Keiran made it to his ship with Sonnys clone, whom fought him every step of the way. When they got there, he forced Sonny out of the car, and used a vapour laser to make him head into the ship. Once inside, Keiran tried to calm the furious pirate whom was as unwilling to cooperate as he could possibly be, and forced him into the same cabin he used last time. Sonnys clone was resisting him every step of the way. Keiran was getting fed up.
"Stop struggling Sonny. I WILL knock you out if I have to." He threatened. Sonny ignored him, and continued his fight, managing to give Keiran a hard kick to the side. That pissed him off even more. Keiran fumed as he walked towards the pirate chief.
"That's it. You asked for it" He said as he got up. The Sonny clone stared at him hatefully. With his arms tied on his back, there wasn't much he could do but dodge the many attacks Keiran launched. Soon, Keiran was starting to get tired. He had one last trick up his sleeve. He quickly turned around, and swept Sonny's leg, knocking him off balance. His right shoulder took the worst of the impact. Then, Keiran was on top of him, and managed to put on some hand cuffs, before he grabbed hold of him, and forced him over to the same bed he had laid on last time.
"I doubt you will be able to free yourself from these cuffs Sonny. Hate me all you want, but until I have dealt with Maurice Miller, I'll keep you hostage. The others will keep their distance to ensure your safety." He said as he secured the handcuffs to a chain connected to the bed. Sonny looked at him.
"What? Is your anger getting the better of you? You know this won't stop the pirates. You just made the worst mess you could out of this" Sonny spat. Clone or no clone, no one liked being chained up and the Sonny clone was programmed to fight hard. Keiran snarled at him.
"Shut up Sonny, or I'll gag you. I have heard enough of your self-righteous yammering. It's YOUR fault my family is dead." Keiran said, as he checked to see that Sonny was securely chained to the bed. Sonny looked at him.
"I'm not responsible for the actions of others Keiran. How was I supposed to prevent it? You broke all ties with us, when you abducted me the first time. I told you then, your ten million is blood money. You're no friend of the Pirates anymore. If you kill Maurice Miller, you drop even lower. We don't kill anyone, no matter what kind of scum they are." He spat. Keiran was trying to calm down.
"That rotten son of a bitch killed my family. I won't let him live." He spat.
"I know you wont, you're still living by Magnus Blade's rules. The old pirates codes. They don't make you strong." Sonny said, managing to find a comfortable way to lay down. Keiran gritted his teeth.
"Shut up and do as you're told or I might just kill you too."

Corso was at the controls, ready to depart with The Black Manta, when he received a message from Sonny.
"Inform Duke Maddox of the capture, then withdraw to the cabin and update me.I am curious to what is happening"
It said. It made Corso smile for a second, despite all the Pirates running around in a panic. Everyone was tense.
"We're ready to take off. We have to be fast" Bennett said. Corso nodded.
"Take care of it Bennett. I'll withdraw to the Captain's cabin and inform Duke Maddox. Then, I will formulate a battle plan. I hope I wont have to do this for long" He said. Bennett saluted him, and Corso withdrew from the command center. As soon as he entered the cabin and closed the door, Sonny stepped out of the bathroom where he had hidden. Corso smiled when he saw him.
"Everything's set Sonny. I need to inform Duke Maddox. Maybe I should take up acting. This feels more natural than it should" He chuckled. Sonny smiled as he laid back on the bed.
"The clone has all the recent updates on developments. It should fool Keiran for now. How far ahead is he?" Sonny asked.
"About fifteen minutes. I don't want to give him too much of a head start in case he goes into stealth mode.I am sort of expecting him to try, that will make things harder" Corso said. Sonny nodded.
"Good call Corso. Contact Duke Maddox, I'll be listening in." He said. Corso smirked as he called Duke Maddox, who was terrified at what he was told.
"We're on his tail but keeping a distance for now. We'll try to intervene before he reaches Miller. I hope Sonny is able to talk him into seeing things more reasonably, he has a gift with that. We also want Miller alive.I got some questions,and he surely has the answers" Corso explained. Duke Maddox nodded.
"I have two Technoid cruisers ready to launch in five minutes. Don't go into stealth mode, make sure you can be seen. We'll join you in tracking and stopping this madman." He said. Corso nodded.
"The Pirates have some associates on Stellar Unix, The Paladins. We know from them that Maurice Miller is keeping the King and Queen of the planet hostage, and the Paladin leader came to us for help. We tried to make a battle plan, but we need to travel to Stellar Unix ourselves to really see things. What we have found out is if Maurice Miller wants to get hold of Sonny, to extract Flux. Keiran seems to think that Sacrifising Sonny is going to help make up for what he thinks is the loss of his family. Or he's planning to use Sonny as bait to get close enough to kill Miller. Keiran is unstable. He needs to be taken care of." Corso said. Duke Maddox nodded.

"We're taking off now, We'll catch up with you soon enough. Sonny will soon be safe again." He promised. Corso nodded and ended the call. Sonny smiled at Corso.
"Excellent work, Commander Takashi. You pulled that one off well, correct mix of worry and determination. I feel almost touched by the concern you all have for my wellbeing" He said. Corso smiled.
"Do I get extra points for that?" He teased. Sonny smiled, then he got up and locked the door.
"That opens up some time for… relaxation. So how about it? Remember, Callie did suggest we explore certain aspects of our feelings for each other. May as well get started on that" Sonny asked. Corso looked at him.
"Are you sure you're up for that Sonny?Things like that can get out of hand, and I'm still not entirely sure about… all that." He said. Sonny sat down next to him on the bed.
"We all have our issues Corso. Mine is acting first. That said, I do have some ideas I would like to explore. Nothing major, but it will give us an idea of what we are getting ourselves into, try to relax, and follow my lead." He said. Sonny had a soft smile and a determined look in his hazel eyes. Corso felt his mouth go dry. What was going to happen? He had a feeling this was going to lead into something more than Sonny made it sound out to be.
"Are these words on your end Sonny? Or actions?" He asked. Sonny chuckled.
"Actions this time Corso. Lay down on your stomach, and let me take the reins for now. A massage should help you relax. You look a bit tense, maybe its the strain of being the captain, or maybe something else" He said. Corso nodded. He felt Sonny pull off his tank top before he felt the oil spreading on his back as Sonny made sure to apply a generous amount. Corso felt the weight of the matress shift slightly as he felt Sonny straddle him to get to work. Corso felt the tension leave as soon as Sonnys warm hands got going. Sonny smiled as he noticed that. Time to initiate the gentle transition to step two then.
"That's it Corso, let it go." Sonny said softly, continuing the work. After a good hour, Corso felt Sonny stop the thing, he was close to dozing off. Sonny laid down beside him. The herbs he had used in the oil smelled like lavender, and..something else.
"Do you need a massage too?" Corso offered. Sonny smirked where he lay. Corso noticed he had taken off his t shirt too. He could see Sonnys toned torsoe, all the muscles, whom looked very relaxed where he stretched out in his full lenght.
"I was having something else in mind." Sonny said as he looked at Corso. His smile felt like it pulled Corso to him. Corso could not stop staring at his lips. He remembered the kiss, and he felt a strong urge to do it again, a bit more fierce this time, to see how Sonny would take to it. Corso shook his head with a laugh.
"Are you trying to seduce me Sonny? If you dont want a massage yourself, dressing that way is suggesting you are up for some other kind of fun" He asked. Sonny smiled.
"Should I change tactics?" Sonny asked, challenging Corso to make a move. Corso smirked. Instead of telling, he had another idea for how to let Sonny know what he thought of this. Without giving, it more thought, he laid his arms around Sonny, pulling him in for a kiss. Corso let his hand slide down Sonnys toned abdomen, feeling a slight shake in the muscles as he touched them. Sonnys eyes locked with his, not saying a word, just a silent communication, to express his needs, to give the command to act on the fantasies he had held on to for decades. To open up to being loved, and having a partner in the physical again, not just dreams of a love lost, and fantasies of what could be. Sonnys eyes alone told the story. That was what he intended to be, that was why he had dressed like this, to be the temptation Corso never acted on. Corso couldnt help it, he was drowning in the promises Sonnys hazel eyes made.
"Allow me to show you just how well this works." He said, as he leaned in, caressing Sonnys neck and passionately kissed him.

Artie and his team had reached Abraxor. Thanks to his knowledge, Artie was able to locate a spot to park the ship where it wouldn't be detected. He gathered his team. One half would head into the area Opal was located, and the other would go after Sapphire. They were all equipped with a short snippet of what Solaris had told them as evidence to why they were there. Stevens, would look for Opal, and his team would be looking for Sapphire. Kate would remain on board the ship. As soon as they were all briefed on matters, Stevens and his partner Davidson took off. A few minutes later, Artie and Orin headed off too.
As they reached the area where Sapphire was last located, Artie realized this would be anything but easy. The building was heavily fortified. On the door was an emblem he saw before.
The Bleylock emblem.
A grim reminder of his own past. Artie shook the memories. He couldn't allow himself to dwell. He agreed to sit down with Sonny and sort through it later. Right now, he had to focus on the mission at hand. These walls were made to keep people trapped, not to let anyone escape. Zoltar had to mean a lot to the Trio since two of them let themselves get captured.
Orin signalled he had found an access point. Artie nodded, and signalled for Orin to activate his invisibility unit. Artie did the same.
Now, they had to get in, and start looking for Sapphire.

On the other side of the fortified stronghold, Stevens and Davidson prepared to enter. They were familiar with the invisibility units, and used the same code language as on the pitch. Stevens made sure they both had a map.
They had no problems passing the guards. Artie's memories didn't fail him. This mission was risky enough as it was.
Being invisible enabled them to explore the area.
Opal chose an area that belonged to the miners. The people here lived in extreme poverty. It was a horrid sight. Even at their worst lows, the Pirates never starved like this. Stevens and Davidson started to look for the last known location of Opal.

D'Jok and Mei listened to Callie as she informed them about what Corso said. D'Jok was furious.
"I want to know, who got sloppy and allowed for Dad to be taken hostage. Corso promised this wouldn't happen again." D'Jok yelled.
Callie agreed with D'Jok, but she couldn't allow herself to tell him that. For now, they had to trust that Corso knew what he was doing, and that it was only a matter of time before Sonny would be freed. Callie felt strangely calm. She trusted Corso. She had a good feeling that by the time they returned to Genesis, Corso and Sonny would have made up their minds about their feelings for each other too, and they would know how this would be from then on.
Mei looked worried but Callie felt like she was being studied by the younger woman. Sometimes it surprised her that Mei wasn't a spy for the Pirates.
"You're very calm Callie, considering it is Sonny that is taken hostage. Why's that?Last time, you were a hot mess" She asked. Callie looked at her.
"I guess. Corso's confident. Almost like… " Callie stopped. Last time Sonny was abducted by the same man, Corso wasn't this calm. Far from it. This made no sense. Sonny and Corso had something secret going on. Callie decided to get to the bottom of it, right now.
"Mei, call Corso. Ask him to go to Sonny's cabin. As soon as he's there, I'm going to try something. I have a suspicion of what's going on. If I'm right, both he and Corso have some explaining to do." Callie said. D'Jok held Iris as Mei and Callie looked at him.
"I agree with you both. Maybe the one taken hostage is a clone." D'Jok mused. Callie was in thought. She didn't like being kept out. She just hoped that they had a good explanation for not informing her and the others.

So far, so good. Artie and Orin had made their way into the desolate city. He recalled it faring much better than this. Since they used their invisibility units, they could move unseen.
They reached the place where Artie had tracked Sapphire to. Guards outside the house indicated the worst. Seeing the people here was enough. There was this smell of oppression in the very air. Because their planet had been cut off by the Flux Society, who barred their Flux from use, the Abraxians were angry people. At least the ones that held power. Other people suffered under this. Artie closed his eyes for a second. He didn't want to go back. He wasn't even an Abraxian. He opened them again. Artie and Orin found an unguarded back door, and made their way inside.

On the other side of the city, Stevens and Davidson looked for the address where Opal was. Stevens and Davidson moved through the area as fast as they could. They came closer to the entrance of the mines. No one fitting Opal's description was in the small camp near it. They needed to go into the mines. Stevens shuddered. He was claustrophobic. He felt Davidson's hand on his shoulder. The entrance to the mines was guarded heavily. Whatever they mined had to be valuable. A few wagons stood nearby. Stevens checked the content. A metal like he never saw before. He made sure to sneak a small piece into a pocket. Then, he and Davidson started their descend into the mine.

Corso felt tired. He just had to play a very convincing role as a deeply concerned Commander. This role was draining. He looked forwards to lay down again in the cabin, and have Sonny laying next to him. He smiled to himself. Sonny had surprised him with his move, but at least, now they knew. Sonny had seduced him, and he had totally melted into came almost naturally for them both. And left them both very they were done, Corso slept with his arms wrapped around Sonny. His love, now lover, resting his head to Sonnys muscular chest, feeling his strong arms around him too. What they had planned with Callie around this, would raise some eyebrows. This would be as much the Pirates' way as anything. He opened the door to the cabin and quickly locked it, leaniing towards the wall, letting the stress go.
"That bad?" Sonny teased as he emerged from the bathroom where he had hid, and saw his lover. Corso nodded.
"I think I'll stay in the cabin more during this trip. Acting worried is hard. I dont know how you manage to pull it off, you are either a better actor than Mei, wich I doubt anyone can be, or you have a natural talent for the job" Corso said as he took off his coat and laid down. Sonny smirked.
"The real test is probably is if Callie is buying the story that I am taken hostage Corso. She knows how to read people. If there is any element to this plan that could fail, its her. I keep trying, but reading her is not easy." Sonny told him. Corso sighed.
"Why do I get the feeling she already knows the truth Sonny? That might put a wrench in things. She is sharp,if I slipped up with her, she will chew us both out.i cant take it if she decides to end things with you" Corso thought. Sonny was about to reply when Corso's transmitter started beeping.
"Callie? What are you calling for?" Corso tried when he picked up. Callie looked extremely cross.
"You two have some serious explaining to do." She said. Then,seconds later, Sonny's transmitter went off. He had not turned the sound off, and Callies face told him, she had heard it. Corso looked at him. They were in trouble. Sonny sighed and answered the call.
"Mei?" He started. Mei looked cross too, but also humoured.
"You're awfully chipper for a hostage Sonny. Or is that actually a clone?" Mei asked with a smile. Sonny looked at Corso.
"Is D'Jok there too?" He asked with a sigh. D'Jok appeared next to Mei.
"This better have a good explanation Dad. You know better than to leave us out on these matters" He said. Sonny nodded.
"Alright, we'll explain. But please keep it between us."

Success! Artie and Orin had made it safely inside the home. It was grand and luxurious. Abraxor was known for this. The two of them did a sweep of the place. The house was big, so it took some time. All the people working here, were more jailers than anything else. After a while, they found the lady who was held prisoner. Only, it was not the one they were looking for. This made Artie tense up. They needed to get out of here. This wasn't part of the mission. Artie mentally kicked himself for not double-checking the information.
No time to do it now. They moved back to the kitchen area when Artie realized something. Sapphire was here but not as the prisoner. She was here as staff. Working in the kitchen. Her eyes, the ones that always sparkled in posters and pictures, were dimmed. Life here was taking its toll. It was the last meal of the day. Sapphire was sent to serve the captive. Artie and Orin waited until she was done and went to her room to sleep. Then, they slowly made their way in.
Artie quickly set up a system that would scramble any hidden microphones or cameras. They needed to stay hidden during this mission.
Sapphire was dressed in her sleeping robe when she sat down on her bed. Artie acted quickly and put his hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming, as he made himself visible at the same time as Orin. Sapphire looked terrified at them.
"Who are you?" She asked once Artie removed his hand. Artie signalled for her to stay silent, as Orin guarded the door with his laser.
"My name is Arthur Tidman. I'm a fellow Stellar Unix inhabitant." He said. Sapphire's eyes sparkled.
"Hawk's son. You're alive." She said in disbelief. Artie nodded.
"I escaped when I was ten and fled to the Obia Moon. At age eighteen, the Pirates recruited me. I'm here on a mission, to help a friend." Artie explained.
"Who?" Sapphire asked. Artie weighed his words carefully.
"Solaris Stellar Paladin." He said.
"I don't know that name." Sapphire said. Artie shook his head.
"You toured the galaxy with her, as the Trio. We're here to get you out. Are you held against your own will?" He asked. Sapphire sighed.
"I have to stay here. I came here with my sister, Opal, after our friend Zoltar was accused of espionage on the Abraxor regime. All false off course, but General Bleylock had his eyes set on Rainbow. Rainbow continued to reject him, and his family had Zoltar arrested on false claims. But I understand, her family had her saved." Sapphire explained. Artie nodded.
"They did. Rainbow is with the Paladins now, under a new name. She's their leader; Solaris Stellar Paladin. She needs her sisters, she needs to deal with the past. I'm here to help you both escape. She needs your help to retrieve the Golden Armor." Artie quickly explained what happened. Sapphire listened attentively. As Artie finished, she nodded.
"I want to go, but not without Opal and Zoltar" She said. Artie nodded.
"I'll see what I can do." He promised. He needed to get in contact with Sonny and ask advice.
All of a sudden a small sound indicated an incoming message. Both Artie and Orin jumped. Sapphire took a hidden transmitter, and turned it on. She gasped at the message.
"It's from Opal." She said as she listened attentively. Artie looked at her.
"Could you elaborate?" He asked. Sapphire nodded.
"Hawk finally did it. He found Zoltar, he's alive. They're putting together a plan to get him out of here. We'll all be going home." Sapphires eyes were sparkling with tears. It was the first time in a long while she was this excited.
Artie was silent. Too silent. He just found out about his father, and now, he had to face him already...

A/N: The story is starting to pick up. How they all tie back to Abraxor, not just for one member of the Pirates, but many. I hope this is not boring you guys, as things will start getting far more intense now. Soon, Corso is also having an adventure of his own, with Solaris.
A big thanks to Paranoidgirl for the beta-ing on this story.