Ask [Thyferra] It's About To Go Viral

[Dr Ilana Morata]

It had been roughly two months since the galaxy-wide announcement that MorataCorp would be taking on the sole research for the vaccine to combat the AMS virus. Since that point, the cream of the galactic crop had sent their biggest and brightest before the selective doctor, hoping their people would step in and join the team. Many left bitterly disappointed in the good Doctor's exacting standards. This virus was deadly, and could sweep through a population fast.

She should know, she once resided on one of the hotspots of the virus, and now it practically seemed like a ghost planet.

One of MorataCorp's brightest was meant to come in to present some of their findings to her, and hopefully provide some small fragment of a breakthrough. They were getting closer day by day, but the biggest problem wasn't even the initial vaccine.

It was the vaccines after it. There wouldn't be a one-and-done. There wouldn't be a single answer to the galactic problem. But this was a step in the right direction, and though she had yet to meet all the members of the team, she had heard rumors of this one, and was intrigued. She waited in one of several laboratories patiently.

Hopefully, they wouldn't keep her waiting.

@Wess

 

[Rix Pavon]

Rix was fairly new to the organization, serving on the team for a little less than a month. In the few days following his arrival, he spent most of his time combing through the available data on the virus, what with his studies at Lorrd University not exactly being geared towards AMS itself. The data obtained indicated success in the majority of Koth-hound test subjects, which meant that the variety of sentient canine species might have the first variant of a vaccine for the others. Still, that left a variety of other species and differentiating strains afflicting each of the 3 Rims and the Core Worlds.

Given his proclivity for marine biology and humanoid biology, Rix decided it would be best if he focused on aquatic life. In particular, he was interested in scalefish; there were many different types of them, they were easy to obtain, and their biology was similar, but different enough to serve as an analogue between Humans and Near-Humans. After tweaking the vaccine slightly to be more accommodating to fish and some trial and error, Rix found that the vaccine was 92% efficient in his study. More importantly, with the tee variant of scalefish, the vaccine was 99% effective once one incorporated the margin of error.

Confident enough to reveal his findings to the head honcho herself, Rix had compiled his research into a single file complete with holorecordings, pictures, and a rather copious amount of logs and notes before agreeing to meet with her. He wanted to present her with good news; and the tee variant of scalefish would be just that. The vaccine success wasn’t just the only promising information; given that fish were cold blooded, it also showed the levels of body temperature increase after being unvaccinated and exposed to AMS in varying degrees of temperature, what with cold blooded creatures initially showing reduced symptoms in more frigid environments, if any at all in a few very rare cases. Those incredibly few cases were continuing to be isolated and strictly monitored, with there not being enough data to go on, at least yet. It would take more time and a lot more study and monitoring.

Earlier in the day, he did what the average person would have. Left his quarters, showered, vigorously moisturized, ate breakfast with equal parts bantha milk and cereal, brushed his teeth, adorned his work clothes, and finalized his work for the intended deadline. Now, here he was, about an hour after sending over one hundred, closer to hundreds of pages, of his findings from his datapad to Dr. Ilana Morata and about to meet her for the first time. Before entering the laboratory, he felt his pulse quicken and a small surge of anxiety coursed through him, but he quickly culled the feeling after a few deep breaths. As the doors gave way, he entered, and saw the pale, practically white haired woman. She practically appeared ethereal, ghostly even.

“Doctor Morata, a pleasure to finally meet you. I believe we have much to discuss, and I have much to explain, and nearly as many inquiries.” He reached for the datapad hidden in his white coat and began pressing a series of buttons before hesitating, realizing besieging her with more information might not be the best practice. “I’ll refrain from the latter until later though.”

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Amber eyes raked over the new blood as he approached; like her, at one stage in his life, the Lorrdian was cool, professional. His words were swift and concise, but yet, she could taste the anxiety from here, the nervousness that was expertly masked.

She stood tall, with long white hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Low heels clicked as she closed the distance wordlessly, peering at his datapad with sharp eyes. Silence beat for a few moments as his words hovered in the air before it was abruptly broken by mellifluous tones, accented lightly with something that seemed like the Core, but not quite.

"Doctor Pavon, was it?" she spoke up, head tilted slightly. She had read through his thesis and pored over his findings, which were promising, but the use of scalefish was something she found... curious. She would allow him his time to explain why.

"Inquire away," she answered, gaze now taking in the youth's face with searing, icy intensity, features neutral, assessing. Though he was taller than her by a few inches, she seemed to practically loom, giving him a level gaze. With the scrutiny of the galaxy on their every move, she wasn't going to be nice or mince her words. Whatever findings her team produced would be met with the same intensity as they would meet before the Senate; she would wait for him to explain and inquire personally.

@Wess

 

[Rix Pavon]

“Yes Ma’am. You may call me Rix if you would like; there is no need for formality when you address me.” He responded, acknowledging her scrutiny in how she looked at him. Part of him thought that she was simply trying to intimidate her, but further inspection of how she held herself assured him that she was... uncertain of what to make of his research.

“Before I ask any questions, most of which are about the upcoming sentient trials, let me preface my research by giving you a rundown. I am not uncertain of how much of the data you’ve managed to make your way through.” He paused for a split second and gathered his thoughts as if pinpointing the best place to start. “I understand that scalefish may seem a bit odd for nonsentient trials, but having dual majored in marine biology, I thought it would make the most sense. I recognized the success of the Kath hound trials, but wanted to expand the research into something that could be applied to more sentient species. Given the existence of humans and near-humans in the galaxy, I thought that studying the effects of the vaccine on the same genus, rather than species of animal, would provide us a better sample when moving to sentient clinical trials.”

Gesturing at her datapad, he continued. “Given that scalefish are also cold blooded, when infected with the AMS virus and exposed to colder climates, many showed reduced symptoms, with a few variants of each species not showing any symptoms. Still, given the scope of time I’ve spent on the project, we’re considering these isolated incidents and are still very rare, with the majority still showing symptoms. In summary, regarding the rest of the research, the vaccine proved to be ninety-two percent successful, with the tee variant of scalefish having a ninety-nine percent success rate. I included flags in the report as well for what I believed you would deem most important in regards to finalizing a vaccine safe for sentients; no need to bore you with the details of how AMS affects scalefish essentially the same way as every other living being. Worth noting though, is that the side effects of the vaccine included a lack of appetite, which could be construed as nausea, and lethargy. Seventy-five percent of the scalefish recovered within two days, while the remainder recovered after the third day. Also, the white ring present on the Kath hounds was not present on the scalefish.”

He gave her a chance to respond and provided she did, he would hear her out and respond appropriately before continuing. If not, he would just continue onto his questions.

“Have you heard of the Anzats? There are reports that they have no pulse or body heat. Do you have any data on how they’ve been affected, if at all?”

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She had anticipated, after reading his research notes, for the verbal flood that would come from the man. However, it seemed he didn't have quite so many questions as he had assertations, and though using scalefish was a good model to continue by, it was concerning as very few species in the galaxy were cold-blooded, barring a few reptilianoid species.

Essentially, he was using broad rather than narrow-spectrum for viral trials. "And what of your vaccination sample pool?" she responded in clipped tones, gesturing to him. "How is your own vaccine sample differing from the mainline pursuit? You mentioned variants of scalefish; did the environs have a direct impact on the effects of your sample study or was it independent?" She paused when he mentioned Anzats.

Her eyes narrowed subtly.

"I'm afraid data on that race is very limited, if there is any official data at all. Many of that race prefer to blend in with the human populace rather than identify as a predator, so no, unfortunately, data of the AMS virus against their immune systems isn't quantifiable data right now." But now she was curious.

"The white ring wouldn't impact cold-blooded species?"

@Wess

 

[Rix Pavon]

“Ectothermic organisms vary from endothermic in their metabolic processes, which I found particularly intriguing due to the rate of organ swelling when exposed to varying temperatures, pressure, and climate. Given that ectothermic organisms operate at optimal metabolic rates when in favorable conditions as opposed to the general constant in endothermic organisms, provided they’re not exposed to extremes, I believe the vaccine gives a much more broader area of study than simply scalefish, but rather cold-blooded individuals as a whole. The sample itself differs in the way that a vaccine may be administered; for example, in order to vaccinate the mee and faa variants, I could not safely administer the vaccine via injection and instead had to via absorption through their gills. Regardless, I haven’t had time yet to explore similar research in a field of study such as reptiles, amphibians, or insects, but I imagine I will have a very similar result.”

Believing he had adequately addressed her questions on environs adequately enough during the beginning of his near-monologue and her other concerns. Though he was uncertain about her first question, believing it segwayed into the second, he kept his calm, body unmoving, except for his lip movements and occasional blink.

“A shame. It was a shot in the dark, I suppose. I wouldn’t mind attempting a live vaccination on one; considering they’re carnivores to sentient species, they’re most likely hated by the majority of the Galaxy. I’m sure there’s one rotting away in a cell somewhere.” His voice, matter-of-fact, seemed unperturbed by the statement.

“As far as I can tell, but it may just be isolated to species of fish. I believe my next set of testing, provided it is permitted, should be conducted on amphibians, and then reptiles.”

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

It was true, many sentient species that weren't endothermic wouldn't be able to recieve a shot like several mammalian species would; not only would the drug metabolize differently, but certain structures, such as keratinized skin, would be difficult to penetrate even with specific reinforced needles. Species such as Khaleesh would have to possibly be given an ingested variant, but it seemed like the vaccine was less effective with ectotherms than endotherms.

"Lowered core temperature was the deciding factor for greater success, correct?" she asked him quietly, head tilted slightly. "What if, for a reptilian sample, you were to slow general metabolism for blind study tests T1-T10? In your professional opinion, would this make any difference for effectiveness?"

@Wess

 

[Rix Pavon]

“That is correct,” Rix responded matter-of-factly, giving her a curt nod. “In regards to reptilian species, I believe so, with about seventy-five percent accuracy. I believe it depends on the reptilian species in question; scalefish can survive in a variety of temperatures, ranging from surface temperatures to that of the Abyss, which could range from extremely cold to extremely hot, depending on the location of the plasma vents on Naboo. Subjecting reptilian specimens to colder temperatures might result in premature hibernation, which could cause damage to the specimen and warrant further studying.”

His stance shifted to a wider one as he crossed his arms, pondering. “If we subjected T1-T10 to colder temperatures and T11-T20 to hotter temperatures, we could observe the effects better because I believe with reptiles, an increased temperature would cause them to metabolize the vaccine faster, but at the same time, it would increase the symptoms if they were already infected, possibly causing the subject to expire faster. Even still, I believe testing the vaccine on amphibians next would provide better results in the long term due to serving as an intermediary between fish and reptiles.”

He furrowed his brow, as if in uncertain how to say his next thought without sounding totally heartless. In the end, he just decided to come out with it.

“Alternatively, we could get those war criminals and after delivering the vaccine, encase them in carbonite and study the effects if we’re trying to produce something more quickly.”

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She was pleased at his results. In fact, it was one step closer to their end goal, one step closer to curing the galaxy of at least one problem. However...

He mentioned prisoners. Giving him a patient look, she tilted her head to regard him. Instead of dismissing his idea outright, she would challenge it.

"And what prisoners of war would we use? Should we rely on government sanction for each prisoner? Would we not merely abuse sentient life... and for what reason?" She would ask these questions rapid-fire, one after the other, and though there was no heat to her words, she would ask them quickly and without any emotional inflection.

@Wess

 

[Rix Pavon]

Though her speech did not have any malice behind it, Rix believed that her content was swiftly replaced by contempt following his mention of advancing to using prisoners of war. With the same calm voice, he shifted his stance to a neutral one, hands clasped at the top of his datapad while his arms positioned themselves to hang in front of him.

“If you have moral qualms about it, I’m sure we could review or filter their case files according to your criteria. In regards to sanctions, we would most likely need to report on each individual case study to the government in question per development, unless the legal team includes in the contracts that they waive the right to know the status of each prisoner until the end of the study.” As he readied himself to respond to the last question, he gathered his thoughts. A true question of morality, and one he felt entirely apathetic to. He knew he needed to phrase the last answer carefully.

“In regards to most war criminals, there has already been an abuse of sentient life. There are those that are to be imprisoned for the rest of their lives, there are those sentenced to death, there are those who have killed and crippled civilians like ourselves. I’m no philosopher, but I believe taking those who have committed atrocities and forcing them to contribute to the preservation, rather than the destruction, of civilization for once seems like an appropriate form of retribution.” He tilted his head to one side. “This is a war against an unseen enemy. In an war between two sentient forces, if a member of an allied force were to accidentally kill one of us in an attempt to kill an enemy, we would be viewed as collateral damage.”

He let his hands hang by his sides.

“Any long term damage to the proposed subjects would also be collateral damage in our war.”

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

From the way he spoke, he assumed she responded with personal emotion, rather than from an opposite perspective. Vaguely annoying, but her features remained neutral, impassive, while he spoke his own views. Granted, it made the most empirical sense. Use the dregs of society to benefit the whole.

"I do not have moral qualms about it," she answered coolly, staring at him levelly. Though he was taller than her, she seemed to loom, a hand settling on her hip as she regarded him with remote amber eyes. But his apathetic response to sentient life disturbed her; one of their tenets of the company was to provide aid and care to all sentient life. To cherry-pick according to the brand of justice would be hypocritical.

"Such points were already discussed in a forum with elected officials," she replied calmly, tilting her head. "Granted, using such prisoners would make the most sense in the name of research, however, using such sources would still be cited as sentient abuse, no matter the cause nor the hoped outcome." Her lips twitched slightly, before she continued. "Regardless of our intentions, families could still cite abuse. Politicians could exploit with political prisoners. Regardless of our war," she glanced over him remotely once more, "there is some collateral damage that higher powers wish us to avoid. Besides, the expense of disposing or managing infected subjects would be far greater, and with greater risk of prisoners. Isolation cells will only work for so long before a sentient makes a single mistake. Imagine the virus taking over a mass-security prison; given the state of our Rangers' resources, such a small-scale pandemic would be nothing short of catastrophic."

@Wess

 

[Rix Pavon]

“I see, you merely meant to play the Dark Side’s Advocate then, my apologies,” He responded, noting that there was an opportunity to bring up the Light Side’s Advocate instead, but instead deciding to keep their conversation curt and respectful in regards to the profession and the fact that she was his boss.

“You make valid points,” He said, a calm, almost serene expression over him. Though the two had different ideas, the doctor had been dealing with the virus’s makeup and the politics surrounding it much longer than he had. “I am afraid the realm of politics are foreign to me. I was under the assumption that prisoners would be extradited to one of our facilities, but given my brief time being here, I cannot pretend that I know the extent of the facilities available to the organization that are suitable to house such individuals.”

She watched how she held herself in regard to him, her gentle movements almost making him feel like she was a bit disappointed in him.

“At times, I find that my morality is only guided by efficiency and efficacy, so for that, I apologize.”

@Killa Ree