9.
Samus sat down in a corner and crossed her legs. Something wasn't adding up. Maricia said earlier the Federation had nothing to do with the weapons plot, and yet,
just a moment ago, she held the Feds were the ones responsible all along. So which claim was true? Was she lying in the firstly? To hide the true information? Or
perhaps she was lying now.
Strange was Maricia's sudden change of behavior. In the conversation they had before James attacked, Ms. Alice stuck her as a strong woman with a cheerful attitude,
definitely not afraid to shot a gun. When they talked afterwards in the navigation room, she seemed blank, shallow, and spoke in a monotone. She sounded like she
was reading a book aloud.
Without warning, the comlink speaker on the console erupted with noise. "Samus! We're getting attacked by a monster! We need your help! Now!"
The hunter jumped to her feet, "Where are you?!"
"Some huge ice field, Ugh!"
"Anthony."
"I'm fine, just hurry!"
"Samus, wait! You'll never make it in time." Maricia interjected.
"Watch me."
"They're at least ten minutes away!" Retorted James.
"Not if I Shinespark there."
"What-spark over there?"
"Maricia, lock James in a cargo container. He might kill you against his will."
Using her Speed Boaster, a suit ability allowing her to run at near supersonic speeds, Samus got close to the large room Anthony and Maurice were in in only a minute.
Shinesparking was what she called acrobatic maneuvers performed while speed boosting. It was very difficult to learn, but she mastered the art on Zebes when she copied local creatures boosting, or effectively flying, out of a mile deep pit. Samus was four corridors away, when suddenly something exploded in front of her and was
flung hard on the floor. It was a grenade. She rose to her feet and cursed when she got a look at the one who lobbed it at her. Karkit! Vanies. Only these seven had
red armor instead of black and carried arm cannons. She suspected they were elites. Suddenly, four glass-like panels shot up around her to the ceiling. She was
trapped.
The seven surrounded the transparent case and fired an unrelenting barrage from their guns, their shots phased right through the glass and hit Samus. The must
have had offshoot wave beams. She dodged them as best she could, but the confined space made evasion difficult. She fired back with her own wave beam but the
Pirates just sidestepped out of the way.
Almost helplessly, she watched as her energy gauge plummeted with each hit. Seven tanks, then seven tanks, five then four.
I am not going to die! You'll have do a lot better if you-
She was struck with huge blast discharged from the Vanie leader. A charged shot.
Two tanks left.
She had room to move, she didn't have room to fire a missile without harming herself, let alone a super missile. she threw herself at one of the transparent walls and
punched it as hard as she could. Though she dented it, it definitely wasn't made of flimsy glass. She punched it again but the crack barely grew. The pirates fired
another volley, missing her completely, though when the commander shot her; he was dead on, knocking her to the floor.
35 Energy. Critically low. One more and…
The leader roared for his men to cease firing. The killing blow ended the Great Hunter would be his glory alone.
He charged his weapon one last time. He pointed it at Samus. He fired.
Adam, Anthony, Mom, Dad. I'm sorry.
The Pirate leader stared at the lifeless body of that accursed woman for a century. Until one of his followers asked, "Is she dead Commander Weavel?"
"…Yes, I think so," he took a deep breath, then he announced triumphantly, "My comrades, today will go down as the greatest moment in our history, even greater
when we first discovered space flight on our home of Vanaral. Today is the day I, Weavel, killed Samus Aran.