- Intent: Update a story element for use by the Agents of Chaos.
- Image Source: Spotern.com. Agents of Chaos headers by
Scherezade deWinter
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: Bioweapon | Knowt's Disease | Kozema
- Links: Lothal's Cooking Tonight
- Name:
- Sith Biotech Library Index: Lothal Bacteriophage Specimen L-42891
- Common Shorthand: L-Virus
- Street: The Phage
- Manufacturer: Micah tol Powl
- Affiliation: Agents of Chaos
- Modularity: No (mutates of this virus will require their own submissions)
- Production: Minor
- Material: Nucleic Acid (dsDNA)
- Classification: Virus
- Method of Consumption: Inhalation (airborne)
- Average Life: L-42891 has a short life cycle of 17 min at 37˚C (the time from infection to the lysis of the host cell when new bacteriophage are released). This adapted phage can undergo an effective expansion of its population by more than 1013 in one hour under optimal environmental conditions.
- Nutritional Value/Allergies/Side Effects/ Purpose: Biological weapon. The course of the virus in an infected individual displays three distinct stages of the virus. In its natural form, the infection cycle (initial to terminal) was calculated to a mean of 28 days.
- Initial Stage: RNA insertion. The virus disrupts RNA replication, causing cellular hemorrhaging as commonly replicated cells (e.g. platelets) suffer abnormalities.
- Stage I: White blood cell formation is abnormal, lesions begin to form in the skin. Lethargy and muscle fatigue. Fluid begins to seep into the lungs.
- Stage II: Autoimmune response attacks DNA. Leper-like symptoms, with weeping boils and aggravated lesions. Difficulty breathing increases. Blood starts to pool from rupture of affected alveoli.
- Stage III: Terminal, either from necrosis of organ tissue (to include skin) or asphyxiation due to blood/fluid in lungs.
- Trans-Species Virus
- Bacta Resistance
- Force Heal Resistant
- Trans-Species Virus. So long as the species has a bacterial microbia, this phage can infect the host.
- Bacta Resistant. The phage demonstrates exceptional resistance to traditional bacta-based pharmaceuticals, making it a dangerous nosocomial infection.
- Force Heal Resistant. The Sith Magic enchanting this virus resists the Jedi Healer's common cure.
- Kolto-based pharmaceuticals are effective in treating the symptoms of the disease, and may delay onset of later stages of the disease.
- High Temperatures (74ºC) will kill the virus.
- Sith Magic. Because the virus is partially engineered through Sith alchemy, it responds well to Sith Magic. It may be possible for an infected individual to contain or control their infection through Sith Magic.
- Force Light. Owing to the Sith alchemical engineering involved with this strain, Force Light works to temporarily relieve the pain and symptoms of the virus, but cannot remove the virus itself.
- Airborne Transmission. The virus is nominally introduced to a host via respiration. The use of filtration masks or similar barriers is effective in preventing infection when in the presence of the virus.
- [ OOC ] This submission merely notes a story-element. It is purely up to each writer as to whether this virus infects, impacts, or in any way affects their character. Not one may force another to become infected. Actual symptoms, disease progression, treatment, and cure are determined by the writers. This sub is merely to provide story flavor.
L-42891, or the L-Virus, is the product of the Sith Sorcerer known as Micah tol Powl. Using a specimen collected during a lethal outbreak of a viral agent on Lothal in 851 ABY, the Sith alchemist conceived of a possible delivery medium for a Sithspawn mutate of the virus. Developed at the Royal Academy at Bastion as part of a course of study in Sith biotech, the L-Virus is a bacteriophage that targets the microbial environment of humans, near-humans, and other species through airborne infection, leading to RNA re-encoding and the replication of the virus throughout the body.
As the Sith Empire stationed tol Powl at Pisces Base on Sith-held Mon Cala, many of the Sith acolyte's experiments were shipped between the Royal Academy at Bastion and the Cathar's laboratory on Mon Cala. A sample of the L-Virus intended for delivery to Mon Cala was among the items recovered by Underground agents during the chaos of the Jedi raid on the planet.
As the bacteriophage functions as a DNA virus, the genetic code of the host becomes the source of infection in the body, greatly retarding efforts at controlling or combating the progress of the disease. Autoimmune response targets the tissues of the body, including the healthy tissues as white blood cell formation is abnormal. Mortality is achieved after an infection period of 28 days in most instances, though this is based on observation of the original strain of the virus rather than the Sith mutate derivative. Death occurs from multiple organ failure or asphyxiation due to fluid in the lungs, whichever may happen first.
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