The next night. 22:10. Erik Valdel crouched beneath his bunk. He pulled out the hidden metal grating. The ventilation duct entrance. Three years. He'd traveled this route countless times. But tonight was different. Reunion with Irina. The plan's real execution. Tension pulsed quietly in his chest. Deep breath. Once. Twice. Calm the emotion. Erik Valdel lowered himself. He crawled into the duct. 90 centimeters wide. 70 centimeters high. Cold iron smell hit his nostrils. Faint air current. Machinery sounds from the reactor beyond. Blue-white light from the main reactor leaked through the duct joints. Left three meters. Right five meters. Down 1.5 meters. Perfectly memorized. No room for error. His body knew the narrow space. Hands and feet moved soundless. His back scraped iron. A faint rattle. No—his imagination. The reactor noise swallowed it. Sweat dripped from his forehead. Tension. Three years of planning. Tonight, it begins. He reached the duct exit. The hidden maintenance section deep in the reactor core. Erik Valdel carefully removed the grating. He dropped into the dim chamber. His shoe sole struck metal. A small sound. But to his ears—thunder. He scanned the area. Pipes twisted everywhere. Tools lined shelves in neat rows. Low hum from the reactor room. Vibration traveled through his feet. Then— "You're late." A shadow moved. Irina Kastrova emerged from darkness. Silver long straight hair reflected the dim light. A thin white scar beneath her right eye. Ice-blue eyes fixed on Erik Valdel. "47 seconds past schedule." Irina's tone was cold as always. But Erik Valdel caught something in her words. Relief. She had waited. "Guard patrol." Erik Valdel answered briefly. "Second-class warden. Scheduled rotation at 13:47. Delayed five minutes. No impact on the plan." Irina nodded. No wasted words. She pulled a small hologram device from her pocket. Blue-white light flickered. "Nemesis Fleet encrypted communications. Federal intelligence satellite intercepted three days ago." Irina explained. Nemesis Fleet. An independent armada led by anti-Federation forces. Their transmissions posed critical threat to the Federation. A hologram rose above the device. Fleet deployment diagram. Technical data. Erik Valdel's breath stopped. Grav-Lattice Drive. His invention. His ultra-long-distance propulsion system. Output data. Energy efficiency. Thrust parameters. All implemented exactly as his theory predicted. "Installation on flagship Obsidian Throne is complete." Irina's voice reached him. But her words no longer registered. His technology. His life's work. His invention. Mounted on a warship. Transformed into a weapon. Killing thousands. "Large-scale assault operation on Federation supply base in the frontier zone. Scheduled for the 15th of next month. At that moment, the power structure of this galaxy changes." "When can we escape?" Erik Valdel cut in. His voice was calm. But inside—chaos. Irina extinguished the hologram. Blue-white light vanished. Darkness returned. "Originally planned for one week. But given this information—five days." "Feasible?" "If necessary, yes." Brief silence between them. Reactor machinery. Liquid flowing through pipes. Low sounds. Like their own heartbeats. "Guard rotation patterns confirmed. Lower reactor section has a 15-minute gap at 23:00 five days from now. During that window, board the escape vessel Sigrus. Phase-jump drive—instantaneous teleportation through subspace—to Calandra Hub in the mid-zone. Nemesis Fleet's pursuit network has gaps there." Erik Valdel stated his plan flatly. Irina nodded as she listened. "Fuel?" "Accumulated over three years. Stolen power from the main reactor. No records." "Phase-jump drive?" "I repaired and calibrated it myself. Minimum distance—approximately 300 light-years—guaranteed." "Contact at Calandra Hub?" "Planned for Vigil Agency operatives—counter-faction to Federation's secret operations—but—" Erik Valdel stared at Irina. "You?" "I'll handle it. Calandra Hub is administered by Vigil Agency. Officially neutral. Practically a free zone outside Federation territory. I'll prepare false identities there. As a civilian transport operator supporting your escape." "Trustworthy?" "Not trustworthy." Irina answered quietly. Her eyes flickered slightly. "But perhaps—we both have no other choice beyond this mission. That's enough." Erik Valdel accepted it silently. They began refining details then. Post-escape operations. Grav-Lattice Drive technical data disposal. Evasion tactics against Nemesis Fleet pursuit. Federation negotiations. Everything stacked on sand called time. 22:43. Irina was about to speak. Metal sound. Footsteps echoed from the reactor room. Erik Valdel and Irina dropped instantly. Their eyes met. Alert. Calculation. Decision. The footsteps approached. "Damn. Unscheduled patrol?" Irina whispered. "No." Erik Valdel responded. "Footsteps are light. Smaller than a guard. Probably—" A figure appeared from the reactor corridor. Luke Daren. Seventeen-year-old prisoner. Tools in his hands. His eyes moved between Erik Valdel and Irina. Recognition. Confusion. "Erik... why are you here...?" Luke's voice was small. But his bewilderment was clear. Irina's hand moved to her concealed weapon. Instant elimination. That intention. But Erik Valdel stopped her. He shook his head. "Wait." Erik Valdel approached Luke. "Luke." When he spoke that name, something else lit Erik Valdel's eyes. Behind the coldness—something human. "Listen. We're planning an escape. I don't want to involve you. Just don't tell anyone." Luke was shaken. His face went pale. Tools clattered to the floor. "Escape...?" "Yes. But it's not your concern. Pretend you saw nothing." Erik Valdel studied the young face. Luke had spent three years on this prison ship. He'd seen Erik Valdel many times. In reactor labor. In silent meals. Few words exchanged. But respect existed. "I..." Luke whispered. "Saw nothing." After brief hesitation, Luke nodded. Erik Valdel smiled slightly. Not a real smile. Just a faint arc at his mouth. "Thank you." Luke ran away. Toward the reactor room. His footsteps faded. Irina spoke coldly. "You increased the risk." "He won't betray us." Erik Valdel answered. "I guarantee it." Irina stared at him for a moment. What reflected in her eyes—even Erik Valdel couldn't know. "Then final confirmation with remaining time." Irina said. "Five days from now. 23:00. Before the main reactor of the prison ship Chronos—this prison vessel's name—the secret duct. We rendezvous there." "Understood." Erik Valdel took the hologram device from Irina. "No contact after this. No voice. No text." "Our final gamble." "Yes." Irina moved toward the duct entrance. She'd return to upper levels through a different route. "Erik Valdel." She stopped suddenly. "What?" "If we truly succeed five days from now—" Irina didn't turn around. "What will you do with your technology?" Erik Valdel answered. "Destroy it completely. Data. Theory. Everything. Erase it from this galaxy." Irina went still. In that silence, her complex emotions crystallized. "I see." She said only that. Then Irina vanished into darkness. 22:57. Erik Valdel crawled back through the duct to his cell. He lay on his bunk. He stared at the ceiling pipes. Five days. In five days, three years of imprisonment ends. Sigrus activates. Liberation from this prison ship. But the plan gained an unexpected variable. Luke. A young prisoner now knew their secret. Would he really not betray them? Faint anxiety writhed in his depths. But Erik Valdel suppressed it. This wasn't the time for sentiment. Five days. During that time, prepare everything perfectly. Sigrus final check. Fuel acquisition. Phase-jump drive recalibration. Everything must be flawless. He traced the ceiling pipes. Beyond them—freedom. And—barely—Erik Valdel remembered Irina's profile. A spy loyal to her mission. Yet she didn't shoot the young prisoner. In that moment, she revealed hidden kindness. Sentiment is dangerous. But after three years of solitude, cooperating with someone. That faint sense of security quietly spread through Erik Valdel's heart.