Annihilation: Silver Surfer (2006 series) #1

It's Annihilation Day + 17 in the ruins of the Xandar Cluster near the Skrull Empire (in the Andromeda Galaxy). Silver Surfer surveys the debris and senses life nearby. He sees several humanoids with things like 4-legged sharks tethered to them by leashes of light. Some of them are attacking a being we may recognise as Gabriel Air-Walker, an ex-Herald Of Galactus. The leader, distinguished by the red rather than yellow elements in his uniform, addresses him a such but says that his lord Annihilus will be disappointed to learn that he is a robot. Gabriel kills some of the 'sharks' but is told that these Currs are easily replaced. He complains about the billions of lives killed in Xandar but the leader reminds him that as Herald Of Galactus he was responsible for may more deaths. Gabriel trots out the usual excuse that Galactus is a necessary part of the universe, but red leader claims that the same applies to Annihilus in the Negative Zone. He gives Air-Walker a chance to surrender and then calls his Seekers (the minions in yellow) to continue their assault.

But this is when Surfer intervenes, and Gabriel explains that Annihilus' forces destroyed Xandar. But red leader claims that Xandar was prioritised in order to get the attention of the Xandarian Heralds Of Galactus Air-Walker and Firelord, and he hopes those sent after Firelord are faring better than him (which we'll see next issue). He explains that Annihilus wants any and all such Heralds because they still contain the Power Cosmic that their master gave them. He adds that he is named Ravenous, for reasons that they may discover. After another offer of surrender that he doesn't expect to be taken up he allows the Currs to attack both Heralds. Surfer blasts them away but is in turn blasted by Ravenous who claims that as the Heralds have the Power Cosmic, he and the Seekers of the Negative Zone are imbued with its opposing force they call the Essence. And they outnumber the Heralds. And SS will more than make up for Gabriel being a mere machine. But Surfer lets rip with his full power and we see him escaping the fireball on his Cosmic Surfboard carrying Gabriel with him.

Seconds later they are many light years away. Gabriel says he's dying and urges Surfer to leave him and flee before the Seekers catch up with them but noble Norrin Radd won't do that. Gabriel notes that Ravenous didn't like him being a machine and wonders what Annihilus wants them for. Norrin doesn't know. AW tells him that he was in contact with the Xandarian Worldmind AI of the Nova Corps as the attack occurred, and he lets SS see what happened before the AI was 'corrupted'. He says he thought he detected a faint life reading. He also points out that Ravenous didn't know he was a robot which suggests that the foes' knowledge isn't perfect, which may be a chink in their armour. He dies, and Norrin Radd creates a black hole around the body so that Annihilus can't have it.

Nearby Thanos and his companions Skreet and the Fallen One observe these events, and little elfin Skreet on the Titan's shoulder worries about them being 'suckered' in by the 'hungry hole'. She also claims to have given the Surfer a beating in the past. But Thanos waits to see the Seekers escaping from the black hole and then sends the FO to greet them and offer an alliance with him. The Titan confides to Skreet that he wants to find out the reason for this invasion.

Silver Surfer has moved on to the Skrull planet Tala Prime which he finds already razed by the Annihilation Wave. He's troubled by his memories of leading Galactus to worlds on which to feast, and continues to try to convince himself *that* was different. He bore no malice towards the victims. But then Alicia Masters persuaded him to rebel against his master to spare Earth (way back in Fantastic Four #49). He continue to rationalise that Galactus *must* feed, but that this slaughter has no purpose, and so Annihilus must be stopped.