Science was not really the tradition of the Viltrumites.
Though a fair share of their technology had been fairly earned and studied for by their own species, it was also fair to say now that with their population level at its lowest point in centuries, most of the scientific progression was done for them. When your empire stretched across thousands of systems, encompassing hundreds of life-sustaining planets and artificial habitats, you could just order somebody to hand it over to you.
Vigil found that ingratiating beyond what words could describe.
The humorous side to that point was that most of his fellow Viltrumites would agree with him. Strength was born from your own fists and training, as many of the enforcers among the Viltrumites would attest to - natural biology of the Viltrumite cell granted them the platform of strength beyond most of the known universe, but that was no reason to stagnate. It was actually a cause of serious punishment to allow yourself to atrophy without reason or achievement to back it up.
It was simply not the Viltrumite way. Strength and honour were probably the best prized traits a Viltrumite could have, with merit and recognition being earned from your fellow comrades by demonstrating it as gratuitously as possible. Becoming an enforcer of the Viltrumite Empire was seen as the best way to do that by many, the only way by some, with the officers and then two remaining generals being the most recognised for honour.
Vigil completely agreed with that. You earned your own honour and achievements, something every Viltrumite for centuries has striven to do. What he did not agree with, was the way that it had felt like that they themselves as a species had started to feel like they were stagnating. When it became necessary for everything to be handed over to them, from the resources they needed to build the starships and habitats they lived on to the scientific studies of every planet they conquered being archived into their records without even a second look; he found a lot wrong.
Strength was no longer honourable because it was progressing their species, it was now honourable because they could demonstrate that they were on top. Vigil knew that any group of individuals would want to be the best, but that was all they lived for now - dominating and continuously expanding their empire. Their species was fast losing its culture and traditions to only that which could keep up with the militaristic and conquering society they'd become, and any scientific breakthrough could not rightfully be called theirs.
He never mentioned this, of course. To state that he believed they should realign the principles of their empire to not only conquer, but also to discover, would be going against the words of the Grand Reagent himself. It was stated to be the mission of the Viltrum empire, to be the only empire in the known galactic territories.
It had taken hard work, and over three centuries of proving why his talents lay better off in that of more far-flung stations of the empire than that of the patrolling starships and central habitat over Viltrum to allow him the degree of freedom that he had. Even that had limits, as he was given no officially designated position - not an enforcer, but somebody who was allowed to conduct their experiments in peace so long as occasionally it produced something of use. Enough so that in the reports, he could keep his superior from recalling him.
Knowledge was still at least recognised as a form of power by the Viltrumites. He was the only Viltrumite to charter new space and planets, and the knowledge granted from it was always tidied up in the reports as intelligence gathering for the benefit of expanding the empire. He could have his ideals, but at least he could do as he wanted and still feel like he was single-handedly helping to progress the other side of his species that his other fellows had forgotten. So long as he played the game.
SYSTEM X12-3
Vigil was one of the more mobile Viltrumites for a good reason. It was a consistent, unpredictable trace of taking spontaneous trips to new systems, exploring planets, gathering data on life-filled worlds whether it had been conquered or otherwise; and back to the stations dotted around the empire for when he required more complex equipment. Building your own tools and modifying your own ship came with its perks of being custom-built for the job.
The particular planet he was on was unregistered in all the major databases he'd consulted on it, with no known history of interstellar transport through the system either, by the codex or from his scanner readings. Vigil was therefore quite confident he was the first to discover the planet, and whilst he would put the geographical and locational data within the Viltrumite records for service to his people; he would retain the deeper level in his own memory banks. If other Viltrumites wanted the expanse of knowledge of his own records, they would have to bargain for it, but he severely doubted such an occasion would ever arise.
Biological data and planetary features weren't the interest of most of his people.
Codenamed Leviathan in his memory banks as it was one of the more interesting planets in his database worthy of higher denotation, it was personally his second favourite planet that he stood on. It was after all, his preferred planet for training his own physical strength which he didn't neglect per se - the higher gravity upon it actually in a margin above that of Viltrum. Given their home planet had higher than average gravity levels to begin with that had assisted in their evolution, a planet that would force him to adapt again would theoretically grant him better strength again.
Maybe evolution didn't quite work that way in a single individual, but even a scientist could have their hopes. It did also provide a better training regimen.
But undoubtedly, the interest of the planet that drew him back each time rather than selecting differing high-gravity worlds was its geology and features. It was a planet which had undergone a violent event only a century prior - when a meteorite had slammed into it of such scale and violent energetic discharge that it had cracked the world itself open. A third of the ball of rock had broken free and now laid as a hazardous minefield of debris of the orbit of the remaining two-thirds, raining back down upon it to reconfigure its once proud size. It would take centuries more the skies to clear however, and Vigil had captured it in its perfect moments.
It had once held life too, for which he had named the planet after - massive skeletons of kilometre long animals dotted the surface of the half of the planet which had not been subjected to too much violent shuddering, quakes and renderings from the meteor impact. Made up of such dense material of bone that it could withstand the blistering heat of the scorching atmosphere still swirling with charred dust and heavy gases, it was by one such rib bone of such a creature that he had stopped. Nested in a valley of craggy dunes and upturned rock that symbolised the average terrain of the planet he stood on, he merely shunted over a heavy boulder with but a slight push from his foot before sitting upon it.
Vigil took a few moments to look at his surroundings, before letting old habits take over as his curiosity called to him now that he had found a good spot. Tapping at the wrist part of his exosuit that he wore, he activated the custom-built device that he had made himself as his own miniaturised computer and scientific head-ups display. A solid metal device that was itself quite thin, but the alien-engineered alloys and complicated machinery within made it weigh the couple of kilograms that it did, despite it being just thirty centimetres across and having a depth of just five.
Being mostly a keyboard interface on the metallic surface of the device, his V2 Core acted as his data storage hub/archive, computer, surveying tool and advanced scanning device that ensured all such things as his scientific and environmental findings to mission and diary logs were safely recorded and accessible. Therefore, it was the work of but a moment to activate it with a tap to light it up with subtle blue light lining the keyboard outlines and the holographic display activating instantly. Given how powerful the technology of the Viltrumites was, it took less than four seconds to have mapped the 3D terrain of the area along with its data readout of scientific readings such as the surrounding geology and atmospheric conditions.
But what Vigil had been mostly interested in was the molecular structure of the bone before him, allowing the scanner and camera of his Core device to read over it, before then taking his hand to the ribcage bone many times taller than he was - having withstood a century of withering heat and atmospheric erosion and still looking pristine. Before then merely ripping out a handheld chunk from it with but a mere small tug of his genetically-gifted great strength, shattering it to small pieces with a snap closure of his fingers and then holding one such small piece to the sampling portion of the Core device.
The molecular readout that began to fill in with much more detail piqued his curiosity as he realised he had indeed stumbled upon a new species of a Leviathan-classed animal, but the piqued interest in his expression quickly soured as the readout on his screen shifted over. Sighing as it received an incoming broadcast, he forced Core to delay its acceptance of it by two seconds as he instead spoofed the current locational readout on his device before he allowed it to run the decryption software on it. If he didn't have to return just yet, then he'd rather an enforcer not know where to drop in and disturb the occasional trip of personal interest than business.
"Lucan." Vigil greeted with as friendly a business tone as he could muster at that point in time to try and brush over his annoyance at being interrupted, and at the sight of the bald, moustached man appearing on his screen. His day had likely just been ruined enough as it was with having to put his trip on likely hold, but to see the fanatic was pushing it a little. Most Viltrumites of course, had pride in their strength - but Lucan took to lording over his fellow comrades anyway on account of being one of their strongest. "What calls?"
"Vigil." Lucan responded in just as clipped a greeting as the scientist had given him, but he didn't bother to hide his disdain as his finger was visibly hovering over the 'end call' button of his communications device on screen. "You are to report to Station Three for a classified mission briefing of paramount importance. Delay will not be tolerated."
Static briefly filled the screen as Lucan had obviously jabbed his finger down on the button, before Vigil exited his device and merely slowly exhaled through his nose to let go of the built-up frustration. A minor delay in all retrospect, given how long his lifespan was to explore the cosmos with, but it still rankled him slightly with the commanding tone Lucan had used to express his order with. Though technically not his superior given he was not under the command of the enforcers like most of his commanders were, there was no doubt though that this command had come from someone who was his superior.
Station three was one of the two military hubs of the Viltrumite empire, which meant one of the two generals were there. Short of the Grand Reagent himself, nobody would dare to disobey an order given from a general unless they were willing to be declared traitor and have two enforcers sent after them. The good news of the situation was, that the generals were quite the epitome of professional conduct to the empire's ways and so he would be given a mission actually suited to his talents unlike some recent prior orders; and he would not have to suffer Lucan's presence.
His curiosity actually started to overtake that of which he'd come to the planet on personal interest with, given it was the first time in over fifty years he'd been summoned for a personal briefing. Either something bigger had gone down of whose results they wanted analysed and reported on, or something bigger was about to go down that they wanted studying and reported on to prepare for. Either way, as a scientist in the Viltrumite empire, he was not called on often, but he did have his uses when they needed more niche talent.
Quickly bending his knees slightly, the force at which he sliced through the air up and out of the planet only generated a sonic boom once he'd started exiting the atmosphere despite the fact it had been only a moment prior; cracking the ground before the sound rendered from it. Streaking away and having burnt all of the swirling dust and debris off his exosuit from the atmospheric friction, he started to vastly increase his speed as the planets gravitational pull lessened on him.
STATION THREE
Drifting through the opened maw of the large, metal doors made of Viltrumite-engineered alloys that could withstand not just the conditions of space but also the punishing hand of any kinetic or explosive bombardment from enemy projectiles. Flying to experienced Viltrumites like Vigil was but a thought at this point, instinctive to the body as breathing as it required only simply thought processes to navigate through atmospheres of planets that was easily overcome by their superior physiology, only made all the more easier in the vacuum of space.
Hitting the button on the wall, a short alarm sounded as the outside doors slammed closed and air billowed into the room from forceful pumps, allowing the scientist to first slowly exhale out the stale air in his lungs after a week flying through the vast and boring nothingness of space. Though it did interest him, the empty space between celestial bodies had only been read on by him rather than studied first hand due to his preference for experimenting and interacting with things he could personally visit. The thought of how the best Viltrumites could hold their breath for up to three weeks instead of the standard two, or how the mere process of being able to withstand the harsh conditions of a cold and dead vacuum defied the biological ability of most other life did not interest him now. Centuries of life had made him a bit picky at this point.
The cold, metallic silence that greeted him past the second set of doors of the airlock was not unexpected. Though Station Three was a towering military installation of megatons of steel and engineering precision to not just house the beating communications heart of rows of receivers and transmitters but also the vast berths for housing their military warships; it was also home to General Kregg. The Grand Reagent's second-in-command of the Viltrumite empire, it was meant to display an imposing dominance as it drifted in the void between conquered worlds.
Silence permeated its metallic structure. The conquered species within it kept only to their assigned tasks out of fear and dared go no further, and the Viltrumites within it saw no reason to go beyond their purpose and individual behaviours. They stayed separated, even if for some of them being within the station was the closest they'd ever be to their comrades, given how most enforcers were sent on solo missions.
Continuing to float a foot off the floor as Vigil quickly made his way down corridors that had not changed in two centuries, he passed the uniform metal grey of all of the walls intersected only by the black lines of connection that showed the blocks of construction they'd previously been. Not stopped by any door he'd come across as its sensors allowed him entry at every turn, his arrival obviously precedented and undoubtedly already having been told to the general by the unwilling workers who manned and maintained the station as part of a conquered species under the Viltrumites.
Only setting himself down outside the General's personal office, he merely pushed a button on the side panel of the single door before him and the second most powerful man in power of the empire, and perhaps the known galactic territories. Vigil grimaced as the panel did not light green for ten seconds, knowing that the general was likely musing over something and hoped it did not impact him - before it did light green and allowed the door to smoothly and quickly slide open with a quiet whoosh of air.
Striding in quickly, but purposefully and respectfully too, he maintained deliberate avoidance of the General's eyes as he kept them lowered, before then setting himself to the floor before the desk as he knelt with one leg to the floor in a respectful bow. Seeing only the darkened visage of the synthetically-rubberised floor and the laminated desk surface that extended down the legs of the piece of furniture, Vigil maintained a deliberate rate of breathing as he stayed rigidly in his pose. He could feel the cybernetic eye of the General regarding his bowed form.
"Rise." Came the expected order after a few moments, the smooth tone in which it was said as if oil was slickly flowing along the surface of water, despite the authoritative undertone that dwelled within it like an echoing rebound that did not let you forget.
As a man who had definitively entered the later half of his life of thousands of years of living, he was only now beginning to bald as the receded hairline was deliberately maintained with a cropped short but high-sitting style of jet-black hair. With a jawline as sharp as a blade and a mouth that was experienced in transitioning quickly between a neutral frown, commanding regal or regarding stoicism that still came off as scathing; he was a man who projected the power he knew he had. The air itself in the office was thick with the authority the man exuded, with even the furniture, screens that lined the wall and rows of documentation all assisting in the very notion of the man's mission - the expansion of the Viltrumite empire.
It was, without doubt though, the crimson red eye socket housed in the steel frame which gave his piercing look its edge. A cutting gaze which was evidently assisted by technology, having already broken the very wills of lesser beings on the station with his glance alone backed up by his fearful reputation.
"You are being reassigned on a longer-term mission away from the galactic sector you were in, Vigil." General Kregg spoke, his voice evidently authoritative as if it became deeper just when he gave orders. There was no room for argument, especially from the sure and present-tense terminology he used; as he merely reached out and flicked a switch on the edge of the desk. Built-in projectors sharply then illuminated an image before them both, as the swirling hologram of a blue-green orb then hovered over the desk. "You will travel to this planet named Earth. This mission will consist of three objectives, of which of tertiary importance is that to simply study, observe it for us. Note its strengths and weaknesses, the usual for a recce mission before it is prepared for integration into the empire."
Vigil remained still, staying alert to the image before him as with a mere gesture, it changed to a recognisable face for both occupants to the room. "I'm sure you recognise Nolan, who is one of our best soldiers and the only officer of the empire still allowed planetary integration duties. He was assigned to Earth for such a duty." Kregg continued, with Vigil's face tightening slightly at the implications and use of past tense. "We learned as of two weeks ago, he abandoned his duty to the empire and as such became a traitor to the empire. Your primary mission is merely to gather intelligence of why he did so as the greatest priority of your search."
Kregg ignored the shock that passed over Vigil's face, completely breaking apart the schooled look it had before as the tightened visage on it gave way to a slackened look, which took more than a few seconds to repair to maintain professionalism in front of the general. It was understandable to even Kregg who would expect high standards from those he ordered, given that not one Viltrumite had ever done such a thing in the centuries since the civil war on Viltrum. In their militaristic and authoritarian society based on highly-upheld traditions of honour, strength and other such factors, it was simply unheard of.
"Your secondary objective is to assess and make contact with another being on the planet, named Mark Grayson after Nolan's selection of Grayson from the planet's naming criteria." Kregg resumed his briefing once more after a few seconds of sustained silence. "Also aptly Nolan's son, and as such a half-Viltrumite after it was confirmed that Viltrumite DNA has the highest purification rate seen with humans of Earth. Your background in genetics will help to ascertain his worthiness to joining the Viltrumite empire, and if you deem it so, you are to convince him so. Should you fail at that, or he is determined a threat, he is to be eliminated. He remained when Nolan fled."
The goggled picture of a younger-looking male in a costume of sorts with differing colours of yellow and other shades had shifted into the focus of the hologram, before the General swiped his fingers mid-air again to transition it to an unmasked version. The angular details of the boy's expression with the hairstyle did indeed fit with Nolan, but Vigil could not help but narrow his eyes as he committed the picture to memory. Hybrids of Viltrumite lineage were rare given the complex breeding rules of the empire, upheld amongst the highest standards of their laws to be punishable by death, as only species worthy of breeding with were judged by the higher ranks of Viltrumite empire - to which none had ever been found so far.
Until now, it apparently seemed, although Vigil did not open his mouth to get that confirmed. No, his curiosity was now higher than ever at the thought of a newer genetic sample to the Viltrumite genetics, which whilst not the first hybrid of a cross-species example the Viltrumites had attempted before, was apparently their strongest bet so far. Between their deliberate halving of the population and the Scourge virus, fresher entries of more varied genetics would be exactly what their species actually needed as one of their highest priorities.
Vigil was certainly a lot more attentive to all the details Kregg was giving him, fewer though they would be than from a lower ranked officer.
With a final swipe of his hand, Kregg returned the holographic image to that of the orb of Earth as he then put both hands clasped together in front of him. "You are not a warrior, Vigil." Kregg spoke bluntly, with Vigil getting the distinct feeling that the General was only now communicating what he really wanted from him despite having already given him his objectives. "That is why you are being sent instead of another. Your mission is to study them, analyse the layout of this world and how it has affected one of our best officers so. We need to understand what made Nolan choose weakness."
A protracted silence then filled the room for a few seconds as the scientist mulled over what his General had just instructed him of, as the man glanced unblinkingly at him as he awaited. Feeling the permission to, Vigil finally spoke for the first time in that office. "You want me to also pick up a piece of Nolan's mission." He spoke slowly, with an even tone ready to stop if it looked like he was wrong. "To determine whether Earth is worth integrating into the empire, or... eradicating."
A thin smirk then pulled at the lips of the General which meshed with his clasped hands that tightened their grip slightly. "Exactly." He spoke with the dedicated tone of a man who'd been performing his mission with excellence for centuries as he had, before he then unclasped his hands and reformed his face back into that of the utmost professionalism. "As for Mark Grayson, observe him and then make contact as per your objective. Learn not only from the humans but also from the Viltrumite who behaves as a human - their ways, strengths and weaknesses." A second passed as Kregg allowed the pause to extend, but Vigil caught it long enough to see from the way that the General's expression stayed unnaturally rigid that something rankled him. "Nolan stayed there for over eighteen years, and Earth has survived longer than it should have. Find out why."
Kregg did not allow Vigil to speak again as his tone accentuated slightly to signal the end of the briefing. "Do not engage unless necessary." He finalised as his last order, voice edged with warning. "Your role is to observe, not fight - such a role is to be left to the enforcers who know how to handle planetary integration to the empire. But if the boy is to become a problem..." Cold, absolute certainty seemed to fill his voice in the first inflection of tone the General deliberately injected into it to match his air of authority. "Then you know what must be done. Your experience and speed should be more than enough against a Viltrumite who has only begun his lifespan compared to yours."
A dismissive gesture from the General was all he received after that as Kregg was already turning in his chair to pick up a tablet where undoubtedly several notifications awaited him, having been generated throughout the briefing. With a final nod to his superior, Vigil took only a second more to look to the holographic projection of Earth and the streamed data of the people that inhabited it - a seemingly flawed yet strangely resilient civilisation that had the honour of a rare chance.
A Viltrumite that had abandoned their duty and had allowed them to remain independent, and had even left behind another Viltrumite who now acted seemingly as their main defender.
Turning on his heel, Vigil smartly left the office in a prompt fashion, only daring to take flight once the door had closed behind him. He had been given a mission of observation, to study a species that was now solidly his highest curiosity in the biological field from what he had heard in the General's office. But also, in that Nolan had made a choice that defied the empire - with Vigil now being seen to find out if it was a choice of madness or if there was truly something about or on Earth that even a Viltrumite could not defy or resist.
His course was set - Earth awaited.