"Move."

A guard pushes her forward with the nose of a rifle. She is handcuffed, stumbling forward, her head low and hooded by loose bangs. They make for a public exit to the conference room. There is shouting outside the door.

The woman in the news cameras has championed battles. She has played savior to billions of people and explored the darkest reaches of the universe. But there is no preparation for the chaotic reporters and journalists fumbling over one another to scream that Samus Aran is a traitor, a convict, and a murderer. They throw microphones into her sobbing mouth and demand answers she does not have. The guard attempts to push them back and make room but the effort is almost useless; there are dozens in the mob. Her hair is pulled on and spit in as the crowd beats the greatest space warrior ever to have lived. The long walk to the hall elevator is worse than Hell.

They are inside, the clamor dies down, and Samus sinks to the ground sucking hoarse, hiccupped breaths. She trembles and cries and folds in on herself. Her lips touch the metal floor.

The guard kneels beside her. "Ain't no-one gonna get you in here, Princess. It's safe."

All at once the tears stop. Samus lifts her head, recognizing the friendly voice. "Anthony?"

He removes his helmet to reveal a tender smile. "Glad you remembered me. You okay?"

She drops her head onto his shoulder as he wraps his arms around hers. The sweat on his neck smells like barracks they neighbored bunks in. "No."

"Hey, now, it's gonna be okay. I'm real sorry about up there, Samus. They should've known better than to let the press in after all that."

She sniffs. "They knew I'd be a pretty wreck for the media after that shitshow trial. Nothing about that was okay."

"I wish I could've been there earlier. Least I can help out now."

Samus pulls back from his shoulder and wipes her cheeks. "Are you going to help me get out of here?"

Anthony laughs. "Nah, you know I would if I could. But I ain't taking you to jail, neither. You got someone who wants to see you."

"Who?"

The elevator dings and Anthony helps Samus back to her feet before the doors open. "Wish I could stick around, Princess, but this is the end of the road for me. Give me a ring when this is all over, alright?"

"Anthony…"

The doors open and he steps out, leaving her behind. A woman in uniform takes his place. A Federation official, the same one that conducted her trial.

Samus grits her jaw.

The official walks into the elevator and lets it close behind her. Without looking, she reaches towards the floor buttons and presses the emergency lock. The two stare at each other for a silent second.

"Turn around."

Samus hesitates.

"You know I'm direct, Officer Aran, I would kill you head-on if I was thinking about it. Turn around. Don't make me ask a third time."

She turns away from the official slowly. There is a soft click before Samus feels the handcuffs release from her wrists. She faces her again, eyes narrowing in confusion.

"You will call me Commander Angseth. Have you heard the name before?"

"… No?"

"You have a poor memory. Log data the Federation recovered from your exploration of planet Aether showed that you scanned the corpse of a Specialist Angseth shortly after arriving. Ring any bells?"

"She was the only woman on Squad Bravo before…" She pauses. "I'm sorry for your loss, if you two were related."

"She was my sister. She was on Aether because she would not shut the fuck up to her commanding officer about how her favorite bounty hunter, Samus Aran, would never spend so long cooped up training at headquarters." The Commander takes a step closer to Samus. "Apparently, Bravo Team's attack went unknown for up to an hour. Because my sister's favorite bounty hunter was too busy looking for Space Pirate signals to be tuned into the Federation network."

Samus swallows.

"It's evident from your most recent exploits that you value the destruction of the Space Pirates over human life."

"…"

Angseth moves away from Samus so that she looks towards the doors. "The Federation needed a scapegoat for the incredible expenses suffered at Biologic. But they can't afford to lose an effective killing machine like yourself. You're needed at other places in the cosmos. In name only, you have been discharged from the Galactic Federation, but your contract with us has been extended until the completion of a new mission."

"You can't do that!"

The commander smiles over her shoulder. "You want to pay the twenty-two trillion? Be my guest. Until then, you're a war criminal. You don't get a say."

"You put me through all of this for another mission?!"

"You should be glad it's not your life in a cell." Angseth shifts to meet Samus' eyes. "If I had my way, it would be public execution."

"Fuck you."

The Commander surges forward, grabbing Samus by the throat and pinning her against the elevator wall. "You let my sister die, you bitch! I would pull the fucking lever myself just to see your body hang. You watch your mouth when speaking to a superior, understand?" She flexes her grip. "Understand?!" Samus nods, and Angseth drops her, letting her crumple to the floor. She coughs and chokes on her own saliva as the Commander dusts her hands.

"Your briefing starts right now. Information you picked up during the Phaaze Campaign about a Dread Project has gained support from our intelligence division. The Pirates are organizing again. The Federation believes Dread is some kind of weapon, potentially a planet destroyer." She leans down to where Samus is still struggling for breath and massaging her neck. "We need you to figure out what they're doing and put an end to it. And you're not off the hook until you do. Is that clear, Officer?"

Samus glares up at her. "Crystal."

"Good." The Commander presses the lock button again and the elevator doors open. "More information is loaded into your new ship, on deck seven. I hope we never meet again." She walks away and turns right out of view, leaving Samus by herself.

She leans back, still breathing heavily after being grabbed. She rolls her eyes and sighs angrily. She balls her fists. Samus tenses her arm and slams her hand into the side of the metal box, making a dent in its wall. The elevator shakes and its doors close again.