The sky that was once filled with an eerie reddish glow was now filled with two things that contradicted its previous weather patterns. The planet's sun had broken through the rain clouds on most of the planet, letting newfound sunshine warm the damp ground. Forge was no longer a planet of dark clouds, since a second force, however unnatural it was, aided the sunshine.
Thousands of massive capital space ships entered the atmosphere from orbit at an alarming rate. In seconds, those thousands had landed in the many open caverns and fields surrounding the rocky fortress, and thousands more were coming in from orbit. Marines poured out from the platoon bays of the capital ships, and they flooded the caverns and fields of the open areas, setting up a defensive encampment.
One of the chiefly larger capital ships came in close to the ground to land next to Samus's own ship, which was dwarfed by the colossal construct. An army of troops poured out from this ship as well, and secured the perimeter. A trio of humanoid figures emerged from the flagship, one distinctly taller than the other two.
Amidst a crowd of marines and escorts, the three figures surveyed the planet briefly, but concentrated immediately on walking briskly towards Samus's ship. In response, a hatch on the top of Samus's ship opened up. A thousand blaster rifles focused on the hatch, in wait of a possible threat. Out came a single humanoid figure as well. Only this one was wearing what looked like a complete spacewalking astronaut suit. Its gold visor was down, but everyone well knew who it was underneath.
The weapons trained their aim on the white-armored figure, who waved briefly towards the approaching trio of humans. The gathering replied by waving back just as curtly, not slowing their pace. The astronaut leaped down from the side of Samus's ship and hit the floor on both feet, firmly. The marines hesitated, but their commander-in-chief spoke to ease their minds. "At ease, men! This is an ally of Samus Aran and of Friend Deltha!" The marines quickly backed off, and paid their attention to the terrain around them, very aware of the need to be on alert.
The astronaut figure approached the trio of representatives, and spoke to them in turn, though still under the watch of a few dozen marines. "Mr. President! You're still around, are you? How kind of you to drop by!" The alleged Mr. President was now only a few feet away from the astronaut, and shook the gloved hand firmly. The armored figure returned it, and the two broke the handshake. The rest but a few of the marines returned to searching the caverns for threats.
The shorter of the two characters spoke next, with a high-pitched and assertive voice. "Guardian Alpha! You and Adam are no doubt here together. Where are Samus and Houston? Weren't they inside the ship when we last contacted each other before the planetary shield went up?" Alpha turned his visor to pan towards the shortest figure, whom Alpha recognized for his slightly inhuman build and greenish skin. "Chairman Keaton, you are correct. Samus and Houston were here in their briefing with you. They have entered the installation in search of Deltha and Ridley themselves. It has been a complicated time."
Keaton was slightly taken aback, but regained his composure, and let his slightly taller assistant do the talking then. This one was only hairs taller, but clearly much rounder. Alpha remembered this human, as not too much wider than the last time he'd seen him. The 'fatter' one spoke to continue the conversation. "In that case, there is nothing more that we need other than you and a counsel with Adam Malkovich. The President and I, and Keaton, wish you to accompany us to the war room of our ship to plan the next attack on the pirates."
Alpha simply nodded, and the quartet turned and walked at a normal pace towards the open bay doors of the capital ship. The Galactic Federation had arrived.
* * * * *
Things weren't looking good for Samus Aran. The horizon on opening cell cages was rapidly approaching her steadily descending platform. Rather, with the addition of dozens of orange metroids pouring into the elevator shaft, Samus had a lot more targets that didn't seem to die. Her freeze beam was doing the job, but the volume of metroid was becoming so overwhelming that Samus no longer had a frozen target to shoot at – more metroids would dive in front of her targeting reticule and give her something else to shoot at.
Chirps and shrieks of hundreds of metroids filled the air, and the multitude of the horrible memories filled Samus's head. She could only wade in her pain and keep shooting. This won't last for much longer… the wave of metroids is approaching my position too quickly. I have to get this thing to fall faster or – Then an idea struck Samus. The idea was at first unorthodox, but the Samus remembered she was wearing a reinforced power suit.
That's it! Samus thought, as she fired another charged ice/wave/plasma beam into the crowd of metroids, making way for more to come closer. Falling faster! No time to get another idea…! "HEY!" Samus shot a cluster ice missile at the group of metroids just feet away from her suit. The result was haphazard, but good enough. The flow of metroid was paused momentarily, the sound of chirping and frustrated metroids muffled behind the block of immobilized brethren.
Samus quickly sidestepped to the edge of the platform, which had only a few feet spacing between it and the walls of the circular shaft. Samus took a final look back up at the cluster of frozen metroid. They weren't frozen anymore and were diving madly down towards her position, even more angry than before.
The famous bounty hunter took a singly steep off the edge of the platform and dropped like a rock down the elevator shaft. He progress was aided by gravity, and this fact helped Samus. Samus looked above her in her fall to see the platform above her become devoured entirely by the mod of metroids. It slowed them down, and a few bumped into each other on the way down. Others kept on coming, but couldn't fly much faster than gravity could aid her.
Houston! You damn well better know when to quit making a fool of yourself and know when to retreat! You better not get killed in here! Samus kept her aim angled above her and started firing again, only this time with an awareness of her proximity sensors and how far she was from hitting the floor. Her heart pounded against her chest rapidly, knowing that certain death was chasing her indefinitely down the shaft.
* * * * *
Houston, meanwhile, had his heart caught up in his throat, which was being accompanied by his stomach. He had run completely out of ammunition, and the freeze beam was ceasing to help him stop the tide of onrushing metroids. He fired a charged plasma/ice/wave beam at a daring metroid that had become too close for comfort, and it froze in mid-air like the rest of them.
Unaware that he was backing away from the metroid, and giving back some much-needed foot room, Houston continued firing upwards. His armed ached from the continuous effort, but it suddenly gave way to a much more unexpected feeling. Falling. Houston had stepped right back over the edge of the platform, and went into an accidental backspin somersault through the air.
Houston was very unsure of what was going on, but could only hear and think about the heedlessly increasing sound of metroids approaching him, chirping insanely. Houston did the only thing he could think of – he effortlessly rolled into a ball in mid-air and released a power bomb. One – two – three – The countdown successful, as the power bomb exploded in a flash of light and plasma energy.
Houston felt a small wave of heat energy pass by his energy suit, and heard the chirping noises pause for a span of maybe three seconds. "Phew. That didn't take very –" Houston rolled back out of his morphing ball and was back in a crouching position falling through the air. He looked up as he spoke, relieved, and stopped dead in mid-sentence.
"- Long." The metroid had only been stunned temporarily, and were now diving down on him without the delay of his ice beam. Houston jerked his fatigued arm above his shoulders and continued pouring freezing plasma into his enemy. Samus! Wherever you are – good luck!
* * * * *
Samus's proximity sensors at last release a hopeful alarm inside her helmet. "Warning! Velocity due to gravity will bring power suit to ground level in fifteen seconds! Warning! Unexpected power source emerging from the ground level!" Samus quickly shook a glance down below her, and her nerves shot a bit tighter than when she had first seen the metroid emerge from that first hatch.
The ground floor of the shaft was indeed approaching, and blue doors were on all sides of the circular floor. But that wasn't the problem at all. It problem was quit e apparent; the floor was retracting into four sections of the wall to reveal a gigantic barrel of some sort of energy reactor, and it was glowing a bright lightning blue. It was exposed to the open elevator shaft, and looked like the energy inside might blast upwards for the sky. Damn! Caught between a pack of metroids and a dead place! Gotta get those doors open in time for me to – NO!
A trio of metroids, metroids that had taken advantage of her pause, interrupted Samus's thoughts. Her arm cannon was still aimed upwards, but her freeze beam was unusually switched off. It took a few precious seconds to switch back, but the metroids were on her in no time. One started chomping on her arm cannon, another on her backside, and a third on her left shoulder.
"Warning! Power suit integrity at 60%! Warning! Unexpected power source estimated to discharge in eight seconds!" Samus felt the stinging pain of the metroids all over her body, and she had to act quickly to pull the whole thing together. She rolled into a morph ball despite the forces from all three metroids on her, and activated a power bomb. The metroid held on for the next three seconds, draining more energy from her reserves, but were blown back by the following blast.
The metroids released Samus from their grip, and the wash of power bomb energy caught all four blast doors below her, yet only manage to open one of them. "Four… Three… Two…" Samus didn't have time to switch back from her morphed position and aimed her fall towards the open doorway with what little strength she had left in her weight. This time, she wasn't sure if she'd make it in time.
"One."
* * * * *
Ridley was both furious and overexcited at the same time. On over a hundred screens of his security monitors showed the landed GF fleet setting up a defensive camp in preparation of the infiltration of his installation. On a lonely two screens of the many inside the installation itself displayed the two elevators shafts where Samus and Houston were doomed to die from metroids and a buster cannon.
Ridley turned the power off on those two individual screens before the action peaked, and turned to face his commanders. "Loyal officers of my veteran roughriders! Samus and Houston have been obliterated once and for all!" Ridley thrust a large, red, clawed hand into the air in a victory pose, and the dozens of other officers followed his movement without hesitation. A roar of both hisses and growls echoed throughout the room. Not one suspected that their fearless and deadly leader was wrong, or capable of such a quality.
Ridley continued, with his claw still clenched into a fist in the air. "My archenemy has finally met her match with our manipulation of metroid DNA as well as the technology we have salvaged from those nations that could not or did not use it well enough! With the most mischievous part of our planning out of the way, we can proceed to final stage of our plan!" More hisses of victory and anxiety from Ridley's officers. He grinned evilly in full confidence of his words and luck.
Ridley turned and gestured to the thousands of screens covering the control room's walls that showed the GF fleet encamped on the perimeter of the caverns. "We will now destroy what is left of the GF fleet now encamped here! I will lead the war party myself! Companies A, C, and E will join me in the Eastern caverns. Company B will cover the Northern cavern, and Company D will cover the Southern cavern. The heavy artillery and weaponry has met production rates, and we will overpower the initial GF fleet!
"Once our troops are in place, Shadow Company led by Ki-" Ridley stopped in mid-sentence. His first officer was not at the meeting, for Ki-Chac had apparently disappeared about the same time Deltha had. That damned bug-bag! He stole my hostage from me and took him back to the rest of the Kihunters! … No… Their ships are not in orbit anymore… The cogs in Ridley's cunning brain turned and churned like clockwork in the middle of his speech, and his officers dared not ask him what was wrong in the long silence.
He took Deltha from me to bargain a way out with the GF, and pose as a defector! He'll pay for this… but who to lead Shadow Company? Ridley went down the list of officers in his head and filled in the blank as best he could. "Ahem… As I meant to say, Shadow Company will be led by Lieutenant Commander Garvanak." The space pirate armored with a green scaly armor appeared slightly surprised, but regained its composure quickly as to meet the its growing pride of the promotion. Ridley smiled as he continued. "Shadow Company will remain in their designated position and wait until I give them the signal. Once done, they will activate the device, and our plans will be complete. Any questions, scumbags?"
The band of space pirates at the time was just smart enough not to ask for directions a second time with the red dragon, and snickered in their own way, a pirate's political response for a 'no.' Ridley grinned even wider, and shouted out over his men, "Good! Then let's move out, everyone! Assemble your armies and meet with me at the main floor of the installation!" Movement started, but Ridley made sure it was the best it could be. "Did you hear me?! I SAID MOVE THE HELL OUT!" At that, all the remaining pirates that were taking their time got off their feet and sped towards their designated areas.
Not long after the room cleared out, Ridley breathed out a very relieved sigh. He glanced at one of the screens that showed the view from a cavern looking out at Samus's ship parked in a pack of capital ships. They won't even see it coming. Keaton and his capital ships…Ridley snorted superiorly and stormed out of the room, leaving it empty. The two black screens were quite noticeable yet Ridley didn't even bother turning them back on to see what had become of Samus and Houston.
* * * * *
Samus had dropped just inside the doorway while in her morphing ball barely ahead of the ground cannon's discharge. The pack of orange metroid was just second behind her, and curved around to follow her through the open doorway. Her power suit computer told her she was out of time on the moment of her landing.
A great rumbling shook the floor, and Samus struggled to get to her normal crouched position on her feet. The ground quaked like no other time, except perhaps the time Zebes was shaking up from a self-destruct sequence. Samus only inched her muscles a little further ahead into the dimly lit room, but her ears were filled with the sound of a volcano erupting right behind her.
A light on the other side of the dark room opened up, and another humanoid figure crouched in its doorway, and a cell shaft much like the one behind Samus was visible, also lit up with the blue lightning of the cannon. The blast of sound waves followed the eruption of pure lightning energy released into the air of the cell shaft. Samus didn't have to glance behind her – the cell shaft across the room beyond was filled instantly with an energy flux that shot upwards in the air like a beacon of light.
Samus could hear faint shrieks of the metroids' deaths beneath the blast of the discharge. The sound quickly dulled when the blast doors closed on either side of the dark room. The rumbling was the only feeling that was left, and Samus raised her arm cannon to aim at the humanoid figure in front of her. Samus broke the silence, and turned her infa-red visor on. "Whoever you are, lower your weapon and reveal yourself!"
The room quickly lit up with a dozen lights on its ceiling, and Samus no longer had a need to use her visor. A bluish chozo suit was crouched on the other side, next to a blue blast door. Its left hand was in the air, and its arm cannon aimed up behind its helmet. Another voice emerged from the helmet, however raspy and breathing hard, and came in on Samus's comm. frequency. "You got me, boss. I surrender."
Samus lowered her arm cannon, and chuckled to herself. "Houston, you cowboy. Let me guess: you were chased by metroids and you lost your step… did you accidentally fall down a prison cell shaft and manage to find your way in here?" Houston lowered both his armored arms at his sides, his green visor nodding meekly. "Yeah. How'd you guess?"
A third voice joined the conversation from one of the walls between them. "She was bright enough to figure out that Ridley had planned to separate the two of you into very deadly traps." The computerized voice startled Samus, and Houston jumped in surprise as well. It then occurred to Samus where the two of them were – in a Navigation Room. And the voice that they heard was one she had heard many times in such computer rooms.
The screen on the wall between them lit up and a whole family of familiar faces flooded the screen. One voice still came through the computer speakers. "I'm… We're so relieved you made it through to the NAV room all right. Alpha and I monitored the computer systems once Ridley had forgotten about us and we watched via the camera system."
Samus and Houston came shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the screen to recognize the faces better. A tall, fair-complexion middle-aged man stood in a business suit whom Samus recognized to be the President of the World's Congress. On both sides of him were Galactic Federation officials Samus and Houston recognized almost at once. The shortest of the four faces there was Keaton, the Chairman of the GF who resembled a tonberry from the stories Houston used to tell her.
On the other side of the president was a slightly taller yet much more round assistant, and was the two bounty hunters' chief officer. Hardy, as he was known, ate more than anyone else in the department, and certainly more often. His cubby face was only equaled by the size of his stomach, and maybe the array of blaster pistols on a belt beneath his blast vest. The Chief of Galactic Federation Police was dressed for war, and Samus was, for a change, impressed.
The fourth figure in the group was also a familiar face, or rather, a familiar appearance. The humanoid was almost two meters tall, wearing a white suit of astronaut armor complete with its gold solar visor. The artificial intelligence known as Alpha was alive, or what it passed for as alive, and well, taking up guard just behind the President. The robotic guardian also had a good view over the shoulder of the Commander-in-Chief.
The president spoke first, breaking the heroes' silent reunion. "Samus Aran and Armstrong Houston. I can't tell you how pleased and relieved we are to see you alive. When Adam told us about the trap Ridley set for you, we could only count of both your cunning wits and reflexes. Have you found either Friend Deltha or Ridley yet?"
Samus spoke as best she could, for her answer was not too hopeful. "Negative, Mr. President. Deltha is presumed still with Ridley and his commanders, and his current health is unknown. As for Ridley, I presume Adam would have a better time tracking a creature as big as a dragon than I could – despite the experience I've had in dealing with Ridley in the past."
The President's smile faded, and his face went a little morose, concerned. "That is bad news, Samus. I am sure, though, that we will give you all the help we can in finding the dragon – so long as Deltha returns to our encampment on the surface alive. Is that understood?" Keaton had to live though all of this, writhing inside because of his command being taken away from him by his superior officer.
Samus and Houston both nodded in unison. "Understood, sir. We'll keep in touch." Samus checked her list of friends there, and decided to let Alpha in on the conversation, who had his armored arms crossed across his chest. "Alpha? How are you doing? Has Keaton been treating you properly up there?" Alpha uncrossed his arms and spoke with his monotonous computer tone, but it bore a slight hint of amusement.
"I'm fine, Samus. Thank you. Keaton is behaving himself much better than he has than in the years I last knew him to be in command," Keaton writhed inside once more, very aware that everyone was ripping on him. "he's doing fine. The President has made me a General, in command of the infiltration and defense of the installation and encampment respectively. Your Federation has grown greatly and impressively since I last checked."
Samus didn't quite know what to say to that, and decided it was enough talk and time to get back to work – since Ridley and Deltha both were somewhere in the installation with them. "Well, Mr. President, Keaton, Hardy, Alpha: we all have a lot of work to do ahead of us. We might as well get started. Adam, do you have a route to the next NAV room for us?"
A slight pause came over the speakers, but Adam's clear and English accented voice came through. "Yes, m'lady. The next NAV room will be your last. From there, you should be dangerously close to Ridley's lair. Your power suit computers will be uploaded with completely updated maps, courtesy of Alpha himself. Good luck, you two. Adam out."
And without any more goodbyes, the screen and speakers went dead, leaving the two bounty hunters in an abandoned installation once more.
* * * * *
Deltha was in a very unusual position. Ever since he blew the reactor core of the installation's shield generator, he'd been hiding inside a safe house room of sorts. The green shielding of the blast door held back the blazing furnace on the other side, keeping Deltha trapped in the single room. The blast had long since settled down, but the door was still locked with a green shield on his side.
Well, I might as well see what's inside this room. Deltha looked around at the room's interior, the first time since he'd entered. It looked like the remains of an old storage room, with small tanks in the center of the room. Power suit energy and missile supplies. Still doesn't help me… Deltha kept looking around, not really caring if Ridley or Ki-Chac were looking for him or not. He looked up at the ceiling, which was unusually low. Deltha made a small jump and reached for the ceiling. Even he could touch it easily.
Something caught Deltha's attention. When his fingers touched the plating on the ceiling, the plating lifted a few inches before resting back on the framework. If there was room for the plate to inch off the edges, there was intentionally enough space for a person. A loose plate! It might lead to an emergency hatch! Deltha's heart rate quickened and Deltha jumped again, this time aiming to dislodge the plating.
It worked. The plating bounced off the framework and was carried to the side by Deltha's fingers. It landed a few inches off the frame and left Deltha some room to grab on to. Deltha paused before making another jump, trying to keep his heavy breathing under control so he could hear. He heard scratching at the other side of the blast door; Rabid, constant scratching. Deltha knew the sounds of thousands of creatures in the universe, and this one was not in his memory. If he couldn't remember it, it was something new. And something new meant…
Deltha didn't hesitate any longer and jumped for the open edge of the framework. His hands caught easily on the smooth metal workings, and his nudged aside the plating as he pulled himself into the ceiling of the empty room. Even from his perch, Deltha could hear the frequency and volume of the scratching increasing. Deltha didn't look down; he looked up above him. He was relieved to have his guess fulfilled.
It was an emergency hatch indeed, complete with faint red emergency lights along the shaft, and had a thin, rickety metal ladder running up the walls of the shaft. Deltha grabbed hold of the ladder, and started climbing, fast.
It took only seconds for Deltha to hear the door in the room meters below him explode open with a dulled whirr that it usually emitted when it opened. Deltha heard hisses and incessant chattering far below him – it only made him climb the ladder even faster. The ladder shook as if another heavier object was following him up it. Deltha reached the very top of the hatch and pulled the level back needed to open it hastily.
The hatched slide aside and Deltha crumpled over the edge, pushing back a level next to the door of the hatch, now on the floor. The door slid shut, and the hissing and chattering ceased completely. Deltha lay his back against a wall near the hatch, and breath a sigh of relief.
Without warning, Deltha felt a sharp edge throttle him against the wall by the neck, cutting his throat ever so slightly. Deltha didn't fight it less he get even more cut up. Before his eyes, the rainbow colors emerged in the shape of a large insect, a Kihunter. The heavy prismatic armor of the pirate commander absorbed what little light the white lights of the safe room emitted. Ki-Chac hissed in Deltha's face and leaned up close to him, still managing to throttle Deltha completely. The superior psychic voice entered Deltha's mind once more.
I've been waiting so long for this moment, Deltha. All your plans of escape and mischief have come to an end. How does it feel to be outsmarted by a 'bugger'? Deltha didn't have to reply via his throat, since it was in an unhealthy position anyway. His own psychic thoughts replied, in a relaxed, defiant tone. Ki-Chac, you are and always will be overconfident. The situation is hopeless. Ridley won't trust you, the Federation knows about the Kihunters' hostility, and your own mother ship come to pick you up has been destroyed.
The reminder didn't do much to quench Ki-Chac's hunger for despair. The Kihunter squeezed a little hard with its razor-sharp claws. Wrong, puny human. I don't need a mother ship to escape. You, however, will not escape me. Goodbye Deltha.
And with that, the tightness of the vicegrip on Deltha's throat increased, and Deltha began to black out entirely.