Nitro Iespyk, father to Chilla and Knave, paced in front of his captive son. The Ice Lunatak/Cheetah hybrid hung by his wrists to the wall. "I’ll bet you’re wondering how I survived," Nitro said aloud.

"Of course I am," Knave said.

"I did not give you permission to speak. Remember that. I suppose I should start at the beginning. Chilla had disappeared, as you’ll recall, when I headed down to Plundarr in hopes of finding some sign of her. But someone had tampered with my engine. I thought my life was over, to be honest, but someone had other ideas. A voice spoke to me and offered me the chance at survival, in exchange for my soul. I agreed, readily, and gained supreme power. I barely managed to crash my ship and walked right into the hands of some Felines. They weren’t too pleased with me at all, especially . . . no. I won’t tell you about that. They burned me at the stake. A painful experience, to be sure, but not overly so. I melted into a puddle. A few hours later the magic I’d gained brought my body back together again. I wiped out those Felines nearby and went off to get at you. By the time I booked passage back to the moons, you’d already left. I killed a member of the royal fleet and took his ship. It was difficult to follow your trail, but in the end I discovered the little planet you were on. I spied on you for quite some time, trying to figure out what to do with you and your sister. Now, I know," Nitro said.

Knave swallowed hard. Nitro was his father, though not a loving one. His mother had been a Cheetah slave. When he had been conceived, she was killed and his own life had been spared by Chilla. "I understand why you want me dead. You’ve never liked me, and I did try to kill you, but why Chilla?" Knave asked.

"Was I so petty as to want revenge only against you, I can think of no better means to get at you than through your sister. However, this is not the case. Chilla has always been something of a rebel. She stopped me from killing you, she rejected the men I placed before her, she even turned down the finest of job opportunities. What more reason could I possibly need for wanting her dead?" Nitro asked.

Knave lunged forward, though still shackled and felt no give in the chains. Nitro moved forward and traced a thin line along Knave’s bared right arm with his razor sharp claws. Blood welled from the wound and Nitro collected it on his finger. "Care for a taste?" he asked, before licking his finger clean. "Come now, Knave. It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve tasted the flesh of another Lunatak. Your step mother served it all the time. Trespassers on my property. Criminals, outlaws, and Felines. All lovingly cooked and served to you," Nitro said.

Knave’s stomach turned at the memories and he forced them aside. Nitro looked out of the small cave they were in and smiled broadly. "The time has come for me to wreck havoc on this world. Who should I bring you for a guest? Your girlfriend? Alluro perhaps? Your future father-in-law?" Nitro snickered before leaving.

The Skycruiser was an intimidating star ship. Having once been a pirate vessel, it now served as the flag ship for Mystan Benekasbeel’s splinter faction of Lunataks. The group, consisting of Red Eye and his daughter, Shade, Alluro, Chilla, Knave and Mystan himself, were annoyed that one of their number had been taken from them. Mystan, for one, was out for revenge. He had ordered long range sweeps of the area, looking for any sign of Knave or his abductor. Red Eye and Chilla were on these patrols while Alluro designed better crafts for them. Shade and Mystan were working in the control room.

The designs for a new ship, tentatively called the Crescent Fighter, were going well. The design was simple. A crescent moon shaped craft with twin laser cannons at the points. In theory it would be small and easily maneuverable, but with a tough hull and lethal fire power. Alluro handed the blueprints to one of the small droids, dubbed the Lunar Droids, and instructed it to oversee the construction for a moment while he went to the bathroom.

"Figures," Alluro thought, "someone is always in the bathroom when I need it." The door slid open and a white gloved hand grabbed his throat, dragging him in. There was a muffled scream and then the toilet was flushed.

Some time later Shade approached Mystan. "What is it?" Mystan inquired, bored.

"One of the Lunar Droids reports blood in one of the bathrooms," Shade replied.

"What do you mean?" Mystan asked, irked. Shade motioned to the little droid behind her.

"I was approaching the bathroom that Alluro had entered. When I arrived there, I detected blood on the walls and no sign of Alluro. There was a trace of magic in the air and more blood on the toilet itself. I hypothesize, however improbable it may seem, that Alluro was flushed down the toilet," the droid said.

"That’s it! No Lunatak is to be alone. Even in the bathroom!" Mystan shouted.

Knave heard a noise from the entrance of the cave and saw Alluro being dragged inside by Nitro. The hypnotist was shoved roughly against the opposite wall and his limbs encased in ice. "Enjoy the company, while you can, son. Soon my fortress will be completed and I’ll have a new room for your friend here," Nitro said. The eldest Iespyk then drew a thin line of blood from Alluro’s stomach and brought it to his lips. "Mmm. Delicious. You obviously workout. I’ve got this great Hypnotist Souffle recipe I’d like to try. Ask Knave about it. It was one of his favorite dishes back home," Nitro cackled before leaving to the back of the cave.

"That’s your father?" Alluro asked, mouth gaped open.

"I’m afraid so. He seems to be even more powerful than ever. How did he take you?" Knave replied.

"He shrunk me down and threw me into the toilet. It was disgusting!" Alluro retorted.

"Don’t worry. Payback will be most enjoyable," Knave replied.

Shade sat with her father, in the dining hall. "We haven’t really had a chance to discuss your relationship with Knave," Red Eye said, cupping his mug of coffee in his hands.

"What’s there to talk about?" Shade asked.

"What does ‘she’ think of him?" Red Eye asked, referring to Shade ulterior personality, Nightshade.

"She doesn’t like him that much, but respects him for saving our life and making me happy," Shade replied.

"Does she really?" Red Eye asked.

"Of course I do," Shade said, her voice becoming deeper, signaling that Nightshade had become the dominant personality, "or weren’t you paying attention?"

"I’m sorry, Nightshade, I just don’t want you becoming hurt. Some men can be scum, I don’t know Knave well enough, I suppose, to determine whether he’ll dump you at the first sign of trouble or stick by you," Red Eye replied.

"Just look at his utter devotion to Chilla and say that again. He hardly refuses to leave her side. The only reason he isn’t here now is because he’s been captured by someone," Shade replied, back in control.

"Listen!" Red Eye said suddenly. There was the sound of metal being torn apart, followed by a robotic squeal of pain. The wall to the dining hall began to melt before their eyes, revealing a tall man. He had broad shoulders and as he walked mist rose from the ground. "Who are you?" Red Eye demanded.

"Your worst nightmare, Nitro Iespyk," the man said. With a flick of his wrist the table was condensed to the size of a tennis ball and hurling itself toward Red Eye.

"Get away!" Red Eye shouted to Shade. Not wanting to leave her father’s side, but needing to inform Mystan and Chilla of what was happening, she turned and fled out the door. Even as she did so she heard a hideous scream of pain and agony from Red Eye.

Red Eye collapsed on the floor of the temporary prison in Nitro’s base. He had completed the construction of the massive building with his magical energy. Knave still hung from the wall in the entranceway, while Alluro was shackled in the prison.

Alluro looked at Red Eye’s melted face and the hole through his hand and wondered if his friend would ever be all right again. The gouge marks in his own body could not begin to compare with those in the darkness dweller.

Less than twenty minutes later Shade, Chilla and Mystan were gathered on the bridge of the Skycruiser. Shade had reported the incident in the dining hall and was now seated in a large chair, with her elbows on her knees. Mystan paced back and forth while Chilla seemed to be in shock. "My father is alive? But how?" she murmured.

"I don’t know. Lunar Droids. Were you able to trace the intruder this time?" Mystan asked.

"Negative. We have, however, detected the presence of a large structure that was not there before," one of the droids replied.

"Put it on the viewing screen," Mystan ordered. The blank screen came to life, showing a massive citadel, seemingly chiseled out of a large mountain. "When did that appear?" Mystan asked.

"It appeared over the last two days," the Droid replied.

"Two days to build that thing? Who built it?" Shade asked.

"Unknown," the Droid said.

"Let’s find out. Plot a course to that fortress," Mystan ordered, "I’ll cover things here. The two of you will sneak inside. If it is Nitro then you two are to rescue our comrades." Shade and Chilla nodded.

Nitro himself was standing in the entranceway with his hated son. He had torn the hair from the man’s scalp and left it lying on the ground. Knave’s limbs felt sore, but he refused to allow a solitary scream to come forth. "Stubborn, aren’t you. Your mother was the same way, she tried not to scream either, not even as I covered her in fire. But she did scream, and you will too. Soon," Nitro said, conjuring an icepick into existence. "Your friends are coming to save you. I can sense their ship. In your current condition you might be able to join in the fighting. We can’t have that." Nitro took the icepick and drove it through Knave’s stomach. "You’ll not feel like fighting me soon. The blood loss will eventually kill you. How much time you’ll have, though, I couldn’t say," Nitro chuckled and stalked away.

The citadel was rocked by violent explosions as the Skycruiser’s weapon systems fired a barrage of blasts into the side. From his station on the bridge, Mystan watched with some satisfaction as Shade and Chilla crawled through one of the openings they had created. They had decided that the main door would be booby trapped and that entering by another way would be more prudent. Mist began seeping through the floor, condensing into a man. Nitro. Mystan tried to get a telekinetic lock on him, hoping to toss him about like a rag doll, but his grip slid off him like hands on a bar of soap.

"You like telekinesis, eh?" Nitro asked, smiling, "have a little taste of it yourself!" Mystan’s body drifted to the ceiling before being hurled to the floor. Nitro whisked Mystan all the way across to smash into the viewing screen and then to collide head first with a metal guard rail. Taking on Mystan’s voice Nitro commanded the Droids to cease firing and to shut down everything. The Droids obeyed, though whether they were convinced by the voice or the graphic image of Mystan’s torture, was unknown.

Chilla and Shade looked around. "We should split up, cover more ground that way. You go up, and I’ll search down," Shade said.

"Are you sure that’s wise? We’re dealing with a man who’s picked off three of our people already. What makes you think that either one of us can take care of him?" Chilla asked.

"Are you doubting my plan? You’ve got your killing breath and I’ve got the knowledge that my father and lover are both injured because of him. If you can’t motivate yourself to defeat Nitro, you might as well surrender to him now!" Nightshade hissed. Chilla backed off a step and then went upstairs.

The stairs seemed to continue going up forever. Chilla rested her hand against a door and waited for her breath to return. There was a scraping noise from up ahead. Chilla steadied herself and prepared to unleash the killing breath that few Ice Lunataks knew they possessed. She herself hadn’t known about it until Knave had demonstrated it. While it taxed the body, it was an effective attack that could cause metal to become brittle or cause all bodily functions to cease. The noise from up ahead came again, this time followed by the sound of a door closing. Chilla inched forward, confused, and felt cold hands grab her throat. Her air circulation ceased and she passed out into her father’s arms.

Shade could feel that she was being pursued. A sense of terror and dread was beginning to well up within her, and then she saw him. Knave, with an icepick through his stomach. A lump caught in her throat at the sight of him and tears began to form. She cried his name and rushed to his side. "What has that monster done to you?" she asked.

"Not much. You should get out of here, before he comes back," Knave whispered. Shade knew that he spoke the truth. Nitro would be coming soon, for both of them.

"Leave him, save yourself," Nightshade urged.

"But I love him, even if you don’t," Shade replied.

"Men are a dime a dozen. Look at you, you could have any man you want, if you survive," Nightshade said.

"I don’t want ‘any’ man, I want Knave," Shade said.

"If you unshackle him, so what? He’s bound to die anyway," Nightshade said.

"Not if I stay behind and buy him some time," Shade said, forcing Nightshade into the recesses of her mind.

"Knave. You have to get out of here. Head to the Tower of Omens. The Thundercats are the only ones left who can defeat your father. They have a knack for such things," Shade said, firing her laser rifle at the chain about his wrist. She fired three more times and summoned the Ice Runner from its docking bay. "Go, get help. I’ll do what I can!" Shade said, turning back to the blackness of the cave. She heard Knave staggering forward, out of the cave and prayed that the time she bought him would be enough.

The Tower of Omens was running at peak efficiency. Lion-O had dropped by with Panthro to see how the new Thundercats were faring in their new home. The two newcomers, Aker and Ghost, had traveled across time and space from the planet Plundarr, where a colony of Felines were living. The newcomers, Lion-O and Panthro were sitting in a small conference room. "How are you liking things on Third Earth?" Panthro asked.

"It’s much better here than on Plundarr," Aker said.

"There we faced death every day. It was almost a certainty that one Feline would die of gang beatings or due to being executed for the foul crime of being a Cat," Ghost spat.

"We don’t usually encounter death here. Third Earth is a peaceful planet, and we try and keep it that way," Lion-O said. Just then Lynx-O’s voice crackled over the intercom.

"Lion-O! The Ice Runner is one its way here. One passenger. I’m reading low life signs," Lynx-O said. Not wasting time for a reply, the Thundercats dashed outside where the ship would land.

Ghost looked grimly at the face and body of Knave Iespyk. She had seen people in worse shape, but they were lucky enough to be dead by that stage. This was different. Knave was still alive.

Lion-O moved to Knave and helped him off the Ice Runner. Pumyra came out and began to examine him. "There’s nothing we can do," she announced.

"Not so fast, Pumyra. Maybe there is something that we can do. I don’t know if it will work on Knave, as he is only half Thunderian, but the Sword of Omens possesses healing powers. Get ready to pull out the icepick once the healing begins. Sword of Omens! Show me your healing power!" Lion-O said, drawing the magical weapon.

At first there was no noticeable change, and everyone thought that it hadn’t worked. Then they saw the hair beginning to regrow itself in Knave’s head, the scratches stitching themselves together again, and the icepick was slowly forced from its resting place. In under a minute Knave was whole again. The Lunatak stood and stretched. "That was amazing!" he said, filled with awe. Panthro moved behind him and gripped his shoulders. "And now we’re going to imprison you for your crimes," he said.

"Wait. We may have quarrels with you but there is a reason I came here to you. There is an evil far greater than the Lunataks. One that is bent on killing us all. I barely escaped, I expect the others are in worse conditions than I was," Knave said. The faces on the Thundercats grew grim. "If you don’t believe me, use your Sword of Omens to show you what I’ve already said."

Lion-O looked at the Sword and held it to his eyes. "Sword of Omens. Give me sight beyond sight, show me the Lunataks!" he said. The scene before him shifted to that of the imprisoned Lunataks. Red Eye’s body, covered with acid burns. Alluro, deep claw marks littering his body, an eye missing. Mystan, his entire body seeming to be one massive bruise. Internal bleeding was likely. Shade, the bones in her arms and legs shattered. Chilla frozen in ice, forced to watch her friends. Standing amidst it all was Nitro Iespyk, smiling and enjoying the stench of death.

The look of revulsion on Lion-O’s face told the story for the Thundercats. "Who is he?" Lion-O finally asked.

"My father. He claims that he made some kind of promise with a powerful entity. But wouldn’t say more. He’s powerful, from what I’ve seen and been told. He can melt through metal, create a citadel in two days. He scares me, to be honest," Knave replied.

"If he’s willing to do this to his own flesh and blood then imagine what he’ll do to us," Ghost said.

"I’d rather not," Bengali replied.

"Thundercats. We may be facing our deadliest opponent yet. I’m not going to force any one of you to come with me," Lion-O said.

"I think I speak for the rest of us when I say that we’re all going with you," Panthro said.

"Thundercats, ho!" they all shouted, save for Knave.

"And how do you intend to defeat him. The Skycruiser was no match for him, what makes you think you’ll do better?" he asked.

"I don’t know. There must be a way of defeating him," Lion-O said.

"There is Lion-O. Such evil can never be wholly destroyed. You can only hope to contain it and trap it for all eternity," a ghostly voice said.

"Jaga!" exclaimed Lion-O, though none of the others could see him. "But how can we trap him?"

"Trust in the eye of Thundera, Lion-O," Jaga said, fading away. Lion-O relayed Jaga’s message and the Thundercats, with Knave, were off.

Nitro’s citadel loomed ahead. The Skycruiser lay on the ground, obvious signs of battle on it. The citadel, though, had been repaired. The Thunderstrike and Thundertank were making good time. The forest of mists, had not proven to be an obstacle to the group. As they got closer they could see Nitro Iespyk standing outside, waiting for them.

"So, my little whelp has brought some more friends, Felines by the looks of them. Excellent, I shall enjoy exterminating them. Perhaps I will enjoy their women like I did his mother, first," Nitro said to himself. He took his fist and thrust it into the ground, causing it to ripple and bury the Thundertank in earth. "I’ll deal with you later, my wayward son," Nitro shouted, his voice booming across the plains. A massive rock then appeared in his hands and he hurled this at the Thunderstrike. After a few more stones the vehicle was forced to the ground, its occupants flying out.

Aker drew his magical dagger and aimed it at Nitro. A blast of laser fire erupted from the tip and slammed into the villain. The eldest Iespyk turned and breathed ice around the offending hand and weapon. Aker roared in pain and smashed his hand against the ground, trying to rid himself of the ice.

Ghost charged forward, using her innate ability of intangibility to avoid Nitro’s blasts of fire and ice. She turned tangible long enough to send her claws deep into the man’s flesh. She hadn’t expected him to telekinetically grab her and snap her spine. With a faint moan she fell to the ground.

"Bengali, fire at the mound of earth. We have to free the Thundertank!" Lynx-O said, "Remember that Jaga said the Sword of Omens would be the only thing able to entrap Nitro." Bengali nodded and fired the Thunderstrike’s weapons array.

With a slight mental command the Thunderstrike began to compress, pinching those still inside. Snarfer had barely made it out but Pumyra, Bengali and Lynx-O were writhing in pain. Nitro snickered and placed Snarfer in a small box with very little air.

The Thundertank lunged forward, now that the dirt had been loosened. Lion-O, Panthro and Knave hopped out and charged Nitro. The purebred Ice Lunatak sneered at the trio and knocked Panthro senseless against the Thundertank. Knave and Lion-O, icepick and Sword of Omens at the ready, collided with Nitro. "Ho!" Lion-O shouted, pointing the Sword at Nitro.

Nitro had known pain often in his life. But the feeling from the Sword of Omens as it drained him of his strength was like nothing he’d ever felt before. In one massive burst of power he tore Lion-O’s sword arm off. Then he turned to see Knave’s fiery glare. A lethal burst of cold, about zero degrees Kelvin, hit Nitro, causing his body to cease functioning.

Knave collapsed to his knees. He’d done it. He had imprisoned Nitro Iespyk forever. But the cost was staggering. He looked around and saw the Sword of Omens, remembering how it had healed him. Lion-O had passed out from the shock, so that meant that Knave would have to use it. There was a chance that the Sword would refuse and kill him, but it was the only way to undo the damage wrought. He gingerly picked it up and held it aloft. "Sword of Omens, though I am unworthy of your power, I ask you to undo the evil that Nitro Iespyk has caused. Heal all wounds and mend all things!" he shouted.

A pale golden light shot forth from the Sword, covering the entire area. The mountains, the Skycruiser, the plains where Nitro had hopefully fought his last battle. And where the light hit, wounds were healed, walls reformed and all was made well. The citadel was no more, turned back into the mountain it had been. Those inside had been expelled and now stood, confused, in the middle of the plains beside the Thundercats. Knave tossed the Sword to the ground at Lion-O’s feet. "We leave you in peace, this day," Knave said, turning and re-entering the Skycruiser. Carefully the Thundercats took Nitro with them.

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