Andre Norton 
Plague Ship 

Under the pen name Andrew North, Andre Norton wrote the science fiction book Plague Ship. Gnome Press issued an edition of 5, 000 copies of it in 1956. The second installment in the author's Solar Queen series is the book. Dane Thorson, a trainee cargo master on the Free Trader rocket ship Solar Queen, serves as the book's main protagonist. Free Traders engage in risky and erratic trading contracts on distant and recently discovered worlds. The Solar Queen is forging ties with the cat-like Salariki, one of the races on the planet Sargol, and has recently secured a lucrative trading agreement there. The procedure proceeds slowly until the Salariki learn that the Solar Queen is bringing plants from Terra that are uncommon on Sargol, such as catnip. The traders gather a native red-colored wood to trade at home and trade the meager flora they have for the rare and expensive Koros stones. The Solar Queen is abruptly ordered to sign a pre-paid contract promising to return in six months with additional plants by the Salariki storm priests.