This thread is something I was thinking of doing for a while. Basically, I'm going to be posting short stories inspired by various videogames. These stories will try to offer something different from the usual videogame fiction. I want to give readers a slice of the game that they might not have thought about before or might be interested to read about. This could mean expanding on minor characters, showing what might happen between games, or maybe a humorous twist on a game world. Whether I succeed in doing something different remains to be seen
These stories will have various styles and thus various ratings. I wasn't sure what to put in the thread title regarding this. So please check the classification of the particular story before reading it to maximise your enjoyment of this thread.
Without further ado, let's kick things off with a Metroid story. I hope you enjoy this thread.
Between The Stars
[M] Sexual references, adult themes, violence
Samus stirred from her sleep. Her vision came into focus as she let in a yawn. The first signs of daylight were peeking over the horizon. The last lingering fingers of the night were beginning to melt into the day. Long shadows stretched over the floor of the apartment as the brilliant orange of early morning pushed back the night. She brushed her tangled mess of hair out of her eyes. She swung her legs off the bed. Samus looked at the sheets strewn over the bed and trickling off the side, pooling in a twisted pile. It must have been some night. She stood up and stretched, the light catching the curves of her body. Her bare skin took on a pink hue with just a hint of orange in the morning light. It felt confining to be without clothes, without her power suit. She felt trapped. She quickly looked around for her attire as the unsettling feeling seeped in. As she looked around, she caught sight of the man she had spent her evening with. He was lying on the bed, as bare as she was. He had a rather toned body, the light and shadows moving across his muscular frame as he breathed in and out in his sleep. She did not know his name. The events of the previous night were now vivid in Samus’ mind. It was the usual end result of having tensions and frustrations to exorcise and no Space Pirates to shoot. Those frustrations had been expelled vigorously. It had been some night. She was relaxed and calm finally. At least for one more day. Then the cycle would probably continue until the Space Pirates gave her other, more violent, means of therapy. Samus quickly found her various pieces of clothing scattered about the floor and swiftly put them on. The feeling of being enclosed made her feel more comfortable and drove out the feeling of being exposed; she felt vulnerable without something around her. It was a conundrum that she hated being disrobed, yet it was a necessary part of intimacy, if she could call this intimacy. It was more of a means to an end to her. Intimacy would imply emotional, as well as physical, exposure. Emotional exposure was not something she was keen on. The events in her life and the sensations they conjured, starting with that fateful day on K-2L, were not something she was interested in divulging to anyone. She lived alone, as cold and distant as the furthest reaches of the Federation. Her visits to the populated parts of the Galaxy were sporadic and infrequent. It was usually a supply stop here, ship repairs there, and when jobs were nowhere to be found.
She walked towards the door, slipping on her shoes on the way. Samus pressed her hand against the activation panel and the door silently slid open. She did not look back as she walked down the hall and towards the elevator. The elevator’s clear doors opened as she approached. Her footsteps echoed loudly as she entered. She sleepily pressed the ‘ground floor’ button before leaning her back against the rear of the elevator. The floors rose up and passed above her as the elevator gently slid down the shaft. The faintest of hums was the only sound she could hear. Nothing was awake at this hour. Nothing was alive. Even in the darkest of nights, insects chirped and birds occasionally squawked, but in the fleeting moments between night and day, all was silent. It chilled Samus to the bone. There were no sounds after they came that day far off in the past. A cacophony of destruction, sounds of pain, agony and death rang out across her home settlement. As soon as they left, as soon as the Space Pirates were gone, there was not a sound of life at all. Except for her own. She found her parents, or rather, what was left of them. She did not know what to do, so she just sat next to her parents amongst the silence, amongst the death. She did not know how long she sat there. After what might have been a few hours or a few days, the Chozo came and found her. The rest, as they say, is history. The elevator reached the ground floor and politely opened. Samus departed the elevator and walked towards the building’s exit, located at the end of a lavish foyer. Serene, clear waterfalls trickled down the walls and into green, vibrant ponds lining the sides of the room. It was extraordinarily extravagant for an apartment building. It was almost obnoxious. The main exit swished open as Samus approached, a gentle breeze of cool air danced through the open doors. Samus’ hair danced in turn, rising and falling with the rhythm of the breeze. The street outside was empty save for the odd Repulsor Car, their drivers awake at this hour not through choice, but by necessity. Employment is a harsh mistress. At least they had employment. Samus’ would give anything for a job right now. Populated planets, with their cities and people, were full of life; mundane and boring life. Selfish and ignorant life. Blissfully paying no heed to the threats that are out there. Ignorant to the fact that the Space Pirates could swoop down here today and take whatever they wanted. They could ruthlessly take the selfish lives of those that dwelled here. And someone else, some other poor child, would sit amongst the death. Samus realised she was gritting her teeth. She relaxed and sighed. Maybe she was just resentful, jealous perhaps? Perhaps an unseen envy had crept over her as the years wore on? A grumbling noise from her stomach stirred her from her thoughts. Regardless of the life one led, a hungry stomach was still a hungry stomach.
She spied a small café on the corner a small distance from her. It seemed to just be opening with its holo-signs flickering to life, enticing early risers to sample their goods. Samus shrugged with a smile. At least there was one redeeming feature of being amongst civilization. It had been some time since she had a decent coffee. The warm aroma filled Samus’ senses as she neared the café. The doors opened and she walked inside. She was a little surprised to see that this establishment had people behind a counter, real, actual people to serve you. It must have been some kind of gimmick to attract customers. Everything was usually automated. You would walk in, tell a machine what you wanted, and it would be dispensed. Samus managed a smile at the employees, forced but polite. The staff quickly took her order and within a short time Samus had a coffee and piece of cake in hand. She took a moment to breathe in the heavenly smell. It filled her nose and mouth and lungs. She would have been more than satisfied if this was all she could have had. The aroma lingered blissfully has she sat down at a table inside the coffee shop. She lifted the cup to her lips and gently blew the steam off. She knew she should wait for it cool a little, but it was the curse of a good cup of coffee that it beckoned you to taste it straight away. It teased the senses, Samus knew it was too hot, but she knew it was too good. She took a sip. Immediately she recoiled as her lips and tongue burned. A wry smile crossed her face. No matter how many times she had learnt that painful lesson, she always did it. Perhaps it was best to start off with the cake. Samus broke a bit off with her fork and gracefully scooped it into her mouth. It was sweet. Very sweet. The icing was especially delicious. It tasted like some kind of chocolate and caramel blend. Whatever it was, it was good.
The café’s doors swished open as another customer came in. It was a woman about Samus’ age. She had fiery red hair that cascaded over her shoulders and just stopped short of her ample bust. It was easy to see that she had an athletic body underneath her form fitting clothes. It was healthy and toned. Samus guessed from her attire and a slight, but not offensive, gleam of sweat covering her skin that she was out on a morning run. Her running shorts were brief to say the least, stopping at the top of her thigh, showing just how long her legs were. Samus’ eyes lingered on the stranger’s legs, from ankle to thigh, for a fleeting moment as she walked towards the counter. It did not escape the woman’s notice, however. She glanced at Samus and looked her in the eye before flashing her a flirting smile. Samus smiled back. The woman stepped up to the counter and made her order. Samus took a sip of her now slightly cooled coffee. The woman now had her back to Samus. Samus took the opportunity to let her eyes wander over the stranger’s athletic curves. As the woman waited for her coffee to be prepared, she turned her head to see Samus watching her. The woman smiled a slightly devilish, mischievous smile. She received her coffee and walked over to Samus.
“Mind if I sit here?” asked the woman.
“It’s a free galaxy,” replied Samus, more eager than her tone would let on.
The woman took her seat and nursed her coffee, “You’re up early.”
“I’m an early riser,” said Samus. “You run?”
“Every morning,” said the woman. “I like to keep my body in top condition.”
“It is in top condition,” replied Samus, taking another sip of her coffee while allowing her eyes to indulge in this woman’s curves once more.
“Running helps me unwind too, gets rid of the tension,” said the woman. “You seem kinda tense yourself, your hair’s a mess.”
“I haven’t had a chance to do anything except get coffee,” laughed Samus.
“Well, hey, if you only get a chance to do one thing, why not let it be coffee?” chuckled the woman. “Is coffee your way to unwind and relax?”
“Ha, no, I’d say coffee does the exact opposite, but it tastes so damn good,” said Samus. “There’s a lot of tension in my line of work and I really shouldn’t add to it with coffee. I find I need to expel my tension quite energetically and frequently.”
“And what’s your line of work?” asked the woman.
Samus paused, “Security.”
“How do you get rid of the stress?” said the red haired beauty. “A job like that, there must be a lot of it. Do you run or workout?”
“No,” said Samus. “I find…other…ways.”
The woman smiled and looked at Samus with a flash of playfulness in her eyes, and a hint of boldness in her voice, “Can I help you with that?”
“I think you might be able to,” replied Samus. “I don’t want to interrupt your morning exercise though.”
“You’ll be adding to it,” winked the woman.
Samus finished off the last bit of her cake and took a sip of her coffee. It was merely warm now. It was still tolerable though. The woman took another sip of her own coffee.
“I live just around the corner,” said the stranger as she stood up, leaving her half finished coffee on the table.
“You’re not going to finish your coffee?” asked Samus.
“Coffee might taste good,” said the woman. “But there are other things I enjoy more.”
“I’m inclined to agree with you,” Samus pushed her coffee away and stood up.
The woman put her hand on the small of Samus’ back and led her towards the door. The door swished open and they stepped through. The woman pulled her hand away as they stepped outside into the cool, fresh air.
“I’d have opened the door for you,” chuckled the woman. “But it’s kind of difficult.”
“Technology is killing politeness?” laughed Samus.
The two women laughed to themselves as they continued walking down the street. They walked at a brisk pace, anticipating what awaited them at their destination. A man was walking towards them. The women paid no heed to him, most likely just another early riser. As he came closer, he seemed to glance at Samus. Samus’ instincts flared, her fists clenched, and her eyes stayed on the man. He was wearing a coat, with his hands firmly inside his pockets. He neared the two women.
“You’re mine, Hunter,” said the man.
The man produced a small energy weapon from one of his pockets. Samus was already in action. He pointed the weapon directly in Samus’ face, but the bounty hunter had already brought up her own arm. She deflected her attacker’s arm with a quick strike before delivering a powerful kick to his chest. A shot was fired. Samus leapt into the air and curled her legs around the assailant’s neck, bringing him to the ground. She twisted her legs and waist. A snap from the man’s neck stabbed into the silence of the early morning. It was a satisfying sound. Samus’ chest rose and fell as the thrill of the moment took hold. She breathed in the moment. She craved it. She needed it. She bent down and whispered into the dead man’s ear.
“The Space Pirates will have to do better than sending some pathetic hired hand to take me down,” she said.
Samus stood up. She looked down at the now dead assassin. Samus felt the surge of adrenalin still pumping through her veins. It was exhilarating.
“Sorry about that,” said Samus as she turned around to see if her acquaintance was okay.
Samus paused. The woman was on the ground. Dead. The energy blast that had been fired had ripped a chunk out of her side. This woman who Samus had just met, who she had known for only a few minutes, was dead. Her line of work was dangerous. She paused for a few seconds. Samus grimaced, gritted her teeth, turned around, and walked on. It was just another risk of her job. People were bound to get hurt. It was just a fact. Samus lived alone. She left the scene behind and made her way to her gunship. Soon she was leaving the atmosphere, leaving the planet, and the people, behind. Samus headed for the deepest of deep space. Out there amongst the black was where she wanted to be. A screen began flashing on her cockpit control panel. It was a distress signal. It was coming from somewhere in the orbit of Talon IV.
“Finally, something to shoot,” she sighed.
She plotted a course for the distress signal. Her ship gracefully coasted through space, heading towards unknown danger, unknown adventure. Samus sped away from people, away from civilization. This is where she lived. This is where she needed to be. This is where she wanted to be. It was where she could do no harm and do the most good. She lived between the stars.