Thor #218
Where Pass the Black Stars There Also Passes… Death!
Odin is sending Thor on a mission to investigate the Black Stars, a galactic entity that may be a threat to Asgard as well as the entire universe. Accompanying him on this mission are Sif, Balder, Tana Nile, and Silas Grant. They are soon aboard the Starjammer and head off the Rigelian galaxy to intercept for the Black Stars. As they leave, Odin hopes he has not sent his son to his death so soon after they had made amends.[1]
Meanwhile, the Grand Commissioner of Rigel has finalized a planet-wide evacuation in order to save his people from the threat posed from the Black Stars. As the evacuation fleet escape their home world, the Commissioner hopes that they can get far enough away to avoid being eradicated.
Back in Asgard, a young goddess named Krista returns home after finding a strange charmstone in the forest. Her mother is interested in knowing what Krista was up to in the wood, but she decides to keep her discovery a secret. Locking herself in her room, Krista promises to tell her mother what she found in the morning. Once alone in her room, Krista sits on her bed and spends the evening staring at the glowing stone.
By this time, Thor and his allies have arrived on Rigel to discover that the entire planet has been deserted.[2] Soon they are ambushed by a trio of Rigelian mutants — Bola, Jukka, and Tyrx. Although the mutants have the element of surprise, Thor quickly defeats them and they surrender. They explain that they were left behind by the rest of their people because they were genetic experiments that were considered beneath regular society. Sympathetic of their plight, Thor and his comrades refuse to leave the mutants behind and invite them back on the Starjammer as they attempt to catch up with the Rigelian fleet.
Within hours of their departure, the Black Stars — three massive planetoids orbiting a black star — arrive near the planet Rigel. Suddenly, massive space-scoops come out from one of the Black Stars and rips Rigel into shreds and begins sucking up the debris to provide power and raw material to the planets. Not far away, Thor’s ship catches up with the Rigelian when they are suddenly attacked. After a brief battle, the Grand Commissioner orders his people to stand down and invites Thor and his friends aboard the ship. However, he asks that the mutants remain aboard the Starjammer as their presence aboard a Rigelian ship could cause a riot. As they head to the commander center, the Grand Commissioner reveals that each ship in the fleet has five thousand chambers carrying thousands of Rigelians, accounting for their population of nine-billion people. He explains that his people detest being kept in close quarters, hence why they colonize other worlds, and these current conditions are pushing their comfort levels beyond normal limits.
Thor is also interested in hearing what the Grand Commissioner knows about the Black Stars. He plays the only record information they have on the threat. It was received by a neighboring galaxy where the myriad alien races found peace and built a utopian society among their worlds. This was all shattered the day the Black Stars arrived and laid waste to their network of planets. Before their utter destruction, they were able to send out a warning to the neighboring galaxy. Unfortunately, nobody knows what the inhabitances of the Black Stars look like or why they are destroying all worlds that end up in their path. He then shows Thor and his friends a close up image of the Black Stars, explaining that each planet is three times the size of Jupiter and is powerful enough to destroy all life in the galaxy.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Sif, Balder, Odin, Bola, Jukka, Tryx, Grand Commissioner, Tana Nile, Silas Grant, Krista
