This issue starts with the new Reavers hunting a robot Wolverine as a test.
The rest of it involves Nanny and Orphan Maker, the space robots, fighting the X-Men to save them before the Reavers can kill them. I say “fighting” them because Nanny’s idea on how to save them is to hypnotize them into believing they are children, and need a Nanny.
What results is an overreaction by an immature Havok that “kills” Storm.
She is truly believed dead.
The story moves ahead a few days, and we get an update on Polaris, who is still struggling to shake her possession by Malice. She calls Alex “Havok” Summers, but he’s too drunk to answer the phone, so Jubilee (who is still hiding in the X-Men’s base, unbeknownst to the X-Men who still haven’t formally met her) takes a message…
That’s kinda cute.
Then they learn that the Savage Land mutates have Polaris, so they go to save her.
With, of course, the help of Ka-Zar and Shanna and baby Ka-Zar.
The mutates are led by Zaladane, who has been a minor Savage Land player for quite some time. I haven’t tagged most of the mutates (like Whiteout and Worm, both of whom debut in this story), but since she’s a “leader” I’ve given her a tag. At the end of this arc, the X-Men go back to Australia, and we won’t see Zala again until issue #273.
Also in this arc: Longshot quits the team to go “find himself” after a battle with Spiral that references Procol Harum.
Art is by Jim Lee (#248), Marc Silvestri (#249-250)