HarperVoyager An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2019
Copyright © by George R.R. Martin 2019 Jacket design by David G. Stevenson © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019 Jacket illustration by Raya Golden © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019
George R.R. Martin asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed
in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living
or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By
payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable
right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be
reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or
introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any
means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without
the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780008342456 Ebook Edition © March 2019 ISBN: 9780008342463 Version: 2019-02-25
PROLOGUE
A decade ago, something amazing happened: Aliens
discovered Earth. Three Chaseen ships landed, all randomly
searching for active sports stadiums, looking to make a real
entrance. The first ship landed in Singapore during the AFF
Tiger Cup Championship. The second landed in Denmark at
the Parken Stadium during a New Firm local rivalry pregame
and unfortunately caused a small stampede of university
students–which was indeed an entrance, although maybe
not the one that particular pilot was looking for. The third
landed at one other notable stadium on the other
side of the planet, but more on that later.
Thankfully, they didn’t come to rule over us or anything
dramatic like that. Instead, humanity got to join the 314 other
species within the Harmony of Worlds. With the help of three
main pilgrim species–the Lohb, the Nhar, and the founding
Chaseen–Earth began to construct three intergalactic treaty
ports: one in Singapore, the first to open, six years after the
landing; one in Copenhagen, which opened the following year
...and one plagued with delays and all sorts of
intrigue, opening two years after that...
CHAPTER ONE
...IN CHICAGO.
...WHILE THEAMERICAN STARPORT’SFIRST ANNIVERSARY ISAPPROACHING AND AS EARTHCELEBRATES ITS TEN-YEARANNIVERSARY OF HUMANITY’SDISCOVERY BY THE HARMONYOF WORLDS.
THE PRESIDENT ISBUSY WORKING WITHOTHER GLOBAL LEADERS TOCOMMEMORATE THE DAY. ANINTERNATIONAL HOLIDAY IS BEINGPROPOSED, BUT MASSIVE TENSIONERUPTED OVER WHICH STARPORTWILL HOST THE CELEBRATION.AND HERE IN CHICAGO...
...PROTESTS
CONTINUE AS NATIONAL
MOTORS PREPARES TO
FINALIZE ITS CONTROVERSIAL
POWERCELL DEAL WITH
HARMONY’S MOST ELUSIVE
SPECIES, THE SKRIT.
CHARLIE?
WHAT TIME
IS IT?
MUCH RESTSON THE SUCCESSFULCONCLUSION OF THISVENTURE, WHICH MIGHTFINALLY PUT CHICAGOIN LINE WITHSINGAPORE...
...AND COPENHAGEN AS AMAJOR ECONOMICPOWER–DESPITE THE MANYDELAYS THAT PLAGUED THEOPENING OF ITS STARPORT JUST ABOUT A YEARAGO.
SIX-THIRTY
A.M.
WAKING
UP BRIGHT
AND EARLY FOR
YOUR NEW
JOB, HUH?
YES...
DAMN IT!
HERE,
LET ME.
YOU’RE
GOOD.
I THOUGHT
YOU LEARNED THAT
LAST NIGHT...
YOU THINK
THIS COLOR’S
OKAY?
YOU
LOOK
FINE.
SEVEN
YEARS IN UNIFORM,
ALL YOU KNOW
IS BLUE.
IT’S AN
ADJUSTMENT.
WAIT...
WHERE’S MY
BADGE?
DETECTIVE BAKER,
ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT
YOU LOST YOUR NEW GOLD
SHIELD WITHIN TWENTY-
FOUR HOURS OF
GETTING IT?
THAT’S
NOT FUNNY,
STACY.
IT HAS
TO BE HERE
SOMEPLACE!
WE DIDN’T GO
ANYWHERE LAST
NIGHT...
IT’S RIGHT
HERE, SILLY. YOU
DEPUTIZED ME,
REMEMBER? IT
WAS JUST
AFTER–
RIGHT! WELL,
I’D BETTER GET
GOING. MAKE SURE
YOU LOCK UP
WHEN YOU...
OF COURSE.
AND IF YOU
BUMP INTO GORT,
TELL HIM KLAATUBARADA NIKTO FOR ME.
BOY, THAT’S
THE WAY TO COMMUTE,
HUH? WOULDN’T YOU
LOVE TO OWN ONE OF
THOSE BABIES?
GOOD LUCK! THEY
DON’T SELL THEM
TO THE LIKES
OF US...
SURE