Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Rumour has it that the Guardians Of The Galaxy are dead. But Hulkling and Wiccan are coming into the Manifold Territories to see if it's true. Their guide is a young alien survivor of what's happened there (we saw the Guardians rescue him and others from the town of Solitude on the planet Galilee IV in #1). They'e taken time out from being Kree/Skrull Emperor and his Court Wizard (without telling anyone) to find out what happened to their friends and the Territories (Hulkling's cover reason is to suss out a possible threat to the Empire). Last they knew the Territories were suffering a war between Sectors United and the Whitecaps. But young Rilak knows that war has been overtaken by something much bigger, Grootfall.
They enter a region now called Grootspace, where planets are connected by vegetable tendrils. They land on the 1 which used to be Galilee IV, near what used to be Solitude. Amazingly the once desert planet is now green and blooming. And Rilak leaves them there and returns to the spaceship.
Suddenly they are attacked by a horse-sized animal which actually seems to be plant-based. Billy Kaplan recites 1 of his mantra-spells to learn the secret of this forest world, but he's grabbed by a tendril. Teddy Altman severs that with his sword so a tree forms a huge fist and punches him. And then what looks something like their friends show up and announce themselves as the Guardians Of Grootspace.
Wiccan wants to talk but Star-Lord (Peter Quill) pulls a gun on them. Hulking reacts angrily so Gamora leaps in with both swords drawn saying she's currently sober and it hasn't improved her mood. Teddy says they thought the team were dead. Drax responds that they did die, as did everything around here, but now they've been regrown. Billy wants to know if that means Hercules, Moondragon and Phyla-Vell are alive too. Rocket Raccoon says it's not that simple. Wiccan does another mantra seeking understanding, and a flower blooms saying Groot. Mantis suggest he picks it, so he does. (Nebula's there too but doesn't say anything.)
Both interlopers see a vision and hear an explanation of what Groot has been doing. Combining this with what we learned last issue I construct the following:- The desolate Manifold Territories used to be the verdant Branch Worlds of the Flora Colossi. The ancient FC Granopy transformed Groot into the Grootfall Asteroids to remake these worlds as they once were.
Peter tells them that Groot is working to bring all the dead back, and that the Guardians will protect the place until he's finished. He wants the duo to convince the rest of the Galaxy to leave the Territories alone until then. Billy and Teddy say they'll try but they can't guarantee it. Then they return to the ship and fly off.
After they've gone Peter and Gamora agree that they're mostly worried about 'her'. (If you're wondering who 'her' is, read on.)
12 hours later Emperor Dorrek-Vell speaks to the Galactic Council on Councilworld. On behalf of the Kree/Skrull Empire he asks them all to agree to a Treaty Of Non-Interference with Grootspace. But a female representative urges them not to believe the lies of Peter Quill. She reminds them what he did to the Gilded Hunt of the Spartoi (in #3). And how he betrayed Sectors United and left them to their fate (as biased account of #5) (we see Quill's old friend Krakeen Toreth now part-cyborg). The woman is revealed as Quill's half-sister, Empress Victoria of Spartax. She and the Astrologers of Spartax will lead their Arcanic fleet to cleanse the Manifold Territories of Grootfall and capture the criminal Guardians.