Chapter 12

Samus and the two Luminoth took Ridley back to the Great Temple ,where U-Mos carried the space pirate to one of the small storage rooms, and gently set him down before leaving him alone in the room, locking the door behind him so Ridley couldn't try to get out.

Samus, who had followed the Luminoth, lingered for a brief moment afterward, casting the humanoid space dragon a cold glare before she too exited the room, following U-Mos back into the main room of the Great Temple. As she did so she could feel Ridley's golden yellow eyes staring daggers into her back. She chose not to give him any attention by saying a word or turning around and just continue on, allowing the door to slide shut automatically behind her, cutting off his stare.

She joined U-Mos and D-Lar who had begun to have a conversation once she and the Luminoth had entered the main room. The two Luminoth looked down at her, waiting for her to speak. They both knew she had a lot to say and felt it was time to let her do so without interruption.

The bounty hunter looked back at them, folding her arms frowning in annoyance. "What do you expect to accomplish by doing this?" she wanted to know, her attention focused completely on U-Mos. "I can promise you the only outcome you'll get is a bad one." she glanced back the way she and U-Mos had just come from. "He only cares about himself and what he can do to further his own agenda. He's going to repeat the cycle if you don't let me deal with him right now."

"Samus," U-Mos began. "you agreed allow us to deal with this situation in our own way. Don't forget that and I promise you we will if what you say proves to be the reason he pretended to be someone else when he got here but." he knelt down so he could be at her level. "You said why he escaped the Federation home world and what he did to accomplish that. When he got here he didn't come off as a threat at all. D-Lar found him unconscious and not very aggressive. I'm not denying he killed those people nor am I ignoring what he did as a space pirate and in his true form but since he's been here he's done nothing."

"He hasn't had a chance yet," Samus put in. "If he'd been here longer without anyone finding him he would have taken advantage of you, and I can assure you, he would have taken the light that illuminates your planet. Even if what you said about the space pirates not accepting him back due to the form he has is true, it doesn't mean he won't try." she folded her arms. "and he could very well convince them and they could return here to take the Light from you. Space pirates don't care about who they hurt, they only care about what they can use to further their reign of terror."

"I doubt there are enough space pirates left to be much of a problem anymore," U-Mos responded. "From the information we've gotten you were able to take out nearly all of them when Zebes blew up. If there are any left it would only be tiny pockets, is this not true?"

It was true but Samus didn't see the point in him asking that when it wasn't the point. Even if there were very few space pirates left Ridley could still get them all together and reform the entire fleet, with his leadership it wouldn't take long to reassemble the entire army. But maybe U-Mos was right and he wouldn't be able to? Maybe the form the Federation had given him would prevent it? She didn't know and neither did U-Mos, both could only guess.

So maybe she should take their advice for now, even though everything was telling her not to. Ridley was confined for now but she knew he wasn't one to remain that way. She was going to have to keep an eye on him until the Luminoth decided what they were going to do with him.

"I still believe you should let me deal with him my own way," she retorted, though she knew nothing she said was going to change her friend's mind. He'd already decided what he was going to do. She was going to just have to wait.

"It won't hurt if you keep an eye on him, though," U-Mos finally said. "That way if he does try anything that proves you right you will be there to take him out." he cocked his head slightly. "Would that be satisfactory for you for now?"

He was giving her some leeway so she chose to take it before he changed his mind, as she had already decided that before he'd spoken up. The female bounty hunter nodded, agreeable. "It will do for now."

"One more thing," she said, remembering something important before the conversation veered off to another subject. "I'm not the only person who is aware that he is here..."

Ridley sat slumped in the room U-Mos had left him in. He'd watched the luminoth and that cursed bounty hunter Samus Aran leave him alone in the room. He was sure once they'd left they'd gone to talk about him and decide what they intended to do with him. Of course Samus would stick to her belief that he would be better off dead and they should let her do it but the luminoth...

Why did they even bother saving my life? he wondered. Considering all she has told them about me, you would think they'd be happy to have me meet my end.

But that hadn't happened. They'd protected him. It didn't make sense, it was completely illogical. But U-Mos had had an excuse for it, even if it was rather pathetic. Did the luminoth really think those things? If he did he was rather naive.

But still, he looked back toward the door. he didn't have to do that, yet he did it anyway...

Blasted good creatures and their morals. Did he really believe what he'd said about him? That Ridley wouldn't be able to return to the space pirates and if he did that they would reject him because of the form he now was imprisoned in? What if he believed that because it really was true? What if he really couldn't return to them? What if they didn't believe he was who he said he was and killed him?

If it is true, I'm better off dead anyway, he thought. He raised his hands to look at them. Delicate human skin, five long fingers with sharp nails, small pathetic and weak. He curled his hands into fists and swore. Now he did wish Samus had killed him because then he wouldn't be sitting there coming to the realization that that Luminoth was absolutely right.

Had he really expected the space pirates to accept his word that he was indeed Ridley? How would he have even proven it? Pirates were not known for asking questions before firing at anything that got too close to their bases.

He swore again, uncurling his fists and staring at the bloody wounds he'd made on them with his nails. He stared at the dark red liquid seeping out of the punctures as if he'd never seen blood before. So red, it was repulsive. He could pick up the the rotten metallic smell coming from it.

Disgusting.

Disgusting! He let out a yell, slamming his fists onto the ground. Pain shot through his hands, wrists, and arms, fueling his anger. He grabbed his sides, further tearing at the tattered and bloody federation uniform he was still wearing.

He hated this thing, hated the entire federation, hated Samus, hated metroids, hated the entire universe and his cursed existence. Why did it always feel like everything was working against him? Could he just not have something good happen for once?

He gritted his teeth in anger, growling. I should have killed that woman the moment I set my eyes on her when she was a toddler! Oh, how things would have been different! I would have been ruling this universe, would have had the upper hand, would not be trapped in this disgusting human body, sitting here on Aethor, waiting for that bounty hunter and her giant moth friends to decide what is going to happen to me!

"Son of a-"

He stopped in mid swear when he noticed the door had opened and the very hunter he'd been thinking about stepped into the room. He shot her a sneer. "Here to finish the job?"

Samus stopped, taking a moment to look him over. A pale. purple skinned humanoid in a tattered and blood stained federation uniform. He looked like less of a threat and more of a pitiful failure than anything right then, even considering the wings closely tucked against his back. It was pretty pathetic.

Ridley noticed her staring and smiled bitterly. "I'm a sight, aren't I?" he asked her. "The great and terrible Ridley, commander of the space pirates, reduced to a pathetic human being in a federation uniform. How ironic, wouldn't you say?" hey flopped back against the wall, his wings lightly scraping against the stone wall. "and now you're here, back from your meeting with the luminoth to put me out of my misery, am I right?"

"No."

The former space pirate's eyes widened in shock. "No?" he frowned.

"U-Mos decided that killing you wouldn't be wise thing to do," she responded, her tone only slightly giving away her true feelings. "He believes what he said earlier, that you have no ill intentions toward Aether or anyone for that matter." she folded her arms. "and of course, you can't go back to the space pirates anyway, so what exactly can you do?"

Ridley looked away, the fact hitting him once more. "What exactly, indeed..." he rested his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. "I've lost everything. All my power, my home planet, even my life and look at me now? Sitting here talking to my worst enemy, waiting for her to just end me already so I can go back to hell."

He opened his eyes and looked back at her. "And what is stopping you?" he inquired. "The decision of a Luminoth who knows next to nothing about me. You should just do it anyway. If he asks why just tell him I attacked you and it was self defense."

She stared him down. "What is preventing you from giving me that excuse?" she wanted to know. "Seeing as you're always the one to start our battles."

The space pirate looked up at her, but remained seated. "I am tired," he told her. "I don't feel like doing anything."

She was having a hard time believing that and he could tell. She probably was thinking he was only pretending so she would drop her guard and he would attack her and try to flee. But why would he bother? Where did she expect him to go? Right where he was at that moment was the best place he could be.

I just wish she would do what she came here to do and put me out of my misery already.

"Why?"

He frowned, his attention returning to her. "Why what?"

"Why did the federation bring you back?" she answered him. "What did they hope to accomplish by bringing you back to life?"

"They didn't tell you?" he asked her. No, they wouldn't, he doubted she was even supposed to know about him. "They wanted me to tell them where the rest of the Spare Pirates are located so they could destroy them." he sighed, running a hand through his grey feather like hair. "It would be best if they left them alone."

"Why is that?" she demanded of him.

His yellow eyes locked with her blue ones. "Because without a leader they're all basically worthless anyway," he told her. "I mean, considering the fact all their commanders are dead, all the metroids are dead thanks to you, Zebes has been blown up, Mother Brain's gone and as for me." he raised his arms and let her get a good look at his body. "as the Luminoth said, do you really think they would want to take orders from someone who looks like this?" he laughed bitterly. "If I even tried to regain control of them they would just kill me, as they would not believe I am who I claim to be."

Ridley dropped his arms and flopped back against the wall, looking defeated. "So the best they could do is forget about them and let you kill me, because I am better off dead than alive."

Samus said nothing, simply silently standing there like a stone cold statue, leaving Ridley to, like in nearly all of their encounters, be unable to figure out what she was thinking. She obviously had to be processing what he'd told her , but he had no way of knowing that. He wished she'd just say or do something, as it would help him feel a little better at least.

"So they want you to tell them where the rest of the space pirates are," she said after a moment. "That can't be the only reason. They could have hired me to do that for them. There must be something else they did it for."

He looked away from her. He knew the other reason but he wasn't willingly to tell her what it was. It made no sense to Ridley himself considering being killed by Samus on Zebes would have and should have been the the end of the matter. Was the federation that-

The former space pirate groaned, pain suddenly erupting in his head. He grabbed it, making what sounded like a mixture of a scream and a hiss, and crumbled to the ground in a ball of agony.

Samus stayed where she was, watching his writhing in pain, unable to grasp what she was seeing. What was wrong with him? She backed up a little, changing her charge beam setting to plasma. Was his body about to burst out into another grotesque surprise like his wings? Was he slowly turning back into his dragon form? Was that why he kept on doing these things?

But fortunately this bout of pain produced no further body horror, as it slowly faded away and Ridley, still on the ground, turned his face away from her to throw up on the floor. Then he went still, crouching on the cold floor, covered in sweat and panting heavily. From where the bounty hunter stood she could make out a look of utter exhaustion on his pale face.

"I bet this gives you great satisfaction," he finally said, still breathing heavily. "Your worst enemy reduced to such a state."

The bounty hunter didn't respond.

"Answer me!" he snapped, turning back to her. "You're enjoying this! It makes you feel powerful, doesn't it? This is exactly what you have wished for. "

Still she did not dignify him with an answer.

"Fine then," he pushed himself up off the floor shakily. "Be like that. "

"What exactly do you want me to say?" she finally asked. "Why do I need to? You know my feelings regarding you. I don't pity you, Ridley. These things that you are going through are exactly what you deserve. After everything you have done, I consider this nothing more than justice."

"Justice?!" he hissed. "Like you would know about any such thing." he looked at her, sneering. "especially considering what you yourself have done."

"I have done nothing," she responded to him. "except ensure you and your ilk do not succeed in your plans for the universe."

"Even going as far as destroying all the metroids and dooming an entire planet."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she snapped.

Now he grinned at her, a sinister smile that showed off his sharp needle like teeth. "You'll find out."

Now Samus did respond, rushing across the room and grabbing him by the neck to slam him against the wall. "Tell me!" she demanded.

He merely laughed in her face, giving away nothing. Samus, her face obscured by her helmet, gritted her teeth in anger, as a creeping dread began to sneak up on her. He had been there when she'd exterminated all the metroid on SR388, had witnessed her taking the last infant onto her ship. What if he's seen something happen after she'd left the planet? What if he...

She swore, releasing him and allowing him to fall to the floor. He stayed there, looking up at her and grinning, his yellow eyes flaring. "Finally figured it out, I see."

The bounty hunter swore again, backing up from him. He couldn't be telling the truth. She couldn't have messed up, she couldn't have doomed a planet. She couldn't have-

No, he was lying, he had to be. She decided to just accept that for now and after this whole thing was over then she would go and see for herself if what he was trying to convince her of was true.

"Ridley," she began to say but was cut off.

"Of course you don't have to believe me," he said folding his arms and pulling his legs up to his chest as he sat there. "It's not like it's going to make any difference now."

No, it wasn't. She realized she wasn't getting anywhere talking to her old foe. This was all a waste of time. She wondered how long it was going to take before the others looking for him finally figured out where he was and came to collect him now that she hadn't been able to take him out.

However, before anymore words passed between them, the two suddenly became aware of a loud noise coming from somewhere else in the temple. Ridley looked at Samus, frowning. "Were you expecting visitors?"

A/N

I don't know where I'm going with this anymore. I'm going to have to put this story on hiatus until I can figure out how I plan to end it. For those of you reading it I'm really sorry. I'll try to update as soon as I get inspiration again but I'm currently out of it. If you have suggestions it would be greatly appreciated. Just one thing. Ridley's not going to turn back into his dragon body. His current body is just... adjusting itself is all.