Two Years Later
Congressman Keaton grunted as the roar of the hall filled his ears. He shuffled in his seat, bemoaning the gullibility of his colleagues as the blustering chairman filled the arena with noise. Ever since accepting the job, it seemed like all he had been doing was listening to Vogl's continuous speeches, each one a theatrical extravaganza of sensational dialogue but with little to no force behind the words. Election certainly was not worth torture like this.
He wished he was back on his home planet, for Daiban was not exactly his definition of a quiet world. The entire planet was comprised of huge city-states, each one a sprawling metropolis that stretched for hundreds of miles across the world's surface. As the capital of the Milky Way as well as the headquarters of the Galactic Federation, Daiban did indeed suffice as a good meeting point due to its proximity to the center of the galaxy, but it lacked a certain flair that Keaton desired. It was too…clean, too crowded. There were no landscapes in the vicinity that made the planet stand out in his mind, apart from the bustling traffic.
The congressman scratched the back of his head, twitching his tall ears and brushing over his two antennas. The green skinned alien wished for a more rustic place to congregate, as he detested the urban cityscape of Daiban itself. A thin man, Keaton realized that his stature was not so intimidating compared to the other races in the galaxy, but he had learned to make up for it with his sharp mind. He prized brains over brawn and his planet certainly saw his qualities as suitable for a position in congress. What he did not expect was the distinct lack of smarts that plagued his colleagues, especially the chairman. It was a clear leader that the galaxy needed, not one who continually made empty promises, and every general meeting served to make Keaton detest his post more and more.
Keaton sighed in his seat, causing some congressmen to look over at him with disdain. He didn't care, for it seemed that he was the only rationally thinking person in this huge amphitheater atop of the Assembly Hall. Rows upon rows of men and women sat in bleachers forming a circle around the central dais, where the chairman was currently standing. The dais itself was suspended over the Assembly gardens and a clear dome on the bottom of the floor gave congress an unimpeded view of the courtyard below. A huge vidscreen hung in the middle, a tool designed to augment the chairman's words with visual splendor. A tried and true method to gain support in congress, a fact that Keaton hated to admit.
Chairman Vogl was a large man, something that Keaton resented. The alien's four frontal horns were draped in ceremonial metal coverings, while the rear ones were covered by an ornamental sheet. Combined with the flowing robe he wore, Vogl looked regal in his getup. The camera drones hovering about him seemed to fuel his intensity, knowing that he was being projected across the galaxy for an audience. He had all the qualities of a broadcaster, but not a chairman, Keaton thought.
Vogl threw his hands in the air, the signal for order to fall upon the congress. When the noise had died down to half the volume, the chairman spoke, his unnaturally booming voice unaided by audio enhancements. "Congressmen of the Galactic Federation!" he roared as usual, causing Keaton to roll his eyes, "I thank you all for assembling on such short notice. I will not trouble all of you with a speech today, but instead, I ask you to please look at the vidscreen above."
"That's a first," Keaton muttered savagely, causing him to be shushed.
As the video began to boot up over the assembly, Vogl continued to talk. "I will preface this with a little context, of course. What you are about to see is a collection of footage compiled from Federation units assigned to oversee the colony worlds in the Neogatta Nebula. An incident transpired yesterday that I believe that you all should see. I do warn you that the contents may be disturbing, but I want you to see it regardless."
"What do we care about that good-for-nothing lot?!" a radical yelled in the back row.
Vogl ignored him, as did Keaton, who was similarly astounded that such a loudmouth would broadcast his words in a recorded gathering. Most likely, the man would find himself looking for a new job within the week. While it was true that many of the interior worlds held disdain for the colonies as they put pressure on their host planets for resources, such outbursts were looked down upon in a public forum.
By now the video had begun playing, and every congressman in attendance looked up at the images. A few overhead shots depicted what looked like a settlement near an ocean. Smoke raised to the side of the shot, emitted from an orange glow upon a few of the buildings, a fire. Mercifully, the establishing shot was cut short which would have led to audible speculation of the film's contents, to an angle on the ground, most likely collected from a surveillance camera.
Keaton leaned forward in astonishment, as did a few other members, as a collection of humanoids were revealed through the glare in the video to walk towards the nearby cliff upon which the settlement had been situated. Keaton could see that there were two distinct groups in the footage, one huddled mass that was closer to the cliff, and another more staggered and aggressive group urging them on. Keaton did not recognize the group of aliens near the cliff side, but he could tell enough simply by the stance of the latter one that they were Space Pirates spread out in a killing formation and Keaton noted that they were guiding hostages – the colonists.
The claws of the Space Pirates were all open, and for a moment, Keaton thought they were going to execute the colonists right on the screen, but the insectoid aliens did not fire. Rather, they urged their prisoners closer and closer to the cliff, and suddenly Keaton realized what they were about to do.
In a matter of seconds, the colonists, their clothing torn, some not wearing anything at all, began to bunch up near the crumbling edge. Silently, the helpless victims began to tumble to their death as the Pirates closed in, pushing the colonists into an uncontrollable mass. Even through the grainy quality, Keaton could see an alien colonist, a child in her arms, hesitate for a split second before she willingly jumped off the cliff into the water below, knowing that her fate was sealed if she lingered. Keaton shut his eyes, feeling nauseous, and he could hear the soft sounds of a few congressmen and women crying. Respectfully, the video shut off after that gruesome shot and Keaton found that he was able to breathe easier.
Vogl, looking satisfied, scanned the looks of his colleagues for a few seconds before he projected his voice once more. "The footage you just saw was the first definitive proof we have received in months of a Space Pirate attack. This makes the planet Naishi one of the two hundred worlds that the Pirates have conquered so far. My friends, this has gone on long enough! We have been lax for far too long! Do you think that two hundred worlds will be enough to satiate the Pirate horde?"
A resounding "NO!" swept the chamber, Keaton with a respectful shake.
"And do you think that we, the Federation, have a duty to prevent another world from being conquered?"
"YES!" the assembly roared.
"We can remain silent no more! Retribution for the Space Pirates must be doled out swiftly! As a united Federation, resolute against the storm, we can persevere!"
Vogl raised his arm and smiled at the swarm of approval. Keaton joined in the clapping, but he held other concerns. It was true that Vogl was heading in the right direction, but, if he considered the chairman's ham-fisted way of approaching problems, there was most likely cause for worry. He was about to make a motion to reply when a multi-eyed alien near the front beat him to it.
"Chairman Vogl!" the alien called, his chair levitating to make him stand out against his peers.
"Congressman Aegil," Vogl replied, waving his hands graciously. "What is it you wish to add?"
"Merely to clarify the situation," the alien dipped its head. "Many of the colonies were formed to keep their governance at arm's length. Some might see as an escalation of military forces as an aggressive move on our part."
"They very well may!" Vogl boomed. "But we will have to maintain order amongst our forces to show the colonies that the occupation of their worlds is for their benefit, not their punishment."
"Respectfully, chairman, some colonists might not see it that way. They might think the Federation as no better than the Space Pirates if we forcefully occupy their lands."
"While it's true that there are several members amongst the colonies that harbor resentment for us, they will be forced to concede that we are the lesser of two evils, an expression, mind you, but the logic should convince the naysayers that we are not the enemy in this case. The Pirates are!"
The assembly was again engulfed in noise. The chairman's name was chanted, Keaton fidgeted again in his seat, but the congressman in the front did not sit back down yet. Vogl seemed to realize this and waved his hands for order once more, allowing the alien to say his piece.
"One final thing, chairman. You speak of utilizing our forces to defend the colonies, but our military presence is insubstantial to defend all of the fringe worlds at once. What kind of actions would be considered to boost the numbers of our forces?"
"An excellent question," Vogl answered with flair. "It would stand to reason that promoting recruitment would be the obvious choice, given the circumstances. I would not be so bold as to proclaim that a draft be enacted, but the current situation should be brought to light in such a manner that would emphasize its severity to any world. Incentives would be provided, such as alleviation of taxes, a steady source of income to any able-bodied man or woman who enlists, and other potential benefits would be considered that could have the potential to rally our citizens to fight the Pirate menace!"
The idea seemed to go over well with the assembly as judged by the volume of the congress' response, and the congressman who posed the question sat back down in satisfaction. But Keaton found himself brimming with a desire for more information, and, hidden by the roar of the crowd, he gently tapped an icon on his chair's armrest, respectfully signaling his desire to speak.
His chair rose above the horde and Vogl eyed the man with apprehension. "Congressman Keaton," he stated loudly from his wide mouth. "What addendum do you wish to provide this congress with?"
The spiraled tail twisting from Keaton's head was twitching in his nervousness, but he somehow found the courage to move his platform closer to the chairman, wanting to see the man's reaction. "I just would like to proceed further with Congressman Aegil's line of thinking, chairman." He took a swallow before moving on. "Expanding our current military power would send a message to the Pirates, yes, but it would also send a message to the people we represent. Such a move, despite your assurances, would invariably involve the common man in this case. Now, I'm not referring to the probability of a draft being enacted, but I would like to point out that this course of action takes us dangerously close to a crisis at home."
"This is a crisis, congressman!" Vogl yelled, the crowd supporting him in his cry. "The 'common man' will be involved, as you said, by his being aware that his very survival is at stake. His involvement will be made out of a willingness to serve, not by force, but by his own hand alone!"
"Regardless," Keaton pressed, "we need to exercise caution if we are to continue with this debate. What we are discussing, Chairman Vogl, is war."
"What we are discussing, Congressman Keaton, is justice conquering evil!" His face was now inches from Keaton's at this point. "You may call it war, or a conflict, or even a full-on disaster for what I care! Am I to assume that you are opposing any actions by this body to retaliate from the blood being spilled? That seems like the more dangerous out of our lines of thinking to me."
Keaton inwardly scowled at Vogl's perversion of his words. He managed to ignore the boos and jeers by taking another deep breath, careful not to follow through with his thought in punching the smug chairman in the face. "I do not oppose the use of force for the reasons you mentioned," he said carefully, "but only that you consider the ramifications of such a decision. If we choose to push for war, we could find our ways of living drastically becoming altered. Our economies will be shaken, thousands may lose jobs, and our budget will be used up by the push to create a war machine out of the Federation. It is my wish that we consider these issues thoughtfully before blindly pushing on to the problem at hand."
"A good point, congressman," Vogl said. "But one could see that the construction of such a machine would invariably create jobs out of this crisis." He used the word again, to strum up another cry of approval. "Wouldn't our economy be bolstered by shifting productions to the important products that we designate? Rifles, battleships, equipment…"
"A war economy," Keaton sighed. "While the effects might not be immediate, chairman, I urge you to consider the effects not from transitioning into such a state, but from the return out of it. It is much easier to tear down a foundation than to build it back up."
That bought him a round of applause, the sound jarring to Keaton. He didn't mind that it was significantly more staggered than the collective cacophony that Vogl always managed to procure, but it was a victory nonetheless. Keaton tilted his head upward and shot the glowering chairman a tight smile before he tapped at his platform to return him to his regular seat.
"Thank you for your consideration, chairman," Keaton said.
"Congressman Keaton!"
Keaton turned at the voice, drawn out of his thoughts as he paced the ornate hallways of the Assembly building. Rows and rows of offices ran down tall passageways and the windows let the light from the sun sparkle on the polished stone floor. Keaton smiled, his heels clacking on the ground, to face the pair of Chozo headed his way. The shorter of the two appeared to have a white rodent clinging onto the back of his head, but Keaton let it slide, as the man tended to be on the eccentric side.
"Old Bird," Keaton bent his head respectfully and he nodded at the taller Chozo that hung back. "Gray Voice, good to see you both again."
"Likewise, congressman," Gray Voice said as he shuffled away to let Old Bird talk to Keaton alone.
"I was unaware that you were in the system, Old Bird," Keaton said apologetically. "Had I known, I would have contacted you sooner."
"Work has been catching up with me," Old Bird clarified, "but I wanted to make time to bring awareness to myself on behalf of the Chozo about the goings on of the galaxy. We owe the Federation that much."
"Then I assume you managed to catch Vogl's drabble about pushing ahead into open conflict?"
"Yes, I did. I also saw your own glowing speech that you made. You made some very good points and it was admirable how you managed to be respectful to the chairman when voicing your concerns."
"You honor me, but I doubt it will do any good," Keaton scowled. "It's deplorable, what this Federation has devolved to. We were a body formed with the intent to maintain peace between the galaxy, but our desire to enforce it through war is shattering the foundations on which this congress was established."
"Perhaps you feel that the conflict between the Pirates can be resolved amicably?"
Keaton snorted. "Personally, I doubt it, Old Bird. But what I do not understand is that the congress can make such a decision so rashly, when they are failing to look at the bigger picture! If we are to go to war, we need to approach it pragmatically, not through the usual brute force method that Vogl condones. If we continue on this current path, we will most likely bring about the destruction of the Space Pirates at the cost of our own Federation. A middle ground has to be met!"
Old Bird swayed a bit on his stick and the rodent that was perched on the Chozo's head scurried down to the floor, ears high in the air as if he was eagerly listening to the conversation. "I can only hope," Old Bird said sadly, "that the Federation will learn the error of their ways and adopt a more cautious attitude like yours. I share your sentiment, but I have to concede that the chairman is trying to grasp for a resolution the only way he knows how. It may be the wrong way, but such things take time to adopt. Everything will come into balance eventually. All it takes is time."
The Chozo fiddled around with something in his pocket and procured a small datapad, the surface glowing. Old Bird sighed as he activated the device. "Speaking of time, it is something that I have very little of at the moment. I'm afraid I must depart, Keaton, for there remains a great many things that I need to accomplish."
Keaton nodded in understanding but he managed to catch a glimpse of the datapad that Old Bird was now holding close to his chest. He didn't have enough time to figure out what it was but it looked like it displayed a diagram of a circular organism with what appeared to be teeth lining the bottom. Keaton arched an eyebrow for a split second before he recovered. "I won't keep you any longer, Old Bird. It was a pleasure seeing you again. Do tell me the next time you plan to be in the system. I'm afraid that I'll still be stuck here, much to my chagrin."
"I shall do just that. Goodbye, Keaton." Both gave short bows to the other before they departed in different directions. As he made to turn a corner, Keaton stole a glance behind him, watching Old Bird move out to the landing pad with Gray Voice. He suddenly got a funny feeling that the Chozo would not keep his promise of returning, and his thoughts turned to that odd organism that he saw on the datapad. After spending a few seconds contemplating what it was, Keaton gave a mental shrug and continued on his way, back towards his own office.
It was probably nothing important.
Planet Jigrad
As far as out-of-the-way colonies went, Jigrad had to be one of the nicer ones. At least from the vantage point the figure was situated on, for they had no way of knowing if any other part of the planet happened to be as nice as this, or that it was a complete dump. From their perch, they could see down the forested mountainside, watching it slope down to the coast. Rocky islands loomed from the sea and the cloudless sky caused the ocean to sparkle.
It would have been a nice place to relax, if it wasn't for the commotion occurring directly at the shoreline.
The figure lifted their macro-binoculars again and surveyed the scene once more. Directly on a small cliff, there was a structure that looked to be in the process of construction. Scaffolding rose up around the stone ziggurat where workers labored to put it together. It was only five stories tall, but it was the only significant structure in the area. If the figure panned down, they could spot a tiny opening at the bottom of the cliff where workers were hauling materials out of the shaft. That meant a mine of sorts.
What brought the figure's blood to a boil, though, was the fact that all of the workers milling about the construction site were humans, poorly garbed, and that they were in the presence of their merciless overseers, the Space Pirates. The figure zoomed in on a group of laborers who were carrying mud from a dig site, noting their pained and worn faces while the taller, insectoid Pirates reveled in their suffering.
Another planet brought to its knees, forced into subjugation by an oppressive guest.
The scurrying of feet on a slope alerted the figure and they lowered their macro-binoculars in anticipation. They relaxed as two additional figures, wearing the same green and brown camouflage uniform, slowed their descent and walked over to the ledge, keen to carry out more surveillance.
"Kreatz, Mauk," the first figure greeted the new arrivals. "How did the uplink go to command?"
"Not too good," the thinner of the two said as he threw back his hood, revealing a wiry young man with messy hair and long, pointed ears. Kreatz was only eighteen years old but he was one of the best support units in the Star-Trackers, the specialist arm of the Federation Police, a position that he liked to brag about to anyone within earshot. He had a big mouth but meant well. "Chief Hardy reports that the Pirates are in control of the entire system. There wasn't much in the way of defenses against an invading force this size. Not in this place."
"They've achieved complete control and nothing to oppose them is in sight," the taller of the two added as he too removed his hood. Mauk stood at least two heads taller than Kreatz and had huge powerful arms covered in a thick black fur. The man also possessed a busy mane that gave him a wild look, but Mauk was always gentle with his comrades. It was his enemies that had to watch out, though. "We spotted no additional tangos from the peak so we know they're local to this area only. Unless, they've received any additional reinforcements since we've been away, Samus?"
Now the first figure unzipped their hood and Samus shook out her blond hair, combing out the tangles from it being bunched up in the stealthy clothing. At sixteen years old, Corporal Samus Aran had more military experience than the average grunt, her Chozo training being a boon to her placement in the Star-Trackers. Not to mention that her conduct at the academy qualified her for any branch she so desired, and eventually selected the Police branch of the Federation. Through the military, she could now be able to take the fight to the Pirates, along with the backing of the entire Federation to boot. That was how she had met Kreatz and Mauk, finding the two to be quite good comrades.
For a first mission, things were going well so far.
Samus pulled a band from her pocket and began to tie her hair up in a ponytail. A few strands fell down her face in twin locks and she simply left them there. "There hasn't been any sign of reserve forces for the Pirates," she commented dryly. "The number is still at twenty-four, including the leader."
Samus handed the macro-binoculars to Kreatz and he took them. He zoomed in on the rightmost base of the half-finished ziggurat and immediately saw the leader that Samus was referring to. As opposed to his subordinates, the leader in question was a heavyset Pirate, reclining atop a makeshift throne. A robe was thrown over his back and he wore a smug smile as he surveyed the progress that his slaves were making. Juice from a fruit that the alien was eating dripped onto the Pirate's chest, causing Kreatz to make a sound of disgust.
Kreatz silently handed the lens over to Mauk so he could see. The huge alien took his time through the binoculars before lifting his head back up. "We still haven't determined why they're making the colonists build that…thing," he muttered, slight perturbed at the construction display. "It almost looks like a temple of sorts."
Tapping her fingers against a rock, Samus sighed. "The strange thing is that we've never reported this kind of behavior from the Pirates before. The bulk of their main forces have moved on from this system after two months but this seems to be the only major contingent left behind. And for some reason they're making the colonists perform construction for some reason."
"Perhaps it's meant as a monument to their own 'greatness,'" Kreatz scowled. "They might just be planting markers to highlight the extent of their empire."
"By forcing the natives to build the structure manually instead of utilizing machines," Mauk added sourly, his deep voice rumbling. "Probably a tactic used to humiliate their captives and worsen their suffering."
As he spoke, Mauk looked through the macro-binoculars again, aimlessly drifting from one person to the next. He spotted some gazes flitting to the top of the structure and he looked up just in time to see a Pirate extend his arm and shoot a colonist in the face for no discernable reason, causing the decapitated body to tumble down the stairs, leaving bloody streaks.
"Shit," he muttered out loud, looking away from the gristly sight. He didn't know what had set the Pirate off, but it was clear that hospitality was not among their chief qualities on this planet. Many of the humans jumped in shock and stared at the headless body as it crumpled in a heap at the base of the steep steps.
Samus noted the sight too, as evidenced from the tiny cries of horror that she could hear all the way up the cliff. "When did the Chief say that the other recon teams would arrive?" she gritted, torn at the prospect of innocents getting hurt.
"An hour, minimum," Kreatz sighed. "After that we're all going to group up and attempt to take out the occupying force. At least, that's still the game plan."
"Something tells me that an hour won't be soon enough," Mauk grimaced.
Samus inwardly agreed and was about to duck down to maximize their stealthy presence when a slew of more horrified noises echoed up the mountainside. Frowning, she grabbed the binoculars from Mauk and leaned over the ledge again. From what she could tell, several of the colonists were shouting in a panic, but not taking any action. Following their gazes, she proceeded until she found a Pirate walking in from the direction of the razed colony, a line of new captives all tied together by rope helplessly following him as he dragged them along.
Samus clenched the grips of the binoculars so tightly that she thought she could shatter the lens. There was something completely wrong about these new workers, something that sent a chill down her spine at the mere sight of them. Suddenly, an hour definitely seemed too short for her.
"Those are kids!" she whispered, causing Kreatz and Mauk to sit up in alarm.
Indeed they were, for the oldest looked no younger than five. All were barefoot and pathetically clothed, each child bore a helpless look, not desensitized to the horrors of war that they could put on their brave faces so easily. All were trembling badly, some already tear-streaked.
The Pirate led the children over to the front of the ziggurat, where a pair of metal columns had been erected. A red beam shot between the two poles, and two other Pirates flanked the sides of the poles.
Samus felt her heart begin to beat faster, only delegated to watch as a Pirate untied the first kid in line and shoved her between the poles. The girl made a cry of pain as the Pirate hit her in the back but she broke the red beam with a beeping noise. Samus breathed out slightly, relieved that the beam was only a detector and not a cruel killing device, but her relief turned to concern as she continued to look on.
Still confused as to what the significance of the beam meant, the trio watched as the Pirates shuttled kid after kid between the metal poles. As their bodies passed through the red beam with a series of beeps, they were congregated into a huddled group, waiting until their friends had all safely passed through.
The last child in line was a tiny girl with raven hair that looked to be about three. She began to move up to the poles, but stopped short of the blazing red beam. Taking the slight hesitation as defiance, a Pirate whacked her on the back of the head and she stumbled forward with a sob. But, unlike the others, the beam passed a solid inch over her head, and no beeping noise accompanied her passage.
For some reason, this seemed to attract the attention of the three Space Pirates in the vicinity, as well as a few of the adult slaves, their faces frozen in shock. Suddenly, a few of the humans began to scream, pleading for mercy, for anything.
"Don't kill the child!" one woman wailed, the noise easily heard from Samus' position.
"Kill the child?" Mauk gaped, aghast.
Back near the structure, the Pirate leader leaned forward, an impressive effort considering his wide girth. "You all know the rules!" he barked, the rasping voice heavily accented. "The girl is not tall enough, therefore she's not fit to work!" To the Pirates who now surrounded the child, he waved a claw. "You may kill her. Right here will do."
Samus stood up, forgetting her recon role. "They're going to kill her because she's not tall enough?! Those…bastards!"
Kreatz said nothing, gulping frantically as his gaze was glued through the binoculars, already anticipating the tragic sight.
Back near the structure, the Pirate leader was laughing maniacally at the shocked colonists. "Do you humans really think that this girl is worth anything to us? Look at her, she's pathetic!" The Pirate giggled sadistically as the child sat on the ground, now starting to realize that she was going to die. "But, perhaps you may have a point," he said slowly. "Perhaps she can work. However, to be quite honest, her capacity to do work is irrelevant in this case. What you all do not understand is that us Pirates need a source of amusement from time to time. It gets dreadfully boring just sitting here and watching you work. It makes me anxious when we haven't seen blood in a while. And what better way to provide that than by picking out the slaves who are the most useless to us?"
As the girl found herself surrounded by five Pirates, she covered her face with her hands, her tears flowing steadily through the cracks. The aliens all cackled in a haunting chorus, the ends of their claws beginning to glow from plasma buildup. The leader sat forward anxiously, awaiting the horrid show.
The colonists gasped, Kreatz hyperventilated, and the child sobbed.
"FIRE!" came the cry from the large Pirate.
Immediately, five bolts scoured across the landscape, zooming towards the ziggurat. Within seconds of the other, the five Pirates each grunted as something red-hot punched through their bodies and exited out the opposite side, leaving smoking holes in their chests. They all collapsed simultaneously, sending up a cloud of dust which obscured the scene.
The area was quiet for ten long seconds, until a shadowy form lifted itself from the cloud, the child protected in its arms. All of the humans and the Pirates gasped as the armored Samus held the small girl aloft, five dead Pirates at her feet.
"What in the…" Kreatz gaped, stunned at Samus' actions and how she managed to get down there so fast.
A woman quickly ran up to Samus before the Pirates could react and Samus handed the child over. "Get her somewhere safe," she whispered to the woman, who immediately took off with the girl in tow. To the remaining Pirates, she made sure to fix them with a stare of pure hatred, even though they couldn't see her expression through her visor.
"All Space Pirates!" Samus barked, her helmet amplifying her volume so that she sounded terrifyingly loud. "Surrender yourselves right now or be destroyed. I will not provide you with a second warning." She looked like an ancient god of war, all encased in the armor, and the Pirates hesitated as they began to make up their minds.
"You needn't have bothered with the first one, you fool!" the large Pirate cried from his perch before he rounded on his subordinates. "Forget the girl, kill this Federation woman instead!"
Thank you, Samus thought as she dropped into a combat stance at the Pirate's words. The tall aliens were still in the process of interpreting their commands when Samus fired the first shot. The hot energy bowled over a nearby Pirate, his carapace smoking as his torso burst into smithereens. Samus ground her feet into the sand and rotated in place, her arm steady while her cannon methodically fired, creating smoking holes into the Pirate forces.
The aliens cursed and regained their composure. A soldier near Samus finally fired but the armored woman dived out of the way seconds before the ground erupted in flames. Globs of molten glass sprayed the Power Suit but Samus was otherwise unfazed.
Frustrated, the same soldier tried firing again, but Samus dodged and fired at the same time. Her bolt took the Pirate's arm off at the shoulder and the alien's cohort scrunched its face up in concentration, focusing on hitting Samus with its lasers.
Samus grunted as her move brought her dangerously close to the Pirate's beam and she clutched her side as the plasma made a gouge in her side. Her energy counter on the top of her visor dropped to 80, which only served to incite her even more. Through the fire springing up around her, Samus calmly brought her next target into her sights, her auto-aiming mechanism locked on. A bolt from her arm cannon took a Pirate's head off, the cauterized neck smoking as its limbs briefly flailed in place.
Two more Pirates tried to rush behind Samus in an attempt to flank her but she bent her knees and took off in a flying leap. Her arc briefly made her block out the bright sun overhead and she somersaulted in mid-air, her cannon already trained on her next two targets. Two shots rang out and an arm and a leg were sent spiraling through the air, the two Pirates moaning as they clutched their severed limbs, rendering them out of the fight.
Samus slammed down on the ground, sending up a shockwave as the weight from her armor reverberated on the hard dirt, muted from the sand as it spread out. Her head whirling in all directions, she found her next target, a group of Pirates on the upper scaffolding and set off after them, destruction on her heels.
Back up top, Kreatz watched the firefight with an increasing sense of dread in his gut. "So much for sticking to our reconnaissance orders," he grumbled. "I can already imagine the piles of paperwork we're going to have to file, Mauk. We'll be knee deep in writing apologies for the rest of our-" Kreatz finally looked away from the binoculars to find that he was now all alone on the ledge. "Mauk?" he asked, wondering where his friend had gone. "Mauk?"
A deep boom of laughter drew his attention to the bottom of the slope. Kreatz's jaw dropped as he watched Mauk leap high into the air, an enormous shotgun clutched in both hands. The huge man looked like he was having the time of his life as he fired and swung his gun at anything within arm's reach. Pirates were ripped to shreds from the assault and Mauk advanced, cutting a swath to join Samus in the fight.
Kreatz threw down the binoculars in frustration. "Oh…really?!" he screamed at the departing Mauk. "Did you seriously just leave me here so that you could hog all the fun?!" Kreatz was fuming as he withdrew a pair of submachine guns from his back, flicking the safeties off with his thumbs. "Dammit, you guys, you know I can't resist a good fight! And I'll be damned if I can't get in on this one!"
Now grinning madly, Kreatz double timed it down the slope, his twin guns out front and center. He made it down without tripping and began lighting up his targets as soon as he hit level ground. His bullets sent up plumes of grit as they scythed across the land. Pirates grunted and fell as they were chewed up by the assault, the recoil kicking back comfortably in Kreatz's hands. Green spurts of blood flew as the aliens were riddled from the bullets, pieces of their bodies getting steadily chewed away as the bullets zipped through.
Meanwhile, Mauk, after his shotgun's clip had run out, had resorted to swinging the gigantic gun like a club, whacking everything in sight. Pirates were thrown to the ground, bleeding out of every orifice as their skulls were crushed, unable to halt the huge man's onslaught.
Now aware that her backup had arrived, Samus fell into a rhythm as she steadily aimed and fired at the Pirates. Each one was too flustered to react properly and they made hasty shots in her direction. They missed, but she didn't.
Less than a minute later, the three stood tall and proud amongst the dead and dying Pirates. Mauk's shotgun was cracked, useless. Kreatz's submachine guns were smoking, the barrels hot. Samus, however, did not show any signs of wear and she started to walk towards the only enemy left in the vicinity: the Pirate commander. The rotund alien was still sitting in his chair, completely dumbfounded that three people managed to defeat his entire platoon and his expression of terror completely satisfied Samus to no end.
Samus walked purposefully in between the detection poles, showing no signs of stopping after she broke the still functioning red beam. The quiet beep from the sensor was astonishingly loud after silence had fallen upon the battlefield. The Pirate tried to speak but all that came out of his mouth was a panicked blubber. Unsympathetic to the alien's plight, Samus reached forward and bodily hurled the Pirate out of his seat, tearing the robe off his back. The Pirate flopped to the ground and began to scurry backward, making only high-pitched breathing noises.
However, as he backed up, the Pirate passed between the detection poles, not noticing them as he concentrated solely on the advancing Samus. She stopped when the Pirate failed to break the red beam and let a slow smile spread across her face. The Pirate now looked up and realized what had happened, now starting to shake so hard that his carapace was rattling.
"I believe you know the rule," Samus said slowly, "that because you weren't tall enough to be detected by the sensor…you're 'unfit,' as you proclaimed."
"No…" the Pirate whimpered, his claws trembling. "P-Please…"
"Therefore," Samus continued, ignoring the Pirate's protests, "I'd say that I have the right to do with you as you would have done to an innocent child." She walked forward, almost pressing the barrel of her arm cannon directly into the Pirate's face. "But you were right in one regard. Here will do just fine."
"Please!" the Pirate begged. "Y-You can't do this!"
"Can't I?" Samus replied, a glow starting to form inside her arm cannon. Kreatz and Mauk stood by, their faces mixed with worry and astonishment.
"M-M-Mercy!" the Pirate screamed, throwing himself at Samus' feet.
Samus instantly felt her right hand ball into a fist inside her cannon, holding the charged shot until it was a glowing sphere at the end of the barrel. Her brow narrowed and her own cry for her mother followed by a familiar roar echoed in her mind.
"You may call me Ridley…" the dragon whispered in her head.
"Mercy?" she whispered dangerously, disgusted at the sight of the groveling Pirate. Completely livid at the gall for such a repulsive creature to even demand such leniency, Samus felt her breath come out in a hiss as her face fumed. "And…what makes you think you deserve it?!" she screamed as she thrust her arm out further, pushing the ball of energy millimeters away from the face of the Pirate.
The alien screamed and closed his eyes, Kreatz and Mauk's jaws were agape in horror, and Samus mouth was clenched in a snarl as she prepared to release the trigger and send this creature back to the hell it crawled out of. Just as her fingers twitched slightly, she heard a slight sniffle above her own internal roar.
She looked up and her eyes widened as she saw the little girl, still in the woman's arms, bury her head in her arms, afraid to look upon the sight. The woman tried to shush the child but she started to cry, clearly terrified from Samus' yell. In that instant, Samus realized that she must not have looked any different to the girl. She had become just as frightening as a Pirate.
Slowly, she flicked her thumb at a control and the charged shot died down, the energy surging back up into the cannon. The Pirate at her feet had fainted by this point and Samus walked away from the alien in a daze.
"It's over," she gasped to herself, finding the words hard to utter for some reason. It felt like her windpipe was slowly loosening, as if she had been holding her breath the whole time. "It's over."
She slowly trudged over to the sobbing girl, watching her bravely gulp in air as she tried to calm down. Samus felt her eyes begin to water, the sweat mingling with her tears as she regarded the child thoughtfully. She could've been just like me, Samus realized. She still has a home.
The group of people clustered around the girl looked up as Samus came closer and they instinctively backed up, intimidated at the sight of her in the Power Suit. Samus knelt down so that she could look into the girl's eyes, but she shyly looked away, unable to penetrate the blue visor that hid her face to the world.
Oh, right, Samus realized and opened up a portion of her mind, commanding the suit to dissipate. The child gazed in astonishment as the Power Suit began to glow brightly. The light dimming, a few collective gasps resounded as Samus' limber form was revealed. The girl herself seemed to be star-struck, her mouth wide open as Samus smiled kindly at her. For the girl, the probability that such a gentle looking human would be inside that terrifying suit of armor was never considered and she weakly returned Samus' grin.
Samus said nothing but held out her arms instead. The child, all hesitation vanishing, immediately ran over and hugged Samus tightly, now beginning to cry out of relief. Samus herself was getting a little emotional as well and she turned her body so that none of the colonists could see her crying as well. The other humans wisely took the hint and began to trudge off to check on the status of their friends, leaving the two in peace.
"Thank you," the child whispered, still clutching tightly to Samus. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
"No," Samus spoke softly, entranced by the sweet girl. "Thank you. You helped me as well, you know."
"I…I did?" the child mumbled in surprise, her eyes sparking from her tears.
"Yes, you did. You reminded me that I had the potential to be a better person today. You helped me remember a powerful lesson today. And I will never forget it."
I'm not a monster, Ridley. I don't kill for sport. Already, I'm better than you.
"What's your name?" Samus asked the child.
"Damara," she responded with a smile. "What…what's yours?"
"My name is Samus. It's a pleasure to meet you, Damara."
The child beamed as she hugged Samus again out of pure gratitude. "Does this mean we're friends, Samus?"
"Yes it does!" Samus laughed. "And now that we've just started to become friends, we're never going to stop!"
The Pirate had recovered from his little spell by this point, and groggily lifted up his head. Confused as to why he was still alive but opportunistic nonetheless, the fat alien began to stand up after he confirmed that Samus was nowhere in sight, but barely got an inch before a huge foot slammed down on his back, pinning him down to the ground.
"And where do you think you're going?" Mauk grinned as he stood over the Pirate.
"Eep!" the Pirate could only utter. The alien then found his arms being pulled to the front and gaped in horror as Kreatz slapped a pair of electro-cuffs around his wrists, the bands crackling with energy.
"Haha!" Kreatz laughed in victory. "I've been wanting to say this for a while now." He cleared his throat as Mauk lifted the Pirate up to his feet. "In the name of the Galactic Federation Police, you are under arrest for…for…" Kreatz blanched. "Uh, Mauk? What exactly are we charging this guy for?"
"How about murder?" Mauk offered.
"I don't know…did we see this guy commit murder specifically?"
"Well, he did order an almost-murder."
"Does that really count?"
"You think anyone's going to care?"
"Fair point," Kreatz nodded before he cleared his throat again as he now returned to addressing the Pirate. "So, you're being charged with murder and you have the right to a trial. Until the commencement of said trial, you have the right to safe conduct during your period of restraint. Is there anything you wish to say before you enact your right to remain silent?"
"I want a lawyer," the Pirate grumbled, clearly unconvinced.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Kreatz laughed. "I didn't say that you'd be getting a fair trial there, pal. You see, since the rest of your buddies have declined to be a part of our Federation, we have no peers of yours to draw from. Besides, no lawyer is going to want to represent you anyway."
"This is a violation of my basic rights," the Pirate yowled. "I demand the right to an attorney."
"Save it for when we get the kangaroo court up and running," Kreatz muttered darkly as he and Mauk strong-armed the Pirate away.
Mauk rolled his eyes. "Figures. The one bad guy we capture and he just so happens to be versed in law. This day was going so well, too."
Bang on the dot, the reinforcement arrived near the beachhead, three shuttles flying in tight formation. The first one landed next to where Samus, Kreatz, Mauk, and their new prisoner were standing. A pair of armored troopers quickly walked out and shuttled the protesting Pirate up the ramp, presumably to a holding cell. The remaining three stayed where they were and straightened up when a short, balding man stomped down the ramp.
Chief Hardy always seemed to be in a perpetual grumpy mood and this day was no exception. He was taller than Kreatz by at least a few inches but Samus and Mauk still managed to tower over their supervisor. His twin tufts of hair on both sides of his mostly bald head, as well as his bush mustache, were jet black and unkempt. The man must have forgone any grooming this morning.
"What the hell did all of you do?!" Hardy bellowed, not wasting any time in dragging his temper out. "I specifically seem to remember ordering you three to stay put! To stay put! How difficult can that be to screw up? What do you think I'm going to do to you now?!"
"These things happen, Chief," Kreatz shrugged before Samus could explain herself. He shot her a wink before Hardy could turn his wrath onto her. Besides, Kreatz enjoyed pushing Hardy's buttons. "The situation changed and we reacted. It was a judgment call, so there was no time to run it by you. As far as what you're going to do to us, I'd say a 'thank you' would be a good start."
Hardy's face turned purple. "If it weren't illegal, I'd beat the living snot out of you this instant, private! I could court-martial you and discharge you on the spot right now but that still wouldn't satisfy me!"
"Still waiting on that 'thank you,' Chief."
"What you're going to wait on," Hardy screamed, "is for me to return after I tie you to a stake in the middle of the desert after tattooing the word 'orders' across your chest!"
"Nice imagery there, Chief," Kreatz laughed. "But you have to admit that we technically accomplished the main objective without getting any of the colonists killed, plus we managed to acquire a valuable hostage. I'd say that's a win-win for us."
Kreatz then cowered as Hardy laid into him with all of the wind in his lungs, the noise even attracting the attention of a few troopers from across the bay. Samus and Mauk edged away from the balding man who was in the middle of chewing Kreatz out and retreated back towards the shore, still able to hear Hardy's bellows.
It took ten minutes for Hardy to speak his mind to Kreatz and by that time, the chief had shouted himself hoarse but Kreatz had escaped punishment, despite the commotion. Rubbing at his throat, Hardy caught Samus' eye and waved her over, most likely to get her own version of the story. She took a breath, mentally acknowledging that she was not going to lie, that she was the one who had screwed everything up in the first place. She trudged across the sand and blinked as she saw a uniformed man standing next to the chief.
This new arrival wore the markings of a general, causing Samus' breath to escalate in frequency. His hard jaw was set and his brown hair was neatly combed underneath his cap. His eyes were stern and carried a rigidness about him. Samus gave the general a meek nod before turning to Hardy.
"Corporal Aran," Hardy said as he jerked a thumb towards the general. "I called you over here to introduce you to the man who had been overseeing the entire operation from the beginning. Apparently, he wanted to gage the members who pulled off this little…stunt…which in turn prevented him from using the battleship allocated for such a purpose."
"Well, it did save on ammunition which saves the taxpayers some money," the general shrugged as he removed his cap, revealing a thick head of slicked back hair. "Although the tactics were a bit unorthodox, I can't deny that the results were impressive."
"Hmph," Hardy snorted before he swallowed to calm himself. "Corporal Aran, this is…"
"Malkovich," the general extended a hand to Samus. "General Adam Malkovich."
A/N: I extended the political sections in the adaptation as they provided an interesting look at what was going on outside the games as a way to come up with more natural dialogue rather than repeat verbatim what the manga reads.
Also, I changed the fact that Kreatz and Mauk fight with different weapons here as the manga depicts them using other means to attack their foes. For example, Mauk is depicted as using his colossal strength as his weapon while Kreatz uses some kind of whip thingy that always seemed a little too over-powered in the manga. Besides, long range weapons seem to be the norm in the Metroid universe so I wrote the two characters to have weapons to be more befitting to the universe, as well as their stature. And yes, I did change Kreatz's catchphrase because it always sounded corny in the manga. (To me, at least)
Apart from the usual extended scenes, those seem to be the main areas that I changed in this chapter. Hopefully these decisions seem well-founded to you all.
As always, please read and review. I'm eager to hear your thoughts on how I'm progressing through this.
LawrenceSnake: Never did see "Batman and Robin" (thankfully, as I'm not that masochistic) so the connection to one of those lines never even registered on me in the beginning. But, I'm sure Samus will make a redeeming line at the end anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much. Also, regarding the portrayal of Samus' strength, I understand why that scene in the previous chapter might rankle some viewers, but I thought that having Samus blow up the droids by shooting them one by one would be a fitting callback to the beginning of the chapter, when she wasn't able to hit them at all with her beam. Plus, it is not my intention to portray Samus as weaker than she is, but I think that a slower buildup to that strength is immensely preferable than showing it all off in the second chapter.
Of course, all that is my opinion. Key word: opinion.