Plague Ship

By W. H. Beswick

An alien probe drifts into the space of an alien empire that covers hundreds of worlds. Empress Ru maintains order and peace with her armies and the fear of the Black Ship. A ship that has the power to destroy worlds. It is made more dangerous by its commander. Kolo the Conquer. A brilliant alien who has conquered twenty worlds for the empire.

The probe has a virus inside that results in a billion deaths. Kolo is send to find the source of the plague. His only clue is the word. NASA.

• Language: English
• Publisher: W. H. Beswick
• Release date: Apr 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005300814

W. H. Beswick

Lives in Corvallis Oregon

Book preview

PROLOGUE

Through the darkness of space it drifts. A small, cone-shaped object. It may have been silver or white at one time, but now it is impossible to be sure. The surface of the small thing is dented and scarred from what could be years in space. Launched from somewhere. Going to nowhere.

From out of the vastness of a space, a golden saucer-shaped ship smoothly glides up. Along with its bright golden color, its surface is lit by a rainbow of lights. The beautiful ship circles the capsule a few times. A bright blue light comes out of the flying saucer. It engulfs the capsule, then pulls it inside. The saucer flies off into space.

A short time later, it enters the Lumina System. One Earth-like planet is home to ten billion life forms.

CHAPTER 1

THE BLACK SHIP

The ship looks like it is moving slowly through the star system, but in space there is no evidence of speed. It is gigantic, made of a cold black metal that seems to gleam even in the darkness of space. The design is sleek but seems to resemble an animal of prey. Blinking red lights glow like the eyes of a beast. Smaller ships fly around the main ship. Sleek, with wings. Mounted on the wings are several weapons. This is not a ship for exploring space. It is not reaching out to other civilizations. There are no scientists or researchers. There is a large sick bay staffed with well-trained doctors, equipped with the best medical devices.

This ship has two purposes: to protect the empire and do the empress’s bidding. The commander of this ship answers to none but her.

CHAPTER 2

KOLO THE CONQUEROR

Commander Kolo is almost four-hundred years old. Back on his world, he would still be considered young. His face and body have a slight blue tint to them. He was considered handsome on many worlds, despite the scar down one cheek. There are other scars, but this is the only one most have seen. He stands six foot six, which is tall for his world. His frame is muscular, but not huge. He has the body and look of a warrior, except for his eyes. They are a bright violet with black specks, which is also rare on his world.

He was born into a family with high social standing, wealth, and a long history of serving the empire. His father is a high chancellor and serves in the senate. His mother is a general and served in the lower house of counselors. They all served bravely in the military. They are respected and liked, but it was their son who brought the family even more respect and, in some cases, fear.

On Kolo’s world, all are expected to serve the empire, either in the military or in the sciences and in some cases the arts. Even warriors appreciate music, paintings, well-written book even films with no explosions. From a young age, all his people knew what path they would take.

Once again, Kolo is the exception. He has strength and skills to be a warrior. His intelligence was tested as exceptional. He even has a gift for sculpture. He chose the military, where he quickly rose in the ranks. He was given command of his own ship at very young age. Then he was given a fleet. He proved his value to the empire by conquering twenty planets for the empress. A feat that has never been done before or matched. He was given the name Conqueror by the empress herself.

There were rumors that Kolo has been instrumental in putting Empress Ru on the throne. She was the youngest and only daughter. Three brothers stood between her and the throne. It became clear that the emperor preferred his daughter to rule. The oldest brother spoke of bring more democracy to the empire. The second brother was more concerned with wealth and his appearance. The last brother was a fool who would be easily manipulated. All three brothers agreed that their sister was to be married off as soon as possible.

They saw her as a threat. They were right.

Princess Ru foiled this plan by going into combat at an early age. She led her own force, bringing down two rebellions, then conquered the Galts, killing their king, and presented her father with the dead king’s sword. For this, she was given the title War Lord and would serve on the war council. With this position, her brothers could not marry her off, but more importantly she was now a powerful voice in their government. They expected her to move against them, but she did not. She did nothing but whisper among her fellow warriors. Who was worrying about the future of the empire and the weakness of her brothers?

Planting seeds.

They sent assassins, knowing she would not rest until the throne was hers. All failed. Apparently, the princess was protected by someone called the Subtle Blade. This unknown assassin seemed to always be one step ahead of the brothers.

The emperor passed. As was tradition, his body was to be cast into the sun. This was to be done by the future heirs to the throne. It was very dangerous. They had to fly very close to the sun to show their valor. If they turned back too soon, they would lose their claim to the throne. If they were pulled into the sun, the very gods had shown they were unworthy. Ru was forbidden to join them. She protested but was still barred. A feeble attempt to keep her from their throne.

The brothers flew close to the sun and sent their father into the fiery ball. They miscalculated their flight pattern - or the gods themselves intervened.

It mattered not.

The empire has a new empress who would rule as her father had. Ru the Ruthless, as she had been dubbed by her own father, would be loved by many and feared by more.

The black ship that Kolo commanded had been designed by him. Many scientists helped, but the ship was his creation. It would be constantly being modified and improved. Weapons upgraded or replaced with new, more powerful weapons. If Kolo had his way, this ship would never be obsolete. It would always be feared. Since his people lived for over a thousand years, that would not happen any time soon.

Kolo is in his cabin wearing a black uniform with gold trim. Two golden dragon pins rest on his shoulders. Red patches with crossed black swords on both sleeves. The cabin is quite large, with dark wooden walls and bookcases filled with books. A desk made of similar wood, along with a chair that has seen better days, sits across the room. A round bed sits below a round window. It’s not a glass window. If you were to touch it, the invisible shield would ripple. Kolo is lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His eyes closed. Commander’s journal.

Commander's journal, a female voice says. Last entry 3497, 0645. Continuance or new record?

Continuance.

Date 3497. Time 0756. Recording.

En-route to Planet Darlot, per orders from the High Council, confirmed by the empress. See Field Report L98877 for reports and details concerning violations of Darlot peace treaty, sections five, nine, and twelve.

Kolo rolls off the bed and stares out the window. He studies the stars and planets in an appreciative way. The ship's commander has been given authority to carry out any and all actions deemed necessary to reestablish order on Darlot, including General Order 101. End report. File and send copy to Home Planet and Empress Ru.

End of recording….Verbal instructions executed…Commander Kolo, Darlot is within striking distance.

Excellent. Kolo stands, walks to his desk, and presses a button. Security Chief, leaving quarters. Bridge Captain, bring the ship to code two.

CHAPTER 3

LUKAR THE LETHAL

Lukar is beautiful. A slender face with sharp cheekbones and full lips. Her deep dark green eyes are rare, as is her curly, copper-colored hair. It falls to the middle of her back but is usually pinned up or pulled back into a ponytail. Long hair seems to be her only concession to feminine beauty. The olive-colored skin is lighter than that of her brothers. Her body is not as voluptuous as most women on her world. This is more from her rigorous workout regimen.

When she was younger, her brothers would tease her about ending up as the wife of a warrior and having many babies. As years passed, the teasing stopped. Her brothers, father, and mother all saw she has what was called ice blood. She enjoys a good laugh, could take a joke, even if it was at her expense. Lukar enjoys her family and her friends, but if you anger her there would be no forgiveness or mercy.

When Lukar was young, her parents started training her along with her brothers in several forms of hand to hand combat. There was training with bladed weapons. Lukar is especially skilled with a knife. When her brothers left, one by one, when it was only Lukar and her youngest brother, her father sent her to masters that lived in the high valley. There she was trained by the masters for three years. Her skills with hand to hand combat and blade weapons were increased. The young woman also excelled in the art of disguises and stealthily moving through the shadows. Upon her return, she joined the military. In a short time, her skill and intelligence were noticed, along with her bravery. Promotions were given along with awards. These meant little to her. In time, she was given her own command.

While she did not conquer worlds, as Kolo, she did put down many insurrections, many times expanding the empire into territories that had resisted the rule of the empire. When she was not doing this, she would train soldiers, teaching them the techniques she had learned. Surprisingly, she has a gift for this. All her trainees under her grew to respect her. The men and women saw Lukar was trying to teach them, not only to fight or survive.

How she met Kolo was a source of unsubstantiated rumors. When the Emperor was dying, they were summoned to the palace. Both had met the emperor before but always in the great hall surrounded by guards along with dignitaries. This meeting was in his private chambers, just the three of them.

This was unheard of. Fear of the two was greatly increased.

What was said is unknown. What was known?

Lukar was given leave to deal with family business. One of her brothers had become ill. Struck down by a virus. The family was greatly concerned. He was not only the youngest but had a sweet disposition. He served well, but his real interest was in art. He just had his first show. Being the youngest, his loss would be felt by all, but especially Lukar. It was no secret he was her favorite.

It is also well-known there was a growing chasm between Princess Ru and her brothers. Many wished for Ru to rule. The brothers had only done the minimal service in the military and none with real bravery. Unlike Princess Ru, their medals and promotions were merely for show. Many knew this. Some whispered behind the brothers’ backs. Was she not a war lord? Was she not called Ru the Ruthless? Did not her father wish her to rule?

Many were worried the princess would take the throne by force. This might be accepted, but blood would be spilled. Some of it innocent.

There were rumors of several attempts on the princess’s life. All failed. This was when rumors of the Subtle Blade began to be whispered about. The princess has a secret protector who was skilled with a knife and could walk in shadows. Some