"The Mirage Makers"
The Lightning League journeyed to the planet Ellipsus to see whether or not Audric was there. That world orbited two suns and was shaped like a huge flat yellow disk with a large hole in the center. Air holes perforated the world's surface, conencting both sides. Ellipsus was a D5X planet, a desert with pure silicon soil upon which no plant life could grow. Plants were actually dangerous to the native inhabitants. After the Pride landed on the desert, most of the League drove towards the stone monument where they saw Audric. Flora and the Root were left on the barge because of the terrible heat and the danger they posed to the inhabitants as plant life.
The League found chanting nomads at the monument, which was positioned in the center of their village. The oracle inside it told the nomads that Jayce and his Root must be brought before it, to prevent the latter from infesting their land. While hiding from the nomads, the League spotted Audric inside one of the dwellings. They headed towards him, but Oon was startled by a native armored creature and fell, breaking into pieces. The nomads heard all the commotion and pursued them. On the way back to the Pride, the League was attacked by the nomads, whose staffs emitted red lasers. More nomads appeared out of nowhere; these newcomers were somehow immune to the effects of the League's weaponry. When Jayce ordered Quick Draw to implement Target Sequence 7, the vehicle insisted that there was no target to hit: the newcomers are mirages! Gillian theorized that Audric too was a mirage, created to lure the League to the planet. Jayce stated that the only way to know for sure was to get the Root, which would determine either his presence or that of an item belonging to him.
Jayce asked Oon to drive Quick Draw back to the barge to fetch the Root, but the latter saw an illusion of a mountain directly in his path and wiped out. Oon fell out of the vehicle, down an air hole to land on the other side of Ellipsus, a fertile place with plants and water.
Flora and Brock saw an illusion of an oasis, and left the Pride and Root behind for a swim. Brock ended up getting sucked down one of the air holes. When Flora turned around, the ship had disappeared as well! The Root, left on the ship, was now lost as well. She located Jayce and gave him the bad news.
Jayce drove Armed Force down one of the air shafts to rescue his friends. On the other side, Brock and Oon travelled together, narrowly evading capture by a K.O. Trooper. Oon overheard the Monster Minds' plan to capture Jayce and invade the dune side of Ellipsus. He was then captured by a Gun Trooper, but was promptly rescued by Jayce. Jayce, Oon, and Brock headed back to the desert side of the planet, with Oon describing what he has learned along the way. Jayce realized that the Oracle in the village is a Monster Mind that had been lying to the nomads, and formed a plan to expose the truth.
Upon their return, they discovered that while they were gone the rest of the League defeated another attack by the nomads, thanks to Herc wearing a pair of Gillian's newly-designed anti-mirage spectacles. Jayce took Drill Sergeant to the village while the others searched for the missing Pride. Surrendering to the nomads, he was taken to the monument, then ordered the vehicle to burrow inside the stone structure. It collapsed and the Saw Trooper within was forced to crawl out from the rubble.
The nomads, realizing they were duped, agreed to help Jayce fight the Monster Mind invasion. Legions of Snap Dragons emerged from the air holes and attacked the League vehicles, but Jayce and the nomads provided reinforcements, both real and illusionary. The enemy vehicles were quickly defeated, forcing Saw Boss to teleport away from the lush side of Ellipsus. The nomads wanted to reward the League, but Jayce replied that their friendship is enough. Herc muttered that he "would prefer cash," yet wisely turned down the leader's offer to get mirage money!
Flora: "Wait! I'm sensing them! No... I'm not sure. The feeling is very weak."
Herc: "'Weak' is good enough for me; we're not landing!"
Gillian: "Hmmm, how interesting. Most peculiar; a porous planet!"
Herc: "I've never seen a planet sneeze before!"
Oon: "M-M-M-Master! Let's find Audric, f-f-f-fast, and g-g-get out of here!"
Herc: "If you don't stop rattling, they'll find us fast!"
Oon: "B-B-But I can't help it!"
Herc: "Nice going, Tin Head -- just when I was seconds away from getting my paycheck!"
Oon: "Oh, my poor Master Audric! This is all my fault!"
Jayce: "Oon, it could've happened to any of us."
Herc: "Hey! Who invited the new guys to the party?"
Jayce: "I don't know, but let's give them a cold reception!"
Jayce: "Quick Draw, why aren't you firing?!"
Quick Draw: "No target!"
Jayce: "Quick Draw, repeat: Target Sequence 7!"
Quick Draw: "No target! No target!"
Jayce: "Quick Draw, Target Sequence 7! Sequence 7! Sequence 7!"
Jayce: "Something must be wrong with Quick Draw's computer! Oon, you'll have to get in there and drive it yourself!"
Oon: "Yes Master, I'll drive it myself... drive Quick Draw myself? M-M-M-ME?!"
Herc: "Hey! Am I seeing things?"
Gillian: "Yes... a mirage! That's it! Apparently, they can create them at will, and make them move, too."
Jayce: "That's why Quick Draw couldn't attack! Its computer couldn't target something that wasn't really there."
Gillian: "Mirages are more than magic, Jayce. They're an illusion created by refracted light."
Herc (yes, Herc): "Quick Draw, initiate Escape Mode!"
Quick Draw: "Command acknowledged!"
Nomad Leader: "The Oracle -- it's a plant! We have been deceived!"
Jayce: "More of these are on the way; I'll need your help!"
Nomad Leader: "You have it."
Herc: "Maybe a Gravity Increaser Ray will convince this guy he's a 'heavy,' huh!"
Herc: "YEEEEE-HA!"
Herc (giving a thumbs-up to his mirage double): "Way to go, Ace!"
Nomad Leader: "You saved us from doing a terrible wrong to you. How may we show our gratitude?"
Jayce: "Your friendship is enough."
Herc (muttering): "Oh yeah... I would've preferred cash."
Nomad Leader: "I can give you plenty with mirage."
Herc: "Oh, nooo thanks, I had my fill already!"
