Synopsis / Summary / Plot
We continue exploring the early life of Gamora with a voiceover of present-day Gamora telling her history to an undisclosed listener. Previously Thanos and his troops massacred the Zen-Whoberis to deny them as converts to the Magus and his Universal Church Of Truth. But the Titan saved 13-yr old Gamora when he detected that she like him could see Death. She is also the only other 1 who can hear Magus when his voice plaques Thanos.
The space station Zero Sanctuary is now over planet Sakaar, a planet of bugs which are all currently in pupae state. Thanos will lead his troops down there to squash them all. Meanwhile 3 pilots in their ships Clotho, Atropos and Lachesis will strafe any that escape the hives. After the events of the 1st 2 issues these among many are beginning to question their leader's orders. But Thanos tells them all to obey his orders, and afterwards they can loot the planet for whatever they want. Ebony Maw asks what they should do about young Gamora. Thanos replies that since Butcher Squadron failed to keep her in her prison he'll take with *him*.
Thanos tells Gamora to slash the cocoons open with her knife. Any that survive that he will squeeze to death in his fist. The girl tells herself that any *she* finds alive she'll let go. Then she falls down a cliff and lands amongst many cocoons that are hatching. Soon she's fighting for her life amongst the 4-armed insectoids. Until Thanos rescues her and then tosses down a bomb. But his rough rescue breaks her leg.
Later Ballista Grim, Ebony Maw and Proxima Midnight of Butcher Squadron are playing cards with their new members the 2 Blood Brothers and the pilot of the Lachesis while his 2 co-pilots watch. They are bitching about the slim pickings on Sakaar, and how Thanos has gone soft since he 'adopted' Gamora. The pilot thinks they should get rid of her to bring him to his senses - the 3 pilots don't have trackers in their ships so they could take her away and lose her. A Blood Brother agrees, but Ebony Maw uses his power of persuasion to make them instead agree to ransom her back to the Titan.
Meanwhile Thanos is dealing with Gamora's leg. She sees Death lurking behind him. Thanos says he can't mend the leg so he's going to amputate it. But he waits for the anaesthetic to send her to sleep before doing it. He's also visited by a hologram of Magus which he can't seem to block. Magus taunts him that he's looking after this wounded child while he killed all his own healthy children (in Thanos Rising #3) but then adds that those children were hard and cold like him while this 1 *needs* him. He wonders what Thanos will do once he's got the answer to his question of why she can see Death like he does.
Several days later Thanos is sending his troops down to kill more Sakaarans when Gamora joins them sporting a clearly artificial leg. Thanos said he had intended leave her behind and remotely deactivate the leg once he was away to stop her from wandering. But she just marches aboard the shuttle Sepulcher and he lets her. The pilots of the Fates this time join Butcher Squad for the journey to the ground, and Maw continues to foment dissatisfaction among the troops.
Thanos and Gamora again go off together. He warns her that if she breaks her leg again he won't make her a new 1. This time they meet grown insectoids. She finds her new leg stronger than her old 1 and seems to be able to fight better now. But she gets cocky and gets her arm broken as a result. Back on the ship Thanos is angry with her. But she reminds him that he said he wouldn't replace her leg so she thought it better to get her arm broken. This makes him laugh. And he gives her a prosthetic arm.
The Fates pilots and the Blood Brothers hear this laughter and believe their Captain's getting worse. The Brothers use Butcher Squad clearance to get into Thanos' quarters. They see him talking to no-one, but we see that it is Death. They grab the still sedated girl. Blood Brother R'Hos takes her to the Lachesis while Gh'Ree keeps watch in case Thanos notices what's going on. They make their ransom demand, but then R'hos sees that the Titan is beating up his brother.