Chapter 2
Sudden Realization
Disclaimer: Halo and Metroid belong to Microsoft and Nintendo...
Enjoy!
Ridley watched as the explosion threw many of the still living space pirates towards his ship. He growled in frustration and raked at many of the novice pirates that happened to be in front of him. His wings glowed with an orange-ish strip of shielding that was powered by an internal energy source which allowed him to fly in battle. His eyes glowed red to increase the menacing look that he showed to everything around him. The space pirates around him cowarded.
He turned around and found himself a seat on his throne in the dark, organic looking, ship. As he sat down, one of the pirates, in an alien dialect, gave him information on a small living creature that one of the other pirates had found before the ship enveloped in flame. They had contained it for further study and development.
Upon this news, the space-dragon's mouth started to turn into a wicked grin.
John's POV
The ship exploded in a fiery blaze. Chunks of it flew everywhere into the endless space. The hunter, Samus Aran, was piloting his cramped aircraft and stopped once light-speed had been achieved. Around me, there was only about a foot more room of space on all sides of me. Perhaps if the hunter had allowed me to go into a different compartment, I would have more room. Since that's not how it worked out (I haven't really asked), I had to refrain from accidentally pressing any of the brightly lit buttons that stuck out of the walls. Some I could figure out what they did, others had strange markings that didn't make any sense and others seemed to be just for show. Still, staying still for too long might have ended up exhausting my already freezer-burned muscles. They were still in pain from the unexpected use on both the hunter and the bug-like beings that decided to attack us. It didn't help that I was still tense in the presence of the hunter. There was something about him that seemed... Off... But I guess it could also be due to my brain still thawing from cryo-sleep.
"I suggest you go into one of the other cabins, spartan. You seem to be in need of some more rest." All of a sudden, another AI appeared right in front of me. He seemed to be a life sized version of a man with strange white clothes and medals that I couldn't recognize on sight. His hair was short and black with a few strands hanging over his forehead. He stood up straight and gave the impression that he was of a high authority. "Your artificial intelligence unit may either stay in the place where she is or she may find herself a spot in the ship's internal memory unit. Don't be afraid of using up all the space in this ship's internal memory. It has room to spare." The AI then smiled and disappeared.
"Like Adam says, you should probably get some rest." The hunter turned around in the seat that he sat, "By the looks of things, you were in there for longer than I could ever believe." For a moment, the angular visor on the hunter's helmet lost it's glow, allowing me to see his eyes. They were a blue-ish green color with a darker ring of blue around the iris and long eyelashes. They held a past of pain and suffering, anger and hate, hope and longing. And then they closed as the hunter sighed, "Either go through the door on your left or go through the door on your right, either way, I won't go in there and disturb you. Also, there's no need to feel tense. I don't plan on hurting you or the AI that you hold. Just know that I have my own values and would not dream of dealing with problems of the past." They opened again as the hunter turned around again.
I looked around me and did find two doors but I didn't know how to open either one of them. All the buttons near them looked the same. I still didn't trust the hunter, even as he tried to put any of my worries to rest, it only made me more tense. However, I realized that my muscles were going to give out on me soon. I almost pushed a button that was near the door but advised myself against it since I didn't know if it would make the thrusters on the ship stop, explode or do nothing at all. Perhaps it might have been a button to be used for emergencies only. I would rather not have taken my chances. So, I stood up straight and continued standing where I was.
The hunter looked back at me. He seemed confused and shook his head for a moment before turning back to the ship's controls. My muscles started to twitch only slightly. "Chief," Cortana began, "Perhaps you should have me..." I shook my head and started to finger at the buttons. I didn't press any of them but I knew that at some point, I had to press one... That, or ask the other AI to open the door for me. I didn't trust Cortana inside the ships networking ways. I didn't even trust the hunter's suit when Cortana asked to get the information that she might need. For all I knew, she might have downloaded some sort of virus and could end up being completely erased at any moment.
The hunter turned around again. He seemed to sigh as he got up from his seat, walked over to the door, and with his free hand, pressed a somewhat octagonal shaped button. He then, with his free hand again, waved toward the door to show that it was open. I nodded in some sort of thanks as the hunter rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I forgot that you just barely woke up from cryo-sleep... If you need help with anything else, have your AI tell you. She should know what everything does." The hunter sighed, went back to his seat and turned himself toward the cockpit window again. I nodded again and went into the room that was now open to me. The door closed behind me. The hunter still didn't seem right.
"Chief, perhaps you should let me roam around in the ship's networking ways. Then you wouldn't have the same problem that we just had." Cortana chuckled and was surprised when I didn't pull her out of my helmet. "Chief, You don't have to worry about that hunter. The information that I downloaded should actually put your trust in the hunter's favor."
I sighed, "I still don't trust him. There is something off about him..."
Cortana let out a laugh and said, "Well, you trust me don't you? I trust that hunter. Now, I suggest you let me roam around before you're childishness makes me torture you with how ridiculous you are when it comes to actually opening a door." Cortana started to laugh as I yanked her out of my helmet and found a slot in a terminal next to the door. She had won. She continued to chuckle as she projected herself just as the AI, Adam, had done just before. The only difference was that she didn't look like he did. She was still the same blue-ish purple mess of code that she had always been... Only life-sized... Like when we were in the first Halo's control room. She definitely looked amused.
I sighed as I took off my helmet, put it under my arm and looked around the room. There was more space than there was in the cockpit but the ceiling still threatened to hit my head. There was a bed in the middle of the room that looked welcoming at first glace. When I walked towards it and sat on it, it sank to the ground. I stood back up and it didn't come back up. "Oops..." I scratched the back of my head as I remembered that I was still wearing the rest of my armor. I looked at Cortana who was now in a fit of laughter and started to peal off the armor that encased me. Soon, all that was left was a black under-suit. I sat back down on the bed and looked at my surroundings once again. I noticed there was a closet on one side of the room and on the other, there was another door. I walked over to it and Cortana opened it for me, still laughing as she did so.
It was a bathroom. Perhaps it was just me still warming up from being frozen for all those years but once I saw that shower, I had to strip and clean myself. It was the most refreshing thing that I had felt since I was awake. The water was warm and, as it beat against my sore muscles, it seemed to heal them almost instantly. I didn't want to leave that little box of relief, but I couldn't stand being in the same spot for too long. I ended up leaving within ten minutes.
I wrapped a towel around me, picked up my under-suit that I had left on the ground, walked into the room with the bed, was shown where the hamper was by Cortana, and threw my under-suit inside to be washed. I had lain down on the now broken bed after doing that series of events. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world... But that was my fault. I sighed and got under the covers. I looked over at the door to make sure the hunter wasn't there and then up at the ceiling as a thought struck my mind, "Cortana... What have I missed since I was asleep?"
Cortana crossed her legs as she sat on the ground next to me, "Where do you want me to start? I have a whole galaxy worth of information in here." She smiled and leaned back onto her hands showing that she was relaxed as ever.
"How about we start at the beginning?" I looked at her with drowsy eyes. I hoped I could stay awake for everything that she was willing to tell me.
Cortana chuckled, "So you want me to begin at the start of civilization, huh? I guess I could try and find history from that time period." She brought a hand to her mouth as she continued to laugh. She laughed for a good three minutes before stopping and starting her review of past events, "Well, I guess we'll start with when we disappeared. When we disappeared from Human and Covenant space, they tried to search for us. The Arbiter looked for us but not as diligently as the humans did. The UNSC sent several search parties after us but never succeeded in their assignments. Instead, they found other planets that were willing to join the UNSC.
"After so many planets joined, the planets voted in creating what is now called The Galactic Federation. There is a council that controls all of the actions that are established on each planet. Mining operations, civil wars, trading routes, energy consumption, taxes, energy production, they are all controlled by the Galactic Federation. This form of government had kept the galaxy at peace for the most part.
"One race, particularly, has rebelled against the Federation and has actually declared war on them. They are known as the Space Pirates. They are a species that were evolved from insects into a stronger sentient being. They are capable of speech and they follow a hierarchy system. Their overall leader was once an artificial intelligence by the name of Mother Brain. It was destroyed by the bounty hunter Samus Aran on a mission for the Galactic Federation to eliminate all metroid life. Next down on the list would be the Space dragon, Ridley. He was also destroyed by Samus Aran on the same mission but has since been rebuilt in a robotic form called Meta Ridley. Next down is some sort of Space Dinosaur called Kraid. Again, he was killed by the bounty hunter, Samus Aran, and has not made himself known as of yet. It is safe to say that he, quite possibly, could be dead.
"There have been no flood sightings, but instead, there have been metroid sighting. A metroid is a creature that is able to absorb any other creatures life energy from their body by latching onto them with four prominent pinchers in their larval state, and evolve to be an Omega Metroid unless they have the special DNA to become a Queen Metroid. They grow rapidly when exposed to gamma radiation. They were destroyed along with planet Zebes by the bounty hunter, Samus Aran."
Cortana continued but I found it hard to keep my eyes open. I closed them while I listened for a little while longer. Everything seemed to be connected to Samus Aran, the bounty hunter that had found me at last and had woken me up after all those years on the crippled ship. Perhaps I should have trusted him a bit more... It seemed that the universe didn't need me anymore. They had Samus on their side. It seemed that nothing could defeat that guy. Cortana's voice got quieter and quieter as other thoughts filled my head and the feeling of peaceful sleep started to overcome me. Perhaps, now, I could get the rest that I have deserved for so long...
...Sergeant Johnson stood commanding all his soldiers, yelling, screaming, shouting. Captain Keyes was firing a covenant Needler, piercing through enemy energy shields and shattering on impact. Miranda Keyes is holding a pistol and a shotgun, brutes are surrounding her.
Sergeant Johnson was killed by 343 Guilty Spark. Captain Keyes had been turned into part of the Gravemind. Miranda was shot by truth with a needler.
Comrades that were now dead... Friends that would be missed... Family that would forever mourn...
War, death, destruction, sorrow, hate, acceptance. Fight...
"DARN IT, ADAM! I TOLD YOU TO GET ME ACCESS TO THOSE FILES!" A woman's voice rang as well as a thud as it sounded like someone hitting a table with their fists.
"Lady, everything that I try to get into is locked by the Galactic Federation. Only certain people can access those files."
The woman seemed to start muttering to herself, "I save their sorry butts and this is how they repay me? They don't even let me into past files that almost nobody cares about anymore. I swear, all the Federation is comprised of are numb-skulls that don't know how to show gratitude." Her voice grew louder and louder as her frustration became more evident.
I got up from my bed, got my under-suit that was now cleaned, put it on, got my other armor pieces, put those on and finally put my helmet on as I grabbed my assault rifle. The door to my room opened a small crack once I asked Cortana to do so. I looked out to where the voices were coming from. If someone was trying to get government secrets, it would have been best for someone such as I to listen in and see if it was something worth doing something about. The woman couldn't be seen but the AI was right in my line of sight. She must have been sitting in the pilot's seat. I had my weapon ready.
"Lady, please calm down. I shall try a different method of getting into the database that you seek." I saw the AI working. For a brief moment, he almost looked like Cortana as he flashed green with coding running through him then back to his original form, "I believe I have gotten the information that you seek."
"Show me." The woman's voice rang out.
A holo-projected screen came onto the cockpit's window in a rectangular shape. Information covered it from corner to corner and a small triangle in the bottom right hand corner showed that it still had more to list off. The woman began to read aloud, "The UNSC forces were a large military organization which was there to help find new alliances on different planets and create peace throughout the galaxy. It also had scientific research divisions but most notable was the Orion and Spartan-II projects which created a group of elite super-soldiers that helped out in times of war. These 'Spartans' were known and feared by the covenant, calling them 'Demons.' They wore MJOLNIR class armor and were known throughout the galaxy. They were the heroes of the UNSC. A note worthy spartan is Spartan 117 who has earned every medal except for the Prisoner of War medal... Hmm... Seems our little friend here is famous."
It was obvious that she was reading selectively and paraphrasing some parts. However, that was top secret information that no one was supposed to get into. Whoever the woman was, she wasn't going to get by so...
The pilot's chair turned around. The woman was wearing the hunter's suit of armor but the helmet was missing. Instead, it was underneath the left arm of the hunter. As I looked at her, I realized that she was the hunter that had saved me. She had the same blue-green eyes. She had long, blonde hair that was tied up into a ponytail. As she stood up, I realized that I should have noticed it sooner since her waist was so small. I blamed my brain that must have still needed to thaw a little bit more. Then, in a flash of light, the suit was gone and replaced by a skintight blue suit. I could see the woman's slender, curvy, muscular shape perfectly. She stood to be only a few inches shorter than what her suit had originally been. She started to walk towards the other door of her ship.
The bounty hunter that I had once thought was a man... Turned out to be a woman. A woman that could withstand at least some of my attacks.
A/N: I wanted to thank everyone for encouraging me to continue on. ^_^ I will try my best for you guys. Before you say anything about Master Chief not knowing about Samus being a girl, I just love people's reactions to Samus being a girl. I know very well that Chief had once worked with women in armor... Now I'm curious as to what my reaction was when I figured it out... I don't remember... I think at that time I didn't really know about Samus and Metroid... I just remember playing Halo ever since I was little and then looking up youtube videos and figuring out about Samus... Then I figured out that I had a Metroid game for the Gamecube... The first one I ever had. Metroid Prime. I fell in love with it and the art style and continued to play through the rest of the games. I really enjoyed them. ^_^ All of them... Even if I have yet to finish The original Metroid, Fusion and Prime 2... Hehehe... *Has the Metroid Prime trilogy and still is afraid to play it* ^_^;. Also, I've played through all the Halo games except for Halo 4 and Halo Wars. I want Halo 4 so badly though... Oi... The joys of being flat broke... And a teenager... XD
