In the far distant future, the Irken Empire reigns supreme. 99% of the worlds in the known universe now bows before the Irken Flag. For the last roughly 2-3,000 years… The Empire is ruled by the same singular Tallest:
Former Invader Zim.
Due to Irken regenerative capabilities in their Pak, Irkens are essentially immortal. They DO age slowly though once they reach maturity.
Tallest Zim stands calm at the helm of the dramatically updated/upgraded Massive. It has exploded in size, capabilities and efficiency once Zim became Tall enough to challenge Tallest Red and Purple for the throne.
It wasn't even a fight!
Tallest Red and Tallest purple were so used to everyone else doing everything for them, so used to bossing every one around… They became lazy and arrogant. A not-so surprising amount under their command practically cheered when someone challenged them for leadership.
Granted, it was the exiled Defect they tricked for years into believing he was on a high stakes mission to destroy a planet they later learned was called Earth.
While every other Invader had spent a short amount of time on their respected planets before they took over, none of them had what Zim did: A defender. A "Dib" as the creature was called.
Because of "Dib", Zim learned to try again…. and again. A new tactic, a new strategy. Constantly thinking outside the box. Constant fights has brought the once tiny scrawny Invader to grow muscle, height, reflexes, etc. "Dib" challenged Zim in a way no other Invader has ever encountered before or since.
It has taken years before the now adult Human and Irk fought in their last stand.
The battle that determined everything.
Tallest Zim reached into his pocket to reach for a small rectangular container that held his most prized possessions in existence.
Tallest Zim can still recall that battle. And the promise made when they were kids (the rare time they allied together in a truce).
The promise to kill the loser before the victory. If Dib loses, he didn't want to witness Earth's destruction. If Zim loses, he didn't want to be alive when brought to Membrane labs to be opened up and experimented on.
Tallest Zim's hands gripped the container, shaking slightly so no one noticed his sentimental moment of weakness.
For in the container… was a faded photo from Skool of Zim, Dib and Gaz; Broken remains of Dib's glasses and a few scraps from his jacket.
"Mary?"
A small voice sounded from Tallest Zim's feet. He looked down fondly at his ever loyal malfunctioning S.I.R. unit: Gir.
Gir is as he was, mostly shiny, except from a few dents and scratches left behind from the Battle of Earth Gir didn't want to part with. Like Tallest Zim, Gir didn't want to forget Dib either.
Over the last few thousand years or so, Gir had many programming updates and gained more subdued personality compared to the manic bliss he had before. He's still crazy, but he smart about it now. Prefers to be more manic just to mess with people, but more calm around his master.
Gir is sad whenever Tallest Zim brings out the container knowing what was inside. Gir himself gathered them before the army surrounded them and they had to retreat back to the Voot Cruiser. Gir stored them in his head as Invader Zim went through a multitude of emotions upon Dib's death.
At first, Zim conquered the planet. Still reeling from Dib's death, he took it out on first his classmates, then everyone else.
No one was spared…
After a while, Zim noticed that the Humans kept showing up out of the woodworks no matter how many died. After 20 years of this, a child stood angrily before Zim in such a way, he could see a familiar shadow on the wall behind it.
Something about the way the child stood up to Zim…
One of the invaders tried challenging the child, but lost.
It was about 10 battles before the child also died, but, then that feeling died with it. About a century later, another Human challenged another Irken Elite.
The feeling returned.
Tallest Zim watched on as Human and Irken fought. Bring a claw to his Squeedly Spooch, he desperately wanted to know what that feeling of familiarity was.
It wasn't until a still-manic Gir yelled out: "Hey! Doesn't it remind you of Mary?! Wooo!" Whipping out the broken glasses Gir had hidden in his head this whole time.
Tallest Zim stared wide eyed at his loyal Sidekick. The rest of the Irkens in the room simply stared confused.
His Squeedley Spooch beat rapidly as the memories flooded his mind. Mind racing, he faced the screen again of the live recording.
The Irken Elite in question was another Defect like Zim, sent in the Invader program to give him a chance Tallest Red and Purple NEVER gave him. The Defective Invader rose in ranks faster than the others, S.I.R. unit made from scraps like Gir was.
The Human child in question was still small. Worn black jacket falling apart at the seams, cracked glasses filthy from the fight. But it was his eyes that caught his attention. That same fierce expression. That Bring-It-On look he used to see long ago. That look of intelligence as he focused on the Irkens robot with deadly efficiency in spotting all the weaknesses.
Tallest Zim's mind replaced the two with a smaller version of him and another boy…
"Sir! Shall we d-"
"Wait!" Zim gripped the handlebars of the platform before the giant viewing screen.
"Mastah?" Gir asked softly.
They continued to watch as the child swiftly took out the Invader with ruthless accuracy. Standing atop the bot and started laughing and cheering in victory.
"Looks like we found a new Dib-Stink" Tallest Zim grinned.
And thus started the strange new tradition of the Irken Armada.
The Humans eventually caught on to the new Rank called "Dib". Most Humans were stupid, but a rare few handfull gained this strange rank as the centuries flew by. Every time the Almighty Tallest Zim would declare a Human child/adult as "Dib" Tallest Zim Himself would bring with him a Defective Invader and train him/her himself on his unearthed wreckage of his old base planet-side.
None of the Irkens could figure out WHY Tallest Zim would pick out a random Irken and train him personally. They were Defective! Out of control. But picked all the same.
But Gir knew.
He even helped pick them out. Gir knew that Tallest Zim saw himself in these Defects. Crazy, destructive, unwanted jokes. The ones no one wanted to give a chance, yet as their training prospered, the Irkan Armada actually IMPROVED! This method was working. Nothing but improvements were brought!
But there was also the agreement with the Humans. The reason why it was that 1% of planets left alone by the Empire.
The agreement was this: If the Human Ranked "Dib" kills the Invader trained by Zim, the planet is left alone for 20 years to recover. All non-Humans leaving the planet entirely for this calm. If "Dib" dies, Irkens take back control. During the time period since a Human Ranked "Dib" is declared, Earth becomes a Neutral Zone. So that no one interferes with the "Dib" vs Invader period.
It was during the 405th "Dib" that lead to the events of today..