#dev-em

Chapter: 1/1

Fandom: Krypton (TV 2018)

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Nyssa-Vex & Dev-Em

Characters: Nyssa-Vex, Dev-Em

Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Episode s02e06 In Zod We Trust, Missing Scene, Introspection, Guilt, Developing Friendships, Grief/Mourning

Summary:

In the aftermath of having jumped out of a window with her baby son in her arms and into a skimmer, Nyssa gets a moment of quiet with Dev-Em, someone she doesn't really know all that well beyond the fact he was once a loyal soldier and Lyta's intended...

Dev-Em, the juvenile delinquent that was so troublesome Kryptonian authorities placed him in suspended animation, ultimately enabling him to survive the destruction of Krypton and inflicting a super-powered trouble-maker on an unsuspecting Superboy (and the rest of the universe). He eventually grows up to become an interstellar cop in the future.

In Zod We Trust

The immediate consequences of Lyta's murder and god it really hits - the Kandorians are horrified, Seg screams out in grief as Jayna and Dev stand shell shocked, the rebels know this has gone too far, Kem and Adam are full of guilt...and Val is fucking furious with Jax-Ur because he's right, this didn't do anything except show her as utterly ruthless because not every Kandorian is reconditioned, they're upset and appalled at what's just happened, especially when it keeps fucking repeating-

And I love Val taking her to task, right in pointing out that without the people's support none of this means anything

'What you showed them was another tyrant as morally corrupt as the one she is seeking to replace' - hell of a line and Kem and Adam agree with him because they never wanted this to happen and then he's able to persuade the rebels to turn against Jax because this isn't what they signed up for and they know it

Nyssa is determined to do whatever it takes to save her son and Zod should've known better than to challenge her, but then again it's not like he actually understands the power of family because in the end he doesn't value family

Seg's grieving, Jayna's grieving, Dev's desperately trying to hold things together but he's grieving too and the revelation of Lyta's reconditioning is what breaks him because he feels he should've noticed, should've pinpointed the moment, but how could he have done? No one would've thought Zod capable of doing that to his own mother...

And Seg doesn't blame him. That's what makes the scene so powerful because this is heartbreaking, yes, but the bonds between all three of them are strengthened as a result - Brainiac doesn't get it because of course he doesn't, there's nothing in the universe he cares about except his own goals but this unites them. The only person to really blame is Zod because this is all his fault, but for the moment the focus is on Nyssa because she's been deemed expendable

And then he has the audacity to be pissed off about it as though he had nothing to do with it, as though he didn't plan the ambush, brainwash a version of his mother, as though the original Lyta isn't still alive and trapped in Black Mercy because she stood against him

Nyssa was taking absolutely no chances here, she did know Zod would betray her because she's knows people like him

You see both Kem's and Adam's points here because they can't not give Jax up but this also won't stop Zod because there's nothing that can - he's not able to be reasoned with either

Another emotional scene with Seg, Nyssa, Jayna, and Dev but they all agree to help save Cor-Vex and I just love that so much

I'd forgotten about the weapon Zod was developing and the episode does a good job in thinking it's gonna be used against the rebels

Honestly Jax really is such an interesting character - she believes she did the right thing but won't hear a word against Val...yet is still determined to fight on, slices open her own arm and goes off to set the bombs at the Space Elevator because this is war and this is what she's been pushed to

The bravery of Nyssa really has to be commended - striding right up to Zod and getting her son back because she is not to be trifled with, and then the ultimate plan which is to take her son and jump out of a window into a waiting skimmer like that is a leap of faith but she does it because she will do anything for her son and so will Seg

Val, Kem and Adam on a mission to stop Jax!! Love the three of them

Poor Seg because he still has Brainiac in his head but at the moment he has no choice but to listen to him, let him gain control for a minute in order to save Nyssa and Cor

The scene at the outpost though!!! Dev putting a warm blanket around Nyssa and Cor and being genuinely pleased to see Seg because they're almost like friends now

Adam. Adam, Jax is not interested in you in the slightest and you're not convincing anyone, but it's so awesome to see him, Kem and Val facing down Jax-

And then the dilemma - spare the space elevator and risk more reinforcements coming in, or blow it up and kill hundreds of innocents to save more lives in the long run...and the choice is Val's because Jax-Ur will no longer spare him the hard choices

It means so much that Nyssa tries to comfort Jayna because yeah, if she'd any idea Jax was gonna go that far she would've tried to stop her. And Zod has to be the focus but there's still the fact that Lyta's gone and nothing can change that

Val gives an epic put down to Zod but man, it says just how bad it all is that he chooses to blow up the elevator after all and Adam is utterly shocked

Then we get Dev comforting Jayna after she finally allows herself to properly mourn because her only child is dead and she has to live with that

Seg refuses to make a deal with Brainiac because he cannot be trusted and they both know it...and then he tells Nyssa the truth because there's no other choice but why, why would you even taken your child on a mission like this, why??????

And just as things couldn't get worse, Zod gets hold of Doomsday

Zods and Monsters

Remember, guys, you can't be a supervillain unless you take any and all opportunities to monologue -_-

Nyssa is there for Seg and I just love it so much, but oh man, having to deal with the fact he's possessed by Brainiac and having to get to the Fortress herself after Brainiac starts shutting him down...terrifying

Adam is so jealous over not being given a mission of his own and Kem takes this opportunity to tease him relentlessly over it

The first of the Doomsday flashbacks and it turns out he was just a young man trying to do a good thing in a terrible situation, prepared to undergo anything to help save his wife and child from the war and their goodbye is heartwrenching...and then we see a reversal of the usual roles, with a Zod being the one with ethics and an El who is prepared to do whatever it takes for the greater good

Kem really comes into his own as commander and I love it

Nyssa having to do brain surgery because they gotta get the nanites out normally is a nerve-wracking moment for sure and it’s no wonder she’s reluctant to do so because she has no experience!!! But Seg sees her, trusts her, reminds her how strong she is and I just love them so much

The second Doomsday flashback and it really is just so cruel what they do to Dax but it also makes you wonder just how bad the war got that Wedna and Van were driven to do this in the first place because surely Wedna didn’t start out that way, but once again we see what a dire situation can turn someone into

Nyssa manages to get the nanites out and Seg finally gets to hold his son as himself!! And he clearly adores him and he’s just such a good dad and I love love love the name change because Nyssa will not continue the Vex name so it turns out that Cor is actually Joe-El!! Named after his ancestor!! And the John Williams theme swells in the background and it’s just such a sweet and heartwarming moment…

Back on the mission and Ken decides to go it alone and honestly I thought it was gonna turn out that Adam wasn’t gonna stay put because, well, it’s Adam, and he does care about Kem a lot

Zod pulls a ‘not so different’ on Doomsday only the difference is he genuinely was trying to do good and there were people who genuinely cared about him up to a point, so, you know, that’s how it is

Enaj is so fucking pissed and determined to get her husband back but then she flees when she sees the monster he’s become…but it’s even more heartbreaking because there’s clearly enough of himself left to recognise her, to reach out to her, but she runs away and this is probably what finally broke him

The companion piece to ‘why take Jor to the Fortress’ is ‘why the fuck wouldn’t you immediately leave’ like you know how dangerous the nanites are, just go!! Leave!!!

Adam doesn’t go after Kem and instead steps up as second in command by enforcing his orders and it is so fucking epic - and then Kem comes back because it turns out he knew they weren’t hostiles because of how weak the heat signatures were and it turns out Krypton’s greatest tactical mind made a tactical error because he abandoned his own soldiers to die and you really do not want to piss off your own army

And Adam is so impressed by Kem’s ability to lead, and Kem appreciates him having his back

The one good thing about Brainiac’s reappearing is that it scares the absolute shit out of Zod

But oh, Brainiac kidnapping Jor and Nyssa screaming in grief and horror is never not gonna be tearjerking - ‘No! Let me go! You said this wouldn’t happen!!’ but there’s nothing either of them can do because honestly, this had to have been Brainiac’s plan all along because he knew Seg would never join him so he could have shut down Seg anytime he wanted, at any point, but he made it so that Jor was vulnerable and now he’s taken him, and all Seg and Nyssa could do was watch. It gets me in the feels every single time and that’s a sign of good writing

In honor of our man’s birthday & recent events, I will be highlighting what’s really important on this hellsite…the wonderful fics these gracious authors have blessed us with!

Krypton (Season 1 & 2)