[COLOR=GRAY][INDENT][INDENT][color=#ffffff]“They’re so desperate to regain Rao’s favour, they’ll strip the planet bare just to seek out a yellow star.”[/color]

The man grumbled angrily, watching from the train’s windows while the enas-traeno hovered above the magnetic rail, guiding it to the city of Kandor. Behind the suspended beam lay barren fields that had once been the abundant plains of Wanan. In years past, the plains were home to bountiful crops produced by the Labour Guild; Mayzea, Tritikem and Oryza for all of Krypton were grown in the vastness of Wanan. 

Or at least, they had been before the Council’s new directive. 

Crops had been forgotten in search of precious minerals. Minerals for building ships, the harvesting of which left the fields usable for anything else. Waban was ruined, its fields upturned and stripped, leaving it void of nutrition. Pollinators in the area had moved on in search of food elsewhere, leaving the entirety of Kandor surrounded by only the carcass of a once-thriving agricultural sector. 

Krypton was a small planet located in the furthest reaches of the Andromeda Galaxy, orbiting the star known as Rao in the system of the same name. Under the guidance and practices of the Religious Guild, the people of Krypton worshipped the star as the incarnation of their chief deity, from whom the star had been named. An isolationist people, the Kryptonians had primarily kept to themselves, their advancement halted and tossed back into the Dark Ages when Rao went from a Yellow Star to a Red Giant nearly a millennium ago.

Once a proud race of explorers and warriors, without the gifts of Rao, they had fumbled about in the dark for centuries, rebuilding their societies and devolving from a planet of free men and free women to a caste system where artificially grown children are placed into one of the five major Guilds alongside their parents. 

In the last decade, Krypton had re-established contact with its neighbouring planets, Daxam and Dheronian. Both of whom, at one point in history, lived under the oppressive regime of Ancient Krypton. Both of whom had since lashed out against the planet and launched interplanetary armaments against the planet, adding fuel to the Council’s fire and accelerating their fleet of warships. 

Argo City had an entire quarter decimated by the attack. Radiation leaked through the surviving city, forcing those remaining to evacuate to safety elsewhere. The train into Kandor was overflowing with survivors, while others were on their way to appeal to the council, much like the man and his wife.

[color=#ffffff]“Jor,”[/color] The woman beside the man suddenly interrupted, [color=#ffffff]“You’re grinding your teeth again.” [/color]

Jor-El smiled. If there was anyone who could pull him back from being a hundred stadia away, it was his Lara. He turned his face away from the window, closing his eyes to the burning fields before focusing on the gleaming red tower in the distance. 

Not just any red tower, but the Red Tower, constructed of the purest sunstone and the heart of Xan City, the planet’s capital or Kryptonopolis, as it was commonly referred. It was where his and Lara’s home lay, but today they had business in Kandor. While it wasn’t a long journey, the distance between Kandor and Xan was nearly a stage and a half, or about two hundred stadia.
 
The traeno slowed as it approached the platform. The hiss of the air brakes deployed echoed around the cabin as the dull thud of the flaps expanding could be heard through the roof. The smell of Kandor’s numerous food vendors washed over Jor-El and Lara the minute they set foot onto the platform. Music echoed down the streets as people tried to spread joy instead of fear while the looming threat of war hung over the heads of every Kryptonian. 

What was alluring aromas of delicious dromos kreas roasting on spits over open flame crystals for Jor-El was having the opposite effect on Lara as wave after wave of nausea washed over her, threatening to up heave the contents of her stomach. 

“We’ll move quickly to the higher level, my love,” Jor-El smiled, taking his wife’s hand and guiding her to a nearby lift, but not without taking one last look at the sizzling kreas, the nearest made of his favourite rondorian cut. The smell of the caramelized fat rendering on the grill sent the smoky smell of the tallow-roasted treat towards his nose. 

He resolved to ensure he picked up a snack for the way home.

Compared to the sprawling city of Xan, Kandor felt very vertical, with layer upon layer emphasizing the city’s caste system. While Xan might have been the planet’s official capital, Kandor was the fastest-growing city on the globe and rapidly outpaced Kryptonopolis in population. 

Once they had arrived at the Military Guild Levels, it didn’t take long for Jor-El and Lara to locate the barracks they were looking for. Pausing outside the gilded metal door, Jor-El pressed the ringer, waiting a few seconds before footsteps laden with heavy boots could be heard on the other side.

[color=#ffffff]“Jor! Lara!”[/color][color=#a9a9a9] General Dru-Zod exclaimed happily at seeing the pair outside the door before pausing in confusion[/color], as he glanced down at Lara and the [color=#a9a9a9]bump protruding from her sto[/color]mach[color=#a9a9a9]. [/color][color=#ffffff]“My, you have been eating well.*[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“Dru, I do hope your tact in battle more than compensates for your lack in decorum.”[/color][color=#a9a9a9] Lara retorted with a chiding smile, [/color][color=#ffffff]“I am with child.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“Ah, your names came up next on the Council’s list, then? Odd, I’ve never known the stress of being a parent to make any other woman fat-”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“No, Dru,”[/color][color=#a9a9a9] Jor-El interjected, [/color][color=#ffffff]“Lara is pregnant, with our son.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“How can this be? I thought that was impossible. Childbirth is barbaric, is it not? What about the caste system?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]*Jor,”[/color][color=#a9a9a9] Lara replied, tears of joy welling in the corners of her eyes, [/color][color=#ffffff]“Jor found a way to cure the genophage. A fossilized Kryptonian down deep within the mines, its essence perfectly preserved, our son will not be like us; he’ll be like our ancestors.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“He will be the first Kryptonian since the Crusades to be born of a woman and not a vessel. All of our hopes and dreams ride on him.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“And what name have you come up with for this blessed miracle?”[/color][color=#a9a9a9] Zod asked.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“His name will be Kal, it means-”[/color] Lara began to answer before Zod finished her sentence.

[color=#ffffff]“Rao with Us.”[/color][/INDENT][/INDENT]
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[INDENT][INDENT][color=#ff9900]“Banana bread at work? Hell yeah, dude.”[/color]

Jimmy Olsen’s voice echoed over the Daily Planet bullpen as he paraded over to his cubicle, plate laden with a thick slice of the aforementioned banana bread. A dollop of butter had been carefully spread edge to edge before being just warmed enough to soak into the pastry prior to consuming. 

The young stringer excitedly settled back into his chair, taking a selfie with the delicious-looking snack while narrating his caption aloud to himself.

[color=#ff9900]“Hell yeah, dude.” [/color]

From across the bullpen, Lois watched Jimmy’s antics with a roll of her eyes. He took a large bite of the banana bread before washing it down with a swig of an energy drink that had been on his desk since yesterday. 

The only reason it made it to today was that he had demolished the rest of the four-pack yesterday. It was a miracle the young man’s heart didn’t burst out of his chest. 

[color=#3d85c6]“Considering your coffee is at least eighty percent sugar, I’m not sure you’ve got a leg to stand on, Miss Lane.”[/color] A warm voice filled the air, sending a shiver down Lois’ spine as she ran her tongue against her teeth, sticking it into her cheek before turning around and looking up into the man’s piercing blue eyes.

They twinkled back at her, smiling with naivety and hope that wasn’t often found in Metropolis. Even with a slight hunch to his posture, Clark Kent, the Daily Planet’s newest stringer, still stood a head taller than Lois. 

[color=#8e7cc3]“Smallville, I know you made that banana bread.”[/color] Lois retorted, [color=#8e7cc3]“How? No one around her uses real butter. And I know the smell of real butter.”[/color]

[color=#3d85c6]“That’s very observant of you, Miss Lane.”[/color]

[color=#8e7cc3]“We’ve been over this; it’s Lois.”[/color]

[color=#3d85c6]“And I don’t bake.”[/color] Clark smiled innocently as Lois let out an exasperated noise.

[color=#8e7cc3]“At the very least, you brought it from home.”[/color] She accused Clark again.

[color=#3d85c6]“Lois, it’s Wednesday.”[/color]

[color=#8e7cc3]“Yeah, so?”[/color]

[color=#3d85c6]“You’re suggesting that after I left work last night at six, that I took a train, or a car, all the way home to Kansas, to pick up banana bread, just for Jimmy?”[/color]

[color=#8e7cc3]“Well, it sounds ridiculous when you put it like that.”[/color] Lois muttered, [color=#8e7cc3]“But I didn’t hear you say ‘no’!”[/color] She snapped, pointing a pencil covered in teeth marks towards Clark.

[color=#3d85c6]“No, Lois, no, I did not drive to Smallville last night to get banana bread for Jimmy.”[/color]

Clark felt his phone vibrate suddenly, flipping it over to see a message from his younger sister.

[pre]| Mom wants to know if Jimmy liked the banana bread.[/pre]
Clark smiled at Jessi’s message, carefully typing a response as Jimmy passed between himself and Lois with a second plate.

[pre]| He didn’t like it. He loved it.[/pre] 
Clark replied, hitting send. 

[color=#8e7cc3]“I’m going to bust you, Smallville, and when I do, there will be hell to pay,”[/color] Lois warned, leaning over the desk. She paused, his cologne wafting towards her as she suddenly found herself contemplating how good Clark Kent smelled.

[color=#8e7cc3]“Hell,”[/color] Lois stuttered, [color=#8e7cc3]“Hell to pay!”[/color] She called again before turning her sights to the nearest television. Breaking news flashed across the screen as a fire had engulfed a bank in midtown. She turned around, opening her mouth to call for Jimmy and Clark, only to realize she had been too slow.

Clark was already gone.[/INDENT][/INDENT][/COLOR]