Lucaina kept her eyes trained on the dirt as she limped toward the slave hospital. "Hospital" was really too kind a word, but there wasn’t another name for it. It was a large wooden hut with one drafty room and a meager roof of straw and sticks, allowing rain to leak through and heat to leak out. With its dirt floor and rotting walls, sanitary was probably not the best way to describe this feeble attempt at a medical center. But for the slaves of SPT, there was no where else to go. Lucaina was due out in the blasting fields within the hour and she could barely walk. If she didn’t show up, she’d get a double shift plus a double whipping. It was not a prospect she looked forward to.

Her gray ears drooped as she walked and she was careful to keep her tail low to the ground. These humans were amazingly perceptive when body language was concerned. She could feel the occasional searing glances of the slave drivers, and she made certain that her posture was sufficiently humble. When she first arrived, this had been a serious problem and she bore the scars to prove it. But now, groveling before the humans came almost as second nature. Lucaina was not proud of this, but she really wasn’t proud of anything anymore. What was left to be proud of?

The wolf stumbled into the clinic and looked around for the puma. Lucaina had to admit that the cat was an adept healer even though the puma was denied the most basic essentials needed for any sort of treatment. But much to her surprise, it was the moon hypnotist that appeared to be in charge this morning.

"Welcome," he muttered when he heard her walk in. He looked over at her, registered who she was, and then motioned to an empty cot. "I’ll be there shortly."

Lucaina narrowed her eyes and sniffed the air. "I smell the puma. Where is she?"

"Right here," Alluro sighed, stepping away from the patient he’d been treating.

The wolf’s eyes widened. "What happened?!"

"Interrogation period," the Lunatac answered, moving toward another table. "Or had you forgotten? You helped me through mine."

"You’re right," Lucaina murmured. "I had forgotten. But I don’t remember mine being this bad. How is she?"

"Hard to say," Alluro answered. "I think she’ll make it. This one, too," he added indicating Tygra who lay sleeping off to the side. "Physically, anyway. Mentally…that’s another question. It’s too soon to tell."

Leaning against the beds, Lucaina made her way over to the Lunatac and examined the two patients. "What are their chances of still resisting? You know them better than I do."

Alluro gave a harsh laugh. "I know very little about either of them. For a short time, we were enemies. That’s the extent of my acquaintance with these cats. The reptile would know more. He’s the one you should be asking. In fact, I just sent the cold one to find him."

"You’re asking the reptile for help?" Lucaina asked in astonishment. "I watched him try to repair a broken arm the other day, and the poor slave he’d been working on ended up becoming the humans’ new sacrifice for their demon god."

"Not help," Alluro explained as he rolled Tygra onto his side and checked his back. "I sent the cold one off to seek reassurance. She was driving me nuts. Whenever she could sneak away, she came here."

Lucaina’s brow furrowed. "Why would she do that? She hates these two as much as you do. Or, at least I thought she did."

"I didn’t think she had room left in her heart for any feelings, even hate. I don’t know," Alluro sighed, shaking his head. "I don’t know anymore. But why should I even care? We’ll all die here in a few years anyway. There’s no way we can survive much longer under conditions like this."

The wolf didn’t have an answer to that. It was a conclusion she’d already reached, but it hurt to hear it from another. "I need to be up in the blasting fields soon," she finally said. "Can you give me some kind of splint for my leg?"

Alluro turned and looked down at the wolf’s injured left leg. "Nasty," he commented. "How did that happen?"

"Greeb was in a foul mood this morning," Lucaina explained shortly. "I didn’t bow before him quickly enough."

The hypnotist took this with a quick nod and didn’t press her for further details. He knew exactly what she was talking about. It had happened to him more than once. "I’m glad I missed him," he offered by way of conversation. "So what’s got him upset this time?"

Lucaina hoisted herself up onto a bed and groaned slightly as she tried to adjust her leg to a comfortable position. "It seems the demon god these humans worship is taking a personal interest in the puma and the tiger. Their interrogation period was sped up to satisfy his demands and apparently, something’s gone wrong."

"That would explain why those two are in such bad shape. Too much too quickly. Yeah, something in that interrogation period definitely went wrong to see them cut up like this."

"I guess this demon god wants to see them personally after they’ve been broken. And if Greeb can’t break them, that human is going to be the next sacrifice."

Alluro looked up from rummaging through a crate of makeshift medical gear. "Greeb himself? I thought they only sacrificed slaves."

"Maybe they can make an exception," the wolf said with a shrug.

The Lunatac pondered this information. "I wonder why they would do that. Have you ever seen a slave sacrifice?"

The wolf growled softly and her eyes took on a vacant look. "Once," she murmured. "I wasn’t supposed to, but I did. It was…rather disturbing."

"What happened?"

"I’d rather not talk about it."

The hypnotist moved toward her with the splint he’d found. "I understand," he told her. "But I’m wondering why these two have suddenly become a focal point for this crazy religion and why Greeb might take the place of a slave. Any ideas?"

Biting back a murmur of pain, Lucaina shook her head as she felt Alluro fit the splint to her leg. "Sorry," she hissed. "I don’t know." She gasped as the Lunatac tied the splint on and moved back. "Thanks."

"In return, how about telling me more about this sacrifice?"

The wolf’s eyes blazed. "You don’t give up, do you?"

"I’m just curious," the hypnotist answered. In truth, he had a nagging feeling that more information was needed about the humans’ religion, but for the life of him, he didn’t know why.

Lucaina watched Alluro closely and finally nodded. "Very well, hypnotist. I will tell you what I remember. I’ve tried to block much of it out, but…" She shook her head and growled. "I was coming back from the blasting fields," she began. "One of the bombs had knocked me into the side of a cliff and I was moving rather slowly. I was late and there were no other slaves around. I…I was almost back into the pit when I saw a crowd off to my right. They were gathered around this structure and bowing down to it. There wasn’t anyone else near me and I was already due for a beating when I got back, so I decided to find out what was going on." The wolf paused, as though trying to force unpleasant memories back down.

"What happened next?" Alluro asked gently.

"I saw a slave." The wolf’s voice was devoid of any emotion and her eyes had gone cold and hard. "I saw a slave," she repeated. "He was tied down to a slab of stone. Some kind of priestess approached him. She was different from the surrounding humans, but I wasn’t close enough to tell how. I think she was a different species. She touched the slave with a staff she was carrying. And the structure behind her started to glow. The slave started to scream and his flesh—caught on fire where she’d touched him. The fire started eating him away, but he still screamed. He kept on screaming as the fire made its way through his body. The smell it gave off almost made me gag, but I kept watching. I had to. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He was changing. Melting. His screams were more desperate. He was surrounded by a green light, but he wasn’t there any more. And yet, he kept screaming. Everywhere you looked, you could see his face. His eyes were melting, his flesh was liquid, and he kept screaming. Then darkness opened up from the pyramid and—"

"Pyramid?!" Alluro demanded sharply.

Startled out of her memories, Lucaina put a hand to her head and started to moan. "Why did you make me remember?" she whispered.

"Keep going," the Lunatac commanded. "Keep going!"

"It was like a tear in space," the wolf murmured. "The essence of the slave rushed in. There were others in there. They were in pain. Agony. Eternal agony. They were all screaming, they were all melting, they were all dying. I wanted to do something to help them. I wanted to give them release from their pain. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t move. Something held me where I was. No one could move. And he kept screaming. He kept dying, he kept screaming, and then he was gone. But I could still feel him. There was no sign of him. There wasn’t a hint of char or ash on the rock where he’d been tied. The ropes were strung out where he’d been. But I could still feel him. He was there. They were all there. They were all crying for help I couldn’t give. And then the priestess walked back to the pyramid. I couldn’t see an opening, but she just kept walking toward it. And then there was a door. I could have sworn it hadn’t been there before. She went inside, and then the door was gone. It was gone as if it had never existed." Lucaina clutched at her head and groaned. "Hypnotist, I’ve never felt or sensed pain and anguish the like of which I felt there. We think our training experiences are tough, but they are nothing when compared with the horror that awaits sacrificial slaves."

"This pyramid…were there four pillars surrounding it?"

The wolf looked up and glared at the Lunatac. "Have you no feelings for the slave?"

"ANSWER ME!"

Taken aback, the Lucaina stared at Alluro. "Not that I remember," she said slowly. "It stood on its own."

Alluro’s eyes lost some of their feverish intensity and he turned away. "Maybe it’s just a coincidence," the wolf heard him murmur.

"I think I’ll be going now," Lucaina said quietly. Testing her weight on her injured leg, the wolf quickly hobbled out the door.

"Just a coincidence," Alluro told himself firmly. But his heart wasn’t in it. Something had clicked during the wolf’s story, and the hypnotist was adding up little things he’d seen during his slavery. And too many puzzle pieces were beginning to fit together for Alluro to ignore the facts. "It can’t be," the hypnotist insisted. "It can’t be."

"Don’t forget clean underwear."

Wiley Kit jerked upright and wheeled around. She hadn’t heard her door slide open and the Thundercat hated being taken by surprise. "Kat?! I think I’m old enough that it might be appropriate to knock."

"I knew you were packing and I didn’t want to disturb you," her brother answered as he came in. He moved some of the duffel bags from her bed to the floor and took a seat. "Think you have everything for about a year?"

"A year," Kit whispered. Now that the assignment was hers, she was having second thoughts. "That’s a long time."

"Might not be long enough," Kat warned. "Panthro wants to stock up on extra supplies in case you’re caught out there for a longer period of time. So have you had a chance to try out the Phantoms?"

"Of course," Kit said indignantly. "I’m not going to take off to another part of the universe without flying the ship that will get me there."

"The Scabbards will get you there," Kat teased, trying to get a rise out of her. "Or did you want to sit in a tiny cockpit for the entire trip? It’s not good to put pressure on your brain for such a long time."

Wiley Kit’s jaw went slack. "You…you…" Not finding a good insult, the Thundercat settled for physical violence as she launched herself at her brother and they both went tumbling. Had it been several years ago, Kit would have won easily. But it wasn’t and much to Kit’s dismay, she found herself pinned beneath her brother. "Mercy," she grunted as Kat twisted her arms backwards.

"You just won’t accept reality," Kat laughed, rolling off her. "You’ll never get used to the fact that I can win simply because I outweigh you."

"So I’m not good at close range combat," Kit growled. "I’m still a superior warrior." Kit waited for Kat to respond to the jibe, but to her surprise, he didn’t. He simply looked at her and then turned quickly away. "Kat? What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. He shook his head and turned back to her. "Nothing."

Kat very rarely kept things from his sister, but when he did, she knew better than to pry. Eventually, it would come out. She turned back to her packing. "So how’s the distraction coming? Is it finalized?"

Kat laughed. "The ‘distraction.’ What a name for it. One of the biggest offensive actions we’ve taken in the history of Thundera and it’s only a distraction. Yeah, we’ve got all the wrinkles ironed out and both the mutants and the Lunatacs agree to it. Rataro said he’d tell the wolves for us."

"Are all the Thundercats going? I mean, except Lepora and me?"

"Actually, no," Kat answered, sobering slightly. "We just got word in that the tigers and panthers are on the move. Lion-O thinks it would be wise to have some defense here. He’s staying just to maintain some kind of tangible reminder of who’s really in control of Thundera. I’m staying behind to work on these new codes we keep getting off the Kentro static buoys."

"Who else is staying?"

"Snarf, Snarfer, Lynx-O, Mantyro, and Cougrois. You should have been in the control room when that announcement was made, too. Cougrois was not happy a happy cougar."

"What about Bengali? Is Servalla actually going to let him go?" Kit asked.

"She doesn’t want to, but Bengali made such a fuss about it that Lion-O gave in and went over Servalla’s head. Besides, Bengali doesn’t want to fight the red tigers. He’s willing to do it, but he’d rather be somewhere else. Mantyro feels the same way, but Lion-O wants someone here who can deal with illusions."

"I can’t believe it," Kit whispered. "It’s actually come down to clans fighting within themselves." She shuddered and concentrated on the folded uniforms before her. "So who does that leave going? Panthro, Cheetara, Leonari, Bengali, Servalla, and Snoedaro?"

"Yeah, and that should be just about right. We want to distract Kentro, not seriously engage them in battle. I know the Lunatacs are sending RedEye, TugMug, Hypnon, and Glacion, so we have competent fighters there. And the wolves are all top-notch pilots. Plus Rataro promised to bring his vanguard and Cobri is leading a second battalion."

"Did we tell them the battle is only a distraction?"

Kat laughed. "Do you think they’d show up if we told them that? No, we told them we were going to take out Kentro’s main squadron in the Fire Zone. Panthro’s come up with a plan that will eliminate the Bi-Dimensional Gun. For a battle, this is actually going to be pretty simple. The Thunderan forces will rush in and engage the Kentro forces. We won’t allow them to pull back away from the gun and they’ll be forced to get the gun behind them so they can protect it. The Lunatacs will then merge from the sides and further distract them. While we’re playing with the front, the wolves will launch a sneak attack from behind and destroy the Bi-Dimensional Gun. Once they’ve done that, we’ll pull back, the mutants will drop in to cover our retreat, and then we’ll all get out of there. It will have to be a fast attack, because we don’t have the forces to win. We only have enough power to take out that Bi-Dimensional Gun, and after we get rid of that, there are sure to be reinforcements coming for the Kentroans, so the mutants will have to give us a good alley in which to retreat."

"I don’t trust the mutants," Kit said suddenly.

"Well, no one does," Kat conceded. "But they do have some great long-range guns and we need to use that to our advantage. They’re really not good at short-range combat like the wolves are, but they’re good at distance fighting. They’ll provide a safe retreat for everyone."

"No, there’s something wrong. I can sense it," Kit insisted.

Kat frowned. "What could the mutants possibly do? If they break the alliance, they hurt themselves as much as they hurt us. And despite what we like to say, the mutants really aren’t that stupid. They know they can’t afford to lose allies."

"I guess you’re right," Kit sighed. She’d finished packing and found herself wondering what she could do to keep busy and stop dwelling on the task that lay before her.

"So do you have a plan?" Kat asked.

"A plan?"

"I mean…do you know what you’re going to do once you’re out on your own."

"Vaguely," Kit said. "Lepora and I spent most of last night discussing it with our troops. We’ve got a command system worked out and we’re divided into squadrons now. We discussed the important things."

"Lion-O said something this morning about being captured," Kat continued, trying too hard to sound casual. "Do you have a plan for that?"

Now Kit understood why Kat had come to her room. With a grim nod, she sat down next to her brother. "Yes, we do."

"Tell me."

"I think you already know or you wouldn’t be here," she replied.

"Tell me anyway. I want to hear it from your own mouth."

With a sigh, Wiley Kit relented. "They can’t know we’re from Thundera," she said. "If they find out, the game’s up and they know we’re just a small force of advanced ships trying to divert them. So we can’t let them capture us. Under no conditions can any of us be captured. We…we’ve rigged a destruct sequence in every Phantom. We have orders to destroy our ships and ourselves should we fall into enemy hands. We’ve also rigged a remote destruct signal in the Scabbards. If we suspect that a pilot has fallen into enemy hands but can’t self-destruct, we can blow the ship from base."

Kat stared at his hands and for a long time wouldn’t speak. When he did, his voice was so low that Kit had a difficult time hearing him. "So if there’s the slightest hint of failure, you’ll blow yourselves up?"

"That’s the idea," Kit sighed.

"Kit, I—"

"No one ever said war was easy," Kit interrupted. "Sometimes, we have to take risks and this is one of them. If we don’t go through with this plan, Kentro will continue to throw their biggest guns at us and we’ll continue to lose. We need to—"

"Can I finish?"

Kit stopped and looked at her brother. "Sorry. Go ahead. But don’t expect me to back off this mission, because our planet and our people depend on—"

"You never did know when to shut up," Kat said gently. "Kit, I just wanted to tell you…to tell you…be careful, sis. Don’t take too many chances." Wiley Kat paused and bit his lip, as though deciding whether or not to say more.

"Was there anything else?" Kit asked softly.

"Yeah, there was." But Kat didn’t say anything. Instead, he seized his sister and pulled her towards him, drawing her into a suffocating hug. Kit impulsively hugged her brother back, just as hard, and the two were locked in an embrace. Finally drawing out of it, Kat brushed at his eyes and put his hands on his sister’s shoulders. "I love you, Kit."

"Thanks," Kit whispered. "I love you, too, Kat."

"Don’t stay away too long."

Wiley Kit nodded. "But if I don’t make it back, will you—"

"You’ll make it back," Kat told her fiercely. "Don’t ever think otherwise. And when you do come back, we’ll have won this war."

It was Kat’s method of dealing with the situation and Kit knew enough to let him have it his way. Kat would never accept the possibility that he might lose his only sister. "Okay, bro. Whatever you say. But when I get home, I don’t want to find that you’ve stolen all my stuff."

Kat grinned. "It’s a deal." He gave his sister one more quick hug and then rose. "Need any help getting all this to the Scabbards."

"That would be great," Kit said. She shouldered a few duffel bags and moved toward the door. "I always knew you’d be good for something."

"Rudders?"

"Check."

"And forward stabilizer?"

"Check." Panthro stepped back and eyed the Thunder Dagger before him. "That’s the last of them. They’re as ready as they’ll ever be."

Bengali jumped down from the Dagger’s cockpit and landed lightly beside the panther. "How about you? You ready?"

"Sure. I’m always ready. I just hope we’re doing the right thing."

"What do you mean by that?"

Panthro shrugged and headed for the Scabbard’s gangplank. "For one thing, we’ve never split up like this before. Kit and Lepora will be so far away that even if we try to communicate, the signal will fade out long before it reaches them. That’s now four Thundercats that we’ll have to do without. And then half of us are staying here on Thundera. The rest of us are going into one of the biggest battles ever staged in our history, but it’s only a distraction. I don’t know, Bengali. I just don’t know anymore."

"I don’t see where you’re getting the four Thundercats."

"Kit, Lepora, Tygra, and Pumyra."

"Oh." The white tiger looked away and frowned. "There’s nothing to say that they won’t show up any time now."

"Who? Tygra and Pumyra?" Panthro growled softly as he left the Scabbard and moved toward the hanger’s exit. "You and Cheetara," the panther finally said. "You still believe they’re out there, don’t you?"

"Lion-O does, too," Bengali answered, not meeting Panthro’s eyes. "So does Wiley Kat. In fact, there are more of us than you might think. Lynx-O, Cougrois, Mantyro, Snarf, and Snarfer all still believe they’re alive."

"Snarf? You obviously didn’t hear what he was saying the other day about having some kind of public memorial service."

"Okay, maybe not Snarf any more, but the others still believe."

"Answer me honestly, Bengali. Given what we know about this empire, what are the chances that Tygra and Pumyra are still alive?"

"I guess they’re kind of slim," Bengali conceded. "But there’s still a chance."

"Then why haven’t we heard from them? Why can’t Cheetara find them? Why can’t the Sword of Omens tell us where they are? Lion-O checks that blasted sword at least twice a day, lately three times a day. Cheetara’s been going into so many trances that her mind is out in space more often than it’s here. And what do we have to show for all this? Nothing!" Panthro sighed and shook his head. "Nothing," he repeated softly. "Look, this hurts me as much as it hurts you. Tygra and I were as close as brothers. I don’t think I respected anyone as much as I respected him. But you have to learn to accept things like this."

"Accept things like what? There’s no proof they’re dead," Bengali snarled.

"Ben, listen," Panthro soothed, putting his hand on the tiger’s shoulder. "I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen friends die in battle. Before Thundera’s destruction, it wasn’t uncommon to send five Thundercats out to battle and it wasn’t uncommon for only two of them to return. We learned to accept death. We learned to deal with it. I admit that before we went to Third Earth and saw the destruction for ourselves, I held on to the belief that Tygra and Pumyra were still with us. But after seeing what I saw there…" Panthro trailed off and sighed. "I understand what you’re going through. I’ve been there. But what would Tygra and Pumyra say if they saw us still searching for them after all this time? They’d tell us to knock it off and get back to the war."

"Rowr, Cheetara’s been a Thundercat almost as long as you have," Bengali argued. "She hasn’t given up."

"I don’t know what her problem is," Panthro growled. "I’ve tried talking to her about it, but she won’t listen to reason. She claims that—" Panthro suddenly stopped and feel silent. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

The panther’s eyes narrowed and he focused inward, calling upon his warrior instincts to put piece together what his senses were telling him. "This way," he ordered harshly as he took off down the hall.

Confused and bewildered, Bengali raced after the panther. "What’s wrong? Where are we going?"

Panthro didn’t reply, but the white tiger soon had his answer as the panther in front of him slammed to a halt. Bengali skidded around Panthro and nearly tripped over Lion-O who lay sprawled on the floor. Quickly regaining his balance, Bengali immediately knelt by his lord’s side and checked for a pulse.

"He’s alive," Panthro informed the tiger, pushing him off to the side. "He’s still breathing."

"Right," Bengali sighed. He wasn’t a natural at first aid and wished, not for the first time, that Pumyra was by his side to assist. "So what’s wrong with him?"

"I don’t know," Panthro said, rolling Lion-O onto his back. "I heard him cry out and collapse, but I didn’t hear anything after that. It doesn’t look like he was attacked. And if he was attacked, it was something so fast that he didn’t have time to draw the Sword." Panthro gave the lion a quick shake, but he didn’t get a response. Lion-O’s eyes were open, but they were glazed and unfocused. His color was far too pale and his skin was cold and clammy.

"He looks like he’s hypnotized or something," Bengali whispered. "Panthro, what’s going on?"

"Get Servalla," Panthro said grimly. "We may have a problem."

"What’s wrong with him, Servalla?" Cheetara demanded harshly as she and the other Thundercats gathered around the serval outside sickbay.

"I don’t know," the healer answered, glancing curiously at Cheetara but deciding to dismiss the cheetah’s outburst as a result of stress. "It could be just about anything. It could be exhaustion, strain, worry, any number of things. His mind seems to have lapsed into a semi-coma and it’s anyone’s guess as to when this condition will end."

"In other words, you don’t know when he’ll wake up," Snoedaro summarized for her. Servalla nodded.

"Great," Wiley Kit exploded. "We’re on the brink of one of the greatest maneuvers in the history of Thundera and Lion-O decides to take a vacation. What do we do now?"

"We do what he’d want us to do," Panthro answered quietly. "What they’d all want us to do. All those who are no longer with us and have passed on." Panthro glanced briefly in the direction of Cheetara and Bengali, the two most ardent supporters of the idea that Tygra and Pumyra were still alive. But they refused to meet his eyes and Panthro continued with a sigh. "We go on. We do what we have to. But we improvise as we go."

"What do you mean?" Cougrois asked.

"Servalla stays here with Lion-O," Panthro answered.

"A good move," Lynx-O agreed. "Someone will need to take care of Lion-O."

"He’s not going to like this," Snarf warned. "If you’re going to do what Lion-O would want us to do, decreasing the number of Thundercats involved in the distraction is not the way to go. It’s dangerous enough as it is. Don’t increase the danger but taking away pilots, especially if one of those pilots is a healer, snarf, snarf."

"Besides, Uncle Snarf and I can take care of Lion-O," Snarfer volunteered.

"Maybe," Servalla said quietly. "But I’ve been doing some thinking myself. If the tigers and the panthers try anything, I can be of more use here than I can out there. My response time will be better here and I’ll be able to save more lives."

"You’ve got a point," Cheetara said quietly. Her voice had a bitter edge to it. "I guess the best course of action is go ahead with our plans but leave Servalla here."

"We can’t back out, anyway," Leonari murmured. Those words had been her first since learning that Lion-O had collapsed for no apparent reason. "The Lunatacs and mutants are committed to this, and we’re already planning offensives based on the distractions that Kit and Lepora will be providing."

"Then it’s settled," Mantyro said. "Those of us going go. The rest of us stay. We run the plan with the exception of Servalla."

"Servalla? What exactly is wrong with Lion-O?" It was Wiley Kat who asked and his expression was more than a little troubling.

"I can’t really say, Kat," Servalla answered. "It’s almost as if he’s locked himself away in his own mind. His pulse is rapid and his breathing is shallow. It’s like he’s scared out of his wits, but I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s afraid of."

"He was like that while you were all away fighting the Kentroans," Kat murmured. "I don’t know if you remember, Bengali, because you were injured, but it was almost like Lion-O was afraid to sleep. He kept insisting on taking watches with me."

"I remember," the white tiger said softly. "I was worried about him, but I didn’t think it was anything more than stress."

"Snarf, snarf, I can tell you that when he does sleep, he doesn’t sleep well," Snarf spoke up. "I’ve had to wake him several times from nightmares, but he won’t tell me what those nightmares are."

"Mantyro, does any of this sound familiar?" Snoedaro suddenly asked.

The red tiger looked up in surprise. "Familiar in what way?"

"Like something your tiger clans could do?"

There was a moment of silence while Mantyro considered the idea. "I suppose so, yes. But I don’t see how. I don’t know of any tiger who can work from a distance like this."

"But let’s say it is a tiger attack of some kind," Leonari broke in, seeing where this idea was going. "What would Lion-O be going through?"

"It depends on the attack and the attacks I know of wouldn’t work like this," Mantyro said defensively.

"Is there any kind of attack that this resembles?" Lepora pressed. "Anything at all?"

The tiger was silent again for a while, but he eventually nodded thoughtfully. "In a way. I’ve never done it myself, but I know of a mental attack that draws on inner fears and forces the victim to face them. And if the tiger is powerful enough, he can amplify those fears and turn them into something impossible to face."

"Tygra did that once to Lion-O," Panthro murmured.

"Meaning Lion-O is susceptible to those kind of attacks," Mantyro concluded. "If it was done once, it can easily be done again."

"But Lion-O beat Tygra," Kat protested. "Surely he can beat off a similar attack."

"I seriously doubt that Tygra amplified Lion-O’s fears," the red tiger replied. "Tygra just doesn’t have that kind of talent. His strength lies in invisibility and stealth, not illusions and mind games."

Panthro couldn’t help noticing that Mantyro referred to Tygra in the present tense, but he chose to say nothing. "So now that we have an idea of what we’re up against, how do we fight it?"

Mantyro shrugged. "We can’t help Lion-O directly. Lion-O must either rescue himself, or we must destroy whoever is making the attack."

"Sybar," Bengali growled.

"Probably," Mantyro agreed. "He’s a powerful mentalist. One of the best. There are suspicions that his mental powers are what gave him control of the tiger clans. Some rumors say he was able to influence other tigers and win their support through mental tricks."

"I don’t want to interrupt, but we don’t have a lot of time to work with," Cougrois broke in. "You’ll hate me for saying this, I already hate myself, but we can’t worry about Lion-O right now. The Lunatacs will be launching their ships early tomorrow morning and I suspect the mutants are already gathering to provide a retreat for us. Those staying on Thundera will have to deal with Lion-O and the tigers. The rest of us have to get underway."

The cougar’s cold logic silenced them all and eventually, reluctant nods could be seen. "Kit and I will gather the Phantom squadrons," Lepora whispered. "We’ll wait for the first strike on your part, and then we’ll leave."

"Then I guess the rest of us should get ready to launch that first strike," Panthro sighed. "Okay, Thundercats. We’ve come to desperate times and we’re using desperate measures. Let’s not fail now. Thundercats…"

"HO!"

But the battle cry was half-hearted at best. With ominous thoughts, the Thundercats walked away from sickbay and their stricken leader inside.

Technically, it was night aboard the Rat Star Prime. The only mutants awake should have been the lower-ranking officers as they took turns on the graveyard shifts. But tonight, they were not alone. Another mutant struggled to lose himself in sleep, but found it as illusive as the moonbeams pouring in through his window.

Jackalman had been on the command deck when the Thundercats’ message came through. The cats were planning an enormous offensive and were counting on all their allies to be there. Rataro had promised to relay the message to Alphon, and then Cobri had created a false message from the wolf in which he agreed to aid the Thundercats in battle.

It was an old trick and one the mutants had used before. So why did it bother Jackalman? Maybe Vultureman was right. Maybe he had been spending too much time around the wolves. Maybe their notions of pack and honor were beginning to rub off on him. But this wasn’t just about morals. This was about survival. Rataro and Cobri didn’t truly understand Thunderian mentality. They hadn’t battled the few surviving Thundercats on Third Earth for four years. Jackalman had. He was by no means an expert, but he did know that even if the Thundercats lost this offensive and lost badly, they would never submit to mutant rule. It just wasn’t an option for them. And the same could be said for the Lunatacs. They were too proud a race to ever allow the mutants to lead an alliance. And as for the wolves, the wolves would turn their backs on the mutants and side with the Thundercats and Lunatacs, claiming the mutants had violated the code of the pack and were unworthy battle comrades.

But none of this helped the poor jackal. He continued to toss and turn, all the while playing one question over and over in his head. "What do I do?" he whispered, giving voice to the source of his insomnia. "What do I do? What can I do?"

If the Thunderan forces operated on schedule, and Jackalman knew the Thundercats were punctual to a fault, most of their fighters would be launching in the early morning. The Lunatacs wouldn’t be far behind. The mutants should have launched earlier so they would have time to get into position, but they were still in orbit around Plun-Darr. They were not going to be there. The Thunderians and Lunatacs would have no retreat. Their force would be destroyed.

"It’s not right, but why should I care?" the jackal demanded of the darkness around him. "I never cared before. We mutants have no stupid code of honor. We live by our wits." But even as he said it, Jackalman knew the answer. In part, it was due to the wolves. They had aroused something in the canine that made it difficult for him to turn his back on the alliance. But of a more practical nature, Jackalman knew the only hope for victory came in relying on the help of others.

The scavenger finally sat up and left his bed. Dim lights came on in response to his activity and the jackal began to pace the floor. "Okay, I know it’s wrong and I know it’s a stupid move," he said to himself. "But what do I do about it? I can’t confront Rataro or Cobri. They’re too ambitious. I tried talking to Vultureman, but he didn’t understand. I could talk to Monkian, but what can he do? What can I do?" Jackalman fell back on to his bed in despair, driven by an odd need to do something but powerless to act. More than once since the reptile’s death, Jackalman wished Slithe was still alive and still challenging Rataro’s decisions.

It had been their first real encounter with the Kentro Empire. More to get him out of the way than anything else, Rataro had sent Slithe and some other reptilians out on a scouting mission. None of them had returned. Cobri had mounted a search party, but all they found were the remnants of the fighters. They recovered body parts, but they were so scattered and mangled that it was hard to tell what belonged to whom. The force had been decimated. After that, Rataro made war with the Kentro Empire official. And after that, everything went downhill fast.

The wolves hadn’t been far behind in declaring war. A similar thing had happened to them. When they were first approached by the Kentro Empire and issued the standard ultimatum, they’d replied by saying they were pirates and mercenaries. They weren’t tied to any particular government and offered their services to the highest bidder. Kentro didn’t take this too well. A wolf scouting party, seeking weaknesses in the Kentro battle cruisers and trying to negotiate trade rights with the empire, was fired upon and destroyed. Like the other mutants, the wolves could only recover pieces of everything. Shocked and outraged, the wolves banded together as a pack behind the leadership of Alphon and vowed to bring the Kentro Empire to its knees.

But so far, the mutants were the ones doing the groveling. And if they turned their backs on the Thundercats, that situation would only grow worse. Jackalman snarled and gripped the thick fur behind his ears. They might lose the Thundercats altogether. He’d seen the reports. The Thundercats and Lunatacs were sending a force so big that their respective homes lay virtually unprotected. This worked in Rataro’s favor, but at the same time, if the attacking forces were destroyed, there would no longer be any armies to command from the Lunatac moons or Thundera. Rataro wanted to control the alliance, but how could he control what no longer existed.

"I have to stop the attack," Jackalman resolved. "I have to get the Thundercats and Lunatacs to turn around. They have to stop. If they go through with this, they’ll all be destroyed. But…how? How do I stop it?"

The jackal stood up and started pacing again. He could take a shuttle and go to Thundera personally. But he’d never get there in time. He could try to access the priority communicators on the Rat Star Prime. That would get the Thundercats’ attention. But the communications equipment was in the control room. He could never get a signal of any kind off before he was caught.

The jackal stopped. Or could he?

Moving to a small computer in the corner of his room, Jackalman quickly patched into the command network. It was only a short time later that the duty roster appeared on his screen. Scanning through it quickly, the jackal found what he was looking for. Monkian was on communication duty the next evening. Who else was on duty then in the control room? The scavenger’s eyes narrowed as he scrolled through a list of fifteen names. Most of them were rookies. They wouldn’t know what was going on. The more seasoned officers wouldn’t notice Jackalman’s presence as he often came to chat with Monkian during the simian’s shift. It would be the perfect opportunity. But would it be too late?

Jackalman called up a series of galactic star charts, calculated the distance between Thundera and the Fire Zone, and then estimated the time required for the Lunatacs and Thundercats to get out there. He was in luck. If the allied forces left in the morning, they couldn’t possibly hope to reach the Kentro army before midnight. He had time before the signal needed to be sent. And as for sending the signal itself, Monkian would understand. Well, he might not understand, but he trusted Jackalman. If the jackal said something had to be done, the ape would go along with it.

Of course, the message would have to be in the form of written communication. He couldn’t speak to the Thundercats or Lunatacs because the others in the room would hear. Jackalman hesitated for one brief moment and then called up a communication composer. He wrote a few quick words explaining the absence of the mutants and why the allied forces must turn back. As soon as he was done, the scavenger sat back in his chair, looked over his work with a critical eye, and smiled in satisfaction.

With a sigh, Jackalman saved his work and shut off his computer. A stretch and a yawn later, he was back into bed. Now that he had a workable plan, he could rest.

The jackal’s eyes were closed when his computer screen blinked rapidly. His mind was already wandering the strange dream paths of the mutants. Had he managed to hold back sleep a moment longer, he might have heard the small beep of an alarm that signaled his computer security had been breached. But weariness had overcome the scavenger too quickly.

His computer eventually powered down on its own, but not before a record of all the jackal’s recent computer activity had been transferred and uploaded to a separate computer.

"You want us to launch now?"

Panthro tried to get a grip on his emotions as he spoke to Glacion from the communications station at Cat’s Lair. "That’s what I said," he replied softly. "We launch now."

Glacion leaned back in whatever chair he was occupying and pursed his lips. "Why?"

The panther was spared from having to come up with a quick excuse when Leonari entered the control room behind him. "We’re ready," she whispered. "All the explosives have been cleared from the launch site and all the pilots have been gathered."

Panthro nodded and turned back to Glacion. "Let’s just say that there might be treachery and we’d like to move the time table forward. It will catch everyone off guard who doesn’t want this plan to succeed."

"You’re asking us to move forward by several hours," Glacion warned. "I don’t know if we can accommodate you." He was about to go on, but someone off screen caught his attention. He looked to his side and appeared to be listening. Eventually he nodded and turned back to Panthro. "One hour?"

Panthro sighed with relief. "One hour. We’ll launch then and we’ll all rendezvous five light years from the Kentro forces."

"Agreed," Glacion said. "Until then, Thundercat."

The main screen went blank and Panthro felt his body relax. "Thank Jaga he didn’t push us for details," the panther whispered.

"I don’t know," Leonari murmured. "To me, it seems like the Lunatacs know more about our internal affairs than they should."

"I don’t see how they could know about this," Panthro disagreed. "We didn’t even know about it until Mantyro wandered down to the launch site and caught all the illusions down there."

"I wish I knew how the red tigers could have gotten so close without anyone seeing them. And how did they know about the launch in the first place?"

Panthro shrugged. It was a question he’d asked himself, but so far, he had no answers. "If I didn’t know better, I’d say we had an insider. But I can’t even begin to point fingers. We just don’t have the information."

"We’d better get information soon," Leonari warned. "If the red tigers can plant explosives hidden with illusions all around the launch site, what else can they do?"

It had been a stroke of luck that had taken the Mantyro down to the launch site to deliver a message to Wiley Kit. He hadn’t been more than a few feet away when he stopped and began to tremble. Wiley Kit and some of the other pilots had run towards him, asking what was wrong. Mantyro had waved them off and continued to stare at some of the ships with an intensity Kit had never seen before. And then the tiger had started yelling orders, telling everyone to evacuate the site and ordering all the ships powered down. It had taken them a few minutes, but they eventually got Mantyro to explain that explosive charges were wired to almost every ship and hidden with red tiger illusions. The Thundercats were more than a little shocked, but when Mantyro reached his hand up into thin air on the side of one Phantom and pulled off a charge, they wasted no more time. Under Mantyro’s direction, they began removing explosives from the Daggers, Scabbards, and Phantoms that were to be launched that morning. While the site was being cleared, a brief council meeting had been called. It was decided to launch immediately before the red tigers could do anything else. The mutants had been contacted and while it had taken some convincing to get the night shift to wake Rataro, the message had eventually been relayed. Rataro promised that he and the wolves would be ready when the time came. The Lunatacs had been next.

Panthro growled and shook his head. While nothing had happened and the explosives had been found, the Thundercats were still shocked that they could be so vulnerable. It was a slap in the face, but they couldn’t retaliate. They couldn’t fight something they couldn’t find. But sooner or later, they would have to strike back. If they didn’t and the tigers were allowed to continue to insult and humiliate the Thundercats…

"Come on, Panthro," Leonari said gently, drawing the panther out of his dark thoughts. "We’d better get busy if we’re leaving in an hour."

"We’re leaving so much here, though," Panthro whispered. "Lion-O’s in a coma and there’s a civil war brewing. Is this risk going to be worth it?"

Leonari shook her head darkly. "Who can say? No one knows the future. But the plans have already been laid. We must continue what we started. If we don’t, we’ll be caving into the tigers’ threat. Lion-O would be disappointed in us."

"Right," Panthro murmured. He looked around at the control room and its various panels and screens. This room had always had a comforting affect on the panther. It was the nerve center of the Lair, and here, he’d always felt in control. If something happened, he could find out what was wrong almost immediately. But lately, the control room was merely the recipient of bad news. There was no control, only frustration. "Right," Panthro said again with a sigh. "Let’s go. We’ve got a lot of work to do."

Vultureman drummed his fingers absently on a desktop and leaned back in his chair. He’d intercepted the communication from the Thundercats about the new launch time. He’d watched Rataro agree to an attack that the mutants would never see. And he’d remembered Jackalman’s words from the previous day.

In the early hours of the morning, Vultureman had patched into Jackalman’s computer and found the written communication log. It hadn’t taken long to figure out Jackalman’s intentions. The canine had accessed interstellar maps, shift schedules, and relative time calculators. It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that Jackalman was going to warn the Thundercats during Monkian’s shift at communications. And Vultureman had far more than half a brain.

But with the earlier launch, the Thundercats and Lunatacs wouldn’t receive Jackalman’s message until it was too late. Vultureman knew the jackal was asleep right now, and it was unlikely that he would ever hear the news about an earlier launch until there was nothing left to be done. The task of getting the message out on time had suddenly fallen to Vultureman.

"So now what do I do?" the scavenger demanded of his computer screen. The bird was not a leader. Even during his various fits of rebellion against Slithe, he’d always turned to Mumm-Ra or the Lunatacs for leadership. He was well aware of his own limitations and he knew he could not orchestrate a rebellion on his own.

"I’ll just have to wait," the vulture decided. He knew this would spell the end of the Lunatac forces and the Thundercat forces. He knew it would probably doom the mutants, as well. But what could he do? If he warned Jackalman, the dog would run off and do something crazy that would get them both in trouble. And he couldn’t launch the message himself. Cobri was highly suspicious of Vultureman and feared that the vulture might usurp his power. Whenever the bird was on the command bridge, he was watched like a hawk. No, there was no way he could launch it himself, and Jackalman was too erratic to be told that his communication plan wouldn’t work.

Of course, there was the possibility that Jackalman would find out on his own. Vultureman cringed at the thought. He harbored no friendly feelings toward the jackal, or so he kept telling himself, but the canine was one of the vulture’s few allies against Cobri and Rataro. And once the Thundercats and Lunatacs had been vanquished, Vultureman would need all the allies he could get. And if Jackalman got himself killed in an attempt to stop the impossible…

The vulture shook his head. He would have to keep a close eye on Jackalman. The communication tonight should not prove to be a problem, but all the same, the canine would have to be watched. There was no telling what possible trouble Jackalman could get himself into.

Greeb was a proud man. He was the master slave driver for Kentro’s most powerful general, and it was his advice about particular species that led to their enslavement or extermination. He was a powerful man in the sense that his influence affected the entire empire. And Greeb was very aware of this fact. There were very few beings that could humble him, and even fewer that would dare try.

But today, Greeb was groveling upon a cold stone floor, praying that the glowing red eyes would leave his prone form and allow him to whither away.

"I am displeased."

Greeb shivered and tried to draw within himself. "I did my best, master," the slave driver whispered pitifully.

"Your best? Your best was pathetic," the raspy voice sneered. The darkness of the pyramid seemed to pulsate with the anger of the humans’ demon god. "I know of the creatures you are training. They would not have become so ill had you used the correct methods. But in your haste and foolishness, you may have damaged them beyond use. I am most displeased."

"But master, I—"

"SILENCE!!!" Lightning crackled across the ceiling and the water in the center cauldron boiled and steamed. "If the slaves recover, my anger will be stilled. They will be in no condition to resist, and you will bring them before me so that they may look upon their final defeat and my ultimate triumph. I will blast any hint of freedom from their feeble minds. However, should either of them perish, you shall bear the brunt of my anger, slave driver. You shall join the ranks of sacrificed slaves. I don’t believe I need to describe that for you."

Greeb shook his head mutely. He’d seen many slave sacrifices, and while the power displayed at the rituals was glorious and breathtaking, he had no desire to be the object of such a rite.

"Priestess, escort this vermin outside," the demon god commanded.

Stepping out of the shadows, a cloaked form approached the cowering Greeb, her green eyes glinting with amusement. She thoroughly enjoyed seeing the humans put in their places. She reached beneath her hood and smoothed out the amber mane that cascaded down her back in rich, full waves. "Follow me," her silky voice whispered. She turned to leave and heard the slave driver stumble to his feet and hurry after her.

The relief on Greeb’s face was visible to all when he reached the outside world. The priestess stopped before the threshold and held back a laugh as the human tried to pull himself together before the other humans could note the terror in his eyes. So far, all was working perfectly. Greeb had pushed the new slaves to their limit and her new master would finish the job. Her revenge had only just begun, but the few drops she’d licked were sweet as honey and she yearned for more.

The tiger and the puma would pay for her humiliation and the humiliation of her people. They would pay dearly with both their lives and their immortal souls. Their anguish and agony would last throughout the eternities. And one by one, she would send their friends and loved ones to join them. There would be no release from their torment, and no chance for mercy.

The priestess smiled and her feline eyes glittered with the fervor of the insane. "Soon, you will all be mine," she promised, licking her lips with delight. "And then, you shall understand the meaning and capabilities of eternal pain."