The Uncanny X-Men (1981)

A brand new era for the Uncanny X-Men begins here! Fresh off X-MEN: DEADLY GENESIS, Ed Brubaker takes the helm of Marvel's mighty mutants. Billy Tan joins Ed for a story that won't just affect earth, but will rock the foundations of the entire galaxy! Vulcan is out for revenge and has his sites set on the Shi'Ar Empire! Get ready for the ride of your life! A perfect starting point for any new reader!

Flashback:

Professor X has been trying to contact the Shi'ar, to warn them that the vengeance-crazed Vulcan is on his way, but the Shi'ar refuse to respond, shunning Professor X ever since his marriage to Lilandra was annulled. With things still tense between himself and Cyclops, Xavier asks Nightcrawler for his help in cleaning up his past mistakes. He then enlists Warpath, anxious to leave the "reservation" that the Institute has become, and Marvel Girl, who yearns to return to Shi'ar space.

Synopsis:

In Egypt, Polaris is being hunted by members of an anti-Apocalypse cult, and fights back with her new tech-based magnetic powers. When Professor X's new splinter team suddenly arrives to aid her, Polaris is glad to see that Havok is a member, and surprised to see that Charles is walking again. He explains that the team plans to follow Vulcan into Shi'ar space and try to rein him in before any more lives are lost. Meanwhile, Vulcan enters Shi'ar space, and destroys the first Shiar ship he sees.

Overview:

A brand new era for the Uncanny X-Men begins here! Fresh off X-MEN: DEADLY GENESIS, Ed Brubaker takes the helm of Marvel’s mighty mutants. Billy Tan joins Ed for a story that won’t just affect earth, but will rock the foundations of the entire galaxy! Vulcan is out for revenge and has his sites set on the Shi’Ar Empire! Get ready for the ride of your life! A perfect starting point for any new reader!

Issue Summary:

Warpath looks inside and sees that it isn’t quite done yet. Two humanoid robots with caterpillar tracks sense their arrival and head their way. Havok readies himself, but Warpath is eager for action. He steams in, using his vibranium knives and super strength to rip apart the first security robot. Havok tells him he’s in his way, but James asks if he can’t aim. Havok replies, “Fine, have it your way,” before turning the robots into slag, missing James by the narrowest of margins. Nightcrawler appears above them, and tells them that this isn’t the time for games. Warpath contacts the Professor via a wrist communicator and informs him that they’re in.

Above a mountainous forest, the blackbird is circling. Professor Xavier is at the helm, with Rachel standing behind him; her hands places on either side of his head. She feels she should be down there with the others, but Charles assures her that they are more than capable of clearing the access tunnels. What they’re doing is equally important. Once she absorbs the flight training from his memory, she’ll be able to teach the whole team while they sleep.

Rachel folds her arms, responding with a hint of sarcasm that she loves how it’s okay to walk in their dreams, now that Charles needs her to be his telepathic hands. Darwin asks Charles if they’re staying out of the fray because of him. Charles assures him that they’re not - not entirely at least.

(earlier that morning at the Xavier Institute)
Charles informs Cyclops that Darwin will be joining his team, but Scott refuses, stating that Darwin is not ready for fieldwork. Charles replies that he’s more than ready. He doesn’t plan on letting him out of his sight and, beyond that, he actually wants to go. Scott reminds Charles that Bobby always wanted to go, too, but that didn’t stop him from benching him until he was ready. Charles thinks that this is different. Darwin and Gabriel were friends. He may be the best chance they have to really reach his brother.

Scott doesn’t care about that and, to be blunt, Vulcan is not the brother he is worried about. Charles says that he should be. And, he adds, Scott should also be worrying about his father, Corsair. He’s out there in the path of Vulcan’s fury as well. Scott doesn’t trust Charles to protect his family, including Rachel, out in space, but Charles says that he’s trying to prevent a tragedy, not cause one. Scott looks away, saying that the line has a tendency to blur, doesn’t it? Charles asks if he should just do nothing. Would that satisfy him? He’s trying to make up for what he’s done wrong. All Scott sees is him taking people he cares about into harm’s way. Havok appears and asks Scott to give Charles a break. He wouldn’t have let him go without him. As twisted as he is, Vulcan is a Summers and they take care of their own… remember?

Alex places a hand on his brother’s shoulder, and says that he knows how mad he is at the Professor, but this is bigger than all of them. There’s more at risk. And, he adds, he’s an X-Man. He’s not just going to sit on his hands waiting for the sky to fall. Scott throws his arm around Alex’s shoulder and lightens up. He guesses his stubborn brother isn’t about to do that. Charles tells Alex and Darwin that they need to move. The stealth jet is hidden beyond the tunnels they’re in, but the Sentinels could find it. The others are waiting. Scott asks them just to come home safely… all of them.

(present)
Charles and his team are standing in a verdant area with very futuristic-looking buildings in the near distance. Warpath is surprised that there is a hidden Shi’ar base inside a lifeless volcano in upstate New York. He asks again why it is that they didn’t just fly in through the top. Charles replies hat it’s because the opening would be nearly impossible to find, for one. Shi’ar holographic projection is hundreds of years beyond that they know. James asks what the other reason is. Charles informs him that their security would have disintegrated them, and Reed Richards would have been very unhappy with him. Experimental stealth jets don’t come cheaply.

Rachel asks the Professor how long he’s known about the base’s existence. Charles replies that he knew that Davan Shakari, the emperor’s main man, once had a base in the States, but Lilandra never let him know where it was. She promised it had been abandoned. Until recently, that was good enough for him. He only found it by breaking a promise of his own. He allowed Reed Richards and Tony Stark to examine the Shi’ar technology he had. With what they learned, the helped him to find this place.

Darwin asks if this is where Vulcan grew up. Charles replies that it was. He was part of a contingent of slaves who worked in the manor house. Darwin states that he never talked about his life before Moira found him. Charles admits that Davan Shakari was a spy, and this base was where visiting dignitaries came to meet with him, to decide if their planet was worth absorbing into the Shi’ar Empire. It’s no wonder that he kept his past to himself. Gabriel’s days here must have been a nightmare.

As the team slowly make their way down into the base of the volcano, three Imperial Shockers are awakened form their slumber. A computer gives them their objective: find intruders and destroy. “Objective understood,” replies one of the Shockers.

Back in the volcanic forest, Darwin still doesn’t fully understand. Why would the Shi’ar, if they are this advanced race, leave all this here for anyone to find? “Because they’re arrogant,” replies Rachel. Charles says he’s afraid there’s some truth in what Rachel pointed out, but it also has to do with their politics. When Davan Shakari was here, D’Ken was emperor. But, D’Ken was rendered catatonic, and Lilandra became empress, thanks in part to the X-Men. Lilandra evacuated her people from Earth out of respect for that… and out of love for him - love which has apparently diminished, on her end at least.

As they walk, the Imperial Shockers monitor them. They deduce that Havok and Polaris are the most dangerous, with Rachel the next in line. They figure the rest will fall quickly after them. One fires a burst of energy from its palm. Warpath senses it, but is too late to save Lorna from being hit in the chest. She screams, as Warpath and Nightcrawler spot their assailants. Kurt teleports towards them and Rachel joins them on the offensive as Alex looks after Lorna.

Charles asks Darwin to stay by him. Whatever it was that hit Lorna, Alex feels that it’s killing her. Charles points out that it’s a collapsing energy field. If he touches her he can probably absorb most of it, but it’s not solar. He won’t be able to control it, so it’ll hurt a lot. Alex doesn’t need asking twice, and he makes contact, screaming himself as the energy is transferred into his body and out of Lorna’s.

Meanwhile, one of the Shockers grabs Warpath and bundles him hard against a wall. James realizes that the thing is faster than him, but that’s not such a big deal. He likes a challenge. He leaps at the Shocker, knife at the ready, whilst Nightcrawler teleports in and kicks another from behind. Rachel says that she had him, but as Kurt smashes its face into the ground, he informs her that these aren’t like the Shi’ar Death Commandos. They seem to feel no pain. He needs her to get in his head and find out how best to stop them.

(The Imperial Shocker’s memory)
The phoenix symbol appears over Rachel’s left eye as she works her way into the creature’s mind. What she sees is horrific. He is a slave, being dragged by a chain wrapped around his neck. He is laid down on some kind of table where a small circular saw goes to work on his body. He is left a mindless cyborg slave.

(present)
Rachel informs Kurt that they want to die. They were prisoners whom the Shi’ar experimented on, turning them into what they see there. There are devices in their brains, keeping them alive, but in the part of them that is still free, buried deep inside, they want to die. That’s all James needs to hear, and he snaps the neck of his opponent. Darwin wishes to help, but Charles tells him his adaptive power is more a defensive skill. Alex begins to recover, just as one of the Shockers appears behind Charles. Darwin growls and grabs the Shocker by the shoulders, pushing him backwards through a window and into a deep shaft. They both fall to the bottom, and as the Shocker splats, Darwin rolls with a certain degree of finesse, righting himself.

The last remaining Shocker fights Rachel’s telekinetic hold on him, but James asks her not to worry. Plunging a knife through his face, he says the fight is over. Nightcrawler teleports after Darwin to ensure he’s okay, and finds him standing there, unharmed. Darwin explains that of course he’s unharmed. He adapts, remember? “Oh,” he adds, “I found the spaceship, too.”

Beside them is a Shi’ar star cruiser; a small spaceship which has a tail end resembling a scorpion’s. It has a multi-faceted green window at the front and two arms at either side. The X-Men board the craft, and Charles tells Warpath that they will discuss his actions later. They may have been mostly machine, but the X-Men do not kill. James replies that he might agree with him, but the way he sees it, he was just freeing a slave from its torment.

Everyone takes their positions, with Charles at the flight controls. The fuel is good and the power is fully charged. He asks everyone to strap themselves in. As he recalls, these ships are a bit rough on takeoff. The ship exits the building and out of the volcano, heading into space. “Oh man, this is so cool,” beams Darwin.

Before long, the ship is a long way from Earth and, according to the charts, the first stargate is beyond the moon. After that there are four more jumps to Shi’ar space. Alex asks how long it will take them to get there, and Charles figures it’ll be about a day’s travel between stargates. Their ship can access them without any hacking because it’s from their own fleet. They should pass unnoticed until they can get a message out to Alex’s father. They spot the first stargate ahead of them. Charles informs them that it’ll take them out to the next point on the Shi’ar charts, far outside their own galaxy. Auto-Pilot should track to the next jumpgate, but he asks Alex to check the charts to make sure.

Rachel wishes to speak about what she saw in the mind of the Shocker. She thinks the Shi’ar are monsters. Before they can continue their discussion, Alex informs the Professor that they have a problem. He’s not getting a reading for the next stargate, or any of the other ones in this sector. “According to the computer, the jumpgates have been destroyed. Charles looks out the window into the far reaches of space. “My god… it’s Vulcan. It has to be. He’s stranded us.”

Overview:

Vulcan is mad. So mad he’s planning on destroying an entire intergalactic empire. The third Summers brother has set his sites on the Shi’Ar Empire, and when he’s finished with them, nothing will ever be the same!

Issue Summary:

(present)

Gabriel Summers, now known as Vulcan, is a powerful mutant out on a mission of vengeance for things that were done long before he was Vulcan. He recently learned of his true origin and, although the memories are too hard to bear, he cannot stop thinking about it.

(flashback to Gabriel’s birth)

Christopher and Katherine Summers were kidnapped from Earth by the Shi’ar Advance Scouts, while his mother was pregnant with Gabriel. Christopher tried valiantly to protect them from the evil emperor D’Ken, but his efforts were in vain, and he was forced to watch D’Ken ripping Gabriel from his dying mother’s womb. Gabriel almost died but he was placed inside an incubation-accelerator where he grew up to suitable slave age in only months.

(present)

Knowing these things would be bad enough for Vulcan, but having actually seen the images in his own memory and seeing the madman laughing over his mother’s corpse is enough to drive him across the great blackness of space. He wishes to find this Emperor D’Ken and make him pay. With each passing day, he wishes he hadn’t made Marvel Girl and Charles Xavier show him how he came to be, because he cannot wash these images away. So, he will have to burn them out instead.

He has lost track of the days since he left Earth but it’s been at least a week. He approaches a Shi’ar star cruiser at high speed. They are unprepared for him, and that’s something he’s been counting on. He ploughs straight through the ship, destroying it. Its crew float into space, helpless against their attacker.

(present)

The remains of the ship drift into the emptiness of space along with the crew. It’s almost too easy, thinks Vulcan. There must be more to the Shi’ar than this! He grabs a hold of one crewmember wearing a space suit, which allows him to survive the cold, oxygen-free environment of the vacuum. He asks the man if he understands him, to which he replies that he does. Shi’ar galaxians learn nearly every spoken language. He asks, though, how Vulcan manages to speak in the emptiness. Vulcan replies that his voice is pure energy, transmitting to his communicator.

The man asks why he has attacked them. They aren’t a warship. Vulcan tells him that they are Shi’ar - isn’t that enough? The man assures him that the Shi’ar are no longer a threat to Earth, but Vulcan asks rhetorically if that is supposed to erase the things they have done. He doesn’t think so. He asks how far away the Shi’ar homeworld is. The man replies that he will never make it to Chandilar alive. Throneworld’s defenses could hold back Galactus himself for days. Vulcan clenches his fist and asks if he’d rather die for his corrupt empire. The man quickly agrees to tell him what he needs to know.

He informs Vulcan that even at his speed, it would take several years to reach Chandilar. The Stargates are the only way to arrive more swiftly. However, only Shi’ar vessels may activate the gates. A man flying alone under his own power through the heavenly terrain, as wondrous as Vulcan may be, will not be able to activate them.

Vulcan figures he’ll have to find another ship, because he has business with his emperor, D’Ken, and he doesn’t intend to wait years to settle it. “D’Ken?” replies the man, surprised. He informs Vulcan that he’s waited too long. D’Ken has lain in the sleep of the near-dead for many cycles. Lilandra is empress of the Shi’ar. “What!” barks Vulcan. The man adds that he seeks vengeance on a ghost. He rages at history. Vulcan, having let the man go, flies towards him and replies, “No… I rage at you.” He unleashes a burst of energy from his hand that rips right through his unfortunate victim leaving him a smoldering carcass as he floats away.

Vulcan realizes that the man is right. He needs a ship in order to travel more quickly. He extends his arms outwards. Through his exposure to a massive amount of mutant energy, Vulcan was not only awakened from his own near-death state, but his abilities were elevated to omega-level. He now remembers his training and the words of Professor Xavier, and his senses reach out into the blackness around him, searching until he feels the power cells of three Shi’ar ships pulsing in the distance. Following their trail is straight-forward after that.

As he approaches the Shi’ar warships, they don’t hesitate to attack. They fire rockets at Vulcan but he explodes them before they reach. He is knocked backwards by the shock wave, but turns to fight. He only needs one of the ships intact, but he would like the ship’s crew to serve him of their own will. His brief memories of his father’s time with the Shi’ar show the Shi’ar to respect that which can defeat them. They respect what they fear. He knows that it will take most of his energy to destroy two of the ships, and he’s not even certain that it can be done.

Vulcan flies around the ships, causing their seeker missiles to follow him back towards them. Two of the ships are damaged; their power sources exploding when the missiles hit home. Their weapons, life support and artificial gravity shut down, and the two warships drift towards each other swiftly, until colliding, destroying both.

With the little energy he has left, Vulcan communicates with the remaining warship. He gives them a choice: either join their companions in death or surrender their vessel to his command. He gives the captain one minute to decide. The captain doesn’t know how weak Vulcan is now, but he does figure that he cannot stand against such a powerful figure. He clenches his fist. “We are defeated!”

Vulcan boards his ship and is hailed by the captain who offers him a sword. Vulcan tells him to keep it. He doesn’t need one, and the captain might want to fall on it at some point in the near future.

(later)

Vulcan is resting in his chambers when the captain arrives. Vulcan asks if his orders are understood. The captain replies that they will be followed, but he doesn’t understand why the stargates must be destroyed as they pass through them. It will cripple interstellar travel for the empire. Vulcan is sure it will, but he’s not that concerned about the Shi’ar. He’s thinking of the Earthmen who will follow him. The captain informs him that Earthers cannot access the gates, but Vulcan warns him not to underestimate them.

He then asks about Lilandra. The captain explains that Lilandra inherited the throne when great Emperor D’Ken was taken by illness. She is the youngest sister of the Neremani line. Her older sister is in exile, and her name is Deathbird. No one has heard of her for a while, but it is believed she still lives. Vulcan finds this information interesting. He suggests the captain take a seat, and then asks for a crash course on Shi’ar history. He needs to know what he is up against.

Days pass, and Vulcan’s knowledge of the Shi’ar grows with each of them. His newly acquired ship passes through the outer territories of Shi’ar space, spreading destruction in its wake. Vulcan watches from his seat on the command deck, knowing that his legend is growing with each attack. He also knows that rumor and fear of his arrival has by now reached the Throneworld. It’s a perfect plan, like that of his hero, Julius Caesar.

The Warbird exits another stargate, taking it into the inner realms of the Shi’ar Empire. Vulcan orders them to blow the gate, and the stargate explodes behind them. He orders his crew to prepare to repel the borders, but a crewmember informs him that there are no ships within scanning range. Then, another crewman informs Vulcan that they are being hailed from space. Vulcan thought as much. He orders them to put them on the comm.

Outside the ship, Gladiator and three members of the Imperial Guard are in the ship’s path, leaving their own ship behind. Gladiator informs the captain of the M’Kaedo that he is guilty of treason against the imperium. He is ordered to surrender his vessel and turn himself in for summary judgment, or face the wrath of the Imperial Guard!

Prof. X and his new team find themselves between a hunk of space junk and a hard-place, as they search the wreckage of Vulcan’s path of destruction for the secret that will help them get to the Shi’Ar throneworld in time. But Marvel Girl’s presence on the outskirts of Shi’Ar controlled space has not gone unnoticed, and a new enemy with deep ties to her is unleashed!

N’Ruto reminds him that the empress proclaimed Xavier innocent in that matter, but K’Tor insists she was ashamed. He was her consort and he used his mind control to manipulate her into nearly destroying the realm. It was only through the ministry’s pressure that she dissolved their union and they were able to have Xavier banished. The commander asks if the empress knows of the attacks on the stargates. He is told that she knows only what the vice-chancellor’s superior decides she needs to know. At present her condition is fragile. She is being tended to. N’Ruto then announces that there is another matter he has just received word of… about the line of the Phoenix! This grabs the vice-chancellor’s full attention.

(the outer rim of the Shi’ar Empire)
Professor Xavier and his team of X-Men have come across a space station, and Marvel Girl uses her telepathy to determine whether the occupants are friendly or not. She senses only a skeleton crew, and their thoughts are tame. They should be able to ‘Jedi’ the crew into helping them. Charles gives the order to proceed, and dons a spacesuit to conceal his identity. 

Once on the station, they find just two men working there, and they welcome the team aboard. Charles feels that whatever facilities they have will be of great use as their own ship is nearly out of fuel. One of them looks out of the window and comments that it’s been too long since he saw such a model of starcraft. He enquires as to where they acquired such a vessel. Charles says Rachel’s name in a questioning manner, and she ‘Jedi’s’ the workman, informing him telepathically that he doesn’t need to know about the ship, and that he just needs to refuel it. The workman returns to his computer and forgets he asked the question, adding that their ship is unmanned so it might take some time. Charles wonders if his crew could gather supplies while they wait. The workman pauses a moment, before offering the run of the station to them.

Havok and Polaris take one route through the ship whilst Darwin and Nightcrawler choose another. Lorna mentions to Alex that she’s just noticing now, because he uses Rachel to do it, but asks whether the professor has always just pushed his will onto people like that? Alex reckons that he has, when the need arose. He asks if she remembers when Jean became the Phoenix. Charles made an airport full of people forget they’d seen any of them. 

Lorna says she misses Jean. And, she liked Scott better when she was around… a lot better. Alex agrees, but asks her not to forget that the Shi’ar are the people who killed Jean the first time around, and they’d do the same to the professor given half the chance. He doesn’t mind him pushing a few minds to get them on their way. Is that bad in the grand scheme of things? Lorna guesses not.

Elsewhere, Nightcrawler and Darwin have taken another route, and Kurt senses that something is troubling Darwin. The newcomer explains that he doesn’t like how the professor’s treating him. They’ve been in space almost a week, and he’s hardly let him out of his sight. Kurt agrees that he’s being overprotective, but Darwin is still new to the team. He guesses Kurt is right, and then asks why Charles is wearing a space suit. Kurt explains that he’s a wanted man in Shi’ar space. It’s a long story involving an evil twin, and Kurt would rather not go into it.

Meanwhile, Alex and Lorna arrive at a large door with a sword & sickle carved into the doorway. They don’t know what it means, but Alex guesses this is where the security gear was stored when they had a security detail… before this place because the ghost station at the edge of the universe. He places his hand on a glowing white screen and the large door slowly opens. Inside, they discover the dead bodies of several crewmembers who appear to have been killed. Alex gasps.

Darwin and Kurt are looking for food, and Kurt thinks they’re heading in the wrong direction. Darwin notices a small sign written in Shi’ar, and explains that it means Food Storage. “You can read Shi’ar?” asks Kurt, surprised. Darwin replies that he looked through a few of the ship’s logs until it made sense. Now, through listening to the workmen speaking with the professor he can speak it pretty well, too. He utters something in Shi’ar.

Amazed, replies Kurt, before asking what it means. Darwin’s smiling face suddenly changes into a frown and he replies, “Look out!” Kurt turns just in time to see an assailant emerge from the shadows and shoot at him. He teleports instantly, but the blast shatters the window behind him and Darwin is sucked out of the station and into the unforgiving coldness of space. Kurt is unable to grab him as he hangs on to a ladder.

The alarm sounds and the blast doors are activated. Outside the station, Darwin quickly begins to adapt to his new environment. He discovers that he has no need to breathe, and both his skin and internal structure increase in density. He realizes that he must warn the professor that this place isn’t what it seems. Whatever that thing was, it wasn’t Shi’ar, and he’s guessing that neither are the men he’s dealing with.

Inside the station, Rachel suddenly takes a turn for the worse. She holds her forehead and complains of a sudden nauseating headache. She was trying to mind-probe the lead worker because of the way he kept looking at their ship, and then her headache came on strong. She feels that something’s wrong. She looks up to see Darwin approaching the station. He lands on the outside of the glass, held there by suckers that have formed on his fingers. He looks like he’s trying to tell them something. “What the hell?” exclaims Warpath.

From Warpath’s blind spot, a Warskrull appears having shape shifted from his previous form of a workman. He is holding a double-edged blade. “Die, Earthmen,” he says, grinning nefariously from ear to ear. He lashes out at James, but he ducks and grabs Rachel, calling out to the professor that this is a trap. Another Warskrull carrying the weapon fired at Nightcrawler sees Kurt teleport above him and he asks what he is. He likes to know what he’s killing.

Kurt warns him that he’ll be killing no one else today if he has anything to do with it. He teleports them both outside the station and leaves the Warskrull there before returning to the station. He notices that the Warskrull’s armor has formed a protective sheath over his head, and he hopes his friend can also survive out there.

Rachel is having difficulty moving, and it’s up to Warpath to take on three Warskrulls, all of whom are superior in size. He figures one of them must have an implant that is giving out some kind of feedback to Rachel. He reminds her that she’s not just a telepath. Another Warskrull grabs Charles by his helmet but, before he can do any damage, Havok arrives with Polaris and he blasts the alien. With his back smoldering, the Warskrull turns to his assailant and says he was hoping for a fight. Havok brings it on, pummeling him with his plasma blasts, but the Warskrull simply grins at him and thanks Alex for charging up his forcefield.

Warpath is being overawed by sheer numbers, despite his prodigious strength. Charles informs Lorna that one of the Skrulls must have an implant, which hurts Rachel, so she uses her powers to reach out and destroy whatever it is. The Warskrulls fall away from James in agony, and Lorna points to one that is still conscious. James gladly delivers a kick to finish him off. There is just one Warskrull remaining, and Alex is keeping him at bay. Charles helps Rachel up, and she isn’t happy about having her head messed with. She assaults the Warskrull, using her telekinesis on a molecular level to take him out. She leaves him alive, despite the fact that he wouldn’t have spared any of them.

Elsewhere, Darwin appears to have somehow found a way back inside the station. He descends a ladder that leads from what appears to be an access point. Kurt thinks he truly is a wonder. He himself survived a few seconds out there, but Darwin managed to adapt to his environment. He nonchalantly tells Kurt that it’s no big deal. He asks if Kurt can teleport through the door next to them, pointing out that, while he was outside, he was a few Shi’ar locked inside. Maybe they know what’s going on? Kurt asks if the space beyond the door is clear. It is, so he teleports inside. 

Soon, the X-Men are getting the full story from two surviving Shi’ar crewmen. They inform the professor about Vulcan’s destruction of their ship. They managed to escape in a shuttle, and they found the Warskrulls floating in space in the guise of their own people. They rescued them, and then it was too late. They told of being refugees from their system, having to evacuate due to a force moving through space, destroying all. They wanted a real ship, so they killed the workers at the station and took their places to lay an ambush.

Rachel asks why they were spared. He replies that the Warskrulls said their code wouldn’t allow them to kill any who saved them. It’s the first he’s heard of Skrulls having any code. Charles feels that the Skrulls aren’t without honor, however twisted it may be. He allows the Shi’ar to travel with them until they reach the nearest hub. Kurt doesn’t think that this is a good idea, but Charles is concerned that the Skrulls might break free before their signal reaches the authorities. 

Once inside their holding cell, the two Shi’ar chat about Charles who they recognize as being Lilandra’s former consort. For now they can do nothing, but when the time comes, they will deliver him to the vice-chancellor’s justice.

(the third moon of Phygim - high security prison)
The vice-chancellor visits a prisoner who is being held in powerful shackles. He asks the man if he knows who he is. He replies that he’s the man who put him there. The vice-chancellor says that he’s much more than that. He’s also the man who had his brothers killed and his mother sterilized; just as his predecessors have done with the descendents of Rook’shir for five hundred years, wherever they can find them. He looks at Korvus and says he is the last.

He asks if he knows why he is allowed to live. Korvus has no idea. The vice-chancellor replies that he knew there would be a day when he would need his services. He asks Korvus if he would like his sentence commuted; to roam freely among the stars. Korvus asks what he has to do. “What do you think?” replies the vice-chancellor, “Something that only the Blade of the Phoenix can do…” 

The X-Men find themselves deep within Shi’Ar space and even deeper trouble. The Shi’Ar have sent their secret weapon after an unaware Marvel Girl. Meanwhile, Professor X has his hands full with a band of rogue soldiers that have their sights on him. And they are out for blood!  

Korvus has been freed by Chancellor K’Tor in order to do his bidding. Korvus looks at the Blade of the Phoenix, which hangs on a wall, and he can’t believe that it is real. It’s the sword of his ancestor, killed 400 cycles past. As he takes it in his fist, he thinks that this day should never have come to pass - Rook’shir’s own blade in his hands.

(flashback)
Rook’shir flies away from a scene of utter devastation holding the Blade of the Phoenix. Rook’shir is the Shi’ar’s dirty little secret; the Shi’ar who became the Phoenix. He is an intergalactic outlaw with the power of the universe in his grasp. The Shi’ar form the first Imperial Guard in order to stop him from destroying the empire. They catch up with him, and Gladiator delivers the killing blow. However, an infinitesimal piece of the Phoenix force somehow remains inside the sword; a sword only able to be carried by his blood heirs. Korvus is the last of those.

(present)
Korvus wields the blade, which crackles with energy. He is now the only one able to hold it, and he doesn’t feel that he deserves this honor. But, what choice does he have? Chancellor K’Tor reminds him that his task will buy him his freedom after all these cycles. Korvus grimaces, and replies that the deal has been struck. There’s no need to remind him of it.

(weeks later)
The X-Men are still traveling through space and Warpath is becoming a little fed up, finding space travel boring. Nightcrawler, piloting the ship, hopes that he’s joking, but James means it. It’s been weeks since they’ve seen anything but asteroid belts and supernovas. If he wasn’t helping train ‘the new kid,’ he’d have thrown himself out of an airlock by now. Nightcrawler motions to the window and asks if he cannot see the majesty of what is around them. Even the black is deeper out there. Kurt could watch the stars pass them by for months without losing interest. James thinks he might get that chance.

James explains that the outer stargates which their resident Shi’ar steered them to have helped their progress, but they’re a long way from the heart of Shi’ar space. Meanwhile, he’s going stir crazy and his senses are all over the place. He can’t even remember what grass smells like. Kurt agrees with that sentiment, adding that there are parts of who they are that they only notice when things are different. James says he needs to put his feet on some dirt and feel the wind. Kurt wonders if Rachel could create something telepathically, but James reckons that it may work for Scott and Emma, but it’s not the same for him. Anyway, he adds, Ray’s been so busy with the Professor, he doubts she’d have the time.

Elsewhere on the Shi’ar ship, Rachel is standing behind Charles Xavier with her hands at either side of his head. He is trying to teach her how to use her powers with more subtlety, but Ray is becoming agitated. She feels as if Charles is always trying to work on her and trying to get her to link up. Charles apologizes. He didn’t know how she felt about this. He stands and heads for the door, telling her that he’ll leave her to herself. Kurt could probably use a break anyway. Rachel asks him to wait. She didn’t mean it like that.

She tells him that she’s just being grumpy. It’s not Charles, though; it’s their Shi’ar passengers. She’s pretty sure that they know who Charles is, and they are purposely keeping their minds blank, like they’ve had training. Charles thinks it’s likely they have. Then, adds Rachel, there’s the thing with that Deathsquad who put the deathmark on her back. For the last two days, it’s like she can feel it getting hot beneath her skin. They know that she’s in their territory. She feels that the Shi’ar Ministry is tracking her.

Meanwhile, in space, a small craft approaches the X-Men’s larger ship. Piloting the vessel is Korvus, and he asks his computer if he can access their loading bay unnoticed. It confirms that he can, but stealth mode will cease once docked. Korvus thinks that’s good enough. Once he’s on board they’ll know it, regardless. The computer takes them in.

Back inside the ship, Warpath is with the newcomer, Darwin. He doesn’t want to spar right now, and James tells him that’s fine - he just doesn’t want him to mope around. Darwin explains that he wishes he was there because of what he can do, and not because he shared a mind with Vulcan for a few days. That was the worst experience of his life. He couldn’t do anything but watch while one of his friends went insane. “Yeah… that sucks,” replies James. The two Shi’ar crewmen walk past and bid them good day. They’re heading to get some food supplies. As they wander off, James comments that they’re up to something. Darwin knows, but what? It’s not like they could take on the X-Men.

At that moment, Korvus’ craft enters the larger vessel and the alarms sound. James grabs his knife immediately and asks Darwin to follow the Shi’ar, but to stay out of sight. He has some party crashers to bounce. Nightcrawler joins him, quickly followed by Havok and Polaris. Alex asks what’s going on, and Lorna wonders if the Shi’ar have sabotaged them. The answer comes in the form of Korvus who is carrying the Blade of the Phoenix. “Wow,” exclaims Warpath, “That is a really big sword.”

Korvus asks them to stop. He means no harm to any but the girl who was touched by the Phoenix. But, he’ll do what he has to to get to her. Warpath leaps at him, but is knocked off course by the sword, which sparks with energy upon impact. As it strikes, Rachel screams and her body is flung along the length of the corridor she is in. As James falls, Korvus warns them that they should listen to him. They can’t beat the blade. Polaris asks what if she takes it from him, then. She tries to remove it, but the sword emits a surge of energy that topples her. “Kurt?” asks Alex, looking for a little leadership. “Plan 9?” he replies. Alex is happy to do that. He unleashes a blast of energy at Korvus, but he directs it back at him with the sword. Nightcrawler, too, is dealt with similarly as he teleports above their assailant. “I didn’t want any of this,” Korvus comments as he stands over the X-Men’s unconscious bodies.

Charles Xavier is alone on the bridge. He tries to communicate with Nightcrawler to find out what’s happening, but he can’t get through. He turns to see the two Shi’ar crewmen standing behind him. He orders them to the loading bay to find out what’s going on, but one of them pulls out a weapon. “We will not be doing that… Charles Xavier, traitor to the Emporium.”

Meanwhile, Rachel holds her shoulder, which hurts. She wonders what that was, and Korvus explains that it was him. She and his blade are linked. The deathmark on her back glows gold as he speaks. She looks up at him from her prone position and asks if he’s it. They only sent one of them this time? They underestimated me… again!” She unleashes a burst of telekinetic power at Korvus, sending him sprawling. He gets to his feet, still clutching the huge blade. She explains that as she has telekinesis, she doesn’t have to touch him to hurt him. She doesn’t have to get anywhere near his big honkin’ sword. Korvus wishes it were that simple. He aims the sword at Rachel and fires energy at her. Rachel is hurled backwards, and she is dazed and bleeding as she tries to come around.

Korvus stands over and raises the blade above his head, ready to behead Rachel. “I’m sorry for this…” he says as he brings the blade down. Rachel suddenly kneels up and catches the blade between the palms of her hands as it descends. As she holds it, the sword links her mind with Korvus.

The pair of them speak telepathically, as memories are ripped from their minds to be seen by the other. They show Korvus’ family being hunted down by the Shi’ar and exterminated in cold blood. They show another family member being flogged as he stands in chains. From Rachel’s memories comes the aftermath of the Shi’ar Death Commandos’ attack on her family, and a vision of the future as she serves as a hound for the government. They see clearly what the other has gone through, and Korvus yanks the sword away from Rachel. He runs his fingers along its blade and tells Rachel that it is weakened. She took some of its power. Rachel corrects him, telling him that the sword took her. The Phoenix knows her and likes her.

As the blade glows with its silver energy, a similarly colored Phoenix symbol glows around her left eye. She reaches for Korvus who wonders what she is doing. She asks him to hold still. His implant is about to blow up and she has to take it apart… carefully. Moments later and it is done. Korvus stands and sheathes the giant blade. He is surprised that he came to kill Rachel, yet she saved his life. Rachel informs Korvus that he’s seen him. He is the final descendent of Rook’shir, and she knows he couldn’t have lived with himself if he’d done it. Korvus agrees, and feels that they are very much alike.

As they speak, they hear an alarm sound. “My ship!” exclaims Korvus. He doesn’t think that Rachel’s colleagues are in any shape to go anywhere, but Rachel tells him it must be the Professor. She uses her telepathy to try and find him, and discovers that he is gone. The small craft vanishes into the darkness of space, with a determined-looking Darwin hanging on to the tail.

Overview:

The foundations of the mighty Shi’Ar are shaken! Vulcan is here! His first test, the Imperial Guard! It’s Vulcan vs. Gladiator. The victor will decide the fate of an entire galaxy!

Issue Summary

(a moon, somewhere near the heart of the Shi’ar Empire)

Vulcan is intent on exacting his revenge upon the Shi’ar Empire. He has spent weeks studying their history and culture: weeks formulating the perfect plan. This plan begins with the defeat of the Imperial Guard. Things aren’t going according to plan.

Vulcan takes out Smasher with a blast to the back, which sends him sprawling in a pool of his own blood. Several other members of the Imperial Guard surround him, and Gladiator receives a similar blast, as he orders his team to maintain a full pressure attack. Titan is already lying on the floor with his chest wound smoking. Vulcan evades an attack by Starbolt, and instead turns his energy discharge upon Impulse, who dies instantly. Nightside screams as she witnesses her friend’s death. Plutonia phases through Vulcan’s chest which causes him pain, and he drops to his knees at Gladiator’s feet. “That’s the last of my soldiers you slay,” he warns. “Surrender now and you may yet live.”

Vulcan is nothing if not stubborn, and he grins as he raises himself from the ground. He asks Gladiator to surrender instead, and promises not to kill all his men if he does. Gladiator is rocked by another assault, and he orders Cosmo and Neutron to forget Titan and get the ‘star-killing bastard.’

(meanwhile)

Chancellor K’Tor is in communications with the captain of the Shi’ar ship that Vulcan appropriated. The captain’s outfit shows signs of a struggle, and he is piloting one of his ship’s escape shuttles. He congratulates himself on ensuring that by the time Vulcan meets the Imperial Guard, he will be unprepared. He doesn’t truly understand what he’s up against. The captain adds that he saw that in Vulcan’s face as Gladiator tore his ship apart and cast Vulcan to a nearby half-dead moon.

The chancellor replies that he may indeed suit their purposes. He adds that an Earther that powerful and obsessed with the great D’Ken… he knows exactly which cell to place him in. The captain replies that it was his hope that the true empire may rise once more. K’Tor replies that it is his hope, too, and he has sent teams to retrieve the captain and any survivors among his crew. K’Tor’s computer then asks him what his next command is. K’Tor asks for a direct communication with Gladiator, and to transmit the following to his implant on Code Hector priority.

Back on the moon, Cosmo and Neutron delight in giving Vulcan a severe kicking. As he stamps on Vulcan, Neutron asks if he can feel his power leaving. Neutron then smashes Vulcan in the face leaving him bleeding on the ground. Vulcan then looks back at his assailants and tells them that they have no idea who he is. They can take as much as they want; it doesn’t have to be inside for him to control it. He then raises his hand and both Guardsmen reel in agony as their bodies begin to burn. Vulcan stands and walks away, leaving them smoldering.

Mentor is the next to take control, noting that Vulcan’s mind is his weakness. He calls for Oracle and Nightside to do their thing, and, a moment later, Vulcan finds himself surrounded by darkness. “Welcome to your nightmare, Earther…” a voice whispers. Vulcan is slightly confused, but asks if they think that darkness is going to help. The voice tells him that they know who he is. They see all. He is lonely and frightened; a child torn from his mother’s womb too soon. Vulcan warns them to shut up but the voice continues to say that he never knew the warmth of her touch - always scared… so alone. He warns them to stop this right now, before turning to see Hobgoblin approach him in the darkness, looking like Vulcan.

He tells Vulcan that the void knows this because the void is him, and they know that he is truly just a child. Vulcan snarls and thanks Hobgoblin. They almost had him there for a second, but then he remembered what it feels like to have someone else in his head. He blasts Hobgoblin in the chest, hoping that he is still linked with her, or close by at least. He then emits a burst of energy that knocks out Nightside, Oracle and Hobgoblin, and the darkness fades.

He finds Gladiator hovering before him, and asks if this is the best that they can do. Messing with his head just pisses him off. Gladiator flies towards him, informing him that he should have let Oracle and Hobgoblin defeat him. He assures Vulcan that mental anguish is far preferable to the pain he brings. Vulcan fires at him as he approaches but finds that his power is ineffective. He asks why he cannot touch Gladiator, and he replies that it’s because he believes himself to be untouchable. He lands a powerful punch on Vulcan’s left eye, which destroys it. Energy leaks from the gaping wound, and he bleeds heavily from it, asking what he’s done. Gladiator follows up with a crunching punch to the jaw, which drops Vulcan for good.

Gladiator stands over his fallen opponent. He gives an order for Vulcan to be bound and taken to the medical bay. Then, he can be taken to the brig for transport. Scintilla is surprised that Gladiator wants him alive after what he did to them. Several Guardsmen are scattered around the battle site with severe injuries. Gladiator replies that their orders are to have Vulcan taken into custody. Mentor asks Scintilla to bring power leeches and a neural shackle to neutralize Vulcan’s abilities. He then asks Gladiator if he took in all of Oracle’s mental scan. Gladiator replies that he did. Vulcan is the son of the outlaw, Corsair. He wants a report preparing for the vice-chancellor, informing him that the X-Men may not be far behind this one.

(later, on a prison moon orbiting the planet of Phygim)

Vulcan is carried to his cell by two prison guards. The prison is the highest security prison in all of Shi’ar space, and its deepest levels contain prisoners that only a handful of people at even the highest levels of the Shi’ar know exist. It’s in these dark cells that the days become a blur for Vulcan. His eye is replaced with a synthetic, and though there is no light, his fingertips constantly trace the scar around it. It’s a reminder of his failure, as is the device attached to him that dulls his senses, cutting him off from the source and leaving him trapped somewhere between dream and darkness.

As he sleeps, a younger version of himself appears and tells Vulcan that they were right about him. He’s just a widdle baby. Vulcan tells him to shut up, but he continues to tell him that they messed him up. He grew up too fast, and now he thinks he’s this big omega-level mutant, but he can’t even wipe his own butt. Vulcan repeats his warning for him to shut up, but the child adds that he’s figured out what today is. It’s Vulcan’s birthday, and he knows just how old he is, which was a lot more work than he’d think. The child adds up on his fingers. First, you subtract the years Vulcan was suspended in a hunk of asteroid. Then, you deduct the years the Shi’ar aged him, carry the decimal point, and he finally thinks he’s a fifteen-year-old, though probably more like thirteen in terms of maturity.

Vulcan remains lying down and tells the child that he’s not real. Can’t he leave him alone? The child asks if that’s what he really is; just some weak little kid who thought he was all grown up? He can’t believe that he’s him. Go away, Vulcan whispers. You go away, comes the childish response.

Vulcan doesn’t know if it’s days or weeks before his cell door opens and a soldier enters. He’s ceased to know the difference. He rouses, and tells the soldier to go away. He’s not real. The soldier grabs his arm and informs him that they haven’t much time. He clicks a remote control and the neural shackle opens. Vulcan sits up and holds his head, asking what’s going on. The soldier asks him to rest for a moment as removing the neural dampeners can be disorienting.

Vulcan asks why he would help him, as he’s a Shi’ar. The soldier replies that he serves the Secret Order, so that the true empire may rise once more. His orders were to aid him, and to tell him that there are those who know of the wrong done to him. He mentions Vulcan’s real name: Gabriel Summers. However, Vulcan asks him not to call him that.

The soldier informs him that they’re out of time. His path lies two levels down, and he hopes Vulcan has the power to get there. He fires on two prison guards who arrive, and orders Vulcan to leave whilst he holds them off. Before Vulcan can ask anything else, the soldier is killed, and Vulcan’s eye begins to glow. He aims his fingers at the guards and fries them where they stand. “Idiots,” he remarks as he grabs a cape from one of them.

Vulcan then continues in the direction that the soldier asked him to go and soon comes across two more armed guards. They suffer the same fate as their colleagues. In taking them out, his blast shatters the cell doors behind them, and he approaches them gingerly. Something inside the cell stirs, but carefully, like it isn’t sure what awaits. Vulcan orders whoever is inside to come out. He’s not there to hurt them. Deathbird exits the cell and says that, of course not… no one may harm her. Her sister the empress decreed that no hand would touch her, before she had her soldiers lock her away for all time, to ensure the safety of the throne.

The Shi’Ar Empire is crumbling at the hands of Vulcan! The X-Men, with Professor X captured, search for the one group of heroes that can save them and all of the Shi’Ar...the Starjammers!

Lilandra assures Karanda that everything is fine. Being there has helped her more than she can imagine. She stumbles as she mentions what happened to her, but Karanda assures her that her lips are sealed. Lilandra tells her it’s kind of her to say so, but she was kind of a mess. Cassandra Nova almost destroyed her mind. However, she thinks it may be time to return to her duties. Karanda thinks the chancellor will be pleased to hear it.

Elsewhere, Araki communicates with Vice-Chancellor K’Tor, watching him on a large screen. He has given Araki news of Deathbird’s escape. Araki thinks that it couldn’t be one of their own that freed her, in case they failed. Still, he’s stunned at how quickly this has transpired. K’Tor asks if he will need assistance, but Araki chastises him, reminding him who he is speaking with. K’Tor apologizes.

Chancellor Araki turns to see one of Lilandra’s guards approaching. Araki quickly draws a weapon and blasts him with it. He then shoots the other guard, as well as Karanda. Lilandra is shocked and asks what he’s done. Araki smacks her on the side of the head with the weapon and she falls to the ground, unconscious. Araki tells himself that he has given the empire a chance at greatness. It’s something she could never understand.

(meanwhile, far, far away)
The X-Men discuss their options aboard their spacecraft, with Korvus in attendance. Warpath doesn’t trust Korvus, but Rachel reminds him that he was forced to do what he did. Korvus adds that if he meant to kill him he’d have done it before he came to. Warpath flips and storms towards him, but Havok steps in-between the volatile pair and order them to stop fighting. He figures Charles and Darwin are more important than their squabbling. He reminds James that Rachel has seen Korvus’ mind and she trusts him. That’s good enough for him. Even if he wasn’t, he’s the only one who can help them right now.

When Nightcrawler asks how they’re going to catch his ship, Korvus replies that they can’t. It’s a jumpship, which means it creates its own stargates. Lorna is disappointed, but Korvus tells her that there may be another way, if she and Alex are what Rachel says they are. Alex asks what he means. Korvus explains that they can help them create a stargate of their own.

“We can what?” exclaims Rachel. Kurt asks for an explanation, so Korvus informs them that it’s simple. Before they built the gates, Shi’ar cruisers like the one they’re on made their own jumps. They only have to bring the jump engines back on line, but they’ll need a power source. That’s what they will be. He, Havok and Marvel Girl will feed the engines, and Polaris will control them.

Polaris asks what she has to do. Korvus explains that their power isn’t the fuel they were built for, so she has to stop it from ripping them apart and leaving them stranded outside space and time. Kurt half-jokes that it sounds serious. Korvus replies that it’s worse than that, assuming they survive. When they arrive, their most powerful members will be spent, and their impulse drive will be offline. He looks out the window, and adds that following their teammates where his ship’s coordinates were set is out of the question. They need somewhere safe to rest and refit the engines before they leap into the fray.

“The Starjammers,” Nightcrawler suggests. Alex was going to say the same thing. The professor had their most recent location in the navcom, and he taps away at the computer. Korvus is surprised that they know the Starjammers. Rachel explains that Corsair is Alex’s father. Korvus grins, and says that maybe their luck is not all bad.

(Shi’ar High Council Starways)
Near a massive spaceship, the two Shi’ar that kidnapped Charles Xavier approach warily. They are cleared for landing and are asked to prepare to be scanned. One of them tells the controller that they are not the ones they were expecting, but before he can complete his sentence, the scan reveals three people aboard the craft, and no Phoenix Blade. They are ordered to surrender, as they have illegally entered the High Council’s causeway and will be considered hostile. One of the men asks them not to fire. They have a gift for the Vice-Chancellor. It’s the Earther, Xavier. Behind the two men, Charles sits bound and gagged; uncertain of his immediate future.

The controller asks them to hold position, and the two men chat. They are nervous about entering the craft but, when they are cleared for landing in bay seven, they are warned not to deplane in the hangar. They will be boarded. One of the Shi’ar thinks they will be killed for certain. His comrade replies that he is going to kill him if they don’t if he doesn’t be quiet. The craft slowly enters the hangar.

Meanwhile, back on the X-Men’s craft, Polaris practices using her augmented powers by taking things apart. Alex asks if she thinks she’ll be able to do it. Lorna doesn’t know, but with all the training she did with Rachel and the Professor during their downtime, her new powers are beginning to feel as natural as the ones she lost. She remains optimistic about their chances. She wonders how long it will be. Alex hopes it will be soon. They’ve been working on the engines all day.

Lorna points out that Alex has been a little distant since they decided to do this. She thought he’d be looking forward to seeing Corsair, in spite of everything. Alex replies that he is. It’s been a long time, however, and he doesn’t even know about Vulcan yet - his other son. On top of that, they’ve blown it at every turn. They get stuck in space and allow Charles to be kidnapped. Lorna points out that it was Charles who brought them onboard, but Alex says it doesn’t matter. He should have seen it. Now they’re running to his father for help instead of bringing it to him. All they have is bad news. Alex turns and walks out of the room with a lot on his mind. Lorna picks up some objects using her power and says to herself that Alex is twice the man Corsair is. If only he’d realize it.

In the engine bay, Nightcrawler and Warpath have become spectators as the shirtless Korvus works on the engines. He tells them that it’s nearly ready, but he hasn’t worked on engines like this since he was a boy. James asks if his father was a mechanic for the empire. Korvus replies no. This was after his death, when he was in the slave workforce… before he became a man and was locked away. Kurt and James pause a moment before making their excuses to leave. Korvus assures them that he’ll finish it on his own. He can’t sleep anyway.

As they walk away, Kurt says that is seems like Korvus has been through worse treatment than many of them. “It appears,” replies James. Kurt asks if he still does not trust him. James thinks that there’s something about him; a scent that he can’t place. He doesn’t seem suicidal, however, so he guesses he can be trusted with the engines. Kurt tells him that he worries more about Rachel, and the effect that he’s had on her already. She took some of the Phoenix Force from his sword within herself. Even the smallest spark of the Phoenix in Rachel Grey could be a danger to them all. It could be much worse for Rachel.

Elsewhere on the ship, Rachel has nightmares about Korvus and the treatment he underwent at the hands of his slave captors. She wakes with a start and decides to get up. She decides to grab a bite to eat but finds nothing appetizing. Instead, she grabs something to wear and heads to the engine bay to see Korvus. When she arrives, she tells him that he’s in her head. He reminds her that she’s the telepath. Can’t she shut it off? She asks if it’s happening to him, too. Korvus admits that something is; ever since they merged minds through the Blade of the Rook’shir. Rachel tells him that it’s like she has pieces of his memories mixed with hers. She asks about the sword, wanting a reminder of how it’s connected to the Phoenix.

Korvus holds the blade in an outstretched hand and it fizzles with energy, revealing an image of the Rook’shir along its length. He tells Rachel that, hundreds of years ago, Rook’shir was possessed by what was then called the Phal’kon. He was where the Shi’ar legends of the Phoenix truly originated. They kept the story quiet, but knew long ago that the energy could join with those it chose. Rachel says that she thought Jean Grey was the first person the Phoenix connected with. Korvus corrects her. There were two others, each ending in disaster. Rook’shir destroyed worlds. He had the Phal’kon in him for only a few days, and he killed so many.

He adds that when they finally managed to slay him, a small piece of the Phoenix remained within his sword. But, it’s not the true Phoenix. Rachel agrees. To her, it’s more like a faded blue shadow, or an echo of it. Rachel touches the sword, and reckons it’s not such a bad thing. It’s a lot less power but it’s easier to control. Korvus thinks it’s too easy. When he first held the blade, it opened his mind to the lives of those who carried it before him. It taught him how to use it. Rachel reckons that even a shadow of the Phoenix wants to be used. She notices Korvus staring at her and asks him to stop looking like that. Like what? he asks. “Like you know me,” replies Rachel. Korvus says that he does know her. He shouldn’t, but he does.

Rachel and Korvus approach one another, so close that Rachel has her hand on his chest. Korvus tells her that he even knows why she is there in the new clothes she made instead of sleeping. Rachel tells him to stop, but she’s not that convincing. “It’s the same reason I can’t,” he adds. Rachel turns and Korvus holds her gently by the shoulder. “Oh, God,” sighs Rachel, “We’re really in trouble now.” Korvus smiles and says that he’s known nothing in his life but trouble. They’ll survive. He takes her head in his hands and kisses her tenderly. Rachel reciprocates, stroking his hair as they embrace, as if it was always meant to happen.

Meanwhile, Charles Xavier is now a captive of Chancellor K’Tor. He is strapped uncomfortably into a machine that holds his head in place. Charles grimaces from the pain and of the knowledge of what might come. K’Tor is standing before him, gloating about what is going to happen to him. He explains that the machine is called the ‘kiss of agony.’ Its touch sears right through the brain. He wouldn’t know personally, of course, and it’s not as if he’s about to try the device on himself. Charles warns him that Lilandra will have his feathers for this. K’Tor slaps him hard across the face. He tells Charles not to try and use his mind-control on him. The collar he wears prohibits those abilities. Charles replies that he doesn’t have those abilities anymore.

The machine forces Charles’ body upwards and places him in a horizontal position. K’Tor asks for forgiveness if he doesn’t take him at his word. In any case, he adds, he won’t have those abilities soon. The machine is loaded with nasty-looking blades, syringes and all manner of devices with painful intent. Charles cries for him not to do this. Lilandra will kill him. K’Tor grins, and informs Charles hat she will do no such thing, because she’s as helpless as he is now. The machine goes to work, and Charles screams in agony. The two Shi’ar that brought him in are observing from a nearby viewpoint and have no stomach for torture. They decide to leave it to the professionals.

As the retreat to their quarters, one of them remarks that his wife will be pleased with their reward. From a dark recess, Darwin observes them approaching and, once they are within range, he attacks. He delivers a crunching kick to the face of one of the hapless crewmen, and his colleague draws his weapon. He warns Darwin that, if he fires his blaster, every guard on the ship will come running. Darwin looks focused and not to be messed with. He replies that he has survived a jump through space holding onto the roof of their ship. If he thinks a blaster is going to hurt him, he’s dreaming.

He turns sharply and shatters the weapon with his fist. He then punches the Shi’ar in the face, destroying his nose and covering his face with blood. The crewman asks what he wants from him. Darwin snarls, “I want my teacher… and you’re going to help me save him!”

The all-out battle for control of the Shi'ar Empire begins here! The X-Men team-up with the Starjammers for a rescue mission that could mean everything for the future of the Shi'ar Empire! Meanwhile, Darwin and Xavier are trapped in the clutches of the enemy!

Alex tries to offer her some of his own confidence as she maintains her hold on the engines. Korvus undermines that confidence a little by telling them that they should have been through the other side by now. From the bridge, James Proudstar asks Havok what’s going on. He replies that they’re doing their best, and he should be ready to send the message when they hit open space. Alex doesn’t have much left to give, and Korvus informs him that his blade is severely depleted as well.

Kurt looks out of the window and notices that the blur is transforming into the normal blackness of space. They’ve made it. He asks if everyone is all right in the engine bay. The engine sparks, almost broken as Korvus, Rachel, Alex and Lorna collapse on the floor, their energy drained from their bodies. Kurt wants to go check on them, but James tells him that someone is responding to their message already.

Corsair’s face appears on the monitor, and he asks who the hell is calling. He orders them to identify their ship or face it being sent into the sun. Kurt replies, and both he and Warpath appear as a hologram on the Starjammer’s craft. Corsair thought it was a Shi’ar trick, and he is pleased to see them. He asks if Alex is with them, and they reply that he is, though momentarily incapacitated. “Damn it all to hell,” replies Corsair. “Why are you here now when everything’s falling apart?”

Soon, Kurt and James are on board the Starjammer. Crewmen work on the ship as they take a walk with Corsair and Hepzibah. Corsair informs them that Raza and Ch’od should have the engines overhauled in a few hours. They’re pretty torn up from their improvisational power charge. They’re luck to have made the jump at all. Kurt, clinging to the wall, replies that it was luck that was needed, which is why they risked it. Corsair then assures them that, according to Sikorsky, Alex and the others are fine. They just need rest.

James says that it’s good to hear. He looks around the ship at the crewmen and tells Corsair that it looks like they are preparing for war. Corsair replies that they are. Word leaked out that Lilandra has been taken captive by Chancellor Araki. It’s a coup. Kurt feels that they are too late, but Corsair replies that it’s not too late just yet. Rumor has it that Deathbird is back. He refuses to let her take Lilandra down and turn the empire back into a nightmare.

James asks Hepzibah what the plan is. “We going to blow little birdies right out of the stars,” is her confident response. James asks if they have that kind of firepower. Corsair tells them that they have enough for what they have planned. However, the odds look better with their little ship lending a hand. The group approaches a table where Corsair displays holograms depicting the Shi’ar’s transport ship. Lilandra has been transported to this Armada where she is to be tried for treason and executed. It’s likely to be the same place they are holding Xavier. He points at a part of the ship, and explains that they will strike them in transit, get Lilandra out and jump away before reinforcements arrive. Hepzibah adds that they will also get logs with locations of the Armada, so they know where to hit them next. James likes her style.

Kurt rubs his chin as he looks at the ship. He realizes that this will give them the best chance of rescuing the professor and Darwin. Corsair says that Lilandra will be the key to saving them. She hasn’t been herself since their marriage was annulled, but if the council made a move on her, then it must mean that they can’t control her anymore. That means she is dangerous to them. “Especially if she knows they have Charles,” adds Kurt. Corsair wonders why Charles would risk coming back. He doesn’t understand his thinking. He knew it meant death if he was captured. Before Kurt can respond, Alex appears and a concerned Corsair tells him that he shouldn’t be out of sickbay yet. Alex says that they have to talk… in private.

(Shi’ar High Council Star Carrier)
Two burly guards drag Charles Xavier’s battered body along a corridor and toss him into a cell. They can’t believe someone like him once mated with an empress. They activate laser beams to prevent him from escaping. Unknown to them, Darwin is stretched out across the ceiling, and he hears them say that they will both be on security detail for the chancellor’s speech that evening.

Once they have walked away, Darwin drops to the ground and presses a finger against one of the beams. It hurts, but as he adapts, he then simply walks through the beams unaffected. He bends down and asks Charles if he is all right. Charles groans, unable to form a sentence. Darwin wonders what they’ve done to him, and how they’re going to get him out of this.

Back on the Starjammer, Alex and Corsair have a long overdue conversation. Alex informs his father that his third son, Vulcan, survived after all. Corsair can’t believe it. He thought his son dead at the hands of D’Ken. He damns D’Ken, and hopes that whatever catatonic state he’s in is a living hell. He thought he’d lost everything that day. He thought all his sons were dead. He can’t find the words, and instead sips a drink. He turns to Alex and tells him that they have to find him. They have to fix it. Alex doesn’t know if they’ll be able to. Vulcan has killed a lot of people, on Earth and in Shi’ar space. Corsair doesn’t care. He pours himself another drink and informs Alex that they’re going to fix this one way or another. He’s lost too much already.

(Council Starways)
Lilandra is in custody, and guarded by just the one guard in her quarters. A captain is visiting her, and he tells Lilandra that he requested this mission. He wanted to be the one who delivered her to justice. “Do you know why?” he asks. Lilandra asks rhetorically if it’s because he is a coward and a traitor. The captain raises his hand, but is stopped from striking by the guard who reminds him of the chancellor’s orders. No one lays a hand on the empress. The captain asks Lilandra how she dares to question any Shi’ar’s loyalty. His wife died because of her betrayal.

Before he can elaborate, a voice comes over the speaker with a code alpha alert. The captain asks what it is. He is informed that they have multiple ships jumping into attack positions. “That’s impossible!” shouts the captain. “Our route was an imperial secret!” He is then knocked to the ground by the guard who tells him it was. As the guard on the speaker tries to tell the captain about their hull being breached, the guard ushers Lilandra out of her quarters and tells her that they must hurry. She wonders who he is, but he only informs her that he’s a friend… a friend who knew how to send word to others. “Others,” she replies. “You cannot mean the Starjammers?”

At the point of the hull breach, the Starjammers, some of their crew and Korvus are battling the ship’s defenses. Havok takes someone out, as does Hepzibah who relishes a little physical action. Corsair calls Ch’od and informs him that they have the Shi’ar distracted. It’s time to make his move. Elsewhere, Ch’od, Polaris and Marvel Girl head to the rendezvous point, whilst Warpath and Nightcrawler scout ahead.

Elsewhere again, Darwin carries the limp body of Charles Xavier through the ship, flanked by the hapless guard who he has caught. He warns the guard that if anyone stops them, he is to say that he is escorting them to a ship in the hangar. They are being sent to wherever his people put prisoners they have finished torturing. The frightened guard explains that he’ll get them all killed, but Darwin replies that despite it being a risk, it’s the best chance he’s going to get. There’s a High Council event on the promenade and almost everyone is there. They can walk right by without drawing attention. He adds that the guard will get them onto a ship and get them the hell out of there. Then, he can go back to being a chak’balaar who he shouldn’t have saved in the first place. He reminds the guard that his blaster will do nothing but make him angry, so he’d better be convincing.

Back at the hull breach, Korvus slices through the guards with ease, as the Starjammers make their way through the ship. Raza tells Korvus that his blade is something to behold and asks how heavy it is. Korvus replies that for any hand but his own it would be easier to lift a star, but to him it has no weight at all. Corsair feels that they’re taking too long. They need to be gone before reinforcements arrive. They can’t take on a Warbird. Hepzibah notices a guard behind her and moves out of the way of his blast, but unfortunately Korvus takes the hit instead. The blast pierces his shoulder and he cries out in pain.

Elsewhere, Marvel Girl senses Korvus’ pain, but tells Lorna that his injuries are only minor. Lorna asks what’s going on with the pair of them. Rachel admits that she doesn’t know. He’s in her head... a lot. Lorna smirks and says that he’s got that whole dark tortured soul thing going on. “He a good kisser?” she asks. “Seriously,” replies Rachel. Lorna reminds her that she’s only known him two days, but Rachel asks what she wants from her. She said he was in her head. Ch’od asks them both to concentrate on the mission. Today is about fighting, not kissing.

Meanwhile, Darwin approaches the arena where the event is taking place. High on a platform, Chancellor Araki informs the gathered multitudes that today is about homecoming - the return of the imperium to what it once was, and what it should always have been. Watching through a window, still carrying Charles, Darwin cannot believe his eyes. “That’s not possible,” he exclaims.

Elsewhere, Warpath and Nightcrawler make short work of more guards having met up with Ch’od’s team. The place is clear, so James asks Rachel to open the door. She telekinetically slides it upwards and on the other side they meet up with Lilandra and her trusted accomplice. She is surprised to see Rachel and Kurt with the Starjammers, but Kurt replies that they had to help them save her, did they not? She asks if Charles is with them. She has much to apologize for. Rachel informs her that they have him, and Ch’od adds that he’s afraid Deathbird has him in her claws. Lilandra replies that they’ve got it wrong. It’s much worse than her sister.

Back on the platform, Chancellor Araki introduces the catalyst for change. “So, I give you the triumphant reawakening of the true ruler of the imperium… the great D’Ken. D’Ken opens his arms wide and clenches his fists as he smiles. Standing behind him are Vulcan and Deathbird. Darwin wonders what the hell Vulcan is doing with them, and why isn’t D’Ken in a coma? The guard with them calls for help and some burly guards head towards Darwin. “Oh &#@%...” he exclaims.

Overview:

Now begins the fall of the Shi’ar Empire! Vulcan and Deathbird have started their coup and they brought help: former mad emperor, D’Ken!

Issue Summary:

(flashback)
Deathbird and Vulcan fight their way out of the prison, mercilessly killing or maiming many Shi’ar soldiers on the way. They work together well, almost instinctively. Vulcan admires Deathbird’s ruthlessness immediately. The people she murders were once her people, but she makes them pay with blood for keeping her prisoner, whether they were aware of it or not. They finally make it to a small jumpship with which they depart the moon.

Deathbird takes the controls and Vulcan questions her as to who exactly the Secret Order are, and why one of them was willing to die so he could set her free. Deathbird isn’t entirely trusting of him, despite his actions on the moon. She wants to take it slow. Vulcan tells her that he had been told she was dead. She replies that many thought she had died in space, but the Imperial Guard captured her before death’s hands closed around her throat. Since then, she has been imprisoned. When Vulcan asks what now, Deathbird offers a wry smile, and replies that now they will burn out the stars… until the time is right.

In the days that follow, Vulcan realizes that in Deathbird he has found a kindred spirit. They leave a bloody trail in their wake. She keeps secrets from him, but she shares other things: exhilaration, destruction and even passion. They soon become lovers, and Vulcan experiences emotions more intense than anything he’s experienced in his brief life. Soon, their stolen jumpship is the only place that matters to him. But, he knows it can’t go on forever. 

Eventually they make their way to the emperor’s hospice to meet with Chancellor Araki, who bows upon her arrival. She asks if K’Tor’s messages were true. Has her brother recovered? Vulcan is surprised to hear her ask this. He thought she was going to be empress again. Deathbird replies that she lost her taste for ruling long ago. Araki presumes that he must be the Earther; the son of Corsair. He tells Deathbird that he can be allowed no further. Vulcan clenches his fist, but Deathbird holds out her hand to stop him doing anything impulsive. She informs Araki that Vulcan is her companion and he goes where she brings him. Araki reminds her that the Imperial Guard probed his mind and determined that he has a blood feud with the great D’Ken.

Vulcan grins and asks Araki if he thinks anyone could stand in his way... any of his soldiers? Again, Deathbird tries to calm him down by saying what is past is past. Vulcan doesn’t think she can know how he feels, but Deathbird grabs his cloak. “You think I don’t know how it feels to yearn for vengeance? Haven’t you learned anything of me at all?” She kisses Vulcan and asks him to put aside his wrath. There are bigger things at stake there. Chancellor Araki turns and heads inside the building with Deathbird and Vulcan following. She asks Araki once more if D’Ken has recovered or not. Araki replies that it’s a little more complicated than that.

He takes them through a room with several glass tubes inside it. In the tubes are Shi’ar telepaths; the best that the empire had to choose from. They chose them all. When Deathbird notices aloud that they are now all as catatonic as her brother was, Araki informs her that his treatment is experimental. They’ve spent years slowly knitting his mind back together since his exposure to the M’Krann Crystal. Even limited contact with his thoughts was enough to drive most of the telepaths insane.

He then leads them to a large chamber where D’Ken lies in a bed; cables attached to his forehead and body. Deathbird asks what K’Tor meant by progress in his report. Araki replies that their most recent scans show something new. It appears that while he has yet to awaken, the telepaths cured D’Ken to some degree. His mind is calm and his brain patterns are nearly normal. However, the three divisions of his minds cannot communicate. The connections between them have been severed.

He continues to inform Deathbird that their doctors believe that, over time, his mind will grow new neural pathways, and then he’ll awake as strong as ever. Deathbird asks how long that might take, but Araki says that is unknown. This isn’t the news Deathbird had hoped for, but Araki assures her that their forces will follow her as faithfully as D’Ken. Deathbird doesn’t think that is the case. They do not love her as they loved him.

Vulcan mulls over what he has heard. He asks if neural pathways are partially constructed of electrical impulses in Shi’ar brains. Araki asks what he is suggesting. Vulcan believes there might be another option.

Meanwhile, a Shi’ar craft flies through space on a mission to scan the outer moons. The captain asks his lieutenant why he has changed course. The lieutenant replies that he thought he saw an energy flare as they were leaving the atmosphere. Now he’s picking up a reading of a ship on the surface, not far from the emperor’s hospice. He puts it on screen, and the captain can see that it is Deathbird’s. The lieutenant asks how she could possibly know that their forces would be so weak this day. The captain intends to ask the chancellor that very question, and calls for the warships to be recalled.

Back at the hospice, Araki tells Deathbird that Vulcan cannot be trusted. He wants D’Ken’s death. Deathbird reminds her chancellor who is giving the orders. She says that, if Vulcan swears he won’t harm her brother, then she believes him. Araki begins to complain, but Vulcan assures him that he’s doing this for Deathbird, not for him, D’Ken or anyone else. There’d be no honor in killing him like this, anyway. He wouldn’t even know the difference.

Soon after, Vulcan has his hands placed at either side of D’Ken’s forehead, channeling energy into his brain. It’s easier than he thought it would be. With the gentlest of touches, he feels the dead pathways that D’Ken’s neurons used to travel throughout his brain, and he reignites them. D’Ken wakes with a start. He sits up quickly and splutters, trying to catch his breath. “By the gods!” exclaims Araki. Deathbird places her arms around Vulcan’s shoulders and tells him that he constantly amazes her. Vulcan coldly replies that he will kill him eventually. She should know that. Deathbird figures she will tame him of those urges before then. She licks his ear and whispers, “Let the past be the past.”

D’Ken asks Araki to help him to his feet. The chancellor asks him to take it easy. He’s been away from them for some time. As D’Ken stands, a call comes through informing him that they have a problem. Their ships have returned and scouts report an entire battalion advancing towards their position. Araki replies that it’s about time that their Secret Order emerged from the shadows. “Open fire.”

Things move quickly and brutally after that. As Vulcan joins Deathbird and soldiers working for the Secret Order in battling the encroaching Shi’ar troops, he realizes that he’s witnessing a major split among the Shi’ar. Much as Caesar crossed the Rubicon to claim what was his, this is Araki’s opening move to restore D’Ken to the throne and restore the Shi’ar Empire to its old ways. Araki assists D’Ken as Vulcan and his team makes short work of the soldiers. Part of Vulcan hates himself for making it possible. Part of him knows that he should have just killed D’Ken where he lay. However, there is another part of him that cannot stop glancing at Deathbird. He seems unable to refuse her anything. He’s never felt anything like this before. So, for now, he stays by her side to see what the coming days will bring.

They leave the planet in a large ship and, as the days pass, they bring the unexpected. One day he is relaxing with Deathbird when a recovering D’Ken asks his sister to leave them. He has things to discuss with her Earther. Deathbird replies that she doesn’t think that is wise, but D’Ken assures her that he will not be harmed. Deathbird says that it’s not Vulcan that she’s concerned about. Vulcan stands and asks her to go. He wants to hear what D’Ken has to say.

Alone, D’Ken tells Vulcan that Araki has informed him of his history, and apparently they have met before. His memory of those days is still hazy, but he remembers his father of course… Corsair. But his birth, he confesses, is lost somewhere in the blood rage he felt that day. Vulcan tells him that if he’s looking to appease him by referring to his mother’s death as his birth, it is not the way to go. D’Ken asks why he would seek to appease him. He is the great D’Ken, and everything Vulcan is today, he owes to him. But, he does have a debt that he means to repay.

Vulcan asks how he intends to do that. D’Ken informs him of an arcane Shi’ar law. According to the texts, any child born in the high palace on Chandilar may rise to become royalty. Though it was never intended to allow one such as Vulcan into their midst, his sister’s affection for him is plain and his power formidable. He would rather have Vulcan at his side than at his back. As they chat, the ship they are in heads towards an operational stargate. D’Ken informs Vulcan that he wants him to marry Deathbird. He’s asking Vulcan to join the imperium as they rise once more.

It’s war! The Shi’ar Empire is back doing what it does best, conquering and killing! The X-Men, Star Jammers, and the ousted Lilandra must fight their way through legions of the mighty Shi’ar in the hope to free the imprisoned Charles Xavier!

Vulcan informs him that his name is Darwin, and that they trained together. When D’Ken asks if he was a friend to him, Vulcan replies impassively that he guesses he was. D’Ken grins and decides to leave Darwin’s fate in Vulcan’s hands. He can kill him or make him his slave. He can even turn him to their side if he wishes. Charles Xavier, on the other hand, can be used to make Lilandra come running back.

(the asteroid archipelago, asteroid H-12)
Warpath and Korvus have made their way to an asteroid belt. There, they fight more Shi’ar soldiers named Rovers, with Korvus using the Blade of the Phoenix to take out one who has Warpath in his sights. James asks Korvus if he’s ready to take out the signal tower. “Surely you don’t doubt my abilities, Warpath?” enquires Korvus. James replies that he doubts everything he does, but they don’t have time for his problems. They need to get going.

Inside the signal tower compound, more Shi’ar soldiers await the two men, but they leap into the fray regardless, each confident of their own ability. As they wade through their opponents, James adds that it’s not like he doesn’t respect his skills. When a man beats him, he takes note of it, because it doesn’t happen very often. “So it’s about Rachel, then?” replies Korvus, “I care deeply for her.” James reminds him that they only met a week ago, but Korvus says that for him, it may as well have been a hundred years. He uses his blade like a propeller to deflect incoming fire, as James smashes his way through some large doors. James asks what he’s talking about. This is why he hates telepathy and all that mind-screwy stuff, because Korvus thinks they have some soul connection? In the real world, he hardly knows her. Korvus loses himself briefly in thought.

(flashback, last night on the Starjammer)
Marvel Girl and Korvus are sharing a quiet intimate moment. Rachel knows that a relationship between them is insane, but yet she somehow finds Korvus’ presence irresistible. They kiss as he cradles her head in his large hands. Rachel looks up at him, unable to tear herself away, telling herself as much as him that they need to stop this.

(present)
Korvus and Warpath maintain their steady progress forward. Korvus strikes a solder guarding the entrance to a room filled with computers. The two men head inside: the local resistance now at an end. James asks if they made it in time. Korvus replies that they have. The Shi’ar managed to send a distress signal, but he just countermanded it. No other signals will be getting off this rock. Korvus somehow sheathes his long blade over his head, acknowledging that, once their people hit the facility, it’ll only be a matter of time until warbirds arrive. James says they’ll be long gone by then. He radios Shadowlarks’ one and two that they are clear for entry, and they’ll be right behind them.

Not far away, two small crafts containing a team of X-Men and Starjammers pass the asteroid. Shadowlark One is piloted by Corsair, with Havok, Polaris and Lilandra on board. The second craft is piloted by Ch’od, with Raza, Marvel Girl and Nightcrawler accompanying them. Corsair radios the other craft and informs them that the Shi’ar’s defenses are strong, so they hit them fast. They may be expecting trouble, but they aren’t expecting them. “No one ever is, my friend,” replies Ch’od enthusiastically.

The two ships target the one true home on the entire asteroid that is guarded by a regiment of highly trained Shi’ar soldiers. It’s really more of a fortress than a home. As the defensive guns fire at their assailants, the Shadowlarks swoop in low and lay down a blanket of firepower to take the big guns out. Meanwhile, Korvus and Warpath grab a couple of small crafts that resemble space-faring snowmobiles. Korvus tries to familiarize himself with the new controls, and James asks him to do it faster. It’s started. Korvus asks how he knows this. James replies that, with his enhanced senses, even on this crazy space rock, he can feel the ground trembling miles away. He leaps in the second craft and the two men roar off.

At the battle scene, the X-Men and Starjammers exit their Shadowlarks and go hand-to-hand with the Shi’ar troops. As the teams battle the soldiers, Polaris and Lilandra make their way to a large entrance door. Corsair is rather surprised that she knows the way, but Lilandra informs him that it’s not her first time there. She had this facility built. Polaris tears the doors of their hinges with her power, whilst Marvel Girl clears a path free of soldiers, physically ripping them apart with her telekinesis.

Nightcrawler is rather shocked and he reminds her that there is no need to use lethal force. Rachel replies that there is a war and there is going to be dying. She’d rather it was the Shi’ar and not them. Kurt tells her that is not the Rachel he knows. Rachel replies that it is. It’s the one whose family was slaughtered and who had a death sentence put on her head by these people.

Raza Longknife, happily slashing his way through his opponents, asks Kurt not to worry about Rachel. She’s battle-hardened and needs to be. His fears lie with Lilandra and what they will face if they fail. Lilandra, meanwhile, is saved from an explosion by Corsair, and Havok tells his dad that they’ve got the attackers and will hold them off. Corsair asks Lilandra if she is hurt. She replies that it’s only her ego, and it could use a little bruising, she supposes. With a hint of sarcasm, Corsair asks if she could have positioned a few more troops there. Lilandra apologizes, but explains that she never imagined that, when she placed him there, she’d be the one trying to engineer his escape. She just wanted him gone and forgotten. As she turns a large wheel to open the door, Corsair asks if she needs any help inside. Lilandra replies that his part is played. This is hers.

Once inside the room, she sees a man standing at the window, watching the battle outside. He raises an eyebrow when he recognizes Lilandra, and asks if she’ll forgive him for not bowing. Lilandra tells Major-General Ka’ardum that it’s been too long.

(the Starjammers - yesterday)
Corsair and Lilandra are having a discussion about the Major-General. Lilandra informs Corsair of her plans to retrieve him, but Corsair isn’t happy about wasting fuel on fools’ errands. He reminds her who is in charge of the ship. Lilandra explains that she’s not commandeering his vessel, nor is it a foolish risk. Lilandra wants Major-General Ka’ardum back on her side, but Corsair asks if she’s forgotten that he nearly took her throne for himself. Has she forgotten why she had him banished?

Lilandra replies that she’s not forgotten, and neither has she forgotten that he once commanded the entire Shi’ar armada. D’Ken has the High Council on his side and has already been proclaimed emperor. If they have any hope of taking back her throne, they’re going to need a man like Ka’ardum. Corsair sits back and folds his arms. He doesn’t think he’ll join them. After years on his asteroid prison, they’ll be lucky if he doesn’t just try and kill her. Lilandra says that she’s not afraid of him. She’s afraid of what happens when her brother realizes that Ka’ardum is not dead… but in exile.

(present)
Ka’ardum remarks that he notices that Lilandra is aligning herself with the Starjammers and her pet Earthers again. They fight well enough, he admits, but they’d never have gotten near the rock if it were not for her. Even now she does dishonor to her bloodline. Lilandra admits that she gave them the codes to shut off the alarms and to countermand any distress signal, but there is no dishonor in them or her… just as this is not a prison. Ka’ardum replies that she may call it a palace or an estate, but they both know what it is. “You tried to lead a coup against me,” replies Lilandra. “You were my father’s closet friend… like an uncle to me. I loved you, and…” Ka’ardum tells her that he did not betray her. He only sought to return the imperium to its proper path.

Outside his window, Marvel Girl and Korvus make short work of the opposition that comes their way, as do the others. Lilandra asks Ka’ardum which path that is; the path of expansion like her father’s rule, or her brother’ path – that of destruction? Ka’ardum says she knows that answer to that. Her brother never had his love, but he allowed him to be a soldier, while she put aside her forces and tried to mix the royal blood that that of a lesser race. Lilandra bows her head and replies that his not accepting the peace she sought to bring to their people was one of her greatest heartbreaks. Using her love as his excuse… well, that was a lesson she supposed she needed to learn, and one that may have cost her everything.

Ka’ardum asks if it is true that D’Ken has awakened after all these years. Lilandra tells him that the fact that he has heard this is another reason she needs him. Even in exile, his finger is on the pulse of the empire. She asks how many warbirds would answer his call, even now. A third of the armada? More? Ka’ardum seems astonished that she might think that he would join with her and her outlaws. To fight his own kind? Lilandra explains that she does, because he loves the empire as much as she, in his own way. She is offering him a chance to save it, and something else as well. He asks what that might be. She tells him that he turned against her, shaming himself and his family. Now, his empress is asking to become a soldier once again, and to restore his lost honor.

(a remote listening station)
Vice-Chancellor K’Tor is in contact with a communications officer on board the station. He asks what the man means, they aren’t responding. The man replies that they received a possible alert from asteroid H-12, then a second signal countermanding the alert moments later. All within procedural code but, with the occupant of the asteroid, they thought it best to be sure. “And all communication is cut off now?” asks K’Tor. The man replies yes, and that the visual feeds are down as well. K’Tor damns Lilandra. Why couldn’t she have been this aggressive when she needed to be? The officer asks what they should do. K’Tor replies that, if it were him, he’d enjoy his last few days of light duty and get ready for war.

(the Starjammer, hours later)
The crew of the ship is in party mood, with Hepzibah offering the guys an impromptu lap dance as they get quickly drunk. Elsewhere on the ship, Lorna asks Alex if he’s going to join the crew. His father is asking about him. Alex replies that he’ll probably be along, but he wants to study some of the charts while they have the chance. He doesn’t exactly see a reason to celebrate yet. Lorna smiles and says that they won the battle and Lilandra & the Major-General are already preparing their message to the fleet. It’s something, at least. Havok reminds her that both Charles and Darwin are still prisoners. And Vulcan is out there with them, working for the other side.

Lorna stands beside him and asks if studying star-charts is going to change any of that tonight. She doesn’t want him to get her wrong. She loves it when he gets all driven like this but, if anyone needs to blow off some steam, it’s him. Before he can offer a response, she practically leaps on him and kisses him passionately. Pinned against a console, Alex tries to tell Lorna that they can’t just start up again, not after…

Lorna replies that they’re in space, in the middle of a war; they have no idea if the professor is dead or alive, or if they’ll ever see Earth again. And, today they held off an entire regiment of Shi’ar soldiers. “Just shut up and kiss me.” The two embrace as if they’d never separated.

(the Council’s armada)
Vulcan walks through one of the large corridors with Darwin at his side. Darwin’s legs are free, but his arms are still in shackles; linked to his collar through a band of energy via a link on his stomach. He doesn’t want to listen to Vulcan’s views on the professor - instead insisting Charles is a good man. Vulcan replies that he left them. He made them forget they ever existed. Darwin replies that Vulcan kills people, and worse, he killed them for no reason. Vulcan replies that he had a reason. Darwin replies that he was there, inside his head. He knows why he did it. Revenge. And he didn’t even get that. Banshee, the innocent people on the plane and the man flying the Sentinel are just wasted lives, destroyed for his rage. Did any of it make him feel any better? Vulcan grins and says he feels fine. “Then you’re a monster,” remarks Darwin. Vulcan says he is what they made him.

Darwin asks if they made him lose his conscience, or did he just never have one? Vulcan turns to him and tells him he could have let them kill him, but he didn’t. He shouldn’t make him regret that decision. Darwin asks what he thought. Did he think he’d be happy to see him? Vulcan doesn’t know about happy, but he’s the closest thing to a friend that he has in the universe, so he was hoping he might be best man at his wedding. Darwin is aghast at the suggestion that Vulcan is to marry. “You heard me right,” adds Vulcan. “In three days I’m going to marry the emperor’s sister, and Professor Xavier’s public execution will be the highlight of the after-party.”

Darwin notices a giant advert with a picture of Charles, bleeding and unconscious. The headline reads, ‘Xavier to face imperial justice.’

War rages across the entire Shi’Ar Empire! Emperor D’Ken is back and his new right hand man, Vulcan, plans on doing some truly terrible things to Charles Xavier! But the X-Men and Starjammers are en route to save him. This could turn into a suicide mission quicker than you can say M’Kraan!

(the M’Kraan Crystal)
D’Ken thinks it hardly matters. They still outnumber their forces by two to one, and they have the Imperial Guard. Besides, he adds, they’ve chosen the battleground and it’s one that his little sister and her fools cannot hope to resist. Araki prays the emperor is right. D’Ken replies that he always is. He asks to be taken down as they have a royal wedding to perform.

(the Starjammer)
After finishing his latest message, Major-General Ka’ardum is concerned that Lilandra has put him in charge of the resistance forces, yet she wants them to walk into a trap? He won’t have their lives thrown away like that. Lilandra doesn’t feel that they have a choice. Ka’ardum asks if she’d risk it all just to save the Earther consort. She replies that it’s not only that. Corsair says she is right. Lilandra may be thinking with her heart, but she’s right. “If D’Ken isn’t just using the M’Kraan Crystal as a backdrop for his celebrations…” Kurt asks if this is a risk they can afford to take. A power like that can wipe away existence in the hands of a madman. Ka’ardum still thinks that this is a fool’s errand, but Lilandra places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Lately, uncle, they all are.”

Back near the crystal, D’Ken asks Gladiator if he’s done what he was asked. Gladiator informs him that he spoke to the crystal’s guardian, Jahf, and he agreed to a temporary accord for the day, as long as they stick to their terms. D’Ken says he has no desire to touch the inside of that cursed world ever again, so he need not worry. Only one man will face those horrors this day. When Vulcan asks D’Ken if it will kill him, D’Ken replies that he doesn’t want to find out what the M’Kraan Crystal will do to any who enter it. However, he should know that his wedded bliss will be accompanied by the screams of Charles Xavier long into the night. He asks Vulcan where his witness is. Vulcan thinks that Darwin is saying his farewells to his old teacher, or trying to find a way to save him. Vulcan knows he won’t. It’s going to be a great day.

(Xavier’s prison cell)
Darwin has been placed with Xavier in his cell. Charles is asleep when Darwin wakes him. Darwin is shackled to prevent him from using his power of adapting to his environments. Charles asks where they are. Darwin informs him that they are at the M’Kraan Crystal. When Charles asks what fool brought them there, Darwin replies that they don’t have much time. He needs the professor to help him. Charles says that he’s in no shape to do that, but asks what he needs anyway. Darwin tells him that the Shi’ar intend to kill him after the wedding. They’re making a big show of it. He has to figure out a way to save himself. Charles weakly asks not to be saved, and not to let Lilandra die for him.

Two guards enter the cell and one picks up Charles roughly by his handcuffs. Darwin is helpless to intervene. The guard informs Charles that it’s time for the ceremony, and for Charles to prepare for his final agonies. He drags Charles across the floor as the other guard hits Darwin hard across the face and places his foot on Darwin’s head. He places a sword beneath his chin and tells Darwin that, if Lord Vulcan hadn’t ordered them to treat him as his friend, then he’d face his blade right now. He grabs Darwin’s arm and helps him to his feet, ordering him to get to the wedding before he changes his mind.

(the X-Men’s Shi’ar craft)
Lilandra watches footage of the wedding alongside Warpath and Hepzibah, who is now seated at the smaller ship’s controls. Warpath can’t believe what he’s seeing. It’s like they’re Charles and Lady Di or something. Hepzibah thinks Lady Death is more fitting. She thinks Corsair must be in agony, watching his son marry Deathbird and joining the Shi’ar Royal Family. Lilandra sees Charles on his knees on the television and thinks that they’re too late. Nightcrawler assures her that they’ll save him and her throne, but she must have faith. Warpath informs everyone that the Starjammer is preparing to jump, and Hepzibah says it’s time they did the same. She asks Kurt to keep faith but to ready himself for steel and blasting. “God protect us all,” prays Kurt.

(the M’Kraan Crystal)
D’Ken completes the wedding ceremony and joins Vulcan and Deathbird together in marriage. The couple kisses, as Darwin looks on helplessly. As they embrace, Araki asks D’Ken to look to the skies. His other sister is joining the party. D’Ken holds out his sword and calls his men to arms. “Prepare for battle!” he cries.

Vulcan is surprised that they have arrived so soon. He hasn’t yet made Xavier pay. As the first explosion hits home, splattering Shi’ar soldiers all over the place, soldiers shoot at the incoming ships and the Imperial Guard heads into action.

The first to arrive on the ground are Corsair, Ch’od, Korvus, Marvel Girl and some of the Starjammer’s crew. Gladiator orders his Guard to go into attack formation. Another group appears, with Warpath, Hepzibah and Raza Longknife among their number. Nightcrawler teleports as soon as they land. More and more resistance troops arrive and their crafts begin blasting, protected by force fields. The area surrounding the M’Kraan Crystal soon becomes a major battlefield, with gunfire coming from every direction. Amidst craft of all shapes and sizes exploding and firing at each other is a small group of X-Men and Starjammers determined to rescue Charles Xavier and Darwin.

Korvus slices through one craft as Marvel Girl uses her powers to fight the Shi’ar. She wants to keep the Shi’ar busy to buy Nightcrawler some time. Korvus assures her that they’re busy, and warns her to watch out for Gladiator. Polaris does exactly that. She flies towards Gladiator, using metal from the exploded ships to wrap tightly around the Guardsman. Havok asks her to give it all she’s got, as they can’t really hurt him.

Nightcrawler teleports to Charles Xavier’s side and Vulcan notices him as he blasts away. “Nooo!” he screams, as he senses his revenge escaping him. He quickly turns his attentions to Kurt, and unleashes a blast that hurls him clear of Xavier. He then walks over to Charles and picks him up, painfully, by his handcuffs. Darwin leaps at him and he tells Vulcan that he’s better than this, but Vulcan shoots beams from his eyes, knocking Darwin to the ground. “He gets what he deserves,” he replies as he flies to the crystal carrying Charles.

Lilandra sees him and screams, and Rachel has to use her telekinesis to prevent Lilandra from running to him. D’Ken orders the Imperial Guard to bring his little sister to him, and Gladiator breaks free of Lorna’s magnetic construct. He smashes his way through Korvus and punches Rachel in the face on his way to his former empress. He apologizes to her, but Lilandra asks for him to wait.

Meanwhile, Vulcan holds Charles up with two fingers under his chin. “This is what you get, old man,” he gloats. “Now I trap you in a rock.” Lilandra screams, as she is held by Gladiator, unable to prevent Vulcan from hurling Charles into the crystal. Corsair is horrified and asks what sort of monster they turned his boy into. Darwin rouses from being blasted and sees what has happened. He leaps into the crystal after Charles, despite what it might do to him.

Meanwhile, the X-Men and Starjammers continue the fight, with their powers and skills seemingly being enough to keep the Shi’ar soldiers at bay. Corsair wants Ch’od to clear a path to his son, but Warpath wants them to get to Lilandra. Charles and Darwin are lost. They can still save her.

D’Ken holds his sister by the throat and tells her that it’s been too long since he’s seen her face in agony. Lilandra insults him but he doesn’t care. He wonders whether to kill her now or let her witness his victory. From behind, Vulcan blasts D’Ken forcing him to drop her. “Actually, that would be my victory, you mother-killing bastard! You think I would be your brother?” he asks. “That I would serve beneath you?” He opens his palm and burns D’Ken’s face off, leaving a fleshless skull. “You think I could ever forget what you did to me?” he asks.

Everyone sees what has happened and the fighting ceases. Havok asks what the hell he just did. Deathbird swoops in towards Vulcan and can’t believe it. She trusted Vulcan. He tells her that he heard her wishes and respected them. She didn’t want to rule, and now that they’re married she won’t have to. He picks up D’Ken’s helmet and places it one his head, proclaiming himself, by right of blood and combat and by right of succession, Emperor Vulcan - ruler of the Shi’ar Imperium.

Overview:

This is it! The final chapter to Ed Brubaker’s Uncanny X-Men epic! Who lives? Who dies? And who gets left in outer space?! It’s the action packed finale that sets the X-Men and the Shi’Ar Empire into whole new directions!

Issue Summary:

(inside the M’Kraan Crystal)

Time has no meaning within the crystal. All Darwin knows is that the professor’s screaming seems to come from everywhere at once. After following his mentor inside the crystal, Darwin floats around in the bright white light looking for him. The crystal is too big to be truly defined. It can destroy the universe or a single man on a whim. It is fear and anger and power and knowledge. It is all things. It can break minds or alter them, open doors to splinters of reality… or close them. Darwin feels it touch him, then leave him be as he follows the screams to his teacher. He finds Charles doubled up, his hands by his head, letting out a terrifying scream. He tries to assure Charles that everything’s going to be okay, before realizing that Xavier’s screams are in his mind, not his ears.

“Oh my god… you…. oh my god,” he exclaims as he realizes what has happened. He grabs Charles by the arm and tries to find a way out of the crystal. The M’Kraan Crystal doesn’t want them.

Outside, Vulcan has claimed the Shi’ar Empire as his own by murdering D’Ken. His first act as emperor is to secure his throne from threat. That includes getting rid of Lilandra Neremani. She tells him he is mad but, with a nonchalant grin, he replies that her people prefer a mad emperor. He raises his hand and energy forms in his palm. He feels that Lilandra’s time is done, and it is time for the return of conquest and expansion… of wrath.

As he prepares to kill her, Corsair leaps towards him and slashes the back of his hand with his sword. “Take your hands off her!” he screams as he draws blood. Vulcan is shocked and he turns away. Corsair orders him to listen to him, to his father. Vulcan replies that he just the man who was too weak to save him or his mother. “I have no father!” He blasts Corsair in the face with a blast from his hand, and Corsair falls backwards, screaming.

Havok sees what has happened and shouts for his father. Ch’od and Hepzibah both look on, as their leader falls. “And now, Alex, neither do you,” Vulcan adds. Havok powers up and calls Vulcan a freaking bastard. Polaris sees this going real bad, and tells Ch’od that they have to do something before Vulcan kills Alex. They need a distraction. To this, Ch’od quips that he sees that the distraction is already on its way. Hepzibah runs towards Vulcan, screaming something in her own language, as Havok unleashes huge amounts of energy at Vulcan. Vulcan creates a forcefield to stop the blasts, and tells Havok that he isn’t even worthy of his attention.

Warpath leaps at Hepzibah and takes her down, as Havok’s energy is reflected back towards the assembled soldiers. She orders James to let her go, but he assures her that she cannot take him. Hepzibah does not care. As Havok continues his barrage, Lilandra thinks that everything is lost. Nearby, Gladiator asks Deathbird what her orders are, wondering if Vulcan truly is their emperor now. She replies that he is, and he and the Imperial Guard had better protect him. Before he can move, however, Korvus unleashes a burst of energy from the Blade of the Phoenix, which rocks Gladiator. Korvus then takes a swipe at Deathbird, cutting off many of her feathers as she takes flight.

Vulcan sees this and shows concern. He dismisses Alex with a wave of his hand and warns Korvus that he’s going to roast his flesh. He flies towards him and fires from his hands, but Marvel Girl uses molecular telekinesis to move the atmosphere around his energy, deflecting it towards a group of Shi’ar soldiers instead. Alex asks Lorna to act now that Vulcan’s focus is elsewhere. She can take down his armor. Polaris intends to, and she zaps Vulcan, who is severely shaken by her electromagnetic assault. Whilst his concentration is broken, Alex steps in and punches his brother hard in the face.

Lilandra cries, not believing that she’s gotten them all killed. Nightcrawler teleports to her side and tells her that she must get to safety. They may yet save her empire, but she must live to rule it. Lilandra replies that she won’t leave them to fight in her place, however before Kurt can respond, they see Darwin coming out of the crystal carrying Charles. “A little help,” says Darwin, weakly.

The two men fall upon landing, and Lilandra needs assurance from Kurt that Charles is alive. Kurt informs her that they are both alive, though in no shape for battle. Lilandra wants to get them to their ship. Kurt knows this, and tells Lilandra that he’ll be right back with help, before teleporting once again.

Meanwhile, Polaris continues to maintain her assault on Vulcan, but he recovers enough to fire at her. Havok intercepts the blast, and manages to absorb most of the energy. He asks her not to worry about him.

Nightcrawler meets up with Hepzibah and Warpath and then gets Lilandra to the ship, placing both Darwin and Charles Xavier in the medilab. Kurt tests Xavier’s vital signs and sees that they are stable, for which Lilandra is grateful. Kurt adds that Darwin seems in fair shape too. Warpath informs them that Hepzibah is raiding the weapons locker and she’s not going to wait around when she’s done. She’s got blood on her mind.

Kurt asks Lilandra if she’ll stay with Darwin and Charles, but she is eager to return to her people now that he knows that Charles is safe. She asks for his forgiveness before teleporting away. Kurt then realizes that Lilandra has done something to the computer while he was talking to James, and they cannot follow her. Hepzibah storms back in, armed to the teeth, asking why the jump engines are counting down. James knows that Lilandra is trying to save the professor by getting him as far away as possible. Hepzibah calls for Kurt to shut the engines down, but he is unable. Lilandra has locked the controls. Moments later, the ship is on its way.

Back on the battlefield, Deathbird slashes at Polaris for having assaulted her new husband. Vulcan is badly hurt but wishes to stay. Deathbird informs him that his ribs are crushing his lungs, and he will die if they remain there. They can live to fight another day. She picks him up and calls for the Imperial Guard to withdraw. Havok blasts at her as she leaves, and Gladiator delivers a final kick at Korvus as he gathers his fellow guardsmen to his side. They then take to the air and follow their empress to safety.

Watching the departure, Raza, splattered with blood and sweat, stands beside Korvus, who calls them cowards. Raza corrects him. They were soldiers, with no true cause of their own. Lilandra returns to the battle site and Major-General Ka’ardum tells her that he thought she was lost. She can’t believe they actually won this battle, but the major-general assures her that they just held their opposition off. The Earther’s move against D’Ken destroyed their momentum. He knows that they will regroup. This war isn’t over by a long shot. This is just the first battle, and their victory was far from clean. Nearby, Havok cradles his father in his arms. He can’t believe that Corsair has been killed in action. It is at this moment that Rachel realizes that the X-bug has disappeared.

(Earth)

With the jump engines working fine, it doesn’t take long for the bug to crash land back on Earth. The ship goes down fast in a heavily forested area, but Nightcrawler manages to teleport first Warpath and Hepzibah from the ship, and then the recovering Darwin and Charles Xavier. The ship then explodes, but they are far enough away to avoid further danger.

Soon, standing on the edge of an escarpment, they look at the burning wreckage. Hepzibah rues the fact that the ship was her way home. She’s stuck on their world. James assures her that the Starjammers will come for her. Hepzibah asks what the point is. There is nothing back there for her now. Not now.

Nightcrawler asks Charles if he is okay. He replies that he’s better than he has been for a long time… at least physically. Darwin points out that Charles has his mutation back. The M’Kraan Crystal fixed him. “What?” exclaims Kurt. Charles uses his mind to speak with him, and tells him that it’s true. But, if the images in Kurt’s mind are true, then he wishes it hadn’t. He prays they can make contact with Alex and the others.

Back in Shi’ar space, the two remaining Starjammers, Korvus and the three X-Men bury Corsair on a small, uninhabited world. Raza explains that Christopher and Hepzibah often stayed on the planet. Roughing it, the man called it. He’d fancy taking his final rest there. Alex realizes that he has a decision to make. Do they follow the others, or do they stay and fight? Lorna says it’s up to him, but Alex doesn’t want to make that decision. Lorna points out that it is only his to make. Rachel adds that Lorna is right. He’s the leader of this ragtag band now, whether he likes it or not. Ch’od says he can think of no better man for the job, but his father cast a shadow that will be hard to measure up to. Alex then makes his decision. They will stay and bring his little brother the justice he deserves.

(two days later)

Havok is seated in the command seat on the Starjammer, with his fellow X-Men, Starjammers and Korvus acting as his lieutenants. He has contacted the Institute, and Charles listens to his recording with Hank McCoy. Charles asks when the communication arrived. Hank says it turned up last night, and Alex isn’t answering any replies.

The message from Alex informs them that he hopes they understand, especially Scott and Charles, but their job isn’t done there. They are going to stay and fight to restore Lilandra to the throne. They’re going to lead the resistance against Vulcan and Deathbird because they have to end this threat. Unfortunately, the X-Men don’t kill, so this means that they aren’t X-Men any more. They are what his brother turned them into. If they succeed, he will to see them all again… hopefully soon. If they fail, they must send someone else to stop Vulcan, because he’s a crazy, warped child. If they fail, Alex believes the Shi’ar armada will head to Earth.

In Shi’ar space, Deathbird places the crown back on her emperor’s head, whilst on Earth, Hepzibah mourns her lover.

The story is later continued in the X-Men: Emperor Vulcan mini-series.

The X-Men are back from space! Well, half of them, anyway. The team is shattered, broken and separated. The group that has returned to earth is finding it much worse than how they left it-- especially underground. Attacks in the Morlock Tunnels immediately grab the X-Men’s attention. What do these attacks have to do with the future of the mutant race? Maybe special guest-star Storm can get to the bottom of all this!

In the sewers under New York, Masque, Litterbug and Bliss wait. Masque asks if the “charges” are ready, and Litterbug replies affirmative, and Masque says that they’ll both be there soon, and they both have to play a part according to the prophecy.

In a different part of the sewers, Caliban and Leech are walking through a sewer tunnel, looking for their old Morlock companions. Caliban realises something is wrong, and jumps on Leech to protect him, as an explosion goes off.

Leech tries to wake Caliban as he’s laying unconscious on the floor under some rubble. Bliss appears, and Leech tries to ask her what happened. She tells them it’s okay, and she’s sorry. She grabs him by the shoulders and uses her tongue to bite him. She cradles him in her arms, and Caliban wakes up.

Masque appears and threatens Caliban, and Caliban replies kindly, thinking the two are still friends. Masque tells him they aren’t friends, and now they never will be.

At the Institute, and Nightcrawler is looking for Professor X, who’s in Cerebra. Nightcrawler asks if the Professor’s ready to use Cerebra because of his higher level telepathy, but the Professor says he’s find and there’s work to be done. Nightcrawler continues to question him and telling the Professor that he understands that he’s worried about Lilandra and the others. The Professor simply says he worries about everything.

The Professor explains that he’s going to look for Magneto, as he heard Valerie Cooper think the name Eric, and he had to dig for the rest. Nightcrawler tries to stop the Professor, but he manages to convince Nightcrawler by telling him if they get they’re hands on him or if they try to capture him. As the Professor starts Cerebra, he finds someone, but not Magneto. He tells Nightcrawler to tell Beast to get the medical bay ready, and to find Warpath, because someone is looking for him.

Outside, Warpath and Hepzibah are training. Warpath throws his knives at her, and she does some fancy flips and catches them. After she hands them back to him, they have a heart-to-heart, Warpath telling her that the Professor could probably find a way to get her home. She says she doesn’t want to go home, and she’s tired of revenge and death. He tells her that if she wanted to talk about Corsair that Cyclops probably won’t mind, but she tells him there’s nothing to talk about because he’s dead, and she places a freshly picked flower in her hair.

She thanks Warpath for being a good friend, but the two spot a Sentinel moving, knowing that something must be wrong. Both rush over to the scene quickly, and Warpath tells Hepzibah to stay back, but she refuses. Warpath realises that he knows the scent of the mutant the Sentinels are going after, and as one goes to touch him (he’s lying on the floor), Warpath kicks the Sentinel hand away. We see that the mutant is Caliban, and he’s hurt. Warpath cradles him in his arms, and shouts at the Sentinels to stay away. Warpath goes on to tell Caliban everything will be fine.

Inside the Sentinel, the pilot talks to a governor, identifying the mutant as Caliban but with something done to him. The governor tells him to take the mutant into custody, but as the Sentinel tries, Warpath shouts at the Sentinel, threatening to cut his hand off.

Nightcrawler bamfs in behind Warpath, telling him it won’t be necessary.

Back inside the Sentinel, and the pilot reports to control that they have a situation. The wind begins to pick up and rain begins to fall, and Storm tells the Sentinel that Caliban is under her protection. And if they try something, then they’re gonna have a diplomatic situation on their hands.

Later, Valerie Cooper is shouting at Professor X, saying that mutants outside the Institute are O*NE’s problem, but he tells her that any information they learn will be passed on. He insists that they keep Caliban in the Institue, and she agrees on the terms that she gets a report by six hundred hours.

In the med bay, Storm, Beast, Warpath and Hepzibah are looking over Caliban. The Professor comes in and asks how they’re patient is. Beast still doesn’t know what happened to him, and just says that they’ll have to ask him later. The Professor knows that Masque deformed him, and he tells Storm that that’s why he called her, because the Morlocks are up to something. After a small chat, Storm tells the team that she’ll call the Black Panther, and tell him she won’t be home for a few days.

Back in the Sewers, and leech is now wearing a collar to stop the use of his powers. He tells Masque that it hurts, and asks if their going to hut him. She says no, and turns around to tell Masque that it’s cruel. Erg tells Masque to show him the book, but Masque tells him not to be stupid. After a little short argument with Skids, Masque says that he ain’t going to wait for the future, and he’s going to make it happen his way. Erg asks what do they do next, and Masque tells him they’re going to find Magneto, and Leech is going to make sure he doesn’t kill them. At that moment, Masque begins manipulating Leech’s face.

The X-Men (re-united with Storm) take to the tunnels to discover why the Morlocks have been erupting with violence. It ain’t going to be pretty. Also, Professor X goes off in search of a VERY IMPORTANT character from X-History. Do not miss this tale brought to you by the white-hot team of ED BRUBAKER (CAPTAIN AMERICA, DAREDEVIL) and SALVADOR LARROCCA (NEWUNIVERSAL, X-MEN). Part 2 (of 6)

In Endangered Species part 2 by Mike Carey and Mark Bagley, Beast travels to Wundagore mountain to have a chat with the High Evolutionary.

In the Sewers, Bliss is filling a small container with poison from he tongues mouth. She gives it to Masque, telling him that should be enough. He takes it from her and says according to the book, this has to happen today. He places it in between a few timed bombs, and tells Litterbug this better work. He hands the bomb to Skids, and tells Bliss to look after the boy, and not to try anything funny. Skids puts the bomb into a bag, and she tells Masque that what he did to Caliban was wrong. He says that’s his decision, and that Caliban is serving a purpose.

Up above ground, Warpath, Caliban, Storm and Hepzibah prepare to enter the Sewers. Warpath asks if Caliban is okay to do this, and he says he’s fine, just weaker. Warpath says that he’s going to kill Masque for this, but Caliban says no, just a severe beating will do. Storm snaps at them, and asks them to concentrate. Storm and Hepzibah jump down through a drain hole first, Storm landing fine and dry, while Hepzibah lands in the water, complaining that it’s unclean. After Warpath and Caliban join them, Warpath tells them that they best be quick, because Hepzibah isn’t the only one with enhanced smell. Warpath smells an alligator, and Caliban tells them about Killron who could talk to them. Warpath suspects that now she’s not there they’re probably doing what they want now since Killron’s gone , and tells the rest to watch the water for them.

Back at the Institute, and Valerie Cooper is to complaining Xavier about the report he sent to her that morning. She continues to tell him that her agents have informed her that Caliban is no longer on the grounds of the Institute. He tells her that Storm has taken him to the Baxter Building for a second opinion. She shouts at him, and tells him she knows it’s a lie and they aren’t with the Fantastic Four. She tells him that she’s going to follow them, and that they’re going to be looking for the Morlocks too.

Back in the Sewer, and Warpath is fighting an alligator. Storm tells him to get it over with, but Warpath complains it’s to strong. When Warpath hold it’s mouth open, it’s tail, revealing a hidden tunnel.

A while later, and the four X-Men are walking ruins of the Alley. Storm says it’s so different without the voices, and Hepzibah comments on the smell. Caliban talks about the friends he had there, and Leech must not be the last, and Warpath reassures him that he won’t be. They find another area that has been blown up, one that Caliban and Leech weren’t in when the explosion happened. Heqzibah tells Warpath to shine light inside the hole, and this reveals a big patch of writing on some rocks. Storm inspects the writing, and asks Caliban who used to live here, but he doesn’t remember. Caliban asks her why, and she tells them that all four of their names are written on the wall.

Professor Xavier and Nightcrawler prepare the Blackbird to fly. Professor X plans to leave the Institute with Nightcrawler in the Blackbird to look for Magneto.

Storm has figured out that the writings are predictions of the future, and she tells them it's not a future she wants to see.

Erg is helping Skids up to the surface, and he asks her if this is okay, and she says it's for the future. Skids walks down to a subway station and she gets on a train. On the train she puts the bag in a compartment with wires. She walks to the back of the train, and jumps off, and uses her force field to skate. She detonates the bomb, releasing Bliss's poison. Erg is standing in the trains way, and he uses his powers to stop it. Skids tells him he cut it close, but he tells her that it wouldn't be fun other why. She shouts at him for saying it's fun. Masque appears, and tells her to leave it, and now it's time to send the message. Masque enters the train, and begins to mutate the passangers.

Beast is typing in his journal in a tent. After a man comes to fetch him, he turns on an image inducer, and he and several other hikers continue to treck. Some of the hikers complain, because people disappear on these mountains. Beast tells them that he' climbing to the top of Wungadore today, and whoever wants to come should come.

As Beast climbs to the top of themountain, he thinks about what the replies of the scientists he asked to help him.

On the way up, Beast saves one of the climbers lives when he nearly falls.

When they finally get to the top they are greeted by the Knights of Wungadore.

With the Morlocks committing terrorist acts, it’s up to the X-Men to stop them and figure out why these normally-peaceful mutants have turned to violence. Guest-starring Storm and her friends in the Fantastic Four! FEATURING ENDANGERED SPECIES CHAPTER 6: The Beast journeys deep into the heart of darkness at Neverland and discovers an old nemesis…

Flashback:

Magneto visits Fellows' grave. Masque broadcasts a terrorist message on the internet.

Synopsis:

While the media reports Masue's attack, Storm uses the Fantastic Four's computers to cross-reference tunnel maps with abandonned buildings, trying to find the Morlocks' hideout. In vermont, Professor X has read the mind of a local sheriff who saw Magneto visiting the grave of one of his former mutant henchmen. Masque posts a video online claiming credit for the subway attack, and implying further acts of terror. Skids accuses him of misinterpreting the prophecies to fit his own desire for revenge, and Masque questions her loyalty, but just outside, O.N.E. trrops have located the Morlocks, and the attack. Soon afterwards, Storm and the X-Men discover the hideout, but find that the Morlocks have fled, leaving several O.N.E. troops dead. Caliban locates Skids, buried in the rubble, just as a Sentinel arrives. The pilot accuses the X-Men of murdering her fellow agents, and attacks them, but Skids reveals that she is an undercover SHIELD agent, and orders the Sentinel to stand down.

Endangered Species:

Investigating Weapon X's abandonned Neverland mutant death camp, Beast is confronted by Dark Beast, his ruthlessly amoral "Age Of Apocalypse" counterpart, who mocks his compassion for the camp's lost lives. However, to Beast's surprise, he then offers his help in trying to reverse M-Day. Dark Beast points out that without scruples, his scientific curiosity can take him places that Beast's conscience would never allow, and in such desperate times, that edge might make the difference. Although Beast has grave misgivings, he decides that working separately on the same problem would simply waste time, and reluctantly agrees to a patnership.

Why are the Morlocks terrorizing innocent people? What is their endgame? That's what Storm and the X-Men are trying to find out. All the while, Professor X and Nightcrawler are on the trail of Magneto! Part 4 (of 5) FEATURING ENDANGERED SPECIES CHAPTER 10 Beast heads to mutant town with BISHOP! Looking for samples of mutant DNA, Beast turns to drug dealers selling MGH--mutant growth hormone. And he does NOT like what he finds!

Brief Description:

(first story)

After being buried in a cave-in under an old cathedral, Storm is now the captive of Masque and his followers, inside a coffin. Caliban, Skids and two X-Men are also shackled, and Masque revels in telling them that the book’s prophecy is coming to pass. Masque informs them that he is planning another attack; one which will make the subway attack look like nothing. He adds that, once this has happened, Magneto will get the book and see that his old way is the right way. He gloats that explosives are set to go off in the old cathedral above them. Once their X-corpses are found at the scene, there’ll be no turning back and humans will hate mutants more than ever. However, Storm isn’t about to allow that to happen. She causes a lightning strike above ground, and electricity makes its way through the pipes that lead to where Warpath and Hepzibah are shackled. The shock hurts them, but it also frees them. They immediately go on the offensive, and Ororo joins them after exploding free from her coffin. Warpath takes out Litterbug and Bliss, whilst a collapsing ceiling puts Erg down for the count. Warpath then frees Leech from his power-dampening shackle and Caliban is then unafraid to beat the tar out of Masque. With the Morlock’s plan foiled, Skids takes the book whilst the others make their way home. Later, Hepzibah and Cyclops speak about Corsair, and about how she doesn’t mean any disrespect by choosing James as her mate. Meanwhile, Skids makes her way to a cemetery where she hands the book over to Magneto. She informs him the book appears to claim that he is still a mutant.

(second story)

Hank McCoy is frustrated at his lack of success when Spiral suddenly appears and informs him that science has blinded him. He should be looking towards magic to solve his problem. So, Hank visits the sanctum of Doctor Strange, who takes Hank onto a plane where magic exists as physical objects. He explains that Wanda’s spell is woven into the very fabric of reality and it’s difficult to see where reality ends and her alterations begin. When Hank asks if he can reverse her spell, Strange replies that he might be able to but, were he to try, all of reality could implode as a result.

Full Synopsis:

(first story)

(New York City)

On a stormy evening in New York City, a small cloaked man is stopped by Magneto, who calls him a cripple. The man asks him to repeat that, but Magneto asks him to calm himself. He’s is a cripple, too, now. He lost what made him superior. The man recognizes him as Magneto. He saw him once when he was a Morlock. Magneto thought as much. He can spot ex-mutants by sight now. Isn’t that sad, he thinks. It’s like a whole generation walking around with its heart ripped out. The man replies that he gets by. Magneto, walking away, turns and says the Morlocks were always happy to settle for table scraps. The man asks Magneto why he’s looking for an ex-Morlock. He tells the man he wants him to pass on a message.

(underground)

Storm awakens. The last thing she recalls is a crushing darkness, but now there is a little room around her and some air. She runs her fingers along the wall and yells. Masque and his followers have Ororo confined inside a wooden coffin. Warpath, Caliban, Skids and Hepzibah are shackled nearby. Masque is pleased that she has woken up and wants to see her scared little face. Bliss slides open a hatch in the coffin, but tells Masque that he shouldn’t be doing this. Storm isn’t a bad person. Upon seeing the light, Ororo scream for Masque to set her free. He tells her it’s been a long time since he followed her orders. If he knew then what he knows now, he wouldn’t have followed them then.

Skids calls Masque crazy and asks what he’s doing. He holds up the book and says that he’s bringing a new world into being; living out the prophecy. Warpath asks if there’s a section in the book where he strangles him. He sees that in his future. Masque grins. “Actually… no…it don’t.”

(elsewhere underground)

Nightcrawler teleports Charles Xavier to the spot where Ororo and Delphi’s followers were buried. The ruins leave Charles speechless. Kurt says that they might not be dead - not all of them. Charles agrees, but he needs to get help. He wants to use his telepathy to call for assistance, but Kurt reckons someone above ground must have heard the explosion that caused this devastation. He begins moving rocks, and a body is soon found. The person is alive and nearly conscious. Charles touches their forehead and receives a mental image of Storm being dragged away by Litterbug. She’s alive. Kurt asks if he can find Ororo’s mind again. Could they track her that way? Charles replies that if she’s awake he can connect with her. It also depends if she knows where she is. Kurt has faith in Charles’ abilities.

Meanwhile, Masque reckons that Delphi didn’t have enough faith. The prophet wrote a lot of crazy stuff, and a lot of ways things could go. There is a reason for that. They have a choice. Storm, still inside the coffin, tells him that she read the book and it was a book of peace. “Ya see what ya wanna see,” he replies. To get to the peace you have to have the war first, he adds. Hepzibah pulls at her shackles and growls. “Then let us have it!” Masque tells her she should have been one of them.

Skids asks what his plan is. What part of the prophet’s word is this? Masque replies that it’s the turning point. They’ll make the subway attacks look like nothing. Afterwards, the normals will hate them like never before. They’ve been hating their own heroes for a while. They’ll hate them instead. Skids asks how that leads to a brighter future. How does that get him Magneto? Masque’s response is vague, but it involves something about what the book says. He thinks that Magneto will get the book and sees that his old way was the right way. Ororo asks where they are right now. He opens his arms wide and tells her that they’re about an hour away from their funerals. It’s okay, though. They’ll be praying up there by then, anyway.

Ororo realizes that it’s nearly morning. “Sunday morning,” adds Masque. The tunnels above them are right below the old cathedral. It is loaded with explosives, ready to blow on his say-so. When the cops find their x-corpses at the site of the bomb, there’s gonna be no turning back. Caliban doesn’t believe this. He doesn’t believe that Masque is evil. Masque replies that maybe evil’s just a point of view. Storm’s eyes begin to glow. “No... it isn’t,” she sighs. “Killing innocents is evil, no matter where you look at it from.”

A lightning strike explodes above the church and lighting crashes in through the cathedral’s windows. The electricity rushes through the church and into the pipes that lead below ground. Instantly, the whole place begins to crumble around them, and both Warpath and Hepzibah receive an electric blast which hurts them, but not too much. James is quickly free, and he is soon joined by Storm, whose coffin explodes around her. She steps out, and warns Masque that all he’s done is to make her mad. Masque cowers in a corner, afraid of Storm whose anger is fearsome. “Damn you! This ain’t how it happens,” he cries. Ororo makes telepathic contact with Charles Xavier, who asks if she’s all right. Ororo tells him she’s fine, but he should make sure no one gets to church this morning. They can handle it down there.

Masque tells someone to get her as Warpath punches Bliss. He then punches Litterbug, who releases Leech from his grasp. Skids is also free, and she slides at great speed around Erg, who unleashes a blast from his eye. It misses and hits Litterbug instead. Masque takes Leech’s leash and orders Erg to take Storm down. “I think not,” says Ororo, as the rocks above Erg crumble around him. He is squashed under a small avalanche.

Ororo approaches Masque but he warns her to keep away or he’ll mess her up. Warpath hurls a dagger towards him. Masque avoids the dagger, but it collides instead with its intended target - Leech’s power-dampening collar. It shatters and the dagger punctures the wall behind him. Leech smiles. “Oh… oh… Cool.” With Masque’s power now gone, Caliban decides to handle this himself. He smashes Masque in the face hard, and a second strike draws blood. A third causes Masque to drop the book, and a fourth isn’t allowed to hit home as Ororo tempers Caliban’s assault.

Masque lies bleeding on the floor. He can’t believe it. The prophet said it was today that the new conflict begins. Ororo replies that it’s strange, but she read the same section. She’s certain it only said that the conflict would be decided. She supposes the prophet’s implications are all in the eye of the beholder. Skids collects the book and they decide to find a way out of there.

(soon)

Charles has dealt with the authorities, but had to mentally nudge a few. He mentions that the fact that they saved hundreds of innocent lives helped their cause, as did Masque volunteering to fix the faces of those poor people from the subway. “Oh did he?” remarks Storm, incredulously. Charles admits that took a little more nudging. He asks where the book of prophecy is. Ororo says that the last she saw, Skids had it. It’s probably in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s hands now. He’ll have to ask Tony Stark if he can borrow it. Charles imagines that Tony will want to talk to him about the past few days anyway. Ororo says that they saved lives. That wasn’t their fault. None of them can control fate, after all…

(later that day)

At sunset, Hepzibah speaks with Cyclops about the loss to them both of their beloved Corsair. They hug one another, before Hepzibah joins James. He asks if they were finally talking about it. She says that they were, but Scott is still raw and angry. However, they talked mostly about James. “Really?” he replies. Hepzibah says that she wants Scott to know that it’s not disrespecting his father. “What’s not?” asks James. She smiles and replies, “My mating with you.” She asks him not to pretend. They both have special senses. He can never lie to her. They embrace tenderly.

Elsewhere, Charles informs Kurt that he finally managed to calm down Valerie Cooper, but he doesn’t know how much longer their relationship with the O*N*E is going to last. Kurt asks if she mentioned their trip, or Magneto. Charles says no, but she does know that he’s the one they are after. But, after this Morlock debacle, her people are in crisis mode. They’ve abandoned their own search for Erik. Kurt asks if they should keep looking for him. Charles replies that he’ll keep Cerebra tuned to his pattern, but Erik has always known how to avoid detection when he didn’t want to be found.

(a cemetery, later)

Skids meets with Magneto in the moonlit cemetery. Some Morlocks had informed her that this is where she might find him. When he asks why she has come, Sally removes the book from her bag and says she has to give him it. Magneto asks what he’s supposed to do with it. Sally doesn’t know. She could lose her whole life if anyone knew she was there. But, she continues, there are things in the book that he needs to know. It talks about him, and about the new hope to come soon. She doesn’t understand it but, yesterday, for a minute, she did. She wanted to bring it to him. Magneto takes the book from her and says that’s interesting. She adds that there’s something else, too. It said he is still a mutant. “Did it now?” he replies.

(second story)

(the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning)

Beast is sat at his computer late into the night. He believes he has failed. Every avenue he has gone down has come to a dead end. Homo superior is rushing to extinction and there is nothing he can do to stop it. ‘I have failed,’ he types across the screen. His frustrated silence is broken by a voice from behind. Hank turns with a start as Spiral tells him that she has enjoyed his dance. She leaps on him and grabs him around the neck, but his agility is enough to be able to throw her over his shoulder. He hasn’t the time for this.

She lands with graceful ease and informs him that his failure has displeased Mojo. He isn’t entertained. The imminent extinction of his species is of great concern, and while Hank asked for her help, he demanded it. Hank asks if Mojoworld has any answers. Spiral says that science blinds him. She can feel it. An energy dances its way through everything, keeping her out. It’s beyond anything the Body Shoppe can simply fix. The death of Homo superior was not caused by science and it will not be saved by science. She teleports away with the parting words, “Put aside what you know, for where science ends… magic begins.”

Later, in the pouring rain, Hank makes his way to Greenwich Village and comes to halt outside a derelict-looking building with a banner across the front, claiming hat another Starbucks is on its way. Hank has always believed in the purity of science, and feels it can explain everything, despite what he’s seen. However, when he steps inside the building, these explanations fall apart.

Hank enters and calls out for Dr. Strange or his assistant, Wong. In a flash the derelict room changes beyond recognition and Dr. Strange appears with his trusted assistant. He has been expecting Hank, and Wong offers him some tea. Strange asks him to forgive the illusion. Things have been complicated of late. Perhaps he should have consulted with him before joining the Avengers.

Hank finds it difficult to ask what he must of him, but Strange assures him that he doesn’t have to ask. He was there when it happened. They have been on a similar journey. Instead of telling all about it, he decides to show him.

Strange transports him to a place where reality exists as pure magic. It’s reality as he sees it - the world as seen through magic’s eyes. Weird, colorful shapes and interconnected objects surround them as they appear to float in the never-ending vastness. Strange explains that he is looking at pure magic. There, they can see magical forces and spells as physical objects. Hank asks him if he can see what the Scarlet Witch did. Is her ‘spell’ somewhere in this dimension? Is it something he can reverse? Strange tells him he misunderstands. Wanda’s spell isn’t in this landscape… it is the landscape. What Wanda did she did so completely that it’s nearly impossible to see where reality ends and her alteration of it begins. She cast her spell over billions of souls, over worlds and dimensions.

Hank doesn’t think it seems possible for one person to have such power. However, Stephen didn’t answer his question. Can it be reversed with magic? Strange replies that, with enough preparation and the right assistance, it could be possible to break her spell and put things right. However, reality has been consumed by her spell and the magic is woven through everything; welded to all there is. He apologizes, but informs Hank that were he to even try, all of reality could implode as a result.

The biggest mutant event in a decade continues here! Following the Messiah Complex one-shot, the X-Men scramble to search for the missing mutant newborn. But they’ll need to tackle the Acolytes before they get any answers.

This issue confirms that Neophyte, Vindaloo, Projector, and Gargouille were all not affected by M-Day.

Also included:

Fury's Files. A list of little known facts that Nick Fury kept on the X-Men.

Portfolio Review for New Exiles #1, and "Look Who's Talking!" with Matt Fraction.

Chapter 2

Back at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Cyclops reminds Professor X who is now leading the X-Men, and puts Xavier to work with Beast to try to discover why the mutant's powers manifested at birth rather than as a teenager. Cyclops has already dispatched a small group of X-Men to locate a group of former Acolytes to try to discover the location of the Marauders and retrieve the mutant baby from them, and sent Emma Frost to retrieve Madrox, Layla Miller, and Rictor for their own missions. Having temporary erased Madrox's resentment towards the X-Men and desire not to work with them, Madrox and the others agreed to come along. Since losing his powers on M-Day, Rictor would scan as a normal human. For this reason Cyclops wants Rictor to infiltrate the Purifiers to determine their motivation. Madrox and Layla Miller are to locate Forge for details on their own mission.

Battered by Sinister, the X-Men retreat to the mansion to lick their wounds. But in the war for the future of mutantkind, the battle never ends. The school is overrun by a mysterious new player who enlists one of the X-Men’s oldest foes. And when Cyclops learns who has the baby, he’s forced to make a tough decision.

Wolverine tries flying his battered teammates back to the mansion after "getting their butts" handed to them by the Marauders. His healing factor is starting to kick back in but he is still in pain as he tries piloting the Blackbird. Nightcrawler is alive but unconscious. They wonder why Emma was cut off from them. Storm wonders if it's Cable's doings that they cannot contact anyone at the mansion.

Back at the Xavier Institute, Emma is down. Cyclops tells Beast to take her to away as he and Bishop fight off the Sentinel that is attacking the mansion. The Sentinel is joined by a second, both with new programming recently installed: "Destroy all mutants."

Warpath crashes out his bedroom window, blades in hand. He always figured it'd be a matter of time until they turned on them. Hepzibah isn't too happy to lose her bedmate. Cyclops asks Bishop if there's a way to shut down the Sentinels but he can't get a signal to them. As they try to coordinate their next move, Nezhno, all powered up, begins to attack the Sentinels. Cyclops tries ordering the "stupid kid" back but Bishop comments on the fact that Nezhno was able to knock it back a bit. Cyclops says if he continues at his enhanced size, he's bound to kill himself. Beast carries Emma down to his lab. On the way, he finds the Stepford Cuckoos unconscious in the hallway. He figures if they and Emma are down, it can't be a coincidence. Cyclops tries protecting Nezhno as Warpath and Hepzibah manage to finish off one Sentinel.

In Antarctica, Mr. Sinister and Mystique make their final checks so that they can abandon this base. Sinister states that all the data he has was automatically transferred as soon as they were attacked. Mystique wonders why he isn't bothered about the attack. Sinister says that the X-Men were there because they believed that he was in possession of the baby. This means that the baby must be unprotected. The baby is, in fact, on the run with Cable. Cable is running somewhere as the baby simply cries continuously. He tells the kid that the crying continues, they're bound to attract predators...

The fight continues at the mansion. More Sentinels are on the scene. Cyclops checks with Dust to see if she is up to entering a Sentinel to see what is going on inside. Another Sentinel is taken out as the Blackbird piloted by Iceman bringing back the "new" X-Men from D.C. flies through its head. X-23 tells Mercury to make sure Hellion gets taken to the medical bay (if it's still intact) as she jumps out of the plane. She lands on a Sentinel and begins slashing and hacking away at it.

Down in the lab, Beast sees Cannonball, who is still recovering, moving the Professor. He tells Hank that the Professor grabbed his head and screamed before passing out. Beast now knows that all their telepaths are being taken out. He just doesn't know why or by who.

Outside, Nezhno is hit by a Sentinel blast as it says, "Mutant neutralized." Bishop comes up to him and curses. Iceman freezes the head of one as Cyclops blasts and cuts it down. Dust has managed to enter one. She sees a robotic entity inside and asks what it is. The creature responds that it must terminate all mutants. Lifting its hand, it fires a blast at Dust that sends her sand form shooting out of the Sentinel. She screams out to Cyclops and tells him that they are not being piloted by humans. As she tries to explain further, it comes out and announces that their mission is a failure and initiates an escape sequence to the others. X-23 is near one as it sets to leave. She jumps on it and stabs it with her claws. There is a blast of feedback and they are both down. The remaining one looks down at the X-Men and tells them they will be terminated "in due time."

As they try to tend to the injured, the other X-Men arrive. Wolverine meets with Cyclops noticing that they too got their butts handed to them. Cyclops informs him that the O.N.E. pilots were infected somehow by the Nano-Sentinels that Cassandra Nova created. He says that everything has been destroyed. Wolverine says that not everything has been. Cyclops says that they have a bunch of injured, the telepaths have been taken out, and their only healer, Elixir, was injured by a falling wall. Wolverine wonders if Cable could have unleashed the Nano-Sentinels like a virus. Cyclops says that it is possible and he had access to samples. He has no idea what Cable is up to and has to assume the worst. He tells him that Bishop is meeting at O.N.E. headquarters to inform them what happened. No matter what they decide, Cyclops feels it is time to up the ante. He tells Wolverine that they have their backs up against the wall and need to take a more offensive position. Their entire race is threatened as their only hope, the baby, is in danger. He has decided that they need a team that will handle the dirty jobs that need to be done. These are desperate times and Wolverine is the one to handle the mission of finding Cable and taking the baby away from him, doing whatever it takes.

Wolverine assembles a new X-Force. The roster he chooses includes Warpath, Hepzibah, X-23, Wolfsbane, and Caliban.

Continued in X-Factor #26.

Overview

The Marauders are back on the hunt for the messiah baby. They’re a step ahead of the X-Men, but how will they fare against the new X-Force? Also, the traitor reveals his (or her) plan for the baby and alters the landscape of the battle dramatically. Who benefits from the actions of this wildcard, if anyone?

Cable and Forge lie on the floor at Eagle Plaza. Bishop stands over the crying baby with his gun pointed at it. He tells her to stop crying, he has to do this. Just as he is about to pull the trigger, the Marauders show up, including Gambit and Sunfire. They fight as Bishop yells at Gambit that the baby needs to die. Bishop is just one man and while he puts up a good fight against them, he is unable to beat them. Gambit leaves him buried under rubble. Sunfire is wants to kill him but Gambit says no. Since the X-Men will soon arrive there, he figures if they have to deal with the "traitor," it'll slow them down. Gambit does wonder what could have changed Bishop so.

In the future, the Madrox dupe is finding things are not so pleasant in the Relocation Camp. He is finally able to locate Layla and sees she has also been shaved and tattooed. She tells him she's okay and that she will survive this. Madrox asks her if she gets them out of there. She says she thinks she does but she knows why they are there. They have to meet a little boy named... Lucas Bishop.

Back in the present, Bishop comes too moments before the X-Men arrive. He comes up with a story that when he got there, Cable had taken out Forge and was going through his equipment. He tells Cyclops that he shot him a few times and should have had him. He also tells him that the Marauders came and he was knocked out so he doesn't know what happened after that. They try checking on Jamie but Emma says his body is basically brain dead. Cyclops orders everyone that is able to stand to gather to go after Cable. The Cuckoos are told to try to track the baby but it seems as if the baby is blocking them. Emma then tells them to try to track the mutants that kidnapped her instead. Cyclops also tells them to try to find Cable. He says he's done enough damage and has to be taken down for good.

Cable is kicking himself for losing the baby. He uncovers the Blackbird he took from X-Force in Alberta and knows that this is too big for him to handle on his own. He has a plan B that involves contacting the Professor. He tells him he's the only one that can help him save the future.

To be continued in X-Factor #27.

Reeling from the events of Messiah Complex, the surviving mutants reassess Xavier’s dream amidst the rubble of the mansion. Betrayed by one of their own, and mourning the loss of former allies, is peaceful coexistence still an option? The only thing that’s certain is an uncertain future for mutantkind. Is anyone safe in a world without X-Men?

The issue begins with Cyclops dreaming about the Institute, Corsair and Jean Grey. Jean (Dark Phoenix form) turns into Emma, Emma telling Cyclops that change is good, clicking her fingers, and the surronding area is changed to a busy, bright city.

Cyclops wakes up and asks Emma to stop manipulating his dreams, and she tells to stop being a control freak, and the background slowly melts to reveals the two in bed kissing. Both of them get out of bed, Cyclops putting on some trousers and Emma just keeping the blanket around her. They both walk outside, revealing their hut to be in the Savage Land.

Flashback to two weeks before, with Cyclops standing on a small cliff overlooking the destroyed Institute. Emma and Cyclops finish a telepathic conversation, and Iron Man arrives. Iron Man asks Cyclops why he didn't call for assist, but he's just told that mutant problems tend to get worse when the goverment gets involved. Iron Man goes on to ask Cyclops to register the X-Men, but he tells him that the X-Men are no longer together, and mutants shouldn't have to register for being born.

Back to the Savage Land, and we see a few panels of Emma and Scott having a few adventure,including diving off a cliff, pinicking, riding the back of a dinosaur, wandering through the ruins of dinosaurs and running from, killing and cooking a wild boar. As the two enter a conversation and gaze up at the stars, and just as they begin to kiss, Ka-zar and Shanna arrive.

In Germany, Colossus and Nightcrawler (using an image inducer) walk down a street while Nightcrawler tells him about his childhood. They fetch Qolverine from a bar that he basically destroyed. The three head for a train, and Wolverine asks Nightcrawler how it went with paparazzi. As they enter a cabin on the train, Colossus reveals that they're stop is Russia.

Back in the Savage Land, Cyclops, Ka-Zar, Shanna (her tiger too) and Emma watch over as two dinosaurs fight. Ka-Zar tells Cyclops that it's just life, and Emma and Shanna talk telepathically about how Cyclops seems to be studying their every move, Emma telling Shanna that inside his headhe's calculating how to take the dinosaurs down himself.

Back in Cyclops and Emma's cabin, they talk about couple things, Emma telling him that she's very happy right now.

Angel's flying through San Fransisco, while we read and e-mail from him to Cyclops and Emma. Angel tells him that Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Colossus haven't been keeping a very low profile, showing a cover of a magazine with "Angelina Jolie" with Colossus behind her, showing Wolverine having messed with Nightcrawler's image inducer. As Cyclops reads the e-mail, Angel writes that he landed in something strange while looking for the address were Hepzibah and the others were supposed to meet. Emma and Cyclops get ready, knowing something's wrong, and the e-mail continues with Angel telling them that he landed in the 60s unable to find the others. His costume is suddenly changed from spandex to jacket with no top and jeans, and then two girls appear asking does he want to come to a party. He agrees and the three go off to party.

Overview

"DIVIDED WE STAND" Part 2 (of 3)

Cyclops and Emma Frost adventure to the strangest land of all – San Francisco. The city has transformed into a bizarre version of itself circa 1968, complete with VW Bugs, flower power and hippies as far as the eye can see. Will they be able to lure Angel back to reality? Or will they succumb to their groovy desires and embrace the love generation forever? Also, Colossus (with Wolverine and Nightcrawler in tow).

Brief Description:

Shortly after the M-Day, in which the overwhelming majority of the Earth’s mutant population was de-powered, three middle-ages hippies in San Francisco, nostalgic of the idealistic 1960s, come across an amnesiac Martinique Jason aka Mastermind, who has retained her powers post-M-Day. Martinique sees straight into the hippies’ hearts and re-imagines herself as a ‘flower child’ while generating a citywide illusion that transforms San Francisco into a late 1960s version of itself. In the present, Martinique finally recovers from her amnesia and sends Angel, Hepzibah, Iceman and Warpath, all four now fully under her control, to go find Cyclops and Emma Frost – the couple meandering through the streets of San Fran – and fight them. Meanwhile, in Russia, a government official has captured Colossus, Wolverine and Nightcrawler and tortures them, curious to know why the X-Men retained their powers post-M-Day whereas Russia lost all her mutant agents back then. After the three X-Men escape, however, the official decides to utilize his ultimate weapon, a captive that goes by the name… Omega Red. However, Omega Red slays the official after the latter frees him and prepares to fight his longtime hatred enemies, the X-Men.

Full Synopsis:

San Francisco

How long ago it was that Ron, Eli and Delilah met the Goddess? They can’t even remember now. Just that it was right after they saw the news about all the mutants disappearing…

(flashback)

Three middle-aged hippies, Ron, Eli and Delilah meander aimlessly through the streets of San Francisco. Eli remarks that the recent decimation of mutants is a total bummer; it’s like the world just can’t allow anything different… “Or beautiful” Delilah adds. She wonders if her companions can remember what it was like when they thought the world was going to be beautiful. Smiling, Ron admits that he can’t remember ever being so naïve – but then, he has some memory issues! “Yeah, ‘cause of all that self-medicating,” Eli teases him.

Ron pretends to be angry and wonders if Eli’s going to get judgmental of him. Eli explains he was kidding. “Oh, because I was gonna say, you’re in no position to be pointing fingers at…” Ron mumbles, continuing his ‘act’, when suddenly Delilah’s voice cuts him short: “Guys!”

Delilah urges the two men to come and help her as she leans above a young woman who has seemingly passed out on the sidewalk. Delilah tries to help the young brunette get back on her feet, thinking the woman’s hurt. As the brunette slowly regains her consciousness, Eli asks her if she’s okay. “I don’t… I can’t… What happened…? I can’t feel them… I can’t hear them… Where did they all go…?” the woman rambles in a weak voice. Delilah asks her who she’s looking for. The woman admits she doesn’t know. Delilah wonders whether the woman hit her head. The young brunette, visibly disoriented, again repeats that she doesn’t know… she doesn’t know anything…

Delilah deduces that the woman is hurt and they need to get her to a hospital. “No! No hospitals! No normals!” the woman cries, obviously repulsed by the idea. “Hey, I hear you… the suits running these places are like Nazis…” Eli agrees with her reaction. However, he wonders what they are supposed to…

Right at that moment, the young woman – the Goddess – looks into the three hippies and speaks to their inner selves; she sees their potential and what she could do for them. In an instant, she spreads her touch of ‘magic’ – and the three, middle-aged hippies seemingly turn young and beautiful again, while their benefactress generates a green dress for herself, her head now wreathed with flowers: she has become a ‘flower child’ herself, just like the three of them.

An enchanted Eli mutters that the woman could come with them – if that’s what she wants. The Goddess believes that would be best; she urges Eli to show her the way. Behind them, a perplexed Ron scratches his head, wondering whether he’s tripping or something. Delilah admits that she doesn’t know… now she’s the one confused. However, she admits this feels real. Ron realizes it’s the woman… she did something… she changed the world. Delilah retorts that she just changed them… but she thinks she gets it. She explains to Ron that the woman is like the key to the other planes of reality…

As days pass, the changes the Goddess made in the three hippies don’t fade away. Instead, days become months and Ron, Eli and Delilah begin to notice other changes around them. They now know that the Goddess is “blessing” the whole city, more and more of the citizens becoming ‘flower children’. Ron, Eli and Delilah know that everything will finally become like it was, like it always should have been. They will live in the past like a dream… They will live forever and nothing will change and disappoint them again… like it all had.

(present)

“What did you say, Goddess?” Eli asks her. The woman utters a single word: Martinique. “Excuse me?” a puzzled Eli exclaims. The woman explains that’s her name, Martinique… she just remembered that. How funny, she thinks; she was thinking about those X-Men and she… she thinks she knows something about them, too. “Like what?” Eli wonders. “Like I know it wasn’t me they were looking for” Martinique explains. Smirking, she thinks it’s time they met some of their new arrivals…

Meanwhile, in the Red Room, in Russia…

Wolverine, all four of his limbs chained, his hands in manacles, clenches his teeth, trying – in vain – to keep himself from screaming with pain, as electricity surges through his restraints and throughout his entire body. The torture ceases for a few seconds… and then it resumes.

The captor of Colossus, Wolverine and Nightcrawler, a middle-aged Russian government official, assures Colossus – the latter also in shackles – that he’s not going to run out of electricity. The official also observes that Colossus’ friend – Wolverine – is not going to die anytime soon, either.

“I’m not telling you a thing,” Piotr defies him. “You’d like me to keep showing Wolverine my brand of pain, then?” the official snidely remarks. Piotr encourages him to go right ahead; he’s sure Wolverine can handle it. Hearing Piotr say this, Logan, barely managing to flash a smile, remarks that this isn’t cool… And then he winces in pain as he is electrocuted again.

The official exclaims it’s such a waste; all of them, X-Men, are a waste of potential. He is disgusted to see they’re not patriots to the countries they were born in or to the one where they reside. In frustration, he wonders: is there nothing they believe in? Piotr defiantly replies – in English – that tyrants like him should be crushed; does that answer the man’s question?

The official is disgusted that Colossus won’t even answer in his mother tongue. However, he recalls that they had true patriots in their mutant program here at the Red Room. His own protégé, even, was of their kind… he was like a son to him. And then one day, over a dozen highly-trained men and women were simply useless; enhanced strength, X-ray vision, mental telepathy and many other valuable mutations had just disappeared. They thought they’d been targeted, of course, until they began getting widespread reports it was happening elsewhere… all over the world. However, the official notices that the X-Men seem to have survived this purge. That seems strange to him. It makes him wonder: did the X-Men somehow engineer this M-Day?

Piotr retorts that’s insanity. He insists they help mutants. The official admits that so it is said… Yet, his mutants are dead, while Piotr and his friends seem as powerful as ever. “Dead? All of them?” a puzzled Colossus exclaims upon hearing this. He admits that he’s only heard of a small number who died from losing their mutations.

The official repeats that these were patriots… So, when they saw they had no more purpose… “Well, I think you still have enough of Mother Russia in you to understand how they must have felt” the man adds, alluding at their doomed fate. Piotr can’t believe what the official’s insinuating: he ordered them… to kill themselves? Grinning, the Russian is amused that Piotr sounds shocked; he shouldn’t be.

“But that’s good” the official adds – he wants Piotr to understand that those were mutants he cared for… and he didn’t flinch from doing what was necessary. The man then goes on to remark that, while it has been amusing to torture Colossus’ friend, Wolverine, it’s now time to move on to the demon. Two armed guards immediately remove the bag from Nightcrawler’s head, the later also shackled. “Kurt!” Piotr screams upon seeing his friend.

The official decides to speak in English, so they can all understand the situation. He explains that Nightcrawler knows that the restrains he’s in are much like the ones which hold Wolverine; if he attempts to teleport, 10,000 volts will be ripping through every cell of his being. The official is quite confident that this mutant – Nightcrawler – cannot heal from such treatment. “So perhaps now you will be more forthcoming, comrade?” he asks Colossus, after threatening to harm Nightcrawler.

“Kurt… I am sorry, tovarich,” Piotr tells Nightcrawler, effectively making his decision clear. The official wonders if Piotr thinks he’s bluffing. “Not at all,” Piotr replies. “Do it now!” the official maniacally screams, addressing the guards… and electricity is released on Kurt.

At that exact moment, however, Nightcrawler teleports and rematerializes just above the shackled Wolverine. Kurt can’t help but scream, owing to the unimaginable pain and agony of 10,000 volts surging through his body but his plan succeeds: as he touches Wolverine’s manacles, he overloads and short-circuits them. A crisp “chkk” sound is heard… and Logan is free from his restraints!

“Nooo!” the Russian official screams. “I’m guessin’ yer gonna run now,” a berserk Wolverine snarls, unsheathing his claws. Now genuinely frightened, the official orders his men to stop Wolverine: “Open fire!” Wolverine easily maneuvers around the two guards’ bullets, leaps upwards and lands behind them, slashing them both.

Several more guards appear behind Logan and start shooting at him. Undaunted thanks to his healing factor, Wolverine proceeds to take the remaining guards out, one by one, visibly enjoying the fight. He then turns to Colossus and assures him he will have him free in a second. Piotr tells him not to worry about him and instead look to Kurt. Logan kneels above Kurt, the latter almost stunned after receiving the electrical shock. “Elf… you alive?” Wolverine asks him. “Yes... ‘ported electrical surge with me… overloaded your restraints…” Nightcrawler mutters in a barely audible voice. “Yeah, I kinda noticed” Logan exclaims, admiring the insightfulness of his friend.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged official has already exited the room. As he approaches a gate guarded by two men, he orders them to take the three mutants out: “Lethal force is authorized!” He then proceeds to push a red button on the gate: “Voice authorization… Red Room command clearance.” Access is granted to the man and he enters a pitch-black room that accommodates a longhaired, blond prisoner.

The official orders the prisoner to get up. “What now… more experiments?” the prisoners mumbles. The official believes that it’s time to see if the pressure they put on S.H.I.E.L.D. to return this man home was worth it. “So… you’re taking off the leash, then?” the prisoner, now revealed to be Omega Red, remarks, sporting a sinister smile.

Meanwhile, Colossus, carrying the unconscious Nightcrawler, crashes down the gate of the prison room, effectively bringing it over the heads of some of the guards lurking outside. Piotr urges Logan to follow the old man’s scent: he’s their path out of here. Wolverine remarks that, lucky for him, the official is behind this long line of cannon fodder! Saying this, he jumps over the crashed gate and starts fighting the guards. Logan effortlessly takes them out and the three mutants advance through the corridors, with Logan following the official’s scent.

Suddenly, the X-Men see the official, riveted in the corner of a corridor, mechanical tendrils entangled around his neck, his face fixed in an expression of unspeakable terror. Piotr wonders what he’s doing. Logan explains that the man is dying…

“Actually, Wolverine… he’s already dead,” Omega Red gleefully explains, appearing next to the dead man. Omega Red wishes he could’ve taken his time with him; he deserved more pain. However, he thinks he’ll just have to console himself by killing the three X-Men. Wolverine huffs that he knew this was too easy.

Meanwhile, back in San Francisco…

Cyclops and White Queen meander through the streets of the city, camouflaged as ‘hippies’ thanks to Emma’s telepathy, trying to figure out what has made San Fran somehow revert to its late 1960s, ‘flower power’ version.

Suddenly, Emma exclaims that it’s too easy now. Scott asks her what she means. Emma explains that she was homing in on the person creating this whole illusion but it was taking some effort. Suddenly, though, it’s like she’s following a garden path instead. Cyclops assumes they’re being led. Emma agrees: that’s exactly it. “That’s probably not a good omen, is it?” Scott remarks. “No… it sure isn’t. Not for a couple of narcs like you” a voice comes in response.

The voice belongs to Warpath, now bearing a new, hippie name… Running Sun! Next to him is his friend, Iceman, hippie name… Frosty! The two men are accompanied by Hepzibah, hippie name… Lady Kitten! And finally Angel, hippie name… Angel! The quartet looks utterly entranced and eager to fight. Scott telepathically tells Emma that she’s got to get through to them. Emma assures him she’s trying. Angel and the others are aware that Scott and Emma came to spoil their party. Thus, their Goddess sent them out here to stop them… any way they have to.

Sentinels? What? And Magneto? And is that the Master Mold? What the hell is going on in San Francisco now that the Uncanny X-Men have relocated there? They’ve got a new Headquarters and a new status quo as the gauntlet is thrown for a new era of mutantkind. It’s all here in the double-sized anniversary issue that sets up the plotlines that will be developed over the next year in UNCANNY. And it’s all brought to you by the hot writing team of Ed Brubaker & Matt Fraction (Immortal Iron Fist) and fan favorite artists Greg Land (ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR, X-MEN: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY) and Terry Dodson (SPIDER-MAN/BLACK CAT, Wonder Woman). New creators, new home. The future begins now.