Galactic Federation
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- This article concerns a fictional organization in a video game series. For the same named organization in real world conspiracy theories, see the Galactic Federation of Light.
The Galactic Federation is a fictional organization in the Metroid series.
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[edit] Origins
In the year 2003 (originally 2000, but was later changed) of the Cosmic Calendars, representatives from many races gathered together in an effort to create a safer and more secure galaxy for all. These races joined together to create the 'Galactic Federation'. The Federation's races are represented by chosen delegates that represent their planet and speak on their behalf. Under the power of the Federation, technology from the races mixed and mingled, creating a more advanced civilization. For many years peace reigned. Order was maintained by Space Police (in Metroid Prime 2 Echoes they are referred to as Galactic Federation Marines), who upheld the law in Federation controlled space.
Eventually, Humans developed space-age technology that allowed them to discover the Galactic Federation. They then joined the Galactic Federation.
[edit] The Space Pirates
However, the Federation met opposition early in its history. A group of nomadic aliens known as the Space Pirates saw the rise of the Federation as a threat to their own power base, and began raiding ships and planets in an attempt to become the most dominant species in the galaxy. The Federation would not sit idle though, and in response to the threat of the Pirates created the Federal Bureau that consisted of Federation marines and soldiers that trained specifically to combat the Space Pirates. However, the advanced technologies of the Pirates caused many battles to be lost by the Galactic Federation, and in the deep reaches of space, they were almost impossible to track and hunt down. Realizing that without additional help they could lose the war, they created the 'Space Hunter' program; this program would hire the greatest warriors and arm them with the greatest and most advanced technology the Federation possessed. Though the Hunters were a success, they could not turn the tide of the war in their favor.
[edit] Metroid Discovery
Then, in the middle of the war came a new discovery; the Metroid. Federation trackers searching for useful trade routes stumbled upon the previously undiscovered planet, SR-388. There they discovered the Metroid specimens and made contact, but were shortly wiped out by the creatures. Federation teams arrived and were able to capture the Metroid specimens using cold based technology. In a state of hibernation, they brought them aboard their ship where studies on them commenced. They discovered that they possessed life draining abilities that could gain energy from their prey. They also realized their vulnerability to cold, and learned that exposure to beta rays would cause them to asexually divide. Unfortunately, Pirates learned of the creatures and killed the Federation crew, and stole the Metroids.
Realizing what the Metroids could do, they sent out search teams to find the Pirate base. They eventually discovered that the Pirates had made their base on the planet Zebes after wiping out the Chozo inhabiting it. The natural rock formation protected it from assault, and the underground base was very difficult to traverse. They then re-awakened the entity Mother Brain, a Chozo creation designed to control defenses on Zebes. The Federation made many attempts to wipe out the Pirates on Zebes, but were unsuccessful.
The Federation, desperate to end Metroid activity on Zebes, came up with a risky plan; to send their greatest Space Hunter to infiltrate the base, eliminate the Pirates, destroy Mother Brain and other Pirate leaders Ridley and Kraid, and end Metroid activity on Zebes. The hunter chosen was the mysterious Samus Aran. Using a Chozo Power suit and weapons, she defeated Pirates time and time again. They sent this mysterious hunter to Zebes, and in return would pay an enormous bounty for her service.
The mission ended in success; the Metroids were destroyed, the Mother Brain in pieces, and Ridley and Kraid defeated (for further details see Metroid). A few years passed in peace (though the war against the Pirates continued), until the appearance of Sylux.
[edit] Metroid Prime: Hunters
Sylux is a mysterious entity who harbors an intense hatred for the Galactic Federation for unknown reasons. Attacking many Federation troops and personnel, he proved himself to be a fearsome opponent, almost what Samus may seem to the Space Pirates, except that Sylux is not allied with the Space Pirates. Sylux stole many advanced technologies under Federation development, including an experimental power suit containing advanced defensive and offensive capabilities, including the Shock Coil; an experimental Federation weapon that fires high density neutrinos, and a prototype Federation ship the Delano 7.
With the threat of Sylux and Space Pirates in tow, the Federation was desperate for a solution, but then came across a telepathic message from a remote are in the Tetra Galaxy, a territory beyond Federation control; the Alimbic Cluster.
"The secret to the Ultimate Power lies in the Alimbic Cluster." This message was intercepted by a Federation empaths, and they soon found out that this message had been telepathically sent to creatures all across the galaxy, translating in thousands of languages and dialects. However, the greatest threat came from 6 bounty hunters; Kanden, Spire, Weavel, Noxus, Trace, and Sylux. Deciding that this "Ultimate Power" could be a threat to the Federation if in the wrong hands, they sent out Samus Aran once again, with three objectives in mind; to discover the meaning of the message, to secure the "Ultimate Power" for the Galactic Federation, or, failing to complete objective 2, ensure it does not fall in to enemy hands. Samus then traveled to the Alimbic Cluster to complete her mission (for further details see the article on Metroid Prime Hunters).
The mission was once again successful, and the powerful weapon known as the Omega Cannon was recovered. It is unknown if this weapon was the "Ultimate Power" or not. Samus was then paid for her services.
[edit] Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
A while later, a distress signal was picked up by the Galactic Federation from their marine squad Bravo. The signal originated from the planet Aether. Eight days later, and after hearing nothing more from the marines, they sent out Samus Aran to investigate and aide the Marines if any were still alive. She landed on Aether, but discovered all the marines had been killed. However, she then aided the local inhabitants, as recounted in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. She was paid for her services (though it is unknown if she was payed extra for defeating the Ing and possibly saving the galaxy again, as her original mission was simply to "locate the troopers and render assistance"), but the Federation grieved over the loss of the marines.
Early in the game, Samus fights a large number of Galactic Federation Marines possessed by the Ing. However, they were not very difficult to defeat as the Ings were unable to obtain full parasitic fusion with the troopers, which resulted in low agility and response time. The defeat of these troopers also resulted in the death of the Ings that possessed them.
[edit] Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Later, an all out war broke out as the Space Pirates began attacking the Federation in continued assaults. Their computer system, Aurora Unit, had been frozen by an alien virus of unknown origin. However, their greatest threat came from Dark Samus, the mysterious entity resembling Samus, traveling to planets and began corrupting them with Phazon seeds. Samus Aran was called in to aide the Galactic Federation, but due to the seriousness of the situation, several other competent Hunters were called in to aide Samus and the Federation, including the hunter Rundus (who seems to generate and manipulate ice). However, Samus and the others were corrupted with Phazon in an encounter with Dark Samus (for further details see Metroid Prime 3: Corruption).
[edit] Metroid II: Return of Samus
After the events of Metroid, the Federation deemed the Metroids too big of a threat to exist, so they sent a research team to eliminate Metroid presence on the planet SR-388. However, when contact was lost with the team, they sent a research and combat squad to investigate. None survived the encounter with the Metroids. Realizing specialist help would be required, they sent Samus Aran to deal with the threat of the Metroids, due to her prior experience with them. Landing on the planet, she progressed through the planet and began eliminating Metroid presence on the planet, even as they began to progress through their natural life-cycle (for further details see Metroid II: Return of Samus).
The mission was once again successful with the death of the Metroid Queen, but upon discovering a harmless Metroid hatchling that followed Samus like a lost child following its mother, she was overcome by a sentimental, possibly maternal instinct and decided, that instead of killing it, she would bring it back to a Federation colony where studies could be made on it. Samus was once again paid for her services, and studies on the Metroid began.
Studies on the Metroid revealed its potential existed far beyond that of a weapon; if they could harness the life energy the Metroid absorbs, they could create a near limitless energy supply and power-source. Experiments were cut short however, with the appearance of Ridley.
[edit] Super Metroid
Ridley attacked the space colony and killed the Federation scientists on board the space colony, and kidnapped the Metroid. The Galactic Federation immediately sent Samus to investigate, and when stumbling upon Ridley and the Metroid, she attacked, but was unable to defeat Ridley in his new form. He then escaped the colony as Samus escaped in her gunship. She then followed him to Zebes after the Metroid. Ridley had dramatically enhanced the Metroid's capabilities, naming it Super Metroid, and began to clone it, as well as reviving Mother Brain. Samus eventually took care of Ridley, and Super Metroid sacrificed itself to save its "mother" from Mother Brain, thus causing the species to be officially extinct. For more details see Super Metroid.
[edit] Metroid Fusion
With the death of the final Metroid and the destruction of Mother Brain, the Federation gained an advantage in the war. On the Biologic Space Laboratories, they somehow captured or cloned Ridley, though their plans for him are unknown. They also began a Metroid cloning process using the DNA of the last Metroid, and successfully re-created all stages of Metroid development up to the Omega Metroid. Only the highest ranking Federation members knew of the cloning.
However, with the extinction of the Metroids, the planet SR-388 was once again available for studies. Knowing Samus Aran knew the planet better than any, they asked her to escort a science team on the planet. In a small cave, a Hornoad attacked them, but Samus easily defeated it. However, with the defeat of the creature, a strange organism appeared and attacked Samus. However, she experienced no pain or any sign of injury, but an evacuation was ordered. Samus, on her way back to the BSL station, began feeling sick and feeling weak. She eventually passed out and drifted into an asteroid field, where her ship exploded. However, the escape pod saved Samus, and Federation members brought her to a medical center. There, they learned that a dangerous creature known as the X Parasite had infected Samus's Power suit, and began spreading to her body. Parts of the Power suit were surgically removed from Aran and brought them to the BSL station for study. However, Samus had little chance of survival as the X inside of her began to multiply.
One Federation scientist proposed a desperate plan; to use a sample of the last Metroid's DNA to cure Samus. It had been discovered that the DNA structure of a Metroid is invulnerable to X infection, and were actually created by the Chozo to keep the X in check. It saved her life and eliminated the X from her body, but was forever left with Metroid DNA in her, and left vulnerable to cold temperatures. This made her, indirectly, the last living Metroid, and caused her to lose her Ice Beam ability.
Meanwhile, on the BSL station, the Federation captured several X specimens and kept them contained, where studies could begin. However, a large, mysterious explosion in a deck on the station caused great concern for the Federation. The Federation sent Samus to investigate the source of the explosion, and was sent to the BSL station in her new Fusion suit. She was also given a new ship, but with it came computer intelligence Samus named "Adam" after an old CO of Samus's before her bounty hunter days.
There, a strange energy surge blocked her exit, and was forced to investigate. She later learned that the explosion freed several X specimens, allowing them to multiply and spread throughout the station. However, her greatest concern was the cause of the explosion; the SA-X. The SA-X was the X Parasite that infected the Power suit, and was now using Samus's abilities to the max. Invulnerable to attacks in Samus's current form, Samus was forced to flee the SA-X. However, the Metroid DNA allowed her to absorb X Parasites, allowing her to regain her old abilities, and some new ones as well. After gaining the Wave Beam, she stumbled upon the Metroid cloning program, and was horrified to see it. The SA-X arrived to destroy the Metroids, and Samus detached the entire section from the station and sent it plummeting into SR-388.
Believing the SA-X to be destroyed, she was surprised to hear from Adam that the SA-X had multiplied and there were now as many as ten SA-Xs on the station. She continued destroying the X and found Ridley, who was then copied by the X. Once defeated, she proceeded to the Control Deck to send the station into SR-388 and eliminate the X. However, on her way, she was locked in a room by Adam, and was contacted by a mysterious Federation man, who warned Samus not to do anything rash, and revealed that the Federation was sending ships full of troops to capture and study the SA-X and the X. Realizing the Federation troopers would be wiped out and their ships used to spread across the galaxy, she turned on Adam, insulting him for his cowardice.
The computer then unlocked the door, and revealed that he was Adam; his mind had been downloaded onto a computer. They then accessed the Control Deck, where she was forced to battle the SA-X, whom she was now powerful enough to harm. After defeating the SA-X, it fled before being absorbed. She then set the station on a collsion course for SR-388, triggering the self destruct explosives which would eliminate any remaining X on the surface. However, on the way out, an Omega Metroid which had escaped from the restricted lab attacked in the docking bay, and in her current state was unable to defeat it. The SA-X then reappeared, and attacked the Omega Metroid. Although the SA-X wounded it, it was defeated in the end, revealing it's paralyzed core. Samus then absorbed it, using the newly reaquired Ice Beam to destroy the Omega Metroid and escape.
Although Samus had defied a direct order from the Federation, she did so in order to prevent the X from escaping and spreading throughout the galaxy, and thus it is unknown what the Federation's current view on Samus is, as Fusion is the last game in the Metroid chronology, for now.
[edit] Technology
The projectiles fired by a Galactic Federation Trooper seem to be surrounded in energy of some sort - it is possible they have found a way to surround the projectiles with a damaging ion field or something similar, like many early-futuristic-technology organizations in science fiction.
GF Marines appear to wear powered armor, though it is not as effective as Samus's Chozo battle suit. Their primary weapon is a rapid-fire pulse rifle that is most likely less powerful than Samus's power beam. In their electronic journals, the soldiers on Aether made a fleeting mention of bayonets, which would suggest that the rifles are equipped with some form of said weapon, although they are not visible anywhere on the gun. In addition to man-portable weapons, they also use "Growler"-class auto-turrets, which hang from ceilings and use a crude motion-detecting system to track targets. They are described as being rather antiquated devices, but effective against most minor enemies.
Little has been seen in the way of vehicles, save for the GFS Tyr, a sort of drop ship/shuttle craft seen in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. It seemed to be equipped with the same energy-charged projectile technology seen on the Troopers' rifles, and is apparently a match for most comparable Space Pirate craft. The marines on-board end up dismantling parts of the ship to establish a base of operations. The Pirate skiffs used in the same game are said to be stolen Federation technology as well.
In Metroid Prime: Hunters, Sylux uses a stolen prototype Galactic Federation suit. His gunship (Delano 7), Shock Coil weapon and Lockjaw alt-form are also stolen technology from the Federation (according to the game's logbook entries).
