Ing (Metroid)
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The Ing are a fictional evil race that is the major foe of Samus Aran in the video game Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.
- For other uses, see ing.
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[edit] Overview
Their name is the Luminoth word for 'terror'. Ing generally take on a dark, hideous, alien look, unless they have possessed other life forms, in which the host remains mostly the same, except that it takes on a blacker hue, spines, and Ing-like eye structures. It is unknown whether or not Ing can possess other Ing, or what effect that would have. The possessed creatures are called Darklings. To avoid fighting, the Ing can transform into puddles of dark matter and slither around for long periods of time. The Ing's liquid form and possessive abilities are remarkably similar to the Black Oil from the X-Files. As inhabitants of Dark Aether, Ing hate strong light. However, the final beam weapon in Echoes is a combination of both light and dark energy, therefore, it attracts the Ing to the crystals or beacons while charging them with light energy.
The Ing were created when a meteor containing high amounts of Phazon struck planet Aether with such intensity that it ripped open a new dimension, called Dark Aether. It is thought that the Ing are indigenous to this world. They can only survive in Dark Aether yet they can turn into a mist form that can inhabit both Dimensions. It is in this form that they are able to possess creatures.
Some claim that Ing are the opposites of the Luminoth, and for every Luminoth, there is an Ing with equal power living in Dark Aether. This would imply that the Luminoth Warriors have opposites of Warrior Ing, and that the Luminoth Leader's opposite is the Emperor Ing. Why this is true remains unproved, mainly due to the fact that the scans of Ing and the Emperor Ing say nothing about the matter. And furthermore, every Luminoth Warrior the player ever encounters in the game is dead, so the scans about them are usually short and say nothing important.
The Ing appear to have some sort of a social class, much like colonies of ants. Inglets make up the lowest class of the Ing community, Warrior Ing and Hunter Ing make the security class, the higher rank of Ing consists of Sub-guardians and Guardians, and the Emperor Ing holds the highest rank.
[edit] Classes
- Ing Larvae are tiny, weak creatures that lack significant offensive or defensive capabilities. They often fall prey to larger predators on accident, and travel in swarms for protection. Only a few of any given swarm survive to adulthood, but these are the most vicious and cunning of the brood.
- Ingstorm are swarms of tiny, flying Ing. Other than their vast numbers, they appear harmless enough. However, such large groups produce fields of destructive energy that can gradually break down even the strongest of alloys, and so are extremely dangerous. Luminoth Light Suit technology blocks this energy.
- Inglets are the bottom of the Ing social ladder, making up the worker class. These polyp-shaped creatures do menial labor for the Ing Horde, such as resource gathering and construction. While they can attack by firing globules of dark energy, they do very little damage and depend on larger Ing for protection. Inglets are very rarely actually sent to fight the player; most meetings are chance encounters. Ing of other classes don't seem to care about Inglets one way or another. Inglets possess the ability to shift into a liquid state, much like the Warrior Ing. This liquid state is the only state in which they can move. (see below.)
- Warrior Ing (shown in the top right corner) are far superior to their Inglet kin in every way. Their spider-like bodies move with fluid grace, and the ends of their legs are razor sharp, making them formidable melee combatants. From a distance, they can attack with a ray of transdimensional energy, or make a spinning leap attack. They can dissolve at will into an inky black ooze, hazardous to touch, that can flow up walls and over any kind of terrain. Though they can be damaged in liquid form, special scanning equipment is required to locate their vulnerable spots, and a solid Warrior Ing is very resistant to damage (probably due to their shapeshifting ability.) More terrifying than any of their attack forms or their incredible toughness, however, is their possession ability, described in greater detail below. They can attempt a possession when they cross into Aether from Dark Aether in Mist form or when they hit a foe with their spinning leap attack. If the possession fails, the Ing reverts to its liquid form and attacks conventionally. Like all Ing, Warrior Ing hate bright light and can be destroyed by suffuciently intense photonic radiation, even when they're in liquid form. Superficial similarities between Warrior Ing and Metroid Prime have lead some to theorize that the two are somehow related. There is no canonical information to confirm or deny this.
Note that what appears to be a red eye in the image is in fact a cluster of small, multicolored lights, which serve as its eyes.
- Hunter Ing defy many biological laws that apply in our universe, but apparently do not apply in Dark Aether. They appear as a floating red light caged by strands of pure darkness. These strands extend off the creature's body to form tentacles. Hunter Ing have no discernable eyes, ears, or any other sensory organs. As the name implies, they roam the surface of Dark Aether, tracking down and slaying all enemies of the Horde. They have the ability to warp out of the local space-time continuum, rendering their bodies incorporeal. While they cannot use their razor-edged tentacles (or be damaged by conventional weapons) in this form, simply passing through a foe does slight damage, interferes with mechanical equipment and may permit possession. They can become incorporeal almost instantly, and will do so if they sense strong weapons fire heading for them. Combined with their great toughness, this ability makes them extremely difficult to kill, though they share the Ing vulnerability to light, which damages them either way. Hunter Ing rank higher than Warriors, and so have several rights and privileges than their lesser kin lack, such as the privilege to possess especially powerful creatures (such as the Pirate Commandos), though they must compete with each other for this right.
- Guardians and sub-guardians are always either very powerful Ing or very powerful Darklings (creatures possessed by Ing.) They protect items and locations of great importance to the Horde, including the planetary energy collection apparatus that maintains their world's existence. Many of the Guardians make use of stolen technology; it seems that Ing can modify and utilize the abilities of items they steal, even when possessing another creature. Slaying the creature or Ing will allow the victor to take any items it may have.
The sub-guardians are the Ing or Darklings that have all of Samus's abilities, and there are three main Guardians: Amorbis, Chykka, and Quadraxis, who each guard the Dark Agon, Dark Trovus, and Ing Hive temples, respectively. These are the next in class right under the Emperor Ing, and they are the main bosses of the game. They are also responsible for guarding the Dark Energy Controllers.
- The Emperor Ing is the absolute leader and commander of the Ing Horde, their alpha and omega. It was the first Ing to come into existence, and the most powerful. While it commands the Ing Horde from its lair in the Sky Temple, it also works to absorb as much phazon and planetary energy as it can, mutating its body and becoming ever more powerful. Like lesser Ing, the Emperor is a metamorph, and fights in several forms. The first resembles a gigantic Inglet topped by an orb, which sprouts numerous tentacles. The Emperor Ing can attack physically with the tentacles or launch powerful energy attacks. Once all the tentacles have been damaged or destroyed, the creature’s out shell retracts, revealing a glowing “eye” of almost-pure energy surrounded by a protective shell. When damaged sufficiently, the Emperor Ing sheathes its lower “trunk” with the crowning orb and hardens it into a nigh-impenetrable shell. The shell protects the Ing ruler while it mutates and regenerates. The shell is magnetically charged, and Spider Ball technology can be used to cling to it. While immobile in this state, the beast is far from helpless; it produces a thick fog of highly toxic purple gas, can spawn Inglets from a structure atop the shell, and attack with short tentacles through small holes in the shell. The tissue around these holes is softer than the surrounding shell and can be damaged by explosives, though the shell loses no actual structural integrity until all of the weak spots have been destroyed. This gives the Ing ruler enough time to complete its metamorphosis into a creature resembling a massively overgrown Warrior Ing. Through what appears to be its mouth, the creature’s glowing “heart” can be seen; this is actually concentrated energy absorbed by the Emperor Ing and bonded with its body. The red light signals a durable energy barrier.The Emperor can alter the polarity of its “heart” between light and dark energy at will; doing so renders it resistant to its own polarity and permits the use of certain abilities tied to that energy type. If the heart is destabilized with opposite-polarity energy, the Emperor Ing dies.
[edit] Special Ing
These kinds of Ing are unusual in some way: they fill a strange place in the Horde social hierarchy, or seem to live just outside it.
- Darkling Tentacles are actually the tentacles of regular Ing (probably Hunters) that have opened a dimensional portal, through which they extend a long, three-pronged tentacle to ensnare prey. While energy attacks, especially light energy, will cause them to retract and close their portals temporarily, they sustain no real damage from any conventional weaponry.
(Note: While the scan suggests these creatures are Darklings rather than actual Ing, they are listed in the Ing section of the Logbook.)
- Ingsphere Cache are living creatures, despite all appearances. These purple orbs form dimensional pockets to store useful items, releasing them when ordered to by their Ing masters. Other creatures may only gain this item by destroying the Ingsphere. There is a risk that the collapse of the dimensional pocket will destroy the item within, however.
- Ingworms are long, ropy creatures used for various purposes by the Ing. While they lack offensive powers and are not especially resilient under normal circumstances, they are used to protect and store useful items for Ing to retrieve later [or perhaps ensnaring a hapless creature passing by, to hold it captive for the Ing to possess]. They can also be mutated to enormous size, large enough that several Ingworms can form building-sized structures or serve as a nigh-impenetrable blockade.
- Blade Pods , despite their name and somewhat fearsome appearance, are defenseless living storage units for the Ing, much like Ingworms and Ingsphere Caches.
- Flying Ing Caches are exactly what their name implies: floating creatures (resembling a single, swollen eyeball in a cage of black flesh) that store and protect items of great value to the Horde. Unlike the above “cache” creatures, which lack defensive abilities of any sort, a Flying Cache has a limited stealth field that renders it invisible to most natural sight. Slight damage to the creature forces it to drop the field, but also causes it to release an aura of energy that overwhelms transdimensional sight (such as that provided by a Luminoth Dark Visor.). The Flying Cache is incapable of releasing its item on its own, even to its Ing masters; it must be killed for the item to be retrieved. The only known Flying Ing Caches store the sacred Sky Temple Keys.
[edit] Related Creatures
The following are creatures that coexist with the Ing on Dark Aether, but may not technically count as part of the Ing race.
- Dark Phlogi are strange, floating creatures that can withstand the toxic water of Dark Aether. They look sort of like upside-down mushrooms. When they detect prey, they open their shells to spray acid, but expose a weak nerve center that can be fired at to stun them. Although the "Dark" prefix suggests they are just a Darkling-possessed Phlogus, no known members of the Pholgus species exist on Aether. This is most likely due to developer oversight.
- Nightbarbs are small, swarming flyers with bizarre, three-pronged bodies. They are a favorite food of Hunter Ing. How they fly is unknown, as the spikes protruding from their caltrop-like bodies don't seem to be very useful for flying.
- Ingclaws are bizarre, egg-shaped creatures that can be found attached to cliff walls throughout Dark Aether. They are immobile but virtually indestructible. Ingclaws feed on tiny airborne creatures and other atmospheric floatsam, releasing waste in the form of a highly toxic purple vapor. Occasionally, an Ingclaw enters a dormant state, apparently due to their constant exposure to Dark Aether’s deadly atmosphere (or perhaps of a need for sleep). Since they never move anyway, the only notable difference between an active Ingclaw and a dormant one is the production of toxic gas (dormant Ingclaws do not feed and thus do not produce this toxic gas).
- Ing Webtraps are biological, nearly indestructable barriers controlled by the Ing. They can be destroyed by killing the Ing that controls it. Only one is encountered in Metroid Prime 2. This may mean that the Luminoth destroyed many others, or that they are very difficult or otherwise impractical to mass produce.
- Weblings are eye-like organisms that are surrounded by energized snare lines. These snare lines trap prey like a spider web. It is unknown whether the snare lines are spun like a spider, or appendages physically attached to the Webling.
