Metroid: Mission Alpha

Episode 38: Volcanic Peril

Last time, Samus and Alpha arrived at the planet Fantastar in search of the Fantasy Blossoms. Their travel through the Verdant climate did not lead them to the rare flowers, so now they were moving on to the Arid climate.

The two adventurers noticed that the environment had changed significantly once they entered the Arid climate. Parts of the ground were covered in sand and other parts were rocky. The only visible plant life grew in small patches of grass. The air was hot and dry; Samus knew the two of them would have to be careful since Alpha's fur could cause him to grow too hot in this climate. "As you've noticed, you're in the Arid climate now," Michael said, "It's always hot there. Part of the area is a desert and part of it is volcanic."

Samus noticed some camel-like creatures grazing on the scarce grass in the sand nearby. They had pointed ears that faced back, small magenta eyes, and two large humps on their backs. Their bodies were a tan color and on each foot was two long pointed toes. "There are some camel-like creatures here," Samus said.

"Those are Duetra," Michael replied, "They are native to the Arid climate. Their humps store the nutrients and water they need, and their unique toes are adapted for the sandy and rocky terrain."

Samus and Alpha began their search, deciding to try the rocky area first. Soon, they saw small streams of lava flowing in spots. "Where there's lava, there must be a volcano not far away," Samus said, "Keep an eye out." She switched to the Gravity Suit and Alpha used his Fire ability, and they both watched for a volcano while they continued on.

Before long, both of them were suddenly struck down by a tentacle. Looking up, they saw Master Silhouite quickly floating away. They jumped to their feet and ran after him. Soon, when they caught up to the villain, Samus used her Grappling Beam to latch onto him, stopping him in his tracks. "This is as far as you go!" she growled, pulling against the force of the Silhouite's struggling. But it was no use-he teleported out of the beam's grip.

Retracting her Grappling Beam, Samus dashed across the arid landscape with Alpha in hopes of finding Master Silhouite again. They soon saw something tall in the distance…the volcano! It did not seem to be active at the moment, so they came to the foot of its slope. At the top they could see Master Greblai waiting for Master Silhouite. When the latter appeared at the top, both of them jumped into the volcano. "Why are Master Greblai and Master Silhouite going inside the volcano?" Samus wondered, "There must be something they want there."

Samus and Alpha hurried to the top of the volcano and looked down at the inside. Above where the lava lay, there appeared to be a tunnel on a platform. "A tunnel!" Samus said, "That's it! Let's go in, but be careful." So the two of them jumped inside the volcano, landed on the platform, and went into the tunnel. Once inside, they took notice of its features. The inside looked much like the tunnel from the Verdant climate, with crystalline purple walls and a flowing stream of water. It was cooler than outside, and there were spots on the walls, floor, and ceiling where lava had cooled and hardened. "No Fantasy Blossoms here either," Samus whispered so as to be heard only by Alpha.

At that moment, a blast of darkness came flying at Samus and Alpha. They moved aside just in time and saw Master Greblai and Master Silhouite looking at them with suspicion. Without a word or any hesitation Samus and Master Silhouite went into battle. Samus used Screw Attacks, but Master Silhouite avoided them. He tried to ram into her, but a spinning jump quickly allowed her to evade.

Using her Space Jump, Samus repeatedly spun in all directions through the air. Master Silhouite tried to grasp onto her with his upper two tentacles, but she was too fast for him. Finally the bounty hunter re-activated her Screw Attack and slammed into her opponent from the sky like a falling meteor. The villain fell back but was able to shake off the blow.

Glaring angrily at Samus, Master Silhouite flew at Alpha and her, and both of them moved out of the way. This repeated a few times, with Samus pointing her arm cannon in preparation for an attack, and Alpha growling with a defensive stare.

Before any of the battlers could strike, there was a sudden loud rumbling from all over and the ground began to shake. "The volcano is erupting! We have to get out!" Master Greblai shouted. Master Silhouite rushed to his side and teleported away with him. Samus and Alpha ran out of the tunnel and looked down; the lava was rising fast. Samus took Alpha on her shoulders and used her High Jump Boots to reach the top of the volcano. Then she slid down the slope of the volcano and set Alpha down at its foot.

Immediately after the escape, lava spouted from the volcano and ran down its sides. That was when the two adventurers heard frightened cries-three Duetra stood on platforms on one side of the volcano, surrounded by lava. They were trapped! "Alpha, try using your Water ability to cool the lava!" Samus exclaimed. Alpha did just that and sprayed water at the lava near the creatures. It was a slow process, but the Snacanid refused to give up, and the lava cooled and hardened. "Follow us!" Samus called to the Duetra, and the three creatures were able to safely jump down from the volcano. Samus and Alpha led them to safety and then parted from them.

Now that they were away from the volcano, Samus and Alpha knew they must return to searching for their enemies, so they carried on. However, things did not stay quiet for long. After the two had walked for a few minutes and were near a ledge, a boulder shot out of the volcano and came in their direction. Since the boulder came from a distance away, Samus and Alpha did not notice it coming until it was too late. There was no time to react before it smacked right into Samus, knocking her off the ledge!

Fortunately, Alpha had an idea. He leapt from the ledge onto Samus's shoulders and used his Wind ability to blow a strong gust at the ground below. The gust slowed their descent, allowing them to land softly. "Good thinking," Samus told Alpha. She checked her suit's energy now that it was sparking a bit. "That boulder caused some heavy damage to my suit. We'd better be careful."

Just then, three Duetra came running to Samus and Alpha. Stopping in front of them, the first one let Samus on its back and the second one let Alpha on its back. The third one followed as the creatures walked across the very rocky area, their unique toes allowing them to move easily over the unusually shaped ground.

When Samus saw Master Greblai and Master Silhouite moving ahead, she said, "There they are!" The Duetra seemed to understand; they sped up until they were running across the terrain. They ran as smoothly as they walked over rocks, and Samus and Alpha held on tight. They all kept an eye on the villains while they sped across the area. Just as determined as their riders, the Duetra moved on and on. Even when Master Greblai and Master Silhouite went out of sight, they did not stop, trying to catch up to them.

Eventually the Duetra stopped, let Samus and Alpha off their backs, and walked back to where they had come from. Now alone again, the two adventurers noticed their surroundings were changing again when they moved further. The ground grew smoother and moister, and the air became colder. Tiny snowflakes became visible and melted on the ground. "Looks like we're leaving the Arid climate and entering the Frigid climate," Samus said.

What sorts of adventure-and danger-will Samus and Alpha find in the Frigid climate? Will they finally find the Fantasy Blossoms there? Find out in episode 39!

(Original story from March 2018)