Inconceivable Ch. 21 (Invincible AU) (Patreon)

(Every character depicted in the story below is a consenting legal adult over the age of 18)

A/N: Time to check in on Allen the Alien!

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“We’ve taken back our planet at long last! And we’re not letting anyone take it from us ever again. Not Viltrumites and not your shitty coalition!”

Allen holds his hands up in a placating gesture.

“Look, I’m not here to fight. The Coalition of Planets aren’t conquerors. We’re just trying to get answers.”

“Like we’re going to believe that! If you really aren’t here to fight… then get the hell off our planet!”

After a moment Allen sighs and begins to rise into the air.

“Okay, okay. I’m going.”

Their weapon systems track him the entire time he’s ascending into upper atmosphere and then space itself… not that they could do anything to him even if they had fired on him. It would have taken them a lot more firepower than their primitive technology was capable of.

Still, as he floats above the latest in a long list of planets he’s visited in recent days, Allen can’t help but frown, his large ridge brow furrowing in consternation. This wasn’t the only planet to chase him away, though not all of them had.

In this case though, the native denizens of the planet had risen up and overthrown the puppet government installed by the Viltrumite Empire. A resistance that would have normally been crushed by the Viltrumite assigned to this sector of space had actually managed to pull off a ‘miracle’, throwing down their own rulers and instating a new form of governance in its place.

For the first time in centuries, this planet would be ruled by its native inhabitants without anyone telling them what to do. On the face of it, Allen felt like that was really impressive… hell, he was happy for them. However, it also meant they were extremely suspicious of off-worlders.

In fact, they’d tried to immediately kill him when he first arrived. Missiles, bombs, and firearms had all been thrown at him… to little effect. The only thing that had done even a lick of damage was a mining laser left behind by the Viltrumite Empire, and even that had barely given him first degree burns.

He’d still disabled the damn thing before demanding a meeting with their leadership. They’d been cowed for a moment but as soon as Allen explained that he wasn't there to conquer their planet but was actually investigating the Viltrumites on behalf of the Coalition… they’d regained all of their arrogance and ordered him to leave.

And so he’d left because even if he was more powerful than their most powerful weapons, even if he was like a god to them in terms of strength… Allen wasn’t some tyrant. The Coalition really weren’t trying to conquer anyone. They weren’t the Viltrumites.

Still, this was like the twentieth planet he’d checked now where the story was the same… there had been no contact from the Viltrumite Empire in weeks. Not even remote contact, which was what most told him was their only experience in several decades.

That seemed strange to Allen, but in a way it made some amount of sense. After all, the Viltrumite Empire was pretty big… if they didn’t have to show up in person to get their point across, they probably wouldn’t. Except… even the planets where resistance was large enough that they’d dealt with direct Viltrumite Oppression in recent years… there was nothing.

Three of the twenty planets Allen had visited at this point had actually had a permanent Viltrumite presence on them as late as a month ago in fact, and yet… none of those planets’ inhabitants could explain anything other than ‘the Viltrumite left’. There was no warning, there was no final orders… nothing. The Viltrumite Warriors were there one day and then gone the next.

Hell, even the Auxiliaries, a purple skinned species that had been enslaved by the Empire for so long they no longer had their own name or cultural identity, hadn’t been able to tell him anything when he’d encountered them manning some Viltrumite outposts. To be fair, they were more prone to shooting at him than answering his questions of course, but he’d still beat up a few and managed to make a couple of them talk. But they were just as in the dark as everyone else was!

Of course, Allen is just the most obvious agent the Coalition has sent to check on Viltrumite territory. The tip of the spear, so to speak. He’s basically been acting as bait to try and draw out Viltrumites so they’re forced to reveal themselves and attempt to put him down.

But even that hasn’t happened yet. And from what Allen knows, none of the more subtle Coalition Agents being sent in his wake have uncovered anything more than he has at this point.

Shaking his head, Allen heads for the nearest planet with atmosphere that doesn’t have a bunch of natives eager to blow him up some more. Once there, he pulls out his communicator and places a call back to Talescria. Within moments a familiar face appears across the screen and smiles.

“Agent Allen, it’s good to hear from you.”

Smiling back, Allen runs the back of his head.

“General Telia. Reporting in again. Uh, latest planet was just like the others… although a bit more prickly. They don’t want anything to do with us.”

That brings a frown to the blue-skinned General’s face.

“… Did you do anything to give them a bad impression, Allen?”

Thinking back on how he’d reacted to the mining laser and the ear-splitting roar he’d given off while ‘disabling’ the device by ripping it into multiple pieces, Allen scratches his cheek for a moment.

“Mm… nope. Not at all. They just don’t like any aliens at this point. Viltrumites left them with a pretty bad impression of off-worlders. Maybe we can just check in on them again in a few years or something and see if they’ve changed their minds and want to be friends.”

Sighing, Talia nods.

“Yes, I’ll mark them down as ‘Do Not Approach’ for the time being and amend a note to their file saying for further contact to be pushed out half a decade.”

Silence falls for a moment as Talia does exactly that, her head tilted to the side to look at another screen and her hands dancing across a keyboard in front of her. After a few seconds, Allen clears his throat.

“So… how are things going with you back on Talescria? Any news from the other agents I should know about?”

Smiling slightly, Talia begins to shake her head.

“Nothing new. I-!”

However, something distracts her and she fully turns her head away from him for a moment, the smile dropping from her face. After a beat, she nods.

“Yes sir.”

Turning back, she grows serious.

“Thaedus would like to speak with you personally, Allen. I’m transferring you to his office now.”

“Oh! Alright then, it was good-!”

But before he can finish saying ‘speaking with you’ the screen changes and he finds himself face to face with Thaedus once more. Allen immediately straightens up and gets a bit more serious.

“Sir!”

“Relax Allen. I just want to hear your report in your own words. Please repeat everything that has happened since you started your latest mission.”

Ugh, then what was the point of him giving all of those smaller reports on each planet? Of course, Allen doesn’t let his irritation show or anything like that. He simply nods and starts from the beginning. Every planet, every meeting with natives, every investigation of abandoned Viltrumite dwellings.

The more he talks the more Thaedus frowns, until the elderly Coalition Leader is looking downright concerned. It’s not the kind of expression that Allen wants to see on their leader’s face, truth be told. He would prefer something in this entire mess of information he’s regurgitating prompt an epiphany or some moment of understanding from the old man.

Instead, when he finally finishes… Thaedus just shakes his head.

“Unfortunately this all lines up with the reports we’ve received from the other agents… and paints a very disturbing picture.”

Allen furrows his brow.

“What sort of picture, sir?”

“… I don’t know quite yet. But I do know that I can’t in good conscience keep you out there any longer. It’s time for you to return to Talescria, Allen.”

What? But… but he hadn’t found anything! Nobody had found anything! Allen’s hands clench into fists at his sides and he scowls a little bit.

“Sir, are you sure that’s the best idea? I mean, at this point wouldn’t it be better for me to just go all the way to Viltrum itself and see what there is to see?”

Thaedus jolts at the suggestion, looking alarmed by the idea.

“What? No! That is out of the question! You would be detected long before you could even reach their star system. They would find you and kill you before you even knew you needed to escape. Not to mention the readings…”

Allen blinks as Thaedus suddenly trails off.

“Readings, sir?”

Grimacing, having clearly misspoke, Thaedus hesitates for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“Our long range sensors have detected strange readings from the Viltrum Star System. Readings that can’t possibly be true. No, at this point in time… whatever the Viltrumite Empire is up to, we must pull back and prepare ourselves. I do not doubt that they are planning something monstrous… something we must gird ourselves for.”

He looks Allen dead in the eye.

“Allen, you are one of the Coalition’s finest warriors and strongest assets. Even if you ultimately did not live up to the expectations set for you by your creators, losing you to a foolish order now would be a tragedy. That is why I am ordering you to return to Talescria immediately so that we might discuss our next steps and plan our next moves.”

Silence reigns for a long moment before Thaedus arches a brow.

“Do I make myself clear, Allen? Return. Immediately.”

Finally, Allen salutes and bows his head.

“… Yes sir. Heard. Loud and clear.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Thaedus waves his hand through the air.

“I will see you soon, Allen. We will discuss next steps then.”

With that he ends the call and Allen is left alone with his communicator. For a second he almost wants to call General Telia again and talk to her about all of this… she’s a good listener and he really does enjoy their conversations. Allen is pretty sure Telia enjoys them as well.

There’s just one problem with that… she’s a General and his superior before she’s his friend. And they both answer to Thaedus, so if he tells her what he’s thinking right now, that Thaedus is making a mistake… well, she’d be dutybound to report him.

And yet… he really does feel that way. Thaedus is afraid of something… no, not of something, he’s afraid of one thing in particular. The Viltrumite Empire. He’s afraid of losing Allen like they almost did before when he nearly died in his first engagement with Viltrumites.

But that fear is what’s holding him back from using Allen as effectively as he could be used. Sure Allen isn’t as strong as a Viltrumite… yet. But he does get stronger the more fights he gets into and the more damage he takes. Stronger, faster, and tougher.

More importantly than that though, the Viltrumites weren’t acting like they should. And whatever those ‘impossible readings’ from Viltrum’s Star System were about, they definitely had something to do with it. If Thaedus were to set aside his fear for a moment, Allen thinks he would realize the same thing that Allen has realized… they needed someone to go to Viltrum and find out what was going on. No matter what it cost them.

Flying back up into space, Allen frowns as he looks in the direction that will take him deeper into the Viltrumite Empire. To its very heart… all the way to Viltrum himself.

And then he looks in the other direction. The one that will take him back out of the Empire’s territory, back to Coalition space, back to Talescria and Thaedus and Telia. Obviously he wants nothing more than to follow Thaedus’ orders and return to Talescria. Allen is a good agent but more than that, he’s not suicidal. Of course he wants to live. To see Telia’s smile again.

… But they’re not going to learn what they need to learn to stop whatever the Viltrumites’ latest plan is by sticking their heads underwater and ignoring the problem until it gets worse. Thaedus understood that when he’d first sent Allen out in the first place. He’d accepted the risks then… and it seemed it was up to Allen to accept the risks now.

Brow ridge furrowing, mouth setting in determination, Allen turns away from Talescria and his orders… and begins to fly towards the heart of the Viltrumite Empire. Next stop… Viltrum. He was going to get to the bottom of all of this. One way or another.

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A/N: Ruh roh, he’s gone off the reservation!

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Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fPIZnKAOyEyAwWvVom1RpNKycEhcWZZqk9CEMkGpPu4/edit?tab=t.0