Post by Bixir on Apr 8, 2023 20:25:59 GMT
"In the vast universe, the history of humanity is but a flash of light from a lone star. The life of a single person should be lost in space and time. But among the stars, there is one light that burns brighter than all others. The light of Samus Aran. Her battles extend beyond her life, and etch themselves into history."
General Information
Name:
Samus Aran.
Alias:
N/A.
Age:
Thirty-four human years.
Origin Game:
Metroid (1986)
Homeland:
The Warzone.
Faction:
Gender:
Female.
History
Child of Destiny
The childhood of Samus Aran was a fleeting, fatal thing. She was born on the far-flung human colony of K-2L. The valley in which it was settled, while remote and of little importance to the grand scheme of things, held particular value for its mining of Afloraltite, a rare substance used in ignition modules for starships. Through agreements with Overwatch and affiliated peacekeeping organizations, this precious resource was mandated to the caravans that facilitated the distribution of key resources throughout the Warzone. All the same, K-2L's mines attracted all kinds of visitors, not the least of which were the estranged Chozo race, a curious and ancient civilization of bird-like sapients, and among the most wise and advanced races beyond Amalgamos itself. When Samus was but three years old, she encountered one such Chozo, an elder who introduced himself as Old Bird. The two hit it off immediately, the bright-eyed little girl quickly taking to his many tales of the stars beyond her home. As a parting gift, Old Bird allowed Samus to adopt his small furry companion, Pyonchi, a mischievous cross between a rabbit and a squirrel. Old Bird wished Samus and her family well, for all the good it would ultimately do the people of K-2L.
Just as K-2L was an attraction for enterprising spacefarers, so too was it a target for the cosmically cruel. The colony quickly fell under the attention of creatures that Samus had never seen before. No one in her home, save perhaps for Old Bird, who met their arrival with panic and horror. For all the innocence Samus had, from her own optimism towards the wider world and the lessons Old Bird had left with her, it was folly before these things. They were nothing less than monsters, a garish array of demonic beasts and many-limbed aliens that strew green lightning from their fingers. The worst of them was nothing at all like them: an enormous, purple pterodactyl-like monster, somehow more "normal" than what it commanded... and far more cruel. When a baby Samus approached this leader of the inexplicable attack, with the same intentions of friendship that she had met Old Bird with, her mother seized on the moment to move her daughter to safety. While she succeeded, she did so at her own demise, and to the monster's humor. In that same stroke, though Samus was not aware of it at the time, Samus' father performed a similar sacrifice to decouple the enemy presence, preventing the invaders from absconding with what they had come to pillage. In a cacophony of cosmic tempest and green lightning consuming the air and sky, all of them were gone, least of all that giant, purple abomination. However, that mercy mattered little to a traumatized little girl who had lost both of her parents in the same day, not to mention every other resident of K-2L. Samus, was alone.
As fate would have it, Old Bird had rushed back to K-2L as quickly as he could, though not quickly enough. While there was nothing he could do for what these aliens - the names of which he dared not speak - had taken from Samus, he could give her the next best thing: a chance at another life. He took her in, taking her away from Amalgamos itself and all the way to Zebes, their homeworld, far, far away from the only place she had ever called home. There. he and the rest of the Chozo did their best to raise Samus as one of their own. During these years, Samus was under the close observation of Mother Brain, the Chozo AI presiding over Zebes and her creators. She was a cold, cruel machine, who often did more harm for Samus than good, though she was still Samus' caretaker throughout these times, and the one who went on to develop her Power Suit at that. Samus hardly saw eye to eye with Mother Brain, let alone trusted her, but by the time Samus left Zebes there was a certain intrinsic bond between the two of them. Before Samus left, Mother Brain promised her that when she returned, she would see Zebes and the Chozo for what it truly was.
Woman of War
Chosen of the Chozo
When Samus’ spaceship exited the wormhole to their destination, she did not find Zebes. She did not find much of a planet at all. It was a cosmic landscape splintered apart, like something out of a fever dream. Physics seemed to break down at the macro- and micro-scale. The flora and fauna were completely unrecognizable from when Samus had visited Zebes, defying what ought to be. Needless to say, Samus quickly crashed, and was just as quickly received by a simulacrum of Old Bird. It explained to Samus two things: first, issuing an apology for hiding so much from her, and that more secrets were likely to emerge after this exchange had ended. Zebes was not quite a planet as it was understood by most. Rather, it was a nexus point to a great many places. It had borne another name long ago, which had been suppressed by Old Bird, Grey Voice, and the rest of Chozo leadership, for reasons that were too complicated to explain in the time that they had. Then, and now, it was a place called “Xen, the Borderworld”. What mattered was that that time had passed, and protocols had been put in place to restore that connection to what Old Bird somberly declared as “The Combine”.
The second explanation was that the Chozo had often acted as self-appointed vigils of the universe, from Amalgamos to the deep reaches of the Nebula and further still. They often acted independent of any authorities for their perception of a greater good. With the hubris of good intentions, the Chozo had genetically engineered a dangerous biological weapon in a misguided attempt to pacify the universe of "greater evil" in order to usher in a new era of peace: Metroids, terrifying parasites that left their victims bereft of the energy necessary to sustain life. Samus knew at once that this was what the alien invaders, this “Combine” were after. If they were able to weaponize Metroids for their own schemes, the universe was doomed.
Not long after, Samus was ambushed by a familiar purple menace. Even now, it towered over her Power Suit. Still reeling from the revelation that her caretakers had propagated the potential genocide of the cosmos, the young woman suffered a severe traumatic break as she was forced to relive the repressed memory of her first encounter with this thing. He nearly killed Samus, though at the behest of Mother Brain, allowed her to live for the enigmatic plans of the Chozo AI. When Samus next awoke, she learned that Grey Voice and Mother Brain had sided with the purple monster, “Ridley”, who was ostensibly an enforcer for the Combine. The AI had seemingly bought into the ideology that the hologram of Old Bird had espoused earlier: committing genocide across the stars in the name of pragmatic peace. Mother Brain urged Samus to join them, and take her rightful place alongside Ridley as the AI's lieutenants. While aghast at what was becoming of the few remaining specks of light in her life, Samus remained resilient, refusing to give in to the mad intelligence's demands. Most of the Chozo had refused to go along with Grey Voice's madness, and helped Samus come to terms with her posttraumatic stress. She was the only hope for the Chozo race... for all organic life. She couldn't lose hope of the dream that she had had ever since she was a little girl: a protector of the universe. Just as Old Bird had told her then. If only he was here…
After being released from her restraints by one final act of kindness from the dwindling Chozo, Samus set out for Mother Brain directly. By the time she had finished carving a path through the alien hardes, however, she had received an inexplicable vision, sent by Grey Voice himself. Moments before, she had begun to sense something terrible, which she later learned to be a genetic bond with Grey Voice himself. He explained, in his fleeting moments, that Samus' frail human DNA had been spliced with a sample of Chozo DNA, which had allowed her to achieve the physical and mental acumen that had made her into a self-proclaimed protector of the universe. It only dawned her now that Grey Voice had volunteered his DNA to help Samus become who she was today. He had experienced a change of heart, which was why she found his fresh corps in Mother Brain's chamber when she had arrived, failing to atone for his mistakes. While Samus was too late to save her second father figure, she was more than ready to take on Ridley. The ensuing battle is a blur to Samus. Some of it is enveloped in red, the woman at times too overcome with rage at everything that this thing and what it had represented had done to her throughout her life, and so many that she cared for. Some of it was consumed by adrenaline, only the Chozo genes running through her keeping her from collapsing. More than anything, however, battling a creature like this, in a place like this, no longer the Zebes she had known, certainly impacted Samus’ perception of things. It was an alien combat in an even more alien place. The one certainty burned into her memory was seeing that last missile detonate in Ridley's maw, and seeing naught but scraps of its flesh in the aftermath. For reasons that eluded her, Ridley's death triggered the end of the Resonance Cascade. As the eldritch green energy arced out of existence, the Combine’s hordes left with them, leaving Zebes’ new form as the serene tomb that it now was. But where was Old Bird? Where was Mother Brain? She wouldn’t get those answers today. At the very least, Samus' home was safe... but was it really her home?
Requiem for Mother Brain
Drive:
Being a bounty hunter, one would not think that Samus has a long-term agenda or mission statement that she is striving for. Even morally righteous bounty hunters like her are, after all, mercenaries, eliminating targets for a premium fee. Such work does not mesh well with a sense of long-term ethics and ambitions. However, Samus’ principles and goals are couched within that very work. While she may not have a specific goal or objective in mind, she strives to do everything within her power to make the universe a safer place. The fact that she is paid for her services is merely a part of the fact that this is her career; a girl’s gotta eat… with that said, Samus’ mistakes and enemies continue to elude her, and should she ever realize the cyclical nature of these things, she will set herself upon them with the same righteous fury that had made her into who she is today.
Visuals
Image:
Visual Appearance:
Samus has the appearance of a human, from her long, flowing ponytail to her stunning blue eyes, to her narrow frame, even down to the color of her blood. At the same time, she is clearly not an ordinary human. She stands six feet and three inches tall and weighs one-hundred and ninety-eight pounds, and while it is not impossible for a human woman her age to have those proportions, the grace and power with which her body is built is. It quickly becomes apparent that Samus is not a full human, but rather something more. The Chozo DNA coursing through Samus’ veins significantly improved her growth, and it shows, particularly now that she is a fully grown woman. Her muscles are more developed than is physically possible for any human, and surpasses that of many aliens… and that’s without getting into her equipment.
Clothing/Armor:
Samus’ wardrobe is as varied as her armory and skill set, and that’s not merely because of her unique career. She has visited every sector in Amalgamos, including the Nebula. These experiences have cultivated a diverse sense of fashion that informs her appearance wherever she goes. Dress-downs, tunics, fitness wear, ornate suits of armor, ceremonial gowns, and other outfits are featured in Samus’ clothing. She makes a point of dressing to fit in, unless a contract explicitly requires that she make a scene in that way… those contracts need to be well-warranted, however. Each of Samus’ iterations include her signature, a lightning bolt coursing through a sphere; the symbol of the Chozo.
With that said, Samus’ most common choice of attire is a simulacra of her Zero Suit, digistructed onto Samus' person from a military jacket mimicking the Zero Suit's style and fabric through a mental command, and can be removed in a similar fashion. Samus completes this outfit with a white tanktop, slim-fitting slacks and knee-high combat boots. The distinguishing sigil of the Chozo is emblazoned on the jacket's left breast section (and in the same place on the suit itself), back, and hand. Like with most of Samus’ other outfits, interfacing with any of these symbols can transform into her Zero Suit and subsequent armors.
Personality
As a human, Samus is someone of incredible compassion. While she grew up with virtually no principles of kindness or generosity ingrained into her by her guardians in her formative years, Samus naturally harbored a sense of empathy and sincerity towards others that goes beyond what little nurturing she received from the likes of Mother Brain or even Grey Voice. Though Samus had her birth parents, she only knew them for a handful of years, most of which were fractured by the traumatic stress that Ridley's attack on her colony inflicted on Samus' psyche. She is friendly and open-minded on first impressions, albeit under a thick veneer of cold professionalism and several layers of Chozo armor that she will lower for few - if any - people. While mostly a loner, Samus is a social animal like any other intelligent life form, and isn't a complete dullard as to shut everyone out; merely make herself challenging to approach for the company she does not desire to keep. Social distance aside, it is unclear how (or why) Samus has managed to maintain such an optimistic outlook on the universe given everything that she has gone through, let alone destroyed throughout her career as a bounty hunter. The one constant in Samus' life, however, is her unyielding determination towards visiting justice upon the guilty, as well as protecting anyone and everyone from the dreams that they have every right to pursue.
As a Chozo, Samus is the heir to a legacy that she can never fully reclaim. Conversely, she is incapable of completely reconnecting with her human half, a part of her life that is mired in trauma if not in time stolen from her. She never had a chance to truly become a human of Overwatch (let alone Amalgamos), nor was she ready (and she may never be) to walk the path of the Chozo. After all, her avian guardians proved themselves to be would-be purveyors of a misguided purity genocide, of which Samus would have otherwise been a pawn, just like the forlorn Metroids. To what end was it to be Chozo, to any degree that Samus wished to aspire to? While she has come to terms with that part of her genetic lineage, Samus is no closer to squaring her conflicted identity than she was when she first donned her Power Suit. She is often mysterious as she is valiant and forthright in her moral standing. While it is unlikely that Samus will ever reconcile any notion of attempting to usher in a new generation of Chozo, she could never completely abandon the civilization that raised her, a people thousands if not millions of years old, to simply wither away for the decisions of a few bad eggs. With this in mind, Samus seldom casts judgments upon others, least of all aliens. Except for the case of Space Pirates and creatures like them, Samus harbors a mild interest in learning about the myriad of cultures she encounters across Amalgamos, hoping to make acquaintances (and in some cases, prospective clients) rather than targets if she can help it.
As a Hunter, Samus is a fearless warrior without peer. She has stared down the worst the universe has to offer, and would no doubt be prepared to bring low worse abominations if the job required it. Her innocence was taken from her before she was even in her double digits, and over two decades of her life have been dedicated to hunting down and destroying the likes of Space Pirates and other lawless nightmares that have no place in a good or orderly universe. This is not to say that Samus is at all a ruthless executioner. She has great honor and takes pride in the work that she does, almost always opting to give her bounties the opportunity to defend themselves, or even make their case if the contract appears questionable. When it is clear the kind of enemy she is facing is not that sort, however, Samus will not hesitate to unleash her full arsenal to bring a swift end to the threat she was hired to exterminate. While on the job (and often off of the job as well), Samus is a no-nonsense, dead serious individual, betraying not the slightest hint of fear, hesitation, or weakness, the kind of traits one would expect in professions far higher than that of a mere hunter for hire. Perhaps Samus would be capable of far greater roles, but even then, it is likely that Samus would neglect such an opportunity to continue her current lot in life. She is content with the life of a righteous cosmic vigilante, unwilling to sacrifice her professional or moral integrity for any pursuit, however tempting or more rewarding it may be.
Weapons/Items
Zero Suit
The base layer of Samus' armor is a skintight blue jumpsuit, accentuating her superhuman agility that her Power Suit and subsequent Chozo battle armors significantly limit. It is impossible for anyone to don the Zero Suit, as not only is it attuned to Samus' specific genetic frequency as a Human-Chozo hybrid, there are no zippers or folds that one could use to conventionally remove or don the suit either. It is also through the Zero Suit that Samus dons the Power Suit, which appears on her person in the same way that the Zero Suit does. However, Samus must have the Zero Suit active before she can don the Power Suit. The Zero Suit is made of a firm polymer lost to Chozo civilization, though it closely resembles an advanced form of PVC leather at a glance.
While Samus is most vulnerable to attack in the Zero Suit, she is also at her most agile, and can move as if she were in bullet time, to the point where she can appear as a blur on most surveillance devices. Samus may also perform expert wall jumps, the Zero Suit allowing her to stick onto sheer surfaces for a split second, allowing her to rebound herself from the wall for successive acrobatic maneuvers. The Zero Suit cannot support heavy weaponry, though Samus is equipped with a Paralyzer, an emergency stun blaster that, with a full charge, is capable of stunning even the more monstrous Space Pirates for a short time, as it places a target's molecules in a temporarily inert state. The Paralyzer recharges over time, though it is a distraction at best, and is incapable of harming anyone in this form. With that said, the Paralyzer may also transform, changing its stun charge into a plasma whip that is far more deadly. The whip may also substitute for Samus' Grapple Beam in latching onto surfaces and other targets from afar, as well as to attack targets from a distance of up to several meters away.
Power Suit
The Power Suit is the culmination of Samus’ training under Grey Voice and Mother Brain, and her status as the champion of her estranged benefactors and much of the universe at large. It is one of the most sophisticated armors of its kind, and boasts numerous functions that are beyond the imagination of many civilizations. The Power Suit is donned by Samus in the same way as her Zero Suit, through an instantaneous process of energy to matter through a mental command (provided that she is wearing the aforementioned Zero Suit). While only the core of Samus’ armor, the red-and-gold Power Suit affords her significant protection, including pressurization and considerable resistance against the most inhospitable environments in the galaxy. Falling into acid or magma would damage the Power Suit’s systems under prolonged exposure, but Samus would not be cooked alive like she would if this happened in her Zero Suit. The Power Suit can also withstand physical and energy attacks from vicious predators of the galaxy, including missiles, gunfire, high-speed debris, and similar attacks, provided that the shield capacity of the Power Suit holds. If the Power Suit’s energy begins to fail, sustained damage will result in the Power Suit reverting to destabilizing energy, leaving Samus exposed in her more vulnerable Zero Suit. The foremost features of the Power Suit are its armament modules, which are as follows:
Varia Suit
The Varia Suit is considered the “true” iteration of the Power Suit, a sentiment that is shared by Samus herself. Discovered deep within Brinstar, the Varia Suit builds on its predecessor in virtually every way. Taking on a brighter orange hue compared to the Power Suit's red titanium plating, the armor capacity and weapons efficiency of the Power Suit are 25% inferior compared to the Varia Suit, in addition to the Varia Suit being slightly larger, granting Samus an even more imposing presence against her enemies. The Varia Suit also has resistances to fire and acid, which proved invaluable in Norfair and other hazardous regions of her home planet. While many presume there to be no reason not to always use the Varia Suit, it is far less maneuverable than the Power Suit, and also expends more energy as a whole, making it a pressing investment in long-term engagements and ill-advised against more agile targets.
Gravity Suit
As it stands, the Gravity Suit is the most advanced version of the Power Suit that Samus currently owns. Contrasted to the Varia Suit, the current iteration of the Gravity Suit retains the red plating of the Power Suit, while the limbs take on a deep purple color. Discovered near the end of her mission on Xen, the Gravity Suit offers even more protections than the Varia Suit. Damage that Samus would normally sustain under the Power Suit is cut in half while she is wearing the Gravity Suit. In addition, Samus is completely immune to extreme elements such as lava and magma, acid, and the extreme cold. The Gravity Suit may also suspend gravity in certain situations, which allows Samus to effectively move freely while submerged, be it in water, acid, lava, et cetera. Samus may also traverse the vacuum of space while wearing the Gravity Suit, provided that the Power Suit maintains its integrity. Like the Varia Suit, however, it is much larger than the Power Suit, and is more demanding of Samus and her faculties than she would often be willing to use for standard deployments.
Samus’ Gunship
Much to the consternation of Amalgamos' governing bodies, Samus has refused to provide her vessel with a name, always referring to it simply as her personal ship. This has made it extremely difficult to track outside of the ship’s serial number, which itself vanished from Overwatch’s logs following its apparent destruction after her suicide mission on Xen. Given that it has since resurfaced in Samus’ subsequent missions, it is presumed that she somehow reconstructed, likely with assistance from a third party.
The gunship itself is not necessarily a gunship as it is often named. The vessel primarily serves as a staging ground for Samus once she has landed on the world her target is located on. It acts as a mobile battery Samus may return to to recharge her Power Suit’s energy. It also hosts a microfactory capable of generating all of the ammunition for her heavy armaments. The gunship is equipped with some firepower of its own, though they are currently standard for ships of its size, not necessarily designed for punching above its pay grade like cruisers or dreadnoughts... for now.
Pyonchi
Pyonchi is a small, furry companion that has been with Samus from the very beginning. The Rabbilis were native to K-2L, though after its decimation by Ridley and the Combine, he, like Samus, is the last of his kind. Though Pyonchi is no longer in Samus' company, he has gone on to be a rather skilled agent of the Guardians, and longs to one day see his friend again. The feeling is mutual.
Abilities/Powers
Chozo DNA
Samus was not a human for very long. Soon after she was taken in by the Chozo as an infant, she was heavily experimented on by her new guardians, with DNA sampled from Grey Voice himself. This experimentation was followed by intensive training in Samus’ adolescence, resulting in one of the most gifted warriors in the universe. Her training in combat notwithstanding, Samus’ physiology as the only Human-Chozo grants her a significant advantage against many of her prey. Her physical feats (prior to augmentation through her Power Suit) are as follows:
Superhuman strength, up to ten tons
Superhuman agility, capable of leaping up to ten meters through the air and beyond Olympian athletes
Superhuman reflexes, including dodging high-velocity projectiles
Longevity, including high resistance to various airborne diseases and hazardous environments
Bounty Hunter
Samus is a warrior, first and foremost. Bounty hunting is a complicated profession, particularly with regard to the Galactic Federation and its rules of engagement. Samus is among the Bounty Hunters more lenient towards cooperating with the law, though no less familiar to the ruthless combat that her ilk engage in. Samus is no cutthroat murderer, though her skills developed through survival and brutal self-training more than place her on equal footing with the likes of the savage Space Pirates and other vicious threats across the universe. Samus’ training and experience as a bounty hunter are as diverse as the profession itself. She is no mere assassin or mercenary, acting more along the lines of an extremely skilled galactic hero who happens to take paychecks with friendly governments. A few examples of Samus’ expertise as a Bounty Hunter are:
Expert pilot
Tracking targets across the universe
Extreme battle conditioning
Powerful will, overcoming childhood trauma and mustering the resolve to save her creators from their own destruction
Years of wartime experience
Weapons master
Supreme tactician, outmaneuvering and defeating a planet-wide armada of interdimensional predators, hostile synthetics and Space Pirates
Metroid Affinity
Though loath to admit it, Samus is every much a product of Chozo genetic engineering as the vile Metroids themselves. Where Samus was created to protect life, Metroids were created to devour and destroy life wherever they found it. Though Samus is not necessarily genetically distinct from the monsters she believes to have purged from the universe, she indeed shares a strange kinship with them, understanding such creatures on a level few others are capable of. The same can be said for similar parasitic organisms Samus may encounter on her travels; more importantly, Samus can intuitively understand how best to combat these parasites, and, if necessary, glean an exceptional amount of information about said creatures through close study.
Roleplay Sample
The vent rattled, then groaned, as it struggled to accommodate newfound weight. That weight continued moving along, indifferent to the withering landscape. This place was old, old enough that any part of the building was liable to give at the slightest interruption. There were at least half a score of them shambling below, and dozens more within the vicinity. It would not take much to stir the horde.
The gutter vent quickly ran out of room. The object in motion - which was itself a small, orange, metal sphere - waited, then with a sharp turn in its motion, hopped out and fell to the floor with a soft thud. It barely lost its momentum, continuing along and away from the nearby things that perked up at the noise. It moved towards a door at the end of the hall, open just enough to allow access. No sooner than after the ball had passed the threshold, it ceased to be a ball. Larger segments of metal emerged from it in an instant, segments that quickly took on a humanoid shape. Thin plates became fully-formed hands, legs, and eventually, a head, encapsulated in bulky yellow, orange, and red iron that even in this pale darkness gleamed.
Now standing at full height, the bounty hunter quickly waved her hand back towards the door, closing it shut. SHe raised a hand to her helmet. One click later, the scan was complete: Positive match. This was the target. She reached for a nearby chair, then set it against the door. It was sorely rusted, but it would hold for now. The room was not large. In fact, she needed to hunch over in order to interact with the old terminal on the desk in front of her. There wasn't room for anything else. While she stared at the computer, she raised her right arm, which was more of a cannon. After pondering for a moment, she lowered it. She had not interacted with technology this old in a long time. Her employer had given her their access code. With careful precision, the bounty hunter's armored hand typed into the keyboard, one character at a time, then hit "Enter". If this did not work...
There was a dull beep. Four words rapidly flashed across the screen, one letter after the other.
Welcome back, Naomi Hunter."
It took time to navigate the archaic machine, even more so when care was taken to ensure the proper inputs. Eventually, she found what she was looking for: Data Retrieval. The hunter reached within her suit. The metal plating gleamed, becoming gossamer energy that parted to allow her to pull out a slim, square disk. It flopped limply about, before it was held taut, and was inserted into the console. It was expected: most of the data was corrupted. There was only one file intact.
Research notes: The Blight. Confirm?
...
Acknowledged.
General Information
Name:
Samus Aran.
Alias:
N/A.
Age:
Thirty-four human years.
Origin Game:
Metroid (1986)
Homeland:
The Warzone.
Faction:
Gender:
Female.
History
Child of Destiny
The childhood of Samus Aran was a fleeting, fatal thing. She was born on the far-flung human colony of K-2L. The valley in which it was settled, while remote and of little importance to the grand scheme of things, held particular value for its mining of Afloraltite, a rare substance used in ignition modules for starships. Through agreements with Overwatch and affiliated peacekeeping organizations, this precious resource was mandated to the caravans that facilitated the distribution of key resources throughout the Warzone. All the same, K-2L's mines attracted all kinds of visitors, not the least of which were the estranged Chozo race, a curious and ancient civilization of bird-like sapients, and among the most wise and advanced races beyond Amalgamos itself. When Samus was but three years old, she encountered one such Chozo, an elder who introduced himself as Old Bird. The two hit it off immediately, the bright-eyed little girl quickly taking to his many tales of the stars beyond her home. As a parting gift, Old Bird allowed Samus to adopt his small furry companion, Pyonchi, a mischievous cross between a rabbit and a squirrel. Old Bird wished Samus and her family well, for all the good it would ultimately do the people of K-2L.
Just as K-2L was an attraction for enterprising spacefarers, so too was it a target for the cosmically cruel. The colony quickly fell under the attention of creatures that Samus had never seen before. No one in her home, save perhaps for Old Bird, who met their arrival with panic and horror. For all the innocence Samus had, from her own optimism towards the wider world and the lessons Old Bird had left with her, it was folly before these things. They were nothing less than monsters, a garish array of demonic beasts and many-limbed aliens that strew green lightning from their fingers. The worst of them was nothing at all like them: an enormous, purple pterodactyl-like monster, somehow more "normal" than what it commanded... and far more cruel. When a baby Samus approached this leader of the inexplicable attack, with the same intentions of friendship that she had met Old Bird with, her mother seized on the moment to move her daughter to safety. While she succeeded, she did so at her own demise, and to the monster's humor. In that same stroke, though Samus was not aware of it at the time, Samus' father performed a similar sacrifice to decouple the enemy presence, preventing the invaders from absconding with what they had come to pillage. In a cacophony of cosmic tempest and green lightning consuming the air and sky, all of them were gone, least of all that giant, purple abomination. However, that mercy mattered little to a traumatized little girl who had lost both of her parents in the same day, not to mention every other resident of K-2L. Samus, was alone.
As fate would have it, Old Bird had rushed back to K-2L as quickly as he could, though not quickly enough. While there was nothing he could do for what these aliens - the names of which he dared not speak - had taken from Samus, he could give her the next best thing: a chance at another life. He took her in, taking her away from Amalgamos itself and all the way to Zebes, their homeworld, far, far away from the only place she had ever called home. There. he and the rest of the Chozo did their best to raise Samus as one of their own. During these years, Samus was under the close observation of Mother Brain, the Chozo AI presiding over Zebes and her creators. She was a cold, cruel machine, who often did more harm for Samus than good, though she was still Samus' caretaker throughout these times, and the one who went on to develop her Power Suit at that. Samus hardly saw eye to eye with Mother Brain, let alone trusted her, but by the time Samus left Zebes there was a certain intrinsic bond between the two of them. Before Samus left, Mother Brain promised her that when she returned, she would see Zebes and the Chozo for what it truly was.
Woman of War
Samus' training began only a handful of years after she had become settled on Zebes. Grey Voice, one of the other Chozo elders, took it upon himself to raise Samus in this way. He was a harsh taskmaster, but he was not as cruel as Mother Brain. He was, in some ways at least, the brighter side to Samus' upbringing, and one she grew to respect a great deal. He understood better than most of his fellow Chozo what lied in Samus' heart, perhaps better than even Samus herself, the girl too apprehensive to proclaim what was on her mind: although she had surpassed the physical limits of any human being by the spry age of fourteen, she would need to become far more to stand a chance against her new enemy. Concerned that she would waste her potential on Zebes if she was not urged to do otherwise, Grey Voice impressed upon Samus the importance of staking her own path in this universe. His lectures hinged upon the need for "protectors of the universe", a role that the peace-loving Chozo could not fill themselves. Not long after, Samus returned to the Warzone, where she might acquire the rest of the skills she would no doubt need to carry out her vendetta. There was no better place on Amalgamos suited for her new purpose than the place she had once called home. Samus had never truly known the Warzone, save for the incident that drove her from it in the first place. Even more than the Nebula or even the Wasteland, Samus could only have found her calling and the means to meet it in the Warzone. She would not return to Zebes for many years, and in a time of crisis at that.
Samus spent very little time in the training process for Overwatch. She was leagues beyond even many of the veterans, quickly becoming one of the most prolific initiates in her class. She went on to join the esteemed Infinity Company, beginning as a non-commissioned officer, something that hadn’t been heard of since the days of Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes. In the missions that followed, Samus almost singlehandedly paved a brutal campaign against the same monsters that had destroyed her home. They still knew very little about this threat, and Samus’ attempts to get information out of Old Bird and Grey Voice had proved fruitless. Old Bird had warned her to stay away from those things (or better yet, to forget about them entirely). Grey Voice was more direct, yet more obstinate, insisting that not only did the Chozo know nothing about these things, but that Samus should be more concerned with her own affairs. These excuses only served to embolden Samus’ convictions in her burgeoning career. Perhaps because of this misdirection by her guardians, Samus also developed a sharp distrust of authority, not the least of which was Captain David Anderson, one of the chief military leaders within Overwatch. While not insubordinate, Samus could not abide standing by and doing nothing while innocents were in danger, lest bureaucracy prevent her from doing what she had come here to do in the first place. It got her into hot water on more than a few occasions, though each time, Anderson exhibited surprising lenience to her actions. He either finally understood her perspective, was indulging this for his own agenda, or perhaps he didn’t care at all (if he had ever cared). That answer eventually became clear, though perhaps too late.
The greatest instance of Anderson's professional courtesy towards Samus' penchant for disregarding Overwatch protocols was when a distress signal was sent from none other than Zebes, deep into space: the alien menace had at last come for the Chozo. She had no desire to lose another home to these things, least of all… that. As far as Samus was concerned, no one in Overwatch was suited for this job. And, ‘lo and behold, she had been grounded on Amalgamos in a vain attempt to stop her from going off on this mission on her own. Captain Anderson thought differently, and quickly sent her on her way before Overwatch brass noticed she was gone. Given the danger that the Chozo were now in, Anderson referred Samus to one of his scientists, Doctor Eli Vance, so that she would be prepared for the worst. Vance admitted that his research was experimental at best, and yet the anomalies that had emerged from Zebes approximately at the same time that the distress signal had been received matched his tests almost exactly. He feared that an event known as a “Resonance Cascade” had taken place, which could facilitate the attack that had been staged on K-2L, but on a global scale. He doubted that there would be any survivors, or how the planet may have changed, though to her surprise, Vance encouraged Samus to go not in spite of, but because of these developments. If this event progressed unchecked, it could grow to envelop the entire universe. There was no time to send word to the Guardians or anyone else. Samus was their only chance.
Samus spent very little time in the training process for Overwatch. She was leagues beyond even many of the veterans, quickly becoming one of the most prolific initiates in her class. She went on to join the esteemed Infinity Company, beginning as a non-commissioned officer, something that hadn’t been heard of since the days of Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes. In the missions that followed, Samus almost singlehandedly paved a brutal campaign against the same monsters that had destroyed her home. They still knew very little about this threat, and Samus’ attempts to get information out of Old Bird and Grey Voice had proved fruitless. Old Bird had warned her to stay away from those things (or better yet, to forget about them entirely). Grey Voice was more direct, yet more obstinate, insisting that not only did the Chozo know nothing about these things, but that Samus should be more concerned with her own affairs. These excuses only served to embolden Samus’ convictions in her burgeoning career. Perhaps because of this misdirection by her guardians, Samus also developed a sharp distrust of authority, not the least of which was Captain David Anderson, one of the chief military leaders within Overwatch. While not insubordinate, Samus could not abide standing by and doing nothing while innocents were in danger, lest bureaucracy prevent her from doing what she had come here to do in the first place. It got her into hot water on more than a few occasions, though each time, Anderson exhibited surprising lenience to her actions. He either finally understood her perspective, was indulging this for his own agenda, or perhaps he didn’t care at all (if he had ever cared). That answer eventually became clear, though perhaps too late.
The greatest instance of Anderson's professional courtesy towards Samus' penchant for disregarding Overwatch protocols was when a distress signal was sent from none other than Zebes, deep into space: the alien menace had at last come for the Chozo. She had no desire to lose another home to these things, least of all… that. As far as Samus was concerned, no one in Overwatch was suited for this job. And, ‘lo and behold, she had been grounded on Amalgamos in a vain attempt to stop her from going off on this mission on her own. Captain Anderson thought differently, and quickly sent her on her way before Overwatch brass noticed she was gone. Given the danger that the Chozo were now in, Anderson referred Samus to one of his scientists, Doctor Eli Vance, so that she would be prepared for the worst. Vance admitted that his research was experimental at best, and yet the anomalies that had emerged from Zebes approximately at the same time that the distress signal had been received matched his tests almost exactly. He feared that an event known as a “Resonance Cascade” had taken place, which could facilitate the attack that had been staged on K-2L, but on a global scale. He doubted that there would be any survivors, or how the planet may have changed, though to her surprise, Vance encouraged Samus to go not in spite of, but because of these developments. If this event progressed unchecked, it could grow to envelop the entire universe. There was no time to send word to the Guardians or anyone else. Samus was their only chance.
Chosen of the Chozo
When Samus’ spaceship exited the wormhole to their destination, she did not find Zebes. She did not find much of a planet at all. It was a cosmic landscape splintered apart, like something out of a fever dream. Physics seemed to break down at the macro- and micro-scale. The flora and fauna were completely unrecognizable from when Samus had visited Zebes, defying what ought to be. Needless to say, Samus quickly crashed, and was just as quickly received by a simulacrum of Old Bird. It explained to Samus two things: first, issuing an apology for hiding so much from her, and that more secrets were likely to emerge after this exchange had ended. Zebes was not quite a planet as it was understood by most. Rather, it was a nexus point to a great many places. It had borne another name long ago, which had been suppressed by Old Bird, Grey Voice, and the rest of Chozo leadership, for reasons that were too complicated to explain in the time that they had. Then, and now, it was a place called “Xen, the Borderworld”. What mattered was that that time had passed, and protocols had been put in place to restore that connection to what Old Bird somberly declared as “The Combine”.
The second explanation was that the Chozo had often acted as self-appointed vigils of the universe, from Amalgamos to the deep reaches of the Nebula and further still. They often acted independent of any authorities for their perception of a greater good. With the hubris of good intentions, the Chozo had genetically engineered a dangerous biological weapon in a misguided attempt to pacify the universe of "greater evil" in order to usher in a new era of peace: Metroids, terrifying parasites that left their victims bereft of the energy necessary to sustain life. Samus knew at once that this was what the alien invaders, this “Combine” were after. If they were able to weaponize Metroids for their own schemes, the universe was doomed.
Not long after, Samus was ambushed by a familiar purple menace. Even now, it towered over her Power Suit. Still reeling from the revelation that her caretakers had propagated the potential genocide of the cosmos, the young woman suffered a severe traumatic break as she was forced to relive the repressed memory of her first encounter with this thing. He nearly killed Samus, though at the behest of Mother Brain, allowed her to live for the enigmatic plans of the Chozo AI. When Samus next awoke, she learned that Grey Voice and Mother Brain had sided with the purple monster, “Ridley”, who was ostensibly an enforcer for the Combine. The AI had seemingly bought into the ideology that the hologram of Old Bird had espoused earlier: committing genocide across the stars in the name of pragmatic peace. Mother Brain urged Samus to join them, and take her rightful place alongside Ridley as the AI's lieutenants. While aghast at what was becoming of the few remaining specks of light in her life, Samus remained resilient, refusing to give in to the mad intelligence's demands. Most of the Chozo had refused to go along with Grey Voice's madness, and helped Samus come to terms with her posttraumatic stress. She was the only hope for the Chozo race... for all organic life. She couldn't lose hope of the dream that she had had ever since she was a little girl: a protector of the universe. Just as Old Bird had told her then. If only he was here…
After being released from her restraints by one final act of kindness from the dwindling Chozo, Samus set out for Mother Brain directly. By the time she had finished carving a path through the alien hardes, however, she had received an inexplicable vision, sent by Grey Voice himself. Moments before, she had begun to sense something terrible, which she later learned to be a genetic bond with Grey Voice himself. He explained, in his fleeting moments, that Samus' frail human DNA had been spliced with a sample of Chozo DNA, which had allowed her to achieve the physical and mental acumen that had made her into a self-proclaimed protector of the universe. It only dawned her now that Grey Voice had volunteered his DNA to help Samus become who she was today. He had experienced a change of heart, which was why she found his fresh corps in Mother Brain's chamber when she had arrived, failing to atone for his mistakes. While Samus was too late to save her second father figure, she was more than ready to take on Ridley. The ensuing battle is a blur to Samus. Some of it is enveloped in red, the woman at times too overcome with rage at everything that this thing and what it had represented had done to her throughout her life, and so many that she cared for. Some of it was consumed by adrenaline, only the Chozo genes running through her keeping her from collapsing. More than anything, however, battling a creature like this, in a place like this, no longer the Zebes she had known, certainly impacted Samus’ perception of things. It was an alien combat in an even more alien place. The one certainty burned into her memory was seeing that last missile detonate in Ridley's maw, and seeing naught but scraps of its flesh in the aftermath. For reasons that eluded her, Ridley's death triggered the end of the Resonance Cascade. As the eldritch green energy arced out of existence, the Combine’s hordes left with them, leaving Zebes’ new form as the serene tomb that it now was. But where was Old Bird? Where was Mother Brain? She wouldn’t get those answers today. At the very least, Samus' home was safe... but was it really her home?
Requiem for Mother Brain
As praised as she was for her preemptive actions (and certainly chewed out by her supervisors for going against orders), Samus determined that there was no place for her in a formal institution of law enforcement; or any authority, for that matter. The next several years saw the “Star of Xen”, as she was now known, take on the career of a professional bounty hunter, delivering the worst of Amalgamos’ criminals and monsters to a just end, all for a modest fee. It was a living, one that Samus was content with, passionate, even. Though Samus still considered the Warzone her home, it was far from the only place that she did business. She frequented all over Amalgamos, testing herself in many different environments, Power Suit or no Power Suit. Her reputation was becoming worldwide, though her attention remained on what lied beyond the planet. She still had a score to settle with Mother Brain, for everything she had done to her and the Chozo. Finally, that opportunity presented itself.
Samus received the call in person, while she was finishing a contract in the City. The Guardians had found a distinct trace of Mother Brain’s activity, out in the Nebula. She had ostensibly survived the events at Xen, and had been amassing an army of cutthroat outlaws and spacebound criminals to assist her in retaking the Borderworld. After pilfering a derelict Chozo station housing some of the remaining Metroids from their past experiments, Mother Brain reoccupied Xen with the backing of her Space Pirates. Just like that, the project that Grey Voice had attempted to abandon was now underway again. Mother Brain would open the Borderworld to the Combine, and unleash them upon the Nebula and the greater cosmos, including Amalgamos. The Guardians had attempted a direct assault, which had resulted in catastrophic failure. Their only option was to rely on a force outside of the law. There were only two objectives: Exterminate all Metroid organisms on Xen, and Defeat the mechanical life-form, Mother Brain. Samus set out immediately, ready to finish this grudge with Mother Brain once and for all. She infiltrated the planet through Brinstar's subterranean tunnels, systematically purging the Borderworld’s infrastructure of the Space Pirate presence that threatened to overwhelm the universe. Kraid, the massive dragon monstrosity, Ridley, Samus' lifelong nemesis that had somehow survived their last confrontation, and Mother Brain, the mastermind behind the Space Pirates' would-be cosmic genocide, attempted to stop Samus at every turn. Samus defeated them all, reacquiring the artifacts of the Chozo that she had left behind on her home for this very occasion to give her the edge she needed against the enemy. Samus did not rest until Mother Brain was in tatters, and every last Metroid on Xen had been turned to dust. With Mother Brain destroyed, the Space Pirate alliance broke apart, and quickly became a loose collection of gangs, of little more threat to the Nebula than any band of two-bit raiders. If Samus' prowess as a legendary bounty hunter was not known then, it certainly was now.
The two-time universe-saving bounty hunter took a backseat to the spotlight her fame demanded of her. She wanted no part of the spectacle or limelight that her actions had seemingly earned her, wanting only to continue to help others, unimpeded by the law and other distractions that threatened to get in the way. She has become quite familiar with the many parties of Amalgamos proper and the Nebula, on better terms with some than most. She crosses paths with Overwatch the most often, given her history with them, and the fact that she frequents the Warzone the most often, given the sentimental value of the place She has firmly declined any invitations they have sent her to come back, too secure in her status as a lone wolf to consider working with anyone else, let alone the organization that had given her grief when she needed their help the most. Samus has not wasted time in making both friends and enemies of the numerous entities abroad jockeying for her position on their payroll. Be it imperious Demacia, who have at times swallowed their pride to turn to mercurial services, or the Institute, who are a little too fascinated with her status as the last of the Chozo. More than anyone, however, Samus maintains her connections with Overwatch, and is always ready to provide her services to the likes of Anderson and his associates again... provided they can pony up the credits, of course.
Samus received the call in person, while she was finishing a contract in the City. The Guardians had found a distinct trace of Mother Brain’s activity, out in the Nebula. She had ostensibly survived the events at Xen, and had been amassing an army of cutthroat outlaws and spacebound criminals to assist her in retaking the Borderworld. After pilfering a derelict Chozo station housing some of the remaining Metroids from their past experiments, Mother Brain reoccupied Xen with the backing of her Space Pirates. Just like that, the project that Grey Voice had attempted to abandon was now underway again. Mother Brain would open the Borderworld to the Combine, and unleash them upon the Nebula and the greater cosmos, including Amalgamos. The Guardians had attempted a direct assault, which had resulted in catastrophic failure. Their only option was to rely on a force outside of the law. There were only two objectives: Exterminate all Metroid organisms on Xen, and Defeat the mechanical life-form, Mother Brain. Samus set out immediately, ready to finish this grudge with Mother Brain once and for all. She infiltrated the planet through Brinstar's subterranean tunnels, systematically purging the Borderworld’s infrastructure of the Space Pirate presence that threatened to overwhelm the universe. Kraid, the massive dragon monstrosity, Ridley, Samus' lifelong nemesis that had somehow survived their last confrontation, and Mother Brain, the mastermind behind the Space Pirates' would-be cosmic genocide, attempted to stop Samus at every turn. Samus defeated them all, reacquiring the artifacts of the Chozo that she had left behind on her home for this very occasion to give her the edge she needed against the enemy. Samus did not rest until Mother Brain was in tatters, and every last Metroid on Xen had been turned to dust. With Mother Brain destroyed, the Space Pirate alliance broke apart, and quickly became a loose collection of gangs, of little more threat to the Nebula than any band of two-bit raiders. If Samus' prowess as a legendary bounty hunter was not known then, it certainly was now.
The two-time universe-saving bounty hunter took a backseat to the spotlight her fame demanded of her. She wanted no part of the spectacle or limelight that her actions had seemingly earned her, wanting only to continue to help others, unimpeded by the law and other distractions that threatened to get in the way. She has become quite familiar with the many parties of Amalgamos proper and the Nebula, on better terms with some than most. She crosses paths with Overwatch the most often, given her history with them, and the fact that she frequents the Warzone the most often, given the sentimental value of the place She has firmly declined any invitations they have sent her to come back, too secure in her status as a lone wolf to consider working with anyone else, let alone the organization that had given her grief when she needed their help the most. Samus has not wasted time in making both friends and enemies of the numerous entities abroad jockeying for her position on their payroll. Be it imperious Demacia, who have at times swallowed their pride to turn to mercurial services, or the Institute, who are a little too fascinated with her status as the last of the Chozo. More than anyone, however, Samus maintains her connections with Overwatch, and is always ready to provide her services to the likes of Anderson and his associates again... provided they can pony up the credits, of course.
Drive:
Being a bounty hunter, one would not think that Samus has a long-term agenda or mission statement that she is striving for. Even morally righteous bounty hunters like her are, after all, mercenaries, eliminating targets for a premium fee. Such work does not mesh well with a sense of long-term ethics and ambitions. However, Samus’ principles and goals are couched within that very work. While she may not have a specific goal or objective in mind, she strives to do everything within her power to make the universe a safer place. The fact that she is paid for her services is merely a part of the fact that this is her career; a girl’s gotta eat… with that said, Samus’ mistakes and enemies continue to elude her, and should she ever realize the cyclical nature of these things, she will set herself upon them with the same righteous fury that had made her into who she is today.
Visuals
Image:
Visual Appearance:
Samus has the appearance of a human, from her long, flowing ponytail to her stunning blue eyes, to her narrow frame, even down to the color of her blood. At the same time, she is clearly not an ordinary human. She stands six feet and three inches tall and weighs one-hundred and ninety-eight pounds, and while it is not impossible for a human woman her age to have those proportions, the grace and power with which her body is built is. It quickly becomes apparent that Samus is not a full human, but rather something more. The Chozo DNA coursing through Samus’ veins significantly improved her growth, and it shows, particularly now that she is a fully grown woman. Her muscles are more developed than is physically possible for any human, and surpasses that of many aliens… and that’s without getting into her equipment.
Clothing/Armor:
Samus’ wardrobe is as varied as her armory and skill set, and that’s not merely because of her unique career. She has visited every sector in Amalgamos, including the Nebula. These experiences have cultivated a diverse sense of fashion that informs her appearance wherever she goes. Dress-downs, tunics, fitness wear, ornate suits of armor, ceremonial gowns, and other outfits are featured in Samus’ clothing. She makes a point of dressing to fit in, unless a contract explicitly requires that she make a scene in that way… those contracts need to be well-warranted, however. Each of Samus’ iterations include her signature, a lightning bolt coursing through a sphere; the symbol of the Chozo.
With that said, Samus’ most common choice of attire is a simulacra of her Zero Suit, digistructed onto Samus' person from a military jacket mimicking the Zero Suit's style and fabric through a mental command, and can be removed in a similar fashion. Samus completes this outfit with a white tanktop, slim-fitting slacks and knee-high combat boots. The distinguishing sigil of the Chozo is emblazoned on the jacket's left breast section (and in the same place on the suit itself), back, and hand. Like with most of Samus’ other outfits, interfacing with any of these symbols can transform into her Zero Suit and subsequent armors.
Personality
As a human, Samus is someone of incredible compassion. While she grew up with virtually no principles of kindness or generosity ingrained into her by her guardians in her formative years, Samus naturally harbored a sense of empathy and sincerity towards others that goes beyond what little nurturing she received from the likes of Mother Brain or even Grey Voice. Though Samus had her birth parents, she only knew them for a handful of years, most of which were fractured by the traumatic stress that Ridley's attack on her colony inflicted on Samus' psyche. She is friendly and open-minded on first impressions, albeit under a thick veneer of cold professionalism and several layers of Chozo armor that she will lower for few - if any - people. While mostly a loner, Samus is a social animal like any other intelligent life form, and isn't a complete dullard as to shut everyone out; merely make herself challenging to approach for the company she does not desire to keep. Social distance aside, it is unclear how (or why) Samus has managed to maintain such an optimistic outlook on the universe given everything that she has gone through, let alone destroyed throughout her career as a bounty hunter. The one constant in Samus' life, however, is her unyielding determination towards visiting justice upon the guilty, as well as protecting anyone and everyone from the dreams that they have every right to pursue.
As a Chozo, Samus is the heir to a legacy that she can never fully reclaim. Conversely, she is incapable of completely reconnecting with her human half, a part of her life that is mired in trauma if not in time stolen from her. She never had a chance to truly become a human of Overwatch (let alone Amalgamos), nor was she ready (and she may never be) to walk the path of the Chozo. After all, her avian guardians proved themselves to be would-be purveyors of a misguided purity genocide, of which Samus would have otherwise been a pawn, just like the forlorn Metroids. To what end was it to be Chozo, to any degree that Samus wished to aspire to? While she has come to terms with that part of her genetic lineage, Samus is no closer to squaring her conflicted identity than she was when she first donned her Power Suit. She is often mysterious as she is valiant and forthright in her moral standing. While it is unlikely that Samus will ever reconcile any notion of attempting to usher in a new generation of Chozo, she could never completely abandon the civilization that raised her, a people thousands if not millions of years old, to simply wither away for the decisions of a few bad eggs. With this in mind, Samus seldom casts judgments upon others, least of all aliens. Except for the case of Space Pirates and creatures like them, Samus harbors a mild interest in learning about the myriad of cultures she encounters across Amalgamos, hoping to make acquaintances (and in some cases, prospective clients) rather than targets if she can help it.
As a Hunter, Samus is a fearless warrior without peer. She has stared down the worst the universe has to offer, and would no doubt be prepared to bring low worse abominations if the job required it. Her innocence was taken from her before she was even in her double digits, and over two decades of her life have been dedicated to hunting down and destroying the likes of Space Pirates and other lawless nightmares that have no place in a good or orderly universe. This is not to say that Samus is at all a ruthless executioner. She has great honor and takes pride in the work that she does, almost always opting to give her bounties the opportunity to defend themselves, or even make their case if the contract appears questionable. When it is clear the kind of enemy she is facing is not that sort, however, Samus will not hesitate to unleash her full arsenal to bring a swift end to the threat she was hired to exterminate. While on the job (and often off of the job as well), Samus is a no-nonsense, dead serious individual, betraying not the slightest hint of fear, hesitation, or weakness, the kind of traits one would expect in professions far higher than that of a mere hunter for hire. Perhaps Samus would be capable of far greater roles, but even then, it is likely that Samus would neglect such an opportunity to continue her current lot in life. She is content with the life of a righteous cosmic vigilante, unwilling to sacrifice her professional or moral integrity for any pursuit, however tempting or more rewarding it may be.
Weapons/Items
Zero Suit
The base layer of Samus' armor is a skintight blue jumpsuit, accentuating her superhuman agility that her Power Suit and subsequent Chozo battle armors significantly limit. It is impossible for anyone to don the Zero Suit, as not only is it attuned to Samus' specific genetic frequency as a Human-Chozo hybrid, there are no zippers or folds that one could use to conventionally remove or don the suit either. It is also through the Zero Suit that Samus dons the Power Suit, which appears on her person in the same way that the Zero Suit does. However, Samus must have the Zero Suit active before she can don the Power Suit. The Zero Suit is made of a firm polymer lost to Chozo civilization, though it closely resembles an advanced form of PVC leather at a glance.
While Samus is most vulnerable to attack in the Zero Suit, she is also at her most agile, and can move as if she were in bullet time, to the point where she can appear as a blur on most surveillance devices. Samus may also perform expert wall jumps, the Zero Suit allowing her to stick onto sheer surfaces for a split second, allowing her to rebound herself from the wall for successive acrobatic maneuvers. The Zero Suit cannot support heavy weaponry, though Samus is equipped with a Paralyzer, an emergency stun blaster that, with a full charge, is capable of stunning even the more monstrous Space Pirates for a short time, as it places a target's molecules in a temporarily inert state. The Paralyzer recharges over time, though it is a distraction at best, and is incapable of harming anyone in this form. With that said, the Paralyzer may also transform, changing its stun charge into a plasma whip that is far more deadly. The whip may also substitute for Samus' Grapple Beam in latching onto surfaces and other targets from afar, as well as to attack targets from a distance of up to several meters away.
Power Suit
The Power Suit is the culmination of Samus’ training under Grey Voice and Mother Brain, and her status as the champion of her estranged benefactors and much of the universe at large. It is one of the most sophisticated armors of its kind, and boasts numerous functions that are beyond the imagination of many civilizations. The Power Suit is donned by Samus in the same way as her Zero Suit, through an instantaneous process of energy to matter through a mental command (provided that she is wearing the aforementioned Zero Suit). While only the core of Samus’ armor, the red-and-gold Power Suit affords her significant protection, including pressurization and considerable resistance against the most inhospitable environments in the galaxy. Falling into acid or magma would damage the Power Suit’s systems under prolonged exposure, but Samus would not be cooked alive like she would if this happened in her Zero Suit. The Power Suit can also withstand physical and energy attacks from vicious predators of the galaxy, including missiles, gunfire, high-speed debris, and similar attacks, provided that the shield capacity of the Power Suit holds. If the Power Suit’s energy begins to fail, sustained damage will result in the Power Suit reverting to destabilizing energy, leaving Samus exposed in her more vulnerable Zero Suit. The foremost features of the Power Suit are its armament modules, which are as follows:
Combat Visor
The green visor in Samus’ helmet is a deceptively complex tactical suite to assist her in her bounty hunting duties, in direct combat as well as in more removed scenarios. The surface layer of its functions are the Scan Visor, which may assess Samus’ surroundings, transmitting data on all relevant subjects directly into Samus’ neural network. The data is drawn primarily from the Galactic Federation database, which Samus has classified clearance to, though she may also pool intelligence from other networks that she is a part of, as well as her personal memory banks that are wired into the Power Suit’s systems. She may also use the Thermal Visor, which allows Samus to view things on the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums, as well as the ability to track targets by their heat signature. She frequently uses this to combat targets invisible to the naked eye, or to track them while in pursuit. The third and final aspect of Samus; Combat Visor is the Command Visor, which allows her to interface directly with her Gunship, able to call it to any given location, so long as she is able to maintain a secure connection with her Gunship’s systems. The Command Visor may also issue orders for the Gunship to execute remotely, such as providing support fire at a specific location or to extract targets from a designated dropzone. Samus may also use the Command Visor to deliver tactical communiques, marking objectives for her allies to secure and similar orders for the rare instances when she isn’t operating alone.
Power Beam
The primary weapon of the Power Suit is the cannon mounted to its right arm. It is a beam weapon, firing concentrated particles of pure energy at targets in its standard mode. However, the Power Beam has undergone numerous iterations since the original Power Suit, as well as taking on alternate modes to best suit the situation at hand. For combatting large swaths of enemies, the beam particles may multiply into a three-way scattershot wave, reducing the power of each individual particle in exchange for a wider energy spread to cover a larger area. The particles themselves have also since been upgraded to pure plasma, greatly increasing their power, as well as the ability to score through most armor plating. In addition to serving as a firearm, the Power Beam may also unleash a “grapple beam”, an ethereal hook made of transient Chozo energy that Samus can use to traverse the environment at great angles and speeds. The range of the Grapple Beam is approximately the length of a Batclaw, though considerably slower, which can leave her exposed if she deploys it recklessly. The Grapple Beam may also be deployed as a lasso to ensnare targets and bring them in close, for Samus to either deliver further punishment or to send them flying away.
Missile Launcher
When the Power Beam is insufficient for her prey, Samus may use the secondary function of her arm cannon: firing missiles. These missiles are a far cry from what one typically sees in a personal exosuit arsenal. These missiles are more akin to torpedoes found onboard starships, capable of incredible structural damage, and used with great care. Samus used slews of these missiles to waylay the massive Space Pirates Kraid and the unstoppable Ridley on Xen, and has defeated numerous other predators with it since. When even missiles fail, however, Samus may deploy Super Missiles, which are capable of breaking apart eezo-enriched alloys at the molecular level and may even disrupt ray shields if caught in the blast radius. Due to the nature of these missiles, Samus tends to rely on her personal accuracy, since the Power Suit’s homing features can be unwieldy, and more often than not be tricked by the target with clever maneuvers. However, that option remains available to Samus if she deems it a necessary risk. Given the payload of each missile and their physical nature, the Power Suit can only keep so many stocked at a time, and even less Super Missiles.
Morph Ball
The most curious feature of the Power Suit is the ability to curl up into a ball. Inexplicably, Samus is completely aware of her surroundings while she is in ball form. Her form becomes incredibly compact, allowing her to roll through tight ventilation shafts and other spaces that she would even have difficulty moving through while crawling in her Zero Suit, let alone at breakneck speeds. She may still jump while in ball form, and may even magnetize her ball form to stick to walls, and move about much like Spider-Man can, provided she does not take damage that will cause her to revert to humanoid shape. The Power Suit’s ball form may also generate plasma bombs through the Power Suit’s lossless energy conversion systems. These miniature explosives can be generated virtually infinitely, each with nearly as much destructive power as a missile, albeit with a drastically reduced blast radius. The only exceptions are Power Bombs, dramatically more powerful bombs that can clear an entire room of hostiles, leaving no trace of them. Given that these bombs are made from the Power Suit’s own energy, Samus cannot injure herself with her own bombs. Similar to Super Missiles, there is only enough energy in the Power Suit to host a limited number of Power Bombs at any given moment.
Screw Attack
A blessing from the ancient Chozo themselves, this is not so much a part of the Power Suit’s equipment as it was a technique that was passed down to Samus herself. While she is wearing the Power Suit, every jump that she makes that involves flipping through the air will become charged with incredible energy, manifesting in the form of electricity. This energy is capable of burning through virtually anything, proven to tear through any predator on Zebes in the blink of an eye. The Screw Attack’s effects may vary, depending on the stores of the Power Suit’s energy or Samus’ own athletic capacity, though it is no less dangerous to anyone who gets too close while Samus is engaging in acrobatics.
Speed Booster
One of the upgrades Samus acquired during her extermination mission on Zebes was a capacitor that stored kinetic energy before releasing it exponentially. If Samus can sprint unabated for several seconds, unless she delivers a mental command to ignore this process, the Power Suit automatically enters a “turbo mode” where Samus moves at near-speedster velocities. She may still use her armaments and other acrobatic maneuvers, though anything that slows Samus’ motion too much will cause the mode to end. While moving at these speeds, Samus has been shown to break through numerous walls, including ones too durable to be destroyed by her missiles or even Super Missiles.
The green visor in Samus’ helmet is a deceptively complex tactical suite to assist her in her bounty hunting duties, in direct combat as well as in more removed scenarios. The surface layer of its functions are the Scan Visor, which may assess Samus’ surroundings, transmitting data on all relevant subjects directly into Samus’ neural network. The data is drawn primarily from the Galactic Federation database, which Samus has classified clearance to, though she may also pool intelligence from other networks that she is a part of, as well as her personal memory banks that are wired into the Power Suit’s systems. She may also use the Thermal Visor, which allows Samus to view things on the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums, as well as the ability to track targets by their heat signature. She frequently uses this to combat targets invisible to the naked eye, or to track them while in pursuit. The third and final aspect of Samus; Combat Visor is the Command Visor, which allows her to interface directly with her Gunship, able to call it to any given location, so long as she is able to maintain a secure connection with her Gunship’s systems. The Command Visor may also issue orders for the Gunship to execute remotely, such as providing support fire at a specific location or to extract targets from a designated dropzone. Samus may also use the Command Visor to deliver tactical communiques, marking objectives for her allies to secure and similar orders for the rare instances when she isn’t operating alone.
Power Beam
The primary weapon of the Power Suit is the cannon mounted to its right arm. It is a beam weapon, firing concentrated particles of pure energy at targets in its standard mode. However, the Power Beam has undergone numerous iterations since the original Power Suit, as well as taking on alternate modes to best suit the situation at hand. For combatting large swaths of enemies, the beam particles may multiply into a three-way scattershot wave, reducing the power of each individual particle in exchange for a wider energy spread to cover a larger area. The particles themselves have also since been upgraded to pure plasma, greatly increasing their power, as well as the ability to score through most armor plating. In addition to serving as a firearm, the Power Beam may also unleash a “grapple beam”, an ethereal hook made of transient Chozo energy that Samus can use to traverse the environment at great angles and speeds. The range of the Grapple Beam is approximately the length of a Batclaw, though considerably slower, which can leave her exposed if she deploys it recklessly. The Grapple Beam may also be deployed as a lasso to ensnare targets and bring them in close, for Samus to either deliver further punishment or to send them flying away.
Missile Launcher
When the Power Beam is insufficient for her prey, Samus may use the secondary function of her arm cannon: firing missiles. These missiles are a far cry from what one typically sees in a personal exosuit arsenal. These missiles are more akin to torpedoes found onboard starships, capable of incredible structural damage, and used with great care. Samus used slews of these missiles to waylay the massive Space Pirates Kraid and the unstoppable Ridley on Xen, and has defeated numerous other predators with it since. When even missiles fail, however, Samus may deploy Super Missiles, which are capable of breaking apart eezo-enriched alloys at the molecular level and may even disrupt ray shields if caught in the blast radius. Due to the nature of these missiles, Samus tends to rely on her personal accuracy, since the Power Suit’s homing features can be unwieldy, and more often than not be tricked by the target with clever maneuvers. However, that option remains available to Samus if she deems it a necessary risk. Given the payload of each missile and their physical nature, the Power Suit can only keep so many stocked at a time, and even less Super Missiles.
Morph Ball
The most curious feature of the Power Suit is the ability to curl up into a ball. Inexplicably, Samus is completely aware of her surroundings while she is in ball form. Her form becomes incredibly compact, allowing her to roll through tight ventilation shafts and other spaces that she would even have difficulty moving through while crawling in her Zero Suit, let alone at breakneck speeds. She may still jump while in ball form, and may even magnetize her ball form to stick to walls, and move about much like Spider-Man can, provided she does not take damage that will cause her to revert to humanoid shape. The Power Suit’s ball form may also generate plasma bombs through the Power Suit’s lossless energy conversion systems. These miniature explosives can be generated virtually infinitely, each with nearly as much destructive power as a missile, albeit with a drastically reduced blast radius. The only exceptions are Power Bombs, dramatically more powerful bombs that can clear an entire room of hostiles, leaving no trace of them. Given that these bombs are made from the Power Suit’s own energy, Samus cannot injure herself with her own bombs. Similar to Super Missiles, there is only enough energy in the Power Suit to host a limited number of Power Bombs at any given moment.
Screw Attack
A blessing from the ancient Chozo themselves, this is not so much a part of the Power Suit’s equipment as it was a technique that was passed down to Samus herself. While she is wearing the Power Suit, every jump that she makes that involves flipping through the air will become charged with incredible energy, manifesting in the form of electricity. This energy is capable of burning through virtually anything, proven to tear through any predator on Zebes in the blink of an eye. The Screw Attack’s effects may vary, depending on the stores of the Power Suit’s energy or Samus’ own athletic capacity, though it is no less dangerous to anyone who gets too close while Samus is engaging in acrobatics.
Speed Booster
One of the upgrades Samus acquired during her extermination mission on Zebes was a capacitor that stored kinetic energy before releasing it exponentially. If Samus can sprint unabated for several seconds, unless she delivers a mental command to ignore this process, the Power Suit automatically enters a “turbo mode” where Samus moves at near-speedster velocities. She may still use her armaments and other acrobatic maneuvers, though anything that slows Samus’ motion too much will cause the mode to end. While moving at these speeds, Samus has been shown to break through numerous walls, including ones too durable to be destroyed by her missiles or even Super Missiles.
Varia Suit
The Varia Suit is considered the “true” iteration of the Power Suit, a sentiment that is shared by Samus herself. Discovered deep within Brinstar, the Varia Suit builds on its predecessor in virtually every way. Taking on a brighter orange hue compared to the Power Suit's red titanium plating, the armor capacity and weapons efficiency of the Power Suit are 25% inferior compared to the Varia Suit, in addition to the Varia Suit being slightly larger, granting Samus an even more imposing presence against her enemies. The Varia Suit also has resistances to fire and acid, which proved invaluable in Norfair and other hazardous regions of her home planet. While many presume there to be no reason not to always use the Varia Suit, it is far less maneuverable than the Power Suit, and also expends more energy as a whole, making it a pressing investment in long-term engagements and ill-advised against more agile targets.
Gravity Suit
As it stands, the Gravity Suit is the most advanced version of the Power Suit that Samus currently owns. Contrasted to the Varia Suit, the current iteration of the Gravity Suit retains the red plating of the Power Suit, while the limbs take on a deep purple color. Discovered near the end of her mission on Xen, the Gravity Suit offers even more protections than the Varia Suit. Damage that Samus would normally sustain under the Power Suit is cut in half while she is wearing the Gravity Suit. In addition, Samus is completely immune to extreme elements such as lava and magma, acid, and the extreme cold. The Gravity Suit may also suspend gravity in certain situations, which allows Samus to effectively move freely while submerged, be it in water, acid, lava, et cetera. Samus may also traverse the vacuum of space while wearing the Gravity Suit, provided that the Power Suit maintains its integrity. Like the Varia Suit, however, it is much larger than the Power Suit, and is more demanding of Samus and her faculties than she would often be willing to use for standard deployments.
Samus’ Gunship
Much to the consternation of Amalgamos' governing bodies, Samus has refused to provide her vessel with a name, always referring to it simply as her personal ship. This has made it extremely difficult to track outside of the ship’s serial number, which itself vanished from Overwatch’s logs following its apparent destruction after her suicide mission on Xen. Given that it has since resurfaced in Samus’ subsequent missions, it is presumed that she somehow reconstructed, likely with assistance from a third party.
The gunship itself is not necessarily a gunship as it is often named. The vessel primarily serves as a staging ground for Samus once she has landed on the world her target is located on. It acts as a mobile battery Samus may return to to recharge her Power Suit’s energy. It also hosts a microfactory capable of generating all of the ammunition for her heavy armaments. The gunship is equipped with some firepower of its own, though they are currently standard for ships of its size, not necessarily designed for punching above its pay grade like cruisers or dreadnoughts... for now.
Pyonchi
Pyonchi is a small, furry companion that has been with Samus from the very beginning. The Rabbilis were native to K-2L, though after its decimation by Ridley and the Combine, he, like Samus, is the last of his kind. Though Pyonchi is no longer in Samus' company, he has gone on to be a rather skilled agent of the Guardians, and longs to one day see his friend again. The feeling is mutual.
Abilities/Powers
Chozo DNA
Samus was not a human for very long. Soon after she was taken in by the Chozo as an infant, she was heavily experimented on by her new guardians, with DNA sampled from Grey Voice himself. This experimentation was followed by intensive training in Samus’ adolescence, resulting in one of the most gifted warriors in the universe. Her training in combat notwithstanding, Samus’ physiology as the only Human-Chozo grants her a significant advantage against many of her prey. Her physical feats (prior to augmentation through her Power Suit) are as follows:
Superhuman strength, up to ten tons
Superhuman agility, capable of leaping up to ten meters through the air and beyond Olympian athletes
Superhuman reflexes, including dodging high-velocity projectiles
Longevity, including high resistance to various airborne diseases and hazardous environments
Bounty Hunter
Samus is a warrior, first and foremost. Bounty hunting is a complicated profession, particularly with regard to the Galactic Federation and its rules of engagement. Samus is among the Bounty Hunters more lenient towards cooperating with the law, though no less familiar to the ruthless combat that her ilk engage in. Samus is no cutthroat murderer, though her skills developed through survival and brutal self-training more than place her on equal footing with the likes of the savage Space Pirates and other vicious threats across the universe. Samus’ training and experience as a bounty hunter are as diverse as the profession itself. She is no mere assassin or mercenary, acting more along the lines of an extremely skilled galactic hero who happens to take paychecks with friendly governments. A few examples of Samus’ expertise as a Bounty Hunter are:
Expert pilot
Tracking targets across the universe
Extreme battle conditioning
Powerful will, overcoming childhood trauma and mustering the resolve to save her creators from their own destruction
Years of wartime experience
Weapons master
Supreme tactician, outmaneuvering and defeating a planet-wide armada of interdimensional predators, hostile synthetics and Space Pirates
Metroid Affinity
Though loath to admit it, Samus is every much a product of Chozo genetic engineering as the vile Metroids themselves. Where Samus was created to protect life, Metroids were created to devour and destroy life wherever they found it. Though Samus is not necessarily genetically distinct from the monsters she believes to have purged from the universe, she indeed shares a strange kinship with them, understanding such creatures on a level few others are capable of. The same can be said for similar parasitic organisms Samus may encounter on her travels; more importantly, Samus can intuitively understand how best to combat these parasites, and, if necessary, glean an exceptional amount of information about said creatures through close study.
Roleplay Sample
The vent rattled, then groaned, as it struggled to accommodate newfound weight. That weight continued moving along, indifferent to the withering landscape. This place was old, old enough that any part of the building was liable to give at the slightest interruption. There were at least half a score of them shambling below, and dozens more within the vicinity. It would not take much to stir the horde.
The gutter vent quickly ran out of room. The object in motion - which was itself a small, orange, metal sphere - waited, then with a sharp turn in its motion, hopped out and fell to the floor with a soft thud. It barely lost its momentum, continuing along and away from the nearby things that perked up at the noise. It moved towards a door at the end of the hall, open just enough to allow access. No sooner than after the ball had passed the threshold, it ceased to be a ball. Larger segments of metal emerged from it in an instant, segments that quickly took on a humanoid shape. Thin plates became fully-formed hands, legs, and eventually, a head, encapsulated in bulky yellow, orange, and red iron that even in this pale darkness gleamed.
Now standing at full height, the bounty hunter quickly waved her hand back towards the door, closing it shut. SHe raised a hand to her helmet. One click later, the scan was complete: Positive match. This was the target. She reached for a nearby chair, then set it against the door. It was sorely rusted, but it would hold for now. The room was not large. In fact, she needed to hunch over in order to interact with the old terminal on the desk in front of her. There wasn't room for anything else. While she stared at the computer, she raised her right arm, which was more of a cannon. After pondering for a moment, she lowered it. She had not interacted with technology this old in a long time. Her employer had given her their access code. With careful precision, the bounty hunter's armored hand typed into the keyboard, one character at a time, then hit "Enter". If this did not work...
There was a dull beep. Four words rapidly flashed across the screen, one letter after the other.
Welcome back, Naomi Hunter."
It took time to navigate the archaic machine, even more so when care was taken to ensure the proper inputs. Eventually, she found what she was looking for: Data Retrieval. The hunter reached within her suit. The metal plating gleamed, becoming gossamer energy that parted to allow her to pull out a slim, square disk. It flopped limply about, before it was held taut, and was inserted into the console. It was expected: most of the data was corrupted. There was only one file intact.
Research notes: The Blight. Confirm?
...
Acknowledged.
