Whether or not Jimmy gave them good info or a load of bull, the situation is critical. The Reliance has been caught by the gravity well of a star and is slowly falling to its doom. Jonomox, John Stone, and Paul begin working frantically to keep the Reliance from a death spiral. Fortunately, their situation is not without hope; the timely arrival of Crash Jaxun, T.O.M., and Guy give the team a few hours of reprieve. Long enough, hopefully, to find Pierce and get a more permanent resolution to the problem. Crash and the other three concentrate on maintaining orbit around the star. Meanwhile, Vector Raynes, Princess Hedgehog, T.O.M., and the newly-arrived Guy all get into the metapods. It’s the work of a moment to travel to the metaverse that contains the portal to Pierce’s private ‘verse.

One long, protracted fight, a fair amount of time in a stolen spaceship, and a close encounter with a biting backpack later, the away team finds themselves in the backpack metaverse. Of course, the fact that they’re present without their avatars – and the nearly-naked women riding dinosaurs and threatening to jab them with spears – means quite possibly that they have gone from the frying pan straight into the fire. Shame T.O.M. cannot enter the ‘verse with them – after all, he’s here to serve.