Deception Well

Jupiter Apolinario is a charismatic leader with a mysterious past. He 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 and ever-lasting safety from the ravages of the Chenzeme, if only they will follow him to the planet's surface. But his 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.