Tuf Voyaging - The Plague Star

The Plague Star

The story begins with four people requiring transport: Celise Waan, a scholar of anthropology; Jefri Lion, a scholar and retired soldier; Annitas, a half-robotic cybertech; and Kaj Nevis, the leader of the expedition. They hire Rica Dawnstar, a mercenary bodyguard, and acquire the services of Haviland Tuf, a not very successful trader.

Their destination is a so-called "plague star", known to inflict disease and pestilence on every third generation of a small, remote world. It turns out to be a nearly-derelict seedship of the long-defunct Federal Empire's Ecological Engineering Corps. Tuf's ship, the Cornucopia of Excellent Goods at Low Prices, is damaged by the seedship's automated defenses, and three of the occupants board the seedship by means of pressure suits, while the others left on the ship manage to land it on the seedship.

The halls of the seedship are contaminated with various exotic plagues. One of Tuf's cats dies due to the plagues, and Tuf uses the seedship's capabilities to clone it. In the meantime, the ship's second line of defense is released: monsters from different worlds and ages, including a T. rex. Four of Tuf's passengers die due to the infesting plague, the wandering monsters, or by fighting one another. Rica Dawnstar, in charge of the control room, attempts to kill Tuf, but her plan backfires when Tuf uses one of the crew's leftover weapons and her own aggressiveness to dispose of her.