Author's note: I have taken free roam on this project, and as such, I have changed some things in the Metroid universe to better the story. I believe that an author of fan fiction should take the world as his own and change it as he wishes, and therefore I am doing precisely that. If you don't like it, then don't read my stuff. No one is forcing you to do so.
A troubled, feminine voice broke the silence in the dark apartment room. "Alone? There? I thought GFP had it under quarantine!" Her figure was a silhouette outlined by moonlight shining through the window behind her. Her head was tilted upwards in distress, allowing her long hair to flow down to her lower back. Her elbow could be seen sticking out to the side, in a way that suggested she was holding the small, box-like silhouette against her ear. She lowered her head and tilted it to the side. "Isn't there anyone else? I'm not in the greatest shape for action."
The woman's trained ear caught the man on the other side mumbling something like, "This is why we shouldn't work with free-lance bounty hunters."
"Excuse me?" the feminine voice queried. "Let me correct you: this is why the feds shouldn't use lazy-ass office workers to hire people for suicide missions."
"Fine," the man said, clearly this time. "I will report to the Galaxy Federal Police that you have refused the offer. Good bye, Ms. Aran."
The silhouette's head irritably shot up to attention. "Now hold on a second, mister. I have not refused the offer. I simply suggested different terms."
The man was silent for a moment, then said, "Very well. I shall inform the federation council that you wish to negotiate the terms. You will be contacted within seventy-two hours."
"No," said the woman. "I'll find a nearby chief to talk to."
"All right," the man sighed. "Good night, Ms. Aran."
The silhouette said no more and severed the connection. After several minutes of shaking her head and pacing, she undressed and went in bed. As she closed her eyes, she whispered, "Good night, Mr. Asshole."
Metroid VI: The Ebb of Dawn
Chapter I - Centurio
Consciousness came slowly for Samus. She required at least three times her normal sleep time, and was not yet used to the cycle on Esmin-IX. Most of the passengers on the frigate were Koians, a shorter-lived form of the human race, wandering about the galaxy in search of a planet where they could fit in. Their home planet of Koi had been conquered by Space Pirates forty-eight years before and transformed into a scientific workstation. Their tampering with the core caused geological instability throughout the entire planet, and eventually Koi collapsed in itself, creating a unique phenomenon known as the "gray hole," a lesser form of a black hole. Like its more powerful cousin, nothing came out of the hole, and anything that went in was immediately crushed.
These thoughts on her mind, Samus rolled herself out of bed, showered, and dressed in her standard navy suit. She took a few moments to put her hair up (she never left her room with it down) and then walked over to a closet door on one side of her room. She pressed a button, and the black door slid open, revealing her light orange suit, being repowered by several connected electromagnetic lines. She spent several moments looking at the suit and thinking about the X-Parasite and Metroid instances. These led to more distant thoughts, of Space Pirates, her childhood, and the Chozo...
Sweating with anger and malice, she slammed her hand onto the close button and the door slid shut, hiding the suit once again. She stood leaned over like that, her hand supporting her on the button, for several minutes. Then, as if nothing happened, she straightened her posture and walked out into the hallway.
The frigate's "hallways" were more like access corridors, from a human's point of view. To Koians, however, it was a very open, airy hall. Strange how one's perspective can be so radically different from another's.
Samus passed several Koians, waving to those that she knew and casually nodding to those she didn't. The "hall" ended with a circular shaft-like room. It was a doorless elevator, designed, like most of the ship, for Koians. Samus could not enter it without ducking. Bent over, she crept in and sat down. Sitting was fairly comfortable, at least compared to crouching.
The elevator went up several floors (perhaps eight or nine) and then came to a halt at the top of the shaft. Samus crawled her way out, stood, and brushed off the dirt that had accumulated on her navy suit. After fooling with her hair a bit, she stepped down the hall and through a door into the frigate's main bridge.
The crew-men stood at attention as Samus entered, but their eyes followed her movements as she walked across to the captain. She noticed them watching, and sent a wink. The receiver blushed a dark red and his eyes fell from attention. "At ease, boys," said Samus, standing with her hips and head tilted, her hands on her waist and elbows pointed outward. When they were back at work, she turned around and stepped up to the captain. "Mensuru?"
"Aran." The short, squat man stayed focused on a monitor as he addressed Samus. His hair was a bright, pure white, a symbol of high authority in the Koian hierarchy. Koian hair pixelation reflected ranking and was never tampered with, as part of an honor code. Darker hair meant lower status. The man stood firm as the lady stepped up to his side.
She stared into the sides of his eyes, hoping his peripheral vision would allow for a bit of intimidation to work. "I'd like to know when we are docking, and where."
The captain, taking no notice of Samus's stare and still staring at the monitor, pressed a few buttons on the control panel before him. "We should be at MX239 within twenty-four hours." He paused, then turned to face Samus with a smile. "I believe that is your standard of time, correct?"
Samus didn't want to waste time with idle chat, but she knew better than to displease a Koian captain. They were infamous for their cruelty to disrespectful passengers and crewmembers. "Yes, sir. It is known as the day, because it is the time it takes AA013 to revolve around AA. Or, as our people would say, the time it takes Earth to revolve around Sun."
The captain nodded, as if he was mildly interested, while turning back to face his bluish-green monitor.. "Bastard Koians", thought Samus. "Very tricky, bastard Koians."
Then she asked the captain, "Are there any federal stations closer than that?"
Mensuru turned to Samus, finally showing some emotion. That was a rare event. He seemed to be afraid, or confused. Perhaps both. "Samus, aren't you still in recovery?" His eyes were hopeful, perhaps on the verge of tears. Then again, Koians didn't have tear glands, because they didn't need them.
"Never mind my business, captain," the hunter replied, attempting to speak with some authority. "Your job is merely to take me where I will to be taken."
The captain's eyes drifted to the floor. "Yes, there is one very close by, orbiting MX226." Not hearing a reply, Mensuru lifted his head. By the time it was up, Samus was exiting through the same door she entered through, at a rather brisk pace. "Aran!" the captain shouted.
Samus turned faster than she had been walking. "I'm borrowing one of your private vessels. Give my thanks to the crew."
Before Mensuru could reply, Samus Aran was gone--and soon after, so was a one-man escape vessel.