Keybearers

The Keybearers were ten elite Luminoth warriors who had organized to find and use the ten Ing Sky Temple Keys to infiltrate the Sky Temple. They were divided into two Cadres of five warriors each. Each warrior managed to find a key; however, all were subsequently hunted down and killed by the Ing before they could return it to the Temple. The sole exception was A-Kul, who left only nine Keys for Samus Aran to find. A-Kul left hints at the Sky Temple Gateway, where she succumbed to her injuries, as to the locations of the other Keybearers and the keys they tried to acquire.

With the exception of A-Kul, the deceased Keybearers are found throughout Aether, and their keys are located in the Dark Aether variant of the rooms they are found in. Two soldiers from Cadre 1 are found in the Torvus Bog, and the other two in the Agon Wastes. Three bodies from Cadre 2 are found in the Temple Grounds and two in the Sanctuary Fortress, while the fifth member of Cadre 1, A-Kul, made it to the Sky Temple Gateway and died there having inserted her key. Scanning the bodies will add the final words of each Keybearer to the Logbook and provide hints as to the locations of their keys, with specific words corresponding to the names of each room highlighted in color.

Parallels can be drawn between the Luminoth Cadres and two Forces of GFMC Task Force Herakles, who were also all wiped out by the Ing and left records of their final moments. Eventually, Samus would enter the Sky Temple and destroy the Emperor Ing and Dark Aether, avenging both the Keybearers and Herakles.

Cadre 1

• A-Kul - as mentioned, A-Kul was the only Keybearer to successfully place her key in the Sky Temple Gateway, where she died.
• B-Stl - B-Stl's body is located in the Space Pirate mining facility, which was only built after the Luminoth suffered heavy losses in the war. Whether this means she survived the wounds she suffered in battle for a time is unclear. She was the mate of J-Stl, another Keybearer part of Cadre 1 who died before her.
• G-Sch - his body is located in the Catacombs of the Torvus Bog. He died in combat against an Ing leader.
• J-Stl - the mate of B-Stl, whose body is found in a hidden cave above the Central Mining Station of the Agon Wastes. This is where he died after an Ing ambush.
• S-Dly - her body is found in the Torvus Lagoon, where she too was ambushed by the Ing.

Cadre 2

• C-Rch - having run out of ammunition and with nothing left but blunt and melee weapons, C-Rch fell in battle with the Ing in the Sanctuary Fortress' Dynamo Works.
• D-Isl - this soldier was possessed by the Ing, but resisted long enough to write a final testament. Their body displays no signs of Ing possession; this, coupled with a determination to sacrifice themself in their Testament to avoid becoming possessed, suggests they did so.
• J-Fme - J-Fme died in the Industrial Site, writing of their regret that they did not get to see the Ing defeated. They also mocked the Ing in their Testament for engaging the Luminoth through possessed creatures and machines instead of fighting themselves.
• M-Dhe - one of the few Keybearers who was able to collect a Key, but died before they could return it to the Sky Temple Gateway. Their body is found hidden behind statuary in the Landing Site, the first room in Echoes. They died from wounds sustained when their armor was breached.
• S-Jrs - died at the apex of the Sanctuary Entrance. A-Kul sent S-Jrs back to Aether for reinforcements when the rest of the Keybearers were devastated. Like the rest of his brethren, S-Jrs succumbed to the wounds he sustained in fighting.

Metroid Prime 2: Dark Echoes Q&A

QUESTION: Were there any interesting behind-the-scenes activity regarding the characters and creatures which appear [in this game]?

ANSWER: The Bloggs who live in the sea bottom in Torvus Bog. This creature is described as "the ugliest, most miserable creature in the universe". Next, the story surrounding the Luminoth Elite Troops [Keybearers]. Some troops had brothers, and while they tried to alleviate those younger brothers' doubts, they too lost their lives. You can find them somewhere in Dark Aether. Lastly, Squad Bravo's J. Brode dislikes bugs.