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Chapter 1
Time flew by with surprising slowness, despite the fact that Iida loved to travel and usually enjoyed such intervals of calm between her affairs. Sunrays shimmered beautifully, playing with reflections on the cabin walls, passing through the lowered light filters and creating an atmosphere of warmth and comfort she had already begun to forget.
Finishing her small makeup, which at her young age was more of a professional necessity, she looked attentively through the ship’s portholes at the majestic star of the Solar System, growing larger before her eyes. Undoubtedly, it was one of the most beautiful in this interstellar cloud, and anyone who had seen it even once forever kept that moment in their memory.
Iida took off her soft robe and put on the service uniform of an officer of the Galactic Council’s Internal Space Intelligence, which gracefully fitted her flawless athletic figure, and light boots.
She was one of the brightest representatives of her people: tall, slender, with large eyes shimmering with living gold, a slightly upturned and delicate nose, and black hair drawn tightly into a neat knot. She was modest and entirely devoted to her work. It was hard to imagine that behind that open face and seemingly innocent gaze hid a powerful analytical mind and a readiness to act in unexpected, and sometimes even highly dangerous, situations.
Many years ago, after completing the mandatory training required of long-range space explorers, she, one of the best students, was noticed by Iuma, the head of the Council’s Space Intelligence, who invited her to join their ranks. For proud Iida, who had grown up in an ordinary family without any privileges and who was not inclined to accept the attentions of high-ranking admirers, there could be no greater honor, and she gladly accepted the offer.
Soon she became Iuma’s right hand, and over time, Iuma grew to value more and more the lively mind and sense of responsibility of her young assistant. Iida always managed even the most complex and tangled assignments. And now she had been secretly sent to Fraal, the Blue Planet, to assist Tarion, one of the Council members, in investigating the recent circumstances surrounding the emergence of the Genomode.
Yet what troubled and stirred her thoughts was not the mission itself. She knew that among the group she was to work with was Maarv, her old friend. Once, they had trained together, and though perhaps something deeper than friendship had connected them, they had never spoken of their feelings.
Since their forced separation, they had neither met nor exchanged a single word.
Iida paced thoughtfully back and forth across the cabin, once again imagining how their meeting might unfold – the reaction of Maarv, and of the other members of the team as well, about whom she already knew more than enough from the materials and dossiers meticulously compiled by the Council’s intelligence services.
«Does he even remember me after all these years?» she thought almost aloud, frowning and stamping her foot in irritation. «And why should I suddenly care about it so much?!»
The stray thought, which had unexpectedly offered a simple answer to the question that had lodged in her mind, startled her. She forced it away with an effort of will, trying to focus on something else – it was time to prepare for arrival at the Station.
The enormous unmanned transport ship left by the Lyrians after the deactivation of the Genomode was at first adapted into a space transfer base near the moon of the planet. It was so large that it could easily hold several dozen of the biggest Vriinian cruisers and had its own adjustable gravity.
From the point of view of Abuun and his team of scientists, it was a very valuable acquisition for their forthcoming mission – to equip and prepare Fraal with everything necessary for humanity’s gradual emergence into the open world. The Earth Alliance showed great interest and, on its part, put all its efforts into the implementation of joint space projects and programs, assigning a large number of volunteers from among scientists and military personnel for this purpose.
For this reason, the base was gradually being transformed into a full-fledged station, with its hollow interior filled with multi-level decks containing living quarters, storage compartments, and guest docks for receiving numerous spacecraft. This Station was Iida’s destination, and it was there that she was to meet Tarion.
Until this moment she had never seen a Lyrian transport ship, and now she watched in wonder the vast, matte-white giant around which a lively swarm of various vessels was circling. Around the largest of them darted small transport robots, delivering or, on the contrary, taking away all kinds of cargo and supplies. What immediately caught the eye was the presence of several large Vriinian war cruisers. Their crews had been transferred to the Station, where, together with the humans, they carried out security duties and maintained order.
Iida arrived on a small private ship, so the identification procedure took a little longer. Her vessel looked unremarkable and drew no attention. During the passport control, she introduced herself as an engineer-archaeologist who had arrived under contract to study and search for valuable minerals on the moon of the Blue Planet. All her documents were in order, and the Vriinian security officers had no additional questions.
Iida walked around the Station for a while to get a sense of the local atmosphere and finally saw humans – there were already quite a few of them there.
«Yes, we really are very much alike», she noted to herself with satisfaction. «It’s always more pleasant to work with a race that has so much in common with your own. To discover kindred beings in the nearby galaxies – what a rare stroke of luck!»
Several times she tried to contact Tarion, but without success. After a long wait in an almost empty yet quite comfortable hall, she decided to inquire about him at the information deck. To her great surprise, the holographic auto-informer reported that Tarion, along with the entire crew of the Armaon, was absent from the Station and that their current whereabouts were unknown.
«That’s strange», Iida thought, puzzled. «And that’s completely unlike the Councillor!»
Unexpectedly, the hologram came to life again and informed her that a room had been reserved in her name in the residential section of the Station, wishing her a pleasant stay.
«Well, at least that’s something», Iida thought, briskly straightening her shoulders. «Perhaps there I’ll find the answer to this sudden disappearance.»
The large lift quickly carried her up several dozen levels to the residential section. From the nearby establishments lining both sides of the level came an incredible mixture of aromas – a dizzying blend of foods and spices. The scents of the local cuisine were so intoxicating that Iida simply couldn’t resist dropping into the nearest diner – after all, when else would she have the chance to eat something other than synthetic food!
The main clientele consisted of lower-ranking military personnel and the station’s service staff. The little restaurant was quite spacious and reasonably clean. In addition, it was neatly decorated with live greenery, flowers and small trees, which added a pleasant touch of variety to the otherwise uniform style of the Station, where fiberglass and metal predominated.
Soon a brisk human waiter hurried up to her and, in fairly good Galacton, asked what she would like, listing the day’s specials from the menu. None of the names meant anything to her, so she asked him to bring her whatever her fellow countrymen usually ordered – those who had actually survived it and come back for seconds.
«Visitors like you don’t usually come in here», the waiter said in a low voice, glancing sideways at a nearby group of Vriinian soldiers. They were noisily arguing about something, clearly having had a bit too much of the local drink, and from time to time they cast curious looks in her direction.
«A little further down the street there are quieter, more respectable places», he went on. «You’d feel much more comfortable… and safer there.»
«Thank you for your concern», Iida replied with a light smile. «But I like it here and I can take care of myself. And please, just bring me something to eat already!» she added with such pleading sincerity, imitating such an extreme degree of hunger, that the waiter hurried off at once to place her order.
When he returned a few minutes later with the tray, he was astonished to find the soldiers scattered about in all directions, lying on the floor and groaning, while at the very center of the wreckage sat a graceful young woman, already a little bored, calmly brushing invisible specks of dust from her table.
Chapter 2
Iida walked with pleasure around the spacious hotel room. Even compared to her usual, more than comfortable cabin aboard the ship, which she had been furnishing to her taste over many years of regular journeys through different worlds, this place seemed very pleasant. She was especially impressed by the enormous bathtub that looked more like a small pool, and she even felt glad that she knew how to stay afloat quite well.
After carefully examining the room and finding nothing that even remotely resembled a clue or a hint left by Tarion, she finally approached the information panel and entered the command to listen to the stored messages. All of them were advertisements inviting her to visit various places on the Station, except for the last one, which turned out to be encrypted – an impartial artificial voice requested a password.
Iida smiled. «There can be only one password!»
«How many Rionians does it take to fix a burnt-out photonic core?» she said clearly.
A few seconds later, Tarion’s image appeared on the panel. It was obvious that he was in a hurry and nervous which was not typical of him.
«Hello, Iida», he said, still typing something on the panel. «If you’re hearing this message, it means something has gone wrong and I wasn’t able to meet you in person».
«That’s not a problem», he added with a smile, finally tearing his gaze away from the panel to look at the screen. «The important thing is that you’re here and, so far, you’re doing everything right. You’re about to receive the encrypted route of the Armaon, which can be recognized only by your ship’s systems».
After saying this, Tarion lowered his head again and continued typing hurriedly.
«I hope that old bucket of yours can make the trip without falling apart», he finally went on. «We need to leave the Station urgently, but I have no doubt that you’ll be joining us before long. Your experience and skills will be of great use to us! So, take care, and until we meet again.»
The short recording ended, and Iida fell into thought.
«Strange that Tarion had gone out of his way to emphasize the ‘old bucket’», she mused. «He knew that ship perfectly well, and to speak of it so dismissively was simply impossible – at least not for another fifty years or so. Which means he was hinting at some kind of danger… Perhaps I’d better check the ship for tracking beacons before departure – just in case.»
Iida glanced at her bracelet, which had begun to glow – the coordinates had been received.
«And what did he mean by my experience and skills?» she went on thinking, instinctively flexing her fingers. «That I’m being watched and should stay alert? But I’m often being watched, and I’m always alert! Typical Tarion… Always has to make things complicated!»
She shifted in the wide, soft chair, tucking her legs under herself and settling in comfortably.
Even before landing on the Station, her intuition had told her that she would hardly have time to be bored here. And if one took into account the fact that the restless Rionian Councillor was always in the very maelstrom of events, then even without any intuition one could already expect plenty of unforgettable impressions.
«Speaking of maelstroms and impressions!» Iida thought with a smile, stretching. «I think I simply have to get into that enormous bathtub and have a proper soak!»
Suddenly she reflexively held her breath, automatically activating the oxygen capsule around her head – years of rigorous training had taught her to recognize, in a split second and without error, the presence of a powerful nerve gas capable of bringing down its victim almost instantly.
She sprang to her feet and pressed herself against the wall. A second later, the entrance door crashed down with a deafening crack, and Vriinian soldiers in heavy black armor burst into the room.
«Take her!» one of them shouted in a commanding voice, pointing at the girl.
The soldiers rushed toward her as ordered, intending to take Iida down as quickly as possible, but they soon realized she not only matched them in strength and agility, she surpassed them in every way. Two of them were hurled against the opposite wall in an instant, one after another.
Now in full combat frenzy, Iida flung aside the attackers who tried to close in on her, deftly dodging their elongated shock batons, shattering visors, and using the dirtiest and most painful techniques she knew, taking advantage of the fact that they clearly wanted her alive.
The passageway was already littered with motionless bodies when something exploded in the outer corridor, collapsing a whole section of the wall. Through the gaping breach burst at least ten more soldiers, who immediately opened a barrage of fire with paralytic rounds.
With the last of her strength, Iida hurled herself toward the new group of attackers, but before she could reach them, she collapsed unconscious to the floor.
«Bind her and get out of here, quickly», the officer commanded, catching his breath. «The whole station’s gonna swarm here!»
«She’s not a girl – she’s a damn monster!» one of the surviving soldiers replied nervously, prodding the unconscious Iida with a paralyzing electro-shocker just in case. «She knocked out more than half our guys!»
Chapter 3
Iida regained consciousness and, without opening her eyes, began slowly coming to her senses. She tried to understand what was happening and to recall the last events. Judging by the fact that she could neither get up nor properly move her arms or legs, she was tightly bound and lay in a half-reclined position.
«The sensors show she’s awake», someone whispered loudly in Galacton. The voice clearly did not belong to a Vriinian.
To avoid guessing what was going on and not to strain her head, which was already splitting with pain, Iida tried to open her eyes. When they adjusted to the light, she saw someone standing beside her – a figure in a white medical jumpsuit, with a sloped and not quite symmetrical back, tapping in some commands on the control panel.
Sensing her gaze, he slowly turned toward her, and she recognized a smorg.
Iida winced involuntarily. Well, what could she do – with a splitting headache it was hard to stay politically correct. To put it mildly, this was not the most pleasant of races, neither visually nor in terms of the values Iida was used to.
The smorgs considered themselves brilliant scientists, and indeed they had made great advances in genetic engineering and biosymbiotic cloning. They could clone any living being, while their accompanying bioprograms and biorobots recreated not only the physical but also the mental likeness of the original.
In all civilized worlds, they were regarded as perverse sadists and monsters with an absurdly inflated sense of self-importance, and even the most reckless adventurers preferred not to deal with them unless absolutely necessary. Moreover, it had long been officially forbidden for them to engage in any kind of scientific research that violated the moral norms accepted throughout the Galactic Union.
However, by then, forbidding them anything had become meaningless as there were almost no smorgs left. Rumour had it that once, a deranged smorg scientist, while studying the Genomode, had accidentally modified it in such a way that it wiped out almost the entire population of the planets in their system. Only the inhabitants of a few small orbital stations had survived. After that, the smorg race found itself on the verge of complete extinction. Those who remained were largely unpredictable and viewed most things with their usual cold, pragmatic cynicism.
Judging by his appearance, this smorg was one of the most distinctive representatives of his kind – with a large, pale-ash, oval head, expressive cold eyes, three barely visible nasal slits, full black lips, and sharp, uneven teeth. His neck was almost nonexistent. From a torso of irregular shape extended long arms in glossy black gloves, while his massive, heavy legs gave an impression of awkwardness rather than true clumsiness. The smorg, of course, noticed Iida’s reaction.
«That’s all right, my dear», he whispered again in a loud, familiar tone, with a hint of wounded pride. «We’ll have time to become friends yet. Who knows – you might even fall in love with me. I’m quite the handsome one, after all!»
«Who can say», Iida tried to smile, still struggling to understand where she was. «Set me free then, since you’re so friendly! A mind like yours combined with such a charming appearance – how can I possibly resist the temptation?»
«I heard that before they captured you, you took down half the crew of a battle cruiser», the smorg said thoughtfully. «I may be handsome, but I’m not stupid – a rather rare combination, if I may say so», he added with a touch of pride. Like most of his kind, he suffered, to some degree, from a mild case of megalomania.
«Now that’s true enough», Iida agreed. «At least no one could deny you a certain sense of reason. Yes, I can get a bit irritable when someone tries to offend me. But ingratitude is definitely not among my flaws. Set me free, and I promise I won’t harm you.»
The smorg hesitated, as if weighing his options.
At that moment, a familiar voice of an officer burst from the communicator on the panel.
«You idiot! You were supposed to get information out of her, not make friends!»
«Smorg is not an idiot!» the smorg whispered, louder than usual. «A surface scan showed nothing, and a deep one could damage her brain.»
«All right, we’ll do this the old-fashioned way», the officer said as he entered the room.
«Now then», he continued, «state your name. Who are you, and what is your connection to the Armaon’s crew? Keep in mind, we already know quite a lot.» He gave a nasty grin. «And remember – wrong answers are not exactly encouraged here.»
«Interrogating a bound woman – that’s the height of military honor», Iida said mockingly. «I never would’ve thought the Vriinian code of honor meant so little to you.»
«We don’t belong to the military. We act on our own, and we couldn’t care less about the Vriinian code of honor», the officer replied with a malicious grin. Stepping up to the panel, he ran his finger across it.
A wave of searing pain washed over Iida. Her muscles seized in violent convulsions, and it felt as if her whole body were being torn apart. After a moment, the officer switched the wave off.
«That was just a little taste», he said with a sneer as the girl came to. «I’ve always thought a live demonstration is the best motivator! So, how do you like your bed? Quite the handy find from the smorgs’ abandoned world», he went on in a mocking tone. «Perfect for a friendly chat between two compatriots who just happened to bump into each other far from home! And now, let me ask you again – who are you, really?»
«Just an archaeologist», Iida said simply. «Nothing special.»
The officer activated the pain wave again, and after waiting for the girl’s convulsions to subside, he gave a wicked grin. “I can do this forever, you know! And the best part – I never get tired of it!»
The smorg shifted uneasily from foot to foot beside him. He clearly didn’t like these procedures, and a flicker of sympathy flashed in his restless eyes.
«As soon as I’m free», Iida said hoarsely to the officer, «I promise I’ll kill you first!» She found she could move one leg – apparently the violent vibrations had damaged the latch mechanism.
«Oh, don’t you worry about that», the officer replied with ironic pomposity, clearly savoring the girl’s helplessness. He stepped recklessly close, leaning toward her face. «We still have a great deal to put you through, and a lot to learn about one another.»
Iida strained with all her might, and the latch on her left leg gave way and flew off. She then slammed her heel against the lower strut, and a small blue blade tipped with a powerful paralyzing toxin sprung from the toe of her boot. She had never had cause to use it before, but the moment was clearly right.
Summoning herself, she drove the toe of her boot into the officer’s left shoulder blade. His eyes went glassy with shock and he collapsed, face-first, onto Iida. Overcoming her revulsion at the heavy, slack weight of his body, she fumbled with the officer’s pocket until, with great effort, she found a remote and mashed every button.
Freed from the remaining latches, she leaned over the officer, pulled from the inner pocket of his cloak a pistol and her bracelet, and fixed a steady, intent gaze on the smorg, who sat frozen in astonishment.
«Come on, handsome», she said, grabbing him by the collar of his jumpsuit and steering him confidently toward the exit. «I’m not done with you yet. By the way – where are we?»
«In the Station’s private transport docks, next to the residential sector», the smorg wheezed obediently, shuffling beside her and trying not to trip. They reached the coded exit door, and Iida pressed her ear against it, listening intently to the sounds outside.
«There can’t be more than two of them!» she whispered, bracing herself to kick the door open.
«Um, if I may point out», the smorg rasped quickly, raising his hands as if to stop her, «there’s another exit that leads straight to the docks, and it’s not guarded. No one has to be killed!»
«A smorg who can’t handle violence», Iida said with a wry shake of her head. «Well, isn’t that something. Today really is full of surprises. Either way, I’ve got to reach my ship, and fast.»
They slipped quietly toward the dock lifts, chose their level, and soon stepped out onto the right platform. The place was bustling, and nobody spared them so much as a glance. A few cargo bots clattered nearby, sorting containers and sending them off on slow-moving belts into the depths of the bay, while fresh ones rolled up to take their place.
As they neared the ship, Iida keyed the hatch open and dashed up the adjoining ramp. When she turned around, the smorg was still standing at the bottom, looking utterly lost – his slumped shoulders, drooping hands, and mournful little face radiated such a mixture of tragic and comic helplessness that Iida burst out laughing.
«Come on, get in!» she called. «There’s room for you too, and plenty we still need to discuss!»
After showing the smorg to the guest cabin, Iida suggested he get some rest, then headed to the bridge – it was time to plot a course. The ship’s systems were charting the route according to the coordinates left by Tarion. It turned out that their destination lay at the very edge of the Galactic Center – quite a considerable distance away.
This was a relatively small region in the heart of the Milky Way, and its most fascinating feature was a stellar cluster shaped like a rotating ellipsoid – a sight unlike anything else in existence. Venturing into the Center itself was considered utter madness because of the enormous, dense, and searing gas-and-dust clouds that filled it.
Their path led toward a small yellow-green planet almost entirely covered in jungles interspersed with high mountains. Originally uninhabited, the planet had, some time ago, been taken over by traders of every kind, race, and persuasion, and over the years it had turned into a vast open marketplace where absolutely anything could be bought or sold.
«I wonder what carried them so far?» Iida thought.