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 10

"I have a direct channel to the alien headquarters!" the communications officer looked at Lemak questioningly.

"Activate it," the Admiral stepped into the camera pickup field. His knowledge of the Mrrshan language wasn't particularly great, so he was hurriedly putting together an appropriate greeting. They were about to be problems… an unplanned "good will visit" was not the most pleasant news for any race.

"L-lemak!" the Mrrshan on the screen did not waste time on etiquette. He also did not intend to trouble the Admiral with linguistic experiments either, especially since his own Imperial Standard was pretty good. Only the periodic doubling of consonants grated the ear. Could it be a sign of agitation? "You are j-just in t-time."

"Really?" was all the Admiral could answer. If he were facing a Klackon, he would have decided the statement to be subtle irony. But Mrrshan jokes were far cruder than that.

"Seven minutes ago, Kay D-dutch took off f-from your spaceport. It seems there were b-big problems there," the Mrrshan grinned. "Would you like his c-course?"

"Is he still in the atmosphere?"

"Yes. So do you want the c-course, or are your just going to hover in the t-targeting sights of our bases?"

"Thank you. We are ready to receive the data," Lemak nodded to the operator. The conversation was already being recorded, but it was better to play it safe.

The man who had dealt the most painful blow to his pride was in his clutches.

"Do you r-require our help?"

"No, thank you."

"We v-value our friendship with the H-human Empire," the Mrrshan declared solemnly. "Please forgive my p-poor language, but I am s-suffering from a s-stutter."

Lemak, who had been trying to make out the room behind the Mrrshan—it didn't matter that his analysts would re-watch the recording a hundred times—wasn't even surprised by such a trivial explanation of the Mrrshan's odd speech patterns. The latter nodded once more, and the image changed. The screen was now showing colorful moving lines of encoded data packets.

The transmission ended two seconds later. Lemak went up to the circumplanetary navigation officer, whose screen was already showing the decoded numbers.

"They used their AL-7 military cipher," the navigator informed him with mild surprise. "As far as they're aware, we don't know it, Admiral!"

"There's no time for another request," Lemak was able to hold his irritation back. Those damned foxes always managed to benefit from everything… almost like humans. "Take the ship there."

"Seven minutes to intercept," the navigator informed him.

Lemak took his chair. He threw a sideways glance at Arthur, who was sitting motionless in the chair next to his. Mohammadi was standing, since her reaction and strength allowed her to stay on her feet, even if the compensators failed to dampen the ship's maneuvers.

"Well, I guess you were right."

Arthur nodded without taking his eyes off the screen. He wasn't in the mood to talk, but Lemak wanted to speak his mind.

"It looks like we'll take Kay. Our Super turned out to be not that lucky."

Curtis Jr. looked at the Admiral, and a strange smile illuminated his face, "I was his luck, Lemak."

The Grasshopper's drive could only work in emergency mode for a short time. They were approaching the acceleration trajectory, and Tommy was monitoring the viewscreen, his eyes half-closed. The planet was starting to take on a three-dimensional shape, a tiny speck of dust in the ocean of space, yet another of their would-be graves.

"We'll make it," Kay said in a low voice. "We have to. Tommy, calculate the jump!"

Without much excitement, Tommy switched the monitor to navigation mode. The primitive hyperdrive's course programs were just as primitive, so they couldn't even hope to achieve an ideal course. Any path that suited the drive's power level and lasted less than five days would work for them.

"Did we kill a lot of people?" the young man asked, scanning one screen after another.

"Plenty."

"Is anything going to happen to your friend?"

"If I know the Mrrshans, no. He can always claim ignorance and cite the norms of hospitality."

"Then he's the exception to the rule… typically, your friends don't fare well."

"Keep working."

"I am. We have a course. A three-day flight."

"Enter it."

Kay was silent for a few moments, then asked, "Time to enter the jump?"

"At least an hour. The gravity field is too strong."

"That's very unpleasant."

Tommy's gaze switched to his screen. Two lines on it were steadily coming together.

"We don't even have five minutes, kid."

The computer beeped joyfully, completing the identification of the approaching ship. A command destroyer. Three interceptors, meant to obliterate or intercept small ships, hadn't yet detached from her hull, but that only took a second.

"We can't escape?" Tommy asked for some reason. Kay left the stupid question without an answer. He took his hands off the control panel, not even trying to change course.

The speaker came alive.

"Dutch, I know you can hear me."

Making himself more comfortable in his seat, Kay stared into the gray covering of the wall.

"Don't try to flee. And don't resist, it's pointless."

Without looking, Dutch reached his hand out, and the voice was reduced to a barely audible whisper.

"You know, I think I understand why they try to put windows in ships," he said. Tommy stared at him in confusion. "Sometimes," Kay spoke very quietly, as if it was a great secret, "it's nice to be able to see the stars."

There was a sudden jerk. It was fairly gentle, but they could clearly sense the rising force.

"They have good tractor beams."

"Kay, what's going to happen to us?"

Dutch shrugged.

"An arrest. Third- and fourth-degree interrogations. A trial. Multiple executions."

Gravity was no longer absent inside the ship. They were being pulled through space, spinning like a splinter in a maelstrom, and the floor, the ceiling, the walls kept changing positions every second. Their propulsion had automatically shut off for a while now. Only the hyperdrive console was lit up by readiness lights, which was pointless this close to the planet.

"Kay, it's too bad I haven't been able to grow up," Tommy said, when the destroyer's hull filled the entire screen. This had happened once before… but back then they still had their will and hope.

Dutch understood him.

"Don't worry. You were still a good friend."

After that, they waited in silence. Kay spun his blaster in his hands, then put it back into the holster. Professionals didn't kill without a reason. It wasn't as if they had a chance of defeating a boarding party anyway.