The Grass is Greener [Dick]

[Superman]

Players: Superman & Batman
Location(s): New Krypton
Plot Summary: Superman gives a close friend a tour of New Krypton.

He had offered Dick Grayson a chance to visit New Krypton and learn about it himself, the new Batman had graciously accepted that offer. A Justice League javelin was borrowed to get Dick from Earth to New Krypton, it traveled faster than any other ship Earth possessed. Of course no one could be informed that Superman was heading to New Krypton with playboy Dick Grayson as a tag along, it'd raise too many eyebrows and suspicion could lead to discovered identities. So needless to say that no one on Earth had any idea any of this was going down.

On the other hand though Superman mad had to be expressly clear about who was coming to New Krypton and why to his aunt Alura. She understood and she would help suppress the true identity of their visitor, to avoid any speculations that the wealthy man paid them off for a chance to "study the aliens". Kal-El was thankful for this because it would allow Dick to even greater get a feel for the planet and truly experience as closely as he himself did. No one would have a grudge against this man or treat him unfairly with bias.

Superman was already on planet as Dick's ship made way to the lone city on the new world. He stood at the docking port, one he had to talk them into building, and waited with arms crossed and eyes on the sky. He could see approach and grinned as his friend drew near.

[Batman]

It had taken Dick quite some time to pick an outfit. It was one of those bizarre things that Dick would worry about. At first he had picked his Nightwing outfit in hopes of connecting with the Kryptonians through their shared appreciation of the Nightwing mythos. Yet Chris Kent had assumed that role and Dick figured that many of them would find this disrespectful. Then he had decided to just wear a regular suit. No harm in dressing well [according to Earth standards] while meeting these people. That too had been cast to the side when Dick had looked up some JLA pictures of Superman’s Kryptonian garb. He had finally just chosen his bat-suit. Though he had been sure to choose a recently refurbished one. The suit he had been wearing for the past week had micro-tears and dents along his utility belt. He had chosen a brand new outfit because he wanted to look presentable. Even if he normally wore the suit to beat bad guys to bloody pulp he still felt that it had some ceremonial value. He didn’t know how Kryptonians as a whole felt about human beings and as a result he wanted to leave a good impression.

The Javelin helped with that impression he wished to have as well. The Kryptonians probably had more advanced ships but Dick still felt like the Javelin he was flying still looked impressive. Was this how Bruce Wayne felt when he arrived at his parties in his fancy cars? Dick deftly manipulated the controls as he slowly descended towards the landing platform. While the Javelin was far more advanced than most ships on Earth and on par with many other ships in the galaxy its controls were relatively simple. From what he understood Bruce had helped design it and as a result its controls were similar to the Bat-Wing. As a result he had little trouble flying it. The ship landed on the docking bay and Dick powered it down. He saw Superman out of his view port and nodded at him before standing to his feet and pulling on his mask. The ship tested the atmosphere and even though the gravity was a little stronger Dick would be fine. He had been sure to pressurize his suit to accommodate.


The ramp to the ship lowered and Dick walked down as he pulled on his gloves. “Kal!” He gave Superman a hearty wave and his grin totally betrayed the reputation that Bruce had worked hard to uphold. “This is a beautiful planet.” He descended the stairs of the landing bay and stood next to the taller man. “I wasn’t sure what to wear. I was thinking of going with the Nightwing persona but I thought it’d be disrespectful to your culture...from what I understand he’s a pretty big deal. Besides Chris already has that gig now.” Chris had failed to consult Dick on the matter but he had realized that his successor had a greater claim to the mantle than he ever would. “This is a decent planet. I had no idea Planet X was hospitable but you put it good use.” When he meant decent he meant "way better than Earth" but his ego prevented him from admitting this.

[Superman]

"This better not turn into a global crisis that bites me in the ass, Kal." The ever worried mother of Supergirl, aunt of Superman, Alura complained as she walked up behind the Man of Steel. "And do you really feel the need to wear that here? There's no need for costumes among your very own people." She stopped beside her nephew with her nose turned up and slender arms across her chest as she too watched the javelin's approach.

"Our people aren't so closed minded, Alura. As far as the costume its a symbol for a reason, I hope it can be one for New Krypton as well." "It is a symbol - for hope - I just fear some may find it...pretentious." She spoke matter of factly. As New Krypton's chosen ruler of sorts Alura was always in a state of worry and thinking of things from various angles. Kal did not envy her, but neither did he she was very valid in her worry. "I understand, Alura. I'll be more traditional next time." He nodded complacently as Dick's ship landed.

The ship docking was outside of the city but not too far away, the Kryptonians wanted easy access to anyone who was traveling to their new world yet Alura believed it was best not to alienate visitors too much. As Dick stepped out of the javelin Superman smiled broadly, inwardly amused at what Alura would say the Batsuit symbolized on New Krypton. "You did not tell me it was Batman who was visiting," Alura whispered to her cousin as she unfolded her arms. "I thought it'd make for a nice surprise." He smiled directly at her before meeting Batman and slapping him on the shoulder.

"Batman! Glad you could make it, and on time too. Yes, Chris has made the Nightwing mantle his own now." He nodded to the other man, beaming just slightly noticeable in pride of his adopted son. "Don't ask how any entire planet was born out of one city, not even I understand that." Superman chuckled as Alura came up to he and Dick. "Hello, visitor." She spoke cheery, much more pleased sounding than when she'd been talking to Kal by himself. "Oh, Batman this is my aunt Alura. Alura, Batman." He introduced the two with a pleasant smile as Alura nodded to their guest and shook his hand daintily.

"Alura is something akin to New Krypton's President, I thought it was important that she be here for your visit." More like Alura thought it was appropriate that she keep her eyes on the human at all times during his short stay. "Yes, the people allow me to make decisions that no other would be comfortable with making. The true ruler was my husband, he was a great man - every bit the House of El," She glanced at Kal with a soft smile though it weighed heavy on her heart to speak of Zor-El. "In his demise the people have turned to me to lead and I intend to do just that. I find my nephew's intentions noble and honorable, Batman, but tell me...do you believe humans and Kryptonians will ever truly get along?"

[Batman]

As Superman clapped Dick on the shoulder he couldn’t help but feel a glowing sense of pride. When he had first put on the pixie boots he had never imagined he’d get this far. He’d always thought that he’d spend the rest of his life swinging around in Gotham desperately trying to bring his parent’s killer to justice. He’d never thought that his mission would shift from revenge to truly wanting to help people. At any rate that simple decision to change his world view when he had become Nightwing had been a good one. Superman was to thank for that. “Nice to see you again.” Dick nodded politely at Chris. They had interacted once…albeit briefly. It had been before Chris had hyper aged. From what he understood Chris Kent AKA Nightwing was around Tim’s age now. While Dick fully supported Chris wielding the mantle of Nightwing he had to admit he had mixed feelings about this. Not because he felt Chris didn’t deserve it. It was instead because his identity as Nightwing (one he had held for roughly ten years) was an important cornerstone of his life. Yet it wasn’t his place to say anything. Chris deserved the mantle simply because of his species.

“I have to say the outfit looks better on you. You definitely have a stronger claim to it than I ever did.” Dick decided to swallow his pride and address his insecurities and feelings about the mantle being passed onto Chris without his permission. It had never been Dick’s to have in the first place. If he wanted to prove himself to be a worthy visitor of New Krypton he had to show himself to be accepting and respectful of their culture. He just hoped that he hadn’t slandered the name of Nightwing somehow while he had the identity on Earth. Dick extended his hand and shook Alura’s. He was pleasantly surprised that she knew about that particular custom. Or maybe it was something that humans had unintentionally copied from Kryptonians? As he released her hand he idly considered the idea of taking chivalry to the next level and kissing her hand but he knew about six different ways that could end poorly. “Please. Call me Dick.” He reached up to his mask and tugged it backwards as a sign of goodwill. He was the only one who was hiding his face. “I understand. I am absolutely honored to meet the leader of New Krypton.”

“The House of El is a strong house.” Dick said; hoping that what he said next would be taken as a compliment and nothing more. “I think you’re doing an amazing job of keeping the peace and pushing New Krypton into an age of prosperity. It’s hard to rebuild something from the ashes but from what I can see you’re doing just that. I admire you for this; I can’t say the same for the people who lead humanity on Earth, though.” Dick was being serious when he said this. He knew that bashing his own species wasn’t exactly the smartest thing to do at a time like this but it was true. Dick wasn’t feeling too fond about humankind right now. The way there were handling the situation with New Krypton was embarrassing to say the least. Alura’s next question caught Dick off guard but it was an answer he knew would be coming. He just hadn’t expected her to ask so soon.

“While we do have a tendency towards paranoia it’s not necessarily irrational. We’ve dealt with all manners of war and invasion from aliens and even our own kind. That being said I think that peace is possible. I honestly feel that most of us are perfectly fine with New Krypton. We just have people like Lex Luthor and others just as evil as him attempting to stir fear for their own personal gain. Not all of us hate or fear that you’re here. One thing you should know about Earth is that our sources of news and media only represent a small fraction of how the people feel. Not everyone.” He nodded at Superman. “Trust me. Kal El has made a good name for Kryptonians and I do feel that peace is possible. We just need a little time to root out the bad seeds.” Dick wasn’t sure if that was the right answer but he hoped it was.

[Superman]

[[Don't forget to edit your first post, broseph]]

"You too." Chris nodded to Dick with a tiny smile on his face. Unlike his father Chris had never really built up a relationship with the Batfamily and so they were largely mysterious to him but still he knew what they did and how effective they were, that fact made him doubly honored to wear the Nightwing mantle. "Maybe, but they're still big shoes to fill. Anyway, I just wanted to be here when you arrived, I think New Krypton could benefit forming a relationship with Earth so I wanted to show support. Can't stick around though; duty calls and all that." No longer a little kid Chris felt like he was busy every waking moment of every day but he didn't complain, he knew it needed to be done and he knew he had the power to do it. With a small wave to his foster dad, Alura, and Dick, Chris flew off planet to place his attention elsewhere.

"The boy is ambitious." Alura spoke offhandedly. But her eyes diverted from the departing Lar-Zod to focus on Batman just as he was pulling the black cowl off of his face and head. Clark was shocked but none shocked more than Alura. She didn't like masks and the whole costumed business but in talks with Kal she'd come to realize why the heroes of Earth did it and understood its importance. For this Batman to travel to her planet and demask himself right before her eyes, well Alura was nothing short of impressed.

"You mean business." She smiled, briefly, and nodded with approval. "Batman always does." Superman joked lightly. "Well its more about maintaining now, more than anything I suppose. Kandor was a lone city for decades, virtually lost and alone. Becoming a planet and being a planet is another matter. I have complete and utter respect for what Alura is doing," He glanced at his aunt for the briefest of moments. "But I know that this won't be anything that succeeds over night. Getting on the friendlier side of things with the people of Earth will only help New Krypton." His message was clearly for both parties present, but Superman was unable to read just what Alura thought of it all.

"Believe me, we have our own fear mongers to deal with. But I wonder though, how special is Superman in an age of one hundred thousand yellow sun powered Kryptonians?" She did not mean to be so cold or even belittling to her nephew, but she doubted the public back on Earth would praise him so highly now that he wasn't such a rarity. She also doubted they'd care for him and love him as much if they were to find other, possibly worse, kryptonians around. Kal shifted his weight after Alura's words, his face showing visibly how bothered he was by her statements. "There may not be a Superman." He spoke just below his normal voice, but gave no one chance to dwell on it.

"So a tour then, Alura has allowed to it and the people of New Krypton are already expecting you. You can put the cowl back on, all of New Krypton need not know who Batman really is." He had wanted to show Dick around New Krypton and give the man a feel for the type of world that it was. Of course Superman knew Dick wasn't one of the people who feared the new planet but he knew that everyone was at least a little bit uneasy, and if he could show just one person that there was nothing to fear or be uneasy about then he was glad to have that person be someone like Dick Grayson.

[Batman]

[Edit what, broski?]

Chris’ humility was something that gave Dick even more faith in the Kryptonians. Lor-Zod had no reason to fill Dick’s shoes. He had every reason to blame Dick for ruining the sanctity of Nightwing. Yet he seemed to respect Dick for what he had done with Nightwing. Part of Dick felt pride for having a positive effect on the identity of Nightwing. Another part of him felt optimistic about New Krypton in general. Chris was another representative of New Krypton and as a result he had to be on his best behavior. Yet being raised by Zod meant that he could easily be on the other side of the equation. Yet he wasn’t. This counted as a victory for Dick. He couldn’t exactly say the same for Alura. Not that he could blame her. She was a leader and more importantly a politician. Dick was confident that his show of faith would prove that he wasn’t hampered by the tethers that bound Alura and the politicians of Earth. Yet he’d have to be certain not to let his freedom make Alura assume that he was willing to bend over backwards.

Alura’s next statement sounded like a personal argument between herself and Superman. Yet it was also a question that had passed through the minds of many members of the hero community as well. Superman had always been defined as the last of the Kryptonians. Somehow Power Girl, Superboy and Supergirl had never really affected this argument. Yet the arrival of New Krypton rendered Superman’s claim to fame irrelevant. Only in the eyes of the faithless, though. “Superman is more than a Kryptonian. He’s a symbol that represents hope and faith for humanity. He’s everything we strive to be and the reason he’s that symbol is because he grew up on a farm somewhere in the Midwest.” He was fairly certain it was the Midwest. “He’s a Kryptonian whose also learned about values that many of us hold dear. While he has the power that he could use for his own gain he instead uses it for good. That’s why he’s Superman. More Kryptonians isn’t going to change that. Honestly? He was one of the few Kryptonians Dick trusted to defend Earth. He had a feeling that if an average Joe from New Krypton showed up on Earth to fight crime he’d wind up killing someone.

Dick wasn’t sure if that statement made any friends or not but he was a loyal man. He had decided to defend Superman’s legacy and even if it was a slight to Kryptonians he didn’t care. Superman had singlehandedly saved the human race and had also helped bring his race back to prominence. He deserved credit and he deserved respect. This wouldn’t be the first time that Dick’s mouth could get him into trouble. He nodded in thanks to Superman about his cowl and tugged it over his face again. He was so used to wearing a simple domino mask that a cowl was downright uncomfortable at times. Yet he was used to it and he knew it would be foolish to walk around without a mask so he had no problem putting it back on. “Are you planning to stay on New Krypton or find another planet to settle on?” He asked out of curiosity. “I’d be more than happy if you stay in our corner of the galaxy but using tech from Brainiac is a risky move.”

[Superman]

{The whole planet X business}

After Dick spoke there was a long pause, a silence that signaled the processing of his words by New Krypton's current leader. The woman looked upon Batman with fixed, narrowed eyes with seemed to search his face as if trying to find some secret he may have been harboring in her presence. When Alura had found nothing there she closed her eyes and sighed slightly, "I hope you are correct in that statement." Alura did not trust all of the humans but she did not hate them either, she was simply afraid of what might happen if untrustworthy humans were left to their own devices. She did not want conflict of any sort but she hoped that Kal, and this Batman as well, understood that she would do whatever necessary to protect her home and her people.

"We will stay on this planet, it is ours now. As far as the tech, forgive if this sounds rude, but it is none of your concern." With that Alura turned to face Superman, she gave him a slightly saddened look and then nodded to him before lifting off of the ground. "I have business to attend to, you two be on your best behavior." Superman smiled briefly and waved as his aunt floated away, his attention immediately returning to Batman once she was gone.

"She's a little rough around the edges, but she's trying." Superman shrugged, hoping Alura hadn't rubbed Dick the wrong way too badly. "Anyway I guess I should get started on showing you around. Let me take you to the city, its not too far away." He nodded to the other man before turning and walking off toward the enlarged city of Kandor. The place was gigantic and pristine, even from the distance they were outside of the city it's amazement was not lost. The buildings of the city, irregular in shape compared to those back on Earth, stretched upward and punctured the sky. The stony crystalline outskirts of Kandor began to shift swiftly as they neared the city. A road had formed seemingly from nowhere and small sprouts of grass became noticeable.

Soon Superman and Batman walked between a line of small trees before passing through a large opened wall that gave entry to the city. Men and women walked the paved streets and sidewalks dressed in their gown-like Kryptonian attire, while even more men and women flew about in the sky. "Welcome to the real New Krypton." Superman spoke with a grin as he looked toward Dick. A handful of people on the street stopped and stared at the Man of Steel as well as his companion. They watched Batman carefully, almost puzzled by him and yet intrigued at the same time.

"This is the heart of New Krypton. Mostly what we have around here are shops, a little deeper into the city and then there's the homes which are pretty much all complex apartment buildings. In Kryptonian culture jobs and fields of expertise are broken up into Guilds. A family will generally remain in the same Guild for generations, but at the moment that's not important, I'm telling you this so you'll know where we're starting. The Guilds are as follows; Artists, Science, Military, and Labor. Labor is where we'll start, they're the most common and will probably give the best insight into the Kryptonian people." Supes might just have a future as a tour guide whenever he decided to hang the cape up.

[Batman]

[Oh. Right. Well I'll edit it eventually]

Dick wasn’t a licensed diplomat but he was good enough with people to know to just shut up and listen. He already respected Alura and she seemed like a smart leader. Yet he knew that even leaders had their flaws. Alura’s distrust was understandable but her pride was a different issue. She seemed to be confident in her ability to control the technology spawned from Brainiac and her casual dismissal of Dick’s advice didn’t help either. The superhero community had fallen prey to Brainiac’s technology dozens of times in the past. Superman himself had been tricked and nearly killed by the android. Even if the technology was no longer in use it still couldn’t be trusted. If Alura assumed that she could use this technology without fear of consequences then she was mistaken. Kryptonians were more advanced than human beings but they had been out of galactic play for over 30 years. Many things had changed during that time and Brainiac was one of them.

Yet Dick smiled and waved as she flew off and decided not to say anything about it for now. He was well aware that he was out of his element. There was no telling whether Alura was capable of eavesdropping or not. Unfortunately his worrisome mood made it somewhat difficult for him to enjoy Superman’s tour to its full extent. Were all bipedal aliens the same? Were they all so consumed with pride and arrogance that they assumed they were exempt from the negative consequences of their actions? Dick was as fallible as they all were but in this particular scenario he felt he had every right to be concerned. New Krypton could claim to be a sovereign nation but if it fell to violence or civil war or was attacked by some foe then the Justice League would have to get involved. The JLA had always been a team that found itself involved in intergalactic affairs. Dick was hoping to put an end to this problem before it truly started and he hoped Superman would see his point.

“Guilds?” Dick questioned. So New Krypton wasn’t necessarily a Capitalist society where people were able to choose what they wanted to pursue in life. It sounded like it was built on a caste system. It wasn’t difficult to determine how this caste system was arranged. For a society so physically and technologically advanced it struck Dick odd that they’d use such an archaic structure for society. Maybe they were simply too intelligent to fall into the pitfalls that humanity had fallen into many times. Dick couldn’t be too sure so he was careful to restrain his judgment. He had no place to judge. “I don’t mean to ruin this tour but you do know that Alura is wrong, right? Using technology from Brainiac can only end badly. You know this better than anyone.” He hated to break the light-toned nature of this conversation but this had to be addressed and Alura is nowhere in sight. “I am confident that she is a capable leader for New Krypton but whenever I hear that speech about it not being my concern or that everything is under control it’s almost always the direct opposite.”

People said that the Bat-Family never had fun for a reason.

[Superman]

Dick's question drew a nod from the Man of Steel, and even without the powers of the Martian Manhunter Clark already knew what it was Dick was thinking. "I don't like it either," He glanced off in the distance, staring up at one of New Krypton's tallest buildings which was adorned with the planet's flag at its point. "But it is their way. It's one of the many things I plan to change about New Krypton." His gaze slowly shifted to refocus on Batman. Superman knew that Dick would not think so small of him that he'd assume Superman thought he could come into New Krypton and change centuries of culture, but he explained himself anyway. "These are my people, in a way this is my home as much as Earth. In everything I do it is to better the place I call home, to protect from all pitfalls; be they self inflicted or not. These Guilds are unfair and I've spoke with many who feel that the guilds should be abolished, I will fight for them to find a better way. It won't need to be my way or Earth's way....just better." He didn't intend, nor did Superman even cockily think, that he could sudden change Kryptonian lifestyle just because he was an outsider who had different views. That was not how he operated. He would work with his aunt in finding a better way for the social classes of New Krypton to work, Superman would never impose his own will.

It would appear though that that was not all the new Batman had on his mind, and Dick had no trouble in sharing his feelings toward Alura and her manner of handling his questioning. "I am not Superman here, I'm just another Kryptonian - but I am trying to gain more insight into that. I don't know the specifics of what they've done with the Brainiac tech to create this planet, but I don't trust it any more than you do. However, I do trust my aunt, and while her people skills may not be the best I'm sure she doesn't trust anything of Brainiac's even moreso than us."

Alura was a strong woman and she was tough to read, she wore the entire weight of a struggling race and a new planet on her shoulders. She had a handful of advisors and a number of the members of the guilds reported to her so she was not alone, but often it was left up to her to make decisions that almost no one else good. Superman trusted his aunt's instincts but so far she was playing things closely to the chest, he hoped she would eventually let him in. "Don't worry Dick, I am your eyes on New Krypton." Nothing was going to slip past him and though Superman was anxious to learn more and help out where he could he knew New Krypton was still far from stable, he was going to do all he could to change that. "Should we continue?"

[Batman]

Superman had always been a leader. He always held others to a high standard and held himself to a higher standard than anyone. The fact that Superman expected the best out of those who didn’t expect the best out of themselves was part of the reason why he was so respected. He treated others like equals even if they didn’t deserve it. He had been led to believe that he was the last survivor of an alien race for the first three decades of his life and instead of letting that consume him he had instead named himself the savior of Earth. He was a man that New Krypton needed. Not Alura. Yet Dick knew not to voice that out loud. Superman already had commitments to Earth and he was far too humble to take such a position like that. Dick could hardly blame him. He too had found himself with immense responsibilities on his shoulder and he wasn’t sure if he could take anymore. He could hardly expect Superman to do the same.

“I won’t try and pass criticism on how a planet runs itself. Earth is hardly perfect.” Dick said diplomatically. He wasn’t even sure if it was his concern or if he truly cared. It was within his nature to care about the well being of others but he was no politician or economists. Years of analysis and study told him that capitalism was fairer than a caste based society but Gotham City was based on capitalism and it was hardly a shining beacon of hope or prosperity. He wanted New Krypton to succeed but when it came down to it he was more concerned with its relations with Earth. If New Krypton fell to Brainiac or if Earth turned against it than he’d be truly worried. Yet he was glad that Superman was looking at this from both sides. A planet that was failing economically and socially wouldn’t exactly bode well for Earth either. “I understand.” Dick said as Superman assured him.

He wanted to argue the point further. He wanted to drill to the center of the planet if he had to and figure out just how much of Brainiac’s tech was being used. The man was a technopath. He control technology. There was no doubt in his mind that Brainiac could control his own technology. The fact that his whereabouts were unknown bothered him even more. Yet he knew to drop the issue. He trusted Superman and he knew that if he tried to push the issue he’d only frustrate the man. So he let it slide and decided to enjoy the tour. “What building is that?” Dick asked in response to Superman’s offer to continue. He pointed at the building that Superman had looked at moments before. New Krypton’s flag seemed to reach for the heavens. The sleek crystalline structure of the building only reminded Dick that humans were light-years behind the Kryptonians.

[Superman]

Superman felt trapped. No, not trapped, but something along those lines. The Man of Steel was unsure of how to put it just yet but between New Krypton and Earth he felt stuck. One side was a world he knew and loved and protected with everything he had, on the other side was a world that he had wanted to be a part of for as long as he could remember. There was the life Superman knew and the life he dreamed up, he felt selfish for such wording but it was the truth nevertheless. No place would ever replace Earth or the family and friends and experience he had there, but Krypton was his culture and his rightful place. A battle was being waged within Kal-El and he was unsure of where he would end. He wished to help both and in turn lead to them helping one another, but deep down he knew that he would not be able to perfectly split his time between the two.

That was when he began to wonder. The largest question that weighed down on his strong Kryptonian shoulders: does the Earth still need a Superman. There were others like him on Earth, heroes would could do what he did and fight for what he fought for. They wouldn't miss Superman, not when they had a Superboy, Supergirl, Mon-El, and Power Girl in his stead. New Krypton was different however. They might not have needed Superman's strength and speed, but they did need his guidance and principles. Clearly Superman's mind was made up, but he was reluctant to admit this.

Superman nodded to Dick's understanding and then they were moving on. His attention went back toward the building he'd been looking at moments ago once Dick's finger pointed it out. "That is the Capitol Building. It's the one place where all guilds, save for Labor, can communicate on an open platform with one another. Of course there is more to it, but that is its main function. The Labor Guild has its own place of assembly and that's where we'll head." They were the friendliest and most down to earth anyway.

[Batman]

“I see.” Dick nodded as he looked at the Capital Building. It was a magnificent and beautiful building. It looked more advanced than most buildings on Earth. Dick was guessing that the capital building’s counterpart might have been the United Nations building in terms of assembly, purpose and size. He noted that Superman said that the labor guild didn’t meet there and idly wandered why. He knew that as a human being he had no right to talk. There were very few species as arrogant and elitist as human beings. Yet at the same time he wandered if New Krypton was holding itself back by so anxiously categorizing everyone into roles and responsibilities. Some that had more privileges than others. Yet he decided to say nothing.

“The Labor Guild is the largest, right?” It would make sense. The largest class groups tended to be lower middle class and despite their size they had the smallest voice. They were supposed to fend for themselves and just deal with the policies handed to them. On Earth when it was time to court a vote you always appealed to the largest member group. You also ignored the largest member group once you got into office. It was a common policy that Dick had seen dozens of times. He felt guilty because he would never quite be able to empathize with people like that. He had never known what it was like to be truly hungry since he was eight years old. Naturally living the life of a vigilante had resulted in indescribable pain and suffering but that had been by choice.

Dick followed Superman and as he did he took notice of the people surrounding him. He was guessing that they had yet to leave the district with the more wealthy people of the city. Many of them wore tight-fitting robes and amulets that professed their houses. It was something that Dick hadn’t noticed until he had learned that Superman’s own symbol was his family name. So it wasn’t all that difficult to figure out that everyone else wore their family crest or sign. Their culture almost reminded Dick of the time when Earth had knights and lords. When men and women had proudly proclaimed their family connections. Dick glanced at Superman furtively. “Do you have any other family on Kandor?” He questioned, hoping that his question wasn’t too rude or sensitive.