I believe I will call artistic license on Samus' suit. This is not necessarily based upon any specific game in the series, nor even upon the character planning done by the designers of the Metroid series (they actually have some good ideas; by the point I was fully aware of them, however, there had been irrevocable decisions made about the story).
While I'll admit wall/space jumping would be more aesthetically pleasing, I didn't think it was reasonable to have such high levels of technology and not have a jet pack. One of the classic weapons has not yet appeared... at this point I will merely say that it eventually will, albeit under major renovation.
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Chapter 8: First Steps
A soft tone echoed through the ship, signaling that she was nearing the docking bay for the space station. Removing her helmet so she could rub sleep from her eyes, Samus replaced it and then sat up, waiting for her access codes to be approved by the station. As always, she watched them carefully, in case anything else went on. As always, nothing did.
The Galactic Council outpost loomed ahead of her, and one of the large docking bay doors opened. Quickly she maneuvered her ship into bay, setting it down gently. Iron clamps connected to the floor, securing it, and then Samus got from her chair.
She found there was no one waiting for her as the doors to her ship slid open. That was unusual, but then again, so was her visit. Most of the time she came to any Galactic Council location only when they had a job for her to do, in which case they always met her the instant she stepped from the ship. This time, her visit was far more informal... and far more serious.
Quickly striding from the docking bay, Samus got through the airlock and into the station itself. It was crowded, as always, with hundreds of people wishing to file complaints, or have their own opinions heard. Such a huge bureaucracy, such a huge waste of time. At least it accomplished the purpose of keeping the galaxy at least somewhat safe, and provided some sort of leadership, however slow.
Finding herself in a massive line, Samus gritted her teeth and shook her head. She didn't have time for this sort of thing, and she wasn't the waiting type, either. Jumping into the air and activating her jet pack, Samus flew over the heads of the surprised people in line. Though she swept past them very quickly, she thought she caught a few wistful looks in her direction. Feh. None of them would ever be able to fly a jet pack.
Flying low to make it through a doorway, Samus entered the main chamber. It was an extremely tall, circular chamber that made up the central core of the station. Around it were levels upon levels of walkways circling the chamber, dozens of doors on each. She had little time for any of these, not today.
Blasting straight up through the center of the chamber, Samus found a higher governmental level and landed on the floor in front of the door she was looking for. Most of the time she tried to avoid working with bureaucrats, but some sacrifices had to be made. One of these was her acquaintance with Mr. Divel. The politician had handled all cases involving her, as well as all the Metroid cases, and so she had gotten to know him at least somewhat well. Slimy guy, but he had a sharp mind and had a knack for politics.
Stalking through the doors, Samus silenced the security guards with a glare. They knew who she was, and knew better than to try and stop her when she was in this sort of mood. She hoped they knew that they couldn't stop her, even if they tried. After the hallway filled with guards Samus entered the foyer of Mr. Divel's office, a plush room second only to the office itself in luxury.
The receptionist spared her a glance, and didn't even try to question her. Samus was relatively certain she pressed some secret button in her desk that alerted Mr. Divel to her coming. He was never surprised to see her.
Shoving both doors open so that they banged against the opposite walls, Samus strode into the office, practically radiating an aura of anger. She had gone far too long with no questions being answered, and now she was going to get some. Either that, or heads would roll. Mr. Divel had many contacts, legitimate and otherwise, and he surely knew plenty about the situation.
"Now, now, Miss Aran," a voice spoke softly. "Don't damage the wall decor, please." It originated from a tall chair that was currently facing away from her, toward the large window behind Richard Divel's desk. As she waited it rotated, coming to face her. He looked as smooth and polished as always, his face frozen in a slight smile that meant nothing.
"I want some answers," she snapped. "And it's Samus."
"My, you certainly aren't much for small talk, are you?" Mr. Divel asked, in that annoyingly soft and calm voice. The angrier side of Samus would have liked to punch his face in... and she knew from experience that it was physically possible.
"I nearly died," Samus returned sharply. "Correction: I was nearly killed. There was something going on at the station I wasn't told about. Something underhanded. I don't really care why information was withheld from me, but I want it now. You have a lot of questions to answer."
"But Samus... I know nothing of science matters. Surely you're mistaken, we received no reports of anything untoward."
"Mistaken about a ship nearly self-destructing on me?" Samus demanded. Gaining control of her emotions, she became icily calm. Raising a hand, she began ticking points off on her fingers. "One- it couldn't have been pirates, as all stations of that variety have heavy defensive systems, and are programmed to instantly send defense signals. Two- the station's location violated several Intergalactic regulations. Three- the scientists refused to allow me to enter the main laboratory. Four- they were doing experiments with Metroid specimens specifically barred from scientific testing. Five- when I asked the scientists questions they gave me a load of c--- story about aliens.
"None of it adds up. I want some answers."
"Wait, wait, wait," Mr. Divel said, though she noted his voice had lost all of its slick quality for a brief instant. "You have many questions, Miss Aran-"
"Samus."
"Samus, and I'm afraid I simply don't know the answers to all of them. Perhaps something untoward was going on at that station, but I'm unaware of what it is. I do know that we received no distress signal, at least that I'm aware of, and the scientists said that nothing was wrong." Mr. Divel's face changed, as if surprised. Samus was too perceptive to be fooled and recognized the false emotion. "But, I guess, they could have lied to us. I certainly hope not."
"Don't evade the question," Samus said tersely. "You have full part in this. They couldn't have created such a station without your authorization. You can't possibly be as innocent as you say you are- you probably haven't been innocent for years."
"I assure you, if our investigations discover anything, I will tell you immediately."
"It's not that simple. They were doing experiments on human life there. Human experiments that have been outlawed for years."
"I see." Mr. Divel's eyebrows shot up, but Samus thought his surprise might have been feigned. Then again, perhaps she was being too critical. "I think that a deeper investigation is definitely in order. This sounds quite serious, Miss Aran. Thank you for bringing it to my attention."
Gritting her teeth, Samus snorted derisively but remained silent. It was obvious his tone was a dismissal. He'd managed to answer none of her questions whatsoever, and she couldn't legitimately keep questioning him. If he called the guards... well, they couldn't stop her, but killing them all would be pointless and wouldn't get her any closer to her goal.
"Please remain with us for some time, Samus," Mr. Divel said cordially. "You may, of course, remain in your provincial quarters here as long as you like. Shilo will escort you there."
"Shilo?" Samus echoed. She knew that name. True, there were probably a great many Shilos in the galaxy, but she knew of only one that worked at this Galactic Council outpost. Not good, not good at all.
"I can find my own wa-"
"I would be happy to escort Miss Aran to her room," a smooth voice came from behind her.
"Samus," she snapped, even as she turned to face the last person in the world she wanted to see at the moment.
As always, Shilo was dressed immaculately in a svelte suit, the newest and most expensive. There was a pleasant smile plastered on his face. Something about him made Samus want to shove hot plasma down his throat. And that wasn't even taking into account the fact that he was hopelessly in love with her.
Gently yet unavoidably Shilo hooked her arm and led her from the room. Glancing back over her shoulder, Samus could have sworn she saw Mr. Divel smirk at her. If she ever found out the b------ knew how much she hated Shilo, he'd be in a world of hurt.
"How have you been, Samus?" Shilo asked casually. Unlike most of her would-be suitors, Shilo considered her his equal (something he rarely did with anyone). That made him infinitely more annoying. Not that she wouldn't admit no one could be her equal... it just wasn't likely to happen in this galaxy. Certainly not him, anyway.
"Do you mean besides being stranded on a deserted planet for nearly a month?" she responded just as casually. Shilo stumbled for a mere split second, which was to his credit.
"But of course."
"Oh, well, other than that things are going swimmingly. I've only gone on an insane mission where no one will explain what's going on - which I still haven't been paid for, by the way - and I nearly get blown to pieces. My idea of living the high life."
"You might want to cup your hands and catch some of that sarcasm, eh?"
"Trust me, I have plenty in reserve."
"Very clever, very clever. I was promoted to Grand Vizier recently, have I told you that?" Had she told him she couldn't care less? "Great position, but not as far as I think I'll go." He'd probably go pretty far if she tossed him over a walkway edge... "There are many higher positions yet, and the position of Vizier is just a step to a true position of power..."
And thus begins the endless conversation about himself, Samus thought wearily. She picked up her pace to make this ordeal take less time. Shilo kept up, but she knew he couldn't for long. He'd have enough stamina to make it to her quarters, but not much more. Served him right. Samus found herself very glad she was wearing her bio suit... she would have hated to actually touch him.
It took far too long for them to reach Samus's quarters, where the bounty hunter promptly disengaged herself from his arm, slipped through the door and politely shut it in his face. Modern locks made no sound when engaged, but Shilo knew her well enough to know it would be locked. Probably sound-proofed, too. Crazy girl, playing hard to get...
Sitting down heavily on the soft, elegant bed in the room, Samus sighed heavily. Things were not going well, not at all. She had come here expecting answers... but since when did bureaucrats give anyone answers? They existed for the sake of bureaucracy, after all. Had she been required to stake her life on it, she would have bet that Mr. Divel knew more than he let on about. He was far too skilled to show anything, but she was a pretty good judge of character...
The question was if she could actually trust anyone here. Someone had rigged the ship to explode, and they'd used a self-destruct function to do it. Now why a ship would have a self-destruct function was beyond her, and why it would be triggered was even further beyond. All she could think of was that someone had triggered it from without... but that would have required them to have hacked into the system, or planted something there in the first place. Either way, they had a lot of power.
She didn't really fear having to fight someone, she could handle that, she feared the more subtle methods they might use. Space pirates were nothing. Poison in food or water, a quick injection while she was asleep, running electricity through her floor... possibilities were endless. Most of them her bio suit would protect her from, but not all. Anyone who wanted to kill her could find a way to do so.
As soon as she could get away from civilization the better. Life was better when around just a few people who weren't so obnoxious, like a select set of bounty hunters or someone like Tal. There were far too few good people in the universe...
Thinking about that instantly made her think about Shilo- the exact opposite of a good person. Jerk. As a politician, he would never do anything she could shoot him for. Almost enough to make her want to go pirate, like some bounty hunters, and disobey all rules. But that life certainly wasn't something she wanted either.
With a sigh Samus fell back on the bed heavily. Her bio suit balanced the impact, ruining the effect and preventing the act from relieving much stress. Maybe it would just be better to give up on this entire issue... pretend it had never happened...
A beep jerked her alert. Had it been an alarm, Samus would have already been on her feet, but as the case was it was just to notify her she had a message incoming so she just sat up slowly. Already? Very few people had her computer IP here, so her messages were few. Mainly just Mr. Divel, Shilo (who knew how he had gotten it?) and a few select bounty hunters. None of whom she wanted to talk to.
Regardless, she needed something to shake her out of this mood. Getting to her feet, Samus moved over to the computer panel in the wall. The message was, sure enough, from a bureaucratic station elsewhere. Could have been worse, then. Still, she didn't want to take it. Just as her fingers hovered over the reject button, she noticed something strange.
It was encrypted just as it should be, but something wasn't right. All the proper access codes were intact but slightly disrupted, as if someone had done a hack job of getting in. Much more interesting. Considering this wasn't her computer and thus not her problem if it got wiped, Samus opened the message. For a few seconds the computer whirred, then opened the message itself.
There was no text included, but there was a video feed line, probably containing the main message. In addition there were quite a number of attached files, but she'd be a fool to open those. At least she could see what the video feed was.
Tal suddenly appeared on screen. Behind him was a sterile, clean room, giving no hint of his location. Overcoming her initial shock at seeing him again, Samus stepped back to watch the message. He had returned to his human form; the human looking form anyway.
"I hope you didn't delete this," Tal began cautiously, glancing behind him. "It was a real pain to get this message to you. I don't actually have that much time, I'll have security on me in a few minutes, at the very longest.
"First though, I really have to apologize. I shouldn't have lied to you so long, kept what I am a secret. I'm sorry. But that doesn't matter now. You might hate me, you might detest what I am, but that's not the issue.
"Both of us were abused by certain individuals. Neither of us has the full story. I haven't been able to find out everything, and I probably won't be able to. You might, though. We'll never see each other again, so I'm sending you this. Along with the feed itself is a copy of all the information I've gathered. Maybe you have the resources to follow up where I can't."
Pausing, Tal glanced at the ground, scuffing his shoe nervously. He seemed guilty enough for his actions, Samus reflected. In fact, seeing him now, she could almost forget what he really was: the armored, winged, plasma-shooting figure. Almost, but not quite. An alarm began to ring- in the video, not real life- and Tal jerked his head to the left. Quickly he moved closer to the camera, tapping several keys off-screen.
"I'm sorry I can't explain everything. The files with this should say more than I can. Goodbye, Samus. It was nice knowing you."
As the tape faded out, the last sight Samus saw was Tal turning from the camera. Armor was sprouting around his body, his hands were becoming claws. Then the screen blinked back to the image of the message itself.
Shrugging, Samus opened the attached files. If Tal had wanted to hurt her, he could already have done so. As files began to list on screen, Samus' eyebrows slowly raised and continued to move higher. So much was here: shipping reports, transmissions between the three stations, results of experiments, personal mission logs of scientists, specific command orders.
Enough, Samus slowly realized, that if she could do proper research she could pin all this to someone. There wasn't enough to connect it to an individual, that was where Tal had passed the baton to her, but if she ever did make a connection, that individual was doomed. No matter who they were, there was a mountain of evidence here to convict them. Shaking herself, Samus quickly began downloading all of it to her bio suit. When it was complete, she allowed herself to smile slightly.
"No matter what you are, Tal," she whispered aloud. "I think I can forgive you."
Quickly scanning through the files on screen, Samus made her way through the document. It was written in genuine scientist-ese, but she thought if she could figure out what it was saying she would obtain some important information. She didn't really like reading, but she had developed the skill never the less. Sometimes it could come in handy.
Tal's files had given her a lot of information and, more importantly, a lot of leads to work with. She'd been basically living in the computer libraries of the station for the past few days, slowly building her case. No one had bothered her about it or disturbed her in any other way, excepting the fact that Shilo was nearly constantly around, so her work was both swift and productive.
With his files, she had proof that someone was tampering with human DNA. A bit of work had created a provable link between the scientists and usage of the forbidden Metroid specimens. That alone was enough to get anyone in jail for life. On top of that, she had enough information to file several charges of uses of illegal and experimental chemicals and procedures. Many underhanded deals had been pulled in the acquisition of such things.
All that was missing was a link between the scientists and the politicians in charge. Samus had become absolutely convinced someone with serious authority was commanding this operation, but she couldn't prove anything. Until she had that information, they would claim that the scientists had acted on their own, and they'd get off free. She would not allow that to happen.
At the moment, she had forged links to multiple minor officials. Half of this station could be linked to some sort of illegal activity. All of these strands of deceit had to lead somewhere, however, and Samus wanted to know where. She was sure some individual was sitting in the middle like a spider in a web. It was possible it was Mr. Divel... but he could be only a pawn in this game as well. So many questions, so few answers.
Putting her head down, Samus continued to work.
