Ok it doesn't have everything I promised in the last chapter, no race and no Ace or Cyclonis. But you learn Skylar's brother's name! I'm so sorry it took so long! Hopefully the next one won't take as long!

The time I had till they got there I used to write Ace a message telling him what had happened and that I would be at my home terra for a week then from there I would either head back to Cyclonia or go see the Atmos for a while. I hid the message crystal in a hollow of the tree's base and relaxed.

I sat under the tree's shade and waited. I didn't have to wait long, after a few minutes a fog horn blew. Startled I sat up and saw a large air ship heading towards the terra. It was gray with a blue insignia of a hawk on it, The Condor, home of the Storm Hawks.

I climbed on the Sky-Blade and flew out to me them. The Condor stopped and I landed in the hanger where three skimmers the same color as the insignia, a heliskooter same color, and a strange three wheeled vehicle with roll bars that was a dark green were parked. Also in the hanger was the entire Storm Hawks squad.

I switched off the Sky-Blade and climbed off. Aerrow came forward holding out his hand. I took it, gripping in a firm handshake.

"Welcome to the Condor," he said, smiling broadly. "We didn't introduce ourselves properly back on Cyclonia. I'm Aerrow and this," he indicated the blue creature I had noticed before "is Radarr."

The girl stepped over and took my hand, shaking it enthusiastically. "I'm Piper, and I've heard SO many interesting things from your friend! I can't wait to get to know you better!"

"Great," I said as my arm shook with hers, "Can I have my arm back?"

"Oh," she squeaked letting go of my arm. She giggled a little, "sorry!"

I grinned at her but before I could respond the blonde bumped her out of the way.

"Hey," he said, trying to sound and look cool, but succeeding neither, "I'm Finn and I'd like to get to know you better too."

"Thanks," I said slightly disturbed, "but no thanks. I'll pass!"

The Wallop raised his hand slightly, "uh hi!" his voice was deep and sound almost timid. "I'm Junko. Uh… glad to meet you!" he held out his hand

I smiled and took his hand. I had seen a couple of Wallops passing through the terra but they always scared me too much to get close, but this guy seemed like a really sweetheart.

"Turbo powered crystal jets, light weight battle armor, and a 1 to 3 ratio crystal power converter." (A/n a 1 to 3 power converter makes it so you put one crystal in and the converter makes it into the power of three crystals.)

I looked around and saw a Merb pawing at the Sky-Blade.

"Its," he turned around and looked over at me and the rest of his team, "perfect!"

"Thanks," I said raising an eyebrow and smiling. "Built it myself."

"Interesting… What did you use as a skeleton?"

"The Switchblade Elite body but I got rid of the armor and replaced the power converter."

"Genus," he said putting his hands together. "Do you have other inventions?"

"One original and a modified one."

He moved forward suddenly, standing a little too close to me. "May I," he glanced around as if he was about to tell me something top secret, "see them?"

"Uh," I said taking a step back, "sure. But first why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Oh right! My name," he said putting a hand on his chest "is Stork. I'm the pilot of the Condor and gadget specialist. Now do show me these other inventions!"

I laughed and pulled the Energy Blade. "This is the modified one." I handed him the weapon, hilt first.

Aerrow looked closer at my sword. "Hey, that looks like…"

I nodded, "the Dark Ace's Energy Blade, I know. It's a modified version of it, smaller and easier for some of my size to handle and maneuver."

"But why the Dark Ace's," he asked. "There are so many different kinds of weapons. Why…"

"The Dark Ace taught me how to fight, and use weapons."

There was a silence that followed my words, and then Piper spoke. "Uh-Guys I know that all of this is weird but why should probably get going if we want to get back to the Rest Terra before it gets late."

"Piper's right," Aerrow said, still glancing from me to my sword. "Let's get going."

"Wait," Stork said suddenly and looked from Aerrow to me, "I still haven't seen the other invention. No offence, but this," he indicated the weapon in his hands, "does not interest me."

I grinned at him, "I'll show you when we get to the terra. My invention needs room to work correctly without putting anything at risk."

He put his figure tips together, thinking. Then he smiled, "I think I can leave the Condor for that."

"Great now let's get going," Aerrow said and everyone moved to their stations. I just stood around on the bridge and chatted either with Stork about gadgets or Piper about crystals.

* * *

The Condor landed on the docks of the "Rest Terra", as I learned people called my home terra, in the early evening. During the travel I befriended all the members of the Storm Hawks with shocking ease.

"So where first," Aerrow asked as we each climbed on to each of our respected vehicles. During the flight I had learned that the green one was Stork's, along with what some of the features that he put in it (most of them made me laugh!) and that he called it the Stork Mobile

"To the town store, Vic, Saar and I would hang there every Friday when none of us had curfew. No doubt they're there, no matter if one of us is missing we always met up."

Aerrow nodded, "let's go."

I stop in front of Vic's house, the squad around me. I climbed off the Sky-Blade picking up a far sized pebble and threw it at the second story window.

It hit and clattered to the ground. A shadow came to the window then suddenly disappeared. About 30 seconds later, the front door blew open and Vic came running towards me with Saar in his heels.

"Skylar," they both shouted as they tackled me, literally!

I laughed and allowed myself to be toppled over by their embrace. "Come on guys! You've gone without seeing me longer than a month." I pushed them off of me and stood up.

"This was different," Vic said, punching me in the arm lightly.

"Yeah," Saar said, with a slight whine. "We know when you're coming back when you got grounded."

I laughed again, sitting on the seat of the Sky-Blade.

As I did the sound of engines reached my ears. Looking around I saw 5 bikes coming towards the store, their head lights blinding.

"Hey," Aerrow shouted over to them, "kill the lights!"

"It's my brother and his friends," I said. The lights went out and 6 people came over, two had come from the lead bike.

"Skylar," my brother shouted. "Skylar, where have you been!?"

"None of your business, Nathaniel!"

"Don't call me that," he shouted and he was now close enough that I could see the vein in his forehead and neck popping out.

I chuckled. "What's the matter Nathaniel? Still wanting to be called Thrasher?"

"That is my name!"

I laughed openly. "Thrasher is not a name for anyone who can't fix his own ride."

"Speaking of rides," he said standing across from me with his girlfriend hanging of his shoulder and the other four (Ray among them) flanking him. "Where is mine?"

"Hum," I said putting a finger on my chin like I was thinking. "Did you check the bottom of the cliff off Quarter Pipe Ridge? That's the last place I saw it."

"You little," he shouted and threw a punch at me.

I stood and stepped into him. His punch missed me and set him off balance. I slid me hand to the back of his neck and yanked him down and towards me at the same time I brought up my knee and buried it in his sternum. (A/n the sternum is the area below the ribs and about your hips.)

He gasped and sank to his knees, gasping. "How?"

"While I was away I learned many a things. One of them was how to fight hand to hand, another," I pulled out a hover crystal, "was how to use crystals in different ways." I held the crystal in the flat of my hand. A red light shot out and lifted two of Nathaniel's friends up a couple feet and dropped them. I drop wasn't high enough to harm them but enough to make a point.

The two guys pulled themselves to their feet and grabbed Nathaniel's arms yanking him up to his feet. Nathaniel staggered back a bit, staring at me with wide eyes. Then his eyes narrowed with anger, "You'll pay for that, Skylar."

I pulled out a piece of paper and wrote IOU on it. I held it out to him.

"What's that?"

"It's an IOU, as in, In Or Under you lose!"

Pure rage was clear on his face but with a glance at the crystal still in my hand and the blade on my back, he turned jerking his head towards the bikes. He, his girlfriend and three of the other guys headed towards the bikes.

Ray stayed behind staring at me. "Skylar…"

"Get going, Ray," I told him, sitting on the seat, "unless you're going to tell me or them," jerking my thumb at his friends, "something."

"What happened to you?"

"I learned how to stand, say no and back it up. Not that I can say that about you."

He stared at me then he walked away. I watched him go, without meaning to, comparing him to Ace. I shook my head and looked back at Vic and Saar.

"Well I'm not going home anytime soon."

They laughed if not nervously.

"You've changed, Sky," Vic said.

"No I haven't," I said defensively. "I just know how to fight back when facing someone."

"No you've change," Saar said, smiling broadly and threw her arms around my neck, "but it isn't a bad change."