Annihilation: Super-Skrull (2006 series) #3

This issue's voiceover is by Praxagora, starting by telling us her origin. She was a living machine on the peaceful planet Ataraxia in the Helicon cluster. But while Annihilus was 'uniting' Negative Zone worlds into his Annihilation Wave her world was destroyed and she's the lone survivor. She was sentenced to the UX-73 Prison Planetoid in the Nexus Of Igoa where she was tortured by Warden Hawal for information and his enjoyment. Until last issue when Super-Skrull turned up and freed all the prisoners and gave them a choice to join him in opposing the regime that imprisoned them. Praxagora wanted revenge on Hawal but SS needed him alive to create a weapon to destroy his creation the living weapon called the Harvester Of Sorrow which is threatening all Skrull worlds. After he defeated her in a fight she agreed to serve him, and the other prisoners followed her lead

That was Annihilation Day + 55 and she continues to relate what has happened since. She suggested using the prison's comms dish to send distress calls to passing A-Wave ships and then taking them over. That way they assembled a fleet.

It is now A-Day + 65 and SS has tasked his techie Skrull minion R'kin to build a portal back to the positive universe using the specs of Reed Richards' portal that got them here. R'kin tells Kl'rt he can't do it alone, but all the prisoners are refitting the ships when they're not training as warriors. Super-Skrull calls on prisoner Preak and hits him which causes him to duplicate. A few more blows and R'kin has a small army to work for him.

Kl'rt confides in Praxagora that all this won't be enough unless he can get Hawal to finish making the weapon. The Warden is stalling because he knows that when he succeeds he'll be killed. But SS now shows him what he's found in Hawal's own storehouse, which the torturer recognises as 1 of his implements called the Spine Of Complicity. Kl'rt attaches it to the scientist's back and it reacts to Hawal's thoughts of resistance or betrayal with excruciating pain to the central nervous system. Now he has a reason to work hard ...

... and the very next day SS has the virus that will kill the Harvester, and he has Hawal's head as a trophy. He reveals to his troops that they are going through R'kin's now-completed gateway to save the Skrull world Zaragz'na. Most of the force will be there to protect the 1 ship that will carry the virus to the Harvester and kill it. Then they will use the ensuing chaos to escape back through the portal. After that they will continue to use the portal to make lightning strikes on their enemy. The prisoners cheer but R'kin doesn't look happy.

Kl'rt takes him aside and asks him why. R'kin says he wants the chance to prove himself a true Skrull warrior and asks to pilot the virus ship. He claims that his experience test-flying ships he's maintained for the Skrull warfleet have made him a better pilot than anyone else here. SS agrees to his request.

Later Praxagora finds Kl'rt brooding alone and asks him why Zaragz'na is the chosen planet to save. He tells her how he was an ordinary soldier before Skrull scientists gave him the powers of Earth's Fantastic Four. However he was never able to defeat the FF, and he now realises that it is because they are a 'family' and fight for *each other*. But he has a son Sarnogg on Zaragz'na and he will do *anything* to protect *him*. He explains that he was betrothed to a Countess as reward for his victory at the battle of Harkoon and they had a child. But when his defeats (as Super-Skrull?) outweighed his victories she banished Kl'rt from the planet and his son. He hasn't seen him since apart from afar when he covertly watched Sarnogg's 1st hunt. Praxagora consoles him and they almost kiss, but he pushes her roughly away.

On A-Day + 68 the Annihilation Wave led by Admiral Salo attacks Zaragz'na and overwhelms their defences. But Super-Skrull, Praxagora and the prisoner fleet come through the gateway and punch a route through to the Harvester Of Sorrows. Preak signals for R'kin to bring the virus-ship but it never arrives. Salo orders a tractor beam to bring prisoners from the invaders and he gets at least SS, Preak and Praxagora. And it turns out R'kin betrayed them. So Salo sends the Harvester and it destroys the planet.