Chapter 16: Refueling at Elex

Interestingly enough, when we left Tallon in our new ship, I never noticed that I had a bit of blood sprinkled on my hand. It smeared as I went about my normal routine on a new ship, learning everything I could about it, but the blood was still there. A normal human, a normal being, would take notice. I did not. I had nothing to truly recognize the lives I just ended because I didn't recognize any other than my own. My own? I truly possess something that I can recognize. Or am I lying to myself? When the mirror finally shatters, I hope to all the ends of the universe that I still know who I am, because nothing more than a reflection can help me so.

Once again, we were on a course to no where. Literally. We just drifted endlessly. With Tallon IV in our wake, our list of destinations dropped to zero. Adam hadn't said anything to me since we both verified that we were stable since the shootout. He was probably still going through his databases and linking everything together and doing things I couldn't possibly understand. My armor was lifeless, too, sitting in its holding place in my room as if it had never been worn. As I removed myself from it, my arm scraped against a dent in the shoulder. I thought nothing of it and, as far as I knew, neither did anyone else.

"Adam," I began, "care to open the lore entry for me?"

Adam said nothing, but his activity lights were still flashing. I faintly heard his intercom perk up, but it was drowned out by a loud humming from the internal chambers of the ship.

"That doesn't sound good."

Adam sprang to life. "Neither does what I'm about to tell you. I'd love to open the lore for you and let you make your way to Chozo heaven, but it seems like we have a slight problem. The cannon fodder you killed back on Tallon IV clearly did not know how to fill up the ship with maximum energy."

Great. We were running low on fuel and we are in the middle of space. Sure, we could go refuel in any number of locations. I'm sure the Federation wouldn't mind, even though I'm wanted dead or alive according to them and coming within miles would be like writing a death wish.

"What do you suppose we do?" I asked.

"Refuel. We can't go much farther with what we have." Adam said.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious. I never would have guessed."

I wasn't sure if Adam could literally sigh, but if he could, that's what he'd be doing. "Obviously, Samus, obviously. Either we drift endlessly until we crash land on someone's moon...or we take the closest exit."

"And what is this exit, then?" I asked.

"Elex."

"The waterworld?"

"The very same. The largest in this sector. It has a ridiculous amount of fuel reserves that have only been discovered within the past few centuries. The settlers there have no contact with anyone truly important except that they are all extremely rich from all the fuel they sell. I doubt they'd report us showing up, but we'd be long gone before anyone hears of it."

I smiled and let him put in the coordinates to make our way there. Elex was certainly a sight to behold, if I had seen it before. The books talked highly about it, but I'm sure I never remembered reading about the fuel monopoly Adam mentioned.

Still, text in books never compared to what I witnessed when we arrived. It was truly a waterworld. Land was nonexistent. And when I say nonexistent, I mean it. No land masses at all. The planet could have been The Garden for all I knew. It was absolutely stunning. The blue waters were permanently deep and forever spanning the lengths of the world. The star nearby made the waters sparkle and shine brightly into space. It was truly one of the most beautiful wonders of the universe.

My heart felt a bit lighter as we approached the waters of Elex. For the first time in recent memory, I was content. I hoped that we didn't have to leave this place for a while. It couldn't have been more than a gas station for us, but I wanted it to be the luxurious destination that we were searching for.

I shook my head, but the feeling never went away. Elex was different. Tallon IV's lush overworld was nothing compared to this. As we got closer, the crystal-blue waters of the planet became so overwhelming that I thought I'd drown in them. I almost wish I could.

"Establish contact with Elex Alpha Station, Adam." I said.

"Already confirming."

Static buzzed over the loudspeakers in the control room. They were pretty prompt in returning our call. They must want their money fast.

"Welcome to Elex. You are arriving at the planet's largest refuel station. Please hold while we put you through to our control tower."

"I hate automated voices," Adam snarled. "They make a bad name for us. I can't help but wonder why intellects like myself exist while people still use voice mail."

"Contacting GF Ranger 64-X, come in Ranger 64-X."

Adam beat me to the communication. "Control Tower, I read you loud and clear. Permission to dock and fuel?"

"Permission granted. Take dock 5-AB and you'll be guided through there."

"Thank you."

Our ship docked and we were greeted delightfully. I was relieved to find that the now-dead troopers were carrying heaping sums of money and it was more than enough to pay for all the fuel we needed. We didn't even need to leave the ship, though I certainly wanted to.

"Care to get a better view?" I asked as my power suit wrapped around my body. I heard a click and I knew Adam was already in my internal systems. He knew I already knew. With that, I made my way outside and it was certainly a better view.

The station was certainly the largest, but it wasn't one of the few. In fact, Elex was covered with thousands of these stations and nothing else. The planet's population was few, but all of them lived on one of these stations, each holding a massive city within the establishment's refineries. I was surprised to see how good the living conditions were considering the world's only way of making a profit.

Our dock gave us a perfect view of the endless water that reached over the horizon. Schools of fish unlike any I had ever seen arched out of the water and slid back in unison. They created rainbows over the surprisingly calm surface of cold water. I was still as overjoyed as when the planet came into view. I'm sure Adam wouldn't have minded if I plunged into the abyss with my suit on, but I'm sure some of the residents and workers would have found it odd to see a robotic figure bounding in their waters.

"Samus, back in the ship." Adam demanded.

And there went all my happiness.

"Way to kill a mood. We aren't even fully fueled yet. What could I possibly want in the ship?

"Look up."

And I did. And I wished I hadn't. The alarm would sound. And I wish it hadn't. And I'd have to put myself and others in peril. And I had no reason to be afraid of it.