issue summaries

Uncanny X-Men 471 Wand’ring Star Part 3 of 3: Glory Days Writer: Chris Claremont Penciler: Billy Tan Inker: Jon Sibal Colorist: Brian Haberlin & Avalon Letterer: Joe Caramagna Assist. Editor: Sean Ryan Assoc. Editor: Nick Lowe Editor: Mike Marts Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada Date: May 2006

In Africa, Logan and Ororo are looking for something. Ororo sees something in the distance and flies Logan towards it. Logan suspects it’s a trap and has Ororo set off thunder claps over it. She does and the area explodes due to landmines.

In the minefield, they find the body of a mutant that Storm recognizes from Xavier’s files. Logan spots several dozen scents - the group that is going after mutants. Storm says they must stop them.

At Dr Lyszinski’s office, Rachel blasts the Shi'ar Death Commandos, who are trying to kill her, as books, papers and glass flies everywhere. Rachel grabs the doctor and says they have to go. She flies down the street, while messing with the minds of the Commandos chasing her.

The Shi'ar Death Commandos’ leader, Blackcloak, radios the Shi'ar starship orbiting Earth, requesting assistance. The captain says they will transmit Rachel's new coordinates to them.

Rachel is blasted out of the air above a train station and falls onto the tracks. The crowd helps the doctor up. Stunned, Rachel struggles to get up to the platform as a train approaches. Dr Lyszinski desperately tries to get Rachel to take her hand.

A police officer helps the doctor get Rachel off the tracks. Offset (the bug-like Death Commando) says that flying is just a futile as resistance and calls Rachel "young Phoenix". Rachel shouts back to stop calling her that. Phoenix was her mother.

The police office draws her gun on the Death Commandos. But the Commandos attack her. Rachel knocks the officer out of the way and blasts the Commandos.

On the Shi'ar starship, the captains asks for a probability analysis of the Death Commandos’ success, and is told 50/50. So the captain tells his crew to move the ship within firing range. They will beam the Commandos out, if there is time. Otherwise, they will be honored in death. Their monitor shows the projected area of destruction - everything within a hundred miles of downtown Chicago will be a huge crater.

The Shi'ar spot the X-Men’s Blackbird and a Sentinel approaching the Death Commandos.

Onboard the Blackbird, Val Cooper is in the middle of arguing with Kurt about Rachel running off, saying that O*N*E has a responsibility to protect American citizens. She’s been monitoring Chicago police radio, and a pitched battle is raging there. Kurt retorts that a Sentinel escort wouldn't have made a difference. But Val replies that Rachel following the rules and staying home would have.

The Blackbird is attacked by the flying Death Commando, Krait, and the Sentinel takes a direct hit.

Kurt tells Val that they will finish their conversation later. He stands up, puts a hand on Betsy and Sam’s shoulders and teleports out.

Val wonders who is going to fly the plan and Bishop moves to the pilot’s seat.

Outside the Blackbird, Kurt tells Same to take the flyer while he and Betsy back-up Rachel.

The Sentinel has lost power, so the Blackbird latches onto it to prevent it from falling.

A little boy in an apartment below plays with a toy Sentinel and the real Sentinel lands next to his window.

Sam takes out Krait, while the Sentinel blasts Warshot.

The Sentinel has a lock on the other Death Commandos’ position, but can't fly. So Sam flies Bishop over to them instead.

The battle is now located at the Field Museum of Natural History. Marvel Girl is toe-to-toe with the Warskrull. She tries to blast him, but he grabs her. He morphs into Kitty and then Elaine Grey, asking who she would prefer to die at the hands of.

The cavalry comes to the rescue. Betsy slams her psychic katana into the Warskrull’s head. Blackcloak tries to strangle Rachel, but Same throws Bishop at him, and Bishop pulls Blackcloak off of her.

Rachel shouts that Hypernova is around somewhere, but Kurt takes her out.

Rachel and Betsy tag team Blackcloak and Bishop finishes him off with a punch to the head.

Betsy reports that that is all of the Death Commandos.

Rachel, depressed, wants to thank them, but can't find the words. She realizes that what she thought was the right thing to do, was, in retrospect, monumentally stupid. But before she can start to set things right, she realizes that the battle is far from over.

The captain of the Shi'ar starship arms their main weapon and fires.

Rachel reaches for Betsy’s hand and shouts for her to combine her telekinesis with hers.

Blackcloak realizes at the same time that the captain has betrayed them.

Betsy and Rachel create a shield over Chicago, blocking the beam from the ship. As they struggle to maintain the shield, the beam is redirected towards the Shi'ar ship.

A short time later, the museum is surrounded by Sentinels, helicopters and O*N*E personnel.

Rachel's narration explains that Val made some calls and got results, and had Bishop tell her that she is grounded through the next millennium. So Rachel’s session with Dr Lyszinski will have to be long distance and telepathic from now on.

Rachel sits on the museum steps. Kurt brings her something to drink and sits down next to her. He asks how she is doing. Rachel replies that, all in all, she doesn't have any complaints. He asks about the starship, and she replies that it is busted, but the crew is all okay. Taking a drink, she asks if that surprises him. He says that it does, given all she has been though.

Kurt puts his arm around her. Rachel explains that she wanted to kill them more than anything. But her family has enough bad karma. So, she made the decision not to kill. She is her mother's daughter and she wants to find her destiny in a way that brings honor to both of them.