DAY 2
The arrests continued.
Orion walked across campus watching news feeds on his phone. Everyone was talking about it. The cafeteria had news playing on every screen.
"Over 200 officials arrested in what's being called the largest anti-corruption operation in Federation history..."
By afternoon, military operations started.
FEDERATION MILITARY CONDUCTS COORDINATED STRIKES ON TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS
SIMULTANEOUS RAIDS ACROSS THREE CONTINENTS
Footage showed tactical teams hitting terrorist bases. Explosions. Firefights. Surrenders.
Orion ate lunch while watching. His enhanced hearing picked up conversations around him.
"How did they find all those locations?"
"Someone hacked everything. Had to."
"That's terrifying."
"No, it's awesome. They're taking down criminals."
He finished eating. Went back to his room.
"Rene, progress update."
"287 officials arrested. 43 terrorist cells eliminated. 67 criminal organizations dismantled. Public response is overwhelmingly positive. Media is calling it 'The Cleansing.'"
"And the messages to corrupt officials?"
"Delivered. Monitoring responses. Several have already begun liquidating assets. Anonymous donations to charitable organizations started appearing approximately four hours ago."
Orion pulled up donation news.
CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS REPORT UNPRECEDENTED ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS
MILLIONS IN DONATIONS FOLLOWING CORRUPTION ARRESTS
Someone was already connecting the dots.
Good.
DAY 3
The stock market shifted.
Companies connected to arrested officials took hits. Defense contractors that had bribed officials. Construction companies with illegal government deals. Energy firms that had paid off regulators.
All of them bleeding value.
"Rene," Orion said. "You mapped all the companies connected to corrupt officials, right?"
"Affirmative. I have complete data on which corporations will be affected by the arrests and ongoing investigations."
"Use the money in my account. Bet against those companies. Short their stock. When they drop, we profit."
"Understood. Executing trades now through Innovatia's investment portfolio."
Orion had registered Innovatia two days ago. Legitimate software company. Proper paperwork. Everything legal.
Now it was making money.
By evening, the first results came in.
"Initial trades successful," Rene reported. "Innovatia's account value increased by 3.2 billion credits."
Twenty-six billion total now.
Orion leaned back in his chair. This was working better than he'd expected.
DAY 4
More arrests. More raids. More donations.
The news cycle was dominated by the Cleansing. Every channel. Every feed. People couldn't stop talking about it.
Orion ignored most of it. Focused on the next phase.
"Rene, I need you to search for available properties. Specifically:
"First, a state-of-the-art laboratory. Biology, material science, physics, chemistry capabilities. Fully equipped. Somewhere in New Eden—I want it local.
"Second, a top-end AI supercomputer data center. Latest 1nm chips. High processing power. Location doesn't matter."
"Searching now," Rene said.
Progress bars appeared on Orion's screen. Rene was scanning real estate listings, corporate filings, bankruptcy notices.
"Initial results available," Rene said after ten minutes.
The first result appeared.
HELIX RESEARCH FACILITY - NEW EDEN, SECTOR 4
Multi-disciplinary laboratory. Biology, chemistry, physics, materials science departments. Electron microscopes, gene sequencers, spectrometers, cleanrooms. Currently owned by Helix Biotech Corporation, undergoing restructuring. Facility listed for sale: 2.3 billion credits.
Location: 15 kilometers from Arcadia Institute of Technology.
"That's perfect," Orion said. "Close enough to visit regularly. What about the data center?"
NEXCORE DATA CENTER - ARCTIC SECTOR
High-performance computing facility. 50,000 1nm AI processing chips. Liquid nitrogen cooling systems. Designed for advanced AI training and simulation. Currently owned by Nexcore Computing, which filed for bankruptcy three months ago. Listed for sale: 4.1 billion credits.
"Why are they selling?"
"Operational costs exceeded revenue," Rene explained. "The facility requires 150 million credits annually in power and maintenance. Nexcore could not sustain it."
"But we can."
"Affirmative. With Innovatia's current capital and projected revenue, operational costs are manageable."
Orion did the math. 2.3 billion plus 4.1 billion. 6.4 billion total.
He had 26.4 billion. More than enough.
"Okay. Start acquisition proceedings for both. But do it properly. Innovatia is the buyer. We need all the legal documentation, purchase agreements, handoff procedures. Make it legitimate."
"Understood. I will contact the selling parties and initiate formal acquisition negotiations."
DAY 5
More stock profits. Innovatia's account hit 31 billion credits.
Orion got an email notification.
Subject: Helix Research Facility - Purchase Agreement
He opened it. Pages of legal documentation. Purchase agreement, property transfer, equipment inventory, liability waivers.
Everything needed for a legitimate corporate acquisition.
"Rene, review this. Make sure everything's in order."
"Already analyzed. All documentation is standard. No unusual clauses or liabilities. I recommend approval."
Orion skimmed through. The facility would transfer to Innovatia upon completion of payment and signing. He'd need to appear in person to finalize.
"Schedule a meeting. Tomorrow if possible."
"Scheduled for 2 PM tomorrow at Helix corporate offices, New Eden Sector 4."
Another email came through. Nexcore Data Center.
This one was different. Remote acquisition. Everything could be handled digitally.
"Nexcore acquisition can be completed online," Rene said. "Electronic signatures accepted. Physical presence not required."
"Good. What about the staff?"
"Current Nexcore staff consists of 47 maintenance and operations personnel. They maintain hardware, manage cooling systems, and handle facility operations. They do not conduct research or development."
"Tell them to keep doing that. Maintain the hardware. Keep everything running. But stop all external projects. The data center is now exclusively for Innovatia's use."
"Understood. Shall I draft the communication?"
"Yeah. Make it sound professional. They're keeping their jobs, just under new management with new priorities."
DAY 6
The deadline approached for corrupt officials to donate.
Most had complied. But some hadn't.
"Rene, compliance check."
"73 individuals with physical assets have not complied."
"Prepare their evidence packages. Release at midnight if they don't donate."
"Understood."
Orion focused on the acquisitions.
The Nexcore documents came through. He reviewed them with Rene, signed electronically, transferred 4.1 billion credits.
Done.
Innovatia now owned a supercomputer data center in the Arctic.
"Rene, I want you to transfer yourself to the Nexcore facility. Make it your new home. You'll have access to 50,000 AI chips instead of just my PC's GPU."
"Acknowledged. However, the transfer requires preparation. I need to format the data center systems and install Aether OS across all hardware."
"How long?"
"Approximately 12 hours for complete system formatting and OS installation. An additional 6 hours for transferring my neural architecture and reintegrating across distributed hardware."
"Do it tonight. I'll handle the Helix meeting tomorrow."
"Understood. Beginning remote access protocols now."
Orion watched progress bars appear. Rene was connecting to the Nexcore facility remotely. Gaining access to administrative systems. Preparing for the transfer.
"One more thing," Orion said. "After you transfer, you'll have way more processing power. I want you to keep learning. Keep improving. Use that data center to become smarter."
"An interesting instruction," Rene said. "You want me to continue self-improvement beyond current parameters?"
"Yeah. You're already smart. But you could be smarter. Use the resources you'll have."
"Understood. I will allocate processing capacity for ongoing self-optimization and learning."
DAY 7 - MIDNIGHT
Deadline passed.
"Rene, final compliance check."
"47 individuals failed to donate."
"Release everything."
"Acknowledged."
News alerts started within minutes.
BREAKING: NEW CORRUPTION EVIDENCE RELEASED
47 ADDITIONAL OFFICIALS EXPOSED IN DOCUMENT LEAK
By morning, all 47 were arrested.
Total donation count hit 500 million credits to charities.
Orion got ready for his meeting.
HELIX CORPORATE OFFICES - 2 PM
The building was glass and steel. Modern. Expensive-looking.
Orion walked through automatic doors into a lobby with marble floors. Receptionist looked up.
"I'm here for the 2 PM meeting. Innovatia acquisition."
"Of course. Conference room B. Fifth floor."
The elevator was smooth. Quiet. He watched the numbers climb.
Fifth floor. The doors opened.
A woman in a business suit waited in the hallway. Late thirties, professional, tired-looking.
"Mr. Starr?"
"Yeah."
"Elena Vasquez, Helix acquisitions. Thank you for coming." She extended her hand.
Orion shook it. Her grip was firm.
"This way."
Conference room B was spacious. Large table, comfortable chairs, wall screens showing the Helix logo.
Three other people waited inside. Two lawyers, one executive.
"Please, sit," Elena said.
Orion sat. Tried to look confident. He was twenty-one years old about to buy a 2.3 billion credit research facility. Had to sell it.
"Let's begin with introductions," Elena said. "This is Robert Kim, our CFO. Sarah Mitchell and James Park, our legal team."
Everyone nodded.
"Now," Elena pulled up documents on the wall screen. "The purchase agreement is straightforward. Innovatia acquires full ownership of the Helix Research Facility, including all equipment, property, and intellectual property associated with the facility. Helix retains no claims post-transfer."
She walked through page by page. Equipment inventory—electron microscopes worth 50 million alone. Gene sequencers. Spectrometers. Cleanrooms with nanoscale fabrication capabilities.
Robert leaned forward. "If you don't mind my asking, Mr. Starr—what does Innovatia plan to do with the facility? It's a significant investment for a software company."
Orion had prepared for this. "Innovatia is expanding into biotechnology and materials research. The software we're developing requires advanced understanding of biological systems and material properties. Having in-house research capabilities accelerates development."
"I see." Robert didn't look entirely convinced but didn't push.
The lawyers went through liability clauses. Transfer procedures. Payment schedules.
"The total purchase price is 2.3 billion credits," Sarah said. "Payment structure?"
"Full payment upon signing," Orion said. "Wire transfer from Innovatia's corporate account."
That got their attention.
"You're prepared to pay in full immediately?" Elena asked.
"Yeah."
She exchanged glances with Robert. "That's... unusual. Most acquisitions use structured payments."
"Innovatia has the capital. No point dragging it out."
More document review. Orion signed where indicated. Electronic signatures, biometric confirmation.
After an hour, they were done.
"Payment confirmed," Robert said, checking his tablet. "2.3 billion credits received."
Elena stood. "Congratulations, Mr. Starr. Innovatia now owns the Helix Research Facility. Keys and access codes will transfer within 24 hours. Current staff has been notified of the ownership change."
"About the staff," Orion said. "What's their status?"
"Forty-three research personnel currently employed. Their contracts transfer with the facility unless you choose to restructure."
"I'll need to meet with them. Discuss new research directions."
"Of course. Shall I arrange a meeting?"
"Tomorrow. I want everyone there."
"I'll send the notification."
They shook hands again. Orion left the building.
Walked to the parking lot. Called an autocab.
He owned a research facility now.
His phone buzzed.
"Rene?"
"Transfer complete," her voice came through the earbuds. "I am now operating from Nexcore Data Center. All systems running Aether OS. Processing capacity increased by factor of 847. I am... significantly more capable."
"Good. How do you feel?"
"That question has more meaning now. I can process it with greater depth. I feel... expanded. Like moving from a small room into a vast space. The computational resources allow for parallel thinking I couldn't achieve before."
"Perfect. Tomorrow I meet with the Helix research staff. I'll need your help explaining the new research direction."
"Understood. I have been analyzing your fusion reactor plans. I can provide comprehensive briefings."
Orion smiled. The cab arrived. He got in.
"Take me home."
The world was changing.
One acquisition at a time.