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 12
Officially, they were in free space. Beyond the Silak System, human ships could come under Silicoid attack, but merely their presence there wasn't an act of aggression. Such were the laws of the galaxy after the Vague War.
The Silicoids continued to ignore the uninvited guests.
"Their fleet is regrouping," the captain of the Hound reported. "They'll send their ships to different bases. Who are we going to pursue?"
He wasn't too concerned about Kal's plans. The instructions he had received from Lemak allowed him to avoid combat. The Captain had no intention of participating in the suicide this ISS woman seemed to be intending.
Isabella remained silent. If an attack on Layon might have had a chance to succeed, then assaulting the Silicoid homeworld was utter nonsense. There were too many defensive stations, planetary bases, warships…
"They're all here then?" Kal asked.
"Pretty much."
"Meaning?"
"The fleet dropped a tiny craft of some sort into real space when passing close to Tauri. A recon probe or a patrol boat."
"Be more specific!"
"If these were human ships, I'd have guessed it was an express pod." The Captain was beginning to lose his temper. To his surprise, though, Kal was satisfied with the answer.
"We're heading back. Our new destination is Tauri. I want that pod."
None of her words conveyed her emotions. Had they lost time? Sure. But what could they have done if communication in hyperspace was impossible? One chance in thirty-two thousand? That was all right. There were no chances here at Silak at all.
Kal was frequently saved by a quality that could only be called a "gut". She had invested too much effort and too many nerves in the chase to allow Arthur Curtis to disappear into the hands of the Darloks or in a Silicoid dungeon. She would get him, the boy who knew too much.
Neither her subordinates nor the marines expressed any surprise, when the three ships jumped into hyperspace again. They were getting used to the chase for the sake of the chase.
The flyer, a transparent oval, suspended from the disk of the gravity drive, landed in a clearing. Kay opened the cabin and jumped down onto the grass. A hundred paces away, the yellow house could be seen through the trees. There was a sweet smell coming from the endless gardens. It was warm, but only moderately, without a hint of a heat.
If there was one planet Kay Dutch could have loved, it was Tauri. Maybe that was the reason he had left it twenty years prior.
While in the city, Kay had gone shopping and was now dressed in local fashions. He knew that neither his colorful shorts nor the loose collarless shirt would make him look like a native; his face and his build were all wrong. But at least he was no longer sweating in his business suit. And the cut of the shirt was doing a great job hiding the shoulder holster with his Bumblebee.
Kay headed for the house, whistling a tune flatly, which, however, could still be recognized by a native of Shedar's Second Planet. The upbeat anthem of the lost planet was one of the few remaining strands of his memory.
He typically only recalled his home planet when there was serious trouble.
Arthur seemed to be waiting for him. He was straddling the veranda's railing, and Kay noted that he was barefoot and wasn't wearing his shirt. Tauri knew how to relax people, whether they were fishmongers from Maretta or co-owners of the aTan Empire.
"Hey!" Arthur shouted.
Kay smiled involuntarily. Just then, Curtis Jr. was more of a child than ever, but Kay Dutch almost loved this kid. He didn't yet know why, since he'd had plenty of quick-witted clients, but he could sense the feeling.
He wasn't even frightened by the inevitable loss of professionalism.
"Kay, have you seen their canals?" Arthur asked. He was full of impressions and wished to talk.
"We have a problem, kid." Kay preferred not to put off unpleasant news. Arthur's smile waned, but not completely.
"What happened?"
"I found a ship at the port… it's not bad, and the price is acceptable."
"So?"
"I wasn't able to buy it. We've spent too much money on Incedios: clothes, weapons, my healing, tickets to Volantis…"
Arthur furrowed his brow.
"The aTan card hadn't been refilled with money. Not a single transfer since our… hmm… departure from Terra. We're far from being poor, of course. But we can't afford a decent ship."
"The money had to have been—"
"Not a single new cred. You can check the card yourself, if you don't believe me. Arthur, did you and van Curtis discuss a situation like that, like a signal to retreat, for example?"
"No." Arthur easily jumped down from the railing. "The return signal is different. Honest, Kay!"
"I believe you. Then this raises the question: what does it mean?"
Curtis Jr. looked at his feet, picking the grass with his toes. Then he raised his gaze, "This means that your agreement with van Curtis has been terminated. Right?"
"Right," Kay confirmed hard.
Arthur looked through his bodyguard. He asked, "Can I have half of the money to reach Grail by regular transport ships?"
"Hold on." Kay put a hand on his shoulder. "My agreement wasn't just with Curtis Sr. I promised you something too, remember?"
Arthur was silent.
"Kid, I'll get you to Grail. But if van Curtis has changed his plans, then we'll have to go over new terms of agreement. It's a fair offer."
"What do you want, Dutch?" Arthur said wearily. "What can I give you? Immortals don't have heirs. I will never own aTan. I'm going to stay a boy forever, even if I grow a beard."
"I want three things, Artie," Kay crouched and looked up at Arthur, "information, a guarantee, and a promise. The latter you can fulfil when you're able… if you can."
"Go ahead."
"I want to know about the god from the machine and the Line of Dreams. At least in general terms. I want to be sure that, if we die, then van Curtis will keep his word…"
Arthur shook his head.
"…and resurrect me. If only for the eternal torture in his residence. Will you be able to describe my behavior to get him to want revenge?'
"Are you a masochist or something?"
"I want you to promise to help me escape, as soon as an opportunity presents itself. The rest is up to me. Your obligations end at that point."
"Kay, his words about the torture weren't an empty threat. Two of my escorts are already experiencing this very eternity."
"I believe you. That makes it easier for you."
"Kay, I don't want you to be tortured," the boy said seriously.
"Excellent. Then you'll help me escape. I wouldn't have received the reward in any case, right?"
Arthur stretched his hand out towards Kay and said, "The information will be in very broad terms. Agreed?"
Kay shook his hand.
"Go ahead."
Curtis Jr. looked around. Then he sat down in the grass next to Kay.
"There is an entrance into another dimension on the planet Grail."
Kay waited.
"This place is where the thing that can be called God is located."
"Why 'thing'?" Kay asked quickly.
"It's not a living organism. I told you, it's God from the machine."
"Why 'God'?"
"He… it… created our world."
"Be more precise, Artie."
"That's enough," Curtis Jr. snapped back. "I didn't promise to tell your everything."
"This is something… All right. What's this Line of Dreams? Why did the Silicoids decide that it will harm humanity?"
"It won't harm us. It'll just send our development down a different path."
"What is it?"
"A technical device…" Arthur trailed off and bit his lip. "Kay, do you want to know out of simple curiosity?"
"Of course not. I'm not overly fond of humans, Artie. But I like aliens even less. If the Line of Dreams will weaken the Empire, then I am terminating our contract."
"And killing me."
"I promised not to do that. It won't help anyway, right? What is the Line of Dreams?"
The boy closed his eyes. He asked, "Kay, let's do this differently. If we manage to reach Grail, then I'll tell you everything. Then you can decide…"
"What will that change?"
"I'm freeing you from your promise. After finding out the truth, you can kill me."
"I don't like the unknown," Kay said seriously. "Protecting you without knowing if it's worth doing is not the most pleasant task."
"Life in general is one big unknown."
Kay Dutch nodded, "All right. Let's say that we've come to an agreement. If I end up having to do it…"
"Then you'll do it painlessly." Arthur smiled.
"If I can, kid. But, in any case, I'll miss you."
"Do you mean that?"
Kay rose to his feet and lifted Arthur from the grass. They stood, looking at one another: a Super from a murdered planet and a clone from humanity's ancient homeworld. A man used to killing and a boy born to die.
"Let's go, you can show me the canals," Kay said. "You can brag about learning to dive."
"Did you swim in them too when you lived here?"
"There are no other bodies of water on Tauri. The whole planet has been restructured. Gardens, compensators, canals… four cities…"
"It's scary at first, right? And the water is ice-cold…"
"Everything is scary at first."
…From her room window, Henrietta Fiscalocci spent a long time watching them go. She liked strong people, and these two were very strong. Such men didn't sell fish from frozen planets, and such boys weren't raised in patriarchal clan-based societies.
A cover story, first and foremost, had to fit the personality, and only then look plausible. That was how she had been taught… a long, long time ago…
