After a hasty and worry-filled journey there, WilyKit landed the ThunderClaw outside the supposedly empty black pyramid. A shiver ran down her spine as she looked at the ominous onyx structure. "Even abandoned, this place is still creepy," she muttered, and walked towards it. Or is it abandoned? a nagging voice of doubt within her asked. But the Thunderkitten shook her head, still not wanting to believe that Mumm-Ra had somehow returned despite what Chet had said. "No, he can’t be back. Not after all this time."

WilyKit then spotted the Feliner parked not far away. "WilyKat!" she cried, and ran to the vehicle. So he’s here after all, she realized. Chet was right. But where is he? She saw that the Feliner was empty when she approached, and there was no sign of her brother anywhere.

"Got Kat." Chet’s young voice echoed through her head. The imposing shadow of the black pyramid loomed in the distance, and somehow she just knew he was inside.

"Kat, what would possess you to go digging around in there?" she asked aloud. She could think of no logical reason for him to go inside, unless the rest of what Chet said was true, that Mumm-Ra and Torlei had abducted her brother. She feverishly hoped that the cub was wrong, but it was rapidly becoming clear that he wasn’t.

WilyKit took a deep breath and fished a couple of explosive pellets from her pouch. "Well, Mumm-Ra or not, nobody’s going to hold my brother for very long," she said determinedly. The Thundercat ran toward the pyramid and crept into the open passage at the base. "WilyKat!" she shouted. "Kat! Are you here?"

Like her brother earlier, the only answer to her inquiries was an ominous silence. She continued to make her way in, looking for any sign that her brother had passed through. She saw footprints in the dust, and realized that they must be his. "Hey, what’s the deal Kat, you miss Mumm-Ra’s old place more than your own sister?" she called out with a nervous laugh. Again she was answered only by silence.

After what felt like an eternity, WilyKit came upon the passageway that led into Mumm-Ra’s chamber. The atmosphere of utter evil that filled the place nearly bowled her over. "Great Jaga, I don’t remember it feeling this oppressive even when Mumm-Ra was still around! Why is it so bad now?" she mumbled, and pressed onward into the room, forcibly steadying her nerves. With her flashlight she scanned the chamber and gasped. She saw WilyKat, held in his energy field and chains, hanging limply on the other side.

"Kat!" she cried out in horror, and raced over to him. "Please don’t be dead, Kat! I’ll save you! You know you can always count on your big sister!" In truth, she was only the older of the twins by a matter of minutes, but she still felt protective of him in that manner at times. When she approached him she was relieved to see him still breathing, and reached into the energy field to try and release his chains. The telekinetic field stung her flesh painfully, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t bear for the time it would take to release the locks.

WilyKat stirred when he felt his sister’s gentle touch. "Kit..." he mumbled. "Kit, is that you?"

"I’m here for you," WilyKit whispered. "Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of this horrible place and get you back to the Lair," she assured him.

"Will you now?" a cruel voice sneered from behind.

WilyKit gasped and whirled around, and found herself face to face with Torlei. She had never seen the undead Lunatac before, and she was a frightening sight to behold. "What? Who—who are you?"

"I’m someone you didn’t expect to be here," Torlei replied with a nasty laugh. She raised a hand, sparking with her evil energy.

"What have you done to my brother? How dare you trap him like this?" WilyKit yelled angrily as she took a defensive stance.

"So you’re the twin," Torlei murmured. "Showing such devotion to your brother… how fortunate for me. I can have a matched set," she hissed, and fired a blast of energy at her.

WilyKit instinctively leaped out of the way. "You’re delusional," she snarled back, and threw an explosive pellet at the undead Lunatac. It deflected off of an invisible force field that appeared to be surrounding her and exploded harmlessly several feet away.

"And you’re trapped, Thundercat," Torlei countered, and knocked WilyKit to her knees with a telekinetic blast. "Now you can join your dear brother." Torlei snapped her fingers and magically teleported her into an identical set of chains next to WilyKat’s. Once the female twin was secured in place, Torlei walked over and examined her closely. "So tell me, WilyKit, how did you find him? Did that telepathic Thundercat manage to use her sixth sense to get through my psychic force field?"

WilyKit stared back in horror. "You blocked Cheetara? But how? And who in the name of Thundera are you anyway?"

Torlei cackled wickedly. "Oh that’s right! We never met, did we? You weren’t there when I had my run-in with the Thundercats. You were with your brother and Lynx-O playing with the laser guns in the Thunderstrike when I last dealt with you miserable felines. Well then, allow me to introduce myself. I am Torlei, bride of Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living." Her insincere smile changed to a vengeful sneer. "You know, the one your brother shot into a volcano thirteen years ago!"

"But you’re dead!" WilyKit exclaimed.

"I’ve been that way ever since Luna killed me the first time," she hissed. "It didn’t stop me then, and it didn’t do me in when your brother shot me into the volcano either. Mumm-Ra and I are eternal. Like weeds in a garden, you can kill us as many times as you like, but we’ll always come back."

Under the cumbersome weight of the chains and energy field, WilyKit struggled to make sense of what Torlei was saying. "Luna killed you?" she murmured. "Yeah... that’s right, you were once of the Lunatacs, weren’t you? Alluro’s sister or something?"

Torlei gave a slight nod. "In another lifetime, but no longer. My disloyal brother and his equally worthless friends are nothing to me now. Soon they will meet their end as will everyone who has wronged me. I’m here to destroy those that would stand in my way of ruling all of New Thundera, Plundarr, and its Moons in ultimate evil with my dear Mumm-Ra. And yes, WilyKit, before you ask, he lives too. He was weak for the last twelve years, but he survived that final battle you fought with him, and he’s now stronger than ever."

WilyKit struggled in the chains. "You won’t get away with this. The others know I came here. They’ll be looking for me," she warned. "And your stupid psychic force field didn’t block Chet from seeing you!" she yelled heatedly, and instantly regretted spilling that information.

"Chet?" Torlei repeated. "You mean that silly toddler child of Lion-O and Cheetara? Hmm... yes, I suppose it would follow that Cheetara’s son would have her telepathic powers, wouldn’t it? Well then, I guess I’ll just have to silence him, won’t I?" Torlei said as an evil smile across her face.

"NO!" WilyKat yelled with as much energy as he could muster from beside his now trapped sister. "He’s an innocent child! Leave him alone!"

"You wouldn’t kill a little boy, would you?" pleaded a horrified WilyKit. "He’s done nothing to you or anyone else!" She didn’t think it would work, but she desperately tried to appeal to any goodness that might still exist within the undead telekinetic.

The appeal was in vain. "His existence, if he can block my powers, is a threat," Torlei hissed. "Threats must be appropriately dealt with, Thundercat. His tender age is of no consequence to me. Besides, Lion-O and Cheetara won’t mourn their child for long. They won’t live long enough themselves."

"You lay one hand on that kid and I’ll—" WilyKat raged.

Torlei snarled, unimpressed. "You’ll what? You are in no position to threaten me!"

The exchange was cut off when the bandaged form of Mumm-Ra reappeared in the center of the chamber. "What in the nameof Osiris is all this yelling about?"

Torlei turned toward her partner. "Darling, look what I’ve caught," she said, gesturing to the newly bound WilyKit. "The female Thundertwin. She came to save her brother. Isn’t that heartwarming? I should have had such loyalty out of my own brother."

Mumm-Ra eyed the captive Thundercats for a moment before turning back to his wife. "We don’t need to concern ourselves with them now. Before long, all the Thundercats will be dead anyway. Soon Ratar-O will come here to claim the Sword of Plundarr from me, at the urging of his ancestor ‘Ratilla’. Then I will send him to fight the Thundercats who by then should be fighting off that stupid young Prince Silvian and his MoonSaber, and the three swords will clash. And as we discussed, you and I will be there to recite the Incantation of Destruction, and we can then pick off and take over whatever is left." Mumm-Ra glanced back at WilyKit and WilyKat. "You two, of course, will be destroyed by the apocalyptic reaction," the mage gloated.

"You’ll never pull it off!" WilyKat argued. "You really don’t think that Lion-O will fall for this, do you? The real Jaga will just appear to him and tell him the truth. Or Cheetara’s sixth sense will warn them. You can’t fool them all."

"Can’t I?" laughed Mumm-Ra. "I fooled Silvian. I fooled Ratar-O... and I must say, I can be a convincing Jaga as well." He stepped to the edge of his cauldron and raised his hands in supplication to his spirit masters. "Ancient Spirits of Evil, transform your servant Mumm-Ra into the likeness of Jaga, deceased Thundercat Warrior!" The statues rumbled, and shot a beam of transforming energy into his body that surrounded him and changed him into a ghostly Jaga. "I have plenty of time to fool Lion-O before Ratar-O arrives."

Torlei nodded. "And in the meantime I will take care of that little boy to ensure that Lion-O is not alerted to our plans. The disappearance of the child will be enough to distract all of the Thundercats so that they will certainly listen to whatever ‘Jaga’ has to tell them," she said before summoning Mumm-Ra’s hound to her side. "Ma-Mutt will keep an eye on the two of you," she told the two captive Thundercats. "With the force field I have the Ancient Spirits of Evil binding you in, you two won’t be going anywhere anyway."

With that, both Mumm-Ra and Torlei flew into the night bound for Cat’s Lair. Despite their struggling, WilyKat and WilyKit remained trapped, powerless to do anything to stop them.

As Silvian’s ship neared New Thundera, the tension among the four passengers was growing. Silvian was pacing, nervous about fighting the Thundercats. Even though he had the MoonSaber to make him nearly invincible, he knew that the Lord of the Thundercats had the Sword of Omens giving him similar power, and the Prince knew that Lord Lion-O also had been taught the ways of combat, most likely in more depth than his own training had been.

Chilla and TugMug meanwhile were wondering how the fight with the Thundercats was going to go. The last time they’d fought, when Captain Cracker had sprung them from their prison on Way Out Back, the entire group of them had been humiliatingly defeated and locked up again in a matter of hours. Fortunately for them they had escaped again not long after that, but they had stayed free because they’d stayed clear of the Thundercats. They certainly didn’t want the Thundercats to try and exile them again.

On a seat towards the back of the ship, Frostor was buried deep in yet another tome of Lunar-Plundarrian history, and had set out on the empty seat beside him several other old documents. Reading was his way of keeping his own nervousness at bay. He had a bad feeling that the vision of Chillandra Silvian had seen, as well as the reappearance of the MoonSaber and Psiarik’s nightmares, were all signs of impending doom. He was determined to try and figure out exactly how it all fit together so they would be able to stop it in time.

He turned a page of his book to a biographical account of Chillandra. The page had a clear photograph of her, and what he saw caused him to gasp aloud. She looked incredibly similar to Chilla, too similar to be simply coincidental. "Dear moon gods..."

"What?" Silvian asked, turning toward the icewalker.

"It’s Chilla. I mean, Chillandra. Look!" Frostor held up the picture for them to examine.

"Yeah, I told you they looked alike," Silvian said with a nod. "That portrait of Chillandra that was in the palace looked a lot like Chilla."

Frostor nodded. "Yes, I remember you saying that. But since paintings and art are subjective and open to interpretation, I had figured it was nothing but coincidence. But now that I see an actual photo, I’m compelled to wonder... the resemblance is startling."

TugMug grunted an agreement and glanced to Chilla curiously. "You got something you want to tell us Chilla?"

"Shut up," she hissed humorlessly. "I have no idea why I would look like her."

"Maybe you’re related," Silvian suggested.

Chilla narrowed her eyes. "I don’t have any family," she replied icily.

"That’s what Alluro said, but he still ended up with a son," TugMug offered with a shrug.

"Well she sure isn’t my kid, because she’s older than I am! Besides, if I had any children, I would know about it, don’t you?" Chilla snarled back.

"I’d hope so," Silvian laughed. "Besides, she’s probably old enough to be your mother."

At the mention of her mother, Chilla’s face darkened, just for a second, but it was still enough for Frostor to catch. "Touchy subject?" he asked gently.

"With Chilla, everything’s a touchy subject," TugMug remarked.

Chilla glared icicles at the graviton, and then turned to Frostor. "Suffice it to say that my mother had no use for me, so I have none for her. She ditched me and left me with my father when I was a baby; just took off one day and vanished. So you’ll excuse me if I don’t want to discuss her."

Frostor knew he was prying and treading on thin ice, so to speak, but his curiosity demanded that he press further. "Didn’t her family know where she went?" Frostor questioned as tactfully as he could.

"Family? What family?" Chilla replied tersely. "Nobody knows anything about my mother or her family or if she even had one. She just showed up one day in my father’s town as a stranger and disappeared the same way."

An almost crazy notion formed in Frostor’s mind, but he shared it anyway. "I wonder if, well, I know it’s a stretch, but given your similarities in appearance... perhaps Chillandra is your mother?"

Chilla’s eyes blazed with anger. "I told you I didn’t want to talk about this," she hissed, her speaking breath heavy with frost. "My mother’s name wasn’t Chillandra, that much I know. Now drop it and stop looking for things that aren’t there."

"Am I? Can you say for sure that Chillandra isn’t your mother?" Frostor pressed. "She went into hiding on Lixuvekh under a false identity after the battle with Snoelle. She made sure no one could find her so she couldn’t be made to say where she’d hidden the MoonSaber. There were rumors that she married and had a family to hide her true identity."

Silvian looked from Frostor to Chilla thoughtfully. "Hmm... as a name, ‘Chilla’ is a shortened version of ‘Chillandra’. Maybe she named you after her real self."

"When and where were you born exactly?" Frostor asked Chilla.

The ice woman answered him with a furious stare.

Frostor sighed and gave Chilla a desperate look. "Humor me here, Chilla. Please?"

"Fine," Chilla hissed. She let out an exasperated sigh and gave him the date and place of her birth.

Frostor raised his eyebrow when he learned the information. "That town is about forty miles from where we found the MoonSaber, and that date is only a little over a year from when Chillandra disappeared. That is long enough to meet someone and have a child."

Chilla struggled to keep from strangling the ice general. She was truly beginning to understand Psiarik’s earlier reaction to the discovery of Alluro being his father. Having family skeletons dredged out into the light of scrutiny by virtual strangers was not her idea of a good time.

Though he knew how pushy he must have seemed, in his quest to straighten out the matter once and for all, Frostor pressed ahead with the conversation. "Chilla—you’re very skilled at using our natural ice-born powers. I know that much from what I learned about you and your group from my historical studies. I also know that Chillandra was the most skilled of her people in her time. Our powers are hereditary. Whatever degree of skills the parent possesses are often passed to the child. Do you know if your parents were as skilled as you?"

"My dad was only skilled at two things—beating me up and making me feel worthless. The rest of the time he was useless. And I’ve already told you everything I know about my mother. Now let’s change the damn subject, all right?" she hissed.

"I’m sorry, but we can’t do that, Chilla," Frostor said apologetically. "If you are Chillandra’s daughter, then this is of utmost importance considering that she is the one who sent us on this mission! Good gods, Chilla, don’t you see it? The prophecy is coming to life all around us!"

"What prophecy?" Silvian asked with a confused frown. "That thing Psiarik keeps dreaming about with that riddle at the end? I hate to burst your bubble Frostor, but Psiarik is just messed up in the head. He can’t deal with his feelings on a good day, but that Alluro guy showing up and turning out to be his father screwed him up even more. It doesn’t go any deeper than that."

Frostor shook his head. "I have to disagree. Think about it: ‘When the past becomes the present and the ancient struggle is set in motion, only the impossible can stop the inevitable.’ Well the past is becoming the present all around us! First there was the MoonSaber resurfacing after being gone fifty years. Then Luna and her gang, who are a time anomaly from thirty years ago, return, and two of them are blood related to rulers in power now; Luna to you and Selene and Alluro to Psiarik. Then the ghost of Chillandra, also from the past, tells you that her enemy from the past—the Thundercat Snoelle—was revived from stasis after fifty years and brought back into mainstream life on Thundera. And whether she wants to believe it or not, I am convinced that Chilla is Chillandra’s child—another tie of the past becoming the present."

The others were all silent for a moment as they pondered what he was saying, until TugMug broke the silence. "Frostor, have you been smoking something back here?" he asked, more serious than in jest.

"Damn it, listen to me!" Frostor shouted. "The past has become the present! And now the second part, the ancient struggle being set in motion—what struggle is more ancient than our Moons at war with Thundera or Plundarr itself? Our three worlds have been at odds for all of recorded interplanetary history! And here we go at it again, urged by Chillandra to fight the Thundercats—especially Snoelle. Another, although it’s not quite as ancient, struggle originating from the past. We’re living up to the prophecy of the legend of the swords and the end of the worlds as we speak! Why can’t any of you see that?"

Silvian thought about what the historian was saying, and a look of frightened comprehension filled his eyes for a moment, but he banished the thought when he realized what role it meant he was playing in it. He then shook his head. "No. We are saving our world, not ending it. It’s Lion-O that wants to destroy it. Chillandra told me as much."

"Well… I have to admit that Frostor does kinda make sense," TugMug conceded.

"Yeah, well I think you’re all nuts," Chilla stated rudely.

TugMug shrugged. "Well we can argue about it later. We’re landing on New Thundera in fifteen minutes." An alarm sounded, signaling them that they had entered the atmosphere.

Silvian gulped and steadied his nerves. "It’s now or never." He grasped the MoonSaber in his hand and raised it. "To victory!"

"To victory!" the other three echoed. Frostor, however, didn’t feel confident that victory was in their grasp.

Mumm-Ra and Torlei appeared in an empty chamber upstairs in New Cat’s Lair courtesy of their new, more powerful teleportation abilities that had been given to them by the Ancient Spirits of Evil. "I will attend to Lion-O. You dispose of the child," Mumm-Ra said to his bride.

Torlei nodded in agreement. "Of course. I will meet you back at the pyramid." Torlei then raised her hands, chanted a quick spell, and vanished from the room. Mumm-Ra, already in the false form of Jaga, teleported to the room where Lion-O sat studying the Book of Omens.

"Lion-O," Mumm-Ra addressed the Thundercat Lord in Jaga’s voice.

Lion-O looked up and gasped. "Jaga! What have you come to tell me?"

"Your future is in jeopardy, Lion-O. Soon fierce enemies who mean to destroy you and all of the Thundercats will arrive to engage you in combat to the death."

"What? But we haven’t had anyone attack us in years! We’re peaceful! Who would come and attack us now?" Lion-O asked.

"Heed my warning, Lion-O," the false Jaga urged. "First to come will be Silvian, Prince of the Moons of Plundarr. He will come with old foes of yours—Chilla and TugMug, as well as his own Governor General. They have the MoonSaber and they intend to take your planet by force for their own purposes."

Lion-O’s jaw dropped. "What? Chilla and TugMug... but the Lunatacs vanished years ago. And they’re with this Prince Silvian? But why would he attack us? I’ve never even met him! I—I don’t understand, Jaga."

"Now that they have the MoonSaber back in their possession, the Lunatacs know they have enough power to battle the holder of the equally powerful Sword of Omens. They want to conquer Thundera for themselves. But they are not the only threat. Also on his way to try and take Thundera from you is Ratar-O of Plundarr."

"Ratar-O? Oh no, not Mutants too!"

"Yes, Lion-O," the spirit of "Jaga" warned. "You must be ready. Have the Sword of Omens ready for battle. The Eye of Thundera will always protect you and the Thundercats, Lion-O." The fake Jaga then vanished from Lion-O’s sight. Immediately Lion-O rushed from the room to warn the others. As he departed, the invisble Mumm-Ra laughed to himself. Easy as taking candy from a baby...

Torlei rematerialized in Chet’s bedroom in the guise of Cheetara. She disguised herself in case anyone entered the room and saw her, so they would think nothing of her presence. The false cheetah walked over to the toddler’s bed, where he had been put down for a nap, and scooped him up. "That’s right, come to ‘mommy’, dear boy," she laughed.

Chet stirred and cried when he was lifted from the safety of his bed. "Mommy?" he whimpered. He knew something wasn’t right. The lady that held him looked like Mommy, but she wasn’t. She wasn’t warm, and she didn’t smile. She felt cold and evil and dead. He opened his mouth to let out a cry of alarm.

"Silence, child," Torlei hissed coldly, not about to be outdone by a child. She telekinetically gave his mind enough of a shock to knock him out. The terrified boy went limp in her arms.

"After all, I can’t have you waking up and bringing in that irritating Snarf while I’m taking you back to the pyramid, now can I?" She stroked the boy’s spotted mane in mock affection and teleported herself back to the pyramid. No one in Cat’s Lair was the wiser.

Hunched over the table of the MoonTower’s study, Psiarik sat in a miserable silence, mulling over the confrontation that had taken place with Selene earlier. He knew what fate awaited her if she chased Silvian to New Thundera, but she just wouldn’t listen to him. She’d demanded to go and there was no holding her back or stopping her. He felt the world crashing down around him and didn’t know how to stop it or what he should do. He knew he had to do something or it would drive him nuts, but he had absolutely no idea what.

If he obeyed her orders and stayed behind, Selene would surely end up dead and so would Silvian. His dream had showed nothing of Luna’s presence and he didn’t think that Luna being there to keep her out of trouble would make any difference if Selene picked up that sword and attacked Lion-O to avenge Silvian. How could he in good conscience let the woman he loved walk straight to her death without trying to stop it?

On the other hand, he also knew if he defied her royal orders and something happened to all three of them, that the kingdom would fall apart. Times on the Moons were only starting to calm down from the chaos that the last twelve years had been, and if the rulers were to all vanish there would be the same lawless mayhem that had ensued after the disasters all over again. He couldn’t in good conscience let that happen either.

But even if he was doing the "right" thing by staying behind, he knew deep down that he couldn’t bear the thought of doing nothing while she faced what his dream showed as a certain death for her. Then again, his dream also made it clear that he would be powerless to change anything even if he was present.

So why do I have to see it if it’s inevitable then? He demanded of whatever force might give him an answer. There must be reason I have these visions! If only I knew why they were shown to me...

From where he sat nearby, Alluro could read the troubled expression on his son’s face. He felt that he should say something to him, but he quite honestly had no idea what, so he simply remained silent in a vain attempt to feel useful. Psiarik was his son, after all, and it was clear that he was a mess. The younger psychic apparently felt his eyes on him, and briefly met his eyes with a hopeless look in his own. Alluro sighed and tried to sound reassuring. "You know that she would have gone no matter what you said or did."

"But maybe I should have held her against her will or tried harder or something. Sure, she would have hated me, but at least she’d be alive. I can’t believe I’m so selfish that I’d let her die rather than hate me and live. Maybe my stepfather was right about me all along. When it comes down to it I only care about myself."

"You may be selfish, but that had nothing to do with this," Alluro told him. "You had no choice but to do as she asked. You let her leave because you knew it was what she wanted. It’s obviously not what you wanted."

"But I betrayed her. I once swore to her that I would never let anyone hurt her, that I would die for her, yet I still let her leave knowing what will happen," Psiarik said sadly. "When she walked out that door I felt like my heart was being ripped out. Do you know what it feels like to watch someone who means everything to you be lost and do nothing to stop it from happening?"

Alluro nodded. "I do. It happened with my sister. Before she lost her mind, she was everything to me."

"You were really close?" Psiarik asked.

"Very close," Alluro said. "She was the only company or family I had for years. I had to stand by and watch both times when she met her end. Twice she tried to kill me and the others, and twice I watched her killed by someone trying to save us. First Luna, when my sister, maddened by evil power, threatened to kill us all if we didn’t obey her command. Luna shot at her to keep her from frying all of us alive, and the wound was fatal. I did nothing to stop Luna. I even forgave Luna for it, because I know why she did what she did." Alluro looked away as he recounted the story. "Then, after Mumm-Ra resurrected her, the Thundercats blew Torlei into a volcano after she and Mumm-Ra tried to seal us up in it. That time I even distracted her long enough to allow her to be defeated. I had hoped to get through to her somehow at the time, and I still hate Lion-O to this day for making it look like I betrayed her again. But after years of introspection on the issue, I can’t say I’d have done any of it differently if I had to do it again under the same circumstances. I had no choice, just like you didn’t now with Selene."

Psiarik nodded. "I can’t live without Selene. I need her. She’s the one thing that makes me feel like a worthwhile being. If she dies, then I might as well die too."

Normally Alluro would be inclined to think such a statement to be melodramatic, but he knew at the very least, his son was miserable over the matter. He thought about what he might do if he had a mate he was devoted to in such a manner—not that he anticipated he ever would—and advised him to do what he would do in such a situation. Unfortunately, more often than not, what he would do got him into trouble that required a lot of smooth talking and use of his psyche club to get out of.

"If that’s how you feel, then you have to do whatever it takes to not let it happen," Alluro told him decisively.

"What do you mean?" Psiarik asked.

"You may have had to let her go, but there’s nothing to stop you from following her. I’m sure there’s someone here you can trust to take care of things. Perhaps Lushara, I know she didn’t leave with either group. Believe me, even though Selene claimed otherwise, I think she’d be grateful if you show up to save her. Women love being rescued, it feeds their egos," Alluro said with a grin, and Psiarik smiled in spite of himself. "Besides, they may need the backup. I don’t think we should just stay here if you honestly think we should go. My family has always had very strong powers, and if your dreams are precognitive then it means you should take whatever advice they give you very seriously. If you need to be on Thundera, then you should go."

"The dream tells me I’m supposed to be there, but that I’ll be unable to do anything but sit around and watch while it all goes down. I know I’ll be powerless to stop it. But if there’s even a chance that I might be able to do something to save her or stop it all from happening I have to try. You’re right. Forget her rules or her royal orders. Damn it, I love her and I won’t let her get herself killed," Psiarik said with determination. He motioned to Alluro. "Come on. We’re going to follow them to Thundera and stop it if we can."

Another voice spoke up from the doorway. It was Vultureman, and he’d overheard the tail end of their conversation. "Caww, good luck trying to get there. All the royal ships are gone. All the ones that can go at a decent speed anyway," he informed them.

"Not all of them," Alluro corrected the mutant. "The ship Luna, I, and the others came in is still here. It’s rather beat-up, but it has a lot of weapons and goes very fast. I could take you to Thundera in that," Alluro offered.

"You’d do that for me?" Psiarik asked.

"Letting you use my ship is the least I can do for you after all that I wasn’t around to do in the past," Alluro replied.

Psiarik smiled weakly and gave Alluro an impulsive hug. The gesture put the older Lunatac off a bit, but deep down it made him happy that he’d gained his affection and respect. "Thanks. Come on, let’s go and get there before it’s too late," he said as he dashed to the door. "You can come along too Vultureman. And bring some of your biggest, baddest weapons to keep those

Thundercats from hurting Selene or Silvian or any of the others."

"Caww, no problem," Vultureman said with a grin. He liked any excuse to play with his weapons. "Wait until you see my newest one, the anti-matter bazooka! It makes the vari-cannon look like a water gun."

"It isn’t going to blow up while we’re in deep space is it?" Alluro asked sarcastically.

"Caww, just because the things I used to build always blew up doesn’t mean they still do!" the vulture protested.

"Yeah right!" Psiarik snorted. "That long-distance teleporting transporter beam you tried to build a couple weeks ago was a real success. Not only did you beam the test object into the side of the mountain, but you blew up half of the back patio in the gardens."

Alluro laughed. "Everything he builds blows up. Remember the sound stones? The Thundranium ray? Or how about the many times the vari-cannon self-destructed?"

Vultureman frowned indignantly. "Caww! Well that ‘multi-octane high-potential maximum-velocity fuel formula’ of yours was no winner either! All it did was crash Skytomb and turn half of Castle Plundarr into plant food after Lion-O dumped it on Mutant-eating zinnias to get us back for using it on the plants around Cat’s Lair!"

Psiarik snickered at the retelling of that mishap. "Way to go, Dad."

Alluro began to form a comeback to Vultureman but was stunned to hear Psiarik call him that. He gave him a quizzical look, wondering if he’d heard him right, and Psiarik only smiled back and gave an impatient gesture. "Come on, let’s not waste time arguing here, I want to get going!"

"Right," Alluro answered, and led the way towards the ship. Despite the dire circumstances surrounding their friends and allies, he was in a good mood. His son had finally made peace with him and accepted him. The three of them boarded the ship and left to follow Selene’s.

The Rat-Star landed outside the black pyramid. Ratar-O left the ship, followed by Slythe, Jackalman, and Monkian. After they had escaped from Way Out Back, they had returned to Plundarr and Ratar-O had hired them to work in his army. He hadn’t much use for the three of them, but he knew that they were sneaky and underhanded enough to be ideal for certain missions. This was one of the ones he was glad to have brought them along on. In their time on Third Earth they had dealt with Mumm-Ra many times and Ratar-O wanted someone who was familiar with the devil priest and his evil ways on his team so he wouldn’t be caught off guard. The rat leader wanted nothing to stand in his way of complete conquest of Plundarr, Plundarr’s Moons, and Thundera. The four entered the pyramid.

Torlei returned to the pyramid with the unconscious Chet in her arms. WilyKit and WilyKat, still held immobile in their chains and force field, looked on in horror.

"Don’t you dare hurt him!" WilyKat yelled.

"Not yet. Not until the hour is right," Torlei replied vaguely. She locked the child in heavy shackles under a force field similar to theirs on the other side of the chamber. "He will keep there nicely until we see the destruction of Thundera begin again. There is no need for me to kill him myself."

"So she does have a conscience," WilyKit observed sarcastically.

"No, I simply don’t want to stain my nice clean clothes with blood or have to smell burnt cat hair if I electrocute him," Torlei snarled. "Even we ever-living beings have a sense of smell."

The fake Jaga reappeared in the main chamber and reverted back into his true form of Mumm-Ra. "I have returned, and just in time. Ratar-O arrives with the Mutants as we speak." The mage then chuckled. "As a bonus, I’ll even get to watch Slythe and his band of idiots from Third Earth be destroyed along with the Thundercats and Luna’s group. Oh, how long I’ve waited to watch that repulsive reptilian get what’s coming to him."

Torlei twisted her face into an expression of disgust. "First these Thundercats, now Mutants. We’ll never get the stench out of our home."

"Two corpses talking about a stench? Did you two rotting bodies ever get a good whiff of yourselves?" WilyKat called out snidely. Even under these circumstances, he still had his wit.

Ratar-O, Slythe, Jackalman, and Monkian walked into the pyramid. Mumm-Ra stood on his platform by the cauldron and greeted them. "The Mutants. Well, it’s about time. I’ve been expecting you, Ratar-O. I didn’t realize you’d bring company."

"Ugly company at that," Torlei muttered, and Ma-Mutt barked in agreement.

"Nyah, and who the hell are you anyway?" Jackalman asked.

Torlei’s eyes blazed in fury at their rudeness. "I’m someone you don’t want to screw around with, jackal!" she hissed nastily.

Mumm-Ra grinned. "Ah, that’s right, you Mutants haven’t met my wife."

"Hoo hoo, wife?" The mutants exchanged incredulous looks. "Hoo hoo ha ha ha!" Monkian nearly fell over in a fit of laughter at the preposterous notion, and an equally amused Jackalman and Slythe soon joined him.

"Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living now not only has pets but a wife too? What’s next, a white picket fence around the pyramid and two kids, yessss?" Slythe laughed.

Mumm-Ra’s face twisted into an expression of pure anger and he shot the insolent reptile with a bolt of energy. "You will keep your mindless observations to yourself, reptilian!"

Jackalman and Monkian both cooled their laughter, lest they be shot too. It was then that Jackalman noticed the chained Thundercats. "You’re holding Thundercats prisoner here?"

"It is not a matter for you to be concerned with, jackal. Stick to your business with Mumm-Ra and get out of our pyramid," Torlei warned him.

Jackalman glanced from her to Mumm-Ra. He knew he’d probably be fried for asking, but he couldn’t resist. "Nyah ha ha, does she boss you around too Mumm-Ra?"

Mumm-Ra roared in rage. "I warn you, Mutant, you are trying my patience!"

Ratar-O turned and glared at his companions. "Shut up, all of you!" The Mutants then settled down while Ratar-O returned his attention to Mumm-Ra. "I will take my sword, then, and be on my way to conquer New Thundera."

"Of course, Ratar-O. Make sure you succeed in defeating the Thundercats," Mumm-Ra said with a poisonous smile, and handed him the sword.

Ratar-O took the mystical weapon and swung it. The blades extended in a show of power as he gave it a whirl, and then retracted. Ratar-O put the sword away and grinned as he imagined the moment of his ultimate victory.

Slythe, on the other hand, was skeptical of the entire situation. After all his years of dealing with the devil priest, he knew it wasn’t like Mumm-Ra to be so generous. There had to be a catch, and Mumm-Ra had to be up to something that he wasn’t letting them in on. Why would he encourage Ratar-O to take over New Thundera when he knew Mumm-Ra himself wanted to do it? Surely he knew that Ratar-O would never share power with anyone. Slythe gave the mage a curious look. "One thing puzzlessss me, Mumm-Ra. Why are you giving your weapon to Ratar-O? What’s in it for you, yesss?"

Mumm-Ra’s blazing red eyes met his as he replied. "Isn’t that obvious? Everyone knows that only a Mutant Warrior King can fully utilize the power in the Sword of Plundarr. If Ratar-O uses it against the Thundercats, it will equal the power of the Sword of Omens in Lion-O’s hands. Ratar-O can easily defeat them. I merely want to see the Thundercats destroyed. I care not who delivers the final blow to them. I only want it done."

Slythe nodded, as the mummy’s words made sense, but he still remained skeptical. Ratar-O then turned to Slythe. "Don’t fret your scales about it, Slythe. All that matters now is that I have my sword and with it, the power to destroy Lion-O. We can take this planet in the name of Plundarr and destroy the Thundercats that humiliated you Mutants time and time again on Third Earth. Let’s get going!" the rat commanded.

The four mutants headed for the door. "Hoo hoo, it’s too bad Vultureman isn’t here to watch Lion-O buy the farm," Monkian said as they walked out. "He was defeated right along with us all those times on Third Earth."

"That turncoat buzzard?" snorted Slythe. "He left Plundarr to go and work for those miserable Lunatacs on the Third Moon! It serves him right to miss Lion-O’s end for deserting us, yesss!" Slythe hissed.

"Vultureman will see plenty," Mumm-Ra chuckled under his breath.

Suspicious when he heard Mumm-Ra speaking, Jackalman turned around in the doorway. "What did you say Mumm-Ra?"

"Nothing, Mutant. I only commented that it will indeed be a sight to behold. Now go, before Lion-O figures out that you’re on the planet. Attack him while it will still be a surprise," Mumm-Ra urged.

"Yes, Mumm-Ra is right. Come, Mutants!" Ratar-O ordered. The rest of his crew fell in line and followed him out until only Mumm-Ra, Torlei, and the captive Thundercats remained in the pyramid.

Mumm-Ra and Torlei’s eyes met, and then they turned to toward their prisoners. "Let the fun begin!" Mumm-Ra announced, and let loose with a burst of maniacal laughter. Torlei followed suit, and the wicked pair’s gloating was accented by a gleeful howl from Ma-Mutt.

"You’ll never get away with this!" WilyKat shouted at the evil pair. "We’ll stop you!"

The two undead beings ignored the male twin’s rant entirely, and without saying another word, teleported themselves out of the pyramid so they could watch the destruction begin.