Zik checks to see how badly Frank is hurt, but the poor guy was dead before he hit the ground. The Jairians aren’t done with their aggression, and they open fire on your favorite space hero and his pals! Zik grabs Frank’s shotgun and dives out of the way of the incoming bullets, but poor Arata isn’t quite so lucky and gets hit in the shoulder.

From behind cover, Zik and Tanaka ascertain that Arata is just injured and isn’t in mortal danger. Zik tells the two Chadee to get ready to run inside the security office. He leans out and fires! Frank had loaded slugs in the shotgun, which are devastating at such a close range. Indeed, the round goes right through one of the Jairians and hits the assailant behind her!

Zik gets into an argument with the Jairian who’s demanding they surrender the mine. The man won’t back down! He refuses to leave and start his own mine elsewhere, he’s here for the resources available at this mine!

Frank interrupts the discussion and asks the Jairians to leave, or he will have to declare them trespassers.

The unhinged Jairian has had enough! He shoots Frank dead! A shocked Zik watches as his friend collapses in front of him!

Zik has gotten a direct hit on Queen Elcyra’s massive ship! James Anchor notices that it’s had the desired effect: the rate of fire from Queen Elcyra’s ship has dropped off dramatically! That means it’s time to get the heck out of here, and he gives that order to the helmsman Gerald. James also gives Zik the green light to cover their escape with a few more rounds from the Kodiak’s howitzers! Boom! How do you like that, you tyrant?! Elcyra’s ship is now leaking air from three big holes!

The Kodiak fires its cannons in point defense mode and destroys the torpedoes as they approach, but there are so many of them!

Tactical officer Emma notices that not all the torpedoes are aimed accurately, as if Elcyra is shooting from the hip! James Anchor orders her to flag the torpedoes that are a threat in the targeting computer so that weapons officer Jason knows which torpedoes to prioritize. He then gives the order to return fire with the main guns!

Zik takes a seat at an auxiliary station and offers to man the howitzers so that Jason can concentrate on the cloud of incoming torpedoes. He fires the massive front howitzer! James Anchor orders the Chadee fighter pilots to stay in their hangar bay, but to be ready to launch – escape is their objective, not destruction!

Meanwhile, Fiona has found a space suit for both Trent and Amelia, and helps them to learn how to put them on properly. If a torpedo gets through the defenses and hits the ship, you definitely want a space suit on!

Zik’s howitzer shot is a direct hit on the hull of Elcyra’s massive capital ship! Will our heroes make good their escape?

Tactical officer Emma makes the urgent announcement: Queen Elcyra has launched a barrage of torpedoes at the Kodiak! Captain James Anchor gives helmsman Gerald and weapons officer Jason some quick commands, and then announces an alert to the rest of the ship! Zik gets his crash helmet ready and moves to the secondary weapons console.

Meanwhile, there’s nothing Queen Elcyra likes better than crushing her enemies! She cackles with glee, giving Zik’s nickname for her more truthfulness than he probably anticipated!

Down in the medical bay, Fiona is helping Vera into a medical diagnostic pod. It doubles as an escape pod in case the attack goes badly for our heroes! Trent and Amelia aren’t sure what the alarm means, but Fiona explains it quickly. She’ll have to get some proper space-worthy clothing for Amelia and Trent! You don’t want to get sucked out a hull breach wearing a t-shirt or a robe! Fiona has a spare flight suit that should fit Amelia, and she offers Trent some body armor. Will the Kodiak survive the onslaught?

The Clonoid super-soldier is shocked as a large rail-gun round bursts through his heart! His thick skin may be able to withstand sidearm rounds, but this is significantly bigger! The Clonoid falls, the giant chunk of rubble he was hoisting crushing his head. Zik is taken aback, unable to comprehend what has happened until, through the smoke, he glimpses the familiar sight of the shuttle and two fighters from the Kodiak inbound! James Anchor has arrived just in time!

Amelia hits the Emergency Open button on the tank control panel, opening the top of the tanks! But now she notices that Zik has gotten hurt! The Clonoid supersoldier is busy inspecting his badly singed hand as Zik falls back. Meanwhile, the Clonoid drone has picked up a blaster and zaps Trent right in the chest! A double whammy of deep trouble for our heroes!

Amelia hustles over to the power conduit and unplugs it from the main panel. Meanwhile, Trent is doing his best to help his fellow prisoners with the Clonoid soldiers. But he runs out of ammo, just as a Clonoid drone reaches for a dropped blaster! Zik attacks the Clonoid supersoldier with a fallen guard rail, but it’s ready for him- it grabs Zik and tries to decapitate him! Unbeknownst to the Clonoid, that isn’t a decorative shoulder pad. It’s an oxygen tank, and it explodes when the Clonoid crushes it! Is Zik OK?

Boom! The Clonoid Supersoldier comes crashing down on the catwalk, breaking off a support bracket in the process! The catwalk is now split in two along that seam! The falling bracket briefly distracts Trent, who goes right back to sniping Clonoid soldiers. Meantime, Amelia has gotten to the top of the ladder on her catwalk, and is close to the electrical panel. Zik kicks another support pole out from the side of the catwalk, destabilizing it further, while the Clonoid Supersoldier struggles to get up and the riot rages on below.

Welcome to the new Zik fans that have been reading through the archives! Feel free to join in the comments, don’t be shy!

Here are some more of my favorite comics, in case you’re looking for something cool to read until next Tuesday:

• Mailbox Rocketship by Kevin Hayman – high school superheros!
• The Ruins Of Hesh’Imet by Richard Wallace – NSFW post-apocalyptic action with an ancient-Egyptian overlay!
• Macoatl by Ruy Fernandez – Crazy cartoons set in pre-colonial Mexico!

Trent decides that while he’s waiting at the power switch, he may as well knock off some Clonoids! Meanwhile, Amelia runs to a ladder and climbs up to the power conduits. Zik is up on the catwalk, and he catches another mighty punch, then ignites his E.V.R. rockets to deliver a huge blow to the torso! The Clonoid is flipped right up and over from the force of the impact!

Wow, lots happening on this page! I hope it makes sense! Zik is finally holding his own against this behemoth; let’s hope it lasts!

For everyone helping out with voting for Zik at topwebcomics.com: thank you! We’re hovering around the 200 rank, which is pretty good! Let’s see how high we can push it before the month ends! Vote once per day at this link!

Also, during the days when Zik isn’t updating, try these comics out:

• Locus, Silk And Honey, Locus: Godslayer and Tears Of The Dragon, all by Adam Black, are all one epic story of monsters and parallel universes (NSFW)
• Raven’s Dojo by Raven Perez – puns, perverts and pandemonium! (NSFW)
• Hominids by Jordan Kotzebue

I’ll link to more comics in the future, but for now, these will keep you really busy! All three are great long-form comics with riveting stories.