Metroid Supremacy IC

[Argonaut]

Switching his scope off, Valroz took a second to admire the scenery. If there was one thing he liked about the Chozo, it was the desert ruins they left behind. Too much time playing ancient Earth games like Borderlands and Fallout: New Vegas made him feel at home with sandy environments.

"...Like the sailor said quote/Ain't that a hole in the boat..." Valroz quietly sung to himself, now with the song stuck in his head. Eyeing the green energy shield, he knew he wouldn't be able to get past it. But then he noticed the blue glow emanating from the pillars. Drawing his shotgun Tesla, Valroz unconsciously switched songs as he crept towards the pillars, cautious of what could be making that glow. "To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."

[Reaver]

Emile set the ship course for the exterior docking station. "Yea well you aren't the one who has to feed all those mouths or clean up the messes or listen to their screams all night. I only keep them because they sometimes make good money and entertainment. I on the other hand want something that is gonna give us profit or some weaponry, the last deal went sour so it's gotten harder for us to get any new weapons." As the ship piloted itself towards the station, Emile got out of the piloting chair. Gino was right though, the cells have been empty for too long and they did bring in a lot of money. He grabbed his two axes that were leaning against the wall, they crackled with life and raw electricity as the nanite handle recognized his fingerprints. "The ship should touchdown soon, we should get to the airlocks so we can hurry this up. I wanna get drunk in an hour and brag about how much we stole from this ship." He swung his axes, listening to the electrical hum as it sliced through the air. "Anyyyyy second now...."

[Zender_Solarheart]

Napsii

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As you gingerly touch the pillars' surface, the blue glow emanating from their seams fluctuates in brightness, as if pulsating in response to your hand's contact. The pillars themselves suddenly levitate off of their bases, a plethora of Chozo holo-glyphs float within the space between them, and as your translator module kicks in, a textual readout of the translation pops up in the middle of your visor: Herein rests the mind of Green Voice, 19th Elder of Ghalman. May his wisdom of nature's ways guide those who seek him out. According to that text, this is most likely a gravestone for one of the old Chozo society's elders, which often comprised the governing bodies of their knowledge-oriented culture.

However, you're not left pondering the pillars' meaning for long, as the holo-glyphs vanish as suddenly as they appeared, replaced by a bright flash that engulfs the whole of your vision! Everything is consumed by white, and for a moment, your feet feel as if they've been hoisted off the ground...or perhaps the ground itself is no longer there to stand on? Either way, the subsequent fading of all five of your senses is far more distressing, leaving nothing but your own thoughts for a brief moment...and when that brief moment fades, you find yourself in a very different locale:

(Environment image too large to post here, so just click this link)

...Okay, either you're going crazy...or you just got sucked into cyberspace.

Delusion or otherwise, the environment certainly feels real. The seafoam green tiles beneath you look paper-thin, yet feel entirely stable in supporting your weight, a single step not even budging them in any direction, though said steps do cause small, ripple-like hexagons to project from where each foot touches the floor. Up ahead, the rather wide floor you're stepping on becomes considerably narrower, with only enough room for one person to walk along it at any time, before branching off in several other pathways. On the right-hand path, a square as wide as you are tall has a platform suspended a short height above it, glowing an amber yellow. The central path leads to a stair-like arrangement of thin rectangular holographs, leading up to another platform with a levitating center, though this one glows blue. The left-hand path appears to just go into a dead end, unfortunately. Down below, you can see another set of thin pathways, with yet another blue-glowing platform. Up above, you can see even more pathways, with one more glowing platform suspended precisely above the one on the central path ahead. Which path do you choose?

Zeus

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The first Missile streaks towards its target, but perhaps due to the prior concussive trauma delaying your reflexes, the Torizo has enough time to energize its claw and defensively rip at the Missile mid-flight. It was sheer dumb luck, but the claw managed to avoid actually breaching the Missile, instead sending it veering upwards to explode harmlessly in the air (no damage dealt). However, this defensive maneuver leaves it wide open for the second Missile...

(CRITICAL HIT!)

...which impacts on the right side of its face, blasting a good chunk of the surface stone off, as well as disabling its right eye (51 damage, Blinded status applied to Torizo)! That will certainly hamper its aim, which will most likely aid in avoiding its retaliation. Good thing, too, since the Torizo is now quite obviously pissed.

Knowing the danger of allowing you to stay within lock-on range, the Torizo decides to keep you at an even greater distance, where your Missiles will be far easier to avoid. In order to compensate for its hampered vision, it also uses the attack that covers the most ground: Beak Bombs. The wide spread of grenade-level explosives coat the ground in front of you, which would have utterly trapped you in their circle of death...if you hadn't backpedaled, that is. This choice of tactics spared you the brunt of the damage, though 2 of the bombs manage to catch you off-guard, tossing you 1 space east with the blast (14 damage).

Thankfully, the Torizo is still just barely within your lock-on range...but as you learned before, there are as many disadvantages in being too close as there are in not being close enough. Unless something happens that lets your beam weapon deal more damage, this is going to quickly devolve into a combative equivalent of ballroom dancing.

|====================|
TORIZO STATUE

Battle Map and Stats

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Battle Map 2.jpg (56.87 KiB) Viewed 1772 times

<Dhoz>
At space L-9.
EN: 61
Status: Still a little dizzy from getting rugby'd earlier, but it's fading.

<Torizo Statue>
Origin at space I-7.
HP: 140.
Status: Blind. Vision is debuffed, hampering accuracy with Ranged attacks.

Gory

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Your hacking attempt goes even better than you expected. Whether it's due to the Pirates here not expecting an attack, or simply their Science Team once again having "vapor for brains," the alarm system is surprisingly crude on security, requiring only a numerical passcode to override, and your hacking firmware cracks that code in just under 30 seconds. The alarms quiet down, and the big yellow warning lights illuminating the room with an angry mood of "repel the intruders" shut off.

You were also wise to check your environment for ambush strategizing, as it provides a decent number of opportunities to do so. The main gate is wide enough for 5 Pirate Troopers to head through it side-by-side, but the area you landed in is clearly a hangar and resupply area for smaller craft. This is evidenced by the number of large containers in the area, most likely containing ship-grade munitions and parts. Luckily for you, one such container is held in the air by a crane, appearing mostly undamaged by the scuffle earlier. You could try dropping that on any Pirates that run through the main gate, crushing them and simultaneously barring the way for others trying to get through there...but there are still two catwalks up above, which would serve as alternative means of access even after the crate-drop. Granted, they are only wide enough for 2 Pirates to squeeze through at the absolute most, but it's better to make note of those, as a means of escaping the room if things get too heated.

Then again, you can't hear the footsteps of any Pirates making tracks for your position. Did shutting off the alarm really deter them? Are they taking longer to reach the area? Or are they simply waiting for you on the other side of the gate? Depending on which of those prove true, it may or may not be wiser to simply sneak out through one of those catwalks up above, since they both have lift platforms that can be used to reach them from here. Your ship will be safe from hijacking regardless, as it utilizes state-of-the-art pilot ID protocols that you made yourself, and there's no way in hell a Pirate could crack those systems. Your move, missy.

Dax and Reaver

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As your ship pulls in, and the air lock depressurizes to let you both exit, the greeting of cold, empty space around the exterior docking platform seems all too silent. It's like an odd omen of some sort...but hey, you two need the money, and who could possibly pass up this opportunity? With the allure of profits driving you forward, you proceed into the ship, passing through the air lock chamber and into the Emergency Evacuation deck...

...and are greeted by the sight of a cluster-fuck's aftermath. Pirate corpses lie around everywhere, the escape pods are all either jettisoned or destroyed, the weapon racks have spilled their guns out, the walls are practically coated with the sickly green color of dried Space Pirate blood...by the stars, this place is a wreck! Clearly, someone - or something - got here first, and has been tearing the frigate and its crew a new asshole. The only sign of life left in here is a mortally wounded Pirate in the corner, who lacks the strength to even lift his arm, and probably isn't long for this universe anyhow. Might as well put him out of his misery, though; Pirates are infamous for their stunning supply of balls in the face of torturous interrogation, so the most he'd do is tell you to "go blow a Geemer," cough some blood up in your faces, and die with a defiant smirk. Besides, the one terminal in this area still active will likely offer more intel than he can provide.

(PIRATE LOG ACQUIRED. Check Data Log entry below.)

Well, now you both know two things for certain. First, the identity of this frigate: Vol Paragom, one of the only 3 Zebesian ships to have survived the destruction of the Pirate bases on Zebes. The other two were Orpheon and Siriacus; nobody knows what happened to Siriacus, but Orpheon crashed on Tallon IV, after a malfunction in its reactor system caused it to become highly unstable while orbiting the planet, and whatever remained of it fell planetside. If anything's left of even the wreckage at this point, it will most likely have changed dramatically after all these years.

The second revelation, however, is the more troublesome one. Space Pirates are literally born to be wholly subservient to their superiors, as studies of their DNA have shown. The only way they'd turn on one of their own is if they were ordered to by those superiors, and even then, that's normally just among the lower ranks. Not only did a General turn on his own kind, but it was one of the more infamous Pirate Generals: Weavel, the sole remaining survivor of the Zebesian bases' destruction. Granted, the only biological parts he has left are his brain and a portion of his spinal column, but the rest is made up for with his cybernetic body and armor. He's one of those Generals that answers only to Ridley himself...and as far as any non-Pirate has seen, Ridley never condones the execution of an entire ship's crew...

(NOTE: For more information on Weavel, click here.)

Pirate Log File: Mayday.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Space Pirate encrypted data decoded.

MAYDAY! MAYDAY! This is the Space Pirate supply frigate Vol Paragom, transmitting to Desprin VII ground forces. General Weavel is compromised! Repeat, ex-hunter General Weavel has been compromised! Reasons for turning are unknown. He is currently somewhere between decks Delta and Beta, and is killing all who cross his path. Requesting immediate Commando support! As acting captain, I shall regroup with the other survivors, and we will attempt to pacify the General...though, I fear we may have no choice but to terminate him.

Argo

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As you approach the pair of glowing pillars, they suddenly levitate out of the ground, bringing up some Chozo text displayed between them in holographic glyphs. However, any and all attempts to scan these glyphs cause your translator module to return an error message: Here rests the mind of Lone Star, 12th Elder of the Capital. May his wit and charm delight all those who would seek it. "The Capital?" Meh, must've been what the Chozo called this place when they still lived in it...but why would they say that the elder's mind rests here?

Well, you don't get to ponder that for long, as a bright flash of light quickly replaces the glyphs you were reading earlier. Your senses fade into nothingness, and for a brief moment, your own internal thoughts are the only signs that you retain consciousness...and when those senses start working again...



Are you in...cyberspace? The Chozo had cyberspace in those rocks?! Kickass!! Maybe now you won't mock their lore texts so openly anymore, eh?

That aside, this place is pretty radical. There are a number of multicolored blocks in the area, and while there are some blue road-like...errr...things connecting them, the way those paths bend with no apparent regard for gravity suggests that such restrictions do not apply on them. Your feet currently rest upon a purple-colored block, with a beam of white light behind you, presumably where you came in from. Another beam of that light shoots out of that red block in the distance, but before you can even consider what that may imply...

"Well well, what have we here?"

A witty, yet powerful-sounding voice emanates seemingly from nowhere, quite possibly the voice of that "Lone Star" guy those glyphs mentioned. "Didn't think I'd get visitors so soon...and you are?"

Misc
(Apparently, it's a secret to everybody, cuz he hasn't posted. )

[Zeus Kabob]

"Dammit, this freaking statue!" Dhoz yells. He fires one more missile and dives behind the pillar. "Suit, status!" he yells, trying to make sure his suit and weapons are still fully functional after that beating.

{Weapons check completed. Fully operational. Minor trauma detected.}

"Come at me, you big dumb rock." he whispers to himself.

[daxtinator396]

Gino was right after Emile as soon as he grabbed his suit that quickly unfolded and attached to him as soon as he let the small package it was housed in recognized his DNA signature. The seal came with a hiss and the optics activated making the eye pieces glow yellow over his helmet that left only his mouth exposed. He slapped his hammer on his hip with Gungnir popping out of a port in the right arm. Finally he was ready. As he entered though he was shocked by the sight,"Shit... yeah I don't think we are going to find any women. Maybe. We are lucky. Toss those weapons in the air lock. We can slavage them or sell them later... this won't be a total loss... we need to be on our guards... this is going to be bad. Let me read the log..." His eyes scanned the data entry and he paled slightly,"Oh holy fuck.... Weavel. You keep those weapons ready. We are going to take him alive or dead."

[Goryokaku]

Kal whistled to herself, she was pleased with her hacking, but a little worried about the lay out of the place, it was far to easy for her to be entrapt here, Kyrios was fine nobody could control it but her. The main gate was a no-no to many people could get through there the two cat walks at the top would be a better route to get out but the issue would be if they decided to come that way, mind you the most they would get would be the two by two. The fact she couldn't hear anyone coming was more worrying, she sighed to herself decided to sneak out for now Kyrios was fine so she was going to sneak out, she made her way up to the left side cat walk and using stealth decided to exit.

[Reaver]

Emile whistled loudly, clearly impressed by the carnage. "Yea... Women are definitely off the menu today. We're hunting something bigger today. Something that can royally fuck up a ship, perhaps even clear a whole ship. I'll load up the guns into the airlock, you find out what's going on." He started collecting the fallen weapons, tossing them into the airlock. With the last weapon in storage, Emile walked back to Gino, excited to hear what he found out. "Weavel huh? His bounty will make us a load of money." He said, rubbing his hands together. "We'll just have to be as brutally tactical as him and try not to get outfoxed. I'll take point." He prepared to walk out of the room, only stopping to drive his axe into the living space pirate's brain. "Room's clear. Lets move."

[daxtinator396]

Gino grinned at the thought,"You got it. Pay very close attention... this guy is no pushover so let's stay alert. Maybe we'll get lucky and we can get some data from the ship's bridge later... but first we need to get his guy caught. he is going to pay the bills for a long time. After this we are going to celebrate. I got some scotch saved up in the cabinet if you didn't drink it." He teased he set his visor to scan for anything that may be if use to them and he held Gungnir at the ready.

[Zender_Solarheart]

Zeus

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

In an odd choice of defensive tactics, the Torizo attempts to catch your Missile out of the air, possibly in an attempt to throw it back at you. However, the fact that its right eye is missing already comes into play, as instead of catching the rocket, the claw instead rips it down the middle, causing the warhead to divert off-course. What was originally aimed for the head is now going for its chest.

However, your icy blast at the chest earlier seems to have paid off. As you yourself would put it: "the colder they are, the easier they shatter."

With enough exposure to the cold air around it, that spot on the chest you had blasted with your Beam weapon earlier had grown quite brittle. As a result, the Missile impacts with extraordinary results, blowing a sizable hole in its torso! (100 damage!) While the statue can still move, the components within are exposed to the chilly air, clearly hampering its mobility. The stable walk it had earlier is now more of a limp, and from what you can see through that hole in the chest, its Beak Bomb storage compartment is getting frozen over, making that attack useless. However, it still has that Kinetic Force Wave projector...

...which it quickly puts to use against you, swiping its claw to create the wave, appearing much like something of a golden glowing sound wave. Your position behind the pillar shields you from the attack, but the pillar itself isn't so lucky. Perhaps due in part to the cold air, the wave's impact utterly shatters it, tossing bits of gravel all around you, leaving a mere stump where the pillar used to be. That stump is also too low to the ground to function as proper cover, so there's no more use staying there.

Your enemy is heavily crippled, but is certainly not harmless. However, if you move quickly and appropriately, you should be able to end this here and now.

|====================|
TORIZO STATUE

Battle Map and Stats

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Dhoz Battlemap 3.jpg (62.07 KiB) Viewed 1696 times

<Dhoz>
At space O-6.
EN: 61
Missiles: 7.
Status: Normal.

<Torizo Statue>
Origin at space I-7.
HP: 40.
Status: VULNERABLE. Susceptible to a Lethal Strike, but only at Melee range.

NEW ACTION AVAILABLE: Lethal Strike.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The Lethal Strike is an ability that only appears against a handful of foes. When their HP drops to or below a certain level (usually 10% or 20% of the maximum), a Lethal Strike can be used to end the battle immediately, performing a fatality-esque maneuver of the player's choice. However, enemies susceptible to Lethal Strikes are few in number, and some require you to be within a specific range before you can execute a Lethal Strike; in this case, Dhoz must be within Melee range (i.e., adjacent to the target) before he can utilize it. To use terms that gamers would understand, the Torizo Statue could be thought of as a "tutorial boss" for the usage of Lethal Strikes.

Dax and Reaver

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

With what little energy he has left, the Space Pirate bleeding in the corner throws one last taunt your way, albeit in his own dialect: "Phlehehehe...oei wioj uho visbot. Ceht Weavel weadw ke whur oei ro kxo vcuhwufj, udt jxelo om hawxk if oeih- Of course, he doesn't get to finish that insult, as Emile's axe promptly splits his exoskeletal skull like a watermelon. Your translator device does provide a set of subtitles for what he did say: "You guys are fucked. Lord Weavel's going to grab you by the flargaps, and shove em right up your-"

..."flargaps?" Someone's not familiar with xeno-anatomy, eh?

Anyways, the two of you proceed past the Emergency Evacuation area, through a connecting passage, and into an elevator shaft. So far, this frigate's layout appears quite similar to Orpheon's, at least from what parts of Samus's reports have been declassified. Unfortunately, the elevator here appears to have stalled at the bottom, where you are; whatever Weavel's got planned, he's clearly covering his tracks rather thoroughly. However, he apparently failed to notice the in-case-of-emergency ladder rungs built into the wall, as well as a set of magnetically-compatible plates on the walls that can be used as grapple points with Gino's Grapple Beam system, should he prefer to do some vertical, Spiderman-style parkour. Either way, that elevator's not going to be moving any time soon, so you might as well take what you can get.

Gory

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As you exit the hangar by way of the southern catwalk, a Pirate Trooper comes around the corner down below, and for a brief moment, he glances up your way...but thanks to the insufficient lighting in this room, he fails to notice you. Speaking of this room, if you had to hazard a guess, your tech-savvy experiences would suggest it's a decontamination room, considering all of the pods kept around, each hooked up to a central pumping system that reeks of de-tox fluids. Aside from the way back into the hangar, there are only two exits from this room: one straight ahead on the eastern end, and one on the northern wall, which translates to far left of your position in this case. Both have display signs hung above them, and while the words being displayed are written in the Pirates' own language, your translator reveals the northern exit to lead to the ship's R&D labs, while the eastern exit leads to the brig and the power systems.

At the present time, around 7 Pirate units are moving out of both the R&D labs and the brig, obviously towards the hangar to respond to your little mess. If you stay put until they leave this room, you should be able to sneak by undetected. While the northern path to R&D is better if you want to nab some Pirate gizmos for your own designs, the amount of resistance you'll likely encounter in the brig is probably much lower, considering they would likely "re-purpose" the majority their prisoners as food supplies, like the craven savages that they are. Either way, the direction you head in is entirely up to you...once the present host of unaware Pirates are gone, that is...

[daxtinator396]

Gino grinned at the insult,"And I'll see you in Hel... oh wait I won't." He laughed and upon reaching the elevator shaft laughed again,"So looks like I'll be taking point Emile. Unless you want me to be stuck behind your butt climbing up that ladder. I think I'll take the easy route. I'll take it slow so I can laugh at you coming up the ladder though. Where are we stopping?" He asked as held his energy beam at the ready for the grapple beam.

[Argonaut]

Waking up in the strange new environment, silently marveling at it. After doing a 360 to take it all in, Valroz dusted off his armor. "Meh. Minecraft has better graphics than this..." He mumbled, kicking a foot at the purple beneath him.

Suddenly noticing the beam of light, Valroz instinctively drew Tesla. Every muscle tensed up, ready to spring into action. But upon hearing the cocky nature in his voice, Valroz relaxed, but kept Tesla in one hand. "The kinda guy that doesn't give out his name to people he can't see, THAT'S what you got here buddy." Valroz answered, his voice cocky but threatening. "How about you gimme something to look out, then we start this whole conversation. I'd don't like talking to things I can't shoot at if things go sour."

[Reaver]

Emile spit on the space pirate's corpse before moving on. "Fucking vermin." Scuttling the elevator had been smart but someone like Weavel didn't just miss ladders and magnet plates. Regardless of a possible trap, Emile smirked and rolled his eyes. "Taking the easy route only gets you killed. A real mercenary always makes the job as hard as possible to get maximum satisfaction at completing it. We can stop at the next level and clear them one at a time." He sheathed one of his axes but kept the other one in his hand as he started climbing. He didn't want any surprises at the top of ladder.

[Zeus Kabob]

Seeing the statue's open chest, Dhoz gets an idea. He sprints up to the statue and jumps on it, thrusting his cryosaber into the cavity and ripping upwards, destroying the components within. He then thrusts his weapon into the hole he carved out, firing a blast from his weapon straight into the statue's core.

[Zender_Solarheart]

Dax and Reaver

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As Gino ascends the shaft, things are noticeably quiet...perhaps too quiet, even. Emile's more cautious approach, while much slower than his partner's, will soon pay off...at least partially. Having taken the fast route, Gino reaches the top of the ladder well before Emile does...

...and is greeted by a Shadow Pirate (see Bioform Log entry below), waiting for them while cloaked. The stealthy silence is quickly filled by its ferocious snarl, as it lunges at Gino point-blank, attempting to shove him off the edge. The wolfman's stronger legs prevent him from being pushed too hard, but between the lip of the edge itself, and the brief shock from the ambush, he quickly finds himself digging his claws into the metal just beneath the edge, adding the screech of torn steel to the cacophony of unpleasant sounds. The Shadow Pirate looms over the ledge, eager to slice off Gino's paws and send him plummeting to his doom...

...but before he can descend his forearm-mounted energy scythe, he finds a different one poking out through his gut. The Shadow Pirate foams at the mouth with its own sickly yellow-green blood, and as the glowing blade is withdrawn from his carcass, falls over the edge and to the bottom of the shaft. On his way down, a few splatter-marks of his blood get flung onto Emile's armor-suit. That's gonna be a pain to clean off, but hey, at least it's not his own blood getting spilled. As Gino looks up to see just who or what saved his ass, he's greeted by...

...Weavel.

Wait...this doesn't make any sense. Why would a Space Pirate - a species recently known for attacking any and all bounty hunters on sight, without room for negotiation - save them from his own kind? A Pirate general, no less? Well, he doesn't provide time for any questions, as his body's upper half does a hand-propelled jump into a nearby ventilation shaft, aided by a jet propulsion system hooked up to his back. Odd...last time anyone saw Weavel, he didn't have that jetpack. Someone's been getting upgrades...

Well, whatever. Anyways, neither of you can squeeze into that ventilation shaft that he went through, and even if you could, doing so wouldn't be very wise. Guess you'll just have to catch up with him later. Anyways, onto the next room...

Exiting the elevator shaft through the only door higher up than the bottom, you find yourselves in another considerably trashed chamber. Not as wrecked as the last one, mind you, but still pretty beat up. The room itself has a bit more of a box shape, as opposed to the cylindrical passage of the elevator shaft. Up above, a pair of platforms loom at the northern and southern ends of the room, with an extendable bridge retracted at the northern end. The southern platform is within reach of Emile's High Jump, though investigating what intel this room can glean is most likely preferable at the moment. There are a few terminals near the middle that may contain useful data, once hacked for their files.

Another few Pirate corpses sit against the western wall, each with a different mark showing how it died. The first one has an ash-coated slit through its chest, indicating it was most likely run through by Weavel, much like that Shadow Pirate from earlier. The second corpse has a large radiation burn all over the front of its body, suggesting it fell prey to Weavel's signature Battlehammer weapon, which fires irradiated grenades like a miniaturized mortar cannon. The third Pirate was clearly decapitated, judging by the obvious stump on its neck where you'd normally see its ugly mug. More interesting, however, is the PDA that he apparently dropped upon death. Perhaps one of you could handle the computers, while the other checks out that terminal?

Bioform Log: Shadow Pirate

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

A longtime staple of Space Pirate security, the Shadow Pirate utilizes a limited cloaking feature to render itself temporarily invisible in combat. This cloaking device draws large amounts of energy from their armor-suits, however, reducing their defense to Beam weapons, and causing an insufficient supply of leftover power to fuel their own weapons. As a result, most carry a self-powered forearm scythe as their only weapon, relying on the cloaking device, should their initial ambush fail.

Additionally, should a Shadow Pirate engage an enemy who has access to thermal imaging, the high heat signature of their cloaking field will render the otherwise-invaluable device useless.

Click here for a visual representation.

Argo

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"What? Didn't you read the sign outside?" The voice's reply is swift, but carries an amused, almost sarcastic tone with it. Not exactly typical of most Chozo. If only to humor you, a spectral, hologram-like image of a Chozo materializes in front of you. "Ah, but where are my manners? I am Lone Star, creator of this place you see before you, and the digital mind which rests here, in Data Space. I know things are a bit...simple...but I didn't have much time to decorate. I've been quite busy, what with trying to entertain myself, coming up with new jokes, and keeping a metaphorical eye out for-"

"LOOOOONE STAAAARRRR!!"

Interrupting Lone Star, another voice makes himself heard within this realm of cyberspace. "I knew you were arrogant...but to so openly trust a...stranger such as him? Have you truly been driven that mad?" Looking straight upwards, Lone Star mumbles something that sounds like "curses, I've been found," then responds to the voice. "As you've so eagerly demonstrated, the power of data can easily corrupt one's heart. Instead of seeking immortality for ourselves, perhaps we should have looked for a way to re-fertilize our females, and passed on our wisdom to future generations?" "So is this intruder of yours a means to pass on your knowledge? Or is he merely a tool with which to ease your own boredom?" "I think using others for his own gain is your forte, Iron Soul." "Hmph. As usual, your tongue is the only weapon you possess. No matter. Soon, both you and that stranger shall face prompt and utter deletion." Having had their spat without allowing you so much as a word in edgewise, Lone Star and that "Iron Soul" guy cease their talks...

...and the previously blank background in the surrounding emptiness begins to glow a faint, yet angry red.

"No! He's trying to breach my fireglobe!" Lone Star exclaims, his holographic form vanishing from sight. "I don't have much time to explain...but...I'll hold him off...while you head for...that distant...pillar of light...HURRY!" As if to emphasize just how fast you should book it, a collection of drone-like, red-glowing silhouettes begin appearing as if from nowhere...all homing in on your location. To make a long story short: see that big light pillar in the distance? Yeah, now's a good time to make tracks for that.

Zeus

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As your cryosaber plunges into the brittle innards of the Torizo statue, it encounters little if any trouble slashing the ribcage-like compartment wide open. With the power core in plain sight right in front of you, missing such a shot would have made you look like the galaxy's biggest idiot...but thankfully, you're no simpleton, and your shot hits true. Seeing the chain reaction already taking place, you backflip away from the statue, landing behind one of the large ice formations in the room, and...



As the snow and dust settles, naught remains of the Torizo, except the residual cloud left over from its detonation. Congratulations! You are victorious!

<Achievements>
>Like a Boss - Defeated a boss enemy. +3 GP.
>Not the Face! - Destroyed part of the Torizo Statue's head. +1 GP.
>Finish Him - Executed a Lethal Strike. +2 GP.

Total GP earned: 6.

Now, however, a new choice remains before you: where do you go next? You can either head through the unlocked door straight to the south, or you can head through one of the two Radion doors you've encountered thus far; one at the landing site, the other in the southeastern corner, near the large Chozo statuary. Perhaps it was a glitch with your nav systems earlier, but for whatever reason, it seemed to swap north and south on you earlier. (In truth, that was a bit of a goof on my part: I accidentally forgot that you entered the room from the north, since you walked through a southern door to leave the landing site. Just pretend that whenever I said the bigger statue was to the north, I actually meant south.) Wherever you go, it all seems pretty open to you at the moment.

[Zeus Kabob]

Dhoz opens the door to the south, nervously peeking inside and checking the room for threats. The Torizo statue shocked him, and he's not ready to get surprised like that again.

He looks at his missile readout: {6 MISSILES REMAIN}

Hopefully that'll be enough to handle any more enemies immune to ice. Dhoz shivers, realizing that his weakness is his own element: ice.

[Argonaut]

Looking positively pissed off, Valroz tried to identify the voice. "So who is this total screwb?" Varloz asked, jerking a thumb behind him, indicating the voice. Waiting patiently while the two bickered back and forth, occasionally rolling his eyes whenever they became a little over-dramatic, which was often.

Opting to not ask question, Varloz ran over to the white pillar. Jumping from block to block, Valroz approached the pillar and took a moment to look at it. Turning back to where he had come from, Valroz gave Lone Star a finger-gun point, and a cocky grin. "Shawty, you da best. You da you da best." He called out, before stepping into the light.