Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from DC or Marvel. Characters such as Superman, Jor-El, Zor-El, and Alura In-Ze belong to DC Comics. Only original characters such as Von-Ra El and elements created for this story belong to the author.
Chapter 13 — Council conflict
The chamber no longer felt calm.
What had begun as a routine council session had shifted into something sharper. Conversations that were once quiet and polite now carried a subtle tension.
Von-Ra remained standing at the center platform, the holographic projections still rotating slowly above him.
Resource charts.
Energy flow diagrams.
Production statistics.
Across the chamber, council members leaned toward their advisors, whispering behind raised hands.
Even the usually composed representatives of House Ze studied the data more carefully now.
The silence stretched long enough that Von-Ra could feel the room changing.
He had forced them to think.
And on Krypton, forcing the council to think was often more dangerous than openly challenging them.
At the highest tier of the chamber, Morl Vex slowly adjusted his seat.
The politician rested one elbow on the armrest, his fingers lightly brushing his chin.
His eyes never left Von-Ra.
Then he spoke.
"Well."
The single word echoed lightly through the chamber.
"Let us assume, for a moment, that your efficiency projections are accurate."
His tone was calm again.
Measured.
Dangerously polite.
"Even then," Morl continued, "your proposal changes a system that has governed Krypton for centuries."
He gestured casually toward the chamber.
"Tradition exists for a reason."
Von-Ra answered without hesitation.
"Tradition should guide us, not restrain us."
Several members of House Vex exchanged knowing glances.
Morl smiled faintly.
"Yes," he said. "Young minds often believe that."
A few quiet chuckles followed from his delegation.
But Morl's eyes remained sharp.
"Tell me something, Von-Ra."
His voice lowered slightly.
"If this system is truly inefficient… why has no one else discovered it before you?"
The question lingered in the chamber.
It was not really a question.
It was an accusation.
Von-Ra understood that immediately.
He did not react.
Instead, he turned slightly toward the projection still floating above the platform.
"Because inefficiencies are rarely obvious when they are spread across thousands of systems."
He pointed toward one section of the hologram.
"Energy transportation alone loses nearly four percent of generated output during distribution."
Several scientists from House Ze leaned forward.
Von-Ra continued.
"Manufacturing cycles in the northern industrial sectors overlap with outdated scheduling protocols, reducing material efficiency."
Another cluster of data expanded above the platform.
"Mining shipments from the western resource belts are rerouted through three unnecessary relay stations."
The projection shifted again.
Three glowing lines appeared.
Two of them vanished.
Gasps of quiet realization spread through the scientific observers.
Von-Ra finished calmly.
"No one noticed because the inefficiencies are individually small."
Then he looked directly at Morl.
"But combined… they waste nearly twelve percent of Krypton's total industrial output."
The chamber fell silent again.
This time the silence was different.
Not skeptical.
Calculating.
Even Morl Vex stopped smiling.
Across the chamber, Kara Ze whispered quickly with one of her advisors. The man tapped rapidly across a datapad, clearly verifying the figures.
After several seconds, he leaned close and murmured something into her ear.
Kara Ze's expression tightened.
She stood.
The movement immediately drew the room's attention.
"House of Ze has reviewed the preliminary calculations."
Her voice carried the weight of technical authority.
"They appear… plausible."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the chamber.
Plausible was a powerful word coming from House Ze.
Von-Ra said nothing.
But beside him, Jor-El allowed himself the smallest breath of satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Dru Zod remained completely still.
The military commander had not spoken for several minutes.
That alone made people nervous.
Finally, he leaned forward slightly.
His heavy hands folded together.
"Von-Ra."
His voice was deep, controlled.
"You say the military will not lose resources."
"Yes."
"Yet you propose reducing our reserve stockpiles."
"A small reduction," Von-Ra replied calmly.
Dru Zod studied him.
"War rarely respects 'small reductions.'"
Behind him, several Zod officers shifted slightly, their expressions hard.
Von-Ra did not look intimidated.
"Krypton's fleet already maintains overwhelming superiority in this region of space."
"Today," Dru-Zod replied.
The single word hung in the air.
He leaned back slowly.
"Military strength is not built for today."
"It is built for threats we cannot yet see."
Jor-El spoke before Von-Ra could respond.
"Which is precisely why scientific development matters."
All eyes shifted toward him.
Jor-El stepped forward slightly.
"Technological superiority has always been Krypton's greatest defense."
He gestured lightly toward the projection.
"If these efficiency improvements are implemented, the military would still retain full operational strength."
Dru Zod studied the projection again.
He did not reply immediately.
But something in his posture had changed.
He was no longer rejecting the idea outright.
He was evaluating it.
Across the chamber, Morl Vex noticed this.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
He spoke again.
"Fascinating."
His voice was soft.
"But there is still one question unanswered."
The chamber quieted again.
Morl slowly rose from his seat.
"When exactly did you prepare all this?"
He gestured toward the projection.
"These calculations… these reforms… these proposals."
His gaze sharpened.
"This level of analysis does not happen overnight."
Von-Ra met his gaze.
"And yet," Morl continued smoothly, "this council was not informed that such a review was being conducted."
He clasped his hands behind his back as he slowly walked down the steps of the council tier.
Each step echoed faintly through the chamber.
"So I must ask again."
He stopped at the edge of the central floor.
"Who authorized you to conduct a full evaluation of Krypton's industrial infrastructure?"
Now the room felt like a courtroom again.
Every eye shifted to Von-Ra.
Even the scientists.
Even the military officers.
Even the silent observers in the upper galleries.
Jor-El remained still beside him.
But this time…
He did not answer.
Because this question was not meant for him.
It was meant for Von-Ra.
And Morl Vex's gaze made that perfectly clear.
The politician smiled faintly.
Not warmly.
But with the satisfaction of someone who believed he had finally found the weakness in his opponent's argument.
The chamber waited.
Hundreds of eyes were fixed on the center platform.
Morl Vex stood at the edge of the council floor now, hands clasped neatly behind his back like a prosecutor who had just delivered the decisive question.
"Who authorized you to conduct a full evaluation of Krypton's industrial infrastructure?"
The silence deepened.
Several council aides leaned forward in their seats. A few scholars from House Ze stopped typing entirely, datapads frozen mid-analysis.
Even the distant observers in the upper galleries had gone quiet.
Because Morl Vex had not simply asked a procedural question.
He had laid a trap.
If Von-Ra admitted he had conducted the review without council permission, he could be accused of overstepping his authority.
If he named someone who authorized it, the council could shift the pressure onto that house.
It was a classic political maneuver.
And everyone in the room recognized it.
Von-Ra did not answer immediately.
He looked at Morl Vex.
Then slowly he turned his gaze toward the upper tiers of the council.
The chamber felt like it was holding its breath.
Finally, Von-Ra spoke.
"No one authorized it."
The reaction was immediate.
Several councilors began whispering at once.
Morl Vex tilted his head slightly, as though he had expected exactly that answer.
"You admit," Morl said gently, "that you conducted an unsanctioned analysis of Krypton's planetary infrastructure."
Von-Ra did not flinch.
"Yes."
The murmuring grew louder.
A few members of House Vex exchanged satisfied looks.
Morl's smile widened slightly.
"Well," he said softly, "that simplifies matters."
But before he could continue—
A new voice cut through the chamber.
"Not quite."
The deep, commanding tone silenced the room instantly.
All eyes shifted toward the military delegation.
General Dru-Zod rose slowly from his seat.
Unlike most councilors, Zod did not rely on subtlety or polished rhetoric. His presence alone carried authority.
Tall, broad-shouldered, and composed with absolute discipline, the General looked less like a politician and more like a weapon.
Behind him, several officers from House Zod straightened instinctively.
Dru-Zod descended the steps of the council tier with measured, deliberate strides.
The chamber watched him carefully.
When the General stopped speaking distance from the central platform, he addressed Morl Vex directly.
"You speak as if initiative is a crime."
Morl folded his hands calmly.
"Not a crime, General. Simply a matter of jurisdiction."
Dru-Zod's eyes moved briefly toward the holographic projections still floating above the platform.
Resource flows.
Industrial networks.
Military logistics.
Then he looked back at Von-Ra.
"You conducted this analysis alone?"
Von-Ra answered calmly.
"No."
Jor-El stepped forward slightly.
"I assisted with several of the technical evaluations."
A few council members shifted again at that.
Dru-Zod studied the two scientists for a long moment.
Then he turned back toward the chamber.
"The military conducts strategic assessments of Krypton's defenses constantly," he said.
"No council vote is required every time we evaluate our fleet readiness."
Morl raised one eyebrow.
"That is hardly the same thing."
"Is it not?" Dru-Zod replied.
The general gestured toward the projection.
"If these calculations are accurate, then the inefficiencies he identified affect military logistics as well."
A few Zod officers nodded quietly behind him.
"Supply delays. Energy losses. Manufacturing overlaps."
Dru-Zod's voice remained calm.
"All of those impact fleet readiness."
He turned slightly toward Morl again.
"So if Von-Ra's analysis improves those systems…"
He let the sentence hang for a moment.
"…then the military benefits from it."
The chamber fell into thoughtful silence again.
Morl Vex studied Dru-Zod carefully now.
The politician understood what had just happened.
Zod had not fully endorsed Von-Ra's proposal.
But he had prevented House Vex from shutting it down procedurally.
A subtle but significant move.
Across the chamber, Kara Ze spoke again.
"House Ze is less concerned with authorization than with accuracy."
She stepped down from her seat as well, joining the lower council floor.
Her advisors followed close behind, datapads glowing with calculations.
"If the inefficiencies are real," she continued, "then correcting them would increase planetary productivity without requiring additional extraction."
She glanced briefly toward Von-Ra.
"That alone deserves consideration."
Morl exhaled slowly.
The situation had shifted again.
First the data had drawn interest.
Now both House of Zod and House of Ze were entertaining the possibility of reform.
That made things… complicated.
He turned his gaze back toward Von-Ra.
"You have stirred quite a discussion," Morl said.
Von-Ra remained composed.
"I presented information."
Morl smiled faintly.
"Yes."
Then his tone sharpened slightly.
"But information alone does not govern Krypton."
He turned slowly, addressing the chamber again.
"Reforming resource allocation, adjusting military reserves, restructuring industrial systems…"
He gestured toward the projection.
"These are not small changes."
Several councilors nodded.
Morl continued.
"Such decisions shape the future of our civilization."
He turned back toward Von-Ra once more.
"So perhaps the real question is not whether your calculations are impressive."
The chamber quieted again.
"The real question…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…is whether Krypton should trust its future to them."
The words hung in the air.
Across the chamber, council members exchanged looks.
Some skeptical.
Some intrigued.
Some cautious.
Meanwhile, Dru-Zod crossed his arms slowly.
His gaze remained fixed on the projections.
Jor-El stood beside Von-Ra in thoughtful silence.
And at the center of the chamber, Von-Ra realized something important.
The debate had moved beyond numbers.
Now it was about power.
And on Krypton—
Power was never given freely.