Ominously, the insectoid voiceover concludes that Kai "does not know that I live . . . through him."

Kai wakes up from his cryogenic nap and heads for the bridge.

However, Kai believes it may be possible to extract protoblood from the larval offspring of the GigaShadow -- His Divine Shadow's insect form. Stan reminds him that the Gigashadow's remains are in the Light Universe, and that with the destruction of the Fractal Core there is no way for Lexx to return there.

Zev asks 790 if there is any way for them to get back. The robot head reluctantly admits that the Fractal Core may not be the only point of intersection between universes.

Kai's eyes turn completely black. He tells them, "I know the way."

790 helpfully calculates the margin of error for this plan at "between 7 and 84 percent." Faced with these odds, Stan wants to change course.

Zev offers to "do it" with Stan if he brings Lexx back to the Light Zone, but even the promise of "my smooth moist skin pressed tightly against yours" isn't enough to convince him.

Stan orders Lexx to turn back, but the star's gravitational pull is too strong and the ship can't change course. To make matters worse, Zev tells Stan that since he never agreed to the deal, she is under no obligation to sleep with him.

Lexx is pulled closer to the star's core. On 790's orders, Stan fires the main gun, and the energy discharge transports ship and crew back to the other universe.

They search the remains of the now-demolished cluster for a larval insect.

After Kai recommends leaving the ship in order to make a more thorough search, all take out moth shuttles to explore the debris. Stan finds an insect and takes it back to Lexx.

Kai lovingly strokes the inert larva, finding it "beautiful." Stan is less enamored of having the creature on board, while Zev attempts to remind the last Brunnen-G that the insects destroyed his people.

The assassin explains that the larva is dormant unless the insect essence -- which Kai believes died with the GigaShadow -- passes on to it.

Stan and Zev leave Kai to examine the insect, and he stretches out his hands over the larva. His eyes again turn black and electricity arcs between Kai's hands and the specimen.

There's no reaction, and Kai slumps over the body, apparently stunned.

As if coincidentally, Mantrid is currently in a prison dome on a snowbound moon, holding a knife to his cowering servant Igor's throat. Neither is happy.

As Igor begs for mercy, we see that the arm holding the knife isn't attached to a body, but is merely one of several free-floating limbs. Mantrid is a disembodied head attached to a floating jar.

Although the servant begs for death, Mantrid spares him, announcing, "The greatest suffering I can impose is to let you continue to live your truly unfortunate life."

This tender moment is cut short when Kai calls to ask for assistance. He offers passage on Lexx to wherever the BioVizier wants to go.

Later, Zev and Kai take the larva down to the surface, where Mantrid greets them. Kai is still acting strange, explaining that he has recovered the memory of everyone His Divine Shadow killed.

When Mantrid asks why Kai wants protoblood, the assassin replies that he wants to live. Mantrid finds such desire and intent peculiar in a dead man.

He agrees to help in exchange for ownership of Lexx. Zev refuses, but instead repeats the offer of passage.

Mantrid rejects her offer, telling her he won't help unless they meet his terms. He quickly agrees to Kai's terms, however, when Kai threatens to kill him.

As he examines the larva, Mantrid announces, perhaps significantly, that he envies the insects their ability to transfer their consciousness from one body to another.

When Zev asks whether the larva is alive, Mantrid tells her he doesn't know what the word really means. After all, neither Kai and Mantrid exactly fit into conventional definitions of "alive" or "dead".

According to Mantrid, the larva is "dormant," and he will need to wake it to extract protoblood. He assures the others that without insect essence, the larva will be like "a computer without program, a human without a soul."

Zev, now cautiously optimistic, contacts Stan aboard Lexx.

One of Mantrid's drone arms removes a piece of the insect's carapace, peeling back a membrane to reveal the larva's organs. Mantrid pays particular attention to the transduction organ, which he believes transfers the insect consciousness from one body to the next.

Mantrid must awaken the insect to remove the organ. When Igor argues that the insects are humanity's greatest enemies, Mantrid explains that the insect will only be "technically awake" -- without an essence it will do nothing.

He pumps a liquid substance into the body and the insect comes to life.

Aboard Lexx, Stan frets over the impending resuscitation, only to receive abuse from 790.

Igor urges Mantrid to take Lexx and escape from their prison. Mantrid refuses, seeing the insect as a means of escape from his decaying body. Eventually the loyal servant is reduced to tears and runs away.

Zev searches for Kai. He eludes her and finds a hiding place from which to observe Mantrid's progress.

Kai fires his brace into Mantrid's organ jar, shattering it. He rushes to the insect, transferring His Divine Shadow's essence into its new host as Mantrid's head helplessly watches the transfer.

Igor returns, picking up Mantrid's head and running away again. Kai continues the transfer, oblivious.

When the transfer is complete, Kai rises, looking slightly dazed. Zev finds him in this state.

They're gonna need a lot of Raid

The insect comes to life. Laconic as always, Kai tells Zev that while he was under the insect's control, "I was not setting my own agenda."

Zev drags Kai away while Igor orders the drones to remove the insect's transduction organ and bring it to him. The drones succeed.

Igor brings Mantrid's head to the lab. Mantrid insists it is too late for him, but Igor pays no attention and prepares to transfer his master's consciousness to a new form.

Recognizing the threat the insect poses to humanity, Kai tells Zev to order Stan to blow up the planet. There isn't enough time for them to escape back to Lexx.

790 refuses to allow Stan to blow up Zev, the love of his life. Stan hesitates.

The insect closes on Kai and Zev. The creature can't see the undead Kai, who has no body heat.

At the last moment, a moth piloted by Stan collides with the insect, knocking it into a pool of water. The monster sinks below the surface.

Aboard the moth, Kai confesses that he was motivated by the insect essence he carried to achieve His Shadow's agenda of creating a new living insect. They return to Lexx in order to destroy the planet and kill the insect before it can escape.

Meanwhile, Igor commences the consciousness transfer. Mantrid's essence melds with what remains in the transduction organ, and the combined consciousness filters into a collection system suspended above the chamber.

The loyal servant then takes a moment to contemplate Mantrid's ship. The insect rises from the water to threaten him, but the ship -- now bearing Mantrid's consciousness -- attacks, destroying the creature.

The ship tells Igor, "You brought the head to me, so I am Mantrid. But you also brought a very important part of the insect to me, so I am also an insect. Or maybe a machine. I don't know. A fusion, a new life form. No matter. I exist. I am."

Unfortunately, the hybrid being feels the insect's instinctive desire to kill all humans. Igor becomes Mantrid's first victim.

Lexx destroys the planet. Kai isn't satisfied that the insect was destroyed until they find its corpse floating in space.

Zev worries that Kai will run out of protoblood. He assures them he has plenty -- he was under the insect's control when he claimed otherwise.

Stan reminds Zev that he just saved humanity. Neither Zev nor 790 is impressed.

Kai returns to cryo-sleep. Stan suggests that they search "for a halfway decent planet for a change."

As Lexx charts a course toward their next adventure, the Mantrid entity sets off in pursuit, followed closely by Mantrid's remaining arms.