Chapter 1: Samus's Story

Disclaimer: I do not own Metroid or Halo, though I do own all OC's and original content, and I do take credit for the plot.

AN: The only knowledge I have of Metroid is from Super Metroid, so please don't be annoyed with me for missing out on any Metroid canon. Also please take note that I will, more or less, ignore the events that occurred with the X parasite in the Metroid series, for the sake of plot development.

The Galactic Federation would send me on a recon mission when the Space Pirates are still at large, typical. Samus thought. She knew it was a lie, though. The Space Pirates would forever be a threat to the galaxy, but after the destruction of Mother Brain, the Metroid species, and the X Parasite, the Space Pirates activity had quieted down. All was quiet, but something in the back of her head told her that something big was going to happen. Samus was the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy, with her abilities far surpassing that of any human, and Chozo-based technology backing her up.

Unfortunately, her rise to greatness was a sad one, wrought with horrors that no other person should ever face. At a tender young age, she had been living on the Earth colony K-2L. All was peaceful, her mother being a medicinal expert, and her father being in the space navy. It had been her birthday, that one horrible night. Samus blinked away a tear as she remembered it, every horrifying second of that day. Happy birthday Samus! Blow out the candles and make a wish! 'Yay!' an innocent Samus laughed as her first attempt to blow out the candles failed. As she tried again, a horrifying screech shook the rafters of their simplistic home, and the cake fell off the table. Tears clung to her face as a giant… space dragon? Space dragon ripped off the roof. Two yellow eyes, pupils barely visible, looked upon them with malice. 'Heheh, the defenses of this planet are pitiful, as are its inhabitants.' The dragon, Ridley, as Samus learned later, spat out the last word as if it were a curse.
'I-I don't know what you want, but we can still be friends, Mister. You can have some cake too,' the small child slowly walked towards the thing. Its eyes narrowed. Ridley's troops behind him were laughing at the sight of a child unafraid of their leader.
'How dare you insult me with your petty friendship!' he roared. A spear-like tale tensed, and shot forward, at Samus! 'Die!'
She clung to the table in horror as her mother jumped in the way, taking the blow. She fell to the floor, blood pooling from a gaping puncture wound. Samus's mother's eyes lay open, lifeless, cold. Maniacal laughter rang out as Ridley flew away, along with his- "Energy signature located, Miss Samus," the ship's onboard AI, Adam, said.

"Yes, thank you Adam, plot a course immediately," Samus replied, with a sigh.

"Right away, Lady," Adam said curtly, if that were possible for an AI, but then Samus remembered. Looking at some old files, which were supposedly made by humans over 2 thousand years ago, she found something about a 'smart AI'. These supposedly were AI that had a personality, like a human. They had an approximate 7 year life-span before they literally thought themselves to death, reveling in the depths of a human mind. Samus found this idea rather interesting, and gave Adam a personality much like the smart AI, except she found a way to keep Adam from 'dieing'. She remembered the countless hours of tedious work and programming. Adam's personality was based off of her old squad captain, Adam Malkovich, who seemed to be the only man that treated her on an equal level. He had a habit of calling her 'Lady,' and after any order he gave out, he would always ask 'Any objections, Lady?' It was an attempt to gain her trust, and it flattered her.

'Alright, we're here on a scouting mission, no more. I don't want any firefights, and stay low. Kreatz, Mauk, you two are on the south side. The Lady is with me.' Adam Malkovich said. They were on an unknown planet, investigating rumors of a Space Pirate base being built there. After Kreatz and Mauk left, Adam turned to Samus, and asked, 'Any objections, Lady?'

Normally Samus would've replied with either 'Yes sir,' or 'No,' but this time was different. 'Why do you always call me that?' she asked.

'Call you what, Lady?'

'Yes that! Why do you always call me Lady?' Samus felt like a little girl, nagging at her friend or parent for something.

Adam flashed a rare smile at her, 'Is there any reason not to? You and I both know why I do.' Samus paused for a second, and then nodded. She knew why he called her that. 'Now, I believe we should get started on this mission. Any objections, Lady?'

"Thinking to yourself Lady? You truly are sad," Unfortunately, the ship AI received too much of Adam's sarcasm and humor.

"Yeah, that coming from the AI that could easily be discontinued, and recycled," Samus replied bitterly. The Galactic Federation had been giving her recon missions of all things; it was completely embarrassing for someone of her standard. Still, it wasn't the only reason for her miscontent. She would rather be hunting Space Pirates than investigating some ancient energy signal. Why did they send her, anyway? The GF had plenty of recon ships, why send their top bounty hunter?

"Ouch, that was harsh Samus. Oh, and you do realize that your only proving my point?" Adam said, his hologram flickering into view, "Not that you'd care, since you are so above anything but a mission that spells certain death, we've reached our destination," he said, smirking. "Personally, I think you should be grateful, not having some impossible suicide mission for once."

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Samus said, rolling her eyes. She touched a symbol on her Zero-Suit and her Varia suit formed around her. At first, Samus hated the Zero-Suit. It fit her rather, for lack of a better word, snugly, and men couldn't seem to stop themselves from staring. Eventually she stopped cracking the skulls of these particular men, for Fleet Admiral Castor Dane had to remind her on for than one occasion that the GF needed those men in top shape to defend planets from the Space Pirates. Years of fighting Space Pirates, monsters, parasites, Metroids, and horrors that no person should ever face had hardened Samus into a cold, solitary person, whose last prerogative was to socialize. Few people had ever faced the melancholy, pain, and suffering that she had.

"Lost in your thoughts again, Samus? I really need to find you a friend," said a smirking Adam, arms crossed.

"And who says that I can't make my own friends?" Samus challenged.

"Nobody, miss 'Shoot first, ask never'." Adam replied, arms still crossed.

"Fine, we'll finish this discussion later. For now let me focus on the mission,"

"Oh my, the great Samus Aran is eager for recon duty? The universe has got to be at an end!" sarcasm lined each word of Adam's statement.

"Ah shut up, Adam," Samus muttered under her breath, "you don't know what it's like to be me, nobody does." Samus's Hunter class ship stopped near a small debris field. Floating bits of metal hung, broken ships, and meteorites hung around. A planet, with surprisingly inhabitable conditions, rested in the background, illuminating the eerie scene. A huge asteroid with high metal content floated aimlessly in the field. "I wonder what it was that the GF wanted me to investigate," Samus muttered. There were no visible signs of anything that could possibly give of an energy signature. Just as she was about to call Adam, to get another reading to see if they were in the right area, the huge 'asteroid' turned around, revealing an empty cavity inside it. There were multiple layers that she could see, almost as if it was a ship that was split in half. She could even see what must have been a docking area, mess hall, and… oh. It was a ship.

Samus was extremely grateful that Adam couldn't read minds. If he'd seen that, she would never be able live it down. Though she would never admit it to him, Adam had become a best friend, a kind of older brother to Samus. She came to love him in that regard, much the same way she felt about Amy, her one true childhood friend, at least, the way she did before Ridley and the Space Pirates attacked. A small tear rolled down her cheek as she thought about her old home and life. Samus shook her head and steeled herself. Personal attachments and a conscience were only obstacles to overcome on the battlefield. Samus followed this maxim well, and it practically earned her the reputation of a cold, hard, antisocial bounty hunter. Adam landed the ship inside what would have been the hangar, and Samus jumped out. Landing lightly on her feet, she started walking down the hall. As she walked small clanking sounds echoed through the ship. It was a little ominous, like an old horror film, but Samus had been through worse. This definitely couldn't compare to the tight suspense that had gripped her heart as she faced Phantoon, one of Ridley's higher-ups.

She shivered at the memory of the ghost-like creature that had haunted an abandoned GF ship. He was a near impossible opponent to defeat, with his only weakness being his eye, and even when he did show it he was incredibly difficult to hit. Darkness surrounded her as she advanced down the corridor, only to be dispelled by the feeble light that the Varia suit emitted. Arm cannon at the ready, she walked into a small room. Primitive projectile weapons littered the floor. Maybe I can sell these at a museum. Samus thought to herself. As of late, she was a little low on cash. The cost of repairing her Varia suit after her latest fight with Ridley had been monumental, and it also left Samus in the position of having to take on any job she could get. Ridley was extremely hard to kill, and his recent transformation into Meta-Ridley didn't make the deed any easier. No matter how many times she defeats him, something happens before she can deliver the final blow. Sometimes, it really sucked being the only bounty hunter who could survive these missions.

All of these thoughts disappeared, however, as her eyes fell upon an old cryo-pod. The use of these were discontinued, for the most part, as it was not necessary for use anymore, and on more than one occasion they were used for more, exotic purposes by the common people. Wiping away a layer of fog, Samus was more than shocked to find a green exoskeleton lying in the tube. The armor was not unlike Samus's, but primitive all the same. It would sell for quite a bit at a museum, but she would have to dispose of the cryo-pod first. Perhaps today is my lucky day, she thought. Looking at the helmet, she saw an orange visor. The menacing air that surrounded this thing was… interesting. It was not like the evil, pure intent to kill, like Ridley's, but rather, more misunderstood, like a dark hero that nobody saw in the same light as the story heroes of old. She had met people many people like this, one of whom was herself. They were not bad people at all, but were cold soldiers. Almost like ghosts. They were so cold in every decision they made on the battlefield, so emotionless, almost like they weren't human. So this is how people feel when they see me, she mused. It's no wonder why I never get any fan mail. She laughed silently at the joke as she stepped back, to get a better look at the structure. As she backed up, her hand brushed against an old button, which in turn, must've turned on what power was left in the ship, for all of the lights flashed on, which blinded Samus for a moment. A purple hologram, the image of a young woman in her mid 30's, appeared from a data terminal. An AI, Samus thought.

The AI turned around to see Samus, and held an expression of mild shock. The purple streams of data that flew across her form turned green, and then red. "Unknown hostile, it's time to wake up, Chief," she said in a scarily human tone. The only other AI that she knew of who had a human personality was Adam. A smart AI, here? She thought at first. Adam was the only smart AI that had been issued out by the GF as far as she knew, but then she realized something much more importand. Wait… hostile? Chief? Samus looked back at the cryo-tube, and then to the AI.

"No! You've got the wrong idea, I'm not a hostile!" Samus shouted. Mind racing, she tried to think of ways to negotiate while at the same time, tried to figure out which suit functions and weapons would be most effective, should there be a fight. The AI was about to reply when the cryotube opened. Mist poured out of the pod as it opened. The green exoskeleton rose, and looked around cooly, checking its surroundings. It seemed to be checking its armor and body functions. Before Samus could do anything, it pulled out a small firearm, and cocked it at Samus.

"So," the thing spoke. Its voice was robotic, inhuman. "What did I miss?"