D'Jok was rushed to the hospital for treatment as soon as the Paladins arrived. There was an anxious mood in the private waiting room connected to D'Joks room. Dame Simbai, who was leader of the Flux Masters, was in a holo call with Abraxor and Flux Master Bertrand. They needed to know how The Paladin's treatment would work. Corso was also taking notes. Micro Ice was holding Mei's hands, trying to comfort her, while Callie distracted little Iris. Sonny found himself feeling numb with all this. D'Jok, his first born, his only child by Helena, was now lying in the next door room, eerily pale. He felt helpless, how could this have happened?
Sonny felt this was all his fault. He felt Solaris' hand on his shoulder.
"This is not your fault, Sonny. Don't beat yourself up over something you can't change. Right now, he needs you to just be his dad." She said.
Sonny nodded, grateful for the support.
"Any change in his condition so far?" He asked.
Solaris shook her head.
"My crew and I will inform Technoid and Duke Maddox about what happened. What we saw poses a risk to the Galaxy and all Flux Masters must be on high alert." She said.
Sonny nodded.
"Tell him I'll send in my report as soon as I can bring myself to." He managed.
Solaris nodded.
"Take your time. We got your back on this." She reminded him.
Sonny nodded. Silently, the Paladins left the room along with the doctors. Only D'Jok's closest friends remained. Them, and his people, who looked at him to see what the next move would be.
Dame Simbai approached him with a report in hand.
"Sonny, I gave Bertrand permission to use The Darkness to make his way here. He will bring some extra Life Force. He's confident that the Life Force will be the boost he needs. D'Jok will be fine Sonny, but until Bertrand gets here, there is one person D'Jok needs more than anyone else, his Dad. I know it's hard to see him like this, but he needs you. Perhaps more than ever before." She said softly.
Corso also approached him.
"Dame Simbai is right Sonny. You stay here, with D'Jok. I'll handle the other stuff with Micro Ice." He said.
Sonny managed a small smile as he turned to them all.
"Thanks everyone. It's just that… I haven't been in a situation like this with him. You're right. I need to be by his side. Callie, can you make Arcadia News back off for now? Corso, I need you to contact Maya, let her know what happened, and get her here as soon as possible." Sonny said.
Everyone nodded and went to their tasks.
As they started to exit the waiting room, three remained. Mei, Iris and Micro Ice. The closest family D'Jok had.
Sonny placed a hand on each shoulder, as they opened the door to sit beside D'Jok's bed.

Professor Benson paid careful attention to the news. He didn't expect to see Callie Blackbones there. But he did expect some kind of update on D'Jok.
There was a reason why the Breath was seen as a weak Flux, similar to Gaia. It only made for one half of a good shot. And that shot mysteriously stopped short of their base. The beam wasn't strong enough to reach any planets. They needed to overhaul the weapon before they used it again.
Did he need a Flux Master with a stronger Flux? Because of the ongoing Resonance, that could be a problem. Most teams had been gravely affected by it.
And what about Sonny? It was his son, after all.
None of the medical records were public at the moment. The pirates made sure of that. For a second, he thought about going through Technoid, but that was too risky.
They would definitely tell Sonny.
At the moment, the best he and his team could do was to regroup and think of a new way to strike.
They meticulously planned this since back in the day when the servants were made.
It was a stroke of genius to stage their own deaths, to come together from both planets, independent of the ruling military forces, to create something new, something the Galaxy had never seen before.
Professor Benson had little to no understanding of what was caught up in. He didn't understand he was just a tool. For the beings called Shadows. Manipulation was their game. In this Galaxy, they didn't have physical bodies. They were energies, who had the ability to move from body to body, using them as hosts.
This happened with the teams from Abraxor and Chissia. They had no idea they were taken over and used as hosts.
Anyway, they had a problem to deal with, as the Flux Masters were not likely to lie down. And professor Bensons using D'Jok as a battery for the weapon, didn't work as planned.
The boy was too weak for their purpose. They needed a stronger Flux Master, with a stronger Flux.
Which planet first?
Professor Benson had no idea he served as a host for a very devious Shadow. And now, the Shadow was starting to plant the next steps in his head.

Shiloh Archipelago
The pirates council of elders had convened. The latest events made the situation they faced very serious. Sonny's son was in hospital, drained of his Flux. And Sonny was barely even functioning, because of his worry.
The elders realised they relied heavily on Sonny's ability to take charge of a situation. But this time, Sonny was the one in need of help. They received a message from Raven, who had spoken to Corso. Sonny would, for the time being, leave Corso in charge of things. He was needed, at his son's bedside.
There was no way around it. They had to work with Corso until Sonny felt ready to take over again.
They moved to the second order of business.
The Shadow behind the Throne. Brim Balarius. Any attempt to figure out how he was given this role or why was a mystery.
Otis looked at a file. As the leader of the Pirates Council of Elders, he was in charge of securing all the information they had.
The file wasn't updated before it was given to him, to be passed on to Sonny himself.
It looked like some information was either deliberately left out, or needed an update. Otis wasn't sure Sonny was fully updated on the true identity of the Shadow. It was very likely that he thought that it was Balarius.
The truth was different. They needed to inform him. This enemy was possibly the deadliest the Galaxy had ever faced. Otis just hoped Sonny had a plan.

Brim Balarius was in meditation for hours on end. He tried to find a way where he could explain his role to Sonny and the Pirates. The more he meditated to find a solution, the more clear it got. He had to admit to his own family's role in the whole matter. How this mess had not started here, not in this Galaxy, but a Galaxy far away. His ancestors had been handmade for their masters' tasks. His family line was made to serve their needs. He was not the only one that tried to break out. The whole damn Flux War started because of his master's dealings. There was still much he didn't know, but he knew they attempted to control this Galaxy. It took away what little freedom he might still have, making him a puppet. And his masters were controlling the strings. Brim Balarius knew he could run the Flux Society, once they could find a way to reestablish it. For now, the Galaxys Fluxes were handled by Dame Simbai, who had to remain hidden.
Balarius wanted the galaxy safe, but the price could be a big loss of life. The Flux Masters were meant to be a fail safe, not the regulators. The one he needed to explain things to, was Sonny himself. Perhaps Sonny could see what he didn't; a way out.

Sonny was at the lab with the Life Force sample. D'Joks incident had made him realise he had to work on the Resonance cure. Until Bertrand was at Genesis, there wasn't much he could do to help D'Jok. He had to start focusing on getting this work done. It came down to him, and Clamp. Sonny set up a set of test tubes for the mixes he had to test, then, as he prepared them, he started to think about the other things that needed to be done. His transmitter buzzed.
"Clever move escaping Abraxor, I should have anticipated this from you. Too bad you chose the losing side." Professor Benson sneered.
Sonny looked at him with disgust.
"Don't think you'll get away with this. Or did you really think I was going to let you go after what you did?" Sonny asked, forcing himself to stay calm.
"Your son will recover soon enough, just with stronger Resonance." Benson said coldly.
"Time will tell," Sonny said.
Professor Benson nodded.
"A word of advice Blackbones. Say goodbye to Genesis while you can. We know the Flux Society's survivors are there. Bow to your new rulers, and you will be treated fairly." He said.
Sonny shook his head.
"Not going to happen. We'll find you and stop you." Sonny shot back.
Professor Benson grinned.
"I'd think twice about that. Remember, your dear Corso is involved. Are you willing to let him take that fall?" He asked.
"You'll pay for this." Sonny managed.
Professor Benson laughed.
"Empty words Blackbones" He said.
Sonny cut the transmission and called Corso.
"Corso, have Artie and Bennett trace the call I just ended, and contact Duke Maddox with the information. We don't have much time."

Corso listened attentively to Sonny explaining what happened. Just their luck. He informed Duke Maddox, who gave the order to have his army ready at once. Then he relayed the update to the Chissian army. The General was unhappy to learn the truth about his missing scientists, especially his son. Still, they had very little to go on.
Someone had to know more. Corso knew he should tell Sonny in advance, but that could keep him back. He decided to use his clearance to obtain the needed information. It was for the Galaxy, after all.

Callie looked at the story she was working on. It was a good thing Corso was busy elsewhere. And Sonny, it broke her heart to see him like this. He was talking in his sleep again. She and Corso had comforted him and kept him close at night. Corso also prepared Herbal Tea for him every evening. Still, they worried about the dark rings under his eyes.
She just hoped D'Jok would make it.
For the time being, they were waiting for expert help to arrive, to help boost D'Jok.
More than ever before, Sonny felt the pressure to get things done, as did Clamp. The two of them were in the lab most of the time. Sonny rarely even talked about the progress. He was tense, worried that it would be too late.
She received a message from one of her informants. They had information on Corso's brother, Kuun.
As Callie read through the file, she realized she needed to involve Sonny. Maybe some of his secret agents could help. As Callie read through it,she learned Corsos brother was alive, but a prisoner of war.
She needed help with a rescue operation. She called Artie.
"Artie, I need your help to convince Sonny. Leave Corso out of it for now." She asked.
Artie frowned at the request.
"Are you sure? It's his brother after all. Wouldn't you want him to know." He asked.
"Can you help me?" She asked.
Artie nodded.
"Send me the information, I'll let Sonny know." Artie said.
Callie nodded.
"Maybe it can help Sonny re-focus." She smiled.
Artie nodded.
"Leave it to me Callie."

Mei and Micro Ice sat by D'Joks bed in the hospital. D'Jok looked normal, and was breathing easily, he just looked pale. That worried Mei, and she called Dame Simbai over. She took one look at D'Jok to understand.
"There is a slight increase in his Flux strength, but if he woke up now, I would not allow him to use his Flux. I've asked the Flux master of Abraxor, Bertrand Erwholer, to come to Genesis. He's on his way and he will help." She said.
Mei nodded.
"D'Jok is stubborn, he'll pull through." She said.
Micro Ice silently took D'Jok's hand.
"This is all my fault. If I didn't get involved… this wouldn't have happened." He said.
No one noticed Sonny in the doorway. He felt guilty. He wasn't the only one affected.
He had to remember the Galaxy didn't revolve around him.
Sonny was about to walk in, when Micro Ice almost jumped.
"He's waking up." He stammered.
Mei took D'Jok's other hand.
"D'Jok? Can you hear me?" She asked.
D'Jok squeezed her hand weakly.
Micro Ice looked at D'Joks face.
They heard a faint sound from D'Jok.
"Dad..." He whispered, barely audible.
Sonny took a chair and sat down next to him.
"I'm here, D'Jok. Take it easy." Sonny said calmly while holding his son's hand.
Both Mei and Micro Ice noticed how he was tearing up.
D'Joks eyes continued to flutter, as he tried to open them.
He tried to talk again.
Sonny leaned closer to hear him.
What D'Jok said shocked him.
However, this was too much as he stopped moving again, passed out from the strain of relying the info. Sonny looked at Dame Simbai.
"Dame Simbai,tell Duke Maddox I need to contact him. I just found out who did this. And we're running out of time."

Ominous words for sure. What could D'Jok have told Sonny that made him react like this?
How will Corso react if he finds out about his brother, and the knowledge that Micro Ice is his nephew?
Will Sonny be able to stop an oncoming war, or is the Zaelion Galaxy doomed this time?
All this and more to come soon.
Thank you ParanoidGirl, for your hard work, I truly appreciate it.