His sleep was deep. Deeper than usual, but not deep enough to escape the nightmares that continued to plague him. Dreams he’d believed gone and vanquished returned to haunt his rest, but they were more vivid and horrifying than ever. Over and over again, Thundera exploded before his eyes. The screams of his countrymen rang out through the depths of space and time. The stench of burning flesh filled his sensitive nose. Pleas and cries for help hammered into his ears. But he was powerless to act. Outer voices screamed at him to get up and do something, but he couldn’t move. A terrible shaking filled his body and it seemed the shock waves from exploding Thundera would destroy him.

"No," Lion-O growled. "No, not again! Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!!!"

"Snarf, snarf, you’re dreaming! Get up, Lion-O."

Lion-O opened his eyes and found Snarf at his bedside, shaking the lion gently. Gingerly raising himself on an elbow, Lion-O looked around at his familiar bedroom quarters. Nothing had changed since he’d lain down to rest only a few hours earlier. Lying back down, the lion felt his breathing slow and his heart rate return to normal.

Only a short time earlier, the white tigers had defended New Thundera City against an invasion from the red tigers. And he’d announced to the Thundercats that the red tigers were to be treated like the Kentroans. They were enemies. What had he gotten them into now?

And then there were the dreams. Cold sweat beaded his forehead and Lion-O closed his eyes in frustration. "Why?" he murmured. The same dreams had been coming for several nights now. In fact, they’d been coming for about two weeks. They were nightmares in which all his hidden fears came to life. Nightmares where his friends died, mutinied, rebelled, pleaded for help. And through it all, he was frozen and unable to act. "Why?" the lion moaned. "It’s happening all over again. Why?"

"Brrr, what are you talking about, Lion-O? Come on, the others are back."

"The others?"

"Yeah," Snarf said, watching Lion-O closely. "The Thundercats who went out to the Fire Zone. Lynx-O, Wiley Kit, Snoedaro, and Lepora. They’re all back now, snarf. They just landed."

Lion-O grunted and slowly pushed himself out of bed. "We’re still missing five," he whispered, massaging his temples. For having gotten a fair amount of sleep, not really enough but more than he’d had in a while, Lion-O still felt weary. In fact, his exhaustion and strain just seemed to be growing with every minute. What was wrong with him? "We’re still missing five," he repeated. "The others aren’t all back. Only part of them. Leonari, Cheetara, Cougrois, Panthro, and Servalla are still…missing."

Snarf sobered and his ears dropped. "I know. No one’s heard from them yet. But there’s good news," he added, perking back up.

"And that is?"

"We haven’t heard from the tigers or the panthers, either. It’s like they’ve vanished."

Lion-O shook his head and stood up, bracing himself against the wall. "I wouldn’t count that good news," the lion warned. "They’re just regrouping. Waiting for an opening. We’ll hear from them again." The Lord of the Thundercats let out a heavy sigh and tried to collect himself. "Okay, Snarf, I give up. Why did you wake me?"

Snarf blinked. "The other Thundercats are back, Kat wants to go over the Control files on Kentro and Bengali says Panthro’s new ship is done. They want to form a new battle strategy. We’ve already discussed this."

"Right," Lion-O said softly, pushing himself off the wall and starting toward the door. "Sorry, I guess I’m just a little tired. Something’s wrong with me, but I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it’s just this whole war."

Snarf frowned. "Maybe you’d better ask Servalla to—oh. Never mind. Bad idea. I forgot that she’s—that she’s—"

"You forgot that she’s missing just like the rest of them," Lion-O finished for Snarf.

"Yeah. Something like that." Snarf trotted along behind the slowly moving lion. "Well, it’s not all bad. I was reviewing some of the history tapes, and in your father’s day, it wasn’t uncommon for over half the Thundercat force to be missing after a battle. And this was a force numbering in the fifties at times, snarf."

Lion-O gave Snarf a tired smile. "Nice try, old friend. But I’ve reviewed those same tapes. You’re right. It wasn’t uncommon for at least half the Thundercat team to be missing after a battle. But it also wasn’t uncommon for many of those missing Thundercats to turn up dead soon afterwards."

"I was hoping you’d skipped that part."

Lion-O walked out into the hallway and started for the council room. "After I read it, I wished I’d skipped that part, too," the lion said quietly.

He seemed about to say more when the sound of running footsteps interrupted them. Before long, Mantyro came racing through the corridors and skidded to a halt when he spied Snarf and Lion-O. "Lion-O! You’ve got to get to the control room! They’re alive! And they’re calling us!"

Lion-O felt his heart skip a beat. "Who’s alive?"

"Panthro, Cheetara, Servalla, Leonari, Cougrois, the whole gang! Alphon’s wolves picked them up, and have they got a story to tell!"

The stress and weariness seemed to lift from Lion-O’s shoulders and he found himself sprinting for the control room. "Come on, then. What are we waiting for?"

"You have no idea how good it is to hear from you," Kat told Panthro over communications. "What took you so long to contact us?"

"The wolf back there wouldn’t allow us to use communications before now," Panthro grumbled. Behind him, Alphon looked up and smiled dangerously. "Anyway," the panther continued, "we’re alive and kicking. We should reach Thundera in about twenty-four hours. Did we miss anything?"

Bengali laughed. "Miss anything? Tiger fighting tiger and a revolt from your own species. All the white tigers and the cheetahs have moved in to Cat’s Lair."

Panthro stared. "Say that again."

"The panthers revolted, yep," Snarfer filled him in. "And drove the cheetahs from the southern steppes. So the cheetahs joined us. And the white tigers are here, too, and they rescued me, Kat, Lion-O, and Mantyro from the red tigers."

Servalla stuck a curious head forward. "Where did you find room to put them all?"

The doors to the control room opened and Wiley Kit, Lynx-O, Lepora, and Snoedaro raced in. "You’re alive!" Lepora crowed. "We knew you would be!"

"Yes, we seem to be very much alive," Leonari laughed. "But I want to know the answer to Servalla’s question. Where did you put them all?"

"Who’s ‘them’?" Lynx-O asked.

"The cheetahs and tigers," Kat said. "We kind of partitioned all the back hallways into bedrooms, and some of them are even sleeping on prison cots downstairs in the brig."

"But even with that, I almost tripped over five tigers in the kitchen when we got back," Wiley Kit grumbled. "And all I wanted was a quick snack."

"They’re sleeping in the kitchen?" Cougrois asked.

"They’re sleeping where they can find room and when they can find time, from what I hear," Snoedaro answered. "Mantyro and Bengali have been telling us how the Lair was under attack for a while. Since then, everyone’s been on their guard, but nothing’s happened."

"You’re certain the panthers are revolting?" Panthro’s voice was strained.

"Maybe now wasn’t the best time to tell you that," Snarfer murmured.

"Best time to tell him what?"

The others looked around as Snarf, Mantyro, and Lion-O charged into the room. Lion-O’s first glance was to the communication screen, and he could feel his heart soar when he looked into Leonari’s face.

"To tell him about the panthers," Snarfer told Snarf. "Sorry, unc, but I was talking and I guess I wasn’t thinking or I—"

"You’re never thinking," Snarf growled. "I don’t know what they did when they stuck that head of yours onto your body, but they sure weren’t planning."

Snarfer snickered. "So remind me about the time you were playing with the treads on the Thundertank and they—"

A glare from Snarf shut Snarfer up, but the others, with the exception of a glowering Panthro, were snickering quietly. "What’s this about the Thundertank?" Panthro growled.

"Nothing," Lion-O quickly intervened. "You weren’t around for it and it wasn’t anything. No serious damage."

"No serious damage?"

"Easy big fella," Mantyro chuckled. "Just a little fun. So when are you guys getting home and when can we hear your entire adventure?"

"Twenty-four hours is what Alphon is guessing," Cougrois said.

"Where’s Cheetara?" Wiley Kit suddenly wondered. "I don’t see her."

Servalla and Panthro exchanged quick glances. "Resting," Servalla finally said. "She’s resting right now. She’s had—I guess you could say she’s had some rather vivid experiences with her sixth sense."

Lion-O felt a dark cloud of foreboding fall over him. "What kind of experiences?"

"She won’t say," Panthro said darkly. "But she keeps falling into her trances and trying to recapture the visions, or whatever she’s having. She describes them more like calls. I don’t know, Lion-O. I’m worried about her." He sighed and shook his head. "Oh, and we’ve made a rather interesting discovery."

A cough from behind the panther caught his attention and Leonari laughed. "Correct us," she said, tossing her red hair backwards as a dismissal. "The wolves made a rather interesting discovery. It seems that the Kentro static buoys are not only blocking communication channels, but they’re also transmitting signals on Thunderan radio frequencies."

The other Thundercats stared. "What exactly are they transmitting?" Lion-O finally asked.

"Coordinates," Cougrois answered. "But no one can figure them out. We don’t know what they mean. We’re hoping you could run them through the Lair’s data banks and see if there’s a code match somewhere in the archives."

"Sure, no problem," Kat said. "Can you send them to us?"

Panthro signaled someone off screen and Kat’s communication board was suddenly filled with strings of numbers and letters. "You should be getting them now," Panthro said.

Looking over her brother’s shoulder, Wiley Kit whistled softly. "I’ve never seen anything like that before. What do you make of it?"

"Nothing I’ve ever seen either," Kat answered. "I’ll start the computers on it."

"You do that," Lion-O approved. "In the meantime, we’ll put the finishing touches on our new defense systems and when you five get home, we’ll be able to go over some new information. And Alphon?"

The mutant wolf looked up at the mention of his name. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

The wolf’s eyes flashed. "I did not do this for thanks or for kindness. Your five Thundercats are good warriors. To have ignored them would have been wasteful."

"I see," Lion-O said, but he thought he saw something in the wolf’s eyes that hadn’t been there before. Something like…respect? Approval? The lion shook his head. "Well, you have our gratitude anyway. Twenty-four hours?"

"If all goes as planned, yes," Alphon growled.

Lion-O nodded. "We’ll be seeing you later, then. Cat’s Lair out." As the communication screen faded into darkness, Lion-O turned to the other Thundercats. "Well, let’s get this place as ready as we can so that when they get back, we can turn our thoughts to the Kentro Empire."

"So it’s true?" Lynx-O asked. "Tiger did fight tiger? The panthers drove the cheetahs from the south?"

"I’m afraid so," Lion-O answered. "And it wasn’t pretty. But war never is, I guess."

"We’re truly at war with them? With our own kind?" Lepora whispered.

"Truly," the Lord of Thundercats murmured. "Jaga help us all."

She was losing herself again; she could feel it. But she was so close! She was closer than she’d ever been before. Tygra was almost within her grasp! Just a little more and…

But she couldn’t last long enough and out of sheer self-preservation, Cheetara rocketed back into her body to reaffirm her place in the real world. Opening her eyes, the cheetah slowly lay down, trying to ignore the building headache that threatened to consume her the moment she acknowledged it.

"Tygra, where are you?" Cheetara asked the silent room. But it held no answers. "I heard you once. Why can’t I hear you again?"

Maybe it had been her imagination. Maybe Tygra hadn’t called her. Maybe her sixth sense was just creating things her heart wished to hear. Maybe…

Cheetara shook her head vigorously, escalating her headache into regions of pain rarely explored as she did so. But the cheetah didn’t care. She had heard Tygra. He’d really called her. He’d been as real as any of the other Thundercats that she could still hear and see. But where was he now? What was wrong and why couldn’t she sense him anymore?

It was so confusing. Cheetara sat back up, buried her face in her hands, and growled softly, trying to think. It was like a light had gone on and then off. For a moment, she’d felt Tygra. She’d felt his self-consciousness, his inner doubt, his quick mind, his compassion…she’d felt it all. She’d felt him struggling with his identity and crying for help. All this had come in less than a heartbeat, and faster than it had appeared, it had vanished. There was nothing. No trail, no spark, no hint of the tiger. What was going on?

The sound of her door sliding open caused the cheetah to look up and try to appear coherent. "Hello?"

"Cheetara?"

"Hi, Leonari. What’s going on?"

The lioness eyed the cheetah critically. "We just called Thundera. The others from the Fire Zone made it back safely. And Lion-O was able to defend Cat’s Lair from the red tigers."

Cheetara nodded. "Good. I knew things would work out. Anything else?"

"Well, we should be home in twenty-four hours and the panthers attacked the cheetah clan."

At that point, with all her thoughts focusing on finding Tygra, very few things could have grabbed Cheetara’s interest. But this news did. "What? The panthers did what?"

"Panthro’s having trouble with it, too," Leonari said, coming in and taking a seat next to the cheetah. "I guess all the cheetah nobles have moved in to Cat’s Lair. So have the white tigers. Together, they’re preparing to take on the red tigers."

"Wow," Cheetara whispered. "Not exactly the best of timing, is it?"

Leonari growled softly and shook her head. "Not for us, no. But for them, it’s perfect. Out attention is divided between them and this Kentro Empire. We can’t completely focus on either enemy right now. And there isn’t a good way to prioritize this conflict, either. One defensive lapse on either front costs us the war and much more." For a moment, the lioness was silent, lost in her thoughts. Eventually, she turned to Cheetara and sighed. "So what does your sixth sense tell you? What have you been doing?"

Cheetara’s conscience shuddered. She hated lying to her friends, but what choice did she have? She’d already made her decision. "I don’t know, really. Right now, I’m just searching."

"For what?"

"I—I’m not sure. When I find it, I’ll know. But until then…"

"Until then, you’d rather not say," Leonari finished for her.

"Yes," Cheetara sighed. "I don’t know enough about what’s going on, and I don’t want to start rumors that might lead us to disaster."

"Or that might not be well received among Thundercats who have accepted certain unpleasant facts."

Cheetara’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Let’s be frank," the lioness said. "You and Tygra were close. Very close. I don’t think either of you acknowledged it, but if you look at your mission reports from Third Earth, you two were on more missions together, both voluntary and compulsory, than any other Thundercat pairing. You miss him, but you have yet to grieve for him. Why? Because you don’t believe he’s dead. You don’t believe Pumyra’s dead. And now you’ve taken a sudden interest in finding them. Why?"

"I don’t know where you get your information, Leonari, but if you think I’m wasting my time looking for the dead—"

"But that’s just the point!" Leonari interrupted. "You’re not looking for the dead, you’re looking for the living! By Jaga, Cheetara! You’ve lost friends before. You’ve lost comrades, family members, countrymen, even fellow Thundercats. What makes Tygra’s death so hard to accept?"

"Because he isn’t dead," Cheetara snarled before she could stop herself. Well, it was too late now. Leonari was on to her, and in a way, this was best. Cheetara wouldn’t have to lie about her trances anymore. "He’s not dead," she continued with a hard light in her eyes. "You’re right about how close we were. We were the best of friends, and as friends, we had some sort of connection. I can’t explain it as I don’t understand it myself, but I know he’s alive. If he were to die, I would feel it. And I haven’t felt it, yet. Until I do, I won’t give up searching."

"I wish I could make you see reason," the lioness whispered. "But why this sudden interest? You weren’t going into trances this much before."

"Maybe I just sense he needs me," Cheetara murmured, not knowing what else to say. Leonari was too shrewd for this game, and the cheetah was searching frantically for her next move. "Or maybe I just have more time on my hands right now."

"Maybe." Leonari muttered something else, but Cheetara couldn’t hear the rest of what she said. "Don’t overdue it," Leonari finally warned. "We need you healthy and alert when we get back to Thundera."

"I can take care of myself," Cheetara replied indignantly.

Leonari only rolled her eyes, got up, and left the room with a quick wave. Cheetara watched the door slide shut, leaving her alone once more in the silent room. "Where are you, Tygra?" she pleaded. "Please, answer me!"

"They’re up to sssomething, Rataro. I can feel it."

Rataro looked up at his second-in-command and sighed. "We’ve gone over this, Cobri. The Thundercats are still regrouping from the last attack. They’re not up to anything."

The snake’s hood flared open and he hissed softly. "Our spy reports are less than comprehensive. I told you we shouldn’t have sent monkeysss to do a reptile’s work. You can’t trust mammals with anything."

Rataro raised an eyebrow. "What was that about mammals?"

The cobra mumbled something and turned away.

Shaking his head, Rataro looked back at his fuel consumption reports. With the loss of so many mining colonies, they would have to increase their ore extraction processes on Plun-Darr itself. There were just too many mutant ships for present supplies. Something would have to give.

"It will be a perfect opportunity."

Once again startled out of his thoughts, Rataro set the reports aside, leaned back in his chair, and glared at the snake. "What will be a perfect opportunity?"

"Whatever they’re up to will be something on a large scale. I know how Thunderians operate. I’ve studied them for many years. They will mount some grandiose counter-offensive. It will be a perfect opportunity for us to accidentally miss the battle. We should be preparing alibis. We talked of this before, if you remember."

"Yes we did, but I’ve done some thinking. The wolves won’t go along with it. If we agree to attack with the Thundercats and Lunatacs, the absurd notion of pack will compel the wolves to fight whether we enter the battle or not."

"I have thought of this, too," Cobri hissed slyly. "Alphon has accidentally dealt directly with the Thundercats, but you and I both know that the wolvesss disdain contact with other species. And both the Thundercats and Lunatacs are distrustful of our canine friends. All dealings with any amount of planning between the wolves, Thunderians, and Lunatacs have gone through usss. The wolves don’t like us, either, but they like us more than they like our ‘alliesss.’ When the Thundercatsss suggest a plan, we will simply forget to tell the wolvesss of their part in the battle."

"But is it too soon in the alliance to break it?" Rataro wondered. "Should we wait a little longer?"

"Wait?" Cobri blinked in surprise. "Wait for what? For the weapons of the Thundercats to draw even with our own? For Kentro to delve deeper and deeper into our territory? For the human empire to begin landing on the very moons of Plun-Darr? I see no reason to wait. Let Kentro crush the Lunatacs and Thunderians for us. We will finish the job and rule the alliance. All the supplies and resources will be ours, we will spend them as we need, and when we defeat Kentro, we will emerge victorious over humans, cats, and Lunatacs alike."

"It must be an offensive attack," Rataro warned. "We can’t afford to miss a defensive maneuver. Kentro is far too close to our larger colonies. And with their new path through the Fire Zone, they are better able to attack quickly and fall back before we can retaliate."

"I am not ignorant to our needsss," the cobra hissed indignantly. "And rest assured, Rataro. My research in this area has not failed me yet. The Thundercatsss will be planning an offensive maneuver. You may count on that, oh fearless one."

Rataro felt the fur along his shoulder rising. "Was that an insult, snake?"

"Merely a reference to your tacticsss in battle," Cobri replied smoothly. "I broach these issues with you now so that you may be prepared to an accept an invitation to battle and then somehow formulate a plausible story concerning a miscommunication."

The rat studied his second-in-command closely. Cobri had never been what one could call subservient. He was calculating, ruthless, and possessed more than his fair share of reptilian cunning. He’d always impressed Rataro as a good strategist, but his loyalty was to himself foremost and his commander second. If there were an opportunity to move ahead, Rataro wouldn’t put it past the cobra to make a move for power. So far, the opportunity had never presented itself and the snake had seemed satisfied with his role as second-in-command. But with the emergence of the Kentro Empire and the necessary formation of unwanted alliances, that situation could be changing. "Very well, Cobri," Rataro said coldly. "When the Thundercats suggest an attack on Kentro, we will agree to it. And during the deployment of our troops, the message will become garbled. The wolves will not receive it at all. All will be as we plan. And I will eventually take command of all allied forces. And you shall be my sub-commander."

"Of course," Cobri hissed with a smile, though his eyes were gleaming dangerously. "All shall be as we wish it to be."

Outside the conference room, a lone mutant leaned back from the wall where he’d been listening to the rat and the snake. A perplexed look crossed his face as he contemplated what he’d just heard. Confused by the feelings this betrayal aroused in him, the jackal started down one of the Rat Star Prime’s many hallways and was soon lost in deep thought.

Alphon’s ship blasted off the Lair’s landing pad and into the darkness of the Thunderan night. The wolf had been invited to rest on Thundera, but the renegade mutant had flatly refused, saying he preferred the comfort and companionship of his pack to the confines of Cat’s Lair. Lion-O had not been sorry to see him go. Panthro, much to his own surprise, had mixed feelings over the departure of the wolf. In many ways, Alphon had reminded him of—Tygra. Practical, efficient, intelligent, honorable…it made Panthro realize just how much he missed his old friend.

Lion-O, on the other hand, soon had things of a different nature to occupy his mind.

"I thought I’d never see you again," the Lord of the Thundercats murmured, his face buried in Leonari’s hair. She leaned against him and purred softly, saying nothing and simply enjoying the strength and power of his surrounding arms.

Mantyro, Snoedaro, and Bengali had all tackled Cougrois when he’d emerged from the wolf pirate ship and now an all-out wrestling match was making its way slowly toward the entrance of Cat’s Lair.

Panthro, Cheetara, and Servalla, however, were not given so warm a welcome. Tahee had been the first to pull the panther and cheetah aside and discuss the current situation on the southern steppes. Serbino had quickly corralled Servalla and requested her healing aide with some of the wounded tigers.

"Panya is completely devoted to Sybar," Tahee was saying as he led the way inside. "I’ve never seen anyone so fanatically loyal and devoted to such a far-fetched cause."

"Perhaps it isn’t far-fetched to her," Panthro murmured. "Panthers are well-known for their strength. Maybe she believes that with her strength and Sybar’s intelligence, they can overcome the present government and erect a new one."

"But it flies in the face of all logic. Panthers are known for the strength, yes. I will give you that, Thundercat Panthro. Without their strength, they would have never taken the southern steppes from us. Our talent lies in speed, not direct confrontation. But it’s still not right. Something’s wrong. I’ve known Panya for a while, now, and though she’s always mistrusted lions, she’s never been so adamantly opposed to their leadership of Thundera. What do you think, Thundercat Cheetara?"

"What? I’m sorry, were you saying something?" Cheetara hastily looked at Panthro and Tahee who were watching her with concern.

"Are you okay?" Panthro asked gently. "Do you want to go lie down? Maybe it’s space sickness."

"Your sixth sense?" Tahee wondered. "You are the strongest psychic among our people. Perhaps an impression—"

"No," Cheetara said quickly. A little too quickly, judging from Panthro’s face. Inwardly cursing, the cheetah tried to turn her attention back to the conversation at hand. "No, I’m fine. Now what were we saying about the panthers?"

Doubt clearly in his eyes, the head of the cheetah clans studied Cheetara for a moment. "I was asking for your opinion on Panya’s actions. Not only are the panthers known for strength, but they are also known for common sense. They may be impetuous like the white tigers at times, but they possess a great deal of logic. Do you have any insight into Panya’s recent behavior."

Cheetara thought for a minute and eventually shook her head. "She’s seemed a bit off kilter lately, actually. Maybe the stress of power finally got to her. Maybe Sybar’s too persuasive. I don’t know. I never really thought about it before."

"Well, it’s something we should think about now," Tahee warned. "Panthro, I know this will seem like betraying your own kind, but can you think of any way to win back the southern steppes from Panya’s hold?"

Panthro said something in reply, but the conversation was once again lost to Cheetara. She turned around and watched as Lion-O and Leonari simply stood and held one another. They said no words; they made no moves. They merely took joy in the presence of the other and relaxed in the knowledge of mutual safety. As Cheetara watched them, her sixth sense started to tickle. Feeling hope flare to life, the cheetah grabbed for her impression. But her hopes quickly died. It wasn’t Tygra. It was an uneasy feeling about Lion-O.

The cheetah growled in frustration. What kind of trouble could Lion-O possibly be in? He had Leonari. Leonari had him. They had each other. No, Cheetara couldn’t allow herself to become distracted now. She pushed her sixth sense to the side and cleared her mind. She had to be open in case Tygra called out to her.

She and Tygra had once been close like Lion-O and Leonari. Close, but in a different way. They’d never talked openly of a relationship, but they’d always been there for one another. When Cheetara was in trouble, it was Tygra who’d always been the most distressed. When Tygra was in trouble, Cheetara was among the first to sense it. There’d been something between the two of them. Something strong. Cheetara had never been quite sure what was there, and now it seemed she would never know. But she did know this. She wished for that tiger more than she’d ever wished for another being. She wished for his arms to wrap around her, for his chest of soft fur to cradle her head, and for his gentle words of reassurance that left no room for any doubts. She wished she could stroke his rich mane, ease his troubled mind filled with awkward self-consciousness, and watch his thoughts roll through his amber eyes. "Tygra," she whispered. She’d murmured his name many times in the past few hours, and each time it seemed to bring with it greater pain. "Tygra," she whispered again, caressing the word with her lips and feeling moisture build in her eyes. "Where are you?"

She was afraid.

It had taken so long for her to admit it, and now that she had, she was deeply ashamed. But it was true. She was afraid. And fear was what was destroying her.

Pumyra thought of the anointment trials that the Lords of the Thundercats endured. She knew that for Lion-O, one of the trials had been a test of the mind. She knew Tygra had made him face his greatest fear. And Lion-O had come through unscathed.

She also knew that the test of fear had been at the end of the trial when Tygra had already used much of his mental power to fight off disruptive mutants. She knew the final test had not been at its full strength. Tygra had admitted that to her once. But he was satisfied that the test had been sufficient for Lion-O. So why was she failing her own test of fear?

"Because my fear comes for me day after day after day," she murmured. "And with its return, I fear it even more. Because I’m not as strong as the others. Because I can’t confront my fear. Because my fear is too much."

"She’s talking about fear again," someone nearby said.

"She’s been doing that for hours," another voice answered. "It’s nothing new."

"Shouldn’t you do something?"

"Like what? And when have you cared for her?"

"But they can help us. They can both help us."

"Not in their present condition. She’s been in some fever-induced delirium for the past three hours and he’s got a massive infection in the whip wounds on his back. Maybe I can treat them both, but who knows what this whole interrogation period is going to do to their minds. Psychologically, they’re never going to be the same. None of us will."

"Can’t you talk to them, hypnotist? Find out what’s going on?"

"Have you been listening? She’s not even coherent. He is, but he’s never been one for talking. And during his stay here, he’s gotten worse."

"But still…there must be something we can do. We can’t give up hope."

"We can’t give up reality, either, cold one."

Pumyra didn’t hear any more as her mind once again took flight in fever dreams. She was still awake, she knew that much. With that blasted collar around her neck, she was continually conscious unless plugged in for manual sleep. But that didn’t mean she was lucid during her waking hours.

And she was still afraid.

Fear was beginning to consume her like a predator devouring its prey. She was helpless in its grasp and paralyzed by its presence. It came when the slave drivers came, but it did not leave with them. It stayed and grew on her, building its power off of her weakness and growing in strength with every second.

Then the slave drivers would come again. They would shake her and yell, demanding answers to questions she no longer clearly heard. They asked her about the past and about her roots. They asked her so many questions and so quickly that she would lose track of things. And the moment she answered incorrectly, she was punished. She thought her first experience at the hands of Greeb had been harsh. But it was nothing compared to this.

They’d taken away her food. In the past 72 hours, she’d had two cups of water and five hours of sleep. She was exhausted and hungry. She was ready to throw herself at their feet if she thought it would buy her mercy. And still they came. They came with their merciless questions and she was punished again and again. Whips, beatings, chains, knives, she knew them all. There was one thing they had not done. They had not raped her. But somehow, that only made things worse. She knew why they had not ravaged her body. They considered her inferior. Forcing themselves upon her would be like forcing themselves upon an animal. And mentally, that hurt more than she could have ever guessed it would hurt. Her diseased body and fevered mind added this insult to all the other invidious acts thrust upon her, and she shrank into the remaining shell of her mind. She tried to remember good things. If she thought hard enough, she remembered the laughing face of Bengali, his quick smile, and his bold spirit. She could see the handsome face of Cougrois and hear his witty comments as he led her through the forests of a starry night on Third Earth.

But even as these images came, her fear drove them back. Greeb had called forth these memories and had beaten her mercilessly for their existence. Now thoughts of Lion-O’s anointment trials sent shivers down her spine. Cheetara’s name couldn’t enter her mind without a paralyzing terror taking hold of her and threatening her with insanity. Reminders of the laughing Thundertwins, still so young and yet so mature, sent her huddling into a corner. One by one, each and every Thundercat was driven from her mind by fear until all was darkness.

And all she had left was fear.

She was very afraid.

"Okay, Thundercats, let’s get down to business."

The Thundercats had finally found time to get away from all the other residents of Cat’s Lair and call a private council to discuss the merits of a new plan and the contents of Control’s file on Kentro. Lion-O looked around the council chamber and wondered briefly just why he was so tired yet again. His reunion with Leonari had helped a little, but feelings of depression and despair kept creeping back into his heart. Trying to shake these feelings off, he continued.

"Wiley Kat has some new information for us and Bengali has a new plan based on that information and the construction of some new ships. Kat, the floor is yours."

Kat shuffled his feet as he activated a holo-projector. He was nervous as the center of attention, and he knew that most subsequent Thundercat plans would come from his information. Such knowledge did nothing for his nerves, but he was a Thundercat. He had grown up as one and he had been trained as one. Taking a deep breath, he found the center Panthro had always talked about and prepared to speak.

"It doesn’t look good," he started. He pulled up one of the star charts Alphon had initially used in the first meeting of the allies. "This is what we learned from the wolves. Our area of influence now stops here on a line between Third Earth and the Fire Zone. But this empire has existed behind that line long before we knew of its existence. Control estimates it to be one of the oldest civilizations in the universe."

"How do they know that?" Wiley Kit asked.

"Technological sophistication, legends, records of the Kentro Empire from other ancient civilizations…things like that," Kat answered. "Much of Control’s data is extrapolation from now unknown sources, but it’s built itself into quite a story. And the story all fits together, which adds to its validity. According to Control’s analysis, the Kentro Empire was formed from a group of refugee humans. They were renegades from a highly advanced society that had mastered things in both science and magic that we can only dream about. And using this knowledge, the founders of the Kentro Empire created barriers that prevent both sensors and arcane powers from scanning their base. And that explains why Sight Beyond Sight can’t give us any more information about them."

"It’s just like the second age of Third Earth," Lynx-O suddenly spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Lion-O asked.

"In the southern jungles of Third Earth are the remnants of the second age. The technology down there is able to create magical barriers using technology. They fused sorcery and science."

"Kat, could this empire originally be from Third Earth?" Leonari asked.

Wiley Kat shrugged. "I guess it’s possible. There’s no proof of that, but there isn’t anything to suggest otherwise."

"And it’s really not important where they came from," Bengali added. "Rowrl, what we need to know is how to defeat them."

"Part of how to defeat them may lie in their roots," Snoedaro said quietly. "Weapons and tactics can change, but no matter what, a civilization must always fall back on its origins. Hit them there, and you can destroy the empire’s foundation."

"And now we know that this empire was founded by a rebel group. That can explain their extremist views," Cheetara added.

"What else is there, Kat?" Panthro asked.

"Some stuff on societal structure," Kat said, scrolling through his data. "There’s not much on military, but there is a little bit. And that little bit is pretty interesting. Apparently, the entire civilization is in the army. Every single citizen of the Kentro Empire is a full-time soldier and trained for battle. That’s why their army is so huge."

"But how do they support a force like that?" Cheetara asked. "Surely they can’t all be full-time."

"They are," Kat assured her. "At least, Control thinks they are. Their civilization is supported by slavery. Massive slavery. If you’re not a citizen, you’re a slave. The slaves come from conquered territories and once a slave, always a slave. There’s no report of any slave being granted freedom. And that’s where Kentro’s economy is based. The citizens take turns watching the slaves and part of a soldier’s training is slave-breaking. Some of them become so good at it that they don’t do anything else for the rest of their lives. They just break slaves. And Control has catalogued rumors that this process of slave-breaking is a nasty one."

"That would make sense, based on what we’ve experienced so far," Cougrois rumbled.

"How does this new information help us?" Servalla asked. "How can we use it?"

"I’m not quite done yet," Kat said. "Control also has some information on how Kentro goes about its conquests and how it defends its borders. Because it’s such a massive empire, this is a challenge. They concentrate on attacking in one direction while the remainder of their force is scattered throughout the rest of their territory. Fear is their chief weapon and with it, they discourage attacks from neutral nations. They’re very careful about where they send their troops, and if there’s a revolt somewhere, they quell it immediately, even it if means delaying a conquest."

"So they’re paranoid about their borders," Mantyro mused. "How will we use this to our advantage?"

"That’s where Bengali and Panthro come in," Lion-O said. "Wiley Kat provided the programming, Panthro provided the design, and Bengali finished the project."

"The Phantoms?" Leonari gasped. "You mean they’re done? Do they work?"

"I took one out yesterday," Bengali answered proudly. "They work like a charm. The computers work, the scanners work, the megacondensors work, everything works. The one catch is that they use up more Thundrillium than any of our other ships."

"But think of the possibilities," Lepora murmured. "We truly have the advantage, now."

Snarf looked around the room, twitched his tail, and growled. "Okay, I’ve been kept in the dark for a while now. What are the Phantoms?"

"The Phantoms are our new fighter," Lion-O told him. "They’re built on the same scale as a Thundera Dagger, but they’re far different. You see, Panthro and Kat have found a way to scan hyperspace from real space."

"You’re kidding!" Snarf whispered. Up until now, ships in real space had no ability to scan things in hyperspace. Because hyperspace was a higher dimension in which light traveled at a faster speed, instruments from real space couldn’t resolve readings from hyperspace and display them in terms of real space. Hyperspace ships could get readings on real space, but only by using separate sets of scanners and briefly shutting down the megacondensor, the device that merged the ship into hyperspace. "So how did you do it?" Snarf demanded.

"It required some messing with the megacondensors and a few little inventions of our own," Panthro answered. "But the long and short of it is, it works. The Phantom can track its progress through both hyper and real space simultaneously no matter where the ship happens to be. It displays the information on a 4-dimensional modeling system in the cockpit and the pilot is now able to see objects in hyperspace from real space and fix real space objects to a specific position in hyperspace."

"In other words," Leonari summarized with a smile, "we can take our battles into hyperspace and out again."

"Rataro has wanted to do that for years," Cheetara said. She was still getting an odd feeling about Lion-O, but she had to keep her mind focused on Tygra in case he called for her again. She shook her head and tried to get back into the conversation. "The mutants have never been able to coordinate their ships and they always seem to merge into one another."

"But with this new technology, we won’t have that problem," Bengali finished. "And because the computers will be continuously tracking hyper and real space, you won’t have to wait for the computer to scan real space from hyperspace. It will all be there instantly. We’ll be able to attack from one side, slip into hyperspace, slip out on the other side, and continue the attack. We can have entire battalions of fighters pulling stunts like that, and it will make our forces look at least twice as big as they really are. Who would believe one fighter could be seemingly two or three places at once? They’ll grossly overestimate the size of our army."

"One question," Snoedaro piped up. "What does this have to do with Kentro’s paranoid border patrol?"

Lion-O leaned forward, still fighting his chronic exhaustion but trying not to show it. "It’s a risky plan, but I think it’s worth a try. However, I can’t order any of you to participate in it. The danger factor is too high. And this really should be a unanimous decision. If anyone has anything against this plan, don’t be afraid to speak up. We must be resolved on this or it won’t work."

"What do we do?" Cougrois asked eagerly.

"Here’s the theory we’re working from," Lion-O explained. "Kentro is so paranoid about revolts springing up in their empire that they will completely shift their focus away from us if they feel a rebellion is underway. That’s where the Phantoms come in. We’re going to simulate a rebellion. The attacking force must be big enough to catch their attention, but with the technology the Phantoms have, that won’t be a problem. Two Phantoms can seem like six attacking ships. We won’t need to send a huge force out to do this. Plus, the Phantoms are brand new ships. They aren’t associated with Thundera, and if things go as planned, they never will be. Kentro will assume it’s a completely new force and turn away from us to deal with it."

"It’s a good plan," Leonari said slowly, "but there are some flaws. If this fake rebellion happens too close to our area, it will look suspicious. And how will we get the Phantoms in and out of Thunderan space without Kentro noticing?"

Kat, Lion-O, and Bengali exchanged looks. "They won’t be getting in and out of Thunderan space," Bengali finally answered. "They’ll be stationed indefinitely on the other side of Kentro’s Empire. They’ll have to operate under their own autonomy, they’ll have to judge when to attack, and they’ll have to be so committed that they’ll risk anything to keep information on Phantom technology and origins out of enemy hands."

"We plan to launch an offensive to distract Kentro while the Phantoms sneak out of Thunderan space," Kat continued. "Once beyond our known star charts, they’ll go off of Control’s theoretical star maps until they reach these coordinates." A holo-projector in the center of the table produced a series of coordinates and a corresponding star chart. "According to Control’s records, this is an uninhabited system with a few dead planets circling a dying star. It will become the Phantom’s base. There will be forty Phantoms and six Scabbards on the mission. The extra Scabbard will be loaded down with supplies to last one year. We don’t know if the Phantoms will be needed for an entire year, but it’s best not to take chances."

"Once out there," Lion-O finished, "there can be no communication between the Phantom force and Thundera. They’ll have to make their own judgement calls based on Kentro’s actions and their own intuition. They’ll have to attack key outposts to draw attention and they’ll have to make certain the supply Scabbards remain a secret. It’s a dangerous assignment, but I think it might give us the edge we need. I’d like at least two Thundercats on this mission, but I can’t order any of you to take it. It’s too risky." Lion-O sat back in his chair and surveyed the Thundercats before him. "Well? What do you think?"

For a moment, there was silence. Mantyro was the first to voice an opinion. "If we have to fight a war on two fronts, so do they," he said heavily. "Under current conditions, we can’t win. With the combined might of Lunatacs, mutants, and wolves, we still can’t win. We need to try something a little out of the ordinary or we’re doomed to fail."

"I agree," Lynx-O announced. "It is a very dangerous assignment and filled with risks, but such is the case with war. There are no safe routes to victory."

"The force who goes will have to understand the full implications of their mission," Leonari warned. "They must know there is no turning back. Retreat is not an option. There’s no where to run. We have no allies over there and they’ll have no one to turn to but each other if things go wrong."

"It will have to be a very dedicated force," Lion-O agreed. "But we have such dedication on Thundera. It can be done."

"I volunteer to lead the force," Wiley Kit suddenly said. The other Thundercats looked at her in surprise. "I want the command," she repeated. "I’m a good pilot, I think quickly, and I’ve been on the move most of my life. A year out in the middle of nowhere isn’t going to make much of a difference to me."

"I’ll go with Kit," Lepora volunteered. "Ever since Thundera’s destruction, I’ve never lived in one place very long. How different can this be? And this is even for a purpose."

"Are you certain?" Lion-O asked. "Do you truly understand all this will entail? You two will be completely on your own and in charge of 38 other Phantoms. Are you really willing to accept such a responsibility?"

"We can handle it," Kit declared calmly. "I’ve been a Thundercat all my life. I won’t let you down."

Lion-O hesitated for a moment. Wiley Kit was technically an adult now. She was a dedicated Thundercat and one of their best pilots, but she was still so young. Lepora, too. And yet, he’d been younger when he’d assumed the title of lord. Finally, he nodded. "Okay, Kit and Lepora. The mission is yours. Are there any objections to this plan?" No one answered. It was a desperate attempt, but they were desperate. It had to be tried. "Very well, then," Lion-O said. "We’ll organize the Phantom team, explain the situation, contact the Lunatacs and mutants, prepare the offensive, and after that, the calls will be yours." The lion sighed, feeling even more exhausted than usual. "Let’s do it, guys. Thundercats…"

"HO!"

"Vultureman? Are you busy?"

A startled bird looked up from a computer scanner, his concentration broken and his anger aroused. "What is it?!" he demanded. "Can’t you see I’m working?"

Jackalman hastily backed out of the vulture’s computer room. "You looked like you were just staring at the computer screen. I didn’t know you were doing anything."

"Well, I am."

"What are you doing?"

The vulture growled, but then stopped. Jackalman seemed unsure of himself and was almost ready to bolt down the hallway. Normally, Vultureman would have rejoiced to see such a display of weakness from the jackal, but the vulture sensed that something else was going on. Jackalman was a coward, true, but he had never expressed it so blatantly before Vultureman. And for some odd reason, the vulture wanted Jackalman to stay. He wanted to find out what was wrong. "I was just looking at some—awwk—strange communications we’ve been getting of Kentro static buoys," the vulture found himself explaining.

"Oh." Jackalman shuffled his feet and looked down the corridors. "What kind of communications?"

"Thunderan communications. Awwk—it’s looks like a code, but we haven’t figured it out yet. And we have no idea why it’s coming from Kentro static buoys." Vultureman studied Jackalman some more and finally made a decision. "Did you need anything?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you a question," Jackalman stammered. "Can I come in?"

Vultureman nodded and watched curiously as the jackal checked behind him before entering the room. What kind of trouble had the canine gotten himself into this time? "What do you—awwk—want to ask me?"

Jackalman murmured and stuttered for quite a while before anything coherent came out. And when it did, it was barely coherent at that. "What if—what if you knew something—and you knew it wasn’t right but if you went against it that would be wrong because it would be like betrayal?"

Vultureman blinked. "Could you explain that?"

The jackal growled and shook his head in frustration. "Let’s say, hypothetically speaking of course, that you overheard something. And this something was a plan between superiors. But the plan is wrong. But they’re your superiors. And you would be wrong to say it was wrong. And they wouldn’t listen to you anyway. What do you do? Do you alert others to the plan? Do you keep your mouth shut? And if you do, will the responsibility for possibly millions of lives fall on your head?"

"What did you overhear?" Vultureman asked.

"How did you know I overheard anything?"

"Awwk, could you make it any more obvious?"

"I didn’t think it was that obvious," the jackal sulked. "But since you asked…" He trailed off and seemed to be evaluating the consequences of telling Vultureman what he’d heard. "Well, suppose you have some friends. They aren’t really good friends, but you need them. And let’s say you have some other friends. And they’re great friends, but they don’t like your other friends. And the friends who aren’t so great friends don’t like your great friends. The problem is, you need both sets of friends. With me so far?"

"I think so," Vultureman replied. "You’ve got two groups of friends who don’t like each other, you’re closer to one group than the other group, but for some reason you need both groups."

"Right," Jackalman said. "Now let’s say your really good group of friends decide to hurt the other group of friends. You find out about it, but you’re not supposed to know until it’s too late. What do you do? And you can’t really tell your good friends that this is wrong, but how wrong is it to betray them and tell the not-so-great friends?"

"Can I summarize this before answering?" Vultureman asked. When Jackalman nodded, he continued. "You have the mutants and the Thundercats. You’re—awwk—stuck in the middle. You overhear Rataro and Cobri planning to do something to the Thundercats, and for some reason, this concerns you. And you’re wondering what to do about it."

Jackalman’s mouth gaped open. "How did you figure that out?"

"Don’t insult me," the vulture growled. "Once again, it was obvious. Like almost everything else you do."

"Well then, Mr. Genius. What do I do now if it’s so obvious?"

"That’s what confuses me," the avian mutant answered. "It’s all obvious except for one thing. Awwk—I have no idea why you’re concerned about the Thundercats. And what is it that Rataro and Cobri are planning?"

"The Thundercats are planning and offensive and the mutants are going to agree to help out, but then not show up."

"What’s wrong with that?"

An eerie light came into the jackal’s eyes. "What’s wrong with that? You’re asking me what’s wrong with that? Think about it, Vultureman! The Kentro Empire is huge. We can’t defeat it on our own. The last four months alone have proven that. We’re losing territory faster than we can retreat out of it. And now we’re going to lay low while the Thundercats and Lunatacs fight our battles for us? They’ll be crushed. Decimated. You might think that’s a good thing, but how long will you continue to think that way when Kentro soldiers break through your door and shoot you down like the coward you are?"

It was Vultureman’s turn to be angry. "Coward? COWARD?! You, of all mutants, have the nerve to call ME a coward? Better look in the mirror sometime, dog."

"I KNOW I’m a coward!" Jackalman yelled. "That’s not the point. The point is this: what do I do? Do I tell the Thundercats that they’re walking into a trap and we won’t be there to back them up?"

"Why tell them anything—awwk?"

"Because we made an alliance," the canine murmured. "We’re obligated to stick to it. It’s—well, it’s pack."

"Pack? You’ve been spending far too much time with the wolves."

"It doesn’t matter," Jackalman argued. "It doesn’t matter, because anyway you look at it, this is a stupid decision. We’re barely holding our own as it is. If we turn against our allies, they won’t be allies anymore. They’ll be hurt, we’ll be hurt, and Kentro will walk right over top of us. No matter what happens, we lose." Jackalman sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I should have never come in here," he muttered to himself. "I should have known which way you’d turn."

With that, the jackal left the computer room. Had he stopped to look behind him, though, he might have stayed. For a long time, Vultureman stared at his closed door deep in thought. The vulture had never been terribly close with other mutants, but somehow on Third Earth, even with all their insurrections and arguments, a bond had formed between himself, Monkian, Jackalman, and Slithe. It wasn’t a friendship by any stretch of the imagination, and it wasn’t exactly a comradeship. But there had been…understanding. None of them would ever admit it, but it wasn’t something they could blow off. And it was this strange understanding that the vulture now used to tackle the problem at hand. Vultureman knew Jackalman to be a coward and at times a fool. But he also knew that sometimes, Jackalman had an uncanny knack for seeing straight through to the heart of a situation. This could be one of Jackalman’s moments of genius. And if it was, what then? The vulture was left with the jackal’s question. What did he do?