As Samus got ready to continue the tale, Rainbow spoke up. "Hey, I just remembered something! Back when you were telling us about Aether, we wound up talking about a zombie apocalypse, and Spike asked if BSL counted. That's this mission, right?"
Samus smirked. "Yes, it is. One of the most common forms of X Parasite hostile we encountered in the Main Sector was X Parasites animating piles of protoplasmic sludge. An X would fly into the pile and infest it, causing it to rise up in a roughly humanoid shape in a state of constant decay. When we blasted it, it collapsed, releasing the X Parasite for Spike and I to absorb. The pile would then sit there until another X infested it."
"We encountered quite a few of those on our way to the next Navigation Room along our path," Spike explained. "Thankfully, that Navigation Room came with good news..."
Once Samus and Spike had fought their way through some rather simplistic X hosts, they were relieved to see that the Navigation Rooms were properly quarantined so that the X were unable to enter without the use of extreme force, which both doubted the X had access to. Samus was quick to activate the Navigation Booth to reconnect with Adam and the others. "Do you read me, Adam?" she called out.
The screen quickly lit up with Adam's face, Melissa and Gohr hard at work in the background. "Good news, Samus," Adam replied immediately. "Melissa's managed to gain access to the Main Sector Data Room, so we can send you downloadable weapons data for your suit."
"That's...good news," Samus replied noncommittally.
"In addition, Ghor's just finished reprogramming your missile launcher in a format your new suit will accept for download," Adam added. "If you make your way to the Main Sector Data Room up on the Main Deck-" The map of the Main Sector lit up, highlighting the Data Room. "-you'll be able to download it. In addition, the new program will allow you to restock missiles by absorbing a certain type of X Parasite."
"Now that is good news!" Samus replied, far more enthusiastically this time. "I've felt naked without my Missile Launcher, and Spike's drains too much of his inner energy for regular use. Good work Melissa, Ghor!"
"Just doing my part," Ghor replied readily.
"It'd help if you hurried," Melissa added urgently. "The security system of BSL is a mutating algorithm, and it's actively fighting my attempts to hack. I don't know how long I'll be able to maintain the link to systems beyond the Navigation Rooms without the proper security codes."
"We'll hurry," Spike replied readily. "Don't strain yourself too much, Melissa."
"If you can't maintain the link, leave the data in the Data Room," Samus added. "It'll wait there for the first person with clearance to download it, and with the X running rampant, the only one that's going to be is me."
"I'll do it if there's no other option," Melissa answered. "But I'm going to do my best to hold the link anyway, just in case."
"Get moving, Samus," Adam ordered firmly as communications were cut.
"So how well did that go?" Anthony asked curiously. "In my experience, plans like that tend to go wrong at the worst possible moment."
"It...kinda did?" Spike offered. "See, the Main Deck only had one elevator up to it. Getting up there went without a hitch."
"However, as we left the Data Room..." Samus continued.
As Samus and Spike left the Data Room, Samus admiring her new Missile Launcher, they heard computer systems all around them shutting down. As they were in a Navigation Room, Samus quickly activated the communications rig, grateful to see it still running. "Adam, Ghor, Melissa, do you read? The power's shutting down!"
"Electrical interference has knocked out many of the systems in the Main Deck," Melissa explained, rubbing her temple with one hand while the other raced over her keyboard. "This includes the Recharge Rooms, Log Stations, and Elevators. I don't know if this is X activity or just a coincidence. However, it doesn't look like I'll be able to reactivate them any time soon. You'd best find another way back down."
"I spotted a hatch cover that my scans showed to be vulnerable to missiles out there," Spike indicated, pointing out towards the large main chamber of the Main Deck. "It's directly above the elevator. Maybe we can make our way behind it back to the Main Sector?"
Melissa made a few quick computations as she looked at the map screen. "...that might work. That hatch leads into the ventilation ducts. Unfortunately, I can't get access to those pathways. You'll need to map it out on your own."
"Will do," Samus confirmed. "Adam, make Melissa lie down, she's pushing herself too hard. Ghor, can you take over accessing the computers?"
"Can do," Ghor replied firmly as he bodily grabbed Melissa and laid her in a Luminoth recovery chamber. "Now that she's made the telepathic connection, my more mundane hacking methods - while less efficient - won't send any alert signals to whatever Federation authority is in charge of this station."
"I'll see to it she doesn't strain herself further," Adam promised. "You both make sure you survive."
Nodding, Samus led the way out of the Navigation Room, letting Spike point the way to the hatch cover. As expected, it burst apart from a single missile impact. Further in, the passageway was blocked by a green creature that filled the pathway. Ordinary shots bounced off of it, but three missiles caused it to collapse, releasing a green X, which replenished two of Samus' missiles when absorbed.
The ventilation shafts proved to be a rather minor maze, easy for the pair to make their way through, returning to the mapped portion of the Main Sector in short order, pausing only long enough to pick up a pair of Missile Expansions Samus found scattered about.
"Where do those even come from?" Twilight asked curiously.
"They're actually just local ammunition stocks," Samus explained. "But my suit's able to absorb them for the weapon systems I have, expanded the available ammunition storage for whatever weapon system is most similar."
"Fascinating..." Twilight murmured, glancing down at the notes she'd made up of how Samus' suit worked.