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This is my first fanfic, so any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Also, thank you so much to blaiseingfire for their amazing support of this story!
Chapter 8: Glorious Battle
Samus felt a tremendous sense of relief wash over her as she stepped from the bleak, desolate wastelands into the verdant green of the forest beyond.
This is better then the desert, but damn is this place annoying!" Samus thought as she shoved her way through the low-hanging vines. The purplish-green tendrils spiraled down from the towering trees, tangling and ensnaring anything that attempted to push through them. They were covered with sticky barbs that got stuck on her armor, and then stuck to her hand when she tried to rip it free.
Not only were the vines annoying, they were potentially dangerous. The tendrils impeded her vision to such an extent that she could never see more than five feet in front of her at a time. If any Pirates were aware she was there, she could be so easily ambushed.
She scanned the vines and obtained data about them.
"Scan complete", her computer reported, "Species confirmed as Creeper Vines. These vines hang low from the native ginkgo trees, and secrete a sticky fluid that ensnares and liquefies small insects. Suggest using Morph Ball to avoid."
"Not a bad idea," Samus thought.
And it wasn't. Though the Creeper Vines hung very low to the ground, roughly half a meter, the fluids seemed to not extend that far. The vines no longer clung to her in her ball form, and she could move much more quickly. Also, she was pleased at how much more hidden she was.
She was actually starting to enjoy the scenery. While the forest was as secluded as the Desert of Sorrow, it didn't carry the same feeling with it. The forest, which she had discovered was called the Forest of Ancients, was a place of safety and peace. She felt like she could relax against the trunk of one of the massive trees and forget her worries.
After a few more hours of travel, she was relaxing in just such a way. She had actually begun to drift off to sleep when reptilian voices roused her.
"What the hell are we doing here again?"
"Quiet, you fool. Remember, it has been confirmed that the Hunter is planet-bound. She brutally murdered two members of E-squad. We found her ship in the desert, but that has been taken care of."
"What did those sons of bitches do to my ship?!" Samus thought. She went back to listening.
"How'd we find it there? She has ever eluded our efforts before."
"The idiot actually told us she was here," came a third voice, "on one of E-squad's radios, which we traced to the desert."
Damn. She knew she would come to regret that.
It seemed a large number of Pirates were here, for she heard a fourth voice.
"How long do they expect us to wait? She could have gone in any direction."
The second voice she heard, seemingly the leader, responded immediately. "Until the General or Kraid remove us! Now get back into place, or I'll kill you here and now and say a Borer got you!" There came a cracking sound, and Samus got the idea that the member had just been pistol-whipped.
The leader continued, "We must protect the Hive at all costs until the Injection is complete."
"The Injection…that can't be good," Samus decided she had heard enough.
Thankfully, her Morph Ball transition was silent. She curled around the trunk of the tree, and came upon a circle of Pirates. A quick count told her that she faced ten. She almost laughed; it was going to be too easy.
She quietly uncurled from the ball behind the nearest Pirate. Reaching out, she yanked him behind the tree.
He tried to cry out, but was silenced by her left hand over his mouth. Her other arm curled around his neck. She squeezed briefly, crushing his windpipe. She could see the terror in his eyes as he tried to cry out, then the spark of life slowly fading.
"Where did Private 8-02 go?" came the cry from the leader.
"I bet a Borer got him," said one high-pitched, quavering voice. A new recruit, Samus guessed.
Deciding to come out into the open, Samus singled out the leader, identifiable by the red stripes on his armor, in her sights. She let loose an Acid Beam shot, following up with two more, not knowing the resistance of the armor.
"Look out! She's here!" This cry did not come from the leader. He was already dead, exposed organs and bones showing through the giant hole in his face and chest. His shining skull grinned at her.
"Call for backup! We need reinforce…" This command was cut off as Samus lunged through the brush, tackling the Pirate. A few quick Power Beam shots reduced his head to a bloody pulp.
Recovering from their shock, the Pirates began slashing and shooting at Samus. It made little difference. She moved as a blur, dodging, shooting, crushing, killing.
Samus had never known such a feeling. Except for Ridley, the beast she hated so much, she bore few of the Pirates personal enmity. She had always remained in a cold, calculating state when battling them, staying detached from her emotions.
The attack on the Federation vessel had changed matters. For the first time, she had seen Pirates who weren't simple killing machines, humanoids devoid of any emotion. Now, they were more than pawns. They were more than obstacles for her to overcome. They had shown such a capacity for cruelty and corruption that she couldn't believe that one being could contain it all. They deserved to suffer.
She had completely abandoned her training. Letting her anger flood throughout her entire body, she tore through the squad. She felt invincible. What a joy it was to slaughter the enemies of the peace! She almost cackled with joy.
Such was her ecstasy that, as the final soldier fell with a gaping hole where a stomach used to be, she actually sprayed several shots in a circle, desperate for her next opponent, before she realized that they were gone.
She searched their bodies, striding through the blood and gore around her as if it were nothing but grass. Disappointed to find no more Beam Modules, she did however find a large knife that slid into a sheath above her left knuckles, a razor sharp blade that extended over 8 inches past her clenched fist. She was admiring it when she heard the sound of engines overhead. The reinforcements had come.
Pirates fell like rain around her. She counted over thirty in all, more than she had ever faced at one time before. She couldn't wait to begin.iveHi
Before the all the Pirates had even landed, she moved. Diving into her Morph Ball, she set a bomb near the first enemy, blowing his legs off at the knees. Straightening again, Samus grabbed the next one and held him in front of her. He jerked several times as dozens off shots from the other Pirates, seeking Samus, obliterated his life.
Dropping the lifeless body, Samus whipped around as a Pirate tried to sneak up behind her. She grabbed him and, with a brief slash, slit his throat with her new blade. She let off two Acid Beam shots, taking one Pirate on his gun arm and another in the chest. The first Pirate fell to his knees, clutching his arm in horror as it dissolved. The other slowly keeled over, ominously silent.
Samus continued to tear through the soldiers, though she was careful of her energy levels. She knew that she couldn't evade every shot.
The Pirates had made a critical mistake, however. They were so numerous that they actually impeded each other as they leapt forward, eager for the blood of the Hunter. Several of them were killed by shots fired by their own sides as Samus evaded them.
Again and again, Pirates fell. Samus tackled one before standing and crushing his throat with her heel. She grabbed the next and stabbed him in the gut. She ripped upwards, and blood and innards sprayed everywhere as the mortally wounded Pirate fell.
She knew that the power of her Arm Cannon gave her an enormous advantage, between her missiles, Power Beam, and new Acid Beam. However, she was again breaking some of those maxims drilled into her skull by Old Bird. She was completely immersed in her anger and adrenaline, enjoying the feeling of Pirate flesh and armor giving way beneath her fury. It was one thing to simply snipe them all, but that was the old her. Emotionless, unfeeling, focused only on the job before her. That Samus had reveled only in efficiency.
But not anymore. She was beginning to appreciate the glory of physical battle. It was her against the enemy, and she would win because of her prowess in battle, not her suit's power.
She still used her Arm Cannon, of course. Countless Pirates were dead because of it, and she was not so completely foolish as to discontinue its use simply because she had found a different form of battle.
With a hideous scream, falling in a spray of his own blood, another Pirate fell. There remained but one. Samus had one final surprise for him. She powered down her suit.
The trooper stared in astonishment. She stood in only her Zero Suit, arms spread wide in an obvious invitation of attack. It must have seemed to be the height of stupidity to the Pirate, for her to give up the reason that she had become such a threat to them. No doubt he was already imagining the glories awarded to him as the one who finally ended the Hunter.
Shaking off his amazement, the soldier charged. His gun was up and firing. Samus noted with amusement that the device seemed to be modeled upon her own Arm Cannon, as if the Space Pirates were attempting to take her power for her own.
What fools they were, to think one's power lay in the strength of their arms. Samus meant to teach this Pirate his final lesson. Weapons are nothing without someone to wield them.
As his bullets sped towards her, followed by the recklessly charging soldier, she was ready. She dove to the side, rolling back to her feet in a graceful move, as though it were all a dance. Unable to stop or turn, the Pirate charged right by.
Before he could even turn, she was on him. Coming up behind him, she dropped to one leg and lashed out with her other. The move cut the Pirates legs out from under him, and he went sprawling. She stood by and watched as he sprung back to his feet, no in the least bit worried about her own safety.
"What a misguided, arrogant fool you are, hunter," the trooper growled at her, "to give up all of your power. Oh, how my comrades will laugh as I tell them of your end."
"Power is relative, scum," Samus replied in an equally low hiss, "A weapon's power is found not in its casing, but in the body of the one who deploys it. You bastards have put all of your efforts into your weapons. You have not given any thought as to how powerful those are who wields them. That is why you fail. That is why, despite your countless efforts to destroy me, you are the ones who forever have fallen. I know where power is. And it isn't in your gun."
"Power is in the wielder, you say? I would bet the newest recruit to destroy you now. The Chozo made you what you are. Without their technology, you are nothing. They built you up. Yet I…I will be the one to tear you down!"
"As much shit comes out of your mouth, you are correct in one aspect. The Chozo made me what I am today. But it wasn't their weapons. It wasn't their technology. It was their teachings. Oh yes, they made me what I am. They made me into the one who will destroy you." And she attacked.
The Pirate laughed. He calmly raised his gun, taking aim. He fired a single shot, convinced that one is all this fight required.
Only to find his quarry unharmed. She had simply jumped, turning into a flip that sent her far over the killing shot. She landed as light as a cat and continued her advance.
The Pirate frowned, disappointed that his first attempt had failed. He was no more concerned than before, though. She looked so puny compared to his large armor-covered frame. He took aim again.
Samus couldn't believe the arrogance of this soldier. He had been completely ineffectual in attack thus far, had actually been knocked on his ass himself, yet he laughed at her and didn't even bother to attempt an evasion of her attack. She cart-wheeled out of the way, displaying an athleticism that was beyond her reach when weighed down by her armor. She had forgotten how stifling the thing could become.
The Pirate was becoming pissed. There was no way this pathetic little insect could hope to destroy him without her infamous Power Suit. If she was so foolish as to take it off, why did she insist on being so damn annoying when she had no hope of victory? Shaking his head, he raised his gun again.
Only to find it wrenched violently to the side. Samus jumped into the air, spinning into a kick that knocked the gun far too the side. While he was still off balance, she kicked out yet again, connecting with the side of his knee. The blow sent him down on one knee, screaming his pain. His eyes were murderous.
Samus smiled at him, a full mocking grin. If anything, it doubled his rage. He leapt to his feet and punched at her with his gun-covered arm. With its heavy metal covering, the punch could have easily killed her if it connected. It was not to be, however.
She reached out and grabbed the end, stopping the blow and holding it far from the side. She spun in close to him, using her momentum to slam her elbow down on his arm, which she was still holding straight.
The snap of his bone echoed throughout the ancient trees, followed by the cry of rage and pain. Before he could recover, she hooked his other arm with her own. She quickly turned, actually using his weight to aid her throw. He sailed through the air and struck a tree, then tumbled to the ground. He struggled to rise as Samus slowly approached.
She set her foot on his back, pinning him down to the forest floor. He struggled, but was given no reprise.
"Do you understand the difference now," Samus whispered in his ear, "between us? You live by the weapon you hold. The weapon I hold is alive because of me."
A flock of birds rose from the trees, startled by the sharp crack of his neck snapping.
