Halo: Dread
Prologue:
The story so far…
Halo
2149 Hours, November 10, 2552 (Military Calendar)/ Slipspace Dyson Sphere, planet Onyx
One week had pass already since Dr. Halsey, Chief Mendez and the Spartan survivors had entered the shield world. Nothing useful aside from the Cryo tower was found. There seemed to be no way to open a portal from the inside and food reserves were almost depleted.
"Franklin, I think we will have to enter the forerunner cryopods and hope for the best." Dr. Halsey said. "You are right, but it may take years, centuries even, for anybody to find us." Halsey nodded and took a deep breath. "I know, but that's better than dying in here waiting for anybody or starve to death."
"I'll tell them, get the pods ready." Mendez said.
0915 Hours, July 14, 2630 (Military Calendar)/ UNSC Forward Unto Dawn, unknown location.
The rear half of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawnhad been floating in space for almost a century know. The only two crew members onboard had entered stasis to save their lives, hoping anybody would eventually receive the distress beacon activated 78 years ago. In the darkness of space, the damaged ship slowly approached a large object camouflaged in the shadows and echoes of vacuum.
Metroid.
05:14, January 25, 20X5 (Cosmic Calendar)/ GF courtroom/ planet Norion
Samus Aran, the famous, almost mythical bounty hunter was being judged by a Galactic Federation Tribunal on court. She was called in to court a week before, she could have escaped to space, she could have disappeared and nobody would have found her, but her own values and the advice of the AI based on Adam made her do the right thing, in hopes somebody would understand her motives.
The judge begun the judgement, with Samus accused of the following charges:
Damage to the Federation:
Destruction of the BSSL
Damage to the environment:
Destruction of SR388
Extinction of SR388's flora and fauna (including the x)
Destroying billions of credits in Federation's projects:
X and Metroid Clone test subjects destroyed.
"Samus Aran should be punished for what she's done. She on purpose destroyed 5 years of hard work and millions of spent credits. We were cloning metroids on BSSL because, as the federation was already informed, we were trying to use the metroid's potential for good. It's biology gave could gave us unlimited medicinal healing. Ms. Aran destroyed the hope of many patients suffering from terminal diseases and fatal wounds. Ms. Aran herself can detail how a metroid cured her during one of her missions." A scientist acting as a 'survivor' of the BSL said.
"I see, Ms. Aran, what do you have to say about that?" The judge asked.
"Your honor, I was only doing was seemed to be right at the moment, and it still does. The eradication of the X parasite was totally necessary. The X were kept at bay by the metroids on SR388, but when I destroyed them, they took over the planet again, fortunately, SR388's fauna was just non-sentient beings, giving the X limited intelligence. But I saw their behavior
change on the BSL, they seem to have the ability to absorb the host's intelligence and memories. They were just waiting for Federation reinforcements to arrive, they would have took over their knowledge and escaped to any nearby colony. For what I saw, they would completely infect a colonized planet in a matter of weeks, giving it millions of hosts to mimic. The potential treat of a whole X armada not to mention the Sa-X was inmense.
There would have been no way to stop them, they would slowly infect this galaxy and invade any neighbor galaxies. I lived the X threat, sir, and you have no idea how dangerous the x could be." Samus protested.
"But, Ms. Aran, you were only one, our troopers could have contained the x along with the Sa-X." The judge affirmed
Samus grabbed her head in desperation. "The only reason I survived the X parasite was because of my recently developed ability to absorb the X thanks of the metroid vaccine."
"So, you destroyed the cure AND the disease? If the BSL had not been destroyed by your heroic acts, Ms. Aran, and IF the x had escaped as you described, we would always count on metroids as an effective way of attacking it." The judge affirmed.
"But the metroid labs were destroyed first by the Sa-X!" Samus assured.
"And just were do you think the Omega metroid you battled came from? We had more than one metroid research labs on the BSL, besides, you have always been aggressive towards the metroids, you wanted them finished more than anything." The judge said.
Samus was very angry and frustrated, the judge seemed to want to see her in jail no matter what. "But that's illogical and irrational! The federation ordered…" Samus was aggressively interrupted by the judge. "You have said enough Ms. Aran, I have already made my decision and I declare you guilty. Any objections?" Nobody in the jury objected against the judge, not because he was right, but in fear. Everybody knew the kind of business he was in. He owned half of the federation in bribes. He had a tremendous amount of power, nobody dared to object,
The judge was about to sentence in injustice the bounty hunter, when suddenly somebody steeply shouted: "Wait a minute!"
It was Admiral Castor Dane entering the courtroom, walking towards the judge. The jury looked at the Admiral in total surprise and despite. "No, this has to be a joke, Dane! What the hell are you doing here?"
Dane smiled in confidence. "I can't believe that after all Samus has done for ALL of you scums! You pay her like that. Is this the way you demonstrate your gratefulness to her for saving your ass countless times?"
The judge was about to explode in anger, you could tell by the look in his eyes he wouldn't hesitate in killing the admiral if he could. "I won't allow any more disrespect on my court Dane! This arrogant criminal has to pay for the destruction of the BSL along with all of the biological experiments it contained, it…" Admiral Dane interrupted. "IT would not even exist if it wasn't for Samus, 'your honor'" he said sarcastically "the BSL and all of your little projects wouldn't even exist. Space Pirates would already have enslaved us with their metroids." The judge was surprised by the statement Dane just said, especially by the 'project' part. "That's right Frank, I know many things about you, so you better make justice on this innocent woman, or I will talk."
The judge was left shocked by the last statement of the Admiral. "Samus, as soon as you leave this room I would like to see you on the Olympus, I need to talk to you." The Admiral walked away leaving Samus in full peace. She could feel her soul rest.
"I declare the accused innocent." Samus walked away with a smile on her face heading for the Olympus.