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:

(present)
The doors of a darkened room begin to creak open, before being shattered by the magnetic power of Polaris. She apologizes to Warpath and Havok. It’s a little more power than she intended to use. Havok asks her not to worry about it. It got the job done.

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:

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.

Overview:

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!

Issue Summary:

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 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!

Issue Summary:

(Trell’eari - retreat for the Shi’ar High Council and royalty)
Amongst beautiful surroundings, Majestrix Lilandra Neremani, flanked by two guards, asks a young woman named Karanda where Chancellor Araki might be. She replies that he’s had a communication and has had to attend to something. She asks if everything is to her pleasing.

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 repl