Having taken what he needs from the marionettes, he allows them to escape from his ship as he prepares for launch. However, the massive energies released by the Neo-Mesopotamia cause an earthquake that starts to rip apart the surface of Terra 2. The marionettes decide that they cannot allow Doctor Hess to get away, both for the sakes of the lives he has destroyed on Terra 2, and for the sakes of those on Earth who will die if he succeeds. They manage to re board the ship and confront Doctor Hess, only to discover that it does not matter if they defeat him: the Neo-Mesopotamia has been rigged with a massive nuclear device, capable of wiping out an entire planet. The undaunted marionettes continue to fight against Doctor Hess, but are interrupted as the ship leaves the wormhole's exit to the solar system and are struck by the massive chunks of icy debris that make up the rings of Saturn. In the near distance, they see the derelict of another ship, which Doctor Hess is shocked to realize is all that remains of the original Frontier Project ship. Doctor Hess is overcome with the horrifying realization that all of his plans for revenge were based on a misunderstanding: instead of being abandoned as he had thought, it turns out he was the only survivor.