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.

The fire is out! Zik manages to contact Arata on the intercom, which is somehow still operational despite the wreckage of the mine access building. Coordinating with the guys down at the bottom, he hauls on the elevator cables, trying to save the trapped miner, but to no avail! They barely manage to budge it. If only they had a little more help! Suddenly, Ryan appears at the opening of the building and gets the drop on Zik. Zik turns on all his charm to try and convince the young man to help him rescue the miner instead of killing him. Ryan thinks about it. He thinks about everything he’s seen his side do in the last hour, and he comes to a decision. He isn’t on the right side of this fight. He tosses aside his gun and prepares to join Zik to help the miner!