September 2145

1 September 2145
ANCHOR: In a hairsbreadth vote, the Israeli Knesset today approved further funding for the Tel Aviv University Propulsion Lab. Prime Minister Yakov Kanter was ecstatic.

KANTER: This is a great day for Israel, and hopefully a great day for humanity. This project is for the benefit of all humankind, opening the door to the stars and beyond... if we survive the cataclysmic threat posed by the dandefox. Our people have not spent generations reclaiming the desert just to give it over to some alien weed. Fortress Israel pledges whatever resources necessary to fight this noxious invader.

ANCHOR: No word yet from Dr. Ballard regarding the viral code found in Rylo-7.

4 September 2145
ANCHOR: A startling announcement from Bimbetta Mondaine.

BIMBETTA: From now on, I will be representing the interests of my husband, M'ti, the Last Visitor. Any contracts arranged through Perry Epp after today are invalid.

ANCHOR: Why the change?

BIMBETTA: Well, Perry Epp has allowed M'ti's reputation to deteriorate. He never came to his defence when these baseless stories arose.

ANCHOR: You're referring to the growing suspicion that M'ti knows more than he's telling about dandefox?

BIMBETTA: Exactly, and that's perfectly ridiculous, isn't it, honey?

M'TI: I've never been a suspect before. And I hardly know anything about anything.

BIMBETTA (cooing): That's right.

ANCHOR: How do you feel about all this, M'ti?

M'TI: Well, Mr. Epp was nice – very nice. But Bimbetta's even nicer.

5 September 2145
ANCHOR: News from Habitat Mars about the test on the viral code found in Rylo-7.

BALLARD: We've successfully reconstituted the RNA code and have exposed it to our hot house full of dandefox. I am happy to report that not one of the plants survived the night. One of our workers christened it the "hound".

ANCHOR: We have Dr. F. Paulson in a live feed. What do you think of that, Doctor?

PAULSON: Great work, Kristeen! But what about other Earth-type plants? Have you exposed them to the virus?

BALLARD: Not yet, but I'm setting up the controls right now. I think we might be onto something here.

PAULSON: I hope so. Otherwise you may not have a planet to come home to.

6 September 2145
ANCHOR: Good news from Israel: Tel Aviv University's Propulsion Lab is up and running again, and Premier Yakov Kanter couldn't be happier.

KANTER: Not only is the lab up to speed already, but we've got a ground-breaking experiment scheduled for next week. (smiles) I told you we learn from our mistakes.

ANCHOR: And on the dandefox front: It didn't seem possible, but more dandefox are growing, choking out the surviving indigenous plants as the billions of seeds from last month's seed storm take root. The world looks to Habitat Mars for an answer.

7 September 2145
ANCHOR: Did dandefox kill Mars? Or was it a virus? We go to Dr. Kristeen Ballard.

BALLARD: Dr. Paulson asked a disturbing question: Was the hound virus ever released on Mars? And if so, did it destroy all Martian vegetation along with the dandefox?

ANCHOR: Do you have an answer, Dr. Ballard?

BALLARD: I've found no evidence of a plant disease in the murals under Cydonia.

ANCHOR: Any results from the tests on Earth plants?

BALLARD: Yes. The hound virus seems highly specific for dandefox. That's good news, I guess, but I'm increasingly disturbed by these multiple links between Mars, Earth, the dandefox, and Rylo-7. Why is the genetic code for a dandefox-killing virus etched on the wall of an asteroid?

8 September 2145
ANCHOR: Another incident at the Tel Aviv University Propulsion Lab. This time witnesses say the night sky suddenly turned noon-time bright over much of the Middle East last night, a flash so bright it was visible from orbit. Was this the "ground-breaking experiment" Premier Kanter mentioned earlier this week? The scientific world awaits. And the entire world awaits word from the Xenobotanical Society as to whether it will recommend release of the anti-dandefox virus on Earth. The virus has effectively killed dandefox in controlled experiments on Mars, but will it work on the hardier Earth strains?

11 September 2145
ANCHOR: Dr. Winston Rylo has discovered another astronomical anomaly.

RYLO: We've been tracking an electronic signal of undetermined origin since Thursday evening. It was first detected between Jupiter and Saturn.

ANCHOR: Is it coming this way, Dr. Rylo – or is it heading toward the Nautilus?

RYLO: Quite the opposite. It's been heading out of the solar system. As a matter of fact, at this point it appears to be about 500 AU from Earth – that's somewhere in the neighbourhood of 50 billion miles.

ANCHOR: But that would put it far out of the solar system. How could a signal discovered between Jupiter and Saturn reach that distance in just three days?

RYLO: There's only one explanation... the object is travelling faster than the speed of light.

12 September 2145
ANCHOR: After intense deliberation, the Xenobotanical Society has submitted its recommendation regarding the use of the anti-dandefox virus on Earth.

PAULSON: I have long been on record as opposing the introduction of any alien lifeform into Earth's biosphere. After all, the importation of T. martianis – the so-called dandefox – is what caused the eco-catastrophe we face today. And so I am loathe to recommend releasing this inadequately tested hound virus into our atmosphere. (a beat) However, I don't see that I have much choice. If we don't do something before the next seed storm, Earth may not have much of an atmosphere to worry about. Therefore I'm placing the matter before the World Congress with a guarded recommendation that it approves worldwide release of the hound virus.

13 September 2145
ANCHOR: Scientists are wondering if there is a link between the UFO fleeing the solar system at faster-than-light speed, and the flash seen over the Middle East last week. And on the Net today, a different view of the dandefox crisis:

GRANT: To all the oppressed people of Earth: This so-called "eco-catastrophe" caused by these idiotic plants is nothing more than a cynical ploy to divert your attention from the real problems of this planet. This is a manufactured crisis! The World Congress and its pet scientists will "save" you from something that they could have controlled all along. And in return they'll expect you to be grateful and knuckle under their repressive regimes. Don't be fooled! Earth First Brigade knows the truth!

14 September 2145
AUDIO STING: Nautilus update.

ANCHOR: Viewers of A Current Byte were shocked last night when they were shown a smuggled holovid of the cargo hold of the Nautilus, taken during loading earlier this year. FTL went immediately to mission director Dr. Winston Rylo. Dr. Rylo, it is obvious why the Nautilus would be transporting a high-speed ice-drilling rig to Europa, but why a steel-cutting laser, a deep-ocean submersible, and explosive charges? What do you think you'll find on – or inside – the ice moon?

RYLO (obviously uneasy): We thought they should be prepared for all eventualities.

ANCHOR: But a steel-cutting laser?

RYLO: I'm not prepared to discuss this now.

15 September 2145
ANCHOR: The World Congress has begun debate on whether or not the hound virus should be employed against the dandefox. The NAU and the EC favour release, while the HC is not so sure.

FAVREAU: Listen to me, my brothers in the Hispanic Combine: I feel your fear. You worry that the hound virus is insufficiently tested on Earth's native vegetation. This is true. But another larger, overriding truth is that we don't have time for the years of testing necessary to be absolutely sure that the hound virus is safe. We have but a few weeks at most. Wake up and smell the coffee, señors – before your last coffee plant is completely choked out by dandefox!

18 September 2145
ANCHOR: Dr. Winston Rylo has agreed to make a statement regarding the heavy equipment stored aboard the Nautilus.

RYLO: I'll make this short and sweet. We've known since 1995 that Europa has molecular oxygen in its atmosphere. That in itself makes it unusual. But the mission advisors and I believe is that there may be more than rock beneath its 60-mile-thick jacket of ice.

ANCHOR: What do you mean, "more than rock"?

RYLO: If I could answer that, we wouldn't need Operation Reach Out, would we? We know that the asteroid-like spaceship now orbiting Earth was fashioned out near Jupiter. A device from the asteroid points back to Europa. I felt it my duty to prepare the Nautilus crew for anything... including contact with an alien race.

19 September 2145
ANCHOR: Debate continues in the World Congress over whether or not to sic the untested hound virus on the dandefox plague. Meanwhile, in the outer solar system, the Nautilus has reached Europa. We've asked Dr. Winston Rylo to elaborate on his statement to the media yesterday. Dr. Rylo, do you actually believe the Nautilus will encounter an alien race on Europa?

RYLO: No. Not in the sense that an alien civilisation ever developed there. But it seems the more we learn about Europa, the more questions we have. And it's possible that an alien race might have once occupied Europa.

ANCHOR: Do you think any members of that race could be there now?

RYLO: I sincerely doubt that. But who knows what they may have left behind?

20 September 2145
ANCHOR: As debate rages in the World Congress as to how to best save the planet from being strangled by the dandefox, the Last Visitor, in his inimitable way, presented FTL with an interesting solution.

BIMBETTA: Really, honey, I don't think you should...

M'TI (munching on a dandefox): No, this is a great idea. Here it is: clone me!

BIMBETTA: M'ti, really...

M'TI: Why doesn't someone make millions of clones of me? We'll spread out across the planet and eat all the dandefoxes nobody wants. Isn't that a great idea? And besides, I've never been a clone before.

ANCHOR: FTL asked Perry Epp, M'ti's former manager who was fired last month, what he thought of the idea.

EPP: He never made idiotic statements like that when I was handling him.

21 September 2145
ANCHOR: Here's Captain McDonald aboard the Nautilus, now orbiting Europa:

McDONALD: We have begun our analysis of Europa's surface, reconfirming the presence of molecular oxygen in its atmosphere. As you know, Europa is the same size as Earth's own moon, except that it's jacketed in 60 miles of ice. Our next series of tests will be probes of its interior to find out what's below all that ice. (a beat) And on a more personal note, I know I speak for all of us aboard the Nautilus when I say that whatever we're doing out here seems so trivial compared to the battle against the dandefox at home. As we look down on this scarred, desolate planetoid we hope we are not seeing the future of our home world.

22 September 2145
ANCHOR: By an overwhelming majority the World Congress has voted to release the so-called hound virus into the Earth's atmosphere, and sic it on the dandefoxes that have become a threat to the very existence of life on the planet. FTL asked Dr. Paulson about the next step.

PAULSON: The wheels are already in motion to manufacture huge batches of the hound virus. We want to release it in sufficient amounts to guarantee a quick kill. If we do less, we run the risk of allowing dandefox to develop resistant strains.

ANCHOR: When will the release occur?

PAULSON: We hope to be ready in three days. Keep your fingers crossed. This is a gamble of global proportions.

ANCHOR: What if it fails?

PAULSON: If it fails, then... well, pardon the cliché, but it's the end of life as we know it on Earth.

25 September 2145
ANCHOR: Early this morning, at 4:00am Central NAU time, the World Congress sicced the hound virus on the dandefox scourge. For the past three days, all on-world and off-world biological laboratories and pharmaceutical factories have devoted their entire production capacities to round-the-clock replication of the hound virus. The result was millions of viral packets dropped from orbit, rupturing as they entered the atmosphere, blanketing the Earth with the virus. The question on everyone's mind: Is it enough? The hound virus must work in time to stop the next seed release, due in less than one week. The world watches... and waits.

26 September 2145
ANCHOR: The hound virus vigil enters its second day. FTL Newsfeed has chosen this random dandefox plant as a representative of its species. At regular intervals we will monitor the effects of the hound virus on this particular specimen to keep you informed of the effects – or lack thereof – of the hound virus. FTL asked Dr. F. Paulson when we should expect some results, and what will we see.

PAULSON: Certainly it's too soon to expect anything. Dr. Ballard's experiments showed a 48-hour incubation period, but her plants were in a controlled environment. We're dealing with many more variables here. One thing her experiments did show, however, was that the first effect of the virus on the plant was to fade the blue in its stalk.

27 September 2145
ANCHOR: Day three of the hound virus vigil is here and still no sign of deterioration in FTL's dandefox specimen. No fading of the bright blue of the stem, supposedly the first sign that the plant has contracted the hound virus. As you can see, the FTL specimen remains vigorous and healthy looking. Meanwhile, the next seed release looms ever closer. It is expected to be twice as severe as the August release which brought all air traffic to a halt. Thousands of deaths resulted from choking on the seeds and the red dust. Despite widespread warnings for the public to remain inside with doors and windows sealed, the death toll from this release is expected to number in the millions.

28 September 2145
ANCHOR: Day four of the hound virus vigil – and, to the naked eye, the blue in the stem of FTL's representative dandefox appears to be fading. To illustrate this, compare a holographic image of the dandefox from yesterday – day three – to today's live specimen. Spectrographic analysis quantifies what the naked eye perceives: There has been a 15% drop out in the colour of the Day Four plant. Similar findings are being reported across the globe. Everywhere the blue colour of dandefox stalks is fading. Does this mean that the hound virus has taken hold? Is this the beginning of the end for the dandefox scourge?

29 September 2145
ANCHOR: Day five of the hound virus vigil and it appears that the dandefox is succumbing. The condition of FTL's dandefox is representative of what is happening all over the globe. Dandefoxes everywhere are wilting, drooping, losing their colour. But Dr. F. Paulson warns that it's still too soon to celebrate.

PAULSON: I agree that the dandefox population appears to be gravely ill, but we haven't won yet. In all my years of study, I have never come across a species as hardy and tenacious as T. martianis. Don't forget its vast root system. If the hound virus kills the upper plants but leaves the root system alive to form resistant strains, we'll be worse off than before. So don't pop those champagne corks yet.