A/N: Hey everybody kind enough to check out my labour of love! This is an amalgamation of two realities, so inextricably linked that this back-story is my personal canon for the Mass Effect series! No really! And I owe it all to the colonist background. You'll see! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Reviews don't hurt either! A fair warning for all, some words are spelt in the English vernacular not American. And... this is a mature story. At least in its depiction of graphic violence, language, in-explicit sexual content and (hopefully) I'll get to grapple with some adult themes. I respect my audience too much to give you anything else than all the gritty details. So, without further ado let's get on with the story! LawrenceSnake out!

BOOK I

Primed to Defend the Universe

Prologue: Alimbic Destiny

"The Cosmos. In the vast depths of the Universe, the history of Humanity is but a flash of light from a lone star. The life of a single person should be lost in space and time. But among the stars, there is one light that burns brighter than all others. The light of Samus Aran. Her battles extend beyond her life, and etch themselves into history..."

"Adam, we have company," the golden-clad huntress murmured from her command chair.

"Identifying…" the disembodied reply of her old friend answered, who was now a sophisticated on-board AI interface with all his accumulated memories uploaded into the ship's systems.

The ship in question was the fifth model of a Hunter-Class vessel; rebuilt after the BSL incident on Altair III. Samus had decided to name her the Nova Corvette and now she lived up to her name as its sub-light boosters powered the last star ship of the Chozo through a shimmering, incandescent nebula cloud at relativistic speeds.

Motes of light blazed against the exclusion-field as Samus weaved expertly through the pillars of heaven – anti-chaff ensuring that her instruments weren't thrown off by the devastating ionic winds.

"Ship registry code and hull markings identify the vessel as the Delano 7," Adam stated in his no-nonsense tone.

"Sylux," she growled. This implacable foe had dogged her steps for eons, systematically tracking her from a distance, never intervening in contracts except to maintain a presence near the region she was operating in. Several times he had believed himself the invisible observer only for her to ambush him pre-emptively; but he was a slippery one with a talent for showing up at the worst possible time.

"Hey, Lady!" Adam's voice broke her contemplation.

"Yes, Adam, I know he's sending a hailing frequency; the way you speak to me sometimes - you'd think I'd joined Daiban Academy yesterday."

"Sorry – Samus," he replied ruefully.

"That's quite all right, Commander, just focus on passive hacking algorithms while I worry about the multitasking okay?"

Adam's response was outraged.

"Samus, you should know that I would never make a remark regarding sexism; I give you too many reasons to oppose me already."

"By that logic all my achievements wouldn't have been influenced by you in the smallest way," she retorted. Adam was silent. Samus smiled in self-satisfaction.

With a barely conscious thought Samus manipulated her Head's-up-display into establishing an inter-stellar video-chat between the pursuing ship, after three seconds of lag Sylux's own helmeted visage was projected onto the interface.

"Now I know what you're thinking Aran," he said without preamble, "you think I'm here to collect the debt you owed me from the Tetra Galaxy contract," his voice was harsh yet choked with age – it had been over a century since 'the ultimate power' had obliterated the being known as Gorea. Sylux was merely human and had degenerated as such – the humanoid he spoke to was a different story.

"It was your greed that crippled you, traitor…" Aran said dismissively. To her surprise the Federation deserter did not refute her accusation.

"Of course it did, just as your passion for revenge turned you into a weapon, a blunt tool the Galactic Federation could use against the Space Pirates."

"You know nothing about my motivations, Sylux, I wouldn't expect a dog of war like you to understand."

"Oh, but I do," he hacked and wheezed his next words, "despite your incredible accomplishments you feel no pride in them, only a never-quenching desire to alleviate the suffering of others: most, noble of you."

"I'm flattered but I doubt you'd track me to the Eagle Nebula, just to sing my praises."

"Your instincts serve you better than the combined experience of the Guild's cadre, Aran. For you must have hypothesized that the Alimbics were not the first or the last to fall to Gorea."

Intrigued, Samus decreased her acceleration so that both ships flew abreast of each other. "Speak quickly then, what do you know?

"Come now, Aran... the ancient machines replicated themselves from beyond the infinity void using the Alimbic's own technology."

"So they weren't just security placed there to guard the inter-dimensional prison? But that makes no logical sense, it would just obstruct their kind from returning, unless…"

"Unless they were an advance guard," Sylux finished for her.

"Impossible, these entities, these ancients subsisted in an entirely different plane, they could contact our reality through psionics but to construct an army or a fleet powerful enough to destroy civilisations, between universes, is a magnitude above and beyond."

"Then how did one demiurge wipe out the Alimbic Empire!"

"I don't know... maybe their society had been influenced along certain technological boundaries? They were isolationists as well, no one to come to their rescue. Regardless, that's not the salient point, here. Why are you, of all people bringing this to my attention?"

Suddenly, the Delano 7 decelerated bringing its weapon systems to bear upon the rear of the Nova Corvette.

"Evasive maneuvers recommended, Lady!" cried Adam.

Samus did just that, twisting the steering yoke so that her larger ship performed a barrel roll while simultaneously accelerating through stardust debris. Yet the more agile ship kept pace, opening fire with a barrage of disruptor rounds; a lesser pilot would have been torn apart but Samus skilfully evaded the majority while a few glanced off the protective force field.

"You didn't see what I and the other hunters saw Aran!" Sylux now screamed over the intercom, sounding completely deranged. "When Gorea possessed us and used our abilities against you, do you know what we saw! DO YOU!"

"Adam, cease communications," was Aran's reply as she attempted to loop up and over the obviously insane mercenary. He responded by gunning his ship after her in a similar tactic; only for Aran to activate the Corvette's rear mounted 100mm Gatling plasma cannon. Violent green bolts of scorching fourth states of matter screamed through space, smiting the Delano 7 with incredible force. Its own shields buckled, flared and failed forcing Sylux to break off the chase. Aran completed her spiral loop and tore after him.

"Switch to Solaris homing missiles," upon her issued voice command the Corvette's twin stabilizer wings sprung open with pneumatic hisses, revealing the intimidating rocket bays coiled within.

"Lock on," she said coolly, the targeting reticule aligned upon the port thrusters of the fleeing gunship. "Fire."

Two jets of oscillating raw power burst from the torpedo tubes, swerved with their target's desperate attempts to escape; and impacted. The detonation lit both ships as a section of the Delano's hull warped into cerise molten slag, one thruster was ripped off and the explosion burst a part of the reinforced superstructure, oxygen defused out of the shattered hull as it rolled feebly through space; completely crippled.

"Far too easy," thought Samus as she brought herself to circle her seemingly downed quarry.

"Firewalls bypassed," Adam chimed in. Samus quickly analyzed her options: she could leave the fellow hunter adrift, blow him to smithereens, or use her cyber warfare suite to take control of his systems and try to decipher his ramblings.

Musing about Sylux's inanities on the Alimbic extinction, Samus re-established contact. His ragged breathing was all she could hear; he was dying.

"Heh… always knew I wasn't good enough… to take you… Aran," Sylux coughed, "but I - had to try – they're going to kill so many again... someone has to stop them, not going to be me… that's for sure. Jeez... what a waste..." spasms wracked his words.

"Who are they, Sylux? What did you see?" Samus pressed him, remembering the farsighted clairvoyance that the Chozo had displayed both on Zebes and Tallon IV. Perhaps Gorea had cruelly bestowed this 'gift' knowing it would drive the hunters mad; only beings of incredible willpower could withstand psionic implantation.

"They're our end, Aran, the eldritch gods that wait beyond our perception…" his words grew more frantic. "They are death, the darkness!"

An omni-prescient shiver ran down Aran's spine, similar to her own sixth sense gained from decades of combat. The man she knew had been cerebral, cold, calculating; yet the maddened creature she now listened to was unpredictable, violent and insane. Such a change could not have been wrought through natural processes.

"THEY WILL DAMN US ALL!" roared Sylux, as if he was trying to ward off imaginary demons.

Samus decided to put him out of his misery, she activated hacking procedures and caused the failing ship's electrical systems to overload catastrophically; igniting the oxygen and fuel gel mixture into a whirling inferno. With a mighty explosion the ship and its pilot were ripped apart to join the endless cosmic clouds.

Exhaling slowly, Aran activated warp speed and headed even further out from the GF controlled Galaxies, the void between these oases of potential life stretched on for infinity but the Nova Corvette's warp drive was six times higher than the average mass to power ratio for similar sized vessels. It would take her three days to reach the outlying Galaxy of her choice; most were uncharted. She merely had to choose...

Still deliberating, Samus rose from her seat and flexed her arm supply, the gluino-energy tank infused nano-crystals that made up the famous Varia suit melted away as she severed the mental link with her foster parent's heritage. Swirling yellow, green and red sparks washed off her form, revealing the remarkable individual underneath.

Of truly formidable musculature and height, she stood 6 foot 3 inches, but built like no woman alive, with her form fitting clothing accentuating her iron thews. She was more powerfully built than any gymnast yet more lithe than any body-builder. And it would be the greatest mistake in the study of the female form to say she looked tumescent or even masculine. Her body was that of an unmatched killer, it reflected in her obscenely easy movement and in the mettle of her ramrod posture and in the fact it looked as if you could slice your fingers off if you ran them across just one of those breathing delineated contours.

Her eyes were even more captivating, (though few knew it.) And although they were found to be often creased in her typical standing expressions of a placid frown or a serene dance on the edge of roguery, their full almond shape contained orbs of a truly unique colour. Her irises were a blend of darkest Catalina blue tinged with streaks of Midnight green. What was astonishing was how they could transition between a multitude of rainbow spectrum flares when subject to reflection of different light sources. (Mostly varying kinds of explosions). They rested beneath slightly rounded tan wood grey hued brows that tapered sharply towards the end, showcasing a personality that seemed both delicate and unyielding.

In a similar contrast, her features were angular and sharp, yet seemingly soft and heart-shaped if she so chose to play it so. But the isochronisms of battle and loss couldn't be truly disguised. The straight-on face of the kind girl was belied by her deep cut jawline, swooping cheekbones, high forehead and rather impressive narrow chin of the warrior woman, giving her an undeniably fearsome appearance despite her, equally, apodictic beauty. Even her nose, which had a fittingly 'cute' celestial curve was hardened by an aquiline downturn and a long Greek nasal bridge that parted her eyes in something quite nearing that long sought after score of ten around the golden ratio that the Ancient Egyptians and Renaissance Masters had sought long and hard to find. In reality, many perfectionists would say she was broad-faced, her eyes too squinting or too cruel, dimensions unbalanced, her small lips, when added to every other feature making her look perpetually glum, or even frightening. But that was okay in her book, she was supremely comfortable in her own skin. And that was all that mattered.

Last but certainly not least, was her hair of truly unique colour and texture. It was like spun bronze and the sun woven together, held in a short ponytail with two larger locks framing her lobed symmetrical ears. Once the full length of her hair had been truly Rapunzelean but now it was of a much more sensible cascade as she undid her braids and shook out her mane with a flourish.

"So, Adam. Any suggestions on where we should travel to?" asked Samus as she stretched while heading to her sleeping quarters.

"The Federation are still actively hunting us for a plethora of reasons; even all these years later: destruction of GF real estate, bombardment of a Class 3 Planet, theft of a high-standing AI personality of yours truly, General Adam Malkovich."

"Well you did help me crash that B.O.W. laboratory into SR388 Adam."

"Yes, they underestimated the degree of control they could place on an AI, especially one with Human memories."

"Ever regret throwing in your lot with me?"

"Huh, not for a minute, my Lady. The Federation has fallen a long way a way from what it used to stand for and I don't intend to abandon an old friend in need."

"Much appreciated, Adam. After all, you're not going anywhere," she said mirthfully.

"And the same could be said for a certain bounty hunter I know; they'd love to gain the essence of the last Metroid in existence – you. If they capture us they'll lock you up and throw away the key. Then bring out the live autopsy..."

"Hmm… another reason to leave for good."

As she continued the conversation, Samus performed her usual low intensity aerobic calisthenics before meditative sleep, contorting herself with plyometric jumping, standing flips and bridges, single handstand shoulder push-ups, full length ankle pivot abdominal twisting leg raises, while suspended upside down. Explosive crucifix pull-ups and other ring work, back and stomach handsprings, prone and hanging hyper-extensions, inclined planks, superman push-ups and all manner of fantastic dead leaps joined the exercises together.

"What did you think of his - predictions?" Aran inquired casually, without any loss of ataraxy while under her regimen.

"I scanned his brainwaves, he certainly wasn't lying about the visions, whether they're true or not is another matter entirely," Adam replied cautiously.

Aran now performed further impossible dislocation stretches that compressed her form into a small sphere, followed by intense climbing and acclivity sprinting. Aran considered the deranged man's final words.

"There's nothing left for us here, Adam. Grey Voice and Old Bird are long dead, as are the rest of the Chozo. The GF are now leaning on all my old contacts, and I won't allow any other race to harbour us at a cost to themselves."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"We're going to ascend to greater heights, Adam. Premonitions of such power invariably drive the individual insane; ignoring such an omen is the height of folly."

"And attempting inter-dimensional travel to save said civilisations seems like the far greater obliquity to me."

"You forget that there are forces greater than ourselves at work here, old friend. I never claimed to believe in destiny but I've always striven to combat the forces of darkness so that no one would suffer the same fate my families once suffered. Divert our course to the Tetra Galaxy, we're going to Alinos."

"Samus that's a dead world, and if you're going to attempt what I think you are... Lady, the Alimbic cannon only opened into the infinity void."

"When it was static maybe."

"I don't like the sound of this... but what the hell. Let's go."

"Let's."

After months of complex modification, Samus gazed down upon the Milky Way Galaxy from thousands of parsecs above the spiral arms, on the outer hull of the Nova Corvette, the Hunter made some last minute checks and diagnostics to the Alimbic cannon. It had taken a great deal of time to discover the key resonances that the octolith crystals emitted to rip open the fabric of reality. Then to manually change the co-ordinates to focus on the cradle of humanity. Somehow, she just knew that the evil Sylux foretold would manifest itself there.

The easiest part had been integrating the ancient device onto the underbelly of her ship, just as the modular nature of her armour allowed her to absorb alien technologies, so too did her ship. Said armour blazed emerald light from the V-shaped visor and tron-line power emitters as Aran carefully inputted the equations on a lensman projected holo-pad and transcribed them with the minute grace of an engineer onto the hardware itself. Nothing moved and no particles existed in the vacuum of space, meaning the only mistakes she made would be down to her own error.

A single bead of sweat dropped from her brow as she ever so softly transferred her own suit's energy along the exact conduits to ensure the sequence would fire correctly. The mathematical software programme that had taken her a month alone to write had tested her scientific abilities to the limit. Now would be the time to see whether it would all pay off; after all manipulating a millennia old portal gun wasn't as easy as rocket science.

The transistors were all finally aligned and glowing with motive energy, the octoliths thrummed with power and Aran had made sure that the crystals were compromised with an implanted self-destruct device so that the portal would close behind her after the journey was complete. Scanning the finished construct, every read-out seemed to be in the green zone, this was a one-way trip.

Back in the Corvette's cockpit, Samus Aran reminisced back on every contract – successful and unsuccessful – she had undertaken. The countless lives she had saved; and those she had sent to their final rest. Places and people flitted by through her mind. She had lost and gained so much in this Universe, laughed and loved, fought and killed. Most would look back and never wish to leave the ever-expanding borders of the sphere they grew up in and where they had been widely known and once honoured.

To Samus Aran, it was just like leaving another world. People needed her, and there was always another mission, another objective to complete.