Desslok, getting some satisfaction out of seeing his inferior officers fail at their attempt to stop the Star Force with space mines, now offers his own solution: a matter-eating Ecto Gas. Desslok plans to use the gas, and an electromagnetic force net, to chase the Star Force into the corona of a red giant star, Voltan -- The Sea of Fire. He is so confident of his new invention that he tells General Krypt not to bother reporting on the success, and strides off to his bedroom to dream of the conquest of other worlds. The Gamilons begin their offensive by ensnaring the Argo in a powerful electromagnetic space net, and then sending a volley of missiles. Captain Avatar suffers a black-out, which he attributes to an earlier battle wound, and fails to order their interception. Wildstar initiates it instead, without the order, leading to a later reprimand. The ship barely manages to pull out of the space net and evade the Gamilon missiles. Dr. Sane knows the real reason for Avatar's collapse -- radiation poisoning. Privately, he urges Avatar to consider hospitalisation, a suggestion which Avatar adamantly rejects. With the Star Force's flight path restricted by the space net, the Gamilons then loose Desslok's Ecto Gas upon the Star Force from behind, forcing them to flee toward the Red Star of Voltan. There is no choice but to fly dangerously close to the corona, and the ship and crew are on the verge of melting. But, the plan backfires when the ecto gas is drawn into the Sea of Fire, and the Star Force clears a safe path through the fire with a blast of the Wave Motion Gun. On Gamilon, Desslok rebuffs his aide General Krypt's suggestion that they send out interceptors, and instead suggests sending congratulations. He muses to himself, "How could the Star Force have escaped? ...It was a perfect trap!" Earth has 308 days left.

• Leiji Matsumoto

• Peter Fernandez
• Jack Grimes
• Corinne Orr