This requires a brief description- my setting is in the distant future. Humans and genetically modifed inhumans have fled Earth in the advent of a war which nearly wiped out all "evil" technology. Humans and inhumans who supported science chose to flee earth for a colony world before their imminent defeat, so they could found a new society based on their ideals. However, their enemies engineered a virus to force the two halves of the side- human and inhuman- to turn on each other. Humans carried a virus which would kill inhumans. Inhumans carried a virus which would kill humans. During and after the voyage, the virus incited chaos. The human colonists, in a desperate bid to save themselves, forced the inhumans to move to a barely-habitable, wasteland planet. Technology regressed over the course of more than 500 years, and history was melded with superstition. Each species almost forgot about the other, though legends persisted of other races. Inhumans looked with hope to the green and blue planet visible above theirs. Humans looked with suspicion on the ball of radioactive stone and dust which marred their night sky. Eventually, technology was regained. Myths of other species and viruses caused each race to engineer hard suits designed to filter air and keep out unwanted viruses. The now very different races built ships and radios and contacted each other, though they can only ever interact when one or more parties is locked up in an environmental suit. (This of course makes friendships or romances between species very difficult.) An inter-planetary cultural and scientific renaissance began, though there existed many from both cultures who blamed the other side for the loss of Earth- which by now had taken on a near heaven-like meaning. No one has heard from Earth since departure. Technology on the two planets is still not back to the way it was on Earth, but it is approaching its old threshold. My plot kicks off 70 years after new contact, during the new renaissance, when, without warning, modified versions of the viruses designed to destroy opposing species are somehow created and released. This is especially odd, because such technology does't yet exist on their worlds. The new versions ignore even the best hardsuit technology. Humans and inhumans now have a new choice- they can repeat history, fight each other, be brought to the brink of extinction and separate for another few hundred years, or they can stand together to find a solution. They can unite to discover the force opposing them, and uncover the truth of their past. (Which, as said, is mired in legend.) This is my question: I need antagonists who are powerful enough to create a highly advanced virus and either escape, avoid, or fend off military repercussions. I considered using ancient, evolving AI left over from Earth, perhaps buried in an old ship somewhere. I've considered an invasion by humans from Earth, who have recently discovered the surviving colony. I've considered a political plot. But everything I think of seems . . .wrong, or cliched somehow. Can anyone suggest new antagonists, or vote for which one of my three is best? (My suggested ones are: Remnant AI, Political Plot, Earth Invasion.)
Forget cliches. Choose one of them, whichever one works best for your story. It really won't matter. What will matter is how you present the character.
Remnant AI seems a touch Deus Ex machina - though it is still plausible but you will need to develop a reason for its existence and a reason why it wants the two to kill each other / avoid each other. Political plot - inter human / inhuman is impossible. As you said they do not have the technology available to generate new viruses. The human invasion seems most likely as only those that chose to flee earth did so. Why they choose to invade now would be up to you to come up with. As to any other antagonists - alien race living on either planet, natural immune response of the ecosystem - you could just keep on looking for ideas - there could be many, many more. From your choices - I go with the human invasions.
Hi, Where did the original virus come from? If it's from the humans that were left behind then maybe it stands to reason that they are also the ones behind the updated viruses. Which means you need some way to make the left behind humans into a more fearsome force with at least a five hundred year old agenda. However, it could have been an outside agency too - aliens? Who were worried by the threatened expansion of the human and inhuman race into their space. Its your story, play with it how you want. All you really need is for your antagonist to be convincing and consistent. Cheers, Greg.
How about Man Vs. Nature? Nature itself just won't allow these two races/civilizations to live together. I dunno, just throwing it out there.
I kindof like a mutation, which is in a way "nature always finds a way to survive" theme. Maybe the planet they fled to have some effect on their DNA (chemistry, gravitation or whatever) To add to the story there can be people aware of this who have let certain people breed with each other so that this natural cure for the disease was mutated.
Why not all three? The earthling politicals/government have finally considered re-inducting the "aliens" into their order, but a global AI in control of all infrastructure on earth has determined that the planet's limited resources are barely able to sustain the existing population in the long-term, let alone the burden of millions/billions of new arrivals, etc. Seeing how as insustainability conflicts with its prime directive to protect and preserve the population of earth at all costs, it covertly re/engineers a virus to re-instigate the tension between the non-humans and extraterrestrial humans, and keep them from reintegrating on earth. Etc, etc, etc. Perhaps the resulting chaos among the extraterrestrials is intended by the AI to lure the earth government/s into annexing the colonies under the guise of "pacifying them". Meanwhile, the AI and certain key politicians intend to use the excuse to pillage the worlds for their natural resources. Etc, etc, etc. Idk. The result of some spontaneous plot brainstorming. This stuff is generally the easier part of writing, for me atleast. Maybe it'll help. P.S. Omega 4 Relay
Can the modified virus have been created before humans and inhumans fled Earth? A small sub-group among the refugees brought the virus with them in secret, as a kind of last resort, but it was never used. It may even have been forgotten and hidden in an archive until someone found it by accident.
Good suggestions, all. I've decided on a course of action. It'd take a wall of text to explain, though, so I won't be posting it. Thanks for the advice. I consider this thread pretty much resolved.
