Crossing the Wormhole

The area around the wormhole leading to the Milky Way was no longer pitch-black.

Ten enormous Space Fortresses guarded it, keeping the wormhole secure.

Any enemy who tried to pass through would be blasted to pieces.

More than a hundred Spaceships were stationed there at all times as well.

They made sure not even a fly could enter or leave the wormhole.

Today, an unbroken stream of Spaceships flew in.

Thanos controlled 237 planets, each of which had sent around forty or fifty Spaceships.

There were attack ships, Escort Ships, supply ships, carriers, and more.

Together, they numbered over ten thousand Spaceships.

Even measured against the universe's top powers, this was no weak force.

Several hours later,

Thanos's flagship, Sanctuary II, arrived.

At the sight of the massive fleet, he nodded with a hint of satisfaction.

The ships were crewed by the Black Order's Bio-Warriors. Their chips were under Deep Blue's constant control, so loyalty was no concern.

The more than two hundred planets also held over a trillion people. Even if every member of the Black Order died, ordinary people could be brought into the war.

His capacity for war had never been greater.

After some thought, he divided the ten thousand Spaceships into six groups.

Each of the Black Order's five commanders would lead fifteen hundred Spaceships, while he would command the remaining twenty-five hundred or so.

He sent Corvus Glaive through the wormhole first to lead the way.

A little over an hour later, word came back from the other side that it was safe.

Thanos then ordered the rest of his forces to enter in an orderly line.

It was only a low-grade wormhole, roughly a thousand kilometers across.

Just ten Spaceships could enter at once.

More than thirty hours passed before all ten thousand had gone through.

Finally, Thanos piloted Sanctuary II through the wormhole himself.

On the other side, the Black Order's five commanders had surrounded the wormhole.

They slowly spread out only after Sanctuary II emerged.

Ten thousand Spaceships sounded like a lot, but in the vastness of space, they looked tiny.

Even clustered together, they would not match the size of an ordinary planet.

As their formation spread, it occupied only one corner of the Star System.

A moment later, three-dimensional images of the five commanders appeared on the screen before Thanos.

All five dropped to one knee. Corvus Glaive, at their head, reported respectfully, "My lord, we've surveyed this unknown Star System. Its Fixed Star is a red dwarf, and we found no signs of life on the surrounding planets. It appears to be an uninhabited, barren Star System."

Uninhabited Star Systems were common throughout the universe.

Ninety-nine percent of the universe's Star Systems were unsuitable for life.

Their Fixed Stars might be too old or too young, or emit too much radiation.

Life could arise on a planet only under very exacting conditions.

When Corvus Glaive finished, Supergiant spoke up beside him. "My lord, although we found no life in this Star System, we did find traces of asteroid mining. Judging by those traces, the mining took place over a hundred years ago. This wormhole may have formed only recently."

Supergiant was one of only two women among the Black Order's five commanders.

She stood about 1.7 meters tall and had blue skin, though the silver cloak she wore year-round made her face difficult to see.

Like Ebony Maw, she specialized in mental abilities, but her strengths lay in mind control, telepathy, mental transmission, and memory theft.

Each had strengths of their own.

After Supergiant finished her report, Cull Obsidian gave his.

Thanos listened to his subordinates' reports, then nodded calmly. "You five will scout the surrounding Star Systems. If you encounter an inhabited planet or an enemy, don't attack yet. Report to me first."

The three-dimensional images of all five commanders nodded on the screen.

"As you command, my lord."

Once the call ended, the five commanders immediately led their Spaceships toward the nearest Star Systems.

Thanos, meanwhile, continued having his subordinates bring resources through the wormhole.

He intended to build ten Space Fortresses on this side as well. With those in place, he would be nearly impossible to defeat.

There was no need to rush the conquest of the Milky Way. He could advance steadily and take it bit by bit.

After all, time was on his side.

Odin was old. Even if Thanos never invaded, he would fall within a few years.

The universe could seem infinitely vast, yet also very small.

On the third day after the five commanders set out to scout, Thanos received a message from Ebony Maw.

He had found a Life Planet.

It was roughly two-thirds the size of Tyro, sky-blue all over, and exceptionally beautiful.

Its vegetation was abundant, covering nearly seventy percent of its land.

Ebony Maw had also observed something else.

Several hundred Asgardian warriors were on the planet, collecting resources from the Natives.

Why call them Natives?

Because there was no sign of technology on the planet.

There was no Spaceport in orbit, no skyscrapers on the ground, and no cars or aircraft.

Only five Asgardian transport ships sat in space outside the planet, with their engines not even running.

They clearly had no sense of danger.

But that was hardly surprising. They had not faced a war in over a thousand years, and it had never occurred to them that anyone might invade.