Chapter 14
The next morning Lion-O and Cheetara boarded Commander Tiberius' ship for the meeting that the Evil Chasers had requested. Neither one had had time to track down Lea or Panthro so their friends were forgotten for the moment. The Kittens were manning the Control Room and had perkily greeted their King and Queen.
"Thanks for joining us your Highnesses," Commander McCoy said as he took his seat at the table inside the conference room. It was a small room with only enough room for six and the Thunderians figured it was a private room for meetings such as this.
"Please just Lion-O and Cheetara. We're all friends here," the lion smiled as they sat next to one another and across the table from the Commander.
"Very good. Arzu worked her magic and I think that she's right, which is why we called this meeting," the Commander said.
"Persuasive were you?" Cheetara asked the female lizard.
"Quite," Arzu smirked from her seat next to Commander McCoy, before she continued, "Rattigan's orders were to get to me and Slythe or anyone else they could get their hands on. Slythe's friend, Bayram, was driving the refugee ship. Most of the refugees are doing ok. Just Slythe and Mandora are in bad shape, though I must admit Slythe is in much better shape."
"He just has a concussion and some cuts and bruises. Mandora's body seems to be handling things better; the coma has been helpful," Tiberius spoke up from his seat at the head of the table. The opposite head of the table held a video screen, in case they needed it.
"Glad to hear it," Lion-O said.
"As am I. I hope she is back on her feet soon," Cheetara nodded.
"We all do as Arzu believes that Rattigan won't give up. We're going to need all the help we can get," McCoy told them.
"You think after this disaster that they'll send more troops? Seems like a bad idea," Lion-O raised an eyebrow.
"I think he'll do what he usually does – send someone into battle with only half the information. He'll tell the troops that their cohorts have succeeded but are in need of backup. Then when they get here, they'll find out that isn't true," Arzu explained.
"How have you guys survived this long?" Cheetara was confused.
"You misunderstand. He'll send troops that he questions their loyalty. If they turn out to be loyal, they'll fight to the death. If they aren't, then it'll be no loss of the High Council," the female lizard told them.
"Good grief," Lion-O shook his head.
"Won't he run out of troops that way?" Tiberius asked.
"He has a running list – he knows enough about his troops to trust his gut. He's shrewd and would rather have men who would die for him than those that question his authority," Arzu expounded.
"He must rule with an iron fist since he cannot gain respect any other way," Cheetara frowned.
"Indeed. So we are planning on the Farragut staying with us for the time being. I have been ordered to stay put until the incident has been resolved," Tiberius said. There was a knock on the door and the Commander bade them to enter.
"Sirs, ma'ams, we just received word from HQ. Movement has been spotted in Mutant airspace," Private Vickers announced.
"What should we do on the planet's surface?" Lion-O wanted to know.
"We're going to help arm you. We better get started," Commander McCoy said.
To Be Continued…