Helena walked a bit slow to the rest room. She had kind of hoped to have someone, preferably her husband, come with her, but the droids would have none of that. She knew the pirates would prepare for stage two while she was away. As the droids were programmed as males, they were not going into the female rest room with her. She was allowed to walk in on her own, unaccompanied. Helena kept a neutral face as she did. Sonny was right. The droids was programmed in a way that would let them make plenty of mistakes, they were completely and utterly unprepared for a pirates intervention. Maybe The Duke knew why they were here right now, but he would not have sufficient time to get here to stop them. And since the prison was manned by droids, it was smooth sailing for the pirates. Now, after taking a quick leak, Helena prepared herself for the next stage of her task.
Duke Maddox had taken off with one of his smaller ships towards the prison. He was in a race for time. The pirates was working on a plan that involved the obia ambassadors, that he was sure of, most likely, Sonny Blackbones had already made a decision on how to carry the plan out as well. He, Duke Maddox himself, became the unknown factor right now. Sonny had no idea he was already on his way. Duke Maddox was determined in his quest, he needed to question Sonny about the incident on Obscurantis. But to do that, he had to get there, before Sonny made an attempt for a jail break. Duke Maddox went as fast as he could press his ship to go. He had an important agreement with him, a deal to present to Sonny,and if need be, specially made restraints to use on Sonny to keep him calm. He had his old medical file too and had a few handy tricks in his bag, to keep the pirate chief calm should he try to flee. He wanted them both, both husband and wife, together. That would ensure Sonny cooperating with his demands. That way, he could perhaps rehabilitate the pirate, make him stay with his family, but under watch. Duke Maddox for once had planned ahead, now he hoped he would not be too late.
The droids that guarded Helenas rest room, was not sure what to make of things. They had most normal behaviour patterns for all species, but how long a human could take in a rest room, was not one of those things. One thing that was not programmed into their protocol, was how long a bathroom break took for any species. And now, not having this programmed, showed a weakness in their system that a human, most spesifically a pirate, could take advantage of.
"How long does this process take for a human?" the droid asked his companion.
"I am not programmed to know that" his companion informed him.
"Then lets look inside" the first droid responded.
They opened the door to the rest room. But inside, there was no pregnant pirate to be seen.
The droids stepped inside. She could not have left, not in her condition.
Then, out of the shadows,two female arms smacked the two droids together. They both collapsed in front of her.
Helena smirked.
"You droids are so not used to females being pirates. I have played the good girl for long enough now. I am sorry, but I need your key card, I cant leave my husband and my family behind in this dump" Helena said as she bent down and opened the compartment where the key card she needed was contained.
As soon as she had it, Helena walked out of the rest room with a sly smile on her face.
In the cell, the other pirates was waiting. Sonny had checked his tools while they waited. Tia started to look a little tense. That made Sonny recall what his son had told him about her. Seemed, being the daughter of an ambassador was in some respect, no different to the one of being the child of a pirate. Life had its clear restrictions, and expectations of does and donts put on them. Tia put on a brave face, but in the end, she was like his son, when no one saw her, or she thought herself unseen, she was like a young child, lost, and looking for a way to come to grips with things. As Tia looked up, her eyes locked with Sonnys. He smiled.
"Cheer up Tia. Your parents are soon free. All I need now, is a way to open the door to the control room of the barge. From there, it is no one stopping us" Sonny said.
That seemed to work. Tia looked ever so slightly, less tense from his words.
Then, Tia did something unexpected. She pulled out a small camcorder from inside her jacket.
"Perhaps I can help with that Sonny. I happened to record the entry code to the control room as we walked past it" Tia said.
That made Sonny smile.
"Remind me, never to get on your bad side Tia. You would outsmart me in no time. I didn't even see you record it" Sonny said, with admiration.
Corso, whom had been keeping an eye out for Helenas return, turned halfway.
"Get ready, cause here comes one fiery lady, ready to blow the gates wide open" he reported with a smile.
As Helena put the card into the magnetic reader, the pirates walked out of the cell. Sonny came last.
"Good job honey. You are picking up the pirate trade at lightning speed I see" he said.
Helena just smirked.
"I decided to leave nice girl Helena behind and become Helena the pirate. It must be the unpleasant droids, I found it way too entertaining to do this. You pirates have corrupted me" she chuckled.
That made the pirates smile for a second. Helena had humour about her for sure. That was part of the reason they all loved her so much. But now, they had a rescue mission to accomplish. Sonny sent the others first, while he placed his arm around Helena. Rescue mission or not, she had done a heroic mission, her first solo operation as a pirate. He had to be a good husband and a gentleman to his wife. And what better way to do so, than act like a gentleman.
"Allow me to give you a supporting arm as we walk honey. You need to rest some, and this way, I can protect you, should the need rise".
The Obia ambassador had noticed some commotion had started in the corridor a little earlier. The droids had come with a group of prisoners a few hours ago, from the sound of it, they were pirates. He recalled the interview that had been conducted by a masked man after their arrival in the prison thought they were only there to give their statement to what had happened to Obscurantis. They were met by droids, whom used a screen to display a human interrogator. The man was masked, so they could not identify him. The guy wasn't even in the room with them, it had been recorded, while they were at the prison barge, And the interviewer had been particularly interested in making him say Sonny Blackbones name. And off course, what they had seen from the portholes of their shuttle when Obscurantis was attacked. He and his wife answered truthfully, They had not seen who shot the device at Obscurantis, they had felt the shockwave that followed, and swe the destruction afterwards. After that, they had been placed in this cell, none the wiser as to why they were held like prisoners. They were diplomats. Surely, someone would call into question where they were. If it was even known to the galaxy. He could have sworn he had heard his daughter, Tias voice earlier, with the new group that arrived. But that was impossible. His daughter did not keep pirates as company. Well, except for her new captain, whom was the son of a pirate. That was when the bars that henld them locked in, all of a sudden disappeared in front of them. Well, the bars went away, but the alarm sounded. And now the droids came running. Only to find themselves under attack, by a group of four men, and two ladies. and one of them, they knew very well.
"Tia! I am so happy to see you, how did you even find us?" her mother asked as Tia came walking into the cell.
"I am so happy to see you both, I could not have done this without help. Sonny did the work. But we got to go" Tia smiled and beckoned to the man behind her.
That made the obia ambassador look up. Behind Tia, he saw a very familiar face. Sonny Blackbones in person, and his men behind him.
The Obia ambassador was not afraid of the pirate chief. Clearly, his daughter had reached out to the pirates to find them. Since Sonny had helped her, the pirates was clearly on their side. The ambassador smiled at the other man.
"And you Mr Blackbones. We are eternally grateful for your help. How can we possibly thank you for this rescue?" he asked.
Sonny nodded. He had hoped for such an offer rather than to push for it.
"There will come a time for that Mr Ambassador, but your daughter is right when it comes to wheter or not we stay here. For now we have got to go. It wont be long until we have reinforcements here, and I think there is a limit as to how many droids we can destroy in one night. Lets go!" he said.
The ambassador nodded. Sonny was right. They had enough of Technoids hospitality for now. It was time to leave, and head back to Genesis.
Duke Maddox checked the traffic at the prison barge. A few prison transports earlier in the day. But then, just a few hours ago, a ship that was identified as a pirate ship, had contacted them. He could hardly believe it was true, so he checked which ships was parked there. There, in the hangar, a large ship in the pirates colours, was sitting. It was impressive, a sleek but big ship. Sonny had plenty of space for himself and his men onboard. Speaking of wich.. they were landing, in hiding, to intercept the pirates, and stop Sonny from making a rescue of the obia ambassadors. He still was not convinced he knew the truth about what happened on Obscurantis. The Obia ambassadors were the only witnesses to the crime. Duke Maddox face hardened. For everyones sake, they could not afford to slip up now. This time, Sonny had no idea what was upon them, and this time, they would succeed in catching him.
The pirates was hurrying towards their ship as fast as they could. But Helena slowed them down. Running was not making her feel good. And with her heavy belly, she struggled to run fast, even walk fast. Sweat was dripping down her face from the strain of it all. And Sonny could see it.
"We are almost there honey. Just a little further" he encouraged her, holding an arm behind her back, to push her forwards as they ran for the ship, with droids shooting at them.
The commotion behind them, indicating reinforcements had arrived, was getting closer. Helena was breaking into hard sweats, but was determined to get out of here, safely. She sent a worried look over her shoulder. the droids was gaining on them, she had to run faster to make it. But she kept slowing down. Sonny threw a look over his shoulder, and that was when he saw the ship preparing to dock. The shock hit him hard.
Duke Maddox personal ship. If he was here, time was running out. And he had to make sure Helena stayed safe.
They did not need this now. Sonny didn't think twice about it. He had to get Helena and his men out of here, before Duke Maddox caught up with medical condition made her require rest, not this kind of stress. He should have left her at Genesis, where she would have been safe, guarded by his men. And he had chosen not to, with dire consequenses for them all. Now, the droids was also getting a lot closer. Corso had slowed down, checking to see if Sonny needed help. That was when Sonny had an idea. Corso would not like it, and he didnt care. As the captain, this was his responsibility, to keep his crew safe. And that was exactly what he was going to do. As soon as Corso reached them, looking like a question mark, Sonny handed Helena to him.
"Corso, take Helena and get her safely on board. I will hold them off. I might arrive at the last minute, but get her to safety!" Sonny yelled, as he handed Helena over into Corsos arms.
"Sonny, No! dont do this. You do that, they will capture you" Helena whimpered, frightened at the prospect of being separated from her husband again. She almost lost him four years ago, and that part she had not even seen with her own eyes, just heard from others. This time, she could tell Sonny had made up his mind, and she disagreed with him on this plan.
Corso agreed with her.
"That is insanity Sonny. We are not leaving you behind" he objected.
Sonny didn't even care what he said. Someone had to stay behind and hold of Technoid while the others fled. And that someone, was the one they wanted to get their hands on more than anyone else, him. Sonny looked into Corsos desperate eyes.
"The most important now, is to get Helena and the baby to safety Corso. Don't worry about me, I will be fine" Sonny said.
Corso looked like he wanted to protest wildly, but Sonnys look told him this was not the time or the place.
Corso looked at Helena.
"We better do as he asks. The ambassadors are already on board. Lets hurry" Corso said, and secured his grip on her, before he started running.
Sonny had pulled out a small vapour laser as he saw Corso and his wife run for the safety of the ship,then he followed them. He stopped for a few steps and took a few shots, before he followed Corso.
Corso and the others were already on board as Sonny came sprinting towards them. They all cried out for him to be faster.
That was when things went wrong. From out of nowhere,a fence of laser beams cut Sonny off from making a safe escape to his ship. They saw the laser beam wall shoot up in front of him. In the distance, they could see Duke Maddox at a control panel. Sonny was trapped.
On board, stood the Ambassadors and the pirates, and watched in pure horror. Corso charged his cybernetic eye, to blast an escape route for Sonny in the grid. He hoped to damage the eletric circuts enough to allow Sonny to get through the net and into safety. The blast hit hard. Nothing happened. Corso was in shock.
"Sonny, is there anywhere you can get through?" Corso yelled.
Sonny was already searching, and found no way.
That made him make a decision. One that would leave his family, the pirates, in a bad position, and himself in an even worse one. But right now, they had to leave, to get the ambassadors out, albeit it be without him.
"Leave! I will be fine. Get Helena and the ambassadors to safety. Thats an order!" he yelled back.
Corso nodded. But his face was one pained expression. This was one order he found hard to obey. Sonny had just asked them to abandon the rescue on his behalf. They would make a get away, he would not. By following orders, Technoid would finally have it their way. They would capture him. And they had no idea what was in store for their leader. They risked this being the last time they ever saw him was the hardest thing he ever had to do. Corso had to force himself to close the ramp and take off, seeing Sonny back up, at a distance from the droids. Helena was crying. She could not believe what she had just seen. This had to be a living nightmare.
They were leaving him behind. And She knew Duke Maddox ship. Something in their plan had gone wrong. Where that fault was, they didn't know, but the result was clear. While they got away, Sonny would now face imprisonment, or worse.
Helena felt Corso pull her close. He embraced her, and she could see the streaks of tears from his normal eye too. The others also looked very concerned. Artie and Bennett also hugged each other, while tears streamed down their cheeks. This was not at all what they wanted. The obia ambassador spoke up first.
"Is there anywhere onboard I can make a holo call, to a lawyer? Sonny will need legal help getting out of this, and since he helped Tia, we will now aide him in any way we can. I will put the wheels in motion this instant, to assure Sonny is well cared for, until he can be reunited with you. dont worry about the expences, that is the least we can do for him" he said.
Tia looked at Helena.
"I am so sorry this happened Helena. This was not my plan. I trust dad to do whatever it takes, to free Sonny and have him safely returned to the pirates. Like you told me to trust Sonny Artie, I now ask you to trust my dad to do his very best to help Sonny, in any way he can" she said.
Helena nodded. This wasn't Tias fault. Tia didn't make the call to stay behind and secure everyone elses escape. That was Sonnys choice. Had he known what was in the process of happening? And sacrificed himself for their safety? Or was this all about her and their baby being safe, above all? Helena felt absolutely horrible inside. But then, it was like someone flipped a switch inside her. Sonny had sacrificed himself for her and everyone elses safety. She didn't think Duke Maddox wanted to hurt him. But now, they had to start the work, trying to free him. And this time, she had a feeling it would be harder than freeing him from Bleylocks grasp.
"Corso, you need to fill Sonnys position for now. I don't know how to be a leader, but I will ask to be included in the decision calls you make. Duke Maddox wont hurt Sonny. He wants him back, in Technoid. There is no way Sonny would willingly do so. But Duke Maddox may have a few possible deals to offer him. Sonny will play along, if it means we all stay safe" Helena said.
Corso agreed.
"We will need a lawyer we can trust. And I know there will be special protocols in place for Sonnys case. They may not even say they got him to Arcadia news, and just leave the poster up, pretending the bounty is still up for grabs. If they don't, they will announce it soon, that they got him in custody. We need to know where they will hold him, and what will be done to him. Then, we need to prepare for the trial they are sure to hold against him. They cant hold him for long unless they bring charges against him" Corso said.
The rest of the conversation became a blur for Helena. She was not sure how their son would take this news. She needed to speak to him, and as soon as possible. As soon as Corso and the ambassador went to make the call, Helena looked at the other two women.
"I could use some female company right now, to take my mind off of this. All I need to focus on is, Sonny will be fine. I got to stay positive".
Sonny knew this had to happen one day. So far, they had managed to stay ahead of Technoid in this cat and mouse game. This time though, they got what they wanted for so long. A more than 20 year long cat and mouse game came to an end. He had let himself get captured, to buy Corso enough time to get them all safely away from here. As long as Helena and their baby was safe, and out of harms way, he could get through this. Sonny looked up as droids surrounded him, and Duke Maddox came into view. He nodded.
"This time, there is no escape Sonny. I would advice you to cooperate. We will find your men, and your wife soon enough. Put down your weapon and place your hands on your back so we can handcuff you" he said.
Sonny looked at him as he slowly raised his hands above his head.
"Let them go Your Excellency. We both know its me you want. Now, you got me right where you want me. I cant escape this time, we both know that. I may even be cooperative to whatever you got this imprisonment to be, but then, you leave my wife and my men out of this. This matter is between you and me Your Excellency. Not them" Sonny said.
Duke Maddox nodded.
"Not going to happen Sonny. You got to give me a lot more than that to let go of chasing you captured, we will focus on Corso and your wife next. I will now put out a wanted poster for your wife and Corso. At the moment, you may not see what I am trying to do here. But in time, you will. Handcuff him, and place him in the guest cabin aboard my ship. We are headed back to Genesis" Duke Maddox ordered.
Sonny looked at him. This time, it proved hard to stay neutral. Duke Maddox had a game play going on that he was not aware of. For now, his best bet, was to play along. He wasn't worried for himself. But Duke Maddox had indicated that he had plans laid that included Helena. He, as her husband, had to do whatever it took to keep her safe. Sonny made the call, to go along with what Duke Maddox proposed, as long as it didn't include hunting down his wife. He could handle being imprisoned. She needed to stay safe. As long as she was with Corso, she was safe. And as he was led into the cabin that would be his prison cell for the trip, Sonny was not making things hard for the droids.
As the door was locked behind him,He laid down on the bed, hands still cuffed on his back. Duke Maddox did not take any chances. Good idea, he wouldnt either, if roles were reversed.
Sonny looked out the porthole. His heart was heavy from being apart from her again, it did not get easier, just harder and harder. But, as long as she and his unborn daugher was safe, Sonny would do whatever was in his power to keep it that way, even if it meant a full on trial for his crimes and being under Duke Maddox watchful eye until further notice.
"I am so sorry for this honey. But your safety is more important than mine. Stay safe, and protect our daughter, until we meet again"..