Highway One
First appears in Book 1: Pandora's Star, chapter 13 (TWELVE)
Appearances
What you know
Book 1: Pandora's Star
- Ch 13The only major road on Far Away, running south from Armstrong City past the Great Iril Steppes to the Institute valley; it is the sole supply route.
Book 2: Judas Unchained
- Ch 18Built by two micropile-powered JCB roadbuilders over twenty-seven months, it runs from Armstrong City to the Marie Celeste and ends in the Black Desert.
- Ch 18Travelers seeding plants along the road spread vegetation across the planet faster than revitalization blimpbots, leaving a green stain visible from space.
- Ch 18The road net fails around sixty kilometers before the Anculan bridge, cutting communications.
Connections
Key moments
- Book 1 · Ch 13Ambush of the Institute supply convoy
Clan McSobels fire plasma at the convoy on Highway One, then mounted Charlemagne raiders charge down the ridge and use dump-webs to collapse force fields so missiles destroy trucks, against Institute soldiers and Land Rover Cruisers.
- Book 2 · Ch 18Chase down Highway One and the sabotage warning
Stig's convoy races Cruisers south through Highway One's urban stretch while Bradley reassures him. Adam's garbled message reveals sabotage and a likely Starflyer agent in his group, prompting a debate over suspects.
- Book 2 · Ch 18Convoy smashes Institute blockade
Guardians' Loko trucks and the Cat ram through four Land Rover Cruisers blocking Highway One; Stig drives through the burning gap and the Cat survives.
- Book 2 · Ch 18Scorched towns along Highway One
Bradley's convoy passes Haville and other towns razed by the Starflyer, with every comms node masered to sever communications.
- Book 2 · Ch 19Clans confront the Starflyer convoy
The clans block Highway One, mine it and encircle the Starflyer convoy; Barsoomians arrive on king eagles, and the Institute sends out hundreds of soldier motiles.
- Book 2 · Ch 19Zone killer strike on the convoy
Zone killers destroy most of the Starflyer convoy and a stretch of road, but the MANN truck and seventeen Cruisers survive. Cruisers then slaughter the charging Guardian horses and riders.
- Book 2 · Ch 19Armored cars charge and meet soldier motiles
Bradley orders the armored cars to ram the MANN truck, but hundreds of soldier motiles block the way. Morton kills one in close combat and the Paris team ends up nearly surrounded.
- Book 2 · Ch 19Rob's sacrifice and the dash to the valley
Soldier motiles pin Rob, who detonates his power cells to cover the others. Morton, Cat and Alic ride the armored car to the Institute valley, but the second car is destroyed and the MANN truck reaches the starship first.
- Book 2 · Ch 20Tom's brothers meet the Cat
After a fruitless scavenging trip, Tom, Andy and Hagen find a girl sitting by Highway One and offer her a ride; she turns out to be the Cat.