To say the Space Pirates were gone wasn't an entirely false idea, their homeworld had been occupied by the Galactic Federation, their operations had been thwarted at every turn by the Hunter, Samus Aran, and their planetary stronghold of Zebes had been annihilated in its entirety, leaving nothing but a field of rock where the planet once was. In that sense, the Space Pirates were well and truly gone, their leaders, Ridley, Mother Brain, Dark Samus, were all dead, they had no more fortresses with which to run to and any survivors were in scattered groups that would have no hope of achieving anything other than an early demise by continuing to struggle against the forces of the Federation.
However, the Space Pirates were a far reaching organization, far more so than even the Federation, while the bulk of their numbers came from Urtraghus, they had members from untold numbers of species, and with little care for maintaining a solid empire, they strove deeper and further into the galaxy, only taking the time to fully colonize worlds which were abundant in rare metals, particularly searching for worlds previously colonized by the Chozo or the other ancient spacefaring races. So while it wouldn't be a lie to say that the Space Pirates had been wiped out, such a statement would only be true within the confines of Federation Space, for if one ventured too far beyond the safety of the fleets, beyond the fringe colonies, one would find that they were still a very real threat. And it was only a matter of time before they made a move.
Unsurprisingly, the pirates were furious with the Federation, they had lost worlds, soldiers, their best leaders, precious resources, all because of them and their lapdog, Samus. Revenge was at the forefront of their minds, but they knew they had to be careful, while they still had a strong presence outside of Federation territory, they were still only equal, perhaps very slightly more, in terms of military strength, an all-out war, which they knew would be popular and they had the confidence that their soldiers were more than a match for those of their enemy. But there was a fear there, a fear of the Hunter, of Samus Aran, fighting fleets was one thing, fighting armies was one thing, but this one woman, this one individual, showing up in a bright orange suit of armor as if mocking their incompetence, always appeared, entire worlds fell, Zebes, Tallon, Aether, always alone, she marched through their forces, and never failed to completely destroy anything they had built up. A war against the allies of Samus was a hopeless endeavor, who knew the damage she could do if they angered the Hunter.
But after six years of simmering resentment, something occurred that created exactly the opportunity the pirates needed, the events on board the B.S.L. and the destruction of SR388. It took a year after it actually happened to reach the pirates who lived far beyond the reach of Federation news outlets and information brokers, but it was heard eventually. At first the reaction was one of further fear, Samus Aran had ruined another planet, the Metroid homeworld at that, yet their fear soon became joy as the news came of the results. SR388 had become a planet of interest to the Federation, as had the research being done on board the B.S.L., and the actions of Samus were not taken kindly at all by the Federation, declaring the Hunter a criminal and ordering her hunted down herself. While the situation seemed to be that she had fled from the Federation, she certainly hadn't been found and her assistance had been non-existent since the incident, one thing was certain, she was no longer a friend of the Federation. This, in the absence of the one who had been the end of all the pirates' greatest operations, was the perfect opportunity, to wage war.
And wage war they did, 18 months after the destruction of SR388, the entirety of the Space Pirate fleets entered Galactic Federation space with intent to subjugate, plunder and destroy. Federation intelligence had ensured that they were prepared for the coming invasion, but nevertheless, the relentless pirate attacks, and the number of fringe worlds demanding protection made it impossible to hold the border and within a week, the galaxy was at war. And in this time of confusion, of suffering, the renowned 'Galactic Savior', was nowhere to be found, the Champion of the Chozo, the Hero of Aether, the despised 'Hunter': Samus Aran, remained hidden…
Caesarea Prime was a world far disconnected from Federation control, hundreds of other systems lying, mostly unoccupied, between its own dusty surface and the worlds controlled by the galaxy's most powerful government. Despite this, the world boasted a huge population for a colony, with more than three billion inhabitants on a world close in size to Mars. The people of the world were scattered about, with nearly a thousand small cities dotted around the landscape, surrounded by farms that tried to make the most of the world. But geographically wasn't the only way, and probably not even the most obvious way, the population was scattered, for the demographics on the planet were quite possibly the most varied in the galaxy, no single species was able to claim more they made up more than 3% of the total population, with the vast majority holding less than 1%.
Of course, there was a reason for this, the planet wasn't ever a designated colony, but instead formed as a meeting place for fugitives from the Federation, rebels against the space pirates or other lowlifes who simply didn't want to live within the bounds placed on them in the more civilized areas of the galaxy. There was never a directed colonization effort by any single species, rather, as more and more criminals made it a place of refuge, certain individuals rose up as leaders, forming gangs, which as they grew required a civilian presence to provide food, clothes and other services, eventually leading to small towns, which eventually grew into cities. In the current situation, most of these warlords were now governors, with each city having a semblance of law, each dictated by the governor's personal opinions, which still satisfied most on the planet, for any disposition, one was more than likely to find a city who had similar morals, or lack thereof.
Beyond the cities, there is little more than farmland, followed by vast tracts of red or pink desert, the little fertile land hotly contested by the various governors, ownership of which is normally the result of charisma or whoever can convince the best fighters that they can offer the most in terms of reward. The farmers themselves are rarely people to be trifled with either though, many came from backgrounds that were less than friendly and they were often used to dealing with people violently.
All in all, Caesarea Prime was no place for someone looking for somewhere peaceful to settle down, it might have kept one away from the bureaucracy of the Federation and even the Space Pirates were wise enough to avoid angering the population, but if one wasn't able to stand on their own, they would quickly find themselves vanishing.
But for those who were able to make it a home, and were strong enough to keep it one, there was always a way to prosper. Each governor had laws, and where there are laws, there are criminals, anyone strong enough to chase down and capture, dead or alive, the types of fugitives who lived on a world already populated by them would have no trouble quickly getting rich.
And on an exceptionally sunny afternoon, six months after the war between the Galactic Federation and the Space Pirates broke out, in the city of Titan, an example of that strength was strolling up the main market street to the residence of the governor, holding a large pistol to the back of a vaguely frog-like, humanoid alien, with wide purple eyes that seemed to be trembling and warty, olive colored skin.
The captor was herself human, at least in appearance, she had golden-brown, chin-length hair with a lock of slightly longer hair on each side of her head, framing her face. Her brown eyes were emotionless, focused solely on her prisoner and the gun she held to the creature's head. Her attire was rather concealing of her figure, a thick cloak made of a rough cloth that was an ugly-green camouflage pattern, over the top of an unseen black shirt, brown combat trousers and black boots.
The crowds parted as she came to a halt a few feet from the door of the building, those who had been trading in the street pausing to look up. Most had heard of this new arrival, she had shown up little under a year ago and immediately began taking up jobs, hunting down anyone and anything that angered the governor, and she seemed exceptionally good at it as well. There were only rumors of how she actually did it, and those varied quite a bit depending on who you might ask, but they all maintained that she had never failed once she had selected a target and never took more than two days to bring them to the door of Governor Vis.
"Vis!" Her voice suddenly called out as she pushed her captive to his knees, keeping her gun firmly pressed against the back of his head, "If you want Jirol, he's right here!" A few moments passed in silence before the heavy metal door of what was essentially the city hall creaked open on its motorized hinges and the governor stepped out, flanked by two armored bodyguards, both carrying large energy rifles. For a kriken, Vis' skeletal appearance was rather bulky, a combination of genetic enhancements and heavy armor, and his crimson body was covered in ornate black markings, add to that the natural aura of intimidation that a kriken gave off and he ended up being a rather commanding figure.
The governor's single eye looked slowly over the prisoner, verifying that it was indeed Jirol, before speaking himself, his voice coming out as a series of chirps and clicks, "Not bad, but if you keep things going at this rate Amanda, you'll lose your job, there's only so many people willing to break my rules." It took a few moments for the hunter, Amanda's, earpiece to translate the speech into something her mind could understand, not that she really responded to what the governor said, instead she moved her thumb around her weapon, flicking a switch on the side, the weapon suddenly emitting an audible hum as it powered up.
"750." There was a mumbling in the crowd watching as Amanda spoke, obviously asking for her payment, several of them knew that the reward offered for Jirol was only 500K, it took someone who was either pretty confident, or outright stupid, to try and push up a price by 50% with someone like Vis.
"Why should I pay more when I clearly made it known what I was willing to reward?" Vis spoke again, unmoving, if he had had a mouth he might have been smirking, it was interesting to see what people were thinking when the pushed against him, especially this one, for one who seemed so intent on hunting down those who broke his laws, opposing him herself seemed a bit of a strange choice.
"The notice didn't specify dead or alive, you give me the 500, you get a corpse, or you can pay the extra 250 for the effort I put in to bring Jirol to you alive and in good health." As she spoke, Amanda pushed the gun forward slightly, prompting a whimper from Jirol who clearly felt the heat emitting from the barrel of the weapon.
Vis stood silent for several moments before turning to one of his guards, "Give her the money, I think it's worth it for an opportunity to get another chat with my dear friend here." Turning his gaze ominously towards Jirol, the alien trembling visibly, obviously not feeling at all comfortable with the idea of this 'chat', Vis took a single step forward as the guard handed the governor a dusty brown pouch.
Amanda's left hand emerged from underneath her cloak, held outstretched to receive the payment which was promptly tossed to her. Catching it neatly in her hand she carefully judged the weight of it before sliding it under her cloak, at the same time flicking the switch on her weapon again, the dangerous humming ceasing as she did so before she swiftly set a foot on Jirol's back and pushed him towards Vis, whose bodyguards quickly stepped forward and grabbed hold of the prisoner.
"You know, I wouldn't mind upping that to a million." Vis took another step forward towards Amanda before gesturing to Jirol, "Having someone with your skills in my personal employ would do a lot to strengthen my position, of course, you would continue receiving your bounties, and more..."
"I work alone."
The response was instant, without hesitation and accompanied by Amanda immediately turning and walking away, as far as she was concerned, she had been paid, the job was done, and she had no intention of becoming anyone's lackey, besides, on a world like this, how long would that position last? Vis watched her walk off for a brief moment before shrugging and returning inside, signalling for his guards to bring Jirol in after him, he wasn't too bothered by the rejection, Amanda was useful enough to avoid annoying, he'd rather have her keep his enemies in check as a freelancer, than be a begrudging employee, he'd wait a while before making another offer.
Regulis' Bar, while it couldn't be said to be an entirely friendly place, was certainly the most civil eating and drinking establishment in the city of Titan, named after the owner, a human hailing from the observation and research colony on Pluto. How exactly he found his way to Caesarea Prime and why was a mystery to all, no attempts at digging up previous criminal activity have been recorded and his business was perfectly legitimate, even Federation officials would have a hard time getting him shut down. But at the same time, he displayed a knowledge of the workings of the underground world that even many who lived in it didn't have, if anyone needed guided around the planet's black market, or wanted to find the most discreet assassin on the world, he would be the one to ask, provided you brought a drink first.
The bar was also a place Amanda frequented, for digging up information about her targets, meeting with informants or simply for a change from her own cooking. While it wasn't official, in the last few months she seemed to have also gained a reserved seat at the corner of the bar itself, close to the door, saving her from wasting time making her way through whatever crowd occupied the building. It wasn't really official, but Regulis strongly encouraged his other patrons to move somewhere else, Amanda was good business, a dangerous enemy, and more simply, a fellow human, there weren't many in Titan, and fewer still choose his place to meet over the dozen others in the city.
And immediately after handing Jirol over to Vis, Amanda made a stop by at Regulis' Bar for a celebratory drink, and it only took her to sit down before Regulis, who tended the bar himself, took notice of her, knowing immediately she had just pulled off another hunt.
"The usual?"
Amanda looked over as the shorter man approached her, it wasn't that he was unusually short, probably about 5'10", but that was almost half a foot shorter than herself and it made him seem quite short in comparison.
"Yeah, and keep the Yerressian out of it this time, I've told you before about keeping alcohol out of my drinks." The words were stern, but at the same time said with a slight smile, Amanda knew the guy hadn't meant any harm by it, but she'd rather he not try adding anything to her order, although she knew he had paid for it, Yerressian was much more expensive than what she had actually ordered.
"Of course, just thought you might prefer something with a little kick in it every so often." Amanda had indeed told him before, it wasn't that she hated alcohol, but she was fully aware of her situation, more than a handful of people were jealous of how quickly she had climbed the ladder of fame in Titan and how much she was being rewarded for it, getting even the slightest bit tipsy wasn't a risk she was willing to take, at least Yerressian was very mild in terms of intoxication, she hadn't been too angry with him when she noticed.
"Take it the job went well then?" Regulis already knew Amanda must have cleared it up, otherwise she wouldn't be here otherwise, but asked anyway, hoping to hear a little about how it went down, but Amanda merely shrugged as he began to put together her drink.
"You could say that, that Jirol was hardly worth it, I don't know what went down between him and Vis, but I wouldn't have paid anyone 10K to hunt him down, let alone 750, any amateur could've taken him in." Amanda closed her eyes and scratched the bridge of her nose as she finished, it had been a rather uninteresting hunt with a disappointing end, seriously, she felt if she had just shouted at the guy he would've surrendered.
"Well, you can't really complain, there are plenty of others who would love an easy job that pays that well."
"Fair enough." Amanda just shrugged again before turning in her seat towards the screen in the corner of the room, which, unsurprisingly, was displaying the news, from a pirate broadcaster of course. Also unsurprisingly, the topic being addressed was the war, even though Caesarea Prime was far disconnected from the Federation and the vast majority of the population harbored some form of dislike for the government, the Space Pirates weren't exactly thought highly of either, and beyond any matter of like or dislike, this was the largest war known to have been fought in the galaxy, interest in its proceedings were high wherever one might travel. The issue of distance and separation meant though that what she was seeing on the screen was likely a week or two old, few cared enough to ensure that fugitive worlds were kept up to date with what was going on.
"There you go." Finishing up Amanda's drink and passing the glass to her, Regulis quickly noted her interest in the news, "Thinking about the war again? Haven't heard of any change in the situation, still seems to be a bit of a stalemate, guess it's just a matter of who runs out of soldiers first." A shout came from the other end of the bar, Regulis quickly looking up and seeing another patron seeking his attention, "Ah, I'll be right back."
Without averting her gaze from the screen, Amanda picked up her drink and quickly downed it as Regulis scurried up to his other customers. What he had said was likely true in some ways, but she knew the situation, Space Pirates were fanatically loyal to their cause, far more than the Federation soldiers. In a bad situation, it was the Federation army that was more likely to give up and flee, abandoning their commanders, and Pirate tactics were used to taking advantage of that, morale was an equal target as lives, one of the many reasons why they preferred violent, close combat encounters, let their opponents see their friends literally torn apart in front of them. The Federation was holding for the moment, but it was only a matter of time before the savagery of the Pirate forces pushed the balance of the war firmly in their favor.
Something about it felt wrong.
Amanda looked down at the empty glass in her hand, here she was, sitting on a planet, thousands of light-years away from the war, sitting in a bar and watching the destruction on a screen…was this really where she should be. Since she had heard about the situation she had been trying to ignore it, that instinctive thought that she should be there. There were varied reasons why she didn't want to return, like many on this planet, she had her reasons for growing to dislike the Federation, but did that give her the right to abandon all the innocent lives that being erased, all the honest soldiers who were truly fighting for no other reason than to protect those behind them?
A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she closed her eyes, she couldn't keep running away, there were people who needed her, she might just be one woman, but that was no excuse for hiding away out here. There would be consequences, sure, but she couldn't deny any longer that the consequences of action were a better bet than the consequences of inaction. It was time to go.
"Well, just let me know if you need anything else." Regulis gave his now satisfied patrons a charming smile before quickly sliding back down the bar towards Amanda, only to find her place empty. In her place, sitting on the bar, was a large pouch, he quickly picked it up and immediately knew it was money, given the situation, he already knew what it was money, unless she regularly carried around money like this, it was probably her pay for Jirol. Underneath the pouch was a scrap of paper with a set of coordinates quickly scribbled onto it, it didn't take him a huge leap of logic to guess it was where Amanda lived, it was known she had her home outside the confines of the city, but no one had actually been able to find, or if they had, they hadn't lived to tell of it.
There were only three reasons Regulis could think of that Amanda would just wordlessly leave like that, giving him a huge amount of cash and her address. Firstly, this was her idea of flirting, which he very much doubted. Secondly, he had just made one hell of a drink for her and just received the biggest tip anyone on the planet was every likely to make. Or thirdly…he glanced up at the screen just as a footage of a evacuation transport getting shot down by a Pirate cruiser was displayed before turning his gaze to the door again, sliding the pouch under the counter and the note into his pocket. Honestly, there was really only one reason he could think of why Amanda had suddenly left.
"Don't die."
Author's Notes: Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter in Metroid Savior, this is an idea I've been working on mentally for years and finally decided to actually get into writing it. I can't guarantee chapters will come out quickly, but I'm trying to prioritize consistency over speed, I don't think I'm the only one who'd rather have a story that's eventually finished than a story that you quickly get the first 5 chapters but nothing more. This series will use a bit of my own canon, I don't know the entirety of Metroid lore after all, and this idea came to mind before the announcements of Federation Force and Metroid Prime 4, so the story will completely ignore the events of these two games. Certain things from other games may not be present either, most of my knowledge of the series comes from full completion of the Metroid Prime Trilogy and Hunters, limited playthroughs of Super Metroid, Fusion and the original, as well as a lot of wiki reading. So sections of this story may conflict with the official canon for the series, but I might no claim that it is or will be consistent. If you have questions concerning specific areas of what is canon for this fanfiction series, feel free to ask me in PMs.
