13570/United Under Sol

United Under Sol
Date of Scene:	14 December 2022
Location:	The Grove of Antiope
Synopsis:	Kal and Alura chat in Themyscira about what it means to be Kryptonian on Earth. Kal imparts a great deal of hard earned wisdom.
Cast of Characters:	Alura In-Ze, Clark Kent

---

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura knows she should feel drained. She was on deaths door when she escaped the phantom zone. Instead, she feels alive and refreshed. The sun is like a warm bath and she has been zoning out at times just sitting in it. Apparently, she's been told, this is normal for a Kryptonian on Earth.

As well as that, the knowledge placed in to her mind by the telepath has given her more than a basic understanding of English and Greek, allowing her to communicate with the locals. Though, there are hundreds more languages to learn on this planet.

The notion that she would gain beyond-Kryptonian abilities has only just started to sink in when she accidentally shattered her first clay mug simply picking it up. Alura has been less than enthusiastic to touch anything since.

Sitting in the grove on the grass she's been taking in the wild colours of life here. The purples she finds familiar yet striking against the greens and browns of the trees. The green grass everywhere is equally strange and the way it clashes with the blue skies of the horizon is like an art class gone wrong in her mind. Yet, it works for this planet. This is not Krypton, this is Earth.

Clark Kent has posed:
    Another example of what a yellow sun can do for a Kryptonian comes into view over the trees. Kal-El is not anywhere near his top speed, almost drifting along at a walking pace. He's conscious of the honor the Amazons have given him by allowing him on their island. Their society is becoming more moderate, but they're nowhere near opening up the island yet.

    He touches down a few feet from Alura with a wave, saying "It's good to see you looking better, Alura. I'm sure the Amazons are treating you well, and it would be difficult not to relax in these surroundings." He pauses a moment, then adds, "Or you could find the colors bizarre, I suppose. I've seen pictures of Krypton, but I arrived here as a baby, so these colors are normal for me."

    He sits down on the brilliantly green grass and relaxes a little, "So, how _are_ you feeling? I imagine you've gotten enough sun that you're starting to feel the results of that solar energy building in you."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura looks up. Kara flies. Karen flies. Clark flies. Once you've seen it three times it becomes less surprising. She was told he'd be coming. Rising she walks over to meet him. Wearing a long flowing white gown they've provided her, she's added her own belt which somehow survived null space's effects probably because of what it's made from. The silver belt has upon it a small red metal like shield as its buckle with the El family crest upon it, a gift from her husband Zor.

Sands press gently in to the manicured grass and she rests her hands to his for arms. "Kal," she says delighted to see him again. The look she gives him is one of 'how did you grow up in to such a man' but she knows the weirdness of time that has taken place. Even discussed briefly with Kara how she's still so young. It's like she gets to continue where the two of them left off.

"I'm astonished by how my physiology is reacting to Sol. It's like the old poems from ancient Krypton, how they used to talk about Rao," she states, her fingers resting gently against Kal's arm, not wanting to 'grip' for fear of doing damage.

"It is extremely relaxing and the people are nice - though very militaristic. But yes, the colours are absolutely crazy," she adds with a laugh. "I've been told the palette of Earth feels normal after a while."

She sits down with him, happy to feel the alien plants against her once more. "Oh gosh. Feelings. Well, overwhelmed. I am relieved to be out of the phantom zone but extremely guilty," she taps at her chest, "for my part in helping it become a prison. I should have stood up for what I believed at the time and spoke out against Roz's plan. But.. I didn't."

She shakes her head slowly. "Like everyone in Argo I am still struggling with survivors guilt, especially after ending up here. I kept telling myself there as nothing more we could have done."

At the mention of the solar energy she looks down at her hands and back to him, "Yes. They've told me not to worry when I break things but I can't help feeling badly about it anyway. Just when I feel like I've got a handle on it, I seem to get stronger again and things break a-new."

Clark Kent has posed:
    Kal-el nods, "Believe me, it took some time for me, and I grew up here. I was fortunate that they grew over time, but I still managed to break some pretty expensive farm equipment along the way. That's one of the reasons we brought you here. It's basically a closed system, so you don't have to deal with hordes of people, and the Amazons are fairly hard to break by accident, unlike baseline humans."

    "Strength or durability are usually the first to manifest, and judging by your somewhat tentative greeting, I'm going to assume for you it's been strength. It will take practice to learn to judge how much you need to exert. I'll have a few cases of cheap wineglasses delivered. That way you can work on it without breaking too many of the Amazon's things.

    "As for the Phantom Zone, let's face it, once it was a possibility someone would have created it. Science tends to be like that, sometimes the 'should we' falls victim to 'can we'. It's the same here, there have been any number of times scientists created something that threatened the very planet they live on. Curiosity to dangerous levels is not just the birthright of our own scientists, it's fairly universal."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura nods her head. So, these people were more hardy than the general population. That puts them on par with how they were on Krypton. "I see. Just - what else should I expect to suddenly manifest from this exposure to Sol? Strength and durability, I will learn to adapt to it. People have been cagey with me about what I will be going through. It's not that they don't want to tell me, but I think they feel it's not their place to tell me."

There's a sigh too at the discussion of the phantom zone. "I worked with Roz to create the first dimensional bridge in to null space. It was a shaky and dangerous thing but we were opening the way to a whole new realm. There was excitement. But we obtained permission at every step of the way because science was strongly regulated on Krypton. It is deeply seated in our culture after all."

"As one science crime was being committed, so was the crime of turning our discovery in to a prison colony. Roz had strange ideas and, honestly, with the perspective I have now she should have been stopped. But it was the first person we sentenced to the phantom zone, Jax-Ur, who made it possible for me to escape. There's some irony in that. The man was clearly broken when I found him in there; perhaps because of what he'd done to land himself in there.. or perhaps just from null space itself."

"I don't know if you knew the story - Krypton had two moons. Mithen and Wegthor. Wegthor was where we had a lunar colony - but Jax-Ur thought he had created a new way to travel faster than light. His request to build and test the device was denied by the sciences guild. He went ahead and did it anyway on Wegthor."

She looks down at the grass and strokes her fingers through it. "The explosion killed a lot of people and Jax-Ur was deemed a science criminal. Little did I know at the time he had been trying to bridge to null space too. Ironic, that he and I both had the same ideas - we could use null space to travel to other galaxies. But his ambition caused him to commit one of the worst crimes in modern Kryptonian history."

Clark Kent has posed:
    With a nod Kal replies "The name did come up when I was researching the Phantom Zone. When I was sent here, so was the seed of what now is referred to as the Fortress of Solitude. Probably because I tend to retreat there when I need a little break from life in general. It has a fairly complete collection of Kryptonian knowledge from the time I was, well, launched." He shrugs a bit and adds, "Once you are ready to visit the outside world, you will have access to it, as the other Kryptonians on Earth do."

    "As far as what you can expect, let's see... Besides the strength and durability, you'll also find that you can move and react many times faster than you used to be able to. That's one of the harder ones to learn to control. Your senses will change immensely, not just becoming more powerful, but also gaining the ability to see and hear things that were once outside our normal range of senses. I can actually look through solid objects and see what is inside or behind them. For some reason, the only thing that can block me is a metal called lead. I'll be working with you closely when your senses start to expand, because learning to block out the chorus of sounds and controlling the way your eyes see can be very difficult."

    He pauses, then decides to just get it all out there so that Alura can decide what she has questions on. "The flying is an obvious one, of course. We can actually fly into space if we want to, even vacuum can't harm us. We do have to take a deep breath first, but that breath can last up to a day, so we can operate under water or in space as needed. For even more esoteric abilities, we can freeze things with our breath and fire heat rays from our eyes."

    He looks up at the sky for a moment, then continues "You mentioned Rao, and honestly, we may even surpass what he was capable of." He looks over to her and says "It can be tempting when you realize that almost nothing in the world can even slow you down, much less stop you. Any one of us could easily conquer this world if we wished. I have had to defend Earth against other Kryptonians with that very thought in mind. General Dru-Zod and his followers, to be specific. And the other Kryptonians here agree with my stance of protecting the planet rather than ruling it, so we can handle some fairly serious problems."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura smiles a moment as Kal describes the fortress as a place he goes to to retreat from the world. "You can thank your father for that. He felt that even though you would blend in here on Earth, you and Kara might need a place that was a piece of our home. So they sent a colony survival habitation with both of the pods. It seems Kara's never activated - I'd like to use the Fortress's production facilities to create a satellite to search for it some time. It's no pressing matter, it can wait. But I'm glad it's worked well for you."

But then he begins to rattle off the various physiological advantages they have here under the light of Sol. Her expression grows from wonder to shock with each passing moment. "I'm not a religious person, otherwise I'd have been in the mediator guild, but Rao that... puts some speculative history in to a whole new perspective."

Her eyes flit back and forth as she contemplates what's going to happen to her body. "And when I leave this world, will these changes stay with me or will I revert back to normal? I intend to return to Argo - I have to let Zor know I found you both. And more. So much more."

But then he name drops Dru-Zod and her eyes shoot open wide, "Dru's alive?! How is that possible." The emotions that flash across her face are myriad and complex. It's not a clear answer to how she feels about the man. Her lips twitch and she furrows her eyebrows. Dru-Zod would have these abilities too. "And he has followers? That man was found guilty of crimes against Krypton, he is no General anymore. Though, I suppose I and the people of Argo are the only ones who can claim that is so. He made a bad situation worse; when our sun went in to its last moments we had only a week to prepare for the worst."

She balls up her fists a little, "He believed that the high council was keeping the truth from everybody and that they were responsible - so he insurrected and tried to take over. I ended up in the civil defence unit that caught him. I should have been helping Zor with the shielding project. Dru is a... well I'm not sure where we stand now but we used to be friends."

She takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Looking to Clark she nods her head, "I will appreciate your help as these changes come to me. You are clearly the man your father always hoped you'd be. He'd have been proud Kal. Confused at the way you dress, but proud." She smiles a little playfully.

Clark Kent has posed:
    Chuckling, Kal looks down at himself, then explains "This world seems to be a nexus of dimensional activity and possibilities. An almost infinite number of realities can all be reached from here. I'm not sure why, but this planet seems to be the crossroads of reality. It also means that a huge number of - Let's say unusual people have appeared here. They have superhuman abilities much as we do, though for different reasons. Mutation, experiments gone wrong, even what they call magic is real here."

    "Now, many of them have become forces for good in this world, and I'm proud to stand beside them. But a good number cater to their own greed and hunger for power. But for some reason, both sides have taken to wearing these costumes. Perhaps just to let people know they are there to help them, on the other side for intimidation purposes. The costume has another function, as well. I live a second life among the humans, as a normal member of society. A great number of heroes do as well, because we all need a break from people clamoring for our help, or just following us around because they want to know about us. Basically, most heroes need some time to not be on call every moment of their lives."

    "As for our powers, we've done some experiments with it, and it seems to be caused by Earth's yellow sun. When we leave here, the reserves of energy eventually become depleted, and we are no stronger than any other Kryptonian. Should we find ourselves in the area of another yellow star, it works just like this one does."

    "Dru-Zod has been a problem from time to time, but he does have a certain amount of honor left. I still don't trust him, mind you, but on some things he can be worked with." He shrugs again, "I suppose I can sort of understand the insidious call of almost absolute power, but fortunately I was found and raised by a simple farmer and his wife. They raised me as their own, and along the way instilled a healthy respect for honesty and helping others. They were probably the best influence a boy could have as he came to realize that there was nothing on this planet that could stop him from doing just what he wanted."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura rests her hands back in to her lap and nods her head slowly as she takes in some of the strange geopolitics of this world. "Krypton made a lot of mistakes in its past. It was interesting flying to Themyscira and seeing vast populations living out in the open, in the environment, sprawling cities."

"Krypton wasn't like that. We had several domed megacities because a lot of the environment outside them was too harsh. I can understand that desire to grab the yoke by the reins and make sure this world doesn't follow in the same mistakes - but that act alone is one of those mistakes."

She thinks for a little while and says, "Dru wasn't doing it out of a lust for power. His primary duty, as were all in the warriors guild, was to protect. Though I can't help but worry about his mental health. I know everyone in Argo suffered greatly at the loss of Krypton. Myself included. It still hurts in my heart every time I think about it."

"I know Dru, he has likely taken the death of our home world very personally. Reasoning with someone requires understanding their footing first. I expect, as I think I would feel, that he wants to redeem himself. But he's going to do that the only way he knows how - as a warrior."

She smiles a little, "A family adopted you here too. Like Kara. What Earth name did you take? I intend to meet these Danvers people and thank them for looking after my daughter. I should do the same with yours too on Jor and Lara's behalf."

Clark Kent has posed:
    "My name here is Clark Kent, given by the parents who raised me, Jonathan and Martha Kent. Jonathan has unfortunately passed, but Martha is still on the farm. I am a journalist, reporting on news and events." He smiles a bit shyly as he says, "Apparently a very good one, as I've won several awards for my work. It can be a little strange to live two different lives, but I have it a bit better than most thanks to our abilities. I don't actually need to eat and need very little sleep, so I have the time to do both. A lot of heroes have a hard time balancing their secret identity with their hero life."

    "Basically, that boils down to 'thank goodness there are so many heroes here so someone can take up the position while others are resting.' Eventually you will have to make that choice as well once you can control your abilities. You will have to decide if you want to join in protecting this planet or simply live on it. Just to get it out there, I want you to know that if you just want to live a normal life, it won't make me think anything less of you, and I'm fairly certain I speak for the others in that as well. Constantly trying to deal with the worst the universe can throw at you is not a life I would wish on anyone."

    "Oh, another thing as well. The costumed heroes usually have names that sync with their abilities. Mine was provided by the house symbol. On Earth, it looks like an S, so when I started helping people they saw the S and called me Superman. Not many people know me by Kal-El except for close friends and family. When Kara made her appearance with a costume rather like mine, she became Supergirl. A bit simplistic, but it works well enough."

    "Oh, there's one very, very important thing you need to know about. There is a substance here on Earth that somehow came from Krypton, usually in the form of green crystals. It is deadly to us. Even being near it saps our powers and causes great pain. Long enough and we could even die from the exposure. There are several colors of kryptonite that have varying effects on us. I'll write up a quick report on the types and what they do and give it to you so you know what you need to."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
"Clark Kent," she repeats the name and nods her head committing it to memory. "They clearly raised a fine young man. I know I will find strange cultural clashes here on this planet. It's not Krypton, that life is gone now. I'll adapt, I'm sure, but you were raised here so I hope you don't mind if I occasionally have questions to which the answer might be very obvious."

"So that's where they got the name Superman from," she says with a small chuckle. "That tells me a lot about human creativity right there. I'll think on it - there's a lot for me to acclimate to first."

But the discussion of Kryptonite has her frown a little bit. "Ah," is what she says about that. "I imagine that makes it very hard to study too. I'll definitely want to read about that. Jor did an incredible job finding this planet. There are a people here who helped him while he was here."

"I wrote the name down because it's not particularly native to Kryptonian in pronounciation. I wondered if they had helped you too but perhaps not. Jor claims a bond was formed between he and them."

She pulls back the sleeve of the gown to reveal her Kryptonian arm bracer and with a motion a holographic display appears. Icons flow in the air above it and she touches the air before them to bring up a word - from Earth - written in Kryptonian: "Wa-kan-da," she says.

Clark Kent has posed:
    "Yes, I believe they learned a bit from him, actually. They are a small nation on the continent of Africa, but they are extremely advanced scientifically. They are sitting on the only known deposit of a metal called vibranium, which has driven their science to great heights. Their current king is actually a friend, and is also a hero called the Black Panther, after the spirit or god that they believe gives the king his abilities. It's a bit of religion and the supernatural mixed with science, and somehow it works for them."

    And yes, it is hard to study something that kills you if you are too close to it. I generally let the scientific minds I know and trust do the needed research. I always have to be a bit careful though, because there are a few enemies out there who know about it and use it against me. We are also vulnerable to what the humans term 'magic'. It's hard to explain exactly what it is, since if you ask a dozen people what magic really is, you'll get a dozen answers. The easiest wat I can put it is that it seems to be a manipulation of the energies of the universe, and it treats us exactly as it would a normal person."

    "But this conversation has taken a bit of a darker turn, so let us put the various dangers of the planet behind us for now. You must have some specific questions, so feel free to ask whatever you like."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura swipes over the bracer shutting it off, preserving power, then draws down the sleeve. She smiles at the mention of a connection to Wakanda. "Fascinating," she comments and nods in agreement to his desire to change topics. "Really I just want to know if you're happy here. If Kara is happy here."

"I don't know what lies ahead of me, this isn't how I expecting my life to go but you do what you need to do as a mother. Kal this goes both ways. I will help you however I can, we're all family. And if you have questions about Krypton I will give you my unbiased opinion."

"This world appears to be on the cusp of exploring space and I was told by Donna that more aliens are visiting here peacefully and violently than ever before. Your description of this place as a nexus fits with an anthropolical model of young space faring worlds. This is the time when they thrive or die - when you use your powers to help, but not rule, how do you choose what is or is too much of an influence?"

Clark Kent has posed:
    "I have no doubt that we are affecting this world's path, but then, so are the heroes who are born here with powers. I try not to make myself the judge of what is right and what is wrong. Going down that path leads to a very dark place. We all just try to help people, generally to stop those using their powers to hurt others, force them into submission or enrich themselves at the expense of others. There are an number of small wars, countries who oppress their people and the like that we don't get involved in. It can be very hard to hold back sometimes, but the humans have to make their own mistakes and advance on their own."

    "As for their space exploration, they are indeed starting to do so. The group that I am one of the leaders of has a base on Earth's moon, there are several bases and stations in orbit, and the Earth's first spaceport has recently been built. At the moment, there are more aliens coming here than humans going out there, but they are indeed on the cusp of a true spacefaring society."

    He nods, "I will take you up on that at some point, but perhaps after you've acclimated to being here. That's really the main thing I want you to focus on, and I am always available to help you. I think you'll get used to it pretty well, there are enough of us to help you with anything new that crops up." He smiles again and adds, "And honestly, being able to fly is the greatest freedom anyone could ask for. I usually spend some time each day on the edge of space, just watching the planet turn beneath me. So much of the petty ugliness that plagues Earth just vanishes when you're that far up, and all you see is the beauty of the planet."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura shuts her eyes a moment to imagine what Kal is telling her. Watching a planet turn without being in a space ship, or a space suit. It seems impossible, like science fiction. When she opens her eyes again she looks up in to the blue skies above; a puffy white cloud making its slow march across the vista.

"I desperately wany to know how it is we could have such powers just from a chance in solar radiation. There must be a scientific explanation; though one of the people you were with when I arrived, Monet, put thoughts in to my mind without technology. That is bringing all kinds of theories in to my mind about how it could have been done."

She looks to the man beside her, "Kal. Clark.. which do you prefer? Do you know how it is that you can fly? I can explain in great detail how to generate anyi-gravity fields to produce levitation using science but to the best of my knowledge, biologically speaking, we don't have any such technology inside our own bodies for flight."

Clark Kent has posed:
    "It is rather strange, I must admit. I'm afraid that I have not really followed in my father's footsteps. In our terms, I would be a warrior rather than a scientist. If you would like to study why we are affected as we are, I would be happy to make myself available for tests. I think you are the first Kryptonian scientist here on Earth, so you would be the obvious one to take on that kind of study."

    "It actually depends on the situation. Speaking in private like this I prefer Kal, while should we meet up at some point when I'm in my Clark Kent persona, it would be Clark so that, as they say here, my cover isn't blown. And when in public wearing the costume, it's generally Superman."

    He notes the lengthening shadows of the trees and says "I'm afraid I have to go for now, I'm expected at an event. I'm sure one of the others will be by shortly, they're all pretty excited that you've made it here."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura hmms thoughtfully. Even with this language pushed in to her mind there's a lot of disconnects. Higher level science concepts seem not to have words; at least from where-ever Monet pulled the language from. Perhaps her own mind. But if they're heading in to space then Earth must have some very smart people indeed.

"May be I can find a way to help this world. Take some of the pressure off their shoulders as they try to solve problems beyond them. It seems like a strange fine and morally ambiguous line to walk."

She grins a moment though, "Calling you Superman will take some gettin used to. Especially calling my darling daughter Supergirl. That... that will be stranger still. I may have to come up with a false identity so that I can blend in with you both.

She rises up though when he says he needs to go. "I appreciate you walking me through this Kal. It's ... it's an indescribable situation to be put in. Kara has been through it and it seems perhaps that other woman, the other Kara from another reality, has likely been through it too. I suppose it's Immigration."

She offers her forearms to him and says, "Kal-El, let the light of Sol shine upon you." She adapts a saying from Krypton, changing Rao their sun to Sol, ths sun of Earth. "When I've learnt to fly, I'd like to visit the Fortress."

Clark Kent has posed:
    Kal returns the gesture, "And on you as well, Alura In-Ze. And you are welcome to visit any time, all of us are more than strong enough to carry you if you have not learned to fly yet." He gives a little smile and says "And it's good that the durability usually kicks in first, because then crashing into things while you learn doesn't hurt."

    With that nugget of wisdom dispensed, he rises into the sky and streaks away to the east, vanishing from sight.