Author's Note

I'm sure this chapter is going to be bliss for a lot of you, and trust me, I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. Either way, I won't spoil it for everyone, and I'll let you all go with one wish. Take care everyone, and happy reading!

Oh, and for a certain reader of mine, I finally got to make good on that thing you hoped for many chapters back. I'm looking at you Dragon Man 180. 'Wink'

Uploaded

10/03/2023

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 33

The beginning of the end, Part 2

Rated-M

M rating for blood, and language, and violence.

Music of the day

Star Fox Assault - Boss 1 theme

She knew that if she left him to his devices, he may be tempted to rush to her rescue, not that she needed to be rescued, but that was besides the point. She felt like her voice was raw after all the shouting, but she payed it no mind, focusing on her task while he, his.

In the far distance she saw him bank hard, his fighter turning to take a nosedive into the depths of the Forerunner's ship. She mentally wished him good luck, before turning her attention onto her own situation.

Truth be told, there was no way out of this scenario…

Well…

There was no way out where she'd be able to save her ship at least, but a ship wasn't something she of all people needed to survive in the depths of space.

She grunted as her ship was struck once again, this time her other wing catching fire as its munitions exploded, nearly tearing it in half.

She was going down, but she wasn't going to go down with her ship.

Throwing the controls to the side, she kicked away from the cockpit, thrusters blaring to life as she launched herself towards the back of her star fighter. With a missile blast she blew away the rear end of her ship, flying into zero gravity as she left her carcass of a vessel behind, the ship crashing down into a smoking pile before exploding.

Her wings spread out wide as she stood before the army of Phaetons, the vehicles stopping in surprise watching her fly freely away from the exploding ship. She stared the army down, hovering menacingly before what to some would appear as a losing battle.

But for her, it was finally her chance to go all out without fear of casualties.

In the vastness of space, without any human in sight, there was no reason to pull her punches anymore.

It was time to pull out all of the stops.

With a mental command, she disabled the limiters placed on her arm cannon, disabled the limiters on her more lethal forms of advanced movements, and enabled both her Lightning armor, and her Beam Burst suit enhancements. The explosive burst of energy that suddenly surrounded her body was enough to give her opponents pause.

Flapping her draconic wings, almost on instinct seeing as they served no purpose in space, she took her aim at her opponents. A buildup of vile pink-red energy collected at the muzzle of her cannon, rapidly growing in strength and size. The temporary pause her presence had given them had passed as all ships opened fire upon her unmoving form.

But it was too late.

She vanished, teleporting away from the attacks, able to gain much more distance without the effects of gravity slowing her down.

Then she let loose the energy bubbling beneath her skin. The beam of pure, unadulterated energy that exploded forth from her cannon was as big as she was. The continuous beam of hyper destructive force paved a path through the fleet that opposed her, slicing the fighters in half as they all rained hellfire upon her, but she didn't stop in her attack.

Like a five hundred foot long blade of energy, she swung her cannon to the side, cleaving a swath through those that attempted to evade her. The remaining fleet immediately spread out to evade the god of destruction that had suddenly appeared before them, unprepared for the absurd power she was able to dish out.

Her thrusters kicked to life, launching her forward to give chase to the fleeing enemy. More and more Phaetons appeared with every kill she made, but she paid that fact no mind. For every enemy that chose to engage her in combat was another that the Master Chief didn't have to face.

She grinned wildly as she took aim at the new arrivals, blasting them away with a hefty use of her Hyper-Beam.

Hundreds of Forerunner fighters fell to her in combat, but they did not stop appearing, the Didact throwing more and more bodies after her in hopes to finally bring her down.

It was only unfortunate for him that he still didn't understand that she was not one to ever give up, not now, not ever.

As she momentarily let off the firestorm, her eyes widened when a thousand Phaetons suddenly arrived, surrounding her on all sides, appearing from micro wormholes. Her eyes widened in surprise, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead, ready to begin the battle all over again when a new voice joined the fight.

''Delta squadrons, assist Samus in her battle! Show the sons of bitches that this is what happens when you mess with the best humanity has to offer!'' In the vastness of space came Commander Palmer's voice over UNSC coms, her voice preceding a battalion of UNSC star fighters appearing to assist her in battle.

Now suddenly, the numbers weren't so one sided. Slamming her arms to her sides, she took off flying as the space she'd been previously was assaulted by thousands of hard light bullets and missiles. The fleet went to give chase, but were caught by surprise by the approaching fighter squadron of UNSC aircraft.

''Open fire! Take them down!''

''Hey Samus, maybe let us have a chance to shine in the spotlight huh?!''

''Don't worry, we got your back!''

''You're not in this fight alone, we'll take them on!''

''Hey again Princess, you miss us?''

The slurry of words came from all over, Spartans and soldiers she'd never met all rushing to her aid. Some she knew for sure, the cocky voice of Anthony among a fair few more from the Federation appearing to back her up in this final battle.

She couldn't help the grin that split her lips at the sight of such a vast number of friendly faces in these disastrous times.

But she didn't let it give her pause, instead immediately gaining enough distance so she could turn about and begin destroying her opponents once more.

Bullets razed her armor, but she paid them no mind, turning her devastating Hyper-Beam onto the ships that gave her chase. The squadrons of friendly fighters came flying in with zero hesitation, and without the Didact's heavy turrets to deter them, they were free to engage the enemy.

"Guh!?" Samus groaned as multiple cleansing beams piled into her side, a squad of Phaetons intent on bringing her down. She flash shifted to the side, taking aim before blowing them to hell with her vastly superior weaponry. Knowing that standing still was asking to be shot, she kept moving, her thrusters propelling her through the open battlefield.

''Samus, watch yourself! You've got a squad coming on your right!'' The familiar sound of Smythe shouted over the coms, the hum of a Federation Stiletto fighter roaring past her as he came to her aid.

The Bounty Hunter's eyes narrowed as she spun around, propelling herself backwards as she took aim at the Forerunner fighters that came screaming into the fight.

These soldiers weren't playing around, as they began evasive maneuvers to avoid being wiped off the map by her Hyper-Beam. A hundred Phaetons rushed her, spreading out wide as they all began laying into her smaller form.

She took aim once more, launching out a beam of annihilation as she thrust herself to the side, flying out of the way of most of the incoming hard light bullets and cleansing beams. She swung her beam out wide, slicing through a good chunk of the squadron before they began evading her once more.

''Incoming! Watch yourself Samus!'' Another Spartan shouted, multiple cleaning beams drilling into her exposed backside.

She snarled, spinning around as she deleted the opposing ships that dared to get too close. Her head snapped back as more ships closed in, focusing their beams onto her visor. Sent flying back, her thrusters sputtered to life to try and stabilize her, but continued fire upon her form had her scrambling away blindly.

She turned and flew away, hundreds of attacks coming her way, the Forerunner constructs becoming increasingly accurate the longer the battle stretched on.

She cursed under her breath, spinning out of the way as reinforcements arrived to assist in hunting her down. Their onslaught seemed like it would never end, and she was glad that she'd managed to get the Spartan inside the ship before he had to face this hell outside.

She wasn't stupid. She knew that despite how powerful she was, she couldn't take on an army that size on her own, especially when it seemed as if the Didact had an endless supply of soldiers and ships to throw at her.

But that didn't mean that she was going to stop now, because currently, her objective was to simply act as the distraction until enough backup arrived to take over the fight, or until the Chief finished his job.

Either way, the moment she was able to, she was going to slip away from the battlefield and go after him. She didn't like the idea of leaving him on his own to face the Didact, and the was no force in the universe that was going to hold her back from coming to his aid in these dire moments.

Her thoughts were temporarily rattled as she felt a heavy force slam into her back, the nose of a Phaeton crashing into her in a suicide run. She felt her wings crunch underneath the force, the ship attempting to pin her into another as more approached.

She snarled, rapidly curling up into a ball as she charged up a Power-Bomb. Her weapons, super charged by her Beam Burst abilities, meant that this particular Power-Bomb that simply that much more devastating. The resulting heatwave that exploded forth consumed the ships that pinned her down, reducing them to atoms.

She quickly returned to her normal form, taking a moment to catch her breath as she scanned her immediate area for any more attacks. Thankfully the Power-Bomb had blown away most of the nearby ships, but a plentitude more were already on their way to her.

Fortunately, it seemed that backup had arrived.

On the horizon approached an entire fleet of fighters, vastly outnumbering the smaller squadron that had appeared to assist her previously. And behind them were the Frigates that led them.

''Hey there Samus, looks like you could use a hand! Don't worry, we'll take it from here.'' It was the familiar voice of Ernst, Fireteam leader of Castle Team. She spun around to find the Spartan leader soaring towards her, missiles charged to blow the hell out of the Phaetons that were chasing her. And just like that, suddenly the Didact's army was outnumbered ten to one.

''We've got your back! Move your ass and help out the Chief! We'll take over this fight!'' Tashi shouted, soaring past her in a Broadsword fighter.

Samus grinned.

She didn't need to be told twice.

Without another word she threw her back thrusters into overdrive, launching herself straight towards the center where the Chief had made his entrance.

As she approached, however, she noticed that the hole made by the Infinity had been sealed off by the Didact.

Unfortunately for the one hundred thousand year old son of a bitch, she wasn't going to be gentle with his toys. Heaving a sigh, she drew upon her Beam-Burst abilities once more, taxing her already strained suit again as she reinforced her Hyper-Beam. She knew she was going to regret overtaxing her suit later, but she couldn't be bothered to give a damn now.

But, before she could make a hole in his ship, another voice joined the fight.

''Hold on Samus, let me take care of that for you!'' Del Rio exclaimed over her coms. The Bounty Hunter spun around to find the Infinity drawing closer to the ship. Without needing to be told his plan, she flew out of the way as the Infinity charged up its twin Mac once more. ''Hang onto your teeth lady! Officer, on my mark, make an entrance for our favorite Bounty Hunter!'' His exclamation was followed by the explosion of power rocketing forth from the front of the UNSC's flagship.

The hole the attack tore into the hull of the Forerunner ship was clean, but the damage was already being repaired as she debris cleared away. Without sticking around, she threw her suit into overdrive as she flew down through the gaping hole in the outer hull. She reminded herself to thank the Captain later, but that required that she make it out of this mission alive.

She spun about, bringing her wings in close to her body to make herself as narrow as possible. She picked up speed rapidly, but the world began to close in around her.

She could see it just ahead, the light at the end of the tunnel!

As she was approaching, a new voice decided to grace her with its presence.

''How is this possible? How have you not been composed?! Such an outcome is INCONCEIVABLE! Your existence here is unwelcome, and you shall suffer a death far greater then the mercy I once offered to extend your way.'' A ghostly and distinctly male voice echoed all around her, certainly not originating from her communications systems.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who was taunting her from the safety of his throne.

The only thing his taunting served to assure her of was the fact that John had yet to take him out.

Or worse…

She had to speed up.

She banked hard to the right, the walls closing in around her, trying to crush her within the hull as it auto repaired itself. As she neared the exit point, a wall suddenly closed before her, blocking her escape.

But…

She was down playing around.

She snarled, curling into a spinning blade of razor-like energy as she initiated her Screw-Attack. She rapidly gained power as she sped towards the wall, the blades of energy growing larger and larger.

When she finally made contact, her whipping energy attack cut through the hastily arranged wall like a hot knife through butter, violently tossing shrapnel to the sides as she exploded into the main atrium.

She unfurled, landing on her feet as gravity became real on her body once more. Sparks flew as she landed in the ground, boots scraping across the metallic floors as she slowed herself down. She flared her wings out to gain some resistance, akin to an air brake, a smoking trench left across the floor of the ship.

When she finally stopped, she found herself standing alone in a dark hallway, no signs of life around. She slowly stood to her feet, glancing around as she switched on her thermal imaging visor.

Nothing.

Her radar was blank, no immediate threats within her vicinity.

She heaved a sigh of relief as she began stalking her way through the halls. She debated on calling out to the Spartan, but she stopped herself. She had a good feeling that any communication systems shared between them were compromised, and calling out to the Spartan would only serve to blow his and her cover.

She moved forward with the reality that the Spartan may have already been taken out as something she had to accept. If that had been the case, then it would be up to her to take the Didact out of commission.

The only problem lay within the fact that she was not currently armed with a Havok Nuke.

But she didn't dwell on that reality, instead deciding to push forward and carve a path towards the center of the ship.

''Your efforts against me are very admirable. I thought you dead more than once, yet you allude me still. Tell me, what drives you? Why do you side with these humans, knowing that they are about to die? Once I am done here, I will wipe their race from the corners of this galaxy.'' The Didact mocked, his voice echoing all around her.

She ignored him, sprinting through the halls of his ship, turning any Promethean that dared to oppose her into dust. She had to keep moving, had to get there in time.

She'd come this far, she would not be stopped now. Not by threats, and certainly not by anything walking.

''Do you not understand what you are doing? Mankind is a race of beasts, creatures that kill and destroy all who stand in their way. Their annihilation is but a kindness, the last one I will ever offer them.'' He continued unhindered.

Her boots kicked up sparks as she came sliding around a corner, snapping her cannon forward as a platoon of Prometheans warped in to try and slow her down.

With a burst of massive red energy, they were wiped from existence.

''Yet, in the face of these times, you stand unabated. Even when separated from your ever faithful companion, you press on without any intention of stopping. Tell me, what motivates your step? What pushes you to stand before me in the last hours of humanity?''

She found her anger growing and growing the more the creature rattled on in the back of her mind, his words laced with contempt for her, like venom to her ears.

Yet still, she refused to respond to his taunting, keeping her head level. Losing control now could be catastrophic, and she wasn't about to risk it all because she couldn't keep it together long enough.

When she was beside John, everything felt like it made sense. She felt like her rampaging Metroid DNA could be tamed, could be controlled and subdued.

Everything felt fine with him by her side.

But without him, she found herself rapidly becoming overwhelmed by the beast within her heart. It didn't help that her suit was in tune with her emotions, and her anger only served to make her more dangerous in battle. The longer she stayed in the fight outside, the more her existence would prove to threaten those around her.

Even now, with his taunts stabbing at her from the darkness, she found her ire rapidly exploding out of her control. It was only due to her time spent as a Metroid that she'd come to gain some semblance of self control, control that she had over herself that didn't rely solely on the presence of the super soldier.

''Tell me. When I am finished composing all of humanity, bringing an end to their miserable lives, and take my place as the one true ruler of the galaxy, will you regard your actions today as foolish? I am offering you a choice, to stand by my side, to rule over those that should not be allowed to rule themselves. When I attain the Mantle of Responsibility, and when I stand over all in the universe, would you not want to stand there with me? I have seen your actions thus far, your strength, your power, it is true strength. Come now, join my side, do not turn down this hand I am offering to you.'' His words echoed in her mind, whispering to her, tricking her, luring her in.

But she refused!

She shook her head violently, shedding the touch of his mental manipulation off of her.

She would not bend, not to him, not ever. She had been offered similar positions before, by those stronger than the one offering them to her now.

She would not be swayed.

She was Samus Aran, Intergalactic Bounty Hunter. She was the Ultimate Warrior created by the Chozo, destined to lead the universe to a better place, and empowered to bring down all who stood in the way of peace.

She would not fall for any desires offered to her, she would not bend to the will of someone who deemed innocent life as something to be thrown away without a second thought.

She would not stand on the sidelines and watch as the Didact slaughtered an entire race!

She refused!

''No matter, I will find out what makes you tick soon enough. Once I end your precious Spartan, I will be sure to compose you as well. I'll enjoy my time taking him apart, dismantling him piece by piece until I compose what is left of his corpse. You can die together, turned to ashes and chained to my will as my warrior servants forever!'' The Didact snapped.

But…

That wasn't the only thing that snapped.

Samus felt her eyes twitch violently, her third eye snapping open, an anger so vile creeping up from the depths of her heart that she found it impossible to hold back.

She stumbled backwards as if physically struck by his words, eyes wide as a pained gasp slipped free from her lips. She clawed at her visor, scratching at her helmet as she felt the cold hands of a sinister predator gently cup her mind in its claws, before lolling her to sleep. The presence was a familiar one, a being that had been sitting in they back of her mind ever since she awoke after her initial battle with Raven Beak.

It had been whispering to her from the darkness of her mind, voice gradually growing stronger.

And now, under direct threat to the being it considered a mate, its voice grew far too powerful to muffle any longer.

And suddenly, it decided that enough was enough, and it stepped forward to take control. Its whispers became powerful, demanding, bending her to its will. It told her to sleep, to fall into its warm motherly embrace as it would rise in her place to defend its territory.

And this time, it wasn't asking, it was commanding her to sleep.

And she couldn't deny its orders…

In that moment, Samus Aran, the seemingly unstoppable woman who had been fighting for survival since she was a mere child, fell asleep, and the Metroid that had been resting inside her mind woke up.

And it was very, very angry…

She snarled as her mind went blank, all thoughts turned towards the vicious and violent murder of the one who threatened to take a certain super soldier from her.

Her control had slipped away the moment the bastard went into detail about how he planned on killing her mate, and she lost any grip she had on the protective instincts the Metroid inside her had. Suddenly she was not the one in control, and for the first time ever, she took a backseat while a different presence took control of her body.

The eyes that stared out beyond the rim of the red visor were not those of the Intergalactic Bounty Hunter, but of a cold and calculating Metroid Queen whose mate was currently under the threat of death.

She stared out at the halls of the ship she found herself in, claws clenching hard enough to bleed were the armor not in place to protect her.

She swayed on her feet, gaze slowly turning to scan her surroundings, her stability strangely off.

Like a search dog that had suddenly caught a scent it was looking for, her head snapped to the side, honing in on something unseen to the naked eye.

And just like that, she disappeared in a blinding flash of speed, the Devil of the Covenant on the hunt. Any who dared to stand in her way now would be shown no mercy, the only thing offered was the promise of leaving their entrails splattered across the cold floors of the massive star ship.

As for her goal?

The violent and brutal murder of the Didact, and she would not be stopped, not now, not ever. Her thirst for blood would be sated…

Chapter

33

End