SPACE PIRATE FRIGATE VOL PARAGOM

THRONE ROOM

"My lord, our scouts have confirmed your suspicions. The dimension we sent the Hunter to weeks ago holds incredible potential for our conquest. Scans indicate the presence of a widespread energy source harboring immeasurable power! And the Earth of their world recovers still from a narrow victory against a previous foe...leaving no equivalent of the pitiful Federation to impede our operations!"

The Pirate Commander and his troop knelt before the mighty throne of High Command's leader, whose recovery hastened daily, no doubt thanks to the precious Phazon once harbored in his system.

"Pleasing news, color me impressed," the leader said. He was a towering figure that dwarfed his underlings, silhouetted in shadow with only the golden glow of his eyes and cybernetics peering through the darkness. "That only leaves the matter of the Hunter residing there, now. With her ship and that famous arsenal of hers. Her presence may...complicate things."

"My lord, the Hunter will tremble under the might of our army once we begin outfitting our men with this new energy source! The Space Pirates do not flee or hide from...grk...!"

With a maneuver silent as night and as swift as death, Lord Ridley of High Command snatched the Pirate Commander between his monstrous claws. He glared the commander down with burning, yellow eyes. Though his expression was that of an animal before the kill, he kept his tone's calm demeanor as he threatened to squeeze the life from his prey.

"I would hope that you are not insinuating that I display cowardice, Commander."

"Never...sir!"

Parts of the commander's exoskeleton began to crack and snap under Ridley's grip. "The Space Pirates were only driven from Homeworld because we fell under the control of a she-bitch who believed all of her subordinates to be expendable to the cause of her own agenda. Such callousness cost us greatly, Commander. Because of her, our resources are thin and we're scrambling for something to fill the void. Now that she is out of the picture, and our forces have been cleansed of her stench, it would be wise that we tread cautiously. Do I make myself clear, Commander? Comm...oh."

The Commander had cracked like an egg under Ridley's iron grip, his remains and juices dripping from the dragon's metallic fist. "Right...temper. You there," he said, dropping the lifeless pile of gore as he pointed at a Shadow Pirate among their ranks.

"Lord Ridley, sir!"

"Was there anything else your unit had to report to me?"

"S-sir...there are hints of dimensional destabilization in the other world, as well - responsible for revealing its location to us to begin with. Science Team fears that our frequent excursions could cause repercussions for our world, as well. There are also rogue creatures that have been a danger to our expeditions, that seem to carry traces of this energy as well. "

"Conquest comes with risk, I suppose," Ridley growled, headed back to his throne. "Tourian's nearly rebuilt, and Mother Brain's healing was accelerated thanks to our last little miracle drug. I'll lead our next scouting party, and we'll take engineers with us to get a base up and running. Mother Brain will be able to handle the reproduction of this new energy source you speak so highly of once we get our stronghold established."

He took his seat once more, all but his eyes fading back into darkness. "You are all dismissed. Standby for orders."

The remaining squadron saluted their supreme general, and left his chambers with great haste.

"Samus Aran…" he said to himself, a spiteful sneer in his gravelly voice. "All alone and far from home. The Terminal Corruption has waned away, girl. It's just the usual crazy, now." A grin formed across his face. "We'll see each other again, in due time."

. . .

UNKNOWN LOCATION

"So you do tire, after all," a tall, armored, figure said to his 'companion.' He was clad in weathered, sage armor, crafted by Sentinel hand in a war with consequences that would set in stone a once-great civilization's fall from grace. Foreign metals had been grafted onto it to better protect him from the horrible elements he'd been exposed to, and his beady, yellow eyes peered through the darkness that surrounded them. Most distinguishing perhaps, were the two sets horns atop his head - a pair the pointed a meter above his head, and another that curved around..

The companion in question currently leaned against a wall in this dark, dank, and damp forbidden place they'd trained in for time they could not discern. Moments ago, she'd dispatched the third of a group of otherworldly monsters. It was a lumbering behemoth, coated head to toe in white fur...save for its claws and feet, a bloody red. As for whether the color was its own or if it came from its prey was a mystery. Perhaps just as mysterious was despite it clearly being a melee-oriented creature, it could fire powerful shafts of lightning from its hands. Her body smoked from the most recent of such onslaughts, having been under the threat of being cooked to combustion against the wall had she not the strength to lift her cannon, and blast the creature apart with wanton scattershot.

"I...ngh...battles aren't supposed to push me like this," she said aloud, in between whatever her equivalent of breaths were. She pounded the wall in frustration, her fist easily punching through a layer of stone. In contrast to the one she'd allied herself with, her body resembled a suit of armor, made of alien carapace and moving as the creature breathed. It was a midnight blue, accented with ghastly streaks of cerulean that lined her shoulders, cannon, and 'visor.' "I...need...phazon, dammit!"

"Your body reformed from what mankind calls 'Synthetic Argent.' You generate it now, and it is the only strength you need. If you cannot survive with your own discipline and power, you will not survive at all."

The creature floated back to a neutral position, regaining her composure. "I don't need the pep talk, chief," she chided, earning an amused grunt from her apparent partner. "...I've got questions."

"Perhaps I have answers." The last remaining enemy in the room met its end at the Argent edge of his Crucible axe.

"Where the hell are we, for starters? And what are these creatures? They're of a different breed than the Demons we started with."

"This again?" the armored one asked, a curious, if annoyed tone in his voice.

"Our first lesson was 'know thy enemy,' right? Well I've learned of your Slayer, and the Demons. You learned of...her. And we've been fighting something completely different in some place completely different...just call me curious."

"I'll humor you. The creatures we train against are from this land where no demon dares tread. Hell in its vast, infinite reaches chooses to avoid these ancient halls. Many of the monsters that dwell in this forbidden place are a cut above Hell's common offerings...and so we temper our mettle in crueler flames."

"But their numbers pale in comparison...how will this be of any use to us?"

"Do they not continue to push you to your limit?"

". . ."

"Well then."

"My other question...what do I call you?"

"So it's finally time for formalities with you."

"Just answer the damn question."

"Hmph."

"During a time of civil war, my kind had been divided. One side found conviction in a purpose engraved into our society...to serve and die in the name of our gods. To destroy brother and sister in the holy act of proving our faith. Perhaps...one side's faith was misplaced. We found no peace after death, and were instead resurrected as our God's personal agents of war. In my rebirth, an error was made...and as thus Hell nor Urdak holds claim over me. A slipgate misplaced me in my panic, and I have spent eons watching, and learning...after I survived here."

"I didn't ask for your biography. I asked for your name."

"Marauder. All I was ever meant to be."

"Well that's underwhelming."

"The 'Dark' Hunter isn't very clever, either."

"It is meant to be a mockery of her...that someone with her name could spread such chaos and destruction."

"As you wish, 'Dark Samus.' Let us continue our hunt. Your handling of Argent is becoming more...natural. A sign of progress."