Perspectives: Jervix

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Perspectives: Jervix




“I had never felt lower than that day, the day Lord Ridley was defeated for the final time. When Zebes fell, it’s second, shameful fall, to the hunter clad in metal. The metroids were once again lost to us, as well as the mother brain, the potent hyper beam technology she had developed, and every space pirate genera on zebes. This mattered to me little, compared to the fact that Lord Ridley had died, and that this death would not be one he could come back from. The fact that I had failed my own duty to protect him, stationed on the nearby mothership as I was.
I was Lord Ridley’s favourite, and I think the rapport between us was the closest he had ever come to a true relationship. He would talk with me at times, not just to give me orders, but to ease his own boredom. He told me of his hatred of the hunter, the pain of his every death drowned out by the increase of hatred gained at every defeat. He told me, too, of his similar hatred for mother brain, making the once supreme commander a mere pawn in her games. He was the one who sent me to the mothership, saying that he was not willing to go himself until he was sure the hunter was dead, that he had learned from the hunters’ last strike on Zebes not to tarry too far away from his own fortress.
Of course I knew I was merely a tool to him, a useful pawn. Lord Ridley never implied any compassion in our relationship, nor any lasting bond. It did not matter to me. A space pirate could only be a tool in his life, unless he had the skills in political manoeuvring to become a council member, and my abilities were sadly ground in the physical arena alone. Still, the useful, consistent tool will never be thrown out of the workshop, and care will be used to make sure it doesn’t break. A useful tool is something needed and valued, and so, I became the most useful tool I could. And yet, when it came time that my use would be needed, I was gone, when I was needed, and so the last chance for the pirates to truly gain power was lost from this galaxy.
I am not so arrogant as to think I could have succeeded where Lord Ridley had failed, but perhaps, just perhaps, I could have made the difference, weakened the hunter enough with my own sacrifice to have made the fight go another way. I feel the shame of my failure every day, as I face the day once more, and it is an agonizing burden to hold.
I then watched, as the space pirate empire, once a true threat to the federation, a military power to rival their own, faded, becoming mere pirates once again, living off what little we could grow or steal on the frontier planets. The metroids had died out, our generals were gone, and our spirit was broken. The hunter eventually fell, of course, not due to the space pirate’s attempts on her life, but merely her short lifespan. I doubt any enemy other than time could have ever taken down the hunter, after Ridley’s last death, other than time itself, but the point still stung. Were we really so weak we had to wait for our enemies to die of Old age? We became demoralized, and our organization’s already low morale plummeted. We were truly a lost race, and I was forced to watch our lethargy drive us to a slow extinction.
Then he came.
Kress, spawn of Kraid. He had already proven to be stronger than his progenitor in combat ability, and he was almost his size --- and still growing. Moreover, he had a sharper mind than Kraid, a cunning, calculating mind, and he managed to inspire us. We, built bases, multiplied in numbers and strength a hundredfold, gained the strength to take over entire planets! He is considered our brightest hope, shining brightly amongst the stars, as a symbol to uphold, and as a result of his brilliance even others of his species have joined the space pirate empire, strengthening it further. He is the single best hope of our race, of our future, and his countenance shows that.
I was handpicked by him, as a veteran soldier, to become his right hand man. My experience and loyalty made me an obvious choice, he explained, and he then continued to explain that if his choice was unfounded, he would crush my in his grip. I couldn’t help but notice the irony of it, that I had heard similar words, nearly the exact same, a hundred years ago.
I followed him, and noticed just how brilliant he was first hand. With him, I stole, bargained for, or gained countless new weapons, killed countless enemies of the space pirates, conquered many worlds. He was ruthless, and yet intelligent. Kress could turn a failure into profit, and turn some small victory into a far larger one. He always looked for the advantage, and was also no stranger to sacrificing his troops for the greater good. At the same time, he valued those who served him loyally, and efficiently, those who were indeed valuable components of the empire, and he did not squander those resources. He treats useful tools well.
Though I was never very religious, as I watch him, these thoughts keep appearing in my mind.
That cunning, cold intellect, the natural instinct for death and battle, the shameless pride…
It is true Lord Ridley has died many, many times, yet came back from the dead, and some used to speculate it was his very soul keeping him alive. Perhaps, despite the body being dead, the soul did persevere.
That Cunning, cold mind, the viciousness hidden within it. The smoothness, and subtle deceptions hidden beneath whatever mask is necessary. That same inspirational, hands on method of command. Only 2 beings have had that mindset, so alike that the differences of flesh are minor. Only 2 beings have had that same mindset. How is it, that I can see his shadow at times, as I watch Kress lead the charge against another federation platoon, or Killik swarm?
Is it possible…?
Lord Ridley?