02- Jor-el

She sat by a window as she watched the others training. She doesn't usually take a break, but this time she wanted to. Just to think.

What to do ?

Argo city is a possibility, but for that she would need Brainiac's technology, if he exists in this world. On the contrary, she has no idea how to resolve this issue of saving her world. I mean, she could, when she became someone of high rank, send some from Krypton to another planet before destruction and go with it. If she really knows when and how it will happen. It's all a matter of when and how it will happen. That's why she needs to prepare. Jor-el could be useful in this, perhaps.

He is obviously a brilliant scientist, even at such a young age he already demonstrates how good he is in this area. She's already seen it. She paid attention to her classes and his grades were usually the highest in the science class, even beyond her, but that's not that hard. I mean, Faora's main focus is combat, military tactics and politics. This was literally instructed to her by her father, Aras-Ul.

Jor-el in more than one version is one of those responsible for predicting what would happen to the planet, taking precautions and sending one of the last survivors of Krypton to safety on Earth. Faora does not know where the land is located, how far away it is, or how to get there. In fact, no one seems to know where it is yet, one more thing that Jor-el was able to discover before others of his kind. It is necessary, and useful, no doubt about it. She needs his help and his intelligence.

Dru will also come in handy, if she doesn't get a high rank as a general or something, she might need his help too so he can order some Kryptonian expeditions on some planet before Krypton is destroyed.

Even if she wanted to put Kryptonians on another planet permanently to protect her race, it wouldn't work. That's because the Krypton Council is stupid and doesn't allow expeditions longer than 5 months and doesn't allow colonization of other planets. There's all this nonsense and the Krypton law is the only home and it shouldn't be abandoned, ever, not even for good reason. She is not surprised by this. It was this kind of thinking that caused the destruction of Krypton and almost every Kryptonian in existence.

That's one more problem, the Council.

But not that much of a problem.

With the right allies, she can fix this. However, she is still only 13, so it will take a while for her to gain some authority or respect.

"Should I thank Rao for this miracle?" A deep voice asks. Faora looks to the side to see Don, her friend who is exactly 1.77, just 14 years old and with a shaved head, fair skin and dark brown eyes.

Faora refrained from rolling her eyes.

" Funny." She scoffed.

"I didn't joke." He shrugged and sat down beside her on the bench. "How is it possible that you're taking a break from training. Weren't you the one military example who never tires?"

" Look who's Talking." She retorts, knowing full well that he is the same as her when it comes to training, but he does more exercises than fight training.." What are you doing here?"

"Keeping my boss company." Says Don, a joking tone but his expression serious. "Something bothering you?"

She looks away and ends up at a young man from El's house, sitting on the floor against a far wall outside the training room and holding a high-tech tablet.

She heard a scoff beside him, "Don't tell me he has your interest."

"What?" She blinked and looked back at Don, who was watching her with a raised eyebrow and a sly smile on his face. She shook her head, her brow furrowed. "No, I don't… I don't have that interest in him," she said, but her eyes went back to young Jor-el. No, She couldn't even think of such a possibility. She can not.

" He's very smart. " she comments.

"Is this attractive to you then?" He raised his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes. "I won't repeat myself." She crossed her arms.

Don laughed but didn't insist. Instead, he talked to her a little more about training and left when the teacher called him. Some time later the class ended and she was released. She was coming out a little sweaty, wearing a dark sleeveless shirt and plain pants of the same color, with combat boots. His short dark hair fell over his slightly wet forehead. She held a bag over her shoulder, where she kept some practice items like small knives and a gray cue.

She left her things in her compartment on the wall and walked to where she imagined Jor-el was.

/

Young Jor-el collected plant samples in the school's Study Garden. Some students came and saw. The garden was big and tall, strong and clean glass above the ceiling and various types of Kryptonian plants," Faora observed from afar, leaning against a wall as she looked the young man from El's house kneel down, examining and taking notes on his tablet. She pressed her lips together and decided to go there.

She even got behind him. " They're interesting, aren't they?" His sudden presence made him jump to his feet, stumbling back a little and Faora thought to catch him before the fool fell over some plant, but Jor-el managed to steady himself, holding the tablet to his chest and looking beyond surprised. with your presence.

"Oh, hi?" He stuttered, his eyes wide and cheeks red as he stared at her with wide eyes.

She wondered briefly if it was just shyness or surprise that she was there. She held his gaze for a moment before stepping to the side and pointing to a plant on the ground he had been examining a few minutes ago.

"Aliatras, are capable of causing long-term illusions if ingested too little, but can cause fainting if used in excess." She looked at him, who took a step back, creating a slight distance between them.

"Have you read about them?" he asked, his expression confused and Faora chuckled.

" Not exactly." Her answer made Jor-el frown but then the realization of what she meant hit her.

" Oh…you… "

She laughed again, shaking her head.

"No, not me, but Don and a few others used it too much. Usually it's just used in the nurse to help numb the pain or something, but no one thought stupid teenagers would use it for fun, even those as formal as military. " She said, turning around and touching a purple leaf and looking at it. Jor-el a little behind her.

"I don't know if fun is the right word." he mutters, but she hears it and looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, and what word would you use?" She asks.

" Recklessness?" He suggests, a little nervous.

"Of course you would think so." She smiled and walked over to him, not caring that Jor-el staggered back a little in her fast forward, which came close enough that he had to stretch back a little on the table right behind him. . She looked him over. His blue eyes strayed up and down the lanky, tall body of the young man. He was not impressive, despite being handsome, with brown hair that fell over his ears and under his eyes and a soft face, but his real strength lay in his intelligence. That Faora knew for sure. "You're too innocent for such things, aren't you? Jor-El?" she joked, striding away to the side, letting the boy breathe and straighten.

She took a purple flower, known for having petals that adapt to the environment, in this case, becoming invisible at times. The flower changed from its natural color to one that was almost completely camouflaged. She smiled.

" These are called Araliaras, they are impressive, their ability to blend into the environment is amazing. No wonder we use them in some of our technologies. " She turns to look at him. Jor-el looked surprised that she knew this fact and had a rather curious expression.

"How do you know that? I thought your rank was military, no-"

She cut him off right there. "I'm in the military category, doesn't mean I'm dumb." But she understands your curiosity. Most of those in the military category don't care too much about subjects other than their role." My dad wants me to be the best in all my classes, even if I'm not in their category. that the combat part comes first, because I was born to be a soldier. But I'm also the heir of my house, it's my duty as an Ul, to be the best I can be, and even beyond the best. "

He frowned. "That doesn't mean you need to know about plant biology or anything, I mean you're amazing at combat and the best of the best in your class. I've seen you fight, but no one would be that perfect in all subjects, after all, our categories, as you yourself said, will always come first, both in our genes and in our studies."

She almost laughed. He was right, too bad her father doesn't think quite the same and demand her perfection in every class or she'll go without dinner and will probably pay with even more practice. However, she must always prioritize her role above all others.

"That doesn't stop me from getting the best grades in the class, being just behind you and a few others." She replied, stepping closer. "My father is a traditional warrior. For him, defending our home is our main priority, but it's not just combat that you win battles and even he knows it." to put away. Being pinned to the wall behind him as Faora got so close to her body and face she could count her freckles. His blue eyes watched her face for anything that might help him try to find out more about Jor-el.

She listed. "Knowledge, strategy, manipulation…" she lifted his chin with one of her fingers, making him stare and blush. "This is capable of winning wars… This is power." He swallowed hard and Faora couldn't help but smile. " Do you disagree?

He swallowed hard. "No, but it doesn't all have to be about power."

She raised an eyebrow, stepping to the side and taking the chair beside him. "Tell me what it could be about then." She said. Jor-el keeps his eyes glued to her and seems to breathe a sigh of relief, sitting down in another chair but keeping his back to her. She noticed that he was stiff and wondered if her presence was unwanted, as he was clearly relieved when she pulled away. Maybe she was too intimidating or...

"Ah...Life? Love?" He seems to be asking himself a question and she can't help but frown.

"We are Kryptonians, love doesn't fit the description of being a military or a scientist, or any category of our genes. We are literally spawned in a biological machine.

And life passes, what we are left with are the memories of those who are gone, they are our legacies. "

He turns to her, pulling his chair a little towards her, facing her and holding his hands nervously in her lap. "But that doesn't mean there isn't love between a couple or family, we're not machines, you know, even if there's no natural pregnancy," he said and she continued to watch him, placing a hand under her chin. He clears his throat.

"But in my opinion it would be better to have natural births. I mean, the Gene Chamber creates us already with our defined functions, whether or not we always end up stuck in this specific function. We are born with abilities for certain things, and we cannot change. An example is you and me. I was born with the role of being a researcher, a scientist. No matter how hard I try to learn to fight like you, I would never be as good at it as you are." She smiled a little at the compliment as I waited for him to continue. "Unless I try too hard, but combat doesn't interest me as much as science does."

"It's the same with you. You can get as many top marks as you like, but that in itself is beyond exhausting, because you weren't raised to be a scientist or biologist, you weren't made to improve on the matter of other studies, You were meant to be a soldier. That's your role and rank, and you'll always do much better at it than anyone else. You can try to be the best at everything, but it won't work. You're literally stuck in it. military role, you, upon reaching maturity, will join Krypton's army, whether you like it or not. Because you wouldn't fit into other roles, even if you tried your best and also, none of the advisers would allow it. and I could be a great military leader, but I would still be stuck in the military role."

She snorted. "Thanks for stating the obvious, genius."

" But our lives don't need to be defined by our roles, not entirely. Natural births could help Krypton's future. It's not like us, whether we like it or not, we're always pulled by our roles, it's an instinct, it's-"

"Genetic." She said, her tone and expression serious. She knew that well, she had that pull too. Nothing appealed to her more than military or combat tactics, not even biology, science or any other subject and category. She, even not wanting to, would always choose to be a military, to be a fighter, to defend her home. It literally is in her DNA. Not the idea of defending her home and stuff, but being a fighter, being a soldier, that's her job, basically her defined career before she even opens her eyes.

He nodded, a sad smile on his lips.

" Exactly… genetic. " he blew out a breath.

" I wish I could choose who I would like to be for the rest of my life, but we don't have that privilege. We are created with roles and these roles are what we follow for the rest of our lives. It's in our DNA. pulled into our role."

She looked at him for a while. He was already thinking about natural births, something Krypton abandoned centuries ago, something that many find useless and a waste of potential. Something that many think is heresy. She doesn't know what to think, on the one hand she approves of the idea of choice, of freedom of choice. She already suspected that maybe Jor-el was already thinking about it, thinking about things that will be crucial for the future. It is through natural birth that Kal-el the Superman will be born. It is through Jor-el's that Krypton's destruction is discovered.

Jor-el is, in fact, someone very important.

He is someone essential for the future.

"I understand what you mean." She responds and is sincere.

He looks a little surprised. "Really?"

She smiled. "Of course. I think freedom of choice can be critical for our people. It could make us more like other races, and it probably wouldn't be something very well regarded by the Council. But it might be interesting, getting back to being like it was before, you know?"

"Yes… It's a shame the Council doesn't think so." He looks genuinely saddened by this fact and Faora pursed her lips, thinking about what to say.

"They will think." She said. His words made her focus her attention on her. "At the right moment, who knows." She then let a mocking smile curve her lips. "But I don't know if they would. They're pretty thick headed for that. Arrogant idiots."

He laughed, and this time she was the one who was surprised. She figured he'd be horrified by what she said, but he's laughing.

"Yeah, no doubt they are." He said, a smile on his thin lips.

She had never heard him laugh before, he was very quiet and only spoke when the teacher asked, or when someone spoke to him, which was rare as many considered him a bit narcissistic just because he is the best in his class.

She tilted her head, her expression curious.

" Tell me about yourself." She leans back in her chair with her arms crossed.

He looks shy, and again surprised by her words. "About me?" He stammered, his eyebrows raised. Faora felt her lips wanting to curve into an amused smile but she held back. Jor-el was incredibly interesting to her. He is an introverted boy with a brilliant mind, shy, but who will one day be the father of one of the greatest heroes on earth. She wants to know more about him, what are his ideas, what he already knows, what he wants.

"What would you like to know?" he asks, his hands fidgeting nervously with the sleeves of his smooth gray jacket. He didn't look at her...

"Whatever you want to tell me." She shrugs.

"But why?" He looked genuinely curious.

"I want us to be friends."

"You? Want to be my friend? You?" He pointed at her in surprise, and Faora frowned.

"Is it not okay with me wanting to be your friend?" He shook his hands.

"No! No, that's not it…" he sighs, rubbing his neck. "It's just…well, you're you, and you want to be my friend… Which is weird, not in a bad way or anything." He folds his hands. "But you… you're Faora Ul, you're like, perfect at almost everything you do, and the best in martial arts and beautiful, and-" he froze, realizing what he said and blushed, stuttering at the apologize.

She giggled. "It's okay, El. It's not the first time I've heard this." he looked away.

"Okay…so anyway, I don't understand why you would want to be my friend."

"Maybe I like the way you think." She said with a shrug.

" Really?" He looks surprised once again.

"Really." She smiled.

He returned the smile. They continued to talk a little longer and amazingly, they had more in common than she had imagined. Both are some of the best in their class and category, both wanting change for Krypton's sake. Both fight for Krypton's future, even if it doesn't work out the same way.

That's how she began her friendship with Jor from El's house.

/ 1 month later.

She looked at herself in the mirror, a little tired from the workouts she'd just had in the next room.

Her thoughts turned to recent events over the past four months. She was already 14 years old. Her father put even more pressure, her training now involved real and dangerous weapons like daggers and swords. She has scars on her arms and legs now, and one down her left shoulder. It's no different in the warriors' training room. But the coach at least knows how to say that it is to stop when someone falls or gives up. Her father doesn't want to give up, he wants retaliation, brutal and needy. She needs to knock him down, injure him, for the training to be over.

She took a deep breath and ran her hands over her face. The best warrior. That's what she has to be.

She thought about her recent relationships. New friendships emerged in a short time. In particular, Jor-el, who seems to get along well with Dru and some of his other friends. She invited him to sit with them at her table at mealtime, and seems to have adapted well to the group's idiocies and formalities. After all, she not only has future Krypton warriors there, but also some of Jor-el's own rank. He still blushes red with embarrassment when teased, whether it's silly jokes about him being a know-it-all or that he seems to blush a lot when he's around Faora, which causes some in the group to joke and say he has a crush on Is it over there.

Faora usually makes the others shut up to leave Jor-el alone, but she has this concern that there might be some truth to that. That's why, despite not liking Lara, she literally pushed Jor-el into Lara's arms.

She got a little behind him as they were both leaving the room and took advantage of Lara's entry into the room so she could shove Jor-el with her shoulder so that he fell with Lara. What happens perfectly. He ends up almost knocking her down, but what ends up falling off is her tech tablet. Jor-el, a gentleman, took the tablet and handed it back to Lara, who smiled at the kindness and apology.

Faora didn't want to be a third round of their conversation, so she left, but Jor-el noticed and apologized to Lara again before following her. Faora was a little surprised by this, but at the same time he wanted to hit himself in the face. But it worked, Lara started to see Jor-el and they started a friendship.

She thinks this might help them both get closer. She hopes so.

She knew how beautiful she was, how good she was at martial arts and how elegant her posture was but also brutal and agile. All of this is a combination of genetics and effort. She has to be the best warrior because she was born for it. Serving Krypton, defending him, that's what she was born to do. That's why she trains every day, with just a few minutes of rest. It's why her father pushes her to the physical and mental limits, to strive to be the best she can be.

She walked out of the bathroom into the practice room. There on the bench were Jor-el and Zod. Sitting side by side and talking. She stopped to watch a bit. Jor-el accepted Don's idea of enrolling in fighting classes at the academy. It is not prohibited for students from other categories to enroll in the classes of others, as long as they keep the greatest concentration on classes for their particular role. Jor-el wasn't as skilled at fighting as she and Zod were, obviously that wasn't his area of expertise. But he was learning, little by little and hurting himself a lot, but learning.

She will need him as her ally if she wants to save her kind. Funny how things are. For a while, she never thought of Krypton as her real home, as her people. But after a few years, that thought changed. She never imagined she would stop feeling homesick, and sometimes still does, but now, her loyalty is to Krypton, which is her home. She'll do what she can to save Krypton, even if she can't save her planet, she'll save her kind somehow, but she will. Or maybe not. She's still undecided whether or not she should let the story run its course, but she definitely doesn't plan on dying anytime soon, nor does she let others of her kind die either.

She went to sit on the bench, and Jor-el looked nervous at her arrival, leaving for a drink of water while Faora sat on the bench that he had previously occupied. She frowned at his abrupt departure and looked up at him, seeming to radiate nervousness.

"Do you have anything with El?" The question was so abrupt that she blinked twice before she got what Dru had said.

"What?" Understanding hit her. "Do you mean to say Jor-el?"

"I don't think there's another El in the academy right now." He jokes and pushes her lightly with his shoulder. "So, are you going to tell me if there's anything between you guys?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't tell me you're jealous." She joked and Dru scoffed.

" In your dreams." He said. "But he seems like a decent person, I don't want him to be heartbroken." He looked at her.

She scoffed, "I don't care what you thinks or he ." But she would lie if she said she doesn't find him attractive, however, he's not for he. Jor-el must stay with Lara. She's not going to make any further advances that make him want to rethink this and she should help other girls stay away too. Kal-el has to be born, No matter what. She looks at Zod. "And don't give me heartbreaking lectures, you do it without even trying."

He frowns. "What do you expect me to do? I have my reasons for not hooking up with just any girl, plus my parents would choose who I marry anyway, it doesn't matter."

"We're not prohibited from kissing someone or falling in love, we just can't marry anyone we want unless our parents approve, that's all."

He crosses his arms. "Exactly. It's best to avoid distractions until then. We can't let these things get in the way of our duties."

"I know that and I agree, but I don't have to be in love with someone to kiss them. Just look at Don, the idiot is like a walking stone but he still accepts to be with some girls." She said, looking at the 1.80 boy who was lifting huge weights.

He looks at her and snorts. "It's funny you defending him and his nonsense, when you don't give a damn about it. In fact, I've seen kids come away with watery eyes after they've tried to flirt with you. Because you reject them or scare them to the bone, each one of them. "

She scoffed. "I don't reject everyone, but I don't want to get too involved. That's because I, like you, know how pointless it can be. Because no matter who we want to be with, our parents make the decisions for us, just as they decide our roles before we were even born." She replied, a certain bitterness in her tone. They don't have freedom of choice, that's a fact. But she didn't say that. She knows how fast Dru is loyal to Krypton costumes. How fast Krypton is rigid in its laws and fantasies, and changing them is heresy. Choosing is not a privilege they have, not much. She is in a military career, and when her studies and training at the academy are finished, she will serve as a soldier.

"Looks to me like you has a grudge."

"No." Lie. She doesn't really like the idea of being stuck in the warrior role because it wasn't her choice but she accepts it willingly, but she doesn't like the idea of being forced to marry someone, but that's the way it is. She can't change it, even if she wanted to.

However she likes to fight, likes the idea of defending something, likes the idea of being the best warrior.

Being the best fighter on Krypton is an honor she wants to achieve.

She almost scoffed. Being a Kryptonian certainly changed her way of thinking, a lot. She looked at a star map on the wall. The earth is there somewhere, but she doesn't know if she will feel at home if she is there again.

She is Faora Ul, and Krypton is her home now. She will do everything possible to save her race.

It's a thought she doesn't know if it's possible to change and is afraid of what it might lead to.