Three miles across and just as tall, the Pirate mothership looked like a large mountain that had been uprooted from the earth rather than a spacefaring vessel. Tiny pinpricks of light shone across its uneven surface, windows that denoted that the odd-looking structure was indeed artificial and nothing made by nature's hands. It stood amongst the void, mighty and peerless, with all the strength and might of an entire race behind its safe walls.
The ship was merely a dot compared to the planet it currently was in a geosynchronous orbit above, however. Zebes sat undaunted to the ship's presence, silently daring for the Space Pirates to proceed with their nefarious work.
Answering the unsaid call, a large hatch from the bottom of the mothership slid open, revealing nothing but blackness inside the depth of the sinister vessel. Almost immediately, the craft began to shudder microscopically and a small section of the planet's surface below it began to ripple, caught in a gravitational vortex.
The micro black hole that the mothership hid within its walls began to feed, sucking in whatever was projected in its path. The invisible shield that wrapped upward into the ship protected the vessel containing it from collapsing into the singularity. Finding nothing but the planet to draw from, its hunger drew it closer, distorting the clouds and the ground below as the air around the affected area began to ripple. The planetary shield encasing Zebes sparked furiously, trying hard to prevent the mothership from breaching its defenses. But no matter how hard the shield tried to hold, it began to bend toward the tiny tear in the fabric of space, stretching the protective bubble that surrounded the Chozo homeworld.
When it seemed the shield could take the stress no longer, it stretched like putty one final time before it burst with a crackle, very much like a bubble. Electricity traveled down the planet's atmosphere, coinciding with the failure of the shield generator. With no protection for the planet, the black hole began to suck at the rocky ground miles below, causing havoc with the tectonic plates as they shifted against the strong gravity.
Watching the entire situation play out on the monitors, housed safely inside the confines of his own private chamber, Ridley smirked as his readouts told him that they had breached the shield. Everything was going according to plan.
"Cut all power to the micro black hole!" he ordered, his teeth gnashing together. "Seal it away and divert power to our own defensive systems. We don't want the surface to be damaged too badly."
"Yessir!" the intercom buzzed hastily. The comm operator sounded fearful, actually. That was good.
The giant dragon waved his spiked tail and flexed his enormous wings. There was still a little stiffness that he had not been able to iron out fully after all these years, but he was combat capable nonetheless. His body was still flesh and blood but Ridley was a powerful beast. He could still fight even if half his body had been torn away. This time, there would be no setbacks. The fire would not consume him again.
"First wave of troops have departed, Lord Ridley!" the operator reported again. "ETA to Zebes' surface is seven minutes."
"Excellent!" Ridley crowed as he scanned the open space through his many viewports. The light from the stars was the only thing illuminating him, and it cast his profile in a sinister glow. "Send the second wave as soon as the first touches down. Ready the third and fourth ones and unleash them in regular intervals. Make sure nothing leaves that planet!"
"It will be done!"
Ridley cut the comm and flapped his wings, the sound loud in the quiet expanse. His blood was running hot with anticipation. He longed to kill something so badly that he could feel his bones itch. Carnage was in his very nature and the potential of having such impressive prey so close by was setting him on edge.
With a clawed hand, Ridley tapped on his nearby console and noted the results of the invasion so far. Penetration of the planetary shield had taken four and a half minutes, a good deal less than the last time he and his loyal Pirates had chanced upon Zebes. Despite the Chozo having strengthened their defenses since then, the improvements to the Pirates' arsenal had made short work of the shielding. Warfare was all about possessing the biggest stick, and right now Ridley was the one swinging it.
"Shattered…like an eggshell," Ridley remarked, chuckling at the analogy. "Ah, you miserable Chozo. How blind you are to not see amongst yourselves. Now…you will not be able to stop us. Your eradication will be our greatest victory and the Federation's most debilitating defeat."
He sighed, his gut rumbling with fire. Growling softly, he bared his teeth. "There will be no one to save you, you pathetic birds. I will tear out all of your hearts and hang your corpses from the ramparts!"
In the maddening silence, Ridley roared with laughter.
Planet Jigrad
The interrogation room was sparse, all white. It certainly reinforced the spartan qualities of any military ship, preferring function over fashion. As it was, only a circular table had been set up with only two chairs flanking it, both of equally mundane quality.
Those chairs were taken by General Malkovich and Chief Hardy as they purposefully sat on one side of the table. Samus, Kreatz, and Mauk stood behind them, their faces rocky and set as they stiffened their postures, trying to appear tough and disinterested.
On the opposite side, the Pirate prisoner sat in a body pod, a transport device typically reserved for dangerous criminals, completely encasing the alien. These pods were clear and floated a few inches above the ground, but were shatterproof and bulletproof so anyone encased inside one of them would have no chance of escaping or attacking their captors as their limbs could not escape from the miniature cage. The Pirate's hands were cuffed behind his back and his legs were scrunched uncomfortably against the interior of the pod. The only bit not covered by the pod was the Pirate's head, which was situated atop the seal of the pod, tightening around his neck for an airtight fit.
Hardy tapped a panel on the table and coughed loudly. The Pirate, who it looked like had just awoken from a nap, grumbled softly. "So…" Chief Hardy glared as he spoke into a recording device, "interrogation of captured subject on Jigrad, CY 2074, is now commencing one week after acquisition. Subject is a Space Pirate and currently nameless, so in that case…" Hardy looked up at the ceiling for a moment, "your official designation will be P-1 for the purposes of this interrogation."
"Simple," Kreatz shrugged. "I like it."
The Pirate said nothing except to provide a derisive snort. Hardy frowned and turned to the general. "Has this guy said a word since his incarceration?"
"Not that I know of," Malkovich shook his head. "He was isolated for an entire week and provided with the minimum allocation of rations to loosen his tongue. Apparently he didn't utter anything."
The rationing had looked to have taken a toll on the Pirate, though. Despite only having been confined for a week, the enlarged alien looked to have already lost a few pounds, either from his reduced caloric intake or out of sheer fright. He looked rather miserable, although it was most likely at being put in such a humiliating position in front of his enemies.
Hardy eyed the silent Pirate for a few more seconds before yawning in his seat. "Yeah, well it seems like P-1 ain't in a talking mood right now, general. I'd suggest you throw him back in the brig for another week, only feed him every other day, and-"
"I have a name," the Pirate rasped, a dry cough leaking from his toothy mouth. He smiled at the humans' curious expressions. "You never bothered to ask me for my name, ingrates, before you so decided to impart a designation of your own design upon me. How…impolite of you."
Samus fidgeted, taking offense to the Pirate using the word "impolite" in front of her face. What the hell did it know about being impolite?
"Would you like to enlighten us, then?" Hardy gestured, oblivious to Samus' mental plight. "For the record, of course."
"Of course," the Pirate mimicked a smile. "My name is-" The Pirate uttered a series of interconnected words in a string so quickly that it only registered as gobbledygook on the interrogators.
"Right," Hardy said unconvincingly as he rubbed at an ear. "I'm not even going to attempt to spell that, much less pronounce it again. I'm just going to keep you listed as P-1, despite your uh...disclosure."
"How incredibly small-minded of you," the Pirate named P-1 smirked. "I was not aware that you lot were so xenophobic. I'm rather offended at the treatment. I thought that I would be getting a little more respect from you guys, in all actuality. I'm guessing that this is the first time the Federation has ever been able to interrogate a living Space Pirate, much less talk to one. So, where's the publicity? Where's the press? Don't you want more documentation for such a historic moment? I'm a bit disappointed, to be honest."
"Sarcastic and a drama queen," Hardy muttered darkly. "Not what I was expecting to encounter when I woke up this morning."
Suddenly, everyone in the room jumped, sans Malkovich, as Samus slammed a fist down on the table. Her hand sunk an inch down in the material and the Pirate was wide-eyed as he saw the huge indentation on the table from the blow. Hardy looked panicked as he whirled to face Samus but she was dead-set on talking to this filth, her blue eyes ice cold.
"We're not concerned with your potential amount of broadcast time, you disgusting piece of garbage," Samus snarled. "What we want to know is your objective." She whirled a hand so fast that the Pirate flinched from afar but Samus only pointed to the side of the ship, gesturing outward. "Out there you had enslaved the local population to work on a structure of sorts," she spat. "You held them against their will, tortured them, killed them, and even did the same to their children. What was the point of all that? What did you think would happen in the end anyway? Those sorts of actions do not go by the Federation lightly, you know. We are fully aware of what you Pirates have been doing but this makes no sense to us. Now, tell us, what is your objective?"
The Space Pirate had gone from deathly afraid to confused, to incredulous in the span of twenty seconds. He looked at Samus in confirmation before he burst out in a flurry of giggles. Everyone on the other side of the table looked at one another in concern before focusing their attention back toward the prisoner.
"Ahh," the Pirate sighed. "I can see the problem already, you naïve chumps."
"Excuse me?" Samus said, shocked.
"It's simple," the Pirate said after he grinned broadly. "You all are trying to rationalize our behavior, the behavior of us Pirates, by foolishly thinking that we are like you in some way. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, kid, but our existence as a race is far more sophisticated than your pitiful Federation of allied and assorted species, believe it or not."
"We are nothing like you!" Samus said loudly, but the Pirate only laughed at that.
"Oh, no doubt. But this is the problem I'm referring to. You're speaking to me as if I'm somehow equal to you, that I should adhere to the same judicial process as any member in your precious Federation. You say we're not equal, but your actions speak differently."
Samus stepped forward, her fists clenched, but the Pirate's smile only widened further. "What are you going to do now, human? You going slip into that suit of armor again in an effort to intimidate me to hold my tongue? Won't work this time. Besides, I know it can be hard to hear the truth being spoken when all you've been fed your whole life is lies. All it takes is a willing ear, though. It's that simple to crumble an idea when the words are at your disposal."
"And would you care to describe what some of those lies might be?" Samus retorted, not blinking, but backed off at Hardy's concerned gaze.
"Don't encourage him!" Hardy hissed, but was it was too late to halt the Pirate's rant.
"If you wish," the Pirate attempted to shrug, but the clear pod made such an action difficult. "You Federation goons like to imagine yourself as higher beings compared to us, that your democratic system is inherently perfect as opposed to our 'fragmented, pathetic horde.' Well, you might find it difficult to accept that society for us is a little more structured than you would like to imagine, or give credit for. We have castes, different functions for different individuals, but everyone adheres to their duties. All are aware of the share of their work that they must put in. It's simple and organized. The Federation, on the other hand, doesn't like to admit it, but they are so fragmented and heavily biased that it makes us Space Pirates appear to be the most civilized species in the entire galaxy!"
"Pfft," Kreatz snorted from the corner. "Typical Pirate bullshit. Of course you're going to disparage us now that you're in a position that is currently undesirable. It's what anyone would do in your situation."
"Perhaps," the Pirate smirked. "But maybe an example will help reinforce my position. Let's start with the guy on your left."
Everyone whirled to face Mauk who blinked in confusion. The huge alien scratched at his arms uncomfortably, disliking all the attention placed onto him.
Meanwhile, the Pirate continued to gloat at Mauk. "If I'm not mistaken, your species was only recently provided a place in the Federation, but it was only after decades of lobbying from your side. You would think that the Federation would accept new species at any time but for some reason they decided to wait over twenty years before finally allowing you all your desired status. But, even still, your species still has not had enough time to adapt and have thus been discriminated as an inferior species in the eyes of your Federation. How many boots did you have to lick before they allowed you to enlist, Simian?"
"Why you little-" Mauk growled as he started to make his way forward.
"Whoa, Mauk!" Kreatz yelled as he hurled himself in front of the gigantic man. Kreatz was in no way strong enough to force the muscular Mauk from ripping the Pirate limb from limb but the large man relaxed at his friend's protective actions. "Don't fall for it, big guy," Kreatz assured. "He's just trying to get you all worked up."
"And don't think I've forgotten about you, you pointy-eared freak!" the Pirate cackled.
"The hell did you say to me?" Kreatz fumed as he now turned around, incensed.
"Oh, I'm sure you heard me just fine. Damn huge ears like those probably can't miss a thing."
"Ha…ha," Kreatz said tonelessly. "Use an old stereotype against me. You think I haven't heard that one before?"
"One never knows," the Pirate flashed a tight smile. "But I am also curious that someone like you would also be admitted into the military. After all, wasn't it your race that began the Species War? Twelve radicals simultaneously bombed the capital with stolen citizen ships, was it? Last I heard, your race still continues to face unjust oppression, although it sounds more like just oppression to me, considering the circumstances."
"Shut up!" Kreatz screamed as he stepped forward, Mauk ironically now trying to reel him in. "You don't have the right to judge me! Not by a damned Pirate like you!"
Safe in his pod, the Pirate licked its lips in victory. "You're wrong there, pal. I can judge you just as you have judged me. Just as the Federation has judged you." He looked between Kreatz and Mauk. "You're not equal. In the eyes of the Federation, you just make up the lowest caste while they proclaim equality for all. It's all a farce, the professions of your organization. No matter how much you try to spin it, you will never be considered equal to these humans here. You're merely playing the part of the puppet while the elite species tug at the strings."
Kreatz glowered, Mauk sizzled, and Samus fumed. Only Malkovich was unmoved, his expression unchanged throughout the entire session as opposed to Hardy's worried glances.
Samus refused to let her slight trembling show in front of the Space Pirate. "Your continued claims of comparing us are baseless," she said lowly. "We don't enslave and slaughter innocent people. We don't raze colonies to the ground for sport. We don't deliberately kill people in front of the eyes of young children, forcing them to grow up and live without a childhood, without parents."
"That's what happened to you, isn't it?" the Pirate hissed triumphantly.
Samus' eyes widened in horror. She clamped her jaw shut out of fright and turned her head away. She had said too much. Her cheeks darkened, embarrassed that she had opened up like that in front of everyone…in front of a Space Pirate.
"So…you're a survivor," the Pirate nodded. "Then you should know exactly how useless the Federation is at protecting their own colonists. They failed to save every planet we conquered; they didn't even bother warning them when definitive proof arrived of our proximity. You know how badly the colonists attempted to protect their resources and their lives. And you're telling me that you were a part of that good for nothing lot?"
That last sentence hit Samus like a hammer, causing everything else to suddenly be drowned out. Her whole body turned back around to witness the Pirate lounging in his pod, that damnable smirk still on his face.
"Say that one more time…" she whispered, but with all the severity she could muster, "…and I'll kill you in this very room."
Hardy opened his mouth to reprimand her but chomped his jaw down on air, torn between procedure and the escalating situation.
The Pirate, however, did not appear fazed. "Oh, those aren't my words, actually," he tittered. "I believe they were uttered verbatim within the Federation when the topic of colonists came up recently in a session. Perhaps you should confirm it for yourself before you go making idle threats. Someone's a little tetchy today, aren't we?"
Samus was seriously considering vaulting over the table and ripping the Pirate's throat out with her bare hands at the creature's arrogance. There was a rushing in her ears and she bounced on the balls of her feet, testing her limits, about to pounce when a hand rapped on the table, shaking her from her thoughts.
Malkovich's gaze was iron, his poise proper, giving him an air of confidence that seemed to shrink the Pirate. "You are avoiding the subject, P-1," he said in a threatening manner. "Your pointless analogies have gotten you and us nowhere in this session. All we want to hear from you right now is your objective."
"Is that all?" the Pirate scoffed. "I suppose, for my troubles, you will free me out of the kindness of your hearts? Personally, I believe that you will instead put me away for the rest of my life in a Federation prison, delegated to waste away in a metal cage day in and day out."
"I can think of worse fates," Kreatz muttered under his breath.
Malkovich blew air out of his nose and temporarily drummed his fingers on the table. "Regardless of the outcome, I can guarantee that your style of treatment would be significantly better if you were to cooperate with us. But, that involves you providing us with the information we seek."
"You're going to have to be more specific if you want me to talk, soldier boy."
Malkovich now removed his cap and set it on the table in front of him. "All right, I can do specifics," he said without a trace of humor in his voice. "I can describe to you the lax nature of your operation on Jigrad, for starters. It is unheard of that the Space Pirates have lingered in a system after conquering it before and you had the colonists build a structure for no apparent reason. That's what worries me; you had no reason to stay. It all seems like you were actively trying to get our attention and were simply waiting in place for us to show up." He now cracked a grim smile. "I'd say that our 'victory' here was not exactly the sole product of our military skill, right?"
Throughout the exchange, the Pirate's expression had fallen further and further. Its eyes dropped and its mouth became a grimace. The combination of words plus the reactions from the Pirate gave Samus a start. She glanced at the prisoner and back to Malkovich in horror, her heartbeat now amplified tenfold. Her sweat ran cold and time seemed to slow.
"It was a diversion?" she croaked in disbelief. "You're a decoy?!"
The Pirate quickly scanned the faces of its interrogators. It found smug victory, apprehension, cold anger, worry, and fear all surrounding it. He blew out air in frustration. "Well…" he said dejectedly, "…it appears that you caught on quicker than I thought. I would have liked to have had more chances to push your buttons but it appears none of you are going to fall for that again. A damn shame."
"What is your target?!" Samus shouted as she sped over to the pod before grabbing it and shaking it furiously. "What is your target?! Answer me, you bastard!"
"You still don't get it…" the Pirate managed to utter before Samus slugged him in the face. Blood dribbled out of the corner of his mouth and the alien spat out a shard of a tooth. "After that show in front of that girl, you're going to do harm to me now?"
"I'm not going to kill you," Samus clarified as she raised her bloody fist again. "But I can break every bone in your body before you die in front of me. Now, give me your target!"
"You may think you're the hunter, but you've been the prey the whole time," the Pirate wheezed. "Besides, even if I did tell you our objective, it's too late for you to do anything about it. Regardless, we're through here and our time together is now up."
Samus clenched her teeth together, about to ask what that meant when the Pirate's head suddenly began to glow in a hot blaze, turning white. Samus only had enough time to take a step back before the head of the alien suddenly exploded, showering the room with gore. Samus threw out her hands and blocked a few shards of skull from impacting with her eyes but warm brains coated her nonetheless. She gasped, shaking off the green goo as Hardy began cursing profusely as he tried to wipe off stringy flesh from his paperwork.
Malkovich yelled for a corpsman and Samus began to shake as the blood dripped off of her.
"There was no way we could have expected such a thing," Hardy sighed in the shuttle's mess. He passed Samus another towel and she grabbed at the cloth, wiping herself off after wetting it in the sink. "I didn't even think that the freaking Space Pirates would have had the foresight to implant one of their own for such an elaborate scheme."
"It worked, didn't it?" Samus sighed as she wiped the last of the gore off her forehead, picking at the dried goo with a finger. "You sure that the scans didn't pick up the explosive mesh when you brought him in?"
"They went over him twice when we brought him on board and found nothing that would indicate that his entire head was rigged to blow," Hardy grimaced. "This tells us that they have either found a way to mask such a device from our scanners, or that the mechanism is entirely organic. Either way, we don't know what caused it."
"We do know that we were suckered into this whole thing," Samus scowled. "And we're still no closer to determining the entire scheme that the Space Pirates have cooked up. We have nothing."
She threw the towel down onto a nearby table in a fury and made to leave. But before she could exit the mess, Hardy cleared his throat behind her. "Actually, Samus, that's not entirely true."
Samus' feet stopped in place. "What do you mean?"
Hardy looked very uncomfortable as he fiddled with his hands, laying them out on the table. "Samus, as soon as the interrogation with P-1 ended so abruptly, General Malkovich ordered the fleet to monitor all traces of suspicious comm activity and to relay them to him. Almost immediately, one of our deep space satellites picked up a signal on the emergency band."
"Where did it come from?" Samus asked, interested. "Was it from one of our colonies on the opposite side of the galaxy?"
"That was our initial assessment in the beginning, given the positioning of our resources, but no. The transmission originated from a planet in the Inner Rim."
Samus' eyes widened. "Did the signal identify the planet? Do you know where it came from?"
"Samus," Hardy reassured, looking more and more troubled as Samus' reactions. "The signal came from a place where we have no reinforcements in the immediate area. The source was Zebes, Samus."
Flashes of Old Bird, Gray Voice, and Pyonchi came to Samus in seconds. She clasped a hand to her mouth in horror and felt her center of gravity sink lower to the ground. The very idea that people she knew since she was little, the same people who had cared for her almost her entire life, were now in danger was terrifying. Samus quickly felt sick.
"That…" she shook her head in disbelief. "That can't be right, chief. How…how could Zebes be attacked?"
"Samus," Hardy said quickly as he held up his hands to assure the distraught woman. "I'm just telling you what we picked up. We have no proof that Zebes is the one being attacked but the importance of the target seems to coincide with the nebulous statements the Pirate made. We need to- wait, where are you going, Samus?"
"I'm going to find out for myself," Samus shot over her shoulder as she quickly walked out of the mess. Hardy glowered for a few seconds before he shot out of his chair and followed her down the hall.
"You can't just act on this by yourself, Samus!" he shouted after the woman. "This whole thing is out of our hands now!"
"Not from mine!" she yelled back as she stood in the hallway, below the flickering halogen lights. "Zebes is the only home I have left, chief. I'm not going to stand idly by while the Pirates burn it to the ground. Besides, I know that planet better than anyone else here! I have to go and help the Chozo!"
"And I am telling you that you can't because a strike force has already been prepped and deployed to Zebes, Samus!"
"What?" Samus whispered as she headed back over to Hardy. "What…what are you talking about?" She struggled to hide her torrent of emotions from the chief, refusing to let tiny droplets run from her eyes. She clenched her teeth in anger at her helplessness, at her so-called duty.
"I'm saying that it's not our job to interfere in the matter anymore. But you are right about one thing, Samus. The Federation agreed that the Space Pirates must not eliminate the Chozo civilization. As one of the founding species of the Galactic Federation, their loss will be a major blow to our morale. But the ruling body has determined that the needs of the Federation are above the needs of the Chozo, Samus. Now that we are aware of the potential location of the Space Pirates, no chances are being taken. The diplomats have spoken, the strike team is organized. All we can do now is wait."
"But I can't wait!" Samus shouted, the noise drawing the attention of a passing aide. "You can't really expect me to sit idly by as the Space Pirates raze my home while the Federation flounders around in their mobilization! I can get there quickly, chief! I can infiltrate the planet and extract the survivors, I know I can! You just need to let me go…"
"I told you before; it's out of my hands!" Hardy yelled, startling Samus. Breathing heavily, he gave a regretful shake of his head. "I cannot act on this, Samus. No matter how wrong I think it is. And that means that you have to comply as well, despite your misgivings." He folded his hands behind his back and gave a infuriated huff. "Consider yourself grounded, corporal. I'm not about to let you wander away from this planet for some foolhardy quest that is only going to get you killed. On top of that, I'm not about to jeopardize a Federation sanctioned fully-scaled military strike within our core worlds! You will remain here, Samus, until the hostilities have concluded."
Before Samus could protest, Hardy turned and walked away, a meaty hand combing through his bushy mustache. Samus helplessly watched him go, an empty feeling tugging at her frame. She threw a hand against the side of the bulkhead to steady herself, fighting to control her trembling. She sniffled and a tear finally escaped her eyes, but was quickly brushed away.
Samus hated crying, it made her feel weak. She was reminded of the times when she was a child and she would begin bawling if she received even the slightest cut on a finger. Things were so much simpler then. Then the Space Pirates had come and thoroughly destroyed every shred of normality that she ever knew, forcing her into this life, a life that she never had any control over from the start.
And it was about to happen all over again.
Her eyes red, rimmed with anger, she pounded against the wall as she quickly began to tie her hair into a ponytail as she walked down the hallway. Her fingers working quickly, she could only hear the sound of her breathing as she headed through the doorway and up the staircase.
No, she thought. It will not happen again. I'm not a helpless child this time. Now, I can make a difference.
Samus strode to her room, unwilling to be cowed.
The combat shuttle's top floor contained a miniature hangar where three fast attack craft were housed. As the shuttle was currently parked in atmosphere, the hangar doors were still open, exposing the tiny crafts to sunlight and the ocean wind.
From the central elevator shaft, the doors pinged once before they opened, revealing Samus in her military uniform. She looked in all directions until she was certain that she was not being monitored before she walked out onto the landing pad and closed her eyes, a warm light quickly enveloping her.
As the glow died, Samus sighed as she felt the familiar embrace of her Power Suit wrap around her like a second skin. It always felt like she was never wearing it, but she loved the strength that lay within it, appreciating the wonderful technology and how it was gifted to her. Her helmet had not materialized, as Samus felt that she did not need to wear it unless she was in a combat zone. Besides, it got to be stuffy in there from time to time, despite the innovative air recycling system.
She stretched her limbs, not hearing any creaks come from the powerful armor. Perhaps it was second nature which made her test it, but she did indeed know that the Power Suit melded with her body in a seamless fit each time she called it into existence. Still, it was always a good habit to double check equipment before heading out on a mission. After all, her instructors always pounded the mantra "everything breaks" into her head each day at the academy. No reason to ditch her training so soon.
All of the attack craft were of the same model and Samus decided that she would take the one in the middle. She found the entrance ramp already open in waiting and Samus was about to head up into the ship until she heard a sudden voice from behind her.
"So, Samus, you're going to let your personal emotions guide you to abandon your duty in spite of your orders?"
Samus dropped to a knee and raised her arm cannon so quickly that her hair whipped completely around her face. She was so into the heat of the moment that she did not realize until it was too late that she was now aiming a weapon at the head of General Adam Malkovich. She had been so determined to not get caught that she had let everything else be drowned out. A small part of her hesitated, but she kept her face locked, now fully committed to what she was doing.
"Don't try to stop me, general," Samus breathed, aiming down the sights of her weapon. "I have to go to Zebes and I won't let you or anyone else stop me."
The general did not so much as twitch a muscle. He stood perfectly still, his back straight, his cap perfectly aligned. He stared back at Samus just as intensely. For one brief moment, Samus could have sworn that the trace of a smile flitted over his lips but it soon vanished from view and from her mind.
Malkovich calmly clasped his hands behind his back, even as Samus continued to point her cannon at him. "You have forty-eight hours," he merely said.
Samus blinked. "W-What?"
"The attack fleet will arrive at Zebes in forty-eight hours, Samus."
Samus tilted her head forward, expecting more, but the general's mouth was now a hard line. She stared purposefully back, trying to see if she could find a hint to Malkovich's true motives from his expression. But, the general was completely unreadable, and Samus felt more and more foolish as she still kneeled in her defensive posture, waiting for him to make the next move.
Sensing the need for a cue, Malkovich reached up and tipped the brim of his officer's cap as he slowly turned around. "That will be all, lady," he said, but his tone was more respectful than sarcastic, Samus did note.
She did not get up out of her crouch until she saw that Malkovich had finally departed via the elevator. Quickly, before any more unexpected surprises could show up, Samus hightailed it to the tiny craft and tromped inside, closing the ramp behind her. She walked up to the cockpit doors, which slid open at her presence, and prepared to sit down at the helm, already planning about her next course of action.
The only problem was that her chair was already occupied.
Samus briefly twitched her gun again but relaxed as the two sitting in the front swiveled around in their seats, both wearing satisfied smirks on their faces. "Kreatz? Mauk?" Samus gaped. "What…what are you two doing here?"
"What does it look like?" Mauk shrugged. "We're coming to help you, is what we're doing here."
"And before you even try to protest, which I know you will," Kreatz said as Samus began to open her mouth, dumbfounded, "I just would like to point out that I will always have the burden of letting my squadmate go off on a dangerous mission by herself while all I did was lounge around and make my superior mad if you do end up kicking us out of here."
"Kreatz…"
"Furthermore, this is yet another chance to prove to those damned Pirates that we are better than them, that we fight to protect the people we care about, not to indulge in disgusting sport."
"Kreatz."
"Besides, Samus, you know I can't resist a good fight, no matter how dangerous it is. And I'll be damned if I can't get in on this one."
"Kreatz," Samus laughed, "I was not even going to argue with you. You and Mauk can come along."
"Oh," Kreatz said in surprise, clearly prepared to offer more material for his defense. "Well, why didn't you say so? You had me blabbering like an idiot for nothing but your own amusement, it seems. Well, we're wasting time sitting here. It's a long flight to Zebes so you should strap in before Hardy catches on."
"Wait…you're not worried about any repercussions, you guys?" Samus asked, her face now lined with worry. "I don't want you to feel pressured into doing something like this. You could be discharged for doing joining me on this mission."
"We might," Mauk grinned. "But that doesn't mean that it won't feel any less right. Besides, this is our choice."
"It's too late to try to talk us out of this anyway," Kreatz winked as he began punching buttons on the control panel. "Might as well resign yourself to the fact that this is the way things have turned out to be, Samus."
"Might as well," Samus conceded as she moved over to switch places with Kreatz but the thin man held up a hand.
"Nope, Samus. I stole the ship first so I'm going to be the one flying it."
"It's my plan, Kreatz, and you're only tagging along!"
"Maybe, but I already inputted Hardy's departure codes, so we have clearance to fly now. In any case, it's too late!" Kreatz snickered as he yanked back on the yoke, causing the craft to uncomfortably lurch. "We're airborne now. Better strap in, human! Next destination: Zebes!"
"Damn you," Samus cursed, but it was with a smile of acceptance on her face.
Screaming off through the clouds, the outside windows gradually turned darker and darker the further the craft passed through the atmosphere. As soon as the pull of Jigrad was negligible on the craft, the hyperdrive thrusters belched into life, and with a noiseless roar, the tiny ship blasted into its trans-dimensional wormhole, leaving no trace of its existence behind.
Estimated time of arrival to Zebes: Twenty-two hours.
A/N: The fate of the Pirate "P-1" was left ambiguous in the manga, so I decided to create a good reason for his departure in the adaptation. Killing him off seemed to be a logical alternative in that case.
Now we're approaching one of the more dramatic arcs in the story, one that should last for several chapters and could be shocking to those unfamiliar with the source material. It will be fun trying to adapt this heavy material. I relish a good challenge.
So, what are your thoughts so far? Am doing a good job or am I lacking in some areas? Drop a review and let me know what you think. I'm always eager for audience feedback.