Metroid: Mission Alpha
Episode 26: To Solve and Explain
Samus and Alpha, after finding evidence of the Chozo's rivalry with the Greblai and Silhouites in the Lavolcian ruins, were returning to HQ. They wanted to tell Michael about what they had found; however, they knew he was still recovering from injuries. As the Gunship landed in front of the building, Samus noticed the night sky, with little light left and the stars twinkling brightly. "It looks like it's getting late," she told Alpha, "What do you say we get some sleep and talk to Michael in the morning? Maybe he'll be more up to it then."
Seeming to agree, Alpha yawned and curled up in his bed, an empty box from HQ with a soft cushion inside. Looking back at her Snacanid friend, Samus smiled. "Good night, Alpha." She removed her Power Suit and turned off the lights before going to bed herself.
Slowly, Alpha woke and opened his eyes. Lifting his head-he looked around-it was still dark, so it must have been the middle of the night. What could have caused him to wake up? He did not hear any unusual sounds. That was when Alpha saw it-a faint flash of light outside the window. Careful not to wake Samus, he slipped out of bed and over to the window, where he stood on his hind legs to get a better view. There it was again, a flash of light. So, overcome with curiosity, the Snacanid pressed a button to open the Gunship's door and ran outside.
Alpha stepped onto the grass, gazing across the peaceful environment. At first he saw only the field and night sky, but then the bright light came into view. It moved toward Alpha, who stood watching. As the light drew near, it took on the appearance of a mysterious creature. White, small, and glowing, it floated as if by magic above the ground. Its long ears and flowing tail swayed gently as it moved, and its face was gentle. It drifted around the field, and Alpha curiously chased after it.
The unique and beautiful being had Alpha's full attention as he scampered after it through the grass. He followed it into some very tall grass and stuck his head out, searching with attentive red eyes. The creature was waiting patiently just outside the tall grass, so Alpha walked up to it. Smiling kindly, the creature looked at Alpha without a sound. Then it moved one paw in a circle around his neck, creating a glistening, transparent scarf-like garment. The Snacanid looked down in surprise at the garment around his neck, which slowly faded. Then he looked up at the creature, which also faded. He stared at the sky in silence for a minute before returning to the Gunship.
The next morning, Alpha woke to the sunlight shining through the window and yawned. Samus, who was already awake, knelt beside his bed and petted his head. "Good morning, sleepyhead," she said, "Today we can speak with Michael." As she stood up and turned around, Alpha sat up and scratched his ear sleepily. His thoughts went to the events of the night before, and he wondered if they had only been a dream. But then he saw the scarf appear faintly on his neck for a moment, and he knew they had really happened.
After a light breakfast, Samus and Alpha entered the HQ. They found Michael using one of the computers in the main room; he looked over and smiled. "Welcome back, Samus and Alpha."
"Hello, Michael," Samus replied, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm still in some pain, but doing better. It's manageable." Michael smiled when he saw Eta enter the room. Alpha and she ran to each other and licked one another in greeting.
"Good to hear!" Samus said, "You would like to hear about what we found in the Lavolcian ruins, right?"
"Yes, of course."
So, while Alpha and Eta chased each other around the room, Samus told Michael all about Alpha's and her adventure in the Lavolcian ruins and the Great Lavolcian Temple. "…And one of the ancient drawings on the wall undoubtedly showed the Chozo and the Greblai and Silhouites fighting," she concluded, "It sounds like Master Silhouite was correct! This bothers me because the Chozo were a peaceful race, for the most part."
"Does this mean that the relationship between the species was negative?" Michael wondered, "We know very little about this, as you know, but I'm sure the Chozo had a good reason for fighting. I would love to go and look at the evidence once I'm fully recovered." Then he looked up at the clock. "It's almost time for lunch. Would you care to discuss this further then?"
At the word "lunch", Alpha and Eta wagged their tails. "I think we can all agree on that!" Samus answered.
At lunch, Samus and Michael continued the conversation. "You know, it may not have been the Chozo who were at fault. Maybe the Greblai and Silhouites tried to harm them in some way, and they were merely defending themselves," Michael hypothesized after some thought.
Samus took a sip of water before responding. "I suppose so. It looked to me that the Chozo were doing most of the battling, but that wasn't necessarily the case. We'll have to look more closely at the drawing to know for sure."
Michael nodded; then his hazel eyes fixed on the two Snacanids behind Samus. "Look at Alpha," he said.
Across from him, Samus turned around to see what was going on. Something was odd. While Eta was devouring her Snacanid food, Alpha had barely touched his meal. He just stood staring out the window. "He is acting a little unusual," Samus said softly. She got up and was about to walk over to the wolf-like creature when suddenly, he bolted out of the room. "Alpha, wait!" Samus shouted. Michael, Eta, and she glanced at one another and then ran after Alpha.
Everyone ran through the building and then outside, stopping in the middle of the field. Alpha stared at the sky; Eta noticed the faint scarf around his neck and walked over beside him. The scarf became more visible, and Samus and Michael could see it too. "Alpha, what's that around your neck?" Samus asked in surprise. Then, the flash of light appeared. Everyone was amazed to see the same creature Alpha had encountered the night before. It floated down to him, and he let out a soft barking sound. The creature looked concerned as its soft eyes fixed on Alpha, who in turn gave a quiet, short howling sound. Then the mysterious being glanced at Samus.
"Please help…our planet is in danger…we need you!" the bounty hunter heard a gentle, childish voice. Sensing that the voice had strangely seemed to come from nowhere, her eyes widened and she looked around. As everyone looked back over at Alpha, they discovered that both the creature and the scarf were gone.
"What…what was that creature?" Michael asked in awe.
"I don't know, but I heard a voice in my head just before it vanished. The voice was pleading for help!" Samus said, "I think we ought to check for a new distress signal." In agreement, Alpha turned around and yipped with a worried look.
"A voice?" Michael looked puzzled, "Could it have been related to that creature somehow? How mysterious…yes, there must be distress."
Everyone hurried back into HQ, where a distress signal was displayed on the computer. "Just as I suspected!" Samus said.
Michael went over to the computer, and the others followed. The HQ leader took a careful look at the distress signal's details. "The signal appears to be coming from the planet Mysteke. It's a planet that has five regions: Central, Desert, Rainfall, Dark, and Light. I have little knowledge of Mysteke and can't pinpoint the exact location of the distress, but I'll let you know as soon as I find out more."
Samus nodded. "As long as you're up to it, we'll be on our way now."
"I'll be fine. Good luck."
Soon after, Samus, back in her Power Suit, was piloting the Gunship to Mysteke. As the glittering scarf reappeared on his neck, Alpha looked out at space, thinking of the mysterious creature he had met…
(Original story from August 2017)