Plague!

Jeanne G. DeBold

Description

If you love Star Trek, you'll love Plague!

The Diana trilogy concludes with Plague! in which the evil bioterrorist, Z’ivik, has once again used his incredible intelligence to formulate and release devastating botanical plagues on numerous planets throughout the galaxy. The daughter of the Chief Medical Officer of the Explorer works with Alliance scientists to find the cure for these plagues. She suffers a vicious attack by Z’ivik and seems to suffer a debilitating nervous breakdown as a result. Z’ivik then formulates a deadly hemorrhagic fever which he unleashes on numerous planets including the planet of Zahri. The Emissary of the Alliance and his wife, parents of the Executive Officer of the Explorer, as well as the High Priest of Zahri, all fall victim to this catastrophic fever which has a mortality rate of 100%. The crew of the Explorer put their lives on the line to put an end to Z’ivik’s devastation and to save the universe from total annihilation. Read Plague! with its fast-paced action and tension-filled plot in this perilous journey to the stars. A must-read for science fiction fans!

If you love Star Trek, you’ll love Plague!

Sujets

• Science Fiction
• Ébola
• Ebola
• Fiction
• Star Trek

Informations

• Publié par: Archway Publishing
• Date de parution: 17 février 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665736183
• Langue: English

Extrait

“How does one become a terrorist? What are the causes? After all, we humanoids all start out the same way in life. Our brain weighs about three pounds, eighty percent of which is water. This relatively small organ contains billions and billions of neurons, each neuron having the ability to interact with other neurons to give us our five senses … ” Smiling at Z’alek, she amended that comment to “ … in some cases, six senses to help us make our way through life. These neurons constantly interact with one another to define our behavior, to give us the ability to think … to dream … to love … to plan … to k ill … ..”
 
 
 
Also by the au thor:
What Price Pant ropy?
Z’Khut Ri sing
Wacky, Wet, and Wo bbly,
the author’s jour ney
through a lifetime of
undiagnosed hydroceph alus
( water on the b rain )
PLAGUE!
 
 
 
 
JEANNE G. D e BOLD
 
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2023 Jeanne G. DeBold.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.archwaypublishing.com
844-669-3957
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3617-6 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3618-3 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022924103
 
Archway Publishing rev. date: 2/16/2023
This book is respectfully dedicated to the late Gene Roddenberry who took us Where No Man Has Gone Be fore .
This jou rney
be gins
two universal days a fter
the conclusio n of
Z’Khut Ri sing .
Contents
Cast of Characters and Places:
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Epilogue
About the Author
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Enmity must be eliminated for all time before the universe can truly call itself free.”
Aridfa Liporus of Centaurean III
Cast of Characters and Places:
Matthew (Matt) C. (Copernicus) Hawke, Captain of the Intergalactic Alliance Spaceship Expl orer
Z’alek, Executive Officer/Science Officer of the Explorer , from Planet Z ahri
Richard (Doc) Leahy, Chief Medical Officer of the Expl orer
Lochlan (Kelty) Kelt, Chief Engineer of the Expl orer
Yury Lenkov, Navigator of the Expl orer
Haruto Saito, Helmsman of the Expl orer
Ngoro Ubuntu, Communications Officer of the Expl orer
Diana Leahy, Dr. Leahy’s Daug hter
Justine Temple, Head Nurse of the Expl orer
Dr. T’Zemba, Assistant Chief of Medicine of the Expl orer
Marrielle Somers, former Security Officer of the Explorer , Lenkov’s deceased fia ncée
Yeoman/Ensign Kitty Rhoades who befriends Le nkov
Z’ivik, Zahri terrorist, who plots to take control of the Univ erse
Z’balek, Z’alek’s father, Emissary of the Intergalactic Alli ance
Sarah, Z’balek’s wife, Z’alek’s Terran mo ther
Zahri, home planet of Executive Officer/Science Officer Z’alek, desert planet whose beings devote themselves to deductive reasoning and the suppression of sensat ions
Remusans, warrior race, home base is Remus, (Remusan Confederation), adversary of Intergalactic Alli ance
Lyrians, warrior race, home base is Lyri, (Lyrian Empire), adversary of Intergalactic Alli ance
Prologue
W here am I? Am I on a ship? The Explorer? How did I get here?
Z’ivik, the Zahri terrorist with the shaggy blond hair, could feel the pulsing of the Bohr quantum engines beneath him as he lay face up on a very hard surface. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked around at the walls surrounding him. When he heard a buzzing sound, he looked toward the door. The security sensors, flashing brightly, told him that he was in a very secure cell in the brig of whatever vessel he was on. He knew that those beams could easily render unconscious anyone foolish enough to attempt to go through them. Oh, but he wasn’t worried about that. No, the beams would soon be made harmless, and he would be free to begin his takeover of the ship. He would then regain his freedom and continue to wreak havoc upon the univ erse.
Once again closing his eyes, he let his mind seek out the thoughts of those on board the vessel. Ahh, the scoutship Anubis, he realized. Not the Explorer . That coward Hawke has transferred me to an unsuspecting vessel. Escaping from the brig on the Explorer would have been much more challenging for me. Escaping from this brig, however, will prove to be most elemental indeed. Child’s play, simply child’s play.
Trying to clear his drug-induced haze, he began calling upon all of the skills and powers that he had achieved as a Lembreneu , a Zahri highly trained disciple of mind-control techniques. Not only had he studied that discipline on Zahri, but he had also ripped all of the knowledge of mind control from an extremely ruthless Lyrian Commander. That Lyrian had become extremely proficient - and sadistic - in the use of the mind bender. However, the blond Zahri terrorist had not been satisfied with only that stolen knowledge. No, he had augmented those skills with his own incredible mental powers, turning him into an all-powerful force with which the universe would soon re ckon.
Someone is coming , he realized. Yes, to give me additional drugs to keep me unconscious and easily controlled . He breathed in deeply to dispel the cumulative effects of the sedatives that had already been given to him. He wondered how many doses he had received before he finally was able to dispel the effects. No matter , he thought. From this moment on, they will give me no more drugs, and they will pay for their treacherous actions towar d me.
His lips became a snarl for a brief moment as he planned what he would do next. Then he quickly closed his eyes again and assumed the appearance of someone who is deeply unconsc ious.
Let him come. Yes, let him come. Fools! Don’t they know who they’re dealing with? Hawke, Z’alek, and that bitch will soon pay for all of their treachery. Although they thought that they would never see me again, they were gravely mistaken. We will meet again on the battlefield of my own choosing, and they will soon feel the full fury of my wrath! Perhaps they thought they had won our last battle, but they have not yet won the war. I shall be the victor next time, next time when I watch them each die a horrible, agonizingly painful death. With my superior intellect and mind-control abilities, it will be so easy for me to defeat them. Yes, it will be child’s play! It will be glorious! Simply glorious! Come to me, you fools! Come to me! It has be gun …
Chapter 1
On Board the Intergalactic Alliance Spaceship Explorer, Space Date 59 92.8
“C aptain, there’s a message coming in on the Space Council channel, sir,” Lieutenant Ubuntu, Communications Officer , exclaimed.
When Matthew C. Hawke, Captain of the Explorer , heard the obvious distress in her voice, he quickly turned in the command chair to face her. He momentarily forgot his crushed ribs and shattered collarbone that had just been fused two days ago. The light-duty status that he had been reluctantly granted by Dr. T’Zemba, the Assistant Chief of Medicine, stated that he was to only stand half watches on the Bridge. Hawke realized that he had been on duty much longer than had been approved, and Hawke was certainly now feeling the effects of his injuries. Biting his lower lip, he gasped slightly in reaction to a stab of severe pain and a burst of shortness of breath. Alarmed, Z’alek, Executive Officer/Science Officer, turned to face his Captain, but Hawke just shook his head and held up his hand as he put aside the discom fort.
“Report, Lieute nant.”
“It’s priority one and urgent, sir.”
As Hawke grimaced, he brought h