Annihilation: Heralds Of Galactus (2007 series) #2

The Kree-Skrull War has been continuing off-and-on for a millennium. The Skrulls may have been decimated by the Annihilation Wave, and the Kree have had their own setbacks, but they will rebuild and the War will resume. The Annihilation War itself may be over, and Annihilus dead, but it has left consequences. Some territories have been given to remnants of Annihilus' army, including the elite force the Centurions. Nova Corps would once have curbed their atrocities but it was wiped out at the beginning of the War. The last Nova (Richard Rider of Earth) will rebuild the Corps. But in the meantime the ex-Herald Of Galactus Firelord has dedicated himself to hunting the Centurion war criminals down. He's just killed some who had set themselves up as gods on Canticle 8.

He gives us a quick precis of the invasion from the Negative Zone. Basically the inhabitants of the positive universe lost the War until Galactus intervened and Annihilus was killed (by Nova). The remains of the Annihilation Wave, now led by Ravenous, sued for peace and were given most of the Skrull empire and some fringe territories that had been in dispute between them and the Kree. Ravenous granted some worlds to the Centurions.

Now on Annihilation Day + 274, not long after Armistice Day (A-Day + 268), Firelord approaches Omina Prime where Warlord Smyt and other Centurions have taken over. Smyt addresses a reception (attended by many other aliens as well as the local population) and commends them on their acquiescence to his rule. But among them are Hybalea and Torrent (Espia), noble Centurions who oppose what their fellows are doing. Centurion death squads have already hunted down and killed 3 of the rebels but now these 2 intend to strike back. But they are detected and drop their holographic(?) disguises to fight Smyt and his minions, and we see that they are not the only rebels here. Then Neg Zone insectoids also join the battle. As Hybalea fights hand to hand with Smyt he sees Espia gunned down and Smyt lays him low.

Then Firelord arrives and orders all the Centurions to surrender or die. Smyt protests that they are here legally but the Herald is adamant. Smyt orders his followers to attack but Hybalea tells all Centurions to stand down. Smyt blasts *him* and Firelord begins the battle which is brief but destructive, ending with the Warlord's death. Hybalea begs mercy for the few Centurions who oppose Ravenous and his kind. Firelord grants it on the condition that they only fight their own kind. He says he'll be watching them, and they are not forgiven for things they did in the name of Annihilus. However he is mindful of the fact that as an ex-Herald Of Galactus he led his master to worlds to devour. But at least he was serving the Universal Consonace.

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Story #2

Brother's keeper

Writer: Keith Giffen.
Penciler/Inker: Andrea Di Vito.
Colorist: Paul Mounts.
Letterer: Cory Petit.

Synopsis

This tale begins with a voiceover which we later learn is Galactus explaining things to Silver Surfer. After the creation event (Big Bang) the universe was chaotic, but Cosmic Consonance demanded Order to balance Chaos so a group of (orderly) beings arose as caretakers to maintain the Balance/Consonance. Initially they acted automatically but later they evolved awareness and will and became known as the Proemial Gods. Among them were Antiphon The Overseer (1st among equals), Brio Of Life (watching over fledgling lifeforms), Aegis Of All Sorrows (culling divergences and aberrations), Tenebrous Of The Darkness Between (concerned with the living Dark Matter that binds the universe and makes it whole) and Diableri Of Chaos (to stop Order falling into entropy). Diableri created the (seemingly all female?) Chaos Sprites to do his bidding (the only 1 now left being Keith Giffen's creation Skreet).

But as life flourished the need for the Proemial Gods diminished. However their evolved awareness meant they didn't just fade away naturally. Diableri planned to remake the universe in his own image and he corrupted many of his fellows to join him including Aegis and Tenebrous. There was war amongst the gods and Diableri's side killed the others. But Diableri also attacked Galactus and the result was that Big G killed him and imprisoned A & T in the Kyln, which was at the Crunch at the edge of the expanding universe even in those days and even he doesn't know the the true origin of it. These gods were born of the Crunch and its energies could keep them imprisoned. But the Annihilation Wave destroyed the Kyln (in the Annihilation: Prologue) and the 2 gods were free to attack G (and deliver him to Thanos and Annihilus as we learned in Anni#1). Now that is all over and Galactus sends Silver Surfer to find them.

We find them 1st and see them contemplating this universe which has no caretakers to guide it. They decide to take that job back again, and also hope that other Proemial Gods have survived to help them.

It's Annihilation Day + 281 and Surfer is tracking their strong, distinct energy signature, until they suddenly use 1 of their powers to transport themselves instantly to a far distant place. But there is still a very faint trace to follow.

We see that they have returned to the Crunch and the destroyed Kyln. They find that Antiphon was also trapped with them but he was the weakest of all the Gods and he has long since died. They don't understand why Galactus would imprison 1 who remained neutral in their War. But it reduces their hope of finding others. So they'll get on with the job of controlling the universe themselves.

SS has arrived and overheard them. He knows that the balance of the current universe is maintained by the natural order of things, and no-one can do it any better as even Thanos learned. He sends a message to Galactus telling him where they are and then streaks in on his Cosmic Surfboard to make sure they don't leave. There follows several pages of wordless cosmic conflict, but in the end he lies battered and beaten. His Power Cosmic is no match for their energy from the Crunch. So he summons his board for 1 last strike and channels the Crunch energy itself against them in a wave he surfs. The duo are washed away into the Crunch to die and Surfer and his board lie battered and broken.

Galactus arrives and finds his foes no more and Surfer nearly dead. He purges the Crunch energy from his Herald and restores him and his board to full health. And once more the Silver Surfer goes in search of planets for his master to devour.