Chapter 1: The Raid
The remote colony, established on a planet known only by the ID number K-2L, was decidedly ordinary. The people living there were ordinary, most of them blue collar workers and housewives, with a smattering of engineers, doctors, teachers, police, and tradesmen, all competent enough to keep the colony running smoothly but none possessing exceptional skill. The ore that was the colony's main export, though respectably profitable, was also relatively ordinary. It was on this ordinary colony that an ordinary miner by the name of Rodney Aran relaxed on his porch and enjoyed a cool beer after a hard day's work, watching his young daughter play in the front lawn while they both waited for his wife Virginia to finish preparing dinner.
Virginia called to Rodney informing him that dinner was ready. Having acknowledged his wife's summons, Rodney shouted out to his still frolicking daughter.
"Samus, time to come in and wash up for dinner!"
The child stopped what she was doing and turned to run to her father, her clear blue eyes coming into view from beneath golden blonde bangs that probably needed to be cut some time soon. Rodney smiled to himself. It had been a good idea, naming her after the beautiful yellow flowers that lined the countryside of Virginia's homeworld. Even now, he could tell she would grow up to be a heart-breaker. As Samus arrived at his feet, he lifted her up and brought her inside to prepare for dinner.
Dinner in the Aran household was almost always a quiet affair, save for the occasional protest from Samus at being made to eat this or that nutritious but less than palatable food item. This day, however, they were interrupted by a loud blast that sounded like it had come from the far edge of the compound, followed quickly by two more like it.
"What was that?" gasped Virginia in surprise.
"I don't know," replied Rodney, unlocking a nearby cabinet and retrieving from it a beam rifle that they kept on hand in case of intrusion by dangerous wildlife. "Maybe some animal got bold and tried getting into the food stores by the mine entrance. Maybe something worse. I'll go see what's going on, try to help out. Stay here with Samus."
Virginia nodded, and after kissing her good bye, Rodney went outside and joined others from the neighborhood who had reacted similarly. Not a word was spoken as they tensely approached the area from which the blasts had rung out, and from which more were proceeding, drawing slowly closer. After a few minutes, the site of disturbance came into view. An all-out battlefront had developed near the South wall of the colony, the colonists being steadily pushed back by an armored force of about fifty foreign-looking bipeds.
"Shit! Raid party!" exclaimed one of the group of approaching colonists. Each of them ran for the nearest available cover and began to fire upon the invading force. These armored raiders were barely slowed down by all but the most concentrated fire, however. Spiteful, they shot not only back at the defending colonists, but also at the houses that lined the street down which they progressed.
Rodney fought furiously alongside his fellow colonists, fearing what would become of his wife and daughter if these things came anywhere near their home. He did his best to aim in the same direction he saw others firing, and eventually the rest of the party caught on to the same tactic and began to heavily concentrate all their fire on the same targets. One, two of the marauders went down, dead or merely stunned it wasn't clear. Hope began to reemerge in Rodney's heart, especially as he glanced to the side and noticed a new development in the progress of the battle.
A couple of the local Galactic Federation police officers had equipped themselves with light armor and heavier beam rifles from the police station. These new weapons were giving the invaders significantly more trouble, and it seemed the colony was to be saved, albeit at great cost.
Rodney was grazed on his side by a beam from one of the invaders. He collapsed, propping his back against the wall that had been serving as his cover, in pain but not disheartened, for he believed that the monstrous invaders would now be repelled. He looked to the side, where the battle raged on, the colonists now slowly gaining ground. Three cheers for the boys in blue from the Feder-but now a shadow passed overhead, far too fast to be a cloud. Again it passed, slower this time but still lightning quick. Rodney looked toward the sky, and on the next pass he turned white. Dear God, what was that thing?
Virginia Aran sat clutching little Samus in the dining room, quivering with each new explosion that rocked the compound. At one point, it had seemed that the position of the beam fire had stopped progressing, but now it was advancing again, if anything faster than before. Virginia decided that it would be safest to hide in the basement of the house. Though it was possible that they might be trapped if the house collapsed, going outside seemed to be a lethal proposition, and at least in the basement there was a chance of avoiding the notice of whatever attackers now stormed the colony. As she got up to move downstairs, however, a great force ripped into the top of the house, and a falling support beam sent her skidding across the floor, stunned. Samus, having been dropped in the process, rolled in a different direction. As Virginia regained awareness, a second blow to the house caved in part of the wall and the ceiling supported by it, enveloping Samus in a pile of heavy debris beyond the reach of her mother.
The newly formed hole in the side of the house revealed the agent of the powerful blows that had caused the damage. Atop what was left of the caved-in wall perched an enormous winged reptilian creature. Its appearance resembled that of a dragon, and it possessed a prehensile barbed tail that it held poised to strike. Virginia glanced toward the pile of debris that housed her daughter, who was still breathing, thank the heavens, then returned her gaze to the monstrous creature before her. Her faced hardened with resolve. She knew what had to be done.
From within her prison of cracked plaster and splintered beams, Samus watched her mother back slowly away from the dragon-like monster that loomed over her, picking up a stray piece of debris in the process. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, she threw the chunk toward the creature's face, turned, and ran to the door. The beast batted the missile away with its clawed forelimb, and made its way across the dining room at an alarming speed for a creature so large. With one lightning fast strike of the barbed tail, Virginia Aran collapsed to the floor, dead.
While Samus was indeed terrified by the nightmarish events that played out before her, she never once screamed. Instinct took hold of her and urged her to remain silent, despite the powerful urge to do something to relieve the freezing sensation that filled her veins. Even when she witnessed her mother's death at the hands of the vicious beast, the only sound she could force through her fear-paralyzed throat was a barely audible squeak. Upon finishing the deed, the monster let forth a bloodcurdling screech that dually suggested a frenzied bird and a crying jackal. This proved to be too much for the poor girl, and the fear that lacked an outlet through her voice expressed itself instead through a sickening wet sensation that spread through the lower parts of her clothes and onto the floor. The bloodthirsty act done, however, the great reptile departed from the house, unaware that it hid another inhabitant.
Samus lay motionless as the sounds of destruction tore through the small colony. Seconds, minutes, hours passed, and irritation developed between her legs from her soaked clothes, but she dared not move for fear of being discovered by some other savage horror like the one that had killed her mother. After a while, though, the sounds of battle subsided, and a few hours after that, silence swept over the now ruined colony. At this point, Samus was able to work up the courage to try to escape the debris that lay over top of her. This idea proved to be unwise as her first attempt shifted the unstable debris so that a significant mass of it fell directly on to her chest. A yelp of pain died in her throat as she lost consciousness.