The conference room buzzed with quiet murmurs and tapping fingertips. Everyone had returned from a whirlwind forty-five days—Barron Vrax's city project was complete, Kael's two new contracts had been delivered, and the Arkbound bots had proven their worth beyond any doubt.
Raen stood near the end of the table, arms crossed, listening as Kael gave a short report on site logistics. Nyra wrapped up a rundown on revenue streams, orders, and upcoming client inquiries.
But Raen wasn't focused on the numbers. Not now.
Suddenly, in his mind:
System Notification: Skill Unlocked — Space and Starship Engineering Mastery.
His eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly masked the reaction. He gripped the edge of the table.This… changed everything.
He cleared his throat. "Alright, everyone. Time to talk about what's next."
Nyra raised an eyebrow. "We're expanding Arkbound Construction, bringing in major clients now—what more is there?"
Kael nodded in agreement. "Unless you've got a new vertical waiting in your back pocket."
Raen gave a slow, measured smile.
"I do."
Everyone stilled.
Raen stepped forward, voice calm but deliberate. "I've been thinking a lot about where we stand. What we've accomplished. We've built cities, housing complexes, fortified sites. And our bots... they're not just tools. They're the future."
He glanced toward Kael and Nyra. "You both said you wanted scale."
Nyra leaned forward. "We're listening."
Raen nodded. "Then listen carefully. I want to form a new division under Arkbound. One dedicated to something beyond construction, logistics, and defense."
He paused.
"I'm talking about space."
The room went silent. Korin blinked. Lira's jaw twitched slightly. Kael froze, trying to read Raen's expression.
Raen continued. "No blueprints yet. No big reveals. I'm telling you now—because I want the core team aligned. I want to build ships. ComLink infrastructure. Launch systems. Autonomous orbital factories. Eventually... off-world facilities."
Saelyn murmured, "That's... not just expansion. That's rewriting what Arkbound is."
Raen nodded. "Exactly."
Nyra, half-intrigued and half-concerned, crossed her arms. "You know what something like that would cost?"
Raen answered flatly, "4.8 billion Lux. At least."
Korin gasped. "All of it?"
Raen didn't blink. "Every credit is an investment in control of tomorrow. The same way we control advanced robotics on the ground—we will control infrastructure in orbit."
Kael exhaled slowly. "Alright then. What do you want from us?"
Raen looked at him first. "Kael, you're leading the physical side. I want you scouting remote land immediately. Somewhere far. Quiet. Where no one asks questions."
Then to Nyra, "Get started on a new division. Arkbound Aerospace. It'll start small—logistics, staffing, legal frameworks. But I want it structured and moving within a month."
Nyra smirked. "Of course you'd wait until now to drop this on us."
Raen gave a half-grin. "This is just the beginning."
Everyone looked around the room—there was hesitation, awe... and a spark of something else.
Conviction.
Raen didn't show it, but his heart was pounding. The system never handed him meaningless gifts. This new skill—Space and Starship Engineering Mastery—wasn't just permission.
It was a challenge.
And he intended to meet it.