A summary of "Emperors of Illusions" by Sergei Lukyanenko

This book is a continuation of the space saga "Dreamline," published in 1995. The plot borrows heavily from the races and military technologies of the old computer game Master of Orion. The author places the reader in the harsh reality of space expansion. Humans live in tense coexistence with alien civilizations. The widespread use of resurrection technology has forever distorted the traditional morality of society.

Conversation in the Void and Plans for Terra

Mercenary Kay Duch and his companion Tommy are traversing outer space. Tommy was created by the Van Curtis Corporation as a cloned replica of the teenage Arthur. Kay’s small boat intercepts a warship of the Alkari race. The bird-like Seeker of Truth invites the man to a formal philosophical discussion. The Alkari announces the departure of his people from the Galaxy. The aliens have found a way to hide in probabilistic unborn realities — special regions of space free from the usual laws of physics — in order to escape the cruel predetermination of fate.

Kay openly shares his thoughts on the universe’s origins. He sincerely believes the Galaxy was created by the will of Emperor Grey. The ruler simply desired to become absolute ruler, and the surrounding reality was shaped around his dream. The Alien departs, leaving Kay unharmed and giving him life.

Dach decides to save humanity from the impending Dreamline project. Curtis’s invention will allow anyone to escape into their own imaginary reality. The Empire will inevitably collapse due to the outflow of citizens. Kay intends to assassinate Emperor Grey. The mercenary hopes to deprive Van Curtis of his main enemy and stop the catastrophe.

Conspiracy on the planet Tauri

Kay and Tommy secretly arrive on Tauri. Dach visits an old wartime friend, Wanda Kahovsky. She was a former colonel in the security service, earning the grim nickname "Wanda Blood." Young Rachel is also visiting. Kay once rescued the girl from the brink of death, and now she harbors strong feelings for the mercenary.

Wanda cold-bloodedly agrees to help eliminate Grey. Killing the immortal ruler is physically impossible. The aTan technology will inevitably bring him back to life. The conspirators plan to drive the ruler insane through powerful verbal psycho-destruction — methodical psychological pressure on the victim. Kakhovski programs his younger sister, Rachel, to act as a secret agent of influence.

Emperor Grey arrives on Tauri for his obligatory participation in the ancient ceremony of the Kowtowing of the Nitz. A young girl, Lara, meets him at the shuttle’s steps. She begins methodically instilling in the ruler the idea of the unreality of all existence. During a ceremonial speech in the theater, the Emperor behaves extremely strangely. He disdainfully throws aside his flag and mocks the high-ranking officials.

Failure of the operation and orbital battle

Suddenly, Grey realizes it’s a targeted psychological attack. His well-thought-out plan falls apart in an instant. The Emperor issues a strict order for the immediate arrest of the conspirators. Wanda Kachowski flatly refuses to flee with K. She takes up a defensive position in the attic of her home and eliminates several stormtroopers with precise shots. Imperial soldiers fire heavy weapons into the building, killing Wanda.

Kay and Tommy barely manage to break into orbit in an ancient lifeboat. The brand-new Bluebird interceptor is hot on their heels. The mercenary activates a strictly prohibited collapse generator, creating an artificial black hole. The fighter is crushed by a monstrous gravitational impact. The fugitives dock with their mothership and urgently jump to hyperspace.

They arrive on Gorra, where the main base of the criminal Family is hidden. Kay meets with the Family’s Mother, Lyka Saker, with whom he grew up on the destroyed planet Shedar. Lyka refuses to provide her old friend with a safe haven. The woman provides a light, small boat, the "Grasshopper," free of charge. The mercenary decides to fly to Grail.

Bloody Stop at Fiernas

A long-distance flight to the Empire’s borders requires urgent refueling. Kay lands the cutter on Fiernas, a planet co-inhabited by humans and Mrshans. Dach visits his old friend Jassan in his deep underground dwelling. They drink strong blue wine. Tommy is amazed by the mercenary’s ability to flawlessly imitate the complex habits of the aliens.

On the way back to the spaceport, the vigilant Mrshan inspector Sayela notices in Kay the characteristic movements of a professional killer. He blocks the boat’s refueling and calls his partner, Jaires, with a weapon. Jaires freezes at a distance of five meters, aiming at the people. Dach, with lightning speed, draws a heavy Hornet blaster.

A fierce firefight breaks out right in the waiting room. People, distraught people, rush around in panic. The shift supervisor loses an arm, and Sayela’s partner is reduced to a smoking, bloody mess. Tommy opens fire on the transparent elevator cabins, stopping the arriving police. Jumping into a service car, the heroes race across the concrete under gunfire from the guards and hop into a fueled boat.

Captivity and a leap into the void

The escape is short-lived. Admiral Karl Lemak’s squadron intercepts the defenseless boat. The prisoners are taken to the flagship destroyer. Kay is interrogated by operative Vyacheslav Shegal. The conversation is abruptly interrupted by unexpected news: Arthur Curtis, flying on the same ship, has seized the main control room.

The young man demands Kay and Tommy’s immediate release. Otherwise, he openly threatens to bring the destroyer out of hyperspace at relativistic speed. The guards hastily escort Dach to the control room. Suddenly, Arthur’s bodyguard, the cyborg Marzhan Muhammadi, treacherously attacks her master. A powerful laser beam pierces the young man’s heavy armor.

Kay furiously lunges at the mechanic and breaks her neck with his bare hands. A dying Arthur orders the mercenary and his clone to jump into the emergency airlock. The heroes, clad in battle armor, find themselves stranded in the gray of hyperspace with no chance of rescue. By pure chance, their signal is picked up by the yacht of banker Mage Kuznetsov. The pilot plots a perfect course and picks up the suffocating fugitives.

Truth at the Threshold

The yacht safely lands on the Grail. Tommy and Kay officially register under assumed names. In the morning, they meet Arthur, revived through the aTan system. Kay deliberately takes the boy to the local asylum to show him the distraught Isabella Kahl. This harsh object lesson frees Curtis Jr. from the heavy burden of past fears.

The trio makes their way on foot toward the anomaly zone concealing the Threshold. Bright fiery trails streak the Grail’s night sky. Ten-ton Imperial drop pods tightly seal off the Evil Land’s outer perimeter. Vyacheslav Shegal calmly awaits the heroes at the edge of the impassable anomaly.

The operative frankly reveals the truth to Kay. It was Shegal who created the surrounding reality. Long ago, he stepped into the Threshold and wished to live in a reality full of deadly dangers and adventures. Gray received the throne only because of Shegal’s desire for a powerful ruler to serve as a majestic backdrop. A brief fight breaks out between the true creator and Dach, in which the mercenary predictably loses.

Suddenly, Shegal receives an urgent message from the palace. Emperor Grey has voluntarily abdicated the throne and vanished without a trace. The distraught creator abandons Kay and flies off to persuade his chief puppet to return. Tommy, determined to test his luck, boldly crosses the Threshold. Kay Dutch approaches the edge of the cliff and sees a dead blue sky above a frozen, oily ocean. He fully realizes the unattainability of paradise for his wounded soul. The mercenary turns and walks away from the void, uttering, "If I’m not worth an answer, then you’re not worth the questions."