Hey all! This is going to be my fresh, new take on the Halo 5 story, with some metroid seasoning thrown into the mix. Hopefully, I can tell a better story than the one we got, and if not...screw it, I'm doing it anyway.

Enjoy!

Prologue

"And turning to our top story tonight, we finally have word on the massive attack on an Office of Naval Intelligence facility based in Sydney, Australia. As we've reported several days ago, the facility came under fire from a previously unknown assailant, causing massive damage and killing staff. The damages add up in the trillions, and the lives of soldiers, scientists and reception staff who died that tragic day, are priceless. We go now to the live interview, explaining more on this tragic event."

The scene changes, now showing a press conference in an unstated area. Multiple cameras and reporters all face the small stage, on which an ONI spokesperson stands behind a podium. He taps the mic, before holding it to his lips and sighing.

"I was there, that day. It had been like any day in the office. I didn't realize it would be one of the most horrifying days of my life…"

He stops, choking up. He swallows, eyes reddened, before continuing.

"This attack was a disgusting fear tactic by the assailant. Unprovoked, unneeded. We could only watch as they wrought havoc upon us. The soldiers…the soldiers brave enough to stand up and fight bought us our lives, with their own…"

He looks directly into the camera, his face now showing resolve.

"This was an attack against humanity, not just ONI. And that is why, starting from this moment, we will begin a man hunt for this person. They need to be brought in and face justice. Because we aren't like them. We aren't cold blooded killers like they are. Like she is."

"If you're listening to this right now, then know that we are coming for you, Samus Aran."

The thick, green forest spread as far as the eye could see. The tall tree's stretched up into the sky, trying to soak in light through the layer of gray clouds. The rain trickled down into the undergrowth below, the sounds of the forest drowned out. Vines clung to branches for dear life, and the various small woodland creatures hid from the downpour. Amongst all of this deep green and brown stood out a figure of bright orange.

Samus trudged through the forest floor, being mindful not to step on any undeserving creature. She glanced up at her HUD, noting that her waypoint was growing closer. She forged ahead, the rain sliding off her smooth armor, leaving droplets on her visor. She glanced up, trying to see any light. But the sky itself was gray, leaving a grim overcast on the woodland floor. She continued moving through the forest, as silent as a ghost, for what felt like hours. The landscape blurred together, and Samus was certain that without her HUD, she would be hopelessly lost.

So deep was the green of the forest, that she almost walked into the massive obstacle in her path. Stretching well above the canopy of the trees, the massive object was clearly not natural. Vines had overtaken its form, making it appear as a massive green mountain from the outside. But Samus knew better.

Placing a hand on the mossy exterior, she wiped her hand side to side, clearing the vegetation away. What was exposed underneath was dull gray, and solid. Metal. A metal alloy she was very familiar with…

She walked around the outside of the huge object, looking for a certain section. Sure enough, she found what she was looking for. A slightly indented section, roughly the size of a doorway. She cleared the vines away, revealing a set of metal doors. A small panel lit up, with nine holographic buttons.

"Come on…" She muttered to herself, entering in five commands. More specifically, they were numbers. One-Three-Five-Seven-Six.

An automated voice played out, sounding distorted from over a hundred thousand years of no use. "Identity confirmed. Welcome aboard the G.F.S Aegis, Samus Aran."

The doors slid open, for the first time since the Halo array fired. Looking around the forest once more, Samus sighed, before walking into the large, Federation ship. The corridor inside was dark, though lights flickered on shorty after she entered. The doors slid closed behind her, preventing anyone, or anything else, from entering. She could hear the sounds of systems booting up, various devices powering on.

The noise of the rain was instantly drowned out, replaced by the low hum of the Aegis. She moved down the halls, half expecting to see Federation Troopers walk past, giving her a friendly wave. But of course, that didn't happen. The ship was still, save for Samus herself. She made her way onto the bridge, near the front of the ship. Incredibly, the glass windows were still intact. The view on the other side was rock bed, however, confirming Samus's suspicions.

The ship had crashed, it's front colliding with the earthy ground long ago. Over time, the forest had grown around it and retaken the impact point that would likely have been lush forest land. Samus moved over to a large, flat table. It made Samus smile.

"Computer, bring up status reports of the various ship sections."

The table sprung to life, a small hologram copy of the ship appearing. Incredibly, this was the same technology that her ships command table used, only on a larger scale. A robotic voice began listing off reports.

"Outer Hull; Damaged but functional. Weapon Systems; Online. Shielding; Online. Life Support; Online-"

Samus smirked. She couldn't believe her luck. A near fully functional GFS ship, just as capable if not more so than any Forerunner technology. If the UNSC were to find this, it would have been a tremendous help to their cause, and the evolution of Humanity as a whole. Of course, that was before ONI…

She immediately thought about something else, refusing to think about that. She read up on the various reports that popped up on the holotable. One in particular caught her interest. Is was a manifold for the various weapons and armor stored aboard the ship. According to the charts, a lot of GFS standard as well as more experimental equipment was aboard.

"Computer, unlock main armory bay."

There was a pause.

"Additional security clearance required. Your clearance does not grant you access to this area."

"Override. Five/zero/zero one nine"

"Override confirmed. Armory unlocked."

She turned and made her way to the armory, which was only a short distance from the bridge. If a ship was ever boarded, the armory's position gave GFS officers a change to arm themselves properly. The armory doors were huge, sliding open at her approach. The inside was even bigger, the ceiling high above her. Along the walls and on racks in the middle, were various weapons. Energy weapons that put the Forerunners to shame, as well as gadgets and gizmos more advanced than anything the UNSC or Covenant had seen before.

As well as the weapons, armor bays still housed the suits from their pervious wearers. Various designs and versions of the standard GF troopers armor, which was miles ahead of even the latest in Mjolnir. Or was, anyway…

She pressed on, ignoring the thought. She moved through the armory, the lights and shiny walls creating a very white pallet. She stood out in her orange armor, but then she was used to that. She soon reached a section of the armory that had been sealed off. Radiation warnings were plastered all over the thick, vault like door. Samus could only guess why.

The door opened with a groan, as if it didn't want her in there. She slowly stepped inside. The lights in here did not work either, or there simply weren't any. She adjusted her visor, allowing her to see clearly in the dark. After reading the radiation warnings, she'd suspected what would be inside. Now, her suspicions were confirmed.

Phazon Enhancement Devices, or PED's lined the walls, accompanied by additional weapons and armor powered by Phazon. During the end of the Phazon war, the Federation had begun experimenting with the substance, finding new ways to combat both the Forerunners, and the ever pestilent Space Pirates. Clearly this had been the holding chamber for the devices, seeing as handling Phazon without special care would lead to death, or worse.

A glow caught her attention, at the end of the chamber. At first, she thought it was a trick of the light. The dark blue glow almost appeared to be enticing her, growing more powerful the closer she got. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt like throwing up once she realized what was inside.

Sealed within numerous see through chambers, and lined with various anti-radiation precautions, was a clear canister, no bigger than Samus's arm. The canister itself was harmless, but what was inside…it was impossible. But clearly, it wasn't. Somehow surviving the destruction of Phaaze, and the firing of the Halo array, was a canister of Phazon. The blue liquid crackled, the all too familiar sound of it's lightning like noises sending chills up Samus's spine. Quickly, she turned and exited the sealed compartment, ordering the ships computer to seal it away again, and only open under her orders.

She paused. What would she do? What could she do? After finding out this ship might be here, she'd set out to find it herself. She had expected a wreck, a hollow ruin. She was surprised to find an operable ship, pleasantly so, but the discovery of Phazon changed everything.

"This place must never be found…" She murmured, making her way to the ships exit.

Stepping back out into the forest, she walked/ran for her ship, set in a clearing not too far. She reached it a lot quicker than when she left, stepping up into the platform and into her ship.

"Computer, begin take off." She ordered, moving to her command table.

She felt the ship lift off, exiting the planet's atmosphere and entering space. She brought up a hologram of the planet in question, a plethora of emotions playing on her mind.

During the wars, Norian had been at the forefront of the Human war machine. Now, it was nothing more than a forest world, just waiting to be recolonized. That is, if Samus didn't have a say about it.

"Mark as a site of a Black hole on all UNSC databases." She asked the computer. It beeped, indicating it had done as asked.

Sighing, she relaxed her body. Moving over to her pilot's chair, she fell in. Her armor vanished, exposing the slim, blonde warrior. She rubbed her eyes, having slept rough for the past several days. That would happen when you were a UNSC fugitive.

"Computer, any anomalies I should know about?"

"No additional anomalies detected in Human space."

She frowned. The recent disturbances on the edge of human space had been bothering her, but she couldn't just waltz in and save the day like she used to. She'd probably be shot on sight. That said, she hadn't given up on Humanity, not yet. She'd find a way to help those colonists, she just needed to figure out how.

"New Data; distress message on broadcast. Repeats every sixty seconds."

Samus raised a brow. A distress signal? Out here? She was just beyond the borders of human known space, her last safe haven. Well, that and Sanghelios, but she wouldn't but Thel in that predicament. At least, not again. The message on the other hand intrigued her. It had to be an outer colony, one of many Humans had since begun to reclaim since the end of the Covenant war. Which meant, if she didn't wear her armor, she might not be recognized.

"Play the message."

The voice she heard was no human, that much was clear. The language was alien, and the voices depth was far too low for a human to make naturally. Brutes then? The Brutes had virtually been wiped out by the Sangheili during their crusade, so where…

"I bare a message…from Aether."

Aether? That was impossible, she thought to herself. She'd been to Aether since her awakening, the Luminoth were dead. Long extinct from the firing of the Halo array. And yet, she decided to check anyway. Pulling up the co-ordinates, she was further surprised to find out the transmission was indeed traveling from Aether, again on the fringes of human space.

The message continued. "Luminoth A.I…detecting seismic activity…sending alert to the Galactic Federation."

"The Federation?" Samus thought. Of course, her ship was the only official Federation technology left, so the message must have been transmitted directly to her. But still, the whole situation was…odd. Why would this A.I only have contacted her now?

She thought on it further, sitting in silence. The Seismic activity described in the message was similar to other descriptions from the human colonies as well. Could it be possibly connected? Samus didn't have to think long to realize she didn't have much of a choice. Between her new found status with the UNSC, and her lack of resources, she couldn't take the chance to miss it.

With a sigh, she made up her mind. "I'm going to regret this…Computer, plot a course for the Dasha System. I'm retiring, wake me when we arrive."

"Understood." It responded, the familiar vibration of the engines powering on as the ship began to speed away from the blue and green planet close by.

She remained sitting, her mind drifting elsewhere as the screen in front of her filled with the blur of stars as they sped through space. She didn't like working alone, not anymore. She had grown accustomed to working with others, from the UNSC marines who hailed her as a hero, to individuals like Lord Hood and Captain Lasky, she once again realized just how alone she really was.

Even Adam had vanished. She had managed to escape ONI and retrieve her ship, but she only realized he wasn't onboard after she was gone. She didn't know if he'd managed to flee through the extranet, or if ONI still held him, but she couldn't go back. She just couldn't.

Of course, she could always try and contact…him. The mere thought made her blood boil. He had promised her, as she lay on that hospital bed near death that they would stand beside each other no matter what happened. He had visited her near every day, more than anyone. Then one day he simply stopped coming. No warning, no communication. It was like he too had vanished. But he didn't come back. Not when ONI abducted her right out of the Infinities hospital. Not when they ran their perverse experiments on her, or when they tore her armor apart to try and learn its secrets. He never came back.

"No, forget him." She thought sourly. "He's not worth the effort of getting mad. That said, if I ever see him again…"

She stopped her thoughts in their tracks. She refused to go down that line of thinking, no matter how much she might want too. She was no murderer, no matter what ONI and their propaganda said. She had to remind herself that.

She got out of her chair as the stars whizzed by, white blurs on an otherwise oily black canavs. She walked into her tiny excuse for a sleeping area, feeling drained. Not even bothering to remove her Zero Suit, she fell onto the small mattress. Her eyes fluttered shut as soon as she hit the pillows.

Her dreams were plagued by Phazon, Oni, and Super Soldiers.