Annihilation: Nova (2006 series) #1

On Annihilation Day + 7 the Annihilation Wave destroyed the Xandar Cluster, HQ of the Nova Corps, killing nearly everyone there (in Annihilation: Prologue). Richard Rider, the Nova Centurion from Earth, did survive but only just.

Now on A Day + 11 a voice urges him to wake up because he's needed. It reminds him (and us) of what happened to the interconnected space domes of the Cluster. Most of them are debris falling into the star, and he is the only Nova Corpsman left alive. But the Orienta main dome that he was in is heading out of the system. Some of its systems are still running but failing rapidly and the temperature is dropping. It's important that he takes action now!

Richard wakes to see snow falling, and his 1st question is if he's the only 1 alive who's talking to him? The reply is that it's the Xandarian Worldmind AI in the Hub of Orienta. It doesn't have enough power available to provide a visual interface. It needs him to overcome his physical injuries and his psychological trauma to do what is required. It estimates that it has at most 2 hours before it 'dies', and Nova must save it. The Corps' top priority was to defend Xandarian civilisation but that is a lost cause. But its 2nd priority was to safeguard the Worldmind, the repository of all Xandarian culture, which can still be done.

Richard is more concerned with the fact that he sees Annihilation Wave insectoids eating dead Corpsmen. And he's not reassured to be told that they're just recycling organic raw material. Anger propels Nova to attack the insectoids even though the WM tells him he's still too weak and he's risking death futilely. The AI transmits all available Nova Force power to his body/uniform to enable Rider to escape being mauled by flying away. It is also enabling the body and uniform to self-heal.

Nova at last allows the AI to guide his flight down to the Hub at the centre of the planetoid where he at last comes face-to-face with a large hologram head representing the Worldmind. He removes his helmet because he no longer needs it. It repeats that it contains all Xandarian knowledge, including bio-templates of the whole race. It needs him to take it to a safe place where it can reestablish itself and help fight the A Wave with the Nova Force. Richard expects to be given a data device but he's told that only a Nova can contain all this, and he's the only 1 available. But he reminds the WM that a Nova can only deal with a small amount of N Force, and the only Nova that tried to hold it all, Garthan Saal, went insane (Super Nova in Avengers #301-303). The AI argues that Saal succumbed because he held it for a long time. Rider will only have to carry it for a short while, and the AI will be with him to support him and upgrade his suit to handle it. But he has to do it now before the bugs eat their way down to here.

Richard Rider is talked into it and puts his helmet back on. The Worldmind uploads itself and Nova staggers from the power. But then his wounds are healed and his uniform is mended and upgraded to a new form. He and the WM can now communicate mentally. They burst out of the planetoid blazing with energy. The AI wants him to flee to somewhere safe but the hyper-Nova can't resist destroying A Wave spaceships just by ploughing through them. WM floods his body with pacifying chemicals but Rider is on a roll.

In the Annihilation Wave's control centre Annihilus senses something going wrong.

Meanwhile the Orienta planetoid reaches the outer limits of the Xandar system and exhausted Nova lies on its surface recovering. And suddenly someone who's not the Worldmind speaks to him. It's Drax The Destroyer with his teen Earthgirl hanger-on Cammi.