*Incoming transmission*
*Bounty posted: Samus Aran
Race: Human
Gender: F
Bio: Raised by the Chozo, this human uses a Chozo Power Suit in combat. Now a pirate, she has raided several installations for valuable artifacts and technology. The artifacts have begun to turn up on the black market, but much of the technology, she has implemented into her suit. Data shows that some technology she has stolen more than once, however, implying that she has perhaps lost the use of certain abilities. Current threat level: Orange, likely to increase if she finds more weapons to add to her Power Suit.
Most recent location: Raided and destroyed facilities on Tallus IV.
Bounty: *
Ridley didn't even bother reading the bounty value. He had been after Aran for a long time. The humans and their Federation had made life hard for his people, the Space Pirates, though now they were part of the Federation, having resolved most of their 'differences'. He already knew about the strength of her Power Suit. He also knew that a sufficient shock to her systems could disable many of the additions to her Power Suit, as he'd succeeded in doing that more than once. He skipped through the last few lines before stopping at the final line of the dispatch.
*Posted by: Tallus IV research group, Galactic Federation, Government of Zebes, SR388 Metroid research programs….*
The list went on, feeling like a list of his own failures, though he was glad to see that the Federation was also posting to the bounty. So many times, he had cornered her, nearly defeated her. And EVERY time, she managed to slip away! And she had a habit of destroying things behind her that made her bounty that much higher.
"I WILL get you this time, Aran," Ridley said to himself as he returned to the task at hand. "And you WILL pay for all of the damages you've caused." The room was silent but for the sound of instruments that he was working with. The way he saw it, there were two advantages that Aran had over him: First, she was smaller, and agile, enabling her to avoid many of his attacks as she hammered at the rather large target that he was with her own attacks. And he was always limited by his size as to just how well he could get around in an area. Second was her power suit, and the various add-ons that she could find for it—especially the Energy Tanks that seemed to be abnormally common. He already had a solution for his first problem worked out, and was now putting the finishing touches on the second.
"MODULAR ARMOR SUIT ONLINE AND READY FOR TESTING" rang the computer voice as he activated his new device. The test he was preparing for was simple, yet critical. Two of the suits primary functions were going to be tested: the ability to add on different technologies, and the Morph Ball. If the test succeeded, Ridley would have the first working adaptation of Aran's Morph Ball. Unfortunately, he'd not be able to replicate it for use by his military in general, as the suit and its functions were geared specifically for his genetic code and body structure.
Since his latest failure to defeat Aran, Ridley had pored over all of the information that the Space Pirates had gathered about the Chozo. And found some surprising information, that had been all but forgotten in the archives. Between the research and a few trips to Chozo ruins around the galaxy, he had compiled the data and supplies to build his own Power Suit. And, better still, he had found a Chozo Morph Ball system upgrade, similar to one that Aran might use to restore that function if it were disabled. Now, he was ready to see if it would work. "Begin reduction sequence," he told the computer as he entered the quarantine chamber where he had constructed his suit. Machines began to whirr as they activated, and Ridley braced himself against the pain he knew was coming. But if it worked, it would be well worth it.