Chapter One


"Sir? You might want to take a look at this…"

Lasky glanced down at the holo table, the projection of a planet floating up to eye level. It didn't look to be anything special, and he certainly didn't recognize it. "What am I looking at Roland?"

Roland popped up on the table, his yellow hologram wearing its usual pilot's hat and furred jacket. He pointed to the planet, frown lines wrinkling his forehead. "This is an unidentified planet that's transmitting an open signal every minute. The transmissions alien."

Lasky blinked. "Like Covenant? Because I'm sure the Elites can handle their own problems."

"No, sir. It's a species called Luminoth, un-encountered by man."

Now it was Lasky's turn to frown. It certainly sounded alien and yet, he swore he'd heard that word before. Where though…

"The species was found in the information given by Samus Aran, sir," Roland said, lips drawn thin.

"That's it." Lasky thought to himself. "She told me about them herself, right…"

Then it clicked what Roland was suggesting. "You think she's there now?"

"A guess." He said. "But a good one. And she is a wanted criminal sir. If we have a lead on her, we have to follow it."

Lasky hesitated. "It could be a goose chase. What if we arrive and nothings there? It sounds like a waste of time."

"Sir."

"Oh come on Roland, it's not-"

"Captain."

Lasky sighed, pinching his nose. He knew they had to go after her if they suspected she was there. ONI had been very adamant that Samus was enemy number one, and if found, she had to be terminated. Lasky found it suspicious enough, but he wasn't in authority to question orders. If they found out he avoided capturing her on purpose, he could be…severely punished.

"How soon can we arrive?" He asked finally.

"Infinity can reach this part of space in a couple of hours," Roland said, seeming to sigh in relief.

"Fine, prep the ship for slip space," Lasky said. "And…tell palmer to get a team ready. If she is there, she's not going to come quietly."

"Understood sir."

He blinked away, leaving Lasky alone at the holo table. He sighed, eyes running over the image of the planet as if he could find her himself, right now.

He'd warn her to run before it was too late.


Samus touched down on the very familiar terrain. It had been thousands of years since she had visited the planet Aether, and yet the landing sight looked identical to her first visit. Of course, that had been many lifetimes ago, when she still considered herself a savior…

Her ship opened up and she stepped out, her boots crunching on the dry brittle ground under her. A quick look around revealed it was safe, no enemies in sight or on radar. Still, she'd have to be careful. Her last visit to Aether had almost killed her, not to mention someone had to have activated that transmission. That someone was likely still around, and she didn't know if they could be friend or foe. These days, it was better to assume a foe.

The source of the beacon was coming from below the main temple, so she started moving. She walked down the labyrinth of tunnels that made up this section of the temple grounds. Her steps echoed, no other noise save the faint howling of wind blowing in from the outside. The lack of sound, of anything, was putting her on edge. Aether had been ravaged by war, but there had still been life. Where was that life now?

She rounded a bend, emerging from a tunnel into the outside of the grounds. In the distance loomed the main temple, where she had met the defacto leader of the Luminoth U-mos. U-mos had helped her defeat the vile Ing and save Aether from a cruel fate. She had kept in touch with the alien since, checking on the species recovery. Once the war with the Forerunners had broken out however, they had lost touch, and Samus had assumed the worst.

It was well known the Forerunners didn't take kindly to alien life that could challenge them. They might have claimed peace, but it was peace at a gunpoint. The Chozo, then the Humans had all threatened the Forerunners by existing, and while the Chozo had simply vanished, they hadn't been afraid to show force to humanity. Samus didn't have to guess at what had happened to the Luminoth. She could almost picture it, U-mos defying their words and rallying his people, only to he wiped out just as his kind recovered. The thought made her blood boil, her hand's clench. She had worked with the Forerunners in the end, but she'd hated almost every single one of them.

An opening led her into where a Federation ship had once sat, the grounds littered with the corpses of fallen Troopers who had fallen to the Ing. Time had erased all that however, as now the clearing was empty save for the Luminoth door that guarded the entry to Sanctuary Fortress. She still had not encountered any wildlife, not even small fauna, and her unease increased. Shaking the feeling, she pressed on. She jumped up to a ledge, pulling herself up to the path toward the temple. Her suit may have been damaged, but she had to admit the lightness of it was a bonus. Happy thoughts.

After a process of climbing and traversing ruined Luminoth halls and structures, her goal came into sight. She jumped down off a ledge, now in a large arena. The temple loomed above, held in place by three massive structures she knew contained elevators. On her last visit, large groups of flying creatures had swarmed the skies, but now the sky was clear.

She looked around briefly for the source of the beacon. According to her ships scans, it had been coming from this area, but there was no device, no anything. Just an old grave of a planet. Had the beacon moved perhaps? Possible, she still didn't understand the nature of it.

"Ship, I need an update of the transmission." She said, waiting for the basic A.I in the ship to respond.

The response she got was not what she'd been expecting. "Alert, multiple slip space ruptures detected."

"What?" She thought, barely having time to register the sentence before the sources of the rupture showed themselves. On cue, several Promethean Knights appeared, surrounding her. She whirled, arm cannon coming up at the ready. None of the Knights moved, instead remaining still as statues and staring at her.

"What are they waiting for?"

"You can shoot them if you like." A voice said. It sounded tinny, robotic. Strangely familiar. A figure stepped out from behind a Knight and steadily advanced toward her. The figure was wearing armor similar to the Knights but had subtle differences. There was alien design in the armor, Chozo design.

The figure looked just like her.

To be more precise, it was wearing the Prometheus armor, the same armor she'd used when fighting the Didact. The light emanating from it was now blue instead of orange, but it was definitely the suit. Samus was at a loss for words. What was happening here? Was this a trap?

The figure stopped just short of her, regarding her with a head tilt. She shuddered, recognizing that very gesture as her own. The voice had been hers too when she used the suits voice changer to mask her female voice. She was having flashbacks to Dark Samus, a being created from her own DNA. But Dark Samus had not imitated her, nor cared too. This was different, something else.

"I don't understand," The other Samus said slowly. "How does someone of your power, your regard even, get dragged so low?"

"What do you mean?" She asked it, finding her voice. The sound of her own voice comforted her, reminding her that this thing was just an imitation. She found strength in her voice, and her shock began to fade. She gestured her cannon at it, an obvious threat.

The being took no notice. "Attacking the UNSC, killing soldiers and civilian alike. How did the great Samus Aran end up in such a mess?"

"The news doesn't always tell the truth." She replied coolly, still trying to figure out her strategy. She could take out the Knights easily enough, but she didn't know the capacity of the other Samus. If it had access to all of the Prometheus Armor, she would be in extreme danger.

"Don't worry." It said as if reading her thoughts. "I know how you think, and no, I'm not going to kill you."

"Then what do you want?"

It ignored her, continuing. She noticed it stood as still as the Knights, only moving when it had too. Did that mean it was one of them, the suit come to life maybe?

"I know the truth is hard to find." It said. For some reason, she felt it was smiling. "For instance, most of those attacks you're being blamed for aren't you."

This caught her by surprise. "What do you know of the attacks?"

"That they are being caused by me." It said, hand coming to the hip. Another action eerily like her own. But its words were more chilling. "The reason a whole galaxy thinks you're a ruthless murderer is because of me."

"…why?" She finally said. She was getting sick of talking, just itching to open fire in this fake's face. Danger be damned, if it wouldn't start this fight she would.

"To get you out of the picture. I can't have you ruining my plans now can I?" It said. The fake Samus seemed to sense her intent, because it began walking back, still facing her. "Don't shoot just yet, you'll have plenty of time for that in a moment."

"You had better make sense soon, or I'll have to pry it from you." She warned, aiming her cannon.

It chuckled, identical to her own. "The beacon." It said. "You weren't the only one I wanted to lure out here. Have fun."

The Fake, along with the Knights all vanished. Samus could hear the sounds of jet engines as they departed. Pelicans. She cursed, making a break for the entryway. Short of climbing her way out, this was the only escape route. She heard the sounds of missiles leaving tubes, firing toward the arena. If she could just-

An explosion rocked the ancient archways above, causing a large chunk of rock to come crashing down. Samus had to dodge back to avoid being crushed, her suits shield flickering from several impacts. She crashed to the ground, pushing her back up off the ground. The explosion had removed her only escape route. Which meant she had nowhere to run.

Several Pelicans were now hovering over the arena. From their back hatches, armored soldiers fell out, landing gracefully on the ground as if taking a simple step. Spartans, though these were obviously the new kind, the IV's. Not as well trained or as effective, though definitely enemies that deserved attention.

Of course, she hated thinking of them as enemies. But she doubted this was going to end without someone dying. And she was not going to die today.

She counted their numbers at a couple dozen, plus any still in the Pelicans. She was at a clear disadvantage, and with her suit in this state, she couldn't take risks. One of the Spartans stepped forward. Wearing white pointed armor, she immediately recognized its owner. The Spartans helmet came off, revealing an angry scowl.

"Well well well." Sarah Palmer said, as if catching a child with chocolate. "Looks like you messed up. We heard your transmission lightyears away."

"Not my transmission." She shot back, her back to a wall. The Spartans had fanned out around her, slowly advancing. Palmer was in front, straight ahead. Samus began calculating a plan.

Palmer shook her head. "You've harmed a lot of people Aran, a lot of innocent people. How does that make you feel? Anything?"

"This isn't what it seems like Palmer."

"Don't be stupid." Palmer snarled. "Everyone's seen the holovids. There's evidence. Why else would you go into hiding?"

Samus didn't answer, surveying the soon to be battlefield. There were at least a Dozen Spartan IV's, Palmer included. Two Pelican Dropships hovered above, both had turrets trained on her. Anyone else would have seen this situation as hopeless. But this time on the run had taught Samus that she wasn't still here because of hope. Hope was foolish in the end.

Barely moving a muscle, she called on the ship with her internal voice coms. The ship's V.I beeped in acknowledgment. Samus now turned her attention to Palmer, the Spartans gun ready to fire.

"Sarah," Samus said suddenly, taking a step. "It doesn't have to go down like this. There are things going on here that-"

"No." Palmer interrupted, clicking the gun to reinforce her authority. Samus stopped moving. "Either you surrender and come with us, or this ends here. No more lives need to be wasted, just…surrender dammit!"

Samus was surprised. She didn't think Palmer cared all too much for the casualties, more that she wanted to get even. But still, Samus couldn't go back to the UNSC. She wouldn't. She'd rather die.

"Then I'm sorry."

A huge explosion rocked the arena. Above, one of the Pelicans came crashing down, engine aflame. Samus's ship soared past, bumping the other Pelican as it sped away. The Pelican veered, turning to deal with the new threat.

Samus used this distraction to get to Palmer. The Spartan was fast, but never as fast as she could be. Samus grabbed the gun, knee slamming into Palmer's gut. The Spartan grunted, her gun wrenched away. Samus spun, smashing he arm cannon into Palmer's visor. The blow would have caused a concussion, knocking the Spartan down.

Samus continued to spin, now facing the half dozen Spartans on her left. Cannon charged, she fired a Super Missile at the ground. The blow cracked the arena floor, sending the Spartans flying. Her suit took gunfire as the others opened fire on her. She turned, Wave Beam ready as she fired a continuous stream of electricity. The Spartans cried out as their suits began frying, shields vaporizing with the smell of ozone.

She ducked a swift kick, launching her shoulder into someone gut. She heard a grunt, before using her grapple beam to throw the Spartan away. Some of the others had recovered from their initial explosion and were now opening fire. Her shields continued to chip away at a steady pace. Nothing to worry about, yet.

With a roar that would make an Elite tremble she rushed them, shifting into her Morph ball. Swiveling left and right, she shifted back and sent a man flying with a kick. More shots from the Wave Beam crippled the others, the Spartans going down like the others. Several had seen what she'd done before, and had wearily hung back, continuing to fire. She changed to her Ice Beam, firing a charged shot. The blast hit the group, freezing them in their tracks.

She heard the sounds of a Pelican but whirled as a punch missed her head. Palmer growled, using he momentum to land a kick of her own. Samus was too slow to block, taking the blow on her chest. She skidded back, silently cursing. Her old suit would have been fine here, but this mutilated version was much weaker.

Palmer went for her handgun. Samus fired a charged Wave Beam, resulting in Palmer screaming and dropping to the ground. Samus stepped over to the fallen Spartan, cannon aimed loosely at her. She hesitated. All her attacks here had stopped her assailants, but did she want to push this further? Palmer squirmed under her, attempting to free herself.

"This woman was going to kill you…" She thought to herself. A fire started burning in her chest. All of these people were trying to kill her, why on earth was she making this hard for herself.

She started charging up a shot of her Power Beam. From this range, and without defenses, it would cook Palmer alive. The Spartan seemed to sense what was happening, because she stopped struggling and simply looked up at Samus, her emotions hidden under her visor. Samus held the charge, still struggling with a decision when something hit the back of her head.

She cried out, the blow stronger than anything she'd felt in a while. Her charged shot fired into the air harmlessly, and she was sent sprawling. She managed to use her momentum to roll, coming to a skidded stop. Her head throbbing, she rose to her feet and saw her new opponents.

A Pelican had dropped off more Spartans. Looked like another near dozen, but she could tell immediately that something was off. Eight of them looked to be Spartan IV's, but the readings from their suits were strangely familiar. The technology was not similar to the UNSC, but more in line with her own suit. Seems ONI had managed to reverse engineer parts of her suits functions, which in itself was bad news.

But the remaining four Spartans were different still. Their armor was definitely UNSC, but much older, as if they refused upgrades. They stood at least a head taller and moved with a grace and unity the IV's lacked. She knew exactly what they were, she'd seen one in action time and time again. Knew how deadly, and efficient they could be, and that had been just one. They were Spartan II's. Just like he was.

Speaking of…

She didn't think her eyes could grow wider, but wider they grew. Standing amongst the group, he stood. His armor the same, his profile a direct match. He was here, after everything she'd been through, he was here. She let her guard down, she didn't even care anymore.

"…John?" She asked slowly, her voice more strained than usual.

The others all turned to look at him. He stood silent a moment, just as she remembered him. He seemed to be struggling for words of his own. Maybe he would help.

"Samus, please," John said quietly. "Surrender."

She felt a stab in her chest. She might have been shot for all she knew, but all she could think about was his words. Surrender? Surely he of all people understood.

"John, this isn't right. Why-"

"You betrayed the UNSC." He said, voice getting gruffer. "You didn't think we'd catch up with you?"

His words burned. Betray? He had bought into the same lies as the rest of them. She thought, surely John would know the truth, that after everything they'd been through she'd never do something so horrible, so heinous. And he had the gall to ask her to surrender.

"Had he truly forgotten his promise? The Promise we made together?"

Fire burned within her. Rage she hadn't felt in a long time welled up inside her. Her breathing grew louder, her fist clenching. Her vison grew red and hazy, the only sound she could hear was the blood in her ears. He was just like the rest. Just like the others. They all deserved to die…

He deserved to die.

She moved faster than anyone else, her actions a blur. She bought her cannon up, a charged Power Beam shot ready. She fired, giving no time to react. Her aim was dead on, the shot smashing into John's helmet, his shield fizzling out on contact. There was a loud crack, like glass, as he was knocked back. His golden visor now cracked, he remained on his back, unmoving.

Gunfire rained down on her. The remaining II's rushed her, while the rest had fanned out, all firing in co-ordination. Samus ducked a very fast punch and returned the favor. Her surprise was minimal when the Spartan caught it, his strength matching her own. She saw a name on his chest plate. FREDERIC – 104. She twisted, trying to move him over her hip. But he was much heavier. He used her momentum against her, throwing her over his shoulder. She hit the ground hard, more cracks appearing on the ground.

She saw Fred coming at her again, flipping onto her feet and firing her Wave Beam. He might be fast, but not that fast. The shock hit him dead on, her reward a grunt as he crumpled over. A fist nearly knocked her down again, but the blow was glancing. She spun, her visor locking onto another Spartan II. She fired the Wave Beam again, lightning sizzling toward its target. The Spartan sidestepped, rushing toward her faster than her eye could follow. A leg smashed into her face, knocking her onto her back.

The Spartan straddled her, a fierce wave of blows hammering down on her. Samus struggled to defend herself, but this Spartan was much too fast. She glimpsed another name. KELLY – 087. Samus thought quick, shifting into Morph Ball. Kelly threw a punch which missed, her fist now caught in the ground. Samus rolled out from under her, shifting and sending a knee to her face. Kelly was silent as the blow stuck, her hand coming free as she rolled away.

A big bang rang out as her shield lost a large chunk. She whirled, eyeing the third Spartan II. She held a large sniper rifle, and Samus knew she must be accurate if she was using in in close quarters. Another name, LINDA – 058 caught her eye. So all of them were John's old squad then…

She charged, her cannon shifting to her Ice Beam. Linda hit her again, the shot right on Samus's forehead. But Samus was on her now. Linda was fast, and powerful, but not as much as her team. Samus ducked a swipe, grabbing the sniper and tugging. Linda went for a shoulder barge, but Samus ducked back. With a vicious kick Linda hit the ground, a charged Ice Beam shot keeping her there. The ice was thick, and the Spartan stuck.

"Linda!" Came a cry. She barely turned before Kelly was on her again, fists and kicks flying.

Samus traded blows, hers connecting less than the Spartans, who was clearly the superior close quarters specialist. Samus darted back, the action surprising the Spartan. As quick as she could, Samus lunged, her arm wrapping around Kelly's throat. Her cannon fired, Wave Beam frying the shielding and equipment in her armor. Kelly grunted, a hard elbow knocking the wind out of Samus. Kelly turned to strike, but without her powered armor she was slower. Not terribly slower, but slow enough.

Samus swung her cannon in a quick arc, the weapon crashing into the Spartans helmet. Kelly went down, her movements a daze. She spun as Fred ran at her again. Another charge Ice beam shot stopped him in his tracks. His hand hovering just above his pistol, unable to grab it, he could only struggle.

Gunfire remained her that she wasn't finished yet. The II's were down, but these copycats were still shooting at her, and now they didn't have teammates in the way. Her shields were dipping dangerously low as she returned fire. Her Wave Beam had little effect, their shielding much stronger. Like her own. Despite how quick she moved, their aim was perfectly accurate, as if locking on. Just like her visor.

She darted into the middle of them, making them fire more carefully. Growing desperate, she did the only thing she could. With a mighty jump, she rose into the air, spinning so her head was aimed at the ground. The Spartans rose their weapons at her, but she wasn't aiming for them.

The ground had been cracking relentlessly the whole fight. Samus suspected it was hollow, and a distraction such as a lack of floor might give her the chance to pull out and escape. If she didn't end this or flee, she realized she would lose.

So she fired.

The missile exploded, knocking Spartans back. Those with upgrades held their ground and were ready for her when she landed. Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and shake. The Spartans looked to one another, uncertain.

"Good, now's your chance! Just make for an exit and-"

Her thoughts were interrupted as the ground gave way under her. Rather than a small distraction, her attack had caved half the arena floor in. She and the other Spartans were caught in it, and she realized she couldn't do anything.

Her stomach lurched as she began to fall, the Spartans crying out as they too fell. The cavern underneath was dark, too dark to make anything out clearly. She thought she saw Luminoth machinery, but she couldn't make it out clearly. Then she saw a shimmer. It covered the floor of this underground place, making the floor appear like a liquid. The image jogged her memory, and she realized what they'd fallen into. A Portal.

Her vison went black as she and the Spartans fell through, into the unknown.