Horizon - The Cure

Horizons Plague
Historical information
Created by:	Lysu Thren
Date engineered:	Circa 20,000 BBY
Biological information
Susceptible species:	All sentient Force users
Transmission type:	Unknown, likely contact
Symptoms:	Initial symptoms Enhanced Force ability Flu-like symptoms Advanced symptoms Loss of Force ability Strong Force resistance Enhanced physical ability Decreased mental acuity High pain tolerance
Treatments:	Unknown
Chronological information
Era(s):	Pre-Republic Era Old Republic Era Rise of the Empire Era New Republic Era New Jedi Order Era Dark Jedi Brotherhood Era
[ Source ]

The Horizons plague was a disease created by Lysu Thren, a Je'daii follower of the Bogan. One of the few Bogan disciples to survive the Force Wars on Tython, Thren was sentenced to exile on the moon Bogan to ponder the Ashla. Escaping from Tython and eventually the system, Thren eventually settled on Drongar. There he would work to create a plague that would destroy Force users completely.

The plague itself was an extremely virulent example of Bogan magics, predating even the most ancient Sith Alchemy by thousands of years. Specifically targeting wielders of the Force, the plague initially greatly increased Force ability before stripping it from its victims and leaving them to die. Thren was never able to deploy his weapon against the Jedi, dying before he saw the chance to use it. Throughout the millennia it would remain unknown to the rest of the galaxy at large save for a chance encounter by explorers from the Sith Empire. It would eventually be discovered once again by Archibald Zoraan and used by the former Grand Master against the Dark Jedi Brotherhood.

Characteristics

The Horizons plague was a bio-weapon created to destroy the ability to access the Force, driving its victims to insanity and murderous rampages after their connections burned out. It would eventually end in horrific death, caused by an accelerated and enhanced metabolism that was a side effect of the enhanced Force access. It was designed by taking the natural amplification effect of the bota plant, native to the planet Drongar, and warping it to provide excessive amounts of access to the Force. As such, the channels to the Force were opened so wide that it burned out the ability to use the Force at all after a short time of amplified power.

The primary spread of Lysu Thren's Horizons plague was incidental contact between infected Force users. It appeared to have no effect upon or interaction with the non-connected. As such, non-Force-sensitives were not vectors for the spread of the plague, making the source a fairly traceable event in a limited community. The timeline and development of the Horizons affliction were fairly standard, with very little in the way of deviation of time frame, making the first infection a critical indicator of the contagion's source.

The first indicators of infection usually developed within a week of contact, lasting for as long as two weeks before transitioning into Stage Two. The first critical indicator, especially among those new to using the Force, was Force ability far beyond that of what is normal - the use of Force Lightning by Journeymen was one such example. Another one would be an exceptional absorption of energy, such as that being emitted by an active lightsaber, ie: placing a hand near the hilt of the blade and absorbing a significant portion of it for more than a second or two. This was a tactic that not many Dark Jedi, save ones of Elder rank, should have been capable of.

The initial symptoms of the infection was usually most noticeable in the initiate stage of training, or during training leading to the level of Dark Jedi Knight. Those were the only times in which constant, regular use of Force ability was on display to be noticed and commented on by others. As such, an infection of the Equites and Elders would be far more likely to go unnoticed both by the infected and those around them. Furthermore, those that had passed beyond the Journeymen level had a connection to the Force that was wider than that possessed by an initiate or Journeyman.

Later, the physical manifestations of the Horizons plague became far more noticeable and very dangerous. At this time, the body's metabolism began its march toward death by boosting the physical abilities of the infected. Often it began by converting more of their physical mass into muscle and making it easier to tone that muscle while also increasing their stamina. This was most noticeable among those who were previously less capable, especially when seen during combat. The mental effect of the plague at this particular stage was a reduction in self control, making the infected quicker to anger, less capable of making cognitive decisions, and far less likely to act in a coordinated manner. Another symptom that would manifest was an increased tolerance to pain. The most important change at this stage was to a subject's Force ability. A subject at this point would lose their ability to touch the Force, but he or she would also exhibit a greatly increased resistance to the Force abilities of others. Powers that had a direct, physical manifestation were more effective than direct Force abilities, and the weaker talents of Journeymen and Equites had a far reduced impact over those of an Elder.

Even further into the infection was a further increase of the physical capability of the infected. The physical acceleration of growth and change in the body began to take a toll on the mental state of the host. The metabolic change in the body reduced the mental capacity of the brain, due to altered body chemistry. The abilities to reason and react in a coordinated fashion became severely impaired as the body produced an immense overage of hormones and other chemicals that promoted aggression and physical performance, at the expense of chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine.

The last stage of the infection would ultimately lead to death. The ability to reason and think would have entirely left the infected. They could not behave in a manner consistent with critical thinking or even the most basic levels of reasoning, leaving them easy prey to seasoned normals or Elders. The physical manifestation had nearly completely converted the body to a quivering mass of muscle and bone. With a near constant flood of adrenaline and nerve-stimulants, the infected assumed an almost twitch-like movement and reactions. Those who were more intelligent and less physically active than others at the beginning could have retained some glimmer of intelligence, but it was highly unlikely that any ability to use said intellect would remain. The near constant dump of unbalanced chemicals into the bloodstream would make coherent, rational, reasoned thought all but impossible in the quest for physical perfection.

If not cured within a week of the onset of Stage Four, the plague's drive to metabolic ruin consumed the host. The physical transition ate away at the bones, making them brittle and prone to snapping under the nervous convulsions that had stolen the last bit of coordination remaining to the infected. This complete physical collapse was irreversible when the brain finally became infected, the plague crossing the membranes and feasting upon the soft tissue itself. The nutrients in bacta only accelerated the process if the infection was not stopped in time as the disease fed upon them in addition to the host.