Джордж Мартин – Starport (страница 1)

HarperVoyager An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

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.