The Game Master Returns
Prologue
-Planet Zebes, Videoland; 1991-
A mis-matched collection of degenerates, villains and crooks hovered around a table, a din cacaphony of voices all muddling together to form one massive collection of undescipherable noise which echoed through everyone's ears.
"I would have had him-" Came the voice of a purple pig-faced freak who stood at an imposing seven-foot height, the sword shimmering gently in his hand as he paced back and forth, blaming his recent failure on everything but the true cause. "-had the 'help' you provided me not been comprised completely of ignorant morons!" He barked to the glass jar which dominated the room. Submerged in an unknown liquid in the glass jar was a massive, throbbing red brain with a single eye surveying the room.
"Blame your failure upon the aid you begged me for, Astos." The brain's charming, melodic voice spoke clearly through the glass, it's single red eye piercing Astos' form and stuyding him. "I seem to recall my soldiers reporting that at the first sign of failure, you were the first to flee."
"Blame who you vant, Astos. Ve have all tried, unt ve have all failed." Came the distinct german-esque voice of the tall, thin man with a very ferocious-looking moustace and wild white hair. "Be it eiser my robots, be it your magic, or be it by some osser means, regardless of how you slice it, ve cannot beat sem! Not togesser, anyvay." He shrugged.
"I must agree with Wily." Came another pig-faced foe, towering well higher then Astos, a trident upon his back. "If we don't get some kind of advantage, failure is all we'll find!" The brain's one eye turned to face the second pig-faced figure.
"You have the look of one with some plan, Ganon." The brain droned. "Care to share?"
"Alas, the only plans I have thus far, Mother Brain, have been met with miserable failure." Silence fell upon the group.
"So this is it, then?" Mother Brain asked rhetorically. "We... what? 'Give up'?" The door which lead out of the meeting room was shoved open abruptly, everyone jumping in their spots and turning to face the intrusion. "What is the meaning of this!?" Mother Brain's red eye flared angrily.
"I apologize, Mother!" Came the pleading tone of a purple space dragon, following along behind a towering figure of a man in jet-black power armor. "I tried to stop him, but he simply shoved his way past me!" He made a swipe at the man who moved out of the way at the last second.
"Well remove him, Ridley!" Mother Brain shrilled, glaring at the dragon. "I'm in the middle of something!"
"Oh I can tell-" The man droned as he came to a stop by the table which everyone was gathered. "-probably working out how spectacularly you can fail, am I right?" He stood, arms crossed at his chest. "I can help, you know." Mother Brain's angry eye studied the figure up and down, trying to get a read on who... or what they were.
"Ridley... let him stay for now." Mother Brain spoke in a much calmer voice, the space dragon bowing a little and fluttering out. "You have my attention, and more importantly, you have my ear. Speak." The man nodded in his suit.
"Very good, Mother Brain. I would expect nothing less. First, allow me to tell you why you have failed so completely thusfar in your attempts to conquer Videoland."
"Ve all know vhy we are failingk! It's obvious! It is zat 'Captain N'!"
"Ah, but not wholly the truth, my dear doctor." The man responded. "While the good Captain, and his team are indeed a problem... the true problem is not so simple. The true problem is their cohesion. Remove one... two... or even three members of the team, and they will stay just as strong, if not stronger... the others adapting to fill the void left by their absent team mate. I can solve this problem for you... if you wish." Mother Brain blinked.
"And how – per sa – do you propose to do so?"
"I cannot explain it... not here, not now. But I can promise you, I can do this thing I say. I only require one small... innocent consideration from you and your allies, Mother Brain."
"Consideration?" Mother Brain's frontal lobe upturned, almost as if interested by the proposition. "What exact kind of 'consideration' would you require."
"Time." He answered. "And no small amount of it. But... if you grant me the time I ask... I can shatter the cohesion in Videoland... making your conquest more then simple... but – and please excuse the pun – but a rather brainless task." A snort came from Ganon at the pun, but a single look from Mother Brain caused him to cover it up with clearing his throat.
"And how much time would you require? Days? Months?"
"Years." He answered, causing everyone to glare at him. "A good number of them."
"And what do you propose we do in these years you want? Sit on our thumbs?"
"Oh no, please, be my guest to continue whatever it is you think you must do. But... all thoughts of conquering Videoland must... for all intents and purposes... end."
"You're crazy!" Ganon barked.
"Unt zey call me crazy!" Wily responded.
"Years!? Have you no sanity!?" Came Astos.
"Done." Mother Brain mused, her one word silencing everyone as they turned to silently ask why. "We will give you the time you require... but if I discover you are fooling us-"
"You will discover no such thing, Mother Brain."
"If I discover you are fooling us I will feed you to my little pets!" As if for emphasis, a pair of grass-green colored Metroids appeared around Mother Brain's jar, jittering and chittering amongst themselves as they contemplated the meal. The man gave a flourished bow.
"You will not be disappointed by the results. Now... I must ask you all to return to your respective worlds, and await my message. I promise you... you shan't be disappointed." Ganon nodded and summoned a portal back to Hyrule, through which he vanished. Wily hopped out of his chair and – joined by his two robotic escorts, retreated back to his own homeworld. Astos huffed and vanished in a puff of purple smoke. The Metroids latched onto Mother Brain's jar and carted her away. With a flourish of his pitch black cloak, the tall man started his plan.
-Planet Zebes, Gamindustri. 2020-
"Mother-" Came the charming, egnimatic voice of the rather dapper-looking Space Dragon Ridley, as he gazed upon the blasted, disfigured visage of the once glorious Mother Brain. "...you have a guest." A sharp, raspy breath echoed in the small, metallic chamber as Mother Brain drew breath.
"A guest you say?" Another haggard, raspy breath echoed. "Show them in." Ridley nodded and turned towards the door. Years have passed, and time has not been kind to either Mother Brain, or her homeworld of Zebes. Through the glass tank, several mechanical implants can be spied on Mother Brain, her red eye clouded and covered in cataracts, as a mechanical life-support system continually provides her with air and blood flow. Ridley opened the door with few pokes to the panel with his claw. Zebes is dark and misrepair floods the halls. Shuddering, the door sparks and opens, allowing a familiar black-clad figure to stride in, his armor pristine and his stride perfect... though it has been almost thirty years since their last encounter, Mother Brain remembers this man perfectly... and by his look, it is almost like time itself is scared of him. "You..." Mother Brain speaks after another haggard breath, her half-blind eye still able to see him perfectly in the low light. "You have some nerve coming back here-" Her sentence is cut off by another breath. "-after that lie you told me thirty years ago!" Another breath. "Ridley! Show him out!"
"I asked for time, Mother Brain, and I am here to say I have delivered results!" He clasped his armored hands together gleefully. "And I must say... you are looking rather well for yourself!"
"Keep your sarcasms to yourself-" A breath. "-before I tear your head off-" A breath. "-and shove it down your lying throat!"
"Lies? I told no lies. I promised to break the cohesion of their team, and I am here to deliver my results. Did I not tell you I would require 'years, and a good number of them'?" Mother Brain glared at him. "The Videoland you remember has changed much in the last twenty nine years. Worlds have appeared from the void... while others have faded into nothing. And yet... here you are! Twenty nine years later... and no worse for wear. Tell me, from where did those implants come?"
"You know damn well what happened to-" A breath. "-me." She paused, her glossy eye scanning him. "That damn bounty hunter and I-" A deep breath. "-traded blows and she... gifted me this-" A breath. "-battered form, barely clinging to life." Her tone was full of hate and bile, as if she was still reliving her fight with her 'bounty hunter' in her mind.
"Well, then perhaps you'd be interested in knowing what your little 'bounty hunter' is up to these days..." Mother Brain gave a laugh that was punctuated heavily by the mechanical whining of her life-support aparatus providing her air.
"I couldn't care less for the-" She took another breath. "-bitch." The man in the armor only laughed.
"So you say... so if I were to tell you... she spends her days drunk off her ass, on the run from the Galactic Federation... you wouldn't laugh with joy."
"Why are you here?!" Mother Brain barked, glaring at him.
"As I said, my dear, I bring results! The Videoland of your memory is now... just that. A memory. Through industrialization and modernization, Videoland is now been reshaped into Gamindustri-"
"I know all this already!" She took another haggard breath. "If it is news you have come to deliver-" A breath. "-then deliver it and be gone!"
"I shall get to my point, then. As Videoland, the worlds existed in a beautiful arrangement of understanding and bliss. To the people, they provided entertainment and understanding... a method for the average man to... become something he is not. But now? As Gamindustri?" He gave a sour, crass laugh. "Thirty years, and Videoland has twisted into a shadow of it's former self. Where worlds existed to provide an escape for the masses... they now exist to exploit those same masses. It is no longer a labor of love that Videoland exists... it is no longer a world where lives are created for the sheer love of your craft... no. They are now created to exploit." Mother Brain glared.
"Many have fallen victim to Gamindustri and it's monitization. The worlds you know now crumble into the void... threatening to disappear forever... Zebes itself is in such similar shape. So, Mother Brain, I have come to inform you that the task I set out to complete thirty years ago... now stands completed – but woefully not by my hand."
"And I am supposed to be glad-" A breath. "-at this development."
"Even now the fledgling countries – though powerful – squabble and bicker with one another. Worlds have become empires and empires have become dust. I've come to tell you... now is the time to reappear. Now is the time to conquer Gamindustri once and for all."
"Despite my best judgment..." She paused as her life support wheezed. "...I know what you speak is the truth." A breath. "I have watched kingdoms fall and turn-" A haggard breath. "-into sand. But even so... many of-" A long, drawn out breath. "-my former minions can no longer be counted amongst this world's-" Pause to breathe. "-living. King Hippo has long since departed-" Another breath. "-and Eggplant Wizard has been put to pasture."
"The answer, my dear Mother Brain, is simple. If you old, incompetent cronies can no longer be reached... then it stands to reason the only option is to find new ones. Better ones. If I may..." He turned to the door without awaiting her permission, and clapped his hands. "Autarch Visari... Ambassador Pentheous? If you would?" From the sparking and dying door came two figures – both equally proud and standing tall – dressed in strange, mix-matched uniforms from an unknown era. Flanking these two men were three other figures each – the ones around Visari were dressed in heavy, fully-covering armor carrying assault rifles of a strange make; while the ones following Pentheous were guised in heavy, whining power armor of a much different make then the man's. The two men took their flanks around the power armored man and bowed deeply to Mother Brain. "I leave it to you two to introduce yourselves..." The balding man who was addressed as Ambassador Pentheous motioned to the bald man with sunken eyes who was Visari. Bowing to Pentheous, Visari took a step forward and showed Mother Brain due respect.
"Mother Brain..." Visari breathed, his words heavy and weighty as they left his lips. "Oh, how oft I had grown up with tales of your deeds. Allow me the pleasure to introduce myself, I am Scolar Visari of the Helghast Empire. I hail from the Lastation Fragment known as Helgahn. Though we have recently emerged from the Void, I promise you that... should you accept me, of course... you will find in the Helghast a powerful ally." With a motion from his hand, the three men behind him stepped forward and took a knee. "Where you once relied upon individuals to work your will... you now have at your disposal an army over five million strong... the strongest bodies and sharpest minds in all Helghan." Mother Brain seemed vaguely pleased at this figure, her massive form nodding him to continue in her jar. "I assure you, all of my soldiers are combat tested, and our equipment top of the line. We will not fail you." The four men stepped back into line as Scolar nodded to Pentheous. "Ambassador, I leave the floor to you."
The balding man with beady, skeevy eyes nodded in acknowledgement to his derferrment of the floor, and took a short step forward. "Mother Brain, much like Visari before me, I have heard much of your exploits before the Industrialization. My name; is Creon Pentheous, and I hail from the Eden Fragment of Earth. I am currently the commander of the Earth Hegemony... and I bring you a gift." He motioned the three men forward, all of which clattered in front of Creon in their heavy suits. "An army of the finest soldiers the Earth Hegemony has to offer – two million strong." A pause. "While this may sound... less impressive then the five million pledge by Scolar Visari, I make up these small numbers in two aspects. The first is that all of my soldiers are equipped in state of the art Powered Battle Armor, capable of withstanding – no offense intended, Scolar – a full on assault from anything the good Autarch could muster, barring a full nuclear bombardment. The second... is I bring cloning facilities and enough material from Eden to create – dare I say? - a nigh-limitless army of cloned soldiers... all of which born, bred and raised to be the most perfect killing machines in the galaxy." One could see the light returning to Mother Brain's eye.
"And this, Mother Brain-" The mysterious man in armor again. "Is only the beginning... even now, I have kings and wizards from all over Gamindustri coming to join us – to join you in your second bid for conquest! Bowser, from the Mushroom Kingdom, our mutual friend Ganondorf and even a few I daresay you never knew existed before today."
"Gamindustri lies a shadow of it's former self-" Mother Brain took a breath. "-and you return a great many years later then I thought-" Another breath. "-and you make good on your promise by bringing me not one but-" Another breath. "-two armies... and I do not even know your name." The man bowed.
"My true name I tell no one. You may address me as... Andrin."
"Andrin." Mother Brain lavished the name on her lips. "I feel that you and I are about to have a long-" A breath. "-and mutually beneficial relationship." A pause. "Ridley! Gather those you can and tell them the-" A pause to breathe. "-time has finally come."
"Yes... Mother Brain." The dragon in the back bowed, turning towards the battered door.
In the sky, high above Gamindustri, a once-dull star twinkled gently back to life as power surged through a once-dead planet. Though few knew the dim star is truly a planet... soon, all of Gamindustri would know it's name.
-Gamindustri, Galactic Federation Council; Lowee-
"...impossible..." A young man dressed in the light blue uniform of the Galactic Federation mused, looking over his readings once more. "Impossible, it can't be..." He mused again, triple checking the energy spike detected in the far reaches of space. Once his third check came back with the same gut-wrenching positive, he scrambled to his feet. "COMMANDER!" He bellowed over the heads of men and woman as they worked – somewhat silently – at their own consoles. From the far end of the row of consoles came the regal-looking figure of a woman in her late forties, her purple hair pulled into a gentle bob about her still-youthful face. Her strides were long and meaningful as she moved towards the man, his dirty green eyes bouncing about in a mix of disbelief and fear.
"At ease, soldier. What's the matter?" The woman asked upon reaching him.
"I've checked it three times, Commander Kirihara. It's not a false reading." The woman – one Galactic Federation Commander Reiko Kirihara chuckled a little to the man and patted his shoulder.
"Relax. What's not a 'false reading'?"
"I've been monitoring strange energy patterns I've been picking up for a few hours now and... well, take a look for yourself." He motioned her to the console.
"Come now. You know you're more versed in these things then I."
"To be honest, ma'am? I've triangulated where the spike is coming from... and there's a ninety eight percent chance that it's... it's coming from Planet Zebes." Reiko's calm demeanor flinched for but a second as the word entered her mind.
"Zebes, you say?"
"Yes ma'am." He nodded. Reiko took a deep breath.
"Well this is... disturbing." The gears in her head began to turn. "Planet Zebes was decalred a no-fly zone in 1994, correct?"
"Yes ma'am. It's against Galactic Federation Law to go within an astronomical unit of Zebes." Reiko nodded.
"Then there can be only one explanation. Mother Brain is waking up... after so long, too." She stood up straighter, looking about at a few of the people around her. Most remained oblivious to their conversation, but a few who were closest to them were now staring at them, silently asking if they heard right. "Tell me... whom was Galactic Federation High Commander back then?"
"That would have been Former Commander Adam Malcovich, ma'am." Reiko nodded.
"Malcovich, of course..." She drew a quick breath in. "Well then. I suppose we've only got one answer then, don't we?"
"Ma'am... permission to speak freely?" Reiko nodded him on. "We can't. I know what you're going to suggest, and we just can't. We cut that tie loose in 2002. If we bring her back, Biologic will-"
"To hell with Biologic." Reiko scoffed. "My predicessor was a fool to prioritize corporate red tape with our single best damn asset." The man sighed, clearly giving up.
"Even so, ma'am... we can't just go get her. The last person we sent to talk to her was sent to the hospital for a month with plasma burns." Reiko patted his head.
"Don't you worry. I know someone who she won't shoot at."
-K7-7 Colony; Club Confession-
High gothic architecture rose high into the sky above the church-themed dance club. The dance floor - shaped like a cross – was chocked full of many different species enjoying their night on the town on the K7-7 Colony. The music blared in her ears, causing the sounds which entered to echo in her skull. The drink probably didn't help either, but then again it never does. She lifted the glass to her lips and finished off the rest of the amber liquid within. Expertly stacking the glass with the others, she stretched. "Oi! Venus!" She called to the busty bartender just down the bar from her. Her black hair moved little in the stiff, recycled air of the colony's club, but her smile was working wonders for the buzz she had in her head. "'eya cutie." She smiled to Venus, the club's proprietor. "Ken I c'nvince ya'da pour me anudder?" Her words were starting to slur and her vision was starting to swim... just the way she liked it.
"That depends, darling... can I get you to pay your tab this time?" Though the bartender said it with a droll, flat-lipped expression, the drunk on the other end of the bar smiled widely and laughed.
"Aaaaah, Venus m'dear. Of course you can!" She slipped her hand into her pocket, catching herself on the bar before she tumbled off the stool, and retrieved a small credit chip, which she placed on the bar. "There ya go. Jus'... pay off what'aye owe ya... 'n start a new tab fer everythin' else." Venus closed her fingers happily around the chip and nodded to the drunk blonde on the other end of the bar from her.
"You got it, sugar." She sauntered over to the cash register to ring up her card. The music finally faded – Club Confession going into what it called it's 'Confession Hour', an hour long period of no music, only reflection – allowing the blonde to finally hear herself think.
Looking at her? You'd never expect this blonde haired, blue eyed woman was anything special. Her orange outfit was no more or less outrageous then some of the strange numbers worn by other Club Confession patrons, a halter top – which barely classified as a sports bra – and a pair of shorts, capped off by a pair of matching, half top combat boots gently tapping against the bar. She moved a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and bobbed her head along to an inaudible beat. Perhaps it was the sounds of heels coming towards her that stopped her, or maybe it was the few people staring at a new addition to Club Confession... but something was very wrong. She froze and closed her eyes.
"Is this seat taken?" A voice came to her ears – sweet and feminine – which brought the urge to cry to her eyes. She stuffed her feelings back into her heart, and salvaged her stoic exterior.
"For you? Never." She responded as the newcomer took the seat next to her. The drunk blonde didn't look at the face of the woman who had just walked back into her life after nearly ten years. She was quiet, silently hoping that she wouldn't talk... that she would drink and be gone... silently hoping that she didn't remember her.
"Samus..." The voice droned, a lithe hand falling on Samus' shoulder. "Look at me." Slowly turning, the drunk Samus Aran turned to face the voice belonging to a woman she loved... once loved. She managed to retain her composure. Looking back at Samus was a pair of serene blue eyes framed perfectly by a well kept waterfall of chocolate brown hair, a golden tiara upon her head. "...you're still as beautiful as before." These words caused Samus to sputter half a laugh, half a sob.
"...and you still know exactly what to say to moisten me up." Samus responded with a crass smile. "How've you been, Zelda?" Zelda – or Princess Zelda, more specifically – simply smiled back to the Bounty Hunter.
"So you do remember my name." A hand sheathed in a satin glove rose to touch Samus' cheek. "I was worried." It was hard to see from any form of distance... but this close, Zelda could still see the small, nearly invisible scars which dotted Samus' face and chest. She, of course, had known that the scars were a side-effect of her run-in with the X Parasite some eighteen years ago, and to the Princess, it just served to make her all the more attractive.
"I could nev'r ferget you, Zelda... you dominated'a good portion'a my life... helped me through more'n one trouble spot." As Samus spoke of fond memories, Zelda frowned.
"How much have you been drinking?" Samus thought for a moment. While Zelda never cared much for how much Samus drunk in the past... this trend of getting so piss drunk she couldn't stand up was very recent.
"U-uh... what... uh... comes after thi'ry three?"
"Thirty four, and usually coma." Zelda responded with a sterness which belied her words. Samus just rubbed the back of her neck.
"Y-yeah... tha's th' Chozo blood talkin'... I ken prolly go fer like... ten'r fifteen more." Venus returned with another glass mug of a dark amber liquid, which Samus instantly reached for, only to be stopped by Zelda's surprisingly strong fingers.
"Samus... stop. You're going to hurt yourself."
"What else'm I sup'osed'a do?" Samus blurted out. She paused, her head suddenly flying into reverse. "S-sorry... tha's th' booze talkin'." She shook her head. "Bu' surrisly, Zel... wha'm I s'posed'a do? 'M bein' hunted by th' G-Fed fer... fuggin'... doin' th' right thing. 'M slowly runnin' outta spots'a lay low."
"Speaking of..."
"Zel? Don'... don' tell me they shanghai'd'ja'a talk to me..."
"There's a problem they need help with."
"No!" Samus responded instantly, her intoxication almost gone instantly. "Those bastards used me, then threw me o-" She hiccuped. " - S'cuse me – then threw me out! What makes you think I want to work with them again?! Twenty years of perfect service, and th' first time my moral compass gets in the way of their bottom line, I'm tossed out with the trash!"
"Darling-" Samus stopped instantly. Sure, their relationship ended almost five years ago – thanks to some rumors which floated around involving Samus and a space ship shaped like a bottle – but Samus still had strong feelings for Zelda... and she believed strongly that Zelda was in much the same shape. "-please... just listen to me..." Samus took a calming breath through closed eyes.
"Arright. 'M lis'nin'." Zelda smiled, her dainty lips curling gently upwards as her hand stroked Samus' cheek. They certainly were a couple... the Princess and the Bounty Hunter; both tough as nails and good at what they do.
"I spoke with the High Commander herself-"
"They fin'leh get rid'a tha' Galaxy prat?" Zelda glared a little at her. "Righ', sorry, shuttin' up."
"I spoke with the High Commander herself just this morning. She told me..." A silken covered hand gently glided down Samus' exposed right arm. "...that if you'd be willing to come back and work for them again... they'll not only continue to pay you for this job... but they'll wipe the whole BSL thing off your record. You'll be back working for them – if you choose – and a free woman... no more hiding... no more 'laying low'."
"Tha' does soun' nice..." Samus muttered to herself. "Did... they happen'a tell ya anehthin' 'bout wha' they want?"
"They did. It concerns most of us. It's... It's Mother Brain..."
"Oh fuck it, I'm sold." Her sapphire eyes lit up. "'Nother chance'a beat that oversized cerebellum in'a paste is a win in my book."
"It's... not just Mother Brain. Do you remember the time before the Industrialization? Back when Gamindustri was Videoland? Mother Brain's plot to conquer it?"
"I was indisposed through most of it, but yeah... I 'member." Zelda smiled again and nodded.
"Samus... Gamindustri needs you. Sure, we've gotten a lot of powerful allies in the last thirty years but... there are some things that are just best left to... professionals." Samus grinned at this.
"Arright, you let th' G-Fed know that I've accepted their offer... an I didn' hospitalize ya." From the other side of the bar came Venus' laugh at that comment. "S'not funny, I legit hospitalized someone for talkin'a me." Zelda's smile was bright and calm as she stood off the bar stool and leaned forward, planting a soft, very much missed kiss on Samus' cheek.
"Thank you, Samus." Zelda responded, looking at her longingly once more. "You..." Her words failed her as she just took a step back and nodded. "They're meeting at their headquarters tomorrow morning. Get some sleep, sober up and I'm sure they'll be glad you graced them with your presence... I'm... glad you graced me with it." Samus reached up and caught Zelda's hand, her lithe, satin fingers slipping out of Samus' calloused ones. They really were a couple.
-Planeptune; Gamindustri-
The sound of someone snoring loudly echoed rapaciously in the small room, the bed near the corner shifting every once in a while as the snoring was broken up by muttering and giggling from a very feminine, and somehwhat young-sounding voice. "Awww... what's wrong, Nep Jr.? I think you look adorable in that bikini that's just a bunch of strings..." The droning sentence was finished by another loud battery of snoring as an arm slipped out from under the covers, pulling them down just enough to show a mop of purple hair spilling out. "Jus... jus give Vert a li'l sister already... so she stops... stealing mine..." She muttered again, a single purple eye cracking open, instantly assailed by the blinding light which streams through the window. "Bright bright bright bright!" She wailed, instantly awake and covering her eyes.
"Well, I'm glad one of you is, Neptune." Came another voice as a small figure – resembling a young girl, about the size of a pixie, sitting upon a book. "Get up, you've got a message." Neptune answered by throwing the covers over her head.
"Nnnnope. Put it on the table. Or better yet, go give it to Blanc. She likes that kinda stuff."
"It's from Blanc, Neptune!"
"Oh is it!" She sprung out of bed and snatched the letter from the pixie's hand. Histoire – said pixie – only grinned evilly as Neptune tore it open. Neptune read the letter real fast, then turned to face the grinning Histoire. "You lied to me." She droned, holding the letter.
"Yes, I did. But it's important." Neptune dropped the letter.
"Don't care. Sleep time." Histoire rolled her eyes and groaned.
"NEPTUNE!" She barked. "This is not the time to be sleeping! This is the biggest threat Gamindustri has seen in thirty years! Wake up and act like a goddess!" Neptune froze, staring at the furious Histoire, her pint-sized face flaring red in fury.
"Uwaaaaaaaa... Histy... you're scary when you're maaaaaad!"
"And I only get mad when it's important! This is bigger then any of you! Mother Brain is back!"
"My... my mother's grain! MY MOM WAS A FARMER?!"
"No... Neptune... Mother Brain not 'mother's grain'."
"What's a Mother Brain?" Neptune continued to pry, putting a finger on her chin, calmly imagining a small brain with a wig and a nightgown on. "Hehehehehehe... funny." Histoire stood out of her book and opened a page, the page showing a hologram of the jar-encased Mother Brain, battered and damaged from her fight with Samus.
"Mother Brain. The supreme evil in Gamindustri. Older then anyone and meaner then anything. Some say she was an AI that went mad with all her knowledge, while others believe she's a one-of-a-kind species with a vast intellect and no patience for failure..."
"Kinda like Histy..." Neptune muttered.
"Mother. Brain." Histoire put an empasis here, almost to derail or deflect Neptune's sidelong insult. "...is the largest threat to Gamindustri. Period. She's intelligent, powerful, and commands a near-limitless supply of forces from her Fragment Zebes in Lowee."
"Fragment?" Neptune blinked, her blank stare an invitation to explain.
"Sometimes I forgot you're not your old self..." Histoire sighed and launched into her explanation. "A Fragment is like a dungeon..."
"Oh yeah, we got loads of those!"
"Like a dungeon." Histoire emphasized. "However, unlike dungeons that are finite and exist in the physical area... Fragments are portals to alternate worlds... entire new realities all linked to one of Gamindustri's core locations. In this case, Planet Zebes exists as it's own Fragment, but the Fragment itself is a whole other realm, emcompassing planets such as SR-388, Talon IV, and Aether. It's also home to their own version of the Basilicom... called the Galactic Federation. The same Galactic Federation who sent us this letter. Neptune, if they're contacting us, it's dire. They want to meet with us – you, Vert, Blanc, Noir, Peashy... even Rey and Plutia were asked to come."
"That's a lotta CPUs in one spot..."
"Mother Brain is a threat not just to Leanbox, or Lowee... or Planeptune or Lastation. They're a threat to all of Gamindustri. This letter was also sent to some other people who I don't even recognize..."
"Oh? Like who?"
"It..." Histoire flipped through pages until she came to one that made her pale. "It went out to Indep?"
"Indep?"