Chapter 32

The Battle of Elex

Part 7: Relinquish

When you want to boil a Geemer, you don't put it right into boiling water. It'll crawl right out. Instead, you slowly increase the temperature of the water. The Geemer acclimates to the rising heat, unaware of the danger it's in. By the time the water is boiling, it's already too late. My pursuit of safety…truth…the lore…the Garden…is that my own pot of boiling water? The further I go, will I be able to stop before it's too late? Or will I never see my end coming?

Pirate Carrier Absolute - Bridge

The bridge of the Absolute was eerily silent.

It was so tensely quiet the tapping of Commander Veron's claws echoed through the chamber like boulders dropped into a canyon.

Everyone was on edge. The Absolute's main wave cannon was still not yet recharged. And they hadn't heard from Ridley in quite some time. They weren't worried about the cannon recharging in time. They were deathly afraid of it not being ready by the time Ridley wanted it ready.

Commander Veron stood at a wide, empty table. It was begging to have documents and data, maps and blueprints, all stacked on top of it. But Veron was at a loss.

This portion of the Federation fleet was virtually beaten to a pulp. Yet, thanks to the SA-X and X interfering, the Pirates couldn't finish it off. Even with Ridley taking out non-warped reinforcements, other ships that could warp into their local space were still trickling in to stop the Federation's bleeding.

Eventually, Veron feared, the Federation would have patched themselves up enough to strike back. Even if they lost the Salachimorpha, the Federation could still deal a lethal blow with their remaining ships. And, of course, the rest of the Federation fleet still thrived elsewhere.

Veron knew too well how resourceful and scrappy humans could be when their lives depended on it. Humans do not go down easily. At least from my experience.

Like Weavel, Veron was a star on the battlefield. When tragedy struck Weavel, he gained a new lease on life and a new body, and stepped back out into combat. But Veron, despite having lesser injuries in a similar showdown, took the easier route and found himself in an administration role.

Those that promoted him cited Veron's combat experience and resignation from combat duty due to injury, but Veron knew that he could've gone the same route Weavel had if he wanted to. He didn't even need a new body. But when he saw an opportunity to get out, he took it, and held that shame inside himself.

Veron dreaded long, quiet moments like this. It brought these feelings and memories right back into the front of his mind. And they were hard to drown out.

"Commander Veron."

In sequence, a group of three officers walked into the bridge: Master Superior Ulron, Superior Helgon, and Superior Trirun.

These three were Veron's team responsible for trawling the destroyed remains of SR-388. Ulron in particular was the one who thought to search the impact site of SR-388 at all - the Pirates had assumed the impact of the BSL had completely obliterated the planet, and for the most part, that was correct. Except, some small shreds of the planet were left behind, and on one of those shreds, they found a piece of my Power Suit.

Using that piece, Veron's team of three carried out experimentation on Cameron Randall and turned him into a freakish super-soldier by haphazardly reverse-engineering that Chozo technology.

And now those same three stood before Commander Veron. For what reason, he wasn't sure.

"The main cannon is almost ready to fire, Commander." Master Superior Ulron didn't hesitate to be the mouthpiece of the group.

"That's not why you're all here, though, is it?" Veron said.

Standing behind Ulron, Superiors Helgon and Trirun looked at one another. Veron could see they were bracing themselves. He tried to hide it by looking down, but realized there was nothing on the table to look at.

"Commander, Superior Helgon, Superior Trirun, and I are recommending you reevaluate the High Commander's position in the ranks."

Veron's eyes snapped upward.

"Now, let's not play games here, Master Superior." Veron stood up straight. "This has serious implications. Tell me exactly what you mean by this request."

"Sir, with Ridley's actual identity remaining uncertain, we cannot continue under him," Ulron said.

"The results were inconclusive," Veron said. "As far as our testing goes, he is the true Ridley."

Master Superior Ulron wouldn't break his gaze. "The consensus amongst the crew is that he is not. Results or no results."

Commander Veron couldn't ignore this problem any longer. There was no High Command any longer - it was just Ridley. No Mother Brain. Nobody. Just him.

After Zebes was destroyed, and Ridley was seemingly destroyed with it, the Pirates were left with nothing. Then, out of the blue, they discovered new ships at their disposal, ripe for the taking. As if they had been built and left just for them.

And aboard one of those ships was Ridley, as if nothing had ever happened.

A sufficient amount of time had passed since concerns about Ridley's identity and existence beyond his presumed-death had risen and then promptly squashed by Ridley himself. Veron was able to stuff it into the back of his mind, but like the memories of combat and shame of evasion of duty, this too constantly crept to the forefront of his thoughts.

He was able to stuff it back away in the past, but now he had no choice but to confront this problem.

"What you're suggesting is mutiny, Master Superior," Veron said. It was not easy for him to say.

Ulron didn't blink. "It is, sir. It is."

On Captain Kelso, Federation Cruiser - Near Salachimorpha

Captain Kelso eyed the control interface before him. There were a couple switches he didn't want to tempt himself with flipping.

He took a deep, lengthy breath, as if he were trying to burst his lungs. His heart was boring a hole through his ribcage. The call to duty did not serenade him.

Kelso tapped his communicator. "Alright everyone, listen up. One more time for those in the back."

Kelso was at the point of two tight ship formations. One group piloted Federation ships identical to the cruiser Kelso was piloting. The other group consisted of Federation dropship wielding iron hooks and steel tow cables.

He gulped once more, steeling himself so he could finally speak.

"All pilots on me are in Team A. We're heading directly for the Absolute. Our job is to put any kind of pressure on that carrier as we can to draw the attention of the pirates. Anything we can do to lessen their attention on the Salachimorpha. That's our job.

"Team B is on First Lieutenant Kaiolas. She'll be taking you under the Salachimorpha where you'll be picking up any damaged, but intact Pirate ship left there. Once secured, you'll approach the starboard side of the Absolute at the predetermined vantage angle of 45.3893 degrees. When you've reached your plots, you'll release the tow lock, sending the ships passed the X mass and directly toward the Absolute."

Kelso paused for a moment, letting them all take it in one last time.

"Let's all get back in one piece. If we're lucky, we'll put more than just a dent in their remaining forces. Is that clear?"

Each and every pilot in both groups responded in unison. "Yes sir!"

Kelso looked out, finding Kaiolas' ship at the front of Team B. He hoped she was looking back at him, too.

On Weavel, Pirate Corvette - Near Salachimorpha

In the graveyard of pirate vessels, Weavel gracefully landed on top of his ship. He'd been busy ejecting ships with injured pirates back toward the Absolute. But as a single individual, he could only do so much.

The boosters modified to his suit, much like the ones I have on mine, had been propelling him through the sea of ships. But now he was dangerously close to running out of fuel.

He had to think carefully on how to continue forward. How many more ships could he get back to the Absolute on low fuel? And if he was too low, and came in contact directly with the SA-X, he might be left with zero resources in the middle of a fight.

At that moment, another ship erupted in Weavel's peripheral. Weavel snapped forward in that direction, Battlehammer readied. It was the SA-X, mincing the ship like it was low grade meat.

Weavel stood there practically helpless. And as he did, Kelso and Kaiolas' operation also become apparent to him. His head tilted as he saw two caravans of ships heading toward the Absolute.

The first made a beeline for the Absolute, immediately drawing nearby ships' attention and the fire of small proximity cannons on the Absolute's exterior. Seemingly, that meant the main wave cannon was still not ready.

And, now he realized that the Federation had adopted his rescue plan. Dozens of pirate ships were being towed and then ejected toward the Absolute. Weavel almost let his shoulders hang loose in relief. Part of him couldn't help fight the feeling of even more of his comrades potentially be saved, but that the Federation was doing it left him puzzled and even more helpless.

That is, until the ejected ships made their way past the X mass. As Colonel Myult predicted, the X mass responded immediately. Significant portions of the mass began to break away and trail the ejected pirate ships.

The X were now on their way to the Absolute. And the SA-X continued its destruction near the Salachimorpha. For the pirates, there was nowhere left to hide from the X.

"Damn it," Weavel cursed to himself. He kicked at the ship's exterior, somehow triggering the top hatch to open.

But just as he tried to clamber on - PWOOM - a massive X tendril slugged Weavel right in the chest. It was like being struck by a freight train. Caught entirely in its grasp, Weavel was helpless as the tendril slammed him through one ship, then another, and even another still, before finally crashing against the hard interior of a partially destroyed, larger pirate dropship.

The tendril released, leaving Weavel slumped against the wall. Visor cracked. Armor severely damaged. Systems failing. Weavel was on even more borrowed time now.

"Veron…" Weavel sputtered. "Come in." Nothing. Even his comm system was damaged.

And at that moment, in stepped the SA-X. Its casual stride was bone-chilling. The tendril reformed itself as the monster's arm cannon.

There was Weavel. Once again facing the image of his destruction. Although I'm sure it wasn't the reunion Weavel was looking forward to, I myself wish it were actually me instead of the SA-X. To see his reaction, what little expression he could muster in his state, would have been palpably intense.

The SA-X scanned the area, almost as if it didn't consider Weavel a threat any longer. Weavel was not yet at his feet, hesitating more than he ever has in his entire life. The SA-X could reduce him to pulp at a moment's notice, but it had not yet decided to do so.

Then the SA-X's head snapped to the right. It was true - Weavel was not the threat any longer. Something was coming.

This was Weavel's chance. Surely it wasn't entirely distracted but how much longer could Weavel wait to find an opportunity to attack?

Still unable to properly move, Weavel immediately defaulted to the Halfturret, springing free as his upper body flung itself toward the SA-X, scythe at the ready and turret providing covering fire.

His lunge was met with a shockingly calm response. The SA-X sidestepped, swinging its arm cannon simultaneously. In the blink of an eye, its arm cannon produced a sharp edge. And with one fell swoop, the SA-X cleanly severed Weavel's scythe arm from the rest of his torso.

Weavel again collapsed in a heap, barely able to right himself with a single arm.

The SA-X even ignored the Halfturret, comfortably avoiding several shots. Eventually it didn't even bother to dodge. It completely ignored what little damage the Halfturret could do to its exterior.

If Weavel could breathe, the air certainly would've been sucked out of him. Here he was, a veteran on the battlefield, a tenured soldier with decades of military experience, who took on formidable foes time and time again, reduced to a pitiful lump. Disrespected by a monster such as that. At least I would've given him the dignity of paying attention during our fight.

"Veron!" Weavel tried again. Nothing at all.

The SA-X's arm cannon began to spiral into a tendril once more. It was looking to leave and continue its destruction elsewhere.

Weavel snapped to, rolling over to the Halfturret and reforming his artificial body once more. He lunged again, not for the SA-X but for his severed arm, scythe still drawn. The severed arm also housed his Battlehammer - without it, he was completely, well, unarmed.

He slid in, grabbing his arm from the floor, and immediately engaged the SA-X. Now the SA-X wasn't playing around, deliberately avoiding Weavel's attacks. He swung the arm like a sword, hoping to cut the SA-X down to size with the scythe regardless of whether or not it was still attached to him.

But the SA-X, as primal as it was, wouldn't fall so easily to tactics like this. Weavel poked and swung, poked and swung again, but still unable to land a hit.

The SA-X thrashed back with tendrils, keeping Weavel at bay. A few arm cannon shots to keep Weavel moving, and then lashing out with a tendril. Rinse and repeat. It didn't seem like the SA-X was toying with him, but Weavel felt it was holding back. Until it let Weavel slip in, committing to a very hard skewer, hoping to dagger the beast with the end of the scythe.

The SA-X rotated a shoulder back, and opened its arm cannon. The tendrils wrapped around and consumed the scythe, then pulled Weavel in. It was trying to absorb Weavel whole.

Weavel had mere fractions of a second to decide. If he held onto the scythe, he might be swallowed. But if he let go of the arm, he was letting go of the last way to defend himself.

He decided to commit.

With all his might, Weavel put pressure on the scythe. Forcing it sideways toward the SA-X's torso as it absorbed him. No remorse or emotion at all, the SA-X pulled him harder. Weavel exerted all that he could, at the very least hoping he could cut himself free.

KRRSSSHH - a loud puncture burst from the SA-X. Immediately the tendrils withdrew, freeing Weavel and his scythe.

Staggered, but unphased, Weavel went back on the offensive.

The SA-X fired back, letting loose several Ice Beam shots hoping to keep Weavel in place. Expertly dodged, the shots shattered like glass against the interior of the ship. Weavel kept the pressure on-

-until he finally landed a hit. And the SA-X blocked with its arm cannon, not a tendril!

Weavel bounced back. The SA-X was staying in its current form. It didn't even shift the size, the shape, the density, anything, to lessen the blow. Just the arm cannon.

Now Weavel felt like he had a chance. He pivoted, curling around and going for a waist-high swing. The SA-X stuck its arm cannon out again, pointed downward and catching the swing. The cannon belched another spray of ice, a chilling plume that forced Weavel back and made him drop his scythe.

Glittering shards of ice filled the area, just as a white-hot whip of energy suddenly appeared through the ice and pummeled Weavel back against the wall.

The SA-X's grapple beam hissed as it wrapped around Weavel's remaining arm. His armor began to melt with every passing moment. Any longer and the grapple would melt the arm right off his body.

Weavel no longer had any hesitation left within him. He reined his arm in, pulling the grapple, and the SA-X, toward him. Suddenly the SA-X stumbled forward as the shattered ice faded away. Weavel pulled harder, forcing the SA-X right at him, and headbutted the SA-X square-on.

The grapple loosened and let go of its grip. Stunned, the SA-X stumbled back, still in its humanoid form.

There stood Weavel. I was mistaken earlier - this is the sight I wish I could've been there for. Broad-shouldered, Weavel stood defiantly against his opponent. Picking up his severed arm once more. His other nearly melted right through by pulling on the the grapple hook. His visor splintered even further. Weavel looked more like a beast than the SA-X did.

The SA-X looked out of the ship again. But it did not flee. Weavel, I figure, must have realized that the SA-X was not only no longer shapeshifting to fight, but was no longer willing, or possibly no longer able, to shapeshift in an attempt to flee.

And flee it did not. The SA-X turned right back to Weavel, and began to charge its Ice Beam once again.

On Captain Kelso, Federation Cruiser - Near Absolute

So far, it seemed like Colonel Myult's plan was working.

First Lieutenant Kaiolas had successfully led Team B to eject dozens of pirate vessels back toward the Absolute. With them, the X mass was dividing itself between sticking together as a large cluster hanging in the vacuum, and following the ships toward the Absolute. Her task was complete.

Now Captain Kelso had to follow through. He and Team A continued their assault on the Absolute, firing upon the ship and the supporting vessels still functioning nearby. The pirates were certainly damaged, but they weren't out of the fight yet. Kelso had to be careful not to get cocky.

But with a lead like this, Kelso couldn't help but feel slightly relieved. If it hadn't been for the SA-X's intervention, and Colonel Myult's on-the-fly strategy, they would've been doomed. It was essentially sheer luck that Kelso, Myult, Kaiolas, and the remainder of this portion of the Federation fleet was still alive at all. Kelso couldn't help but wonder why the SA-X was targeting the pirates and not the Federation. It had to be some kind of divine intervention, surely. The thought tumbled around in his head endlessly.

Kelso's relief was cut short when he jumped in on an ongoing dogfight, hoping to relieve the pressure off another pilot. All it did was make him a target for three more ships.

"Three bogeys on my tail!" Kelso wasn't even sure if that call was made properly or if anyone could help. He hightailed it toward the Absolute, hoping to lose the ships in the chaos.

His idea paid off, but not in the way he expected. He was only able to lose the other ships because they eventually became preoccupied with something else, just plainly giving up chase despite having him in their sights.

He quickly learned the reason why. Passing by the undercarriage of the ship, Kelso spotted several pirate ships firing upon the Absolute itself.

The X had managed to stick to the ship itself, and were now gunking up and obstructing cannons, vents, and multitudes of other openings all across the exterior of the carrier.

Kelso shouted into his comm receiver, instilled with confidence he lacked earlier. "Team A, keep the pressure on! Identify pirate ships firing on the Absolute and take them out. They're trying to clear the X from the ship. We cannot let that happen!"

Pirate Carrier Absolute - Bridge

"What you're suggesting is mutiny, Master Superior," Veron said. It was not easy for him to say.

Ulron didn't blink. "It is, sir. It is."

Commander Veron was silent. Partly because he was at a loss for words. Partly because he was paranoid that somehow Ridley could hear them. Maybe Ridley had sent them to provoke Veron, to get him to agree to the mutiny, only to turn on him. Maybe they wanted Veron to admit something they could use to usurp him from power. Maybe they wanted Ridley to hear what they had to say.

At that point, it didn't matter. Veron had to say something.

"Sir!" A pirate trooper stepped into the bridge. Veron caught his breath, at least for the moment. "S-sorry. Sirs."

Master Superior Ulron snapped at the trooper. "What is it?"

"The main wave cannon is ready to fire upon the Salachimorpha once more. We're currently syncing range and trajectory. We'll be ready at your command."

The trio turned right back to Veron. And, this time, Veron was quick on his feet.

"Thank you. You're dismissed," Veron said. With that, the trooper disappeared.

Ulron, Helgon, and Trirun were fixed on Veron. Ulron in particular looked like he was seething within his exoskeleton.

"That's good news, isn't it?" Veron began, hoping to soften them up. "We'll await Ridley's orders."

"Commander?" Master Superior Ulron was practically flabbergasted. "We have the Federation in our grasp. How can you not order the cannon to fire?"

"Ridley is in command. Of myself, of that cannon, and of all of you." Commander Veron said. "We don't fire unless Ridley gives the okay."

"You think Ridley wouldn't want you to fire?" Helgon asked.

Trirun chimed in. "As if Ridley would say no."

Veron stood up straight, hoping to get whatever he could out of the height he had. "None of us should presume what the High Commander is thinking. And that is why I will await his orders."

Helgon leaned in. "What if the Federation-"

"Curse the Federation!" Ulron was done being polite. "It'll be our blood on your hands if the Federation gets us before we finish them. Our ship is being attacked. Why would we not defend ourselves?"

"Don't lie to me, Ulron." Veron growled. "I can see very clearly from here that our ships are defending the Absolute from both the Federation and the parasites. Fire that cannon and then you can explain to Ridley why the trigger was pulled."

An empty threat at best. Even if Ulron himself personally fired the main wave cannon, Veron would still be responsible. They answer to him, but he answers to Ridley. Veron would be the first chewed out, or chewed up.

Veron collected himself. "When Ridley arrives, that's when we'll make our move."

But Ulron turned it right back up. "And when the hell will that be?!"

On Weavel, Damaged Pirate Vessel - Near Salachimorpha

Weavel was in control, but for how long wasn't certain.

The SA-X still refused to shapeshift, or maybe it truly couldn't, somehow disabled by the blow struck by Weavel's scythe. Whatever the reason, it was keeping Weavel afloat in this battle. Any edge or advantage he could get only increased his chances of survival, even if those chances were minimal.

But as the fight dragged on, Weavel was becoming worried. His remaining arm was losing strength and could fall apart at any moment. If he lost both arms, he'd only be able to defend himself with the Halfturret, which would not only leave his upper body completely defenseless, but was already proven to be barely effective against the SA-X.

"Veron, come in!"

Weavel stopped fighting with his comm system, realizing it was a fool's errand.

Another scythe swing forced the SA-X to jump back. Another flurry of Ice Beam shots. Weavel slid out of the way, but got caught on an edge on the floor, tripping him up.

A volley of ice was pointed directly at his head. Weavel quickly blocked with his scythe, even managing to reflect a shot back at the SA-X. The cold blast struck the monster in the chest, stunning it temporarily.

Weavel immediately got to his feet and lunged again, but this time separating into two pieces and leaving his Halfturret behind. Now as just the upper body, he was a smaller target to hit, causing the SA-X to whiff its next attack.

Weavel got behind while the Halfturret began its assault on the SA-X. The SA-X could ignore the Halfturret, but not both it and Weavel's top half. Weavel used his remaining arm to catapult himself into the air, spinning wildly hoping to connect with his scythe.

The SA-X snarled, struck from both directions. Weavel's scythe cleaved through the SA-X's thigh, bringing it to a knee. It roared in pain, smashing the ground with its arm cannon, and another massive plume of ice obscured the interior of the ship.

Weavel rotated back and reformed himself. His remaining arm was badly damaged. One strong blow, from either side, might tear it to pieces.

The ice cleared, revealing the SA-X slowly healing its wound. Steadily, but evidently slow.

Weavel staggered back. "Not sure how much longer I can keep this up."

The SA-X stepped forward, its body putting the finishing touches on sealing up the gash. Weavel laughed, "Looks like you're ready for another round. At least try to make it a little fair for me."

Suddenly, the SA-X's head snapped in the same direction it had been looking out at several times prior. Except this time, Weavel's attention had been caught, too.

A bright flash of light engulfed the area near the Absolute. Weavel didn't need to hear any of the damage done, not like he could anyway. Both he and the SA-X could clearly observe from their ship - dozens of Federation ships had been instantly obliterated just outside the Absolute.

Although Weavel couldn't hear it, his screech pierced his mind.

There was no mistake. Ridley had just joined the fight.