Totalitarian Disease

The **Totalitarian Disease** (also called the **RATt Virus** after the responsible pathogen) is a viral-based disease that induces a victim into an abnormal rage and affects electronics. During the events of the main Haifuri series, the disease was responsible for infecting several ships of Yokosuka Girls' Marine High School and their crews, as well as the communications blackout from these vessels.

## History

Shortly before the events of the anime, scientists created the virus aboard a submarine laboratory that sank near the Nishinoshima New Islands for reasons unknown. Sometime later, however, underwater volcanic activity forced the submarine to the surface.

As Yokosuka Girls prepare for their first maritime exercises, Principal Mayuki Munetani authorized an ecological expedition to be transported to the islands aboard the instructorship Sarushima. However, the expedition's true intention was to retrieve valuable data from the submarine and sink it again; this was never made apparent until a subsequent investigation by the Safety Oversight Office. Eventually, the virus infected the Sarushima crew and launched an attack on the Harekaze. At some point, the battleship Musashi was also infected, save for its captain Moeka China and three crew members. The rest of the flotilla of student ships present there was also infected, including most destroyers of the Yokosuka Girls Marine High School.

At some point during this outbreak, the Hiei and Admiral Graf Spee were also affected, infecting most or all of their crew. Their secondary effect of jamming signals cut the ships off from all communications, especially ones from the school. The Harekaze also suffered an infection, as chief gunnery officer Shima Tateishi got in direct contact with a rodent. In a virus-induced rage, she got on one of the destroyer's rapid-fire guns and opened fire on the supply ships sent to rendezvous. After being hurled into the sea by Wilhelmina, Tama returned to her silent self.

The rodent was eventually turned over to Minami for study. Later, she developed the antibody that would neutralize the disease for good. A sample of the antibody and her report was turned over to the Blue Mermaids, which began mass-producing the vaccine right away.

Following the incident, various agencies like the Marine Medical Academy, where Minami worked for some time, have begun taking steps to mitigate the effects of the disease. At this point, the threat of the disease to the population has greatly decreased.

Known infected ships

-Sarushima (short time only)

-Harekaze (partly, short time only)

-Admiral Graf Spee (saved by the Harekaze)

-Musashi (saved by the Harekaze)

-Hiei (saved by the Harekaze)

## Overview

The disease is caused by the RATt Virus, a lab-grown pathogen carried by rodents with glowing red eyes--one of its visible symptoms. Upon infection, the virus besieges the brain to the point that the host suddenly feels a fit of uncontrollable rage. Most of the time, the infected host would engage in brute force, if not deadly, for no reason.

RATt is capable of coordinated action among the hosts, forming a "hive mind" among the infected hosts. This is exemplified by the infected crews attacking the non-infected as a group instead of mindless infighting within their ranks. It's also capable of using the host's intelligence to its advantage, forcing the host to perform tasks only for him/her to have no idea why they did such a thing. This was evident in instructor Kaoru Furushou sending a distress call to the mainland while under the effects of the disease, even reporting about the Harekaze attacking her vessel.

Seawater is known to neutralize the effects of the virus, albeit temporarily. Only the vaccine Minami created can purge the virus from the host completely. However, cats like Isoroku have exhibited immunity from the virus. The supply ship Mamiya was spared from the virus because of its complement of cats to help round up rodents that can feed on its food stocks.