Private The Sick Titan

[The High Court of Illyria]

POINT DE TITAN​

Tags: Seren Maeve ​

Location: Point De Titan
Time: Early Morning
POV: Enzo Bernard, Floor Manager
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This had been the fifth day that Enzo woke up and almost immediately threw up the contents of the last night's dinner. His wife, Adeline, had pleaded with him to remain home, seeking rest in place of the sweaty, smoggy, refining district. They couldn't afford it. The factories had just received a new shipment of ores to be refined into metal. Gods cursed, it had been a shipment of Phrik. The factories on Illyria were not as advanced as those that could be found off world. What could be refined in a few weeks took almost an entire quarter at Point De Titan, and it was a grueling process. Even more so since half of Enzo's team were out sick. There'd been some stomach bug going around the district as of late, which is why Enzo couldn't keep anything down.

He tried not to think about it.

Walking down the street, the man kept a handkerchief wrapped around his face, trying to keep some of the smoky air from his lungs. He let out a hard hacking cough before groaning, shaking his head. Sweat poured down from his brow, but it was the early part of the morning, still cool. He sighed.

"Gonna be a long day." He remarked. The man pulled the canteen from his waist and brought it to his lips, pushing the bit of cloth out of his way. The cool water felt good rushing down his gullet.

It wasn't long before the brick and mortar street led Enzo to a single massive building formed of duracrete. He looked up at the building, watching the smoke bellow out from the vent system that loomed ahead. It was no sooner than he looked to the smoky black clouds then he felt something slam into his back. He was weak because he didn't have a damn thing on his stomach, he nearly fell over from the blow. Staggering forward, he turned back to see another of the factory's floor managers. A young Zabrack whose name always escaped Enzo. "Hey...you ok red?" Red was an understatement. The young alien usually had bright red skin, but now it was flushed a sickly pink and his yellow eyes were a disgusting shade of yellow-grey.

"Y-yea sorry." The man responded, rolling into a coughing fit. The Zabrack continued on inside, however Enzo kept his eyes fastened on the man. Enzo stared at the large double doors that were before him. Half of the workers were slogging in at the pace of a snail. Enzo searched for the guys on his own team, but they must have already been inside already. The man took a step forward before it hit him.

His stomach twisted into a knot. He couldn't hold it.

Enzo doubled over, ripping the mask from his face as he threw up for the third time that morning. This time it was absolutely nothing but the bile in the pits of his stomach. He threw up for almost a minute, his eyes clenched closed as tears fell from them. "Fuck!" He yelled out before one of the workers approached him. "Enzo?" The man questioned, but his voice trailed off when he saw the thick red vomit Enzo had thrown up. "Enzo!" The man fell down, his knees slamming into the hard brick as he fell into the pool of his own vomit and blood.

"Somebody call the doctor and call the Sieur!" A voice yelled out.

It was the last day of the refining districts six day work week. That day the Floor Managers & Superintendents held a meeting and were forced to shutdown production.

Titan's Point was sick and nobody could answer why or how.

OOC:
Point De Titan has been exposed to some kind of unknown sickness for close to a week.
The sickness causes fever, vomiting, and exhaustion. It has not yet caused a fatality.
30% of the work force is sick, 5% of the work force is on forced bed rest.
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[Seren Maeve]

Seren sat in one of the high-back chairs situated before the hearth of her office. Unlike many, she sat on the left with the chair's back blocking the rays of the sun through the window from gracing her features. It also afforded her a view of her chamber door should it open. While it wasn't strictly necessary given her personal accomplishment of a protective substance against the ultraviolet light, she tried not to suffer exposure needlessly; it retained the effectiveness of the compounded longer throughout the day if nothing else.

A book lay unfolded in her right hand whilst her eyes took in the words written there. There was much to do, but she could not do all of it personally. In fact, at times it was best she do nothing but trust in the workmanship of those tasked to a duty. It afforded her time to read, but more importantly to contemplate the next move. There were only so many resources available and a great deal to be done.

Soon, a reverberation of the doors as they displaced the air from being pushed open drew a scant shift in Seren's eyes that direction.

"Sieur Maeve, I have news."

Slowly the book was folded shut in one hand before it was set on a side table. The Sieur stood and began to cross over the floor toward her desk. "By all means," she replied calmly as her hand gestured for her attendant to join her at the desk. He was a young man, six one, brown hair, trim physique, B+ blood -- not her favorite blood type, but then she didn't retain his services as a walking meal.

"One of the factories have suspended all production due to the number of workers that have fallen ill."

The placid woman stood on her side of the desk in silence for a moment in reflection. They were not a large city able to so easily ignore the loss of an entire factory. Not to mention the size of the town was hardly distributed across a large swath of land to slow contamination. "Very well." Seren turned to move out from behind her desk and made for the door. "Come with me."

"I will visit the Doctor to engage his services in investigating this illness," the Sieur dictated as they moved. "In the meantime, have the Commerce Guild begin drafting a means of ration distribution in preparation of a full town quarantine. I expect something workable by the end of this day. Secondly, the scientists surveying the regional environmental must be contacted to draw air and water samples. Inform them which factory, but to not enter the grounds. As more information of infected persons becomes available it will be passed to them. Third, schedule a public service announcement for this evening where I will address the suffering of our people and describe how we will restore full health and harmony to our home. Fourth, inform emergency personnel to avoid prolonged contact with any that appear sick, and to invite them to remain in quarantine or report to the hospital," though Seren imagiend they would need a triage facility in short order. "When possible, have them gather any information about their whereabouts or possible sources of exposure."

There was a time to allow people to do their jobs, and a time to instill direction to the chaos brought about by an overwhelming emergency. They had quickly crossed the threshold. Seren hardly believed she could sit back and accept this illness were simply pass. In her time, she'd learned much of the medical arts to supply her a means of inventing mechanical devices to manipulate flesh though matters of disease were not chief among them. Nevertheless, it was enough to know time was against them if the ailment had already progressed so far.

"Lastly, have word sent to the Capitol. Inform them we have a potential outbreak and require emergency allocation of resources to combat it. Make sure to mention the loss in productivity and output," the Sieur mentioned despite how it would sound in a vacuum. Nothing helped spur bureaucrats more than hard evidence their orders of manufacturing or the refinement of material would be delayed indefinitely. Directing medical resources and ensuring any large convoys would not approach only to spread the issue further away would be of benefit. A second later the Sieur added, "And inquire if there have been any similar reports elsewhere. Have a representative of the Factory meet me at the hospital as well." Best to understand the scope, impact, and observed speed of the issue as soon as possible.

She turned her head aside to regard the man quietly and ensure he'd been writing it all down in some fashion. Each piece was impotant, and some would require more time than others. Best to get things spun up sooner than later.

Tag: The High Court of Illyria​

 

[The High Court of Illyria]

TITAN'S POINT​

Tags: Seren Maeve ​

With the Sieur's commands, the city of Titan's Point would come alive to defend her people. The Lady's assistant was keen in recording the details she'd asked to take into his custody. He bowed his head respectfully at the Sieur to show that the matter was well in hand while the Lady ventured off into the city.

The city itself was relatively normal. Most of the districts had heard of the sickness in some way or form, however most did not pay much attention to it. They continued about their days as if it was no different. The main street seemed to lead to the Manufacturing district, where things quickly seemed to shift into a different atmosphere. Those in the manufacturing district seemed tired and downtrodden, which was a far cry from how the men and women of Titan's Point carried themselves. Of course, work in the district was hard, yet it had always been an earnest living and a manageable life. Gone were the days where a worker toiled for twelve to sixteen hours a day. The planet's work laws were strict about labor being too intensive for those under the oversight of a Noble and this was something that motivated a great percent of the populace.

Just before the reaching the peak of the manufacturing district was the Doctor's office. The Doctor's office was not the town hospital, more it was where a number of the doctor's who worked at the hospital headquartered out of. It was a small building, however it seemed well kept up and

exceptionally clean. An older man walked out of the office just as the Sieur arrived. He was rambling onto himself about something before turning to the woman and arching a brow. "Oh!" He said in realization, though in surprise of seeing the Sieur he dropped a number of the papers in his hand. "Lady Maeve! What a wonderful surprise! Oh, I'm sorry I cannot chat my lady, I really must get to the hospital. I'm sure you've already heard of this little outbreak we've had." He dropped to a knee, gathering papers as he began to chatter idly.

"How terrible. Only a week after the new shipment of Phrik too! It will surely be a downer for the city, but we'll be fine, yes we will! Always persist, we do." He said, his eyes scanning over the papers to make sure they had not been ruined from the fall. "I believe it could just be a bad case of the Maranian Flu. It is a bit late in the season however...bah! We'll figure it out, after all Titan's Point has not stopped production in some time and we intend to keep it that way!"

"Oh, excuse the ramblings of an old man, my Lady. Of course, you must have come to ask for an update on the situation! I just called in to Doctor Yura. She said the hospital is lined around the corner with new cases. Especially from those in the manufacturing and processing districts. Seems it hasn't gotten to the primary housing or rest of the town. My Doctor's have been advising bed rest for the past few days, however now I believe it is going to have to be mandated. We simply don't have the space in the hospital for all of these people!"

"And we cannot even begin to find out where this sickness may have originated from. One of my Doctors said he believes it was a young man who works in the shipping department, Willus? Willhelm? No...that's not- oh Willard! That was the boy's name, Willard! Anywho we haven't had the bodies to go and check on the poor boy and find out if he was the one who started all of this, or even if he has it! It's all a mess, you know?" He said.

OOC:
The Old Doctor states that the sickness may have started in the transportation department. A young man with sandy blonde hair named Willard was considered to be the first patient with these symptoms over a week ago.

The Hospital is over capacity and may prove to be a problem.
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[Seren Maeve]

Seren had a carriage carry her through the streets in the direction of the Doctor's office. Her eyes beheld the men and women of the city at their height and depth; those that had above average means, and those that managed to survive. She was no altruist nor a fool; all the same, the Illyrian Vampirika Sieur expected more for those under her charge. If they earned it. Many in the Manufacturing earned it, but the city did not yet have the means to afford them the spoils of their toil. Not yet, but it never left her thoughts. As an inventor herself she could appreciate someone shouldering the burden of grueling work or failure until a great accomplishment was founded.

They had made gradual steps forward to bolster their way of life. Seren was also receptive to listening to representatives of industry at Titan's Point, and any other body politic of their home. It seemed the least she could do, and afforded her the chance to try and change the mindset of those of authority. One should not exploit one's fellow sentient, but neither should they accept everything as it was as being the best one could hope. If leverage had to be applied at times to accomplish one's objective then so be it. Her role was making sure no one went too far in either direction -- to set the pace of the city.

A wide-brim hat adorned the Sieur's head as the doctor stopped short as she approached. For all her advancements in surviving the rigors of a sun-lit world, it would always remain far too bright for her tastes. She stood still as the man dropped to collect his papers. As he seemed to collect them rather quickly, Seren patiently stood by and listened as the man rambled.

• New shipment of Phrik.
• Willard may have been one of the first, young man that worked in shipping. His present condition is unknown. Insufficient personnel.
• Hospital was filled with new cases especially from manufacturing and processing. Insufficient space.

Speculation at this point might only distract, but what the man had said was worth investigating. Seren had already made several presumptions for what could very well turn out to be nothing but the flu; yet to have this flu contained to such a relatively small area was unusual. If it was something so benign surely it would have spread much further by now. They simply lacked enough information to feel confident one way or the other, the Doctor's optimism not withstanding.

Seren's features softened before she replied, "Doctor, I cannot tell you how much our town owes your diligence and care in this matter." A beat. "And I understand you are quite beside yourself with so many cases. Let me extend the Office of the Sieur to this matter, so that you and your staff may rent out additional space for those afflicted. Hiring able bodied men and women to supplement your staff to perform simple tasks should allow you to collect additional information from and perform blood work on those stricken by the disease. Perhaps it is naught but the flu, but we should take time to collect information from our townsfolk where and when they may have contracted the disease. I have directed my aide to approach the Scientific teams in the region to collect samples, and our Commerce Guild to prepare for food distribution -- should it prove necessary. If such measures prove ultimately unnecessary then the most we will lose are credits. If this is something more... perhaps something introduced to our town from outside, however, we must find it. And you, Good Doctor, and your staff are our best hope for gathering this information."

"This Willard," the young man from shipping, "if he is the earliest suspected case, perhaps we should check on him. Do you happen to have his address? Once we have additional beds, we should endeavor to contact others sent home over the week as well to invite them. If nothing else to prevent it from spreading further." If it was a disease at all. Speculation this early might be fatal, but if there had been a new shipment and a young man from shipping were first afflicted... it could be some other form of contamination. Not all of which could spread on its own, which would do them well for containment, but did not provide relief regarding the mortality rate.

Tag: The High Court of Illyria

 

[The High Court of Illyria]

WILLARD​

Tags: Seren Maeve ​

The Sieur's words brought a healthy smile to the old man's face. He dug into a pocket absent mindedly before producing a small white book. "Ah, my lady you are a blessing. Aye, I have the boy's address here...uhm, somewhere here." He bumbled a bit before flipping through the pages with a rather rushed swipe of his hands. "Ah, here!" He said, ripping out a page and handing it to the woman. "There he is, please do tell me how the boy is doing, my lady but I must be off!" He said, before gathering his things. Soon enough the Doctor was rushing down the street, heading to his own duties.

~~~ Willard's Housing ~~
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As the Sieur arrived at Willard's apartment block, she would notice that he lived in a rather ran down part of the city. His housing unit being one of the oldest, held a number of unsavory individuals. Still, it was his apartment that was the most interesting. Upon entry the Sieur would smell a stench thick enough to fill the entire block with a sickened stomach. It was a sickening sight that the Lady of Bon Havre stumbled upon.

The boy was dead. Yet, it was not merely the sickness that had taken him, though his body showed certain signs of the plague. No, there was a distinctive hold in his chest, just above his heart.

The entire apartment was a mess, torn and ripped through as if someone had been searching for something. Whether what they searched for was found or not, was yet to be known.
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[Seren Maeve]

The smile softened after the Doctor left. Her thoughts were on the address she'd been given not on presenting a cheerful demeanor. It wasn't that the Vampirika didn't care for the young ones in her charge; she was simply too old to be carried away by emotion. All the time she'd spent developing various instruments and devices had likely kept her from forming bonds... though it was difficult to do when not subject to the passage of time as most others were.

In short order, the Sieur made her way to the address provided. There wasn't a ticking bomb per se, but the sooner they had the information they needed the faster they could contain and then address the illness affecting her people.


Her eyes scanned the area upon her arrival. An all too familiar appearance in this part of town, Seren privately lamented. If she had the resources she'd fix all of her town's shortcomings. Sadly that was not the way the world worked, and she was forced to choose her financial battles to maximize the gains. If Humans were not so short lived this might not be so problematic, but they were; the longer it took, the more were subject to poverty their entire lives.

It was, at least, promising that the people in the area did not set upon her.

Seren entered the building and made her way to the apartment where Willard was said to reside. The woman paused with her hand on the handle for a moment. Golden eyes slowly swept down the hall in either direction. Her senses already knew something was wrong; it was faint, but unmistakable. Did it come from within or nearby? With no answer to her summons, she could afford to replace a broken latch should the door have been sealed. Replacing the population of her town would be a trifle more difficult. As it turned out, such concern was unfounded, which was of note.

Her dark lips peeled back bearing her fangs as the stench rolled over the Sieur.

With a scowl, Seren forced herself to enter the room to investigate the cause of the boy's death. What was retching to a Human was eye-watering to a creature like herself. Waiting for another and explaining the situation would take too long. She was already there and would simply need to suffer the unbearable to finish what she had begun.

What seemed to make the hole? Clean edges suggesting something sharp? Tearing suggesting something blunt or driven by sheer force? Cauterized suggesting a blaster bolt? Indication that the weapon intruded from the front (flesh pushed in) or from the back (flesh pushed out)? Did it go all the way through? The placement was of note as well... just above the heart. Well placed and yet off target if the intent was for an instantaneous kill. Seren wondered if there'd been a scuffle and if anyone in the area heard it? They might not report it given the economic status of the surrounding area, unfortunately. Some might desire to stay uninvolved.

After the examination she turned her attention to the state of the apartment next. Someone had been searching for something with no intent to hide they'd been there. They were either frantic, or did not care if anyone stumbled upon the scene of the crime. Or perhaps Willard himself had done it before his demise.

The shipment had been of Phrik, the Doctor had said. Could this be a matter of stealing even a little of the precious material? What of the disease then? Coincidence? Seren looked for something out of place. Something to point to a motive or motivator behind what lay before her eyes. Yet she could not take long... she would need to send word for the boy's corpse to be collected. It could not stay here like this; it would only sicken the residents further.

Tag: The High Court of Illyria

 

[The High Court of Illyria]

UNKNOWN PHRIK?​

Tags: Seren Maeve ​

Upon further inspection of the apartment the Sieur comes across a piece of paper. It is written in an ancient dialect that, while close to High Illyrian, has a number of differences. It appears the note was hidden underneath a leg under the young man's bed. The note was written in an odd ink, that almost seems to glow in the darkness.

Sadly Seren Maeve is not able to immediately decipher the note. It takes almost fifteen hours before the note is deciphered and the message becomes clear to her. The note reads as:

Willard,

Your next ship of Phrik will not come from Garde Noire. Instead you will meet at the location below. Tell no one, we're trying to keep this load off the books. There's an extra twenty-five percent in it for you and your own Phrik pen, compliments of the boys. Make sure to keep that pen nice and close, it is like no other.

Remember,

The Guild is Illyria's only hope.

Respectfully,

Iron Pick ~ Gold


The location that is displayed on the page is not one used by the shipping services in Titan's Point. It quickly becomes obvious that Willard's shipment of Phrik was not from any of the accepted shipments and was unaccounted for.

Thanks to Seren Maeve actions during the beginning of the sickness, it has not hardly spread with only a five percent rise in cases, it seems it is being slowed in its progression, however the clock is ever ticking. What will the Sieur do next?
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[Seren Maeve]

Seren lifted a brow in mild irritation at the amount of time that had passed. She acquisitioned quill and parchment to inscribe instructions, mindful to watch for any unusual properties like those on the letter.

First, she ordered her Office to see that non-critical personnel with at least a briefing in body collection be sent to retrieve Willard's body. It should be transported within a sealed container, presumed hazardous, and stored away from any residents.

Second, she instructed them to assemble a small detachment of soldiers (likely more militia than actual military) to be dispatched to a nearby area near the indicated location. This location within the message was encoded as discretely as she could manage in case the letter fell into the wrong hands. The officers were to await a signal, or if none came within two hours of their arrival to search the surrounding region for suspicious activity. It should afford her time to survey the area and some manner of backup if things went wrong.

Third, they needed to ensure the Doctor had acquired all personnel and material needed to establish field hospitals and provide food and water for those admitted for care. With how distracted the well-meaning Doctor was there was always the chance he didn't consider the larger picture in taking in so many more patients.

As wax was unlikely to be at her disposal, Seren would sign it with her seal using her own blood instead. A minor wound easily dealt with. Though Seren was mindful the desire to quench her thirst was growing.

As she set out to investigate the source of this ill-gotten phrik, Seren kept an eye out for someone that seemed capable and in need. Someone whose services as a courier would be well compensated to have her letter delivered.

The Sieur would investigate discretely rather than walk in the proverbial front door, of course. The lay of the land, any patrols, and the means to access the location if it was a building. Remaining out of sight would be important until she understood the nature of the meeting location. If The Guild had patrols, she did not wish to alert them of her presence. Surely they would know her identity -- or she would presume as much. Likewise, given the source of this phrik was unknown and might be contaminated, Seren needed to be cautious before just strolling into any storage location.

Tag: The High Court of Illyria

 

[The High Court of Illyria]

PHRIK​

Tags: Seren Maeve ​

When the Sieur's men arrived near the meeting location they were met with silence and the company of woodland creatures. The wooded area not far from Titan's Point was a common hunting ground for a number of nearby towns, due to this there were a few hunting lodges and cabins in the forest. The location that had been given to Seren was for one such hunting lodge. However, when it was searched there were no signs of hunting rifles, skinning materials, or curing tools. No, instead the cabin had been completely emptied save for a number of large metal crates.

These crates held seals from nearly every Province on the continent that distributed mined ores to refinement facilities. Seren would realize that all of the shipments set for her own town were marked for dates and times that did not correlate to her own shipping notifications, just as Willard's had.

The Phrik that they were hauling, all of it, had been tasked to go several provinces but there was no sign of where they had come from. With nothing else within the cabin, what would the Sieur do with the information before her?
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[Seren Maeve]

Surprisingly, the location was not guarded as she expected. No doubt the intention of making it a secret location in a remote area. The Sieur had the men join her during the inspection in case the 'owners' happened to arrive while she -- now they -- were present. The Vampirikan Sieur was certainly surprised to find so much material present, and what's more destination for multiple locations. A difference in scheduling for Titan's Point was also unusual.

Seren had an enclosed container found at once -- the thicker and stronger the better. If it seemed possible to do so without contaminating the entire lodge Seren would have desired a sample of this phrik to have sent to the Doctor immediately. If this was the source of the ailment afflicting her town then it was likely a radioactive emission of some kind. Though it could be some kind of chemical intermixed with the ore as well. If they knew what they were dealing with then they could respond appropriately.

As for the rest... confiscating the ore could interrupt this trade briefly, but they might only set up shop elsewhere (assuming this was the only storage location anyway). True, the amount of credits would be substantial, but attempting to recover the material might bring even more attention to something they'd rather keep hidden. A lackluster outcome.

On the other hand, they could attempt to catch the people in the act and hope someone of higher rank was among them, and could be convinced to confess. The more they learned, the more likely they severed the illicit trade at its source or at least dissuaded them from bothering Illyria in the future.

As for the intended destinations... Well, there were options to locate those complicit with these crimes, but Seren would contend with that and whatever investigation was launched by Azurine City on this matter later. In this moment, the Sieur had to weigh the immediate concerns of her town with acquiring some measure of operational control over this activity.

"Take the men into the woods. Watch for the return of whoever is responsible for this," Seren gestured at the containers. "If there are few of them and you feel you can apprehend them, do so. If you are outnumbered or outmatched, observe. Notify me once they are apprehended, or have left the area." If they obtained a sample, she would participate in escorting it to the Doctor along with one or two men depending on the number present. If a sample was not possible then she would still need to coordinate establishing a rotating schedule of personnel to observe this area discretely.

Given the schedule it did not appear the operation would abruptly vanish, so there was no need to be hasty. Though she would rather prevent any further distribution if it was possible, but they needed more information about the makeup of this criminal enterprise. Most importantly, Seren needed to make sure the Doctor knew what he was dealing with if this phrik was responsible. Who knew where it came from originally and what it might be contaminated with.

Tag: The High Court of Illyria