Phaaze

File:2770222-phaaze large.jpg

The planet Phaaze, seen from space.

Phaaze is a planet that appears in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. It is a sentient planet composed of Phazon, and the origin of all Phazon.

For an unknown length of time, Phaaze had been creating Leviathans, organisms that could withstand the environment in outer space, and had the ability to generate artificial wormholes. These would travel to distant planets and impact their surfaces. There they would begin to generate Phazon, destroying the planet's natural ecosystem and replacing it with one based on Phazon. If allowed to progress to completion, the final result of this process would be another sentient planet, like Phaaze. Tallon IV and Aether were two planets impacted by leviathans.

Phaaze is first discovered by the Chozo living on Elysia. They are unable to study it in depth before leaving that planet, and task the Elysians with further research into Phaaze.

After her defeat on the surface of Dark Aether, Dark Samus is reduced to raw Phazon. In this state, she is collected by the Space Pirates in their attempts to recover as much Phazon as possible from the planet. Because the pirates store her with a large quantity of Phazon, Dark Samus is able to recreate her physical body en route to the Space Pirate Homeworld. Upon arrival, she is able to corrupt a number of Space Pirates, escaping with them to Phaaze.

Dark Samus then stages an attack on the GFS Valhalla, a Galactic Federation Olympus-Class Battleship that is being used for training. Because the majority on board are ill prepared to repulse this attack, the Space Pirates successfully take over the ship. They extract its central computer, Aurora Unit 313. Returning to Phaaze, they are able to implant the Aurora Unit into the planet, gaining control over its biological functions.

Using this new control over Phaaze, Dark Samus and the Space Pirates are able to direct the Leviathans to planets of their choosing. Their first target is the Pirate Homeworld. Due to the effects of the Phazon spreading over the planet, the Space Pirates not already under the control of Dark Samus are quickly subdued, and become her minions.

Dark Samus's forces are also able to create a computer virus, transmissible via the Federation's Aurora Network. This virus disables infected Aurora Units, causing them to begin generating Phazon. As a precaution against this virus, the Federation takes the network offline. Subsequently, a patch is developed that is capable of removeing this virus.

With the Space Pirates under her control, and the Federation crippled due to the status of the Aurora Network, Dark Samus dispatches leviathans to the Federation planets Bryyo, Elysia, and Norion. Bryyo, being a source of Fuel Gel, is indispensable due to the reliance of the federation fleet on Fuel Gel. Elysia houses the SkyTown research station, which acts as an important source of strategic information for Federation tacticians. Norion houses an important military base.

The Bounty Hunters Samus Aran, Rundas, Ghor, and Gandrayda are on board the G.F.S. Olympus, being briefed by Admiral Dane about the state of the Aurora Network. Their briefing is interrupted when Space Pirates attack the Olympus and Norion, the planet it is orbiting. All four hunters scatter to defend the battleship and planet. While they are fighting, the approach of the Leviathan was noted.

The energy cannon used to defend Norion is determined to be capable of destroying the leviathan. However, the three generators that provide power to this device have been deactivated by Space Pirate forces. The four bounty hunters are able to reactivate these generators, and travel to the cannon's control room.

At the control room, they are confronted by Dark Samus, who fires an unknown weapon, disabling all four hunters. Thinking her work done, Dark Samus leaves. However, Samus manages to activate the energy cannon before falling unconscious.

After destroying the seeds that are corrupting Bryyo, Elysia, and the Space Pirate Homeworld, Samus is informed that their origin has been discovered. Phaaze was located by Aurora Unit 217, who triangulated its location based on the trajectories of the Leviathan attacks. Because it is extremely remote, it is not possible to reach Phaaze using conventional space travel. Therefore, Samus must take control of the Space Pirates' Leviathan Battleship, using its ability to generate wormholes to reach Phaaze.

When Samus enters Phaaze, the atmospheric Phazon begins to overwhelm her. To prevent her own death, Samus vents all the Phazon in her suit. While this protects Samus from the environment, it causes her to enter hypermode permanently. Additionally, as the Phazon in the atmosphere slowly fills her energy tanks, Samus becomes more corrupted. She is unable to reverse this corruption by firing her weapons as she previously could. She can collect units of Anti-Phazon to reduce her corruption level. She can also use the Hyper Grapple to vent excess Phazon into certain creatures, killing them.

In the lowermost room of Phaaze, "sanctum", Samus fights Dark Samus and Aurora Unit 313.