Peter F. Hamilton THE SAINTS OF SALVATION BOOK THREE OF THE SALVATION SEQUENCE Contents List of Major Characters Juloss Falling London Delta Pavonis Interstellar Space London Puppis Star System London London Interstellar Space London Gox-Nikolaj Quint FinalStrike Mission Kruse Station Knockdown Mission The Avenging Heretic Nashua Habitat, Delta Pavonis FinalStrike Mission The Avenging Heretic FinalStrike Mission London FinalStrike Mission London The Avenging Heretic Neutron Star The Avenging Heretic Gox Quint Morgan Saints Morgan Saints Gox Quint Morgan Saints FinalStrike Saints Gox Quint Saints Morgan Gox Quint Saints Dellian’s Squad Saints Yirella Saints Yirella Return Flight London New York Yirella2 Yirella1 Salvation timeline The Salvation Sequence is dedicated to The Americans, with my gratitude and thanks. In order of appearance: Anthony Gardner Betsy Mitchell Jaime Levine David Pomerico Anne Groell List of Major Characters 2206 Yuri Alster Connexion Security chief Callum Hepburn Utopials senior troubleshooter Alik Monday FBI senior special detective Kandara Martinez Dark-ops mercenary Jessika Mye Neána metahuman Lucius Soćko Neána metahuman Loi Yuri’s aide Eldlund Callum’s aide Ainsley Baldunio Zangari Connexion founder & CEO Ainsley Zangari III CEO, Connexion TranSol division Emilja Jurich Utopials leader Gwendoline Seymore-Qing-Zangari Connexion finance director Horatio Seymore Social Services agency adviser Kohei Yamada Connexion Security, London chief David Johnston Supreme Commander, Alpha Defence Southwark Legion Ollie Heslop Ex-gang member Lolo Maude Ollie’s lover Nikolaj Lieutenant in London crime family Crew of the Morgan Dellian Squad leader Yirella Vayan designer Tilliana Tactician Ellici Tactician Falar Squad member Janc Squad member Uret Squad member Xante Squad member Mallot Squad member Ovan Squad leader Kenelm Captain of the Morgan Wim Bridge officer Cinrea Bridge officer Immanueel Corpus human See the end of the novel for the Salvation timeline. Juloss Falling Ahead of the Neána insertion ship, Juloss glowed like a sapphire pearl, its vast oceans and small continents wrapped in long, tranquil streamers of cloud. Space around it was speckled with diamond-dust glimmers as sunlight bounced off the orbital forts that guarded this precious world against invasion. The insertion ship flew in south of the ecliptic, shedding cold mass in irregular bursts like a black comet. By the time it was on its final approach to the unsuspecting planet, it was down to twenty-five metres in diameter. It had no magnetic field and its outer shell was radiation-absorbent, rendering it invisible. Fully stealthed, it eluded the vigilance of the orbital forts to slip past them, discarding the last of its reaction mass in its final deceleration manoeuvre. Now it was basically falling towards the western edge of the largest continent, where a tall mountain range sank into the sea. Tiny course correction ejecta continued to refine the ship’s descent vector, steering it towards the coast, which was still thirty minutes from greeting the dawn. Inland, perched on undulating foothills, lights from the lonely city of Afrata shone brightly across the lush valley. As it hit the upper atmosphere, the insertion ship peeled apart into six pear-shaped segments. They plunged downwards, aerobraking with increasing severity as the atmosphere thickened around them. The segments were aimed close to a thin spit of land whose rocky coastline was covered in a tangle of vegetation. A hundred metres from the shore, six large splash plumes shot up into the air like thick geysers, crowning and splattering down amid the startled seabirds flying out to catch the first fish of the day. The Neána swam ashore. Creatures out of every human’s dark ancestral nightmare, risen out of banishment to stalk the land once more – formidable reptilian bodies moving fast on multiple sinewy limbs, razor claws snapping continuously. They climbed the cliffs at the foot of the mountains and set off in search of their prey. * Dellian knew the Neána pack was closing on him. He was in Afrata’s downtown district, lurking in the shadows of a deserted plaza as the hot sun shone down vertically. The creepers that were colonizing the lower floors of the crystal and carbon skyscrapers trailed long strands like a verdant waterfall. It was good cover. He stole through the dangling vegetation, letting their silky leaves slither over his bare skin – a sensation akin to a shower of fine dust. Somewhere along the avenue he was approaching, a flock of birds took flight, wings pumping hard to create a swirl of bright colours, blotting out the sky. He peered forwards, seeing long shadows slink between the ferns that had conquered the pavements. A fast clattering was just audible above the dumb squawking of the fleeing birds: the gullet rattle Neána packs used to communicate when they were hunting. Dellian spun around the corner of the building, raising his bow. The lead Neána was closer than he would have liked. When the diabolical thing saw him, it started a kill run. Muscles as thick as his torso flexed along its hind limbs, pounding it forwards, two sets of upper body limbs extended, claws snapping. Its victorious ululation was deafening. Dellian stood still for a second, keeping the bow stable. He let the iron-tipped arrow fly. It split the air like a black laser beam and pierced the Neána’s throat. The monster lurched to the ground, bile-coloured blood pumping from the wound, momentum tumbling it forwards. The others screamed their fury and charged him, but Dellian was already gone, racing for the other side of the avenue and the tangle of creepers skirting the skyscraper. Dappled darkness closed around him, and the rough leaves clung to his bulky bulletproof vest, slowing his flight. His boots crunched the fronds beneath his feet as he headed for cover behind the building’s entrance portico. Behind him, the Neána were calling to one another, their stark twig-drum rattle reverberating across the plaza. He reached the portico and crouched down. His breathing was heavy in his ears, heart pounding as he waited . . . but nothing attacked him. He eased his metal helmet up a fraction and sneaked a quick glance around the wall. Two of the Neána were stalking along his side of the plaza, with three more scouring the buildings beyond the central fountain pond. Dellian gripped his assault rifle tightly and slowly moved clear of the portico, dependent on just a few wispy vines to shield him from the aliens. He brought the muzzle up and opened fire in a blaze of flame and thunderous noise. Recoil hammered into his shoulder, but he kept his aim steady and watched the slugs tear a line through the first Neána’s flesh. The one behind it hesitated, as if cowed by the violence, then
