Genius engineer Kairen Veras has been enslaved by the space pirate organization 'Void Crusader' for three years, his exceptional technical skills exploited only to maintain their flagship's reactor system. But even as a captive, Kairen carefully watches for his chance to rebel.
That chance arrives in the medical bay. When a pirate commander falls critically ill, the arrival of Elina, a cold and pragmatic physician, shifts everything. Simultaneously, Orius, a young, idealistic vice-commander wou
The Galactic Fugitive: An Engineer's Rebellion - Episode 1
Star Outer Rim. Galactic periphery. Once a battleground. Three great powers clashed here. Caldena Star Federation. Zenos Empire. Alpha Republic. Border wars. Territory disputes. Endless collisions. Then—nothing. Wasteland. Desolate. Unclaimed.
Now lawless. No central control. Pirates everywhere. No law. Only chaos.
The strongest faction: Void Crusaders. Eight hundred members. Sixty-eight warships. One alliance. Their flagship—Ankalas. A massive combat carrier. One point two kilometers long.
A sphere. Sixty meters in diameter.
That was everything.
Blue-white light from the reactor. Kairen Velas stood before the control panel. Twenty-seven years old. Black hair. Three years without proper care. Short. Cropped. Deep gray eyes. Hollow. Dark circles. Sleeplessness. Exhaustion. One hundred seventy-eight centimeters tall. Thin. Skeletal. Remnants of a laborer's physique. Once muscular. Now wasted.
Gray work uniform. Void Crusaders issue. For prisoners. Elbows torn. Knees torn. Holes everywhere. Filthy. Years unwashed. Stains ground in.
Left hand. Wrist to knuckles. Scars. Abnormal. Geometric patterns. Complex. Glowing pale blue. Pulsing faintly. Phase radiation burns. From three years ago. During reactor modification work. No medical nanomachines here. Crude frontier treatment. Still aches sometimes.
Kairen's expression vanished. He touched the panel wiring.
Precise movements. Mechanical. Emotionless.
Three years in this reactor chamber. Every day. Morning to night. No breaks. Only meal times. Even then—supervised. Always watched.
Phase-jump technology. Spatial phase-shifting between two points. Creates short tunnels. Faster than light travel. Humanity's gateway to the stars. Requires massive energy. This reactor provides it.
Ankalas's reactor came from a decommissioned Caldena warship. But Commander Askaandas wasn't satisfied.
Increase output. One point two times. One point four times.
He didn't give the order himself. He brought someone three years ago. A prisoner. To make it happen. That was Kairen.
Genius engineer. Electronic warfare specialist. High-level technician. Developed cutting-edge systems for Caldena defense facilities. Askaandas imprisoned him here. No escape. No contact. Only reactor modifications. Forever.
And Kairen succeeded.
Output increased one point four times. Phase-jump range extended. From sixty light-years to eighty. Cooling time reduced. From twelve hours to eight.
Perfect success. On the surface.
But Kairen knew the truth.
Fatal flaws existed in the defense system. Three years of daily investigation. Deep panel access. Meticulous analysis. Specific frequencies could blind the ship's security network. Temporarily. Vulnerabilities existed.
Askaandas didn't know.
Kairen stored the frequency data. Sewn into his work uniform lining. A tiny memory chip. Hidden.
His hands never stopped adjusting wiring.
The reactor room door opened.
Heavy sound. Metal groaned.
Kairen didn't turn. But his entire body tensed. Hearing sharpened. Footstep weight analyzed. Heavy. Armed. Guards somewhere in the corridor.
"Progress report, Kairen."
Low voice. Threatening.
Commander Askaandas. Fifty-five years old. Former Caldena special operations officer. Survived military purges. Cold. Strategic. Merciless.
Artificial eye. Mechanical vision. AI analysis functions. Machine sounds as it approached.
"On schedule," Kairen answered flatly.
Presence closing in. Behind him.
Askaandas placed a hand on his shoulder. Heavy. Cold. Not warm. Metal prosthetic coldness mixed with flesh warmth. Bizarre sensation.
"Good. Your technology is remarkable. This ship's output increased one point four times. Phase-jump range extended. Cooling time shortened."
Askaandas moved slowly. Circled to Kairen's side.
The artificial left eye stared at him.
"But I know what you're thinking."
Kairen's heart jumped.
His face didn't move.
"I'm simply doing my assigned work."
"Then good. Don't think of escaping. You belong to me."
Askaandas's grip tightened. Crushing pressure.
The artificial eye glowed unnaturally. Tactical support AI activated. Processes all information instantly. Reads subtle facial changes. Everything.
"Understood."
"Really?"
Silence.
Kairen chose not to answer. Extra words breed suspicion. Silence performs obedience perfectly.
Nothing moved for a while.
Then the hand released.
"Good. Tomorrow continue optimizing the cooling cycle."
"Yes, sir."
Askaandas left. Footsteps faded. Down the corridor. Gone.
Kairen stopped moving.
His hands trembled slightly.
He knelt before the control panel.
Standing would expose him. Even if not now, eventually discovery comes. Askaandas's obsession—the reason remains unclear. Why does he need Kairen so desperately? Technical skill alone doesn't explain it. Something fundamental. Something forgotten. Something unknown.
(Escape is the only option.)
Kairen gripped that thought.
Impossible alone. Eight hundred pirates aboard. Armed guards everywhere. One hundred twenty prisoners in the detention block.
He needed allies.
But who to trust?
Three years. Kairen built no deep relationships. Survival required isolation. Trust gets exploited. Friendship becomes hostage. Love becomes weakness.
Emotion brings death.
The reactor hummed low in the darkness.
That sound was his only companion. Three years.
Kairen stood. Faced the panel again.
Tomorrow. The next day. This work continues.
Escape requires preparation.
Detailed plans. Electronic warfare skills. Hacking expertise. The ability to spot organizational fractures.
Kairen possessed all of it.
His scarred left hand pulsed again. Blue-white light. Illuminated the dark engine room. That light reflected his resolve.
Three years imprisoned.
Ending now.
Whatever Askaandas thinks—Kairen would never be his "property" again.
Kairen penetrated deeper into the control panel's core data.
Hacking techniques. Accessing forbidden regions. Studying the defense system's core program. Mapping vulnerabilities in detail.
Dangerous. Extremely.
Caught by surveillance—immediate execution.
But freedom requires risk.
Kairen accepted that logic completely.
Next day.
Kairen created a reason to leave. Cooling pipe inspection. Got permission to exit the reactor room.
A guard accompanied him. But Kairen used the opportunity.
Camera blind spots. He knew them all. Three years of memorizing this ship's structure. Every corridor. Every junction.
Lower decks. Detention block E-7.
The medical room.
Kairen's footsteps stopped there.
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