[The Nanotech Succession 02] • Deception Well

Jupiter Apolinario is a charismatic leader in a distant future where human civilizations are divided by vast gulfs of space and time. Eluding the ancient and deadly robotic ships of a long-vanished alien race, Jupiter has brought his army of followers to the world of Deception Well. The planet is rumored to seethe with alien plagues--the fallout of an ancient war fought on the nanotechnological scale. Jupiter has promised his people an ecstatic communion if they will follow him to the surface, but that plan is thwarted by the people of Silk, a city perched on a space elevator, 200 miles above the Well. In the confusion of battle Jupiter disappears, leaving behind his army, and his son, Lot, who is driven to uncover both the truth behind his father's promises, and the meaning of his heritage.