Chapter 1
Child of Despair
There was a time when the universe was protected by a group known as the Jet Force. To protect and serve was their mission, and for thousands of years the universe prospered. But the members of the Federation grew arrogant and began to squabble amongst themselves for power. The members of Jet Force began to grow careless, and also bickered amongst themselves.
Sensing their weakness, a race of beings that we now call Space Pirates put their millennia-old dream of becoming the master race of the universe into action. To overthrow the Federation they first struck at the Jet Force, using technology the likes of which at the time the Federation had never seen. And in a single bloody Armageddon, believed they had killed them all. Since then, the federation has been nearly demolished by the Space Pirates. Although the Federation military quickly developed technology equal to that of the Pirates, they were still hard-pressed. For the next thousand years the Pirates harassed the Federation, always coming up with something new to try to overthrow it. As the centuries passed, the Federation grew strained and it's military grew weary as the fighting took its toll. People all across the universe hope for a miracle that might even their odds against the Pirates.
Our story begins one day as the sun rises over a town on the planet of K-2L. The town is in ruins: destroyed by the Space Pirates. A house is among the destroyed buildings.
The house has some evidence of habitation. Although damaged, it has been crudely repaired. Inside the house, a shrine, a memorial to those who perished in it, has been built. In that shrine, a chair stands.
A six-year-old girl sits in the chair, exploring the spectrum of pain.
This girl has memories of her past life. She knows that she once had a home and two parents who loved her. She knows she once felt pleasure, happiness, kindness, confidence, even love. There is none of that now. Nothing. Only death.
The girl finally comes out of her reverie and prepares dinner. The menu would seem rather unappetizing, consisting of deceased Space Pirates. To her, though, it was fine. After all, there is nothing left in life for her. Life was causing her enough grief. So why make any fuss about eating the flesh of those who were responsible for her plight?
The Pirates were all sentries who had been sent into the ruined town to search for and kill any survivors. The girl had killed them by rigging elaborate traps. These traps were crudely constructed of household and building materials, many of them damaged. Yet they were so cleverly designed that it was impossible to walk into the ruins of one of the neighboring houses without getting caught in them. They were designed to ensnare and kill anything that wandered into range, be it a womp rat or a Space Pirate.
As she paused between bites, the child allowed herself a small chuckle. The Pirate officers must be racking their twisted brains trying to figure out why the squads they sent never came back. They were too lazy to come and to see for themselves, she thought. Good thing for them that they were, for if they did, they, like the Pirates they had sent, would search the ruins of every single house. Sooner or later they would come to either her house or one of the neighboring houses. And if they went in… there'd be no coming out.
The planet was invaded by the Space Pirates. A huge fleet of ships surrounded the planet, and an army of Pirates descended to wipe out all life on the planet. Leading the army that destroyed Samus's hometown was Ridley, a dragon in the pay of the Space Pirates.
The roof of Samus's home was blown to pieces, and Ridley himself, landed in the living room. After demolishing most of the interior of the house, Ridley killed Samus's infant brother and mother. Then a squad of Pirates came in and fired upon Samus's father, killing him. Then they turned their guns upon Samus.
Injured, burned, and half delirious with pain and shock and grief, the crying six-year-old Samus fled, hiding behind the remains of another destroyed house, where she waited out the raid.
The Pirates soon left, establishing a small base on the outskirts of the demolished town. Samus returned to what had once been her home. Into the long hours of the afternoon and into the night she lay there, finally crying herself to sleep.
The next morning, after burying her parents and brother, Samus contemplated whether or not to kill herself. However, she found that she still had the will to live, and that was demonstrated by what she did afterward.
Samus was an unusually intelligent child, possessing the IQ and reasoning of an 18 year old in the body of a six year old. She herself was not fully aware of this until after the tragedy that had destroyed her life.
Samus set about repairing her destroyed home. It may sound crazy, but she was far more gifted that she appeared. Besides being in a condition that normally would've had her rushed to the Emergency Room in minutes, Samus was also overcome by emotional trauma. But that did not stop her from doing what she wanted to do.
Using tools, equipment, and debris from the other destroyed houses and buildings in town, Samus single handedly rebuilt her destroyed home. If she found things that she did not know how to use, she either figured it out or improvised. Samus spend the whole day going into wrecked houses and buildings and coming out with equipment and junk and rubble. Using these resources, Samus hammered, hauled, climbed, screwed, cut, banged, and rigged until she had completely, though crudely, rebuild the roof and destroyed walls. She even taught herself how to do electrical work and restored power to the house, allowing her to use mechanical devices, further expediting the process. She also made traps for thee Space Pirates.
This was something that six-year-old girls were not supposed to do. It was unnatural. But Samus did it, and the majority of the basic work was completed by the time the sun went down.
As the starving orphan bit into the body, a noise outside startled her. Someone was coming! She strapped on a wrist blaster and a wrist bayonet she had taken from a dead Pirate. Peering round the door frame, she got a good look at the intruder.
The person she saw wasn't a Pirate. He looked more like a giant bird who had arms instead of wings. He was coming toward the house. She slunk inside and stood up, weapons at the ready, in case the creature was of hostile intent.
The old Chozo had heard sounds coming from inside the house. Thinking that perhaps there was a survivor inside, he stepped through the charred doorway. The sight shocked him to the marrow of his bones.
Some sort of memorial had been constructed inside. A chair was sitting in front of it. Behind it, facing him, was a hideous figure. It had what looked like dirty, matted, blood-caked hair on its head. It was roughly the shape of a human, but its skin was caked with dirt and blood. It was painfully thin and emaciated, its ribs showing through its skin. Strapped to one wrist was a wrist bayonet; on the other, a wrist blaster was strapped. Both weapons the Chozo recognized as being Space Pirate in origin. A fiery light burned in the figure's eyes.
To the side of the chair was a dead Pirate, its belly split open and looking like it had been partially eaten. Behind it, the skeletons of other Pirates lay. But it was the figure which held the majority of the old one's attention.
In a stunned voice, he said, "What sort creature are you?" The figure frowned and said, "I'm a human."
"A human?!" The Chozo exclaimed. "In all my 135 years of living, I've never seen a human like you!"
Slowly the girl relaxed. Inviting him into her house, she took off her arms and pulled up a chair for him to sit on. The old one explained why he had come here, and asked the child her name. "Samus," the girl said. "Samus San-Aran." The old one's eyebrows shot upward for a second, but he reasserted himself and said simply, "Lovely name."
Chapter 2
The Chozo's Decision
"Tell me Samus, what happened to you? Tell me everything."
Immediately the child broke down and wept. Bit by bit, the story came out, with much sobbing in between. She told the old one everything: how she had been raised, how loving her parents were, how her life had been blotted from existence by the invading Space Pirates, how she had fended for herself since then, rigging traps to kill Space Pirates so that she could eat them to survive. How she had killed a few of them herself, using the wrist bayonet she now wore. How she had suffered in the two months since the attack, and how she wondered whether or not to take her own life.
After she had finished, Samus said, "By the way, I never did learn your name." "My name is Lakia," said the old one. "I am a Chozo. We are a race that values life, and seek to preserve it however we can. I came here to search for survivors, or so I thought at first. Now I realize that the reason I decided to search this city even after my scans showed no life forms was not because I hoped there might still be survivors, but because your spirit cried out to me. It is also possible that my spirit called out to you." "Welcoming me home," said Samus, with tears forming in her eyes.
"Yes," said Lakia. "It was not mere chance that brought me to you. I was meant to find you, take you, and bring you with me to Zebes, your new home."
"Thank you, Lakia," said Samus, hugging him tightly.
So he took her to his ship, and they took off and left that desolate planet, heading for Zebes… and destiny.
Chapter 3
The Chosen One
Samus and Lakia landed on Zebes in the landing area of Chozodia. Several Chozo came out to meet them. Tahu had radioed back to Chozodia about his discovery of the child, but the Chozo were still shocked at Samus's appearance. As the two were escorted into the city, one of the Chozo looked askance at her, then whispered to another incredulously, "That… that thing is the Hatchling?!" Samus, who had heard him, said to Lakia, "What did he mean by that?" "I'll tell you later," he said.
After taking a warm bath (or rather several warm baths, since she was so filthy her bathwater had to be replaced and the tub cleaned several times!) and a fine meal, she was given a good night's sleep in a warm bed. The next day, she was taken before the Chozo Elders. She looked much better that she had before. All the dirt, grime, and dried blood on her was gone, and her ribs no longer showed through her skin. Her grief had found an outlet during the few hours of restoration, and now she looked like any ordinary child. Except for one thing.
When the Emperor of the Chozo, seated on a grand throne, asked Samus her age, she replied, "Six years old, Supreme One." The Emperor gasped, as did everybody in the room except for Lakia, to whom Samus had already told her age.
"Are you sure?" said the ancient Chozo after a pause. "No offense, but you look at least ten." "Ten?!" said an Elder. "I'd say she's twelve or thirteen at least!" A murmur ran through the group. After a pause, the Emperor said, "You seem confused, Samus. Don't be afraid to speak your mind."
"I… I heard someone refer to me as the Hatchling. Why is that?" Before the Emperor could reply, an Elder said, "My lord, I do not think we should answer that question just yet." "Why not?" the ancient one asked. "That knowledge would be too dangerous for her right now," the Elder replied. "Perhaps, but I think we have kept her in the dark long enough."
The emperor leaned forward on his throne and said softly, "You don't know who you are… do you?"
Chapter 4
The Hatchling
Samus lay down on her bed, her head still spinning from what she had heard. "You are the Chosen One," the Emperor had told her. "Long ago, (about fifty years by your calendar,) your birth was foretold by our wisest seers. They predicted that a child who went by the name Samus Aran would save the universe from the Space Pirates. They said you would be the savior of our race as well as all races. They called you the Hatchling, the Newborn, the one who will destroy the Space Pirates and defend the universe against the greatest evil of all time."
The Chozo had taken her to a room with a wall that showed a Chozo Elder in full armor, as well as pictures and hieroglyphics foretelling the coming of the Newborn. Samus had then used a pointed steel rod to carve a picture of herself and two Chozo under the sun. (Author's note: Successfully beat Metroid Zero Mission, and after the credits roll you will see that drawing.)
The door opened and Lakia entered and sat down beside Samus. "So," he said, "What do you think? Have you decided to accept your destiny?"
Samus took a deep breath and said, "Yes, Lakia. I have."
"Wonderful!" the old bird exclaimed. "We'll start your training tomorrow then?"
"Certainly," Samus replied. "Excellent!" Tahu said. "Well, goodnight, Samus."
"Goodnight, Lakia," said Samus as he left.
Samus lay in bed awake for a long time. At last, she thought, the time has come. Soon I will be ready to avenge my parents and my baby brother.
And the Space Pirates will tremble at the destruction I will create.
Chapter 5
The New Guy
Ten years later
The man walked down the narrow hallway with his head spinning. At last he was going to meet this woman he'd heard so much about. He was excited, but also a little nervous, for he knew she didn't like taking orders from anyone, and she'd probably hate taking orders from a man even more.
Finally he saw the officer, who introduced her. "Samus Aran, meet Adam Malkovich." Resisting the urge to go for his throat instead, Samus shook his hand. Adam thought her pretty as soon as he saw her, but kept that feeling under wraps.
"G-greetings, Samus," he said while forcing himself to look her in the eye. "Greetings sir," Samus replied, spitting the words past bared teeth.
"Adam will
be giving you orders on this new mission," said the colonel.
"What is it?" Samus asked. "Come into my office and I'll
tell you," he said.
"We've been receiving reports of a small Space Pirate outpost, a tiny space station if you will, orbiting the planet Billium in the Spiral Sector," the colonel said. "It's not too big, pretty small. We want you to go to this station, board it, kill everyone and everything on board, and then blow up the station." "Great!" said Samus. "Adam will stay inside your ship and give you orders as you need them while you're in the station kicking butt." "That doesn't sound so bad," said Adam. "Well then what are we waiting for?!" Samus exclaimed happily. "Let's go!"
Adam tried his best to make Samus feel comfortable with his presence. "So Lady, should be a pretty good assignment, eh?" "Anything against the Space Pirates is good assignment," the Hunter replied.
A few minutes later, the ship came out of hyperspace and they got their first look at the station. No sooner had they seen it, however, than ten Pirate fighters flew up to intercept. Adam watched in wonder and awe as Samus piloted her ship in such a way that it seemed as though she could make it turn on a dime. The fighters tried to fire, but she was never there, and then again she was everywhere. In two minutes, all ten starfighters had been vaporized, and Samus landed the ship in the docking bay that they had once occupied.
"Alright, I'm going out," she said. "Good," said Adam. "Remember, kill all the Pirates, and start the self-destruct sequence. Any objections, Lady?" "Of course not," said Samus, and she headed out.
Chapter 6
Dead Pirates Don't Bite
Samus snuck up behind the chair and aimed the Ice Beam at the Space Pirate's head. Rolling to the side, she fired a chunk of frozen carbon dioxide into his chest. Instantly a shell of the same material encased him.
Samus shoved the frozen body out of the chair and shot it with a missile. It exploded in a shower of icy fragments. Sitting down in the chair, Samus permanently disabled the security cameras, turrets, force fields, and many other things.
She then started the self-destruct sequence and told the computer not to announce it so everyone aboard would die not knowing what hit them. She also made it so that no one could stop the sequence after it had started, just in case.
"Good job, Lady," said Adam. "Mission accomplished. Now try to get out of there without being seen."
Samus made it out of the station without being detected. As she climbed aboard, she said, "Goodbye, Pirates. May your deaths be as painful as my family's."
As the station exploded into pieces of tinsel, Adam said, "Good job, Lady. I'm proud of you."
Samus Aran looked at him and smiled.
Over the next few months, she had many other missions with Adam. She came to respect and admire Adam as much as he respected and admired her. And he admired her very much He would always end orders by saying, "Any objections, Lady?" He knew she wouldn't disagree. It was just his way of noting their trust. Their comradeship would come in handy in the perilous mission ahead.
Chapter 7
Enter the Hunter
"Samus, this mission is going to be our most challenging one yet," said Adam as the ship traveled thru hyperspace.
"Yeah, that's what you say every time," said Samus, grinning.
"Look at the display," said Adam. "The picture you are seeing is an aerial photograph of a Space Pirate fortress known as Illion. Thick durasteel walls, artillery, laser turret emplacements, force fields, high security, all that stuff."
"Now what you see in the picture is only the tip of the iceberg. These forts go down deep, sometimes four or five levels down into the earth. They're completely self-sustaining. They have their own supply bays, barracks, radar, sonar, sensor rooms, dormitories, and kitchens. An entire army of Pirates can stay down there for months or years."
"Wow," said Samus.
"While the smaller forts on planets like this one have been destroyed, Illion is impenetrable. They keep pouring resources of troops and equipment in there, even though it doesn't make much sense, since it's in a remote location. Unless that is, something sinister is going on down there that we don't know about, and that is what is scaring us."
Samus listened to Adam with renewed interest. "I'll be honest to you Lady," he said. "You're not the first guy the Federation has sent in there. But it's imperative that we find out what the scumbags are up to, so that's why the president himself has personally assigned you to this mission."
Samus felt the hair on her back stand on end as Adam said, "The Pirates are planning something deep inside Fort Illion… and my gut tells me it's something bad."
Chapter 8
Fusion
Samus crept along the corridor. She had picked up some intelligence data on a leader named Ridley and decided to take him out. She arrived in the command room and froze.
A huge brown dragon stood in the room, giving orders to one of the Pirates. "Yes, Commander Ridley," he said.
The dragon turned around and beheld Samus. "Hang on pal, we've got an intruder here."
Samus, meanwhile, was having flashbacks: images of a brown dragon crashing into a house, picking up a 2-month-old baby in it's claws and tearing him to pieces as the parents and sister watched helplessly. Of the dragon incinerating the mother while a Space Pirate shot the father, and the sister fled sobbing. A rage that only surfaced in a being once or twice in a lifetime filled her voice as she said with a voice that sounded like stones grinding together, "It was you. You killed them on K-2L. You killed my mother and baby brother."
Ridley frowned. "Well, I did participate in that raid, but there were so many I killed I don't remember. Let me see…" Samus felt Ridley touch her mind. Cautiously, Samus let him examine her memories.
After viewing them, he smiled and said, "Oh, I did, didn't I? Well all those civilians look alike, I personally despise them most of all, especially a stupid scared-out-of-her-wits goldilocks chick like your mother. Was a good raid, though."
Samus screamed and threw herself on Ridley, grabbing hold of his neck with her hand and firing a Super Missile into his back with the Arm Cannon.
Ridley felt the Super Missile explode against his armor, and was amazed at its power. He shook Samus off of him and faced her.
"Hah, you want revenge don't you?" Well that's going to be something hard to get!" He swung his tail at Samus, smashing her against the wall. Samus started to charge again when Adam came thru the door armed with a heavy assault rifle. Firing at Ridley, he shouted, "Come on, let's go!"
For the next few hours, Samus and Adam blasted their way thru the fortress, until finally they uncovered a biological weapons lab. "So this is what they've been hiding," said Samus. "We must destroy these specimens before the Pirates can use them to attack civilization," said Adam.
After destroying the specimens, they headed towards the main control room so they could activate the self-destruct sequence. On the way out of the room, Samus saw a stasis tank that was empty. Taped to the glass was a picture of what was probably the specimen destined to go in there. Samus and Adam stared at the drawing. What they both saw was this:
(picture of a Metroid)
"Weird," said Adam. "Let's go."
After activating the self-destruct system, they hurried to the entrance. But in their path was Ridley.
"You may have ensured the destruction of this fortress, but you will not escape!" Samus charged, but Ridley sent her flying backward with a swipe of his tail.
With seconds left before the place would blow, Adam got in front of Samus. "I'll hold him off, you get out of here!" "Adam, no!" "Yes!" said Adam. "Get out of here now! While you still can! I'm not going anywhere. This is as good a day to die as any. Remember the Chozo. Go now and live to become the savior in the prophecy!"
Samus, tears streaming down her cheeks, ran out and looked behind her as Adam fired at Ridley. He never stood a chance. Lashing out with his sharp claws, Ridley tore him to shreds. It was a sight that would be burned into Samus's memory for eternity.
She got to her ship, blasted off, and watched as the fortress exploded, with Ridley flying out of the explosion. Samus flew into orbit and made the jump to hyperspace. Then she went to her bedroom, closed the door, threw herself on her bed and cried.
Epilogue
Samus sat at her computer, exploring the spectrum of pain. Once again she was alone. Once again her heart was broken. With a sigh, Samus raised her head, deciding it was time to stop mourning and move on.
Suddenly a message from Federation HQ came onto the screen, marked urgent and classified. Samus read the message. It said:
Emergency OrderDestroy all Metroid organisms on planet Zebes, and destroy the biomechanical life-form Mother Brain.
End transmission.