Cold Soldier
A Ranma Nibunoichi x-over
by Matthew Talbain

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma Nibunoichi or the Metroid series. Nor do I own the minor Halo reference that will pervade this fic for the rest of its continuity, either.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yay! A second chapter! Made of nothing but Space Pirate Logs! And I even kept the marking system the Prime games had, if anyone can understand them, because the-deity-you-worship-if-at-all knows I sure as hell can't. Wheeee!

--Chapter One: Cold Day in Hell--

Log 10.786.1

The armorsuit bonding process is complete, however we have come to the conclusion that he is far too dangerous as he is now. Scans indicate that his physical prowess is far greater than that of even our Elite, which may be part of the explanation of his survival of the natural cryostasis. In light of this disturbing news, we have contacted Command with a recommended course of action to failsafe Vengeance against defection. We should be receiving their decision within several microcycles.

Log 10.233.2

Command's approval has been received, and we have already begun to bond the genetic structure of the Tallon IV Metroid-strain onto that of Vengeance; the added sensitivity to low temperatures will be our linchpin for controlling him should he become termagant. We have also initiated scans of the materials he is wearing, comparing them to element scans on the surface of the planet, in an attempt to determine his approximate age.

Log 10.821.2

It is impossible! Vengeance is well over two thousand Terran years old! His genetic structure and molecular bonds should have lost cohesion ages ago, yet he remains fit and firm on the lab table! There is no evidence of any sort of degeneration of any sort, and, in fact, we fear his physique is only becoming even stronger, as we are steadily lowering the pressure in the lab chamber to equalize his internal pressure with that of the ship! We can only pray the genetic resequencing is successful; if Vengeance were allowed to run amok unchecked, he could do more damage to us than the Hunter ever could...

Log 10.191.4

The resequencing has been successful, although there were several unexpected consequences as a result. His body immediately equalized with the external pressure, a characteristic of the Metroids, which are, of course, capable of surviving in vacuum. This rendered the slow depressurization of the lab useless, and thus we have equalized it with the rest of the ship. A second unforeseen event was the leakage of a strange energy field, which took the shape of a small puddle of reddened liquid, beneath his table. We have gathered the energy field and are attempting to study it, however, several members of Science team have been rendered female due to this; their productivity rate has increased dramatically, as the threat of their use for recreational purposes hangs over their head should they fail.

Log 10.372.4

Science team Bravo's efforts to recreate the energy field have all failed; the resources allocated to that project have been redirected to Vengeance, and Bravo has been appropriated for use in morale upkeep; the troopers' effectiveness has been increased with the promise of regular female attention. Science team Alpha, however, has given us nothing but good news in regards to Vengeance. Analysis of his brainwaves indicates a stunted education, which may hinder his mission, though Alpha team has completed a plan that has already been sent to Command for approval.

Log 10.492.4

Command's approval of the project was extremely swift, with a blanket approval for all decisions regarding the project in the future; Command has also issued the activation command for the resuscitation of Commander Ridley, yet again. We have already assembled the metal exoskeleton, as well as the necessary gene implants; we simply need the cloned cells to begin splitting properly, and then we shall install Ridley's personality into his newer body. The Vengeance directive, Alpha team's plan for bringing the subject up to par, has begun; we are core-dumping all of the information from his home planet's data network as we speak, as well as the Space Pirate's language and that of the Galactic Federation at large. We want Vengeance to understand his orders, after all.

Log 10.151.5

Vengeance's 'education' is complete; the information is melding smoothly with his brainwave patterns; Alpha team has expressed a strong worry that it is melding too smoothly. They have attributed it to the presence of his Chozo and Metroid heritage, as well as his steadily-strengthening physique and the hardening of his epidermis. However, they stipulate that there is little reason to worry; Vengeance is likely going to have several odd hobbies due to his extended knowledge, now, and little else as a surprise. We have introduced several Metroids into his lab to see their reaction to his Metroid heritage, with several troopers standing by in case they attacked. The results were, to say the least, astonishing; rather than attacking Vengeance, or ignoring him as they do other Metroids, they actually curled against him, like a child would its parent. This strange relationship is to be further studied.

Log 10.396.5

Another disturbing discovery has come to light regarding Vengeance. An Alpha team technician was giving him a routine physical to catalog the changes in his body since the completion of the Metroid gene assimilation and pricked himself while checking Vengeance's teeth. The technician was almost instantly drained of his own energy to the point of near-death, and is currently recovering in the Medical bay. Scans of the project's teeth have shown that they have become almost identical to the foretusks of a Metroid; they have thickened, yet become hollow to allow for the drainage of the unnamed energy that Metroids are famous for being able to drain. As a result, several injunctions have been put into place for crew safety when handling Vengeance in the future.

Log 10.122.6

The containment of the strange energy that rendered Bravo team female has failed; the energy signature has all but faded from the ship's scopes, though we have reason to believe it is nesting itself quite close to Vengeance's own containment area. This is a slight cause for worry, as we are keeping Commander Ridley's incomplete regeneration near Vengeance to facilitate Alpha team's production in both fields. We have also reinstated Bravo team, female as they are, to begin applying the modifications to Vengeance's armorsuit. We have also begun production of an old-Earth style armorsuit to bond with Vengeance, as the appearance of the Chozo armorsuit is too close to that of the Hunter's; we do not wish for him to unduly stress our own troops by causing them to believe the Hunter is nearby. He will be able to switch between the two armorsuits at will.

Log 10.741.6

The construction and bonding of the Mjolnir Battle Armor is complete, however, we have had to relegate Bravo team to the troops' morale upkeep once again. The idiots actually activated Vengeance's Ice Beam functionality before activating his Varia Suit functionality! It is fortunate that we were able to step in and deactivate it before his body temperature dropped to near fatal levels. However, the process did raise an important question; to which arm do we assign the Power Beam and the Grapple functionality? The question was answered with a general consensus after witnessing Vengeance's unconscious actions with the Metroids were are now keeping in his containment area for pacification purposes; the subject appears to be right-handed, and so we have afforded functionality of the Power Beam to his left arm, and the Grapple Beam to his right.

Log 11.381.2

A curious problem has recently arisen; much of Commander Ridley's new weapons and genetics array has gone missing, and there is not a Pirate on the vessel that admits to losing or stealing it. It is of little consequence, as there are enough genetic supplies to rebuild the Commander as he was before the destruction of Zebes. However, until the culprit is brought forward, the lower crews have all been placed on stricter rations, and have been banned from approaching Science Team Bravo for an indeterminate amount of time. As a minor note, the Medical team seems to be taking a sadistic pleasure in administering selective abortions among the often-pregnant members of Bravo team. We have, so far, assigned no teams to study the aborted ovum, though the analyses we have taken indicate no anomalies.

Log 11.873.2

Commander Ridley's regrowth has reached the stage at which he may be transported back to Zebes; we have sent him back, along with several samples of Terran wildlife. We have also received indications that the reconstruction of our base on Zebes is complete, along with the acquisition of holdings in the Crateria and Maridia regions. Such news brings glory to the Space Pirates!

Log 11.495.3

We have received word that the Hunter has eliminated all but one Metroid in the SR388 ecosystem. This news is terrible, as that Metroid would be the last save the few we have onboard the Dominion, following the destruction of the Tallon IV and most of Zebes. The Commander, however, was dispatched to recover the Metroid for cloning from the research station to which the Hunter is reported to have brought the infant.

Glory to the Space Pirates!

Log 11.912.3

Vengeance's armorsuit has been fully upgraded with all of the upgrades we have witnessed on the Hunter's suit throughout our years of 'acquaintance', including the Hazard Shield we used on our Homeworld. We have, however, modified them that they may be used with either armorsuit available to Vengeance, and we have also modified them that the Varia Suit's temperate capability and the Hazard Shield's defensive measures may be used outside of either suit. We have built a minor flaw into the Varia Suit's template, however, that will allow only a Space Pirate jamming frequency to disable its ability to mitigate colder temperatures. Both suits are connected to Vengeance in an energy-particulate sub-space pocket, much like the Hunter's own, although Vengeance will be able to switch between the Chozo Power Suit and the Terran Mjolnir Mark IV Battle Armor at will with the press of a button with the simultaneous application of his fingerprint. The suits are coded into a wrist-band located on his left wrist, bonded with his flesh and bio-engineered to grow with his body. Truly, Vengeance is the greatest creation of the Space Pirates!

Log 11.405.4

We have received a distressing transmission from Command; Zebes has once again been destroyed, but this time, it was the entire planet that met with destruction. On top of this, the Hunter has been seen leading excavations on SR388; the presence of Metroids in the galaxy has dwindled down to the few we keep here on the Dominion, in orbit over the Terran homeworld. We may just be the last bastion of Space Pirates left; as such, we have begun to collect our samples and materials and are preparing for a hyperspace jump into contested space; we must find a new homeworld and begin to build back the strength of the Space Pirates! With this in mind, we have ceased aborting all ovum produced by the Bravo team, and in fact have encouraged their pregnancies. We shall not allow the Hunter to prevail!

Log 11.100.5

We have found the missing components to Commander Ridley's body, as well as the long-since lost energy signature. Unfortunately, the two were found one in the same; the energy signature, which is now being referenced by the crew as the 'Bravo Factor', was discovered hiding near the Dominion's thrusters with the appearance of a curious cross between the Commander, his mechanical body enhancements, and a human female of short stature. It is readily apparent that the Bravo Factor used the Commander's body parts to cobble herself a body to inhabit, and used a combination of the body types of Vengeance and the Commander as a template. We have managed to contain the girl, though all of our attempts to study her so far have resulted in heavy casualties and several mortalities, which we, of course, cannot afford.

Log 11.715.5

This is the final recording of the Research-Class Frigate Dominion. Our attempts to reprogram Vengeance to be a loyal killing machine were only partly successful; we managed to remove his obstinate desire to never take life, but that was all we managed to do. Our further probes were met with intense resistance from an internal entity implanted within his mind; the erasure of this entity resulted in Vengeance's awakening, and with it, his fear; he did not have time to become accustomed to us, and instead began lashing out. The few troopers we had in the room with him opened fire in an attempt to save lives, but his Hazard Shield was already active. He tore the attackers apart with absurd ease, and seemed to almost instinctually latch onto them with his teeth and drained them of life. As I record this message, all Metroids have rallied with him, and all of our troopers have been drained, and the Bravo Factor is once again missing. We have managed to destroy a number of the Metroids, but it is no use. We can only pray that his mindless rampage is stopped soon, or else the Space Pirates may very well be no more. We have sent the pregnant Science Team Bravo to a neighboring star system, along with several members of Medical and Command, and we have updated their escape vessel with holodisks that contain all of the data for current Space Pirate technology; it is our hope that they bring the Space Pirates back to glory. The doors to the command center have been-what?! No! Get away, you freak!! I made you, I ca-...

End Log, Research-Class Frigate Dominion. Final Transmission Date; December First, 3429 G.C.

The gold-and-crimson armored figure stepped lightly through the wreckage of the frigate hovering in orbit over the nearby planetoid, Sentinel IV. She sighed as she scanned the last data node and connected her gunship to it, downloading data from over two years in the past directly to her ship's servers for later review. There was no sign, however, of the experimental armorsuits or old-Earth weapons. More disturbing, to her way of thinking, however, was the lack of evidence of either this curious 'Bravo Factor' or Project Vengeance. What disturbed her the most was the lack of the frigate's second escape pod. She pressed a button on the side of her helmet.

“Federation H.Q., this is Samus Aran; we have a problem...”