For the longest time, Malkovitch was unable to tear his eyes off of Samus' apathetic gaze. He was still searching for the right words to start off with as she sat directly in front of him, too many things on his mind for him to pick one out of the blue as a beginning point. Samus reclined back comfortably on the cushioned bench the officer's mess the GFS Plano had to offer, the smooth material of her Zero Suit stretching to accommodate her tall frame, while Malkovich sat ramrod straight upon his custom-tailored chair, his uniform clean and pressed like always. Samus' legs were crossed and her hands were folded in her lap, a smug smile upon her face. Malkovich tipped his eyebrows once before returning to the slate situated in his own hands, running his fingers along the glass surface absentmindedly.

"Well, Samus," he finally said. "You can understand my surprise when, mere days after I had sent you off to Zebes, I come to this system expecting to find the planet in its regular orbit only to find out that it wasn't, and that you had already completed your mission in what had to be nothing short of a miracle. You've certainly been busy."

"Felt like months, actually," Samus muttered as she scratched the back of her neck, untangling a few hairs out of her ponytail. "There was enough combat and death down there to last a lifetime."

"Apparently it wasn't enough to keep you occupied for long as these two here," Malkovich gestured to Kreatz and Mauk, both of whom smiled sheepishly on the other side of the table, "also thought that you would run into difficulties with your mission and just so happened to bump into me on the way to you. Judging by the results outside the window, I'd say that we might as well not have worried a single iota and needn't have bothered showing up."

The window, which normally should have been lit from Zebes' warm glow, was now dark and dusty, a light fog wisping around the last position of the doomed planet. Leftover gases swirled in a sphere and bits of rocky debris tumbled through space, some of it already being caught by the gravity of the sun, turning the remains of the planet into another asteroid belt.

"It's probably a good thing that you're not interested in a career in politics, Samus," Malkovich remarked out loud. "Otherwise an event like this would be a permanent smear on whatever campaign you decided to run for. As it is, the results of this mission could prove rather…problematic for you in the future regarding your specific line of work."

"And why would that be?" Samus snorted. "Don't tell me that you're angry at me because Zebes exploded. Believe me, I feel worse about it than you do. You think that I'm not concerned about my home practically disintegrating? Because if not, then I-"

"Oh, I'm not mad," Malkovich corrected as he set the cap on his head to the side of the desk. "But I can promise you that others will be. Others who hold particular sway in the Federation will be aghast that the victory against the Space Pirates had to come at the cost of a planet, specifically the planet where the Chozo, the very founders of that ruling body, came from. I'm sure you can see where this is going."

Samus' brow furrowed in worry. "Keaton?" she asked. "Is he one of them?"

"I just spoke with him moments ago. He understood the sacrifices you had to make so you should count on his continued support. I'm just warning you that you might find yourself a little more harangued out there than usual, Samus. The destruction of Zebes could be used to further the goals of many opportunists and use it as propaganda."

"That, what, we're no better than the Space Pirates?" Samus scowled as she brushed her golden hair out of her face. "Sooner or later, they'll all have to accept that what I did essentially saved the galaxy. I eliminated Ridley, I destroyed Mother Brain. The entirety of the Pirate leadership was taken out by me and demolished for good when the neutron bombs placed at the core of the planet detonated. Everyone will understand, Adam."

"Don't worry," Malkovich said as he held up a hand in assurance. "One of them will understand. One of them must. I'm sure that the truth will eventually smooth everything back to the constant and the galaxy's misgivings will eventually cease. I just want to make my misgivings voiced, Samus. You're going to find yourself under a lot of pressure over the next few years. I only want you to be prepared for when the worst comes."

Samus shifted her arms tighter across her chest. "I can handle it," she said defensively. "I won't let a rabble of politicians slow me down."

"Regardless, they're going to try to make your life more difficult. They're just going to be another enemy to you on another front. Speaking of which, the galaxy may be a safer place now, but there are still pockets of resistance spread across the cosmos. Our work is not over yet, Samus, and we need to be more vigilant now than ever. With such trouble brewing, we cannot afford infighting on our end, you understand?"

Samus glanced out of the viewport, watching the stars float gently by before she answered. "I understand, and I don't doubt what you said about our enemies still being out there in the galaxy. There are still rogue factions of Space Pirates somewhere – someone will soon inherit the title of leader amongst them now that their leadership is disorganized. You're right, Adam, it is our job to do take care of those problems before they manifest into something greater."

"As has been our duty the entire time," Malkovich nodded as he glanced down at his tablet. "It's a good thing you and I have seen eye to eye most of the time we've known each other."

"It just would have made your work more difficult, huh?" Samus gave a mischievous smirk.

"Something like that. Anyway, we've already got some reports on the fringe worlds of continued Pirate resistance, but that's not important right now…"

"What have you got?" Samus asked eagerly as she now sat up. "I'll be happy to take on another assignment."

Malkovich stared at Samus like she was completely out of her mind. Kreatz and Mauk shared a silent guffaw, utterly bemused at the lengths Samus went to combat any form of danger. "Are…you sure?" Malkovich asked, not entirely convinced. "I mean, after all, you just came back from a tough mission, Samus. You sure you don't want some time to cool down, relax, or do anything that does not relate to fighting whatsoever?"

"Nope," Samus shrugged with a flippant grin. "I've got nothing else to do in my spare time. What, Adam, can the Federation not afford to pay me my current asking fee now?"

Malkovich's answering smile was humorless. "Despite the rather hefty cost you've incurred on the Federation's balance sheet, we still have plenty of money left to fund your little 'adventures.' I'm assuming that you want your latest excursion to be cashed at the earliest possible opportunity?"

"Hey," Samus smirked, "Bounty hunters don't get paid by the hour, now, do they?"

"And to the very thought that you would do these missions gratis out of the kindness of your heart…" Malkovich grumbled as he opened a new tab on his slate. Moving around numbers from different accounts, he accomplished the necessary transfer of funds in less than a minute, flipping the surface over so that Samus could confirm with her own eyes. She gave a nod and Malkovich finished the transaction, closing the app when he was done.

Kreatz and Mauk, sensing that the conversation was not about to move onto them anytime soon, quickly got up from their chairs with a parting wave to Samus, intent on getting a decent meal. Samus waved back and tapped her gloved fingertips on her thighs eagerly after the two had left. "So," she smiled, "you said there were a few assignments that I could take, Adam?"

"Truly unbelievable," the general said under his breath before he cleared his throat and flipped to the notification board. He scrolled through a few reports, searching for one that best fit the hunter's skills before he tapped one, as if from memory, and turned the screen so that Samus could see. "Well, how about this one? Federation intel reported a Pirate science frigate, the Orpheon, in orbit around Tallon IV. It's a mobile station but if we could just get someone to infiltrate the ship-"

"Done," Samus said with finality.

Malkovich shot her a blank look. "But I haven't even finished explaining the details yet."

"Come on, Adam," she chided. "We both know that I'm not going to pass up an opportunity to smash up an important ship to the Pirates. Besides, this helps you just as much as it helps me."

"If you say so," Malkovich said, clearly unconvinced, but responded with a shrug nonetheless. "All right, then I'll forward the details to your ship's computer. You may take the frigate at any time. It's a slow moving ship so if it switches locations you will still be able to track it easily. Those science vessels are not known for being the stealthiest ships in the galaxy."

"I know," Samus said as she rose from the bench. "I still remember what you've taught me." She turned towards the door and walked a few steps before she got a funny look on her face and turned back around to see Malkovich's bemused expression projected right back at her.

"Did you forget something?" the general asked.

"I was just wondering why you hadn't asked me about the status of the Metroids yet," she answered. "I thought that, since the abduction of the infant was the event that instigated this whole ordeal for us, I was thinking that you would have gotten around to it first."

"I guess that I assumed from your determination and confidence that we no longer have to worry about them. I take it the infant is dead, yes?"

Samus raised an eyebrow and, to Malkovich's apprehension, slowly shook her head. "Not exactly," she said quietly as she reached into a side pocket on her Zero Suit, withdrawing a small clear vial. She placed it on the desk next to Malkovich, where he could see a few dusty particles line the bottom of the clear container.

"Are…are those from…?"

"The infant, yes," Samus nodded. "I took these cells off my armor after the Metroid had perished at Mother Brain's hands. I have a sample of my own back on my ship and I'm entrusting the rest to you, Adam."

He picked up the vial and stared long and hard at its contents. "Why?" he whispered.

"Because the Metroids still have a purpose in this galaxy. They can be used for good. I…I just want to give them that chance because…they showed me on Zebes that they are not all inherently evil."

Malkovich tapped the vial against his palm thoughtfully before he inserted it into his breast pocket. "I'll take your word for it," he simply responded. "I can't guarantee that any headway will be made from these cells straight away, Samus. It's a lot harder to glean complete organisms from dead cells as opposed to live tissue, but I can assure you that we will work toward-"

"One thing," Samus interrupted. "And this is not negotiable."

"What might that be?"

"I know that there will be some in the Federation that will want to use the Metroids as weapons," she said before she forcefully shook her head. "That must not happen. That is my one caveat. These Metroids must be used for the intentions of peace instead of war or else I will march into whatever lab the Federation has hidden them and will destroy each and every sample that you have in the records. That is, if the Federation has used the Metroids for any applications other than peaceful ones. Use this opportunity wisely, Adam. Don't let them lose sight of that goal."

"I wholeheartedly agree and I give you my vow," Malkovich said as he placed his cap back on his head. "The Metroids will not be used as bioweapons. I will personally oversee the entire operation myself and will make sure that our goals do not deviate from your wishes."

"That's all I ask, Adam. Thank you."

With that, Samus held her hand out, giving Malkovich a start. Usually he was the one who initiated the parting of ways but he clasped her similarly sized hand all the same. He could feel the strength in her grip, the tensing of her powerful fingers, and the calmness radiating through her arm. In that moment, he was reminded once again of how much a warrior Samus was, admiring her determination thoughtfully.

"Now," he said as he continued to hold onto her hand, a knowing glint in his eye. "I do believe that you have a mission to complete. Are all of the details of your assignment understood?"

"Yes," Samus nodded.

"Is your objective clear?"

"Perfectly."

Now Malkovich winked, catching Samus off guard. It was the first time he had done such a thing before and was not sure of what to make of it. "Any objections, lady?" he asked rather impishly.

Samus gave him a huge smile, all teeth. "None whatsoever," she said as she released his hand. With a parting wave, she elegantly turned on one heel and headed out the door, rolling her eyes playfully as she brushed her twin locks of hair to the sides of her head.

She did not linger on the level for long, allowing a hint of anxiety steer her movements. Samus headed straight for the elevator bay and pushed the button for the hangar. She endured the short time it took to reach the bay and immediately began to head over to her ship parked at the far end of the hangar. Technicians stopped in their duties and stared at her, impressed and intimidated by the imposing figure Samus possessed, even outside of her Varia Suit. She paid them no mind but she did share a respective nod to any of the soldiers that crossed her path. She had been in their position once so it was only fair to extend them the courtesy of treating them like people.

The back of her hand beeped and Samus looked down to see a message scrambling across the diodes, a message from Kreatz.

[We (me and Mauk) know that you've been busy lately, Samus, but you don't have to be a badass all the time. Next time you've got some free time, let us know?]

Samus smiled and quickly tapped out a reply. [Next time.]

A few maintenance workers began to prepare a ladder for Samus to climb as they noticed her arrival but she shook her head and leaped casually onto the roof of the craft with little effort. A few of the humans made an appreciative whistling noise and Samus couldn't resist laughing. Once she was inside her ship, she touched the control for it to start and it effortlessly glided back out into space, separated from the pod once again.

The coordinates for the Orpheon were already on her screen, but Samus wiped it clear and saved it for later. She grabbed the yoke and steered the HUNTER-II in the opposite direction of Tallon IV, her fingers gliding over the control panel to input her next destination. In moments, the holographic representation of Daiban flared up, an X already posted on the location that Samus wished to go.

With a grin, Samus pushed the hyperdrive button and settled in for the long haul. She had made a promise to a girl and there was nothing that could stop her from breaking it. Everything else could wait, because this person had been waiting for her.

With a blast from the engines, the entire universe seemed to stretch before Samus until it abruptly bounced back as her ship entered into a dimension incomprehensible, screaming forth into the ripples of space to leave nothing behind.

Zelxir'zyr'Intrros frowned as he glanced back and forth from the window, dread filling his gizzard. It was always nauseating to him to rapidly change between different gravitational influences as he miserably watched the golden sphere of SR-388 gradually drop away from view, an aspect his caste mates found to be rather amusing. He flexed his fingers, trying to draw out the uncomfortable sensations. Intrros wished he was back on his homeworld, where the soothing sheets of acid rain and continuous volcanic activity would be the soundtrack to his everyday duties and where he could keep his feet on the ground at all times. He hated space; he never wanted a life like this to begin with.

However unfortunate his life had turned out, it was only by happenstance that he had proved to be among the most intelligent out of the yearly brood. Plucked from service, despite his resistance, he was placed into the scientific division and carefully monitored so that his abilities could be honed. Intrros was doomed from the start as, ever since his birth, he had never been able to maintain the control his life had led him. It was the same for everyone else but that did not necessarily mean that he had to like it.

It was only on the bad days that Intrros wished he had never been a scientist. If he had been selected for the soldier caste, he would have been able to firmly stamp out these feelings of displeasure. It was unbecoming of a Space Pirate; obedience was expected and cowardice was punished. Why should he be afraid of space? It was in his people's nature to use this void as a medium for which to plunder and raid. It was the name his enemies gave to his people so why couldn't he grow into it?

Perhaps it was the fact that he did not have the makings of a soldier to begin with. He was not the most apt with a blaster, necessary as he had not received the modification to naturally generate his own plasma. Nor was he the most powerful or exceptionally brave by any means. The forces were always looking at bodies to throw at the enemy but they generally did want to see bodies that had an able chance of slaughtering the enemy to begin with, a qualification that Intrros had no chance of meeting.

Still, there were some benefits from living this life. The environment in a lab was much less hectic than that of a soldier's on the battlefield, and as one of the researchers personally selected by his Lordship, he could set his own schedules, provided that he could bring in pleasing results from time to time. And he was good enough, or perhaps lucky, that he always got results with his work, which was probably why he had not been executed at this point in time. So many of his colleagues had befallen such a fate when his Lordship had been disappointed in their work ethic before. Intrros had always seemed to gain favor with his master through his research, though, providing an ample amount of leverage that gradually increased the worth of his life.

And that worth should only increase ever more, Intrros thought to himself as he tapped on the sheet of glass hung about on the wall. A set of diagnostics were projected on the screen and they all showed the same thing: a flat line. Normally the line would have been ablaze with activity – timed precisely to the beat of a powerful heart, but this time the heart had fallen silent. The feedback had vanished some time ago.

Intrros knew that this day would come sooner or later, but his Lordship had tasked him with such an eventuality long beforehand. He remembered the way the orders had been rumbled out of that spiked maw, eliciting awe and fear all at once. He had been entrusted to a duty, one his Lordship gave to no one else and Intrros was determined to please his memory. Perhaps it would give him some small comfort when it was his turn to enter the afterlife. This was why the detour to SR-388 was so necessary, as Intrros could arrange a pickup of the creature he required so that he could carry out the will of his master, no matter the cost. The Federation had left the planet a while back, but they had no idea what other secrets it held. It was fortunate that Intrros did.

Rummaging through tissue samples in a series of stacks, Intrros came back out with a glass cylinder containing a scale the size of a ration plate. It was colored black, polished and smooth, but unlabeled. It had been an offering that his master had gladly made so that his wish of immortality could be achieved, plucked from his own hide by his own hand. Intrros knew that if Lord Ridley ever wished for something, it was in the best interests of everyone to make sure that it was achieved, even if the goal was practically insurmountable. Why else would he deliberately leave a sample of his tissue behind for Intrros to keep handy? Certainly he would not have wanted it to be used as a paperweight.

Intrros knew that he should be more nervous, but the status of his calm and unshaking hands was surprising to him. He quickly walked over to his desk and touched a button, creating a hiss of steam as a huge tank rose out of a hole in the middle of the floor, stretching almost to the ceiling as the idea that the container was unending inexplicably came to him. Now starting to feel a little skittish, Intrros opened the cylinder he held in his hands and removed the scale. He placed it on a receptacle pad and a skeletal claw automatically came down from the ceiling and plucked the scale off the pad. The claw retreated back upwards before it lowered itself into the larger tank and gently placed it into the middle of the cistern. Tiny hooks grasped at the scale, keeping it in place as the reservoir gradually began to fill with green nutrient fluid, flooding the container at the rate of hundreds of gallons per minute.

In the capsule sitting right beside him on his desk, Intrros glanced worryingly at the creature encased within the chilled container. The odd lifeform had no discernable shape as far as he could tell, as it constantly morphed its golden gelatinous body like it was immune to gravity. Intrros could see sparkling virulent strands swirl about in the creature's depths, completely translucent and traveling with a sinister purpose.

Wary, Intrros carefully lifted the container that held the morphing parasite and placed it on the pad. The claw hooked around the handle and lifted it up before it gradually lowered it into the nutrient pool. Intrros waited until the tube had sunk to the depths of the tank before he took control of the claw itself. Using the manual override, Intrros sent a command to the tool, which slowly twisted the handle off of the capsule before it opened with a pop. The creature inside began to scramble around as liquid quickly surrounded it, but calmed down once it had been fully encapsulated.

Intrros rapidly sent the claw back up and out of the tank and sealed it to prevent the creature within from escaping. The nutrient liquid held two purposes in that it provided the parasite with an oxygenated liquid and it also greatly prohibited its movements, preventing it from making a daring escape. For now, Intrros took his hands off his keyboard and watched anxiously, his spine tingling with anticipation. He licked his lips, his long tongue sliding across his spiked teeth eagerly. All the cameras were recording this moment; now was the time. All he had to do now was watch

The submerged parasite in the tank immediately seemed to recognize that it was not the only thing encased inside the bubbling abyss. It seemed to "spot" the lone scale fastened down on the floor below it. Pushing its way through the thick liquid, it moved closer and closer until it stretched out and gently brushed against the smooth surface, creating a small spark between the two objects.

The effect was immediate and the golden mass quickly began to morph into a greater shape, something a hundred times its size. The effect of its transformation displaced much of the nutrient liquid and it began to spill over the top of the tank. Watching as a new beast came to life before his eyes, Intrros could hardly resist roaring in victory, the shadows dancing all around him in a macabre embrace. As the monster within the tank bellowed, sending bubbles surging towards the surface, Intrros felt a surge of pride burn brightly within him.

Glory to the Space Pirates!

A/N: Thus, Solder: Legacy has come to an end. I do hope you have enjoyed the story as much as I did writing it. It was a nice deviation from some of my other works as well as important to me to get a story in this franchise done right. Hopefully I've succeeded.

I wish for you all to send a little blurb after finishing this story, telling me what you thought of the whole thing and what your favorite chapters were. I want to know how I fared with adapting the manga and if the passages I included were worthy additions to the story overall. I'd be grateful if you took a few minutes of your time to do just that.

Special thanks go to LawrenceSnake, who gave me a sufficient challenge on my knowledge of Metroid lore and caused me to think hard and careful whenever he posed a doozy of a question.

From what the epilogue detailed, I have indeed left the possibility of a sequel open, but I must confess that it will be a long way away before I get to working on that. I have another story on my list that needs completing, but before that, I'm also trying to figure out if I can create an additional form of media that will augment Soldier: Legacy further. I'll let you know the status on that when it's ready, but the point is that I've got a lot on my plate at the moment. I'm sure you can understand.

Thank you all for helping to contribute to this story with your viewership. It was quite an adventure writing here and I'm very appreciative of your support. Don't expect that I will be gone forever - even I manage to surprise myself from time to time!

-Rob Sears