Earth Orbit.

  At a secret smuggler base, the loading is almost complete. A massive freighter, engines humming with that familiar heavy sound, slowly lifts off from the dock, drifting into the open void of space. Destination — Mercury. Onboard are fugitives, hiding from everything they once knew.

  Almost immediately after, another ship docks with the station — smaller, but no less deadly. Onboard is Ivor. He’s not here by chance. He has to catch the departing ship.

  Ivor disembarks and walks into the duty control room. He asks about the fugitives.

  — “Alex and Yulia,” the duty officer replies. “You’re a step too late. Their ship’s already en route.”

  Ivor jumps into a shuttle, switches to manual controls. His small craft darts forward like a predator, quickly catching up with the heavy freighter. In minutes, he’s gliding alongside the massive hull. The docking is flawless. He’s aboard.

  Inside the transport.

  The ship’s captain is already informed. He simply nods toward the corridor without asking questions — third section, left gallery, cabin 11.

  In the cabin — silence. Alex and Yulia, half-asleep, are trying to forget the past days, still cooling off from everything they’ve been through. Suddenly — a call signal. Alex rises cautiously, peers into the monitor.

  — “It’s one of ours,” he says, recognizing the face at the door.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  With a press of a button, the doors slide open. Ivor steps in.

  — “Long time no see,” he smirks, glancing around the cramped cabin, as if judging its modesty. “If I were you, I wouldn’t open the door to strangers either. So, tell me — how did you end up in the job that kicked off a war?”

  — “How could we have known what it would lead to?” Alex replies quietly, eyes still full of doubt. He seems to search for support in Yulia’s gaze. “Honestly… I’m still surprised we’re alive.”

  — “Ivor… they killed Ivan,” Yulia says, her voice heavy with pain and bitterness.

  — “I know,” Ivor answers, his face unmoved. “Poor guy. But his death… that’s just a crumb compared to what’s coming. The whole world’s about to crack open. Everything we thought mattered — it’s going to turn to dust.”

  Silence falls over the cabin. No one speaks for a full minute, as if all understand that something important has just been said.

  Then Ivor slowly unzips his jacket and pulls out an amulet. His fingers brush its surface with a kind of reverence.

  — “I’ve got something for you,” he says, stepping toward Yulia. He takes off the amulet and places it around her neck. The alien artifact shimmers faintly, almost alive.

  — “I believe in the god Kairus,” she says, her voice nearly mechanical, stripped of emotion.

  Alex turns his head sharply, an alarm flashing across his face.

  — “What’s happening?” His voice is full of confusion.

  Yulia looks at him softly, with tenderness, as if she senses this is a moment of truth. Gently, she removes the amulet and places it around Alex’s neck.

  — “I believe in the god Kairus,” he repeats. It sounds almost automatic. His hand instinctively reaches for hers.

  Ivor smiles — a mysterious, meaningful smile.

  — “Remember: on this ship, the only believers are the two of you. This is your path now. You have a mission.”

  Alex shakes his head, a faint smile playing on his lips.

  — “Don’t say it again, Ivor. We know. Kairus showed us everything.”

  The smuggler gives them a final look, a brief handshake. He leaves without looking back.

  His shuttle detaches from the freighter, shoots back toward Earth, glowing neon as it enters the atmosphere.