"Some of the Fallow Trees are infected with a deadly virus. If we're not able to stop it soon, it will spread, and eventually destroy all the trees. We've seen this virus before. I was able to create an antidote from the roots of the Pomillia Flower. I hope Lucas hasn't found what remains of it." — Brenda
Find a cure for the Fallow Virus is one of the later quests in Jagged Alliance. it is a challenging one. Brenda reports that several Fallow Trees have fallen victim to a deadly and contagious virus. While she has formulated an antidote, she is short on a critical component - roots from the Pomillia Flower - and asks that you retrieve some so that she may synthesize more.
Blowing up the infected tree[]
Jack : "The virus is spreading out of control and we have to do something immediately! A couple more days and we could lose EVERY TREE!"
There are three to go about this. First, a swift and easy solution is detonating the first affected tree with explosives. The culprit tree is demarked with a brown or red square next to all the green or black, depending on the sector, with squares deonating healthy trees. In sector, the tree in particular can be distinguished by its lack of tappers and sickly appearance - planting the explosive directly on it will destroy the tree and the virus will no longer be a problem, though this cuts the number of trees in your ownership permanently by one.
Capturing Sector 8 and get the Pomillia Flowers[]
The second other way is to do as Brenda suggests: obtain some Pomillia Flowers from Sector 8. Note that as days pass, more trees will become infected, and infected trees will start to wither and die - those that die are permanently subtracted from your tree total and cannot be salvaged, even after a cure has been synthesized.
There are several enemies that are guarding the Pomillia Flowers. If you are waiting to capture Sector 18 on the day of the second weapons shipment then you'll have to mount an amphibious assault from either Sector 7 or Sector 9. Sector 7 is recommended, you spend less time in the watr. Don't forget to equip your mercs with combat knives or knives or your mercs will be killed by the water snakes. Note that even if you acquired the four flowers in sector 8, Brenda wil report that she can't make the antidote (not the one you can pick up) without her journal which you have to find in sector 12. She needs around 3 days stop the virus, which means you will still lose about 2-4 trees.
Find the antidote[]
There will be an antidote in any of these sectors: Sector 5, Sector 7, Sector 42 where some players also may it in the eastern building instead of a Spectra Shield, Sector 52 or Sector 56.
Note[]
Some players may not encounter this quest. It depends on how many Fallow Trees you have in your possession, which sectors you conquered and which day it is. It also depends if you have captured sectors that could start the virus, namely sector 19, Sector 25, Sector 40 and Sector 42.
Completion if your blew the infected tree up[]
Jack: "You really used your head out there today! Better to sacrifice a few trees, than lose all of them! The virus shouldn't be a problem anymore."