Chapter II - Princeps
Imperium ultimum numquam est.
Far from the outermost reaches of the Galaxy Federation and even further from the Koian frigate that had been carrying Samus, a planet floated, out of orbit and aligned to no particular star. Had this planet been sentient, it could have been proud of its exposure and evolution, or embarrased by its chaotic, rapid changes. At first it had been cursed by a widespread population two energy-based, semi-organic species, currently known as the Metroids and the X-Parasites. If the planet had remained in solitude, locked down in its natural quarantine, hiding in a distant corner of the galaxy, no harm would have come from these energy organisms. However, there are those who favor power and conflict over safety and peace. One species with this dangerous view recognized the planet's incredible energy output, and came after it like a hunter to his prey.
The Space Pirates managed to contain the Metroids, and the Metroids managed to contain the X-Parasites. However, when the pirates first lost control of a single Metroid, they had lost the entire planet. This metroid multiplied and mutated, freed his cousins, and slaughtered any Space Pirates still on the planet. The power-hungry pirates managed to escape with a few contained Metroids, heading for Zebes and Tallon IV, but those are different stories.
SR388 was dominated by the Metroids for several years after, until Samus Aran came to the source in an effort to exterminate the creatures from the galaxy. She nearly succeeded, but foolishly saved one to be studied. This one Metroid was stolen by Space Pirates, leading to another conflict for Aran on Zebes. After succeeding in completely destroying Zebes and sensing her own growing weakness in the constant struggle against the Metroids, Samus returned to SR388 to ensure that she would see no more of the hideous creatures. However, since the Metroids who had once held the X-Parasites at bay were eliminated, Samus had a new enemy.
She encountered a parasite deep within the caverns beneath SR388. Her suit's major functions were destroyed by the organism, and most of it had to be surgically removed. However, the core of the infection, which should have seen her dead, was treated by a Metroid vaccine, from the very same Metroid she had saved from SR388. Irony fit her well.
Reborn, she went after a new threat: the X-Parasites had spread through the research station (B.S.L.) to which her infected suit parts had been sent. There she fought her most difficult enemy: herself. The SA-X was a perfect mimic of Samus's fully-functional power suit, which she found herself without.
The SA-X multiplied, and multiplied, until only one option remained to Samus: crash the space station into nearby SR388, thus quarantining the X-Parasites onto its surface. She succeeded in doing so, and quickly fled in her ship.
Ship readings helped very little in detecting the parasites, and thus Samus was uncertain of whether her plan had destroyed them or, as she had feared, simply quarantined them on the planet. She never even considered landing on the planet to find the answer.
Samus attached her helmet over her head just as her vessel approached the galaxy federal police station. There were two men on the landing platform who looked they were waiting for her; they were both obviously very high-ranking. Samus smirked from behind her helmet and hit the button to open the escape hatch. She stood slowly, stretched a little, then leapt through the open hatch in the roof, flipping four times before landing on her feet, hand pointed to the floor and fingers outstretched. Her arm-cannon hand went back half-behind her, bent at the elbow just slightly. She landed looking at the floor, then slowly lifted her head up, her position steady. The two men looked unimpressed, so she stood slowly into an intimidating upright position.
"I'm guessing you're Samus Aran," said the younger of the two. Samus had scanned them before leaping out of the vessel, and thus she knew more than they thought. She liked it that way.
"And I know you're Larn Ket, but I don't know how you know me." Samus tried to stand straighter, but it wasn't possible, so she stopped trying.
The older one seemed shocked. "You're a--"
"Female. Yes."
Larn pretended to already know, but Samus knew he was surprised as well. "The chief said you'd be cocky," said he.
"That I am. Impatient, too, so if you don't mind, I'd like to go talk to him now."
The chief's room was nothing special, to Aran. She much preferred more color. There was, of course, the occasional switch from white to black, and vice versa--but that wasn't saying much. The furniture consisted of two chairs and a desk. "How original," thought Samus.
The chief himself was as normal as a man could get. He wasn't quite fat, but he certainly wasn't thin. His hair was receding a bit with age, but the remaining pieces were still a solid dark brown. Samus had never seen him standing; she also never thought about it until this meeting.
"Come, sit," said the chief as the hunter entered. She just gave him a blank stare. "Ah, yes, the suit. Then, stand. We won't be long."
Samus walked into a corner and leaned against the wall. "On the contrary, sir, I believe we have much to discuss."
The chief found himself unable to reply, so instead he said, "Call me John, Samus."
"John, then," was all Samus said. A long moment of silence followed, the chief unable to reply and Samus using the silence as an intimidation tool. She found it very soothing, herself. After a few minutes, she decided it had been long enough. "I will go on this suicide mission of yours if two conditions are met."
John seemed very interested in the proposition. "Tell me what I have to do and I'll get it done."
Samus smiled from behind her visor, but John couldn't see it. "One, I want several armed men to accompany me on this mission."
"Several?"
"Eleven."
"Seven."
"Deal." Samus's smile widened. "And two, I want a few more men in a few ships to follow us and provide safe escape routes."
John twisted his eyebrows. "How many?"
"Three."
"You've got it. I'll have the men ready before two days are up," said John, writing furiously on a pad of paper. "We can contact you if you tell us where you'll be."
Samus shook her head.
"No?"
"I believe it will be more convenient if I arrive at the SR GFS station at a specified time."
The chief looked confused. "Why?" he asked.
"Any contact can be easily traced."
John nodded. "They'll want you there in two days. Good luck, Samus."
The hunter nodded. Then she said, "I'll need a ship too. This escape vessel isn't quite my style."
"You can have anything in the hangar," said the chief, already writing a note of approval. "That is, anything you can handle, but I'm sure you're a good judge of that."
Samus nodded again, and took her leave in silence.
Larn approached Samus on her way out. "Heading out?" he asked, his yellow eyes piercing into Samus's mind. She hadn't originally believed what her scan had told her, but apparently it was accurate.
"Yeah, off to a clean-up job."
The young officer shook his head. "Where?"
"A place I never wanted to set foot on again," Samus sighed. "A place no man, nor woman, should go."
"Oh, there. Hopefully you've got some back-up."
Samus nodded, then said, "Don't worry, I've nearly got an army. I must be going; good bye, Larn."
"See you again," the yellow eyes replied, smiling. Larn's lips did not assist the smile in his eyes. He walked onward in the straight path he had been moving in before he had been side-tracked by the hunter. She stood and watched him, though he didn't turn as he walked, so he couldn't have seen her.
When Larn was out of sight, Samus sighed and headed to the hangar. She was surprised to see that the older officer from the docking platform was actually the administrator there. He stopped her when she tried to walk briskly past him. He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Mist--Ms. Aran. How may I assist you?"
She turned to face him, glaring through her visor into his eyes. They were the same kind of yellow as Larn's. "Must be a racial trait," Samus thought. "Like stupidity." The man seemed intimidated by the glare, so Samus kept her smile well-hidden. "Assist me? First thing, get out of my way. Second, once you've found a place that's out of my way, stay there."
"I apologize," the man said, "but I cannot allow you into the hangar without written consent."
Even before he finished his sentence, Samus had the paper out. "Here, now let me through."
The man nodded as he looked at the paper. "You are authorized to remove one ship from the premises. Continue on." The man pocketed the note and returned to where he had been sitting prior to Samus's arrival. She stepped onward into the main hangar area.
Several of the ships were too large to be piloted easily by one person, and even more were too small to be comfortable. She eventually found a few that were cousin models of the ship she flew until the B.S.L. incident. Finding one to her liking, she strapped in, removed her helmet, and called in for permission to launch.
"You are clear for take-off from bay seven," a voice said through the speaker.
Samus exited the hanger with the manual controls; that had always been her way, just to keep her piloting skills from diminishing. Once she was out of the station, she set the coordinates and sat back in the seat. As she watched the vastness of space turn into a blur of stars, her mind drifted to the Chozo lore she had discovered on Zebes...
The hunter contemplated this writing as her ship accelerated to post-light-speed. "Solitude," she said aloud, to herself. She didn't say anything more, but continued deep thought in regards to the word. She realized how alone she was, but she felt nothing."The Newborn does not yet realize her full potential. We have taught her all we can, and must now depart from our material realms. She is more alone than she can comprehend in her infant age. However, we wise and powerful Chozo know that true strength may only be discovered in solitude, through oneself. The human child must accept this way of life, or else the galaxy is doomed to fall to a higher race."