An hour after breakfast Lion-O announced that no changes in plans, or duty roster had occurred, and that take off for planet Plundarr was to occur at precisely twelve noon.  Wilykit donned her uniform again, and she and her small family made their way to the hangar to help load supplies.  Cheetara and Tygra sat and talked with their newfound in-laws, along with their children trying to think of a tactful way to tell Jella and Terron's parents that were married.  Lion-O Panthro, and Tygra all made final checks of of the Feliner and the Thunderstrike. Before everyone knew it it was time to depart.
      All of the Thundercats filed solemnly into the hangar.
      Cheetara and Tygra were the first to embrace, followed by their children and their mates.  Kera, Tygro, and Tygra then boarded the Thunderstrike.  Bengali and Pumyra kissed goodbye, Bengali then hugged and slapped his son on the back, telling him to watch after his mother, and himself.  Lynxana stood back watching, she felt envious to a small degree.  Snarf ambled up to Lion-O and they hugged goodbye.  "Purrrrr, Lion-O you be careful now snarf, snarf, and stay warm! I'll make a point of it, Snarf." Lion-O smiled at Snarf, and the other Thundercats.    Panthro looked at Cheetara and she held up her hand, he returned and got into the Feliner.  Brod held Wilykit tightly, as if he didn't want to let go, Keena and Tark stood waiting for hugs and kisses from their mother. The others watched in curiosity as Wilykit and Brod kissed on the lips, Wilykit's attention then turned to her kittens.  Wilykit and the others had not told the children exactly what was going on, they had explained that they all were merely going to pick Ardua up from somewhere, and they would be back soon.  Despite the Thundercat's careful manipulation of information the kittens were still upset that their mother was leaving and they both had tears brimming in their eyes, Wilykit tried to control her emotion as best she could as she bade them farewell, and assured them that she would be back soon, even though she was not sure that was the case.
      As Wilykit turned to leave Snarfer, and Brod held the children's hands and continued to assure them that everything would be okay.  Wilykit was going to turn and wave goodbye, but by then she had tears running down her own cheeks because of the upset state her children were in.  Wilykit boarded the Thunderstrike and strapped herself in, looking away from the others as she wiped her eyes.  Lynxana boarded the Feliner, as did Pumyra and Tyger.  Lion-O was the last to yet board a vehicle, he stood before his friends and yelled, "THUNDERCATS," Everyone on the ground and in the ships returned, "HO!"  Tygra ignited the Thunderstrike's engines, and Panthro switched on the engines to the Feliner Cheetara, Brod, Bengali, the children and snarfs departed the hangar.  Cheetara put on a headset when she reached the control room, and made contact with both ships. "Feliner, ramp extending." Panthro's voice registered on the other end. "Feliner ready to blast off heading delta seven niner. Feliner you are ready to take off, good luck."  The Feliner's engines were turned onto full burn as it rocketed up the ramp and into the air. Tygra opened communications with the control room  "Thunderstrike ready to take off heading delta seven niner. Go Thunderstrike. The Thunderstrike roared up the ramp and streaked towards the upper limits of the atmosphere." Cheetara thought a moment. "Good luck everyone, especially you, Tiger Man!" Tygra answered with mild annoyance as the cockpit of the Thunderstrike roared with laughter. "Thunderstrike out!"  Lion-O patched into Cat's Lair communications. "Cheetara, Bengali, the Third Earth Thundercats are not to be sent in without my word. I will summon them with the sword understood? Yes, Lion-O. Yes." Answered Cheetara and Bengali. "Good, we will now observe radio silence.  See you soon Lair."
      Cheetara shut off communications and leaned back in the chair. She felt like something was wrong, but couldn't put her finger on it.  "Tygra, Panthro turn on scramblers. Maintain radio silence for the remainder of the trip."  Panthro, Lion-O and Lynxana looked at one another as Panthro turned on a signal that anyone with a radio could pick up.  Tygra turned and looked at his children, and Wilykit and reluctantly turned the beacon Panthro had installed on.
      After almost eight hours of flight, planet Plundarr loomed ahead of them, the two Thundercat craft streaked through the atmosphere at incredible speed.  Soon ships were traveling at the same rate of speed with them.  "Oh, by the gods," Said Tygro with edge, and ill hidden fear on his voice, "we've been detected."  Hundreds of Plundarian fighters surrounded the Thunderstrike, and the Feliner and were forced them to land. When the ships touched the ground, Plundarian soldiers, at least six hundred troops, waited for them. Lion-O put the claw shield onto his arm and prepared to order surrender, when a Rodentian soldier raised a public address microphone. "Thunderians, step out of your vessels with your weapons and throw them to the ground in ten seconds or we will obliterate you."  The Rodentian began to count as Lion-O responded. "We surrender, hold your count." Lion-O got on the radio and ordered the Thundercats to do as the Plundarian ordered.  As the Thundercats complied, the soldiers, shackled the Thundercats with Thundranium chains, and cuffs.  Soon all nine Thundercats were weakened enough to offer little resistance as they were thrown into the back of a transport. From the idle talk of the guards driving in front, Lion-O and the others learned that they were being taken to Caldos Palace dungeon, to be held, by the Emperor's orders. Lion-O and his fellow conspirators shared secretive glances.
      Ardua sat in her cell. Earlier that day something big had happened, and she had wondered what it was, she hadn't been taken out of her cell since the Queen ordered her to be brought to her.  Ardua heard the guards talking outside so she decided to listen in, she had learned a lot about her situation in this way, also a little too much about Plundarian culture, and it's people's personal lives.
       "Nyahahaha, I talked to Targ about that too,  they were led into the dungeon, meekly, like slaves, he he he! Hoo, hoo, the Thundercats aren't so, hoo, high and mighty now, hoo, hoo are they?" The Jackalman guard changed the subject.  "I think all four of the females were pretty, though." The Monkian spoke to his fellow again. "Hoo! You think all females are pretty, you even went with that Reptilian for awhile. Couldn't you at least get a mammal? Hoo!  Nyaa, I was experimenting, I was too much for her anyway." Ardua made a face. "Yeah, hoo, she said you stunk when you were wet! Nyaa, SHUT UP! Hoo,hoo! I wonder if the Thunderian females would like to meet us, hoo! Nyahahaha! I liked the redhead with the black stripe!" Ardua gasped, "Wilykit?" The lecherous guards continued. "I wonder if she would like a big Jackalman to cuddle with?" Ardua rolled her eyes, if he were talking about Wilykit, he was closer to the truth than he would ever know. "Hoo, hoo! I sure would like to get a better look at the Princess in there! Hoo, I bet she's pure." Ardua's face flushed. "Nyaha, everybody knows there is no such thing as a Monkian virgin! Nyaahaha! Monkians are born pregnant!" The Monkian guard began to swear foully, and threaten violence against the Jackalman.
      Ardua stepped away from the door in disgust and tried to forget what both males just said.  Ardua sat down on her bed, she could only assume they were talking about Wilykit, Pumyra, Cheetara, and Kera earlier before they started on her.
      Ardua couldn't believe that Lion-O would allow Cheetara to go on a mission with her disability, he had always tried to protect her.  Ardua thought about the braggy guards outside gloating over the capture of the Thundercats. "Morons, that'll cost them. Now I know where they are." With that Ardua began to form a plan.
      Ardua's mealtime was coming soon, so she pulled all of the sheets off of her bed, and tore them into strips, then she sat and thought for another few moments. Ardua looked into the mirror. "I can't believe i'm going to do this."  Ardua slowly took off her clothes, and dropped them into a pile in the floor, she sighed, sat on the bed, and waited.  Sooner than Ardua would have liked she heard a knock at the door. "Hoo, Princess step away from the door.
      Ardua stood at the foot of her bed in all of her naked glory. The guards opened the door, and their jaws opened wide.  Ardua said in the sexiest tone she could muster, "Hello, boys."  As the two guards perused Ardua's body with eyes opened wide, Ardua grabbed her food tray, and alternately hit the two males on the head until they were incapacitated.  The tray wasn't heavy enough to knock them out, but they were hurt enough to not be in a hurry to get up.  Ardua quickly tied the two men loosely, dragged them inside the room, then took a furtive glance outside, thankfully no one was in the hallway to divulge her escape attempt.  Ardua closed the door and finished tying the two males tightly, and gagged them. They had recovered enough to start struggling. As Ardua dressed, the males watched, and she talked to them.
      "You two are perverts! I have listened to you two talk about your personal lives for days, I think you are both lying about your conquests!  But," Added Ardua, "at least you got to see more of me!"
      Ardua took a helmet from the Monkian guard and the ray pistol belt from the Jackalman and left the room.  As Ardua exited the room and closed the door, she pulled the helmet low onto her face and boldly strolled down the hallway, she knew that there were female soldiers around, so she wasn't too worried about being bothered in the halls.  For the first time in her life Ardua was grateful to have some Monkian features, she figured if she kept heading downwards, she would stumble into the dungeons, and she was right.
      Ardua walked down a long hallway, she could see bars at the end of the opening.  As the hall widened, Ardua was further pleased with the confidence of the Plundarians, for they had only one guard posted guarding the Thundercats. Ardua did a quick head count and saw that Lynxana was with them, which was a surprise, she hoped that all of the Thundercats that had come to get her were present, because when she freed them, they would have to hurry to get out of the palace.  Ardua ducked her head out of the doorway one more time and noticed that the Thundercats weapons were out in the open, easy access.
       The guard hadn't seen her yet, he was big, tall, and muscular. Ardua knew that she would have a slim chance of winning a fight outright, so she drew the ray pistol she borrowed, set it on stun, and silently crept towards the end of the hall. Ardua tried to quietly walk as she had many times before, but the dungeon floor was not even, it was dark, stones were sticking up, so when she took her final step closer to the guard, she tripped, and fell.  Matters worsened when the helmet she had on her head popped off and skittered noisily across the floor and hit the bars. The guard turned, saw her and turned on the alarm, then grabbed her.
      The Thundercats watched as Ardua valiantly tried to fight the Reptilian guard, but he was too much for her and with one fluid motion the Reptilian knocked Ardua down with his tail and put his foot on her chest, and held a laser rifle aimed at her face.  An entire army, it sounded like was headed towards the dungeon area.
      Panthro growled, "Don't you DARE hurt her!"  after a few minutes, when the area was secure, an old, robed Monkian made an appearance.  Ardua growled at the Emperor "You had better let me and the Thundercats go, or else!" The Emperor laughed. "You are in not in a position whatsoever to be making threats."  Lion-O looked at the old man and asked weakly. "Who are you?" The old Monkian laughed with an evil inflection. "I am the Emperor of all Plundarr, and the man who will bring an end to the Thundercats."  The guards Ardua beat and gagged held her up, the Emperor began to strike Ardua with his hands on her face, then began striking her body with his cane. Panthro, Tyger, and Lion-O strained at their bonds. "STOP IT, ENOUGH!"  Yelled Lion-O. The Queen stepped in between the Emperor and Ardua "Stop this, this is madness, you'll kill her!" The Emperor growled at his wife. "I warned you not to interfere once already! You are the one that poisoned Daro's mind, you will not interfere with this one!"  The Emperor looked at one of his guards and pointed to the Queen. Ardua saw a guard's cold eyes, heard the familiar sound of an unsheathing sword, then a bright flash of light.  Something wet splashed across her face, she then tasted iron, and salt on her tongue, and watched something fall in her peripheral vision.
      The Thundercats stopped all of their struggling, and watched in horror as the queen's body fell, and her head rolled and stopped at their cell bars.  Ardua couldn't make a sound, her eyes were open wide, her mouth open in complete fear as she watched the reflexes of muscles make the Queen's headless body move, her legs gave out from underneath her. "Let that be a lesson to anyone who dares to defy me, NO ONE is immune from my will!"
      The Emperor backhanded Ardua once again, she barely felt it.  "As for you Thundercats, today you will be taken to the grand arena, and tomorrow, in front of thousands of my subjects you will be executed with your own weapons, and vehicles, except for the Sword of Omens, which is in safe keeping.  I shall find a way to make it's powers mine.  Ardua," The Emperor continued as he pulled Ardua's face up so she was looking in his eyes. "you will watch your friends die.  Did you really think you alone could save the Thundercats?  You are as stupid as your father!  Your destiny is to rule these people, and keep the Darkslayer line alive." The Emperor turned to face his troops. Guards, take the Thundercats to the arena, chain them, do not even bother to feed them, as for the Princess, you two guards take her back to her cell, and if she escapes again," The Emperor looked at the guards in anger, "you will join the Thundercats tomorrow." The guards saluted and dragged Ardua away, angrily, she offered no resistance, she was in a daze.
    The Thunderbolt, and the Jetcat had Plundarr on their horizon, Wilykat opened transmission. "Wilykat to Jetcat, there is Plundarr we will reach the distance we want for orbit in five ticks.  Very good," Said Claud-Us. "we will await the summons of the Eye of Thundera, hopefully we won't be needed, Jetcat out."  Claud-Us turned a switch and hailed Cat's Lair New Thundera. "Bengali here, Bengali this is Claud-Us we have arrived at co ordinates 45968734-s in the pronounced orbit as commanded. Copy that, Jetcat, Bengali out."
      Cheetara sat in her bedroom quietly. Cheetara had an uneasy feeling enveloping her, she felt not as if something were terribly wrong, or...... grief. Cheetara knew the feeling all too well.
      All of the Thundercats still bore their Thundranium chains as they were staked out in the Grand Arena for their slaughter.  Kera was terrified she had never seen anyone killed before, and she knew that the next day, unless something happened, the Thundercats would follow.
      The only words Lion-o had muttered since they had been taken to the arena was "That....... monster."   Panthro quietly sat, he was no stranger to sights like those, he had even seen worse.  Tygro tried to act brave, but the only thing he knew for sure was that they were next.  Tygra tried to calm his son and daughter down, but he was as unnerved as they were.  The two guards assigned to watch them until the next day threw water down on the Thundercats and laughed.
      Ardua had been unceremoniously thrown back into her room.  Ardua got up, and began to come to terms with what had transpired.  As she looked in the mirror, she saw a neat diagonal spray of blood on her face. Ardua took one of the torn pieces of cloth she had made to tie up her guards, wet it, and proceeded to wipe the blood off of her face.   There was even blood on her teeth. When she was finished, she sat on her naked bed and contemplated what the Emperor had done.
      The only person that had shown her any kindness on the entire planet was gone, dead, an elderly old woman, helpless, harmless, murdered right in front of her eyes.  Ardua remembered her kind eyes, the way she stroked her hair, and tried to warn her against the Emperor's fury.  The old woman loved her, and didn't even know her.  Ardua, knew that she was the reason why her father was kind, in some way, because of her.  Ardua had lost yet another person who loved her, yet did not know them.  Ardua felt tears begin to well in her eyes, and she wept openly, freely, then her sorrow turned to rage.
      Ardua rose screamed and proceeded to tear her room apart, she threw a book into the mirror and it smashed, she kicked the posts of her bed and they snapped off into splinters.  Ardua threw books at the door, and then broke a chair on it. The guards were afraid to go in the room and make her stop.  Ardua jumped on the bed and screamed at the top of her lungs "DAMN YOU! THE GODS DAMN EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE OF YOU!"  Ardua fell down to the mattress, exhausted, and panting. She knew what she had to do. The Emperor was going to be extremely sorry he brought her there, or ever laid eyes on her.
      Tygra looked at Lion-O. "How are we going to get out of this scrape, Lion-O?"  Lion-O looked at everyone, before he could respond Panthro chimed in, "Ardua got loose once, i'm sure she will come through for us again." The Reptilian and Jackalian guards laughed for an extended period. "Laugh it up!" Kera hissed. "When Ardua is through with you, you'll be wearing those smiles on your asses!" All the Thundercats looked at Kera weakly. Kera responded, "What?"
       The guards continued laughing and walked to a shady spot and sat down. "Lion-O," said Panthro. "Ardua will be with the Emperor tomorrow, he already said that, that will be the best time to grab Ardua and leave." Panthro pointed at a decorated area of the arena. "I'll bet that's the royal box. It's not too high, Ardua could jump down, run to us, you call the sword. We could hold everyone off until the other Thundercats arrive.  They provide cover, and we escape."  Lion-O looked at Panthro. "You read my mind."