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.


Chapter 8

There had been times when express pods were widely used. They were dropped by ships moving through hyperspace, calculating the course to make sure that the pod entered real space right next to a planet. Its single-use drive allowed it to decelerate, while the parachute system ensured a landing. The storage compartment could be filled with nearly a ton of cargo, or five-six people suffering from an excess of optimism.

The only thing the pods didn't ensure was reliability. The slightly flattened ceramic ball didn't have room for an auxiliary drive, resulting in pods burning up on reentry. There was no room for backup parachutes, resulting in pods slamming into the ground. There was no room for a reserve navigation system, resulting in pods missing planets and drifting away endlessly.

"If something goes wrong, we'll get back to Terra," Kay said, settling into his chair. Arthur didn't like his tone. He preferred to ask about something else, "Have you been to Tauri?"

"A few times."

"How is it?"

"A nice planet. You'll like it."

"Uh-huh," Arthur grumbled dubiously.

A tiny communication screen, which didn't even provide a three-dimensional view, lit up. They saw a Silicoid.

"Kay Altos, the Foundation has made a decision."

"Oh, my gods… Well, say it."

"The Silicoid Foundation is unable to make a final choice. It hands your fates over to the stability of creation. No Silicoid will take action to either help or hinder you, with the exception of this moment. Curtis reaching the Line of Dreams will be perceived favorably. As will him not reaching it. We entrust you to fate."

The pod jerked, the sudden g-forces forcing a strangled wheeze out of their throats.

"There's no need to… entrust us to fate so roughly…" Kay whispered.

The pod vibrated, like a car on a country road. The image on the screen vanished, since it was impossible for ships to communicate in hyperspace.

"If we get caught in their wake, we'll drop out several parsecs away from the star," Kay stated.

"As if I didn't know…"

The shaking subsided.

Numbers appeared on the screen, indicating that the navigation system was orienting the pod. Kay squinted, peering into the tiny text.

"Well?"

"Shit!"

Kay's fingers started dancing over the controls. For a moment, gravity vanished. Then the pod turned around, and thin whistling filled the compartment.

"What's going on?" Arthur shouted.

"If the engine doesn't fall apart during the afterburn maneuver," Kay took his hands away from the controls, "if the grav-compensator manages to swallow up all the g-forces, then we'll be on the ground in seven minutes."


The "hot scent" operators detected the pod being dropped off in the Tauri System. It was strange, but standard instructions recommended that they maintain the pursuit of the primary targets. The choice between thirty-two thousand ships and a tiny pod wasn't difficult; after all, they didn't know who exactly they were looking for.

The three human ships maintained their course.


The express pod had no external cameras and no windows. Silence indicated the end of their deceleration, a moment of freefall marked their grav-compensator being jettisoned, and a jerk spoke of the parachute opening. Then they were simply bobbing on air currents.

"We're actually going to land," Kay said in surprise. "Artie, if you really wanted a miracle, then here it is."

"I don't want anything…"

"Not a good sign. Artie, do you want to tell me about the Line of Dreams?"

"No, I don't."

"You're going to have to," Kay promised him.

The pod shook once more.

"Welcome to the planet," Altos said, unbuckling the straps. The pod was standing lopsidedly, so they had to climb to the ceiling to reach the hatch. Then again, this has been anticipated, and several handholds simplified the task. "Do you know that pods like this one were used to drop marines during the Vague War?"

"I don't believe it," Arthur said, extricating himself from his straps. He glanced at the screen and asked suspiciously, "Are you sure I'm going to like this planet?"

"Why? What's wrong?" Kay removed the final lock and swung the hatch open. Heavy flakes of snow and an icy wind burst into the pod.

"It's twenty-three below zero," Arthur informed him, zipping up his jacket.

Kay stared through the hatch in a stupor. Beyond him was the darkness, filled with a snowstorm.

"That's impossible," he said quietly. "Tauri's a garden planet."

Pulling himself up, Kay sat on the edge of the hatch, blinked several times, getting used to the darkness. All around them, there was untouched deep snow, a melted circle of which surrounded the pod. Not a single star could be seen through the thick clouds.

"Are you sure you didn't mistake Tauri for another planet?" Arthur asked, following him out. The cold gave the boy a friendly embrace, and he shivered.

"I've lived here for two years… after the penal colony. There are no winters on Tauri, the planet has been conditioned to Eden class…"

For the first time, Arthur saw Kay at a loss, frightened even. His bodyguard wasn't afraid of anything real; Altos was scared of the unknown.

"What's that light, Kay?"

A dim purple glow was breaking through the falling snow. A distant wall of light, rising up into the sky…

"Oh hell!" Kay burst out laughing. "We've managed to land in a compensator, Artie!" His optimism was back incredibly fast. He held Arthur by the waist and jumped down into the snow.

"What are you talking about?"

"Take a guess."

Cracking came from under the pod. The burnt sphere shuddered.

"Got it," Arthur said, running away. They stood about ten meters away, watching the express pod fall through the ice. Black water splashed, freezing instantly. The snow was already starting to cover up the fresh ice.

"Can you walk five kilometers?" Kay asked.

"Let's go," Arthur replied, hiding his chilled fingers in pockets. He didn't need an explanation: the compensation zones of planetary climatizers were ten kilometers in diameter. The eternal summer, which Kay had claimed was present on Tauri, was ensured by a few hundred zones of eternal winter.

At first, they walked fast. The snow slowed them down, occasionally reaching Arthur's waist. Kay went ahead, cutting the path like a bulldozer. The shock from the chain of quickly changing events hadn't yet allowed them to feel the cold to its fullest extent.

"Good job with the Silicoid," Arthur said.

"Don't speak and breathe through your nose," Kay cut him off. His figure ahead was becoming clearer, as his eyes were getting used to the darkness, and as the snow was starting to stick to the gray fabric of his suit.

Then they got lucky: they entered a section without any snow, only ice, smooth as glass. Apparently, this part of the compensation zone had been cleared recently, removing the excess of frozen water into irrigation systems. Kay fell twice, and Arthur three times. Waving his arms, Curtis Jr. gradually learned to maintain his balance. But it was still easier to walk on ice.

When they once again entered a snowy section, Arthur felt that his numb fingers were no longer obeying him. It was very difficult to hide his hands into his pockets, but even that didn't help much. Then he fell, as his legs didn't seem to want to bend.

"Kay, I'm going to give up soon," Arthur said, standing up from the fluffy snowy cover. It seemed very soft and temptingly comfortable.

"By my count, you were supposed to break halfway here," Kay turned and said dryly. His face was as cold as ice.

"Meet you back on Terra?" Arthur asked, sitting down in the snow.

"Probably." Kay Altos glanced at the boy, who had closed his eyes, then at the purple glow that surrounded the compensation zone. They had three kilometers to go.