A/N: Other M is considered half-canon for this story. Similar events have transpired. Any differences will be mentioned as necessary.
As a secondary note, given the Metroid series relatively small list of characters and the large scope of this story, expect a fair amount of original characters. Don't worry, Samus is the main focus of the story and other canon characters will be present where possible.
2-2-19 Edit: Made minor fixes throughout the story up to chapter seven.
Chapter One: Aftermath
Do not worry. One of them will understand. One of them must.
Adam's words echoed in Samus' mind as she laid on the examination table. Despite his certainty, Samus hesitated to place that much trust in the Galactic Federation's bureaucracy. Their laws and bylaws, their rulings and precedents, and worst of all their pencil pushers.
It was only hours after the collision of the BSL station and SR388 that her ship had been picked up by a Galactic Federation Starship, the Poseidon. The destruction of a planet doesn't go unnoticed by the galactic government, nor the destruction of a research vessel filled with biological weapons.
"Look directly at the light," said the doctor, clad in the same bright shade of white as the walls and medical equipment. Samus complied with minor discomfort. "There we go. Now, before we begin, I'd like to bring up your medical history. I want to make sure everything is accurate."
One of them must.
"Go ahead," she responded after a moment of silence. Her attention remained focused on Adam, or rather the artificial intelligence based on Adam's mind. She wasn't sure how to feel now. She had Adam, in some sense, back in her life. His death several years ago was a turning point in her young life. Now it was almost as if that had never happened. But it had. The real Adam was still dead, replaced by a simulation.
Do not worry. One of them will understand.
The doctor rattled off a list of injuries. They were mostly those acquired on the job, broken bones and lacerations, a concussion or two, nothing she couldn't handle. "-minor permanent discoloration of the skin along your right forearm down to your hand, blue and black streaks-" A reminder of the Phazon poisoning she suffered years prior. "-scarring along your back, centered largely around your lumbar region-" And a reminder of her last encounter with Ridley. The real Ridley. Not the X-Parasite's hellish revival. The Ridley she fought on Zebes. "-internal organ damage, infertility-" Samus' mouth flickered into a frown for but a moment.
"Strange. Is the latter related to the internal organ damage?" the doctor asked nonchalantly. "It doesn't state a cause in your file."
"It won't." Samus was blunt in her response. "It's not related to an injury or any other medical condition."
"I find that difficult to believe," the doctor stated in a defiant tone. "Given your medical history, you're lucky to be breathing. There isn't an injury from A-to-Z that you haven't sustained. And if what I'm reading here is correct, you've undergone an experimental medical procedure recently?"
Do not worry.
"I was infected with a parasite while on mission to SR388. They injected me with an antidote made from the cells of the parasite's lone predator. That has nothing to do with the rest of my medical background." She was becoming agitated by this line of questioning.
"As a doctor, I need to understand my patient's condition to give them proper medical care. You've just returned from a very dangerous mission, Miss Aran. I want to ensure that you get proper help." The doctor smiled, his glasses sliding ever so slightly down his slim nose. "If there's something that could help me treat you properly, you should tell me."
Samus made a grunt of disapproval. "The infertility is due to my Chozo heritage. It isn't in the medical file because I petitioned for it to be removed years ago."
The doctor frowned. "That isn't something you can just do."
"It is when you know the right people." Samus took a deep breath.
"It's nothing you need to worry about, Doctor. The Chozo made me this way. If it were an issue, we would know already, and I don't think there is anything the Federation could do to save me at that point." The Chozo had been far ahead of any other civilization in terms of medical technology. Their understanding of biological life was astounding. It was that prowess that allowed Samus to survive on Zebes as a child, by infusing her with their blood. Even if it came with side effects, it allowed her to thrive.
"Very well." The doctor relented. "Everything in the file is correct, however?" Samus nodded. "Then I'll begin a standard treatment. One SynthiGel injection and you'll be ready to go." Samus winced at the word injection. Despite her numerous battle scars, it wasn't the Space Pirates that got to her. It was getting her shots. The doctor reached into a drawer and pulled a small blue vial and a syringe.
Do not worry.
Samus didn't look as he prepared the shot, preferring to take a few breaths in preparation. The alcohol on her skin was cold, and perhaps because of the Metroid vaccine burned her far more than it had any right to. A silver lining to this was that her focus on the burn distracted her from the pinching sensation of the needle.
Do not worry.
Samus grunted from displeasure as she felt the SynthiGel working its way through her veins. A recent medical technology breakthrough, SynthiGel acted as a foam-like substance that sought out internal injuries and closed them. If this breakthrough had been discovered a few years earlier, it might have saved her some trouble. If there were no internal injuries, the foam would dissipate within hours.
"You don't appear to have any recent external injuries, no lacerations or bruising. Are you having any discomfort or unusual symptoms?" the doctor asked as he pulled the syringe out of her arm and covered the hole with gauze.
"Nothing unusual." She lied. There was a burning sensation at eye level. That damn light.
The Doctor took a step back, looking at the computer pad on the counter. "If that's the case, I don't believe there are any major issues for you to worry about at the moment. For someone as, well, experienced as yourself you're in remarkable shape." He traced his finger along the pad. "I'm going to refer you to a specialist, however. While I may be an expert on physical wounds, I am not a psychiatrist and can't properly treat any mental anguish you may have suffered on this excursion. And given your particular background and the nature of-"
Samus cut him off. "I don't need to see a shrink."
It was the doctor's turn to be curt. "This is not up for discussion, Miss Aran. You were ordered to come see me by-"
And once again, Samus cut him off. "Yes, I know. And I know I am required to follow your instructions, up to and including going to a psychiatrist. I am telling you now that I do not need one. I have been to a psychiatrist. I have been to several, in fact."
One of them will understand.
"There is nothing new about my situation that can be discussed. I haven't had an episode or a panic attack in years." Samus' cheeks were tinged with red at this point. "This mission hasn't changed that."
The doctor tapped his fingers rhythmically on the counter. He did so for several seconds. Samus found it irritating.
"Very well," he finally said. "I will not recommend you go to a psychiatrist. That being said, I cannot imagine how well that will go over with the tribunal. Wouldn't you prefer getting a professional to say that you were mentally sound when you wiped SR388 from the star charts?"
Samus pursed her lips and for a moment looked away from the bright light and directly at the doctor. "You may be right, but I'm willing to take that chance." The doctor said nothing in response and simply signed his name on the pad.
Samus paced down the gray corridors of the GFS Poseidon, quietly formulating her plan as she made her way to the bridge. It wouldn't be long before the Federation charged her with something. She needed to find a lawyer, a good one, and with the money she collected as a bounty hunter that would be easy. She had a few on standby from the last time she blew up a planet.
The parallels between this situation and her final excursion to Zebes were almost too surreal for her to grasp. The reality had only just struck her that not one, but two planets that were home to the Chozo were now gone. A sad irony for the people who saved her from the destruction of her own home. She balled her fist, swallowing her guilt for later, and turned her attention instead to the group of armored marines marching toward her in formation.
Behind the ice-blue visors were some of the best trained soldiers the Galactic Federation had to muster. Samus had fought alongside men just like these for years in the Space Pirate wars. They were well-disciplined, hardy soldiers.
"I don't believe it, Samus freaking Aran!" one of the marines blurted out. Without her suit's intercom his voice sounded muffled, but his bewildered tone carried through. "You're actually here! I thought the boys were messing with me." His head turned to the marines standing on either side of him. "Chucklenuts one and two, show this woman some damn respect." The marines gave Samus a brief salute. The seeming leader of the pack turned his attention back to Samus. "Don't mind them, they're shy around celebrities."
Samus was accustomed to these reactions from soldiers. Some treated her as if she were a part of the military still. It wasn't just respect, it was admiration. Samus never received this treatment when she was in the Galactic Police, but then again she hadn't destroyed countless Space Pirate operations then.
"Easy, boys." Samus raised her palm and faintly smiled. "I'm not a celebrity." She watched as the soldiers slowly lowered their arms and relaxed their posture, even if only a little. Samus used this chance to change the conversation. "Would any of you happen to know the quickest route to the bridge? I'm looking for the ship captain."
"The bridge?" The marines became rigid and raised their hands to their head at the sound of an Irish-accented voice coming from behind Samus. Samus recognized it immediately and spun around to find Colonel Mullan standing there, hands behind his back as he looked through Samus to the men now behind her. "I don't suppose the three of you would, would you?" His words spoke of contempt for the marines, but his tone was neutral. He was being playful, in his own way. "At ease, men."
"Colonel Mullan, you're here?" Samus asked. This was not a development she had expected. Colonel Eugene Mullan was one of the highest ranking officials in the Galactic military. He had spearheaded several assaults on Pirate vessels and bases, and was in his own right a war hero. Despite this, Samus took a personal disliking for the man. They were ideological antitheses. He was among the many reasons she did not stay with the Galactic Police when she was a young woman.
"Given the circumstances, I requested that I personally see to it that you came to Daiban." He spoke matter-of-factly. "In fact it's fortunate that I found you. You're looking for Captain Nakahara, yes?"
Samus didn't understand the point of asking a question he knew the answer to, but she nodded. He seemed pleased by this and responded by directing the marines to go about their duties.
"Follow me, Aran. Nakahara is currently waiting for us in his quarters." Samus followed behind at a distance, her mind now formulating a plan on how to deal with the coming interrogation. Mullan could be a brutal man.
One of them will understand.
No, they won't, Samus chided herself. Mullan most assuredly would not understand.