The ship slowly came to a stop and landed on the pad, where a group of Chozo was waiting to greet them. The break engines hissed as they hovered over the dock for a few minutes and then began to descend. Samantha was still sleeping soundly in the commander's quarters and was carried out by Ikara.
"Poor child," he thought as he followed behind Commander Ishuzu. "Lost everything to those pirates…"
They walked toward the group and were greeted by High Command. Ishuzu shook their hands and gave a salute. Ikara, however, still had the worried look on his bird-like face.
"Private Ikara? the commander asked as he turned around. Is everything ok?"
"What?" he replied all of a sudden. Samantha stirred in his arms, but went back to sleep.
"Who is that child?" one of the high commanders asked.
"This is the sole survivor of the earth colony K-2L," Ishuzu reported. "They were victims of a pirate raid, but she was the only survivor somehow."
"And who will be taking care of her?" the elder Chozo asked. "She is a human and her biological structure is not built like a Chozo. They are weak unless she has some kind of armor."
Commander Ishuzu stepped up.
"I will be taking care of her," he replied in a stern tone. "We couldn't leave her alone in the ruins and have her die alone. I will have her taught like a Chozo, learn the ways of the Chozo, and perhaps fight like the Chozo before us."
"Commander Ishuzu, you may take charge of the child," High Commander Karaiya finally concluded. "Does she have a name?"
"I do not know, but if she doesn't, she will be called 'Samus.'"
"After our goddess?" the elder replied. "You must be out of your mind!"
"No," Ishuzu continued. "But she might be the one the Ancients foretold about. If she is The Hatchling whom the Ancients have foretold of, then the pirates will have problems."
"The Hatchling is just a Chozo Lore left behind by our ancestors!" the elder exclaimed.
"I know, but it could very well be the end for the pirates…"
They all saluted and Ishuzu took Samantha from Ikara. He made his way home, but found Samantha staring back at him from his arms by the time he had stopped in front of his room.
"Where am I?" she asked in a half-sleepy voice.
"Will she understand telepathy, or do I have to speak to her verbally?" he thought. After a few seconds, he said to her, "You're at your new home, Tallon IV."
"Tallon IV? Who's going to take care of me?"
"I will. Now, do you have a name?"
"I don't remember…"
"It seems that the serum has a very bad side effect on the human mind…" he quietly mused. "No matter. I will call her 'Samus-San.'"
He looked at the girl and managed to smile as he saw her waddling around, looking at the new settings she was in.
"If you do not remember, do you mind if I give you a name?"
"What will you call me?" she asked as she looked at a statue.
"Your name will be Samus-San," he replied. "When you are older, you will go to school with the other Chozo children and learn."
"And what will I call you?"
This question shocked the commander. It had been so long since the death of his family and he had forgotten what a young child like her would call him. He was used to his troops calling him "commander," but he would never expect it from a young child. He took off his headdress, set it on his desk, and turned around to find Samantha trying to read some of his books. He gave a small chuckle as he saw her turning the pages and then turning the whole book upside-down. Ishuzu took the child into his arms and sat at his desk.
"You can just call me Ishuzu," he replied as she sat on his knee.
"Daddy 'Isuzu?'"
"That's close enough…" he chuckled. "And you will be my Samus-San."
"Samus-San," she whispered. "That's my name?"
"Yes, it is your name."
The night was peaceful, yet interesting at the same time. He had always wondered what humans did during times they had nothing to do and saw Samus still trying to read one of his books again. She held the book and gave it to her "dad," asking him to read it to her. A warm smile spread across his face.
"This is not your type of reading," he laughed as he took the book away and looked for an easier children's book for her to read. "You will go to school in about 2 weeks. In the meantime, I will teach you a few basics." They sat in front of the fire and somewhat enjoyed each other's presence. For Samus, it was that she had someone taking care of her, an adoptive father. For Ishuzu, he had lost his family to the Space Pirates. Having Samus around was like having his only daughter. Both had lost their loved ones, but have found each other as substitutes.