⌠Samus we have arrived in the Doran solar system. Arrival to Gorshan will take place in approximately ten minutes,■ the CPU reported.
⌠Thank you, any tidbits of info I should hear about,■ inquired Samus.
⌠While you were in the Hibernation Chamber, I took the liberty of scanning your DNA. It seems that the Metroid Vaccine you were given to halt the X corruption has a few more side effects than we realized.■ A 3D holographic image appeared in font of Samus, detailing her body structure with and without her power suit.
⌠It would seem that the mandibles you have on your arms are capable of absorbing the life-energy of anything they touch. Similar to a Metroid▓s ability, though slightly different. You will not evolve from absorbing energy, nor will your mass increase. You will be able to restore your energy, however, and should prove reliable in your upcoming fight.■
⌠So, I can use these to defeat my enemies without firing my arm-cannon? Seems like it is a bit risky to me. I mean I would have to get in close if I wanted to drain them correct?■
⌠Normally that would be true, but my scans have picked up technology that can use this feature from a distance. I believe you have encountered it before.■
⌠Wait, you mean the Shock Coil? How would that help me? It has hardly any range and I lost it when I destroyed the Omega Cannon.■
⌠You are correct, the shock coil is the item I was speaking of. And remember there is another Shock Coil in existence, and my sensors detect it heading this way.■
⌠Wait, Sylux is following me? I thought he would at least wait a bit before he came after me.■
⌠It seems that your female charm was too much for him to stay away from, Lady.■
⌠Now don▓t get cocky with me Adam.■
⌠I was merely joking Samus. Though Sylux is on his way, his ship▓s hyper drive is not as advanced as mine and it will take him considerably longer time to get here than us. He should arrive in about 76 hours.■
⌠Well, I guess in the meantime I will have to make due.■
⌠Well, I have some other news about the side effects of the Vaccine. It seems that, after prolonged periods of time without food, Metroids have a tendency to start weakening, so much so that they can▓t move. While you won▓t enter total paralysis, you will suffer extreme lethargy, as well as significant reductions to your weapons power levels should you not feed. Fortunately the energy levels of metroids are easily tracked and monitored. I have taken the liberty to upgrade your suit so that you can see this,■ Adam said showing a computer simulated view of Samus▓s HUD. ⌠You can find it directly under your shield energy. As the bar drains, you will become more and more lethargic until it reaches zero. Be wary of this as it will start to feed off of your suit▓s shield▓s energy in order to maintain conscious functions from you.■
⌠OK. So I watch this bar and be sure it stays high, gotcha. Now, can you explain to me why these effects haven▓t been noticed before?■
⌠Due to the nature of the injection, you have been steadily adapting to the vaccine. While only half human and half Chozo the injection made you part Metroid, about 10%. As your body steadily adapted to the serum, you became more and more like a Metroid, until you reached 33%. You are exactly 33% Metroid, Human, and Chozo with the last 1% being indefinable at this time. I believe it to be a remnant of phazon corruption and harmless, though further tests may yield more information.■
⌠So, am I going to continue growing more and more like a Metroid?■
⌠No, your body stopped changing 3 days after we started the trip here. The only reason you haven▓t been growing more lethargic is because I have been feeding energy into you from the ship▓s reserves. Though your body does not accept it readily it has helped.■
⌠Very well Adam thank you,■ Samus stated with a theatrical bow. ⌠Though I still feel a little funny. How long until we arrive at our destination?■
⌠About three minutes, though there is one other side effect I must mention. It seems that you can not see the energy that you can consume. And metroids were apparently picky eaters. They don▓t eat plants and they seem to show restraint in eating everything they see.■ The hologram of Samus changed to that of the Metroid hatchling with a list showing the known diets of metroids. ⌠They primarily feasted on the X, though they fed on the creatures that ventured into their territory. Once the X gained enough intelligence that they had to hide from the metroids, the metroids started venturing out and consuming some of the creatures they found.■
⌠So they eat anything that can think?■
⌠Mostly correct, though the age seems to matter. No known data shows a Metroid eating a younger creature from a species if an older one is nearby. Though they orphaned many creatures, they ensured that they would be able to breed more for them to thrive on.■
⌠But I though metroids were mostly primal eating machines. That they didn▓t think.■
⌠For a species that is made mostly of brain cells, they are surprisingly unintelligent, though they learn at an alarming rate. They reduced only one species to extinction before they learned that if they let them grow and reproduce they would have more food.■
⌠That is incredible, but what does this have to do with me?■
⌠It is just a warning for what to expect when you go into frenzy mode. You should also watch out for the Space Pirates, though they seem to be developing a visor to detect energy. They have found that some creatures feed the metroids more than others and have developed a way to observe this. If you were to obtain this tech, then you would be able to pinpoint the best targets to absorb energy from.■
⌠Do you have a location for this?■
⌠Unfortunately, no they have it hidden and my scans can▓t find more than a trace of it. You will have to find it yourself.■
⌠Very well then.■ A bump hit the ship as they passed into the atmosphere. ⌠Looks like we have arrived.■
⌠Samus your objectives a clear, find the required material to repair me. I believe that there is a metal deposit that would work a few miles south of here. Any objections, Lady?■
⌠You should know the answer to that.■ Samus was on the exit and it started to lower her down. ⌠Be sure that they have enough to do OK Adam?■
⌠Very well, they will be fine.■
⌠Thank you Adam.■ Samus touched ground and looked around. This part of Gorshan was like a rain forest, she could see several species of insects from where she was now. More than a few bigger than her head.
She started walking south when she felt an urge hit her. She felt a kind of hunger that didn▓t come from her stomach or her intestines. It felt as if it were coming from her entire being. ⌠So this is what it is like? I expected a little more.■
She started looking around for something to practice her new eating habits on. It didn▓t take long as there was a giant bug. It was about the size of her torso and had green and red dots all over a deep green and brown body. Her scans labeled it an Armadris newborn. An early-in-life form of an Armadris Flyer, one of the lower forms of insect life on Gorshan. They can spit acidic venom at their targets. Though the Newborns don▓t have the potency or speed of the Flyers, they are still quick and agile.
This is gonna be fun. Never did like bugs though. Samus though to herself as she started shooting the newborn. A few shots with her Ice Beam and it froze solid letting her get in close enough to attack it. A window popped up in her HUD and Adam started talking.
⌠Samus, I forgot to mention that if you freeze something to feed on it, you will suffer damage due to your vulnerability to cold. If you let it thaw out, however, you will be fine.■
⌠This would have been nice to know a few minutes ago,■ Grumbled Samus as she saw the Newborn start to thaw. ⌠Well, that didn▓t take long.■ I just need to figure out how to catch it without killing it.
The Newborn finally finished thawing and started to fly at her. It misjudged its speed and trajectory and flew past her. ⌠Seems like you don▓t like the cold,■ Samus stated as she jumped at it, a primal instinct telling her what to do.
Lost to her instincts, Samus swung her arms at the Newborn and her mandibles seemed to wrap around it. She started to feel less hungry as the Newborn, still groggy from being frozen, struggled to free itself. Soon Samus had drained the Newborn of its life energy and it crumpled to dust before her.
Well, I feel better. She thought as she hurried farther south. That was kind of fun, though it didn▓t give me much energy. She was eyeing the bar beneath her Energy and it had filled up by about a fourth, to a total of about one half of max.
⌠I think I▓ll need to feast a bit more,■ she said with a dab of drool starting to form at the corner of her mouth. ⌠What am I saying? This isn▓t what I want. I may need to do it for survival, but I don▓t need to do it so often.■
As if in answer to her, a bigger version of Newborn flew at her. It looked slightly different without the red and green spots, though the body was still the same color. Her scanner dubbed it to be an Armadris Flyer, the adult version of the Armadris Newborn. They have a more potent acid than the Newborns and tend to use it whenever possible. They tend to hunt in swarms, though they sometimes hunt alone in order to impress their queen and rise in rank.
The Flyer rushed at her nimbly dodging her shots. ⌠Very well, take this!■ Samus had been charging a diffusion missile and fired near the Flyer. When it exploded what looked to be a miniature, blue power bomb eruption started swirling from it. When the Flyer was hit it froze instantly, staying where it was due to some gravitational influences from her suit.
As it thawed Samus crept up close to it and started feeding on it as soon as it unfroze. She gasped as she felt something different than the Newborn. The flyer seemed to have a sickness and was dying. It welcomed her to its energy and died with what seemed to be a blissful state, it was hard for Samus to tell, it was after all a bug.
⌠That was odd,■ Samus stated eyeing her bar. That filled up more than 50% of the bar. Suddenly, Samus bent over as her HUD started to change. Colors were more vibrant, and details more clear. Raw energy was being vented from her suit as it tried to keep up with Samus▓s new awareness.
⌠This feels familiar,■ Samus said hearing and seeing the ripples her own voice made. ⌠Like the hyper mode I used with my PED suit.■ She looked at her energy bar and found the bar beneath it glowing a different color and steadily shrinking.
She heard rustling to her right and she turned seeing, as if for the first time, an Armadris Newborn. To her vision she could clearly see the dots on it and they seemed to glow to her. The beast itself gave off a glow as she stared at it. The Newborn looked at her with its bug eyes and she saw everything she needed to know about it. Its hive was on the verge of collapse, the queen was dying and they couldn▓t help her.
She saw the location of the hive and its surroundings. She gasped at what she saw. ⌠The metal! They live by the metal deposit I need.■ Looking again at the newborn, she saw that the life was about to leave it. Feeling sorry for it, she placed her mandibles on it to speed its end. Expecting to feel a surge of energy, she was surprised to feel it leaving her and felt some go into the Newborn.
With her energy leaving so quickly, Samus▓s hyper state ended and she fell to the ground. The Newborn looked at her almost quizzically. Samus noticed she was receiving an incoming message.
⌠Samus? Are you all right? My scans showed that your heartbeat and blood pressure had changed dramatically. What happened,■ Adam▓s voice inquired.
⌠I don▓t know. I had topped off my energy so that I wouldn▓t be hungry for more for a while and I started to see everything differently. Almost like the hyper mode I used when I was corrupted by Phazon. Though it was a bit different, I saw everything in vibrant colors, and even saw details more clearly. It was like something inside of me had been unlocked and set free.■
⌠This is strange, I will have to run some tests. Samus I would ask that you return to your ship. There may be repercussions to this effect.■
⌠I am sorry but I must refuse. I need to go somewhere first.■
⌠Samus, I was asking as a friend but now I ord-⌠ Samus cut the connection off and started heading o the Armadris Hive. Noting the Newborn was following her.
⌠Well, if you are going to follow me, you might as well lead the way.■ The Newborn chirped and flew in front of Samus. ⌠It seems you can understand me. That is interesting.■ It chirped again and flew through the dense jungle.
Several minutes later, they arrived at the Hive. Samus thanked Buggsy, the name she decided to give the newborn while it was with her, and headed into the Hive. Immediately upon entering Samus was nearly melted from the many Flyers that resided there. If it hadn▓t been for her quick reflexes, and Buggsy▓s help, she would have been killed then and there.
⌠Thank you Buggsy,■ Samus whispered. ⌠Could you take me o your Queen now? I think I can help her.■ The Newborn chirruped its response and flew to a door near the top of the hive. Grumbling Samus switched off her Screw attack ability and space jumped her way up there.
Samus walked through the door, her screw attack switched back on in case she needed it. She gasped when she saw the Queen. It was even bigger than the Bug Chycca she had fought while helping the Luminoth. She looked like the Flyer though she had a different colored body and no wings.
⌠It would seem that I surprise you, young Hunter,■ A voice appeared.
⌠What? Who was that,■ Samus questioned.
⌠You are staring right at me, hunter. I am the fourth Armadris Queen. I would tell you my name, but your vocal box would not be able to pronounce it, so instead you may call me Cheyenne.■
⌠I thank you Cheyenne. I admit I was not expecting you to have intelligence above level 4, smart enough to understand something, but not smart enough to commune with something outside your own species.■
⌠I understand. Were you come from, however, should pose more of an anomaly shouldn▓t it? The Chozo had helped us conquer the speech limitations set before us, and thus have let us better thrive on this planet.■
⌠Wait, you know the Chozo? Did you happen to meet one called Old Bird? He was my adoptive Father.■
⌠I did know him, he was an unusually wise Chozo. He was the one who helped us discover our potential.■
⌠You wouldn▓t happen to know if there are any more Chozo left, would you? Or if there are some artifacts nearby of them?■
⌠I do not know if they still exist, though I do know of a shrine nearby that may have some artifacts inside of them. They are located under the metal ore outside my hive.■
⌠Then I guess all that is left for me to do is determine what is wrong with you, Cheyenne.■
⌠Are you sure that you are capable of that? I feel as though I am going to die in a matter of days.■
Activating her scan visor Samus comforted Cheyenne, ⌠I believe that I have everything I need here. And if I don▓t then I will do my best to find that which I do need.■ Her Visor detected various poisons in the queen. All of Space Pirate Origen. ⌠Cheyenne, what relationship do you have with the Space Pirates?■
⌠We do not speak of them here. They are a vile race that destroy our food supplies.■
⌠Well it seems that they are also poisoning you, though I have the antidotes with me.■
⌠POISON?!? How could they have achieved that?■
⌠My guess is that they found one of your food supplies and snuck it in there. Then your workers brought it back here. They are crafty. Hold still please this may hurt a bit,■ Samus said as she pulled an injection needle from her first aid kit she kept on her chest and back. She then stuck it into Cheyenne▓s exoskeleton, years of training helping her past the hard outer layer.
⌠YEOWCH that did hurt. NO leave her alone she was helping me.■ Several Fighters had emerged at the sound of their queen in pain.
⌠I warned you. A side effect of the antidote is incredible drowsiness and irritability though, so I will be taking my leave to the shrine.■
⌠Very well, though I would ask that you stop hunting my children. I will order them to stop fighting you.■
⌠Thank you Cheyenne, they were starting to get predictable anyway,■ Samus said with a smile, though Cheyenne could not see it.
⌠You should leave now, my warriors are getting frisky and I feel the medicine starting to take effect.■
⌠Very well, I hope you feel better soon.■
Upon exiting the Hive Samus heard a few unmistakable grunts, and she heard sounds of a troop marching, steadily getting louder. ⌠Ohh no the Space Pirates are here!■