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 V
Arguments and Chances
Chapter 1
The following morning was bright and warm, just like every other morning on Tauri. Arthur woke up with a slight pain in his back; even the local gentle sun could burn untanned boys. But this didn't ruin his mood.
Henrietta had made them breakfast. A real Taurian breakfast: a sweet fruit porridge, toasts with jam, soft-boiled eggs, and invigorating tea.
"Are they vegetarians?" Arthur asked Kay.
"No, but meat is traditionally eaten twice a week. It's also expensive."
"Are we going to be here long?"
"Three days. I'm going to go get tickets to Kailis today."
Arthur put away his teacup, "Where?"
"Kailis."
"The planet where you were killed?"
Kay nodded.
"I don't like it." Arthur shook his head. "If you've decided to settle a score along the way—"
"My ship is still on Kailis."
Arthur Curtis gave Kay a skeptical look.
"It's Altos's ship, and he's dead. How are you going to get it back?"
"I never leave the ship under my own name. I've had to depart planets under an assumed name, understand? All I have to do to get to the ship is enter a code."
"Kay, are you saying that you're not going to seek revenge on your killer?"
"Yes."
Arthur hesitated.
"It'll be good for you to visit Kailis," Kay mentioned. "You'll see."
"Fine," the boy gave in. "Just check the account when you're in the city. If there was a deposit made, then we're not going to Kailis."
"I will." Kay rose from the table. "What's your gut telling you? Is the local ISS office looking into us?"
"I'm not even sure anymore if they suspected us on Incedios or not, Kay, but Henrietta…"
"She's a clever old lady," he agreed. "But she doesn't give a damn about the ISS. All her guesswork is just mental exercise."
"She knows what a Needle is!"
"So do I, even though I've never been a member of a terror group. Artie, if a person led a fast-paced life and then settled on Tauri, then she's had enough of the intrigue and the shooting. Don't worry. Henrietta won't surprise us."
Kay would hold on to this mistaken assumption for another three hours. It would be much less for Arthur.
"Do you need a gun?" Dutch asked already at the door.
Arthur shook his head.
"Enjoy yourself to the fullest," Kay recommended, leaving. "Tauri is perfect for that."
Curtis Jr. spent almost an hour training on "his" veranda. Just because, he didn't have any bad feelings. He was practicing the even-numbered sets of synthesis-iodo exercises, the ones that were meant for defense. Iodo required little physical strength and was an ideal combat style for a teenager.
"Marettan!"
Arthur looked out the window. Rachelle stood by the porch with the disk of the "leash" thrown over her shoulder. Upon seeing Arthur, she smiled and waved her hand.
"Let's go for a walk!"
"Where?"
"You'll like it!"
Closing the window, Arthur put his sneakers on. He wasn't used to walking barefoot and had bruised his feet the previous day.
…Five meters from him, if one measured directly, Rachelle felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She turned around.
A silver mask with crystal lenses for eyes smiled at the girl. Its pink human lips moved, "Quiet, little girl."
A cold plastic hand stifled her scream. Marjan Mohammadi knew people's reaction to her appearance. In two steps, she half-pulled and half-carried Rachelle to the nearby apple tree. Without removing her hand, she aimed her stunner at the girl.
ISS officers weren't really supposed to use weapons on children. But Kal had let them know that all rules were suspended for the day.
"Nighty-night," Marjan said, walking to the porch. Kadar was already opening the door, and the barrel of his Argument 36 shifted a little peering into the narrow opening.
Clear, Kadar decided, entering the home. Marjan followed him in, feeling the Bulrathi's fast breathing behind her. He didn't want to be late for the start of the fighting.
"What the hell!" Fiscalocci exclaimed loudly.
The barrel of the Argument was pointing straight at her head.
"Shut up, you pepperbox." The mechanist took a step towards her. "ISS. Where is the man and the boy?"
Henrietta Fiscalocci glanced at the stairs, where Arthur stood frozen in place, unseen by Marjan. Her gaze was clear and serene.
"Girl, who's in charge of your brigade?"
"I am." Pushing past the Bulrathi, a blonde woman in powered armor entered the house.
"Get out!" Henrietta Fiscalocci said. "I'm a retired ISS colonel. My home is off-limits."
Arthur Curtis had to fight to keep himself from sitting down on a step.
Isabella hesitated for a fraction of a second, "Ahar, hold the old woman, she's not right in the head."
The Bulrathi placed a clawed paw on Henrietta's face and expressed a human-like smile.
"Check everything," Kal ordered. Her voice trembled; she was feeling a close victory.
Marjan slid down the hall. She threw a quick glance at the stairs that led up; no one there. A barely audible, even for the mechanist, sound forced her to alter her plans.
"Second floor, Kadar." Marjan turned away from the stairs and stared at the stained-glass door that led away from the hall. The sound was repeated. Marjan Mohammadi passed through the door without bothering to open it first.
It was a long and bright room. Bookshelves stood along the walls, optical disks gleamed in a transparent revolving rack. On the screen, Terran landscapes were changing silently; it was an educational program. A large black cat was sitting in a deep chair and staring at the screen.
Marjan pointed her stunner at it.
The cat hissed and leapt out into the open window, looking like the negative image of a lightning bolt. On its way, the cat managed to tap the player switch, and the screen went dark.
Mohammadi burst out laughing. So, the old hag was playing around with animal neurostimulation. Well, in that respect, Imperial laws knew no mercy. It was unlikely that the former ISS officer would risk filing a complaint about her colleagues' actions.
She passed through the room to another door. Stained glass shards were falling off her shoulders to the floor.
Louis Nomachi entered the house. He stared in surprise at the Bulrathi, who was gripping the mouth of the old woman in the chair.
"Take Ahar's place, "Kal ordered. "The old woman is senile. She thinks she's a retired ISS colonel."
Louis grimaced. He didn't like to get involved in conflicts with colleagues, even if they were from other planets or retired. But he wanted to argue with Kal even less. He approached the old woman.
Ahar released Henrietta and moved towards the stairs.
"You won't get away with this," the old woman informed them coldly.
Kadar went up to the second floor. The Argument in his hands was jerking its ribbed barrel nervously. Kadar peered into one room, then another… He saw neither Kay nor Arthur in them.
Could they be on the third floor? He saw a veranda through an open door; it was empty and quiet. Kadar waved and then decided to check the rest of the floor. He went past a table with dirty dishes for two (those bastards were definitely there) and went out onto the veranda. He immediately saw outlines of a small figure on the bed under the cover. Locating the target, the Argument 36 lowered the barrel.
Arthur Ovald. One down. Kadar aimed the polycharger at the kid's head. The Argument jerked in protest. Some kind of blocking circuit added by humane eggheads? Kadar didn't know, he hadn't yet had to shoot at children. With two quick movements, he disabled the intelligence unit and set the Argument to stun. The polycharger hardened, immediately dispelling the illusion of life.
Kadar pulled the trigger. He shifted his chin, activating the chest communicator.
"Superior, I got one of them."
"Who?"
"The boy. He was either sleeping or decided that he was safe under the covers."
"Check his condition." He could hear triumph in Kal's voice.
Kadar bent over the bed and pulled off the cover. He saw a rolled-up jacket, a crystal vase, and a dozen large orange apples. The view of the unelaborate still life had a strange effect on Kadar — he went into a stupor. No one had ever fooled him before with such a simple trick.
A kick to the knee convinced Kadar that his problems weren't over yet. He fell, and Arthur, sliding out from under the bed, performed a simple painful move. Before Kadar was able to tear his hands away from his groin, the boy pulled his polycharger away.
The worst thing for Kadar was that he had disabled the Argument 36's intelligence unit. Now the weapon obeyed anyone, like a run-of-the-mill gun.
"You need me alive," Arthur said, switching the polycharger to plasma mode with an uncomfortable ease. "But I don't need you."
Kadar squealed. He wasn't even scared, just embarrassed. As if following the squeal, the glass behind the boy shattered. T/san flew into the veranda, somersaulting. His large body immediately made the room seem cramped and fragile. A flexible multi-jointed limb tore the Argument out of Arthur's hands, while another gripped him tightly around the waist, pressing him to his metallic body.
"Punk," Kadar whispered, getting up. He was trembling from the humiliation. He didn't even think to thank the Meklar. He swung his hand and slapped the boy forcefully.
"No reason to do that, Kadar," Isabella said coldly behind him. Ahar stood next to her, his teeth bared in the creepy predatory smile. "Don't be a scatterbrain."
Biting his cheek, Arthur glared at them. His cheek burned, but there were no tears in his eyes.
"Where is Kay?" Isabella spoke with a completely different intonation.
The boy remained silent.
"Shall I interrogate him?" Kadar asked readily, raising his polycharger.
"You've done enough already," Kal snapped. "T/san, immobilize the boy."
The Meklar didn't need an external weapon. The armor scales on the cyborg's chest parted, there was a blue flash. Arthur slumped.
"Look for the adult," Isabella said, taking the kid from him. In her powered armor, she was almost as big as the Meklar, and Arthur seemed weightless and fragile in her arms. "This applies to all of you."
