A species is found that is immune, not only to the immunoflu, but to all other known diseases. Their immune systems are insanely adaptive and very quickly, once one being contracts and survives an illness, the entire species soon develops the same adaptation. -- Anon Guest
[AN: In humans, being apparently immune to everything is an early warning sign for Multiple Sclerosis. Not recommended]
Of course they were Deathworlders. Havenworlders wouldn't have a reason to have such an immune system, and those who were neither Havenworlders nor Deathworlders[1] were more or less fine with their own adaptations.
Clearly, this was a case of scientific curiosity.
Analysts, Mediks, and Genetechs swarmed for the Vulnerat polity just to find out how they did it and if it could be harnessed for everyone's longer lifespan. Disease took so many lives, shortened them, or left survivors with lingering after-effects. Getting rid of all that nonsense seemed like an ideal plan. Until the investigators started dying of unknown causes.
On a set of planets allegedly free of disease, the first suspect was a "super disease" that was transmitted by the Vulnerati, but didn't prey on them. Everything was examined. Epithelials, microdroplets, dander, even the very breaths of the Vulnerati.
It was the team still examining their alluring immunity who discovered it. Almost at the cost of their lives.
The Vulnerati had exobiotic white corpuscles.
Immune cells that could exist outside their bodies and eliminate any pathological threat that came their way. They had their own communications system and spread -ha- virally amongst the Vulnerati.
Unfortunately for the rest of the Alliance, most cogniscent species were fifty to eighty percent pathogen by weight. Removing those pathogens could, and indeed was, deadly to the visiting analysts.
"Some of our virii have become symbiotes," summarised Medik Krinn. "Some of the bacteria in our bodies are essential to our functioning life. Remove them, and we die. We're literally being killed by the thing we want most."
The others, safe in their livesuits at last, tried and failed to find a way to have their metaphorical cake and eat it too. When they at last accepted defeat, there was only one thing to summarise their situation.
Trapped in a bubble for the rest of their lives, stuck in a hostile world that would kill them. If they tried to go back to their homes, they might transmit the deadly corpuscles to other cogniscents. So, for the best interests of everyone, they had to stay where they were.
"Flakk," sighed Medik Orta.
[1] When trying to think of a name for this group, those vying for "Middleworlders" were sued for copyright violations by a large and vicious Deregger corporation.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / focalpoint]
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