Episode 32 – Fallen RatStar
The story soon begins by opening up within a very secluded part of a woodland looking area, most likely nearby the Geyser of Life in some way, shape or form. There, we are shown that a group of Berbils was hard at work, though, they did not seem too happy about that one bit at all. In fact, some of them were even seen carrying large yet strange-looking machine parts, while others were seen welding pieces of scrap metal together. As for the ones who were actually moving around the piles of scrap metal and the machine parts via some carts of some kind, they were all doing it in a very beeline-esque manner, much like the Cat Slaves were doing with the crystals in the mine found within Mount Plun-Darr. And, also like the Cat slaves of Mount Plun-Darr, when one of the Berbils actually tripped over and fell down, he was soon approached by a guard who was carrying around a whip. It was Rat soldier, to be precise, just like the ones that were found at Mount Plun-Darr in the First season, and then, without a moment's hesitation, the vermin guard actually started to ruthlessly whip the poor metallic bear creature repetitively and without ounce anything even remotely resembling mercy of any kind.
Meanwhile, though, in yet another part of the general area, we are shown that yet another Rodent guard was currently overseeing yet another group of Berbils were all hard at work, this time around; moving around a large amount of various machine parts. Suddenly, though, this exact same armored rodent was soon approached by a much larger figure, who was then revealed to be none other than old Ratar-O himself.
"Huh-wha, uh-oh, um-uh, L-L-Lord Ratar-O, s-sir, is there, um-uh, i-is there a problem of some sort, my Lord…?" said the Rat guard, after turning around to face his corpulent Rat Leader
"Why, yes, actually there is a little bit of a small problem, my dear little friend…" Ratar-O replied, rather angrily "For you see, we seem to have all of these Berbils working on this little project of ours, and yet we are no closer to finishing it up than we were when it was just you lot of fools working on it all on your own!"
"I-I-I assure you, um, O' sire, we are, um-uh, working those little runts as, um-uh, f-fast as we can and, um…." The scared Rat guard began
But then, he was cut off by Ratar-O when he said-
"Well then, work them faster and harder! I have gone through a great deal of trouble in order to come up with this particular project of ours and I expect for you fools to make certain that it becomes a reality, or else"
"Y-y-yes, sir" the Rat guard replied right before Ratar-O walked away
But right after he was gone, the rodent soldier ever quietly sighed before saying to himself-
"I'm starting to think that Mordax had the right idea when he decided to desert the army"
Afterwards, though, he is then very quick to go back to overseeing the Berbils and their forced labor and we are then suddenly given a bird's eye view of exactly what the Rats were currently forcing the Berbils to build at this point: a large and technologically advanced looking warship of some kind.
This was when the scene then shifts to yet another different woodland setting: a pathway that apparently leads away from the amazing Geyser of Life. There, we are shown that both Lion-O and Pumyra were currently walking down this path while Lion-O was holding what looked like a map of some kind in one of his hands. He then began to check over this very same map, but, based on his initial facial expressions and low-pitched grumbling and muttering, it was pretty clear that Lion-O was just barely able to read this accursed document.
"(Sighs exasperatedly) I can barely make heads or tails out of this stupid thing, Pumyra…" is what the young Lion said as he attempted to decipher the map, right before he let out yet another exasperated sigh before following it up with- "You know, you would think that with all of her magic powers and all-knowing wisdom and everything, Mumm-Rana would be more than capable of creating a far more legible map for us to use"
"(Scoffs) I very much doubt that, your Majesty, my lady Mumm-Rana would normally just use her teleportation powers to get herself wherever she needs to go, so I dare say that she probably has never had even to look a real map in over a thousand years at the very least." replied Pumyra, as she followed her monarch while he kept walking
"Yeah, I can probably believe that one, which reminds me: where exactly did Mumm-Rana say that she was going when she disappeared off again like she did?" asked Lion-O after sighing yet again, only this time more normally
"Mmm, she wouldn't say, as a matter of fact, but, then, knowing Mumm-Rana, that was probably because she had a very important engagement awaiting her in yet another location" Pumyra replied
"Hmm, maybe, but I still really wish that she would've just used some of that special magic of hers to teleport us both back to the other Cats, instead of just leaving us to traverse this entire forest on our own" Lion-O continued
"Well, before we left the Geyser, Miss Mumm-Rana did say that if we followed this particular map, we would get to where we both needed to go soon enough…" said Pumyra
"(Sighs) sounds like just another one of her mysterious riddles at play again if you ask me, but, okay. Let's just keep on moving and hope that this map isn't just leading us both on a simple wild goose chase…"
The young Feline Monarch and his Puma associate then both just kept on walking further into the woods after that. But then, suddenly, they both heard what sounded like somebody yelling not far away from their current standing location. They both ran over to see what it was, specifically, and once they were both within a viewing distance, Lion-O and Pumyra both saw that the noise that they were hearing was a group of Berbils that were yelling in their usual monotone and mechanical voices. The tiny metallic bears were all clearly running in terror, but neither Lion-O or Pumyra were actually able to see the reason why, until they both saw that their pursuers were none other than armored Rat Soldiers. And once the armored Rodents had finally caught up to the Berbils, they wasted little to no time in rounding them all up, which made both Lion-O and Pumyra particularly upset.
"Ha, Rat Soldiers; and it looks like they're, basically, into rounding up Berbils nowadays, interesting…" said Lion-O
"Those filthy rodents, they make me sick to my stomach, it's disgraceful…!" is what the lady, Pumyra, found herself saying with a growl heard underneath her angry voice
And she was just about ready to leap right into action, until Lion-O grabbed her by the arm and said-
"Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa, take it easy there, Pumyra, okay? We don't want to risk getting any of the Berbils hurt by starting a fight down there and, besides, the Rats most likely have plenty more of them hidden away somewhere else. So, we'll follow them back to their nest and then we'll free all of their prisoners in one fell swoop, agreed?"
Pumyra simply found herself nodding after hearing this initial plan and then, once that matter was settled, the two ThunderCats proceeded to follow the Rodent soldiers as they all made off with their new Berbil captives.
Eventually, the Cats found out that their "prey" did indeed lead them both right to the Rats' base camp of operations, and once they were both finally there, our Lion-O and Pumyra both watched on with disdain as the recently acquired Berbils were all added on to the already large and work-weary workforce. However, what really attracted their collective attentions was specifically what the Berbils were all being forced to build.
"What in the world is that strange…thing that they're all trying to build right now, Lion-O…?" asked Pumyra, in a much more calmly state of mind than she was before
"Hmm, I'm not sure, but whatever it is: it's definitely going to be something really very big, and I'm going to assume even more dangerous to go along with it" Lion-O replied "Let's just free the Berbils and get out of here as quick as we can, alright…"
Pumyra then nodded in compliance after that was all finally said, and the two Cats then began to start sneaking right into the enemy camp, while thoroughly avoiding the notice of the numerous rodent guards.
Meanwhile, though, on a completely different side of the aforementioned enemy camp, Ratar-O himself was standing by on a nearby cliff side as he watched the initial progress of his little "project". But then, he was soon approached by a particularly tall figure, a figure that, for the moment, was hidden completely within the shroud of darkness.
"What, what is now, dear General? Can't you see that I'm a little bit preoccupied at the moment, you foolish old soldier…?" Ratar-O asked, without turning to look at the figure behind him
"If I may have only a simple minute of your time, O great and mighty Lord Ratar-O, hmm…?" said the nameless figure, his face still unseen
"(Sighs) oh, very well then, get on with it already, my dear General?" Ratar-O replied reluctantly
"(Clears throat) well then, my great and powerful sire, Lord Ratar-O, if I might be as perfectly honest with you about this as possible; I am a little bit surprised that you're still relying on the work of forced labor to get things done within your army, especially with the events of Mount Plun-Darr serving as the perfect example of what has come of it for you as a result in the past…"
That last comment made Ratar-O glare back at the mysterious figure, right before he replied-
"While I will admit that my attempts to reclaim the Sword of Plun-Darr might have fallen short of success, this new project that I am currently working on will undoubtedly be what brings me back to the top of the food chain, where I belong…"
"But must your glory truly be built on the backs of so many in pain, my Lord?" asked the nameless figure "I-I mean, surely, there must be a different than…"
"Do not presume to act so highbrow with me, dear General, from what I understand, you yourself are not too unfamiliar with the concept of slavery. In fact, I have personally heard that you yourself got into this business specifically out of fear and cowardice for your own pathetic life. (Chuckles) not unlike a Rat to be perfectly honest (chuckles yet again)" said Ratar-O as he began stroking his long black mustache
The next thing that we are shown afterwards is the unseen figure's left hand as he clenched it into a fist in pure subdued anger. His face was still yet to be seen, but, by the appearance of his clenched up hand, it was a safe bet to assume that he was a Cat of some kind.
"Oh, but you don't need to fret over it, my dear new warrior friend, for you see; that was a change for the better, I dare say. I mean, if you hadn't gone down the path that you did then you wouldn't be here where you are right now, at my side, during my greatest triumph. And that is infinitely more preferable to the alternatives; would you not agree, my dearest new General, hmm?" Ratar-O continued
"Yes…my Lord…" said the nameless figure, after sighing a little bit, in a slightly melancholy type of voice
"Ah, yes, good-good-good, now then, please continue to monitor things from this position, while I go off to see just how the metal welders are doing at this point" said the Rat dictator as he walked away
It was at this point that the nameless figure suddenly came right into view within the light, and when he did do just that, he was revealed to be not only a Cat of the Lynx type, but was also none other than the old blind Lynx General who was first seen during the first half of the Pilot episode; General Lynx-O himself. And the next thing that he said was-
"Yes, Sir"
Meanwhile, though, somewhere elsewhere within the enemy Rat camp, we are shown that a pair of Berbils were both nearly collapsed upon the ground from complete exhaustion and when they both tried to get back up on their feet, they were both shown to be just too tired to even come close to standing. Not that it really even mattered to the one Rodent guard who was currently coming right up towards the two of them, seeing as he was prepared to start whipping them both mercilessly at that very same moment in time, without even a single hint of hesitation. But before he could even do so much as even a single lash with his personal whip, the armored Rodent soldier suddenly felt his whip get snagged on something and when he turned around to see what it was, he was surprised to learn that his whip wasn't snagged on to anything at all. It was grabbed onto by one single hand, by Lion-O's one single hand to be more precise, and then, as the young feline monarch began to pull the whip closer to himself, he was then very quick to follow it all up by delivering a very powerful, yet very swift, punch directed specifically at the Rodent guard's unprotected face, which sent him tumbling right over, quickly, within that very same instant in time. And as the Rodent guard soon fell unconscious right then and there, the two Berbils began to look straight up at our dear young friend, Lion-O, with much confusion, just as he was beginning to approach them both with the currently gentle-looking Pumyra walking ever close by to her king.
"Who-who are you?" asked one of the two Berbils
"I am called Lion-O, the Lord of the Thundercats, and this is my friend, Pumyra. Don't worry; we're both only here to help you Berbils, all of you…"
"Help us, but how…?" asked the second Berbil
"Well, for starters, we can begin by removing these horrible shackles from off of the both of you…" said Pumyra as she removed the small shackles that were on both the Berbils bodies, with a minor amount hard struggle being involved within her initial efforts
"What are you all doing so far away from home, out here, anyways? I mean; is Ro-Bear Bill here along with you or any of the other members of his village or family?" asked Lion-O
"Ro-Bear Bill…? There is no Ro-Bear Bill to be found here, 'Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats'…" said the first Berbil
"And we aren't far away from home; our village is just over that rise over there" said the second Berbil
"It is?" said Pumyra in slight confusion
This was understandable, since the Berbil village that she was told about was actually far away from their current location, to be certain.
"Yes" said the first Berbil "We Berbils have many villages on Third Earth. Our original home was far too small, so the Berbils began to build many colonies far and wide"
"Some of the other Berbils here come from two other villages close to ours, they are our friends, as well…" said the second Berbil
"Well, don't you worry, we're going to get you all out of here and that's a promise" said Lion-O
But suddenly, he and Pumyra were caught off guard when a voice from behind them said-
"Is that a fact, Cat?"
The two of them then both looked behind themselves, and when they did, they both saw that the voice that they heard came specifically from yet another Rodent guard, and he was aiming what looked like a blaster rifle right at them, along with several other heavily armed Rodent guards. More Rats soon began to arrive onto the scene after that, and they were all armed to the teeth with Blaster rifles, as well.
And as the two Cats found themselves suddenly surrounded, they both took the moment to say-
"Whiskers"
-in unison
(Commercial Break)
The numerous Rat soldiers then began to advance right towards the two Thundercats who were both looking particularly ready to fight them all off at this particular moment.
"You are surrounded and outnumbered" said one of the Rats "Remove your weapons now and surrender while you still have the chance!"
Lion-O and Pumyra both looked at each other for a brief moment, and then Lion-O replied by saying-
"Well, if we must"
-as he reached for both his sword and his Gauntlet
But while he was doing so, Pumyra suddenly gave him a very subtle looking smile, and the reason for that was because when Lion-O reached for his gauntlet, he quickly put it right on and activated the Spirit Stone's mysterious power.
The Rat soldiers then began to fire their weapon mere seconds after that, but Lion-O used the Spirit Stone to create an energy field around himself, Pumyra and the two Berbils. Then, he used the stone's power to make said force field fire out numerous energy blasts which knocked the blaster rifles right out of the Rats tiny little hands. And, right after that, the duo of both Lion-O and Pumyra came right at the rodent soldiers and started knocking them out like flies within the next few seconds.
The two Berbils soon ran off towards a safe distance during this particular fight, and it was a good thing that they did do so, because more Rat soldiers were soon starting to arrive right onto the scene. They were all ferociously firing out all of their dangerous laser weapons, but young Pumyra was far too agile for any of them to hit and King Lion-O was still under the protection of the Spirit Stone's pink powers. Eventually, they were both able to take care of the reinforcements, but, what neither one of the two Cats was able to notice at this point was the fact that three of the Rat grunts from before had regained their consciousness and were all planning to attack the duo from behind.
Fortunately, though, before they could do that, a cart filled with scrap metal suddenly came right at them and plowed them all right over. Lion-O and Pumyra were not able to notice this until much afterwards, but, right after they did, they saw that it was the Berbils who were the ones that were responsible for it.
"Lion-O and Pumyra are Berbils' friends, Berbils help new friends just like new friends help Berbils…" said the first Berbil, much to the smile-worthy delight and glee of the two Thundercats themselves
However, it was soon right afterwards that, while one of the Rat soldiers was lying there, right on the ground, in mild agony, the young Pumyra actually came right over to him and, then, picked up the blaster rifle that he was originally holding. She inspected the weapon for a brief few seconds or so, but then, once she was finally finished with her inspection, she simply came right out and said-
"Hmm, this technology, Lion-O, I-I mean; I know all too well where all of the Lizards in Mumm-Ra's army got all of their weapons and machines. But, where on all of Third Earth did the Rats find this type of firepower for their own forces all by themselves, I wonder?"
"Rats not find weapons and technology, Rats force Berbils to build it for them" said the second of the Berbils "Rats force Berbils to build many bad weapons…"
"But only a few Berbils are made to build new weapons" said the first Berbil "Other Berbils are made to work on Ratstar"
"The w-what-star…?" asked Lion-O
"W-wait a minute, hold on, are you guys both talking about that great big, giant… thing we first saw when we first originally came into filthy rodent camp?" Pumyra added on; as she dropped her newly acquired rifle in order to approach the Berbils even more so than before
"Yes, Ratstar very giant, Rats force Berbils to make Ratstar giant. Rats also force Berbils to fill Ratstar with many bad weapons. Ratstar very-very dangerous, Ratstar very-very bad…" said the first Berbil
"You don't say, huh-" said Lion-O after a brief sigh "-Well then, if that's really the case, then, we better get the two of you as far away from this rodent camp as possible, along with all of the other Berbils, before that horrible thing gets finished and fast, come on…"
And, after that, the two Berbils and Pumyra all started to follow Lion-O very closely as he began to lead them all away very quietly. However, once Pumyra was, at last, able to make it to her King's initial side, she then came right out and said-
"Um, Lion-O, you do realize, of course, that if this "Ratstar" thing really is as dangerous as these two Berbils here both say that it is, then, we really can't afford to just leave it here in the hands of these vermin…"
"I'm well aware of that fact, Pumyra, but, first things first…" said Lion-O "We have to make absolutely certain that we get all of these Berbils out of here and then, off to a safe distance someplace else. And then, once we've finally cleared the area of all innocent civilians, we can then begin tearing that horrible thing apart, one piece at a time, understand…?"
"Great" Pumyra replied, with a smile, right before she continued with "But, um, any idea how we're supposed to do that, exactly, hmm?"
"Um-uh, I'm, uh-eh, n-not quite sure just yet" said Lion-O "But, um, d-d-don't worry-don't worry, I'm, uh, I'm certain that I'll be able to come up with something once the time is right, later on…"
"Oh, that's reassuring to hear, simply reassuring to say the least" said Pumyra in a dry-witted tone
After that, we are then suddenly shown yet another part of the enemy camp; a much higher cliff, where Ratar-O himself is once again overseeing the slave labor of the Berbils that he was holding as captives. Only, this time; he, along with exactly two of his armored Rodent guards, was watching over a group of Berbils that were building many more laser rifles. And once one of these weapons was finally completed, the Rat dictator himself actually picked it right up and started admiring it while saying-
"Ah, yes, marvelous, simply marvelous, I tell you: why, is it any wonder why the Lizards decided to embrace such advanced weaponry when they first discovered its existence?"
"Ah, yes, I must say that these weapons really are quite impressive to look, O' great Ratar-O sir" said one Rat soldier as he picked up another one of the finished rifles
"Yeah, impressive and lethal" said the other Rat soldier, as he chuckled beforehand and afterwards, while he grabbed onto yet another finished blaster to use for himself
"We'll need such an arsenal for ourselves once our campaigns finally start to get underway" said Ratar-O as he was aiming the blaster that he was holding at a nearby rock "Our new "project" might be able to handle the heavy duty work, but these little trinkets will come in quite handy if we encounter any minor details"
This was when Ratar-O finally decided to fire out the blaster that he was currently holding and it soon reduced the rock that he was just aiming at to a mere pile of tiny little pebbles. He then walked right over to where the rock once used to stand and then, he smiled a very toothy kind of smirk. However, his look of joy was soon replaced by look of surprise when he then looked way down to the lower part of his camp and saw that both Lion-O and Pumyra were currently running right passed his present position, along with the two Berbils that they freed just a little while earlier.
Now, upon considering the events that had last happened to Ratar-O the last time that he had crossed paths with young Lion-O; one would assume that this new discovery would make the rodent dictator very angry to say the least. However, instead, the mustached Rodent just went back to smiling and even chuckled a little bit as he said-
"Well, isn't this a delightful little surprise to stumble upon? I mean, here I was, originally waiting for the right moment to exact my revenge upon the child King of the Thundercats, and now, here is, practically coming to me today on a silver platter"
"What do you want us to do about this, O great Ratar-O, sir?" asked the first of the Rat guards as he joined his master in looking downward towards the intruders
"Go gather up as many spare men as you can muster and then, head down to intercept them, and bring out a few of our new fancy "toys" for a nice little field run while you're at it, as well…" Ratar-O replied
The armored Rat guard was able to guess all too easily what the oversized rodent meant by that last part of his order and the fact that he smiled right before running off to obey Ratar-O's order only cemented this initial belief even more so.
Meanwhile, though, way back with the group of Cats and Berbils, they were all still sneaking around the camp and, just like before, they were doing a rather good job of not being seen by any of the rodent guards. However, just as soon as they all managed to find cover behind a very large rock, the young Lion and his Puma follower both saw a sight that was easily able to remind them both of what was originally happening at the Mount Plun-Darr mining operation: a Berbil being whipped unmercifully by a vicious Rat guard/slave-master.
"That's my sister, Ro-Bear Beth!" said Berbil #1
This made Pumyra start to snarl in a very angry manner, as well as make her attempt to charge the Rat with the whip. However, Lion-O soon stopped her and said-
"Pumyra, take it easy, just remember the plan, okay…? And don't forget about what happened the last time that you flew off the handle in this type of situation, as well"
Pumyra was almost instantly able to catch on to what Lion-O was initially alluding towards and instantly remembered how her initial impatience and hot-bloodedness got herself, Lion-O and Panthro all captured during the mission within Mount Plun-Darr. That's when the young Puma started to collect herself properly and took a deep breath so that she could say-
"You're right, I'm calm. I just hate to watch anyone get treated like that, especially by vermin like those horrible Rats out there!"
"I understand that, Pumyra, but if we're going to help them out in any way, we'll have to do it without getting ourselves caught in the process, alright…?" said Lion-O
Meanwhile, though, while the Rat guard was still whipping the helpless female Berbil, he then felt his whipping arm suddenly be grabbed by someone else from behind. And when the Rodent soldier finally turned around within the next few seconds or so right afterward, he saw that it was none other than old Lynx-O himself who was the one holding onto him at this time.
"Soldier, that is enough, do you understand?" is what the old Lynx said right before letting the rodent drop to the ground upon seeing his nod of compliance to that statement shortly afterwards
Lion-O and Pumyra both then opened their eyes wide open in shock once they saw the sight of the elderly Cat soldier. Never did it even occur to either of them that the blind old Lynx general actually survived the Fall of Thundera, especially since all signs pointed to him perishing during the first attack.
"G-General-G-General Lynx-O…?" said Lion-O, silently
"He-He's alive...b-but how…he…?" Pumyra added, also silently
At any rate, though, the Rat guard/slave-master simply got back up and looked towards Lynx-O in order to say-
"I was only making certain that this little slacker right here was doing her job faster, General Lynx-O sir. I mean, I found her here, lying down on the job, so I…"
"So what…? She's a part of the disposal unit of this project, soldier, her only job is to get rid of excess scrap metal that we have no real use for. I highly doubt that that will affect our plans in the long run, don't you agree?" Lynx-O replied
Now that last part made Pumyra and Lion-O both look even more shocked about things than ever before. I mean the elderly Cat soldier who was once chosen by King Claudus himself to lead the Thunderian army, a member of a band of ruthless Rat slavers? How-how could that have ever even happened to begin with?
"Well, I-I suppose that that's true, general, um…" said the Rat guard
"Of course it is true, soldier, now get back to your rounds, and remember, I'm the one who handles the Berbils that aren't pulling their weight, understand?"
"Y-yes, General; as you wish, my General…?"
The Rat guard then scurried himself right away right after all of that was said, and during this particular time, both Lion-O and Pumyra looked particularly angry as they glared at General Lynx-O. However, once the guard was finally gone from the initial area, the two Cats were both surprised to see that old Lynx-O himself actually knelt right down to the Berbil female's level and then helped her get back on to her tiny metallic and mechanical feet.
"Are you alright, dear little one?" is what the old General actually said soon afterwards with a gentle tone
"Ro-Bear Beth fine, thank-you, General Lynx-O" the female Berbil replied
Lynx-O simply started to rub Ro-Bear Beth's head soon after that and that only made both Lion-O and Pumyra feel all the more confused as an immediate result of it.
"Okay, now, I'm at a complete loss here, are you?" said Pumyra
"Yes, yes I am, Pumyra, most definitely at a complete loss right now…" Lion-O added
Little did the two Cats realize, however, that something was fast approaching them both from behind; in fact, they didn't even notice it until one of the Berbils actually said-
"Thundercats, look out!"
That was the point when both Lion-O and Pumyra looked right behind them and saw that a small missile wad heading right for them at a breakneck speed. They both each grabbed a Berbil at this moment and then got right out of the way without delay, of course, but right afterwards, they soon saw that their attackers were more Rat guards who were all using the strangest looking weapons that either one of the Cats has ever actually seen to this date.
Lynx-O soon became aware of all of this right after the first missile was fired, and he soon made his way out of the blast zone with the scared Ro-Bear Beth being carried along with him in tow.
There were four Rats in the group total, and each and every single one of them was wearing what looked like a bulky mechanical exoskeleton, ones that vaguely resembled the Warbots that the Lizards usually tend to use, but, relatively smaller and with a much more of a rodent look to their initial design rather than reptilian. They also had considerably less visible weaponry, which only made it all the more harder for one to tell where that last missile came from. However, that question soon became the least of the Cats' worries, as, exactly, two Rats quickly revealed their suits to have laser blasters built into their shoulders, which they soon began to fire directly at the two Cats. Lion-O and Pumyra both, once again, dodged their attackers with the Berbils in tow, and once the two Berbils were finally safe and sound, the two Cats finally went on the offensive of this fight. The problem was that their usual attack patterns were proving to be far less effective than usual, in fact, when Lion-O even tried to use the Sword of Omens to actually slash right through the Mechas' scary-looking armor, it proved to be too thick even for the Sword of Omens to slice right through. And when the Mechas tried to attack him right back, the Lord of the Thundercats was forced to use the Spirit Stone to defend himself with an energy shield, without even a hint of having a new strategy to handle these new powerful opponents.
Pumyra was having even less success at this time, as her usually reliable pellets were having virtually no effect on the Mechas what so ever.
"Do you like the new arsenal, my dear Miss Pussy Cat?" asked one of the Rats attacking Pumyra "We had the Berbils make them all special, after all. We call them the "Vermi-Mechs", you see, and we find them to quite the delightful improvement over the Lizards' Warbots, would you not agree, my dear?"
The Rat then used the "Vermi-Mech" to swing at the young Puma, with her just barely being able to dodge it. And then, once she was, at last, far enough away, she stopped using her wrist-bow and instead soon brought out her bolas in order to give them a try for effectiveness. She twirled them as fast as she possibly could and then came at the Vermi-Mech with a great amount of speed. The Rat pilot then attempted to blast her before she got too close to him, but, regardless of that, though, the Puma was still managing to get close enough to use her bolas to strike the Vermi-Mech on the hinging joint of its right arm attachment. And, right after that blow was finally made, the right arm attachment of the Vermi-Mech started to crackle with electricity before ultimately falling off, much to the initial horror of the Rat that was currently piloting it. Pumyra, on the other hand, was actually pleased with what she just able to witness at this point, and it showed in the way that she soon said-
"Hmm, nope-nope, not really much of an improvement over the Lizards' Warbots at all, really…"
(This was, obviously, a snarky reply for the Rat pilot's earlier boastful comment, to be certain)
Once that was said, then, Pumyra suddenly started to use her bolas to strike multiple joints on the Vermi-Mech's metallic body, all of the way up until it eventually fell over, with the pilot still inside, completely defeated.
"Lion-O: the joints, they're the weak spots, aim for the joints!" the she-cat called out as she herself was being approached by yet another Vermi-Mech
Lion-O was also being advanced on by his Vermi-Mechs, but after hearing Pumyra calling way out to him, the next thing to come out of his mouth was-
"Really, well, now, that's really nice to hear"
And then, right afterwards, Lion-O then began to use the Spirit Stone to defend himself against a barrage of laser blast attacks, while he then began to charge directly at the medium sized war machines with his sword at the ready. Then, once he was, at last, close enough to one of them, he used the Sword of Omens to slash at one the Vermi-Mechs' knee joints and sent it falling face forward right onto the ground. As for the other one, it then sped up its advance towards the young Lion monarch and then, took a powerful left arm swing at him, only for Lion-O to dodge it rather easily. Right before delivered yet another swift slash to the Mecha's upper elbow joint, and, with only one arm left to use at this point, the Rat pilot then began to swing at the Cat one more time, only to miss him yet again, while Lion-O himself took the opportunity to slash off both of this Vermi-Mech's robot legs, thus sending it falling over to ground as well.
Now, Miss Pumyra was spending most of her time simply dodging the very last Vermi-Mech at this point, but then she, eventually, saw her opening and thus used it bring out her own personal wrist-bow one more time, so that she could fire out multiple shots at the Mecha's mechanical arms and legs. This eventually left only the four Rats that were originally piloting these Mechas, who were all still alive, of course. But after everything that they had just gone through with their Vermi-Mechs, they were all left unconscious within the cockpits, completely brought out of the game as of this particular moment. Now, both Lion-O and Pumyra were considerably left pleased with how this battle ultimately ended, as were their two Berbil friends, once they were, at last, able to see that it was now safe for them to come out of hiding.
"Whew, well, now, I will admit, that, all things considered, that was a little bit unexpected, but…" said Lion-O, as he dusted himself off
"…But, all in all, that was definitely not a bad workout to go through, overall" Pumyra continued
"Still, though, we had best keep moving now, while we still can, before any more of those "things" start to show up and cause some more problems for us around here…" Lion-O added
But before the Cats and the Berbils could all start moving, they heard someone else say-
"Too late"
They were all very quick to take a look in the direction from whence that statement had originally come from, and once they had all done that, they saw that even more Vermi-Mechs had arrived and had begun to surround them all from all sides of their present location. Regardless, though, both Lion-O and Pumyra started to step up in front of the Berbils and prepared for yet another fight. However, that was when they both noticed that several more Vermi-Mechs were starting to approach them from behind and General Lynx-O himself was approaching the group right along with them.
"You both appear to have a great deal of Vermi-Mechs currently surrounding you, my intrusive, young fellow felines..." said Lynx-O "So, if I were you; I would surrender while I was still able to do that, lest your Berbil friends over there get themselves hurt in the ensuing battle. Unless, of course, that is, their safety is as not paramount to either one of you as we initially thought it out to be at first…"
Now, while both Lion-O and Pumyra, undoubtedly, hated the way that this particular situation was starting to look at this point, they both also did not want their Berbil friends to get hurt because of something that the two of them did. So, reluctantly and begrudgingly, they both dropped their weapons right down to the ground and then, they both held their hands up, way up high, with a bit of a growl coming from both of them at the time. Some of the Rats even started to get out of their Vermi-Mechs' cockpits after all of that, and they approached the two surrendering ThunderCats in order to apprehend them. But, all of the while, even though his eyes were both closed to symbolize his blindness completely, it was pretty clear that old General Lynx-O did not take any pleasure out of doing this, no pleasure out of any of it, one way or the other.
(Commercial Break)
We are then suddenly given a nearly complete full view shot of the apparent "RatStar", only this time around; it was starting to look a whole lot more finished in terms of its initial construction. Its insides most certainly were, if nothing else, since the very next thing that we see is the interior corridor where our dear friends, King Lion-O, Pumyra and their two Berbil friends are all being escorted down in chains. There were exactly six Rat guards walking along with them at this time and each and every single one of them was armed to the teeth with a blaster rifle, sans the two Rat guards who were both walking ahead of our group of brave prisoners. Lynx-O was currently walking down the corridor right along with them, but, he was following from afar, the way far back, way behind, to be more precise. This was just as well, though, seeing as both Lion-O and Pumyra were looking particularly agitated with him at this time.
"I still don't get it; why are we wasting all of this time, just trying to get these two Cats locked up in a single prison cell when we could have just finished them both off, right away, while we were all outside, in the camp a little while earlier?" said one Rat guard after sighing ever so slightly
"Oh, I quite agree with you on that point right there, my dear old friend, so why don't we just save ourselves some real trouble in the absolute long run and just get it over with; right here and right now? My trigger finger's getting particularly itchy right about now, anyways, if you know what I mean…" said another Rat Guard, before chuckling a little bit
"I will agree that it might not seem very…wise to keep these Cats alive and as prisoners…" said Lynx-O from behind, after clearing his throat in order to get the soldiers collective attention "But, if I know Ratar-O, and I do, he'll likely want to keep our 2 new captives here alive for just long enough, most likely to have them be there to watch his victory over Third Earth or some other such nonsense or whatever…"
"Mmm, makes perfect sense to me, to be perfectly honest" said a third Rat guard "I mean, from what I heard about it, this Big Cat right here is the one who ruined things for the boss way back at Mount Plun-Darr a little while ago…"
"Oh, so that's what this is all about, revenge? Ugh" said the fourth Rat Guard in the group
"Yeah, well, that's pretty much typical of Ratar-O in a nutshell, he's always been really into both power and revenge overall" said one of the Rats walking ahead of the prisoners
"It feels like such a nasty little obsession for him to get into, if you want my opinion, boys" said the other Rat walking with him, upon scoffing ever so slightly
"Alright, troops, that's enough; it's time to put our new guests here into their new living quarters for the time being, understood?" said Lynx-O as they all finally arrived at what appeared to be the, apparent, brig part of the RatStar.
Then, as was per Lynx-O's orders, the Rat soldiers then all began to force the two Cats and their two Berbil friends into a their new respective prison cell, and then, they activated the bright shining energy field barrier which, ultimately sealed them all on the inside, indefinitely
"Okay, so they're all in the cell right now, so, now what?" said one of the Rats
"Now, you four all go off and inform Ratar-O of our recent little catch right here, while the others stay right here with me and help me to keep a close eye on them all, understood, soldiers?" replied the Blind Lynx
"Yes, General" said the four Rats in unison, right before they all scurried away in order to obey their recently received command from their general
Now, it was only the old blind general himself, General Lynx-O, along with his two remaining Rat guards, who were with their four current prisoners at this particular time.
"So, do you mind telling us the story of how it all happened, General Lynx-O?" said Lion-O, finally breaking the brief silence within the room
"Um, I, um-uh-uh, beg your pardon, um, sir, uh…?" Lynx-O replied, clearly caught at a bit of a loss for words at this point
"Well, I just wanted to, you know, figure out just how a high-ranking member of the Thunderian Royal Military, one who was even once chosen over both Panthro and Grune for the position, I might add, ended up here as member of a band of Rats, who are also a band of slavers, no less, as well?"
"Watch your tone, Cat or else I'll" said one of the Rodent Guards as he aimed his Blaster rifle directly at the young Lion-O himself
"No, soldier, it's alright, I have nothing hide from this former Prince of Thundera" said Lynx-O, gesturing to the armed rodent to put down his weapon
"I am the current King of Thundera now, General Lynx-O" Lion-O replied in a semi-angry tone
"Ha, does it really even matter nowadays anymore anyways?" replied Lynx-O "I mean, Thundera is completely in ruins now, young Lion-O. Our once mighty empire has now finally collapsed into utterly nothing, my dear boy, and our once proud military has been completely crushed right along with it. So, as far as I am concerned, my dear little king, the legacy of the once powerful and incredible Thundercats is no more than a mere distant memory, if even that. And in regards to how I got right here, well, like any Cat who managed to survive all of the carnage that was the Fall of Thundera, I've made other arrangements for the future, if only to stay alive"
That last part made Lion-O stare at the blind Lynx with a cocked up eyebrow, however, no one else seemed to notice this, especially since Pumyra just came out and said-
"Other arrangements, huh, is that what you are calling deserting your own people and joining up with these swamp-dwelling rodents nowadays, huh…?"
-rather angrily
"Shut your mouth, you miserable…!" said the second of the armed to the teeth Rodent Guards, as he aimed his Blaster rifle directly at Pumyra's clearly furious face
But before he could even fire a shot, Lynx-O, once again, intervened by pushing down upon the weapon and thus making aim away from Pumyra, so that he could say-
"Calm down, soldier, you'll get your chance for that, but for right now, I'm pretty sure that Ratar-O wants them to be alive, at least for a little while longer, if nothing else"
"(Dejected) fine" said the Rat as he lowered his blaster rifle of his own accord
"Good, now, you two stay here and watch these four, while I go and check on the progress of the other Berbil Slaves" Lynx-O continued
That last comment made the two Rat guards exchange a look of confusion before one of them said-
"But didn't you just tell the others that you were going to stay here and help us guard the Thundercat prisoners, General?" the two Rats said at the same time
"Well, yes, I did, but then I remembered that I had to make doubly certain that the Berbils all finished things up right on schedule. You know how much Ratar-O wants this project of his completed on time, after all" said Lynx-O, almost nervously
"Well, yeah, but…" said the other Rat guard
Right before Lynx-O approached him and said-
"…But what, soldier?"
-In a rather angry tone
"N-nothing, sir" is what the armed rodent then suddenly found himself saying, thus indicating that he had dropped the subject all together out of fear
After that, Lynx-O was then free to exit the brig altogether, and once he was gone, Lion-O then looked out at the doorway that he had just used and made a "that's interesting face" right away as an immediate result.
Pumyra, on the other hand, just scoffed at this and said-
"And to think, Lion-O, this was the very same Cat whom your father actually chose to be the true leader of the Thunderian Military. He's no better than Grune and if I ever get out of here, I swear that I'll…"
However, it was at that very same moment, that Lion-O suddenly interrupted his Puma associate by both placing his hand upon her shoulder and then silently gesturing to her to both be silent and to follow him to the back of their shared prison cell. The Rats barely even noticed this and, once the two Cats were, at last, out of their general hearing range, they then began to talk, albeit rather quietly.
"I wouldn't be so quick to judge old Lynx-O just yet, Pumyra" said Lion-O
"What…?" replied Pumyra, almost shocked by her King's statement
"Yes, I know what it must look like right now, Pumyra, but…I got a pretty good look what Lynx-O's face was like when he was just talking to me a little while earlier and when he was just trying to explain himself to the Rats just few seconds ago. I mean, don't ask me how I know this, exactly, but, I feel like there's actually something more involved in this all of this, something that we're both just not seeing, at least not yet…" said Lion-O
"S-something else…? Something else…!" snapped Pumyra, almost raising her voice too high "Lion-O, he's a traitor, a defector who has not only betrayed his own kind, so that he could side with this filthy horde of Rodent slavers, but, has also been helping them enslave countless Berbils, so that he could, even now, aide them all in their whipping of them all into submission! I mean, what else could there possibly be going on here, aside from a truly traitorous Cat soldier who has most clearly lost his way and his sense of loyalty…?"
"Well, I'd say that you just answered your own question right there, Pumyra; he's a Cat soldier who 'has most clearly lost his way'…" Lion-O replied "And, besides, you heard him just a few minutes ago; he's, apparently, had to make some "other arrangements" just to keep himself alive, and considering the way that he ended up saying it, I'm going to assume that he's been through quite a lot since the original Fall of Thundera"
"So what if he has been through a great deal since that day, Lion-O, it's not like it's been any easier for the rest of us either. I mean, don't forget, my King, a great deal of other Cats were also made to suffer when they were all captured and then, forced in backbreaking labor. But, the real, main difference is that, unlike Lynx-O over there, the rest of us didn't end up joining up with a band of whip-happy rodents and become slavers ourselves in order to simply save our own traitorous and worthless hides" snapped Pumyra after scoffing just a little bit
"No; some of you just went on to work for Mumm-Ra as spies and became pawns in his attempts to get back his stones of Power instead..." said Lion-O, rather coldly "But, hey, at least you were getting rewarded for it all, right? And I'm sure that settling a personal score that you had with your King was most definitely worth handing over all of Third Earth to the hands of an undead monster"
It was precisely that comment that made Pumyra's angry face turn into one of shock and then, to one of sadness. She knew perfectly all too well that her King was talking about her at this point.
"Still, though, if there is one thing that I know about the Lynxes, it's that you can't break their wills quite so easily…" Lion-O continued "They're some of the toughest Cats out there, and by that logic, if Lynx-O is here, then that means he must have been through something really horrible. And if we're going to help him, then, we're going need to find out what it was first, alright?"
"Alright…" said Pumyra, this time without anger "But, first; may I remind you that we're all still locked up in this tiny little prison cell and are all currently awaiting the order for our execution…?"
"Berbils can fix that" said Berbil #1 as Lion-O and Pumyra both looked downward towards his initial direction and saw what he was doing
Apparently, while the young Lion and Puma were both talking things over, Berbil #1 and Berbil #2 had already managed to remove a plate covering from off the floor and were now both fiddling with all of the wires that were within the general circuitry.
"Berbils help Thundercats escape" Berbil #2 added as he held two clipped wires within his tiny little hands and then. brought them both even closer together
This, of course, caused them both to electrically connect and when that happened, the energy barrier of the cell started to flicker just a little bit, and that, subsequently, drew the attention of the two armed Rodent guards. And then, just when the energy barrier was, at last, completely gone, the two Rat soldier were, of course, left completely flabbergasted and attempted to investigate things by getting in closer.
"Hey, w-w-what's going around here?" said one guard
"What did you Cats do?" said the other guard as he and his partner both aimed their weapons directly at both Lion-O and Pumyra
However, what the two Rats didn't notice at this time was the fact that they were both now standing right smack dab in the middle of where the cell doorway would, essentially be, and once they were both right there, the ever patient Berbil #2 then separated the two wires that he was holding and thus reactivated the energy barrier right on top of them. The two Rats both screamed in pure agony for a few seconds or so right afterwards, as they were both, essentially, electrocuted by the field's initial energy. But, before they could sustain any type of fatal pain, the merciful Berbil #2 then separated the two wires once again and, subsequently, deactivated the cell's energy field one more time. This allowed the two guards to wobble around a bit before dropping their weapons and collapsing to the ground unconscious. And this made both Lion-O and Pumyra give a great big smile for a few seconds or so, right before they both heard Berbil #1 say-
"Berbils do good?"
"No, my friend, Berbils do great" Lion-O replied
We are then brought to yet another part of the Ratstar's general interior, where we see that Lynx-O was currently walking down yet another corridor. Now, true; he did say that he was going to do something way back outside, but, in reality, he was just in need of some time to himself to think about things, particularly, little discussion with Lion-O. For you see, while he might have made it sound like he felt no real remorse for any of his actions before, Lynx-O was, at last, totally free to show just how he really felt about things at this point. He leaned up against one wall with the use of one hand and used the other hand to rub his eyes with the impression that he had just lost his already failed eyesight. Clearly, something was on the old blind Lynx's mind.
He then turned around just a little bit, so that he could lean right up against the wall with his back, and when he did, he used his right hand to feel on his chest for the circular plate that was still placed right there. This was where Lynx-O still carried the Thundercats symbol of his past. Now, granted, it was, currently, a little bit cracked, no doubt from the original siege of Thundera, but it was still a part of Lynx-O's main armor and it certainly made him think about the voices that he heard in the past.
We don't see a flashback this time around, but, we do hear some voice in the background saying-
"General Lynx-O, the Lizards, t-they're approaching us, their weapons…w-w-what do we do?"
That is when we hear Lynx-O's own voice in the thought and he replies with-
"Stay calm men, we've sent our warning to Thundera, all we can do now is try and hold our position!"
It was that last part which echoed throughout Lynx-O's mind for a few seconds or so and it made him cover his entire symbol plate with his entire paw while he gave a look of blind despair.
Within the next few seconds however, Lynx-O is snapped out of his daydream when a Rat guard approaches him and says-
"General Lynx-O sir, is something wrong, my General?"
"What, oh, uh-uh no-no-no, nothing's wrong, soldier" Lynx-O replied "I was just, um-uh, h-heading outside in order to make sure that the Berbils were all still working at full tilt"
"Oh, the Berbils are all done with building work for now, sir" the Rat replied "Ratar-O himself just gave the word to have all of them placed in the cargo hold area, my General"
"The cargo hold area, w-what on all of Third Earth for, soldier?" asked Lynx-O
"I'm afraid that he wouldn't tell us, General, he would, um, only tell us that we were to make absolutely certain that every single Berbil was present and accounted for in the cargo hold area. He, uh, must be planning to, um, go gather some more, I suppose" said the Rat
Now Lynx-O, of course, was not entirely certain about how to respond to this, but, before he could give any sort of response at all, a loud alarm system soon began to sound off.
"W-w-what's going on here?" asked the blind Lynx
"I'm not sure, let me check the alarm grid, General" said the rodent guard as he headed towards a control console and started typing on the mini keyboard.
Once he was done, he looked at the small screen and immediately said-
"According to this, there is a disturbance that is coming from sector 8, right here aboard the Ratstar…"
We then cut right to this sector 8 in question and when we do, we see that the cause of this disturbance was none other than (of course) the two Thundercats themselves. And both Lion-O and Pumyra were right in the middle of a fight between them and several other Rat soldiers and they were making pretty short work of them at this time, blaster rifles or no blaster rifles. In fact, even the two Berbils that were with them both were helping them out in this fight, in their own unique Berbil type ways.
And then, once the fighting was, at last, over and done with, Lion-O then found himself a rather limp looking Rat in the area, and then blasted his rifle with the help of the Spirit Stone's power when he tried to go and reach for it. This allowed him to then actually lift up this aforementioned rodent right in front of him, by his fur collar no less, so that he could actually say-
"Where are the other Berbils?"
-in a rather threatening manner
"We-we just put them in the Cargo hold area, it's right down the hall, to the left, y-you can't miss it…" said the Rat soldier with a mild sense fear heard within his initial tone
Then, right afterwards, the young Lion is very quick to let the injured Rat drop right down to the ground and then, he and his companions all made their way towards the aforementioned cargo hold.
However, what neither Lion-O nor any of the members of his company knew was that, in addition to the numerous Berbils that were all within the cargo hold, General Lynx-O and about six other Rodent soldiers were all also awaiting there as well. In fact, two of them were even shown to be wearing Vermi-Mechs for this upcoming attack.
"Um-uh, a-are we quite sure that the Cats will even be coming into the cargo hold area at all, my General…? B-b-because, I don't that…" asked one of the Rats in the group
"Oh, relax, my dear little rodent soldier, for let us not forget; those two particular ThunderCats seem to be very intent on helping out our numerous Berbil workers-" Lynx-O replied "—and that means that, sooner or later, they'll both be making way right into this particular area, and we will all be patiently awaiting their inevitable arrival, with a nice little surprise at the ready for the two of them. Now, then, everyone, make certain that your weapons are all at the ready"
Per Lynx-O's orders, the Rats all began to ready their personal arsenal and aimed them all at the door, much to the concern of the Berbils within the room.
But, while all of that was going on there, we then cut right to what could be assumed was the main bridge of the "Ratstar", where we see that, exactly, several different Rats were all seated at several different stations, with Ratar-O himself currently standing right there, in the middle of it all.
"Are we all quite ready to begin with this little operation of ours, my fellow Rat warriors…?" said the rodent dictator
"Oh, quite ready indeed, O' great Ratar-O sire…" said one of the Rats onboard "But, I, um-uh, I-I'm still not quite clear about why you actually want to rid of all of the Berbils we captured, master. I mean, just look at what they have all managed to do; are you sure that we should not, perhaps, keep them around a little bit longer?"
"Um, I actually feel inclined to agree, O' Master, um, especially since the Ratstar isn't technically completed" said another Rat "In fact, certain parts of the hull are still left exposed, too many of them, for my tastes, actually…"
"Bah, with the incredible type of firepower that this machine now possesses, the hull is nothing more than a needless precaution" said Ratar-O "But, if it really does mean that much to you to have it fixed, then, we'll simply pick up some more Berbils after our initial first strike. Though as for the Berbils that we currently have, well, to be perfectly honest; I'm quite sick and tired of having to look at their dopey-looking mechanical faces, all day, none stop, and I've already had to do so for 3 weeks solid. But, fortunately, though, I have the perfect type of solution for dealing with the whole lot them"
However, it was at this particular moment, though, that Ratar-O was caught off guard when yet another Rat entered the bridge and said-
"Ratar-O, sir, the ThunderCats, they have escaped from their prison cell and they're currently headed right towards the Cargo bay with exactly two escaped Berbils"
"What!?" Ratar-O yelled in surprise "You fool; how could you have let this happ…?"
Suddenly, Ratar-O's anger was replaced with a sinister looking grin as he then continued with-
"Did you say they were all headed towards the cargo holding area, my dear soldier?"
"Um-uh, y-y-yes, sire; I, uh, did…" is what the Rodent guard said, clearly, mildly, at a loss on what his leader was currently getting at
This was when Ratar-O then started to chuckle rather wickedly, as he replied with-
"Well, then, this is actually something that can end up working to my advantage, but, for now, my dear soldier, simply pay it no mind. And as for the rest of you, begin activating the Ratstar, immediately; it is time for us to finally get my plans truly underway"
And, just like Ratar-O ordered, the other rodents all began to push random buttons, until, eventually, something started to happen, much to the pleasure of Ratar-O himself. But, meanwhile, though, way back at the cargo holding area of the "Ratstar", we are shown that Lion-O and company had finally arrived at their initial destination and were all prepared to enter, unaware of the fact that Lynx-O and his troops were still anxiously awaiting them on the other side. However, just when you would think that things were about get ugly, something happened to the power and all became completely dark.
"Hey, w-w-what just happened…?" said one Rat
"Yeah, everything just went dark all of a sudden" said another Rat
"Really, well then, I guess I'll just have to take your word for it then" said Lynx-O, rather sarcastically
(Obviously a nod to the fact that he was blind)
"Sorry" said the Rat from before
Eventually, though, the lights did soon come back on and, right after they did, the Rats were all a little bit perplexed by the fact that the door was currently wide open and yet Lion-O and his friends were all nowhere to be found on the other side. This prompted, exactly, two of the Rat soldiers to go over right towards the doorway in order to investigate, but, right after they did do so, Lion-O and Pumyra both quickly made their presence to everyone once they both made their move against the two of Rat soldiers and left them both lying flat on their backs on the floor as an almost immediate result of it. They both then ran in, in order to, quickly, engage the other Rat soldiers found within the cargo hold and, while they were doing so; their two Berbil companions were both using this opportunity in order to run in and greet the rest of their fellow Berbil captives. But, in any event, though, both Lion-O and Pumyra were quite easily able to make pretty short work of the rest of the rodent soldiers within the room, including the ones that were within the Vermi-Mechs, as well, up until, finally; it was only the old blind General Lynx-O himself who was the only one left standing in their way. This prompted them both to aim their weapons directly at the old blind Lynx soldier, as they both then began to make their slow advance right towards him. And while the blind Lynx-O was, of course, able to hear just about every single step that the two of them were making at this point, he decided to simply raise up his hands, in lieu of fighting and immediately said-
"Alright, alright, you two, an honest General can admit when he has been defeated. Although, I really must say, whatever you both just did, that trick with the lights was most definitely quite underhanded"
"Oh, did you really like it…? Our Berbil friends here are the ones who come up with that part of the plan" replied Pumyra as she continued to aim her wrist-bow at the Lynx General "I mean, after all, you didn't really think we were all going to walk into such an obvious trap without a plan, did you…?"
And then, once that finally said, our dear young Cat friend, King Lion-O, continued to point his magic sword directly at General Lynx-O, as he approached the old Cat, rather slowly and said-
"We need to talk, General"
But, before the old Cat soldier could start answering any questions about anything, there was a sudden 'out of the blue' rumbling that was happening all around, which just about everyone was able to feel. It was as if the whole entire Ratstar was suddenly being shaken from the outside, rather violently.
"Are we… moving?" is Pumyra asked
And, indeed, they were, in fact, moving; the entire Ratstar was just starting rise up from off the ground and was soon taking off right up to the sky. Now, you would assume that such a large warship would take a very long time to get up too high, but this particular vessel was gaining altitude at about the same pace as, say, the Feliner itself. Anyone on the outside who would have been able to catch sight of this would have been both greatly impressed and truly perplexed by the mere sight of this very rare feat. But, in any event; we then cut right back to the Ratstar's apparent bridge, where we see that just about all of the Rats there were currently monitoring the ship's instruments. All except for big ol' Ratar-O himself, who was, currently, still just standing right there in the middle of it all, just like he was before they all eventually took off from off of the ground.
"Have we reached a sufficient enough altitude at this point, Lieutenant Suttar?" the rodent tyrant asked a specific Rat within the room
"Mmm, yes, yes, we have, my Lord Ratar-O, sir, in fact; I am currently estimating right now that we should be right about at 150 feet in height, even as we speak, my master…" said the Rat lieutenant apparently known as Suttar, just before he chuckled ever so slightly
"Excellent, and so, if that's the case, then; it's just about time for us to drop off some unnecessary baggage, which has been taking up far too much space on this ship as it is…" said Ratar-O as he began to start stroking his mustache in a very devious fashion
It is from that moment forward that we are suddenly brought right back to the general cargo holding area of the Ratstar ship, where we see that just about everyone in there was still trying to figure out just what was going on all around them at this particular moment. However, they are all suddenly given something else to worry about, once a few solid glass walls started to appear out of nowhere and sealed off every single side of the general cargo holding bay area. This left, pretty much, everyone at a complete loss, at first, but, pretty soon, it all began to make some degree of sense to all of them, once the sealed off cargo holding bay area actually began to detach itself from the rest of the Ratstar. Then, before anyone could even react to it, the entire section of the warship was actually dropped from the rest, like a falling peach, and everyone on board was brought to screaming as they all plummeted down to the ground.
(Episode Ends)
