[hr][hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/oiSJ6L9.png[/img] [h2][color=f26522]*<:Location:_Mallus_XI_Orbit_-_Vanir_Sector:>*[/color][/h2][/center] [hider=Ref Pic] [center][img]https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/524b059ce4b0817693525c97/1544662323718-3RLLSOQEJ9PSCRH2I89V/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kFQeJPyzYu-m9MrOgF-cmHZZw-zPPgdn4jUwVcJE1ZvWQUxwkmyExglNqGp0IvTJZUJFbgE-7XRK3dMEBRBhUpxOqtIHlWJycvDYCDcyT3Fs5GjBDpgtms7I1oG24h6kMVcWbuoZp66cR5LLoJhx0YQ/7W+MW+pnk23.jpg[/img][/center] [/hider] [hr][hr] High above the blood-pink atmosphere of Mallus XI, a climatic battle was currently underway... After months of intense searching, the Galactic Federation had found the home fleet of the vile Space Pirates situated over the gas giant. And indeed the rumors were true - the enemy fleet was huge; being arguably one of the largest fleets the pirates had ever assembled. Comprised of various alien-crafted battleships and two experimental [i]Nemesis-Class[/i] dreadnoughts - the "Annihilus" and the "Conquerer" - it was said that the pirates were planning to initiate an attack on the Galactic Federation's home planet via a secret hyperspace wormhole they had found in the region. Had the Federation been unable to locate the enemy fleet, the wormhole would've sent the entire space pirate fleet straight towards their planet and take them by surprise. Alas, the Federation was lucky to have found the space pirates first, being all thanks to their most trusted and valuable asset... Samus Aran. However, this time, the bounty hunter wasn't just working for the G.F for monetary reasons alone. There was a far greater stake for her here - another chance for her to finally end her space-dragon nemesis Ridley once and for all. He was reported to be commanding the fleet from within the "Conquerer" dreadnought and if Samus was quick she could catch him before he could retreat like the coward he is. There was no time to lose to miss out on such a glorious opportunity. Having crawled and blasted through heaps of space pirates, the armored Samus fought tooth and nail towards the command bridge. Her iconic varia suit sent shudders down her opposition, all knowing full well in what was coming to them. They would be blasted apart as the bounty hunter's cannon ripped through their alien flesh like butter and she destroyed any barricade that blocked her path. Yet for every level she ascended, the opposition became harder and fiercer than the last. Still, Samus gave no quarter and after killing the last space pirate that was in between her and the door to the bridge, she'd finally reach her destination. Blasting open the shielded door with a well-placed super missile, Samus entered with her cannon primed and ready through the bellowing smoke. Ridley should be in there if the bounty hunter's senses were correct. It was almost as if she could feel his presence... [b][i]*SCREEEEEEEEEAW!*[/i][/b] Without hesitation, Samus twisted her body towards the noise and proceeded to open fire at what had caused that terrible sound. Her vengeance would be unleashed upon the space commander's vile body, determined to wipe out this menace once and for all. And after a few seconds of her intense barrage, she would stop... yet she could already feel that something off. The air was eerily still and oddly quiet outside of the intense battle that was going on in space. Surely this couldn't have ended so soon. It would've been too easy. The bounty hunter cautiously approached where her foe would stand and as she appeared out of the smoke, she could finally confirm the status of her target. It was indeed Ridley... or rather, [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/metroid/images/b/b9/SSBU_Spirits_Mecha_Ridley.png/revision/latest?cb=20181210175831]a mechanized version of him[/url]. His gunmetal armor gleamed in the harsh lights of the ship, with smoke emerging from its damaged circuits. The bounty hunter slowly lowered her cannon, her body violently shaking as she realized too late of what had just transpired. [b][color=f26522][i]"Damnit."[/i][/color][/b] Just then, a faint beep would resonate through her helmet. Someone was hailing her. Sighing, Samus proceeded to answer the call. [b][i]"Samus."[/i][/b] the voice cackled to that of a middle-aged man, [b][i]"What's your status? Did you find Ridley?"[/i][/b] [b][color=f26522]"No, Captain."[/color][/b] the bounty hunter replied as she tried her best to calm herself, [b][color=f26522]"I've found his mechanical double. Ridley must've known that we were coming."[/color][/b] [b][i]"Blast..."[/i][/b] the captain cursed under his breath, [b][i]"How could he have known? We'd made sure to prepare for this assault in total secrecy. I hope he didn't detect you as you were leaving with the plans..."[/i][/b] [b][color=f26522]"I doubt that."[/color][/b] Samus answered, [b][color=f26522]"If he did, he would've moved the fleet elsewhere. He must've planned ahead, either installing it as a diversion or using it as his double as a last resort for his quick escape... ugh, that coward. I bet he even primed it to~"[/color][/b] [center][hider=Theme: Flight for Your Life][youtube]ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKN7_ve1VWo&t[/youtube][/hider][/center] Suddenly, Mecha Ridley's poisonous-green eyes began to rapidly glow in quick succession as a high-pitched blinking emanated from it. It echoed throughout the room, piercing the stillness an ominous intent. Samus kept her guard up, however she had a good feeling in what was about to happen next. And before she knew it, the entire command room began to glow a deep-crimson red as klaxon alarms blared throughout the ship. [b][u]>:WARNING:_SELF_DESTRUCT_SEQUENCE_HAS_BEEN_INITIALIZED._FLEET_TERMINATION_COMMENCES_IN_T-MINUS_4_MINUTES._EVACUATE_IMMEDIATELY.:<[/u][/b] [b][color=f26522][i]"~Why am I not surprised..."[/i][/color][/b] Instantly, Samus bolted out the command door as fast as she could, barely avoiding the emergency blast doors shutting on her. [b][i]"Samus?"[/i][/b] the captain's voice asked concerningly from the comms, [b][i]"What's wrong?"[/i][/b] [b][color=f26522]"The whole dreadnought is gonna blow in 4 minutes!"[/color][/b] the bounty hunter bellowed as she smashed into an unlucky space pirate, [b][color=f26522]"And it's going to wipe out both of the fleets in orbit if we keep lingering here."[/color][/b] [b][i]"Ah, damnit..."[/i][/b] the captain cursed again, [b][i]"Right, copy that. Preparing for an emergency jump now. Rendezvous with the rest of the fleet as we had planned. We will pay you there."[/i][/b] [b][color=f26522][i]"Affirmative."[/i][/color][/b] With that, Samus ended the conversation and continued her mad-run back to the hangar bay. The other pirates onboard also began rushing to their ships or to any available escape pods if they were near them. Most wouldn't even pay attention towards their nemesis as she rushed by them, or ran over them as she activated her shinespark boost to rush through locked doors. With only one minute left, the bounty hunter was able to reach her ship and proceeded to haul her armored ass out of the now collapsing dreadnought. Her gunship zoomed right out of the hanger bay as it got to a safe distance away. Thirty seconds were left. Samus began to fumble with her ship's controls as she prepared to jump to lightspeed back to the Federation's home planet. Once she finished putting in the coordinates, she sat back down in her seat as she waited to make the jump. However, things would suddenly turn south as her ship began to mysteriously short circuit, with electrical sparks flying all over the main computer. [b][color=f26522][i]"No no, what's happening now..."[/i][/color][/b] Samus began to panic as she attempted to override the glitch in the system, but to no avail. Ten seconds left. The coordinates screen began to become corrupted as the numbers were rapidly shaped into a series of code, before a large error sign could be seen engulfing the entire screen. [b]Five.[/b] [b]Four.[/b] Samus could then notice space warping around her as her ship began to slowly engage to light-speed. [b]Three.[/b] [b]Two.[/b] With nothing else to do, the bounty hunter silently sat down and let fate decide for her. [b]One.[/b] And with a sudden jolt, Samus could feel her ship jump straight into the void as she was thrown back into her seat with a hard thud, causing the world around her to become black. All just mili-seconds before a ball of violent light engulfed the entire sector behind her... [hr] [hr] [center][hider=Theme: In The Midst of the Unknown][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VFgtl-byW4&t[/youtube][/hider][/center] After what seemed to be an eternity of idling in the darkness of the unconscious void, Samus Aran would slowly attempt to regain her senses. She was still fading in an out of consciousness, but she could hear the faint sound of chatter coming from her comms. [quote][i]"Attention unidentified ships, this is Supreme Commander Jason Erthos of the Galactic Republic Remnant. It would seem the galaxy is not how we left it several hours ago, and we hope you might be able to answer some questions. Please respond on this channel."[/i][/quote] Samus attempted to hone in on whatever the person on the other side mean't, but she was still too dazed to properly get up. [b][color=f26522][i]"What... are you talking about...?"[/i][/color][/b] the bounty hunter mentally replied in her head. [quote][i]"Unidentified ships this is the SSV Glasgow of The Systems Alliance navy. Identify your intentions, and serial numbers. Do not be alarmed, we do not wish to fight you."[/i][/quote] Another reply would come through, this one being from another faction in of itself - one Samus couldn't recognize either. And like the other ship before it, it too seemed as if it was out of place in the environment it was placed in. Was it a coincidence? [quote][i]"This is Colonel Steven Caldwell of the Earth ship Daedalus. We have been brought here without our knowledge, and are unsure of our current galactic positioning. We mean no harm however will defend ourselves if provoked, we request navigational data so that we can plot a flight home."[/i][/quote] Perhaps not. Something strange was going on. Three ships had already declared themselves to not be from wherever they were originally stationed. Samus was already getting rather curious about all this. Was she too thrusted into something larger than she realized? Slowly, she finally attempted to roll onto her side, carefully planting her armored hand onto the floor of her gunship. [quote][i]"Unknown Vessels, This is the Hammer or Korhol, we request aid in destroying the Zerg."[/i][/quote] She lifted herself off the floor before planting her hands on the cockpit's control desk. She heard a distress signal that a vessel was already under attack, by something it referred to as "the Zerg". Definitely an alien threat by the sounds of it. [quote][i]"This is the carrier, Immaculate Aegis. We have entered this space unintentionally, without hostile intent, but we will destroy any ship that fires upon us. All vessels, identify yourselves."[/i][/quote] Samus would slowly look up into the vastness of space, where she finally could catch sight of some of the various vessels that were in orbit. Several massive ships, each varying in different size and unique shapes, were interacting with one another as they attempted to figure out what was going on. She took a minute to assess her surroundings and study the ships in the area. Most seemed to be friendly, or at the very least cautious, with only one organic-looking ship acting aggressively towards one ship. She needs to keep a good distance before engaging with these much larger vessels. How long had she been floating here? Samus would activate her main computer, swiping her button against the holographic screen to assess the current state of her gunship. Most of her systems were fine, but her engines were badly damaged. They could still propel her ship to a certain degree, but not nearly to the degree where she could fly quickly. So basically, she is stranded here... unless she can contact a friendly ship to pick her up. So much for keeping her presence masked. With no other option available, Samus activated her distress signal and proceeded to give her own introductory speech through her open channel. [b][color=f26522][i]"This is Samus Aran - formerly a client for the Galactic Federation. My ship's engines have been damaged in a freak light-speed jump and I require immediate assistance. Requesting a pick up from any non-hostile ships. Please respond."[/i][/color][/b] [hr] Thankfully, it wouldn't take long for someone to reply. [b][i][color=aba000]"This is Executive Officer Kol’Zife of Ryloth onboard the Resurgence. We will send a crew to tow you to our vessel. Please stand by, over."[/color][/i][/b] Within the span of a few minutes, Samus' gunship would be towed in by friendly ships as she was taken into the Resurgence's hangar bay. Once inside, the bounty hunter [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxSkZ8ySo1o]would ascend from her ship's interior via her ship's onboard elevator[/url] and emerge still encapsulated in her Varia suit. Once outside, she would be escorted by the crew to where everyone else was situated and was to wait in the briefing room for further details. The bounty hunter may have been late to the melting party, but not late enough as to be considered "tardy". She would simply sit quietly as she observed the volley of new faces around her and wait to be debriefed.