Author's Note

I'm happy this story has interested a good number of you.

Uploaded

02/07/2024

Legend below

"Commander on approach!" = Normal speech.

"I hope this message makes it to you..." = Recordings.

CHAPTER 2

The Huntress defends her own...

Music of the day

Metroid Prime - Hive mecha

"You… I.. I can't believe that you're really here…" The Commander's hands shook as he struggled to stand, the adrenaline from the life or death battle wearing off. "You saved us…" He managed to breath out before falling to a knee.

Everything hurt. His eyes felt like they were bleeding and his back was screaming at him to stop moving. Blood leaked from the holes in his armor, the wounds from before quickly catching up with him.

He needed to get to the ship, he had medical supplies inside there. But as he went to stand he suddenly felt dizzy.

"Enough of that. You need rest now." He wasn't sure when it happened but he suddenly found himself bent over her back as she helped him back towards the Tyr. Although difficult, with her help he was able to make it to somewhere he could sit. He found it morbidly amusing that his first interaction with the woman of legend found him bleeding all over the back of her armor.

He was sure that in his condition he wasn't going to be moving around any time soon. She set him down easily, not even bating an eye at the weight of his armor suit. The relief he felt when he finally got off his feet was unimaginable.

"Commander! Oi! You alright?!" Exeter opened one eye, spotting the form of Grippe as he came barreling into the Tyr. The man looked like he'd been tossed by a Grenchler. But ignoring his own wounds he ran to his Commander's side.

"What the hell happened? The Grenchlers…?" His voice shook, a frantic energy radiating off of him.

"Are dead now." The man spun around at the sound of the neutral sounding feminine voice. His eyes widened when his gaze landed on the chozo armor clad warrior. She was tall, easily standing a good few inches above even the tallest on the team. She wore an armored suit of metal clad in large orange outer plates, and yellow inner plates that fit snugly around her thin and narrow waistline. Her breastplate was large and red, extending up into her red helmet. The suit itself was very broad, sporting large rounded shoulder paldrons, with a narrow waist and very wide hips.

"Who the hell are-?" Grippe went to say, only for her to gently push the man to the ground.

"Sit now. It won't do anyone any good to have you succumb to your wounds." The Hunter commented firmly. Yet despite that her tone maintained its seemingly neutral level, not once raising her voice.

Grippe went to push her off, but as he lay his eyes on her beautiful yet strikingly powerful azure orbs hidden behind her green visor, he was stunned. The Hunter's eyes narrowed and he suddenly gained the sensation that he was again a child, being pinned to the spot by a gaze alone.

So he listened, shoulders going slack as he resolved to stay seated against the wall of the Tyr.

Samus stood back, casting her gaze across the entirety of Task Force Herakles. There wasn't one Trooper that hadn't suffered injuries, though only few had been life threatening. Groaning and moaning echoed throughout the damaged hull of the Federation patrol ship.

Samus didn't say anything, not willing to show her current thoughts on the situation. She needed more information before she could properly plan her and the rest of Task Force Herakles' survival.

She had no doubt that she could survive this situation and come out on top. There was little question in that department…

However…

She hadn't considered the reality that she would have to survive and care for over forty different people while doing so. Defending others had never been her strong suit.

There was a reason why she worked alone…

Her blue eyes turned from the bodies that lined the ship's floor, instead searching out any member that was left standing after the battle.

There was only a few, and she made her way to him as soon as she saw him. She'd like to debrief the Commander of the situation here, but he was in no condition to be carrying a conversation with her.

This Trooper would have to do.

"Lieutenant Smythe." Samus spoke up. The man identified as Smythe jolted slightly as she called his name. He'd never been introduced nor had he given his name yet.

"Yes ma'am?" He asked back.

"I'm going to require that you bring me up to speed." She stated in a gebtle yet clear and commanding tone.

The man's mouth opened and closed behind his visor, his brain struggling to comprehend what was happening. "I-I, yes… Wait, I'm sorry, who are you?"

Samus' eyes narrowed at the Trooper and he got the feeling he should get to explaining the situation before he upset her.

"Right, right…" Smythe grunted, raising a shaking hand to his head.

They'd only made it this far due to luck, skills and the strategies and plans the Commander had cooked up. But the mental toll the situation put on them was astronomical, to say the least. No one was allowed to sit back and think, because thinking would only take them down a spiraling path of despair.

Now that he was asked to recount all of the events that had led up to her arrival, he'd begun to shake. But, he sucked in a breath and steeled himself. He faced the Hunter once more, her shining blue eyes patient, understanding, as she waited for the man to gather himself.

"Our first mistake was chasing after the Space Pirate's ship…"

Smythe recounted the events that led the Federation there, how upon stumbling across a Pirate frigate they had given chase. However upon entering the planet's atmosphere their ship had suffered damage from a storm and they had been forced to land upon this abandoned cliff facing. For the next thirty days they had attempted to survive an onslaught from the local fauna, and more recently, against a powered army of parasite infested dark beasts.

It was a final attempt on their life from the creatures that had lost them their makeshift base and the last of their ammunition. Yet because of her arrival they had managed to escape with their lives, but just barely.

Smythe explained that their weapon systems weren't meant for the constant use like they'd been forced into, and the batteries that powered their assault weapons had all one by one burnt out. As they stood now, all they had for weapons were their energy bayonets.

If that wasn't bad enough, food was practically out. Their ration supplies had run out this morning, and the Splinter's weren't safe to eat either.

And there was one more thing…

There wasn't any reason to believe that another army of Dark Splinter's wouldn't, at some point in the future, come back to attempt to finish the job their brethren had started. If that happened, they'd be hard pressed to defend themselves.

By the time Smythe finished telling their story, an air of defeat was thick inside the Tyr. Looking around, it was as if they'd already given up in their hearts. There was no fight left in them…

Smythe looked up finally, trying to see if the Hunter had anything to say about it. Her visor was solid green, completely obscuring her face from his prying eyes. The man could've sworn that it wasn't that way before.

Samus hadn't said anything when he finished, her gaze locked onto a wall behind the Trooper. Unbeknownst to the man she'd debriefed, her eyes were shaking. A cold sweat ran down her forehead as she finally understood the severity of the dire situation she found herself in.

Getting everyone out alive was, on paper, seemingly impossible…

But…

She wasn't just any Bounty Hunter…

For it was a known fact within the galaxy that there was no better Hunter then her. She was the fastest, the strongest, and the smartest. She had the most experience, the most skill, and no one could rival her Power Suit in terms of potential.

But for everything that she was, her ability to work well with others was not one of her abilities that she excelled in.

She was slow, careful and meticulous in the way she handled all of her missions. She kept her distance, better to engage in battle from a safe distance, but she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty if she needed to. Case in point, she got hands on to save the Troopers just hours ago.

However, if she was going to keep them alive, there was no place for her preferred line of combat thinking. She had to be at the front of the fight from now on.

She had to change herself for the duration of this mission, or people would die…

Samus finally stood back, straightening as she turned around to the Troopers again. She cleared her throat, not willing to show any emotional weakness that they might jump on. She needed them to believe in her if they were to listen.

"Troopers!" Her voice was powerful and commanding of a woman of her status. Everyone turned to face her, giving their attention. "I will not repeat myself." She placed an armored hand to her large breastplate. "My name is Samus Aran. I am an independent Bounty Hunter that has been contracted to render assistance. I will, from this point on, be taking over the operations of Task Force Herakles. You are to report to me if you wish to make it off this planet alive." She cast her gaze across the Troopers to judge their reaction.

Grippe had recoiled at the mention of her name. The memory of the conversation with Angseth the night prior coming to mind.

Could this really be the same Samus that she spoke of in such amazed tones?

If it was, and the stories were true, then maybe they were saved.

Yet, even then…

"Samus..?" Grippe couldn't stop his mouth before the words escaped him. The Hunter cast her full gaze upon him, and he knew that he now had to continue speaking. "How do you expect to get us out of this mess? No one has any ammo left, the Commander and the best of our squad are down, and more then half of our men are restricted to a bed."

She was here to help.

Great…

But that meant nothing if they couldn't even defend themselves from the damn creatures that had plagued them for the last thirty days straight. To make matters worse they had wounded to care for and defend.

They were sitting ducks waiting to die. Even with her help…

And unless she brought with her new weapons, they had no way of keeping their attackers at bay…

"Grippe?" The woman stated lowly. The man's eyes widened at her tone, standing a little straighter.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Here, now." Her orders were placed with the power of a war chieftain, practically pulling him to her with her voice alone. Grippe felt as if he couldn't deny her if he wanted to…

The soldier stepped forward, standing only a foot from her. This close to her, he felt the same level of intimidation that she likely placed onto all her enemies.

It was spine tingling…

She faced forward, eyes gazing down at him over the frame of her visor. She held out her arm cannon, the muzzle opening up. The warhead of green missile was exposed to open air.

"I plan to rectify that. However…" The Hunter started. She then pried the explosive out of her cannon, handing it to the stunned Trooper. Grippe held the Chozo weapon out from him, staring at it as if it would explode any second. "For now you shall make due." She patted the Trooper on the shoulder, her firm grip telling him that he was going to survive to see tomorrow, and hopefully the days to come.

"I'm not going to promise you that you will survive…" Samus stated clearly. Grippe felt his eyes tremble at her blatant words. The rest of them were stunned at her words.

However…

"No. I am ordering you to survive. You are not allowed to die, it is against the rules." Giving the man a second to absorb her words she turned to face the crowd. Her form radiated a proud power, and overwhelming confidence. "That goes for all of you. I do not accept failure. You will not fail me. It's already decided, I've made up my mind."

A burst of quiet murmuring broke out at her declaration, but it was safe to say that they all felt better about their chances now then they did before.

Without another word, Samus turned on her heels and left the ship. Grippe and the others watched her go, a newfound feeling of life filling their hearts.

Perhaps with her they would make it out alive…

At the very least, they had better chances now then before…

The setting sun cast a depressing and lonely shadow across the Temple Grounds, and with it came a cold dusty night. Every so often a flash of purple would light up the skies above, illuminating the surface world in a dazzling array of colors. It could almost be considered beautiful if it weren't for the fact that it was said storm that had grounded them entirely.

If not for that storm then she would've flown all of them off the planet immediately, but world events had grounded her for reasons she didn't fully understand.

But she couldn't do that. And worse more, she couldn't fix things as easily as she wanted to.

Since her speech to the demoralized Troopers earlier, she'd perched herself atop the Tyr to watch for any other enemy approach. Like a mother hen with the power to reduce you to atoms, she stood watch throughout the night to protect the weak under her wing.

Occasionally the Troopers would awaken as an explosion rocked out. Whoever came to check on the source of the noise only ever found a pool of blood or a pile of limbs and a smoldering crater.

Samus wasn't playing around. Much of the local fauna had learned the hard way that should they even approach her soldiers, they'd only suffer a hailstorm of burning death sent their way with little to no warning. Small craters dotted the landscape surrounding the ship, her missiles leaving her scar upon the world.

Slowly the creatures learned their place, and backed off. Even those Dark Splinters that the soldiers had gone on and on about had wisened up and stayed away. She'd made her presence as the Alpha of the grounds very known, and the beasts stayed away.

She knew that she wouldn't always be so lucky…

As the sun set and the night began to drag on, her mind was torn between securing the immediate area and working on a plan. As it stood, it wasn't the simple case of waiting until their ship could be repaired to escape the planet. The Tyr would never fly again in its condition.

Furthermore, her ship wouldn't make it out of the atmosphere even after repairs were complete if that storm remained in the way. If they were to escape, that storm would need to be eradicated.

But to figure out the source of the storm, she needed her questions answered. And to find answers, she needed someone other then the Federation Troopers to answer her questions. But she couldn't just leave them in the middle of the night to sate her thirst for answers.

But perhaps she wouldn't need to…

While sitting atop the Tyr she'd activated her Thermal Visor to better see during the night. The vital piece of technology revealed no more remaining enemies within a large radius. While that was wonderful news, it was the other thing it had revealed…

Her gaze cast over the distance, noting the sky temple that seemed to be the centerpiece of the Temple Grounds. And, although unbelievably faint from this distance, she made out the heat signature of a large humanoid perched atop it.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Although well over a mile away from her, the vague shape of another living being couldn't be faked.

There was someone else here besides the Troopers and the Pirates…

And she decided in that moment that she desperately needed to speak with them…

Tomorrow morning she'd set out on a journey.

"Samus?"

The Hunter looked down from atop her perch, spotting the form of Grippe standing just outside the Tyr. She didn't respond verbally, but she turned down to face him, bleary blue eyes staring straight at him.

"Benet and Monz can take over watch. You can try and get some sleep…" The man said. She blinked at him in confusion, turning back up to the dark skies abov-

Sunlight peaked over the horizon, casting its first rays of warmth over the dusty land. She'd been up for well over twenty four hours now…

Oh…

She stood up, casting her gaze across the land one more time before jumping into the air. The land around Grippe shook as she landed only a few feet in front of him, shaking off a sixty foot drop like it was absolutely nothing to her.

"I see…" She muttered neutrally, eyes focused on the temple in the distance. She turned back to the Tyr. She had a job to do. A moment later saw her standing with the Troopers again. "Smythe?"

"Yes ma'am?" The Trooper in question stood up from his spot along the wall. Most of the Troopers were still asleep, taking this chance to gain a night of much needed rest while Samus defended them.

"I am heading out. You are in charge." She stated. She pulled up her arm cannon, charging a beam. The man watched in surprise as the ball of energy got sucked back into the barrel. And a moment later the tip of a large green warhead met his gaze. "Should you encounter a problem, do not hesitate to use this." She muttered as she handed him a Super Missile.

She had gone ahead and armed all Troopers who could still stand with two red missiles, the explosives attached to their forearms to fire at a moment's notice. She directed them to continue to engage in hand to hand, but fall back on her missiles if necessary.

"Wait? Where are you going?" Smythe couldn't help but ask. She eyed him from the side of her vision. He stood a little straighter.

Ah…

"Roger that ma'am!" He saluted instead. Samus turned away, heading back out the door. Just before making her way out she threw a side glance at Grippe, and with a quick flick of her head he got the signal.

While the rest of the task force was left to stew on her words, Grippe followed her outside. The Trooper stopped a couple feet from her, waiting quietly as she turned back to him. Her visor had gone foggy again and he couldn't make out her face.

"You said there was a Space Pirate presence here?" She asked suddenly. Surprised but quick to respond he nodded. Her head tilted downwards slightly in acknowledgement. "Where?" The next words out of her mouth were straight to the point.

"In a valley a half day's walk from here." Grippe pointed off in a direction behind her. "Why?"

Instead of answering his question she turned towards a massive structure in the distance. Her sensors picked up a tiny distress signal coming from the temple in the sky. Her blazing blue eyes narrowed behind her visor. Her suit whirred as she suddenly started moving, heading for the ground beneath the sky temple.

"Wait?! Where are you going?" Grippe stammered.

"To find answers." She muttered without stopping in her stride. He looked hesitant, but ultimately decided that with her was probably the safest place on the planet.

Grippe took up his empty assault rifle and ran after the legendary Bounty Hunter.

Hopefully he wasn't making a mistake…

The dusty hunting grounds were empty, with the only forms of life as far as the eye could see being stray Splinter worker drones. Samus was used to desolate wastelands and deserted worlds, but this one felt different.

Perhaps, instead of long lifeless worlds, the presence of the remains of intelligent life struck her. The walk to the base of the temple was rather quiet, Grippe hidden safely behind her at all times.

Multiple times they'd encountered War Wasp hives, upon which she safely and efficiently disposed of them with a missile blast. She could easily suffer an attack from the flying creatures stingers, but Grippe could not.

An hours walk saw the two of them approaching the bottom of the sky temple. And beside the large yet old ornate stone doors was a body…

Grippe watched in shock as she slowly approached it, bending down on one knee to closer inspect it. The body was large, easily doubling her in height had it been standing. It looked like it had at one point been covered in fur, with wings attached to the back.

But time had done damage to the body, and even her Scan Visor could not determine it's species…

"How..? How long has that been there?" She heard Grippe mutter from behind her.

That was one question her visor could answer.

"8 cycles… approximately…" She muttered lowly. Traces of an unknown chemical had mummified the body to prevent it from rotting or worse. There was no telling what could have done it, but it was safe to say that it wasn't good.

Samus turned away from its dead eyes, focusing on the temple entrance. "Come, we are almost there." She stated as she moved for the inside.

Following her in, the two of them met a strange yet old elevator system. It was locked down as well. Before Grippe could even say anything, Samus placed her hand on the terminal and the system immediately powered up.

"I-I.. What?" Ignoring his shock she stepped up on top of it. He was quick to follow.

She raised an eyebrow at his response, probably the only show of emotion that he'd seen from her so far.

When the two reached the top of the temple, the only thing that met them was an eerie silence. More bodies of the strange unknown species met them, their lifeless eyes staring ahead at nothing.

A quiet whirring from an ancient and damaged door control system was the only source of noise that served to break the endless quiet.

For Grippe, it was as if they were entering the place that would serve as their grave. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case. Nevertheless, he gripped his energy bayonet tightly, not willing to be caught off guard.

That was how you wound up dead…

Samus had been silent when they reached the top, the Hunter quietly scanning her surroundings for anything and everything that might help give her an answer to what had happened. Whatever had killed the two aliens before her may have stuck around.

They were miles up in the air. The chances that a predator had managed their way back to the ground seemed slim.

She'd have to be on guard.

She turned over her orange armored shoulder, locking eyes with the young Trooper. He seemed to become more attentive when she did so.

Good. He was learning.

"Stay close to me. Never leave my backside." She ordered. He nodded, sliding up to her rear. At his height he only reached her large thrusters sticking out of her red breastplate.

They moved forward at a careful pace, the Hunter's eyes systematically gazing at everything within view. Beyond the entrance was a large yet empty hallway, decorated in old imagery and dusty relics of years past. Nothing of interest to report, but it was the room to follow that interested her.

Light poured in from massive windows, the entire room shaped more like an arena then a temple gathering chamber. It was round in shape, and nearly all the walls were made of glass, exposing the large pods hanging just outside.

However…

It was what was in the center of the room that caught her attention the most.

It was a floating mass of energy, multiple colors swimming in a sea of blues and greens. A quick scan brought up quite little in terms of what it might be. But, the truth of the random anomaly was explained rather quickly when something appeared out of it.

Her eyes widened when a beast stomped its way out from the recently discovered portal. It looked like one of the Grenchlers she'd killed previously…

However…

"Oi! That.. That one's not normal! It's been infected by the parasite, I know it!" Grippe frantically called out from behind her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she instinctively went to scan it.

True enough, it was quickly revealed that it wasn't normal. If it wasn't the dark blackish purple coloring or the large purple glowing spines erected out of its back shell, then it was the dark aura that radiated off of its entire body.

"Stand back!" She urged, putting herself between it and Grippe. She locked sights on the beast, arm cannon raised and ready to fire. The beast stared at her with a baleful glee, snapping and barking at her as if it was taunting her.

It's first mistake.

She didn't wait for it to attack, instead charging up a Power Beam shot. Yellow energy formed at the tip of her barrel, before she let it fly. The Dark Grenchler didn't even attempt to dodge, taking the blast straight to the jaw.

It didn't flinch.

She charged up another shot, but held it. She kept her eyes on the creature, but spoke to Grippe hidden behind her. "Follow me. Whatever you do, do not leave my side." She started moving sideways, keeping her weapon trained on the beast.

It roared loudly at her, stomping its feet in challenge. If this situation was handleable previously, then it became a problem when two more Dark Grenchlers appeared from the portal. Only then did the portal dissipate.

A small bead of sweat trailed down her face, twitching eyes trained on the trio of dark beasts. She could sense Grippe's fear from behind her. He'd die within a second if they got to him.

She couldn't let that happen. She'd have a hell of a time if they all charged her at once…

So…

She stomped forward a step, threatening them without words. None flinched in fear, but one took her bluff. With a roar one charged her, leaving the safety of the pack.

She cracked a tiny victorious grin. It stomped towards her full speed, mouth open wide ready to try and tear her to pieces. The moment it got close enough she countered it with a devastating uppercut from her arm cannon, stunning it long enough that the charge shot she prepped earlier formed a super missile that she didn't hesitate to launch straight into its mouth. It seemed to rapidly inflate from the inside out, before exploding into a pool of gore.

Samus stood a little straighter after her kill, leveling a glare at the remaining beasts.

It said, challenge me, and end up like him…

Unfortunately, they weren't that smart. With mighty roars they both rushed her at the same time. Her eyes narrowed as her first plan of action was thrown to the wind.

"Grab on!" She exclaimed, turning an eye to him. Nodding, he clamped his weapon to his hip before throwing his arms around her neck. He grabbed onto a hitch in her large breastplate, securing himself on her back.

Just in time too as the beasts neared dangerously close. Her legs bent as she prepared a swift side dash, avoiding them entirely. She landed a short distance away, sparks flying up from her boots as she skid to a stop. She trained her cannon on them once more, her fingers beneath the plates changing formation. The weapon was suddenly enveloped in an orange light, then a moment later the cannon changed. The armcannon widened, splitting apart as newly exposed vents radiated a purple and blue energy.

"Stand back, keep your distance." She stated firmly, that same flat level of tone still present. Yet despite that, her tone had some amount of comfort contained within. He landed behind her, pulling away to put a good distance between them.

Samus charged the new weapon up, a sparking ball of purple and blue arching at the muzzle of the cannon. So long as she pushed aggressively, they wouldn't be able to corner and kill Grippe.

So she had to play offensively. She locked onto the closest beast, firing the shot. It tried to dodge the rather slow moving projectile, but the charged beam's ability to track caught it off guard. With a roar of pain it was violently electrocuted, and left completely open.

Not willing to wait around she charged the downed beast, a second Wave-Beam charged and ready to finish it off. She tackled the beast, flipping it over despite its massive size and apparent weight, pinning it down with her legs as she wedged the muzzle of her cannon in its mouth. The resulting blast electrocuted it from the inside out, stopping its heart dead.

"Samus?!" Her head shot up at Grippe's shout, the third and final Dark Grenchler having instead rushed her from behind. She went to stand but it rammed its head into her midsection, throwing her to the ground as it immediately tired to bite her entire head off. She grunted in disgust as it's slimy tongue covered her visor, blinding her. She could feel it's powerful and sharp teeth trying to bite into her black neck armor, but her massively superior energy shields stopped that attempt dead in its tracks.

With it preoccupied with that, it didn't foresee her kicking it off her with her powerful legs, rolling it onto its side as she quickly stood. A missile met its face, the beast's head snapping to the side. Blind from the blast it was left open to attack, and that was something the Hunter wasted little time in doing.

A weight slammed into it from behind as she mounted it, locking her legs around its neck. It roared blindly in retaliation, but it's attempt to shake her off was futile as she grabbed the front of its jaw, prying its mouth open. The beast stopped thrashing long enough to realize it was dead after she shoved the muzzle of her cannon in its mouth.

The beast crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap, steaming from the attack that had ended its life. Samus's shoulders slumped slightly in relief, a small sigh escaping her lips. She stood back up finally, brushing the bit of gore off her breastplate before turning to find Grippe.

The man was trembling, whether from fear or amazement she wasn't sure. Either way, the threat had been thoroughly neutralized.

"Are you okay?" He was surprised to find her standing over him, head tilted ever so slightly to the side as she questioned him. His surprised brown eyes locked with her level yet concerned blue, and he nodded.

He was fine. A bit shaken, but alive and untouched.

She hummed a quiet sound of acknowledgment to herself, before spinning around. Her eyes widened when she cast her gaze upon the final dark beast she'd slain. Hovering quietly above the steaming corpse was an orb of energy, unlike anything she'd seen previously.

Her eyes narrowed in silent contemplation.

Could this mindless beast have been harboring some kind of technology?

Or perhaps, could it have been..?

She took one step towards it and it reacted. The orb suddenly and without warning started flying around the room, flying back and forth, stopping only at Grippe. It hovered before him as if silently judging him.

Apparently deeming him unworthy it suddenly flew straight for her. It slammed into her, instantly melding with her suit systems.

"Oi, the hell..? Samus?" The Trooper exclaimed, watching as the Hunter's shielding flared wildly, pulses of a clear blue energy flashing across her entire body before suddenly vanishing.

Samus, for her part stared at her open palm in confusion. Whatever the item did, it wasn't anything negative.

Grippe would've asked if she knew what just happened, but from the way she was looking at her hands, it was clear that she had no idea.

With how surprisingly well things were going with him and the legendary Hunter, he only prayed that the rest of his platoon hadn't suffered in her absence…

Chapter

2

End