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The Space Pirate mining facility was the base of operations for the Space Pirates in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. It was a former abandoned Luminoth mining facility in the Agon Wastes before the Space Pirates captured it.
Background[]
Following the loss of the bases on Tallon IV in Metroid Prime, the Pirates sought to regain their ground. They discovered the presence of Phazon on planet Aether, and was given permission by High Command to investigate. The problem with this was that Aether was in the Dasha region, which was located on the fringes of Galactic Federation-controlled space. This necessitated the creation of a stealth shield to hide the Pirates' activities on the planet. Also complicating matters was repeated attacks on the Pirates by shadowy creatures that caused considerable damage to the base, necessitating the sending of more combat troops.
In the base, the Pirates discovered a dark energy weapon and a spatial anomaly. Using the weapon energized the Portal, which led to a mirrored version of Aether, Dark Aether, the home of the creatures who attacked them and the location of the majority of the Phazon they had detected. However, this land was poisonous, and its very atmosphere was toxic to the Pirates. While Science Team began developing protective armorsuit technology, more troops and supplies were being sent in to assist the ground operation.
Yet another complication arose. "Samus Aran", supposedly garbed in a new Power Suit appeared and began attacks on the base. The Pirates discovered, however, that she was more interested in obtaining Phazon than engaging them, and only when they got in her way did she fight them, and quite brutally. Calling her the "Dark Hunter", the Pirates learned mostly to ignore her until she released several captive Metroids, hacked their Datanet and crippled their stealth shield. The Pirates feared detection, though this fear never became reality.
However, a starship carrying the requested supplies was shot down by the G.F.S. Tyr, which chased the Pirates to Aether. The ship crashed and was fashioned into a wall in Central Mining Station. When the Tyr sustained damage, the Pirates grew frustrated that High Command was not ordering them to attack even as the Herakles crew were slowly dying one by one at the hands of Dark Splinters. The Pirates began to be possessed by the Ing, which were also responsible for the murder of the troops.
Samus Aran's arrival on Aether was the final nail in the coffin of the Pirate operations. A Pirate scout witnessed an encounter between Samus and the Dark Hunter in a Phazon site. Believing that the two Samuses were enemies and not allies, the Pirates gained the idea of hiring Dark Samus to kill the real Samus in exchange for Phazon. However, they did not have time to put this plan into action because of their limited resources, and at the end of Echoes Samus had left her dark doppelganger for dead on the exploding Dark Aether.
The actual base goes unnamed in the game. It is the Galactic Federation Data entry "Anhur Incident" in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption which names the base.
Aftermath[]
Following Dark Aether's destruction, Samus departed Aether in search of a new bounty. This gave the Pirates some time to collect what little Phazon remained on the planet. Unknowingly, they collected the destabilized particles of Dark Samus, who regenerated herself using their Phazon supply aboard the Colossus. She then took over the Pirate ship and became their new leader, leading to the events of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
Enemies[]
- Pirate Troopers
- Dark Pirate Troopers
- Pirate Grenadiers
- "Vigilance" Class Turrets
- Tallon Metroids
- Infant Tallon Metroids
- Pirate Aerotroopers
- Dark Samus (Boss)
List of rooms[]
- Central Station Access
- Central Mining Station
- Command Center Access
- Command Center
- Security Station B
- Biostorage Access
- Biostorage Station
- Storage B
- Security Station A
- Bioenergy Production
- Storage C
- Ventilation Area B
- Save Station B
- Sand Processing
- Main Reactor
- Storage D
- Ventilation Area A
- Transport to Sanctuary Fortress
Development notes[]
In the internal list of room names, the entire facility is referred to as "Alamo". This is most likely a reference to the Battle of the Alamo, a pivotal moment in the Texas Revolution where Mexican troops assaulted the Alamo Mission in what is now San Antonio, Texas, and killed all of the Texan defenders. Samus, in the same way, sieges the Pirate base and destroys it, which was also situated within a desert-like environment. The connection is further referenced by one sentence in Space Pirate Logs: "Here we shall make our stand." Retro Studios, the company that created the Prime series, is based in Austin, Texas.