FINALE - PART 2
Samus sat there with the president's carcass for a few minutes before it occurred to her that he must have landed a ship around there somewhere. She stood up, slung the corpse across her shoulder, and set off.
"What are you doing?" asked Adam.
"Looking for his ship," Samus grunted in reply. "We need to get off this planet somehow, and why not travel first-class?"
"I mean with the body," the computer elaborated. Samus paused for a moment.
"We should probably give it back to the Federation at some point," she said. "They can decide what to do with it. It's not in my authority to determine the fate of a Galactic Federation president's body."
"Since when have you ever cared about authority?" Adam asked dryly.
"Point taken," Samus replied. "Still, though. We should let them see what happened to him."
The president's private cruiser came into view, a sleek, spacious ship. Samus peered in the window and walked away impressed. The seats even had cupholders…!
She found the door, and the darker side of the ship became apparent. The remains of shattered stasis tubes lined the walls, and Samus realized, with an unpleasant lurch of her stomach, what they had held before they had been broken. She set the body down in the corner, where she wouldn't have to look at it, and hastened to the pilot's seat. She promptly lifted off.
Samus found the communications unit, and called Ashen Feather. The Chozo picked up at the first ring.
"Samus? Is that you?"
"It's me," confirmed the bounty huntress. "Where are you right now?"
Ashen Feather gave her their coordinates. "Do you have a ship?" he asked her.
"Yeah," Samus said. "I'll explain everything once I get there. Any news on the Space Pirates?"
"Plenty," Ashen Feather replied grimly, "and none of it good. We'll explain once you get here, as well."
-=-=-
As Samus landed on the outpost, the whole group was there to meet her: Ashen Feather, White Voice, Tarus Wesley, Odius, and the rebel Space Pirates. Not one of them looked cheerful.
Samus stepped out of the hatch. "Well…here I am," she said hesitantly, noticing their somber expressions.
"Come inside," Odius said. "We've got a lot to talk about." He led them all through a door, into a dingy room lit only by a small lamp above a table.
"First things first," Odius said once they were all seated. "Samus, what have you accomplished?"
Samus recounted her experiences on Zebes, neglecting to go into detail about the president's madness. She decided that they didn't need to know that much about it…besides, she didn't want them to start worrying about her again…
"That strange script you mentioned," Ashen Feather began slowly. "Could it have been Chozo script?"
"Couldn't have been that," Adam replied. "My translation files include Chozo script, and it didn't match any of them."
"Regardless," Ashen Feather rebutted, "you should at least let me take a look at it to see if I can help you out."
"We can worry about that later," snapped Odius. "Right now, we've got a bigger problem on our hands."
"What's wrong?" Samus asked.
The pirate leader sighed. "Where to begin, where to begin…first of all, a group of Space Pirates have detached from the main forces and have rallied under the rule of Ridley. Now they're engaged in a civil war with each other…"
Samus frowned. "I don't get it. Isn't that a good thing for us?"
Odius shook his head. "When they were all united, we only had one faction to win over to our cause. Now, with two warring sides, it'll be that much more difficult."
"I see," the bounty huntress said, nodding. "Continue."
"Second, the main sect of High Command – Auros, Ferrix, and Duma, for those of you who don't know – has formed an alliance with the Federation…although I don't know what'll become of that thanks to the death of the president. And finally…remember those X Parasites the Federation deployed on Tallon IV? Turns out they're Metroid-resistant. Ridley found out about this and took some of them to use in the war."
"Metroid-resistant?" repeated Samus. "So…are you saying that even I could be infected by one of these things…?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," said Odius grimly.
Samus sighed. "Well, we've come too far to let something like this stop us. Metroid-resistant X or no, the Space Pirate Empire must come to an end."
"Don't be so headstrong, Samus," Ashen Feather warned. "Let's think rationally. We can wait it out."
Samus shook her head. "No, we can't. You know how fast the X multiply, don't you? If we wait, this new form of them will overrun…wherever this war is taking place. Better to attack now, when there aren't too many of them."
"I agree with Samus," Wesley said quietly from a corner. Samus turned around to rebuke him for his cowardice before she realized what he had said.
"Fine," Ashen Feather said grudgingly. "We'll attack now. But we need an actual course of action."
"That, we can make," Odius replied, satisfied. He laid out a map on the table. "Here, we have a map of the main pirate stronghold on Earth."
"Wait a minute," Samus said. "Earth? As in, the home planet of the human race? That Earth?"
Odius nodded. "The very same."
"When did this happen?" Samus asked with wonder.
"Once humanity had evacuated the planet after they had polluted it beyond belief, the Space Pirates came across it. While its conditions may have been inhabitable to your people, it was quite hospitable to us. Since the Federation would have no reasons to revisit it, the Pirate Empire set up a base there. Eventually, it became the seat of High Command."
Samus blinked. "That…all this time, we had the pirate stronghold right in front of our eyes, and we didn't even notice…"
"Anyway," Odius continued, "Ridley is currently laying siege to the various forts out there, slowly moving closer to High Command's main base. There's no doubt in my mind that he'll make it there; Ridley's a military genius. So, we follow behind him, keeping out of sight, letting him do all the hard work for us. Then, once we reach the main base, we find the room where backups of all the minds of the members of High Command are stored. We destroy them, then find a way to kill High Command itself. Sound good to you?"
"No complaints here," Samus said, satisfied. "Let's get going."
-=-=-
Tarus Wesley stared out the window of the ship, watching the stars go by. Soon, all of this would be over. Soon, he could go back to his normal life.
He was aware of Samus walking in his direction. She came to a stop beside him.
"You confuse me," she said, and Wesley turned to look at her. The eyes behind the visor seemed to be boring into him.
"How so?" Wesley asked.
"Back on the Valhalla, you showed yourself to be a complete coward. You were unreasonably afraid of the prospect of death. You're different now. I'm not going to ask you what caused you to change, but I do wonder this: why become a soldier if you're so frightened of the thought of death?"
Wesley sighed.
"My sister was the victim of a Space Pirate raid," he said. "They caught both of us and killed her first. They tore each of her limbs off…I was forced to watch. I was going to be next, but I was saved by a Federation trooper."
"Do you know who led the raid?" Samus asked.
Wesley shuffled uncomfortably. "Ridley. Who else?"
Samus nodded distantly, staring out the window at the stars as Wesley had been earlier.
"Anyway," he continued, "I joined the Federation military to avenge my sister…but at the same time, I'm afraid to share her fate. It doesn't make much sense, I know…"
Samus shook her head. "No, it makes perfect sense."
She continued staring out the window for a minute before she spoke again. "I watched my mother die," she said softly.
Wesley glanced over at her.
"I was a child…I tried to make peace with Ridley, fool that I was, and he was about to kill me with a fireball. Then, my mother…she jumped into the way to protect me…"
Within the visor, Wesley could've sworn he saw a tear running down her face.
"And my father…he killed himself, trying to take down the pirate forces with him…"
She turned to Wesley. "The deaths of the people we love…that's what shapes who we are, isn't it? You watched your sister die, so you tried to avenge her death, but feared the same thing happening to you. My mother died trying to protect me, my father trying to destroy the pirate forces, so I fight to protect others and to destroy the pirate forces even if I die in the attempt."
"I guess…you have a point," Wesley said uncertainly.
Samus nodded. "Thanks for this conversation. I feel a lot better, now." She walked off.
Wesley watched her go, and the wheels began turning in his head. She expects to die, he realized with shock.
"There," Odius said, pressing his finger to the window. "There it is."
The once-blue surface of Earth stretched out before them, now a mottled brown. Turbulent clouds swirled around its six continents (the seventh had melted long ago).
"That's Earth," Samus muttered to Wesley, a sarcastic smirk on her face. "That's where we came from. We crawled out of that pit."
"It wasn't always that bad, though…" Wesley pointed out. "They say that it used to be beautiful."
Samus didn't respond.
"The High Command main base is on that continent," Odius informed them, pointing to Africa. "It's on the southern tip, so we should probably land somewhere around there." He glanced around. "Any objections?"
"Will we have to wear helmets?" asked Ashen Feather.
"No, the air on the planet's breathable. You shouldn't be in any real trouble unless you stay there for more than a week."
"Let's go, then," Samus said. "We've waited long enough."
Nodding his agreement, White Voice took the controls and began to take them down to the planet.
-=-=-
A bleak and barren landscape greeted their eyes as they set down, devoid of any sort of life. In the distant horizon, they could see small lights dancing across the sky – explosions from the battling Space Pirates. Samus was the first to set foot on the hard, cracked earth, followed by Odius, Wesley, White Voice, Ashen Feather, and Odius' troops. They set off without delay.
The first few hours of their hike were uneventful. No conversation passed between them; there was nothing to talk about. From time to time, they would think that they'd heard a noise, but it would turn out to be nothing.
Then, they came across the first battleground.
Corpses and innards were strewn across the field, a gory spectacle. Aside from them, nothing moved in this graveyard; Ridley's pirates had left no enemy alive.
"Over here," Odius called, pointing at the ground. Samus was the nearest, and came over to him at a jog. She inspected the distinctive footprint he was pointing to.
"Ridley," she growled simply, and continued onward.
As they walked, they came across more and more of these battlefields, often accompanied by the smoking ruins of a fort. Once, they accompanied a living pirate whose eyes had been gouged out and his legs broken. They put him out of his misery.
The lights in the sky were becoming more distinct, and they knew that they were getting closer to the fighting. Once, a large pirate carrier passed overhead, flying in the same direction they were heading.
Then, after eight hours of walking, the army came into view.
It was considerably smaller than they had been expecting; maybe around five hundred troops. A familiar draconic shape flew around above the army, and their small group could just barely hear his voice as he barked out orders.
"We should probably wait," Ashen Feather reasoned. "We don't want to get too close."
The others agreed, especially since the sun was beginning to go down. One of the burned-out forts was nearby, and they resolved to spend the night in it.
-=-=-
Wesley's eyes shot open and he sat up as the first quake hit. What was that…?
Another one, closer now. "Samus," he hissed, trying to awaken the bounty huntress. "There's -"
"Quiet," Samus snapped. She was already awake and looking around, trying to find the source of the quakes. "Wake everybody else up, but don't make any more noise."
Wesley nodded silently, and proceeded to shake them awake, placing a finger to his lips as he did so. Samus seemed tenser than usual, and he didn't want to risk her ire.
When the third quake hit, practically directly under them now, Samus seemed to make up her mind. "We have to leave. Now," she ordered, eyes scrupulously scanning their surroundings.
They had barely begun to move when the fourth quake hit, and the ground crumbled beneath them. Most fell into the yawning maw of the darkness, shouting for help. Samus, miraculously, was near the wall, and managed to kick off it back to the surface, where she found Wesley dangling there by his arm. She helped him up, and the two fell to their knees, panting with exhilaration.
"What happened?" asked Wesley, frightened. "What were those quakes?"
"They saw us," Samus said grimly. "I don't know if it was from that ship or if it was just that we were too close, but they saw us." She seemed angry with herself. "They tunneled their way below us and detonated bombs to weaken the earth, then trap us."
"Do they know that you're here?"
Samus shrugged. "Who knows? They'll probably realize that they didn't get all of us, but as to whether or not they'll connect them to me, well…"
She glanced at the frightened Wesley. "You can go back, if you want," she offered.
Wesley shook his head. "No, I'm staying."
"Glad to hear it," Samus said. "Now let's get going."
She began to walk, but Wesley stood there, squinting at the horizon.
"What's wrong?"
"Is…that our ship...?"
Samus followed Wesley's gaze to the approaching vehicle. There was another pirate carrier…and attached to it, strapped to its hull, was the president's private ship that they had used to travel to Earth.
"One moment," Samus said, and aimed her arm cannon at the carrier. When it was close enough, she fired three Super Missiles at it. Each hit in a different spot, and the carrier crashed to the ground, releasing their ship in the process. A Space Pirate flew out of the pilot's seat and was still.
Samus jogged over to their ship and forced the door open. Everything within it was intact, including Samus' old Power Suit and Rodriguez's body. When she went over to the controls, though, she found none of them working.
"Do you have any experience in ship repair?" Samus asked as Wesley walked up to her. He responded that he didn't. Samus sighed and sat down. "Well, can't have everything, I guess."
"I can provide you two with instructions," Adam offered.
"Sounds great," Wesley agreed, and they got to work.
-=-=-
Odius landed hard on his back, and he was immediately hauled to his feet by two pirates. "Well, isn't this an odd group…" murmured their leader, stepping forward. "A squad of Space Pirates and two Chozo? Strange. Very strange. Why have you detached from the rest of Ridley's forces, hm?"
"We're not a part of Ridley's forces," Odius snapped. The other pirate raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then are you on our side? We never authorized any unit to detach from the main force."
"Perhaps I outrank you," spat Odius. The other laughed at this, bemused. "Do you know who I am?" he asked, stepping closer.
Odius studied the other's face before his eyes widened. "You're a part of High Command," he gasped.
"Precisely," he said, satisfied now. "Ferrix, to be exact. Now…please answer truthfully. What were you doing here?"
Odius sighed. "…Trying to rid the Pirate Empire of High Command," he confessed.
Ferrix smiled mysteriously. "Does that include Ridley?"
Odius nodded. "It does."
Ferrix continued to smile, and paced around them, paying particular attention to Ashen Feather and White Voice. "It's been quite some time since I've had the opportunity to meet a Chozo," he commented. Ashen Feather stiffened. "I can't imagine why," he muttered sarcastically.
Ferrix paused. "Samus Aran was traveling with you, wasn't she?" he asked in a low voice.
"No," Ashen Feather lied. Ferrix sighed. "I had hoped that a Chozo would be above lying," he said sadly. He turned to White Voice. "What about you? Will you lie to me as well?"
White Voice merely stared at Ferrix, his expression unreadable.
"He's mute," Ashen Feather explained. "You won't get any responses out of him."
Ferrix scowled and turned back to Odius. "You're the leader of these troops, correct?" he asked, gesturing to Odius' pirates. He nodded. "That's correct."
Ferrix signaled, and his soldiers opened fire on Odius'. They dropped to the ground, dead. Odius was startled.
"That's the punishment for lying," snarled Ferrix. "So I ask you once more: was Samus Aran traveling with you or not?"
Odius bowed his head. "She was," he mumbled. Ferrix's smile returned. "Much better."
He turned around, heading back into the tunnel from which they had come. The others hastened to follow him, holding Odius, White Voice, and Ashen Feather in their custody.
"You said your goal was the downfall of High Command?" said the pirate holding a gun to Odius' head.
"Yes, exactly," Odius replied coldly. "I'm sick of their rule."
The pirate nodded thoughtfully. Then, he took the gun off Odius' head…and fired it at Ferrix's exposed back.
The High Commander fell to the ground, and the pirate took the opportunity to fire several more shots at him. In an instant, pandemonium broke loose as the confused pirates tried to figure out what was going on. "This tunnel leads directly to the High Command building," hissed the pirate who had shot at Ferrix in Odius' ear. "Auros and Duma are in there, and Ridley should arrive before long. I may as well have forfeited my life for this cause…you'd better succeed." With that, he pushed Odius forward even as the other pirates began firing at him.
White Voice and Ashen Feather had managed to escape as well, and together they raced through the tunnels, praying that their pursuers wouldn't catch up with them.
-=-=-
"That should do it," Samus said. She walked over to the controls and tried them again. They now worked perfectly.
"…Samus," Wesley said quietly. The bounty huntress glanced over to her companion.
"You're planning to fight Ridley, aren't you?" he asked.
Samus hesitated before nodding. "Yes. I am."
"You know that he'll probably have those Metroid-resistant X with him, right? Not to mention the rest of his army?"
"I'm well-aware of that. What are you saying?"
Wesley frowned. "That's suicide, Samus."
"What else can we do?" she asked, shrugging. "This is our only chance. He's not going to get any weaker…and if you're afraid, you can still leave at any time."
Wesley shook his head. "I'm not afraid," he insisted. "There's a difference between being afraid and being reasonable. You just don't have a chance. Look…I understand that you're the most powerful woman in the galaxy. But not even you could survive against those odds."
"What else can we do?" Samus repeated.
Wesley closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Look…if you're dead-set on doing this, then at least rest up a bit. You need all the strength you can get for this."
Samus sighed. "Fine. If you insist…I guess you have a point."
Wesley looked relieved.
-=-=-
The stone of the tunnels gave way to metal, and Odius, White Voice, and Ashen Feather realized that they were now within the High Command building. Within moments, they turned a corner and discovered an elevator, with stairs beside it.
"Take the stairs," Odius ordered. "The elevator's too risky."
Nodding, they ascended the stairs and emerged into a grand lobby, suspiciously empty of any pirates. The floor was made of a peculiar variety of stone, while the ceiling was translucent. Two more staircases went in opposite directions on either side of the room. Every few moments, there was a distant boom; they realized that Ridley's forces had reached the High Command building and were laying siege to it right then and there.
"We can't stop," Ashen Feather said. "Just choose a direction and let's go."
Odius nodded and chose the staircase nearest to them. As they hurried up the steps, the shadow of a great, winged beast passed above them, and they all glanced at one another anxiously. Ridley had arrived.
Moments later, they heard a great crash, and they knew that Ridley had broken into the building. They hesitated. The crash had come from the direction they were going in, and there was only one door at the top of this staircase. Could they risk going through it…?
Their questions were answered immediately as they heard another crash, and saw Ridley flying overhead again. Not wishing to press their luck, they raced up the remaining stairs and entered the door. Behind them, they heard yet another crash; Ridley had entered the lobby from the ceiling.
This room, too, was devoid of troops; only weapons and armor could be found here. Ashen Feather and White Voice took this chance to arm themselves, taking guns with bayonettes attached to them. Odius, too, replaced his weapon with a more efficient one. Once they were done reequipping themselves, they went through the next door. There they found a large rotating machine in the center of the room, situated above a transparent surface. Looking down, they saw a giant hole with no visible bottom; every few seconds, the machine would send down a charge of energy. Its purpose was a mystery to them.
The next room was enormous; it was filled with hundreds of strange, red-colored pods. There was one larger pod in the center of the room, connected to the rest. Odius broke open one of the pods, and the grotesque visage of a half-formed Space Pirate greeted him.
"These are the cloning vats," he realized. "This is how the Space Pirate army is populated…I was probably born in one of these. And that means…"
He went over to the central pod and opened it. The ideal Space Pirate floated unconsciously within it; strong, agile, and obedient. He tore the pirate out of the pod and fired at it, killing it instantly.
"There," Odius said, satisfied. "That's what I think of these cloning operations."
The next room was the first one that Ridley had entered. The roof now covered the floor, exposing the room to the open air. There were four of the cloning vats in this room. Three of them had been broken, and Odius had an odd suspicion that he knew what was in the fourth.
"Unfortunate, isn't it?" asked a voice from behind them. They leapt up and turned around to meet the face of another of the High Commanders.
"He has destroyed our replacement bodies, and now he targets our replacement minds. Once he is done with that, he will kill us, and then High Command will be no more."
"Are you Auros or Duma?" demanded Odius
"…Why do you neglect Ferrix?" the High Commander asked, confused.
"He's dead already," Ashen Feather replied curtly. "Killed by a pirate sick of High Command."
"I see," said the pirate leader gravely, closing his eyes. "I am Duma. Tell me…is it my fate to die today, as well?"
"It is," confirmed Odius.
Duma sighed, his eyes opening. "Very well. I accept my fate without struggle. Ferrix may have deluded himself into believing that he would survive this day, and Auros may attempt to defy fate, but I realize that there is no point in this. Besides…I am tired." He gave them a weary smile.
"But at the very least…oblige this old Space Pirate and allow me to see the destruction of what is stored in that pod."
Odius nodded. "Fair enough." He pried the pod open, and there, curled up within the cloning vat, was the sleeping form of a young space dragon – a child-Ridley. Even as a child and asleep, he still looked vicious. Without hesitation, Odius took White Voice's bayonette and slashed its throat.
Duma nodded his satisfaction. "Very good. We are one step closer to the death of Ridley. Now…do with me what you will."
Odius sighed. "I regret having to do this…you don't seem nearly as corrupt as the others."
Duma shook his head. "No. My deeds were just as atrocious. I deserve my punishment."
"So be it."
Odius circled around behind Duma, and shot him at the base of the brain, making his death as quick and painless as possible.
He glanced up at White Voice and Ashen Feather. "One more," he said simply.
-=-=-
Ridley and fifty troops now occupied the lobby of the High Command building. The rest of the troops had been ordered to go ahead to the shore, in order to pick off any stragglers who thought they would be able to escape.
He was waiting in this lobby for exactly one reason: he had been alerted that none other than the Hunter herself, Samus Aran, was on her way here. She had been witnessed walking in this direction earlier, and her goal was quite obvious.
Fine, then. She wanted a battle…he would give her the battle of her life.
He was patient. He could wait to kill High Command. Cowards that they were, they would never dare to attack him. Besides…as much as he hated them, he hated Aran that much more.
Ridley grinned slightly, imagining crushing the Hunter, smashing her into tiny bits, unleashing all his fury on her. There was no doubt in his mind that this would be the day; this would be the day that he would kill her once and for all. Aran was good…but she was not nearly good enough to handle fifty troops all at once. Oh, sure, she might manage to defeat them…but by then, she would be easy picking for the space dragon.
There it was; the familiar ring of the Hunter's arm cannon. She wanted them to know that she was here.
And then, moments later, she entered. Ridley noted her new blue and white suit, but wasn't in the least bit surprised; he was well aware by now that she often obtained new Power Suits.
Aran appraised Ridley and the pirate forces coolly, her eyes wandering across each of them. Ridley took this opportunity to speak.
"Samus Aran," he sneered. "So you've finally come. Do you think yourself capable of handling all of us?"
She didn't respond, but continued to stare at Ridley. The space dragon found her silence somewhat unnerving, but decided to disregard it.
"ATTACK!" he screamed, and all hell broke loose.
Aran briefly charged a missile, then fired it off at the nearest pirate. As it struck, a wide explosion issued forth from it, diffusing across the whole room and knocking each of the pirates back. None of them were killed by the attack, though, and they then began their attack in earnest, pressing in against the Hunter, forcing her to fight for her life. At that point, she was forced to fire off uncharged shots and missiles; she didn't have enough time to charge them up.
Ridley saw where this battle was going, though. He was expecting it, and eagerly anticipating it. His predictions were confirmed when he saw the first pirate fall.
The first pirate to die was hit by a Super Missile. It was knocked back into its comrades, briefly incapacitating them and giving Aran some slight breathing room. She used the opportunity to charge her beam, and fired it off at the horde, killing three more. The attacks resumed promptly, but the tides were slowly changing in Aran's favor.
Ridley continued to watch the battle from afar, but the Hunter had other plans. In the midst of her attacks, she aimed her arm cannon at Ridley and sent a Super Missile his way. Surprised, the space dragon only barely managed to fly out of the way. In anger, he spat a fireball at Aran, which, thanks to her limited moving room, was a direct hit. She seemed somewhat satisfied, though…
Was she trying to involve him in the fight?
As the battle went on, Aran continued to send an attack Ridley's way at every opportunity, forcing the space dragon to keep on his toes. Some of the attacks managed to connect successfully, a lapse in his reflexes. He was infuriated by these, but resolved not to involve himself in the fight; not until the rest of the soldiers were killed, anyway.
She was down to thirty, now; the room was strewn with dead pirates. While Aran had, at first, been forced to take the defensive, she was now going all out on the offensive; the pirates continued their onslaught, but it wasn't enough. It was whittling her down, but they would be dead before she was.
And when the last shot hit, and the last pirate fell to the ground dead, the Hunter was victorious.
She turned to Ridley, fire blazing in her eyes. He clapped mockingly. "Very good," he jeered. "But I would expect no less from the Hunter."
Still no response from her.
"But now it's my turn," he said, resolving to continue the conversation on his own.
With that, he screeched and flew in her direction, mouth ablaze. Before she could get out of the way, he grabbed her in one claw and slammed her against the wall before unleashing the most ferocious wave of fire he could muster. He expected to hear her scream with pain, but there was still no sound from the Hunter. Ridley was confused. Why was she so unusually silent…?
When at least the stream of fire ended, Aran hung limp there, her armor scorched, her visor stained with soot. She attempted to lift her arm cannon, but even that task seemed beyond her strength.
"I was hoping for this, you know," Ridley hissed, trying to get a response out of her. "You would spend all your energy on fighting my troops, then I could end you myself. You fell right into my trap, Aran! You…"
Just then, he noticed something odd. Her eyes…
Those were not her eyes.
He grabbed the helmet and pulled it off. "You're not Aran," Ridley murmured in shock.
"Surprise," Tarus Wesley spat, lifting the arm cannon and giving Ridley a Super Missile to the face.