This is a fan translation of Line of Dreams (Линия грёз) by the Russian science fiction and fantasy author Sergei Lukyanenko. The novel can be considered a fan fiction of the original Master of Orion game.

Part II

Bodyguards

Chapter 1

Vladimir Chen was on duty at the aTan facility on Incedios. He was the youngest one there, not even thirty years old. Moreover, he was still on his first life.

Night was falling, the feast of death. He was in the third hour of his shift. Old people were dying of illnesses, young people were dying of wounds, neurotics were taking their own lives, seemingly forgetting about their paid-up immortality. On any planet, it was the time of the most intense work. However, Incedios was too poor a world for that. Also, over the past month, a great many aTan owners had used up their immortality.

"Incoming signal," Chen said, pressing the general readiness button. Lines of text were appearing on the screen in front of him. The neural network transmitted its information instantaneously, but the deciphering process took time. Vladimir's partner Anna Horne pulled herself away from her magazine.

"Gertrude Khai… human… female…"

"Really?" Horne inquired.

"Citizenship: Incedios. Real age: forty-two, matrix taken at forty-one, past resurrections: one… Cancel that, her aTan is unpaid."

With the press of a button, Chen deleted the partly deciphered signal.

"Prepare a report," Horne said, getting back to her reading.

"Preparing." Vladimir's fingers started dancing over the keyboard. "Sad, right? She used to be a person, and now she's gone."

"Many are gone." Anna was getting tired of conversations like that. Her body had the maturity of a woman barely in her thirties. But she had lived for almost ninety years and had gotten used to perceiving the philosophizing of rookies as a quiet unavoidable background noise.

"After such shifts, you start treating thing differently: life, love, beauty…" Vladimir glanced to the side. Anna sighed and crossed her legs. The low chair demonstrated her from a very flattering angle. Unfortunately, Chen hadn't realized yet that Anna's disposition to him wasn't even maternal. Her eldest grandson was old enough to be Vladimir's father; besides, over the last few years, she preferred having sex with women. "You know, for me, our job isn't just discounted aTan and good pay," Chen went on, spurred on by Horne's silence. "You start to understand life. And I met new friends, met you…"

Horne put her magazine away. She thought suddenly that the only way to calm the kid down was to sleep with him. Maybe that would be less tedious.

Chen was out of luck, though.

"You have a second incoming signal," Anna informed him, rising from her chair. "And another one…"

Vladimir turned to the screen. The work was still interesting to him, and the brief irritation vanished instantly.

"Arthur Ovald… human… male… citizenship: Endoria. Endoria!"

"What has brought him all the way here?" Anna sat at the parallel console. "Probably a penpusher. A journalist."

"Plenty of their kind arriving," Chen agreed eagerly. "Real age: twelve…"

"Just a boy." Horne allowed herself a brief smile.

"Matrix taken… hah! At twelve… No past resurrections, aTan has been paid."

"Lucky boy." Horne even puckered her lips. "Maybe I should cut off a lock of hair. For luck."

Chen tensed and told a racy joke. Horne grimaced. Dirty jokes didn't suit Vladimir. Especially in regard to children.

"Another signal," Chen jabbered, feelings his chances for midnight sex plummet. "Kay Ovald… human… male… citizenship: Endoria. I bet you a cup of coffee that they're brothers."

"You owe me a coffee. Real age: thirty-five. Matrix taken at thirty-five. No past resurrections, aTan has been paid. Their ship must have suffered a failure. It's his dad, Chen."

"No necessarily," Vladimir replied without much certainty. "Anna, can you prepare the resurrectors?"

Horne glanced at him, preparing to tell him what she thought about careless employees who risked losing their discounted aTan and good pay. Then she decided not to say anything. Vladimir was so young… and so spiritedly foolish…

"Curiosity killed the cat, Vlad," she said, getting up. Later, when walking down the hallway towards the molecular replicator unit, Anna thought that everyone went through that phase. It was really interesting to watch the first thousand deaths. Then one realized that all of them were similar…

Left alone, Chen took a tiny chip from his pocket. After thirty seconds of fussing, he managed to connect it to the central computer. All that was left to decide was which person to start watching.

The technology, at least the technology available to him, allowed the recording of the data from the visual and auditory analyzer of the deceased. The result was a film, a strange but interesting one. Vladimir's conscience wasn't bothering him. After all, he'd brought these people back to life! Why shouldn't they share some of their memories?

"Let's start with daddy," he decided.

…Contrary to what Curtis van Curtis thought, the practice of recording "peepers", an old and innocent term, was practiced widely among his employees. Sometimes they were interested in more than just the final minutes of the clients.

From among the general array of information, Chen selected the last three days in Kay Ovald's life. Then he turned on the screen. At random.

The image was muddled, as usual. Some details were extremely clear and contrasting, while everything else was static and blurry. The whims of memory…

Kay Ovald was walking with someone through a forest. Then, very sharply, they came out to a seashore. Then to a thick hedge. Endoria looked like a planet of variety… Kay's companion was outside the field of vision, they barely spoke, so Vladimir switched to the final day. The fight with the Bulrathi, as well as many other events, remained unknown to him.

"Let's go to sleep. We've already checked the cargo…" a black-haired boy said, looking into Kay's face. His son, of course. At the thought of long hours of inventorying boxes and containers, Chen wanted to turn off the screen. However, he conscientiously made sure that the man and the boy went to different beds, after which, gnawing on a fingernail, he turned on the playback of the final minutes.

This was where his curiosity ended up being sated. Curtis's directors would be pleased; Vladimir Chen watched the spectacle of the disaster in space three times in a row. For an encore, he looked at the same events with Arthur's eyes twice. However, this recording was shorter and, therefore, far less interesting.

After reflecting on the horrors of space, Vladimir decided to keep the recording with Kay Ovald's last three days. His death in the void made for a great viewing, and he wanted to look at Endoria some more. He chose not to copy Arthur's memories.

The cat wasn't curiosity's only victim. Vladimir Chen was confidently moving towards the same fate.