Chapter Fifty-Five, Part Two

"It seems that the others have failed…" Nova scowled at Superboy's golden form, a mental projection created from runic script. "You and your ilk are stronger than expected, if you repelled the Juggernaut so quickly."

"Cassandra Nova," Cal shook his head and drifted forward to place a hand on Charles' shoulder. Magical light washed over the Professor and purged the intruder's claws from his core consciousness. "Krypton's file on you is very limited, but it seems you've converted the Hellfire club into some kind of mutant-run shadow group… how did you and Sinister avoid our sight for so long?"

The world around them returned to reality, Cal and Charles side by side amidst the academy's unconscious students. Bear and Kara stood watch next to Nova's bound companions, all three imprisoned by complicated runes.

"You and your brethren have weaknesses, you're not gods…" Nova edged back, her body surrounded by a wall of telekinetic power. "It wasn't hard to learn how to avoid your detection at all…"

"Probably lead lined barriers set around whatever hiding places you've squirrelled away," Cal shrugged as a flash blossomed from his palm. His spell cut through Nova's defence like it wasn't even there and manifessed a set of chains around her body. "I find it interesting that you assumed your mutant abilities would be enough to deal with my magic… unless you assumed that you could simply take control of our minds?"

Nova scowled from within her bonds, unable to speak under their influence. Cal shook his head and floated her over with the rest of the prisoners. From his experience, mutants could have near unimaginable power, but even the best of them suffered from a lack of control. No matter how powerful you were, if you couldn't use your strength efficiently it was pointless.

"They almost breached my mental shielding…" Kara gave him a sheepish smile as she kicked at Sinister's prostrate form. "This one might be the strongest of the lot, though that bald woman never acted against me."

"I can assure you, she has a formidable mind…" Charles rubbed his temples, a trace of blood under his nose. "...she claims to be my sister, but I can't be certain if the memories she unearthed were my own or a fabrication."

The chains around Cassandra Nova rippled at his words, shaken by the force of her mental powers. Her body trembled, eyes locked onto Xavier with the greatest loathing. Cal frowned as he placed a hand on Nova's back. Several extra layers of scripture coated her skin, restrictions that silenced her efforts.

"We can ask the Ancient One to take a look, once these four are locked up in Krypton's cells," Cal waved a hand and opened a portal to the Antarctic Fortress. "The faster they're permanently sealed, the better."

– – – –

"Young Qui-Gon, good to see you, it is!" Master Yoda floated forward on his small hover dais, his body bent and his face lined with fatigue. "In the galaxy, chaos has erupted… forward as one the Jedi must step, or lost the Republic is."

"I'm afraid that I am a Jedi no longer," Qui-Gon took his sabre from his belt and placed it on the Council chamber floor, his gaze on the circle of Masters that sat around him. Bastila stood at his side, heart in her throat as she watched the old Jedi frown. "I have come today to call upon my former brothers and sisters of the Jedi Council, step away from the Republic and join together with Krypton."

Qui-Gon waved out the windows, to the smog covered landscape of Coruscant. A step carried him forward and he took a knee before his former Masters. Bastila hurried to join him, eyes on the floor as the pressure in the room increased.

"The Jedi have become blind to the very things they claim to stand against, lost in ancient dogma and fear of the past," Qui-Gon ignored the tide of mental pressure and probes, secure behind his wards. "Krypton offers a path to everything we've always wanted, a place where we can truly stand against the dark and win!"

"Enough of this!" Mace Windu rose to his feet and pulled Qui-Gon's abandoned sabre into his hands. "You have the right to leave this Order, but not to lecture us on the art of betrayal."

"Intertwined, the Jedi and the Republic are…" Yoda waved Master Windu back to his seat and shook his head. "Abandon them, we cannot."

Qui-Gon nodded and returned to his feet. Bastila did the same, her eyes on the tranquil power that surrounded Master Yoda like a halo. He was a beacon in the Force, calm and immovable.

"I knew that would be your decision, Grandmaster," the former Jedi let a hint of sorrow touch his face, before he waved to Bastila and turned to leave. "Be careful, a great evil has awoken in the depths of the Maw… keep close watch on the younglings, on all the Jedi."

– – – –

"Cyttorak the Destroyer, huh…" Dan floated on his back, eyes closed as he let the sunlight soak into his skin. Juggernaut slept close by, his snores loud even in the vacuum of space. "He's not so bad, just a battle junkie like Goku."

Dan replayed the fight in his mind, a frown on his lips. At no point did his attacks actually damage the Juggernaut's body, not so much as a scratch. He was probably asleep because of the strain of housing Cyttorak's will.

"He called me a young god, but I really need to figure out a way to quantify how strong I am," Dan shook his head and hauled the sleeping behemoth into a stabile orbit. A flick of his hand sent a symbiote clone into the man's body. "Call me when he wakes up, but don't bother trying to take control of him."

"Very well," Venom hissed. "The psychic mutants have been delivered to the laboratory and the Primes wish to know if they can harvest genetic material."

"Harmless extractions only, at least for now," Dan set a course for the Fortress. Before he turned Sinister into little more than samples in a lab, he needed to pillage the man's knowledge. "Some of them should be capable of reform, and I'd rather not waste Omega-level talent."

If he wanted to actually create a branch of Krypton's empire in this corner of the omniverse, he needed to create an unshakable foundation. The mass creation of Kryptonians would attract unwanted attention from the likes of the All-Father. For now, he would gather the strongest he could under his banner, until he was powerful enough to protect what he created.

"Now, let's go absorb that solar suit prototype and find a way to test my strength," Dan floated into the Fortress' upper entrance, mind on the continuation of the super serums. "Once we've gotten what we need from Sinister, we'll begin limited testing before we move on to live experimentation."