They were being pulled towards Akillian. Callie could feel the tension of the other passengers on board. She tried to remain calm, but her stress affected the twins. Adrienne was already crying, and Marco was about to join in. Maya looked at her, then she looked out the porthole. Maya held her head. She was receiving a vision. Mom Ice was by her side.
"We're trapped." Maya managed as Mom Ice gave her a glass of water. Mom Ice looked at Callie.
Callie pressed the hidden panic button on her wrist.
"It's going to be okay." She whispered, as she pulled the twins just a little closer.
Corso was sweating, as he was making the engines put up as much resistance as they could.
He activated the distress call for the ship.
'No!' a sharp voice inside his head said. Corso stopped, shocked. So, that's why Sonny kept such a distance. The Warlord still had a grip on him.
Corso gritted teeth. The Warlord really had it out for Sonny.
Corso reached for the distress beacon again.
'Stop, at once!' The voice inside his head commanded.
"Sonny will find out what happened and you'll be sorry!" Corso yelled out in fury, as his hand landed on the button. The room went red as the alarms went off.
The Warlord laughed.
'The only one who will be sorry once he arrives is YOU.' The Warlord boasted. Corso just hoped Sonny wouldn't come in person.
The war room was filled with tension. They looked at images of what was happening near Akillian. They could see The Black Manta being pulled towards the planet. They could sense Sonny's stress, as he watched the ship.
D'Jok and Micro Ice remained silent, looking at the screen.
Duke Maddox looked over at Sonny. He could see the man's mind was racing.
"Dad?" He heard D'Jok ask. Sonny couldn't make himself face his oldest son right now.
"Micro Ice, get me the passenger list for this trip." Sonny said eventually.
Duke Maddox checked something.
"I have fifty people on the ground there, want me to start a search?" He asked, looking over at Sonny. Sonny gave a quick nod. Duke Maddox started handing out his orders as General Benson and General Bleylock looked at Sonny.
"Akillian must be their main base of operations." General Benson said, studying the maps. General Bleylock was not convinced.
"Akillian is a small planet with little strategic value. It's odd that they made it their main base." He interjected. Solaris agreed with General Bleylock.
"What does it have that made them make that choice?" She mused. Sonny was in deep thought.
After a long while, his gaze landed on Duke Maddox.
"Why DO you have fifty people stationed there?" Sonny asked. "Something you're keeping from us?"
Duke Maddox looked down in shame.
"Not me, but Bleylock always had an interest in your planet. As some sort of… backup." Duke Maddox admitted. Now all eyes moved to General Bleylock. The old general looked defeated.
"I only found out when it was too late. He stole components meant to be used to siphon off the flux from a planet's core, and then chemically enhance it, so it would be made even stronger." General Bleylock explained. General Benson rubbed his chin.
"Since we're discussing this, Ascaron was a test, wasn't it? We lost a lot of good people thanks to it." He argued. Sonny sighed.
He accessed the Pirates' harddrives and played some videos.
"This is the same set up on Akillian. It will be the second major attack in less than ten years. The aim is either to wipe out the Breath of Akillian, or there is something else about Akillian that caught their interest. We need to be open to each other if we want to stop this. So… Anyone want to say anything?"
He wasn't sure how much longer they could hold back. The triumphant laugher of The Warlord was filling his head.
Corso looked over at Bennett and sighed.
"Bennett, turn on the electric shield of the entire ship. That might be a way to escape" He said in Ancient Shiloh. He could tell Bennett still hesitated. "He doesn't understand Ancient Shiloh. Let Sonny know what's going on. I'll find a way to get him out of my head."
Bennett just nodded, armed the electric shield, and waited for Corso's signal.
Corso held his hand high, then dropped it.
"Now!"
In the war room, Sonny and the others were in total shock. It now all made sense. Of course Bleylock was behind it. That man's greed knew no bounds. And now they had to pay the price for that greed.
Solaris pointed at the screen.
"The Black Manta's fighting back."
Sonny looked at the ship. It was lighting up in an unusual pattern. He heard a soft voice call out, inside his head.
Corso.
Sonny wasn't sure if he should trust it, knowing The Warlord was still connected, until he noticed, Corso thought in Ancient shiloh. Sonny pressed his communications bracelet closer to his arm. As soon as Corso had explained his plan, Sonny sighed.
"I can safely retire as leader now. I got an excellent replacement." He sent back in Ancient Shiloh.
"If this works, it will land us just out of the reach of the tractor beam. But we won't have enough power to go anywhere else." Corso explained. Sonny nodded.
"We are sending someone to give you a tow." He said. Corso smiled.
"Finally found a way to outsmart The Warlord." He said.
"People like him are always impatient. How is Callie and the twins?" Sonny asked.
"We are all fine." Corso said. Sonny looked at the screen, as the ship used its remaining power to move to a safe distance.
"I'm going to work getting this monster out of my mind, until then, stay safe." Corso said.
"Let's keep to this form of communication until further notice. Miss you." He said.
"Miss you too. Stay safe, alright?" He asked.
As soon as Corso stopped communicating and Sonny took his bracelet off, he looked at the screen, and the tiny dot that represented Akillian. He made up his mind. There were labs in the mountains, believed to be abandoned. He knew better.
If anyone was going to put a stop to what Bleylock started, it would be him.
Sonny ended the meeting and gestured to Micro Ice and D'Jok to follow him.
Once they exited the stadium, Sonny headed towards the astro ports. D'Jok and Micro Ice followed him quietly. Sonny went to the private astro ports, and used his palm to identify himself. Once they were in, Sonny locked the gate, and went over to a panel.
D'Jok and Micro Ice gasped as they saw a smaller version of the Black Manta before them. Sonny walked up to the ship, opened a hatch and gestured for them to follow. Sonny took the pilot's seat, started it and they flew out of Genesis. Sonny looked at his son.
"Contact Shiloh Security and have them track The Black Mantas for assistance. You and Micro Ice need to help me with this secret. mission." He said. Micro Ice looked out the porthole. He watched the stars to keep his mind busy. During the flight, Sonny kept talking to them, mostly to distract them.
"Are we going to Akillian?" Micro Ice asked. Sonny nodded.
"Yes, we are. I once made a promise to correct my mistakes. Now is that time." He answered, as they approached the planet.