Black Zero is of no concern. Krypton's survival is. And to protect it from Braniac, I need to know what his Sentry was doing in that communications hub.
That was just a part of it. A Sentry will seek to infect a more useful, powerful host, after which it is disconnected and shut down. If I can tear it open, access its memory nodes...
By going behind my back? To the Primus of the Sagitari? What makes you think Jayna is ready to join us and go against everything that House Zod stands for?
And if she loves her daughter so much, what's to stop her from going to the Voice of Rao herself and bargaining for a better deal? You risked everything, Nyssa.
Tyrants with power and a temper. If Jayna agrees, and joins us to spare her daughter, how do I explain to the Voice that he won't get the blood he's asked for? And if she refuses, and tells the Voice of our plans before we can put them in motion, then the blood he asks for will be ours.
You're worried about others? Do know what happens if I don't go home? Others come looking for me. Els. That's right. That's right, yeah. All my brothers, and all my cousins, and all my uncles. Pretty soon this place will be crawling with Els. And think about all the destruction they can do.
[noticing something] I think you might be more right than you realize. I can't believe I didn't see it before. Doesn't that symbol look familiar to you? It's the El and Zod sigils superimposed on each other. I think our famiies put this vault here. Raika... Raika said that because I'm an El, I have the power to destroy everything.
Seg, I know how this sounds, but please. This is a key moment in history. Things need to unfold the way that they originally did. Okay, any changes could set off history in some new and crazy way, and something huge, like stopping Brainiac, that could ruin everything.
He was sent off just before this planet explodes. That's why he's called the Last Son of Krypton. I don't have all the answers here. I admit it. I guess if... if Brainiac doesn't take Kandor, if Krypton doesn't explode, then anything can happen. And maybe Kal-El will exist. Maybe he won't. But what I do know is that is a risk we cannot afford to take.
Forget the numbers! I care about my world. My friends. What's the point of any of it? Or making the world a better place? Of having children? Of protecting our loved ones? If it all just ends in fire and death? Everything that we are. Everything we've built. You're asking me to sacrifice all of it. For an idea. An abstraction. A future if.
Happy, open. Smiling. What I remember most about you was how heavy the loss of Kandor weighed on your heart. You didn't like to talk about it, but I learned that you were in one of the military vessels attacking Brainiac's ship when he ripped the city from the ground. You never forget your failure to defend the city. It made you bitter.
I have a son who recognizes me as his mother, but only knows you as the father of his best friend. I suppose I thought... Now that you're Guilded, maybe there'd be a way. I still want to believe we have a future.
Proceed as planned. There comes a point in any coup when it's more dangerous to back out than to go forward. Too many people are involved to depend on none of them betraying the secret. Even inadvertently...
There will be a slight delay. In speaking with my protege, I realize I need more contact with the people of Kandor. I have much to learn, and to judge.
You know, you're right. I do look out for number one. But the people of Kandor are number two. Where do you suppose they feature on the Voice of Rao's list? He only cares about the glorification of his god, and he expects the people to dedicate themselves to that. At least from me, they get a chance at a decent life. I am a selfish bastard, Jayna. But people do things for more than one reason.
Two decades ago, you came out of nowhere, and married into House Vex, and spent the rest of your life trying to make the Vex name seem important. My honor, that's my own problem. But what did I sacrifice it for? And am I supposed to kill a junior officer to prop up your ego?
My ego? You take a good look at this city that you are supposedly protecting, Jayna. Kandor is stagnating. We are barely surviving on our dwindling resources. It is time to look to the future. To look beyond, and start to build new alliances with the eight other cities. To combine our expertise, and develop new resources. If the other, more illustrious houses are too hidebound to do it, I am not. This world will only improve when our cities work together.
