Chapter 8: Procuring the Resources

Jack sat upright in the pilot's seat of the freighter. He had jet black hair underneath a small headset, and over that a grayish cap. He wore a gray jumpsuit with symmetrical, diagonal lines crossing the front. At 27 years of age, he had a very well-toned body. His hands moved with grace across the controls as he checked pressure in the cargo hold and maintained their current speed.

"Passing Tallon IV," he spoke for the benefit of the black box. Then he turned to his co-pilot and said, "Hey, you always wanted to see this planet, right?"

"Yeah!" Replied Michael, two years younger than Jack. He had dark blue hair, and looked much more lean than his companion, but the two got along very well. "I've always wanted to see that crater from space..."

Jack smiled. "Then look out your window and take a peek." Michael nodded and looked out the window. Tallon IV's surface curved inward at the impact point, and even from way up here he could see the stress marks that scarred the crust. The surface was yellowish, a stark contrast to the blue atmosphere lines that crossed the planet.

Suddenly, something caught his attention. "Hey, Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"What's that?" He pointed out to the planet. It looked like three rapidly moving black dots, one bigger than the others. They were only visible against the contrast of the planet behind them.

"What's what?" Jack asked, peering out the window just as they moved from sight. "I don't see anything."

"It's... nothing," Michael stuttered. "I guess my eyes were playing tricks on me."

Samus Aran sat in a crowded Pirate troop carrier, along with the nine other Pirates that had opted for this mission. One was Epsillius, the red Zebesian Space Pirate. He was still wrapped in that Chozo cloak, but he seemed to be meditating. Through a small tear in the fabric she could see the glint of his metal claw. Around them sat eight Tallonian Pirates, each outfitted with the standard Galvanic Accelerator Cannons and scythe weapons. The carrier was made to accommodate many more troops, but they had also stuffed several hover carts in there to help move the cargo.

The pilot called back from the front of the ship. "Alright, we're preparing for docking. Get ready to invade." The whine of the Pirate's cannons being charged filled the ship, and Samus herself got ready for combat. Slowly but surely she had been learning to operate like a Pirate: if it's delicate, be careful. If not, rush in guns blazing.

A clank resounded through the ship as it docked with the freighter. Everyone stood up and moved to the airlock. Samus was moved up to fourth place in the line, with Epsillius at the front, two Pirates after him, then the six Pirates behind Samus. Codes flashed across the small panel, and the doors slid aside as the right code was found. Epsillius moved through quickly and gracefully, the only sound being the clicking of his feet on the metal. He looked around the darkened room: one of three connecting rooms between the cockpit and the cargo bay. In fact, it was the middle one. He waved the rest of the Pirates through, who weren't nearly as quiet as Epsillius. They clanked through, their guns at the ready. Samus came into the room and checked it out. It was a boxish room, devoid of anything but a few supply crates. A ladder on the right side of the far wall went up into the crew quarters, and a small data access terminal illuminated the dark room. That terminal would be linked to the mainframe in the first connecting room. In the middle of the far wall was another air lock.

After the room was deemed clear, Epsillius began talking to the Pirates. "Alright, here's how this is going to happen: I will take two Pirates to the cockpit. I want two more to head up to the crew's quarters and neutralize anybody you find. Samus, take the remaining four and secure the cargo."

The Pirates nodded and fell into groups. Two fell behind Epsillius as he crossed into the Mainframe Room, two more moved up the ladder, and the four left behind Samus followed her into the third connecting room: the Security Station.

A moment passed after the room was emptied, and the opposite airlock hissed open. There was a ship on the other side, but there didn't seem to be. There was just a wavy illusion behind the door, and other than that you could see clearly out into space. The room remained quiet, but every now and again, one would be able to see purple electricity dance in the empty air. The data terminal was accessed by some unseen force, a download occurred, and finally, a deletion of all the files. The door to the first connecting room opened, and there were loud explosions as the mainframe was destroyed. A moment later, the opposite airlock shut, and it was quiet once more.

Samus and the four Pirates burst into the security station. One guard sat facing a row of monitors that showed security cameras. All were snowy and hissing as the guard cussed at them repeatedly.

As soon as he heard them come in, he turned around with a shocked look on his face, just before two Galvanic Accelerator Cannon blasts struck him in the chest. He toppled over onto the console, barely alive. His last act was to hit the alarm button, just before another shot from a Pirate struck his skull, ending his meager existence.

"Always go for the head," Samus said to the Pirates around her, and they nodded in response. She couldn't figure out why she gave them pointers, but she just felt like she should. After all, they were her hosts now, and she had to help them out.

She crossed to the terminal and shut off the alarm siren, but the lights continued to flash red. She shrugged and crossed into the main cargo bay with the four Pirates in tow.

As soon as they moved into the room though, they were bombarded by blasts originating from two defense turrets, two security guards in full body armor, and one security robot. One Pirate crumpled to the floor, gaping holes in his torso and head. Another dropped, clutching its side in agony. Only Samus and two more of the Pirates ducked down in time, but not without getting grazed by a few shots. Samus noted that the turrets and robot seemed to focus on the Pirates, but the human guards seemed confused. She decided to take advantage of it.

She popped up from behind her cover of a few boxes and pointed her Power Beam at one of the guards.

"Holy shit!" said the current target. "It's Samus Aran! Hold your fire, man!" That's when she squeezed the discharge nodes and let fly three consecutive beams. All three impacted, two in the head and one in the gut. The guard fell to the floor, dead.

"Shit!" The other one shouted and brought his rifle to bear on Samus, but she had already unleashed a powerful Plasma Beam at him. It burned straight through his armor, body, and back out the other side.

At first, Samus was shocked. She had killed a Federation Officer! She had ended the lives of a fair number of humans, but never a Fed.

And she... liked it.

Suddenly, the robot retargeted. It now identified Samus as a threat, and began to open fire. She switched over to the Gatling Gun and let loose, emptying half of her ammo into the robot. The rounds shred its armor and gutted it, the smoking corpse falling to the floor as oil trickled out the many bullet wounds. She turned her gaze back towards her three remaining Pirates, and noted how the two that could stand had successfully eliminated the turrets. She nodded in approval.

"Let's get one of those carts in here," she said, "And begin clearing out these boxes."

"What the hell?" Jack said as a warning flashed on the main view screen. "An unauthorized airlock entry?" He flipped a couple of switches and hit a button, then waited.

Nothing.

"Odd," Michael said, "The wiring has been disabled. An EMP, from what I can tell. I'm going to go back there and..." He didn't finish the sentence. Suddenly, the door to the cockpit slid open with a hiss, and Epsillius and two Space Pirates stormed in. The two Tallonian Pirates opened fire; one caught Jack in the back of the head, and the other shot Michael in the stomach. Jack died instantly, not knowing what happened. Michael collapsed to the floor, the pain overwhelming him.

Epsillius looked down at him, cocking his head to one side. The co-pilot struggled to look up, but the red Pirate kicked him in the face. "We're done here," the Pirate commander said. "Let's go help clear out the cargo bay." As they turned around and left the room, Epsillius fired a Super Missile into the cockpit. The projectile slipped through the shutting door, and a loud explosion preceded a deathly silence.

The young pilots' lives were no more.

As the last of the cargo was unloaded from the freighter to the (now rather cramped) Pirate personnel carrier, Dash further explored the readings from the base. It all made sense to the bounty hunter now: that wasn't just Samus' suit energy he detected throughout his entire stake-out; it was Samus herself! What could he say? What could he do? I mean, it was alright to trash Samus when he thought she was dead, but now that she's alive... he dispersed the thoughts from his mind. He'd just have to suck it up and accept his duty: to remain the best bounty hunter alive, no matter the cost.

He turned on the com and decided to radio command.

While all the commotion happened in orbit and on the planet, a small rift opened up within the confines of the nearby asteroid field. The rift grew in size, though it was almost impossible to see. It was void-on-void: undetectable by the naked eye.

However, from seemingly out of nowhere to that naked eye, a massive ship emerged. The front was wide and at an incline, and as it came out it shattered the asteroids blocking its slow but steady path. Behind it emerged a couple of smaller ships resembling gunboats that were torn down to their key components. A third ship, bigger than the gunboats but smaller than the cruiser moved through the rift followed by countless single-person craft.

Within the cruiser, in a giant and darkened room, a single Pirate scurried into the blackness, clutching a data pad in its small claws. His breath came in short gasps, nervousness creeping into his mind and affecting his movements. He clumsily stumbled over a misplaced rock. His eyes darted around in the dark before speaking up:

"L-Lord Kraid," he stuttered, "W-We huh-have arrived."

Three glowing crimson globules opened from the darkness, and a booming voice spoke out.

"Excellent..."