Second of the "Solar Queen" adventures, originally published under the author's alternate pseudonym "Andrew North." The trader ship has won the exclusive rights to a new world, reputed to be a source of fabulous gems. But the collection of those precious stones turns out to involve something far different from mining! And then there's the mysterious illness which strikes the Queen on her voyage home. By the time it arrives at Terra, the crew is reduced to three apprentices, who must land the ship while avoiding being shot to pieces by the Patrol. And somehow, despite being treated as contagion itself, they must find help.
