As the pirates tried to move through the ship they suddenly found that the iris valves were locked shut, and Halfnir discovered that the route he had arrived by was also closed off now. Jack and Halfnir started hacking with one door, assisted by Bogburp remotely but time was against them. Tex was by one iris valve when at the opposite end of the corridor, two Imperial marines came through the iris valve as it opened, shouting to get down on the floor and aiming plasma guns. T

Halfnir tried in vain to persuade that Osha's death was the work of a madman, but the crew were not impressed and he was consigned to the brig. Repairs continued on the Martin II with Reese triggering a booby trap and maiming one of the marines. Doktor Bogburp applied for the position of astrogator and was soon given it, and Tex and Reese arranged for some spares to be brought on board, with their weapons and gear in a smuggling compartment. Soon the ship was ready for takeof

Hot on the trail of the downed treasure ship, the band of pirates hunted down the planned route and happened across Hroal Irontooth and his fleet in Exe, who claimed to have an inside track on what was going down. They had two men on the inside, Salvesdes the marine and Pilot Henshaw, who were planning to jump the treasure ship into Hroal's clutches instead of its normal course, and Hroal offered them 10% if they helped, but the pirates countered with just the ship itself if