Metroid Humanity

by GigaChadicus Prime

Immediately following the events of Metroid Dread, Samus reports to the Galactic Federation High Council to debrief her mission on ZDR. Walking in expecting to expose many people for being part of the Rogue Federation, things take a turn for the worse; she finds herself on the run as she is being hunted for her Metroid DNA, forcing her to flee far away to uncharted territory.

Metroid: Humanity

TWO DAYS AFTER THE DEATH OF RAVEN BEAK

SOMEWHERE IN HYPERSPACE

Samus' purple ship gently cruised through hyperspace being guided by autopilot.

Wearing her Zero Suit, she sat on the floor behind her pilot seat with her legs crossed, back straight, and knuckles of each fist pushed up against the other in a meditative position. With eyes shut, she breathed deeply.

"Focus… concentrate… be in control."

She raised her left hand in front of her face and then exhaled; an electric pink light shimmered around her fingertips and then faded away. She inhaled and then exhaled deeper; this time the light shimmered across her entire hand. She opened her eyes; the pink light reflected off her cyan irises.

"Hold… hold it."

Sitting on the floor next to her right knee was her stun pistol; an indicator showing it was fully charged. She picked it up with her right hand and slowly brought it next to her left. She touched it and siphoned the energy from it, feeling its small load of power course through her body. The indicator on the pistol showed it was dead; she focused energy in her right hand and delivered it back into the pistol, making the indicator light up with a full charge.

She placed the pistol back on the floor and gazed at her left hand as it shimmered with pink light.

In a flash of memory, her hand changed, brandishing jagged brownish-green scales and sharp claws. She let out an enraged roar as she plunged her claws through Raven Beak's armor and into his face, siphoning massive amounts of energy from him and his flying fortress, causing it all to plummet to the planet's surface in a spectacular explosion.

Her mind flashed back to where she sat, looking at her glowing hand. She turned off the siphon and rolled her fingers into a fist.

"Thank you, Quiet Robe. Because of you, I'm in control; I didn't die a monster."

Adam's robotic voice interrupted her thoughts.

"We are nearing the end of our hyperjump; prepare for atmospheric entry."

Samus took her seat and grabbed hold of the controls.

She exited hyperspace and approached the capital of the Galactic Federation, planet Daibon. Tapping her fingers on the control panels, she requested permission to land at the High Council Chamber. Her control screen flashed.

*QUARANTINE IN EFFECT. SEND BIOSCAN BEFORE APPROACHING PLANET. FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN DESTRUCTION.*

Adam's robotic voice chimed in.

"Interesting. Perhaps the Federation took on these measures in case the X Parasites spread to here. Sending bioscan now."

In a few seconds, another message flashed.

*PERMISSION GRANTED. WELCOME SAMUS ARAN.*

Her ship descended into the atmosphere and broke through the clouds; below her was a massive city that occupied a large circular space of the continent; white skyscrapers reached the heavens, and the Galactic Federation High Council Tower stood tall above all others at 12 kilometers. Normally there were thousands of civilian and city vehicles bustling across the skylines, but now there was nothing in the sky except for a few large unfamiliar ships that looked built for war.

"Strange," said Adam. "The capital has never been this quiet and still. There are no signs of combat or struggle; perhaps the quarantine is in effect from home to home as well as planet to planet. Nearby warships belong to Exelion Star Corporation."

"They're here; good." She responded. "Just like we planned."

Her ship flew down to the base of the High Council Tower and landed in the hangar. She stood up from her seat and stepped onto the disembarking platform.

She inhaled as she slightly tilted her head back and focused her mind; her body glowed gold and her Power Suit was released from within, materializing around her body. She stood in her purple Gravity Suit, wielding every weapon and ability she had acquired from ZDR.

Samus pressed a button on her arm cannon; the ship began to depressurize.

"Good luck with the debrief, Lady."

Her visor tinted opaque green, and the platform lowered her into the hangar. There awaited Chairman Keaton, a small man with green skin, two antennas coming from his forehead, and pointy ears, dressed in elegant robes.

Standing on each side of the Chairman were two guards wearing red armor that vaguely resembled her own, but more simple and crude in design. Under the segmented armor plating was a flexible black fabric that fit tight to their skin, much like her Zero Suit. Their helmets were smooth shaped with visors shaped like a sharp T, preventing her from seeing any part of their eyes. Both guards carried large rifles and several magazines strapped to their waistlines; their gauntlets brandished a variety of tools and weapons. On their chests was the half-star brand of Exelion Star Corporation.

Samus scanned the two guards.

*SUBJECTS ARE HUMANOID IN SHAPE AND SIZE. ARMOR CONSISTS OF CHOZO TECHNOLOGY, BUT NOT NEARLY AS POWERFUL AS YOUR OWN. WEAPON MAGAZINES CHANGE RIFLE BEAM-TYPE SIMILAR TO THE NATURE OF YOUR ARM CANNON.*

The Chairman bowed as he greeted her.

"Welcome back, Samus. We are happy to see you return."

Samus nodded at him and then turned her head back to the guards.

"No need to worry about them, Samus; they're a special guard we hired in your absence. When you left for ZDR, Exelion Star Corporation contacted me and proposed measures to protect the planet in case there was an X Parasite threat. On their advice, the High Council decided to quarantine all Galactic Federation planets until you returned successfully."

One of the guards raised his left hand at Samus. A blue light blinked in his gauntlet.

"Hold still." He gruffed.

A scanning beam shot from his gauntlet and traveled up and down her body. It gave out an audio reading.

"*Biological entities detected:

-Human

-Chozo

-Metroid

-No X Parasite. CLEAR*"

The man grunted. "Clear, Chairman."

"Sorry for the constant intrusion on privacy Samus, but we know that one X will spell doom for us all. Follow me. The High Council is eager to hear your debrief, like always."

Chairman Keaton began walking away; the guards stood still as Samus walked past them. The guard on the left quietly muttered a strange word. Samus paused her step and glanced back at the guard; their two visors locked on to each other as if they were doing a death stare through their opaque views. She had no idea what he said, but it sounded like an insult directed at her.

She turned back to Chairman Keaton and followed him. The guards walked behind her, speaking to each other in a language Samus had never heard.

Samus set her suit database to find any information on the guards; nothing immediately showed up, but it was set to absorb and compare any information passively.

As they approached the next set of doors, another pair of red guards awaited, bearing the same style of armor and weapons; one of them had the waistline and hips of a woman. They opened the door, allowing the Chairman and Samus to pass, and then followed behind the first two guards. As they approached the elevator, four more guards were waiting, who also joined the group; their armor was blue like a dark ocean. The Chairman boarded the elevator and Samus followed him. The eight guards stepped in and stood around them.

The elevator began its ascent. Chairman Keaton faced away from Samus as he spoke.

"If the parasites are gone, then I do believe the Galactic Federation may finally have lasting peace, enough for us to rebuild what has been lost since the Phazon Crisis. The timing couldn't be better! The rogue faction that you exposed has led us to reorganize and defund much of our military, leaving us with room in our budget for terraforming and colonizing planets once thought lost. Time and time again you've given such valuable contributions to protecting all of us, and we can't thank you enough."

"Don't get your hopes up, Chairman," replied Samus, with a gruff tone in her voice.

He turned his head back to look at her, his face changing from optimism to concern.

She continued. "There's much to discuss in the debrief."

He closed his eyes and sighed, slightly hanging his head in sorrow.

"Whatever comes, can we count on you to help us Samus?"

She nodded. "Always." A slight smile came to his face as he turned forward again.

Samus stood quietly, glancing left and right at the guards. They made no movement or sound, standing still like machines awaiting command. Most of them had the size and body shape of human men, with a few of them appearing female. Some of their helmets had horns to cover natural appendages while others had different visors to accommodate different eye shapes and sizes. Although there were different colors of armor, there was no distinction of rank or ability. One thing was for sure; this was a very diverse group of humanoids.

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. The room ahead was a massive circular chamber with rows of seats wrapped around a speaking platform. In the seats were the councilors from the various species and nations of the Galactic Federation. Normally this room was opened to allow natural light and air to flow in, including a large viewport to allow the High Council to look down and see the city; now it was sealed and dim-lit, giving the chamber a cult-like feeling.

She scanned the material that covered the viewport.

*STRUCTURE IS COMPOSED OF ARMINIUM. SUBJECT TO BECOMING BRITTLE FROM RAPID COOLING AND HEATING.*

"Well, good luck Samus." The Chairman walked to his seat among the council. Samus walked forward to the center; the eight guards stood in pairs between her and the door. Her heavy metal footsteps echoed around the metal walls while the members of the High Council whispered to each other in excitement upon seeing her. She looked around the chamber and saw more Exelion guards; a pair was standing at each of the doorways. Four were wearing purple, another four were yellow, and the last set of four was black.

Her scanner displayed a message as she approached the center.

*21 GUARDS PRESENT IN CHAMBER. ARMOR COMPOUND IS SIMILAR TO PLATING ON E.M.M.I. UNITS, BUT NOT AS DURABLE. DESIGN IS MADE TO BALANCE DEFENSE AND SPEED. EXELION CEO TAVARES IS PRESENT AT THE DEBRIEF.*

Sitting among the Councilmembers was a well-dressed male Elfin; a humanoid race known for being small, lean, and having pointy ears. He bore the Exelion Star Corporation brand on his chest. He looked like he was in his early thirties with minor scars on his face, and his expression gave off a feeling of confidence and sternness like someone who had triumphed over many challenges. Standing next to him was a single massive Exelion guard, this one being donned in silver armor.

"Time for Plan A."

Samus stood on the center platform and began her debrief to the Council; her voice boomed through her suit's speaker system.

"Bounty Hunter 13576, Samus Aran, reporting mission events on ZDR. All E.M.M.I. units were located and destroyed. The X Parasite was found within containment but was released during my time there, resulting in the infection of all local fauna. To prevent possible spread, I destroyed the planet. As far as I know, the X Parasite is extinct throughout all the galaxy."

The Council members gently cheered and clapped. When the room settled, a council member raised his hand. Samus nodded at him.

"How did the X Parasite get to ZDR? And who had it initially contained?" he asked.

She answered. "The planet once belonged to a warrior tribe of Chozo called the Mawkin; a separate faction from the Chozo of Zebes who were part of the Thoha tribe. Near the time the Space Pirates took over Zebes, the Mawkin tribe arrived on SR388 in hopes to obtain Metroids from the Thoha scientists. With the Metroids already out of control and sealed under the planet's surface, the Mawkin killed all but one of the Thoha and returned to ZDR to make preparations for taking the Metroids for themselves. Unknown to them, one of the Mawkin soldiers were infected by the X. Their supreme leader, Raven Beak, was able to contain the parasite within an underground city, but all other Mawkin were infected."

The members of the council began to whisper among each other. A woman raised her hand.

"Was this Raven Beak the one who sent the footage of the parasite? And was his goal to take your Metroid DNA to cleanse the planet?"

"Raven Beak did want my Metroid DNA, but to create an army and conquer the known universe. Initially, I did believe he was the one who sent the footage, however, after reviewing the video and comparing it to what I found on ZDR, I discovered a flaw in that theory."

Samus looked up at the hologram projectors and tuned her visor to upload a series of videos for all to see. On one hologram was the footage that was sent to the Federation before the mission, showing a single X Parasite floating around the catacombs of ZDR.

She continued.

"From the events that took place on the B.S.L. station above SR388, we know that a single X Parasite can infect and spread through a large area in a matter of hours."

The next hologram showed her perspective while exploring ZDR, destroying various life forms and converting their biomass into Power Suit energy and ammunition after being defeated.

"For the first half of the mission on ZDR, I noticed that none of the creatures were infected."

She then tuned another hologram to show her point of view as she entered Elun and encountered an infected Mawkin soldier, defeating it and exposing the gelatinous X Parasite, which she then absorbed.

"It was only after Raven Beak opened the quarantine zone that the X Parasites were free to roam the planet, quickly infecting all life that I encountered for the remainder of the mission. In summary, I don't believe Raven Beak is the one who sent the video; I believe it was fake footage, created and sent by the Rogue Federation to act as bait for a trap."

The whispers among the council grew steadily louder. The woman spoke again.

"You're saying that the Rogue Federation was trying to steal the E.M.M.I units?"

"No, they were trying to take Metroid DNA from me."

The whispers grew to mutters. One man raised his voice loudly for all to hear.

"I thought we had purged all of the Rogues!"

Samus raised her hand to quiet the Council.

"I would like to ask a few questions." She requested.

Chairman Keaton motioned his hand.

"Proceed Samus."

She turned toward Exelion CEO Tavares; even through her opaque visor, one could tell that there were feelings of cold hostility.

"CEO Tavares, how did Exelion make robots that were not only immune to all my weapons but also were capable of using some of my abilities?"

Tavares sat there in silence without so much as a twitch on his face. The conversations in the background were buzzing again.

Tavares began to speak, but his voice was much deeper and more monotone than any other Elfin Samus had met; he also had a slight peculiar accent that didn't match any known language.

"Per Galactic Federation contract, we made the E.M.M.I. emulate your Power Suit, and we're not the only ones to attempt this. Federation Force Golem Mechs, Marine arm cannons, ice pistols, and plasma cannons; these are all technological advancements several corporations have made through the years by studying the mission feed you share with the Federation. Exelion is no different in this contract."

Samus replied.

"We are all aware of the agreement I have made with the Galactic Federation on Chozo technology and abilities; you are allowed to study and learn from observation, but any Chozo technology that is found belongs to me and me alone. I was entrusted with these things; nobody else is."

Many heads in the Council nodded in agreement.

Samus continued.

"You answered why you did it, but you didn't answer how, which convinces me that you're hiding something."

Samus turned herself to speak openly to all the High Council.

"Chairman, Councilmembers; the only time my armor and weapons have been available for research was when portions were surgically removed and then stored on the Biological Space Laboratories research station; that station was controlled by the Rogue Federation."

The Councilmembers looked around at each other, some looked confused while some looked concerned.

"From my observations, the Rogue Federation sent their research to Exelion Star Corporation. With this insider knowledge of my Power Suit, Exelion was able to manufacture the E.M.M.I. units. Also, look to the guards that are here; the attempt at copying my Suit is obvious."

The Councilmembers had their head on swivels as they observed every guard in the room.

One woman shouted out. "She's right!"

Tavares glared at Samus.

"Go on; make your accusation." He said calmly.

She spoke loudly for all present to hear.

"Leaders of the Galactic Federation; I believe Exelion Star Corporation is a business front for the Rogue Federation, and they are after me for the Metroid DNA. I implore you to have them investigated and if need be, shut down entirely."

The members of the High Council stood and pointed their fingers around at the Exelion guards and Tavares, yelling in anger. Some of the Councilmembers yelled at each other, accusing one another of being a Rogue. Tavares and the guards were completely unfazed by the intense emotions bouncing around the room; like before, they stood still and emotionless.

Using her suit's messaging system, she mentally wrote a text and sent it to Adam on her ship.

"Plan A is working so far."

Chairman Keaton pounded his fist on his pulpit.

"SILENCE!"

The yelling died down.

"Samus… that is quite the accusation you have made. As much as you have earned our trust through many years of service, I must let Exelion speak on this matter. CEO Tavares."

Tavares confidently began his defense.

"Councilmembers, this Raven Beak that was mentioned, we at Exelion have known about him for some time thanks to our recon drones that we have spread through the galaxy. He was an extremely powerful and cunning warrior king, and his Mawkin tribe had at one point conquered most of the Otzello Galaxy and were making their way here into the Milky Way."

He nodded to the silver-clad guard standing next to him. Like Samus had done before, the guard uploaded a file to the holograms; there for all to see was a 3D image of Raven Beak.

Tavares continued.

"Now council members, look at this hologram and think to yourself what you see. One detail is obvious; who else do we know that is associated with the Chozo and wields an arm cannon like this?"

The council members changed their gaze from the hologram down to Samus. She could feel the confusion in the room growing into fear.

"We knew that Raven Beak had no good intentions for the Galactic Federation, and given the obvious connection between him and Aran, we knew that a study of her Power Suit would give us an advantage. So, using the data we anonymously received from the BSL station, we were able to craft the E.M.M.I. units; robots that were immune to Aran's weapons, and capable of puncturing her armor. If the units could take on Aran, then they had a good chance against Raven Beak and his tribe."

Samus smartly responded.

"Your efforts were futile; Raven Beak easily crippled one of them and then seized control of them all. Your engineering needs work."

Some of the council members chuckled at her response.

Tavares countered.

"Raven Beak was able to seize control, but he couldn't stop the optical systems from giving us live feed. Through this, we made several observations."

The silver guard uploaded another file. One of the holograms showed a video from the point of view of an E.M.M.I. unit. It crawled through a duct and spotted Samus; she sprinted away from it and the unit pursued after her.

"See how Aran flees when she encounters one? That makes sense, considering they were reprogrammed to hunt her. Now, watch this next video."

Another hologram displayed a different feed from the E.M.M.I.'s optics. Samus stood facing the robot with the red Omega Cannon online. She planted her feet and pelted the unit with a stream of blue beams; she then charged a shot and fired, ending the video."

Tavares looked at Samus.

"Where did you get that cannon? That's not part of your typical arsenal."

Samus stood her ground in the debate.

"I absorbed it from the computer system that Raven Beak had set up which was controlling the E.M.M.I."

"Absorbed it from a computer, you say? Didn't you receive such a beam on your second mission to Zebes after the Super Metroid absorbed it from Mother Brain? You're saying that this is a Metroid ability, correct?"

"Yes. However, after I destroyed each computer that controlled a local E.M.M.I., the unit aggressively began to pursue me. If it was freed from Raven Beak's control, why was its first protocol to kill me?"

"The E.M.M.I.s' primary protocol was to seek out and hunt X Parasites, while their secondary protocol was to kill Mawkin Chozo. Your use of that cannon triggered the units' secondary protocol to override the first. However, we know that the cannon wasn't the only thing you used to destroy the robots."

Another hologram changed to a different E.M.M.I.'s point of view. It sensed Samus in the room ahead, so it detonated a power bomb. It crawled out of the shaft and saw her stunned by the explosion. The robot approached Samus, ready to stab her, but she struck it with her arm cannon, sending the robot's head facing backward. The robot swung its head forward to face her again; she was staring at her left hand as a pink light shimmered around it. The video paused at that moment.

Tavares continued.

"Councilmembers; all of us here know about the death-bringing power the Metroids had in their ability to manipulate energy. The Galactic Federation Armed Forces lost countless servicemembers to these bioweapons, and some of you here have even lost loved ones."

The Councilmembers looked back and forth between each other and Samus, with fear growing in their expressions. Some of them had the expression that they were remembering the people they personally knew who had died of Metroids, an expression of loss and pain.

The video continued; the unit approached Samus and pinned her to the ground. As it fired its probe, Samus caught it with her left hand and siphoned its energy until the video ended.

"Here is proof that Aran's Metroid powers are growing. She was able to destroy an E.M.M.I. unit simply by making contact. From what the Federation has observed through years of studying Metroids is that their hunger never ceases."

Samus interjected, speaking to everybody present.

"You have no need to fear me." She reassured them. "I mentioned the one Thoha Chozo that Raven Beak had brought from SR388 to ZDR. His name was Quiet Robe, and he was one of the biologists who created the Metroids. He taught me that Thoha Chozo were capable of controlling the creatures; sadly, he was killed and then infected by the X Parasites. His Thoha DNA gave him such a degree of self-mastery and control that he was able to override the X Parasite that infected him; he allowed me to absorb him to give me greater control of my Metroid abilities. With the Thoha DNA I inherited as a child combined with his, there is no need for concern; I am in control of these powers."

The Councilmembers nodded in relief; the fear in their faces started melting away to a level of comfort.

Tavares ruined that comfort.

"If this Quiet Robe had to sacrifice himself to give you greater control, then that begs the question: did you lose control of your Metroid abilities during this mission?"

"No." lied Samus. "He did it because he knew his life was over, and he understood the importance of redundancy."

"They can never know the truth about my transformation; they would never understand."

Tavares nodded at the silver guard once again. The hologram played a video of Raven Beak's flying fortress Itorash high in the atmosphere of ZDR. The camera zoomed in and saw into Raven Beak's throne room through an orange barrier. One of the walls exploded, showing Samus aiming her arm cannon at Raven Beak as he sat on his throne.

"Impossible."

For the first time during any debrief she had ever been through, Samus began to feel nervous and unprepared.

"Where did you get this footage?" She demanded.

For the first time, Tavares' expression changed; he had a small but condescending smirk on his face.

"A recon drone with flight capabilities and a stealth generator. We had it set to monitor all of Raven Beak's movements. It also had the latest hardware on capturing video and sound."

The voice of Raven Beak filled the chamber; the video had subtitles to translate his Chozo tongue.

"You disappoint me... My daughter."

"How… can they know that language?"

The Councilmembers looked at each other in confusion. Many of them could be heard whispering "daughter?"

The video paused; Tavares continued.

"So, you're Raven Beak's daughter? Now we all know where Aran gets her incredible physical prowess, and her special Power Suit; she's part Mawkin, and she's the blood daughter of the Mawkin King."

Chairman Keaton slowly turned his head to Samus; his face was full of sadness and confusion.

"Is this true, Samus?" he asked.

She turned to face him and replied; a subtle level of frustration and anger wrapped in her voice.

"If you continue the footage, you'll see that I don't care about my lineage to Raven Beak. He gave me the choice to either submit or die, and I chose neither; I killed him."

Tavares responded. "As you wish." he nodded to the silver guard.

The video continued; Samus and Raven Beak jumped around the room, firing their weapons, and striking each other with their fists. Raven Beak burst his wings from his back and flew around the room, blasting the throne room with rapid beams in an attempt to strike Samus.

"Just like in the stories of ancient gods; children rising up against their fathers to claim their kingdoms… I'm curious… how come you don't have wings?"

Samus stood in silence, her anger building up.

In the video, she blasted off Raven Beak's left wing, leading him to rip off the other. The Councilmembers grimaced.

It then hit Samus that her connection to Raven Beak wasn't the only thing Tavares wanted to reveal; she knew what was coming up in the footage.

"Damn; this isn't good!"

"Councilmembers, I have already given evidence that the X Parasite footage is fake; what's to say that these Exelion videos aren't doctored as well?" She asked.

Tavares looked down from the video to her; everybody else's eyes were locked onto the hologram, completely absorbed in the battle.

"If it's doctored, then you shouldn't care about what happens next..." His expression changed to a small but evil grin. "It's the best part."

The video reached the point where Raven Beak approached her and raised his left hand to strike her; she countered with a swipe of her arm cannon, and then dealt a powerful blow to his head, causing him to fall forward into a stunned crouch. Samus' left hand glittered with pink electricity; she leaped into the air, prepared to grab him, and siphon his energy. Some of the Councilmembers gasped in fear, recognizing that carnal instinct to feed.

Raven Beak raised his head and backhanded Samus away; he dashed forward and clasped his armored claws around her neck, suspending her in the air as he choked her. His nigh demonic voice filled the Council chamber and was once again translated.

"Did you truly believe you could defeat me? You overestimate yourself."

Samus raised her voice, a slight panic building within her.

"Shut off the video; it's fake!"

Tavares responded to her with cold professionalism, drowning out Raven Beak's monologue.

"Then how did you defeat him? You said he easily destroyed an E.M.M.I. unit but you couldn't even dent them without that special computer cannon."

In the video, Samus fruitlessly battered her arm cannon against Raven Beak's forearm; she reached her left hand out in an attempt to siphon him, hand sparking with pink electricity.

"... it is because I can now clone an army of the most powerful Metroid of all… Samus Aran."

Almost all the Councilmembers broke their gaze from the hologram and stared at Samus in fear. She looked around at all of them, fear growing within her just as much as within them.

"Councilmembers, you need to trust me!" She yelled.

Raven Beak's voice continued.

"No one can stand in my way. Not even you."

She scanned the silver guard to corrupt the video file coming from his suit.

*DATA FEED IS HIGHLY ENCRYPTED. VIRUS WILL BE COMPLETE IN SEVERAL MINUTES.*

"Not enough time!"

Running out of options and starting to panic, her eyes raced around the room. Chairman Keaton and the Councilmembers stared at the video in fearful anticipation. The Exelion guards all stood still, not having budged since the debrief began. Her eyes fell onto Tavares who was staring at Samus, but with a smug smile on his face.

He lip-synched Raven Beak's final line while staring into her soul.

"Hadar sen olmen."

"Plan B."

She aimed her arm cannon at the hologram projector and fired a beam, destroying it and shutting off the video; the Councilmembers screamed in shock as they flinched from the explosion. Every Exelion guard rapidly snapped up their rifles to their shoulders, aiming directly at Samus; the lighting pattern on each rifle glowed white. For a moment, there was absolute silence as everyone looked directly at her.

Tavares stood up, and then raised his voice with a calm confidence as he looked around the chamber and then to her.

"Only someone with a deep secret would be so desperate to hide the truth."

The silver guard barked an order in their strange language. The guards charged their rifles, gathering a large white light at each muzzle. The Councilmembers screamed in panic; most of them ducked behind their chairs for protection.

Chairman Keaton, with some fear in his voice, yelled at all of them.

"STOP! ALL OF YOU!"

Samus powered on her shields and weapons to maximum and took aim at Tavares; a red laser light glowed on his forehead. He wasn't fazed as he grinned at her.

The guards shouted in unison, sounding like demonic robots chanting a battle cry. They slowly stepped toward Samus, repeating their chant every few steps. She aimed her arm cannon around the room at all of them, calculating her next move to minimize collateral damage.

She suddenly disappeared out of sight.

*PHANTOM CLOAK ENGAGED.*

The Exelion guards fired their rifles, launching a bombardment of ice beams at her. She quickly morphed into ball form, ducking every beam. She sprang off the platform and over the edge in complete silence as Exelion continued to fire ice beams across the area. Landing on the skylight cover, she unmorphed and turned off her Phantom Cloak, drawing the attention of the guards. They fired their beams at her, but she flash shifted away leading the ice to gather and freeze the arminium. She started running around the surface of the cover in a large circle below the Councilmembers, momentum building and her boosters charging. She fired her plasma beam at the frozen portions, making them brittle.

Her speed booster activated; she sprinted a few steps and then knelt to charge a shinespark, shifting her shoulders to the side to dodge incoming beams. She leapt into the air and aimed her shinespark straight down through the brittle arminium skylight cover, sending her into a freefall from the Galactic Federation High Council Chamber. The natural light and fresh air greeted her as she adjusted her fall to aim at the hangar bay on the planet's surface.

*11.9 KILOMETERS TO SURFACE.*

She spoke into her comms.

"Adam, Plan B."

"Copy. Engines and shields online. Course charted for abandoned outpost on asteroid Daibon867 to face Exelion in combat. What happened in there? You said Plan A was working."

"Exelion was more prepared than we expected; they had videos of my Metroid abilities and my fight against Raven Beak, trying to convince the High Council that I was a threat. I destroyed the projector before they saw my transformation; I've uploaded a virus to the vid-."

A blast of ice struck Samus in the back of her left shoulder pod. Despite her Gravity Suit's advanced freezing protection, this hit penetrated through and chilled her shoulder, harming her Metroid DNA; an entire energy tank was depleted from this one shot. She snapped her body to face up to the High Council Chamber above as she continued to fall.

The Exelion guards followed her through the hole she had blown in the chamber; they flew straight down at her by utilizing jet boosters on their backs and the heels of their boots and were quickly closing the distance. The silver guard wielded a long sniper rifle, aiming ice beams at Samus. He flew in the middle of the group with the other 20 in a line on each side like a flock of birds.

Her scan visor delivered a message.

*WARNING. ENEMY ICE BEAMS ARE NEAR ABSOLUTE ZERO. GRAVITY SUIT FREEZING PROTECTION WILL OFFER LITTLE DEFENSE. RECOMMEND AVOID BEING HIT BY ICE BEAM.*

"No shit, scan visor."

*NINE KILOMETERS TO SURFACE.*

She raised her arm cannon and delivered a volley of storm missiles at the guards. Most of them easily dodged each volley using evasive maneuvers; the ones who were hit tanked the missiles and continued their descent. The silver guard motioned his left hand by pointing at the blue guards and then at Samus. The four stowed their rifles on their hips and opened their thrusters even further, getting closer to Samus. She fired multiple full-powered beams, striking two of them; they were hardly fazed as they barreled down toward her.

The silver guard waved a different hand signal at the red guards; they pulled slightly ahead of the main group. Each of them changed the magazine canister in their rifles, switching the color from white to red. They fired a volley of homing missiles at Samus; she swatted them out of the sky with her beams.

The blue guards each extended a long serrated blade from their left gauntlets; the serrations rapidly shifted back and forth like a jigsaw, ready to cut into anything they contacted. The guards charged at Samus and swung at her; she used her flash shift to dodge out of the way, but one was able to land a scraping hit, leaving a narrow scratch in her Suit's left forearm.

*WARNING: WEAPON CONSISTS OF SAME MATERIALS AS E.M.M.I. UNIT PROBE; NARROW CHANNEL WITHIN BLADE WILL SIPHON AND STORE GENETIC MATERIALS. DESIGNATION: BLOODBLADE.*

"I knew it; still out for my blood."

Another ice beam struck her, this time hitting her in the left side of her abdomen. The ice chilled her muscles, making her curl forward in pain and discomfort; another energy tank was depleted to heal her.

*SIX KILOMETERS TO SURFACE.*

Samus aimed her arm cannon at the silver guard and bombarded him with several beam shots; his armor tanked each hit, leaving minimal damage. The yellow guards reacted by flying in front of the silver guard so they would take the hits instead. The red guards continued to launch missiles at her, the blue guards continued to swipe their bloodblades at her, and the black guards stayed on the side of the silver guard firing ice beams; the purple guards were nowhere to be seen.

Samus quickly turned her head to look down at the planet surface. The purple guards were flying from below up toward her with a large electric purple net held between them. She aimed her arm cannon at them and fired ice missiles. They tanked the explosions and caught Samus in the net; she was stunned by the wave beam technology that was weaved into the net as it wrapped tightly around her. Her visor readings became pixelated and fuzzy as she was stunned from the electric shock.

The silver guard barked another order; every Exelion guard pulled out their rifles and fired a variety of beams; it was like a deadly rainbow sending its colors to bombard a single point in the sky, like brilliant fireworks on a holiday night. Samus' energy tanks were rapidly depleting as she took hit after hit.

*FOU …MET…URFA…*

"Desperate times..."

She focused her energy to her thrusters and fired them, putting a great distance between her and the High Council Tower. She morphed into a ball and charged her bomb bay.

"... Desperate measures."

A single powerbomb dropped from her and flew up toward the guards. They stopped firing their rifles and for a moment looked stunned. The silver guard began yelling orders.

And then the bomb triggered.

For a moment, everything grew silent as the powerbomb absorbed all the atmosphere around it. It then exploded into a brilliant flash of yellow light, flying outward in a perfect sphere that enveloped all the guards and Samus. The explosion melted away the wave net that was snagged around her, freeing her. She shifted back into human form and looked up above her.

The explosion was like a second sun that had entered atmosphere. Because she had boosted further away, The High Council Tower shields were able to absorb the blast without any damage occurring to the structure.

*THREE KILOMETERS TO SURFACE; APPROACHING CITY SKYSCRAPER HEIGHT.*

Adam contacted her, sounding confused and angry.

"A powerbomb in the city, Lady?! This is why we need to get to the asteroid to avoid casualties!"

"Exelion is much more prepared than we thought, Adam; I'm running out of tricks here."

Suddenly, the silver guard punctured through the powerbomb sphere with only so much as soot covering his armored plating. Before she could react, he rocketed toward Samus and struck her with a mighty haymaker to the gut, sending her falling like a meteor. She slammed through the top of a skyscraper and crashed through multiple stories, stopping after the seventh floor. Civilians in the building screamed at the sudden crashing.

Samus looked around and saw that she was on the floor of a kitchen in an apartment, and there was a mother and her children huddled behind the dining table in fear.

One of the children cried out toward Samus.

"DADDY! NO!"

Samus reached her left hand out toward them to put them at ease and was about to speak.

The silver guard came barreling through the holes that Samus had crashed through the building and flew down to her. Seizing her arm cannon in his left hand and her head in his right, he punched his thrusters full-throttle and crashed her through dozens more floors using her head as a battering ram through the building.

*ONE-POINT-FIVE KILOMETERS TO SURFACE.*

As they crashed downward through the apartment complex, Samus could feel blood splattering on her backside… but it wasn't her own.

"You bastard."

Her left hand glowed with pink electricity, activating her Metroid siphon. She tightly gripped the silver guard's right wrist, draining him of energy and adding to her own. He grunted in pain and loosened his grip; she pulled his arm away from her face and then punched his left arm to release his grip from her arm cannon, followed by a knee to his jaw and then blasting him point blank in the chest, sending him flying upwards and away from her.

She kicked her feet against a wall and burst out of an apartment window, flying toward a city park. She aimed her feet and held them firmly beneath her as she skidded across the grass and crashed through a few trees.

*ZERO KILOMETERS TO SURFACE.*

Her navigation targeted the High Council Tower hangar: 3 kilometers away to the east.

She looked to the north at the apartment tower she crashed through and scanned it.

*87; CORRECTION, 89; CORRECTION, 93 LIFESIGNS TERMINATED. 120 INJURED.*

The silver guard flew out of the apartment building and hovered high in the air. Samus looked up at him and saw that his chest plate was cracked.

*DAMAGE DETECTED ON ARMOR PLATING. SUGGEST USING METROID SIPHON TO WEAKEN SHIELDING, FOLLOWED BY CHARGED BEAM OR MISSILE.*

The silver guard pulled up his ice sniper and aimed at her. She started running toward him as he fired a round, but she easily sidestepped and dodged it as she barreled forward. He flew backwards toward the High Council Tower while facing her, trying to keep the distance while continually taking shots at her. Her speed boost activated, sending her bolting along an empty hovercraft freeway as she pursued him. He increased his rate of fire, managing to graze the front of her right shoulder; the ice making her shiver; another energy tank emptied to suppress the pain and damage.

Samus aimed her arm cannon and launched ice missiles at him; he juked to avoid them, but she programmed the missiles to quickly turn around and strike him in the back, freezing his thrusters and disrupting his flight pattern. He crashed through a building, coming out the other side with blood splattered on his armor.

*95 LIFESIGNS TERMINATED. 121 INJURED.*

"Damnit!"

She knelt and charged a shinespark, and then launched herself toward him like a railgun. She extended her left hand out with her siphon ability active, aiming for his throat. The silver guard extended his bloodblade and aimed to swipe at her.

A series of grapple beams struck the silver guard in the back, pulling him down and away from Samus' reach; his bloodblade made a narrow scratch across her green opaque visor. She looked down to see that 10 of the Exelion guards were flying below them and had pulled the silver guard away with a grapple beam built into their left gauntlets; their armors were warped from the powerbomb.

Samus was still shinesparking at an angle up toward the High Council Tower; she looked down and saw the hangar door nearby. She turned off her shinespark and entered freefall, gracefully falling toward the hangar while she kept her eyes on the 11 Exelion guards behind her.

She landed in the flowerbeds of the Tower's courtyard; their red and orange pedals fluttering in the air around her. She sprinted toward the hangar bay and saw her purple gunship, engines purring, and embarking platform lowered.

"Adam, I'm near the hangar bay."

"You must hurry; collateral damage is rising every moment we stay here."

Before she could react, she stepped on a mine. It exploded in a brilliant blast of purple wave energy, shocking her, and sending her flying forward to land on more mines, which exploded with ice energy, freezing her in place. Only one energy tank remained, and it was draining quickly.

The 10 other Exelion guards were hiding in the courtyard; their armors were damaged like the others but still functioning. They approached her from all sides as she lay their motionless, trying to break free of her frozen tomb. The other 10 guards flew over and landed, all 20 of them forming a circle that enclosed around her, their bloodblades extended and ready to harvest her blood. Her heart was pounding hard, filling her ears with each beat.

They started their chant from earlier; through the ice, Samus could make out a few words but still didn't know what they meant.

"Kar en tuk... Kar en tuk... Kar en tuk!"

Their chant grew louder with each repetition. They raised their bloodblades, ready to plunge them into her.

Quickly in her mind flashed all her memories of the pain that had been brought on the galaxy from using Metroids as bioweapons. Mother Brain, the Space Pirates, and Dark Samus had brought about the misery and death of billions using these creatures.

"NEVER AGAIN."

A pink electricity swirled around her entire body as she roared in desperate rage. Her Gravity Suit transformed into the Metroid Suit, changing green lights to red and purple armor plating into a jagged brownish-green hide.

She shattered her icy tomb as she leapt to her feet and made a wide circular slash of her claws at seven of the guards, puncturing through their chest plates and slicing their torsos in half while also absorbing their life force. She blasted eight others to ash with a sweep of her hyper beam, and then jumped at three others in a screw attack, instantly combusting their bodies apart into red mist. The last two guards shouted in desperation as they lunged their bloodblades at her, but she countered them with her arm cannon and then grabbed one by the neck with her claws and the other with the jagged teeth at the end of her arm cannon, holding them up above her head and siphoning their life force until they were both ashes.

She looked to the hangar and sprinted to her ship, leaping over the courtyard to avoid any potential traps.

"Now breathe… just breathe."

With every calm breath she took, her scaly Metroid Suit melted away to turn back to her Gravity Suit. She ran onto the embarking platform of her ship and jumped in before it could close. She quickly climbed into her pilot seat and took control, launching the ship away from the Tower and into the sky.

She saw the silver guard standing on top of a skyscraper that over-looked the Tower courtyard. He stood and watched as she flew over, not making any move to pursue her.

"Come and face me, Exelion dog."

He remained where he stood; his visor following her as she flew away.

"Adam, are we being followed by any Exelion ships?"

"Lady, you need to turn on the news now."

Samus tapped onto the ship's control console, opening several small screens of local news stations; several reporters were speaking to the galactic public from within their homes via the galactic-wide-web.

"Terrifying events took place at the Galactic Federation Capital today…"

"...dozens of explosions, including a very large one near the High Council Tower..."

"... well over 100 casualties, attacked within their own homes."

"Oh no…"

Thousands of Daibon civilians within their homes recorded her battle against the Exelion guards and posted their videos for all to see. Some videos picked up only a short shot of them falling from the High Council Chamber, while other videos captured the silver guard ramming her through the apartment complex.

"... Exelion Star Corporation guards gave pursuit; eyewitnesses believe…"

"...galactically famous bounty hunter, Samus Aran…"

"... bounty hunter Samus Aran…"

There was one video that was extremely high quality and zoomed in, showing Samus frozen in ice on the Tower courtyard with the 20 guards surrounding her. She burst from the ice in her Metroid Suit and killed them all before running to the hangar.

The news reporters continued.

"...appears to be a Metroid."

"... Samus Aran combined with a Metroid."

"Samus Aran is a Metroid!"

"...Metroid."

"...Metroid!"

"...METROID!"

Samus came to a stunning realization.

"DAMNIT! It was trap! We thought we were going to expose Exelion and the Rogues, but they were ready for everything! Their plan all along was to tell everyone in the Galactic Federation that I'm a Metroid and use fear to give them political power!"

Adam tried to calm her down.

"They are proving to be much more resourceful indeed. I suggest we go into hiding for now. You have allies within the military, and I am certain Chairman Keaton will support you. You were acting in self-defense; even as a bounty hunter, you have the right to protect your own life under Federation law."

Samus dematerialized her helmet and brought her left hand up to her face to rub her forehead; she let out a long-stressed sigh.

"Let's just hope they pull through... Change course to an uninhabited planet; one far away from here."

Her ship broke through the atmosphere and disappeared into a hyperjump.

Back within the High Council Chamber, Tavares had a hologram projector from his wrist showing the entire battle taking place from the silver guard's visor. Samus' purple ship launched from the hangar and out of sight. He took his eyes off the hologram and looked around the chamber.

"Galactic Federation High Council; Samus Aran is the deadliest being to ever exist in the history of the galaxy; using these Metroid powers was how she killed Raven Beak, and not even a platoon of my best guards could stop her. I implore you to focus your resources on hunting her down before she harms anyone else."

Chairman Keaton stood up from his seat, furious.

"This is all your fault, Exelion! Everything she did was in self-defense! She has that right!"

"Self-defense?"

Tavares rewound the video to the moment Samus stood in her Metroid Suit; Exelion guard corpses surrounded her, and the two clutched in her claws as she siphoned the life out of them.

"You call this self-defense, Chairman? She butchered my guards. When the Space Pirates and Dark Samus used Metroids against us, did we ever say that those bioweapons were acting in self-defense? No. This right here is what we have seen from years before: a need to destroy, a need to consume. An eternal appetite that will never be satiated. Thanks to Exelion, everyone in the Galactic Federation now knows the threat that we face; the people will demand you take action."

Chairman Keaton stood his ground.

"I will not stand for this! Samus Aran is the greatest protector the galaxy has ever known! We owe her more than we could ever repay! You do not have my support."

Tavares frowned at the Chairman. He looked at the Councilmembers.

"And what do you have to say on this matter, High Councilors? Enough votes from you will override the Chairman's decision."

A moment of silence, until one woman stood up and spoke to everyone; her voice trembled as she tried to fight back tears.

"I lost all three of my sons to Metroids… I couldn't even give them a proper funeral."

A man stood with somberness in his expression.

"I was once a Marine; I'll never forget my brothers in arms dying to those monsters; that stench still haunts me."

The Councilmembers cast their votes. It was unanimous; all members of the High Council voted in favor of hunting down Samus Aran.

Tavares turned to the Chairman who looked extremely disappointed.

"Very well then… but our standing military is weak and unmanned; I doubt many people will be flocking to the recruiting stations after what has happened today, nor will a draft prove to be effective. Even our defense funding is short; paying enough bounty hunters at a convincing price will be impossible."

Tavares stood with confidence.

"You have Exelion Star Corporation. We do not need money nor resources; we simply need you to allow us to travel and establish outposts throughout the galaxy without consequence or restriction."

Chairman Keaton narrowed his eyes at him with a cold glare.

"What is it that you want out of all of this?"

"We simply want to ensure that once and for all, there will be an end to these monstrosities."

Tavares turned off the hologram and gathered his things. He began to walk toward the elevator chutes.

"I must get going now; I need to call the families of the guards who died today."

He stood alone in the elevator on its descent to the hangar. Using his wristwatch, he opened a highly encrypted call to the silver guard, showing his helmet on a video call.

"Davaina, my sister, how are your injuries?"

The guard's silver face plate opened and folded over his head until it mechanically tucked itself behind his neck, showing that Davaina was a female Simian; a race of humanoids that were large, muscular, and hairy. Her face was scarred much like Tavares'.

"I'm well brother; being siphoned wasn't pleasant, but my armor took most of the damage from that attack. You did well at the debriefing; better than I could have done."

"The Rogue Federation members did well to appeal to the emotions of the High Council. I must say sister, using the apartment complex was a little… much. Those civilians did not need to die in the crossfire."

"It was the quickest way I could force the monster into using her siphoning powers, leading up to transforming."

"... perhaps you are right. Have you gathered the remains of our soldiers?"

"Yes… what little remains of them."

"They knew what needed to be done. Their names shall be written within our temples for all our people to see. They will forever be the living embodiment of one of the Omega's doctrines:

Both Tavares and Davaina quoted in unison.

"'Sacrifices must be made.'"

Far away from planet Daibon, on the calm farming planet Nalgin, an elderly man was watching the news with his wife and one of his teenage grandsons.

"The Galactic Federation High Council has voted unanimously to hire Exelion Star Corporation to hunt down galactically famous bounty hunter Samus Aran after the reveal that he- I'm sorry- she is a Metroid."

The news switched to an interview of a young mother with tears filled in her eyes as she held up her young daughter.

"We were making the best out of quarantine; it was the first time in months that my husband and I were both home from work. He was so excited to make dinner… and then... and then… she came crashing through our ceiling and crushed him!" The woman wept and embraced her child.

Another interview started, this time with a man in his late 20s.

"Samus Aran was the reason I enlisted in the Army; she even saved my life on Norion! She was my hero, but now I don't know what to think anymore… it's like, you spend so much time being a hero, that eventually you become the villain. I'm just glad we have Exelion to protect us."

The old lady looked at her husband.

"Oh Castor… I'm so glad you're retired."

Castor Dane looked down from the screen and sighed.

His grandson looked at him.

"Grandpa, you told me you worked closely with Samus, and that she saved all of us from Phazon. Has she been a Metroid the whole time?"

Dane looked into his grandson's eyes and patted him on the shoulder, a tired smile on his face.

"Well Greg, if she was, then she was the most pleasant Metroid I have ever met."

He stood up, grunting from his old body tweaking and aching. He started walking to his bedroom.

"I need a moment; don't disturb me."

He locked his bedroom door and then approached a tall mirror. Tapping his fingers on specific spots, the mirror displayed a series of screens; the lights in the room dimmed and the curtains automatically shut off any view through the windows. Two screens displayed, awaiting the receiving ends to pick up his call.

Alexandria Miles, formerly a general in the Marines and head of the Federation Force, answered on one screen. Anthony Higgs, Chief Warrant Officer 3 of the Army, answered on the other.

Dane began the conversation.

"Miles, Chief; I'm sure you've been watching the news and know why I'm calling."

Miles replied first, with a sternness in her voice.

"Yes; I am now aware of Samus Aran being a Metroid, but I don't know what to think about the High Council's reaction to all of this; I lost many good men and women to Metroids, but this… is different."

Dane replied.

"I'm in the same situation as you, Miles… Chief, you know Aran better than either of us… probably better than anybodyin the galaxy. What are your thoughts?"

"I refuse to lead the Army to any degree in helping Exelion hunt her down. She only became a Metroid about a year ago to save her life from the X Parasites; she didn't choose this. She may be a loose cannon at times, but she would never bring harm to good and innocent people; she has always fought to defend us."

There was a pause in the conversation, until Dane broke it.

"Very well then. Both of you, gather up every resource available; every man and woman be they civilian or military, no matter their species nor their history; every gun, ship, jet, and vehicle possible. Most of the people will be too scared to act, but the brave will step up to defend our protector. Tell them that we are going to WAR. Because the last Metroid is on the run; the galaxy is coming for her!"

"At a young age, I made it my purpose to defend the galaxy and its inhabitants from suffering as I did. My Chozo family gave me amazing technology and training to aid me in this mission, giving me an edge that was nearly impossible for my enemies to match."

"Until now."

"Exelion Star Corporation; an engineering company working with the Rogue Federation to harness my Metroid DNA. They somehow have a strong understanding of Chozo technology and culture, and have a massive army of soldiers each capable of using many of my abilities. Even though I've killed hundreds of them, there are millions more wherever they come from; for every one of them I kill, the more leverage they gain to convince everybody that I'm too dangerous to be left alive."

"Using fear mongering and slander, they have convinced the Galactic Federation government and the majority of the citizens that I am a threat and must be terminated. After everything I have done to protect them, almost all of them have turned their backs on me..."

"Almost all of them..."

"Retired Fleet Admiral Castor Dane, Retired Marine General Alexandria Miles, and Chief Warrant Officer Anthony Higgs have rallied billions of people to stand in rebellion against Exelion and the Rogue Federation. They have been labeled as criminals, traitors, and terrorists, but they call themselves 'Aran's Army.' As much as I wish they wouldn't get involved, they have been invaluable in helping me. With their assistance, I was able to upgrade my ship to allow Adam to fly it, and it can now withstand long periods of submersion for using deep lakes and oceans as hiding places, greatly aiding me in my evasion."

"Unfortunately, Exelion always manages to find me, forcing me to flee from system to system; as many places as I have hidden, they have established their own footholds. With the number of sanctuaries dropping each day, I am running out of places to hide."

"I have come to the conclusion that the best thing I can do is flee far away from the Milky Way Galaxy. I must disappear to parts unknown; a place where the Federation, Exelion, and even the Chozo have never been."