"Jor-el, are we doing the right thing?" Lara asked nervously, clutching
her hands to her chest. "Is this the only way to save our child?"
"Lara, dear, I have made every calculation and plotted every possibility, and our planet is on its death-bed. This is our child's only hope for survival. I have carefully planned the course, and the ship will land somewhere that will be an island of paradise among a universe of lesser bodies." Jor-el stood firm at the control panel, although a subtle wrinkle in his brow belied his concern. "This is our progeny's destiny, L. . ." A rumble through the ground rudely interrupted.
"Quickly!" Jor-el thrust his child into the ship and sealed it. Shielding his wife from the blast, he pressed the launch button. With a shudder and a blast of smoke, the ship was ejected quickly into the atmosphere, leaving a green trail in its wake. As the vessel headed for its destination, giant explosions and earthquakes were visible through the planet beneath it.
The silver ship arced over its destination. Two years had passed since it had taken off from its home planet, and the child inside had grown into a cognizant being. From the viewport in the ship, wide open eyes watched as the ground rushed up to the ship, leaving a furrow in the lush green paradise where it landed.
Within seconds, a crowd gathered around the shimmering object. "Ooooooo. Aaaaaaa." the crowd murmured with excitement. Things were generally pretty boring here, so any diversions from a fight between the local warriors to a ship landing were all reasons to get away from the normal life.
From the air, a woman circled the ship before alighting directly beside it. She extended her hand and, suddenly (as the crowd gasped), the ship opened, melting away to show a small creature inside. "We've never had one of these here before," the woman said under her breath, picking up the male humanoid child, "I wonder what effect this will have on our lives, but it's not like we can send him back to anywhere."
The crowd recoiled a little as the woman put the boy down and his feet touched the ground. However, as he toddled around, giggling and speaking to himself in that language that only babies know, they relented and crowded in to touch him and play with him.
After a few minutes, the woman plucked the child from the ground and flew off, landing at a stately palace nearby. She entered and approached the figure standing within. "I've brought the child, as you requested. His ship is indeed Kryptonian as we suspected, although the markings inside indicate that it was headed for Earth."
"Excellent. This young man will become our champion for years to come. As he grows, we will teach him our tenets and philosophies, and he will help us shape the universe as we've always hoped. This child, named Kal-El from the planet Krypton, will make an excellent addition to our Green Lantern Corps." The figure, Ganthet, cradled the child gently as the suns set over Oa's horizon.
"Lara, dear, I have made every calculation and plotted every possibility, and our planet is on its death-bed. This is our child's only hope for survival. I have carefully planned the course, and the ship will land somewhere that will be an island of paradise among a universe of lesser bodies." Jor-el stood firm at the control panel, although a subtle wrinkle in his brow belied his concern. "This is our progeny's destiny, L. . ." A rumble through the ground rudely interrupted.
"Quickly!" Jor-el thrust his child into the ship and sealed it. Shielding his wife from the blast, he pressed the launch button. With a shudder and a blast of smoke, the ship was ejected quickly into the atmosphere, leaving a green trail in its wake. As the vessel headed for its destination, giant explosions and earthquakes were visible through the planet beneath it.
The silver ship arced over its destination. Two years had passed since it had taken off from its home planet, and the child inside had grown into a cognizant being. From the viewport in the ship, wide open eyes watched as the ground rushed up to the ship, leaving a furrow in the lush green paradise where it landed.
Within seconds, a crowd gathered around the shimmering object. "Ooooooo. Aaaaaaa." the crowd murmured with excitement. Things were generally pretty boring here, so any diversions from a fight between the local warriors to a ship landing were all reasons to get away from the normal life.
From the air, a woman circled the ship before alighting directly beside it. She extended her hand and, suddenly (as the crowd gasped), the ship opened, melting away to show a small creature inside. "We've never had one of these here before," the woman said under her breath, picking up the male humanoid child, "I wonder what effect this will have on our lives, but it's not like we can send him back to anywhere."
The crowd recoiled a little as the woman put the boy down and his feet touched the ground. However, as he toddled around, giggling and speaking to himself in that language that only babies know, they relented and crowded in to touch him and play with him.
After a few minutes, the woman plucked the child from the ground and flew off, landing at a stately palace nearby. She entered and approached the figure standing within. "I've brought the child, as you requested. His ship is indeed Kryptonian as we suspected, although the markings inside indicate that it was headed for Earth."
"Excellent. This young man will become our champion for years to come. As he grows, we will teach him our tenets and philosophies, and he will help us shape the universe as we've always hoped. This child, named Kal-El from the planet Krypton, will make an excellent addition to our Green Lantern Corps." The figure, Ganthet, cradled the child gently as the suns set over Oa's horizon.