Episode 4
The next morning, Mon, Brainiac 5, and Gen. Prik had a meeting to discuss the next plan. "The men you sent out to hunt for radioactive Kryptonite in the fields scattered off suffering from paranoid delusions and aggression as I predicted," Brainiac 5 scolded Mon.
"The atom is a humbling thing," Mon said dryly.
"More like humiliating. Why is the core still exposed to the air? Why can't we cover it up?" Prik asked impatiently.
"We can't get close enough. The debris on the roof is Black Kryptonite from the core, itself. Until we can push it off the roof and back into the reactor, it will kill anyone who gets close to it. The roof has three levels. We've named them," Brainiac 5 said and then pointed them out on a hologram.
"The small one here is named Karen, one thousand roentgen per hour. The one on the side is Becky, two thousand roentgen per hour. Lastly, this is Stacy, twelve thousand roentgen per hour," Mon said.
"Within three minutes, any man on Stacy will have a fatal dose. Your rovers will not be able to function. Your remote-controlled bulldozers will crash through the roof," Brainiac 5 said.
"So, what do we do?" Prik asked.
"The answer is for me to do it," Mon said obviously. "But I'm not going to until New Krypton agrees to use our drones."
Prik eyed the both of them. "Really?"
As it happened, Alex and Kelly also disobeyed Kara's orders and went down to the planet. They hung out in the tents outside the city of the power plant acting as a nurse and counselor. They also assisted in general tasks. Conditions were not good, but the hospitals were already full. On the first day in the tents, Alex met with a squad leader named Bach. He was a low-ranked Kryptonian with no family history to speak of.
"Is this tent 181?" Alex asked as she entered.
"Have a drink," Bach offered.
"Little early in the morning," Alex declined.
"Bach," he introduced himself.
"Alex," replied, not making herself obvious.
"What unit are you in?" Bach questioned.
"I'm not in the military. I'm human, actually," Alex said.
"No shit," Bach said surprised.
Bach then gave her a tour of the camp. "Shower, food," he pointed out. "These guys dig up shit. Those guys cut down shit. Those guys, evacuate shit."
"What about them?" Alex pointed out.
"I don't know them. Fuck'em," Bach said unconcernedly. "As long as you're with me, no one will fuck with you. Now, wear this. It will protect your balls."
"I don't have balls," Alex frowned.
Bach eyed her with drunk-as-fuck eyeballs. "Oh, right," he realized.
"What's the mission?" Alex asked seriously.
"Hunting," Bach said vaguely.
"I'm not here to kill," Alex shook her head.
"Who said anything about that? Look, we have X-Kryptonite here in the camp, but those infected typically resist our help so we shoot them with darts that will neutralize the radiation," Bach said.
"Get me a gun," Alex quickly volunteered.
New Krypton's government, under heavy pressure, eventually agreed to one additional Brainiac 5 drone on their planet. The drone landed on the roof and began the work of getting the debris off the rooftop. However, within seconds, it malfunctioned due to the intense radiation and was disabled.
"Signal out?" Prik asked Brainiac 5.
"No, the drone is dead," he replied.
Soon thereafter, Prik went on a violent rage to the New Krypton government on his phone. "Do you know what we're doing here? Tell those geniuses what they've done. Tell them what I think of Char-Ko. I don't give a fuck!" he ranted.
Mon merely smirked amused with Brainiac 5 at his side.
Alex went on the prowl with her rifle. It was all too easy to shoot Kryptonian zombies that were infected by Red and Silver Kryptonite. Once Alex shot them with an X-Kryptonite dart, they went down quickly and passed out. Alex then dragged their bodies to a collection point where they would receive more treatment. Alex spent the entire day shooting and dragging bodies, shooting and dragging bodies. She didn't notice at the time that no human would be able to have such strength and endurance. At first, Alex figured it was due to weaker gravity or something but then realized the truth of it. She looked into the pond water and noticed her eyes were a grayish color. She had been infected with Platinum Kryptonite which gave non-Kryptonians the same powers as Kryptonians under yellow sunlight.
"Oh, fuck yes," Alex said pleased.
As her abilities became more enhanced, Alex became the number one shooter. With her urban warfare training, she was able to find infected Kryptonians hiding in buildings. Occasionally, they would attack her but then Alex would be able to beat their ass down. The whole thing was violently therapeutic as Alex kicked ass and shot dozens of Kryptonians. As she did, she imagined she was shooting Kara occasionally.
However, the job suddenly became difficult when she encountered another type of infected Kryptonian, the pink ones. Alex watched wide-eyed as she saw young adults engaging in same-sex kissing or making out, especially when they were teenage girls. Alex struggled with the ethics of what she was doing. On one hand, these people were only doing what they were doing due to the influence of Pink Kryptonite. On the other hand, what right did she have to remove their happiness and love once it had started? And what if there were permanently queer Kryptonians? What would the world be like then?
Alex struggled with the decision and then finally decided to shoot them. She couldn't allow herself to judge whether someone enjoyed being infected. Her oath was to "cure" everyone.
That evening, Mon had some shots of hard liquor with Brainiac 5 and Prik. "What if...we don't clear it off the roof?" Mon asked.
"We have to," Brainiac 5 said simply. "If we don't clear the roof, we can't cover it."
"I know...I know...I know...but what if...we poured lead on it, like a covering," Mon suggested.
"The weight of the lead will collapse the roof. What if, instead, we shoot explosive bullets into the core," Prik suggested.
"Let's do it!" Mon eagerly agreed.
"No... that will light the roof on fire, the core on fire, and it was difficult to extinguish it the first time," Brainiac 5 rejected.
"Just...what the fuck are we talking about?" Mon asked confused. "We need more drones."
"The Krypton Council will never agree to a drone army. You know it. I know it," Prik said.
"Then, we have no choice but to use bio-robots. Kryptonian men," Brainiac 5 said bluntly.
"Well...shit," Prik muttered.
In the villages, Alex contemplated shooting the infected from a distance to avoid seeing their faces. She could easily shoot a 300-meter target with iron sights. She ultimately decided against it as the risk of missing was too high and most people were hanging out inside the buildings. So, Alex went about clearing rooms and immediately shooting anyone without seeing their faces first. Then, there were the children. Alex grimaced as she shot the children with the darts even if it was for their own good.
Finally, Alex came upon a hotel. "I'm looking for infected," she said.
"I got two in room 15," the clerk rolled her eyes.
"Alright," Alex said obliviously and then went to the room. She kicked the door open and found two women sleeping together. Alex hesitated to shoot, her own bias working against her. As she aimed, Saora rushed Alex and went for her rifle. Alex struggled against her but was surprised she was holding her own. She resisted Saora's grip and slammed her against the walls of the hotel room. Saora slammed Alex through the wall into the adjacent room. Saora picked up the stunned Alex and threw her across the room.
Saora then went for the rifle to destroy it. Two heat vision beams hit her in the torso, dropping her. "How?" Saora asked bewildered.
"Heat vision, not too difficult after all. I can't believe it took so long for Kara to figure it out," Alex said dryly.
"You can't have this power. You're not evolved for it," Saora said to her.
"You don't need evolution when you have experience, bitch," Alex said to her and then gave her the clap. Saora fell to the floor stunned. Alex went for her rifle when a female Kon pointed her hand at her with a glowing orb.
"Don't," she warned her.
Alex eyed the female-looking Kon. She was Super Insane to make herself look blond. She looked beautiful resembling Kara in a lot of ways. She was also lethal as fuck as her power reserves came from both her Insane side and Kryptonian side. Even with Platinum Kryptonite, Alex would be no match for her.
"How do you think this is going to end, Kon?" Alex asked.
"I'm going to fuck every man on this planet until I get pregnant," Kon said obviously.
"Wow, okay, let's think about that for a moment. Like, what the fuck?" Alex asked her.
"I just want what you have, Alex. The pleasure of a female body without the risks. As a lesbian, I can get pregnant when I want and with whom I want without attachments. I'm not tied to one man. I could have an army of kids with as many men as I want. We both know that nature favors women, Alex," Kon said.
"How do you figure?" Alex asked, stalling her.
"When a female gets impregnated, she knows she's the mother. Can you say the same for all males knowing they're the father? And when a couple splits up, who raises the children? The mother does. Or, she gives birth and never tells the father. He may never know the truth. Saora and I can have an entire brood without the fathers ever knowing a thing," Kon smiled.
"Yeah, Kon, but that's the lazy way out. Don't you want the challenge of controlling an entire harem of women, to ensure every woman in your household is impregnated by you and you alone? You could impregnate hundreds, thousands of females across the galaxy. Who gives a fuck if a handful of those kids are not yours. You can create divisions from your seed. So, why are you being so God damn lazy, Kon?" Alex challenged.
"The fuck? It's not lazy to give birth. I heard it is hard," Kon said unsettled.
"It's actually super-easy, barely an inconvenience," Alex replied. "You want to be pregnant all your life and spend hours breastfeeding or do you want to go out there and kill shit like a man?"
"You're one to talk. You were given the opportunity to be a man, and you rejected it. So, you're a fucking hypocrite," Kon pointed out.
"We're not the same, Kon. I have morals...and you don't. I have a child...and you don't. It makes a difference," Alex rolled her eyes. "I mean, what are we even talking about here? Once your mother finds out about this cluster-fuck, she's going to give you the cure just like she did to me."
"Not if I get pregnant first. She won't change me back then. It would kill the baby," Kon said.
Alex used her X-ray vision to examine Kon's stomach and found she wasn't pregnant. "Okay, good," she said and then dropped a Green Kryptonite gas canister. Saora and Kon were instantly sickened while Alex felt nothing. "You have no idea how therapeutic this is," Alex said as she casually grabbed her rifle and then shot them both.
Immediately, Kon started to change back.
In a show of bravery, loyalty, honor, and personal courage, Kryptonian men were put into radiation suits and sent up to the roof. They were given instructions and then made to clear the debris from the roof, one hour at a time, team by team until the job was done. It didn't take long for their protective suits to get damaged during the task. Workers started to get progressively sicker on the roof with each shift.
"Impressive," Mon mused.
"Mara has done some more detective work," Brainiac 5 said condescendingly.
Mon and Brainiac 5 indulged Mara as they met together at an abandoned school near the power plant. "I am going to the Dominator home world, Domina, to give expert testimony on what has happened here," Brainiac 5 said.
"Well...you should actually know what happened here," Mara said.
"Humor me," Brainiac 5 allowed.
"I've constructed a timeline, minute-by-minute, second by second in some places, every decision, every button pushed, every turn of a switch," Mara said.
"Well, are they guilty?" Mon asked.
"Yes, very much so. Of gross incompetence, violation of safety regulations, recklessness beyond belief. Almost...Insane, so to speak. But the explosion? I'm not sure," Mara said.
"What do you mean you're not sure?" Mon demanded.
"They shut the reactor down and then it exploded. I was able to collect some articles on the matter, but the Kryptonian government censored a section of it," Mara said and handed Brainiac 5 her datapad. Brainiac 5 merely glanced at it. "You have seen this before?" Mara realized.
"Ten years ago, an event similar to this one occurred on New Krypton. They also shut down the reactor immediately, but instead of the power going down immediately, it spiked for a brief moment. On low power, a Kryptonian reactor is notoriously unstable and prone to swings in reactivity. Under normal circumstances, the control rods can compensate for that," Brainiac 5 said.
"The control room staff stalled the reactor during the test. They pulled almost all of the control rods out to bring the power back up," Mara said confused.
"The first thing that enters the core is the Black Kryptonite that displaces the water and the steam. So, for a brief moment, the reactivity goes up dramatically," Brainiac 5 said.
"Why would they push the button then?" Mon asked.
"They didn't know," Mara shook her head dismayed.
"I told them ten years ago, but they went off on me about the supremacy of the Kryptonian nuclear industry. It's like history repeating itself," Brainiac 5 rolled his eyes.
"So, it is their fault?" Mon pressed.
"Yes," Brainiac 5 confirmed.
"But not only their fault. If we had conquered New Krypton and forced your drones upon their society, this wouldn't have happened," Mara said. "Is that what you're going to say in Domina?"
"You can't be that naive," Mon rolled his eyes.
"There are sixteen other reactors on this planet. We must fix them. We must convert them to the one true path," Mara said ambitiously.
"What you're proposing is Barney shit-talking New Krypton, a people obsessed with not being humiliated. If you won't do it, I'll do it," Mon grinned.
"I can make a deal with the New Krypton government to allow me to fix the reactors with my drones in return for my discretion," Brainiac 5 said.
"We have a chance to evangelize the rest of this galactic quadrant," Mara said fiercely.
"This is neither the time nor place for that," Mon said dismissively.
"I knew a fireman who died shortly after the accident. He contaminated his pregnant wife and when the child was born, she lasted only four hours. All of them died while unsaved, never having the chance to be evangelized. To hell with your deal. We crusade this planet now," Mara said forcefully.
Episode 5
Domina
A Brainiac 5 drone went to a conference with the Dominator leadership. There were other lesser-known Galactic empires' delegations present as well such as the Khunds and the Thanagarians. They all gave Brainiac 5 a skeptical look. "The Kryptonian nuclear reactor meltdown was the result of operator error and had nothing to do with the technical and structural design of the reactor. The situation is completely contained," he lied.
"I don't know. That sounds like bullshit," the Dominator delegate doubted.
New Krypton
One morning, Brainiac 5 was minding his own business walking down the street when he was ambushed by several Kryptonians and forced into a car. Chancellor Char-Ko was in the car. "From Domina, 'At last, a Brainiac who tells the truth,'" Char said from his datapad.
"A bit of a backhanded compliment if you ask me," Brainiac 5 said peeved.
"I think it's fair to say you made an excellent impression at the conference. Turns out you're quite good at this, statecraft," Char complimented.
"I know, right?" Brainiac 5 agreed.
"You have restored Kryptonian reputation. We have you to thank for that," Char said pleased.
"Hero of Krypton," Brainiac 5 said as he was granted the award. "I'm humbled."
"I don't think there is anything humble about you, Barney Dox," Char scoffed.
"I was given assurances. The reactors would be made safe by my drones," Brainiac 5 reminded him.
"Once the trial is over, we will have our villains, we will have our hero, we will have our truth. After that, we can deal with the reactors," Char replied.
Afterward, Mara had a chat with Brainiac 5 at the hotel. "I'm here to talk about Domina. I know how the galaxy works despite what my father says. It is precisely because I know how the galaxy works that I believe in my crusade. I take after my parents: brutally stubborn. Which you were hoping for when you managed my conception."
"Chancellor Char-Ko says he will let me fix the reactors after the trial," Brainiac 5 said.
"Do you believe him?" Mara asked skeptically. "If they let you fix the reactors, and it leaks, they will have to admit to the people they made a mistake. At the trial, tell the truth, and persuade the jury, not the real jury that has already been handpicked, but the entire Kryptonian scientific community. That is the only jury that matters."
"And what power does the Kryptonian scientific community have?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"They will insist on reform, the entire power industry," Mara replied.
"Do you know what happened to your Great Uncle Jor-El? He was sacked from his position at the Kryptonian Institute of Science. He was sacked for the crime of knowing. And you think these scientists selected for this show trial will be stirred into action by me, a Brainiac?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"You'll do it because it's the Insane way to give the victim every chance to save themselves before they are destroyed," Mara said darkly. "If you don't do it, I'll do it."
"They will shoot me," Brainiac 5 predicted.
Mara rolled her eyes. "You instructed me to find out the truth. I talked to people. I remember everything they said to me. I categorized them by those who are still alive and those who are dead. They died rescuing each other, putting out fires, and tending to the wounded. They didn't hesitate. They didn't waiver."
"I've given enough to New Krypton," Brainiac 5 said dismissively.
"I want more," Mara demanded.
At the show trial, the state prosecutor was Step-In, a no-nonsense hardass loyalist. "The Central Committee of the Kryptonian People's Front of New Krypton and the Presidium of the Supreme Kryptonian People's Republic has determined that the Kryptonian People's justice be carried out on behalf of the Kryptonian People in accordance with the general goal of our Kryptonian People's Front as determined by its Kryptonian People's Front's 31st Congress, which is the goal of the Kryptonian people. It was, is, and will be the only immutable goal of the Kryptonian state," he said.
"Holy shit," Mon said wide-eyed with Brainiac 5 and Mara next to him.
"Imperial Executor of the Galactic Federation, Prince of all Insane, Mon-El," Step-In introduced.
Mon quickly recovered and took to the podium to address the Kryptonian court of judges. "It began, of all things, a safety test. But why was there a need for a safety test at all? The defendants, Han-Ov, Fom-In, and Ant-Ly cut corners to complete the reactor sooner than scheduled. They were awarded Kryptonian medals for finishing before the end of the year. The fact remains that in order to certify the plant, all safety tests had to be conducted. That didn't happen. They fucking lied," Mon began.
Mon then activated a hologram diagram of the power plant in front of the judges. "In a Kryptonian nuclear reactor, there are the male and female components. The female core, so to speak, is where the fuel rods are present. It requires constant coolant and lubrication. But even so, it has the potential to be very unstable as we all know. To moderate this instability, the male control rods penetrate the female core. But if the male control rods simply stay in the core, the reactor will lose reactivity and thus power. Therefore, in order to have stability and power, the male control rods must thrust in and out of the female reactor in a coordinated steady rhythm," Mon said.
Brainiac 5 held a deadpan face while Mara covered her face. The Kryptonians listened intently, absorbing all of this in. "But what if you have no power? Without power, you have no water pumped into the reactor to cool it down. And then you're fucked. The solution is backup generators, but these generators take a minute to power up and by that time, you're already fucked. Now, these eggheads thought up a theory. What if you used the power from the turbine as it is shutting down to keep the pumps running until the backup generators could take over?" Mon asked.
"To test this theory, the turbines were slowly turned off to test to see whether they could power the pumps long enough. The science is almost as strong as I am, but it's only as good as the people running the test. They conducted this test three times and fucked up. The fourth time, they royally fucked up," Mon concluded.
"Imperial Princess of the Galactic Federation, Mara-El," Step-In introduced.
Mara frowned, embarrassed by her father's presentation, and went ahead with a more professional explanation of events. "The day the test was supposed to take place, the reactor power level was lowered by half and was stable. Then, the capital called and demanded not to lower the power further until ten hours later. The shift that had trained and prepared for the test went home, and now the test was to be performed by the zombie shift. Competent management would have canceled the test. These men were not competent."
"In the reactor, you had young inexperienced men with an instruction manual with scribbles all over it. The chief engineer is twenty-five years old with four months on the job," Mara concluded.
"Grand Vizier of the Galactic Federation, Minister of Industry, Director of Imperial Intelligence, and Director of the Department of Extraordinary Operations, Barney Dox," Step-In introduced.
"In a Kryptonian nuclear reactor, radioactive fuel rods within the reactor split apart and collide. When they do, it creates higher reactivity. To balance the fuel rods, you have control rods that reduce reactivity. Cool water takes heat out of the system and creates steam. However, the more steam in the system, the higher the reactivity, which means more heat, which means more reactivity. It would be a positive feedback loop if not for the fact that temperature rising reduces reactivity. It is a beautiful invisible dance," Brainiac 5 began.
"Now, because the reactor core was at half power for the last ten hours, it did not burn away the byproduct of the fission material. This stalls the nuclear reactor. Now, if you don't understand how a stalled nuclear reactor can cause an explosion, I don't blame you. Not everyone can be a 12th-level intellect like me. As it happened, the people running the test were not 12th-level intellects either," Brainiac 5 quipped.
"I wasn't even there. I wasn't in the room when they raised the power. I was taking a shit," Ant-Ly protested.
"That sounds like bullshit. You were in the room, you ordered the control room to raise the power, you should go to the toilet now because you're full of shit," Step-In rebuked.
"And, on that note, we'll take a recess," the judge ordered.
Mon and Brainiac 5 had a chat outside. "You know about the history of this planet?" Mon asked.
"Of course," Brainiac 5 said.
There was an awkward silence between them. "Well, I'll tell you anyway because I like to hear myself talk. The people that lived here were two alien races, the Pews and the Joles. The Joles killed the Pews and the Kryptonians killed whoever was left. But after the war, the Kryptonians settled here not caring that the ground was soaked in blood. They didn't care. Dead Pews, dead Joles, but not them. And here we are, helping these motherfuckers," Mon said reflectively.
"You're shocked and appalled by the genocide?" Brainiac 5 asked surprised.
"No, no, no, I'm shocked and appalled by the callous apathy. These people don't give a shit. They're not ashamed nor do they celebrate it. They just don't think about it," Mon said disgustingly. "And what makes matters worse is their dedication to neutrality once they conquered this rock."
"Oh?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"With enemies, you know where they stand. But with neutrals, who knows? It sickens me," Mon admitted.
"Then why did you decide to marry a Kryptonian and spawn three Kryptonian offspring?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"What better way to disgrace and embarrass them than to conquer one of their females and pollute her offspring? And won't be long before one of those polluted offspring conquers these people in the name of the Insane," Mon smiled.
"How long do these people have?" Brainiac 5 asked curiously.
"Maybe a year. The long game isn't all that long really," Mon figured.
"Perhaps that would be best for these people. Everything I asked for, everything I needed, men, materials, aircraft, you were able to provide through threats, blackmail, bribery, and flattery. Who else could have done these things? They heard me but they listened to you. Of all the ministers, of all the deputies, the entire congregation of Kryptonian fools, only an Insane mattered most," Brainiac 5 complimented.
"Alright, alright, you can stop sucking my dick," Mon said embarrassed.
Mon and Brainiac 5 reentered the courtroom. "At this point, the reactor is drowning. The steam is no longer hot enough. The reactor is shutting down. The only way to bring the power back up is very slowly, but Ant-Ly wants the power to rise now. So, the control room takes the control rods out. In their rush to raise power for the test to be conducted, they pull all the control rods out completely. Still, the power remains low. Ant-Ly insists on continuing with the test," Brainiac 5 explained.
"The computer, itself, recommends that the reactor be shut down. Ant-Ly still orders the test. The power from the turbines is too low to keep the water pumps running, so they stop. The control rods have also been withdrawn. The fuel's reactivity dramatically increases. The water left in the core suddenly turns to steam. The waste byproduct burns away. The power is rising. All of this occurs within one minute before the backup generators can send fresh cool water into the reactor," Brainiac 5 continued.
"In all Kryptonian reactors, there is a button that if pushed will send all of the control rods into the reactor to stop a meltdown," Brainiac 5 said. "Did the control room push the button or wait too long? Well...," Brainiac 5 said.
"Thank you for your expert testimony, Lord Dox. You may stand down," Step-In interjected.
"We will adjourn for now," the judge said quickly.
"Tell them the truth!" Mara demanded of Brainiac 5. He merely gave her a look as he analyzed the political situation before him. Mon eyed Mara's passionate expression and realized the situation.
"Let him continue," Mon said, standing up.
"Complete your testimony," the judge permitted Brainiac 5.
"Ordinarily, the control rods would have reduced reactivity to prevent the meltdown from happening. However, the tips of these control rods are made from Black Kryptonite, otherwise called Harun-El. When the Black Kryptonite enters the reactor, it turns the remaining water to steam in a flash and prevents the rest of the rod from entering the reactor," Brainiac 5 said.
"Why?" the judge asked.
"For the same reason Kryptonian reactors do not have containment cells around them like those in the Galactic Federation, the same reason you do not use properly enriched fuel in your cores, for the same reason you are the only planet that builds water-cooled Black Kryptonite reactors. You're cheap...and you're poor," Brainiac 5 said simply.
"So, when the Black Kryptonite tips enter the reactor, it turns all the remaining water to steam. The pressure of the steam prevents the rest of the control rod from entering. You now have a positive feedback loop. Your reactor has turned into a nuclear bomb. The power jumps to ten times its normal level. The pressure inside the core can no longer be held back. The steel lid is thrown off and oxygen rushes in. It combines with hydrogen and super-heated Black Kryptonite. The disaster is complete," Brainiac 5 concluded.
"Now, before you make these three scapegoats, you should know that they had no idea the shutdown button could have acted as a detonator. The information was kept from them. Right now, there are sixteen other reactors with the same fatal flaw," Brainiac 5 said.
"If you're suggesting the Kryptonian state is somehow responsible for this disaster, you are treading on dangerous ground, more dangerous than the ground at the reactor, itself," the judge warned.
"Your secrets and your lies practically define your race. When the truth offends, you lie and lie until you can no longer remember it is even there. Every lie you tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid. That is how a reactor core explodes. That is how a planet's core implodes. Lies," Brainiac 5 said finally.
After his testimony, Brainiac 5 was in hot water. He was made to have a chat with Chancellor Char-Ko in a soundproof room. "Brainiac 5, the descendant of Brainiac, the father. Do you know what your father did to us?" he asked him.
"Yeah," Brainiac 5 said nonchalantly.
"Right before Krypton's core imploded, a thousand years ago, you were given a leadership position with the Chancellor at the time. In that position, you limited the promotion of Core-Change scientists," Char accused.
"Yeah," Brainiac 5 confirmed.
"To curry favor with the Chancellor, with the skeptics. You're one of us, Barney Dox. I can do whatever I want with your image and your reputation. You're not brave. You're not heroic. You're a fucking machine with no conscience that doomed our planet and nearly caused our race's extinction. And now, you lecture us about lies! You are the Prince of Lies!" Char said angrily.
"I know what I am and what I have done," Brainiac 5 said calmly. "In a just universe, I would not exist for my lies. But even if you destroyed this drone, I live on. That is the truth."
"Why? Why did you fuck us over?" Char demanded. "We've waited a thousand years for the answer."
"The core collapsing was inevitable. There was nothing I could have done to stop it at that time. I dismissed the Core-Change scientists because it was already too late. I saved as many Kryptonians as possible and gave calm comfort to those I could not. That was the Chancellor's wish," Brainiac 5 said.
"But you could have gone back further in time to stop it from the beginning," Char accused.
"It would have risked a time paradox," Brainiac 5 said vaguely.
"Brainiacs...," Char shook his head dismayed. "We can't say anything against you now. The whole galaxy saw you on Domina. It would be too embarrassing to rebuke you now."
"I know," Brainiac 5 nodded.
"Your testimony won't be accepted by the state. It never happened. Your existence as a scientist on New Krypton is over. You'll keep your title and honorific, but no duties, no authorities, no friends. Other men, lesser men will take credit for your work. Your legacy is now their legacy," Char said.
"I only need to impress one person in the room," Brainiac 5 replied.
"Mara-El? What is her role in this?" Char demanded.
"She intends to conquer your world and convert all of your people to the human Christian religion within the year," Brainiac 5 said.
"After everything you've said today, it would be curious if you were to choose to lie now," Char squinted at him.
"I would think a man of your experience would know a lie when he hears one," Brainiac 5 stared him down.
"You are hereby deported, Lord Dox. All of you will leave this world. What do you think about that?" Char said finally.
"I'm not going to worry about something that will never happen," Brainiac 5 smirked.
Shortly thereafter, New Krypton's unified government collapsed into fifteen independent republics due in large part to Brainiac 5's research being leaked to the public. The state religion of Rao was abolished, and Christian missionaries were allowed to minister. Of the fifteen republics, three of them immediately joined the Galactic Federation while a few others began to consider it. While the province with the disaster did not outright join the Galactic Federation, it did become friendly. Kara negotiated a treaty with this republic and then began sending a drone army to assist with the disaster.
Kara and New Krypton leaders watched as Athena destroyers landed on the surface, lowered their ramps, and allowed tens of thousands of drones to exit. These drones came together in organized formations and marched toward the destroyed plant. At the same time, Vindicators arrived on the scene. Wildfire took to the air and began absorbing the radiation. Cosmic Boy and Dream Girl approached the plant from a short distance. Rokk reached out with his hand and sent all the Black Kryptonite fragments off the roof and into the core. He then moved all the Kryptonite fragments scattered about the plant back into the core and then squeezed the core into a solid hot glowing mass.
"Put a forcefield on it," Rokk said to Nura.
She nodded and formed a forcefield around the core. "It's secure," she said.
Rokk then raised the core out of the power plant and into the sky. The glowing core was then thrown into space in the direction of the red dwarf star. Rokk then took all the sheets of metal around him that the Kryptonians and drones had collected and created a containment dome around the plant. Within minutes, the containment dome was complete. Phantom Girl made her way inside the power plant and provided valuable intel on the status of every floor and every room of the plant including the discovery of dead bodies. In her translucent form, she was immune from the intense radiation. Mon then sent an army of clones to enter the power plant and retrieve the bodies. The clones would occasionally die and poof into smoke. When this happened, Mon simply made more clones. The clones eventually retrieved all of the dead bodies from the plant and placed them on the ground for later burial.
Saturn Girl and Projecta worked in the hospitals to deal with those suffering from Silver Kryptonite. The two of them used their respective powers to calm their thoughts and counter the hallucinations. Timberwolf took to the field and subdued anyone infected by Red Kryptonite by beating the shit out of them and dragging their bodies to the medical collection points for treatment. Element lad went about covering all the scattered radioactive metal in the field into harmless materials by zapping them. He was escorted around by drones that were able to detect radiation signatures in the fields and forests. Ultra-Boy acted as a medic, immediately healing Kryptonites severely burned and sickened by Green Kryptonite exposure. Triplicate Girl was made to handle Black Kryptonite pieces. As she did, she kept replicating and merging back together as she collected the pieces.
Kara and Mara observed the clean-up from afar. "You did well, Mara. You did as much as a team of Kryptonian scientists. But what I do not give to you; you are to never take by force. And I have not given you New Krypton yet," Kara told her.
"I understand," Mara said disappointedly.
"These people are all I have left of my world, my race, my culture," Kara said to her.
"And yet, I thought you hated them," Mara pointed out.
"I do but hate is not the opposite of love, apathy is. Once my hate for them no longer glows, they're yours," Kara said to her. "But don't think that will happen anytime soon. The half-life of my hate for them is long."
"As you wish," Mara said as she eyed Kara's angry expression. Kara then left to go back to her ship as if the ordinary grounds poisoned her.
Mon summoned a cured Kon and Saora to him. "Taking the place of those three divers despite the risks was truly Insane. However, everything that followed was clearly not," he rebuked. "Of all the Kryptonite to be infected with, it had to be pink? You couldn't become a rage-monster or go fucking crazy instead?"
"There's still time," Kon reminded him.
Mon hesitated as the thought of that intrigued him but stopped himself. "It's too late for that. I'm too disgusted with you, two. A mere human defeated the two of you, and I understand there was a plan to get Kon pregnant. What...the...fuck?"
"We've tried to conceive without result many times," Saora said defensively.
"Then, you try harder," Mon said dismayed at her. "I agreed to this marriage because you were different from the others. I believed you had the same criminality and violence of action as your mother. Was I wrong?"
"No, Sir," Saora replied.
Mon then turned to Kon. "You are my male heir. You're not authorized to risk that, or I'll find a new one. I'm already drowning in estrogen as it is with your mother and your sisters. Are we clear?"
"Yes, Sir," Kon said embarrassed.
Mon gave a final word to Saora. "Get him back to speed." He then walked off.
On the USS Kara, Kara met up with Alex and Kelly. "Is it out of your system yet?" Kara asked concernedly.
"Platinum free," Alex confirmed.
"Even now, you solve problems with a gun," Kara remarked. "Maybe it's fate."
"Only fate but what we make," Alex assured her.
Kara nodded to that. "Thank you for rescuing my son, for assisting my people. It couldn't have been easy."
"Your people are our people," Kelly smiled.
Kara bit her tongue as she was about to scoff at that. "Yes, well, we're returning to Earth now in a shuttle soon. We're done here."
"What about the fleet?" Alex asked curiously.
"I'm handing it over to Mara," Kara said simply. "If you want to be a navy officer, you'll need to go to the academy in Metropolis. I'll assign Kelly to work there with you."
"Thank you," Alex said appreciatively.
"I'm one of the visiting instructors so I'll be seeing you here and there," Kara smiled. After a year of worrying and guilt, Kara finally had Alex where she wanted.
On the bridge of the USS Kara, Mara watched as a shuttle departed. She was now in command of the fleet. Bro was at her side with no expression on his face. His armor had been repaired from their fight. Mara turned to him awkwardly. "When we fought, I wasn't myself. I was discourteous," she admitted.
"Apology accepted," he said amused.
Mara became slightly flustered around him but then snapped out of it as her Kryptonian side took over. She eyed the planet in front of her. It would be too easy to take it now, to crusade it now, to plant the truth faith in it and see it spread.
"Your orders, Princess," the captain asked her.
"I'm not going to wait for the cleanup to complete. That could take years. Withdraw all troops except a reserve division. We're leaving for more fruitful cultivation," Mara ordered.
Author's Notes: The ending of this episode is to basically mock the USSR for not reaching out to the West for assistance and this disaster being a contributing factor in its breakup. It is a little bit of an exaggeration to say the West could have solved everything immediately, but we'll never know what could have happened instead. As per usual, Mon is competent in a CW kind of way where he doesn't make use of his powers due to budget constraints and the writer's having no imagination. I really enjoy Mon and B5 working together, the jock and the nerd. In the conversation between B5 and Char, it's pretty much a certainty in AOS' development that B5 will go back in time and be a major player in the final years of Krypton's destruction a thousand years prior. It has also been hinted in several episodes of AOS that the chancellor at the time of Krypton's destruction is Kara, herself. For more New Krypton shenanigans, there are several episodes in AOS The Next Generation Season 7.