Federation medical facilities were stationed all over the cosmos, havens for the sick and injured. For obvious reasons, they were a prime target for Space Pirate raids; thus, they were equipped with some of the best weapons technology and soldiers the Federation had to offer, save, perhaps, those at the capital. It was difficult to find a more secure location – and a place more difficult to break out of, should the need arise.
"This is our last chance to change our minds," Odius warned as the ship slowly drifted toward the hospital.
"We've already made our decision," replied Ashen Feather. "There's no turning back."
"If you say so. Anyway, there's a space skiff that you can deploy attached to the ship. You all should be able to fit in it. I'll wait here, staying in the general vicinity but out of range of scanners. I'm going to give you a transmitter; that way you'll be able to contact me at any time. No doubt, they'll lock you guys up in there once they discover who they're treating. Once you're ready to escape, just say the word and I'll do my best to help you break out."
Ashen Feather nodded as he took the transmitter. "Best of luck to us all."
Gently lifting up Samus, he and the others boarded the skiff and went off.
-=-=-
"Ridley's response has arrived," the pirate trooper reported. Ferrix turned around, as Auros and Duma were busy with the Federation president discussing the terms of the treaty. "And? Has he complied?"
"Yes, sir. He says that he is in the process of evacuating the planet as we speak."
Ferrix nodded his approval. "Very good. I will open a communications channel with him to give him further instructions. If I may," he said, nodding to the other members of High Command and the Federation president.
He strode off to the ship, but the trooper hastened to follow him. "You don't need to come with me," Ferrix pointed out.
"There's no telling when a Federation officer unaware of your purpose here will come by," the trooper countered. "You need some protection."
Ferrix frowned. "Very well."
He continued onward, and the trooper fell into place alongside him. Out of the corner of his eye, Ferrix observed the trooper. He seemed…tense. Nervous, almost. Was it out of apprehension?
As they walked, the trooper's pace slowed, until he was walking behind Ferrix rather than alongside him. At last, the ship that had carried them came into view.
Just then, Ferrix's sharp ears heard a distinctive "click".
His foot instinctively flew out behind him, knocking the trooper to the ground just before the shot went off. The energy bullet hit the ceiling, leaving a blood-red mark there. A wailing siren went off after that, and Federation officers poured into the docking bay.
Ferrix observed this calmly, placing his foot over the insubordinate trooper's chest. He leaned down to pick up the energy pistol, toying with it before shooting the trooper in the head.
"Nothing happened here," he snapped to the Federation officers. "Go back to your posts. This is a Space Pirate matter."
Murmuring with confusion and suspicion, the crowd dispersed, leaving Ferrix and the dead trooper there alone.
Hoisting the corpse onto his shoulders, Ferrix entered the pirate ship. The message from Ridley was still on-screen, but Ferrix threw the carcass into the fuel-making shaft before reading it.
To Unit 7122:
The revolution has begun. We are in the process of gathering troops to overthrow High Command. Here is your assignment: report to them that I've complied with their orders, to ensure that they don't suspect me. When you get the chance, try to assassinate at least one, if not all, of them. The fewer there are, the easier this revolution will be. I will be en route to the stronghold within a day; once there, I'll destroy the backup files of their minds and DNA. Glory to the New Space Pirate Empire!
-Lord Ridley
Ferrix thought about the message for a few minutes. Then, he pressed the "Reply" button.
To Lord Ridley:
I have successfully managed to kill Lord Ferrix…
-=-=-
"How do you know this woman, anyway?" the doctor asked curiously as he ran the diagnostic on Samus.
"We don't," lied Wesley. "We found her adrift in space. Her suit was malfunctioning…she would have died had we not taken her in."
"And she might very well do so now, as well, if things keep going this way," mumbled the doctor. A chill came over Ashen Feather as he heard those words, and from the expressions on Wesley and White Voice's faces, the same was true of them.
"You said you were a Federation trooper, yes?" asked the doctor. Wesley nodded. "That's correct. Tarus Wesley, native of NX-816, born 2061 C.C." It was a blessing that the Federation didn't know of Wesley's betrayal yet.
The doctor straightened up, turning to face the trio. "Well, then," he said, "if that's the case, you probably know the repercussions of harboring Samus Aran."
Wesley sighed inwardly. He knew that this was coming, and had rehearsed accordingly.
"What the…Samus Aran?" he gasped in feigned surprise.
The doctor nodded grimly. "There is no doubt about it. It's Aran in the flesh."
"Will you heal her, though?" Ashen Feather prodded. "Even though she is an enemy of the Federation, you have a sworn oath to heal the sick and injured, don't you?"
The doctor nodded. "That's true. I'll do what I can for her. But I'll be contacting the authorities as soon as possible to come and seize her. You'll have to remain here as well, for the investigation."
Wesley nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't want to stand in the way of justice."
-=-=-
Six hours later, the doctor came out to speak to them. "I've done what I can," he said grimly. "Between her Chozo blood and the mixture of all the other DNA in there, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly how to cure her. There might not be an actual cure…but I've stopped the spread of whatever's transforming her."
"The Metroid DNA," Ashen Feather explained.
The doctor turned a suspicious eye to the Chozo. "And how would you know that?"
"I'm a specialist in the field," he lied. "I took my own look at her on the way here."
This answer seemed to satisfy the doctor. "Well, I managed to stop the spread of the Metroid DNA, but only through pure luck. I assume you all remember the Phazon Incident?"
"How could anyone forget it?" asked Wesley. "It's the closest the Space Pirates ever came to dominating the galaxy."
"Well, Aran herself was infected with Phazon during that time. While all Phazon may be gone, traces of its presence still remain within the living things it infected. As it turns out, these traces eradicate any DNA that tries to spread to their location. By moving the traces of Phazon to the edge of the Metroid DNA, I've prevented it from spreading any further."
"That…really is exceptionally lucky," Ashen Feather commented. White Voice nodded his agreement.
"Indeed. I've contacted the Federation capital…they're sending a squad to capture Aran as we speak. You may have to testify in court, so please be prepared for that."
With that abrupt news, the doctor left.
The trio was silent for a moment before Ashen Feather frantically took out his transmitter. "Odius! It's time! We need you here now!"
"I'll be there soon," his voice crackled out of it.
"How are we going to get Samus out, though?" Wesley asked.
"We'll just have to wing it," Ashen Feather replied. "Hopefully Odius won't take too long…"
-=-=-
What are you doing, Samus?
The bounty huntress rolled over onto her side, trying to ignore the pestering voice.
Why do you still sleep?
"Because I'm tired," Samus replied. "I'm tired of all of it."
The universe needs you, Samus.
"The universe can handle itself," she snapped. "It's handled itself just fine without me for billions of years."
You swore to me once that you would be the protector of the galaxy.
"That was when I was a child," Samus growled bitterly. "A stupid, naïve child."
What changed your mind?
Samus laughed darkly. "No matter how many times you put down one threat, another rises to take its place. The Space Pirates, Phazon, the X…it never ends. What's the point in protecting something when it'll just be destroyed by something else? Besides…another will rise to take my place. I'm sure of it."
Who besides you could stop the X?
Samus didn't have an answer to that.
The X have the potential to infect the entire universe, and that is no exaggeration. If they do so, no other will ever arise to bring an end to them. You alone must do it.
"But I'm tired," Samus repeated. "I don't want to fight anymore."
There will be ample opportunity for rest after you have done your duty.
Samus sat up, and the arms of her surrogate father embraced her. "You don't know how hard it is," she choked, tears welling up in her eyes.
I don't, Old Bird conceded. You have borne far, far too much.
"I've missed you, though," Samus added, smiling through her tears. "When I met Ashen Feather and White Voice, I asked if you were there too."
I've missed you too. But I must let you go…you still must do your duty to the universe.
Samus nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Right. The universe needs me." She took a deep breath. "But this won't be the last time I see you. I promise."
Old Bird nodded, his aged eyes smiling. "I will hold you to that promise, but only if you save the universe. Now, Samus…awaken and face your duty."
And she awoke.
"Odius! It's time! We need you here now!"
The sound of the transmitter snapped Odius out of his rest. Fumbling around for his end, he reported, "I'll be right there."
Jogging over to the controls, he considered his options. Breaking into a Federation hospital was hard enough to do, but breaking others out was suicide. How could he manage to do both…?
A wry smile crossed his face as he realized what he had to do. "Never thought I'd get a chance to do this again," he chuckled. "Let's just hope that I get this right…"
With that, he turned toward the hospital and turned the thrusters all the way up.
-=-=-
"Do you really think this'll work?" asked Odius apprehensively.
"No, but I don't have any other ideas. Do you?"
"No, sir."
"Great, then. Full speed ahead!"
Odius turned the thrusters all the way up, and his eyes blurred with the speed. Within moments, an enormous crash reverberated through the vessel, and Odius, Arvo, and the rest of the crew were launched violently from their seats.
Odius groaned in pain, but Arvo was laughing for some reason. "That was amazing!" he howled.
"Sir, I don't think this was the best of ideas…"
"It worked, did it not? We've punched straight through the wall of the outpost. All we need to do now is take out the Federation soldiers before they can call for reinforcements. GET UP, ALL OF YOU! GLORY TO THE SPACE PIRATE EMPIRE!"
-=-=-
Suddenly, it occurred to Odius that it might be a good idea to fasten something around himself to keep himself from being grievously injured again.
Just as he tied the belt to the seat, the ship collided with the hospital and shot straight through the wall, smashing into the next wall. From the windows, wide-eyed patients stared in a combination of fear and disbelief.
"…Uh…I'm in," Odius said into the transmitter uncertainly.
"Yeah, we kind of noticed…" Wesley's voice responded.
"Well, hurry up and get in here. We don't have all the time in the world."
"There's a bit of a problem…" Wesley replied hesitantly. "We can't find Samus."
"What?" Odius demanded. "Didn't you check what room she was in when you got here?"
Federation troopers were beginning to gather around the ship. Odius swore violently. This wasn't going as planned…
"Of course we did…but she's gone."
"She must be somewhere in here. Maybe she'll come to investigate my crash?"
"We're right in the room and there's no sign of her."
Odius was silent. How could this be…?
"Fine, then. If we don't leave now, we won't be able to. I hate to leave Samus behind, but we have no choice. I'll let you three on now."
With that, he punched a button on the main console, and a force field was erected around the ship, flinging back the advancing troopers. Odius skillfully maneuvered the ship through the room (without harming anybody, miraculously), and deactivated the force field as he approached Wesley, Ashen Feather, and White Voice. He opened the hatch, hurried them into the ship, and flew out through the hole he'd come in.
"Won't they follow us?" asked Wesley fearfully. Odius shook his head. "To them, it's probably just another Space Pirate raid. Your traitor status will probably become public knowledge now, though, after associating with me…"
"We can worry about that later," Ashen Feather said. "We have more pressing matters now – namely, where Samus is."
"Shouldn't she still be back in the hospital?" Odius asked, confused.
Ashen Feather shook his head. "She was placed under constant surveillance. If she was still there, we would've known about it."
Odius sighed. "It's just one incident after another with her, isn't it…"
-=-=-
Are you afraid?
The voice of Old Bird resonated in Samus' mind. She smiled and shook her head. "I've never been afraid of being alone before. Why should now be any different?"
That is good. I must go now. Take care, Hatchling.
Samus nodded and glanced down at herself. The milky white and blue hues of this new Power Suit were a sharp contrast to the red and yellow of her old one…but she liked it, nonetheless. It was lighter, yet more durable; sturdier, but more flexible. Samus did not wonder how Old Bird had given it to her; the Power Suits were just as much Chozo magic as they were technology.
The Protector's Suit, Old Bird had called it.
With that, Samus took her first few steps on her next adventure.
-=-=-
"This isn't right, Ridley."
Odius held his breath, watching the exchange between the two pirate generals. This would end in bloodshed; all could see that.
"Isn't right?" laughed the space dragon. "When have the Space Pirates ever cared about what is and isn't right?"
Arvo shook his head. "You're taking it too far. K-2L is a Federation planet; we don't have the authority to attack it without orders from High Command. We're only authorized to attack vessels in space; we're not allowed to land on planets and start raiding them."
"Listen, you idiot," snapped Ridley. "K-2L has some of the richest alfloraltite reserves in the galaxy. If we take it for ourselves, we'll have cut off one of the Federation's most important resources and bring us one step closer to winning this war. High Command won't care at that point if we slightly bent our orders."
"You're completely missing the point," replied Arvo. "Right now, the Federation considers us a minor nuisance at most; they're not throwing their full military might at us. If we attack K-2L, they won't be playing around anymore. And remember, Ridley, our ultimate goal is galactic domination. If we try to crush every planet at every opportunity, some of them will be made martyrs. And if martyrs are made, then the people WILL revolt."
"So what are you suggesting?" Ridley asked mockingly. "That one of the most reviled species in the galaxy tries to conquer it through diplomatic means? Please. Brute force is the only way we can succeed."
Arvo reached his hand into his gun holster, gripping it tensely. "You're making an enormous mistake."
-=-=-
Odius stared numbly at K-2L as it passed by.
Extra 8: The Protector's Suit
The Power Suit. The absolute pinnacle of Chozo technology. It is just as much a construct of their mysterious powers as it is of metal. Able to adapt with almost any technology imaginable, there are few things it cannot do. The wearer may dematerialize it at will.
The Protector's Suit is the ultimate Power Suit, the most sacred of all Chozo treasures, crafted specifically for the protector of the galaxy - who is, of course, none other than Samus Aran.
The helmet is mostly white, with two thin, symmetrical blue stripes reaching around the sides. The shoulders are completely white, smooth and featureless, about half the size of those of the Varia Suit. On the chest, there are three decent-sized blue orbs set in a triangular position. The arms have blue highlights on them, as well.
The defenses of the Protector's Suit, as one might expect, far surpass those of the Varia Suit. More importantly, though, all the powerups are built into the suit, so they can't be lost in freak accidents, as is so prone to happen to Samus. It also features a few bonus abilities, such as a second Power Beam able to be fired from the palm alongside the arm cannon. Finally, the Protector's Suit drastically increases the user's agility.
But all of these benefits only work when the protector of the galaxy herself is wearing the suit.
"Are you okay?" Wesley asked Odius, noticing the Space Pirate trembling slightly. He nodded. "I'm fine. Just…remembering something." He turned his head away from the window.
White Voice was piloting the ship, the mute Chozo's eyes unreadable. Wesley wondered what he was thinking.
"So, what's our next course of action?" asked Ashen Feather. "Do we try to find out what happened to Samus, or do we go with our original plan of traveling to Lycas in search of Metroids?"
"I think," Wesley said, "we need more information. We're still not entirely sure what the Federation's up to. I say we infiltrate the capital to see if we can find out anything."
Odius frowned. "They probably know that you're a traitor by now. You can't just waltz into one of the most heavily guarded places in the galaxy and expect to be left alone."
"I never said it'd be easy, but let's face it – we have no idea what the Federation's been up to. I'm sure we'll find a way."
"Fine, then. But I still don't see how we'll be able to infiltrate it."
"We can find a way," Ashen Feather assured them. "It may be well-defended, but I'm sure that there are a number of weaknesses."
"Hmph. What's the Federation capital like, anyway?" Odius asked, changing the subject. "I've never been there before, obviously."
Wesley shrugged. "It's basically a giant space station," he said. "About the size of your average city. It's divided into…sixteen sectors, I think. I could be wrong about the number, I never really bothered to check."
Odius nodded. "It's big…that's good. That means that when we get in there, it'll be more difficult for them to coordinate an organized attack on us."
Wesley grinned. "So you do think we can do it, after all."
"I never said that."
-=-=-
"So, that's that, then," the Federation president said. "But remember…this treaty only applies until these insurrections of yours are put down."
High Commander Auros nodded. "Of course. We…"
"Lord Auros, Lord Duma, if I may interrupt?"
The two High Commanders and the Federation president turned toward the third member of High Command in surprise. "Lord Ferrix, go ahead."
Ferrix nodded. "Thank you. You know of Lord Ridley's dissatisfactions with the current state of affairs, yes?"
Duma nodded. "Of course. As much as Lord Ridley tries to hide it from us, it is hardly a secret."
"Well, it seems that Lord Ridley has become fed up with us. He has declared himself the leader of a 'Space Pirate Revolution' and intends to overthrow us. A unit loyal to him just tried to kill me, and he is headed to our stronghold to destroy our backups as we speak. He believes that the rogue unit has succeeded in killing me…I suggest that we depart immediately and take him by surprise."
Auros turned to the Federation president. "Is our departure agreeable to you?" he asked. "We hate to depart on such short notice, but, as I'm sure you can tell, this is an emergency."
"Go ahead," Rodriguez grunted. "It's not within my power to stop you even if I wanted to."
Auros stuck out his right hand to shake it, and Rodriguez instinctively did the same. But then he remembered the Metroid DNA, and instinctively withdrew it, holding out his left hand instead. "My right wrist is in pain," he said as an excuse.
Satisfied with this answer, Auros shook his left hand instead. Duma and Ferrix did the same, and High Command departed.
Rodriguez sighed. He needed some rest.
-=-=-
The icy wastelands that stretched out in front of her reminded Samus Aran of the Phendrana Drifts. In her line of work, you saw a lot of incredible sights, but the serene, freezing beauty of Phendrana remained her favorite by far.
She felt a faint presence emanating from across the ice, and she knew that she wasn't far from her destination. Another few hours and she'd reach it.
She toyed with the trigger in her arm cannon apprehensively. It wouldn't be that easy, though. It was never that easy.
Shrugging, she continued onward as the presence grew stronger.
-=-=-
"We're getting close," Wesley reported. He could tell thanks to the increasingly heavy traffic around them.
"How many docking bays are there?" asked Ashen Feather curiously. "About 100," replied Wesley. "But I don't think we should use any of them…as soon as they asked for our identities, we'd be caught."
"So, do you want me to repeat that stunt I pulled back at the hospital instead?" Odius asked dryly. Wesley shook his head. "No, I think that'll put us in an even worse position. I have an idea, though…"
He thought back to when he was first entangled in this mess. It was stupid, crazy…but it had worked for Samus, so…
"Hail a ship," Wesley said. "Preferably a trading vessel."
White Voice nodded and did as he was told. He established a communications channel between their ship and a nearby trading vessel.
"What is it?" a gruff voice grunted.
"This is the Galactic Federation Bureau of Illegal Activities. We believe you to be smuggling illegally acquired goods from the Federation. Please allow us to board your ship in order to perform a search." Wesley thought it to be a good lie, if he said so himself.
"Yeah, I'll just do that…" the voice replied.
Suddenly, the ship sped off, erratically changing directions.
"YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME!" the man in the ship shouted.
"…I guess he really was smuggling illegal goods…" Wesley commented in surprise. Moments later, the other's ship crashed into another nearby ship.
"…Second time's the charm?" offered Odius.
"Hopefully," Wesley replied as Ashen Feather tried again.
-=-=-
"Sir?"
"What is it?" Rodriguez grumbled sleepily.
"I hate to wake you up, sir, but this is urgent. We had Samus Aran in our custody."
Rodriguez sat up, alarmed. "Aran? You've found her?"
"Had, sir."
The Federation president stared at the messenger in disbelief. "You let her go?!"
"No, sir. She escaped on her own."
This news was maddening to Rodriguez. "Why wasn't the security stronger?" he demanded.
"It was the strongest we could make it…I don't know how, but she escaped. It was like she'd never been there…nobody saw her do it."
Rodriguez couldn't think straight, for some reason. "Fine. Fine. You know what? Fine. I know how I can handle this. Should've just done it from the start." He was talking to himself more than he was to the messenger.
"Sir? Are you okay?"
"Fine. I'm fine. Everything's perfectly fine." He glanced down at his glove-covered hand nervously.
"Please leave me alone."
The messenger nodded and departed, wondering what was wrong with the president.
"Aran hates those experiments of mine, does she?" Rodriguez mumbled feverishly to himself. "Then let's give her an opportunity to destroy them."
He laughed deliriously, finding the idea absolutely hilarious for some strange reason.