Hello again...
I am glad to hear my work has had emotional responses, thank you all for reviewing.
Half way through this story I decided how I would end it. As I neared it, the task of ending my first story was exciting, but when I actually started it was daunting. I had a very hard time writing this chapter and nearly cried in doing so.
Here, I present to you the final chapter.
Chapter 16: Departure
After several hours journey Samus was not at all tired. She was restless and anxious. A horrible feeling had settled in the pit of her stomach, a feeling that she would not reach Lithiun.
Samus's hunter-class ship was still a good day's travel away from the Lithiun Sector. It was the evening, if there was such a thing in the black of space, of the day she had left Nebulon. Her thoughts were, once again, focused on what had been.
"Samus?" asked Creto., " what are you thinking of?"
"The Chozo said not to dwell on what might have been. But what about what has been?" Samus thought out loud.
"I do believe that my makers would have been pleased with your remembrance of them," said Creto.
"You think so?"
"Yes my Lady, yes I do."
After a pause Samus sighed, "I miss Creto." She stared out the cockpit her eyes imagining Creto in front of her.
"I am here…" the computer said but then realized what its mistress on meant. "Oh yes, Creto. That place is no more my Lady."
Creto could remember when they had tried to return to the Chozo's first home-planet. It had been some 3.21 cycles ago, when Samus was sitting on free time like this last week…
They had both been excited to try and return to Creto. Jubilantly, Samus had put the ship to full power. The idea of seeing her family again evident on her face, but Creto had also noticed a sliver of doubt too.
They had come into an uncharted sector far out of the Federation's reach. For several minutes they had sped along, knowing that at any moment the Chozo planet would grow from a speck into a giant globe.
It never happened.
There had been no trace that Creto had ever existed.
Creto had said, ' maybe we have the wrong coordinates.' But it knew better.
'No!' was all Samus could manage. Creto's mistress had screamed and shed more tears then Creto had thought possible. It had been the most distress Creto had ever seen in Samus Aran, and it hoped to never see her in that vulnerable position again.
The Chozo planet Creto had just disappeared along with all of the Chozo. Never were they found.
Samus got up from her seat and went to get something to eat. She opened her small freezer to reveal numerous packaged meals. I wish I had more time to actually cook, she thought; and a place to really cook in, she thought after looking for her nonexistent cooking supplies.
Into the microwave the dinner went and soon it was done. Samus took it to the cockpit to eat. As she ate, a question surfaced in her mind. Why did Creto disappear? It was a question she had spent so much previous time trying to answer. I don't think I'll ever find the answer.
"My Lady, there is an unmarked spaceship coming this way," Creto told her as she finished her 'meal'.
"Cloak and continue on our course," was Samus's nonchalant reply.
It turned out to be nothing but a material transport ship for the Federation, nothing to worry about.
It was well past what would have been 11 o'clock on Nebulon, but still Samus was wide awake. She decided to once again check on the Federation's findings on Tallon IV, but instead of going to their database, she found herself hacking into Maelos's credit account.
"How did I get here?' she asked herself.
"You first pressed--" began a smart Certo.
"Oh shut up you!" Samus retorted.
"Merely trying to be of service," Creto said softly.
Samus stared at the name 'Maelos'.
"It will be so hard for him to leave, especially now that he and his father are making up," she said. When I left it was too hard. AT that moment her final missing memory came flying at her and she couldn't run from it.
I am flying my ship with Kerune. We are both in our Power Suits. Even with them on, I can see my father's eyes, strong and patient.
This is my last bit of flight training. Staxit has been working with me lately, but today father took me out. He is proud of me, I can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice.
We have been out all day and are now heading back. I am looking forward to dinner and hearing Chonena tell us about her day. At this point in my life I am so happy. I am a Warrior.
I dock in dock 4 and we both immediately sense something is wrong. Kerune looks at me and I can see fear in his eyes. My heart is pounding and I don't know why.
When we get out of the ship Staxit is waiting for us. She has her suit on and her helmet in her hands.
"Come with me," she tells us.
We exit the docks and I can see numerous ships coming and going. Why are they leaving? I think. The air is tense. The normal feelings of patience and activity are now anxious and hectic.
Staxit leads us to the Common. As we make our way through the streets we see Chozo running. So are shouting out names, others are crying, and some are headed to the Common like us. We enter the Common and my heart stops as I hear a piercing note. I look and see Chonena leading all of the Musicians, a hundred strong, in a frightful new song.
It is sorrowful and tells of death and departure. Many of the Chozo start to cry, slow, quiet tears. I take off my helmet. I can hear Tubela addressing the community over the Musicians' song, but I don't listen. I am staring at Chonena, my mother. She is crying as she sings, and even in her sorrow she is beautiful.
Tubela has dismissed the crowd and Staxit is again leading us through the swarm.
I see Uirlow and he tells me, "good-bye my dear Samus. I am glad to have been your friend." I try to ask him why he says good-bye but we are swept in different directions.
Kerune takes my hand and I can feel him trembling. I have never seen the Chozo like this. They are chaotic and full of a foreboding feeling. I do not like this.
Staxit takes us into the Room of Council and there is the Grand Council. She takes us right to Tubela.
"Here they are Grand Councilor," she says.
Tubela looks to me, "take this, it will help you on your journey," she says. In her hands is a pulsing thing. It lifts in the air and so do I. I am confused and frightened, my arms are flailing. There is a blinding light and my body feels separated from my spirit. Suddenly it is over and I can feel power like nothing I have ever felt before. I look at myself, and see that somehow my suit has changed.
"What is this?" I ask Tubela.
"The Varia Suit," says Tubela. "It is a more powerful bio-suit and you will need it."
"Why will I need it?" I ask. I can see the terror in her eyes.
"We are at war," she tells Kerune and me. "Our fellow Chozo are in trouble. On Tallon IV an evil has arisen. A poison that is corrupting the creatures and plants and Chozo."
Kerune looks at me and I think of what war will mean. It will mean fighting and death, horror and destruction.
"Also on Zebes, the evil of this world is spreading." Tubela looks at Kerune and Staxit. "All Warriors are being deployed to Tallon for protection or to Zebes to force the Space Pirates out."
Space Pirates! I think. I will go!
All of the Chozo present look at me and in unison say "no".
"Your mission will be different," says Tubela and Kerune lowers his head.
A Chozo comes into the hall and says, "Council! Your ship is ready!"
"We the Council must go to Tallon IV. We will create a lock on the Great Poison. The Cipher it will be called."
She begins to leave, and we all follow her. I wonder what my mission will be. Even though I am scared and all is chaos, the idea of having a special mission excites me.
Back out in the Common the crowd has lessened. Many Chozo are still listening to the Musicians. All of the Warriors are gone.
The ship for the Council has landed in the middle of the Common. The Council boards but Tubela stays with me a minute more.
"Your mission is for you and you only," she starts. "You must leave."
The words are simple but more powerful then all of my classes. The excitement I felt turns into disbelief.
"Leave?"
"You must leave us. You will not fight in this war, but you will run. Samus Aran, you are a human and a Chozo, but now you must live as a human. Go, and do not turn back." She grasps my head, for I have removed my helmet, and gives me a Chozo kiss. "May truth guide you."
I stand as my inner self turns into a black pit. The idea of leaving is too much. I can't do it!
"Staxit, Kerune, we must leave," she says.
Staxit turns to me and kneels, "may you find your reason for being. It was a joy to watch you grow and now a sorrow to leave. Good-bye, Samus the Warrior."
As she leaves Kerune looks at me. The pain rips through me and my tears flow. He is crying too and his eyes are nothing but love. He kisses my forehead gently and slowly.
"I love you, Dearheart," he says.
He turns and I cry, "don't leave me! I love you! Don't leave me!"
My voice falls to sobbing on that last word. Behind me I can hear Chonena. Her song breaks away and soars above the rest. So high and painful that my heart aches and my breath is hard. My father locks eyes with my mother, and in that silent good-bye I can see all their love. He gives me one final teary look and then is gone from my sight.
I am alone! My world, my life is crashing down on me!
I turn to the Musicians and Benach cries for me. My mother's song rises higher still, and it takes every part of me to keep from falling to the ground.
I can take no more and I run to my ship. Oblivious to where I am going I run. I run through the empty streets, my weeping drowning out Chonena.
Somehow I reach docks. I can't think anymore! My only thought is 'you must leave'.
In front of my ship is Leniox. He catches me as I collapse in my grief. We both fall to the ground crying.
"Be strong Samus!"
"Why must I leave!" I ask him. I don't know if he has the answer, but I must know.
"Now I will tell you, the time is right," he says.
I stop my shouting but keep crying silent tears.
"That night at Purit Peak the cosmos gave me one of their secrets. The secret is for the good of the galaxy and must be odeyed," he wipes tears from his eyes. "It said that you, Samus, must not fight in the Chozo's war. It said you must leave us, for later in your life you will return to us. You are our Warrior, the Hatchling of the Chozo. The Newborn that was born of the dark to bring the light."
Leniox looks at me with his solemn face, "you are the galaxy's hope, and to survive you must leave."
We stand up and he says, "now go! My prophecy will be proven in time. Samus," he looks me in the eye, "you must trust me."
"I trust you, Leniox the Astronomer," I tell him as my mind clears.
"I love you, Samus my friend, now leave."
"Good-bye, Leniox. I will miss you," I say.
The finality of leaving has set in, and so I board my ship and leave Creto behind. I leave to find my reason, trusting in Leniox that it will lead me back to the Chozo that I love.
Samus came back to reality, unsurprised to feel warm tears on her face. Her blurred eyes refocused and saw Maelos's account.
The Prophecy that Leniox made has been proven, she realized. She had returned to the Chozo and freed them from this world. She had helped save the galaxy by defeating the Space Pirates. Her purpose-her reason for being- she realized, was to be the last Chozo Warrior; to be the last Defender and Protector of the galaxy. All things have a reason.
Samus looked again at Maelos's account and then pressed the transfer bottom. It would take a lot of money that Maelos didn't have to make it through his education, and Samus was going to help him. A flashing note on her screen said-transfer of 80,000 credits from account 57391 to account 92365 complete.
80,000 credit was pretty steep, it was more than half her account, but Maelos was worth it. The future of Nebulon is worth it, she thought.
After the flashing subsided, Samus settled back into her chair. For a moment, just one moment, there was complete silence. And in that moment's silence Samus felt at peace, with herself and the galaxy.
A beep from the control panel broke the silence, and Creto said, "my Lady, the Federation is requesting an audience with you. Will you comply?"
"Yes, Creto," she answered. She had known they would find her.