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 - The Spark of Rebellion, a Silent Explosion
The power reactor's cooling cycle began.
The low hum stopped. Three years of listening to that sound. Kairen felt the change in his body.
Twelve minutes. That was the window.
F-3 section, control terminal. Kairen stared at the screen, fingers moving. Quietly. Without hesitation. Three years of code, planted bit by bit. The backdoor activated.
Surveillance camera feeds from all of Ankharas flooded the terminal.
Crew positions. Movement. Patrol routes. He could see everything.
His expression didn't change. He wouldn't let it. Three years living that way.
Encrypted signal sent. To Elina. To Orius.
——Beginning.
Just one keystroke.
---
E-7 section, medical bay.
Elina sat before the terminal. Platinum blonde bob caught the fluorescent white light. Bangs half-hid her right eye. Pale blue eyes quietly tracked the numbers on screen.
The signal came.
"……It's started"
Her voice was small. Like talking to herself.
She stood. No hesitation. Opened the drawer. Three types of reagent bottles. The formula was in her head. Already calculated. A stimulant gas that would trigger sensors——minimal human impact. She'd verified the numbers herself.
The work took three minutes.
Shouldered the medical kit. Stood before the alarm device. Her left ring finger, unconsciously rubbed by her thumb. Once. She noticed. Stopped.
Pressed the switch.
Level 3 chemical contamination——all personnel evacuate.
The alarm shrieked. Sharp alarm tone raced through the ship.
Outside the corridor, footsteps multiplied. Shouting. Running. Eight hundred crew members moving.
Elina picked up the medical kit. Stepped into the corridor.
Chaos surrounded her. Evacuation shouts. Men running to safe zones. No one looked at Elina. A doctor walking with a medical kit——that was all.
No one questioned it.
Her emotionless composure functioned at maximum capacity in this moment.
---
Hangar, lower level.
Orius stood before two security guards.
"Presidential order. External contamination verification via Falcon. Move now"
The vice-commander's voice. No hesitation. Command tone.
The two guards exchanged glances. The alarm still blared throughout the ship. In the chaos, the vice-commander came directly.
"But the verification procedures——"
"No time for procedures during alert status"
Low voice. Unwavering.
The guard stepped aside.
Orius entered the hangar. Falcon——thirty-eight meters long. Small military vessel. Reconnaissance patrol class. Equipped with phase-jump drive. One jump: twenty-five light-years. Enough distance to escape the Ash Belt.
Entered the startup code. Engine began to whine. Low vibration traveled through the floor.
Then. Footsteps from the corridor.
Running. Two sets.
Kairen and Elina.
Kairen first. Black short hair. Deep gray eyes. The scar on his left hand's back caught the hangar light, glowing pale blue. Three years analyzing this ship's interior. That hand did it.
Elina behind. Platinum blonde disheveled. Unusual.
All three boarded.
That instant——the hangar's automatic doors began closing.
Slowly. But certainly.
Orius turned from the pilot seat. Green eyes watching the doors.
"Someone noticed. Manual lock engaged"
One of the guards. Suspicious of communication loss. Moved to check.
Doors closing. Meters remaining.
Orius hesitated for one instant. That instant was clear.
Then abandoned hesitation.
"Hold on"
Maximum engine output.
Falcon moved. Kicked off the hangar floor. Straight toward the closing doors.
SCREEEECH!!
Metal shredding sound. Sparks. Vibration. Armor scraped the door's edge as Falcon burst outside.
Vacuum. Dark. Stars spreading.
Freedom.
---
"Six pursuit vessels confirmed!"
Orius's voice rose. Excited. Fast-paced.
Kairen already sat at the electronic warfare station. Opened the terminal. Fingers moved.
Six. Small combat fighters. Fast. Distance closing.
Narrowed focus to two. Jamming signal to navigation systems. Specific frequency pulse. Three seconds.
Two fighters' trajectories went wild. Collision course with each other.
BOOOOOM!!
Explosion. Flash spread across vacuum. Debris scattered.
Remaining four fighters lost control. Scattered.
"Begin phase-jump charge"
"On it! Twenty seconds!"
Elina stood behind the pilot seat. About to say something. Didn't. No need.
Fifteen seconds.
Four pursuit fighters approached again.
Ten seconds.
"Jump faster!!"
Sharp voice. The emotionless woman raised her voice. At Orius. Not an order. Not a shout. Just one word: faster.
Orius looked at her for one instant.
Five seconds.
"Jumping!!"
Phase-jump activated.
Space warped. Light twisted. Falcon vanished.
---
Silence.
Next instant, emerged in dark space. Few stars. No light. Deep Ash Belt——former battleground of the Boundary War. Drifting wreckage floated distantly.
No pursuit vessel signatures.
"……We made it"
Orius gripped the control stick, spoke quietly. Disbelieving voice. Shallow dimple appeared on his right cheek. Expression rarely seen. First time in a while.
Elina leaned against the wall. Catching her breath. Left ring finger unconsciously rubbed. Then noticed. Lowered her hand.
Kairen watched the terminal.
"Cooling takes six hours. Determine next jump destination"
Flat voice. Unchanged voice. Three years guiding everyone with this voice.
Orius turned around.
"……Thank you. Both of you"
Direct. Unadorned. That was Orius.
Elina said nothing. Opened the terminal. Began checking the medical kit's contents.
Kairen didn't answer either.
But without leaving the terminal, his gaze shifted. Toward them. One instant. Returned immediately.
Six hours of cooling.
Kairen began organizing data. Next jump destination. Dustin Relay Station——independent station floating at the Ash Belt's entrance——was a candidate. Resupply needed. Fuel, food, information. All insufficient.
Data flowed across the terminal.
Then.
One unfamiliar numerical value appeared.
Kairen stopped.
Read it again. Once more.
Faint tracking signal. Transmitting from Ankharas. Directional. Aimed at them.
——Askandas had already begun pursuit.
"……"
Kairen didn't show that data to the others.
Quietly closed the terminal.
Outside the window, dark space spread. Wreckage floated. No light.
The moment freedom was seized, already hunted. Only Kairen knew.
Six hours later, this ship would jump again.
The fugitive run had only just begun.
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