1939/Another Starro

Another Starro
Date of Scene:	12 August 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Aquaman, Phoenix, Superman, Super-Man
Tinyplot:	Starro Invasion

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Aquaman has posed:
Something is out there, beyond the traditional confines of the SOL Solar System, but it's presence is almost palpable, dreams, eerie feelings amongst strong telepaths, something Jean may recognize from her past. It is far, the light of Sol is dim out here. A Message would have come from the Green Lantern to the Justice League, asking for help investigating something? he was tied up elsewhere, but on his way as fast as he can back to the Sol system to assist in this fact-finding mission.

It would no doubt take time to traverse the distance, even for heroes of epic proportion such as Superman, and a telepath as powerful as Jean would take some effort to locate something this far away. But reach it they do, a small speck at first, moving at incredible speeds directly towards the Solar System. As one nears it, the thing begins to take shape, a large 'star' shaped creature, hurtling along through space, the size is immense, perhaps as big as the Atlantic Ocean. Bigger even, maybe, it is hard to judge its enormity with no reference to compare it to.

Phoenix has posed:
Electricity arcs through Vice Principal Grey's psyche, drawing her eyes wide open and a broad rip across the induction paperwork she was going over, courtesy of a sharply jerking pen-tip. Rapidly, the sensation chills into cold wetness wriggling through the corners of her Self as a blood-red eye languidly opens to hold her gaze--

-- only to vanish as suddenly as it arrived, leaving the young educator gasping as she frantically peers about the room for the ten or fifteen seconds it takes her to pull it together enough to scratch up a little picture of stick figure-Jean fishing in a little boat.

Just a few minutes after taping the notice to her office door, she's descended into the depths beneath Xavier's School, where she draws Cerebro's helmet down to cover her skull. She isn't entirely sure how much time passes from there-- only that after locking onto the terrestrial parasite, she found her awareness drawn increasingly outwards, towards something similarly malevolent, if infinitely more vast.

By the time her astral self is hovering on the outer periphery of the cosmic aberration's psychic presence, she's tense in her seat as smoke wisps from beneath the helmet-- especially once more minds are felt in the vicinity.

{{You have to tell me,}} she transmits to the sentients that definitely aren't five-armed parasites, barely controlled anxiety palpable in her thought-patterns, {{if you've been enslaved by a space parasite-- it's a rule! Thinking some kinda space parasite garbage at me will do.}}

Superman has posed:
Clark received the alert from the Watchtower. Something was headed this way and Hal wasn't in system to check on it. As the next fastest space-capable member, it was up to him to investigate. So, Clark finished the draft he was int he middle of, saved and sent it to copy for editting, and then excsued himself with something as lame as only a kent could mumble on a stumble as he grabbed his coat and rushed for the stair well. Three steps up and Clark zipped the rest of the way out emerging from the Daily Planet's roof entrance as Superman.

He took a few seconds to get into the upper atmosphere before pressing himself faster, and then another few seconds in high orbit to soak up a few heartbeats of pure sunlight which he then used to fling himself in the direction he was told it was supposed to be. The single lungful he took will hold him for several long hours.

Eyes the color of a clear Kansas sky widen at the sight of the creature, then again at the woman's voice in his head. He knows it's in his head, but still Spuerman glances about.

'Some... kind of.. space parasite.. garbage..? What on Earth...? Ummm.. Alright, Kal. Calm down. Maybe she can hear you if you think loud enough. Can you? This is so weird.'

Super-Man has posed:
Kenan gets a call from the Pearl Tower asking him to report to Crab Base. While the majority of the Genetically Engineered Starro clones were destroyed with the defeat of his mad uncle, a few had been returned to custody. The Justice League of China was called here because they are acting strangly. Bat-man soon determines that they are aditated because of the proximity of a close relative. Director Omen uses her Solar Cannon to charge Kenan and gives him some additions to his Containment Suit for this mission...a helmet to let him breathe and a solasr charger to keep his power levels high for the trip to the outer edge of the solar system...which is vital as he can not yet fly unless he has a high charge. He is a bit slower getting to the edge of the system than Superman, but he soon spots his idol...even with the distance between them. He flies towards the Kryptonian and wonders how he will be able to talk with him here in space.

Aquaman has posed:
If there is any awareness of the presences around it, the full grown Starro pays no heed to the presence of the heroes in its vicinity, the creature just sailing along through space, careening on a course that will inevitably bring it into the inner solar system of Sol, at the very least, should it not alter its course.

Trailing along in the vicinity of the giant Starro, one notices as one gets closer, especially with the keen eyes of a Kryptonian, or the psychic proximity of Jean, that there appears to be a small cloud trailing in the wake of this 'Shooting Starro', a multitude of smaller Starros of varying sizes, from the size of a human face, to the size of Montana, though these larger ones are very few in number.

Phoenix has posed:
{{Yep.}}

Millions of miles away, the rhythm of Jean Grey's slow, focused breaths begins to grow gradually more rapid while drifting out of sync. Blood flees her knuckles as her fingers tense against Cerbero's armrests, and smoke continues to unspool from her body, slowly filling the ovoid chamber that serves to house Cerebro's secrets.

{{It's okay,}} she adds while trying to transmit calm to the bewildered midwestener. {{I'm not gonna take advantage, or anything-- I'm here to help, alright? My name is Phoenix; I'm a superhero. Both of you: I'm not feeling any obvious alarm bells}} a brisk attempt at skimming the surface of the two other heroes' psyches is made, just for confirmation's sake {{so I'd like to--}}

A few great, red eyes open in the fire-limned recesses of her mind, casting a beat of cold, frightened surprise through her psychic communications.

{{-- conference us all together, so we--}}

As if she were looking up at the night sky while driving away from the oppressive glare of the city, her consciousness fills with an increasingly dense array of baleful red points. The thought that follows is soft, distant, distorted by the distraction of the Starro cloud:

{{-- oh-- oh my God, oh my God, oh my God--}}

On the upside, she's true to her word in that the 'line' remains open afterwards, allowing Kal and Kenan to communicate if they're willing - and able - to think loudly into the link.

Superman has posed:
'conference?' Superman turns to look about and after a moment, Kenan is spotted. Superman raises a hand in greeting, blue eyes tracing over the lad's uniform, the stars, the S. His S. A brow quirks, but for the moment, Clark keeps his thoughts on that to himself.

'Thank you for the mental link up, Pheonix,' Kal thinks as his gaze turns back to the Starros.

'There's a good number of these things. Size of my head to something much much bigger. Ocean sized. Headed straight toward the inner solar system. Going to take them at least a few more days to get inside Jupiter's or-' Cue Jean's freaking out, Superman frowns lightly, pausing his tour of the Starro Cloud near Kenan's location.

'Everything alright?' he asks, sounding concerned and turning ot look at Kenan: you notice anything amiss?

Super-Man has posed:
Kenan was sent out here with a weapon...one specific to the case. A case it is, a case containing thousands of genetically engineered Starro clones. Unfortunately these clones have a design flaw (not their tiny size, that is intentional). No, the flaw is they hibernate when it gets cold, and interstellar space is VERY cold. He transmits, 'We need to get these into physical contact with the larger Starros, but need to keepthem warm until they act. They will, if they work right, act as a telepathic virus, making Starro decide not to come deeper into the solar system.'

Phoenix has posed:
{{-- uh-- hh--}}

Panic boils through the link for a second or two before being reeled back towards its origin.

{{-- everything's fine,}} Phoenix quietly 'says'. {{How many-- how many, because I can't-- no, actually-- I'm gonna borrow your eyes, and--}}

She barely waits for Kal to acknowledge what was ostensibly a request before slipping behind his eyes, shutting her own, and shuddering as the parasitic cloud not only appears before her, but appears amidst a wash of colors, shapes, and textures that she's likely never experienced.

{{-- aah, what is this!! Hh-- o-- okay, virus, warmth, telepathy-- how are you-- how are you gonna generate the heat for that?}}

Superman has posed:
If he thought having a telepath share his visioin was going to be dizzying, Kal was wrong. He felt nothing different after Pheonix got his permission to see what he sees. Nor did he think his vision would startle her until it does. Kal blinks back to 'normal' human sight, as he turns his gaze to Kenan with a light smile.

'I can do that. How warm does it need to be? Is there a degree range that you can monitor for me?' Superman asks of Kenan, more than willing to let the other man wearing the sigil of the hOuse of El take point in how to use the items he brought in defense of their world.

Super-Man has posed:
Kenan states, "Keep them between freezing and boiling and they should be fine. This case is designed with a dispensor, though it is intended to be short ranged. It can fire off a single clone at a time, once it is in contact the clone should be able to function as designed." Actually, he was wondering if this was going to be a suicide mission when he came out, but saving the entire world is worth giving a life for... He adds, "I can monitor the case, but not the individual clones. I think you have thermal perception though, you should be able to use that."

Phoenix has posed:
{{... how... how are there so many...}} trickles into link after (pick one: a few seconds; a ceaseless eternity lit only by the uncaring gaze of mind-devouring parasites).

A beat after that, Phoenix disengages from Kal's senses, and as she draws a bracing breath into her lungs, transmits, {{There's-- there's a problem here: I dunno how much you guys know about these, these-- things, but they're parasites-- and they operate on contact. Physical contact-- which you're talking about all but giving them. They'll-- they'll make you wear them-- they'll wear you, and then...}}

Rather than finish her thought, Phoenix lets a few stray images - of men and women in space suits with Starro-spawn masking their features - filter into the link.

Superman has posed:
A line frown graces Superman's features at Jean's warning, but he looks to Kenan.

'I can keep them warm enough. o they need to be put on manually? Pheonix seems to believe that would be a terrible idea. I'm inclined to believe her.'

Super-Man has posed:
Kenan explains, "No...this dispensor was designed for on-planet use. here in space the released clones will keep going in a strait line for a very long way. It is just they willnot be moving very fast on their own. The one who uses the device could fly towrds he Starro he wishes to effect, fire, then turn asiude while still out of reach...theoretically." It is not exactly like he has had a chance to practice, but it should work.

Aquaman has posed:
The speed of the Starro pack is rather impressive as it careens in towards the Sol system, making the heroes push to keep pace with it. The firing of the Mind-Control Parasite cannon will, of course, need to compensate for the great speeds, a difficult task from afar.

Phoenix has posed:
{{Okay, but there's still two of you, and--}}

After another shudder, Phoenix's eyes snap open and the chamber grows a couple degrees warmer.

{{Fuck it,}} she 'whispers'. {{I can't-- I can't touch this many minds at once, but if the big ones are in charge, then-- maybe I can give you a little interference--}}

The smell of smoke fills Kenan and Kal's nostrils for the beat it takes her to withdraw from the link. With her absence, it loses some of its vibrancy - it's mostly just a way to exchange words, sans emotional context, now - but remains open, otherwise.

As she withdraws from Kenan and Kal, her astral self careens towards the vast heart of the Starro cloud, bursting into flame along the way.

{{TURN BACK-- NOW!}} she screams at the motherstar's psyche as burning wings and talons manifest around her own. {{THERE'S NOTHING FOR YOU IN THIS SYSTEM-- NOTHING BUT A SLOW, STARVING DEATH!}}

Superman has posed:
Superman looks at hte cannon, then the Starro cloud. A light frown sits on his face.

'Alright. Together then. Names after. Let's get as close to the large one as we can. Directly in its path. Fire and we'll let it run into your missle. I'll keep it warm. As soon as you've released one, get out of the way. I'll stay in to keep the thing warm until it's attached and done it's work.' Superman says, mind working through the plan quickly.

'Let's only do this once.'

Super-Man has posed:
Kenan nods respectfully and begins his run. He is not great at physics, but you do not have to be too good to hit something the size of the pacific ocean. With energy focused into speed and vision as well as flight, he can dodge any starros that get close, though it is difficult spotting the small ones until they are close, his vision is not as good yet as Superman's. He considrs firing at more than one target, some of the other larfe Starros should be along the path...but he decides not to try, it would be possible for them to dodge and Superman might have frouble keeping things growing porogressively farther apart warm.

Aquaman has posed:
The Starro thing is launched out of Kenan's Cannon, moving along the path of travel, and the size of the Motherstar do indeed make it significantly easier to aim at then it otherwise might be, and the beams from Superman's eyes do keep it warm up until it impacts the large Starro. However, there is no immediate sign that it has stopped the large Motherstar, there is, at least, no immediate dramatic stopping of the creature.

The mental battle that Jean engages in with the creatures is intense, the largest of the Starros is a being of an incredibly intense, powerful, and indomitable mind, with both great, and limited psychic potential. It is difficult to understand the alien mind, much less influence it, however she is able to shield the attention of Kenan and Superman from the creature, who appears to be constantly reaching out, hunting for new prey, new minds to assimilate.

Superman has posed:
Superman hadn't expected it to have an instant effect. It's like antibiotics. He's watched them, when he was in school, when class mates got sick and took medicine. He'd stare for an hour as the little things got to work. Ma was always very kind in hearing him out when she got called into the office because Clark was staring like a weirdo again.

'Done. Now we wait,' Superman says, zipping away from the motherstarro as the thing latches on. He'd been so careful on the way in, ready to aggressive eye-laser any of the smaller ones that venture near. At least until he has to turn his attention to warming the weapon and then racing out of the way. When he does at last depart from so near the motherstarro, Superman takes a moment ot make sure Kenan is alright and out of potential harm's way as well.

Super-Man has posed:
Kenan says, "I have more in the container, did we want to try to infect some others in the swarm?" Actually, he is feeling less than confident, he thinks the temporary charge he got from the Solar Cannon may be wearing off. If so, he will soon be much more limited in what he can do.

Phoenix has posed:
With its blazing, avian corona, Phoenix's avatar is a brilliant speck beside the titanic psyche of the Motherstar.

This in no way stops her from careening headlong into its twisting depths to engage it, only to promptly find herself lost amidst thousands of branching pathways. Surrounded by the distant echoes of people-- cultures-- worlds long since digested, she wanders in search of the seat of the monster's will, but instead finds herself tossed and harried through an array of simulated physics and environs shifting according to some ineffable, impossible pattern. It's not the sort of duel she's used to having, and she has no idea how much good being battered across the Motherstar's psyche is actually doing for Kenan and Kal.

Which ultimately serves to help her grit her teeth and try to find some grounding amidst the agony bearing down on her mind and body. Burning wings unfurl as the collapsing ruins of an alien city threaten to bury her, incinerating strangely pitted bricks on their way towards potentially leaving searing scars across the Motherstar's psyche.

{{Turn. BACK,}} she repeats, probing - likely fruitlessly - for something like a fear to ignite within it. {{So help me-- I WILL-- burn you-- from the inside-- out-- FLEE! THERE'S NO MEAL FOR YOU HERE!}}

Superman has posed:
'No. Save them in case this doesn't work and we need them. If they are a parasitic sort of listen to the largest, then hopefully having infecting the large one is enough.' Superman replies, flying along side Kenan.

'I can stay here and trail this thing for a few more hours. How are you holding up? Air-supply arlight?' he asks, because he saw the helmet. Kenan isn't holding his breath as Clark is.

Aquaman has posed:
It is difficult to say whether the creature is even aware of Jean's presence in its mind, or if the language, threats, or even the emotions she is trying to ply it with. Hunger, however, seems to be an ever-present urge within the depths of this things being. The Motherstar continues to fly along, showing no signs of slowing, at least yet, and if there is a tiny little virus planted in the psyche of the thing from the clone fired by Kenan, it is not readily noticeable, amidst the thousands of separate minds.

Super-Man has posed:
Kenan responds, "Air supply is reasonable, but my energy reserves are dwindling. I may have to turn back very soon." As long as he is only using one power at time, even if it is one that is nor normally accessible, he should have a while before he loses flight. Kenan is not worried, a virus s a subtle thing, it spreads slowly, multiplying and replacing existing programming...that is how Braxi explained it anyway. It will take time, but it should spread through the whol organism before it reaches the inner system.

Phoenix has posed:
"Turn around," Phoenix hisses through clenched teeth as a line of blood flows from her nose past her lip and fire jets from her breast.

{{TURN AROUND!}} she screams within the Motherstar. Rage and desperation seethe throughout her avatar, but in lieu of recognition, or fear, or anything else recognizable in the labyrinth of its thoughts, the ubiquitous hunger is the only thing she finds beyond the pain of negotiating its defenses.

So she latches onto that urge, seeking not to remove it, but ignite it, hoping to exacerbating the hunger to the point that the thousands of spawn in its wake may begin to look like an appetizing enough meal to derail its approach-- or, at the least, enough of a snack to slow it down-- or, at the very worst, distract it while the telepathic virus does its job.

All the while, {{Turn around-- godDAMNIT, TURN AROUND!}} echoes through not just the Motherstar and its subordinate minds, but Kal and Kenan as well.

Superman has posed:
Superman gives Kenan a nod, eyes turning back toward the Starros as Pheonix's plea leaks in.

'Alright. Thank you for your help...' his mind draws a blank for th ename for what to call the young man that flew with him. 'I'll monitor this..'A pause, and Superman pulls his commlink from his ear and holds it out.

'Take this. When I get back to headquarters, I'll get a new one and you'll be able to reach me on it,' Superman says as he offers his JL communit to Kenan. Because he'll need a way to contact this young man again if those virus things are needed again.

Super-Man has posed:
Kenan turns and heads back in system. It will be a very long trip, but unless something happens he thinks he will make it. He may have to do a parabolic arc around the sun to recover enough energy to finish. Hopefully his air supply is good enough...but he trusts Bat-man to know what he is doing. Obviously he can not out the comm unit inside his helmet, so he will have to carry it until he gets back in with the cannister.

He tells Superman, "It is in Mandarin, Chaoren." Whether or not Superman knows Mandarin, the telepathic link tels him the name means Super-man."

Aquaman has posed:
It seems, at least to the mind of Jean Grey, that the 'hunger' it feels Is pushed a little by her urgings, incrementally so, however the directions towards it's spawn seem to go unignored, it's clones, apparently not suitable to sate its omnipresent hunger. It does not stop either, if anything it seems to push itself just a little more to accelerate, ever so slightly, on the path that brings it towards the Sol System.

Phoenix has posed:
While she isn't directly aware of the acceleration, Phoenix can at least tell that her 'suggestion' isn't quite landing the way she'd hoped.

Rather unfortunately, this initially just drives her to try even harder in a desperate play to negate the Starro problem for more than just the Sol System-- until she catches sight of a path unlike the others, placid and staid and utterly false.

In the hopes of linking up with the virus - to lend it some of her own prodigious, if waning psychic energy - she locks onto and begins walking that path. The fire surrounding her avatar is drawn in just enough to lend the artificial Starros' psyche(s) a supportive, glowing warmth rather than trying to incinerate them(/it?).

Superman has posed:
'Well met, Chaoren. Until we meet again,' Superman replies, mind replying in near perfect Mandarin. He knows what it translates to, but he doesn't use the translation. He paces the starro until he feels it accelerating. Crap. The kryptonian frowns. Time to get back to Earth and work on plan something else. He pushes himself to get back to Earth in minutes, no longer sure that Pheonix is still with his mind.

Time to alert the League, and the Superfamily, and Chaoren.. and where the HELL is Hal!? Maybe Clark can find another lantern to try to get ahold of the green one. For now, there isn't much more that Superman can do.

Aquaman has posed:
So far.. there is no sign of the compromised parasite in the network that makes up the telepathic network of this giant Starro, if it is there, it is likely indistinguishable from the other tiny Starros, the virus either having no effect on the gestalt, or the effect not having grown sufficiently to be distinguished.