FOR EVERY HERO - A TIME COMES WHEN MAKING A DECISION CAN CHANGE NOT ONLY HIS DESTINY, BUT AN ENTIRE UNIVERSE! FOR RICHARD RIDER - THE MAN CALLED - THAT TIME IS NOW... Nov619a

THE WAR IS OVER ... AND THE COST HAS BEEN GREAT. HUNDREDS OF WORLDS DESTROYED. BILLIONS KILLED. TWO FORMER STELLAR EMPIRES TORN PART. WITH THE SIGNING OF THE 268 AGREEMENT, A FRAGILE PEACE HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED - A STATUS THAT COULD END AT ANY TIME WITH FACTIONS ALREADY VYING FOR POWER ... WITH HIS OWN FUTURE UNDECIDED, THE LAST NOVA CENTURION HAS DECISIONS TO MAKE ... AND TIME TO PAY RESPECT TO THOSE THAT FELL IN BATTLE ...

CONTEMPLATION A NOVA 619 PROLOGUE

DARREN BLACKBURN JASON HEICHEL WRITER/ LETTERER/ INKS PENCILS

ISRAEL HUERTAS MARC BOURCIER ADDITIONAL INKS COLORIST

MATT AND DOUG COSMIC DUO

NOVA AND RELATED MARVEL COSMIC CHARACTERS ARE PROPERTY AND COPYRIGHT OF AND MARVEL CHARACTERS INC. FANS PRODUCING NOVA 619 DULY RECOGNIZE THE ABOVE AND DENOTE THAT NOVA 619 IS A FAN-COMIC- PRODUCED BY FANS OF NOVA AND MARVEL COSMIC - IS A NON-PROFIT MAKING VENTURE AND IS INTENDED PURELY FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF FANS WITH ALL RESPECT DUE TO MARVEL. NOVA619 IS KINDLY HOSTED BY COSMIC BOOK NEWS. ORIGINAL CHARACTERS CREATED FOR THE 619 UNIVERSE ARE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL COSMIC CONSTANT OF INDIVIDUAL CREATORS AND THEIR WONDROUS IMAGINATIONS. FORMER VERGE SYSTEM ONE XANDAR REMAINS...

Al, that him?

NINETY NINE POINT FIVE PERCENT MATCH PETER. BRAIN-WAVE AND BIOLOGICAL SIGNATURE VERIFIES PRESENCE OF TERRAN/ XANDARIAN metaform. LOCATION: GRID FIFTY SEVEN BETA ...

And he’s holding all that from being burnt to a crisp?

CONFIRMED. REMAINS OF SURA SHARD, PRESENTLY ENCOMPASSED WITHIN GRAVIMETRIC SPHERE EQUATING TWO THOUSAND TO THE POWER NINE SGU. LOCALIZED GEODETIC RIPPLES DETECTED CAUSING SIGNIFICANT SHIFT TO LOCALIZED SPACETIME CURVE ... pETER QUILL FORMER SIC, SHARD BIOSPHERE INTEGRITY OFF LINE. SIGNIFICANT HIGH LEVELS UNITED FRONT. OF ENERGETIC PARTICLES BOMBARDING INFRASTRUCTURE. SUIT’S TMG LATTICE WILL PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION ...

that’s nice to DO YOU WISH ME TO know. Pity IT wasn’t ATTEMPT CONTACT? available in any other color than lime green ...

Negatori. Better take the direct approach. Find a suitable SITE AND phase me down there. And Al ...

YES, PETER?

PROJECTIONS INDICATE SOLAR MASS WILL EVENTUALLY RETAIN EQUITY. SHARD FRAGMENT WILL TAKE APPROXIMATELY THREE STANDARD DAYS BEFORE FALLING INTO...

I’ve got eyes! I like marshmallows. I don’t want to end up looking like one. Don’t let my particles get melded into the wainscoting. There aren’t any dry cleaners out here ...

Nice countryside ...

yOU ARE PRESENTLY PROCEEDING ALONG THE CONCOURSE TOWARDS THE RESIDENTIAL HUB. XANDARIAN/TERRAN METAFORM APPROXIMATELY FIVE HUNDRED METRES AHEAD...

LESS THAN THIRTY METERS ... YOU’RE PRACTICALLY ON TOP OF THE SIGNAL ...

Visited Xandar years ago when Ship and I dropped off some Cinabar fugitives. Now look at it. Just like Avaleen COLONY all over again ... Should’ve seen this coming. Kid’s been bottling it uP. Drax used his angst and refocused it. Good while we were in at the deep end. But now...

RICHARD J. RIDER FORMER CIC, UNITED FRONT. SURVIVING NOVA CENTURION, ...

Richie. We’ve got more in common than you’ll ever knoW ... I knew her for five hours. She was right behind me. calm. collected...

... took pity on me when her Rigellian friend started giving me grief. Didn’t faze me. Kept us focused before everything went to hell.

She was a model Corpsman. Stayed right to the end. Serving the Corps. Being the Corps. Just before she died, she asked me if I would become her soulmate. Didn’t know if she was BEING serious...

WHEN SHE DIED, It was so quick...

There was nothing I could do...

I hope you’ve found some peace Samaya. Same goes for every other Nova. God rest their souls ... I didn't ask you to come I was on a Since when did here Peter. sightseeing tour. Ever since you become my I signed up to AL detected your mother? bio-signature so I that rag-tag Really? thought I'd drop by outfit of yours... and say hello... Read your note. So - you’re heading home.

I got concerned ... I've got to go back. Make sure my folks are okay. what about everything Universe will that's happening cope without me. out here? Others can keep things moving forward. Emperors. Legends ... You know I won't travel down that Particular road again... You may not get a choice Peter ...

Look around you! Nothing got out alive except me! I resurrected Xandar* and me? ... Not outta choice. I got to be Saal passed the Keeper of the flame. baton to me and I And why? Cause apart brought it all back ... from my stubbornness and for what?! all else I can do is fight... cause I'm Everyone died. I lost real good count how many bodies I at doing that... saw when I was wandering through the city. Some being eaten by bugs. others drifting out into space. They were the lucky ones ... Rich ...

So I fight and I win. Killed the king bug. saved a universe. Death wasn't happy but hey she Rich ... can't have her way * In the classic Starlost all the time... New Warriors 40-42

yet what did it achieve? Cause nothing brings the dead back. NOT HEROES. NOT POLITICIANS.

THEY DIDN’T Hear the screams. watching it all burn ... Rich ... Watching everythi --

Rich.....just stop it.... WAR’S OVER. IT’S DONE. Sometimes, I think You could've Past few what my life walked away. days - COULD’VE been if I But you didn't. lost count hadn't been Maybe somewhen You did what's right. of how many conscripted. we got married. had saved everything. Emergencies I was IN LOVE. kids. That's a pretty big I've dealt with. Her name was lived a normal life. deal. Everyone's Ginger ... Yeah, a normal life ... screaming...

Maybe that's why I ended ....CAUSE LOOKING up here. AT WHAT I’VE GONE Kept asking THROUGH. myself, THAT DAY THAT CHANGED what would've MY LIFE. PERHAPS i Samaya SHOULd’VE BEEN done... SOMEWHERE ELSE ...

Earth will take care of itSELF. From what you told me about your folks. they're survivors. QUESTION IS: You've inherited WHAT’S RICHARD a hell of a RIDER lot from them. GOING TO DO?

NOVA CORPS? One day. Right now empowering folks with the Nova Force ... And who don’t have prior Worldmind's experience happy would be too risky - with that? we’ve been You don't become a Nova discussing a overnight. COMPROMISe ... been thinking about Setting up a taskforce ... something to keep things in check unt --

I did have a few other things to do in case I was heading home. one of them was going to Hala. Ronan owes me look me up a favor ... then. I know a few good bars. MAYBE WE COULD HAVE A FEW don’t need to hear drinkS - to toast another word. those that aren't I'm in. as long as we no longer get a Decent tree with us ... house ...

“ YEAH ... I’D LIKE THAT. “

CEPT YOU’RE PAYING. I LEFT MY WALLET AT HOME ...

NEXT: SERVE AND PROTECT