I didn't personally travel to Mars.
There was no need.
That was one of the advantages of my puppets.
While my real body remained safely on Earth overseeing Foundation operations, one of my Herta-model puppets descended through the Martian atmosphere aboard a Foundation transport shuttle.
The red planet stretched beneath me.
Except—
it wasn't entirely red anymore.
Mars had changed.
Completely.
The transformation had taken decades.
An absurd combination of:
anomalous engineering Foundation terraforming systems reality stabilization technology magical environmental reconstruction advanced atmospheric processors and enough money to bankrupt most countries several hundred times over
Now?
Mars was alive.
Clouds drifted across the atmosphere.
Artificial oceans reflected sunlight across massive regions of the planet.
Forests spread across carefully cultivated biospheres.
Entire cities stood beneath shimmering shield domes connected by transit systems and orbital elevators.
Humanity's second world.
Completely hidden from Earth.
Completely under Foundation control.
The shuttle descended toward one of the largest settlements on the planet.
New Alexandria.
A massive city built directly beside the primary Foundation orbital shipyard.
Gigantic construction platforms stretched into the sky while transport ships moved constantly between the surface and orbital docks.
The scale was absurd.
Star Destroyers rested within massive drydock structures.
Imperial shuttles moved through traffic lanes.
Cargo freighters transported materials between industrial sectors.
Construction drones filled the skies like mechanical insects.
And above everything—
the incomplete structure of the Herta Space Station hung in orbit.
Even unfinished, it was enormous.
My puppet stepped off the shuttle platform calmly.
Immediately, personnel snapped to attention.
Researchers.
Engineers.
Security staff.
Construction overseers.
Most of them didn't know my true identity.
Only that this puppet represented O5 command directly.
And that alone was enough to terrify people.
The Martian air was cool but breathable.
That still amused me slightly.
Humanity had spent centuries dreaming of reaching Mars.
We had already colonized it in secret.
A Foundation administrator approached quickly.
"Welcome to New Alexandria, Director."
I nodded slightly.
"Status report."
The administrator immediately activated a holographic projection.
"The Herta Space Station outer shell is approximately sixty-three percent complete."
Several layered schematics appeared.
Massive habitat sectors.
Research divisions.
Containment zones.
Fleet hangars.
Dimensional laboratories.
The station was less a station and more a floating civilization.
Its structural frame alone dwarfed most modern spacecraft.
And once complete—
it would become the single most advanced structure humanity had ever created.
The administrator continued.
"Primary framework integrity remains stable. Artificial gravity sectors operational in prototype areas. Shield systems partially installed."
I studied the projection quietly.
"Power infrastructure?"
The administrator hesitated slightly.
"Still dependent on Arc Reactor arrays."
For now.
I already knew the solution to that problem.
The Infinity Reactor.
Once adapted for station-scale deployment, the Herta Space Station would possess effectively limitless power generation.
Which meant:
permanent shield systems deep-space travel support dimensional research capacity massive weapons platforms independent civilization sustainability
A true interstellar headquarters.
I walked through the colony while construction reports streamed through the puppet's systems.
The streets were clean.
Efficient.
Advanced far beyond Earth's visible civilization.
Children played beneath artificial trees.
Scientists discussed quantum theory in open cafes.
Foundation personnel moved through the streets alongside engineers and military officers.
An entire hidden civilization.
The Foundation had already quietly surpassed most nations technologically.
Earth simply didn't realize it yet.
We passed one of the massive terraforming towers.
Gigantic structures stretching kilometers upward into the atmosphere.
They continuously regulated:
oxygen generation atmospheric pressure weather stabilization temperature distribution
Without them, Mars would slowly revert.
With them—
it became humanity's second cradle.
I eventually arrived at the primary orbital construction control center.
The ceiling displayed a real-time projection of the Herta Space Station in orbit.
Thousands of drones worked simultaneously across its surface.
Welding.
Installing armor plating.
Constructing shield arrays.
Building research sectors.
The station's design reflected my memories of Herta's station.
Elegant.
Symmetrical.
Cold.
Scientific.
But Foundation influence had changed it.
Now it also looked militarized.
Because of course it did.
Orbital defense cannons lined the lower sections.
Reality anchor arrays surrounded sensitive sectors.
Fleet docking ports capable of housing entire Star Destroyers extended from the station's central structure.
This wasn't just a research station.
It was a fortress.
Alex appeared on a holo-call beside me.
Their face remained partially obscured by flickering data projections.
"You're admiring your future home?"
I smirked faintly.
"Future headquarters."
Alex studied the station projection.
"The Infinity Reactor integration will accelerate construction massively."
"Estimated completion time?"
Alex checked several calculations.
"With reactor deployment?"
A pause.
"Possibly under ten years."
That was absurdly fast for something of this scale.
Then again—
infinite energy changed things.
I looked up toward orbit again.
The station gleamed faintly against the darkness of space.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Ambitious.
Humanity's future.
Or possibly its greatest mistake.
With the Foundation involved, it could honestly become either.
Still—
I couldn't deny the satisfaction I felt watching it being built.
Because this was proof.
Proof that humanity no longer belonged solely to Earth.
The Foundation had already taken the first step into becoming a true interstellar civilization.
Quietly.
Secretly.
Efficiently.
And when the Marvel universe finally exploded into chaos in a few years—
we would already be waiting among the stars.