Chapter 9: Second Cataclysm

Samus' gunship leaves the hyper space warp she took away from Tallon IV, her ship floating in the vastness of space miles away from a lone planet in the distance. This planet was a bit smaller than Tallon IV, but appeared to have a more thriving atmosphere at a first glance. How, the pale blue ring surrounding the planet was plagued in the upper left by an interdimesional dark purple storm that was slowly but surely spreading across the world of Aether just as the Aurora Unit had stated it would.

Directing the flight of her ship towards the planet, Samus prepared for a rough entry due to the violent lightning erupting from the dimensional storm, and with a turn of her head the hunter calmly said to her resting passenger Riku "Be ready to brace yourself if things get rough."

The teenage Overlord, having barely slipped into a state of sleep, cracks his eyelids open in a drowsy manner and looks out past the window as the planet grew larger thanks to the distance being closed at a rapid pace, and with a nod of his head he stuck to the ground and grabbed onto the most solid object in sight with his right hand to help keep him anchored. Samus' gunship dives into the atmosphere, descending at a fair enough speed that only a cone of fire appears around the nose of the ship as she enters the clouded planetary skies.

Eventually though the time came to decrease the speed of her descent to avoid a hard collision with the ground, and an average tug on the brake lever slowed the gunship to the point that Samus is able to quickly pull the ship up and glide roughly two hundred feet above the planet's surface. With only a light bump disrupting him, Riku quickly relaxed his muscles and pulls his arm away from the devices beside him, letting his limbs rest down beside his body as he leans back once more and tries to get a little rest, taking a deep breath in and out to calm his tightened heart.

Samus glances outside the window as she flies, watching in particular the advancing interdimensional storm to the west of her ship. She can only glance for moments at a time though, for she needs to pay attention to the landscapes below the ship to make sure that she doesn't miss her desired destination. The last time the hunter had traversed Aether the lands were barren thanks to the interdimensional storms ravaging all things natural in the world. But now that the planet's inhabitants the giant moth-like humanoids known as Luminoths had a chance to fix their planet, greenery was starting to bloom and bring color to the lands.

This very shrubbery, trees and flowers would all be lost once more though if the interdimesional storm brought on by the cruel ravager of existence Phazon wasn't dealt with immediately. But dealing with the reborn Dark Aether would require Samus to take different measures than she did with the other two planets, and for that reason she guided her ship towards one of the towering branches connected to a giant hive-like temple hovering above the center of the Luminoth's sacred grounds. After finding a perfect landing spot on a cliff side to the left of one of the temple entrances, Samus activated her ship's lower thrusters to help with the final descent.

The wings unfurl into legs, and a single decompression of the mechanics in the ship is all it takes to signify that the landing has gone perfectly. Samus waits for the engine to die down before she turns the ship off fully, but while she deals with this process the hunter turns her head to look at the resting Riku and whispers to him "I'm going to head into this temple. Please wait here until I return."

The teenage Overlord subconsciously nods in his bout of drowsiness, and after lifting herself up from her seat the hunter uses the lift in the back of her ship to head out into Aether. The Varia Suit adjusts to the atmosphere of the planet to help its owner survive, and with a click of her arm cannon as she steps forward the lift rises up into Samus' gunship and the self-defense system is activated on the outside. "That should do for now…" The hunter comments quietly as she takes one quick look at her ship and proceeds towards the towering branch to the northwest of her current location.

Leaping down from the ledge she landed her ship on, Samus makes it to the doorway and uses her arm cannon to undo the laser barrier so she can enter the branch itself and find a single rounded elevator inside. Much like on Tallon IV, there is a scan console off to the side of the elevator that the hunter is able to activate with her visor, and a hologram appears in the center of the elevator that once again Samus would have to step on to use. Once she does this, the elevator thrusts upward at a diagonal slant, making its way through the towering branch towards the hive-like exterior temple the Luminoth call their home.

The elevator ride is wrought with a brighter atmosphere than the previous one the hunter had to deal with, though there is still this underlying sense of darkness present within the shaft as Samus readily rises towards the very top. Whether this sensation was created by the interdimesional storms from afar or if it was a natural part of the temple itself was something the hunter couldn't determine even though this was her second time being in this particular shaft. Eventually the ride comes to an end with a sudden halt, but the strength of it is not enough to jolt Samus off of her feet. Magnetic clamps latch around the elevator to keep it in place, and the hunter gets off and begins to slowly advance through the temple.

The walls are definitely archaic in design, but if one looked closely enough some ancient technology can be found within that all appears to be functional. This very tech is clearly meant to help keep the temple suspended in the air alongside the three towering branches surrounding it on the outside. "Its silent in here…My visor isn't picking up any signs of enemy life, meaning the Ing haven't tried an invasion of the temple grounds yet. But if I'm correct, the Ing would have to recollect the energy from the Light Energy Controllers of Aether before they could even hope to invade this temple. The only way to know for certain about the Ings' progress is to go speak to U-Mos, the Sentinel of the Luminoths…"

With the hunter's inner monologue done with she opens the door in the front of her, surprised afterwards by the fact that there is no wall blocking the way to the central part of the temple. Samus advances on while thinking about the situation meticulously in her mind "The Luminoth had once blocked all but one of the entrances to their temple with an encryption that could only be decoded by my visor once I obtained a translation core from the Luminoths themselves. But now despite the return of Dark Aether and the Ing the barriers haven't returned, and I can only hope that is because the Ing didn't simply go for a direct assault on the temple grounds this time around…"

Looking towards the left of where she currently stood, the hunter made her way towards the northern door of the temple and used her arm cannon to open the path inside, finding herself in front of a grey stone platform with a couple crimson, crescent shaped marks along the edge. There were a series of glowing, see-through wires curving past the top of the ceiling that led into the room at the top floor of the temple, but in order for Samus to reach that room she had to quickly scan another console to activate the elevator in front of her.

Taking the elevator upward, Samus glances back at the gaps that give her a perfect view of the skies outdoors. The storm was advancing at a faster pace than before, and there was no doubt in the hunter's mind that the temple grounds would soon be consumed. No matter what was going on and how Samus herself could stop this madness of Dark Aether's return from happening, the storm was going to hit, and the Luminoths inside would likely barely be able to survive. And that was not even getting into the inevitable Ing assault afterwards, which would take the lives of this entire species of peaceful humanoids and leave Aether itself to the whims of the Ing.

As the elevator grinded to a halt, Samus used her arm cannon to open the door in front of her and advanced into the Great Temple itself. Immediately glimpsing at the walls kept structurally secured by the stone pillars, bending metal rods, and bronze circular rings, the hunter's eyes then diverted their attention towards the ceiling where a cone shaped glass container without a point held within it a brimming source of unimaginable light energy that continuously regulated the energy of planet Aether. Below the glowing sphere was a metallic chamber that occasionally drew on these very energies, the technology indescribable by its very nature. And in front of that very chamber stands one of the highest members of the Luminoth order, the Sentinel of the Luminoths that assisted Samus once before on Aether, U-Mos.

The moth-like, wise young Sentinel was kneeling ten feet away from the chamber before detecting the hunter's presence in the room, his grasshopper muscular legs and nimble fur covered chest rising up a moment later as he turns to face Samus with his boney insect-like arms hanging limber beside his body as he peers down at the hunter with his red pupil-less eyes through his half squinted eyelids. The Luminoth's two thin delicate wings fold inward behind his body, and the feather-like antenna curl down at the top of his head as he speaks to the hunter in a reserved tone "Samus Aran…You have returned to us in our most dire of times."

The hunter stands a fair distance away from the refined U-Mos and gracefully bows before him out of respect, and says to him "I'm sorry we had to meet again like this, U-Mos."

The Luminoth kneels down once more. Before he stood twice as tall as the hunter, but even now he is a couple inches taller than her still. But despite his imposing height, one could not find a gentler soul on this planet than that of U-Mos. With a refined voice, the Sentinel of the Luminoth stated to the hunter as she stood back up "I can only assume you have noticed the maelstrom infesting our planet at this very moment. We do not know the exact circumstances behind the return of Dark Aether, but what is known is that they have begun their return in our Sanctuary Fortress and are looking to build a new hive to replace the one that was destroyed thanks to your previous endeavors…"

U-Mos holds his right hand out in front of his body and summons forth a holographic projection of a grotesque black creature with a strange glowing crimson eye and three thin pointed legs. Samus recognized this creature as the base form of the Ing, but wondered just why this imagery was being shown to her. "The plague has grown stronger this time around though…" U-Mos says, and in an instant the hunter watches with stoic shock as the Ing's body mutates through the hologram. The thin legs gain a series needle-like spikes that would surely make it easier for the beasts to tear into whatever prey they wished to kill, the large eye splits apart into a series of different sized orbs that cover the Ing's black face, the jagged antenna splits in two with decaying orange wing-like membranes extending from the broken halves that give the Ing the ability to fly, and finally the creature grows three more legs below the waist.

As U-Mos closed his hand to dispel the hologram Samus knew all too well that the Ing had been changed thanks to the difference in toxicity between Dark Samus' brand of Phazon and the type that impacted Aether once before. The hunter showed no fear in the face of the changed monsters though as she quickly yet calmly asked the Luminoth "How did you find out about this?"

"Before the fortress was completely overtaken, the security cameras managed to capture the Ings' revolting return and subsequent transformations, and the information was salvaged by one of my brothers and brought to me before I was once again forced to seal all survivors away to hibernate in case the worst were to come to pass. But while my brethren feared the possibility of a second cataclysm, I remained hopeful that you might return to save us once more…" U-Mos responds to the hunter's inquiry perfectly before asking himself "But I am curious to know the reason for which you came to Aether again, Samus Aran."

"Right now my Phazon born counterpart has been going around infecting planets I've visited before. I was alerted about Aether's infection and came here as quickly as I could to assist. If the Ing are only contained within the Sanctuary Fortress, then it won't be difficult for me and my partner to exterminate them." After Samus explains her reason for being on this planet, she proceeds to say to U-Mos "However, if Dark Aether is also on the verge of returning, then there is something I am going to need from you in order to survive there."

U-Mos nods his head, understanding far too well what the hunter desired from him as she calmly lifted his body up and said to her "I will be more than happy to return that to you for this endeavor. Allow me just a moment to open the chamber for you, Samus Aran…"

As Samus acquires a particular item from the Luminoth, back in the ship the resting Riku snores quietly, his mind emptied of any other thoughts as he heals up from the pain brought on by the spread of Phazon corruption throughout his body. Though the armor wasn't the most comfortable thing to relax in, the boy made due with it however he could. But as he rested inside of Samus' quiet ship a voice began to speak to him inside of his mind coldly, the voice unrecognizable to the boy as it whispered "Surrender to Phazon…Then there will be no more pain in your life…"

Riku's eyelids shift open, and a tense sweat begins to form along his face as his heart beats fast and he looks around past his visor to find the source of the voice. He doesn't realize that it was through his mind that this being spoke to him, and in confusion he exclaimed "Who is there?!"

"You know who I am…In fact, you may know far too much about this galaxy I am a part of, especially when it comes to events that have yet to transpire…" The second sentence spoken by this voice clued Riku in to both the place the being spoke from along with their identity. It was Dark Samus, and after pausing his glance to the upper right the teenage Overlord grit his teeth as the current creator of Phazon went on to say to him "Do not be so surprised…With Phazon flowing through your body your mind is an open book to me…But not so open that I can simply take it for myself, unfortunately."

Riku communicates through his mind, saying to Dark Samus in anger "Get out of my head! You have no right to inhabit it!"

"Says the interloper from another world…" Dark Samus calmly replies, and for a moment the teenage Overlord flinches in shock at the fact that the dark hunter pulled such knowledge from his mind.

"Hmm…I do wonder why you resist corruption. I can see the guilt in your mind, I can tell how much it pains you to deal with it with each passing minute no matter how much of an act you put on for the bounty hunter, and yet I can't help but find curiosity in the fact that you still press on despite how corruption would free you of those burdens for good." Dark Samus tries to fight Riku through psychological warfare, and effort that appears to be working as the teenage Overlord goes quiet and sinks his eyelids down.

But that melancholy smile goes away as Riku grins and thinks towards Dark Samus "Yeah, well I would be a coward if I took the easy way out."

"…Pardon me?" Dark Samus stoically replied in disbelief.

"Yeah, while it may be true that I have a lot of guilt on my mind at this moment, if I let those burden be cast aside then I am nothing more than a fool and a coward. I can handle this problem just fine on my own, so I don't need you taking control of my body to solve this issue for me, thanks." Riku's softly thought response surprises Dark Samus, and for a moment the teenage Overlord can feel the animosity growing within the dark hunter's mind.

"…You and I are more alike than you realize, and every time you help the bounty hunter deal with the apparitions I have spread across the worlds she has visited you grow ever closer to me. No matter how strong your mind is, you will eventually succumb to me if you keep trying to play the brave little hero, child." Dark Samus replies to the boy with a bit more viciousness in its voice.

"As honored as I should be for you labeling me by that title, I am not worthy of being called a hero. But nonetheless, I am not going to let you get away with corrupting all of these innocent planets. Samus and I will eventually find you, and you know as well as I do that when you die this time Phazon will never return to this universe again." Riku humbly declines the dark hunter's title towards himself and in return gives her an ultimatum that he truthfully feels he will be able to fulfill.

Dark Samus can be felt grinning across the teenage Overlord's mind, and in response to his words the dark hunter says "You are an interesting individual. I look forward to confronting you and the bounty hunter, but if you have any hope of even catching a glimpse of my world then you better keep your mind strong. I will not relent on breaking you…Every time you sleep from here on out, you will hear my voice speak to you."

Dark Samus' voice slips away for now with those foreboding words, and after taking a moment to ponder this mental confrontation between the two of them Riku forces himself onto his feet despite not being in peak condition and says quietly to himself "Then until I have taken you down, I will not rest again."

The teenage Overlord then decides to go check up on Samus, heading immediately towards the lift and activating it to descend onto Aether, though he has to be a bit slow at first due to the weakness in his body. Once he is on the ground he looks on ahead and sees the hunter walking out from the towering branch, but to the teenage Overlord's surprise she had donned an entirely different suit. What she wears is sleek and streamlined with a white coating and is a lot less bulky than the Varia Suit, with the shoulders and arms being thinner as well. The knee pads are sharper and longer, and the tongues on her boots are replaced in favor of a more upwards curving shoe.

"Nice suit." Riku says in a complimentary voice that grabs the hunter's attention and causes her to turn her head towards him and says with a tone of surprise "You're up sooner than I expected."

The teenage Overlord leaps down from the ledge and walks in front of Samus, saying to her "I'm a little woozy but otherwise I feel I can handle Aether."

"I would honestly suggest staying in the ship and sit this one out. I reacquired this Light Suit from the Luminoth so I can handle the atmosphere of Dark Aether, but there's no way for you to get an upgrade for your suit to help you do the same." Samus quickly and stoically points out to the boy.

Riku shrugs his shoulders in response and replies nonchalantly "I shouldn't be affected by Dark Aether considering my affinity towards the Light element. Besides, if you are worried about my overexerting myself, the fact that we are dealing with the Ing instead of the usual Phazon apparitions means that I won't have to use Hyper Mode for this planet."

"…" Samus ponders the words that the teenage Overlord speaks, and after a few moments of glancing at him from the corner of her eyes the hunter reluctantly agrees with him and says "You may have a point there. Then lets get back onto the ship, it will be easier for us to reach the Sanctuary Fortress if we head into the skies."

As Samus began to walk past Riku and head towards the gunship, the teenage Overlord turned and asked her "But wait, wouldn't it be dangerous to go through the interdimensional storm?"

The hunter, now inches away from the lift as Riku leaps onto the rocky ledge behind her, replies to his inquiry with "It will only be dangerous if we divert from the necessary path. So long as I guide the ship in a straight line, we should make it through without any problems."

The teenage Overlord had faith in what Samus said, and after a nod of his head he waited for the lift to drop down so he could enter the gunship. After seating herself and getting the ship to recognize the Light Suit with a brief scan Samus, the hunter starts up the engines and takes off from the ground, flying straight towards the interdimensional storm and heading through to the Ing conquered Sanctuary Fortress that lies beyond, as the storm itself slowly creeps towards the Temple Grounds…

Next Time: The Guardian of the Fortress