The solar system no longer belonged only to the planets.
From the cloaked moons orbiting Jupiter, vast civilizations rose—silent, powerful, invisible to Earth's primitive surveillance systems. What had once been just icy rock and dead stone were now biomechanical cities, terraformed spheres orbiting in harmony under Jacob's hand. Each member of the Light ruled one, but only under Jacob's condition: no disobedience, no conquest outside the moons without council approval, and no secrets from him.
Jacob stood at the center of it all, not merely a king, not a president, but something more ancient—an architect of destiny. His personal fortress-moon, named "Nehashah," Hebrew for "Serpent," was embedded with reverse-engineered Kryptonian technology, Martian cloaking fields, Apokoliptian energy cores, and Time-Bubble algorithms scavenged from the remnants of the 31st-century Legion vaults. Only he knew how to navigate the corridors of Nehashah without triggering the layered consciousness firewalls and anti-god protocols.
While the Justice League scoured Earth and her satellites for signs of Jacob, his gaze had already moved beyond Earth.
---
On Earth – Chaos of Order
The world was changing. Economies destabilized. Corrupt governments began to collapse. The bounties failed—mercenaries, assassins, even League members had gone dark trying to claim Jacob's life. The Joker's dismembered remains, placed inside a rotating, voice-activated containment cube and streamed to the public, served as the loudest warning.
People began choosing sides. Across third-world countries and shattered states, Jacob's ideology took root. Former war zones now flew the banner of the Ordo Nova—a rising political shadow-state orchestrated by Jacob's lieutenants. Refugees were fed. Children were trained. Criminals were publicly executed. "No heroes. No gods. Only order," became their chant.
United Nations meetings were broadcast under duress. Senators resigned in fear. Amanda Waller had vanished from public record, officially "on medical leave." In reality, she sat in a facility designed by Jacob, kept alive and mobile only through his tech—reminded daily of the price of betrayal.
---
Jacob's Next Move: The Seeds of Expansion
Back on Nehashah, Jacob convened a meeting—not just with the Light, but with beings from across the stars.
Thanagarian envoys. A disguised New God from New Genesis. Representatives of failed Guardian experiments. Even the Red Lantern Bleez—curious, volatile, willing to listen.
Jacob's announcement was chilling in its simplicity:
> "Earth was the first stone in a galaxy built on chaos. Our species was supposed to evolve, yet here we are—dancing between aliens, gods, and vigilantes. I don't want balance anymore. I want dominion. Not just of Earth. Of civilization."
His words echoed across the great Chamber of Light. Some, like Lex Luthor, nodded in awe. Others, like Queen Bee and Vandal Savage, exchanged uncertain glances. Still, none opposed.
Jacob continued:
> "I've initiated Project Exodus. In two years, I will provide a way for the chosen one percent of humanity to leave Earth and begin a new world under my vision. The rest may stay, resist, destroy themselves. I will not interfere. But those who enter my realm will follow my code, or they won't exist."
---
Justice League – The Fracture Begins
At the Watchtower, the mood was grim.
Superman, still bruised from a near-lethal off-world conflict, stared at the galactic map—still no trace of Jacob. Batman said nothing, fingers flying across his own devices, countermeasures being rewritten every hour.
Wonder Woman finally broke the silence:
> "We've faced gods. Tyrants. But never someone… this human. And this prepared."
Martian Manhunter responded quietly, "That's what makes him terrifying. He doesn't want chaos. He wants precision. And now he has it."
Shazam murmured, "The people like what he's doing…"
Green Arrow snapped back, "The people liked Caesar too. Until the knives came out."
There were murmurs. Talks of contingency. Of infiltration. Of one final offensive.
But none of it would work. The Justice League didn't know it yet—but someone among them… was already working for Jacob.
---
Jacob – Alone at the Pinnacle
Back in his sanctum, Jacob walked through the Gallery of Futures—a room of infinite simulations running 24/7. Every timeline. Every permutation. A thousand Earths. A thousand endings. One victor.
He paused in front of a single glass case: a replica of Batman's cowl. Next to it, a photograph of Selina Kyle. And next to that, a bloodstained Gotham badge—his father's.
His voice whispered to no one but the void:
> "They called it madness. But history will call it correction. And I… I will be the correction."
He looked up to the stars. One target was already marked. Not a villain. Not a hero. A world that had hidden in secret since Krypton fell.
> "Next… the House of El."