POV Thanos
Clink
I watch as the machine slots into place, but after waiting for several moments, nothing happens, and I record the response.
I had been on this strange planet for several months, and I had to admit the world's technology was unusual. It seemed to operate on a combination of steam and magic, but the magic was not the normal magic energy I was used to seeing. It was some sort of energy similar to a soul. That alone wouldn't be that interesting, but the machines and this world were ancient, and yet the world was covered in automatons that seemed to be in pristine condition even after all this time. I estimated nobody had been living on this planet for at least 10k years, and yet everything was in near-perfect condition as if it had only been a few hours since someone lived here.
But beyond my curiosity as a scientist, there was a much more interesting thing keeping me here. There was a secret buried here, from the scraps of written texts I could recover: the rulers of this world were gods even greater than Asgard, or at least that is what they say. But they faced an issue that prevented repopulation, so they built something to remedy that. It was those rumors that led me here. They didn't build some cloning device or something to fix their infertility; instead, they built something to remake their existence to be able to bear children. That was what I had been working so hard to find, but they hid this creation well, and brute force was impossible. Or at least that seemed to be the case.
Thus I had been slowly researching and exploring the world left behind by its creators. Based on what I had dealt with so far, they seemed to love logic puzzles and mind-exercising challenges, even for something as simple as navigating their cities. And some of these puzzles were quite complicated, such as the one I was dealing with now.
There was a door I wanted to pass that, from my deciphering of some texts, seemed to lead to a library. To open the door, I had to use a carved sphere in a very specific sequence to move levers that would increase and decrease the water levels in the room, thereby moving some steam-filled pipes that would then connect to an open pipe and provide the power needed to open the door. Or at least that was what I thought would happen based on the clues I had found so far. But I honestly couldn't be sure.
It was during my recording that I got a notification that someone was attempting to reach me. Which annoyed me as I had specifically told them not to bother me. I had to admit that this research was amusing, and given I had plenty of time to wait until Odin kicked the bucket, I was enjoying the challenge.
"What is it?" I say with unconcealed annoyance.
"Lord Thanos, I apologize for interrupting you, but I bring urgent news," Ebony Maw reports.
"Speak," I order.
"Odin has entered an Odinsleep, and his son Loki has become regent," Ebony reports.
"Loki? Not Thor?" I ask with interest as I drop my annoyance.
"Yes, I confirmed it with multiple sources. Loki Odinson has become acting king while Odin is sleeping. Thor, on the other hand, has seemingly disappeared from Asgard altogether. Though I have heard some rumors that he may have been thrown in prison or even perhaps banished for instigating a conflict with Jotunheim," Ebony reports.
"Has King Laufey chosen open war with Asgard?" I ask.
"No, it seems he has other plans and has elected not to share them with our agents. Though Jotunheim is not the only place in chaos right now, as Surtur has been rampaging across Muspelheim and has declared that all Asgardians will be killed if they set foot on Muspelheim," Ebony reports.
"Surtur the Fire Demon is acting up as well? Do we know why?" I ask with curiosity.
"It took quite some effort, but I have learned the reason he has broken with Asgard, but... I have to admit I am skeptical of the reason," Ebony says nervously.
"Speak," I demand.
"Supposedly, the Eternal Fire has been destroyed by Odin. Which, when taken with his sudden Odinsleep, isn't impossible, I admit, but it seems preposterous," Ebony says with uncertainty.
I rub my chin in thought as I consider the report.
"It isn't impossible to destroy the Eternal Fire. You just need something stronger," I reply after some thought.
"You mean..." Ebony starts with realization.
"We can be fairly certain that Odin possesses the Reality Stone, as that is the only Infinity Stone that could feasibly destroy an artifact at the level of the Eternal Fire and be possible to be in Asgard's possession. The Space and Time Stones are on Terra. The Power and Soul Stones are with someone not yet known. The Mind Stone is possibly with a Xenomorph Hive. And the Reality Stone was last recorded to be taking the form of the Aether, which was last controlled by King Bor of Asgard. Of the Stones listed, the Reality and Power Stones are the most likely to be able to destroy the Eternal Fire and could also be in Odin's possession," I explain my thinking.
"Odin could be a grave threat if he has either Stone," Ebony says grimly.
"Yes, that is why we need to use this time of weakness to gather the enemies of Asgard. Find the Dark Elves that were cast out of their home all those centuries ago. Then convince Surtur to join us with the promise of destroying Asgard. If we can get the Jotuns on our side, then great; regardless, expand our agents in Vanaheim and Alfheim," I order.
"As you command, my lord," Ebony says while bowing.
"How much longer until Other will be done with the Xenomorphs?" I ask.
"His latest report indicates he may fail in his task; the Chitauri are losing drones faster than they can be replaced, and several ships have been lost," Ebony reports with a cautious tone.
"Hmm, fine, let him continue until he has only a mothership left; if by then he is still unable to redeem himself, then kill him and take charge of the remnants of the Chitauri. Then gather a large army; hire everyone you can; price is no matter. When the time is right, we shall strike the Nine Realms and claim the Infinity Stones they possess," I order.
"Yes, Lord Thanos," Ebony says reverently.
"Anything else?" I ask.
"None, my lord," Ebony replies.
"Then dismissed," I say and cut the connection.
I think for a moment about my plan. The issue wasn't numbers. I was sure I could crush Asgard and its proxies, but I wasn't sure if I could do so without severe losses, especially if Odin possesses an Infinity Stone.
'I need something to balance the scales.'
That was the main reason I was on this world. I believed it had something that could give me the advantage needed to crush my enemies and become unstoppable. I only need a few Infinity Stones, and I will be invincible, or close enough that I can quickly obtain the remaining stones quicker than anyone can stop me. But to do any of that, I need to get past this door and into the library.
Several Days Later...
Clunk
With a satisfying clunk, the doors unlock and begin to open. The puzzle was far more difficult than I would have liked, but oh well. I had managed to get past it.
I walk over the bridge and through the doors, walking down a hallway that stops at a large room. The room was massive, but what confused me was the complete lack of books or similar things; instead, on the many shelves were cubes. Millions of them.
I furrow my brow in confusion.
'Did I mistranslate the text?'
I had seen these cubes before, but I had used them as keys to unlock doors or mechanisms. So I thought that maybe this was another puzzle and a new door would lead me to the real library, but that didn't seem to be the case, as I couldn't find a door or a sound of a cavity that would indicate a hidden door. I even messed with the large device in the center of the room, but I quickly found that it was a form of star map, which didn't interest me, as it didn't include any stars I didn't know about prior.
'What am I missing?'
I wander around until eventually I find a pedestal that I used the cubes on in other rooms. I test a few of the cubes, but nothing happens. At least not with the first few dozen, but eventually one of the cubes reacts differently and opens up, and the star map changes. This time the map was of a nearby sector. I look at the pedestal and the map before looking more closely.
'So that's how it is.'
The map was a clue to find the right cube, which would lead to the next cube, until eventually I would find something or it would unlock something. Or at least that was my guess. I could brute-force this puzzle, but given there are likely millions of cubes in here, and many seem to do nothing, and I likely had to use the cubes in a certain order, it could take me months or even years to solve this without using the maps.
'The question is, how do I use the Star Charts to find them?'