Annihilation: Super-Skrull (2006 series) #4

The Annihilation Wave invaded the Skrull Empire with a planet-destroying weapon called The Harvester Of Sorrow. Super-Skrull (Kl'rt) went to the Negative Zone where the A-Wave originated to find a counter-weapon, accompanied by a hero-worshipping techie named R'Kin. They found the inventor of the living Harvester and 'persuaded' him to create a virus to destroy it. Along the way they also recruited an army from prisoners of Annihilus' Arthrosians, including Praxagora and Preak. Kl'rt had an ulterior motive which was to stop the Harvester before it destroyed the planet Zaragz'na where his son lived. Last issue on Annihilation Day + 68 they came through a portal from the Negative Zone just as the A-Wave attacked Zaragz'na. They battled through to the Harvester and called R'kin to fly the virus-ship to its target. But R'kin betrayed them, and Kl'rt, Praxagora and Preak are prisoners of Admiral Salo within the Harvester.

This issue starts with a voiceover by Kl'rt, and he describes most of the above. It continues in A-Day + 68 directly from last issue as the Harvester Of Sorrow consumes the planet and turns it into food and material to feed the Wave. His only son is dead and all that's left is the thirst for revenge fuelled further by Salo's gloating and R'kin's unexplained hatred.

Salo tells R'kin to collect the bounty he's earned and leave the fleet in a shuttle they've given him. Bur SS uses his little-known power of hypnosis to make the little Skrull grab a gun and spray bullets which kill Arthrosians and shatter Kl'rt's shackles, freeing him to join in the slaughter with fire from his hands. R'kin is free now from the hypnosis and escapes via a ventilation shaft as Praxagora joins Super-Skrull in the fight. Soon only Admiral Salo is left and he says they've won nothing. The ship has built-in redundancies and already someone else will have taken over as Admiral on another bridge, and even now A-Wave soldiers are converging here to destroy them. Praxagora frees Preak and SS uses more of his Fantastic Four powers to kill Salo by plunging a flexible arm donw his throat and then creating a large Thing fist inside his body.

He now declares that the 3 of them will fight here to their deaths. But the robotic being Praxagora has another plan. She can travel through the vents as R'kin did, but to the core of the ship where she'll unleash the 'miniature star' that powers her to destroy the Harvester. She bids Kl'rt go find R'kin and exact revenge for them all. Preak vows to stay here and hold off all the soldiers. When the troops break in they find themselves facing a small army of Preaks (and they'll discover his talent - every time 1 of him is hit it splits into 2 full-size beings).

At this point R'kin takes over the voiceover. He's getting in his shuttle but without the money he was promised that would have allowed him to live in luxury after leaving the (Andromeda) galaxy and escaping the Annihilation Wave. He regrets that loss but not betraying Super-Skrull. However before he can make his escape Kl'rt appears saying that the Harvester's technology told him where R'kon was. The little Skrull uses his species' shapeshifting ability to become a fearsome beast but he knows it won't be enough against SS.

But all Kl'rt wants, before the ship explodes killing them both, is to know why R'kin betrayed him. R'kin answers that he's seen the Skrull 'hero' in action months and he now knows that he's just a ruthless villain. Kl'rt points out that he's just allowed the deaths of millions of Skrulls, most importantly his son. R'kin says that makes them even, and Kl'rt realises the youth blames him for the death of his father at the Battle Of Harkoon. R'kin also surmises correctly that SS has left Praxagora and Preak to die destroying the ship. Well, as 1 self-serving schma'ag to another, he suggests they *both* leave in the shuttle. He'll tell other Skrulls how SS destroyed the Harvester *himself* and Kl'rt will be an honoured hero again. R'kin himself expects to get some reward and slip away. Kl'rt pretends to agree. But when they get in the shuttle SS rips R'kin's arms and legs off and cauterises the stumps with Human Torch's flame-power. The agonised Skrull is left to pray that the Harvester explodes quickly.

Now Praxagora takes over the voiceover. As she blasts her way towards the core of the ship she recalls how she's the last of the 'luminous' androids with a star in her heart (the rest killed by followers of Annihilus). She remembers being a tortured prisoner (for the secrets of her star). And now she intends to exact revenge by taking as many of her foes with her as she can by blowing up the Harvester. Since the genocide and torture she has only loved 2 others:- Her 'brother' and protector Preak whose power of self-division has limits (and we see him overwhelmed by Arthrosians and dying). And her new commander Kl'rt. At this point she's blasted by soldiers with a large cannon and thinks it's all over ...

... except Super-Skrull breaks through a wall, encloses her with Invisible Woman's forcefield and blasts the enemy with Human Torch's flame. They continue their journey and reach the destination. She starts the countdown for her interior 'star' to explode, killing them both and the giant spaceship. But Kl'rt says he can't let her sacrifice herself for *his* cause. He says that she'll release an 'infinite' amount of heat but he points out that as a 'Human Torch' he can absorb it all. And hold it inside until she finds an escape pod and gets away. They do that while sharing a last kiss. And she gets away before the Harvester is destroyed.

Then there's an epilogue on New Zaragz'na on Annihilation Day + 7300 (long after the end of the Annihilation event) where Praxagora tells the Skrulls that Super-Skrull died a hero as he destroyed the Harvester. And the crowd cheers a giant statue of him.