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!

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!

After several jumps through hyperspace to conceal their approach vectors, the Zozian fleets arrive in the Zernabian prison system! Dead ahead of the Temerity is the infamous prison planet where Zik encountered the Clonoids for the first time. Tanaka gets a tactical report from Francisco; their fleet, Blue Squad, has all arrived safely. The other Zozian fleets are also reporting in as they arrive, and the massive Kodiak 2 dominates the scene. The Zozian fleets outnumber the token Clonoid sentry, and their capital ship, while large, is dwarfed by the Kodiak 2.

Upon receiving a similar keep-away message as Defender Zik received when he stumbled on the system, his father Mitch takes to the radio. He announces to the Clonoids that the Zozians have arrived to offer transportation and safe harbor to anyone who wishes to leave the planet. The Zernabians respond with a terse warning, claiming that the slaves are owned by Queen Elcyra and any intruders will be fired upon. Taking the high road, Mitch retorts that there can be no legitimate claims of ownership by one sentient creature on another. The Zozians will not be dissuaded and leave the ball in the Clonoid’s court. Tanaka, of course, hopes they choose battle.

The answer is soon given in the form of a stream of massive plasma bolts from the Clonoid capital ship, which detonate on the hull of one of the Makwa corvettes escorting the Kodiak 2. Mitch gives the order to all Zozian fleets: Engage the enemy!

A gleeful Tanaka guns the engines, eager to catch up to the Sharktooth, who jumped ahead. The Battle of Prison Planet has begun!

Defender Zik is now atop the central peak of the crater, desperately trying to reach his employees who have been taken hostage by the evil Jairian Morren. But he’s exposed, and Morren sends a full barrage of exploding shells raining on the peak.

It’s clear that the Jairian isn’t trying to preserve the hostages lives, so one of the remaining two reaches out to the other to get them both under cover. Lia gets up and follows, but Morren spots them! Try as they may, they’re not going to make it to cover, so Lia’s brave companion throws her ahead and takes the brunt of the blast!

Furious, Zik launches himself toward Morren, sending a hail of bullets at the foul villain!

The evil Morren informs Defender Zik that his five minute grace period is over. That means one of the hostages has to go. As he climbs, Zik warns Morren one last time to cease his aggression, but to no avail! Morren pulls the trigger, spelling doom for one of the poor hostages! Zik abandons caution and engages his jetpack, but it’s too late! One of his employees is obliterated!

The barrage of grenades launched by Morren Mallor begins impacting the crater peak right above Defender Zik and Dakaasin!  As the dislodged rubble falls, Dak is unlucky and is struck by a large boulder! Fortunately, the lower gravity on this moon prevents a fatal impact, but she falls from her position halfway up the cliff!

Firing up her rocket boots, Dak guides herself to a safe landing, but she grips her shoulder in agony. A worried Zik calls down to her to see if she’s okay, and she reports that she’s got a dislocated shoulder, but is otherwise all right. But with any further climbing or combat out of the question, she urges Zik to carry on without her.  Your favorite space hero is going to have to rescue the hostages on his own, facing down a mortal enemy armed with a grenade launcher!