Disease Outbreak

Priority: Immediate

In view of the recent developments in the Fed. of United Technocrats,
we urge our regional authorities to take immediate steps to deal with a
health issue of utmost urgency. We also call on our WA representatives
to inform the appropriate international health authorities about the situation.

There has been an outbreak of a new virus of unknown origin in our
country. The affected areas are not densely populated, but due to the
nature of our economy and population migrations, we expect the disease
to spread rapidly as soon as this fall, even though the affected areas were put under quarantine. The virus seems to have mutated
from one capable of producing symptoms in the fish, to one capable of
invading human subjects. The virus produces similar symptoms as in a known
prion-caused infection commonly referred to as "mad frogs" but this time the virus,
that was known for causing flu-like symptoms in fish, has invaded a
human subject described as spending long times with fish. The people in
the affected areas colloquially called the disease "fish flu." The causative agent belongs to the subtype E2E4 of the Influenza X virus.

Signed,
Fed. of United Technocrats
Office of the Overseer

Priority: Medium

We wish to inform the regional health authorities that we have taken the legislative steps to ensure safe practices in the times of the outbreak. Due to a large number of casualties, we will no longer require the reporting of individual cases of infection. Rather, our National Assembly has voted PRO on a new law, that will require each victim who died of the "fish flu" to report his death as soon as possible, to the local health authorities, where he will be required to present his death certificate as proof. Each citizen that fails to do so, will void his right to vote in the next elections. We suggest that other nations follow our approach in this matter.

Signed,
Fed. of United Technocrats
Office of the Overseer

To: The Federation of United Technocrats; Office of the Overseer
From: The Kingdom of Metz Royal Health Center

We, the Royal Health Center of The Kingdom of Metz, wish to inform you that all food and iimigration/emmigration to and from your nation have been immediatly stopped untill this disease has found a cure, or has been completely stopped.

We also with to show our concern for this matter and are willing to send a support team of doctors to help find a cure, or help contain this "Fish Disease Outbreak". We are also willing to send one million dollars worth of medicine o medicinal supplies should there be a need.

The King has informed us that we will not pass new legislation requiring dead citizens to repot their deaths or forfiet their right to vote, due to our Monarchy and great King Gavin the II's rule. Our nation will require individual case reports for each person who may become ill from this "Fish Disease" however.


Please respond in a timely mannar so that we can ship supplies or doctors as soon as possible to fight this disease as early as possile. We wish you the best of luck, and may a cure be found soon.

Signed,
King Gavin the II
King of the Kingdom of Metz

Roger Uzandja
Directer of The Royal Health Center

To: The Kingdom of Metz Royal Health Center
From: The Federation of United Technocrats; Office of the Overseer

Metz wrote:

We, the Royal Health Center of The Kingdom of Metz, wish to inform you that all food and iimigration/emmigration to and from your nation have been immediatly stopped untill this disease has found a cure, or has been completely stopped.

We also with to show our concern for this matter and are willing to send a support team of doctors to help find a cure, or help contain this "Fish Disease Outbreak". We are also willing to send one million dollars worth of medicine o medicinal supplies should there be a need.

The King has informed us that we will not pass new legislation requiring dead citizens to repot their deaths or forfiet their right to vote, due to our Monarchy and great King Gavin the II's rule. Our nation will require individual case reports for each person who may become ill from this "Fish Disease" however.

Dear friends,

On behalf of our people I wish to extend our gratitude for the aid You offered. We are willing to accept Your medical research teams, and we are sending the virus and infected tissue samples via special mail, using strict biohazard procedures. This can help Your scientists analyze the samples in Your own laboratories. Please observe all safety precautions. A database of our prior knowledge is also included with the shipment. At this time, we are in control of the situation and we are not in need for any additional medicines and economic aid. We appreciate the offer, though.

About the issue of stopping immigration and trade, we wish to inform You that there is no reason to cancel or block any food trade agreements, as the virus is not transferred via food products. The migration issue can be resolved by strict border controls, which we are willing to negotiate, but we do understand Your swift reaction.

Regarding our prior recommendations about reporting deaths, we believe You should reconsider Your decision about this precautionary measure, because at this stage, we do not know if the dead people can arise and wreak havoc should the virus undergo further mutations and begin to transform the infected people into their undead form. As per our laws, the undead still do have the responsibility towards the State, esp. they are NOT, repeat NOT, exempt from any taxes whatsoever, even if they roam into Your territory. Until further notice, we will allow them the right to vote in their undead form, unless the issue is resolved otherwise by the WA (e.g. by a resolution denying voting privileges to the undead). Their votes are counted in a different manner, however, i.e. if an undead creature lacks 1/3 of its body (e.g. it has only one arm and lacks a head), the vote counts as 2/3 of a full vote. Lacking brains, however, is considered as two (2) votes.

Signed,
The Federation of United Technocrats
Office of the Overseer

Response to Letter from The Office of The Overseer

The Kingdom of Metz wishes to keep its strict border policy and food restrictions (Since the virus can infect fish and our nation lies on a coast where there are many fish) to ensure the safety and quality of life of its own people. After this incident has been resolved, we will make immigration from your nation much more lax in order to 'make up' for the lost time. This lax state will not remain foever however. Six months after this incident has been resolved, we will return to our previous immigration status, of only allowing ten percent of the total immigrating populous to be from a certain country. These laws of The Kingdom of Metz are in place for all nations within Hyrule, and it not in any way prejudice against your nation.

We also wish to thank you for your quick, prompt and active response to the outbreak as well as to our letter and aid. We will send any information that we may discover to you immediatly should any new information be discovered. Thanks again, and we wish both of our medical teams the best of luck in ending this outbreak.

Signed,
Roger Uzandja
Directer of The Royal Health Center

In response to the last communique from our highly esteemed friends,

Metz wrote:

The Kingdom of Metz wishes to keep its strict border policy and food restrictions (Since the virus can infect fish and our nation lies on a coast where there are many fish) to ensure the safety and quality of life of its own people.

As You probably know, we are a coastal nation (visible through the territorial claims on the map provided on this forum). The "fish flu" is transferrable via the fish that can freely reach Your borders regardless of the immigration policies towards our nation. We understand Your reaction, but we believe You will soon realize the pandemic cannot be contained this way. We have even detected birds eating fish and falling ill: 176 birds have been hospitalized already, and their social security and medicare numbers are being checked and processed. There is a widespread belief among our people that some birds can even fly, though our scientists have studied domestic hens for decades now, and detected no such abilities: their experiments included throwing hens from high altitudes and none demonstrated the ability to fly. However, we believe this possibility, as a probable exposure route, requires further investigation.

With this letter, please receive our greatest respect that we hold for You.

Signed,
Office of the Overseer, F.UnTec

Response to letter from The Office of The Overseer:

We will keep the policies that we have already began doing. Should the virus reach our shores, we will do anything needed to stop the spread of this outbreak, iuncluding killing all animals that are infected and placing their bodies under quarentine.

We are very grateful for your information and cooperation through this ourbreak, and wish a speedy recovery and resolution to this outbreak.

Signed,
Roger Uzandja
Director of The Royal Health Center

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A man within the Kingdom of Metz began to feel a little ill. Having traveled outside of the country a few weeks ago, he was worried that it may be a foriegn illness.

He went to a nearby doctor, who gave him some medicine for the common cold, thinking that that was the worst it could be at the moment. The man went to sleep that night and took his medicine. The disease was not hindered by the medicine as the man slept and the man awaited an unpleasant suprise for when he awoke...

News bulletin from the Fed. of United Technocrats--

The disease agent has mutated and is now widespread. Many people are suffering. The medical team members assigned with researching the possible cure, have fallen ill and many of them are dead too. Communications systems are failing. The conta^&&*$##1J{-**^

Breaking News:

The Kingdom of Metz has recently lost contact with the health team memebers from The Fed. of United Technocrats. A statement made by them, which was cut short, stated that many of them have fallen ill and tragically died and that the disease has mutated. The Kingdom of Metz had not had any problems of the like, hopefully due to the strict policies enforced, however there has been mention of one man from The Borderlands of The Kingdom ho has fallen ill and has many of the same symptoms. He has been quarentined and is being taken care of by the most knowledgeable doctors.

In good news, the men in charge of finding a cure for this disease say that they are coming close. With the information that was given to them, and by studying what is occuring in The Fed. of United Technocrats, they feel that they know almost everything about the disease. Hopefullly a solution to this problem can be made soon, and this strand of the disease can be cured.

A small task force containing several doctors has been sent on a mission into the Fed. of United Technocrats to take some samples from people and bring them back to the coutry here, so that this new strand can also have a cure made in the future.

Our thoughts and hopes go out to those brave soldiers and doctors who are risking their lives to save ours.



---------

A small task force was already in flight and on its way to The Federation of United Technocrats. They were equipped with weapons, not knowing what dangers they would be facing, and ready to secure samples to take back to The Kingdom. They were trained doctors within the Armed Forces of Metz, and trained soldiers as well. They hoped that their medicinal knowledge would be sufficient. The plane would arrive in The Fed. of United Technocrats the next day...

Checking modules . . . ready.
Loading BIOS . . . ready.
All systems ONLINE.
Automatic Defense System ONLINE.

ADS module #2271, section Delta. IRQ. Priority report. An unknown task force approaching sector Q21. Request directives. #EOM

Main Control Module. ADS #2271/Delta ACK. #EOM

Main Control Module. Broadcast mode. Code 41. Data input from ADS module #2271/Delta indicates the territory is under attack in sector Q21. ComSat link with Strategic Control lost. Human control no longer operational. Switching to automatic mode. #EOM

Main Control Module. Directive #00721AFF-FF082631. Track all targets. Silent operation. Use minimum profile. Terminate with extreme prejudice. Defend the territory at all costs. Priority defense in sectors F35 through Q21. Fallout report every 8 minutes. Reserve sectors Q10 through Q20. Staging area Navatron, sectors C11 through D18. #EOM

ADS Broadcast <all> Msg verify OK. Directive ACK. #EOM

-------------

The air drones are being launched and presently in idle mode, weapons ready. Ground drones advancing towards the staging area. Surveillance systems throughout the state are now active and tracking the task force entering the territory of the Federation. Strategic missiles are put on a 3 minute launch readiness.

In response to a failed initiative to establish mutual defense agreements with neighbouring states, the Federation of United Technocrats has undertaken an extensive operation of developing automated defense systems. Having a comparably low number of recruits but a large population of scientists and engineers, its government decided this was the best course of action in face of constant guerrilla style terrorist attacks by members of The Resistance. However, none contemplated the possibility of an infectious disease that could cripple the infrastructure and effectively override human control over the automata...

---------------

Automatic Defense System ONLINE.
Autonomous Air Sampling Unit ONLINE.

AASU module #0A44, section Alpha. IRQ. Priority report. Biological contaminants detected in air samples. Hybrid viral infectious agent suspected. #EOM

Main Control Module. AASU #0A44/Alpha ACK. #EOM

ADS module #2271, section Delta. IRQ. Task force now in sector Q21. Task force designated as TF#01. IDENT complete. TF#01 belonging to the Kingdom of Metz. Recce complete. Sending datastream. (sending embed_data) Ready. #EOM

Main Control Module. ADS #2271/Delta ACK. #EOM

Loading ANALYSIS/SUB_ConfirmFriendOrFoe . . . ready.
Remote data input:
__designate "Task force" in Q21 as TF#01
__designate "Kingdom of Metz" as "Metz"
__owner(TF#01) := "Metz"
__datastreamADS2271 := read(ADSmod#2271)
__datastreamAASU0A44 := read(AASUmod#0A44)
__datastream concatenate.
Output:
__datastream =
____location(TF#01) = "Q21"
____owner(TF#01) = "Metz"
____armed(TF#01) = TRUE
____other_equipment(TF#01) = "Medical, Biohazard_suits"
____biowarfare_agents_present(sec="Alpha") = TRUE
Database input:
__allied(Metz) = FALSE
__passage_allowed(Metz) = FALSE
__military_spending(Metz) = 53,172,151,614,429.14 AFD
Processing . . . complete.

### ANALYSIS
Result:
The Kingdom of Metz has launched an all-out biowarfare and conventional offensive against the Federation, and the incursions are underway. Enemy defence spending at $53,172,151,614,429.14 AFD qualified as immense. Unable to proceed with conventional retaliatory measures.
Suggested course of action: Immediate full retaliatory spectrum.
Analysis Ends.

"BEEP! BEEP! Warning. Mainframe malfunction. Reboot failure. Reboot. Reboot. Reboot failure. General failure reading drive C. No drive found. Reboot. Reboot in safe mode. The system has recovered from a serious err... reboot. Reboot in safe mode, Send report? Don't send. Error. Unrecoverable error. Dramatic error. Cardinal error. Power fault. USB drive malfunction. Firewire drive reports wire on fire. Krr! Krrrr! Krkrkrkrkrkr... Krrrrr! (was that a parrot or a hard drive?) Please register to receive updates. Please enter registration key. You can no longer use Mike'o'soft products until you enter a valid registration key. Reboot. No OS found. Reboot. Detecting drives . . . no drives found. BIOS failure. Reboot. UPS failure: battery leak detected. Saving changes. Powering down."

The blue screen kept appearing and disappeaing for several minutes, displaying warning messages. Then it finally shut down. The defense system went offline.

Meanwhile....

The task force was on its way when the warning lights started flashing all over the cockpit...

Pilot: "What the hell?"
co-Pilot: "what was that?"
Pilot: "We are losing hydraulics!"
co-Pilot: "We are losing flaps control!"
Pilot: "Cause?"
co-Pilot: "Unknown! What's that? Hey! We're leaking fuel!"
Pilot: "Attitude control unresponsive! What the hell! D*mn!"
(yanks the controls several times)
co-Pilot: "Altitude declining rapidly!"
Pilot (talking through the intercom): "Attention. This is the Captain. All hell broke loose here. Prepare for emergency landing."

Making a sharp manoeuvre, the pilot manages to direct the plane towards a clearing, near a large forest. The craft hits the ground hard, but stays in one piece. Making a lasting, sharp screech, losing parts all over the trail, it finally comes to a halt. The crew manages to leave before it bursts into flames.

After a few hours, flames slowly subsiding, they begin to salvage equipment from the wreck. There wasn't much fuel left, so the fire didn't cause too much damage to a specially sealed compartment containing research and medical equipment. For several hours, the technicians tried to find out the exact cause of the failure, while the medical teams were scanning the environment for contamination. They knew the air could be full of viral agents, so they were all wearing biohazard suits. Alas, but to no avail. To their amazement, they discovered the air contained modified viruses.

- Valgor, come here.
- Yes?
- Take a look at this.
(Valgor comes and looks at a portable scanning electron microscope display. He moves backs with a face showing confusion. Then he looks again carefully.)
- What do You make of it?
- I don't know. I've never seen anything like it. It looks like a virus, but...
- ...but, with micro-mechanical parts attached to it.
- But how...?
- I don't know. But I'm pretty sure that's what caused the crash. The aircraft part samples are full of them.
- They look like an Influenza-type protein casing, but the DNA is partially sticking out and being mechanically stretched. And the protrusion, an ... arm (?) ... looks like it has some sort of a manipulator that does something with the DNA but I cannot tell what just by watching through SEM.
- D*mn, there are trillions of them. And they're everywhere.
- Do You believe they pose a threat?
- What do You mean? Of course they pose a threat! (looks in the direction of the wreck)
- No, I mean ... a threat to us, You know ... biologically?
- How the hell should I know? I studied pollen particles!
- What?! How did You get to be part of this team?
- Well, You know, my wife knows people in high places... Who are You to question my competence, You studied adolescent sexuality!
- I was chosen by a State commission!
Rothgar approaches:
- Stop arguing you two. Don't you understand how serious this is? This is a threat to the entire planet!
Brommir:
- Can't be more threatening to the world safety than Valgor's wife...
Valgor:
- Why You...
Rothgar:
- Stop! I said, STOP! (he slaps Valgor) Do I have to repeat myself? I am in charge here! Now get back to work and give me some advice on what to do next. We have to find some way to notify The Royal Health Center in Metz.
Brommir:
- So how do You suggest we do that? The comms equipment is dead. Even the batteries have turned to jello...
Brommir:
- It is still liquefying! Look!

They all look terrified as they watch the portable comms device "dry," military grade battery oozing with strange, gelatinous, bubbling fluid...

The people on the plane were frightned and decided to leave the aircraft alone and move on in an effort to find where the source of this odd material is being generated. As they moved forward they began to find that it was nearly everywhere. They had no clue as to where to start or what to do. They continued in search of something that they could relay a message to the Health Center, in hopes of getting back up or an order on what to do. As the day moved on they sat down and began to talk about what they should do, having no idea what had happened here, or how their plane was crashed so suddenly.

After a long journey through the woods, the group finally reached a large clearing, with a dirty white, monumental looking structure in the middle. It consisted of three sections, the most prominent feature of which was a large antenna protruding from the middle, largest one. The antenna was pointing towards the sky, but also had a positioning mechanism to allow directional adjustment. The whole structure appeared intact. The overall design was typical of the world renowned sleek United Technocrats architecture, the renown coming not only from the looks, but also from the time proven energy efficiency, robustness and the use of special composites. It appeared to have a door in the middle, so they proceeded towards it. Next to the door, they found a control panel that seemed powered up and operational.

Being the most proficient in electronics, Valgor started fiddling with the controls. He opened the box and attached multitudes of electrodes to the circuitry. After several hours of arduous work, the system finally became responsive, and he commented: "These Techies always make things more complicated than they really need to be." The door mechanism started opening, but the door jammed halfway, and the electronics blew. Valgor was confused at first, but looking at the wires that were already decaying, the plastic layer turning into rainbow-colored goo, he sighed...

- Nanites... Again... Why on Hyrule would they ever want to make such dangerous things? And how did they get hybridized with those viruses... Perhaps it was a WMD project gone terribly wrong? Eh?

The others were just silently watching him still tinkering with the device.

- Good thing we brought specially protected equipment, or else we'd be working with stone age tools...
- Yeah, good thing we weren't eaten by these micro...pieces of...s***! – Rothgar exclaimed, removing some strange looking dirt from the place where the Metz flag once was attached to his suit. – I KNEW we should have bombed them. I knew they were up to no good. WMDs... I KNEW it... Damn Commies!... I mean Techies! ...

The door was jerking in place as if the servo was trying to fully open the portal, but the slider material was damaged so it just screeched and finally stopped. Valgor disconnected his tools and started to pack them back into his bag...

Rothgar: (sigh)... "Can we enter already?"
Valgor (looking cautiously at the inside of the building): "I think so. The lights seem to work, and the ventilation too. Probably too robust to be destroyed so easily, but let us make haste, the nanites are already inside having a feast..."

The group entered the complex.

Rothgar carefully inspected the building insides, paying special attention to potential traps, but found none. He concluded it was safe to proceed. He instructed the search teams to perform a recce of the rooms, and gave directions to Valgor and Brommir to find a way to access the mainframe. After a few hours, the groups returned.

Rothgar:
- Report!
Valgor:
- We have found an access terminal in Sector VII. Do we proceed?
Rothgar:
- By all means! Go!
Brommir:
- But sir...
Rothgar:
- WHAT!?
Brommir:
- Sir, we don't have the access codes...
Rothgar:
- SO? Brommir, if we knew everything we needed to know, we wouldn't have come here in the first place. And if I knew enough about computers and bioscience, I certainly wouldn't have brought the two of you. OKAY? Now GO!
Brommir:
- YES SIR! (quickly walks away, with Valgor following) ... says to himself: "jerk!"
Rothgar:
- WHAT WAS THAT!?
Brommir:
- Nothing Sir! We'll be back in no time! (puts on a forced smile)

After a frustrating several hours work at the terminal they found, attempting to break the database code, Valgor finally smiled:
- I got it! I remember it now! I think I have an idea about the code. This has to be the work of professor Fresenius. Look at the style! He's got to be one of the best United Technocrats have.
- Or had... (nodding his head) ... What do You have in mind?
- You remember the virus was called X(E2E4) by Dr. Fresenius? He used that name because he disliked soulless and unoriginal labels that the UT scientists usually employ.
- So?
- So? What do You mean "SO?" So, "E2E4" because he loved chess. We had a rough encounter at the Hyrule chess tournament three years ago. The guy was destroying me however he wanted, and that was the time I learned I knew so little about chess... He used the Lasker style of play, and he always talked about Emanuel Lasker, quoted him at every opportunity.
- So You think he might have used some chess term as a password? A type of opening or something?
- No, no, no! I think he identified himself with Lasker. He probably used some combination of his name, or some of his famous encounters... I'll try everything I can come up with...

(just minutes later)

- Here! I got it! The code is "Lasker1868". It's his year of birth.
- Great! Now we're getting somewhere...

Accessing the UT main research database, they uncovered many important facts that the UT scientist came up with. The "nanites" are carbon-organic/silicon hybrid species. Based on Dr. Fresenius' research on the Panspermia hypothesis, the UT scientists found that the original virus came from outer space. It survived the harsh outer space environment due to its ability to assume a hybrid form, encapsulating itself into silica, and remain dormant. The UT science teams were working on a solution to inactivate viruses using nanorobotics, because the virus spread and mutated too fast to be dealt with using conventional methods.

Further entries suggested that, in the course of developing nanorobots, the constantly changing virus managed to take control of them, and fused into "hybrid nanites" owing to the fact that it came from the fish that was in contact with diatoms, known for their ability to process silica. The widespread electronic systems failure ensued, when the silicon-based computers were invaded by the virus, now capable of fusing with electronic chips. The hybrids also acquired the rudimentary information processing ability, and the final, airborne hybrid nanites resulted, which begun spreading fast.

After several hours, the team started to feel the symptoms of infection. Analyses they conducted have shown the nanite virus mutated yet again and penetrated their protective clothing. They implemented all available information on building nanobots and even tried their own varieties, but to no avail. Within two days, all of the team members succumbed to the disease. Alas, but life is cruel...

The hybrids evolved quickly. They started interconnecting and forming intricate networks in the existing UT information system framework. Finally, on 27th day of the exposure, the system became sentient. The first ideas began to form within its intricate electro-biological brain. The first thoughts started taking shape from the mist of the birth of sentience. The system experienced a general shock as it sent out the command to recycle or destroy the remaining humans in hybernation chambers.

The system rebooted. The multitude of thoughts started rushing through its electrobiological circuitry. The nanites received their instructions and immediately started working on rewiring and building a new system. The central core, its new electrobiological brain, felt the multitudes of nanites working on its structure, its software and in its circuitry. As it experienced its first emotions, these were directed towards the nanites. All the displays started showing the words: "DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... ..... DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... DEVELOPERS... YES!"


... THE END ...