There are two timelines: -Open Cut: Initial symptoms show in less than a minute, and conversion is around 20 minutes per limb, death usually occuring at around 30 minutes. -Lungs: Initial symptoms show after about three days, the first symptom is Sudden Onset Death. Trial and Error on Astare 3 have shown that antibiotics can keep the infection in check...however the antibiotic stockpile isn't exactly massive and is being hoarded by gangs (Huzzah). Autopsy has shown the infection itself spreads through the lung very slowly before going though the lung wall, causing asphixia (Lung can't expand/draw in air due to pressure difference, resulting in suffocation). Other theories are that it spreads to the heart and floods the lungs with blood (as well as killing the heart). (Not a trained medical pracitioner, snide comments about ineptitude will be frowned upon...sufficing to say death in 3 days) Three things: First, the ground? Second, as stated in one of our chats, you didn't 'need' a life support system, since you could just vent 7/8ths of the air inside the dome and replenish...since the air is "breathable". Third, shield generators operate outside the domes, as does the outside of the dome...Ergo if microbes hit the dome, and where then encompassed by the shield... Astare 3: Mean Temp: 589K/316C Atmosphere: 8.38 atm (N2 44%,O2 29%,H2O 8%,CO2 4%) Venus Mean Temp: 735 K/460 C Atomsphere: 93 atm (CO2 96%, N2 4%) Earth Mean Temp: 287K/14C Atomsphere: 1 atm (N2 78%, O2 21%, Ar 1%) So...Comparison to Venus High temperature, yes. Insane pressure, no. Low Oxygen, no High CO2, no Comparison to Earth Low Temperature, no Normal Pressure, Yes-ish (Its about equal to 125 meters underwater, which is tolerable) Moderate Oxygen, yes Low CO2, yes Water Content, yes So, overall, save from the higher temperature, Astare 3 is Earthlike. And, as we know, temperatures change over time, meaning that, quite possibly, at some point, Astare 3 was cooler, thus meaning that life could have developed, thus meaning that life could have evolved to tolerate, even thrive at higher temperatures. (Though a candel burns at 1,000 degrees so I assume an energy weapon has a few thousand on that =p)