Jason Wyngarde, AKA Mastermind, lays the groundwork for his psychic attack on Jean Grey!
Reprint of and retroactive backup story to The X-Men #125 - There's Something AWFUL on Muir Island! (September, 1979). First (and only?) appearance of Chakra, the Throneworld's plumber (not to be confused withChakra).
Backup story summery:
The Spigot at the end of the Universe
Sitting by himself in a public space on the Shi'ar Throneworld, Xavier contemplates his next 22 moves in a game of three-tiered chess he's playing against a computer. When the computer beats him, he's asked by an alien figure if he'd like to play against his little boy. Insulted, Xavier declines and the aliens walk away also seemingly offended.
Xavier clears the game board in frustration as he silently laments his plight. On Earth he had been one of the most intelligent humans on the planet, to the point of being isolated by his intelligence, but in the Shi'ar world, humans are considered among one of the least intelligent species, leaving him feeling equally isolated.
Later he invites himself into an official meeting between species and embarrasses Lilandra by interrupting to share his uninformed opinion on the matter. As Lilandra quickly escorts him out of the meeting, she accuses him of being stubborn and suggests that he loosen up.
Then she asks another nearby alien named Chakra where she's going. Chakra responds that she's going to fix a leaky spigot on the other side of the desert, and Lilandra suggests that Xavier go with her saying that it will do him good, and he begrudgingly accepts.
In the desert, Xavier asks Chakra how she can stand being a simple plumber surrounded by the most advanced beings in the galaxy. She responds that "those eggheads.. if I didn't fix their plumbing, they'd be helpless." She goes on to express her affection for the beauty and wildness of the expanse around them, but soon points out that she forgot to fill their oxygen tanks.
Xavier begins to panic, and argues that they should head back before they run out of air, but Chakra becomes more interested in a meteor shower she sees brewing in the distance and heads in it's direction. Xavier chases after her, warning that if they don't turn back they'll die, but soon Chakra points to the spigot they were going to repair. She tells Xavier to calm down and save his air, then suggests that he look up.
Above them in the sky, Xavier witnesses the breathtaking wonder of the meteor shower as it passes over and is awed. He tries to express how impressed he is by it's beauty, but Chakra interrupts him saying it's indescribable, and then assures him she can refill their oxygen from the spigot.
Xavier, now impressed by her wisdom, asks Chakra who she really is, assuming she must be more than a plumber. He asks why she is satisfied to act like a stupid plumber when she's obviously so wise, but she replies that being a plumber is essential, that it keeps everyone alive.
"Why is that so stupid? What is stupidity? Is stupidity wanting to see a star shower? Is intelligence knowing when you're running out of air?"
Later, again where he was playing chess, Xavier invites the boy he had declined to play with to have a game with him. This leads the previously offended alien parent to note that perhaps there is more to the humans than they first suspected. As Lilandra interrupts the game for a brief kiss, Xavier asks of her, who that girl really was, but Lilandra simply replies, "She's the plumber, she fixes things."
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