Helena and Corso was watching the Big kicks challenge at the Black Mantas command center. Since they had returned to Genesis, Corso had made it clear to Helena, she absolutely had to rest, if not, Sonny would have his hide when he returned. The Obia Ambassador and his wife had been helped safely back to their offices, along with Tia, whom had to return to her team. Now, it was only her and the pirates left on board. And The Black Manta without Sonny here, felt stramgely empty. There was still no news from Technoid about Sonnys arrest. It was enough to make Corso nervous. He had called the lawyer, Mr Gaetz again, to see if there was any news. Technoid liked to brag, and this time, they said absolutely nothing about Sonnys capture, or what had happened to him. Corso voiced his concerns to Mr Gaetz. If there was anything to report, Corso needed to know. But Mr Gaetz was the calm itself when he called.
"Dont you worry Mr Takashi. Mr Blackbones is doing fine. My team has examined him a few hours ago at the location he is currently held. He isnt locked up or chained, and has a lot of freedom to move around. I didnt know better, I would not think he was held there against his will. As for any injuries he might have sustained during captivity, there is not even a scratch on his body, team was very thorough. I did expect Technoid to protest this, but they have not. For Mr Blackbones, I can assure you all, that physically, he is all fine. But there has been an interesting development in the case to say the least. For now, Mr Blackbones has asked to remain in captivity, due to his current agreement with Duke Maddox. It seems Duke Maddox and he has struck some kind of deal about matters, and it will benefit the pirates, and Mr Blackbones family on a wide range. You should hear from him soon Mr Takashi. He told me, he wanted to notify you personally" Mr Gaetz informed him.
Corso was puzzled by this information.
"What in shilohs name are you talking about, Mr Gaetz? I am afraid I don't understand what you mean. Sonny being held captive, It doesnt sound like Technoid to allow him to contact us" Corso said.
Mr Gaetz looked at him.
"All I can say for now Mr Takashi, is wait for Mr Blackbones to contact you. He may still technically be a prisoner, but he has freedom to contact you all at will. It seems, you are all ganging up on a former adversary. Mr Blackbones is a tough negotiator I was told by Duke Maddox, when I visited his home" he informed the pirate.
Corso looked at him.
"So, Sonny isnt locked up in a prison cell then? They are holding him captive at Maddox home?" Corso asked.
Mr Gaetz nodded.
"That is the place Mr Takashi. But for now, I will have to claim clients privelige on the matter. Might I also ask, you and the piratesdon't make any attempts to break him out of there. Sonny will explain it all to you when he calls. When I was presented the plan from both of them, I must say I was caught by surprise myself, and that is Blackbones knows how to get things done, thats for sure. And Duke Maddox was treating him like a long lost friend. I do not think there is any reason to worry for Mr Blackbones health or safety as of now. There is a bigger picture to this matter, and I believe Mr Blackbones is better at explaining what is happening than I am. Be ready, as he might call at any time" he said.
Corso nodded. Mr Gaetz could invoke the client confidentiality privliege if he kept pushing.
He had to wait for Sonny to call them. Corso said good bye and hung up. He looked at Helena.
"I am not sure what Sonny has planned Helena. I didn't see him working with Technoid on this, coming either. Sonny is being very careful now, he must have learned something from Maddox that gives him reason for caution. Till we hear from him, all we can do is to continue watching the sphere, and see if that leads us closer to Bleylock. I would trust Sonnys instincts any day" he said.
Helena nodded.
"In the mean time, lets watch the big kicks challenge instead. I am sorry Stevens don't get to show off his special kicks, I saw him train it with Sonny, one on one. It was impressive" she said.
Bennett had joined them, and overheard Helenas last comment.
"If Stevens is impressive, you should see Sonny play. I heard he played with Technoid too, before he got too carried away with his work" he commented.
Helena had to smile when she remembered those training sessions abck in the day. Sonny had looked very alive on the pitch, able to play all positions but one, goalie. And his high jump was exceptional. Other companies that took them on in challenges, was usually the loosing team. A team where Sonny had been himself, displaying his love of the game and his very amazing skills at reading the game and be in the right place at the right time. Perhaps, he could even teach his own son a thing or two about being a great player.
"Well, I think my son would do good with a one on one training with his father too. Maybe that would deflate his head some" she mused.
"In due time Helena. Sonny will see to it, his son will be very much humbled after that kind of session, I guarantee it" Corso said.
Bennett nodded.
"Once, Stevens was much the same as D'Jok is now Helena. An egotistical player that kept the ball to himself, and his head filled with his own importance. He thought he could make the entire team, all by himself, much like Luur of The Xenons seems to think every now and then. It only took one challenge, go head to head against Sonny, in our holo training device, it might be where Clamp got his inspiration from to his own holo trainer. Lets say it this way, Stevens ego deflated completely, as Sonny didn't even break a sweat, outmatching him. Since then, Stevens has learned to be a team player, much thanks to Sonnys coaching. To help his striker, Sonny took time to train him, in both group and one on one. As of today, Stevens is at the top of his game, thanks to Sonnys training methods. They may be old school, but effective." Bennett explained.
Helena nodded.
"Maybe you gents want to tell me more stories like that about my husband? It makes it less hard to move forwards without him here, and makes me miss him a bit less when we talk about him. Before we know it, Sonny will be back with us, safe and sound" Helena suggested, rubbing her pregnant belly.
The two pirates looked at her. If this could contribute to Helena being less stressed, they were more than willing to keep talking about her husband in favourable ways. They had a wide variety of stories to share, to help lighten the mood.
At Duke Maddox home, Sonny and the Duke were watching the big kicks challenge as it commenced. Sonny found himself looking for clues in his son, to get an idea of his current mindset. In particular, he looked for signs of stess. But so far, D'Jok had seemed focused. He had signalled a triple post shot, and from the angle they watched it on holo tv, it looked beautiful. That placed his son as a candidate for a medal in this challenge. Sonny just hoped it would not fuel any more big headedness in him. that kind of mindset was a recipie for pushing your team mates away,and from what he knew, that was not what the snow kids needed. With Rocket gone, the snow kids needed a leader that would make them unite as a team, and as captain, that role fell on his son. That was, if he knew how to keep the team unified. With what he had seen, Sonny wasnt too sure his son was up for the task. He was struggling to find his footing. He wished he had asked Tia to give him a message, and some clear advice as to how to correct this, if his son would even listen. At times, Sonny was far from sure if he heeded anything they told him. If so, now would be a good time to start showing it. Sonny took a sip of the beer that Duke Maddox had brought him. Since they were both stuck here for now, they had decided to get along as much as they could. If they were to find Bleylock and take him out, they needed to be on the same page. When watching the matches together failed, this was the second best option. No Technoid staffers, No pirates, just two oposing organizations leaders, watching the game together, as friendly as they could be given the circumstances. Sonny did feel a bit restless. He had the feeling something was about to happen. But what, he had no idea. It was silence before the storm, till now.
No one could have prepared them for what came next. Seconds after D'Joks shot, came a partially mechanical face up on screen. Sonny reached for the remote and tried to switch channels, to no avail. Bleylocks ugly face was on all channels. How in the galaxy had he managed to pull such a stunt? Sonny involuntarily clenched his fists into hard balls, growing white from the pressure. There was no doubt any more. Bleylock had survived his fall, and he was back to settle the score with all whom he blamed for his accident. That included both of them. Sonny knew,this would change everything. Now,Duke Maddox had the proof he needed. He looked over at his adversary. Duke Maddox was baffled. He could not believe what he saw. Even Sonny had a hard time believing what he saw to be real. But the proof was in the pudding, and here they saw it, every one saw it, with their own eyes.
"Bleylock" Sonny muttered as he involuntarily clenched his fists.
If the humanoid could ever be described as beautiful at any time in his life, he would be charracterized as a monster now. Sonny wasnt sure what to compare him to. He focused on the evil glowing eyes under the hood. Those eyes.. Helena had told him that Maia said something about evil glowing eyes at some point, being a threat to them. If she had visions of Bleylocks eyes, he could very well understand her point of view. There was absolutely no compassion in those eyes. He had reverted completely to whom he despised back when he knew him. The human traits that Sonny valued, was weaknesses for an Abraxian like Bleylock. He had completely gone on a power trip, a mad mans delluisons. And with this, Sonny knew he was trying to make him act, come out of hiding. For once, being a prisoner meant safety, he could not go out of hiding unless he was escorted. And Sonny prefered that being by one of his own, not Technoid staff. As soon as Duke Maddox could focus, things started to happen,and at break neck speed.
Duke Maddox immediately sent the order to track the signal, and have Bleylock seized if at all possible. Sonny had the whits about him, to record the message.
On all channels,no matter wich, he could see Bleylock face.
Duke Maddox looked at Sonny.
"He has helpers Sonny, he could not have pulled this off all by himself" he stated.
Sonny agreed.
"I think Your Excellency, its high time that the pirates get involved in tracking him down. We now have an updated image of him. Before I wasn't sure if I saw right, now I know it was him I saw that day. Those eyes of his..they are possibly even more evil now than ever before" Sonny concluded.
Duke Maddox looked at him. Sonny had seen him, and not reported it? How long had he had his suspicions towards the former general of his? Duke Maddox leaned forwards, over the coffetable.
"Sonny, tell me everything, from when you saw him at the start of this cup and up till now. Bleylock is mad. He is seeking revenge on everyone that defied him last time" he said.
Sonny rubbed his chin.
"That makes for a considerable list of people he is threatening Your Excellency. I need to contact the pirates now. They would not feel comfortable speaking about this with you listening in, Im afraid. May I be so bold as to ask to be left alone when I speak to them? You are still able to track me. I would not make an escape attempt as things are now. But I need to calm them down, enough to be effective in the search they have to conduct. and time is short" Sonny informed him.
Duke Maddox nodded.
"You deal with the pirates Sonny. I will get Technoid cracking on tracking this monster. With him on the loose, there is no telling what will happen".
On the pitch of Genesis stadium, D'Jok found himself rattled at the image of the monster version of Bleylock on the screen. the message he had delivered, would sit in everones stomach. They were under a gigantic threat. What was more, He had shown up on screen, just after his shot. That made D'Jok feel like he had a target on his back. The shot from Warren, and the other competitors, he could not even remember. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Warren looked down at him. The lightnings striker had not been as affected as he had by this message. But for once,Warrens hand, meant to calm a young friend, had no calming effect on D'Jok. His father had been right all along. Bleylock was indeed alive, and now, he was after everyone in the galaxy that he felt had wronged him. This did not bode well for the finals soon to come. D'Jok had no idea of what was up, and he desperately wished to talk to his father, and calm himself.
On board the Black Manta, the secure frequenzy was all of a sudden going active. Corso knew there was a very limited list that had this frequenzy of communication, so he suspected either Clamp, or Sonny was the caller. Once he used his access code, it was clear whom the caller was.
Corso sighed deep, in pure relief as he saw his friends face on the other end.
"Sonny, thank God you are ok. We have been worried sick here. Mr Gaetz informed me, you have made some kind of deal with Technoid and Duke Maddox at the moment, that keeps you from returning immideately?I need to know what is going on" Corso said.
Sonny smiled as he looked at his overly stressed right hand man.
"Im sorry this happened Corso. But, to look on the bright side, something good came out of it as well. We, as pirates, don't stand alone anymore. not in this matter. Duke Maddox also saw Bleylocks message. He now knows whom told the truth. This takes all the pressure off the Obia Ambassadors, whom were proven truthful in their accounts of events. Duke Maddox checked the recording, and found it has been tampered with. He will now have his personal assistant check into matters, and see if we find any more leads as to whom did this. Duke Maddox and Technoid will help us cover more ground Corso, in an effort to apprehend Bleylock. It has to be done, or I dont want to think of the consequenses" Sonny informed.
Corso nodded.
"Is there a catch somewhere that you have not informed me of yet Sonny? I can tell there is things you are not telling me, despite being on the secure frquenzy. You are either beeing watched, or you dont feel like you can talk freely yet. When things run too smooth, that is usually a sign of trouble. Just tell me, and I will find a way to get you out if need be" Corso said.
Sonny sighed.
" I need to stay here for now Corso. I wish I could return, but I am still negotiating with Duke Maddox about things. I have to stay here until these negotiations are over. What worries me now, if whom Bleylock will strike most likely targets he will go after, are Helena and D'Jok, but since we still keep my wanted poster in circulation, he might try to go after me as well" Sonny said.
Corso studied him. Sonny was avoiding certain questions, he just knew it meant something he might not like. And for reasons unknown, he could not speak freely of it as of now. Corso decided, if Sonny didnt address it on his own, he would seek him out, in Duke Maddox home if need be, to get to the truth.
"Mr Gaetz said you made some kind of agreement with Technoid Sonny. Don't you think its time you tell me what that agreement is? We would want you back on board, safe and sound, as soon as possible" he said.
Sonny nodded.
"Until Bleylock is found and under lock and key, I have to coordinate things from here Corso, and there is another thing that kind of ties me down and makes me have to stay put" Sonny admitted, a bit reluctantly.
And Corso caught his hesitation.
"Did they threaten your family in any way? Your son, your wife or both?" Corso asked.
Sonny looked down.
"Helena Corso, D'Jok is too visible, they wont risk going after him, and neither will Bleylock. So, they will go after the most vulnerable one of us. My wife and her unborn child. I have managed to buy her some time,and hold off her wanted poster going into circulation, by offering myself up as sort of a hostage to them. I..I got no choice Corso. I return now, Duke Maddox will put out a bounty for her capture out there, for three million. I don't want her to stress more than necessary. Helena cant run from danger while she is pregnant. And Duke Maddox knows. He has the footage from the prison. By staying here, She stays safe, and can relax, wich is what I need her to do. I hate feeling this helpless, but I was reminded, as her husband,her safety and the childs comes before my own comfort. I have some freedom to move while I am here, but I am being tracked by Technoid, constantly" Sonny said and held up the arm with the Tracker so Corso could see it. Corso nodded as he saw that. Off course Sonny was doing this to protect Helena. A wanted poster with that amount would stress her, and Sonny would rather offer himself up as a guarantee that this didnt happen. As long as Tecnhoid had him in custody, Helena would not need to worry. Sonny was doing his best, as her husband, to assure she would have a stressfree life right now. Corso could only imagine how much the unborn child, his daughter to be, meant to him. No one could ever accuse Sonny of not being a loving father. Corso looked at him.
"The Obia ambassador is prepared to make a statement, about the true events of what happened on Obscurantis Sonny. Once he does, and puts forth the evidence, it should get you off the hook. Unless, you made some agreement with Maddox that you didn't yet confess to?" Corso asked and looked at him.
Sonny nodded.
"We are still negotiating on that part Corso. Duke Maddox has reminded me of a few things that I have neglected to some extent as her husband. Until I am satisfied with what he offers, I am not signing any agreement. But the offer has been tempting, If I only had myself to worry about. The only problem, is that he asks way too much of me for me to carry through with it" Sonny admitted.
Corso could tell, it lifted a heavy weight of his friends shoulders, to finally be able to speak to him about it. He was usually the one Sonny would come to, when he needed advice. And right now, it sounded like Sonny needed a bit of advice from him.
"Tell me more Sonny, maybe a pair of fresh ears is what you need to make a judgement call. You always put everyone else before your own needs. Its time you think of Sonny Blackbones for a change. You got so much going for you now, and a new baby on the way too. Not a single pirate would blame you for choosing family. Lord knows, we would all make the same choice if presented with the offer" Corso said.
That made Sonny smile, before he started to tell Corso what was being offered, and why it was so difficult to make a decision on the matter.
In sublevel 7, Bleylock had been barely escaping Bennett and Artie when he moved from the top levels. The pirates did not seem to be slowed down by Sonnys capture at all. It seemed, if anything, they had intensified the hunt. Bleylock had to boss Harris around, make him up the frequenzy of the matches in the sphere, so he could extract the needed flux faster. He had no idea where Duke Maddox had placed Sonny this time. There had not been any news of his arrest, nor was he in Technoids system. That was the first place he had checked. And it came up empty. There was no way Sonny Blackbones could have persuaded Duke Maddox, head of Technoid, to cooperate with him on the hunt for him. And besides, now that he had made his intentions clear to the entire galaxy, Bleylock had put the squeeze on Harris too. Harris either did exactly as he ordered, or his puny family was in danger of being murdered. For Bleylock, a humanoid from the coldest corner of the galaxy, raised to see any emotions as weakness, to take what he needed from others, either by force or coercing them, whom died from his plans didn't matter. They were expendable, and when he became the galactik ruler, he would make it his first order of business to make sure that the galaxy knew, this was how it would be. And he still had an unsettled score with Sonny Blackbones. He had not found out how to go about things yet. But Sonny Blackbones and Helena Blackbones were both going to pay for what they had allowed to happen to him.
Harris Lustman was growing increasingly worried about his employer Bleylock. At first, he thought Bleylock could help him get to power, since he depended on his help. But since he was made the new assistant of Duke Maddox, things had become increasingly difficult for him. Duke Maddox was already suspicious, because he had ran late several times. The only place he saw his employer, was at the office. And lately, Duke Maddox had worked from home. What could possibly be the reason for this change? Was Duke Maddox starting to catch on to Bleylock? It would not surprise him, given Bleylocks recent threat towards the galaxy. He didn't know wheter Sonny Blackbones was still running free or captive. For the latter case, he had no idea of where Sonny was held, and for the first scenario,It was possible Duke Maddox changed behaviour was due to him seeking Blackbones out. Duke Maddox himself didn't know how to deal with flux. Sonny Blackbones happened to be one of the galaxys foremost experts on the area, a pioneer. Maybe he should leave Bleylock to his own wises? As tempting as that was, Harris still had a sense of responsibility for what he had started. If not for him, Bleylock would be dead now, instead of a threat to the galaxy. No, he could not tell Duke Maddox the truth. He had to put counter measures in place himself.
On board The Black Manta, Helena sat in the captains cabin when Corso routed Sonnys call over to her. The two needed to clear the air,and help each other calm down some, since they were both worried for one another. And Helena was very tired, and missed Sonny deeply. Seeing his face on the screen was not the same as having him here with her, but it was better than living with the uncertainty of what had happened to him.
Helena lay on her side, to take the pressure of her big belly some. She was tired, but she would fight to stay awake, just so she could speak to her husband a little.
Sonny smiled as he saw her.
"How are my two favourite girls today?" he asked softly.
Helena was tired, but not too tired to speak with him.
"We are both missing you honey. She isnt as calm when I rub my stomach, as when you do it" Helena admitted.
Sonnys face softened when he looked at her. His one true love. This brave woman, whom had abandoned everything she knew, to share her life with him, even in the dire circumstances that pirates often found themselves in.
"Just a few more months now honey, we get to hold her in our arms. I am sure this situation will have ended by then, if not I will find a way to be with you, for the birth, I promise" Sonny said, trying to comfort his beloved.
She looked tired, maybe he should not drag this conversation out? Then Helena smiled at him.
"Sometimes, I wonder if the galaxy is conspiring to keep us apart. I hate the fact that you are held captive like this" she said.
Sonny nodded.
"All is not as it may seem honey, but for now, I have no choice but to do this. I will be back soon. Duke Maddox reminded me of my responsibilities as a husband today. I think you may have a fan in that old grump. At least he plays grumpy in front of me, but secretly I think he enjoys this situation. Its been too long since he and I really had a good conversation. It has been quite refreshing to do so. Maybe Bleylock did help things improve, by making that threat. I certainly don't have time to be bored. It is worst at night though. To be away from you both.." Sonny sighed.
Helena smiled.
"Me too Sonny. I would rather have you here, in my arms. But at this point, try to solve matters with Bleylock. I don't like him being around like that. His current look scares me. And I am not the only one that commented how butt ugly he looked" she said.
Sonny smirked.
"So, wich one of them had the worst comparison this time? I would put my money on Corso. He has the potty mouth of a fully trained elite soldier, wich he was, once upon a time" Sonny chuckled.
Helena chuckled too.
"Actually, It was Artie this time. I am not even going to repeat what he said. I think he dropped Abraxian swear words" she said.
Sonny laughed.
"I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to hear never curses, that must have been bad. I really need to go honey. Duke Maddox and I will be working from his home, that is where I stay now, in an effort to locate Bleylock. I don't like it when he runs free. I made sure D'Jok has extra guarding. Stay on board the ship, and you will remain safe. Till next time, I love you both, and I cant wait to hold you in my arms again" he said.
The said good bye,and the call was cut.
Helena was just on the verge to go to sleep, feeling much calmer after having seen that he was ok, and talked to him, when her transmitter went off.
Helena was drousy, but she responded. It was Maia.
"Helena, please listen to me. Make sure you stay on board the ship at all times. I just had a vision, about you. You are in danger. Please, stay safe"..