Plague Ship

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

16921

Title

Plague Ship

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In this classic science fiction adventure, Andre Norton follows a crew of Galactic Free Traders aboard the Solar Queen as they attempt to establish trade with the mysterious Salariki of the planet Sargol. When a strange illness strikes the ship, the crew must navigate quarantine, corporate intrigue, and interstellar politics to save their venture and their lives.

Summary up to 500 words

In Andre Norton's *Plague Ship*, the crew of the Galactic Free Trader *Solar Queen*, led by Captain Jellico and Cargo-master Van Rycke, arrives at Sargol, a planet famous for its perfumes. The crew, including apprentice Dane Thorson and astrogator Rip Shannon, prepares for negotiations with the aloof, feline-descended Salariki. However, their voyage is abruptly halted when Rip and later Captain Jellico fall ill with a mysterious virus. Fearing a deadly plague, Inter-Solar authorities place the ship in quarantine. Trapped aboard, the crew discovers they possess a natural immunity to the infection, a fact that becomes their primary defense against potential execution. While in isolation, they suspect sabotage by their rival company, the Eysies, who operate the Inter-Solar (I-S) line. The crew deduces that the Eysies likely planted a biological agent on the ship to frame them, thereby seizing the lucrative trade rights to Sargol and the newly discovered Koros stones. To clear their names, Dane and his crew devise a daring plan. They realize that the virus was likely introduced via the ship's hydroponics system. Unable to strip the ship in space, they decide to make an emergency landing at a Patrol E-Stat in the asteroid belt. There, they undergo a rigorous search of their quarters and equipment, eventually identifying the source of the contamination. Medics from the station confirm that the crew is immune and that the illness is not a natural plague but a targeted biological weapon. With their innocence proven, the crew avoids the fate of being quarantined on Luna City. However, their contract with Inter-Solar is broken. Seizing the opportunity, Cargo-master Van Rycke negotiates a new deal with the rival Combine company. The Combine, eager to undermine Inter-Solar, agrees to take over the *Solar Queen*'s contract with the Salariki. In exchange for a mail run between frontier planets, the crew secures their future, allowing them to continue their trade missions while avoiding further persecution from Inter-Solar authorities.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16921.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg16921.epub

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Categories

• Fiction
• Science Fiction
• Space Exploration
• Aliens