While Earth prepared for the wedding of the century, Knowhere welcomed a new change. The severed head of the Celestial had long since lost any recognizable shape.
Encircling it now were vast, layered orbital rings which were reminiscent of Nidavellir, the realm of the Dwarves. These intricate and orderly track networks formed a massive, three-dimensional sphere that served as residential zones for the relocated population.
If one looked closely, streams of people moved like ant colonies along these rings, commuting through their daily routines via the efficient transit systems that crisscrossed the outer reaches of Knowhere.
Umbrella, having supplanted the Tivan Group, continued the mining operations within the Celestial's skull while simultaneously expanding its reach into the surrounding star systems. Years of effort had yielded three small satellites locked in stable orbit around the main structure.
These satellites housed Knowhere's formidable armed forces; the Earth's First Fleet, whose reputation echoed across the neighboring sectors. They provided temporary protection to passing merchant convoys and allied factions.
Before that skirmish with the space pirate incursion ended decisively, few had ever heard of Earth. The Nine Realms themselves were but a remote corner of the broader galaxy, let alone the boundless dark cosmos.
In the established view of the major civilizations, only Asgard among the Nine Realms warranted any real respect. At its zenith, Asgard's military might could even rival the three great empires at their peak.
The All-Father, Odin, was a titan among warriors, and his legions had repelled both the Dark Elves and the Frost Giants in turn, a reputation that echoed across the stars.
As for Earth, a backward world still struggling to escape its cradle and step into the interstellar age... it was virtually unknown. Aside from a few cursory files held by the Nova Corps, no one gave it a second thought.
That outdated perception, however, was shattered completely in the wake of the pirate campaign.
The swarm of space pirates, a coalition of twenty raider crews, all ranking high on the Nova Corps' most-wanted lists, had descended with bluster and menace. Alongside several hundred notorious mercenaries, they were annihilated to the last man at Knowhere.
The combined arms and manpower they wielded could have easily conquered a pre-colonial civilization. Yet they were wiped out.
And then there was the image that haunted the intelligence briefings of the three empires: Sean casually crushing an entire fleeing fleet with a wave of his hand. The sheer, unvarnished power of that act marked the man from Earth as someone not to be trifled with...
"I wonder when it'll be our turn to rotate out." Aboard the large vessel named Eclipse, Pietro's voice carried the lazy drawl of terminal boredom.
He lounged in the main command center of the bridge. Nearby, Bobby worked with quiet, steady focus.
"Homesick already? Or is this a touch of the usual deep-space blues?" Bobby didn't glance up, his tone light with teasing, "I'd suggest a visit to Dr. Lang in medical. A fair number of the troops deal with 'isolation response' or 'emotional deprivation' out here. Why do you think the fleet runs mandatory psych evaluations every six months?"
He stood at the operations console, running through the security protocols for the docking bays and armories. As commander of this vessel, the routine was his duty and his anchor.
John was out aboard the Prometheus, escorting a Shi'ar merchant convoy, while Blonsky followed Skynet's directives and had taken the Gladiator to survey potential resource worlds, hunting for viable colony sites.
Earth's footprint was expanding. Starting from the lunar base, they were pushing beyond the boundaries of the Nine Realms.
The interstellar future demanded population growth and resource extraction. It demanded more colonies...
"I just… miss Wanda," Pietro admitted with a sigh.
It had been a long time away from home. Long enough for the ache of it to settle in. He and his sister had only ever had each other growing up. Now he was a soldier in an expeditionary force, adrift in the endless dark, light-years removed from Earth. Who knew how she was faring?
"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you." Bobby said with a small chuckle.
He had privately heard that Pietro's sister served as the boss's personal secretary. If there was one place on Earth or anywhere else that could be considered absolutely safe, it was Sean's immediate vicinity.
The entire expeditionary force harbored intense admiration for the man known as the Sentinel.
The fact that Earth's forces had secured a foothold in Knowhere and were using it as a springboard for exploration was due to Sean and Sean alone.
"I just hope I can make it back for the wedding. Assuming that bastard ever does the right thing by my sister." Pietro muttered the words, his expression a mix of exasperation and resignation.
He'd heard plenty about Sean's romantic escapades. From a purely personal-life perspective, the man was hardly an ideal partner.
But love had a way of making intelligent women selectively blind. The cliché held some truth, at least where Wanda was concerned.
Thinking of that, Pietro sighed again.
"How much longer do you figure this war between Xandar and the Kree Empire is going to drag on?" Bobby glanced at his moping friend, deliberately shifting the subject.
The rapid development of Knowhere owed no small debt to that sprawling, grinding conflict. The thin veneer of cosmic peace had been ripped away, and the flames of war had spread, consuming half the galaxy.
As a neutral party, Knowhere offered stability, order, and thriving trade. It was the obvious destination for those seeking refuge.
The result was a flood of immigrants and an economic boom, one from which Umbrella and Earth were the primary beneficiaries.
"Who knows?" Pietro shrugged, his tone turning casual, "Word is the Shi'ar and the Skrulls are thinking about wading in. The major players are starting to realize an endless war benefits no one. They'd prefer a stable stalemate… Still, the longer they tear each other apart, the better for us. Chaos is Earth's window of opportunity."
In peacetime, a fledgling power like Earth would never be granted the time or space to grow. The trilateral empire system had locked down every avenue of advancement for lesser civilizations.
The apex predators in this dark cosmos had no interest in seeing new rivals rise.
The laws of cosmic civilization left no room for sentiment or the romantic fantasies found in old literature. Cold conquest, brutal warfare, and savage exploitation... that was the melody of the wider universe.
"Skynet mentioned something once," Bobby said, as if just recalling a stray thought, "About Earth having a very dangerous enemy out there; the Black Order of Thanos." His voice dropped slightly, "But from everything we've gathered, that Mad Titan has been completely off the grid for a long while now."
"The stars are littered with the bones of fallen powers, Bobby. It's nothing new– wait... What the hell is that?" Pietro's lazy drawl snapped into sharp alertness.
The command center erupted with the shrill pulse of an alarm.
A prominent trajectory appeared on the star map display, slicing straight through the fleet's defensive perimeter around the surrounding domains and rapidly passing Knowhere without any prior communication.
"A lifeform traveling at lightspeed." Skynet, the central intelligence, supplied the answer.
Immediately afterward, a blurry photograph materialized as a holographic projection. It showed a silver blur. One could faintly discern a figure standing on something resembling a surfboard...