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 10

The off-road vehicle was old, and Kay wouldn't trust its autodriver even on a city highway. This road was getting worse and worse; if the first few kilometers had clearly been built by aTan along with their structures, then the rest had been handled by the planetary authorities.

"We'll drive by the capital," Arthur said. "There's a motel marked on the map, we can buy some food. Then we're heading into the mountains… while the engine is still running."

Despite Kay's expectations, only Tommy had fallen asleep, wrapping himself in a blanket on the backseat. Arthur was sitting in front, next to Kay, cheerful and happy. He was barely glancing at the map, probably knowing it by heart.

"We don't have time to change cars."

"Understood."

They had purchased the vehicle at a rental station near the aTan facility, after waking up an elderly, completely uncurious guard. Kay had faithfully paid out the full price of the rattletrap, knowing he was unlikely to bring it back. Clothing and weapons (Convoys and a stunner) they had bought at the aTan shop. The salesperson hadn't been present, of course, but Karen filled in for him. Despite the feeling of attraction between them, Kay hadn't been able to convince her to sell him a Bumblebee.

Then again, he had no intention of fighting. The safest option was to run, so Kay was gunning the worn rattling engine at a hundred kilometers per hour.

"Can I take a chocolate bar?"

"Go ahead…"

The boy had managed recline in the seat, stretching out his legs towards the windshield. At the moment, he was staring into the night, while rustling the wrapping foil. The yellow fans of headlights were sweeping through the empty road.

"If I hit the brakes, you're going to fly out through the windshield," Kay warned him.

"Nah, I buckled up. But you should slow down anyway, there's going to be a dirt road soon. Plus, we might miss the motel."

"Hungry?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. But that's just from the memories. I haven't had anything but injections for two weeks; tired of that."

"I hurried to save you."

"Forget it, Kay, everything turned out fine. Both of us messed up on Tauri."

Kay Dutch threw a sideways glance at Arthur. He was finishing chewing his chocolate bar, moving the toe of his foot on the windshield. For some reason, he had picked out the same clothing as on Incedios, and Tommy had simply repeated his order.

"You've grown, my king," Kay said.

"Really? What makes you say that?"

"You turned away from death, which had always been your easy way out of trouble."

"But we still ended up dying."

"True, but even that was our own choice."

A weak orange light glimmered ahead of them; it was the motel sign. Kay slowed down and said, "I still can't understand why both of you were brought back. The computer doesn't care that the same person has died twice, at the same time. Let's assume that's true. But aTan had been paid for only once!"

Arthur burst out laughing, "Kay, you're forgetting one small detail. While on aTan premises, the resurrected possess temporary immortality."

"Damn…"

"When the computer has confirmed that one of us had a right to be resurrected, he became subject to the temporary immortality rule. So, when examining the second signal, the computer permitted the resurrection precisely because of that. In the log, this event will be marked as 'death at a company facility for unclear reasons'. A rare case, but even if there were seven of us instead of just two, all seven would've been brought back."

At the motel, a low wooden structure, near which there were several parked vans, Kay woke up the owner, and his savings took another blow. Local produce was inexpensive on Grail, but the owner had flayed him for triple the price for an illegally sold fusion carbine.

"Do you want me to drive?" Arthur asked, when Kay came back with a heavy bag.

"Sure."

Dutch climbed into the backseat, which was wide enough to accommodate both him and Tommy. It was warm there, as Arthur was using only rear-wheel drive on the even road. Tommy grumbled something in his sleep and pressed against Kay.

"By the way, your contract has been fulfilled," Arthur noted. "I'm on Grail… two of me, in fact."

"Are you sure you won't need my services anymore?"

"Pretty sure."

"Still, I'd prefer to escort you to the end. Do you remember our little agreement?"

"I do."

Arthur was driving very smoothly, and Kay was soon asleep. He had been really, really tired. His client considered the contract fulfilled, but Dutch didn't believe in his reward. He no longer had any money, ship, or immortality.

At the very least, he could save his strength.


At the rental station lot, which was small and unlit, Kal quickly walked around a dozen cars, waiting for the end in expectation of wealthy immortals. Then she entered the owner's building, spent several minutes there, and came back out into fresh air.

It was indeed easy to breathe here, and the cool night was as invigorating as a cup of strong coffee. Kal was sitting on the hood of a sporty Torero and looking up at the sky in search of the fast and bright star that was Lemak's destroyer. The Milky Way was shining as a diamond scattering over Grail.

"Lucky," Kal said to the sky. "Why is he so lucky, huh?"

The sky didn't answer, and only the sparks of meteors flashed overhead.

"Even fools get unlucky only occasionally," Kal went on. "When they are needed by smart people. That fat bastard didn't pay for his aTan, who could have guessed?"

An even hum came from the city the locals called their capital. Isabella waited for the medical service flyer to land and then hopped off the hood. A doctor was removing his bag, which had gotten caught on the seat, from the vehicle.

"What happened?" he asked, throwing a brief glance at the woman. In the dim lighting of the cab, his unshaven face looked even sleepier than he actually was.

"The old man has died," Kal said.

"I'm sure his insurance… What the hell? What am I, an undertaker?" The doctor turned around, leaving his bag alone. The woman came close enough for him to look into her eyes.

All he saw were madness and death.

"No, you're his client," Kal said. The rapid-fire laser in her hands spat fire. Kal shifted her aim to the pilot and saw his face shudder.

"Miss…"

"Get out."

"Why?"

"Now."

Stiffly, the pilot left his seat. He was so obedient that he even walked away from the flyer, following the woman's nod. A hundred meters away were the glowing lights of the entrance into the underground aTan facility, the festive gleam of eternal life, forgotten fears, and new hopes. It was the last thing he saw.

"I really need the flyer," Kal said either to the sky or to the people she'd killed, getting into the still-warm seat. She could have commandeered any vehicle on Grail, but her badge had been left behind on the destroyer.