Disclaimer: Based on DC comics' characters and the mythology created in Smallville (i.e. property of the CW network), and created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster but the words are my own.

AU: Supergirl/SMV: National City is under siege from the Daxam forces. And on the day of triumph an old Daxam foe returns ushering a new age.

ZOD

Chapter 1

National City still stood in awe and terror. Last night a fleet of ships soared over and filled the sky. This morning they all knew who had come. They were the last remnants of the planet Daxam, a planet in the Kryptonian system.

Their ruler, Queen Rhea announced her intention to take over the city and the planet and transform it into the New Daxam. This was met with panic and defiance forcing the queen to unleash her weapons and army onto the city. The resident hero's attempts of stopping them failed as she was captured aboard their main vessel. The DEO's efforts to thwart the Daxam's advancement also failed and soon stood captured as well.

Queen Rhea walked into her new fortress – the recently captured main facility of the DEO and admired her conquest. It was nothing like her palace on Daxam or any fortress she ever had but she felt pleasure nevertheless. There was something uplifting of defeating an enemy as abstinent as these humans and their pathetic defenders.

"My Queen," A soldier approached and knelt. "We have captured the last of them. The city is yours to command."

"Excellent," Rhea was overjoyed – finally. Now she would bring order to this new world and rule it unchallenged. But first there was one more thing for her to do. "Bring me, Lena Luthor!"

"Yes, my queen,"

Rhea did not have to wait long. Lena came in. She did not look too happy about all this. Rhea had hoped to convert her to her side and she made many attempts. Perhaps the truth will finally free her of the delusions she had surrounded herself with.

"Lena, dear," Rhea approached. "The last of the resistance is now no more."

"Victory is yours it would seem then," Lena observed coldly.

"Yes,"

"So what more do you want?"

Rhea smiled. Even in her cold demeanor Lena she was more like her than anyone else. She did it better even than her mother who was bitter until captured. Yes, the Luthor whore wanted to implement a daring plan but Rhea stopped her and though she had not yet decided her fate she wanted at least to win Lena over. "I wanted you to see the truth. You thought you had a friend, a friend who understands you and wants to help. But like everyone else you have been blind and oblivious to the truth waltzing right in front of you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Supergirl,"

"I do not understand."

"Of course not, dear" Rhea said. "That's why I will show you. Come!"

They left the main part of the building and headed towards the prison part. Lena wondered what Rhea had in mind. She soon stopped before a door and ventured in .Lena followed and gasped. Inside the cell, she saw Kara Danvers, her friend.

"What's she to you?" Lena asked confused.

"You thought you knew her but you don't."Rhea replied. She walked to the console and pressed a button.

Lena saw a missile prompted to be deployed. "Are you crazy?"Lena exclaimed frantically. "You will kill her."

"If she were who you thought then this might have been the case but she is not."Rhea replied with a growing smile on her face and touched another button.

The missile exploded and Lena feared the worse but when the smoke cleared her jaw was nailed to the floor. Kara still stood. Her clothes were mostly burnt except for the red blue suit underneath with the inescapable S, the symbol of the house of El of Krypton.

Lena couldn't believe her eyes, Kara Danvers was Supergirl. A touch of betrayal flashed before her eyes and it hurt. Why didn't she tell her? Why didn't she trust her? She was not her brother. She would have understood… Lena's thoughts trailed off. Would she have understood, really? No, she wouldn't have. Kara must have her reasons and Lena knew them all too well. Her brother Lex knew who Superman was but never told a soul and yet he was hurt as well that his friend was actually the enemy and lashed out.

Lena knew why but it still hurt. She then looked at Rhea's triumphant face and understood why her best friend, her only friend would not entrust her with this secret. She could not allow herself to fall into the trap, the Luthor trap. She understood but it still hurt. She thought she had earned her trust.

"You understand now."Rhea said. "She lied to you. She lied to all."

"To protect the people she loves."Lena said. "I would have done the same."

This was not what Rhea wanted to hear. Lena seemed to take Kara's side. Or was she? Perhaps, the uncomfortable situation she was in forced her to lash out at Rhea. It is sad. She liked Lena. She liked her a lot. Perhaps she would give her some time to think it over. There was no rush. She would come to see things her way. Rhea still had her mother as an ace in the hole. Rhea will get her chance…

"My queen,"

Rhea hated interruptions. "WHAT?"

"An army approaches."

"What army?"She exclaimed her nostrils flaming up with anger. "I thought you took care of the resistance."

"We did, my queen." The soldier replied cautiously preparing to let his queen know the rest that will not be pleasant to hear. "But this army came with a ship."

"What ship?"

"It bears the insignia of the Yllyan Empire."

"What?"Rhea whispered with disbelief. She and her husband were instrumental in that race's demise. They couldn't have survived. Rhea stood rooted. This news was most unwelcome. She turned around and followed her soldier completely ignoring Lena. They couldn't have survived. Not now, on the eve of her victory, she would not allow anyone to spoil it.

"Lena," Kara tried.

Lena looked at her again. Supergirl, the woman from a dead world, had become her friend hoping that she would not be, no, that she would not become her brother.

"Would you have told me?" Lena asked though she knew all too well the answer.

"I…" Kara was not sure what to say. She did not want her to find out that way. They had become friends. She hoped she wouldn't be like her brother. "I honestly don't know."

"That I can believe." Lena said after a moment of silence. "I do understand your motives Kara but…"

"It still hurts."Kara finished Lena's sentence. "I know."

Lena composed herself. There will be a time to talk again. Now it was time for action.

"Let's get you out of here first."

"Lena, it is too dangerous. Find a way home."

"No, I'll get you out so you can kick her pompous rear and everything can go to normal."

Kara smiled. Lena Luthor was a strong woman and didn't enjoy Rhea's treatment.

"Kara!"

Kara and Lena looked around. There stood Mon-El with Winn.

"I'm so glad to see you both." Kara said relieved they were still alive.

"Why don't just stand there!"Lena exclaimed with a commanding voice. "Get her out of there."

Winn didn't lose any second more and got on with disabling the containment protocols. "This will take some time though." He added. "I designed that part of the system."

"What's going on out in the city?" Kara asked.

Mon-El shook head. It was not pretty. The Daxam forces were very effective. "Most of the people have been or would be enslaved and sold subsequently into slavery. There are very few that still resist."

"My sister?"

"I haven't seen her."

"J'ohn?"

"We haven't seen him either." Winn replied working on bypassing his own protocols. His pass codes got him and Mon-El into the building but he was cut out from everything else.

"My mother?" Lena asked.

"I'm sorry Ms Luthor," Winn said. "She was taken to the death camp or whatever it is the Daxam lieutenant called it."

"Where is that?"

"We don't know."

"Lena," Kara called. "We will find her."

"Yeah, of course," She was not sure if she wanted them to find her. She brought her nothing but misery but she was still her mother. "Are you done with that cell?"

"Almost,"

The door opened and Kara got out and straight into Mon-El's arms. They shared a brief moment before the building shook violently.

"Now what?" Winn exclaimed.

"Let's get out of here and find out."

On the way out they ran into several Daxam guards but took take care of them. They reached a window and the view outside was very belligerent. The Daxam forces faced small oblong crafts and an army of soldiers in dark purple uniforms and some uncanny looking weapons. But there was something else hovering above them.

"What is that?"Winn pointed at the flying ship just on the other side.

"It can't be." Both Kara and Mon-El exclaimed. They had both recognized the insignia – a silver dragon with outspread wings.

"What?" Both Winn and Lena asked looking at them and back at the ship. "What?"

"That…" Mon-El said pointing at the ship. He couldn't believe his eyes. It was a sight difficult to forget. His mind jumped back in time when such a ship had appeared over Daxam and he stood impressed. It was massive and imposing. Mon-El returned his attention back to the present and continued. "That is an Yllyan battleship, Royal Class."

"A what?"

"Who?"

"The Yllyans are a race as powerful as Daxam and Krypton."

"Were, you mean…" Kara corrected him.

"Yes," Mon-El said. "Were. They fell many years ago when Daxam invaded with the help of the Slavers. Their cities were leveled their planet made uninhabitable. Whatever was left of them was chased, enslaved and killed."

"But mostly killed," Kara added.

"Why?"Lena asked. "I mean other than being powerful."

"The Yllyans are special. They have special abilities and their technology in certain regards is more advanced than any of ours." Mon-El answered.

"But they couldn't be trusted when alive that's why they were killed whenever the opportunity presented itself. They were dangerous." Kara continued.

"Dangerous how?" Winn asked.

"Well," Mon-El said. "They have telekinetic abilities far beyond any species I have ever seen and they have an uncanny ability to learn."

"Yes, my mother called them the super speed readers." Kara said. "Their cognitive abilities allowed them to read and learn at an alarming rate hence the reason not to keep them alive."

"Such skills would be of great value." Winn commented fascinated.

"Yes, at first," Mon-El said while remembering the devastating effect of that skill. "But then they used them on their captors with great efficiency. The level of damage they inflicted cost many Daxamite lives and Slavers. So the royal court condemned them to death. They were too dangerous to be kept alive. They were not useful to anyone. "

"Apparently some of them survived." Lena noted.

"Yes, apparently," Mon-El agreed with a bitter smile. "They won't like you either Kara."

"No, I guess not."

"What is not to like about her?" Winn exclaimed earning Kara's smile.

"The most important thing, Winn, she is Kryptonian." Mon-El replied.

"Why would that be an issue?" Lena asked intrigued.

"It would be, Ms Luthor, because the Kryptonians stood by and did nothing to help them in their hour of need."

"Our leaders had other things to worry at the time." Kara said.

"I doubt they would see it that way Kara."

"Yeah, I know."

"Let's get out of here." Winn said.

Queen Rhea was beside herself. This untimely interference was most unwelcome. But it was an Yllyan battleship, fully intact and fully powered hovering above the Yllyan advanced battalion forces. She had seen those forces in action before and had no desire to do so again. But last time she had the support of the Slavers and an army of mercenaries most of which trained to fight specifically Yllyans and that battalion force.

Where did they come from? Rhea wondered. They couldn't have survived the onslaught she and the Slavers organized and executed. Perhaps this was a forgotten colony. But she was certain they had all of them destroyed. Where did they come from?

"My Queen, what are your orders?"

Rhea assessed the situation and despite her many advantages she did not feel confident. The Yllyan darts hovered close the battleship. These little stingers, as her late husband called them, were highly maneuverable and dangerous. She remembered the last stand of the Yllyans when they used the darts as suicide bombs. It cost the Daxam forces a lot of lives.

"My Queen, what are your orders?" The Daxamite captain Erthos repeated. It was unlike his queen to be indecisive.

Rhea was unsure how to proceed. An all out war would severely compromise her new world but perhaps there was another way to deal with them. She could stall for time and call the Slavers to help her out. They stand to gain a lot from such a deal.

"Captain! Send word to the Slavers. The Yllyans have returned to entertain their barbaric hunting desires."

"Yes, my queen," Captain Erthos nodded and left his queen's presence to execute the given order. The Slavers would definitely jump to the opportunity to destroy what's left of the Yllyan Empire.

Rhea noticed that the enemy forces were not eager to jump into a fight just yet. They seemed to wait patiently. She wondered why they were not attacking. She rarely knew an Yllyan military commander to be so patient unless he or she was up to something. She wondered what that purpose may be.

Their presence however provided hope for those who haven't yet submitted to her. And she couldn't afford that. She had to do something about this but what. Perhaps addressing her new subjects would do the trick. She doubted they would embrace her words but perhaps the belligerent view outside would convince them otherwise.

"Citizens of National City," Rhea began. "Our struggles are over. Together we will usher a new era for both Daxam and the human race…"

To be continued…

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