strong a different story was.  They all turned to Sky remembering something about Sky being stronger than her parents and her hugging them.  The crew saw the Knights with new reverence and respect.  They were humble, kind and never tried to make others feel inferior to them.

    Courtney knew that racing Sky was like racing a bullet.  She would only win if Sky let her which was not going to happen.  Sky would just let her come close and force her to keep breaking her records.  She would not lie to her and let her win to make her feel good knowing it would be like a pity ploy.  Todd looked to her and seen a little sister who would share her toys but could never really give them away.  Jane saw her as a loving sister who only needed emotional protection and the sister who would get all she could give.  Heather thought at least my breasts are way bigger than hers and going by her mother they all ways will be, ahah.

    Fred and William were standing in the front of the ship holding up the two bottles and beckoning them out.  ¡°Company assembles front and centre,¡±  Fred called out with a smile waving the bottle.  They made their way out to where the captain and two cooks were standing.  It was so much faster to get there after leaving the ship because of the spatial-distortion used inside the ship.  It was still nearly three times the size of Little Tooth even with Sky¡¯s adding the extra space.  Once they reached Captain Fred, they stood to attention and gave him a salute.

    ¡°As we all know at least most of us know.¡±  He said looking to Sky with a smile.  ¡°All new ships are christened before their maiden voyage.  It is also the custom to name the ship at the time of the christening.  Since you redesigned, built most the ship even supplying almost all of the materials yourself.  I think it¡¯s only fair that you get to get the honour to perform both.¡±  He said handing the bottle to her.

    Sky looked surprised at the gesture and shook her head.  ¡°I think as Todd is going to be captain of the ship, he should get the honour.¡±  She said and motioned him to take the bottle.

    Todd was still trying to come up with a name and just drew blanks.  ¡°No, you did too much to pass up this honour.  I¡¯m more than happy to be able to pilot the amazing craft on its maiden voyage.  No, you do it; you deserve all of the praise for this incredible ship, name her well.¡±  Todd said taking the bottle from Fred and giving it to Sky.

    Sky hesitantly took the bottle and had no idea what was expected of her.  ¡°Captain Fred Sir what do I do I¡¯m too young to drink, and we have no glasses.¡±  She looked to the ship, and its shining mirrored metallic surface and knew what to call her.

    William was the one to answer her.  ¡°We¡¯ll let you have a little sip or two, but that bottle is to be broken over the bow of the ship when you name her.  You don¡¯t need to say a speech, though you''re welcome to say a few words.  Just a few though I can see that everyone wants to try her out so don¡¯t ramble on with empty words. You could...¡±  William was silenced by a hand on his shoulder with a whisper in his ear.  ¡°Just shut up already honey,¡±  Rocssanna said loud enough for everyone to hear.

    Sky smiled at her mommy.  She then remembers that everyone¡¯s eyes on her and blushed.  She was shy not used to talking to so many people.  She turned to address the new ship and readied herself to speak loud and clear.  ¡°You were born of need and conceived for life.  You are the hopes of many and the scourge of evil.  Love is what made you and to preserve over hate.  Before you go out into the night and full fill your destiny, I call you Shining Fang.¡±  She said in an increasing volume and punctuated the last works smashing the bottle onto the bow of the ship.  A ripple went over the shiny metallic surface from the impact as if accepting the name with the loud thunder of discharged electrical energy.

 Chapter Sixteen A Supper Before the Storm

    Chapter Sixteen

    A Supper Before The Storm

    Fred and Joe had huge smiles on their faces because the name also referred to teeth.  The name still suited the ship almost perfectly; Shining Fang did have a more intimidating name than Little Tooth.  Looking at the ship its surface had no viewports or way of looking outwards by any ordinary means.  It did have the same shape as Little Tooth, but that¡¯s where the similarity ended.  ¡°So where are you going to put the name on Shining Fang?  It¡¯s also going to need the empire¡¯s symbol on it for appearance sake.¡±  Fred asked Sky as he gestured to her new ship.

    ¡°The surface of Shining Fang can¡¯t be marked at all.  Nothing will ever stick to the side of her.  It would be like painting liquid metal; anything you put on it will slide off.  I have no way of attaching anything to the outside of her.  What you see is the way it¡¯s going to stay forever.¡±  Sky said looking up and gave Fred a sad look; it was one of the things she didn¡¯t consider when building her.  ¡°She¡¯ll never be dirty or have any graffiti on it no matter where you put it.¡±  She said trying to make him think of the benefits and the negatives.

    Sky brainstormed on how to make the ship take colour on the hull. She walked up to the hull and ran her fingers along the side.

    Fred watched Sky slide her fingers down her ship.  Just as she came close to the lowered ramp, she snapped her fingers together.  Turning to Fred, she gave a big smile of enlightenment.

    Todd saw the bottle hit the ship and explode on to the hull.  It was a sight he wouldn¡¯t soon forget as everything just slid off not even beading up.  He couldn¡¯t wait to take it out on its maiden voyage.  ¡°Captain Fred Sir I think its bad luck not to take out a christened ship right away.¡±  Todd never heard of any such superstition, but if it meant piloting it sooner, he would be happy.

    Fred looked at Todd and shook his head chuckling; he had another Idea.  ¡°That¡¯s not going to work.  Nice try though but I have an idea.  We¡¯re going to trade places before we enter the Rogue solar system.  We can do a better reconnaissance in Shining Fang than in Little Tooth.  I¡¯ve seen that we make it through undetected the first pass, but after that, we¡¯ll have to split up to do our separate missions.¡±

    Fred said looking at everyone and smiling to Todd.  ¡°You, Sky, Jane, Heather, and Courtney can take the new ship out lower your cargo ramp, and Joe and I will fly inside and park it until the next stage.¡±  He rubbed his midriff. ¡°We¡¯ll stop for lunch before we start the mission,¡±  Fred said to the five people who were going to go on Shining Fang for its short maiden voyage.

    ¡°Hold on don¡¯t think of walking to the mess, we have a toast to make to Shining Fang,¡±  Rocssanna said before they could make more than two steps.   She made a sweeping motion at the mess Sky made smashing the champagne bottle, and it was gone.  Then she opened her pantry purse and handed out wine glasses to everyone.  While she handed out the glasses, William popped the cork and poured a small amount into everyone¡¯s glasses.  When Sky received her two sips, she felt like a grownup, stood taller while trying to look more mature.

    Rocssanna glass was the last one poured, and she held it up.   ¡°To our dear cute little angel may your heart not surpass your deeds and your deeds not surpass your heart.  Cheers.¡±  She said raising her glass.  Everyone did likewise, and a loud cheer went to the toast.  They took a sip of the champagne; it tasted sweet and a little like roses.

    William held up his glass ¡°To the hero to some, daughter and sister to others, but a friend to all, Sky, cheers.  They all shouted cheers with William and took another sip.

    Fred held out his glass seeing it had a splash inside.  ¡°Since there is little champagne left this will be the last toast.¡±  He closed his eyes briefly and started a toast.  ¡°Shining Fang was made to save lives and to keep loved ones safe.  With this the only thing that keeps us in favour of winning.  To Sky, my other daughter that, I love and to the crew that will pilot the fine ship, Shining Fang.¡±  He held up his glass, and the cheer went up in a loud roar.  They took the last sip of champagne and handed the glasses back to Rocssanna.

    Sky had tears in her eyes and blush across her cheek.  She tried to wipe away the tears saying something about dust covertly. ¡°I love all of you like my family.  I couldn¡¯t stand by a let any of you get hurt let alone anything else.¡±  She wiped her face and looked at the ship and seen their reflections.  ¡°Let¡¯s get a picture of us all standing in front of Shining Fang before we go.¡±

    Conny appeared before them, and Swan was next to her in an instant.  ¡°We can take a picture of us all and then you can take the ship out.  Then we can fly Little Tooth into Shining Fang.  They all stood around Sky, and her parents then took the picture.  On the wall opposite of them, the picture appeared larger than life.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any more time and get this ship out of my cargo bay.  It¡¯s has a funny feel to it. I can¡¯t feel it at all.  So, Todd could you take her out with care, and we¡¯ll swap places.  Dinner is in ten minutes.

    Todd leads the crew on to the ship while trying not to run like a bunch of five-year-olds at any festive time receiving the gift of a lifetime.  The flight was going to be monumental that was going to be the first of many.  It didn¡¯t bother him in the least that no one could know of the things he was going to do.  Shining Fang is a ghost ship never to be registered legally; it broke too many guild laws.

    ¡°Todd sir I did you like the controls I came up with?  I hope the power to the g-drive isn¡¯t overpowered like everything else seemed to be.¡±  Sky said easily keeping pace with his larger strides give him a worried look.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry sis I¡¯ll take it easy while piloting the ship inside.¡±  He went quiet as they entered the bridge.  He sat down in the captain¡¯s chair and let out a sigh as in book form of his body.  He heard three other sighs as Jane, Courtney and Heather took their seats. As if synchronize they reach up and caressed the surface of the controls.  Sky just stood by with a smile when Todd placed his hands on the orb controls.

    He could see everything in the cargo bay, and basic data showed up as he glanced at each object or person.  The landing gear raised and blended into the ship as nothing was there.  Todd was ecstatic as he controlled the ship as if with his mind and easily piloted the craft.  ¡°I flew this ship in virtual simulations, but the real thing feels like piloting pure power.  It¡¯s like I¡¯ve flown this my whole life.¡±

    His face was filled with unbridled pure joy.  He eased the ship around and towards the exit ramp and around his scout ship.  As he looked around, he could see the distance from each object in coloured numbers.  Green being optimal, solid red meaning contact or collision.  He felt a slight shimmer go through his body as he left the magically enlarge room, hearing in intake of air in front, he could tell he wasn¡¯t the only one who felt leaving the magical barrier.

    After leaving the ship, the sensors seemed to come to life.  Watching Little Tooth swing around it had a slight green aura encompassing it, and you could see where everyone was in the ship even with Sky¡¯s enhanced cloaking spell.   Fred and Joe were on the bridge while Rocssanna and William were getting things ready in the mess.  When you looked any length of time, more information popped up on a hub display.  It showed their estimated weight, height, and magical affinities of Fred and Joe.  Rocssanna and William just flashed unknown, and it just had had distance from the ship in the hub.

    Todd felt like he was piloting a platform rather than a ship because only the deck was visible when not looking directly at it.  ¡°Do you think we could take a quick flight before Fred comes aboard with Little Tooth?  It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to go after the Rogue mages ourselves.¡±  He asked his crew with no one in particular.

    ¡°Todd I would love nothing more than to see just how fast this ship can go too, but we¡¯ve got a mission to do, and it¡¯s not going to wait for us to finish playing around.  I think we¡¯ll get our chance soon, so hold your hounds and don¡¯t let your horses get away with you, as the old saying goes.¡±  Courtney said berating her long-time squad leader.  She wanted for him to disregard her warning and fly around for a while.

    A pat on her hand from Heather letting her know she felt the same way. ¡°Honey I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it goes, but I know what you¡¯re trying to say.¡±  Heather turned to Todd with a teasing grin. ¡°Todd let¡¯s get this mission underway, and we¡¯ll get our chance soon enough, Fred did say we¡¯re most likely going to make it through this alive now that the ship¡¯s built.¡±  Heather paused as she looked off into deep space.  ¡°I see one of the Rogue ships heading our way.  It must have one of the special mages on it.  I don¡¯t detect any scanning beam or magical energy coming from it.¡±

    Todd was going through his options when Fred hailed. ¡°Squad leader Todd hold while I dock in your cargo bay.  We have to hurry before we are detected.  Point your bow in the direction of the incoming ship.  I think it picked up the spatial distortion while you left the cargo bay.  There is quite a difference from normal space.  The ships most likely investigating everything knowing someone¡¯s coming for them.¡±  Fred¡¯s voice was not to be questioned and left no room for disagreement.

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡±  Todd answered and turned the ship to face the incoming rogue ship that was out of the older sensor range if not for the massive spatial distortion wave.  As soon as he was in the right orientation, he let Fred know.  ¡°We are a go on internal docking Captain Fred Sir, ready when you are.¡±

    ¡°Hold still Little Tooth is coming in,¡±  Fred said as Joe slowly brought the ship in.

    Sky watched and could see piloting the ship ever so carefully towards Shining Fangs cargo bay loading ramp.  She could understand how it would look from the outside looking in.  It would be like threading a needle with heavy rope.  Once you get the heavy rope perfectly lined up, it would in a way shrink down to fit but not.  You had to approach with near perfection or crash into the opening of the ramp, and Little Tooth would suffer all the damage.  Any collision with Shining Fang would give it more power because of the kinetic force energy conversion.

    She was getting hungry and decided to offer a hand.  ¡°Captain Fred and Joe Sir, I would like to offer a hand to help.¡± She paused for a grown-up word.  ¡°And expedite the landing process as I did Todd¡¯s scout ship.  If you cut your g-drive, I¡¯ll take it from here.¡±  She asked hoping Joe wouldn¡¯t take any offence to his piloting.

    Joe frowned at how smoothly Todd left the cargo bay ¡°I was wondering how he did it so quickly.¡± He thought to himself.  ¡°Please do so, I¡¯ll be able to do it. I think, but it would take time to do so.  I sure you¡¯re ready to eat soon now that you know the ship flies straight.¡±  Joe said in a joking tone. He wasn¡¯t worried about the approaching rogue ship.

    Sky smiled and reached out too Little Tooth and enclosed it in her kinetic grasp.  She pulled it into the cargo bay quickly with ease and brought down the land gear with Conny¡¯s help.   She brought Little Tooth close to the exit from the cargo bay room.  ¡°I brought you close to the exit, so you won¡¯t have to walk very far to get into the main ship.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be coming over too Little Tooth for your lunch, and then we¡¯ll test Shining Fang against the rogue¡¯s scout ship.  They won¡¯t get here anytime soon by the speed they¡¯re coming so we have plenty of time to eat and plan our encounter.¡±

    Sky was halfway to the cargo bay before the rest of the crew pried themselves from, they¡¯re chairs.  Todd reluctantly left the bridge and followed after Sky with the rest of his crew equally grudgingly.  ¡°She must be hungry to run so quickly.  I would have been happy to eat trail rations so I could stay in the command chair.¡±

    Sky ran up the cargo bay they had just left and into the mess.  ¡°Mommy, daddy it is so neat flying in Shining Fang, even that short trip.  Everything works so well, even better than I planned.  But I¡¯m so hungry from working, I feel faint and could eat a large animal.  Do I have to wait for the slow pokes before I eat¡±?  She finished in a pleading tone.

    ¡°No, my starving little angel.  You can use the whole pot today for a bowl.  I made extra for everyone.  They may not know it but the way you used them, they should be just as hungry.  It just hasn¡¯t hit them yet.¡±  Rocssanna said hugging her cute little daughter and ushering her to a large pot easily three times the size of her regular bowl.

    William was just about finished dishing out the favoured stew and bread when everyone seemed to rush in at a quickened pace.  ¡°I see it must have hit you.  I bet you¡¯re quite hungry right now.  It¡¯s a good thing we have enough of Sky¡¯s extra large bowls for everyone.  I think you¡¯ll need to eat much more since you¡¯ve been working as her.¡±  William said with a chuckle, filling the last bowl from what seemed a bottomless pot.

    Fred sat in front of one of the huge bowls which didn¡¯t look as comically large as it did to the rest of the crew.  He bowed his head and sang a quick mantra and dug in.  He nodded to a smiling William who seemed to understand his haste.

    Heather and Courtney put their heads together and said a quick prayer to themselves. Before eating

    Joe sang a similar mantra to Fred¡¯s before eating.

    Todd closed his eyes and bowed his head briefly before eating himself.

    Jane sat next to Sky who was observing everyone¡¯s pre-meal ritual.  ¡°I used to pray too, but after being altered by the mages, I felt abandoned by God.¡±  Jane gave Sky a forlorn look.  ¡°If they have no time for me, I have no time for them.  Have you ever prayed to a higher being, Sky¡±?

    Sky just shook her head ¡°no¡± not wanting to talk with her mouth full. ¡°I was never one to contemplate the need to ask for anything.  Sure, I wished to have friends, but to me, that was just selfish.  Plus, mommy and daddy never prayed to anyone either.  Mommy taught me they released us from serving our god a long, long time ago.  So, we don¡¯t pray any more we try to be kind and forgiving to any races including all animals.  We don¡¯t needlessly kill, all the meat we have I killed because I had to and nothing goes to waste.¡±  Sky finished, saying no more so she could continue eating.  She didn¡¯t want to seem rude, but she was still too hungry to talk any more.

    She was kneeling on the chair so she could reach over the rim of the pot.  It looked comical with her large spoon flashing to her mouth, yet still a smile of savouring between bits.

    Jane picked up on Sky¡¯s reluctance to talk.  She looked to Rocssanna and William who took it upon themselves to finish Sky half-told story.

    ¡°The Titan race is the oldest of all the beings that we know exist.  It is surprising there aren¡¯t more ancient Titans around since we don¡¯t die from old age or sicknesses.  Maybe we stop counting our age after a while and stop caring about the passing of time.  Our parents always told us they were a few thousand years old even after we reached a thousand ourselves.  My theory is after three thousand years, or so you never got older.  As for our gods, we have a theory that after they created us and a few other races along with vegetation and animals on a dozen or more planets, they went on to create other worlds and galaxies.   You¡¯ve got to admit almost all the intelligent races look alike, that we have two arms and legs in common.   So, when anyone prays to their god, they might be praying to ours too.  It¡¯s just that we were never asked to thank our god after if I believe my history lessons two million years of worship.¡± William said and gave his loving wife a look who nodded in agreement.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°I never gave ancient history much thought.  I only took history back one and a half million years.  I was part of royalty, so history wasn¡¯t a big issue neither was ancient religion.¡±  Rocssanna was polite as talked to Jane not wanting Titans to sound above any god.

    No one else wanted to talk religion just then; the food was too good to let go cold.  Religion and politics were best left for lazy afternoons and passing idle time.  Jane just thanked the Knights for the meal.

    ¡°Mommy is there anything for dessert?  I¡¯m in the mood for something sweet now, and I smell that there¡¯s something just right here in the mess.¡± Sky said looking around for the rock candy cake she smelt.

    ¡°Yes, there is desert, but it¡¯s your turn to wait.  Your cake will be another five minutes, but the softer cakes are already done.¡±  Rocssanna walked to a chilled rack and pulled out six round cakes with dark blue icing and white sprinkles.  It was hard to believe that on top was a small model of Shining Fang.  ¡°It¡¯s our way of thanking you for helping our cute little angel with building the ship.  I still have to say sorry for the way she grabbed some of you in various places.  I didn¡¯t raise my girl to do that and am sorry for any discomfort she may have caused.¡±

    ¡°Mommy I have no memory of what happened. I just know that I did something wrong.  I already apologized for what I did. Thanks for bringing it up again.¡±  Sky said with a pout, her cheek slightly flushed.

    Fred laughed a little.  ¡°It¡¯s not like it was out of any mischief, I probably would have done the same thing had I been in her shoes.  It would be like having an extra arm attached to you or suddenly big muscles.  You would defiantly try to feel them right.  I¡¯m just glad she realized what it was in time and not damage us.  Although the new healing spell would have taken care of the physical damage, mentally it would take a long time to heal.¡±  He winced at the thought.

    ¡°No harm was done, but you do know to judge by your mother you won¡¯t be getting these anytime soon if ever,¡±  Heather said jokingly lifting her breast slightly and sticking out her chest.  ¡°These are the real deal.¡±

    Fred got upset with Heather, and she felt his displeasure.  ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate to talk and act like you are.  Might I remind you Sky is only nine and should not be subjected to your un-lady like behaviour¡±!  Fred¡¯s voice startled everyone but the Knights and Joe.

    Rocssanna laughed ¡°It¡¯s just a harmless tease, she done nothing that I haven¡¯t done.  But Heather tease her when it¡¯s just us girls, we don¡¯t need the men to get all flustered when we act a little more freely.¡±  She said in Sky¡¯s direction as she hid behind the pot she had just finished.  Rocssanna walked over to the cooling racks were eight small beautifully made cakes.  Everyone¡¯s eyes followed her every move as she placed the cakes on plates.

    Courtney pinched Heather''s side teasingly.  ¡°I think you can handle a little cake; we¡¯re going to need the calories soon.¡±

    Heather gave Courtney a playful smile.  ¡°I think you should give me yours too. I pull all you slack when you''re too tired to continue.¡±

    Fred and Todd both coughed into their hands, but Fred was the one that spoke. ¡°Do you ladies think the lavatories needs cleaning that badly?  Keep going, and that¡¯s what you¡¯ll be doing after finishing this assignment.  Do you understand what I¡¯m talking about?¡± Fred asked the two soldiers with his huge meaty fingers laced together and a devious grin.

    ¡°No Sir, we understand perfectly well.  ¡°Courtney and Heather chimed together too perfectly to have been the first time.

    The little angel saved the mood with a laugh.  The innocent Sky giggled at the two.  ¡°If that¡¯s the case I should get all of the cakes.  You¡¯re all grown-ups, and I¡¯m still growing up, hahaha. More for me!¡±

    William patted her on the head as he cleared Skys dishes.  ¡°Not going to happen, you¡¯re our little angel, not a greedy little devil. Now is the time to cut loose and a time to enjoy each others company.¡±  He looked to the two women, smiled. ¡°Within reason in the  company of your junior.¡±

    Rocssanna bumped his hip playfully.  ¡°Just get the dishes and stop teasing the poor girls. The cakes are coming up.¡±  She said giving William a quick kiss on the lips before pushing him along. She proceeded to hand out the cakes to everyone.  Sky looked almost teary-eyed with no cake in front of her.

    She had just finished handing out the soft cakes out with little ships on them.  William was just behind her passing out forks.

    Jane held up her cake.  ¡°To the Knights may we always are welcome at their table and meals.¡±  The others took up her cheer and lifted their cakes too.

    Just as everyone started in on their dessert, a chime sounded, and Sky¡¯s cake was done.  Everyone but the Knights found it unbelievable when William reached into the hot oven and pull out the small cake with his bare hands as if were room temperature.  He brought it to a counter where he had some icing and sprinkles out of Sky¡¯s line of sight.  He made a strange motion as if pulling something invisible off the cake and flick it onto a black metal plate before icing it.  Courtney had to ask William what he pulled off the cake.

    ¡°Oh, that was just the heat. The icing melts when you put it on top too soon.  Don¡¯t worry I flick it into a heat sink we use in the kitchen.¡±  He answered her as he iced the cake, put on the sprinkles and the model ship as the finishing touch.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of magic like that how did you do that¡±?  Todd asked while savouring the cake.

    ¡°Oh, that wasn¡¯t magic it was something like E.S.P, just about all Titans can use a degree of E.S.P.  Being royalty, we are proficient in just about all forms of E.S.P.  Pulling heat from something we use more often here because most of you are heat sensitive.  Sky over there could suck up molten metal as if it were water.¡± She liked talking about Sky and seeing her blush; she was so easy and fun to tease.

    William brought over Sky¡¯s cake with a grand flourish and set it down in front of her.  Sky¡¯s eyes were as big as saucers and a little drool formed in the corner of her mouth.  ¡°Thank you, daddy; It looks tasty. It would be a shame to eat such a nice declaration though.¡±  Sky plucked the ship off the cake as everyone else did. ¡°I¡¯ll save it to eat later¡¯¡± she licked the icing off it before putting it down.  ¡°Mmm, it tastes like titanium.  It¡¯s like a desert with dessert.¡± Sky gleefully said then turn to everyone I¡¯m joking.  I know it¡¯s not food. Hahaha, The look on everyone''s face is just priceless, Conny I want a vid of that to watch again later.  Maybe I can show it to people at school and be popular right away.¡±

    Fred chuckled to himself, had just learned yet something else about Titans. And about Sky¡¯s strange ideas for a joke. He watched as did everyone Sky pick up the whole cake and take her first bite. The cake made a crunching sound as she sunk her teeth into it.

    It seemed everyone was interested in watching her eat.  She smiled as she crunched away happily.  With her free hand, she fingered her model as an idea come to her.  With little effort, the model ship slides along the table, and it took off in flight.  It flew around the room as if flying on its own.  She didn¡¯t even bat an eye as she made six others join it in a diamond formation they flew around silently. One by one everyone took control of their own as they found out they knew how to do it too.  It was a mystery to them why they never used their gifts before now.  They had a feeling they knew how their entire lives.

    ¡°There are so many things I could do but never tried or even given a thought of doing.   I don¡¯t understand why I never tried doing this without magic.¡±  Courtney said to everyone and no one.

    Heather looked at her.  ¡°I know what you mean.  I can do so many things but never tried to do any of them.  I know how to do so much without being taught¡±!  She said giving words to her thoughts.

    Everyone seemed to be able to relate to them.   ¡°It will most likely pass after some time.  I think it¡¯s from my essence controlling your bodies.  Like I said before you may be changed a little but not in a bad way.  Just enjoy it while you can and if you want it to last use the ones you want to keep longer.  The stuff you received from me being in your bodies might be too much to keep all of it because it was put there not even twelve hours ago.  It doesn¡¯t take magic to work in Titan, but humans don¡¯t have the brain power to perform them without using magical energy.  You should be able to keep a few with constant use.¡±  Sky was happy that no one was or seemed upset with their condition.

    Jane knew all of this before and was fine with it.  Looking at Sky, she had to smile.  There was a little icing on her cheek and without think lend over and lick it off.

    Sky was just as surprised as everyone else and blushed not getting mad.  She smiled and faced Jane looking on her face.  Not seeing any icing on her she put some there for the icing on the plate.  Then licked it off of Jane.  ¡°You had some icing on your face too, do I have any more on my face?  She said with a giggle.  Jane shook her head no with a smile.  ¡°Look again.¡±  Sure, enough there was another dab on her cheek.  Before she could react, it was gone just as quickly.

    Rocssanna gave them both a look.  ¡°You two should wash up before going back on to Shining Fang. It wouldn¡¯t do to get icing everywhere on the new ship.¡±  She said with a mischievous grin.  Icing appeared all over their faces, even Heather and Courtney had a dab on their cheek closest to each other.  She spared the men, although William got a wink with a silent promise.

    Fred, Joe, and Todd were surprised at how fast Rocssanna moved to do something so childish.  Rocssanna just shrugged her shoulders and stuck out her cute tongue. ¡°I¡¯m not even in the four digits, as a Titan I would be eighteen nineteen in human years.  There¡¯s a lot you don¡¯t about our race.¡± She smiled turning to William with her hands placed sassily on her hips.  ¡°What are you going to do about all the icing on me.¡±  One moment Rocssanna was there, her and William vanished.  You could hear gleeful laughter coming from the guest quarters cut off by a closing door.

    Sky laughed and grabbed Jane¡¯s hand.  ¡°That¡¯s mommy and daddy for you; they never grew up.  We¡¯ll see you on Shining Fang¡¯s bridge in ten minutes.  We¡¯ll lessen to your briefing while we wash up.¡±  She was out the doorway before Fred, or anyone could say anything.  She was gone, and only laughter left in their wake.

    When Fred turned away from the doorway, he seen Heather licking off the icing for Courtney¡¯s face.  Heather¡¯s face was free of icing.  He wanted to scold them, but with some hindsight, he decided not to.  They had a long week or more before them with no respite during the mission.  He wished he could have a little harmless fun too. At times like this, he missed his wife and children most. He noticed the models all land as if place back on the table.

    Fred sighed and picked one of the models.  He turned to Joe and Todd to address them.  ¡°Joe, Todd,  go to Shining Fang and see what we have for an A.I. I¡¯m one hundred and fifty percent we¡¯ve anotherSky close. Heather, Courtney you better go and make sure those guys don¡¯t use up all the hot water.  Plus, you might as well take some of your stuff with you.  I¡¯m sure there are some things you could use in the upcoming mission.¡±  Fred said standing after retrieving his model of Shining Fang.  He just noted it was the same size if not close to the size of the model he has of Little Tooth.

    ¡°Fred Sir would you mind if I took my footlocker and swapped it for the one on the new ship¡±? Todd asked as he too got is model of Shining Fang and started for the doorway to follow.

    ¡°No, the footlockers on Shining Fang are made for that ship like everything else on it.  Once you place it down, it can¡¯t be moved after until you want it moved but never from the room.  Why did you want to take the footlocker anyway¡±?  Fred inquired giving Todd a sideways glance

    ¡°I was going to make a pocket space in it and bring all my stuff over from here to my new quarters.  Since I know how to make them now, it would be a waste to forget how without using it at least using it once.¡± Todd said with a smile.

    ¡°Use a pillow case and make it into a pocket space.  It¡¯s bad enough with Sky making them everywhere; all I need is everyone makes them all over the place.¡±  He said rolling his eyes thinking what the guild would say with all the pocket spaces they received no royalty money.  Then there¡¯s the fact Jane doesn¡¯t need the magic undone to her body.  I¡¯m sure there is going to be something said about that one too.

    Joe didn¡¯t look so happy as he took his model and caught up to Fred.  ¡°Fred, can I speak to you privately for a second?  There is something that¡¯s been bothering me for a little while now.  It may be nothing, but I would like to nip it in the bud before it becomes an issue.¡±  Joe said trying to act casual and nonaggressive.

    ¡°Sure, thing we can talk in my quarters while I put this model with my collection,¡± Fred said gripping Joe¡¯s shoulder and stirring him out of the mess.  ¡°I have a feeling I know what it is, and I have an idea of what to do.  Whether you like it or not is a different issue.¡±  They walked towards the barracks and their quarters.  Fred and Joe entered the first room on the right, and Todd walk passed. He took the first crew quarters after on the same side.  Once in his quarters, he still could not get used to some much space in the regular crew quarters.  Heather and Courtney took the second women¡¯s crew quarters on the left.  Before they entered the own rooms, he told them to be on the bridge in seven minutes.

    After closing the door, he walked across the small room that was bigger than the crew quarters.  Now it seemed tiny in comparison to the crew''s rooms.  After putting the model of Shining Fang next to Little Tooth, he turned to Joe.  ¡°So, what¡¯s on your mind, my friend¡±?  He asked leaning on his desk.

    ¡°I was wondering after this mission what¡¯s going to happen with Shining Fang.  It¡¯s unregistered, in violation of more guild codes than I can think of and by any rights should not even exist.  I think you should make it known that Todd is not going to have it as his new ship.  It¡¯s Sky¡¯s ship she made to save lives, and we should make her take it with her somehow or keep it for her until she finishes schooling.¡±  Joe sounded kind of frustrated about it.

    ¡°So, you think a ship with no equal in stealth and firepower should belong to a nine-year-old girl.  One I might add again to reiterate has no equal in magic and power.  It should be hers simply because she made it herself with her power and almost all her materiel.¡±  Fred paused looking Joe in the eyes with the practiced perfectly emotionless face.  ¡°You think she thought of it, designed it, built it, she should keep it.  Is that what you think¡±?

    Joe looked back at him thinking of what he just said.  ¡°I guess it¡¯s not easy to decide what to do about her.  I don¡¯t think Todd should get it in the end.  Joe stood with his arms crossed still looking flustered. ¡°We don¡¯t even know what it¡¯s capable of yet.  What its top speed is, how will it fire the railguns in real life, and the damage two, two barrel pulse laser cannons can do to its targets.  Sky admitted to a few calculation errors.  Mind you she did only spend two or three seconds on it.  Not like the spell on the doorway to the practice room.¡±  He smiled with a pause letting Fred think.  ¡°It¡¯s like she thought about building one before.¡±

    Sky was in the shower in a blink of an eye and Jane was a few steps behind.  Jane had a bottle of scented soap and proceeded to wash Sky¡¯s hair getting the icing out.  She then washed her face and getting some icing out of her ears.  After washing away the icing , Jane turned and knelt with her back to Sky and passed her the soap.  Just then Courtney and Heather walked in starting a shower across them

    ¡°We¡¯ve got to hurry; Fred wants us on the bridge in seven minutes.  We¡¯re going to be very busy and the chances of getting a decent shower are going to be far and few between.¡±  Heather said as they two got under the shower spray.

    ¡°That¡¯s okay we¡¯re almost done anyway.  It would have been faster if mommy didn¡¯t get icing in our ears too.¡±  Sky said it teamed icing out of Jane¡¯s ears while washing her hair.  Jane smiled at the contact; it felt kind of ticklish to her, and she poked Sky to get her to stop.

    Sky step around in front of Jane a tilled her face up into the spray and washed her face as gently as possible.  ¡°Mommy used to wash me till I was four, but she said I got too rough and she had me shower by myself most of the time.  She would still wash my back if I joined her alone before she finished.¡±  Sky said making a happy face thinking of the fond memories.  She finished washing Jane¡¯s face and gave her a quick peck on the nose.  ¡°All done.¡±  She stood and finished washing while Courtney and Heather quickly washed each other¡¯s hard to reach places.  In a few minutes, everyone was done their shower and dried off.  They quickly walked to their rooms and dressed in their combat uniforms and gear.

    Sky hair had to be braided to fit the hat. She traded the uniform with the skirt and tights for all tight-fitting all-black body armour Jane wore during combat.  The reinforced metal shoulder pads, segmented chest, and torso gave a new look. She stood in front of Jane with positive energy crackling around her. For a nine-year-old girl, ready to fight, to kill, she looks pretty scary but so cute. ¡°How do I look, big sis?¡±

    Jane had no words forming in her mouth. Courtney and Heather, who entered in time to hear the question faired no better.  All they could do was remember how she sparred with herself and imagine her in actual combat.  She looked like a cute reaper of lives.  They felt horrible now seeing her as a combat mage. Guilt pressed down the high they got before a battle engagement.

    Courtney broke the silence when she saw Sky frown at the lack of response.  ¡°You look, good kid; you look like part of the team.¡±  She reached Jane, grabbed a shoulder, and shook her out of her funk.  ¡°Jane here is going to take care of you; she¡¯s the best there is.¡±. Courtney let go of Jane and grabbed both of Sky¡¯s armor-plated shoulders briefly noting they were softer than her actual flesh.  She felt almost silly telling someone nearly indestructible to stay safe. ¡°Remember to watch each other back, everyone comes back, got that kiddo,  everyone comes back!¡±

    Heather didn¡¯t and couldn¡¯t add anything to Courtney¡¯s words not trusting her voice. She just patted Jane and Skys armoured chests over their hearts and went back to her room to pack a few things.  Courtney made the same traditional gesture and followed Heather shutting the door behind them.

    Sky and Jane left Heather and Courtney to pack a few things to take with them to Shining Fang.

    Once the door was shut Courtney hugged Heather ¡°Why in the blazing nova are we allowing a little kid fight. She¡¯s to kill people, lots of people.¡± Heather cried banging on her friend''s armoured chest holding back a sob.  ¡°You saw how she can fight, she could take out all of us going full out even with captain Fred and Joe, who the elite of the elites in seconds.  And that¡¯s giving us time to hit the ground.¡±  Heather gazed pleadingly into Courtney''s eyes for her response.

    ¡°What can I do babe? She¡¯s her girl. That so-called little kid had magic burn to the second degree. None even knew there was a second degree because you usually die from shock when it reaches your sternum.¡±  Courtney paused clutching Heather tighter after saying it out loud made it feel macabre. ¡°We should pack some gear and get going. Are you going to be okay babe?¡± She asked holding Heather out at arm''s length gazing into her pretty tear streaked brown eyes.

    ¡°I not the one you should be asking, but I¡¯m good.¡±  Heather double tapped over Courtney¡¯s heart. ¡°Let¡¯s roll we¡¯re gonna be  late, hun.¡±  Heather turned to her locker walk-in closet to pack, and Courtney went to her¡¯s.

 Chapter Seventeen Skys Gift to Her New Family

    Chapter Seventeen

    Sky''s Gift to Her New Family

    Fred and Joe decided to wait to find out what Sky has to say about the future of Shining Fang after they finish the mission before she goes to school.  They met Sky and Jane who were on the bridge first.  He could see Sky and Jane watching the incoming ship.  ¡°So, is there anything new you discovered about the rogue¡¯s scout ship¡±?  Fred asked as he came up beside them.

    Jane being the senior officer answered Fred after a brief salute. ¡°We can see that there are twelve mages.  They all have a combination of four elements and are weak by themselves but share the magic with other mages.  ¡±  Sky can hear their voice transmissions and told me.  It seems you were right.  They picked up the massive spatial distortion caused by the ship exiting Little Tooth.  We found no sign they recorded anything when you entered Shining Fang.  So, they¡¯re going to go where they estimated it happen and investigate the surroundings.  They have their scanners set on a light beam, and it passed us multiple times with no detection.  It looks like we¡¯re good to go.¡±  Jane answered him with what Sky, and she found out so far.

    Fred walked to the captain''s chair and sat down with poise.  He looks of relaxation showed on his face. In front of him, Joe took the far left control chair; it was one of four with dual controls.  There was no difference between the chair except placement.

    Fred was wearing a dark blue loose fitting combat uniform that was still tight on his chest and arms.  It showed his impressive build, a towering form of muscle.  He had an overwhelming presence about him few people could work in his proximity.  Not many could work under the gaze of a huge crouching tiger.

    Joe was wearing the same colour and style, accept his fit him perfectly as if made for him.  Joe seemed relaxed enough to sleep, yet behind his partially closed eyes, his mind was working overtime.

    Sky seemed very intent on the mages on the ship. She sensed a strange power fluctuation following the scout ship.  Sky frown and squinted her eyes. She was trying to ferret out its secrets.  At this distance, the ship was little more than a pinprick.  Jane and Sky were trying to find out if she could see where the power was coming from.  There was no tether that she could make out linking to other people.  Fred could see the range of senses she was using.  ¡°I can¡¯t see where the magic is coming from right now.  I think I¡¯ll be able to see once the ship is closer  and see the magic they¡¯re using.¡±

    Fred saw the ship ¡°Joe lets see how fast we can move without being sensed.  We¡¯ll have to be ready to disable their ship and transmissions.¡±

    Joe put his hands on the control orbs and set a course for the rogue¡¯s ship.   ¡°Course is set ready to fly on your mark.¡±  He said waiting for Fred¡¯s word to engage.

    Todd walked in followed closely behind by Heather and Courtney. The three dressed in their black tight battle suits gave an aura of intimidation to lesser beings. Todd¡¯s fairy ears could be seen twitching trying to pick up sounds around him. He was nearly as daunting as Fred but lacked the overpowering alfa presence. Todd and Joe nodded to each other saying nothing. Both thinking they were too cool for words.

    Heather and Courtney gracefully walked their full female attributes enhanced with the swaying of their hips. Their movements mirrored each other in sync as if maidens of death in the armoured tight black stealth bodysuits.  They slide elegantly into the control chairs beside Joe, who nodded to acknowledge their presence. He wasn¡¯t trying to be cool or aloof; he was just speechless.

    They said nothing after taking their seats beside Joe and operated controls in searching for other ships in scanning range. They would only speak if they found something relevant to the situation.

    If one were to look at the crew operating Shining Fang, they would see either death or salvation.

    Fred felt it necessary to inform the crew with what he was planning.  ¡°We¡¯re going to see how fast we can go before we are detected.  They are far enough out that they won¡¯t have any back up for a few light years.¡±  He gave them a little pause in case they wanted to add something.  Nothing was forthcoming, so he continued.  ¡°If they sensed anything, we¡¯ll have to disable their ship and communications.  We might as well take them into custody if we have to disable their ship.  We might even get some information from them if we interrogate a few the mages on board.¡±

    ¡°We can cast a sealing spell over them since we have more power than they have,¡±  Todd said looking back at Sky with a wink.

    Fred used the orb controls to maximize the rogue mages ship.  ¡°Joe engage.¡±  He swivelled his chair to face Sky and pointed his powerful finger at her.  ¡°Sky let me know if they detect us, everyone else keeps your eyes open for other ships.¡±   He was forever trying to show to the little girl he was the captain, not some squishy boss she had to call Sir.  Still, no flinch or startled look in reaction.  She answered with a quick, ¡°Yes Sir.¡±

    Joe slowly increased their speed and felt nothing of any acceleration.  There was no feeling of movement in the least.  The only way they could tell they were moving was by the stars moved, and the fact the ship on the screen got bigger.  Joe kept easing the ship faster, and the stars seemed to move by a little quicker.  The rogue¡¯s ship filled the screen, and they zoomed out till it just a dot.

    Sky called out.  ¡°There is something strange about the captain of the ship.  He seems to be talking to someone, not on the ship, and there is no long-range transmission coming from it.¡±  She tilted her head to the side.  ¡°He said something in code about matching speed.¡±

    Todd interrupted her. ¡°Fred Sir, I believe there is a cloaked ship directly behind them.  It might be a stealth fighter; it could be an ambush for anyone who thinks of taking out the less equipped scout ship.¡±

    Joe was still increasing their speed by the console they had surpassed Little Tooth¡¯s full speed and could still go faster.  He never stopped increasing speed, and no one wanted him to.  They all were eager to see the ship¡¯s top speed.

    ¡°Joe, I want you to maneuver to circle around; that way we can see the ship that is behind them.  I want you to use full throttle and till we can see the hidden ship.¡±  Fred instructed Joe on his new orders.

    Joe with a smile set the new course with the slightest movement.  The fact of not feeling any motion didn¡¯t prevent seeing the acceleration caused by the blurring stars.  They were moving at impossible speeds then slowed down as the two ships came into view.   The first one was a little bigger than Little Tooth; the second was not quite detectable.  Not only was it cloaked but it was also in a spatial pocket dimension.  Being so much closer allowed Sky to get a better sense of the mages on board, yet she couldn¡¯t sense where the extra magic was coming from.  So, she turned to the cloaked ship behind the first.

    Sky saw something with her extra senses and turned to Fred.  ¡°There¡¯s more than one ship behind the second ship.¡±  She made a motion with her hand and what looked like a tube with the bow of a fighter ship is poking out with the outline of two more behind it completely obscure from view and sensors.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it, we in for quite a battle if this is how all the ships are going to be.¡±  I think the capture part is not going to be very successful if we can¡¯t free most of the abducted magic user.¡±  Joe stated as a fact he thought was true.

    ¡°I think you''re right; we weren¡¯t meant to meet up with you.  I think we were supposed to be caught and have our magic added to the rogue mages.  I get the feeling we weren¡¯t meant even to make it this far.¡±  Todd looked behind him to see where Sky stood and smile.  ¡°We have someone they could never anticipate throwing a socket into their gears.¡±

    Before anyone else said something about the fact, they might have been set-up Courtney called out.  ¡°I¡¯m picking up a similar ship formation close to where we would have entered if we decided not to enter at a different point.  There is also another one further back equally spaced.  They were ready for us a long time before we even started this mission.¡±

    Todd looked to Courtney.  ¡°You don¡¯t think it was a setup, do you?  It was a little surprising that they found us before we meet Captain Fred.¡±  Todd thought about what Courtney said giving her a nod and wink.  ¡°I think you¡¯re right Courtney it¡¯s too much of a coincidence that a mage found us with that stolen gift.  If it weren¡¯t for Sky, they would have captured us for sure.  I¡¯m pretty sure they were going to try and capture Little Tooth too.¡±  The last words he said loud enough for Fred and Joe hear.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about why Mark Douglass wants us to capture the mages.  I have to agree with you there.¡±  Fred agreed caressing his chin in contemplation. ¡°I also think there¡¯s all more to this than we know.  I believe there are people of influence behind all of this and Fleet Admiral Mark Douglas maybe behind this.  If not has a small part of it.¡±  Fred said voicing his opinion his frustration showing in his voice.  ¡°I think we¡¯ll have to think of our safety and that of the captives before we think of sparing any of the fanatical rogue mages.¡±

    ¡°So, I guess we¡¯re going ahead with the rescue mission and finding out just what they¡¯re trying to do.¡±  Joe turned his head to inquire from Fred.  ¡°Even though it¡¯s probably a trap or traps¡±?

    ¡°I think we owe it to Sky and the captive mages to continue the main part of the mission.  If they are going to do what we think they¡¯re going to do we¡¯re going to stop a war, we have no chance of winning by what William¡¯s told me.¡±  Fred said to let everyone know that it was not to be argued.  ¡°We¡¯ll continue as if nothing changed; once things get difficult, we¡¯ll change to our new plan, take no prisoners¡±!

    ¡°I never really liked Mr. Douglass very much, he seemed too full of himself.  I bet he planned on me getting turned into one of those mage batteries.¡±  Sky said while balling up her little fists and shaking one at the ships on display in front of them.  ¡°If I have to choose between one hundred evil mages and a scratch on any of my family, I will not hesitate one billionth of a second.  I have nothing but love for all of you and bare nothing but disdain for anyone who would take away the people¡¯s freedom.¡±  Sky spoke from her heart to all her family new and old.

    Jane put his arm around her.  ¡°We all love you too and do anything to keep you safe.  I don¡¯t want you killing anyone if I can help it.  But you¡¯re the only one who can free the captured magic users from their inducted coma.  I will be beside you the whole time lending you what help I can.¡±  She finished with a light kiss on her cheek.  Sky beamed with happiness and returned the one-armed hug.

    Shining fang approached with the turret weapons trained on the incoming ships and data streamed on how best to fire through their shields.  One shot from a rail gun would be overkill, and they weren¡¯t going to kill till they had to indiscriminately.

    Jane was still standing beside Sky, to turned Fred.  ¡°Fred Sir, I think we should disable all of these ships now that they are so far apart once we start our mission their going to be coming from behind us.  If we get them now, they won¡¯t be able to run or attack.¡±  Jane spoke with pure confidence of her advice not breaking eye contact with Fred.  ¡°We put them into an inert stasis field, and they¡¯ll be helpless until we pull them out.   They know we¡¯re coming. It¡¯s just a matter of when and where to them.   I don¡¯t think they have any idea we have such a fast ship.  As far as they know, the new ship will be identical to Little Tooth or our scout ship.¡±

    You could see Jane was a pro at tactics and knew how Todd''s team could run a campaign against odds.  She may not be a great leader, but she did know her way around a battlefield.

    Fred held Jane¡¯s unflinching gaze. I wish I had a chance at running the gauntlet with her.  She has an incredible amount of confidence in what she knows.  Fred told himself and looked between Jane, Sky, and Jane again.  ¡°I see your point, but I want you and Sky in position to start freeing captives before we start our attack if I can help it.  We¡¯ll drop you and Sky off where we locate most of the captives.  Then we fly back out here and split up and start taking out the outlying scout ships.¡±

    Everyone was listening to Fred while scanning for information.  We have to Todd, and his crew race in and assist with distracting anyone stupid enough to get into Sky and Jane¡¯s way.¡± Fred made eye contact with Todd who turned around when hearing his name.

    ¡°Yes, sir, we could do that and more.¡±  Todd sounded full of confidence. He would make a great captain of a larger crew if he could get past his need for dominance.  If it weren¡¯t for Fred''s overpowering aura, Todd wouldn¡¯t have listened to even a fraction of what Fred said.  ¡°For now we can make detailed notes of the ships we find and affinities the mages have naturally and likely stolen.

    Sky turned back to face Fred.  ¡°Before we get into any battle, I¡¯ve been working on spells to cast over all of you.¡±  Sky    The spells are customized to each of you and your native magic.¡±  She paused and started again.  ¡°Well, It¡¯s kinda more like a bunch of spells that link together much like the spell in the doorway going into the practice room.¡± She had an ecstatic smile on her cute little face.

    The whole bridge turned to pay attention to the dressed in the redundant body armour.  ¡°Each of you will be linked to near infinite personal healing spells.  They don¡¯t even need to be near you, and the spells will activate themselves if the need arises.  It will heal you even if the tomes on your bodies are used up.¡±  She looked to Fred to see if he would consent to the spell.

    Fred shook his head.  ¡°I get the feeling there are things with the spell you¡¯re not telling us.¡±  He looked down on Sky trying not to let his smile show on his face.

    She couldn¡¯t look into Fred¡¯s eyes anymore.  She had noticed that second, one of her boots was bigger than the other. ¡°I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone. Well, one of the spells will be like the one Jane wanted.  It will make you very close to a Titan physically, and you¡¯ll be almost just as indestructible.  I will be giving you all of the five gifts it will be temporary till after we save the abducted people.¡±  Sky said sheepishly now that he caught her omission of the spells true purpose.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you mention that part of the magic casting, don¡¯t you think we should know about that part of the spell? We already talked about you casting spells on us without consent.¡±  Fred asked her with no trace of mirth.

    She balled up her little fists to her side and stomped her foot  ¡°I wanted to protect all of you, and I know I couldn¡¯t be with all of you during the mission.¡±  Sky said almost in tears.  ¡°I thought no one would want the spell cast of them after what happened to Jane. That wouldn¡¯t happen you, anyone, as it did with Jane. I love you guys and would never do something to hurt any of you, ever.¡±  She turned and hugged Jane burying her face in her in the armour plates.  ¡°I don¡¯t want you to lose any of you or see you get hurt, not if there is something I can do.¡±  The plates muffled Her voice, but they understood what she said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be the first one you can cast your spell on so everyone will know that it works,¡± Jane said caressing her back to ease Sky¡¯s sobs.  They just seemed to get worse.

    She pulled back to look up to face Jane.  ¡°I can¡¯t cast the spell on you.  I don¡¯t know how the multiple spells will affect the chaos that is altering your body all ready.  The healing spells and the talisman and tome are linking spell I can only cast on you.¡±   She pulled Jane tight.  ¡°I never wanted to cause you pain ever again.  I¡¯ll do anything to prevent you from feeling pain like that once more.  Once the chaos magic is gone, I will cast the spells you wanted that you will be able to activate and deactivate at will.  I could put it on a charm for you for good luck.¡±  She sounded a little like her old self again.

    ¡°That would be a talisman, not a charm, honey.¡±  Jane said, ¡°I would love anything you can do for me.¡±

    Fred interrupted the two.  ¡°Well, we might as well try the spell while we¡¯re undetected and have the upper hand.  I¡¯ll go first and then, Joe.  Todd, you decide who in your team will go next, that whoever wants the spell cast on them.¡±  Fred stood up and approached Sky.  ¡°Where would you like to perform the spell¡±?

    ¡°I think right hear would be fine, don¡¯t forget I can invert the spells so it¡¯s impossible to feel them.¡±  Sky answered him quickly with pride and no arrogance in her expression.   ¡°Would you like me to start casting the spell now or give you a little time¡±? She waited for his answer, and it came as quickly as asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready when you are.  How would you like me¡±?  Fred answered

    ¡°Um, maybe you should sit down on the floor and make yourself comfortable.  Closing your eyes might help too.¡±  She asked Fred

    ¡°Alright.¡±  He said hiking up his pant legs and with ease sank to the floor.  It looked odd for a man his size to do with such ease settling in a cross-leg position. He saw that sitting on the floor he was eye level with his benefactor ¡°I¡¯ll take your advice; I wouldn¡¯t want to fall because you warmed me to sit down.  I¡¯m ready for you now.¡±  Fred looked relaxed.

    Once, Fred, had his eyes closed, she stepped around him and made three copies of herself.  She needed to use more of the magic at the same time.  She raised her hands all four pairs and spell circles appeared all around them, and they poured magic into several spells at once.  The spells seemed to bombard him as quickly as they were activated.  Fred¡¯s skin glowed as the spells entered his body.  He seemed oblivious of the magic performed on his body.   The last spells entered his body, and the three copies walked into Sky and disappeared.  ¡°Okay all done how do you feel Fred Sir.¡± She said putting a hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel a thing but a slight itch between my shoulders.  I don¡¯t feel any different than I did before.  Is it going to work, how do I test it¡±?  Fred asked flexing his arm and feeling his skin.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to work when you need it.  If you want to test it squeeze my arm as if you want to feel my muscles.¡±  Sky said lifting her arm as if flex for Fred to squeeze.

    Fred reached up and wrapped his hand around her bicep as if it were a baby arm.  At first, her arm was like steel and inflexible.  But before he could voice a problem a power shot through his body. He then her arm felt like the soft warmth of a little girl.  ¡°So, I won¡¯t have the same problem of being too hard or too strong.  I¡¯ll be stronger or have skin like steel when I need it, is that how it¡¯s going to work?¡±

    ¡°Yupper, that how it¡¯s going to work.  All the magic I cast on you is going to be there only when you need it.¡±  Sky told Fred.  ¡°So, Joe Sir.¡±  She called out to Joe.

    Joe left his console and made his way to Sky and stood in front of her.  ¡°Okay, Sky. I¡¯m ready to become the best I can be.¡±  Joe stood with a smile.

    ¡°Joe Sir you saw what I had Captain Fred do, I had him sit down and relax.  If you could do the same, I¡¯ll start right away.¡±  She said standing patiently waiting for Joe to sit down and relax so she could start.

    Joe knelt on to his knees and closed his eyes.  ¡°I¡¯m ready whenever you are.¡±  Joe sat there not knowing Sky started with his eyes closed.  He didn¡¯t hear Sky make copies of herself and started casting the spells.  He was waiting for some indication the start of the spell but felt a slight feeling of vertigo as the multiple spells entered his body.

    Todd had seen the spells forming and entering Fred and Joe.  He could only see a few snippets he recognized, and they were cast too fast to see in any great detail.  Not only that the after images were building up too quickly to make out the individual spells she cast.

    Joe turned his head to see if he could hear her.  She had just finished and pulled the copies into herself when he teased her by asking her to start.

    Sky snicker.  ¡°I¡¯ve just finished the castings, and it¡¯s all done.  How do you feel Joe Sir?  You shouldn¡¯t feel anything different.  The connection to the fifth gift will be there when you need it.  You most likely won¡¯t even feel it when you use it.  It will come straight from me, so you won¡¯t even feel magic burn if you cast a lot of powerful spells.  It will be a lot like how they are using abducted magic users.  Unlike me, they have smaller magic wells to draw from I think.¡±  Sky said to Joe but meant it for everyone to hear.

    ¡°Thank you, Sky for sharing so freely,¡±  Joe said to Sky giving her a hug testing the casting in the hug.

    ¡°Todd Sir who will be next from your team.  It¡¯s going faster than I even thought at first.¡±  Sky told Todd with her hands clasp behind her back twisting her body, acting her young age.  Fred would have reprimanded any other officer on his ship.  Just knowing what she¡¯s done and been through for them was enough to give her leniency and being nine years old didn¡¯t hurt.

    Todd got up walked over and sat down smiling to Sky.  ¡°I¡¯ll go first then Heather, Courtney and Jane are going last.  Will that is alright with you¡±? Todd asked

    Sky smiled.  ¡°That would be fine.  It doesn¡¯t matter really, as long as Jane is last.  She has to get an even more modified casting on her because of the chaos magic used on her.¡±  She said as she stared the familiar perpetration for the spells.  She started as soon as Todd had his eyes closed.  Fred saw most of the spells before as the ones used on Joe.  Many were different, and he chalked it up as the inverted spells.  Almost as soon as it started, she finished the castings as far as Todd knew.  He was determined to feel the castings and felt a bit dizzy through his closed eyes.  ¡°You¡¯re all done.¡± She said holding up her arm.

    ¡°I trust that the spells worked but if you insist.¡± He said reaching out and squeezing her arm.  It felt like any other arm, and he thought nothing of it.  Now he wondered if it worked at all.  He had forgotten how hard she was before the spell.   He was about to ask Heather to get ready, then seen her stand and walk over.

    Heather tried to hide her excitement about the spells she was going to get.  After the castings, she was going to be in the top ten strongest humans ever physically and magically. She acknowledged to herself that it was only for this mission, regardless, the top ten strongest in known space.  She jokingly tried to nudge Todd out of the way.  Normally he would have at least budged, over now he was as steadfast as a steel girder and just as hard.  ¡°Wow, it¡¯s like trying to move a boulder.¡±  She said pushing on him again and nudging him out of the way.  She wasn¡¯t moving him because of the pushing; he was moving out of the way on his own.

    Heather knelt in front of Sky bouncing slightly waiting for the spell.  She closed her eyes and Sky started the spell.  Heather made the mistake of opening her eyes after not feeling anything. The deluge of spells flying into her made her dizzy, and she slowly slumped down to the floor unconscious.  Sky couldn¡¯t do anything to help, and everyone else could only watch helplessly.  Luckily, she was kneeling down and didn¡¯t have far too fall.  The fact part of the spells was for instant healing helped too.  She felt bad that she fell, but there was nothing to do but finish.  It was the longest two minutes she ever experienced.

    Just after the spell was complete, Courtney was at her side helping her up.  Heather''s eyes fluttered open almost as soon as Courtney¡¯s hands made contact.  She gave Sky a venomous look.  ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop when you saw her fall over?  You just kept hammering with spell after spell.  Is that how you treat your friends¡±?

    Jane had Courtney¡¯s arm even before the first tear left Sky eyes.  ¡°Do you even think Sky would willingly hurt any of us?  You should think of what you say before you speak.  You¡¯re pretty inconsiderate to yell at someone who saved your life without meeting you and is about to gift you magic to stay alive with impossible odds against you.¡±

    Heather still somewhat dazed grabbed Jane¡¯s arm. ¡°Let go of Corry right now, can¡¯t you see you broke her arm.¡±

    Sure, enough Courtney¡¯s arm was broken and didn¡¯t feel it because of shock.  Sky healed her before it even registered to her and Jane.  Jane let go of Courtney before she did any more damage to her.

    Heather put a hand on Courtney''s shoulder.  ¡°I¡¯m fine. I made the mistake of looking and paid for it.  I feel amazing and have no one but our little angel to thank.  Don¡¯t be mad at her for continuing the spells after I passed out.  It had to be done you know some spells have to be completed in continuous casting.¡±    She told Courtney.  ¡°You know that her spells are very complex and powerful she if she stops the magic unfinished could cause a serious backlash.   It could have burned me if not killed me.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, all I could do was watch and do nothing to help as you slumped to the floor,¡±  Courtney told Heather pulling her into an embrace.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say sorry to me; it looks like you should say something to Sky.  By the look on her face, you said something that upset her very much.¡±  Heather asked her long-time friend.

    Courtney looked upset and remorseful.  ¡°I was upset at Sky because she kept hurling at you as you fell.  You don¡¯t know how I felt; she just kept the spells going.  She didn¡¯t even look upset about it.¡±

    Sky was watching the two converse and found her voice.  ¡°I couldn¡¯t do anything either; I couldn¡¯t feel bad because one of the spell I was casting the instant heal along with all of the other spells.¡±  She said looking down at her feet.  ¡°I knew I couldn¡¯t stop, and I had to keep the happy feeling going for the spell to work for the best results.¡±

    Courtney looked at Sky¡¯s downturned face and felt like spaced crap.  ¡°I so sorry little sis.  I had no idea about how you work your magic.  It¡¯s so different from the way the academy taught how to cast magic.  You don¡¯t even have to cast your spells on me if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Both Heather and Sky looked equally mortified at what she just said.  Heather spoke before Sky could answer.  ¡°I would rather the spell be removed from me than to go into battle knowing I¡¯ll most likely survive alone without you.  How fiercely do you think I¡¯ll be able to fight knowing that you can get injured much easier than me?  With all five gifts, I¡¯ll be spending more time watching over you than my mission.  We''ve equally matched almost our whole lives, and you want to change it in our darkest days.  Forget it, either you take her gift, or I give it back.  Together we stand divided we stumble and fall or something like that.¡±

    Sky watched the two girls hug and seen Courtney look to her and nod.  ¡°Sky if you can forgive me, I¡¯ll take your gift with the love you intend with it,¡±  Courtney asked Sky feeling very guilty.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the gift and ask you not to open your eyes till I let you know when you can.  I had no idea it would have that effect.  I thought you might get dizzy not pass out.  Just let me know when you¡¯re ready.  I don¡¯t want you to be different than Heather too much longer.  You two belong together and have the same spells cast on both of you.¡±  Before she could cast the spells on Courtney, she received a hug from Heather.

    ¡°I get to test the spells just like everyone else don¡¯t I¡±?  Heather said squeezing Sky and burying her head in her large armoured chest.  Sky came out with a smile and a flushed face.  ¡°Thank you, Sky. You¡¯re too good to us poor girls.  We¡¯ve given you so little, and while you give us too much.  It¡¯s going to take a lifetime to pay you back.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I want you guy¡¯s all to have very long lives. So, you can pay me back with interest.¡±  She told everyone rubbing her hands together.  Everyone looked shocked at the sudden change of heart.

    Did the innocent girl suddenly want money or other precious items? Sky saw the look on everyone¡¯s faces and laughed.  ¡°The currencies I demand are kindness, hugs and loving friendship.  You can start after this mission.¡±  Sky looked to Courtney kneeling in front of her.  ¡°And for not trusting me I want a few more from you starting after I cast the spells on you.  Two hugs and a kiss on each cheek should be a good start.¡±  Courtney reached around and hugged her before she cast spells.

    Courtney felt like she was hugging a marble statue that moved.  ¡°I thought I could sneak one in now, but it doesn¡¯t feel the same when you¡¯re hard as steel.¡±  She broke the embrace and knelt back down.  She closed her eyes and told Sky she was ready.  The spell this time went smoothly, and she didn¡¯t want to repeat the same accident even though no one was hurt.

    When finished she told Courtney, and she was just about to doubt her.  Sky opened her arms for the test hug.  Courtney didn¡¯t feel any different and hugged Sky.  She felt soft and warm; it was just like hugging Heather or Jane.  She never cared to hug any of the men too much, growing up men tend to take a yard when given an inch.  ¡°That¡¯s incredible. I never felt a thing, and I don¡¯t even feel that different when I use the strength or density in my body.  It feels natural just like nothing happened.  Thank you.¡±  Courtney said giving her a kiss on each cheek and one on her nose.

    Sky smiled.  ¡°Good start, but you have a long way to go before you¡¯re paid up.  Unfortunately, we have a lot to do so could you move so Jane can be next¡±?  Sky waved Jane over to her.  ¡°You¡¯re going to take the longest out of everyone.  I¡¯ve got to take my time to work around the chaos magic and not hurt you by touching the corrupted the magic.¡±  Sky watched Jane walk up as Courtney left with Heather who waited for her.  Jane sat down and closed her eyes.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m fine with anything you can do to help with this mission.  Just don¡¯t push yourself on my account. I¡¯ll be fine the way I am.¡±  She said peeking into Sky¡¯s eyes with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long the chaos magic will work once the mages are found and severed completely from you.  When that happens, I¡¯m not going to be able to cast a spell on you, and you¡¯ll be vulnerable till the missions over.¡±  Sky told Jane as she got ready to cast the spell.  ¡°I¡¯ve got to put more healing type spells on you to keep you safe.¡±  She bent over and stroked Jane¡¯s arm.  ¡°Before I start school, I¡¯ll make sure to cast the spells on you to keep you, my special sister, safe.¡±

    There was a cough that got Sky¡¯s attention.  Fred shook his head.  ¡°No time for distractions, we¡¯re in enemy territory, and that¡¯s four ships that are well in firing range.¡±  Fred wasn¡¯t sure, but he felt Sky was getting a little too friendly with Jane.  ¡°I would like to talk to you before we separate to our missions.¡±

    Jane just nodded in recognition of the upcoming conversation content.  She smiled at Sky and closed her eyes again.  ¡°I¡¯m ready for your special gifts.¡±

    Sky cloned herself into six to help the casting of the spell go quicker. ¡°Now don¡¯t open your eyes until I say so.  It will be even more dizzying than anyone else¡¯s castings.¡±  Jane¡¯s eyes sequenced shut as Sky started with the spells.  Everyone watched the spells hit her and sinking into her body at an unfathomable rate.  She didn¡¯t even waver as they hit her body.  If anyone else cast the spells they would have had physical contact, probably hurt her and knock her around.  As it was Jane never even flinched at the contact of the multiple spells.  It took a minute longer to finish casting the spells even with the extra clones.  ¡°I¡¯m done you can open your eyes and see if you feel anything different.

    Jane got up and moved stretching out to see if there was anything different after the spell.  She felt stronger magically, but nothing else appeared different in her body.  ¡°Am I ready for anything that could happen now?  She said hugging Sky.  ¡°You feel no different to me after you cast the spells on me.  I guess you didn¡¯t do anything about my strength or density.¡±

    ¡°No that would just be looking for danger and possible interference with the other stupid spells the psychos cast. Right now, I don¡¯t think anyone could hurt you deeper than just breaking your skin.  I don¡¯t think I could even bruise you if I tried.  You¡¯re no longer the strongest or toughest of your team.  I¡¯m sorry, but they are the closest to Titans in durability and strength without changing their D.N.A.¡±  Sky told Jane in a sympathetic tone.  I just can¡¯t help you there.¡±

    Heather¡¯s head snapped around after hearing that.  ¡°You mean for once I¡¯m stronger and tougher than the great Jane Condore.   So, Jane can I feel your arm to see how much stronger and tougher I am than you¡±?  She asked teasingly not wanting sound serious.

    Jane laughed as she stood next to her little sister.  ¡°It¡¯ll take a lot more than that to take me on in a fight though.  It¡¯s the way you move, and I do know how to move.¡±  Jane said in smug confidence to Heather. ¡°We¡¯ll see after this mission just how being tough and strong gets you in a fight with me.¡±  She said with a grin then looked over to Todd.  He glanced back over his shoulder.

 Chapter Seventeen Part Two Prepping for War and Reason to Fight

    Chapter Seventeen

    Part Two  Prepping for War

    ¡°What is it, Jane? You think you can take me now that I¡¯m even tougher and stronger than before¡±?  Todd asked laughing a little.

    ¡°Nope not at all, I was thinking maybe now you can win without me holding back.  We just might be evenly matched now that you have your body modified magically.¡±  Jane told Todd laughing back.

    Todd thought about their sparring matches, and she was always the one to make the first mistake that leads him to win.  ¡°Save your energy for the fight ahead and impress me with defeating the fanatical rogue mages.  We can always have a match afterwards.

    Fred coughed once again.  ¡°We still have a mission to complete, and I need all of you thinking of the mission at hand.  The ship is working better than I thought it would.  Right now, I want everyone to find out how many mages and ships there are.   I want to know where they are and in what large groups.¡±

    Fred said as he opened a window on the forward bridge and there was another group of ships in orbit around a planet.  ¡°Think there are more planets like this one and I can¡¯t seem to scan the surface from here.  Now that you¡¯re finished Sky maybe you can sense what they are guarding.¡± He asked Sky and gave instructions for everyone to look at different sections of space around the solar system as they entered them.

    Everyone could see Sky taking over what Fred had found in his search for abducted magic users.  The surface of the planet was blurry and full of swirling colours.  What couldn¡¯t they see what she was trying to do to get a better image of the surface? The view suddenly changed into like a first person¡¯s sight flying towards the surface from space.  As the view got, closer huge magic circles were visible.  The magic was chaotic and made no sense yet still held together.

    Sky shuddered as the image passed through the ugly messy spells and the surface of the planet came into everyone''s sight in large vid-window.  The surface on the planet had pockmarks of craters large and small.  In amongst the craters were simple rectangular containers with cables linking them together.   The image focused on one of the many containers until it almost filled the screen.  Men and women infrequently walked in and out of them.  They wore simple life support suits for breathing.

    The sight passed through the wall, and a horrible sight greeted them.  Inside the containers were ten what looked to be hypersleep chambers with people. Simple sheets covered everything but their heads.  Each had two tubes down their throats and two coming from down between what they assumed were their covered legs.  Wires also entered under the sheets that lead up to a data panel

    You could hear the crew around her cursing the people capable of heinous crimes.

    The young girl dauntingly pressed on with her grizzly discovery. The view of one person to the next filled the screen.  They were of no fixed gender or age.  The youngest looked to be around ten to twelve the oldest eighty or ninety.  They looked to be a grandmother and granddaughter and maybe an entire family.  One thing they all had in common was the look of anguish frozen on their faces.

    Sky¡¯s eyes filled with tears and she shook with rage.  ¡°How can anything with a heart do this to their fellow man or sentient race?  Why would someone do this to gain a little power¡±?  She sobbed asking everyone listening.  The chambers looked very different than the other ones they found the people in earlier.  These were made quickly and with no comfort in mind.  The tubes were connected to some device the tubes coming from under the cover, filled with a dark brown matter and the other a yellowish liquid.  Exiting the device was a tube with a little beige substance, and the other tube was transparent.  At one end was what looked like to be a bomb of some kind?  Sky looked to be concentrating on how to help the people inside the strange chambers.

    Sky turned to Fred with a pleading look in her eyes.  ¡°I have to make a few special spells to help them.  I¡¯m going to make a spell to deconstruct the whole thing in its base elements and revive the people.  Once out they¡¯ll be sent to my house inside the ship.  Is there a spell to make a gateway between two places¡±?  Sky asked no one in particular.

    ¡°Yes, there is; but it takes four mages to perform it, and they have to be perfectly in sync for it to work.  Out of over a hundred thousand attempts maybe two or three work well enough to use.  It takes a lot of magic too.¡±  Todd looked to Sky with a smile.  ¡°If it¡¯s you it should be super easy.¡± He said with confidence in his voice.

    ¡°How come I couldn¡¯t find it on the galactic-net.  I looked everywhere, and there was nothing mentioned about any spells I could use.¡±  Sky asked Todd

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t find it easily with any search without every specific access to the research done.  I only know of it because of a friend, and he worked on making it easier for people to cast it.  The group never made any progress with the spell; they didn¡¯t even manage to cast one that worked.¡±  Todd said and brought up his wrist tablet punching in a password.  ¡°How do I send you the link to the research project you don¡¯t have a M.A.D device.¡±

    Sky walked up to Todd and touched the tablet.  ¡°Thanks that¡¯s more than I needed Todd Sir.¡±  She made a squinting pinched face.  ¡°That¡¯s an ugly spell, no wonder they have such a hard time casting that spell.  I will be the only reason it worked was just a lot of luck.  I think I can make it so anyone with a lot of magic can cast it.  It would take four of the five elements to work well.¡±  She paused again.  It doesn¡¯t seem to be very versatile and has a range limit.  It will serve my purpose well enough and doesn¡¯t need to be fancy.¡±  She said she went silent as she thought about what the new spells had to do.

    Fred called Sky over to him.  ¡°Do you have another way we can help you?  If you want, you can leave the scanning to us and work on the spells you need to help free the captured magic users.  We now know how to break through the magical barriers around the planets and ships.¡±  Fred said and gave out some orders to his crew.  The scan windows flashed in front of each of them and marking points of interest on the maps of the solar system.

    Shining Fang moved through the system slowly maneuvering around space ships that didn¡¯t know they were there.  Inside the ship, view screens popped up everywhere on the bridge.  All hostile all lethally armed, and all no match as far as everyone on Shining Fang.  Even at a slow speed, the scouting went quickly and thoroughly as they passed through.  They mapped out fifteen clusters of hyper chambers.   Each cluster contained from ten to thirty chambers, and they were just halfway through the system.

    Things got interesting as they approached a large planet with breathable air and a temperate climate.  It looked like it was a thriving colony at one time, but now it was just a bunch of building with chambers clustered inside of many of the builds.  There must have been tens of thousands of the coffin-like chambers. Conventional railguns, missile launchers, and anti-aircraft guns are the main defence system.   There were also hundreds of ships in orbiting in defence of the planet.

    Sky came running onto the bridge and looked down to the planet¡¯s surface.  ¡°They¡¯re on that planet, all of them and their casting that ugly magic.  I can feel it; it¡¯s dark, oily, mucky, and just horrid.¡±  Sky stood shaking in disgust and anger at what was happening on the surface.  ¡°They¡¯re making more mages like Jane, and some of them are dying, and they can¡¯t stop the spells.¡±  Sky was sobbing at what she could see.

    Fred got up and put his hand on Sky¡¯s tiny shoulder.  ¡°What is it Ensign Sky?  What¡¯s the matter?  Do you see something down on the planet we don¡¯t see¡±?  Fred asked Sky trying to see what Sky was looking at to upset into rage-filled tears.  Fred let out a gasp as he started to make out what caused her emotionally distraught.

    Laid out on a concrete field were two Titan corpses and among them were many other dead beings of different races.  The Titans had large chunks of flesh carved out of different body parts.  Many of the other bodies had large burns, and some looked mummified, dried out husks.

    ¡°Can you see it?  Can you see what they did?   Can you see what they¡¯re doing?  They are all evil no good person can do what they are doing.  We have to stop them, they know we are coming, and they''re getting ready for us.¡±  Her tiny fist was shaking along her body. In anger with a need to vent somehow. ¡°They want mommy and daddy for their evil magic tests.  They want to use their chaos magic on them, just like they did on those dead Titans.¡±

    How could someone be so twisted to do that to another human being ¡°They even want to steal my magic and us it to hunt Titans?  They are going to make an army of evil super mages and to use their ugly chaos magic.¡±  Sky placed her hand on Fred¡¯s hand and squeezed it.  She turned her head and looked to the entrance to the bridge.

    Rocssanna and William walked on to the bridge and seen what disturbing Sky was.  They both see the two Titans being carved up for some heinous reason they couldn¡¯t fathom.   The two Titans were recognizable even with the top of their heads broken open with their faces were still intact.  The one was a Titan that had escaped their justice in their part of the mage wars.  The other Titan was one of the royal guards he once considered a friend.  He was a distant cousin to Rocssanna, Blaken Stormside and he was a part of the Knights wedding party.  ¡°Fred we¡¯re going to join you when you start on this planets incursion,¡±  William said leaving nothing to debate with the tone he took.

    Fred was watching the Knights embrace each other.  Rocssanna had her head buried in Williams'' chest with racks of sobs coming from her.  ¡°How do you want to join us in the battle¡±? Fred asked not wanting to pry just yet.

    William¡¯s voice sounded choked as he spoke.  ¡°We¡¯ll take our ship and go down to the surface in our natural form.¡±  He told Fred leaving no room for deliberation.  He turned to his daughter and beckoned her over.  ¡°I, we have a favour to ask of you?  Could you cast a spell to help negate the effects of our weakness to four to five elemental gifts?  I don¡¯t want them to know it is a weakness we all share.  I don¡¯t plan on giving them much of a chance for physical attacks.  I need them to see that their magic can¡¯t hurt us and that it was a fluke that the others were able to be killed.  I don¡¯t even think magic killed the one next to Blaken.  I think my friend Blaken killed the exiled Titan. He was my contact in Royal Guard. He most likely killed the exile before they confronted him.  My friend was most likely injured during the battle and attacked before he could recover.¡±

    Sky¡¯s eyes widened at her father¡¯s words and held his hand.  ¡°One of them was a friend of yours?  I¡¯m sorry for your loss of a friend; I¡¯ll do anything to help you get the people the justice they deserve.  I can¡¯t imagine losing any of my new family and friends.¡±  Sky said as she started to tear up as she imagined what it would be like losing someone she loved.  ¡°I can cast the same spells on you that Jane has on her.  I can also show you some spells to use against those evil mages and shield spells to block their hideous chaos magic.¡±  I¡¯ll also link you to my magic wells.¡±  Sky said her daddy and mommy.  She went and hugged her distraught parents and gave them a kiss each on the parts she could reach.  Rocssanna just hugged her back.

    ¡°Angel you¡¯ve enough of how merciless how beings can treat each other.¡± Do force yourself to look at the atrocities they¡¯ve committed.¡±  Rocssanna whispered into the emotionally tried girl.

    William hugged around his family to his chest ¡°I hope we can stop them before they can start any war with the Titans are the rest of the universe.  I love you my cute little angel, and here you are protecting us when we should be protecting you.  You were always special even as a Titan.¡±

    Rocssanna cuddled her sweet little girl to her chest. ¡°We knew you could be the greatest help to known space and beyond or the greatest tyrant ever born.  As a Titan, you have incredible strength for your age.  As a holder of magic, you hold more than anyone ever born.  On top of that, you hold all five elements and have an uncanny gift of how it works.¡±  Rocssanna hugs Sky inside wishing there was another way, one where her sweet daughter didn¡¯t have to see such carnage.

    ¡°Mommy, do you want to have your magic unblocked now¡±?  Sky asked her mommy.

    ¡°Sweetie, my magic isn¡¯t blocked; it¡¯s just really weak and not much of it,¡± Rocssanna told her daughter.

    ¡°No mommy, you and daddy have three elemental gifts each it¡¯s just not channelled the right way.  You are plugged up; I can free the flow.  I think you made the blockage yourselves by trying to hide your magic from me.  The magic you hold is not a powerful as mine, your cute little angel.¡±  Sky said with a cute smile.

    Rocssanna looked at William and could still laugh lightly with the forfeiture of a friend.  ¡°I think our little girl is a wee bit conceited and it¡¯s because the way you''re telling her she¡¯s so cute.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one to talk; you have brushed her hair for hours telling her how beautiful her hair is and how pretty she is,¡±  William said pulling in the two of them for a kiss.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to cast the spells on you and mommy when you¡¯re ready.  I¡¯ll make sure you have the spells you need to fight and win against those nasty evil mages with the chaotic magic.¡±  Sky said to her parents.

    William was the first to ask Sky what he has to do.

    ¡°Sit down and close your eyes for now till I tell you to open then.  I¡¯ll cast the spells on you then mommy then I¡¯ll show you the spells for you to use in battle.¡±  She watched her father kneel and closes his eyes.  She performs the spells just as before, and her father opens his eyes while the spell is being cast.  He watches the spells coming at him from all sides and smiles.

    ¡°Most of these spells I can¡¯t use, can I?   I can see them, but I don¡¯t feel them hitting me at all.  It¡¯s like a shower, but you can¡¯t feel the water.¡±  William ponders out loud.

    ¡°Daddy could you not talk right now; I¡¯m having a hard time concentrating with you talking.¡±  Sky said scolding her father with a serious face, then trying to suppress a laugh.

    When she completed the casting, William went to stand and staggered slightly.  ¡°Woe that¡¯s a lot of magic.  I knew you had a lot, but this is ridiculous.  No wonder all your spells were overpowered.  I can feel the pressure almost lifting me off the floor.  I think it¡¯s making me stronger too.¡±  William said to Sky. He then turned to his wife.  ¡°You¡¯re not going to believe the feeling you get with the power flowing through you Honey. I think it might be addictive with this amount before it was like shooting rubber bands, not much to speak of.  Now it¡¯s like a railgun with unlimited ammo.¡±  He was wide-eyed as he told Rocssanna.

    ¡°Okay Hun, I¡¯ll see for myself as soon as you move to the side.  Our pretty little angel is waiting to fix me up too.  Not to mention everyone is starting to think you¡¯ve gone power hungry.¡±  Rocssanna told William.  She turned to Sky.  ¡°Do you think you could give me a little more than your daddy?  Someone¡¯s got to be able to keep him in line if his head gets too big.¡±

    ¡°Mommy I can take back my magic without notice or contact.  But you, mommy, hold more of your own magic than daddy does.  I¡¯ll even show you one extra incantation to have him kiss you.  That will stop any swelling of his head.¡±  Sky said to her mother while smiling at her father in a flash she pokes out her tongue too.

    ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll see how you react when you feel the magic overwhelming your body,¡± William said to Rocssanna.   ¡°Then I¡¯ll be asking for the extra spell to stop your beautiful mother,¡±  William told Sky with a wink.

    ¡°Alright mommy if you could sit down, I¡¯ll cast the spells on you, and we can finish our recon and start our rescue and detain some mission,¡±  Sky told her mother and her words sunk in taking away all the joking tones they just had.

    Rocssanna sat down with a forlorn look remembering the man, her husband¡¯s good friend dead.  She just put her head down and waited for the spell.  ¡°Are you ready mommy, just relax, and you¡¯ll be ready to bring the bad guys to justice.¡±  Rocssanna just nodded the fact she was ready.  It looked like she was reflexing on what William was about the do when the time comes.

    Sky cloned herself and started the spells Rocssanna had her eyes open the whole time.  She didn¡¯t even flinch as the spells bombarded her from all sides.  As the spells entered her body a smile started to form on her face.  She stayed looking down as her body¡¯s magic was freed and Sky¡¯s magic enhanced it.

    When the casting of the spell finished Rocssanna got to her feet a little unsteady.  She flexed her arm and held up her hand and made a small yellow light sphere that circled her body.

    Everyone felt the spent magic from the small spell.  There was more to the spell than what they could see.

    Todd could see the spell, and it made no sense to him.  There was the light spell and something else more powerful.  Todd¡¯s unquenchable desire in all things magic.  He approached Rocssanna when the light sphere turned red, and it went between them.  It flashed, and a shield popped into view while it flashed again menacingly.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t come any closer until I dispel it because I didn¡¯t put too much thought into the spell,¡±  Rocssanna said as she waved her hand and the dispelled the light.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the light like that before.  What was the rest of the spells you used with the light sphere¡±?  Todd asked Rocssanna with enthusiasm at the new spell.

    ¡°I just combined a bunch of spells after seeing how Sky linked her spells together. If.  She makes combining spells look so easy if you can follow the way she assembles her spell circles.¡±  She told Todd with a smile.  ¡°I know of some spells and incantations but never really had the magic to make them work.  With the magic Sky unlocked and gave me it made casting them now effortless.¡±

    ¡°She never showed us how to combine spells or incantations.  How could you see from just watching the spells at the rate they were coming at you¡±? Todd asked perplexed in what Rocssanna was saying.  ¡°They were also inverted; how could you separate the different parts from each other¡±?

    Rocssanna Frowned at Todd.  ¡°Could you not see most of the spells started and ended with the same spell parts binding them together?  There were hundreds of them, how could you miss that part of the spells she cast¡±?

    ¡°Well they were inverted, and I could only see them for a faction of a second before they entered everyone, I watched the spells cast.  It¡¯s not like she was casting them to show how it¡¯s done.¡± Todd answered with a slight annoyance in his voice.  He didn¡¯t like to be called slow by anyone.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Before they said, any more Fred stopped any further conversation.  ¡°I know this is an interesting conversation, but we have a mission to complete first.  Once we on our way from here, we can take our time discussing Sky¡¯s new ways of magic casting.  For now, let¡¯s get this part of the mission finished and start rescuing all of those people in the chambers.¡±   Fred spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.  The way his voice thundered as he spoke left no one in doubt that he was the man in charge.

    ¡°Man, your stations and call out anything new or what seems out of the ordinary so far.  Snap to it.¡±  He suddenly felt the need to tell them why he felt the need to be so stern.  ¡°This mission is not going to end with the capture and freeing the captives.  The rot in the system has to have run deep for so many magic users to be abducted without the attention brought to the general public.  Ten or twenty is possible but not thousands of people going missing without any public announcement.   I can only hope there aren¡¯t other places like this around somewhere else.¡±  Fred¡¯s words left everyone temporarily speechless in contemplation of what he said.

    Sky gave her parents a slight smile and walked over to Fred¡¯s side.  ¡°Captain Fred Sir. Do I have permission to finish what I started it the Little Tooth¡¯s cargo bay?   I¡¯m still working on the spells too free the captives and now I have one more ship to prepare.  It shouldn¡¯t take too long, but I would like to get started before we finish the recon part.  I might be able to make a railgun for her too if you would like.  I still have to make mommy¡¯s and daddy¡¯s ship a little better for war.  I have to make the scout ship undetectable as possible it will take hundreds of spells too.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t even seen much of their ship yet.  So, I don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s armed or has any bubble protection.¡±  She turned to her parents and asked with her eyes; she knew her parents were lessening.  They weren¡¯t forthcoming with any information without her asking.  ¡°Mommy, daddy does your ship have any weapons or bubbles to protect you from the mad evil mages.¡±

    ¡°We could use both the ship we have is more for a pleasure cruise, not for battle.  I kind of like the railguns on Shining Fang you made.  I think one would work well if you can pull it off.  It doesn¡¯t need to be to scale to the size of the ship.  They built our ship for Titans, not tiny humans.  Our bed is twice the size of this ship.  So, if you do build it for us, it would be like a nail in their coffin.  You don¡¯t have to become full size though; I think we¡¯ll be okay with fighting the wretched little things.¡±  William gave a full sore look.   ¡°After it¡¯s all done, we¡¯ll give our friends body to the flame, and we¡¯ll bury the war criminal in the dirt.¡±

    ¡°So, a railgun for you and how about you captain Fred Sir?  Do you want a railgun too?  It won¡¯t take much more time to build two or three.¡±

    Fred smiled.  ¡°Sure, if it¡¯s not going to be much trouble.¡±  He gave William and Rocssanna a sly look.  ¡°You could make two for your parents and make them like a hand-held gun for their Titan forms.  I¡¯m sure that would work well for them.¡±

    ¡°No need for anything like that we already have handguns that are similar to your railguns.  Ours doesn¡¯t use magic just powerful magnets, and we can carry tonnes of ammo; each projectile would be around a metre long.¡±  He told Fred and his daughter.

    ¡°Alright, Ensign Sky I am sure we can do without you for a little while.  What you¡¯re going to do is very important for all of us.  We¡¯ll let you know if you can help with any of the recons and provide us with your input with your unique gifts.¡±  Fred told Sky.  ¡°I¡¯ll see you at lunchtime and see how everything is going.  You¡¯re dismissed to your work on our spells and the ships.  If you need any help, I could spare maybe one person, but it would be better if you took more time than rush yourself or need another person.¡±  Sky understood what Fred said and what he didn¡¯t say.

    ¡°Alright, captain Fred sir I¡¯ll be in the cargo bay working on everything.¡±  Sky replied to her captain and turned to her parents.  Is it okay if I swing by the mess hall and grab something to snack on¡±?

    ¡°No, we¡¯ll be going to come with you and serve you something to eat.  We¡¯ll leave you some snacks for you while you¡¯re working.  I know you get hungry when you use a lot of magic.  It must be related to the amount your body has to replenish.¡±  William said to his cute little daughter.

    ¡°Daddy, Joe said it was always making more regardless of how much I have in my well.¡± She replied to her father.  ¡°Lead the way daddy we¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±  Sky said linking her arm with her father.

    Fred felt two of the three leave the room.  It took another two days to make it through the system, and they found two more planets with colonies that were all abducted.  The ones without magic were used to test some spells or just killed outright.  Both of the planets with the most chambers were heavily guarded by ships in orbit around the planets.

    They gave Sky one day of rest which she spent looking at the courses she could take at her new school while they finished scouting out the rogue solar system.  Fred, Sky and Jane met separately to make up the plan of freeing most of the captives.  It took three hours to come up with a plan that Fred found acceptable enough to give the pair his consent to their final plan

    Fred called everyone to the cargo bay to start the second part of the mission.     Everyone noted both Todd¡¯s scout ship and Little Tooth now had two railguns attached to either side of the cargo ramps.  Fred brought up a holographic map of the solar system.

    Joe looked around for the Knights ship.  ¡°Where is your ship Sky, the one your parents brought?  I would like to see a Titan¡¯s ship.  I¡¯ve never seen one before and thought it would be interesting.¡±

    No one had seen the Titan¡¯s ship because of its size.  Sky smiled at Joe.  ¡°It¡¯s too big to bring out in here I had to do all of the work in the pocket space.  It wasn¡¯t easy, but I managed to do it.¡±

    Todd looked around the cargo bay size.  ¡°Couldn¡¯t you make the room even bigger to work on it out inside here?  I didn¡¯t I think you have a limit to the size you can make the room.¡±

    Sky laughed at the thought.  ¡°I don¡¯t think there is a limit to the size of a room I can make.  But there is a limit to being practical.  Once you see the size of the ship, you¡¯ll know what I mean.  I never saw a ship a big as theirs.¡±

    Fred smiled.  ¡°How many spaceships have you seen in your life¡±?

    She pondered the question.  ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen about five hundred from the planet surface. But I¡¯ve only seen about ten up close, and I¡¯ve been on four ships.  The four were pretty big freight ships¡±?

    ¡°Alright, we have a mission to start so let¡¯s split into the teams.  Sky, Jane you get the scout ship.¡±  Fred said to Sky and Jane who stepped forward to get their briefing.  ¡°Are you ready with everything you need to free the abducted magic users, what and where you¡¯re going to put them¡±?

    Sky and Jane stood to attention and Sky answered him.  ¡°Yes, captain Fred Sir we have the scout ship armed with a new railgun and bubble spells for hiding and protection.  I also have two loops for freeing the stolen people and transport them to my house.  I made my house way bigger to hold everyone with water and beds for all.¡±

    Fred gave Sky a questioning look.  ¡°Loops, what do you mean by loops?  How is a loop going to help them while they¡¯re in the chamber and a comatose¡±?

    ¡°The loop has spells cast on them that will break down the chambers take their magic back and transport them to the house.¡±  She told Fred giving him a scowl, then a smile.  ¡°Conny can organize them and let them know what¡¯s happening.  She could also tell them where they are and why they can¡¯t leave the big room.   So, with the loop, we just have to start pulling it over the chamber from the bomb side first, and the spells in the loops will do the rest.  I have two right now.¡± She said holding up two large dull silver rings.  ¡°And I could make more if you want, the loop starts at ten centimetres (four inches) and can get as big as you need it.  They can work as fast as you can move it so there is no problem for me to run as fast as I can to save everyone in a room in seconds.¡±  She looked around at everyone.¡± I think I should make enough for everyone.  Just in case you get the chance to rescue some of the abducted people before we can get to them.¡±

    Todd thought about it.  ¡°I think that¡¯s a great idea there are quite a few places that have only five of the chambers.  We could free them as soon as we take out the rogue mages in the area.¡±

    Fred had a look of contemplation or using his gift.  A vision flashed in front of his eyes of Todd and Courtney holding off some mages as Heather freed a few captives.  He saw the magic change when the first one was freed, by the time the last one was safely away the rogue mages were super weak with magic but still fended off the binding spells.  It must have been the chaos magic that they used.  They started to look crazed and insane.  The spells they used became more powerful and started to foam from their mouths.   The vision soon faded, and Fred gave his head a shake.  ¡°I think that¡¯s a great idea too.  Some strange things are going to happen.  From what I see of the future the chaos magic is quite powerful but makes the mages go crazy.¡±  Fred said looking to Joe who knew how to give him possible scenarios to see further outcomes.

    Joe picked up what Fred was after.  ¡°So, you want us to blast them before they go crazy or after?  I don¡¯t think we need to worry about keeping too many alive if a traitor is the one who told us to do so.   He might have more than one agendum he¡¯s working on.¡±  Joe speculated seeing if Fred reacted.

    Again, Fred gave it a thought, and nothing happened.  He shook his head slightly giving him a signal of no vision.

    Sky was the one to ask the next question.  ¡°When you seen the mages go crazy was anyone fighting them at the time?  I was hoping to see if the spells I gave you were effective against the chaos magic or not.¡±

    ¡°From what I saw the shield spells we have held, but the binding spells just bounced off of their shields.  In my vision, a few of the rogue mages were down but I never saw what happened to them.¡± Fred told Sky, who went into deep thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to see them weave the spells before I can even guess how they work.  My suggestion is if the binding spell doesn¡¯t work, try and disable them a different way.  They might have a hard time fighting back with a big hole in their leg.  If need be, they can be healed after they¡¯re caught.  We know if we¡¯re caught, we¡¯re dead, batteries for magic or killed for our special gifts.  We can¡¯t afford to be caught it¡¯s them or us.¡±  Sky stated her opinion with grim determination.

    Joe gave Sky a closer look and smiled.  ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re only nine years old you seem too mature to be only nine?  If I didn¡¯t know better, I would say you¡¯re around twenty-something by the way you act most of the time.¡±

    Fred, Rocssanna and William gave Joe a gaze that could freeze mercury.  But it was Jane that spoke.  ¡°Her age is not in question Joe Sir.  Her ideas sound and I would have come up with the same thing as well.  I think she beat us all to the punch.  She¡¯s just as smart as she is cute and huggable.¡±  Jane said giving her teammate a one arm hug.  Sky looked ahead with the biggest smile.

    Fred never even reacted to the comment he had a far-off gaze.  A strong vision took him.  What he saw a battle almost as brutal as the last simulation they ran.  Todd and his team¡¯s shields held but the blast they were taking knocked them around.  Till they started casting bullet type spells, then it was a one-sided battle, the rogue mages didn¡¯t stand a chance.  Even the mages taking shelter behind the life suspending chambers were easy to curve the shots around enough to hit them.  Sky¡¯s improved spells were devastating.  The fact they had all five elements and near limitless magic didn¡¯t hurt either.

    They saved the abducted people unmolested but still quickly went about the task because most likely they had a long way to go too free everyone.

    When Fred¡¯s vision stopped, he sagged slightly in his stance.  Sky without movement cast a healing spell, and Fred¡¯s vigour returned.  He gave her a slight nod in acknowledgement of her kind gesture.   ¡°There are some new orders I¡¯m giving you.  We¡¯re going to broadcast the following in short range frequency.  If you want to stay alive drop your shields and put your hands on the back of your head.  We¡¯ll hit you with a binding spell and shield you from any crossfire or damage from any resistance other non-compliant combatants.  We will try to make sure your lives kept intact for a trial.  Any resistance will be dealt with lethal force, and you¡¯ll have no mercy other than a quick death.¡±  He finished saying in his deep, powerful voice which left no doubt that he meant every word.  ¡°How does that sound to you, any questions or concerns¡±?

    Sky put up her hand.  Fred found it cute she was treating the mission briefing as a school assignment.  ¡°Yes, Sky what would you like to add or question¡±?

    ¡®Um, Captain Fred Sir just two things.  First one, I think if we¡¯re going to bind and put them in a bubble the possible bad people, we should add a stasis effect and place them in, in, ah suspended animation, thank you, Conny.¡±  Sky said.  ¡°I would like to start making the loops for everyone else before I cause a delay saving the poor abducted people.¡±

    Fred liked her idea about the stasis field, and he had no problem with her making the loops as she called them for everyone.  ¡°The suspended animation is a great idea.  I should have thought about that who knows how long we will be engaged in the rescue mission.  They would have been in the least, their filth by the time we get back to them.¡±  Sky went ¡°eeww¡± when she thought about that part of what Fred stated.  Rocssanna chuckled at Sky¡¯s reaction soon everyone laughed lightly making Sky face redden slightly.  Fred saw her squirm enough and gave her a way out.  ¡°You can go and make the other loops and if you want to put together the new binding spell because you would be able to do it the fastest out of all of us.¡±

    Sky was happy with Fred¡¯s faith in her and letting her move away from the laughing bunch of friends.  She hooked an arm through Janes'' arm and pulled her along with her.  ¡°We¡¯ll just be behind Little Tooth making the loops, so we don¡¯t disturb you while you go through with your plans.  We shouldn¡¯t take long; it¡¯s just simple copying of one of our loops.¡±  She said over her shoulder as they made their way around the larger ship in the cargo bay.

    Jane was about to protest leaving.  She wanted to hear the plans they were making but Sky¡¯s grip left no doubt she was going along for at least the company.

    Fred brought his attention back to the two teams before him.  ¡°Todd I would like you to start with the first planet with the most chambers we come across.  We¡¯ll take out most of the ship who put up resistance then I¡¯ll take the Knights on to our new objective. Sky and Jane will stay with you to take out the rest of the rogue ships and free the abducted magic users.¡±

    Fred looked to William and Rocssanna.  ¡°I know you didn¡¯t want to get involved with actual combat.  After seeing a friend dead and those vial mages desecrating his body, I understand you want a piece of them.  I would have been on edge to attack once I saw him.¡±  Fred sounded remorseful at what the Knights had just gone through; he crossed his fist over his heart.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your Mr. and Mrs. Knight to lose of a friend.  I¡¯ll make sure they pay for what they did and plan on doing.  With your help, this cult of fanatical mages will be brought to its knees and soon wiped out completely.  The first thing we have to do is clean out this solar system.¡±

    ¡°We are going to take out the ships around the second planet with the most hyper-chambers and leave the surface for Sky and Jane to free everyone.  Sky and Jane can free the two planets, and the three fighting teams can converge on the planet with the Titans on them and find out what they¡¯re doing with the bodies.¡±  Fred said glancing back to where Sky and Jane walked off.  ¡°That will hopefully take their focus off of what Sky and Jane are doing.  Hopefully, that will attract more of the rogue mages into our battle and cause more to forced to back from looking for us and get them closer than trying to run.¡±  Fred said all of this is not inviting any questions until he finished.  He noticed William and Rocssanna look between each other than to him.  ¡°Do you have anything to add to this plan, Mr. or Mrs. Knight?  You can speak freely right now. I don¡¯t mind your input.¡±

    ¡°We were thinking of adding to it and clearing a few details.  I should remind you about the size of our ship; it¡¯s as large as a human¡¯s freighter ship.  It can easily overwhelm a small fleet of low-class fighters and wipe out half as many elite fighters.   Once we start attacking and half of the guard ships are wiped out, we would like to make it to the planet surface as quickly as possible. But we need someone to free the captives as we take away anyone guarding them.  Our Titan forms do not allow us to enter the buildings and it¡¯s not practical to change back and forth between sizes.¡±  William informed Fred.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I can help you with that part.  We believe that it the centre of the base of the fanatical mage of operation.  The rogue ships are going to focus on defending it, and we most likely are attacked constantly by every ship in firing range.¡±  Fred told the pair.

    It was Todd who came up with the answer that made the most sense to the Knights.  ¡°Why don¡¯t you take out most of the mage guards together, and have Rocssanna revert to human size and free the captives while William keeps the others occupied.  If you need to you can always go out and use some tech weapon or spells to assist him.  We have some assault rifles that take your magic to enhance the bullets.  I might be able to come up with magic projectiles much like the ones I use.  I won¡¯t even bother with giving you the binding spells.  From what I¡¯ve seen of the future for the fanatical mages surrender is not in the choices they consider.¡±  Todd told Mr. and Mrs. Knight.  They found his idea acceptable and planned on doing just what he suggested.

    Almost as soon as they came up with their plan, Sky and Jane came back with a hand full of small loops each, and they handed them out.  Sky gave one to each of her parents, ¡°they become bigger as you need them to be and always revert to this size when not being used.¡±

    William took his with a hug and kiss. Rocssanna did likewise. Sky also gave Fred and Joe their loops. They just gave her a small hug, it was not very formal as military protocol, but this was Sky the changer of all things.  Fred knew she was just happy being about to touch people now.  He hoped it would be less common once she started school.

    Todd mentioned to Sky about giving them assault rifles.  ¡°They would be unable to use their Titan weapons when in human size.  I¡¯ll enchant the rifles to shoot magic bullets including enhanced regular bullets.¡±

    Sky smiled at Todd.  ¡°What type of enchanted bullets will you have it shoot¡±?  She saw him ponder on the question and asked another.  ¡°You should be able to put more than one enchantment on the rifle right¡±?

    Todd looked at Sky and was about to tell her no but remembered who he was talking to.  ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you can, but if I told you couldn¡¯t, I¡¯m sure you would make me a liar.  So, I think you might be able to puzzle out how to do it.  I¡¯ll show you how to put the first one on, and you can think of a way to add more on if you can.¡±  Todd said to Sky taking his tablet to show her the different spells.

    ¡°I know the spells you''re going to show me. I¡¯ve tweaked them already remember.¡±  She said crossing her arms making a sound of indignation glaring at him.  He looked shocked at her reaction.  When did she think he was about to say something?  She flashed a smile and a short laugh.  ¡°Yes, I know the spells and how to put them onto any trigger weapon.  I had done some research when I made the railguns, so I know most of the spells they use to enhance bullets and make enchanted magic bullet spells.  I¡¯m sure once you go to fire the railguns on Shining Fang, you¡¯ll find you have many options to choose from alongside the regular metal projectiles you¡¯ll never see on the inside of the ship.¡±  Todd looked to Sky in again more admiration.

    ¡°So, you can put more than one incantation on a rifle.  How would you activate the separate spells to use the different projectiles¡±? He asked her.

    ¡°If you show me the rifles, I can show you how I can put the many different spells on it.¡±  Sky said asking Todd to bring her the two rifles.  He went over, into his scout ship and a few moments he came out with two midsize assault rifles with a backpack.   Sky held out her hand for one of the rifles.  He held it out but did not release the gun.  ¡°This is a dangerous weapon and should be handled with care.  Even unloaded you can¡¯t be too careful with guns. Do you know how they work, I could show you¡±?

    Sky smiled.  ¡°No, I didn¡¯t till just now I asked Conny to show me how they worked and all the parts.  So, until just a few seconds ago I didn¡¯t know much other than point and shoot.  I¡¯ve never held one until now.  So, what type of incantations should I put on it¡±?  Sky asked as she places her hand on the barrel.

    ¡°I was thinking of putting on the hyper bullets at first but the explosive bullets and maybe the freezing bullets.  If you can see maybe something to dispel a shield, just in case a mage is holding someone hostage.  The first three can rip apart a shield with no problem but would kill anyone within the shield.  Dispelling a shield would allow you to shoot anyone you want without killing everyone inside.¡±  Todd informed Sky.

    She bit a piece of her fingernail off, and Todd had no idea what she was going to do with the silver of fingernail.  He understood as she etched rune symbols into the surface along the barrel.  After she finished making her symbols along the barrel, she cast the spells corresponding to each set of runes the symbols glowed in a reddish tinned light.

    Once she finished the first rifle enhances, she handed it to her mother. She performed the same to the second rifle and handed that one to her father.  ¡°If you have time you could have Fred and Joe go with you through a quick battle sim so they can assess what you and mommy capabilities.  I¡¯m sure you can learn or teach a few things for each other and also try out each the spells I placed on them.¡±

    William looked at one of the glowing set of runes.  ¡°How do I activate the different types of projectiles¡±?  He asked looking back to Sky and then to Todd.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry daddy I didn¡¯t know you can¡¯t read the runes.  Here let me show you how they work and what they are.¡±  She said to her father and pointed out the first runes going clockwise around the barrel.  ¡°To activate each spell just move your finger along the one you want.  I actually made the spells able to be combined.  I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary, but you never know if you need an extra punch.  The first one enhances the regular bullets.  The second one is hypersonic, and the third is the explosive ones.  The fourth is the freeze rounds and the fifth one is to dispel shields.  Just don¡¯t combine the shield dispel with any of the other if you want someone in it to survive.¡±  Sky told her father and her mother knowing she was lessening.

    Todd looked at the runes.  ¡°What keeps anyone from copying the runes and using them, themselves¡±?  He asked taking note of the rune symbols.

    ¡°Oh, you can copy the runes, but they wouldn¡¯t work without the right incantations.  If they had tried to copy the runes it would most likely just suck up any magic; they used to activate it.¡±  Sky told Todd.

    Jane stepped forward, ¡°Captain Fred Sir I would like to run a few simulations with Sky as well.  I have faith in her magic, strength and speed, but I have no idea how she will handle a multiple combat situation like we are headed for.  I don¡¯t think it would hurt to run a few gauntlets to evaluate the Knights combat skills and see if we can improve each other in some way.¡±  Jane smiled at the Knight family.  ¡°I mean no disrespect, but I need to know what Sky is capable of before we start our mission.  You can understand, right Sky.  I care a great deal about you, and I don¡¯t want to you into something that may overwhelm you¡±?  She said to Sky.

    Fred saw William and Rocssanna consider what Jane was trying to say.  ¡°I think that is a great idea.  We¡¯ve never even seen if Sky knows how to fight with magic against multiple opponents.¡±  He turned to the Knights.  ¡°Sorry, but we don¡¯t even know if you can fight against anyone but Titans.¡±

 Chapter Eighteen Testing the Limits

    Chapter Eighteen

    Testing the Limits

    The smile from William and sarcastic laugh from Mrs. Knight chilled everyone but Sky to the bone.  ¡°So, you want to see what the giants among men can do?  You want to know what we, the Titan killers are made of¡±? Rocssanna asked everyone while wrapping her arms playfully around her beloved from behind.

    William asked of the group.  ¡°How about a little wager, the Knights against all of you.  That¡¯s after I have Sky take a look at all of the vids of the combats during your simulations.  Not to worry it should only take a few moments to do and we¡¯ll be ready.¡±

    ¡°But Daddy I want to be on Janes side.  Couldn¡¯t she fight on our side?  After all, we are a team right, please daddy.¡± Sky begged her father trying to use her cutest pose.

    ¡°Sorry Sky from the look upon your mother and father¡¯s faces we¡¯ll need all the help we can get.  Sorry angel, Jane is going to have to come with us.¡±  Todd said before he walked to her and ruffled her head.

    Fred had a glimpse of inspiration. Both Sky and Jane didn¡¯t look so happy having to be on separate teams. So he spoke up for them with an obvious ulterior motive.  ¡°William, Rocssanna why break up their little team. You seem very competent in your skills as fighters; you don¡¯t need your beasty bunny with do you¡±?  He said giving Sky a big wink.  Both Sky and Jane caught on to what he was up to.  ¡°So why not let us have her on our team so she can pair up with Jane?  It only seems fair to both of them to get used to working with each other.¡±  The Knights considered what he was saying but knew it was, so they now had an ace in their cards.

    William glanced at Sky and he could tell her attention was divided.  Most likely she was watching all the battle sim of the gauntlets in super speed.  Her face lite up and a smile widened across her face.

    Daddy, Captain Fred Sir. I think your both right.  After reviewing the vids of your fighting in the practice room I sure Jane and I can do it.  We will take you all on ourselves in the first fight.  That way we can get the most practice in the short time we have.¡±  Sky noticed the shocked look on Janes'' face and turned to address her.  ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t step out of line big sis, did I?  Are you okay with it being just us?  It¡¯s okay if you want to fight with just Todd¡¯s team Miss Jane, I¡¯ll understand.¡±  Sky asked Jane trying to hide any disappointment from her face.

    ¡°No Sky, I¡¯m just surprised that you would want to take on so much with no actual battle experience.  On top of that, you have you ever seen your parents in any fight before?  I wouldn¡¯t mind starting with everyone against your parents for at least the first round.  Then if you want to try it by us when you feel a little more comfortable.¡±  Jane noticed Sky seemed like her spirit was dropping.  ¡°You know what, I think your right we have no idea what we¡¯re getting into out there.  So why not go for broke and take em all on.  What doesn¡¯t kill you can only make you stronger right.¡±  Sky¡¯s face started to shine with her last words, and she nodded vigorously.

    Sky hugged Jane with a huge smile.  ¡°Thanks for giving me the chance to prove we¡¯re the best team.¡±  She looked up into her eyes with pride.  ¡°I¡¯ve seen all the vids of your group fighting, and Fred and Joe practicing you were third best almost second.  I¡¯ve learned a lot from Fred, Joe, and you.   I actually learned a lot from everyone but you the most, my bestest hero.¡±  She turned to the gathered group, with a smile and a laugh that rivalled her Mom¡¯s.  ¡°I hope everyone is ready to go all out.  I¡¯m not holding back at all, and I don¡¯t think Jane will either.  So sorry for making you look bad; it¡¯s just that we¡¯re better than you.¡±  She told her friends and family soon to be opponents.

    Jane just smirked and hoped she toned it down a bit.  Rocssanna laughed at her precious daughter¡¯s boosting.  ¡°You are very flexible because I¡¯ve never seen someone put both feet in their mouth so easily.¡±  She said then giving her little daughter a quick hug.

    Fred tried to be the bigger man in more than one way.  ¡°Alright enough smack talk, you guys.  This is a military ship, not a playground for picking fights and pulling hair.¡±  He had a hard time keeping a straight face while berating his crew.  ¡°Conny can you make you a new simulation with the new data we acquired from our scouting trip.  Jane and Sky will be coming in after us when we have set ourselves in.  We¡¯ll also need additional combatants on our side to make up for the extra mages that will be in the facilities.¡±  Fred smiled at the dumbstruck Jane.  She heard about how tuff the gauntlet sim was.  She also heard about how Fred and Joe were the original instructors for the elite soldiers.  Jane turned her partner and saw no negative reaction from her at what Fred was planning.

    Sky burst into action and started jumping up and down.  ¡°This is going to be so fun and cool.  We¡¯re aren¡¯t going to have to worry about a lack of targets.   Are you as excited as I¡¯m Miss Jane?¡±  She saw an astonished look on her face.  ¡±You seem to be worried about something.¡±  Sky pondered what could be worrying her.  ¡°Oh, I know what¡¯s bothering you, I won¡¯t um, tag everyone I¡¯ll leave some for you, almost half at least...¡± she paused with a contemplative look. ¡°If you want more than a third, you¡¯ll have to go really fast.  I mean really, really fast if you want to keep up with me.¡±

    Everyone looked to Sky trying to comprehend her speed.  Heather was exasperated and had to ask her.  ¡°How fast is your really, really fast¡±?  She sounded kind of nervous at her possible answer.  Todd and Courtney waited for the answer with no visible sign of excitement.

    She had another wicked grin.  ¡°I¡¯ll just say two words boom, boom.¡±  It took a few seconds to for almost everyone to get what she meant.

    ¡°is it even possible to move that fast?  I can¡¯t even imagine how to see anything moving that fast when you''re using your feet.¡±  Courtney asked of Sky

    ¡°From what I know humans can¡¯t think as fast as Titans and would likely get seriously banged up moving faster than you can react.¡±  She gave a flourished bow and motioned to herself.  ¡°I, on the other hand, I am a Titan and an exceptional one at that.  Now with magic, I can move with my clothes on and not without them.¡±  Joe gave out a short burst of laughter before he could stop himself. Fred hid his urge to laugh with a chuckle and a cough.  Sky smiled to let them know it was an intentional joke.  The new crew didn¡¯t get the joke because the incident happened before they came aboard.  ¡°In short I can run faster than anyone because I¡¯m a special cute magical girl.¡±

    Fred just shook his head.  ¡°If we¡¯re going to do this, let¡¯s get the show on the roadway.  Then we can knock you off your high pony.¡±  He walked towards his ship Little Tooth.  He turned to Jane and Sky.  You two wait here, and I¡¯ll let you know when you can come aboard.  As for the rest of us let get ready to do some a,, kicking.¡±  He turned to William and Rocssanna and smiled as he ushered everyone off the ship. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind us ganging up on your daughter and friend¡±?

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what our little angel is capable of.  I think honestly, we¡¯re going to get our legs kicked out from under us.  But I¡¯m going to give her a run for her coins and not turn over like a log.¡±  Rocssanna said to Fred who was slack-jawed along with everyone else.

    As they walked onto Little Tooth spoke openly out of normal ear range.  ¡°Aren¡¯t you giving her a little too much credit?  She¡¯s never had any combat training or been in multiple engagements.  So, what makes you think she¡¯s not just thinking too lofty of her abilities¡±? Todd sounded indignant at the girl''s parents for belittling their chances.

    ¡°She has never boasted about anything she was never confident in her performance.  She doesn¡¯t brag; she states facts, if she says she can do something well, she can do it perfectly¡±?  Rocssanna told Todd while everyone listened.

    ¡°So, you''re telling us she is downplaying what she is capable of.  Which means she can easily take us out even by herself if she wanted to.  Is that why you wanted her on your team at first?  You wanted total overkill.¡±  Joe asked Rocssanna.

    ¡°No, I had no idea she was that confident in her abilities.  When she watched your battle simulation, she must have gained enough insight on how to fight and tweaked it with super speed.  So, until she watched the vids and told us of her speed we¡¯re just counting on her magic and martial arts.  I think now she¡¯s at least twice as fast as us so we could use that hyper speed incantation.  I don¡¯t think it will help us win but maybe last a few seconds longer.¡±  William said with a sigh and Rocssanna fainted a sympathy hug.

    ¡°A few seconds, that¡¯s a pretty dismal prediction.  What gives you the idea that she can do it that quickly.¡±  Todd asked William and Rocssanna.

    Fred was the one to answer Todd.  ¡°You have spared with her in martial art right.  Well, she held back no matter what she told you.  She wasn¡¯t using any spells for speed or strength, since being here, she has been using magic I think subconsciously to make herself more human-like.  So, when she needs to be gentle, she¡¯s gentle.  Now that she¡¯s able to control her body¡¯s incredible strength.  She is going to find out how she can press on to the surrounding without breaking anything with magic.¡±

    He had a brief perception of her abilities.  ¡°I think her body has created a barrier over things, so they don¡¯t break from her unyielding flesh.  She still has the strength suppression spell on her but not for long.  She is going to release everything she¡¯s got for this mission she¡¯s going to see what she can do going all out.  She¡¯s going to be all she can be to show herself and us that she can save us all.¡±

    Rocssanna and William nodded to what Fred said.  As they were about to enter the practice room they stopped.   ¡°Who should enter the room first?  We are all restricted by who goes in first.  So, she can¡¯t be that much stronger than us, right¡±?  Heather asked Fred.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it matters who goes in first.  It works in fractions of strength.  Since she is the strongest by so much more than she¡¯ll always be the strongest by a long shot, it¡¯s just the way it is; she is going to wipe us out.¡±  Fred pointed to Heather then Courtney.  ¡°I guess we should try letting you or you try going in first.  I don¡¯t think it matters who goes in first.  But we should try restricting her strength a little bit. Not that it matters, but anything will be better than nothing.¡±  Fred smiled with an idea.  ¡°Once we¡¯re inside we cast our hyper speed spell and get used to the surrounding.  William, I¡¯ll cast a spell on you, and then you can cast a spell on Rocssanna.  That way you¡¯ll both know the spell and can cast it and dispel it at any time.¡±  As he was talking to everyone about his plan as Courtney walked through the doorway first.

    ¡°Captain Fred, Sky is the special one you¡¯ll have to show us at least three times before we can pick up most spells.¡±

    Once they enter the room, they could see the gauntlet was set, and they got used to the layout and the location of fifty or more extra mages.   Two androids sauntered up, and it¡¯s easy to tell them apart, one with silvery blonde hair the other glossy black.  A third Sky soon joined Conny and Swan, a completely virtual older looking Sky.  Her features are slightly different more notable is the shining white hair, the facial features resembled someone else they know, and her breast appears to be bigger too.

    Right away they knew what the new woman was just not her name.  She introduced herself as Dracaena.  I¡¯m going to be the new virtual interface of Shining Fang please to meet you all.¡± She gave them cutesy with a mischievous smile.  ¡°I hope to be of use to you during the in the next couple of battle simulations and upcoming mission.  I believe these are going to be short but very intense, so do your best before you suffer defeat.¡±

    They all welcomed Drakanna to the team.  Joe thought she looked beautiful as he approached her. He didn¡¯t even realize when he put on his seductive charm and tried to ask why she thought they would lose so quickly.  She had a wonderful smile; her lips were slightly fuller than Conny¡¯s and Swans.

    ¡°It¡¯s simple really, while we can all move very quickly and some very talented in combat. Four of us have years of actual field experience. None of us can process what we see even close to as fast as Sky can.  Her comprehension and cognitions are what set her apart from all of us.  Even my sisters and I are the most advanced A. I¡¯s.¡±   She made a playful gesture to Conny Swan and herself.  We are like toasters compared to her.  Thus, when she moves, she does not need to come up with a plan because she has one when she needs it.

    Drakanna approaches Joe using a similar seductive style. ¡°She¡¯s seen all of your best moves, all of your cunning tactics, and seen you in action.¡±. She reached up traces Joe''s jawline and pushes it shut. She flirted her long lashes at him bashfully teasing him with a smile before proceeding.  ¡°From that, she knows and can predict your every move before you make them. The likes of you won''t play her, Joe sir, not now, not ever.  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    He visibly deflated as she walked backwards her sensual hips swaying and joined her sisters. ¡°That goes for all of you too. She¡¯s watched every practice, every battle simulation, and every possible live combat engagement. Most of you can plan ten scenarios, some of us hundreds, three of us thousands; she can come up with thousands, by the way, your eye twitches.¡±

    Everyone considered the ramifications of the nine-year-olds potential in the future.  The look they gave each other was stupefied.  The three men who like to think they¡¯re close to the top dog were going to be beaten by a stick carrying little girl

    ¡°So, don¡¯t feel bad about losing to her because she only has one weakness and that is her love for all of you.  You are all far from weak to the rest of the universe, and the only thing that will slow her down is you second guessing yourselves after these simulations.  Remember who and what she is and do your best.¡±

    Fred didn¡¯t like the new A.I¡¯s first impression and grumbled to himself internally ¡°Thanks for the pep talk Drakanna.¡± He said in a berating tone more for his benefit. You can¡¯t intimidate a computer no matter how big and scary you are. ¡°Right now, we need a plan of attack and defence.  I¡¯m sure there is something we can do to prolong our battle with the princess of speed.  Any ideas¡±?  Fred said looking to his teammates

    William put a hand on Fred''s shoulder.  ¡°That is Queen of speed my court jester.  She is the fastest and you, being the slowest even by a minuscule amount.  I think if we hang in the back and cast a double hyper speed spell on ourselves, we can stand with cover and let our bodies react to her movements.  With the heightened speed, we might be able to get a few shots off before we¡¯re taken out.  Just don¡¯t try to run anywhere; you won¡¯t be able to stop before hitting something or someone.¡±  He told everyone, and Rocssanna sauntered up beside him.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to cover you from her attack.  But you should fire at Jane whenever possible she¡¯s her weakest part of her team.  Sky¡¯s going to protect her as much as possible and won¡¯t be too far away from her.  Don¡¯t forget she¡¯s still human and can only think like one.¡±  Rocssanna said with confidence.

    Todd shook his head along with his team.  ¡°She is human but is a genius in her way.  She is one of the rare, very rare people with a super high I.Q. If she had been born to a different family, she could have been someone in power by now.  As she is, it¡¯s hard for her to take orders or give them.  She has a slight personality disorder.  She has to like you a little to even talk to her.  To work with her, you have to earn her respect and show you have a strong sense of character and morals.  She doesn¡¯t like people who are condescending to others.  She has been reprimanded for disobeying orders many times.  The only thing that kept her from being dishonourable discharge was then the fact she was so strong and a valuable soldier. The fact she never fought anyone without does cause.  She was allocated to my crew, because she was just like us, military misfits.¡±

    ¡°So, what your saying is that she¡¯s the weak link next to Sky but next to us.¡±  Fred paused

    ¡°She would be in the top three if the Knights are the top two.  She can make Todd look like a novice when she goes all out.  So, your plan on using her to slow down Sky won¡¯t likely work.  She was able to double cast the high speed and not crash into anything.  The double casting makes it faster than the hyper-speed spell.  She is going to be a hard target if you can consider her one.¡±  Courtney told Fred, Joe, and Todd who looked like they told they¡¯re playing second fiddle.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to give the girls a run for her words.  Either way, Jane is the weakest link of the pair.  So, we go after her and William, and Rocssanna will go after Sky.  Hopefully, we can get a few hits in before we get hit ourselves.¡± Fred told everyone, trying to sound like the competent Captain he was.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll get a few hits in on Jane let alone Sky.  But with the virtual mages with computer controllers may be able slow them down so we¡¯ll last a little longer.  We might be able to fire at them to hold them off for at least six or seven seconds.¡±  Heather said with a little more hope, not to win but to survive a little longer.

    After they all found a good defensible spot each, they set the androids to their spots and the virtual mages.  They place extra shields on each and let them use the new weapon spells.   William and Rocssanna were ready for action holding their new enhanced assault rifles.  There was a wash of spent magic coming from them as they cast the hyper-speed and other personal buff spells on themselves.  The magic washed away from them two more times with the same speed spell and the tweaked shield spell.

    ¡°Are you going to be able to handle casting that spell twice¡±?  Fred asked William.  He was watching the couple, and Fred blinked twice when they both appeared before him while he was watching.  ¡°I guess that a yes, and you think that we still don¡¯t have a chance to last even a minute¡±?  He asked in surprise before they faded from sight only to reappear at their previous place.

    ¡°With this spell, we might be able to hit her if we¡¯re lucky.  She may fight with her hands and hold her off for two seconds longer.  That if Jane isn¡¯t able to keep up.  I fear there is a reason she took to Jane so quickly.  She might see something in Jane that none of us see.  I hope those spells she cast on her earlier wasn¡¯t to make her more like a Titan.¡±  Rocssanna said with a smile.

    Todd smiled then.  ¡°She was not able to give her any physical strength but was able to give her special healing spells and shields.  She¡¯ll be able to cast the hyper spell and but will most likely double up on the high-speed spell.¡±  Todd didn¡¯t look as hopeful after realizing what he said.  ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t help us much because she has chaos magic making her stronger and giving her armoured skin.¡±

    Fred¡¯s voice was loud as he broke into all the small talk.  ¡°I think we kept our foe¡¯s waiting long enough and we¡¯re not going to be any more prepared than we are.  So, let¡¯s take our places and get ready to fire as fast as possible.¡±  Once Fred finished talking, spent magic washed over the room that was unheard of by a group of mages their size once they had cast the spells to be ready for the upcoming battle.  ¡°Is everyone set don¡¯t forget place extra shields over yourselves and any virtual mages near you.  On ten I¡¯m calling in Sky and Jane.  They¡¯ll be told after two seconds crossing the doorway the battle will begin.¡±  Everyone answered they were ready.  Fred took a deep calming breath and called for Conny to let in the foes.

    Sky took a deep breath to calm her excitement. Jane placed a hand on her shoulder.  ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited you¡¯ll waste energy.¡±  That¡¯s when the wash of the spent magic came out of Little Tooth.  Jane went pale at the feeling of that much magic.  Sky just started jumping again and higher.

    ¡°This is going to be fun and a learning experience for them and us.¡±  She said holding Jane¡¯s arm as she bounced.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you feel the spent magic coming from the ship?  That was a lot of magic coming from such a small group of mages.  Aren¡¯t you even a little nervous at the amount they just used just preparing for us?  I wonder what they¡¯re going to attack us with¡±? Jane said looking down to the bouncing Sky.

    ¡°They did use a little bit of magic for shields and speed.  But so, did I and your shields are not going to be punctured easily by anyone but mommy and daddy. So, I¡¯ll take them out first.  They''re going to be super fast and the rifles their holding are not toys anymore.¡±  She stopped jumping and gave her a serious look.  ¡°You need to keep moving very quickly and deflexed all shots that come for you.  I¡¯m sure they are going to target you the most because they think you¡¯re the weaker fighter.  Do you think you can handle a double hyper speed spell cast on you? If you can, I can cast them on you, inverted of course.¡±

    Jane shook her head and said ¡°No, maybe I can handle a hyper with a super. But those spells are not compatible with each other. I can handle double super speed spells that add up to just over a hyper speed spell.¡±

    Sky looked to her with a grin, just as she was about to answer her to call came out for them to enter the battle sim, and the simple rules.  Two seconds after passing through the doorway the fight begins and won¡¯t end till all are lethally tagged or bound.

    Sky paused when she heard the announcement and pulled Jane along towards the ship.  ¡°I was about to say, for most the spells might not work together.  It¡¯s just a matter of how they linked the cast together.  The problem is we have to cast the spells once we go through the doorway.¡±

    Jane opened her side pocket and reached deep inside a pocket space and pulled out an assault rifle a similar Sky¡¯s parents have.  She also tapped her tablet and looked to Sky.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think your tablet can handle the inverted spell.  Even with the upgrades, I gave your little wrist computer.  But I could give you the non-inverted one.¡±  She said and touched her tablet as they walked up to the ramp of Little Tooth.  ¡°Do you want me to enchant your rifle before we enter the practice room.  It shouldn¡¯t take long, and the time only starts after we enter the room not before.¡±

    Jane had a grim as she handed over her rifle.  Sky quickly scratched in the runes with practiced ease and powered the runes.  Jane still found it amazing that Sky gave off no spent magic with obvious powerful magic. By the time she finished, they had waited at the doorway to the practice room.  ¡°Are you ready?  Remember to keep moving and firing whichever gets you the best results.¡±  Jane nodded, and they entered the sim.

    The problem was you can¡¯t hold a spell when you enter through the spelled doorway.  So once through the doorway, Jane lit up with spell castings, and the new spells encased her.  Sky just stood in the room looking around noting everyone and their positions.  Only the virtual mages and androids moved around slightly.  It seemed like forever for the two seconds to end.  Jane just finished her speed spell when the fight was about to start.  She just had time even with her super speed to shoulder her rifle.  She started firing at the incoming mages and androids.  She spares a glance to where Sky stood unmoving and faded from sight.  The sound from the other half of the room was deafening.  Shields crushed, bodies tumbling, and the backlashed magic exploded outwards from the magic failing.

    Jane had no idea where she was and had no time to think about it.  She had no time to think about much other than moving and firing constantly.  She moved around cover and but never stopped once.  She moved in her dance of death and could see the rhythm of the battle.  She moved with grace to sounds of battle and avoided incoming shots from hitting her directly.  Jane managed to take out a few mages and Heather before for everything flashed.  Sky appeared beside her and waved away the rest of the incoming rounds as if brushing away flies.  When Janes vision cleared all of the crew were unmoving, bound by magic.  There was nothing in the room left.  The Knights had magic bindings, and Sky smiled and waved her little tongue poking out just visible at them.

    Sky wiggled a finger at them.  ¡°They tried a few nasty tricks on me.  I almost got hit by mommy and daddy. It was a good plan, but they were too slow to make it work.  The shields were pretty tuff too.  I had to put some extra strength to power through them.¡±

    Jane stopped her recant of what she did to point out that everyone was still bound.  You should release them before they get too upset with us leaving them bound.¡±  Jane said approaching Heather who was bound and not moving.  ¡°What did you do to them, they¡¯re not even breathing. I see no sign of life coming from them,¡± Jane said with worry in her voice.

    ¡°They¡¯re perfectly fine; It¡¯s the new spell that binds them and puts them in suspending the animation.  They are unaware of time or anything else.¡±  I thought I could try it out before we use it in battle.¡±

    ¡°Well, you should free them before they notice the time difference when you finally do,¡± Jane said touching the shield surrounding Heather.

    Before she could free Heather and everyone else, Dracanna made a report.  ¡°Rogue mages are coming in this direction.  I don¡¯t think they can sense us.  They must have picked up on the magic that was released from the broken shields. The power surges leaked even with your amazing shields around this ship and Shining Fang.  It might have been like a bleep on their scanning screens.  Knowing we should have been spotted by now be bet they¡¯re investigating any signs of power fluctuations.¡±  Dracanna looked at everyone in their bindings.  ¡°You should free everyone so we can start our mission.  We can start freeing some magic users right away.  Three of the five ships have captives in them so you can¡¯t just blow them up if you want to save them.¡±

    Sky body faded slightly then become solid again.  Jane heard everyone moving around.  Fred flashed and crashed into Sky who stopped him casually with her outstretched arm.  She dispelled his hyperspeed spell, and she was gone again. Everyone after was at regular speed, even Jane.  Before Fred could voice anything more than sorry to Sky, Dracanna informed them of the incoming ships.

    Fred spoke loud and clear.  ¡°We all know what we are to do, what we¡¯re here for and what¡¯s at stake.  We¡¯ve done our best to be ready for this mission, and we will prevail.  The mission might be the commencement, but every ending starts with a beginning.  Let¡¯s free some people and show them what we¡¯re made of, and they picked the wrong people to infuriate.  To your ships.¡±

    Sky Spoke up right after with a few tears in her eyes.  ¡°I love you all be safe and strong; let¡¯s all have cake and tea together afterwards.¡±  William scooped her up in his arms and gave her a hug and kiss to her forehead and passed her to her mother.

    ¡°Be safe my little angel and take care of your big sister.¡±  She then passed Sky to Jane who took her in her arm also. She gave her a quick peck on the forehead then placed her down.

    ¡°After all of this, you can be a little girl again and go to school like all the other nine-year-olds and learn about magic and the five elements,¡±  Jane told Sky as they entered the cargo bay and walked over to the scout ship.  They watched William pull his house out of the pocket space sack and go in and pull the Titan pleasure cruiser to the now impossible wide opening.  It looked like the ship was shrunk down to fit into the sack.  He did reassure Fred it was going to be full size once it had space for it.

    Before leaving Todd, Courtney, and Heather had sombre attitudes pat the little girl on the back while running to the bridge.  Soon Shining Fang pointed towards the incoming rogue ships. Fred and Joe gave their secret hero a duffle on the head for luck before getting ready to take Little Tooth out the cargo bay ramp shortly after the scout ship exited Little Tooth¡¯s cargo ramp.

    The view for Jane and Sky from the scout ship was different than Little Tooth and definitely the Shining Fang.  ¡°Sky could you finish pulling out our ship from the sack?  We paid a lot for that sack and we would hate to lose it.¡±  Willian called to Sky using the special communication link.

    Sky reached out with her telekinetic hands and took hold of the ship they could see poking out the sack   It slowly came out of the sack and ship.   The rogue ships turned towards their direction as if something gave them away.

    Jane watched the ships, and there was no sign of aggression.  Sky released her parent''s ship that already looked to be twice the size of Shining Fang and Little Tooth.  The ship moved under its own power. Once it was far enough away, the ship started to grow slowly at first then faster as it moved further away.   Before it even made it to full size.  The rogue ship turned violently towards the growing ship.  The shield spell must not have grown fast enough to keep the ship hidden.  Todd on Shining Fang moved to intercept the rogue ships.  No one saw Shining Fang move in front of the rogue ships because there was no way of seeing them.  They only knew because Todd had informed of his actions.  Fred and Joe also went to take a protective position until the Knights got orientated.

 Chapter Nineteen Combating The Rogue Mages and Their Chaos Magic

    Chapter Nineteen

    Combating The Rogue Mages and Their Chaos Magic

    William and Rocssanna stepped in.  ¡°Leave them to us, they only sensed our ship, and they do not know you¡¯re close.  We¡¯ll disable the ships while Sky and Jane can free the few magic users they have.¡±  The two ships moved from in front of the enemy ships the smaller scout ship unseen.

    The rogue ships opened fire first on the Titan¡¯s ship that seemed to come out of nowhere. The ship resembled giant oblong disc with short wings, and two tiny tubes slapped into the bottom.  The new enemy ship dwarfed the largest freighter two times over. The initial volley of laser fire hit the shields and was absorbed, and the huge ship faded from the sight of the rogue¡¯s ships.  They had no idea where they went to, so they fired randomly into space in the directions they could have gone.

    The random laser shots didn¡¯t have any feedback other than blinking out in front of the ships. They had no idea how fast the Titan pleasure cruiser could move.  They were just under the tiny ships and fired their railgun for the first time.  They targeted the ships with no captives first to see how they worked against their shields.  The magical railguns were like bullets through the tissue paper.  The railgun crippled the engines and kept the ships from moving.   They repeated the process of crippling the rogue ship''s engines using the railguns.

    Sky and Jane in their scout ship pulled alongside the rogue ship with the most captives. She was using a small side door, with the umbilical tube to connect ships.  Sky proceeded to rip opened a hole into the rogue¡¯s ship.  Before she could make her way through, flames came up through the hole she made moments before.  The fire didn¡¯t damage the shielded tube but started to heat the metal on the scout ship to a red glow.  She used her hyper-speed twice and charged through the tube connecting the two ships. As a titan, any intensity of combustion did not affect her body. The mages and soldiers wore the same typical black uniform with shatterproof magic goggles.  Only the shape of their bodies gave away the gender of the combatant¡¯s.

    She darted down the tube and slammed into the mages who used the fire spells.   The binding spell test in live combat worked to perfection. She rapidly progressed into the ship as she bound ten mages, almost instantaneously. All of the vanguard mages were bound before Jane processed through the tube herself. Jane and Sky went in deferent directions after brief eye contact and a nod of agreement.  Jane engaged the rest of the mage''s attention to herself with impunity; the new shield¡¯s a cheat.

    Sky sensing the dense numbers of people in the chambers she flickered to their location. The loop worked beautifully as she transported the abducted people to Sky¡¯s house where the androids controlled by Conny organized their stay till the mission was over.  Most were thankful for being saved, some just wanted to help, and some wanted to go home.

    Jane finished most of the main forces and started to free people to expedite the process when she could. She took little fire as she continued to free more of the people inside of the chambers. She returned shot for shot as the rogue mages relinquished cover to discharge their spells.  The new protective shield worked against the fire and wind spells they cast

    Sky was moving slow enough to draw most of the fanatical mage¡¯s attention from the abducted people in the chambers.  The power of the spells dropped dramatically as she freed the magic users.  In ten minutes, all of the people were freed and inside the Knights house.  The rest of the rogue mages in the rooms she had entered were all captured in the binding spells

    ¡°All clear with no fatalities.  How is everything on your end, Jane¡±?  Sky asked Jane, finding her in a large room filled with empty chambers. She was sensing for any hidden rogue mages on the ship.

    ¡°The loop worked as well as I thought it would.  Conny says they¡¯re all conscious and resting in the beds you made.  Some of them want to join in the mission if we let them.¡±  Jane said as if asking her if she wanted to swap places with other mages.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad that the loop had worked so well, but I can¡¯t say anything about them helping us on our mission they¡¯ll have to talk to Fred about joining us.¡±  Sky thought about having more people risking their lives for others or maybe even revenge.  ¡°I¡¯ll see you back on the ship. I¡¯m going to rig something for those evil rogue mages.¡±   She told Jane before she disappeared.

    ¡°Remember to inform Fred about anything you do.  I think he feels left out with all your ideas that are better than his.  He¡¯s the captain, but you¡¯re running the show and solving all the problems.¡±  Jane told Sky who could hear her but wasn¡¯t there. ¡°  Jane realized after a sudden epiphany of what they had a young child do.

    ¡°What are we thinking let a child take part in this supernova black hole¡±? Jane thought to herself.  Yet it made sense to her, at the same time felt it was wrong to let her do so.  She recalled faintly overhearing Joe say something to Todd; it was about destiny or other.  It was meant to be.  A calm passed over her emotions, somehow feeling pacified on a new level she never felt before.

    ¡°I¡¯m almost done; you better get to the ship.¡±  Jane hesitated for a second and started to run towards the scout ship.  Jane was in the ship¡¯s corridor when a gust of air blew by her.  She knew Sky had passed her and most likely waiting on the bridge.  As Jane reached the bridge, she saw Sky and Swan planning the next ship to board.  Sky turned and gave a smile, Jane.  ¡°Could you look at this flight plan and see if you approve of it?  If you do, we can stay by the side door for boarding and quickly move from ship to ship.  I¡¯ve placed a clone of our A.I. on the ship and Fred can command it.  I also fixed it but left the regular shields instead of the new ones.  They will look different than the before, so it will look like one of ours.  They can be used as distractions, so they don¡¯t know how many ships we have.¡± Sky said with a smile.

    ¡°That is an amazing idea to help us with this mission.  If Fred ever allows other mages to join us, they¡¯ll have ships to use.¡±  Jane said as she walked up to see what Sky and Swan had planned.  Jane looked over what they had come up with and asked a few questions to see what her plan was.  She was able to make a few suggestions, but only one made the grade.  Sky hade a reason for everything she was doing.  The only thing Jane suggested was to enter through the top of the ship and not the side.

    The three ships left Sky and Jane to finish subduing the six rogue ships.  The one they took over followed the three cloaked ships with five more to follow as she commandeered them.  The new way of entering the rogue ships worked well, and they took the enemy by surprise.  Sky thought she was the one going to free the captives, but Jane was the one who could do while she captured the mages.  It worked out well, and she had no desire to change anything at least boarding ships.  The one thing that disturbed her was the fact that all the mages felt dark and cold.  They had tried to use their chaos magic on her, but she moved faster than the spells were cast. The chaos magic that hit the walls behind her wake left a small hole with a kind of black corruption left behind.  The healing spell took away the taint of corruption, but not return the piece missing.  The whole ship reduced in size by the volume missing. So, she had no idea what it would do to her new shield being so close to her body.  She thought she would let Fred know about the chaos magic and that she was not hit by any yet.

    Fred became a hologram, and Joe was in the background.  ¡°I hate to ask you this, but I would like you or Jane to get hit by at least one chaos spell.  We need to know what it will do to your new shield spells.   Maybe you can wait till the last mage standing and allow Jane to get hit.¡±  Fred sounded reluctant with his request.

    ¡°Sorry, Fred Sir, but I don¡¯t think it would be the same for Jane and me.  Jane was altered by chaos magic, and I¡¯m a Titan.  I¡¯m not sure if the effect would be the same if it cracks.¡±  She told Fred with a smile keeping an optimistic sound in her voice.

    Fred just shook his head.  ¡°That¡¯s why I need you to do it.  I want you not to get hit by the spell just your new shield.  I need to know how the new shield will hold up to the chaos spells.  You and Jane are most likely not to be hurt by the chaos magic if you were to be hit.  Most likely, you might be able to nullify the odd magic before it can hurt you.¡± Fred said, hopefully.

    After Fred cut off the communication with Sky, a flood of guilt washed through his body and soul.  ¡°This is insane letting a little kid fight in a battle instead of doing things his own kids would do. At that instant, he loathed himself as much as spaced excrement. He tried to think about what madness took him to think it was a rational idea to let her take part in this incursion. A memory unbidden enters his cognizance as if placed there.  He saw himself kneeling before a small child magic power surging from every pore of her body.  Flames erupting from her one hand then arks of electricity from the other.  The shocking display of power was only second to her disembodied voice.  ¡±I have magic, I know magic, I am magic, and I want to be taught, magic!  Please, no more lies about magic. I have a memory of when, and where, I do not know, but I know I hold all five gifts of the elements like no one before me. I am here for a reason; I was born for a purpose, teach me for I hold, life, and death¡±.  A chill went through his body than a calm acceptance. Something or a being of a higher power was guiding things along.

    Unknowingly he began to speak out loud to all of his crew could hear thanks to Conny.  ¡°Who are we to judge the guiding hands of Fate. We all have done things we regret.  To judge now is to be judged ourselves, will we be on the wrongs we¡¯ve done to our perceived rights¡±. Fred stood still speaking, and with more conviction in his voice., fists balled up and continued now knowing he was heard.  ¡°Let Fate guide it¡¯s cruel hands and try and let us prevent it from being any more heartless than we have to.  It may be her fate, but it is a fate we share.  Let¡¯s all live to see what Fate has in store for our little girl.  I know that we all feel guilty at letting such a small innocent child help us.  Anyone in their right mind would not let it happen; we all know that deep inside.  Yet here in a short respite, we question our sanity.  It is her providence that guides us.  We are just along for the ride.  But what we can do is make her ride as smooth as possible in the now.  But space rift me if I don¡¯t keep testing Fate every time before something like this happens again.¡± Fred punches out with the last words.  ¡°Onward to victory.¡±

    Sky looked at Jane, who shrugged her shoulders looking a little embarrassed.  She continued as if not hearing Fred''s speech. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can nullify the evil magic they are using.  I couldn¡¯t dispel the magic they used on Jane, so I don¡¯t think I will dispel it.  But if it¡¯s just one spell I¡¯m sure I can handle it if it passes through the shield.  I¡¯ll try it when we¡¯re on the next ship.

    Sky¡¯s parents were able to attack the next group of ships from behind and sensed they had no captives.  Fred told them not to worry about taking their lives if they wished.  They didn¡¯t want to kill without due cause, but it might be necessary.  They told Fred.   ¡°Is it possible to cast the binding spell over an entire ship without any contact with them¡±?  William asked Fred

    ¡°It might be easy if you have enough magic to cast it.  I think with the magic Sky is sharing with you it might be possible.  Do you know the incantation for the binding spell¡±?  Fred answered William.

    ¡°I know the binding spells Sky told me about and showed us how to cast them.  Will the same spell work on the entire ship it¡¯s cast on¡±?

    ¡°Yes, you have to put more power into the spell.  You¡¯re just fortunate your little daughter was able to make the spell more efficient than before.  It would have taken three timers the magic it does now.¡±  Fred said, answering William.  ¡°We would love to help you, but they only know of your ship and maybe the scout ship.  We¡¯re going to start on the assault on the first planet.  The ships defending it are all on full alert.  We¡¯ll use the extra ship to distract some of them, but since most are without captive, we¡¯ll wipe most of them out.  We¡¯re going to see first hand how well Shining Fang does in full combat.¡±

    ¡°I do not doubt what this ship is capable of doing.  I¡¯m sure if I wanted to, I could wipe this entire solar system by ourselves if we didn¡¯t have to save lives.¡±  Todd and his crew were sitting able to see everything around them, with only the interior of the ship blocking line of sight.

    Todd had the view of probable trajectories of every ship in sight thinking of plans and contingencies.   ¡°I thought if we could use the railguns to fire spell packets through the shields directly.  If that¡¯s possible, we don¡¯t need to kill anyone.  The only problem is what do we do with all those psychopathic mages.  If any have high connections, they might be freed within the week after being held in custody.  It might be better to keep a few for questioning and justify our actions.  Mark Douglas may be linked to the whole thing, so this might run quite deep into politics.¡±  Fred considered what Todd was saying.

    ¡°I think your right, Todd.  We¡¯ve got to link him to these abductions and legal magic practices.  We can¡¯t allow this to get any bigger than it already is.  It¡¯s so far taken up almost an entire solar system, and I don¡¯t know how many more supports this insane cause.  They must be going after power-hungry mages to recruit.¡±  Fred said to Todd as he speculated over everything.

    ¡°When we¡¯ve rescued everyone, we should run the faces of the people we¡¯ve captured through facial recognition databases and see what comes up.  We don¡¯t even know who we¡¯re dealing with right now other than a horde of fanatical mages bent on destroy Titans.¡±  Joe added to Fred¡¯s words he was voicing.

    Sky broke into the conversation.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill these people at random, but I don¡¯t want to set them free to start over somewhere else in the vastness of space.  It¡¯s just not fair to all of the good people stuck with their evil deeds.  What can we do about them so they can¡¯t harm anyone else¡±?  Sky pleaded with her friends and family.  She had just freed a teenage girl and approaching another who could be her twin brother.  What discussed her right then was the lack of a cover over them most had ¡ª greasy smears of what Sky thought left by frequent touching the canopy of composite glass on both chambers.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if there any other options between the few we have.  The courts with crimes against them should be put away for a long time.  No doubt some will get the full wrath of the law. Unfortunately, those with political connections will likely get a slap on the wrist.  Giving the death sentence by our own hands will likely have us before the courts.  We¡¯ll have a better chance of a slap on the wrist than most if we can prove Mark Douglas is behind this or at least partially.¡±  He gave a little thought.  ¡°How long do you think your stasis shield would last¡±?

    Sky smiled.  ¡°They would last forever unless dispelled, even if kept in a pocket space.¡±  They had to stop and start the mission once more.  William started to take out ships around the first planet with the most abducted people.

    ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out; just keep using your special binding spell when you can.¡±  Fred broke off to engage a few ships and then moved on to the next group.

    Jane and Sky followed behind her father¡¯s ship to rescue more of the captives.  She could feel the chaotic magic.  Coming out of the ships her father had disabled and they started to move once more.  The strange magic was able to fix their ships or at least get them moving again.  She could see what they were casting, but to her, it was like scribbling with wax sticks young kids used to draw.  They made no sense it was as if they were cast with just pure hatred intent.  It started to make some sense.  Casting with emotion can increase the power of the spell, why not make one that looks like a mess work.

    Jane interrupted Sky¡¯s thoughts.  We better hurry they''re the ability to get the ships moving again faster than we anticipated.  I don¡¯t know how but we¡¯ve got to stop them before they can start fighting again.  We have the element of surprise with us and the firepower.  We have lasers and stealth working for us.  It¡¯s your railguns that are taking them out the way they¡¯re shielded.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re using chaos magic to fix or at least propel the ships along.  I¡¯m not sure how it works so we¡¯ll have to hit the entire ship with the binding spiel.  It should stop anything from any motion or action.  But their crazy magic might affect the spell I¡¯m going to cast on such a large area.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to try and see if it works.  If not, we rescue everyone we have to and destroy any ship we don¡¯t control.  Get ready we¡¯re coming up on the first ship that they managed to get working again.   There¡¯re no captives onboard fire your special binding over it and see if it works.¡±  She was over the top of the fastest moving crippled ship.  Sky stood by the loading ramp to fire the spell at the ships as they passed them.  She held out her hands and gathered power within her hands to suddenly release the powerful spell.   It hit some kind shield different from most and spread out over the surface and stopped halfway around it.   She hit the ship again, and the spell finished going over it all momentum stopped and started to drift slowly.

    ¡°They have a shield over the ship.  It didn¡¯t work though.  My spell just flowed over it and stopped the time of everything inside.  The only thing that can break the binding spell is me or one of us using my magic.  It¡¯s twice as dense as the spell needs to be.   Next time I¡¯ll hit the shield to find out the size and cast the binding over the top of it.

    ¡°Well get ready those ships are flying faster and in different directions.  I wish you could have made this old thing faster.  Todd is getting ready to lay waste to all the fighter ships with no captives.  He could have flown all the way through at the speed your ship is capable of quarter way.¡±   Jane stopped speaking to check her controls and called to Sky the next ships are coming up be ready their starting to build up speed.¡±  Just as she finished speaking to Sky, the furthest ship was torn in half.

    ¡°All ships trying to escape will be destroyed without further notice.  That was your last notice you will be arrested or killed; there will be no escaping.¡±  Fred¡¯s voice was final, yet the ships continued to scatter out from where they were originally disabled. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Sky¡¯s light spell shot out and hit the shield covering the ship and gave her an idea of the size of it.   Sky quickly built up power to cast a binding spell to encompass the shield and the ship.  The spell flashed around the ship just out from their shield. All movement inside stopped instantly after the spell surrounded it.  ¡°The spell works fine once you know where the chaos shield is. The only problem is anything completely within the shield.  It would be easier to use the binding when they¡¯re first disabled.  They¡¯ll have to leave the ones with the captives so we can save them.¡±

    William heard what his daughter said and did just as she suggested.  Most of the ships were smaller ones without the people used as magic batteries.

    Todd and Fred were wreaking havoc on the fighters and battleships.  With no captives to worry that they could fire without precision and care for the loss of life aboard.  To the rebel fanatic mages, their ships were self-destructing.  They could not detect much of Little Tooth and nothing at all from Shining Fang.  A flash on their screens was the most they saw before their ships were torn apart.  Shining Fang had an almost perfect way of attack.  The only way of telling where the attack came from was the direction the debris went in.  The projectiles moved too quickly to track, and the distance could not be calculated either.  At least not enough to fight back with any accuracy.  Todd and Fred flew their ships around the enemy so quickly each shot came from a different direction.  They had no chance to fire back once they found themselves engaged in a battle.  The rogue mages could only fire from a distance around their fellowships as they were reduced to space scrap.  Their communications were too short before they were silenced forever.  Just a few of the larger ships seemed to leave crippled yet somewhat intact.

    Only the second group of ships were able to make any meaningful communication before going silent.

    David Teflon heard two words among the jumbled words in the coded transmissions that made him go pale ¡°Titan ship.¡±  He was told a medium military empire ship, and a small scout ship was coming for them and two Titans with their daughter.  He almost had the scout ship, but some magics from nowhere helped them escape.  He didn¡¯t know of any details because the pursuing was destroyed before any could be sent that made sense.

    His plans started to fall to pieces when he heard of a huge ship flashed into view for a few seconds and then disappeared.  Minutes later, ten ships disappeared along with it.  His plans were just about to come to completion.  He was just a week away from sending his armada to unknown space to bring his retribution to the Titans.  Mark Douglas was about to send a fleet of fighters to investigate the two missing ships.  They went missing shortly after picking up the scout ship.  The captain of the empire ship was under armed for a major space battle.  It only had beam type weapons and no projectiles other than small arms.  From what he recalled, Fred was some kind of genius with magic and the Titan daughter had an impossible amount of magic.   David had no idea what that meant, but he knew he was going to get that magic and make it his own.  Some of the things Mark talked about made him think Mark was practising chaos magic too much without shielding his mind correctly.

    David¡¯s retina screen flashed with an urgent vid-com. He called out, ¡°Yes, what is it¡±?  The face of a mage clearly in a panicking appeared.  ¡°There are more ships engaging us in battle than the two we were told about.  We¡¯ve been able to deduce that four ships are using a superior cloaking shield.  I¡¯m not sure but, Oh spaced shit.  The vid went dark, and there was nothing the comlink was dead.

    David assumed as dead as the captain of the ship he was in.  He had to get more information, so he called the closest ship to him on the grid of patrol ships.  Nothing again then the next nothing again he couldn¡¯t understand how four ships could do so much damage so quickly.  They had updated their shields with the new spell casting they received from possibly the very ship that was kicking their tail exhaust.  He must have been holding back for years to place so many updates, and many were restricted were not easy to get even with Mark making to request for them and now many were taken off-line till further notice.  Somehow it was impossible to transmit them through any relay station.

    After some frantic calling, he managed to get a hold of some trusted people. It was one of his captains and magic researchers on a decimated colony planet where they kept the colonist and most of the captives.  The captain reported that all of the ships with no hyper-chambers were being destroyed with no chance of retaliation.

    He was the magic Frankenstein who came up with the plan of using the magic users as a type of batteries and elemental gift sharing.  His parents had worked on the Chaotic magic they all had learned to various degrees of success.  He was lucky to discover that putting a shield over your mind protected you from the madness of excessive use.  His parents and some of their colleagues learned the hard way about the mind-scrambling effect the strange magic had.  He found out the elemental less magic affected his mind when he was teaching his first sympathizer to his cause.  Brad Crisp took to the new magic like docks to water.

    Once he knew the basics, Brad practiced without pause.  After four weeks of almost constant practice, his mind was greatly affected.  He past had lost his immediate family to a rampaging Titan.  There were many such people he found who flocked to his cause.  Brad was one of the most vehement on getting his revenge on the colossal giants.  He never felt himself slipping into madness as his rational mind was eroded.  David was able to talk to Brad and see how far he had lost touch of reality.  He was more of a paranoid delusional crazy mage than a sane one.  From mad with grief too insane with the power, he was a mess.  When first meeting him, he looked clean cut and a little bit unnourished from grieving the loss of his family.  Brad was just what David thought he needed in a student. He was picking up the new magic when he had none.  Born with no elemental gift made him a minority amongst gifted magic users.  I gave him what he wanted.  Power, magic, and a chance for revenge against the Titans that made his life an empty shell.  He took to the magic and made it his own he didn¡¯t have the intelligence to do regular magic.  The new magic takes emotion to work, the stronger, the better, and Brad had more than enough anger and hate.  His power was amazing and almost overflowing was just getting stronger.  The problem was the magic-enhanced the emotion you draw your power from.  He just got angrier and hated almost everything.

    Within two months, he couldn¡¯t talk in sentences and just started to grunt in response to most questions.  He was easy to enrage, which caused the magic to flare dangerously.  David decided to limit his reaction with the now over volatile gift less mage.

    He was able to find more people like Brad, but no one was as passionate as he was.  David noticed like Brad; they started to show signs of excessive emotional instability.  Some would cry; some couldn¡¯t think straight because they were too mad.  Others would go on a rant of what they would do to the Titans when they had the power to use against them.  He heard shielding the mind to diminished the effects might work.  He had it put into practice and found it noticeably slowed the mind-eroding. The main problem was shielding your mind took effort and slowed progress.  It didn¡¯t help that you didn¡¯t feel like your mind was degenerating to a primal state It seemed the magic affected the user from the outside of their body.

    After trying different shields, he was able to slow the effects of extreme use.  For most of the new elemental magic users they could slow the effects., but not stop it.

    During a small skirmish during one of the first major abductions, two of the mages using the new magic went completely mad.  He had to bind them and put them into stasis.  They couldn¡¯t be used as batteries because they didn¡¯t have any elemental gifts.  They could only be used as a type of terrorist weapon to cause a distraction to capture other mages.  So, in combat, an unshielded mind will go completely insane, and a shielded one will become overly sensitive to the emotion they used to coax the magic into being.  The new magic is not what he thought it would be.

    They opened a small clinic to see what happens when used on a willing subject.  He didn¡¯t want to use one of the few willing followers to their cause.  The first person they worked on was a military woman.  She wanted skin that could be stronger than steel with a thought; she also wanted super strength.  Her military service was exemplary even without the added magic.  She was stealth incarnate and could move with almost blinding speed through a full-fledged battle.  The reason she wanted the castings placed onto her body was so she could selflessly protect others who were slower and less experienced.  With this woman as a test rat, he was able to twist her into a Titan like body.  With that knowledge, he was able to reproduce the same effect without the intense pain she had endured.

    David fought his thoughts to the present and found more of his followers, not responding.  ¡°What in the super, supernova is going on out there.  All I seem to get are jumbled messages about phantom ships firing bullets of power.¡±  He received a voice packet as he scanned for more information

    ¡°They¡¯re tearing through all of the shields as if they weren¡¯t there.  We thought the new shields were inferior, so we tried the old ones.  They were most likely so weak they didn¡¯t even need to use the big gun on them.  We are completely outmatched by a small fleet of Imperial ships.¡± The voice packet abruptly ended.

    David didn¡¯t know what to make of it.  The voice wasn¡¯t one he knew, but the access codes were hi.  It¡¯s must have been someone of importance to send it so high up in his data list.  Now he wondered if he should check for himself or run to the far reaches of space to escape the intruders.  He wanted the revenge on the Titans, but he wanted to live to see it come to fruition.  He came to a decision.

    Fred was surprised no one tried to escape the fight and run.  ¡°They still don¡¯t know they¡¯re fighting a losing battle and keep coming.  I hope we can rescue everyone before they figure out what we¡¯re doing.¡±

    Todd looked over the console and watched the fleets sail by not knowing they flew by the dragon¡¯s mouth.   ¡°They don¡¯t seem to want to give up and keep coming.  The main planet seems not to be reacting to our presence.  They seemed to like their set for action already.¡±

    ¡°Just keep an eye on the movement on the ships.  If anyone is going to leave it will be someone on that planet.  Sky has almost caught up with her father freeing the abducted people with Jane.  They¡¯re still quite away from catching up to us.  So, Joe and I will go back and help set some of the captives free.¡±   Fred thought about how good things were going so far.  ¡°Todd, I want you to take out any ship leaving if they have no captives.  If they have captives, just disable the rogue mages till Sky, or we can free the captives.  It¡¯s going quickly with no real resistance.  But it¡¯s a large solar system so it will still take time to gather everyone.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention if they make a coordinated escape by going in multiple directions, it may be hard to catch them all,¡±  Joe said to sober the mood.

    Sky and Jane were about to make their first assault on a planet surface.  It was a small planet just a little bigger than old Earth¡¯s moon.  The atmosphere wasn¡¯t breathable, and the temperature was too cold for Jane to go out unsuited.  Sky didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by either, so she moved out ahead of Jane.  Suited up Jane ran to catch you to Sky in the second structure she had seem run to from the first.   Sky was doing quick work of everyone she came to.  Jane could feel the magical energy coming off of her.  Jane thought she knew why and was about to ask her about it.  Before she could ask, a barrage of spellcasting came from seemingly nowhere.  The spells felt like worms crawling across your body after they hit her shield.  Jane realized that it must have been pure chaos magic.  She brought the rifle around to where the magic seemed to be coming from and was ready to fire. Just facing the direction where the rapid fire was coming from, she didn¡¯t see anything.  Even with her heightened awareness, they were invisible to her.  A queasiness grew in her core threating to make her sick.

    Sky turned to see Jane coming after her to the second building.  The first one was almost empty, so it was finished in seconds.  Just after entering the second building, she felt a nauseating wave pass over her followed by the sound of spells hitting a shield.  She didn¡¯t hear return fire, so she knew something was happening outside to Jane.  Before she could react, the door shut, and an even greater wave of nausea passed all around her and spelled slamming into her shield from all directions. Her stomach threatened to empty itself all over the polished floors and the hyper-chambers around her.  She couldn¡¯t see the mages at first whatever spell they used just sucked up the magic she used to sense them.  Being quick-witted she just reversed her efforts and focused on what was not there.  She couldn¡¯t make out the fine details just the basic shapes of her attacker and reacted with a double tap spell casting.  The first to break through the shield the second to bind them.  The feeling of sickness made it more difficult to fire as fast as she wanted to.  The scenario she had just fought was very close, but the nausea was unexpected.   Being a Titan, she was never sick, and nothing made her feel quite like this.  After binding a few, she could see through the face shields, frothy spittle in the corners of the mad men¡¯s mouths and wild looks frozen on their faces.  She could hear Jane outside grunting from the impacts on her shield.

    Jane brought her rifle around as she was starting to get hit from what seemed to all directions.  She wasn¡¯t the type to fire randomly at targets.  Stray bullets of any type could cause loss of life so, through years of training, she could not fire at something she didn¡¯t think she would hit.  A foreign thought pushed its way into her consciousness.  She fought at first till she felt the soothing magic push away the sickening feeling.  It was a wordless vision of what she found to be to show her how to see the invisible mages.   What she saw was something akin to blank spots moving around her.  With a wicked grin, she trained her rifle and the closest attacker and pulled the trigger twice.  Her shots hit the mage dead centre of what appeared to be the plated chest.  The first tore down the barrier shield the second bound them into an unbreakable stasis shield.  Jane quickly made short work of any mage that came close.  Jane went to thank Sky for her gift but could not reach her.  Jane ran into the second building to find Sky emptying her stomach into an empty hyper-chamber.  There were frozen crazed mages all around her with all the captives freed.

    Sky could hear Jane calling for her, but the bile rose in her throat again.  She felt Jane¡¯s gloved hand stroking her back, seeking to comfort her.

    ¡°Are you okay now, honey?  You don¡¯t look so well; I¡¯ve never seen you like this before.¡±  Jane said with great concern.

    Sky turned her face to Jane, a weak smile across her face.  ¡°How can you take the sick feeling?  I thought if I stopped all those evil people stupid magic that my sickness would stop too.  There¡¯s more out there, more sickness, more evil men.  Is it getting stronger as we cause more of them to get desperate to defend their ideas¡±?  Sky said, looking out focusing on nothing.

    ¡°I feel same nausea; it¡¯s like having vertigo, the flue or motion sickness all at once,¡± Jane told Sky still rubbing her back.  ¡°I was trained to work through stuff just like this.  During battle is no time to be sick. Is something Todd used to say to Us when we told him we¡¯re too sick to train.  He just said we had a train in all situations and conditions of our body¡¯s.¡±  Jane said, trying to hide the look of concern.  ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and start on the next building with the captives.  You can rest here, or do you want me to carry you to the ship¡±?

    Sky wiped her mouth with her sleeve and quickly cast a healing spell, and it just seemed to clean up =herself along with everything around her.  The queasiness remained in her body and stomach.  She looked to Jane and took strength from her fortitude.  ¡°I think I¡¯ll get better with a little rest.  I just never felt sick like this before.  I can deal with pain, but this flip¡¯ flopping of my head and tummy is hard to get used to.  If I ignore it, it just seems to get worse.  If I think about it, its get¡¯s worse.  It only helps if I have something else to do, and that only helps just a little.¡± She told Jane as she pushed herself to her feet, shakily.   ¡°Let¡¯s just get moving; maybe I¡¯ll feel better when all those horrid people are behind a stasis field.  They twisted all that is good on this planet.¡±  She felt Jane¡¯s hand study her as she stumbled little before a shield slowly pushed her hand away.  Once on her feet and had her bearings she flashed away through a wall making a new doorway in solid 5 cm metal.

    Jane shook her head with a smile and followed after the small girl.  The nausea was still there but growing faint with the sound and feeling of magical blasts.  Sky must have engaged in a fight with the locals.  Once out the new doorway what she has seen almost made her cringe.  Hundreds of crazed mages with a twisted expression on their faces.  Nausea hit her like a physical blow.  Sky was in the centre of a pile suited bodies encircled her.  Multiple spells knocked her around even as she took others around her down with her own blasts.  Jane knew Sky was suffering from a sick feeling that magic couldn¡¯t fix, at least not now. Jane double cast the hyper-speed spell on herself to pick up her pace.  Jane brought up her rifle and started firing once she cleared the doorway.  Each shot she made tore through not only the shields around them but their armoured bodies and the ones next to them.  While Sky was binding her foes, Jane was tearing them apart.  Jane¡¯s kill count was not for the squeamish.  Her kill count was the highest of their team, even after being out of the loop for two years.

    Sky was moving quickly but not in the usual fluidity she became known for.  She brought up an opaque shield and disappeared behind it.  Jane was moving too quickly for the crazed mages to react to.   She couldn¡¯t watch what happened to Sky because of the speed she was moving.  She then for no visible reason stopped and the once clear bubble around her blackened.  The Bubble Sky had around her grew in size, pushing everything out from around her.  The mages around her could not break through her shield and not even knock her around anymore.  A powerful feeling of extreme magic started to grow within the shield, and the ground started to shake.  Some of the mages were physically clawing at the shields with daggers.   Jane was frantic with the effort to save Sky from the on slot of crazed mages.  She knew that the chaos magic was distressing her more for some reason.  She just had to do something to help her, but there were too many of the crazed mages to get to her.

    Jane was just contemplating on jumping to Sky¡¯s bubble to drive away from the psychotic mages.  Jane was taking run out to come back for space to make the long-distance leap when Sky¡¯s bubble burst.  Twenty or more of the mages were sent flying into others around her.  Six new Sky¡¯s emerged from the bubble.  All six radiated unbelievable amounts of magic.  They worked in two teams one would throw the bound mages to the back, clearing the immediate space around them the next two dispelled their magic and shield.  The last two bound them in the stasis field to be thrown back like frozen statues with no reverence for safety.  The six small girls fought with the fluid motion of dances.  But their intent was that of a dragon.  Even as they decimated the on coming mages, they only seemed to pause slightly when they encountered luckily few female mages.  They were seemingly just as twisted with the chaos magic as the men.  But still, their bound forms weren¡¯t used like projectiles like the men were.

    Jane saw the difference in how she treated the women mages decided just to bind the ones she came to.  She didn¡¯t want to upset Sky by killing ones she spared in even such a slight difference in handling.  Jane, while running around the circling mass of mindless mages who seemed only on destroying Sky, still ran into invisible mages who seemed to be watching from afar.  They bounced into each other with for her sake seldom frequency.  She bound these knowing they kept their minds more than the others, they could be questioned as their crazed counterparts seemed mindless but to one task, killing.

    Even at the rate, they were taking out the enemy; it seemed to drag on for hours.   Around the Sky¡¯s was an empty space close to fifteen metres. They ventured out looking for ones who were trapped under the bound mages or too injured to move towards them.  They fired a few times into the distance to bind ones who were just watching.  Jane hadn¡¯t even seen them being too far to use the new technique Sky had shown her. Once they were satisfied, all was clear he walked back to the centre and picked up something off the ground and moved in a blurring speed off to the next and last building close to them.  Jane was quick to follow, wondering what the six carried.

    The Knights sensed something coming from the planet surface their daughter and Jane went down to.  It was as if the hairs on their bodies were blown back in a gust of wind.  It left a crawling feeling on their skin.  Between the three ships, they had no other ships came to the planet.  Todd and Fred took the ships they commanded to the next objective along with the few ships they took over.  While circling the planet, they heard a mental scream of anguish come from their only daughter, Sky.  The call to her yielded no response, and another wave hit them from the planet surface.  They contacted Jane to see if she knew anything and received no answer.  On the planet, there was three settlement wee abducted people were being held in hyper-chambers. They had no idea which then went to, and the scout ship they took was cloaked.  Each settlement, when scanned were sparkly populated and should have been quickly taken over and the people in the hyper-chambers freed.

    When no answer came from either person¡¯s they left the orbit and went planetside to the first settlement they came to.  They told Fred what they were going to do briefly and left no room to voice an objection.  They all knew this plan circled around Sky being able to free most of the captives from the hyper-chambers.  With their own cloak on, they received no anti-aircraft fire and made it to the surface unmolested.  Once on the surface, their landing gave them away.  The ship had no down thrust engines, but the landing gear made huge craters that shook the entire planet.  William, in a rush to save their daughter, came in a little too hot.  It was their luck that the buildings were made metal and could accept the shaking with ease.  Some of the mages outside of the building weren¡¯t so lucky and were knocked to the ground.

 Chapter Twenty

    Chapter Twenty

    One of the higher-ranking mages on the planet Corry Mcsinger called David Teflon about the possible Titan attack.  ¡°We just had a huge cloaked ship land on the east side of settlement three.  We also couldn¡¯t contact anyone yet on settlement two as of yet.  I was about to fly over, but the landing gear of a Titan ship knocked everything down outside of the shock resistant buildings.  Any idea of what to do?

    ¡°Have you turned on the disruptors they should do something to Titan¡¯s equilibrium in the least.  Anything else happens that you can tell me about the attackers on settlement two¡±?  David asked the panicked man

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure but my elemental magic feels weak again, and I think I lost one of my elements altogether.  But that¡¯s impossible to wake the people we¡¯ve put in stasis they¡¯re just mindless husks living just to feed us magic.¡±  Corry said, answering David as calmly as he could.  Before feeling his bowels turn to water after feeling two Titan steps approach his location.  It was just his luck the switch to turn on the disruptor was a panic button.  After hitting the button repeatedly, the steps slowed a stopped.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s workings the Titans have stopped it¡¯s doing something to them.  I¡¯m going to take a quick look to see what.¡±  Corry said before walking to the door and opened it slowly to peak outside.

    David told him to report what was happening as soon as he found out.  David needed to know what the Titans were after and the size of the forces in their incursion.

    What Corry saw were the tallest Titans he ever heard of one male, one female.  They both had a hand over their abdomens and a hand over their mouths as if they were going to be sick.  The male Titan had a rifle slung across his back, and the female had a handgun belted to the side of her leg.  Some of the mages ran out firing spells at them.  Before magic couldn¡¯t even affect them, but now their clothing was being shredded, and spurts of blood flew from impacts on their skin.  To a human, such wounds would have killed instantly, but to their colossal size, it was like pinpricks on a giant.  Still, even enough pinpricks can bring down a foe who can¡¯t fight back.  Nausea and the disorientation seemed to be enough to stop them from retaliating.

    Corry reported what he saw back to David with excitement. ¡°I want you to interrogate them when they are disabled and can¡¯t fight back.¡±  David sounded with apprehension at the situation.

    ¡°I understand, but the mages using the new magic aren¡¯t the most co-operative once they start using the magic.  Plus with their minds being shielded, they don¡¯t hear accurately and will likely think it¡¯s a mental attack.  You know they get paranoid when using the new magic.¡±

    The two Titans forgot about activating to spells Sky gave them.  In their rush to save Sky, they never gave their own safety a thought.  William, with a supreme effort, managed to take hold of Rocssanna¡¯s hand.  Together they managed to hold on the consciousness and deal with the pain they experience a few times in their lives.  William, Rocssanna both went through training and felt some pain during the to hand combat.  The next time was during the Mage War when they fought against the Titans.  The latest times were for their own daughter while she was growing up and didn¡¯t know her own strength.  Thoughts of Sky helped the Knights to synchronize their thoughts and lost themselves in their memories so, while their bodies were being used as a magical pincushions. They were reminiscing Sky as a five-year-old.

    Fred contacted Todd.  ¡°The Knight¡¯s went down to the surface to assist Sky and Jane they seem to be using something Sky did not plan for.  I didn¡¯t even get any premonitions about what is happening down on that planet.  We need you to scan the planet surface to see if your enhanced sensors can pick up and locate what¡¯s causing the Knight¡¯s disruption.¡±

    Courtney answered Fred.  ¡°We are coming back now; we all are running a scan over the surface as we¡¯re approaching right now.¡±  She paused, taking the information, making a quick assessment for a reply and conferring with the rest of the crew.  ¡°We¡¯re picking up several disruptions generated from all over the planet surface close to the larger buildings and some towers.  We¡¯re not sure what they¡¯re for.  They have a signal blocking effect, but it¡¯s not very efficient, so we think it has a different nefarious purpose.¡±

    ¡°If they are not too close to the captive, I think it should be okay to take them out,¡±  Fred told the crew of Shining Fang.  ¡°Target the ones furthest out and work your way in.  See if there is any changing in the transmission of the strange signal.  Also try and see if you can locate where the Knights, Sky and Jane are.  We haven¡¯t been able to find where they are with our sensors and hope you¡¯ll have a better chance.¡±  Fred sounded worried he had just sent out a nine-year-old girl to fight mages who have been abducting powerful mages throughout the galaxy.  ¡°I know what I did sounds really bad, but It¡¯s the only way to save us all from an all-out war with the Titans.  If Sky is lost to us here, we all lose everything we ever had, and once they move on to the Unknown Space, we all doomed.¡±

    Todd raced back, scanning the small planet as he approached.  ¡°I¡¯ll find them and see what we can do to help,¡± Todd told Fred, and he heard in the back-ground Courtney and Heather voice their agreement.

    Jane caught up to Sky¡¯s clones inside the building.  Two of the clones were protecting something in the corner.  The fight was just about over by the time she got into the building.  After a brief firefight, she and the four clones bound the rest of the rogue mages.  Jane approached the two clones having an idea of what they were protecting.  ¡°Are you okay Sky is there anything I can do for you, my little angel¡±?  Jane asked the curled form of her new sister.

    ¡®The closest Sky clone answered her.  ¡°I¡¯m not sure what has happened to me.  The chaos magic is making me sick.  I had to make these copies to fight for me; they¡¯re a little slow but quantity over quality some say.¡±   Just then, as she finished speaking the ground gave a huge shutter, and things began to shake.

    Jane looked to the Sky, who also had a bewildered look on their faces.  ¡°What was that just now a new type of bomb or weapon?  It felt like a meteorite or something crashing into the planet.¡±  She inquired of the Sky¡¯s.  With the last captives freed they were free to move to the next settlement.   ¡°We might as well get back to the ship and start on the next group of captives,¡±  Jane told the seven Sky¡¯s not knowing if the original Sky was even coherent.

    The ground started to shake slightly at even intervals.  The six clones turned to face the west walls.  ¡°It¡¯s mommy and daddy, there,¡± The Sky¡¯s got out before crumbling apart into sparkling dust.  Sky¡¯s body hit the ground because Jane was hit momentarily by another wave of nausea that was even more powerful than the last. Jane staggered forwards and scooped up Sky from under the dust that was her clones.  She was breathing and seemed asleep.  Jane figured she must have passed out.  The communication links weren¡¯t working.  She ran back to the scout ship as fast as she could. She was wondering if Sky¡¯s parent were actually on the planet surface.  The ramp of the scout ship seemed to take forever to lower.  Two seconds was just too long for Jane wanting to be able to check on Sky¡¯s condition. She also wanted to see if and where Sky¡¯s parents were on the planet.  The scanners and her new awareness just didn¡¯t seem to work right with the strange transmission of the chaotic signal.  She wasn¡¯t sure what to do with Sky out Jane didn¡¯t think she could take on the same horde of psychotic mages without Sky¡¯s help.

    While she was contemplating what to do the ground beneath the ship tremble followed by a loud clap of thunder.  She was about to initiate an emergency take-off when she heard the muffled sound of Todd¡¯s voice.  She couldn¡¯t hear what he said but ran over to the com-panel, leaving Sky in her sleeping tube.  Only after boosting the power of the channel, was she able to get in contact with Todd.

    ¡°Todd to Jane or Knights, do you copy?¡±  Todd sounded distressed as he tried to locate his teammates plus, he was a little more concerned about a nine-year-old sister.

    Jane answered his call wishing she had better news.  ¡°Todd if you can hear me first objectives complete but our angel is down, and it seems to have started to rain nearby, and I don¡¯t know where the day went.  I think it might be daylight savings time judging by the sky.¡±  Jane was a little cryptic just in case someone was lessening.

    Todd knew what Jane was trying to say instantly.  Sky was down the Knights might be in trouble, and they¡¯re taking fire from the air.  He responded with.  ¡°I hope your angel will be okay; I¡¯m calling the shots if it¡¯s going to rain or not.  I believe your right it might be daylight savings time.  Oh, think I just picked up on a sale on a bunny cage.  I wonder how much I¡¯ll save if I get there in time.¡±

    Jane relaxes a little knowing it was Todd firing down onto the planets surface, possibly destroying what may and hopefully what was causing the signal.   ¡°Should I stay on our cloud are go with the storm¡±?  She asked him if she should pull back or continue the mission.  Their team never left a mission before finishing.

    Todd and his crew were floored by her question.  Jane never offered to pull back before.  On previous missions, she left arms or leg broken to conserve magic to finish missions in the past.  Now filled with magic and tomes in case that stopped, she was willing to stop because of her new little sister.  ¡°I can¡¯t see through your clouds just yet let me rain around a bit and see if the clouds break up and see if the Knights come?  If you''re watching the weather, the channel is going to change.¡±

    The rain from space e picked up, and Jane could feel the blasts even from her location.  She had gotten her to answer she wanted and knew Todd was looking for Sky¡¯s parent too.  Thanks to the distortions whatever machines they used to cause the Knights to be decompensated.  Jane knew it was working because Sky¡¯s eyes fluttered open as the strikes moved off to around the globe.   Sky slid out of the sleeping tube and sat on Jane¡¯s lap, watching her try and scan for her parents.  ¡°Sky, are you feeling better; you looked pretty sick¡±?

    Sky did feel a lot better and looked down and seen the condition of her clothes.  She cast her new focused healing to clean her clothes.  ¡°I can tell, Mommy and daddy are at the next settlement, but that¡¯s about it.  I¡¯m guessing something wrong because they¡¯re not moving, and that crazy chaos magic is still strong in that direction.  Can we go and find out why they¡¯re not moving?  I¡¯m worried because they¡¯re used to being immune to the effects of magic.  For over a thousand years not having to fear something they might not have cast their bubble around themselves.¡±  Sky pleaded with Jane.

    ¡°Sorry honey, but Todd is orbiting the planet and taking out whatever is creating those powerful signals, and he¡¯s also looking for your parents,¡±  Jane told Sky stroking some of her hair out of her eyes.  ¡°I¡¯ll check with to see if it¡¯s okay to move.  Since he seems to be hitting targets on the other side of the planet, it might be safe to move.¡±

    Sky gave Jane a quick hug.  ¡°Thank you for carrying me back to the ship.¡± Then before getting off her lap gave her a kiss on the cheek.

    Jane smiled at her and called for Todd.  ¡°Todd, how¡¯s the weather up there?  The storm moved off, and the Sky seems fine but wants to move on to Knight.¡± Jane smiled at Sky¡¯s face at their cryptic talk.

    ¡°Glad to hear it, Jane.  But we¡¯ve just located the Knight¡¯s, and it doesn¡¯t look good.  They¡¯re down and being swarmed over as if by ants.  They¡¯re not moving to get over there quickly and cast your healing spells as quickly as possible.  We can¡¯t go just yet there are a few more targets, and a couple of battlecruisers just came in orbit.  We¡¯ll have to take them all out before we can assist if needed.  Sorry Sky, for what¡¯s happening to your parents, we¡¯ll do our best to cover you and keep you safe.¡±  Todd sounded remorseful because he couldn¡¯t help his new family as he wanted.

    Sky looked angry for the second time in her life.  ¡°Jane, will I be a monster if I don¡¯t bind any more of the evil mages if they hurt mommy and daddy?  Will you still like me if I just kill them and not give them a chance to surrender?¡±   She asked Jane with tears in her eyes

    ¡°You¡¯ll be no more than a monster than I was trying to help you just now.  As for liking you, I¡¯ll always care you.¡±   Anything else Jane might have said was cut off by a knock on the boarding ramp. Jane looked at Sky.  ¡°I thought we got everyone around here and only you and I know where the ship is.  This is bad if they can find us now with your special cloak on.¡±

    Sky did not smile and answered her, ¡°they¡¯re with us, lower the ramp and let them in we¡¯re already to rescue mommy and daddy.  I need them, with that crazy magic out there. I¡¯d be of little help without my new friends.¡±  Sky¡¯s voice was flat with no emotion

    Jane lowered the ramp, and ten larger Sky¡¯s came aboard.  Each one was well over two metres (7 ft} tall, were dressed in what looked like dull black bodysuits they no hair and sea blue eyes.  ¡°Your new friends look kind of scary and seemed to be emotionless.  Why did you make them look like that¡±?

    Sky watched her walk through the now overcrowded loading bay.  ¡°They all share my personality and know they were created, for one thing, killing.  They look that way because death shouldn¡¯t be too cute.¡±   Sky told Jane and walked to the first clone and gave her a hug and whispered, thank you.  She did this for all ten after she turned back to Jane.  ¡°We have a mission to do, and now that includes saving mommy and daddy.  Please get there was fast as you can, Please.¡±   Sky said with tears in her eyes and trembling lips.

    Jane was engaging the interplanetary thruster¡¯s halfway through Sky¡¯s plea.  We¡¯re going to save your parents and kick some, butts.¡±

    ¡°Please Lane when we get there don¡¯t go out to fight just cast the healing over my parents and stay on board.  I don¡¯t want you to see what kind of monster they turned me into.  I don''t remember, and I don¡¯t want you to either.¡±  Sky said with tears running down her face.

    Jane seen the tears and brought her hands up to the Sky face and brushed some away with her thumb while cupping her cheek.   ¡°I won¡¯t promise you anything but to keep you safe and those I love the best I can,¡±  Jane told Sky before letting go and prepping for the landing.

    When she turned to tell her what was happening, one of the clones was holding the now unconscious Sky in her arms.  All but the one was facing the ramp ready to leave.  The one holding Sky spoke in a deeper, more mature voice.  ¡°Jane, please look after me, we too were born for a reason just as I was.  You don¡¯t need to fight; the ten us are more than capable of finishing this task.  Please just cast the healing and save mommy and daddy.  They need you to that, and so do I.¡±

    Jane nodded yes as the ship landed two hundred metres away from a mass of mages like bees circling a pile of sugar.  Waves of vile spent magic washed away from them. She quickly lowered the ramp into what she found out was blood-soaked ground.  She thought of the Titans, the two who would give everything up to bring peace thought out space.  With no waiting for another second, she cast the healing spell in the direction of the fallen Knights.  She couldn¡¯t tell if the spell worked, but the clones surged forwards the last one to leave turned and put a hand over her eyes.  ¡°Please for our sake look no longer and watch over me.  You don¡¯t need to watch this, you most of all I don¡¯t want to see the carnage we are about to rain upon these vile, hateful mages.  They are mindless and deserve no less than a quick death healing won¡¯t save their minds.¡±

    Jane could not see through the clone¡¯s hand, but she could hear the nine other clones reach the mindless mass, engaging them in battle.   Jane could tell by the sound it wasn¡¯t a fight as much as a slaughter.  The clone guided Jane back onto the ship where Sky lay in the sleeping tube.  Watch over me; we won¡¯t be long.¡±  With the last of the clones¡¯ word reaching her ears she was gone, and the ramp closing is cutting off the sound of spells taking the lives of the mindless mages who were bent on killing the two Titans and the ones saving them.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    In orbit Todd, Courtney and Heather were in a fierce firefight with the two battleships.  The two battleships must have had the new shields because it was hard to penetrate them.  The battleships were at a disadvantage because they had no idea where Shining Fang was.  They could only guess after she fired her railguns at them.  Todd was firing at a distance until he found it seemed fruitless and went closer for the extra punch.  When he stopped firing at the two battlecruisers, they stopped shortly after, but for a few estimated random shots.

    On the battlecruisers, the two captains conversed.  ¡°Dillon, I can¡¯t get any readings on that piece of spaced scrap anywhere, it¡¯s like a ghost or in a different dimension.  Can you get a handle on it none of the new spells are working¡±?

    ¡°Bob, I have the same scanners and magic sensing castings you do.  I think we might have caught it with one of our random shots or proved to be too much for the ship.  We don¡¯t even know what class it was.  My guess the way it was taking out those Titan disruptors it must have been a star destroyer class.  It must have had a few extra powerful railguns we¡¯ve never seen before.¡±

    ¡°After every short from whatever gun, they used there was a small burst of spent magic.  I think they used magic to aim the shots or something.  It couldn¡¯t be powered by that tiny bit of magic to do so much damage.  I just don¡¯t know where to look for it, or even where to fire now that it¡¯s not firing at us in a while; it could be anywhere.¡±  Dillon told Bob checking the scanners for any sign of a cloaked ship.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on up here but, on the Bata, the settlement is being wiped out by ten soldiers in black with no enviro-suits on. They''re using powerful magic and augmented strength; it seems like their rescuing the Titans they just caught.¡±  Bob informed Dillon

    ¡°Well since their going to get all killed anyway maybe we should drop a few bombs on them all and wipe them all out while they''re altogether.  Those mages half has been like zombies for a while now hate is the only thing keeping them alive, killing Titans is all their good for.¡±  Bob said

    ¡°Apparently not even that if ten big humans can decimate them that quickly.  I¡¯m going to drop a bomb with a couple of railgun tracers. I suggest you,¡± Dillon couldn¡¯t finish what he said because twenty huge bullets ripped through the hull of his ship essentially cutting it in half.

    Bob couldn¡¯t believe what just happened to Dillon¡¯s ship and crew.  The attack must have been just outside of their shields, almost point-blank range.   He was just about to fall back and regroup with another battleship.   He fired valley after valley in almost all directions to slow are stop the other ship.  Bob screamed at the ghost ship.  ¡°Go to molten plasma, you son of ahhh,¡± Bob to didn¡¯t get to finish their last words.

    Todd quickly fired another burgher of the stasis binding spell to protect the few hyper-chambers.  Now that the two ships were taken care of, they had to land to take care of the last signal emitter because it was too close to the Knights.  ¡°Let¡¯s go help Jane save the Titans, being so close to one of those emitters must be tuff on our little angel¡¯.   Todd didn¡¯t want to contact Jane because she would be fighting with all she could with the odds she had against her.  The others must have shared his thought because they started to suit up in basic enviro-gear.  With the new shields, there was no need for bulky armour to slow them down.

    Within seconds, they were just above the battle and not getting much detail with the strange signal warping the magic going into the ship.  Using the bottom turret, they took out the last emitter.  The view on the ship became crystal clear, and the carnage made their stomachs turn. What looked like ten older and much taller Sky¡¯s with no hair dressed in something black.  They used many of the offensive spells to tare, freeze, or to blow apart her mindless enemy.  They seemed to keep swarming out of a building like hornets after someone who kicked their nest.  The Knights weren¡¯t moving and stayed laying in the blood-soaked ground yet seemed unharmed.   Todd landed the ship and slipped on his enviro-suit to help get the Knights up not knowing why they were still down.

    ¡°Okay Courtney, Heather I¡¯m not sure who or what those new Sky¡¯s are but they seem to be fighting on our side.  Just don¡¯t get too close, the way they¡¯re fighting you might get knocked down when they go for their next prey.  We¡¯ll go after the ones coming from the building and let them clean up out here.   Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The ramp lowered, and the three casts the hyper-speed spell and the new shield before the ramp hit the ground.  No even noticed them or the ship.  One of the mindless mages ran into the landing gear and froze not being able to think of what to do about what was keeping him away from the fight.  Courtney solved him for him with a binding spell.  They approached the battle only to be almost sickened at sight.  The ten were killing the mages in great numbers.  The sound of the horror increased, and the three left the what seemed to be older clones of Sky helping her parents and went to the building where the mages poured out along with an odd sensation turning their stomachs.

    ¡°I think there must be a portal here and the mages are coming from somewhere else.  Let¡¯s shut whatever is causing it and save the people in the tanks.  The Sky¡¯s seem to have everything in hand, and I particularly don¡¯t want to see watch how they¡¯re doing it.¡±  Heather said, giving a shuttering look back at the one-sided fight.

    ¡°I hear you there, girlfriend no one needs to see killing like that, and I don¡¯t see Jane or little Sky around either.  I wonder if it¡¯s safe to contact them knowing they¡¯re not in the battle¡±?  Courtney answered Heather and posed her the question.

    Todd was about to signal his team to storm the doorway when a hand took hold of his shoulder.  He knew instinctively it wasn¡¯t part of his team touching him and reacted accordingly.  The grip was easily broken, but the elbow strike to the attacker¡¯s body was ineffective.  With his luck, it was one of the new Sky clones.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know you would be over here and with the crazy magic flowing around it cut down on my scanning range.  I just wish you didn¡¯t see what we¡¯re doing to those mages.¡± Todd said, looking back at the other clones still fighting.

    ¡°These mages have lost their ability for reasoning and are now like crazy killers.  I¡¯m able to think a little better, but mommy and daddy are still out of it.  Once we get rid of all these.¡±  She stopped speaking and had a sad look.  ¡°It the chaotic magic that¡¯s scrambling their brains, I think it works on pure emotion.  When the dominant emotion is hatred, the power they gain drives all other emotions out, and they are consumed by it.  There is no healing their minds, not with the hatred consuming their sanity.¡±   She said a black tear is running down her cheek.  She turned to see a young boy, not much older than Sky herself.  He was being restrained by one of the clones and fell limp in her arm the madness gone but so was his life.  As the clone gently place the child down gently, she was shooting frantic mages with no thought of the men attacking her.

    Another clone of Sky approached them, she was momentarily covered in blood, and it was scoured away with a whispered word of power along with some body parts that were nearby.  They realized just then that the clones were clearing the area of bodies as they went.   The first clone left and the second took its place beside them.  ¡°If you''re going to storm the building go through the side or the opposite of this one.  This doorway doesn¡¯t lead to the inside, and it¡¯s filled with the chaos magic.  I think I could guild you through the building and take out most of the mages left inside.¡±

    Todd shook his head.  ¡°We¡¯ll take your advice about the doorway.  But we¡¯ll take care of the mages ourselves.  I think you should stay with your sisters.  We can handle anything that comes up.¡±  Todd said boastfully about himself and his crew.

    ¡°That¡¯s probably what mommy and daddy thought.  Myself, I¡¯m just a magical construct, so if something happens to me no harm.  Anyway, we need to stop the flow of the creepy people coming out of that building; we need to get mommy and daddy up and to their ship.  We can¡¯t do that with the chaos magic so thick in the area.  Jane and I have the loops in the scout ship, so I don¡¯t have any with me.  So, follow me, and I¡¯ll open the side of this building and take out the mages nearby.  Then I¡¯ll take out the portal from the other side.¡±  The clone told Todd not leaving him much room to argue.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I know Sky, and you¡¯re not her.  She¡¯s short and super cute; your face is the only thing that looks a little like her.¡±  Heather told the clone.

    ¡°I am Sky, and the rest of us are Sky, we have different bodies, but we share the same mind. So, to me, and the rest of us, we are all Sky.  Let¡¯s go stop these creepy mages. They make me and my parents sick.¡±  With no further words, she appeared at the side of the building.

    Todd, Courtney, and Heather were beside her in seconds.  ¡°I¡¯m going to open this wall and clear it of mages and concentrate on the portal.  You guys free all of the people in the tanks.  On three, one, too.¡±  The clone''s body shimmered slightly, and a huge hole appeared in the wall.  The clone was inside as a blur and mages fell before, they could react to the hole in the wall. Right by the door facing the exit to the fighting was a shimmering portal that seemed to spew out psychotic mages.

    The large clone ran to the portal, raising a hand and a shield formed in front of it.  The crazed mages crashed into the shield with the sound of breaking bones and muffled grunts.  The shield held, and the mages stopped piling through the portal.  They started to make room for them to cast their evil magic.

    Before they could do so, the shield started to shrink, crushing any mages that didn¡¯t go back before the portal became too small.  Before the portal was too small, the large Sky made a ball of the magic of red with white energy sparkling around it.  She held it out with a straight arm pointing it towards the portal that was mostly obstructed with bodies.  It flashed from her hand through the obstructions and passed through to whatever was on the other side.

    Todd, Courtney and Heather spared a few glances at the larger Sky while freeing to people from the chambers.  They couldn¡¯t see what she was made of, but they knew it was not flesh and blood.  Whatever she was made of didn¡¯t take away from how she moved with the same grace and deadliness the smaller original one moved.

    Todd while freeing a person next to Courtney asked her.  ¡°How do you think Sky created those clones of herself.  I¡¯ve heard of mages making golems, but never like the ones Sky made.¡±  He gestured over to the clone who just fired a writhing ball of magic spells through the shrunken portal.   ¡°I don¡¯t even think I could channel that much magic even while connected to Sky¡¯s magic wells.   Did you see the size of that magic bullet she shot through the jump gate?  I would hate to be the mages holding that portal open or even around them when it goes off.  Just think of the damage one of our small explosive bullets does, now think of one fifty times larger.¡±  They all shuttered at the thought but kept freeing the captives.

    The shield surrounding the mages and the portal exploded upwards and out the ceiling of the building startling everyone.  The large clone looked back the Todd and his team.  ¡°Sorry I thought it might do that, but I couldn¡¯t warn you in time, and I didn¡¯t want to distract you from your task at hand.  My parents and I should be on their feet after Jane casts a healing spell, after the rest of me clean up the bodies.¡±  The large Sky clone said just before a huge wave of spent magic washed over them.

    Todd was finishing off the last four hyper-chambers with Courtney and Heather. Heather was standing over the last chamber when she shouted.  ¡°What in the blazing supernova were they thinking.  Star they put a pregnant woman in one of these things.  If I find out who did this, I¡¯ll kill them.¡±   They all ran over to see the woman laying unmoving in a deep sleep With a twisted expression of pain on her face.

    The clone considered the chamber in wonder.  ¡°How can you tell she is pregnant.  She just looks fat to me like the tiny little aliens that were so greedy.  I would have punished them if the others didn¡¯t stop me.¡±

    Courtney and Heather turned to her at the same time.  ¡°She¡¯s not fat there is a child growing inside of her belly Sky.  Just like you were almost ten years ago, in your mommy.¡± Heather told Sky with a shocked look in her face that mirrored Courtney¡¯s.

    Sky looked sick and sank to her knees with the thought of what she did and how she treated the pregnant aliens.  ¡°I¡¯ve got to fix this before it¡¯s too late.  I didn¡¯t know that they had babies in them.  I never saw a pregnant girl before just a few fat men.¡±  She had her face buried in her hands, crying waterless tears.

    Courtney put a hand on the large Sky and gave her a quick shake.  ¡°Hey, girl, if you never saw a pregnant woman before how you would know.  I don¡¯t know what you did to them, but if you can make up for it, you should do it.  I¡¯ll help you if I can.¡±  Heather was beside and voiced her support too.

    The ground shook, and she saw her mommy and daddy with the eye¡¯s other eyes.   She never saw her parents in their Titan form before while moving.  She wanted to be big like them until she saw just how big they were.  Jane was with the little Sky; Jane trembled a little between freight and excitement.   She was no taller than their big toe and couldn¡¯t feel any magic coming from them.

    Sky ran up to the toe a hugged one and ran over to another and hugged it too.  ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m not a good person; the fat aliens weren¡¯t fat; they were pregnant females with short hair.¡±  She turned to ask one of her clones for help.  ¡°Throw me up to mommy¡¯s face. I need to talk to her.¡±  The larger Sky put her hand on the ground, and the smaller Sky stepped onto it.  In one swift motion, she was throwing up into the air, leaving Jane with her mouth open in shock.

    Rocssanna saw her tiny daughter flying up to see her.  The tiny girl caught some of her hair and used it to swing around to her ear on the other side of her head.  She climbed into her ear and sat in its curve.  ¡°Mommy I made a big mistake the fat little aliens were actually pregnant ones.  I saw a pregnant woman in one of the chambers, and they looked very similar to the fat aliens.  I was going to punish them for having a baby inside of them.  I need to ask you and daddy favour.  Could you take nine of me to the next settlement and free the rest of the captives.¡±  Sky sounded upset, and Rocssanna could feel her shake.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry my little angel how could you tell what a woman with child looks like.  Not only was against magic but against the education of procreation for the young.  I would hug you, but it would be more like just squeezing a little rock.¡±  Rocssanna looked to William who nodded back.  ¡°Yes, we will go and help free the captives while you save an entire race of tiny beings.  I hope you can save them before they lose their children.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, mommy; I¡¯ll stay here with one of Jane and me.  Once I help the little ones and save the mothers, we¡¯ll get to you before you leave.¡±  Sky stood up and grabbed some hair by her mother¡¯s ear.  She swung around and gave her mother a kiss on the lips.  She didn¡¯t feel much from her daughter before she fell to the ground.

    A bubble formed around Sky before she hit the ground hard.  Jane, Todd, Courtney and Heather watched her fall gracefully with her arms out to the side like a backwards swan dive.  The last four metres (13 ft.) she flipped around and landed on her feet. She was being encased in a bubble; she just made a small crater.  The bubble was just to keep her clean a regular human would have been a bloody mess in the bottom of the bubble.  They couldn¡¯t believe how she just stepped out of the crater and stepped away from her mother¡¯s toes.  The four were staring up at the two Titans in awl of their size.

    Sky turned to see what they were looking at and see just her parents.  ¡°You know my mommy and daddy already they¡¯re just a little bigger and can step on you by accident if you¡¯re both not careful.¡±  She walked up to Jane and waved over one of her clones.  ¡°Jane, I want to go back to the scout ship and lay down while I contact the tiny aliens.  I¡¯ve got to learn their language and see how I can help them.  Hopefully, my actions didn¡¯t kill any of them, and I can prevent any long-lasting problems.¡±  She looked at Jane and realized she never asked her if she wanted to help her or not.  They were already on a mission to save innocent people.  But this could be an entire race of tiny being trying to find a new home.

    Sky turned to Jane and gave her a shake to get her attention from her parents.  ¡°Jane, I want to ask you if you¡¯ll stay with me while I save the alien mothers and see what I can do to help them find a home.  It may take a while because I¡¯ve got to learn their language and how their culture works.  I don¡¯t want you to get into trouble for not going with the mission we started.  This is something that started my new life.  I must see this through before I can make my own new life.¡±

    Jane found it hard to take her gaze off the Titans. She reluctantly turned away and acknowledged Sky¡¯s question and statement.  ¡°You¡¯re doing what¡¯s right and what you need to do.  As for leaving the mission, you have nine clones to take the place of two.  All of them more than capable of performing anyone in the team.  So, we¡¯re covered there.  I¡¯ll let Fred and Todd know what we¡¯re doing and that we¡¯ll join them later.  So, go make yourself comfortable and start whatever you have to do.¡±  If she was going to say anything else, it was cut off by the Knights walking towards their ship.

    The ground shook with every step, and the four watched them leave.  Sky couldn¡¯t understand what was so different; they were the same people just bigger.  She shrugged her shoulders and continued to the scout ship, trying to think of a way to help the needy greedy aliens and her new friends.  They both needed a lot of magic, but only one could use it spent.  She just had to think of a way to get the spent magic to them as they used it.  Her inverted spell could be modified to send it to them, but the others couldn¡¯t use the more complex spells.  She could possibly cast a spell on each of her friends so that their spent magic could be sent the tiny creatures.  But she needed to see how they consumed it before sending them the magic and what types they could use.  She had a lot to do.  One of the first things was to learn their language and see why they are after her and no one else.

    One of the clones of Sky approached Jane.  ¡°Could I get the loops you have at your waist?   I¡¯m going with mommy, and I need them to free the captives.  I don¡¯t have time to make any more for me, so I¡¯ll make do with the two till you and I finish.¡±

    Jane was kind of confused by the clones referring themselves as one person when in fact there were eleven Sky¡¯s, one original and ten larger versions not older just bigger.  Jane handed the clone her two loops and followed Sky to the scout ship.  When she made it on to the ship, Sky was already in her sleeping tube and was reaching out with her awareness.  Jane could feel Sky¡¯s presence in the air around her, reaching for the aliens in space.

    Todd talked to one of the clones.  ¡°So, what do I call you if I need to get in touch with you to see how you¡¯re doing with the next settlement?  I can¡¯t just call you Sky can I¡±?  Todd asked the clone who was almost eye to eye with him.  He was thankful they didn¡¯t look like older versions of her.  Even a bald twenty-year-old Sky would be very distracting if he was to go by Joe¡¯s description of her

    ¡°Yes, just call me Sky because that¡¯s who I am, and so am I over there.¡±  She said, pointing over to the Sky¡¯s following her parents.  ¡°if you need nothing else, I must get on the ship with the rest of me.  I¡¯m going to free the rest of the captives and then return to dust if I¡¯m not needed as well with the rest of me.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind if some of you came with us after you free the captive on this planet.  If I gave you some of our loops so you can free the captives faster.¡±  He looked to the large Sky and didn¡¯t have to wait long for his answer.  The three of us will come with you now, and six of me will go with my parents.  I use a lot of magic to stay together and keep our consciousness.  Not to worry, I¡¯ve got plenty right now for all of us.  That is if we don¡¯t use too many telekinetic spells, we should be fine.¡±   As soon as she finished speaking, two more clones came over from the other group and joined them.

 Chapter twenty one The Three Skys are Everywhere

    Chapter Twenty One

    The Three Skys are Everywhere

    Todd could sense them being filled with magic and earth.  He could tell they were nothing, but dust given a temporary life to save and to take other lives.  He wondered what they must feel knowing they¡¯ll be dust once more when their tasks are done.

    Todd, Courtney, Heather and three of the Sky clones followed him on to Shining Fang.   Todd found these versions of Sky lacked many emotions and were quieter than the original.  He didn¡¯t know why they were silent until the smelt the food when they entered.  Drakanna was at the entrance of the mess with a sombre smile.

    ¡°Rocssanna and William were kind enough to supply finger food for when you couldn¡¯t stop to eat a meal sitting down.  They are complete in that they are life-sustaining but lack the need for utensils.¡±  She waved them in and then acknowledged the three extra crew members.  ¡°Hi Sky, I realize you do not need to eat so I¡¯ll make a virtual snack if you like.  It¡¯ll be there only in taste with no substance to mess with your magical composite bodies.¡± Drakanna told the three Sky¡¯s.

    The three answered as one.  ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m fine.  I¡¯ll just head to the bridge and take positions for take off.¡±  One clone stepped forward.  ¡°I¡¯ll be to the right of the bridge.¡±  Then one of the others stepped forwards.  ¡°I¡¯ll take one of the control chairs and start scanning for hostiles close by.  With my added magic, I should have a greater range than anyone else on the ship.  That way, we can catch up sooner even with your diverting to rescue Jane, my parents, and me.  And thank you for the rescue we weren¡¯t prepared for the nauseating feeling coming from the psychotic mages to disable us so thoroughly.¡±  She stepped back as the last one-stepped forwards.  ¡°I¡¯ll be on the left of the bridge,¡± she said.  Then two of them together spoke again as one.  ¡°I¡¯ll give Drakanna any extra power if she needs it, even if it¡¯s processing power.  I¡¯m still about five times faster than her current processor.¡±

    Drakanna makes a ¡°humph¡± sound with her hands on her hips.   I¡¯m still at least twice as fast as Conny and five times faster than any other AI system.¡±  She told everyone lessening as she did something even Conny didn¡¯t do, blushed.   The Clone Sky just smiled and left for the bridge.

    Todd quickly grabbed up two what looked like meat rolled-up in a kind of flatbread and a bottle of juice that would attach to his belt.  He rushed to catch up to the three clones.  ¡°Excuse me. But I¡¯m going to have a hard time keeping the three of up apart.  Could I refer to you three as Sky number one, Sky number two, and Sky number three¡±?

    The three girls stopped and turned around to look at Todd.  Although They weren¡¯t quite as tall as Todd, they had an overpowering impression when considering his eyes.  ¡°How would you tell me apart and remember which number you gave me.  Just call me Sky and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll know who you¡¯re talking to.  There are only three of us. I would be able to tell blindfolded.¡± They turned and started for the bridge again.

    Todd thought about what they said.  They were the same person so they wouldn¡¯t want to go by numbers.  Numbers would put one before the other, that was a bad idea.  He thought as he took a bite of the strange rolled food and was surprised at the taste.  He could hear Courtney and Heather voice their enjoyment of the wonderful food.  If the Knights weren¡¯t such kind people, he would have saved them just for the food they could make and cook.

    Courtney and Heather caught up to Todd on the bridge and found that three Sky¡¯s were already there.  Only one was sitting the other two were standing.  The one sitting had faint spell circles around her and hardly moving while murmuring some arcane words as she glanced about.  Todd was the only one who could see the faint spell circles she was working with.  But everyone could feel the powerful magic being worked in the room.

    Todd had to ask as everyone took their places.  ¡°Sky what are you doing with the magic?  It¡¯s quite powerful whatever you¡¯re doing.  We can feel the magic being worked.¡±

    The Sky on the right answered for all of them.  ¡°I¡¯m tweaking the magical auto scanning around the ship¡¯s hull.  It will allow us to detect that strange chaotic magic they''re using from further away.¡±  She motioned towards the one sitting down.  ¡°I¡¯m also working on the targeting system and the size of what the railgun can shoot.  Before it was limited to the size of the barrel, now I believe it can be between 1-300 centre metres (quarter inch ¨C ten ft.) in diameter of any material.  But feathers or sponges would make horrible projectiles.¡±  The two Sky¡¯s standing both laughed and the one sitting smiled as she was murmuring the arcane words.  She looked back to Todd and the others.  ¡°I found it funny.  I guess you don¡¯t understand the dynamic of them to get the joke the way I do.¡±  She gestured to the third one who was standing.

    ¡°I¡¯m saving the magic users that are in the process of getting their gifts stolen. Then I¡¯m marking the ones who are doing it for execution.  The way they¡¯re stealing the gifts are extremely painful and leaves the person dead.  Not only that, but they''re going to use the stolen gift to kill yet more people.  In some cases, to test them out on the few people they couldn¡¯t use as batteries.  They are evil people who care not for lives but their own and little of the ones under them.  Death will be a kindness to the galaxy, a cure to an ailment to all the civilized living.¡±  She saw she had Todd undivided attention.  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Just as she was about to ask for a favour, he made his own announcement.  ¡°We¡¯re going to take off in five, four, three, two.¡±  As he said one, the ship left the ground with no feeling of movement.

    A smile split everyone face, but Sky¡¯s and she didn¡¯t know why. That was when Heather called out loud.  ¡°What a ride, Instant speed with no thruster noise at all.  Sky, I don¡¯t know how you did it, but this is easily the most advanced ship I¡¯ve ever been on or even heard of.  If you ever build a star pleasure cruiser, I would be the first to book a free passage.¡± She said, giving Sky¡¯s clone sitting beside her a big smile.  The clone returned the smile with a nod while still working her magic.

    The clone to the right replied to Heather gestured to the clone on the left.  ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t talk right now, but I can.  My left side is very busy too.  I won¡¯t be building anything for a while, but I¡¯ll let you know if and when I do.¡±  She turned to Todd sitting in the captain¡¯s chair.  ¡°I have a request of you, Captain Todd Sir.  Could I show you where the magic users that are in most danger at this second and how best to save them?  I¡¯m protecting them right now but with a few well-placed shots could stop it for the foreseeable future.  The transference of gifts seems not to be shared openly with everyone like the evil, chaotic magic they seem to spew out of their foul souls.  So.¡±  She paused, tilted her head to the side and batted her now puppy dog eyes.  ¡°Could I pretty pleas...¡±  She paused again.  ¡°Sorry, Captain, you¡¯re not mommy or daddy.¡±  She stood straight and tall with a slightly deeper voice.  ¡°Could I take control of the ship when we reach space few ten seconds to take out the few targets within a range from here.  Sir.¡±

    Todd looked to Courtney and Heather, who both shrugged their shoulders ¡ª not giving any opinion of their own.  Yet not giving any objection meant they weren¡¯t opposed to it either.  So, Todd asks the question.  ¡°Couldn¡¯t you mark the targets and we fire at them.  In the simulations, we all got next to perfect scores.  I know the ship is technically yours, but right now I¡¯m the captain.  You can putt a little more faith in us.  We are part of the elite in the galaxy.¡±

    She smiled.  ¡°I¡¯ll mark the targets for you, but some of the shots have to be guided around objects and other ships to enter in a specific way to avoid collateral damage.  Please don¡¯t miss understand my faith in your skills.  I just know you are not able to make most of the shots I want to make.  There are fifty targets in total and twenty can be made from here right now.¡±  She said and gestured to the open space around them.  Please, Sir, just ten seconds could save twenty plus lives, twenty-one.  A target just became available.¡±   Around them, the targets were marked, and pertinent information was displayed under them.

    ¡°Do it.¡±  Was all Todd said?  Instantly the ship spun around firing from both railguns¡¯ projectile in all directions.  The only indication of motion was the stars and the planet appears to move around them.  Yet the feeling of an unfathomable amount of magic being used could be felt.  There was no spent magic just pressure of it leaving the three Sky clones.

    The ship stopped just as suddenly as it started.  Each target started to blink with a hit in bold letters under them even as the last targets were to be hit the Sky on the right announced.  ¡°Captain Todd Sir the ship is under your command.¡±  She sounded a little down and didn¡¯t seem like what she did was successful.

    ¡°Were all your targets hit Sky?  You don¡¯t seem so happy saving all of those lives.¡±  Todd asked her.

    ¡°Since we began, they started trying to get the gifts from the magic users faster.  Two of the twenty-one died before the shots connected, and three will likely die before we can help them.  The only thing I can take solace in is the fact their gifts won¡¯t be used for furthering evil.  The others are safe from having their gift taken.  It still won¡¯t help them from being placed inside one of the chambers.  We all know how to work those.  Fred and Joe have disabled some of the ships and freed some of the abducted people.¡±

    Heather interrupted Todd and Sky.  ¡°We have a call from captain Fred, Sir.  He says Sky requested a regrouping to plan a few changes.¡±

    Todd wondered how Heather had a conversation without hearing it himself too.  The ship must have linked with the communication implants in their ears.  ¡°Alright, open the link. Things have changed enough to warrant the fact.¡±

    An image of Fred and Joe appeared, they noticed the three Skys.  ¡°I see you picked up a few new crew members.  I thought Sky had made herself bigger and shaved her head.¡±

    ¡°I am Sky.¡±  The seated Sky said now finished with her spells and motioned to the other two Skys to either side.  There are elven of me, one is the original, but we are all Sky.¡±

    Fred smiled; he should have known Sky never did anything simply.  Joe put a hand on Fred¡¯s shoulder.  ¡°That¡¯s Sky for you, no end to what she can do.¡±  He said to Fred, and everyone nodded in agreement.

    Fred addressed the Sky standing on the left almost as tall as he was.  ¡°Sky how do we tell you apart from your sisters.  I can¡¯t just call you all Sky now can I¡±?

    The three Skys all smiled. This time the one on the left answered.  ¡°We are all Sky, we share the same mind and are aware of each other in all we.  You just have to talk to me you want. I¡¯ll know if you''re talking to me or all of me.¡±

    Fred wasn¡¯t sure what to make of them.  ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go with that right now.  Sky and Jane are trying to save the aliens that were attacking her.  So, that leaves us to continue the rescue of the abducted magic users.  There are other Skys from what I learned from William and Rocssanna.  They¡¯re helping free the others on the next colony on the planet.¡±

    The Skys just nodded as if he was stating common knowledge.  ¡°We¡¯ll start on the next ships with abducted people onboard and free them, and once Sky and her parents are done, we¡¯ll start on the next planets.¡±

    The Sky that was seated interrupted him.  ¡°Excuse me, Fred Sir.  I will be finishing with the aliens soon and will be joining my parents in an hour or so.  We¡¯ll save the entire race of tiny being that escaped from a planet that was pulled into their star.  They were travelling for years in many dimensions; they were staving and had no trano to eat. Trano is the easiest eaten of the three forms of magic they can metabolize.  I believe Trano is spent magic that they can eat. The planet they were on Tranis, seemed to be the only planet with the source of food they required.  The spiders I think they were just pets that they kept in storage and were sent down to feed.  It just happened to be where I was.  You know where the story began from there.

 Chapter Twenty-Two The Tranis Part One

    The Tranis

    Sky was lying in the sleeping hammock mentally reaching out to the strange aliens. She was feeding them with a trickle of the spent magic; they seemed to like the most. It wasn¡¯t hard to find them with the magic flowing through the type of wormhole she created. They seemed in better shape and condition. The first thing she did was free, the ones she thought were pregnant mothers and fed them more. She felt no other lifeforms in their big bellies. They all had lost their children from insufficient food. Sky was not pleased with herself and tried to make amends to the tiny aliens. She paused as she sensed the extra appendage on most of the fat ones. With her brief connection with the men on Little Tooth, she knew the difference as knowledge and now experience. The feeling of guilt lessened as she realized her first assumption was correct. Now she had the find out how to help these tiny people. She then went about trying to learn their language. Most of the aliens didn¡¯t trust the magic that was feeding them and used it sparingly. The fat ones didn¡¯t seem to mind and took the spent magic until bursting point. Some just bowed down to the presence that was saving them from starvation. It wasn¡¯t until she managed to make a tiny little clone of herself that they knew that it was a being saved them. Then they seemed to cower from her in fear. It wasn¡¯t until a fearless child now able to walk with renewing strength offered her food. It was a few drops of blue magic cupped in her hand. Sky smiled and reached out slowly as a mother went to snatch her child back. Before she could reach her child, Sky put her finger in the magic. It was a mixture of water and air magic diluted with spent magic. After she found out what it was, she added more and filling the girl¡¯s hand. The mother stopped from snatching back her daughter and proceeded to speak to Sky.

    Sky had no idea what she was saying and motioned her to stop; it was fruitless to hear what she could not understand. With a thought of inspiration motioned to the child and mimicking opening a book. The child¡¯s and mother¡¯s faces lit up in recognition, and before the two ran off, they stored the blue magic from her hand into a small bottle attached to a cord slung around the neck and shoulder like a purse or bag. They could drink from the containers with a strange tube at the bottom of their tongues. More children came forward offering drops of magic in their hands, and she filled them just like she had the little girl before. Soon some of the adults were holding out their empty hands. She didn¡¯t think it was very polite of them not to specify what they wanted and gave them drops of fire or earth and lightning. The fire and lightning they drop immediately, and the earth after sampling it made discussed faces.

    When the mother and child returned, it took a while to push their way back to Sky. She was busy giving out magic to everyone asking for the two to reach her side easily. When Sky noticed them, she beckoned the pair to her, some of the crowd respected fully parted. The tiny girl held up her book with pride; she called out the first offering to their saviour. Sky still had used some of her magic to part the rest of the tiny people gently. Not having to hide she used a non-inverted spell and let the spent magic wash over then. The people¡¯s skin closest to her grew more vibrant and lost some of the gaunt looks to their faces. Even bigger smiles appeared on most of their faces, yet some looked shocked. The child held out the book to Sky, and she opened it to the first page. There was a holographic picture of what she took to be the author.

    There was a big difference in appearance to him and the people before her. His features were the same, small pointed ears, rounded face, a blunt nose like most humans, thin upper lip and thicker bottom lips. The biggest difference to humans was the vibrant skin colours. Yet the author of the book was even more vibrant in colour than these people. With little hesitation, she cast the most powerful healing spell she could cast letting the spent magic wash over the entire ship. The effects were immediate, and a collected gasp went through the crowd. Their skin looked healthier and as vibrant colour as the man in to picture. The mother took Sky¡¯s left hand and brought it up to her forehead. It touched briefly, and she whispered in her strange sounding language. Not knowing what to do, she nodded in appreciation. Sky turned to the next page, and the small child took the book and turned it over and was guided to the top center of the book. The book had large symbols and pictures of body parts along with what seemed to be simplified language. She took the child¡¯s hand gently and brought it to her forehead and touched briefly just as her mother did. The crowd around them started to whisper amongst themselves at her actions. The child was smiling up at her and started to talk in the alien language. Sky just smiled and flipped through the book quickly and then went back to the first page. She had a good idea of the simple written language the children were taught. Now she just had to work on the verbal part. She gestured to the child again and pointed out the first word.

    Before she could speak, a large group of what seemed to be armed men dressed in grey and green uniforms. Their skin colour was a slightly different tone, and they started to part the crowd. They didn¡¯t seem to be very gentle about it. They were about to violently grab the mother and child to pull them out of their way. Sky held up her hand in a gesture she hoped meant the same thing everywhere, stop! The man just paused and was prodded into action by the men behind them. Sky didn¡¯t want anyone hurt, so they could reach them; she put a protective bubble around the mother and child using an inverted spell. Two men portly pushed their way past the guards and went to grab the two with sneers across their faces violently. Sky smiled at the look of shock when they encountered the shield protecting the pair.

    She was even more surprised when they brought up strange looking weapons and aimed them at her. She wasn¡¯t sure if they knew her body was just spectral and wasn¡¯t there. She didn¡¯t want anything to happen to the people behind her so she put up a bubble that would allow something in but not out. Sky held up her hands as if to surrender, give no sign of defiance. One of the aliens kept trying to grab the mother and child. When they couldn¡¯t grab them, he brought up his weapon and pointed it at the two shouting at them. The mother cradled her child protectively saying something back to the men. Whatever she said had no effect of placating their attempts or the attitude towards them.

    Sky was appalled at the treatment of their own people. She didn¡¯t know why they were being treated so horribly. She had to do something before things got even worse. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you speak my language and I¡¯m trying to learn yours. But I won¡¯t let you hurt people who are trying to help me help you.¡± She told the now silent men with now all the men pointing their weapons at her. She knew close to a hundred words in their written language. She knew nothing of sentence structure. She only knew the word and gesture for what she assumed was thank you. She didn¡¯t know enough for diplomatic relations. She had to work with what she did know. In the air, before her, she wrote the words stop and please.

    The men looked to each other and slowly lowered their weapons. The little girl reached through her shield with a trembling hand and said something to the man closest to her. He placed his hand in hers, with what looked like an eye dropper she put two drops of blue magic and smiled. She spoke a few more words with more confidence, and the man held his hand out to Sky. Sky knew what she was expected to do. By filling his hand might prove that she was no threat, and she was the one providing them food. The man hesitantly held out his hand and Sky filled it with the blue magic from her finger. He looked at what was in his hand and showed the others. Each man dipped a finger in and brought it up to their mouths. With smiles on their faces, they put away their weapon and held out their cupped empty hands. She smiled at their greed and filled each with the earth magic. The little girl laughed as they took a sip and spat it out. Once again, the girl held up her tiny bottle and placed two drops of her water magic in each man¡¯s hand. They turned to her and held out the hand that had the magic in it.

    The men greedily sucked up the magic from their hands and brought them back for more. One she noticed offered the girl some of what he had back to the girl. Sky smiled to the girl and touched the tiny bottle and with magic made it bigger then filled it with more of the blue magic. Everyone was shocked, and the girl''s mother took the bottle and handed it back to Sky and said something in their strange sounding language. Sky seemed to understand and made the container smaller but secretly left the inside just as big. Soon after she handed it back, others held up their tiny bottles to be filled too. The men with the weapons held up larger containers. Some of them looked disgusted at the fact they received the same amount as the ones with the tiny bottles.

    Soon more men showed up with weapons and pushed their way to Sky and her new friends, the little girl and her mother. The new men shouted in what could only be taken as anger and pointed their weapons at Sky. Sky held the book open to the little girl and started to point at some of the words. The little girls face lit up as she understood what she wanted. Only two of the first men didn¡¯t start to point their weapon at her, the mother and daughter. Sky saw one of the men try to take the mother and child again, and their hands smashed into the shield. The man raised his weapon a fired

    The energy discharge bounced off and struck the man in the shoulder. It caused him to flinch and nothing else. The mother and her little girl froze at first as the men started to fire more rapidly. The shots bounced back, and Sky made sure they didn¡¯t go wild and hit the innocent crowd as they tried to run from the frantic men firing. The little girl realized she was in no danger but gave Sky a strange look as her bubble was filled with the light of the energy. The shots passed through her psychic body and did nothing to it. The book she held was being turned to ash from being hit repeatedly.

    Sky was upset about the book, and she held up her hand and drew in the energy into it. It was not magical energy but soon would convert into the lightening element. The little girl looked at the book with purple tears in her eyes, her lips quivering. She cast her special healing spell, and the book was like brand new. The cover was even more vibrant and what few scratches were gone.

    The guards or security stopped firing their weapons, seeing they had no effect and stood there pointing them at Sky. The hallway was now empty, with the exception of the men with weapons, the little girl and her mother. Behind the gathered crowd of armed men, Sky heard a loud sing-song voice and the men parted and dropped to their knees. Two more obese beings came forwards dressed in very flamboyant colours. The first one chanted as the other followed him. He had a strange metal hat with shiny stones and intricate designs. It was made from a shiny green crystal with blue and green polished stones. He looked like a ruler or a king. The other reminded her of a priest or prophet. When the mother and child saw them, they instantly put their heads to the floor and started to chant what sounded like a mixture of prayer and song. Sky didn¡¯t know what to make of the two she didn¡¯t want to show disrespect but at the same time wouldn¡¯t want to pray to another being who was no true god. She did as the other men and slightly nodded her head in greeting.

    They both walked as they were above everyone in the hallway. When the man who looked like a king reached her, he shouted something that made the mother tremble. She quickly looked to Sky and didn¡¯t know what to tell her. When the man gestured to the fancy hat reached the other colourfully dressed man with similar facial features, he said something in a sweet-sounding voice she like the sound of. She didn¡¯t know what he said, but the man brought up a wicked looking metal bar with tiny spikes on it and brought it down on top of, and through Sky¡¯s illusionary body. She was unaffected by the blow. The man screamed at the one with the fancy metal hat touched his shoulder. He spoke to him with a serene expression in the same sweet voice. The priest turned to one of the men with the weapon pointed at the child. He spoke to the man in harsh tones, and the men answered head bowed. The fancy dressed man held if hand out to the little girl and spoke to her. The tiny girl lifted her head hesitantly shaking in fright. She pulled out her tiny bottle and reached through the shield. As she was about to put the drops in his hands, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the shield, protecting her. He was fast and brought the wicked metal bar down on to her arm. Before she could feel the pain, she healed her with the inverted spell.

    The man looked back to what Sky took as their leader. He smiled and gave a hand signal to him. With a vicious pull, he pulled her further from her traumatized mother. Sky could see what he was about to do and was ready this time. When he brought down the metal bar towards the tiny child¡¯s head, it struck her head and bent over it. The girl brought her hand up to feel her head and felt nothing different. She looked back to Sky and gave her a faint smile. The man pulled back his now bent bar the tiny spikes blunted from the impact. In a rage, he swung it again at Sky, and she caught it in her hand. She pulled it from his grasp, pointed it down, and melted it down into a puddle of molten metal. The man pulled on to the tiny girl¡¯s arm, and he lost his grip when she pulled it back. Sky helped her break free from the priest grip with telekinesis.

    The girl ran back to her mother and hugged her tight. The girl''s mother stroked her face and ran her fingers in her short hair. The gesture reminded her of her own mother¡¯s affections. She spoke to the girl and then to Sky in their language. She started to get an idea of what she was saying but didn¡¯t feel comfortable enough to respond. The little girl knocked a small device from the mothers pocket. Sky picked it up after making part of her body solid. She scanned it with her mind to find it as a multi-functional tool. She could use this to learn the language faster. As she heard them speak they''re strange language she understood more and more. The mother looked distressed when Sky picked up her multi-tool. Sky handed it back along with the book to the mother and daughter.

    The leader spoke to the fancy priest, and he too knelt before him. The leader stepped by and held his hand out to Sky palm down showing a row of rings on his fat fingers. It was in a way like she thought was thank you. But now thought differently of the man''s gesture with her new found information.

    The priest started to speak to the mother-daughter pair. ¡°She¡¯s trying to get all the lower tier people on to her side, so she is feeding you her magic straight. It¡¯s addictive and will make you want to rebel against your betters. ¡° He turned to Sky and scowled at her with quivering fat jowls and squinting beady eyes. We feed you what you need and deserve. Just ask her if she killed your friend and all those people when we asked for help, ask her.¡± He said with a sneer in Sky¡¯s direction.

    The girl looked into Sky¡¯s eyes with the unasked question, and she sobbed in response. ¡°I never attacked anyone; I was attacked. They took everything from me without asking. At first, I knew nothing of my attackers. They sent giant spiders to hurt me, but my body can¡¯t be hurt. While I was fighting, they started to take my spent magic. I was saved by some kind men, my mommy and daddy. Soon after they attacked me again, it felt like I was burning all over.¡± As she was telling her side of her story, the girl slowly moved back from her. Sky kept telling the child what she went through at the hands of their ruler. ¡°It wasn¡¯t until after I knew I hurt your people that I tried to see why you were trying so hard to take my magic. ¡° Sky turned to the fancy dressed fat ruler in anger. ¡°That¡¯s is when I trapped you into the bubble. I tried to feed you some of the magic you first took until I finished saving other people who needed my help. I came earlier thinking I trapped some of your pregnant mothers. So, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here now to make up for what I did. ¡° She turned back to the mother and daughter with sad eyes. ¡°I want nothing from you but possibly your friendship. I was just trying to defend myself; I never knew I was hurting people like you and your mommy. I thought I was fighting people who were fighting me. I even tried to feed some mommy¡¯s and their children. I had to leave, so I didn¡¯t know what happened to you all.¡± She tried to plead with the girl, but all the little girl could see was the person who killed her friend.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The child¡¯s mother understood what Sky was trying to say. ¡°My flower the person before you thought she was up against warriors who were trying to kill her. What she did was to defend herself against something she didn¡¯t know about. I was there when she went to feed some of the people in the third sector. I watched her channel to some of the starving people they were about to abandoned so we could use our energy to attack the ones trying to oppress us. I see now that we were misled in that it wasn¡¯t an army, we were facing but a little girl with a lot of magic.¡± The mother said, stroking her daughter''s hair. ¡°Don¡¯t be so quick to judge her.¡±

    The ruler was not finished and still tried to incriminate Sky. ¡°Why did she hold all her trano from us, ask her why she did not give it to us.¡± He said sneering at her and giving a worried look to their leader who showed the sign of living.

    The little girl and her mother looked to Sky. Sky still with tears in her eyes, choked back a sob to answer. ¡°How many of the tiny bottles can you eat in a day?¡± Before the girl could answer her question, the two fancy dressed men stopped her from replying.

    The Priest who turned out to be the Rulers brother didn¡¯t like Sky¡¯s question spat at her. ¡°Don¡¯t answer with a question just tell her you¡¯re just greedy and won¡¯t give us what we want.¡±

    Before he could spout more of his vile words from his wabbling face, Sky put him into stasis too. ¡°The reason I¡¯m asking because I was sending magic what you call trano to this ship in great quantities. I¡¯m wondering if it was hoarded by your society¡¯s elite. I know there are ways of storing trano on this ship, but they may have been taking more than what they need and storing it for themselves.¡± How much trano do you need each day, so I know if I was giving your people enough to go around¡±? Sky asked the mother and child.

    To Sky surprise, one of the armed guards answered her. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you are going with this assumption? The upper class needs more than the lower class because we do the most work. One of those bottles a day is sufficient for the upper class for two days and enough for the lower class for five days. Some require even more to work magic for the common good of our race. The fat ones as you called them are most likely magic users and need at least one bottle a day to function.¡± The guard said and held up his larger bottle to show her his rations. ¡°Being a guard and law enforcer, we require a larger amount. I get this filled every two days.¡±

    Sky looked to the mother and her child and seen a look of surprise. ¡°What you gave us just now will last us weeks. It¡¯s is very concentrated the trano you gave us just now. When you used your magic that¡¯s is the trano we¡¯re used to. Even then, it was the sweetest across our skin.¡± The little girl nodded in agreement before remembering she was mad at the alien. She scowled at Sky, the one who killed her friend and many others were killed and hurt.

    Sky looked to the girl, ¡°I can¡¯t bring back the dead, but I¡¯ve healed the sick and injured already.¡± She bent over to the girl eye level. The girl was stubbornly looking away. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing with the concentrated trano they took from me let alone at of the trano they took from my battle with the giant spiders. They took enough for everyone to get fat for years. Even now they seem to be taking it as fast as I¡¯m giving it to them. Some of your leaders must be very corrupt. They''re either storing the magic or making something with it. I know for sure that they¡¯re not sharing it like they''re supposed to. I¡¯m stopping the flow of trano until I know where it¡¯s going and how it¡¯s being distributed.¡± The mother looked shocked and in distress.

    ¡°You can¡¯t we¡¯ll starve if you do. Without your help, we have no place to get more. We¡¯ve been looking for years and never found a reliable source that was enough for all of us.¡± She was on her knees, and she took Sky¡¯s hand and brought it to her forehead. ¡°Please done leave us with nothing we only just got over the starvation sickness.¡±

    ¡°Is that why your skin was dull looking? I was wondering why the author of the book looked more vibrant. That is when I cast a healing spell over the entire ship. I hoped it would work on your people; I tried it because it seems to work on everything so far. It¡¯s a healing spell with the best intentions.¡±

    The mother pulled up the thin sleeve of her shirt and stared at unblemished flesh. ¡°My class is no longer marked.¡± The daughter quickly did the same and seen the skin her on her wrist was as smooth as the rest of her arm. She showed it to her mother, who was almost in tears with joy. The mother turned to Sky. ¡°You are the saviour we were waiting for. In our teachings, it says a child from the stars well feed us. It said that he would take lives as payment for our sins and punish the wicked. He will lead us to a new land where there will no longer be split classes of our people, and we will prosper under his care. Says the god to his people.¡±

    Sky thought of all the tales, and different religious prophesies. The one she found kind of funny because it was mistranslated so badly. It was originally just a bedtime story for little children that a crazy person wrote in her own made-up language. She called herself god as a joke. She told people that she found a book on her death bed, and she told them if you can translate it, it will ease your soul.

    One of the early magic users took it upon himself to translate it alone. It became a popular religion for centuries. Until another person tried to translate it again and found too many mistakes to call it divine words, it was just ramblings of an old lady not long for the world.

    ¡°I¡¯m no saviour, and I¡¯m just a girl who will share what she has with whoever needs it. Before I go, I will make sure everyone gets what they need to live comfortably. ¡° Sky took the hand of the mother, who seemed to warm up to her. ¡°I¡¯ll have a meeting with all your people and see if I can put an end to the segregation of your types of traits. Hard work is the only thing you should be rewarded for. Not the simple fact your stronger or have magic. Almost everything built was by the lower class, and that is not right.¡± Sky said the mother before turning to the other men.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got many things to do and not a whole lot of time to do it. I¡¯m going to do a little tweaking of your audience chamber so everyone can fit. Five million sixty thousand and two, no three, no four, people are a lot. I guess the ones just born or gave birth doesn¡¯t have to show up. They can listen through the sound system if they want. ¡°

    Sky turned to the guards who seemed till ready to take action at any slip-up. ¡°I¡¯m going to free your ruler and his brother to inform them they will have no say for now. So, if you want them free, you¡¯ll keep them quiet and let them know they¡¯re not the part of the ruling class. Should I cut him off from his magic? Maybe even take away his strength too¡±!

    The men looked shocked at what Sky had said. She waved her hand over the two men, and they started to move instantly; they both kept on with their rants before realizing they were different.

    The once ruler raised his hands and tried to call upon his magic, and nothing happened. ¡°What have you done to me your vile creature. I can¡¯t feel my magic or even my strength. I have nothing, you¡¯ve taken everything from me you foul beast.¡± The ruler screamed at Sky. His voice is louder and more shrill than any men should be. Gone was the sing-song holier than thou voice.

    With a wave of her hand again, she took his voice. ¡°I removed you from being the ruler under your own laws are written tens of thousands of years ago. You have not acted in your people best interests and caused many to die to keep your elite class alive in opulence. For this, I have cause to strip you of your rule.¡± She told him before she turned to her hopefully new friends.

    ¡°My name is Sky Knight, I can¡¯t be here in person for many reasons, and I still want to be friends. I would like to know your names. It was you and your daughter who welcomed me to this ship, and she was willing to give what was clearly a precious gift.¡± Sky asked the two people before her. They are taking each hand in turn to her forehead. ¡°This at one time was how people greeted loved ones and people they respected greatly. It was changed to what they call a sign of submission to the greater class. I would like to see the old ways return in this respect. Too many traditions have been put aside for the simple reason of control of others.

    The mother took Sky¡¯s hand and brought it to her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m Lexius Henna. Pleased to meet you, Sky Knight. I hope everyone receives you well.¡±

    The tiny girl, with little hesitation, took her hand and brought it to her forehead as her mother did. ¡°My name is Nansius Henna; I¡¯m sorry for blaming my friend¡¯s death on you. I guess when swatting at stinging creatures blindly, you may hit the net. It will happen even more so if the nest comes with the stinging creature are still in the nest.¡± She said to Sky. She looked at the man who was the ruler and back at Sky. ¡°Are you really going to help us pick a new ruler even though you¡¯re not staying¡±?

    ¡°Yes, your laws never mention that an outside party can¡¯t help with finding a new ruler. It just should be someone with the best interest of the people in mind. If I were older and not doing so much already, I might take a little longer to help find another planet too. But right now, I¡¯ll settle with helping everyone being taken care of physically and socially.¡±

    The ex-rulers brother started to yell at Sky when she turned to him and started to raise her hand, he changed his pitch. ¡°Pardon me but where in the law does it say that an outsider can usurp a ruler of the Tranis people? Could you show me this in the archives you can write it in the air like before¡±? He said with his tone almost pleasant.

    Sky was happy to see him try and be courteous. ¡°I can show you if you will follow me. I have to start soon, so I must be on my way. I assure you that what I¡¯m doing has no benefit to me other than making new friends and helping others.¡± Sky gestured in front of her, and the script of their law showed before them. ¡°It is one of the older ones, but there is no mention of it being repealed or changed.¡±

    The man reached into his pocket and brought out a small tablet and accessed the law himself. He saw it was just how she wrote it in the air. ¡°Do you know all the laws of our people or just the ones you could use for yourself¡±? he said with a smile

    ¡°I know all of your laws and can speak with total confidence that I in no way am violating any.¡± She said, making her way to the main audience chamber. It would become one of the most enhanced room to scale she has ever done.

    The man and his now mute brother frantically looked for a loophole and found none. What they did find was more disturbing. They found that for what deaths they caused could mean they could pay with their own lives if the issue was pressed. They looked to each other after reading the possible conviction. Then looked to Sky and seen a girl who seemed to be the type to follow the law to the word with no colourful misdirection to her benefit. They regarded one another with fear in their eyes. She had the law on her side and the power to act it out if the people wanted her to.

    Sky turned to the two brothers who were now worried about their lives. ¡°I will not bring what you¡¯re looking at up, and I doubt anyone knows of that old law. I¡¯ll just be happy to see you get some kind of community service for your deeds the rest of your natural lives. I just hope you learn to see what an equal society can do for your people before your time comes. There is a lot of old ways of thinking to get there. The road to forgiveness on the now social elite is very long. The transition is not going to be easy because of your widening the gap between the classes. Looking at your history, I think the people of Tranis can be great once more and prosper. You just need the right people running the leadership.¡± Sky told the people following her, not just the men now with their heads turned down is a reflection or scheming.

    Once she entered the large room, she planned on how to make it not only bigger but with enough seats. Around the ship, there were thousands of tonnes of material to use. Now she needed an access point, and there was a large window in the ceiling in the hull. Everything was set now to work she said to herself.

    ¡°All right everyone out into the hall, it is going to get a little disorientating. I¡¯m going to use an extreme amount of magic, and you all will gain a little weight.¡± She ushered them out with her hands. While they cleared the room, she gathered the magic into her non-corporeal body. Her real body would have to eat soon if she was going to finish the mission and feed these people. She formed the idea of what she wanted and used the same magic Todd use to make the bathroom fixtures. In a flash, the room started to grow bigger and more elevated rows the large window opened, and chairs started to fly into the spaces she had made.

    The look on the people''s faces was priceless. They never seen magic used like this; they only had two of the five elemental gifts. It was a new way of working magic to them. All they ever used was tech, and physical materials to build anything. The pocket space spell they never knew was possible and didn¡¯t have the magic to perform the spell. They felt they spent magic wash over them, and it was incredible and delicious. They found raw magic had to be the water or air element to eating. Spent magic could be any mixture of the five elements to eat. It was a vast gourmet meal that all the people of trams were enjoying. The two brothers found themselves humbled at the taste of her magic. The way she fought the pets that were enlarged had not been refined by a spell. It was almost like raw magic and was not very tasty. It was too difficult for some to absorb, and many went hungry.

    Everyone on the entire ship could feel and taste the magic being wielded. Sky was almost done, so she had the computer ask everyone to come to the assembly hall to choose a new ruler. ¡°It is a great day for most people of Tranis. Grievous injustices were done to our people. The kindness of a stranger in accordance with the law the former ruler was unseated for crimes committed against you. If you would like to help, choose a new ruler to come to the audience chamber. The stranger made sure there is adequate seating for all. The nourishment you are receiving is a by-product of this accomplishment. If you don¡¯t wish to attend, don¡¯t complain about any outcome, you would have had a say in. You all are welcome to voice your opinions, and all will be heard per your own laws. The stranger known as Sky Knight will be a non-bias arbiter for the proceedings. Anyone who would like to rule the people of Tranis in a lawful way places your name in the queue at any terminal. Your name will be processed and put on the ballots if your standings are in accordance with the law. If you were convicted of any capital offences or found to be of questionable conduct your name will be removed without question. Please come and help you and your people of Tranis to be great once more.¡±

    People were standing in doorways, watching the room transform and feeling the magic being used. As the last chairs were placed, and the large window resealed the invisible barriers were brought down, the people started to flow in from the doorways. The first ones to appear were dressed in fine and colourful clothing and many were on the hefty size to be put mildly. The healing spell would have helped with that, but they must have gorged themselves to gain the amount of weight they had just put on. Sky had noticed some visibly had more than one container for the trano they carried on themselves. She was going to have to find a way to make them see how their greed is hurting everyone, including themselves in the end.

 Chapter Twenty-Three The Tranis Part Two

    The Tranis Part Two

    As Sky was contemplating on how to help approach the subject of their food distribution. The little girl Nansius approached her. ¡°Excuse me but what where those circles in the air for. They looked pretty, and I could feel trano coming from them. Istrano you use to make the circles with? It''s very taste, I would like the learn how to make them.¡±

    Sky looked surprised as the room filled people. No one else seemed to notice the spell circles she worked with. ¡°Those were spells circle filled with sigils. They are used to work magic for a pacific purpose. There are many types of spells for different things. Most people only work with up to three of the five different elemental gifts. I have all five of the elemental girls and in great quantity. After the assembly, I could show you a few spells some you must use a tablet for. I am not sure how well you¡¯ll be able to use the magic directly with physical contact. I should try it first if it¡¯s possible to do.¡± Sky stopped conversing as she watched some of the better dressed high society clique trying to bar access to some of what looked like lower-tier people from entering.

    In moments she appeared behind the ones barring others from entering with a sour look on her face. ¡°Excuse me, but this assembly is for everyone, including the likes of yourselves. All of you come from the same planet and share the same genetic make-up. You should just take a seat so we can begin with the choosing of a new fair ruler.¡± The ones Sky spoke to shook in rage and their puffed of party leader spun around with his fist leading his oversized body.

    ¡°How dare an outsider as you speak to mm.¡± He stopped in midsentence as his fist went through her slender form. He was silent but for a second and continued in his rant. ¡°You claim to know our laws and our way of life. You know nothing, you, ignorant little drags in our society. Our society has prospered since we started the written language. It will continue doing so long after, once you leave our midst. Now be gone you foul-smelling beast you¡¯re not wanted here.¡± He said, trying again to move her now with an unsuccessful push.

    Sky just shook her head and walked right through his large frame and those of the people with him. ¡°I¡¯m not ignorant of your laws and customs. Just look up the basic law of Trano rights which no one has the right to change. Every time one of your sycophant rulers stopped enforcing it, your technological advancements took a dramatic slide back. It repeatedly happened throughout your history¡± Sky looked over the fancy dressed people all were overweight but a few personal guards. It discussed her seeing how they could treat their own so poorly for no visible reason. She turned to look at the leader of the small group of high society bullies with anger in her eyes. ¡°So, I ask you. If you don¡¯t learn from your past, you¡¯re doomed to repeat it. In the last ten thousand cycles, how many advancements have you¡¯ve made? Let me answer that for you, one. That brilliant piece of work was taken from some of your so-called lower-tiered workers. The only thing your elitists have come up with was ways of elevating yourselves higher from your equals.¡± Sky turned from the now enraged people and addressed the one being barred.

    ¡°I sorry for the delay to your seats. I will make sure you''re seated shortly.¡± She said with a slight bow. She turned back to the who had tried to hit her and made a gesture for one of his personal guards to hit her with magic. The poorly constructed spell they fired was nullified by Sky¡¯s own magic. If you don¡¯t take your seats now, I¡¯m within the rights to make you. We have a lot to accomplish in a short period of time.¡± Sky turned to the centre of the assembly hall.

    Sky hide the anger she had for the social elites. ¡°I see that many of you have a problem amongst yourselves. I as the arbiter for this proceeding, I won¡¯t allow any discord between you. This more about getting along with each other and helping yourselves as a race. Anyone preventing others from entering the assembly hall will be placed in a stasis field and prevented from being part of the voting or and for some being voted for.¡± Her voice sounded as if coming from everywhere in the assembly hall. She looked to the large man as if they challenge him.

    He looked surprised at her words and was going to relent and move on. As he turned around, he regarded the faces of his followers. They all gave him a gesture to challenge her. This boosted his resolve, and he turned to attack Sky. ¡°You can¡¯t rule or govern the proud race of Tranis you filthy outsider.¡± Before he could take another step forward, he and his followers froze in place and started to float upwards out of the way of incoming Tranis gently.

    Sky voice filled the assembly hall once again as other such group raised into the air. She tried to hide the look of disgust look on her face at the blatant disrespect of the different classes of citizens ¡°Many of you didn¡¯t seem to take my word as arbiter and went against your own laws.¡± As Sky was speaking murmuring and shout of outrage arose from the gathering people. Yet she continued with her fist balled at her sides. ¡°The very laws Your founder wrote after stopping what I am doing right now. Your founder Tranosius, himself wrote for you, his descendants.¡± The last words she said silenced everyone

    It was the former ruler who broke the silence. He started with a sly smile. ¡°Do you know what you have just done, your ignorant child. You¡¯ve just invoked our creator¡¯s name, Tranosius. If any words of yours henceforth are proven false, it is a death sentence for you and those who follow you.¡± You¡¯ve just sentenced yourself to death. No one has ever evoked his name and remained true to his word.¡±

    Sky just smiled back at him from across the hall. I know what I just did, and I¡¯ve read the law he wrote for you to follows. By invoking his name, I¡¯m now under your law, to tell the truth, and you must listen and heed my words and only judge what I say after I¡¯ve spoken to the assembly, not during. I know what it means and did it not out of ignorance but out of necessity, as also stated in the law.¡± She said and brought up some of the law written in a now unused language and then translated it slowly till it was in the now used language where everyone could read from all angles. ¡°I quote from your holy book ¡°if the need to be heard is great invoke my name. Do don¡¯t use my name lightly after invoking my name no lies should be said, any lies proven will forfeit your life.¡± End quote, so as you see, I¡¯m not ignorant of your laws and what they mean. I was brought up with a strong sense of justice for all, and no one is above the law if it was written fairly. I see no flaws in the laws your creator wrote. They are fair and just; I would be proud to be one of his subjects of old.¡± The crowd started to murmur again most in admiration at her statement.

    The hall was filling much quicker after no one was barring the way from entering. Sky started to list the names and faces of the ones who called out their names in request to be the ruler. As the names and faces went up, she would do a background check on their status to be a ruler. Many had denied written beside and why. Extortion, assault and murder were the most prevalent on the list. The names denied were mostly the so-called elite.

    ¡°If you know that you committed a crime punished or not yet caught, I will know what you did. I will not have a person who was found not guilty by a corrupt system and doctored evidence. I¡¯m not here to convict you of past crimes, but I will not let you be a ruler because you found a way to keep from punishment.¡± If you wish to dispute your denial, I¡¯m willing to reopen your case, and the punishment will be swift and to the maximum extent of the law.¡± After she spoke, looking across the fancy-dressed elitist¡¯s many of the names still with no words of acceptance or denial, the ones rejected quickly came down also. Still, there were many being rejected and stayed up. Sky took it that they were going to contest her resolve. Some of the sentences were death, and the least was ten years of hard labour on a kind of farm. They¡¯re going see how far she¡¯ll go and it¡¯s going to take time for a trial. The hall was just about filled with the people who wanted to attend. One thing that made her happy was that everyone seemed to like the chairs. She would have smiled if the list with names rejected grew and some of the names that were taken off were being put back on.

    Sky didn¡¯t hide her feelings about what they were about to force her to do. She addressed the hall with tears running down her face. ¡°I will start with the names on the list contesting their rejections. The one rejected for murder will be first, and I will select the names on the list randomly. You may withdraw your names once a trial starts. You can not withdraw your name once you have been selected for the trial. I will judge fairly, and the outcome will not change. I will just be proving that you were guilty to everyone else.¡± She wiped her tears away and seen that none of the names came off. ¡°I will select the first name from the list. Rickus Were, you contest my judgement, and now I will show your crime.¡± A vid came up with Rickus in plain sight yell at a spindle of a man. He was shielding a boy behind him who was shaking. He punched the man, and he slumped to the ground. Once the man was out of the way he picks up the child, you couldn¡¯t see what he did, but the end results were the child was dead and dropped with no regards to life he or his fathers. ¡°This crime was covered up by two others on the list, and one other man is guilty of disposing of the bodies. The guilty party will be judged now in tying in the crimes together.¡±

    Rickus stood up enraged ¡°That was a doctored vid, I did no such thing.¡± Before he could say another word, he froze solid in a stasis field. A second video started as to more people were shown going into a data file watching the same vid, they all just had. The two made a copy and deleted it from the data banks. They had no idea they to were being recorded. A third vid showed a man driving a streetcleaner over the two bodies leaving nothing behind. He tilled his hat to Rickus as he drove off.

    Sky¡¯s face was now up on the vid tears in her eyes. ¡°You all have seen the evidence against them; I gave them adequate chances of backing out of putting in their names as candidates for the ruler. Now I must follow through with my word, or I too will be guilty. The fullest extent of the law means death to all four. It will be carried out after the hall convenes.¡±

    Some of the friends started to scream their outrage at Sky¡¯s quick decision and judgement. A woman who was clearly exceeding her rations came forwards in her husband¡¯s defence. ¡°My husband was forced to conceal the murder and erase the data. He had no choice in the matter he would have been shunning and given half rations. Please go easy on him.¡± She was begging on her knees facing Sky¡¯s vid image.

    ¡°So, he confided in you about his part in the murder¡±? Sky asked her tears still in her eyes. The woman nodded, yes, frantically. ¡°You just admitted to knowing of a murder and not bringing it forward. For your part in concealing the crime. For you ten years¡¯ hard labour on whatever farm I find fit for your part in this crime of murder.¡± She still had tears running down her face. ¡°I don¡¯t take any pleasure in what you are putting upon my shoulders. It is clear that your rulers have gone slack on many of the upper-class people. I see some have been unjustly convicted as many not prosecuted. I will not back down from my action of invoking Tranosius name. I will follow his law as I told you I would. These tears I shed are for the ones who I know will not live another day. Before I carry out the punishment, I will give family members a chance of speaking and settling matters before there are no more. Some courtesy murders never give their victims. I am just following the law set out by Tranosius with a heavy heart. I still implore to withdraw your names. I hope four deaths will be enough to see I will not be goaded into backing down. If I back down now, it will be a grave injustice to your people. Many of the people here are being coerced into silence.¡±

    The former ruler never added his name in again, but never held his tongue long. ¡°Why are you going after just the upper class and not the lower class? I think your being bias to the lower class is that because you¡¯re of, the lower class yourself¡±?

    Sky wiped some of the tears away. ¡°I¡¯m actually a princess in exile, of no fault of my own. My parents were royalty. They were exiled for being fair to all races, not only their own. I was raised to have a very strong sense of justice. I was brought up knowing that all life is precious. To me, a third of your people were treated differently because their dominate traits held no physical or magical power over others. The things they could do is by no means a small feat. Along the way from Tranosius time people started to downplay what they could do and over glorify the magic and strength traits.¡± Her face could be seen by everyone on the ship who cared to look up.

    ¡°On the ship, I serve as an ensign I rank just above the cooks and cleaners who are my parents. They are second and third strongest on the ship and were royalty at one time. They rank the lowest and follow orders of people tens of centuries younger than themselves. I hold magic surpassing most people can¡¯t imagine, the strength to crush worlds and the knowledge of two civilizations. I¡¯m told my way of magic is unsurpassed by anyone. I still content being an ensign on my ship.¡± She looked over the people of Tranis and seen the possibilities they could do if they worked together.

    ¡°Why are you gloating about yourself we all know your superpowers, and we can¡¯t stop you from doing what you want. I know you just want to put a puppet in rule, so we¡¯ll be your slaves. I and many others see through your devious ways, and we¡¯ll find a way to stop you.¡± He said, raising his hands, and a chorus of the elite joined him.

    Sky looked about her, and only a few of the upper society seemed on her side. That was enough for her right then. ¡°What would I get from making your race my slaves. Where would it benefit me in having tiny beings under my control as I said before when I leave here to join a mission that I put on hold to help you. I¡¯m leaving friends and family to be here to make your lives better and self-sustaining. I would be more than pleased to leave here and know I made a difference in your lives for the better. I hope to call some of your friends and think of some as family.¡± She looked to Lexius and Nansius Henna with a fond smile, which the two returned.

    She turned back to the list of candidate¡¯s names was much smaller a few of the lower tier people were on the list one had a punishable crime and was rejected as a participant. Sky knew she was going to have to judge the man. ¡°Sneefus Wallen you remained on the list, so you wish to contest your ruling of rejection.¡±

    He stood up, tall and proud. ¡°Yes, I do. I admit to my crime of theft and cause of bodily harm to innocent bystanders.¡± He stated as if proud of what he did.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Stealing and harming others is nothing to be proud of.¡± Sky scowled at him, ¡°the sentence for your crime is ten years hard labour at a farm that I see fit for your punishment.¡± She considered his face and seen a look of questions. It was then she realized why he left his name up. He wanted her not only to judge him, but the people involved. This case was deep and had more than one murder involved. ¡°I¡¯m not finished with your case, but I don¡¯t have the time right now to bring them all to justice. I assure you if you would have refused you would have died that day. The fact that two others died instead is why you are being punished. Six others will be paying for their actions with their lives, twenty will be doing hard labour along with you, not all at the same place. Is that what you were after, justice for the injustice done to you¡±? The man didn¡¯t speak, just nodded his head.

    Sky noticed many were leaving the hall and sighed to herself. They will have no place to hide from the justice Tranosius wrote. The list no longer had any rejected names on it. She was thankful for that. Many were most likely asked to remove their names by associates to their crimes. Knowing all that took part in the crimes would be brought to justice along with them made reconsideration very favourable to all parties involved.

    The list still had over one hundred names on it many were just young enough not to have gotten into the politics their parents are into. That was a good thing, but they need a better environment in which to learn. Many wee sets in their ways and would just go back to the way things were. The lower tier people would try to do the right thing, but the pressure of the upper class would just force them to give in too many of their demands. Sky wanted more than anything to help these people. She found that she couldn¡¯t fix everything wrong she comes across. These people needed a ruler who could once again show them how-to live-in peace once more. They needed another Tranosius or even Tranosius himself.

    In the Tranis¡¯ history, important meetings were proceeded by a prayer for Tranosius to guild them. Sky searched for any information to what happened to him or where he could have gone. She found nothing to indicate him leaving or dying. He was not called to for tens of centuries.

    She was going to let everything ride on a wish and a prayer.

    Sky¡¯s face appeared before everyone this time more determination and confidence on her face.

    ¡°People of Tranis, you have long strayed from the path set out to you by your creator, Tranosius. I believe we should pray for guidance before we start choosing your ruler. I know with proper guidance, the people of Tranis will be great once more. But you need a ruler who is non-partial to all traits. One you can trust explicitly with his or her judgements unquestioned. I can¡¯t be that person, nor would I want to. I¡¯m too young for the role and have too much to learn of life. From the data and different recordings, I believe I can lead you in prayer to your creator if you have no priests to perform the prayer.

    Sky waited, and the former ruler approached her. ¡°We have no holy people anymore when we had to leave the planet; we left them behind. Tranosius didn¡¯t come to save us, I did.¡±

    ¡°You just prolonged your lives shortly. I could have destroyed this ship in your last attack. The killing goes against my code of ethics. But what you were stealing from me and the way you did it caused me incredible pain. Just imagine being set on fire without your skin burning Going from your feet to your head. Sounds painful, doesn¡¯t it? Now picture at the same time the insides of your body starting to burn along with your skin. That¡¯s the pain you caused me. Just because you didn¡¯t ask you stole my magic. Your life and everyone¡¯s could have been gone because of your thought of superiority. So, we pray for guidance and help in choosing a new ruler.

    Sky again addressed everyone. ¡°I¡¯m now going to lead you all in prayer. Repeat what I said when I hum. Listen carefully and try to project love and need in your thoughts. Now let us bow our heads in respect for our creator.¡± She bowed her head down, and many followed suit, some just put their heads up in defiance. Sky didn¡¯t need to use her eyes to see the upper elite thinking they were above gods. She had no choice but continue with the prayer.¡±

    ¡°We bow before you are a great and loving creator. It has been a long time approaching you in prayer. Our ways have strayed from the way you set before us. Please help us find our way once more.¡± Sky hummed, and everyone with bowed heads repeated the last sentence. Her voice had power behind it, and you could feel her resolve. Many more bowed their heads feeling the power in this prayer. ¡°We seek your guidance in choosing a new ruler, one who will be fair and just. We would like the new ruler to punish the ones who made their choices freely to break your laws and be lenient on the ones who could not find another choice but to break your law you have set before us. Please help us and come to our aid in our decision in our hour of need. Please help us your creations, to be true to you envision of our future.¡± Sky hummed, and all most everyone was repeating her words. Sky was pushing out her awareness to what she knew was to all dimensions she knew the Tranis could occupy. She repeated the prayer hoping the creator of the Tranis was close or at least listening.

    The ship shuttered, and the four people who received the death sentence disappeared. A loud, deep, and musical voice boomed into the hall. ¡°I come to you in your time of need. I stood by watching Tranis slowly get destroyed with not one heartfelt plea for help; No one came to me in prayer, no one reached to me with all their heart, not one. Even now, a stranger to my people reached to me with all her heart. Just to help my people to be great once more. I was going to let her destroy this ship if she wished. No one cared about stealing her trano from her. I know many were starving to death, yet no one asked for help.¡±

    Sky listened to their creator and was surprised that he didn¡¯t help without being asked. She couldn¡¯t hold her tongue. ¡°How could you let your people suffer and not help them. I was attacked four times and would still help them and ask nothing in return. How could you not help them in their times of need? So many of your people, your children died because you never helped them.¡±

    Tranosius was silent for a time, and everyone thought he had left again. ¡°I tried to help, but I was bound not to help because of a petty squabble with their forefathers. I once used to walk among them as their ruler. There was a very famous person who killed a child in an easily avoided an accident, yet it looked like a tragedy. I was enraged and sentenced him to death with no hesitation. He was treated like a god himself. Everyone mourned his death and resented what I did. They took the child¡¯s death as an unintentional accident and my killing him as jealousy. I went into a rage at the fact they thought I was jealous of a single dilutional man. I told them, my people, if they think they could do better without me, I will leave. The priest sided with the masses that I no longer needs to be in control of everything and that I should take a rest. They pleaded with me to go out and find another diversion, that they could handle things on their own. Being angry leads to bad decisions. Feeling unwanted, I left promising only to return if I felt a true heartfelt plea for my help. No half-hearted cry for help would bring me to the ungrateful beings I created. All it took was a man over glorified to think he could get away with killing an innocent child to turn them against me. I ruled with compassion and an iron fist. If you broke my laws with malicious intents, you must pay. You¡¯ll pay the price and was punished the fullest extent of the law. If you broke the law in a fit of uncontrol grief anger, I was lenient if you showed remorse over the fact you committed the crime. More so came your own accord forwards and turned yourself in. Many of my people committed no crimes because of the law not out of common decency. Once I left the crime of murder increased slowly, and corruption started to prevail. I could not watch and left for a time and lived among some Titans who shared my sense of ethics and code of honour. For royalty, they were very educated and humble. They liked to joke, and I found myself opening to them, and I tell them my story of why I¡¯m there. They aren¡¯t as sympathetic as I thought they would be.¡± Tranosius shimmered into sight before Sky, yet no one else noticed him there. When he continued his story, his voice still came from all around them. He took in Sky face as he spoke.

    ¡°The young couple told me it was tragic and thought I did the right to the killer. They didn¡¯t think I handled the backlash of angry fans right and they suggested I go back. I told them that they knew nothing of my life and my people. The two Titans just smiled. The young man Billy told me being a prince, he had to learn how to deal with various people. He said he just started to work in the criminal courts and hand out judgements. ¡®It was the most difficult thing I had ever done when I had to sentence e a man to death. The ruling was just, but he still had loved ones, people who cared for him. He had viciously killed a man with his bare hands and threatened to kill others of his family¡¯. Billy looked saddened. ¡®The wife of the man I sentenced said I was just as bad as him. I killed her husband and the children¡¯s father. She continued her rant for almost a year protesting my judgement. It wasn¡¯t till a similar tragedy befell her that she understood what I did. An aunt of hers was attacked by an unknown assailant and she and her family cried for justice. Anna and I hired some people to find out who did it and soon had another of her estranged relative, responsible for the attack. He too had family, a wife child and loved ones of his own. I found him guilty and sentenced him to hard labour for five years. The money he would have earned was to pay restitution to his second cousin and his family to live while incarcerated. The woman thought he should have been sentenced to death for his actions¡¯. Billy just shook his head. ¡°Being a judge is never easy, and you can¡¯t please everyone. You just must be fair to yourself and the law. In the end, She asked why I spared his life. I told her, ¡®your aunt lived and healed with no scaring. She will remember what happened to her for the rest of her life. She will be able to find ways of preventing it from happening again. Your husband never gave the man a chance to live and even threatened to kill others of his family. He took a life and paid for it with his own. It was thought out and done with brutality. His sentence was just,¡¯ and I only regret that the crime was committed.¡¯ She still didn¡¯t quite like my sentence of her husband at least she knew that I was at least trying to be fair. So even though most of the time, someone doesn¡¯t like what you do and complain about your judgement. Just go back and watch over them and wait to see when they call for you again for the help. They will it¡¯ll just take time to see the error of their ways.¡± Tranosius told Sky of his time with Billy and Anna.

    So, I came back and watched for hundreds of years as the things got worse and I tried to guide things along occasionally. I couldn¡¯t help with anything big, and they subjugated my sons and daughters who had no super physical strength or magic. It didn¡¯t seem to matter what I did. They couldn¡¯t rule themselves. Some rulers were better than others, and I help things flourish to show my blessing. I still loved my people, my sons and daughters. I could only hope for them to see the error of the ways and each other as equals.¡± Tranosius said, and his body started to shimmer into view. He was tall, really tall; he had long black hair framing his face. Sky looked up into black eyes and seen the sadness in them. He was dressed in a pure white flowing rob with no seams as if made in one piece. He had gold hanging down his jawline and around his neck. It was a plain band necklace and spike ear jewelry. He looked over his children, his creations and sighed.

    He looked down to me, ¡°you remind me of my two friendly Titans. They loved life just as much as you do. You¡¯re just a little short to be related to them, and you have a tremendous amount of magic. Did you know Titans can hold no magic but create quite a bit, but their bodies use it right away in their bodies.¡±

    Sky looked up to the creator and smiled. ¡°Yes, I found that out shortly after I found out that magic was real. I don¡¯t know who your friends are, but I¡¯m a tiny Titan. I don¡¯t think they were your friends. They were in a war, really good people who love others don¡¯t fight in a war. They did free the galaxy of many horrible Titans who thought they were gods to the little people.¡±

    ¡°So, you think you¡¯re a tiny Titan; I don¡¯t see anything here in your body just magic, and a lot of it. I thank you for healing and feeding my sons and daughters. But I don¡¯t know what you are. But you¡¯re not a tiny Titan.¡± Tranosius said, looking down on Sky¡¯s tiny face. ¡°I also thank you for helping my children to know I¡¯m needed again and call me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here just my presence and a conduit to my magic. Follow the magic, and you find my tiny Titan body. As for who I am, I¡¯m Sky Knight and recently found out that I¡¯m a princess in exile. Your welcome for what I did for your people. In truth, my mommy and daddy brought me up to help those in need. They raised me with a strong sense of justice and not to kill without absolute cause. Once I found out that this ship had innocent people on it, I couldn¡¯t hurt them. I found a ship full of mostly staving people and had to help. I had to come here because the help I was sending was not reaching all of your children, and I thought I was forcing a diet on pregnant women.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can see where one would think some of the larger men and women were pregnant because of the warped definition of beauty and status went askew.¡± He paused for a second and Sky could feel him follow her magic to her real body. He, like Sky, could search about the scout ship and see everyone in it. Jane could sense someone else in the ship and tried to block whoever was there with Swan. The large Sky clone told them not to worry it was a creator that was checking what Sky was with her blessing. They both relaxed, and soon, the presence pulled away.

    Tranosius looked once again into Sky¡¯s smiling face. ¡°So, my tiny Titan so it seems I should apologize to you princess. I doubted who and what you were, I am sorry. May I ask who your parents are¡±? he asked with a smile.

    Sky answered with a smile and a curtsy, ¡°No need to apologize. I would have doubted a body shell with magic myself. As for who my mommy and daddy are, I can tell. My mommy is Rocssanna, and Daddy is William Knight. As for me, you know I am their cute angel daughter princess, Sky knight.¡± She said with a curtsy. As she went down, her image shimmered into her in the formal uniform, her hair immaculately styled for the high court.

    ¡°I see Anna And Billy raised you well. You seem just like your mother, a little conceited about your looks.¡± He said with a light chuckle.

    Sky¡¯s cheeks puffed up, holding back some choice words. ¡°I¡¯m just repeating what I was told repeatedly. Cute and angel might as well have been my middle names. I see nothing wrong with repeating what I¡¯ve been called as much as my own name.¡± She said, emphasizing her words with a foot stomp shaking the entire ship yet doing no damage. She glared up at to most beings an intimidating sight of a god.

    ¡°Your words ring true for someone your age. I think as you get older, you¡¯ll see what I said to hold true too. I see an even higher deity has blessed you for some higher purpose. I see you were sent out to do many things with your life and I wish you well.¡± Tranosius said as he squatted down to look Sky closer eye to eye> he still towered over her. Still he was closer to her level. ¡°Yes, I can see Anna¡¯s features in your face and Billy¡¯s athletic structure. I can see great things in your future if you hold your anger in check. Remember my cute tiny Titan the dead can only be brought back by the true God. Death for most is permanent, treat life as precious things and don¡¯t take them lightly.¡± He ruffled Sky¡¯s head, and it just didn¡¯t seem the same as it would if she was there.

    ¡°Well kind Creator, Tranosius, I don¡¯t know what you mean by a higher purpose, but I do need to get back to my friends and family to finish a mission. Some of your people can see my magic runes and sigils. When I have time, I would like to come back and see what they are capable of. I know a little of how your people use magic but wonder if they can be taught our way of castings and incantations.¡± She smiled at her two friends and gave the little girl, Nansius a wink. ¡°I¡¯ll be back if Tranosius lets me come again. Now that you have a true ruler, I can leave knowing your all safe.¡±

    Sky looked back to Tranosius. ¡°Before I go, let me know if I can help you anymore. I¡¯ll be sending more of my spent magic over. There are ten clones of me using magic that¡¯s is inverted and keeps the spent magic in a type of pocket space. I should be able to channel it into a conduit and send it all here. You can store it once you find out who¡¯s been taking all of the magic I sent before. Someone is hording it for themselves. If you can¡¯t find them, I¡¯ll come here and help you root them out.¡±

    ¡°I know all those who have been keeping it for themselves but thank you. You just go and help your friends and parents. Let Anna and Billy know I¡¯ll be coming around to say hi and catch up on old times.¡± Tranosius looked around at all his people in the huge room. ¡°If you come across a planet with some magic user and lots of vegetation.¡±

    Sky nodded her head and smiled. ¡°You take care of my friends and see that they keep the gift I gave them.¡± Sky said and held up a hand and particles of dust formed in her hand a small cup. She handed it to Tranosius. He took the offered gift, and it filled with a cool blue sparkling liquid, and he took a sip. When he lowered the cup, a smile, and a look of contentment was on his face.

    ¡°I have never tasted something as pure as this. Your soul must have no hate in it to taint the essence of your magic. Just by the way, this makes me feel I would say you¡¯re a very special person. I hope you can remain the kind and loving person you are now throughout what even the higher being has in store for you.¡± He took Sky¡¯s hand and brought it to his forehead. Sky returned the gesture. Even though the size difference was almost comical, Sky had the same aura of presence.

    Sky¡¯s body faded from sight, and Tranosius gave a quick prayer for the tiny Titan.

 Chapter twenty-four The End of One and a Beginning of Another

    Chapter twenty-four

    The End of One and a Beginning of Another

    Sky¡¯s snapped aware of Jane and her clone nearby, waiting for her to finish her side quest.  She pulled herself from the sleeping tube before addressing everyone.  ¡°I¡¯m back, did you miss me¡±?  Sky said as she landed gently on the floor in front of Jane.

    Jane smiled, ¡°no, you were here the whole time just in a different body.¡±  She still gave Sky a quick hug.  ¡°Did you get everything resolved with the aliens and help them out¡±?

    Sky smiled and nodded her head.  ¡°Yes, I did.  They are called Tranis.  Their home planet was sucked into a supernova and had to relocate.  They haven¡¯t found a suitable planet to live on yet.  I told their creator that I would help them if I could.¡±  Sky told her as if this was just another exciting day.

    ¡°Whoa, whoa, back up you meet a creator, a god.  You sound like it¡¯s nothing but a little more exciting than finding out what¡¯s for dinner.¡±  Jane said to Sky in aspiration.

    ¡°He also knows mommy and daddy when they were teenagers.  What¡¯s for dinner I¡¯ve used a lot of magic with the Tranis and fighting the crazed mages.¡±  She told Jane and reached into her pocket to pull out a rock nut.  She popped it into her mouth as Jane¡¯s mind reeled at what she just told her.

    ¡°Do you mean your parents met a god and didn¡¯t seem it was important to mention it before.  Just what would impress them enough to be important enough to tell us,¡±?  Jane asked Sky.

    Sky just shrugged her shoulders.  ¡°Mommy and Daddy have met many gods.  Don¡¯t forget some Titans think of themselves as gods.  Mommy and daddy were royalty at one time, so they received many guests; some were gods.  What kind of gets me is that they never mentioned that one had creations that feed off spent magic.  I might have been able to do something right away had I known.¡±  She said, looking in the direction to which her parents went.  ¡°They¡¯ve freed all of the captive magic users in the last settlement, and they¡¯re waiting for me. I¡¯m telling they right now that I¡¯ve finished with the Tranis and about their old friend, Tranosius.

    William looked down into one of the tiny Sky clone¡¯s eyes who sat on a console along with her sisters.  ¡°You mean to tell me Tranosius¡¯s children were the ones attacking you?  That is the last thousand years he didn¡¯t reinsert himself as their god.  He is waiting for you to call to him in prayer before coming back.¡±     William sounded surprised at what his daughter told him through the clone.

    Rocssanna addressed the clone herself.  ¡°Did he offer you anything for helping his people at least?  He was one of the most powerful gods we¡¯ve met so a could have done or given you something.¡±

    The clone looked down to her mother and nodded.  ¡°Yes, he wished me well in my mission and asked if I could help them find a new planet with him.  He was a very nice creator, and he thought very highly of you and daddy.   He also apologized about his people attacking me and causing me so much pain.  He said he was thankful that I forgave them and still helped them when they were staving and even came back to make sure everyone was fed.¡±   The clone told her parents.  Then with a sad face, she told them of how the magic users and stronger type pick on the ones who had a different trait than them and thus treated as slaves.  ¡°Many had starved to death and would of most likely kept starving if she hadn¡¯t intervened.  Some of them called me bad names and said I was a bad person.  I knew they were lying because I was doing like you and daddy would have done.¡±  She continued to tell them of the way she had usurped the ruler and started an assembly to choose another.  She was in tears even though her clones were almost emotionless as she told them of the death sentences, she was going to carry out.  She said she was relieved that Tranosius would carry out the punishment of her fair judgement.

    The whole time her parents were amazed that their little girl was strong in so many ways.  He couldn¡¯t hold his tongue any longer.  ¡°My sweet little angel you¡¯re trying to save everyone at once.  Remember you¡¯re only nine-years-old and still have a life to lead before judging others.  You should wait a little longer before you must become the judge, jury, and executioner.  You have a huge heart and your mother, and I don¡¯t want to see you bear the responsibilities of others.  You should have asked for help from someone you could trust.¡± He said, reaching up and stroked her bald head. It lacked the softness of her beautiful hair.

    She looked up to her full-size Titan father.  ¡°Daddy I did, once I realized that they would keep subjugating their own people. I couldn¡¯t stay, and I had an idea that their creator was nearby.  I read everything about their history and learned to pray to him.  I prayed for him to help his people and guild them.  I learned that he was a great person and caring creator, so I knew he was the only one who could get the Tranis people back into harmony.¡±  The clone looked down and smiled.  ¡°He was the one for the job.¡±

    The clone looked up into the sky and turned to her parents.  ¡°We¡¯ve got to get going we¡¯re getting far behind.  I¡¯m just finishing my lunch and having a quick snack before joining the mission.¡±  She turned to her parents and addressed them.  ¡°We should meet up with Jane and my selves before leaving the planet after we¡¯ll join up with Todd and start freeing all of the abducted magic users in space.  Then we¡¯ll free the ones on the planets.  I¡¯ve managed to stop most of the chaos mages from stealing magic gifts.   Fred and Joe are disabling the ships that have the stasis chambers.  He really likes the new railguns.  The Sky clone, tiny to the Titans focused her gazed into the soon to be night sky.  ¡°Fred is using my magic to communicate with the Emperor¡¯s advisor.  He¡¯s informing him of the possible double agent letting the rogue mages.  The advisor actually stated that it might be the fleet commander Mark Douglaston.  They are starting to watch him shortly after telling the Emperor of Fred and Joe going rogue with a small Titan family.  The Emperor put him under watch that second.  The Emperor told his advisor that there was no way they went rogue after submitting so many spell upgrades and kept encrypted from possible rogue mages.  The advisor informed Fred that they were sending aid, but it would take a few days to get here.¡±   Sky recited to her parents of what Fred was told and conveyed from the advisor.

    Rocssanna was at her console entering some directions for space and the upcoming mission.  ¡°We¡¯ll be ready when your other-selves get here.  Once they get here, we could have a little dinner and make more intricates plans.¡±

    The tiny clone turned to Rocssanna ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten and want to get moving again.  I caused everyone to get behind in the mission and don¡¯t want to cause any more of a delay.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve eaten already, but you have been using a tremendous amount of magic.  More food is always welcomed in your tummy.  I¡¯ve never seen you turn down food once it¡¯s in front of you.¡± Rocssanna sai, getting up and walking to a door that had a smell of food coming from it once it was opened.  She called out from inside the kitchen.  ¡°I would like to have dinner with you in your Titan form once before we go off and save the universe again.  You¡¯ve never been I your Titan form, and I would like to see you in your natural state.  It was quite a freight when we were almost being killed.  I want to know how you turned out as a Titan in case something happens to you or to us.  I know it sounds morbid, but we want to see you as you should have been, a Titan, not a tiny me.¡±  Rocssanna asked the tiny clone on her console.  ¡°Please, it would mean so much to your father and me.¡±

    The clone of Sky nodded her head.  ¡°I will eat a Titan meal with you.  I know the spell that was used on you to make us small again.  We can recast the spell again after we eat.  I wanted to know what it feels like to be big since the sparring match with Fred.  At first, I thought I just wanted to grow up like you and daddy.  When I found out I was a tiny Titan I wanted to see what it¡¯s like to be big too.¡±  She gave her parents a big smile and hopped down from the console.  The tiny girl called up to the Titans.  ¡°I¡¯ll be here shortly, and I would like to enter the ship as a true Titan.¡±

    Sky smiled at Jane and the clone.  ¡°I¡¯m going the have another meal before starting again.  This time it¡¯s going to be in my natural form of a true Titan.  I¡¯ve always wanted to be taller, but now I¡¯ll be really tall, even taller than you.¡±  She reached over Jane¡¯s head by 20 cm, (8 in.) and smiled.  Actually, taller than you can imagine, like over 40 metres (131 ft.).¡±

    The scout ship flew alongside the huge Titan ship that with Sky magic showed the outline of the giant ship.  Jane landed about 500 metres (1640 ft) away and lowered the ramp door.  Sky¡¯s walked down the ramp and turned and took a deep breath.

    A side door opened on the Titan ship and two huge Titans stepped out. It was comically at first when they raised their arms to the tiny girl. With every step, Sky grew bigger by the time she was halfway to her parents; she was 40 metres tall (131 ft.).  She kept growing she till she reached 50 metres (ft.) and surprised her parents.  Sky charged her parents and jumped into their arms, almost knocking them over.  Sky¡¯s hair was just about touching the ground and gave off a radiant azure blue glow.  Rocssanna pulled her into a hug at the same time William had.  ¡°My little angels a not so little anymore.  I knew.¡± Rocssanna was interrupted by William before she could continue.

    ¡°We knew you would be a lot taller as a Titan; we knew you were going to be special,¡±  William said.  He gave her another hug and felt her powerful body.  She was strong in every way and was going just to get stronger. He glanced over to his wife and seen a look of recognition in her eyes.

    ¡°Yes, my little angel.  You may not have wings, but your hair will let you soar into the hearts of many.  I¡¯ve always wanted to give you something, but it was too big for your tiny human-sized body to come inside, and I¡¯ll give it to you before we eat.  Rocssanna turned to hold Sky¡¯s and William¡¯s hands, pulling them through the door.  Sky unknowing cast a spell over the ship before entering, the two Titans felt its power and the wave of spent magic they normally felt from everyone but Sky. They didn¡¯t ask knowing it was more likely for the ship¡¯s safety. The ship was huge inside and had a savoury smell of food she had never eaten before.  They walked along a corridor till they came to a large foyer with a few plants and seven sliding doors.  Rocssanna let go of their hands and motioned to one of the doors.  ¡°Wait in the kitchen, and I¡¯ll get Sky¡¯s inheritance.  I should only take a few moments to retrieve it, and I¡¯ll be back.¡±  She turned and walked towards a door, and it slides open as she approached.  Sky could see a huge canopy bed and a wardrobe off to the side.  Before she could she where her mother went, Willian took her hand and pulled her in through another door.

    It was a kitchen and small dining room with a bubbling pot on a stove.  It gave off a smell that made Sky¡¯s mouth water and a smile cross her face.

    ¡°What is for lunch daddy, I didn¡¯t think I was hungry until I smelt the stew.  I would have brought Jane over, but she just ate before we left.  She wouldn''t fit into a high chair even if you had one.¡±  She smiled at her father.

    ¡°It¡¯s a stew we tried to mimic with the meat and vegetables form the planet.   It was good, but this is going to be so much better.¡±  William said just as Rocssanna entered the kitchen holding an ornate jewelled case.

    Rocssanna placed the case on the table with a huge smile on her beautiful face.  She slid the case in front of Sky.  ¡°Open the case and receive your heritage what you were meant to have.  If we weren¡¯t exiled from the Titan race, this is what you would have been.¡± Her motioned Sky to open the case again.  ¡°Go ahead open the case. I can¡¯t wait to see what you think of it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay mommy I¡¯ll open it just hold your ponies.¡±  She said, reaching over to open the case.  Inside the case was a tiara made from diamonds set inside of what looked like shiny metal.  It had blue, red and green gems set in patterns that meant nothing to Sky.  She looked to her mother and asked her about the patterns of gems.

    ¡°it¡¯s a saying amongst Titans.  ¡®In goodness, we trust, and in kindness, we rule.  It is the queen¡¯s crown I had when we were exiled not long ago.  I never had the chance to return it.  I¡¯m sure if you were to return to the unknown space where the Titans reign.  I¡¯m sure when you''re old enough, you could rule over the Titans if you want.  They will see that you are the rightful person on sight.  We taught you everything you needed to rule over any race, even Titans.  Once you learned of magic, you started to radiate power. A power that lets you humble almost anyone.  If you want just to be more assertive with anyone and most will buckle under your overwhelming presence.  You must not use your gifts for selfish gain or petty wants.  It is something all well-respected royalty are known for.  If you start to be a petty, selfish person, you¡¯ll find that you have no real friends. I¡¯ll find yourself surrounded by people as cruel and selfish as you are.¡±

    Watching Sky inspect the queenly crown you wouldn¡¯t think she heard a thing her mother said.  ¡°I don¡¯t want people to serve me because I have some kind of power.  I just want to have true friends who care for me as much as I care for them.  I will not rule over anyone that¡¯s not what I want to do with my life.¡±  Before Sky could say anything else, her stomach grumbled in protest at not being fed the delicious smelling food.  She blushed and placed the tiara back onto the case without looking up.  ¡°I guess I¡¯m hungrier than I thought being big must make you very hungry.¡±  Sky said as she recomposed herself.

    William laughed along with Rocssanna.  ¡°We don¡¯t eat very much in our Titan size.  That¡¯s why the pot isn¡¯t very large, and the bowls are smaller in comparison to their human forms.  I think we process our food differently than in human form.  So, I¡¯ll start dishing out for us.¡±  He paused to regard the time of day.  ¡°I guess it would be lunchtime now.  I hope your apatite didn¡¯t grow with you.  If it did, I don¡¯t think we have enough food for you.¡±  William said with a smile. He slid a bowl in front of Sky.

    Sky looked at the small bowl compared to what she was used to.  She took the offered bowl, spoon, and started to eat her second lunch.  Her eyes got large, and she let out a loud Mmm, ¡°Yummy, this is good stew mommy, daddy.  Did you or daddy make it?  It¡¯s a little overcooked, but it¡¯s good enough to ask for seconds.¡±  She said, sliding over her bowl to her father.  He looked surprised at the fact she was able to finish it so quickly.

    ¡°Sky, my little angel, you should not eat so much as a Titan.  I can barely finish my bowl, and your mother doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯ll finish her either.¡±  William regarded his not so little daughter.  ¡°I guess you can have a little more do you still feel the magic you had?  We can¡¯t feel the magic after a few hours after regaining our Titan size.¡±   He said after taking her bowl and started to dish out more stew for his daughter.

    ¡°Thank you, daddy, I can still feel the magic inside my wells. It¡¯s still growing as far as I can tell, and it makes me hungry.¡±  She said, eying the bowl as it was filled halfway, and he stopped.  Sky motioned him to keep going, and he just chuckled at her eagerness to eat more.  He was joining in his mirth by his wife.  ¡°I¡¯m hungry, leave me alone.  A growing lady has got to eat, and I¡¯m still growing.¡± She said with a huff.

    ¡°Your magic is still building up, and it¡¯s making you hungry still.  I hope you don¡¯t feel starved when you¡¯re not eating.  I didn¡¯t know about how you got so hungry with the magic your body makes.¡±  Rocssanna asked of her daughter stroking her long luxuriously soft hair.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel any pain if I don¡¯t eat, I just feel like I can eat a little more.  It¡¯s as if I can always eat just a little more; I actually never feel full, just content.¡±  She told her mother as she started to eat her second bowl of stew.

    William stroked Sky¡¯s hair as he started to tell her more of her heritage.  ¡°My little angel, your mother and I are from very long lineages of kings and queens.  We are likely of the longest unbroken bloodlines the Titans have ever had.  Tens of millions of years we have been of royal blood.  It is in your blood you get your quickness of mind.   The Titan ruled space is incredibly vast, and your mother and I are the first of our lines to mix blood.  I think it gives you something all Titans want in a ruler.  You¡¯re a fresh blend of Titan royalty the likes we have never seen before.  It¡¯s unlikely to happen again because we were our parents, only children.¡±  William¡¯s eyes teared up slightly, and he reached to take Rocssanna¡¯s free hand.

    Rocssanna nodded to William in an unspoken gesture.  ¡°Even though we were exiled from Titan space. They told us if our children wanted to rejoin the Titan race.  They would allow you to return and if you showed to right fortitude and strength of character, you might even be welcome as royalty.  After hearing of your interactions with the Tranis, we realized your inborn desire to see justice done.  You have an amazing gift to see from many points of view and see the right path.  You were born to rule it¡¯s in your blood.  We want you to have a normal life until you¡¯re older.  You¡¯ll get your chance to be royalty later.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Rocssanna started speaking next.  ¡°We want you to be safe and make it through this mission.  We know they need you and you won¡¯t stop till it¡¯s over.  This mission, I believe, was given to Fred and his crew to be captured and turned into batteries.  The fact that they were so close to this sector of space is not likely a coincidence.  Fred has a gift of foresight, and I bet they were after it for themselves.  Most likely, the pirates were there to capture everyone, including Fred and Joe found and taken into custody along with any mages and magical talismans.   Once this is over, we want you to get the best education you can get.  Now that we¡¯re not on that backwards planet Bella Grande, you can excess the galactic web and get the information unfiltered.¡±  Rocssanna nuzzled into Sky¡¯s hair and sighed.  ¡°With your strength suppressed and your spell that will make you softer you¡¯ll fit right in with your classmates.  I just hope you remember to choose your friends wisely.  You have a good sense of right and wrong. I just hope none of the new friends you make can slowly influence you to do something bad.  Your father and I have done some pretty silly things that could have got us into a lot of trouble.¡±  William squeezed Rocssanna¡¯s hand in remembrance of the foolish acts that were not to be repeated out loud.

    Sky knew they were pranks went bad and nothing more.  She finished her second bowl and felt as sated as ever. Dessert would be perfect right now she thought to herself but didn¡¯t want to put it to voice.  ¡°Thank you for lunch mommy and daddy it was a meal I won¡¯t soon forget.  My first Titan meal with the two Titans I love the most.¡±  Sky hugged them both in turn but kept her mothers¡¯ hand in hers.  ¡°Thank you for the royal tiara that will let me be Queen if I desire.  Right now, I don¡¯t want to even think of taking over the reign of any race.  Did you not fight to stop Titans from ruling over all the other races?  Why would you tell me I could rule over others¡±?  Sky asked her parents with deep emotions laced within her voice.

    William answered her.  ¡°Yes, we stopped the Titan from taking forcible rule.  One the other hand you would be welcomed to take the rule once they see how you are.  It would not take long for anyone to see who you would be good for their people.¡±  William told his daughter.  ¡°You have yet to come into the true abilities of your monarchy aura, my little angel.  That will come with time, as you get older and more mature.  You will find less and fewer people questioning what you said and the decisions you make.  That is why it is very important you get the best education possible.¡±  William had a forlorn look on his face as he spoke.  Rocssanna held his hand reassuringly.

    Sky had a feeling that the near-death experience brought this talk on a little earlier than they wanted.  A feeling of foreboding rippled through her as she thought of her parents near death as well.  She knew that one day they could be silent to time.  Tear formed in her eyes as she reluctantly thought of her parent¡¯s possible deaths.  ¡°Mommy, daddy I will see that no harm will come to you during this mission and that you will see me become the beautiful and loving daughter you always wanted.¡±

    ¡°My cute little angel, you are the loving daughter we always wanted.  We are waiting for your beauty to show past your swelling head.  We love you as you are, and we will love you as you come into your true being.¡±  Rocssanna said to Sky, giving her a kiss on the cheek with a smile.  ¡°Before you go back to the scout ship, we would like to see you wear the tiara, please,¡± Rocssanna said, pushing the case closer to Sky after removing the bowl from the table.

    Sky reopened the case and went to place the tiara onto her head gently. As she put the tiara into place, the coloured gems lit up faintly.  William and Rocssanna took note of the faint glow and said nothing.  ¡°It looks beautiful on you; it makes you look regal, like the princess you are.  I think when you graduate high school you should wear it on your prom.¡±  She told her daughter with admiration in her voice.

    ¡°Why should I wait for then, I could wear it on other special days too¡¯?  Is there something wrong with me wearing it too much, I haven¡¯t broken anything in a long time¡±?  Sky said with a pout.

    ¡°No, my little angel, it¡¯s just that it is meant for older ladies to wear.  It¡¯s also very expensive, and it¡¯s not a good idea to show it around.  I would hate it to be stolen by someone before you get to wear it.  I think wearing it when you¡¯ve become an educated young lady would have more of profound meaning.¡±  She tells her daughter as she moves the hair for one of Sky¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Okay mommy I can wait until then.  It¡¯s not like it something that goes with my clothes anyway. I¡¯ll wait until then, and I¡¯ll keep it with me safe around my neck as a locket or a choker.  Unless you want to keep it till, I graduate and give it to me then, before the prom.¡±  Sky said to her parents thinking of her future schooling with a smile.

    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to be getting back to the mission.  We¡¯ve taken a lot of time for our own selfish pleasures; I know how much it means to you to save as many of the mages as possible.  We had to make sure you knew a little more of your heritage in case something happens to us.  We are not as indestructible as we once thought.  We could have died without telling you about just what you really are.¡±  William told her again reminded of his possible mortally during this mission.  He was not to one to sugar coat anything for anyone, even his own daughter. ¡°We love you and want nothing but the best for you.  If you want to know anything else, it can wait until after the mission.  We both enjoyed our time with you, and we hope everything goes well for you.¡±

    ¡°I love you and mommy too.  I cast a spell over the ship to speed your time inside.  As far as anyone from outside of this ship, six seconds went by since the door slide shut.  So, we have a few more hours if you want, eighteen seconds isn¡¯t a whole lot of time to spend with your family.  I¡¯ll have to take the casted spell before you move again.  You would have a hard time working with everyone outside of our time variation.¡±  Sky¡¯s eyes lit up, and a smile spread across her face.  ¡°It would only be a problem for any shipment outside of the same time variation.  If we were all in sync with each other, there would be no problem, and we could finish this mission in minutes if we use the tweaked hyper-speed spells too.  They wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.  I just have to put a clone onto Little Tooth with Fred and Joe, and we cast the spells at the same time and bang, we¡¯re all in sync with each other.¡±  Sky said, nodding her head as she thought of it through more thoroughly before saying.  ¡°Yes, yes, yes, that will work quite well¡± under her breath to herself.  ¡°I just need to eat a lot more often if I¡¯m going to make more clones and use that much magic to maintain them.¡±

    Sky turned to her parents with the look of a sad puppy.  ¡°If only I had a few Titan meals shrunk down to snack on during this mission.  That would be perfect hi calories and very compact. Of course, not just anyone could eat something like that.  Just a few people alive could eat something like that.  To most people, it would be like eating rocks or metal.  No real way of digesting it.  If only I could ask some super kind-hearted Titans to cook up such a small feast for a cute tiny Titan for her life-saving mission.¡±  Sky said, giving the room a cursory glance around only to settle on her parents again.

    William and Rocssanna both rolled their eyes at Sky¡¯s obvious plea for food.  Shaking their heads, they smile at the young girl they¡¯re not so little girl.  ¡°All you need to do is ask for some food, and we would make somethings you can take with you.  We even have some sweets you may like to take with you.  It should only take an hour and a half or two, to make the food you would require.¡± William told Sky.

    Rocssanna takes Sky¡¯s hand into hers.  ¡°Before you get too ahead of yourself.  You should ask Fred to see if he likes the idea you came up with and lets you execute it.  You know how he likes to be in charge.  He might even have ideas about why you shouldn¡¯t perform the spells even.  You''re new to this combat situation, and he has years of experience in combat himself.  Just give him a call before you do too much preparation in this.¡±  She said to Sky, tracing her thumb around the back of her hand as she spoke.

    ¡°Oh yeah, he doesn¡¯t like it too much when I make plans without consulting him first.  I¡¯m calling him right now.  It shouldn¡¯t take too long to convey my ideas on giving that extra boost of being in slower time dilation.¡±  Sky paused as she reached out to resync with her clones.  It didn¡¯t take much even with her in another time field they were still communicating efficiently

    Fred wondered how Sky had established the link with the new shields up briefly.  Then it hit him it was Sky she made shield spells and plus she was always doing the impossible. The new visual communicating showed one of the large clones.  He answered her call with a pleasant ¡°Yes, how may I help you ensign Sky?  Todd informed me of your parents getting free, and Jane was just telling me that you''re having lunch with your parents.  Weren¡¯t you going to settle things with the aliens, are they going to leave you alone¡±?  Fred asked Sky before she could start into her Ideas for the time shifts on all of the ships.

    ¡°Hi, captain Fred sir.  I¡¯m finished with the aliens for now. Most of the castings I use will send them the spent magic.  It¡¯s actually easier than inverting the spells, and it has the same effect of hiding a casted spell.  I could make up talismans that will take the spent magic to them.  Their god Tranosius would love that.¡±  She paused before deciding to wait on making the magical items.  She had more questions to answer and started again.  I¡¯m actually contacting you with the idea that just came to me over dinner.  Right now, the time I¡¯m in is hardly moving, and I must communicate through one of me that is in normal time.  I¡¯m thinking on top of that; it is creating ten more clones. To help with the fighting when the chaos magic is in heavy use, and she and her parents almost shut down from the nauseating effect it had on Titans. I could use them to simultaneously casting the same time spell over each of our ships.  That way there won¡¯t be a problem with communications between our ships.  Once we start moving, it would be as if the rogue mages would be standing still. It would make the mission go so quickly, and we would most likely be able to save everyone alive from the time we cast the spells.¡±  Sky told Fred hoping he would see the benefits to her plan.

    ¡°Let me get this straight you talked to aliens and met their god.  You seem to think meeting a god happens to everyone.  I¡¯ll have you know that not many people ever meet a person who has met someone who seen a god.  I¡¯ve only ever heard about gods in stories, and here you are telling me you met one.¡±  Fred didn¡¯t know what to make of the young lady.  She could do so much with her talents and magical power.  He considered what Sky told him about her plans with more clones and the time spell.  ¡°How are you going to have enough magic to support twenty-nine mages using it?  I know you have  huge wells, but even you don¡¯t an infinite source of magic.¡±

    Sky answered Fred with something he should have come to expect.  ¡°I called for the god to come back and guide them to a new planet.  They were mistreating some of their own people, and I couldn¡¯t stay to help more.  I had to help them somehow, and I needed someone I could trust, and the Tranis would trust.  It¡¯s a long story, but he left for a while until I called him back.  He thanked me for helping his people and gave me a blessing.  So, I didn¡¯t have to worry about them attacking me again.  As for my magic wells are growing fast.  I¡¯m going to be in my tiny form eating shrunken down Titan food to fuel my body metabolizing magic.  Without the Tranis stealing my magic well is almost double of what it was when I was last tested.  Their god Tranosius told me I had been given these gifts for a reason and that there is a higher purpose for me to full fill.¡±

    Fred was listening to Sky and couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing.  If what she was saying was true, there was more than one god in her life.  Someone was guiding her life along for a purpose of an unknown goal.  This mission was not the end of Sky¡¯s roll for the unnamed God or gods.  He wasn¡¯t receiving any premonitions, but in every fibre of his being told him this was just a start to what her life was to accomplish.  ¡°I get the same feeling that all of this is just a beginning to what is to come in your life.  I don¡¯t see anything with my gift, yet I feel deep down that something powerful is guiding things along.¡±   Fred said to the clone before him.  He knew it was Sky inside her he was talking to.  He contemplated the time dilation spells she proposed and what he would be able to do with ten more Sky¡¯s.  He heard from Todd how they did in battle, and it was very impressive, to say the least.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what else I can do to help any more than just keep doing what I was doing.  I want to do more, I want to help everyone, but what can I do¡±?  Sky said, trying to convey what she wanted to say that emphasized her true feelings.  She hoped Fred would understand that she would do almost anything to help with the mission.

    Fred heard Sky plead with him to come up some way she could do more.  He tried to think of something she could do to help even more than she already had.  He didn¡¯t think there was anything she could do more than she has.  He was reluctant to think of something for her to do.  ¡°I think your clones will be welcome in any number from how Todd described how well they fought.  Still, I should think about the time spell you seem to like to use so much.   So how do you think being in slower time will help us in a faster time?  How is it going to work¡±?

    Sky thought about how to put it into something he would understand.  It wasn¡¯t easy to put it to words on how it would work.  She tried to think of an analogy to use to explain how it would work.  ¡°Think of two clocks both in the same timeline at first.  Once they start to move the slower time dilation allows you more time to do things.  In ordinary time, you could walk one kilometre in a minute.  In slower time, time slows not you¡¯re the physical objects under the spell. That way you could walk six times the distance in the same minute.  Would you see the person in a slower time?  I don¡¯t think you would see them because even though your time is faster, in the slower time, they would actually move faster than sight.  Do you understand what I¡¯m getting at?  I¡¯m not sure how I can explain it any different for you to understand it better.¡±

    Fred pondered what Sky had just told him.  Can slower actually mean faster when the speed of time is in the same oriented time.  As he pondered the implication of how the time cast would work.  His face brightened as he started to see how it would work during the current mission a how it could have worked in ones in the past.  ¡°I believe that your time casting could work, as you say.  I¡¯m again your student in your skewed vision of how magic works.  Only you can see so far outside of the box as to create your own circle.¡±  He took some time to think of where they could meet with a few of the new clones so he could get the extra crew and the new spell cast on the ships.  He thought having the time casting put on the captive ships would be a good idea too.  ¡°Do you think that you could put the same time casting over the captive ships too?  That way, we can still control them remotely and take out even more of the fighters without abducted magic users.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I believe we can that care of that easy enough.  Once we get a few of me on your ships, we can cast the spells all at the same time.  I have to start soon, I while I can slow time down, I can¡¯t go back, as far as I know.¡±  Sky told Fred as she got ready to leave her parents ship.  She was going to use the dust on the surface of the planet again.  It seemed to work well enough for the last two times.   When she stepped out onto the planet surface and looked out on to the scout ship, she had just left.  It looked tiny to her new size, her true size it looked tiny.   She could pick up the ship in her hands with ease.  She most likely could before, but it would have caused structural damage by her two tiny hands.  She briefly thought of taunting Jane with a childish, ¡®who is tiny now.¡¯  With a second thought, that¡¯s just what she did.   As she approached the tiny ship, part of her awareness started to process of making the ten clones.

    Jane blinked to clear her eyes as a Titan size. Sky stepped out from the ship that dwarfed her own.  Sky¡¯s parents stood behind her and gave her a wave before ducking back into the ship as Sky walked toward her small swirls of dust formed around her.  It didn¡¯t take very many steps for her to cross the distance between the two ships.  Sky bent down to look up the ramp at a surprized Jane.  Jane saw out of the swirls of dust ten large clones of Sky come forward each walked up the ramp.  Jane stood to the side on the ramp and allowed them to cramp the ship further.  Jane was wondering why sky had an actual huge smile on her face.  ¡°What¡¯s up Sky have you gained a little weight?¡± Jane said still in shock of seeing a young girl who used to reach her chin not ten minutes ago.

    Sky was still smiling when she asked her.  ¡°Why am I too fat to board your tiny ship.  So, are you up for a sparring match? So, did you shrink, or did I get a little taller¡±?  Sky was having a little fun with Jane.

    Jane smiled and spoke to her with the mission in mind.  ¡°Well if you had your fun with teasing me with your new size, I believe we should get moving soon.  Todd is going to meet us to take some of the clones to Little Tooth and the other ships under Fred¡¯s command.  This is the closest I¡¯ve ever been to a Titan.  It¡¯s a little intimidating having to look up to someone who could swallow you whole.  I¡¯m glad you¡¯re on our side.¡±  As Jane spoke, Sky shimmered and started to shrink down.  Slowly at first and speeding up as she got smaller.  When she got down to 3 metres (9¡¯.10¡±), she stopped shrinking and gave Jane a hug.

    ¡°I kind of like being the biggest person on the team.  The only problem is none of my clothes will fit other than what I¡¯m wearing.  So, I guess a cute little me is what you¡¯ll have to settle with.¡±  As Sky spoke, she shimmered again and started to shrink once more.

    Jane noticed a backpack that didn¡¯t shrink with her anymore.  ¡°What¡¯s in the backpack Sky?  It looks kind of heavy and stuffed full of something.¡±  She said letting Sky walk past into the ship and looked at the pack bulging with its contents.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Titan food that is just shrunken down.  It will be like eating two meals with every mouthful.  I¡¯ll need all of the food I can get with the magic I¡¯m using to keep twenty of me animated using magic and using 1000 litres (264 gallons) of magic being used in total.  I think if I take a bit every ten or so minutes, I can maintain my magic level.¡±  She total Jane, the small scout ship was packed For a few minutes until two walls seemed to get further away.

    Jane didn¡¯t know what to say like one or two of the Sky¡¯s enlarged the small corridor where the fourteen large clones waited.  Jane was just surprised that the once highly guarded guild secret and difficult spell casting was so easily cast by a girl new to magic.  ¡°Thanks, it was getting a little crowded in here.  It¡¯s a good thing your clones don¡¯t make any heat or even breath air.¡±  With a raised eyebrow. ¡°Or do they?¡±  Jane asked the last question out of curiosity.

    Sky smiled up at Jane, tilling her head side to side.  ¡°I can do both, and I don¡¯t need to with my large bodies.  I can use magic, and all of me are connected through it.  Right now, I have one mind and twenty-one bodies.  I can think with all twenty-one separately, but I still know everything they do and think.¡±  Sky said, looking over the large parts of her and Jane.  For most beings, the sight of twenty-one pairs of eyes and the feeling of bodies would be too much.  For Sky and her Titan ancestry, it with as easy as breathing.

    It might also have something to do with the multiple sentient entities within her body.  No one knew just how smart the magic producing plants were.  No one knew just how much their integration helped the two races mental growth.  It was likely that they were both enhanced mentally for a Titan that was a feat of its own.  Sky¡¯s mental strength was unknown and off any known charts.

 Chapter twenty-five

    Chapter twenty-five

    It didn¡¯t take long for the small craft to make it into space and meet Todd to take some more of the clones for himself.  Some of the clones he was to take were to for Little Tooth, Fred¡¯s crew.  They were to help with sending the captured magic users to the now huge house inside of Little Tooth¡¯s cargo bay.  Conny was onboard controlling both of Fred¡¯s sparing androids organizing the rescued magic users.  Some just wanted to leave, to go back to where they were taken from.  Some wanted to join the fight and get their revenge.   The androids informed them that no one could leave because there might be some planted spies that could hamper the rescue mission.  In fact, she had found three that were planted agent rogue mages who were in separated in stasis fields from the rest of the rescued magic users.  Some were protesting until they were reminded that they were lucky to be alive and free, not trapped human batteries.  Conny used the androids with as if she was made to do so.

    Fred had seen the large clones on the new vid projection calls.  He was surprised by the fact that they seemed more mature yet still looked like taller Sky¡¯s with the same proportions.

    During the missions two free the captured magic users from their stasis chambers.  The clones quick, efficient, and decisive movements.  Even during impossible odds for elite soldiers, they prevailed with what seen to be no effort.  Joe and Fred could just make sure they got to each of the next ships with captured magic users to be freed.  They knew that even though they were two elite soldiers, they seemed like children playing war games together.

    Todd, Cortney, and Heather at first tried to help the Sky clones with the missions.  They soon found out that they could do little to help.  They gave up trying to help and just co-ordinated with Captain Fred, Jane, and Rocssanna how best to finish the mission.  They used their new heightened awareness to locate any chaos magic being used to steal gifts from mages and more desirable traits.  If it weren¡¯t for the time spell, the Sky¡¯s cast many more of the lives would have been lost.

    David Teflon watched his massive fleet wink out by some unknown enemy.  He couldn¡¯t see or even divine what was causing the Titan invasion fleet to fall so quickly.  He tried to contact some of his forces that were near the first attack, but no one responded.  Whatever was attacking them, they seem to have stayed on the planetary plain.  He knew there was magic involved, but there wasn¡¯t any spent magical power coming away from the what must have been very powerful spells.  He had to do something; his revenge was being taken away by some unseen force.  By the way, his fleet was being decimated he was going to have to retreat in a spaceship capable of light speed if he was to get away.  His ship had the latest stealth tech to date, thanks to Mark Douglas.  He never heard anything after the second warning coming from Little Tooth.  He was supposed to hijack two more ships if things went well.  Something went seriously wrong after they picked up a little girl with a tremendous amount of magic.  They should have been easy to capture with the identifying signal of the two ships.  They had old stealth tech and no projectile weapons.  The shields had a shutdown code secretly installed in the A.I.  He was told where a scout ship was hiding.  It had a mission to find out where the hijacked ships were being taken.  The small ship was filled with the elite crew, and all had deep wells.  They were about to be captured, but the scout ship made some impressive maneuvers and escaped capture.  The three ships that were supposed to hijack them ended up filled with men who had memories wiped of all magic gifts erased.  Mark also informed him that Little Tooth was going to enter his solar system with the scout ship.  But after going into com-silence, they never reappeared at the right place.  A Little Tooth broke com-silence on the opposite side of the solar system.   That¡¯s when all spaced excrements broke loose. Ships and planets were being overtaken by what seemed to be four or more ships.   His commanders stopped responding with updates.  He wasn¡¯t sure if Mark had double-crossed him and sent an invasion force.  The ships that were assaulting them had some very powerful projectile weapons.  Some of the projectiles were analyzed and found to be made of hardened rock.  The gun that fired the rocks had to be a kind of magical canon he¡¯s had never heard of.  The shots that took out the ships were very precise and made from a long distance.  He couldn¡¯t think how anyone could possibly make those shots even with powerful magic.

    He had no more time now to contemplate the gun and the shots.  He had to make some hard choices to fight, flee, or surrender.  By the way, his fleet was being taken out; it would be foolish.  Surrendering didn¡¯t look too much better either.  It looked like whoever was coming stopped taking prisoners at least the corrupted chaos mages.  He had some of the more coveted gifted mages loaded onto his ship and one with the deepest magic wells. He had about forty of the captured magical people loaded onto the ship.  If he could get away, he could rebuild the fleet once he finds a new financier once he discovered if Mark Douglas sold him out.  Mark, the Fleet Commander, was paid well and had an investment in getting some of the Titan techs.  He also had no love for the colossal beings and would love to see them on the run. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    From what David understood the Titan race in the unknown space was sparsely populated.  It would have been easy to attack the Titans.  Their ships had next to no weapons and made for travel, not war.  The Titans during the war had guns that were actually meant for hunting animals, not for war.  They used the size of their bodies to kill more often than any guns.  David and a few of his most trusted mages knew using four elemental alinements, or the chaos magic could kill Titans where they were indestructible before.  Before that discovery, only Titans could kill Titans.

    David¡¯s time to choose was greatly diminishing as the unseen forces closed in.  He decided to call Mark to see why he turned against his cause.  He opened the com as he started to prepare to retreat.  As the dedicated com opened, Mark started the vid-call with what David thought was annoyed tone.  ¡°How can I help you now?  How did capturing Little Tooth and the scout ship?  Did they escape again, or it was harder to capture them than you thought?¡±

    David was enraged ¡°I never even seen them let alone capture anyone.  I was, however, attacked by the covert forces you sent me.  I don¡¯t know what viral and twisted games your playing by sending an elite cloaked squadron to wipe out something you helped just as much to build.  Why would you not only pull back but try to destroy everything we worked for?¡±  He retorted in rage as he packed some personal things into a small pocket space box.

    Mark couldn¡¯t understand what David was talking about.  The two ships couldn¡¯t have put up that much of a fight with no suitable shielding or projectile weapons.  Even with the strange girl¡¯s magic would be no match for the forces, David¡¯s huge fleet possessed.  He knew the two crews were very formable in ground combat, but they were on a ship their personal magic was of no use.  With no shields, even the little girl Sky tremendous magic well was of no use once their ship was hit by a laser or projectile.  ¡°What are you talking about David?  I sent nothing but two of the imperial ships I gave you the disabling codes for.  They had no shield upgrades or weapon you had not been told able.  They should have been easy to overtake if you couldn¡¯t handle two poorly armed ships with no shields.  How could you take care of a universe full of Titans?¡±  He asked David.  He remembered all of the upgrades that were sent onto the imperials fleet network.  He didn¡¯t think Fred and Joe came up with all of them at one time but over the years and held back many for themselves as many do.  He never thought anyone would come up with so many and not enter then for extra credit.  Now he was questioning where they got the spells.  The little girl told him she had come up with some spell modifications and did somethings that were thought to be impossible.  He was planning on using her as his own battery once the skirmishes started with the Titans.  He didn¡¯t like how the little snob returned his antique gun and bragged how much magic she had.  Now apparently, she slipped through David¡¯s captive solar system and was now possibly wreaking havoc on his allies.  ¡°Did you install all of the new upgrades onto your system?  There were quite a few; some of them could possibly help you find your assailants.¡±

    ¡°I just want to know why you turned on us?  They couldn¡¯t have gotten by us without help from another team of scouts and battleships.  You had to have told someone to warn them.  I¡¯m going to make you pay for double-crossing me and the great cause against the oppressive Titans.¡±  David spat out, rage showing on his face as he stormed onto his battleship.  He left the com open not knowing if it could be traced, but he did want to let him make another call before he left.  It came to him then that the two Titans did show up.  But it couldn¡¯t have been the ones from Little Tooth.  They were full size when they appeared coming from an actual ship.

    Mark was shocked at the accusation and the new information of their plan going so wrong. ¡°I haven¡¯t told anyone of our plans and definitely not Captain Fred, Joe, or Squad leader Todd and his misfit crew.  I just wanted them gone and giving them to our cause would have been a fitting end.  I thought the gift captain Fred possesses would have been something you could have used.  The three others would have been a bonus being small Titans.  I want the Titan menaces over and the huge miscreants gone or even subjugated.  Size does not mean might.  They shouldn¡¯t have used their size to kill your parents.¡±  Mark hoped his words would placate David¡¯s tirade.

    David heard everything Mark said and did not believe his words.  He was in his new battleship, getting ready to run and fight his way out.  He was formulating a plan of what he could do in defence of his ultimate goal.  He had a few ideas of what he could do with the chaos magic against the Titans.  The ship was manned by efficient men and women.  They stayed well out of his way as he ranted on about how his plans were in ruins.  David just had to wait until they had the maximum power chambers.  He wished that the people knew that some sacrifices were necessary for their success to complete his mission of stopping the Titan perceive inevitable oppression.

    Few of the men around him knew that the chaos magic was taking its toll on his sanity.  He was slipping into dilutions of grandeur and unholy righteousness.  The man David Teflon was no longer of sound mind, and no one else noticed because most were even further along than he was.  Many of the men thought that the shields they used were working to stop the process of insanity.  What it did do was slow the process that no one could recognize the fall into madness.

 Chapter Twenty-six The Battle with Love and Hate

    Chapter twenty-six The Battle with Love and Hate

    The last planet in the small solar system was surrounded by hundreds of spaceships with strange sensor spells.  Six incoming ships were slipping into the formation watching, planning how to save the captive people inside of the ships.

    Fred contacted his small fleet of four crewed ships and two remote-controlled ones.  With a spell that Fred could not even conceive.  They all stood in a room in a place with no time.  They all nodded to each other in acknowledgement and Sky was unusually subdued.    ¡°We¡¯re here and any closer we will be spotted even with our amazing new stealth spells.  I¡¯m not sure if we can save everyone who was captured.  Once we start our campaign in orbit around the planet, there¡¯s no telling what they¡¯ll do.¡±  He said, rubbing his huge hand over his close crop hair.  He considered everyone¡¯s faces as he addressed them all.  ¡°I¡¯ve seen many different outcomes, and none of them were what I would count as acceptable.  Some of them died.  Some of them, they all died.  The main problem is the fact that our little angel will become a killer with no mercy.¡±  Fred walked up to the tiny girl and knelt in front of her.¡±  I never thought I would ever see a beautiful little girl go into battle at my side with my consent.  Here I am joining the bravest and wonderful girl selflessly helping save the known galaxy from the devastating war that would cost uncountable lives.  If it weren¡¯t for the fact that all would be lost without you joining you wouldn¡¯t be here.  I¡¯m ashamed that we have to take advantage of your skill, power and willing to give us access to your magic.¡±  Fred ran his fingers through her bangs leaned forwards to kiss her forehead, just like he¡¯s done to his two daughters hundreds of times.  ¡°I thank you, we thank you, and the known galaxy would thank you if they were to find out.   We¡¯ll keep it a secret for now, until you get older and choose if you want or don¡¯t want the fame.¡±  He stood up to once again tower over the small girl.

    He waved a hand toward a far-off wall, and the view outside of the ship appeared.  Soon projected flight paths ghosted out from each ship.  On some of the ships, there were two sets of numbers, red and blue.  Fred¡¯s deep, powerful voice carried easily to everyone¡¯s ears.  ¡°We¡¯re going to hit the ships with the most captured people first and free them.¡±  He turned to Todd, and he stood straight, ¡°yes, captain Fred sir.¡±

    ¡°I would like you to remove the threats of all the ships with no captives around this planet.    You can do it any way you and your crew seem fit.¡±   Fred told him with venom in his voice towards the psychotic mages.   ¡°I care not if they¡¯re left alive or dead.  I can¡¯t let Sky be the only one who¡¯s taking lives on this mission.  She is not going to be guilty of taking innocent lives because there are not innocent mages outside of those chambers.  If any of those mages get away and attack a Titan with more than three elemental affinities or chaos magic a new war will start.  If the titans find out that there is the magic that can harm them, a war may start.  So, \ everyone does your best to stop this from starting an all-out war we can not win.¡±   Fred looked out at the ships, slowly leaving the planet in their timeline.  He regarded the large ship with the largest number of captives and knew that was the most important one to stop and capture.  It was surrounded by over two dozen smaller battleships all with a significant number of captives.  It was going to be difficult to fire at them with any weapons.  Somehow they had the more advanced shields.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Sky stepped forwards and waved her hand at the image of the obvious strongly guarded ship.  ¡°Captain Fred sir, there are strong waves of chaotic magic coming from those ships.  I can feel that they have some of the stolen gifts aboard some of them as well.  We can¡¯t let them getaway.  They have agreed for more power now you can¡¯t fathom.  I can see hear them muttering under their breaths wanting, waiting for the next infusion of magic.¡±  She shook in anger, knowing how they would get that next boost in power at someone¡¯s death in the most painful way.  Jane put her hand on her shoulder and held her squeezing her.   Sky¡¯s anger was not placated but now focused on the inside towards the ones who deserved it.

    Todd stepped forwards, ¡°Captain Fred, do you think we¡¯ll be able to save all of the abducted mages.  I think we¡¯ve done a great job so far if I don¡¯t say so myself.  I know we¡¯ve done more in half a day than any four teams could have in ten days.  We can only do so much with the resources we have.¡±  Todd said, sounding just as upset as Sky felt.

    Sky didn¡¯t know what to say; she just wanted to save everyone.  They had saved everyone alive until this point.  Seventy percent of them were saved and had been cared for on the Little ship Tooth.  She was happy with what they were doing until now.  The problem was that the chaos mages had many of the new spells she had come up with.  They also must have a unique magical gifted mages to put up such a vast difference in resistance.  ¡°There has got to be something else I can do.  I can¡¯t just give up because they¡¯re fighting back a little harder.  I¡¯ve got to save them all from proving I¡¯m not useless and I can do something right.  I do have feelings, and I want to protect my friends.  Fred sir. What more can I do?  I can¡¯t slow down the time in this sector of space.  There are just too many spells being used in such proximity it will be impossible to case over all of them.¡±  She looked over to Fred, her lips quivering about to cry.

    Jane came up behind her and pulled her into a hug.  She was with her physically, so she felt the gesture and the fact they were close in strength and solid bodies.  ¡°There, there, we don¡¯t have time to cry for them yet.  We must keep doing our best and continue.  It¡¯s not just you that is trying to save everyone.  You¡¯ve done more than enough.  If it weren¡¯t for you and your efforts, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to do one-tenth of what we¡¯ve done.¡±  She kissed the top of her head.  ¡°We¡¯ll do whatever we can and then some.  We all love you and what you¡¯ve done nothing will change that.¡±

    Rocssanna and William were silently watching the new friends interact with Sky.  They were hoping that with their daughter, they could restart the talks of peace.  It was because of selfish mages and politicians that it escalated to war so quickly.  Most Titans never thought much of interacting with the tiny races through the great void in space.  They were thankful for the way everyone around them treated their daughter.  A part deep within themselves stopped their motions to console their daughter.  It was now up to her and the ones she chose to shape the future.  They had done their part in forging the future of the beings of new space.  They had their future to forge and proceed through.  They were going to see their daughter safe in school before informing their intentions.

    Joe watched how everyone regarded Sky with respect shown as an equal, not as a nine-year-old girl.  She, after all, was his secret hero.  He was so surprised at her strength, her speed and her magic.  Her kindness was impressive, as well as her willingness to share.  What she¡¯s done for everyone up till now was impossible before.  She had built an entire space ship that was beyond state of the art with nothing but magic in less than a week.  It still made his head spin when he thought about the ship.  He thought of the time when he saw when she first received her uniforms.  When he saw her close to his age as a full-grown woman, he was smiling at the thought and quickly thought of what she has been through emotionally. He now wished he could hold her tight and protect her instead of the other way around.  He watched Fred and participated in the planning of the last part of the mission.

 Chapter Twenty-seven The Final Battle

    Chapter  Twenty-seven The Final Battle

    Todd had Heather and Cortney target as many ships to disable them.   He watched on each of the enemy ships through the translucent bridge blink with the white words ¡°target acquired.¡±  Jane and Sky with the few clones they kept were to stay back and free the captive as they first planned at the onset of the mission.  Todd and his crew were the disable as many ships as possible and leave two of the clones of Sky to commandeer the ships for their use while freeing the captives.  The Knights were just to disable the larger battleships and not worry able the captives other than not destroy the ships with the captives.  Fred and Joe were to go after any ships trying to escape the solar system. After everyone received the final plan was to be executed.

    Numbers were counting down from ten in front of the assault team counted down.   The instant the count had reached zero everyone, but Jane and Sky fired their railguns.  Shots hit their marks with unreal accuracy and speed.

    Shining Fang¡¯s railguns were the most impressive with the integrated magical canons.  As it rotated a study stream of spelled bullet-shaped rock hit the rogue ships.  Todd¡¯s team could have easily wiped out all of the rogue mages if it were not for the captives.  Even with a battle going on the firepower of the completely magically built ship was spectacular.  Even as the rogue ships located the ship by the rapid firing railguns, they were already disabled.

    The Knights were not slacking off either.  Their single railgun was not idle in the least.  The spelled bullets were not as rapid but were just as accurate as Shining Fangs.  They had to move more than any of the ships in Fred¡¯s fleet mainly because of its size.

    Fred and Joe were using their own railgun with amazing efficiency.  Within a blink of an eye over half of the rogue mages fleet was disabled and any shots were fired back in retaliation.  The largest battleships the were up against had taken every shot with no damage.  It must have had multiple shields to deflect so many spelled bullets.  It also had the most captives on board drawing Sky¡¯s need to save them.

    Todd was already starting to drop the pairs of clones to free and take over some of the disabled ships. They went about their tasks with super efficiency as you would expect with elite soldiers.  As they made their way around the planets global curve, they fired at new targets as they came into view.  With the element of surprise gone, the rogue ship''s shields were reflexing the first few shots from the railgun, and the lasers had no effect what-so-ever.  The rogues were somehow using the new shields she had just came up with.  If not for the magically enhanced railguns they would have been impervious to projectile weapons also.

    William and Rocssanna were going after the low flying ships close to the planet¡¯s atmosphere.  It was with luck that they had no captives in them, so they did not have to be careful of their shots.  Still, it took more than one shot to destroy the larger fighter ships.

    Jane and Sky stayed back and with the two clones freed the captive in the disabled ships the others left behind.  Jane stayed in the pilot¡¯s seat while Sky would open the ships hull and the large clones would enter the breathed hull quickly.  All of the projectile and spells were stopped by their shields.  The rogues, on the other hand, were disabled with single well-placed spells.  Everything was going well, and the rescue was going well until Fred¡¯s call to rally.

    Fred and Joe were going after the largest battleship that was surrounded by many smaller ships in comparison to the battleship it was escorting.  Compared to Little Tooth, they were twice the size.  Even with the enhanced railgun, the rogue ships were holding their own.  Little Tooth could only hold the ships from going into deeper space and leaving into deep space to escapes.  They were quickly gaining distance from the planet and the Little ship Tooth.

    Jane in the scout ship was the first to respond to the call and left Sky and here clones in one of the smaller fighter ships with six captives to be freed.  Jane placed her ship in front of the huge battleship so it couldn¡¯t jump into FTL.  She was firing shots as fast as she could into the shields to slow any more gain into deep space.

    Sky freed the captives and put the captain and the few crew members into a static stasis field.  She cast a local healing spell to fix the ship and had the slightly enhanced A.I. pilot the to be beside Janes scout ship.  Sky watched Little Tooth and the scout ship fire at the fighter and battleships who outnumbered them five to one.  It wasn¡¯t until they were close to a hundred kilometres away that a wave of nausea passed through her.  Sky watched in horror as balls of black magic flowed out from the large battleship and four of the smaller fighters.  Where ever the balls of dark magic touched, the material vanished in a flash of light.  The shields had no effect against the balls of black chaos magic.  At first, it was just a few balls, but as they came in contact showing results against Little Tooth and the scout ship Jane was piloting, they came much more rapidly.  Where ever the black spheres touched chunk just disappeared as if it were never there.  After each contact, the ships shimmered, and the holes were no more.

    Fred and Joe realized what was happening then started to use Sky¡¯s pocket space sack of rocks to hit the black spheres.  Jane had no such luck, and her ship got smaller with every ball of black magic.

    Jane could see what was happening as her ship got small with every black sphere made contact.  She put on an enclosed spacesuit just in case she had to eject into space if the ship became too small.  Soon all of the ships were shooting out the small balls of black magic at the three ships trying to block their way to freedom.  Little Tooth was just able to keep themselves from getting hit.  Shining Fang was starting to deal with more resistance because of the shields the rogue were using and starting to use the black magic as well.  William and Rocssanna were reeling from the chaos magic being used all around them.  They had to fire from a distance, which was ineffective because of the new shields and not wanting to destroy the rogue mages ships do to the captives.

    The ship Sky and her two clones had was armed only with beam-type weapons.  She used her magic to make new spheres from space debris to throw them at the rogue ships.  The small spheres were coming from multiple ships in almost all directions.  Sky watched Jane¡¯s ship get chipped away as she was throwing huge spheres of debris to try and save Jane and herself.  If it weren¡¯t for the captive on the ships, Fred¡¯s small fleet could fire all they had without worrying about the deaths of innocent people.  It seemed that the balls of chaos magic were just floating out after being thrown.  The sheer number of black magic spheres was impossible to disable them all.  Whatever touched them was just not there anymore.  It seemed to be converted to light and nothing else.

    Fred could not let them go, and he could keep fighting the ones who could cause the downfall of the known galaxy.  If the Titan¡¯s were to be attacked with magic that could kill them, they would retaliate without remorse or mercy.  They would sweep through the known galaxy and wipe-out any and possibly all magic users.  William had told Fred and Joe in confidentiality that a large Titan battleship could destroy most planets by themselves.

    Jane was in a panic, not having anything to fight back with and no way of running. The scout ship was being hit with unreal amounts black magic.  Sky¡¯s and Fred¡¯s efforts were not doing enough; she was going to have to eject from the ship before it became too small to pilot and crush her.

    Sky called out to Jane through the coms.  ¡°You have to fly away from there we can¡¯t help you and the captives.  It doesn¡¯t even look like we can even help them.  I don¡¯t want to see you hurt and the spells I put on you will only work if there is mattered to put back.  It can¡¯t put back something that¡¯s not there.¡±  There were tears in her eyes

    Jane tried to turn about, but the ship''s power was now half of what it should have been.  She had no way of getting away with the ship in it¡¯s continuing deteriorating condition.  She grabbed a thruster made for maneuvering in space and got ready to open the escape hatch.  She powered up the thruster and was moving forward as the hatch blow open.  The decompression of the ship helped her blast out, and the flying debris helped get rid of many of the balls of black magic before they made contact with her.  Fred and Sky double their effort on saving Jane now that she had abandoned her scout ship.  Fred flew the captured ship remotely towards the black magic to put up another barrier between them.  The two ships worked well for a short time, and the on slot of black magic slowed from the smaller ships.  The large battleship just kept firing the new threat of chaos magic at an alarming rate.

    Sky was flying the ship she was in towards Jane, and the ship she was in had a hull breach.  With a quick healing spell, it was fixed, and the ship got smaller.  Sky maintained her composure right until Jane was hit with the first sphere of black chaos magic.  She could see the look on Janes''s face just before the auto-healing spell rippled over her body.  She was a little smaller after each glancing ball of black magic.   Whoever was piloting the battleship, they were intent on killing her?

    Sky shaking in rage screamed, ¡°If you don¡¯t stop trying to kill my friends, I don¡¯t care what it takes. I will end you and everything you stand for.  I don¡¯t care who, how, or what you have; I will end you.¡±  Sky¡¯s vision was filled with rage as she watched the captain response by doubling the rate of chaos magic spheres.  Sky screamed in anguish as Jane¡¯s body was blocked by hundreds of the balls of chaos magic.  With little thought of anyone one the rogue ships she retaliated against the heartless rogue mages.

    Sky ripped open the pocket space sack of rock underneath Little Tooth.   She was not out to save anyone but Jane.  In less time than you would blink Sky had made dozens of javelin shaped projectiles and was throwing them at the rogue ships.one on the ship, the shields of any kind could not handle the sheer physical kinetic energy.  She made them long and thin to go in between the chaotic magic spells.

    Fred and Joe felt the space around them shutter as thousands of tonnes of asteroids being pulled out from underneath the ship.  Fred looked to Joe, not knowing what to say as Sky got ready to go all out.  Fred¡¯s eyes glazed over with a vision.  He watched as Sky wiped out each ship one by one rogue mage, captives and all.   Some of the rogue mages were ejecting into space either got blown into their own black spells or incinerated by spell packed Sky was throwing out from a loading hatch.  While in his vision, Sky¡¯s face was in front of him. ¡°Leave now fly out far from here.  You¡¯ll know when to stop; you¡¯ll have something to pick up further out just do it now.¡±  Fred snapped from his vision of the future.  He spun around and told Joe to fly straight out from their present location.  Joe didn¡¯t question Fred he just gave a quick ¡°yes sir.¡±  Within seconds they were retreating out from the last battle.

    ¡°Is she going to be alright?  Do you know what she has planned?¡±  Joe asked Fred once they were well out of the reach of the black magic.

    Fred gave Joe a brief glance making eye contact and went back to his console.  ¡°I don¡¯t know much of what she¡¯s doing, but she knows what she has to do.  Somehow I don¡¯t know how she tapped into my gift of foresight.  I had a vision, and she was there just after it started.  She told us to fall back, and there would be something we would have to pick-up when it is time to stop.  So, I want you to scan what¡¯s up ahead and report anything questionable.¡±  Fred said, not looking up from his own console.

    Todd, Heather, and Courtney watched unable to do anything to save Jane as she was surrounded by the insidious black magic spheres.  They watched it happen to the scream in anger and anguish from Sky.  The tiny titan helped them make it as far as they did.  She and her magic kept them alive so far against all the odds.  If it weren¡¯t for that little nine-year-old girl, they would have died or captured long before.  Even in their current condition, they had a that could only do so much just to defend themselves and nothing to aid Jane or Sky.  They heard Sky across the coms.  ¡°Follow after Little Tooth, because I can¡¯t vouch for your safety if you stay here.  No bad mages will be left alive.  I will avenge those who fell before and protect those who would have followed.  It ends here,¡±!  Todd looked over to Heather and Courtney the unasked questions.  They didn¡¯t know what to do for Sky and paused at what she said.

    ¡°We are not cowards, and we outrank an ensign by magnitudes.  On the other hand, she can wipe the floor with us in a heartbeat.  She fought us before and regardless of what she said she held back, I know she did.  I believe we¡¯ll only hold her back if we stay.¡±  Todd told his crew before engaging the new quest to follow the retreating ship, Little Tooth.  They watched hundreds of spheres come into view from underneath Little Tooth as it flew off.  Many reshaped into javelins and shot out as if from one of their railguns.

    Heather and Courtney gasped as the projectiles impacted the smaller spacecraft, and within a brief flash of light, it was passed their shields.  The javelins hit the ships with deadly effect, and they were punctured as if thin balloons.  Heather turned to Courtney in awl at the power she displayed.  ¡°Thank the supernova that the tiny titan is on our side.  She¡¯s going to wipe them all out by herself she must have really been attached to Jane too.  She as an amazing soldier and friend I am going to miss her with all my¡±, Heather never finished her sentence when Fred contacted them.

    ¡°We have a man down and about to pick her up. She¡¯s not quite hurt, but there¡¯s something wrong with her.  She¡¯s different somehow and inside of a stasis-field.¡±  It was Fred¡¯s voice.  He sounded calm as he stated Jane¡¯s condition, at least as far as he could tell.

    Todd was about to ask what was wrong with her.  But the rogue¡¯s ships flared up in bright explosions.  He scanned the debris of the ships that were destroyed.  Many of the stasis chambers were unharmed to his surprise.  As he watched figures leapt from one to the other, leaving them empty after they left.

    ¡°Those are Sky¡¯s clones rescuing the captives,¡±  Courtney said before anyone else could voice what everyone had guessed.  ¡°Well, who else could move it the vacuum was space.  It not like anyone else could do it without a suit on.¡±  She spoke with smugness to hide her worrying emotions for Jane.

    Only one ship remained after Sky¡¯s first attack.  The battleship had layers upon layers of shields.  Whoever was behind those shields inside of the huge battleship was starting to fire at her with the same black magic?  She kept them at bay by hitting them with minimal pieces of debris.  It wasn¡¯t easy to keep up by herself, but still, she managed.  She had to find a way of stopping whoever was inside the ship.  He could be let out of this solar system.   She could feel nausea from the amount of chaos magic being used.  The chaos magic was affecting her thought patterns, and her mind felt muddled.   The magic she used was not as effective as when it was used against elemental magic.  With chaos magic, it seemed to slide off and lose focus.  She had to find a way of getting through the barriers around the stupid ship.  It was still moving forwards and getting faster she had to do something.  The closer it got, the more the effects of the chaos magic and black balls had on her.

    David Teflon was furious that one of his own stolen ships was fighting against him.  He knew one thing: there was a ship pact full of mages linked to use magic like they were.  He turned to a few men who sat beside him.  ¡°Can anyone get a scan through the shields on that black hole of a supernova.  They must be using the same magic stealing technique we¡¯re using.  They shouldn¡¯t have that much magic on their own.  We must capture that ship or at least destroy it.¡±

    The captain¡¯s first John Mallear pondered what to do about the ship that was, had caused so much damage just by itself.  He had no idea what kind of mages could have so much power.  He had to say something not to look as panicked as he was.  I believe the mages on the ship is using talismans to keep up this much resistance.  They can only carry so many magic talismans of that quality.¡±  He paused and tried to let David know that many of the mages using the chaos magic even shielding their minds were going mad and would so be a danger.   ¡°I think we should be using more elemental magic than chaos magic.  The madness is taking some of the mage¡¯s sanity too quickly.  If the two forward mages start to lose their sanity any more, we¡¯ll have to start putting them down.¡±  John winced at the look David gave him after his last statement.  He had seen those looks given to men never seen alive the next day.

    ¡°I hope you''re joking about killing our own men.  If they are getting out of hand, move them to the forward cargo loading dock and allow them to fire their anti-matter spheres from there.¡±  David said in a condescending tone.  ¡°As for using the elemental magic, we are using everything we¡¯ve got to hold off who, what even is in that ship.¡±  He told John as he gave a quick glance to the back aft of the ship.  ¡°Right now, we¡¯re even losing some of our weaker captives because their drained completely and the magic burn shocked them to death.  Just start to throw some of your own anti-matter spheres out.¡±  He said and as to punctuate his meaning by holding out his right hand, six black spheres formed outside of the hull shooting out to the ship that was assaulting them.

    ¡°Sorry, sir.  I¡¯ll try and more any threats to the forward docks.  But I¡¯m having a hard time using the chaos magic and keeping my judgement clear.¡±  John flinched at the scowl he received for David.  He knew his life was in danger if they managed to escape the seemingly overpowered ship.

    Before he could move out to accomplish his orders, nine humanoids started to attack.  David used his left hand to control the image and brought them into view.  ¡°What in the centre of a supernova are those things¡±?  On the view screen nine identical mages.  They were dressed in black cadet combat uniforms with skirt tights, not space combat armour.  He enhanced one of the quickly approaching mages and blinked rapidly as if to change the false image on the halo-screen.  They were around 240 cm (over 7 ft.) tall with an oddly juvenile build.  Their faces looked youthful too and were hairless on their pretty heads.  He couldn¡¯t understand why anyone would build androids to look like huge kids.  What seemed to be more disturbing was that they were using magic as any mage could.  He felt a moment of dizziness wash over him; machines can¡¯t use magic.  The slight stumble that he made went unnoticed because anyone still sane was watching nine androids closing in on their location.  David was wondering if the chaos magic was affecting his reality.  A quick analyzing gaze he was relieved it seemed that everyone else could see them too.

    It was John who answers his redundant question.  ¡°I have no idea.  There are spells around them for defence but not for life support.¡±  He replied, then looking down at a wrist tablet.  ¡°They can form the spells, but they hold no magic.  I can¡¯t see where they get the magic.  It seems they can use all five elements in a single spell of their own.¡±  He said as he reached up to his head and scratched it.  ¡°Is that even possible?¡±  He realized that it had to be possible because he was watching the impossible now.

    David didn¡¯t seem to hear John but fired a sphere at each mage.  The spheres never even came close.  Every time one came remotely close, a chunk of debris to intercepted and was removed from existence.   He watched not being able to attack effectively because the ship was taking all the concentration of his own mages.  Right now, the nine incoming mages weren¡¯t going on the offensive, yet.  Everyone on the bridge seemed entranced by the nine what seemed to be androids get closer.  They were jumping from large chunks of debris and soon after they disappeared when they all passed them.  They seemed to be cleaning the space behind themselves.  David was getting worried as was everyone else on the bridge.  They were attentive on checking any of the stasis-chambers most of them they pulled a loop over them with no visible reaction that they could see.  It wasn¡¯t until they seen the occupant disappear from within.  They weren¡¯t linked to anyone on his ship so he could tell what happened to them.

    Sky watched nine of herself approach the last ship left.  They all came up with an idea to stop the last ship before it goes into FTL.  Her tears were still rolling down her cheeks when she was about to let the rest of her team in on her idea.  She wipes the tears from her cheeks and hales Fred with her puffy red eyes.  Fred doesn¡¯t reply right away, but she can hear him talking to Joe. ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s Jane?  She so small, she has no injuries, and the uniform she¡¯s wearing is practically transparent.  She might be some kind of magical construct Sky made.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.  She¡¯s got all the right DNA, but she¡¯s soft now.  I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s so small, but it¡¯s her, she¡¯s the real deal.¡±   Joe said, checking her each eye, in turn, to check for dilations.  Everything seems to be fine, but she¡¯s not responding to any stimulation.

    Fred realizes Sky had contacted him while he was helping Jane with Joe.  He opened a wide view vid screen so she could see everyone.  Fred brushed some hair out of Jane¡¯s face while Joe attached a band around her small wrist.  Fred could feel emotions wash over him and see that Joe felt it too.  He saw Joe look around to see what just washed over him.

    While Joe was attaching the diagnostic band to Jane¡¯s now small arm, he could feel an emotion wash over him.  It felt like love, worry, and relief all at once.  He gave Fred a quick glance, and he could tell Fred felt it too.

    Jane could hear voices just on the edge of her perception.  She couldn¡¯t open her eyes no matter how hard she tried.  It¡¯s me, Jane!  I¡¯m the real deal; I just can¡¯t move on my own.  Just as she was about to give in to despair, she felt emotions wash over her.  She felt emotions from a person who had saved her many times over.  Love, relief, and worry cleared her consciousness and brought her muscles back under her control.  Tears welled up in her eyes, knowing so many of her friends loved her.  One individual sent her strength and reassurance, Sky.   Jane focused her eyes on the two men standing before her; she felt like something was wrong. It wasn¡¯t until captain Fred placed a huge hand on her shoulder that she knew what was wrong.  ¡°Why am I so small what happened to me¡±?  She knew what happened even as she voiced her question.  She remembered what happened to her ship and what happened to her after.  Before she could panic, she heard Sky¡¯s voice in her mind and felt soothing emotions.

    ¡°I could keep you safe, but not out of harm''s way.  Don¡¯t worry; your size is only temporary.  You¡¯ll get bigger over time in a few years.  Until then, I can keep you safe if you want.¡±  Sky¡¯s voice was like warm rain washing away part of her anxiety.

    Jane was confused with what to do?  She didn¡¯t want to have to grow you again.  But she realized it was better than being dead.  She tried to envision growing up again.  ¡°I thank you for the offer, but I already grew up once on my own.  I didn¡¯t need someone to help me grow up a second time.  I have all the life skills at my fingertips and thanks to you and your loving kindness an enhanced MAD tab. with magic to spare.  I believe that regardless of my size, I¡¯ll be welcome to stay with my crew.¡±  She could feel Sky¡¯s pain of rejection in her words.  There was also a feeling of understanding and reluctance to agree.

    Everyone could hear Sky¡¯s reply.  ¡°I think I understand, and I won¡¯t try and guilt you into coming.  I¡¯m sorry for not being to help you sooner.¡±  Three images of Sky appeared before the teams.  ¡°Hi, Captain Fred, Joe sir, Todd sir, Courtney, Heather, mommy, daddy I have an idea how to win against this last ship.  Captain Fred sir can I share my new idea with you¡±?

    Fred gave the apparition before him a nod.  ¡°Let¡¯s hear what you have for an idea ensign Sky.  I see that you¡¯ve slowed it down.  Do you want us to come back with our railgun blazing now that you¡¯re having a hard time¡±? His tone was only slightly teasing, and he had no smile.

    ¡°No, I want you to stay where you are, and you guy¡¯s fire at me and my other selves while your firing at the ship.  I have a spatial wormhole spell tom redirect the projectiles.  I think the mages on board can strengthen the shields on one side only.  If we can hit it from all sides in rapid succession, we bound to pierce the shield with one of the bullets.  Right now, I¡¯m gathering some material for my own rocks to throw.  I just need everyone to fire at random targets, so they don¡¯t know where the shots will come from.¡±  As Sky was telling Fred of her plan, her puffy red eyes started to clear.  Seeing all of her friends safe was doing a lot for her well being.

    ¡°I think we can do that, how about some laser fire intermixed with the projectiles. I bet that would surprise them.¡±  Fred suggested while Joe was synchronizing with Todd and the Knights.

    ¡°Sorry Fred bad idea any energy type weapon will just give them free power for their shields, and we would have more of a hassle.  Just projectiles no lasers or particle beams of any kind.  We don¡¯t want to make our work any easier do we now.  We can use them once the shields are down.¡±  Sky¡¯s smile was back knowing that everyone was safe.  ¡°I¡¯m almost all in position so get ready to fire soon.¡±  As she spoke, her spectre started to form a condense ball of magic. When she pulled her hands apart, there was half in each hand.  She smiled to her onlookers, ¡°I¡¯m ready to start the mission.  I believe Heather had come up is coming up with a random firing sequence.  Once you all have them set-up do not, I repeat do not stop firing until the ship is completely disabled.¡±  Sky said and waved her hand with the half ball of magic.  She soon faded from sight, and the connection went to sound only.  ¡°I¡¯ll be ready when you are, all of me.¡±

    Todd and his crew were ready to fire the railguns.  ¡°Fred we¡¯re ready to engage, on your word.¡±

    Fred had Joe turn the ship around he raised his hand even if it was for himself.  He quickly surveyed the screen before lowering his hand and said, ¡°fire at will.¡±

    As soon as he finished saying a fire at will.  Todd, Joe and Rocssanna started firing the railguns on their ships.  Shining Fang fired with the most projectiles.  Each of the clones received twenty projectiles at near light speed within seconds.  In all, each Sky had twenty-five projectiles inside their wormholes.  Yet they kept coming, and the escaping captain could see that something was going to happen.

    Captain David could see and was told that they were surrounded by the strange androids that could use magic.  He had little idea of what they were going to do, but he knew nothing could be done to prevent it.  He was going to have to use all of the magic he could even if it meant killing all of the captives in stasis.  He was going to issue orders to attack the androids with more vigour.  As his mouth opened, projectiles pelleted his ship from all sides at once.  The black spheres were not able to swallow up so many projectiles at once and from so many angles.  He couldn¡¯t protect the ship with the shields from being hammered from the multiple directions.  The ship''s shields were buckling, and the mages using chaos magic wee spread thin and starting to become unstable.  He had no idea what to do to prevent his ship from being captured or even destroyed.  He was racking his mind for an idea to escape or even just survive.  He could feel the ship shudder under his feet as the androids pelleted the ship with a kind of projectiles.  He had to pull even more power from their depleting life-force to boost the shields.  Inspiration hit him, and he ran passed mage babbling in their madness.  He made his way to the stasis-chambers to see if his idea would work.

    The Sky¡¯s pelleted the battleship from multiple directions, some were making it passed the shields and the black spheres.  They were slowed down enough just to dent the thickened hull.  She could feel the nausea of chaos magic even more, and the black magic balls started to come frequently.  She had shields up around her to negate the effects, but it was still getting through.  Her mental capacity allowed her to use the artificial wormholes in her hands still and two more Sky¡¯s helped join the battle.  She didn¡¯t want to hit the ship any more than to vent the air out of it.  The stasis-chambers had their own air and food reconstitution system.  They took a lot of power but had a 27-hour battery back-up.  If the stasis-chamber wasn¡¯t damaged structurally too much, it could function until the batteries failed even in the vacuum of space.

    David made his way into the cargo hold.  He passed mages firing their void magic frantically muttering, and the spheres were appearing closer to the hull.  It was becoming a race to who would destroy the ship first he didn¡¯t think it was this bad.  It was too late to do anything about it now.  He should have done something about it when John said something before, but there was no real recourse to avoid it.   When he entered the room, he could feel the elemental magic pulse from the chambers.  John was there too considering one of the tube-like coffins.  The mage inside was actually moving, as if in pain then stopped moving.  A green light near the top of the tube went red, notifying the occupant was dead.  The mage most likely died of complete magic burn.  David regarded John as he shook his head and opened and pulled the pale man out.  He made a face of revulsion as he pulled out the tubes from underneath the man¡¯s waist.

    ¡°I take it you can up with the same idea?  It won¡¯t be long before the ships hull is punctured by the androids or breached by our own maddened mages.  I wish I thought of it before and had an empty one beforehand.  Reinserting these tubes are going to be disgusting and undesirable in the best of times.¡±  John said as he gave the tubes a shake and winced at the smell.  He lifted it as to offer David him the dibs of the first chamber.

    David did not even consider being first and waved him to proceed.  ¡°Suit yourself, you know we don¡¯t have too much time,¡±  John spoke as he undressed and climbed into the chamber.  David watched as John drew up a white sheet to cover himself.  With a grunt and a face of utter displeasure washed over his face.  He had just connected himself to the stasis tubes.  David walked up to John with a condescending grin.  ¡°Had you asked me I have five empties in the next room over in pocket storage.  Ha, you should have asked me first before you jumped right in.¡±  Before he could gloat in his own wit, the ship shook and bucked from multiple impacts.

    John made a rude gesture and a sneer of his own as he closed the lid, laying back.

    David staggered over to the side door off to the side.  He used magic augmented strength to push the tubes closer, so he had room to pull his own out.  He dragged one out and keyed it open.  As he climbed in, he realized he should have undressed first.  Parts of the ceiling started to fall, so he just ripped off his captains¡¯ jacket.  The stasis chamber would connect automatically even through clothes, but it would look better if he resembled everyone else.   As he was about to close the lid, a light above his head broke free.  The light swung down and slammed into his face giving him a deep cut on his face, knocking him out to boot. The lid slid shut with him bleeding all down himself.  He would have been grateful for being knocked out if not for the blood and scarring that was bound to happen.  The fact he wouldn¡¯t feel the automatic catheter hook-ups was a blessing in itself.  He was one captain that was not going down with his ship if he could help it.

    Once enough holes were punched through the shields, Sky was finally able to get an accurate scan on the inside of the battleship.  She quickly able to find were the stasis-chambers and made sure to avoid hitting anywhere close to them.  She let out a heartfelt sob as she realized that many were dead from magical exhaustion.  Many of them might even yet die if they were not rescued soon.  One even looked like he was beaten before shoved into the stasis-chamber.  Once the shields were completely eradicated, she had the rest of the team stop firing their railguns into the wormholes they were holding.  By hand, they were shaping their own projectiles into large cutting disks so they would have easy access to the captives.  Even with one-tenth deceased, it was more than she hoped at first.  All thirteen Sky¡¯s jumped into the debris field with their special loops and saving the living captives.  She came across one that was dressed, and his face was smashed in.  There was blood all over his face and down inside the chamber.  It looked like he was forced into it through violence.  Sky felt even more enraged and wanted to find out who started this rogue faction.

    Fred had brought the rest of the team in to help out with the cleanup and rescue.  After everyone was rescued, three of the Sky¡¯s started to gather the chunks of the broken ships.  Soon she would have enough of the special metals for a new ship even bigger than the one she made for herself.  She remembered it wasn¡¯t originally for herself, but they insisted on her taking it with her.  She left the rest of the clean-up with her other selves and went to see Jane in person.

    Sky found Fred and Joe at the lowered cargo bay ramp using Her magic for telekinesis to move the loops around.  They met her with a smile and moved aside with a basic greeting so as not to hold her back.  They knew precisely what she was there for.  They could tell if anything could be done for Jane, she could do it.

    Sky used her awareness to find Jane¡¯s location.  She wasn¡¯t in the med-bay but in their personal shared bunker room.  She cast a wide spectrum healing spell just over the ship Little Tooth.  She knew they more likely did it out of habit with the number of times since she started to live with them.  Sky opened the door and found Jane curled up in a small ball under a thin sheet.  Jane was looked smaller than herself; she observed by the shape.  Sky knelt and puled the covered woman into a hug.  Jane shook in her embrace and let out a sob in anguish.  Sky didn¡¯t know what to say to someone who went from a full-grown adult to the size of a nine-year-old.  Jane was now fifteen centre metres short than Sky.  She wanted to say something to take away Jane¡¯s pain.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t hope you more than I did.  I didn¡¯t know that they had magic that could do what they did.  I didn¡¯t think it was possible to do what they did.  I couldn¡¯t even shield myself from their balls of hateful magic.  I did the best I could to help you as much as I could.¡±  Sky released Jane and pulled the cover off of her head.  She took Jane¡¯s head in her hands and kissed her on the forehead.  ¡°I¡¯ll try and see if I can make you whole again.  Let me see you; there may be something I can do with magic.¡±

    Jane could see the heartfelt pain in Sky¡¯s eyes.  She was a kind girl who was the most powerful being she knew of.  She could see the regret on her face that the girl couldn¡¯t save her.  ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible to return me to my original size?  Can you make me whole again?  Please, I can¡¯t be this tiny and still be in the military.¡±  Jane was stopped by Sky, placing a finger against her lips.

    Sky gave Jane a smile that hid some of her emotions.  ¡°First, I need to look at your body at the cellular level.  It may take some time to get you back to your original size if you could stand up in the middle of the room so I can cast a spell around you.  Jane climbed off the bunk and made her way to the centre of the room.  Jane was wearing Sky¡¯s spare uniform, and it looked three sizes too big.  The tights were loose, and the skirt was held up by a belt that had a new hole punched in it.  She had the white vest was the only thing that looked like it fit.  She held up her arms as if to say, ¡®look at what I¡¯m reduced to.¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯m ready when you are?  I can only hope you can do something for me.¡±  Her arms dropped to resign her fate.  She looked up into Sky¡¯s eyes and seen her resolution to help her further.  Jane could see the compassion in her eyes directed towards her.  Sky approached her and gave her a hug; she noticed that Sky had an unyielding body as if solid steel.  Sky must have noticed this because she was so gentle.

    Sky wanted to give Jane a reassuring hug.  As she embraced Jane, she could feel her tremble and was now squishy.  Her body was now back to normal without the insidious spells making her less than human.  She stepped back from Jane and raised her left hand.  ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take long to find out what I can do for you.  You can sit down if you wish, I just needed space around you, so it doesn¡¯t interfere with the spells.¡±  As She spoke, a ball of magic expanded out and around, Jane engulfing her in a glow of rainbow light.  Flashes of data only she could understand appeared before her eyes.  She could see that there was some hope for Jane but nothing that could be done quickly.  But Jane was going to be helped, but it would take years before she would recuperate.  Sky knew the scan only took two seconds but held the spell for a full minute.  She only did it for Jane¡¯s benefit.  They never understood that she did everything in seconds when it came to scan and data retrieval.   ¡°Jane, I¡¯ve got good news and bad news.  You¡¯ll get back to your original size.  The thing is I can¡¯t do it with magic, at least not only.  You¡¯ll have to gain the weight yourself by eating your body will have to create its own cells.¡±  Sky told Jane as she   lowered her hand and dispersing the ball of magic.

    Jane looked apprehensive and then considered Sky¡¯s words.  ¡°How long would that take?  Weeks, months, years, do you have a rough idea how long is it going to take¡±?  Her speech sounded in-between hope and reluctance.  She wanted good news and not bad news.

    ¡°I think the bad news is that you''re going through your preteens again.  You¡¯re going to be as if your eight your nine again.  But your growth would be three times faster than normal at least until your original size.¡±  Sky told Jane as she got closer to the small woman, her dear friend.  Jane seemed to be contemplating what her life would be like for the next four years.

    ¡°How am I supposed to relive my preteens before.  It wasn¡¯t one of the better times of my life.¡±  Jane¡¯s head fell forward, and her now short hair swept in front of her eyes, hiding fresh tears.  ¡°It was most probably the worst part of my life something I still have nightmares over still.  I can¡¯t even describe to you what I went through.  It¡¯s not something I would wish on any living being.¡±   Her shoulders shook, and her breath was racked with sobs.  ¡°I can¡¯t go through that again; I just can¡¯t.¡±  She shook her head and fell to her knees, sobbing.

    Sky ran to Jane¡¯s side and hugged her close.  ¡°You don¡¯t have to go through it again just like you did before.  Everything will be different before you had no family and no money.  Now you have family and people who care about you.  Before you had to learn magic and how to live.¡±  Sky stroked her back and cradled her head into her chest.  She brushed the hair from her face and kissed her cheek.  Sky gently turn Jane to face her.  ¡°Don¡¯t forget you¡¯ll have more magic than you know what to do with.  You could make magic replenishing talismans if you need money.  Red to gold, you¡¯ll be able to relive your youth with the things you never had.¡±  Sky smile was genuine, and she considered Jane¡¯s eyes to see if there was any glimmer of her to get through.

    Jane contemplated what Sky had said.  There were a lot of good points in her words.  She could start fresh, maybe even change her name and be someone new.  She could be a rich prodigy with all five elements and magic well deeper than any other mages who weren¡¯t part of their team.  She saw the look in Sky¡¯s eyes the pleading gaze.  Jane smiled and quickly pecked her on the lips.  ¡°I¡¯ll still be your older sister right.  If I¡¯m going to age four years to everyone, in two years, I¡¯ll be sixteen, and you¡¯ll be eleven.  So, you talked me into it and your right.  I can relive my life and not make the same mistakes as before.¡±

    Sky pulled Jane to her feet.  ¡°Who said you wouldn¡¯t make mistakes.  You¡¯ll just make more mistakes, just different ones.  You just have to worry about what you¡¯re going to do when you grown-up again.  You don¡¯t have to join the Imperial Navy anymore.  I think you will because you''re really good at what you did.  You have a talent in protecting people and fighting ones who would take away the peace we have.¡±  Sky stepped back and held on to Jane¡¯s hands.  ¡°I just need to reset your body to when you were nine.  Your body will remember when it was older, and it will grow faster than you did before.¡±  Sky raised her hands again, this time to make Jane younger than she was.  A ball of orange crackling magic formed in Sky¡¯s hand and spread out engulfing Jane once more.

    Jane could feel the power in the magic enter her body.  It was a warm feeling, and it felt like water moving around her skin.  She looked down her small breast and whimpered as they flattened out and displaced around her body.  Small hairs on her arm thinned and disappeared.  She had a feeling other not visible hairs did the same.  ¡°I could live without the extra hair I got but did you have to take away my girls.  They weren¡¯t big, but they seemed to take forever to get them.¡±  Jane looked up from her body that now was like it was twelve years ago.  No! This time is different.  She didn¡¯t feel starving; she wasn¡¯t just skin and bones.  ¡°I¡¯m going to be able to live better this time.  I¡¯m going to have friends and a clean place to live.¡±  Jane said as her situation; she was to relive sunk in.

    Sky could see Jane revert to a younger girl.  She went from a tiny full-grown woman to a proportional girl the same size and height.  She watched the bumps on her chest shrink away, and she whimpered.  I didn¡¯t feel sorry for jane losing her chest bumps.  It wasn¡¯t like something you have to really work for they just grow on your chest to whatever your genes say.  ¡°You didn¡¯t work for those and just think when they come back, they¡¯ll grow faster and healthier than before.  Who knows they might even get bigger than before?  You¡¯ll have the nutrition you never had before, in that way you might have slightly different physic than before.¡± She said to the young girl before her.

    Jane looked at her self lessening to Sky, not really paying attention to her.  She wondered why she had to be made like a young girl again and not just bigger.  She wasn¡¯t going to be able to still in service as a nine-year-old.  Whereas a short woman, they could at least give her, different assignments befitting her size.  ¡°Sky you know I can¡¯t stay in-service any more with a body like this.  It¡¯s totally inappropriate for someone like me now.  Looking at myself now, I don¡¯t know if I can do this.  Everything is going to be different from now on.  Could you change me back to how I was?  It might be easier to be just a small person and stay in-service while staying with my crew.¡±

    Sky was lost for words as she looked to a now panicking Jane.  She didn¡¯t know what Jane had lost in her aged looks.  To her, a body is where your essence, your soul, where your being is made up, is carried.  ¡°I can return you to your former size, but you¡¯ll never grow any bigger fatter yes, but not taller.  Why not think about it and maybe even talk about it with Todd, Courtney and Heather.  I sure four years to have you back a little better than before will be okay with them.  You¡¯re alive and well is more than anyone else would have been giving what happened to you.  Over half of your original body was zapped into literal nothingness.  Without the spells, I placed on you and the ship we wouldn¡¯t don''t have this dilemma right now.  Don¡¯t count your eggs before their chickens or something like that.  Maybe it¡¯s something about checking a horse mouth that was given to you.¡±  Sky and Jane frowned at what old saying she was trying to recall hearing.

    Jane¡¯s mood was still unbalanced with the changes she had just gone through.  Sky¡¯s attempts at cheering her up were working.  For being so smart, she got a lot of the ancient saying completely wrong.  ¡°I think saying goes, don¡¯t could the teeth of a gift horse.  for the chicken thing, I can¡¯t even think of what you¡¯re trying to say there.¡±  Jane said, letting out a sigh looking for a mirror.  With a nine-year, old body Sky¡¯s cloth fit much better and wanted to see how she looked.  ¡°Do you have a mirror I can see myself in this is so strange to be young again.  Maybe I¡¯ll colour my hair as you did, but go a different shade of blue, navy blue.¡±  Jane chuckled to herself, thinking of what the girls would think.  She knew Todd wouldn¡¯t care if it didn¡¯t hurt the performance in her duties as a soldier.  She watched Sky open one of the walk-in locker doors and revealed a full-length mirror.  She went and stood next to Sky and seen a girl a tiny bit taller.  She had seen that face a long time ago; it was thinner, dirtier, and dressed in clothes that wouldn¡¯t even fit to be called rags.  Now her face had a pink health tint, her cheeks were rosy, and her lips were fuller than she could ever remember.  Her hair was even different soft waves and beautiful shine.  She always thought of herself as an ugly child that no one wanted.  Now she knew that it wasn¡¯t her fault that she never pretty.  She was never given a chance to be healthy or even pretty.  The only thing that seemed remotely close was her puffy red eyes from crying.  She realized now just what Sky had meant.  She could now make new memories of her youth, one where she was healthy and beautiful.  She could make a new life for herself with the knowledge of her past she had an advantage over any other pre-teen.  Would it be bad to take advantage of her new situation?  The thought now after seeing what she now looked like wasn¡¯t so bad.