After the devastation caused by the Annihilation Wave, the major galactic civilizations are still struggling to rebuild when a new threat emerges. The Phalanx, a collective techno-organic intelligence, gradually takes control of several worlds and isolates part of the galaxy from the rest of the universe. Star-Lord, Nova, Quasar, and several cosmic heroes find themselves at the heart of the resistance, while former enemies sometimes become essential allies. As the invasion spreads, the conflict reveals the existence of an even more dangerous force behind the Phalanx and turns the struggle for survival into another galaxy-wide war.