by Dan Swanson
A couple of days later, a Science Patrol officer accompanied Vic Valor to the newly renamed Zoll Orr Research Institute. There, he was introduced to Juna Dondwar, a renowned physicist who had worked with Zoll Orr for over twenty years. Together, they had investigated the kryptonite-uranium decay process and discovered the K-Dondron, which Zoll Orr had named for his research partner. Now that Zoll had passed, Juna was the foremost expert on kryptonite on Xenon.
Juna was a short, somewhat portly woman of around fifty years of age. She had white hair, worn in a bob, and was dressed in slacks and a long-sleeved, high-necked white blouse that looked starched.
“So, you are interested in white kryptonite, Mr. Valor?” she asked. “In the K/U decay process, under some circumstances, the kryptonite does change colors — and one of the stages it passes through is white. But that stage isn’t stable; it seems to have a half-life of less than a second. I’ve never really thought about stabilizing the white isotope.”
She paused, deep in thought. Finally, she returned from her mental excursion. “I’ll have to look at the equations more closely. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to do anything more than a theoretical examination for you, as almost all the kryptonite on Xenon has been used up in the decay process that saved the planet. And years ago, Superman and Kell Orr gathered all the kryptonite in a volume several light-years in diameter.”
“Well, we’re on our way to the Rao system, where we expect to find a good supply of kryptonite,” Valor told the Xenonian scientist. “Perhaps we’ll even find some naturally occurring white K. If you wouldn’t mind sharing your database of knowledge of the K/U decay with the Avenger’s computer, I may be able to work out the synthesis process myself when I have enough green K to experiment with. I’ll be pleased to provide you with any new information I learn when we return.”
“I’ll make you a deal, instead,” she said, smiling at him. “I’ll provide you with the database — if you take me along. With no kryptonite here on Xenon and no prospect of getting more anytime soon, my research is stalled. Why, we’ve even had to postpone the starship program.”
Vic Valor nodded with understanding; that explained why Xenon’s top test pilot was flying border patrol. “There’s plenty of room on the Avenger. We’re ready to go — how long will it take you to upload the database and get ready?”
“Not too long,” she replied with a twinkle in her eye. “As soon as I heard about your quest, I decided I was going with you. I’ve got the database here,” she said, holding up a slender crystal about six inches long, which glowed pale green, “and I finished packing yesterday. Let’s get going.”
Thus, the Tiak Avenger, with a new crew member, headed back into space, still searching for the system of the star Rao.
To Be Continued in The Brave and the Bold: Vic Valor and Strobe: Revolution