Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Life Equation

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 03:

“This isn’t right.” Kara griped. “The asteroids shouldn’t be this dense already. We should have more empty space.”

Kelex concentrated on the screens while Kell kept his eyes on the targeting sequence, ready to fire when told.

“Something happened that Kara Zor El didn’t predict?” Kelex commented. “Perhaps you should get out and tell the asteroids there aren’t supposed to be so many of them yet. I’m sure they will back away when they realize you are always right.”

Kell looked from the targeting screen toward the Kelex unit. “This has to be the rudest, most obnoxious Kelex unit I have ever encountered. What is wrong with him? Is he malfunctioning?”

“No,” Kara replied even as she expertly redirected their heading to barely dodge a very large space rock. “Father gave him to me for my fifth birthday. He told me to program him however I wished but suggested I have him question me constantly in order to focus my mind on solutions, look for answers to questions I may not have thought of and double check my results. Apparently, I programmed him too well. He won’t shut up… so negative. He’s almost become sentient.” Kara admitted.

“I wish I wasn’t.” Kelex told her. “Because of your programming, I am now aware of my imminent death. So… thank you for that.”

Kara shushed him and rolled the ship, dipping under another asteroid. She had expected this but not so soon and wondered if the mouth of the funnel would even be possible to breach.

“Go up, Kara.” Kelex told her.

“We are in space with no nearby star to orient ourselves. There is no up or down, just sectors, vectors and gravitational fields…” Kara automatically recited.

“Look at the ceiling! That’s up!” Kelex shouted. “Now move up before we collide with the oncoming asteroid that doesn’t care if there is an up or down!”

Kara took the control sticks, deciding that inputting data was not going to work fast enough and needing to get through this the old-fashioned way.

The ship barrel rolled and launched up.

“The magnetic output from the engines is drawing another one towards us.” Kell told her, remaining calm. “Right side, halfway to the ceiling and the floor.”

Thank Rao, Krypton is so advanced in space travel, Kara thought. Ceilings and floors to determine evasive maneuvers should be the Fleet’s new method.

“Kara…” Kell mumbled.

“I see it.” Kara said, teeth clenched.

“It’s close…”

“I see it.”

“There are two of them, one on top of us…”

“I see it, Kell! Hold on!” Kara dipped the ship, shot upward, downward, then rolled to the side.

“Yes! Keep scanning, Kelex. Tell me what’s next!” she shouted, sounding way too happy for Kell or Kelex’s taste.

“A black wall of death is coming next. We are approaching the wormhole at a faster speed. Why are you accelerating?” the robot asked.

Kara smiled widely, jerked the ship to the left as a smaller stone passed by. “Because the sooner we get out of this belt and into the wormhole, the sooner I can stop listening to you cry. You don’t hear Kell crying, do you?”

Kell was too focused on the cannons and the incoming scans to worry about crying.

“He is too scared to cry. Perhaps you should let him fly.” Kelex suggested. “Of the two of you, he has actually piloted in deep space.”

Kell shook his head. “No… not really. I was very young, and my Father let me sit in the chair, but I never got to touch the controls. Kara is doing fine… Oh Rao, what is that?”

A large stone wall appeared before their ship, coming quickly.

“Kara, slow down and evade.” Kell told her, forcing himself to remain calm.

“I’m going too fast. I will never make it up or under. Use the cannons. Blast that thing to pieces!” Kara exclaimed.

“That won’t work…”

“Shut up, Kelex!” Kara and Kell yelled.

Kell unleashed the weapons, while Kara pulled back on the engines and tried to decelerate, while maintaining course to give Kell a clean shot.

The Ion cannons were having no effect, except for slowing the ship. Kara dropped thrusters and then dove, straight down, looping back and thrusted away from the iron mountain.

“We are going the wrong way.” Kell told her shakily.

“I know.” Kara said. “The cannons weren’t having an effect but the blasts did slow our propulsion so I thought I would take the opportunity to get a breather…”

Kara’s explanation was cut off when the ship was struck by several small asteroids. The cockpit shook and Kelex was thrown into a wall, Kell barely holding onto his seat.

A few moments of silence passed by before Kara spoke. “Kelex? Spock, old friend? You still with me?”

“Unfortunately, yes. The shields took minor hits. We are down to 98% strength.” Kelex responded morosely.

Kara shook it off. “We would have been down to zero if I hadn’t evaded that giant rock.”

“You were the one that nearly accelerated into it!” the robot reminded her.

Kell looked at Kara, a bit concerned that she was smiling. “I sort of have to agree with the rude robot. Maybe we should take it slower. Just a suggestion.”

Kara smirked at the man. “If I know my Uncle, he has been tinkering and somewhere on board is a second omegahedron that will reinforce the shields if we drop to fifty percent. No worries. I didn’t expect so many asteroids this soon, but I have dealt with this situation in a simulation once.”

“How did you do?” Kell asked carefully.

“Crashed and burned…” Kara admitted, “but I retrieved valuable data and found the fault in my piloting approach. Being out in space is really different than taking a simulated flight though. Aren’t you having fun?”

Kell’s eyebrows shot up under a wayward lock of hair as he looked at Kelex who was shaking his head. “I’ve had to deal with her literally my entire existence. I truly hope she chooses you as a mate so you can deal with her.” The robot stated.

Kara looked at her robot, a huge blush on her cheeks and her eyes wide. “Shut up, Kelex! I’ve got this. New heading. If you would concentrate on the scans instead of my love life…”

“Lack of love life.” Kelex corrected.

“… then we wouldn’t be having such close calls.” Kara exclaimed, looking towards Kell, the blush remaining. “This is dangerous. Do you want to turn around?”

“You go and I will follow.” he assured her, earning a smile.

“You are going to follow her to Rao’s light.” the robot told him.

Kara shrugged and focused on the scans and her new course. “Kelex, Rao has had many chances to call me into his light and I am still here.”

“And yet you keep tempting him with more opportunities… wait scans are showing…” Who knew Kelex’s voice could rise in pitch?

Kara smiled and pushed the engine faster, heading below the massive asteroid this time and continuing in a straight line.

“I know what they are showing. I have a straight shot at lightspeed two. Kell, ready the missiles, Use the canons to blast any small objects in our path. Missiles when we near the funnel.”

“I thought you said we wouldn’t be there for another day?” Kell asked.

“Not at this speed.” Kara told him, grinning as the far stars turned to streaks in the distance. “Open fire with the cannons!”

Kell did so, not sure what he was aiming at, just firing continuously, listening to small chunks of rock bouncing off the ships shield but not affecting the ship itself.

Just as well, because Kara Zor El had just exceeded two times the speed of light.

“Point of no return!” Kara shouted. “Kell fire the missiles in… now! We have to break through. There is nowhere else to go! Launch all twenty-six! We get past this next wall and we are in the funnel!”

Kell closed his eyes and fired, one hand on the manual trigger to the Ion Cannons and one hand on the manual missile launch control. Because his eyes were closed, he didn’t see the mass of rocks situated together in front of what would have seemed like a hole in space, darker than even the surrounding area.

The shields were hit, shaking the ship while Kara fought to stay on course. With a scream of victory she raised her hands as the fighter burst into the funnel, entering the ‘Wormhole of Death’.

Kell opened his eyes, seeing that there were no stars even in the distance. It reminded him of the Phantom Zone for a moment but even parts of the Phantom Zone had light. This was nothingness.

“Are we in?” he asked, wondering for a moment if this was the wormhole or if he was dead.

“Of course. The hard part’s over. This is now officially renamed ‘Kara’s Wormhole’ because I owned it.” Kara told him brightly, not seeming affected by the life or death suicide run they had just undertaken. “I am so glad we didn’t have to back up and keep readjusting routes through. It would have taken us days and our shields would have taken a beating.”

Kell shook his head, checking the display that showed the shields were down to 62%. “How did you manage this? You said it would take days.”

Kara looked a bit sheepish. “The last asteroid that struck us pushed us into a great position. Scans showed that if I flew in a straight line, I would have a perfect entry to the wormhole for a ten second period with only a wall made up of smaller asteroids compressed together, easier to break through. I made the decision to hit light speed and you opened fire turning us into a very dangerous drilling bit. I assumed if nothing else our weapons could break the cluster enough so we could force our way through with the Ion cannon power. Luckily, we didn’t have to collide thanks to your keen shooting, and we have enough shield power left the get us through the bend point in the wormhole without tapping into the backup system I know Uncle Non installed.”

“In other words,” Kelex explained, “Kara saw an opening and rather than taking five seconds to consider it she dove forward and got incredibly lucky.”

Kara didn’t hide her annoyance. “What you call luck, I call genius. If it were up to you, we would be flying around for weeks slowly drifting in and out between the fields.”

“If it were up to me, we would be home.” the robot pointed out.

Kell watched the two and could definitely tell they had a complex but close relationship. It saddened him that this robot probably knew more about her than any living person. He knew from Non that she had a friend named Thora but didn’t spend much time socializing with others.

Perhaps he could change that if given the chance.

“So you saw a split-second opportunity, formulated a strategy, and executed it in less than a second. If you weren’t such a brilliant scientist, you would have made a fabulous soldier.” he told her, his heart racing from what had been a near death experience.

Kara shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t. I’m not good at following orders. I prefer to make my own way. Ask Mother. Father said I got that from my Grandfather. Maybe I would have made a great Explorer. You don’t seem to mind my methods.”

Of course he didn’t mind. He just accepted in his heart that he would probably die next to this beautiful woman and made peace with it, whatever happened would happen. Guarding a ship at dock that faced no enemies, patrolling a city devoid of violence, growing up an explorer and having nowhere to explore, the man had missed what he felt now. Kell had not felt this alive in years.

“Funnel approaching in twenty seconds.” Kelex said, interrupting his thoughts. “Recommend…”

“Accelerating to lightspeed plus three. Got it, Kelex. Sit back and relax. Kell, this is probably going to feel a little weird. Once we exit the funnel, we will be traveling thirty times faster than the Flamebird ever has. The bend will most likely make you feel like vomiting. Kelex, bring us buckets, please.”

“Our shields will protect the craft?” the man asked to be certain.

Kara nodded. “My earlier prediction of success has risen to 88%. I would say those are good odds.”

“Well, that’s something.” Kell mumbled. “Kara, I want you to know before we face a 12% chance of dying in the fabric of space that this has been terrifying, and I have never had so much fun. If we do make it out alive, do you think we could take the Horizon back to Argo City?”

Kara let out a breath and smiled. “Yeah, probably enough excitement after this trip and exploring Earth. Mother will be fine if we are a week or two late. Twenty-two seconds before bend point. If you have any words for Rao, now is the time to say them.”

Kara reached her hand towards him and he took it, squeezing tightly and giving her a wink. “We got this.” he assured her.

They continued to hold hands, while the ship was pulled faster than they were accelerating, gripping each other tightly, while the ship and their bodies felt as if they were twisting inside.

Both of them yelled and continued yelling for the next one minute and two seconds.

Once the ship broke free of the curve, Kara and Kell looked at each other and smiled in relief.

Then both promptly vomited.

“Kelex! Where are the buckets.?” Kara gasped. “I feel like I just ate that H’Raka meat stew that Aunt Astra prepared herself!”

The robot returned to the cockpit, no buckets in hand. “I’m sorry, I was praying to Rao that he would allow other beings into his light than just Kryptonians. The cockpit smells. Is this what you two had at your Mating interview dinner?”

“Just clean it up.” Kara mumbled.

Kelex turned away. “You clean it up. This is all your fault.”

Kara closed her eyes to try and regain her bearings then peeked at Kell. “So, that was cool, right? We are still alive and all. So… go team?”

Kell vomited once again.

Kara walked to the back, returning with a sample collection unit she had brought to collect specimen samples on Earth. Instead, she used it to suck up the bile from the floor and handed Kell a wet towel.

Then her commlink went off.

“Damn it.” she whispered. “Kell, don’t look sick.”

Kell tried his best to do that and failed miserably.

Kara activated the commlink and a small hologram of her Mother appeared before her. “Kara dear, how has your trip been so far? Have you two settled in for the long journey?”

Kara forced a smile on her face, hoping there was no vomit in her hair. “Everything is fine, Mother. It hasn’t been 24 hours, is something wrong?”

“No daughter, I just wanted to congratulate you.”

“Congratulate me? For what?”

The smile on Alura’s face was gone. “Non is tracking and monitoring your ship. Apparently you beat your estimated time into the ‘Wormhole of Death’ by 48 hours. I assume by the look on your face you survived the entry into the bend and are regretting it now. You must have hit lightspeed two to make a straight course through the field. Missiles gone, shields still at 62%. You haven’t even used the automated shield back up system Non installed. Wonderfully done, daughter. Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, Mother?” Kara reluctantly agreed.

“Have you lost your damn mind!? First you take that wormhole instead of the one I graciously agreed to, then you fly recklessly into a large asteroid field, barely dodged that mountain, fire wildly into compressed rocks while traveling faster than light speed! Do you want me to have a heart attack?!” Her mother screamed.

“If you feel the beginnings of chest pain, numbness in your arm or lower back pain, proceed immediately to the Flamebird gymnasium. Do not go to a healer. Turn on the yellow sun generator…” Kara tried.

“I am so sick of hearing about yellow suns I would rather have a heart attack than be bathed in those damn rays! Is Kell there? Hand the link to him, now.” Alura demanded.

Kara reached the link towards the man and he flinched away from it, holding his hands up.

“Take it!” Kara whispered.

“I don’t want to.” Kell said, shaking his head vigorously which did nothing to ease his still queasy stomach.

“Take it!” She hissed.

With a shaking hand, Kell took the commlink from Kara’s hand and faced Kara’s esteemed Mother. “Lady Alura… how are you?”

The heat from Alura’s gaze could be felt even through the wormhole. “I’ll get to the point. I like you, Kell. You are a very brave man, if a bit stupid, and my daughter seems to be attracted to you. I have no doubt you want her for a Mate and if the two of you survive I will make her accept out of obligation for putting you through this. There is one small concern I have. I realize you are trying to impress her, but could you at least try talking some sense into her instead of just blindingly following her, doing whatever she says? Is that the kind of Mate you will be? You will just let her run all over you? Because she will. She will lead you around by the nose if you let her. She has Non wrapped around her finger and she will do the same to you. I realize the smile and blush are hard to turn away but Non assured me you would have a backbone and common sense. I am beginning to doubt that claim. Did you ever once tell her this was a bad idea?”

Kell decided to deflect. “So I would have your approval if I asked her to be my Mate…”

“Are you listening to me?! Answer the question!” Alura practically screamed.

“Kelex tried to talk to her. I didn’t interrupt or vocally disagree with him, Lady Alura.” Kell replied hastily.

“Excuse me?” Kara asked, not looking quite as happy with him now. “You are just as much to blame for this as I am. ‘I’m right here, Kara. No place I would rather be’, remember? ‘Having the time of my life.’ Any of that ring a bell?”

Kell turned the com away for a second. “I want your mother to like me, okay?”

“You should be more concerned if I like you.” Kara hissed, extremely aggravated now. “Besides my Mother does not decide my Mate, I do.”

“I know that but…” Kell started to say before he was interrupted.

“Turn the com around!” Alura’s loud voice ordered.

Kell tossed the commlink quickly to Kara as if it were hot causing her to nearly drop it. “Mother? Kell is a very brave man and agreed with every decision I made. He has been instrumental…”

Alura raised her hand. “You swear to me, right now, on the blood of the House of El, that you will take the Horizon back home. You swear to me, Kara. I want your oath, or I am sending Non after you.”

Kara took a deep breath and placed her fist over her heart. “I swear to you on the blood of the House of El, I will take the Horizon home.”

Alura nodded, satisfied. Kara may lie at times to her, even perform stunts like drilling under the unstable city, leaving in the middle of the night only leaving a note to travel to another galaxy, but the oath was sacred to all in the House of El. “Good. I realize things are different on Earth, but our traditions stand. You are a Kryptonian. The rules of potential mating apply. You may kiss him occasionally, no more than two seconds, lips only, but understand under no circumstances are you to have intercourse until the bonding ritual has been completed and a bracelet is around your wrist. His hands are allowed no higher or lower than your waist. You will sleep in separate rooms once you arrive. Kelex will make…”

“Mother!” Kara stopped her in a pleading voice. her face burning. “He is not, we met each other less than a day ago…”

“And yet here the two of you are, about to be ejected into another galaxy. I want you to understand the nausea you are feeling right now, is better than morning sickness. I expect grandchildren in three years, maximum. Call me back when you have landed on Earth. Keep a low profile, Kara. Do not be noticed by humans. Do we understand each other?” Alura demanded rather than asked.

Kara nodded her head. “Of course, Mother. I will be the definition of discretion. We are two minutes from being vomited back into space. I love you, Mother.”

“I love you, Daughter. You and Kell take care of each other now. Stay together… in separate rooms. We will announce the Mating as soon as you return and proceed to the bonding ceremony two days after. That will give Thora time to prepare a dress and you can make his bracelet, he can make yours…”

Kara cut the commlink cut off, Alura’s image gone. Kara sat down slowly in the pilot’s seat, avoiding looking in Kell’s direction.

Finally clearing her throat, she apologized. “I’m sorry about her. My father asked to be her Mate a day after meeting her. She said yes and the assignment requirements were waived. Being a Judge and High Councilor makes her a bit bossy at times. I… I’m… yeah, sorry.”

“I’m not.” Kell told her. “I can’t believe your Father waited a whole day. He must have had incredible patience.”

Kara said nothing, instead leaning back and closing her eyes, hoping her stomach would settle soon.

Three years maximum? No way in Rao’s flames would that be happening. Mating announcements, bonding ceremonies… not anytime soon.

But still, she never imagined a man would be brave enough to go along with her crazy plan and seem to enjoy himself.

The ship lurched and then shot forward once again, hitting ever faster speeds despite Kara not using the thrusters. Neither of the occupants felt the need to scream this time, just closing their eyes and waiting for it to be over.

Moments later the ship was tumbling through space as it was ejected from the wormhole. Since neither were strapped in, they rolled around as the craft spun over and over, bumping heads often.

Once the rolling was over, they realized they were on the ceiling of the cockpit.

“Kelex, turn off artificial gravity.” Kara ordered.

As if by magic the two began floating, Kara reaching for the pilot’s seat and orienting the craft, so the ceiling was once again above her head in regard to her chair. She waited until Kell regained his place and buckled in before switching the artificial gravity back on.

“So… that wasn’t so bad.” Kara told him.

“I think I need to vomit again but there is nothing left.” Kell mumbled. “How is your head?”

“Fine. Can’t you feel it?” she asked, smiling brightly.

Kell’s head did begin to feel better as he opened his eyes and saw a galaxy before him, a bright yellow sun in the distance.

“Even now I can feel the rays, my body absorbing the sunlight.” Kara smiled until her grip bent the manual control stick. “Oh, I forgot. You have to hold everything like it is parchment, or you will crush it. Don’t bang on the sides of the ship or we are seriously screwed.”

“Got it. Why are you talking so loudly?” the man asked, covering his ears. “You are louder than your mother!”

Kara grinned, having forgotten about warning the man about super senses. “You haven’t spent much time under yellow sunlight in the gym have you?”

Kell shook his head. “Only one time. I learned to float… and I was able to emit lasers from my eyes, but I missed the big target on the wall and melted a weight bench. General Non told me to give it up and get back to lifting weights. He wasn’t yelling like you are!”

“He was probably whispering,” Kara explained, “so you wouldn’t be overwhelmed. Our hearing and sight will be greatly increased on Earth. We will be able to see through solid objects if we focus enough. I’ve been practicing for years. The hearing is easy to get used to. Uncle Non and I used to scream at each other to see who would flinch first and grab their ears. All he could do was growl while I had a much higher pitch, so I won every time. Kelex?”

The robot floated towards the cockpit. “What do you want now?” he asked loudly causing Kell to cover his ears once again.

“Stop raising your voice. I packed some special ear plugs in the event I couldn’t handle the sound. Get them from my makeup bag and bring them to Kell.” Kara whispered.

“Which one is your makeup bag?” Kelex asked, quieter this time.

“Blue one.”

“The large blue one?”

“No, the smaller blue one.”

“You have two small blue ones. Could you be more specific?”

“Just get the bag, Kelex! You know where I keep my makeup! Stop being difficult.”

The robot turned away towards the cargo bay, already grumbling about moving four of Kara’s larger luggage bags to find one small bag.

Kara looked at her copilot who was giving her a sheepish grin. After flinching a few times from Kelex throwing Kara’s luggage in the cargo bay, the robot returned, handing the small plugs to Kell.

The man instantly felt better as the plugs molded to his ears.

“Better?” Kara inquired.

“Better.” he assured her.

“You need sleep.” Kara told him. “Go rest. I’ll make you some Earth clothes while you are gone. I have a replicator that can make something close to what humans call denim, a plant named cotton and shoes and a jacket they make from the skin of a cow.”

“What’s a cow?” he asked.

“Sort of like smaller Zuurts,” Kara told him, “without the shaggy hair and fangs. Much easier to domesticate than Zuurts as well. They are large creatures by human standards but herbivores. Humans kill them often to use for meats, clothing, and I’m sure other uses I have no idea about. I wish we would have gotten more than five to ten-minute transmissions, but Father and I had theories about their culture. I can’t wait to find out if we were right.”

Kell walked to the bay in front of the cargo hold where Kara had slept earlier and lay down. Once his head hit the pillow, the man realized how deeply tired he was and passed out in seconds. When he opened his eyes again he sat up quickly, surprised that Kelex’s head was inches from him.

“What are you doing?” Kell asked.

“Analyzing you. I had a hypothesis that since Kara’s male influences were her Father and Non while growing up, she would eventually choose a taller Mate. Non is six foot four and her father was six foot three. You are only six foot. Your musculature is impressive though. That physical aspect of you seems to draw most of her interest. Surprisingly based on her physical reactions when she looks at you, she finds you suitably attractive. I just always assumed Kara’s Mate would be taller, perhaps 6’4”.

“Six feet is the average height for Kryptonian males.” Kell told the irritating robot.

Kelex knew this of course. “Quite. My hypotheses that she would be interested in someone above average has been proven wrong. She seems satisfied with you. Her body temperature rises, her heart rate increases, and she emits stronger pheromones than she has since she entered puberty, when you look at her, or touch her hand, which you are not allowed to do. I would suggest you be politer to me and I won’t feel the need to tell Generals Astra and Non about that incident.”

Kell shook his head. “Her Mother said…”

“Her Mother said to follow Kryptonian standards. Until Kara agrees to be your Mate, only a kiss of the hand on greeting a potential mate is allowed. I don’t believe you have even asked her yet, or did I miss something in the near-death experiences over the last twelve hours?” Kelex said pointedly.

“I haven’t known her long enough.” Kell argued. “She will likely turn me down if I pressure her. General Non told me she is skittish in matters of the heart, in regard to males, and has shot down many candidates already. He believes she may have a fear of commitment, focusing on her work at the expense of all else.”

“I can hear everything you two are saying from the cockpit!” Kara yelled. “I do not have a fear of commitment nor do I… I don’t have to explain myself to either of you. I will hold whoever’s hand I wish. Kell, stay in your uniform when we land. Once we find a safe haven we can both change clothes.”

Kell cringed, having been caught talking about Kara. The man stood up and walked to the cockpit, sitting down in his seat and crushing the armrests with his hands. “Oh… sorry about that.” he told her, having forgotten about his increased strength.

Kara just shrugged. “No problem. I nearly broke the clothing machine. I’m thinking our military dress should be appropriate in the event we have first contact before we can blend in. If we enter stealthily which is my goal, we can change and blend in without being noticed.”

“I saw two pair of pants. One looked quite a bit smaller. Are you planning on dressing Kelex?” Kell asked.

“Those are mine.” Kara replied.

Kell had suspected but didn’t dare hope. While Kryptonian women in the military wore pants, they were not form fitting. Outside of the military garb women always wore dresses.

“They look like they will… fit you well. A bit tight perhaps? Not that I am complaining. Believe me, I am not complaining… not to say it’s because I want to see you in them because I do… I mean I don’t if it’s inappropriate… it wouldn’t be proper… but I think the pants will fit your frame well.” Kell dropped his head into his hands in embarrassment.

Kara laughed, not for the first time finding his awkwardness cute.

The two sat in silence, neither looking at the other as the ship hurtled closer to Earth.

“I have changed our systems to reflect what the United States calls customary units. We are traveling at 38,000 miles per hour. On entry to the planet we will have to slow to 17,000 and increasingly decelerate. We can orbit the Earth once, find a suitable landing spot and scan a circumference of 100 miles. Once we find an uninhabited area to land, we can set course for the nearest city on foot. We will be able to run at much greater speeds on this planet. I would suggest we fly but since you’ve hardly spent any time in the gymnasium under the yellow lamps, I would have to carry you. That will be difficult since our hands are not allowed above or below our waists. We can find an isolated area after we have settled in and practice in private. Perhaps if we find Kal El, he can help you.”

Kell thought about this for a moment. “In military missions, soldiers must adapt to changing circumstances. I doubt it would be inappropriate for us to hold one another while you are flying… if it helps us reach destinations in a quicker fashion.

Kara winked at the man. “I’m sure we will survive. Listen if we do find Kal El, I’m not sure what he knows about our culture. He may know everything or nothing, depending on what information Jor El sent with him. If he asks though, we are to say we are Mates, already bonded.”

Kell grinned at her. “So… we are Mates?”

Kara quickly shook her head. “No, we have to lie. It’s the only explanation Kal El needs to know considering we have been alone on a ship. I’m shocked Mother let you come or even that Uncle Non suggested it. I think humans would call what we are boyfriend and girlfriend or perhaps engaged. I have very little information on human mating culture.”

Kell’s face fell a bit. “Why are you so against being bonded? You are so happy and loving… is it that you haven’t found a suitable candidate?”

Kara took a deep breath and focused on the scanners, saying nothing. She was silent for such a long moment that Kell feared he’d overstepped again but she finally answered him. “I don’t know if I can do it. Ever since Mother and I crawled out of our bunker, I have been trying to live up to my father’s legacy. I have devoted my life to continuing his work, to rebuild Krypton, make it beautiful once again. I think I have done that, but there is so much more to do.

“The work drives me, but it never drove him. Despite his achievements, he loved me and Mother. He would educate me himself, take days off just so we could play. He was there for every breakfast and dinner, always there at night with Mother when I went to bed. He would send my Mother flowers on random days of the week, stop experiments to have lunch with her, take her out to romantic dinners.

“He did this all while conducting such important work. I don’t know if I have it in me to do the same. I don’t know if I can balance my work with any other kind of life. I don’t want to have a child and not be there in its life as much as my parents were in mine and my mother obviously still is. My parents were always there for me, but can I be there for my child? Could I really make a Mate happy when I regularly spend 12-16 hours in my lab every day?”

Kell thought for a moment, understanding her dilemma. “Perhaps you need more than a Mate. Maybe you need a partner. I thought the whole purpose of Mating was for two individuals to share burdens and share love, like your parents did.”

Kara dipped her head. “Maybe. I will say this. If I ever did Mate, I would want it to be with someone who shared my sense of…”

“Adventure?” Kell guessed.

Kara nodded her head. “Someone like you. I have a feeling there aren’t many like you though, are there? I suppose I have a lot to figure out about myself. I do want someone to love. I just want to make sure I can. I don’t want to fail. I abhor the idea of failing at anything nor can I afford to.”

Kell understood. Failure was not something the House of El was known for. He knew the expectations on Kara’s back. The people of Argo City expected her to do it all, be the leader they expect her to be, the savior who can make food and water by rearranging and mutating molecules, be the protector who makes their delicate city impervious to the dangers of space and finds them all a new home. They also expect her to be mated, have children, be the perfect Kryptonian woman. The pressure on her, the weight of 30,000 Kryptonians’ hope and trust must be crushing. It’s no wonder she wasn’t in any hurry to add to that weight a Mate who expected her to be a Mate. Even Kara Zor El had a breaking point and she had chosen the welfare of their people over what she may want or choose for herself in order to be who she needed to be for them.

Kara cleared her throat and Kell noticed she wiped her eyes. “We are approaching Earth’s atmosphere. I’m slowing to 17,250 miles per hour and orbiting. Kelex, turn on the cloaking device.”

“I can’t.” Kelex replied.

Kara practically growled. “Do I have to do everything myself?”

The robot floated to the large cockpit. “I just discovered that during our suicide run through the wormhole, your barrel rolls rolled me into the cloaking controls, and they are smashed.”

Kara gritted her teeth, taking care not to hit anything, aware of her super strength. “When did you discover this?”

“Five minutes ago.” Kelex replied.

“Why didn’t you tell me before I reached orbit?!” Kara exclaimed.

“I was fascinated listening to you feel sorry for yourself.” Kelex told her. “Perhaps if you would loosen up and learn to delegate, you may have more time to find romance. Your Aunt Astra suggested that to your Mother. I believe the phrase ‘compulsive need to control everything around her’ was used and you also ‘need to lighten up’.”

Instead of answering, Kara stood, walking back to the control panel of the cloaking device. “Damn it! I’m going to have to land to fix this. Over two hundred satellites must have seen us by now. Kelex, plot us a course for the United States, immediately.”

The two Kryptonians buckled into their seats, slowing quickly to 767 miles per hour and leveling out over the ocean. Even from 35,000 feet the vast blue ocean captivated Kell and Kara.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” the blonde whispered.

Kell smiled. “The color reminds me of your eyes. I miss oceans.”

“I promise, when we terraform a new planet, I will make sure you have an ocean. I’ll even name it after you.” Kara said, winking at him. She turned to her AI, knowing they would reach land soon. “Kelex, give me an ETA for the United States and options for landing zones considering we aren’t cloaked.”

Kelex floated up beside her. “There is a slight problem. There are incoming vessels, five of them. They appear to be some sort of primitive military craft. I would suggest we climb higher in altitude and increase speed.”

Kara shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. They know we are here. Perhaps if we can determine a method of communication with them, they could suggest landing points. We will just explain we are diplomats…”

Kara’s plan was cut off when a large explosion was heard.

“What was that?” she asked.

“One of the crafts launched a device similar to our seeker missiles. The missile struck our back shield. I would guess it is simply composed of metal, tipped with an explosive warhead with the purpose of disintegrating our craft.” Kelex reported.

Kell checked the display and saw the missile had no effect on the shield. “No decrease in power. It’s like they are throwing rocks at the Nightwing. Perhaps we should leave them behind before one of those pilots gets hurt.” he suggested.

Kara thought for a moment. “No, this is a good chance to establish a rapport.”

“They obviously have no desire to establish ‘a rapport’.” Kelex pointed out. “They attacked our ship, no matter how pathetic the attempt and according to our rules of engagement, we are free to open fire. Kell, our Ion cannons should vaporize them.”

Kara glared at her metal friend. “I’m the captain! No one opens fire unless I give the order. They can’t touch us and there is no need to harm them. I saw a clip of this once. It was only ten minutes, but I believe it was from a movie in the eighties period… Top Firearm or something. There were humans clashing against other humans in battle over the Earth. I remember there was a man called… Maverick. Yes, I believe it was Maverick.”

“Is he one of the pilots behind us?” Kell asked, as another explosion was heard.

“No, it was a just a movie, but it did mention diplomatic relations. He attempted to improve relations with his enemies… yes! The Bird. He used a hand gesture he called the bird and the enemies disengaged and left. That’s what we need to do. I love Earth. Communication is so easy. I am going to invert us and fly over one of their cockpits, very closely, like he did. It’s important that the pilot see our friendly faces, so he won’t fear us. When I do, Kell, just copy my actions. It’s a simple gesture involving the middle finger straightened out while the other three and the thumb are curled into a fist. Just point the middle finger towards them in. I’m almost certain it’s a gesture of goodwill.” She explained excitedly.

Kara slowed the ship and lifted, watching the five human jets fly past her quickly. Catching up with ease, she inverted the ship and flew as close as possible to the lead jet until her cockpit was inches from his much smaller one and made sure he was looking up at her.

Kara flipped the bird as did Kell, smiling widely, hoping to show they came in peace.

The jet dove away quickly, the other four following.

Reorienting her ship, Kara had a smile on her face. “See? I told you they would leave. I wonder why they didn’t try and contact us?”

“We would need the same technology your Father used to capture Earth signals on Krypton. They are using a type of… I suppose they would call it radio waves.” Kelex reminded her.

“Yep, that’s it.” Kara remembered. “Establish communications if they are still in range.”

“We don’t have the outdated technology.” the frustrated robot told her. “Your father built that device specifically to entertain you. Land is approaching. I would recommend setting down in an uninhabited area and repairing the cloaking device. Then we may explore the planet in a more subtle manner.”

“Fine,” Kara grumbled. “What are the potential landing areas?”

Kell sent out a pulse wave, covering 500 miles. “A few large cities but large areas of nothingness past that. It resembles the badlands on Krypton, without the subzero temperatures, treacherous canyons and terrifying monsters. Fly over the first city you see and land in this large deserted area beyond it.”

In less than a minute, Kara had flown over a large human settlement that must have served over a million humans, much larger than even Argo City. She continued to fly, determining this would be her first exploration destination.

The ship lowered itself and slowed to a stop, hovering over the sandy ground beneath it, before landing softly.

The two occupants exited the craft and took in the atmosphere, pleased that there were no ill effects.

“Kelex, stay on the ship, work on the control board.” Kara ordered. “I’ll open up the outside panel and check the damage to the light manipulator. If the power source is still intact, I can have us up and running in minutes.”

Kara worked, Kell handing her tools as she called for them until Kelex interrupted. “Kara, we have ground-based vehicles approaching, four miles away at approximately 80 miles an hour. Perhaps we should launch and find a landing zone more protected from aerial and ground approach?”

Kara sat her tools back in the ship. “I’ve got the cloaking device fixed but we won’t need it yet. We have a chance to greet humans. Not exactly how I wanted first contact to go but sometimes we have to go with the flow. My English is sick so I should have no problems making peaceful contact. Perhaps they know where Kal El is.”

Kell and Kara watched the desert, seeing a cloud of dust following ten skimmers on wheels.

“They are called cars.” Kara whispered to Kell.

The cars stopped twenty feet away and black clad individuals rushed from the vehicles, raising rifles at the two Kryptonians. Kara’s enhanced hearing overheard their communications in which they referred to each other as ‘agent’.

Kell pulled a gun from inside his vest and stepped in front of Kara.

“Kell,” Kara whispered. “It’s okay. I got this. Just get behind me and don’t appear threatening.”

Kara gently pushed Kell’s arm down, but the man continued watching the humans closely.

Kara stepped forward; her hands raised in a non-threatening manner. “Hello. My name is Kara Zor El of Krypton. We come in peace. There is no need for violence. We are just here to visit your lovely planet.”

A thin female agent next to the man in front gasped for a moment in surprise then steeled her face.

“Kryptonian! Load up with Kryptonite ammo!” the thin girl ordered.

Kell stepped in front of Kara once again, gun raised, his voice projecting forcefully at the agents. “If any of you move, you will be evaporated. Drop any weapons aimed at Lady Kara immediately or consider yourself at war! Kelex!”

At Kell’s command, the Kryptonian ship rose from the ground, the ion cannons locking on, ready to fire at the group of agents.

“Stop! We do not want trouble. Party on dudes, okay?” Kara showed ‘The Bird’ gesture once more. “See, we come in peace. Do any of you know a Kal El?”

Before any of the black clad agents could answer a blue streak flew in and landed between the two parties.

“If I were you, I would drop your weapons now, Director Henshaw, before this gets out of hand.” the man said and then turned to Kara.

“Thank Rao.” she whispered, seeing the House of El symbol on the strangely dressed man’s chest. “Kal El, right? Would you please tell the humans we are cool?”