Disclaimer:
This is a fan-created work inspired by elements from DC Comics, including Krypton and Kryptonian lore. All characters, alternate interpretations, and narrative developments in this story are fictional and created for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.
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Chapter 37 — Beneath the Yellow Sun
The ship carrying Von-Ra El cut silently through the darkness of space.
It was unlike any vessel Krypton had ever produced before.
Part laboratory.
Part ark.
Part warship.
Inside its core were chambers designed for the future of an entire race: the Genesis Nursery, laboratories, ore vaults, and the experimental subspace storage system that Von-Ra himself had created.
Within the command chamber, Von-Ra stood before the main console.
The stars of Krypton's system slowly shrank behind him.
Floating beside him was the shimmering projection of Ruby, the advanced artificial intelligence he had personally designed.
Von-Ra folded his arms.
"Ruby."
"Yes, Master."
"Start the ship and initiate the navigation sequence."
The star map flickered to life.
"Destination: Earth."
Von-Ra added calmly,
"Use space-jump technology to avoid Kryptonian surveillance."
Ruby's sensors glowed softly.
"Understood."
The engines hummed.
Space folded.
Then—
FLASH
The ship vanished.
First jump.
The vessel crossed thousands of light-years instantly.
Stars warped and twisted as space itself bent around the ship.
Second jump.
Entire star clusters vanished behind them.
Third jump.
The vessel passed silently through regions of empty interstellar space.
Fourth jump.
The navigation system slowed.
A familiar yellow star appeared ahead.
Ruby announced calmly,
"Arrival confirmed. Entering the solar system."
The ship drifted quietly past the outer planets.
Neptune.
Uranus.
Saturn.
Jupiter.
Then finally—
The inner system.
Ahead of them floated a small blue planet.
Earth.
But Von-Ra did not approach it yet.
Instead, the ship altered its course and moved toward a red world nearby.
Mars.
The vessel entered the thin Martian atmosphere and hovered above the barren surface.
Von-Ra stepped into the ship's open observation chamber.
For the first time since leaving Krypton…
He felt it.
The yellow sun.
Its warm light touched his skin.
A strange energy stirred deep within his cells.
He closed his eyes and slowly floated into the air.
"Interesting…" he murmured.
Then he began thinking out loud.
"I don't know what year it is now on Earth."
He stared at the distant blue planet.
"But based on Kara's age…"
His mind calculated quickly.
"She was ten years old when I left Krypton."
He nodded slightly.
"Kal-El will be born when she turns thirteen."
He crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"And Kal-El will land on Earth in the year 1986."
Von-Ra continued analyzing the timeline.
"However…"
He raised one finger.
"Kal-El departed Krypton as a newborn baby."
"And it took his pod three years to reach Earth."
He looked back toward the ship.
"My journey was different."
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"I used four space-jumps."
"Which means I crossed the distance far faster."
His golden eyes glowed faintly under the sunlight.
"So if my calculations are correct…"
He glanced again at Earth.
"It should be around the year 1980."
Von-Ra slowly lowered himself onto the Martian ground.
The sunlight continued bathing his body.
His cells responded instantly.
His Kryptonian physiology began awakening.
The process was slow…
But unstoppable.
"I will stay here first," he said calmly.
"For five years."
Then he looked toward Earth again.
"And when the time comes… I will go to Earth."
His voice grew quieter.
"To fetch Kal-El."
He turned toward Ruby.
"Ruby."
"Yes, Master."
"Create a monitoring program."
Ruby's projection appeared beside him.
"Monitoring parameters?"
Von-Ra listed them calmly.
"My vital signs."
"My body temperature."
"My cellular evolution."
"My physiology under the yellow sun."
Ruby processed the command instantly.
"Monitoring systems active."
Von-Ra nodded.
"Do not wake me before five years."
Ruby paused briefly.
"Understood."
"Unless critical system failure occurs."
Von-Ra shook his head slightly.
"No."
His voice was firm.
"Five years."
Ruby accepted the order.
"Yes, Master."
Von-Ra then gave another command.
"Also begin the Genesis incubation process."
The ship's systems activated deep within its core.
The Genesis Chamber slowly illuminated.
"Use the scientist genetic template."
Von-Ra explained calmly,
"I need workers first."
"Not soldiers."
Ruby confirmed the command.
"Incubation process initiated."
Von-Ra added one final instruction.
"Use the resources stored in my subspace reserves."
Ruby tilted slightly.
"You wish to multiply the materials before using them?"
"Yes."
Von-Ra nodded.
"Replicate them before transferring them to the Genesis Chamber."
He looked toward the distant Earth once more.
"We cannot afford to run out of resources later."
Ruby completed the calculations.
"All systems operational."
Von-Ra slowly walked into the hibernation chamber located near the observation deck.
The chamber closed around him.
The glass canopy sealed.
Outside, the yellow sun continued shining across the silent Martian landscape.
Inside the ship…
Ruby's voice echoed softly.
"Hibernation sequence beginning."
Energy flowed gently through the chamber.
Von-Ra's breathing slowed.
His body entered a deep state of suspended evolution.
His Kryptonian cells continued absorbing the power of the sun.
Five years would pass.
Five years of silent transformation.
Five years before the future of Krypton would awaken again.