Auckland Prison

Auckland Prison, colloquially called "Pare" by locals, is New Zealand's sole maximum-security prison unit. It is a facility defined by its uncompromising security protocols: the sole point of entry is awash with security cameras and a micro-scanner for all guests, and even the guards must pass through the detector on their way in. The head prison guard, Mr. Easton, enforces these rules with an unyielding demeanor, refusing to allow any weapons—including Stratt's Taser—past the entrance. He insists on a full search of all visitors, including a flashlight check of the mouth for contraband, a procedure he carries out personally. The prison's interior is described as cold and gray, with a maze-like layout of corridors leading to the Maximum Security Unit, where the most dangerous inmates are held.

The Recruitment of Bob Redell

Within the prison, Stratt and Grace meet Dr. Robert Redell, a balding man in his late forties or early fifties, serving a life sentence for seven counts of culpable homicide. Redell is handcuffed to a metal table in a stark room. He is an engineer who was convicted for the deaths of seven workers at a solar thermal power plant in Africa, a project he was overseeing. The accident occurred when a control room operator activated the entire mirror system during a virtual test, instantly vaporizing the workers in the tower. Redell was not present at the time; he was in Monaco on a three-month vacation, gambling away embezzled funds. He admits to the embezzlement but insists the deaths were an accident, not his fault. Stratt, however, cuts through his excuses, forcing him to acknowledge his negligence. She then pivots to the reason for her visit: Redell's anonymous email about a concept he called "blackpanel." Stratt reveals that she knows the email came from the prison's computer lab, and she offers to reduce his jail time if his idea proves useful.

Redell's Blackpanel Concept

Redell explains that blackpanels are a scalable method for breeding Astrophage. The design consists of a square of anodized black metal foil, covered by clear glass with a one-centimeter gap, sealed with insulating materials. Placed in sunlight, the black foil absorbs heat and reaches an equilibrium temperature well over 100 degrees Celsius, which is sufficient to enrich Astrophage. While a single one-square-meter panel produces only about half a microgram of Astrophage per day, Redell's insight is that the Sahara Desert, with its nine trillion square meters of land, could be paved with trillions of these panels. He argues that this would produce the two million kilograms of enriched Astrophage needed for the Hail Mary mission within a few years. He also details how the panels would incorporate a static magnet to simulate the sun's magnetic field and an IR filter to emit the carbon dioxide spectral signature, triggering the Astrophage's breeding cycle. Stratt, after hearing the plan, decides to draft Redell into the project, overriding his protests by threatening to have the Swiss Gendarmerie drag him to the airport. Grace, witnessing the exchange, notes that Stratt's authority is absolute and that Redell has just been "drafted."