The villainous Queen Elcyra launches her final assault on the Zozian fleet! A single, massive laser blast shears right through one of the Makwa corvettes escorting the Kodiak! Francisco is rightfully shocked at the sheer power of Elcyra’s capital ship, but Mitch keeps his cool and gives the signal for a full retreat.
On the Kodiak 2, Admiral James Anchor gives orders for his fleet to protect the transports while they make preparations to retreat. However, word starts coming in that the Clonoids have now engaged some kind of energy shielding! This whole battle was a trap!
It’s a full rout! Will Defender Zik and the rest of the war party make it back to Zoz?!

Thousands of Clonoids are chasing Defender Zik and the prisoners as they make their escape to the landing zone! The Zozian warriors fight bravely and to the limit of their firepower, but they can barely hold off the Clonoid advance! Some buckle under the pressure, but Zik encourages them to fight on! After all, with this many targets, it’s impossible to miss!

Luckily, the Sharktooth crew has been rescued by Ron’s Revenge, which now arrives to help keep the vile Clonoids at bay long enough for the survivors to board their transports. Defender Zik is the last to leave, as he evaporates the head of a Clonoid Super-soldier with his grenade launchers. He flies up to the landing ramp and Amelia helps him aboard. Let’s get out of here!

As Defender Zik and the Zozians mop up the last of the Clonoids, Big Iron gives props to Red Wolf for his fancy footwork while dispatching his Clonoid Super-soldier. The squad hurries over to the prison camp to introduce themselves to the prisoners, but they’re met with hostile suspicion. The prisoners, terrified of Queen Elcyra, try to get the Zozians to leave.
Amelia pops the hatch on her battle suit to give the prisoners a heartfelt plea. She describes how she was once a prisoner herself until Defender Zik came along, and how wonderful Zoz is. Zik backs her up, informing them that no one is forced to come with them, and they’re free to choose their destiny for the first time. Will the prisoners decide to escape?

Defender Zik remains close by as Amelia’s power suit comes back online. To ease her rattled nerves he jokes that they’re even, referring to the time they first met. Perhaps Sensei Adam can help the fierce Firebird learn some close combat skills, if he can be coaxed out of retirement!
But back to the task at hand, Amelia noticed that Red Wolf is in trouble! One of the giant Super-Soldier Clonoids has smashed him aside like he was nothing! Zik charges in, blasting a Clonoid Soldier that’s getting too close to the recovering Zozian. But Red Wolf doesn’t want any help conquering the big one — he’s got to do it himself to win Onawa’s hand! So Zik stands back and let’s him have his moment.
Red Wolf charges the Super-Soldier, proximity mine in hand. He calls his shot: the Heavy Club Slide. It’s a move his prospective father-in-law has made famous on the Coup field in countless playoff games, but this time it’s being done in a real battle instead of a sport based on ancient battles! He dashes between the legs of the enormous Clonoid, leaps up with his rocket boots, and slams the proximity mine to the Clonoid’s upper back! He finishes with a perfect Hollywood landing as the mine makes short work of the Super-Soldier!

As Defender Zik and the Zozian rescue squad continue to unload ammunition into the Clonoid battalion, they’re quickly set upon face-to-face! The Zozians with taser catching staves discharge their stored energy back at the enemy, and everyone using firearms lets loose at the charging Clonoids, but it’s not enough! The Clonoids run straight up to engage the Zozians head on!

Zik tries his battle suit’s mighty cannon on a Clonoid Super Soldier as it charges, but he barely slows it down. Now in hand-to-hand range, Zik fires up his buzz-saw and thrusts it into the gut of the mighty beast.

But as Zik finishes off his oversized opponent, he sees a nearby Amelia struggling to overcome a hulking Clonoid herself, as she receives a taser cannon blast straight to the face! The suit reports a massive overload as she’s forced to her knees!

A well-timed rock to the back of the Clonoid’s huge head saves the day, courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Defender Zik!

Defender Zik and the brave Zozian warriors are charging into battle on the Zernabian prison world! The vile Clonoids are coming thick and fast, but curiously only armed with their taser guns. There are several of the huge Clonoid Super-soldiers in the fray as well, and their arm cannons deliver a much bigger jolt!
As the Zozian snipers get set up on the rocky outcropping, the main Zozian battle force starts filling the sky with bullets, tearing through the Clonoid onslaught. But there are so many Clonoids that they overwhelm the Zozians, and the two armies are soon fighting face to face! A few Zozians think it would be wiser to retreat, but Zik urges them on, saying they’ll never have another opportunity to rescue Elcyra’s slaves. Zik should know, he’s watch the vile Zernabian Queen blow up an entire factory full of innocents who were no longer useful to her!
An enraged Amelia sees only revenge as she slices through the Clonoid front ranks in her battle armor. These subhuman creatures obliterated almost everyone she knew growing up, so this is personal!

As the Temerity cleans up the last of the Zernabian snub fighters, Francisco reports that the ground team is facing heavy fire at the landing zone. Tanaka turns back to assist!
Sure enough, as they approach, they see a large unit of Clonoids charging the Zozian position, supported by two copters raining plasma bolts down in support! Red Wolf is having trouble establishing his planned formations under the withering assault.
But the flimsy patrol copters are no match for the Temerity, and Dakaasin makes short work of them on their first pass. Tanaka circles around for a couple more passes over the Clonoid charge, which quickly turns into a rout. Taking advantage of the reprieve, Red Wolf orders the Zozians to fall back to the LZ so they can get their troop formations re-established.

Defender Zik’s Temerity crew charges into a one-on-six confrontation with a squadron of Clonoid snub fighters! Dodging as many plasma blasts as it can, the Temerity plays a game of chicken with its foes, reducing two to scrap metal in its first pass. But the Clonoids get some shots in and Sten is dispatched to fix the resulting problem with one of the Temerity’s engines.

As the dogfight continues, Sten gets the engine back into phase, and another two Clonoids bite the dust! One final pass, and the enemy is vanquished! The Temerity crew heads back to the landing zone as the Zozian rescue party disembarks, keeping a sharp eye on their scanners.

The Temerity descends into the atmosphere of the Zernabian prison planet, along with the transports and other escorts. As they approach, they’re ambushed by a squadron of Clonoid fighters! The evil Clonoids score a direct hit on the Sharktooth, which erupts in flames.

Tanaka delegates the other escort, Ron’s Revenge to help Sharktooth out while he pounces on the Clonoid fighters, shredding them. By the time the Zozian transports are making their approach to the landing zone, the Temerity has make short work of its foes.

All is quiet at the LZ, and the Zozian troops start to disembark while the Temerity cruises overhead. But again, seemingly out of nowhere, another wing of Zernabian fighters shows up on a confounded Francisco’s scanners! How do they keep appearing out of nowhere?

The riddle doesn’t concern Tanaka, and the legendary Chadee bloodlust is in overdrive in him right now! All he sees is fresh meat! Time to feast!

The battle against the Clonoid garrison rages all around the prison planet! Even though the Zernabian fleet is light, the fighting is ferocious. James Anchor’s Kodiak takes on the largest Zernabian capital ship directly, and after a direct hit from the dorsal railgun, the Zernabian ship explodes! Firing superheated shells at relativistic speeds is marvelously effective!

A few sectors are having a harder time clearing the orbital opposition, but after some judicious redeployment, the Zozian position is secured. Landing transports begin their decent to the surface while the larger cargo ships like Ramesh’s Vigilant Gaddi remain in orbit to collect the refugees. What awaits the landing parties on the surface? Stay tuned, Defenders!