In Space, No One Knows You're an Alien
Chapter 7
Serenity, out in the Black
In retrospect, he should have seen it coming…
Kaylee had kept on asking Dru Zod when his Birthday was; pretty much nagging him about it until he finally caved in and told her.
Not that he told her his actual date of birth…
All told, the Serenity crew was a pretty accepting bunch, but asking them to accept the Third Trine of Rao Ascendant, 29,337 Post-Reunification Calendar as Zod's Birthday-even though that really was his Birthday-would have been asking too much of a crew of Humans who didn't know that they weren't the only sapient species in the 'verse.
Instead, Zod had picked a date-a Terran date, off the top of his head. Then, he had promptly forgotten all about it.
Kaylee hadn't.
Which was how a bemused Zod found himself the target of a surprise birthday party.
Fortunately, Captain Reynold's…business dealings…had gone better than the average, so there was money to spend on non-essentials; like real meat for the Dinner part of the party, and the inevitable chocolate cake that Kaylee had insisted on baking.
As a rule, Terran social norms generally confused Zod; men and women marrying whomever they pleased, whenever they pleased, and having babies with whomever they pleased, with hardly any recourse to genetic assays.
But this was their society; and other facets of their society meshed well with Zod's Kryptonian upbringing. Birthday celebrations were one example; although the Warrior Caste were generally known to be austere in their birthday celebrations.
This crew's idea of a proper Birthday Celebration was anything but…
Summoned by Captain Reynolds, over the ship intercom, to report to the Dining Room/Council Room, Dru Zod had reported in immediately, as was his wont…
"Surprise!"
Fortunately, x-ray vision saved the day, so the crew was spared the sight of a Kryptonian startled right out of his skin-a hole in Serenity's hull wouldn't have been a pleasant experience for anyone on the ship.
Once Zod had accepted the idea, however strange it might have appeared, that the Serenity crew wanted to surprise him with this Birthday Party, he looked at them all, feeling just a touch rueful…
There was, of course, Kaylee's wonderful chocolate cake; and there were presents too; a LeMat from the captain, along with a box of ammunition, a book of Terran philosophy from Inara Serra, a leather jacket from Zoe Washburn, an animated video of a…goose-juggler from her husband, a recording of collected music from the Rim Worlds from Kaylee. A brand-new Bible from Shepherd Book, a collection of Core World music from Simon Tam, and from his sister…
Zod's knees went weak when he saw her present to him.
The Sigil of Hope…
Simon Tam had watched his Sister as she worked on her present to Drew Todd, and her sheer artistic capability and creativity never failed to amaze him. Even now, after all that the Academy had done to her, to that incredible thing that was her brain, River Tam could still create beauty out of nothing more than colored paper, glue, and a little gilt wrapping.
It was an origami S, comprised mainly of royal blues and shimmering reds, with gold and silver accents; and the sheer beauty of it reminded Simon of the manuscripts from the Medieval Era of Earth-that-was, with their incredibly detailed capital letters, hand-written, and covered in the most delicate of artistic filigree…
And Drew Todd, holding her gift in his hand…
The color just…drained from his face as he looked down at it…
"Drew?" Simon had a sudden fear that Todd might faint…
Or burst into tears..?
It was a good thing a chair was behind Todd. The man collapsed into it bonelessly, head still bowed, holding River's gift to his chest, like it was the most precious thing in his universe.
"Drew?" again, Simon spoke to him.
This was getting just a little alarming.
A deep sigh trembled its way out of Todd.
"It's all right," Todd's voice trembled as he lifted his head. His features were composed, but Simon could see the effort that went into it.
"I'm…fine," Todd continued. He looked down at the beautiful S that lay, like a blue and red rose in his hand.
"Thank you, River," he brought his gaze to Simon's sister. "I will treasure this forever."
And Simon knew Todd would treasure River's gift. It meant something to him.
Something Important.
Three years ago. Where Krypton used to be…
The fleet on New Krypton hung there in space, hovering over the slowly forming asteroid belt that was all that was left of Krypton.
Prime Councilor Jor El stood on the Bridge of the New Hope, and he had to close his eyes.
I promised I would return and find Dru…
He had come too late, it seemed…
"Scan the area one more time," he ordered, and he heard General Ul sigh…
"We've been here for a whole week, sir," Faora said, looking at the view-screen, at the destroyed planet that used to be her home.
"We've discovered nothing," she continued, grief in her eyes and voice. "No ship, no shuttle. Not even a Life-pod. Either he died when Krypton died, or Krypton's destruction never released him from the Phantom Zone. Either way, General Dru Zod is beyond our reach."
Jor El bowed his head, closed his burning eyes.
I should have come sooner. Forgive me, Dru…
Serenity, out in the Black
After the party, the cake and everything, Dru Zod was able to flee back into the peace and quiet of his bunk.
He hadn't escaped without getting a hug and kiss from Kaylee. Even Zoe Washburne had given him a one-armed hug as she wished him a Happy Birthday.
Now, feeling a touch breathless, he turned to the sanctuary that was his bunk.
These Humans are so free with their emotions! Jor El would have loved to meet them…
Jor El…
Zod looked down at the hand-crafted Hope Sigil in his hand. He couldn't put it down.
How could the child have known?
She knew. That much was inescapable.
She knows what I am, where I came from…
The Sigil was proof of that.
Will she keep my secret? Would the others believe her if she told them?
He sighed.
She won't say anything, he realized. She made it to give me hope.
Such was the gift from a loving soul…
He sighed again, then carefully taped River Tam's present to the wall by his bed.
There, it would be the first thing he saw every morning, and the last thing he saw at night…
Hope.