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

Chapter 3

It wasn't a holographic copy that could be touched, merely a screen, and not even a 3D one. It was far easier to maintain secrecy when a small amount of information was being sent.

"I can't receive you, brother," Seiker said. Her face was pale and weary. "The Family is looking for you as much as the ISS. I wouldn't be able to keep your visit a secret."

"What about this conversation?"

"I'll try."

Dutch nodded. He was sitting and almost pressing himself against the screen. Tommy was sleeping in the seat next to his. The half a day of flying had worn both of them out, but Kay was forcing himself to stay awake.

"Then come to me. The ship is in geostationary orbit."

"The one with the black hole generator?"

"I don't have another. I've activated the stealth system, but I'll give you the precise coordinates."

"What do you think you're doing, Kay? These days, you're the most wanted criminal in the Empire. You're outside the law and beyond forgiveness. Just this morning, the Patriarch has officially excommunicated you from the Unified Will."

Kay laughed, "Come, Lyka. For our love that almost happened."

Seiker was silent. She had grown older over the past four years… and had probably become less sentimental.

"I don't know if I can trust you, Kay."

"I'm trusting you."

"You don't have a choice… Fine. The coordinates?"

Tommy woke up while Kay was listing them off. He glanced over his shoulder, trying to avoid the camera's pickup but make out the person on the other end. When the screen faded, he said quietly, "You know what she'll advise you to do. To kill my father."

"Not your father. The man whose cells were used to clone you."

"Uh-huh. When you say that, everything becomes crystal clear."

Dutch shifted in his seat, tilting it back to be more comfortable.

"Tommy, I'm going to sleep for an hour. Wake me up when her ship arrives."

"Sure."

"Can I be certain I'll wake up?"

"Yeah. Probably."

Without looking, Kay felt around the controls. The light in the cockpit was shut off, only a few of the screens were continuing to glow, creating an unclear gloom in the compartment.

"I'd prefer not to kill your father," he muttered. "Working against a former client is a violation of the League Code. Besides… I have absolutely no idea how to do that. Curtis is more invulnerable than the Emperor… he's not bored with life."

Tommy brewed himself some coffee, since the service units never made it right. He drank it, while sitting at the monitoring screens. It was lively in Gorra's orbits: clumsy tankers and barges, agile little ships of free traders, and other private craft. A few warships were circling almost at the edge of the atmosphere; with their engines, it did not present a problem.

There was plenty of metal in stationary orbits as well. Stations, docks, and a dozen ships that, for one reason or another, did not wish to approach the planet. Tommy spent half an hour scanning each of them, trying to figure out which of them were just pretending to be peaceful merchants, wrapping themselves into stealth fields like them. Then he started calculating the course of the ships taking off from Gorra.

When one of the dotted lines on the screen intersected their ship, he made more coffee. He placed the pot on a corner of the console free from any buttons, where dark circles intersected deep stains, and touched Kay's shoulder. Dutch opened one eye.

"They're coming," Tommy said. "Want some coffee?"

"Thanks… They're coming?"

"Two ships on a synchronized course. The first one is combat-capable but not Imperial."

Kay smiled wryly, "You know, when Lyka and I were little, we had this game called 'believe it or not'. Do you know it?"

Tommy shrugged.

"It's simple. One person swims far out to sea, with no biodetector, repellent, or weapons, only a radio. The other stands on a cliff with a biodetector and seeks out bladed morays and reef sharks. If anything comes up, they yell into the radio to swim back to shore or get onto the nearest sandbank. Warning about danger is mandatory. But raising a false alarm isn't forbidden either. Believe it or not. You have to sense when your friend is just joking, or when they're trying to save you."

"So?"

"Well… both of us are alive. Of course, both of us have been grounded plenty of times… only teenagers are allowed to play it…" Kay fell silent. "You know, Lyka never raised a false alarm. Not once. Even when I spent half a day sending her to the shore and back."

"Those were some fun games you had on Shedar."

"You bet…" Kay turned on the transmitter. He waited a moment for the link to be established and said, "Lyka. I don't believe you."

There was no reply. Dutch started to whistle a tune.

"Should I activate the weapon?" Tommy asked.

"We're too close to the planet. The orbital stations will detect the generator warming up. Relax."

The speaker came alive. There was no image, just the voice, "Do you remember the day of the evacuation, brother?"

"I do."

"One day to get ready, four hundred grams of personal belongings… Well, you can bring whatever you can carry. You have thirty minutes to prepare. Jump out in spacesuits, we'll pick you up. Leave the airlock open, unlock the controls. Keep in mind, we've got you targeted."

"Okay."

Kay cut the connection. He glanced at Tommy with slight surprise, "I believe her…"