The journey was not a passage, but a manipulation. Sam stood immobile on the back of the colossal shadow-raven, the universe streaming around him in a silent, dark river. Stars stretched into lines of light, then collapsed back into points as the Raven continuously folded and unfolded the fabric of space. He was not a passenger; he was the navigator, his will directing the celestial steed. His mind, free from the distractions of Earth, plotted the threads of his destiny.
Project Infinity was the goal. The Power Stone on Morag was the next tangible objective. But a mind like his did not think in single, linear steps. He thought in networks, in systems. To control the universe's fundamental forces, he needed more than just the Stones. He needed infrastructure. Intelligence. A power base that was entirely his, untouched by the decaying legacy of gods or the chaotic fledgling efforts of humanity.
Halfworld was a data point. A potential resource. But was it the optimal first acquisition?
Sam's focus sharpened. The Multiplier System—a fundamental authority that allowed him to enhance non-living matter, increasing its properties by an order of magnitude. A way to turn a gun into a weapon that could destroy a country , or a battery into a near-perpetual power source. But it required a specific, massive energy input to function.
"Define compatible," Sam commanded.
Three uses. It was not infinite, but it was a strategic resource of unimaginable value. A way to create three perfect, unparalleled artifacts. "Alter course. We are diverting."
The Raven banked on a nonexistent wind, and the star-scape outside shifted. The silent river of light bent toward a sullen, crimson glow in the distance.
---
The Crucible of a Sun
The star filled their view, a massive, angry sphere of red, its outer layers already dissipating into a vast nebular shroud. It was a dying titan, its core struggling against the inevitable gravitational collapse. The heat and radiation that would have vaporized any known substance washed over Sam's Absolute Transcendent body without effect. It was less than a breeze; it was nothing.
"Can the Raven contain the energy stream?" Sam asked.
Sam nodded. He stepped off the Raven's back, standing alone in the void before the dying sun. He raised his hands.
The space directly in front of the star's core warped. It was a perfectly engineered funnel, a flaw in the universe's fabric designed not to contain the energy, but to channel it. The star, sensing a path for its pent-up energy, reacted. A final, titanic pulse of power, the last breath of a celestial body, surged not outward, but into Sam's constructed anomaly.
The energy did not touch his physical form. It flowed around him, a river of cosmic potential bypassing an immovable rock, and was siphoned directly into the conceptual framework of the Multiplier System within him. He felt no weight, no strain. His body was merely the anchor point for a process that operated on a higher level. He watched with dispassionate interest as the star's light winked out, its core energy harvested. What remained was a rapidly cooling husk, destined to become a white dwarf.
In the sudden, absolute darkness, Sam floated. A new, profound readiness hummed within him. The System was charged.
Sam summoned the Raven anew from the void and continued his journey. The detour had taken less than a minute.
---
Halfworld – Orbit
The planet was a riot of color and contradiction. Lush, untamed jungles bordered crystalline structures that spoke of advanced, if abandoned, technology. From orbit, he could see the geometric patterns of cities, but no energy signatures of industry or large-scale power grids.
"AetherLink. Full planetary scan. Focus on technological remnants, biological anomalies, and intelligent life."
The results flooded his mind. He saw the anthropomorphic animals—raccoons, rabbits, otters—living in a structured, if primitive, society. He saw the ruins of the genetic engineering facilities, the cybernetics labs, now overgrown. He saw a population that was the product of experimentation, left to fend for itself, their innate cleverness evident in the cobbled-together technology they used.
It was a planet of immense potential, with a pre-built, non-industrialized society, sitting on a treasure trove of lost technology. And it was utterly undefended. The Kree had abandoned it. The Galactic Council had no presence here. It was a forgotten asset.
"A perfect foundation," Sam murmured.
He watched a particularly clever-looking raccoon tinkering with a piece of old machinery, creating a complex device from scrap. The ingenuity was palpable. This was not a population to be conquered or subjugated. It was a resource to be... curated. With the Multiplier System now active, the potential was staggering. He could enhance their core technologies, their materials, by an order of magnitude, creating a technological base centuries ahead of anyone else's.
"AetherLink, add a new sub-project under Project: Infinity. Designation: Arcadia."
"This planet. We will not exploit it. We will integrate it. Begin drafting plans for a silent, orbital network—Aegis Satellites, armed with non-lethal suppression fields and long-range scanners. We will create a hidden shipyard here, in the system's asteroid belt. We will use the existing genetic and cybernetic data to create a specialized labor and defense force, uplifting the natives through opportunity, not force."
He saw it all, laid out like a blueprint. Halfworld would become Arcadia, the silent, unseen heart of his growing empire. A world of brilliant, loyal engineers and soldiers, protected by his technology and enhanced by the Multiplier, utterly devoted to the architect who gave them purpose beyond mere survival.
"Morag can wait a few hours longer," Sam decided, his gaze fixed on the world below. "It's time to make my first real investment."
The shadow-raven began its descent, not as a conqueror, but as a new owner surveying his latest and most promising property. Order was coming to Halfworld.