History of the Space Pirates

A Space Pirate Raiding Fleet.

Space Pirates are responsible for some of the most disastrous events in galactic history, such as the Phazon crisis, and are responsible for the raid and capture of over 200 planets, including Zebes, Bryyo, Norion, Elysia, Tallon IV, Naishii, Jigrad, and K-2L. The following is a full account of their history.

K-2L invasion.

Pre-Zebes History

Several varieties of Space Pirates

Space Pirates have been present since the early days of the Galactic Federation. They quickly established themselves as a fearsome force, necessitating the formation of the Galactic Federation Police. The Pirates are notorious for raiding vessels in an instant and disappearing the next. However, their target is not always just the cargo. The Pirates also lay claim to entire planets, establishing the now-captured planet as their territory and its native inhabitants as their slaves. They are known to be so zealous of their right to rule that they will even refer to themselves as the rightful inhabitants of the planet.

The Federation Police Force orders the arrest of anyone affiliated with the Pirates, but the Pirates are very mysterious and difficult to track in the vastness of space. The police are eventually forced to turn to Bounty Hunters, paying high prices in exchange for captured pirates.

K-2L Raid

Ridley during the year of the K-2L raid

"Kill as much as you want! Have fun!"- Ridley during the raid.

In the year 2000 of the history of the cosmos, a Pirate fleet led by Ridley makes its way to the planet K-2L, sensing large amounts of fuel to plunder. K-2L is a colony under the territorial ownership of Earth and is primarily a site for mining Afloraltite, which is used for fueling spaceships' ignition modules. Chief Rodney Aran, who is in charge of the mining facility, realizes that an attack is coming after heavy electromagnetic waves surging through the area start toppling any ship that tries to leave.

The Pirates sweep through, stealing all they can and killing everything. Samus Aran, then three years old, has a frightening encounter with Ridley himself, who seems saddened in response to Samus naively asking if they can be friends. Ridley shoots a projectile, but Samus's mother, Virginia Aran, pushes her out of the way and is scorched and killed.

Eventually, the attack comes to a close when Rodney sacrifices himself to destroy Ridley's cargo ship by using a welding laser to ignite the Afloraltite aboard, causing the ship to violently explode. While this is likely a minor event for the Space Pirates as a whole at the time, it is a turning point that will decide their eventual fate, as this event is permanently ingrained in Samus Aran's memory and leads to her desire to destroy the entire Space Pirate race.

The Invasion of Zebes

Planet Zebes, home of the Chozo.

Zebes is the perfect candidate for a Pirate military base. The planet is the correct size, inhospitable to most life-forms yet similar to the climate on SR388, is far away from the ever-scrutinizing Federation's eyes, and is home to the Chozo, a peaceful race of avian creatures who are the most technologically advanced race in the history of the universe, yet are largely defenseless due to their pacifistic nature. Though the Chozo have bulked up their defenses after an attempted Pirate raid years ago (in which they also had the assistance of the Federation),, they do not anticipate the Pirates using stolen technology in the Space Pirate Flagship to harness the gravitational field of a micro black hole and break through the Planetary Protection Shield. Several Chozo are able to evacuate to an unknown destination. A team consisting of Samus Aran, Mauk, and Kreatz is given 48 hours to handle the situation before a full strike will begin, where they will discover what has occurred. About a dozen Chozo remain as prisoners (including Platinum Chest), and Mother Brain voluntarily becomes the new "master" of the Pirates, along with Grey Voice as a commander. Samus refuses to join them and is promptly swept aside by Ridley, who believes that welcoming her to their ranks is a joke.

Mother Brain connected to her base.

The Pirates make use of the Chozo bioengineering technology that was once used on Samus to adapt their bodies to the planet. Kreatz and Mauk remotely command their ship to attack the Body Adaptation Machines, which kills the Pirates in them and distracts Ridley from killing the prisoners, who escape with the team. Grey Voice then makes his attack on Mother Brain with an ancient Chozo weapon that is not in her databanks, revealing that the Chozo have planned to remain to ensure that she will not fall into Pirate hands. However, they have not anticipated the arrival of a Pirate rescue party. Ridley interferes with the attack on Mother Brain, so Grey Voice escapes to assist the escaping party by destroying the pursuing spacecrafts before he is killed by Ridley. The Space Pirate Flagship intercepts them, but Commander Adam Malkovich in the Federation Army Special Ops Battleship VIXIV IV arrives to assist them and destroys the flagship.

Having successfully conquered Zebes and converting it into a new "homeworld", this group of Space Pirates declares themselves Zebesians.

The Ultimate Weapon

The Metroid.

Prior to the battle of Zebes, a Federation's Planet Reclamation Division team is dispatched to the uncharted planet, SR388, in the year 20X5 in the history of the cosmos. The team discovers that 80% of the planet's native animals are dead before discovering the Metroids, which leads the team to believe the organisms are the culprit. Another team is sent to capture a Metroid alive. The creature is held in suspended animation, but after their findings are reported, the Pirates attack the team and steal the Metroid. The Space Pirate Science Team begins performing research on the captured Metroid; their findings are a Space Pirate's dream come true. The Metroid can leech life-energy from its victims, is impervious to most weaponry, and can be multiplied by exposure to Beta-Rays for 24 standard hours. A suggestion is put forth that the Metroids can be used as bioweapons, and thus begins the Pirates' greatest campaign yet.

Samus Aran during her mission at Zebes.

The Reemergence at Zebes

A three-way simultaneous attack is launched by the Pirates to test the power of the Metroids. No Pirate casualties occur; it is a success. An assassination attempt is then conducted on Chairman Keaton with a Mimicuria. By now, the Federation Police have begun an investigation into the intercepted distress signal from the raided frigate. After a long and desperate search, the Federation Police manage to track the Space Pirates to Zebes. The Federation orders an invasion, but the Pirates' resistance is strong, and the Federation Police are unable to rescue the planet.

The situation looks grim: the Pirates now have access to a powerful new bioweapon, and if they are left alone for too long, the Pirates will launch a massive attack on the Federation capitol worlds. Galactic civilization will end. But then comes deliverance in the form of Samus Aran. The mysterious Bounty Hunter has been orphaned in a previous Pirate raid, raised by the Chozo, infused with their DNA, and is regularly employed by the Federation, succeeding in missions previously believed to be impossible. She appears to be the galaxy's last hope. After much debate, Samus is sent to Zebes with the following objectives: Exterminate all Metroids on planet Zebes and eradicate the mechanical life-form Mother Brain.

Samus's Zero Mission

Upon arrival, Samus sets out to defeat the two generals in charge of the base, Ridley and Kraid. Kraid is the first target, and is defeated during their encounter when the stress from the battle causes the floor to collapse. Ridley, who Samus has a personal vendetta against as he is personally responsible for the deaths of her parents, has just arrived on Zebes at the same time Samus arrived at his living quarters. Ridley attacks Samus in a ferocious melee, but he is no match for her and is defeated. However, Ridley is not dead and is eventually found by Pirate search parties. Undergoing cybernetic reconstruction by the Pirate Science Team, Ridley is revived as an enhanced cyborg, dubbed Meta Ridley.

Ridley faces off against Samus.

The Destruction of Tourian

Samus, meanwhile, makes her way into Tourian, where she discovers that the Pirates have underestimated the Metroids. The Metroids, which have now multiplied to astonishing numbers, have broken out and killed all Pirate personnel present during the breakout. Mother Brain, however, is fully protected by her Chozo-built facility and remains completely unharmed. Samus proceeds to exterminate all the Metroids she finds and makes her way to Mother Brain. Mother Brain is terminated during her encounter with Samus, but prior to her defeat, Mother Brain initiates the countdown for the self-destruct mechanism of the Tourian facility. Samus barely makes it out alive. Unfortunately for her, Mother Brain has also managed to send a distress signal to the Pirate frigates Orpheon, Siriacus, and Vol Paragom, which are in orbit at the time. Samus does not succeed in exterminating all the Metroids; the remaining survivors, as well as Ridley, Kraid, and Mother Brain herself, are found and given emergency resuscitation.

The Space Pirate Mother Ship.

Destruction of the Mother Ship

Samus is quickly tracked down following her escape, and her Starship is eventually shot down by Space Pirate vessels. She crash-lands on Zebes's surface, and the resulting explosion destroys both her Power Suit and her Starship. Though the Space Pirates presume her to be dead, Samus manages to survive and had sneaks onto Ridley's Space Pirate Mother Ship in the hopes of hijacking a ship. Unfortunately, she is spotted several times by the crew, and is forced to flee into the now-ruined Chozo city of Chozodia. When the Pirates see her again, she is equipped with a new and more powerful Power Suit. She invades the mothership, killing all who try to stop her. Eventually, Samus comes face-to-face with Mecha Ridley, a large robot built by Ridley in his own likeness to oversee the operations on the mothership. Samus destroys the robot, but as a last resort, it sets off a countdown for the self-destruct system of the mothership. Samus manages to hijack a Pirate vessel and escape while the mothership explodes violently in the valley it has landed in. The Pirate campaign at Zebes has failed. The galaxy is safe...for now.

The Phazon Crisis

Tallon IV.

Discovery on Tallon IV

The three Pirate frigates Orpheon, Siriacus, and Vol Paragom manage to escape safely, having been in orbit at the destruction of the base on Zebes. The remaining Metroids have been rescued, but are now on restricted feeding schedules due to low supplies. Ridley is on the Orpheon, being refitted with his new cybernetic enhancements. Orpheon heads out farther into the Zebes system, eventually settling on Tallon IV while the other frigates travel to unknown locations. While searching the planet for supplies, the Pirates discover another miraculous power source, Phazon. The mysterious radioactive substance has been brought to the planet by a Leviathan fifty years earlier and wreaked havoc on the Chozo community on Tallon IV until "the Cradle" was built, a massive shield that prevents the Leviathan from spreading any more Phazon. Science Team's tests with the recovered Phazon opens up many possibilities with the mutagenic substance. Subjects who are exposed to it experience increased muscle mass and incredible physical augmentations, as well as access to supernatural powers. However, they also experience insanity, increased aggression, brain-tissue deterioration, and, eventually death.

The Parasite Queen wreaks havoc on the Frigate Orpheon.

Science Team is undeterred by these setbacks and request for the excavation of more Phazon, as well as for testing to see if there is any way to penetrate the Cradle's containment shield. As the Pirates begin building a base on the planet's surface, Science Team starts initial testing with Parasites, creating Parasite Queens onboard the Orpheon. They also begin work on Project Helix, a program with the goal of creating Phazon-enhanced Pirates. However, the project's initial results are disastrous; few subjects manage to survive such intense mutations. This is quickly remedy with a different strain of Phazon codenamed Vertigo that is discovered during experiments with Parasites. With this, Science Team manages to create a small force of Elite Pirates and a single Omega Pirate. During this time, a team of Pirates is still trying to pierce the Cradle's impenetrable barrier that prevents entry into the Impact Crater, the source of the Phazon on the planet. Analysis of the crater reveals bizarre life-form readings emanating from an unknown, massive creature locked away deep inside the impact site by the Cradle. At an undetermined point in time, Science Team begins work on another project: reverse-engineering Samus's weaponry. Based on detailed accounts from witnesses and data entries, the Space Pirate Science Team manages to equip special Pirates with noticeably weaker versions of Samus's Beams. However, all attempts to reverse-engineer the Morph Ball are discarded, as the test subjects simply end up horribly twisted and broken. Unexpected knowledge of Phazon's life-giving power results in the creation of Thardus, which has to be quarantined in the Phendrana Drifts. At some point, inside the Orpheon, two of the three Parasite Queens break out of their capsules and begin a rampage on the Orpheon with their Parasite brood. The damage becomes so severe that the ship is crippled in orbit and is rendered unable to land. The occupants of the ship are forced to make an emergency evacuation of the frigate and send out a distress signal, which is intercepted by an unlikely candidate: Samus Aran.

The Hatchling faces off against the Worm.

The Cleansing of Tallon IV

Samus arrives in her Gunship and, upon investigating the frigate, finds that the only Pirates left are dead or badly maimed. After confirming the death of one of the Parasite Queens, she discovers the second escaped Queen has nestled in the Reactor Core and battles it. Upon its death, the Parasite Queen falls into the reactor, causing a chain reaction that destroys the frigate from the inside out. While searching for a way out, Samus encounters an awakening Meta Ridley, whose reconstruction has very recently been completed. He flees Orpheon and goes onto Tallon IV with Samus in pursuit. However, she soon falls behind and has to track him via ground-based reconaissance. Meta Ridley presumably alerts the Space Pirates of her presence, yet all Pirates attempts to stop her are useless. Samus blasts through all the traps and obstructions they have left for her, kills their Metroids, destroys Thardus, slaughters all the Elite Pirates, and even succeeds in killing the crown jewel of Project Helix, the Omega Pirate. Just before she can enter the Impact Crater with the Chozo Artifacts required to access the Cradle's shield and kill the Phazon Core, Metroid Prime, Meta Ridley flies in to sabotage the Cipher and kill her personally. Ultimately, however, his attempts are in vain: Samus manages to burn off his wings and then overload his life-support systems bringing him to near-death once more. The Chozo Statues around the Artifact Temple then come to life and shoot beams at him, causing him to misstep and fall off the temple’s edge.

While Ridley survives the fall and will return in the following years, the mission to Tallon IV has failed. Metroid Prime is killed and all the Phazon on the planet has presumably vanished. However, the discovery of Phazon is an important step for the Pirates; not all is over for them yet.

Planet Aether.

The Campaign at Aether

The presence of Phazon is discovered on Aether, a planet with a fragile dimensionality. Long ago, after an impact from a Leviathan, the planet has split into two separate dimensions, Light Aether and Dark Aether; the inhabitants of each dimension, the Luminoth and the Ing, respectively, immediately engaged in a great planetary war. Due to their larger numbers, the Ing gained the upper hand; the Luminoth, despite their superior technology, have long since retreated, abandoning even their stronghold at theSanctuary Fortress. Having all gone into suspended animation except for their Sentinel, U-Mos, they waited for a miracle. A Space Pirate team is given permission by High Command to investigate; soon, a frigate makes its way to the Dasha region, where Aether is located. This will be a risky mission, as Aether is located on the fringes of Federation space, so the Pirates make it their first priority to set up a stealth shield. After several days of searching, the Pirates discover the Dark Beam. The discovery is reported to High Command, where it is later revealed to that its purpose is to allow access to Dark Aether through Dark Portals. Dark Aether, which houses the Leviathan, holds great supplies of Phazon and the Space Pirates begin mining operations there.

A Warrior Ing.

However, progress is slow, impeded by Dark Aether’s poisonous atmosphere, the ferocity of the Ing and by a mysterious, shadowy being the Pirates call the "Dark Hunter". She conducts frequent raids on the Pirates, seeking their Phazon supplies, not their destruction, and exhibits cruelty uncharacteristic of the true Samus Aran. She also frees Metroid specimens, rather than destroying them, having a previous connection with them. The Pirates mostly learn to ignore the Dark Hunter...until she destroys the stealth field generator, exposing the Pirates’ presence on Aether. They hurry to fix the shield, but the damage is already done.

Federation Interception

A brigade of Federation Marines manages to intercept a Pirate frigate headed to the Dasha region. A chase ensues, and the frigate is badly crippled and eventually crashes. The Pirates' activities on Aether might have ended right then and there if the Marines' ship had not suffered a malfunction due to the stormy interdimensional atmosphere of Aether. After several weeks of scouting, the troopers are killed during repeated assaults by Dark Splinters. Their distress signal is intercepted by the true Samus, who soon arrives to investigate Aether and search for survivors. By then, many of the Pirates have been possessed by the Ing. However, the remaining Pirates are able to observe that the two versions of Samus are enemies, which give them the idea of recruiting Dark Samus to work for them: Phazon in exchange for the head of their common enemy.

The planet Phaaze.

The Phaaze Cataclysm

The Seeds of Scheming

Unfortunately, the Pirates do not get the opportunity to execute this plan. Samus destroys Dark Aether, purging all Phazon from the planet and leaving Dark Samus for dead after a climactic battle. Samus has left the planet, and almost all the Pirates that have come on the mission are dead. The mission at Aether might have been a complete disaster for the Pirates and, to make things worse, the Federation soon arrives on Aether and take samples of the precious Phazon deposits. However, they leave a great deal of Phazon behind. The Pirate battleship Colossus manages to hurriedly take most of the Phazon and escape from Aether. However, once they are in space, it is discovered that, along with the Phazon, the Colossus has collected the remains of Dark Samus, still in molecular state after her last encounter with the real Samus. Confined in this storage area of the Colossus, Dark Samus absorbs all the recovered Phazon, reenergizing herself, and eliminates a third of the Colossus's crew in minutes. She then brainwashes the remaining Pirates to do her bidding.

The corrupted clone of Samus warps their minds with promises of incredible riches and power. With the Pirates so suckered into her megalomaniacal schemes, a quasi-religious cult begins to form around her and the Pirates begin following her every whim. She teaches the crew of the Colossus how to convert their battleship into a mighty craft fueled by Phazon. However, they do not get to celebrate for long. Dark Samus mysteriously vanishes, leaving no clues as to her whereabouts. Some Pirates suggest that she will never return, and that the Pirates should return to their daily lives. Such naysayers are killed, and any who doubt Dark Samus’s eventual return soon learn to keep their mouths shut. Dark Samus does return, along with a gigantic Leviathan, and orders them to follow her through a wormhole. Some Pirates, afraid of the unknown, refuse to follow, resulting in their deaths.

Dark Samus's faithful disciples accompany her through the wormhole and are the first to bear witness to the planet Phaaze, the homeworld and origin of all Phazon. Dark Samus then reveals her scheme to harness the power of Phaaze and use it to spread Phazon across the universe. To do so, they need to take control of Phaaze itself, along with the Genesis Chamber, so that the production of Leviathans can be accelerated and allow Phazon to be spread much more quickly throughout the cosmos and infect countless worlds with the poison. How to do this is a dilemma, but an opportunity is soon presented with the aid of the Space Pirates' inside agents within the Galactic Federation.

The Valhalla Raid

Two months after the events at Aether, the crew of the G.F.S. Valhalla are holding a training mission in the Klar Nebula. The Valhalla is an immense battleship, an incredible bounty even by Space Pirate standards, but with the information supplied to the Pirates by their agents within the Federation, along with their tamed Metroids, the Pirates have all they need at their disposal to successfully slaughter the crew and plunder the ship. The savagery of the attack is astonishing, even by Space Pirate standards, and unusually, only two things are stolen: the Energy Cells and, more importantly, the Aurora Unit 313.

The Pirate Homeworld.

The Pirate Homeworld

With the Aurora Unit captured, the Pirates return to Phaaze, where, through the influence of Phazon, the Aurora Unit becomes symbiotically linked with the planet. With the entire planet now under their control, Dark Samus and the Space Pirates under her command begin their master plan to use Phazon to systematically gain control over the universe and destroy the Galactic Federation and Samus Aran once and for all. A Leviathan is sent to the Pirate Homeworld, though not with the preapproval of the inhabitants there at the time, to bring the entire Space Pirate force under Dark Samus's complete control. All attempts to stop it are futile and the planet begins to become corrupted while Meta Ridley is chosen as its guardian, slowly becoming a Phazon-enhanced being, but gaining incredible regenerative powers and abilities in exchange. While initially wary of such an event, the Space Pirates on the planet later relish in the amount of Phazon this allows them to have at their disposal. The Space Pirates begin performing countless mining operations to harvest as much Phazon as possible and begin to apply it to their ships, weapons, Metroids, and troops to create the same forces they were so close to attaining on Tallon IV, only much more grand and larger in scope.

The Leviathan’s impact, however, does not go unnoticed by the rest of the galaxy, as SkyTown, Elysia's Aurora Unit 217 detects the impact and tracks its origins to Phaaze, realizing that this is the living planet the Elysians found centuries earlier. Dark Samus realizes this just in time to send a mysterious corruption virus via Aurora Unit 313, infecting the entire Aurora Unit network in order to cover up the information leak. With a massive and destructive force at her command, Dark Samus is ready to implement the phase of her plans; to begin a massive attack on several Galactic Federation-controlled worlds and cripple their power in her bid for universal domination.

The Leviathan at Elysia.

The Great Invasion

Once the Leviathans finish maturing, Dark Samus launches a massive Pirate invasion upon many Federation strongholds so that the seeds can reach their intended destinations: Norion, to gain control to the Federation’s base there and cripple the fleet; Bryyo, to cut off the Federation’s supply of Fuel Gel, which is mined there; and Elysia, to gain control of SkyTown, an important interstellar observatory that holds vast archives of information and rare Chozo technology. The attack on Bryyo is successful, with the seed firmly planted. A Mogenar-class War Golem is corrupted and becomes its guardian. A Pirate energy shield is placed over the seed and two Leviathan Shield Generators are created to maintain it: one in Bryyo Thorn Jungle and one in Bryyo Fire. A Pirate base is also established around the Bryyo Thorn Jungle generator. Elysia’s Leviathan is partially successful, as it misses SkyTown, but succeeds in striking the planet itself. The sentient Elysian mechanoids there are corrupted, and their leader, Helios, becomes the guardian. Seed Shield Generators are set up far below on the planet's surface, and a forward base with a successful Metroid breeding program is constructed in the Xenoresearch Labs in the eastern portion of the floating city. Norion is far more risky than the other planets, because the Federation Fleet is stationed there. A massive Pirate assault commences, with Dark Samus and Meta Ridley coming to personally ensure the Leviathan Seed's arrival. The Federation attempts to hold them off, but the Pirates manage to shut down the planetary-defense system. However, they are unaware of the fact that Samus Aran and three other Bounty Hunters - Rundas, Gandrayda, and Ghor - are present at the time of the attack. The hunters rush to restore the Fedtech Plasma Generators powering the base's Defense Cannon, which will allow them to destroy the Leviathan. Just before they can do so, Dark Samus rushes in and knocks them unconscious with a powerful Phazon blast. Samus manages to activate the Defense Cannon in time, sending a powerful laser that destroys the Leviathan.

Dark Samus at Phaaze.

The hunters manage to survive Dark Samus’s attack, but as a result, their bodies are now self-generating Phazon with no negative side-effects. The Federation sese fit to install them with Phazon Enhancement Devices to take advantage of their condition. Samus remains unconscious for one month, but the three other hunters are dispatched to investigate the Pirates; Rundas to Bryyo, Ghor to Elysia, and Gandrayda to the Pirate Homeworld. However, their corruption, believed to be benign, soon begins to overpower them. Ghor and Gandrayda succumb and join the Pirates under Dark Samus’s influence. Rundas's corruption is a source of debate, as he never truly joins the Space Pirates (although he is mentioned in their logs, so they are aware of him and think of him as one of their commanders); eventually, however, even he falls to the power of Phazon. The Pirates themselves, meanwhile, take the liberty of installing many security systems to protect the Leviathans from any possible attack.

The Battle of Phaaze.

The End of the Phaaze Cataclysm

Samus arrives on Bryyo after regaining consciousness (one week after the other hunters cease communications), now able to take full control of her Phazon. She then proceeds to destroy the Leviathan Seeds on Bryyo and Elysia. All Pirate attempts to stop her fail, and she eventually arrives on the Pirate Homeworld. There, she infiltrates the base and deactivates their Defense System Generator, allowing the Federation Fleet to arrive. Samus herself leads a team of Demolition Troopers into the base and gains access to the Pirates' Leviathan Seed and destroys it, defeating Omega Ridley in the process. After defeating the Pirates on their homeworld, the Federation takes control of a captured Leviathan Battleship and warps to Phaaze. The Pirate fleet makes one last stand at the battle of Phaaze, but they are all ultimately defeated when the corrupted Aurora Unit 313 and Dark Samus are destroyed and the planet explodes, wiping out all Phazon and the Space Pirates' ships.

Revenge on the Galactic Federation

Following these events, it is clear that things are not good for the Space Pirates. One of their homeworlds is in Federation hands, a large portion of their Metroid supply has been eliminated, and the Space Pirates no longer have a supply of Phazon. Worst of all, Samus Aran is still alive. Recognizing the Galactic Federation as a prime threat to their plans to seize control over the galaxy after their inference in many of their operations during the Phaaze cataclysm and the capture of one of their homeworlds, the Space Pirates dedicate a large portion of their forces to the Bermuda System to oversee a scheme to destroy the Federation once and for all, and allow them a massive advantage towards conquering the galaxy.

While this system has had a Space Pirate presence for quite some time, largely simply serving as one of their many outposts throughout the galaxy, they greatly expand their operations throughout the three worlds in the system, constructing factories to manufacture weapons, harvesting the system's naturally occurring liquids and minerals to create potent energy sources, and researching ancient technology left behind by the system's original inhabitants to create unique technology that enables them to greatly increase their size. They also continue in their love of unnatural experiments, this time on the local creatures of the Bermuda System, as well as on their remaining supply of Metroids, discovering the creatures' attachment to the individuals that they initially observe and interact with following their hatching.

Beyond all these operations and experiments, however, the crown jewel of the Space Pirates' activity is in the construction of the Doomseye, a massive and strategic weapon designed to directly target and destroy the headquarters of the Galactic Federation, using sophisticated cloaking technology to hide its location and appearance from the Federation. While the Space Pirates operations and experiments near completion, their activities are eventually discovered by a specialized squad of Federation soldiers, known as the Federation Force, while they are on a training mission to survey the Bermuda System, with Samus eventually being contacted to investigate their plans as well.

Despite great resistance from the Space Pirates, the Federation Force systematically exterminates most of the Space Pirates operations, destroying their factories and bases, annihilating the Metroids and the accompanying labs, and dismantled the cloaking technology that conceals the Doomseye. With no other options remaining, the Space Pirates begin to prepare their weapon to destroy the Federation HQ, wiping out a large portion of the Federation Fleet, having arrived at the Bermuda System to destroy the Space Pirates, in the process.

The Federation Force, however, infiltrates the Doomseye and makes their way to the core of the fortress, where they find Master Brain, an organic supercomputer built to control and oversee all operations on the Doomseye, and Samus Aran, who has been captured by the Space Pirates and brought under their control, employing their recently created technology on her to greatly enhance her size. Despite this, the Federation Force manages to defeat and free Samus, destroy Master Brain, and begin a chain reaction that destroys the Doomseye and wiped out all the remaining Space Pirates within the Bermuda System in one fell swoop.

The Third Zebes Campaign

While the immediate events following the Space Pirates' failed plans at destroying the Galactic Federation are currently unknown, eventually, following these series of devastating defeats and losses at the hands of Samus and the Federation, all the Space Pirates have left is a remnant of their forces that is busy restoring the base at Zebes since Samus's Zero Mission. The base at Zebes is rebuilt, and their original leaders -- Kraid and Mother Brain -- are resuscitated and return to operations, while Ridley is at the late stages of his own regeneration. The Zebesian Space Pirates are joined by Kihunters, fellow Space Pirates from another galactic system, who help rebuild the base on Zebes. The Space Pirates are also led by two new generals: Draygon and Phantoon. Chief Hardy has neglected to have the Federation Police examine this planet since the Pirates there have already been defeated once before.

Confrontation on SR388

Even with the perception that the Space Pirates have been routed, their large-scale attacks and constant abuse of the Metroids in an attempt to utilize them as bioweapons lead the Federation to decide that the Metroids are too dangerous and have to be destroyed. As a result, the Federation sends researchers and the Galactic Federation Special Squadron to SR388, though they are easily slaughtered, forcing the Federation to call upon Samus due to her experience with combating them. Her mission is to eradicate the Metroid population to keep them out of Space Pirate hands.

Seeking to rebuild their Metroid army, Ridley is dispatched to SR388. Unfortunately, Ridley arrives too late to prevent Samus from destroying the Queen Metroid and Metroid population, except for an Infant Metroid that has imprinted on her after it has hatched. Unwilling to leave empty-handed without a fight, Ridley confronts his old nemesis in his current cybernetic form, Proteus Ridley, and attempts to capture the baby. Eventually, Proteus Ridley has Samus at his mercy and it seems he will finally end the hunter's life, were it not for the baby, which defends its "mother" by attacking Ridley and draining his energy, which the Metroid transfers to Samus, restoring her health allowing her to defeat Proteus Ridley. After Ridley's defeat, Samus and the Metroid leave SR388. However, Ridley once again survives death and manages to restore his organic body completely, determined to claim the baby for the Space Pirates.

The Destruction of Ceres Space Colony

Ceres Space Colony

Samus entrusts the baby to the scientists at the Ceres Space Colony, who believe they can harness its power for the benefit of galactic society. She remains with them until she is certain that they are safe. But as soon as Samus leaves the station, Ridley breaks in and kills all the scientists, intending to steal the baby. Samus returns in time to attempt to fight off Ridley, but he escapes with the baby and sets off the self-destruct system for the station. Samus barely makes it out alive.

The Destruction of Zebes

Mother Brain blasting Samus with the Hyper Beam.

Samus manages to follow Ridley to Zebes, where she infiltrates the base in her search for the baby. By the time she arrives, the Pirates are well into their plans for Metroid breeding. Unfortunately for the Pirates, using only Beta-Rays to multiply the single infant is far too slow to enable a final stand; the Pirates resort to cloning procedures as well, but they are only able to produce feeble imitations called Mochtroids with this new method. The baby itself is incredibly enhanced by unknown methods and becomes a Big Metroid.

Ultimately, Samus kills all of the Pirate leaders and makes her way to Tourian, where she hunts the multiplied Metroids the Space Pirates have produced. She is no match for the Big Metroid, but it recognizes Samus at the last instant and spares her life. Samus then fights the revived Mother Brain, whose enhanced mechanical body nearly kills her. In the end, the Big Metroid sacrifices itself to save Samus’s life and gives her Mother Brain’s Laser Brain Attack in the form of the Hyper Beam in the process, allowing Samus to defeat Mother Brain once and for all. Mother Brain’s final act is to set off the planetary self-destruct system. Samus escapes safely, but the Space Pirates are all destroyed in the explosion. The Space Pirates are gone, with their plans for galactic domination shattered beyond repair... At least, that is what the universe hopes.

Recreation on the BOTTLE SHIP

Evil Reborn

With the defeat of Mother Brain, the death of Ridley, and the utter destruction of the planet Zebes along with what remains of the Space Pirate forces, the state of the galaxy has seemingly become more peaceful. This does not prove to be the case, however, as various individuals within the Galactic Federation conspire to recreate the galactic menace as biological weapons of mass destruction for use in the military. Despite universal disapproval by the leaders within the Federation congress, a select few individuals within the Federation's scientific community see the potential in the possibility of using one of the most vicious races in existence as a tool of near unstoppable force. To this end, the rogue scientists secretly use captured wildlife from Zebes, including some Zebesian and Kihunter Space Pirates. The scientists then transfer their specimens and research, supported by a secretive and corrupt faction of the Galactic Federation, onto a research colony called the BOTTLE SHIP. Led by the enigmatic Dr. Madeline Bergman, the scientific team begins to experiment on bioforms not only from Zebes, but from several other planets as well. It is soon discovered, however, that the Zebesians aboard the ship are mindless and feral, acting on the most basic of instincts. This setback brings to light what is missing from the equation required in an effective army, a leader; the Mother Brain. Why the Pirates are feral onboard the ship is explained as the Federation removing the emotions and intellect of the Cyborg Zebesians to convert them into effective bioweapons.

The Birth of MB

Thus, the team sets about recreating the AI of the original Mother Brain, with the successful experiment resulting in the birth of the other Mother, MB. MB performs just as they have hoped and she successfully integrates and enhances the reasoning of the resurrected Pirate armies. However an unforeseen event occurs that will forever change the course of fate for the science team, the discovery of a DNA strain on Samus's Power Suit from something even more terrifying than a Space Pirate; a Metroid, more specifically, from the baby. This startling turn of events leads those aboard the BOTTLE SHIP to abandon the original plan of a Pirate army in favor of one comprised of genetically engineered Metroids, leaving the fate of the reborn Zebesians in limbo for a time. The modified Metroids are moved to Sector Zero, a replica of Tourian, which also contains MB's original form.

MB Betrayed

In time, it is realized by the scientific staff that in order for the newly created Metroids to follow MB's orders flawlessly, she will have to assume the form of a living creature, which is achieved in the form of a human female android. In time Madeline Bergman, MB's creator, develops a mother-daughter dynamic with her creation and this bond strengthens as time goes on. However, with MB's extended contact with the first of the newly revived Metroids, something unexpected happens that no one has anticipated: MB begins to develop human emotions. The implications of these turn of events is considered dangerous by all aboard the BOTTLE SHIP and it is deemed necessary that MB's emotions be erased before she becomes uncontrollable. When MB discovers what they plan to do to her and her despair at the inability of her "mother" to aid her, MB displays the very actions that the scientists wanted to prevent. She becomes violently enraged and uses her link to the slumbering Zebesians (along with the other creatures aboard the space station) to awaken and slaughter all aboard the BOTTLE SHIP except for her once cherished mother, leaving the saddened Madeline to contemplate what she has unleashed upon the galaxy in the form of the Pirates, the Metroids, and MB. MB's new goal is to bring war to the Galactic Federation by colliding the BOTTLE SHIP with Federation HQ, thus unleashing nearly indestructible Metroids, Pirates, and various other creatures on the organization.

The 07th Platoon's arrival

The stricken colony, however, broadcasts an automated distress signal that is received by a group from the Galactic Federation Army - the 07th Platoon, led by Commander Adam Malkovich. Also within range to receive the signal is the hunter Samus Aran, who immediately sets out for the distress beacon's location. Upon arriving, Samus meets up with the 07th Platoon members and sets about exploring the station for survivors and answers to the unknown fate that has befallen the ship. Along the way, Samus encounters the captive Kihunters, as well as a mysterious creature with an air of menace to it. Sensing that there is a more sinister presence at work, she makes her way to the Exam Centre, where she is ambushed by Cyborg Zebesians. Although she manages to slay them, the team is attacked by a horde of bioforms lead by the mysterious creature, who has now grown into a larger and deadlier form. After fending off the attack and forcing the creature to retreat, Samus gives chase to the monster and eventually corners it in the Geothermal Power Plant. In a shocking revelation, she discovers that the monstrosity, now fully grown, is in actuality her arch-nemesis, Ridley, whom the scientists have unknowingly cloned from the DNA found on her Power Suit. After fending off his vicious blows, Samus just barely manages to defeat him. In a fit of rage, Ridley attempts one last attack before fleeing to another section of the ship.

Conspiracy revealed

After arriving at the Bioweapon Research Center, Samus meets MB, whom she has previously met and who introduces herself as her mother, Madeline, to protect her identity. MB decides that Samus is too much of a threat to her mission of revenge and informs her about the entire scheme of cloning and breeding the Metroids, purposely omitting the crucial fact that they cannot be frozen, thus ensuring that Samus will fall in battle. However, Adam intervenes and reveals this crucial info, sacrificing his life to detach the area containing the deadly strain of Metroid and destroying it, himself, and all of the Metroids, completely ruining MB's plans of using them for war. The vengeful hunter then once again goes after Ridley, only to discover that he has been attacked and killed by a Queen Metroid. After confronting and just barely killing the queen in a heated fight, she discovers the true Madeline Bergman, who reveals that the one she knows as "Madeline" is actually MB. However, before the two can do anything, MB appears with a Freeze Gun in hand, intent on killing Samus. Madeline, however, pleads with the android, imploring her to recall her human side with the promise that she will never fail her again. MB lowers her weapon, only to be ambushed by an entire regiment of Federation troopers who have boarded the now immobile station. Angered beyond reason, MB thaws out and summons numerous Desbrachians to slaughter everyone. In a desperate attempt to stop MB, Madeline shoots her "daughter" with a Freeze Gun, which unintentionally allows the troopers to shoot and kill her. With the death of MB, the Zebesians aboard the BOTTLE SHIP once again revert to their bestial instincts and their threat to the galaxy is seemingly ended for good.

The Destruction of the BOTTLE SHIP

After it is declared by the Galactic Federation that the BOTTLE SHIP is to be destroyed, Samus returns one final time to retrieve something irreplaceable, Adam's helmet. Along the way, she confronts the last remaining Pirates aboard the ship, destroying them as she proceeds. Samus discovers that not only is Ridley's body missing, but that the activity of the life-forms aboard the ship has increased dramatically despite MB being deceased. Upon making her way to the Control Bridge, Samus confronts an old foe in the form of the Space Pirate commander Phantoon, who has assumed control of all the experiments aboard. Smashing through the bridge in an attempt to kill her, it ultimately falls in battle and floats away into deep space and explodes in a burst of light. After retrieving the helmet, the self-destruct sysyem for the BOTTLE SHIP begins, leaving Samus just five minutes to escape with her life. Many of the remaining Super Zebesians appear to attack, but she manages to evade them and leaves just as the countdown ends. The resulting explosion wipes out the last of the Space Pirates aboard, seemingly ending one of the last of Samus's confrontations with her most hated foes. However, she will soon find out that another research ship contains captive Pirates.

B.S.L. X-Outbreak

An X-infected Zebesian.

A number of Zebesians and Zeros are aboard the Biologic Space Laboratories research station before the X Parasite epidemic. While they are likely remnants of the BOTTLE SHIP incident, what purpose they served onboard the B.S.L. station is never revealed, though the station was seemingly created only for observation and study of various bioforms. Upon the outbreak, X begin infecting most bioforms on the station, including the Zebesians and Zeros, and the latter soon metamorphose into fully matured Kihunters.

Samus fights numerous X-infected Zebesians and Kihunters and even encounters an X-infected version of Ridley's clone, who has been previously created by scientists on the BOTTLE SHIP. The X are able to wield considerable power with the Pirates (creating powerful Gold Space Pirates) and even create an aquatic variation, a result of combining the DNA of Zebesians and Skultera. Eventually, with the help of Adam, Samus Aran makes certain that the X, along with all the Pirates they have infected, are destroyed when the B.S.L. station self-destructs in SR388's atmosphere, seemingly and finally ending the Space Pirates for good.

Other notable events

This section covers events in the history of Space Pirates that, while they only involve a small percentage of Pirates, are important enough to affect their entire race on a small or grand scale.

Weavel's Hunt

Weavel and his spaceship.

Gorea.

Sometime between the Space Pirates' campaigns on Tallon IV and Aether, a mysterious telepathic message originating from the Tetra Galaxy is broadcast throughout the universe. The message is spoken in various languages, dialects, and even slangs, but all interpretations retain the same meaning: "The secret to Ultimate Power lies in the Alimbic Cluster."

Naturally, the Space Pirates must be curious about such a compelling message, and so they send Weavel, a former Space Pirate who was critically injured years earlier in a fight with Samus Aran and was later rebuilt as a cyborg. Weavel's mission is to collect the eight Octoliths, which are required to activate the Alimbic Cannon to open the Infinity Void and allow access to the Oubliette, where the ultimate power is likely held.

Weavel is unable to gain all the Octoliths before his old foe Samus Aran, but he is able to get to the Oubliette well before she does. There, Weavel and the other Bounty Hunters that have embarked on the quest discover the Seal Sphere, which they begin firing at in the hopes that it holds the ultimate power inside. To their great horror, the Seal Sphere instead contains Gorea, a monstrous entity who is personally responsible for the extinction of the Alimbics. Gorea immediately lashes out with its tentacles, grabs the hunters, and begins assimilating their weapons, including Weavel's Battlehammer. Samus alone remains behind to defeat Gorea while Weavel and the other hunters flee in shame to their ships. All of them manage to escape just in time as the Oubliette explodes behind them, thanks to Samus Aran.