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 4
Kay's mood was improving so quickly it was noticeable. Tommy glanced at him quizzically.
"I like Fieras," Kay replied.
"You're an alcoholic."
The human settlement wasn't large, a five-kilometer blot around the spaceport. Hills, the typical landscape of Fieras, made this modest area a more acceptable place to live for two hundred thousand humans… and yet the city seemed more crowded than the Endorian megalopolises.
"Keep up," Kay said, making his way through the crowd. The white dome of the customs building was far behind them, seemingly tiny among the towering skyscrapers. Not a single car, just people, people everywhere. Cities of such size and population only permitted police and medical flyers.
Tommy trailed Kay. He, justifiably, considered himself strong, but, in a crowd this big, it was more useful to stay behind a living tank.
There were faces all around them. The gloomy faces of the settlers, the excitedly awed faces of the tourists. Colorful clothing, patterned tattoos, strange-looking gleaming jewelry (or amulets).
After a few minutes, he started telling groups of people apart in the crowd. Trios of locals, a woman and two men, a clear indication of the influence of Mrrshan familial stereotypes. Tightly packed clumps of tourists from provincial planets, clearly afraid of getting lost… as if it was possible to get lost in the tiny city.
"Where are we going?" Tommy asked. They were just passing a wine restaurant, built in the shape of a traditional Mrrshan dwelling, a three-sided pyramid.
"Well, you're no longer a boy, like back on Ursa, so I don't need to take you to a souvenir ship," Kay replied. "How about some wine?"
"I don't think you're the only one thinking about wine," Tommy noted. There was a sizable line leading to the entrance of the restaurant.
Dutch grimaced.
"These are dupes who are about to drink some slop. Let's go."
They walked for another half-hour. The city ended suddenly, as if an invisible wall cut off all the skyscrapers and concrete roads. The hills were covered in multi-colored pyramids of Mrrshan dwellings… separated from the human settlement by a row of warning signs. The symbol, a human figure with a line going through it, required no explanation.
Kay walked calmly past the poster.
"Dutch!" Tommy froze. "It's forbidden!"
Kay turned to him, "The border of the Imperial settlement is not equal to the territories belonging to the Mrrshans. This is a neutral zone, five kilometers outside the law. Let's go."
There were no roads here. Just grass, too thick and smooth to grow this way on its own. The homes seemed empty. Only one of them had three figures sitting in front; with some surprise, Tommy realized that they were two Mrrshans and a human woman. The trio watched them go with curious gazes but said nothing.
Tommy calmed down a little.
Kay was walking ahead, somehow navigating in this mess of similar pyramids. No numbers or signs… or was the coloring acting as the signs?
"Kay…" Tommy was almost running, trying to keep up. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"
"We're almost there," Dutch turned to a bright blue pyramid at the top of a hill.
Fieras's sun, slightly smaller but hotter than the Terran one, standard for the human race, was scorching them from the cloudless sky. Tommy was sweaty and was trying to catch his breath by the time they reached the narrow triangle of a shade.
"Fix your hair," Kay spoke tersely, glancing at him. He took out a comb and fixed up his own hair, quickly and precisely. "It's the least we can do to suit the Mrrshan etiquette."
There were probably sensors in the walls of the home. Kay hadn't touched the blue plastic panels and said nothing more, but the wall opened silently.
"Let's go," Kay took the first step into the darkness. "There's a slope here, be careful…"
The pyramid turned out to be just a cap, covering a tunnel that went down at a steep angle. Unseen lights were dimly illuminating this stairs analog, but it was difficult to walk. The rough ribbed floor helped, but the angle of descent was too great, and the low ceiling forced even Tommy to duck.
"Get down on all fours," Kay suggested.
"Is that normal?"
"More than normal, it's a gesture of respect."
After a moment's hesitation, Tommy followed his advice. Kay himself continued to walk, bending his body unnaturally.
"Elevators are more comfortable," Tommy informed him after a minute. He felt like an idiot.
"We're guests," Kay answered dryly. "When on Fieras…"
The tunnel ended about ten meters later, opening into a small round hall. Tommy straightened, surprised to notice that the walls and the ceiling were earthen. But several small lamps on the floor provided fairly decent lighting.
A Mrrshan lay curled up at the far wall. His fur was the color of dark gold, his ears twitched slightly but did not rise. The alien was old… Mrrshans used aTan but to a very limited extent.
"I greet you, my childhood friend," Kay said, lowering himself to the floor.
Having barely managed to straighten himself, Tommy hurriedly followed his example. The Mrrshan continued to lie, only his bleary eyes stared at Kay.
Dutch started speaking again.
Mrrshan speech wasn't considered difficult. In fact, it was the second most understood language after the Bulrathi combat dialect.
But it was considered virtually impossible to reproduce all the shades of the intonations that carried not the meaningful but the emotional portion.
Just then, Tommy thought that Kay had crossed the boundary of what a human was capable of.
He couldn't understand a word. The expressions he had learned in his crash course had been altered beyond recognition. Dutch was clearly not trying to follow the approved patterns, instead choosing to improvise, changing the word order and the possible endings with complete freedom. This was forbidden by every handbook, as a tiny mistake could turn a greeting into an insult, and a wish for good health into a curse. In order to speak as Mrrshans did, one had to think like the aliens, be an alien.
That was exactly what Dutch was doing.
"I greet you, my little friend," the Mrrshan said quietly in Imperial Standard. "I didn't need any proof, your face has been altered, but your smell is the same," he rose from the floor, took a few steps on all fours, and then straightened with visible effort. At old age, it was difficult for Mrrshans to maintain a vertical posture. Kay also rose slightly and crouched, ending up on the same level as the Mrrshan, then he bowed his head. Tommy rose slightly as well; the floor stunk of wet fur.
"I am pleased that you are alive and grown," the Mrrshan said, lowering his thin hand on Dutch's head. "Do you have enough food and time, Kay?"
"Yes, Jassan. Are you fed, and can you think?"
"Thank you, my little friend."
"Has your mind not grown as decrepit as your body? Are you able to think clearly and maintain the cleanliness of your fur?"
Tommy broke out in a sweat.
"Thank you, my little friend. I am still able to think and speak. It is growing more and more difficult to be tidy, but I am holding on."
"Allow me to care for you, Jassan."
"May it please you, Kay."
Dutch passed his hand several times over Jassan's face, either smoothing out the fur or just stroking the Mrrshan. Then his fingers clenched, there was the sound of a flick, and he threw something tiny away.
"Parasites have not been given us for naught," the Mrrshan said. Tommy didn't immediately notice that he was the one being addressed. "How else can we show our love for one another, if not by killing enemies?"
As if in a dream, Tommy took a step towards the Mrrshan.
"Allow me to care for you, friend of my friend," he said in a strangled voice.
Jassan glanced at Kay.
"No, not my son, but my friend," Dutch said. "Semmato. He wishes to please you, but he is still young and inexperienced."
"Sit, boy," the Mrrshan said softly.
Tommy lowered himself to the floor, his eyes not looking away from Jassan.
"Why are you content with a foster son, Kay?" the Mrrshan inquired. "Do you have problems with your potency, or is your life meager and dangerous?"
"My life is dangerous, friend."
"I am proud of you. What has forced Kay Dutch to go against the Human Emperor?"
"Fate, Jassan."
"Do you need my help?"
"No, Jassan. I wanted to see you at the end of my path, that is all."
"You are no longer a boy, Kay," the Mrrshan said gently. "You have grown… I am glad."
"Would you find a sip of wine for us, Jassan?"
"My home is small and sorrowful, but I can find anything for you here, Kay."
The Mrrshan produced a whistling sound, something like a shout or a call. Another Mrrshan, far larger than Jassan but with the bright fur of a youngling, appeared from out of an unseen opening in a dark corner.
"Be as happy as I am," Jassan said, still in Imperial. "Bring him everything old creatures, who have become young in conversation, need. Show your upbringing."
The Mrrshan crouched before Kay. His hands ran through the human's hair.
"Mesmato, I thank you," Kay said. "Bring good wine, I will kill you if it is bad. Be happy, I will stomp on you if you are sad."
The Mrrshan darted into the corner. Tommy thought he heard the rustling of crumbling earth, indicating that the tunnel was clearly very narrow.
"You have a good son," Kay noted.
"One of my most successful," Jassan nodded. "From my sixth daughter, she's beautiful."
"My friend is as strong as before," Kay said. "It is excellent that you can still produce offspring. I am pleased. When I wish to rest, I will ask your daughter for love."
The Mrrshan and the human laughed quietly.
Tommy remained silent, watching them. This was a good lesson.
An alien-hating human could become one of them with the ease impossible for the entire Imperial Diplomatic Academy.