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.
LAMPSHADES! GET YOUR LAMPSHADES HERE!
You know, that's actually rather clever. Since we've never been given a clear answer as to how so much of Samus' technology is able to interface, your explanation does a good job of describing it.
Aether, Byrro, Elysia, Zebes, and Tallon IV all had explanations that made tentative sense. Three of those were at one point centers for Chozo civilizations, while the other two were races that had been in contact with the Chozo.
What I've found odd in Metroid has always been doors. Why do beams open them? That's one of the things that was explained pretty well in Metroid Prime. However, there's two questions I have about doors that has never been answered:
If the Federation uses guns with ammo instead of pulse beams, how in the hell do they open doors that need to be shot? And why in the hell would they even reverse-engineer a door that has such a glaring weakness?
I guess that's just more examples of the logic holes that we never really notice in games and movies. That is, until we apply real-world logic and physics to them of course.
Even so, they're still fun to both play and watch.
7199607
Energy shield doors use security codes to open, codes Samus doesn't have. However, disrupting the shield with the right energy type causes the door to open automatically in order to preserve integrity against other possible damage sources.
...my explanation anyway.
7199697 Works for me!
7199697
That works. I only have that question because I question the logic of the Federation reverse-engineering door technology without figuring out the why first.
At least the doors make some sense. What I've never been able to figure out is why the Space Pirates had a door lock on their frigate over Tallon IV that could be unlocked by the Morph Ball. Come to think of it, they also use Bomb slots for power as well at times. That's two things that they use that Samus is able to get around. I know it's all Chozo tech, but you would think that they'd have learned after the first few times she kicked their carapaces above their ears.
Then again, if the bad guys actually learned anything- in stories or real life -then they'd stop being bad guys.
7199768
Bomb slots are back up power sources designed to use explosive energy to activate systems in case the primary system shuts down and the controls aren't working. It just so happens Samus has a system to use it to hack controls.
7199768
I would think in the case of the morph ball thing...
maybe the Space pirates have some sort of tech that functions like the morph ball.
Like a key... a giant ball like key that can spin and generate the equivalent of a morph bomb... maybe it is a type of UAV,
and the fact that Samus can use that tech manned is completely unheard of.
...Yeah drone balls...
7199845
7199867
7199768
I was reading a fic on another site the other day, and the characters ran into a riddle door... one where you have to insert the item which answers the riddle into the slot. Two of them try to figure out the riddle, the third just says "One moment" and goes rummaging in her pack.
"So you know the answer?"
"Yes. Structural weakness."
And then she drops an armed grenade in the slot.
Ah yes, those guys.
Weakest enemies in the game, single Power Beam shot, dead.
Excellent!
Right, since this is technically not authorized...
You make an excellent point.
AFTER that however.
Smart woman.
Neato.
Ah the nostalgia of picking up those missiles packs, including the health pack hidden in that passage right before Arachnus-X.
Twilight, I was going to say that!
Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
It'd help if you hurries
1. Hurry/Hurried. I think it might be the latter.
7199904
Okay
stop everything
I want to know the site and the story you just previewed ...
for scientific purposes
7199904 Would you be willing to send me the link to whatever story that is? It sounds like something I'd enjoy reading.
im gunna call this now Twi is gunna attempt to make a chozo suit of her own
They certainly have a very good support team for this mission.
Makes sense.
Random theory/hope, Twilight Sparkle the magical engineer has plans for magical augmentations to Samus and Spike's suits, or maybe even magical equivalents for use by native Equestrians.
7199867 There are scan logs in Metroid Prime of the space pirates trying to replicate the morph ball, and failing hard at it.
7199904 link? Don't worry if it's a part of some... other group, I've been around the internet enough to be immune to many of those things.
7200379
Those logs were hilarious
And on the idea of Twilight recreating Chozo Hunter suits... that same log is a good reason why not.
I did enjoy Third Derivative's headcanon that the Morph Ball transforms the occupant into a pure energy state and is actually intended mainly for meditation purposes...
7200604 Prime actually shows how she fits in the morph ball in those games at least. She literally just curls up and the plates form, while the energy is likely electromagnetic energy holding and rotating the plates to provide motion. That would also explain the spider-ball: Just overcharge the electromagnets, and fire it in heavy directional pulse bursts to jump with it. The size discrepancy is a bit higher in other Metroid games, though. As for why there's a morph ball PERIOD? Well, frankly I have no idea. Best guess is that it's a feature to mitigate how bulky the suit can get and allow Samus to minimize her profile while maintaining mobility to allow for repositioning in firefights, or, the way she uses it, maintaining speed and mobility when she would otherwise have to crawl in that bulky-ass tin can, and likely get stuck or wedged in somewhere.
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Nah, she's just that flexible.
7199904 Inform us of this fic, it sounds highly entertaining.
7199607 ............... I can't think of a single instance of anyone else ever using a beam door in the Metroid universe. Ridley just flies through the walls, as does the Super Metroid. Ghor used a non-interactable door in Skytown. Dark Samus just Particle Effects through them. Everyone else just despawns when they're off camera.
Wait, ONE: the SA-X. And also using beams--- or straight blowing the fucking doors apart.
7202728
Yeah, they don't, but I was wondering how they would have to if they needed to.
7200604
Ah, the Metroid Prime Space Pirate logs. Yes, they were amusing.
What was confusing is how the Space Pirates identified Metroid Prime as being genetically similar to Metroids. They cleared that up when they did the Trilogy for the Wii, since Metroid Prime was in fact a parasite that had fused with the Leviathan core.
They changed some of the Space Pirate ones to reflect that change. Also, they made it seem as though the Chozo on Tallon IV learning to see the future was unnatural; that was actually amusing, seeing them write in such a confused manner.
I'm guessing that as soon as Fluttershy is reminded of the adorable alien animals she'll go visit the Etecoons and Dachora after squeeing in delight.
7199904 Ah, the bolshevik muppet solution.
7205530
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7199904 Seriously man, we want to know what the story's called!
Woohoo Zombies