Thor,
informed by Xorr that an attack on him will mean the deaths of Sif and
Karnilla, holds Odin and the Asgardians (Heimdall, Hogun, Fandral, Hildegarde)
at bay, passing on the warning. Odin acquiesces in Thor’s decision—but
Mercurio, the Fourth-Dimensional Man, does not, as he needs the God-Jewel to
save his planet. Mercurio attacks Thor, who responds with a blow that sends his
foe over the edge of the Jewel; Mercurio is rescued by his friends and decides
to defer action until a more favorable time and he vanishes with a threat on
his lips. Odin and company depart as well. Xorr asks Thor to aid him in
conquering his galaxy and he will be favored in the new order….
On
Rigel, the colonizers haven’t heard from Tana Nile since issue #198 so they
check in on her and discover the God-Jewel Xorr has awakened. A message is
delivered to the Grand Commissioner who, disturbed by what he reads, orders the
Rigellians to evacuate their homeworld….
As
the Starjammer moves through space, Fandral questions Odin’s decision to delay
battle. Odin shows that they are keeping pace with Xorr and that his decision
has his people’s welfare at heart. Fandral apologizes. Silas Grant and
Tana Nile long for their lost homeworlds, especially Tana as she senses some threat
to Rigel….
Thor
blames himself for Sif’s predicament as he handed her over to Karnilla in
exchange for the Norn Queen’s aid in battle (issue #207). Xorr begins
destroying uninhabited planets, drawing the energy into himself, preparing for
the next step in rearranging the galaxy, telling Thor he should be grateful
that he was allowed to live to see this glory. Then Mercurio and the Gramosians
arrive in space-bubbles, tiny single-person warships. Mercurio explains why
Xorr is so important: the magnetic polarity of his planet suddenly transformed
the atmosphere into something that drove the inhabitants to madness and death;
the ruler of the world ordered Mercurio to bring back Xorr with its electromagnetic
properties as a remedy. The Gramosians attack Thor; Thor fights back destroying
several bubbles. The Thunder God seizes Mercurio who suggests pooling their
resources to defeat Xorr; Thor listens this time. Now Xorr is trying to drain
the power of a giant star and all of the heroes are worried….
Back
at Avengers Mansion, Balder has recovered from his fit of madness and wants to
go home to Asgard. He and Volstagg teleport themselves to the Golden Realm and
find the place deserted…and then Balder spies something surprising….
As
Odin and the riders on the Starjammer watch, Xorr’s giant star grows and grows
until it threatens to go nova. Mercurio leads Thor to the God-Jewel and, using
his freezing and heating powers, frees Sif and Karnilla from their prison.
Everyone jumps aboard the Starjammer and escapes to a safe distance as the star
goes supernova and Xorr is destroyed. The space-bubbles collect the chunks of
the God-Jewel, Mercurio and Thor part friends, and Thor and Sif are reunited….