Metroid: Mission Alpha

Episode 19: More to Discover

Samus and Alpha had recently spent some time on Planet Zebes so they could return the Etecoons and Dachoras they had found to their home. Samus, remembering her own time spent living on the planet and feeling trust in Alpha, had told him of her past. It had been a tragic and difficult past, one that some would be fearful of. But Samus was a brave woman and a strong hunter, so she continued to press on no matter what she faced. Now, her thoughts were on the next mission: to search Lavolca yet again.

The Gunship landed, and Samus checked on her Power Suit. "My suit still needs some more time to restore its energy reserves," she said, "We'll have to go on without it for now, and use your Fire ability on any lava in our way." Alpha barked in agreement, and then Samus and he left the Gunship.

When Samus and Alpha came inside the Lavolcian cave, they saw Master Greblai and Master Silhouite looking at the spouting lava. Master Greblai was holding a small device. "So you're the ones behind the volcanic activity!" Samus said, "I might have known!"

"So, even that won't keep you out of our way," Master Greblai scowled.

Samus let a plasma beam from her Paralyzer. "Whatever you've got planned, we won't allow it!" Alpha growled.

"Oh, yeah?" Master Silhouite said. He flew in front of Master Greblai, who then ran back to his lair, and was ready to fight. "You don't even have your armor. You have little offense and defense now."

"True, but I still have Alpha, my agility, and my determination!" Samus sent a plasma beam at Master Silhouite, but he dodged and flew forward. Samus and Alpha jumped out of the way. Samus sent a shot from her Paralyzer, stunning Master Silhouite, and Alpha leapt forward and hit him with his tail. Samus let out another beam, but Master Silhouite regained his mobility right then. He was hit by the beam, but then the spikes on his body quivered.

Samus had a feeling she knew what the villain was doing. "He's releasing a sleep-inducing chemical!" she exclaimed, "Don't breathe it in!" This was one disadvantage of not having the Power Suit; it would have protected her from the chemical. Alpha and she tried to get away and avoid the chemical, but it was too late. Samus saw Alpha fall over as she began to feel drowsy. Very soon, she too fell asleep.

The next thing Samus was aware of was a feminine voice saying, "She's waking up!" She opened her eyes to see that she was lying on a bed in a somewhat small house, with some medical supplies on the shelves. Alpha was sitting up on another bed, and a Greblai and a Silhouite stood beside the beds. They were smaller than Master Greblai and Master Silhouite, but still taller than the average Greblai and Silhouites.

Samus sat up in surprise. "Where are we? Who are you?" she asked cautiously.

"Don't worry," the Silhouite said gently, "We just want to help you."

"You're in my home, where we work as nurses to take care of others," the Greblai said, "I'm Grebless, and this is Silhouess. We found you unconscious outside and brought you here. At first we were worried, but we found out that you were all right."

"We were battling Master Greblai and Master Silhouite when they used a chemical that put us to sleep," Samus explained.

"Master Greblai is my husband, and Master Silhouite is Silhouess's husband," Grebless said while Silhouess and she took Samus and Alpha's vitals, "They taught us to speak your language."

"I don't know why they would want to battle you," Silhouess added, "but they have been acting strangely secretive lately."

"You mean, you're not working with them?" Samus asked.

Grebless shook her head. "Only the adult male Greblai and Silhouites meet at the lairs. The children, the elderly, and the females stay in the settlements. By the way, what are your names?"

"I'm Samus, and that is Alpha."

"Samus and Alpha? I recall Master Silhouite saying that you were always getting in his way," Silhouess said.

"We're just investigating, because it seems that Master Greblai and Master Silhouite are up to something," Samus answered, "We want to make sure everyone stays safe."

"We understand," Silhouess replied, "It does seem that they're up to something. Master Silhouite has been gone much of the time recently, and he tells me he's working on a project. But he won't tell me what it is."

"Master Greblai, too," Grebless added, "only he tells me his project will make our planet stronger. I'm not sure what he means by that, but we'll let you know if we have the chance."

Samus knew it might upset Grebless and Silhouess if they knew that their husbands were trying to harm Snacanids, so she simply said, "Thank you for your help. Alpha and I should be going to continue our mission now."

Everyone went outside, where some Greblai children were playing. "It was nice to meet you," Silhouess said, "Good luck on your mission!"

Just then, a few Greblai children began to play with Alpha. "Children!" Grebless scolded.

"It's all right," Samus said, "I think Alpha enjoys the attention." She saw that Alpha looked clearly content as the Greblai children rubbed his belly.

Soon, after Samus and Alpha had left the Greblai settlement, they headed to Master Greblai's lair. Looking carefully inside, they saw that many Greblai were there, but not Master Greblai. "Master Greblai and Master Silhouite must be up to something," Samus said softly. So Alpha and she moved on. They soon came to the lab and looked inside.

Inside the lab, Master Greblai was working on some machinery while Master Silhouite looked at a computer. "It's a good thing Samus and her Snacanid are out of our way for now," Master Greblai said, "Now we can complete this project."

"Almost finished," Master Silhouite said, "This machine can't fail."

Master Greblai looked up. "The EnerDrop is ready. Prepare to move it to Planet Mek15."

"Good," Master Silhouite wrapped one tentacle around the machine and teleported it.

Samus and Alpha hurried away from the lab. "I knew something was going on!" Samus said, "We'll have to let Michael know about all this." Alpha and she went back to the Gunship, and she went over to the CM. "Master Greblai and Master Silhouite were creating a machine called the EnerDrop, and they teleported it to the planet Mek15. They are also the ones responsible for the unusual volcanic activity on Lavolca."

"I was afraid something like this would be the case," Michael's voice came from the CM, "We definitely need to investigate this EnerDrop machine. If you and Alpha can come back to HQ, I'll tell you about the next mission."

"We'll go now," Samus replied. She checked on the Power Suit again to find it fully restored. "Now that my Power Suit is ready, we can move on to our next mission," she said, putting on the suit. Alpha nodded, also ready for whatever was ahead. So the Gunship set off for HQ, where Samus and Alpha would learn of what needed to be done next.

(Original story from April 2017)