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lordofthecatsLion-o was fast asleep in his bed on the Thundercats flagship when Cheetara came to wake him. "Sorry, Lion-o, but Jaga needs to see you on the bridge right away."
Snarf was already protesting even as Lion-o climbed our of bed. "The boy needs his sleep, snarf snarf! He's had a very long day and not a lot of rest."
"Aw, c'mom Snarf. I'm practically grown-up!" Lion-o reminded him, but the Snarf rolled his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Snarf, but it's Jaga's orders," said Cheetara, staying safely out of the debate. "I hope it won't take too long."
As they approached the flight deck, Lion-o could hear Jaga telling someone, "If he is to rule, he must learn to take the bad with the good." He wondered what could be going on that was so important that the warrior would risk the wrath of Snarf.
But when he entered the bridge, his attention was drawn to something on the view screen. "Jaga, what planet is that? What's happening to it?" he asked, as the small red planet on the screen exploded before his eyes.
"That is -- or rather, it was our home, the planet we called Thundera. It is no more, Lion-o," said Jaga with a heavy heart. "We will be traveling to a new homeworld, one that may be very different from the one we're familiar with."
"But what about my father? What's happened to him? He didn't join us on this ship," asked Lion-o
"Claudus had a gravity capsule hidden near the Cat's Lair," explained Tygra. "We've been monitoring communication frequencies, but there's been no word from him and none of the other ships report seeing his capsule before the explosion. I'm afraid we must assume he died on the planet."
He should have been sad, but the shock of seeing his planet's destruction just minutes before and knowing that his father might have been on that planet just left him feeling numb. He looked down at the deck plating, trying to ignore Snarf whimpering beside him.
Jaga placed a reassuring hand on Lion-o's shoulder. "The nobles gathered here, Panthro, Tygra, Cheetara, even Wileykat and Wileykit, will be teaching you the skills you need to lead wisely and well. Thundera is gone, but Code of Thundera lives on as long as you, as Lord of the Thundercats, carry it in your heart."
"I will, Jaga," said Lion-o, though he didn't sound very confident. "Or, at least I'll try."
"That's all we can ask of you," said Jaga. "Rest assured that the Thundercats will always support you in your efforts." He looked as though he was going to say more, but he was interrupted by alarms from the ship's consoles.
Panthro immediately turned away and checked a console. "We're under attack. It's the Mutants!" he shouted.
Jaga went over to the communications console. "Flagship to convoy: assume defensive formation! Wileykat, Wileykit, help Panthro monitor sensors. Tygra, Cheetara, take the weapons systems."
"What about me, Jaga?" asked Lion-o, tugging at Jaga's cape.
"Snarf, take Lion-o to the sword chamber and hide," ordered Jaga, looking over his shoulder. He went back to the communications console. "Thundercat flagship to lead Mutant ship: please discontinue your attacks. We are a convoy of refugees, the entire remaining population from our planet. Our ships have minimal weapons capabilities. Please let us go and we will stay out of your way!"
"No response, Jaga," said Tygra bitterly. "It's like nothing I've ever seen! Those ships bear the insignia of Reptilians, Jackalmen, Monkians and Vulturemen -- all the Mutant clans united, and I've never seen them work together before."
"But why would they attack a convoy of refugees?" asked Cheetara, the distress evident in her voice. "They're picking our ships off one by one!"
Panthro frowned. "All but one. The flagship hasn't taken a hit yet, which means that they're eliminating the others so no one can come to our defense. Jaga, we can expect visitors. Thundercats, prepare to rebel boarders."
Jaga turned around again to look at Lion-o. "Snarf, please take Lion-o to the sword chamber! I want you two to remain there with the Sword of Omens."
Snarf was pulling Lion-o's arm, but Lion-o resisted. "I want to help!" he pleaded.
Another alarm went off, and Panthro announced, "We've been breached!"
"Now, Lion-o! Protect the sword if you want to help," ordered Jaga.
Lion-o and Snarf raced down the corridor, turned a corner and headed into the sword chamber. Snarf locked the door behind them and they huddled in the back of the room, next to the stand that held the glittering Sword of Omens. They could only hope that the door held up under Mutant weapons or that the rest of the Thundercats could drive away the Mutants before they reached the chamber.
"Don't be scared, Lion-o," said Snarf, though his own voice was shaky.
"I'm not s-scared," said Lion-o, but he was trembling and his voice stuttered.
It seemed like ages as they listened to the sound of fighting going on in the corridors outside. Finally, there was a loud bang, and the door to the sword chamber caved in. In the doorway stood Slithe and Jackalman, who both sneered as they looked at the last line of defense. "They put a mere cub to protect their treasure, yes-s-s-s? This shouldn't take long," said Slithe, taking out a blaster and advancing towards them.
Snarf stood up on all fours. "Leave Lion-o alone!" he shouted, and in a rare display of courage, he leaped at Slithe. But it was no use. Jackalman fired his blaster at Snarf, leaving Lion-o's caretaker unconscious from the stun blast.
Now he was the only one left. Lion-o grabbed the sword and held it in front of him. "You will not have the sword as long as I live," he declared. His brave words failed to register with the Mutants, who laughed and kept coming. Then Lion-o felt a strange tingling sensation, and it almost looked to him as though the sword was growing longer and pulsing with energy.
"What is-s-s happening?" asked Slithe, stopping short and staring.
Lion-o raised the sword above his head, then brought it down in a slashing motion. The excess energy that had built up in the sword went flying towards Slithe in the form of an energy bolt, knocking down the Reptilian leader and leaving scorch marks on his tunic.
"Retreat!" ordered Slithe, though Jackalman hadn't waited. He was already out the door when he saw the energy bolt.
The sword suddenly felt awfully heavy in Lion-o's hands, and he dropped it with a clatter. "Snarf! Are you okay?" he pleaded, running to the snarf and gathering him up in his arms. Thankfully, Snarf was dazed but conscious, and Lion-o hugged him tightly.
[WARNING: character death and planet destruction. Adapted from Thundercats episode "Exodus." NFB, obviously, but OOC comments welcome.]
Snarf was already protesting even as Lion-o climbed our of bed. "The boy needs his sleep, snarf snarf! He's had a very long day and not a lot of rest."
"Aw, c'mom Snarf. I'm practically grown-up!" Lion-o reminded him, but the Snarf rolled his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Snarf, but it's Jaga's orders," said Cheetara, staying safely out of the debate. "I hope it won't take too long."
As they approached the flight deck, Lion-o could hear Jaga telling someone, "If he is to rule, he must learn to take the bad with the good." He wondered what could be going on that was so important that the warrior would risk the wrath of Snarf.
But when he entered the bridge, his attention was drawn to something on the view screen. "Jaga, what planet is that? What's happening to it?" he asked, as the small red planet on the screen exploded before his eyes.
"That is -- or rather, it was our home, the planet we called Thundera. It is no more, Lion-o," said Jaga with a heavy heart. "We will be traveling to a new homeworld, one that may be very different from the one we're familiar with."
"But what about my father? What's happened to him? He didn't join us on this ship," asked Lion-o
"Claudus had a gravity capsule hidden near the Cat's Lair," explained Tygra. "We've been monitoring communication frequencies, but there's been no word from him and none of the other ships report seeing his capsule before the explosion. I'm afraid we must assume he died on the planet."
He should have been sad, but the shock of seeing his planet's destruction just minutes before and knowing that his father might have been on that planet just left him feeling numb. He looked down at the deck plating, trying to ignore Snarf whimpering beside him.
Jaga placed a reassuring hand on Lion-o's shoulder. "The nobles gathered here, Panthro, Tygra, Cheetara, even Wileykat and Wileykit, will be teaching you the skills you need to lead wisely and well. Thundera is gone, but Code of Thundera lives on as long as you, as Lord of the Thundercats, carry it in your heart."
"I will, Jaga," said Lion-o, though he didn't sound very confident. "Or, at least I'll try."
"That's all we can ask of you," said Jaga. "Rest assured that the Thundercats will always support you in your efforts." He looked as though he was going to say more, but he was interrupted by alarms from the ship's consoles.
Panthro immediately turned away and checked a console. "We're under attack. It's the Mutants!" he shouted.
Jaga went over to the communications console. "Flagship to convoy: assume defensive formation! Wileykat, Wileykit, help Panthro monitor sensors. Tygra, Cheetara, take the weapons systems."
"What about me, Jaga?" asked Lion-o, tugging at Jaga's cape.
"Snarf, take Lion-o to the sword chamber and hide," ordered Jaga, looking over his shoulder. He went back to the communications console. "Thundercat flagship to lead Mutant ship: please discontinue your attacks. We are a convoy of refugees, the entire remaining population from our planet. Our ships have minimal weapons capabilities. Please let us go and we will stay out of your way!"
"No response, Jaga," said Tygra bitterly. "It's like nothing I've ever seen! Those ships bear the insignia of Reptilians, Jackalmen, Monkians and Vulturemen -- all the Mutant clans united, and I've never seen them work together before."
"But why would they attack a convoy of refugees?" asked Cheetara, the distress evident in her voice. "They're picking our ships off one by one!"
Panthro frowned. "All but one. The flagship hasn't taken a hit yet, which means that they're eliminating the others so no one can come to our defense. Jaga, we can expect visitors. Thundercats, prepare to rebel boarders."
Jaga turned around again to look at Lion-o. "Snarf, please take Lion-o to the sword chamber! I want you two to remain there with the Sword of Omens."
Snarf was pulling Lion-o's arm, but Lion-o resisted. "I want to help!" he pleaded.
Another alarm went off, and Panthro announced, "We've been breached!"
"Now, Lion-o! Protect the sword if you want to help," ordered Jaga.
Lion-o and Snarf raced down the corridor, turned a corner and headed into the sword chamber. Snarf locked the door behind them and they huddled in the back of the room, next to the stand that held the glittering Sword of Omens. They could only hope that the door held up under Mutant weapons or that the rest of the Thundercats could drive away the Mutants before they reached the chamber.
"Don't be scared, Lion-o," said Snarf, though his own voice was shaky.
"I'm not s-scared," said Lion-o, but he was trembling and his voice stuttered.
It seemed like ages as they listened to the sound of fighting going on in the corridors outside. Finally, there was a loud bang, and the door to the sword chamber caved in. In the doorway stood Slithe and Jackalman, who both sneered as they looked at the last line of defense. "They put a mere cub to protect their treasure, yes-s-s-s? This shouldn't take long," said Slithe, taking out a blaster and advancing towards them.
Snarf stood up on all fours. "Leave Lion-o alone!" he shouted, and in a rare display of courage, he leaped at Slithe. But it was no use. Jackalman fired his blaster at Snarf, leaving Lion-o's caretaker unconscious from the stun blast.
Now he was the only one left. Lion-o grabbed the sword and held it in front of him. "You will not have the sword as long as I live," he declared. His brave words failed to register with the Mutants, who laughed and kept coming. Then Lion-o felt a strange tingling sensation, and it almost looked to him as though the sword was growing longer and pulsing with energy.
"What is-s-s happening?" asked Slithe, stopping short and staring.
Lion-o raised the sword above his head, then brought it down in a slashing motion. The excess energy that had built up in the sword went flying towards Slithe in the form of an energy bolt, knocking down the Reptilian leader and leaving scorch marks on his tunic.
"Retreat!" ordered Slithe, though Jackalman hadn't waited. He was already out the door when he saw the energy bolt.
The sword suddenly felt awfully heavy in Lion-o's hands, and he dropped it with a clatter. "Snarf! Are you okay?" he pleaded, running to the snarf and gathering him up in his arms. Thankfully, Snarf was dazed but conscious, and Lion-o hugged him tightly.
[WARNING: character death and planet destruction. Adapted from Thundercats episode "Exodus." NFB, obviously, but OOC comments welcome.]
