Scrisis (SKRIH-sees)
The body betrays itself...
Nothing can survive in space. Nothing can thrive in a vacuum. That's the misconception many are fed, only they forget that all things adapt. Humans adapt through application of technology. Simple single-cell organisms adapt through struggle and evolution, able to convert ambient sources to energy or nutrition. A traveller in the wilderness might see a crystal clear creek and think the pristine water is safe to imbibe and indulge in the majesty of nature only to contract a very nasty stomach bug. A swimmer in an idyllic lake might be hospitalized (or even die) from a very rare but aggressive brain-eating amoeba. A traveler in space might stumble across w derelict wreck and think surely any stored food is safe to eat. It's a vacuum after all, nothing can survive to contaminate it. It's hermetically sealed. Nothing can get in or out. Except the real danger isn't what might get in, but what's festering inside...
Transmission & Vectors
Scrisis-or "Gut-Rot" as it's often referred to-is an extremely rare form of food-borne pathogen, quite literally one in a billion. Thus far it's only been encountered in High Space and provisions scavenged from abandoned vessels or improperly stored or cooked have the highest risk for contraction.
Causes
Because it's so rare and cases so irreparably terminal, there's been very little opportunity to study the cause. It is suspected a very obscure form of microorganism develops within edibles and -if ingested- settles within the intestinal lining and slowly begins destroying the tissue.
Symptoms
Victims might appear outwardly healthy at first but over time begin to atrophy as their digestive tract loses its ability to properly absorb nutrients. Fits of vomiting become so frequent it starts to tear apart the esophagus and result in bleeding from discharged stomach acids. The loss of crucial nutrients like Vitamin D and Calcium leave the victim constantly weak and dizzy. Probes of the digestive tract reveal the telltale signs of graying, fraying tissue as the intestinal lining starts dying.
Gut Rot by Mardrena
Treatment
There is no known cure for scrisis, and intravenous nutrition can at best stave off the inevitable. Perhaps a full transplant of the digestive tract with a donor or cloned organ might work but the technology is theoretical at best. Alcohol seems to force the invading organism to go dormant for a period of time resulting in victims "drowning their sorrows".
Prognosis
A victim might be able to live a few years to a decade at most, but the clock is ticking and at best all they can do is set their affairs in order.
Sequela
A robust young man in his prime might find himself reduced to hobbling about like a drunkard or requiring use of an aid like guardrails or a cane. Instead of becoming distended as is the case with other forms of chronic illnesses, the abdomen starts to shrink, the ribs becoming more pronounced. This can be hidden behind bulky or loose-fitting clothes, but the victim continues losing muscle mass and mobility until they finally become bedridden and suffer catastrophic digestive failure.
Affected Groups
A Human has a better chance of surviving drinking Thunthen Meat Beer than contracting scrisis. At the very least if they die from the beer, they are dead within hours or days as opposed to months or years. Perhaps because Humans are so new to High Space and unaccustomed to the hazards found within, they seem most prone to developing it with more cases recorded in recent centuries than milennia.
Hosts & Carriers
Food found in spacecraft-whether sealed or exposed- and manufactured longer than five Earth Years run the highest risk of fostering the malevolent microorganism. Extreme heat such as microwaving might ensure food is safe to eat since the organism originates in a cold vacuum. If a traveler prepares for a long trip, it is best they get their supplies freshly manufactured and ensure everything is stored safely.
Prevention
"Sealed is not always Safe!" is a common warning to travellers. Care must be taken to properly prepare any salvaged food and keep the immune system bolstered through use of nutrient supplements. Of course someone stranded and at their wit's end might be desperate or impatient enough to ignore this old adage.
Epidemiology
Scrisis cannot be transmitted to other hosts by any means other than ingestion. It is not airborne nor bloodborne and will not survive outside it's designated host, even in discharged waste.
History
Decanonized Content
In the proposed AoD sequel/Finale set in the far-flung future-"Star Ronin"-Star Wildfire Thomas suffered from scrisis. His colony had been attacked by the villainous brute Jenek. Left for dead, he scavenged what he could from the shattered ruins. By the time rescue arrived, he had contracted scrisis and lived on borrowed time. He became the bearer of the Star Wildfire Armor created by Eyurodin and worked to assemble a new team to serve as a galactic peacekeeping force in High Space, recruiting the likes of Thunthen Nobeyl Wioth, Hybridized Human Meldelena, and Fronian rogue Remmel. As the disease progressed he became noticeably weaker, but he refused to die until he exacted vengeance on Jenek. He finally engaged Jenek in a duel, coming dangerously close to losing, but unleashed a "gravity well trap"-a portable black hole-to permanently entomb and molecularly shred Jenek forever and for all time, preventing him from being revived by his "family". Thomas, his energy spent, felt a measure of contentment and resolved himself to his fate. On his deathbed, comforted by Remmel, who had come to be his closest friend, instructed her with his last breath to "go back to the beginning". She interpreted it to mean the next Star Wildfire would have to come from Earth, the birthplace of Man, and later recruited the very stubborn and hot-headed Falco. Because Star Ronin was originally a collaboration with a friend whom I have cut off all contact with, it has been permanently and irrevocably decanonized in relation to Age of Defiance. Other elements within-such as scrisis-might be repurposed for other stories in the future.
Cultural Reception
Victims are to be pitied as their very body betrays them. They are quite literally the "dead walking". However many years they have left before their bodies finally fail them, they must make the most of it and accomplish whatever goals they have set.
No Escape by Mardrena
Type
Bacterial
Origin
Natural
Cycle
Chronic, Acquired
Rarity
Extremely Rare
Redal by Mardrena
All artwork used is self-made and belongs to me unless otherwise stated, such as kitbashes and commissions. Age of Defiance does not and will not use or feature RW/YST original artwork out of consideration for the OAS creators
Comments
Author's Notes
One of my friends recommended a video by Oompaville recently about the mysteries of Antarctica and how Russian explorers drilled into a lake buried deep under the surface and recovered samples of never-before seen bacteria that could survive frigid temperatures and feed on sulfur and produce iron as waste. There's been documentation showing the existence of deep-sea worms that thrive under extremely high pressure and near volcanic vents and bacteria that can break down and digest crude oil. These tiny but mighty microorganisms can provide scarier inspiration than possible in the old classics.