Ensign Logan yawned as he propped his feet up on the control console in front of him. For the tenth time in two minutes, he glanced at the chronometer again and for the tenth time he groaned in frustration as his shift seemed no closer to ending than before. Bored, he took a pen out of his pocket and began spinning it between his fingers, looking for any way possible to kill time.
The ship that Logan was currently serving on, the GFS Seychelles, was a small cruiser parked in the middle of an asteroid belt as one of the Federation's multiple guardians of its borders. Out at the very edge of the Orion Spur, Logan was responsible for monitoring every single solitary scrap of debris that had the audacity to float from one part of space to their technically controlled section. Of course, with all of the objects pinging on the radar happening to be bits of stray rock from the belt, Logan had quickly found that his job was a lot more trouble than it was worth.
He glanced behind him so that he could confirm that the captain was not making any of his rounds. Logan had already been caught once for napping on the job and another slip in attention could definitely result in him pulling double duty or having to scrub the floors. As riveting as this job was, Logan could think of worse fates for himself at the moment.
Switching the pen to his other hand, Logan aimlessly began tapping away at his console, trying to do the bare minimum of multitasking between goofing off and performing his job. Glazed eyes glanced over the screen as the Seychelles' computer brought up object after object that it had scanned and was waiting for a confirmation from Logan. He checked off every single one without so much as a second thought, now beginning to harken back to a nice dream that he had the other night. He yawned again, his attention span slowly waning to the point that he almost missed the next object he was about to clear before he automatically performed a double-take.
"Hello…" he murmured to himself as he now sat upright, leaning into his monitor.
The object currently being projected on the screen was certainly not an asteroid or anything that resembled a spare bit of space junk. The lines were too angular, the shape too streamlined, that it could not be anything else except a ship, and a big one at that.
Frowning, Logan opened up his command prompt and cross-referenced any ship movements in the area while simultaneously trying to retrieve the information from the visitor in front of him. According to the laser scanners, the unknown ship was only a couple thousand miles away, hidden in the blackness, but out there nonetheless.
His schedule pinged back a negative contact, no designated movements in Federation vessels to be reported in the area. At the same time, the readout from the ship popped onto a side window, a schematic floating in mid-air. All of the specifications were unknown and the body contours were unlike anything currently in fabrication by any of the Federation sponsored ship makers. That only meant one thing in this regard.
"Space Pirates," Logan cursed as he buzzed his captain to get up here. He was not worried about the aliens locating his shuttle, it was carefully hidden too deep in the asteroid field for any conventional sensors to locate them. Although, despite this moment of adrenaline, Logan was pleased at the opportunity to show his captain that he was actually capable of doing his job, itself a blessing in disguise. Maybe now the man would go easier on him now that he successfully identified a rogue vessel. Now that was a good dream to have.
The Seychelles continued to monitor the Space Pirate vessel as it slowly moved past the asteroids, merely skirting the border with Federation space as it zoomed on through the inky blackness. The unknown ship continued to propel itself along until it made an unexpected jump back into its own territory. The crew of the Seychelles relaxed at the sight and immediately began preparing their knowledge of the encounter to their superiors over at the capital, as per standard policy.
Unfortunately, while the Seychelles had been paying close attention to that ship, they had failed to notice the much larger vessel that had scampered from behind a rogue moon and casually floated past the asteroid belt. Columns of fire streaming from its wings, the Space Pirate warship undoubtedly congratulated themselves on their successful ruse and quickly powered their hyperdrive jets before the Federation got wise to the maneuver and detected them.
Unseen, the Space Pirates screamed freely into Federation territory.
Daiban
The guards escorting Samus stopped in front of the wooden double doors, snapping to attention as they flanked the golden crest of the Galactic Federation imprinted on the stone floor. One of the men politely held the door open for her and she walked through after giving him a respectful nod.
Her clothes, especially the white tank top, were effectively ruined from the tussle outside but Samus at least had the chance to wipe off the Space Pirate blood on her face beforehand. Now she looked reasonably presentable instead of looking like she had just wandered through a slaughterhouse. Still, her attire was on the edge in terms of appropriateness, but since she had no spare shirts on hand right now and that she refused to wear any military grade clothing here, Samus was officially out of luck.
Consciously, she zipped up her windbreaker, hiding the worst of the damage. As she entered the auditorium, she immediately spotted Malkovich giving her a sarcastic grin, most likely in response to her stubbornness demonstrated outside just an hour ago. She rolled her eyes playfully, already thinking nothing of it.
Someone hopped down from the nearby risers next to her and she turned in response. Samus quickly warmed but was still surprised when the thin man gave her a fast hug followed by a cheeky smile.
"You're on this planet for not even a day and already you find trouble?" Kreatz laughed.
"And you're acting like I shouldn't be used to this by now," Samus shrugged, playfully shoving Kreatz. "Trouble always seems to find me no matter what."
"Of course," Kreatz said magnanimously with an exaggerated gesture. "How silly of me to forget."
Kreatz had hardly grown taller since the last time Samus had seen him. He still maintained that same youthful energy of ten years ago, but there was a hint of age creeping up on him, a tiny bit of maturity peeking its head out. Kreatz's once shaggy hair was now straight and spiked on his head, revealing more of his face and giving him a cleaner look. He was in the casual uniform on an officer, the rank of a lieutenant apparent from the singular bar on his arms. Samus lifted her head up and saw Chief Hardy waving her over, Chairman Keaton at his side, trying to tear her away from reminiscing with Kreatz.
"Lieutenant!" Hardy called, visibly straining not to shout in the presence of the chairman. "Quit taking up Samus' time, someone over here wants to speak with her and he's got more authority than you!"
"Okay, Chief Sunshine!" Kreatz mockingly saluted with a wink. "I'd like to think that I'm the real reason he went bald," he whispered to Samus.
"Can it, wiseass," Hardy grumbled as he tugged at his jacket. Indeed, Hardy's hair had lost the futile battle a while back and the chief now had a completely shining head instead of the disastrous cut. He still managed to retain his big, bushy moustache, his most defining feature. He now scratched at it as Samus made her way over, her expression somewhat bemused.
"Samus," Hardy introduced as he stepped aside to let Keaton forward. "This is Chairman Keaton. He's been most anxious to meet you."
"We've met before, Ms. Aran," the tall green alien grinned as he held out his hand. "Not as personal as this, of course, but it would be hard to forget that rather brilliant display you so demonstrated during the inauguration ceremony today."
Samus smiled sheepishly and accepted Keaton's hand, surprised by the politician's firm grip. Conversely, Keaton did not seem to bat an eye at Samus' undoubtedly superior grip and gave her a knowing look. Suddenly, Samus was not worried at all about having to become confrontational with this man, bloodstained shirt and all. Keaton seemed like a pragmatic and reasonable sort of person, the kind that fervently analyzes each situation before coming to a decision. Samus' good feeling about the chairman was only becoming more bolstered.
She scratched the back of her neck unconsciously under Keaton's stare. "Well, I hope you can understand that I was simply doing what I thought was necessary. I just didn't want the Pirates to get whatever pointed they wanted across to us."
"True," Keaton nodded. "But you're not officially part of the Federation, Samus. You're a freelancer and the fact that you stood up to the Pirates like that, in public no less, has me intrigued. I'd wager that at least seven different cameras got angles of your brawling and have now posted your picture all around the galaxy by now."
Samus had not considered that and her face fell slightly at the notion of her actions being public for all to see. "Oh," she mumbled, crestfallen. "I didn't even think of that."
"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Keaton assured. "There are other things to worry about than having your face plastered all over the evening news. For what it's worth, you did a good job today, Samus. Just like you did a good job with your last mission, from what I've been told, in which the briefing will begin soon, Chief Hardy?"
"Ready as it's ever going to be," Hardy said as he grasped a remote control. "Everyone, if you'll please take your seats."
As Hardy remained standing to deliver his presentation, the other four people in the room gravitated to the risers in the back. Samus took the top one to herself, preferring to sit alone, her arms crossed as she reclined. The lights dimmed and the overhead projector warmed and quickly projected a dusty sphere in the center of the room.
"Okay," Hardy tugged at his collar as he gestured to the hologram of the planet. "As you all know, this is SR-388, the site of Operation Molossus. It has no official name as the Federation had never taken the time to properly study it before until now. SR-388 was initially discovered by the Chozo, you see, and from the data retrieved from planet Zebes, it appears that they used this planet to breed and cultivate a bio-weapon here for the purposes of creating an unbeatable army. The Chozo called them Metroids."
Samus shifted in her seat. She already knew this part, and surmised that everything about this so-called "briefing" was all going to be familiar to her. However, she had to concede that this was all a show for Keaton's benefit, as it was meant to get the chairman up to speed with the important operations of the Federation army. She just had to endure this and note the points made for future reference.
Now the chief initiated a video from the archives, showing camera footage from a landing party as a team touched down on the planet's surface. "Shortly after this data came to light, the planetary reclamation division insisted on sending an inspection team to survey the area and report activity of the Metroids." Helmet cam feeds were now being shown as heavily suited Federation troopers combed through a jungle, pushing aside random bits of wildlife as the blazing sun beat down on them. "We were aware of the energy siphoning capabilities of the Metroids, but we had no data on how they went about that process. Unfortunately," his face now went somber, "the science team learned that the hard way."
On the footage, a blur suddenly shot towards the camera and static flared upon the screen. Tinny screams crackled through the speakers and a brief glimpse of a Metroid clamping down on a soldier's head was shown. The human frantically grasped at the membranous alien as he tried to pull it off, but his hands kept slipping off of it. Hardy thankfully turned the grisly footage off and made a solemn face at the now pale chairman.
Keaton leaned forward, fighting to control his shaking hands. "Do we know why the Chozo decided to create such an indiscriminate killing machine? Was there some sort of point as to the overall purpose of such a monstrosity?"
"Samus?" Hardy glanced toward the back row, waiting for her input.
Samus sat up and Keaton turned around to face her. "The Chozo created the Metroids as a last-ditch resort in an effort to save the galaxy," she explained. "They were not meant to cause this much trouble but would be utilized as a safeguard. Their final gift to the galaxy, so to speak."
Keaton blinked and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But then how did the Metroids get to be like this? What was the catalyst for this sort of aggressive behavior?"
"The details are a little vague, but I believe that Mother Brain, the artificial intelligence housed in Zebes, genetically tampered with the Metroids so that the Chozo's level of control was removed without their knowledge. I think that Mother Brain wanted the Metroids for herself so that she might use them as a weapon against us."
Hardy, meanwhile, was starting to get into the stride of presenting as he paced around the room. "Regardless of the implications, we had to take action for our first round of casualties. After the science team dropped out of contact, we sent a second team, a squad of marines this time, to rescue the scientists and possibly capture a Metroid for further study. But, they too were consumed by the aliens." Hardy's expression was now grim as he changed the picture to a shot of a fleet hovering over SR-388. "So, based on our debacles, we determined that the Metroids were too dangerous to mount an extermination squad against them, or deploy any sort of landing party on the surface, and so we proceeded to initiate an orbital bombardment of the planet, thinking that the level of destruction would exterminate all Metroids on SR-388. We also initiated a planetary blockade so that we could make sure that if any Metroids had survived, they would not be able to escape off-world."
"Until a week ago," Malkovich added dryly.
"Unfortunately," Hardy nodded. "One of our patrol ships picked up a distress signal from a civilian mining rig near the star COROT-23. The boarded the vessel and found it purged of all life, and a dead Metroid inside."
Keaton's attention was now captivated by the presentation and Hardy gave a dramatic pause for effect. "Based on the vessel's logbook, they had somehow skirted our perimeter and landed on SR-388 without us noticing for the purpose of mining valuable minerals. They also happened to collect a Metroid in the process. Incredibly, the civilians managed to kill the Metroid but at the cost of their own lives. The rig was then sent to burn in the sun as a way to properly cleanse the vessel."
"I'd imagine that was the final straw?" Keaton asked, his face lined with curiosity.
"Precisely," Hardy said with a smile. "It was at that point that we, as in the leadership, knew that we could no longer leave the Metroids to live on that planet peacefully as their violent nature gravitated towards their expansion outside of their planet. And, rather worryingly, various camera feeds over time have detected that the Metroids are able to reproduce by mitosis after they have finished feeding. This implies that the Metroids can convert the energy from lifeforms into beta radiation, allowing for the ideal conditions for them to divide. And if the Space Pirates ever got their hands on them again…"
"Wait, again?" Keaton said, confused. "I was under the impression that the Space Pirates were already in possession of the Metroids. After all, that was where the first example was created, right?"
"That is true," Samus said from the top floor, "but all of the Metroids on Zebes were destroyed." By Gray Voice, she remembered distantly with a pang. "And Mother Brain never had the complete formula on how to create more Metroids as the Chozo did most of the work. The Space Pirates have never had any Metroids for a while now."
"Therefore it would stand to reason that the Space Pirates would eventually mount an assault to steal them back," Hardy said as the holographic representation of SR-388 once again filled the room. "Therefore, we needed to confirm their destruction once and for all. So, we contacted Samus with the assignment after remotely tagging the remaining Metroids on the surface and entrusted her to carry out the mission. Is there anything you would like to add before I go on, Samus?"
"Yes," Samus said and she hopped down to the floor where she now stood in front of the projector. She shoved her hands in her pockets and eyed the people in the room for a few seconds. "I encountered the Metroids on SR-388 and found them all to be extremely resilient. However, I did find out that they are prone to concussive attacks, which means they break apart easily when presented to a physical force rather than pure energy beams. Also, the Metroids have the capacity to evolve into higher forms that make them more difficult to kill."
"Higher forms?" Hardy asked as he took notes. "What sort of higher forms? What did they look like?"
"Natural armor plating, a more distinguished head, and even legs depending on how far along they've grown. I can send you my visor feeds later. I managed to kill the Queen Metroid, which had the capability to lay eggs as another form of reproduction. That was the last official Metroid on the planet but before I could leave, a Metroid hatched in front of me and imprinted upon me as its parent. Instead of killing that one, I decided to take advantage of its docile nature and captured it with the intention of relinquishing it to someone who could understand the creature better than I could."
"Fascinating," Keaton mused as he watched the view from Samus' linked visor footage on the screen, witnessing the tiny little creature scurry around the air. "And what became of this infant Metroid?"
"It was transferred to a Federation station on the Ceres Space Colony," Malkovich answered in her stead. "Samus thought that the properties of the Metroid would be better suited for us to understand and control rather than exterminating them outright."
"And you think some good can come out of this mess?" Keaton made an exasperated gesture. "Do you think that this Metroid can actually be beneficial to us?"
"I hope so, chairman," Samus said confidently, glancing surreptitiously at Malkovich. "I don't believe that the Chozo would have pursued such a project otherwise."
"Nor do I," Keaton sighed and stared for a long time at Samus. "I was good friends with Old Bird, your guardian, Ms. Aran. He was one of my influential figures throughout my entire tenure in congress."
Samus nodded solemnly. "I know, chairman. I read your personal statement on the Chozo several years ago when they just vanished from the public eye."
"Did you, now?" Keaton now smiled sadly. "That was a long time ago. The point I'm trying to make is that, no matter the circumstances, no matter how many times I was disillusioned by the direction that the Federation was heading, Old Bird was never fazed. He always seemed to have a plan stuck up those long sleeves of his. If he was still around, I would rather he be chairman than me right now. He was always the wisest one on this planet, perhaps this galaxy."
"I can't recall him ever getting flustered, at least not when I was around him," Samus recalled with a nostalgic longing. She wondered where the wise Chozo was now. Maybe off with the other elders, perhaps? Did he get the opportunity to meet his friends again after leaving them on Zebes? She would just be satisfied with a missive of any sort, just something that reminded her that he was alive and well. She dearly missed Old Bird so.
Keaton gave a tired shrug. "Old Bird certainly was one of a kind. All of the Chozo were, for that matter. But, now they've left, and all that remains of their legacy is the last organism of a biological menace, a crazed artificial intelligence, and you." His face rapidly paled and he shook his hands. "Not that I'm intending any offense, mind you."
"None taken," Samus allowed.
"It's just that, with the final memory of the Chozo on the line, I think that we should be a little more prudent in handling their final projects. What I'm saying is that we should exercise caution with this last Metroid. I know Ceres is a safe haven, but it would probably be safer if we brought it here, to Daiban."
"Not directly to the planet's surface, I hope," Kreatz coughed.
"Of course not," Keaton clarified. "It should be kept in a station above the atmosphere but it can be more readily protected by our fleet and we won't have to worry about a raiding party striking at it when we least expect one. I've been reading some of the military reports in the recent weeks. The Space Pirates are growing bolder; they're skirting our borders, testing our limits. They will attack us eventually and we need to be prepared, but we have to make sure that we don't hand them the keys to a victory. If we want to survive the upcoming storm, we'd better take care in tying everything down so they don't blow away when the winds start to hit."
There was silence in the auditorium, not even a whisper from someone stirring. Malkovich merely shrugged and clapped his hands on his legs as he stood up, brushing his hair neatly back as he put his cap back on. "Seems like a reasonable request to me," he said mildly. "I can't really argue with the logic there. How about you, Samus?"
"I've got no problem with it," Samus conceded. "But, just to be safe, I volunteer to go and retrieve the Metroid from Ceres. If we want to conserve time as best as possible, then it would be best if I go on ahead since I can leave at any moment and will be able to bring the Metroid back here reasonably quickly."
Keaton seemed to consider her offer as he fiddled with the neck of his big coat. "General?"
"That's fine with me," Malkovich nodded. "It would take me a few hours to gain the clearance to take a ship out of drydock anyway. You may go, Samus. I'll call ahead to give you the clearance."
"Thanks, Adam," Samus smiled as she now walked briskly to the door, squeezing past Hardy as the cool air of the auditorium breezed at her jacket. "I won't be too long," she called over her shoulder, "and I'll be sure to bring that Metroid back in one piece!"
"MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY! THIS IS CERES SPACE COLONY REQUESTING ASSISTANCE! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK, I REPEAT, WE ARE UNDER-"
Samus sat bolt upright as the shrill noise jerked her out of her nap in the cockpit. Her heartbeat spiked from rest to full alert as she rubbed at her eyes frantically. Red symbols were flaring around the dashboard of her ship and she looked out the viewport to see the cylindrical space station still hovering in place at it grew larger relative to her approaching distance. What was new to the scenery was the large Pirate vessel currently parked alongside it.
She looked at the details of the distress call on the monitor and found the results to be a bit vague. All it indicated was that the station had been boarded by an unknown party and that urgent assistance was needed. Samus glanced up at the Ceres station and blew air out of her mouth in frustration. This mission just got a hell of a lot more difficult.
"God damn it," she cursed and frantically began to tie her hair in a ponytail so that it would not become messed up too much. With the deed done, she sat perfectly still in her chair and calmed her mind, searching inward for that lone spot that required a sensitive touch, a light pulsating in the darkness.
They're not going to get the Metroid. I won't let them. I'll kill them all before that happens.
As soon as the Power Armor finished its formation, Samus slapped the autopilot control so that the ship directed itself to the nearest landing bay. She stood up and headed for the exit, pausing only to glance back to visually confirm that her ship had passed through the atmospheric barriers. Samus slammed the hatch control and leaped out of the circular port, slamming down on the ground even before her ship had properly landed, indenting the flimsy metal floor from the sheer weight of the armor.
The hatch at the end of the bay was still in the process of opening but Samus was at full sprint and she did not have time to wait. She barreled through the door, smashing several of the segmented metal pieces out of alignment as she headed deeper into the facility. Several light panels lay smashed and broken around her and many breached pipes hissed steam in the air, covering the halls with fog. Samus bent her knees and rushed through the accumulated debris, skidding around a corner to almost come sliding directly into a Space Pirate.
The alien squawked, clearly startled, but Samus' blood was boiling hot and she was more alert than it was. Straightening her arm out, a bolt sizzled directly through the Pirate, cauterizing a hole in its chest. It dropped without another sound. Down the long corridor, other Pirates hissed at the noise and headed through the humid chamber, now leveling off shots of their own.
Samus kept on advancing, dodging most of the beams but letting a few hit her as well, painfully knocking her back a bit. The damage was negligible, she had enough energy to withstand this sort of assault. She also fired as she traveled, taking out enemies left and right. A green burst of electricity hit a pipe next to Samus and she flinched away as bluish xenon misted her visor. She quickly wiped it off and leaped through the swirling vortex of heat and light to propel herself to the other side of the corridor, killing all who stood in her way. Blood and bone popped from her precise blasts and soon a trail of corpses was left in Samus' wake.
She remembered the passage to the lab very clearly in her mind. She kept track of the number of turns she made, counting them softly aloud as she rammed through wave after wave of Pirates. At one point, Samus was so incensed at the audacity of the aliens storming this facility that she elected to punch one in the face after it had startled her by coming out of a dark corner too quickly. The Pirate fell with severe neural damage which was exacerbated further when one of Samus' boots stomped soundly on its head, crushing it. Samus did not shed a single backwards glance and quickly moved on to finally stand in front of the hatch where the Metroid was located. She shouldered the door open and blinked as a massive round of pulse shot rocketed just past her body, some of it even grazing her suit slightly.
"What the hell, Mauk?!" Samus yelled as she stepped into the reception wing, the curves of her suit now illuminated by the familiar milky light.
"Sorry! I'm sorry!" the man protested as he sat on the ground underneath the viewing window, one hand clutching a gigantic shotgun while the other was folded across his chest, clutching an area on his gun arm. Samus checked back out into the corridor to confirm that there were no more Pirates before she walked over.
"You're hurt," she stated as she knelt down, looking at a ragged gash in Mauk's forearm that was slowly weeping blood, the flesh blistered around the opening and the dark hair blackened even further.
"It's not that bad," Mauk gritted. "Just got a little singed. Heh, you should see the other guy, though."
"I bet it didn't work out well for him," Samus said dryly before she helped Mauk to her feet. She looked out into the lab, past the security windows and felt her pulse elevate rapidly. "Mauk, where is it? Where is the Metroid?"
"Been keeping guard over it," the man gasped out in pain as he cocked his head back in the direction of the main lab. "It's still inside its containment tube."
Samus followed his gesture and peered through the thick glass layers again. When she spotted the last place the creature had been left, Samus frowned when it was apparent that the Metroid clearly was elsewhere, as in not in the tube. Contrary to what Mauk had proclaimed, the main section in the middle of the lab sat empty with no Metroid in sight. She could see empty workstations, running diagnostic machines, and even a few crumpled and bloodied bodies of several scientists, but nothing else.
"Mauk…" Samus gaped. "It's not there, Mauk."
Her friend seemed equally puzzled. "But, I could have sworn it was just there. How could-"
With a muffled thump from the thick glass, an object impacted with the clear surface, smearing sticky blood over it. It didn't take long for Samus to recognize Dr. Simmons, who was now pressed against the glass, his white beard matted with his own blood. Samus' eyes trailed downward and spotted a ridged object sticking out of Simmons' chest, pinning the elderly human to the wall. It kind of looked like a tail.
With a casual flick, the spiny tail whipped Simmons off, leaving a bloodied point behind. The doctor hit the side of a desk and flipped end over end, almost certainly dead from the severe loss of blood. The tail curled upwards at the same time its owner dropped down from the rafters, a cruel smile on his face as his wings twitched in glee. Reveling in the carnage from the dead scientists around him, Ridley laughed as his body steamrolled over the sensitive equipment, spilling liquids and shards of glass as he carelessly brushed over everything. With a nasty buck of his wings, the interior lights smashed to bits, causing them to flicker, thrusting the room into darkness.
"You may call me…Ridley…" her memories cried out.
Samus gaped behind her mask as she stood in the lit haven, something brewing up inside her. The lit shadows on the other end twisted, her presence in the room now apparent. She glanced at the hatch to the lab and found it locked, preventing her from entering. Her breath slowed as soon as she saw the gleaming red eyes blaze their way toward her very soul.
"Once again we meet, human," Ridley hissed, his voice audible even through the dual layers of shatterproof glass. He chuckled as he appraised Samus' still form, his gargoyle wings spreading out anxiously. The strobing light flashed ominously, making the already otherworldly creature look more hellish and deadly. "However, you find yourself too late. Perchance, were you hoping to find this?"
Lifting his arm, Samus could see that Ridley's talons gripped the handle of a portable containment cylinder, the Metroid still inside. She gasped, pressing her hand up against the glass as a bout of nausea started to overcome her.
"You bastard…" she whispered.
"As much as I'd love to stay and watch you have a nervous breakdown again," Ridley taunted as he clutched the Metroid close, "I'm afraid I have more pressing matters on my hands now that I have my trump card. Feel free to have the run of the place. I have no use for it anymore."
"NO!" Samus screamed as she beat on the window, watching Ridley thrust his wings downward, propelling the dragon through the hole he had created in the ceiling of the lab. Wiring and bits of metal fell to the ground as Ridley burrowed his way through, causing havoc with the space station's systems.
Enraged, Samus continued to punch the wall, tiny spiderwebs now starting to appear from the place she furiously hammered upon. Bits of glass and dust tumbled to the floor but stopped as Mauk yanked his good arm around her and led Samus away, his grip gentle.
"It's too late," he assured. "You can't do anything about it now, Samus."
"The hell I can't!" Samus protested savagely. "He stole the Metroid, Mauk! I can't just let Ridley escape this place alive! I have to kill him, don't you understand? I need to kill him and you can't stop me from doing that!"
"ALERT!" a new voice blared over the intercom. "STATION CORE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED. FAILSAFES NOT RESPONDING. REACTOR CORE IS AT SUPERCRITICAL LEVELS. TWO MINUTES UNTIL NUCLEAR REACTION."
"True," Mauk said mildly. "But an exploding space station might. Time to go."
To her credit, Samus complied immediately, staying side by side with Mauk as they ran down the hallways together, but that did not stop her anger from erupting within. Ridley had been so close to her! He was right there! Of all the rotten luck, that damned dragon had the initiative to sabotage the station beforehand to mask his getaway.
I'll get that cursed bastard sooner or later, Samus thought as her ship came into view after navigating the labyrinth of smoky halls. He cannot hide from me forever.
Barely waiting for Mauk to strap in, Samus slammed the controls and the ship rocketed out of the landing bay, seconds until a flash of light flared around the perimeter of the viewport. The station had just detonated behind them.
The scanners were no longer picking up Ridley's ship on the scope and Samus had the notion to plow her fist through one of the displays in frustration. She had arrived too late to battle her foe and now she too late to track his departure. Add to that the lost Metroid and this day had gone downhill real fast.
As Mauk began to tend to his wound, Samus reluctantly engaged the hyperdrive and quickly began to set up a message to Malkovich so that he could alert him ahead of time. The general's scratchy form materialized on the hologram, his expression curious.
"Samus?" he coughed. "Have you retrieved the Metroid yet?"
"No," Samus said with a frown, her helmet still engaged. "The Space Pirates got to the facility before we did, general. Ridley grabbed the Metroid and blew up the station."
Malkovich nodded, his expression only dropping slightly. "Roger that," he sighed. "What is your current destination right now?"
"Back to Daiban. I couldn't get a read on Ridley's destination and I have Commander Mauk here to be looked after."
"All right," Malkovich acknowledged. "Return to base, then. We'll get the medbay ready for the commander and we will see if we can give you a destination by the time you arrive."
"Let's hope so," Samus grimaced before she cut the connection, her mind thinking of endless possibilities of killing Ridley slowly and painfully as the ship sped on at faster than light speeds, a blink in the darkness.
Truthfully, Samus had not expected to find herself back in the dim and expansive auditorium quite so soon, the time she had spent traveling notwithstanding. This time, Samus was slumped on the front row, her head in her hands, as both Malkovich and Keaton stood across from her. Hardy was off-planet by now, Kreatz was back at the base, and Mauk was recovering in the clinic (and doing quite well). Samus had removed her Zero suit in exchange for a pair of military-grade pants and a simple white t-shirt, one that was not bloodstained from combat this time.
The earnest attitude that tried to reassure Samus did not dissuade her from stressing out over the utter failure that had been her last mission, though, and she was currently on edge as her feet jittered, tapping out the beat of her agitation.
"If I had left sooner," she mumbled to herself, dejected, "I could have taken him. I could have stopped all this from happening, Adam."
"Maybe so," the general said sternly. "But things didn't pan out that way, Samus. You can't keep beating yourself up over what happened in the past-"
"I know," Samus sighed explosively. "I know, Adam. But that doesn't mean that I can't stop thinking of what I could've done better."
"No one's perfect, Samus."
"I didn't say I was," she defended.
"And that's the point," Malkovich stressed as he now removed his cap, a rare soft look now in his eyes. "Samus, I know that you believe that you cannot slow down, not even for a moment, or that everything will fall apart. But, as someone you've known for years and even considers you to be a friend of sorts, I have to stress that you cannot lose yourself to the warrior inside of you. If you lose your humanity, what will be left if not rage and hate?"
Samus could not help but smirk, slowly getting to her feet. "My humanity…" she scoffed. "My humanity was lost the day Ridley killed my parents, Adam. If I do slow down, who will pick up the slack? Who will be left to fight?"
Malkovich slowly shook his head and Keaton bristled slightly. "Samus," Malkovich said gently, "Sooner or later you're going to have to put your faith in other people. The fate of the galaxy does not hinge on a single person, Samus."
"You're right," Samus acknowledged as she braced her arms, letting the pure strands of energy wrap around her body so that in seconds, the shining knight stood before Malkovich and Keaton in full regalia, the colors blazing high and mighty. "I may not be able to save the galaxy," she resumed, "but you can be damn sure that I can change it. And, it won't be the human inside that will accomplish it, but the warrior within."
The helmeted head tilted toward Malkovich just so that he could glimpse Samus' steely eyes past the glass threshold. "We can't waste time anymore, Adam. I need to know exactly where Ridley is before any experiments can be undertaken on that Metroid."
"Wait," Keaton held up a hand in confusion. "How long exactly do we have before the Space Pirates manage to breed an entire army of these things? How bad of an encounter are we looking at?"
Samus shrugged. "Well, depending if they induce the infant to multiply by deliberately irradiating it, I'd say that in mere days they could amass an army sufficient enough to wipe out a world." She now turned to Malkovich after seeing the chairman's horrified reaction. "Which is why I hope you have a location for me, Adam, so that I can stop all of this from happening. I'm not going to sit idly by while the Pirates prepare to make their mark on the galaxy. I will carve their existence from the stars before I will let that happen. Do you have something or not, general?"
Malkovich face could have been chiseled out of marble for the lack of reactions he gave off. With a reluctant and barely perceptible snort from his nostrils, he replaced his cap back on his head and fished out a small data chip and held it out to Samus. "One of our recon vessels detected Ridley's ship exiting the quadrant and projected his trajectory to the location on that chip. What is on there might not be his final location, Samus, but this planet could be-"
"No," Samus said as she glanced over the chip's contents, a fire in her eyes brimming in the background. "He's there. He would not go anywhere else if this was truly the direction he was headed in." She pocketed the chip and gave her helmeted head a bob after remotely uploading the coordinates via a quantum link. "Thank you, Adam."
"Don't thank me just yet," Malkovich allowed a miniscule grin. "I'm the one that signs your exorbitant paychecks anyway. You'll dry up our coffers soon enough."
"Money well spent, though," Samus grinned behind her helmet. "And this mission is personal, so I won't be returning until I see it completed. And I will return."
Keaton now stepped forward and folded his hands within his black cloak. "Are you sure you don't want any backup for this mission, Samus?"
She shook her head. "I work better alone, chairman. Besides, this mission needs a stealthy touch otherwise this would just call more attention to the Federation. Also, from what I'm hearing, war is approaching the Federation's borders so it would stand to reason that you should retain every able-bodied person you have, am I correct?"
"You certainly are, young one," Keaton said as he gave a curt bow, his twin antenna dipping in tandem. "Then, I wish you good luck on your travels. May you find success on the harsh road ahead."
"Hey," Samus shrugged as she turned to leave, the door opening and flooding light into the chamber, creating stark shadows among the walls, "I'm a bounty hunter, remember? This is the life I lead."
The forlorn gazes of the two individuals were quickly forgotten as Samus strode out of the chamber, back into broad daylight. She glanced up at the sun, and with a longing murmur, disengaged her armor so that she could feel the blazing warmth on her skin. The tiny hairs on her arms prickled as the cold breeze wafted across them, causing Samus to shiver in delight as she stood on the steps of the Federation's main granite steps. Standing in the middle of this place, near the grassy mall, Samus could not help but feel a sense of longing, that she might never see this place again.
Even though time was of the essence, Samus elected to walk back to her house instead of taking the tram, shoving her hands into her pant pockets as she walked. She tried not thinking about Ridley now, or the Metroid, or anything else. Right now, she wanted to savor this final moment of peace before she thrust herself into the thick of things once again.
As she crossed the pedestrian bridge that spanned the river, Samus got an unadulterated view of the Daiban Military Academy's gardens, an ornate configuration of bushes and trees arranged in a maze pattern that allowed for patches of circular fields to rise over the river, creating vantage points for the students to relax on. Beyond the gardens, Samus spotted her house on the other side, so she decided to take a shortcut. Leaping over the towering bushes, Samus tucked into a roll as she hit the soft grass and casually walked in the direction of her establishment like she had not just completed a feat of physicality that any normal human could never do.
Samus walked past the monuments commemorating all of the notable people who had once graced the academy with their presence but she hardly gave them her attention. A few children, still clad in their school uniforms, ran past her on the sidewalk and went to play at the ball court, laughing in anticipation of having fun. Samus smiled at the innocent youths, envious of their purity from the vast cauldron that was life.
She stopped the moment she felt tiny pinches running up her leg and back, little claws scampering on her clothing. With a coy smile, she reached back and plucked Pyonchi off of her, rubbing the rabbilis' head as he squeaked in happiness.
"What, did you get bored at the house or something?" she spoke to Pyonchi in a mock condescending tone. "You thought that the gardens would provide better entertainment?"
Of course, Samus had no way of completely understanding what Pyonchi's real motivations were but it was obvious that the rabbilis was glad to see her, judging by the way his was frantically burrowing his head in the crook of her arm, begging for scratches. Samus obliged him as she ran her fingers down the white fur of Pyonchi's back, her mood rising as she saw just how much her presence was being enjoyed.
Samus wandered into the shade of a willow tree, its stringy branches scratching at her head, and she was about to move out of the way when she spotted a small form sitting at the base of the tree, wearing a red tunic and reading from a tablet. The academy student lifted her head, brushed her raven-black hair out of her eyes, and beamed when she saw Samus, and Samus headed over to her, returning the smile.
"Hello, Damara," Samus greeted as she pushed aside more of the branches.
"Hi, Samus!" Damara brightened as she stood up, dusting off her skirt. "What…what are you doing here?"
"I was just headed home," Samus said with a cock of her head. "Thought I might take a shortcut instead of traversing around the academy."
"You live there?" Damara gaped as she spied the lone house around the tangle of bushes a half mile away. "Wow. I didn't realize you lived so close to me." She then appraised the rabbilis currently sunning his belly in Samus' arms. "Woah, that's a cool pet!"
"Thanks," Samus said. "His name is Pyonchi. I found him on the planet K-2L, where my…" She stopped, finding herself unable to open up to the girl, a lump materializing in her throat.
"I know, Samus," Damara said sagely as she placed a hand on the older woman's arm. "You told me of what happened a long time ago on Jigrad, remember?"
Samus nodded, knowing that her eyes were turning a bit red. "Yeah, I do. I bet you can surmise where I get my angry streak from , right?"
"It's worked well for you in the past," Damara grinned. "I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you!"
"Yes, but how many others could have been saved? How many other cases like me and you are out there right now?" That question went unanswered so Samus simply brushed it off. "Never mind me being morbid, Damara. I've been thinking too long about the wrong things lately."
"You okay, Samus?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's just…I have to go away for a bit. On a mission, you see."
Damara's face dropped in concern. "Is it important?"
"Very," Samus said somberly. "I don't know when I will be back but it's something that I have to do."
"Oh," Damara said, crestfallen. "I see."
"But actually," Samus now said with a knowing look. "This is actually quite fortuitous for me meeting you here. Damara, can I count on you to help me with something?"
"For you?" the girl brightened. "Anything!"
"Would you be so kind as to look after Pyonchi while I'm gone?" she asked as she bounced the fluffy rabbilis in her arms. "He's going to need someone to be with for the time being. He hates being left alone at the house."
"Me?" Damara said, shocked. "But Samus, students aren't allowed pets in the dorms. I could get in trouble for smuggling him in!"
"You don't need to worry about that," Samus assured. "Pyonchi helps himself to his food and water at my house nearby and he's always running off trying to make friends while I'm gone. I would just feel a lot better if he was with you in between classes and the like because he will just be incensed at me otherwise. Do you think you can keep him company outside in the meantime?"
"Absolutely," Damara said with no hesitation. Samus held the creature out to the girl and Pyonchi eagerly hopped into her awaiting arms. The rabbilis was almost as big as Damara's upper torso and threatened to smother her in his billowy fur. Pyonchi nuzzled his head against Damara's chin, his beady black eyes awaiting affection. She giggled helplessly and scratched the rabbilis back, his ears flopping around her arms as she embraced him.
"He likes you," Samus observed.
"He's adorable!" Damara gushed. "Can…can my friends play with him too?"
"He'll tire you all out before you know it," Samus chuckled. "He's got a whole lot of energy to expend."
Pyonchi had hopped out of Damara's arms and grabbed her reading tablet, taking it up into the branches of the willow tree. He held it out in front of him, carefully grasping it but rocking it back and forth in a playful manner. Damara made a noise of irritation and Samus laughed. "He does that," she explained.
"Samus," Damara said after giggling some more, her youthful eyes quickly beginning to plead, "promise me that when you'll get back, you'll let me know?"
Samus knelt down so that she and the girl were eye to eye, all untrue notions cast aside between them. "I promise, Damara," Samus said, her stare drilling through Damara's. "I promise that when I return from my mission, I will let you know immediately."
The girl then surprised Samus by embracing her in a fierce hug. The faint pressure from Pyonchi's clawed pads also indicated that he too had joined them, creating a thick scarf of his fur around their necks. Damara broke away with Pyonchi in her arms this time, her eyes shining with tears positioned to fall. "Don't forget," she whispered, her voice beginning to crack.
"I won't," Samus said back before giving Pyonchi and Damara playful ruffles on their heads. "Goodbye," she breathed, cursing the lengths that her sense of duty tore her apart from everyone.
She stood to leave and quickly walked away, before Damara could see Samus shedding tears. It had been years since Samus had last cried. In a way, it felt good to release her emotions but knew that such breaches were better off in private. Angrily, she wiped her tears away, her teeth clenching as she worked her mind on the upcoming battle at hand, ignoring the laughter in the air from the kids playing all around her.
The wind tucked itself around her, causing a chill to run up Samus' spine. She willed herself not to look back, for fear that she would be crippled by a desire to stay. But would her duty be worth anything? Had her purpose in life come and gone already, meaning that her destination was a fool's errand, a folly? Would she be ready to face her fears again?
Samus only knew that this could end in two ways: either her demons would be destroyed, or she would be.
A/N: Well, with this chapter, it seems that this fanfic is one of the few in the Metroid category to break the 100,000 word barrier. Just shows how far we've come along. Also, a few chapters ago, you all helped break 1,000 views on this story so I must offer my gratitude for sticking with this for this long.
Now, the final act approaches, and Samus will face her toughest trials yet. Heh...this should be fun.
LawrenceSnake: That's pretty much the gist of it. I wanted to showcase Samus in fisticuffs because any other chances for brawling would have her confined to her Power Suit so this was an opportunity to do something a little different. Plus, Samus is a master of combat by now and she has most likely gained the confidence to go toe to toe with a few Space Pirates without the need for her armor. It was a chance to empower her character without making the armor seem like a crutch all the time (despite its obvious usefulness).