How many people would it take to crush a modern society on another planet?

We are an interplanetary human empire at war with an alien species. On the brink of defeat, this alien species designed a virus to turn the tide of war. This virus is airborne and highly contagious, and disrupts the brain's ability to use serotonin.

Alien spies have released the virus into the local birds--the virus is related to the avian flu--after trying and failing to gain access to the water distilleries. The outbreak begins.

The population is about ten billion people, and due to sustainability issues, most of the planet is functioning at the same level as the modern American middle class. Population density is still crammed near the coasts because traditional ships are cheaper than launching into orbit.

My question: About how many people would this rage-inducing flu virus have to infect worldwide before the planetary security forces (numbering 125 million) become overwhelmed and have to call for military aid?

Less than a year before this outbreak, the aliens launched a failed attack on this planet that killed and injured many security forces, incapacitating about a quarter of them. The security forces have aircraft, but due to budget cuts in local police forces, they have very little in the way of ordnance to fire from their limited number of police drones (think 10,000 remote-controlled drones with rapid-fire machine guns).

Security officers are equipped with non-lethal riot guns that are designed to make a large photon beam that induces temporary blindness and a loud noise. They are equipped with tear gas. The first human outbreak occurs a week after the spies introduction the virus into the bird populace in the Planetary Central Security Department. About 5% of the 125 million man police force became infected. When these officers went home, they spread the virus to all they came in contact with. In two days, the flu-like symptoms of the first of the infected began to subside, and then the neurological symptoms set in.

Since the blatant murdering of civilians is prohibited and is punishable by death, the security forces are not issued lethal weapons. The few projectile weapons they have (including their aircraft ammunition) are designed for crowd dispersal. For example, the majority of drone ammunition is designed to release small amounts of tear gas and chemicals that cause slight burning of the skin.

posted over 9 years ago

JDSweetBeat‭

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