14852/Kandor: An Alliance with Zod

Kandor: An Alliance with Zod
Date of Scene:	27 May 2023
Location:	Hyperspace
Synopsis:	Alura's failed attempt at diplomacy draws in Kal and Kara to rescue her from Zod. But Zod has bigger ideas and engages Brainiac. Kal sacrifices himself, staying behind on the embattled Zod ship to allow Kara and Alura to escape with the bottled city of Kandor. To be continued in +scene 15011
Cast of Characters:	Alura In-Ze, Kara Danvers, Clark Kent

---

Alura In-Ze has posed:
The message arrives in hologram form in the Fortress of Solitude, but video form to the Justice League - if anyone happens to be watching at least. Alura stands confidently in her Superwoman uniform as she addressed with all seriousness the recipients of this message.

"Kal, Kara - whom ever might receive this message. It has been a day since I departed to negotiate with Dru-Zod. In my adult life I knew him well. The man you write about in your journals, Kal, is not the man I knew. But I believe that man might still exist in him. I have decided to go alone because of his more recent entanglements and hostile interactions with you both."

"But, given you are now hearing this message, I fear my diplomacy has failed. I wished to encourage him to collaborate with us to restore Kandor from its bottled city state to its full size on a new world, New Krypton."

"Unfortunately, the last time I saw Dru-Zod I was pointing a weapon at him and arresting him for insurrection. He and his allies were sentenced to the phantom zone but as I now know, Dru never made it there."

She paces a moment and says, "With the help of Doctor Reed Richards, I was able to devise a way to defeat the Kryptonian stealth technology on our ships. I have determined that Zod's ship is hiding in orbit around PCX-7178R a mere 117 light years from Earth. Please, come and find me. Assume if you cannot contact me when you arrive that Dru-Zod is hostile."

Her expression turns back to the 'camera' and she frowns. "I apologise for not telling you yesterday about my plans. I knew you would protest. Rightly so - but I still had to give this the best chance of succeeding. I am.. pre-emptively saddened that it has failed and justified in leaving this message to you. I left the Kryptonian scout ship cloaked outside the Fortress. It knows the way here."

Kara Danvers has posed:
It's possible for Kara to go days without seeing her mother, so it is not out of character to receive no response immediately when she sends her a message. Sometimes Alura gets caught up in her work, distracted, it happens. Which is why she'd flown out to the Fortress and how she'd come upon the warning message. With a growing frown, she'd paced in the ice crystal sanctuary, waiting for Kal to arrive, waiting for them to come up with some kind of plan.

"I wish she'd told me..." Said for the nineth time, well aware that speaking it wont make it true now. Out side, she boards the uncloaked scout ship with her cousin and makes her way towards the controls to set them on an intercept for the programmed coordinates. Fingers moving across the holographic display, readying the vessel for transport. The second Kal arrives, the second he gives the go-ahead that he's onboard, Kara is determined to go get her mother back.

No matter WHAT that means for Dru-Zod.

Clark Kent has posed:
"Zod." It was one word. "Alura has done what she can. Now it is our turn." Kal turns to the cloaked ship. "So. Here we go again."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
The last interactions with Zod were done on Earth. This time there's no worry about collateral out in the middle of no where. Space. The scout ship arrives around a dead world with spots of red and green. No atmosphere and in orbit - a glowing white star. The Kryptonian warship that Zod controls.

"Send the signal," Zod says. His arms tucked behind him as he stands in the middle of the bridge in his dark armor.

"Dru stop. This is suicide!," Alura insists. Kneeling down on a platform. Three white energy rings circle about her - a force field that she dares not touch. Her agitation growing rapidly.

"Quiet Alura! This is a fighters guild matter, not thinkers guild. We've prepared for this."

And by prepare he means gathering up all the escaped Kryptonians, so far, from the phantom zone. A total of 33 of them now walk this ship. Each armored. Faora watches Alura with distrust.

The truth is, this mission was doomed from the start. Alura had a chance of getting through to Zod but the majority of people around him now loath Alura. For she had a significant hand in creating the bridge technology that allowed Kryptonians to travel to and from the phantom zone. Even though it wasn't her idea to use the zone as a prison, they still blame her in part. She blames herself too - the phantom zone projector was never meant to make a prison colony.

Kara Danvers has posed:
The ship arrives and Kara glances over at Kal, then to the planet sitting dorment and dead in space. "I hope mom left instructions on how to scan for a cloaked vessel." She murmurs to herself, dancing her fingers across the controls trying to bring up the schematic. While they likely both have a resevour of energy banked from their time on Earth, with no yellow sun in the system that power would drain rapidly.

It DID give them an advantage.

So long as they could capitalize on it.

Sitting cloaked themselves, she angled the scout ship and waited.. Either for the ship to materialize or for their sensors to pick it up. "Get ready.. I'm not sure for what, but... That's what they always say, right? Get ready?"

Clark Kent has posed:
This was always going to be a doomed mission. Zod was...Zod. Alura was who she was. Faora was Faora. Kara was Kara. Cousin. Kal El was Kal El. His father's son. This was never going to be easy. Alura made the call. Space it was. And space was where it would be.

The signal was received. "General Zod." His voice was eerie, almost like his father was speaking for him. The same voice..."This is Kal El."

Mute. Looking at Kara, Kal El says, "I wish she had told me too. We're in this together Kara. Family is family." Kal takes a moment to place his right hand on Kara's shoulder in comfort, if she allows it. "It is you and me Kara. Together. As it has always been. Family." His voice was warm, meant only for family. "You are my only family left Kara. I would do anything for you. Let's do this together."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
The ship knows and as Kara queries about finding the stealth ship, an out line of the cloaked Kryptonian war ship appears on the main screen.

Jax-Ur presses the button. The signal is sent. There's no turning back now. "Battle stations," Zod says. And then, much to his surprise, they pick up a communication from Kal-El. The bridge crew stares in silence at Zod and he frowns.

"Put him on screen," he says and then strikes his goatee. "Kal-El. Fortuitous timing. We are about to engage in battle with the enemy. Prepare yourself. Do well and I will return your aunt to you unharmed."

Alura stands up sharply, "Kal! He's sent a signal to Brainiac. They intend to battle him here and now - forget about me, save yourselves!"

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara glances over at Kal when he sends the message directly to Zod, but she has come to appreciate his instincts on these things. Nor does she balk at the comforting touch, piloting the scout ship around when the outline appears on their monitors. "There." She points it out on the sensors, then ahead of them through the viewport where it should, if their instuments are correct, be.

When Zod answers, Kara is silent.

When Alura speaks, however?

"Zod, don't do this. Not now.. Let us //help// you. Let us come up with a plan and work out how to actually succeed." Because this may be a doomed mission, but it doesn't have to doom them all. There's no way she's going to leave her mom behind, however.

"Kal, we have some reserve energy, but it wont last out here. If Brainiac responds-" And she has no reason to think he wont, "-I should have... a few minutes... worth of our super strength. Enough to do a lot of damage to him very quickly. Enough that you should be able to get onboard Dru-Zod's ship and either convince him to stand down and release juji or to get her out of there..." Because she doesn't know how the weapons on this thing work.

Or if there are any.

Clark Kent has posed:
Looking first at Kara, then at the screen, Kal El frowns. Kara was spot on. "Fortuitous indeed General Zod. What you are about to do is suicide. Brainiac is not to be trifled with. You are going into a hopeless battle. Kara is right. We can do this together but this..."

Ignoring what Alura says, Kal takes a moment to pause. Alura was right...they could save themselves. But won't. They weren't cowards.

When the coms are muted, Kal takes a moment to look over at Kara. It felt good to be doing this together. Raising a hand, Kal smiles. Warmly. "You are right cousin. That is a last resort. We must do this together. No need to sacrifice just yet...maybe Zod will listen to reason." Kal hopes. "We shouldn't fight against each other. Brainiac is the threat. By Rao."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
It's a regular rogues gallery of Kryptonian criminals for Alura. She gets the distinct impression that it might have been mutiny if Zod hadn't imprisoned her immediately. Unfortunately her words were a little -too- convincing.

"This is what you wanted Alura. Teaming up to fight Brainiac and recover his shrinking technology. Now we strike while the iron is hot."

Zod's impassioned speech only makes Alura more worried. Criminals he has as his army yes, but hardly any of them can be relied upon to be battle hardened against an enemy like Brainiac. Alura must trust in her daughter and nephew. It's a good bet though.

A pre-configured message appears on screen for Kara and Kal to see, no one else. A section of Zod's ship is highlighted: 'Use your combined heat vision here to temporarily disrupt power. I have found where he is keeping the Bottled City of Kandor. This will give me a chance to escape - then doc on the south-west of his ship' another section highlights' and help me escape.

Alura presses her lips together and simply nods at the view screen to Kal and Kara. The weapons console lights up - Alura had locked it away just in case someone untrustworthy got their hands on the ship.

She had always intended to have an escape plan that involved them if things went south - but things are going far souther than she had anticipated now that Zod was summoning Brainiac. Their last interaction with Brainiac had left chills down her spine. After returning from the past the Brainiac of the present had sent them a message. One that proved just how smart he was.

Zod smirks, "Steel yourself Children of Steel..." He amuses himself with the word play, "In the distant past a single Kryptonian could conquer a world. There are now 35 of us here, able to fight. We are unstoppable. Brainiac will not be prepared for this number of us."

Kara Danvers has posed:
When the message pops up from Alura, Kara glances up at Kal. She angles the cloaked ship and moves in closer under cover. With her hand up, she begins to count down from three, lowering her fingers into a fist. Her eyes are already beginning to glow a bright red as she prepares to strike, in unison, with Kal against the indicated section of the ship.

While she hates the notion of them using subterfuge in this manner, it's necessary. If they allow Zod to engage with Brainiac, they'll all die. Everyone on board the ship, her mother, possibly even Kal and herself. So she trusts her mother. Always trusts her mother. "Now!"

Her eyes errupt with a potent, concentrated, beam of red energy targetting the section highlighted for them. Where it might cause as much structural damage as is necessary for Alura to make good her escape.

Clark Kent has posed:
The screen reveals what was going on over "there" with Zod, Faora and his aunt, Alura. It was not going good. Kal's instincts were screaming at him. His face, however, did not betray him. Right now it was important to be strong for Kara.

Then, a message. Kal doesn't reveal anything. Poker face on. Use their heat vision...his eyes looked over at Kara. Then a nod. Kal had learned to follow his instincts and trust that Alura was right. Kara's hand up confirms it. 3-2-1...

"Ok. 35 is a lot General Zod. However, I believe that family is stronger than numbers." His voice was calm, cool, and collected." His eyes glow red. He cuts off the screen, and in combination with his cousin, unleashes his heat vision at Kara's signal...

Alura In-Ze has posed:
"If we cannot stand against Brainiac now, what hope will New Krypton have." Zod kind of has a point. Then again, if Kandor was restored they'd have a LOT more Kryptonians than 35. And a lot more who are actually part of the fighters guild for that matter. But then - how would that make Zod the 'hero' in the eyes of Kandor if he didn't have his glorious victory now?

Alura frowns, "Dru you don't understand. Brainiac is beyond regular smart. He deduced in his inception that time travel existed and used it to smoke screen his entire first invasion of Earth as a mere decoy to cure a time paradox. You cannot out think him, you cannot out muscle him. The only way we can defeat him is with subterfuge."

As if on cue to prove her point, Kal and Kara unleash their heat vision on -just- the right spot on the ship to disrupt its energy core. The three rings surrounding her drop away as the lights flicker and Alura reveals what she had been hiding. She has learnt to fight from the Amazons of Earth.

With a blast of her own heat vision she cuts open the door. The kryptonians can all see the fight happening at super speed. It plays out like normal speed as Alura dashes to the doors, shoulder barging one of Zod's guards. Faora raises up a weapon and fires it. The beam travels slowly across the screen but Alura is faster than the Zod Kryptonians on hand. A mystery to be dissected later. She dive slides out of the room, rolls back on to her feet and goes off screen.

Zod yells angrily and the video feed shuts off. As the klaxons sound through the warship, Alura makes her way to the storage bay where the Bottled City of Kandor is being kept.

"Find their ship!," Zod commands as a dozen crystaline weapons platforms decloak and the words "PROXIMITY ALARM" begin to shout out throughout the ship. He turns back to the screen as space rips open in a torrent of energy and from it emerges a gigantic skull shaped spaceship.

Brainiac has arrived.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Brainiac has arrived.

Kara sees the skull shaped ship, but she's focused on flying the cloaked Scout vessel towards the indicated loading zone to aid in Alura's escape. There's very little they'll be able to do to stop Brainiac now, the element of surprise has been ruined with the uncloaking and manifestation of those crystaline weapons.

"Get ready." She says back to Kal as her heat vision hits the covered access doors and blasts them in to allow the ship to slip inside and come around into a quick landing. She doesn't bother depowering. Rather, she's keying through comm signals until she finds one that pings off Alura, "We're landed, but we don't ahve much time. Ships waiting.. Kal is-" She glances back up at her Cousin. "-She'll probably need your help, Kal."

Because someone has to stay with the ship.

Clark Kent has posed:
Kal El listens to Alura over the open coms, and agrees with her. Brainiac has already thought of this and has contingencies. The only way to beat him was by being unpredictable, which was almost impossible to a computer mind.

Then, Kara and his assault free Alura. Chapter 2.

Alura does what she does on Zod's ship. Kal frowns and watches, helpless after his attack in combination with Kara. They were unable to help, and then Zod angrily cuts off the feed.

"She's on her own."

Then. Brainiac. "By Rao...." Kal says to Kara. A nod. "I'm ready cousin."

"She will probably need your help." Kara says, cementing his own thoughts. ...with that, Kal leaps into action. His face was set. He was ready to sacrifice himself for his aunt. It was vital she survives, even at the cost of his own life. Perhaps this was the end of Kal El? "You have command Kara. Be well." With that he was gone to help his aunt.

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura arrived in the storage room. There set in a small force field - The bottled city of Kandor. The last hope of Kryptonian civilization. She gets to work on its console, de-activating the force field. Just as she's about to grab it, Faora grabs her cape and yanks her back and strikes a powerful fist to her face.

Alura stumbles and then brings up her arms to defend herself from the fighter. Faora smirks and says, "I never liked you .. In-Ze. You and your whole family. Disgusting. Scientists playing fighter and law maker. Time to show you what it really means to be a fighter."

Faora dashes in with her super speed and powerful fist but Alura dips and strikes back at her abdomen. It surprises herself. She's been trained by Amazons who aren't nearly as fast or as strong as Kryptonians are - but they are _efficient_ and Faora with all her skill just seemed.. sloppy.

She can hear the Amazon's voice in her head, 'You are undisciplined Alura In-Ze' and now she can see just what that meant as she watches Faora's fighting style. It relies so heavily on her superpowers. She is blind to all her mistakes as Alura begins to easily deflect and block her. "Why strike when you can think...," she replies to the angry Kryptonian.

With some dancing steps she twirls and scoops up Kandor. Faora's fist swings out and Alura re-activates the display forcefield, trapping Faora's hand in the display case. Alura smiles and shakes her head, "I hope next time we meet we can talk." She steps back out in to the hallway and meets Kal-El.

From the skull ship thousands of little projectiles begin to fly. From the eyes, from the mouth, from the nostrils, from the ears. The crystaline weapons platforms begin to sweep and blast through space destroying the projectiles - but there's too many of them and they begin to land on the Kryptonian warship. They are Brainiac drones. Each of them connected to his hive mind. Weapons from their chest fire and begin to blast through the sunstone. Soon, the Brainiac drones have boarded the ship.

Alura smiles and rests a hand on Kal's shoulder as her other arm hugs Kandor tightly to her body. "I really made a mess of this Kal. I'll make it up to you both when we get back home."

Two Brainiac drones step in to the corridor between them and their exit. More Brainiac drones drop in to the cargo bay where Kara has 'parked' the scout ship.

Kara Danvers has posed:
While the whole wait probably takes no longer than a few minutes, it feels like an eternity for Kara. Sitting in this decloaked ship waiting for Kal and Alura to make good their escape so she can make good all of their escape. Though, as she sits, there's the unfamiliar blinking hiss of arriving hostile signatures.

Well, she can't rightly let them blow up the scout craft can she?

In a blur of motion, Kara is standing in the cargo bay, cape snapping around her as she slides on red boots across the deck plates. With both of her fists down at her sides, she leans forward and lets a pair of twin red beams errupt from her deep blue eyes at one of the drones, then sweeps it to the side to slash at another.

Flying out to grab whatever might remain and hurl it at a third. Hovering as she finishes twisting out of the powerful toss. Careful about how much of her reserves she's using incase they have to hitch-hike home.

How awkward a flight would that be?

Is there even enough chit-chat for the 117 light year flight?

Clark Kent has posed:
With determination, and alacrity, Kal El moves with super speed towards Alura, thinking he was going to her rescue. He was mistaken. Kal El meets Alura, right after her battle with Faora.

"My Lady." Kal says, spotting what she had held close to her chest. And feeling her hand on his shoulder.

"We have all made a mess of this Aunt Alura. No need to worry about me...but Kara. Yes, you need to help her understand. She is...wounded."

That was when they both had to once more leap into action. Making sure Alura was behind him, Kal El unleashes his heat vision on the Brainiac drones in front of him. Destroying them utterly, he says, "Let's go!" Haste was in his voice. Making sure his body was protecting his aunt, they moved to the scout ship, and Kara.

Arriving as Kara disapatches her drones, Kal says, with a smile and a slight laugh, softly and almost under his breath... "Show off." Wink.

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura nods her head, "Yes... I thought this'd be the only way. And he hurt my daughter..." Her face turns a touch angry for a moment. She had been keeping it together for the whole time she was dealing with Zod. But the truth is in her heart. She has lost any care she had for the man after seeing the footage of him and his goons beating on Kara.

As the Brainiac drones appear she moves quickly behind Kal and back out in time to see Kara making short work of the drones. Five more drop down and declare in a unified voice, "Adapting." Alura lets her heat vision blast out at one and it lifts up a fore arm to tank it before tentacle arms of metal extend from its back and begin to blast energy back at her.

Alura dives out of the way, tuck and roll to keep Kandor safe. "I think we'd best make a hasty retreat." The ~womf~ of the Warships jump drive powering up can be heard, "It sounds like Zod has decided retreat is the best option too. Things must be going badly on the rest of the ship." At that moment the whole ship rocks and shakes with explosions as the giant skull ship opens fire.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara is keenly aware of Brainiacs particularly annoying weaponry adaptation. While her initial, speedy, barrage would quickly dispatch unaware units, all following would be problematically more complicated to dispatch. So she does her best to hold off their onslaught until Kal and Alura return. Hurling chunks of torn off hull plating like disks at another, which only slows it down, she is quite thankful to see mother and cousin arriving when they do.

"On it!" She shouts, wooshing back into the scout ship, dropping down behind the controls. "Krypto-train is leaving the station!" She shouts over her shoulders, "All aboard!" She can't, quite, keep herself from making a joke. Even when in dire straights, as they seem to be.

Clark Kent has posed:
"I agree! Kara! Let's get out of here!" He hears her say "All Aboard" and he can't help but grin.

Trying to keep his body in between the drones' fire and Alura, Kal El grunts as he is hit. Again and again. It hurts. "We need to get out of here. Keep Kandor safe. I'll watch your back!" With that, Kal El pushes Alura with his strength towards Kara, and turns back to fight against the army of drones.

"Keep our people safe Cousin! Aunt!" His heat vision burns through the oncoming swarm of Brainiac drones.

Kal El slams his fist against the emergency door release, smashing it and sealing Alura and Kara in the ship, with Kal El to face to oncoming onslaught. "For Krypton. For Kandor. For the El name." Kal El's eyes glow red, facing the Brainiac army. "By Rao. For Family."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura looks on in horror as Kal decides to stay with Zod's ship. "NO!..." but there's no time. They have to protect Kandor. She rushes to the controls and is about to take over from Kara when Zod's warship jumps away leaving them there in space in plain view of Brainiac's skull ship.

"No nono... Kara jump!" She sinks in to the Captain's seat with Kandor in her lap as the look of exhaustion and horror spreads. As the stars blur around them making good their escape from Brainiac she can only hope that Kal and Zod's militia manage to defeat the drones and evade the skull ship.

"No --- no it doesn't end like this. We'll get all of his allies and come back and get him. Whether it's Zod or Brainiac who has him after this. I don't care. This is not how his story ends."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara doesn't realize what Kal has done, but she she does realize they are now just sitting there in space like a big bright beacon upon which Brainiac can turn the overwhelming might of his ship. So when Alura says to jump, her daughter is calculating it and hitting the initiation to send them hurtling into hyperspace.

Just as they are targetted and fired upon. Meer miliseconds away from becoming just another bit of destroyed debris in this dead planets orbit.

With a heavy sigh, Kara leans back in her seat and looks over at Alura smiling. "We did it! See? Never under estimate the power of positivity." The look on her mom's face though. Her brow furrows, "What?" The small blonde Kryptonian half turns in her seat to peer back over her shoulder...

"..." Her smile fades as she realizes Kal has stayed behind.