Here comes another chapter! Yay! I really like this chapter: We'll see how you all feel about it. I was actually going to take this chapter a lot further than I did, but the last sentence left such a great cliffhanger, I had to break it off there. Don't forget to leave a review!

LemurianGirl- Oh, father? Right, I knew that. :P I'm not sure where I got brother… I'll have to go back and reread to see what I was thinking…

CDBuder- You may write about that pirate as long as you mention my name (Authraw) and this story's name (The Hatchling) in an author's note at the beginning. However, I would advise you to wait for a few more chapters, as I have plans for that character. You'll see exactly what I have in store…

Aran'sApprentice- Glad you think they feel human. I was trying to avoid making them seem like any other species. :P

And now… The chapter!

Saving Lives

As soon as Samus and Caern arrived at Tourian, they knew that this was the place. The walls were covered in a silvery metal. There were machines and computer monitors everywhere. Wires and pipes stuck out from the walls here and there. It was clear that the pirates had made this their home base.

Samus gave Caern a look through her visor that said, "Be careful from here on out." He nodded, understanding. Carefully, Samus started toward the room's lone door.

She walked up to it and opened it. The speed at which the automatic door opened unnerved her. Any pirates in the next room would know of their presence immediately. Samus took note of this and was relieved to find that the next room was empty. She turned to face Caern, who was still hovering around the elevator.

"Cover me!" She whispered. A small vent in her helmet allowed for verbal communication. Caern lifted his gun and stepped towards her in response. Samus turned to face the new room again and moved in.

Sitting in the center of the room was a huge machine. It seemed to have room enough in the center for a human (or pirate, for that matter) to stand inside of it. Samus decided it was best to avoid the machine for now, not knowing exactly what it did.

She moved to the next door, Caern close behind. Samus motioned to get to one side of the door, next to the wall. Caern did so. Samus got to the other side and opened the door, quickly pulling herself against the wall, so as not to be seen by any pirates that could be lurking beyond. The door opened noiselessly, so the humans assumed the room must be safe.

Samus carefully moved into the room. This one was another small room with unusual looking machinery all around it. Samus checked for any signs that there were pirates nearby. She found nothing.

Then Samus recognized something that made her heart jump: A stasis tank, exactly like the one the pirates' had been keeping her in when they captured her. Trying not to lose her grip, Samus turned to the next door, trying to push down her feelings of fear.

A little girl, hiding under her bed.

Samus opened this door, carefully, like she had the last time. She entered the room slowly, Caern following her. This door opened up onto what was more like a balcony, overlooking a larger room below. There was a staircase leading down to the lower room at the other end of the balcony.

After slowly crossing about halfway across the balcony, both humans froze. They heard a door below open up, and a pirate trudged in. It was grumbling something to itself, and it immediately started tapping away on a computer.

Samus motioned for Caern to stay where he was, with his gun pinned on the pirate from above. Samus would move down the steps and take the pirate out. Caern nodded and walked close enough to the edge of the balcony to fire at the pirate if need be. Samus moved to the stairs.

When she had climbed low enough to see the pirate clearly, Samus had to stifle a gasp. She saw severe burn scars on the pirate's lower body. This was the very pirate that the two humans had saved back in the caves!

Sensing Samus' presence, the pirate turned around, expecting to see a fellow pirate. He was shocked to see a large, orange, humanoid figure standing in front of him. Uttering some space pirate interjection, he pulled his gun from his holster on his waist.

Samus sprung into action. Immediately pulling a roundhouse kick, Samus disarmed the pirate in a quick move. A few shots were fired from above, but they were far from their mark, as the pirate was now jumping around, trying to get back to its gun, which was now sliding across the floor.

Samus swung her foot low, tripping the pirate, and then brought her fist down on the back of its neck, sending it sprawling on the ground. It quickly rolled over onto its back with a frightened look on its face. It managed to sit up and scoot itself away from Samus, but it soon found itself cornered, with no weapon. It did not seem to be carrying a wrist blade.

Samus charged her arm cannon, preparing for the final blow. She looked into the face of the pirate she was about to kill. Its eyes were once again sorrowful, pleading. Once again she held the life of this pirate in her hands.

Just fire at it. It will be all over. You just have to kill it and you won't have to worry about it anymore. Raising her arm cannon, now glowing a bright orange because it was charged up for a full-power shot, Samus aimed the gun at the pirate's head. But again she was pulled into the pirate's eyes, begging for mercy, imploring her to spare it.

Like a young child, hiding under a bed.

"It'd be a waste," Samus muttered to herself, discharging the gun at a computer instead of the pirate. It exploded a little louder than she had intended. She raised her arm cannon in the air and dealt the pirate a sharp crack on the head, knocking him out.

"Let's keep moving, and hope nobody heard us," Samus called to Caern. He came dashing down the stairs, eager to move on. A little less cautiously than before, Samus opened the next door. The sight that met her was the most shocking and disturbing thing she had ever seen.