Sodality (series)

''The following is about a TV series premise in the Cataclysmic Gerosha universe. For the similarly-named message board community, see the disambiguation page.



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Season one
After the failures of Obama's second term, the United States falls into pieces. A band of Jihadists takes most of the eastern United States over for themselves, renaming their chunk of land "Ameristan." They immediately begin implementing Shariah law, starting with counties closest to Washington. They branch out, spreading violence and terror on their conquered population as they bring it into submission. When homosexual militants begin making unreasonable demands, their being mercilessly slaughtered in the streets becomes a warning to all others trapped in Ameristan. The new regime tolerates zero dissent. Those who chose to register as part of the new nation of Toklisana, with its headquarters on the border between Texas and Oklahoma, were initially promised safe travels as they left Ameristan. However, the government goes back on its word and begins implementing ways to trap registered Toklisanans inside Ameristan. The entire nation soon becomes a prison state.

To the west, the US has become two other nations. The notorious Hebbleskin Gang, headed by Duke Arfaas, has taken over and formed the nation of Netheel. South of Netheel is Chimerica, a section of the US that has become a colony of China in order to protect its financial interests in the US from being completely lost. The Hebbleskins, in order to advance their Meethexo monster army, embark on a campaign to destroy all the Phexos. They make a negotiation with Ameristan officials that all executed infidels revealed to be Phexos are to be given to Duke Arfaas. Ameristan can do what it pleases with the rest. In exchange, Netheel gives Ameristan the ability to construct a ginormous force field around the border between Netheel and Ameristan. Unable to get the same cooperation from Toklisana, which it seeks to attack eventually anyway, Ameristan heavily guards its southern border with that country.

Resistance militias have formed throughout the war-torn neighborhood of Ameristan, as soon-to-be Toklisanans prepare for an elaborate strategy to secure their exodus. A young Dolly Malestrom finds herself captured by regime forces after her husband, Jeraime Malestrom, is captured by Gunner and Skellig Soorfelt. Since her husband is not there to protect her, she is ruled invalid under Shariah fanatics' dictations. She lashes out in anger at the injustice of her captors, so they order her to be executed.

A prison center for women is set up outside of Gerosha, IN. A naked Dolly is put in line behind several other young women being lined up behind a chopping block. After witnessing several executions prior to her own, Dolly is flirted with by an Ameristani guard. He makes several obnoxious suggestions, and she insults him back. He taunts that her insults won't matter in a few minutes. Meanwhile, a Centhuen Prototype is brought in behind Dolly, unconscious. The guard propping her up warns the executioner that the CP in question is "highly of interest to Duke Arfaas," and that she "ought to be considered extremely dangerous." The short, brown-skinned and black-haired young woman is revealed by a fingerprint test to be Candice Marie Flippo, the Phexo daughter of assassinated Gerosha town founder Stan Flippo. The guards begin discussing how Candi came to have the powers of a centipede, and about rumors that a vigilante with centipede powers had been taking rapists off the streets. Dolly listens, intrigued. One guard claims to have seized her diary, and read all about it.

Candi was raped at the age of 12 by Don "the Psycho" Mendoza, who has been a fugitive ever since. It is believed he works for the Hebbleskin Gang. When warding off Don's attack, Candi's centipede powers manifested for the first time. It is also revealed that her sister Miriam is believed to have fled to Hong Kong, following the murder of her boyfriend Phil Couric. Miriam had been considering running away with Phil and getting married, especially after older sister Erin Flippo found out that Miriam and Phil had slipped up and slept together one time. Marina, as it was discovered, was also raped at the age of 12. Candi hunted down the boy responsible, and made him pay. That was the beginning of rumored vigilante centipede sightings. They also read from Candi's diary about how she and her boyfriend Donte McArthur were planning to get married. They had almost slipped up one time, though Donte prevented them from going too far. They both, however, felt bad about not being able to better control themselves.

After laughing at Candi's emotional baggage, the guards resume business. Dolly asks them how they can revel in someone else's private dirt so much, and they order her on the block. They taunt her, jokingly asking if a "whore like Candi" is what the Toklisanans consider to be their salvation. Realizing debate is fruitless, Dolly lies down and assumes the position. Just then, Candi starts to wake. The blade is about to fall on Dolly, when the lights go out. Her senses immediately returning, Candi seizes the opportunity to take out the guards. She escapes the facility with Dolly, even as they try to get the backup generator going.

Once a safe distance away from the facility, Candi reveals how the drug "bezeetol" is being used to subdue Phexos. She also mentions how the Phaelites have created "Remotach" pills so that Phexos who choose to fight back against Meethlites and Ameristani forces alike are less likely to lose their heads doing so. She also bemoans that yes, Don the Psycho is back. He's gotten taller since the two dated in grade school, up until the time he betrayed her. He's also become unspeakably evil and dangerous.

Dolly ends up joining a crew of underground railroad workers that sneak past the Ameristani guard, with Candi's help. Candi, however, says she must stay behind to help her loved ones escape with her another time. While she is out of town, the Ameristani guard works with Duke Arfaas to track down whatever else remains of the Flippo family and its legacy in Gerosha. Donte begins helping a resistance force shield their homes from raiders, all while in touch with his main group's base of command. That base is revealed to be operated by Imaki Izuki, who is the source of much of Donte's gear. As Donte tries to confirm another group saved, his signal is intercepted. An arrogant Ameristani agent mocks him, saying he should try harder to encrypt his messages. Imaki is forced to fall back on his backup base of operations, as federal forces zero in to obliterate the primary one.

Erin arrives at Imaki's secondary base, demanding to know where Candi is, and Imaki explains everything to Erin. He explains that Candi is ashamed to return home, due to her and Donte having not been able to save each other for marriage. He also explains that Candi has been captured, and he fears she is dead. He shows news clippings of Ameristani guards boasting they have captured the last true Flippo child, and that she will soon die with the other "infidels." Erin, angry and sad, says she will let Imaki claim all of Candi's possessions. She goes so far as to accuse Imaki of having failed in his role as a godfather. Imaki warns her not to go alone, as that will make her a target under the Shariah fanatics' arbitrary decrees. Erin ignores the warning, going home. However, she is attacked almost immediately upon doing so. Her house is burned to the ground, and she is decapitated on the spot. When Candi makes it back, Imaki reveals to her that she and Miriam are the last two Flippos alive still going by that name. And in the former United States, Candi is the last Flippo.

As Donte, Imaki, and Candi set up a third base of operations in anticipation of their main base failing, they begin plotting their escape from Ameristan. Darius Philippine establishes contact with the trio, and informs them that he's working on a plan to cause a breach over the border between Kansas and Colorado. A path was built along the border for sympathizers of Toklisana to aid Ameristani in escaping, even though it would technically mean crossing over into Netheel. After hanging up with Imaki, his jet is immediately fired upon. Toklisanan Air Force personnel immediately come to back him up.

Meanwhile, Duke Arfaas reveals to his troops that air strikes will be necessary to destroy the last visage of Americana in the former US, so that the Meethlite way can eventually prevail. He checks in on a monster he assigned his experiments division to create, one that will specialize in Centhuen Prototype hunting. They reveal that an AI backvisor they created, dubbed "Musaran," was working quite well on the captured prisoner Jeraime Malestrom. Arfaas orders Musaran be sent to the underground center in Toklisana immediately, and prepared for assaults on civilians.

In Houston, an Apache named Jack "Jackrabbit" Mercreek is revealed to be running a similar operation to that of Imaki, Candi and Donte. He finds that Don the Psycho truly is very much alive, and begins taking it on himself to find and put a stop to the menace. At the same time, Jack wants to know the whereabouts of his own missing girlfriend.

Imaki reveals that the safe place for Candi and Donte to go during the exodus being planned is Houston, but warns them that they may want to be on their guard in case either one is captured. Imaki himself explains that because of his age, he doesn't expect to make it to the "promised land." Candi assures Donte that she'll take the Remotach if she's captured. But if he's captured, she'll fight to get him back. If she has to change her last name to "Levens," as Imaki opted for her in a strategy meeting, she'll do it. Donte states that whatever her last name, he wants no woman but her. He also promises her the day will come when they'll be married.

It is a short while later that Imaki reveals the Ciempiés, or "Ciem" suit that he constructed for Candi. It would allow her to carry on her operations with a bit more secrecy. She claims that her identity - in Ameristan at least - has already been compromised. Imaki argues back that Ciem is primarily for use when she gets to Houston; but that certain accessories from the suit may be used in advance. These include the dart shooters in her new gloves, which she can soak in a solution of venom extracted from her own centilegs. This way, she doesn't always have to get right up close to her targets and crush them in her embrace before she can sting them. She is also given Zeran teleporters and Zeran wardrobes, so she can change quickly and get around town faster.

In Hong Kong, Miriam is at her wits' end. She nearly begins work for a strip club to make ends' meet; when she is discovered by a scientist named Steve McLaine. After the two of them foil a Hebbleskin plot to assassinate a provincial leader, they are recruited to work for China in overseeing visual communications in the colony of Chimerica. Miriam "Sniperbadger" Flippo and her new boyfriend Steve end up with work partners: Black Rat, Tin Dragon, Stung Hornet, and Teal Hog.

Episodes in the first season then go back and forth several times amongst several sub-plots. Darius attempts to secure a strategy for the Exodus Initiative, while Miriam and the Chinese agents' attempt to keep Chimerica and Hong Kong safe from Hebbleskin Gang influence. Imaki's gang is trapped in Ameristan, and gathering as many for the Exodus Initiative as possible while trying to survive. Meanwhile, the cat-and-mouse game between Don the Psycho and Jack the Jackrabbit continues.

Season two
In the second season, Donte is captured and Imaki is killed. Candi starts her life over with the "Levens" last name upon arriving in Houston. She enrolls in college, and plots for a way to rescue Donte. This puts her in contact with Jack, and the two plot together how to rescue their significant others. Meanwhile, Don the Psycho gets tired of being the mouse. He begins coming after Jack after getting wise to Jack's schemes. Candi defeats Cupric and Rockpapsci on her own, as well as a rapist named Wayne the Vampire. However, she begins losing her nerve when Don the Psycho catches on and targets her. She is eventually able to defeat him with Jack's help. Romantic feelings briefly form between Candi and Jack, but they decide they want their original parings instead. Laurie Pegol and Dolly Malestrom eventually join Candi and Jack's resistance force, and protect Houston residents from Arfaas' monsters. While swamped at first, they eventually gain a powerful ally after recruiting the distraught Botan the Plant-Man. They help Jeral Cormier to overcome his own problems, earning his loyalty. Jeral reveals that a breakaway sect of Phaelites called the Phaletori have captured his girlfriend Emily. They are also responsible for his plant life manipulation powers.

Dolly confiscates a prototype suit from Darius after he is killed while battling a ninja assassin named Milp. While she needs to recalibrate it to keep her from going crazy, she is able to successfully become the Earwig. Darius' son, Lex Philippine, joins the crew. He is looking for his missing girlfriend Mallorie Wade. With Miriam's help, China launches a successful raid against Netheel and the nation collapses. However, the base is compromised. Miriam and her friends are forced into a cabin in Alaska, where they set up operations anew. The Hebbleskins' regime is forced into hiding in Toklisana, which they then plot to take over. The season ends with Donte's rescue, in which a grateful Candi and Donte finally tie the knot. Emeraldon is back, and Team Ciem is getting stronger. The season brings some relief to Dolly as well. Although her husband Jeraime is blinded in a battle with Ciem, he was at least rescued from the murderous Musaran AI that was controlling him. One downside to the raid on Arfaas' doomsday ship, however, was that the Sapphire King escaped.

Season three
Ciem, Emeraldon, Jackrabbit, Earwig, Jeraime, Laurie, Miranda, Lex, and Botan battle the Phaletori to rescue Emily. However, the Phaletori reveal themselves to have plenty of tricks up their own sleeves. They've managed to produce True Centhuens, which can fight Ciem with little effort. The Sapphire King decides to abandon his ways as a thief temporarily, realizing that Emeraldon needs help protecting Ciem and Earwig from the Centhuen abominations that can outmatch either in a fight. The situation destabilizes some when Ameristani forces advance the regime's plans for a full-scale Jihadist invasion of Toklisana. With Lex distracted, the base of operations comes under Hebbleskin Gang assault. Laurie quits the team, fearing that her involvement will endanger her life too much. Team Ciem sets up a new base, but soon finds itself pulled in multiple different directions by the constant Hebbleskin onslaught.

Botan and the others agree to temporarily split up, and he goes his own way to battle the Phaletori. Ciem, Jackrabbit, Emeraldon, Sapphire King, and Earwig end up in separate locations across the country looking for the Phaletori's monsters. However, Arfaas decides he won't take the loss of Don the Psycho, Gunner, Skellig, and Musaran sitting down. He launches Simon Aardvin, a man he was able to blackmail, on the general population. He also launches Rico "Lobe" Rodriguez, a werewolf. Since he was short on true wolf DNA, he substituted in Simon's case with aardwolf and hyena. However, the experiment on Simon backfires, and Simon goes more insane than planned. Rather than be a loyal and submissive minion like Lobe, Simon rebels and kills Arfaas. He then goes on to steal the Ming-Yo, which was first stolen by Hebbleskin operatives from Beijing.

The attack on Arfaas' hideout, and theft of the Ming-Yo, lead to immediate headline news. Miriam and her friends from China are sent out to investigate; and to recover the Ming-Yo if at all possible. In spite Tin Dragon and Teal Hog being killed when their helicopter is shot down, Miriam and the others make it safely to the ground. However, Miriam starts to feel uncomfortable. She confides to Steve that she fears she's pregnant. Lobe tries to attack them, but Stung Hornet gets a lucky shot and saves her teammates. Team Ciem and Team Sniperbadger end up in contact with each other, and the Flippo sisters are reunited. Candi begins to suspect that she too may be pregnant, given the glitches in her Ciem powers as of late. The combined teams decide that as they consider whether or not Candi and Miriam should go on maternity leave, the men need to take the initiative. Simon, however, has stolen several bits of equipment from Arfaas. He begins to plot his own empire, and starts calling himself "Captain Aardwulf." He considers having confiscated the Ming-Yo to be his biggest prize. But he feels that kidnapping the infamous Sniperbadger would give him bargaining power with the Chinese government.

The combined teams, worn out by their battle with the Phaletori and the assaults they face from Ameristan, retreat into hiding. Capp Aard begins stalking them on his own, and builds his own device from stolen blueprints to show off the Ming-Yo's power. Team Ciem moves in to put a stop to the death ray. But when Capp Aard is defeated, they make an even more unpleasant discovery.

Season four
At this point in time, the heroes have been doing there thing for three full years. They discover, however, that Arfaas had successfully infiltrated Toklisana's supreme court. Capp Aard was getting his supplies with partial help from a certain Judge Beliah. Beliah, it turns out, was hiding his daughter in a brothel in Laos to cover up the fact that he'd molested her. He was not only working with Arfaas behind everyone's back, but later worked with Aard to build the death ray. The two had gotten together with remnants of the disgraced FPB to hunt down Phexos and Phexo-friendly Marlquaanites. Several heroes have been captured, and were being held in Chimerica-controlled lands that were once part of Netheel. Just as Emeraldon was to be executed in a grand fashion over Houston before being rescued by Ciem and Earwig, so also was a similar attack being planned by what remained of the Hebbleskin Gang. And the newly-captured heroes would be the next to go. The only one they feared they could not kill off completely was Extirpon, who had been captured ten years prior. He was to remain in Marlquaanite suspended animation possibly forever, as that alone would keep him from ever again becoming a danger to anyone.

Candi and Donte decide to return with Black Rat and Stung Hornet to Alaska, and attend Steve and Miriam's wedding. Botan encourages them to go, saying that the remaining team would keep in touch with them. The ride back proves dangerous, but they manage to fight their way through various assaults on their plane and landing strip. Stung Hornet sacrifices herself to get the remaining five back to Steve's cabin. Meanwhile, Botan and Earwig head into dangerous territory with Chimerican officials to search out the missing heroes. The original Navyrope reveals himself, joining them. They first rescue Pilltar and Strawberry's pilots, who complain that their robots are in Ameristan. Emeraldon flies in and helps to secure the props for Pilltar and Strawberry, as well as the backup droids. They find their neighborhood in ruins, and act quickly before any Jihadist radicals can spot them. The recovered heroes are rushed back to safety immediately, and resume operations down in Texas.

The next two heroes recovered are Mukade and Meerkat, who promise to help Botan finish his journey. Dolly is sent home in the nick of time, as the Phaletori reveal they're not quite finished yet. Candi and Donte return home as well, after wishing their hosts the best of luck on their new lives. Black Rat initially stays with Steve and Miriam. Melvin Markus makes an attempt on all three, and Black Rat is soon called home to China. Steve and Miriam find out they are expecting twin daughters, and name them Marie and Trina. They now have the cabin in Alaska to themselves.

Meanwhile, the situation in Texas gets even messier. With Ciem down, Emeraldon and Earwig find themselves overwhelmed. Lex does what he can to even the odds; but the Phaelite mainstream begins having more Phaletori deserters every week. Beliah tries to use the True Centhuens and the mess they make as an argument for the Toklisanan government to outlaw all Phexos. When given a tip that Botan the Plant-Man and Navyrope are working with Pilltar and an escaped Mukade and Meerkat, he is enraged. He tells his underground network to pull out all the stops to defeat these heroes; before they can rescue any more of their number. Beliah incites his La Raza connections to start riots as a diversion, while ordering that the remaining heroes be killed ahead of schedule.

The Sapphire King resurfaces, however, and lends the heroes some help. Alas, he ends up sacrificing himself to secure the escape of Hea Pang and the Gray Champion. Gray immediately rescues his daughter Mapacha. While the members of Team Ciem that are back in Texas strive to expose Beliah, the race is on for those in Chimerica to rescue Extirpon - the last remaining hope that the heroes have. However, they all realize how dangerous Extirpon is. America may be united again as a country; but only because of all the Ameristani and others that Extirpon will slaughter in order to secure that. Even the Chimerican colonial government begins to have second thoughts, as they fear Extirpon may not tolerate them either. Other countries, particularly major members of the UN, begin to put pressure on China to make sure Extirpon is not revived. But as he is, Beliah is exposed. Several nations grow desperate, fearing that their corrupt regimes will once again have to live in fear of the scourge that is Extirpon. The heroes all celebrate their moment of victory; but realize they may have just started World War III.

Main heroes

 * Ciem
 * Emeraldon
 * Earwig
 * Jackrabbit
 * Laurie Pegol
 * Imaki Izuki

Guest heroes

 * Gray Champion
 * Pilltar
 * Strawberry
 * Mukade
 * Sniperbadger
 * Black Rat
 * Tin Dragon
 * Stung Hornet
 * Teal Hog
 * Steve McLaine
 * Phil Couric

Guest antiheroes

 * Extirpon
 * Botan the Plant-Man
 * Navyrope

Recurring villains

 * Duke Arfaas
 * Gunner Soorfelt
 * Skellig Soorfelt
 * Don the Psycho
 * Cupric
 * Sapphire King
 * La Raza

Guest villains

 * Jawknee
 * Wayne the Vampire
 * Musaran
 * Capp Aard
 * Milp
 * Jeff the Invisible
 * Blackmail Ring
 * Merle Hourvitz

Premise
The basic premise of this shelved series was developed over the course of five days, as the Dozerfleet founder sought to create an apocalyptic alternate history that took the best of previous attempts at The Gerosha Chronicles, and put it together in broad strokes in a single continuity. Inspired by shows like Doomsday Preppers and various dramas on the CW, Cataclysmic Horizons re-envisions the Gerosha universe as a worst-case scenario of the United States becoming divided into four nations by the fallout of a second Obama term.

The Dozerfleet Blog theorized before the 2012 elections that if Obama won a second term, that US would end up divided into an eastern half under Jihadist control and the west would fall under Chinese control. The two sides would battle for dominance. A website called The Tenth Harbinger alluded to a similar scenario of what could happen by 2018 - if the country steered too far off the "fiscal cliff."

For purposes of this series, the Hebbleskin Gang was given a nation to the north and the Tea Party one to the south. It is revealed that in spite not entirely viewing the world through the same eyes, China considers Toklisana a lot more responsible with money and trade than the America it's descended from. Therefore, there is a shaky peace between the two. Feeling a sense of entitlement, China in this series is not above partially press-ganging talented Americans to work for its agencies. Therefore, Miriam and Steve end up working in Hong Kong for the Chinese government for a time. Meanwhile, both Toklisana and China, which controls "Chimerica," readily see that the Jihadist-controlled "Ameristan" as a serious threat. Radical Islam has often made itself known as a threat; and in this series, they're able to take their threat level to new heights. Critics of "islamophobia" are challenged directly, as it's revealed that Islamist regimes oppress their own civilians just as much as everyone else. Why is it oppression when anyone else does it, but somehow "not" when they do it? By allowing Arfaas and the Hebbleskin Gang their own country, even if only for a time, it is shown that they too can be dangerous. Public fear of them and what they can do seems more justified, as Arfaas appears considerably more competent in this continuity than in prior ones.

Continuity
Cataclysmic Horizons creates a broad-strokes alternate history timeline for the US, illustrating the worst-case scenario of what could happen in real-world politics. After the Dozerfleet founder's sense of despair following the 2012 elections, much of Candi's lifestyle as previously described in every version of The Gerosha Chronicles prior to this one seemed highly doubtful. Ideas for exploring what could happen if critics of the Obama administration turn out to be right about nearly everything began to ooze out, and not even Stationery Voyagers was adequate for it. Therefore, nearly all post-2016 events in Comprehensive Gerosha were ruled null for the continuity of this series.

While most items from previous continuities made it into this one, what's surprising are the items that were excluded. Denny Levens, for example, is never seen on screen. The inventor of Remotach pill technology, he dies before ever meeting Candi. Therefore, Candi decides to make up a story to rationalize changing her last name to Levens. As such, Denny effectively may as well not exist. And by extension, Angie was never conceived. The series' finale is to leave open-ended whether or not Charlie, John, and Dana will ever be born. Marina, true to tone, disappears before the story begins after marrying Matt. However, she is not seen actively involved with her sisters' lives after fleeing. Her fate appears to be unknown. As such, Andy's becoming the Pitohui is open for interpretation. Since Candi has so many new problems to face, given that this spans a TV series plot rather than a film trilogy plot, her old struggles with nymphomania are significantly toned down. Sam Wrikon is still one of her ancestors, but his role is minimized. Meshaluta and her cult effectively don't exist, so the Meshalutian Trilogy does not directly affect anything in this series; nor is anything from that trilogy ever discussed.

Abolition, a story which would have been necessary to tell for Comprehensive Gerosha, becomes part of the plot for season four of this series. Therefore, it cancels that project out. All prequels pertaining to the Meshalutian Trilogy are also negated by extension. Therefore, Vile Magenta Cloak and A Miner Named Sam are canceled projects. While Donte's origins do play a role in the series, there are still plans to make his origin tale Of Emeralds and Sapphires. However, Cataclysmic Gerosha calls for a re-design of the Emeraldon and Sapphire King outfits from the variations that they'd had ever since Classic Gerosha. The Ciem outfit, by contrast, remains mostly unchanged from its Comprehensive Gerosha design. Most other characters' designs will remain similar, with only mild modification to fit the world of Cataclysmic Horizons.

Making the characters an ensemble also proves beneficial. The plot is centered around the common goals of every protagonist, and on what happens as they seek to make good on those goals. The story centers most around Ciem, but is not exclusively about her. This was seen as a means of correcting a problem with every other Gerosha continuity: an over-focus on Ciem at the expense of not giving enough other characters enough interesting things to do.