This is the story I started writing after I realized that I wouldn't be able to actually make a game. Here are the first two chapters. The name isn't final, it's just a placeholder. It's set about a year after the events of Fusion. I hope you like it!
Chapter One
The Confrontation
Samus lay back on a bed of woven Tallon ferns. She had spent the day on Tallon IV cleaning up wreckage in the Artifact Temple. She had been putting this work off for a long time; she had thought it would bring back painful memories of her battles with the Space Pirates on this planet. To her surprise, when she arrived in the Temple Security Station, she saw that it was just as it had been before her fight with Meta Ridley. Sure, the glass was cracked in places and the metal bars starting to bend, but the Space Pirate hologram of a Chozo Artifact still glowed faintly in the dim light of the morning. Samus moved ahead, not wanting the Space Pirate log encrypted in the hologram projector to bring back the memories she had tried so hard to forget. When she entered the Artifact Temple, she was again surprised at how little damage had been done in the collapse of the crater. Then she saw something that made her do a double-take.
Samus hurried over to the edge of the Temple, and looked down on the crater below. She saw the rocks just above where she had had her first encounter with the Fission Metroids and Metroid Prime. Samus had often wondered what the orange substance that resembled Phazon was, and why it was there. She had come to think of it as Orange Phazon. She knew it was not Phazon, but it was very similar in appearance and effect. Samus had wondered if, since it was not Phazon, it had remained and spread since her destruction of the origin of Phazon, the planet Phaaze. Samus saw the rocks there, and the ferns and small trees that had finally begun to grow, and suddenly realized what had drawn her attention. She could see the ground below the temple! Samus recalled that when she looked over the edge on her mission to Tallon IV, because of the constant rain and fog, (which, I should say, is still there), she could not see the crater below. She went back to the Temple Security Station to look through the glass floor. She saw the ground, so much closer than the last time she had been there. "And yet," Samus thought, "I didn't see any difference in the way I got here. How could the entrance be so much lower, but the door at the landng site be in the same place? The tunnels in between seemed no different. Perhaps the ground around the crater had gradually sunk." She dismissed it as a side effect of the time that had passed since that mission.
Samus lay on her bed of ferns, and she fell asleep, dreaming perhaps of her experiences exploring the planet. The round bulge on her left hand armor began to gently pulse, and a red light emenated from it. Red was the signal for a priority one Galactic Federation signal. Since the call was priority one, the reciever began emitting a quiet siren, gradually getting louder and louder. But it fell on deaf ears, as Samus was a sound sleeper. The last thing the reciever would try was to send nerve impulses to her brain, until it escalated to physical pain. Samus woke with a jolt, and leaped up, her eyes wide, right hand at the ready (she had detached her arm cannon because of lack of use). She was still feeling pain, and she lifted up her hand and pressed the bulge down. The glowing stopped, along with the siren and the pain. A voice came out of the speakers in her helmet, and she recognized it as the voice of her former commanding officer, Adam Malkovich.
"Lady, I've got a favor to ask of you," he began. "The Federation needs your help. We've called on every bounty hunter, but none have rose to the challenge."
"What is it?" Samus asked. "What could have happened that made them call me, an outlaw?"
"You're the only one who we haven't called. Please help us."
"I can't help you if I don't know what you need help with. Besides, why should I help you? If you send your officers to bring me in forcefully, I'll just blast the off this planet if I have to. I have no reason to follow regulations now."
"The Federation will grant you full amnesty. We--I need your help, Samus."
Samus' eyes widened. She had never heard Adam address her by her name, only "Lady." "Is it that bad?" she asked, though she knew the answer.
"Yes. The Space Pirates have attacked our new Sataxian-class research station, the Odyssey. It is currently in orbit around Mondreus, researching the Diamonts. And Samus," he paused.
"Yes?"
"They have brought Ridley."
Samus grabbed some food and her few belongings from the small alcove she had been living in, and rushed off to her ship. As she was being pulled up into it by the tractor beam, Samus remembered that she had removed her arm cannon after returning to Tallon IV. She pressed a button near the back of the ship, and placed the food in the drawer that had extended. She pressed the button again, and it retracted. Samus sat down at the controls. She would have to manually flay away from the planet before engaging warp drive. Samus retracted the ship's landing gear, and guided it up and out of the Landing Site. Once she was in orbit, Samus laid in a course for Mondreus at warp factor 6. Her mind was racing as she pulled her arm cannon out of its slot beneath the control panel. "How is Ridley still alive?" she thought. "He was destroyed when the B.S.L. research station crashed into SR388. The X absorbed him before that, though. Could they have escaped the explosion? Who says they can't survive in a vacuum?" "Computer," Samus began, and the ship's computer beeped at her. "What planets are nearest to SR388?" The computer displayed the following message on her screen: NOT A VALID PLANET. "Okay, what planets are nearest to where SR388 used to be?" The computer whirred as Samus slid her arm into the arm cannon, feeling the tiny clamps lock on to her arm. UCB 1 IS THE ONLY REMAINING PLANET IN THE SR388 SYSTEM. "That's odd," thought Samus. "I don't recall ever hearing of this planet before." "Computer," Samus said, "Give me the file on UCB 1." An unusually small file was displayed on her screen:
UCB 1: UNKNOWN CELESTIAL BODY 1 IS THE ONLY REMAINING PLANET IN THE SR388 SYSTEM. SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS SR227. IT IS A CLASS M PLANET, CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING LIFE. UCB 1 HAS A SMALL RING SYSTEM. IT WAS GOING TO BE THE NEXT PROJECT FOR THE GALACTIC FEDERATION SCIENCE TEAM BEFORE SAMUS ARAN DESTROYED THEIR SPACE STATION AND SR388. ANY SIGHTINGS OF THIS OUTLAW MUST BE REPORTED AT ONCE.
"Huh, they've got me as an outlaw everywhere." Samus read on:
UCB 1 HAS NOT BEEN EXPLORED AS OF THE LAST UPDATE OF THE FEDERATION DATABASE. PLEASE REPORT ANY FINDINGS TO THE GALACTIC FEDERATION.
"That's all I need to know. So it can support life, but the Federation hasn't bothered to check it out. What a great place for a Space Pirate hideout." Samus added a note to herself to her ship database that would remind her to go to this planet after she was done at the Odyssey.
As she neared visual range of Mondreus, Samus recieved a computer program from the Odyssey. She looked, and immediately knew what it was. It was a program called PGSCADAM2. She knew that the mind of Adam in the computers on the B.S.L. station was a program called PGSCADAM. The PG was for "Program", SC was for "Scanning Capabilities", and the ADAM was to signify, well, Adam. "The 2 must mean it's a new version," thought Samus, as she installed the program first into her ship, then into her suit computer. She heard a low humming as the program aligned itself with ship and suit modifications.
"So that's Mondreus over there?" Samus asked Adam, using the ship's pointer.
"Yes. You can just See the Odyssey to the left of it, and a Space Pirate ship near that."
"It doesn't look too hospitable of a planet. It looks too close to the sun to be a Class M planet."
"The star is relatively cool, but the planet is still close enough to be fairly hot. However, once you go underground, the temperature decreases rapidly. This has slowed our research a bit."
"Understandably," said Samus. "The Federation probably doesn't have very good resources for research, considering." There was a pause as Samus tried to remember something she knew was important. "Adam," she began slowly.
"Yes?"
"What do you know of UBC 1?"
"You mean the other planet in the SR388 System?"
"Yes. I suspect that there's a Space Pirate base there."
"Why is that?" he asked.
"Ridley was destroyed with SR388 and the space station. I think an X with Ridley's DNA may have escaped to that planet, and formed a new Ridley-X."
Adam thought it over a few times before responding. "It seems to be the most probable solution," he finally said.
They approached the Odyssey, and Samus slowed. "Where are the docking bays?" Samus asked. "I don't know my way around these new stations."
"It should be near the back, over by that glowing red antenna," said Adam.
"Um, Adam?"
"What is it?"
"There's a force shield coming from the Space Pirate ship. It's covering the Odyssey. I can't dock with the field in place."
"Fly around it, and back up a little, we need to see what's going on." Adam said carefully. "I'm not sure what they're doing." Suddenly, Ridley appeared in front of the ship, and whapped it on the side, sending it spinning towards the planet. "Hold on!" said Adam. "I'm trying to stabilize the ship. See if you can get us away from the planet; its gravity is very strong." The ship stopped spinning, and Samus was struggling to keep out of the atmosphere.
"Adam, take over the weapons!" Samus yelled over the emergency sirens. "Why do they even install these things?" she thought. "I need to be as calm as possible to get us out of this mess." Adam fired a few missiles toward where he predicted Ridley would be. One went between his legs, another clipped his arm. Ridley roared, though it didn't make a difference in a vacuum. He breathed fire towards them, and his eyes were like torches in his rage. Adam fired another volley of missiles, and two hit his chest, sending him hurtling downward to the planet. "Adam, keep us stable while I try and fix the port engine." Samus stood up and headed back to the maintenance room. It was very cramped, and she had little working room. Samus opened the drawer with spare G-Diffusers. She picked a few up, and opened the panel to the port engine. She tore the ruptured ones out, and put the new ones in. Samus also noticed that the spark plug was loose. "I don't even know why they still use these things!" she yelled at the engine as she pushed the plug into position. She closed the panel as the engine fired up and the ship was freed of the planet's gravitational pull.
"Lady, there's something you should see out here," said Adam.
"I'm coming out now," replied Samus, as she stumbled back to her seat.
"The Space Pirate ship is hailing you."
Samus paused. "Put it on the secondary screen. I don't want to draw too much power from the engines."
"Samus. How nice to see you again."
"Oh, not you again," moaned Samus. She would know that half cybernetic voice anywhere. Weavel was still around.
"It's me all right. Now, we have a force field around the Odyssey. If you want to get in there, promise that you won't try anything stupid. We'll also promise not to damage your ship while you're inside the station."
Samus muted the microphone as she quickly spoke to Adam. "If they try anything, you know what to do." She unmuted it. "Okay. I still have the upper hand while Ridley is out of action. Remember that."
"Oh, we'll remember." Weavel terminated the communication.
"So," sighed Samus. "Let's go."
Chapter Two
The Odyssey
Samus slowly flew her ship in to where Adam had said the docking bays were. She chose the middle bay, on the right. As Samus landed her ship, a few poorly hidden Space Pirates sidled into the shadows. She flipped a switch that turned on external speakers. "I know you're out there," Samus said. "I'll shoot if you don't come out. You saw what I did to Ridley." The Space Pirates reluctantly came out of hiding as Samus was lowered out of her ship. She walked away from her ship, but not so far that she couldn't get back to it safely under fire. "You should tell whoever taught you to hide like that to find a new job. I saw you before I even entered the bay."
"We will not respond to your provocations," hissed a Space Pirate. "We have been ordered not to kill you unless you shoot at us."
"I have no need to shoot at you... yet." Samus noticed that these Space Pirates were different from most she had seen. They were a little bigger than normal, and their eyes burned more brightly. She scanned them to find out why.
Logbook Entry downloaded
Morphology: Space Pirate-X
Space Pirates infected by X parasites. They are superior to Space Pirates in almost every way. Do not attempt to attack them in large groups. They are equipped with retractable energy scythes, and improved galvanic accelerator cannons. Those who have earned the rank of captain are given homing missiles and an infrared visor (Space Pirate logs are displayed in infrared for secrecy). Captains are distinguishable by the yellow stripes on their arms.
Samus saw one Space Pirate with Captain's stripes. She walked towards the exit hatch. The hallway on the other side split off from the bays in three different directions. "Adam, can you give me a map of this place?"
"No, but I can tell you where to get one. They're always on the starboard side, uh... hold on, let me check the database for which deck."
Samus started walking down the hall to her right, and she passed a broken hatch with a few scientists' bodies on the floor. Some rock samples were strewn across a table, and glass from the container was scattered everywhere. She passed several hatches before finding one marked "elevator." "Adam, have you found which deck it's on yet?
"No, I can't seem to get into the Federation database. There must be too much Space Pirate interference. Try to find out from the computers around here."
"I don't expect to find much in the ways of maps in these scientists' computers. There must be a way the Space Pirates found their way around." Samus thought she heard footsteps behind her, and she turned around, only to see the shadow of a vending machine. After walking a ways down the hall, Samus came upon a Space Pirate log clamped to the wall. It was next to a blown hatch. Samus scanned it, to find out that in the room on the other side, the Space Pirates had found something that interested them and took it. She entered the room, and found by scanning the computers that this had been a lab where they were testing samples of rock that could have been the remains of a Diamont, the race that had once inhabited Mondreus. She also saw another Space Pirate device on the wall. It seemed to be inactive.
"I'll try and get it to activate," said Adam. After a few seconds, the device powered up, and projected a map of the station on the far wall. It showed the positions of the elevators, labs, docking bays, the bridge, and a few access tunnels.
"Adam, can you digitize this map and keep it in your memory?" Samus asked.
"Sure thing, Lady. Just give me a minute." Samus waited, and wondered where all the scientists were. The lab was devoid of life, and this would probably have been one of the most important finds. And where had the Federation troopers been? They were supposed to be there to protect the scientists. "I've finished. Here's your current position." He highlighted a section of the map on the starboard side, nearer to the back. It was one of the largest labs in the station. The largest was labeled Science Lab 5.
"Okay, now where's the bridge? It's that big room right there at the top front, right?"
"Yes."
"Do you know how secure that room is?"
"It's pretty secure. It has locks on all the doors. With the right access code, you can control all ship functions from there. Same deal with the infirmary and the Engineering section."
"Where's the cargo bay?"
"Directly below the docking bays."
"That must be where the Space Pirates landed so I wouldn't see all their ships." Samus thought, and walked to the nearest elevator. Again, she heard footsteps behind her. Samus turned, but saw no one. She proceeded to the elevator. Her first stop was the Engineering section. While there, Samus saw two Space Pirates running around on the catwalks above her. No scientists. "Adam, can they scan the ship for life-forms from the bridge?"
"I believe they can, if you're referring to survivors."
"How detailed are their scans?"
"They can determine the types of life-forms from there. However, the Federation scan technology is not very good at long-range scans, so they use multiple scan nodes located throughout the ship. If one is damaged, that part of the ship is unscannable."
"Do you know if any of those nodes are damaged?"
"One near the infirmary, one in the cargo bay, and a few scattered around the edges where the ship was hit."
"Then they probably aren't in the infirmary. What's the quickest route to the bridge?"
"Head down this hallway until you come to Science Lab 5. Take a left, and use the elevator to get up to deck 2. Then proceed to the starboard side until you reach the bridge."
Samus heard footsteps behind her several times on her way down the hallway, but when she looked back, there was no one there. When Samus reached Science Lab 5, she heard the footsteps again, this time from ahead of her. They did not stop when she did.
"Adam, is it possible for someone to have gotten around and ahead of me since we got the map?"
"It is certainly possible, but unlikely."
Samus went into the Science Lab to hide from the owner of the footsteps. Soon, that person showed themself. It was Weavel. "Aren't you supposed to be on your ship?" asked Samus.
"I only said we would not damage your ship. You, however, are a different matter. I have a score to settle with you. First on Zebes, then the Alimbic Cluster. I'm sure to get you this time. I asked to be on this mission, because I knew the Federation would call on you to save them. And now I have a chance to destroy you."
"That's not going to happen, though," said Samus, as she armed her missiles. Weavel unsheathed his energy scythe.
"I wouldn't have made it back here alive if it weren't for our discovery of the X parasite. I am much stronger than before."
"We'll see about that," said Samus, and fired three missiles in quick succession. Weavel deflected the first with his energy scythe, and it flew off and hit a containment tank. Its contents flowed all over the floor. The water was drained away, but the rocks were covering most of the floor now. The other two missiles were direct hits, knocking Weavel to the floor. Samus scanned him quickly.
Logbook Entry downloaded
Morphology: Weavel-X
Weavel has been infected by an X parasite. He now has heightened physical aspects. He wields a Galvanic Accelerator Cannon modified to shoot more slowly but more accurately. He also has a retractable energy scythe. His cybernetic nature allows him to detach limbs if they are severely damged. However, he can no longer separate his upper body from his lower body. Scans indicate that his armor absorbs all impact before it damages his internal organs. Use of external forces is recommended.
"Adam, is there anything in this room I can use to get rid of Weavel's armor?" Samus asked.
After running a swift check, Adam replies, "There is a mineral driller behind Weavel. I'll modify it to remove Weavel's armor while you get him in there."
Samus was readying her Charge beam when Weavel, still on the ground, kicked her feet out from under her. He stood up quickly, and Samus morphed. She laid a few bombs, and rolled around Weavel in a circle. He was getting dizzy when Samus unmorphed and shot him with a missile, sending him back a few feet. She charged her beam and fired. He stumbled back again, and tried to charge her. Samus quickly shot two missiles off as fast as she could. She charged her beam and fired a Super missile. Weavel was sent back into the mineral driller, and its lasers cut off his armor. Samus charged her beam for one last shot when a waste disposal chute opened and sucked Weavel out into the vacuum of space. A pool of some unusual liquid was left with pieces of Weavel's armor floating in it. Samus stepped up to look, and tripped and fell in it. The liquid went to work, and the Pieces of Weavel's armor melded to her Fusion suit.
+-----------------------+
========================================| POWER SUIT ACQUIRED |========================================
+-----------------------+
Samus walked out of the Lab in her new suit, and turned left, then left again. She went up the elevator, and turned left again. Soon enough, Samus reached the hatch marked "Bridge." She pressed the button that opened the door, but it had no effect. "They should be finding out who's trying to get in right about now," Samus thought. The hatch opened to show the empty lower bridge area. Samus carefully walked in, and looked around. She slowly climbed up to the control area of the bridge, which was also empty. "Adam, how do I find out if the escape pods have been used?"
"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it." There was a pause. "Nineteen have been used out of twenty."
"How long ago were they used?"
"About one hour ago." A sudden hit rocked the station. "We have to get out now!" said Adam. "The hit has kicked us out of orbit! The station will crash into the planet!"
"I won't have time to get back to my ship. Where's the nearest airlock?"
"Just outside and down the hall to the left," said Adam. "But you'll have to be quick. I'll get the ship over to this side."
Samus ran out and down to the airlock. She worked the controls as quickly as she could, opening the door. Adam guided the ship to the airlock, and pulled Samus into it. She watched as the Odyssey entered Mondreus' atmosphere, and flew her ship in to land.
Here's my idea of the new Power Suit:
Chapter One
The Confrontation
Samus lay back on a bed of woven Tallon ferns. She had spent the day on Tallon IV cleaning up wreckage in the Artifact Temple. She had been putting this work off for a long time; she had thought it would bring back painful memories of her battles with the Space Pirates on this planet. To her surprise, when she arrived in the Temple Security Station, she saw that it was just as it had been before her fight with Meta Ridley. Sure, the glass was cracked in places and the metal bars starting to bend, but the Space Pirate hologram of a Chozo Artifact still glowed faintly in the dim light of the morning. Samus moved ahead, not wanting the Space Pirate log encrypted in the hologram projector to bring back the memories she had tried so hard to forget. When she entered the Artifact Temple, she was again surprised at how little damage had been done in the collapse of the crater. Then she saw something that made her do a double-take.
Samus hurried over to the edge of the Temple, and looked down on the crater below. She saw the rocks just above where she had had her first encounter with the Fission Metroids and Metroid Prime. Samus had often wondered what the orange substance that resembled Phazon was, and why it was there. She had come to think of it as Orange Phazon. She knew it was not Phazon, but it was very similar in appearance and effect. Samus had wondered if, since it was not Phazon, it had remained and spread since her destruction of the origin of Phazon, the planet Phaaze. Samus saw the rocks there, and the ferns and small trees that had finally begun to grow, and suddenly realized what had drawn her attention. She could see the ground below the temple! Samus recalled that when she looked over the edge on her mission to Tallon IV, because of the constant rain and fog, (which, I should say, is still there), she could not see the crater below. She went back to the Temple Security Station to look through the glass floor. She saw the ground, so much closer than the last time she had been there. "And yet," Samus thought, "I didn't see any difference in the way I got here. How could the entrance be so much lower, but the door at the landng site be in the same place? The tunnels in between seemed no different. Perhaps the ground around the crater had gradually sunk." She dismissed it as a side effect of the time that had passed since that mission.
Samus lay on her bed of ferns, and she fell asleep, dreaming perhaps of her experiences exploring the planet. The round bulge on her left hand armor began to gently pulse, and a red light emenated from it. Red was the signal for a priority one Galactic Federation signal. Since the call was priority one, the reciever began emitting a quiet siren, gradually getting louder and louder. But it fell on deaf ears, as Samus was a sound sleeper. The last thing the reciever would try was to send nerve impulses to her brain, until it escalated to physical pain. Samus woke with a jolt, and leaped up, her eyes wide, right hand at the ready (she had detached her arm cannon because of lack of use). She was still feeling pain, and she lifted up her hand and pressed the bulge down. The glowing stopped, along with the siren and the pain. A voice came out of the speakers in her helmet, and she recognized it as the voice of her former commanding officer, Adam Malkovich.
"Lady, I've got a favor to ask of you," he began. "The Federation needs your help. We've called on every bounty hunter, but none have rose to the challenge."
"What is it?" Samus asked. "What could have happened that made them call me, an outlaw?"
"You're the only one who we haven't called. Please help us."
"I can't help you if I don't know what you need help with. Besides, why should I help you? If you send your officers to bring me in forcefully, I'll just blast the off this planet if I have to. I have no reason to follow regulations now."
"The Federation will grant you full amnesty. We--I need your help, Samus."
Samus' eyes widened. She had never heard Adam address her by her name, only "Lady." "Is it that bad?" she asked, though she knew the answer.
"Yes. The Space Pirates have attacked our new Sataxian-class research station, the Odyssey. It is currently in orbit around Mondreus, researching the Diamonts. And Samus," he paused.
"Yes?"
"They have brought Ridley."
Samus grabbed some food and her few belongings from the small alcove she had been living in, and rushed off to her ship. As she was being pulled up into it by the tractor beam, Samus remembered that she had removed her arm cannon after returning to Tallon IV. She pressed a button near the back of the ship, and placed the food in the drawer that had extended. She pressed the button again, and it retracted. Samus sat down at the controls. She would have to manually flay away from the planet before engaging warp drive. Samus retracted the ship's landing gear, and guided it up and out of the Landing Site. Once she was in orbit, Samus laid in a course for Mondreus at warp factor 6. Her mind was racing as she pulled her arm cannon out of its slot beneath the control panel. "How is Ridley still alive?" she thought. "He was destroyed when the B.S.L. research station crashed into SR388. The X absorbed him before that, though. Could they have escaped the explosion? Who says they can't survive in a vacuum?" "Computer," Samus began, and the ship's computer beeped at her. "What planets are nearest to SR388?" The computer displayed the following message on her screen: NOT A VALID PLANET. "Okay, what planets are nearest to where SR388 used to be?" The computer whirred as Samus slid her arm into the arm cannon, feeling the tiny clamps lock on to her arm. UCB 1 IS THE ONLY REMAINING PLANET IN THE SR388 SYSTEM. "That's odd," thought Samus. "I don't recall ever hearing of this planet before." "Computer," Samus said, "Give me the file on UCB 1." An unusually small file was displayed on her screen:
UCB 1: UNKNOWN CELESTIAL BODY 1 IS THE ONLY REMAINING PLANET IN THE SR388 SYSTEM. SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS SR227. IT IS A CLASS M PLANET, CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING LIFE. UCB 1 HAS A SMALL RING SYSTEM. IT WAS GOING TO BE THE NEXT PROJECT FOR THE GALACTIC FEDERATION SCIENCE TEAM BEFORE SAMUS ARAN DESTROYED THEIR SPACE STATION AND SR388. ANY SIGHTINGS OF THIS OUTLAW MUST BE REPORTED AT ONCE.
"Huh, they've got me as an outlaw everywhere." Samus read on:
UCB 1 HAS NOT BEEN EXPLORED AS OF THE LAST UPDATE OF THE FEDERATION DATABASE. PLEASE REPORT ANY FINDINGS TO THE GALACTIC FEDERATION.
"That's all I need to know. So it can support life, but the Federation hasn't bothered to check it out. What a great place for a Space Pirate hideout." Samus added a note to herself to her ship database that would remind her to go to this planet after she was done at the Odyssey.
As she neared visual range of Mondreus, Samus recieved a computer program from the Odyssey. She looked, and immediately knew what it was. It was a program called PGSCADAM2. She knew that the mind of Adam in the computers on the B.S.L. station was a program called PGSCADAM. The PG was for "Program", SC was for "Scanning Capabilities", and the ADAM was to signify, well, Adam. "The 2 must mean it's a new version," thought Samus, as she installed the program first into her ship, then into her suit computer. She heard a low humming as the program aligned itself with ship and suit modifications.
"So that's Mondreus over there?" Samus asked Adam, using the ship's pointer.
"Yes. You can just See the Odyssey to the left of it, and a Space Pirate ship near that."
"It doesn't look too hospitable of a planet. It looks too close to the sun to be a Class M planet."
"The star is relatively cool, but the planet is still close enough to be fairly hot. However, once you go underground, the temperature decreases rapidly. This has slowed our research a bit."
"Understandably," said Samus. "The Federation probably doesn't have very good resources for research, considering." There was a pause as Samus tried to remember something she knew was important. "Adam," she began slowly.
"Yes?"
"What do you know of UBC 1?"
"You mean the other planet in the SR388 System?"
"Yes. I suspect that there's a Space Pirate base there."
"Why is that?" he asked.
"Ridley was destroyed with SR388 and the space station. I think an X with Ridley's DNA may have escaped to that planet, and formed a new Ridley-X."
Adam thought it over a few times before responding. "It seems to be the most probable solution," he finally said.
They approached the Odyssey, and Samus slowed. "Where are the docking bays?" Samus asked. "I don't know my way around these new stations."
"It should be near the back, over by that glowing red antenna," said Adam.
"Um, Adam?"
"What is it?"
"There's a force shield coming from the Space Pirate ship. It's covering the Odyssey. I can't dock with the field in place."
"Fly around it, and back up a little, we need to see what's going on." Adam said carefully. "I'm not sure what they're doing." Suddenly, Ridley appeared in front of the ship, and whapped it on the side, sending it spinning towards the planet. "Hold on!" said Adam. "I'm trying to stabilize the ship. See if you can get us away from the planet; its gravity is very strong." The ship stopped spinning, and Samus was struggling to keep out of the atmosphere.
"Adam, take over the weapons!" Samus yelled over the emergency sirens. "Why do they even install these things?" she thought. "I need to be as calm as possible to get us out of this mess." Adam fired a few missiles toward where he predicted Ridley would be. One went between his legs, another clipped his arm. Ridley roared, though it didn't make a difference in a vacuum. He breathed fire towards them, and his eyes were like torches in his rage. Adam fired another volley of missiles, and two hit his chest, sending him hurtling downward to the planet. "Adam, keep us stable while I try and fix the port engine." Samus stood up and headed back to the maintenance room. It was very cramped, and she had little working room. Samus opened the drawer with spare G-Diffusers. She picked a few up, and opened the panel to the port engine. She tore the ruptured ones out, and put the new ones in. Samus also noticed that the spark plug was loose. "I don't even know why they still use these things!" she yelled at the engine as she pushed the plug into position. She closed the panel as the engine fired up and the ship was freed of the planet's gravitational pull.
"Lady, there's something you should see out here," said Adam.
"I'm coming out now," replied Samus, as she stumbled back to her seat.
"The Space Pirate ship is hailing you."
Samus paused. "Put it on the secondary screen. I don't want to draw too much power from the engines."
"Samus. How nice to see you again."
"Oh, not you again," moaned Samus. She would know that half cybernetic voice anywhere. Weavel was still around.
"It's me all right. Now, we have a force field around the Odyssey. If you want to get in there, promise that you won't try anything stupid. We'll also promise not to damage your ship while you're inside the station."
Samus muted the microphone as she quickly spoke to Adam. "If they try anything, you know what to do." She unmuted it. "Okay. I still have the upper hand while Ridley is out of action. Remember that."
"Oh, we'll remember." Weavel terminated the communication.
"So," sighed Samus. "Let's go."
Chapter Two
The Odyssey
Samus slowly flew her ship in to where Adam had said the docking bays were. She chose the middle bay, on the right. As Samus landed her ship, a few poorly hidden Space Pirates sidled into the shadows. She flipped a switch that turned on external speakers. "I know you're out there," Samus said. "I'll shoot if you don't come out. You saw what I did to Ridley." The Space Pirates reluctantly came out of hiding as Samus was lowered out of her ship. She walked away from her ship, but not so far that she couldn't get back to it safely under fire. "You should tell whoever taught you to hide like that to find a new job. I saw you before I even entered the bay."
"We will not respond to your provocations," hissed a Space Pirate. "We have been ordered not to kill you unless you shoot at us."
"I have no need to shoot at you... yet." Samus noticed that these Space Pirates were different from most she had seen. They were a little bigger than normal, and their eyes burned more brightly. She scanned them to find out why.
Logbook Entry downloaded
Morphology: Space Pirate-X
Space Pirates infected by X parasites. They are superior to Space Pirates in almost every way. Do not attempt to attack them in large groups. They are equipped with retractable energy scythes, and improved galvanic accelerator cannons. Those who have earned the rank of captain are given homing missiles and an infrared visor (Space Pirate logs are displayed in infrared for secrecy). Captains are distinguishable by the yellow stripes on their arms.
Samus saw one Space Pirate with Captain's stripes. She walked towards the exit hatch. The hallway on the other side split off from the bays in three different directions. "Adam, can you give me a map of this place?"
"No, but I can tell you where to get one. They're always on the starboard side, uh... hold on, let me check the database for which deck."
Samus started walking down the hall to her right, and she passed a broken hatch with a few scientists' bodies on the floor. Some rock samples were strewn across a table, and glass from the container was scattered everywhere. She passed several hatches before finding one marked "elevator." "Adam, have you found which deck it's on yet?
"No, I can't seem to get into the Federation database. There must be too much Space Pirate interference. Try to find out from the computers around here."
"I don't expect to find much in the ways of maps in these scientists' computers. There must be a way the Space Pirates found their way around." Samus thought she heard footsteps behind her, and she turned around, only to see the shadow of a vending machine. After walking a ways down the hall, Samus came upon a Space Pirate log clamped to the wall. It was next to a blown hatch. Samus scanned it, to find out that in the room on the other side, the Space Pirates had found something that interested them and took it. She entered the room, and found by scanning the computers that this had been a lab where they were testing samples of rock that could have been the remains of a Diamont, the race that had once inhabited Mondreus. She also saw another Space Pirate device on the wall. It seemed to be inactive.
"I'll try and get it to activate," said Adam. After a few seconds, the device powered up, and projected a map of the station on the far wall. It showed the positions of the elevators, labs, docking bays, the bridge, and a few access tunnels.
"Adam, can you digitize this map and keep it in your memory?" Samus asked.
"Sure thing, Lady. Just give me a minute." Samus waited, and wondered where all the scientists were. The lab was devoid of life, and this would probably have been one of the most important finds. And where had the Federation troopers been? They were supposed to be there to protect the scientists. "I've finished. Here's your current position." He highlighted a section of the map on the starboard side, nearer to the back. It was one of the largest labs in the station. The largest was labeled Science Lab 5.
"Okay, now where's the bridge? It's that big room right there at the top front, right?"
"Yes."
"Do you know how secure that room is?"
"It's pretty secure. It has locks on all the doors. With the right access code, you can control all ship functions from there. Same deal with the infirmary and the Engineering section."
"Where's the cargo bay?"
"Directly below the docking bays."
"That must be where the Space Pirates landed so I wouldn't see all their ships." Samus thought, and walked to the nearest elevator. Again, she heard footsteps behind her. Samus turned, but saw no one. She proceeded to the elevator. Her first stop was the Engineering section. While there, Samus saw two Space Pirates running around on the catwalks above her. No scientists. "Adam, can they scan the ship for life-forms from the bridge?"
"I believe they can, if you're referring to survivors."
"How detailed are their scans?"
"They can determine the types of life-forms from there. However, the Federation scan technology is not very good at long-range scans, so they use multiple scan nodes located throughout the ship. If one is damaged, that part of the ship is unscannable."
"Do you know if any of those nodes are damaged?"
"One near the infirmary, one in the cargo bay, and a few scattered around the edges where the ship was hit."
"Then they probably aren't in the infirmary. What's the quickest route to the bridge?"
"Head down this hallway until you come to Science Lab 5. Take a left, and use the elevator to get up to deck 2. Then proceed to the starboard side until you reach the bridge."
Samus heard footsteps behind her several times on her way down the hallway, but when she looked back, there was no one there. When Samus reached Science Lab 5, she heard the footsteps again, this time from ahead of her. They did not stop when she did.
"Adam, is it possible for someone to have gotten around and ahead of me since we got the map?"
"It is certainly possible, but unlikely."
Samus went into the Science Lab to hide from the owner of the footsteps. Soon, that person showed themself. It was Weavel. "Aren't you supposed to be on your ship?" asked Samus.
"I only said we would not damage your ship. You, however, are a different matter. I have a score to settle with you. First on Zebes, then the Alimbic Cluster. I'm sure to get you this time. I asked to be on this mission, because I knew the Federation would call on you to save them. And now I have a chance to destroy you."
"That's not going to happen, though," said Samus, as she armed her missiles. Weavel unsheathed his energy scythe.
"I wouldn't have made it back here alive if it weren't for our discovery of the X parasite. I am much stronger than before."
"We'll see about that," said Samus, and fired three missiles in quick succession. Weavel deflected the first with his energy scythe, and it flew off and hit a containment tank. Its contents flowed all over the floor. The water was drained away, but the rocks were covering most of the floor now. The other two missiles were direct hits, knocking Weavel to the floor. Samus scanned him quickly.
Logbook Entry downloaded
Morphology: Weavel-X
Weavel has been infected by an X parasite. He now has heightened physical aspects. He wields a Galvanic Accelerator Cannon modified to shoot more slowly but more accurately. He also has a retractable energy scythe. His cybernetic nature allows him to detach limbs if they are severely damged. However, he can no longer separate his upper body from his lower body. Scans indicate that his armor absorbs all impact before it damages his internal organs. Use of external forces is recommended.
"Adam, is there anything in this room I can use to get rid of Weavel's armor?" Samus asked.
After running a swift check, Adam replies, "There is a mineral driller behind Weavel. I'll modify it to remove Weavel's armor while you get him in there."
Samus was readying her Charge beam when Weavel, still on the ground, kicked her feet out from under her. He stood up quickly, and Samus morphed. She laid a few bombs, and rolled around Weavel in a circle. He was getting dizzy when Samus unmorphed and shot him with a missile, sending him back a few feet. She charged her beam and fired. He stumbled back again, and tried to charge her. Samus quickly shot two missiles off as fast as she could. She charged her beam and fired a Super missile. Weavel was sent back into the mineral driller, and its lasers cut off his armor. Samus charged her beam for one last shot when a waste disposal chute opened and sucked Weavel out into the vacuum of space. A pool of some unusual liquid was left with pieces of Weavel's armor floating in it. Samus stepped up to look, and tripped and fell in it. The liquid went to work, and the Pieces of Weavel's armor melded to her Fusion suit.
+-----------------------+
========================================| POWER SUIT ACQUIRED |========================================
+-----------------------+
Samus walked out of the Lab in her new suit, and turned left, then left again. She went up the elevator, and turned left again. Soon enough, Samus reached the hatch marked "Bridge." She pressed the button that opened the door, but it had no effect. "They should be finding out who's trying to get in right about now," Samus thought. The hatch opened to show the empty lower bridge area. Samus carefully walked in, and looked around. She slowly climbed up to the control area of the bridge, which was also empty. "Adam, how do I find out if the escape pods have been used?"
"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it." There was a pause. "Nineteen have been used out of twenty."
"How long ago were they used?"
"About one hour ago." A sudden hit rocked the station. "We have to get out now!" said Adam. "The hit has kicked us out of orbit! The station will crash into the planet!"
"I won't have time to get back to my ship. Where's the nearest airlock?"
"Just outside and down the hall to the left," said Adam. "But you'll have to be quick. I'll get the ship over to this side."
Samus ran out and down to the airlock. She worked the controls as quickly as she could, opening the door. Adam guided the ship to the airlock, and pulled Samus into it. She watched as the Odyssey entered Mondreus' atmosphere, and flew her ship in to land.
Here's my idea of the new Power Suit:
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