The Battlemaster — Christopher Rowley

ntil bad investments robbed him of all but the poorest of his family estates, Count Geezl - "Emperor" - Karvur had ruled the debauched nights of the planet Wexel. Now circumstances forced him to take his sadistic pleasures among the uncouth peasants of Wexel's hilly outback. But the count was driver to return to his old haunts, and that he could do only if he was rich - immensely rich. So he wore the tattoos off his peasants-skin boots desperately searching the family's ancient and barren lands for any salable commodity. It was there, embedded in rock 84 million years old. that Emperor Karvur found the huge alien artifact that transformed him into something he's never imagined - or desired ... something that would threaten the very existence of humanity.