As they continue to walk into the jungle, Zik and Tanaka, unaware that they’re being stalked, talk about how to handle Tanaka’s predicament as a Ronin Chadee. Zik suggests that Tanaka could ride with his crew on the Temerity, which Tanaka seems open to.

Meanwhile, Zik’s helmet visor scanners are going crazy. There’s so many life forms that it’s unable to separate one from the other and form an analysis. Or is it because it’s encountering something it’s never scanned before? Something large, and not in the database?

Suddenly, a GORILLA CENTAUR jumps out of the dense brush and attacks!!

The crew hurries to get the last of the sentient crystal on board the Temerity, as the meteorite storm begins! Trent Quickdraw has moved farther from the ship to get to the last shards, which lie outside of the repulsor field the ship is generating as a protective umbrella.

At the last moment, Amelia shouts a warning over the radio – another meteorite is striking nearby! Sten sees that Trent is right below the strike and calls out a warning. But is he too late?!

No! The lower gravity of Hypnos causes the falling debris to tumble more slowly than it would in Earth gravity, so Zik has just enough time to zoom over with his jetpack and push a surprised Trent out of harm’s way! They slam into the cliff wall just in time!

While Defender Zik battles Morren in the mess hall, down one level and all the way aft, James Anchor is waiting patiently in the engine room.  He knows that this is the obvious target for the Jairian raiders to capture, since they can’t get to the bridge.

Sure enough, the scallywags charge in, brandishing their weapons, ready to kill anyone in their way. But Captain Anchor has a little surprise for them – he draws his gun and points it right at them, finger on the trigger!

The Jairians are stunned. No one shoots guns on a spaceship, especially not in an engine room! Doing so is a really good way to blow yourself up! They call James’ bluff.

Except that James Anchor never bluffs! He explains that his gun isn’t loaded with bullets at all. Rather, the gun has small hunter-killer drones in it, and he’s now set them to target the unique bio-signatures of the three Jairians! James describes in detail how the drones, once launched, are a death sentence for anyone unlucky enough to be their target. Even if the Jairians somehow make it out of the Kodiak alive and try to disappear, the drones will hunt for them forever. And the worst part is that once the drones locate their target, they drill in a straight line to the heart. Depending on where they start, that could be quite an uncomfortable way to die!

The Jairians hesitate, and Emma emerges from hiding with a roll of space duct tape.  James Anchor instructs them to drop their weapons and let Emma bind them, and really, what choice do they have? It was checkmate the moment they walked into the room.

Tanaka leaps from the bridge tower of the Kodiak and glides silently towards his prey.  The unsuspecting Jairian is so busy sabotaging the cannon that he has no idea his fate is at hand!

SLICE!

Defender Zik is charging into action! The gravity of the hallway rotates sideways suddenly, allowing Zik to swing and making the Jairians fall!

One tumbles back down the hallway he came from, while the other two fall onto walls.  As one struggles to regain his footing, Zik’s swing ends in a boot to the head for the other!

Now confronting the last Jairian, Zik steals the thug’s helmet and uses it like a club!

Defender Zik is still taking the time to help crewman Travis, who has a broken leg, to the infirmary! He has reduced the gravity in each hallway so that Travis can move without putting strain on his injury, and it seems to be helping.

But they’re interrupted by Jairian raiders! The thugs have come from the very intersection that has the infirmary door, so there was no avoiding this encounter. The Jairians ready themselves to attack!

Thinking quickly, your favorite space hero tells Travis to brace himself, and launches himself at the armored invaders. He tells Zoot to rotate the gravity in the hallway so that the new “down” is the way the Jairians have just come from. Just as he grabs a handhold, he tells Zoot to engage the gravity! What will happen?

Oblivious to the chaos outside the ship, Amelia finds herself in the galley wondering what all the noises are.  She sneaks a bite of pineapple before heading back to the infirmary to see Vera.

But that last second bite causes a fateful delay! The Jairian breacher attaches itself to the hull just outside the galley and cuts through the metal plating! The circular hatch created is flung inward explosively, and Amelia whacks her head on a cupboard trying to get out of the way!

The Jairian boarding party rushes into the ship, and poor Amelia is out cold on the floor!

Following Rachelle’s battle plan, the Jairian fighters crowd the space between the breacher and the Kodiak.  They take heavy losses, but they’re able to shield the breacher from the big guns! A frustrated Trent is seeing his cannons go inexplicably offline one by one.

Despite that, Trent manages to damage the incoming breacher! One of the drives gets blown to bits. But it’s not enough; it still has three drives! James Anchor informs the crew: prepare for impact!

A large raiding fleet of Jairians is approaching the cargo convoy!  The Kodiak is finally in communications range, and James Anchor broadcasts an ultimatum: leave the convoy alone or face the consequences!

Rachelle, the Jairian fleet coordinator recognizes James’ last name. She tries to scare him off with an ultimatum of her own.

But James Anchor is a stalwart guardian! He gives the Jairians a final warning and then issues orders to prepare for battle!

The Jairians approach the convoy… will the Kodiak make it in time to save them?

Always the man of action, your favorite space hero Zik charges at the shark! His hope is to get close to it before it expects him and inflate the balloon in its mouth. His ploy works, and the mighty shark chomps the inflating rescue balloon with such force that it bursts. A mass of bubbles to sprays out, confusing and disorienting the great white. Zik seizes the opportunity to escape, grabbing Haven and inflating her rescue balloon!