AN-

I'm re-vamping some chapters, mainly because my writing has really improved or the past year-and-a-half. The changes will be mild to moderate, so don't worry, no plot changes!

Chestnut~

Samus Aran was loosely modeled after Ellen Ripley from the Alien universe. Don't believe me? Look it up!

Rain clouds billowed above her in large grey masses. A rumble from the heavens sounded, and soon the rain began to pour. She wrapped her arms around her chest as she walked along the beaten path. The vibrant green foliage soon came to life as the rain pitter pattered against leaves and branches, releasing a pleasant aroma of fresh rain into her nostrils. A small stream gurgled happily along beside the path; her throat was dry and cracked. Kneeling down, she cupped her hand and sucked in the water. She took a few more handfuls until her thirst was quenched. The rain came down upon her even harder, falling in massive sheets of water. Her golden hair clung onto her skull for dear life as she continued onwardly. This was the third time this had happened; her ship was damaged, her suit was not working, and now she was stranded on some backwater planet while she searched for food. She grumbled as her stomach pleaded for nourishment. Sometimes she was thankful for the long walks she was forced to take, it gave her time to reflect on issues of her past, and to contemplate profound analogies she liked to keep locked in her brain. It was rather clarifying, especially when it was raining out. She shivered as a freezing sheet of water and wind blasted onto her body. The thunder worsened, it got so bad she had to cup her ears from the noise.

It felt like hours as she trudged along the soggy earth. No, it had only been fifteen minutes. A small looking deer of some sort dashed out in front of her, stopped, and dashed back into the woods. Damn, if she had seen it sooner she could have taken it out with her small emergency pistol. Hopefully more of the pitiful, delicious looking creatures would show up. She froze. Gun fire? Shit, maybe Space Pirates were in the area. It was a small posibility. She slowly walked behind a tree, peering out every now and then, her pistol raised. She crept from tree to tree, straining her ears. Voices--and they sounded human. She got closer, and soon she could hear some one talking in clear English.

"Chief, come on. There have been sightings of the Covenant on this planet," Covenant? What was the man talking about? "We need to make sure our weapons are calibrated." The mans voice sounded African American. Who was this 'Chief' person he was talking about?

"I'll know my weapons calibrated when I find a bullet hole in an Elite's forehead." The other man must have been 'Chief'. His voice was gruff, but polished by years of military training. It reminded her of Adam. Samus listened more, her body propped up against a moss covered tree.

"Where is the Arbiter?" The man known as 'Chief' asked.

"I don't know where he went. He said he was scouting the area, don't even think about making any smart ass remarks, Chief." Arbiter? This person must have been important. Although Samus couldn't see the two men talking, she could tell Chief was a soldier of some sort. She fiddled with her pistol before listening once more, unaware of the danger approaching. "Anyways, Cortana found a massive generator supplying power to an unknown Halo, deep underground." Halo? Gee, she sure picked the right planet to land on; just what were these two talking about?

"Where on the planet?" The man known as Chief asked.

"We are still trying to locate it's whereabouts, but it is like a second, smaller Ark. The third, unknown Halo is apparently the smaller of the other two, but it is the most important and coveted by the Covenant."

"Well Johnson, I think I'll go out looking for Arby. Hopefully he's close by." The other man was known as Johnson. Interesting. Shit, the man known as Chief was walking this way. Great, she was starving with a crappy emergency Federation pistol for protection, and she didn't know where this 'Arby' person was. Plus, 'Chief' was packing some heavy artilary. She could spot a pistol and large gun mounted on his back.

Samus was about to turn around when something grabbed her. She was about to yell out when a large hand cupped her mouth. A shimmering hand? Slowly, the hand began to materialize before her eyes. It was clawed. It held her in its arms; she struggled widely against its grip. Samus got a clear glimpse of its face. It had strange fleshy mandibles jutting out from its mouth. Its armor was intricate in design. This wasn't a Space Pirate, thank god. It lowered its head down her her level, picking up a piece of her of her hair with its mandible. It made a sound, which sounded a lot like the word 'wart'. Samus shivered as the alien's hands clamped around her arms. This was worse than the time when Ridley accidently flung her off a cliff during an air raid.

"Wart." Samus began to struggle now, but the alien was too strong for her. Then, something rather peculiar happened. Another one of the aliens stepped out from his shimmering wave of air. Instead of restraining her, the other Alien raised a gun, and shot the other through the head. Now she was getting scared. As the body fell limp, Samus had enough room to stand up once more. As if sensing her worry and confusion, the being spoke.

"Please, don't be alarmed. I am the Arbiter." His voice was deep, a hint of a growl could be heard,"please, come with me, I will do you no harm." All she could do was nod.

"Arby,There you--" Samus had no time to ponder had just happened as she was slammed into a tree. A man clad in green armor ground his body against hers, pinning her against the tree with incredible force. He jabbed a pistol under her head and pushed upward rather hard, forcing her jaw up. He was crushing her.

"Chief! No!" the Arbiter yelled out. He must have taken his word, for he released her. She fell to the ground in a heap. He disregarded her as she tried to catch her breath.

"An Elite almost made do with her, thankfully I was here." the Arbiter pointed to the dead corpse propped up against a tree, light blue blood trickling down its face.

"Typical woman for you." Samus could feel her blood boil. That son of a bitch was going down. Silently getting up on her feet, she reared up, and kicked him square in the back. He stumbled forward, obviously surprised at her outburst. This time, the odds were on him. She pinned her hand against his throat and backed him up against a tree.

"You have no idea who you're talking to," she growled.

He let out a snort.

"Clearly I don't."

"Chief...." The Arbiter was had a hint of warning in his voice.

Samus said nothing as she released him, and turned back to the Arbiter.

"I could really use some food."

The Arbiter nodded. The two walked off, leaving a very dazed John.

"Chief--she looks like she hasn't eaten for at least a day, the least you could is not act like a bastard." Chief was getting angrier by the minute.

"She looks like a ditzy blonde, and besides, it's not like she's saved the universe or anything." Cortana let out an irritated huff.

As the anger died down, a twang of regret pulled on her stomach. She was hoping Chief was someone she would be able to get to know.

"Don't be discouraged by Chief. He takes a while to warm up to new people, especially females. Come inside, I'll get you something to eat and you can tell me about yourself." Samus was staring to like this guy. He led her inside the small base camp, and into a small room. It looked like a standard military bedroom; small cot, plain walls, foot locker.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll be back shortly." Samus sat down on the cot and wrung her hair out. She let it out of its ponytail, and gave it a good shake. Tussling her hair with a free hand, she watched as he returned with a tray of food. Rice, chicken and carrots. She literally shoveled the hot meal into her mouth. A low rumble escaped the Arbiter as he watched her eat.

"I have never seen a human eat so much in one sitting!" She shoveled the last spoon full of food into her mouth and swallowed. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"So, you want to know about me?" Even though he was an alien, and he looked a lot like a space pirate, Samus felt like she could trust him. He sat down beside her, and soon her long tale began.

"--so, now I'm here." He looked stunned.

"I am amazed, you have accomplished so much!" A small smile appeared on her lips as she looked to him.

"I was hoping that I could get to know Chief, I am always so alone. The only real friend I have had are the Chozo and Adam--but I'm glad I got to know you." The Arbiter made a strange looking shape with his mandibles, which she figured to be a smile.

,

"I'll give you a maintenance drone to repair you ship. I think you should rest first, the rain sure is coming down hard." For the moment, all she could do was nod.

The hours passed like minutes, and soon sleep fell upon her. She couldn't help it. Images of the green behemoth kept crawling into her mind, but she tried as best she could she push the image away. She pulled the blanket over her head, dreams lulling her mind.

OooooooO

John slid Arby's door open slowly and peered inside. Good, he was asleep. The moonlit room casted eerie shadows around the small space . Something else was moving....could it be a Grunt perhaps? John lowered his large rifle to his hip and slowly crept along the floor. Slowly, he inched closer and closer to the moving object, his thoughts swirling as to what it could be, something nasty? Something horrible and gruesome? He crept closer. He was now five feet away from the 'thing'. Slowly, the thick grey blanket rose and fell in a steady motion. What ever it was, it was asleep. How could the Arbiter not tell that something was in his room? Closer and closer John crept.

Everything horrible that he could think of was running through his mind.

A flood spore...

He crept even closer, his hand squeezing the barrel of the gun.

A Brute...

He couldn't take the anxiety. Slowly, he lifted the blanket up with the gun, and nervously placed it to the side. He waited.....what? John looked down to the sleeping form under his feet. Long silvery hair wrapped around her body, as a curtain would do. Her fingers intertwined with one another, her legs near her chest. The moon light danced on her skin, casting eerie lights upon her pallor complexion. Where was his breath? Why couldn't he breathe? Something so simple, but yet so beautiful had taken his breath away.

John stood there, in what felt like an eternity. It was as if time itself had preserved the moment where her ribcage slowly expanded with air, only to release with a soft breath. John was thankful he left Cortana in the main computer console. She would sure chew him out if she was looking into his thoughts right now. The grey rays of light slowly penetrated through the window, it was early morning. He felt exhausted. He knew he wouldn't be able to make it back to his room with out collapsing. He slid down the door into a sitting position, and let sleep take over him.

OooooooO

The slow metal clank of something dropping on the floor awoke Samus. She slowly sat up, rubbing one eye as she did so. Great, another dream. Lucid? She crawled over the sleeping figure slouched over, propped up against the metal door like a rag doll. She made her way over to the giant green man. She had no idea on what she was doing, but it was a dream. Who cares....Why was she so nervous about approaching him?

"Hmm, I don't know, maybe it was the gun under your through yesterday?" She pressed a palm against his breast plate. It was cold to the touch. She studied his visor, and its strange design. Why was it polarized?She put a finger to the glass, admiring the cold feeling under her finger. She decided it would be best to go back to sleep, and not have his hand wrapped around her throat. She silently made her way back to the floor futon, and soon was asleep once more.

OooooooO

The Arbiter watched from the corner of his eye as the girl approached the sleeping John against the door. She was a curious creature. He watched in fascination as she pressed a hand to his chest, and then a finger to his visor. She seemed apprehensive at first. She must have been remembering yesterday's events, he thought, as she scurried back to the small floor mattress. He hadn't been expecting Chief to just randomly plop down on the floor and sleep. Maybe it would be best to wake her now. He slowly lumbered from the bed, and soon was hovering over the sleeping form cuddled into the soft blanket.

"Samus." He shook her arm gently. She slowly awoke.

"...yeah?"

"I think you should go and fix your ship now. I'll send some one to bring you food." She nodded. He handed her something round and silver.

"This is Guilty Spark. He will assist you in repairing your ship." Samus watched in awe as the sphere sprang to life and began to float around the room. As soon as the machine recognized the Arbiter.

"How may I assist you?"

"Please follow Samus here back to her ship to preform repairs." As his last word escaped his mouth, John slowly awoke, and rose. He left, without saying a word. The Arbiter watched with concern as Samus jumped slightly from the metal door slamming abruptly.

"Come on." He lead her out of his room and down the dimly lighted hallway. He stopped as they approached the exit leading to the outside. "Damn, its still raining." Samus watched as the Arbiter stood there, obviously thinking. "Form a bubble-shield, Guilty Spark, it's coming down too hard for my liking, let along a human's."

"Yes sir!" The enthusiastic machine made a sparkling shield over the woman. She said her thanks, and soon began to walk off into the cloud of rain.

Samus was thankful she was not getting drenched. After a thirty minute trek, she could see the shimmer of her ship nestled in a grove of trees and other leafy like structures. She shivered as the rain began to hammer down on her. Where was that flying robot? He hovered around her ship, his large blue eye picking up every nook and cranny of the craft.

"Yes, I see. It appears that your left thruster is damaged, as well as the left side of the hull." She let out a noise of acknowledgement, and watched as the metallic sphere began to weld and repair the ship. Samus realized this would be a good time to repair her Varia suit. Seeing as the ship's power was down, she would need to crawl in through the hole in the side of the hull. The machine known as "Guilty Spark" was currently busing itself with the thruster. She jumped up, landing on her stomach in the small hole. She slowly wriggled her body through until she fell into the cockpit. She made her way to the back of the ship, spotting the large figure of the Varia suit standing alone. This would be hard....She gripped the suit by the arm and placed it around her shoulder. The suit alone with out her in it weighed around one hundred and thirty pounds. She dragged the suit along until she was at the opening of the hull. Damn it...the large bulky shoulder guards wouldn't fit through. She would half to throw it through the hole piece by piece. Slowly, she began unscrewing the thing apart, until it lay in a heap of golden metal on the ground. First the helmet. Then the legs, arm cannon and breast plate. Soon, the whole suit was out on the soggy grass. She crawled through the whole once more, landing flat on her ass.

"Damn it...." She brushed her self off. She placed the arm cannon snugly on her arm, and activated the Plasma beam. A small blow torch appeared at the nozzle of the gun. A minor part of the suit was malfunctioning, and to get it working again would be a tricky task. She pulled one of the shoulder guards to her, and manually opened it up. Small gears and intricate little machines were inside, silver and copper wires flowing to and fro. The shoulder guards didn't protect her shoulders at all. They were the mechanics of the suit, the brain. Like an engine. She slowly began to weld at the broken pieces, and soon the gears whirred to life once more. Next, was the torso piece and breast plate. These pieces were vital, they contained the life support. She easily fixed this. Everything else was in good shape. She pressed once of the neon green buttons on the red plating. Golden light encased her body, the suit hugging her body. She walked around, fired her arm cannon, scanned with her visor. She did a few jumps, rolls, everything to make sure the suit was working properly. She turned as the voice of the machine sounded.

"Left thruster is complete, and functioning." She removed the suit and looked to the ship. She gave a nod of approval.

Master Chief grumbled as walked along the muddy path. Delivering food to the dumb blonde? This wasn't his idea of a mission. Stupid Arbiter...He held the warm metal food container to his hip. Inside were various breakfast items rationed out. Eggs, sausage and fruit. He could hear a familiar voice up ahead. Guilty Spark, how he hated that stupid machine. John did feel a little guilty for acting so irrational towards the girl.

"Just a little, John?" Cortana only called him John when things were casual. He let out a little sigh. He could now see the grove of trees where the ship was parked. It was impressive, he had to say. He could see the woman fiddling with something on the ground, a long green tube on her right arm. A bright blue light sparked out of the end, she was welding. A large golden sphere was between her legs. Two large ridges protruded from the smooth surface, two black lines running down the middle. She must have noticed him, for the green tube and sphere disappeared with a flash of orange and yellow. She stood up, her wet hair clinging to her wet body suit.

"I brought you food." His voice was quiet. She slowly approached him, she still being wary about approaching him, but she did. He extended one hand, the metal container facing towards her. She looked up at him with icy blue irises. She wrapped both of her tiny hands around the container.

"Thank you." She said in a tiny, quiet voice. John watched as she walked over beside her ship and sat down. She opened the container and pulled out the small disposable fork. She ate, and handed the container back to him.

"Where are you going to go once your ship is finished?"

Samus noticed the sincerity in his voice.

"I....I don't know, I don't anywhere to go.." She looked up to his polarized visor, searching for anything behind that golden mask. He must have sensed her longing, for he shifted uncomfortably to the other foot.

"I...want to apologize for yesterday." A small smirked played on her lips.

"Accepted."

John glanced over her body, noting the dirt piling up in her hair and face. She must not have showered in a few days.

"You're welcome to come and use the shower in my room." She must have been thinking. After a scrutinizing minute, she gave a nod.

"Why don't we leave Sparky here to finish your ship." She gave another small nod, looking back to the humming machine. They walked along for a few minutes, John was surprised that she could keep up with him, even with minimal effort. The small base camp came into view. He led her inside, and down the same hallway as before. They both entered a room, almost identical to the Arbiters.

"The shower is through that door."

"Thank you." As she disappeared through the sliding door, John removed his helmet. He rubbed a hand over his tired face before placing it back down on his thigh. His head shot up as the sound of water began in the other room. John wheezed as something tugged at his chest. Damn....he forgot to take his medication. Having been operated on so many times before, it was mandatory for him to take a small dose of a special medication, opted to keep him in good health and keep the side affects away. Shit, it was in the bathroom. He placed his helmet back on his head.

"Cortana, I need my medication. It's in the bathroom."

"Then go get it."

"Some one is using the shower."

"Who?"

"That girl from the other day."

"Good grief...just quietly walk in and grab it! I'm sure the room with be filled with steam anyways." She sighed. He slowly stood. He needed to be quick, who knows how long her showers took. He slowly placed a hand on the cold metal door, and slowly slid it open. Everything was good so far. He could see the tiny orange bottle sitting on the counter, taunting him. Cortana was right, the room was filled with steam. He slowly inched his way over to the sink.

"Ugh, this soap smells like ass." Chief winced as Cortana giggled. Good thing she couldn't hear her laughing.

"Where in the hell does this guy keep the loofa?" She muttered under her breath. John froze as shower door slowly slid open, and a sopping wet woman emerged. More steam piled out of the shower, shrouding John even more.

"Ah, there it is." She grabbed the dark green washing device hanging on the towel rack and entered the shower once more.

"That was too close Chief. I think you should grab your medication and get out." He slowly reached a hand out, and wrapped it around the bottle. Now all he had to do was get out. Success! He let out a long winded sigh as he sat down on the bed once more. He took off his helmet, popped one of the pills, and looked back to the bathroom door.

"You know Chief, she's going to wonder where that bottle went. If she sees you with it she'll know you were in there."

"I was just thinking about that..." He got up, slid the door open a crack, and peered inside. Good, she was still showering. He placed the bottle back in its original place, and made a mad dash for the opening. He slowly closed the door once more, and sat back down.

Samus emerged from the shower, feeling much better. She looked at the orange bottle sitting on the counter top. She bent down on her haunches to read the label.

"take once daily." That was all it said. Under the writing was a list of medications in the pills.

'Oponium two mg, zinc three mg, Nitrate 5 mg.' She recognized oponium as a strong pain medication, zinc as a health supplement, and Nitrate for heart conditions. Maybe he had operations or heart surgery in the past. She dried herself off, and slipped her zero suit back on.

"I think I'll stay in my ship for the night. Thank you for letting me use your shower." With that, she left. All John could do know was sleep.

Samus peeled off her zero suit as she entered the ship. She tossed this in a small metal container, which was the automatic laundry. Sleeping naked was something she grew accustomed to. She reclined the pilot's seat, until it was flat. She dozed off, the mechanical whir of Guilty Spark lulling her to sleep.

John awoke five hours later, feeling better than before. He needed a brisk walk, maybe to her ship.

"Her name is Samus, you know. Last name Aran." John was startled by Cortana's monotone voice. She, obviously being jealous.

"And you found this out how?"

"I heard the Arbiter talking to her after you had your hissy fit. She sure is amazing, I'll tell you that." John perked up.

"Amazing at what?" She giggled, the haughtiness in her voice was apparent.

"I'll leave it to you to figure out." John peeled himself from the bed and briskly walked out into the fresh air. The strange light of predawn streamed through the trees, casting ethereal lights that wove in and out of the tree branches. John often thought back to ancient Sparta, back in the times of Ancient Greece. They were displayed as muscular, powerful warriors, who were taught to steal and kill when necessary. They must have been legendary to be carried on through out history. The sound of Guilty Spark soon came into earshot. The stupid machine would only sing the theme song to Gilligan's Island. An old television show back form Earth. How he acquired the theme song was a mystery to John.

"Ah! Hello Master Chief!" The machine chirped with enthusiasm.

"......Gilligan's isle....."

"Have you seen Samus?" The machine continued singing the tune.

"She is inside, sir." John nodded and spotted a glowing platform leading into the ship. What he saw next startled him. A very naked Samus lay sprawled out on her captain's chair. Her round, fleshy breasts sitting on her chest like mounds of squishy bread dough. Her arms intertwined with one another, her hair askew around her. A patch of downy, soft looking curls nestled between her thighs. This was the first time he had seen a woman naked. Well, there was that one time when he was five when he walked in on his grandmother changing, what a horrid memory. He really didn't know anything about the female anatomy. He had witnessed countless jokes about 'that time of the month when the bathroom smells like a fucking fish hatchery' . He had no idea on what the young marines were talking about. He sometimes caught glances of that strange place between her legs. It was like empty space, nothing there. Unlike males with the apparent 'bulge.' This puzzled John. When he was younger, he remember one of his friends telling him about breasts and what not, and how squishy and amazing they were, apparently they held some mind boggling power that would draw you in to stare at them. He glanced over her body again. She had a small waist, but her legs were nothing from small. Long and muscular, not the muscular you would find on a poster female weight lifter, but muscular in the sense that she could kick you into next week. What intrigued him the most was the softness of her face. He was used to seeing the harsh features of his fellow comrades, a sea of cleft chins and five o'clock shadows along with bushy unkempt eyebrows. She let out a long, very audible sigh that sent a shiver down John's titanium coated spine. He better leave, wouldn't want her waking up. He exited the ship as quietly as he could. As his feet made contact with the soft ground, Guilty Spark spoke.

"Enemies approaching.......S.S. Minnow........Gilligan's Isle."

John crouched on the ground, removing the pistol form his thigh. Two tall, menacing looking aliens walked into the small grove. Fierce bug like mandibles sprouted from their mouths. Large spikes protruded from their backs, flashy blue armor on their chest and torso. A plate of sparkling blue was placed on their heads, two large energy scythes extending from their forearms. They stood at about nine feet tall, both growling and clicking. John shot a clip at them, his bullets did nothing. They merely bounced off. The things let out a loud growl, before they lunged at John. Unlike the Elites or Grunts, these creatures made no haste in trying to kill him. They calmly walked towards him, firing large shots from their cannons mounted on their shoulders. One lunged at John with it's scythe, while the other circled around him, growling. How would he get out of this....He looked in total confusion as the things looked to Samus' ship. They looked utterly mortified. One let out a harsh yelp before running off, the other standing there in fear. It finally ran off as well, leaving a very baffled John.

"Space Pirates." Samus, she was awake, clothed, and standing next to him.

"What are they?"

"Basically the antagonist of the universe. Power hungry, knowledge craving aliens that don't care about their carbon footprint. I have a very, very large grudge against them."

"Can I ask why?" For a spilt second an expression of pain and sadness spread on her face.

"Maybe later." Her voice was soft.

"Lets go eat, wouldn't want to stick around with those things." She gave a curt nod, following him as he walked away from her ship.

They both sat in the main cafeteria, a tiny dimly lighted room with mediocre food. Samus poked at her food, looking up at his masked face.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"No, I don't have an appetite at the moment." She nodded, sipping at the glass of weak tea.

"Are you going to tell me about your grudge against those aliens?" He asked.

"Alright. I lived with my parents on an Earth colony on the planet K-2L. When I was three, Space Pirates came and killed every one but me. It's not the most pleasant thing to see your mother getting stabbed through the stomach by a twenty foot dragon, and then watching as she gets thrown onto a pile of burning corpses. I burnt my hands badly trying to get her off."

She paused. John looked down at her.

"A race of large, biped bird like creatures called the Chozo had visited a few days prior to the raid. I made friends with one, whom I called Old Bird. They found me wandering the planet and took me to their home, where they infused me with their blood. For twelve years I trained under intense gravity, until I left to train with the Galactic Federation. I swore from that day that I would hunt down the Space Pirates, and destroy them."

John felt very empathetic towards her. He knew what it was like being torn away from your parents. He felt bad for them, knowing that they thought he was dead from the clone he was replaced with. Witnessing your mother being stabbed by a monster is one thing, and burning your hands pulling her smoldering body off of corpses is another. He knew she still had quite a story to tell, but he didn't want to force it upon her.

"My whole life, I have always been alone. Everything I have ever held dear has been taken away from me. My parents, the Chozo. Adam....."

"Who?"

"He was my CO, my mentor if you will. He watched over me when I was training with the GF. He was gruff, harsh, the perfect military mind. He called me 'lady' on missions. Coming from Adam, it sounded dignified, not sarcastic. At the end of briefings, he would say 'any objections, lady?', this was a rhetorical question, denoting our trust. On a training mission on a deserted planet, we were attacked by deadly aliens called 'Xenomorphs.' He distracted them so I could escape."

"When I was on Tallon IV after my fist, real mission, I could feel the pain deep within me. This planet too was inhabited by the Chozo. Reading their lore filled me with sadness."

John thought back to the generator. Maybe they could destroy it together.

Maybe...