“Wake up people, wake up and see the truth!” Dressed in a modified Priest’s robes, the sigil of the house of EL stood out on the Abbot’s ink-black vestments. He waved his hands to the armoured men at his side, both dressed in blue-grey steel that honoured the battlegear of Krypton. “Superman is the return of God on Earth, a being so mighty that even death cannot lay a hand on his faithful!”
Dan shook his head as the man continued to preach his glory. These ‘cults of Krypton’ had sprung up in earnest, after the resurrection of those killed by Apocalypse. They congregated around the museums and other locations that had opened to memorialise his actions throughout the years, focused on messages of tolerance and peace.
This one in particular had a rather unique take, backed up by some kind of magical armour. The spells upon their outfits were unfamiliar, but they seemed to draw upon the faith of the wearer and empower them. Dan made a mental note to investigate the Abbot and his men, before he returned his focus to the task at hand.
“The Eternal’s base is hidden in a layer of space, a city behind a city,” Dan’s eyes flashed with phantom energy, fused into his Kryptonian vision to pierce the layers of reality. Humanity had long forgotten that a home of ‘Gods’ existed in their backyard. “Now, how should I go about this…”
Dan frowned as he scanned the Eternal's mountainous city. He was here in the hopes that he could work with the immortal guardians of Earth, so it would be best if he showed some restraint. If he smashed his way inside, it was unlikely that the ancient beings would cooperate.
Celestial technology was extremely complex. Without outside help, it would take the minds of Krypton several more years to unlock its secrets. The Eternals had centuries of experience, more than enough to provide Dan with what he needed. Their assistance would be invaluable in the effort to reprogram Galactus’ incubator.
“I guess I’ll just knock and hope they're in the mood for visitors,” Dan shrugged, hand extended to slashed a gap into the hidden spatial dimension. His actions did not go unnoticed as over a dozen Eternals jumped into the sky the moment he passed through his gateway. “If not, then I’ll move to plan b…”
“Halt, who… Superman?” A well muscled red-head with a thick, unruly beard, blinked as the group closed with Dan’s position. He was the same fellow who acted to defend the cities of Earth, during En Sabah Nur’s attack. “What are you doing here?”
“Zuras, right?” Dan extended his hand to the ancient warrior, an honest smile on his face. Regardless of his poor opinion of the Eternals as a whole, this man had done enough to deserve his respect. “It’s good to meet you again…”
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“This place is forbidden to all but the Eternals,” Ikaris appeared at Zuras’ side, eyes narrowed as he appraised Dan’s energy. “What is the purpose of your intrusion into our home?”
Dan ignored Ikaris, his attention on the interior of the Eternals hyper-advanced mountain city. Other members were on approach, including the man he was most interested in. The ebony-skinned Phastos, master inventor and the most skilled being on Earth when it came to Celestial tech.
“I wanted to thank you, Zuras,” Dan’s gaze returned to the bulky man at Ikaris’ side, a smile on his lips. “Your actions during Apocalypse’s attack saved many lives, the actions of a true warrior.”
Ikaris scowled as Dan continued to reject his existence, while Zuras returned Dan’s smile with a wary grin of his own. The muscle bound Eternal shrugged as a dozen more of the immortals rose into the air to join them.
“It was the right thing to do, but I doubt that’s the only reason you’ve come,” Zuras placed a hand onto Ikaris’ shoulder to calm the man’s wrath, eyes filled with the wisdom of aeons. “What else can we do for you, Superman?”
----------------------------------------
“This is certainly an interesting vessel…” Thrawn glanced around the chaos of the pirate’s bridge, eyebrows raised as crewmembers downed liquor while they manned their stations. “Are you certain your agents of Krypton?”
“That we are, sent by the Emperor himself,” Shanks smiled at Thrawn’s confusion and snapped his fingers at his helmsman. “Set a course for Krypton, our guest has an appointment with Mistress May…”
“So, you’re the famed ‘tactical genius’ that Dan-EL is so interested in,” Captain Jack staggered up and offered a half finished bottle of rum to the Chiss. “Tell me, can you really understand a species, just by studying their art?”
“Art… history, there are many factors that let a person glimpse the inworkings of a people,” Thrawn leaned back, away from the unpleasant breath of the drunken pirate. “I must admit, I am surprised that Krypton would employ such a… diverse crew of individuals.”
“We’re not a part of the regular forces, more of a subsidiary group in the Empire’s service,” Shanks laughed as Thrawn’s avoidance of Jack’s rum caused the ‘Captain’ to tilt towards the floor. He waved a hand and summoned a chair under the man, before he toppled to the deck. “Emperor Dan-EL tasked us with retrieving you, since he’s currently unavailable. The higher ups on Krypton are probably more in line with your expectations.”
“Indeed,” Thrawn raised an eyebrow at Shanks’ casual display of otherworldly power. “Your abilities are similar to that of a Jedi, but I somehow doubt you’re a former member of that group… are you a force user or something else?”
“No Force magic here,” Shanks shook his head as the composite pirate vessel jumped into the phantom zone and reappeared in orbit around Krypton. “My power is closer to the ki control of Krypton’s armed forces, a manipulation of life energy that lets me do all kinds of things.”
“Ki…” Thrawn shook his head and turned his gaze out the central viewport. Krypton’s sun cast a warm glow over the bridge, while the world itself shone like a pristine jewel. “It seems that I have much to learn, before I can be of any use to the Emperor.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much,” Jack half collapsed onto Thrawn’s shoulder, uneven smile on full display. “Dan-EL is a pretty laid back fellow and his wife is the same. We’ve spent most of our time building connections with the underworld and he hasn’t complained about our slow progress even once!”
“Our progress isn’t slow,” Shanks sighed as he rubbed his temples. Jack was the most difficult part of his new existence, a drunken thorn that refused all his efforts to curb his poor behaviour. “We can’t force our way into these organisations, or they’ll just disband and reform. Our job is to infiltrate and control the ones in the shadows, not smash them apart and force them into hiding…”
“Yeah-yeah,” Jack tumbled back into his chair as Thrawn shook his head free, a smile on his lips as he downed the last of his rum. “The important thing is, with Krypton’s replicator technology, the rum is never gone!”