The journey to the god Core was quiet and tense. The Odyssey, miraculously healed by the Forge's life-giving energy, flew through the star-dusted void with a new, steady grace.
But on the bridge, no one was celebrating. They were a ship on a diplomatic mission, a strange and unfamiliar role for a crew so used to fighting.
They were about to walk into the most powerful and lawful place in the universe and ask for a favor that would break a hundred different rules.
As they approached the center of the god, the very fabric of space began to change. The stars became brighter, the colors sharper. The ship's sensors, which usually showed a universe full of chaotic energy and random fluctuations, now showed a region of perfect, ordered harmony.
It felt like they were leaving the wild, untamed ocean and sailing into a perfectly calm, crystal-clear lake.
