The hate disease

A sleek med‑ship hurtles through overdrive, its crew a mix of seasoned physician Calhoun and his small, coffee‑loving companion Murgatroyd, a furry alien with a taste for strong brew. After a precise, high‑speed jump they emerge near Tallien Three, a planet that has gone without medical oversight for decades. Their mission is straightforward: conduct a routine public‑health survey and assess the colony’s well‑being before reporting back to sector headquarters.

What begins as a standard inspection soon spirals into something far stranger. The Interstellar Medical Service is used to bizarre cases, but this world harbors an invisible threat that defies ordinary diagnosis, a “hate disease” that seems to bloom where expectation fades. As Calhoun and Murgatroyd probe the settlement’s hidden corners, they confront an unsettling pattern of hostility that turns everyday interactions into potential hazards, forcing them to question whether the biggest danger lies in the planet’s environment—or in the minds of its inhabitants.