X-O Manowar Vol 3 5

Everything I have ever known is gone. My people. My family. My wife.

-- Aric of Dacia

Clandestine Gatherings[]

Appearances[]

Featured Characters:

X-O Manowar

Supporting Characters:

Visigoths
- Deidre (Flashback only)

Villains:

MI-6
Ninjak (First appearance)
The Vine
- Alexander Dorian
- Councilor Anther (First appearance)
- Patrick Clement (MI-6)
- Sergei (MI-6)

Other Characters:

Dorian's Special Ops Team (Single appearance)
- Dovecote (Only appearance; dies)
- Pigeon (Only appearance; dies)
Marco (Mentioned only)
Maria (Single appearance)
Italian Army

Locations:

England
- London
  - SIS Building (MI-6 headquarters; inside)
  - Tilbury Docks
The Gathering
Northern Italy
Loam (Mentioned only)
- Province of Cuneo
  - Pollentia, see Battle of Pollentia
Peru

Items:

X-O Manowar Armor
- Shanhara

Vehicles:

Vine Colony Ship

Credits[]

Writers: Robert Venditti
Pencilers: Lee Garbett
Inkers: Stefano Gaudiano
Colorists: Moose Baumann
Letterers: Dave Lanphear
Cover Artists: Mico Suayan (Regular), Philip Tan (Pullbox), Patrick Zircher (1:20 / 1:50)
Editors: Warren Simons, Josh Johns (assistant)
Editor-in-Chief: Warren Simons

Solicitation[]

Jump on board the smash hit series of the summer as two legends of the Valiant Universe collide for the first time! The X-O Manowar armor has fallen to Earth… and now the world’s most lethal intelligence agent has a new target. But who is the operative known only as Ninjak? And who – or what – has marked Aric of Dacia for death by his blade? Find out as the all-new Ninjak makes his shocking first appearance – and cuts his way to the forefront of the Valiant Universe.

Synopsis[]

After assuming the Shanhara armor, Aric of Dacia lands in a field in Pollentia in northern Italy. He encounters a girl named Maria and tells her that the swords of Visigoth warriors are buried beneath them. When Aric asks her what year it is, she tells him that the year is 2012. Aric realizes that his wife and loved ones are long dead.

A group of Italian soldiers arrive but Aric escapes in the Shanhara to the Peruvian Amazon where he washes himself in the river. While shaving, he experiences a flashback of his wife Deidre. Aric is afraid of life without her but Deidre reassures him that he is stronger than ten warriors.

Thirty-six hours later, the Vine planting Alexander Dorian travels with several commandos into the Amazon on a mission to hunt down Aric. While pretending to daydream, Alexander enters the Gathering Plane where the human plantings inform the Vine Council of their operation to recover the armor. The Vine Council also informs them that they have dispatched a fleet to exterminate Earth as punishment for Aric's "sacrilege." One of the Vine leaders warns that failure to recover the armor would bring punishment worse than any their adopted culture could inflict.

Dorian is roused by the leader of the commandos, who dismisses him as a corporate flunky. After landing, the commando's helicopter is destroyed by Aric. Aric quickly ambushes and slaughters the commandos with the exception of Alexander, whom he takes prisoner. Back at the MI-6 headquarters in London, MI-6 Director Patrick Clement and a fellow planting discuss the failure of Alexander's mission. In desperation, Patrick contacts the assassin Ninjak, who is slaughtering a a group of criminals who have stolen Marco's briefcase.

Later that night, Patrick meets with Ninjak at the Tilbury Docks in London, England, who is surprised at the urgent call. Patrick briefs Ninjak about the recent "terrorist attacks" in Rome and tasks him with capturing Aric and the Shanhara. Patrick tells Ninjak that two million Pounds have been wired into his account. When Patrick asks Ninjak how he intends to combat the weapon, Ninjak confidently replies that he itends to do no such thing. When Ninjak jokes about the secrecy of "Her Majest's Secret Intelligence Service," Patrick silently mutters in the Vine language that he half-hopes that Ninjak is killed.

Two days later, Aric interrogates Alexander and demands to know why he attacked him. Dorian says that mercenaries were sent to capture him but that he had come to talk to Aric about the Shanhara. When Aric demands to know how he knows of the Shanhara, Alexander says that he has know about it longer than him in the Vine tongue. Enraged, Aric hurls Alexander against a tree and demands to know why he can speak in the creatures' tongue.

Alexander explains that the Vine have been embedding Vine offspring on Earth since the fifth century and that he is one of them. Aric is skeptical until Alexander tells him to let the armor show him the truth. Aric proceeds to violently interrogate Alexander at swordpoint. However, Aric is hit with three shuriken laced with tranquilizers. Unaware of the content of the shuriken, Aric demands that his assailant show himself.

Ninjak sneaks up on Aric from behind with his sword and derides him for torturing a bound man. When Aric boasts of his peoples' skills with the blades, Ninjak counters that his rusty antique are nothing to brag about. Aric summons the Shanara but collapses as the effects of the tranquilizers sink into his body. As the Shuriken assembles into a sphere, Ninjak tells his MI-6 superiors that he has secured the items and to expect delivery within the day.

Notes[]

This article has no additional notes or trivia.

Quotes[]

Everything I have ever known is gone. My people. My family. My wife.

-- Aric of Dacia

"Her majesty's secret intelligence service." The service's intelligence is the best-kept secret in the isles. I've yet to meet a man who'll attest to it.