Corso looked at the images of father and son Tidman. He had heard of this hacker before, but he never knew more than a name. And his son was now part of their crew.
"Well Sonny, We finally know what Artie's story is. The kid covered his tracks well. He's probably even better then his father. judging from how he hid his tracks, he must be ashamed of something, or expecting a backlash when found out" Corso said as he scrolled through the files at Sonny's laptop. Sonny just nodded. Their work was only just beginning. He had several things to deal with at once.
First, he had to make sure Corso was safe. He needed his skills with cracking military codes. Duke Maddox gave him the Technoid file on the military compound they had on Ascaron. It confirmed Corso's suspicions. It wasn't Corsos units doing, and Sonny suspected Bleylock was involved as well as professor Monteague, Something had gone on that was hidden, and he had a feeling he would not like it when he found out. He'd need Clamp's help to find out what took place.
It was clear Corso was being scapegoated and he intended to prove his innocence. The Chissian military was still a threat to Corso's safety so for now, Corso wouldn't stay alone at his own place. The Chissian military was sure to come looking for him there. Corso would stay in hiding at his and Callie's place until further notice. Next was dealing with Maurice Miller. The Paladins and Technoid would cooperate to bring him to justice. Should be easy enough.
Jar'Eel Bleylock was the real threat. And his whereabouts was still unknown. Everything came back to that single point. Sonny was forced to face the truth. Technoid wasn't his enemy. The really never had been. They had been played and exploited, just like himself and many others. He owed Duke Maddox an apology. A good leader had to face the errors he made, the same way he handled the things he did right. Sonny typed a message to Duke Maddox and sent it, asking for an urgent meeting in the morning, he had things to make up for to the old man. He would keep Corso busy on the computers while he met with Duke Maddox. With that in mind, Sonny started to think of how to deal with Keiran. He and Corso would have to send in his clone to get close to Miller.

Sonny had put Stevens and Orin on patrol duty. He didn't feel confident that the Chissian Military was dealt with properly. Until he knew for sure, Corso would have to be careful. He looked at what the file he had on Hawk Tidman read. He had acquired a criminal record after his son was kidnapped. Wich he could understand. When he thought his own son and wife to be dead, he had made a promise to fight too. And that had landed him a hefty bounty on his head. He could understand a grieving father resorting to any possible way to find his lost son. What was more interesting to him, was the name of the nanny. He had met this lady, a strict middle aged woman, during his visit to Abraxor with Bleylock. But she did not have Artie with her then, so either he was in one of the infamous factories, to be made hard and unemotional, or worse. Sonny tried to recall the memories of her. She tried to blend into the background, but he always felt her as emotionally cold. Artie growing up in her care, spoke volumes of his strenght to still be himself. Maybe this would be a good assignment for Callie to dig into, the more they knew, the more spesific the help they could offer Artie, the better things would be. Sonny decided to act on this thought right away.
"Callie, I need to ask a favor." Sonny said. Callie looked at him with a smile from her desk.
"A favor Sonny? Only if I get something in return." She teased. Sonny pulled up the nannys file.
"This woman, called Anadrea Simmordale, is there any chance I can persuade you to do some digging on her? She was once Artie's nanny. It's possible we can piece together what happened and why she kidnapped him from his parents. And also, what happened when he was in her care, it may help us find the best help for Artie" He suggested. Callie nodded, this was an easy assignment. But she had a demand for her handsome boyfriend too.
"If you allow me to have a deep conversation with Corso, all alone,I will do it" She said. Sonny smiled. He saw Corso wince at the idea, but after what they had done, he had the feeling Callie somehow already knew what had happened,and wanted to ask Corso about his feelings for him. Himself being present would make Corso uncomfortable to speak about this, if he was alone with Callie, he just may open up. And that meant he had to leave the house for a little while. Sonny smiled as he got up.
"Deal. I'll head over to Artie's kitchen to pick up some food while we work. We will most likely work through the night" He said. As he was about to leave, Corso looked at him. His gaze looked slightly worried. Sonny gently patted him on the shoulder, he would be in good hands with Callie. "Good to relax, she wont bite" He said,as he made his way out.

As soon as Sonny left, Callie looked at Corso. He looked scared at the thought of being alone with her, and that made her suspect even more than he and Sonny kept a secret from her.
"So… what do you want to talk about?" he finally managed. He was tense. Callie sat down closer to him.

"Don't be scared Corso. I just want to help Sonny out with things. We both do. If us talking alone is of help to him, then lets focus on that, we both want whats best for him, because we care about his wellbeing" She started. Corso nodded.
"Well… what do you want to know? I can tell you quite a lot. And other things, its better you dont know" He said. Callie nodded.
"Sonny said something about a guess about something too. What was that all about?" She wondered. Corso sighed. This was going to be the most difficult part. Sonny had dropped a more than obvious hint for her to wall him with.
"Let's start at the beginning, shall we?" Corso sighed as he said this. Callie looked at him.
"Can I record this for future use?" She asked. Corso nodded.
"I'm warning you; it's a harrowing story. We are lucky Sonny is still alive after what he has been through. I never once felt this angry in my life as when I saw that" He said, Callie nodded and activated the camcorder.
"Now Corso, tell me about Sonny's relationship with Bleylock, and what led to this war he waged on Bleylock and Technoid."

Artie looked at the information on the encrypted laptop. He was using the Pirates' hacking codes to find the information he needed. Opal and Sapphire lived very withdrawn lives after Rainbow left. Solaris… Artie still couldn't believe his favourite, Rainbow was actually the Paladin leader; Solaris Stellar Paladin. He could feel Solaris' pain over the loss of Zoltar. Finding Zarind alive had sparked the hope Zoltar could be too. Sonny was more cautious about the outcome. The Bleylocks were vindictive and Rainbow's repeated nos to General Bleylock could have led to Zoltar's death. Sonny didn't want to bring any hopes down but told them all to have realistic expectations. Sonny knew a lot more about Bleylock than he was letting on. That Artie was sure of. Maybe Corso knew, and if he did, true to his habit, he would protect Sonnys secrets, and Sonny himself. Only Corso had the full picture on that matter. Artie sighed. Where were Opal and Sapphire? The Paladin system revealed little to nothing. On a pure hunch, Artie decided to check the Abraxor systems. It took a little tweaking to get in but he managed. A little too well. Artie hid his past from the Pirates. He knew little to nothing about his parents besides that they were from Abraxor, where he was raised. It was common to be raised by strangers. That way, no weakness was fostered in a child. They were hard years for Artie, being abandoned by his parents to be raised this way. To become more machine than human being. Turned out, he wasn't able to become a machine. He had lived that hell for six years before he escaped at age ten. They managed to get off Abraxor to the Obia moon where Artie had formed a bond with a group of thieves. For eight years, stealing for a living, and developing his already impressive hacking skills, became his way of surviving. Then, he met Corso, who was looking for new recruits. Artie was only eighteen but he still joined. Artie still recalled the grumpy Pirate and his leader, Sonny Blackbones.

"Corso, welcome the young man to our crew. I saw his hacking skills. They can come in handy. Find a bunk for him." He remembered Sonny saying. Corso saluted and did what he was told. Sonny turned to him.
"What's your name Kid? I'm Sonny Blackbones. You can call me Sonny." He said with a smile, holding out his hand.
"Artie, Sir" He stammered. Sonny looked at him with a smile.
"What did I just say?" Sonny asked. Artie nodded.
"Thank you for giving me a chance, Sonny."

Artie snapped out of the memories as his laptop signalled that it found something. Artie sent it to his personal account to look through later. He heard the door and Artie made his way to the counter. Then, he was met by a surprise.
"Sonny! I expected Corso or Bennett." He smiled.
"Well, today it's me. Callie wanted to talk with Corso. Alone" Sonny smiled. Artie couldn't help himself from chuckling.
"Those two are going to have so much fun together. Corso is sure to ask something in return for being put in that situation." Artie laughed. Sonny chuckled.
"Corso has to start training to be a commander of The Black Manta. That means brushing up his social skills." Sonny pointed out. Artie nodded.

"I hope it goes well. He needs help with it." Artie defended him. Sonny nodded before he looked at his list.
"Do you have the meals ready to go? I might want to eavesdrop a bit. I'm curious how things goes, and what Callie will ask him" Sonny said. Artie grinned and handed Sonny the meals.

"How did things go with your assignment for Solaris? Did you locate Opal and Sapphire?" Sonny asked. Artie nodded.
"I thought I would find them on Stellar Unix but that wasn't the case." Artie said. Sonny looked at him with confusion. This was unexpected.

"It's their home planet. Did Rainbow's departure hurt them that much?" Sonny asked. Artie nodded.
"It seems so Im aftraid. Zoltar, was a close friend to them all. He travelled with them as a security guard. When Rainbow fell into depression because of the loss, it seems they may have gone to another planet to find answers. You won't like where I found them." Artie said. Sonny looked at his young partner.
"Where did you find them Artie?" He asked. Artie looked at him seriously.
" On Abraxor."

Corso looked at Callie after he was done talking. He wasn't sure what to expect. Callie silently turned off the camcorder. Then, she looked at him.

"That was awful." She whispered in disbelief. Corso nodded.
"Then, as if that was not enough,Bleylock kidnapped his son to blackmail him. He knew Sonny would sacrifice himself to save him. Sonny went to save his son, and Bleylock used him to put pressure on him. If he didnt do as ordered, he was going to kill Sonny. And since they had just met, a kid that is that much like his father, he was not going to do that. With all that happened,We damn near lost Sonny that time. His wanted poster still circulated while we knew he was in mortal danger, it was thanks to Maddox we found him in time, but it was a close call" He admitted. He had told Callie all about Bleylock's relationship with Sonny. It didn't seem to bother her.
"You must have been horrified. It really must have been absolute hell to see him run out of air like that, and not be able to do anything, to see him suffocate before your eyes" She managed. Corso nodded silently.
"I always fear for Sonny. He cheated Death so many times… one day he's going to stop being lucky and I don't think I can handle it, if we lost Sonny... the pirates would be done for" Corso admitted. Callie studied him.
"What was it Sonny reminded you to ask me about?I feel like he said it because it is important it be said out loud" She said. Corso swallowed. He mentally prepared himself for the worst. Callie nodded and smiled. Then, Corso told her truthfully how he really felt for Sonny, the love he held for him for years but never acted on, and finally, Sonnys reaction when he told him. And the kiss that Sonny had initiated on his smiled when Corso admitted to things. She suspected it was far from a one way street. What Corso felt, Sonny felt too.

"You two need some time together without the stress of one or the other dying. You need time to talk, and explore these feelings. If left like that, Sonny will have regrets for not looking into it later on. I would really want for him to do this now, I feel your presence alone calms him, on more than friendship level. I think he needs you, as much as you need him, and if feelings like this is in the mix, you need to explore how deep it runs, in other words, you both need to know for sure if you want to leave it at this, or take it to the next level." She said, looking at Corso seriously. Corso looked back.

"I don't want to mess up your relationship with Sonny. You're the best thing that happened to him in years. He deserves you. I don't want to take that away. I have loved him from a distance till now, I can continue doing that. I only wanted to know what it felt like to Kiss him, and Sonny made sure I now know how that is like. I dont regret asking, nor for acting. But if it comes at the price of your relationship to him, I will step aside" Corso tried. Callie smiled.
"It won't take that away at all. Or did you really think I'd be like this after that kiss if I wasn't okay with it?Sonny kissed you to let you see he feeels the same "No way you are walking away from this love him as deeply as I need this, and so does he. And that is just the start of your future now. You bothneed to explore this. Sonny is no stranger to having a male partner, he has been honest enough to tell you that. And from the sound of things, neither are you. So why not explore this together, like the partners you always were. I wont opose it. I think it will be good for the both of you" Callie asked. Corso looked at her. It dawned on him what she meant. "You deserve at least some time with him like that. You deserve his love. At least you wont have to wonder how it could have been later. You will know for sure." She said. Corso breathed a sigh of relief.
"You'll be so good for Sonny. I am so happy he met you."

Time was up. O'Keefe didn't make any contact. He was more loyal to the Pirates than he let on. He tried to log into the Technoid system that allowed him to look at Sonny's tracking bracelet. But Shiloh Security had done their work and made new access codes to the system. He couldn't locate Sonny that way. There was also no record of O'Keefe being anywhere either. Either the weasel had bailed on him or he was held captive. It didn't matter. Miller prepared his army to launch the attack.
"Failure to me comes at a price; your family." He said, as he gave the order to launch the Flux device at The shiloh Nebula.

Bennett could hardly hear himself think as the alarms went off in Shiloh Security. He was on the night shift, waiting for Jar'Eel or Miller to strike. That had happened now. The Shiloh Nebula was targeted. The images were heartbreaking. Fortunately, there were no human lives lost. They evacuated everyone just in time. Still, it held many memories. Bennett knew this attack had been expected. Maybe now, Sonny could initiate stage two with the terrified Keiran, who was still locked up in the holding cells. Bennett called Sonny's number.

Sonny and Corso studied the files on Ascaron again. Their suspicions were confirmed with the seismic readings in the area. Sonny focused on a particular area that fit his calculations for the ground zero of the blast that tore Ascaron apart. Only thing he needed now, was Corsos men and their placing in the picture.
"Corso, can you pinpoint where your platoon was in the area, and where the lost explosives may have been located? I got a theory and if I'm right, you and your entire platoon are in the clear of what happened." He said. Corso nodded. He had a lump in his throat. If it could be proven, that it was not him and his unit's fault, that would take a load off his shoulders. Corso used a data pen to circle the area. Sonny studied the area closely. He used an overlay of the natural terrain to check his findings. Corso wasn't even aware he held his breath until Sonny spoke up.
"Breathe Corso, I don't want you to pass out on me." He said with a slight chuckle. Corso let out a heavy breath.
"Please tell me you solved this Sonny, I need to know if we are guilty of this or not." He whispered. He felt Sonny's hand on his shoulder.
"See for yourself." He suggested. Corso stared at the screen. A tear fell from his eye.
"It wasn't my fault. None of it was." He stammered. Sonny nodded. "You were too far away Corso. The epicenter of the blast didn't originate from your position, it came from here." Sonny said and circled the Technoid compound. Corso nodded. But could they prove Sonnys theory, that was what was on his mind.

"Can you prove this? I want the names of my unit cleared if its possible. They deserve better treatment than we got from our commanders." Corso managed. Sonny smiled.
"I can show them exactly what happened and how. The blast originated from Technoid's compound, not your location. If this is what the Chissian Military is after you for, they owe you an apology, and restoring your honour." Sonny said. Corso was about to speak when Bennett's call reached them.
Sonny listened as Bennett showed the data and the images. Corso looked at him.
"It was evacuated, right?" He asked, slightly worried. Sonny nodded.
"It was. Maurice Miller just set our operation into action. My clone will be a handy body double. You and I will enter Keiran's cell and bring him to the interrogation room. As he's led back to his cell, we will let him escape and take my clone as his hostage. You'll gather the crew on board Black Manta, and take off. I'll be hiding in the cabin. For now, no one but you and I can know about the body double. I need the crew to act like it's really me that's taken hostage. Keiran knows where Miller is hiding. He'll lead us straight to him and then, we can deal with matters. There is also The Golden Armor, which Solaris needs help to retrieve." Sonny said. Corso nodded.

"I can tell Sonny, You're not crazy about the idea of me being her partner on this." He said. Sonny sighed as he turned his back to Corso.
"I would have prefered you not to go in at all to be honest.I would like to keep you safe from harm if I can. I can't imagine moving forward, getting married to Callie, without you there. It would just leave another void, like it did with Helena back in the day" He confessed. Corso felt warm when he heard it. Sonny was usually deeply private with his grievances, even with him. Sonny opening up like this, was encouraging. He was changing, like the rest of them, becoming an even stronger leader.
"You won't have to worry Sonny. I'll be there when you marry Callie. By your side, as I always have been.I would never miss out on that. Callie told us to go ahead and explore these feelings too. She pressed me hard,I had to spill the beans." He said. Sonny smiled.
"I had a feeling she would,I'm blessed to be loved by you wonderful people. Without you, I would not be here today " He said. Corso looked at him as his smile softened.
"I'm honored. You could say, you saved me too back in the day, by presenting me with a purpose" He managed. Corso pulled Sonny into an embrace.
"Whatever you do, stay with Callie. She makes you happy…"

Artie triple checked his data on the two members of the Trio. There was no mistake about it. They had gone to two opposite parts of Abraxor. Why go to that horrible, depressing place? Artie focused on honing in on their locations. It dawned on Artie what they were looking for. They didn't do this for themselves. They did it for Rainbow. They sought where Zoltar was either held captive, or where he was buried. Had they found him? Or were they still looking? How did living on Abraxor affect them? This was becoming a bigger mission than he thought it would be. Artie hoped to be able to do this all by himself but he could see, he needed assistance with this one. And for that, he had to run it by Sonny and Corso. And asking for help meant he had to reveal his knowledge of Abraxor. Artie hit a wall. Should he disobey Sonny and initiate a mission on his own, without backup? Artie dismissed the idea immediately. He'd piss off the rest of the Pirates and very likely put them at risk. He wanted to do something good, something that could help Rainbow. No, Solaris. She was Solaris now. Maybe he could ask Sonny to sit down with her. Talk things over. Sonny seemed to have a special touch with their guests, he was the boss, but also the one that could help the most. If anyone could relate to her situation, it was him. Maybe Corso too, but he always felt intimidated by him. Artie knew he needed a partner for this and then head to Abraxor to find the two girls. If he wanted permission, he needed to do some things first. He had to sit down with both Corso and Sonny and tell them why he knew so much about Abraxor. Artie closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he dialed Corso's number.

Corso and Sonny looked at Keiran, who was terrified at what he had just been shown. He had his head in his hands.
"It's my fault. They are all dead, because of me. I never should have taken that damn contract." He said.
"Too late to be sorry now. You did take it, and it damn near could have cost Sonnys life too. That would not have helped your case" Corso growled.
"Calm down Corso, what's done is done. We need to take him out before more Pirates lose their lives. This one is bad enough as it is, we dont need to add to the pile of bodies" Sonny said thoughtfully. Corso looked at the prisoner. So far, Keiran was buying their act, thinking that Miller had killed his family and many more. He couldn't help but feel bad about what they were doing.
"Where is his army of robots hidden? And don't tell me you don't know. You seem to know where to find this scum, you must know his hideout on Stellar Unix too" Corso said. Keiran was close to tears.
"I don't know Corso. All I know is that he wanted Sonny at Stellar Unix. Anything else, you have to ask him" He tried.
"Not going to happen. Sonny isnt going near Stellar Unix, especially not with a nutjob like Miller on the loose" Corso said. Sonny nodded.
"What was the pay this time Keiran?Another 10 million or did you jack up the price with the added risk of making an attempt to seize me again?" He asked. Keiran shook his head.
"I would not have taken on a new contract on you Sonny, you must know that. You think I would willingly risk Corso coming after me a second time? He threatened me into it. The safety of my family is all I stood to gain. You'd have done the same. A lot of people would be a lot safer if you played along. And now it is too late" Keiran tried. Corso was not impressed.
"You really think that argument will work on us? How about doing the right thing for a change? Help us get this monster put to justice, and we may consider reversing your shunning. But you are not handing him Sonny." Corso said, looking at Sonny, who nodded.

"I need some time to think." Keiran said. Sonny nodded to Corso.
"Take your time Keiran. We'll be back in a few hours to ask again." Sonny said. With that, they exited the interrogation room. Two guards were set to keep him locked up in the interrogation room.
"What are you thinking Sonny?" Corso looked at Sonny. Sonny smiled.
"We will make the switch the next time you go in. The clone may lag behind a bit when you leave, giving him time to react. He's furious, thinking his family is dead. He'll take the clone as a bargaining chip, but he'll also be dangerous for Miller with his now boiling rage. A grief struck Pirate set on vengeance. We need to be close behind him at all times, to avoid a bigger mess" Sonny said.
"You put a tracker on the clone then?" Corso asked. Sonny nodded.
"It is all set Corso, no worries." He said with a small smile.
The two Pirates were making their way towards the briefing room.
"Sonny! Corso! Could I have a word with you?" Came from behind them. Sonny nodded. Corso opened the door to a small room so Artie and Sonny could enter before he closed the door behind them.
"Did you find something new about Opal and Sapphire?" Sonny asked. Artie nodded.
"I know where they are. I want to ask permission to extract them." He said. Corso studied him.
"From where Artie?You being this eager has a reason to it, and you better start talking, right now" Corso asked, Sonny nodded. He had a feeling where this was going. Artie sighed.
"This is part of a past I don't want to remember but if I can't stay silent. I have a past on Abraxor, raised in one of the facilities there, like thousands of other Abraxians. I escaped at age ten with the help of two friends. We got to The Obia moon, where a thieves guild took us in. I learned my hacking there. I never knew my parents, they abandoned me to the nanny. She was growing old, so she placed me in the facility, thinking it was best for me. I don't know what happened to her. Point is, I know the place and how to get around. I know where Opal and Sapphire are. They went to Abraxor to search for the truth about Zoltar. I don't know if they found him or not but they're stranded. To help Solaris, I'm asking permission to do a rescue mission. To go to Abraxor to help Opal and Sapphire escape."

A/N: Things are coming together. There's a plan that is slowly unfolding but answers are needed.
Abraxor seems to be the key.
An enormous thanks to Paranoidgirl, for helping me keep the story going and often giving me a new angle to a planned situation.