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Description
Samus was afraid.

It was as simple as this: Here she was on yet another hostile planet, fighting one of the only allies she’d ever had. The growling noises he emitted now were feral, mindless. The bounty hunter she’d known was gone; in his place was just another enemy, to be quickly exterminated like all the others.

And she’d hoped this one would be different. It served her right; she’d trusted him, and now once they were alone he was suddenly her enemy.

Samus’ train of thought was interrupted when a block of ice destroyed the large crystal she’d been using for protection. She barely managed to jump away when he started shooting; the woman was still finding it hard to believe that her ally was fighting her.

“Hey! It’s me, Samus! Don’t you remember?” She tried yelling at him for the thousandth time, only to receive a frustrated growl and a block of ice thrown her way. Samus would not allow herself to let go of the tears that were stinging at her eyes; she wasn’t that weak. No matter how much this sudden betrayal hurt her, she wouldn’t allow herself to express pain in any form.

“Do you even know who you’re fighting?” This was said in a rougher tone, though her voice cracked on the last word. The alien paused for a moment, and Samus could swear she saw him cock his head to one side, as if curious. The short amount of time in which Samus held her breath proved to be nearly fatal.

Somehow, in those few seconds, her fellow bounty hunter managed to shoot her in the arm, generate more icy armor around himself… and tackle her, pinning her to the floor.

This was certainly not the most ideal situation.

She wasn’t sure what had happened, but after barely a few seconds of struggling, the alien was off of her, shrieking. The smoke curling upwards from her arm cannon told Samus all that she needed to know.

The accidentally fired missile had punctured her old ally’s chest armor, causing the PED device to crack. Trickles of Phazon ran in slow, steady streams down his torso. The sight seemed to infuriate him. With a loud roar, he was upon her again.

All Samus could do was cry out in frustrated surprise as she sidestepped, shooting wildly as the alien passed. She almost didn’t want to fire at him, but if he was going to try and kill her then she had no choice but to protect herself.

He came up snarling, thin lines of white smoke rising from the now-blunt icicles rising from his back and shoulders. A faint sizzling noise could be heard coming from that general area; Samus would have thought it comical if she’d been fighting someone else.

Anyone else.

He was about to charge at her again when she yelled out once more, desperate.

“Rundas!” He halted almost immediately at the sound of his name. The alien looked incredibly dazed, unsure of how he was supposed to react. In that moment, Samus could swear that she saw a bit of him left in his wide, confused eyes.

She scarcely had time to consider this, for a moment later he was charging again. A sudden flare of blue-purple before her made her fire every missile she had left erratically, her eyes shut tight as she braced for the imminent impact.

There was none.

Confused, she looked around her. No angels, no hellfire. How was she alive? An agonized groan drew her attention to the ground before her. A sharp intake of breath marked her shock at the sight that she was met with.

She’d somehow managed to fire every missile she’d had on her, and sadly they all found their mark. Rundas lay before her, face pressed into the ground. The position he was in almost struck her as funny; his limbs were sprawled out, he was flat on the floor, and he was twitching slightly. Instead of being humorous, the sight horrified her.

The sounds rumbling from his throat were neither growl nor whimper- Samus could only describe them as inarticulate noises of extreme pain.

Samus was up in an instant, attempting to locate the blue flash she’d just seen out of the corner of her eye. She barely had time to yell something before she started firing wildly at the blur she registered as her Phazon-powered twin.

The creature was gone as soon as it appeared, and after a moment of scanning the bounty hunter refocused her attention on her fallen ally. She turned not a moment too soon; his hand was slightly raised, and as soon as she saw the icy particles gathering beneath him she knew what he was trying to do.

She yelled declination as she dove for him, pinning down his arms in an attempt to stop him from forming the ice. Samus ignored the cries of indignation coming from beneath her; she held him down despite what he might have become. He was still her ally, and like he’d said before… she owed him one.

After a few moments, his struggling ceased. Samus pulled back cautiously to look at him, careful to keep her hands at his forearms.

There weren’t words to describe what Rundas looked like. His expression was open, helpless. If one were to give the look on his face a particular name, it would be ‘broken’. His eyes were shut tight, as if he was trying to block out some unwanted sight that was floating just before his eyes. The PED device at his chest was shattered almost beyond recognition; the fluid running steadily down his sides seemed to consist mainly of Phazon, but the growing pool beneath him was made up of his blood.

Her eyes were forced from his wounds from a low rumbling noise. For a moment she looked around the open area, confused. Had one of the locals decided to drop in and be shot? It occurred to her after a few moments that the noise had come from her ally.

“What?” Her voice was gentle, almost, coaxing. She had no idea if he’d been growling at her or speaking, but to her great dis-ease, a huge part of her longed for it to be the latter. She moved one hand slightly, and as soon as she did the ice was forming again. With a cry of dismay she held him down again, her gaze almost frightful.

Almost.

Again, that noise. Samus leaned a bit closer to the alien, trying to study his features. “…are you saying something?” she asked, once again in that soft tone. His response shocked her.

“Why can’t you just let me and get it over with?” Despite the obvious pain he was in, the Phrygisian managed to raise his voice nearly to a yell, glaring daggers at the human before him.

It was unclear to both of them whether the underlying tone to his words was growl or sob.

“Just… just let me…”

The words that followed made no sense to either of them. They didn’t need to. All sense of things mattering at all went with those final words, really, though neither of them seemed to notice it.

She had no clue how he’d ended up in her arms, head on her shoulder. Even long after it was over, Rundas would never be able to recall why he was crying, and why he’d allowed himself to be touched in such ways. Samus’s arms had stayed firmly around him, almost cradling him despite the considerable difference in size.

As Rundas drifted into unconsciousness, he could almost swear she was rocking him. That couldn’t be true, could it? They both did have a certain dignity to uphold. Still, being supported like that was a nice change, and the comforting words he heard mumbled sounded so clear and soft-spoken, as if some sort of angel was whispering in his ear.

Description
Samus was afraid.

It was as simple as this: Here she was on yet another hostile planet, fighting one of the only allies she’d ever had. The growling noises he emitted now were feral, mindless. The bounty hunter she’d known was gone; in his place was just another enemy, to be quickly exterminated like all the others.

And she’d hoped this one would be different. It served her right; she’d trusted him, and now once they were alone he was suddenly her enemy.

Samus’ train of thought was interrupted when a block of ice destroyed the large crystal she’d been using for protection. She barely managed to jump away when he started shooting; the woman was still finding it hard to believe that her ally was fighting her.

“Hey! It’s me, Samus! Don’t you remember?” She tried yelling at him for the thousandth time, only to receive a frustrated growl and a block of ice thrown her way. Samus would not allow herself to let go of the tears that were stinging at her eyes; she wasn’t that weak. No matter how much this sudden betrayal hurt her, she wouldn’t allow herself to express pain in any form.

“Do you even know who you’re fighting?” This was said in a rougher tone, though her voice cracked on the last word. The alien paused for a moment, and Samus could swear she saw him cock his head to one side, as if curious. The short amount of time in which Samus held her breath proved to be nearly fatal.

Somehow, in those few seconds, her fellow bounty hunter managed to shoot her in the arm, generate more icy armor around himself… and tackle her, pinning her to the floor.

This was certainly not the most ideal situation.

She wasn’t sure what had happened, but after barely a few seconds of struggling, the alien was off of her, shrieking. The smoke curling upwards from her arm cannon told Samus all that she needed to know.

The accidentally fired missile had punctured her old ally’s chest armor, causing the PED device to crack. Trickles of Phazon ran in slow, steady streams down his torso. The sight seemed to infuriate him. With a loud roar, he was upon her again.

All Samus could do was cry out in frustrated surprise as she sidestepped, shooting wildly as the alien passed. She almost didn’t want to fire at him, but if he was going to try and kill her then she had no choice but to protect herself.

He came up snarling, thin lines of white smoke rising from the now-blunt icicles rising from his back and shoulders. A faint sizzling noise could be heard coming from that general area; Samus would have thought it comical if she’d been fighting someone else.

Anyone else.

He was about to charge at her again when she yelled out once more, desperate.

“Rundas!” He halted almost immediately at the sound of his name. The alien looked incredibly dazed, unsure of how he was supposed to react. In that moment, Samus could swear that she saw a bit of him left in his wide, confused eyes.

She scarcely had time to consider this, for a moment later he was charging again. A sudden flare of blue-purple before her made her fire every missile she had left erratically, her eyes shut tight as she braced for the imminent impact.

There was none.

Confused, she looked around her. No angels, no hellfire. How was she alive? An agonized groan drew her attention to the ground before her. A sharp intake of breath marked her shock at the sight that she was met with.

She’d somehow managed to fire every missile she’d had on her, and sadly they all found their mark. Rundas lay before her, face pressed into the ground. The position he was in almost struck her as funny; his limbs were sprawled out, he was flat on the floor, and he was twitching slightly. Instead of being humorous, the sight horrified her.

The sounds rumbling from his throat were neither growl nor whimper- Samus could only describe them as inarticulate noises of extreme pain.

Samus was up in an instant, attempting to locate the blue flash she’d just seen out of the corner of her eye. She barely had time to yell something before she started firing wildly at the blur she registered as her Phazon-powered twin.

The creature was gone as soon as it appeared, and after a moment of scanning the bounty hunter refocused her attention on her fallen ally. She turned not a moment too soon; his hand was slightly raised, and as soon as she saw the icy particles gathering beneath him she knew what he was trying to do.

She yelled declination as she dove for him, pinning down his arms in an attempt to stop him from forming the ice. Samus ignored the cries of indignation coming from beneath her; she held him down despite what he might have become. He was still her ally, and like he’d said before… she owed him one.

After a few moments, his struggling ceased. Samus pulled back cautiously to look at him, careful to keep her hands at his forearms.

There weren’t words to describe what Rundas looked like. His expression was open, helpless. If one were to give the look on his face a particular name, it would be ‘broken’. His eyes were shut tight, as if he was trying to block out some unwanted sight that was floating just before his eyes. The PED device at his chest was shattered almost beyond recognition; the fluid running steadily down his sides seemed to consist mainly of Phazon, but the growing pool beneath him was made up of his blood.

Her eyes were forced from his wounds from a low rumbling noise. For a moment she looked around the open area, confused. Had one of the locals decided to drop in and be shot? It occurred to her after a few moments that the noise had come from her ally.

“What?” Her voice was gentle, almost, coaxing. She had no idea if he’d been growling at her or speaking, but to her great dis-ease, a huge part of her longed for it to be the latter. She moved one hand slightly, and as soon as she did the ice was forming again. With a cry of dismay she held him down again, her gaze almost frightful.

Almost.

Again, that noise. Samus leaned a bit closer to the alien, trying to study his features. “…are you saying something?” she asked, once again in that soft tone. His response shocked her.

“Why can’t you just let me and get it over with?” Despite the obvious pain he was in, the Phrygisian managed to raise his voice nearly to a yell, glaring daggers at the human before him.

It was unclear to both of them whether the underlying tone to his words was growl or sob.

“Just… just let me…”

The words that followed made no sense to either of them. They didn’t need to. All sense of things mattering at all went with those final words, really, though neither of them seemed to notice it.

She had no clue how he’d ended up in her arms, head on her shoulder. Even long after it was over, Rundas would never be able to recall why he was crying, and why he’d allowed himself to be touched in such ways. Samus’s arms had stayed firmly around him, almost cradling him despite the considerable difference in size.

As Rundas drifted into unconsciousness, he could almost swear she was rocking him. That couldn’t be true, could it? They both did have a certain dignity to uphold. Still, being supported like that was a nice change, and the comforting words he heard mumbled sounded so clear and soft-spoken, as if some sort of angel was whispering in his ear.