Ehanu: This next chapter will see the beginning of the conflict. Samus, having been corrupted in the last chapter, must now come to grips with a new reality. Her world will never be the same.

When Samus awakened, the first thing she felt was ice. Incredibly, terribly cold ice thronging throughout every fiber of her being.

The incredible difference from the burning fire before took away her breath, a sharp gasp ringing through the room she was in. The sound rang off the walls, sounding metallic and returning to Samus' ears as a haunting, ghoulish sound.

Then, like someone flipping on a switch, every sense fired on and Samus was immediately aware of every single thin within the room through all senses, save that of sight. The only thing she could really see was the stark grey of the ceiling above her. The information coming in the five senses was processed and all comprehended all before Samus was even aware of the fact.

The very first thing she noticed was that this wasn't either her Gunship or the Great Fox. It was a different ship entirely, if it was a ship at all. The disturbing part was Samus hadn't seen or felt anything to give that away. It was like she had scanned her surroundings and the information went directly to her brain.

Groaning, Samus stretched her limbs, the pain of the freezing starting to wear off as the icy feeling began to disappear with the return of her blood-flow. Feeling returned to her buzzed nerves and gradually Samus became aware of a slightly disturbing fact.

Her Power Suit was deactivated.

Quickly, Samus threw a hand up to reactivate the suit, reaching for the button on her gauntlet that would reinforce Samus' frame with the Chozo armor. But, she felt only her wrist.

Her feather-covered wrist.

Samus' first thought wasn't what one would expect. Rather than the shock and horror one would find that their wrist was no longer skin but feather, Samus merely pulled herself into a sitting position, wondering what the damage was.

As suggested by what she felt on her wrist, Samus was completely covered head-to-foot in yellow feathers, each feather lined with a lime-green tint. The colors, reminiscent of her Power Suit, made for a rather stunning effect.

Her hands and feet also received similar changes. Her hands and feet were covered by the hard armor-like skin seen on many birds, colored a darker yellow than the feathers. Her legs had gained an extra joint, the hard plating starting between the two joints. Her arms, on the other side, was covered all the way to her wrists in feather. Taking a deep breath, Samus steeled herself as she glanced down at her shoulder blades. Extending from a quarter-way down her back were two massive, feathered wings, currently furled against her back. Samus found, to her half-surprise-half-joy, that manipulating her wing movement was just as easy as moving her arm. Likely, as part of the change, some part of her brain had been adjusted to allow for seamless movement without needing learning of any sort in the matter.

Finally, at long last, came the part Samus had probably been dreading the most. Raising her hands, (or, claws, rather) she felt her head. At the back of her head, she could feel several feathers extending past the back of her head, coming to a point several inches away from her skull. Running her hands forward, she then felt the beak jutting gracefully from where her mouth as a human would've been.

Samus' thoughts then started running in every which direction. She was bewildered as to what had caused this. There was a many great amount of creatures that she had encountered which were capable of changing others in grotesque ways, but nothing like the complete anatomical rearrangement Samus had experienced.

Then the memories of the battle came back to her. Darakoru, Phazon, burning...

That Phazon monster, Darakoru, had done this to her. Somehow, he had corrupted Samus and the result was... well, this.

Burning hatred entered her mind as she remembered Darakoru's arrogant manner. He acted like many jerks she had met in the Galactic Federation, particularly that commanding officer from the Bottle Ship Incident. How she had wanted to punch him in the face!

She felt similarly about Darakoru, especially after he said he was going to talk to a pair of Aio Samus had...

Wait a minute, he didn't mean the Luminoth Twins, surely! Samus wondered, beginning to be short of breath as her mind began to make connections. If the Aio were the Luminoth, and Drakor was Darakoru, then that had to mean...

Suddenly, a metallic arm swung down from the ceiling, stopping just short of her face. Samus cried out in surprise, falling back to her bed with a soft thud. The moment she did, pain lanced up her wings and through her back. Surprisingly, though, the pain vanished as soon as it came, like a wind.

Groaning in irritation, Samus pulled herself up to a sitting position, her body surprisingly void of all unneccessary pain. Immediately, she saw the thing that had nearly struck her in the face - er, beak.

It was only a data-screen, of an alien design that Samus had never seen before among any species ever. Everything about the module was half-organic, all from the tentacle-like arm connecting it to the ceiling to even the keypad hanging off the bottom. On the screen was a fist-sized circle, blinking yellow.

Hoping it would provide either answers or exit from the room, Samus placed her right talon on the circle. A moment later, the circle disappeared and information appeared on the screen.

Removing her talon, Samus saw it was only a message.

*Welcome aboard the MGS Goliath, Samus Aran. Please select from the following choices.*

As the message promised, several options popped up on the screen, ranging from the weather on the nearest planet, local slip-space traffic, and various other options, almost enough to make Samus get a headache.

At least I have nothing better to do, Samus said, scrolling through the options before her. It wasn't long before she stopped a talon-claw on one promising option.

*Bioscan* it read.

With another glance at her feathered form, she clicked the icon.

The screen retracted, whipping up into the ceiling as two larg pylons lowered onto either side of Samus. The pylons lit up with yellow light, and started to revolve around her, the light's intensity and pylon speed increasing with each revolution. The room beyond became a blur, the blue-steel walls blurring into the spinning revolution of the scanner pylons. There was a beep, the pylons slowed, the lights dimmed, and the whole construct lifted into the ceiling again, quickly followed by the abrupt return of the screen.

*Scan status: Complete

Subject: Samus Aran

Morphology: Primaeval Chozo. Due to a combination of Chozo DNA splicing and infusion of Mirathian Blood, the Chozo within you has been fully manifest in a full anatomical rearrangement with several additions modern Chozo lacked. Primarily, the infusion of Mirathian Blood has lead to your body becoming a source of Mirath, with the output controlled by environmental conditions, neccessity, and/or personal preferance. Secondly, the infusion process has lead to the Chozo DNA overcoming your Human DNA, although fragments of Metroid DNA remain in part. Due to your varied genome, not only has the Chozo DNA manifest, but revolved to its primeval state, meaning the breed of Chozo at its prime. Your previous corruption with the aggresive Mirath has lead to a more plyable DNA structure for this process.

Ability alert: Powered Flight acquired, disabling Space Jump / Speed Booster disabled, due to muscle augmentation, Shine Spark ability remains / All other Chozo Battle Armor systems have been assimilated as organic ability. Further information has been saved to logbook for review.*

Samus read through the information with a twinge of disbelief. Those many years ago, when she had first been infused with Chozo DNA from Gray Voice, she had learned of why the Chozo had looked the way they did. She had actually cried the first time she heard the story of the Chozo falling into the degraded condition due to some unknown disease. As a child, she had longed to see, just once, a fully-winged Chozo in glorious flight.

But, now that she was a "Primeval" Chozo, she didn't know what to think. There was plenty to be happy for that she was now the (secret) creature of her dreams. And if the circumstances of her transformation hadn't been the way they were, Samus would've dropped her characteristically hard expression and smiled a child-like grin.

Yet, the circumstances were the same as before. If the scan was anything to go by, Samus was now a source of Phazon, or "Mirath" as the log read. And that raised a new question: what in the galaxies was a Mirathian?

Again, Samus turned to the screen. After a few minutes of searching, she finally found what she was looking for.

*Known species*

Opening the link, she tapped the search option and entered in her query. Samus almost expected it to come up empty, so it was a slight surprise when the search came up with one result.

*Mirathian

A race of beings that is even more shrouded in mystery than the Chozo. Little to nothing is known of them, save that they were extremely powerful creatures, with enough inherent energy within them to accomplish many wonders. Legend has it that mere contact with a Mirathian would cause temporary augmentation and effect to the subject. The effects varied from subject to subject, with results also dependant on the personality of the Mirathian contacted.

With this recent development of Mirath, a new insight is revealed into the nature of Dark Mirath, known as Phazon.

Phazon was the blood of a power-hungry Mirathian seeking to either conquer or kill its enemies, building itself an empire. As there is no reports of unknown creatures with god-like ability, it can be safely assumed that the other Mirathians fought and defeated the tyrant. Given the usurper was Mirathian, it is very likely it left an imprint of its ambitions in its blood, creating Dark Mirath, or Phazon.*

Samus' talons flew across the keyboard, searching another subject.

*Darakoru

Information on this subject is locked.*

Growling, she punched the bed, leaving a good-sized dent, but continued typing. Perhaps a good loop-hole would have to do.

*MGS Goliath

MGS Goliath is a Mirath-powered ship, having been awakened by the infusion of Aparoid and Phazon signatures. At the core of the ship is an Aurora Unit-like intelligence known simply as Nova.*

A sudden idea occurred to Samus. Assuming this intelligence was connected in some way to the ship, and perhaps Darakoru, there likely was a route of communication from this console to Nova.

Thankfully, Samus still retained some hacking skills from her years as a Galactic Federation cop.

*login request - core intelligence access

...

Granted. Initiating communication link.*

Smiling, Samus leaned back, putting her talons behind her head as she felt smug over her accomplishment. It hadn't been too hard, she mused as she stretched her wings and legs. In fact, it had been rather easy. Easy enough that even a Metroid...

Samus' ease of mood disintegrated as one thought came to mind.

It was too easy.

"Greetings, Samus Aran. I was beginning to wonder when you would decide to access my communication lines," a deep voice reverberated.

Samus was off the bed and her talons bared before another moment had passed. She was immediately ready for combat as she began a quick search of the room, alert for Darakoru's position. The question now wasn't if he was here, but when he would attack. Even though she was weaponless, Samus still knew how to fight. But she was bothered by how he snuck into her room without her notice.

"There is no need for hostility," the voice said again, "I merely wish to be hospitible. Now relax, and we'll just take it one step at a time."

Samus whipped around, snapping her wings open in an attempt to catch Darakoru unawares. How had he jumped across the room like that?

"Please, have a seat Samus."

Again, she turned, the voice on the opposite end of the room as the situation began to make sense. Darakoru wasn't in the room, but a voice was. Even as Samus heard the voice, she started to realize it was starkly different from that of Darakoru.

This one was much deeper.

Still wary of any surprises, Samus walked back over to the screen with a hardened expression. Seeing there was no immediate threat, Samus decided on a different course of action.

"Who are you?" she asked the voice.

"I? I am merely an entity seeking that which is right in the universe. For all of my former life, I wandered the universe, a mere drone, built to that which the Hive purposed me to do. I was an Aparoid, without meaning to my existence."

Samus jerked, remembering what the Star Fox team had told her of the Aparoids. Her talons itched for a weapon.

"Calm yourself, warrior. I am no longer of the Hive. I broke off upon discovery of the planet Phaaze. The radiation of the Phazon was enough to break off my connection and give me self-awareness. Any thoughts of taking over anything vanished with my connection to the Hive," the entity said, his image appearing on screen, which appeared to be an Aurora Unit.

Samus growled, barely keeping her anger in check. There was nothing she could do.

"Now, please, come with me," the AU said as the screen started to slide down an unseen track, "Shipmaster Darakoru requests your presence."

Darakoru!? This was his ship! Samus realized, eyes going wide as it hit her, and if this is his ship, then this intelligence Nova...

"Is there something the matter?" Nova said, stopping in the track.

"No, there's nothing," Samus said, starting to formulate a plan, "it's nothing at all."

After what seemed the millionth hallway, Samus was brought to an elevator by Nova's holo-screen. With a near-silent hiss, the sleek doors slid open in invitation to Samus.

"Please, step into the hologram," Nova said, "I will not accompany you as my mainframe is in the primary bridge."

"I assume that's my location?" Samus said.

"And Darakoru's current location. So, we shall meet face-to-face at the top. See you then."

Samus entered the elevator, the gears twanging as the elevator began its descent to its location. And Samus began the mental preparation. If she was going to kill Darakoru, she was going to need all the preparation she could get. Every second, every moment was another weapon in the coming battle. But, whether that weapon was for or against Samus was up to her and how she used every moment.

Yet, despite the amount of time Samus had, the doors still slid open before Samus felt sufficiently ready, revealing a massive chamber beyond. Taking up one single, massive wall was the viewport to the outside. Samus could see the distinct shape of the planet Sadarshia below. The bridge was simple in design, with no real embellishments, the blue metal flowing where it needed.

But Samus' attention wasn't on any of that. It was on the lone figure at the viewport.

"Darakoru," Samus whispered, again talons itching for a weapon, yet her plan already in action. It was now or never.

With a defiant Chozo war-cry, Samus leapt with talons outstretched.