I wish everyone the best of fortunes and safety in these difficult times.

"So…. I gotta say. This sucks. Really sucks."

Samus smirked.

"Big man can't handle the heat? And you call me princess."

"Hey, I've got plenty of scars! I've handled tons of shit! I've earned the right to complain a little!"

"So have I. But you don't see me complaining, do you?"

"God, can you believe this woman? Is this how she treats you?"

"Uh…."

"Yuma don't answer. He's not worth it."

"Well, I must be. Or they wouldn't have sent me with the mighty Samus!"

The mighty Samus sighed.

"Well, since we're all saying how we feel, what about you Yuma? How are you holding up?"

"Oh me? Why I'm uh…. I'm fine Samus. I just…"

"Oh come on! Don't lie for her sake! If you're tired, just say it!"

"She wouldn't lie to me. If she's tired, she'll say it. Won't you Yuma?"

"Oh uh… Of course. Yeah totally!"

"See? That right there's a lie! Look at you! Do you need some water?"

"She's a warrior, Mr. Higgs. She can handle herself."

"Mr. Higgs? When did we wind up with a last name basis? Ms. Aran?"

Ms. Aran sighed and looked around the arid wasteland for somewhere to sit.

"That rocky outcrop. Let's sit down under that."

So they did and looked out over the desert.

"The luminoth said this used to be a green paradise," Samus mused.

"Fucking shame. Things change I guess." Anthony looked at Samus. "Can't say the same about you."

"Nor I you. I'd hoped all this time in the military would make you take your duty more seriously."

"I take my duty very seriously, thank you! You think they'd send me out here with you if I didn't?"

"The federation has had poor judgement before. One of the reasons I left."

"And you joined the organization because they have better judgement?"

Samus stared at Yuma. She shrugged back at her.

"I stayed for someone. To ensure she wouldn't be alone."

Yuma smiled. Anthony stared surprised.

"So you do have a heart under all that metal! Everyone else said you didn't have one. But I knew better!"

"Really? Nobody thought I had a heart? Why, because I didn't offer to blow them off as they kept asking?"

"Damn woman. Well, yeah. That's probably why the guys meant it. But it wasn't just them. It was also the women. Other guys who weren't trying to hit you up. You know, guys like me?"

"You tried!"

"Ok, fine! Once! I tried once!"

"3."

"Fine. 3 times! I learned though didn't I? Give me some credit!"

"For something you should have known not to do?"

"Look, the point is that pretty much everyone felt that way about you. You didn't try to make friends. You didn't reach out to anyone. You didn't- "

"Didn't I? Or did they never give me a chance?"

She pulled her helmet off and showed her grey eyes.

"Do you think it's possible that they just didn't want anything to do with these? Is it possible that even the teachers didn't want anything to do with me?"

Anthony tried to respond, but Samus held up her hand.

"No. Just no. We don't have time for this. We've got work to do."

She stood up and put her helmet back on.

"Just lead us to the rendezvous point, all right? The rest of your squad is probably waiting for us. Let's not keep them waiting."

Anthony nodded reluctantly and rose to his own feet.

He'd get his chance to talk. Patience.

….

"You look nervous captain. Something I can aid you with?"

"I doubt it. Unless you wish to carry me through the marshes."

Ilena/Irene didn't smile at Sid's joke. Nor did the twins with her. That didn't help lighten the mood very much. He changed the subject.

"So those two are here on a sort of test run? Shouldn't they have sent them with the hunter?"

"Yes, I agree they should. I think the leaders are of the mind that they learn better through trial and error."

"And we're part of that trial? Heh. Not sure if I should be honored."

"I wouldn't be. If it fails, we're all considered expendable."

Sid raised his eyebrows.

"Well that's rather comforting. Sure helps my ego."

"Then let this help your ego. They sent you on this mission expecting you to be bruised. To possibly die."

"And this helps my ego, how?"

"Because they believe you can take it. They believe you have the necessary strength of will. They wouldn't send you here if they didn't think you could do it."

"Well, I feel honored. I guess?"

He lifted his foot out of the water and finally set it down on shore. Up above them stood the Torvus temple. A wonder of architecture standing out of a flooded mess.

"So the monsters are somewhere around here then?"

"Not just somewhere. According to the Luminoth, they are coming from the sewers."

"The sewers? You mean- "

"Yes. More swimming. Deep breath," she smiled.

….

"So this is sanctuary fortress," Sophia said in awe. "Incredible. Truly. What I would give to live here."

"What's that? The princess found a place to her fancy? Thought you'd find issue with everywhere we went!"

"I have high standards. Unlike you, grimy Noel."

"And proud of it! Standards are limits we place upon ourselves. Anyone who does is willingly weakening themselves. And I refuse to be weak!"

Galk and his fellow soldiers looked at each other with concern. The claymores they'd met were stoic and dedicated to the mission. While this made them, to put it mildly, unsettling, it also made them reliable in such a mission. These two however seemed more occupied with bickering than their mission.

"Why couldn't they have sent the hunter," one soldier muttered. "At least she has the fancy armor."

"What's that? Did you just say you wanted the rookie?"

The soldier looked in fear at Noel lean in close.

"I get it. She's got the cool armor and the big gun. That's what you boys like, right?"

Only Sophia dared to move.

"Noel. Leave him alone."

"I get it. She can do things I can't. But you know what I can do that she can't?"

She drew her sword. Sophia drew her hers.

Without blinking, Noel swiped her sword at the yoma sneaking up on them from behind. Just like that, the monster's head came off its body.

"I can kill with style. Whaddaya think? Not bad, right?"

No one responded, and instead waved their guns about looking for more opponents.

"Hey! Was that good or not? Come on! Tell me!"

"Yes, number 7," said Galk. "Thank you for your aid. May we proceed?"

Noel's jaw dropped. Sophia laughed.

"Sir," another soldier said. "Should we be concerned about her?"

"You saw her. She saved his life. She'll fight the yoma for us."

"And if she doesn't?"

Galk didn't know what to say to that. Hopefully, he wouldn't need to answer.

….

"Captain Higgs! An honor to see you again! We need your help!"

A team of federation soldiers was waiting for them at the entrance to the abandoned base, already engaged with the enemy. The blue skinned monsters were pouring from the entrance and swarming over them.

"Oh, well that looks problematic. You boys need some help?"

The soldier stared at him with stun as one monster ripped a man in half. It opened its mouth and feasted on the man.

"Yes. Is it that obvious?"

"Hey, let's not get too snarky! I was only- "

"Activate ice beams," Samus shouted. "Target the ground! Get them off their feet!"

Everyone quickly obeyed, with the exception of Yuma and Anthony who just stared.

"What are you two doing? Fire!"

"Uh, right. How do I shoot freeze missiles again?"

"With your will. Will it. Think it. This is a second skin. A part of you. Use it as such."

While the others fired their guns, Samus placed her free hand on Yuma's arm cannon.

"Feel the arm. Feel it through the nerves. The nerves that run through the brain."

"Uh, princess? Little help here?"

Without looking, Samus fired her cannon at the beast troubling Anthony.

"Thanks! You think you could keep that up?"

She continued with Yuma.

"Move the thought through nerves to the arm. Feel the energy move through you. Keep the thought present. The action you want to achieve. Think it and release."

Yuma did as her captain told and released the ice missiles at a nearby blue awakened being.

She opened her eyes expecting to see it still bearing down on her. No. The beast was frozen. Its eyes wide with shock.

Samus quickly drew her sword and cut the beast to bits.

"You have a great gift number 40. One only 3 others in the organization wield. That makes you a valuable warrior. Learn to fight with it and you'll be one of a kind. Well, except for me. And the creepy twins."

Yuma actually smiled at that and was about to move forward until a 10-foot-tall monster broke through the fortress doors.

"Maybe I should let you do the close quarter fighting?"

Samus frowned.

"Damn. I was going to ask you."

"Heads up princess!"

"Don't call me that- "

A behemoth humanoid knocked down the gate to the facility. It had large incisor teeth that jutted out from its mouth and pointed upwards. It had long claws. It had a 20-foot height advantage over the hunters.

In other words, a typical day for Samus. Not so much for everyone else.

"Missiles!"

The beast was far quicker than its size suggested. It rolled out of the way and tore up the ground where the soldiers originally stood.

"We need to find a weakness! Princess, be a good girl, won't you?"

Samus did not want to be a good girl at that moment. Not for Anthony goddamn Higgs. But fine. Whatever. She scanned.

Morphology: Omega Pirate.

Subject appears to be the result of experimentation by Space Pirate Scientists.

Omega Pirate can become invisible to normal sight it is vulnerable when cloaked, as all energy is drawn from defense systems.

Further scanning revealed strange nerves connecting to the blue molds on the beast's knees and shoulders.

"This thing was made by Space Pirates. This base must have been one of their setups until these things moved in."

"Space pirates? Now this is more my style! Tell us where to shoot!"

"The blue patches on the knees and shoulders! Everyone aim for those!"

Easier said than done, with this beast's agility. Samus and Yuma helped with ice missiles to make it slip up and stop it moving.

"Uh… excuse me Samus," asked Yuma. "But what are the space Pirates?"

"What they sound like. Band of thieves and murderers. Love to use other species as experiments. To them, the whole galaxy's their lab. This poor bastard, could have been an innocent creature before they got their hands on him."

The beast made another attempt to bring down the claymores. But the last blue part on the shoulder was shot off, causing the beast to fall to its knees.

Its allies began swarming the soldiers again, which the monster used as an opportunity to disappear. As in literally vanish into thin air.

"Yuma, switch your visor to X-ray!"

"Uh… how?"

"Oh, god damn it."

She turned on her own X-ray visor. She immediately saw the omega as a tall pure white figure with no facial features.

"There," she pointed. "Shoot there!"

Those who could, turned their weapons to where she pointed and fired everything they could. samus herself kneeled down and readied her laser cannon.

"Everyone clear!"

She fired it at the monster, ripping a hole through its chest and causing it to flicker back into the visible spectrum again.

"Yes," shouted Anthony. "That's what I like to see! That's our princess!"

All the soldiers raised their own guns and cheered.

"Princess! Princess!"

Samus stared around. She wasn't used to this. Praise from the few claymores she could work with, sure. But federation soldiers? The ones she'd left behind? That was something else.

She raised her own cannon and they went wild.

She should have known that good things didn't last long for her.

"Samus," Yuma shouted.

She turned just in time to see the omega's skin come off. From those wounds came a tidal wave of blue.

It rolled out and poured over her before she could even blink.

She was overwhelmed by screams.

They weren't hers.

….

"I know it's important. Believe me. I do. I know we're supposed to do this. I know it's for the good of the galaxy."

"Then there's nothing else to say is there," asked Ilena/Irene.

"But when I chose to become a soldier," Sid continued. "I didn't really hope to find myself wading through sewers."

"You got to choose? Lucky you."

The team was wearing aquatic combat suits and walking through submerged tunnels underneath the Torvus temple. It was a dizzying labyrinth full of bloggs. Aggressive creatures whose face seemed to consist solely of their mouths.

"Not that I haven't been to some pretty crappy places. But I didn't have to wear these water suits. Not the most comfortable I'll tell you!"

The soldiers with him laughed. The three claymores said nothing.

"I can't say they look too good on you either. Personally, I prefer you without them. Those outfits are just too perfect."

A female soldier behind him slapped him on the head.

"Take that back, horny pig!"

"What? I'm just complementing them! Is political correctness still a thing after all these centuries?"

"Political correctness is merely a term by right wingers upset over their inability to engage in derogatory statements without punishment."

"Oh come on! This isn't derogatory! I'm just acknowledging their slender curve- "

The female soldier folded her arms. Sid's face reddened. Fortunately hard to tell through the visor.

"Besides it's not like it bothers them. Do they seem annoyed?"

The female soldier asked Ilena/Irene. She didn't respond.

"See? No problem."

"Actually," Ilena/Irene said. "There is a problem. It appears while you debated the proper term to address us, a group of bloggs has approached."

"Crap," Sid shouted. "All guns to underwater mode? Fire away!"

"No," said Ilena/Irene. "These halls are too narrow. You might hit us. They're coming from the front. Let the twins fight and shoot any that get past."

The twins themselves were now fully covered in their power armor. They had their gravity settings turned on to help them move through the aquatic environment. That one took some major help from Samus Aran to manage.

The bloggs came at them. Hard to see in the darkness of the tunnel to the federation soldiers. Not to the claymores with their improved eyesight. And especially not to the twins with their visor aiding in their vision.

Alicia had to repress the instinct to use her arm cannon to take the great black beast out. This was a chance to train. To expand her capabilities.

She pointed her arm cannon at the approaching black beast. Its mouth open. She prepared to fire an ice missile at the beast.

Nothing happened. The beast kept swimming towards her.

Alicia tried again. No luck. The beast kept approaching. It opened its mouth.

Her sister Beth pushed her aside. Her arm cannon glowed blue and she fired a charge shot from it out at the beast.

The monster shrieked and flapped about in pain. Beth kept shooting the beast in the mouth while it thrashed. All while Alicia kept trying to make hers work.

More came from behind. Finally Alicia managed to get something to come out of the arm. Not the thing she'd intended, however.

"Shit," shouted Sid. "Everyone, get back!"

The beam that erupted from her cannon grew too large for the tunnel they were walking through. It tore through the walls, through which the water began flowing out.

The team held together, trying to maintain their balance in the chaos. But then, the bottom caved out and they fell through.

Another swarm of bloggs came from overhead. Beth fired at their mouths in rapid succession. Alicia glared at her causing her to smile.

"I think maybe I should be number 1."

The ground came out beneath them before she could tell her to go to hell.

They fell down and down until they hit the bottom. The three claymores got their feet immediately. The soldiers took more time.

"Check your shielding," shouted Sid. "Can anyone stand? If you can, fire at those bastards and cover the claymores!"

"Cover us," scoffed Beth. "We can do this ourselves. What good are they doing?"

"They're giving us a chance to attack that," Ilena/Irene pointed. The twins followed her arm and actually gasped when they saw the blue substance peeking through the walls. The tendrils came out from the wall and connected to form a great blue sphere. It looked like it was pulsing. Like a heartbeat.

"I… I feel it…." Alicia raised her hand out toward the object. "It almost feels…. Alive…"

"Then it can be killed." Ilena/Irene drew her sword out. "It's going to take more power to do though."

With the horde of blue veined bloggs swarming about them, the immensity of the core, and the limitations the underwater environment provided them, their chances seemed low.

"That sphere's so large," observed Ilena/Irene. "And we can't fight it and all these beasts off. Wait Alicia. What are you…. Wait! Not here!"

Alicia was kneeling over while her sister's visor glowed.

"Beth, pull her back! She's not ready!"

"Hey, is she ok," asked Sid. "She giving birth or something?"

"Hey!" The female soldier hit him.

"What? I'm just worried."

"Is she giving birth? Are you fucking serious? Did you really ask that?"

"Quiet," muttered Beth. "She's awakening."

And she did awaken. Everyone stared stunned and horrified as her armor expanded to fit her growing and hunched figure. Both her arms grew long and pointed. Shaped like blades.

"Incredible," Ilena/Irene said. "They managed to make the armor change along with her?"

The creature paused a moment to get accustomed to the underwater environment. She then bent her knees preparing to lunge.

"Uh… Captain Sid?"

"What? What now woman? I didn't even say anything!"

"Um… That thing she's attacking: Do you see the pillars going up towards the ceiling?"

"Yeah. What about them?"

"Don't they look like…. Pillars?"

Sid's eyes widened. They did look like pillars. Holding up a heavily eroded ceiling that had only become weaker with Alicia's massive beam.

"So then that thing's all that's…. Wait! Hang on!"

She did not hang on and in the blink of an eye, tore through the sphere, sending the blue substance all over.

And causing the roof to collapse.

Or at least it would if Alicia with her inhumanly fast reflexes hadn't managed to catch it and hold it up.

"Heads up," shouted Sid as the other part of the ceiling collapsed. But Beth with her speed managed to cut those bits away. Her sister however was holding up the rest and Beth and the soldiers started firing rapidly to clear away the immense debris.

"Alicia!" Beth rushed to her sister's side. The beast looked her way. Incredibly, she still recognized her sister. Even in her monstrous state.

"I feel it… all around…."

"Me too. Pain."

"Pain," asked Sid. "You talking about our pain?"

"No. Their pain."

"The bloggs? Don't worry about those bastards! They don't care about- "

"No," said Ilena/Irene. "Not them. The great poison. Don't you feel that?"

"They're crying. So many… Inside it…"

The soldiers stared at each other.

"Ok… Well, I think we did what we came down here to do, let's…"

"No!" Ilena/Irene suddenly shouted.

"No, let's stay?"

"No! Run! It's coming!"

Traces of the poison began moving throughout the walls. Converging together.

"I don't understand," said Beth in awe. "How can it do that? We destroyed the core!"

"Sister! Get back!"

When the blue substance came together, it molded itself into the shape of a spear and launched at the twins.

"Get back! Both of you," ordered Ilena/Irene.

Alicia kicked Beth back towards her companions and rushed towards the poison.

"Sister! Come back!"

Alicia did not come back. She collided with the mass.

….

"Wow. I mean just… Wow. Look at all this…"

"For once, Noel speaks sense. This is truly incredible."

It was, Galk agreed silently. The fortress around them was a testament to the building power of the Luminoth. And it helped strengthen his desire to see their world cleansed of the corruption he could see spread throughout the walls.

"What's that big sphere up there? It looks like it's conducting electricity."

They stood in a hall with the ceiling stretching high above. At the top, a large metal ball conducting electricity hung in the center connected to the wall by horizontal pillars.

"It must be an electrical conduit. Hoarding and sending power through the facility. Like a great heart."

"I see the blue substance. It's growing everywhere. All throughout the walls. Like veins."

"It must have its own heart. Like this sphere. Spreading it through the fortress. If we can find that, maybe we stand a chance of putting it down."

They walked out of the hall and into another corridor. One filled with hulking robots.

"Damn," whistled Noel. "Loving the toys! No wonder the organization wants these moth dudes saved! Wonder if they'll let us have them after all this is done?"

Galk approached closer to the machines. Their head was covered. Their arms bound to their side by metal restraints. He looked towards the designation.

"They call them crushers."

Sophia wrinkled her nose in displeasure.

"I don't like crushing. It's such an inelegant method."

"Oh enough with elegance obsession. You fight with your muscles. I fight with Stormwind. If anyone's got elegance to spare, it's me!"

"Wait," Galk warned. "Everyone get back!"

The crushers glowed blue. A sign of the substance's corruption. Their arms pulled loose from the restraints and ripped the restraints off their heads. They stepped out from their resting place and punched their fists together in anticipation.

"More are coming from behind! Back to back!"

They formed up in the middle of the hallway as ordered. Noel and Sophia each took a side.

"Soldiers, attack those at a distance," ordered Galk. "Let the claymores handle those who get in close!"

The soldiers complied and the few who managed to dodge their fire and get within striking distance were knocked down by the claymores.

"Come on," shouted Noel. "I've fought tougher humans! Don't you monsters have any fight in you?"

As if in response, the crushers who had until this point been surveying as if they couldn't decide whether or not they were needed finally marched in and attempted to smash Galk into paste.

He dodged and fired at the nearest robot's face. However, it held up its hand in front. The hand in question was actually a sphere connected to its arm. The sphere glowed white and reflected his blast back at him.

"Damn it," Galk gritted through teeth. His armor was strong and saved him. But the impact knocked him to his feet.

"Captain," another soldier yelled before firing at the beast. Its hand reflected that bolt as well. Its reflection was more accurate this time, causing the soldier's death.

"Hey, don't waste your time with small fry," Noel yelled. "Pick on someone worth your time!"

"No! Keep them from getting through!"

Galk's order was ignored or not heard by Noel as she sliced through the robot's arms. Her attack left her side vulnerable.

"Shit! Switch to close quarter weaponry! Don't let them grab your face!"

Sabers of light appeared on their arms. For some, not quick enough to keep the yoma from ripping them apart with their hands.

Galk threw a grenade to disperse the monsters, clearing a path through the hall.

"Everyone move forward! Again, One claymore in front, another in the rear!"

"Hey, I'm the highest ranked warrior," shouted Noel. "I give the orders! So…. Yeah just do what he said."

They complied, with the claymores each taking a different side and mainly dealing with the crushers.

However, one of the monsters managed to grab a soldier and pull him away from the group.

"No! Get him back!"

Too late. The yoma who'd grabbed him and forced its hand through his chest. Soon enough, the man's eyes flashed blue.

"Strong," the yoma said. "This one is strong. Strong enough to accept the perfect unity."

"Stay together! Don't let them take- "

They took another. Two more. Panic had settled into the soldiers and they starting to make mistakes. Holes in their line.

Another beast launched itself onto Sophia's back. Galk punched it in the face and threw it off.

"Looks bad, doesn't it captain?"

"All too bad. Sorry we couldn't be more help."

"No indeed. Humans are rarely helpful. Best stand back and let your superiors handle this."

In the blink of an eye, the monsters and crushers began falling to pieces. All the survivors crouched down to avoid sharing their fates.

"I feel yoki aura! A big one!"

"Who's? Yours or your friend's?"

"Neither!"

Before long, the monsters were replaced with their remains lying spread across the ground.

"Uh….." Noel scratched her head. "I'm going to assume that neither of us did this. Since I…. well just didn't and Sophia couldn't even if she wanted."

"Warriors taking cheap shots at each other in the middle of battle? Has the organization lowered its standards that much?"

Noel and Sophia's eyes were full of fear as they turned their eyes to meet the source of the immense aura.

A strange group of…. Well people wasn't really the right word. Because they clearly weren't. The single digits could feel their twisted auras. Even the soldiers who couldn't feel anything felt their hairs stand up on end.

And it wasn't just humans. There were a host of hunched bipedal creatures with sharp teeth and claws.

"Space pirates!" Galk pointed his gun. "Why in Teresa's name would you help us?"

"Not gladly, federation scum," one of them growled. "But it seems we share a common enemy. This…. stuff hates us both equally. It's a strange time."

"And strange times call for strange alliances. Don't they?"

And there he was. The source of the immense aura. A man with long flowing hair. His smile did nothing to put anyone at ease. Even his assistants seemed wary.

"We appreciate the effort. Really. We have to clear this scum out constantly. It's nice to have someone else do some of the dirty work."

"You're an awakened being," Said Sophia. "They're all awakened beings. Except the pirate thugs. What do you want? Surely not to make friends."

"On the contrary, that is exactly what I want. Or more specifically, a particular friend I want. A friend of yours I believe?"

"I have lots of friends," grinned Noel. "I'm pretty damn popular."

"I'm… Sure. Would one of those friends happen to be a hunter by the name of Samus Aran?"

The claymores and soldiers' eyes widened. The space pirates hissed.

"This is a mistake. That bitch has ruined our operations too many times."

"Can you blame her," responded the long-Haired man. "You're pirates. She was just doing the right thing."

The pirate leader opened his mouth to respond to that slight, but one look from the long-haired man reminded him who he was answering to.

"What do you want with Samus Aran," asked Galk."

"Oh, so you do! That's good to hear! Tell me. Does she know you're here?"

Noel and Sophia looked at each other. Not sure how to respond. The long-haired man however was an excellent reader.

"Oh, that's good! If you don't report back in for some time, she'd bound to come looking for you. Assuming she cares for you enough to try."

"She does care," insisted Sophia. "She's not a monster like you."

"That's wonderful to hear! Perhaps I should pull Miria back from her job? Ah, perhaps not. If the hunter won't risk herself for you, she'll certainly for her dear child."

"Her child?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. Come! You have nothing to fear! The full hospitality of the Silver King Isley is at your disposal! We have much to discuss."