*This is not a translation*
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[Warning. Warning. Gunship's shield integrity has reached critical levels. Several systems are now offline. Diverting remaining power to initiate self-repair protocols. Heavy damage has been sustained during flight turbulence. Exit path from wormhole secured. Star chart scanning will commence once gunship has reached suitable energy levels. Warning...]
The loud hums and a red blaring siren echoed around a destroyed cockpit. All of a sudden, an amber manta ray-like spaceship tore through a spatial rift at hyper speeds, only to come to a halt the moment it left the tear altogether. It now stood still in the vast emptiness of outer space. Several parts could be seen either destroyed, or partially destroyed. It looked pretty bad. Within the cockpit itself, a red blaring noise echoed around the chamber, causing the figure resting within to stir awake.
Imagine the scene where Peter Quill takes his personal spaceship along with the other Guardians and passes through several hyper lanes, only to see the destroyed wreckage of the Asgardian vessel after Thanos attacked them. Except there wasn't any space debris. The sole damage was to this particular amber gunship. It looked like it had just gone through hell and back.
A sole disgruntled figure could be seen strapped inside the cockpit, completely loose. The figure's face was hidden away by an armored suit, which was completely orange. The armor itself was cut in several places, and had dried blood spots over their body.
"Ugh, just what in the world happened to me? And what is this incessant noise...?", The figure uttered, their mind in complete disarray. It didn't help that this person heard an extremely loud noise that distracted the person's train of thought, let alone having a self-built AI speak to them while initiating self-repair protocols. A soft mechanical hum of drill-like noises added into the siren. Thanks to this, the figure's mind snapped awake.
It was then the pain came. It wasn't a sharp stab of a knife, but more of an all-consuming headache. It was as if the figure was suffering a migraine, and it only grew worse thanks to what the figure was hearing inside the cockpit. It struck against the very aspect of their being.
"My head...", The figure uttered, shaking their head to try and ward off the pain. That didn't seem to help. And to make it worse, the voice that spoke earlier began to speak again, calling out to them.
[You have suffered damage from heavy turbulence. Minor memory loss detected. Vital signs read stable and you are not in critical condition. It is recommended you recover in the sick bay while the gunship runs its self-repair protocols. It is good to see you in one piece, Samus.]
It was like splashing a cold bucket of ice-cold water over me. Any momentary pain I was going through was muddled away by what was said to me. That name. Samus.
Once my eyes regained vision, I was immediately greeted with a HUD screen. It too was flashing red danger signs. But it was enough to see the cockpit's personal console directly in my view.
"What did you just call me?", I spoke out, a bit hesitant to do so.
[You are Samus Aran. An independent bounty hunter who is contracted with the Galactic Federation. Finally picking up on a trace of your sworn enemy, Sylux, you headed out into the vastness of space. Sylux laid out a trap for you, and sent you whirling into a wormhole. You managed to escape it, but the current location is unknown. There is not enough power to divert to the gunship's scanners. Your Power Suit readings display less than 10% power remaining. It is highly advised that you recover in the sick bay.]
Hearing that, my voice turned quiet.
"That's impossible. There's no way I'm Samus Aran!", I exclaimed in shock, proceeding to ignore the ongoing warning signs.
Seriously, is this all a dream? I was clearly hanging out with my friends after work. And then, after crossing a sidewalk...
The moment I thought that, I frowned. Realizing what had happened, the last thing I could recall was a screeching noise strike against me, and a loud thud on the head.
"Did I seriously get bumped on the head? Or did I meet an unfortunate end? I'm pretty sure that was a car accident...", I uttered. As I did, I stretched out my right arm. Ignoring this visor-like gaze I was currently seeing, sure enough I saw an armored arm in my view. The hand wasn't visible, it was hidden away. What replaced it was a cannon. This weapon is Samus's iconic Power Beam. She'd use this to slay countless space pirates during her prime.
And it was then I saw the reflection of myself while looking out at the glass that kept me safe from the infinite expanse of outer space before me. I saw an amber helmet. Within it, crystal blue eyes, and blonde hair. I wanted to suck in a cold breath of air.
"I really have turned into the famous bounty hunter, Samus Aran...", I said, letting my new reality dawn on me. Then I really did suffer a car accident?
I was still in disbelief of everything that had transpired. It's either that, or I'm playing a very, very, hyper realistic virtual reality space exploration game. These stars all around me say so otherwise. There's no way a game engine could capture this breathtaking scene before me. And with the ongoing siren, my body being a wreck, and that pounding headache, I knew this was all too real. Did I really transmigrate into Samus Aran's body?
It was then a huge flux of memories triggered, causing me to groan. One after another came swiftly. They weren't my memories. They were memories of a young girl, enjoying life with her parents. All of that came to an abrupt end when their residence was swarmed by space pirates. Wandering from planet to planet, this girl soon encountered avian humanoid aliens that were highly advanced and intelligent. They allowed the girl to undergo experimentation, becoming the first human to respond to Chozo-infused bioweapons. It was then the Power Suit was born. After leaving her new home, the girl, Samus Aran, eventually joined the Federation Police whose sole purpose was to stop space pirates. Eventually, through misaligned interests, Samus left the Federation, and became a contracted bounty hunter. Fast forward several years, she would get entangled with other bounty hunters, some of whom came to deeply hate Samus. And at the same time, her suit would get infused with other mutations, beings called the X Parasite.
One such hunter was Sylux. According to the voice I had just heard, Sylux laid a trap for Samus, causing her gunship to spiral into a wormhole that she couldn't escape out of. Her gunship experienced severe turbulence, almost causing the gunship to become destroyed altogether. With the AI's assistance, they safely charted through it, and left the other side.
That puts a perspective of what led things to my current situation. Samus's life likely was lost in that wormhole. It happened near the same time I got run over by that car. I can't even remember the car accident. It just happened so abruptly. A few seconds I was happily chatting away with my friends, and bam, I'm inside Samus's body now.
It's pretty weird, right? Normally in these types of stories, you'd meet an otherworldly figure, random omnipotent being, god, whatever you want to call them. They're supposed to grant you wishes and allow you to select the place you'd want to start life over. The so-called isekai-type story you'd read in popular fantasy stories. Well, that didn't happen here. I had no such encounters. No rewards, no special perks. Part of me still wanted to believe this was all a dream.
[It looks like you are still experiencing neural interference. This is no dream, Samus. You made it out of that wormhole.] The voice said. When this voice spoke, it was as if a second ice-cold bucket of water splashed over my face. Clarity. No more wavering. Through my visor, I saw the blinking console in front of me initiate a wavy-like line. Each line corresponded to words. This is something I'm going to have to get used to.
"I am not Samus.", I responded. A firm voice escaped from my lips. A voice that didn't belong to mine.
[...] The AI didn't immediately speak back to me. It was as if it was trying to collect its own thoughts of what I had just said.
[I can verify the integrity of your words, Samus. There is an irregularity in your current speech patterns. But you are nonetheless Samus Aran. We will need to conduct further tests to ensure the safety of your body. You did just escape with your life, after all.] The voice said.
"I guess that will be for the best. It'd be nice to have some assurance knowing that I'm currently out of harm's reach. This suit needs to recharge itself too. Before that, I just have a single question. I am pretty sure I know who you are. You're Adam, aren't you?", I said, after taking a momentary pause. I sucked in a breath of air, waiting for an answer.
[Not exactly. I am a copy based off of the Galactic Federation's Commanding Officer, Adam Malkovich. His strategic profile, to be exact. His leadership and decision-making matrices were digitized, apt for combat application. My sole purpose is to assist you and keep record of your journey, Samus. But even now, that has lost its purpose. Contact with the Galactic Federation has been cut off. We're on our own out here.] The voice said.
So this artificial intelligence really is Adam. He wouldn't make an appearance until Metroid Fusion. Does that mean this version of Samus is already adaptable with the X parasites? And why do I still have the orange Power Suit instead of the infected one that Samus receives during Prime 3? So many questions unanswered. Maybe that's the silver spoon I was given for not meeting any godly being after transmigrating into Samus's body? You know being able to switch between suits and other weapons? That'd be awesome if that was the case.
[You should go rest for now, Samus. The sick bay will heal any unwanted damage. Near there is a charging spot for your suit. I have already begun self-repair of the gunship. It will be about a week out before you are completely operational again. Once there is enough power, I will begin to scan our surroundings.] Adam said, reminding me of what I should do. [And once enough power has been restored, I will initiate the cloaking mechanism so any wanderers won't encounter us.]
True, we are sticking out like a sore thumb. And where space wreckage goes, space pirates typically follow to dismantle its scraps. It doesn't matter where you go in outer space, or what story you find yourself in. There will always be someone there to pick up the scraps. It sounds like I can leave things in Adam's capable hands for now.
Instead, I simply smiled. I am not sure if I have come to accept this new life of mine, as Samus Aran no less. But there is one thing that is true right now.
"We might be on our own now Adam, but we have each other.", I replied, only to feel an immediate feeling of embarrassment. God that was so cringe to say, but I wasn't joking. It's a lot better than being out in the butt-fuck middle-of-nowhere Kansas. I'd take flying into outer space where a full adventure awaits you any day!
[...] Adam didn't respond, nor did I think it needed to. I wonder, should I call Adam an "it" or start addressing him with some personality with a "he"? Deep down Adam is merely artificial intelligence with a copied persona. I know some crazy AI stories out there, eventually gaining free will and all that shit. We'll see what happens.
For now, I recalled how to take off the Power Suit's helmet. A hissing sound echoed in the chamber. Adam was kind enough to turn off the loud siren. It was still blaring red though. That was an indicator to know we're not out of the ballpark yet. Perhaps it was now that this reality truly was settling in.
Waving my hair, I had a look into the observation deck glass where the cockpit was. Despite a gorgeous sea of stars within my sight, the glass was reflective enough to let me get a good look at my new appearance. Samus really was a beautiful girl, wasn't she?
"I really am Samus Aran...", I uttered, concluding that this truly is my reality now. It was a shame I couldn't say goodbye to my friends or family, but that's how life goes sometimes. Car accidents can be brutal, claiming a member of your family in a mere instant. The next thing you know, you're at their funeral, seeing a coffin being buried into the ground. Humans are such fragile creatures, aren't they?
It's good that I came out alive, even if a transmigration occurred. I thought there would be life after death, but perhaps it might just be a cycle of life. I shouldn't mull over it too much right now. Being too down in the dumps isn't good for the body. Even if I'm a girl now.
There is one bigger glaring problem staring right at me in the face. Quite literally. I was going through an internal dilemma of my own.
I used to be a guy, damn it!
How could I become such a beauty like this!?
As I underwent an internal existential crisis of my own, Adam saw me return into the gunship's Personal Quarters.
[...Godspeed, Samus.] Adam simply said, still trying to think of the words Samus had said during the conversation the two held.