Sonny made sure that only the most essential personnel stayed on board for this mission. If the carefully plotted plan failed, he would at least have someone miss them and set things in motion for a rescue later on. As for himself, Sonny studied the information he had on the prison barge in question. Like he thought, a high security prison. And this, he was forced to bring his wife and a team mate of his sons into.

Well, that was what he got for being so eager to clear his name. If he wanted the ambassador to help him, he had to help them first. But he had concerns regarding Helena coming with them for this. One, she was pregnant, carrying his unborn daughter, and two, till now, she could have returned to a normal life, one out of the danger that followed the pirates, once things settled. There was every chance she would be identified on this trip. Her chances of getting back to Technoid, to function as their inside woman if need be, not that he wanted to put her in that position, but it would have been handy, even he had to admit that, would be booking operations would secure footage of all of them. If Duke Maddox found out she was part of this mission, he would be out to get her too. She would become a fugitive, just like himself.

And would that really be such a bad thing if he looked at it in a wider context? Sonny had to admit, when they were apart, he felt different than before. Celibacy had been easy as long as he didn't know wheter she was alive, when guilt was eating away at him. Now that they had renewed their wows, being without her by his side, had lost its appeal. Damn it. He wanted her there, and it seemed, she wanted to be there. It was clear to him, as soon as they could have a family sit down with their son, there was a lot of issues to discuss.

Well, the pirates were adaptable, he had learned that from the most hardened ones among them as a rookie.

Now, it was his wife and sons turn to adapt to the life he could offer them. Not one of luxury, but one of values that it often seemed the galaxy had forgot. With that in mind, Sonny started to plot a plan that would allow for this mission to end as quick as possible, the sooner he could get his wife back to safety, the better.

Helena sat in the lounge, reading a magazine when Artie and Tia arrived.

"This is our lounge area, we use whatever free time we have here, while in flight. Most the time, it is total radio silence, since we fly in stealth mode. Anything that makes it hard for Technoid to detect us, we will use to our advantage" he explained.

Tia nodded, trying her best to pay attention to what Artie told her. But being a football star at her level, came at a price. Aarch was just as taken as Rocket, or D'Jok, with winning, although he didn't see it that way himself. His players were still young, but Aarch treated them like adults. And with little down time, Tia was now in need of rest. She had consistently been choking yawns for hours. Artie seemed to notice, and led her over to Helena.

"Would you mind if I left her with you Helena?I am a little behind on some of my chores, it would bore her to death to follow me around" he asked.

Helena smiled as she put the magazine away.

"Not at all Artie. I will make sure she gets some rest. The poor girl looks exhausted" she said, looking at Tia whom had already fallen asleep.

"As long as Sonny don't think we did this to her. If so, he will not be pleased" Artie said.

"Well Artie, since you brought it up, do I have reason to question why a prominent guest, such as an ambassadors daughter, is asleep in the lounge of our ship instead of in a cabin?" Sonny asked as he entered the lounge, crossing his arms as he looked to Artie for an answer.

Helena looked at him.

"This isnt Arties fault Sonny. Tia is exhausted from training too hard. You know how driven your son is, and as the captain, he will expect everyone on his team do do the same as he does, helped by a very driven Aarch. We have both seen first hand how Aarch trains them. Everyone, even professional footballers, need some down time to recuperate. It will take a while to reach the prison barge, so why don't we let her sleep until we need to prepare? I plan to get some shut eye too, before we head into the fire" she said.

Sonny couldn't help but smile.

Then, he gently lifted Tia into his arms.

"The cabin next to ours is available. She will rest better there. It will take hours to get to the prison barge where they are held. Bennett checked the information. While Bennett is at the controls, I need to burn off some adrenaline too. Corso agreed to help me work it out, through a hand to hand combat session. You want to give Corso an easy win ,by serving as my distraction? I want to test how I respond with a distraction present, and you get an idea of what kind of training you will receive after the pregnancy too" Sonny asked, preparing to leave the lounge with a sleeping Tia in his arms.

Helena smirked.

"That is a too tempting offer to pass up. Two pirates wrestling with each other, sweaty and oh my, so sexy" she purred in a rather flirtatious tone.

Sonny smirked.

"Let me get our guest to bed first, then we can take care of that. Try not to get too excited. Corso and I both know we put on quite a show. Its a reason we always draw a crowd each time we participate in such combat events at Shiloh" he said.

Helena could not resist the chance to tease her husband.

"Dont get too big headed here honey. Maybe I was talking about Corso being the better fighter of the two of you, and not you for once" she teased.

Corso overheard her.

"I am good at fighting, but Sonny can easily take me. Or have you failed to notice just how fit and muscular he looks. Sonny is about as physically fit as you can get. You should know. You are his wife. I refuse to believe you two always do it in the dark. Sonny is someone all girls, not matter if they are married or not,will look at twice, especially when he takes his shirt of. Trust me, any woman with her head on right,would prefer him over me" he commented.

Sonny knew they were teasing him.

"My wife is flirting with my right hand man. Now, we cant have that. I am still the captian of the ship. Get ready Corso. My wife just made this match, far more interesting than normal".

Bleylock had off course checked Duke Maddox progress on Sonnys case.

Perfect. An increased bounty was sure to make Sonny keep a low profile for now. That would keep him from finding him before he was ready. It was clear, Sonny would eventually find him, but only when he wanted to be found. What was more curious, was Sonnys wife. Helena seemed to have all of a sudden disappeared from Genesis, and when he tried to check her medical file, he found it was blocked. That was odd. Her regular doctor seemed to almost have the file blocked on purpose. But that could not be..unless.. Off course. Sonny Blackbones was her husband still. He had clearly gone in and had his men do some work to block him from keeping a track of her. Curses that she and Sonny found each other again. He was dangerous enough when he was furiously attacking them. Now that he had her, and his son back, Sonny was possibly even more dangerous with them around him. Because they kept him calm. A furious Blackbones he could handle, he knew how to rile him up if need be. A calm Blackbones..that was a different story. He had no idea how to handle that. Should he make an attempt at his son again? No, that was too risky. Sonny was sure to have pirates posted to watch his son. That would be how he acted. No, the wife would be more unexpected. But harder. Sonny wasn't letting her out of his sight. He already lost 16 years, and he would fight till death to avoid more. Bleylock had to do some studies, to find out how he could get to Sonny this time.

Tia woke up in a strange cabin. She knew she had not fallen asleep in the cabin, last thing she could remember was the lounge. This had to have happened on Sonnys orders. Well, no one could say the pirates didn't treat their guests well. She looked around, the cabin wasn't personal, it looked barely even used. Then, she took out her camcorder, to watch some footage to pass time.

Helena saw Sonny and Corso pull off their t shirts before they were to train.

Sonny was off course muscular, and athletic, all muscles. He used to be a bit thinner before and not with these arms, but he had stayed fit for sure. Corso was not all that muscular looking, but he made up for it, in speed. It seemed Sonny was right about the distraction. Her sitting on the side line, watching them train, did indeed distract him, and not just a little. She caught him looking over at her, more often than normal. And that was something Corso took advantage of. Helena hid her smile as Corso grabbed Sonny by the arm once more, and tossed him in the ground.

"Well Sonny, if you loose concentration like that, the droids will make short work of you next time. If you don't pay attention to what you are doing more, not only are you gonna get your hide kicked, you will end up in whatever kind of imprisonment Maddox has planned for you" Corso said.

Sonny got up.

"Well, I wanted to see if I could handle Helena watching us work out.." he defended himself.

Corso chuckled.

"Clearly, that wasn't as easy as you thought it would be then? You are normally more focused than this. I need you to get your head back in the game Sonny. Remeber, we are on a rescue mission, because you saw it as a chance to get the charges dropped. So get focused Blackbones, or you will be buying me drinks when we get back to Genesis. I wont go for the cheap stuff, and I can hold my alcohol" Corso warned him.

Sonny did a quick spin and managed to throw Corso into the wall. Corso smirked as he got up.

"Thats better, a few more of those, and your head should be back to normal" Corso laughed as he got into a fighting stance.

Helena smiled. Sonny did his best to focus on Corso, but clearly, her admiring him from the side line, proved deep down, he was like all men, soaking in the admiration of a beautiful woman. One that happened to be his wife. Wich made Corso toss him in the ground over and over. Corso chuckled as Sonny once again had to get back on his feet.

"Wake up Sonny. If you are going to act like this, the droids at the prison will have an easy job. Or did the adrenaline wear off faster than planned?" Corso teased.

Sonny got up and grabbed a towel to wipe of the worst of the sweat.

"How about you have bragging rights on beating me in combat till next time we do this Corso? I still have to maintain some order in the crew" Sonny said.

Corso chuckled, and gave Helena a cheerful nod. This was as close to defeat as Sonny would go.

"Whatever you say Sonny, you are the boss".

Tia had gotten up, after Artie came to check on her. She wasn't getting anything done by feeling sorry for herself. She had asked for help, from the one person that knew Technoid. Tia remembered how Sonny had told them four years earlier, about his and Clamps past with them. Her, being the daughter of the Obia moon Ambassadors, had given her access to find out more about the pirate chief. She had done it to help D'Jok get a better sense of who his father was, why he made the calls he did. And from what she could see, Sonny had done his best to reconnect with his son and wife. They had even renewed their wedding wows. It felt unfair that Sonny and the pirates were hunted again. She could totally understand how they would be angry over this. Sonny had been seen at Technoids box during the game in question, it had been reported. Something was going on, something Sonny seemed determined to fix. Tia headed off, towards the galley, maybe she could do something to thank Sonny and his men, for taking this risk for her?.

Helena was checking the inventory. It was not the full crew on board now. Sonny would not risk it. A small group stood a better chance at success than a fully manned ship. He only had his main team, her and Tia with them. After the training, Corso and Sonny headed off to the shower to wash off the sweat. She, found the way to the galley. As she entered, she looked at Artie, whom was being harassed by Tin can once again. Never a dull moment. Tin Can tasted the blue soup that had been cooked. Sonny would not allow her to eat what Tin can cooked. Helena was just about to enter the galley when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw Tia.

"Tia, you should be resting. It is sure to be lively when Sonny puts whatever plan he has come up with in action" Helena said carefully.

Tia just smiled.

"I am counting on that Helena. That is why I contacted him about this. If anyone knows how to deal with Technoid, its him. As soon as my parents are safe, my father will help him sort this accusation out, I am sure of it" Tia said.

Artie nodded, but a bit more insecure.

"Your father would be taking a risk by doing so Tia. Sonny is the most wanted man in the galaxy again. To help him, is risky. Sonny certainly did not deserve this. But here we are. Made wanted men again, and it seems Sonny was right about the culprit after all. It takes a certain kind of evil to frame someone the way Sonny is being framed now" he said.

Helena nodded what Artie said.

"Not even I, as Sonnys wife, know all the details about his past with Bleylock Artie. All I know is, they were friends once, only for Bleylock to do something, I suspect, but I am not sure, he might have stolen some of Sonnys research, and used it to hurt others. Sonny found out,and confronted him. Wich became the start of a spiral of violence, and distrust between them. I am not sure how long that had been going on when I met Sonny, but he was very careful on our dates. Almost as if he felt like he was being watched" she said.

Artie nodded. The pirates knew some of the story, from Sonnys own mouth, but they still felt, he held back a lot, to protect them. Artie decided to end their speculations about his bosses past.

"What are you two doing here at the galley? If Sonny hears about this, its my hide on the line. You ladies should be resting. When we get there, it will be intense" he explained.

Helena smiled.

"How about Tia and I prepare dinner Artie? I am sure Sonny is not going to go off on you after that. He happens to love home cooking" she told them.

Artie seemed relieved. If that meant Tin Can would not harass him, he would do what it took to get out of it.

"Anything to keep the boss happy" he smiled.

At The Black Mantas bridge, Sonny had received some information from Dame Simbai. This thing with the sphere was getting serious. Obscurantis was hit by a flux device. Sonny didn't have to guess as to whom had made it. He had no idea what a flux device was, but the very word flux, was enough to make the hairs stand on his back. And this time, it wasn't just one strain of flux he dealt with, it was a mix of fluxes, and no one knew how, fluxes mixed would react. With Bleylock doing this, this was turning worse by the minute. Once Sonny got of the cloaked call with Clamp, Corso could tell he was worried.

"Bad news Sonny?" he asked.

He got a nod in response.

"Yes Corso. It is bad. We now know for sure what is behind netherball. flux.. Not just one type of flux, but mixed one has ever tried that before. There is no telling what kind of power that will produce. The sphere really is the key to the entire operation.I should have known he would go this route. He found flux to be the most powerful weapon to hold over the galaxy. I can make guesses, but there is no telling for sure what kind of power this will produce. The sphere is the key to shutting him down. Thats where he makes it. We need to head back, once the ambassador is safe" Sonny said.

Corso just nodded. Then, he felt a smell seep into the command center. That made him smile.

"It smells like dinner is ready Sonny. We still got a few hours to get to the prison barge. We should eat while we have the chance. Who knows what kind of food Technoid serves?" he said.

Sonny smiled for a second.

"Good idea. Its better we eat here than there. I don't want my wife to eat their food. She needs nutritious foods, not their garbage" he said.

Corso grinned.

"And here they say I am the overprotective one" he chuckled.

Sonny did not let that get to him. The two headed over to the galley for a bite.

D'Jok was not happy with having learned from Mei, that Tia had done the same thing Micro Ice once did. She had gone with the pirates on a mission to try to save her parents. Sometimes, D'Jok actually felt Tia was quite selfish. It now became all about her, and her parents. Not a second thought about how this put his mother and father in a tight spot. He knew from experience how she could be once she set her mind to something. And he didn't much like it. The memory that came to mind about the snowstorm on Akillian, where Aarch had scolded all of them, for going out, to find Rocket when he was pouting, Tia had risked, not only her own life, but his and Micro Ices life too, in an attempt to find Rocket. And at times, it felt like she was not all in it for the team, this was all about Rocket for her. They, her team, came second to her it seemed. And now, Aarch had also brought in Artegor Nexus, as assistant coach. That did not make things easier. Ategor tried to get along, but he found it hard to accept him as part of the coaches team. To make up for Tias absence, Yuki, their spare goal keeper, had to play in Tias position. After what he deemed as a semi successful practice session, Artegor was now working with Yuki and Mark, to help them improve. But what he really wanted, was the same team that won the cup four years ago. No matter how good Mark or Yuki got, it didn't change the fact, they needed a good passer on the middle. They needed Rocket back, no matter how unsatisfying it felt to admit that. D'Jok picked up his tablet. Until further notice, he had to try to come up with a game strategy. He felt Mei sit down beside him.

"Are you still mad at me for helping Tia?" she asked, sounding insecure.

D'Jok knew this was about much more than just Tia. Mei had confessed to him, she was in contact with the pirates, through Corso, to keep an eye on him. Sonnys orders. His father wanted to know how he was doing when he could not see for himself. almost like his father had expected this to happen. And he knew that Bleylock was part of that. He recalled having a talk with Sonny about it after the finals last time. And the spying, if you could even call it that, it wasn't spying. It was Sonny keeping tabs on him, while his mother was in safety with him, making sure Bleylock would not try something against him. The General was obsessed with revenge, and Sonny knew how he thought.

"No Mei. I know Sonny wants the best for me. He just has not had too much practice at being a dad, that is why he is a bit bad at it. He will get better in time. I am more focused on the cup. It feels like I am the only one that really wants to win this cup" he said.

Mei understood that.

"We are still a team. You can count on me to have your back. I wont leave you" she said.

That made him look up, and smile.

"I know that Mei. If you ever did leave, I could always have Sonny track you down. He would find you, no matter where you went. When you think of it, having a pirate in the family, is actually quite handy" he smirked.

That made Mei pretend to be sulking.

"hey!" she pretended to be insulted.

He could not stay sour. D'Jok had a hearty laugh.

Helena had just put the pot on the table in the galley when Corso and Sonny came and sat down. Sonny sniffed for a second.

"Something smells good here. I might be dreaming, but could it be this is not Tin Cans cooking for once?" he asked with a smile.

Helena looked at Tia and Artie and gestured for them to stay silent until both pirates had tasted the meal. Corso took his seat as well.

"Something really smells nice, and I am starved. Where is the chow?" he asked.

Helena handed Sonny the soup spoon. Sonny took a spoonful and served his plate while he ate. Corso poured his in a glass. Helena, Tia and Artie watched as they both ate.

"Mmmm, really great" Sonny said, clearly enjoying the food.

Tia and Helena exchanged a knowing look. Now they needed to know what Corso thought. Corso took a sip from his glass. Helena wasn't sure this was because of his cybernetic components or something else, he just preferred drinking the food rather than have it on a plate.

"So, you finally decided to cook for humans eh?" Corso said.

Tin Can was upset at having his galley invaded by women, and now he let his frustration shine.

"The ladies did it, not me. I have to remind you that I am programmed to repair engines, not cook. I am a great mechanic" he pouted.

Sonny looked at Tia and Helena with a smile.

"Sounds like you ladies are better than Tin can at cooking. That is the best meal I have ever had in years, possibly the best ever" he said.

Helena chuckled.

"Coming from you, that is a compliment. You happen to prefer Shellfish as your favourite anytime. We didn't have any of that on board, or we would have made that" she said.

Tia smiled.

"Helena took the lead, I just helped out. Its just a small token of my appreciation for you doing this for me and my parents" she said.

Tin Can had enough.

"Can these girls fix a hybrid thruster while in space? Because I can" he said as he grumpily left the galley with the dirty dishes.

The pirates could not take it. Maybe Tin Can had been grumpy he wasn't human like them. But his antics made them all burst into a laughter. Soon Sonny managed to compose himself.

"honey, if you don't mind, would you take over the food from now? I know you get bored on board, so I can rather have Tin Can do laundry and you make food. He uses too much salt or destroys the food in other ways. Someof us even got food poisoning from his food" Sonny explained.

Helena smiled.

"So, this was the key to let me earn my keeping around here. Off course I will make the dinners. I don't want you to starve either" she said.

Corso chuckled.

"Think you did more than earn your keeping around here Helena. Sonny would have let you stay no matter what. Being his wife comes with certain benefits" he said.

Sonny felt a need to defend himself.

"We need more nourishing foods, and my wife is a great cook. I will leave this in her hands from now" he stated.

The pirates then got up and cleaned up after the meal, before they headed to the bridge. Sonny bade Helena, Tia and Artie to join them. They had come within reach of the prison barge now. And they had to contact the ship. Corso looked a little doubtful.

"This wont be an easy nut to crack Sonny. It is a maximum security prison. I hope you got a plan ready for how to contact them?" he asked.

Sonny appeared to be thinking. How to get in was a part he had not given much thought too. But it would have to be something Technoid did not expect even them pulling. An idea hit him.

"Perhaps we wont need a nut cracker Corso. Contact the ship!" he ordered his right hand man.

Corso looked shocked. What in Shilohs name was Sonny planning now? He didn't like having to contact the ship. This was a jail break,not an open invitation to a party. To do this could expose them to Maddox, and too soon.

"Are you sure about this Sonny?" he asked, just to make sure Sonny had a plan ready.

Sonny just nodded.

"Do it Corso!" he ordered.

Corso punched in a code, and in seconds, a face appeared on screen.

"You have reached the restricted area of Technoids prison facility 851. Identify yourself or prepare for destruction" the guard requested.

Now, all eyes were on Sonny. What could his plan possibly be to get in now? Sonny had a smirk on his face. He was applying a tactic Technoid would never foresee. It felt too brazen, even for the pirates. Sonny looked at the guard that awaited identification.

"I am Sonny Blackbones, the most wanted man in the galaxy. I have come here with my crew, to turn myself in" he responded.

Sonny could hear the gasp behind him. No one had been prepared for this. Corso looked at him.

"Sonny..I think you have lost your marbles. If Duke Maddox learns of this, we can forget about escaping" he said.

Sonny smiled.

"We are going to do this, the way only the pirates can pull it off. Gather round. While they pull us in via tractor beam, I will share with you what the plan is"..