Rebels

By Cheezey

Chapter One: Unexplored Territory

At speeds that neared impossible, a hijacked and then subsequently modified cargo ship raced to get away from the miserable planetoid from which it originated. The lonely and isolated place, the only even semi-habitable chunk of rock within ten light years of anything and not much more than an asteroid with an atmosphere at that, was left behind in the proverbial space dust as the craft raced away. Finally, after nearly three years of imprisonment, the Lunatacs and Mutants managed to escape the prison of Way Out Back.

It happened on a routine supplies drop. Bragg usually had all imported supplies delivered at night, when his charges were locked up and unable to try anything. Normally he would let them out of the cages for most of the daylight hours, keeping them shackled or otherwise rendered powerless to keep them from escaping. At night, however, when they could not be supervised, he always left them locked up. Scheduling nighttime deliveries made it easier for him to receive the supplies, as he could get them without incident. The orders were not weapons or anything of the sort, they consisted mostly of food and a few other vital necessities that could not be manufactured easily on the nearly barren planetoid, with a few luxuries added in for himself of course. Still, Bragg always thought it best to be cautious, lest his prisoners try something.

His instincts had been right. That time there had been a delay in delivery resulting in a last minute change of plans. The pilot of the ship had told Bragg that he would be by that evening, but he wound up ahead of schedule, and showed up in the afternoon unexpectedly, when the prisoners were still roaming freely. They saw the ship coming before Bragg did and realized it was their chance at escape. By the time the ship was landing, and Bragg was aware of that fact, there was no way for him to lock up his charges in time.

The Lunatacs and Mutants took full advantage of the element of surprise and saw to it that they reached the ship before Bragg. Through the use of hypnosis on the unsuspecting pilot, Alluro convinced him that he and the other Lunatacs and Mutants were not the outlaws, but the crew in charge of the prisoners. They told the pilot of a recent riot by the “real” criminals, who seized the weapons and captured them, leaving them bound and without weaponry. They also told him that they had barely escaped from the evil convicts with their lives, and that they desperately needed his help. The pilot, a kind soul who did not know any better, undid their bonds and freed them immediately. He was repaid for his favor with a near-fatal blow to the head from behind, courtesy of Monkian, and the subsequent hijacking of his ship.

Once their ship had fled into the safety of space, Vultureman quickly modified the freight ship’s systems for more speed and souped up its weaponry. Though Bragg technically could have taken off after them, they knew that he knew he would not have a chance of finding them once they installed blocking codes on the ship’s communication systems. They made the necessary modifications and before long they were completely in the clear, virtually unable to be tracked. All that remained was for them to lay low until they rebuilt their resources enough to pay back their enemies for imprisoning them. And after almost three years on Way Out Back, they each had vivid dreams of how they would go about exacting their revenge.

But first, there were more pressing issues to be addressed, the primary one being where they might go. Slythe demanded to be taken back to Plundarr. Since they were used to following his orders without question for the most part, Jackalman and Monkian quickly agreed with the reptilian. Vultureman also stated that he wanted to go back to his home planet, but he said that he wanted the ship too, since he had modified it. The Lunatacs, on the other hand, had no desire to stay on Plundarr, or even their native moons. Having been sealed up in molten rock for so many years on Third Earth, they assumed that no one they might once have known would still be alive anyway, and their moons were now too close to New Thundera for their own liking. They saw no reason to go back, especially with the knowledge that Officer Mandora or Captain Bragg would surely look for them there.

It was not long before the two groups got into a vicious fight, each demanding their own way or no way. In the end, the Lunatacs overpowered the Mutants, simply because of numbers—four versus six, though Luna barely counted at her tiny size. Finally they agreed that they would drop the Mutants off on Plundarr, to be rid of them if nothing else, but they kept the ship for themselves. Vultureman was not happy, but somehow they still made it to Plundarr without killing one another. Once the Mutants were returned to their home world, the Lunatacs quickly fled in a direction opposite from which they had come. The worlds in that region were somewhat charted, but not as widely affiliated with CONTROL as the ones in other sectors. They figured it was as good a place as any to “disappear” for the time it would take to reestablish their own power.

After a few days of high-speed space travel, they slowed down in an effort to conserve their resources, while they searched out a new world to land upon. They studied star charts and maps, learning about the different planets in the region. Several were viable, with high life sustaining capabilities and evidence of thriving civilizations. The main factor of uncertainty, however, was that none of their texts on the ship’s navigational computer had much information about the inhabitants of those planets other than very basic statistics. Though they never would have admitted it, after their prior experience with Mumm-Ra on Third Earth, all of the Lunatacs were somewhat wary of landing blindly on a planet and dealing with something that might have powers they did not understand. While they were confident that they could handle anything they encountered, they were also smart enough to know that avoiding a situation like that would be the best course of action.

In their fourth day of travel, RedEye called the others to the bridge to point out a planet that had appeared on their scanner.

“Well?” Luna demanded impatiently.

“It looks promising,” RedEye replied. “The atmosphere is almost identical to those found on the Moons of Plundarr, 98.4%. There’s an abundant supply of water and except for a few areas, it is largely habitable.”

Alluro looked at the screen with interest. “How far is it?”

“About 46 hours travel at our top speed. We could do it easily, with fuel to spare.”

“Are there intelligent life forms on the planet?” Luna inquired.

RedEye nodded. “We’re still too far away to use our scanners, but I looked this one up in the computer and it is listed as having a somewhat advanced, early-space travel level of technology among its dominant civilization. Primitive by our standards, but evolved enough to be a consideration.”

Luna pursed her lips thoughtfully, considering the possibilities. “Hmm… does it say whether or not it is a peaceful planet?”

“What does that matter?” TugMug asked. “We could crush anything that got in our way.”

“Yes, but why go to all that trouble if we don’t have to?” Chilla argued. “It would make our lives so much easier to land somewhere we won’t have problems, so can rebuild our own ships and weapons without interference.”

RedEye brought up the query on the computer screen and displayed the information for all of them to view. It did not tell them much. The world, called Etheria, was largely inhabited by, not surprisingly, a race of humanoid type creatures called Etherians. It also was home to many lesser species of both animal and plant life. The planet itself was about 75% ocean and 25% land, and its tides were unpredictable and controlled by the three moons surrounding the planet. Like the New Thundera, portions of the planet were said to be under influence by some of the moons, and the most prominent kingdom among them was a moon-influenced spot called “Bright Moon”. Lastly, there was a short and ambiguous passage that said something about a conflicting civilization, alien to that planet in origin, in a power struggle with the natives.

“So the planet is at war,” Luna said thoughtfully. “That may mean there is ample weaponry that’s ours for the taking.”

Alluro looked from the monitor to the viewscreen, also thinking about the potential of the foreign world. “Also, odds are that we’re more advanced than any of them. We could simply take the best equipment available from each side and improve it.” He turned to RedEye. “How recent is that program? Could this information be outdated?”

“The way things change in the universe, something minutes old could be outdated,” the darkling replied with a shrug. “It’s hard to say. A lot of long-range cargo ships do keep up-to-date records however, so it’s possible that this is still accurate.”

TugMug bounced with impatience. “Look, why don’t we just land there? We can leave if we don’t like it. I’m sick of this ship, sick of being locked up like an animal. Let’s land so we can do the conquering and fighting that we were meant to do. I want to start formulating our plans of revenge now.”

“Rash actions like that are what got us caught and locked up in the first place,” Chilla stated coldly, giving the graviton a look of disgust.

“You were the one who wanted to follow the lead of your robot boyfriend when we left Way Out Back the last time,” TugMug growled in irritable retort.

Insulted and enraged by TugMug’s crass innuendo, the icewalker hissed and spit a blast of ice at the TugMug’s neck, just enough to frost and chill his skin. “You’re treading on thin ice, TugMug.” She took a few steps closer, narrowing her eyes threateningly. “Cracker was a beat-up hunk of scrap metal who served a purpose, and nothing more. Remember that.”

Alluro chortled, holding back a full out laugh. “Whatever you say, Chilla.”

Chilla whirled around. “What was that?”

“Nothing,” Alluro answered, feigning innocence with a pleasant smile. “I just said that you were right. Anyway, let’s focus on the matter at hand, shall we?”

“Yes, let’s,” Luna added impatiently. “I agree with TugMug—we should land on this planet. We haven’t seen much that’s better, and our fuel will not last forever. We can deal with whoever is there. We are Lunatacs. We are the ones who everyone else should be afraid of. I would hate to think our detainment on Way Out Back has made us weak.”

“Of course not, Luna,” RedEye said indignantly. “I’ll set the coordinates now.”

* * *

Nearly two days later, after much anticipation, the Lunatacs entered Etheria’s airspace and found a suitable landing site. They chose to land a conservative distance away from any concentrated areas of civilization in case the inhabitants proved hostile, so they would be able to scout the area on foot without having to worry about carrying cumbersome weaponry. After a somewhat rough landing, they emerged from the ship and stepped out into the planet’s landscape, and indulged in a breath of the fresh, clean air. After so many days in the mechanically filtered air supply of the ship, it was a welcome treat.

The six of them looked around with somewhat bewildered expressions as they took in the view. Mountains could be seen in the distance, as well as a forest, and a dark, forbidding aura over the mountains of the northern direction. Plant life was abundant and many of the bushes were adorned with puffy, pastel colored flowers. In the pale blue sky above, the planet’s sun, along with two of its moons, shone brightly.

“How cheerful,” a rather unimpressed Luna remarked.

“We sure aren’t on Way Out Back anymore,” TugMug muttered.

RedEye scanned the area with his enhanced vision. “This place doesn’t look like any world I’ve been on before. Nothing like what we’ve got back home and not even that much like Third Earth.”

“No, Third Earth was never this… pink,” Alluro said, not knowing how else to put it. In its own way, the planet was beautiful, but it was hardly what any of the Lunatacs would have thought of as “homey”. Given the choice, they preferred the more dim light and exotic, mysterious sort of wildlife that was found in Third Earth’s DarkSide, a land that bore the strongest off-world resemblance to their home Moons of Plundarr. Still, none of them really minded Etheria’s climate. The temperature was nice—for all but Chilla at least—and the air was fresh and pleasant, so there was no reason to complain.

“Where now, Luna?” asked TugMug, looking to their self-appointed leader.

Luna prodded Amok to take her to the front of the group. “We find some of the inhabitants of this backwater world. If we play our cards right, we may be able to use them to do our work for us.”

RedEye turned around slowly, doing a quick visual scan of the area. He spotted a path cut into the woods across the clearing and pointed. “That way, Luna. It appears to be a road.”

“Let’s follow it then. Come on, Lunatacs!” she exclaimed as Amok carried her toward the woods. The other Lunatacs exchanged shrugs of ‘why not’ and followed her.

After nearly an hour and a little over three miles of walking, the Lunatacs came upon a bustling little village, filled with creatures that looked almost exactly like the humans of Third Earth. However, their manner of dress and town layout reminded them more of the Balkans. The technology of the town was surprisingly primitive—even further behind than was listed in their star guide. The majority of the citizens pushed carts and traveled on horseback. What houses were present seemed to them like little more than built-up huts, with the largest having a total of three floors and taking up only a quarter of what just one level of their Skytomb might have held. The only thing that kept them from discounting the guide’s description entirely was the presence of a large flight-capable vehicle in the town square that seemed quite out of place. The ship appeared to be a transport vehicle of some sort, small and sleek in build, and decorated with a red bat insignia on the side. Upon closer examination they could also see pairs of robots, also with the red bat insignia, walking or standing in various corners and streets.

“Strange,” RedEye remarked. “Why would they live in such primitive conditions when they obviously have high technology?”

Chilla frowned, wondering the same thing. “Maybe they don’t,” she said after a moment. “Remember that part in the computer log about the alien force trying to take over? They might have built the robots and the ship.”

Alluro dismissed the robotic sentries with a condescending shrug. “Whatever they are, they’re certainly no match for… us….” The hypnotist’s voice trailed off distractedly as he turned to stare at something to his left. The others slowed their pace and followed his gaze, which was fixed on a young Etherian woman across the street that was admiring a display in a store window. She stood out from the others in appearance, which at first the others thought was the reason she caught the psi’s attention. She was of medium human height with long, striking green hair. She wore a tight, brightly colored outfit consisting of a blue leotard and a shimmering gold skirt, complemented by matching pairs of arm guards, tall blue boots, and a belt with a gold medallion bearing the symbol of an eye on it. The feature that stood out most on her, though, was what could only be described as a peacock-like feather tail on her back.

Luna frowned. “Put your eyes back in your head, Alluro. You’ll only attract unnecessary attention if we stare,” she admonished him.

Alluro turned slowly and frowned at the tiny lunar woman. “I wasn’t staring, Luna.”

“Yes you were,” TugMug chimed in with a sneer.

Chilla exhaled a small amount of frost as she eyed the woman’s strange feathery tail. “Can you blame him? She’s strange. What is she, part bird?”

“The tail is unusual,” Alluro agreed, “but it was something else… look at her reflection. Her belt.”

“What about it?” Luna sighed impatiently.

RedEye focused and his eyes glowed with surprise. He glanced from the woman to Alluro, back to her, and then to the others again. “The eye,” he guessed. “She’s got the same eye symbol on her belt as you do on yours.”

Luna blinked and did a quick double take. “That is an odd coincidence,” she conceded.

“It’s the symbol of my clan and my discipline,” Alluro told them. “Generations ago our high order mentalists granted sacred medallions to those of their people born with unusually strong powers. The symbols carved upon them were representative of the discipline to which it was dedicated. Mine, the eye, was the type given to members of the clans of seers and mesmerizers—those who can see into the minds of others or through time and space itself. These medallions are passed down through our families as heirlooms for generations and are believed to contain inherent focusing power within them. Most of us with powerful bloodlines, myself included, own one or have someone in the family that does.”

“But that doesn’t explain why someone on a planet light years from the Moons of Plundarr would have one if it’s some psi clan tradition,” Chilla said, puzzled. “That there would be another race to make the same exact thing independently would be some coincidence.”

“Indeed it would,” Alluro said. “But the resemblance is close enough that I want to find out. I will ask her what it is.” He took a few steps forward before he paused and turned back toward the others, as if he just remembered something important. “This planet isn’t so far backward that the inhabitants don’t speak the standard language, is it?”

“The star guide said it did,” RedEye said with a slight nod.

“Good. Don’t go far then. I’ll only be a few minutes.” Alluro then started across the street, leaving the other five Lunatacs standing together at the edge of the town. Although they looked nothing like the locals, they did not get more than a few curious stares from those who lived there. It was almost as though the natives were used to seeing strangers, and they were not unfriendly toward them.

“So what now?” Chilla demanded of Luna.

Luna glanced around thoughtfully. “We can do some minor exploring. These primitives don’t seem hostile, so we’ll split up and see what’s around the area, and meet back here in ten minutes.” That sounded agreeable to them and they each started off to have a look around. Before they got out of earshot, Luna called to them one last warning. “And don’t start any trouble yet… I’m not in the mood to bail anyone out if they get in over their head.” The other Lunatacs grouchily mumbled an agreement before they went their separate ways.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when Cat’s Lair got the call. Snarfer was sipping a candyfruit soda at the console, kicking back and relaxing, when an incoming priority signal caught him completely off guard. “Eeek!” he exclaimed as he jumped up, nearly dumping his soda in his lap. “Wonder what that’s all about!” He opened the channel and looked up at the screen into Mandora’s impassive face. “Mandora?”

“Greetings, Snarfer,” she began in her usual officious tone. “I need to speak with Lion-O and the Thundercats on a matter of utmost importance.”

“Sure, snarfer snarfer,” he replied, wondering what kind of a matter it could be that would have her seeking assistance outside of CONTROL. It did not strike him as typical of Mandora, who was notoriously by-the-book on all police business and had a distinct dislike for what she considered vigilante justice, even if she did respect the Thundercats. “I’ll call them in. What’s it about?”

“It has to do with criminals they helped to apprehend several months ago—specifically, the Mutants and Lunatacs of Plundarr.”

Snarfer fought back a feeling of dread at the mention of their old enemies. Even though they had been imprisoned for a long while on Way Out Back, he had not missed dealing with them in the least. “I’ll get the Thundercats right away, Mandora. Please hold.” He muted the transmission and immediately sent a call out over Cat’s Lair’s intercom system. Within minutes all the present Thundercats assembled in front of the viewscreen. Only Tygra and Pumyra, away on Third Earth, and Panthro and WilyKit, out in the Thundertank, were absent.

Lion-O walked over to the screen while Snarfer reopened the transmission. “Good to see you, Mandora. What’s going on?”

“I have no time for pleasantries, Lion-O,” the officer replied brusquely. “The Mutants and the Lunatacs have escaped from Way Out Back.”

The room filled with gasps of shock at the CONTROL officer’s news. “But how?” Cheetara asked. “I thought Captain Bragg’s facility was certified to be secure.”

“It was,” Mandora confirmed, an edge of aggravation evident in her usually even tone. “However, there was a mistimed landing of a supply carrier that enabled them to hijack the ship, after assaulting the pilot and stranding him on the planetoid with Bragg.”

WilyKat frowned. “But I thought they were kept in cages.”

“CONTROL regulations require that all captives—prisoners, slaves, and pets—be given adequate housing and exercise needs for their species on all planets and habitable asteroids in their jurisdiction,” Mandora explained. “Bragg’s Circus Train is subject to those same codes so long as he is in the confines of CONTROL-regulated areas. By law he is required to give them a minimal amount of time outside their confinement for exercise, since the cages do not provide sufficient space for such activities.”

“I understand,” Lynx-O said, his ears twitching thoughtfully as he spoke. “But weren’t they otherwise restrained during their time out? Surely they knew what sort of threat those individuals posed?”

Mandora shook her head. “Way Out Back is isolated and there are no ships or transport facilities other than the train itself. The prisoners have no shelter outside Bragg’s camp, so there was little need to restrain them other than simple handcuffs or power-neutralizing devices. I was made to understand that it was not a problem so long as any time a ship landed on Way Out Back, the prisoners were secured in their cages.”

“Snaaarf, so are you saying they weren’t?” Snarf said incredulously.

“Exactly. The supply carrier they hijacked landed early and there wasn’t time to cage them before it landed. Despite their restraints, they got to the pilot first, and you can imagine how it went from there.”

“So where are they now?” Lion-O asked, worried. “Or is that what you called us to find out?”

“In part,” Mandora said with a nod. “Their ship has been difficult to track and we suspect that they’ve enabled blocking codes which effectively blind our electronic surveillance equipment. However, their ship was recently spotted visually while leaving Plundarr’s atmosphere. We assume that the Mutants were left behind there,” she explained, pausing for a moment to allow them to digest that information before she continued. “As you know, Plundarr is not a CONTROL affiliated planet, hence our ability to send in officers to apprehend the Mutants is at the discretion of their government. Plundarr has declined to allow us that.”

“You mean they’re just going to leave the Mutants to go free? After all they did? And CONTROL can’t do anything?” WilyKat exclaimed incredulously.

“Unfortunately yes,” Lynx-O answered before Mandora could. “Since they must follow the letter of interplanetary law, they have no choice in the matter. If Plundarr wishes to harbor their own fugitive citizens, it is within their legal right.”

Bengali looked to the image of Mandora on the screen. “What about the Lunatacs? You said the ship left Plundarr?”

“Approximately eight hours ago it was last seen crossing over our boundary line on Sector Six. That’s why I called you, Thundercats. We all know how dangerous they are, and how many innocent lives are at stake if the Lunatacs left to run free on a crime spree. You’ve dealt with them before and know what they’re capable of. But unless they’re in CONTROL jurisdiction, my hands are tied.”

“So what you’re asking is for us to chase them down and capture them,” Lion-O finished.

“To bring them to justice,” Mandora corrected. “To make them answer for their crimes rather than let them get off on a technicality.”

Cheetara looked to the others. “This could be complicated. What do you think our course should be?”

“We wouldn’t last long on Plundarr,” Lynx-O said. “The Plundarrians loathe Thunderians and everything we stand for. Most likely we would be shot down on sight.”

“But there’s no reason we can’t go after the Lunatacs,” Bengali interjected. “If they’re on the run in a ship, we could overtake and capture them, especially if they’re only in some stolen cargo ship. They’re not built for combat.”

Lion-O nodded, considering all of their options. “We would only need to send a small team to pursue them. The Mutants pose a more difficult problem, attacking from Plundarr.”

“CONTROL can monitor the area outside Plundarr for any sign of the fugitives, and we can arrest them once they leave the planet’s airspace,” Mandora interjected. “It’s the Lunatacs that are the greater concern at this point, considering they’re still at large and in a sector where they don’t necessarily have to hide.”

“I agree,” Lynx-O said with a nod. “Where exactly did you see them crossing the border? Do you have the coordinates?”

On the screen, Mandora bent over and inserted a disk in her own machine. “Yes. I’ll send you the coordinates and their projected course, based on the limited information we were able to obtain. From what the pilot of the stolen ship has told us, they can only go a relatively short number of light years beyond the border before they’ll have to refuel. There’s only one planet reasonably on course that has space-capable technology where they could feasibly get that fuel, and that’s where we expect you’ll find them. It’s called Etheria.”

Cheetara received the coordinates and fed them into the Lair’s computer to compare with their own star charts. “That’s out pretty far into relatively unexplored territory for us.”

“True, but it’s not so far we can’t get there and back in the Feliner if it’s properly prepared,” Bengali assured.

“There’s one other thing you should know before you go,” Mandora added, her controlled voice taking on a slight edge once again.

“What’s that?” asked WilyKat.

“It’s a Horde planet.”

“Horde?” Lion-O repeated with a frown.

“If my memory serves me correctly, the Horde is a large empire of planets, correct?” Lynx-O inquired of the CONTROL officer, his ears turning toward the monitor.

“Yes,” stated Mandora. “More precisely, it’s an expanding empire of an estimated hundred and twenty planets in forty one different galaxies, all under the rule of a very distant world CONTROL knows as Horde World, ruled by an entity called Horde Prime. The Horde is not part of CONTROL and it’s historically uncooperative in working with us. You’ll need to tread carefully on their territory.”

Snarfer bounced up on his tail. “But if we go right to their leaders and explain why we’re there, I’m sure they’d help us. After all, nobody wants troublemakers on their planet, right?”

“Bwrrrr, I don’t know about that, nephew,” Snarf interrupted, pacing nervously on the floor. “We don’t know anything about these Horde leaders.”

Lion-O held his chin thoughtfully. “No, but if we go in diplomatically I doubt they would give us a problem. Like Snarfer said, any reasonable leader isn’t going to want their people harassed by alien outlaws.” He turned to Mandora, his decision made. “We’ll send a scouting party in to search for them. Is there anything else we need to know?”

The evil chaser shook her head. “That’s everything. I hope to hear a report from you soon on this matter, Lion-O. Officer Mandora out.” The transmission cut off sharply and the screen went blank.

The Thundercats were silent for a moment as they took in the information they had been given, until WilyKat spoke up, looking to Lion-O eagerly. “So who’s going to go then?”

“We can’t send too many of us,” Cheetara said, studying the projected course on the computer. “The Feliner will need a lot of fuel for a trip this long, so to keep things efficient we’ll need as light a load as possible… especially since ideally we would have six additional passengers locked in the cargo bay on the way back.”

“Three of us at the most should go then,” Lynx-O agreed. “But we need to decide which three.”

“I’d like to go,” WilyKat volunteered.

“No,” Lion-O replied automatically. “It’s too risky a mission to send someone so young on.”

“But I’m a Thundercat just like the rest of you,” WilyKat argued, frowning indignantly. “I’ve been trained.”

“You have the training but not the expertise that comes with years of practice on missions like this,” Cheetara told him gently.

Bengali gave WilyKat an understanding look. “I guess that leaves me out too, then?”

Lion-O put his hand on WilyKat’s shoulder and nodded affirmatively to Bengali. “I’m afraid so. She’s right. Besides, you’ll be needed here,” he pointed out. “With the Mutants free, I’m sure they’ll be tempted to cause us trouble sooner or later, and New Thundera is hardly free of its own problems at present. We need as many Thundercats here as possible if something happens.”

Lynx-O stepped forward. “If I may make a suggestion, I think that Panthro and Cheetara would be best suited for this mission. Both of them have been Thundercats for a long time, surpassed only by Tygra in years of service. Panthro is our best pilot, and Cheetara’s sixth sense and intuition could prove invaluable in dealing with an unfamiliar planet and people.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Lynx-O,” Lion-O said. “Who do you suggest for the third?”

The lynx chuckled. “You, of course. Who better than the Lord of the Thundercats himself to be the spokesman of the people of New Thundera?”

Lion-O smiled warmly. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, Lynx-O.” He then turned to Snarfer, seated in the console chair. “Call Panthro and WilyKit back to the Lair. If we’re going to leave soon, we’d better fill them in as soon as possible.”

Snarf mewled nervously from his spot in the corner. “Just be careful out there. I have a bad feeling about this. A real bad feeling, snarf snarf.”

* * *

Back on Etheria, Alluro crossed the street and made a leisurely approach to the peacock-tailed woman so as to not attract undue attention to himself. Although the psi was not afraid of the seemingly primitive Etherians, he did not know their customs either and did not want the woman to be startled and leave before he could find out about her eye belt. As he drew closer she turned sharply toward him and eyed him with a curious and guarded look. “Why have you been staring at me?” she asked.

Alluro blinked, somewhat surprised that he had apparently not been as subtle as he thought he had. “You knew I was coming to talk to you?”

“I saw you,” she answered in a tone only slightly above a whisper. There was a note of apprehension in her soft voice, though she did not appear outwardly afraid of him. The Lunatac could sense her timidity and backed off slightly. He did not want to scare off the Etherian, at least not until he learned what he needed. She relaxed when he did, and continued speaking. “I felt someone looking at me so I looked for myself, and I saw you and your friends. You’re strangers to this planet, aren’t you? And why of all the people in this town did you choose to stare at me?”

“But you never turned around,” Alluro said. “So how did—”

“I don’t have to look with these to see,” she said, pointing to her deep blue-colored eyes.

“So you’re a seer,” Alluro guessed. “Is that why you have the eye on your belt?”

Now it was her turn to be surprised. “The medallion was given to me by my father years ago. He said it was part of my clan’s heritage.” It was then that she noticed the remarkably similar medallion the Lunatac stranger in front of her wore. “Are… are you from the seer clan too?” she asked, clearly as stunned as Alluro had been when he had first seen her belt. “But I thought I was one of the last few on Etheria!”

Alluro shook his head. “I am a mesmerizer, not a seer,” he clarified. “Similar in some ways but still different. I can see into the thoughts of others and bend them to my will, unlike the seer who can only see outside the individual and the things that happen to them.”

“I have known mesmerizers before,” the woman answered with a nod. “Shadow Weaver being the most powerful,” she added darkly.

“Indeed,” the intrigued Alluro answered. “I wonder how it is that such similar disciplines with the same medallions could be formed on two planets light years apart from one another. The odds of that happening are incredible,” he said thoughtfully.

The Etherian’s fan-tail feathers shifted slightly as she stood, and Alluro could feel her gaze upon him fully, studying him with intense curiosity. “Another planet? You mean you’re not from Etheria?”

“Don’t I look alien to you?” Alluro asked bluntly, taken aback by her statement.

“Etheria is a diverse planet with many strange roots,” the Etherian answered with an offhand and dismissive wave. “Our native peoples are as diverse as those from altogether alien worlds. Besides, with the Horde around, we’ve gotten used to seeing off-worlders making themselves at home here,” she added, a trace of bitterness creeping into her voice for a moment. She paused for a moment and met his eyes again. “So if you aren’t from here, what brings you to Etheria, then, mesmerizer?”

“I am called Alluro,” he replied cordially, avoiding the question until he could think up a suitable story, as the truth was certainly out of the question. “And you are?”

“Peekablue.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” he answered warmly, giving her a broad smile. Alluro opened his mouth to speak again, when a shot of laser fire exploded the window behind them, catching both of them off guard. Each ducked instinctively and jumped back, and when Alluro looked in the direction the shot had come, he saw a hideous looking creature with four blue legs, a scaly hide, and bug-eyes atop antennae attached to an equally ugly head. The creature wore the same red bat insignia he’d seen earlier on the ships.

“Mantenna,” Peekablue whispered hoarsely. “He’s one of the Horde commanders. Run!”

Alluro tensed himself to take off in a run, but a second shot that missed him by inches made him veer unsteadily on his feet.

“Free-e-eze rebels,” the alien warned in a high-pitched, buzzing voice. “You’re surrounded.”

Peekablue glanced around desperately for somewhere to run, but all of a sudden the metallic robots seemed to come out of nowhere toward them at an alarming rate.

Alluro saw them as well and cursed under his breath in aggravation. He grabbed his club off his belt and cast the orb above the creature’s head. “You will freeze,” he argued, focusing his powers and putting on a display of confidence that was far above what he actually felt. “You don’t stand a chance, primitive. You will drop your weapon and call back your—” he glanced at the robots gathering around them “—tin playthings.”

Mantenna blinked, stunned and fighting the Lunatac’s influence, but his thrall was interrupted by a loud feline growl. Alluro and Peekablue turned to see a huge black panther—a quadruped, not a Thunderian—wearing some form of red gear, snarling angrily. He had no time to react before the cat leapt off the roof and pounced at him.

“Freeze, kitty,” a raspy voice hissed from behind the pair as a stream of ice sailed through the air and frosted the fur on the feline’s back. The cat growled furiously, but backed off. Alluro whirled around and was relieved to see Chilla running up, and behind her, the other Lunatacs.

“Couldn’t stay out of trouble for five minutes, could you Alluro?” a clearly annoyed Luna called out sarcastically.

Mantenna, meanwhile, snapped out of his trance and shouted to his troopers. “Open-n-n fire!” Instantly the Lunatacs were surrounded by a barrage of laser fire.

“Smash these robots to bits!” Luna screeched, both as an order to her steed and to the other Lunatacs.

TugMug drew his gravity carbine, rebuilt like the Lunatacs’ other weapons during their brief stay on Plundarr, and fired at the robots. “You don’t have to tell me twice!” Two robots rose into the air, useless and sparking.

Nearby, RedEye had his sidewinder out as he tangled with yet another robot. They seemed to be coming in droves out of the alien ship, and the Lunatacs wondered just how many were in there.

The panther that Chilla nearly iced began to glow and morphed into a humanoid form, that of an Etherian female with long black hair wearing a red outfit that contained the same red bat symbol their other attackers wore. She drew a laser weapon and fired again at Chilla. “You would be wise to surrender now, rebels,” she hissed in an almost feral feline voice. “Our forces outnumber you ten to one and we have more on the way.”

“You should listen to Force Captain Catr-r-a,” Mantenna added. “We knew you rebels would be here sooner or later to re-supply yourselves, thanks to a tip we got from one of our prisoners.”

Luna screeched and struggled to hold onto Amok as he wrestled with one of the robots. “We know nothing of whatever rebellion you speak of, fool!”

“Have it your way then, rowr,” Catra sneered, and fired her weapon at Chilla. The ice woman dodged out of the way, but not before Catra’s shot struck a beam holding up the awning above Chilla, forcing it to collapse upon her. Infuriated, RedEye slung his Sidewinder at the woman, who nimbly jumped out of the way. She replaced her mask onto her face and morphed once more into a cat.

Alluro climbed up onto a hay cart and threw his psyche orb once more, hoping to cover both of the commanders in the beam. He knew it would not affect the robots, but he hoped that the others would have the sense to keep them away. TugMug and Luna seemed to pick up on his line of thinking and began intercepting the troopers that headed into his direction. Peekablue also climbed up onto the cart and stood behind him, her tail fanning slightly, while her eyes closed. “More are coming,” she said urgently. “I don’t know how long we can stand against a number like this.”

Across the street, Chilla squirmed out from under the collapsed awning. She was not hurt, aside from her pride, but the wood against her head had smarted. She was trying to stand when a shadow fell over her. “Need a hand there, pretty lady?”

Frowning, she looked up to see a humanoid man in tight blue pants and a cape, wielding a bow in one hand, while his other extended to her in an offer to help her up. Ordinarily she would have iced a human presumptuous enough to assume a Lunatac needed his help, but her hatred was focused on the robots and their commanders at the moment. She took his hand and rose to her feet, then charged headlong into the scuffle once more.

The man was a bit taken aback at her impetuous move, but he respected her bravery and followed. He drew his bow and fired at the robots in her path and near those of her friends.

Mantenna immediately noticed the archer and scowled. “Ah, Bow, I knew-ww-ww it wouldn’t be long before one of the rebel leaders showed up.”

“It’s not just Bow,” a female voice shouted angrily. The Lunatacs looked over and saw a humanoid female with pink hair perched defiantly on one of the lower roofs. Her arms were placed in a peculiar manner, her wrists placed together, and a bright light was pulsing from her bracelets.

“Bow and Glimmer,” Peekablue breathed with some relief. “They’re my friends. They’ll help us.”

Catra growled ferociously and fired in Glimmer’s direction. “More rebels for Hordak’s dungeons.”

The loud mechanical roar of a fast approaching ship caused everyone to freeze for a moment, and scurry to safer positions as it landed in the middle of the street. Much to the dismay of the Lunatacs and the rebels, the doors opened and the number of robots doubled. “ATTA-AA-AACK!” Mantenna ordered.

TugMug, RedEye, and Luna were no match for the new onslaught of the robots. The small Lunatac leader evaluated the grim odds and spurred Amok. “Evade, Lunatacs!” TugMug growled and blasted the robots behind them with a high gravity beam, dropping them long enough for the two of them to escape to the other side of the street, where Chilla and Bow were also retreating. RedEye stood his ground long enough to fire at the robots behind them, but did not linger long enough to endanger himself. By this time the Etherian called Glimmer had joined them, and appeared to be staying off the robots by blinding them with bursts of light.

When the other Lunatacs made their retreat, Alluro attempted to do the same. Unfortunately the few seconds it took for him to react was enough to make that all but impossible. Metal hands and laser fire surrounded him as he jumped off the cart. He began to use his psyche club in vain as a blunt weapon, along with some well-placed kicks, to keep the robots off but it was a futile effort. Peekablue, still climbing off of the hay cart, desperately knocked a couple of the loose hay bales at the robots, but aside from momentarily stunning them, the effort was in vain. One of them grabbed her roughly and pulled her off the side, kicking and screaming.

When Alluro heard the scream and turned, Catra saw the perfect opportunity, and pounced on the hypnotist. Although the feline Force Captain was not heavy, the force of her landing on him was still more than enough to knock him off balance and to the ground. Two robots quickly grabbed hold of the struggling psi, and Catra motioned for them to take him and Peekablue to one of the ships.

Chilla hissed in fury when she saw what was happening. “They have Alluro!”

“And Peekablue,” Glimmer added.

Bow frowned. “There’s nothing we can do against this many robots on our own. We have to retreat to the Whispering Woods and regroup before we can attempt a rescue.”

Glimmer nodded gravely. “I can make you invisible for a short time, so you can get away,” she said to the remaining Lunatacs. “We’ll rendezvous south of the village path. Bow’s horse is there. From there you can come with us to the Whispering Woods. Any enemy of the Horde is a friend of ours.”

“Not to mention that they’ll be looking for you after this,” Bow added. “Hordak remembers the ones who stand up to him.”

Another wave of robots thundered toward them. RedEye fired his Sidewinder, while TugMug began firing more high gravity beams. “Whatever you’re going to do, you better do it soon,” TugMug snarled.

Glimmer did not answer, only held up her arms and brought her wrists together again. They were enveloped in an incredibly bright light, one which RedEye was not expecting and temporarily blinded his sensitive eyes. The darkling winced and covered his eyes, growling in pain and stumbling. The others, all invisible, could not see RedEye’s predicament and ran to the designated spot, leaving him behind. RedEye stumbled his way to a wall, leaned against it, and rubbed his eyes, blinking furiously. He began to see spots and blurs, his vision returning slowly.

The robots meanwhile scattered, looking for the suddenly invisible rebels. Catra and Mantenna scouted the area, each blaming each other for the loss of what was supposed to be a nice catch of several rebel prisoners. Robots marched everywhere, firing at anything that moved, and invaded the villagers’ homes looking in potential hiding places. Screams could be heard everywhere and more than a few fires from laser fire burned on the streets.

RedEye’s eyesight had finally recovered enough to allow him to see where he was going somewhat, but unfortunately Glimmer’s invisibility magic had worn off. As soon as he moved, he caught the attention of several of the robots, which in turn caught Mantenna’s attention. He braced to defend himself, but he was not fast enough. Heavy metal hands clamped down on his arms and a swift force to his gut, courtesy of another robot, brought him to his knees. Mantenna came over and stood above him. “We-ell, it seems the rebels left one of their new friends behin-nn-d.”

Catra was at his side in a flash. “Rrr, I don’t recognize this rebel,” she purred. “Nor his friends.”

“Hordak will be ple-eeased,” Mantenna said with a vicious smile. “If the rebels have made new all-lies, then we have already caught two of them.”

Catra looked over the incapacitated RedEye. “And one of the known rebels as well,” she added. “Not as many as we hoped, but it’s enough.”

Mantenna faced the robots. “Secure him and brin-nn-ng him to the ship!”

The troopers obediently scooped up RedEye and held the struggling dark-dweller steady as they attached heavy shackles to him. They then marched him to the larger of the two ships and tossed him unceremoniously onto the floor next to an equally well bound Alluro and Peekablue. The two captured Lunatacs exchanged glances, and tried not to give in to the rising feeling of dread as they heard Catra shout an order to the pilot, and their ship took off for a destination unknown.

* * *

Nearly out of breath, the remaining Lunatacs, Bow, and Glimmer gathered around a large blue-flowered tree with a tan horse tied to it. The area they were in was lightly wooded, and their invisibility was only now wearing off. No robots had been able to follow them, so it seemed that they were safe for the time being.

TugMug frowned as the last of them became visible and he realized RedEye was not with them. “Where’s RedEye?”

Bow looked around. “Is that the pale guy?”

“Yes,” Chilla hissed icily. “He was with us in that village.”

“I don’t think he made it,” Luna said with a dark scowl. “Perhaps his invisibility broke or he inadvertently gave away his presence.”

“We can wait a few more minutes for him, in case he got lost,” Bow said, “but we can’t wait too long. They may send more troopers out to look for us, and we won’t be safe outside the Whispering Woods.”

Luna narrowed her eyes. “What is so special about these ‘Whispering Woods’ you keep mentioning? Surely a few trees aren’t going to stop them?”

“It has a magical barrier around it,” Glimmer stated. “The Horde’s forces cannot see into it or penetrate it.”

“Nice trick,” TugMug said, bouncing slightly.

The sound of an airborne ship close by interrupted their conversation. Bow glanced up and noticed it as one of the ships that had been in town, the same ship that held Alluro and Peekablue, and unbeknownst to them, RedEye. He noted its direction and faced the others. “It’s heading back to the Fright Zone.”

Glimmer lowered her eyes. “Then we can only assume they got your friend as well. We shouldn’t stay here any longer. If they see us now…”

“Let’s go,” Bow said decisively, and mounted his horse. He motioned for the Lunatacs to follow him and bolted for a thick line of trees nearby with Glimmer behind him.

The Lunatacs faced one another for a moment, each waiting to see what the others would say or do, before Luna finally acted. She gave Amok a light kick. “Follow the man on the horse, boy.” Amok grunted and ran after him, and the other Lunatacs followed suit.

* * *

Lion-O, Panthro, and Cheetara gathered in the Hangar of New Cat’s Lair. The Feliner was already packed with enough supplies and fuel to last the trip to Etheria, and the only order of business that remained now was to say goodbye to the other Thundercats.

Snarf leapt into Lion-O’s arms and gave him an affectionate hug. “You be careful, Lion-O, snarf snarf. Don’t let your guard down around those Horde people or those Lunatacs.”

Lion-O gave him a reassuring smile. “We’ve dealt with the Lunatacs plenty of times before, Snarf. We’ll be fine.”

“But you haven’t dealt with the Horde, Lion-O,” WilyKat said with a frown. “Mandora made it sound like they can’t be trusted.”

“We’ll be on our guard,” Cheetara assured them. “She didn’t say the Horde was evil, just different from our ways. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to work with them, especially since we’re acting in their best interests.”

Panthro patted the nunchuks on his belt. “And if they do try anything, they’ll have three angry Thundercats to deal with.”

“Besides, this is a peaceful mission,” Lion-O added. “Surely the Horde won’t want degenerates like the Lunatacs on their planet.”

“Who would?” WilyKit laughed. The others laughed with her nervously, lightening the tension somewhat for a brief moment.

Cheetara glanced over and noted the time on the console readout within the Feliner. “We should go. We probably can’t afford to delay very long.”

Lion-O nodded in agreement. “You’re right, Cheetara.” He turned to face the other Thundercats. “Take care, and be careful, all of you. Remember that the Lunatacs aren’t the only ones that are free and keep your eyes peeled for any sign of the Mutants.”

“We will,” the Thunderkittens said in unison.

“Keep in touch, snarfer snarfer,” the younger of the two snarfs present urged them.

“And let us know if you need us to do anything,” Bengali added.

Panthro nodded and climbed into the Feliner. “We will.”

Cheetara secured herself in the seat beside Panthro. “We’ll be in touch as soon as we can.”

Snarf reluctantly climbed out of Lion-O’s arms as the lion followed Cheetara into the Feliner. “Please be careful, Lion-O,” he repeated. “And have a safe trip.”

“I will. We all will,” Lion-O assured him again. “Goodbye, Thundercats, and good luck. Ho!” He raised his hand in the Thunderian gesture, and the other Thundercats did the same, echoing his sentiment. The hatch to the Feliner then closed, and moments later the vehicle blazed into the heavens above.

---

Continued

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