The Last Days of Krypton - Kevin J. Anderson [39]
If anyone in the Council was aware of the streaks of light that arced into the starry blackness, they simply discounted the phenomenon. A few of them might have realized that Jor-El was up to something, but since they were not interested in the answers, they didn’t ask questions.
Lara did not shy from lifting her end of the heavy cylinder and helping Jor-El to load it onto the polished launch rail. “This has the power to fly beyond our atmosphere? It can go all the way to Rao?”
“So far, only one of my rockets has failed. The chemical fuel has enough thrust to reach the target, but frankly it’s not difficult to hit a celestial object as large as our sun. You just have to get close.”
“And then what?”
“Then I can continue my uninterrupted monitoring of the solar cycle. Rao is in its final stages of life. A supernova could happen at any time.”
Lara didn’t even seem particularly alarmed. “But you have developed a plan to save us.”
He had to catch himself from laughing. “You have a great deal of faith in me.”
“Yes, I do.”
“I have a few ideas.”
Jor-El had indeed made plans, letting his imagination run free. He had drawn up designs for a huge fleet of arkships, gigantic vessels that could be built only with a concerted worldwide effort. The ships would be vast enough to take most, if not all, of Krypton’s population. Jor-El didn’t believe in thinking small. He had spent months dabbling with the designs, fine-tuning all of the details.
Sadly, because the Council had forbidden space exploration for so many years, Jor-El had no idea where such arkships could really go. Even with the best Kryptonian science, no one had yet proposed a workable faster-than-light stardrive that could take them to a new world. Nevertheless, he continued his sketches and his blueprints…just in case.
Once his new probe rocket was installed, Jor-El used his highest-resolution calipers to check the launch angle. The chemical fuel would take the projectile up above Krypton’s atmosphere, directly into a tight intersecting orbit with the outer layers of the red giant. He knew the sensor package would transmit the vital data back, and he already feared what he would learn.
For the moment, though, he enjoyed the open expression of delight on Lara’s face as she watched the ignition of flames, the thin cylinder streaking up off the launch rail and leaping into the sky, followed by a bright orange and black trail of smoke. How much more thrilling it would be, he thought, if Krypton had allowed him to build a real spaceship, a vessel that could carry a real person up into space and out into the unknown to see all the amazing things the universe had to offer….
For now, he had to content himself with these small scientific launches.
Hearing the roar of the burning rocket, many other artists, including Lara’s parents, rushed out of the guest quarters. They stared up into the sky, seeing the dissipating trail of smoke. Lara’s mop-headed young brother raced over to her, begging to know what had happened. She frustrated him by refusing to answer, simply smiling in awe.
“Thank you, Jor-El. Now I have to get back to work.” She clearly didn’t want to go. “I need to finish the rest of the obelisks.”
CHAPTER 15
Without sending a message ahead through the communication plates, Zor-El arrived from Argo City with his urgent news. Jor-El rushed forward to meet the dark-haired man as his high-speed floater settled down in front of the main house. When the two embraced, Zor-El winced in pain.
“You’re hurt!” Jor-El saw that his brother’s left arm was wrapped in a thick bandage, and his reddened complexion showed blisters and peeling skin from recent burns. “What happened to you?”
“It’s a long and frightening story. I need your help.”
“And you’ll have it—that goes without saying.” Jor-El quickly took the other man by his uninjured arm. “Come inside. Tell me everything.”
In the shade next to a wall of rippling water that flowed down polished bloodstone, Zor-El sat back with a heavy sigh. He noticed