Had there been any light in the small, cramped room, Pumyra’s eyes might have adjusted. She had exceptionally keen vision in the dark, but for that vision to work there had to be some light present. There was none.

There seemed to be an absence of sound, too. If she tuned out Tygra’s slow, labored breathing, she would have sworn there was no sound at all. The insulation surrounding their room had to be incredible.

She knew the transport they were trapped in had left Third Earth. Of that much she was sure. Her susceptibility to motion sickness had always been a closely guarded secret, and it was now coming in handy. She’d known the exact moment the ship had started to move. She’d felt it break the atmosphere. She’d felt it slow down momentarily and assume a standard orbit. And then she’d felt that orbit broken. Right now, the ship was traveling at a constant speed, but who knew in what direction. And who knew for what purpose.

Pumyra rolled off her stomach and onto her side, twisting her arms to try and loosen the chains. But it was no use. The manacles might have been made for her. She was beginning to suspect they had been. And the fact that the manacles were Thundranium wasn’t helping matters, either.

A change in the breathing beside her roused the puma, and she listened to Tygra as he inhaled and exhaled. She couldn’t be certain, but it sounded as if he were waking up. Worm-like, the puma wiggled up to his side and managed to get her hands alongside his head. The tiger’s forehead was still warm, but it was nowhere near as hot as it had been before. Thank Jaga for that.

Tygra moaned quietly and moved his head away from Pumyra’s gentle touch. Pumyra rolled back onto her stomach and looked in his direction, though she could still see nothing. "Tygra? Are you awake?"

For a minute or two, there was no sound. And then she heard Tygra’s head turn slightly. "I can’t see." The voice was weak, but there was clarity to it.

"Neither can I, Tygra." It was a relief to hear him speak. "There is no light here."

"Pumyra? Pumyra, what happened? Where are we?"

"Good questions, my friend," Pumyra murmured. "How do you feel?"

She heard Tygra shift around and groan slightly. "Not too bad," he lied. "You?"

"Alright. I didn’t have that collar put around my neck. It’s a good thing they took that off you. The Thundranium in the barbs was causing fever and swelling."

"The collar…" Tygra trailed off as he tried to remember the last few minutes before he lost consciousness. "Yes, the collar. Nasty thing. Thundranium. Just like the chains they still have on us. Where are we now?"

"Did you see the transport in the clearing outside the Lair? They put us in that. We took off, orbited the planet for a little bit, and now we’re somewhere in deep space."

"Did they say anything to you? Did they ask you anything? Any clue as to what they want?"

"Nothing," Pumyra sighed. "They told me to come along quietly and when I didn’t, they shouted orders to one another in an effort to subdue me. Unfortunately, it worked. But other than, they haven’t said anything to me."

"I don’t like this, Pumyra," Tygra said quietly. "They know too much about us. They knew you would come for me. They knew you existed. They were aware of my ability to become invisible. They know how Thundranium affects us. And we don’t know anything about them." Tygra jerked weakly against his chains. "How much combat schooling have you had, Pumyra?"

Pumyra raised her eyebrows at the question, though none could see it. "Combat schooling? My father taught me the basics when I was young. After his death, I continued to study on my own. When Bengali, Lynx-O, and I landed on Third Earth, I worked on my technique and then I learned much from you and Panthro after joining the Thundercats."

"No, I mean, how much do you know about tactics? Procedures? Methods for dealing with prisoners?"

"Oh. Not much, I suppose."

"Then you’re about to get a quick overview of everything I was taught about captivity during the Mutant Wars. Number one rule when taken captive by the enemy: give them your name, your rank, and your clan. Nothing else. For example, I would tell them that I am Tygra, I am second-in-command of the Thundercats, and I am a noble of the red tiger clan Bennaire."

"So I tell them that my name is Pumyra, I’m an outpost commander for the Thundercats and I am a common puma of the cougar-puma collective?"

"Exactly. Second rule of captivity: your mission, even if it was nonessential likes ours, is never to be revealed. If the enemy knows your mission, you still don’t deny or confirm it. You just let them think whatever they want to think. Third rule: escape is our first priority."

Something about the way Tygra said that caught the puma’s attention. "Absolute first priority? Does anything else ever take precedence?"

Pumyra could almost feel the tiger’s grimace. "That’s a judgement call. Sometimes—sometimes even the death of friends doesn’t overrule escape." Tygra fell into a brooding silence.

Eventually, Pumyra broke the silence. "Anything else?" she asked quietly.

"No," Tygra murmured. "But be prepared. At the first opportunity, we will attempt an escape."

"Then may I say something to you?" There was no verbal answer but Pumyra sensed a nod. "Get some rest. You’re still suffering from a Thundranium infection and you won’t be much of an escapee if you faint while trying to get out of here."

She heard a soft chuckle from the tiger and listened to him stretch out carefully. "Doctor’s orders?"

"Doctor’s orders," Pumyra confirmed.

Tygra yawned discreetly. "Yes ma’am. Wake me if there’s any change."

"I’ll keep watch, Tygra."

"I know. Thank you, Pumyra."

"Go to sleep, Tygra."

TugMug watched in barely concealed disgust as Thundera rose above the horizon. Grumbling to himself, the gravity Lunatac turned and almost slammed into RedEye who stood quietly behind him. "What are you looking at?" TugMug demanded.

"Considering where we are, it’s remarkable that we can even see Thundera," RedEye commented.

TugMug frowned. As of late, RedEye had been quiet and pensive. More often than not, TugMug had found him watching the stars when they weren’t blocked by a blizzard or watching Thundera rise over the glaciated peaks on the horizon when an ice storm didn’t cloud the sky. TugMug had never been one for scenery and he’d never liked Plun-Darr’s second moon, either. It was far too cold for his tastes. "There’s nothing to see on Thundera," the gravity Lunatac snapped. "And I don’t see why we’re here. We should be out in space looking for them."

"Things change," RedEye murmured. "Times change. Circumstances change. And now we’re up against something we can’t face alone."

"We’ve faced things alone before," TugMug argued.

"Not things like this."

TugMug sized up his comrade and shook his head. "What’s gotten into you, RedEye? All you do is sit around and watch the sky."

"The sky is one of the few constants left." RedEye grimaced and turned away from the rising planet of Thundera. "Think of all that’s happened since Mumm-Ra sealed us in a tomb of lava. We’ve lost countless battles to the Thundercats. We’ve traveled around on a circus train. We’ve been exiled more times than I can remember. The Lunatac Empire freed us from the prisons of Control. That same empire was overthrown a year later and Glacion took control of the Lunatac Imperial. And then after a declaration of war from some expanding empire we’ve never even heard of, a freak accident in space costs us Alluro and Chilla. And now the Tri-Council is debating whether or not an alliance is in order with Thundera. Think of it, TugMug. An alliance with the Thundercats! The same creatures we fought for so many years! And we’re being forced to align with them because of an enemy neither of us can battle alone."

"I can point out a few flaws in your argument right now," TugMug replied heatedly. "First, Alluro and Chilla are NOT gone. Their bodies were never recovered. They’re out there. Somewhere. And we should be looking for them. Secondly, we have no idea that the Thundera ultimatum we intercepted was from the same government that gave us an ultimatum."

"How many ruthless generals do you know by the name of Jordash? And how many Kentro empires can there be?" RedEye shook his head. "No, the Thundercats are facing the same foe we’re facing. Times change. But through it all, the stars remain. The only constant we can truly appreciate."

"You’ve spent too much time around Starn," TugMug grumped. "His philosophical streak is beginning to affect your mind."

"What’s that?"

TugMug rolled his eyes and turned around to watch a heavy-set gravity Lunatac approaching. "Nothing, Starn," TugMug mumbled. "We were just talking. Nothing important."

"Well, I just thought the two of you would be interested in some news I have. The Tri-Council has met and decided on a course of action."

"It’s about time!" a familiar voice shrieked down the hall. Perched atop the lumbering Amok, Luna glared at Starn with a force that would have stopped a charging Panthro. "What have you and your council decided?"

"You know I only tolerate your involvement in these matters because you served with Chilla for so long and because Chilla and I were distant cousins," a strong voice called out. With steely black eyes, Glacion met Luna’s gaze with his own icy glare. "I would suggest you remember your place in this government. You may find yourself bereft of it if you continue to challenge my authority."

Luna’s eyes narrowed but she didn’t reply. Her reticence was not lost on TugMug, who immediately compared it with RedEye’s recent introversion. Things were certainly changing. Could it be that Luna actually missed Alluro and Chilla?

A new voice, calm and soothing, broke over the tension. "Are we going to discuss authority all day or are we going to reveal our latest plans?"

TugMug found it amazing that Hypnon could still manage to sneak up on everyone no matter how hard you looked out for him. The young hypnotist was not as tall or imposing as Alluro, but his voice was more powerful. It was low and sonorous, almost like a lullaby if you didn’t pay attention to it. It would whisper things to your subconscious while your mind focused on other matters. Hypnon was a very different breed of hypnotist, and TugMug had always been suspicious of his kind. With Alluro, you could watch his psyche club. Yes, his voice did have hypnotic qualities in its own right, but nothing like Hypnon’s. Hypnon didn’t use, or even need, a psyche club as other hypnotist Lunatacs did. Hypnon used his voice and the subconscious mind of his victims.

"So what are your new plans?" RedEye was asking.

Brushing at a stray lock of silky white hair, Glacion frowned. "As leaders of the Lunatac armies, I want you to understand that this was not an easy decision. But I will need your full cooperation."

"We’re going to suggest an alliance, aren’t we," Luna spat.

"You’re hardly one to speak," Starn warned softly. "RedEye and TugMug are entitled to voice opinions as they are both generals. Technically, you have no place in any of this."

"Calm," Hypnon soothed. He smiled at Luna and folded his arms across his chest, reminding TugMug very much of Alluro at his smuggest. "We have little choice in this, Luna," Hypnon continued, his voice drooling with sugar and enthralling those who heard it. "Our ships and manpower are no match for the numbers and technology up against us. The few scout reports we’ve received confirms that. Alluro and Chilla died to send us information on their battle formations, and that information is impressive."

"They’re not dead," TugMug muttered.

Hypnon raised an eyebrow at the gravity Lunatac but continued as if there’d been no interruption. "Thundera is not as under-prepared as we are, but they are still at a disadvantage. Even joined together, the enemy outnumbers us. But there is more of a chance if we head that direction together as one in an alliance. Alone and separate, we fall with barely a whimper."

"It was a unanimous decision," Glacion said quietly. "I do not welcome the decision, but we must purse the possibilities of an alliance if we are to have any hope of survival."

"What do you want from us?" RedEye asked.

"I want you with me when I contact the Thundercats this afternoon," Glacion replied. "We must show a unified front. And seeing former enemies wishing to join in an alliance might be the edge we need to get this alliance to work."

"Or it might convince them that we’re up to something," Luna sneered. "And in my mind, we should be. We can’t pass up this opportunity."

"What opportunity?" Starn demanded. "We can’t afford to redirect resources from this war effort. You’ve seen the reports and figures. You’ve seen what Plun-Darr is producing in an effort to hold this empire back. And you’ve heard the intercepted communications between Plun-Darr bases and mutant ships. They’re losing. Why do you think they’ve stopped attacking the Thundercats? Because they can’t. They can’t afford to take their eyes off this Kentro Empire. And before long, as the empire moves further into this sector, we’ll be in the same situation. It’s best to prepare now. Let’s not spoil potential alliances with ill-timed intrigues."

"In my day, you would all be branded and executed as cowards," Luna sniffed indignantly.

"Times change," RedEye murmured. TugMug shivered.

"They do indeed," Starn agreed.

There was a moment of uneasy silence. Eventually, TugMug spoke. "We have some new casualty reports from the scouting parties."

"I suppose I should hear them, then," Glacion sighed.

"Start getting used to this," RedEye advised. "It’s only going to get worse from here."

"Did I ever tell you how much I hate flying these things?"

Leonari shook her head in amusement. "Yes, Bengali, you have. About fifty times since we left Thundera. You’ve told us how much you hate them, how bulky they are, how awkwardly they handle when entering the atmosphere, and how the design is severely lacking in sophistication and aesthetic qualities."

"And by now, I think we get the picture," Servalla added. She tugged at her golden, black-striped mane that she’d pulled back into a high ponytail. "But Lion-O insisted we take a Scabbard and with good reason."

"I’m not questioning the reasons," Bengali grumbled. "I’m just critiquing the workmanship." Punching in a few commands, Bengali dropped the Scabbard out of hyperspace and into sub-light speed as the neared the planet of Pride.

Engineered by Panthro, the Scabbards were a series of ships designed to act as both cruisers and carriers. Armed with heavy neutron cannons and short-range lasers, a Scabbard could also carry up to fifteen Thundera Daggers, sleek fighters capable of both atmospheric and space flight. The Daggers possessed a deadly combination of amazing maneuverability and twin-mounted ion guns, and they were ships that the mutants had come to respect in battle.

"Well, we wanted to be well-armed if we ran into trouble," Leonari mused, playing with her twin daggers to entertain herself. "And there’s not much that can defeat a Scabbard with a full compliment of Daggers."

"Except that those Daggers need Thunderians to fly them. There are only three Thunderians on this ship," Bengali reminded her.

"Pride has trained pilots," Servalla remarked. "I don’t think we’ll run into trouble getting there. We just want to be prepared once we’re on the planet and organizing the evacuation. And put those away," she ordered Leonari as the lioness started to juggle her knives. "You’re making me nervous."

"Wimp," Leonari snorted. For effect, she caught one of the gleaming blades and threw it at the startled serval. The knife lodged inches above her head.

"Okay, that’s it," Bengali growled. "Rowr, if I have to stop this ship, somebody’s going to be sorry. No playing with knives."

"And no throwing them," Servalla snarled. She yanked the dagger out of the ship’s hull and tossed it back to Leonari. "You almost hit me!"

"I didn’t even come close."

Bengali sighed, growing tired of listening to Leonari and Servalla try to one-up each other. "Leonari, why don’t you try contacting Pride? Tell them we’re coming."

"I thought Lion-O already did that," Servalla commented.

"He tried, but there was an ion storm passing between the two planets. He didn’t get through," Bengali answered.

"That storm must still be there," Leonari announced. The lioness turned away from the communications board. "All I’m getting is static."

Servalla’s pointed-ears twitched. "Could you turn that static up?"

Bengali and Leonari stared at the serval. "Sure," Leonari shrugged. "Whatever you say." Reaching back, she adjusted a few controls and static blasted through the cabin. "Loud enough for you?" the lion shouted.

Servalla surged to her feet with a look of growing horror on her face. "Leonari, that’s not interference from an ion storm! That’s interference from strategically positioned static buoys!"

Bengali’s eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"I’d know that sound anywhere. Before Thundera’s reformation, my clan and I were under constant attack and this was always the prelude to that attack. That’s definitely static buoys."

"But that could mean that Pride is under attack," Leonari exclaimed.

"Contact Thundera," Bengali ordered. "I’m taking us in at maximum speed."

"Bengali, look!"

The white tiger looked up at where Servalla was pointing and saw five large ships resolve themselves out of hyperspace. As they did so, they proceeded to drop static buoys. "By Jaga," he breathed.

"Servalla and I will be in the Daggers. Get ready to open the airlock," Leonari hissed.

"You’re going to have to cover me," Bengali warned. "I’m diverting all power to communications. Someway or another, we’re going to get through to Thundera."

"Save some for the shields," Servalla advised as she dashed out of the cabin after Leonari.

"If I do, there won’t be enough for communications," the tiger murmured to himself. "Sorry, Servalla. But Thundera has to know about this. No matter what the cost."

"I don’t know, Cheetara. I think the sentients have a clear advantage in this game. Think of all their adaptive abilities."

"Yes, Snoedaro, but you have to thoroughly understand the game before you can take advantage of their abilities," the cheetah pointed out. "For beginners, it’s much easier to start off as the elementals."

"And I am clearly a beginner," Snarfer added. Toward the back of the control room, the snarf sat across a multi-level board from Cheetara with twenty-four contorted and twisted pieces before him. "Now what are these three pieces again and what do they do?"

"Wind," Snoedaro answered. "If you can position the various wind pieces on three of the four outer platforms, you can absorb one of Cheetara’s lower life forms and transform it into the fourth wind. If that wind makes it to the fourth outer platform, it enables your air elementals to travel anywhere on the boards with one move."

"Is there any other purpose to the wind pieces?"

Cheetara shook her head. "Not really. When I play against Tygra and he’s the elementals, he likes to use them as blocks and dividers. There’s a wind trap you can set up and Tygra is quite good at doing it discreetly. If done correctly, you can effectively divide the sentient forces and trap some of them in the lower levels. But that’s highly advanced play. We’re just working on basics now."

"Basics? Snarfer, snarfer, if these are basics, I hate to see what even the intermediate plays look like. I had no idea that Katak was such a complicated game."

"You’re the one who wanted to learn," Cheetara reminded him.

"May I suggest that Katak is probably not learned best in the middle of the night," Snoedaro mused.

"I couldn’t sleep anyway," Snarfer argued. "There’s too much going on. And I’ve been wondering what Cheetara and Tygra have been playing via com-link. They’ve both been so involved in it that I figured it had to be a good game. How many games have you played in the last few months, Cheetara?"

"One single game, actually," the cheetah laughed. "In my room, I have a Katak table set up with the pieces as they currently stand. Right now, it’s my move and I think Tygra has me in a bind. For our last game, he was the elementals, so this time I’m the elementals. And that tiger has his sorcerer exactly where my storm demon needs to move. And if I don’t move my storm demon there…" Cheetara stopped and looked at a very lost Snarfer. "Never mind," she smiled. "When you get better, I’ll show you the plays I’m currently working on and what I think Tygra is constructing with his pieces."

"I think I’ll have to get a lot better," Snarfer observed.

"Well, anyway, these two pieces represent fire and ice. The higher it is to the bottom level, the more powerful fire is. Ice is most powerful at the top. If the two ever occupy the same level at the same time, their powers cancel out. Now, if you put fire on an outer platform when you have four winds you can—" Cheetara broke off as her ears caught the sound of a communications alert.

"I’m on it," Snoedaro offered. "Keep talking, but don’t start. I want to watch Snarfer’s first move in this game."

"I’ll bet you do," Snarfer grumbled. Cheetara laughed.

"Thundera Lair responding. Please identify yourself," Snoedaro said into communications.

For a moment, nothing happened. And then static burst through the room. The snow leopard winced and turned the volume down. The static continued, but there were regular breaks in it, as though someone was trying desperately to make contact but couldn’t get past interference. Becoming concerned, Cheetara and Snarf turned to watch Snoedaro.

The snow leopard frowned and started adjusting communication controls. "This is the planet Thundera. Please repeat your message; you’re breaking up," Snoedaro requested.

There was another blast of static and then bits of Bengali’s voice flared over the system. "Thundera—in!"

Cheetara and Snarfer were instantly at Snoedaro’s side. "Bengali, we’re here," Cheetara called. "Can you hear us?"

"—can’t—to the—five ships—"

"Bengali, increase the power to your communications equipment," Snoedaro urged. "We’re not getting your message!"

"—trapped—static buoys—aid—never make—more than—Daggers—"

"I’m going to get Lion-O," Snarfer shouted as he sped out of the control room.

"Bengali, you’re breaking up, repeat, you’re breaking up! What is your situation?" Cheetara demanded.

"—empire—attacked—shield power—guns offline—support for—"

"What’s going on in here?!"

Snoedaro and Cheetara turned to see Lion-O skid into the room with Snarfer on his heels. "It’s Bengali," Cheetara quickly explained. "Something’s going on and we can’t seem to establish communication."

Lion-O pushed the cheetah and snow leopard out of the way as he grabbed the communication controls and started adjusting them. "Bengali, this is Lion-O. Can you hear me?"

"—need—for Pride—" Without warning, the static vanished. Bengali’s Scabbard had ceased transmitting.

"Bengali!"

The Scabbard shook as a blast from one of the cruisers shorted out the circuits in the communication board. "No, not now!" Bengali roared. Without the communication controls, he couldn’t re-divert power back into weapons or shields. The tiger turned toward the back of the ship and made a run for the hanger. If he could get in a Dagger, he’d have a shot at defending the Scabbard.

Bengali made it a few meters away from the control panels and then another shot rocked the ship. The white tiger could hear bolts straining and groaning under the heat of the neutron blasts. Bengali made it to the door of the hanger and reached to open it, but stopped just in time. A nearby monitor caught his attention and he gasped. There was hull breach just beyond the door. The hanger itself was losing pressure fast. There was no way he could get to a Dagger without being sucked into the vacuum of space. If he opened the door before him, he wouldn’t stand a chance of survival.

The tiger growled in frustration. He was trapped in a ship with no power for weapons or shields. Two of his friends were out battling five heavily armed cruisers. For the first time in his life, Bengali couldn’t see a way out. As far as defense was concerned, his ship was a sitting duck. Bengali himself was a dead cat.

"Servalla, did you see that?" Leonari radioed.

"Let’s just hope Bengali is in one piece," the serval radioed back. "That blast must have taken out some of the critical systems. We have got to divert that fire power."

"How?" Leonari demanded, swerving her Thunder Dagger close to the Scabbard to get a visual on the damage. "There are two of us, five of them, and apparently a crippled Scabbard to take care of."

"It’s just like a tricky surgery when the patient takes a turn for the worst," Servalla responded. "We improvise."

"Servalla, what do you—WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

There was no response as Servalla’s sleek Thundera Dagger screamed away from Leonari toward the five cruisers who were leisurely moving toward the crippled Scabbard. The lion hurriedly took up a defensive position in front of the Scabbard and proceeded to give Servalla cover fire, all the while demanding what the serval thought she was doing.

A stray shot she didn’t see coming slammed into the right side of the Dagger and Leonari found herself rolling through space. Trying to get the ship back under control, she managed to catch a glimpse of Servalla’s Dagger as it streaked between two cruisers while firing rapidly. The cruisers directed fire toward the annoying ship almost the way one would swat at a fly, but putting with an extra boost of speed, Servalla zipped out of the way and the cruisers hit one another. The radio finally crackled and Servalla’s triumphant voice came on. "Pretty slick, don’t you think?"

"You managed to inflict some superficial damage on two ships," Leonari retorted as she finished the damage report on her own Dagger. The starboard stabilizer was out and one of the ion guns was gone.

"Cheer up. They’re worse off now than they were a few minutes ago," Servalla responded.

"How can you—by Jaga! The Scabbard!"

Before Leonari’s eyes, two neutron blasts had ripped through the back half of the mighty Scabbard and the sides of the ship were ripping apart. "Bengali wouldn’t have had time to get to a Dagger," Servalla whispered.

"That’s it," the lioness growled. "They’re not getting away with that. Starboard stabilizer or not, I’m going to make them pay!" Without a second thought, Leonari engaged her primary thrusters and started spiraling toward the rapidly approaching cruisers.

"If you’re going in for a suicide run, I’m going with you," Servalla informed the lion.

"We just need to show them that there’s a price to pay for attacking Thunderians," Leonari hissed. Struggling to achieve a straight flight path, Leonari began firing her remaining ion gun. "They need to know that they can’t take us so easily."

"Well, shoot straight, for crying out loud. You’re weaving so much I’m having problems keeping you out of my line of fire."

Leonari didn’t respond. She was lost in the exhilaration of battle. Her ship shook and heaved as it tried to obey her commands. She rolled this way and that, dodging laser blasts and neutron shots from the cruisers. Her own ion bolts were hammering into the hulls of the ship, barely making it past the shield arrays but making it, nonetheless. Below and behind her, Servalla was capitalizing on Leonari’s shots and firing in quick succession so her ion blasts streaked in before the shields could compensate. "Take the right side," Leonari ordered as they closed on three of the cruisers. "I’ve got the left."

"Yes ma’am," Servalla called.

The lion heard the groan of the ship’s structure as she veered up and over one cruiser, blasting away as she did so. Lasers screamed behind her, but she was too fast. With a fanatical grin, she looped around another cruiser and raced through the exhaust trail of its sub-light engines. "This one’s for your Bengali," she vowed, preparing to ignite the engines with a series of fatal ion hits. But she never made it that far. Faster than she could have expected, another cruiser appeared behind her and blasted away her port wing. Completely out of control, Leonari started tumbling into the blaze of a cruiser’s engine.

"Leonari, PULL OUT!"

"Get out of here, Servalla!" Leonari shouted. "Warn Thundera!"

"I’m not leaving you to die alone!"

Heat was building in the ship and Leonari was having trouble concentrating. "That’s an order, healer, from one who would have been Lady of the Thundercats. Warn Lion-O!"

"Then allow me to contest your authority!" Servalla turned her ship toward Leonari’s spiraling Dagger and rigged her shield for a ram, hoping to knock the lion’s ship clear of the blazing sub-light engines. But before she could act, a laser bolt ripped through her forward compartment and the control panels before her exploded in a blast of electricity and fire. A hull breach warning sounded, but there was nothing Servalla could do. She was already unconscious.

"Lion-O, it is completely pointless to send ships out after them. They’d reach them hours from now and it’s too risky! We don’t know what’s out there!"

"We have three Thundercats out there, Cheetara. I will NOT abandon them!"

"At the risk of being insulting, would your feelings be more controllable if you weren’t engaged to one of those Thundercats?" Snoedaro asked quietly.

Lion-O swung on him with a speed rivaling a spinning cheetah, but Cheetara was even faster. "Lion-O, he’s right. Listen to what you’re saying. Your feelings for Leonari are clouding your judgement. If it were Bengali, Servalla, and Wiley Kit, would you react the same way?" Cheetah’s amber eyes froze the raging lion in his tracks and made him think. "Listen to yourself," she pleaded. "And then decide on a course of action."

For a moment, nothing happened. And Lion-O’s head dropped. Almost in shame, he turned his eyes toward Snoedaro. The snow leopard met the lion’s gaze with calm gray eyes. "I’m sorry, Snoedaro," Lion-O sighed. "You’re right. I am emotionally involved in this." He turned back to the main control screen. "But that doesn’t mean we do nothing. There are still three Thundercats out there."

"Now you’re talking like the leader we know," Snarfer approved.

Lion-O shook his head slowly, getting a grip on his emotions. "Okay, I want options. What can we do?"

"Deploying more forces would make breaking our defensive circle," Snoedaro said. "At this time and given the circumstances, I don’t think that would be wise."

"All three are capable pilots," Cheetara pointed out. "They might make it by themselves."

"Are you willing to take that chance?" Lion-O asked. "We don’t even know what they’re up against. We haven’t received any communication from Third Earth. Do you want to risk losing these three in addition to Tygra and Pumyra?"

"That’s it," Snarfer suddenly spoke up. "They’re not part of the defensive circle, snarfer. And a Feliner with hyperspace capabilities is able to outrun any ships we know of. Yep, that’s definitely it. Send Wiley Kit and Lepora. The others will be fine, snarfer."

Lion-O thought the idea over. "I don’t like the idea of leaving the Feliner alone in a sector of the galaxy where something might have happened to two Thundercats," he said at length.

"You could send just one Dagger," Cheetara mused. "Just Kit or just Lepora."

"One Dagger? Too vulnerable. No, we’d have to send two. And they’d have to go with instructions to observe and not engage unless there was no other way."

"Snarfer has a point," Snoedaro interjected. "The Feliners are the fastest ships we have that aren’t in the test phase. Panthro, Kat, and Cougrois should be fine on their own. In fact, they might be better off. They don’t have to drop their speed to allow for the Thundera Daggers if they need to retreat. And the Daggers are better suited to investigate this incident because they’re more maneuverable and they’re harder to trace on long-range sensors."

"They’re not going to like this," Lion-O murmured. "Especially Kat. But I don’t see another option. Any other suggestions?" There was no response. "Okay then. Contact the Feliner and the Daggers. Let’s tell them what’s going on."

One lone Feliner and two Thundera Daggers screamed through the atmosphere of Third Earth. Scanners and communication were temporarily jammed, but no one was in the mood to talk anyway. From orbit, they’d seen what appeared to be the complete destruction of both Cat’s Lair and the Tower of Omens. Uncertain of what their next move should be, the Thundercats had decided to send the Feliner to the Lair while Lepora and Wiley Kit went on to the Tower. Waiting out the reentry in the Feliner, Wiley Kat, Panthro, and Cougrois exchanged uncertain glances.

"It could be a sensor glitch," Kat offered, though his voice conveyed no hope.

"You’re the electronics expert," Cougrois replied sullenly. "You tell me honestly whether or not there was a computer glitch."

"There wasn’t," Panthro muttered. "Before entering the atmosphere, we checked the results again. Twice, actually. And for those glitches to exist in two such specific locations, well, the odds are rather high."

"Speed is slowing," Kat reported. "We should have sensor capability within a few seconds."

Cougrois sat up in his seat and activated his sensor board. "Sensors reestablished…now."

Panthro and Wiley Kat watched him expectantly. "Well?"

Cougrois didn’t answer, but his hands flew lightly over the various controls. "Panthro, would you contact Kit and Lepora?" the cougar finally asked. "Ask them what they’ve found."

Panthro hesitated but went ahead and called the Daggers. "Feliner to Daggers, this is Panthro calling. Please come in."

For a brief moment, there was no response. And then Lepora’s voice came back to them. "Go ahead, Panthro. We’re listening."

Something about her voice sent shivers running down Panthro’s spine. "Are you near the Tower of Omens?"

"Actually, we just landed."

There was a minute of uncomfortable silence. "Nearing the Lair," Kat whispered.

"So what did you find?" Panthro finally asked.

"Kit’s gotten out and she’s investigating," Lepora replied.

"What is she investigating?" the panther roared.

"By the Ancients!" Kat suddenly swore.

As the Feliner crested over a small hill, the clearing before the Lair came into view. But there was no Lair. "I didn’t want to say it," Cougrois murmured. "I was hoping I was wrong."

"I’m guessing the Lair isn’t in its best condition," Lepora radioed.

"You could say that again," Panthro growled.

"That’s how we found the Tower," the leopard sighed. "It’s completely ruined. Wiley Kit is—looking for survivors. I’m going to join her. We’ll call you if we find anything."

The communications channel went dead and left the three Thundercats to some serious thinking. "I guess we should do the same," Kat breathed as he started the landing sequence. "Look for survivors, that is."

"What could have happened?" Cougrois demanded, his voice thick with barely controlled anger. "Who could have possibly done this? Who is cruel and demented enough to…" The cougar trailed off into a series of growls.

The Feliner lightly touched down and Panthro leaped out instantly. For a long time, he did nothing. He stared at the Lair in shocked silence. Wiley Kat and Cougrois were more reluctant to leave the Feliner, almost feeling like this was a bad dream and if they did nothing, it would all disappear.

They were broken from their trance by the beeping of communications. Almost automatically, Kat reached over to Panthro’s control board and activated a link. "Feliner here," he murmured.

There was a pause on the other end and then Lion-O spoke. "Wiley Kat? Are you okay?"

"It’s gone, Lion-O. It’s been completely destroyed."

"Kat, what are you talking about? What’s happened?"

Kat shook his head furiously, refusing to believe what his eyes were seeing. "It’s the Lair, Lion-O. It’s gone. It’s been completely destroyed. There’s nothing left. The debris is scattered throughout the clearing." Kat wiped rapidly at his face. By Jaga, he was almost nineteen! He should have more control over his emotions. Thrusting down a rising sob, he stared at the Lair where he and his sister had spent a good portion of their childhood. "Lion-O, our home is completely gone."

There was a moment of commotion on the other end and then Cheetara’s voice came over. "Are there any survivors? What about Tygra and Pumyra? Where are they? Have you found them? Are they okay?"

Kat felt a strong hand on his shoulder and looked over at the grim face of Cougrois. "Start searching for Pumyra and Tygra," the cougar instructed. "I’ll answer their questions."

Kat nodded numbly and jumped out of the Feliner, landing beside Panthro. The panther seemed to come out of his shock and glanced at Kat who stood at eye-level with the panther. "What’s going on up there?"

"Thundera called. They want to know what’s happening." Kat gazed at the decimated Lair in mute horror. "Panthro is there any chance that—that Tygra or Pumyra might have survived?"

"I don’t know, Kat," Panthro whispered. He began to walk towards the wreckage, moving as if in a dream. "I guess there’s only one way to find out."

Kat followed, trying not to focus too much on any one thing. Almost everything he saw brought back a memory. He and Kit had crawled through the Lair so often that they knew it almost as well as Tygra had known it. As Tygra knows it, he told himself. We have no proof that Tygra or Pumyra are gone. Shrugging his shoulders as if to cast away despair, Wiley Kat started moving heavy pieces of Lair wall. "Tygra? Pumyra?"

"Thundercats!"

Panthro and Wiley Kat jerked up at the sound and turned toward the jungle. Emerging from the trees ran two figures. "Willa! Nayda!" Panthro started moving toward them, closing the distance quickly. Kat wasn’t far behind him.

"It is good to see you," Willa huffed as the four of them met. "We weren’t sure how to communicate with Thundera."

"Do you know what happened here?" Kat asked, feeling hope rise in his heart. Perhaps this mystery would have a solution after all. But his hopes were dashed as Nayda shook her head darkly.

"We saw something yesterday," the maiden said. "It was a flash of light. And then an explosion shook the earth. Some of the women panicked, but we were soon calm. After that, we took it upon ourselves to investigate the source of the disturbance."

"You might remember that Tygra installed a communication device in my home," Willa added. "We first used that to try and contact your Cat’s Lair. But we received no response."

"A little after that, Pumyra flew overhead on one of your machines," Nayda continued. "She was moving quickly and we could not keep up. We tried, but it was hopeless. So we followed her flight path instead. It soon became apparent that she was trying to get to the Lair. And so we headed for the Lair as well."

"So Pumyra wasn’t at the Lair when it was destroyed?" Panthro asked.

Willa shook her head. "No, but I am not finished with my story. We followed one of our fastest trails to the Lair and discovered Pumyra’s flying contraption. She had left it in the jungle and journeyed on by foot. We followed her trail which led us to the trees just over there." Willa indicated a few clumps of jungle with a wave of her hand. "We lost her trail after that. It led into the clearing, but when we arrived, there were twenty-one ships in the clearing and no sign of your Pumyra. It was as if she had vanished."

"What about Tygra?" Kat pressed. "Did you see or hear anything related to Tygra?"

"I am sorry," Nayda whispered, placing a gentle hand on Kat’s shoulder. "We saw no sign of your tiger friend."

"About an hour after we arrived, soldiers gathered into the ships and they took off," Willa finished. "We would have attacked them, but we did not know if there was anything we could do against their weapons. And it would have served no purpose. An attack would not have brought back Tygra or Pumyra."

"You don’t know that," Panthro snarled. "They might have been taken prisoner."

Willa gave the panther a skeptical look. "Twenty-one ships sent to destroy a stronghold all for two prisoners? Perhaps. We must always hope, for without hope we are lost. But with that hope must come reason."

"Hey guys!"

Four heads swiveled to focus on the running cougar as he joined their gathering. "What’s going on?" Kat asked. "Anything wrong?"

"You might say that," Cougrois answered. "I’ve just finished speaking with Lion-O. Apparently, the group sent to evacuate Pride was attacked and they’ve lost contact with them."

"You’re kidding!" Panthro insisted.

Cougrois shook his head. "I’m afraid not. Anyway, Wiley Kit and Lepora have been ordered to investigate but to do it with extreme caution. Under no circumstances are they to engage the enemy unless the odds are clearly in their favor. We’re to continue our mission here and retrieve the communications probe if we can."

"Lion-O is ordering Wiley Kit into hostile alien territory with only Lepora for backup?" Kat demanded. "That’s suicide!"

"You don’t have much choice in the matter," Cougrois warned. "Lepora and Wiley Kit just left. They’ve probably broken orbit by now."

"He’s crazy about Leonari! That’s got to be it! And now my sister is paying the price." Wiley Kat was livid and his pacing was beginning to make Panthro dizzy.

"Cool it, kid," the panther said. "Leonari wasn’t the only one going to Pride. Servalla and Bengali were also involved in that mission. And if they fell under attack, it’s almost a sure bet that Pride has already fallen to this new empire."

"What new empire is this?" Nayda asked.

"We’d be willing to help in any way we can," Willa assured them.

Panthro, Kat, and Cougrois exchanged glances. "Why don’t you tell Cougrois what you just told us," Panthro finally answered. "And then we’ll tell you what we know about this empire. I don’t think there’s anything you can do to help, but you never know. I’m beginning to feel like we’re going to need all the help we can get."

Lion-O was startled out of his brooding reverie when a warm mug was shoved into his limp hands. Looking down in surprise, the lion caught the warm scent of hot chocolate drifting upwards. Despite his situation, Lion-O had to smile. "Thanks, Snarf," the young leader sighed. "You always know when I need something like this."

"Snarf, snarf, just part of my job description," Snarf stated proudly. "Now why don’t you tell old Snarf what’s gotten you so worked up."

"You’ve probably heard everything by now," Lion-O answered quietly. "The group sent to Pride was attacked and now we can’t contact them. I’ve had to ask Lepora and Wiley Kit to investigate. That leaves Cougrois, Kat, and Panthro vulnerable on Third Earth. And I just finished talking with that group. Apparently, both the Cat’s Lair and the Tower of Omens are completely destroyed. And they haven’t found any signs of—survivors yet."

"I knew about Pride and Leonari, but I didn’t know about Third Earth," Snarf murmured. "Snarfer didn’t tell me about that. That’s not good, snarf. Not good at all."

"What’s happening to us, Snarf?" Lion-O whispered, not really expecting an answer. "What’s happening? Have we lost our edge? Are we becoming soft? Do we not anticipate the enemy? Are we ‘ripe’ for the plucking?" Lion-O sighed and shook his head. "And here’s another thing," he continued. "Why didn’t the Sword warn me about the Scabbard? Why didn’t it warn me about Pumyra and Tygra? Why can’t Sight Beyond Sight see any of our Thundercats in trouble? What’s wrong with the Eye of Thundera?"

"The Sword didn’t warn you? You’re certain? Maybe you just didn’t hear it growling."

"No, Snarf. I would know if the Sword had sensed danger. And it didn’t. In fact, it’s been strangely quiet the past few months. It’s as if it’s been shut down." The lion ran his hands through his disheveled mane. "I can look through the Sword and see Third Earth. I’ve seen for myself the destruction and devastation that this empire left behind, if they’re the ones responsible. But when I ask it to show me Leonari, Tygra, Pumyra, Bengali, or Servalla…nothing. There’s nothing there. What’s wrong with us, Snarf? Where have we gone wrong?"

"Have you had any sleep?" Snarf asked unexpectedly.

Lion-O glanced out the windows and was surprised to see the sun rising over the eastern horizon. "No, I haven’t. It’s almost morning, isn’t it."

"And high time for a nap," Snarf added.

"Don’t you think I’m a little old for a—" Lion-O was cut off as communications began to beep insistently. Quickly, the lion accessed communications and stopped abruptly. "This message is coming from the second moon of Plun-Darr."

"What do they want?" Snarf demanded.

"I guess we’d better find out." After a moment of hesitation, the lion established a communication link. "This is Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats."

The main screen suddenly filled with a visual of Glacion’s somber face. Behind him stood Starn, Hypnon, TugMug, and RedEye. "Greetings, Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats. I am Glacion, leader of the Lunatacs."

"We know who he is," Snarf grumbled under his breath. "What does he want?"

Lion-O cut the snarf off with a wave of his hand. "Greetings, Glacion. To what do I owe this surprise? Anything I can do for you?"

"Perhaps there is something we can do for each other, Lion-O," Glacion responded. "Through means I am not at liberty to reveal, we know of your war with the Kentro Empire. We…" Glacion hesitated and looked over his shoulder at those standing behind him. There was a brief nod from Starn, but the others remained silent. Glacion turned back to the viewing screen. "We offer you an alliance with the Lunatac Imperial. We are also at war with this empire, and by combining our two states, it is possible we can win."

Lion-O rubbed his face. Maybe Snarf was right and he did need a nap. "Correct me if I’m wrong, but did you just offer us an alliance?"

"I believe that’s the term I used."

Lion-O stared at Glacion’s black eyes, but he could see no hint of guile. "And why should we accept such an alliance? What will it profit us?"

"We know more of this empire than you do. We’ve officially been at war for a month now, though all battles are occurring far from this sector. We have accepted the fact that we cannot beat this empire on our own. You cannot beat this empire on your own. Even together, the odds are against us. But there is more of a chance."

"That would explain certain anomalous sensor readings we’ve been getting from the moons," Snarf whispered. "If they’ve been sending ships out of the sector, that would explain a lot of strange hyperspace conduits we’ve been picking up."

"Shhh," Lion-O hissed. He turned his attention back to Glacion. "This is a rather unexpected offer. Do you mind if we discuss it among ourselves before committing to anything?"

"I was expecting such a discussion," Glacion answered. "Please think this offer over carefully. I will await an answer tomorrow morning."

Lion-O nodded. "Thank you, Glacion."

"Don’t thank me yet. Distribution of ‘thanks’ is something to be determined." And the screen went blank. Lion-O looked at Snarf. Snarf shrugged.

"This has been an odd 24 hours," Lion-O finally said.

"Do you want me to arrange another clan meeting?" Snarf asked.

Lion-O thought the idea over and finally nodded. "Yes, we’re going to need another meeting. And another Thundercat council beforehand."

"Not all the Thundercats are here," Snarf pointed out.

"No, five of them are missing," Lion-O growled softly. "And the rest are out looking for them." The lion shook his head slowly in frustration. "And now we have the Lunatacs offering us an alliance. Snarf, I don’t like this. I don’t like this one bit."

"If the Lunatacs are offering an alliance, snarf, snarf, this empire must be really bad."

"That’s what I’m afraid of. We’ve already lost five Thundercats. We may get them back, but right now they’re gone. Have we bitten off more than we can chew?"

"What would be the alternative?" Snarf asked. "Would you rather surrender and become slaves? Would you give up all we’ve worked for in the past few years? Are we going to let fear get to us?"

"It’s not fear," Lion-O answered wearily. "It’s reality. I’ve been having uneasy feelings about this whole thing since it started. Which was only yesterday. And Cheetara has now had two visions, each one portraying a rather dismal view of the future."

"The future isn’t here yet," Snarf told Lion-O. "Keep it that way. We’ll get through this. We’ve come this far. We can go a little further."

"Maybe we can, Snarf," Lion-O murmured. "Maybe we can go a little further. But what will it cost? That’s what I’m worried about. What will we lose in the process? And will victory be worth the loss?" Lion-O rubbed his temples and shook his head. "I don’t know, Snarf. I just don’t know anymore."