The Last Days of Krypton - Kevin J. Anderson [169]
Jor-El didn’t even look at him. He spoke to the judges. “I, too, cast my vote against Zod. He will always be a threat to Krypton.”
“You could have saved yourself considerable time,” Aethyr snapped at the gathered judges. “You knew what you would conclude before the proceedings began. You didn’t even allow us to speak in our own defense.”
Tyr-Us looked brave now that Zod was safely bottled up. He raised his chin. “And what do you wish to say? How can you defend your heinous actions?”
Zod silenced Aethyr with an abrupt wave. “Give them no further sport.”
Korth-Or took one step closer to the dome. He was still simmering with accusations, still seeing the holocaust of when his Borga City had been destroyed. “Aethyr-Ka, do you still wish to stand with General Zod?”
“Do not use my family name! They were dead to me long before they vanished with Kandor.” She stepped to the edge of the shimmering field. “Yes, I stand with General Zod.”
“And you, Nam-Ek.” Or-Om sounded compassionate. “You were a mere pawn in these actions. We believe you are mentally flawed. We can perhaps find some leniency if you will renounce Zod. Signify by nodding or shaking your head.”
Nam-Ek was incensed by the very suggestion. He balled his fists and shook his head vigorously.
The leaders of the new government stood together as Gil-Ex announced in a booming voice, “General Zod, there is no more fitting punishment than for you to be confined permanently within the Phantom Zone. There, you will forever endure the torment that you forced upon us.”
Zod did not give them the satisfaction of a defiant retort. Armored soldiers came forward, muscular men who had replaced the Sapphire Guards. They surrounded the small imprisoning dome. A crew of anxious-looking workers brought the silver ring out of the museum chamber.
Despite his proud demeanor and unshakable strength, Zod felt a chill. He wished Aethyr and Nam-Ek had indeed renounced him, so they wouldn’t have to suffer the same fate.
From where he stood Zor-El activated the force-field controls, and the small dome disappeared. Briefly freed, Nam-Ek was ready to hurl himself upon the guards and perhaps die in a hopeless attempt at escape. But General Zod touched the big man’s arm and shook his head. The mute relaxed, complying with his master’s wishes, as always.
Gal-Eth said, “Take one last breath of Kryptonian air. Smell the sweetness of freedom that you are leaving behind.”
Zod spat at them.
He glared out at the crowd, focusing his anger on the one person he hated the most. “Jor-El, we could have saved Krypton. We could have led these people out of their own stupidity, but you betrayed me. You betrayed them! You doomed them all! I could have made this into a world that my father would have admired, but you and all future generations will pay for your shortsightedness. This is on your head, Jor-El—your conscience! I curse you for that. I curse you and all your descendants!”
Jor-El stood coolly, as if he were actually proud of what he had done, and he made no reply.
Ignoring his rant, the guards took Aethyr by the arms. When she struggled, they seized her legs as well and carried her bodily toward the silver frame that enclosed absolute emptiness. Zod grew wild, feeling the last shreds of his long-cultivated control slough away. “No!”
They threw Aethyr into the blank plane, and she vanished instantly, to become only a flat disembodied face filling the Zone.
Next, it took five men to push Nam-Ek into the singularity.
Finally, the guards came for Zod. With every fiber of his being he wanted to fight, to scream and shout and not allow these hated people a moment of victory. However, he knew he could not escape the guards, the howling mob. Even if he broke away, they would hunt him and kill him like an animal. And if he kicked and thrashed, forcing them to pick him up bodily and throw him into the Phantom Zone, he would only appear childish. Humiliated and worse—impotent. He was Zod, General Zod, and he could never allow himself to look powerless, especially in front