Epilogue
"YOU DIDN'T RECOVER THE METROID?!!!" Commander Mark Todar of the Galactic Federation was completely livid. He stared at the bounty hunter standing in front of his desk, skin chalk white as his hands clenched and unclenched spasmodically. Samus Aran watched this for a few moments before she spoke again in the tones of somebody who really didn't care about what she was saying.
"You heard me correctly the first time, Commander. The last of the Metroids gave his life in the process of the mission. He sacrificed himself to destroy the Mother Brain once again."
"So you failed." Todar began to recover from his shock. "The mighty Samus Aran failed her mission. The Metroid is dead, miss Aran. Despite the circumstances, it is still dead, and it is your fault and your failure. A blemish on the perfect record."
"My record stays the way it is, Commander." Samus smiled coldly. "As you made so very clear to me right before I left for Zebes, the Federation was NOT sending me on that mission. Thus, there was no FEDERATION mission failure or success, and thus, no change to my record needs to be made. As far as I'm concerned, the mission was completed successfully. I believe that it all that needs to be said." She started to turn away.
"I won't forget this, Aran." Todar growled threateningly. Samus stopped, was still for a moment, then looked back at him. When she did, the look on her face would have sent an entire army running for its lives.
"You are damn right that you won't forget it, Todar." She spoke slowly and deliberately. "I will make sure that you don't. You and the rest of the Federation will never forget this... that the entire galaxy was saved by one who it once thought was an enemy. The last surviving Metroid saved us all, Todar... Matrix saved us all. You might want to think about that for a bit." She turned away again. "Oh, one more thing. Horzat didn't do anything wrong. Those communications were with me. I want him out of the slammer and back in his bar within twenty-four hours."
"Now, see here!" Commander Todar blustered. "Even if he wasn't going back to the Pirates, that Zebesian still violated a direct Federation order! You can't just-" He fell silent as Samus turned to him again. She didn't say anything. She just looked at him. There were very few people in the galaxy who could glare down Commander Mark Todar of the Galactic Federation. Samus Aran was one of them. "All right... all right." He mumbled, shrinking back in his chair. "He'll be taken care of." Samus grunted.
"He's better. And remember, I expect each and every one of the bounties I turned in to be paid in full." As soon as she was gone, Commander Todar breathed a sigh of relief, which changed to a groan of dismay when a communication opened, showing a frowning General Razeel of the Egenoid Star Marines. Todar forced a smile to his face and saluted. The other man did not smile back.
"Commander. Am I to believe the rumors I hear that planet Zebes was destroyed by Samus Aran?"
"Well... yes." Todar admitted. Razeel's scowl deepened.
"And did you not hire us in order to deal with the same Zebes situation?" Todar reluctantly nodded.
"Yes, General. Your services are no longer requir-"
"Commander Todar, we do no appreciate being told to prepare to march and then discovering there is no place to march to." Razeel interrupted him. "If you will examine our contract, you will discover that you agreed to pay us regardless of mission success. We expect to still recieve that payment." Todar went white again.
"But-but you didn't even do any fighting!"
"It is not an issue of fighting. It is an issue of time. And you, Commander Todar, have just wasted a great deal of ours. We expect the payment, or things will turn very nasty for you. Good day, Commander." Razeel killed the connection, and Todar buried his face in his hands. He didn't look up as his computer beeped, signalling that another message was incoming.
"This had better be good... who is it?"
"Sir, it is Commander Kojin, head of the SCI division." Todar sighed and patched him through.
"Mark... we've done it!" The lean, black-bearded man said excitedly. "That Metroid-"
"Forget it." Todar broke the news to him. "You can just scrap all our Metroid-related experiments. Matrix is dead. The Metroid species is extinct."
"No, no." Kojin grinned darkly. "You're wrong Mark. Remember how about a month ago, one of our spies was able to discover Kraid's cloning process?" Todar cudgeled his memory.
"Well... yes. But wasn't it imperfect, causing severe deterioration both physically and mentally?"
"Yes, it was. WAS. Past tense." Kojin clarified. "We've been improving the process ever since, and just now, we created a clone with no defects whatsoever. It's perfected, Mark. We've completely unravelled the secrets of cloning." Commander Todar smiled, more to keep his colleague happy than out of any real personal joy.
"That's great, Carl. But I don't see how this has to do with... the... Metroids..." Slowly, the smile grew, this time from the heart. "You don't."
"We do." Kojin's grin became positively vicious. "Olvarey on Ceres sent us a sample of Matrix's DNA less than a day before the incident."
"You devious sonofabitch..." Todar fell back in his chair and laughed uproariously. "YES! We're still alive! We aren't dead in the water after all... just set back." He looked at Kojin again. "You realize, of course, that it is especially imperative that-"
"That Aran remain unaware of this. I know." Kojin nodded. "I've already been in touch with Samir in NOC division, and his boys are working triple-time to keep her in the dark. He claims she still doesn't even know that the Pirates originally got the Metroids from on of our ships."
"Very good. But don't let your guard down." Todar's face turned grim. "One thing I've learned about dealing with miss Aran... never, NEVER underestimate that lady. Don't let up on her, and prepare to get those things cloned ASAP."
"Once again, already working on it." Kojin smiled. "We've bought up a minor independent science corporation... name's Biologic Space Laboratories. We'll pick one of their outlying satellites and start cloning the buggers there." Todar nodded.
"Keep me posted. Todar out." Killing the connection, Commander Mark Todar of the Galactic Federation leaned back in his chair. It looked like things were making a sharp u-turn towards the right direction. Paying Aran's bounties and the Egenoid Star Marines would hurt, yes. But all that paled compared to the magnitude of the gain they stood to make. Once they had an army of Metroids, no force in the galaxy, whether it be the Pirates, the damned Far Siders who refused to join the Federation, or even Aran herself would be able to stand against the might of the Galactic Federation... eventually to become the Galactic Empire. Once they had their army of Metroids...
Everything would be different.
***
"This is the battlecruiser Tourian III. Report." Zeral, personal assistant to the Mother Brain and acting Supreme Commander of the Space Pirates, ordered. There was the hiss of static for a moment, and then, simultaneously, there were four responses.
"This is the Brinstar's Soul. We're ready for further instructions."
"Ethereal Crateria here. Also waiting for further instructions."
"Wave of Maridia calling in. Ditto the previous two."
"Heart of Norfair, also waiting. No problems."
"Good, all of you." Zeral told the other four captains. "Now, here's the deal. Each of us will go to a seperate planet and begin rebuilding. Maridia, head to Planet Galron. Our forces are strongest there now. Crateria, take Planet Shefjax 39. Nobody'll ever look there. Brinstar and Norfair, you both go to the Far Side, out of the Federation's reach. Border crossing will be tricky, but I have the utmost faith in you. Once you're across, I leave it to your own judgement where to set up shop."
"And you, sir?" The captain of the Brinstar inquired. Zeral frowned for a moment at the KiHunter accent, but shrugged it off. Officers couldn't all be Zebesians anymore.
"I'd better keep that to myself in case the Federation somehow manages to crack our code. Rest assured, gentlemen, we will recover from this, stronger than ever before. We just need time, and that's what we're going for here. Once you touch down, establish a base and call in our free-rangers to build up your army. Once you feel secure, begin reviving your Lord, and put him in charge once he's back. As for me... you'll all know when the Queen returns, trust me. Are there any questions?" There were none. "Good. You all have your orders. Carry them out. I'll be in touch. Captain Zeral out." Killing the connection, Zeral turned to look out the front window of his command chamber, claws clasped behind his back. An underling approached nervously.
"Captain, we're ready to launch. All systems are go, and the Mother Brain is completely secured." Zeral nodded in approval without turning.
"Good job, soldier. Computer, turn on the PA system. Attention, all crew. This is Captain Zeral. We will be departing exactly one hour after the last of the other four battlecruisers." Long enough to avoid any suspicious eyes that would be drawn by the warp signatures of four battlecruisers all leaving around the same time, but before the Federation's search team would get here and discover them, Zeral thought grimly. "You have the who and when. The where... that is not important. As for the what and why... we will be establishing a new base, rebuilding our forces, and reviving the Mother Brain." He stopped as a cheering noise filled the ship. "We are injured. We are hit hard. We are down. But we are NOT out! The Space Pirates can rise again!" More cheering. "Until launchtime, you have permission to do whatever you wish, as long as you are ready when the time comes. Remember, efficiency is a neccessity, now moreso than ever before. If we want to come back more powerful than ever before and rule this galaxy, we will need 100% from each and every one of you. Don't let us down. Computer, turn off PA system."
"Sir?" The Pirate standing behind Zeral asked nervously. "Sir, did that okay to relax include me as well?"
"Yes. You may take your leave now." The underling nodded and departed. Zeral stood there, looking out the window, and watching four huge hulks of metal. The other four Battlecruisers. One by one, they lit up their jets and departed, blasting off at light-speed to their destinations. Zeral smiled, recalling when he and Mother Brain had originally decided upon this course of action, dividing their forces. Although it wasn't visible from the outside, each of those four battlecruisers carried a precious cargo. Named after the five sectors of the now-destroyed Zebes, they served not only as transportation for the forces, but as a symbol of progress, of continuance even in these trying times. Aboard each was a crew of a hundred Pirates, one Captain chosen from the highest ranks under the Pirate Lords, and one very precious piece of cargo. Aboard the Brinstar, in cryo-storage, was the corpse of a fat, bald Iz, killed by massive internal injuries. On the Crateria was an Elocto's lifeless body, drained of its soul by hostile Koben spirits. Deep in the hold of the Maridia lay the remains of a fried Evir. Sleeping within the Norfair was the still form of a warrior Drakar, slain in combat for the third time by the same human female. Also in cryo-storage on that fourth ship were two Zebesians that had once been clad in shining metallic armor, but Zeral barely considered those ones worthy of his thought for their failure. The important ones... were the four Pirate Lords. Kraid, Phantoon, Draygon and Ridley. And each of those four ships also had the technology invented by Kraid that could revive the dead. Even if one of the ships was captured by the Federation or some other enemy and prevented from its goal, the other three would remain. Dividing their forces ensured at least partial success. It was a foolproof plan, designed by the greatest intellect in the galaxy... the Queen herself. Even after defeat and death, Mother Brain was still the unquestionable master of all the Space Pirates. And speaking of which... as for Zeral's own battlecruiser, the Tourian III... this one held the most precious cargo of all, a cargo that had nearly killed them all in its retrieval at the last second, even as Zebes was counting down to its destruction. The Pirate Queen herself. Mother Brain. Zeral watched the last speck of light in the Norfair's warp trail, and smiled, recalling his own words.
"We may be down... but we are not out. The Space Pirates can rise again..." He shook his head. "No... the Space Pirates WILL rise again!" Pumping his claw into the air, the aged Zebesian laughed, long and hard and cold. He laughed until the hour had passed, and the Tourian III had blasted away, leaving the space sector that had once held a planet called Zebes behind.
***
To an outsider arriving on Planet Magani for the first time, the way the planet looked right now might seem... well... insane. The entire globe was covered in noise, chaos and flashing lights. Alcohol was distributed freely, along with other less-legal materials in some quarters, and the people were, to a number, raucous. In other words... Magani was entirely in party mode. The center of the party was a bar named "Horzat's." And in that bar, one bounty hunter was telling her story.
"So then, I figured hell, I've got nothing to lose." Samus was telling the crowd. "So I just jumped towards his face. It worked; that startled him so much that he couldn't help dropping his jaw, and I shot my last two Supers right down his throat. Shredded his guts beyond what he could take. He just died right there, and that was it for Kraid!" The crowd exploded in applause. Behind the counter, Horzat gave her a rare smile, looking none the worse for wear after his stay in jail.
"Well, that sounded painful. Which is good, of course. By the way, I owe you big time for that picture."
"No prob!" Samus grinned. "I'm gonna enjoy seeing it too! When's it gonna get here, anyways?"
"Right now." A human male from the doorway announced. He was holding a carefully wrapped square package. Laying it on the counter, he carefully unwrapped it, revealing a large, blown-up picture of Kraid, post-death. The Iz's mouth hung open, spilling blood onto the floor. It was framed in solid gold, with his name written under the picture in silver. Horzat grinned even wider.
"Thanks, Murray! This'll look perfect over the mantle! I'll hang it up once this party's died down."
"You're gonna be waiting a long time for that, my friend." Murray looked around. "From the looks of it, the party's just getting started. And I've been so caught up getting this done, I haven't gotten to party yet. If you'll excuse me..." He left through the door, screaming something about canned cheese which was gladly echoed by the populace outside. Samus raised an eyebrow as a hovertruck covered in neon pink spraypaint blasted past, filled with howling Evir.
"Isn't this going a bit overboard?"
"You kidding me, Aran?" One of the partygoers asked her. "This is the biggest success in a hundred years! You whupped those Pirates GOOD this time! Even the Magistrate's getting in on it!"
"Face it, Samus." Horzat thumped her over the shoulder. "You done good. Real good. And the people are happy. Give 'em a chance to celebrate." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Besides... if our suspicions are correct, there's not going to be much to celebrate in the near future. Let 'em have tonight." Samus nodded.
"All right, you got a point. Well, come on then, people!" Standing up on her barstool, she yelled out into the crowd, both in Horzat's and outside. "We gonna do this party thing right, or what? I wanna hear music, and I wanna see egging parties directed towards Federation HQ! What are we waiting for, huh?!"
"YEAH!" The crowd exploded in applause, easily becoming twice as raucous as before, and the movement spread outward from the bar like a ripple in a pond. Through the now-increased hubbub, four figures had no trouble slipping into the bar. A Drakar, an Iz, an Elocto, and an Evir. Samus and Horzat saw them, and quietly nodded towards a back room. The Iz signalled another one of his species, who began passing out fireworks, increasing the turmoil even more. Nobody noticed the four of them, plus Samus and Horzat, slipping through that back door and into a small, hidden room, where they all sat around a table.
"You sure this room's secure?" Samus asked the bartender. Horzat nodded. "Yeah... trust me, Samus. When I do something, I do it right. This room is completely walled, ceilinged and floored with cork. It muffles all sounds. No windows, no nothing. And Welhaam can detect anything otherworldly, if somebody wanted to go to all that trouble."
"Good." Samus turned to the four newcomers. "All right, people. How'd it all go?"
"Small-time criminal quarter's all behind you, Samus." Gelltor the Drakar pickpocket reported. "We've always been against the Federation, and when they heard about what you've been finding out... it was easy. The others were able to figure out pretty easily that if the Feds continued on their current line, it's make things a lot nastier for us. You can count on my fellows."
"Same thing with my people." Welhaam the Elocto hacker agreed. "Even some of the hardcore crackers might be willing to help. Right now, I'd say the Federation computers are being infiltrated by the best of the best to confirm our suspicions, and once that's done, word'll spread like wildfire. You can pretty much count the less-than-legal internet geniuses with us already." Horzat nodded.
"Good, good. What about you two?"
"Well, things are proceeding a bit slower here." Hrug the Iz trucker said. "But hey, don't get too worried. It's just the way we work; word takes time to spread on the deep-space truck routes. The guys I've managed to get through to so far seem like they're behind us." He grinned. "Think of us like a tank... we move slow, but once we hit, it's a hard one. Give me a month, and I'll be able to stop all supply runs to the Feds in less than a day. That'll hurt 'em. Bad."
"As for me..." Firkgon, the Evir clan-chief, thought for a moment. "Well, the King was interested, to say the least. We're a pretty suspicious species by nature, and we REALLY don't like treachery of any kind. Hopefully, he'll be ready to make personal contact with you before long; he does like your reputation as a warrior, and how you took out Dray. I'd say chances are good... you may even be able to get our entire planet behind you if you're lucky."
"Excellent, all of you." Samus smiled. "With all this, we may just stand a chance against the Federation. Horzat, how do things look on your front?"
"Well, as you know, my brother's a Grand Derhoth in the Grondheim Monks." Horzat explained. "He was not happy upon hearing that the Federation might be igniting interstellar war again. The Monks can't fight for us, but they do have a lot of influence in religious circles all over the galaxy. Who knows? It ain't exactly likely, but maybe we could even get the Feds excommunicated. Wouldn't that be something."
"Oh, yes." Samus nodded. "Now, for my part. As I've told you all, I made contact with a Dachura and three Etecoons on the Far Side. Well, I've got a job lined up with some company called Biologic Space Laboratories over there. I figure while I'm working, I can resume contact with those four while BSL ain't looking and get them to alert the rest of the Far Side. If we've got all of them alerted, things will go very different if the Feds try anything. I'll see if I can set up a hideout over there for us to run to if we're all declared outlaws or something... the Feds have done worse things."
"Sounds like a plan." Gelltor agreed. "So until the Feds make their actions open, we continue working behind the scenes and building up our possible resistance, if it comes down to that?"
"You've got it." Samus nodded. "Until then." The six of them clasped hands (or claws, or tentacles) over the table, then turned and slipped back out into the crowd. One of the bums turned to Samus.
"Hey, Aran! Just in time! Look at the vidscreen!" Doing so, Samus saw the local news.
"This is a special announcement by the Magani government..." The announcer reported. "Recently, the Space Pirates were once again defeated. This appears to be the worst hit they have ever taken; all four Pirate Lords, plus Mother Brain herself, are reported dead. This crippling defeat may prove to be the end of them, and their threat to us all. To everybody watching, I ask that you give thanks to Samus Aran, who is responsible for all of this!" The bar, and the streets outside, were drowned in a raucous cheer. It died, however, as the newsman bowed his head and continued. "The government now requests a planetwide moment of silence for one who sacrificed himself to save us all... Matrix, the last of the Metroids, gave his life in order to destroy the Mother Brain." As requested, everybody fell silent, and heads were bowed. "Thank you... thank you all. Now... let's party!"
"Hold on, hold on." Horzat yelled before the party could resume. "Before we get started on THAT again... I got a song request from everybody." He tapped a few keys on his computer, and all the vidscreens were filled with lyrics. "It's an old Earth song... 'Only The Good Die Young.' I think it's appropriate. Ah one, ah two..." The piano man struck up the ancient melody, and the patrons all waited before singing. Nobody noticed as Samus Aran made her way out towards the back door, save a single Zebesian bartender.
"..." The bounty hunter didn't speak as she made her way to a grassy hill behind Horzat's, one of the only places that wasn't covered with the party. On its top, there was a small gravestone. Underneath it, the last of the Metroids was buried. Samus knelt before it, quietly crying. It was a few minutes before she heard the clomping of somebody walking with a peg leg behind her.
"Hey, kid..." Horzat muttered. "I figured I should come out here after giving you a few minutes alone..."
"Yeah..." Samus whispered, rising back to her feet. "I wish he had met you... you would've been a good cranky uncle." She smiled weakly. Horzat nodded slowly.
"Look, Samus... he did what he did willingly. Matrix was different... he wasn't like the other Metroids. He loved you, and everybody down there knows it. Nobody who's down there will ever think of Metroids as pure evil again... because of him. Matrix will be remembered... as a hero."
"Horzat..." Samus looked at him. "Somebody told me something once. One of the Chozo... Oseri was his name. He told me that in war... there are no heroes. Only mourners."
"..." Horzat thought about that for a moment, then sighed. "Well, that's really a matter of opinion. Just remember, Samus... he had no regrets about what he was doing. And wherever he is now... I'm sure he's still watching over you. The notion of guardian angels may seem a little cliche... but if anybody could pull it off, it's that little Metroid."
"...Thanks, Horzat." Samus whispered. The bartender nodded.
"Anytime. I'll leave you alone now... I gotta get back to the bar. I'll see you when you're ready." Samus nodded and watched him stump down the hill, then turned her eyes to the stars. Looking at the tiny balls of light, she saw constellations all her own, coming from her mind. A rival bounty hunter, and a warrior Drakar... a scientest Iz, and a ghost of an Elocto... an insane Evir, and a mad queen of pirates... and a small Metroid, who she had watched over, and who had watched over her.
"Well, Matrix... if you are watching over me... see you next mission." And then, with one last sigh, she turned around and walked back down the hill to the party.
Author's Note
The party had gone on for more than two days now, and most of the participants had succumbed to drink. In Horzat's Bar, the bartender himself was the only one still standing, cleaning up the results of the celebration. The door opened, and Horzat's eye widened for a moment in surprise before he shrugged and went back to his work. The blue-haired man in a purple and black power suit sat down at the bar and poured himself a drink. Horzat grumbled a bit until the man threw some credits on the counter. After a deep swig, he pulled out some notes and began reading aloud.
"Hey, kids. Looks like I managed to end my third Novelization before the end of the year after all. It's had its share of setbacks, let me tell you. But I managed it." Checking a piece of paper, he groaned. "Right, right. First things first, to stem any possible complaints, this is NOT self-insertion. The Author's Note doesn't count on that matter, okay? Oy. As for the legal shite, this Novelization was written by yours truly, Magus523. Or Emyr Magus, as I'm known in certain quarters. While Super Metroid and all its official characters and whatever are property of Nintendo, this novelization, as well as all unofficial characters, such as Horzat there..." The bartender harrumphed. "..are mine legally, so don't get any smart ideas about stealing them. Pain will most definately ensue if you do. Take it from a lawyer's son. Falcon may be some kind of exception; that idea didn't come completely from me, and he's actually in the game. It's pretty morbid, but from the start, he was created to be that dead guy in front of Kraid's. Ahh, hell with it. If anybody wants to use the name that badly, I won't stop ya, since I myself got it from F-Zero. I believe somebody guessed that already."
"I think they get it already." Horzat muttered. The man glared at him, then rolled his eyes.
"Right, right. Pressing on... thank-yous go to the Hazard Labbers, once again just for being you. You keep me from being bored, at least. Also to the four doofs who have stuck with me most through the years. To my old friends Ferret, Chimpo, Erico and ChibiSchala, I give a thank-you and the promise of buying ya a drink if we ever meet."
"Not here, I hope." Horzat commented. "We get enough wierdos in here already. You're bad enough."
"Shaddup, you." The man responded. "Now then..." He pulled out another paper, glanced at it, and sighed again. "Now, time for the reviewer question answering. I hate this part... kidding, kidding!" He smiled briefly. "Honestly now, I love these reviews. Especially the ones that ask questions and such; it shows that people care about my writing, and as any successful writer (which I hope I am, to some degree) will tell you, that is very important. It helps me keep going. Now, for the questions themselves..." He looked at the top of the paper. "First, there's that bit about the acid rain in Crateria." He pulled out some diagrams of Ridley, Ezer, Garan and Samus' Power Suit. "Well, if there's acid there, it's not strong enough to hurt Samus in the slightest. And considering all the punishment those three Pirates can take, I'd say it's a safe bet their natural armor is enough to take that as well. Next question. About Mother Brain switching planets. As previously stated, I figured if she can survive being out of that tank on the Battle Body, she could stand switching tanks for interstellar travel. She wouldn't LIKE it much, but running the Space Pirates would probably require it occasionally. Figures that when she does, she's spotted." He looked down. "One more, and oy, figures it's complicated. Ridley and Samus' relationship. Well, the way Iwrote them, both Samus and Ridley had very strong warrior spirits." He glanced over at Samus Aran snoring on a barstool. "Most of the time. Anyways, Ridley and Samusdidn't really care about each other, per se. Theyc ared about a strong opponent who they could respect as an opponent. At the end of it all, Samuswasn't really saving Ridley as much as she was saving their rivalry. That's really all I can say about that."
"Are you quite done yet?" Horzat yelled. "I'm gonna be closing soon!"
"Almost, you crab!" The man yelled back. "Just the self-musing crap to go." He shook his head. "Old coot... but then again, I'm pretty grumpy myself a lot of the time, so I can't really talk." He smiled. "This is, so far, my shortest novelization. It only took me four months to write, I believe. It did break a hundred pages. Pretty good for Super Metroid, if you ask me. Anyways, it hasn't been the easiest late year for me. Oh, don't worry. I ain't going to whine here. That's not my style, and besides, I know a lotta people have it worse. Point is, I figured something out. Writing, for me, is more than just a hobby. It's a way of letting go, of escaping the bad stuff in this world. And I couldn't stop, even if I tried. A great author once said that there's no maybe about being a writer. Either you are or you aren't. I am, and I know I can't just drop it. That probably says a lot about my character, probably not really complimentary, but hell. I know I ain't perfect. No matter what happens, as long as I'm not physically restrained, the writing's gonna keep coming. As for my next project... I'm going back to an old world of mine, writing-wise." He concentrated, and suddenly, he was covered in black and purple armor of a different style, holding a beam scythe. "Back to Mega Man. There's still a lot of stories to be told there, and it's time I wrote another. Until then... I'll be seeing you around." Setting down his now-empty mug, the man put away his papers and left. Horzat looked after him for a moment, face expressionless. Then, with a shrug, he closed up the bar and went to bed.