A/N: This is a sequel to Vultureman's Army, another of my Mutant Victory fan fictions, but it's unrelated to that story plot-wise. These stories are all self-contained stories. In this one, Jackalman gets a little bolder than usual and makes another attempt at rebellion, like in the TC episode, "Jackalman's Rebellion," but this time, his soldiers are Safari Joe and the Demolisher, instead of the Driller and Molemaster, like in the show. Again, if you don't like villain victories, don't read. If you do, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own ThunderCats or its characters; Warner Bros. and Rankin/Bass own them.
Jackalman's Rebellion II
ACT I
It was relatively peaceful on the meadows of Third Earth, midway between Cat's Lair and Castle Plun-Darr. The Wollos, the Bolkins, the Warrior Maidens, the Unicorn Keepers, and the wild things got along well with each other, as usual, and the day itself was pleasantly warm and quite beautiful. But this was soon to change, as an event that had happened some time in the past was about to happen again.
Suddenly, an old Mutant weapon that hadn't been seen for a long time appeared rolling on the ground. It was the Mutank, the alternate form of Ratar-O's RatStar spaceship, but Ratar-O wasn't the one piloting or commanding it. In fact, he wasn't even on the planet at the time. No, it was being piloted and commanded by Jackalman.
No one could account for how it happened, but the Canine Mutant was making another attempt at a rebellion against the Mutants and the ThunderCats, and soon, the Lunataks as well, despite the fact that Jackalman's last rebellion had gone down very badly. But this time, Jackalman had taken more precautions, and had waited for the right moment to make his move. Besides, this time, he had two soldiers in his little rebel army that were both more formidable than Molemaster and the Driller had been the first time.
In one of the seats of the Mutank sat Safari Joe. One might have wondered how he was able to go hunting again, after the ThunderCats had made him promise never to do it again. Fortunately for him, after a long, painful time of good behavior, he had found an opportunity to get at his robot assistant, Mule, and reinstall his old programming, so that they could go hunting together again. At the same time, though, Safari Joe's time on probation had done one good thing for him, and that was that he was less of a coward than he was before. He had gone into counseling on some planet somewhere in the galaxy, and his will had been strengthened enough that he could handle dangerous hunts better than before. He had even gotten in better shape in his middle age, so that if he had to, he could fight hand-to-hand, as well as with his Gatling gun.
He had offered to join Jackalman's rebellion when he heard that Jackalman was, quite evidently, a Jackal Mutant, a natural hunter, and promised that he would assist the Mutant in the more dangerous situations they came upon. Near Safari Joe sat Mule, his aforementioned robot partner.
In another seat sat an even more formidable fighter, the Demolisher, a trained fighter who fought simply for the glory of it. He went around the galaxy and fought people he deemed to be worthy opponents, and every time he had a victory, he felt very proud of himself for proving his mettle once again. While he didn't consider Jackalman to be a very formidable foe, he admired the way that Jackalman had held up against Lion-O and the ThunderCats for so long, and besides, joining Jackalman's second rebellion gave him another chance to get back at Lion-O and his friends. In the Mutank's last seat sat Dirge, the armadillo cheerleader of the Demolisher, whose high praise and beating drum always reminded the Demolisher of how excellent a fighter he was. He wasn't much of a fighter himself, but the Demolisher kept him by his side anyway, for the sake of morale.
Jackalman was snickering on about how he didn't need Slithe, Monkian, or Vultureman anymore. "When my rebellion has put a stop to those miserable ex-comrades of mine, I'll show the ThunderCats not to mess with me anymore, and I'll also teach the Lunataks a lesson even they will never forget! And as for Mumm-Ra, he may be more powerful than me, but maybe he'll reward me, as well as my rebellion, for getting rid of those noisome ThunderCats for good! Nyah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
"I'll show that Lion-O not to mess with me again!" said Safari Joe, examining his gun, "Safari Joe is back in business, and this time, he's not going to get cowed by those Cats so easily!"
"And I have a score to settle with that self-righteous scoundrel, too!" said the Demolisher, "But this time, his ThunderCat friends are going down with him, and none of them are getting up again!"
"And I'll finally be worthy of being called the greatest Mutant General from Plun-Darr, General Jackalman!" Jackalman concluded their ambitious boasting. He once again wore a gold star on his armor, and he wielded Slithe's axe again, too.
Behind them, they heard the clear sound of laser fire. The Demolisher checked his monitor and saw the other Mutants pursuing them.
"Looks like your former friends are already after us, General Jackalman," he remarked.
Jackalman looked for himself. Slithe was riding the NoseDiver, and Monkian and Vultureman were flying the SkyCutters, and they all looked very mad.
"Aw," said Jackalman mockingly, "I see the poor boys have come to say goodbye."
"What do you say we give them a parting shot, General?" asked Safari Joe.
"What a good idea, Safari Joe! Nyah, ha, ha, ha, ha!" said Jackalman, and he told Joe to get his Gatling gun ready to shoot down the SkyCutters first.
Safari Joe did just that, climbing out of the Mutank's hatch and getting ready to take aim at Monkian's SkyCutter.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo! Safari Joe!" Monkian exclaimed, showing a flair for the obvious.
"Get him!" Slithe ordered. "That double-crossing Jackalman has to be stopped before he really screws up our wretched little unit!"
"Caw!" said Vultureman, "You're starting to sound like Mumm-Ra, Slithe!"
"Never mind that, bird-brain!" yelled Slithe, "Just get Safari Joe before he clips your wings!"
But it was too late, for Monkian, anyway. Safari Joe fired a very sharp dart at the engine of the SkyCutter, and a section of it blew up in Monkian's face. The Simian Mutant bailed out at the last second and fell into some bushes, while the SkyCutter crashed nearby.
"Ha! Safari Joe does it again!" yelled Safari Joe.
"Be careful, Safari Joe!" hollered Jackalman, "I was hoping to salvage the SkyCutters and the NoseDiver later for our own purposes!"
"You are?" said Safari Joe, sounding surprised.
"Of course!" replied Jackalman, "They might come in useful for our own excellent purposes! Try to think about that the next time you aim at one of those vehicles."
"No problem, General Jackalman," Safari Joe said, "Safari Joe always takes care when he aims his gun, and when he shoots, Safari Joe never misses! Except, of course, when I fought Lion-O by Cat's Lair and was unprepared for his trickery."
"Good," said Jackalman, "Now get ready, because the other Mutants are gaining on us!"
"Already on it, General!" said Safari Joe, aiming his gun. Suddenly, a sharp, fast arrow hit the gun and knocked it off its aim.
"Hey! What was that?!" Safari Joe cried.
The Warrior Maidens had become wise to the trouble that was going on by Tree-Top Kingdom, and were trying to stop it. As usual, Queen Willa and her sister, Nayda, were leading them.
"Aim at all those vehicles," Willa was instructing them, "No Mutant or Mutant ally can be trusted to leave the Tree-Top Kingdom in peace."
"Oh, great, just what I need," said Safari Joe sarcastically, "A bunch of Amazonian women shooting at my superior weapons with arrows!"
"Leave this to me, General," said the Demolisher, getting up from his seat and exiting the Mutank. "Those women are obviously worthy opponents. I'll take care of those wenches, and then I'll catch up to you."
The Demolisher stood on top of the Mutank for a few moments. Safari Joe got impatient with him and said, "Well? What are you waiting for, Demolisher? Get them!"
"Relax, Safari Joe," said the Demolisher, "I'm getting ready for the right moment."
He waited a few more seconds, until the angered Reptilian Slithe had almost caught up in the NoseDiver, and suddenly, he jumped off the Mutant and tackled Slithe and his vehicle. Slithe struggled to fight him, but soon enough, the Demolisher shoved him out of his seat and onto the ground, taking over the NoseDiver's controls.
"Oh, that's what you intended," said Safari Joe, "I'm impressed, Demolisher!"
"Nyah! Ha! Ha! Yes, you really do know your stuff, Demolisher!" said Jackalman from inside the Mutank.
"Thanks," said the Demolisher. "Now start paying attention to Vultureman, while I take care of the Maidens!"
And just in time, because Vultureman was shooting his SkyCutter's lasers at the Mutank. Jackalman did some outmaneuvering moves that shook up the Mutank and almost made Safari Joe fall off, but the big game hunter managed to stay onboard.
Jackalman fired some rear missiles to keep Vultureman swooping and diving in the air, while Safari Joe lined up a shot. Joe fired an energy ray that turned into the shape of a bat, and it flew right in Vultureman's face. The Avian squawked and screamed in alarm, and fell off his SkyCutter, which fell to the ground, more or less in one piece. But before Vultureman could hit the ground too, Safari Joe pulled the same trick on him that he had on Cheetara the last time he was on Third Earth. He fired energy bolts with cuffs attached to them, two for Vultureman's wrists and two for his ankles, making him float in the air, unable to move.
Again, he shouted, "Ha! Safari Joe does it again!"
Meanwhile, the Demolisher had driven the NoseDiver right into the thick of the Warrior Maidens and their arrows, a bold strategy that they wouldn't have imagined anyone would've tried. He activated the NoseDiver's laser drill, and as he swerved past the trees the Maidens stood on, the drill cut through the trunks of the trees, making them teeter off balance. The Warrior Maidens struggled to stay on their perches, but some of them fell and received varying degrees of injuries, while others were desperately clinging to the stronger tree branches.
The Demolisher parked the NoseDiver and jumped out. Willa and Nayda leapt to the ground and stepped up to confront him.
"We've never met you before," said Willa, "But you're not doing any more harm to anyone without getting past us first!"
"That's right!" said Nayda, "You just watch yourself, dog-face!"
"I always watch myself in combat, ladies," said the Demolisher smugly, "What's that? Dog-face? Nobody calls me dog-face!"
The Warrior Maiden leaders whipped out long, thin daggers, like short rapiers. The Demolisher, in turn, drew a weapon that was like a morning star with a drill on the end. Willa and Nayda slashed at him with their swords with the expertise of famous swordswomen. The Demolisher smoothly evaded both sword swipes and thrust his morning star at them. Willa leapt over it and landed a kick on the Demolisher's head. Nayda took advantage of the moment and made a cut on the Demolisher's left arm.
The Demolisher howled in pain for a second from the cut, but the kick didn't seem to have any effect at all. Then he made an excellent recovery, and slung his chain mace at them again. Nayda and Willa both aimed their daggers at his legs. Nayda missed, but Willa just managed to prick him slightly. The Demolisher recoiled for a moment, but again, he proved too strong to be taken down by such attacks.
Finally, after the Warrior Maiden sisters tried to stab him in the chest, which he deftly sidestepped, the Demolisher swung his mace with amazing speed and accuracy, and it hit Nayda on the shoulder. The second it did, the drill-like tip began to spin like a drill, cutting a small hole in her shoulder. Crying out in pain, Nayda fell down, already weakening from the pain and the bleeding.
"Nayda!" cried Willa. She broke off the fight to see to her sister. She quickly pulled out of a pouch on her belt a bottle of medicine and a clean cloth, and applied the medicine on her wound after washing away the excess blood, putting the bandage on afterwards.
The Demolisher looked down on them with glee. "Looks like the Demolisher wins another one! Dirge will be happy to hear this!"
Willa looked up and glared at the Demolisher. "We may have failed to stop you," she said bitterly, "but I can tell you this. The ThunderCats will put a stop to your stupid rebellion. There's nothing you can do about their intervening in your affairs!"
"That's exactly what I'm counting on, Maiden," said the Demolisher, laughing. He drove away in the NoseDiver to rendezvous with his allies. Willa glared at his back the whole time.
Slithe and Monkian had just picked themselves up from the ground and were running on foot, trying to catch up to Jackalman and his rebellion, but they were eventually too exhausted to run any further.
"Blast this!" muttered Slithe, "And we lost all our vehicles, too! Now we have to trudge all the way back to Castle Plun-Darr on our bare feet! That Jackalman will really pay for this, especially when he comes crawling back to rejoin us again, which I'm sure he will!"
"Hoo, hoo! Yes, that's right!" said Monkian, "No more mercy, Jackalman!"
"Slithe! Monkian!" they heard a familiar voice say. They looked up and saw Vultureman floating in the air by Safari Joe's energy bolts.
"Get me down. Caw!" said Vultureman weakly.
When the Demolisher caught up to the Mutank, which was parked a long ways away from the meadow they had passed through, he related his macho story to his allies and his General.
Dirge beat his drum. "Let's hear it for the Demolisher!" he said, "He beat his foes again! No one can beat the Demolisher!"
"I would say the Demolisher is almost as much a living legend as Safari Joe is," said Mule.
"The Mutants may not be gone yet, boys," said Jackalman, "But we sure showed them a thing or two while escaping them! And the Warrior Maidens won't want to mess with us anymore, either! Gentlemen, I think that General Jackalman's second rebellion is going to succeed dramatically where the first one failed!"
They raised their weapons in the air and cheered.
In the Unicorn Forest, not far from the Tree-Top Kingdom, the ThunderTank was patrolling the area, looking out for suspicious activity from the Mutants and the Lunataks. Panthro was driving it, as usual, and Lion-O and Ben-Gali rode in it with him.
"Gee, Lion-O," said Ben-Gali, "The Unicorn Forest is such a beautiful place. I only wish Lynx-O still had his sight so he could see it, too."
"Me too, Ben-Gali," said Lion-O, "Me too. But I think he already has some idea of what it's like, what with the ThunderStrike and his braille boards."
"I still find it amazing what a simple braille board can do for a blind man," remarked Panthro.
At that moment, the Sword of Omens started to hum. The ThunderCats glanced at it, and Lion-O drew it.
"Sword of Omens, give me Sight Beyond Sight!" he commanded it.
He saw images of the Mutants failing to stop Jackalman, Safari Joe, and the Demolisher from starting another Mutant rebellion, and he also saw the harm the Demolisher had done to Nayda and most of the other Warrior Maidens.
"It looks like Jackalman has started another rebellion!" he exclaimed.
"The nerve of that dog!" said Panthro. "When are the Mutants ever going to learn the meaning of loyalty?"
"It's not just that, Panthro," said Lion-O, "Safari Joe and the Demolisher are back, too, and they're part of Jackalman's rebellion. I thought Safari Joe promised never to hunt again, and that the Demolisher would never return!"
"It just goes to show how shifty and clever our enemies can be, Lion-O," offered Ben-Gali, "Most of them just won't give up on committing evil deeds."
"Well, for the moment, I think we must hurry to the Tree-Top Kingdom and see how the Maidens are doing," said Lion-O, "Maybe they know more about what's going on than we do right now."
"That's a good idea, Lion-O," said Panthro, "We're on our way, now!"
He put the ThunderTank into gear, and they sped to see what had transpired at the Tree-Top Kingdom.
END OF ACT I