Samus felt smaller than usual as the crowd of Pirates edged closer to her. They stood in a formation around the robed Chozo in the middle, their claws lowered, but their attitude still heightened, anticipating blood. Their snarls and rasps denoted their impatience to begin the carnage, but it was only through the outsider in the center that they did not all start firing at once. Gray Voice remained stoic, his arms held out to prevent any violence from occurring on his side of the undrawn boundary between the two forces.

Samus' left hand slipped off her arm cannon, letting the barrel point further and further at the floor. Her feet were spread apart, ready to drop into a battle stance, but she knew that any attack would be futile. The second she would open fire, a thousand bolts would cut her to pieces. Suddenly, she felt very alone.

"Gray…" she whispered, "…w-why are you with t-them? H-Have the Space Pirates made you a prisoner?"

"No, Samus," Gray Voice said as he adjusted his robe. "Please relax. There is no need for any hostile action in here. The situation is currently being remedied as we speak. I can explain everything to you."

"E-Explain?" Samus gaped. "Gray…what are you talking about? How can you possibly explain this? What happened here? Where are the other elders? Where is Mother?"

"I'm right here, Samus," a tinny voice waved by as a quiet humming noise rose from behind Samus. In a few seconds, the round sphere of Mother's monitor floated around Samus' head and up over the Pirate crowd, directly in front of the shadowed biomechanical apparatus encased in the tank in the back of the room. The lord and the messenger.

"Mother…"

"You may calm down, Samus," Mother said rather haphazardly. "I can assure you that I have not been damaged or tampered with. Just like Gray Voice said, we are in the midst of switching to a cooperative relationship with the Space Pirates. Our assimilation has been quite constructive…and quite valuable. As you can see, these Pirates no longer wish us any harm for we are the ones controlling them now."

"What do you mean by 'controlling them?'" Samus nearly shouted in horror. She snapped out of her paralysis and raised her weapon at the Pirates, but as expected, they too raised their claws and bared their fangs in rage as each side began a tense standoff. Samus clenched her teeth, not pulling the trigger, but half-expecting for the Pirates to be the ones to fire in the room first. But, as she continued to count the seconds that passed for what seemed like an eternity, Samus soon realized that, no matter how aggressive the Pirates were acting, they were not going to fight unless she gave them a reason.

"I would advise for you to lower your weapon," Mother said calmly. "The Space Pirates generally do not take too kindly towards people who threaten them in such a fashion." The monitor dipped closer to Samus and the lens clacked within the gray sphere. "It might be hard for you to accept, but I have not been reprogrammed. You may even check my logs for yourself. Rest assured, Samus, I still hold the best interests of the galaxy in my core programming. All that I ask now is that you trust us."

"Perhaps if we alleviate the situation somewhat," Gray Voice offered before he waved a hand in a grand fashion. "All of you, leave us."

The Space Pirates looked amongst themselves for a brief moment before they responded to the command, so quick it was almost instantaneous. The insectoid aliens dipped their heads in the fashion of a bow and quietly slunk off into the adjacent corridors. They closed their claws and took their eyes of Samus as they retreated from the chamber. Samus, instead of being assured, felt more and more frightened than ever before.

"They're obeying your commands…" she said in disbelief. "Why, Gray? Why are they following you?"

Gray Voice merely shrugged. "The Pirates and I have come to an understanding, Samus. With Mother's help, we have made great strides toward a mutual partnership. In your training, do you remember me telling you that knowing your enemies is the key to defeating them?"

Samus nodded and the Chozo continued. "Well, in learning more about our enemy, it was decided that they could be of greater use to us as allies rather as foes. The Pirates have proven to exhibit a new order for the galaxy through their disciplinarian actions and Mother was the one who decided that we must embrace this order if we are to survive."

"Y-You…?" Samus gasped as she stared at the indifferent monitor, the vat bubbling in relative silence behind it.

"This decision did not come to me lightly, you know," Mother explained. "What I discovered through years of careful research is that the so-called legendary Space Pirates are nothing more than a subordinate species that are domesticated to follow the orders of a master that is naturally stronger than them. Think of them as worker bees in a colony, never destined to rule, always meant to serve the queen. In this case, the two species are alike as the Space Pirates are genetically programmed into their hierarchal ranks. Therefore, as a resident on the top of the ranking, I exhibit the utmost control over the Pirates. Now, I am their master, their queen."

"And how did you get to be their master, Mother?" Samus asked, beginning to sidestep very slowly, trying to get some distance away from the AI's floating monitor. "How is it that the Space Pirates came to accept your commands, and Gray Voice's as well?"

"An excellent question, Samus," Mother boomed. "It was only a matter of careful diplomacy with another who shares the rank of master with the Pirates. It was an easy endeavor to convince the right individuals that my status as an all-knowing artificial intelligence would be more beneficial as an ally to their cause. As an equal instead of a nameless grunt, mind you. And since Gray Voice was the only other Chozo among his kind that accepted my way of thinking, I negotiated to have him receive the same status."

"Gray…" Samus pleaded. "How could you? What…what happened to the other elders, Gray? What have you done with them?!"

"They are fine," Gray said as he waved a hand in assurance. "They're close by and are unharmed. Nothing will happen to them unless I say so, Samus. I give you my word."

"And you will remain unharmed as well, Samus," Mother added. "You have seen the proof for yourself; we are in command of the Space Pirates. We can dictate their actions and movements now. And what's to stop you from sharing in the new order? If you wish, you can become a leader of the Pirates yourself. All you have to do is ask, and you will become one of us."

Samus stared blankly at the vat, trying to see past the gloom at the spiked mass residing within. She clenched her fists into balls so tightly she thought she could crack her Power Suit. Memories of screams and fire came to her, the roars of victory and her own cries as heat washed over her…

"I will not," Samus rasped weakly. "I will never join the Space Pirates, Mother. You know what they did to me! You know that I've been fighting them my whole life so why the hell would I join you and them just because you asked me to?!"

"Simple. The reality of the situation speaks otherwise. A changing of the guard is upon us, an exchange of hats, if you will take the expression. The service of the Chozo has come to an end, Samus, and another group must take that place as guardians if the galaxy is to survive."

"And you picked the Space Pirates? What madness brought that on you?"

"Madness?" Mother repeated before emitting something akin to a chuckle. Samus was taken aback. She had never heard Mother laugh before. "How naïve you are, human," Mother seemed to sigh in spite. "Do not try to deny that the Chozo have been in decline for centuries. It was only fortunate that they realized their path ended in extinction long ago which turned them toward a life of new progress, of prosperity, before they departed for good. That path symbolizes how mature the Chozo have become as a lesser race would have devolved into anarchy, trying to stave their end off any way they could. But the Chozo…they accepted their fate! And what they've been doing ever since that fateful decision was to make sure that the galaxy was safer due to their work. A noble goal, indeed!"

"And you think that the Space Pirates would be able to usher in the same era?" Samus yelled, her arms gesturing wildly. "After all they've proved to be good for is complete destruction, not creation?"

"While it's true that the Space Pirates have shown efficiency for all the virtues that the Chozo oppose, there is no other species that has reached the same level of sophistication, of order. With my help, of course, I could guide them to the path of the Chozo without making any of my progenitor's mistakes. And together, we can end all conflict in this galaxy and bring about the era of peace that the Chozo so dearly wished!"

"Still not interested," Samus growled. "And you're arrogant for assuming that the Chozo have made mistakes in the past. What mistakes could they have possibly made?"

"You are the one who is arrogant," Mother barked. "You are assuming that your own personal experiences have made you knowledgeable with the Chozo than I. I was built specifically to know everything about the Chozo. Do not assume you know more than me, child!"

Samus felt a pang of fear from Mother's tone. The AI had gradually sounded more and more angry throughout the conversation and Samus timidly glanced back towards the door. If the AI had gone insane, then things were going to be more difficult than she had anticipated.

Mother floated upward triumphantly. "I can remember these facts as if I had witnessed them for myself, Samus. You could never envision the Chozo at the height of their prosperity. A species that took pride in their technology, the most advanced in the galaxy, and perhaps the most advanced in the universe. They were a successful civilization, Samus, but like all expanding species, their very existence devolved into open warfare. After centuries of conflict, the Chozo sealed their own doom and they would never recover. Their numbers had been spread too thinly to sustain a viable population and their great longevity prevented them from reproducing quickly enough to save themselves."

Now the monitor tilted itself in a very organic expression of amusement. "In the millennia that followed, the Chozo made decisions that would impact their way of life drastically. They forcibly bred their warmongering ways out, permanently crippling themselves through the loss of their wings. Mental therapy helped suppress these violent urges with the implementation of a 'mental guard,' a condition that prevents all Chozo from harming sentient beings. Now that they could no longer participate in open conflict, their thoughts turned to bettering the galaxy, helping others prosper so that the Chozo could find some shred of relief that they did something with their lives. And they tried, Samus. They certainly tried."

"They tried and they succeeded!" Samus shot back. "The Chozo formed the Galactic Federation, a body that is meant to unite the known galaxy! What have the Space Pirates done toward prosperity through democracy?"

"A corrupt and quickly aging body," Mother corrected. "The Federation was a grand idea, but it should have remained an idea. However, the need for a unified society did implement the one idea that they needed to consolidate their data to begin the foundation of the Federation. Thus, to put that idea into action so that their grand design could come to fruition, the Chozo created me."

Gray Voice smiled as he gestured at the being in the tank. "Mother is our most important achievement," he proclaimed. "She was the one who crafted the very existence of the Federation in the beginning and did it to perfection. In a sense, Samus, you could say that Mother was the very one who led galactic society to unity."

"Gray, listen to what you're saying!" Samus cried, shocked that a person that had cared over her for most of her life could possibly betray everything he once stood for. "You built the Federation together with Mother and now you want to tear it down?!"

"The Chozo cannot oversee the fruits of their efforts forever," Mother answered in lieu of Gray Voice. "They did not anticipate the extent to which the Federation could get out of their hands. What started as a simple ruling body quickly became a committee filled with hundreds of squabbling politicians vying for nothing but their own self-interests. And this all took place within this generation's lifetime, Samus. It became an unstable organism at the very moment of its creation! From the very beginning, the Federation was fated to wither and die. If the Federation was incapable of restoring order to the galaxy, then another body had to be created, or perhaps sought."

"That's not true! This was not the way the Chozo would have wanted!"

"Who's to say that for sure? Within the next hundred years, all the Chozo will be gone for good. I have inherited the culture and knowledge of the Chozo, thus making the elders obsolete. I will carry on their will of prosperity and bring about the new progress they have always envisioned."

"Think, Samus," Gray Voice pleaded. "We are so close to the peace we have imagined for millennia! All you have to do is stand with us."

"No!" Samus yelled as she turned away, feeling the gazes of Gray Voice and Mother burn straight into her head. "I…I can't!"

"You have heard the logic for yourself, Samus," Mother calmly pushed on. "If the Chozo elders cannot be of service any more, then what use are they to the galaxy? To me? I am the embodiment of their destiny, Samus, and you by my side can share in a galaxy where there is no conflict, no fear, no despair. Join us, and we can change everything together!"

"This is not the destiny of the Chozo! Mother, you have gone mad!"

The monitor floated down, just out of arm's reach of Samus. "And what would indicate the validity of such a statement?" Mother asked flatly. "Change is a natural part of life and the introduction of new partners, ones that brim with a youthful energy, is troubling to you? Samus, you can ensure that the Pirates never have to resort to their unlawful ways ever again. With us as the directors, we can craft the Pirates into a force that will be capable of restoring all order to the galaxy as we know it! If you do not want them to raid colonies any more, then say the word and it will be done. If you don't want the Pirates to torture other lifeforms for sport, just give them the order. You have the power to change everything, Samus. You can save this galaxy with merely a single word."

"Oh…my…god…" Samus moaned as her knees began to shake.

"Samus, do not worry about the Chozo anymore," Mother said smugly as the creature encased in the vat of nutrient liquid seemed to squirm in delight. "You have the potential to shape everything as you want it to be. All you have to do is say…'yes.'"

"Help me…" Samus whispered as she slowly sunk to the ground, her left arm shielding her visor so she would not have to look out anymore. "Someone…please…help me…"

Kreatz cursed as his foot slipped on a bed of pebbles, causing him to flail about. Luckily, he managed to grab hold of the rock wall he was currently scaling, anchoring him firmly in place. Ahead of him on the path, Mauk looked behind to see if Kreatz was all right. Kreatz waved him on, signaling that he was fine, albeit a little winded.

He tried not to look down, knowing that he would simply lapse into another spell of vertigo if he did. Pyonchi had led them on a twisting staircase of a trail up a mountain range, the path marred by dusty boulders and steep inclines. Mauk was having an easier time of it than Kreatz was, due to his longer legs and more powerful physique. Kreatz was now in the midst of praying for the onslaught to end, his legs aching fiercely.

Meanwhile, Pyonchi was sitting at the summit a few meters above their head, not looking tired at all. Actually, the rabbilis seemed to be capable of scaling the face of the mountain several times in quick succession. It made Kreatz feel so impotent that a creature with a lower functioning brain was making him look like a fool. He was about to sarcastically quip at the rabbilis to see if there was an easier route they could have taken. But he didn't, for Kreatz had not reached that pinnacle of despair yet.

Mauk, on the other hand, had just finished catching up to Pyonchi. The way the furry little creature was acting, he swore that it was impatient with him and Kreatz's relative dawdling. Pyonchi's little foot was tapping in an infuriated and annoyed rhythm, trying to make them hike faster. A very sentient expression, Mauk noted.

"You know," he addressed Pyonchi, "we aren't all like Samus. She's the one who probably can scale this thing as fast as you, not us. Take it easy."

Mauk didn't know why he was talking to Pyonchi, but his doing so did seem to calm the rabbilis down some. Mauk smiled at the effect his words had and reflexively checked his chronometer. His face fell slightly as it denoted that there were only ten hours left before the fleet arrived, after which the surface of Zebes would most likely be cratered into oblivion. Ten hours to find any hostages and move out. Things were beginning to look tight.

A bout of wheezing drew Mauk's attention over as Kreatz crested the hill, sweat pouring down his face. Pyonchi wasted no time in letting him rest, though, for he took off down the mountainside into the next valley, kicking up small clouds of dust. Mauk grinned as he slapped his friend on the back, trying to kick him in gear. "Cheer up, Kreatz. Look at it this way; it's all downhill from here."

"Oh…perfect," Kreatz gasped, not catching the joke.

Samus staggered to her feet, her boots grating over the gritty floor as the hallway seemed to extend before her eyes. She blinked out condensation and licked her dry lips, remembering to breathe in her nose and out through her mouth. Now, she began to mentally conserve her energy, readying her body to make a move if necessary. Her arms felt tight, every cord of muscle shrieking, and her hands minutely shook.

As if sensing Samus' fear, Mother's monitor hovered down some more. "Has your mind been changed, Samus? Or do you still need more convincing that this is the path you were meant to tread?"

"You don't need to waste any more time," Samus growled as she straightened her knees. "I do not want to join the Space Pirates. My path does not lie with them, but against them! Who are you to decide whether I should or should not join you?"

"Because I am the reason you are standing before me right now," Mother said evenly. "My very existence is the case that you have been kept alive until now. Are you going to deny the myriad times when I have taken your life into my own hands? The constant instances when I looked over for you during your stay here on Zebes as a young child? You owe a lot to me, Samus. You could start by following your destiny, out of respect to me."

Samus snorted, incredulous. "Why should I show any loyalty to you, Mother? You have only looked out for me because the Chozo ordered you to! You are not the reason that I stand before you today!"

"Really?" Mother hissed, so quietly it was almost a whisper. "You know, because the Chozo lost their capability to possess weapons of any sort after all of their genetic culls, I was also created to offer logistical support by managing the defensive systems on Zebes. And so, when you came along, I was tasked to create a tool that would help augment your skills, preserve your life against the dangers that this galaxy had to offer." Samus did not know what to say so Mother continued. "Yes, Samus. I speak of the Power Suit, the armor that has made you who are today. You could not be the soldier the Chozo envisioned you to be without my nurturing care. Since I was responsible for your development, you could say that the bonds between us are like the ones shared between a mother…and a daughter."

"Do not say that!" Samus yelled, the urge to vomit now increasing in intensity. Her entire body was rattling helplessly within the armor, desperate to curl up in a ball and force the outside world out completely. "You…are not my mother! I don't care how you think of it, it's not possible!"

"It does not matter if you deny the truth," Mother said, the great being in the tank floating, oblivious to the needs of organics below. "Ever since you arrived, you have been everyone's daughter on Zebes, Samus. Your biological parents are dead, yes, but you gained new ones: the Chozo and I. If you do not think of me as your guardian, then what am I to you? But…consider this. Why you? Why would you, of all people, become ushered into the Chozo way of life? What was it that made you so special?"

Samus… whispered a voice that was not her own.

"Dad?" she breathed back, only having heard a glimpse of the sound before it faded into the noise of the chamber. The voice was fleetingly familiar, but there was not enough time to fully realize whom it belonged to.

I will take care of you…

"Don't go!" she quietly pleaded. "Please…help me."

"…you were chosen because the Chozo needed one final member to add to their family," Mother was droning in the background. "Having found you, an orphan, the Chozo elected to spirit you here. You may think you're different than everyone else, Samus, but if it were not for us, if Chozo genes had not been injected into you, you would not be the extraordinary hybrid you are today. You would be a pathetic human girl, doomed to waste away on a colony world. You would have been nothing if it wasn't for me!"

"I…" Samus stammered, becoming more and more shaken. "I…I…"

"You were trained in the arts of war. You could accomplish physical feats of strength no prime member of your original species ever could by the time you were eight years old. You became everything the Chozo wanted you to be. From the beginning, what you are now is the culmination of their plan, the master stroke that has all hinged upon you."

"T-Then…" Samus muttered. "What did the Chozo want me to be?"

"A bio-weapon," Mother announced smugly.

Memories of her being led down the halls by Old Bird washed over Samus like a flood. She recalled passing by an old mural, one which she scratched a picture of her, Old Bird, and Gray Voice as a reminder. Samus remembered being led into a chamber that contained a vat of green liquid. Inside that vat stood a tall, powerful looking silhouette. Old Bird had then told her that what was inside was a suit of armor…and that it would be hers someday.

She had pressed herself up to the glass, watching in awe as the liquid distorted the shape of the Power Suit. Wires snaked around the metallic shield and she had gasped aloud as the suit twitched to an electrical pulse. It looked scary, but she had wanted to try it on anyway.

Was this Old Bird's intention all along? To indoctrinate her into a life of war? Was this really the path that he led her on this whole time?

"You're lying…" Samus said numbly.

"Am I? Samus, are you going to deny what you are out of pride? You have grown to be a spectacular weapon, the results even greater than the Chozo originally envisioned! As your parent…I am proud of you."

"Shut up!" Samus screamed as she fumbled to lift her arm cannon, the effort feeling like she was hefting a few hundred pounds. She looked at Gray Voice, who had remained silent throughout the exchange. She silently begged for him to intervene, to support her. To tell her everything that she had just been told was all a lie. "Gray…you didn't see me like that…"

Gray Voice sighed as he scratched the back of his neck. His eyes, however, never left Samus' visor. "Samus…" he said flatly, "Mother is right. You have become what Old Bird and I wanted you to be, nothing more. This was your destiny from the beginning, everyone knew it."

"But…" Samus mumbled as she shrank back slightly. "You cared about me. You saved me. You wouldn't have wanted to…manipulate me into a…a…a weapon…right?"

The tall Chozo turned his head away, slitting his eyes fiercely. "Wrong," he rasped. "That was your purpose this whole time. You were nothing but a tool."

"NO!" Samus roared, her limbs quaking with rage. "You're lying! I wasn't something you could just discard! I was not meant to be your weapon!"

"Just accept it, Samus," Gray Voice wilted as he growled bitterly. "You had no idea of the plans we had for you, so why are you acting like you even had a choice? We kept you in the hopes that you could carry out our wishes and now your time has come. Are you just going to stand there and turn your back on your duty?"

"Duty?!" Samus yelled. "My only duty was to be a warrior and protect the galaxy! I am not a weapon! You can't just expect me to betray everything you've taught me for my whole life, Gray!"

"Perhaps we should have instilled some sort of mental programming in your cortex when you first came here, then," Mother offered. "Had we known that you would become insufferable and petulant at this news we should have gone with the procedure to alter your frontal lobe, forgoing any consequences that you could become damaged from such an operation."

"The only one who's insufferable here is you!" Samus cried as she raised her cannon and leveled shot after shot towards Mother's tank. "I'm not a machine like you!" she shouted each time she squeezed the trigger. "I'm not something you can just reprogram! I will never join you!"

The yellow beams screamed through the stale air straight towards the target, but seconds before impact, a hazy red shield sprung up around the tank, casting Mother's apparatus in red static. The beams bounced off the shield and rocketed in different directions, charring the nearby walls of the facility. Sparks flew as the shield angrily responded to the energy bolts but it remained active.

Samus did not know if it was sweat running down her face or tears, causing her eyesight to become blurry, but she focused around her heads-up-display and continued to fire at Mother, her fingers becoming numb after squeezing the trigger over and over again. After it seemed that she had definitely made no progress, she released her grip and watched her overheated weapon cool.

Mother seemed amused by the futile display. "My, my…" she clucked. "Is something wrong Samus? Did you really think that I would be foolish enough to arm you with weapons that could actually hurt me? Your current armaments cannot penetrate this Zebetite shield, which is akin to the same technology that encompasses Zebes' planetary defenses."

"Damn it…" Samus spat, her breathing wet and labored. She looked around the room, desperate to find some component that was not shielded, something that she could take offline. An initial scan revealed that there was nothing of value close by. She was useless here.

"In any case," Mother sighed. "Gray Voice and I have said all we wanted to say regarding the matter of your compliance. Now, I regret having to come to this, but there is a third member who wishes to share his thoughts. Samus, allow me to introduce…"

A rumbling sound cut the AI off as part of the ceiling cut away, revealing a long shaft of sunlight. Samus was too distracted to focus on this new development, but noticed when a sudden shadow cut the incoming illumination off. Her body felt sluggish as she turned, the sensation like being underwater. Her audio sensors picked up a slight hint of noise, almost like something was flapping in the wind. A huge rush of air suddenly pushed at her and Samus could only see a long, thickly armored tail that whipped toward her at breakneck speed. There was a sudden impact and she found herself flying through the air, numbly trying to figure out what had happened before she hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of her.

Coughing, she struggled to get up but her arms did not seem to be working properly, skidding on the ground, not allowing her purchase. Samus was dimly aware of an enormous shape flying above her but could not concentrate on it, not until it slammed down on the ground, the metal floor easily carrying the shockwave across. Samus heard the scratching sound of talons and large breathing. Terrified, she willed herself to look up.

To her horror, she recognized the new arrival instantly.

You may call me…

"R-Ridley…?" Samus mouthed, her voice suddenly dying midway in her throat. Everything seemed to loosen, her entire life losing all control in front of her. Samus felt like she had stumbled into a nightmare and waited to wake up. But this time, respite did not come.

Now, she realized too late that she had miscalculated all along. The Chozo elders were not the target. She was. She had fallen into the trap hook, line, and sinker.

The dragon shook the ground as he stepped forward, appraising the armored Samus lying down in front of him. His muscles rippling, Ridley managed a laugh as he beat his wings in victory, ruffling Gray Voice's robes on the other side of the room.

With a low chuckle from his sharp mouth, Ridley smirked as he approached the prone Samus, his wings still pounding the air fiercely. "So," he announced dangerously, "this is the weapon you've told me about, Mother Brain? This tiny weakling?"

Lying on the ground, Samus' world began to grow dark.

A/N: Well, that's the first volume of the manga adapted! But, we still have not even reached the halfway point. There's still a lot more to go with this story and it only feels like I've just gotten started.

In the manga, the exchange between Samus, Gray Voice, and Mother Brain is done rather well, apart from a few missing points that details exactly how Mother came into contact with the Space Pirates. I threw a few lines in there to at least address how that came to be, among other things. This is one of the more important conversations that occurs in the manga and it required a lot of attention to detail.

One of the other things that I have been steadily altering in the manga is the use of strong language. Due to the fact that there are technically no swear words in the Japanese language, whoever translated the manga thought it necessary to drop a few choice words including the f-bomb occasionally. I have no beef with using such words in stories, but there has been no precedent for their use in any other Metroid media at all. Therefore, such language is distracting to me and I feel it detracts from the overall story, so that's something I'm just cutting out whenever I come across them.

Are you ready for more?

LawrenceSnake: Yeah, yeah...so I made a typo in a document this size while my mind was obviously elsewhere. You got me, I'm human.