This is an unexpected story for me, which is odd because I'm just as big a Star Wars nerd as I am a superhero nerd. I never thought that I would even try to touch this considering the huge possibility of error and the backlash that could follow, but after re-watching every movie from the franchise before seeing The Last Jedi, I thought, "Hey, why not?" So here it is.
-22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)-
Engines roared as a small ship broke the atmosphere of the dying Krypton, a planet formed by natural crystalization, making the vast and undiscovered colors of the universe shimmer in waves of beauty. The advanced planet had been tucked in a small pocket of the galaxy, uncharted by most if not all other planets. The leaders of Krypton's council had stayed on the defensive during the events of the Clone Wars, halting all exports to other planets. This had proven to be folly, as they had used up all of Krypton's resources and had destablized the planetary core. The genius scientist Jor-El had seen this in his annual planetary readings and had tried to convince the Kryptonian council to evacuate to Naboo under the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order.
They, of course, refused.
In blind anger and desperation, Jor-El put all his effort and mental capacity into building an escape pod. When his readings analyzed by Kelex were returned to his computer, the brilliant man paled at the minimum amount of time until the destruction of the planet. Seeing no other option, Jor adjusted his plans for the pod and finished building it, noticeably smaller than the original design. Soon after, Jor downloaded all of Krypton's history and technology into a single shard with hundreds of billions of pico-bots occupying the shard, ready to replicate the structure of a traditional Kryptonian military base/research center. He then artificially replicated his and his wife's conscious and implemented it into the very walls of the...fortress, for lack of a better word. The earthquakes, which had tortured the people of Krypton for months grew worse and Jor-El hastily began preparations for take-off as Kelex attached to the back of the ship.
"Ready to assume launch Master Jor-El," The mechanical voice of Kelex confirmed.
"Good. Thank you Kelex. For everything."
"Beyond my coding, it was a pleasure and an honor to serve under you Master Jor-El."
Jor smiled and ascended up the stairs leading to a living room, where he saw his wife, Lara Lor-Van cradling their son, Kal-El. Kal had been the first natural birth on Krypton in centuries, all other Kryptonian citizens had been created in a birthing chamber, specifically built for their one true purpose. Jor had wanted better for his son, he wanted to give him the ability to choose whatever he wanted to be. Whether he be a worker, a scientist, a soldier, it wouldn't matter, but he knew that his son would succeed.
"Lara, it's time," Jor said with tears building in his eyes. Lara however had been relentlessly sobbing, tear tracks left on her cheeks. She nodded, while slightly choking up.
"I know Jor, just...please let me say goodbye," She finished with a sob and looked down into the innocent eyes of her child, who reached up to comfort his mother.
"Lara, we have no time. Krypton's destruction is imminent. I too wish we had more time, but this is the only way to secure Kal-El's future. If his ship takes off too late, he could still be caught in the blast radius. Please Lara, we need to go." Jor-El pleaded, his voice cracking-along with his mental stability-under the sorrow and desperation of the whole situation.
Lara cradled her son's head as close to hers as possible, but still accompanied Jor-El to their launch pad. Her eyes widened before she sprinted back up the stairs.
"Lara! What are you doing?!" Jor-El yelped in shock and began up the stairs before seeing Lara return with Kal's blanket.
She grasped it as tight as she could, crying into it, her knuckled turning white as the purest of snow. "He can't sleep without it. It's his favorite blanket." Jor-El sighed and once again trekked to the ship with his wife.
The top slid open with a hiss and Jor was greeted to the sight of a sleeping puppy placed into a coma-like state by a special gas used by Kryptonian medics in the age of intergalactic colonialism and imperialism. He looked down fondly and gently stroked the pup's fur. "Krypto will protect him. He's been attached with Kal to the hip since they met." He chuckled at the pleasant memories of the simpler times of life in the city of Kandor.
Lara, too, smiled at the memory before wiping her cheeks of tear tracks. She walked foward, each step feeling more and more painful than the last; her son was her heart and the act of simply placing him in the ship was like tearing the beating vessel from her chest. She lightly placed him in the crib, holding him like he was more fragile than the thinnest of glass. He soon succumbed under the effects of the gas, swaddled up in the blanket and tangled in the soft, white fur of the Last Dog of Krypton. She stepped back and wrapped her arms around her husband and when she finally tore her head away from the peaceful face of her only child, she sobbed into his shoulder, her body wracked with the violent spasms of her agony.
Jor-El moved with her to the computer and activated the launch sequence, the trajectory being a landing on Naboo, hopefully where he could be found and recovered by the honorable Queen Amidala. The engines ignited and began to fire up, the skyroof opened up, and the systems ran diagnostic checks. Jor-El looked down to his wife, "What of my brother and his family? How have they fared?"
Lara once again looked depressed, "Zor and Alura realized the danger too late, and didn't finish Kara's pod in time. Last I heard, Zor tried to create an opening to the Phantom Zone, but that was the last I heard of them."
Jor hugged Lara tighter, "I just hope that wherever they may be that Rao may be watching them and the Force is with them. Always. Oh Rao, I love you Lara, more than my heart could ever hold. More than my mind could ever process. You are my life."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for one last kiss. The earthquakes grew and began destroying the buildings of Kandor. "Jor, every moment we've been married has been the greatest give Rao could ever bestow upon me," Kal's rocket launched as massive crevices tore through the ground. "Kal will live, but I am thankful than in death, I will be by your side, where I have been and love to be." They closed their eyes, their foreheads pressed together as an explosion massacred the once proud and great Kryptonians. The pod in the sky survived the blast radius, but knocked it off-course, yet it still entered lightspeed, it's aim far from Naboo.
Still, the Last Son of Krypton had survived, destined to be great.
Once re-entry from lightspeed had been complete, the A.I., Kelex had plotted course for the closest planet in the system. Unfortunately, the fuel had been nearly depleted by the time the pod had entered the atmosphere of the planet and Kelex prepared for an emergency crash landing. The sturdy Kryptonian metal had absorbed most of the shock, but the shock that had made it through the defenses had awoken the two passengers inside, one began bawling while the other franticaly looked around in confusion and alertness. The picobots ran all over the surfaces of the pod and retracted into the technological shard, which had been inserted into Kelex's hardware. The baby Kal had looked up eyes wide in wonder before bawling again, signalling Krypto to jump into action and began growling at Kelex. Kelex jumped before calming down.
"Don't worry Krypto, I would never hurt young Master Kal-El." The machine raised its hands for several minutes before Krypto finally calmed down. Slowly, Kelex hovered down and picked Kal up in its small, but deceptively strong arms. "Shhhh. Please calm down Master Kal-El. Everything will be ok."
Sounds of large creatures rumbled through the ground of the planet and Kelex looked all around with apprehension. It looked down at Kal who reached up to grasp its 'head' and layed the yound boy onto his blanket.
"I'm sorry young Sir, but I cannot let the natives get their hands upon the vast wisdom of Krypton," He lifted Krypto and placed the squirming dog next to the boy, "Stay with the young Sir, please?" As if the pup understood the complex A.I., it sat down over the infant territorially. Kelex nodded once more before flying off just as several banthas and dewbacks arrived with many dirty and grimy-looking humans and aliens. They all split apart, like the Red Sea, to make way for an especially grimy Toydarian, his snout greasy and his scraggly beard covering from his chin to the back of his navy blue neck. His tusks were yellow, almost brown and mucky saliva dripped from his lips. Said lips curved up into what could be called a smile, but looked more menacing than anything.
"Well, well, what have we come upon today boys? I have been looking for a replacement after the last two were released from my grasp. And look, it's a package deal with a nice-looking creature; could get a good deal for that one." At the very mention of being seperated from his master, Krypto snarled and barked at the men in absolute fury. The disgusting creature, along with all of his crew, laughed. "The thing's got a fire in it, might be useful. Grab the boy and...that thing. Take them back to the shop." The other junkers approached the two companions, and after a struggle, including many bites and shredded skin, they seperated the two of them. When Kal began to bawl, Krypto grew more relentless and clawed and bit at anything he could reach. With a combined effort, the junkers put a clamp around his neck and body, the dog never ceasing his attemped attack.
"Yes, it'll do quite nicely," The Toydarian swiveled around at the cry of another junker, "What now?!" The junker raised his finger, which was twisted in a painfully looking way.
"Boss, this little nerf-herder broke my kriffin finger!"
This time the alien roared with laughter, "We have truly been given a great opportunity boys! The Republic is gonna recognize us this day, the people are gonna know my name. Watto of Tatooine will be a household novelty! And then, we'll be set for life!" The junkers roared inagreement and victory, while the greasy alien ran his hands on the boy's face. "You and your pet will make me a lot of money. Thanks in advance kid." Watto handed Kal off to a random junker and jumped back onto his dewback. "Drop 'em off at the shop, we'll get 'em started immediately." He spurred his creature foward leaving sand thrown up in his wake.
There was my intro chapter, wasn't too long cuz I'm just seeing what the reaction would be. If you want more, tell me in the reviews and if you do, I'll let you know now that the first real chapter will start in a time jump to Kal being 21, one year before the events of A New Hope. Obviously this chapter takes place between episodes II and III of the prequel trilogy. Thanks for reading!
