Sorry I haven't updated in some time. Been playing Metroid Prime and went back to make some minor changes so it matches up at least somewhat with the Nintendo line.  I also feel like im straying from the metroid path and that this is starting to turn into some other story.  It's going slow right now but hopefully I'll be able to steer this back in the direction it should be.

            "Quick time – march!"

            And with that command from Major Byran Ticks, Sigma team slowed down from their eight-kilometer morning run to a brisk one-hundred-twenty steps per minute walk.  Another thirty seconds after that he called, "Detail… halt!" and everyone came to a stop and tried not to breathe too heavily.  Each member of the team welcomed the end, but none dared to voice that thought for fear of being seen as weak.  The commander stepped out in front of his troopers.  Even approaching middle age his steely form radiated an intensity that his aristocratic features belayed and looked as if he had just finished reading a book rather than a gruelling run  "An admirable performance everyone.  Hit the hygienic facilities and report to briefing room echo three within fifteen minutes.  Fall out!"

            Samus followed the others out of the hangar bay where they had been running.  Space was a premium, even aboard a ship the size of the Liberty.  And so exercises meant running laps in one of the great cavernous hangar bays, made all the more interesting when a tech spills some lubricating fluid or dodging underneath a taxiing starfighter.  After another quick shower, she joined the team in a small amphitheatre briefing room.

"I am commander Adam Malkovich, you are Sigma team.  Is anyone in the wrong place?" There were a few chuckles as some feigned surprise and started to get up out of their seats.  "Good.  Now I'm only going to go through this once so do pay attention.  First we have a new member, please welcome lieutenant Samus Aran."  She stood up and saluted. "Thank you sir!"  He returned the salute and gestured for her to take her seat and continued.  "Samus comes to us from the 31st Reynold Star Marines where she served with distinction for the past year.  She also comes with equipped with the Azeroth Cross, for extreme skill and courage under fire when she ambushed and defeated a pirate raiding party on her own out on Karnataka III after being separated from her battalion."  Samus blushed and waved away the approving looks and whistles from the team.  Although official reports said she got broken off due to communications error; that was not the truth.  "Anyway," Adam continued, "Our operational doctrine has us falling under the authority of Intelligence and general orders come from them.  However we also work with the command of this task force and are authorized to deviate from original orders on condition that the overall objective remains unchanged."  He looked towards Samus, the black eyes seeming to drill straight through her emerald ones and examine the brain underneath.  "Translation: We do what we can in the interests and safety of the Galactic Federation and all it represents."

Samus allowed herself a small smile.  This was the job she was looking forward to for most her life.  No longer would she just be a grunt in the field, she could operate independently without being restrained.  Free to do whatever it takes in protecting the innocents of the Federation, and kick pirate butt at the same time.

"So what exactly are we going to be doing?" the commander continued as a hologram of space appeared in front of him. "One week ago the supply depot at Rigel was attacked by a pirate raiding force.  They managed to fight through our defences to hijack four tritium supertankers and escape.  Luckily, a damaged corvette managed to record a few of their hyperspace trajectories which we triangulated to somewhere here in the Delphinus sector."  The hologram zoomed in to show that particular region of space.

Zepp's hand rose.  Adam pointed at him and nodded, "Yes?"

"Sir, do we know how they managed to take all the tankers?  He asked.  "I thought the security lockdowns would have immobilized the ships.  You know, to prevent something like this."

"We don't know how they managed to bypass the lockdown, but that's not important to us right now." Adam answered.  "That fuel represented a full month's worth of operations to the fifth and seventh fleets and it may be two weeks at least to replenish those groups.  We've diverted patrols to stand in temporarily, but five whole sectors are dangerously under defended."

Samus knew that tritium was the primary fuel that fed into almost every Federation starship's quantum chamber power plants, which in powered every principal system.  Once the bunkers run dry; propulsion, shields, weapons, communications even life support would be forced to shutdown.  Auxiliary generators may be able to power two or maybe three of those systems, but the ships would be sitting waterfowl if attacked by pirates.

 "Our job is to find out where that fuel went and get it back if possible, as most likely the pirate would try to sell it."  He gestured to the holo and a series of planets were highlighted.  "This sector is outside official Federation space and populated mainly by fringers and other unsavoury folk, just the sort of people who would do business with pirates.  We will divide into half squads and visit each of these places and find out what we can.  The rest of the battle group will be conducting exercises in between systems but are ready to assist us if we find anything.  I will be Sigma one and will lead the first group with Jarnus as two…"

Samus listened and filed away each of the first half-squad's names.  What could the pirates be doing with so much fuel? She thought.  It could be possible that they would just stash them where their headquarters were and thus be set for perhaps a year's worth of operations, they didn't have all that many ships anyway.  The commander had mentioned selling, but hauling around four supertankers would not be a subtle thing and the space pirates themselves would be vulnerable to theft from the more "conventional" pirates out there.

"Leading the second group is major Byran Ticks as seven.  Eight is Kylie Sorna," a silky human female, her silver hair cut short and spiked out such that Samus wondered if they would be lethal. "Zepp, Dakk, you two jokers are nine and ten."  The two she had met from the firing range nodded their acknowledgment.  "Eleven is…" Adam frowned and made a few gargling noises, then said "My apologies, I still can't pronounce your name.  But she is satisfied with Kitty." Eleven's nickname would be quite apt for a human.  She was a humanoid female whose features were quite similar to the feline domesticus that roamed Earth.  Her eyes had the same vertical arrangement and even her ears twitched once in a while.  "I told you the first time I met you that the human tongue is incapable of our language," She said with a smile in surprisingly unaccented Basic.  "Well I will prove that false someday," he replied "And finally Samus, you're Sigma twelve."

"Now before we finish, there is still something we must do.  Lady Aran, will you please step up."  Puzzled, Samus got to her feet and walked up in front of the lectern. "I would now like to officially welcome you into the team.  Though you have not gone on any missions yet, your performance during training is exemplary.  As is your sense of bribery." Samus looked even more confused. "All of us agree that those cookies were the most delicious ever, and also hate you now because there is no more left.  For that, here is your punishment."

            Adam stepped over to her pulled a small wooden box from his pocket and withdrew a black rod with a round plate on one end.  He pressed the plate against her left shoulder and pressed a recessed button.  There was a small sensation of heat and then he pulled it back. 

"This is the sigma crest.  You now bear our unit's symbol, may it be a source of pride for you to accept this honour."  Samus pulled up the sleeve of her jumpsuit and saw that where there had been unmarked skin, a stylized S in the shape of a lightning bolt was emblazoned upon a circle of black.