Greetings, I am Jonathan Prideaux, the knower of all at the centre of the universe.  One of my many abilities, though, is to temporarily change history and view the events as they would have transpired.  I will be your guide as we explore one of those instances.

 

                You are all no doubt aware of the story of Nitro Iespyk.  One fateful day he was travelling on Plundarr and his eyes caught sight of a young Cheetah woman named Amber Goldenrod.  Despite being happily married to Frosticia he decided to take her as a slave.  They produced a child, Knave, and he had her killed.  He was about to kill Knave when a five-year-old Chilla stepped in.  She begged her daddy to leave Knave alone.  In a fit of rage Nitro relented and instructed Chilla to care for the child.  The rest is history.  But one wonders.  What if someone else had been there the day Nitro found Amber?  What if this man took Amber instead?  Little do many realize, but Ash Katalaepsy was on Plundarr that day, on an errand of his own.

 

                Ash was struck by the beauty of this strange Cheetah.  He had always been faithful to his dear Sonara, but Amber was unlike anything he’d ever seen.  In a moment born of weakness he raped the woman and ran away.  But Amber kept track of him. Learned who he was and where he lived.  Nine months later she arrived at his house bearing a struggling infant.  Ash wasn’t in, but Sonara was.  Amber explained what had happened and dropped off the child.  Let’s see what happened when Ash got home.

 

                Ash tossed his bag into the corner.  He could hear crying.  “Where’s my baby Alluro?” he asked aloud.  The boy had been born a few weeks ago and could be a handful.  He followed the crying into the master bedroom and gasped.  Sonara dangled from the ceiling, a stiff rope about her neck and an overturned stool on the floor.  In Alluro’s crib were two infants, one with Cheetah spots.  He picked up the tear streaked note off the floor.

 

                “Ash,

                                I never dreamed that you could do this to me.  I have been told this day about your tryst with a Cheetah woman.  She assured me it was only once, but if you can betray my trust and break your vows of love to me then I see no further need in living.  Farewell.  Be a better father to Alluro and your new son than you were a husband to me.

                                                                                                Sonara”

 

                Ash crumpled the note in his fist angrily.  How dare she leave him like this!  He’d show her and this bastard son of his a lesson.  The child would be named Knave as a testament to the destruction he’d caused to the family.

 

                Soon after this, Ash Katalaepsy sank into depression.  He hardly cared for the children and his work habits began deteriorating.  It was his neighbors, the Myntaello family, that worried about Alluro and Knave.  The two children were taken into their custody.  The two brothers and their new friends grew closer and closer.  So it was that Alluro fell in love with Psikaris before meeting Chilla.  Psychro didn’t like his sister dating but approved of her selection.

 

                Meanwhile we must ask, what about Chilla?  Was her life different without a brother around?  The answer is yes.  She found herself at the brunt of her father’s aggressive nature more often, for one thing, and when a particular suitor came calling and asked her to marry him she had no one to protect her from him.  You’ll recall that Psychro and Chilla fell in love briefly.  Lust is more the correct word for Psychro but nonetheless.  Their wedding was halted when Knave cautioned his sister against it, citing the numerous women he’d used and abused.  In this time line things are no different.  Unable to convince Chilla to sleep with him Psychro asked her to marry him.  She agreed.  Three days later they were divorced.  Knave’s reaction to all this?  Find out for yourself.

 

                “Chalk up another conquest for Psychro,” he said, flopping onto the couch in his and Knave’s joint room.

“How was she?” Knave asked.

“I’ve had better,” Psychro snickered.  “Still.  It was worth the time and effort.”

“Maybe I should give her a try then,” Knave said.

“I wouldn’t bother.  You should go after that Dalia from the Royal moon.  She’s got the hots for you big time,” Psychro said.

“Still?  You’d think our one night stand was enough.  Maybe I’ll go back to her when I’m bored,” Knave said.

“Say.  You and I should go for those Graviton twins.  The Buxom Babes.  They’re like the only Gravitons that aren’t as fat as they are dumb,” Psychro said.

“It’s a wonder their planet doesn’t run out of food the way they eat,” Knave chuckled.

“Sorry to rain on your parade, but there’s a heavily armed band of soldiers coming this way.  They’ve got the badge of the Iespyk’s on their sleeves,” Alluro said, coming into the room.

“Damn.  Chilla must be coming to take me back.  Well, if it’s a fight they want, it’s a fight they’ll get,” Psychro said.

 

                And a fight they did get.  The Katalaepsy family fought bravely until the police showed up.  Psychro didn’t make it though.  He was torn apart, beaten and left lying face down in the mud.  Charges were pressed, of course, but Nitro Iespyk had his hands in the pockets of just about every judge.  No one would convict him.  Knave made a solemn vow that day.

 

                “Some day I’m going to rape that bitch Chilla and tear out her heart.  That’ll teach her to mess with Knave Katalaepsy!”

 

                This wasn’t the last time Chilla fell in love.  Not in the least.  As in our universe Chilla met Kineto.  However, without Knave to ask on her behalf Chilla was forced to muster the courage to ask on her own.  He agreed and the two began dating, eventually marrying.  When princess Luna went on the voyage that would ultimately lead her to Third Earth, her crew was a little different.  She took Amok, her mount, Tug Mug, and Red Eye.  Chilla still wanted to get away from her father, who used his great power to continually interfere with her life, and once aboard a star ship that would hopefully end.  Along with Kineto she signed on.  Knave still thirsted for revenge and enlisted the aid of Psikaris and Alluro in building a ship that would follow them.  Soon enough Luna’s crew wound up on Third Earth, Knave and his friends landing nearby.  Let’s watch the impending confrontation.

 

                Knave motioned the love birds closer.  “They’re over there.  They seem a little disoriented by the sudden landing.  Luna will be the biggest obstacle.  Remember.  Chilla is mine,” Knave whispered.

“Naturally, little brother.  ‘Karis, you’ll take care of Kineto.  The others should easily fall under my sway,” Alluro said.

“Good luck,” Knave said, clasping Alluro’s arm, “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

“Me neither.  You’d be lost without me,” Alluro jested.

“Let’s move,” Psikaris said.

 

                Knave sped forward using his inborn Cheetah heritage to cover the distance in record time.  He tackled Luna off the back of Amok and threw her to the ground.  He tossed her fiercely against the side of her fallen ship.  Predictably Amok lunged at the Psi-Race/Cheetah hybrid, but found that he had danced to the side.

 

                Kineto reached for his psyche club but found Chilla in his way.  “What are you doing, dear?  Get out of my way!” he insisted.

“But Kineto, I’m over here!” Chilla said, turning to look at her beloved.

“What?” Kineto asked, realizing that the woman before him was shape changing into Psikaris.  Even as he raised his arm to block the attack, Psikaris had lashed out and struck him solidly in the gut, causing him to double over.

 

                Chilla moved forward to attack Psikaris but, along with Red Eye and Tug Mug fell under the light of Alluro’s psyche club.  “I command you all to drop your weapons and surrender to me!” Alluro intoned.  The three Lunataks turned and saw Alluro standing on a hill, he seemed to them to be twenty stories tall, towering above it all.  “We should surrender to him,” said Red Eye.

“And drop our weepons,” Tug Mug added.

“We cannot resist him.  We should cooperate,” Chilla said.

“That’s right.  You can never defeat Alluro,” the hypnotist said, letting out a mighty laugh.

 

                Knave vaulted over the pouncing beast and landed squarely on Amok’s tail.  He toppled as the mount instinctively twitched the appendage, hurling Knave across the ground.

 

                “Who dares disturb Mumm-Ra?” a voice boomed across the plains.  The Lunataks turned and saw an ancient mummy advancing toward them.

“Go away, you bundle of bones.  We don’t have time for you,” Knave shouted, rolling to his feet and readying his psyche club.

“It is I who have no time to deal with you.  Instead I shall eliminate your potential threat now!” Mumm-Ra raised one bony arm and pointed at the lot of them.  Suddenly the ground began to shift and great jets of steam arose.

“What’s going on?” Psikaris demanded, as lava began creeping over her toes.

“I am merely encasing you all in lava.  Never to be seen again!” Mumm-Ra replied.

 

                Well, you know the rest of the story.  Mumm-Ra went to rest and was never disturbed until the Thundercats and Mutants arrived.  The forces of good and evil battled long and hard for what seemed like an eternity.  Finally though Mumm-Ra, weakened, realized that he needed help, as the Mutants were unable to destroy the Thundercats.  So he sent these very same Mutants to release the Lunataks from their prison.  What happened then?

 

                “Free!  Free at last!” Tug Mug shouted, emerging from his stony prison.

“Revenge, Tug Mug, we must avenge ourselves of the Demon Priest, Mumm-Ra,” Red Eye said.

“Don’t forget those three morons we were fighting, Red Eye,” Kineto said.

“Third Earth will live in terror of the Lunataks, Kineto darling,” Chilla said.  Then came Amok, cradling the still wounded Luna.  Further along Alluro, Psikaris and Knave, who had moved together during the process, broke free of their prisons.

“There they are!” Kineto shouted.

“Rargh!  Mutants!” Amok warned.

“Fah!  Who cares about Mutants?” Chilla scoffed, “Knave hurt Luna, remember?” Amok snarled and moved forward, only to be blocked by Mumm-Ra.

“Wait!  You will not fight each other.  This I command!” Mumm-Ra said.

“And why should we listen to you?” Red Eye asked.

“Because I can encase you once more in lava,” Mumm-Ra replied.

“He might have a good point,” Tug Mug said.

“Of course I do.  Now, I have a proposal for you . . . ” Mumm-Ra said.

 

                It’s obvious what Mumm-Ra wanted.  The Lunataks would attack the Thundercats and destroy them, but would fail on each attempt.  Now, one might wonder.  How were Psikaris, Knave and Alluro treated by the other Lunataks?  Especially Chilla.  Knave was still the impulsive person he is in our universe.  In no time at all he left his assigned quarters and forced his way into Chilla’s.

 

                “Knave!  How dare you barge in here like that?” Chilla said.

“Is there some other way you’d like me to barge in?” Knave sneered.

“Get out before you find yourself in some serious pain,” Chilla said.

“Do you think I’m afraid of you?  Psychro handled you easily enough.  So can I.  The only reason I came here is to give you fair warning.  Some day soon you’re going to find yourself shackled to a bed crying out my name in a wave of passion, and then I’m going to slit your throat from ear to ear,” Knave said.  A sheet of ice narrowly missed him and Knave’s psyche club crystal hovered over Chilla’s head.  “You will lie down on that bed and let me do as I please,” Knave said.

 

                I won’t get into the nitty gritty details but needless to say Luna was not pleased at losing a Lunatak.  Neither was Mumm-Ra.  He promptly sealed up Knave in lava and left him in front of his cauldron as a reminder to the other Lunataks and the Mutants.  After that things pretty much went the way they did in our universe.  The Lunataks were thwarted time and time again by the Thundercats.

 

                It is such a tragedy that such youth is extinguished before its time.  Psychro, Knave and Chilla all could have led peaceful lives were it not for Knave’s father being different.  Such is the way life works.  Such little twists in reality can lead to terrible downfalls.

 

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