On Wegthor, Jax and her people find the dead soldiers and confirm that they're dead.
Zod receives a report that over 50% of the rebels are dead, and asserts that they should easily defeat the rest. Seg confronts him wielding a knife and greets his son. He beats Zod down and says that if he calls for help then he'll die. He says that Seg's Somatic Conditioning failed, and Zod wonders how Seg did it. Brainiac appears to Seg and tells him that he should say something, and Zod wonders who Seg is talking to.
Lyta tells Araame, Adam, Seg, and the other Rebel captives that their forces have been wiped out and the war is over. Adam reminds Lyta of who he is, and she remembers that he's the one who Seg wanted to call their son and let Brainiac take Kandor. A guard takes the Zeta device from Adam, and Lyta says that they can return to their base and relate her invitation to Jax and Val to meet with her to discuss how to prevent further bloodshed. However, she keeps Adam and Seg figuring Val won't risk their lives.
Jax confronts Val and insists that she weaponized the Codex as their fail safe. She says that Val needs her protection because they need more than hope. Jax informs Val that the oxygenerators were tainted and Zod knew they were coming the entire time, and leaves him to contemplate how Zod knew.
Nyssa walks through the Outlands. When Zod's soldiers find her, she says that Zod is waiting for them. Preus see and recognizes her, and tells his men to stand down. He puts his hand on her shoulder and says that they'll take her back to Kandor, and she glares briefly at him. As they head back, Preus informs Nyssa that the oxygenerators were tainted and the Rebels were suffocated before the battle began. Nyssa says that she's responsible for giving the information to the Rebels. Lyta arrives and congratulates Nyssa for taking the right side.
When Araame returns, she tells Jax and Val what happened, and confirms that the ground forces suffocated. Jax tells her to stand by for orders.
At the bar, two helmeted Sagitari come in and look over the crowd. After a moment, Jayna and Dev take off their helmets and Jayna asks the patrons to come to Kandor with them to assassinate Zod. They point out that they know internal information about the Sagitari, but the customers believe that someone else will take Zod's place. Jayna says that he's a conqueror and he won't stop until everyone kneels before him, and they can't hide from him.
Seg takes Zod to Zod's office and Zod explains that Lyta is trying to stop the war. His father plans to tell her what Zod did to her via Somatic Reconditioning, and figures that she'll order the rest of the Sagitari to turn against him. Zod says that Lyta needs to finish the negotiations and then they can discuss it as a family, and Seg says that they'll never be a family. He orders Zod to get on the comm and contact her, and Zod tells him that it's impossible because there is a solar flare on Wegthor knocking out all communication.
Val tells Jax that they have to meet with Lyta, figuring that she believes Seg is dead. He's sure that Lyta would choose Seg over Zod, and figures that she knows about the dissidents being held by Zod. If they reveal that then the people will turn against Zod.
Seg tells Adam that the Sagitari will execute them for treason, and they see Nyssa and wonder if she's still with them. Meanwhile, Lyta tells Nyssa that they both did what was necessary. Now they have a chance to end the war and Nyssa to get Cor back. Preus informs them that Val and Jax have contacted them to say that they're willing to negotiate.
Jayna and Dev take a flyer to Kandor, and Jayna asks Dev if he ever considered joining the Rebels. He says that ultimately he couldn't stomach it, and notes that Jax was the one who was in charge of the Black Zero members who killed his family. The only thing Dev has truly believed in is Jayna, and that's why he's there.
Seg asks Zod how many people are reconditioned. He admits that there were many, and says that he barely changed anything in Lyta's mind to get her to agree with him. Her decision to shoot Jayna pained her, and he took away the pain for her sake rather than his. Seg tells him that he changed Lyta's empathy. Zod put her in an impossible position but once she knows the truth she'll fight against Zod. Zod chuckles and tells Seg that every choice Lyta made is her own. She chose to go to Wegthor and chose Zed over Jayna, and will choose Zod over Seg.
Araame, Jax, and Val meet with Lyta in the Outlands and she says that if they surrender then they have Zod's word that no one else will be killed. Otherwise they will finish the Rebellion by force. The Rebels will be assigned to various Guilds, and Zod wants every Kryptonian on his side. Jax starts to refuse, and Val tells Lyta that Seg is alive. Lyta says that Seg has already found her and is now with Zod awaiting her return. Val asks Jax what she thinks, and she says that he knows Val's weakness: he won't let the people he loves die. Jax uses the laser in her eye to kill Lyta's soldiers, then grabs Lyta and beats her.
The flares end and Seg tells Zod to contact Lyta. Jax contacts Zod and the people of Krypton, and show them the captive Lyta. Zod grabs the distracted Seg, takes his gun, and puts it to his head.
Jax recites Zod's crimes, and says that he has one hour to withdraw his Sagitari from Wegthor or Lyta dies. She tells him that he can't have his mother and his war and signs off. Zod tells Seg that he'll handle it, and vows that he would never let anything happen to Lyta and neither would Val. Seg points out that Val isn't the one holding Lyta.
Val and her Rebels imprison Lyta and Araame says that they still have access to the Kryptonian worldwide communication web. Val confronts Jax, who says that either Zod chooses Lyta and the Sagitari turn again him. Or he lets her die, and the Kryptonians will see him as a tyrant. The older man realizes that Jax is willing to kill Lyta, and Jax says that one of them have to become more like Zod to win the war and survive. Val tells her that she will have to do it alone, and Jax has her people take him away as a prisoner.
Jayna and Dev enter Kandor and a Sagtari asks where they're going. They say that they've found the traitors Dev and Jayna, and they're going to show it to Zod. The commander tells them to do so and then prepare for deployment to Wegthor, and Jayna asks what the situation is.
Zod contacts Jax and tells her that he will begin withdrawing from Wegthor at first and contact her after that's done. Once he signs off, Zod orders his Sagitari to prepare for evacuation. Seg tells him that he's never known any Zod except Lyta to show mercy, and will withhold his judgment until Lyta is safe. Zod tells him that all he wanted to do was make Seg proud, and Seg says that they can talk about the war and Zod's vision for Krypton. Zod corrects him, saying that he wanted Seg's respect in the past and now he no longer wants anything from him. He knocks him unconscious and looks down at his father.
The Sagtari withdraw, and the soldier guarding Adam and Kem examines the Zeta device. The guard informs them that he has orders to kill them if the retreat doesn't go as planned. Nyssa arrives and kills the guard, and tells Adam and Kem to go while she recovers Cor.
Zod tells Jax that the Sagitari are leaving Wegthor, and asks to talk to Lyta. Jax agrees but says that if she hears anything that sounds like coded language, she'll die.
Dev and Jayna go to the door to Zod's office and kill the guards.
Adam and Kem head through the tunnels and Kem picks up unknown bio readings. It's coming from where he and the Sagtari blew the tunnels, checks the readings, and then says that he has to report to Val.
Zod tells Lyta that it will be over soon. She says that she's willing to die for the cause, and Seg wakes up and hears her. Brainiac appears to Seg and asks if he believes Zod. He says that he's still in Seg's mind, but there is very little of him that remains within Seg. There's enough to save Seg from his own self-destruction. Brainiac neutralized the Somatic Reconditioning and tells Seg that he has to stop letting his emotions interfere in rational though. Seg concedes that he was distracted by the threat to Lyta, and Brainiac points out that Zod wants to win the war even by sacrificing Lyta... and will do so unless Seg does something. Seg asks Brainiac what he wants him to do, and Brainiac tells Seg to inform Lyta about the reconditioning and then kill Zod.
Seg yells to Lyta that Zod is lying to her, and Zod cuts the transmission. He then attacks Zod, who easily blocks his blows and finally pins him to the floor. Zod says that he won't let Seg threaten his vision and chokes him, and Seg remembers being in the Zone and seeing Zod choke Lyta.
Jayna and Dev arrive and tell Zod to let Seg go. Zod holds a knife to Seg's throat and uses him as a shield, and tells Jayna that she'll have to kill Seg to kill Zod. She can't but Dev prepares to shoot. Zod throws the knife at Jayna, and Dev catches it. Zod runs off while Dev is distracted, and the alarms sound. Jayna and Dev get Seg out before the Sagtari arrive.
Jax wonders why the communications are down, and has Araame take Lyta to a cell.
Seg, Dev, and Jayna shoot their way out. Brainiac directs Seg through the hallways, telling him when to shoot at the approaching Sagitari. Seg tells Jayna and Dev that he learned how to shoot in the Zone and they continue on.
Adam and Kem return to the Rebel base and Adam shows them the bio reading. She stares at it in shock.
Seg takes Jayna and Dev to the Rankless District to get passage to Wegthor through the underground. Jax uses the communications web to tell the Kryptonians that Zod is a fake willing to condemn Lyta to death for his pride. She explains that Zod's forces are massed in the tunnels ready to strike, and he sent Rebel prisoners aboard the elevator to distract them from their betrayal. Jax pulls Lyta into view of the camera and prepares to cut her throat. Val tells her to stop rather than become like Zod, but Jax kills Lyta as everyone watches.
Written by Gadfly on Jul 11, 2019