PROLOGUE
I.
The many languages spoken in the bar collaged into a unified mumble. The High Rise was one of several cultural meeting places aboard the fringe Galactic Federation station known as Atlantis 9. Designed with a homely, earthly feel, it was originally conceived as a haven for humans before the modern era of inter-species communication.
‘Lee Jennings on Networld News 24,’ said the newscaster hologram from the ceiling-high, cylindrical vidscreen. ‘Space Pirate excursions have pushed the federation back through neutral space, claiming another colony for their own. Pirate commander Ridley has declared this act of terrorism as the first step toward the final phase of human space domination. The following footage may be disturbing for young audiences.’
The enormous, monstrous head of the pirate leader appeared. ‘Humankind, know this, our campaign nears your home world, surrender now or face the extinction of your entire species. We are in possession of the most dangerous bioweapon ever created. Adhere to my demands or you will be destroyed.’
‘When asked for comment, federation president David James announced that he will make an official reply before the day is out,’ Lee Jennings resumed. ‘In other news: sightings of the Hunter are on the rise. Various federation leaks reveal that the Hunter is operating alongside or near Space Pirate activity. Earthgov is still refusing to comment on the situation. Is the Hunter friend, or is it foe? We’ll reveal the full story as soon as we get it.’
‘Stupid war,’ said an Antarian.
‘Let’s hope it doesn’t come all the way back here,’ said a human.
‘Yeah, because we’ll be out of here, embassy and all,’ said an Iconian.
‘Who is this Hunter anyway? Whose side is it on?’
‘I heard it’s a federation spy working for the pirates.’
‘No chance!’ said a Yor. ‘I bet it’s one of the federation’s superweapons, if biological warfare is next, it’s got to be a machine of some kind.’
Angered by the hearsay, Howard Foster had to say something. ‘How about you all get your facts straight!’
‘And what do you know about it?’ said the Antarian.
‘I know more than enough, trust me,’ said Howard.
‘Well go on then what do you know?’
‘Yeah, we are waiting.’
‘Fine, I’ll tell you how she saved my life.’
‘Who?’
‘The Hunter, as you call her.’
‘She’s a wife? Impossible.’
‘Why don’t you listen then, and I will tell you the story of how the Hunter saved me from the Space Pirates.’
‘Saved you?’
‘You were kidnapped?’
‘Settle down. Listen to me.’
II.
‘I was a scientist employed by the federation for the last two years. We were working on something they hoped would turn the tide of the war. General Hague oversaw the project personally on the Penguin Station, GF4659, a satellite orbiting Jupiter. It was a normal day at work, we were sat in the cafeteria for breakfast when the pirates came. I’m pretty sure until then there had been no record of them entering Earthspace, so security was not tight. We were too far away from the nearest colony for the federation to send support in time. The Pirates were swift and precise. They knew exactly what they were looking for. It was horrific, hundreds of civilians and soldiers slaughtered. All I could do was try to stay alive. We hid under our desks. They came anyway. They took only a few prisoners. Turns out it was me who was the target.
We’ve all heard the stories about the many races they have assimilated into their army. It was one of the insect-looking things, two and a half meters tall, covered in black armour. It shot Sarah and James instantly. It knew my name and I refused to answer. They forced me to watch them cap women and children, I had to give in, I admitted who I was, and they threw me into a holding cell aboard their ship and gassed me. I woke up later in what I would call home for many months.;
III.
'It was a combined research lab and prison. Somehow the pirates had acquired information on the federation's in-progress cloning technology though they couldn’t understand the process. My job was to be a translator, working over lines of code through a relay of their language. If I reached the daily quota, they’d feed me. They had universal translators but didn’t understand human logic, which is why they needed one captive. I asked the prison attendant if there were more prisoners and apparently, there were not, however, there would be more captured if I was not up to the task.
I understood clearly. I was dead no matter what. If I played their game then at least no one else would suffer, and yet I was giving them an advantage in the war. I was trapped. Angry, scared, I didn’t know what to do. It’s in situations like this when you wonder who even started the war, you know? Who shot first? Who is to blame? What is even the damned point?
So, there you have it. I was a coward. I worked for the pirates. I detailed the federation’s genetic engineering and cloning process, translating pages and pages of basic language into their own using their automated linguistic programme. I doubted it was theirs, like everything else, absorbed through their conquests. Sometimes they gave me random basic that didn’t seem relevant, but I wasn’t about to ask questions.
I hated myself. The only exit was barred by a heat barrier and a guard 24/7. I have no idea how long I was there. It was the same routine day in, day out.
Yet one day the monotony was interrupted by the strangest thing. Something in the ventilation shaft above. I thought I was going mad. I tell you, it sounded like a ball rolling. I thought it was a security droid. There was a flash of light and the guard outside fell to the floor, its head severed.
The interior guard panicked and entered the door code into the keypad and as soon as he stepped outside, dead. Whatever weapon it was, it sounded like a great gathering of energy, louder than the turbines of a federation jetfighter. Then it came. A warrior in dark, golden armour, no insignia, no markings. Its right arm was fashioned into a cannon which transformed into a gauntlet, the technology was very impressive. It turned to face me with its oval helmet and dark green visor. It was lithe, agile looking, nothing like the heavy-set federation marine armour, in fact, it made them look clumsy in comparison. This creature, which you call the Hunter, moved with the grace of something much lighter.
When it finally spoke, it did so with the phonetics of a language I had never heard before, certainly not as harsh and direct as the pirates, it was smooth, light even. I didn’t know what to do, I was in shock, scared. My silence frustrated it. It shook its head and finally spoke in basic using a digital mask. It knew my name, told me that it was to rescue me, To stay behind and take cover at the first sign of danger. She towered over me and I am no short man, as you can tell. I was in awe. You could question my immediate trust in her but I preferred to chance escape rather than continue to sabotage my people. It was only then that it occurred to me that this creature may well be the so-called Hunter talked about in the news.
The Hunter led me through the pirate base and we passed many pirate carcasses. All was quiet until we reached a locked door. She pointed to the blind side and indicated for me to hide. She interacted with the door control unit and was stationary. When the door opened her hand transformed back into cannon form and I followed carefully. It was at this point when I started to really wonder who the Hunter was. Some race undiscovered by the federation?
I hid at her command and watched as she methodically explored. She fired a shot and a formally cloaked pirate fell to the floor. Movement on the opposite side revealed another. The Hunter dodged swiftly and killed three more. When one managed to surprise her, attacking from behind with a blade, she twisted through the air with incredible agility and fired at the creature's face, burning it clear off.
Our journey took us to the hangar. She froze and told me to hide, pointing to my left. There were two ships, one I assumed, was hers. I crouched low and jogged to the far corner of the catwalk and hid behind the security checkpoint. All I could do was peer through the broken glass and watch.
She slowly approached the vessels, hand cannon searching. The passenger doors of one of them opened and I heard his clawed feet on the metal floor echo. His wingspan of many meters fanned out. He roared, I swear, it shook the walls. The Hunter waited stoically, watching the space pirate commander reveal himself. He spoke in that great, creaky voice of his and it sounded just as threatening as just now on the newscast. Ridley, the commander of the space pirates, the most wanted terrorist in federation space in the flesh. Who has ever been able to say that? No one alive I bet. He was horrific to look at, he dwarfed the hunter, his long reptilian face was monstrous, and his bright yellow eyes were intense. Describing it to you now, I can’t believe I am here now. It was the Hunter. She was defiant. She did not answer his arrogant taunts. She seemed composed, perfectly calm. Ridley’s great size and strength were incredible, yet the nimble Hunter weaved in and out of his attacks with ease.
Up until this moment I had been impressed with the Hunter’s armour technology but what I witnessed next boggles my mind even now. I imagined the arm transformations were possible due to the suit being formed of some kind of highly evolved nanotechnology but this… I have never seen anything like it. As far as I could tell, whatever mechanism allowed its arm to change shape was present throughout the entire suit. The Hunter disappeared in a flash of light. I was taken back to the rolling sound in the ventilation shafts of my cell. Somehow, she had morphed her body into a ball half its size. The science, the simple impossibility of it, it was completely improbable. The metallic sphere rolled beneath Ridley and dropped into a hole previously made during the battle. He was frustrated. He drove his spiked tail through the metal flooring repeatedly. The Hunter reappeared behind him and blasted him in the back of the head and knocked him away. She ran to me and grabbed my hand. She leaped into the air and we landed by her ship.
It was there, I suppose you could say, that my story ends. She led me to the cockpit and we lifted off. She fired rockets into the hangar bay doors and we made our escape. It was an ordeal, I was exhausted. When I woke, we had docked at this very station. Guards were carrying me to the infirmary, and I never even got to thank her.’
IV.
‘So how do you know she was a wife?’ said the Yor.
Howard smiled to himself. ‘Something happened in the fight. She revealed herself to Ridley.’
‘What? How?’
‘She was engulfed in fire and she fell to one knee. Just when Ridley was about to thrust his tail at her, her helmet came away and it made him stop. Even from where I was hiding, I could see that she was a young human woman.’
‘Impossible,’ said the Yor. ‘A wife would never leave the nest!’
Howard smirked. ‘Maybe on your home world.’
‘So who is she then?’ said the Antarian.
‘Who knows,’ said Howard. ‘But for some reason, she told Ridley her name.’
‘Why would she do that?’
‘I hear you,’ said Howard.
‘Well, what was it? What was her name?’
‘Samus, I think she said. Samus Aran.’