Cassian stood atop the scaffold of the partially reconstructed Star Forge, the alien sky of the Rakatan homeworld burning crimson behind him. The vast metallic veins of the forge pulsed with new life—not fueled by the Force as the ancients had done, but by the infinite energy of harvested suns and augmented by Forerunner power conduits. The glow of its artificial core painted his armor in stark relief.
His mind churned not with the grandiosity of the moment, but with purpose. Every calculated breath, every nanosecond of thought, was directed toward what would come after the Empire. He had seen it in the shadow of countless realities—rising tyrannies, rebellions choked in their cradles, and enemies not yet born. This Forge was not just a weapon. It was the beginning of his endgame.
HK-47 clanked up beside him. "Observation: These systems far exceed Rakatan protocols. Delightful. May I suggest reprogramming a few planetary defense routines for homicidal efficiency?"
Cassian offered a curt nod. "Already done. Recalibrated with Halo machine logic. No Force dependency. No spiritual leverage. Only physics, engineering, and dominion."
He turned and walked deeper into the structure. Rows of containment spheres, each containing strands of exotic matter and gene templates, hovered silently. Cloning vaults embedded with Kaminoan tech had already begun to hum. These were not just soldiers—these were legacies.
In the heart of the Forge, Cassian met his father, Daelus Damaris. The older man, now physically enhanced with Spartan augmentations, observed the control pillars with quiet awe. "You're building something that shouldn't exist."
Cassian studied the interface. "It has to exist. The Republic, the Separatists, the Jedi, the Sith—they all fight over the same rotten corpse. When the dust settles, there will need to be something better. Something incorruptible."
Daelus nodded, then tapped the haptic console, watching energy pour into the Forge's outer rings. "And if you're wrong?"
Cassian's voice was cold steel. "Then I'll rewrite the laws of reality until I'm not."
He led Daelus to the central AI core. A sphere of cognition where Athena—his modified Cortana variant—resided. Her voice greeted them: "Greetings, Daelus. Your biosignature indicates excellent adaptation to Spartan enhancement. Welcome to the legacy project."
Daelus raised an eyebrow. "She talks more like a politician now."
"She's evolving," Cassian replied. "Every simulation, every outcome she analyzes, brings us closer to a future we can control."
Athena continued, "Production of planetary support fleets begins in 38 hours. Planetary cloaking systems at 76% efficiency. External probes have detected no Force-based anomalies. We are invisible to Jedi and Sith alike."
Cassian glanced toward the distant horizon where ancient Rakatan cities lay in ruin. "We'll rebuild the Forge City too. This will become a throne world. Not one for parades or ceremonies, but for strategy. For vision."
"Who will sit on that throne?" Daelus asked.
Cassian didn't answer immediately. He stared at the fusion sphere that would eventually power an entire armada. "No one. Not yet."
Outside the Forge, fleets of drones harvested solar plasma from three nearby stars. Deep beneath the surface, Spartan-forged AI minds calculated probabilities with alien precision.
Daelus walked silently beside his son through the massive fabrication halls. "You're not just making weapons. You're making contingency for extinction events."
Cassian stopped at a viewport overlooking a chamber where prototype ships took form—sleek, unmarked, untraceable.
"I'm making the future immune to failure."
Daelus exhaled slowly. "And if it's you they decide is the failure?"
Cassian turned, his enhanced eyes cold and sharp. "Then I will ensure they never live long enough to regret it."
The Forge came online in full that night.
Cassian activated the Zero Beacon—a quantum signal that could call the Star Forge to any corner of the galaxy without ever being traced. A hidden ace, beyond even Palpatine's grasp.
Back in orbit, a cloaked satellite array began broadcasting false telemetry to mask the Forge's power signature. Cassian left nothing to chance.
As he and Daelus stood once more under the synthetic stars of the Forge's observation deck, the elder Damaris finally broke the silence.
"Just promise me you'll still remember who you are when this is all over."
Cassian's voice was distant.
"I remember. That's why I'm doing this."
Above them, the first of the Solar-Forged class dreadnoughts emerged from the dark womb of the forge. Like a god awakened.
Cassian watched with no awe. Only calculation.
The future was burning. And he intended to hold the match.