Corso looked at Sonny, aghast.
"You can't be serious Sonny" He said, crossing his arms. "The Pirates working for Duke Maddox… Why don't we all go apply for jobs at Technoid while we're at it? We all know how great that turned out in the past" Corso said, not hiding his contempt for this new mission.
"Corso…" Sonny sighed. "The two of us need to talk." he tried. Corso was having none of it.
"Just tell me why Sonny. Why are you betraying your own values like this?" He asked. Sonny took a few deep breaths to calm himself before addressing his second in command.
"I'll explain everything Corso. Trust me, it's the best decision." He started.
"Like that decision to trust Bleylock to keep his word?" Corso harshly retorted. Sonny took a deep breath as he clenched his fists, his patience nearly at an end.
"Corso, Sit DOWN! You and I are going to talk this out right now." He ordered fiercely. Corso slowly obeyed, arms still crossed. The intensity in Sonny's voice caused Bennett to tap Artie on the shoulder.
"That's our cue to leave kiddo." He said as Artie nodded and they both left. Once they were gone, Sonny looked at Corso, to see if he could make out his friend's thoughts. There seemed to be a lot and none of them good. Corso sighed.
"Let's just set aside what I think personally; It's a huge mission Sonny, it will take a lot of time, not to mention a lot of risk." Corso stated, Sonny nodded.
"True Corso, but the pros outweigh the cons." He tried. Corso just sighed and nodded.
"Fine. You're the boss." Corso said. Sonny smiled encouragingly at his friend.
"Until I heal from this injury, we better focus on the interviews with Callie." He said, trying to move on. "It will be broken into segments so I can give time to singular points." Sonny explained. Corso nodded.
"Sonny, the galaxy wants to hear you speak up. And after the interview, the eyes of the Galaxy are on you, this time for other reasons than the wanted poster." he said. Sonny nodded. He had a lot of time to consider what this could lead to. The opportunities were endless. Maybe this time, they could finally put an end to the misery that had lasted far too long and close the book on some of the mess the Flux Wars had left in its wake. Sonny's transmitter beeped and he answered the call; D'Jok. Corso could see the smile that formed on his friends face when he saw his son.
"Hey Dad. I was wondering if you had some time to meet with Mei and me this weekend. We got something to tell you." He announced. Sonny looked at his son.
"I'm sorry, D'Jok. I have to lay low at the moment. I tore a muscle during a mission." he explained. D'Jok winched as his father told him that.
"Is it bad?" He asked with slight concern in his voice.
"No, but I can't really go anywhere until it heals." Sonny said to calm his son. D'Jok nodded.
"When are you doing the next interview with Callie?" He asked as Sonny smiled.
"Don't tell anyone but I am hiding at Callie's apartment until further notice." he said. D'Jok nodded.
"Can Mei and I come over before you do the footage? I really don't want to wait with telling you this." D'Jok asked as Sonny raised his eyebrow.
"What happened son? Did you catch a particularly large trout?" Sonny asked. knowing his son was on a fishing trip for something.
"Not going to tell you over the phone Dad, so you can stop fishing for information." D'Jok laughed.
"I don't need to do that. I have other ways of finding out." Sonny told his son. D'Jok raised an eyebrow.
"If you say so Dad. No need to be nervous, this is a good thing" He said. Sonny smiled.
"I 'll send Bennett and Artie to meet you." He said.
"Ok Dad, see you soon." With that, D'Jok ended the call. Corso smirked and made no attempt to hide it. This made Sonny smile as well, at this point just happy his friend wasn't angry any more.
"Ok, I was angling for a reaction." He said. Corso started laughing. After he was finished, he noticed Sonny was rubbing his chin.
"I wonder what he wants to tell me." He muttered.
"It's probably something good, don't worry about it." Corso gently said. But Sonny rose from the bed, went over to the computer to check something. Being a Pirate had earned Sonny access to documents that others couldn't get to. Sonny quickly logged in to check all files he could find on D'Jok and also Mei. A few minutes later, a big smile formed on his face.
"Corso, how long has it been since we had a celebration of any sort?" Sonny asked. Corso creased his forehead in taught.
"Too long for me to remember, why?" He asked. Sonny smiled.
"We have a good cause for one tonight." He said. Corso looked at him.
"You got some good news?" Corso asked. Sonny smiled.
"I would say so." He said. Corso looked at him.
"Let me guess, you are not going to tell me yet?" He said. Sonny still smiled as he logged out and closed the laptop.
"Later, Corso." He said. "You got some stitching to do." he reminded him, as he winced when he stretched the injured leg. Corso got his medical equipment.
"Lying down or standing up?" He asked as he looked at his friend who removed his bandages. Sonny laid down on the bed, as carefully as he could. "Anything to kill the pain?" Corso offered.
"No, let's do it without. I can manage." Sonny said, making Corso sigh.
"Your call, tough guy." Corso said as Sonny took a few deep breaths to relax.
"Alright, I'm good to go…"
Callie had shown the first segment of the interview to her boss just like she and Sonny agreed. Her boss looked at her.
"This is absolutely brilliant, Callie. This is the scoop of the year and Sonny looks relaxed and comfortable, with his righthand man behind him so they can't claim you're forcing it out of him." He said. Callie smiled.
"It was a very special night, I can assure you that. A special night with a very special man." She said. "And this is only the first part." She said. Her boss looked at her.
"He has agreed to do more?" He said. Callie nodded. "The things he wants to share have to be backed up by evidence. That takes time. It will be over several segments as he wants to address issues one by one. It's really something else to interview him. I keep looking for signs of deception, but I have found none. If what Technoid said is true, he is good at hiding it." Callie said. Her boss nodded.
"I doubt you will either." He said. "I'll tell you something; I have my own, personal reasons for wanting the Pirates to give their side of the story." he confessed. Callie looked at him.
"I am not sure I understand." She said, somewhat confused. Her boss stood up and walked over to the window of his office. With his back turned on her and in a low voice, he began to explain why he wanted the Pirates to be allowed to counter Technoid's allegations towards them. Callie could not help her mouth from dropping open when her boss was finished.
"I don't know what to say." She said. Her boss turned towards her again.
"I try to keep it a secret. Sonny may not know who I am but I just might have a piece of the puzzle he's trying to solve." With that her boss pulled out two envelopes from his desk. Callie could see that one was marked;
The pawn, and the other. The shadow behind the throne.
"What an odd phrase." She said. Callie looked at him.
"Don't worry, it's not for you, Sonny knows the meaning of this." He said. "It has to do with the Flux Wars. What happened to a planet named Ascaron, and in many ways, where all the things that is destroying Technoid from inside started. Sonny is close to solving this. He may not know yet but he is the one that will bring back the peace to the Pirates." he said.
"How do you know all this?" Callie asked. Her boss looked at her intently. "The Pirates' Council of Elders. One of them has the ability to predict things. The minute Sonny joined them he knew that the rightful leader had arrived. Sonny is still unaware of this but there were special protocols put in place to assure his safety and training. Sonny is more protected than even his own personal crew knows." he said in a serious voice.
Callie nodded slowly.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" She asked. Her boss nodded.
"Which is why you must make sure that Sonny is able to escape whoever is trying to find him. It is not just the Pirates that are done for if the real perpetrator of this mess find them. It is all of us, the entire galaxy. Sonny is the key to assure peace is upheld. He cant be captured." her boss said.
Mei felt slightly nauseous as she got ready to leave with D'Jok. Her body was adjusting to the little life growing inside her, and D'Jok was a bit too eager to tell his father he was a grandfather to be.
"Slow down D'Jok, you're making me dizzy." She complained. D'Jok smiled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, I guess being a father-to-be just makes me nervous and I really want to tell Dad." he said.
"You know, you could just have told him over the phone." Mei said. D'Jok shook his head.
"Not this kind of news Mei, we are heading over to Callie right now." he said as he grabbed his jacket. Mei nodded before she ran to the toilet to vomit.
After a little while, Artie and Bennett picked them up. D'Jok was suspicious as he entered the car.
"Has he figured it out yet?" He asked Bennett.
"Not that I know. And Corso's pretty clueless as well." Bennett answered. D'Jok nodded.
"Seems he didn't check things this time." He said. Artie smiled.
"I wouldn't underestimate your old man." He said. "I know I once did." Bennett chuckled.
"And that got you barraged with pillows." He said. D'Jok laughed.
"Who started the pillow fight?" He asked. Bennett laughed.
"Artie did." He answered. "He threw a pillow at me and missed, hitting Corso instead. You can figure out what happened next."
"Oops." Mei smiled as she imagined the pillow hitting Corso. "Let me guess, Corso sought revenge?"Mei wondered. Artie laughed.
"He missed and ended up hitting Sonny. Wich led to a pillow fight. I never figured the two oldest of us being so set on revenge."Artie remembered. D'Jok Chuckled.
"I am so going to hold this over them." He said. Bennett and Artie looked at him.
"No, you won't!" They both said at the same time.
"If Corso hears we told this, we're toast." Artie said.
"Correction; you're toast." Bennett stated. Artie pouted.
"Yeah Yeah, always pick on the assistant, what else is new?"
Sonny hid in the shadows on Callie's balcony. To avoid detection, he had left his red jacket inside, and just put on his black pullover and hood, in combination with the goggles. They allowed him to see heat signatures on the ground. The torn muscle still hurt when he moved but Sonny was used to pain and was not bothered by it. Corso had stitched it tightly, so it would heal faster. The cool breeze helped him clear his head. Corso had gone down the fire escape to make sure the coast was clear when D'Jok and Mei arrived. Sonny managed a small smile when his thoughts wandered off to the surprise D'Jok planned to spring on him. D'Jok was learning the Pirate trade fast but he still had more to do if he wanted to outsmart Sonny Blackbones. He would be busy enough, with the baby coming.
A baby; Sonny smiled at the thought. It didn't make him feel old to know that he was a grandfather to be. If anything, Sonny felt excited. He had missed out on D'Jok's entire childhood and most of his teenage years. With this baby, Sonny was determined to be a very present grandfather. Sonny could see Corso return, and he looked worried.
"Sonny, we may have a problem." He said.
It was late at night, and Callie was walking home. She felt exhausted, but the day was not over yet. She had agreed with Sonny to do the second interview today. When she was out, Sonny and Corso worked on other things, including Sonny's injury. It was ironic that Sonny, being the one that escaped capture, was the one that ended up with the most serious injury. As she walked towards the main entrance of her apartment someone grabbed hold of her and pulled her into the shadows. Callie was close to screaming when she saw the bracelet.
"Sonny?" She said as she saw Sonny was dressed in a cloak, hood and goggles. Sonny placed a finger in front of his lips to signal her to be silent. He handed her some binoculars and pointed. The Technodroids were not easy to spot, given it was dark and they were painted black, but the binoculars helped. Callie understood why Sonny was worried. He kept a lookout, and Callie could see he was still not ready to make an attempt to reach his ship. Sonny was going more on sheer willpower than anything else. What little strength he had left, was leaving him fast. She needed to get him back inside the apartment, and fast.
Soon, Corso joined them.
"It's not us they came for. There has been some disturbance a few apartments down but let us be silent anyway, just in case." He said. Sonny nodded and they slowly made their way back inside.
"Corso, warn Bennett and Artie, tell them to use plan seven to enter and then wait for their arrival." Sonny ordered. Corso nodded. He was about to execute the order when he noticed the tiny drops of sweat on Sonny's forehead. Sonny had pushed it too far. Corso went to the kitchen and filled up a tall glass of water with some nice potent painkillers on the side. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see Sonny had misjudged his own ability to perform and he was paying for it.
Sonny leaned his head backwards, waiting for the pain to subside. He felt Corso touch his shoulder lightly.
"Here." Corso said as he handed him the glass and the pills. Sonny looked at him.
"Painkillers, really?" He sounded rather indignant. Corso couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Sonny, we both know you should not have been taking that walk." He said. "I know better than to argue with you but I can tell, from looking at you that you look very pale and the drops of sweat are selling you out. You're in pain so take some goddamn painkillers before D'Jok and Mei get here." he growled. Sonny could only nod as he downed the glass. "Taught so." Corso commented dryly. Sonny said nothing but the glare he shot his second in command made it clear this wasn't the end of things.
Sometime later, Sonny looked at the questions for the second part.
"Anything you would like to add?" Callie asked as she saw him read through it.
"No need, we covered all of it." Sonny answered. Callie remembered the two envelopes her boss had asked her to give him.
"I almost forgot. My boss told me to hand you these. He said you would know what it all meant, that this is evidence you need to finalize something big." Sonny looked puzzled as Callie handed him the envelopes.
Corso looked over his shoulder.
"The pawn and the shadow behind the throne… What does that mean?" He asked.
"It's code Corso. Protocol A, Section X." Sonny answered intensely. Corso gasped.
"Section X? That means it's about…" He started. Sonny nodded.
"Correct Corso. It confirms my suspicions. This goes back all the way to the start of the Flux Wars."he said. Corso got a strange look on his face when Sonny said this. Sonny turned and looked over his shoulder, and saw how Corso was shutting off.
"Corso?" Sonny asked softly. He knew all too well how this affected his friend. Corso swallowed.
"I'm fine Sonny. I just need a minute to compose myself." He said, voice shaking.
"Take your time." Sonny answered. Corso nodded and withdrew to the bedroom to collect himself. Callie wanted to follow him, but Sonny grabbed her arm.
" Callie, Don't. Corso was just reminded of a very dark part of his life. Give him some space." He said. Callie looked at him.
"He looked downright haunted." She said. Sonny nodded.
"That would be a good way of putting has some inner demons that he needs to deal with. He might decide to share later but not right now." He said. There was some noise over at the balcony door. Sonny froze and Callie saw him reach for his concealed laser gun.
"Relax Sonny, it's just us!" Bennett came in and waved for Mei and D'Jok to follow. Artie came in last, pulled the curtains shut and closed the door. Corso had come back into the room and Sonny looked at him sympathetically.
"Better Corso?" He asked, still sounding slightly worried.
"I'll be fine." Corso answered before turning to Mei, who looked slightly green.
"How about you Mei?" Corso asked her,after he looked at Sonny, who smiled.
"She's fine. Right, D'Jok?" He said as he raised an eyebrow. D'Jok smiled.
"Yes, Dad; congratulations. You are going to be a grandfather." he smiled.
A grandchild.
"Now, That's a reason for celebration." Sonny smiled as he hugged Mei carefully.
After a bit of small talk and a light celebration of the next generation, Mei did Sonny's make up for the cameras, and they were ready to go.
It was late in the night before they were done. Callie found that hearing Sonny talk had a very calming effect. He never boasted about anything. He showed proof of the accusations and claims he put forth. Mei sat in the shadows and leaned on D'Jok's shoulder with a smile. Callie was happy for them. She had witnessed the news of the grandchild. Sonny was clearly happy about it but she couldn't help but wonder what was going on in his mind about this. As they ended the sequence, Sonny got up to see D'Jok and Mei off. She could see how he gently supported Mei. There was a strong bond between him and his daughter in law as well as with his son.
Corso, Bennett, and Artie took them home. Sonny and Callie were alone now. Callie went to the kitchen and put on some tea. She noticed that Sonny was near her.
"Want some company?" He asked.
"I would not mind at all." Callie smiled. " Do you want some Tea?" She offered.
"Yes please." Sonny answered as he carefully sat down at the small kitchen table and Callie poured him a cup. As she handed it to him, her fingers grazed his hand. It felt like she had gotten an electric shock. Sonny noticed. But he didnt say anything. Just lifted the cup to his lips and drank the tea. She could tell he enjoyed it, as he closed his hazel eyes. She took her own cup, and sat down opposite of him. She looked at him, Sonny had closed his eyes as he took a big sip of the tea. As he opened them again, Callie couldn't keep herself from looking at his lips. Sonny noticed that too. And now he seemed a little confused as to why she did that.
"Callie?" He sounded insecure for a second. This made Callie snap out of it. She stood up.
"Im Sorry. Guess I'm just tired." she said. Sonny nodded. As Callie proceeded to rinse her cup in cold water, she failed to see that Sonny had gotten up and stood next to her. When she turned around, she looked straight into his eyes. Those hazels… Callie could have sworn they worked as tractor beams. He was also standing very close. Callie knew she shouldn't, but this was stronger than her. Without thinking, she leaned in to hug him, and cupped his face, and snuck in a kiss on his lips. Her hands were on his shoulders and now they touched his neck, fingers sliding through his hair. Sonny didn't stop her. This was too strong, for the both of them. His hands caressed her face as he made the kiss deeper. They both failed to notice that the other Pirates had returned. Corso peeked in the kitchen door. A smile formed on his face at what he saw.
"Hold off on entering the kitchen. Let's give them some space. I am glad to see him act like a human being for once" he smiled.
"Right on the kitchen table?He has been too long without" Bennett couldn't help but say. They all knew Sonny wasnt tied to anyone, and they had not seen him with a woman for ages. Even a hardened pirate like him had certain needs that needed tending to. Corso grinned before he explained.
"Not quite like that Bennett. But it looked like an intense 's leave them at it. They're both adults who need the break. Lord knows Sonny does." Corso said.
In the kitchen, Sonny and Callie were in a world of their own. Neither of them had broken the kiss. What had started off innocently, had led to a deep hunger within both of them. Callie barely even registered the strong arms that held her until they had to stop to catch their breath. Callie looked at Sonny.
"Wow." Callie said as Sonny could do nothing but smile.
"You said it. That was..intense" Sonny answered. Callie felt herself blush. Sonny himself looked slightly red as well.
"Can't say I regret it. You're a great kisser, Sonny Blackbones." Callie said. She felt him pull her into a warm hug.
"I hope you understand this isn't how I usually act. Corso would get annoyed real fast. Not to mention the security protocol that comes with it. To get too close with someone when you have my baggage, poses dangers." Sonny said.
"Speaking of whom, shouldn't they be back by now?" Callie asked. Sonny heard a suppressed snigger.
"Looks like they already are back. This evening's going to be for knowing looks as if they have witnessed something they shouldnt have" He warned her.
"Not feeling tired anymore?" Callie teased. Sonny chuckled.
"No, I feel very awake. I will have to go through the information in the envelopes anyway. Something tells me it's important to look into quickly." Sonny said as Callie nodded.
"We've seen your interventions before. I trust you. Besides, no one can kiss that well and be a bad guy." She said. Sonny chuckled.
"If you say so…"
At Technoid HQ, Duke Maddox stared in shock at the report from the Sphere. Someone was still having a flux collecting operation there. Could it be the Pirates? Unlikely. Sonny Blackbones did not want Multiflux to exist so Duke Maddox did not believe this was Sonny's work. But then who could be behind it?
"Your Excellency?" Someone asked.
"Yes?" Duke Maddox asked, looking up. His security droid stood in front of him with an envelope.
"You requested information on who could be trying to take your place." Duke Maddox took the envelope and opened it. A picture fell out.
"That's not possible." A terrified Duke Maddox whispered as he saw the picture.
At Callie's apartment, Sonny, Corso and Callie had opened the envelope that said The Pawn; a file, with a picture of a familiar face attached.
"If it isn't General Bleylock. The galaxy is just full of surprises, isn't it Corso?" Sonny said as he opened the file. Corso shook his head.
"Not really Sonny. We always suspected he had something to do with the Flux Wars. Only difference is that now we have a file that can back it all up." Corso said. Sonny creased his brow in taught.
"One thing though bothers me; the name of the file. General Bleylock is listed as Nothing more than a pawn. But this… " Sonny took the envelope marked 'The Shadow behind the Throne' "Might be the Mastermind." he said. Sonny opened the envelope. It contained a disc, a file with a message taped on a sticky note addressed to Sonny. He quickly read through it. He looked at Corso and handed him the disc, who placed it in Callie's computer. "Let's see what is on this." He said as they watched the files on the disk.
Much of the material was from the Flux Wars, locations of several Technoid factories all across the galaxy including the planet Ascaron, which had exploded under mysterious circumstances, causing the death of millions. Corso was having a hard time watching it and seeing the list of people listed as killed in the explosion seemed to break him as he started shaking, holding his head. Sonny carefully placed his hand on Corso's shoulder. As soon as the list ended, Sonny looked at Corso.
"This… this is proof of what happened. I'm all that's left. They're gone." Corso whispered, looking through his fingers as he still covered his face. "All gone… Because of me… " Corsos voice was breaking, the emotions so intense.
"It is not your fault Corso. You did what you could." Bennett tried. Sonny could hear the suppressed sobs from his second in command.
"Could we have a moment alone guys?" He asked. Everyone nodded and exited the room. "Corso?" Sonny asked carefully as he pulled Corso to his chest and just held him close. Sonny couldn't imagine what Corso felt. The only knowledge Sonny had of his traumas were the many nightmares that haunted his friend through the years. Sharing a cabin had Sonny be there for the worst of it. He had seen Corso battling invisible attackers, reliving seeing his close friends be shot down by merciless droids. That world was so far away from the relative safety he had lived. They were different in many ways but in some, so similar that one could mistake them for twins. As Corso's shaking slowly subsided, Sonny carefully let go of him. Corso looked up, his normal eye showing signs of tears.
"Thanks Sonny. I needed that one." He said, voice thick with emotion.
"Anytime." Sonny smiled as Corso took a deep breath.
"What else is in that file?" He asked, wanting to get back to business. Sonny grabbed the file.
"This has got to possibly be the identity of the mastermind behind the whole war." Sonny said. Corso nodded.
"Whoever that bastard is, they have destroyed many lives. If they are still around they must be found and stopped at all costs." He growled. Sonny agreed.
"Let's have a look then." He said as he opened the file. Both of them were prepared for most things but not for what they found.
"It can't be Sonny. Not him." Corso was in total disbelief. Sonny stared at the picture.
"So, Dame Simbai was right all these years, after all." He said. "There is a mole in the Flux Society and he is in a very powerful position."Sonny said with concern. With that, Bennett and Artie were called back in.
"I don't like the look of this." Artie said as he saw Sonny and Corso's faces.
"We have a big problem on our hands guys." Sonny said.
"You know who the shadow behind the throne is Sonny?" Bennett asked. Sonny nodded, and showed them the picture. Callie gasped when she saw the image; it showed Brim Balarius, the Grandmaster of the Flux society.
A/N: What can I say? I love dramatic endings.
The idea for this is largely inspired by season one, where Dame Simbai said that she suspected a mole in the Flux Society.
Since then, I have always had some suspicion towards Brim Balarius.
I felt him to be too sceptical, and not seeking a peaceful solution like the rest of them.
The image of him in season 3 where he saw the Flux Explosion on Akillian further raised my suspicion against him.
And since it is known that Bleylock learned about D'Jok being Sonny's son from a member of the Flux Society, it was either Dame Simbai or someone else that was the mole.
I choose to go with Sonny's sixth sense here, and since he chose to trust her, I found someone else informed Bleylock of this matter.
As for the events that happened on planet Ascaron,the war there and how this ties in with Corso's past, will all come up later.
And for the kiss in the kitchen.
We will see, it may just lead to something even deeper for Sonny.
A big big thanks and shoutout to Paranoidgirl for the beta reading and the many wonderful ideas she gave me. You are quickly becoming my muse and I hope to soon see a new galactik football fic from you.
If you like the story, please drop me a review.