D'Jok, Mei and Micro Ice stood along with the other pirates, awaiting Sonnys arrival.
As soon as they saw Corso, Micro Ice and Mei automatically straightened themselves even more.
Corso stood beside D'Jok, with Artie and Bennett next to Mei and Micro Ice.
Then, a man, dressed in black, with a hood and protective goggles, accompanied by a smaller woman, dressed in simmilar get up, carrying little Shiloh, entered.
As soon as the man stopped in front of the bonfire, he nodded to Corso.
Micro Ice gasped.
This was a very different version of the Sonny Blackbones he had come to know.
Mei just observed the man she really wasn't sure she should fear or trust.
If she looked at it as a part of her relationship with D'Jok, Sonny Blackbones was her future father in law.
And he would most definately expect her to be on her best behaviour while here.
Her and Micro Ice both.
Sonny pulled his hood down, and removed his goggles.
Beside him, stood Helena, dressed in what seemed some kind of pirate uniform, clearly made for a woman.
The crowd was cheering as Helena handed Little Shiloh to him.
Corso gestured for D'Jok to join them.
As D'Jok took place next to his mother,he saw Sonny smile at him.
"I thought some company might help you get out of the funk you have been in lately son. Whatever issue you and Mei have,talk to each other, and sort it. Cause if there is one thing you can never do as a pirate, or the son of one, it is to delay things like that. You might things you got an ocean of time ahead of you, but it might well be that you don't. If all collapses, you at least have a clear conscience with the people you care about " Sonny said.
D'Jok blinked.
His father was right.
Sonny observed his sons reaction.
Then, his face softened in a smile.
He turned to his men, raising his hand.
Sonny looked at them all.
"Today marks the start of a new chapter, a new beginning. Some of you are aware of the oncoming changes, others have been kept in the dark. I have been the leader of this organization for a long time. You have put your trust in me, and what leadership abilities you saw me as having. I will still be the leader, for as long as the pirates will have that confidence in me. But I will make some changes. Some of you know me personally, and my way of doing things. You have seen me take risks, tremendous risks, often with my own safety on the line, for a greater good. Today, I will end that chapter. Because now, I have another purpose too, and a role to fill. And there are some very special people that helped me reach this conclusion. It is time you learn whom they are" Sonny smiled, and nodded to Helena first.
It was a might crowd of people, people whom had simmilar experience with Technoid as herself, as Sonny. Now, their eyes were fixed upon them in anticipation.
Sonny took her hand.
"My rage against Technoid, was largely fuelled in my own percieved loss. You all learned of my son and wife not long ago. And until recently, they have lived normal lives in the society, blending into lives we as pirates struggled to live. For four years, we tried our best to adapt, we tried to live by their rules, the rules Technoid in many way, through law enforcement, so widely influenced. And for those four years, pleasant or not, we got by. But we always knew, it would not last forever. And not long ago, that was proven true. The galaxy came under attack once again, by a rouge technoid operative. We lost the immunity we once were given, and were forced back to the ways that felt far more comfortable for us all. Far forwards, the villain has now been well and thoroughly dealt with, he cant harm anyone anymore. But,the result of his wheeling and dealing, has tarnished my name, and the legacy of the pirates. Here, I am the head of our organization, nothing happens without my this brave woman, my wife Helena, has made my life more interesting yet again, by completing our little family. To you all, I want you to welcome to the family, Shiloh Star Blackbones. My daughter. Unlike my son, her life will not be one in the public eye. She will be raised as a pirate, and should she also emerge to have a talent for football, she will be trained as a pirate, in due time. My sons life, will still be one in the public eye. This is actually one of the best levels of protection he has. He will stay on with The Snow Kids, as their captain and one of the champions. But if he gets big headed, feel free to take him down a notch" Sonny smiled.
D'Jok blushed slightly when he heard the laugh among the men.
Sonny wasn't done.
"As only those ranked captain is aware, there is now a new HQ set up for the pirates. This is done, so that I can easier combine family life and my role as your leader. To make matters clear, Corso is now the acting captain of The Black Manta. He is given authority by me, to make judgement calls benefiting our organization, while I adjust to a life more in the shadows. We don't know if Bleylock had a helper to his schemes, and that means, until we know more, I will not be in Technoids line of fire. It has been an expressed wish for some time that I do this, and now, with little Shiloh being born too soon, also thanks to Bleylock, my role now is still leader, but more importantly, I am also a dad. And this dad, intends to be there through the steps I missed with my son. And to anyone else with a simmilar experience, be not afraid to ask for help, directly if you so chose. I give my word, all that can be done to help, with the resources we have, will be done. Now, Light the bonfire and welcome Shiloh into our extended family" Sonny ordered.
The party had been quite noisy so far.
D'Jok had pulled Mei and Micro Ice aside.
He could not be more happy than he was right now, having two of his team mates here.
Micro Ice was amazed.
"I never thought the pirates partied like this. Last time I was with them for any length of time, they seemed so strichtly business all of them. All work and no play" he said.
D'Jok nodded.
"Much of the time, it is still like that Micro Ice. Defying Technoid comes at a price. I am only starting to understand what it means to be the son of Sonny Blackbones. Lucky, I got friends helping me out with learning what that means. One of the things I have to get used to, is having a guard follow me around. And this" he said and raised his hand.
Mei and Micro Ice could see an impressive looking gadget around D'Joks wrist.
He looked at it.
"I might need some help wrapping my head around my new role, what I can and cant do. I will still be the captain of the snow kids, and the son of the most wanted man in the galaxy at the same time. Two worlds I must somehow bridge" he said.
Mei looked at him.
"It sounds like a load. Does that put restrictions on what you can do when not on Shiloh too?" she asked.
D'Jok nodded.
"Sadly yes Mei. My dad is still the most wanted man in the galaxy. It would not take much to put pressure on him, if I was to end up in some kind of trouble. That is why I have to wear this transmitter, that is also acting as a tracker. Dad is still a little paranoid about these things. I am sure we will find a way to work with things eventually. But tell me, what is new out there in the galaxy?".
Corso kept an overview of all in attendance at the bonfire.
Sonny had chosen to lower his defences, by putting on his uniform, and wear no hood.
Well, he didn't really need to disguise himself here.
The uniform he wore had a special layer inside the fabric, a layer that would activate an invisible shield around Sonny, keeping him safe from any laser blasts.
Not that he knew where that would come from.
The crowd in attendance, except for Micro Ice and Mei, all had ties to the pirates, and none of them wanted to hurt Sonny.
Corso smirked.
They had thought that earlier too, that Shiloh was as safe as it could be for a wanted pirate.
And found that it was a shark tank.
It had nearly ended in captivity for Sonny, if his captors had succeeded in getting him off of the nebula, there was no telling what would have happened to him.
Corsos guess was, if they wanted to cash in on his bounty, they would have handed Sonny over to Technoid at first chance.
This had happened to other pirates, and Corso knew all too well what had happened then.
No trace of them in any system, he knew, because he had been in charge of checking that once a pirate went missing.
Sonny had a clear overview of their organization as of now.
And some of the pirates had willingly gone missing, while they were building a very secret base, for future use.
Sonny felt they still had time on their side, but at some point, Shiloh would run out of the resources they needed to live there, and by then, he hoped to have the new sanctuary ready.
Corso knew Sonnys plan was ambitious, but he had seen the most ambitious of plans come to fruition before, so this was not different.
Now, he saw Sonny and Helena mingle with captains of other ships of the fleet, letting them meet little Shiloh Star.
The spirits were high, and so was the amount of alcohol consumed here on the outside.
Inside the city, the alcohol was banned, as another security measure.
Corso only had water when out here, he had to stay sharp.
All seemed well so far.
Till Corso noticed a tiny, almost invisible red dot, that moved on the mountain wall.
Corso followed it, till he realised what it was.
In Shilohs name.. they had a sniper here, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to realise whom the likely target was.
Corso messaged Sonny.
"Activate your Shield Captain Blackbones. We got an intruder, on your nine o clock" he adviced.
He could see Sonny respond from a distance, activating his own shield, then Helenas, before he moved her out of the way.
Sonny also put his goggles back on, scanning the area.
Team two took D'Jok, Mei, Micro Ice, Helena and Shiloh Star out of the area in silence with no drama.
No sooner was their car out of sight and in the safe parameters, before the blast hit the wall.
"Bounty hunters. Whom else would be brazen enough to set their foot here in Pirate territory?" Corso hissed as he reached Sonny.
Sonny didn't seem bothered.
"Have someone find out just whom they act on behalf of. This doesnt sound like its Duke Maddox. He enjoys the thrill of the hunt. The only way someone else would represent Technoid out here, is if they are not acting on behalf of Technoid. But someone outside of Technoid, but with access to their resources" Sonny said thoughtfully.
The pirates had now gone into defence mode.
And Corso was leading Sonny to the tunnels.
"I am taking you back inside the safe parameters. Like it or not Sonny, but your family needs you with them now. That means, away from the line of fire. So that is what I will make sure happens" Corso said.
Sonny looked like he wanted to protest, but he stopped himself.
Corso was right, he had made a promise to his wife, for this to work out as he hoped, Sonny needed to start catching himself in the act, and avoid situations like this.
He nodded.
"Ok Corso, show me the way to safety".
Bennett and Artie were with the pirates keeping the bounty hunters in check.
So far, they had exposed themselves too soon to come close to Sonny, not that this helped the pirates feeling of safety stay intact.
They knew Corso was already leading Sonny safely back into the city, their job was to find out whom the bounty hunter represented, and why they were after Sonny.
No pirate in his right mind would suspect Duke Maddox for this.
It wasn't his way of doing things.
But to hire bounty hunters was a costly affair.
And bounty hunters only took on bigger contracts.
The likes of Sonny.
Clearly they were after him.
Well, today would not be payday.
Bennett had used a listening device not even known to Technoid to get a better idea.
It seemed the commotion was deliberately started in an attempt to get to Sonny, so they could seize him.
But the real brain of the operation, had remained hidden.
So, as they started to try to mingle with the pirates, the pirates tagged them with transmitters that wasn't visible and also, would remain undetectable with a sweep.
A couple of them had returned after the pirates scattered, dismayed that Blackbones got away again.
Bennett spent time listening in, in the safety of Black Mantas bridge.
At first, it wasn't anything interesting, only dismay that Sonny had gotten away, and that he was as slippery as an eel.
They knew this already, this conversation was turning boring, and fast.
That was when he saw Artie freeze up.
"Whats up Artie, you look like you have seen a ghost?" Bennett said.
Artie didn't reply, he just connected Bennett to his own call.
Bennett paled.
He knew the voice, from a distant time, and something that felt like a very distant life.
"He got away boss. It seems his right hand man got him inside the parameters of the safety zone of the city that is rumoured to be here" a voice said.
"The hidden Shiloh city is not a rumour you dimwit. It exists. If Sonny made it in there, there is no way we can seize him. This is his home, he knows this place better than anyone" he said.
"So, now what Boss? Do we abort mission?" the first voice asked.
Bennett paled as he realised the second voice belonged to a pirate, one with access to the city.
"No. Sonny is worth too much to abandon the plan. Technoid is willing to pay five million for his capture. But there is another part of this galaxy where he is also wanted, but for a lot more. Orders are, he is not to be harmed, then he will be worthless. They need him unharmed. So, we will have to wait for Blackbones to make a mistake. And for now, he will make no mistake, not when he is on alert. But maybe there is another way.." the second voice mused.
The voices then lowered to a point it was inaudible to hear.
Bennett looked at Artie.
"Get hold of Corso Artie, we need to warn Sonny of this".
In the safety of Shiloh City, Corso received Arties message and relayed it to Sonny.
Sonny had opened up some of the pirates mobile command center equipment in their home.
While Helena and the nurse tended to little Shiloh, and also, Helenas bruised body, D'Jok, Mei, Micro Ice and Corso, assisted Sonny with what needed to be done.
They listened to the recording Artie had sent.
Corso looked at Sonny with shock painted on his face.
"The sins of the past comes back to haunt us Sonny. We got to have more escape routes. These people are not joking around. We saw what they did at the camp, with anyone that tries to oppose them" Corso said.
Sonny nodded.
"And we know what happens to those that do. Thats not what concerns me though" Sonny said.
Corso looked at him.
"Think you would have preferred being sold to Technoid for their bounty over what you face with these guys. They get on the track of you now, its not only your life that is in danger Sonny, its Helena, your son, daughter,everyone you care about is at risk here" Corso argued.
Sonny nodded.
"I might need to use the deal I cut with Duke Maddox after all. I had hoped things would calm down now, so Helena could get some rest and heal. Seems the choice isnt mine to make" Sonny said.
Corso looked at him.
"Forget it Sonny. Its too risky. The others would kill me if I let you go through with this. You are our leader. We have no one that can take your place if anything happens to you" Corso said.
"yes you do" sounded Helenas voice behind them.
Sonny looked over his shoulder, at his wife.
She was still halfway in her uniform, but she had a look in her eyes that dared anyone to defy her.
Sonny nodded.
"Yes Honey, they do have a second leader, and if so is needed, I will give my command to you, to act in my place, till I can return safely to take over" Sonny said.
Corso could not believe what he heard.
Helena saw his confused gaze.
"As of now, The Shiloh pirates has two leaders, not one. Sonny isnt going to do something stupid. It will be a carefully calculated move. But should something happen, I am the shadow leader, ready to take his place. I am Helena Blackbones,the queen of the pirates, and I would not be surprised that within days, there will be a wanted poster for my arrest too. These two groups try to confuse you, but work together. And I have stolen documents from Technoid before, proving this to be in existence. I had Artie and Bennett look through it. It was supposed to be a gift for the upcoming birthday of one of our near and dear, but I see now, there is a need for deeper investigations" Helena said and put some scrolls on the floor in front of Sonny.
Corso was quick to unroll it.
Mei gasped as she saw the face on one of the scrolls.
"I know this man" she said and pointed to a face on the picture Sonny held.
Sonny glanced at her.
"In what capacity do you know him Mei? This man is one of Technoids high profile customers. He is even more reckless than Bleylock and wheter Duke Maddox wants to admit it or not, several times smarter than him" Sonny said.
Mei looked down for a second, clearly scared by what she had just been told.
"I know him as a model agent. And..he is my new boss".