Omega Men #1 (1983)

The Omega Men approach a citadel outpost on the planet Slagg. Tigorr and Nimbus take out two incompetent sentries guarding the perimeter of the outpost enabling the rest of the Omega Men the chance to press on unhindered. The team bursts into the dining hall of the outpost in the midst of a Citadel feast. They quickly dispatch of most of the aliens present, leaving at least one alive for questioning. Primus asks the Citadel commander if there are any other outposts on Slagg. The alien tells him no, but states that it won't be long until the Citadel controls all worlds within the Vega star system including Euphorix. One of the Omega Men, Kalista, former queen of Eurphorix tells him that they will never be able to pierce her home world's planetary shield. The Citadelian disagrees and says that it is only a matter of time before they breach the planet's defenses. The Omega Men take complete control of the outposts and the remaining Citadelians are placed in stasis pods. Tigorr and Primus bicker over Primus' effectiveness as team leader, and Tigorr believes that a direct assault against their foes is a more sound strategy. For now however, Primus is the undisputed leader, and all of the Omega Men and their accompanying refugees follow his lead. That evening, Primus addresses all of the refugees and tells them that their next stop is the planet Changralyn – the home world of one of their own, Broot. The refugees are excited at the prospect of recruiting a race of people as big as Broot, but the native of Changralyn tries to tell them that his people will be of little assistance. His warnings fall on deaf ears and the Omega Men continue onward to Changralyn. When they arrive, they discover that the natives of Changralyn are a species of devoted pacifists. Their lives are governed by the prospect of peace and they refuse to raise a hand in violence, even in their own defense. When asked how the Citadel allows them to thrive, the Changralynian elders tell them that they have a pact with the Citadel. The Citadel protects them from invading races in exchange for a percentage of their newborn infants. The Omega Men go to a breeding ground where they find a squad of Gordanian slavers preparing to accept their regularly scheduled tithe. Taking twelve infants from the field, they transport them to their slave ships by way of an electronic transference beam. One of the newborn's mothers begs the slaver to let her keep her child, but the Gordanians refuse. Enraged, Broot intervenes and slaughters the Gordanians. As retaliation for this transgression, the Citadel orders a Branx ship to launch a Nuke-Bomb at one of Changralyn's urban centers. The missile strikes the district known as Sharll, killing dozens of innocent Changralynians.