Roughly 30 years ago, Krypton exploded. The only survivor, a baby in a rocket shot out during the beginnings of the planet's death throes - Kal-El, son of Jor-El, who would land on Earth to become the planets most visible and dedicated hero. Superman, the Last Son of Krypton. Everyone knows this. Everyone.

    Except, it isn't true.

    When the house of El first predicted the demise of Krypton, they were met with disdain and disregarded. Jor-El fought to reason with the Science Council, attempting to provide facts and proof of the coming Doomsday. His father and his younger brother, Zor-El, took a slightly less pro-active tact. Gathering to him friends and family, and those of like minds, Zor-El claimed the abandoned Argo City as his own. Construction began on a great dome as repairs on the city began. Reclamation of Argo City was completed mere months before the planet exploded. Zor-El was in close contact with Jor-El and Lara in the remaining months, doing what he could to try to convince his brother to join him. The day Krypton exploded, the Domed Argo City remained intact, and was shot out into space at great speeds. The final transmission Zor-El had recieved from his brother contained a cryptic message, and a set of coordinates.

    Believing themselves to be the only survivors of Krypton, the citizens of Argo City spent much of the next two years making necessary repairs to the city caused by the shockwaves of the planet's explosion, as well as mourning the members of their race who had been taken into Rao's arms. The soil beneath the city transformed into deadly Kryptonite by the blast, it was lucky for the citizens of the city that the floors just beneath the streets had been composed mostly of lead, keeping them safe from harm. In time, wounds healed, and the people began to attempt to lead their lives once more.

    Because of the city's limited space and resources, a new Science Council quickly imposed strict limitations on childbirth - on a Domed City with no room for expansion and machinery that could only do so much, overcrowding would be a serious concern if things were left unchecked. 10 years after the death of Krypton, Zor-El would be elected leader of the Science Council after his father's retirement, and finally married the love of his life, Allura In-Ze.

    Argo City continued to move through space, and after years of waiting, Allura was allowed her turn to bear a child. A scant 5 years after their marriage, the couple had a little girl, whom they named after the ancient Kryptonian Goddess of Beauty. Kara Zor-El was born.

    Growing up in Argo City, Kara was treated like something akin to a princess - daughter of the Head of the Science Council and one of the leading members in the Argo City Reclamation Project that led to their survival in the first place, Kara was a symbol of moving on and of making the best of things, as were all of the few children allowed to be born. This new generation, would would never see anything of their home planet beyond the confines of their city, was given special attention. Bombarded from an early age with the history of Krypton from bright beginning to tragic end laid out in clear detail. Every adult was like a parent and mentor, and the sense of small-town community even in the large city prevailed. Kara grew to be a considerate, optimistic little girl, and was the center of her parents' universe.

    When she turned 13, Zor-El and Allura decided to give her a gift. Months earlier, Zor-El had finally perfected and began circulation of a device he called the Cosmic Telescope, a device that allowed the stranded citizenry to look out to anywhere in the universe and observe. Using this, and the coordinates Jor-El had left in his last, cryptic transmission, Zor-El had discovered someone. Someone important. His nephew, Kal-El. Or, as the Universe better knew him, Superman. Superman became a great symbol of hope to those of Argo City - maybe others had loved ones still alive as well, just out there in the universe, waiting to be discovered. Kara became fascinated with this man, her cousin, out there in the wide wide universe, using super-powers, and making himself known as a great hero. She began to dig up all the information on him she could find from various sources accessible to the city's computers, and spent much of her free time at night watching him through her telescope. Secretly, she longed to be out and at his side, dreaming of a life outside the dome.

    Little did she know that this longing would one day become a source of guilt and frustration. A few months later, Argo City passed rather roughly through an asteroid belt on its inexorable trip through space. The dome cracked and several buildings were torn loose from their foundation in the process, but none of the damage was irreparable. Or so the Science Council believed.

    Once the City left the belt, repairs began. But the true damage was already done. The foundation of the city itself was badly cracked under the strain, and deadly Kryptonite Gas began to leak into the dome. People in the city nearest to the unseen cracks began to fall ill and die, and the truth of the situation was soon all too clear to the people of Argo City. Ways to get around the gas were devised - the Science Council put their brains together to create atmospheric generators; machines that would feed on the Kryptonite gas and transform it into breathable atmosphere, while seperating the radioactive isotopes and casting them out into space. The devices were tested in one portion of the City, and seemed to work. Placed all around the inside of the dome, the dome itself was ejected and Argo City thought itself saved once again.

    But the sickness continued, and people continued to die. Many panicked, but just as many took on a sort of grim resolve - if they were to die, it was by Rao's hand that it be so. They had lived on borrowed time for almost 30 years, and now it was coming to a close.

    Not wanting to abandon his people, but not wanting to condemn his daughter to the slow death the rest of the City was going to succomb to, Zor-El felt torn. He couldn't leave, but Kara couldn't stay - he wouldn't have it. If he could save her, it would be worth it. In secret, he built a rocket-ship just big enough for Kara to fit inside, including plenty of rations, informational materials, and enough fuel for the one-way trip, he and Allura decided to send Kara away in her sleep. Allura crafted an outfit for Kara that was similar to her nephew Kal-El's, Zor-El crafted the knowledge implants she would need on Earth, then they recorded a farewell message to their daughter. In her last night on Argo City, Kara Zor-El kissed her parents goodnight, completely unaware that she'd never see them alive again.

    When she woke to the chimes the next morning, she was in time to see Argo City disappear in a twinkle as her rocket sped away. Scared and confused, she listened in disbelief as a holodisplay of her parents explained the situation. They were honor-bound to find a way to save the City, but in case they failed they wanted her to live on. They were sending her somewhere they knew she'd be safe - to the City of Metropolis, to be with her famous cousin Kal-El.

    Kara spent the next year studying the information her father had stored in the ships computers, intercepting projected media from Earth (unknown to her that it was almost 50 years old), and watching her cousin in action from her cosmic telescope. With her old life gone, she was determined to make herself a new life on Earth when she got there - deciding to become a Supergirl to Kal-El's Superman, totally unaware of the existence of someone calling herself that already.

    Now 16 years old, Kara's rocket has entered the Sol system. And as it heads towards Metropolis, Kara's grief over losing everyone she's ever known is briefly overshadowed by the impending promise of a new and exciting life.

    OOC NOTE: Kara is actually from the Pocket Dimension created by the Time-Trapper where Matrix Originally hailed from, that was built on Pre-Crisis principles. Argo City survived the death of the Pocket Dimension by being rocketed out through the breach created by Matrix when she first contacted this world's Superman. There are slight key genetic differences in Kara and Superman's DNA, but beyond that Kara -is- a full blooded Kryptonian. She just isn't from quite the same Dimension. Superman is and always will be the 'Last Son of Krypton' of this Dimension - but the semantics are both unknown and uncared about by Kara.