George R.R. Martin: Starport

Harper Voyager An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2019

Copyright © by George R.R. Martin 2019Jacket design by David G. Stevenson © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019Jacket 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

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the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008342456Ebook Edition © March 2019 ISBN: 9780008342463Version: 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 THEY

DO, IF YOU GOT A

COUPLE MILLION TO

SPARE. I HEAR THE

SAUDIS BOUGHT

A DOZEN.

I READ

THAT JAY LENO’S

GOT ONE.

YEAH, AND

THE NEW TESLA

REALLY LOOKS LIKE ONE.

THAT’S NOT THE POINT.

POINT IS, THEY SHOULDN’T

BE ALLOWED TO FLY THEM

IN THE CITY. IF ONE OF

THEM CRASHES...

THEY DON’T

CRASH.

SAYS WHO?

THE MUNCHKINS?

I MEAN, WHAT THE

HELL DO YOU EXPECT

THEM TO SAY?

ACTUALLY,

THEY’RE DESIGNED

NOT TO CRASH. EVEN

IF YOU TRY TO SMASH INTO SOMETHING, THE SKIMMER WON’T LET YOU.

NOW, IF

YOU’LL EXCUSE

ME, THIS IS

MY STOP.

FIGURES.

SON

OF A...

HEY!

STOP!

POLICE!

COPS! EVERYBODY SPLIT!

EARTHBLOODS!

GRAB AS MANY

AS YOU CAN!

PUT

DOWN THE

BAT, SON.

HAHA

HAHAHA

HAHA!

I SAID

DROP IT,

YOU LITTLE

SHIT!

DROP

THE GUN,

ASSHOLE!

NOW!

OKAY,

AGAINST THE

WALL. SPREAD

’EM!

I’M A

COP, FOR

CHRISSAKE!

UH-HUH.

SURE YOU ARE.

LET’S SEE

A BADGE

THEN

I...

I SEEM

TO HAVE

LOST IT.

RIGHT.

HAPPENS TO

ME ALL THE TIME. NOW GET MOVING!

WAIT! IT’S

GOT TO BE

AROUND HERE

SOMEPLACE–

YOU HAVE

THE RIGHT

TO REMAIN SILENT.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT

TO AN ATTORNEY. IF

YOU CAN’T AFFORD

ONE, ONE WILL BE

APPOINTED FOR

YOU–

LISTEN TO

ME, OFFICER...

OFFICER...WHAT’S

YOUR NAME?

OFFICER

LISA RUTLEDGE.

ANYTHING YOU SAY

CAN AND WILL BE USED

AGAINST YOU...

ESPECIALLY THAT CRAP

ABOUT BEING A COP!

IN YOU GO.

YOU

ALL RIGHT,

MA’AM?

WHAT

DID SHE

SAY?

AYSACHLEESAY NOAHASOMU WAILAANIS.CHAIT SLEEVACHAI!

HOW THE

HELL DO I KNOW?

I DON’T SPEAK

MUNCHKIN.

I DON’T

BELIEVE THIS!

LIFE’S A

BITCH, MAN.

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU

GET YOUR ASS HANDED

TO YOU BY A BUNCH

OF UMPA

LUMPA-LOVIN’

COPS!

THIS IS

NOT HAPPENING ON MY FIRST DAY.

LISTEN, IF YOU

COULD JUST LET

ME SPEAK TO THE

CAPTAIN...

I WANT

A SHYSTER,

MAN! I GOT

RIGHTS!

...CAN I

GET YOUR FULL

NAME FOR OUR

REPORT?

JANE

MANISCALCO,

DEAR.

GET

YOUR HANDS

OFF!

THIS IS NOT HAPPENING.

HOW DO

YOU SPELL THAT,

MA’AM?

MANISCALCO.

JUST LIKE IT SOUNDS,