He had spent three weeks hidden among the crew, kidnapping and disguising himself as a lowly ship kin who seemed to be a loner. He thought someone would have noticed him when he was given strange looks, but that wasn't the case. Being alone allowed him to learn their ways while looking for the Flame Heart Chamber, which was never protected.

Although the eternal flame powered the entire ship, from the engines to the food replicators, it was on a separate floor of the Emberion, deep in bowls, wholly hidden from prying eyes. The stranger figured that something as valuable as the eternal flame would be heavily guarded, but the Kyrenixians were too trusting of their own kind.

He knew the Kyrenixians were crafty, and there had to be a reason for doing what they did. He had noticed that although they could flame step from one part of the ship to the next in seconds, they didn't. They preferred to walk or use the lifts.

When he reached the Flame Heart Chamber, the man silently celebrated when the doors opened for him after pressing his wrist on the door. He was in awe when he entered the chamber. His eyes were pulled to the center of the room, where the crystalline core seemed to glow in hues of gold and red as its soul flame flickered around the room freely, like dancing fairy sparks.