Prelude to Cataclysm 3

Prelude to Cataclysm: 3^rd of 3 terrors: Everything Dies

Omega System, Ninjan Empire; Prison Planet Magog

The Eden transporter had its advantages; it managed to jump them a couple light years away in just a matter of moments. Maya and “Gaia” walked just a few paces behind both Leonel and Madison; it was Madison’s idea to bring Gaia along as to not subject her to the harm the Ninjans might inflict.

Throughout the entire trip Maya remained quiet, the conditions were sub-human and like all prisons it was packed. Full of weird looking creatures; most didn’t share the humanoid shape that the Omega System races shared. It was clear to see how those specific races became dominant within their specific regions of the nebula; most of the races contained here looked as if they had yet to develop intelligence.

“The prisoners here are stored in a virtual reality for most of the day, the get the full feel of being outside; but still inside their cells.” Madison said, walking past a group of Ninjan prisoners that respectfully bowed inside their cage.

“These particular lots are from the Talmut Empire” She said, standing in front of a blue race that had blackened eyes.

“One thousand years of Talmut rule will reign upon you!” one of them screamed. The Ninjan guard tapped a button which sent an inaudible siren wailing into his ear. “Don’t disrespect our queen you filth!” The guards retaliated as they continued their way to Catalina’s isolated cell.

“The virtual reality interface usually keeps the prisoners docile; however Catalina hasn’t used hers since she been here.” Madison informed. “She will be the same if not worse since the last time you saw her.”

“Oh great…” Maya whispered, stepping into the cell that contained Cat. The 5’6 beauty had lost most of her vibrant color; she maintained her ridiculously long jet black hair and her Mephistophelean flair.

“Still dressed in her telltale black clothes” Maya said, actually excited to see Cat. Placing her hands on the chamber she sought to connect with her deranged sister, her hand was met surprisingly by Cat. These two sisters shared a bond, one that Cat didn’t have with any of her other siblings; she saved Maya from the 3^rd society; no matter how bad things between them got—she’d always love Catalina.

“Cat…” she whispered, watching as a smirk appeared from her imprisoned sister. Madison stood surprised; she spoke with Catalina for days and never drew an emotional connect for the disconnected Liafador.

“Cat, I’m so sorry about this.” Maya said regretting everything that happened between them. “I-I...I can’t” She said, running away from the container in a tearful fit. “Leonel…we need to know about the Talmuts.”

@azure_son After this one, we'll be ready

It was surprising, even to someone like Leonel who supposedly knew Madison as well as one could, that the Ninjan Queen exhibited some altruism in requesting that Gaia go to Magog with them, in fear of what her own people would have subjected the redhead to should she have been left behind. Internally, the New God smiled, it was... nice to see Madison expressing warmth. So often he saw either the regal politician or uninhibited warrior, never any other side to the emerald-skinned monarch. This however, was refreshing. His exterior however, remained earnest and controlled. His archangelic features while self-assured, also held an uncharacteristic, no-nonsense, almost cold expression.

And those close to him knew exactly why. Catalina. At his very core, he loved her dearly, she was after all his sister, and someone he had once sworn to protect. But she'd become a monster again, too set in her chaotic ways. While he loved her by virtue of their familial relationship, he hated everything else about her. He both loved and hated her. This was not an encounter he was looking forward to. Shortly following the Dark Cardinal Goddess' destruction of Malaga, Leonel made the decision to sever all ties with her. The two siblings were no longer on speaking terms, a decision made primarily by the New God. Circumstances however, now demanded otherwise. He would have to speak to her. Because he understood that the fate of the world superseded their broken relationship.

Along the way, Leonel's eyes surveyed the prison's interior structure. The various evolutionary courses that the many imprisoned extraterrestrials took were interesting to say the least. Whereas on Earth most things had for example, two eyes, some of the prisoners on Magog had entirely different, unrecognizable organs. They were entirely different, having evolved in and adapted to an ecosystem completely alien compared to Earth. "That's very humane of the institution", Leonel remarked, commenting on the fact that the prisoners while confined to their prison cells, were allowed a virtual reality that could replicate the sensation of outdoor freedom. As they walked, he paid no attention to the heckling calls that Madison, Maya, Gaia and even he received. After all, Catalina was there.

It was impossible for his mind to focus on anything else. He hadn't seen her in what felt like an eternity. And though a part of him truly did not want to lay eyes upon the monster that laid waste to Malaga and put the life of their baby sister, Tassiana at risk, there was another half, buried deep within him, that did want to see her. At the very least, to know that Catalina was alive and well. Reaching their destination, the New God folded both arms before his chest and stood about two feet from the cell as Maya was the first to speak to Catalina. Leonel's visage remained cold and distant in his estranged sister's presence. His heart however, had skipped a beat over how much her appearance had been warped. Though her hair remained a waterfall of ebony, it had lost its lustrous sheen, and her skin had grown pale from the departure of its color.

It shocked him to see his sister in such a condition. Leonel however, didn't exhibit any outward concern. Instead he watched Maya as broke down and turned from their sister's cell. Briefly shooting a glance Gaia's way, as if to silently request that she, to some extent, comfort Maya, Leonel stepped forward, bringing himself before Catalina's cell. While it seemed as though his eyes met Catalina's and that he held her gaze with his own, it couldn't have been farther from the truth. The New God was not gazing into his sister's eyes. He was staring through her and at the blank, alabaster wall that stood behind her. For a moment, Leonel remained silent, selecting his words carefully. "I know you don't care if mom, dad, Tassi, or I die because of the Talmuts. Or even if the Earth is destroyed", he paused. "But I do know one thing", he would not address Catalina by her name.

"That you care if she dies", he stated, glancing towards a weeping Maya for a moment before resuming. "If you don't want this threat to kill Maya. Tell us everything you know about the Talmuts". He didn't want to stand in Catalina's presence a second longer. He simply wanted their questions answered so that they could leave.

“Ironic isn’t it? You sent me away from that planet because you thought I was a threat, and now you need my help to help you save it” Cat released a deafening cackle before shifting her head in an unorthodox manner at Leonel’s pathetic attempt to appeal on her feelings for Maya. “Everyone I’ve ever told my name too dies. Why should you guys be any different” She said, turning her back them.

“Everything is just how it’s supposed to be, The Ninjans will be eradicated; Earth will be destroyed, and Earth M will once again have its champion.” She explained, as if she already knew the outcome. The Capgras syndrome had taken Cat to all new heights of insanity, instead of the cold bitter voice she usually spoke with; this tone was almost jovial and jolly.

“If you truly want to know what I know….why don’t you extract it from my mind like you do everything else” She said, with her hands stashed on her hips.

That even the possibility of Maya perishing due to her refusal to help couldn't persuade Catalina came, admittedly, as a shock to the New God. He'd always known his sister to be uncaring and lacking in warmth. Leonel however, always took solace in the fact that the Cardinal Goddess of Darkness seemed to have one tether to her humanity; Maya, her younger sister. Though he couldn't be sure that Catalina simply no longer cared or if her mental state had truly deteriorated to the point they all feared it would, Leonel could see now that assistance from his estranged sister would not come as anticipated. Then... then Catalina dropped a bombshell, one that seemed to draw alarm from the New God.

It was not her claims that the Ninjans would be brought to extinction nor her promise that the Earth would be destroyed, but her belief that Earth-M would once again have its so called champion. Leonel remained silent, his features pensive but earnest as he speculated on a variety of hypothetical scenarios. Just who was this champion? Who was responsible for all of this? "Its true champion...", the New God repeated just above a whisper. "We don't have time for this", he remarked, dismissing Catalina before returning his attention to Maya. Resting both his palms atop her shoulders in a tenderhearted, comforting manner, he took a step forward and gently braced his forehead against hers, "Maya, I need you now more than ever".

"She won't talk to any of us, she won't tell us what we need to know. I'm not a true telepath, I can't look into the minds of others and see their thoughts. My psionic energies I've absorbed, the most it lets me do is communicate. Any other application is just offensive. I know I'm asking a lot from you, and that it hurts.. to see her like this", he paused, wiping whatever tears blemished his younger sister's features with two, gentle, soft swipes from his thumb. "But we need you. Earth needs you. I need you. To look into Catalina's mind and find out what she knows". Then once it was all said and done and the Earth was safe from peril, he would investigate Catalina's statement regarding the violation of her mind.

He was certain that it was some kind of dismissal of her rights. Even prisoner had rights. Catalina, for all her faults, was no different. Her rights needed to be honored, and she needed her medication.

Awesome post, got one on the way

“Beautiful, truly beautiful it is. All the stars” Cat replied seemingly out off the wagon. Her erratic behavior had increased in the short amount of time since their arrival. Maya walked back to the edges of the chamber with tears in her eyes, Cat didn’t seem to acknowledge her presence at all; rather attempting to grab invisible particles around her.

“Hey Cat; I know you don’t know what’s going on. It’s not your fault—I know they took Bishop from you.” She said pressing her head against the glass. “Cat, I’m going to enter your mind is that ok with you?”

Cat seemed to finally noticed Maya’s presence, she gently shook her head before returning to pick the particles from the air.

Maya closed her eyes and begin to channel her inner hexing abilities, what happened next could only be pulled off with adept rehearsal. Maya attempted to tap into Cat’s mind, but was instantly switched in terms of physical position with Cat.

Now on the outside receiving some natural source of energy from the sun; her darkness powers awakened; and a sinister grin crept along her narrow mouth. Knowing Madison and Leonel would be quick to act; she directed an attack at Gaia—the living embodiment of planet Earth.

“Why is it that people forgotten I was an actress?” She gloated as Maya bang on the containment field behind her. “Ah-Ah! Before you attack you should probably pay a little more attention to your friend over there”

Cat’s darkness energy was like a poison, a poison that begin to show on the Gaia’s face—corruption. “Off you go!” She said, opening a darkness portal to swallow Gaia whole; her destination was simple—Earth.

“This worked just like he said it would” Cat cackled, dodging an attempt decapitation from Madison only to fire a paralyzing shadow pulse in the Emerald Queen’s chest.

“What’s the matter Leonel…you find yourself unable to kill me. Let me give you a little incentive” She said, holding the Eden Transporter in her hand. A simple press of the button revealed the final portion of this nefarious plot.

“Earth destroyed, Ninjans tamed, and the True Champion of Earth-M” She said, pointing to the Massive Talmut Fleet hanging just over their heads. “What will you do?” She said, crushing the transporter negating any last minute attempt to jump back to save Earth.

“The man you’ve been waiting for Leonel is on Earth-M

With Leonel and Maya in Space faced with a galactic alien invasion; and the Earth being known as “Gaia” on the way to commit “suicide” could the people of Earth save themselves from a full blown Cataclysm?

“And now my dear Leonel…everything dies”

Immediately following Catalina's swap with Maya, Leonel was prompted to spring into action. Unfortunately however, he was brought to an abrupt halt as his indignant gaze settled on Catalina launching her attack on Gaia. Intent on intervening, even the New God with his blitzing speed was an attosecond too late as the redheaded Gaia disappeared, teleported to Earth by the Cardinal Goddess of Darkness. Then, his glare rested on his deranged sister as he clenched both fists in rising anger. She was right, he couldn't bring himself to kill her, even after all she'd done. He rarely faced any problems with killing his enemies, he did so frequently, and often times ruthlessly.

But to do the same to a sibling? That was a tall order. With the transporter destroyed and a gargantuan fleet looming over them, all seemed lost. "Then I'll go to Earth-M and kill him", the New God affirmed with earnest self-assurance. "No Catalina...", Leonel began, dismissing his estranged sister's claims regarding death, "Those who get in my way are the ones who die". While not at full power, Leonel was still very much in possession of enough power to blowtorch the assembled fleet with an extremely dense, scorching stream of superheated plasma accelerated to near-superluminal velocities. But he couldn't divert his attention away from Catalina, primarily because both Maya and Madison were now vulnerable.

Setting his eyes on the containment field that confined Maya to Catalina's cell, Leonel approached. Like any field, in order for it to exist and remain a functional barrier, it would have to be duplicating its own particles, a disadvantage. Because it implied that anything with enough force could provide a significant enough shock to overcome it. A punch, of blistering acceleration and enormous power was thrown by the New God, harnessing the monstrous kinetic energy from its immense speed to overcome the containment field and scatter its particles all about. "Maya, come on", he instructed, reaching for her hand as he guided her past Catalina and towards a paralyzed Madison. Carrying the Ninjan Queen in his arms, Leonel wondered, just how they would return to Earth in time.

Then an idea struck him. "Maya", he began, "Don't mind the fleet for now, we'll deal with that later. Catalina destroyed our transporter, and I don't have enough energy to generate the magnetic fields that'll get us into higher dimensional space for faster-than-light travel. At least not anything that'll get us there in less than a couple of weeks. But you can", he paused, "You have the power to control reality. Bend it to your will. Bring it to its knees and make it take us to Earth now. I know you can do it, Maya. You were the real hero today. You're the one who discovered Gaia's connection to Earth and saved her in time to keep our planet intact. You're the one who did the impossible and persuaded Madison. You can do this".

Maya leered at Cat as she and Leonel walk past, this entire ordeal had been seemingly brokered by Catalina, she knew they’d come to visit her; she knew they’d bring Madison—she manipulated their feelings again. For the second time in almost a month Catalina was poised to bring about the destruction of everything they loved.

“What we’re just going to leave her?!” Maya screamed wanting so badly to lash out at Catalina with a vicious barrage of attacks; but she couldn’t risk the chance of Catalina somehow managing to duplicate her ability to warp reality.

Within moments the massive fleet opened fire on the planet Magog; the intensity in which they fired suggest they had no use for it. Despite Leonel’s plea that she warp them to Earth; Maya’s mind remained on the prisoners and Catalina.

Leaving meant all will die, there would be no survivors; it’d be a blood stain on her mind for years. The granite surface of Magog begin to shatter underneath them, she wasn’t frozen; rather trying to decide which was more important Earth…or Magog.

As a hero partial to Earth, she knew her fight began and ended there, but as an organism living in the vast cosmos she knew there was no way she could choose who to save. A blistering light momentarily snagged the young Liafador’s attention, one of the attacking ships were retrieving Catalina—an exchange made.

“DAMN IT!!!!” Maya screamed, sending a powerful untamed amount of light energy at the adjacent vessel deliberately missing Cat’s. On impact the massive world busting vessel exploded sending huge chunks of debris raining down on the surface of Magog.

It was in that moment she did exactly what Leonel told her not to do—she thought what would Valerie do? As the Talmut fleet retaliated with world busting bombs; Maya through hers hands in the air casting her powerful hexing abilities and created a Spacial Rend—a distortion of space, A portal.

“I did not come to be a Witness!” Madison screamed, knowing that if she left with them the Talmuts would rip through the Ninjan Empire. Breaking free from Leonel’s hold she jarred her body out of entropy and ran into the ensuing carnage screaming.

“We will see each other again…”

CVNU Earth’s orbit

“We killed them Leonel…” She said distraught. Her face grew ornate red from guilt; the prisoners on Magog would die, hell Madison might even die; but they sacrificed it all for their own planet. Her tears were broken by the sound of her communicator; it was Director Gallagher of STRIKE.

“This is Maya, director come in”

“Something’s happening on the planet, everything is zkzkzkzkzssh Ziccarra down zkzkzkzkz! Something in the water!”

“Earth’s in trouble. Mom’s in trouble, you think it’s Gaia?” She said, pointing to the massive series of natural disasters happening at one time on the Earth.

(We can continue this in the actual rpg, I just need to close up the Emerald City portion up to this point. Or you can post a final response)

Elsewhere

“Magog fell in just 10 minutes, nice. I told you they’d go back to Earth, and I even managed to deliver you Madison Maynard” Catalina gloated gesturing to the injured Madison. In actuality had Cat not returned to Magog to retrieve her, she would’ve died on Magog. With no queen the Ninjans were vulnerable; with no direction the Omega System was theirs for the taking.

“Now how about you give me what you promised.”

@maya_liafador: (I'll respond to this in the actual RP)