XENITH

BIOGRAPHY

Little is known about the early years of Xenith’s life. As a Strontian, the woman was born with tremendous natural abilities and a strong sense of honour and duty. She trained with her cousin Kallark, who would go on to become Praetor of the Imperial Guard, and like him underwent the Gladiator process; a technology that enhances a Strontian’s already prodigious abilities to extreme levels.

While her cousin went on to join the Shi’ar Imperial Guard, Xenith joined the intergalactic peacekeeping organization known as the Charter Federation; a coalition of 800 races dedicated to ensuring peaceful coexistence in the universe. Inducted into the police force arm of the Charter, known as the Cosmic Commandoes, she put her abilities to good use completing peacekeeping missions for the Charter.

On one mission, Xenith’s unit was sent to arrest the human super-hero Quasar, who was accused of murdering the crew of the Charter’s base of operations, the Hub. Quasar had in fact been framed and escaped capture by the Commandos to clear his name. When they tracked him down to the Milky Way they found themselves faced with his powerful allies Beta Ray Bill and the Silver Surfer. During the fight, Xenith was shocked to find that despite her strength she couldn’t deflect Beta Ray’s hamme,r Stormbreaker.

When her captain, the Skrull-posing-as-Axi-Tun called Morfex, figured out Quasar had been framed, he was almost murdered by his own crew for defending the Charter's principles. Xenith and Morfex switched sides and helped the human and his allies defeat their fellow Commandoes. As the Star Masters, the group of five dedicated themselves to clearing Quasar’s name. Ever the mischievous one, the Strontian struck up a flirtation with the Silver Surfer during the trip to the Hub, and often teased Bill as well. Upon arriving at the Hub, the group came into conflict with a group of Axi-Tun soldiers, who were the real culprits behind the mass murder.

The Axi-Tun were a Charter member race, responsible for the military/tactical wing of the Federation. They were responsible for framing Quasar, arranging the near-destruction of Earth, and giving the orders that turned the other Commandos against Morfex and Xenith. Again, the powerful Xenith was defeated in battle, this time because one of the Axi-Tun superhumans used his abilities to make her body go numb. Her allies too were defeated and the group were cast into the Cauldron of Conversion, a device that would break their forms down to their base components and incorporate their DNA into a deadly supervirus, but they were saved by Quasar. [Starmasters #1-3] The group freed the captured Rigellian Tana Nile, an agent of the Charter who scanned Quasar's mind and determined his innocence. Xenith and the Starmasters fought the Axi-Tun once more, before nearly being killed when the fanatical Axi-Tun self-destructed the ship as the cost of failure. [Cosmic Powers Unlimited #4]

Determining that Lord Votan, ruler of the Axi-Tun, was responsible for the Hub murders, the Star Masters brought their evidence to the Charter with Tana Nile and cleared Quasar's name. On behalf of the Charter, the Star Masters went to planet Tun to arrest the ruler. Votan, however, used his secret mental abilities to drain the group’s will and overwhelmed them with super-powered soldiers.  Sapped of her will, Xenith was locked up with the others, but the first opportunity she got she used her prodigious strength to smash her way out of her cell. Surprisingly, after a struggle she managed to not only lift Stormbreaker but also throw it and free Beta Ray Bill. In the heat of the battle towards Votan she flirted heavily with Beta Ray, though he didn’t reciprocate. Soon after Voltan was defeated and punished for his crimes. [Cosmic Powers Unlimited #5]

What happens next to Xenith is unclear. What is known is that something drove her mad, to the point that she shaved her head, developed a deep hatred her cousin and attacked the Shi’ar empire.  Her treasonous actions landed her a life sentence in the undersea prison on Kr’kn. 

[Note: While its never been confirmed when Xenith’s planet Strontia was destroyed, or how, it is possible the Shi’ar are responsible and that’s what drove her mad] 

Years later, she was pardoned by Shi’ar Emperor Vulcan to lead his Praetorian Guard; a group of Kr’kn prisoners formed by Vulcan to hunt Lilandra and the Starjammers.  Xenith’s price for her service was her cousin Kallark’s life, which Vulcan gladly agreed to. The group promptly tracked the Starjammers to the Clench worlds and attacked, but things took a turn when the Hodinn member of her group went supernova and destroyed the planet.While her group survived their prey escaped.

The group tracked the Starjammers to Kr’kn, where they were freeing their fellow rebels. Xenith fought Polaris, taking her out of the fight before Gladiator and Vulcan arrived. Enraged at seeing his cousin freed from prison Gladiator attacked her and the pair fought until Empress Deathbird stopped them. It was too late though as the Starjammers managed to escape and Deathbird was seriously injured. Afterwards, Vulcan placed Xenith in charge of overseeinging the great Shi’ar expansion. [X-men: Kingbreaker 1-4]

Soon after war broke out between the Shi’ar and the Kree and the Praetorians were sent to take over operations from Gladiator and the Imperial Guard on Nil-Rast.  Gladiator handed over hundreds of Nova Corp prisoners of war, which Xenith and her Praetorians promptly murdered as soon he left.  Xenith then moved on to Kree-Lar to murder Lord Ravenous, though in the middle of her attack on Ravenous she was interrupted by a young Nova corpsman, Robbie Rider, who wanted to arrest her for her crimes. Knowing he couldn’t hurt her, the Nova pinned her to the ground using gravimetrics, but he couldn’t hold her for long before she escaped. Before she could kill Robbie though she was attacked by his brother, Nova Prime Richard Rider. Rider fought hard but was outmatched by Xenith’s power.

Rider got the better of Xenith though, headbutting her with his helmet, which contained inbuilt physic dampeners.  The dampeners interfered with the Strontian’s psionically reinforced abilities, making her vulnerable.  The Nova beat Xenith unconscious and arrested her and the rest of the Praetorians for war crimes.   [Nova (4th series) #24-28]

Xenith is presumably still incarcerated by the Nova Corps, though after the war with the Cancerverse the majority of the Corps lost their power. It is possible she has escaped...