Afloraltite

A endless space dotted with millions of stars; some shining bright while others were just ghosts of what they had been. So many places she had yet to visit, so many dangers she had yet to encounter. Samus brought her hand to the blue oval glowing before her, felt a tingle at the ship system recognised her and she began to turn the ship by moving her hand over the surface.

The planet of Molloch came into view together with the eight gas giants that orbited the solid-substance planet where the Galactic Federation had established a mining colony. A colony just like the one on K-2L, they were harvesting Afloraltite again.

Afloraltite, Federation engineers had probably found a new use for it. It had been used to power space vessels for many centuries until Fuel Gel had been discovered. Research on the mineral however had not stopped. The Federation always wanted new weapons to fight the Space Pirates but the space pirates also had a hunger for new weapons...

That was why she was here. She feared another tradgedy like the one on K-2L, a Pirate Raid, a Ridely attack - more orphans.

Samus steadied the craft, removed her hand and brought it to another set of controlls to her right. A touch sensetive pad that detailed the ships interior and exterior functions. Deactivated the main thrusters, increased her sensors senitivity.

But the Galactic Federation had learned something. Molloch was orbited by a Federation Battleship. This new project was important and they did not want the Space Pirates to disturb it. She had also been seen as a threat to their operations. She was a bounty hunter after all and her good connection with some of the Federation's Military made others suspicious - they thought she was a spy. That was why she had not been allowed to land on the planet and forbidden to make a deep scan of it. They did not know that she had done a deep scan years ago and knew Molloch's secret: Aufloralite.

Aufloralite had been used by the Chozo to cultivate the Metroids, she had not managed to get any detailed information about how the mineral was used but previous experience had taught her that the Galactic Federations interest in Metroids was as large or larger than that of the Space Pirates.

This bothered her. Maybe the Federation wanted the Aufloralite for use in a new kind of engine, but in the back of her head she feared that they would use it to make weaponry, and Metroids were the ultimate warriors.

Samus sighed and sunk into the seat that had been shaped after her body. Stared at the planet and the Federation activity surrounding it while these thoughts gnawed at her. One part of the Galactic Federation stood for reason, another for lunacy. While one hand wanted to destroy all Metroids the other wanted to breed them and use them for the Federation's best - but Metroids had never brought anything good.

They have been made for one purpouse, destroying the X Parasites, and destruction was all they knew. The Chozo had made them that way, it was hardwired into them from a genetic level, and nothing could override what the Chozo had done. The Chozo had been the most advanced species in the known universe; Samus herself had known them, been a part of their culture and was herself their last and greatest achievement.

She had been made to destroy Metroids. They had altered her DNA to make her compatible with the Power Suit they had developed for her. The suit was as versatile, had a modular design that allowed her to recieve a large ammount of upgrades in many different ways. The modular design meant that a single piece of the suit could change its configuration, its bio-mechanical make up, to produce new effects or attach new weaponry. She considered her beam cannon the be the most adaptable piece of the suit. During her missions it had adapted to many alien beam weapons but she prefered to rely on its basic functions. Most of her weapons had only use within a certain conflict, like the dark and light beam weapons that she had found on Aether. After most of her missions she reset her suit to the basic loadout but she had to admit that she had kept some of the functions it had gained during the Corruption conflict.

The Chozo had made a suit that could adapt to everything, just like the Metroids could adapt to anything - accept cold - Metroids were vulnerable to ice and were sluggish in low temperatures.

She closed her eyes. The Power Suit was a part of her, she could access it as if it was a memory and when she concentrated on it the suit surrounded her and she became clothed by the yellow bio-mechanical armour. It protected her from both enemy attacks and natural hazards but unlike normal suits of armour it was dependent on her. Pain was not the problem, emotions were. Some times old memories made her loose focus on the suit and leave her vulnerable.

Samus opened her eyes again. Looked down at her body and the blue Zero Suit covering her. She had not worn it on evey mission but had began to rely on it. To most it would appear to be just a blue spacesuit that highlighted her shapely figure. For her it was another tool, her Power Suit was a able piece of equipment but it was bulky and sometimes it could be good to sacrifice defence for speed. She glanced over to her trusty Paralyzer placed safely into the weapon hold on the side of her seat. Her Power Suit was versatile but there was always good to have options - many options - this galaxy was good at suprising her.

With a beep her ship warned her of the incomming vessel. Space Pirates was the first thought that came to her and she took charge of her ship, placed a hand on the oval and turned her ship in the direction the vessel would appear, while the other hand reached over and unlocked her weapon control. She took a deep breath. There would be some time before the vessel would reach visual range and if it was a pirate vessel she would attack without a moments hesitation. She was a bounty hunter and the Federation had no control over her actions, unless she gave it to them, like she had done on the Bottle Ship.

Samus engaged the main thrusters. In moments the vessel would appear, a Space Pirate battleship that would come to take the Afloraltite. Her heart raced, it had been a time since she had been in action.

She was a hunter made to destroy the Metroids bred by the Chozo, but all Metroids were dead - she had destroyed the Metroid Queen on the Bottle Ship. Had killed her arch nemesis on her second visit to Zebes and then seen his dead clone on the Bottle Ship. The Bottle Ship, a lot happened there, Adam had died. For a moment she lost her focus. Adam Malkovich, he was important to her - was still important to her. She wanted to speak his name, shape it with her tongue and lips.

There was no time for that. A Space Pirate battleship came into view. She was a hunter, they were her prey.