Krypton Reborn, Ch1: Part Three

"Congratulations! You've drawn: Merlyn (The once and future King) and Ultron (MCU), who will serve as your teacher and guardian. Will you summon them now?"

"Not yet!" Dan waved his hands. "Are you sure these two are safe..."

"System summons are completely loyal to the summoner. They will obey your orders without question, and can never harm you."

"What's the matter, what summons did you get?"

May's face poked through his system display, curiosity and concern in her eyes. She couldn't hear the system's voice, but she knew it was there.

"I got Merlyn, from the old king arthur stuff, not an anime homage." Dan frowned. "But he's not the problem, it's the draw for my protector."

"Merlyn sounds like a great get, and isn't Ultron supposed to be strong?"

May had never been into Marvel movies, so she only knew the basics of the universe. Fantasy had always been her thing, that and anime.

"Ultron IS strong, but he's also a homicidal maniac," Dan pointed out the viewport. "He's not something you want to release without safeguards in a place like the star wars galaxy."

"Well, what does the system say?"

"It said that it's safe, but I think I'm going to give Ultron some specific orders all the same."

Dan accepted the system prompt and the summons began. A white light, a beam that passed through the ship without harm, descended in two distinct spots. As it faded, the figures of his first summons were revealed.

One, an old man, squinted with curiosity at the spaceship around him. The other stared holes into Dan's eyes with mechanical red orbs.

"You are our new Master."

The machine man's words were a statement, not a question. Ultron took a knee, gaze still locked on Dan.

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"I pledge to protect your life at all costs, even if the universe must burn, you will be safe."

"Shut up, you mindless machine!" Merlyn's staff found Ultron's skull. "Our Master does not need to burn the stars, they fuel his power, after all."

The wizard's eyes twinkled, the light of magic. Dan was exposed, as if he was still naked in his artificial womb.

"Merlyn's right, Ultron," Dan ignored the wizard's probe. "In fact, I've got some rules I'd like you to follow..."

Several minutes later and a dissatisfied Ultron had all but exploded with frustration. Dan had laid out a version of Asimov's Laws of Robotics, a set of orders that left little room for murder and violence.

"Master... these rules are so restrictive," Ultron wined. "I can't kill anyone unless it's in the defense of self or others, and I can't mentally enslave people to gain compliance!"

"You'll be fine," Dan shook his head as he turned to Merlyn. "Now, Teacher Merlyn, what say you on our next step?"

"The future of this galaxy is steeped in blood and conspiracy," The wizard frowned, hat tilted over his eyes. "We'd be best served if we keep to ourselves for a while."

"My thoughts exactly!" Dan smiled. "We need to build a strong foundation, before we show ourselves to the greater public."

The greatest danger lay with the hidden Sith, Palpatine, and Plagueis foremost among them. In a world that included the comics, and books, these two were dangerous. They would flush a movie Superman down the toilet, and he wasn't even that strong yet.

"I want to start construction on a city," May interjected. "We always talked about how we'd design something like that, with Ultron and this ship, we can finally do it!"

"Alright," Dan nodded, a smile on his lips. "We'll pick the planet with the most sun and get to work."

He turned to the robots that manned the ship and commanded them to start a scan. This system held four planets, with two that supported life. One had only primitive bacteria, hidden under the ice, but the second was home to sentient beings.

"Head for the inhabited world, it's got a much warmer climate, and it doesn't seem very advanced."

The robots followed Dan's orders and the scout ship slid through the vacuum, on target for the closest world to the sun. It was small, with large ice caps. A band of liquid ocean wrapped the equator, dotted with small continents.

Snow-capped mountains and tall forests dominated the lands, broken up by large plains of powdered ice. It wasn't a sun-soaked world, but the quality of the star was enough to make it worthwhile.

"It's beautiful..."

May leaned against his side. Together they watched the approach, a fast-paced descent that targeted the largest city on the planet.

"We are being hailed..."

The ship's robot pilot droned a warning, but continued to close on the city.

"Let's hear it," Dan waved a hand. "Put it on the speakers."

A distortion crackled, the star wars communications were always a mess of static. An annoyed voice filled the bridge.

"This is GCC City's Central Command, calling unknown vessel. You are on approach into GCC's corporate airspace." The words were delivered by a woman who'd clearly had enough with her job. "Please follow the provided flight plan to the star field and be ready for a standard inspection."

"Follow their direction," Dan ordered the pilot. "If anyone comes on board, make sure they're monitored at all times."

The scout ship changed its vector, a few degrees to the left, and closed with the local spaceport. Functional, sturdy buildings, designed to last. They lacked beauty, but would stand for a long time.

"Let's head to the loading ramp, we'll be on the ground soon!"

May lept from her seat and led the charge to the ship's exit. Dan followed close behind, his excitement near a boil. They would soon step onto their first new planet, a place inhabited by alien life.

"Wait for us, Master!" Ultron charged after them, footsteps heavy on the metal floor. "It may be dangerous out there!"

"You're the dangerous one," Merlyn complained as he shuffled at the back of the pack. "The odds of you causing a scene are staggeringly high!"