Nura was commanding on the bridge of the USS Sampson, an Athena-class destroyer. Several Vindicators acted as her bridge-crew officers with Brainiac 5 supervising her. "Destroyer, USS Sampson, on a training mission to Gamma Hydra approaching the Neutral Zone. All systems are normal and functioning," Nura narrated.
"Course plotted in," Val said enthusiastically.
"Standby, project course to avoid entering the Neutral Zone," Nura ordered.
"Aye, captain. Course projected," Val said as he inputted the command.
"Captain, someone asking for help!" Thom said excitedly.
"On the speaker," Nura allowed.
"This is the Kobayashi Maru at Altair IV. We just hit an explosive mine and we're in deep shit! Our hull is penetrated and we have sustained casualties," the captain of the Kobayashi Maru radioed.
"Bro, your transmission is breaking up," Thom said as the Kobayashi Maru captain began to fade. "Where you at?"
"Our coordinates are Gamma Hydra, Section 10," the captain replied.
"In the Neutral Zone...," Nura sighed.
"Hull penetrated, life support systems failing. Oh, God!" the captain transmitted and then faded out.
"Stats on the Kobayashi Maru," Nura requested, super chill and casual.
"Camanor-class transport ship, eighty-one thousand passengers," the computer replied.
"Damn...well, they're shit out of luck," Nura determined
"Wait...what the fuck? I'll remind the captain that we have a moral duty to rescue Imperial ships in distress," Val pointed out with righteous fury.
"I'm aware of my responsibilities, Mister," Nura told him off.
"Captain, I've lost their signal. They be dead," Thom said flatly.
There was an awkward silence on the bridge. "Is that all?" Nura asked after a painful silence.
The door to the bridge opened revealing Supergirl with a bright light behind her. The whole thing had been a simulation, a test of Nura's command abilities. "Well, that was an epic fail," Kara said unimpressed.
"Any suggestions?" Nura asked condescendingly.
"How about prayer, Nura? You just let eighty-one thousand Imperial citizens die in the Neutral Zone," Kara scolded.
"Bridge crew, to the briefing room," Brainiac 5 ordered everyone out.
Once everyone was out, Kara and Nura had a chat. "If we had gone into the Neutral Zone, we would have been ambushed by Khund warships and destroyed."
"How are you so certain?" Kara quizzed.
"I foresaw it," Nura revealed.
"That's cheating," Kara said obviously.
"My powers should be taken into account when it comes to my command abilities. I saw that there was no way to win," Nura said.
"The future is always in motion. How we deal with death is just as important as how we deal with life. If you see that you die, you don't avoid the problem. You just find a new course of action that eventually gets you the win," Kara said.
"What if there is a no-win scenario?" Nura said stubbornly.
"I beat this test. So can you," Kara replied and then walked out.
Down the hall, Kara met up with Brainiac 5. "I assume you want to know what efficiency rating I give your cadets?" Kara rolled her eyes.
"I am slightly curious," Brainiac 5 admitted.
"What do you think of that bullshit back there?" Kara asked peeved.
"As I recall, you took the test three times, yourself. Your solution was unique," Brainiac 5 said vaguely
"It had the benefit of never being tried," Kara smirked.
"You cheated," Brainiac 5 said matter-of-factly.
"Whaaa...no," Kara denied.
"I must check in before your inspection," Brainiac 5 said, not taking her seriously.
"Well, I'm going to go home and get drunk as fuck," Kara said.
At her palace in Metropolis, Kara could overlook the bay with large windows. Her living room was filled with antiques from various centuries. There were several model ships, pistols, clocks, statues, and paintings. A hologram of Alex then appeared in her room. She was wearing her black DEO uniform except for a white clip on her shoulder where the hologram CPU was stored.
Kara opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass for both of them. "Twenty-two eighty-three, impressive," Alex said of the bottle.
"I knew you would like it," Kara smiled. Kara drank a glass and sloshed it around in her mouth before swallowing.
"What is it that you want? Hiding away here playing simulator games?" Alex asked as they sat across from each other in easy chairs.
"We all have our assigned roles in life," Kara downplayed.
"Bullshit, hiding in all of this wealth and power," Alex sensed.
"Who am I hiding from?" Kara challenged.
"Yourself, Kara," Alex said simply.
"Don't mince words with me, Alex. What do you really think?" Kara asked.
"Kara, I'm your sister and your friend. Get back out there and make a difference," Alex insisted.
"Well, okay then," Kara said inspired.
Meanwhile, the USS David, an Athena-class destroyer was headed elsewhere. It was under the command of a human captain, Clark Terrell. His first officer, due to Kara's influence, was Dirk. The ship headed to Ceti Alpha VI for a planetary analysis. "Does the planet have to be completely lifeless?" Dirk asked his captain as they arrived.
"Don't tell me you found something," Cpt. Terrell scoffed.
"A minor energy flux," Dirk reported.
"Well...shit," Cpt. Terrell sighed. "Get Dr. Arrah on the comms."
In those days, the planet, Trom, was a new member of the Galactic Federation. As such, their new research station was loosely under Galactic Federation supervision. The research being carried out by Dr. Valla Arrah was the manipulation of elements to create living matter on dead worlds, a rapid terraforming technology codenamed Genesis. "There can't be even one microbe on the surface or the show is off," Valla said resolved.
"But why?" Cpt. Terrell asked annoyed.
"It's unethical to kill even the smallest lifeform. One cannot destroy life to create life," Valla said adamantly.
"Really?" Cpt. Terrell rolled his eyes. "What if we transplant the life off the planet?"
"Transplant? That sounds like bullshit," Valla objected.
"Look, we'll transport it off. No worries," Cpt. Terrell assured her and signed off.
Afterward, Valla and her teenage son, Jan, walked out of the research center. "Being able to terraform an entire planet instantly seems way OP," Jan said skeptically.
"No respect from even my own offspring," Valla told him off.
"Every time we have dealings with the Galactic Federation, I get nervous. We are dealing with something that could be perverted into a weapon of mass destruction. Empress Kara Zor-El is no girl scout. That's the kind of woman that will fuck up the galaxy with this," Jan warned.
"Listen, Jan, Kara was never a girl scout," Valla corrected.
"What about the other things I said?" Jan asked as Valla walked off. "Okay, fuck it," he said throwing his hands up.
The David bridge crew came down to Ceti Alpha VI and experienced a fierce sandstorm. "Are you sure these are the right coordinates, Dirk?" Terrell asked impatiently.
"I wouldn't mistakenly put us into a violent sandstorm a second time, captain," Dirk said defensively.
Terrell and Dirk finally made their way to a shelter of some kind. "Looks like a Hercules cargo ship," Terrell spotted. The two entered the cargo ship and looked around. There, they found a suspicious-looking chessboard and some slugs in a sand jar.
"I think we should get the fuck out of here," Dirk said spooked.
"Dirk, don't be a bitch," Terrell chided.
Suddenly, the two of them were ambushed by several criminal Kryptonians wearing desert gear. They numbered about two dozen. Arik was their leader now that Khan was dead, incinerated in Earth's sun. "Sir, who are you? I demand...," Terrell said lamely.
"You're in no position to demand anything," Arik said dismissively. "I, on the other hand, am in no position to give anything," he said referring to the broke-ass cargo ship they all lived in.
There was an awkward silence between the two sides. "What you see here are the survivors of Argo City several centuries ago, marooned on this planet by Queen Kara Zor-El. The so-called Supergirl picked us up, lost in space, unfroze one of us to do her bidding, and then threw the rest of us away on this inhospitable world," Arik said resentfully.
"Look, man, I haven't even met Empress Kara," Terrell said defensively.
"Empress? Empress...she sent us here with only the contents of this cargo ship to sustain us," Arik said accusingly
"This is all bullshit. You were given a fair chance on Ceti Alpha V," Dirk rolled his eyes.
"This is Ceti Alpha V!" Arik shouted at him. "Six months after we arrived here, Ceti Alpha VI suspiciously exploded. The shock shifted the orbit of this planet and this world became a dead desert world. Empress Kara never checked on our progress. It's only through Kryptonian genetics and ingenuity that we were able to survive. On Argo City, I was a prince with power over millions. Now, look at this shit. I didn't do anything to deserve this fate, none of us did! We were all blamed for the actions of Khan. We were seen as a threat to Empress Kara's power. No doubt, she's the one that destroyed Ceti Alpha VI just to fuck with us!"
"That does sound like her," Dirk said dryly.
"You thought this was Ceti Alpha VI. You didn't expect to find me here," Arik realized. "Is your ship's navigator unable to count six planets in a system?"
"God damn it, Carl," Terrell shook his head dismayed.
"Why are you here?" Arik demanded. The two said nothing to him. "Allow me to introduce you to Ceti Alpha V's only indigenous lifeform, the Yeerk. "They killed twenty of our people including my beloved wife. Not all at once and not instantly, to be sure. You see, they enter through the ear and wrap themselves around the cerebral cortex. They then control the person's mind completely. Every three days, they have to bathe in the pools or they die but before they die, they cause madness and death in their host."
"As a Vindicator, I can get you an audience with Kara, get you a good lawyer, get you some compensation," Dirk promised.
"Place them together," Arik ordered.
The Kryptonians pushed them together so that if Dirk unleashed his powers it would immediately kill Terrell. "If you unleash your powers, it will only make us stronger with the solar radiation that is inside you," Arik warned.
The two struggled in vain as the Yeerks were placed in their ears. "Now, tell me why are you here," Arik demanded of them.
On Earth, Kara took an Atlas shuttle to dock with the USS Sampson in space at an orbiting space dock. The Athena-class destroyer was 752 meters long, 462 meters wide at its widest, and 200 meters in height. It was triangular with the engines and bridge making the bulk of the stern. In the belly of the ship, the engines, reactor, and fuel cells made up the backbone of the ship. On either side of these was a giant hanger bay filled with assault crafts, tanks, and other vehicles. Above the hanger were 15 decks of living quarters, mess halls, elevators, and recreational facilities that went along the entire length of the ship. In the belly of the bow of the ship were torpedo bays and sensor equipment. All along the sides of the ship were laser cannon defenses. The bridge, on top, was cigar-shaped and allowed the bridge crew to see in all directions. An internal emergency bridge was present deeper down at the base of the bridge tower. The shield emitter was located on the rear of the bridge. The overall color of the ship was a reflective white meant to convey fear on an enemy rather than stealth.
Kara docked with the Sampson in its hanger bay and was greeted by a company formation of navy crew members. She was in her typical black Supergirl uniform. Brainiac 5 and Nura approached to greet her. "Welcome aboard, Empress," Brainiac 5 said to her. "I think you know my training crew."
"I really don't," Kara admitted.
"Well, they've certainly come to know you," Brainiac 5 replied.
"Yes, humanity and I have gone through life and death together," Kara said dryly. She then approached chief engineer, Chuck Taine aka Bouncing Boy. "Mr. Taine, you're looking fat. You, well?" Kara asked.
"I got fatter over shore leave, Your Majesty," Chuck admitted.
"I'm going to tour your engines," Kara told him.
"I'll see you there, Your Majesty," Chuck said nervously. "Everything will be in working order."
"Won't that be a surprise," Kara mocked and then walked off.
Brainiac 5 then turned to the formation. "Company, dismissed," he ordered, dispersing them.
In the engine room, Chuck stood by wide-eyed as Kara inspected the place and then wiped her hand on a control panel for dust. "Oh my God, I'm so fucked!" Chuck screamed in his head.
"Well, Mr. Taine, can your cadets handle a minor training tour?" Kara asked rhetorically.
"Sure...just give the word, Empress," Chuck said nervously.
Kara stared him down. "The word...has been given."
Chuck gave her a silent scream realizing the pressure he was under.
Kara entered the bridge and was met with Brainiac 5, Nura, Val, and Thom. Brainiac 5 was in the captain's chair as cadets went about the bridge. "Miss Nall, have you ever piloted a destroyer out of space dock?"
"Nope," Nura shook her head.
"Take the ship out," Brainiac 5 ordered.
Kara watched slightly concerned as Nura took the captain's chair and began giving commands. The destroyer tilted a bit to the left and kept going left toward the edge of the space dock. Kara tilted her head more and more as it looked as though the ship was going to hit. Nura kept a calm expression as the ship kept moving to the left.
"Might want to give her some direction," Kara said to Brainiac 5.
"She's in command now," Brainiac 5 declined.
The destroyer nearly hit the edge of the space dock but managed to get through. "Just because she can see the future doesn't mean she can be stupid with the controls," Kara hissed at Brainiac 5.
"Do you have a destination preference?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"Whatever," Kara said apathetically.
"Mr. Armorr, you may indulge yourself," Brainiac 5 allowed.
"Fuck yeah," Val said as he piloted the ship into the asteroid belt.
At the Trom Regula I space station, Valla took a transmission from Dirk. "We are en route to you and should be there in three days," Dirk said cheerfully.
"Three days? What the fuck? We were expecting you to be here in three months," Valla protested.
"Ceti Alpha VI has checked out and the Empress is tired of waiting. We have new orders. Upon arriving at Regula I, we're taking all of your shit so we can test it on Ceti Alpha VI," Dirk said smiling.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Jan demanded.
"This is completely irregular," Valla pointed out.
"I have my orders," Dirk shrugged.
"I have no intention of allowing the David or any other unauthorized ship to access our work and materials," Valla told him off.
"Bitch, you better have my Project Genesis ready to deliver to my ship or I am going to fireball your ass," Dirk threatened and signed off.
On the Sampson, Kara headed down to her quarters when Nura got into the elevator with her. She was wearing a white gym uniform and had her silver hair down. "May I speak?" Nura asked.
"What?" Kara asked irritably.
"I got the correct resolution and yet you failed me," Nura pointed out.
"It's not about a correct resolution but a test of character. You'll refuse to do the right thing if the future shows that it will end in disastrous consequences. Morality is about intentions after all," Kara told her.
"And how did you deal with the test?" Nura asked skeptically.
"I went into the Neutral Zone and kicked ass," Kara said vaguely.
"How enlightening," Nura rolled her eyes and exited the elevator.
Kara entered her quarters and got a priority message from Regular I. "Sup?" Kara asked nonchalantly.
"Why are you taking Genesis away from us?" Valla demanded on Kara's laptop screen.
"Everything belongs to me," Kara reminded her.
"Did you give the order?" Valla asked.
"What order?" Kara asked cluelessly.
"I won't let you take Genesis without proper authorization," Valla told her.
"Authorization? I'm fucking in charge of the whole galaxy," Kara reminded her.
"Kara...please," she said and then broke up.
"Thom, the fuck?" Kara radioed.
"Communications be jammed!" he radioed back.
"Well...shit," Kara sighed.
On Regular I, all of the Troms were pissed off. "This has to be some mistake," Valla told the group.
"Mistake? We're all alone here without weapons. They waited until everyone went on leave so we have a skeleton crew here. Genesis was supposed to be at our disposal, not for the Galactic Federation," Jan pointed out. "I've tried to tell you before that Empress Kara uses us as pawns for her military-industrial complex."
"The Galactic Federation has kept the peace on Trom for 100 days," Valla reminded him.
"Not impressed," Jan scoffed.
"I cannot and will not subscribe to your interpretation of this event because we and the entire galaxy are fucked if you're correct," Valla refused.
"What about the David?" one Trom scientist asked. "It's on its way."
Kara entered Brainiac 5's quarters to discuss her concerns. "We need to go to Regula I and investigate."
"A scientific laboratory manned by Troms," Brainiac 5 recalled.
"I know the crew is just children but I don't trust anyone else with this mission. I have to deal with it personally," Kara insisted. "These cadets of yours. How good are they? How well do they deal with real pressure?"
"As can be expected from humans," Brainiac 5 replied.
"Shit," Kara realized.
"Of course, the ship is yours," Brainiac 5 offered.
"Is that really necessary?" Kara asked lazily.
"If we are to go on active duty, the senior officer should take command," Brainiac 5 lectured.
"It may be nothing, garbled communications," Kara resisted.
"Kara, you proceed from a false assumption. I am a Brainiac with no ego to bruise," Brainiac 5 said gently.
"You are the one under a false assumption. I don't want the work or the responsibility," Kara clarified.
"If I may be so bold, it is a mistake for you to hide from your people. I may provide logic and expertise but you inspire people. Leading humanity into the future is your best destiny. Anything else is a waste of material," Brainiac 5 said.
"I wouldn't presume to debate you...," Kara said as she was about to debate him.
"That is wise," Brainiac 5 interrupted.
"What about what I want? I came here to inspect the ship and go home," Kara complained.
"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one," Brainiac 5 reminded her. "You are my superior officer and my friend. I have been and always will be at your disposal."
"Thank you, Barney," Kara said appreciatively. She then noticed a piece of art in the shape of a large framed portrait that had thousands of brown coin-looking objects dangling together. "Is that one thousand pennies from all of Earth's currency over the last thousand years?"
"Yes," Brainiac 5 confirmed.
"But why?" Kara wondered.
Kara went to the bridge to make her announcement. "As of now, I'm assuming command of this ship. We're going to the space lab, Regula I. Plot a course and engage warp engines," Kara ordered. She then softened as everyone on the bridge gave her a WTF look. "I know that many of you weren't expecting this. I'm not apologizing. Time to grow up, time to take off the training wheels."
"No response from Regula I," Thom reported.
"But no longer jammed?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"No, nothin," Thom frowned.
Brainiac 5 went over to Kara in the captain's chair. "There are two possibilities. They are unable to respond, they are unwilling to respond."
"Well...no shit, Sherlock," Kara rolled her eyes. "How far?"
"Twelve hours at our current speed," Brainiac 5 replied.
"I need to think about this. Join me in my quarters," Kara ordered. "Nura, take the chair."
In Kara's quarters, the Alex emergency hologram turned on. "What's wrong?" Alex asked urgently.
"Computer, give me access to Project Genesis summary," Kara ordered.
On the screen, Valla gave a summary of the project. "Project Genesis, a proposal to the Galactic Federation. This device can reorganize dead matter on a molecular level to life-generating matter of equal mass. Stage 1 took place in a lab. Stage 2 took place in a lifeless underground. Stage 3 will take place on a planetary scale. We propose to launch the Project Genesis missile onto a lifeless moon instantaneously scorching the surface clean and magically giving the planet an atmosphere, oceans, and vegetation within a few days. This will solve galactic world hunger and earn us all a Nobel Prize in Chemistry."
"Damn, Thanos wishes he had this," Kara mused.
"Fascinating," Brainiac 5 remarked. "This will literally give you the power of God."
"Fuck yeah," Kara smiled.
"Do you think you're really intelligent enough for this? What if this were used on a planet that already had life?" Alex asked.
"Any such life would be fucked in favor of a new matrix," Brainiac 5 said calmly.
"Do you know what the fuck that means?" Alex asked outraged.
"I was not evaluating its moral implications," Brainiac 5 said dismissively. "In cosmic history, t's always been easier to destroy than to create."
"Not anymore! Now, we can do both at the same time!" Alex said passionately.
"Really, Alex, you must learn to govern your passions," Brainiac 5 said condescendingly.
"You, cybernetic piece of shit, this is universal armageddon," Alex hissed at him.
Kara watched this exchange between them with wide-eyed fascination but was interrupted by Thom. "Ship be approaching us," Thom radioed.
"What is it?" Kara asked slightly concerned.
"One of ours, the David," Thom replied.
"We'll have to put this discussion on hold," Kara said as she deactivated the Alex AI program.
Kara arrived on the bridge with Nura in the captain's chair. "Hail them."
"No response," Thom replied.
"Is it possible their comm systems have failed?" Kara wondered as the David continued its approach.
"They're going to attack us," Nura said helpfully.
"Wait...why?" Kara wondered.
Nura merely shrugged. "Well...shit," Kara sighed. "Shields up, ready weapon systems." As the ships continued their approach to one another, Kara was perplexed by the situation. "This is really queer. Red Alert."
"They haven't raised their shields yet," Brainiac 5 pointed out.
"Good, fire everything," Kara ordered.
The USS Sampson fired all laser canons and torpedoes onto the USS David. The David was hit right below the bridge penetrating the hull, slicing through living quarters, and hitting the engine reactor on the right stern side. The David tilted toward the lifeless moon as its engines began to fail.
"Damage report," Kara ordered.
"We knew exactly where to hit them," Brainiac 5 said as he showed her a diagram of the ship.
"You better be fucking right about this, Nura. Who the fuck is on that ship?" Kara demanded.
"One thing is certain. They cannot escape us on auxiliary power," Brainiac 5 pointed out.
"Visual," Kara ordered.
On-screen, the damaged David was in sorry shape. A torpedo from the Sampson hit the David near the bridge to decapitate the ship. "The commander of the David wishes to speak with us. They want to discuss terms of surrender," Thom reported.
"Put it on screen," Kara allowed.
Arik appeared on screen looking pissed off. "You thought you could pull a fast one on me, huh?" Kara crowed. "Where is the crew of the David?"
"I mean to avenge myself upon you, Empress," Arik said angrily.
"For what?" Kara wondered. "I placed you in a new Garden of Eden. You should be thanking me."
"The planet you exiled us to became a desert wasteland when Ceti Alpha VI exploded. We suffered under extreme heat, sandstorms, thirst, hunger, and worms that took over our minds. Half of us died...including my wife. You never bothered to check up on us. Is this how you treat your own people?" Arik accused.
"My bad...my bad," Kara said apologetically. "Look, come over to my ship so we can talk this out."
"I give you a counter-proposal. You allow my entire crew onto your ship in return for everything I know on Project Genesis," Arik said.
"Genesis? What the fuck is that?" Kara lied.
"Don't insult my intelligence, Kara," Arik said disagreeably.
"Okay, transmit everything you have on Project Genesis, put all of your people in one shuttle, and then come aboard. You got sixty seconds," Kara allowed.
"How do we know you'll keep your word?" Arik asked suspiciously.
"I don't really think you have an alternative," Kara said smartly.
"Standby to receive your transmission," Arik said finally. Instead of sending the transmission, he sent a code that lowered the Sampson's shields to nothing. The David then fired directly at the Sampson's bridge disabling it and making a mess of things.
"Fire!" Kara shouted.
"We have lost fire control," Brainiac 5 informed her.
The David then escaped by orbiting around the moon away from view. "Well, that was slightly inconvenient," Kara sighed
Kara ignored the David, for the moment, and headed to the Regula I station. "Sup with that planet?" Kara asked Brainiac 5.
"A planetoid with unremarkable ores. A dead rock in space," Brainiac 5 replied.
"And the David is hiding behind that rock," Kara figured. "I'm going down there to check it out."
"You should take an armed escort," Nura advised.
"Shit, are we going to be attacked?" Kara asked her.
"Yes, by Captain Terrell and Dirk Morgna," Nura replied.
"They switched sides?" Kara asked confused.
Nura merely shrugged. "Well, I can handle them," Kara said confidently. "And you're coming with me."
"Damn it," Nura realized.
Kara and Nura took a shuttle down to the space station. As they did, Kara scanned the walls of the station and found them to be lead. Frustrated by this, Kara entered the command center only to find several Trom scientists dead and hanging upside down. Kara then found a compartment in the middle of the room. She ripped the compartment open and found Dirk and Terrell.
"What's your deal, Dirk? You, betraying me? Trying to ruin my plans?" Kara questioned.
"It was the Kryptonians. We found them on Ceti Alpha V because our navigator couldn't...count...how many...planets are in the...system," he said tearfully.
"What else?" Kara asked.
"He put creatures into our bodies to control our minds," Dirk said.
Kara scanned his head and found nothing. "Well, you're safe now," she assured him. "Captain Terrell, where is Dr. Arrah? Where are the Genesis materials?"
"He couldn't find them. Even the data banks were empty. He tortured those people but none of them would tell them anything. He fired heat vision beams through their eyes, froze them, and then shattered them, lit them on fire, broke their necks, and tore them to pieces. He did the same to the crew of the David. He's completely mad. He blames you," Terrell said, totally shaken and stirred.
"Yeah, whatever," Kara said dismissively.
The group moved to the shuttle bay. "Where did the rest of them go?" Kara questioned.
"We'll find them inside the moon," Nura told her.
"Stage 2 of the experiment," Kara recalled. She then took out her smartphone. "Barney, can you find any life signs on the moon?"
"There is a faint signature deep inside the planetoid's crust," Brainiac 5 replied.
"Well, that must be them," Kara figured. "Can you give me the coordinates?"
"Based on the general location of the life signature and the ion trail coming from the space station, I have pinpointed their location," Brainiac 5 said helpfully.
"Alright, I'm heading out. If you don't hear from us in one hour, stick around anyway," Kara said and then hung up.
Kara, Nura, Dirk, and Terrell took a shuttle to the planetoid and found the cave facility deep in the crust. Upon arriving, they found a breathable atmosphere in the facility. In a hallway for anyone to grab was the Genesis missile. "Well, that was easy," Kara smirked.
Suddenly, the hallway walls became green and the air became filled with Kryptonite. Kara was devastated and fell to the floor dumbfounded. Jan suddenly revealed himself and fired beams from his hands. Nura shielded herself from the beams and then fired energy cables around his legs and arms pinning him. "Return the atmosphere to normal or I'll kill you," Nura warned.
Jan surrendered and returned the air to normal. Nura released Jan and brought Kara back to her feet. "That...was damn painful," Kara hissed. "Who the fuck are you? Where's Dr. Arrah?"
"I'm Dr. Arrah," Jan said annoyed.
Kara simply stared at him and then saw Valla come up. "Empress Kara Zor-El," she addressed respectfully.
"Mother, she's responsible for everyone left behind being dead," Jan accused.
"How do you figure?" Kara asked annoyed.
"Jan, you're just making this harder," Valla scolded.
"I'm afraid it's harder than you think," Terrell said as he held a pistol.
"I actually prefer it hard," Kara said, not taking him seriously.
"Please don't move," Dirk said glowing, ready to fight.
"Excellency, have you been listening?" Terrell radioed Arik.
"I have, indeed. You have done well," Arik complimented.
"Dirk, you couldn't have resisted a brain worm. That's weak sauce," Kara critiqued.
"I'm sorry, Kara," Dirk said lamely.
"Kill Empress Kara," Arik ordered.
Terrell fired several times at Kara to no effect. "Sir, it's difficult," Terrell reported. Dirk then fired a solar energy beam at Kara which only strengthened her.
"This is getting sad," Kara said unimpressed as the two screamed in agony from the Yeerks in their heads. Kara then snapped her fingers knocking them both out. The Yeerks then exited out their ear holes to escape. Kara fired heat vision on Yeerks incinerating them. "Well, that was weird," she remarked.
Kara, Nura, Valla, and Jan headed down to the cave leaving Dirk and Terrell to recuperate. "Who is responsible for all this?" Valla asked.
"I discovered some Argo City Kryptonian survivors in an old spaceship. They were all in cryogenic tubes. I revived one of them and blackmailed him into working for my weapon program. He ended up betraying me, nearly killed me, and blew a lot of shit up, so I threw him into the sun. As for his comrades, I sent them into exile on a lush garden planet with no yellow sun where they were to eat apples and frolic naked. Six months later a planet in their system exploded causing their planet to become a desert wasteland. So, they're naturally pissed at me and want revenge as well as the Genesis missile," Kara summarized.
"The Trom took ten years to tunnel this chamber and many more years to develop the Genesis technology and all of it was jeopardized by your personal Kryptonian drama," Valla scolded. "Jan, show the Naltorian the cave."
"Just something to do, I suppose," Jan said annoyed, and then took Nura away to see the cave.
Kara and Valla waited for Jan and Nura to leave the scene. "I'd like to think there are infinite possibilities still at play here. With my power, and my drone army, we can seed the galaxy with life. We can bring peace and security to my new empire," Kara said ambitiously.
"You want my son as one of your Vindicators, chasing bad guys around the universe on your orders," Valla said resentfully.
"Yeah," Kara said obviously.
"He nearly killed you just now," Valla pointed out.
"Good, another check on my awesome power," Kara said pleased.
"Let me show you something that's even more powerful than you," Valla offered.
Valla brought Kara to the cave where she saw glowing vegetation and waterfalls off giant cliffs. In the lake were several islands covered in vegetation. "This all happened in a day?" Kara asked incredulously.
"The matrix was made in a day, the vegetation came later at an accelerated rate," Valla explained.
"Damn...I'm actually impressed. Just...damn," Kara said speechless.
"Kara, I had a question about the Kobayashi Maru test," Nura brought up, ruining the mood.
"You still on about that?" Kara frowned.
"On the test, what did you do?" Nura questioned.
"I reprogrammed the simulation so I could rescue the ship," Kara admitted.
"You cheated," Jan accused.
"I simply changed the conditions of the test. What's the big deal?" Kara said defensively.
"That's still cheating," Jan pointed out.
"It's called original critical thinking," Kara told him off.
"Then, you've never faced the situation of death," Nura said.
"What are you talking about? I face situations of life and death all the time, mostly death though," Kara refuted. "I don't believe in the no-win scenario so long as I know the future, so you better do your job."
"Test of character, huh?" Nura mocked.
"Look, I don't have to take this. I've assessed the situation and I'm going to leave," Kara said and stormed off.
Kara, Nura, Dirk, Terrell, Valla, and Jan entered the docking bay of the Sampson via their shuttle and met with Brainiac 5. "You know Dr. Arrah, don't you?" Kara asked Brainiac 5.
"Of course, I'm a fan of your work," Brainiac 5 said sincerely.
"Take these two to sickbay," Kara ordered, referring to Dirk and Terrell.
"The rest of the scientists?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"Oh, they're dead," Kara said flatly.
Kara and Brainiac 5 arrived on the bridge. "What's the deal?"
"I've been chasing the David around the planet for the last couple of hours," Val reported.
"We can outrun them and we can outgun them," Brainiac 5 assured Kara.
"They're moving into the nebula," Val said alarmed.
"What will that do for them?" Kara asked.
"The gas of the nebula will cloud our tactical display and we'll lose shields," Nura said helpfully.
"Well...shit," Kara sighed. "Follow them in."
Kara watched as the David tried to escape from her into the nebula. "Nebula penetration in two minutes," Brainiac 5 warned.
Kara giggled at that. "Penetration."
The Sampson fired a lone torpedo at the David hitting the rear tail that housed the hyperdrive generator. Jan then wandered his way onto the bridge. "Care for a rematch, Arik? I'm laughing at your sane Kryptonian intellect," Kara mocked via transmission to the David.
"We're now entering the nebula," Brainiac 5 reported.
The two ships were now blind to each other and defenseless. "Give me a future where we destroy them," Kara ordered Nura.
"Sure," Nura rolled her eyes and dozed off in her seat.
"Val, fire at anything that looks like a ship," Kara ordered.
The Sampson fired multiple laser cannon shots at the David, missing each time. The David fired a torpedo that was way off target. "This is such a disgrace, two Galactic Federation ships firing and missing each other like idiots," Kara said disappointed.
Nura woke up and directed Val on their course. The Sampson found the David and fired in the same place as before slicing deeper and wider into their right side, hitting the engines. The Sampson then fired on David's bridge killing the entire bridge crew except for Arik. Dirk then arrived on the bridge a little shaken, a little stirred by having a slug in his head controlling him.
"Could you use a hand?" he volunteered.
"Yes, Dirk, take tactical," Kara allowed.
"I'm getting sporadic energy readings," Brainiac 5 reported.
"Well, I'm not going to break off," Kara said resolved. "Nura, I need another good prediction."
"This is some time paradox bullshit," Nura rolled her eyes.
"How so?" Kara questioned.
"Well, you're only going to win because I gave you the prediction and the prediction only happened because I told you," Nura explained. "It's a Catch-22."
"And I don't give a damn," Kara said unconcernedly.
"Arik is intelligent but not experienced. He has three-dimensional thinking while we have four," Brainiac 5 assured Kara.
"Full-stop, Nura, go to sleep," Kara ordered.
"Gladly," Nura said and dozed off again.
"Torpedoes ready," Dirk reported.
Kara waited patiently for Nura to wake up. "Go here," she said to Val, half-asleep.
The Sampson snuck up behind the blind David and got a visual on them. "Fire," Kara ordered.
Dirk fired a torpedo that blasted apart David's tail between the engines. Another torpedo blasted away the right engine. The David began to turn in circles as it lost rudder control. It was at this time that Thom sent a transmission to the David. "Surrender or die, motherfucker," he ordered.
Arik was fucked up but still alive on his ruined bridge. "To the last, I will grapple with thee," Arik said vengefully.
"He's going to self-destruct which will ignite the nebula and kill us if we don't warp out of here," Nura warned Kara.
"You, telling me this now?" Kara asked incredulously. "Chuck, get us the fuck out of here."
On the viewing screen, Arik noticed the Sampson casually leaving the scene. "No, you can't get away. From Rao's heart, I stab at thee. For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee," he said and then died.
The Sampson then warped away out of range of the explosion in the nebula. The David was completely destroyed.
After the David's destruction, Kara turned back to the planetoid. Valla came up to the bridge on request. "Alright, let's see stage 3," Kara said to her.
"I'm not sure it's ready for testing," Valla said uncertainly. "It took many Troms a long time to make that missile. To make another one will not be easy or convenient."
"Sometimes, the needs of the few...or the one...outweigh the needs of the many," Kara said referring to herself.
The Sampson fired the Genesis missile like a torpedo at the planetoid. It became red hot as its surface was completely scorched and then the elements of the planet began to change so that an atmosphere formed with nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide at the right amounts for life, water appeared on the surface, and then complex organic molecules formed. In time, life would spread across the moon.
"My God, you did it," Kara said to Valla and Jan.
Later, Kara was conversing with Alex when Jan entered her quarters. "I don't mean to intrude," he said awkwardly.
"Well...you are," Kara glared at him as she turned off the hologram.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Jan asked.
"Only if you turn this glass of water into a Vodka martini," Kara allowed.
Jan touched her glass and changed its molecular chemistry to a Vodka martini. Kara cautiously took a drink. "Damn, that's good. I think I found my new bartender."
"Have you ever faced death before?" Jan asked curiously.
"Not for myself. I've cheated death, tricked my way out of death, and patted myself on the back for my own ingenuity," Kara said proud of herself.
There was a long awkward silence between them. "Before I agree to join your Vindicator Corps, I was hoping you could prove to me that you're not a total sociopath like everyone in the galaxy says you are," Jan said seriously.
"When I came to this time, I left my sister behind. She's dead now, obviously. I haven't handled it well. I've created holograms of her, made Martians impersonate her, forced human actors to look like her in movies, and I've even tried to kill myself so I could see her again," Kara said tearfully. "But I know all of that is not healthy," she said and then crushed the Alex AI hologram emitter in her hand.
"How we handle death...is just as important as how we handle life," Kara concluded.
"I was wrong about you and I'm sorry," Jan said sympathetically.
"Is that why you came here?" Kara asked expectedly.
"Mainly...and also that I would be proud if I could be your Vindicator," Jan said finally.
"In my service, I'll develop your powers to create life where there is none, to save those who would be lost, but, occasionally, I'll need your powers to kill a motherfucker or two. Are you okay with that?" Kara asked.
"Absolutely," Jan smiled and then shook Kara's hand.