2976.163

Chozodia Plateau, Zebes

The lift had a shielding panel, but Samus preferred to feel the rushing air in her face whenever she could, reminding her that there was more to the universe than just the Nest. Letting her hair free, blowing in the wind, gave her a feeling of freedom, almost like she was flying herself. It was something she dreamed of often in her waking moments, when she wasn't occupied to with training exercises and avoiding her nightmares.

Maru sat as they waited on the piloting of Gray Voice, who had been silent this entire flight out to the canyons. His amber eyes blinked as he watched Samus enjoying the wind and breeze, a soft smile on the line of his beak. It was not often he got to see the girl so content. "I trust that we won't see Shaded Whisper for another seven years, after the last council meeting." Samus didn't react to mention of the Crowish female Chozo in charge of the Naraka scientists. Good, she was enjoying the lull of the morning. "It's best she stay away so long as my daughter remains home with us."

"We'll talk about what happened regarding Project M later."

His gaze shifted to the elder Chozo, eyes blinking with confusion. That sounded rather ominous for what was an attempt at casual discussion. "Mother Brain didn't report any issues last I had heard, did some thing happen?"

That glare again. The one Maru recognized all to well as a signal to drop the matter. "I said, that will be discussed later. Your ward has a trial ahead of her. I suggest you focus on that."

Gray Voice was not usually this intense when it came to new phases of Samus' training. Normally, the elder Chozo was pessimistic, uninterested save for the time and resources being spent on the human girl. For that matter, a simple training block hardly should be considered a "trial" to be concerned for.

It was then that Maru looked out and realized they had changed course. They were outside the reach of Mother Brain's primary observation network. Not headed into the canyons where the drone foundries had been situated, but out into the ancient city ruins, the original Chozo settlements on Zebes from millennia prior. "Gray Voice...we're supposed to be in the Byzion Canyons for combat drills. Why are we-"

"You still believe in the legends of our ancient ancestors, do you not?" The elder didn't look at Maru, but it was clear that he was addressing the matter directly. They continued further into the remains of the ancient city, causing Maru to look about in confusion even as Samus noticed they weren't where they were supposed to be. "If you truly trust the prophecies of the Ancients, then this is necessary."

That gave Maru cause to worry as he knit his feathered brow. The prophecies of the Ancients were no light matter, and if they were travelling into the ancient city of Chozodia, the very place their plateau took its name from, it meant that they could have only one destination in this trip. It was not one he felt it was time for. "She is not ready for that."

"Ready for what?"

He turned his head, noticing that Samus looked to him. She had her own head in her peculiar tilt, her breath coming out as a faint chirp while her eyes begged an answer. Maru did not want to give what he feared was where Gray Voice intended to take them, but, it would be far too obvious soon enough. He may as well.

"Gray Voice seems to see it time for us to visit the Halls of I'ya'dn," the younger Chozo answered as his plumage ruffled. Gray Voice, he noticed, did not react at all. Typical of the Elder to be stoic and withdrawn, even if he was more or less on their side of things. "A place we have not been since you first came here."

"When I was three and I drew on-"

The sharp cough from Maru ended that train of discussion just as Gray Voice found himself staring at the human girl with an expression best described as shock and possible horror. "I believe she's merely expressing how young she was and how faint the memories may be," the younger Chozo quickly said in hopes of keeping them all on whatever task that Gray Voice had brought them into the ancient city for. "To be fair, I question why we are coming to the Halls of I'ya'dn when Samus is not-"

"It's not the trials of the temple I speak." The lift began to slow, and as Gray Voice brought the craft about to make landing, his dark hazel colored eyes stole a glance at the human girl, dressed in the blue short-sleeved under armor, and observed her confusion. The Elder continued to focus on bringing the speeder lift to a grounded halt, and then, once the craft had powered down, gestured for both Samus and Maru to follow him into the city ruins.

As he had said, it was not to the great temple that sat at the heart of the derelict city they traveled, but instead a squat dome that resembled the old war houses Samus had read about in her studies of the Chozo's militaristic warrior past. "This is one of her own growth that we set her to, Maru." His feathered hand grasped an outreaching statue, and the massive doors gave a heavy thud sound before the stone panels swung open. It was musty inside, and both Maru and Samus could see that the dome structure hadn't been used for centuries, even millennia.

"Come."

With those words, Gray Voice led the way, glancing back only to make sure that he was being followed. A flick of his wrist over a crystalline orb caused a flicker of light to begin growing in strength until the entire chamber was lit and revealed that Samus' mental supposition had been correct; this was an old Chozo war house, where the warriors of the Ancients had trained and prepared for battle. Statues that had been raised to the glory of their militant ways stood at the far end of the primary chamber, a pair that represented both male and female of the ancient warrior caste.

A tribute to strength and conquest. Something the Brood tried to put behind them as their kind slowly passed into memory.

"Summon your powered suit, Hatchling. We begin."

Hatchling? Both human girl and adopted Chozo father glanced at each other. Gray Voice had rarely referred to Samus by any nomenclature beyond her own name. To hear him refer to her by Maru's own preferred term was off putting.

Samus looked to her father, who only nodded to her. With a deep breath, she tapped her hand to the emblem on her under armor, initiating the electric display that concluded with her transformation into the six foot tall suit of power armor. She looked over to Gray Voice, indicating she was ready by lifting her arm cannon and allowing it to give a heavy click as it armed. "So, what kind of training exercise is this? Close combat, survival techniques?"

"Exploratory."

Even through the visor, Samus' confusion was all too evident. The tilting of her head revealed she had no idea what Gray Voice was talking about. "Exploratory?" she repeated in question. Her right arm slowly lowered as she tried to understand what exactly the elder Chozo had meant. "I thought we were doing more combat drills and defense training."

The elder gave a chuff and clicked the tips of his beak, but it was not an action of disappointment, not as it usually was. "Contrary to what some of our people, and in particular, Shaded Whisper, like to think, you are more than just a weapon of our making to fix the errors of the Ancients." The confused way that Maru was looking at him was not missed, but Gray Voice focused on the matter at hand instead of addressing the unspoken question of the younger Chozo. "Most of our kind tries to avoid reminders of who we Chozo once were. They see you and your path that we placed before you as a reminder of that heritage."

His hand came up and gestured for the armored human to follow him. As they drew near, Samus could see that resting between the statues on a pedestal was a glowing round object less than a meter in diameter. She wasn't sure what the purpose of this particular exercise was, but judging from Gray Voice's gaze, it had something to do with this glowing sphere.

"One of the things Maru made sure to include in the design of your powered suit," the Elder began as he nodded his head toward the sphere, "was the capacity to expand its arsenal. Not just in offensive and defensive capabilities, but also in exploratory methods. Sensors, scanning visors, and the like are the obvious additions possible."

Her armor's visor was already running its scans on the sphere, displaying a series of data entries that were pulled from the Nest network archives. "Archives say it's called a m'ru'ma'ri..." She had a confused look on her face as she translated the Chozo word in her mind. "A changing sphere?"

"Ancient Chozo warriors used these relics to aid meditation and focus in their training." Gray Voice noted that Maru was looking to for further answers as to why they were here. "For one such as you, it can be used more long term as a method of covert exploration and as a tactic for stealth."

As much as stealth was possible with a six-foot-three suit of power armor that was colored bright yellow and red and weighed about two hundred pounds on its own. But it was better not to vocalize that observation. "So, how do I use this thing? Do I have to carry it around, or is there a junction point on it for me to get a system unit I can plug into my armor?"

"You meditate."

The answer was not one she had expected. Her head and the helmet on it cocked to one side, while under her breath, Samus gave a soft inquisitive chirping sound. It made her adoptive father smile despite the seriousness of their purpose here. Biologically human or not, Samus was very much a young Chozo in her mannerisms and expressions. "Meditate? For an armor function?"

"Mother Brain already included a module that mimics the powers of a m'ru'ma'ri, but the actual activation and function of it requires a clear mind and utmost focus to master." Gray Voice gestured to Samus for her to begin said meditations. "If you are serious about resuming your duties and training under our instruction, this is merely one of many lessons to expand what you will be capable of."

The emerald visor turned to Maru, who could only nod agreement in return. While he didn't quite understand himself, Gray Voice was the lead Elder of the Council, and his wisdom could not often be argued. "I'm sure this is a test that should aid you in many ways, Little Bird. Do as Gray Voice instructed."

Not sure, but nodding regardless, Samus stepped onto the resting platform as indicated. She reached to the glowing green emblem marker on the red chestplate of her powered suit, but a shake of Gray Voice's head stopped her. "You want me to meditate with my armor on? But how am I supposed to focus on the changing sphere if my armor is running?"

His beak clicked even as he clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "You cannot accomplish transformation into the m'ru'ma'ri without your armor, Hatchling. And if you seek to master the powered suit, then you must stop thinking of it as a shell, and start thinking of it as your own outer skin." Again, the elder Chozo gestured for Samus to seat herself. "There is more than one lesson here to be learned."

There was an audible groan as Samus carefully set herself into a sitting position. Inside her armor, it was difficult, but she eventually found a posture that didn't put her hips into cramps from the uncomfortable situation she was in. What lessons that Gray Voice referred to, she wasn't sure, but most of her training had been aspects she grasped quickly. Likely, this would too. At least, so she hoped.

She closed her eyes once she had found that mostly comfortable position, resting her cannon arm against one leg while bracing her posture with her left hand against her armored left thigh. Samus began to slow her breathing, the usual technique she employed when she was instructed to meditate and clear herself.

Maru, meanwhile, coaxed Gray Voice away from where Samus was knelt on the floor, his eyes narrowed a bit as he shifted his posture. He was not amused by what he saw as a possibly arranged failure. "What exactly is this, Gray Voice? You know she doesn't have the patience for many of these meditation exercises, so why put her to this task?"

"I seem to recall another young fledgling who has no patience," the elder remarked with a wry calm. His hazel eyes looked down at Maru, while the soft parts of his beak pulled into an amused smile. "And that walking staff of yours which serves as a reminder why patience is so important."

An annoyed chuff was the younger Chozo's response. He leaned on said walking stick as he lifted his left leg under his robes. Yet despite his best efforts, he could not hide the pain in his features from that limb and the damage it carried. "I still have no regrets," his soft voice muttered. "Better I stood for my beliefs than speak empty claims of seeking to protect a galaxy that we instead abandon."

"And the child has still learned nothing." Once more, Gray Voice gave a resounding sigh, this time directing his disappointment on Maru instead of the young human, who was clearly struggling with her own lack of patience as she tried to focus as instructed in this exercise. "It's no wonder your ward has such trouble finding her center and being more like us as you claim to wish for her."

The younger Chozo growled, his attentions redirecting themselves back toward Samus. This was nothing new. Maru had endured criticism and patronizing commentary on not just his decision to raise Samus as if she was his own, but on many other choices in his young life, including those that led to his own injuries. Especially the events that led to his injuries.

"So what exactly am I doing besides breathing in and focusing?"

Ironic, yet perfect, timing on Samus' part.

"The m'ru'ma'ri requires a clear mind to accomplish transformation, Hatchling." Gray Voice turned his head toward the armored young woman, tilted in a fashion that told her that he was not exactly amused by her attempts at distraction. "Difficult as this has been for you in the past, I would expect that you can make some effort toward accomplishing that."

She huffed as she tried to settle back into the mental state needed, despite not knowing what kind of mental state she was supposed to reach for turning into whatever the m'ru'ma'ri was supposed to be. At least when Maru designed her training exercises, it was clear and straightforward. Gray Voice had a habit of being vague and ambiguous with the purpose. "If I knew what I was supposed to be doing, maybe it wouldn't be so hard for me."

"You're old enough for your species to bear your own young, do not expect me to treat you as a child forever."

Even though the visor hid her face, Samus could not help but glower at Gray Voice in contempt for his remark. Reminders like that were the last thing she wanted when she was supposed to be clearing her mind. "You seem fine with it so far."

"Clear your mind of your impertinence and focus on your task at hand." Gray Voice snapped his beak in frustration. The human adolescent had been pushing the limits of his patience since her return from Terran space. He had hoped that the praise he'd given in front of the council, subtle as it was, would have helped ease her attitude toward him. Instead, her belligerence had only gotten worse. "The Council has placed its faith in you, so you had best act like-"

The elder Chozo didn't even have time to finish his words before she growled and stood up, no longer trying anymore to satisfy him. "I'm done with this."

"You admit failure then." The harsh words offered no alternative to their meaning. Gray Voice was blunt and unsympathetic in his expression of disappointment. He also did not miss the glare that both father and daughter shot at him for those words. "This is something even the most novice warrior-to-be of the Ancients was able to grasp. If you're unable to attain even basic comprehension of this method, then you are not the champion we trusted you to be."

There was a heavy thud as Samus brought the full weight of her armor down in a single footsteps. Overly dramatic as it might have been, she knew it would force his attention. And as it was, Samus was known in the Nest for being quite 'dramatic'. "You said Mother Brain already installed a changing sphere module." She wasn't even going to bother with saying the word in the song tongue of the Ancients. "So my armor can already pull it up and switch the thing on."

"It merely gives your armor the potential to activate the transformation. You still need to achieve the mental state required, Hatchling." Those hazel pools narrowed as he watched Samus bring her free hand to the side of her helmet. "What are you doing?"

"Activating the change sphere module." There was more than a trace of smug pride in Samus' voice as she was searching though the CPU of her suit to find the system module in question. Her eyes caught sight of the related files, leading her to mentally trigger the module to "on". After closing out the CPU menus, the girl turned her head at Gray Voice, cocked in a way that spoke volumes of the self-satisfied grin on her face. "It's a system variable. So instead of however the Ancients accomplished this, I have it programmed into my suit."

It was not unnoticed when Gray Voice rolled his eyes at her. He said nothing, however. If the human was intent on attempting this her way, then the lesson would be further reinforced. As such, the elder gave a sigh, then carefully lowered himself into a seated position and set his own breathing as a meditative pace.

That was, to Samus, enough of a challenge. She braced herself, mind imagining what she assumed was the mental trigger to activate the transformation, then gave a hop forward into the air while curling up…

And crashed to the ground on her back when she realized she hit feedback in her attempt. Samus groaned, checking the CPU displays to make sure the Change Sphere module was active; toggles were positive. "Let's do this again," she muttered, picking herself back up and readying once more. This time, she settled for dropping down into a ball as she focused her mind on the desired suit function, only to find herself forcibly prone on her back once more and her body in a fair amount of pain as a result of the feedback from failure. What was she doing wrong? The module was active, and she was focusing on the system itself, just like when she toggled her cannon's missiles on and off, or switched the various scanning functions of her visor.

A third attempt resulted in further feedback, leaving her crashing of her front side. Now she growled as she pulled herself to her feet once more. This shouldn't be as difficult as it was becoming. "What the hell is the god damn trick to this?" Samus muttered under her breath. Standing again, she slowly knelt down, concentrated, then tucked in only to be hit by the increasingly painful feedback that threw her off her feet and slammed her onto the ground on her back.

"Seriously?!" the teenage girl roared as she rolled over and slowly got back up for the fourth time. "This is a system module! Like my damn missiles or the variable beam system! Why the hell is it so hard to activate it?!"

Her growing frustration and temper caused Gray Voice to shake his head. Not in disappointment; he'd expected this outcome from the very beginning. "I told you," the elder replied, even though the question was obviously rhetorical and not aimed at him. "To accomplish the m'ru'ma'ri takes mental clarity, it is a meditative technique, but one I believe you can adapt for more pragmatic exploratory uses." He clicked his beak as he watched the girl prepare to attempt the transformation again; she was stubborn, if nothing else. "But you will never attain that transformation if-"

Another crashing thud, the scream of frustration and pain as the feedback increased in its discharge. Samus had never been known for her patience, but this, the elder Chozo noted, was definitely reaching a new level of stubborn pride for her. She was completely missing the point, and while he had hoped she could learn the true lesson, and perhaps even the one he claimed to be teaching her, her youthful ego was getting in the way again.

"Just let me do this!"

Another attempt. Another electric whine of feedback and the crash as Samus was thrown to the ground, screaming more in anger than the pain she was experiencing. Some of the Nest might find this comical, for the human to attempt so hard and yet miss all the meaning so painfully. But for Gray Voice, there was nothing funny in what he saw. He had hopes, and as the hazel spheres of his eyes looked to where Maru was watching, the elder could see the pain in Maru's own eyes. Not disappointment, but sadness, anguish.

The inner torment of seeking to be accepted, but forever being treated as something else.

"That's enough."

One final crashing thud, one last cry of pain and anger. She was already moving to try again, but Gray Voice stood up and shook his head. He'd seen enough already. "Samus, that's enough for now." The elder looked at his younger companion, blinking calmly even as he could see the emotional pain in Maru's features. "I think...that's enough for the rest of the day. Go home with your father. Rest, find comfort, and ease your soul."

She was silent. Never had Gray Voice spoken so softly to her, or to Maru. He was always so harsh, even though he often was trying to help her. His method of teaching was direct, often pushing to the limits, but he was telling her to not stress herself. What had happened? What had changed?

"Maru, you rest as well." The elder walked to the young Chozo, a hand resting now on Maru's shoulder. "Take her home to your nest, find comfort. We'll speak of Naraka when you both have been able to heal your own wounds." And a sigh as he walked to the meditation platform Samus had previously occupied and lowered himself into position. A deep breath, his eyes closed, and his plumage fluttering. "Give me my time to reflect on this. But, rest."

When he didn't hear them move to leave, Gray Voice opened his eyes again. He was not expressing anger, but his features showed that he was reflecting on some painful matter. "I will be fine. I will have Mother Brain send an automated lift to bring me back later. You two return now. We will discuss what you have learned, Samus, when I return."

Father and daughter looked to each other, both clearly confused, but Maru gave a nod and hobbled over to encourage Samus to listen to the Elder. As soon as they both had departed, Gray Voice returned to his meditations. Reflecting on what his lesson had failed to impart on the human, on what he had seen in Maru's eyes, and what it had stirred in his own soul. Chozo were not so prone to their deeper emotions, at least not the elders. Maru had always been an exception as the last of their kind to be born, and his exposure to the Terrans had been a definite factor in his handling of his feelings.

But that had not been what Gray Voice witnessed today, and it had made him reflect on things he now considered may have been mistakes in his own past. More so, perhaps his methods for training their expectant champion, their legacy, might not be the way that would help her. He had observed that Maru wanted Samus to indeed be one of their kind in all ways she could. She spoke their language, she grew feathers like a young bird of their race, and her DNA was almost a perfect hybrid of theirs and Terran because of Maru's efforts. And if she should choose one day to bear hatchlings of her own, Gray Voice knew that their own race would live on through her progeny. Maru had, indeed, made sure of that.

But the burden they had been forced to place on her, as their legacy. That burden was also on Maru as the last of their kind, the last Chozo who had never been touched by the plague of sterility that now damned them to extinction.

They both suffered in different ways, but in the same as well. They were both the last of their families. It was no wonder that, over the last fifteen years, Maru and Samus had very well grown beyond caretaker and ward. They were, in all ways possible, truly father and daughter. And they shared the terrible chains of fate that the Chozo were forced to place on them.

"Bright Visions...did you know?" The Elder opened his eyes some time into his reflections, and he could feel the wetness forming around the large pools of his eyes. He hadn't shed tears in centuries. But now, accepting that perhaps Maru had been right that the Chozo had lost something as a species, he felt them once more. "Did you see the fate that awaited our kind? The fate your son now faces as his daughter must face her own?"

It would not be until well after nightfall that Gray Voice summoned the lift drone to take him back to the Nest.