On the planet Wilamean,
in the capital city Port Anteris, Emperor Arimathes learns from his spy that
the Hercules currently visiting the planet is the same Hercules who was there
thirty years earlier and sends his guards to arrest him….
Hercules is
arm-wrestling against two burly challengers at once, and easily beating them,
while Recorder 417 keeps timing and score and Skyppi the Skrull, disguised as a
little human girl, takes the bets. An alarm sounds: Galactus’ scout ship has
appeared in the sky and everyone panics. And suddenly the World-Devourer is
standing atop the tallest building. Herc and Skyppi go out to confront Galactus
(the latter very reluctantly); after an attempt to talk, Herc loses his temper
and punches Galactus in the face—and then they discover that their giant-foe
was a huge inflated balloon when it flies off, leaking air. They take the
chariot out to the scout ship and find that to be a huge mock-up, hiding a much
smaller ship within. Herc breaks his way in and finds the crooks Alpo and Clyde
who are in the business of faking the threat of Galactus to cause planets to
evacuate so they can loot the place. Herc hands them over to the authorities,
who then escort Herc, Recorder and Skyppi to the Emperor. After questioning Herc,
Arimathes determines that Hercules is his father and orders him subdued with a
paralyzing beam and placed in the stasis chamber along with Skyppi and Recorder….
Herc and his pals find
themselves on stasis beds, able to move only their heads; they make the
acquaintance of Mallax Fortnite, a rebel leader who fills them in on the
political situation. Herc receives a visit from the Emperor Mother who renders
everyone else unconscious before she explains that she is Layana Sweetwater,
grown bitter at having been seduced and abandoned by Hercules thirty years
earlier and with his child, the emperor, who will now kill his father and
conquer the universe….
The Emperor and his
mother review the massive space fleet with which Arimathes will conquer the
neighboring Omacron Star System so beloved by Hercules. Arimathes is attacked
by Gegku revolutionaries and he takes them on single handedly, killing them
all. He then orders his guards to round up all remaining Gegku and put them to death.
Meanwhile, Herc meets the blind slave who feeds the prisoners intravenously and
discovers he is the former Count Igwanus, whom Layana avenged herself upon
after her son seized the throne. Herc persuades him to free a small party to
help Herc bring justice: Recorder, Skyppi, and Mallax Fortnite who recruits an
old pirate friend, Lucynda Thrust, an attractive woman starship thief. The
Skrull takes on the form of the Emperor Mother and they make it into the
palace, disguised as her prisoners. Recorder also manages to force the computer
to reveal the access codes by threatening to have Herc smash it to pieces. As
the conquering fleet takes off, Herc and company hijack a ship, Herc knocking
out the crew and Lucynda hot-wiring the thing and they join the expedition. But
while all the others want to escape and join the rebels, Herc sees it as his
duty to save the Omacron System and discipline his wayward son. The Omacron
fleet is vastly outnumbered but intends to go down fighting. But Herc has
Skyppi, disguised as Arimathes, order his ships to stand down, while Herc talks
to the real Arimathes, challenging him to single combat for the throne and the
mad king agrees. Herc and his son face one another on a nearby planetoid, with
Herc praying to Zeus he has the strength and wisdom to let Arimathes defeat
himself. And Herc blindfolds himself to make the contest fairer. The following
battle is brutal but Hercules stands triumphant; he tells Arimathes that his
mind is clouded by arrogance and his mother’s lies. When the young man humbles
himself to learn from his father, Hercules declares him the new King….
With his second chance,
Arimathes returns to Wilamean, has his mother locked up and institutes a series
of reforms, giving our heroes new jobs and Hercules takes pride in being the
father of the finest ruler in the galaxy….