Metroid: The Unofficial Novelization

by Victorio Osaria

Jeez, I uploaded this thing fast. And there's a crap-ton of words, too. Hope you don't get lost and confused, but I'm really having a blast writing this. Maybe people won't like it, but I haven't felt like writing so many words in months...

I really hope I didn't piss off my Persona fans with that remark.

Chapter 2: Growth

"Enemy on the right."

Samus charged her arm cannon, firing a beam into an automatic turret. An explosion, followed with an approving beep.

"Challenge completed."

Samus sighed, fogging up the helmet of her Power Suit. She was in the training room for several hours, perhaps for almost an entire day—she hadn't bothered to check the clock. She took off her helmet and breathed in the crisp, metallic air. There were synthesized congratulatory applauses from the intercom—they were getting old, too. She turned around to see a pile of mechanical devices, turrets, androids, and the like, lying in smoke and blown apart. For what seemed to be the millionth time, she had passed the most difficult combat level in the Zebes training arena.

"This is your 13,576th completion of the level 7 combat training."

"Thanks," Samus said to the computer, somewhat sarcastically. "I didn't ask for an exact amount."

She fired a beam onto the door, disrupting the shield and passing through it. Exiting out of the arena, she headed down the path, passing by the familiar beaks of Grey Voice, Platinum Chest, and other Chozo that bowed in greetings. Samus simply waved, which was something she learned after watching several video archives of human behavior and culture. This was a gesture that surprised the Chozo in front of her, as she had never attempted human gestures before; Samus had always used the traditional bow. She backed away, wondering if she had done something offensive. Quite the contrary: the Chozo smiled, being familiar with the friendly gesture from previous travels. Samus gave a sigh of relief and nervously speed-walked past them. She paused midway and leaned on a wall, failing to find a way to relieve her boredom. While she will forever be grateful to the Chozo for raising her like their own—especially Old Bird, whom she hasn't seen as often lately due to his constant treks across the planet for food—it was becoming increasingly apparent to her how much she really was not one of them. No amount of Chozo DNA added to her biology will change the fact that she is human, and that she needed to meet others of her own kind. Besides: training to battle galactic-level threats while never actually leaving this one planet of Zebes seemed to be a bit of a paradox. No Chozo on the planet could leave.

Just as she was starting to head for the animal observation deck, she looked out of the hallway window and saw an unfamiliar ship descending from the Zebesian sky. Judging from the speed and light trail the vessel left behind, Samus was able to recognize it as a diplomatic-class Federation ship. No weapons to be seen. She's never seen one in person before, but she learned from previous records that the Federation cut off all ties with the Chozo after the attack on K-2L.

As she recalled from the record, Mother Brain had been conspiring with the Space Pirates for quite a while before the invasion: the supercomputer possessed knowledge of both the X-Parasites and the Metroid weapon the Chozo created as a predator, and she convinced the Space Pirates to make a red herring threat against the Federation that they would steal the X-Parasites from SR388 for their own nefarious purposes—this led to the Federation having half their fleet guard the entire planet, leaving K-2L wide open for the Space Pirates to obtain their real target: the Metroid egg, which Mother Brain's proxy would give to them. Though the Space Pirates never got the Metroid (thanks to the unrecognized efforts of Rodney Aran, Samus might add), and Mother Brain's shutdown shortly thereafter, the loss of trade colony K-2L was a huge blow to Galactic Federation, leaving only one survivor and disrupting the economic balance. Because K-2L was an Earth colony, many humans began to resent the Chozo after the attack. However, what wasn't publicized as much was that the lone human survivor was also adopted by a Chozo.

Because Mother Brain and the Metroid were creations of the Chozo, the Federation held the Chozo responsible and cut off all ties with them. Mother Brain was to be completely shut down and the Metroid egg to be confiscated. Ironically, the Federation knew that the X-Parasites needed to be controlled and bred the Metroids on SR388 anyway, which was what the Chozo planned to do all along.

Damn hypocrites, Samus thought. She often would say this to herself in order to defend her Chozo family. One could agree with her: the Federation not only made bioweapons themselves, but they have also had tragedies involving rogue AI units. But as she grew older, and as the trauma of her parents' deaths continued to haunt her, Samus sometimes couldn't help but feel that the Federation might have been right about their claims: her Chozo family was indirectly responsible for her loss. Perhaps the Chozo felt the same way (and Old Bird certainly did), which was probably why the head council members held little argument with Old Bird in taking her in (the main argument being not why, but how, before deciding to fuse Samus' DNA with theirs).
In the end, she decided that even though the Chozo were her family, and that the higher-ups in the Federation could be filled with swines, being cooped up in Zebes all her life with no interaction with any other humans was just a bit less-than-desirable, and Samus would take any chance to leave this planet and see the stars she had always wanted to explore. She rushed to the main entrance of the base, hoping to get a better glimpse of the ship (and maybe she could finally meet some other humans). She had no idea why a Federation ship would land on the Chozo-occupied Zebes, but she didn't really care; maybe this could be her chance…

Erd-Kwah (Crimson Hawk), a grizzled and wary Chozo that kept watch over the Zebesian skies, immediately waddled to the seldom-used landing pad several yards away from the main base's entrance. For a long time, he never expected anyone to land on Zebes ever again, let alone a Federation-owned starship. He was cautious, wondering what the Federation had wanted from the Chozo after the whole debacle with K-2L.

The hatch on the vessel opened from the bottom—like the lower mandible of a Space Pirate, Hawk might have added—and coming down the steps was a young human male in his mid-twenties, hair jet-black, well-built, and stern blue eyes that looked far older than he was. The man wore an oxygen mask to protect himself from Zebes' atmosphere and was dressed in an emerald green (the Chozo saw it as navy blue) suit that signified his association with the Federation police. Perhaps he was of sergeant rank?

The man walked up to Hawk, holding out a gloved hand. "I bid greetings from the Federation police."

"…Greetings," Hawk squawked, electing to ignore the hand in front of him. "For what reason might the Federation police come to Zebes for, in a diplomatic vehicle no less?"

The man put his hand down, understanding the Chozo's skepticism. "Let me introduce myself; my name is Sergeant Adam Malkovich. I represent a Federation recruitment program, hoping to employ a team of ultra elite law enforcers for specialized missions across the galaxy. The ship you have seen me alight from is a sign that I come in peace."

"Yes, well… I have also seen many ancient Earthling film archives, and I know that the stereotypical portrayal of aliens coming to Earth has them bid peace before they either destroy or devour human lives. In these hard times, I tend to find such works of fiction amusing."

Malkovich raised an eyebrow. "…I assume you find such films entertaining for reasons other than the deaths of humans?"

Crimson Hawk smiled, shifting his beak. "…Said humans were humorously terrible actors."

Malkovich cleared his throat. "As I said, I've come in peace looking for elite enforcers to recruit."

"Well, you will find no elite enforcers here, I'm afraid; we Chozo are an entirely pacifistic race."

"…I find that ironic considering your people were once very warlike and not-quite-recently created two weapons that threatened the galaxy."

Hawk growled. "…Mother Brain was not the only artificial intelligence to go rogue, mind your Federation, and the Metroid was only programmed to eliminate the X-Parasites on SR388, not other organisms."

Malkovich remained stoic. "Just so you know, the Metroids on SR388 have also begun to feed on the local fauna, excluding the X."

"And that is only because your Federation allowed the advancement of Metroid breeding on the planet while knowing Mother Brain might have tampered with their programming. I fail to see the logic in that."

"…Well, I fail to see the logic in continuing to make another weapon, considering the Federation also strictly forbade the Chozo from making any technological devices other than for recreational and agricultural purposes."

"What weapon do you speak of?"

"Don't play dumb with the Federation police, Bird-Man," said Malkovich. He was losing his patience. "We know that you've made another weapon recently, and it's hiding somewhere on this base."

Hawk was appalled. "I have no hint of which you speak."

"The weapon is some sort of powered armor, correct?"

"What!? How did…?"

"We recently got a tip from an anonymous source that the Chozo began making weapons once again. We sent a small surveillance drone ten cycles ago to make sure."

"In terms of layman, your people were spying on us…" Hawk then paused for a moment to wonder: from whom did the Federation receive the tip-off?

"The Federation knows that your people are hiding some sort of new prototype power armor for your people to use. We don't know the motivation behind it, but the Federation must confiscate this armor from your further use."

"So that is the reason you came to this planet!" Hawk started squawking loudly, cursing in ancient Chozo tongue. "What else has your Galactic Piracy decided to take from us? Your severe 'reparations' already prevent us from receiving food imports! We are now resorting to old rations and Zebesian flora and fauna—which taste naught delicious and provide us little nutrition."

"Actually, Mister Bird-Man…"

"You will address me as Crimson Hawk."

"Mister Hawk… the Federation is preparing to grant you amnesty."

"…Is that so? On what terms?"

"That you peacefully hand over the prototype armor and allow us to recruit your Chozo warrior for Federation enforcement."

Hawk scoffed, finding humor in the 'Chozo warrior' part of Malkovich's demands. "I see that your surveillance drones have failed to actually take footage of the person out of the armor."

"Rest assured, the drones never entered the base—we respect your personal privacy," Malkovich stated with a stiff, faltering smile. "However, our observations speculate that your new Chozo warrior is either some sort of mutant or a revival of ancestral adaptations, because no Chozo individual has ever moved like this one in a long time… centuries, even."

"It is comforting to know that the Federation still cares about our history." Crimson Hawk then gave a frustrated sigh. He knew the Council would have to comply. But then he became worried about Samus' response. "What if the 'Chozo warrior' disagrees to your recruitment?"

"This isn't a draft; it's merely a request. If he doesn't want to join, then that's fine. We'll find someone else to wear the armor."

'He'? Hawk began to laugh heartily, confusing the sergeant, but then the bird groaned in exasperation. "I shall go inform the Council of this new development. They will comply in giving you the armor. Not without returning contempt, of course, but they will comply. I will also attempt to discuss this with young Samus."

"Samus, huh?" Malkovich found this name strange, even for Chozo. "So where is he?"

Just after he said that, Malkovich caught a glimpse of a shadow a bit farther into the base, past the rocky hills of Zebes' surface, and jogging towards him and the bird-man: it was tall, looming, and the sun reflected off of its metallic surface, temporarily blinding him. He shielded his eyes, and his stoicism was shot when his vision came back. Before his eyes stood the armored warrior in the surveillance footage, but the helmet was now removed: instead of the thick parrot-like beak and ruffled feathers of a Chozo was the face of a young human woman—shoulder-length blonde hair, bluish-green eyes, and a face no older than eighteen or twenty. Crimson Hawk merely shook his head when this woman stood before Malkovich, two whole inches taller than he.

"He is standing right in front of you," responded the woman.

Malkovich was, for lack of a better word, stunned. He turned to Hawk. "…A human woman? Where did you find her?"

Samus interjected. "Sergeant Malkovich, I was raised by the Chozo and trained to protect the galaxy one day. Er… sir." She added that last part at the last minute, hoping that would mean some sort of human respect.

"Raised? What in the name of…" Malkovich then processed that this woman actually said his name. "Wait, you heard our entire conversation?"

"We had infused young Samus Aran with our DNA," answered Crimson Hawk. "This was in order to protect her from this planet's harsh atmosphere, but side effects included increased height, enhanced strength and speed, unparalleled agility and endurance, as well as improved senses. We Chozo have very good hearing abilities in case you were not aware."

"In short," began Malkovich. "You've created the perfect human specimen." He paused and took another look at Samus, who wasn't wearing an oxygen mask like he was. He could also tell that Samus seemed a bit nervous, as the smallest hint of sweat dropped from her brow. He didn't know why, considering she was taller than he was and possessed a Chozo-made battlesuit that could destroy mountains—there was no real need to be nervous about anything. "So where did you kidnap this young lady from?"

"Kidnap?" Samus' brief nervousness snapped into aggression. "I said that I was raised by the Chozo. They're my family."

"And I was raised by wolves," he snapped back to her. "Hawk, I want to know where you got this woman from."

"We had legally adopted her."

"Bull. The Chozo aren't allowed to even go anywhere in Federation space. How did you adopt a human female?"

Samus intervened. "There's a little-known fact about the K-2L invasion 14 years ago, Sergeant Malkovich."

"And what's that?"

"There was only one human survivor."

"Everyone knows that. The GF declined to reveal the survivor's identity and whatever happened to him or her."

"And little do people know that this one survivor was a 4-year-old girl: the daughter of K-2L's trade center CEO, Rodney Aran. He and his wife died in the attack protecting their daughter." Samus fought hard with herself, making sure her eyes stayed as dry as they could.

"...You're the lone survivor?"

She nodded. "...and after the attack ended , a Chozo named Viu-Avi (Old Bird) legally adopted the child. Knowing that this could cause an irreversible outrage amongst the human population, the Galactic Federation also demanded that the Chozo would keep quiet about my adoption. This all happened before the Chozo's exile from the Federation."

"...I don't believe you."

"...What?"

"Until I receive GF-approved adoption papers to verify the authenticity of your claim, I can't see you as a legal resident of this planet, nor will I be able to grant the Chozo amnesty for committing another violation to Federation law."

Samus was scowling. "Why you little son of a ..."

Hawk squawked. "You close-minded popinjay! How dare you lack faith in her story? Is this how much the humans' resentment for the Chozo has grown!?"

"...I can vouch for the child."

Samus gasped when she heard that warm, feathery voice. Getting out of a hover cart filled with food, a familiar face was shown. She hadn't seen him in weeks, and right when she needed him most, he (metaphorically) flew in just in time.

"Old Bird!" Samus, neglecting to take off her Power Suit, ran to the surrogate father and gave him a hug.

"Oof! Ha-ha! Careful, there young one. This ancient bird can hardly walk let alone stand an armored embrace!"

Malkovich was a bit disturbed. Not only was a human hugging a Chozo, but this human was a 6-foot tall woman barely past her teens. It was a surreal sight to behold.

He cleared his throat. "...Mister... Bird? I'd like to see the adoption forms."

Old Bird broke free of Samus' grasp. "Yes, yes, absolutely. Now, where did I put those leaflets...?" He rummaged around the cart, and then he picked up a series of files stamped with a GF seal of approval. Inside one of them was Samus' credentials at the age of 4.

"Old Bird," called Samus. "Why do you suddenly have those with you?"

Old Bird stood thinking. "My, I actually do not know. Perhaps the spirits prophesized this?"

Samus laughed. "All right. I can take that."

Malkovich unflinchingly took the files from Old Bird's hands and scanned through them. He grunted. "...These are real, all right."

Both Crimson Hawk and Samus gave grins of satisfaction.

Malkovich gave a slight, stiff bow. "I apologize for the unfair accusations. But the demand for the armored suit still stands, and we still wish to recruit this young woman into our elite forces."

The frown returned to Samus' face.

"That is unfortunate," said Old Bird.

Malkovich cocked his head. "Why might that be?"

Suddenly, a light from the Power Suit emerged from within its core; Malkovich became blinded again, and soon enough became astounded and irritated by another new development: the armor disappeared, and all Samus wore was a blue Zero jumpsuit with pink highlights.

"What happened to the armor?"

"The Power Suit is cybernetically built into my biology," answered Samus. "It's not a separate suit for anyone else to pick up and wear, nor can it be copied by conventional means. If you're going to take the suit, you're going to have to take me with you."

Malkovich exhaled in frustration. "...I see. Originally, the plan was to take the suit if you wished not to join our force. But with this knowledge, it seems you don't have much of a choice."

"...I'm aware."

"Well..." Malkovich looked down onto the blue dust of the surface of Crateria. Despite the harsh conditions, he couldn't help but secretly feel a bit grateful that the Chozo were actually kind enough to take this woman in; living anywhere was better than nowhere, and at least Samus got to explore a beautiful landscape with little to stop her. "I'll give you the rest of this whole cycle to say your goodbyes."

"Say my goodbyes!?" she yelled. "I didn't even make my decision yet!"

"...Would you rather see your family suffer as the Federation takes away their only home?"

"You wouldn't dare."

Malkovich's eyes wavered, then returned to Samus. "...You're right. I wouldn't. Not after today. But what makes you think that the GF won't?"

Samus backed off; there was something different in Malkovich's tone. This wasn't a threat made by the Federation; this was a warning made by a concerned man. She pondered over her situation: she had been wanting to go into space for a long time now, that much was certain. If she left out of her own free will, she wouldn't feel too sad about leaving the Chozo; she memorized Zebes' coordinates hundreds of times over, so she could see them again any time she wanted. But under these dire circumstances, leaving didn't seem so glorious anymore. It was more like a curse if she had to say goodbye to Old Bird and the others forever. Otherwise, the Zebes home base was condemned, and she and the Chozo would have to live in a deadly forest or on a lifeless wasteland. In the end, she decided that leaving the planet would be the best: for her and the Chozo.

"...I still have the rest of the day to say my goodbyes and pack up, right?"

Malkovich nodded. "Take your time."

Samus looked back at Crimson Hawk and Old Bird. While the grizzly one frowned (whether or not out of lament for Samus or just annoyed by the whole situation was never certain), Old Bird was still smiling, for as an old shaman that understood the essentials of life almost better than any Chozo, he knew it was Samus' time to leave the nest and grow free.

"Old Bird," began Samus. "...You know I'm gonna miss you, and you're going to miss me, right?"

"Humans are such sympathetic creatures," he answered. "Of course I will miss you. You are, and forever will be, my greatest joy. Rodney and Virginia, spirits guide them, would be proud of the woman you have grown to be. Do not worry about us, little one. Your journey here has ended, and a new one shall begin..."

The sun that shined upon Zebes was beginning to set, and Samus prepared a small pack, carrying only her GF adoption papers (for verification), some printed books of ancient Chozo and human text (Fahrenheit 451 in Chozo was surprisingly more compelling than in human English), and some lembas breadsticks that should last her several decades (for she could go six months without needing to eat or drink). As the sliding hatches of the front entrance of Crateria opened, she was shocked to find that all of the Chozo on in Crateria gathered before her.

"We are forever grateful for you, Samus Aran."

"Never forget that you were our last Hatchling."

"Do not forget to send back letters!"

Samus nearly collapsed; this was a human farewell, which was something the Chozo never did, as they considered 'leaving the nest' as a part of Chozo life, rarely saying anything more than a simple goodbye. To her, this meant more than the end of the world; she had grown out of being a member of the Chozo, and would leave as a human being. Leading the party was Old Bird, who for the first and last time of his life, had tears flowing down his beak. Samus' fought with herself to keep her own eyes dry, and then she wrapped her own shedding wings around her second father.

"I'll never forget you."

"Likewise, I will say the same. May the spirits watch over you, my little Samus."

After finishing her hug, Samus could see Malkovich's vessel yards away and ready to go. Perhaps it was the setting sun in her eyes, but she could have sworn she saw a smile permeate through Malkovich's oxygen mask. She decided to be modest about her own sight and say to herself it was just her imagination. Her Zero Suit flew along the Craterian ground that separated them, almost matching the blue tint of the dirt below her feet.

"Are you ready to go?" said Malkovich.

"...Yeah. I'm going."

Malkovich held out a remote control and pressed an orange light, opening the hatch to his ship. Before they entered, Samus took one last look at her former home. The Chozo were holding their wings high; an ancient warrior salute. She held her arms in the same fashion, saluting back.

Neither Samus nor Malkovich had spoken for a long time until five minutes after they left Zebes' atmosphere. Samus sat despondent in her seat. Normally, she would have been excited by the sight of the inside of a space cruiser after so long, but circumstances have prevented even the mildest of curiosities to arise.

Malkovich broke the silence. "For someone who was raised by birds and hasn't had human interaction since she was 4, you seemed to communicate with me pretty well."

Samus was a bit surprised that Malkovich actually spoke. "Well, I've studied various video archives on Zebes about human social interaction."

"But yet you still seemed a bit nervous in meeting me at first because I was the first human you've met in a long time."

"How did you know I was nervous?"

"Even with all your combat training and enhanced abilities, I can tell when a soldier's green."

"Of course. You're a sergeant; you're supposed to know these little details."

"And I've been in that situation before, myself."

"Hard to believe when you've got the face of an ice sculpture."

"Funny."

"Oh? You have a sense of humor?"

"You too, apparently." He turned off the autopilot and spun his chair to face Samus. "Tell me. What do you think of the Federation?"

"Want me to be blunt or do I have to be politically correct?"

"Be blunt about it. You've got nothing else to lose."

She scowled in skepticism, but elected to continue. "I... find the Federation to be a bunch of slime balls who care about only themselves."

"Slime balls? You're not going to call them anything worse?"

"If I said anything worse, you'd probably arrest me for verbal abuse."

Much to his own surprise as much as Samus', Malkovich laughed. The frown came back almost immediately. "To be honest, I kinda feel the same way."

"What made you join, then?"

"I was drafted. Being a member of the police force was the only thing I ever knew. Perhaps in that regard, they raised me like you with the Chozo, albeit a bit more militaristic."

"I don't see much of a comparison."

"Oh well. What do you think about the police force?"

"Other than the fact that the Federation controls it completely, I honestly find it exciting. It'll give me something to do: I get to test myself in actual combat, protect those who're unable to protect themselves, and I get to see all the stars in this galaxy."

"That almost seems like the childish ideal of a superhero."

"Hey, don't judge me," she snapped. "I've always wanted to go into space and see new places. I was cooped up in Zebes until you arrived, and I got really bored going through the same combat routines, rituals, and food-gathering when I knew that I could have lived another life and maybe I could actually get to meet another one of my kind after so many years. The Space Pirates took my childhood away, and now the Federation's decided to take my life with the Chozo away, a life that I never knew how much it meant to me until it was gone. And frankly, I thought my first impression with another human could have gone a lot better had these circumstances been different."

Malkovich sighed. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"At least you gave a better impression than the Federation did with their high demands; otherwise I probably would have blasted your face off."

"Even though I know that was a joke, it probably would have caused an act of war if you did."

"Thought it was funny."

"Yeah, well you weren't the only Chozo making morbid human-killing jokes." After a few minutes of apathetic silence passed, Malkovich asked a hard question. "How did you even survive the invasion?"

Samus paused, and she tried to think. "...It was years and years ago. To be honest, I can hardly remember. From my childhood, I only remember fleeting images of my mother singing, and my father... saving my life. Old Bird was the one who took me in, and he told me that my parents both died protecting me from the attack. He was close friends with my dad, and he escaped the main trade center in my father's ship. My father was also responsible for preserving the Meroid egg." She stopped, and then she felt her head throb for a moment. "I... I think I remember... something. The trade center exploded, but I don't remember how... or... why... there was..."

"There was what?" asked Malkovich.

The throbbing in her head became more frequent, and she started grabbing on her temples. "I'm trying to... remember... AH!"

Malkovich stood up. "Samus, are you okay!?"

Samus calmed down, and the pain in her head stopped for now. "I was... I was trying to remember something important. Something... horrible happened during the invasion; something that killed my parents. Old Bird said that the experience was very traumatic for me."

"...I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"It's... it's fine, Sergeant Malkovich."

"For the time being, just call me Adam."

"Adam... R-Right. Agh, my head still hurts."

"I also apologize for neglecting to bring aspirin. Maybe remembering something happy from your childhood might help ease the pain."

Samus wondered. Maybe he was right. "I, um... I had a stuffed dragon named Ridley."

"That's cute."

"Cute?"

"The name. Ridley. For a toy dragon."

"Uh, yeah... I guess it is."

"You know whatever happened to it?"

Samus began to tug at her head again in response. "Ugh... No, I can't. That's not a good memory for me."

"Sorry."

"Although, I do remember something in a dream..." She closed her eyes and delved into the memories of her dream world. "Sometimes, as a child, I would have nightmares. Of a really scary monster. Actually, 'scary' is an understatement; it was terrifying. I ran to Old Bird quite often, crying for the nightmares to stop. He told me that nightmares are symbolic manifestations of our darkest memories, and that to stop them, I just had to remember a happy memory. I remembered my mother letting me bring Ridley to bed every night, and how much comfort the little dragon gave me. From then on, I decided to call the monster in my dreams 'Ridley', so that I became less scared when I faced it. It worked, and I haven't had those nightmares in a long time."

"'Ridley' is kind of a belittling name for a scary monster. That's like naming a lion 'Bob'."

Samus burst out laughing: another first-timer in many years. "Oh my God... 'Bob the Lion'? Just... stop right there."

Adam gave a wry smile. "Is your head still hurting?"

"Actually, no... Thanks."

"Good. That means you're in good shape for this mission."

Samus whitened her blue-green eyes. "A mission? Already? Don't I need some kind of registration or training regime first?"

"Training regime? Are you kidding? You're already superhuman. And don't worry about the registration; you're already considered elite. You just need to pass this first mission, and you're in the force."

She couldn't believe it. Her dream, to explore the stars and search for excitement, might actually come to pass. "There's got to be some strings attached."

Adam pulled up the holographic map screen, and zoomed into the Norion system. An image of a humanoid woman with a trasparent pink skin and an exposed skeleton popped up. "On the planet Yatlmau, a Federation outlaw is currently seeking shelter: a shape-shifting Jovian named Gandrayda. She is a master of stealth and assassination, but her combat abilities are also not to be underestimated, for she can copy the attributes of any species with 75% effectiveness. Your objective is to locate her in the city of Krynn and capture her. Make sure there are no casualties and minimal collateral damage."

"So I have to capture her by myself?"

"...Yes. There are no strings attached."

"I just... find her and catch her? There's nothing else besides the obvious 'no killing and no destruction' What about a time limit?"

"She's trapped in the city, and the Federation knows it. All there's left to do is find a needle in a haystack, which shouldn't take too long for an elite trooper."

"Really?" Samus wondered if Adam was overestimating her own abilities, but then again she doesn't want to pass up a chance like this.

"...Any objections, lady?"

Samus looked out the front window, and saw that the ship was inching closer and closer to the Norion system as they speak. She smiled.

"Where do we start?"

If you think that I'm writing a Samus x Adam fic, you're dead wrong. Not that I mind Samus having Adam as a love interest (which Other M kind of attempted and failed; props for trying), but that's not my focus at all. I hope you don't mind my explanation of Ridley's name, but... you probably see what I'm trying to do.

I'm actually getting a real kick out of writing this one, whether or not people like it. It's reviving my creative interest in writing. Maybe there might be another Persona chapter soon. Or maybe I'll just procrastinate again. Who knows?