"It's hard for me to forgive myself for such a terrible action," Samus Aran stood, standing and staring through the side window at Tallon IV as clouds of fire and dust smothered the land once called Impact Crater. She raised her steel-gloved hand to her forehead and wiped sweat beginning to run down her face. "But, I only wish there was an alternate way to defeat that beast without setting off the bomb hidden deep inside it's lair."

"It was mandatory, Lady," Adam's voice rose from the computer that auto-piloted the spacecraft. "The Chozo gods would understand."

Adam was an artificial intelligence module built to assist Samus Aran during Operation: Fusion while the outbreak of the X Parasites threatened the very existance of mankind. Although Adam is it's name, Samus named the AI said for honor of a fellow bounty hunter that aided her after the war against the Metroid organisms and the mechanical life-form, Mother Brain. Although Adam (the AI) backstabbed Samus Aran by sealing her inside the data room to keep her safe from the X Parasites and a mocking menace, SA-X, they've been aiding one another since then.

Samus Aran dropped her head. "I seriously doubt they would understand," She turned to face the front of the spacecraft. "Adam, how would you feel if you annihilated and dishonored your ancestors' name?"

Adam delayed the response a few moments. "I...would not and never know."

"Just try and understand."

"I cannot, Lady."

"And why not?"

"I don't possess any relatives from any time period, at all," Samus felt the annoyance in Adam's voice. "Besides, I am just an AI. I wasn't programmed to feel pity when you got a blood sore, or be jolly when you defeated an army of Space Pirates. I aid you, not show for you."

"I see," Samus walked over to the co-pilot's chair and slowly lowered herself down while grabbing the arms of the chair. She stared at her helmet, which was looking right back at her, on the center table between both pilot seats. "I'm curious of what the General of Galactic Federation had Forces One and Two accomplish while I was busy."

"Speaking of which, he's calling up at this moment." Adam activated a semi-transparent screen that hovered 4 feet away from Samus in front of her chair. The General's face was half-exposed because of some heavy static on the screen. Samus thought it could have been from the distance between the headquarters and her current location.

"General," Samus saluted. "Forgive me for the lack of contact."

"At ease." The General's hardcore voice cut through the sound of the static like knife cutting butter.

"I recall you sending Forces One and Two to Tallon IV," Samus sat back down. "Did you order them to--"

"I was about to ask similar," The General scratched at his chin holding his long and curly beard. "Have you ever got a transmission from the Forces?"

Samus looked over at the radar screen, expecting a few spacecrafts to be on sight. She shook her head. "Not even a beep."

"Interesting," The General took off his glasses and rubbed the lens against a cloth, then shoved them back on his nose. "I would not know what to do if they were killed, much less lost in space."

Samus paused and stared right through the screen, thinking about Forces One and Two. Her deep-thought moment was interrupted when a sqeaking BEEP BEEP BEEP called for her attention.

"You're getting a transmission." The General said.

"Please give me a moment, General." Samus leaned to the control panel and activated screen 2. The General nodded and another illuminated screen popped up in front of the first, full of static. Samus could faintly hear voices.

"S-...Aran...Yo-...You the-...C-can y-...Ear me?" A voice barely broke over the sound of static. Samus leaned forward.

"Is this the charge of Force One? Or Force Two?" Samus rose her voice to communicate with him.

"Char-...Force T-...We're Ok-...Contact Gen-...Contact G-...Gener-..." Comm went dead.

"It seems they're okay," The General said. The front screen vanished to reveal the face belonging to the General. "I can't get a good location on them."

"They're not on Tallon IV, that's for granted." Samus looked at the side window into the stars. "Maybe Zebes?"

"Coordinates show that Force One and Force Two are at a hollow planet, filled with little unknown life." Adam interrupted the conversation between the General and Samus Aran.

"Are some of them still intact?" General asked?

"I'm getting 22 life forms similar to Samus's, so that's a definite yes." Adam answered. Samus sighed and took the band from her hair and shook her shiny, long blonde hair out. Adam studdered. "B-but it seems there is a colony of life-forms there and they seem to be closing in on their two positions."

"They can handle themselves. They're tough as iron." The General chuckled. A shallow voice called for the General off-screen. "I must depart. Transmission out." The transparent screen disappeared.

"Adam, tell me," Samus stood up and walked to the back of the ship, where the sleeping Drachoras and Etecoons lay. She watched them for a short while and turned around to see the aft of the ship. "Are these creatures the only living creatures left of their kinds?"

"Sadly, yes." Adam softly replied. "But, we must do what we must do. We'll head to Zebes and drop them off. Then we may return to the GS quarters."

Samus Aran stood still for a moment, until she saw a gigantic frigate cross the path of her spacecraft. Samus's heart skipped a few beats as she felt a chill of fear shake her body. She rushed to the controls to get a better glimpse of the large ship. "Adam," Samus cried. "What ship is this?"

"Scanning..." Adam paused for a minute as Samus gazed at the ship in awe and horror. "It's a frigate belonging to the Space Pirate empire."

Samus's stomach grew the feeling of butterflies. She sat in the pilot chair, fumbled with the buckle of the seat and strapped herself in. She scooted the pilot chair up to the controls. "Let's get out of here."

Then three warships appeared behind the aft of the large frigate and headed straight toward Samus.