.
I Will Mate You
Samus stood on a walkway overlooking the dense but beautiful jungle below, arms wrapped around herself. She heard footsteps approaching but didn't turn. She knew already whose footsteps they were.
Anthony came up next to her and wrapped his hands around the railing, looking out over the view as well. For a while there was silence between them. Not uncomfortable or tense, but sort of sad and unspoken. "You gonna tell me what's going on?" he finally asked. She didn't answer. He of course didn't pry. He never did, really. Sometimes she wished he would, but at the same time she was glad for it.
"She would not be mated," Samus finally said. Anthony glanced at her out the corner of his eyes before looking out towards the cliffs and jungle once more.
"Not until she found someone she was willing and prepared to share her life with," he answered. "Same could be said for him too."
"She never found that someone until she met a mate that could keep up with her. Even conquer her," Samus said.
He was quiet, watching her and considering his answer. "She never found that someone until she met a mate who would survive. Like her. Overcome the odds, even if overwhelming, and make it through anyway. At least that's how I see it."
"A female of his species will never mate a male weaker than she is," Samus replied.
"I'm not talking about their species. Or her," Anthony replied. Samus was silent. "It's very black and white for their kind," he noted, looking towards the cliffs again. "No variables. They fight until he dies, probably, and if he dies that means he wasn't a survivor. If he flees and doesn't come back, he's fearful which means he knows he won't survive, which means he probably isn't a survivor. In our world, though, sometimes there are factors a little out of our control, so things aren't as cut and dry."
"Such as?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.
"Spliced DNA that superpowers someone, to start with," Anthony answered somewhat dryly. "And puts them on a whole other plain."
"It's a lonely plain, then, because Ridley's species is onto something with their little policy," she answered.
"Oh?" he asked.
"Why let yourself love someone who won't always be there?" she asked. "Why let yourself love someone who won't survive with you?"
"By that logic, why let yourself love at all?" Anthony asked.
"Exactly," she said, frowning at him.
He was quiet, frowning back at her, then looked out towards the cliff again. "Some questions don't have logical answers, Samus," he said. "You let yourself love because you love someone enough to take that risk. Even despite the pain it might bring. Key word 'might'."
"Then don't let yourself love enough to be willing to take the risk in the first place," Samus said.
"It doesn't always work out like that, Princess," Anthony said. "Ask your pet. You said he mated before, right?" She looked sharply at him with eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. She was curious about where this was going. "It means he courted a female before, who was too strong for other males to conquer, and won. It meant he proved himself her equal if not superior. It meant they were both survivors. The best there was. But stuff happens that's out of anyone's control, so one day that female who had been a survivor like him, was suddenly not there anymore." Samus was quiet. Soon she looked away, bowing her head and closing her eyes. She thought of Adam… "Now who's to say just how deeply Ridley's species actually loves, considering they love at all? Maybe he cared for his first hen more than you know. Or want to know. He took a chance and he lost, but that didn't stop him from letting himself try again. He's not the best example I guess, after all instinct would have driven him to mate another female of his species regardless, but I mean you get what I'm saying." Samus kept quiet, waiting for Anthony to proceed. Anthony, though, wasn't sure where else he could go with this and took a moment to consider his next step and sort out his thoughts. "Ridley conquered the hen. There was never a question that he would, because as strong as she was, he was and is and will always be stronger. An anomaly among his kind. The strongest of them all. A female of his species won't mate a male weaker than they are. According to what you told me he said, a lot of times a male won't mate a female who doesn't at least match him either. Seems that whole survivor thing can go both ways. Ridley accepted her anyway. Maybe it's because he knows that no other will ever be able to match him. It'll always be a stacked, unfair battle because he's different from the others."
Samus stayed silent and willed away a tightening in her throat. So was she…
"He settled," she answered.
"Say that to his face," Anthony challenged. She looked sharply at him. For a long moment the two engaged in a silent stare-off. Anthony at last shrugged and looked away from her. "Maybe he compromised. Or maybe he looked beyond the black and white and saw that, even though she wasn't like him, wasn't this strange anomaly, she was still strong. She was still brave. She was still a survivor who would fight against overwhelming odds and make it through. She was… Dammit Samus, she was still worth it! She was still worth it. Or at least worth a shot."
Samus was silent. She felt an unwelcome stinging in her eyes and pressed her lips tightly together, willing away the sensation and trying to ignore it. Long ago they had stopped talking about Ridley and his mates. She knew that very well. They were only the cover, because damned if either he or she could ever say anything straight to one another when it came to anything that might, might, run deeper than friendship. Playful flirtations were one thing for Anthony. Those spilled freely from his lips in jest or play. Anything deeper was another thing entirely. In matters such as that, they were equally lost and incompetent…
"I will not be mated," she murmured at last. He was quiet, glaring out over the jungle in frustration. "It's something I never even considered. It never once crossed my mind… Except in regards to Adam. Sometimes. A fleeting thought or sudden, impulsive desire that faded as quickly at is came, but always inevitably returned. Each time stronger than the last." It was his turn to be silent now. He wouldn't meet her eyes. She didn't want him to. She looked back out over the view. "Maybe some part of me wanted him…" Silence. "I can smell it on you," she finally said, a small smile in her voice. A voice that broke ever so slightly. He gave her a curious look. "It sounds strange, I know, but I… I can smell it. It permeates the air around you. Around us. Unspoken, silent, but there. It's there…" She caught herself sniff and quickly clamped her mouth shut before she could say anything more or go any deeper or make it any harder to bottle it all away and stay silent. "You need to go," she said in a quick breath, barely a whisper. "You need to go right now."
He watched her a moment then stood straight and walked away without saying anything. She hated him for it. She hated that he would listen. She hated that he wouldn't argue. She hated that he wouldn't talk back or tell her off or do anything that could cause her to resent him even a little. She waited until he was long out of sight, staring at the cliff. Her mouth quivered and she drew in a deep breath and let out a shaking stream of air. She weighed her options quietly then cupped her hands around her mouth.
"Ridley!" she called. Like she was summoning a pet, she dryly joked to herself. Humans loved to cuddle or talk to their pets for comfort during difficult times. She didn't know whether to be disgusted by the thought or amused by it. He wasn't her pet, she reminded herself sternly. He was a wild animal with hyperintelligence that was as liable to spear her through the gut with his tail as he was to nuzzle her. "Ridley!" she called again, voice breaking more than she cared to admit.
For a moment there was silence, but soon she heard his screech echo in the distance. She saw his form spring from the cliff far away, taking to the air and soaring in her direction. She let out a breath of relief. She needed to get away from this place. If only for a little while.
Ridley landed heavily on the walkway and glared at her. "I am not your pet to summon, meat," he spat sharply.
"Then go," she replied. He growled at her, baring his teeth, then screeched and snatched her from the ground, taking off into the air. He tossed her unceremoniously up onto his back and took to the skies.
"What do you want, Samus?!" he demanded in clear annoyance.
"To get away from there," she replied.
"What ill have they done? Must I annihilate?" he questioned, sounding almost hopeful.
"They've done me no ill," she said.
"I am not concerned for any ills they have done you," he haughtily answered.
"They've done your kind and others on this planet no ill either," she flatly replied, unimpressed but not surprised.
"Then why do you run?" he asked.
"I'm not running from anything," she answered.
"Hmm," he answered, sounding unconvinced.
For a while, there was silence. "I want to talk," she finally said. He screeched and banked to the side, soaring towards a distant mountain range away from both the dome and his new roost.
Metroid
Ridley lay with head rested on his talons as they sat in silence in a mountain meadow by a small stream. In the distance Samus could see various fauna of this planet passing by in herds or alone. She heard distant roars and bellows and screeches. This planet teemed with life… "She's your second mate," Samus finally said.
"Never one for graceful openings, were you?" Ridley answered without opening his eyes or lifting his head from his talons.
"Funny," Samus dryly said. There was silence. "Does your kind love?" she finally questioned. He frowned, raising his head at this and giving her an incredulous look. Huffing, he lay it back down and chose to ignore. "I spoke to Anthony," she finally said once it was clear he wasn't going to reply. Ridley graced her with no response. "You told us that she would not be mated. Your current mate."
Ridley gave her an annoyed look, lifting his head again, and considered her words. "No. I told Anniah that you would not be mated. She was like you in that."
"You were more like me than she was," Samus said. Ridley stared at her long and hard, trying to puzzle out her mind but lacking the same sort of comprehension humans had. She turned to him. "Why did you mate again?" she asked. "After the first one died?"
"Because she was worthy," he answered. "As I was."
"She lost," Samus replied.
"Her strength and resilience could not be denied. She was powerful. She was deadly. I approved of her," he said.
"Why risk it?" Samus asked. That, it seemed, was where she completely lost him. She glanced over at him and he was staring at her like she'd lost her mind. "Well?" she asked.
"Because she is female?" Ridley more questioned than stated. "I must mate her. We will have offspring. They will grow strong and continue our line."
Samus was quiet. She should have known better than to go to an animal for advice, she noted to herself. "You want your mate to survive," she finally said. "But she couldn't defeat you. Which means she can be defeated."
"Everyone can be defeated. Even you," Ridley answered. "Never mind that no one has yet."
"She can die," Samus said.
"Everything dies," Ridley replied, laying his head back down on his talons and closing his eyes.
"So why love… mate… at all?" Samus asked.
"Companionship. Desire. Support. Protection. Strength. Offspring," Ridley opened one eye, looking at her a moment and silently reading her. He smelled tears… "Love," he at last added, closing the eye. "We do not love like humans do. We love nonetheless."
"What do those things mean to you?" she asked.
"Companionship so we will no longer be alone. Desire so that we can experience passion and love and body and flesh and closeness unlike any other. Support so that when pain or fear or grief happens, there is another to turn to for help and conversation and reassurance. No more facing it alone. Protection so that when one falls short, the other can cover their error. They can keep their mate alive. They can keep themselves alive and strong against odds one alone could not face. Strength because where one is weak the other may be strong, or where both are weak both may play off the other to become strong. Learn and guide and grow and thrive and become powerful. Improve beyond what you could have been alone. There is no force that will lend you more strength than what you call 'love'. Offspring to carry on your line and give you more strength still, because the desire to protect and defend what is yours, be it mate or youngling, is more potent than you can know. When protecting offspring it is especially strengthening, because they are both you and your mate and part of you and worth everything. Love because it is something that cannot be controlled or stopped or fought, and so no power can ever be greater than it. For love of those you never even knew, you hunted me to my death. Over and over and over. How much more persistent would you have been for those you did know?"
"How much more pain would be felt if I failed?" she asked.
"Much pain. But pain too brings strength and teaches and improves," he said. "Memory of love is still love, and love will still lend strength."
Samus was quiet. "You're more philosophical than I gave you credit for. Or is it that you're only mimicking and parroting what you think a human would say?"
"There are some things that are universal, Samus," Ridley replied. "My kind do not feel love like your kind do. That does not mean the base of it changes. Companionship so you are not alone, desire so that you feel longing and pleasure, support so that you do not face danger alone, protection so that you do not have to face death as much, strength because if one is strong alone then two strong will be stronger still, offspring to carry on your line, and love because it makes you powerful. My kind does not know love as love. We know it as necessity. You humans have only put a word to it that some try to deny. It is necessary. Love of friends, love of lovers, love of life, love of self… Love and necessity are not separate. That necessity only takes many different forms."
Samus was quiet. "I think he loves me," she finally said. She looked down. "I know he does."
"The hormones permeate from you as well," Ridley answered. "My mate could smell them."
"I can't return his affections," she said.
"Then don't," he answered.
"I… A part of me wants to," she quietly said.
"Then do," he answered.
"It isn't that simple!" she snapped.
"Why not?" he questioned.
"Because humans aren't like animals, Ridley!" Samus replied. "What might be simple for you can be complicated for us."
"How so?" he questioned.
She was quiet. "I don't know. It just is," she replied, looking away from him and over the meadow again.
"The human male is strong. He is resilient. He will survive. He is not unworthy," Ridley said. "If you would mate him, mate him."
"It isn't that simple for humans," she said.
Ridley stared at her for a long moment. "You are not completely human," he at last answered. "You are not bound to their opinions or rules or thoughts on what should and shouldn't be. You are not bound by their opinions on what makes you weak or not weak or standard or unique. If you desire it, Samus, then pursue it. Who will stop you? Who will condemn you that you will not condemn back one-hundred fold?"
Samus, staring at the ground, slowly lifted her head to look towards the dome, letting Ridley's words dance around in her head.
Metroid
She marched through the facility determinedly, jaw set. What she was about to do was stupid. It was reckless and thoughtless and irrational. It made no sense! What benefit was there to it? She didn't care, though. She refused to let herself care.
"If you desire it, Samus, then pursue it. Who will stop you?"
No one would stop her. No one except the object of her desire. If he cared to stop her, that was. She saw him leaving a room and shutting the door behind him looking tired and troubled. She willed herself not to stop. She willed herself not to hesitate or look back. "Anthony!" she called out to him.
"I'm leaving, Princess. I have a lot of stuff I need to take care of back at HQ. For you, for the federation… Can we make this quick?" he said without turning to her. She stopped in her tracks, hesitation creeping up again. He frowned curiously, looking towards her. "Princess?" he asked. She was quiet, staring at him. A puzzled expression crossed his face. "Samus, something going on? Everything okay?"
"If you desire it, Samus, then pursue it. Who will stop you?"
Only her. She would stop herself or Anthony would. She refused to stop herself. She didn't want to stop herself. Whether it stopped or not was his choice now.
Eyes narrowing, she set her jaw and marched towards him once more. "Samus?" Anthony asked in confusion, bracing himself for whatever was coming. She didn't slow down or stop. He held his ground, despite being a little unsettled. "Samus?" he asked a bit more insistently. "Samus, what are you…?"
She was suddenly there in front of him. She threw over his shoulders without hesitation and pushed herself up on tiptoes, pressing her lips to his. He was so shocked he almost choked on air as he automatically wrapped his arms around her in turn. What in the world?! She let his lips go as soon as she'd taken them, leaving him gaping down at her completely flabbergasted. Her hands slid up his shoulder blades until she cupped his neck and jaw. His heard was pounding a mile a minute as he tried to wrap his head around what had just happened. Her eyes were closed. She wouldn't meet his own gaze and he hated that. He wanted her to open those bright, flaming eyes. He wanted her to look at him. Soon enough she did, eyes opening and meeting his. Her gaze bore into his own and he realized he'd stopped breathing. He let out a shocked, quick breath.
"I will mate you, man," she said to him, drawing his head down and pressing their foreheads and noses together. "I will mate you."
His breathing was quick now, and he didn't hesitate before he pulled her close, pressing his lips against hers once more. She took them almost hungrily and begged for access with her tongue. He allowed it, and there was no part of his mouth she didn't allow her tongue to explore. He returned her passionate kiss every bit as eagerly. She hopped onto him, wrapping her legs around his body as tightly as she could. She was determined, possessive, and certain in her every action. He was receptive and every bit as determined and confident as she. She let out a breath into his mouth before pulling away to breathe, leaving them both softly panting for breath.
"Samus…" he began.
"Don't talk," she whispered. "Bring me to your room."
"Princess, are you…?" he began.
"Don't ask thoughtless questions, Anthony!" she exclaimed. "Please. Bring me to your room. Take me into your roost." He subtly caught his breath then kissed her without prompting. She made a soft, surprised sound before returning the advance. He did as she desired, stumbling through the hallway and feeling his way to his room. He pushed open the door behind him, carrying her inside and shutting it, then fell with her onto the bed, hovering over her body. She continued to cling to him, their foreheads pressed together. She tilted her head back, exposing her throat to him, and he assailed it quickly with firm, unrelenting kisses…
Metroid
What happened in that room that night was no one's business but theirs. No one needed to know, no one had any right to ask. They lay wrapped in a lover's knot beneath the sheets, bodies pressed close together. They were spent. Both of them. It was a surprise to Samus that he had matched her endurance in the matter. She hadn't expected him to be able to keep going as long as she had, given her enhanced genes. Whether he would continue to keep up as she became more experienced with it was anyone's guess. She didn't particularly care either way. "I will mate you man," she whispered to him.
"You have mated me, woman," he answered, a smirk playing across his lips as he semi-quoted the words Ridley's mate had said to him when he had told her that he would mate her. A soft, breathy laugh escaped Samus' lips and she nuzzled against him, pressing herself as physically near to his body as she could possibly be. "So what now?" he murmured.
"Now you're mine," she answered. "Always. Until the day one or the other of us dies."
"Mmm. You want me to make it official?" he asked.
"Of course I do," she answered with a huff.
"Okay then. It'll be done by the end of the day," he said, sounding amused. She was quiet, closing her eyes. "What changed your mind?" he asked quietly. She shook her head. Many things had contributed to it. She didn't know how to explain to him. He never pried. He rarely ever did. This time she was grateful for it. "Guess it doesn't really matter, does it?" he said, relenting.
"No. It doesn't," she answered.
"Fine by me. I'm just glad it happened," he said.
"You have to survive now," she said to him in a whisper, tracing invisible pictures on his chest. "You must. For me. For us."
"You do me the same favor then," he answered. She nodded. "So where do we go from here, Princess?" he asked in a murmur, resting his chin on her head. "Do we go our own separate ways and not meet up for another few years, or are we in it together now?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "You have your responsibilities, I have mine… How they're going to fit into this, I have no clue. We'll figure it out as we go."
"We always do," he answered with a chuckle. He pressed his lips to her head and gave her a lingering kiss. She smiled softly against him.
Just then the door was knocked on. Frowning, they looked towards it curiously. "Who's there?" Anthony called out.
"Captain Higgs? This is Dr. Lisa. Have you seen Ms. Aran anywhere by chance?" the young woman asked, sounding nervous.
"Why?" Anthony warily asked.
"Because… because my father has detected something on the radar he isn't comfortable with. He thinks something is coming. Something that might not be friendly," she answered.
Anthony and Samus exchanged looks and reluctantly disentangled themselves from one another. "I'll give her a call," Anthony said. "For now, lock down, gear up, and if you have a cloaking feature on this base, use it."
"Yes Captain," she answered. Samus waited until her footsteps faded away before getting up and dressing herself quickly. Anthony followed suite.
"What are you thinking, Princess?" he asked.
"Maybe pirates, maybe that rogue branch of the federation Doc was talking about. Did you ever get any news on that?" she asked.
"A lot of 'classifieds'," Anthony dryly replied. "I was starting to get somewhere the other day, but then, well." He gestured between himself and her. "There was never a guarantee it would give us the answers we needed anyway, to tell the truth."
"Had you left last night, you might not have ever come back," she quietly said. He gave her a curious look. She was looking away from him and seemed a bit disturbed.
"How so?" he finally dared to ask, though he could guess her answer.
"They would have seen you leaving or flying by, and they would have shot you down. Shot you down or captured you," she said.
"Considering they'd seen me at all," he answered. She was quiet. "Hey," he said, approaching her and taking her arm gently. She looked at him. "I'm okay. Everything's fine. You're thinking in terms of what could've happened and not in terms of what did happen."
She frowned in determination. "You're right," she said. "Enough thoughts of what might have been. We focus on now."
"Mmm hmm. Now let's get to kicking some ass. Sound good?" he said.
She smiled. "It sounds perfect," she said. He chuckled and nodded at her. Quickly the two finished readying themselves and marched out to get Samus' suit.
Metroid
Samus and Anthony watched the unidentified craft carefully as it came within viewing range. The base had no cloaking feature, so there was no chance of hiding it away. Doc looked anxious and perhaps even a little afraid. He kept his daughter close to his side. Samus looked over at him. "Friends of yours?" she asked.
"How could they have known where this place was?" Doc hissed sharply, sounding agitated and nervous. "We left no records, we told no one, we… how could they know?"
Samus looked back towards the ship. "I guess we'll have to find out," she said as it drew nearer.
Some minutes later, the dome was opening up to allow the ship access. It flew in and landed. It dwarfed the rest of the ships present here. Samus was waiting up top, Anthony and Doc at her side. Some of the armed guards as well. The ship was large, black, and similar to the Federation ships, but just different enough that you knew they weren't one and the same. The doors of the large ship opened wide and it seemed a whole delegation marched out. Anthony bit the inside of his cheek, eyes narrowed and guard up.
The delegation stopped short of Doc, Samus, and Anthony. Doc, who was taking the lead, drew a breath and puffed himself up to look more intimidating and less nervous. "Gentlemen," he greeted coldly. "How, might I ask, did you happen on this place?"
"Even Space Pirates will sing, given the proper… 'motivation'," the man in the lead answered.
"Torture wouldn't have gotten the job done, so what did you use to motivate them?" Samus asked, speaking up.
"Drugs and chemical cocktails are marvelous things, don't you think? Thank goodness for thorough research," the man answered, giving her a mildly annoyed look. He turned attention back to Doc. "A secret base. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Dishonesty will not be tolerated by the Federation, doctor."
"Captain Anthony Higgs, of the Galactic Federation. You are definitely not one of us," Anthony flatly said, introducing himself point blank. At least they weren't part of the Federation as far as he'd been told.
The man gave him a sharp, angry, dangerous look. For a moment, the two stared one another down. The deadly tension could not be denied. Samus began to feel uncomfortable with it. "Eyes off him. Now," she ordered the man. He snapped his attention back to her, which was good because it meant he had stopped looking at Anthony like he wanted to slaughter him.
"Who are you?" the man coldly asked.
"My name is Samus Aran. Heard of me?" she asked borderline mockingly.
The man started, eyes widening, and for a moment he looked uneasy before it vanished, giving way to a hardened look. He turned to Doc once more. "Hiring outcast bounty hunters to keep your dirty secrets now, doctor?"
"Get off of this planet. Fly away and never look back. There is nothing here for you but death," Doc coldly said. "I will not be your pawn any longer."
"You have yet to finish your assignment," the man answered.
"I have stopped research into it. In fact, I have switched my priorities, gentlemen. Now I am doing my own independent research free of your influence and demands," Doc answered.
The man hummed a moment before raising his hand. Immediately all the soldiers behind him readied their weapons and took aim. "Be careful of your next words, doctor," the man said. "You were contracted to do a job. You will do it by will or by force."
"They're under my protection. The protection of the Galactic Federation as well," Samus said. "You're going to leave, you're going to forget you ever saw this place, and you are never going to look back again."
The man glared at her before turning to Doc once more. "We went to your original base searching for you, when we lost contact. Imagine our dismay to find it in ruins and infested with alien fauna. We searched for you all. We searched a long time. We found Space Pirates instead. Or what remained of them. We took them prisoner. We interrogated them. They really are very resilient, but they aren't so immune to drugs as they are to pain. Some of them met not-so-pretty ends, their brains or whatever passes for them rotting away in their skulls as they spouted out strings of information completely unaware of the secrets they were spilling. Others survived but were no more capable of holding their tongues than their dying companions had been. They are how we learned of this planet. They are how we knew where to look."
"And now you can leave," Anthony said.
The man gave him an annoyed glance before turning to Doc once more. "Take your men and leave. You will get nothing from me. I'm no longer yours to command. You aren't even Federation anymore, so I owe you no loyalty," the doctor said.
"Hmm…" the man replied. He looked at Samus. "They had a lot to say about you, Ms. Aran. You and your reptilian nemesis. Ridley, was it?" The man looked around. "This is where he is from, I assume. He and all his kind. Many other kinds as well, from what we saw."
"Leave," Samus said simply.
"This is too dangerous and deadly to be left alone," the man replied.
"Leave," Samus repeated.
"When a species has proven too threatening to live, they must be extinguished," the man said.
"Leave," Samus ordered.
"We will wipe out every last one of his kind. It will spare lives, in the long run. Millions of them," the man said.
"Leave," Samus said yet again. "You aren't touching Ridley. Not him or any of his kind. They're contained here. This is their planet, their solar system. They're native to this place and no longer invasive. Ridley is not a threat. Not here. Since odds are he'll never leave again, he never will be. The galaxy is safe." This solar system not so much, but then this solar system was also the system that could temper him. Here rivals and natural predators abounded. Threats even to him.
"The resources of this place are abundant," the man answered casually as if he hadn't listened to a word she said. "I could only imagine the wealth that could be found here."
"What are you looking to gain from this? Really? Resources? Wealth? The extinction of a species you figure is too dangerous to let live? What do you gain by being here?" Anthony demanded.
"All of it," the man answered, turning to him.
"The Federation is not gonna stand for that, and believe me they'll be hearing about it. Somehow I doubt they're going to approve of some rogue branch starting trouble where they have no right starting trouble," Anthony said. The man was silent, eyes narrowed. "Take your people and get out of here before we stop giving you chances."
For a long time the man was still, considering the situation. Soon he turned to the armed forces behind him and tossed his head towards the ship. They turned and walked back to it. The man turned his back and followed them without a word. The entire delegation boarded, the dome was opened, and the ship began to rise. "This is too easy," Samus murmured.
"Mmm hmm," Anthony agreed quietly. He looked to Doc. "Get inside. Lockdown whatever you can lockdown, hide whatever you can hide, take shelter wherever you can take shelter."
"What are you thinking will happen?" the man asked.
"An attack. What else?" Samus replied for Anthony, readying her arm canon. Doc looked uncomfortable. Quickly he turned to leave and do as Anthony had ordered.
Anthony and Samus watched after him before looking after the retreating ship. Anthony sighed heavily and put on his helmet. "This is bad, Princess," he murmured.
"For who? Us or them," Samus replied, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. Anthony chuckled. The moment gunfire went off, Ridley and his mate would be alerted. Then there would be hell to pay.
They watched the ship rise high into the air, both smirking and relishing the coming battle. Until, that was, the front of is slowly started to open. Samus's smile slowly vanished. "What in the…?" She caught her breath. "Oh no," she said. Anthony looked quickly at her, curious. Samus looked immediately to him. "That's the weapon that was able to bring down almost the entirety of a murder of Ridley's kind," she said.
Anthony's eyes widened and he looked quickly back up at the ship. "They can't be serious," he said.
"They are," she grimly replied. "Come on, get to cover!" Immediately she turned, bolting. Anthony followed right after her. The two of them dove down into the base just as the weapon went off and obliterated every ship on the landing bay, rocking the entirety of the base and almost carving straight through!
Samus and Anthony cried out as they were flung down by the shockwave. Quickly they staggered up. "Dammit!" Anthony exclaimed, looking up. "They're really just gonna unleash like that?! There are innocent people here!"
"Somehow I doubt they care," Samus said. "My gunship and a few others are docked in the inner landing bay, so that's something, but I don't relish its odds against a craft that massive and that deadly."
"I've gotta contact the Federation," Anthony said.
"And bring them here too? You know how they feel about Ridley and the Space Pirates! Odds are good they'll just end up joining the rogues, taking out the common enemy, then turning on those rogues after," Samus replied. "We tried bluffing, it failed. Now we have to find another way."
"So what's the plan?" Anthony asked.
Suddenly enraged shrieks echoed out in the distance. Samus and Anthony paused, listening. They heard the shrieks again even closer, one of them very, very familiar. A smile flickered across Samus' lips. "That's the plan," she answered, scrambling to her feet. "Come on, let's get to our ships!"
"Mine was up there," Anthony replied.
"There are other ships in the inner bay for you to take," Samus said. Anthony wasn't sure that was the best idea, but it was the only option he had anymore he guessed. He nodded in understanding and the two of them ran towards the inner bay.