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Astra was pensive as she paced the floor in the home of Zor El. It was bad enough that her sister, Alura, was the only member of the House of El that had sole access to advanced Kryptonian medical technology and a rare AI Programmer module in her luxurious home, but Alura was, after all a control freak, and she was testing Astra's baby daughter, Kara, in the lab at this moment.
There was no sure fire evidence that Alura was mentally unstable, but the House of El was secretly hoping to save some of their children from the eventual coming destruction of Krypton, and the pressure to find one child to raise a preplanned and yet unconceived child from the House of Jor El was a dire necessity placed upon Alura's shoulders.
Realistically, the House of El could save one young child by a vessel suitable for the illegal launch, but the House of Jor El did have a smaller vessel that would accompany the size of a baby, which they insisted on being one of their own. So the choosing of the right candidate to raise that coming baby was a requirement now for the entire House of El since it was preferable for everyone involved that two children from the House of El were to survive the coming destruction of Krypton.
Astra looked at her two daughters and her son as they sat patiently, but with wide eyes of concern over their mother's behavior. The eldest of the daughter finally spoke, "Mother. I had passed the test. Why is Aunt Alura testing Kara? She is just a baby."
When Astra motioned young Camilla to be silent, Alura exited the lab in her home with a pleased look on her face, and announced, "Kara's DNA has her personality make up extremely high in bravery," she paused to look at the rest of Astra's children, "I think it would be best to have Kara with me to raise as my own so that she will be trained and ready to raise our future son, Kal-El, on Earth."
Silence filled the foyer of Zor El's home. Now Alura was seemingly calling Lara's future child, Kal-El, as her own son. It was one thing to ask Astra to have one of her older children to raise Kal El as if he was the son of Zor El, but to take her baby Kara, whom has no knowledge that Astra is her mother, was a little bit more than she could bear. She withheld her tongue out of empathy, because Alura was childless after all, but Astra knows the House of Jor El as well as Alura's husband, Zor El will not stand for this, even if Alura was seeing the chosen children seemingly as her own.
Camilla was very aware that her mother was upset, and stepped in to help ease the obvious turmoil of her mother. "Aunt Alura! I am brave! I can do it! Choose me!"
Alura knelt down on one knee to Camilla, placing a hand on her shoulder and announced, "Yes.. you did test very high in bravery, Camilla, but Kara's bravery is higher. Extremely high," she paused, "it is just as well, because it will take years to train you, and the two small vessels that we have in storage is for the size of a young girl, and our baby boy. By that time, you will be a young adult, and ..."
"I will not fit.." Camilla continued in disappointment.
"Yes..." Alura confirmed. "I'm sorry, but that's the way it is," she paused and looked at her nephew and younger niece and said, "It is just as well. Your mother will need you to look after your brother, Edgar, and your little sister, Trista, in the years ahead," she stood up and took young Camilla by the hand and said,"Take Edgar & Trista to say goodbye to Kara in the lab. This will be the last time all of you will ever see her."
Camilla looked away to her mother and find her eyes avoiding meeting hers as she sees tears trickling down her mother's cheeks. Camilla finds she is unable to contain her own tears as well, but she did wiped her own tears away before looking back to get her brother and sister to come with her to the lab.
When the door closed to the lab, Astra did speak, "I have the right to see her..."
"Yes," Alura replied, "but she can never know that you are her mother."
"I fail to see how her knowing that the future Kal-El is her cousin and not her brother is going to register to her when you insist on raising her as your own," Astra argued.
"She will not question it," Alura replied, "she has been programmed to never make that connection to question it."
"You have ALREADY put a mental block in her brain?!!" Astra yelled at Alura.
"It is a safe procedure prescribed by many doctors in dealing with patients suffering from traumatized experiences. It is a harmless .." Alura said before she was interrupted.
"That's like making my daughter stupid in that relationship of yours!!" Astra yelled.
"Kara's DNA has shown her personality make up as being one very loyal to family," she paused before stating firmly, "she would have been more loyal to you than to my baby boy. She would have left us in search for you to stay with you no matter what."
Astra turned away, fighting back the tears as she remembered the soulful eyes of Kara looking into her own with love and belonging towards her mother. The report only made her realize just how much Kara was looking at her. "There is a side effect to this mental block, isn't there?"
"Only when someone tries to make them to remember or to acknowledge the absurdity of what the mental bock is doing," Alura stated as a matter of fact,"since you had agreed to give me one of your children for a special prearranged exodus to earth to save at least one of your children from the coming destruction of Krypton, it was necessary to install a mental block to insure loyalty towards me as her mother in taking care of Kal-el."
"So..." Astra fumed, but calming down some,"if I was to do something foolish like steal one of the escape vessels that the elite has reserved for themselves in going to Terra Prime, and my coming back here to get Kara and Kal-el before I go..."
"You will need to find the reserved fleet first..." Alura announced with a scoff, "and then you will need an army to get past all of their security measures that would prevent such a theft."
"I'll expose them.." Astra ventured to say.
"They control the media and all communications, Astra, and you know this," Alura reminded her.
"I could try to take control of one of their communications relay station and ..." Astra was formulating an impromptu plan.
"That's been done by some of your colleagues already and they have failed," Alura reminded her.
"Yes, but my husband and I know where and what their mistakes were.."Astra pointed out.
"Any vulnerabilities that were taken advantage of would have been upgraded each time," Alura pointed out, "it is vanity to even try," and she paused while Astra continued to think of something to say in the hope of being with Kara even as her Aunt, "you know it is dangerous for Kara to even be around you. Kara does have her memories of you now as her mother. She will remember them. Fortunately, we both look alike so that she would dismiss them, but the moment you try to convince her that you are her mother, she will go into a seizure. The mental block will prevent her from accepting that truth."
"It can be removed.." Astra threatened.
"For what purpose? Especially when the whole reason that you are agreeing to this is so that one of your children will survive from Krypton?" Alura reminded her again.
"I'm going to find that fleet and raise an army to take those vessels for people far more deserving!" Astra declared, and the rest of my family will survive Krypton!!!"
"A noteworthy campaign, since the elite are planning to do the same at Terra Prime of what they have done to Krypton," Alura commended her,"which is why I am sending my son and your daughter to Earth," she walked away from Astra and said sternly,"however, I will not have you jeopardize my plans for insuring the House of El. If you do anything to expose yourself to bring attention on my family, I will turn you in to throw off any suspicions that I am one of the dissidents. The loyalty of the House of El cannot be questioned if I am to insure Zor-El's plans for our children's escape."
Astra ignored her warning and stormed into the lab to look upon her baby one last time, but as her aunt. Noting that the door to the lab was closed with Alura out in the foyer, Astra joined her children by the testing chamber to see baby Kara in it. "Momma," Camilla inquired, "Are we really going to do this?"
"For now, Camilla,"Astra informed,"but I am planning to look for a special fleet that has been reserved to go to Terra Prime. I am hoping to raise an army to take that fleet, and we will reprogram one of the ships to break away from that exodus to rejoin Kara & our cousin, Kal el, that will be heading to Earth. We will be a family again. Count on it."
"What kind of a ship will we have?"Edgar inquired.
"It will have to be a medical ship," Astra replied.
"Why?" Edgar inquired further as Camilla reshuffled Trista in her arms so the tot could see her baby sister, Kara, better in the testing chamber.
"Your aunt did a very bad thing to Kara," Astra informed, "but I will undo what she did." She leaned in close to Kara in the chamber, picked her up, and held her close, as if for the last time as she cried softly, "we will be together again some day...dear sweet Kara."
There was no sure fire evidence that Alura was mentally unstable, but the House of El was secretly hoping to save some of their children from the eventual coming destruction of Krypton, and the pressure to find one child to raise a preplanned and yet unconceived child from the House of Jor El was a dire necessity placed upon Alura's shoulders.
Realistically, the House of El could save one young child by a vessel suitable for the illegal launch, but the House of Jor El did have a smaller vessel that would accompany the size of a baby, which they insisted on being one of their own. So the choosing of the right candidate to raise that coming baby was a requirement now for the entire House of El since it was preferable for everyone involved that two children from the House of El were to survive the coming destruction of Krypton.
Astra looked at her two daughters and her son as they sat patiently, but with wide eyes of concern over their mother's behavior. The eldest of the daughter finally spoke, "Mother. I had passed the test. Why is Aunt Alura testing Kara? She is just a baby."
When Astra motioned young Camilla to be silent, Alura exited the lab in her home with a pleased look on her face, and announced, "Kara's DNA has her personality make up extremely high in bravery," she paused to look at the rest of Astra's children, "I think it would be best to have Kara with me to raise as my own so that she will be trained and ready to raise our future son, Kal-El, on Earth."
Silence filled the foyer of Zor El's home. Now Alura was seemingly calling Lara's future child, Kal-El, as her own son. It was one thing to ask Astra to have one of her older children to raise Kal El as if he was the son of Zor El, but to take her baby Kara, whom has no knowledge that Astra is her mother, was a little bit more than she could bear. She withheld her tongue out of empathy, because Alura was childless after all, but Astra knows the House of Jor El as well as Alura's husband, Zor El will not stand for this, even if Alura was seeing the chosen children seemingly as her own.
Camilla was very aware that her mother was upset, and stepped in to help ease the obvious turmoil of her mother. "Aunt Alura! I am brave! I can do it! Choose me!"
Alura knelt down on one knee to Camilla, placing a hand on her shoulder and announced, "Yes.. you did test very high in bravery, Camilla, but Kara's bravery is higher. Extremely high," she paused, "it is just as well, because it will take years to train you, and the two small vessels that we have in storage is for the size of a young girl, and our baby boy. By that time, you will be a young adult, and ..."
"I will not fit.." Camilla continued in disappointment.
"Yes..." Alura confirmed. "I'm sorry, but that's the way it is," she paused and looked at her nephew and younger niece and said, "It is just as well. Your mother will need you to look after your brother, Edgar, and your little sister, Trista, in the years ahead," she stood up and took young Camilla by the hand and said,"Take Edgar & Trista to say goodbye to Kara in the lab. This will be the last time all of you will ever see her."
Camilla looked away to her mother and find her eyes avoiding meeting hers as she sees tears trickling down her mother's cheeks. Camilla finds she is unable to contain her own tears as well, but she did wiped her own tears away before looking back to get her brother and sister to come with her to the lab.
When the door closed to the lab, Astra did speak, "I have the right to see her..."
"Yes," Alura replied, "but she can never know that you are her mother."
"I fail to see how her knowing that the future Kal-El is her cousin and not her brother is going to register to her when you insist on raising her as your own," Astra argued.
"She will not question it," Alura replied, "she has been programmed to never make that connection to question it."
"You have ALREADY put a mental block in her brain?!!" Astra yelled at Alura.
"It is a safe procedure prescribed by many doctors in dealing with patients suffering from traumatized experiences. It is a harmless .." Alura said before she was interrupted.
"That's like making my daughter stupid in that relationship of yours!!" Astra yelled.
"Kara's DNA has shown her personality make up as being one very loyal to family," she paused before stating firmly, "she would have been more loyal to you than to my baby boy. She would have left us in search for you to stay with you no matter what."
Astra turned away, fighting back the tears as she remembered the soulful eyes of Kara looking into her own with love and belonging towards her mother. The report only made her realize just how much Kara was looking at her. "There is a side effect to this mental block, isn't there?"
"Only when someone tries to make them to remember or to acknowledge the absurdity of what the mental bock is doing," Alura stated as a matter of fact,"since you had agreed to give me one of your children for a special prearranged exodus to earth to save at least one of your children from the coming destruction of Krypton, it was necessary to install a mental block to insure loyalty towards me as her mother in taking care of Kal-el."
"So..." Astra fumed, but calming down some,"if I was to do something foolish like steal one of the escape vessels that the elite has reserved for themselves in going to Terra Prime, and my coming back here to get Kara and Kal-el before I go..."
"You will need to find the reserved fleet first..." Alura announced with a scoff, "and then you will need an army to get past all of their security measures that would prevent such a theft."
"I'll expose them.." Astra ventured to say.
"They control the media and all communications, Astra, and you know this," Alura reminded her.
"I could try to take control of one of their communications relay station and ..." Astra was formulating an impromptu plan.
"That's been done by some of your colleagues already and they have failed," Alura reminded her.
"Yes, but my husband and I know where and what their mistakes were.."Astra pointed out.
"Any vulnerabilities that were taken advantage of would have been upgraded each time," Alura pointed out, "it is vanity to even try," and she paused while Astra continued to think of something to say in the hope of being with Kara even as her Aunt, "you know it is dangerous for Kara to even be around you. Kara does have her memories of you now as her mother. She will remember them. Fortunately, we both look alike so that she would dismiss them, but the moment you try to convince her that you are her mother, she will go into a seizure. The mental block will prevent her from accepting that truth."
"It can be removed.." Astra threatened.
"For what purpose? Especially when the whole reason that you are agreeing to this is so that one of your children will survive from Krypton?" Alura reminded her again.
"I'm going to find that fleet and raise an army to take those vessels for people far more deserving!" Astra declared, and the rest of my family will survive Krypton!!!"
"A noteworthy campaign, since the elite are planning to do the same at Terra Prime of what they have done to Krypton," Alura commended her,"which is why I am sending my son and your daughter to Earth," she walked away from Astra and said sternly,"however, I will not have you jeopardize my plans for insuring the House of El. If you do anything to expose yourself to bring attention on my family, I will turn you in to throw off any suspicions that I am one of the dissidents. The loyalty of the House of El cannot be questioned if I am to insure Zor-El's plans for our children's escape."
Astra ignored her warning and stormed into the lab to look upon her baby one last time, but as her aunt. Noting that the door to the lab was closed with Alura out in the foyer, Astra joined her children by the testing chamber to see baby Kara in it. "Momma," Camilla inquired, "Are we really going to do this?"
"For now, Camilla,"Astra informed,"but I am planning to look for a special fleet that has been reserved to go to Terra Prime. I am hoping to raise an army to take that fleet, and we will reprogram one of the ships to break away from that exodus to rejoin Kara & our cousin, Kal el, that will be heading to Earth. We will be a family again. Count on it."
"What kind of a ship will we have?"Edgar inquired.
"It will have to be a medical ship," Astra replied.
"Why?" Edgar inquired further as Camilla reshuffled Trista in her arms so the tot could see her baby sister, Kara, better in the testing chamber.
"Your aunt did a very bad thing to Kara," Astra informed, "but I will undo what she did." She leaned in close to Kara in the chamber, picked her up, and held her close, as if for the last time as she cried softly, "we will be together again some day...dear sweet Kara."