A planet has a rogue virus that is quite dangerous and, for some, lethal. A vaccination has been found, but due to a dangerous quirk of the virus, it's being difficult about combining it with an immuno-flu, so the old-fashioned shots have to do until another way is found.
Unfortunately, the "pure life" protestors are there trying to physically stop the medical ships from getting to the planet, and they're willing to open fire to stop them. -- Anon Guest
There were no Pure Lifers on Drisolkess, which had shut down all travel in an effort to contain the spread of their plague. Nevertheless, the Pure Lifers were given umbrage by the fact that the only way -so far- to contain the disease known as Yerisania was the archaic and invasive needle.
Yerisania was a flulike variant that, if combined with the barely-acceptable immunoflu, would mutate into new variants that were even more deadly. Those failures had been incinerated before they could leave the test tube. Science had done its best, but the old ways were the ones that worked best. The mistake had been announcing this during the manufacturing phase, before all the ampules could be shipped safely down to Drisolkess.
High Knomira Pauscha Diamante Jones had mobilised the fleet in instants. Despite Drisolkess' protests, despite the celebration regarding the good news, despite the CRC's attempts to stop them... the flotilla of Pure Life Blockaders surrounded Drisolkess and demanded to speak to the manager. What they got was vastly different to what they expected.
Instead of the Mercy Stations or the CRC engaging in battle, the planetary defenses activated and aimed at the Pure Life Blockaders and their active Safety Net. The assembled Polity Leaders of Drisolkess united together to give them a warning they could not ignore.
"Leave our planetary space in one hour, or have all your ships shot down." It wasn't even a diplomatic wording. It was bare and full of teeth.
"But they're sticking metal into your bodies! They're attacking your physical forms with brutal injections," pleaded the High Knomira, "each needle is filled with death. Do you know what chemicals and toxins they've put in each vial?"
"Er. Yes. We've been part of the process since we initially locked down. All our leaders in the medical fields have been working remotely with the scientists of the alliance for months. Now let us have our vaccine! You have forty-five minutes remaining."
"You can't be serious. We're trying to protect you! All that violence in a jar is going to wreak untold harm to your people! What about the long-term damage? You children could get mental disabilities..."
"We prefer alive children to dead ones," said the assembled leaders. "We prefer a live populace to dead ones. The measures we have in place are not enough to contain Yerisania. We need vaccines."
"You need to wait until they have an immunoflu for you. It's the pure way. In the meantime, your people are becoming stronger."
"Our people are becoming corpses. Now leave orbit before we open fire. Ten."
"Think of the children."
"We are. Nine."
The assembled leaders of Drisolkess aimed their weapons at the orbiting Blockader ships. They had a one in ten chance of hitting one actually piloted by a Pure Lifer.
That was too high a chance for the High Knomira. They fled with a final, "You have a choice as to what goes into your bodies! Remember your rights!" But nobody paid any attention to them.
Unfortunately for the rest of the alliance, the Pure Lifers were used to that, and just yelled louder.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / Baitong333]
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