While Nycos Aristides has been dragged into Dimension 11 by Tana Nile, Beta Ray Bill and the Xandarian Worldmind (in the body of RIchard Rider), the Aakonian colony is far from safe – Annihilus’ flagship, 20km long and bristling with weapons, is raining destruction down upon the alien city and its inhabitants!
Bill attempts to summon a storm to repel the ship, but the local atmosphere – indeed, all of local space-time – has been disrupted by the dimensional shift, and he is unable to take control of the weather. Instead, for his trouble, the Wave invaders identify his hammer Stormbreaker as a powerful energy source, and the ship’s batteries open fire upon him. As he evades their fire, Tana Nile reroutes the power generated by the colony’s geothermal tap into the Nova Force, and the Worldmind uses the energy of fire a massive gravimetric blast at the ship, smashing through its shield – and attracting the personal wrath of Annihilus, who flies from the ship to launch an attack!
Battling on two fronts, the defenders find themselves outmatched – Annihilus’ physical power is incredibly enhanced by his Cosmic Control Rod, a device containing a naked singularity that he uses to drain away almost all of the Worldmind’s energy (and Richard’s vitality). Meanwhile, Bill takes the fight to the flagship, smashing his way onto the bridge and laying about with Stormbreaker, but is pinned down by battalions of Wave marines onboard.
A desperate Tana Nile hatches a new and even bolder plan – she channels the strange energy at the heart of Nycos Aristedes into the Worldmind, hoping to cause a dimensional shockwave that will throw everyone back to their native universes. The shockwave erupts through the Worldmind, and Annihilus falls back to his ship – where he engages Beta Ray Bill in savage combat. The power of the Cosmic Control Rod is too strong, and the alien warlord not only overwhelms Bill but wrests away control of Stormbreaker – moments before he and the flagship are shunted back to the Negative Zone, leaving Bill to fall back to the ground (and be rescued by the Worldmind).
Nycos Aristedes and its inhabitants are restored to their own universe, but not their own galaxy – the planet now orbits a star in the Greater Magellanic Cloud, far away (for now) from the predations of the Wave. In this place of relative safety, Beta Ray Bill begins enacting ancient magic rites, trying to find an Asgardian weapon that will help him regain Stormbreaker; the Worldmind returns control of its vessel to Richard RIder; Drax the Destroyer and Cammi look for a way to get off-planet; and Tana Nile decides to stay and assist the Aakonian colony and find a new path – and a new love – among its people.
And in the depths of the Negative Zone, Annihilus’s flagship sets a course for the breach back through the Crunch into the positive matter universe. The Annihilation Wave’s master may not be present for the moment, but his forces continue to swarm and destroy in his absence – and he will not be gone for long.
This war is far from over.