The Commander had left to execute his orders, and now the real planning had to begin. Time was our enemy, and I needed to know exactly what resources we had at our disposal.
"LYRA," I called out, settling deeper into the chair. "Display the inventory."
Holographic displays materialized around me—financial holdings, technological resources, military assets. Everything House Rao commanded lay bare before my eyes.
The numbers were impressive by any normal noble house standard, but normal standards meant nothing when facing planetary extinction.
"Assuming we have three weeks maximum before Krypton's destruction," I said, studying the data, "how many people can we evacuate?"
I decided to take three weeks as our deadline because variables always existed.
There was a pause that lasted longer than LYRA's usual processing time, which immediately told me the answer wouldn't be what I wanted to hear.
"Due to Council sanctions on teleportation devices, we are limited to planetary-range transporters only. Intergalactic teleportation systems would require months to construct. Moreover, after the destruction of our interstellar ships, their production was stopped around the globe, again thanks to the council."
"The number of people we could save has been massively reduced due to these restrictions," she continued.
My heart sank. "What about the Military Guild's Arks? Can't we use those arks to relocate our population to other planets within our system? At least temporarily?"
"Young master," LYRA's voice took on a grave tone, "There are one hundred and thirty vessels available that are capable of solar system travel. However, our system is contested territory. The Dheronians have established forward positions on three outer satellites and maintain patrol fleets throughout the asteroid belts."
The name sent ice through my veins.
The Dheronians—a warrior race locked in territorial disputes with Krypton for almost three centuries.
They possessed technology nearly equal to our own, making them one of the few species in our nearby systems that could match us in direct combat.
Every twenty years, our civilizations clashed in devastating wars that had consumed countless resources and lives.
It was during one of these conflicts that both our planets lost their intergalactic travel capabilities, leaving us trapped in our system like caged beasts.
"Any large-scale evacuation using conventional vessels would be detected immediately," LYRA continued. "The Dheronians view our people as a long-term threat. They would use any evacuation attempt as an opportunity to eliminate our species entirely."
Perfect.
Even if we could save some people using the military arks, we'd be sending them into a massacre.
The Council's sabotage was complete—they had stopped the production of the Interstellar escape and left us vulnerable to enemies in our system.
It was not that we did not have any allies. The closest ones were Almeracians. Before the Council banned off-planet travel, Kryptonian males were requested as mates by Almeracian women.
If there had not been a threat of Dheronians, we could have taken temporary refuge in Almerac.
"What about hyperspace drives?"
"All hyperspace drives were destroyed under Council Order fifteen years ago. The official reason was preventing unauthorized deep space exploration."
I closed my eyes. They hadn't just hidden the truth about our dying world—they had destroyed every means of escape.
"Overall," LYRA concluded, "our interstellar capabilities have been deliberately crippled by Council policies."
"The military arks could theoretically carry millions over time," I said, thinking aloud, "but the Dheronians would turn any evacuation into a massacre."
"Precisely, young master. Any vessel moving at sublight speeds would be vulnerable to Dheronian interceptors for weeks during transit. Their battle doctrine emphasizes the complete annihilation of enemy populations to prevent future retaliation."
The cold, tactical way LYRA described our people's potential slaughter made my blood run cold.
"Young master," LYRA's voice carried a note of hope, "there may be an alternative. Before her passing, your mother was working on a revolutionary propulsion system that utilized the Phantom Zone to compress spatial distances."
My eyes snapped open. Mother had been brilliant, years ahead of her contemporaries.
"How does it work?"
"Hyperspace drives operate at ten to one hundred times light speed. Your mother's Phantom Drive could compress space within a fifty light-year radius, allowing for instantaneous travel."
Instantaneous? That was exactly what we needed right now!
Fifty light years was enough to reach several star systems with habitable worlds.
"What's the completion status?"
"The theoretical model was completed, and your mother created a functional prototype. However, integration into an evacuation-capable vessel would require an expert in both physics and large-scale engineering."
I already knew who I needed. "If this technology works, how many people could we save?"
"The number of people we can save depends on the number of Interstellar ships we can get ready before the destruction of the planet."
"But, within three weeks, we can create at least one ship with the maximum evacuation capacity of fifteen thousand individuals."
The number hit like a physical blow.
Fifteen thousand.
Out of billions.
But then something clicked in my mind. "Wait," I said, leaning forward. "If we're aiming for three weeks to construct this vessel, and the Phantom Drive allows instantaneous travel—we could make multiple trips. Take fifteen thousand, transport them to safety, then return for more."
The logic was simple but powerful. We weren't limited to a single evacuation run.
"That is theoretically possible, young master," LYRA replied, though her tone carried caution.
"However, since the Phantom Drive has never been tested or used before, its reliability remains unverified. We cannot guarantee the technology will function as designed, let alone function repeatedly without failure."
My newfound hope dimmed slightly. An untested technology was a massive gamble. If the drive failed during the first trip, we'd lose not only those fifteen thousand lives but also our only means of salvation.
I need to make sure that at least one batch survives.
"I see. We will decide about the multiple trips when the time comes."
"Understood, young master. But who will be the ones that get to be evacuated?"
"About that, create a list that prioritizes genetic diversity, essential skills, and children. We need to ensure the survival of our species, not just our bodies."
The cold pragmatism of the statement settled heavily in the air. We were talking about choosing who lived and who died, reducing billions of lives to categories and priorities.
But moments like these needed that cold pragmatism.
"There's another thing," LYRA added. "The launch of our ship will definitely draw the Council's attention, as it would need to cross the atmosphere before it could reach the required speed for the Phantom Drive activation. They control most of the planet's military forces and monitor population movements."
She was right. The Council maintained surveillance over major population centers, watching for signs of civil unrest or unauthorized activities.
A ship capable of interstellar travel will get shot down by the planetary defense.
"I have an idea how to ensure a safe passage out of Krypton. For now, prepare detailed plans for both scenarios—single trip evacuation and multiple trip evacuation. Include power modification requirements, passenger selection criteria, and risk assessments for each option."
"Plans will be ready within the hour, young master."
"Also, use the best blueprint available for our ship. Deploy all the builder bots we have in our estate and begin the construction."
The scope of what we were attempting had shifted dramatically.
There was a chance that we could do multiple trips and save hundreds of thousands rather than just a few thousand survivors.
Even if that failed, we would still save fifteen thousand people.
Truth to be told, even that number was enough. With this many solar-powered Kryptonians, we can control the resources of at least one galaxy if we were to go full tyrant mode.
I did not plan to turn the surviving Kryptonians into Tyrants. Tyrants are overthrown eventually, one way or another.
I needed something far more meaningful than that. Something that could survive and be passed on as a legacy for countless eons.
But that would come later. For now, getting off this planet took priority.
"And, prepare a vessel for immediate departure to House El's estate. I'm going to recruit our expert."
.....
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