Bittersweet This Bargain

Plot
Alhox begins heading back home, but the Inkimpulse 30T is suddenly ambushed. He recognizes the attack ships as being of a Drismabon design. Efforts to contact Bluque go nowhere, so he decides to take a small crew to sneak into his own palace to investigate after securing a landing. Monigo and a few others abduct Pinkata, then reveal they were actually rescuing her. In the hospital, Liquidon's symptoms and pain start to get worse, and he asks doctors to move him to a different room for Sylvia's sake.

The Voyagers find themselves and a few Bulgadian Socialist Party representatives sealed inside of an elaborate bunker system they were examining, due to a sudden assault by Cloudmen and WALNUT affiliates armed with Drismabon weaponry. They discover that Abberwadd and a few troops were also in the bunker, and offer a truce: In exchange for Abberwadd and company not taking the Voyagers and BSP members hostage, they will help fight back the terrorist hoards if the Voyagers surrender Melanie.

In spite Rhodney's pleas, Melanie agrees to rejoin the RMM. She does make a bargain with Rhodney that whichever side loses the war will become host to whoever wins. Rhodney agrees that he wants to see her again, no matter which planet they're on. The doors fail, and terrorists begin pouring in ready for war. Just then, Liquidon finishes his transition from Shell 9 to Shell 10.

He flies to the distress call, and easily helps dispose of the terrorists outside. However, he decides that he is still not well, and needs a way to monitor his now-very-unstable Mikloche powers. BSP members work with the Voyagers and Teal Fleet to kill off the remaining terrorists. Once outside, the BSP immediately sets to work investigating who tipped off the Cloudmen and WALNUT to where they and the Voyagers would be meeting. Their only clue appears to be a man with facial hair and a staff. Rhodney and Melanie share one last tearful goodbye, before Abberwadd's reinforcements take him and Melanie away.