Author's Note

Here's part two as promised.

Uploaded

11/24/2023

LEGEND BELOW

"Chief, that's not a good idea..." = Normal speech.

''You're you, don't let it control you...'' = Normal thoughts/Receiving coms.

Chapter 36

The Aftermath part 2

Rated-M

M rating for blood, and language, and violence.

Music of the day

Metroid Prime 3 Corruption - Skytown

She held him tightly, claws digging slight gouges in the back of his armor as she held his body to her own, grounding herself there in that moment.

She eventually managed to get her emotions under control once more, and the sensation of embarrassment couldn't be shaken off. She decided to close her eyes, resting her head on his chest plate as she breathed in his rugged musky scent, manly and strong.

"I'm sorry…" She murmured into his chest, sighing as his scent washed over her. She wasn't sure why she was apologizing, why she felt ashamed of her emotions, of how she felt about him. But she couldn't help how her rough upbringing made itself apparent in that moment.

After all, she was trained to be a hardened Chozo Warrior, not an emotional woman. She felt as if she was doing something wrong when showing that emotion, one of the few things that still made her human, if only in spirit.

"Don't apologize." He hummed deeply, reaching up to thread his fingers through her hair. She found her eyes fluttering closed as he slowly, gently began running his armored fingers through her hair, lightly itching her scalp. It seemed to have the desired effect as her tail once again began moving almost of its own accord.

"Okay…" She murmured, happily closing her eyes as she merely melted into his embrace, something only mildly uncomfortable due to their both wearing armor.

She would suffer that minor inconvenience if it meant that she got to hold him to her chest even just a bit longer.

There was no war going on in the background, no battle or fight either of them needed to hurry along and get back to, a mission to oversee the completion of…

No…

Now?

Now they could finally take a step back, if at the very least for just a little while…

…

Or, she'd like to trick herself into believing, but she knew better.

"If you're feeling up to it, the Captain would like a word with you." The Spartan muttered quietly, still gently running his hands down her head, seemingly absentmindedly. "He wants to thank you for-"

"Saving the human race…?" She muttered dryly, smirking slightly against his chest-plate.

He chortled lightly, patting her on the head. "Something like that." He added. "And, I'm sure you're friends would like to take a break. They've been keeping your kids occupied down in bay five since you left them with us." He thought to add after a moment.

Her eyes widened in worry. "Have they been behaving?" She asked quickly, unable to help herself.

He smirked a certain look, his scarred lips cracking upwards in a way that made her face flush lightly. "They haven't eaten anyone, if that was the question." He stated, yet he seemed to withhold some information.

"Well that's a relief…" She sighed. Turning towards the doorway, she motioned with her head. "I'm ready to leave, can't stand these stuffy white rooms…" She muttered softly.

"Yes ma'am." He hummed, taking hold of his helmet as he followed her out. She stepped out into the hallway, her suit shining in the sunlight from the window along the outer hull. Not a spec or dirt or blood remained on it from her weeks of battle, cleaned as if it was new. "Commander Lasky gave your suit a polish so you'd be at least somewhat presentable…" He joked, eyes looking her armored body over.

She froze suddenly in the hallway, a repulsed shiver shooting down her spine. She turned to glance at him from the corner of her eyes, grimacing. "Please don't ever say that again…" She begged, looking as if she was going to puke. "The last person that said that took samples from my armor and tried to create an army of bio weapons…" She shook her head, trying to forget the hell of a mission aboard the Bottle Ship.

His eyes widened behind his helmet. "Duly noted…" He stated with a confused hum.

They both walked off, making their way down the endless halls of the UNSC's greatest flagship. Officers and soldiers alike all stopped to stare in awe of the duo, saluting to not just the Spartan, but her as well.

The man found his eyes drawn to the back of her head as she walked, her usual ponytail having yet to be put up, her long green locks flowing down her backside, shifting with every step she took.

He found that he quite liked the color on her, and the length as well. It was a combination of things he'd not ever seen on a human woman before, so he'd not much to compare it to.

The walk to the command deck was a long one, but with no current battles that needed to be fought, nor missions to undertake, neither of them seemed too hurried to get to the Captain.

It gave them some time to talk.

"Samus…?" The Spartan muttered, glancing at her from behind. She didn't stop walking, but she did turn to glance at him from the corner of her eye.

"Yes? What is on your mind?" She asked curiously.

"What's your plan now…?" He asked after a brief moment of pause. "Back on the Forward Unto Dawn, you'd expressed the desire to get back to humanity. But now that you've had your children, and the fight is over… What do you plan on doing now? Are you planning on returning to your dimension?" He asked, tone seemingly repressed.

She stopped suddenly, the Spartan nearly walking into her. She glanced outside the gazing window, Earth down below in all its beauty. She didn't say anything for a long, long moment.

Then, she finally turned to him. "I don't think I can return…" She murmured, shoulders tense. "There are those in my dimension that once they learn of me and my children… I'll have to live on the run for the rest of my life, always having to check my back…" She explained quietly.

"The Space Pirates." The man stated sharply in understanding.

"…And the Federation." She spoke under her breath.

"What?" He asked, turning sharply to her. "But-?"

"The Galactic Federation is the primary driving force for peace in my dimension, and although they are against the use and creation of bio-weapons, a subsection of the Federation is not. I have been unfortunately involved with that sub-sect on more than one occasion." She explained quietly, claws clenched tightly by her side. "Back when I was still-"

"Human?" He cut her off, glancing at her face to gauge her reaction. She recoiled ever so slightly at his words, giving him all the confirmation he needed. "Does that explain your radical differences between you and your children?" He asked curiously.

"No I-" She tried, finding her voice tied. She turned to face him, eyes wide behind her helmet. "How did you know?" She asked quietly.

He shook his head. "I didn't, it was merely speculation, yet I had you pinned on the Dawn. But you confirmed it just now." He clarified decidedly.

Her mouth opened to say something in response, then clicked shut a moment later. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Of course he would know…

She felt silly.

She shook her head, raising her gaze to the space beyond Earth. Her claws clenched tightly, before that strength, that anger, left her.

"I was born a human baby, a pure blooded child of two otherwise normal humans. When I had turned three, my home world was attacked by the Space Pirates. Everyone was slaughtered, cut down or went down fighting." She didn't know why she began telling him this, but at this point she didn't care anymore.

And she had to tell someone, and he was someone she trusted.

"My parents sacrificed themselves to try and save me, but they couldn't do a thing. The Space Pirate leader… Ridley. He… H-He-" She put her claws to her mouth, swallowing her emotions as she had been taught to do her whole life, eyes growing cold, distant. "He ate my mother right in front of me… I-I can still remember her blood staining my clothes…" She whispered quietly, head in a different place in that moment.

"He left me to die after that, leaving my planet behind, I was the sole survivor…" She continued, voice growing deadly still. "I was found and rescued by the Chozo, the species who made my armor. They took me in, experimented on my body, turning me into their Ultimate Weapon. They became my family…" She recalled, voice growing distant.

He turned to her, eyes narrowed. "The Chozo turned you into a Metroid?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No, they have nothing to do with this. They made me into a soldier, the best soldier they had ever created. I suppose the only thing I can compare it to would be your Spartan two program." She causally stated, letting him know that she knew far more then she let on.

"H-How…?" He muttered in surprise.

She chuckled a mirthless sound. "Oh John, you underestimate my ability for knowledge gathering." She hummed playfully, a slight break from the otherwise dim tone of the story. "I grew up on Zebes, a planet that's atmosphere was entirely lethal to a human, it was one of the reasons I was injected with their dna. To cut a long story short, I left the Chozo behind to become a soldier for the Federation army. Eventually I left even them, taking on my role as a Bounty Hunter. A lot happened after that, but one mission is where everything went wrong." She turned away from the window, letting her feet guide her as she began the trek for the bridge once more.

"I was sent to assist a Federation research vessel in orbit above SR388, the Metroid home-world. Upon landing I was infected by an, at the time, unknown parasite." She continued.

"The X." He nodded, recalling a conversation they'd had about the subject quite some time ago. "You told me about them on the Dawn. So by then the Metroids were all gone, that explains why they had grown out of control…" He muttered as he began placing the pieces together in his head.

"Mmhmm." She hummed. "They took over my body, rapidly reproducing inside of me. I was taken back to the Federation vessel to be saved, but I had been given a minimal chance of survival. Seeing that I, the sole owner of the ancient Chozo weaponry and technology was about to die, and knowing that my equipment would go with it, the Federation grew desperate to save me. A vaccine was devised using the last vestiges of Metroid dna recovered from a previous mission, and injected into me without delay."

Recalling that time now felt surreal, seeing just how close she'd come to dying. If she'd fallen there, the universe would also fall to the X.

It wasn't a pretty thought.

"When I awoke, I had been changed into something different, no longer solely human. One thing led to another, and I had to destroy the research station I was sent to defend. Immediately after this I found proof that X had been detected off world, and I was sent to investigate. I was the only one capable of stopping the X, the Federation had no choice."

They both stepped out of the hall and onto an elevator, the doors closed behind them. There was no one else in the room with them, the two riding along the lift system.

"That's where I found him…" She muttered bitterly.

Not missing the way her body violently reacted to the mentioning of this mysterious figure, he knew he had to ask. "Who?"

"A Chozo Warlord, a monster by the name of Raven Beak. He lured me there, and forced me through challenges, making the dormant Metroid dna within my body rapidly take over, bringing out my latent power. He wanted to control me, make the Ultimate warrior with the powers of a Metroid. He wanted to rule the galaxy with me by his side…" She trailed off, raising her claws to her face as if to inspect them for any remaining signs of her humanity.

"Through challenges and events outside my control, he forced my body to evolve, tossing aside my Humanity forever. Although I stand on two feet, and appear somewhat human, I am one hundred percent Metroid in my dna… That is why I was able to reproduce on my own, to procreate, to continue the species… My species."

"And your children? Will they ever take a form like you do now?" He asked lowly.

She stared longingly into her hand, knowing the truth to his question.

And that answer hurt her far more than she realized initially.

For no matter how many children she may have, none of them if they were born Metroid, would ever grow to look like her. The Metroid dna was too pure in her, it was impossible. Her existence in her shape now was merely a result of her creation as the Ultimate Weapon.

"No…" She muttered quietly. "They will forever look like their original species, taking on their forms, their faces, their bodies…" She sighed, dropping her hand to her side. "Yet they are different. In the end, I have not continued the species, but I have given birth to a knew one, a perfect one…"

"Your children… They are different, smart. They have a conscience." He stated, realizing what she was referring to. "You'd said that the Metroids were mindless murder monsters, creatures that lived off of instinct and preyed upon anything living that wasn't one of them." He explained. "But those aren't your children. They aren't mindless."

She laughed, a mirthless and bitter sound. "It's ironic… This is exactly what the Space Pirates would have wanted, but were never able to attain." She realized with a sickening sense of humor.

Again she found her attention drawn to her palm, claws splayed out. Pink energy swirled around her palm, looking to feast upon any source of energy. "That's why I can't go back… If the Space Pirates don't throw their entire army at me to capture me, turning me into their breeding machine that'll spit out weapons of mass destruction, then the Federation will lock me away for… safety reasons. Either way, I don't think I'd ever again see the light of day…" She muttered bitterly, the fears she had about returning home bursting forth.

She turned around to face him as the elevator platform finally began to slow to a halt. "So… You asked me what my plan was…?" She asked rhetorically, voice tense. "If I had one to give, I would…" She said as her energy left her, leaving her worried for her future.

"Then stay here." He said firmly, surprising himself with how protective he suddenly felt for her. "Stay with humanity, my humanity. The UNSC will protect you, give you a place to stay." He quickly said, stepping forward to place his hands around her armored biceps, forcing her to look up at him. "Stay with me, here, in this dimension…" He finally said, holding her firmly.

Her eyes widened, a feeling welling up in her throat as tears threatened to form in the corners of her eyes. Her puffy black lips parted to speak, but she found that words failed to come to her.

She was doing it again…

She had been doing it again, trying to do everything on her own, looking into a future where she would have to fight to survive all on her own.

She continued to look at life through the lens of a woman standing alone in the vastness of space, a sole survivor in the depths of the universe, a single mother with no one to fall back on when times got tough, and they always got tough.

She continued to make plans based around the untrue fact that she was alone in this galaxy, that no one would come running to her aid when she called out for help.

Her split second decisions to act were all based around doing everything on her own with her own power, not taking a moment to think about who could help her out.

So when the time came to make a decision once more, she had not even considered him or his people. She had not considered the fact that they could and likely would stand up to help her.

She was responsible for stopping the Didact after all…

But…

"But what about my children…? Where will they stay? They… We can't live on the Infinity, and Earth is out of the question as well." She spoke up, glancing up at him. "Despite their evolved nature, leaving them on Earth is tempting fate…"

"There are many planets within the UNSC's control, and many outside of both ours and the Covenant's. You've talked about a fair few that I've never heard of, perhaps they would be a suitable home-world for you in this dimension…?" He offered helpfully. "So far, your understanding of planetary mapping has been one to one with your dimension. What about the Metroid's original home-world, SR388? Why not return there, make it your own?" Came his suggestion.

Her eyes widened, blinking as if struck by his words. Then she smiled, shaking her head as she realized that he was right.

It probably would be wise to flee occupied space and settle down in a star system no one but her in this universe knew about.

But to do that she would need a ship, and what remained of hers was on Requiem still.

Perhaps she wasn't done with that dreadful planet yet…

He saw the look in her eyes shift, realizing that he'd set her on the right path. That was all well and good, but he still saw something in her hesitating.

Something was still holding her back, stopping her from doing what she needed to do.

She looked up to him, her expression vulnerable, her shields down in a surprising moment of weakness. "What about you?" She asked quietly.

She didn't care that they had finally reached their destination, the elevator waiting for them to disembark.

She needed to know.

"What do you mean?" He intoned.

She let out a deep sigh, turning away. She struggled for words for a moment, before coming to a decision. "You can't come with me… You have a duty to your people, I know that…" She stated, turning to walk off the platform as others began piling on, saluting to the both of them as they passed.

"…Are you going to be alright?" He asked.

She knew what he was asking, if she was going to be fine with the knowledge that he could not come with her. They were from two separate worlds, and he was tied down to his, no amount of pleading could change that.

"I've had long distant relationships before… I'll survive." She muttered, a small smirk on her lips as she entered the command deck.

Didn't mean that she'd enjoy living alone, however…

"Samus… Good to see you finally out of bed. You gave my crew quite the scare for a while there." Del Rio exclaimed as the woman of the hour stepped onto the bridge, waltzing up to him. He reached out to shake her hand, something she returned with only a moment of hesitation. "Good to have you back ma'am, can't have our hero dying now can we?" He joked, his tired aged eyes shining with a newfound youthful vigor.

"Thank you sir. I am glad to see we made it out in one piece." She returned the sentiment. "I heard you wished to see me?" She asked.

He smirked, turning away as he walked back to his post. "That I did. I wanted to thank you for your actions thus far, assisting the Master Chief when stranded on a Forerunner planet, helping take down the Covenant stationed there and your support in taking down the Didact. Furthermore, due to your actions aboard Ivenoff Station, most of the crew had managed to survive the attack unharmed. Doctor Tilson sends her regards." He explained lightly, hands clasped behind his back as he faced her.

"I think it goes without saying, that we would have suffered far more losses in that situation without your intervention. I'm not sure we'd even be here right now without your help." He said as he sighed, shoulders sagging from the stress that had been placed upon him. "To that end, I feel as though you are in need of payment. You told me that we would decide the terms of your service later, and that time has finally arrived. So then, Samus Aran, what do you desire?" He asked curiously.

Her eyes widened, blinking in thought. She glanced back to the Spartan beside her, the man offering a short nod. Turning her attention back to the Captain, she cleared her throat. "I would like to borrow a light speed capable ship, preferably one that can carry something of significant size in atmosphere." She stated her request.

"Borrow? You don't need to borrow anything, I can give you a ship. It's the least I can offer…" The man asked in confusion, reiterating his point.

"Are you sure?" She asked. He smirked at her.

"Lady, you're the one responsible for us all being here today. I think the ones running this show can spare a single cruiser." He pointed out, crossing his arms.

She shook her head, eyes wide. "I don't need anything that big… Just something large enough for me with some extra space." She specified.

The captain crossed his arms, bringing a hand up to stroke his chin in thought. It was in that moment Aine decided to speak up.

"Captain, we have a Winter-class Prowler in bay two, capable of solo slip-space travel, deep space reconnaissance missions, active camouflage systems and a Hyperscanner detector built in. The ship is eighty four point two meters in length, single pilot capable, can compliment twenty passengers, and has a small yet size-able storage bay for transporting materials or creatures off planet." The golden goddess explained, clasping her hands together in front of her, offering the Bounty Hunter a warm smile. "Would that suffice, madam Aran?" She asked curiously.

Would that suffice?

Hell…

It was more than enough.

"It is a little big for me, but I will take it. I think a larger size will fit me better now." She said aloud, returning her gaze to the Captain.

He smirked. "Good, then it is settled. Aine, bring me the report on that Prowler." He ordered.

"Yes sir." The A.I. said, instantly bringing up the file requested. She transferred it to his PDA for further review.

"Hmmm, it's a shame we had to lose this ship in the battle of Requiem, although I suppose it couldn't be helped. Update the records, one Winter-class Prowler lost during the battle against the Didact." He said firmly, voice not betraying his intentions.

Samus's eyes widened.

"Sir?" She asked curiously.

He shook his head. "What they don't know won't hurt them. If the ship shows up again later, it can be considered a salvage ship you gathered after the war on Requiem. After all, it was listed as shot down from Promethean anti air forces…" He shook his head as if it couldn't be helped.

"It was quite the sad experience, sir. The vessel will be missed." Aine sighed, shaking her head.

"Oooh, I like the way you think. I think your Captain isn't as rough around the edges as I thought he was." Came the animated retort from the familiar blue bodied A.I., Cortana appearing beside her fellow holographic woman. Aine turned her attention towards her fellow A.I., an elegant smirk upon her lips.

"My captain is an esteemed leader like you have rarely seen, he has my utmost respect." She added, eyebrow raised.

Cortana smirked. "Oh? It sounds like it." She teased in her usual way, before turning her attention back to the Spartan. "You look nice." She added lightly, noting his distinct healthiness that had not been present hours prior.

"Thanks…" He grunted.

"As for my interactions with your military during the mission… I would like it if the origins of my arrival here in this dimension remain secret, sir." Samus spoke up, glancing to the aged man.

"As my records state, upon arrival on Requiem, we were offered assistance by an unknown agent." He stated sharply. "I'm sure that won't please command, but what they don't know won't hurt them…" He sighed, rubbing at his temples. "Now then, I'm sure we could stand here for hours and go over the specifics of this, but I'm sure you're eager to return to your children, lord knows they've been desperate to see you. God damn raptors…" He trailed off, turning to walk away.

Samus watched him go, face perplexed by his final words.

…

…

…

"Did something happen while I was gone?" She asked dryly, turning her attention to the Spartan. He looked around, eyes hidden behind his helmet, before he finally turned to face her. He shrugged, a quick motion.

"In a manner of speaking…" He grunted.

She scoffed before brushing past him, quickly making her way towards bay five. He watched her go, waiting until she was gone before turning back to the command terminal.

"Well? What are you waiting around here for? Go after her." Cortana said, crossing her arms.

Chapter

36

End