DEFENDER ZIK LORE BREAK!

Many Zozians have several names. In keeping with the North American First Nations traditions that are so prevalent on Zoz, it starts with the name you were given by your parents when you were born. Later, if you accomplish a memorable deed, you are very likely to receive another name or a title to go along with your original name. Zik became Defender Zik (as we will see in Episode 2), and now Trent has become Trent Quickdraw!

DEFENDER ZIK LORE BREAK!

What most people here on the prison planet don’t realize is that on Zoz, there is a principle that people follow: the non-aggression principle. It’s basically unheard of to go out looking for a fight, since it’s so much easier and less harmful to negotiate a solution. They even have a saying: “He who draws the first sword admits he has lost the argument.”

DEFENDER ZIK LORE BREAK!

This is Edward’s Landing, the first city established on Zoz. In the front of the long house, where the totem pole usually sits, you can see a ship standing on its tail. This is the original landing vessel that first touched down here on this site, preserved as a monument to the Zozians’ first visit to their new home!

DEFENDER ZIK LORE BREAK!

Zernabian Clonoids are engineered to not feel pain, and also to not have the will to do anything other than what they are commanded to do. They’re considered sub-sentient, because they can’t form individual preferences. When not directly tasked, they have a decision list of over-arching commands they can apply to their current situation. Over time, this has been refined by Queen Elcyra to the point where her will is imposed without the need for constant direct input. This, combined with the nigh-immortality Elcyra has achieved, cause many to believe she is a transhuman, though not an enlightened one.

DEFENDER ZIK LORE BREAK!

So now we see how the EVR system works! EVR stands for Extra-Vehicular Rescue. Basically, if you’re ejected into space, you can use the boots (or jet-pack) to give you a propulsion boost and the (optional) grappling hook to attach yourself to a ship of some kind. It’s a Hail Mary sort of system, but it’s better than drifting in space till you freeze to death!

DEFENDER ZIK LORE BREAK!

So here we see the second use of railgun technology in the comic. In case you don’t know what a railgun is, it is a weapon that accelerates a projectile using electromagnetism as opposed to combustion. The projectile is guided down two rails and accelerated to extremely high speeds as it leaves the weapon. I chose this technology because it is still in the experimental phase currently, and because it can be used to fire projectiles in the vaccum of space (IE without oxygen). The people of Zoz use this technology extensively for their sidearms and on weapons platforms for their ships. It can also be used to send probes or cargo over long distances without the use of propellant.

DEFENDER ZIK LORE BREAK!

The character “James Anchor” was invented by my son, and the name of Zik’s computer, “Zoot” was my daughter’s invention. I’m not trying to steal Ethan Nicolle’s gig with Axe Cop, but occasionally my two children have had an influence on some of the names and events in this story. Children are wonderfully imaginative, and once in a while they come up with some genius ideas. I’ve gotten their permission to use some of their ideas in the comic, for which I am grateful.

Also, this page represents the first time Zozians have ever contacted someone not from Zoz. With all the space travelling they do, Zik and his buddy James Anchor have a running bet to see which of them will encounter aliens first! It’s been years, but neither has laid claim to the prize yet! But as of this moment, after over a millennium of separation even from other humans, the people of Zoz are no longer alone!