Author's Notes: This chapter was first written around two to three years ago, and has since been rewritten about five times. I never could get it to the level I wanted, until last week. This entire project has spanned over four years, but the chapters that I'm actually submitting have been written and edited for about year. Needless to say, I've put a lot of time into this. ;) At the beginning, I wanted to make a cool story where Samus and other characters from Metroid get thrust into the universe of Star Wars. Now, it's become a story that intricately will tie together Metroid and several aspects of the Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic series, finishing plot lines that were left to be imagined after the end of Knights of the Old Republic II. I'll be posting new chapters at least once a week depending on reviews. So, if you want more chapters, let me know and I'll be happy to oblige! :D Oh, and it'd be really cool if all you readers out there could drop in a review after reading. Thank you. c:

-Metroidmasta

Metroid: The Star Wars
Chapter I
Total War

Six months ago, the Galactic Federation was rocked with what Federation officials called the most devastating terrorist attack the organization has ever faced. The Biologic Space Labs Station, home to the galaxy's largest and most extensive multi-planetary wildlife preserve and scientific study area, was hijacked and destroyed, blowing up an entire planet in the process. The station, worth billions to the Federation, was set on a collision course with the planet SR-388, once home to the dangerous and unstable Metroid species. The resulting explosion destroyed the station and the entire planet, leaving behind nothing but floating asteroids and debris. But it was the culprit behind it which left Federation citizens in even more shock than the attack itself did. It was Samus Aran, the legendary bounty huntress who was once the greatest force in the Federation's arsenal. Details about the attack were scarce, but according to the official reports released by the Federation, Aran infiltrated the station, hijacked the navigation controls to set the station on a collision course with SR-388, and activated the station's self-destruct mechanism to insure total destruction. The Federation had no comment on Aran's motive, or her whereabouts, but they had last seen her fleeing Federation airspace shortly after the attacks in her purple gunship.

And now that same sleek, purple, Hunter class gunship roared through Federation space for the first time in six months at several hundred miles above the legal limit, barely avoiding a massive cargo freighter. The pilot of the freighter honked his horn loudly and made a few rude remarks and gestures at the gunship. Samus grinned wickedly beneath her visor, and flicked a switch on her control board, which deployed a small turret that extended from the rear of her ship and peppered the nose of the freighter. The large ship spun out of control and smashed into two other similar cargo ships. As Samus blasted out of reach of the carnage, she grinned again. There was always time to cause the Federation a bit more grief.

Just hours earlier, Samus had received a desperate plea from a Galactic Federation official, begging her to come to their Headquarters as soon as she could. That little "as soon as she could" part justified her act, she decided. At least that's what she would say if anyone asked.

Even after all the billions of Necros of damage she had caused the G.F. at the Biologic Labs Station, they still came crawling back to her for help. Pitiful fools. Their pathetic President, Vladimir Balkorin, didn't even have the balls to call her himself. Stupid son of a…

Samus' line of thought was cut off by an annoying wail that signaled an incoming transmission. She flicked a switch and a voice came on over the intercom.

"Samus Aran. You are cleared for docking at Galactic Federation Headquarters. Proceed to Docking Bay 67."

"Affirmative. Aran out."

"Idiot." Samus added after she had turned the com off.

Samus looked out her windshield and saw a massive space station looming in front of her, and growing larger every second-the Galactic Federation Headquarters. Samus skillfully navigated the hectic traffic and wound her way to her assigned docking bay. She landed quickly, and briefly checked her Fusion Suit's systems for abnormalities.

Finding none, she exited her ship via the large roof hatch. To her surprise, she found two full battalions of Federation troopers waiting for her with their weapons at the ready. She froze.

"Samus Aran." A trooper said nervously. "You are ordered to disarm and come with us to your appointment with our glorious leader."

"Glorious?" Samus said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" the trooper snapped. "Now come with us!"

"I don't think so. Not without my weapons."

"You will obey and come with us now!"

Before the trooper even knew what had happened, an ice missile struck him dead in the face, sending him flying back into his unit. The ice spread out, freezing all the troopers in the vicinity. The other troopers looked on their frozen comrades, and that was all the opportunity Samus needed. She rushed forward with her Speed Booster, bowling a line of soldiers over. Samus whirled around, smashing another soldier's face in with her arm cannon, and kicking two more in the chest.

The other remaining troopers finally collected their wits, and began firing on Samus. But she was already ahead of them, rolling under them in Morph Ball, and leaving a Power Bomb right in the middle of them. Stunned realization dawned on them as Samus jumped up out of Morph Ball and sprinted out of the docking bay at top speed. She didn't want to be around when that went off.

A massive explosion rocked the station, and Samus knew her bomb had done the trick. As she raced through corridor after corridor, frightened employees ran for their lives, believing the Huntress to have come to the Station to do some kind of harm. Samus was still running at top speed, when a hand caught her arm and jerked her into a room.

Samus swung her arm cannon to bear on this person who had dragged her into this room, and then promptly lowered it. She found herself face-to-face with Vladimir Balkorin, President of the Galactic Federation.

"Hello, Samus." He said.

He gestured, and for the first time Samus noticed four guards standing at shadowy places in the room. They filed out, casting wary glances at the Huntress.

"Why do you feel the need to shake up this Station by killing two entire Trooper battalions that were only here to assure everyone else on this station you won't do anything…incredibly stupid?" Vladimir asked, looking flustered. "I'm sure it wasn't even a challenge."

"I don't go anywhere without my weapons." Samus said. "Anywhere."

"I'm sure." Vladimir said crossly. "I believe we've covered this before."

"Of course we have." Samus replied coolly. "But that was before you put a dagger in my back, so I believe things need a bit of renegotiating."

"I wasn't the one who betrayed my commanding officers, destroyed billions of Necros of Federation property, and in the same instance managed to thwart two massive Federation undertakings!" Vladimir shot back heatedly.

"You stupid bastard!" Samus yelled. "All you've ever cared about was power! Power and money! You tried to clone Metroids! You tried to capture one of the most dangerous and unstable creatures in the universe! And all under the pretense of peace!"

"And what would you have done?" Vladimir said, rising out of his seat. "An incredible opportunity dropped right into my lap! A chance to breed a tool to use against the enemies of the Federation and restore peace! My approval rating is already in the toilet! I needed something to get back on the rise!"

"Politics, politics, politics!" Samus roared. "That's all this is to you! Have you ever once considered the fact that Metroids can not be controlled? Look how dismally the Space Pirate attempt at Metroid breeding turned out!"

"The Pirates aren't the brightest bunch! Not to mention the fact that they were using Gamma radiation to clone the Metroids, which is highly unstable, and we were using a much safer alterna-" Vladimir stopped mid-sentence.

Samus jerked her head around to face his.

"What was that?" Samus demanded. "Are you honestly trying to tell me that you found a safe way to clone Metroids?"

Vladimir wiped his brow with his hand.

"Another time, another time." he dismissed the thought. "I didn't call you here to argue."

"Let me guess." Samus said sarcastically. "You need my help again?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"Forget it." she snapped. "I have no intention of working with you stupid bastards. I've been played for a fool one too many times."

"The fact that you came here is reassuring." He said smoothly.

"I seriously doubt you know why I came." Samus said, arms folded.

"Well then, o mighty Huntress, why did you come?" Vladimir asked.

"Because," Samus began slowly. "It's been six months, and I'm sick of being branded as a traitor and a renegade. I want you to publicly announce why the B.S.L. station was so important-the real reason-and the truth about the X parasites."

"You know I can't do that."

"I know that you can, you just won't."

"Didn't I just tell you about my approval rating?"

"Let me put it this way." Samus said threateningly. "I still have allies in high places, some of which are on this station as we speak. Either you announce it yourself, or the information might happen to, oh, leak out, if you catch my drift."

Vladimir glared daggers at her, and then wiped his brow again.

"I'll get on it…"he mumbled.

"Good." Samus said, smiling behind her visor. "Now to business. Why did you call me here?"

"Well," Balkorin started. "Our intelligence agent in the field, agent 'Sigma,' has managed to pick up word on a new Space Pirate operation."

"Let me guess-another rebuild of their Zebes operation?"

"Not quite." the President said. "We may have a situation on our hands. According to Sigma,-"

"Wait, wait, wait." Samus stopped him. "Who is this 'Sigma'? And how did he get word of this? I know how difficult it is to hack the Pirate mainframe, not just anyone could do it."

"Sigma is an agent we planted in the ranks of the Space Pirates years ago." Balkorin answered, clearly annoyed at being interrupted. "Surely you've wondered how we knew how what the Pirates were up to at any given time."

Samus said nothing, but considered this new information.

"As I was saying, Sigma has told us that the Pirates have constructed a super weapon, in the form of several warheads, which have the firepower to incinerate an entire planet."

Samus' eyes widened, and Vladimir caught her look of surprise even through her visor.

"Yes, exactly. They are planning on using them to hold entire worlds hostage, forcing them to either supply them with whatever resources they demand, or face destruction. And they plan on starting with Earth."

"That still doesn't explain why you brought me here." Samus said coldly. "I am not a diplomat, especially when it comes to Space Pirates. And hostility in the form of, well, me, isn't exactly what the situation calls for. So I figure you're wasting my time."

"I'm no fool Samus." Vladimir said calmingly.

"Says you." She shot back with a glare.

"Look!" Balkorin snapped. "The Pirates' plan is not that simple!"

Samus paused.

"Oh?"

"They know that having one weapon in their arsenal that could give them leverage on a galactic scale isn't going to be enough." Balkorin explained. "The Space Pirates are getting bolder, Samus. They plan on trying the one thing that no renegade group had ever attempted-all out war on the Federation."

Samus suddenly understood why she had been summoned as Balkorin continued.

"They have sent out emissaries to every known enemy of the Federation. You've heard of the Elise Omega, correct?"

Samus nodded.

"Of course you do. After all, it was you who first attempted to break up their operation during a mission under the Federation."

"I'm not here to rehash past missions old man. Get to the point."

"Well, Elise Omega has already, according to Sigma, given their consent to join the Space Pirates in their offensive. Which as I'm sure you know could mean disaster for our forces." Vladimir went on. "They are massing an army to rout us, Samus. And they are going to try to conquer every world under Federation control."

"How soon?" Samus asked.

"According to Sigma, two days from now." Vladimir said. "The Pirates believe that this is going to be a sneak attack, and so the plan is to covertly move every available planetary militia, every single active and inactive trooper, and anyone else willing to fight to save the Federation to the site of their attack."

"Where?"

"A place you know very well Samus." the President said eerily. "Zebes, your home world."

"So it practically was a rebuild of their Zebes operation." Samus said sarcastically.

Vladimir gave her an annoyed look, then said, "It's symbolic to them, and to us as well when you think about it. That's the location where they've been bested twice at the height of their power. Now that they've hit a new peak, they want to try again. If they were to succeed, it would boost the morale of their soldiers more than you can imagine."

Samus just stared at him.

"I see. That's all well and good. But you forget that I don't work for you anymore. And I don't care who's in charge…as long as they're paying."

Samus turned around, marching to the door to leave.

"Come now, Samus. You hate the Pirates more than we do." Vladimir said, trying to stop her. "Not to mention, I'm offering a substantial cash reward for this job."

Samus stopped, but didn't turn around.

"What do you want me to do?"

"You know the catacombs and over world terrain of Zebes better than any being alive or dead. I want you to lead our defense force on Zebes…Admiral."

This time Samus did turn around.

"What?" she asked blankly.

"That's right. I'm making an executive decision. In order to ensure the safety of the people of the galaxy, I'm reinstating you into the Galactic Federation's military and promoting you to the rank of Admiral."

"Two things: First, I don't recall consenting to rejoin your little army men. And second, that is NOT money, Mr. President." Samus said flatly.

"Along with the title, you will also receive ten billion Necros, half delivered to you beforehand, half after completion of this job." Vladimir assured her. "And, of course, your name will be cleared by tomorrow to make sure the public knows you are not a renegade any longer, and you will take good care of their lives."

"Make it twenty-five and I'll do it."

Vladimir winced.

"Done…"

Samus smiled.

"Good." Samus said almost brightly. "Tomorrow I want the best soldiers you have in the training facility ready to fight at 0600 hours."

Balkorin raised an eyebrow.

"I'm a bit rusty." she said with a small grin.

"Well, yes." Balkorin said. "Of course. My best and brightest in the gym…I'll get on it."

Samus walked to the doorway, and was stopped again by a loud cough from the President.

"Can I help you with anything else…" she said icily.

"I figured you would like to know the other half of the plan."

"Get on with it, Vladimir, I have your entire war to plan."

Vladimir cleared his throat intentionally, much to Samus' annoyance, and then began to talk again.

"The Pirates will arrive to start their grand conquest on Zebes, which they assumed would only be a small first step on their march to galactic conquest." Vladimir explained, grinning slyly. "That's far from the truth. Thanks to Sigma, the Pirates have faulty intelligence that estimates only a small task force will be waiting on Zebes, a planetary militia. But as you and I know, our full forces will be lying in wait. The Pirates, however, aren't going to give up Zebes and run, that's not how they operate, and you know that. Instead, they're going to call in their full invasion force, in an attempt to rout our entire army on Zebes and win the war outright in one battle. While their full strength is focused on Zebes, a small group of scientists and engineers, accompanied by Sigma, will slip into their facility and fire their super weapons on their own planets and bases."

"So if this plan succeeds, the Space Pirates' entire operation will be crippled beyond repair, forever?"

"Yes." Balkorin said with a grin. "All that's left to be done after that will be mop-up work. Which I'm sure will pay quite handsomely."

Samus grunted, and opened the door, adding, "0600."

"0600..." Vladimir said bleakly.

Samus left the room and strolled nonchalantly back to her ship. As she expected, workers ran like terrified mice. When she reached her docking bay, she found just what she had expected: her power bomb had blown the entire docking bay open, and now all that was left was Samus' ship, floating serenely, and a few leftover Trooper corpses. Samus jumped out in the Zero-G area, reaching her ship with ease. She pulled herself into her ship, smiling still. Today turned out better than she thought it would. Samus pulled off her armor once inside, carefully depositing it in its storage hatch, and then activated the code lock.

She wearily made her way into the cockpit of her ship, punching a few buttons that caused a map of Zebes to appear in front of her. Samus cracked her knuckles, and buckled down for a long night of work.