In Fall of the Ark, a prequel to the novel Kestler’s Bane, we witness the events of the final fateful days aboard the great space ark Proteus, before its disastrous crash onto the mountains of a distant planet. We meet the chief character, Tropas Bejeon, and his companions at the colorful Swarthout Penal Institute and travel with them on their heroic journey, struggling valiantly to save themselves and perhaps a remnant of humanity from impending doom. Concurrent with this threat, a closer, more intimate peril lurks. The nightmarish disease, Kestler’s Syndrome, has reemerged after two millennia and threatens to annihilate the ark population. Our heroes’ courageous battle against the dark forces of this pandemic is truly inspiring.