A/N: Argan meets with some of his father's subordinates.
-x-X-x-
"Argan… what have you done?"
Less than twenty-four hours have passed since Argan slew his father. But word can travel quickly in the Viltrumite Empire. Nobody who was on Viltrum at the time of Thragg's death would dare to openly question him… those who were not, however, are a different story.
Turning to regard the first Viltrumite to arrive back on planet, Argan spends a moment simply observing General Kregg. The other man with his cybernetic eye has been a high-ranking general within the Viltrumite Empire for thousands of years and the second-in-command to Argan's father for half as long.
Perhaps that's why Kregg is so shocked by what has happened. Viltrum has always stood on strength and strength alone, but the main symbol of that strength has been Thragg for much of their Empire's existence. The thought of him being gone… it clearly gives General Kregg significant pause.
At the same time, Argan cannot merely allow the disrespect to pass. He does not just stand before Kregg as a mere Viltrumite anymore. He wears the attire of the Grand Regent now, having taken up his father's position in full. And he's done so with the complete, albeit fearful support of the Council.
"Is that any way to address your new Grand Regent, General?"
Closing the distance between them in an instant, Argan buries his fist in Kregg's gut before the other Viltrumite can even fully react. He pulls his punch even as Kregg doubles over his fist, holding back enough so that his knuckles do not tear through cloth or flesh, so that he does not punch all the way through Kregg's torso. He could… but it is not his intention to kill the other man.
Just as quickly, Argan pulls back, returning to his original position as Kregg nevertheless drops to his knees, regurgitating his last meal onto the floor. No blood though… he'd held back his strength admirably.
For a moment, nothing can be heard except for the heaving breaths of the General as he recovers from the blow. Until finally…
"… Forgive me, Grand Regent. I misspoke."
Argan does not smile… but he does nod.
"You are forgiven, General. Rise. I would hear your advice on my next steps."
Slowly, the other Viltrumite rises back to his feet. The mess he's left on the ground between them is quickly forgotten as Argan leads them away from it, striding off and forcing Kregg to catch up to his side.
"I am at your service, Grand Regent."
Part of Argan did wish it didn't have to be this way. Sure, General Kregg was his father's second in command… but he was also one of Argan's chief mentors. Argan had learned much at his feet over the centuries, and quite a lot of Kregg's teachings had played a role in what he'd ultimately chosen to do the night before. Without Kregg's insights, Argan might never have realized how dire things were truly becoming… nor would he have acted with the decisiveness he needed to.
"First… I will explain myself to you and only you, because of all our people, I believe you are worthy of an explanation."
Kregg jolts at that, shooting him a quick glance before looking forward again.
"… If that is your will, then so be it."
Argan just huffs.
"My father was weak."
Incredulity radiates from the General at that. But he holds his tongue all the same. To be fair, if anyone had the right to call Thragg weak, it would be the one who had ultimately killed him. And yet, it's obvious that Kregg finds it extremely hard to swallow that inconvenient truth. And so Argan elaborates.
"Don't get me wrong… he was strong in all the ways he thought he needed to be strong. His weakness was not of the body, nor even of the soul… his weakness was that of the mind. It wasn't his fault either… he was made to be that way. Rigid. Unyielding… uncompromising. One might argue these would be grand traits to have in a ruler. But in the end, they blinded him to the truth."
"… And what truth would that be, Grand Regent?"
Argan stops walking and looks down at his hand for a moment, before slowly curling it into a fist.
"That we are dying out, General. That we are losing ground. And that the only way to survive… is to adapt."
There's another beat of silence as Kregg wrestles with Argan's words. Until finally, he cannot hold his tongue.
"The Empire stands strong even now. We have not lost anything in terms of territory in hundreds upon hundreds of years."
Turning to face Kregg, Argan looks the other Viltrumite right in the eye.
"Territory is meaningless."
Kregg jolts back as if struck. Argan continues on unabated.
"The upkeep of the Viltrumite Empire is pointless if there are no Viltrumites left to enjoy it. General, you say we have not lost anything in centuries… but we also have not gained anything. How could we when our numbers are so diminished? I am the only full-blooded Viltrumite born in the last one thousand years. Our people persist on the edge of extinction."
Kregg's jaw works as he seems to not quite know what to say to that. Finally, he settles for the response that is expected to him, given the circumstances.
"… What would you have us do, Grand Regent?"
Here, Argan lets the first hints of a smile spread across his face. Perhaps because he knows, in the end, that Kregg will balk at his next words no matter what.
"I would have us cease fretting over a decrepit Empire and start focusing on our people. We must find a way to rebuild our numbers at any cost, General. That was where my father could not be made to see reason."
Kregg looks aghast, as Argan knew he would.
"You would… you would have us abandon the Empire that Emperor Argall and your father built together?"
Argan does not consider himself a politician. He'll leave the doublespeak for the members of the Viltrumite Council. In the end, he simply nods to Kregg's words.
"I would. And I will."
For a moment, Kregg looks almost like he wants to attack. Just as with Argan's father, the older Viltrumite simply can't comprehend giving up and surrendering anything, let alone countless star systems and massive amounts of territory.
Unlike Thragg, however, Kregg knows he isn't strong enough to beat Argan. He knows full well that Argan could kill him in an instant. For all intents and purposes, Argan is their leader now and there is nobody left who can tell him 'no'.
As Kregg stands there silently, Argan continues on.
"You will send out the recall order, General. You will have every living Viltrumite return to Viltrum. Do not obfuscate or lie… do it in my name as Grand Regent. Those who do not comply will be branded traitors and hunted as such when the time is right. Once we are all here on Viltrum, we can discuss our next steps… and find a solution to our diminished numbers. Together."
Kregg seems to war with himself for a moment longer, not quite squirming or fidgeting but certainly twitching and very nearly vibrating with emotion. But… he is a consummate soldier. A General of a thousand battles and conflicts. He has spent his entire life bowing his head to those stronger than him. In the end… this is no different.
"As you will it, Grand Regent."
With that, the General moves to do as he's been told. Argan watches him go, knowing that Kregg will obey for now… though his reservations might come to fester within his heart and cause him to plot against his superior.
If Thragg were in Argan's place, he would have already removed Kregg's head from his shoulders just for the rebellious thoughts that are no doubt racing through it. Or perhaps not… it had been a long time since Thragg killed another Viltrumite. Not since the Scourge Virus.
In a way, his father had understood that their low numbers meant every Viltrumite Life was unaccountably precious. However, he had not taken that to the necessary conclusion. He had failed to understand that they were too close to extinction to worry about things such as territory or conquering new planets.
To be fair, it wasn't as though the Viltrumite Empire had expanded much in the last several centuries anyways. As Kregg said, they hadn't lost territory, but they also hadn't gained any either. With so few remaining Viltrumites, they were stretched too thin for that.
And yet, Thragg still hadn't completely given up on expansion. He had merely changed strategies, sending several of their brightest, strongest, and most cunning warriors to secretly infiltrate prospective planets to eventually be brought under Viltrum's banner.
Even the Great Nolan was off on some backwater right now and had been for twenty years, slowly but surely preparing the planet for annexation.
Argan can't help but be a little amused, wondering how someone as ruthless and driven as Nolan would react when he received the message recalling him back home. The complete and utter cessation of any and all expansion of the Empire was no doubt likely to come as quite the shock to him.
… But Argan suspected that he would not react too poorly to it. He was driven yes, but he'd also always had a level head. The same could not be said for every Viltrumite who still drew breath…
-x-X-x-
It takes another few days before Viltrumites begin trickling back in. A warm welcome is prepared for them; good food and comfortable accommodations are not hard to arrange. Especially when the entire planet is a tomb, having stood nearly empty for a thousand years now while the Viltrumite Empire hid the truth behind the Scourge Virus' desolation of their people.
It costs nothing to provide those few who remain with the best that can be offered, and so Argan orders it done. Not because he wishes to manipulate them into doing what he wants, necessarily… but rather because he needs them happy for the tribulations that are sure to come.
Every Viltrumite is precious… but none are more precious than those female Viltrumites who still live. As much as Argan has no desire to rob them of their agency, it boggles the mind that not a single one of them besides the one who died giving birth to him has borne a child in the past thousand years.
And so, when the first of them arrives, Argan goes to meet with her personally. Just for a… chat.
"Grand Regent. Congratulations on your ascendancy."
"Anissa. Thank you."
The most powerful female Viltrumite alive smirks at him, even as she crosses her arms over her chest and arches a brow.
"Kregg's message came as something of a shock. We're abandoning the Empire?"
Argan scoffs.
"There is nothing to abandon. Merely a hollowed out shell of what once was, being propped up by our best efforts even as it leads us to extinction. We are pivoting, Anissa… something that you taught me to do long ago."
Indeed, much like Kregg, Anissa had also been one of his instructors once upon a time. Where Kregg had trained him in tactics and strategy, Anissa had taught him combat. Admittedly, her teachings had only been a small part of Argan's overall training, as the vast majority had been handled by Thragg personally to ensure Argan was as powerful as he was.
That did not change the fact that Anissa had played a role all the same, one that Argan appreciated her greatly for.
In the end, Anissa seems to struggle with his plans a lot less than Kregg did. She dips her head after a moment, still smirking.
"I look forward to seeing this 'pivot' in action, Grand Regent."
Argan huffs… and then simply asks what he needs to ask.
"Tell me, Anissa… why did you and my father never produce a child? Why have you not had a child with any other male Viltrumite in the past one thousand years? You are strong… certainly stronger than my mother was. And yet… you remain childless in a time when we need all of the children we can get."
Anissa looks shocked at Argan's boldness for a moment but rapidly recovers enough to snort in amusement.
"You are certainly as blunt as your father, Grand Regent. Very well… you wish the truth? I offered to bear your father's child. Multiple times. He refused me at every turn. Why, I know not. He declared that you were the only heir he needed. As for the other males… you're right. I am strong. And if I could not mate with the strongest in turn, than what was the point?"
Argan mulls over her words for a long moment. So then, it was a combination of things. His father refusing her for some reason and Anissa refusing to settle for anything but the strongest. How… frustrating. A thousand years of potential wasted because neither of them wanted to.
That said… he was the strongest now. And as Anissa meets his eyes, Argan can see the same thing he's thinking reflected back at him in her gaze. Tension builds between the two of them, but not the tension of a battle about to begin. Rather, this is a very different type of tension. The type of tension that came before-
"WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS OUR SO-CALLED GRAND REGENT?! COME OUT AND FACE ME, BRAT!"
Argan and Anissa both jolt as a loud, familiar voice splits through the air like an explosion, resounding out across the skies of their corpse of a homeworld. Argan sighs while Anissa lets out a soft laugh.
"I suspect you saw this coming, Grand Regent? If not, I will most definitely think less of you."
Rather than dignify that with a response, Argan waves Anissa off.
"We will continue this conversation later."
"Of course, Grand Regent~"
With a growl, Argan leaves the dwelling prepared for the strongest female Viltrumite and ascends into the sky. It doesn't take him long to find the boisterous speaker… nor long to appear in front of him either.
"Conquest."
The elite Viltrumite Warrior whips around, his one working eye narrowing as he snarls.
"Boy."
And then Conquest attacks.
-x-X-x-
A/N: Goddamn cockblocking Conquest, I swear to god
Feedback is GREATLY appreciated, every comment helps me shape the story with a Daily Story like this one!
See you all tomorrow!
-x-X-x-
If you'd like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!