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.

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.