Plague Wars

From Vast Empire Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Plague Wars
Danger Plague.jpg
Conflict

Galactic Civil War

Beginning

7 ABY

End

10 ABY

Outcome
  • Large civilian casualties
  • Massive relocation of populations
  • End to bio-weapons use by major combatants
Combatants

Galactic Empire


Commanders



The events collectively called the "Plague Wars" were a series of biological warfare attacks conducted by both major combatants in the Galactic Civil War. The attacks signaled a new and darker level of violence and barbarism in the long-running conflict and helped contribute to increased factionalism in both the Imperial and fledgling New Republic forces.

As the biological vectors were continually unleashed, they increasingly targeted specific species. Imperial viruses were tailored towards specific non-human populations and New Republic labs would alternately focus on infecting the primarily human members of the Imperial forces.

Ironically, the battle for Coruscant, the galactic capital and symbol of authority of all species, was the catalyst for the events that followed.

Timeline[edit]

  • 7 ABY
    • Krytos Virus unleashed on Coruscant.
    • Imperial factionalism increases in wake of divestiture of Imperial Center.
  • 8 ABY
    • Shipyard worlds attacked by both sides, known as the Shipwright's Plagues.
    • Various alliances tie Imperial factions to one another during this period.
    • "Mandalorian Fever" infects many of the Tapani worlds.
  • 9 ABY
    • Ciutric Epidemic campaign begins to unseat Imperial ruler there.
    • Imperial release of Candorian Plague among New Republic worlds, targetting major Republic founding worlds.
    • Major exodus of populations from major and perceived targeted planets in Core and Mid Rim.
  • 10 ABY
    • Mass release of the "Emperor's Plague" among human-populated worlds.
    • Increased factionalism between New Republic worlds over this and other incidents.
  • 11 ABY
    • Galactic Bioweapons Restriction Treaty (AKA Treaty of Vinsoth) signed after months of negotiations.
    • Diversity Alliance terrorists meld into non-human factions of New Republic.
    • Both major combatants agree to temporary cease fire as they deal with their losses.

Phase One: Krytos Virus (7 ABY)[edit]

For as violent as the Galactic Civil War had been from the beginning, things escalated to a new level of bloodlust after the Krytos Virus attack in ABY 7. In that year, Ysanne Isard sought to deny the New Republic an easy capture of Coruscant and unleashed a virus that targeted the non-human population of the world city.

This succeeded in a variety of ways. First, it tied the hands of the occupying New Republic forces, allowing the Imperials time to pack up and leave. Secondly, it sowed the seeds of doubt and discord among the non-human species as it took significant time and resources to both find a cure and to get it to the affected (non-human) populations.

This also took it's toll on establishing New Republic rule on the world and countless subblocks were effectively taken over by criminal gangs and other non-governmental entities.

However, the disruptions of the virus also had a galactic cost, as the price of bacta shot up and any produced supplies were monopolized by the New Republic as soon as they were produced. Though millions succumbed to the virus, tens of millions more beings died or suffered debilitating injuries on other worlds as, for many months, it was impossible to get bacta in any form.

It has been argued who was most to blame for this: the Empire for creating the situation or the New Republic for monopolizing the resources.

Phase Two: Retaliation Events (8-9 ABY)[edit]

The Krytos Plague led to the Bacta War and a new flareup in the Galactic Civil War. Newly emboldened Imperials came under the flag of Isard. As both sides pushed forth on more conventional campaign, elements within both the New Republic and Imperial factions persisted in continuing the devastating effects of viral warfare. Many attempts at spreading plague were contained to a few worlds. While the events were very devastating, thankfully they did not spread to many worlds. Of the major events, the following are of note.

In 8 ABY, New Republic agents unleashed the Bandonian Plague on the Imperial worlds of Wroona, [Jaemus], [Lianna], Eriadu and [Ord Trasi]. Each of these planets either had shipyards or naval support facilities. This was the New Republic attack in what became known as the Shipwright Plagues.

In response, Imperial agents deployed the Lali Plague on the New Republic worlds of [Sluis Van], [Bothawui], [Sullust], [Loronar], and [Mon Calamari]. Significant damage was done to both sides warship production.

In addition, for reasons that can only be tied to a long outstanding grudge against the Tapani worlds, a Mandalorian-inspired infection of Karatos Plague broke out on the Tapani worlds of Tallaan and Obulette in 9 ABY. To date, the Tapani worlds had remained more or less neutral and the attack did not seem to serve anyone's immediate best interests. It appears the Mandalorians sought to reduce Tapani influence as well as to avenge ancient abuses against the Taung species, which created the Mandalorian culture. At best, it proved to simultaneously isolated and deter others from tangling with the Mandalorians; which was probably their intended goal all along.

Phase Three: Ciutric Epidemic (9-10 ABY)[edit]

The nonhuman New Republic forces chafed for payback for the Krytos virus and found it in the Loedorvian Brain Plague. This incredibly virulent bio-weapon was once used by the CIS during the Clone Wars. An antidote was never developed for it as it burned through a population quickly. In the aftermath of the Thrawn Incursion, the New Republic hoped to diminish rogue Imperial warlord holdings before seeing what Thrawn's next moves would be.

Their first target was Prince-Admiral Delak Krennel's Ciutric Hegemony. Composed primarily of the planets Axxila, the planets of the Corvis Minor system, Liinade III, and Vrosynri 8, Krennel had created a haven for humans, particularly those Imperials forced to leave worlds that went over to the New Republic. Though a sometimes cruel proponent of human rule, he also reached out to Alderaanians, helping to help settle them and eventually find a new world.

For all that, he was slated for a regime change by New Republic Command. In preparations for the attack, Mon Calamari, Trandoshans, and Twi'lek elements of the New Republic military took it upon themselves to disperse an altered form of the Loedorvian Brain Plague onto the planets of the Ciutric Hegemony. The modified form targeted human genomes in particular and was ready for release in late 9 ABY.

When the New Republic fleet entered the systems to combat their opponents, they found worlds raging with diseased citizens. Fearful of contamination, they left immediately and established a quarantine zone. Only months later would scouts return to find decimated planets eeking by solely with the support of nearby systems and Imperial rescue and recovery teams.

The Ciutric episode was doubly a black eye for the New Republic. First, it never could discover the elements in it's ranks that unleashed the virus, and thus bore the blame for the infection and death of tens of millions. Secondly, by turning their backs on sentient beings in need - almost totally humans - it increasingly fed the argument that the New Republic had a bias against humanoid species.

Phase Four: Scourge of the Rebellion (10 ABY)[edit]

The response to the Ciutric Epidemic was swift. Imperial commando units were immediately tasked by Isard to unleash the [Candorian Plague] to as many New Republic worlds as possible. The planets were chosen primarily for their support of the early Rebellion. Every signatory planet of the original Alliance to Restore the Republic as well as many of the Delegation of 2000 worlds were chosen, though many missions did not succeed.

This was followed up by a reinvigorated Imperial push against worlds that allied with the New Republic and others that left the fold to regain independence. Both the Isard and Thrawn factions, along with many of the rogue Warlords worked to reclaim significant sectors of the former Imperial holdings, particularly the Corellian worlds and much of the Inner Rim and Colonies.

Phase Five: Backlash Plague (10 ABY)[edit]

The final salvo in the Plague Wars was among the most lethal. The increasingly popular Diversity Alliance, an anti-human syndicate, discovered the location of the "Emperor's Plague Storehouse", one of the many caches Palpatine created to store weapons, technology, and looted wealth during his reign. This particular site was home to many of the bio-weapons developed for the Empire by Evir Derricote. Among them was the ultimate failsafe bio-weapon: the human genome-targeting Emperor's Plague.

Developed as a hedge against revolt by humanoid planets, the weapon was never known to be used and, outside of documents at the facility, never recorded as being developed. Indeed, it remains unclear as to why the Emperor had the virus created in the first place given that all his adversaries were primarily non-human.

The Deep Core installation was infiltrated in late 10 ABY and a large and diverse quantity of bio-weapons were seized in the raid before Alliance agents were repulsed by Imperial defense forces.

The Emperor's Plague was then reproduced and packaged for distribution. Agents of the Diversity Alliance succeeded in releasing the virus onto a variety of human-majority worlds, as well as the headquarters for Isard's fleet. The ensuing devastation and loss of life led to a temporary cease-fire between the primary adversaries and the splintering of the New Republic. While the human elements work to distance themselves from the Diversity Alliance, the organization merges with non-human species of the New Republic, which protects them from charges of terrorism and attempted genocide.

Repercussions[edit]

At first, the initial efforts of the cease-fire allow both sides to strive to heal their infected citizens and bury the billions of victims. The Treaty of Vinsoth concluded quickly, condemning and banning the military use of bio-weapons on both sides. Imperial forces under the command of Isard and Thrawn destroyed any militarized agents they possessed, as did the human-led factions of the New Republic.

The uncaptured members of both the Diversity Alliance and their helpers and many unrepentant Imperial units were branded criminals in both the Empire and Republic worlds and continue to be apprehended and turned over to their respective victim worlds for punishment.

Corporate Involvement[edit]

Obviously, development of the plagues were primarily a military research venture. However, in the rush to find cures and antidotes a large market opened up for many of the galaxy's pharmaceutical companies. While trying to get drugs to market resulted in some unplanned accidents and dangerous side effects, in the main the manufacturers did not willfully try to harm their intended products' recipients.

In 10 ABY, a small lab known as Fivren Biotics, a division of Athakam Medtech, created and released a particularly virulent vector called the Essex-Millbury plague. Named after the scientists who developed it, it was more generally known as Rebellion Fever. As it's parent company was well-known as an Alliance supporter, the doctors felt no remorse at purposely releasing the virus on Imperial worlds. The infection spread quickly and was particularly suited to attack humanoid species. Tens of millions were infected with 7.5 million succumbing to the illness.

Athakan Medtech was helping in turning over any information on it's subsidiary's research and employees. This led to a quickly developed cure and the arrest of many of the key people behind the virus. In point of fact, Fivren had already developed a cure; the illness was to be part of a marketing plan to gain profit from other's misery. The problem was that it was incapable of creating enough inoculations to stem the tide of infection. Athakan did what it could to save face and to not link itself to the purported rogue actions of it's affiliate. However, neither Dr. Essex or Millbury were initially found, and public reaction to the incident caused a communal bounty to be established for any employee of Fivren Biotics. The company was folded and former employees continue to be hunted to this day as the relatives of the dead continue to pay for the elimination of everyone from janitor to CEO of Fivren Biotics.

Vast Empire Involvement[edit]

The Vast Empire was not a participant in the Plague Wars. Primarily, this was due to our poor relations with the primary Imperial factions involved in this conflict. Practically, however, the faction's stance on avoiding the use of bio-weapons made it ethically impossible to be a willing participant in mass slaughter of civilians to achieve military goals. Collateral damage is unavoidable in war; it should, however, not be the main thrust of a campaign.

While some argued that every option should remain on the table early in the campaign, both military and industrial leaders countered the argument. Many of the participating factions were, at the time, significantly larger than the Vast Empire, had ready stocks and production facilities for viral and biological agents, and an infrastructure that - at least on paper - was capable of absorbing an attack of this nature while still protecting much of their populace. None of the factors - numbers, preparation, manufacture, and delivery systems - were available to the Vast Empire at the height of the conflict.

Instead, the planets of the Vast Empire were involved in the Great Migration, which was the mass relocation of civilians trying to escape the various viral assaults and the resulting chaos it created. As many worlds flocked for protection under the Vast Empire banner, some of the more unpopulated worlds were set aside for refugee resettlement centers, including Sump, Ryoone, and Lipsec. Other worlds were slated for permanent re-population sites, a process which will take years to complete.

For an Imperial faction facing the image problems of all the others after the revelations of Palpatine's dirtiest work, staying out of the Plague Wars - for moral, practical, or just resource-deficient reasons - proved to be the correct action. Many planets came into the Imperial camp, and millions of refugees, many bringing much needed skills and research, have been great assets that would otherwise not been easily earned.

Death Toll[edit]

The ravages and confusion of war tend to obscure the actual events. Battle lines, ammunition expended, the tallies of wounded, killed, and captured are all approximations until long after the fighting has ended, if ever at all. So we approximate. What follows reflects a similar path. The numbers of those infected are those reported by either local authorities or by larger governments and militaries as they responded to the situation. By no means is this an accurate total. Many refugee ships were lost and remain adrift in space. Many of the fallen were not reported by their planetary leaders either out of fear, shame, incompetence, or just the sheer inability to get a grasp of the situation.

Indeed, many species were among the dead and were tallied by no one. It is said that four million Ryn succumbed to various illnesses which were never reported. The same goes for insectoid species. Aside from the Verpine, few planets even bothered to keep track of their infection rates, nor were they considered among evacuation or assistance planning. This will hopefully not add to the already tense relations between warm- and cold-blooded species. Reptilian species has already expressed some displeasure in their treatment - or lack thereof.

In addition, there is no complete record of the many, many tens of millions lost to the violence caused by fleeing populations, warring parties, and general anarchy of the times. Tragically, there is no way to know who died at the hands of incompetence, greed, and just plain cruelty of one's neighbors. Indeed, what follows is tragedy enough for most.

Name/Vector Type Creator Year(s) Region/Planets Species Affected Infected Death Toll Morbidity %
Krytos Virus Virus Evir Derricote 7 ABY Coruscant Baragwin 352,430 78,390 22.24
Duros 638,536 73,486 11.51
Elom 441,631 143,015 32.38
Gamorrean 1,704,822 1,690,458 99.16
Gotal 132,955 51,769 38.94
Mon Calamari 1,943,517 919,342 47.30
Quarren 582,033 212,656 36.54
Shistavanen 755,902 239,674 31.71
Trandoshan 26,761,576 8,104,226 30.28
Twi'lek 8,615,123 7,212,633 83.72
Wookiee 19,746,228 7,484,081 37.90
Other species 18,559,433 7,727,728 41.64
80,234,186 33,859,068 42.20
Shipwright Plagues
Bandonian Plague Engineered Plague 8 ABY Wroona Human 3,112,289 992,053 31.88
Jaemus Tionese 2,829,444 989,459 34.97
Lianna Wroonian 2,292,900 1,098,768 47.92
Eriadu Twi'lek 4,242,194 2,289,435 53.97
Ord Trasi 12,476,827 5,369,715 43.04
Lali Plague Engineered Plague 8 ABY Sluis Van Sluissi 4,807,639 945,887 19.67
Loronar Bothan 374,927 324,968 86.68
Bothawui Sullustan 1,320,082 640,492 48.52
Sullust Mon Calamari 2,725,357 1,488,196 54.61
Mon Calamari 9,228,005 3,399,543 36.84
Mandalorian Fever
Karatos Plague Engineered Plague 8 ABY Tallaan Human 2,849,216 677,153 23.77
Obulette Mrlssi 682,035 297,306 43.59
Fondor Twi'lek 3,503,837 873,608 24.93
Fondorian 946,856 290,985 30.73
Devaronian 1,840,644 544,226 29.57
9,822,588 2,683,278 27.32
Ciutric Epidemic
Loedorvian Brain Plague Engineered Plague 9-10 ABY Ciutric IV Human 9,531,779 8,865,442 93.01
Corvis Minor III Other species 447,096 385,926 86.32
Corvis Minor IV 9,978,875 9,251,368 92.71
Corvis Minor V
Axxila
Liinade III
Vrosynri 8
Scourge of the Rebellion
Candorian Plague Engineered Plague 10 ABY Corellia Human 49,451,530 47,119,023 95.28
Selonia Bothan 18,804,242 14,281,459 75.95
Drall Mon Calamari 6,840,951 6,072,732 88.77
Mon Calamari Quarren 5,001,431 4,664,835 93.27
Chandrila Selonian 1,158,726 740,026 63.87
Humbarine Drall 1,424,287 1,053,911 74.00
Herdessa Zeltron 2,384,578 1,586,887 66.55
Feenix Vurk 8,794,396 7,152,711 81.33
Sembla Pantoran 4,801,096 3,724,759 77.58
Pantora Other species 7,377,114 3,856,277 52.27
Sern Prime 106,038,351 90,252,620 85.11
Fest
Mantooine
Tynna
Backlash Plague
Emperor's Plague Engineered Plague Evir Derricote 10 ABY Bastion Human 93,774,931 92,231,011 98.35
Muunilinst Muun 7,404,934 7,360,757 99.40
Yaga Minor Other species 8,351,746 8,051,429 96.40
Ord Trasi 109,531,611 107,643,197 98.28
Cezith
Mygeeto
Agamar
Phaeda
Orinda
Ansion
Total Infected Total Deaths Total Morbidity %
337,310,443.00 252,458,789.00 74.84