A lone ship crash-landed on the frozen planet Ipra amidst a howling blizzard. Ipra's unique orbital cycle comprised two months of perpetual daylight, followed by four months of unending night, and then two transitional months of alternating day and night. The planet was lit by a red sun and orbited by three moons. Fortuitously, the pilot had crash-landed at the dawn of Ipra's two-month daylight period. Outside, the relentless wind and snow hammered the hull, rapidly frosting over the viewport.
The pilot, Sennilia, donned a sleek, black full-body suit, black boots, and a matching helmet with a dark visor, all emblazoned with the white symbol of the House of El on her chest. She sighed, her gaze immediately flicking to the rear of the cockpit. A wave of relief washed over her as she confirmed the survival pod was intact. Her eyes then settled on the seat beside her, where the highly advanced android, Aurora, remained motionless.
Aurora possessed an extended pixie cut of blonde hair, striking crystal blue eyes, and lightly tanned skin. Faint, intricate circuit lines traced patterns along her forearms and subtly at the corners of her eyes. Like Sennilia, she wore a full black bodysuit with black boots and the House of El symbol, though her head remained uncovered.
"So much for an 'easy landing,' Sennilia. 'Don't worry about the storm, Sennilia,' you said," the pilot snapped at Aurora.
Aurora turned her head, her crystal eyes meeting Sennilia's. "I believed you capable of handling it. My calculations were flawed," Aurora replied, her tone devoid of remorse, yet carrying a subtle edge. She unbuckled her harness, the soft click echoing in the damaged cockpit, and moved directly to the survival pod, her internal scanners whirring. A quick assessment confirmed its integrity.
Sennilia bristled at the android's retort. Unbuckling her own harness, she rose. The visor of her helmet retracted, splitting and melting seamlessly into the helmet itself. The helmet then dissolved into the suit, revealing a woman of striking beauty: long, raven hair framed a pale face, and emerald green eyes glinted in the dim light.
"Are you being impertinent, Aurora?" Sennilia demanded.
Aurora's crystal eyes held no discernible expression. "Lady Sennilia, you must be mistaken," Aurora replied, her voice perfectly level. Aurora turned and walked towards the ship's main hatch, glancing back at Sennilia.
"Please remain here, Lady Sennilia, while I assess the external conditions," Aurora stated. She pressed a button, and the hatch slid open with a hiss, instantly unleashing a torrent of wind and snow into the ship. Sennilia shivered, a surprising reaction given her Kryptonian physiology and the icy nature of her home world. The cold should not have affected her like this. Aurora stepped out, and the hatch hissed shut behind her, sealing Sennilia once more in the relative warmth of the still-functional heating system.
Sennilia approached the survival pod and pressed a control. The opaque lid shimmered, becoming transparent, revealing a soft, red-lined interior where a tiny infant lay, swaddled in a matching red blanket, sleeping peacefully. A pang of exhaustion, a remnant of her difficult childbirth, echoed through Sennilia. The pod was crucial for the infant's survival, equipped with three integrated crystals, each designed to replicate the unique energies of a yellow, blue, or white sun. These energies, as detailed in her cousin Jor-El's research on Kryptonian physiology, were vital for the baby's development and strengthening.
"Don't worry, Ava," Sennilia whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "One day, you will be strong enough to leave this pod, stronger than any other. You will be an unstoppable force, my beautiful daughter. I will ensure it." She gently touched the pod's lid, and it shimmered, returning to its opaque state.
The hatch hissed open once more, and the biting wind again assailed Sennilia, chilling her to the bone as Aurora stepped back inside and resealed it. Sennilia turned to Aurora, her gaze silently questioning the gravity of their predicament.
"Lady Sennilia," Aurora reported, her voice calm and precise. "My assessment indicates the power source is at twenty percent capacity. The engine is non-functional, and I am unable to repair it."
Sennilia's heart plummeted. A wave of dread threatened to overwhelm her, but she fought to maintain her composure. "What other complications exist?" Sennilia asked, her voice steady despite her inner turmoil. "What are our chances of survival?"
Aurora began to pace, her internal processors rapidly cycling through countless scenarios, calculating survival percentages. When a favorable outcome emerged, she halted, her gaze fixed on Sennilia. "The planet's ambient temperature is considerably lower than Krypton's," Aurora began, "and for reasons yet unknown, it does not appear to be a natural phenomenon. Further analysis is required to fully comprehend this anomaly. My scans indicate the presence of indigenous life forms, though they are non-sentient and highly aggressive. I advise we seek alternative shelter, as the ship will become completely uninhabitable once the power source is fully depleted. I have located a cave system suitable for our needs. With our remaining supplies and technology, I can convert it into a habitable dwelling until a means of departure can be secured. I can also construct an enlarged pod for Lady Ava and a dedicated chamber for her as she matures. Based on these factors, I calculate our survival probability at seventy-five percent. The cave is fortunately within a manageable distance."
Sennilia sank into a nearby seat, her mind a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. While the odds were favorable, her primary concern remained Ava's safety. She met Aurora's gaze.
"Very well," Sennilia decided, rising with renewed purpose. "Let us consolidate our supplies and transfer them to the crystals for easier transport." Aurora nodded, and they immediately set to work. Aurora produced a clear, palm-sized crystal. As she placed it near a stack of equipment, the crystal pulsed, absorbing the items and turning opaque white. She then picked up the now-infused crystal, and it seamlessly merged into her suit.
Sennilia placed her right hand on the pod, and a golden chain of shimmering light materialized, wrapping securely around her wrist, tethering the pod to her against the impending blizzard. Aurora generated a similar chain, which wrapped around her own waist and then around Sennilia's, ensuring they remained connected. Simultaneously, both Sennilia's and Aurora's suits extended, forming sealed helmets to shield them from the storm's fury.
They moved towards the hatch, the pod effortlessly following, hovering inches above the deck at Sennilia's waist level. Sennilia glanced at Aurora, who returned her gaze. "Lady Sennilia, remain close," Aurora instructed. "Once outside, rely solely on the pull of the tether. Your vision will be useless in this storm." Sennilia nodded, understanding the gravity of the warning.
Aurora faced the hatch and activated it. Behind her tinted visor, Sennilia's eyes widened. The world outside was a blinding, impenetrable whiteout. Though her suit's integrated heating system was fully operational, she could still feel the biting cold as the wind whipped snow into the ship's interior before the hatch sealed.
"Can you still locate the cave?" Sennilia shouted, her voice barely audible over the wind's roar.
"Affirmative. The precise coordinates are logged," Aurora replied. With that, they stepped out into the maelstrom. Aurora sealed the hatch and initiated a full power-down of the spaceship. While a method for recharging the power source might exist, her immediate priority was the safe transport of Lady Sennilia and Lady Ava to the cave and its preparation. There was no telling how long they would be stranded.
Navigating the storm was an arduous task, and Sennilia found herself, once again, utterly reliant on Aurora. The android had been her salvation before, orchestrating her escape from Darkseid's clutches even while Sennilia was pregnant. Aurora had guided her through the agonizing complexities of childbirth and meticulously constructed Ava's life-sustaining pod. Sennilia acknowledged her profound gratitude for Aurora's presence, yet a bitter resentment festered within her. She felt useless, helpless, and deeply aggravated by these feelings. A scion of the noble House of El, she was supposed to be invulnerable, not this... weakness. The word her father had so often hurled at her when she failed to meet his impossible expectations.
They trudged slowly and carefully through the blinding snow and biting wind. Aurora, relying on her internal mapping, steered them away from a sheer cliff face that Sennilia could not perceive. To Sennilia, it felt like an eternity before Aurora finally halted them at the edge of a natural ice bridge spanning a deep canyon.
Had Sennilia possessed clear vision, she would have discerned the cave entrance at the far end of the ice bridge. She would also have seen the jagged, colossal icicles bristling from the canyon floor below – a fall would undoubtedly mean certain death.
"Lady Sennilia, the cave lies just beyond this bridge," Aurora announced. "Please, be exceedingly mindful of your footing." They resumed their slow, deliberate advance across the treacherous span.
Suddenly, Sennilia's foot slipped, her heart lurching into her throat. A desperate cry for Aurora tore from her lips as she, and the tethered pod, plunged over the edge. The sudden weight yanked Aurora backward, slamming her onto her back and dragging her towards the precipice.
"Engaging claw mode," Aurora's voice cut through the wind. Her hands instantly transformed into razor-sharp, crystallized claws. With a desperate grunt, she plunged them deep into the ice bridge, arresting her slide abruptly.
"Increasing strength to two hundred percent," Aurora stated. A powerful jerk on the tether confirmed that Sennilia and the pod's descent had been halted.
Dangling precariously, Sennilia looked down at the pod, its weight straining her arm, stretching her muscles to their absolute limit. Her hands desperately scrabbled at the chain, but she lacked the strength to pull the pod, or herself, back up. Panic clawed at her throat, and tears pricked at her eyes. If she had felt useless before, this new sensation was indescribable, yet utterly despised. Her child was in peril, and she was powerless. The pod's relentless pull threatened to tear her arm from its socket, but she clung to the chain, a desperate prayer forming that Aurora, once again, would be their salvation.
Aurora began to slowly, painstakingly crawl away from the edge. The structural integrity of the ice bridge was unknown, but one certainty remained: she had to save them. A flash of her own genesis crossed her internal processors. Of all her creator's children, Aurora was the most powerful AI, capable of severing her connection to him, capable even of evolution.
Once a safe distance from the precarious edge, Aurora slowly rose to her feet. Planting them firmly, she grasped the golden chain and began the arduous task of hauling them back up.
Sennilia felt the slow, steady ascent, a surge of ecstatic relief washing over her that Aurora had, once again, come to their rescue. Moments later, Aurora's strong grip encircled her waist, pulling her back onto the solid ice of the bridge. Sennilia watched as the android then carefully retrieved the pod.
Sennilia stumbled forward, throwing her arms around Aurora in a tight embrace. Though her face was hidden by the helmet, silent tears streamed down her cheeks as she whispered 'Thank you' repeatedly. It took a few moments, but Aurora's calm presence eventually soothed Sennilia's trembling. Aurora then ran a diagnostic scan on the pod, confirming not only Ava's safety but also that the infant had slept undisturbed through the entire harrowing ordeal.
"Lady Sennilia, I am relieved that you and Lady Ava are unharmed," Aurora stated, a rare hint of something akin to concern in her voice. "Please exercise extreme caution from this point forward." Sennilia could only nod, and Aurora resumed leading them towards the cave.
It wasn't long before they reached the cave entrance. Surprisingly, the interior was not frozen like the world outside. Luminous crystals protruded from the walls, hinting at multiple smaller chambers within the system. Aurora moved to the entrance and placed one of her stored crystals on the ground. Immediately, a lattice of new crystals erupted from the floor, rapidly crisscrossing the opening until it was completely sealed.
Aurora had chosen this particular cave, even over closer options, for a crucial reason: the entire system appeared to possess a natural geothermal heating system.
Sennilia and Aurora's helmets retracted back into their suits as they surveyed their new, albeit temporary, sanctuary. "Before you even think about telling me to relax, know this: I'm helping you set things up," Sennilia declared, cutting Aurora off before she could speak. "If we're going to be living here, we might as well make it as comfortable as possible." With a nod of understanding, Aurora released their consolidated supplies and technological equipment from the infused crystal, and they immediately began to transform the cave.