Trent tries to come up with a reason to avoid having to open every cupboard and hatch on the Temerity, but Mizhakwan is quick to resolve his issue! With a promise of snacks, she makes sure Dakaasin can stay on the bridge until the smudging is done.

The news that there are baked snacks on the way is a welcome break in the cockpit. Amelia, still exploring how great food can taste when it’s not Clonoid gruel, can’t wait. Although, she’s still a bit puzzled as to why Mizhakwan insisted on being part of the crew, seeing as she’s retired. Zik explains that he’s known her for years; she was his mother’s medicine woman. This amazing lady goes wherever the energy feels like it’s moving, and we’ve already seen how Zik is like a lightning rod for fate!

Back on task, Zik checks in with Francisco, because the ship is getting close enough to get better scans of planet Hypnos. Francisco has determined that the tail they saw back at Bastion Station is most likely a debris field! This isn’t something they’ve ever seen before, and anything new to explore in space always inspires your favorite hero!

Within the hour, the eager crew of the Temerity is on board and ready for launch! Zik takes the sleek spacecraft out of the hangar, commenting on how much pep the engines have. This is a ship that really wants to fly!

Zik checks the status of the systems with Dakaasin, who is in Trent’s weapons post on the bridge, monitoring the engineering systems closely on this maiden flight of the Temerity. Everything checks out, so he tells Amelia to engage the hyperdrives.

The Temerity jumps to superlight speed and streaks out of the Zozian solar system!

Defender Zik checks in with the engineers on his new ship, The Temerity, so see if they can take her out for a spin.  Chief Engineer Dakaasin lets Zik know that all systems are ready to go! Sten is always obsessed with doing calibrations to optimize weapon performance, so he’s tinkering with the Point Defense System, and will be working on the big Vakarian cannons next. Zik wants to go on a journey, so it’s time to get the sleek spaceship ready to fly!

As Zik heads to the bridge, he decides to take a detour into the infirmary.  Dr. Lucien Taylor has been working closely with doctors and hospitals across Zoz to help everyone on Zoz get their immune systems ready for contact with the rest of the galaxy! No one wants a repeat of what happened when Europeans and North Americans started mingling for the first time in the 1500s.

But when Zik gets to the infirmary, he sees Amelia in her pajamas apologizing to the doctor for something. What’s going on?

Welcome back Defenders, to Episode 4: The Hypnos Hiatus! After a brief interlude to get the first two Defender Zik books printed, we’re back!

Our story opens with your favorite galactic hero trying out his new space suit outside Bastion Station.  The research station orbiting Zoz is administrated by Zik’s brother Todd, who is monitoring the flight. Zik reports that all its systems are nominal, and Todd replies that Chief Engineer Dakaasin will be happy that her new suit design is working well.

Zik enters the station’s hangar to let Dak know personally. She and her assistant Sten are getting the final tuning done on the Temerity, Zik’s new space cruiser! They’ve been working hard on it while Zik and everyone who went to Zernabia is in quarantine on the station, and the results are beyond Zik’s wildest dreams!