Vulcan has murdered Emperor D'Ken and begun his own reign of the Shi'ar Empire. The combined forces of the Shi'ar rebels, the Starjammers, and the X-Men fight desperately to stop him, and at great cost, cause him to flee. But the Shi'ar civil war will rage on. Unable to risk Charles' life, Lilandra sends the X-Men's captured Shi'ar vessel back to Earth, leaving half of the X-Men stranded in space, desperate to continue the fight against her sister and Vulcan.