Purple Cataclysm

Overview

The Purple Cataclysm is a supernatural disaster which took place 140 years after the Saturn Incident in Quadrant II of the Outer Arm of the Milky Way, directly in the way of the entrance to the Andromeda Galaxy.

Cause

The trigger cause of the Purple Cataclysm was an experiment concluded by the Voidwalkers who were probably trying to establish a stable portal into the Void so they could go home or travel between the realms. At least that was what the original plan stated when the Ambassadors were questioned.

The few reports sent to the labs on the homeworld of the Voidwalkers were... inconclusive, to say it in a generous way.

What the compiled transcript stated was that the researchers indeed built the mechanical gateway, but underestimated the amount of energy which was needed to power the colossal ring. So they moved the entire construct including the control- & research station right before a Yellow Dwarf. Which took about two Sol months.

In the next step they started to inscribe the shell of the inner ring with runes. I think they got them from an Unspeakable or it is their language in the Void. Could be both. I can't see into the Void, it is just a large goo mess in various shades of purple.

Where was I? Oh yes, inscribing runes. - The Voidwalkers inscribed the shell of the inner ring with their runes. The first set was to draw power from the nearby Yellow Dwarf, Spectral Type G2V.

The second set of runes should direct a constant stream of energy into the center of the ring which should ultimately open the portal into the Void.

It kind of worked... I guess? The ring was activated, sucked energy from the Yellow Dwarf into its systems, created the portal and then something went terribly wrong. It isn't really sure if the consumed energy was too much for the articifical ring or the runes had unforseen side-effects. But as the portal opened, a really strong and disturbing feedback went through the ring back into the Yellow Dwarf, causing it to collapse and then to burst into the thing we know as Purple Cataclysm.

Purple because of the Void magic and the runes they had used. At least that is what the data uncovered.

Direct effects

The more direct effects of the cataclysm... well, that Dwarf exploded with so much force that it vaporised its own solar system, four other star systems in its direct proximity and scorched two other systems. If there was any intelligent life in the systems it was now lost to the hybris of a home-sick species. Not that I can blame them, what do I know of home?

Side effects

The blast was so strong, the radiation traveled through half of the galaxy, even reached the Perseus arm. Well, it had no real strength this far away from the Cataclysm itself, but if one searched for it, it was still there.

The radiation itself was next to harmless on direct contact. But beings with specific genetic markers suffered from a lethal illness which killed the infected being. Slowly and sometimes really, really painful. It was called "Purple Haze" because of the way the skin (or fur or chitin armour) fell off the infected being. Humans called the Purple Haze sometimes "Space AIDS", even when it is not nearly identical to the same immunodeficiency syndromes the real AIDS has. Humans are weird, I know.

On electronic systems the radiation created the same effects an electromagnetic impulse had. It disturbed the working systems, shut them down or let them tumble. Reactors overheated and exploded, ships tumbled through the vastness of space, flying things in the atmosphere of planets crashed to the ground.

Conclusion

What came after the Cataclysm? The Voidwalkers were stunned in their actions to search for a way home into the Void. Humans tried to find a cure for the Purple Haze illness and are still working on it. Humans putting their mind on something is a sight to behold, really.

But the largest problem are the remains of the Yellow Dwarf and the star system. The radiation in the closer proximity of said star system is so strong that the Galactic Counsel has declared a No-Fly-Zone.

It has a radius of seven (7) parsec, approx. 23897,104 trillion kilometers which ultimately blocks the "entry" fly-zone to the Andromeda Galaxy. The No-Fly-Zone is protected by a large fleet of gun carriers of the Lyranians and a lot of stationary long-range fortresses, armed with railguns, plasma cannons and torpedos.

Purple Cataclysm by CrazyEddie via Midjourney

Type

Metaphysical, Supernatural