2 AM. The lower engine section of the prison ship Chronos was nearly empty. The main reactor's pale blue light cast strange shadows across the corridor. Light and shadow alternating. Flowing. Erik Valdel leaned against the iron bars of his solitary cell. The routine patrol ended ten minutes ago. Guards moved to the west pipe inspection. This sector. A blind spot now. That gap in time. He'd spent three years mapping it perfectly. But then—— Footsteps. Not the usual guard's footsteps. Light. Careful. But hurried. Coming from the east corridor. Erik's pupils sharpened. (Something's moving.) A shadow on the corridor wall. A figure. Short height. Female, maybe. Trained movements. Not a prisoner's gait. Erik kept his face blank. Watching. The figure stopped in front of his cell. A woman. Late twenties. Chestnut hair cut short——trimmed at the shoulders. Unnatural-looking. Cut just days ago. Prisoner number "C-1847" marked on her chest. But her bearing was clearly wrong. Spine straight. Footfall precise. Eyes moving with purpose. All trained. Not a prisoner on this ship. Green eyes fixed on Erik. She inhaled sharply. "Erik Valdel." Voice low. Controlled volume. Calculated. No sound leaking out. "I'm Irina Kastorova. Federal Intelligence Bureau Vigil Agency——government intelligence——operative. Code name Shade Lantern 07. Intelligence from Nemesis Fleet internal networks shows you've planned escape from this prison ship for three years. I'm here to assist." Erik didn't move. Didn't speak. Just observed. Eyes still. Pupils analyzing everything——hair color, skin texture, clothing wrinkles, breathing pace, finger movements. Three years. No one approached him. Guards didn't. Other prisoners didn't. Complete isolation in this narrow cell. His choice. Trust no one. Never trust. Humans only use or get used——that's what he learned. But now. This woman appears. Says she knows his escape plan. Through Nemesis Fleet internal networks. Trap? Or real ally? Erik shifted against the wall. Minimal movement. But enough to show caution. The woman saw it. Understood something. Took a deep breath. Reached into her jacket. Electronic key. Small but high-grade. Compatible with standard cell locks on this ship. She inserted it. Turned. Click. The bars opened silently. Erik's pupils reacted. Suspicion. This woman really has security access to this ship's systems. That means—— "Federal Intelligence Bureau Vigil Agency." Irina spoke quietly. "Operative. Code name Shade Lantern 07. Your technology is being misused by Nemesis Fleet. My mission is to stop that. And extract you." Erik stared. Long silence. Darkness in the corridor. Only the main reactor's hum echoing. "The Federation." Erik finally spoke. Voice cold. Emotionless. "Saving me?" He laughed softly. Not real laughter. Mockery. "Don't know the Cerebral Restraint Clause? First-class technicians captured by enemies——elimination takes priority over rescue. Federation official policy. Didn't know?" Irina Kastorova didn't change expression. Just closed her eyes briefly. One breath. "I know." Erik's eyebrow twitched slightly. "Three months ago, Federation Central Command changed its assessment." Irina continued. Tone unchanged. Calm. But slight tremor at the edge of her voice. "Grav Lattice Drive——the gravity control device you developed——Phase 3 completed. We obtained that intelligence. Nemesis Fleet flagship 'Obsidian Throne' scheduled for combat deployment next month. If this weapon fully activates, Federation fleet can't counter it. From that assessment, using you became more profitable than eliminating you." Erik didn't retreat into the cell. Stood at the bars. Kept observing. Why now? Three years of abandonment. Nothing since the abduction five years ago. Watched your technology stolen. Watched it become a weapon. Watched in silence. Why send you now? "Explain." Erik said. "Why you came. If Federation was serious, they'd launch full-scale rescue. Instead, one operative alone?" Irina closed her eyes. Thinking. Then answered quietly. "This operation isn't official Federation action." Erik's eyes sharpened. "I'm acting independently." Irina continued. "Five years ago, Nemesis Fleet abducted you. That day, an asteroid base was destroyed. Federation research team was there. My husband. My daughter. Included." For the first time, emotion appeared on Irina's face. Slight pain etched there. "Federation kept you isolated. Controlled you. Observed how far your technology would develop. The price——we paid it. Many personnel lost. My family too." Erik went silent. Stared at the pain in her eyes. "So." Irina's words continued. "By Federation doctrine, I should have eliminated you. But I chose differently. I thought only you could stop your own technology. You destroying your own invention. More certain than Federation elimination." Erik stared at her. Pain in those eyes. And something else. Determination. "Trust you?" Erik asked. "You?" "I'm not asking you to trust me." Irina answered. Eyes never leaving his. Direct. "You don't need to trust me. But alone, escape is impossible. This prison ship is Nemesis Fleet fortress. Security is multi-layered. Multiple independent systems. No matter your planning, you can't escape from inside alone. Bridge access. External communications control. Escape route secured. All necessary." Erik understood. Three years of planning. But the final barrier always existed. Physically impossible alone. Irina continued. "Form cooperative relationship. Interests align. You want to escape Nemesis Fleet. We want to stop your technology's misuse. I personally want to end this causality. Mutual benefit." Erik went silent. Long silence. His brain spinning fast. Searching for her lies. But—— "Conditions." Erik said. "After escape, my technology data completely destroyed. Not given to Federation. All Grav Lattice Drive information erased from this galaxy." Irina hesitated slightly. That hesitation was most human. She was conflicted. Not as operative. As woman. But she nodded. "Understood." "Can I trust that?" Erik asked. Irina's eyes narrowed slightly. "Look into my eyes." Erik stared into them. Deep inside, he saw something. Cold intelligence. And beneath it. Human wavering. Caught between duty and humanity. Complex emotion—— "I'm also." Irina spoke low. "Wavering between duty and justice. Between lives lost to your technology and your life." That reached something in Erik. Not trust. But not complete rejection either. Shared complicity. Slight empathy—— "Tomorrow night." Irina said. "Engine section depths. I'll explain details. Guard shift change, 22:15. Use the ducts." Irina turned. "Can't be discovered." She disappeared into the dark corridor. Her shadow absorbed by the pale reactor light—— Erik returned to his cell. The bars closed. Click. But he knew she didn't do it. Remote operation. She completely controls this ship's systems. What that meant—— He looked at the ceiling. Complex interlocking ducts. Which ones led to engine depths? Three years. He'd memorized everything. 22:15. That time always existed in his plan. But he still didn't trust her. Only. Her eyes showed real pain. Husband and daughter lost. And within that pain. Slight human wavering. Maybe. Just maybe. Real? Cooperator after three years. Really trustworthy? Or—— Erik Valdel lay on the simple bed. But his eyes wouldn't close. Brain spinning. Tomorrow night. The plan. This woman's identity—— Analyzing. Constantly. And far away in the darkness, Irina Kastorova leaned against the wall. Eyes closed. Breathing deeply. (What am I doing?) A whisper from deep inside. Duty and humanity. Justice and personal feeling. Tangled inside her. Conflicting. This escape operation wasn't Federation plan. She started it independently. Reason——redemption for her lost family. Responsibility for this galaxy's future. That man——Erik Valdel's technology only means something in right hands. She believed that. But he shouldn't know yet. She opened her eyes. Cold intelligence returned. Tomorrow night. Everything begins. Inside this prison ship, one man and one woman stepping into galactic conspiracy's corner. What result comes—— No one knows yet.