Six months had passed since Diana's visit to Talos, the narration recounted blandly. Her life continued uneventfully, with routine checks to various planets. No new systems had been discovered in the passing time.
A new day was dawning on Apokolips. In the palace's bedroom... well, nothing was happening. Diana and Darkseid were simply sleeping, her at his back, with her arms around him.
Diana awoke eventually, groaning lightly as she sat up. She had bad bed hair, and the sheets slid off in that movement. Waking up fully took a minute.
She looked over her sparsely decorated bedroom as she finished waking up. The three walls looking back at her each had a singular door in their center.
She stepped out of bed and went over to the door directly across from their bed, which automatically slid open for her as she approached. The dressing room held at least a dozen copies of each garment they favored, such as her skirts and his tunics.
"What to choose?" Diana thought absently while stepping inside. Almost right after finishing the thought, she grabbed one of the red-and-gold tops along with a pair of black pants, then dressed.
"Good morning, Diana," Darkseid said after she exited the room.
"And good morning to you too," Diana replied. A moment of simple silence passed between them.
"Is this to be another day of tourism?" Darkseid asked, then moved out of the bed.
Diana smiled. "Certainly seems like it. How odd that ruling a cosmic empire can feel so mundane."
Darkseid considered an answer while he walked towards the dressing room. "Such is the problem of time." After he'd put a tunic on, he spoke again. "Perhaps a new castle could liven things up."
"I suppose," Diana replied indifferently. "Maybe I can order a new ship too. I've recently had to charge it daily, and I still haven't found my lasso."
Darkseid gave a knowing look. She returned a bashful smile, recalling that old argument.
Shortly after, Diana headed down towards a building that towered over its neighbors. It was a truncated square pyramid made from jet-black metal, covered in windows. She arrived in the laboratory's main chamber after a brief walk.
Desaad hurried to meet her. "How may I be of service, mistress?"
"I'm considering a new ship," she replied. "Can you make it smaller than my current one, yet just as mighty?"
"Of course. I could easily make a better one," he quickly answered. She gave him a curious look. "As you recall, I said five years ago that its size only raised the energy costs of life support, gravity, and such."
"I remember," she answered succinctly. It was simple math, she thought. "And less would make it more efficient."
"Exactly," Desaad affirmed, voice rising. "Entire galaxies already tremble at your name, mistress. Imagine what they would say then!"
Diana smiled. "I doubt they would say much else. Anyway, it seems most efficient to salvage my old ship. How long do you estimate?"
"Less than a month," Desaad replied.
The ship was quickly returned to Apokolips via Boom Tube. Diana found her lasso in a room on the 206th floor, unsure how it had gotten there. Three weeks later, her battlecruiser was finished.
Like its predecessor, it was made from the strongest material in known space, equipped with a laser cannon and a Boom Tube generator. Its dimensions were a fraction of the previous one, 200 meters in length and 100 in height and width, which still left plenty of space for fifteen floors.
Diana was currently inspecting the top floor. Most rooms she had seen were empty and unfurnished. The floor was illuminated by lamps built into the ceiling, and four chambers held flights of stairs to the lower floors.
She turned back to Desaad, smiling. "Excellent work."
"I am happy to be of service," Desaad crooned, then continued his honeyed words.
Diana ignored him, wondering what else to do. After a moment, she took her Mother Box from her belt box, opening a Boom Tube to Earth.
A throne room laid on the other side, where a young woman was seated. She was of slight build, her skin tanned and hair black as coal, while her clothes were green and light.
The Boom Tube's tell-tale sound interrupted her conversation with an attendant, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
"A shame there's no time for a bet," she lamented while Diana walked in.
"Good to see you, Gaia," Diana greeted, smiling at Gaia while she put the Mother Box back in her belt box.
"Likewise, mom," Gaia said respectfully. "How are things going on Apokolips?"
"Everything is fine," Diana answered. "I would like to spend a week with you if that's alright."
Gaia smiled. "I'd be happy to. It's been ages. What should we do first?"
The goddess of life rose from her throne after a moment's thought, raising a hand towards the exit to her terrace. Diana replied with a simple smile, mother and daughter heading outside.
Diana went to look out across the cityscape. A colorful array of buildings and superhumans unfolded before her eyes.
Gaia walked up to her left. "After we're done here, how about going to Sweden? We've built a new city recently, and the museum is amazing." The words almost stumbled out.
Diana looked at her, smiling. "That sounds very good." She soon continued studying the city, a lake drawing her attention.