[email removed] (Jeff Zeitlin) opines:
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So far, I agree with you. The destruction of the 2KW would have
_had_ to be as swift as (or swifter than - see later) that of the
Imperium, Confederation, and Hierate, and the Trailing Extents.
Remember, the Deyo-based transponder was in virtually universal
use by the time Virus was born. The Hivers weren't really less
susceptible, though; they were just able to identify and take
countermeasures faster due to their advanced computer knowledge.
Even today, in 1201/NE1, they're still cleaning up the damage.
But the important thing was that they were able to maintain
continuity of culture and of communication.
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Um, I guess I'm not wholly following you here. The Deyo-based
transponder was in virtually universal use *IN THE IMPERIUM* and in
those ships which did trade across the border (ie, within a subsector or
two of the Imperial Border you'd find (say) one in two with a Deyo).
The Vargr, Solomani, Aslan, Hivers, K'kree, Zhodani and whomever would
have only a handful of the total ships within their spheres of influence
equipped with such technology. The Deyo would allow the Virus to 'leak'
from Imperial computers to, say, Aslan through an Aslan ship with a
Deyo, but to infect other Aslan ships would require the Virus to adapt
itself to whatever protocols the Aslan are using. The Deyo provided the
initial infection, but was no longer the prime means of transmission.
Basically, the rest of Known Space ought to have seen generally slower
infection rates, unless they had some communication system comparable to
the Deyo transponder hooey. Plus, the K'kree have really sucky computers.
Jeff also mentions speed o' infection:
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(1) How fast did Virus really spread?
The XBoat network in the Imperium was an essentially zero-layover
system with an average point-to-point distance of between J2 and
J3. Thus, we can suggest that within the Imperium, the spread
speed was J2.5/week. Outside the Imperium, the jump rate would
be lower, as there was no continuous zero-layover network in
place, and "tramp traffic" density would likely be lower, as the
economies of the minor states in the area would likely not be
able to support the level of trade that the Imperium could.
Assume, for argument, that this reduces spread to J2/week at
best; we could probably cut that a little bit, and say that it
will cross three sectors (spin to trail) in one year. Thus, from
the release in 1129, we can estimate that Virus made it to the
2KW by 1131 or 1132 at the absolute latest.
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Similar high-speed communications channels must have existed in all the
major interstellar governments, though, so actual virus transmission was
probably much higher. Although direct infection through Gateway, etc.
might have been as slow as you suggest, it would be much faster (IMHO)
for the virus to have spread through the Solomani Confederation, the
Hive Federation and thence to the Two Thousand Worlds, each of which
has an effective common border. Thus, transmission speed can be kept at
about J2.5 for the whole distance.
<Shrug> Just my Cr0.02
Dane
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TNS Stringer ------ Terra/Solomani Rim (1827 G867975-8)
"My opinions are those of my fuzz-brained, cat-sniffing Norwegian Elkhound."