There is a festival upon the planet Krypton, to celebrate the day that the great science hero and explorer, Kem-L, returned from his voyages in outer space.
The first and greatest member of what would later be known as the House of El brought back with him untold treasures of science and technology, gathered together from the far reaches of the 28 known galaxies.
But the greatest discovery, by far, was that of a planet, third in its line, orbiting a fresh, young, yellow star.
Kem-L spoke often of the people of this world, of their courage and kindness, of their races and creeds, so different and yet so like those of Krypton. He spoke of the green grasses, and the blue waters. But, to the eternal dismay of Kem-L and all those who would follow in his bloodline, all anyone desired to know about was the yellow sun.
Kem-L explained that under the rays of a yellow sun, Kryptonian physiology changed rapidly, prolonged exposure to that alien environment would afford one a great many powers and abilities, far beyond those of mortal men. On this new world, the average Kryptonian male was more powerful than an entire army. The elements themselves bowed down to his very will.
Yes, on the third planet from the star Sol, any Kryptonian could become a god. And even on a seemingly perfect world like Krypton, whose inhabitants wanted for nothing, there were men who would gladly and willingly step into the role of God.
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Jor-El, the greatest scientist and statesman of his generation, returned to his living quarters, relieved yet uneasy. Having just spoken before the largest assembly of Kryptonian Elders in history, he needed a moment to collect himself before seeing anyone else.
Many people called Jor-El great, and perhaps his public persona was just that. Brilliant, stoic and morally steadfast, Jor-El was everything a leader of Krypton and scion of the House of El should be. On the outside.
But alone, when it counted, Jor-El was simply another man, as flesh-and-blood as any other, with the same fears and weaknesses that afflict all men.
He simply knew what was expected of him.
Just as he started to feel more like himself again, the door leading deeper into his ancestral home hummed with life and began to rise.
The door opened, and there stood the most beautiful woman imaginable, tall and proud, with light yellow hair.
Lara.
"How did it go?" his wife asked as she glided to his side.
Jor-El embraced her, not speaking for a moment, as he simply drank in the feel of her.
"It went well," he said, releasing her. "The Council agreed with me, in the end."
"How could they not?" she smiled at him playfully. "You are Jor-El."
"Yes, but he is Zod," he sighed. "And there are many on the Council who still remember the day General Zod defeated Black Zero, and took revenge for the destruction of Kandor."
"But who rebuilt Kandor?" Lara asked, rhetorically. "Zod knows only how to destroy, not create. To even entertain this notion of his! The Council is trying to placate a mad man! Zod has brought war to Krypton before and if he isn't stopped-"
She caught herself as she saw Jor-El smiling down at her.
"Perhaps you should have spoken at the Council today instead of me?" he said, admiring as always the great passion that resided in her.
"I do not think I would have aided your cause," she smiled back. "What does it matter, now? You are home. You say the Council agreed with you. It is done."
"For now, yes," Jor-El replied, sighing as he thought of the day's battles. He ached to return to the simplicity of his laboratory.
"You are right," he said at last. "It is time now for rest, to renew myself for what lays ahead. For now, Earth's fate is secure, free from Zod and his minions.
"Now," he smiled at her, "let me go and see my son."
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"Jor-El is a fool!" Tor-An sputtered as he entered the War Room.
General Zod looked up at the Councilman, across the crystal displays relating maps of the planet's surface and population, noting the man's sloppy appearance, and the way he had let himself go over the years. They were the same age, and yet the General looked much younger and healthier than the fat oaf before him. Zod did not generally like to be in the company of men who could not control themselves, both physically and emotionally.
Tor-An had his uses politically. But the man grated on him.
"Not at all," Zod assured in his most pleasant demeanor. "Jor-El simply wants what is best for our people, the same as I. We merely have different opinions as to what that 'best' really is."
"But the people are dying, Zod!" As if Tor-An had to remind the General. "All over the planet, the Green Sickness strikes, weakening every man, woman and child it touches. We may have been able to quarantine those affected, but this is still an epidemic."
"That it is," Zod sighed as he rose from his chair and he poured himself a drink.
No one knew where the Green Sickness had come from. It simply struck one day, without warning. Initially infecting large numbers of former Labor Guild members, the symptoms included fatigue and disorientation. In the most progressed cases, intense pain occurred throughout the body, accompanied by a green tinge to the swollen and distended veins, which stood out in sharp contrast to the sick, pale skin.
"And as you have said, the only sure way to combat this mysterious ailment is to transplant our people to the Earth. The curative powers of the Yellow Sun are the only hope our people have of recovery. And yet Jor-El frightens the Council into submission, driven by nothing more than fear and superstition!"
"I think it is a little more than superstition that guides Jor-El's hand," Zod said.
"Nonsense! He is simply afraid of the Curse of Rao. Like some child, he believes that those of us who reach too far and try to claim the power of Yellow Sun will meet some horrible end. Either that or he places more value on the lives of the filthy sub-Kryptonians who inhabit that world than he does his own people. The idiot!"
"That is enough, Councilman," Zod growled at last, focusing his cold gaze upon Tor-An. "Calm yourself."
Tor-An swallowed hard under Zod's withering stare.
"You are right, General. I apologize. I lost myself for a moment," Tor-An wiped the sweat from his forehead. "So, what is our next move?"
"Our next move?" Zod asked with a raised eyebrow. "We have none. The Council has sided with Jor-El. And until they are shown evidence to the contrary, they will not reverse their decision. For the time being, we must put all our efforts to finding the cause of the Green Death, and stamping it out. For the sake of all Krypton."
"Yes!" Tor-An smiled confidently, his weak spirit buoyed by Zod's determination. "I will go, and see what progress the Science Guild has made in their research. Thank you, General!"
And with that, Tor-An turned and left the room.
Zod sat for a moment within his study and sipped at his wine.
It was true that Jor-El had beaten him today. But any good General knows how to handle defeat. And Tor-An had a point, Jor-El's devotion to the indigenous peoples of the Earth was most disturbing, given the dire situation that approached Krypton. But all was not lost, there was still time for Jor-El to change his mind, and come around to Zod's way of thinking. It had happened before...
And if nothing else, the knowledge of Jor-El's love of the Earthlings could yield results all their own.
Zod touched a secret panel on his desk, removing part of the left-hand wall.
Descending the short flight of stairs, Zod now stood in an oddly-lit room, filled with humming machines and crystals, all feeding life and power to a large glass tube in the center of the enclosure.
Zod gazed upon the creature within. It blinked at him with dull red eyes, and its rough grey mouth tried to make sounds through the liquid in which it floated.
Zod gazed appreciably at the hard bone spikes that protruded from various joints, at the elbows, shoulders and knees.
A perfect killing machine, carved out of his own flesh and blood.
"My son," Zod smiled as he placed his hand on the glass. "You are beautiful."
Yes, if Jor-El so greatly valued the lives of the humans, then there were ways for Zod to turn even that to his advantage. All he needed was the right leverage. Like any good General.
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S-Shield's Notes
This is my attempt to make a coherent story out of the various on-screen references to Krypton's destruction from the TV series Smallville, while maybe throwing a few comic book references in there to smooth things out.
And yes, if you read this before and noticed a difference, I edited it and added a few paragraphs.
Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think with a review.