Chapter 1: Bounty Hunting Blues
"Huff... puff..." A tall, lanky form ran quickly down a dark alleyway at night. The sound of heavy breathing came from where its lower appendages met at the bottom, in a single foot. However, it appeared to be using the longer limbs that came from its shoulders as feet instead, keeping its single foot raised. As it ran, it turned its head, which was actually just one huge eye on a stalk, to look around. "Where is she... did I lose her?"
"Hardly." A chillingly calm voice responded to him. With a shriek, the creature took increased its speed, attempting to get out of the alley. Just as if it looked like it was about to make it, though, another form stepped out in front of it, blocking the way. The newcomer was humanoid, wearing an orange-and-yellow robotic power suit. As the fleeing creature whimpered and backed away, the power suit wearer pointed the blaster on its right arm at the runner. "Swueelb of Lorkus. This is your first criminal offense, ever." Whoever was in the suit shook its head. "Why'd you have to go and shoot that Federation guy? Granted, he was a politician, but still..." Swueelb stopped moving, and he angrily raised his foot to reveal a mouth on the underside.
"You should talk, Samus Aran!" He hissed. "After what you've done, you have no right to talk about crimes with me!"
"What I've done?" Samus stepped forward, frowning under her helmet. "What on Magani are you jabbering about, you little thug? Have you been drinking? Is that why you shot the guy?"
"HA!" Swueelb yelled. "You think I don't know? EVERYBODY knows! It's all over the news, every planet!"
"I'm starting to lose my patience." Samus growled. "WHAT'S all over the news?"
"The Metroid!" Swueelb howled. "You gave a Metroid to a Federation-run Space Station, you idiot! You've doomed the Galaxy!"
"Oh, that." Samus sighed. "The Metroid's only an infant, and it's not sucking energy. It-"
"You think it will stay an infant forever?!" The Lorkian laughed bitterly. "I wish! It'll grow up, and do you know what those idiots at the Federation will do? They'll let it BREED! They'll try to control those monstrosities, and the whole galaxy will be overrun! We'll all be doomed!"
"Is that why you...?" Samus asked quietly. Swueelb lowered his eye.
"Yeah. That's why I shot the Federation guy. He was spouting bullshit about using that freak for the good of the galaxy, and I just couldn't take it anymore! That thing's a menace, and all they care about is how they think they can use it for their own good! They don't realize what the hell it IS! It's a freakin' METROID, dammitall!" He raised his eye again, glaring at Samus. "I would think YOU of all people would know what that thing is capable of! You're the one who fought them off twice before with the Space Pirates before you even went to SR-388! When I heard about that expedition, that you were going to exterminate the Metroids, I was cheering for you! I thought that you would finally make the galaxy safe from those beasts! And what do you do?! YOU BRING ONE BACK AND TURN IT OVER TO THE FEDS!"
"You're hysterical." Samus told him grimly. "Stop screaming. Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be, Swueelb. I'm a bounty hunter, but I'm not completely cold-blooded... I really don't want to have to go for the 'Dead' bounty if I don't have to. It pays less, for one."
"Ah yes, I forgot!" Swueelb giggled madly. "You're a bounty hunter. You're no hero, or great savior, or any of that! You're just another lousy stinking bounty hunter trying to make a quick buck! I'm sure the Federation paid you very well for that Metroid, and that's all you care about, right? As far as you're concerned, the rest of the galaxy is just more bounties, and who cares if they die!"
"You're starting to irritate me, pal." Samus said dangerously. "I really don't think you want to do that."
"Oh, Jaksha forbid!" The Lorkian said mockingly. "I'm irritating Samus Aran! What a crime! You know what, little miss Aran? I. DO. NOT. CARE! The whole galaxy is going down, and you think I'm concerned about offending you? I'm dead anyways, and so is everybody else! You've doomed us all, you imbecile!"
"Swueelb..." The bounty hunter said warningly, slowly moving closer. Swueelb ignored her.
"It's over! It's all over! Who cares if I gun down a Federation officer, or a million Federation officers? Who cares if you blast my head off now, or do that to every bounty you go after? When you compare that to what you did by giving that Metroid to the Feds, it's trivial! Unimportant! Pathetic! When the galaxy's going to splat, who cares about one or two unrelated deaths? NOT ME!"
"There's nothing like that to worry about." Samus told Swueelb as she kept edging towards him. "The Federation won't abuse the Metroid's power, and they won't breed it. To do so would be the work of complete idiots, and it would be far too dangerous. They won't do it."
"You're even more naive than I was!" The Lorkian laughed. "You fool, the Federation does what they want, and they want the power of the Metroids! And they're too self-confident to even consider that it might be beyond their control! Plus, even if by some chance they manage to keep their ambitions under control and don't use that thing, there's still the Space-" Swueelb never even saw the punch coming. Samus' metal-clad fist slammed into the exact center of the Lorkian's body. He let out a small, surprised scream as his eye rolled upward, and a moment later, he collapsed, unconscious. Samus nodded.
"Good. I THOUGHT that's where his brain was located. I hate dealing with lifeforms with bizarre anatomy." The bounty hunter remained standing there for several moments, looking at the collapsed Swueelb before her without saying anything. Finally, she shook her head and made a noise of disgust. "Idiot. Paranoia and fear of government... that's all. He was just babbling... yeah. That's it..." She crouched and picked up the Lorkian's body, hefting it over her shoulder and tying the rubbery, flexible arms in a knot in case he woke up. Before she moved on, though, she stopped for another moment and looked up at the sky, trying to find Space Station Ceres. "Still... I wonder how Matrix is doing." She frowned. "Ah, cut it out, Aran. He's probably fine. Those scientists are taking good care of him, you know that." She grunted slightly. "Oy, this guy weighs a lot more than he looks. Come on, sleeping ugly, let's get you down to the local Federation station so I can cash you in before my spine telescopes. I wanna stop by Horzat's for a drink sometime tonight." She shifted the bounty's weight, then carried him out of the alley and down an outside street. Once she was gone, two pairs of eyes lit up, and two lifeforms slipped out from behind garbage dumpsters.
"Shall we follow her?" The first asked. Its partner shook its head.
"No. We know where she will be going after the Federation station. She will be visiting the traitor. Let us rejoin the others, then contact our master for further instructions."
"Agreed." The two creatures moved off quietly, leaving no trace of their prescence.
***
Draygon crawled down the winding stone halls, nodding at each of the Zebesian guards as he passed them. A green, insectoid Evir with a massively bulging head and a spearlike tail, Draygon was a water-dweller and thus had a breathing tank on his back hooked up to his mouth. At the bottom, the Zebesian who was at the door frowned at him.
"This is Level-2 security. Present your ID." Draygon frowned. Before he could speak, though, his partner beat him to it.
"Insolent fool... be glad that we do not kill you where you stand for your insult." Over Draygon, there was a distortion in the air, and a gigantic creature appeared out of nowhere. It was an Elocto; a giant, brown-skinned mollusk with a bulging body sac up top above the head. Below the head, a pair of tentacles waved. As it opened its mouth to speak again, a single eye was revealed inside it. "You do not recognize us?!" The Zebesian gulped.
"M... Master Phantoon! And... are y-you Master D-Draygon?" Draygon scowled.
"Of course I am, wretch! You have exactly three seconds to open this door before I-" The door opened. "Good. You live another day. However..." He glared at the guard, who was trembling violently. "The V-Level corps have no need for you. You are demoted. Turn in your armor upgrade and return to your former squad." The Zebesian nodded and ran as Draygon crawled into the door, Phantoon simply phasing through the wall.
"That was a bit unneccessary, Draygon." Phantoon told his partner. "The death threat would have sufficed."
"I'm in a bad mood." The Evir admitted. "Having to go off the Sys-Gro and come on land always makes me irritable. Maybe I should cut back."
"I would." Phantoon advised as they continued through the extremely cold tunnel. "We still don't know all the side effects. Well, except for that fat fool Kraid's going bald, but that could easily be natural."
"That useless idiot probably just mistook weed killer for his shampoo." Draygon snickered. The two of them slid into the water pit at the end of the tunnel, got on the elevator and rode it down. "Aah, this feels good... or maybe it was coming back from the dead that wiped out his hair. I wouldn't be surprised."
"Reviving from death didn't hurt Ridley either time." Phantoon observed as they reached their destination, moved over the lava pit and continued down the metal halls. "But then again, he never had hair in the first place."
"Please, don't mention that sickening saurian's name around me." Draygon complained. "I hate that guy."
"I can assure you, Draygon, that the feeling is mutual." A new voice came from overhead, and the two Space Pirates looked up to see a lean, dactyl-like Drakar hanging from the ceiling. Ridley grinned, showing about five hundred fangs in his long beak, then flipped around and flew down. "My esteemed colleagues. Kraid and I thought we would wait for you; you know how SHE likes us to come in together." He rolled his eyes. "I think she wants us to be all buddy-buddy, four ways. Of course, we all know how likely THAT is, but hey, what the boss lady says, goes, right?" He mockingly patted Draygon and Phantoon on their shoulders.
"Your sense of humor is as questionable as always, Ridley." Draygon said acidly. "I suppose Kraid is around here somewhere?"
"Right here, Draygon." A fourth voice came from around the corner. The three of them walked around to meet a massively fat reptilian Iz with a vertical row of spikes on his abdomen. Kraid's three eyes blinked, looking them over.
"I see you're off the Sys-Gro as well, Draygon."
"Of course I am, you idiot." Draygon snapped as the four Space Pirates continued down the hall. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't be able to fit through the tunnels!"
"Phantoon doesn't have any trouble." Kraid grunted. "Do you, Phanty?"
"No, Kraid, I don't." Phantoon's voice was sickeningly sweet. "That's because I can phase out and move my molecules through other molecules. I bet you wish you could phase out all that lard of yours, don't you. And I'd imagine Ridley bruises his wings a lot when he bends over to go through doors."
"Oh, of course." Ridley grinned evilly, sidling over to Phantoon. "I'm an expert on all sorts of bruises, Phantoon. Would you like me to give you some?" The Elocto shrank back a bit as they entered the door at the end, and Draygon hissed.
"Ridley..."
"All of you, stop now!" A loud, female voice silenced them all. A large meeting table had four seats, and at the head of the table, a tank of liquid held a floating lifeform. The four leaders bowed.
"Milady Mother Brain." Ridley greeted her. "We have come as commanded. It is time for the weekly meeting, is it not?"
"Yes it is." Mother Brain, the Pirate Queen, agreed with the Drakar. "Sit, all of you. We have much to discuss." They complied. "Kraid, I wish to once again congratulate you on persuading the KiHunters to join us. With that, you have increased our numbers by half again."
"I live but to serve." Kraid smiled. Ridley pumped his fist.
"Three cheers for Kraid! Hip, hip, hooray!" Phantoon and Draygon reluctantly joined in. Kraid grinned even wider.
"Now, are there any ideas for more recruits?" Mother Brain demanded. Phantoon raised a tentacle.
"There are the Yakuza. They are operating a small-time syndicate of their own, so joining us would come naturally to them."
"Bad idea." Kraid shook his head. "Research better next time, Phantoon. Yakuza and KiHunters are from the same planet; as a matter of fact, the Yakuza are the chief predator of the KiHunters. Do the math."
"Yeah, kinda like how you're the chief predator of cheesy poofs." Phantoon muttered under his breath. Draygon cleared his throat.
"Speaking of which, when will the KiHunters finish their Zero stage?"
"Within a few days." Mother Brain informed him. "It will not be long now. Now then, has the expedition force we sent to SR-388 returned?" Kraid's eyes dimmed in regret and apology.
"I'm afraid so, and our fears were confirmed. They're all gone. Totally wiped out. No Larva, Alphas, Betas, Zetas, or Omegas left, and obviously no Queen. The only Metroid left in existence is in the hands of Samus Aran."
"Damnation!" Mother Brain hissed. "Accursed human! It appears we must take it from her, then... Ridley, have Ezer and Garan returned your calls yet?"
"Not yet, boss lady." Ridley shrugged apologetically. "They should be calling right about-" A beeping noise came from behind Ridley's wing. "Now. Ah, there we go." Reaching behind it, he pulled out a pocket communicator and flipped it on. "Yes? Hello. Did you-? Good. Ooh, very good." He looked up. "They say they found her, and she's heading for that traitor Horzat's place."
"Good, good." Mother Brain told him. "Order them to send in their forces, then those two come back here. The strike force can work without them; even if Samus Aran survives the attack, they'll wipe out Horzat. I have different plans for Ezer and Garan... and for you as well, Ridley."
"You hear that?" Ridley talked into the comm. "Excellent. Carry out your orders. Mm-hmm. See ya then." He closed it up and put it away. "They'll do it." Mother Brain nodded.
"Very well. Now, on to the next topic of discussion... we've recently acquired a new assassin."
"With all due respect, milady..." Phantoon spoke up. "How is this particularly important?"
"He is no ordinary assassin, Phantoon." Mother Brain told him. "Our new friend is an Allgor from Planet Gawjam on the Far Side." Her four underlings all recoiled in surprise. The Far Side referred to the half of the galaxy that was not part of the Galactic Federation. Draygon was first to recover.
"A valuable acquisition indeed..." The Evir's eyes lit up. "He has no record or identity with the Federation..."
"Until recently, he was a serial killer on plant Magari." Mother Brain continued. "When he heard about us, he hijacked a shuttle, came here, and fought his way to meet me. A bit dramatic, but it worked. I'll need one of you to test him and see how good he is in combat." Ridley's hand shot up immediately, followed only a half-second later by Draygon's. "Not you, Ridley. I already told you I have another assignment for you." Muttering curses in some forgotten language, the Drakar withdrew his claw. "Draygon, you do it. Oh, and by the way... have you taken care of that damned Botwoon infestation in Maridia yet?"
"Just about, milady." Draygon assured her. "There's only one left; he's a slippery bastard, but we'll get him."
"Good. I believe that is all. You're all dismissed." As they rose to leave, Phantoon moved over next to Draygon.
"Are you sure about this, Draygon? I've heard some very nasty things about Allgors..."
"Phantoon, I'll be fine." The Evir patiently reminded his friend. "I'm one of the leaders of the Pirate Lords. A simple serial killer won't be able to seriously injure me. What are you worried about?"
"He's concerned about you, Draygon." Kraid snickered as he lumbered out. "He worries that his best buddy might get himself splattered all over Maridia. Heh heh heh... well, isn't that cute." The Elocto glared daggers at Kraid's back, then followed him out, accompanied by Draygon. As Ridley was about to leave, though, Mother Brain called him back.
"No, wait, Ridley. You may stay here. We need to discuss what your new mission shall be once Ezer and Garan return." Ridley bowed flamboyantly.
"Your every wish is my command, milady. Now, what exactly is it that you wish me to do?"
***
"Name: Swueelb. Wanted For: Murder. Species: Lorkian, from Planet Loo. Last Seen: Planet Magani. Alive Bounty: 50000." The Federation Officer behind the desk nodded and looked up from his computer. "That's him, all right. Good job, miss Aran." He kicked Swueelb, who was still unconscious. "This SOB wiped out my boss, so it's kinda personal thing for our station. I know some guys in back who'll be really glad to see him." He grinned viciously. Samus smiled back.
"That's great. Now, the payoff, if you don't mind."
"Right, right." The Officer pressed a few keys on his computer, then motioned Samus to put her card in the slot in front of the desk. She did, and on the screen facing her, watched her sums increase by 50000. As Samus removed her card, the Officer handed her a CD.
"What's this?"
"Just a little thank-you for bringing this guy in from all of us here." The Officer told her. "It's a Bounty that won't be out publicly until tomorrow, so you can get a head start. I think you in particular will find this one very interesting. See ya around."
"Rightyo." Samus waved as she walked out, onto the streets of Magani. "I'll look at it later; right now, I need a drink." She continued down the streets, passing freighters, petty crooks and other bounty hunters. Located just outside Earth's Solar System, Planet Magani was a popular hangout for such types. It was a rough, barren world without natural intelligent life, and none of the planets had been interested enough to claim it before the Federation was started, so there really wasn't much in the way of organization, or permanent habitation. Most people on Magani stayed for no more than a week at a time. The civilized galaxy tended to ignore it, which was probably why it attracted those who liked to avoid civilization.
"Like me." Samus chuckled as she lost sight of the Federation area. Passing by her ship, she made a quick check that nobody had tried to jack it and gotten knocked out by the antitheft system, then went on. A couple blocks down, she stopped in front of what looked to be a rarity on Magani: A building that was built to last more than a couple weeks. It was an old building that looked like it had been there for decades, although Samus knew that it had only been around for less than eight years. A sign over the door read "Horzat's Bar." She walked in.
"Hey, Samus!" A young man in a blue power suit called as she walked in. She nodded in his direction.
"Hey, Falcon. How you doing?"
"Just great!" Falcon grinned. "The bounties are falling right into my lap. Soon as I'm done here, I'm going to go out and nail that killer, Swueelb. A hundred credits says I get him within a day!" Samus laughed as she removed her helmet.
"I'd be glad to take you up on that, Falcon. Especially since I just caught Swueelb myself less than an hour ago."
"Argh!" Falcon reeled dramatically. "You've beaten me to the punch again! Watch your heels, Samus; one of these days I'll be better than you!" She snorted.
"Yeah, and maybe someday it'll rain beer too." Samus sat down in front of the bar and waited. Several minutes later, the barman stumped over.
"Well, well. If it isn't miss Samus Aran." The barkeep growled. "Got tired of chasing crooks? Or did you fall in an open manhole during a chase?" He was an old creature, walking with a cane. He had a blue exoskeleton, dull with age, and his right arm ended in a large claw; the left arm was cut off at the wrist. He had a pegleg and an eyepatch, and wore a cheesy fake white beard.
"Nah, I just came in to pester you." Samus grinned at Horzat the Zebesian. "I decided that it had been too long since I visited and made you blow a blood vessel, coot."
"Not nearly long enough, actually." Horzat grumbled as he took down a mug. "You're not very popular lately, Samus. Everybody knows about what you did with the last Metroid, and not too many of them agree with you."
"Including you, crab?" Samus asked significantly. Horzat harrumphed.
"Let's just say I don't have an opinion. Just like everything else having to do with politics. You want the usual?" The bounty hunter shook her head.
"Not tonight, I don't. It hasn't been the best of days. Gimme a Boris Yeltsin, beer jockey." Horzat's single good eye widened in surprise.
"Sheez, looks like all that hype's affecting you too. You sure about this? You'll have a hangover the size of Draconis tomorrow..."
"Yeah, I'm sure." Samus told him. "I want to forget some stuff that's been happening lately, if only for a few hours, alright?"
"Well, a Boris Yeltsin'll do that to ya, all right." Horzat shrugged. "Hey, you're the paying customer. It's your choice. And your head." He put the mug back and took out one as wide as a hubcap. "So. What happened to that fancy Gravity Suit you were sporting last time I saw you? And all those kickass weapons and all that other stuff? You look like a novice fresh out of training." Samus made an indelicate noise.
"Bureacracy. When you cross over to the Far Side or from there to here, you have to leave everything but the bare essentials with the Feds to check out. They say they'll send it back to you once they've okayed it, but I haven't gotten a single scrap of my stuff returned, which doesn't really surprise me one bit."
"Me either." The Zebesian agreed as he pulled a bottle of Earth Vodka down from a shelf. "Governments everywhere are always like that. Even with the Pirates, if you got bonus pay it would take forever for it to actually be sent to you. It had to get okayed by each of the four Captains under M.B., and as you probably know, they didn't exactly get along. There was this one time when I was working under Ridley, and..."
"Whoa." Samus held up her hand. "Hold on a moment. Please, save the old stories until AFTER I'm drunk off my ass, okay you yap? They're always better that way, because my brain doesn't really make the connection between your old bossman and the guy I've blown away twice."
"Fine, whatever." Horzat grumbled as he tossed the empty bottle over his shoulder and started looking for some Moonshine. "Watch the TV until then for all I care. It's on your favorite channel anyways." Samus nodded and glanced up at the set hanging in a corner of the ceiling. A Ganian and a Kor were talking about the latest bounties.
"And here's the big star of today's show!" The Kor announced. The screen changed to a shot of a red reptile with a long snout and multiple eyes. "Say hello to Crocomire, boys and girls! This nasty serial killer comes from all the way over on the Far Side! He's an Allgor from Gawjam, and recently joined the Space Pirates! Be warned, this will be a tough fight, because Allgors have incredibly powerful natural armor and are nearly invincible to all standard weaponry! Therefore, it is highly recommended that only experienced Bounty Hunters try bringing in this bad boy, and that they go for the "alive" bounty, since killing him would likely require something restricted even by criminals! He's wanted on charges of Space Piracy, Murder, Mass Destruction, and Organized Crime! Bounty is 250000 Dead, and 300000 Alive!"
"Bingo!" Falcon called out, pointing at the screen. "That's who my next target's going to be! I'm gonna take down Crocomire, and score myself five times what I woulda gotten from Swueelb!" He looked over at Samus. "You gonna try for this guy?"
"Ask me again in the morning." She replied tersely. "Right now, I can't decide whether I want to aggravate the Pirates or stay away from them as long as possible. Although I'll admit I'm leaning towards the first right now."
"That's the spirit!" Falcon grinned. "Just don't take too long deciding! Remember, first come first served!"
"Also, first come first splattered." Horzat commented as he finished filling Samus' mug with a beverage that was swirling brown and white. "Don't get too cocky, kid, or you'll lose an eye. I did."
"Oooh, cranky." Falcon mocked. "I'll be fine, Horzat. I'm experienced. And I'm also thirsty. Bring me another I Brew, willya?" Grumbling, Horzat stumped over to get Falcon's mug as Samus took a sip of her own drink and began coughing.
"Yeah, that's what I want." She wheezed. "This stuff could fell an Dugh."
"I think that's what they had in mind when they designed it." Horzat told her as he refilled Falcon's mug. "A drink designed solely for getting you as stone piss drunk as possible within seconds SOUNDS convenient, but the reality is far less pretty. Watch that, Samus. If you chug it, it might kill you."
"Gee, and wouldn't that be a shame." The female bounty hunter muttered, the alcohol already beginning to take effect. Horzat glared at her.
"I'm serious her, Samus. Don't take a stupid chance like that. I've seen enough deaths already to last me several lifetimes."
"Wow, Horzat." Samus looked up in surprise and slight amusement. "That almost sounded like you cared." The Zebesian snorted in derision as he gave Falcon the drink and collected the money.
"Yeah, right. And tomorrow I'm gonna pledge to donate all my proceeds for the next month to charity. Try, I care for the cash you keep spending here. Otherwise, I don't think so."
"Yeah, sure." Samus laughed. "Whatever. It's not worth debating right now. Now, all I want to think about is nothing. That, and getting drunk." She took another swig from the giant tankard as Horzat moved back behind the bar.
"If you don't want to listen to stories right now, Samus, how about telling some? It doesn't have to be related to that Federation decision of yours..."
"Yeah, most of us don't like hearing about the Feds anyways!" Falcon grinned. "Why don't you tell us all some horror stories about the nasty, scary monsters you found on SR-388?" The other patrons were sliding their chairs over. Samus glared at her friend.
"Falcon..."
"Come on, Samus! Tell us about the adventures of the legendary Bounty Hunter!" His face was intentionally innocent and boyish. "Pleeease?" She sighed, then glared over at Horzat.
"Thanks a bunch." Horzat grinned.
"I've told you enough stories in my time. Now it's your turn to return the favor, Samus." She sighed.
"Grr... oh, all right, fine." Samus finally agreed. "Well, I'm sure you've all heard about what Metroids look like. But in actuality, that's only their baby form. If you think they're ugly enough, you should see what happens when they start growing up..."
***
"State rank, name and ID code." The computer ordered. The man standing in front of the door didn't flinch.
"Commander Mark Todar. ID code 129113." The machine hummed for a moment as it analyzed his voice, then the doors opened.
"Welcome, Commander Todar. You have nine new messages." The Federation Officer walked into his office and sat behind his desk, then began going through the messages that had arrived while he was out.
"Telemarketer... telemarketer... an authorization for high-grade weapons to Planet EV-42... telemarketer... the Newsletter... telemarketer... telemarketer... telemarketer-I thought this was supposed to be a secure address, dammit... aaand some news about a Magani Officer who got iced." Deleting two-thirds of his messages, Todar opened up the Authorization. "Let's see here... what do they need them fo-oh, bloody hell." He made a disgusted noise. "It's just another frackin' clan war sugarcoated. I HATE Evirs. Denied. Denied denied denied, and there it is in triplicate. Do NOT let those maniacs get their hands on Super Missiles just to blow each other up because somebody accidentally stepped into somebody else's clan's waters. Somebody really needs to give the Evirs a lesson in reality. OY."
"Acknowledged." The computer responded pleasantly. "Authorization 3984732 denied." Todar nodded.
"All right. Now, the Newsletter..." He rolled his eyes, then looked over at the computer's sound receivers. "Hey, computer. I'll bet you 500 that there's nothing in there I don't already know."
"Command unfamiliar." The machine responded smoothly. "Please reiterate." Todar just sighed and covered his face with one hand.
"Forget it." As it turned out, he had been right; the Newsletter didn't contain a single scrap of information that was new to him. Deleting it as well as the annoying Authorization, the Commander opened the first of his two remaining messages. "Okay, what do we have here... the Commander of Magani, Derrick Girsh, was killed three days ago. The killer was a Lorkian named Swueelb. Due to the crudity of the attack, it is believed that it was a spur-of-the-moment decision on Swueelb's part, and not a planned assasination." He frowned and shook his head disapprovingly. "Well, that's no excuse not to track him down straight away. Can't let those bums think they can get away with gunning Federation Officers down, even for a second... wait, what's this? Swueelb was recently apprehended by Samus Aran, and brought in to the Magani station alive..." Todar leaned back in his chair. "Oog. I suppose I really did ask for that. That lady is entirely too dangerous. Even when the majority of her weapons and power suit upgrades are confiscated, she still manages to catch Swueelb that fast, and alive no less..." His frown deepened. "Yes, far too dangerous. I believe we're going to have to do something fairly serious about that young lady sooner or later..."
"Commander, there is an incoming message." His computer announced. "It is from Space Station Ceres... it appears to be a status report on the last of the Metroids." The Officer broke into a grin.
"Well, well, speaking of which. It's about time I got a status report in from those people... they've certainly had the Metroid for a few days. I wonder what they've been doing with it... well, I suppose that's what this status report is all about." Deleting the murder news, Todar opened his new message from Ceres.
To: Commander Mark Todar of the Galactic Federation, Planet Earth.
From: Doctor Leonard Olvarey, Head Scientest of Space Station Ceres
Commander Todar, as you already know, we recently came into possession of the last surviving Metroid. Upon the conclusion of her mission on SR-388, the exinction of the Metroid species, Samus Aran discovered a newborn baby Metroid, which exhibited no violent instincts whatsoever. Instead of destroying it, Miss Aran took the infant Metroid (which she christened Matrix) off of SR-388 with her. She then delivered it to us in the hopes that we could find some way to use it for the good of the galaxy, and we began studying it.
"Yes, I know all of that already." Todar grumbled as he read the message. "Get on with it already, you blabby old coot!"
From analyzing Matrix, we have made surprising discoveries. The energy-draining ability of the Metroids can be altered so that they can not only take life force, but give it as well! With this revolutionary discovry, we may be able to completely save hundreds of lives that would otherwise be unsalvagable. The potential is staggering. Medical science may never be the same. All that remains is to devise a method of controlling how much energy is drained from the donor, so that he may give some of his life force without dying...
"Yeah, very interesting." Todar growled. "The Metroids can be used to help instead of hurt, good of the galaxy, and all that. Very nice. When is he going to get to the important part?"
However, I am guessing that you are not interested in hearing what we have discovered sbout the use of Metroids in medical science. Very well. On to what you no doubt condider the more important part of the research. We have examined the Metroid's DNA, and from its cells, we have discovered how the Space Pirates manage to create such a numerous army of Metroids in such a short time, without letting them mature. This is only a conjecture, but... possibly, it seems that if Beta radiation is applied to a Metroid, it will divide by mitosis, splitting into two. The newly created Metroid will have a much faster growth rate.
"Yes!" Todar's face broke out in a huge grin as he jumped to his feet and began walking around the room, excitedly talking to himself. "Excellent! This is just what we've been looking for... if we can just figure out how to control the Metroids, then we'll finally be able to move on the Far Side and..." He stopped and looked at the message again, then groaned.
Unfortunately, this is by no means a perfected process. While the newly-created Metroid gains a substantial increase in their growth rate, the original Metroid is the reverse; its growth slows dramatically. Also, if the Beta radiation process is used too many times, it stands a very high chance of proving fatal to the Metroids, and with only one in existence, such a risk is highly dangerous. A much more fruitful option would be cloning, but such a process is still highly experimental. We will contact you as soon as we know more. The message ended.
"Crap!" Todar yelled, kicking his chair. "I KNEW it was too good to be true..." Letting loose a few more curse words, he sat back down. "Looks like we'll just have to wait some more... well, we've managed to keep the peace with the Far Side for years now. A few more won't kill us... and then..." He laughed.
***
It was several hours later into the night, and most of the patrons had either left or drunken themselves into unconsciousness. Samus Aran appeared to be moving towards the latter path; she was still sitting in front of the counter, slumped forward. Horzat was nearby on the other side of the counter, polishing a glass.
"Hey, Horzat..." Samus raised her head. The old Zebesian looked at her.
"Yeah?"
"Have you ever had to do something where you weren't sure if it was the right thing to do? Something where even after you did it, you still wondered if it was correct, if you hadn't screwed up?" Horzat put the glass down and looked at her, very seriously.
"You're asking me, Samus? The Pirate Traitor? Yeah, I've done things like that. Plenty of them while working for the Pirates; and then the big one. When I made the decision to switch sides after Tarna was killed. Yeah, I've made my share of nasty choices, and no, they don't get easier as time goes on. The might-have-beens will keep on following you until the day you die."
"Well, that's just great. Absolutely peachy." Samus laughed bitterly. "So how do you handle it?" Horzat sighed.
"You have to realize that, for better or for worse, the choice has already been made, and it can't be changed now. Dwelling on the past will kill you if you let it. You've got to move on with your life, leave your demons behind. There's nothing else to be done. I'm sure if you think about it for a bit, you'll understand what I'm talking about." Samus smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, I suppose I do... thanks, Horzat." The Zebesian didn't say anything, stepping out from behind the counter and walking over to Falcon, who was sprawled across a table, snoring. "Moving on... yeah, I should. There was something..." She pulled a CD out. "When I turned in Swueelb, the Federation guys gave me this... said it was some Bounty that wasn't out yet, and seemed to think it would interest me... hey, can I...?"
"Oh, sure." Horzat kicked Falcon into a corner and stumped back over, taking the CD and inserting it in a slot below his computer. As it loaded, he hissed in surprise and stepped back, eye glowing red. Samus frowned.
"What is it?"
"An old... friend." Horzat spat on the floor. "Hey, Samus, if you let me print out this picture, I'll let you have drinks for free for a month... I've wanted him on a dartboard for a long time now." Standing up, Samus slowly moved towards him and the computer.
"What are you-" She fell silent as she saw the picture on the screen. It was a massively fat reptilian Iz with a vertical row of spikes on his abdomen. He was bald.
Name: Kraid
Bounty: 1000000 (Dead) 2000000 (Alive)
Wanted For: Space Piracy Grand, Murder, Battery, Thuggery, Mass Destruction, Illegal Chemical Usage, Illegal Technology Usage, Organized Crime
Species: Iz
Dossier: One of the leaders of the Space Pirates, Kraid is the Mother Brain's left-hand man. He is brutal, cruel, and much more intelligent than a normal Iz. Along with Ridley and Mother Brain, Kraid was believed killed by the bounty hunter Samus Aran in the Zebes Disaster several years ago, but Ridley's reappearance has proven this is not to be relied upon. Several sightings gave rise to suspicions which were confirmed when a freshly-used tube of the illegal Pirate steroid Sys-Gro was found with his cells on it on Galron, where the Space Pirates have been known to frequent. Kraid is the head scientest of the Space Pirates, and has found many brilliant but deadly discoveries. Kraid has also been known to use illegal cloning technology to produce duplicates of himself. Dangerous enough normally, his apparent use of Sys-Gro makes Kraid a very hazardous target. Only experienced bounty hunters should attempt taking him down.
Last Seen: Galron
Home Planet: I
"Kraid..." Samus muttered. "Wasn't he the one who-"
"Killed Tarna, yeah." Horzat said, glaring at the Bounty with undisguised hatred. "I thought you told me you had returned the favor when you attacked Zebes to stop the Metroid Plan."
"I also fragged Ridley there, and he came back on Tallon IV." Samus reminded him. "Kraid's a bastard, but his technology's years beyond the Federation's."
"No surprise there." Horzat grumbled. "The Federation is full of incompetents. All except for that one guy, what was his name...? Adam? Yeah, Adam Malkovich. He was a good fella; arranged for my pardon after I told them about the Metroid Plan. And wasn't he the one who brought you in on that too?"
"Yeah."
"Thought so. How's he doing these days?"
"He... died, I'm afraid." Samus said shortly. "It was quite sudden." Horzat lowered his head.
"I'm sorry." Samus didn't respond; she just sat back down at the counter and drank some more. Horzat didn't speak again either, going back to wiping cups. Neither of them talked again until Midnight. That was when the Space Pirate's assassination attempt took place.
"DIE, DAMNED HUNTER!" A voice screeched as the front window of Horzat's exploded inward. Samus jumped back against the wall, next to Horzat, who had swiftly removed the bottom of his cane to reveal a hidden sword. From the smoking remnants of the window, five Zebesians stepped forward, clad in red. Horzat cursed.
"Those are G-Level! They're very heavily armored!"
"And me with barely any armament!" Samus groaned. Horzat quickly removed the crystal orb from the top of his cane and tossed it to her, then pointed the empty socket at the lead asassin. A very powerful explosive projectile rocketed out and hit the pirate in the chest, killing him. The other four stared.
"That was..."
"A Super Missile." Horzat grinned evilly. "Come on, boys... I got more." For a moment, it looked like the Pirates were going to bolt, until the smartest one realized something.
"Hey, that cane's not big enough for a full Super Missile launcher! It must be a one-shot! He's bluffing!"
"Ah, shaddup!" Samus yelled, jumping in front of him. His eyes widened, and he pointed his claw blaster at her. As the Pirate was about to fire, Samus jammed the crystal orb from the cane into said claw. The explosion claimed that entire side of him. Samus whistled. "Bomb?"
"Yup." Horzat agreed as he fired his own claw blaster at a third Pirate. "Whoa, look out!" Samus whirled to see the fourth Pirate standing in the corner, about to fire. As he did, though, a blue-armored hand grabbed his foot, sending his blast astray.
"You people make too much noise!" Falcon complained as he clambered to his feet. "Can't a guy get any sleep?" He fired a Missile at the Pirate, who just cackled and took the hit without any damage. "What the hell?!"
"SUPER Missiles, idiot!" Samus yelled. Falcon's face brightened.
"Oh yeah!" This time, the projectile killed his opponent. Horzat was trading shots with the third Pirate. The Pirate was surprised to discover that a Zebesian's claw-blasters were actually located in the arm, as demonstrated by the blistering bolts emitted from Horzat's left stump. What he had thought was crippled, easy prey was matching him bolt for bolt. Then, the Pirate discovered something that REALLY surprised him. Horzat had a THIRD blaster in his peg leg. The shot from there caught him completely off guard and took him full in the face. As he stumbled back, the fifth Pirate jumped Horzat, grabbing him from behind.
"Any last words, traitor?" The asassin hissed. Horzat nodded grimly, flipping his eyepatch up.
"Yeah... you don't want to do that." His captor recoiled in surprise; in the barkeep's empty eye socket, a Power Bomb was revealed. One of the most powerful weapons known, if it was set off or damaged, the entire bar and everybody in it would be destroyed, except Samus, whose Chozo power suit was somehow immune to the things. Taken aback, the Pirate didn't fire, and that moment of hesitation was all that was needed. Sneaking behind him, Samus returned his own trick, grabbing the Pirate's neck in a metal-clad armlock. He struggled for a moment, and she brutally snapped his neck. The last Zebesian remaining looked at the angry faces of his three opponents, then screamed and ran outside, down the street.
"Well, that was exhilirating." Falcon commented, surveying the bar. "Smashed up your place pretty bad, though, Horzat." He looked at the corpses. "What's the going rate on ordinary G-Level Pirates again, Samus?" She thought for a moment.
"Dead? 20000. That's 20000 for you, 20000 for Horzat, and 40000 for me."
"Excuse me?" Horzat blinked, covering his eye socket with the patch again. "Now, I know I didn't hear that one right. That last one is MINE."
"Yeah, right." Samus snorted. "You've gone senile. I was the one who broke his neck, Horzat."
"Which you never would have been able to do if I hadn't froze him up by showing him my little replacement eye!" The Zebesian countered.
"You'd be DEAD if you hadn't done that." She reminded him. Horzat shook his head.
"Doesn't matter. Point's still the same. And besides..." He gestured around with his good claw. "I'm gonna need the cash to fix this place up from the fight."
"He's got a point, Samus." Falcon agreed. The female Bounty Hunter glared at them both, then threw up her hands.
"Fine, whatever. I've got more important things to worry about anyways." Falcon frowned.
"Such as?"
"Use your head, Falcon." She snapped. "This wasn't just some random attempt. Five G-Levels can only mean one thing; the Space Pirates are back up to power, and they're trying something. We knew this would happen eventually. And with Pirates, that something is obvious."
"The Metroid?" Horzat guessed. Samus nodded.
"Got it in one. I'm going back to Space Station Ceres and see what's going on with Matrix. He's the only Metroid left in existence; they're going to be moving on him." She put her helmet on. "And when they do, I'll be there waiting for them. I'll be seeing you guys around."
***
"Hey, Ridley!" Kraid grinned as his Drakar partner walked into his room in Brinstar, the underground jungles of Zebes. "How ya doing, buddy?" Ridley flew over and gave him a high-five.
"Excellent, my reptilian compatriat! I just got finished with my briefing from Mom on the assignment she's sending me out on. Only problem is, Ezer and Garan are my teammates on the job, and they're not back from Magani yet. Once those two bums land and go through their own briefing, we can get going and have some... fun." He snickered wickedly. Kraid lumbered over to a computer and punched a few buttons before examining what was onscreen.
"Looks like you won't have that much longer to wait, Rid. They're coming in right as we speak. Landing in Crateria... now." He shook his head. "Rats. I keep hoping that one of these days a ship will land on top of that worm Phantoon, but no luck so far on that count."
"Now, Kraid, is that any way to speak about our dear brother Pirate?" Ridley asked mockingly. Kraid snorted.
"Very funny, Ridley. You know I loathe that one-eyed slimeball, and I know you feel the exact same way about Draygon."
"Nonesense!" Ridley waved a claw. "Why, just last week I invited him down to Norfair for tea!"
"Knowing, of course, that the heat would be absolutely intolerable to him." Kraid chuckled.
"Of course. But then, he had the audacity to accuse me of poisoning the tea!" Ridley shook his head mournfully. Kraid followed suit, but he was still smiling.
"What a shame. The absolute nerve of that guy. Did you?"
"Of course not!" Ridley's head shot up. He was smiling. "I poisoned his CUP, not that the tea itself. Pity it didn't work, especially with that new guy coming up. Whazzizname, Crocomire? He'd make a better associate than Draygon. We'd lose the Evir, but they're only useful in water anyways."
"Eh, it wouldn't change anything anyways." Kraid sighed. "Mom'd just make me revive him."
"I suppose you're right." Ridley nodded glumly. His friend walked over to a cooler and pulled out a pair of bottles.
"Let's change the subject; talking about those two isn't my idea of a good way to spend time. Damn, I wish I could come along with you on this mission, if it's as fun as you say it is."
"Oh, it's going to be fun all right." Ridley's face lit up as he took a bottle and opened it with his claw. "I asked her several times to let you come, but she kept saying no until finally she asked if I'd like her to let Phantoon or Draygon handle this instead. Sorry, but I'm not THAT desperate for your company."
"It's no problem." Kraid removed his own bottle cap and took a long drink. "You know how she's like once she's made her mind up on something. But hell, she's the boss lady, right? Well, since I can't come along, why don't you at least tell me about what you're going to do on this mission of yours? You've got a bit of time before Ezer & Garan get finished with their briefing anyways."
"Sounds like a good plan to me." Ridley agreed, drinking from his own bottle and making an approving noise. "This is some good brew, pal. Your home planet makes some damn fine drinks. Now, the mission. Well, here's how it goes..."