Messiah
Authors: S. Andrew Swann
Table of Contents
A NEAR-INVISIBLE CLOUD OF UNIFORM DENSITY SPREAD OUT IN AN ARC.
That cloud was, in effect, Adam. It was dormant, a body waiting for the arrival of its consciousness—a cloud of nanomachines vast enough to saturate the surface of Bakunin.
They were going to destroy it.
Data scrolled by, showing Mallory’s ghost fleet of empty, near-derelict tach-ships signaling back their status. Their computers were all synced, their drives hot, the damping coils on their drives disabled. Toni II shuddered just thinking of so many ships taching simultaneously. She glanced at the status of the
Daedalus
’ drives. They were still cold, inert to the surge these ships would generate . . .
Daedalus
’ drives. They were still cold, inert to the surge these ships would generate . . .
The meters monitoring tachyon radiation spiked.
The ships were underway. She looked back up at the holo of the cloud. Right now, nearly seven hundred ships were taching into a dangerously small volume in the center of it. Unfortunately, the light from their arrival would take nearly an hour to reach them.
“Fourteen seconds,” her sister said from the captain’s chair. She leaned back and said, “It’s over now, one way or the other.”
“Do you think it worked?” Karl asked.
Toni II could see the comm channels all lit up by chatter, and she could see why. The tachyon radiation meters had slammed the upper limits of their resolution across the board. If the
Daedalus
hadn’t shut down their tach-drive completely, a good part of their engine would have burned out even with the damping coils.
Daedalus
hadn’t shut down their tach-drive completely, a good part of their engine would have burned out even with the damping coils.
Mallory’s voice came over the general comm channel, telling the fleet to render what aid was possible to the damaged ships in range.
Please, after all this, let us have destroyed it.
DAW science fiction and fantasy from S. ANDREW SWANN
Science Fiction:
THE APOTHEOSIS TRILOGY:
PROPHETS (#1)
HERETICS (#2)
MESSIAH (#3)
THE APOTHEOSIS TRILOGY:
PROPHETS (#1)
HERETICS (#2)
MESSIAH (#3)
THE HOSTILE TAKEOVER TRILOGY:
PROFITEER (#1)
PARTISAN (#2)
REVOLUTIONARY (#3)
PROFITEER (#1)
PARTISAN (#2)
REVOLUTIONARY (#3)
THE MOREAU NOVELS:
MOREAU OMNIBUS (#1-3)
FEARFUL SYMMETRIES (#4)
MOREAU OMNIBUS (#1-3)
FEARFUL SYMMETRIES (#4)
Fantasy:
DRAGONS AND DWARVES OMNIBUS
(Novels of the Cleveland Portal)
DRAGONS AND DWARVES OMNIBUS
(Novels of the Cleveland Portal)
BROKEN CRESCENT
GOD’S DICE
Copyright © 2011 by Steven Swiniarski.
All Rights Reserved.
DAW Book Collectors No. 1538.
DAW Books are distributed by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Nearly all the designs and trade names in this book are registered trademarks. All that are still in commercial use are protected by United States and international trademark law.
First Printing February 2011
eISBN : 978-1-101-47709-0
DAW TRADEMARK REGISTERED
U.S. PAT. AND TM. OFF. AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES
—MARCA REGISTRADA
HECHO EN U.S.A.S.A.
To John and Adam
in the morning.
in the morning.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Wisconsin
Father James Mallory
—Roman Catholic Priest and veteran of the Occisis Marines.
—Roman Catholic Priest and veteran of the Occisis Marines.
Alexander Shane
—Former leader of the Salmagundi government.
—Former leader of the Salmagundi government.
Toni Valentine
—Former lieutenant in the Styx Security Forces under Styx System Security Command (3SEC)
—Former lieutenant in the Styx Security Forces under Styx System Security Command (3SEC)
Toni II Valentine
—Ghost of Toni Valentine.
—Ghost of Toni Valentine.
Karl Stavros
—Former captain of the Centauri trading vessel Daedalus.
—Former captain of the Centauri trading vessel Daedalus.
Stefan Stavros
—Karl Stavros’ son.
—Karl Stavros’ son.
Bakunin
Nickolai Rajasthan
—Exiled scion of the House of Rajasthan. Descendant of genetically engineered tigers.
—Exiled scion of the House of Rajasthan. Descendant of genetically engineered tigers.
Vijayanagara Parvi
—Mercenary pilot from Rubai
—Mercenary pilot from Rubai
Julia Kugara
—Mercenary from Dakota. Descendant of genetically engineered humans. Former member of Dakota Planetary Security (DPS)
—Mercenary from Dakota. Descendant of genetically engineered humans. Former member of Dakota Planetary Security (DPS)
Dr. Sharon Dörner
—Xenobiologist from Acheron.
—Xenobiologist from Acheron.
Dr. Samson Brody
—Cultural anthropologist from Bulawayo.
—Cultural anthropologist from Bulawayo.
Flynn Jorgenson
—Former forestry surveyor from Salmagundi.
—Former forestry surveyor from Salmagundi.
Brother Lazarus
—Leader of the Dolbrian cult on Bakunin. Descendant of genetically engineered canines.
—Leader of the Dolbrian cult on Bakunin. Descendant of genetically engineered canines.
General Alexi Lubikov
—Commander of the Western Division of the Proudhon Security Corporation.
—Commander of the Western Division of the Proudhon Security Corporation.
The Prophet’s Voice
Rebecca Tsoravitch
—Former data analyst from Jokul, in the service of Adam.
—Former data analyst from Jokul, in the service of Adam.
Jonah Dacham
—Agent of Proteus.
—Agent of Proteus.
Tjaele Mosasa
—Recorded personality of the pirate who recovered the AI that became Adam.
—Recorded personality of the pirate who recovered the AI that became Adam.
LAST PROLOGUE
The Sacred and the Profane
“Know what is evil, no matter how worshiped it may be.”
—BALTASAR GRACIÁN (1601-1658)
CHAPTER ONE
Heretics
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