Hey! These characters in this next chapter are mine! Don't anybody steal them, or you will be in huge trouble. (discounting Romulun, I don't own him, Chris the Cat does)

Still cogitating the odd and bothersome appearance of Jake, I grumbled to myself while speed-walking through the halls and towards my ship. "Doesn't make sense... Came out of nowhere... Burning... Corpse..." I replayed seeing the fire engulfing the cardboard casket, wondering how in this world I would move on without my best friend.

But that was a long time ago. I certainly didn't feel that way now.

I decided to review my data to take my mind off of him. The sight of Cray Jack's face easily removed the anger I was harboring and transformed it into curiosity. How was one sole Hirivion loose in the stars a bad thing? Were they dangerous in any way? Why was locking them up in a Galaxy the number one priority for the Federation?

Why Cray?

I sighed and shook my head, strolling past that Yaari girl again. She stepped by in her crazily heeled feet, intentionally giving me no notice at all. I was confused. Wasn't she my 'biggest fan?' I slowed down and turned my head to watch her click around a corner. Before she disappeared, her golden eye flickered to me, and a sinister smile upturned the corner of her full-lipped mouth. Stopping, my feet almost took me after her, but I knew my next destination, and it wasn't wherever Yaari was going. I had to ignore her for now.

I came back round and resumed walking down the passage, all the while my eyes working at breakneck pace to read each article in the Cray files. Apparently, his full name was Cray Jack, he was indeed Hirivion, and his parents were killed during a revolt on planet Ionea. He is an only child, extremely smart with an IQ of 200, and superior in evasion and stealth. He was just as I had seen him in Brig, eight foot, cunning, six playful yellow eyes, deep red hair, dark skin, and armed with claws and experience. I continued to scroll through the paragraphs.

I almost did a double take at his age: 2,743. How in the world was he that old? He seemed no older than me at 22, he didn't even look that aged. Based on his build and youthful voice, I figured he was a particularly young Hirivion. But I still couldn't quite grasp how they lived to be so old, and look so... good...

Ugh, what am I thinking? Cray Jack is a fugitive, whom I must collect at all costs. After pushing thoughts of him away from my head, I put the files back into my Logbook under the category Bounty, and completely forgot about everything but taking him and my reward once I was through. That was a lot of money on his head...

It was near the docking bay where my ship was that I saw them. Six mysterious looking beings that stuck out on Olympus like sore thumbs. I surveyed each of them closely...

The youngest one there was leaning against the wall looking terribly bored. He was human, lanky, and looked about fifteen, with slate gray irises that had no pupils. He stared off into the distance blankly, his gaze glossy. The shaggy hair that fell over his eyes partially was a sleek black, his skin contrasting it as corpse pale. He wore a tight fitting jumpsuit that was matching to his dark locks, and was armed with straps across his chest that harbored daggers, guns, and other sorts of weaponry.

The second oldest boy in the crowd seemed human, and nineteen. He had flaming orange hair that was spiked but flyaway, and his glowing green eyes were focused on a cigarette lighter he was igniting on and off. His skin was average, and marked only by a smooth scar that was etched under his right eye. I noticed he was dressed rather casually, in a loose teal t-shirt and baggy cargo pants. He wore heavy boots, whose toes tapped to the rhythm the headphones were blaring that the next person wore over their horns.

They were absolutely bizarre, though that reason I was still pondering on. The headphone wearing being caught my eye more than the pale boy had. He was very tall, with rough, scaly skin that was shiny bronze. His eyes were pure black, slanted, like a dragon's. Four fingers on both hands were clutched around a large iPod, clicking the buttons with the white claws on the tips. I thought he was some sort of deranged man till I saw the wings protruding out of his back, deep yellowish-brown and spiked on the tops. The sails of his wings were the charcoaled color of his eyes, very strong and could probably whip up gales swiftly. Sharp fangs sat atop the bottom lip of the long muzzle, and the nostrils on the snout were flaring and closing steadily. He wore nothing but a thick belt around the hips, which was filled with grenades.

Next to the monster was a burly thing about nine feet in height. This cyborg looking beast was heavily armored from head to foot, the plating grungy and adorned with scratches and dents. The helmet was bowl shaped, the curved top rising sharply upward on a dull spike. A single, jutting eye was in the middle of the head wear, glimmering red and focused intently downward on who it was talking to.

The man chatting to the robot was relatively short, and had a deep voice. I could only tell those features on him, for he was clothed in a flowing purple cloak and hood that disguised what he looked like.

I continued on the last two men, who seemed the most normal out of this odd clutter of lifeforms. One of them, wearing a long white lab coat with brass buttons stood solitary, his eyes masked by the goggles he had over his paled skin. I noticed that his hair was deep brown and rough, making it look like he had just awoken. Long, ugly scars dripped from his scalp, running down his expressionless face down to his cheekbones. I noticed that his jaw was set, mouth in a tight line as he fumbled with a syringe in his black gloved hand.

The final 'ordinary' man was conversing to a GFED personnel. He was middle-aged; not too old, not too young. His profile was visible, and I found myself staring at a dark eye patch covering his right eye. He had a friendly looking face, despite the dozens of yet more scars that tattooed him. A short, ebony, thin mustache topped his upper lip below his nose, and a small, matching colored soul patch dotted his heroic chin. His jawbone was bold, making him look ten times tougher than that robotic character I had previously inspected. The smooth black hair that cropped his head wasn't oily or tousled like the orange head's was, and he was clothed rather nicely in a navy blue vest with a white under shirt and dark sapphire dress pants.

I then saw the red sewn word on his sleeve, and went stiff.

Feather.

Quickening my pace, and keeping my gaze off the frightening party, I bit my lip. They were the owners of those creepy ships parked outside the Olympus. I sped by them, trying to look inconspicuous even though I was internally freaking out. There was something else that was bothering me about that name, but no matter how hard I thought, nothing but a nagging, blurry memory appeared. I grunted to myself as I passed the Feathers, shooting the shield on the door and stepping through to the dock.

Crossing the floor in swift strides, I totally ignored the salutes and compliments about my triumphs from the soldiers. The sentry tried to catch my attention, but I shrugged it off and didn't even glance at him. Stepping onto my ship and ordering it upward, I paid little heed to the eye patched man's mahogany stare that bore into me as I rose into my fighter.

Sitting hard in my chair, I shoved the buttons harshly down, demanding to get to Arondite. My ship was being aggravatingly slow at this moment, and I screamed at it to hurry up. As it obeyed (finally), I laid back in the seat and exhaled, trying to calm my shot nerves. Why in the world was I flipping over this? I couldn't face the fact that I was overreacting to a few syllables and some stitched letters on a shirt. Practically tugging the thruster lever out of its socket, my vessel at last got airborne, leaving the docking bay and entering hyper jump at nearly 600 miles an hour.

Streaking across the stars, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the beats of my heart. Thump... thump... thump... It was an infinite pattern, as was my breathing and ticks of my racing thoughts. "Calm, come to peace with your inner soul, Hatchling. Being worried is no way to begin the day, Samus," I recalled the wisdom of the Chozo that raised me, smiling that I still remembered his teachings. His kind emotions stuck out to me, and I started to relax. Thanks, dad, I thought merrily, visualizing him.

I also thought of someone else, and frowned. The sight of his body being impaled, the sounds of his screams, and horridness of his blue blood raining from the ice spears crumbled my rest. I became cold. Darn it, Rundas!

Because I was going so fast through space, I arrived at Arondite before I knew it. The ship heaved to an abrupt and breath-knocking stop, causing me to be flung from my chair and onto the ground in a heap. Getting up and clenching my teeth in pain -I had landed on an open tool box- I stood and readied every weapon in my arsenal to retrieve Cray Jack. He wasn't back sassing me today. More or less escaping with a skip in his step. I cocked my plasma beam, smirking.

Piloting manually to Arondite's surface, I considered the places he would be. Brig. That was pretty much it. I scowled in confusion. I couldn't tell whether this would be easy or difficult.

Guess I'd just have to find out. I smirked again.

Landing passed in a blur as I imagined Cray's shock when I took him in. This would be pleasant, and I couldn't wait anymore, so I hopped out of the fighter and onto the crunchy pebbles, walking proudly towards Brig. It seemed unchanged from the outside, still foul with dirt and thugs. At least I was properly armed this time. There would be no mercy for Cray Jack.

I busted through the double doors, entering the familiar tavern. It was still populated with nasty alien men, all of them looking towards me simultaneously. Bigsly, the now somehow all right bartender glanced as well, and went statue stiff with the rest of the bar. The glasses he had been grasping crashed to the gritty floor.

"Samus?"

"Samus Aran?"

"That can't be her! She wouldn't come here... would she?"

"It is her, you dolt! Isn't that armor proof enough fer ya?" Whispered conversations buzzed about at my presence.

I took a step forward, the place falling pin drop quiet as before. "Where is he?" I asked aloud in a stern voice.

Someone coughed. It took a few moments for Bigsly to gain up the courage to speak up. "Who, S-s-samus?" he stuttered, ice blue eyes like saucers.

I walked further into Brig, looking at each and every bar patron. A few near the edges of the littered pathway cringed from me, their eyes wide too. "Cray Jack," I said slowly, scouring the terrified faces for the Hirivion's. I couldn't find him. "I know he's hiding here somewhere, now where is he?"

A few heads turned to others, chattering lowly and in fear. The majority stayed watching me, ready to book it out of Brig in case I decided to fire some shots. But I kept my finger away from the trigger, out of temptation's reach, luckily for them.

"We don't have him, Samus," Bigsly stuttered, tone barely audible. "If I'm allowed to ask... what do ya want with 'im?"

I chuckled. "If you're asking that question, then he's got to be around this junk heap." I strolled to the counter, the only alien occupying the stool there diving off and scuttling away, whimpering and leaving his jug of alcohol unattended. "You're trying to see that if you give him to me, you might be rewarded..." I said coolly, staring at the bartender with a raised eyebrow. "...eh, Bigsly?"

He swallowed, a bead of sweat running down his temple. I sighed. "I've asked nicely. Don't make me take him by force." I raised my cannon in a swift movement, the glowing barrel of plasma on Bigsly's trembling face. The bar goers gasped. "Now, where is Cray Jack?"

He merely shook his head, killing my hopes that he would comply. "Please?" I asked a final time, the targeting system aimed right between his eyes. "I don't want to make a mess." Bigsly sweated vigorously now, and with a quivering lip, he whined: "In the storage!" The beat up door to my left was gestured at by his madly shaking finger. "Don't shoot me, Samus Aran, I beseech you!"

Smiling kindly, I lowered my weapon. "Thanks, Bigsly," I watched him stiffen less considerably. "By the way," removing my helmet, and letting my ponytail unfurl, I nodded at him. "thanks for treating me so kindly. I appreciate it."

When my helmet was gone, the entire bar was taken over by an air of complete flabbergasted shock. I felt every eye on me, and nearly heard all jaws drop in stun. "It's the tough fox!" someone exclaimed; the same voice from before, after I had conquered Hiran. Putting my head gear back on, I went to the storage access door, grinning the entire walk over to it.

I opened it quickly, entering. I stopped in my tracks as I heard a series of pops, signaling that a gun was being loaded. My sight found Cray Jack, standing in the corner of the shelves lined with drinks. His eyes were blazing with caution, a stiff line his once sneering mouth. His ears were down low on his head, and while in a fighting stance with his knees bent, the still position of the rifle he had in hands was locked onto me. "So you found me," he said in a monotone, clearly unhappy voice.

I shrugged. "I'm a hunter. It's what I do for a living."

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted Bigsly. He can't hold up a lie, that squealer," Cray grumbled, his teeth sharp as he talked through them. "I'd heard some chick was coming after me, though I never thought those cowards would send the famous Samus Aran." His tone was angered and betrayed.

"I have quite a reputation. Why wouldn't they?" I smiled, keeping myself as unmoving as possible. That gun looked harmless, but I knew by the package of bullets that sat near his feet, those were enhanced projectiles, ones that could pierce through anything. Even Chozo made armor. "The most skilled evader, versus the most skilled tracker."

"I suppose so," he growled. "What do you plan to do, Samus? Talk me into coming with you? Or are you going to fight me?"

I straightened up. "I'm not much a talker, so I think I'll just battle you!" I shot forward, cannon ready to fire.

"Good!" Cray's toothy smile was disturbing as he shouted in a vengeful voice: "I've been itching to kill someone!"

We came at each other at high speed, colliding in a flurry of weapon fire and punches. He was good at dodging, but I was most capable at aiming his pressure points with my plasma cannon. A few times the smell of his sizzling skin filled the air, but that was quickly replaced by the stench of alcohol.

Cray grabbed me by the shoulder pad, hurling me across the room and into one of the shelves. An explosion of wine came after my contact, the liquid blinding me temporarily and making my head spin. I shook off the dizzy feeling and wiped my visor, only to see his snarling face coming at me with a fist cracking into me head on.

The screen fuzzed out, and afterward a split appeared across the glass. I rolled to the side, escaping another punch that made Cray cry out. Once my visor cleared, I looked at his bloody knuckles, glass shards sticking out of them. He furiously grabbed a handful, yanking them from his skin and hollering. I seized this opportunity to thwack him across the back of the head with my gun.

He wasn't expecting that, and fell forward, struggling to remain conscious. I got to my feet, darting to the sill heaped with beverages. I laid my hand and arm gun on the edge, pushing with all my might. The huge shelf began to tip with a groan.

I stood back and watched Cray's eyes go wide and his mouth open to scream. But he never succeeded, and was flattened by the might and weight of the cabinet that fell onto his body.

After the breaking glass quieted, I glimpsed my prey's hand from under the shelf. He was motionless, but right when I stepped towards him, the hand curled into a fist. His other hand appeared, and he dragged himself halfway from the wreckage, cut and bleeding. "I'll have y'know, girl... I don't die easy..." he mumbled with a sadistic grin, eyes flashing with malice.

I pointed my weapon down to him, face hard with concentration.

A boom sounded outside the storage room, shaking the floor with dust cascading from the ceiling. Cray and I both looked around, wondering what that tremor was. Then the ceiling overhead utterly disintegrated, a huge transporter ship lowering itself till the belly only just topped the room.

Its hatch opened, and the cyborg from Olympus hopped out, a wide, rotted toothed grin spreading over his face. He laughed, the fire haired boy and pale kid joining him with large guns in their hands.

I looked to Cray as he grunted, "That's my queue-" and roared. He broke through the shelf, hopping to his feet and dashing across the glass strewn ground to the open door. I heard him pushing through the bar attendants in the next room over, shrieking, "Out of my way!"

My company didn't seem to take notice of him, and watched me with gut-wrenching smirks on their faces. I readied myself for a fight.

Then Yaari, the cloaked figure, and dragon joined the three already standing before me. They too, were armed.

"What is this? Who are you?" I asked.

The last person jumped from the ship. The eye patched man with the stitched FEATHER on his shoulder came forward, smiling in a nonchalant way. He looked at me closely, arms behind his back. "We are the Feather Corp., Samus. I am Romulun," he laid a hand on his chest. "And these are N'rock, Shar, Xalt," he motioned to the cyborg first, then the flamed haired teen, and the dead looking boy. "...Yaari, Glin, and Brek." The purple insect woman's, the hooded figure's, and the dragon's names were all revealed.

I stared at Romulun, trying to comprehend what was happening. They had followed me here? And were answering my request?

"As for what this is, well it's a burglary, per se," Romulun continued, his smile still eerily cheerful. He snapped his fingers before I could even wonder what he meant.

I then was jumped by N'rock, who sped forward almost invisibly and caught me in a headlock. Squirming, I tried to go against him, only to receive a powerful punch to the gut by my capturer. I sucked in air as much as I could, but not much entered my lungs.

Someone else came by, but I could only see their booted feet. Something pricked the back of my neck. It was slight at first, but then became painful and burning. I howled almost mutely, twisting around and watching my Logbook be opened and the files on Cray Jack be removed from my Bounty category at incredible speed.

"No, no, no!" my words were choked.

The data hack was complete, and I was released. But just as I was about to get up, a sharp blow to the back of my skull rendered me unconscious.

"Thanks, Sammy..."