[Log File 003: Aether] The final words of the trooper's recording echoed through my head as the transmission ended. In all honesty, I was starting to feel a bit scared. Not only did I have those things to deal with, now I had the added problem of the Space Pirates. I've handled some lopsided odds before, but two whole armies against one lone bounty hunter was something I had never encountered in my life. And were these two enemies to join forces…
My thought process was broken by a strange beeping noise nearby. As I turned, I noticed some Federation supply crates scattered around the G.F. crash site. One of them had a light blinking, and I realized that this was the source of the beeps. A quick scan of the crate revealed that it contained a missile launcher, which was one of the systems that had gone missing when I was attacked by the shadow creatures.
A charged shot from my Power Beam was enough to break open the supply crate, giving me access to the weapon. I inserted the missile launcher's control module into my arm cannon, fired a test round, and was satisfied with the result. Detecting no immediate threats in the nearby area, I moved along, trying not to look back at my fallen comrades. In the long run, they would be avenged…
After a bit more exploration of the area, I encountered an interesting site. A large structure, which looked like a temple of some sort, loomed before me. It was obviously crafted by the hands of a sentient species, so I decided to investigate further. Entering the structure's archway, my initial thought proved correct; there was an advanced elevator system in place within the compound. I stepped into the elevator's activation hologram, and ascended into the unknown.
Once the elevator stopped, I stepped off and entered what appeared to be a junction room. There were four different paths, including the one I had come from, leading to different doors. However, two of the paths – the ones to my right and left – were blocked off by large doors. Quick scanning revealed that the doors were invulnerable to weapons fire, and could only be accessed with color-coded translator modules. I would have turned back, had the situation not gone to pieces at that moment.
Without warning, a red force field appeared around the center of the room, trapping me inside with a large Splinter cocoon. Within moments, Splinters were everywhere, leaping at me and trying to sink their teeth into the armor of my Varia Suit. They were easy enough to dispatch; but since the large cocoon hadn't burst open, I knew the battle was far from over.
That was, of course, when the Alpha Splinter burst from the cocoon. I knew that Alpha Splinters were far more dangerous than their smaller counterparts, so I decided to break out my new missile launcher. However, I didn't get a chance to fire it before things got even worse.
A dark cloud suddenly appeared, as if from nowhere, and went after the Alpha Splinter. I remembered this type of cloud from when the reanimated troopers attacked me, but I wasn't sure what it would do to a live creature. I soon found out when the cloud began to possess the Alpha Splinter, changing its skin color to a deep black. A quick scan told me that this new DARK Alpha Splinter had greater offensive and defensive power because of its new parasitic symbiote.
Needless to say, the fight against this new threat was difficult, but I soon killed it. Once the creature was vanquished, the parasitic cloud that had taken over the Alpha Splinter separated from its host and vaporized on the spot. In its place was a small, glowing sphere of what appeared to be pure energy. As I approached it for further analysis, it moved at me, fusing itself with my armor. I did a quick virus scan of my suit system to be safe – the results showed no negative side effects from this energy.
The force field went down at this point, so I decided to leave this room. However, since the way I had come in was blocked, I had no choice but to press further into the complex. I found an elevator, and took it up to the next floor. I got off the elevator once it stopped, and entered a large chamber. The chamber did not have a ceiling, but was open to the sky, with a large apparatus in the center. Above the giant machine was a large sphere of energy, contained within a sort of power station.
It was then I heard movement beind me...
[End Log File]_