The Clonoid soldier declares that Zik is under arrest, but before anyone can do anything, the prisoners launch a surprise attack! One sucker punch and one big rock to the snout! Unfortunately, Clonoid soldiers always meet aggression with deadly force, and now the second one moves to attack. Worse, since all the Clonoids are networked, the entire factory, indeed all Clonoids everywhere instantly know what’s happening here! Disaster!
The party approaches the factory, which has a couple of stern-looking Colonoid soldiers guarding the entrance. Word is, there’s a new Clonoid being fitted for a uniform today. Zik is confronted and decides to shed his disguise and open a dialogue. What will happen next?
It’s time for action! Trent is concerned about how dangerous the plan is, so Zik hands him one of his rail guns! A couple of the other prisoners seem to have something up their sleeve, though. Is this what Vera was warning about?
Queen Elcyra is pretty confident that she’s got things under control! After all, she has an army of Clonoid drones and soldiers at her command. And as we’ve seen, she has a secret weapon that no one knows about yet! Can Zik prevail?
Amelia is stuck in a cell! Understandably, she’s concerned about her fate. Her questions may be about to be answered though, as there’s a Clonoid at the door with a message! Who could it be from?
Zik vows to help Amelia, but his plan is probably the least likely one that anyone has thought of! He wants to ask nicely?! How strange!
What most people here on the prison planet don’t realize is that on Zoz, there is a principle that people follow: the non-aggression principle. It’s basically unheard of to go out looking for a fight, since it’s so much easier and less harmful to negotiate a solution. They even have a saying: “He who draws the first sword admits he has lost the argument.”
Unfortunately, Zik, having been raised in that environment, simply takes it for granted that people would understand the need to dialogue before engaging in hostilities. Here on the prison planet, things are a little more stark, and as we’ve already seen, aggression is a way of life.
Anarchy doesn’t mean chaos. Literally translated it means “no rulers.” That’s what they have going on Zoz, and look how nicely it turned out! So many futuristic stories depict either an authoritarian future or a dystopic future with a breakdown of society following a governmental collapse. It’s high time for a story that explores the plusses and pitfalls by a society without masters!
Vera thinks it sounds pretty swell, but she has a warning for Zik: people here are (understandably) angry at their captors, and who knows what Zik’s arrival may trigger!
At last we get to see where Zik is from! What a wonderful looking place! It’s completely the opposite of where Vera is from. It’s not a barren rock devoid of other life, it has cities instead of tent villages, and instead of an oppressive tyrannical monarchic despot, there’s no government at all! That’s about as polar opposite as it gets.
But how can a place function without government?
This is Edward’s Landing, the first city established on Zoz. In the front of the long house, where the totem pole usually sits, you can see a ship standing on its tail. This is the original landing vessel that first touched down here on this site, preserved as a monument to the Zozians’ first visit to their new home!
Oops! That’s kind of an obvious thing, but I’m personally often surprised that people don’t remember this more often. Vera takes advantage of the fact that she’s alone with Zik for the moment to ask him about what life is like on Zoz. It’s probably better than this crappy prison, but you never know!
Sure enough, Vera already knows what happened to Amelia. Awkward!
