FalloutJack

Metroid: Final Protocol

METROID

Final Protocol

"The Last Metroid has fled captivity. The galaxy is endangered."

The average citizen of the Galactic Federation doesn't have any idea what is going on behind the scenes in every engagement with the Space Pirates, nor they ever informed of the full impact of the results. They hear what cannot be concealed from the public. The Space Pirates ravage ships and colonies alike. They employ bio-genetic and mechanical weapons against both civilians and combatants alike, and the Federation does everything in their power to stop them, including the employ of certain specialized bounty hunters. Among the known successful hunters is Samus Aran.

What people know of Samus is what they tell them, or what is leaked out, because Samus largely keeps to herself. If the Federation tells you that she's successfully defeated Space Pirates a number of times and protected the galaxy from the hostile species known as Metroids, then you eat that up. That's generally the only reliable data you have. But one day, you're told something else: Samus has disappeared from known space, and has taken with her the last Metroid, which would ordinarily be okay...except that something has gone horribly wrong.

Outbreaks of an 'unknown plague' that is officially classified as a new Space Pirate weapon have occurred on several border colony worlds. Situations are thus far contained, but sadly...the Federation has been lying to the people...because the truth is far worse. YOU will be informed the truth behind the lies keeping the galaxy at peace, and you will be sent to stop this threat by any means necessary, one particular point of order being to bring in the Bounty Hunter. Samus Aran must be found and captured at all speed, as things begin to spiral out of control.

Everything is on the line.

Time is running out.

The Final Protocol will be engaged.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Overview

And now, for the OOC meat and potatoes.

The events of the core Metroid games are what this revolves around. After having played/seen these games, I have finally decided on how a final showdown is to be engaged. This takes place after Metroid 4 (AKA Metroid Fusion). For anyone not entirely familiar with Metroid, Return of Samus, Super Metroid, and Metroid Fusion...I suggest you look them up, but the main points I can recall from memory are below.

Bulleted Points

• On the planet Zebes, the frozen culture of a species called Metroid was found.
• These Metroids, discovered by vicious Space Pirates, were soon bred for their use as weapons.
• The Bounty Hunter, Samus Aran, was sent to exterminate the Metroids and the pirates before they could be used on a population.
• She succeeded in destroying their base, Metroids, and apparently their leaders...or so it seemed.
• Later, the homeworld of the Metroids - dubbed as SR 388 - was found, and Samus was given a mission of extermination.
• This mission was completed, but a final hatchling was given over for careful study.
• It didn't work out. The infamous Pirate leader, Ridley, abducted the hatchling for a genetic breeding experiment.
• Samus returned to Zebes to confront the Pirates again, going deeper and deeper into the planet.
• She eventually found the hatchling after defeating most of the Pirate leaders...but it was gigantic!
• The Metroid followed Samus as she went to confront the cyborg brain being, Mother Brain, and it sacrificed itself to help her.
• Mother Brain was defeated, Zebes itself was destabilized, and Samus had to fleed the planet before it exploded!
• Time passed, and later...Samus was hired once more to aid an exploration of the current SR 388.
• Now devoid of Metroids, a new species had apparently emerged, a Parasite they dubbed simply as X.
• X Parasites could infect just about any living lifeform, consume them from within, and take on all of their abilities.
• Samus herself was infected, even through her powersuit. It became apparent when she crashed her ship into an asteroid.
• Though she was rescued, they still had to cut away the infected suit to slow down the rate of infection.
• Even then, they needed a radical cure to stop the onset of X in her body: Cultured Metroid DNA.
• The Metroids, it seems, were the X's natural predator, and now with them gone...the X are breeding out of control.
• The cure worked, and Samus' already-enhanced DNA now included Metroid, making HER the last Metroid, effectively.
• Meanwhile, contact with the station housing samples of the X and parts of her powersuit had gone silent.
• Landing there in a new AI-supported vessel, Samus investigated...and found the place overrun.
• The X were loose, consuming nearly every organic being...as well as adapting to environments and even leeching data.
• Their capabilities were both miraculous and horrifying, especially at the discovery that her suit was active without her.
• The SA-X, as it was called, began hunting her, and it - like the other X - could self-replicate.
• Slowly regaining her abilities aboard the station, Samus confronted X after X, until defeating her parasite counterpart.
• During this process, though, she had discovered that the Federation had been keeping secrets.
• Not only had they been breeding new Metroids, but they were very interested in the X, as well.
• How could this be any better than the Space Pirates?
• She sent the station into orbital decay and had it detonate in the atmosphere of SR 388.
• Having ensured the demise of the X and even their planet of origin, Samus went into hiding.
• She has not been heard from since.

The destruction of the BSL Station and SR 388 was made known, but not WHY. They only explained WHO. That is all you know In-Character, for now, but you will be informed. You can probably guess what the 'unknown plague' is, so I'll say it outright. In this RP, the threat was not as contained as originally thought. Someone is moving the X around, and they are infecting populated planets. Now, these planets are being quarantined and/or destroyed, as needed, sometimes evacuation being possible and sometimes not. That will not be part of your mission. These are merely stopgap procedures in response to the situation. You - be you soldier of the Federation, licensed bounty hunter, or what-have-you (I'll even allow a Space Pirate turncoat if you sing it well enough to me.) - are on a mission to more-directly handle things. You will be given classified information, armaments and protection on top of what you already bring to the table, and freedom enough to act as you deem necessary, so long as the mission is completed to satisfaction. It's all in effect to complete the Final Protocol, the project to eliminate the greatest threats to the galaxy, once and for all.

Important Rules

I'm putting this on casual, but it may be important for me and for others to have certain details well-known. It can very-well effect the plot, as how it flows will depend much on your actions. You're deciding the fate of a galaxy, so be mindful that certain actions WILL matter, and so you may need to be clear on a few points.

NO SAMUS CLONES! Samus is a unique character in these games. Nobody has precisely her capabilities, and certainly none of her background. Be creative. Give your characters abilities and whatnot that are strange and unusual in their own way. Just don't make it like you're somehow on the level of the Chozo or something. Rule of Cool for some, but gritty for others. Try to make it balanced. (I'll entertain 'super' abilities like the Shinespark if I like it enough. The lady doesn't hold exclusive control over THAT.) I am aware that it is possible for other people to have some weapons that Samus would. You're just not going to be having ALL of them, like she does.

Before you ask, I have not played any of the 3D games, nor have I seen any of the playthroughs, really. I don't know what they mean for the continuity. This doesn't involve things like Phazon and whatnot, so I'm not gonna worry about it. Are you? Should you? I really don't think so.

Yes, you will encounter powerful creatures and risk possible infection by the X. You will have a means of protection FROM infection that will keep you from being swarmed by floating blobs and taken over suddenly, but don't get cocky. That protection is not perfected. If anything happens to the device responsible or if you are running low on energy, you will be at risk. That is part of the RP.

I mention possible infection, and now I say this: Don't try to deliberately tank the game just to get the bad ending. You might work with me if you get infected, or I might just take your character and tell you to write up a new sheet. You're here to fight against the doom of all species in this galaxy. If I ask that you direct some evil, then kudos to you, but the X - for instance - have no personality to speak of. They're monsters, like John Carpenter's: The Thing on steroids. You'd only be taking my orders at that point, anyway. The point is, just try to have fun saving the galaxy from all the threats within it.

Obviously, all the rules and provisos of fairplay and playing decently apply. Getting goddy or auto-playing and such-like... That's a no-no. Play to have your actions open-ended, so when you're fighting something, you state that you are trying to do a thing and to reach an intended effect, but I - or another player, if they're on the receiving end - determine the outcome. If you want to have something happen in your post immediately for expedient reasons, talk to someone and collab it. This is for fun, and if we're not having fun, then we have a problem.

And at the end of the day, I am the GM and I determine things going on in case of muddy issues, all the things not covered or by virtue of this being an RP and not the 'official' universe. Like...if you come up to me and say 'Well, this doesn't work, because in game-you-haven't-played, this happened.', and it doesn't really make much sense to me, I have to call that it doesn't follow on a basic common sense rule. You may come to me and say 'But hey, we know OOC that the Federation can be as bad as the Space Pirates. You even said so.'. And I would retort 'You were selected because your suspected leanings were enough in the Federation's directions to take on a galaxy-saving mission for ALOT of hazard pay.'. If you have suspicions, that's fine, but the premise here is that you were willing to sign up because of what's at stake. The plot is the plot, and if there is a legitimate issue with it, work with me to make it flow properly, 'cause I ain't shuttin' her down.

OH, SHEET!

Your character sheet. Like so, with coding below.

Name: Identify yourself to the cosmos!
Alias: Got any nicnknames from your rep?
Age: How old are you, fella?
Gender: How gendered or not are you in this RP?
Species: What even are you? (Explain more fully in Physical Description.)
Occupation: What profession is it that brought you here, to a classified meeting for a secret mission?
Residence: You can just make up a planet name if you're of unique species.

Physical Description: Please be detailed enough that I can understand what your character is like, physically, including their attire and maybe some of their equipment. Bear in mind that the important details OF that equipment is really for below, under Equipment/Capabilities. Make sure that I can understand the nature of your character, the pros and cons alike.

Personality: This is your character's mental state, as well you know. Give me a good idea on the way he/she/it thinks. Are they clever and wild-cardy? Are they straightforward and destructive? Where do their confidences and weaknesses lie? How do they respond to situations? Do they get along with others? You get the drift.

Equipment/Cabilities: Here be the goodies, the fun part of any profile. What can you do? How well can you do it? How MUCH can you do it? I'm not going to get super-scrutinizing on ammo-count, but it would be nice if your character worried about it from time to time. The chance to resupply will be given if I think it's possible for that to happen. I may even lampshade the very weird habit of creatures swallowing munitions and batteries for laughs. Still, show me a very capable character, but remember that you have limits. You've been hired for your expertise, but remember that you've been hired because they couldn't get the usual one, for one reason or another.

History: I don't need this to be super-detailed, because I don't even know half the planets that exist in the continuity. Stuff is being made-up for use if it's not directly relevent to my master plans. I don't require ridiculous amounts of knowledge of the series, just a general desire to RP in it and have some fun. Still, give me a fair idea of how your character got to be what they are.

Ze Code!

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Alias:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Species:[/b]
[b]Occupation:[/b]
[b]Residence:[/b]

[b]Physical Description:[/b]

[b]Personality:[/b]

[b]Equipment/Cabilities:[/b]

[b]History:[/b]

Final Notes

You may have questions, comments, death threats, etc. about this campaign. That's fine. I'm willing to hear stuff out if you have something to convey that may effect things. Should there be anything of importance to make note of in addition to all that is above, it will be here. So, relax. Go nuts! Show me what you've got.

D-CLASS

There was an interruption.

It was nothing to do with him. It was the woman next to him, asking about the purpose to this test. Bastion almost missed it, as he was very much focused on the test itself. Why was she bothering to question him? 'Smith' was using an obviously fake name. Why would he convey anything to her that was either a nothing answer or an outright lie? To truly understand this place, Bastion had begun using himself as a template for its line of thinking. How would HE approach situations? That was the answer. The only reason they didn't see it - apart from probably ignorance and naivety - was that they didn't have the benefit of knowing his modus operandi to predict the direction a situation might take.

How must it be in their minds, devoid of my brand of thinking? My angles of approach to any given situation? Probably less frustrating, as ignorance is clearly bliss, but...what you don't know CAN hurt you. Never give them the chance.

And that's why this test was being confronted right back, calling it out on where it obviously had no right to speak on things. To cast jusgement, it must be on a higher point of morality than his own lofty position. If it could not call itself different by any definition that Bastion could accept, it was hardly going to make headway on attempting to damn him. And when he completed these tests and had his life back he was going to find that District Attorney, and he was going to laugh so hard in his face that the man had to choke back some halitosis.

Suddenly, it was all over.

It was quick. He did not know what number he'd been up to, but without warning...he was done. He did not know even how many pages he had turned over. this was why, when it was over and he looked at it, he both could not tell from just from a glance how many pages were there - as before, when the test began - nor did he really want to try and review it. He had the profound sense of having been through quite the ordeal, and somehow he didn't feel that he wanted to even double-check. As unscientific as that was, he was certain that if there was anything they wanted to get back to him about, they would. Now, Dr. Not-Zachery Smith would ask if they were done, and the Asian man would question them as to what it was they just went through...in quite a few different words that Bastion could appreciate.

"We are done, and I feel I perhaps understand more and more the kinds of people I seem to have signed on with. When this is over, please consider my employment for this curious place. I think you will find that my doctorates are all still valid, though I was erroneously convicted of the crime which now seats me here."

He then turned to yon China man.

"Judging by your reactions, I would say you were both similarly tested with shall-we-say unusually provocative inquiries. I would say that some of the things mentioned were not entirely possible to know, and that it doesn't seem likely that the line of questioning could possibly evolve thus."

Now, he turned his gaze to 'teacher', smiling.

"That is, unless te good doctor would care to place the proverbial cards upon the table. I doubt it, of course, but it never hurts to ask."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[QuicksaveKid]: Good freakin' god, the man is intrigued. That's all we need, a match made in heaven with the company from hell.

D-CLASS

@grandophicleide That's a keeper.

D-CLASS

SCP Foundation in a nutshell:

D-CLASS

Hah! 'The' weird one, he says.

D-CLASS

@Stekkmen Just checking!

D-CLASS

@Stekkmen

Additioanl

[Redacted]

D-CLASS

@Stekkmen Lemme know how far you want this to go.

D-CLASS

A man nearby him began to get angry because he spoke loudly in his proximity. Bastion was not altogether shocked or intimidated by this response. He simply replied...

"Only if you want to be heard."

After all, the point was to essentially chalkboard what was considered obvious to him in front of these people so that they would understand their situation and come to some sort of terms to deal with it. The fellow who berrated him decided to go ask questions that were effectively answered already, for the most part, and then answering his own inquiries with essentially a more blunt manner of phrasing whhat he'd already said. How typical of a credit-stealer. You do all the work yourself, congratulate yourself on deciphering the meaning of things, and somebody comes along, claiming to be brilliant. It's Einstein and Nikola Tesla, all over again, except in this case, the man had confessed to being a no-brainer. There's nothing worse than being upstaged by a a complete nunce.

So, right now, they were trying to question a man called Ryan about this place and what it is they do here. Bastion was uncertain as to whether it was a good sign or a bad one that Ryan attempted to lie to them with very obvious lies about the lab duties, but then there was that glance he did, and it was clear: He was under order not to give them anything to go on, or was at least afraid of a punishment from on-high for telling. Yes, it made sense. He had, himself, brow-beaten a few people into place in his own lab. People who lose focus end up making terrible mistakes, maybe even irrecoverable ones. He'd said so. He made this point as plainly as he'd made to HIS test subjects that 'Although signs are good, you are the first humans to be administered this drug. You have made your compliance and understanding of these facts known, on record.'. That should have exonerated him. Bastards...

>>>>>

[QuicksaveKid]: Here it comes...

>>>>>

Bastion

Well, at any rate...the whole happening in the commissary - Good word, commissary - came to a sudden halt as a loud buzzer sounded, not too dissimilar to the one that indicated that he was being taken from his cell. It a bit too Pavlovian, but somehow Bastion suspected it was necessary for some people. Oh, interestingly enough, the time Bastion HAD been in prison, he didn't get his teeth knocked out because his cellmate was a serial killer, a man who felt that people who wasted their lives should die in a ditch...or be helped along there. The good doctor's story of success at any cost met with his approval, and the man in the next cell who told him to shut his face had his face flattened with the liberal application of a concrete wall, later on. Perhaps madness has its own rewards...

He was called away with a woman and an apparently Chinese man. He had never met either, nor had he spoken with either of them during the time they were getting their meal. Curiously, a look at either of them and at himself forced him to conclude that although he was not in perfect fitness, he might've been the physically-strongest here, in that he was average and neither overweight nor diminutive in size. This was going to be a problem if they wanted annybody with athletic ability, because none of them fulfilled that area. The guards escorted them along. The hallways had clear men of science and technicians within them. The guards informed them that they are not to speak to them, because they were 'way too smar' for him. Bastion laughed out-loud, just once. A single, appropriately-condescending "Hah!", and said nothing further.

Eventually, they came to a wooden door and were escorted inside, once the person inside of said door acknowledged that there were people for him. The interior of the room appeared to be like that of a classroom, three desks for students, one for the teacher. All that was missing from the equation was the stereotypical apple upon the teacher's desk. No blackboard or screen, though... Oh well. If all you wanted was the look and feel, not the reality, then props to the owner, one supposes. The man behind the teacher's desk identified himself as Dr. Smith, and immediately Bastion thought...

Oh, the pain... The pain of it all...

Poor Zachery Smith. His main portrayer must be rolling in his grave, what with this and potentially many others deciding to take that monniker for their own, and in such a suspicious place. No class. No class within this class. Oh, except for the D-Class, clearly. He could, at least, amuse himself with that, for the moment. Upon being asked if it was their first assignment, Dr. Bastion replied with a simple "Yes.", in a tone that may as well have been shorthand for 'Indeed, it is.'. He claimed that they were simply to each complete a test packet in whatever fashion they deemed to be the right way. He was there for observational purposes.

There was...that feeling of something being concealed here, what with Ryan's clear BS from before, in the back of his mind. The problem with such a feeling was that they were here to do as they were asked, and that the risk factor was a definite fact. He wasn't going to get anywhere by NOT completing it. It was some sort of test, and at the very least he had to earnestly work upon it. That was the agreement. The guards left them alone with 'Smith'. No, that wasn't quite right. They would be outside, in case of trouble. It was good sense. So too was another thing. This was a test, and so he stepped over to the hand-sanitizer.

"You'll forgive me, but I didn't have the chance to wash up."

He made brief use of it, and then sat down to the test, opening the packet. It was an exam, alright. It was made of paper, inked by black ink, and given a little space to right an answer. Full reign, indeed. Very well. Let's see... 'John Adams', 'Pythagorean Theorem', 'Pergury', and so on. This was largely not too difficult for him. They were things that he could definitely know, or at least he could give the proviso 'Unless I'm mistaken' or 'I believe it is' to indicate that he may have misremembered something. Things continued on, with him periodically sharpening his pencil, and then...

What's this?

28. This particular philosophical oath is the one you abandoned.

Oh, I see. They've been doing their homework, preparing me to be schooled. 'My training is not in the philosophies. I may wax them on occasion, but I deal in the facts.'

29. Statistical Question: How many people died as a results of your tests?

Typical, and predictable. They were resorting to 'Science Shaming'. Very well. He was game. Let's play...

'I'm sure you have command of those inconsequential facts.'

30. How do you define 'inconsequential'?

Donald stopped for a moment. How did...? It had clearly spat a word at him on the next page that he had just decided to use! Unless... He was fairly-certain that he had actually used that phrase in court, as well. He wasn't...sure about that, but maybe. He decided to continue. It was going to be an apparent roller coaster on his understanding and recall.

'Inconsequential, as in unimportant, irrelevent.'

31. You are absolutely certain that you couldn't have done more tests, that you couldn't be more certain of your success, or were you just blinded by the demand to produce and the cold-hearted necessity to succeed at any cost?

'Why don't you ask the District Attorney? He seemed to know all the answers. As if.'

32. You do love that, don't you? Lording all that knowledge above everyone's head like a prince or even a god?

'Oh, please. Stick with the facts. If I were god or a prince, I wouldn't be HERE.'

33. So, you admit that you are beholden to the law.

'I did not, in fact, break any law. That was an unfortunate event, which all were warned of, prior to testing.'

34. And you feel no culpability, no responsibility, to this massacre YOU CAUSED in any way?

'Hah! You say thus, as I sit here in an orange jumpsuit, completing a test at a facility that very probably operates the same way I DO? How do they say it now? Check your privilege.'

He had to write very small for that one, but it was decidedly smirk-worthy. This was like talking to someone on the internet. No, it was more like he was actually speaking to the District Attorney. That man should be ashamed of himself. This argument would continue, and though it was making him quite angry, the fact that the 'teacher' had given him carte blanche allowed him to get about as derisive, sarcastic, and sneering as he liked in response. He, admittedly, did not know the method by which this personal test was made so personal...because it did not seem physically possible for them to have put together such a thing themselves...but he would wait to ask about that, at the end. That was what you did in class, yes?

D-CLASS

Indeed. Your real life is important.