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.”

“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.