Username: PirateBossRidley

Character's Name: Ridley

Gender: Male

Age: Unknown

Race/Species: Unknown, possibly bioengineered

Series: Metroid

Reason person is on Gaia: Originally seeking ionized idilium deposits to supply the Space Pirate war machine and sabotage the Galactic Federation presence on Gaia, now also on a mission of revenge against his archenemy Samus Aran

Personality: Ridley’s defining trait is cruelty. His ruthlessness is legendary, as he’s more than willing to sacrifice his own men to complete a mission, and is rather arrogant; he does, however, have enough of an instinct for self-preservation to know when it is wise to retreat. Despite his bestial appearance, he’s actually highly intelligent and a cunning combat strategist, having organized numerous operations against the Galactic Federation without any other input. He recognizes how effective a psychological assault can be, and often goes to great lengths to inspire terror in his opponents; he’s always felt that as soon as an enemy fears him, the battle is already won. Ridley also has a short temper, especially when dealing with his hated enemy Samus Aran, and has precious little tolerance for the failure of his underlings; the stories of him killing and even devouring his subordinates for their inability to carry out his orders are the stuff of nervously-whispered legend among the Pirate ranks. He does not like Kraid at all. Not even a little.

Appearance: (stands roughly 12 feet tall)
User Image

Background Story: Known otherwise only as Geoform-187, the high-ranking Space Pirate general Ridley’s true origins are something of a mystery. It’s not presently known whether he was genetically engineered by the Pirates, or is of some Pirate-allied species. However he came to be, he answers only to the other members of High Command and (when she’s not busy being splattered all over Tourian) the Mother Brain on Zebes. Ridley’s first encounter with Samus Aran was when she was 3 years old, living on the colonized planet of K-2L. He led a Pirate raid on the planet to plunder the colonists’ fuel and supplies, which resulted in the deaths of all the colonists including Samus’s parents, leaving her an orphan to be raised by the Chozo on the nearby planet of Zebes. He could not have guessed he'd be creating his greatest enemy.

Ridley, along with a large Pirate detachment, later returned to Zebes to set up a new base of operations, annihilating the remaining Chozo on the planet to do so. In the process he also found himself allied with Mother Brain, a Chozo creation who’d turned on her makers and defected to the Pirates. After stealing a Metroid specimen, planning to clone the creatures for use as living weapons, Ridley personally led numerous skirmishes against the Federation fleet who attempted to interfere in their operation, successfully repulsing them each time. He was soon called back, however, at the news of Kraid’s demise at the hands of Samus Aran, and did battle with her in the depths of Norfair. Ultimately, the Huntress proved the better combatant and Ridley was defeated. Yet the beast managed to survive their encounter and the destruction of the Pirate stronghold, albeit barely, and was reconstructed as the cyborg Meta Ridley in order to restore him to full fighting capability.

After a period of lying low, he was ordered to investigate energy signatures on the planet of Tallon IV, discovering the dangerous mutagen Phazon and setting up a mining and research operation on the planet. A distress call from one of the Pirate frigates drew Samus to become involved again, and she once again encountered her parents’ killer. Despite the greatly enhanced combat abilities of his mechanical form, Meta Ridley was once again bested by his old foe.

Though badly damaged, Meta Ridley survived and was rebuilt by the Pirates, and did not surface again until he led their full-scale attack on the Federation planet of Norion. Again he met his enemy Samus and despite numerous enhancements to his cyborg body was soundly beaten, but as he lay dying he was rescued by the creature known as Dark Samus and taken back to the Pirate Homeworld, where he was placed within the planet’s Leviathan Seed and changed into the Phazon-powered Omega Ridley. Though he guarded the Seed well, Samus brought about his defeat once again when she eventually arrived at the Pirate-occupied planet.

Ridley’s reappearance some time later indicates he was resurrected by the Pirates, who recognized his brutal effectiveness as a combatant and leader. Wary of the continued failure of his robotic implants, Ridley opted for an entirely organic body, and so was cloned and his brain transferred into its new, much more powerful host. Mother Brain was also revived, and immediately focused on her previous plan of using cloned Metroids as weapons against the Federation. Upon hearing word that the last living Metroid—the hatchling Samus Aran rescued from SR388—was being studied at the Ceres Research Station, she sent Ridley to singlehandedly steal the infant creature, a task at which he succeeded despite opposition from his old enemy Samus.

Ridley delivered the Metroid specimen to the rebuilt Zebes stronghold and oversaw the preliminary phases of the cloning operation, but Samus had tracked him there and the two faced each other in combat once more. Although Ridley was much stronger and seemed to have the upper hand for a good portion of the battle, Aran managed to persevere and defeat her eternal enemy yet again. Obviously he’s survived this encounter as well, and continues nursing his ever-growing grudge against his hated foe, the Huntress Samus Aran.

Job/Occupation: Space Pirate commander

How does your character know about the Crisis?: Tremendous energy signatures emanating from the armor attracted the attention of Pirate High Command, and Ridley was sent to investigate. What he discovered was potentially the greatest weapon the Pirates could ever hope to possess...

Siding: Simply put, Ridley feels the MK armor would be a vital addition to the Pirate arsenal; if Pirate techs were to reverse-engineer its technology, the possibilities would be limitless. If nothing else, it will also give him a chance to strike a hopefully fatal blow at his nemesis Samus.

Powers/Abilities: Flight, survival unprotected in space, superheated plasma breath, great strength and durability, razor-sharp teeth and talons, barbed tail that can be whipped at up to 80 mph, occasionally alters his skin texture & pigmentation to blend in with his surroundings

Weaknesses: Arrogant to a fault and has a terrible temper which may cloud his judgment, especially when dealing with his hated enemy Samus. Also really doesn't like taking missile blasts to the back of the throat.

Gear: None; occasionally outfitted with cyborg enhancements that give him extra weaponry and combat capabilities, though he usually eschews them in favor of his own "superior" strength

Other: "Submit, human germ, and your death will be relatively quick."