Sonny stared hard at Miller, who sat smirking. Corso made no attempt to hide his anger.
"Start. Talking." Corso snarled as he made a move towards Miller. He was stopped by Sonny.
"Not now. We need to know more. Ask Artie and Hawk if they can find a way to locate the core." Sonny commanded in Ancient Shiloh.
"We won't let you hurt innocents." Duke Maddox said. As Sonny sat down, he pressed the button under the table that activated a direct link to Artie and Bennett. He also sent a code.
"Get all Paladins. This is a code Blue." He sent. Corso beckoned to Sonny who allowed his hands to glow with his Flux.
"We'll get what we want out of you, one way or another. It's up to you in how much pain you'll be at in the end. So get to talking." He said.
Artie and Bennett were mortified at what they heard. Sonny was scared, which almost never happened. Bennett looked at Artie as he saw the message.
"Artie, get Hawk and Solaris. This is getting tense. Maybe they can help with the interrogation." Bennett said. Artie could hear Bennett's voice shake. This was bad. Artie called his father.
"Dad, can you and Solaris head over to the Black Manta? We need your help."
Hawk and Solaris joined the others as they listened to the interrogation. Solaris clenched her fists.
"That bastard." She muttered. Hawk managed to pull up the coordinates they found for the Shiloh Core. He checked to see if there were any ships in the area. He found several in stealth mode. Artie was astounded when he saw them.
"The Paladins can do that?" Artie asked. Hawk grinned.
"Take a look." He said, and showed Artie the most recent cloaking device that Technoid had, while he sent the other link to Bennett and his system. Artie looked at it.
"I guess we don't have anything to worry about." He said, beckoning to the screen. Bennett nodded with a grin.
"I'm still trying to adjust to not everyone is out to get us." He said. Artie nodded as he sent the coordinates to Corso. Then he looked at the images again and noticed the enhanced image his father put up. Artie looked to Bennett.
"Bennett, can you pull up the Pirates' missing relatives?" He asked. Zarind joined them. He gently placed his hand on Bennett's arm.
"No need, we already figured it out." He said. Bennett looked at him. Zarind nodded.
"Kimberly and Noomi Takashi..." He said.
"Its Corso's family." Artie said carefully. Zarind looked at them all.
"Lets just tell Sonny for now. He'll know how to bring it to Corso." Artie said. Bennett agreed.
"I'll let him know."
Sonny looked at the message from Bennett. He looked at Duke Maddox and Corso.
"Continue the interrogation. I have business at the Command Center." He informed.
"Can't it wait?" Corso asked. Sonny shook his head as he placed a hand on Corso's shoulder.
"No, I'll be back soon. Keep pushing." He ordered. Corso nodded, and sat down next to Duke Maddox.
"Alright, let's keep this going." He said. Sonny closed the door to the interrogation room and headed to the Command Center. He could feel the tension in the room as he entered.
"What is it?" He asked. Zarind looked at him.
"We found something that concerns Corso." He said. Sonny felt his heart race. He really hoped this wasn't bad news for his love.
"What's the matter?" Sonny asked. Hawk pulled up the enlarged image of the graves. When Sonny saw it, he couldn't hold back a gasp.
"His Family's graves." Sonny whispered as he stared at the image.
"Do you think Corso can handle this news?" Artie asked carefully. Sonny thought it over for a minute. Corso was doing so well lately. He was so much more relaxed. So much more at ease. Sonny looked at the image again and made a decision.
"He can handle it. It may take some time but let's all be supportive. He needs this closure." Sonny managed. Bennett and Artie could see how deeply this affected him. They both smiled encouragingly. Sonny nodded.
"He'll appreciate that. Good work on finding it. As soon as I've talked with him, we'll prepare to recover the remains. They deserve a worthy burial." He said. Bennett immediately placed the order for the coffins, glad his glasses hid his tears.
Miller was exhausted. The coordinates he gave for the planet core felt off. Corso knew the system around Shiloh well. The given coordinates sounded more like the dead planet Paradisia. He couldn't help but think of Magnus Blade. After his and Sonny's latest fight, Magnus went into hiding again. The door to the interrogation room opened and Sonny entered along with two other Pirates to take Miller back to his cell.
"Without your Flux, you never would have succeeded." Miller snarled at him.
"Spoken like a true flunky." Sonny shot back. That shut Miller up. Sonny looked at Duke Maddox.
"Do you have a cell for him?" He asked. Duke Maddox rubbed his chin, looking at Sonny.
"I'll leave him in your care for now." He stated. Sonny nodded and waited for Miller to get out of earshot.
"I have some information that you both need to hear." He said. Corso looked at him.
"The coordinates he gave are not for Shiloh.
It's the outskirts of Paradisia. Magnus' domain. Should we warn him?" Corso asked. Duke Maddox nodded.
"I'll take care of it. We might need help though. Do you think the Paladins would be willing?" He asked. Sonny nodded.
"Talk to Solaris. She's in charge. Corso, we found the core that holds our Flux. Bennett and Artie have secured it, and pirates are swarming the area to protect it. They also found something else." Sonny said. Corso looked at him. He noticed something about Sonny's voice. It was… rattled. Duke Maddox left them to themselves. Sonny took a chair and sat down next to Corso.
"What did you find on the core? You're acting strangely." Corso asked. Sonny nodded slowly, as he took the folder he had brought from the command center and placed it on Corso's lap.
"Can't you just tell me what's going on?" He asked suspiciously. Sonny sighed. He had to come clear.
"It's the legal documents needed for our marriage with each other and Callie to be a thing. I want you to look over them and make your choice." Sonny said. Corso nodded. A part of him wanted to just jump at the chance and say yes, but he did want to make sure everything was in order. Sonny had more he wanted to say.
"Is there more?" Corso asked. Sonny nodded carefully.
"We found something on the piece of the core from Ascaron. Do you remeber what you told me about your wife and daughter?" He asked softly. Corso nodded.
"Did you find anything?" Corso asked.
"They found a burial site on the planet's core. I don't have to tell you which names we found there." Sonny answered. Corso opened the folder. There were two images inside. Corso looked at the grave site. He had flown past this place, so many times, and he never saw this. He gasped as he saw the close up Hawk had managed to produce.
"He found them. Kimberly, my sweet princess. Noomi, whom I treated so wrong when in my own despair." Corso's voice was shaking. He felt Sonny embrace him as he started shaking and sobbing. Loudly.
"I'll arrange for us to stop by the site and give them a proper burial." He whispered. He felt Corso hug him tighter.
"I'm blessed to have you in my life." Corso managed. Sonny didn't say anything, just let him grieve.
Solaris, Opal and Sapphire had their surprise for Artie ready. The king and Queen wanted to celebrate their freedom and rebuild. The paladins had their gifts, and now, they worked together to rebuild. Coran and Zoonia told Solaris to take time to be with her two sisters. She spent a lot of time with them. There was so many stories to share. Opal and Sapphire shared with her how they had searched for Zoltar, but not that they found him alive. They had to wait. He wasn't strong enough yet. They focused on how to properly thank Artie and the Pirates. They would reform The Trio, and do all their big numbers. That was the plan until Zarind approached them. He suggested to make something brand new.
"The bond between you three was never broken. Look how easy it was for you to sit down and talk things out." Zarind reminded them. Solaris nodded.
"Zarind's right. We have to do this as The Trio. Let's sit down and plan the show, I feel it will be spectacular." She smiled.
"Have we ever delivered a bad show?" Opal boasted.
"No, we always entertain and spread happiness and joy. Until The Bleylocks came along." Sapphire commented dryly.
"Let's not let them ruin this." Solaris said thoughtfully. Artie came along with Sonny.
"There you are. I was looking for you three." Artie said. Sonny smiled at the two he didn't know yet. Sonny looked at the two young women.
"Opal, Sapphire, I want to introduce you to Sonny Blackbones. The Former most wanted man in the Galaxy." He grinned.
"A pleasure to meet you all." Sonny smiled as he greeted them. "Artie, give them some good news." Artie nodded happily.
"Solaris, I'm so sorry we had to keep this a secret till now. There's someone who would like to see you." He said. They led them to The Black Manta's infirmary. Sonny gently grabbed Artie's arm and held him back as they opened the door. Davidson carefully helped Zoltar sit up. Solaris looked at Artie, then Sonny.
"It can't be… " She whispered. Opal and Sapphire smiled, though their eyes looked rather blank. Solaris took a hesitant step towards the bed.
"Zoltar, my Sun." She whispered as she reached him, taking his hand.
"Rainbow, my Moon." He replied. Solaris felt her eyes fill with tears. She thought she had lost him forever. She turned to Artie and Sonny, who were smiling at them.
"Take your time." Davidson said. Sonny chuckled.
"All thanks to you, Davidson. You'll be a Flux Master soon." He said.
As they left the infirmary, Artie heard his father call out,approaching them.
"It's good to see you. Zoltar has been reunited with The Trio. He's doing much better." Artie smiled. Relief was painted all over Hawk's face. His gaze shifted over to Sonny.
"Mister Blackbones, could I have a private conversation?" He asked. Sonny nodded.
"Artie, tell Corso we'll do the debrief at a later time. This is important." He said. Artie nodded, and walked off with Zarind. Sonny led Hawk to a room as they both sat down.
"I want to thank you for taking care of my son." He said. Sonny looked at him and smiled.
"Artie's one of my best hackers. I'm about to give him a promotion for it." Sonny said with a smile. Hawk smiled with pride.
"What did you want to tell me?" Sonny asked. Hawk didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took his laptop.
"It's something from a distant past. Zoltar and I did a lot of things we're not proud of. I kept an eye on how things developed when I sent that message. I was mortified to learn just how badly injured it left you. I have no excuse for my actions." He said. Sonny felt his heart skip a beat.
"Back when I worked for Technoid. The message with the eyes. It was your doing." Sonny said. Hawk nodded, looking ashamed.
"It was. And I take full responsibility for what happened." He said. Sonny felt his heart race. This could give him some answers.
"Is this how Bleylock's father found out about… us?" Sonny asked. Hawk nodded, and turned the laptop. The picture showed Sonny kissing General Bleylock.
"You were doomed from the start. Bleylock had powerful enemies. The Abraxians are not the ones you need to fear. You have met some of them before. They don't know who you really are, but if they did, you would be in mortal danger. We, The paladins, have known of this for some time, through intelligence. There is a war being planned, and has been for a long time. I can only hope that they have not discovered who you really are, and what role you play." Hawk said, looking very serious. Sonny's pulse was racing. This was dangerous. He had to protect those he loved.
"Hawk, tell me everything you know."
What kind of danger does this new enemy pose to Sonny and anyone dear to him now that Bleylock is gone?
The answer may shock you.
Thank you, Paranoidgirl, for Beta-Reading.