Samus Aran began to land her ship. She had recently received a distress call from the planet "Z-R-T-8-0-5-A-K-F-7-7-7". Supposedly, the planets inhabitants, the Genomes, were being forced into a starving state. When she neared the planet's surface, she saw why: large areas of the planet had petrified, becoming stone. Vegetation was scarce, and were it not for her power suit, she would not be able to breathe. She finally landed her ship, got out, and reached the area where the signal had come from.
It was a simple village by most standards: houses from the year 2005 were everywhere, and the only visible markets were vendors from the earlier centuries. As Samus walked through, people would look at her and point, saying things like "The hunter!" or "She's come!" Samus smiled. She really was famous around here.
She finally reached the central base. It was far more advanced, and looked more modern: a large cylinder of twisted black metal, with a large glowing dome as the top. She entered the building. The inside had a large platform in the center, where several men and woman sat. They all appeared in there twenty's, and looked like leaders. Apparently, they were arguing about something
"If she doesn't come soon, we must go through with the plan!" One man shouted. "No! If we do that, we put the entire population at risk! Even if we did leave the area to escape the blast, the children wouldn't be safe, they can't survive out there!" A young, very distressed woman argued. "We must find some way!" Another man stated. "I'm here. Am I interrupting something?" Samus questioned. They all whirled to face her. "Samus Aran, thank the gods you've come!" A woman said. "So what's going on?" Samus questioned. "A monster is devouring the planet from the inside out. We call it the "Armageddon Beast". We witnessed it burrow into our planet only a few weeks ago, and now it's sucking the energy from the planet's core, causing the four plates to become corrupt, and lifeless." A woman explained. "Four plates?" Samus questioned. "The four plates that make up this planet. They are all connected directly to the core of the planet. When the core's energy run's out, the planet will…die." A man explained, hanging his head. "You mustn't give up hope. You aren't dead yet, right? So I'll kill of this monster and you'll be fine." Samus declared, clapping the young man on the shoulder. He smiled at her. "Please, you must understand the lifestyle here before you do anything: there is a strict religion, and codes must be followed, or you may defile the planet." A woman said. Samus nodded. "I wouldn't want to offend anybody." She said.
As Samus was given a tour of the building, they explained everything to her. "On this planet, all laws are made by us, the Grand Council. Except the religion of course, that was given to us by the book of enlightenment." A woman said. "Book of enlightenment? What's that?" Samus questioned. "It is a holy artifact to us, and was the first book to ever list the rules of our religion. At the beginning of time, the artifact was given to us by a golden light from the heavens, along with two voices." Another man said. "The book was strict, and all that defy its rules are struck down by the Light of Oblivion, which comes from the heavens. The god's, Zarus, and Axus, will punish the wrong-doers with this light, and will absorb their soul into their being, taking their power. Of course, the gods are kind nonetheless-they do not pass judgment on those that do not know the rules of the religion." A woman explained. "Anyways, the book tells us we must all dress in a specific way, and it told us we must always produce children that look alike. We found that it was impossible not to shortly after reading the book. Any child that doesn't look the same, is a special warrior, designed to serve a unique purpose, and, in death, it shall join the gods in glory and omnipotence. Of course, Zarus and Axus will always be the strongest and greatest." A woman said.
"The book of enlightenment taught us everything. How to build, how to destroy, how to reproduce, how to eat, it taught us all. It says specifically that one from our race is not to go beneath the surface of this planet. It also says that a champion chosen by Zarus and Axus will come to us in time of great need. You are that champion, Samus Aran." A man said. "However, there is something you must know first. Under the surface, your current powers will not work." A woman informed Samus. "That could be a problem." Samus said. "Agreed. However, all is not lost. Your ancestors, the Chozo, left gifts for you to use under the surface. You will find that they will aid you greatly. You must pass tests however, of courage, intelligence, speed, and power. Should you fail, all is lost. Do not ask us how we know this: the book told us. It knows everything, and even writes it's own pages." A man explained. Samus nodded. "So, I simply have to pass these tests, destroy the creature, and then go home, correct?" Samus questioned. They all nodded.
"Yes, that is correct. Since we are already in the building, we will tell you about our race." A man said. "This is of course, the central structure of the village. In here, the Grand Council, and all Genomes with authority reside." A woman said. "So this is where the politicians live?" Samus questioned. They seemed quite taken aback by this. "Politicians? Don't be silly, Samus! Authority is if you are stronger than the others! If you can kill someone, you are more powerful than him or her, and thus, have the right to order him or her around! Politicians are a bunch of people who sit on their butts and argue about whether or not to do something. People with authority have actual power, and use it to benefit the people they rule and themselves. Just how silly can you get, Samus? Politicians, HAH!" One of the woman exclaimed.
It was at this moment, that, Samus realized that they were right. If you are more powerful than someone, that is authority, otherwise you have no right to order him or her around. It made enough sense. As Samus walked around the building, she noticed that everyone really did look alike. All the males would have black shoulder-length hair, and all the woman would have long blue hair. Everyone wore the same clothing: a black robe with white trim. Everyone's skin was pail, despite the intensity of the ultra-violet rays of the planet, and everyone had blue eyes. "This building is also where we house some of the children." A woman explained gesturing to a room filled with sleeping Genome children.
All the children were identical: Males had shoulder-length black hair, and blue eyes, pail skin, and females had shoulder-length blue hair and blue eyes. All of them had slightly deformed features, and were completely naked, except for the single black cloth that covered their private areas, rather like a diaper would. Actually, Samus could have sworn that all the children were wearing diapers, but she did not wish to be there to find out. "Anyways, we shall lead you to the underground chambers tomorrow." One of the councilmen said. Samus nodded, and headed back to her ship to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow would be a busy day.