And who is this?
Emperor Argall.
We carve no statues of other Viltrumites, so why him?
Why does he deserve this honor?
He made us one.
He showed us our power.
He gave us the stars.
What else?
He was killed.
By who?
The Betrayer.
Emperor Argall was assassinated by the Betrayer.
His heirs were lost, and millions of us died
in the great purge that followed.
You.
Why was the purge a blessing?
I, uh...
Think well before you answer.
You've seen what failure brings.
Because the purge made us stronger.
Correct.
Even in death, Argall showed us the way.
We cut the weak from our ranks,
carved away their cancer so the strong could stand free.
And it made us...
That is why the universe is our right and destiny.
If we did not deserve it, we could not take it.
All is ours.
Your education is over for today.
Go find food and shelter if you can.
Return here tomorrow at sunrise prepared for combat.
At least two of you will die,
so if you are smart, you will bring a weapon.
You forgot, didn't you?
It is your day of adulthood.
If you survive.
I didn't forget, Mother.
Good.
Enough.
He fought well.
You're as pathetic as he is.
I hope to never see either of you again.
Get up. You are an adult now.
Act like one.
Thank you...
Father.
Clean yourself.
Then report to the city barracks for your uniform and first assignment.
Make Argall proud, Nolan.
You will soon be sent to the far edges of our empire.
You will bring order.
You will bring obedience.
You will bring strength.
Did your parents hit you too hard?
No, General.
Then clearly they didn't hit you hard enough.
Someone dares to strike at us with a coward's weapon.
Good.
It will only make us stronger.
Ten of these were discovered planetwide.
They evaded our defense network disguised as an asteroid.
They contained a biological weapon
specifically engineered to attack Viltrumite DNA.
It is exceptionally contagious and extremely virulent.
Our scientists are calling it the Scourge virus.
So far, we have found no suitable treatment for exposure
other than containment, which is proving difficult.
We are searching for who did this,
and we will make them regret their actions.
Grand Regent, what are your orders?
Quarantine the sick.
Then blockade the planet and exterminate
all non-Viltrumites with knowledge of the virus.
Our enemies must never know our weakness.
Your words, our deeds.
In the time since the virus first struck,
we still have no treatment or cure
and no knowledge of who created it.
It has finally slowed
but only because all remaining Viltrumites have been infected.
Our remaining population are the few who have recovered.
But even the survivors suffer a dangerous period
of reduced strength, resilience and regeneration.
How many are dead?
The number is quite...
Do not make me ask you twice.
Billions upon billions.
But it is worse than that.
With so few of us remaining,
any offspring will be inbred and deficient.
It is the end of our race, Regent.
No, you are wrong.
We will honor our fallen,
rebuild ourselves at any cost
and destroy those who thought they could extinguish us.
We are Viltrumites.
We are without end.
Did you... Did you just make me feel bad
about your planet of genocidal maniacs almost getting wiped out?
Also, maybe it is a good thing I don't have parents.
Okay, I got a question, though.
If you guys were all spread so thin, barely holding your empire together,
why continue with the whole "conquering new planets" thing?
I wasn't sent to Earth just to conquer it.
I'm sorry, what?
Earth was just one of many planets we visited
to determine if there were alien species genetically compatible with our own
and if we could use them to save our race.
Wait a second.
Your mission, your real mission, was to bang your way across the galaxy,
looking for someone your people could make babies with?
We didn't put it like that.
Oh, no? I wonder why.
But yes, that was my mission.
And yes, I succeeded.
The fact that Mark is almost as strong as me
proves the human race is suitable for Viltrumite interbreeding.
That is why I tried to take control of Earth
after I saw Mark had inherited my powers.
Ugh. I liked it better when your people were just trying to murder everyone.
One question, though.
What would you have done if Mark didn't get powers?
You just move on to the next planet?
I...
I don't know.
Well, welcome to Talescria.
I'm gonna park this sucker out here. We'll sneak in by ourselves.
We don't exactly like mustaches like yours around here.
Can you shave it?
Never even thought to ask, honestly.
Just chill here for a second, okay?
Fine.
Ow, shit!
Who moved that table?
Telia? You home?
I guess... I guess you are.
Allen.
Oh, I missed you, too.
You were just supposed to go to Earth and back.
- What happened? - Yeah, sorry.
I kind of let myself get captured and thrown into a Viltrumite prison.
We just escaped and got back here now.
Wait. Who's "we"?
Hi.
Viltrumite!
Wait, no! Stop, stop! He's on our side now.
What? How do you know that?
Because we're both not dead.
Ooh, I'm sorry.
I'm used to it.
Also, you just keep this thing under the bed?
When you're away, yes.
You know we still have a mole, right?
Do either of you have some clothes I could borrow?
Allen. You're alive.
I know. I'm as surprised as you are.
It is good to see you again.
Thank you. That almost sounds like you mean it.
But the catch-up will have to wait.
We need to see Thaedus immediately.
Oh. Who's the new friend?
Just our best chance of winning this thing.
Did that... Did that person have a mustache?
Fifty? That cannot be true.
It's true.
That is how many Viltrumites remain.
Right? Oh, man.
I know they're still tough as shit, but we can do this.
We can beat them.
I really thought you'd be happier about this.
Even though you've dedicated your life to stopping them,
they're still your people.
No, they haven't been my people for a very long time.
This is exceptional news.
You wonder if Allen is correct.
If I truly am a Viltrumite.
The thought crossed my mind.
Before you ask me to perform the Toolock pull,
know that I already did so for Allen
and I would rather not repeat the act.
Is that the beard thing? When you guys just rip it off all at once?
Because he totally did that. It was nuts.
Why have I never heard of you?
You have heard of me.
But our people call me by a different name.
The Betrayer.
Yes.
I was the first to turn my back on our people's cruelty.
The first to reject Argall and his rule of strength.
And the first to risk everything for my beliefs.
Now we are two.
No.
No, you are still alone.
Wait, what?
You said you would help me gather all the weapons and stuff from your books.
I will help arm you because of our friendship,
but I will not join your cause or let you drag my sons into this.
You're already fighting the Viltrumites.
They certainly want you dead.
My fight with my people is personal.
Your war is your own.
Come on. You are splitting hairs and driving me so crazy right now.
What weapons do you speak of?
Nolan made us a list
of all these awesome Viltrumite weaknesses and weapons.
Before I was sent to Earth, it was my mission
to ensure these threats could never be used against us,
but some are still out there.
All we need to do is go get them.
Yes.
These could be a great help to our effort.
Even if they are the limit of Nolan's aid for now.
But this must all remain secret.
We still have a spy among us.
I know a ship we can take that won't raise any suspicions.
Why not?
Because we'd never take it.
You were not kidding.
Welcome aboard the Venture.
You may call me the Captain.
This is Worg, Download and Councilor Tuva.
We're the finest ship in the Coalition's navy
and at your service.
It's perfect.
No one will suspect a thing.
Okay, Nolan. Where to first?
First, we get this.
It will take some time to reach our destination,
and I'm sure you all wish to rest.
Luckily for you, here on the Venture,
our guest accommodations are second to none.
I'll take the couch.
- Yeah, probably for the best. - Are you sure?
We really appreciate it.
It'll be fine.
I've slept in far worse places than...
Oh, yeah. Oh. Oh, yeah.
Captain, what's happening?
We've arrived at your coordinates,
but there's a few friendly space rocks in the neighborhood.
Why did you not stop before the giant asteroid field?
Don't worry, friends, the Venture is a tough old lady.
Why don't you pull back to a safe distance?
Allen and I will go in alone.
If you insist.
I hid the coordinates of the Infinity Ray in my novel,
using the number of words and paragraphs in a specific chapter.
What, 'cause you were worried some human book nerd
was gonna come out here and find it?
Also, novel?
I mean, it's really more of a novella, if we're being serious, you know.
It's a weapon of impossible power.
I couldn't take any chances an enemy of my people could find it.
But here you are, helping this enemy do exactly that.
Don't push me, Allen.
Over there.
I realize this is an awkward conversation about the old Nolan,
but I assume you killed Space Racer when you took his gun?
No.
I was worried that if I killed him, his weapon would self-destruct.
Oh. Good.
I simply buried him alive under a thousand tons of rock.
Oh, yes. I should've assumed you did something terrible.
Didn't you read my novella?
I mean, I skimmed it.
I'm not really into sci-fi.
Space Racer needed to die naturally.
Then his link to the Infinity Ray would be broken.
It's been about a hundred years, so...
Hmm. Well, will you look at that?
You might want to take a step back.
-It could still...
Explode? Yeah.
Got it. I believe in you, Nolan.
Go for it.
Whoa. Hey. What the hell was that?
Huh. It must still be linked to Space Racer's body.
Help me dig.
Oh, man.
He's probably gonna look super gross and dried up, isn't he?
No, he's not.
It's been 100 years, and we're in space, dude.
He's gonna be jerky by the time we find him.
You!
- You said he was dead! - I thought he was.
You thought wrong, Viltrumite.
- Don't let him fire again! - Yeah, I figured that out myself.
Ow! Stop!
-Wait!
Uh-oh.
To me!
Oh.
So that's where the racer part of his name comes from.
Wait!
What could you possibly say that I would want to hear?
We didn't come here to fight.
We totally thought that he had already killed you.
- Allen. - Oh.
You came for my weapon.
Yes, but now that you're alive, we came for your help instead.
You think I would ever help one of his kind?
I think we got off on the wrong foot.
Uh... hand.
The Coalition of Planets is fighting back against the Viltrum Empire,
and Nolan here is on our side now.
I mean, if I'm being honest, he's still a little mushy on some of these details,
but he saved my life and is doing his best to help us,
even if that means betraying his entire race
and all of his history and heritage and all that.
It's true.
We came here because we are gathering weapons to help the fight.
And you could be that weapon.
With your amazing gun.
You're both weapons, together.
What I'm saying is, we've got a ship just out there,
and we can explain everything on it.
You left me to die here.
You seem fine to me.
Sheesh, Nolan. Come on.
A hundred years alone in darkness.
A hundred years!
I'm...
I'm sorry.
I was a different person then.
Are you...
apologizing?
Yes.
I know. Super weird, right?
But he means it.
We're just trying to make sure what happened to you
never happens again to anyone.
Do they have food on your ship?
Oh, man, do they.
They got this machine, it makes whatever you want as long as it's noodles.
But I got some kanzlok on me right now if you're starving.
Ugh! I was buried for a hundred years, not a thousand.
You two do not know what you're missing.
I've alerted Talescria to be ready for Space Racer's arrival.
He hasn't agreed to join our cause yet,
but Thaedus can be very inspiring.
Nolan?
He'll join.
He was a crusader long before you were born.
And thanks to me, he has every reason to hate my people.
I mean, awkward but good.
We need his help.
What's next?
A small planet only a day away.
You don't say.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yes!
Ah. There's one. Grab it!
You grab it.
Do you want your weapon or not?
Ugh. It stinks.
It's a Sinlak beetle.
We discovered a compound in their shells that makes us weak to physical injury.
-My orders were to wipe them out.
I guess I missed a few.
So, what, we cram these down Viltrumite throats or something?
No, you get Coalition scientists to extract the compound,
refine it and put it in darts.
Grab a few more.
I'd rather not.
Fine.
Next time, here's an idea.
I hold the rock, and you manhandle the disgusting insects, okay?
Oh, they leak slime.
Great. You didn't tell me they leak slime.
Is this revenge for something?
What would make you say that?
Oh, yeah.
They were majestic beasts.
As intelligent as they were deadly.
A true threat to any Viltrumite.
I hoped there might still be a few alive.
What happened to 'em?
All their water evaporated into space.
How's that even happen?
It happens...
when you move someone's planet closer to their sun.
Is this gonna be, like, a regular thing?
Probably.
Okay, so first, hello.
Uh, I'm Allen.
I work, uh, with your emperor at the Coalition of Planets.
And this fine friend of mine is not as evil as he looks,
even though he looks kind of evil.
What terrible stuff did you do here?
- Nothing. - Oh, finally.
The Geldarians were too powerful for our reduced numbers,
so we hired the Kresh to destroy them for us.
Yeah, that adds up.
A plan that failed, but only because of
our people's immense sacrifice and loss.
And for that, I am more sorry than you can know.
Our forces are still recovering,
but there is a warrior on Earth who may be able to help you.
- Earth? - That's what he said.
Why? You know the place?
Just kidding. He did terrible stuff there, too.
So, I'm Allen.
He's a good guy now.
We're both looking for Battle Beast, who helped jailbreak us
out of a Viltrumite prison a little while ago.
Our champion left this place long ago,
seeking any who might challenge his skill at battle.
If you are searching for him,
seek out blood and fire and find him there.
Blood and fire. Check.
I-I... I-I just assumed
the three of you were in a triadic relationship.
Uh, but yes, we have many other guest accommodations.
Please, take whichever one suits you.
Are you sure this is worth the risk?
Even Viltrumites are scared of ragnars, and for good reason.
I was the only survivor of the first research team that came here.
They're cold-blooded, so I had our scientists
put that solar disc in place to freeze their planet solid.
We didn't care about the other two planets in this system
or their small but growing civilizations.
Every time I say I'm not gonna be surprised
by Viltrumite cruelty anymore...
...there it is.
Let's go.
Whoa. That's a lot of gravity.
It's how the ragnars got so strong.
Um, so if they're all Popsicles, how are you gonna find 'em?
Telia.
We'll need to move the disc and let the planet warm up a little.
Then we can get a few into the cargo hold
and keep them frozen until we get back to Talescria.
Got it. Captain, we need to...
Please, General Telia, allow me to handle this.
I owe Nolan for an earlier misunderstanding.
Download, target the solar disc and fire proton missiles.
Hold on a second.
What are you doing?
I said move the disc, not remove it.
It's worse than that.
Someone just destroyed it.
What?
Uh, Nolan, I think I found
one of your, um, Viltrumite, uh, devouring beasts.
Man, do they look like bad news.
Hurry. We have to get them to the ship before they thaw.
I'll take this one. See if you can find another.
Nolan!
Uh...
Ow! Shit!
Allen?
Don't worry. I got this.
No, you don't. They're still half-frozen.
We need to get out of here before they really wake up.
What's happening down there?
Everything!
Everything bad is happening all at the same time!
So long, losers.
Bet you wish you could fly.
Allen!
Go!
Nolan!
You.
You are giving me command of this ship right now.
You shouldn't have come back.
We need you for the war.
I'm not joining your war.
Then I'm gonna look like a real idiot, aren't I?
Okay. What now?
Now we die.
Now you both get the hell out of there!
I just fell even more in love with you.
Move!
I think we can agree that mistakes were made
and we've all learned from them.
Mistakes?
That's what you call almost getting us eaten alive?
You're lucky I don't tear you and your ship to pieces.
But you're the good Viltrumite.
Not that good.
That's enough. We're done here.
And you have nothing to worry about.
Ah. Thank you.
Because I'm keeping command of your ship.
What? This is mutiny!
Not yet.
Who's with me?
Now it's mutiny.
You, uh... okay, buddy?
Yeah, we lost the ragnars for now,
but we got your special little fart bugs, right?
And some other very exciting clues
about a few friends who might want to join the cause.
I'm not upset about the ragnars.
Really? Because the Captain is still in hiding on his own ship.
I'm not upset anymore about the ragnars.
Oh. Is this about the whole
"trying to erase your own people from the universe" thing?
I understand we're a plague
responsible for almost wiping out your entire species.
And we've done so much worse to so many others across the galaxy.
I know this.
But?
To us, it was our duty.
Argall said our mission was to bring order to chaos,
to improve the galaxy, and we did.
We did stop wars.
We did make some planets better.
Yeah, but I kind of think that's what all conquerors tell themselves.
We paid for our crimes.
Our entire race poisoned
until only the merest glimmer was left.
"Glimmer" would not be my choice of word there.
And now I'm helping you engineer their extinction.
My extinction.
Look, your people could have gotten the message when that virus hit.
They could have understood what it felt like for so many others
when they first saw Viltrumites in their skies.
But they didn't.
They doubled down,
turned the cruelty up to max and kept on killing.
That's why they need to be stopped no matter what it takes.
I know you know this.
But I also know it still hurts, so come here.
No. What-what are you... I don't...
See? Before, you would have punched my head off for doing this.
I still might.
Huh?
I said I'm still not joining your war.
I know. It's okay.
Our scientists are already working to extract and amplify
the poison from the beetles' shells.
I've also dispatched an engineering team
to begin reconstruction of the ragnar solar disc.
Oh, nice. Great picture.
Thank you. You really nailed my good side there.
Once their planet is refrozen,
we'll try again to capture several of the creatures.
The Geldarians believe the Earth hero known as Tech Jacket
will also join our cause.
And we're searching all known galactic conflict sites for Battle Beast.
Hmm.
I met with Space Racer when he arrived several days ago.
He is eager to resume his struggle against evil and has pledged his help.
All of Nolan's other leads were extinct, missing or destroyed.
Each day, we add more allies and more weapons
to our fight against the Viltrumites.
Take some time to rest.
We will meet again tomorrow.
Thank you, great Thaedus.
Nolan, a word?
It isn't enough, is it?
Even as diminished as they are, our people are strong,
and many of their conquered planets will continue fighting for them out of fear.
This is why we need you, Nolan.
And your son.
Not just for your strength but for what you represent.
I said no.
Mark is already a part of this,
and the Viltrumites will come for him sooner or later.
Doesn't he deserve a chance to save his world?
It doesn't matter.
I can't go back to Earth.
Not anymore.
We must all face judgment for the evils of our past,
if we want any hope to change our future.
Let me lead by example.
It is fine.
Please leave us.
What is this place?
My greatest sin.
What...
What is that?
The Scourge virus.
But improved.
If released, not a single Viltrumite
will survive its wrath this time.
How?
How do you have this?
Because I was the one who created it.
You!
Do you know what you did?
How many suffered and died?
No. Not until you told me.
Our people hid their wound well.
Wound?
You brought us to the edge of extinction!
You killed billions!
As we killed billions of others before.
If you feel I should die, then act.
I would not blame you.
Why?
Why would you do such a thing?
After you already betrayed us.
I killed Emperor Argall because I thought,
without his cruel leadership, our people would change.
When it only made our hate stronger,
then I had no choice but to act again.
And I have thought many times
about taking my own life for what I have done.
But not until the Viltrum Empire is extinguished
and we are all but a mercifully forgotten memory.
Promise me that this virus
is a final resort.
Promise me that.
I will use it
only if I see no other way to subdue the Empire.
Where are you going?
To get my son.
Was that...
Sire, if you will allow me to explain.
On your knees, animal.
I... I have failed you.
My arrogance led me to be defeated by the boy and his witch.
Make my death painful
so others may learn and grow stronger from it.
I beg you, Grand Regent Thragg.
No.
No, I will not reward failure.
You have work to do yet.