ALIENS VERSUS PREDATOR: THE PRIMAL HUNT (fanfiction)

CHAPTER 1: THE ANCIENTS

Locale: Draco Sector, Epsilon Draconis 1 (- 5 Rimward, 32 Spinward),  Lv-1201, Zeta Region

Date: 35 Million BC

High above the thick white clouds, looms a massive horseshoe shaped ship, designated by its creators as a Juggernaut. Its metallic surface looked organic in nature as if the ship was grown rather than constructed. Within its biomechanical shell, thin biomechanical beings stalk its corridors. Their heads resembled a vulture with large bug-like eyes on their bloated heads attached to their frail weak humanoid bodies. They report to their master, a being of massive portions sitting…no growing out of his pilot chair. The vaguely elephantine malanuhm-major exhales exhaustedly through his flight snorkel as he glares at the vulture-like creatures; they were once masters of biomechanical technology; now they were nothing more than basic servants to the pilot, the pilot’s people had since enslaved the vulture-heads and recreated them to maintain the ship’s basic functions. The Pilot then glances over at another group of creatures roughly the same size as the vulture-heads, these beings looking closer in appearance to a human but were in fact a heavily modified member of the malanuhm species. Their humanoid appearance was a product of hybridization from a human-like species known to the Pilot as the Rulk. 

The smaller malanuhm-minors bow before their flight master, awaiting his commands. The larger malanuhm gave them an exhausted yet caring look before manipulating his navigational instruments. There a hologram of the planet materializes before the smaller malanuhm. The smaller malanuhm understood what their master wanted from them, to engineer an outpost on the planet.

The Juggernaut slowly makes its descent in the middle of a vast jungle. The native fauna flee from the encroaching ship as the bottom of the juggernaut opens into a perfect circle, several robed figures climb down from the ship. The malanuhm-minors summoned their industrial machines, resembling biomechanical dinosaur-like constructs, to begin building for the Engineers. Within a span of several years, they constructed a grand city of biomechanical skyscrapers and buildings in the city center, with stone buildings surrounding the city border. The malanuhm-majors arrived on their disk-shaped starships accompanied by the smaller elderly malanuhm-minors dressed in their beige monk-like robes. As they arrived at the Starport to congratulate the builders of their hard work. A dark cloud loomed over the malanuhm city, the city’s defenses quickly identified the cloud was actually a swarm of beetle-shaped ships.

Within the interior of the metallic insectoid craft, stood tall dark brown humanoid insects. The Amengi, a highly intelligent space-faring species with large bulbous yellow eyes mounted on a mantis-like head with large powerful pincer jaws. They were known to the Malanuhm as raiders, marauders and pirates. Their ships now surround the Juggernauts, firing volleys of blue plasmic fire into the black horseshoe and disk ships, the juggernauts and saucers dropped out of the sky to their fiery demise. The skeletons of their hauls stood out of the burning jungles like broken ribs out of a wound.

The amengi landed their ships on solid ground. The amengi disembark from their beetle-shaped spacecraft as they tapped their segmented claws on a large arm-cannon encasing their other forearm. Their bodies were then shrouded in an energy field that bent the light around them. The amengi captain directs his raiders to begin the attack, like locus they overrun the malanuhm city garrison. A single amengi warrior can overpower a malanuhm-minor, and a whole swarm of them just took out an entire garrison. The screaming malanuhm-minor peasants retreated deeper into the city center, as amengi raiders made short work of the guards. They now turned their attention to the fleeing peasants. They blasted away the retreating peasants into piles of burning flesh. Those that escaped the amengi’s wrath reached the inner city wall, the malanuhm peasants passed through the circular biomechanical archway, the amengi followed them but were soon intercepted by malanuhm in bulky armor. 

The amengi arrogantly fired their arm cannons at the bulky armored malanuhm-minors. The plasma fire was quickly absorbed into the malanuhm biomechanical armor. The amengi clicked their insectoid mouthparts furiously as they sporadically discharged their weapons. The malanuhm-minor soldiers stood in a line formation, the front line dropped to one knee in unison as they aimed their biomechanical rifles at the amengi. The second line aimed their biomechanical rifles over the shoulders of the front line malanuhm-minor soldiers. The amengi raiders swarmed the malanuhm soldiers. The malannuhm commander gave the order, the amengi were reduced to charred atomized particles, vaporized by a volley of bright red energy from the malanuhm’s black biomechanical rifles.

The malanuhm soldiers drove the raiding amengi out of the inner city. The amengi raiders would regroup to strike back at the malanuhm soldiers, however the malanuhm made short work of any amengi dumb enough to cross them again. The surviving amengi looted what they could from the outer city before retreating back to their beetle ships as they departed to the stars. 

A year later…

Several malanuhm-minors and a few malanuhm-major were harvesting the massive alien wheat. The disk shaped saucers arrived alongside a convoy of multi-armed dreadnoughts and the horseshoe shaped juggernauts. The Farmer, one of the few malanuhm-majors, looked up at the pale green sky. The twin stars shining brightly in the midday sky. He spots the convoy as he rests on the handle of his shovel. Several malanuhm-minor elders accompanied by a high ranking malanuhm-major depart from the disk-shaped starship, they traverse the wheat, the malanuhm-major Farmer lowers his shovel as he bows to his superior. The malanuhm-minor elders looked on as the high ranking malanuhm-major spoke to the Farmer. He spoke of the recent raids from the amengi and spoke of the looming dangers to their star empire. He hands the Farmer an information orb. 

The orb glowed a bright green as it flooded with images of the mantis-like Amengi pillaging many of their worlds and vassal worlds. They had allied themselves with the former vassal species, Drukathi, a centaur dog-like creature. Another off-set of images shows green simian creatures called Reapers are seen tearing down their shrines dedicated to the malanuhm in favor of a new faith. The last image briefly shows a group of allosaurus-like humanoids called Shi’larks marching in a militaristic manner to their spaceport, preparing for war. The Farmer accepted the role he must play as he caresses the information orb. 

The Farmer now dressed in his biomechanical flight suit, slowly walks down the halls of his ship. The organic-like texture of the juggernaut felt alien to him, he would rather spend his time back on the planet tending to the crops with the malanuhm-minor. He briefly spots a pack of the vulture-heads tending to the ship’s life support functions. He loses interest really quickly as he continues down the hallway. The vulture heads chirp amongst themselves regarding their space jockey masters. They quickly went back to tending the ship when the smaller malanuhm-minors passed them-by. One of the vulture heads snapped its beak aggressively at the distant malanuhm-minors. Barely able to hold back its hatred for them and their larger relatives.

 The farmer extended his biosuit’s snorkel to his nose as he merged with the pilot seat. The nervous system of the ship connects to his body, he makes a quick diagnostics check of all the juggernaut’s systems before he tugs on the controls on his pilot chair, he feels the ship gaining lift off from the starport. He makes a quick status check of his cargo, the thousands of leathery eggs aligning the ribbed bowels of the cargo hold. The ship accelerates beyond the green skies of the planet. Other juggernauts were departing from the planet to their own destinations but all sharing the same mission: Seek out their enemies planets and bomb them with their biomechanical foot soldiers, the necranuhm.

The juggernaut suddenly appears above the orbit of the first planet in its database. The farmer is fed images from his probes observing the planet, the green skinned Reapers, they will see their last days filled with suffering for crossing the malanuhm. The farmer sends a thought through the juggernaut, the eggs are pulled from their “roots,” by the vulture-heads, a new egg soon grows in its place. The plucked eggs are then enveloped in a green jelly before being grav-lifted into the ship’s cannons. The juggernaut fires the green capsules down to the planet surface before departing to the next system. It was just a matter of time before the necranuhm seeds would blossom and release unfathomable horrors to the planet’s inhabitants.

The Farmer grunted disapprovingly at the images of carnage his probes fed him. He switched the feeds to the database, searching for another planet to release the necranuhm. The ship vanishes out of orbit as It speeds through the space lanes of hyperspace. He feels a surging shock pass throughout his body, before his sensors went offline the ship’s computers detected a neutrino blast from a near-by system, the force of the neutrino blast was enough to knock the juggernaut out of hyperspace. 

Locale: Zeta Reticuli II, Calpamos

Date: 35 Million BC

A rectangular ship engages the juggernaut. It fires a volley of orange plasma into the aft of the juggernaut. The vulture-heads and the malanuhm-minor crew are sucked out into the vast vacuum of space. Instinctively the ship does its best to seal the damaged corridors from further oxygen leakage. The rectangular ship moves in closer to examine the malanuhm ship, feeling the juggernaut was no longer posing as a threat the unknown vessel flees into hyperspace.

The Farmer awakens a bit dazed, he notices the atmosphere is growing thin. He must return the systems back online. He tugs at his seat’s controls, power returns to the juggernaut, however the cargo bay needs to be manually reactivated. He urges the flight chair to release his hulking form; he is now able to move freely within the ship. He is concerned by the lack of shipmates patrolling the ship’s corridors. Turn after turn he assessed the damage to his ship. He noticed several corridors he had passed through days earlier were now inaccessible to him. He opened the emergency main cargo doors. 

He carefully traverses the rib-like structures, despite zero visibility. He carefully kept his feet on the thin ribbed structure. He feels around for the power core, his large clumsy hands feel a handle. He pulls it down, blue light fills the ribbed structures. The Farmer sees the rest of his crew, the malanum-minors laid within the depressions between the ribbed structures next to open eggs. Their faces are covered with large spider-like creatures. The Necranuhm! The farmer reacted. He hears beaks chirping within the distance. The surviving vulture-heads were applying the accelerant to one of the eggs; the egg began to grow bigger. The vulture-heads immediately turn their attention to the Farmer.

The Farmer flies into a furious rage as he charges towards the vulture-heads. His clumsy stomping feet awakened the necranuhm larvae; fortunately for him, he was too big for implantation. The Farmer grabs one of the vulture-heads and crushes its skull with his powerful hands. He turns his gaze towards the remaining vulture-heads. He drops the remains of the first one he killed. Their screams are quickly silenced. The farmer, exhausted, slowly rises to his feet. The massive egg had already opened. The Farmer realizes what he must do, he needs to purge the cargo. He quickly makes his way to the emergence doors, swatting away the necranuhm-neonates. Their spider-like forms collapsed lifelessly to the floor. 

The Farmer reaches for the doors, however a long pale tail slips around his neck. The evolved necranuhm spun the Farmer around until his hulking form collapsed into the door. The necranuhm-neonate removes the snorkel apparatus from the Farmer as it couples with his face. The last thing the Farmer could feel before blacking out was the necranuhm’s legs grabbing a hold of his elongated skull.

A few hours later… The Farmer finds himself back in the pilot chamber. He reattached his flight snorkel as his throat burned from the necranuhm’s intrusion. He felt an uncomfortable weight inside of his chest, it began to slither within his ribcage causing the Farmer some discomfort. The Farmer merges with his seat, he tugs on the controls to send out a warning message to any malanuhm patrolling among the stars. The pain in his chest began to increase in severity. Confident the message was sent, the Farmer directed the Juggernaut to one of Calpamos’s moons. Hoping the crash would destroy him, the cargo, and the ship. The armor plating on his chest began to bulge. A pink head rips its way out of the malanuhm’s ribcage.

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region

Date: 35 Million BC

Large rectangular ships break through the thick clouds as they descend from the green skies. The rectangular starships sweep the region before bombarding the ancient city from above with their ion cannons, destroying the outer city within hours of their arrival. The large ships send down box-shaped crafts that litter the ruined city. A large muscular reptilian leg slams down on a dead malanuhm-major’s corpse, a Shi'lark warrior standing proudly on the corpse declaring its victory. The Shi’lark warriors combed the now desolated outer city before making their way into the biomechanical inner city. They were met with heavy resistance from the malnuhm soldiers, both sides suffered heavy casualties but the shi’larks preserved due to their harder reptilian nature and superior numbers.

Once the maluhm soldiers were dead the Shi’lark advanced upon the city interior before entering the main hall of the great citadel before descending down a great shaft. Something dark and menacing was awaiting for the vaguely dinosaurian aliens to encroach its chambers. The Shi’lark made their way to a massive room, where a disk-shaped device was seen hovering within the center of the room. Emanating an energy field that produced a low hum and was harmless to the Shi’lark intruders. The Shi’larks ignorantly remove the device to study its financial value. Deep within the bowels of the citadel the blue mist concealing the eggs of the necranuhm was released. The vulture-heads begin collecting the eggs, the vulture-heads hum to pacify the necranuhm larvae before removing them from their egg. The vulture-heads slowly advance upon the unsuspecting allosaur-like Shi’lark as they argue amongst themselves over the selling price of the artifact, completely unaware of the creatures they just unleashed.

CHAPTER 2: REDISCOVERY

Locale: Lv-1201
Date: 1730 AD

A sharp bronze ship cuts through the void. The jungle planet filled the view of the clanship. The clanship drew closer to the planet. It slowly descended to its dark oceans and brown rocky landscape covered in lush jungles of bone white barked trees with crimson spider web-shaped leaves. Large reptilian animals scattered across its surface as the bronze ship makes its landing. A small hatch opens along the side of the bronze ship. An imposing vaguely man-like creature stood in the doorway. He wore metal sandals around his clawed feet, fishnets covering most of his body that aren’t covered in leather or steel. Thick fleshy dreadlocks grow out from its cranium, a large electronic mask covers its crab-like face.
The creature was a Yautja, a species of space faring trophy hunters.

“Yo’kainde, search this world for prey” a voice emulates from the hunter’s biomask. The hunter nods in acceptance of this order. He deploys his wrist blades. He turns his gaze toward his fellow hunters. The hunting captain urges Yo’kainde onwards.

Yo’kainde pushes all of the doubt out of his mind as he leaps out of the hatch. He lands on his feet on the soft grassy ground. The landscape is mostly rocky where he landed. He hears low grunting sounds, he readies his speargun.

Yo’kainde is ambushed by a Buhlagh, a large boar-like reptile with moose-like antlers. The green scaled beast roars, flashing its tusk-like teeth. Yo’kainde saw the creature glowing varieties of red and white crontaszing the cold blue and black background through his biomask. Yo’kainde aims his speargun at the Buhlagh, his biomask paints three dots on its head. Before the Buglagh had time to react its head was penetrated by a spear tip. Yo’kainde roars victoriously over his first kill. He pulls out his ceremonial knife, he carefully cuts around the vertebrae to free the skull from its spine.

A whaling hissing calls out to Yo’kainde from the cave nearby. Yo’kainde looked up before resuming his skinning duties. Yo’kainde poured a small dab of flesh-eating chemicals onto the Buhlagh skull; it dissolved the blood and fleshy parts but left the skull bleached white. The whaling grew louder. Yo’kainde stood up from his prone position, he had just finished fastening the buhlagh skull to his armor; which rests on his chest. He taps at his wrist computer, light bends around his frame rendering him nearly invisible. He draws out his combi-stick while cautiously entering the cave. He clicks his mandibles in anticipation, his heart beat increases in rapidity with each step. Something is moving from within the cave. Yo’kainde unleashes a maddening roar as he rolls around the corner with his collapsible spear in hand. A family of Buhlagh flees from the enraged yautja.

Yo’kainde snorted in disappointment of the reptilian herbivore’s cowardice, he had hoped the buhlagh would have swarmed him; Give him a good fight. He sees the cave exit, the opening revealed a large plains was up ahead. The buhlagh family rejoins its herd there while Yo’kainde follows them, hoping to find and hunt something more dangerous. Yo’kainde was now at the mouth of the cave. Rocks trickle down from the cavern mouth, like rain droplets to a coming storm. Yo’kainde turned his head towards the cliff face and a medium sized boulder suddenly flew at him.

Yo’kainde throws himself to the other side of the crashing boulder. His biomask reads a body heat signature radiating from the large rock. The boulder suddenly opens its large forearms, its skin changes color from grey to green; a reptilian ape-like creature now stood before the yautja. The chameleon snorts and beats its claws against its chest in a gorilla-like fashion. Yo’kainde roars in excitement, he thrusts his combi-stick into the creature. The creature despite its clumsy looking physique was quite nimble. It slams its clawed fists into Yo’kainde, before picking the yautja up like a child then hurling him towards the bone white trees.
Yo’kainde clicks his mandibles joyfully. He deploys his wrist blades. He bellows a loud roar before charging straight in to gut the hulking lizard.

Yo’kainde pets the skull of the chameleon. His biomask was picking up a signal, it was from the ship. The hunting captain urged him to report. “The prey is plentiful here, dangerous medium size herbivores with horns and camouflaging predators” Yo’kainde reports back.

The hunting captain stared at the computer screen, it was an overview of the landscape. A blimp reveals Yo’kainde’s location. He was not too far from the ship. The news of this Planet is enriched with dangerous prey made the hunting captain feel relieved. In order for a yautja clan to grow strong, the clan must constantly seek out dangerous prey to grow stronger. In yautja society they value strength, honor, and sportsmanship above all else.

The buhlagh herd continued to flee southward, Yo’kainde continued to follow the game trail. Several chameleons leap down from the rock face. The Buhlagh buck one of the chameleons off its baby. Yo’kainde cloaks to get a drop on one of the chameleons but the buhlagh herd's sudden change of direction threw the yautja’s plans off. The chameleon had little time to retreat before getting trampled by the herd, so they coiled themselves up into a ball and changed their skin texture from green to stoney grey; resembling boulders once again. Yo’kainde immediately leaped onto one of the bone white trees. The blooded yautja growls frustratingly as the buhlagh once again fills him with disappointment. He hops down from the tree branch, the native bugs retreat from his presence.

The three chameleons uncoil themselves in the yautja presence. They beat their chests with their clawed fists. Yo’kainde mimics the gesture to show he too is ready to fight. The ground began to shake, rocks tumbled as the landscape started to split and tear. Jets of trapped condensed toxic gas shoot out from the ground. One of the chameleons mysteriously fell to the ground. The other two quickly tended to their sick fellow. The surrounding air temperature began to increase, making it difficult for Yo’kainde to see his prey’s body temperature. The ground continued to shake, the quake was growing more aggressively; Yo’kainde collapsed from the constant shaking, cursing to himself wishing the quakes would stop.

The trees are uprooted as they collapse around the yautja and chameleons. The ground slowly started to cease with inactivity. Yo’Kainde pulls himself up with his combi-stick. He glances around to see what devastation the quake had made. New rock formations were made, trees piled everywhere and the three chameleon predators laid motionless. Yo’kainde approaches the three predatory reptiles. Their body heats were slowly fading from red and white to blue and black. He noticed a rapid heat lost near their chest regions. Yo’kainde roars angrily, believing somebody stole his prey. Movement, he swore he saw something moving around.

He switches his biomasks vision from blue to white; nothing. He switches to yellow vision; nothing. He switches to the red vision; he spots three worm-like creatures fleeing from the chameleon's bodies. “Honorless scavengers” Yo’kainde snorted. The yautja traverse the newly formed rock that dot the plains. Something in the distance wiggled behind one of the rocks. Its body registers on the electrovision. Its head was cigar/banana shaped and apparently eyeless, four tubular growths adorn its back followed up by a long segmented tail with a stinger tip. It stood as tall as a yautja. Though it didn’t look too intimidating since its skeletal-like appearance suggests to the yautja its anorexic, possibly blind and unfit to fight.

However looks were deceiving, the creature bolted towards the yautja hunter on its spindly limbs. Yo’kainde attempts to dodge the creature, however despite lacking visible eyes the creature knew exactly where he was. Yo’kainde stabs the creature in the gut with his wristblades, its yellow blood poured on the yautja hand, burning his scaly flesh and melting the metal wrist blades along with it. Yo’kainde howls in pain.

The creature peeled back its thin lips, baring its odd assortment of shovel-shaped teeth and razor sharp fangs. It lowers its lower jaw as a set of inner jaws slowly prepares to shoot out at him. Yo’kainde dodges his head away from the snapping inner jaws. The biomechanical creature shoves the yautja onto the floor. Its six fingered hands feel around the yautja’s biomask, looking for a way to remove it. Yo’kainde shoves his feet into the creature’s stomach in a last attempt to free himself.

The creature howls as it tumbles backwards. Yo’kainde quickly rises to his feet, he spots his combi-stick. Without hesitation he dashes for his weapon. He turns around to confront the creature. With a swift stabbing the biomechanical creature bellows its last screech. The exhausted yautja stared at the broken body of his enemy. He then tended to his wounded hand. Yo’kainde could hear distant hissing and screeching, the creature’s packmates were not far behind. The blooded yautja lifted the dead creature, he must take it back with him to the ship.

The other yautja stared at the dead creature Yo’kainde had brought back with him, curiously. Yo’kainde made his recounts of the encounter with the hunting captain. “It bleeds acid, you say? Do you know where it comes from?” the hunting captain asks.

“From the plain valley, a regional quake must have awakened these… kainde amedha (hard meats)” Yo’kainde explained.

“Go organize the young bloods, take as many weapons you can carry” the hunting captain orders.

“Yes” Yo’kainde bows before heading off to the armory.

Soon the yautja scoured the jungle for the kainde amedha. Slaughtering the scattered packs, claiming their skulls for their trophies. They soon spotted another variant of the creature, this one was smaller and lacked the dorsal tube structures on its back. Their lithe forms gave them extraordinary speed. Some of the young bloods moved wrong and they paid for it with their lives. For each kainde amedha slain five took its place. The kainde amedha suddenly ceased their attack on the yautja, the creatures quickly retreated back into the caves below.

Yo’kainde leaps down into the cave after them. He gestures to his fellow hunters to follow him. The yautja final came to a stop, a massive biomechanical doorway stood before the hunting party. Its design wasn’t natural, clearly someone or something had built it. The hunting captain flared his mandibles.

“Yo’kainde” he growls, “Proceed with caution, my brother” he warns. The yautja hunting party traverses deeper into the biomechanical ruins. The tunnels led to a massive biomechanical city. The armor of the legendary Mala'kak lay buried under eons of secreted resin. The kainde amedha watched the yautja from countless hiding spots. The yautja traverse deeper into the extinct city. A distant sharp hissing roar signals the kainde amedha to strike.

Kainde amedha abandon their hiding spots as they crawl down the black smooth biomechanical walls driving the yautja into a massive open chamber. Tall statues of the mala'kak stood imposingly along the walls. In the center of the chamber was a pedestal standing on a central platform surrounded by a deep crevice leading to other chambers. In the center of the pedestal layed a disk-shaped device. The yautja managed to keep the kainde amedha back with their plasma casters.
The hunting captain spots an elaborate device down the massive corridor, and gestures to Yo’kainde follow him there. A large kainde amedha with a flat head brings with her a swarm of the tubed backs and flat back kainde amedha. Yo’kainde ran to the device, it was some sort of computing device but built for something much larger than a yautja. He pulled some of the levers; that didn’t work. He rubbed his fingers on some green sticky moss. His biomask registers and switches to yellow mode. It detects that there is an electrical component in the moss. His biomask registers a similar moss residue on the computing device. Yo’kainde wipes the moss on the residue parts. The device roars to life as power is restored to the city. The pedestal shoots an energy wave into the disk-shaped device.

The disk-shaped device now hovers above the kainde amedha. It spins rapidly before emitting a power energy field throughout the ancient city. The kainde amedha screeched in collective pain, holding the sides of their elongated heads. Some of the kainde amedha struggle to retreat while the others expire on the spot.

Eight months later…

The Yautja had colonized the mala'kak city, erecting their own devices to feed off the ancient malanuhm power grid. Within this time the yautja discovered through their hunts of the kainde amedha that a much bigger one controls the hive. Yo’kainde gathers a hunting party in preparation. Kain-yeyin, the former hunting captain, was studying the mala'kak cartography chamber. Yo’kainde had no interest in learning the history of the mala'kak. As far as he was concerned they abandoned this place a long time ago, the planet now belongs to the yautja. Yo’kainde and his hunting party tread on the perimeter of the energy field. They spot a massive kainde amedha from the hallowed chambers below.

Like the leader-types from before, she has a massive flat head and a robust body compared to the smaller ones. Claiming her skull would be a challenge but his bravery and courage will win him a higher position within yautja society. The ground started shaking. It was just a little tremor, nothing more. Yo’kainde gestures to his party towards the elevator. With a push of the button the elevator takes them beyond the safety of the energy field. Kainde Amedha was waiting for them in the resin-encoated caves below.

The ground suddenly started shaking violently. The ancient power source falters, the disk-shaped device falls to the ground. The protective energy field fades. The yautja guards detect some kainde amedha approaching them. They make short work of the creatures with their plasma casters. Then came thousands of kainde amedha flooding towards the yautja settlement. They rip their way through the yautja forged metals as they regained access to the ancient city. Yo’kainde gestures his hunting party back to the elevators but it was too late, the roars of their fellow hunters of getting slaughtered echoed throughout the corridors.

His hunting party ran ahead of him as they engaged the kainde amedha. Yo’kainde spots the kainde amedha parasitic young latching themselves to the faces of his comrades. A kainde amedha drone had leapt down from the ceiling to block Yo’kainde’s path. The kainde amedha swipes Yo’kainde across the face, ripping off his biomask. The former hunting captain, Kain-yeyin, imaples the creature with his smart disk.

“Go, reactivate the power to the egg chamber!” Kain-yeyin roars.

He made his way through the newly constructed living quarters. The familiar yautja architecture and yellow haze. The kainde amedha had overran these parts as well. Yo’kainde slices away at the flat back kainde amedha with ease. He passes by a few of his comrades that were busy hunting for the spider-like kainde amedha.

One of the facehuggers picks up on Yo’kainde’s scent and begins to stalk him. It carefully traverses the walls while the others are distracted. A yautja swings its combi-stick into it, the facehugger leaps off the wall as the spear blade cuts into metal. The facehugger squirms away into a small hole. The yautja tailing the facehugger is then ambushed by two tubed back kainde amedha.

Yo’kainde opened the bronze door leading to the egg chamber. He climbs down the ladder. He redirects the power of the stasis fields to operate on the auxiliary power units. He hears something crawling above him. He turns around, forgetting his face is now vulnerable to it. The facehugger clamped its legs around his skull, forcing its probacius down his trachea. Yo’kainde body flops to the ground, preserved by the stasis field.

Kain-yeyin and several other yautja survivors barely make it to the surface. Some sacrificed themselves to seal the city entrance behind the survivors. Though they had suffered many casualties, word had spread of this particular kainde amedha to other yautja clans. Kain-yeyin having recorded the malanuhm starmap, he could easily find more sources of the kainde amedha elsewhere in the galaxy.

CHAPTER 3: ANCESTORS

Locale: Planet Korari, Weyland-Yutani Bio-Weapons Facility
Date: July 13th, 2211

A vessel drops from the dark grey clouds, it was a UD6 Mohawk Dropship. It flew over the research facility. The facility was seemingly deserted. The dropship circles around the perimeter before extending its landing gears to land. The seven colonial marines depart from their military vessel, unaware that they are being watched. Private Dane White was sent to scout the base perimeter. He was followed by Private Bruno Honcho, both armed with the standard issue M41A1 Pulse Rifle.

“Perimeter secured sir” Pvt. White reports over his com unit.

Private First Class Mira Laine and Private First Class Shane Laine sweeped in with their M55 Smart Guns. Next was Cpl. Vassil Rykov, Sgt. Jonathan Manners, and 2nd Lt. Enrico Rodriguez.

The marines had entered the facility. He began traversing the korarikian jungles. Leaping from tree to tree, branch to branch, until he finally arrives at the oomen facility. He clicks his mandibles, contemplating the many ways he is going to butcher these oomens. He taps at his wrist computer shrouding himself in a cloak.

The marines slowly surveyed the rooms, the mess hall was an utter mess. The researchers' bodies were all hung upside down stripped of their skin. The marines examined the room further, they found the scientists missing parts lying in a pile in the corner.

“What the hell happened here?” asked Huncho.

“I think i’m going to be sick” White retreated out of the room.

“What's the matter Dane, can’t keep your food in?” Mira asked rhetorically.

“The Dweeb always had a weak stomach,” Shane comments.

“Enough of the chatter, comrades” Corporal Rykov demanded.

“Hey, remind me again why we took the roosky with us?” Shane asked.

“I am not a Russian, I am colony born… of Russian descent, major difference” Rykov corrected.

Dane’s screams could be heard coming down from the hallway followed by the sound of gunfire. The six marines bolted down the corridor only to find the bathroom stalls covered in his blood. His uniform was ripped to shreds and stuffed in the toilet along with what's left of his digestive system.

“Oh my god…’ Mira cursed to herself.

“What the hell?” Lt. Rodriguez spots what Mira is staring at, the hanging body of Private Dane White. “Manners call HQ, I want answers,” Rodriguez demanded.

“Sir” Sgt Manners heads to the comms room to set up communications.

He stared down at the hanging corpse, its heat began to fade into blue and black. He switches the vision of his biomask. Black vision, the bones of his prey were now visible through the obstructions. He projects his tridot laser on one of the oomens with the big gun. A red line dances across his biomask’s vision before forming into a locking red triangle. His plasma caster jerks to life, a blue plasma ball escapes from the shoulder cannon. FSHRRNKKK!

Mira’s chest is blown open, her eyes flustered before collapsing to the ground lifelessly. Hunter lets out a loud cry, he kicks open the door to the outside as he readies his M56 smartgun and begins unleashing a hail of bullets randomly into the infrastructure. The predator switches his biomask vision back to blue, Heat vision. A stray bullet knicks the yautja in the shoulder, his glowing green blood drips on the ground. He retreats to the broad limbed korarian trees.

The alien hunter’s presence only served to alert the colonial marines. What went from an investigation switched to a rescue mission.
However the alien hunter has a mission of his own, the destruction of this facility and the reclaimition of his people’s remains. The predator Paya’kan’di will not allow these oomens to live, his ancestor’s honor must be restored.

Paya’kan’di leaped from the broad-limbed forest as he sprinted to the other side of the facility. He climbs through the second floor window of the facility. There he spots the recovered ancient weapons and the skeletal remains of his ancestors, Paya’kan’di will bury them later.
The predator bursts into the comms room where Rodriguez and Manners are seen talking to their superiors through the computers. Manners turned around to the intruder but saw nothing. Briefly there was a shuttery wave moving closer to him. Paya’kan’di silences him with a swift beheading with his combi-stick.
The leader was now alone. Paya’kan’di charged with full zeal, his combi-stick tore through the lieutenant's stomach wall and broke his spine. He pulls the combi-stick out of his prey. Satisfied that he’ll no longer pose a threat to him, he turns around to cut off the communications.
However Rodriguez wasn’t dead yet, the colonial marine officer defiantly raised his pistol at the predator alien. He squeezed the trigger, globs of green blood splats around the room.

Paya’kan’di spun around and impaled Rodriguez in the throat with the back blade of his combi-stick. He claims his skull, honoring his noble defiance to his memory. He spots Hunter in the doorway. Paya’kan’di draws his smartdisk. Hunter locks his smart gun on the alien hunter. The smart gun unleashes a volley of bullets into Paya’kan’di, the alien predator dashes behind a set of large clunky computer monitors. His armor takes most of the damage but the bullets do hit a few soft spots. The bulky computers are ripped to pieces by the hail of bullets.

Paya’kan’di stood up despite his injuries, throwing the smartdisk at Hunter. The smartdisk flies in the air, Hunter raises his smart gun up to block the disk. The disk cuts through the smartgun before slicing into Hunter, bifurcating his chest cavity. Paya’kand’di took this time to medicate his injuries. First he sprays pain killers of his wounds as he pulls the bullets out, he roars in pain but it must be done. Next he begins melting building materials into a blue coagulative adhesive to seal up his wounds. Finally he injects himself with a blood producer to replenish the amount of blood he lost.

His biomask picked up two heat signatures, Honcho and Rykov. He must eliminate them before tending to his ancestor’s remains. Paya’kan’di grabs his combi-stick and smart disk. The hunt is not over yet.
Honcho and Rkyov heard a strange roar in the comms room, they arrived too late as Hunter was just eviscerated by something. Honcho is thrown to the opposite wall. His stomach bleeds profusely as the impaling combi-stick materializes out of thin air.

Rykov bolted away, fearing he would suffer the same fate as his comrades. “Not me, Not me!” he whispered to himself, “Come on Vassili, come on Vassili, you'll make it” For a while he thought the alien predator had lost interest in him. But now he was lost in the Korarian forest, surrounded by nothing but broad limbed trees. It's been hours since he last saw another human being. A loud explosion boomed across the air, Rykov feared it was the research facility. He feared he failed his mission and let his fallen comrades down. Rykov would swear to avenge their deaths, should he survive this ordeal.

Paya’kand’di stares down from the white barked broad limbed tree at the pathetic sight that was Vassili Rykov. Killing him now would be boring to the elite yautja. He decided he wanted to have some fun with this oomen. He clicks his mandibles to get Rykov’s attention. Rykov didn’t budge believing these clicking was from an insect of somesorts. “I WANT ANSWERS,” the predator plays back Lt. Rodriguez’s voice.

Rykov bolted from his spot. He ran out into a clearing. The ground cuts off into a deep gorge. Rykov could see water at the bottom. He heard that insect clicking again, only now he realizes it's coming from his pursuer. Rykov turns around, looking for his attacker. Paya’kan’di reveals himself to his prey. Rykov got a good look at him. Paya’kan’di stood strongly on the broad-limbed tree. He wore a gold biomask with crown-like protrusions on the forehead region. He looked like a prince on a boar hunt, Rykov thought.
Paya’kand’di however wasn’t too impressed with his prey, although he was a large bulky oomen with strong features. All he has done thus far was to run away from him and coware when backed in a corner.

“WHAT THE HELL?” Paya’kan’di replayed Rodriguez’s voice after seeing Rykov drop his weapon. Rykov slowly took a step back, he was encroaching on the precipice of the gorge. “GrrrCome ongrrrr, Vassiligrrr” Paya’kand’di attempts to speak in the oomen’s language. Rykov allowed himself to fall off the cliff’s edge. Paya’kand’di angrily fires his plasma caster where Rykov once stood. The alien prince leaps down from his tree, he looks over the cliff edge. His biomask attempts to gain a lock on his query but detects nothing; Paya’kan’di anger filled roars echo across the gorge.

Vassili Rykov awakens on the shoreline, he mustered up all the strength to climb out of the flowing water. “We got movement,” said someone. Vassili looked up, it was a colonial marine. The second team had arrived. The quickly medics place him on a stretcher. They wheel him on to the dropships before departing from the planet's surface. Paya’kan’di watched as the colonial marine ships abandoned the planet. The research facility is in flames and the ancestral remains are restored to the ancestral tombs beneath the korarian soil.

CHAPTER 4: OUTPOSTS

Locale: Gateway Station

Date: August 5th, 2221

A man stood at his computer in a dark tight room, his hair was medium length black and slick; his skin fair in complexion. His name was Arnaud Eisenberg, a brilliant young scientist, his family is renowned for their contribution to revolutionize cybernetics. His father’s patent led to a successful brain transplant to a full prosthetic body for a dying girl back during the Earth War. Arnaud had no interest in the girl’s life nor her being one of the first Cyborgs created. Arnaud was more interested in the xenomorphs that had infected her. A shame the xenomorphs had to be eradicated, he thought.

The monitor displayed his grandfather’s notes on the lost Lv-426 derelict ship. He brought up the telemetry data, with the rapid tapping of his keyboard, Arnaud deciphers the data. He discovers that his grandfather had discovered a planet beyond the frontier. A binary star system within the Draco Constellation. Lv-1201 it was designated. Unfortunately there was no data on the planet itself as the original expedition ended in failure. Arnuad stood up from his computer to stretch. He would need to convince the colonial administration and the Weyland-Yutani board of directors to send out another expedition.

A week later…

Eisenberg after convincing the board of directors, he was placed in charge of Expedition One. Eisenberg boarded a colony ship, called the Vega. It was an old model, resembling the early 2100’s Covenant-class colony ship. It was a board-shaped starship with large solar sails.

Locale: Lv-1201

Date: October 15th, 2221

Vega arrived in orbit around the green planet. Scans of the planet's exterior indicated there was once a small human outpost here in the zeta region. The scanners also detect a sizable amount of silicon concentrated in the region as well. 

The Vega sends down a lander craft to the planet’s surface. Once the clouds had departed from the lander’s view, the crew was able to see the dark green oceans surrounding the pale tan shoes of land. White barked trees with pink leaves dominated the lowlands. A herd of buhlagh are seen drinking from a nearby river, while a lone chameleon is slowly stalking them. 

Eisenberg ordered his pilot to land the lander in the dark rocky highlands. There they spotted an abandoned weyland-yutani outpost. The lander carefully lands near the old colonial structure. Corporate security unit steps off the transport first, then the scientist and finally Eisenberg leaves the lander.

The expedition crew quickly noticed, although the air was breathable it was a little too thin for their liking. Eisenberg ordered the mechanics to work on restoring the power right away. 

Days went by as the twin suns quickly dropped from the green skies as night rolled around for a long duration. The repairs have finally stopped as they fully convert this outpost into a base. Eisenberg boarded the lander, he activated his synthetics guards to clear any plant from the outpost, once the foliage was removed they began heading to the lander. They pry open the crates as they remove the mines and sentry guns from their containers.

Eisenberg remembered from his days at the Weyland-Yutani Academy of Science, back in 2181 a Weyland-Yutani research facility was set up on BG-386 but due to poor management and a lack of understanding of the Xenomorph XX121; the xenomorphs overran the facility in 2189.

He pulls out his PDA as he types experiences into his log.

“October 15th, 2221

We have arrived. From now on, I’ll refer to Earth-dated notation for these logs although days here run short, while nights feel interminable. The air is thin. Just walking around causes people to strain.

We’ve set up base camp in the broken lands south of the hive. The synthetics have cleared the foliage and are currently adding a minefield and sentry gun emplacements. As I argued so often to the funding committee, human ingenuity conquers all.”

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Xenomorph XX121 Hive

Date: November 7th, 2221

Car-size remote controlled rovers traverse the rocky landscape to the hive the synthetics had scouted earlier. Orange fleshy plants sparsely dot the mountain side. The rovers stop at a massive hole with scretid resin encrusting its entrance; the hive entrance was barren however the surrounding muddy ground betrayed its inhabitants by retaining their footprints. Surrounding the hive exterior, where Giant curved organic-metallic structures stick out of the ground, they are of the same architectural culture as the derelict from Lv-426. “Engineer architecture” Eisenberg said to himself. The rover’s camera pans over what could seem like ruins of a great alien city. All of the stone structures had since eroded leaving only the more durable biomechanical structures behind. He records this in his PDA log.

“November 7th, 2221

The Hive appears dormant. The remote rover has found Xenomorph XX121 traces, but no active specimens. The synths have begun explorations. Many signs of the carrier species. Dr. Shaw’s Engineers. Unexplained structures out from the earth, and mysterious shafts vanish underground, all exhibiting the distinctive architecture of the ship from LV-426. Although these archaeological remnants come as little surprise --- we follow the ship’s flight telemetry here, after all --- I find it all a bit unnerving.”

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Observation Post 3.

Date: November 15th, 2221

While the scientists and the mechanics were busy working on the newly erected observation posts, the synthetic guards spotted several man-sized copper-ish pink xenomorphs prowling the area. The science team quickly retreated inside but the smaller xenomorphs did not seem to be aggressive nor interested in taking human hosts. Eisenberg recorded this into his PDA log.

“November 15th, 2221

The Synths have caught glimpses of Xenomorph XX121 smaller than those observed on LV-426. I have named them Runners. They stray great distances from the hive especially at night. We are careful to return to the observation posts as a precaution, but they appear uninterested in us. They seem to be looking for something.

The Hive itself remains dormant. I believe this dormancy may be tied to the severe climatic conditions. Our initial analysis of the flora seems to corroborate this theory. But what are they waiting for? Cooler temperatures? Increased humidity? Or is it something else?”

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Observation Post 4.

Date: November 24th, 2221

Eisenberg gathers his most able body scientists, he leads the trek back to the xenomorph hive. They encountered a few runners along the way, they seemed harmless like usual to the science team. They would occasionally run over to the engineer architecture before resuming their natural duties. Weller approached one the Engineer archways, when suddenly the runners began to peel back their lips, revealing their disturbingly human-like teeth. They hissed threateningly as they ran across the muddy ground, Weller didn’t have time to react as they leapt onto Weller, thrashing him with their claws. Eisenberg was startled by this sudden change in the alien’s behavior, one of the other scientists ran towards Wellers but Eisenberg shouted, “Don’t! You’ll die if you interfere,“ the other scientists began retreating back to the observation post but the xenomorph didn’t follow them; Weller’s cries for help were suddenly silenced. The xenomorph retracks its inner jaws back into its mouth. Weller’s body lay lifeless on the muddy soil. The xenomorphs drag Weller’s body away from their view. The following day, Esienberg recorded this into his PDA log.

“November 25th, 2221

The Runners remain a cipher. Yesterday afternoon, they abruptly attacked Weller, but have since returned to their prior disinterest in us. The attack may have been prompted by his proximity to the Hive. In any case, his death is a grim reminder not to let down our guard.”

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Xenomorph XX121 Hive

Date: November 27th, 2221

Learning from last time with the death of Weller weighing heavily on the science team’s minds, Eisenberg programs a few of the pups to map out the xenomorph hive. The runners ignore the pups as they continue their daily activity. The pups scan the runners and the hive walls as it continues to map out the hive interior. 

“November 27, 2221

Our remote probes show that Runner activity is linked to increased pheromone discharge from the Hive walls along with extremely high-frequency sound waves. Perhaps the covered cranium of the Xenomorph XX121 operates as a resonance chamber: boosting, receiving and transmitting their ultrasonic communications. If so, the Runner must stay close to the Hive to maintain contact. With study, one might learn to duplicate their language, perhaps even replace their orders with some of my own. An entertaining theory, at least.”

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Observation Post 4

Date: December 12th, 2221

The mechanics were working on the electrical units, when one of them noticed the rockweeds started blooming flower-like organs. The xenomorphs were slowly growing more agitated. They slowly start to encroach the science base. The synthetic guards do their best to watch the runners but they give the synthetics the slip for the night. Dr. Eisenberg plans on sending scouts to the engineer city ruins soon.

“December 12, 2221

The rockweeds bloomed today. If my theories are correct, this means an end to dormancy. McCulloch, our security chief, insists that we must withdraw to a safe vantage. Nonsense, I say. We are here to observe and collect data. We must witness the transformation.”

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Observation Post 4

Date: December 12th, 2221

The science team began exploring the engineer city. McCulloch discovers a cannon-like device laying on the ground. 

“What’s this?” McCulloch examines the strange device, its shape and design doesn’t match the engineer's aesthetics. It was mechanical looking compared to the biomechanical aesthetics typical to the Engineers. 

“It must be an Engineer device,” Eisenberg dismisses at first.

“I don’t think so, I will have to go back to the labs to properly carbon date it but it looks quite recent” McColloch elaborated but Eisenberg could tell he was scared.

Eisenberg smiles at his colleague, “What a tremendous opportunity this is, my friend! We are on the cusps of discovering something big, my friend”

“I’m not so sure about this whole thing… It scares me, Arnaud,” McCulloch stares up at the giant stoney Engineer face in the middle of the ancient city.

“December 14th, 2221

McCulloch is having fits. He has found a device, very advanced technology, yet stylized with a tribal flair. It does not match the Dr. Shaw’s Engineers. In fact, McCulloch thinks it is recent, less than a decade old. It appears to be a weapon.

Of course, he’s now terrified. I’ve tried to convince him what a tremendous opportunity this is. Afterall, we came to learn. 

Still, we will limit our risks. Radio traffic is being kept to a minimum and we shall camouflage as best we can. Better we spot them than they spot us.”

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Observation Post 1

Date: December 31st, 2221

The power fluctuated, the lights flickered on and off, the sound of raging winds batter the observation base. The power unit struggled to endure the storm’s harsh conditions, but alas the power failed. The sounds of explosions were muffled by the raging storm. Everyone is on edge but couldn’t go beyond the perimeter due to the storm.

One of the security guards spotted something amid the winds beyond the perimeter. It stood on two legs, so it couldn’t be the runners. Its silhouette was tall and slender, so it couldn’t be one of the Chameleons. The guard, having not seen the hive footage, rushes out to greet the silhouette, misbelieving it as one of the female combat synthetics. “Oi Lady bot, over here” he waved the silhouette down.

The silhouette began walking faster towards the guard, little by little the silhouette’s features began to betray it. The figure walked with a funny gait, its head was hunched forward and something was thrashing around behind it. The guard squinted his eyes but had a feeling this wasn’t a combat android. It drew closer, the creature was biomechanical in appearance, much like the hive and the Engineer city. Its head was shaped like a banana or a cigar. Four tubular structures stick out from its back, probably to support its massive head. The strange movement from behind it was a long segmented stinger-tipped tail.

The guard now recognizes the creature, he only heard stories of them and thought they were anti-homeworlder propaganda or myths spread by frontiersmen. The xenomorph warrior peels back its lips, like the runner its teeth were disturbingly human-like however it has more pronounced canines then the runners. It embraced the guard, its inner jaws like a piston rapidly punched a hole into the guard’s cranium. The guard fell to the ground dead. 

The other security guards spot the towering alien, blood seeping from its jaws. They instinctively fire their pistols at it but the bullets merely deflect from its black carapace. The warrior retreats into the stormy tempest only to return minutes later with its family. The warrior xenomorphs had the encampment surrounded on all sides. They all came at once, attacking every living creature they could see. Several people sought refuge inside the lander but the black armored xenomorphs like ants on road kill swarmed the lander. The lander's cockpit was compromised when the xenomorphs shattered its windows allowing the xenomorphs to squeeze themselves inside.

McCullogh ran out from safety, he waved his arms at the creatures like a maniac. Shouting, “Hey!” he caught their attention, he bolted towards the perimeter hoping they would follow him, and they did. He drew the xenomorphs away from the compound long enough for Esienberg and the rest of the personnel to escape. He tripped and slipped down a hill which gained him some distance away from his pursuers. A large worm-like plant opening its “mouth” only to snap close seemed to delay the xenomorphs from encroaching on McCullough. McCullough quickly returned to his feet as he made his way to the minefields. To his horror the minefield was already denoted; he presumed the runners must have triggered them. In the end, the xenomorphs had caught up with him. Day breaks hours later. 

“January 1st, 2222

Happy New Year. The Hive is awake.

We are stranded. Last night, our perimeter defense was interrupted by the most severe storm we’ve seen thus far. It was as if they knew, for within minutes, their warriors swept through our encampment, slaughtering everyone in their path and crippling our dropship.

McCullogh is gone. For what it’s worth, he was brave at the end. Brave and Dead.”

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Observation Post 2

Date: January 4th, 2222

Through McCullogh’s sacrifice the science team had reached Observation Post 2. They quickly closed the door behind themselves ensuring no xenomorph could get in for the time being. Seventeen out of an expedition of fifty-five, now huddling together, hoping someone will save them. The cook Jerry started passing out food to the survivors to keep their spirits up.

Eisenberg stood up, he slowly began walking towards Jerry “What are you doing?”

“I’m passing out food, we need to keep our spirits up” Jerry explains.

“No, we must ration our food and water. Otherwise we will all starve in the long run” Eisenberg rationalizes. He looks over to frightened faces of his employees. “We should at least have four or five days of rations. At least until we have to make the trek to Observation Post 3. There will gain an additional week of rations”

“Are you insane, there is no way I’m going out there again. I just lost my daughter out there,” Leeroy, one of the remaining mechanics, protested.

“You’ll do it because your life and paycheck depends on it,” Esienberg threatened.

“No! I would rather starve or die of thirst than to be ripped apart by those monsters!” Leeroy retorted.

Esienberg, losing his patience, pulls out his gun on the mechanic, “If you wish to die, fine by me. But if you think you can drag the rest of us down with you, think again” the mechanic started to calm down, “There that’s more like it, unity is the key to our survival”

“January 4th, 2222

We’re trying to adjust. It's hard. Seventeen of us left, holed up inside Observation Post 2. If we stretch our rations, particularly the water, the supplies should last four or five days. By then, we’ll have to break for OP3, toward the Hive. I estimate its remaining stores will buy us about a week. OP4 should hold for an additional month.

That means two months without food before the next supply ship is due. If we can reach all of the observation posts, we might survive.”

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Observation Post 2

Date: January 5th, 2222

“Alright everyone ready for this?” Adams asked.

“Let's just proceed with the plan, the xenomorphs should have calmed down by now. Our priority right now is Observation Post 3” Eisenberg ordered.

The storm was still raging outside but they needed to reach the other Observation Post, quickly. Eisenberg slowly followed behind the woman named Adams and her partner Green. The rest of the group followed shortly behind him. The wind battered against the seventeen survivors, heavy acid rain burns their skin. Visibility was poor and any or all sounds were muffled by the downpour.

Adam stares off at the distance swearing she saw something. The group passed her by, “Adams, keep up with the group” the ground started moving as if something large was moving underneath. A large worm bursts out of the ground to take a chunk out of Adams. Eisenberg fires his pistol into the worm-like creature, the creature retreated back underground. The gunfire reverbnation echoed through the canyon, alerting a passing pack of xenomorphs. 

“Shit,” Eisenberg realized what he had done, “Everyone, fall back to Observation Post 2” the group immediately turned around as they ran back to their only piece of safety. Adams slipped on the mud, Green turned around to help her but they were soon surrounded by xenomorph warriors. Eisenberg closes the Observation Post’s doors. Seventeen down to Fifteen.

“What the hell happened out there, Eisenberg!” Leeroy demanded.

“You saw for yourself, we were ambushed,” Eisenberg retorted. 

“Bullshit you alerted them with your goddamn gun” Leeroy accused.

“I was trying to save Adams from the indenious worm,” Eisenberg added.

“Yet you left her and green out there with those things!” Leeroy points at the door.

“If you were in my position what would you have done differently? Would you risk the safety of the many for the needs of the few? We are all saddened by their loss but we must think about our own survival. If we can hold out for eight weeks, help should arrive” Eisenberg couldn’t help but smirk a little.

“January 5th, 2222

We had to give up on OP3 today. Adams slipped and Green stopped to help her. We all feel guilty, but what could we have done except die with them? Besides, although no one has said it, there’s now more food for the rest of us.

I’ve told them that if we can hold out eight weeks, we’ll probably be saved. It’s a lie, but at last it keeps them together. The last thing we need is to start turning on each other.

We’ll try for OP3 again tomorrow.”

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Observation Post 2

Date: January 10th, 2222

After several delays, Eisenberg managed to psyche the survivors up for a final attempt for Observation Post 3. “Alright now, after I open this door, there is no going back. I just want to make that abundantly clear to all of you” the survivors collectively nod their heads.

The storm seemed to have calmed down, Eisenberg took point as he guided the survivors across the black rock canyon. There the lights of Observation Post 3 stood out like a beacon of hope. They made it inside, thanking whatever patron deity that would listen to their gratitude. They were not of Eisenberg’s concern, he cared more about ration supplies and the eventual trek to Observation Post 4.

He enters the observation room to confirm the status of Observation Post 4. But to his horror the next Observation Post’s camera revealed the xenomorphs had overrun the facility. Hope for rescue dwindles in Eisernberg’s mind. How was he supposed to tell the others? Should he tell the others?

“January 10th, 2222

End of the line. We made the run without a single casualty, but we’re all as good as dead. We have nowhere else to go. Not enough food, but more importantly, not enough water. Observation Post 4 has been overrun.

The camera link shows it awash with Xenomorph XX121. They swarm around the place. Right up and over the emergency food stores. They seem to be taunting us. Is it that? Do they know we can see them?

They don’t understand how resourceful we humans can be. Or at least how resourceful I can be. I will not starve.”

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Observation Post 3

Date: March 15th, 2222

A dropship soars overhead, large thick trees sprout out around Observation Post 4’s landing pad. The colonial marines make their trek across the facility until they reach the security room, they spot a survivor huddled in a corner on the security feed in Operation Post 3.

Eisenberg, covered in the blood of his former colleagues, struggles to stay alive; muttering, “I will not allow them to gloat, I will not allow them to gloat. I will not give them the satisfaction” the sounds of hissing and scratching of the xenomorph replays over and over in his mind.

The electronic door slides open, and several United American Colonial Marines enter the room. They spot Eisenberg lying on the floor, huddled in the fetal position. The colonial marines were led by a Sgt. Steve Logan.

“One survivor. Looks like the others were…eaten,” Logan radioed to his superiors.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Eisenberg growled remorsefully. Remorseful but thankful that he is still alive.

A loud bang echoed through the observation post, “Hey what the hell is that?” asked one of the marines. An all too familiar form of death stalked around the corner. “We got multiple contacts, quick get the survivor out of here” Logan ordered. The M41A pulse rifles scream as they spray in the general direction of the creatures. Logan orders his riflemen to take point in suppressing the xenomorphs in the hallway. While Two marines grab Eisenberg as they double team it back to the dropship. Logan followed his two grunts with the doctor as the riflemen were quickly overpowered by the Xenomophs. They barely make it back to the dropship.

Locale: Anchorpoint Station

Date: March 30th, 2222

Arnaud is sent to the intensive care unit. He is diagnosed with PTSD to explain his mental anguish, his body was covered with scarring that would never heal. He suffers from constant hallucinations, paranoia and even developed an obsession with the xenomorph. His father, a large burly man, looked through the ICU glass pane. To see his son in such a pathetic state, angers him greatly. He shot a look at the doctor, “Can you fix him?”

“I am afraid there is nothing…” The doctor was cut off by the father’s soul piercing eyes. He pats the doctor’s shoulder, as he pulls out a giant cigar and places it in his mouth. He lights the cigar before reaching into his jacket pocket and pulls out a wad of hundred WY-Dollar bills.

“You didn’t let me finish, doctor. Have you ever heard of the Valerie Armstrong operation?”

“Yes, I have. A young woman in her early 20’s that had her brain surgically implanted in a full prosthetic body. However such an operation can be very risky, It was a pure medical miracle that she even survived and she is still comatosed” The doctor saw the man waving the cash around, “But with the right equipment I think I can pull it off”

“Don’t think, get it done. I’ll provide you with all the necessary technology you will need for the OP, I am an engineer in cybernetics” he pulls the cigar out of his mouth, while blowing the smoke into the doctor’s face before walking off.

CHAPTER 5: ZETA SITE

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Construction Site.

Date: June 12th, 2223

Dr. Arnaud Esienberg having survived his operation, went on to gain the funding he needed and returned to LV-1201 to overlook the construction of his greatest projects. Learning from the dormancy cycle on this planet he took many things into consideration.

“I want the Forward Observation Post here, we erect electric fences on the falls to prevent any xenomorph incursions from harming our personnel. The complex would be surrounded by a massive wall, the only way in is through a series of sally ports with robust security sentries placed within the ceilings. Next is the construction of our labs, this gorge will do nicely. We will construct five observation pods suspended in a series of cables and support structures along the canyon walls. Only way inside the FOP is through a suspended cable elevator, the ground region will be surrounded by an electric perimeter fence with strategic sentry cannons placed around the lift operations,” Eisenberg instructed.

“Sir we will need a security force to maintain both the POC and the FOPs” Project Manager Jason Dwitzes suggested.

“Weyland-Yutani Security Corps will handle most of the facilities nicely but I will need more additional protection aside from basic security and combat synthetics,” Eisenberg agreed. “I will need a personal army to carry out our goals” The senior project manager added.

“What do you have in mind, sir?” Jason asks.

“Mercenary groups, give me a list of the best mercenary companies” Eisenberg demanded.

“Sir, no need. The Iron Bear Mercenaries are the best mercenary company, out there sir,” Jason already had his bases covered.

“But don’t they usually operate in UPP space?” Eisenberg asked.

“Usually, but they are one of the few mercenary companies willing to operate beyond frontier space,” Jason rest assured, 

“I’ll take them into consideration,” Eisenberg concluded.

“Sir, there is a new transfer, a Kenji Maurita, geneticists,” Jason added.

“Yes, a promising mind indeed. Place him in the advanced genetics laboratory, I wish to see his amazing talents for myself” Dr. Eisenberg ordered.

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Forward Observation Pods

Date: August 21, 2229

After spending years in the Advanced genetics laboratory. Kenji was ordered to perform human genetic modifications to the inmates and on occasions sent out to the zeta site to study the xenomorphs and came very close to losing his life. He had since published his theories on xenomorph genetic hive memory.

“I hate this place,” Kenji said to his coworker, Shinji.

“I know what you mean,” Shinji nodded.

“I have requested a transfer back to gateway station. I’m tired of experimenting on inmates… on another human being!” A letter is swiped beneath his quarter’s door. Kenji walks over and picks up the letter while holding it, From: A Eisenberg. To: Administration. he opens it up, “I regret to inform you that I cannot approve Dr. Maurita’s transfer back to gateway. Due to his extremely time-sensitive research, he has elected to press on with his current duties… dude what the fuck” Kenji stared at the letter in disbelief.

“What are you going to do Kenji?” Shinji asked.

“I’m going to have a talk with Dr. Eisenberg about this!” Kenji gripped the letter tightly.

 Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Primary Operations Complex Administration

Date: October 9, 2229

Mr. Burns sighs as the refrigerator power problem hasn’t been resolved. The butter is completely melted and everything is spoiled. 

Esienberg was greeting the new personnel that had arrived from the supply ship. He reads the new personnel roster, Tomiko, Kenji’s sister, was among them.

“Tomiko, was it?” Eisenberg asked for confirmation.

“Yes, that's me,” Tomiko replied.

“We are saddened by the loss of your brother Kenji Maurita, he was a brilliant scientist, wise beyond his years” said Eisenberg.

Tomiko broke down sobbing at the loss of her brother, she knew he had a dangerous job having to deal with the xenomorphs but to have it confirmed so suddenly when she arrived.

“How did he die?” Tomiko asked.

“I am not at liberty to discuss the details, however please know that it was an accident” Eisenberg insisted. 

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Forward Observation Pods

Date: October 2nd, 2230.

When a young medical doctor Betheny Clements arrived at the artifact laboratory, she overheard the scientists accusing Dr. Adam Post for stealing the artifacts from his labs. She was a close friend of Dr. Post and knew he could never do such a thing. 

“Hey what's going on?” She attempts to but-in but Dr. Martin Sharpe grabs her by the arm and pulls her to the side.

“Don’t get involved, not yet,” Dr. Sharpe tells her.

“What’s going in there? Dr. Post is not a thief!”

“I know, I’ve read your letter. Don’t do anything stupid, I don’t want what happened to Dr. Maurita happen to you too”

“Thanks for the concern but I am not afraid of Dr. Eisenberg”

“Just be careful,”

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Forward Observation Pods, Eisenberg’s Office

Date: October 2nd, 2230.

Dr. Clements walks into Eisenberg’s office. Eisernberg turns around in his chair, surprised to see the young doctor in his office.

“What’s the meaning of this? You don’t have an appointment, leave before I call security” Dr. Eisenberg demanded.

“He is not a thief! Dr. Adam Post is not a thief, It is Rykov, I am sure of it”

“General Rykov is a valuable member of my security team, now please leave before I call security!” Eisenberg squinted his eyes at Clements, she left on her own accord. Eisenberg fusiosly taps at his computer console, “Ms. Kazama, I would like to call Dr. Sharpe”

“Calling Dr. Sharpe, he is on line 5” Eisenberg secretary replies.

“Yes?” Dr. Sharpe answers.

“Sharpe, your friend Dr. Clements barge in my office today. She misunderstands rykov’s importance and cost. A policeman makes a fine bodyguard, unless you plan to rob a bank - and good bodyguards must be paid with one currency or the other. Control your team, or I will!”

“It won’t happen again, Dr. Eisenberg,” Dr. Sharpe complied.

“Good,” Dr. Eisenberg concludes.

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Forward Observation Pods, Eisenberg’s Office

Date: October 3rd, 2230.

“Sir, Mr. Bishop wishes to speak with you,” said Eisenberg’s secretary.

“Very well I’ll take the call in my office” Eisenberg has the call transferred to his office, “Dr. Micheal Bishop, it's a pleasure to finally speak with you”

“How are things down there, Dr. Eisenberg,” An older man materialized on the screen. He looks like a spitting image of Lance Henriksen.

“Everything is…stable. The xenomorphs are manageable…”

“Damn it, Eisenberg! Stop beating around the bush! I have several of my peers breathing down my neck, so don’t test my patience so tell me what is really going on down there? Have you made any progress on reverse engineering the Engineer’s technology?”

“We are getting close sir, the zeta ruins are hard to traverse with the xenomorphs heavily concentrated in that area”

“Here's a word of advice: Try harder,” Bishop glared at Eisenberg.

“Yes, Mr. Bishop”

“Now onto another matter, I want you to ship back Convict Rieser to gateway Station immediately, we wish to transfer him to the Io Mining facility”

“I’ll make the arrangements” Dr. Eisenberg.

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Forward Observation Pods, Facehugger containment room.

Date: October 4th, 2230.

Dr. Clements was still bitter over her conversation with Eisenberg, how could he defend a thug like Rykov? She wasn’t in the proper state of mind, she forgot to initialize the safeguard override system. A facehugger escapes from its container, it sneaks around the white cabinets filled with facehuggers in stasis. The klaxons went off but Dr. Clements was too distracted by the incident to realize something went wrong. She saw something scurry in her peripheral vision. She turns around as the facehugger springs off the wall, latching on to her face. 

Security quickly rushes in with Dr. Sharpe, they place her in cryo-stasis until they can figure out how to arrest the xenomorph lifecycle. They notified her family.

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Forward Observation Pod 5

Date: September 21st, 2230. 7:06 PM

A white walled room decorated with furniture, a computer table, a large cubby whole bed and a shower unit. A russian man dressed in the Iron Bear Mercenary uniform laid in the bed while his girlfriend was taking a hot shower just a few feet away. The vidphone blared like a ringing telephone. The Mercenary answers the vidphone.

“Ah Dimitri. Have Dunya come to my office immediately. It is a matter of urgency,” a large russian male with short military style grey hair and bushy eyebrows appeared on its screen. 

“Yes sir, General Rykov” Dimitri saluted to the vidphone. He knew better than to question General Rykov. The large man disappears from the screen as it turns into a blank grey. Dimitri walks over to the showers where his precious Dunya was bathing, he quickly admires how beautiful her body is before remembering his orders, “Dun, that was the General. He wants to see you in his office right away”

“Oh?” Dunya replies.

“He says it's urgent,” Dimitri declares.

“Then it must be, my love. This will have to wait for another time” Dunya having canceled their private time. Dimitri sighs in disappointment but he hopes to get another chance later.

General Rykov stares out from his office window, watching the newly designed WY-612 Landers arriving and departing from the POC. The white blast doors bearing the Weyland-Yutani Logo slides open. A tall physically fit woman wearing an iron bear mercenary uniform walks through the archway sporting a bob haircut and piercing blue eyes, Major Dunya, she walks over to General Rykov awaiting his instructions.

“We have a buyer,” Rykov spoke suddenly.

“It’s about time,” Dunya replied sharply.

“Our precautions have made things proceed much more slowly than I had originally anticipated. It is unfortunate we had to wait before obtaining the Artifact, but it was necessary” General Rykov begins the briefing.

“And so this is our next step?” Dunya asked.

“You should get your gear together and leave tonight while the opportunity remains. When you arrive at Zeta site there will be no one but Iron Bears there to greet you” General Rykov continues the briefing.

“I assume the Iron Bears won’t be blamed for this breach?” Dunya wanted some assurances.

“Hmmph. Of course not. Ivan has taken care of the details. Once you're ready to go, meet Chekov in the cargo bay. He has one final piece of equipment you will be needing,” Rykov wraps up his briefing.

“Yes sir, General” Dunya turns around to make her leave.

“Dunya,” General Rykov calls out to her, not finished with her, “The artifact is several levels below the guard station and Eisenberg has already a team of synthetics attempting to retrieve it. Be careful, Dunya” Rykov concluded his briefing.

“Yes, general,” Dunya replied before leaving his office.

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Zeta site

Date: September 21st, 2230. 11:40 PM

The howling winds echoed in between the canyon walls, Iron Bear Mercs gathered around a maintenance shed waiting for a certain female merc to show up so they could do their jobs and get back to the pods.

“Everything ready?” asked Becker, his voice carrying a thick Texan drawl.

“Yeah, Xavier will have quite a hangover in the morning. He might even think he stole the Artifact himself,” Serge reported.

“Good. I doubt the Major would approve of the General’s methods” Becker voiced his concerns.

“Hmmph… Well, she didn’t serve on korari, now did she?” Serge retorted.

“Yeah… and I’d stow it if I were you. You don’t want to see her pissed off” retorted Becker, “Major?” He finds himself saluting her.

“Is everything ready?” Dunya asked her two subordinates.

“Um… Yes, ma’am” Becker replied.

“Then let’s proceed. Becker, Serge, you’re with me. Popov, I want you here in the APC. Chances are we'll be coming out hot.”

“You’ve got it,” replied Popov.

Dunya, Becker and Serge rush into the guard station, weapons ready and the safeties off. The red emergency light gleamed ahead. Dunya’s motion tracker bleeps her movements as well as her comrade’s movements. They move through a large room with a ramp that slopes down to the lower floor, a xenomorph runner hiding behind a trash can. Their movements startle it awake as it slowly raises to its feet. 

“Open fire!” Dunya orders her men, the runner is engulfed in flames. Another runner type xenomorph emerges from the shadow then another and another. Dunya fires her Pulse Rifle, 90, rounds left. There are now only two runners left. Becker sets another runner alite with his flame thrower. Serge blasts away the last runner with his pulse rifle. The xenomorph’s blood melts away the floor grates, plunging their remains down a few levels.

“Tough bastards” Serge comments.

Dunya opens the door into the next room. The ceiling in the next room caves in as a drone lands on the floor. 82, rounds left. The drone retreats after being struck by the hail of bullets. Dunya nods her head for her men to survey the room. In the center of the room is an elevator leading down. Serge reads a PDA about someone dumb enough to read Eisenberg’s email. While Dunya walks over to a large yellow box with a handle. She pulls the lever, restoring power to the elevator. The elevator slowly starts to retract back to the top. The long powerful cable reeling the lift up, generates an uncomfortable amount of noise. Dunya presses the only button on the elevator, it reverses its function as it begins lowering the mercenaries down to the lower levels. The shaft walls were copper in color with bands of red lights ringing around the shaft ever so many feet. They reached the bottom of the shaft. It opens up into a massive cavern.

The three mercs walked down the stoney stairs, two yellow stand flood lights luminated the cavern. To Dunya, Serge, and Becker’s surprise, three of Eisenberg's combat synthetics laid motionless on the rocky dirt floor. It's not clear what rendered them offline, if they were attacked or they just ceased to function. The motion tracker began to seize up before briefly detecting two bleeps coming from the cave tunnel up ahead. Two warriors charge towards the Mercs. Their carapace was tougher and its rigid shape helped deflect some of the bullets fired at it. The warriors were briefly repelled, 67 rounds left in Dunya’s clip. Dunya looked over at her men, she noticed Serge was missing.

“Where’s Serge?” Dunya asked.

“I don’t know..” Becker replied, he trips over something hard. “Jesus christ…” He turns to see it was Serge’s heavy flamethrower. On closer inspection it was covered in blood. “Oh shit, no… no… not Serge”

“Hold yourself together, comrade. We have a job to do,” Dunya proceeded further into the cave. Becker hesitantly follows her. The motion trackers began to malfunction, but the Mercs could hear their hisses coming from behind and from the side tunnels. The warriors return to cut them off from their escape. Becker begins to unload an entire clip into the warriors, one of the warriors goes down but her sisters quickly take her place. 

“Dunya, run!” Becker shouts at his comrade, the xenomorphs overpower the Texan Mercenary. He removes a grenade from his belt, “See you fucks, in hell!” The lead warrior fires her inner jaws into his skull before Becker  has the chance to pull the pin. His body goes limp, the grenade rolls harmless away from the xenomorphs.

Dunya finds her sprinting down the cave, unsure of where she is going and questions the futility of running to save herself. The xenomorph's constant hissing echoes from all directions. Dunya had no choice but to flee down the narrow passage, the warriors squeezed themselves down the narrow passageway. Dunya trips over a rock as she falls and rolls down a steep incline. She mentally prepares for her inevitable death, clenching her teeth as tears roll her face. The xenomorph hisses fill the chamber from a steady distance. Dunya was wondering why they hadn't approached her. She lifts her head to see the xenomorphs have suddenly stopped in the middle of the cave entrance. They stood there pacing back and forth as if some invisible wall was preventing them from moving forward.

She turned around to see the chamber was different from the natural cave formation. It was artificial and biomechanical in design, where the artifact stood hovering within a cylindrical energy field above a pedestal but below a large four prong ceiling structure, perhaps it’s to keep the artifact powered. To the left was a large segmented arching over a large clunky copper computing unit. Its design is alien to the rest of the ruins.

“Sir, are you listening?” Dunya pauses, “Sir?” the xenomorphs had gone silent as they stared at her from afar. Two offline synthetics laid sprawled on the floor like the ones from earlier.

“You took… than expected. I trust you have arrived… chamber?” Rykov’s transmission was staticy and garbled.

But Dunya understood the gist, “I believe so, sir. Is this channel secure?” she asks.

“Yes, quite,” Rkyov confirmed, “The others - they are with you?” Rykov asked.

“No, sir. They… are not” Dunya answered remorsefully. More xenomorphs gathered at the chamber entrance.

“They… knew the risks. And the reward. Let us make sure their efforts are not wasted” Rykov then switched the topic, “What do you see?”

“I am in a large chamber. It appears different from the ruins I've been in before. I see… the artifact. It appears to be floating… no suspended… in some sort of field” Dunya slowly approached the artifact, keeping her distance from the xenomorphs.

“That’s as we expected. Eisenberg’s synthetics made it almost this far. They just didn’t make it back. We do have some poor quality transmission of what they saw there, however” an American-accent man suddenly started speaking to her.

Dunya was wondering who was speaking to her, “Dunya, that was Dr. Post. He is going to give instructions on using the device” Rykov explained.

Dr. Post, a red haired man with a wiry build, dressed in white lab attire. He spoke through the com-unit hanging off the side of his face. “I doubt you are going to like this very much…” Dr. Post warned.

“Hmm… What I like is of little concern, doctor” Dunya replied.

“No… I suppose not. If you look at the back of the device, you can see it has a peculiarly shaped extrusion” Dr. Post explained. Dunya stares at the box-shaped device she brought with her. She sees the four rectangular extrusions on the back. 

“Yes… with four prongs coming out of it” Dunya observed.

“Yes, that's it. What you have now is called a worm device. As far as we can tell, this is fairly standard interface for the Engineer computer tech. Once you plug the device in, it should interface with the Engineer systems that are online and start shutting them down one by one” Dr. Post explained extensively.

Dunya stared up at the ceiling, the artifact still being suspended by the purple energy field. The massive biomechanical prongs sticking out of the ceiling seem to emit tiny lights along its arms. The four prong-like pedestal rests on a platform surrounded by a maintenance crevice that seemingly leads to the lower levels of the chamber. Across from the platform was the biomechanical archway above the copper bulky computer of unknown design. Behind it was a similar architectural design door grafted onto the biomechanical doorway. 

“How long will that take?” Dunya asked.

“Ah… well, that’s the tricky part. There is no telling how much of the tech there is still functioning correctly. Our tests show it could take several hours if things are really bad” Dr. Post added. Dunya turns her head towards the xenomorphs behind her. They begin to assume a resting position. Dunya turns her attention back to the artifact, she swore she saw something move around in the shadows.

“That could be the problem, Doctor. You told me this would take several minutes” General Rykov growled.

“Well… it would. If everything were…” Dr. Post started stuttering nervously.

“Dunya, you cannot spend several hours down there alone. I am sending a team to extract you, ASAP” Rykov gave Dr. Post a disapproving glare.

“That’s just it, sir. I was fighting for my life up until the moment I entered the chamber. When I did… the xenomorphs just… they just stopped” She observed the xenomorphs were now all curled up into a box-like shape.

“It’s likely they have some aversion to this area. After all, it was obviously an important place when the Engineers built it. Dr. Maurita once speculated that the xenomorphs might have a hive memory, which allowed…” Dr. Post droned on before Rykov interrupted.

“Dunya, once you activate the device, be prepared to get out as quickly as possible. If there is any trouble, leave the artifact. It can be retrieved later once the device has managed to disable the Engineer tech” Rykov ordered.

“Just the same, sir. I’d prefer not to come down here a second time if I can avoid it.” Dunya grows increasingly nervous of her situation, “Just plug it in and this thing starts shutting systems down at random?” Dunya asks curiously while she raises her arms in the air.

“That’s it. The Engineer systems are remarkably intelligent and robust. It’s only a matter of time before the surviving systems figure out how to turn everything back on again, so you must retrieve the artifact quickly” Dr. Post warns.

“Dunya, keep your comlink open and inform us as soon as anything changes. Good Luck” Rykov added.

“Yes, sir” Dunya complies. She walks away from the seemingly dormant xenomorphs. She walks down the slopes to the platform holding the artifact. She slips down into the maintenance crevice between the platform and the rest of the chamber. The maintenance crevice was more biomechanical looking then the rest of the chamber. There Dunya spots a large computing unit attached to the platform base. A man-made large rectangular computing block is grafted onto the engineer’s bio-computer. Dunya attaches the worm device to the computing block. 

“General?” Dunya asked, waiting for further orders.

“Go ahead,” Rykov replied.

“I've inserted the device,” Dunya reported.

“Good, now we wait,” Rykov replied.

Dunya finds her way back to the platform suspending the engineer artifact. She looks around the adjacent walls. She swore she spotted something again in the corner. Dunya accidentally kicks a heavy metal mask across the floor. She picked it up curiously, it was quite heavy and had deep gashes across its face.

The vulture heads watch from afar, curious of this tiny creature. To it a human resembles their late enslavers, just smaller and their heads covered in hair. The vulture heads chirp amongst themselves. They could sense the power fluctuating, which means he will be awakening soon from his slumber.

CHAPTER 6: AWAKENING

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Zeta site Ruins, stasis chamber.

Date: September 22nd, 2230. 7:32 AM.

Yo’kainde slowly awakens, he clicks his mandibles to increase blood flow in them. He spots a dead facehugger lying on his chest, quickly throws the lifeless creature off of himself, kicking it to the corner before rising to his feet, confused. He struggles to remember why he was here. He spots several kainde amedha eggs, just waiting to release its progeny on an unsuspecting victim. Yo’kainde looks around at the ribbed-like structure of the mala’kak egg chamber. He turned his gaze at the now broken ladder, it was of yautja design. He remembers now, he was sent to turn the stasis chamber back on, the kainde amedha were overrunning their hunting colony. The ground shook furiously as chunks of the ceiling started falling down around him. 

He grabs his combi-stick, the eggs remain closed. The yautja spots a massive whole at the side of the egg chamber. He sprinted towards the cavern not wanting to chance awakening the eggs. He moves about the tunnels blindly without his biomask; he can’t easily see a kainde amedha should it attack him here and now. He reaches an opening, he is back in the main chamber but from a higher vantage point. He spots something moving down below… its shape resembled an oomen. 

“An oomen? Why is it here?” Yo’kainde remembered hunting these creatures on a planet called Earth. They shouldn’t have the capability to achieve star flight but here is one now standing and waiting for something to happen. He spots the oomen holding something, he couldn’t make it out. 

The chamber shakes again, the entrance where the slumbering xenomorphs were guarding was closed off. The boulder crushed the sleeping biomechanical horrors into a pool of acid. Dunya drops the metal mask as she runs across the platform for the slow falling artifact.

“Dunya, what has happened?” Rykov asked, his voice slightly raised.

“I think I’m in trouble. It looks like turning off the artifact has caused a cascade of other failures. The entrance to the chamber has collapsed” Dunya reported.

“Can you find another way out?” Rykov asked.

“There are other exits. Hopefully, one will lead to the surface” Dunya replied.

“Then waste no time. Take the Artifact and radio when you’re out. We’ll have a team on stand-by” Rykov ordered. 

“I’m on it,” Dunya removes the artifact from its prong pedestal, she removes her backpack as she stuffs the artifact in it. She was now ready to leave this place. She quickly walked over to the offline synthetics, there was a flamethrower on the ground. She spots a rock tumbling towards her, she briefly looks up at the ceiling, she swore she saw something moving. 

Yo’kainde activates his cloak as he carefully makes his way down to the platform. He sees the oomen fleeing into one of the yautja built hallways. He kneels over to grab the mask, deep scratch marks are etched into the biomask. Yo’kainde remembers, a kainde amedha ripped this biomask from his face what felt like hours ago. He felt its aged surface. 

Yo’kainde places the biomask over his face, he carefully plugs in his power chords into the mask. It comes to life, he is surprised by the date. It's been 500 years since he’s been in stasis. That would explain the sudden presence of the oomens, they must have become a space faring species during that time, he rationalized. His vision mode was set to red: electrovision. He spots several vulture-headed creatures stare at him from behind the structures. Yo’kainde remembers these creatures, they were the ancient mala’kak’s servants, programmed to constantly upkeep their biomachines and biomechanical structures in prime conditions. 

They watch the yautja from afar, their massive compound eyes never seem to blink. Three kainde amedha warriors sneak up on the vulture heads however they seem to ignore the vulture heads. Their only interest was Yo’kainde. The warriors hesitate attacking the yautja, sensing their offspring gestating inside the predator. Yo’kainde took advantage of their hesitation to impale the closest warrior in the chest with his combi-stick. He pulls out his combi-stick to bifurcate the next one. The last one he impales in the neck, before slicing its head off. He bolts towards the yautja halls where the oomen had retreated. 

Dunya ran down the copper metal walls, the grates glowed with copper lighting. She fires a jet of flame down the increasingly dark corridor. She passes through the first copper door into a room covered in dark metal walls with copper light panels decorating their surface. She fires another jet of flame down the dark corridor, she eventually reaches the second copper door, she hears something big approaching. She sprints down the hall as she passes through a third copper door and quickly makes her way to a lift.

Yo’kainde spots something moving across the cage walkway above him, it was the oomen female. He switches to body heat vision, the tri dots lock on to the oomen. Yo’kainde’s aim is thrown off. A kainde amedha wrestles the yautja to the floor. The plasma caster fires, the blast throws Dunya off her feet. She slowly pulls herself up, her arm is now injured, blood trickled down her arm as she continues down the corridor. She fires a jet of flame into the dark, she briefly sees statues of large humanoids wearing the mask she found earlier. A xenomorph runner is hit by the flame, it bolts off into the dark. Dunya managed to reach a light filled room with an orange mist blanketing the floor. She could hear the xenomorphs moving about, she must keep out of their sight. A whole pack of warriors and runners passed her by from an adjacent corridor; fortunately their attention was elsewhere. Dunya carefully guided herself around the corridor walls until she found herself on the surface. The copper walls, ceiling and floors gave way to canyon rock, green skies and grass.

Locale: Lv-1201, Zeta Region, Zeta site Ruins, surface.

Date: September 22nd, 2230. 9:34 AM.

“General Rykov, I've reached the surface,” Dunya reported.

“We’ve located you. There’s an APC just a few clicks away. They’re turning on their transponder now. You should get the barring on them with your motion tracker” Rykov informed

“Yes, sir. I’ll see you at the pods” Dunya vowed, she thought of Dimitri. She makes her way into the wilderness. Dunya dashes across the muddy plain, as a pack of xenomorphs follows her. She managed to scare a herd of buhlaghs into stampeding. The xenomorphs keep their distance from the stampede. Dunya passes through a forest of white barked trees, a large chameleon leaps out at her from a bush. It beats its chest in a gorilla-like fashion to intimidate Dunya. A gunshot was heard, the gorilla-like chameleon retreated from Dunya’s sight.

There she saw an APC surrounded with Iron bear Mercs. Dunya spotted Dimitri among her fellow Mercenaries. Dunya sprinted over to embrace him. Dimitri was filled with joy as he embraced her too.

“Major” Lieutenant Xavier of the Weyland-Yutani Security Corps salutes her. Dunya ignores him as she enters the APC with Dimitri. The APC was almost on its way back to the POC when she suddenly got off her seat. She entered the APC cockpit. A Combat Synth was driving, she relaxed know she could make that important call.

“I have the artifact, General,” Dunya reports.

“Excellent work, Dunya. Ivan will be waiting when you arrive at Pod 5. He will handle it from here” General Rykov transmitted from his comms room.

“As you say, sir” Dunya replied, she looked behind herself, “Sir?”

“Yes, major?” Rykov replied.

“Zeta site. It was just as you suspected. It’s not purely Engineer technology. Someone or something else has been there before us” Dunya added.

“Hmmph. I'll expect a full report tomorrow. No details are to be left out” Rykov’s interests were piqued by Dunya's statement.

“Yes, sir. Genera,” Dunya complied.

The APC finally arrives at the Forward Observation Pods. Dunya, Dimitri and Xavier walk up to the central pod elevator lift. The lift takes them into the belly of the main pod. 

The engineer artifact was taken by the scientists before switching hands to the maintenance boys to be placed in storage. The crate was placed on the top shelf by a forklift. Rykov stares at the crate containing the artifact from behind the glass pane. He nods his head. The buyer will be pleased they have secured such a valuable and rare find. However they were ignorant of its true value and purpose. Rykove leaves the room, he needs to make funeral arrangements for Serge and Becker. 

Locale: Lv-1201, Forward Observation Pod - water pumping station.

Date: September 22nd, 2230. 11:16 AM.

Yo’kainde had made his way to the Pod’s water pumping station. From there he could walk along the roof of the passageway to Pod 5. The ancient Yautja leaps from the water pumping station onto the glass catwalk. He reaches a maintenance hatch. He pulls the hatch off its hinges and tosses it down the ravine.

Locale: Lv-1201, Forward Observation Pod - ground floor.

Date: September 22nd, 2230. 11:19 AM.

Two Weyland-Yutani security guards guard a large metal crate. One guard of african descent named Larry, the other of european descent named Jerry.

“Damn, I hate pulling lift duty,” Jerry loathed his job.

“You and me both,” Larry agreed.

“Hey… you mind if I take a smoke” Jerry asked his coworker.

“You can do whatever you want, Jerry. Just make sure you do it where i can smell it” Larry added.

“Yeah, yeah… all right. I’ll be back in a minute” Jerry leaves his post for a quick smoke.

“Hey Jerry…” Larry asked to catch his friend's attention.

 “Yeah?” Jerry replied.

“Be careful… those things'll kill ya” Larry voiced his concerns over his coworker’s smoking habits. 

“Heh,” Jerry chuckled. He moves further out from the supply crates for some privacy. He pulls out his cigarette, he lights the tip and takes in a single puff when the maintenance hatch crushes him like a bug.

“What the…” Larry was startled by the commotion before realizing his coworker Jerry is more than likely dead. The maintenance hatch displayed NO SMOKING in big bold letters on the turned up underside. 

The engineer artifact started to glow, an energy field slowly envelops the fat disk-shaped device, the crate containing the artifact began to suffer from multiple stress fractures before finally giving in. The crate exploded into shrapnel by the artifact’s gravity manipulation abilities. The artifact called out to the xenomorphs, the necranuhm. The xenomorphs obeyed, the runners grew more agitated. 

The xenomorphs started having seizure-like fits, clawing at the cage doors. Soon the runners accidentally injure themselves, their acidic blood began eating at the cages and the floor surrounding it. The xenomorphs break free of their containment. The artifact began to emit beyond the pods, drawing xenomorphs from the outside to Pod 5, then it emits a signal into space.

Dimitri and Dunya made it back to their quarters. Hoping to continue what they started last night.

Dimitri however was curious of what happened on Dunya’s last mission.

“So what happened, my love? I’ve heard Becker and Serge didn’t make it”

“Eisenberg’s combat synthetics were ahead of us, the xenomorphs swarmed us. I barely made it out alive, I was so scared. But then I found myself in the engineer ruins, the xenomorphs for some reason did not want to enter that place” Dunya explained.

“Perhaps it's just the room they were afraid of,” Dimitri speculated.

“Do you hear what you’re saying? They aren’t afraid of anything” Dunya recalled.

“No. Not normally” Dimitri added.

“Dunya, were showing a breach at the water walk. Xenomorphs have entered Pod 5” Rykov’s voice booms over the intercom.

“There is no response from the guards there, sir,’ said a female voice with a north american accent.

“Sir, you don’t think it has anything to do with the artifact?” Dunya asked.

“I don’t know yet, but I want you to go to storage C and get the artifact. It must be moved off of pod 5 and secured” Rykov ordered before asking “Is Dimitri there?” 

“Yes, sir,” Dimitri answered.

“Dimitri, I want you to meet Chekov at the water walk, on the double. Dunya, contact me the moment you have the artifact” Rykov orders.

“Yes, sir. General,” Dunya complied.

Dimitri sighs frustrated, “Another time, then?”

“Another time, love” Dunya also sighed in frustration.

The two mercenaries quickly arm themselves with their M41a1 Pulse Rifles before heading off to their posts. The sounds of xenomorphs hissing could be heard down the hallway. Weyland Yutani Security marches past the two iron bear mercs to suppress the flood of intruders.

Yo’kainde wrist computer picks up on the artifact’s signal, its warning the mala’kak. Yo’kainde cloaks as he enters the oomen stronghold. To Yo’kainde surprise the oomens have advanced quite a lot, the last time he hunted their kind they were still sailing in tall wooden ships and fought with crude gunpowder weapons. He spots two ceiling sentry guns, he quickly disabled the cannons before they could deployed. The alien hunter snuck around the oomens, not wishing to alert them for the time being. He finds a locked door, he interfaces his wrist computer with the exposed wires of the door panel.

Yo’kainde climbs down a ladder into a maintenance room being patrolled by three synthetic guards. Yo’kainde quickly dispatches the synthetic oomens with his combi-stick. The Yautja makes his way down to storage, he scans the cargo crates of any valuables. He detects some of the quadrupedal kainde amedha roaming around the animal crates. He wondered what the oomens would want with the kainde amedha, they make terrible pets. An aching pain stabs him like a sword, he quickly recovers. He stabs the kainde amedha with his combi-stick, before throwing it to the floor. He cuts away at its neck to claim its head. Another kainde amedha leaped out from the corner. He swung his combi-stick into its gut, sending the copperish-pink creature fumbling backwards. Yo’kainde looks at his wrist computer, the signal was getting stronger. He sneaks off into one of the adjacent cargo rooms. There he stood in a cramp room with several shelves full of large crates. He leapt onto the shelves before reaching the one with the artifact.  

The artifact was there exposed in the open, he does make note of the shrapnel that used to be its container. He grabs the mala’kak device, knowing full well should they return… he hears the sounds of doors opening and followed by rapid footsteps.

Yo’kainde flashed his fleshy dreadlocks as he turned around to see a glass pane with an ooman woman staring at him. Could it be the same oomen he was following? He laughs at her as he activates his cloak. Dunya was startled by the humanoid creature, it was wearing the scratched mask she found in the ruins.

“General,” Dunya established contact.

“Go ahead, Dunya,” Rykov acknowledged.

“The artifact… it is gone, sir” Dunya reported.

“Gone? What are you saying, Dunya? Someone took it?” Rykov asked.

“Something took it. Not a xenomorph, sir - something I’ve never seen before. It was standing there. And then it just… disappeared. The air seemed to shimmer where it had been standing” Dunya reported.

“Dunya, get out of there. Now!” Rykov suddenly raised his voice. What got the General scared all of a sudden? Dunya thought.

“But, General, it could not have taken the Artifact very far. I could follow it with the motion tracker” Dunya insisted.

“No! The artifact is of no importance now” Rykov shouted.

The walkways leading to Pod 2 and Pod 4 are detonated by combat synthetics. The ground shook as an explosion could be heard followed by the sounds of xenomorphs screaming from outside storage C, followed by heavy gunfire. 

“Dunya. Eisenberg’s men have blown the walks to Pod 2 and 4. Get down to the cargo lift. This is an order. We are evacuating the pod” Rkyov demanded.

“Yes sir, General” Dunya complied.

Dunya hears a sound behind her, it was Dimitri accompanied by Chekov, Martin Xavier and his Weyland Yutani security team. A runner wanders into the room, the security team blasts it apart with their pulse rifles. 

“Dunya, let's go,” Dimitri shouted. Dunya nodded. They doubled time out of the hallway as they climbed out of Storage Area C. Another runner charges into the base of the ladder, it reared its head up at the security team and the mercs. The security guards aimed their pulse rifles downwards at the creature, the runner scurried away when the floors became riddled with bullet holes.

Dunya aimed her rifle up to see if any xenos were hiding in the maintenance shaft. She began climbing up the second ladder, Dimitri was next, then Chekov, then Xavier and the others. Dunya switches the airlock vent to open, it slowly uncoils like a stomach valve. In situations like this Dunya hated going into the vents but what choice do they have? Dimitri was also claustrophobic. But they must push on if they want to live through this. She opens the side hatch, she turns on her flashlight on her rifle to see if there was anything hiding in the adjacent shaft. There was nothing. She squeezed herself into the next maintenance shaft, now prone and vulnerable however Dimitri was behind her, offering her some peace of mind that he will guard her rear. She proceeds down the dark shaft as Chekov, then Xavier and his team now are in the same shaft. The security team began opening fire as the xenomorphs had followed them into the shaft. Dunya cleared the next few vents, she opened the vent where she discovered a ladder leading down a long maintenance shaft.

She climbs down the long ladder until she opens the final vent leading into a dark hallway. She and Dimitri scout the room, it was so far empty. They help Chekov out of the vent, then Xavier however out of eight of his men only three managed to come through the vent. Chekov quickly seals the maintenance vent. The xenomorph warriors hissed before turning around looking for another way in. Dunya leads the entourage down an adjacent hallway. A runner sprints up the stairs but is gunned down by the security team and mercs. The warriors began denting in a closed door. Dunya avoids the acidic blood of the runner as she and the others race down the stairs. The warriors finally burst open the locked door but the prey was gone.

An aching chest pain episode delayed him from reaching the communications. Yo’kainde spots two oomens patrolling down the corridor, he must get to communications.

The two guards swore they saw the walls bulge and moved, they heard communication’s door close. Yo’kainde wired his wrist computer into the primitive oomen computers.

Pod 5 communications

Landline uplink acquired.

Connecting to POC subspace array.

Coordinates accepted.

Transmitting.

A progress bar appears on the screen. The aching pain grew unbearable for Yo’kainde to bear. His roars alert the two guards outside, a creature violently rips its way out of the yautja’s sternum. Green blood splats on all of the computer monitors. The predalien chestburster covered in green blood slithered behind one of the computing consoles as the two guards entered the room.

“What the…” Carter, the first security guard, doubled back seeing the big alien hunter laying dead in one of the swivel chairs. Mark, the other guard, stood watching the corridors from inside. 

“Sarge, do you copy?” Carter radio-in, staring at the dead yautja. 

“Go ahead, Carter,” said his security sergeant.

“Looks like I found the source of that unauthorized broadcast” Carter reported.

“And? Who was it?” the security sergeant asked.

“Uh… more like WHAT is it, sir. It’s not human, but it’s dead. Looks like it’s been chest bursted. And it's holding some sort of object”

“Damn… Don’t touch anything. I’ll get a decon team up there and try to raise Rykov. You just get back here, ASAP. There’s no telling if there’s more of those things around here” the sergeant replied.

“You got it,” Carter replied, nodding his head to Mark to move out. They make their way down the white corridor and are soon ambushed by a xenomorph warrior. 

Locale: Lv-1201, Pod 5, Communications Room

Date: September 22nd, 2230. 12:05 PM.

The predalien chestburster slithers into a nearby air vent, to hide from the decon team. Then it wiggles its way under the floorboard before slithering its way into the air duct. It slips its way out of the ducts into the men’s room. A lone guard spots the chestburster but before he could react a xenomorph warrior drops down from the ceiling to deal with him. The chestburster makes it to the toilets where another warrior rips its way out of the air vent to pull an unsuspecting guard off the toilet, cramming his body into the vent.

The other warrior grabs the chestburster, she carries the infant xenomorph to a food source. She snarls at the other xenomorphs, the runners understood as they seek out any threats in the vicinity while the other warriors and drones accompany her. The xenomorph pack arrives at a morgue, human corpses lying on several tables. The warrior releases the chestburster onto one of the dead bodies. 

Dunya, Dimitri, Chekov, and Xavier had arrived at the Pod 5 elevator. They had lost the other three security guards when escaping from a praetorian; their sacrifices allowed the others to reach the elevator. 

There Rykov, Popov, Ivan and some Combat Synthetics were getting the turrets ready inside of the main cargo lift bay. 

“I want the turrets armed for anything - inside or outside the perimeter - that doesn’t respond to IFF” Rykov ordered Popov.

“There will be hell to pay if one of the technical staff forgets his badge” Popov stated.

“We’ll worry about that IF it happens. For now -” Rykov then spots Dunya, Dimitri, Chekov and Martin Xavier.

“Dunya, Dimitri and Chekov” Rykov ignores Martin’s presence, “Good, were leaving the pod”

“Yes, sir. What about the other personnel? Are they evacuated?” Dunya asks.

“No. We’ll reassess once we're off the pod” Rykov replied.

“Looks like our scientist friends will be bringing water up the lift from now on. Rykov told Eisenberg connecting to the pumping station was a risk. As usual, he would not listen” Dunya tells Dimitri.

“Sounds like someone I know…”Dimitri snarks.

“Lucky for you. Now let’s get the hell off this pod. I have a promise to keep” Dunya flirts.

“Yes, Ma’am” Dimitri smiles. The lift lowers them to the ground floor outside.

Locale: Lv-1201, Pod 5, Morgue.

Date: September 23nd, 2230. 3:28 AM.

Achestburster skin lies in the middle of the room. A security guard rushed into the morgue as the xenomorphs had finished off his unit.

“Olmy?! Neun?! This is Winter. Anyone copy?” Winter asked into his radio, “Damnit. Beta team, this gamma. Copy” he looked around the morgue growing more frightened.

“Beta here, go ahead” Finally someone responded to Winter’s pleas. 

“We’ve taken heavy casualties. I’m holed up in the morgue, but the halls are crawling. Requesting assistance. Over” Winter requested.

“Roger. We’re just below you. ETA 60 seconds” Beta team leader response.

“Shit. Make it 30 and I might still be breathing” Winter demanded.

“Were on it” Beta team leader replies.

“I shoulda taken mom’s advice and been a programmer,” Winter mutters to himself. Winter heard a sound coming from the back of the room. He spots a huge xenomorph, larger than a warrior but shorter than a praetorian. Its biomechanical carapace was light tan rather than the typical gunmetal grey of a typical xenomorph. It sported a set of mandibles and a mane of segmented dreadlocks it inherited from its yautja host.

The predalien now fully grown had molted from its chestburster body hours ago. It flares its segmented dreadlocks and its mandibles at Winter. He screams as he unloads a full clip into the Predalien. Its carapace deflects some of the bullets while the other bullets barely penetrate its thick body armor.

“Holy shit” Winter cusses.

With a smack of her tail, Winter is sent flying into a wall. She leaps down on to the guard, grabbing him by the head. She plunges her clawed hand deep into his back while pulling out his spine and skull.

Beta team arrives moments later, the predalien smacks her tail against the security guards. She impales her mandibles into the beta team leader, her teeth sinks into his head, blood pours all over his face. The predalien finishes him off with a hard crunch. The guards' screams are heard down the hallway.

Popov and Ivan’s team of combat synthetics gun down several xenomorph runners and drones and a few warriors. One of the warriors was carrying the engineer artifact. 

“Damn it Richter. The pod is about to go” Ivan cursed.

“I’ve got it. Let's get the hell out of here” Richter demanded.

“Chekov, do you copy? Chekov” Popov tries to radio in Chekov.

“Go ahead,” Chekov finally responded.

“I can’t raise Rykov. There is some kind of interference here,” Popov transmitted.

“You are barely audible here,” Chekov commented.

“Tell Rykov we have the Artifact,” Popov reported.

“Oh, man. not again” Richter grows increasingly weary of the xenomorphs hissing growing louder.

“…and we are on our way down to the extraction point,” Popov reported.

“Make it fast. The first charges will be going off any second by now” Chekov reminded him.

“Shit everybody out! Double time it to the lines” Popov demanded.

“You don’t have to ask me twice, baby” Richter and Popov both bolted onwards to the exit.

Date: September 23rd, 2230. 7:02 PM.

Dunya, Rykov, Dimitri, Popov, Ivan, Xavier, Eisenberg and the remaining security, scientists, and Iron Bear mercenaries stare up at the Pods.

“There is no  way to save it, General?” Dunya asks.

“We have done all we can. Once the lift broke away, we lost all hope of regaining the pod. We must cut our losses before the xenomorphs find a way to spread to the other pods” Rykov explained.

“And what of the - creature - I saw?” Dunya asks.

There was a long pause, Dr. Eisenberg briefly turned his gaze to Dunya.

“It would seem that… It found what it was looking for,” Rykov speculated. 

“What about those remaining in the pod?” Dunya asks.

Eisenberg walked between Dunya and Rykov, “They are already dead. Sever the pod, General” Dr. Eisenberg demanded.

The charges began detonating across Pod 5. The predalien led some of the xenomorphs outside of Pod 5 as they leapt onto the scaffolding metal support beams. Pod 5 falls from its severed supports as it crashes into the ground below sealing any remaining xenomorphs, any unfortunate scientist, guard, or merc and The Artifact along with it.

“How are we going to explain to the buyer that we lost the artifact?” Ivan Hushvatov asked Rykov.

“By tying loose ends, Ivan” Rykov looked at Captain Martin Xavier, he gave Ivan a commanding look. Ivan understoods what General Rykov wants as he approaches the Guard captain.

“Captain Xavier…was it? I’ve heard Markinson talk about you. You were there when Dunya recovered the Artifact, is this correct?” Ivan asked.

“Yes,” Xavier replied.

 “You were also in charge of guarding its transfer to Storage C, is this correct as well?” Ivan’s tone grew deeper.

“Yes, but wait a minute, are you accusing me of something?” Xavier doesn’t like what Ivan is about to imply.

“The evidence is already against you, Rykov has already searched your quarters and found evidence of your collusion with Chigusa Corporation” Ivan accused.

“Wait, that can’t be true, that’s a lie! I would never betray the Company for Chigusa!” Xavier snarls in protest. He was innocent but the Iron Bears needed an escape goat. 

“Protest all you like, Martin, it doesn’t change the facts…” He nods to his men to grab Martin Xavier by the arms. “What General Rykov says… It means truth” Ivan knocks Xavier unconscious. “Throw him in with the laborers at the Primary Operations Complex, that's an order from Rykov himself” the Iron Bears nodded to Ivan as they carry the unconscious man away.

The yautja’s transmission would eventually reach its fellow yautja in the neighboring Nodus Secundas system. While the artifact’s signal would eventually reach the Engineer homeworld.

CHAPTER 7: CONTAINMENT

Locale: Lv-1201, Epsilon Draconis 1

Date: November 23, 2230

In the deep recesses of space a M-class Star Freighter encroaches on the planet LV-1201.

“Cargo vessel Aurora, you are clear for approach. Log on to channel zero one miner for landing beacon and weather data” The space traffic control transmits to the M-class Star Freighter Aurora.

The aurora slowly made its descent, it slowly and carefully landed in the start port. A long tubular arm hooks into the Aurora supplying it fuel. Power loaders get to work by removing supply crates from the aurora.

“I instructed you to have this shipment stowed by 09:30” Cisco shouted angrily at one of the starport workers as a P-5000 “CAT” Power Loader slowly walked past them with a large crate.

“You also told us to expect nine containers. We received seventeen” the starport worker explained.

“I don’t want to hear excuses. Get it done!” Cisco was growing madder at the worker.

Locale: Lv-1201, POC starport, M-Class Star Freighter Aurora

Date: November 23, 2230. 10:13 PM

Dr Arnaud Eisenberg boards the ship, he meets with the acting science officer, a blonde Weyland-Yutani agent. He glances at the rest of the crew, they were just moving about minding their business. He could hear their engineers in the background asking about their shares.

“The Committee is concerned, Doctor. The loss of Pod 5 is a major blow” the weyland-yutani representative voiced her concerns.

“Setbacks are to be expected” Eisenberg downplayed the tragedy.

“Yes, Doctor Eisenberg, but the Committee is still waiting to see progress” the representative is growing impatient.

“We’ve made considerable strides in deciphering the xenomorph chemistry” Eisenberg proudly declared to the representative.

“The Committee wants commercial applications. You promised us cures; instead they hear stories of unauthorized research. There’s even a rumor you want to try to harness and control the Hive”

“I’m not responsible for what politicians and corporate brass choose to believe,” Eisenberg was growing frustrated.

“I would hate to see your attitude jeopardize your future here” the weyland-yutani representative threatens.

“I’m not about to let this project get away from me. File that in your report” Eisenberg retorts bitterly.

Locale: Lv-1201, POC laboratory.

A man dressed in a dark colored heavy coat walks down the corridors passing by a few laboratories along the way, he stops at the door Laboratory 1B, he stares at his watch waiting patiently for his next assignment.

He hears the sound of wheels moving, he spots a large crate on a trolley cart being pushed by a woman dressed in a black clade armored uniform. She is one of them Iron Bear Mercs. The mercs always give him a bad vibe, maybe it's because they usually operate within UPP space or maybe because it's filled with UPP members. As a man who hails from UA space, he has a natural distrust for them, however as a secret smuggler they do pay him well. She draws closer with the crate.

“You’re late. What’s that?” Jonas asked.

“The package is larger than normal. So is your payment. As always, do not open it” Dunya instructed.

“Don’t worry, I’m good at keeping my mouth shut” he takes control over the trolley. “See ya sweetie” he says as he pushes the cart to his destination. He now arrives at the starport landing pad. He spots several massive crates and people managing the cargo with their power loaders. He waves at them, exchanging pleasantries as he pushes the cart to the M-Class Star Freighter Aurora. It reminded him of the old M-class star freighters of the early 2100’s. Not many advances in starship technology since the FTL tech revolution.

He pushes the cart up into its cargo bay, he spots an animal cage and several other supply crates. He lifts the crate up off the cart, it feels very heavy and he swore he heard something moving inside. He shrugs before placing the crate on the table, precariously close to the edge. He heard something stirring inside the crate. He is getting those bad UPP vibes again. He taps the functions at the base of his table.

“Scan completed. Report inconclusive. Target is shield” the computer spoke with a masculine voice.

“I don’t like this” Jonas had a bad gut feeling about this crate.

“Captain acquired on deck” his warrant officer radioed in.

“I’ll be right out” Jonas walks down the ramp, a security officer was waiting for him. “What's the problem?” he asked the guard.

“Richter, General Rykov wants to see you. Now” the security officer demanded.

“You’ve got to be kidding. I’m scheduled for departure in 15,” Jonas Richter protested.

“Schedule’s changed. Get moving” the officer ordered.

“Ah, come on Lloyd. Give me a break” Jonas growls.

“Let’s go. Hotshot” Officer Lloyd replied.

It senses the bodies were leaving, it was now alone. It hated being alone. It knew its purpose in life was about to end, it knew its companion dwelling inside of itself wanted to be born, it wanted to abandon it as well like the bodies. But it knew if it did nothing, it’s life and its companion might expire together but not sure when. It needs a body… It’s companion stirred rapidly inside of itself. Luck was on its side, the ramp of the ship closed off its cargo bay. The rumble from it caused the already precarious perched crate to tumble to the floor. The gases in the crate pops the lid straight off. The ovomorph was exposed to fresh air for the first time in a long while and also its last. It peeled back its petal-like appendages, ending its own life. It too has abandoned its companion.

The facehugger senses its “mother” had passed, it couldn’t remain with it any longer or else it too would die. He taps its finger-like legs on the ground, using the vibrations to map out its surroundings.

“Warning. Contaminant detected in cargo hold” The ship’s A.I. MU/TH/ER detected the facehugger’s presence. The facehugger startled by the sounds of the synthesized female voice, scurried along the floor before learning to climb up the walls. It awkwardly falls back to the floor, it had  now fully mapped its surroundings but one thing it didn’t map out was the ladder. It throws itself on to the ladder, its finger-legs gripping every bar until it reaches the top. It leaps off the ladder apex into the maintenance room. The changes in air pressure and density allowed it to decide where to go next. It scurried closer to the fuel pump. It could feel the pipe pumping fuel from the starport into the freighter. Fortunately for it, the pipe was encased in a spacious catwalk. It scurries into the fueling arm. It can sense several bodies below it but too far for it to reach.

“Get the hell out of my way!” yelled the corporate guard, Cisco, to one of the other guards.

“Sorry, sir” the guard apologized sarcastically.

“Don’t sass. Me soldier” Cisco retorted.

“Sorry, sir” the guard apologized more sincerely.

The facehugger is now free from the freighter as it now crawls within the fueling station’s walls. It carefully navigates its way past the pipes and ventilation fans as it searches for a body. It needs a body more than its “mother” did, like its “mother” the ovomorph, a body will allow the facehugger to pass on its companion dwelling within it. However unlike an ovomorph, it does not contain a living organism…not yet. Instead it carries a highly infectious microbial agent that's more akin to nanites than a natural virus. It must find itself a body soon or else it too will perish along with its cargo. The facehugger was now in the ventilation unit above a hallway. It could sense several out of reach bodies.

“You’re not getting paid to daydream. Can’t you find something useful to do?” Cisco barked at the two guards standing in front of a large door.

“Yes, sir,” one of the guards answered.

“That guy has issues,” said the second guard.

“No wonder he doesn’t have any friends,” the first guard added.

Cisco walks down the corridor and spots a third guard in his way, “Is it necessary to stand right in the middle of the corridor?” he demanded an immediate answer.

“N-no, sir” said the third guard.

“Idiot” Cisco snarled as he walked off. The facehugger read the one called Cisco’s pheromones and detected high levels of aggression induced chemicals it found attractive. The facehugger began to release a colorless chemical down the vented ceiling onto Cisco. Cisco passes into the invisible chemical none the wiser. It found its body, now it must find a way to become one with it. Cisco passes by two additional guards before taking a left turn into another hallway. 

“Why aren’t you men at your usual post?” Cisco barked.

“Sir, Sergeant Cole said…” the guard was cut off by Cisco.

“I don’t care what Sergeant Cole said, you men are not at your usual posts” Cisco demanded.

The facehugger crawls into a room, it quickly hides behind some crates to avoid being spotted. It senses two bodies behind a mesh fence.

“Somebody hacked the system. I’m serious” said one of the technicians.

“Just drop it already,” said the other technician, with a thick new yorker accent.

“I’m talking about permanent changes to the database: duty rosters, inventory, specimen samples, all kinds of stuff” the paranoid technician insisted.

“Did you check the log?” the new yorker technician asked for confirmation.

“No record. Whoever did this was a pro. I’m betting it was one of Rykov’s cronies” the paranoid technician accused.

“What do you have against that guy, anyway?” the new yorker technician asked curiously.

“Do you trust him? You know he got kicked out of the military” the paranoid technician added.

“He didn’t get kicked out. He was honorably discharged. For medical reasons. One of the Bears told me” the new yorker technician said matter-of-factly.

“You believe a mercenary? Look, the point is that someone’s been messing with the system” the paranoid technician added.

“Yeah, and my point is it’s better if someone else makes the report. Why get involved? Did it happen on your shift?” The new yorker technician was growing increasingly annoyed at his coworker.

“Now that you mention it…” the paranoid technician replies. 

There is a brief pause before the new yorker technician adds, “Besides, you bring the heat down your own dumb ass, I’m gonna get burned too”

The facehugger crawls through the maintenance ducts, it senses several bodies above itself but it's not interested in them. 

“You going on duty?” asks Nastasha, a young technician. She walks up to her boyfriend Joss Blaney, one of the security guards.

“Yeah,” Blanely replies.

“Hold up a sec. Let me grab my coat” she ran back into her quarters.

“My shift will be boring,” Blanely added.

“I don’t care as long as I’m with you” Natasha replies.

“Heh, alright” Blaney chuckles, happy to see his girlfriend wants to share some quality time with him.

The facehugger was indifferent to their romance as it continued its journey to stalk Cisco. It sensed a damaged and exposed electrical unit, it instinctually would avoid harming itself but it was between it and Cisco. Fortunately it wasn’t an obstacle and the facehugger passed into the next duct unharmed.

“When’s your tour up?” asks a technician to another.

“Five months”

“That’s not too bad”

“Eh, i’m thinking about doing another one”

“Hmm, yeah right”

“It’s hard to beat the money”

“Just don’t forget it’s hazard pay”

The two lab technicians went back to work, the facehugger crawled out from the ceiling and carefully kept itself latched to the ceiling surface. It makes its way out of the small lab into the adjacent corridor as it slips into an open ceiling maintenance hatch. It passes through into another duct. Before falling out into a sealed hallway. It then sneaks off into a small floor duct into the adjacent corridor. It could sense more bodies.

“This thing’s fried,” said maintenance technician Toby.

“Yep,” his partner agreed, “so what’s next?”

“Uh we should probably check up on the motion tracker out by vehicle maintenance” Toby sounded exhausted as he stood up from the partially open electronic door.

“Stark fixed that this morning,” his partner added.

“Did he?” Toby asked, surprised.

“Yup” his partner confirmed.

“All right, then I guess we can start inspecting the lifts down on sublevel 2” Toby added.

“Aww man” his partner groans.

“Beats unclogging chem toilets” Toby added.

“How's it going Toby?” asks another technician, “Either of you remember the name of that auditor that was in here last week?”

“The one with the nice ass?” Toby asked.

“Why, you in love or something?” the technician asked rhetorically, “I’m supposed to review her report but she hasn’t sent it over yet”

“Wasn’t it Sanchez?” Toby’s partner asked.

“I think it was Sandoval,” Toby added.

“Sanchez sounds right,” the other technician confirms.

“I’m pretty sure it was Sandoval,” Toby insisted. 

“I’ll try both,” the other technician replied. The facehugger leaped behind the talking trio as it made its way to the partially opened door.

“Ask her if she’s dating anybody” Toby asked curiously. The facehugger scurried away into the empty corridor, the scent of the chemical he released on Cisco earlier was getting stronger. He arrived at an open entrance way, it was Cisco. He was sleeping in a chair in the armory. The facehugger leapt from the floor onto the man’s face, Cisco awakens to something heavy on his face and a blockage in his throat before passing back out. A shadow quickly passes over to the door terminal, they shut the door, quickly they open the door terminal and rewire the wires to seal Cisco inside. 

The facehugger unaware of its benefactor continued to release its cargo inside of Cisco. Its senses dulled, it could no longer sense the other bodies, nor Cisco’s. Its legs grip on Cisco’s face grow increasingly weak. Several minutes have passed, then hours, the facehugger felt its life coming to an end. He slips off of Cisco's face, landing on the floor dead. 

Its cargo, black oil-like substance now flowing freely inside of Cisco’s circulatory system, consuming both red and white blood cells into a cancerous biomass. The pathogen now resembling a network of cancers had biomass nodes in key regions of Cisco’s body, like a factory they draw resources from the surrounding organs: blood from the spleen, local vessels, and lungs. Calcium from the ribcage and sternum. These resources are funneled to the main growth located in the chest behind the sternum. It extracts food and oxygen from the blood to fuel its growth and the iron from the blood and the calcium is used to develop its internal skeleton and harden its teeth. It's almost time for its birth, its muscles twitched to life within the cancerous sheath, it flexes the muscles in its jaws testing its teeth’s strength and durability. It senses its host’s fear and confusion, but it was too cramped, it must escape but the enemy was all around it. The chestburster began chewing its way out, it tears through its cancer prison. Next was the softened sternum, then the muscles and skin. 

Cisco was feeling a tremendous amount of pain, he contemplated his choices in life before screaming bloody murder as his chest explodes. Blood splatters all over the computer monitors, the chestburster was finally free. It turned its eyeless gaze back at Cisco, his body sunk into his chair, dead. Some of Cisco’s mind was copied or rather trapped in the chestburster’s personality. It turns away, lacking further interest in his host. It now looks for food. It hears more humans outside of the room, they pound on the sealed door demanding Cisco to open the door. The chestburster quickly slithered out of the window. Fearing for its life. It plummets to the streets below but thankfully its body is stronger than it looks. It carefully slithers into the shadows avoiding the passing guards.

“Where the hell is Cisco?” demanded one of the guards.

“No idea,” replied his comrade.

“He’s fifteen minutes late” the first guard grows angrier.

“I’m sure he’ll show up soon,” the second guard reassures his coworker.

“He better” retorted the first guard.

The chestburster slithers past the two guards, it spots a guard entering a building. The chestburster is tempted to follow in after him but the powered doors close behind him. The chestburster must return to the shadows. It slithers aimlessly until it hears the howling of a monkey. The chestburster slips past a guard whistling to himself as he makes his patrol. It spots a truck driving into its view from the next alley. It quickly slithers under the truck, using it as cover, the guards were busy talking to the driver to notice it.

“That’s the last one” said the guard before allowing the Truck to finish its drop.

“We got shorted on supplies again” said a guard observing the technician in a power loader uploading the supply crates from the truck.

“Yeah,” replied his partner.

“Fifteen containers,” the observing guard added.

“The whole time I've been at this dump we’ve been rationing,” the partner added. The chestburster sneaks its way around the guards and power loader as it slips into the animal storage bay. It hides behind a series of large crates. The monkey starts hooting as the chestburster slithers into a damaged side of the fence. The chestburster finds a howler monkey pacing back and forth in its cage, the snake-like xenomorph shoots open its jaws as it throws itself into the monkey chest, the monkey bear hugs the snake-like creature, the chestburster bites into the monkey’s juglar. The chestburster begins feeding on the monkey.

Locale: Lv-1201, POC starport, Animal Pens

Date: November 24, 2230. 8:00 AM

The following morning, It's been sometime since Cisco hasn’t shown up to work, the guards finally get the door opened. “Hey Cisco sleeping on the job ag…” he shines his flashlight after noticing water dripping from the monitors. “Holy shit, Cisco!” he realized Cisco was not asleep, he was dead. He quickly radio-in to his superior.

“What the hell is that?” said one of the convict laborers approaching the animal storage bay. He stared at the empty skin of the chestburster, “Is that a snake? I don’t remember shipping any snakes”

“Let’s get out of here,” his partner cried.

“Just a minute” the labourer peeked around the crates further. He spots a fully grown xenomorph drone resting on top of the empty monkey cages. “Run like hell” the inmate whispers to his partner.

“Wait what happened to Cisco?” A guard was responding to his radio. The inmate is ripped apart by the xenomorph, she spots the other inmate fleeing, so she stings him with her stinger. She walks up to the stuned inmate and finishes him off with a headbite from her innerjaws. The guard turns around to the xenomorph leap at him. She plunges her claws into his shoulders while landing her feet on to his chest. Blood spews from the guard’s mouth as the xenomorph crushes his skull with her clawed hands.

Two more guards swing around the corner, they spot the xenomorph and begin to open fire at her. She bolts behind some crates. She swings her tail to knock the top crate on to one of the guards. She quickly charges at the lone guard, knocking his Kramer Assault Rifle out of his hands. The xenomorph stings the guard, paralyzing him. She drags the paralized guard back into the animal pen. She drops him before making her way to the guard under the crate, she paralizes him as well before dragging him back. She rips apart and digests the dead inmates and guards, reusing their biomass into the basis for its makeshift resin nest inside the animal pen. Cocooning the two guards. She crawls over one of the guards, she just finished “feeding” him a mutagen substance. The guard’s body slowly begins to shrink, his skin darkens and his extremities begin to merge. The other guard too weak to scream watches in horror as his partner steadily grows bloated. 

“Bad weather for recon” said one of the guards, the gate behind suddenly opened up. A tail swings around from the opening door to sting the guard, he falls to the ground paralized. The xenomorph retracts its tail before attacking the guard’s partner. She crushes his head with her claws.

“Get back to work” A guard shouts at two technicians leaving a bar. The drone leaps down from her perch as she headbites the guard. The technians run for their lives as the drone turns to them. The two technicians retreated into the alley where the creature left, they were nothing but dead guards and inmates lying lifeless on the ground. The drone captures the two technians, cocooning them into the animal pen nest. The two guards cocooned from earlier have been turned into ovomorphs. The xenomorphs encases the two technicians in resin.

A lander flies down into the starport. The technicians quickly spot the carnage left behind by the xenomorph. The technicians discovered the nest. The ovomorphs had already hatched, several people were cocooned inside the animal pen. The drone sneaks up on the new arrivals, they soon join the cocooned technicians and guards. 

The drone wanders off to search for more hosts. The gate opens for a truck, the drone leaps onto the truck, she smashes the windshield pulling its driver out of his seat before tossing him on to the floor. A guard quickly leaves his post to investigate, the drone turns around quickly to avoid the guard's gun fire. The guard accidentally hits the driver instead, “Shit” he curses. Xenomorph leaps on to the wall, climbing across its surface before leaping on to the guard. She smashes the guard’s face into the frame of the truck. She hears a technician gasp in fright, she spins her skeletal biomechanical frame around. The lab technician runs into the facility, forgetting to close the door. The drone leaps towards the door, slipping through the doorway as she makes her way to the technician. Curiously the facility defense systems did not turn on to eliminate her as she makes her way down the corridor.

A guard was taken by surprise by her presence, she grabs the guard by the head, she fires her inner jaws into his skull. The guard's body is dropped to the floor, dead. She enters another animal pen, the frightened technician screams as she bolts past her colleague studying the Lv-1201 bug. The drone approaches the biologist studying the bugs.

“Is that you, Stone?” He stood annoyed by the women’s screaming only to come face to face with the alien. The xenomorph stings him with her tail. His body collapses paralizyed on the floor. She raised her massive head, she noticed there was an elevated area leading to the next room. She leaps to the raised area. She comes up to a room full of scientists and a single guard.

“Wow, we got a complete shipment for a change. In the morning I want you to prep the new hosts.. What the?” The scientists noticed the xenomorph eating the guard. The xenomorph turns towards the scientists, her teeth dripping with the guard’s blood. She slowly approaches the scientists, drool dripping from her jaws. Two guards arrive a few minutes later only to find the scientists and guards outside were all gone. They were brought into the ceiling where the Drone had made into the new nest made from the dead guard. The drone planned on coming back for the two guards below.

Weyland Yutani security command, it was a dark room filled with computer monitors everywhere. The security technicians watch from afar of the chaos unraveling in the Primary Operations Complex. They see the two guards looking confused as they search the laboratory, one of the guards heads back down to the animal pens while the other is suddenly pulled up into the ceiling, dropping his gun. The other guard returns, he bends to pick up his friend’s rifle, it was now covered in slime.

“Commander” asked one of the security technicians.

“What is it?” Liam Hadden answered.

“We’ve got a problem” the technician reported.

Two technicians were talking in the chow hall eating chow. Eating spaghetti, drinking mountain dew and just having ordered some bread sticks and a large pepperoni pizza.

“Seen Pete around? He hasn’t reported in” said one of the personnel.

“Probably sleeping it off. I think Carson’s covering for him” replied the other.

“You’ve seen him?”

“Nope”

“You run into either one of them, let ‘em know I’m looking for them”

“Sure thing”

“I just talked to Markinson. Something got into the animal labs, ripped the place up” 

“He, report it yet..”

The drone crawls down from the ceiling into the chow hall. She overpowers the personnel easily. They were valuable alive then dead as she began to drag them back to her second nest. Two guards ran down the stairs and began open fire on her. She drops her prey, ensuring their survival for the time being. She leaps across the chow hall ceiling before leaping at one of the guards. She headbites the first guard out of spite before impaling the second guard with her tail. She bolts up the stairs, she impales a maintenance technician before sneaking off into the air duct. It leads across a caged catwalk leading into the next complex facility.

“Where’s that damn containment team” two guards were guarding a control terminal linked to the specimen rooms. They could hear the screams of personnel getting ripped outside. The Drone breaks through the door and enters the control room. She swiftly kills one of the guards via impalement, the surviving guard was in too much shock to move from his spot. The Drone finishes him off with a headbite. She senses the electronics radiating from the terminal, her vision was murky but she was able to see what was contained in the containers and she was able to sense their minds via the mind link all xenomorphs share. She destroyed the terminals, power was no longer being supplied to the stasis field in the tanks. The xenomorph warriors awaken from their slumber as they break free of the tanks. The warriors tear through the doors dividing them from the plethora of hosts and prey.

Warning. Xenomorph specimen container fail safes overridden

The computer blared its warning. It fell on death’s ears as the xenomorphs began to spread. The drone ran into the security room after the security team was dealt with by the much stronger warriors. The drone slips into the security post 4.

“Containment team. Report to the Vehicle Maintenance Bay. Condition 3” the security guard in charge ordered before getting impaled by the Drone. The warrior rushed in to take the civilian back to the nest. The Drone ran up ahead of her sisters. She saw a man dressed in the APE suit, a heavy armor resistant to intense heat. 

“We got her! Secure those exits! Let’s burn her out!” the APE troops began spraying napalm at the xenomorph. The drone is repelled by the fire, she retreats out of pure self preservation. The APE continued to fire the jet of fire, backing her into a corner. The APE trooper is ambushed by the Warriors from the security post. 

“Man down! Target is loose! Cut her off in the maintenance bay!” The warriors find the other two APE troopers but they are set alight. They fall to the ground breathing in pain. The Drone bolted towards the APE troopers, she impaled the closest one with her tail. She leaps on to the last one and delivers a headbite into his helmet. There was nothing she could do for the warriors, however she knew the nests built earlier were probably teaming with young drones.

“Should we notify Rykov?” asked the security technician. The monitors display xenomorphs attacking personnel across the security feeds; Science and maintenance technicians fleeing for their lives. Security guards being ripped apart and civilians being dragged off to who knows where. Captain Blanley and his guards have barricaded a hallway while protecting the civilian personnel from any xenomorph that happened upon them.

“Sure, if you want to lose your bonus and get transferred to perimeter duty” Commander Liam Hadden replied sarcastically.

“What if we need firepower support, sir?” the security technician asked.

“Rrrr, Let’s not overreact. I figure we’re probably dealing with a single contagion. This isn’t the first time of those bastards has got out of it’s cage” Commander Hadden rationalizes.

“If the Primary Operations Complex goes down, the Pods will be isolated. We’re their communication link” the technician counters, his tone a hint with panic.

“Son, the POC isn’t being overrun,” Commander Hadden was getting annoyed while downplaying the xenomorph attack’s severity. “Besides, Rykov can’t reach us for three hours, at least,” he added.

Blanley and his men continued to fire upon the xenomorphs. The aliens retreated for now. Blanley and his men sigh as they check their ammo supplies. 

CHAPTER 8: INCIDENT

Locale: LV-1201, Primary Operations Complex, Animal Storage.

Date: November 25, 2230. 5:18 AM.

The Drone arrives in a vast tunnel complex, the walls looked age and rusted, the room was barely illuminated by weak yellow lights. She sneaks up on a lone guard programming a sentry gun in the middle of the corridor. She stings him with her stinger, his body goes limp as she drags him off to a dark corner. Where she had constructed a new nest out of the guard’s fellows. She cocoons the guard in her scretid resin before abandoning him to his fate. The cocooned guard opposite of him had just finished metamorphosing into an ovomorph. The ovomorph peeled back its petal-like lips as a facehugger slowly made its way out. The man’s screams echoed down the hall, then he went silent.

The Drone made its way into the air ducts looking for a safe route to collect more hosts. It didn’t matter to the drone if they were human or not, a host is a host. She heard activated sentry gun’s electronic beeps and mechanical swivels, she knew they were waiting for her down below, she encountered a few earlier and nearly lost a limb to them; she is more careful now, she learned to avoid them. The sounds of her children and hivemates screaming as they were gunned down by the sentry turrets made the Drone furious. 

Then came a loud roar that triggered a hive memory in the Drone. Images of ancient Yautja hunting their kind on this planet some odd 500 years ago flooded into the Drone’s mind. She redirected herself down the adjacent air vent, looking for her ancient enemy. Her rapid movements gave away her position to the human’s motion trackers below.

“It's in the air vents. Coming your way” radioed one of the guards.

“What do we do?” asked a guard.

“Shoot it,” radioed the other guard.

“Yes, sir” the local guard complied.

“Set up some turrets in the crawlspaces. We need to keep it contained in the corridors'' radioed the other guard.

The Drone cuts the power to the fans below her, she then slips through the ceiling down on top of her fleeing prey. She stings a civilian but is shot in the shoulder by a local guard. She leaps at him, killing him with her combined weight, momentum, strength and a forced blunt trauma to the back of his skull from a metal supply crate. She drops his lifeless corpse as she waits for her wound to heal. Two more guards come running down the ramp, she kills them both. Their bodies were recycled into ovomorphs as she built yet another nest. Now onto the turrets up ahead, she shiftly disables the two that had their backs turned. She leaps across the room to disable the other. She had avenged her hivemates however she was not done with this place just yet. She must find more hosts to replenish her hive’s numbers.

Two APE commandos hear the sounds of personnel screaming over the radio and the echoing down the corridors. They were all then systematically silenced. The two guards quickly retreat back onto the elevator lift, fearing the same fate as the others. The Drone had already picked up their scent, she snarled as they were carried away by the elevator. She leaps onto the shaft wall as she begins to climb. She leapt onto the underneath of the rising elevator; it was barely even halfway up the shaft shaft; she impaled one of the APE commandos with her tail before casting him down the shaft. The other commando readies his pulse rifle, he pops in a few shots at her. The Drone avoids the gun fire as she retreats over the ledge of the lift. She crawls over to the other side.

The Drone returns from the ledge behind him. “Command, I think…!” The APE commando is silenced as the Drone penetrates the commando’s skull with her inner jaws. The Drone turns her head and spots a yautja at the bottom of the shaft, she leapt from the lift’s ledge. She drops to the bottom of the shaft, her durable mesoskeleton allows her body to remain unharmed from the fall. She follows the scent trail of the fleeing Yautja.

“Where is it?” said one of the guards

“Should be headed your way” radio replies.

She finds herself a lone guard and a science technician in a cramped chamber adorned with massive windows leading to another tunnel below. The Drone leaps onto the invisible yautja, throwing both of themselves into one of the windows. They plummet to the chamber below, the yautja throws the xenomorph off of himself but he does not engage it, instead he continues to run. The Drone slowly recovers, growing more agitated. She hears more humans down the hall. When Yautja turns around, he flashes his biomask’s optics to signal the kainde amedha. The Drone snarls as she continues to chase the Yautja further in the tunnels.

“Seal the gate”

“Keep it out of the pipes”

A shimmer bolts past the guards, they feel a gentle breeze the guards bolt as they see the xenomorph run past them. The Drone will have to deal with the guards after she deals with this ancient enemy. She leaps down into an open chamber four floors down. There the yautja was waiting for her. He wore light armor, the hive memory tells the Drone this one is an inexperienced yautja called a young blood. Memories inherited from the surviving xenomorphs that killed these inexperienced warriors came flooding into the Drone’s mind. She lances her tail at the weakest part of the yautja’s armor. The neck region, the young blood deflects her tail with his combi-stick. Beginner's luck, the drone drops to all fours as she stays low to the ground, thrashing her tail around to get ready to sting her prey.

The young blood could feel the fiery rage building inside of him, he wants to claim this kainde amedha’s head for a trophy. The Drone wraps her tail around the combi-stick, the yautja pulls his spear away but the tail has a good grip around it. The Drone pulls the combi-stick free of the young blood’s grasp. She drags the combi-stick away.

The young blood feeling his pride being mocked by the kainde amedha readies his plasma caster, he targets the xenomorph. The Drone bolts to the other side of the room. The young blood has now turned his entire body to fire his shoulder cannon. The Drone hides behind a large crate. The young blood clicks his mandibles rapidly, he emits three red dots on the crate. His plasma caster begins charging up. The Drone abandons the combi-stick as she leaps out onto the wall from behind the crate as the young blood fires his plasma caster. The crate explodes into molten metal as shrapnel is sent flying. The Drone builds up momentum from running along the walls, leaping at the young blood. The young blood struggles, the Drone fires her inner jaws into the Plasma Caster’s powerpack, the young blood finds the strength to throw the drone off of himself. 

He attempts to fire his plasma caster, the shoulder cannon barely fires a free particle. The young blood growls angrily as he shoves his damaged powerpack off his shoulder along with the plasma caster. The Drone was back on top of him, he extended his wristblades to stab the Drone in her stomach but he missed and hit the bony part of her ribcage instead.The Drone leaps from her prey, she holds her injured ribs, acid blood drips from her wound. The young blood flips open his gauntlet, he taps at the tiny windows built into the gauntlet. Red digital markings appear in the tiny windows, the symbols changing frequently. The young blood began making strange noises along with clicking his mandibles rapidly. 

The guards above look down, “Is it laughing?”

The yautja’s laughter triggers another hive memory, the Drone recalls from one of her ancestors: They were swarming a yautja hunting band, the recalled memory came from one of the warriors in the distance. The warrior recounted the yautja laughing before being engulfed by a ball of light taking the warrior’s sisters. The xenomorph warrior attempted to flee along with many others but the blast set the forest alight, the warrior was set ablaze but fortunately she and several others fell into a deep pond. When they surfaced, they spotted the charred remains of their sisters. 

The Drone bolts up the shaft, she ignores the security guards as self-preservation takes over. The xenomorph retreated back into the tunnels as the yautja’s laughter was growing more and more distant. Then came the explosion. The Drone slowly returns and she notices the chamber was now a ruined mess. The other exits were sealed off by the guards earlier, before the guards were killed instantly by the explosion. She peaked over where the young blood once stood in his place was a massive hole in the floor. The panel the Drone was standing on slips causing the xenomorph to plummet into the hole. She lands in a maintenance pipe hub, where one of the pipe hatches was left open.

“It’s in the pipes. It’s going to get out” said one of the security technicians staring through the pipeway’s camera, as the xenomorph makes her escape. Commander Hadden watches over the man’s shoulder accompanied by a squad of security guards.

“Notify Rykov,” Commander Hadden commands.

“You said he couldn’t get here in time,” the technician recalled.

“He can’t. Sound the general alarm and send any available security teams down there on the double. We can at least buy some time for civilian personnel to make it to the shelters,” Commander Hadden orders.

“Yes, sir” the security technicians complied.

“Activate the distress beacon and notify Gateway. Maybe the Pods can hold out until help arrives” Commander Hadden added.

Locale: Forward Observation Pods, transmission room.

The illuminating lights of console buttons filled the room but yet the room was still shrouded in darkness. A woman is at her computer, working on something. Dr. Eisenberg standing behind her.

“I’m routing the security feeds through to the monitor banks now,” the pod’s security technician.

“Cut the transmission” Dr. Eisenberg orders her. The technician ignored him. Dr. Eisernberg grew more aggravated, having to repeat himself. “I said cut the transmission. I will not let them gloat. I won’t give them the satisfaction,” Eisenberg growled.

Locale: Lv-1201, Primary Observation Complex

Date: November 26, 2230

Two security guards are standing guard over the starport.

“You heard what happened to garibaldi?” asked one of the guards.

“Yeah… Blainly, been trying to keep it quiet. But I hear they had to check the dental records” the other guard added.

“I wish. They found him hanging upside down with no skin left on him” the first guard elaborated.

“Damn” the second guard reacted, disturbed.

“You got that right. Markinson said his skull was gone. Like somebody took it for a trophy” the first guard revealed more of the story to his coworker.

“Alright, Alright. You can stop now. I’m freaked enough as it is” the second guard was getting goosebumps.

The predator looks down from his vantage point at the corporate guards. He leaps down into the clearing. He uncloaks revealing himself to the two corporate guards.

“What the hell is that?” The guards stared at the alien hunter in horror. The predator takes both guards out by surprise. He skins them before roping up their hanging corpses on a nearby street lamp. The yautja is soon greeted by others of his kind.

“Gara-hish-di, hasn’t reported back” the predator reported to the hunting captain. 

“He moved without following, Gara-hish-di is more than likely dead. The tunnels are full of kainde amedha,” the hunting hunting taps at his wrist computer, images of the POC’s maps are downloaded into the other yautja’s bio-helmets.

“Spread out, for now ignore the oomens unless an opportunity arises that you fight one of exceptional talents and skill. Don’t waste your time on the weaker ones unless they attack you first” the hunting captain orders.

Date: November 28, 2230

Blaney and his men were marching to the local jailing center. The barricade had since been overrun by the xenomorphs and Blanely’s team had taken caultities. He needed more men, they had fallen back to the next barricade. He approached the jailing center doors and took a deep breath before entering the facility. There he began towards a door, there a man looked out from the multi-bar window.

“Martin Xavier” Blaney said coldly.

“Joss Blaney, my replacement” Xavier looked at the security guard with contempt. Not with him but the man who holds Blaney’s leash. 

“You were arrested for stealing company property…what happened to you man? It wasn’t long ago that you once commanded security?” Blaney asked.

“All in the past now, my friend,” Xavier replied, “So did you come here to say hi or do you need me for something? Perhaps a manpower shortage?”

“We need every able body person to beat back this containment break” Blaney replied, “You have fought these creatures, so you must…”

“There is no advice I can give you. You are not properly equipped to deal with them, you will need military grade weaponry”

“We will make do without them, shoot them enough times they will bleed” Blaney retorts.

“Even so, the likelihood of our survival is slim,” Xavier added.

Blaney gives the signal to his men to open the cell doors, the remaining laborers all step out. “You and your men are coming with me, no questions asked. Oh and remember the gate closes at fifteen to sundown. You're not inside - you're on your own. Just stick to regs”

Hours passed, the xenomorphs had broken into the second barricade. They took more civilian personnel. Everywhere they turned they saw nest after nest of cocooned dead bodies and empty eggs. Blaney rendezvous with Commander Hadden and his men.

“Commander Hadden, sir” Blaney salutes.

“Captain Blaney, we have security personnel that need evacuating from the lower crew quarters then we will rendezvous to hold the landing bays”

“Yes, sir.” Blaney gathers his men and some of the convicts to head for the lower quarters. 

The xenomorphs had broken through the last barricade, swarming Commander Hadden and his men. The security guards unload entire clips of their magazine into the xenomorphs but nothing can stop them. Their weapons were too weak to properly damage their armor, too weak to kill them. The security guards were ripped apart by the xenomorph warriors.

“I will not go like them… I’ll take you bastards with me!” Hadden cursed as he pulled the pin from his grenade. An explosion was heard, Blaney knew it was Commander Hadden. Holding the landing bays is going to be tough with only a handful of guards and convicts.

CHAPTER 9: ARRIVAL

Locale: Lv-1201, Epsilon Draconis 1

Date: December 1, 2230. 

In the deep blackness of space a copper-colored ship resembling a double-bladed spear-tip arrives into the Epsilon Draconis system. The dark green world of LV-1201 comes into view.

Locale: Lv-1201, Forward Observation Pods. Weyland-Yutani Xenomorph Observational Facility.

A lab technician is seen sitting in a room surrounded by computer monitors and consoles filled with flashy buttons. Behind them are General Vassili Rykov and Ivan Hushvatov.

“You’re overdue for your medication,” Ivan reminded Rkyov.

“It slows the mind. I wish to be effective,” Rykov refuses.

“Pain won’t make you effective,” Ivan said matter-of-factly.

“General Rykov! I’ve picked it up again. Definitely some sort of thermal anomaly,” the lab technician reports.

“Meteor?” Rykov presumed. He turns to look at the lab technician curiously.

“No, sir. It’s slowing down” the lab technician reports, Rykov and Ivan now turn their attention to the technician, “Sir, it’s changing course. Zeta region.”

“We have remote monitors there,” Ivan replied.

“Good. I want visuals,” Rkyov orders as he gets closer to the monitors.

The surveillance camera 679067382, an image of scattered rocky islands surrounded by dark green water. Then the copper starship glides across the green sky. Its double prong nose and axe blade shaped wings was not of a human design. It now passes under the lights of Epsilon Draconis 1 and Epsilon Draconis 2. Rykov saw these ships late last month. His men have died at the hands of these creatures, they stole the artifact and sent that message… wait could these alien predators have been drawn here by that transmission?

“Ivan, call the containment teams” Rykov ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Ivan replied.

Locale: Lv-1201, Forest.

Date: December 1, 2230. 9:08 AM

The yautja collected their armor and weapons, they heard stories of this world, that it was the first world their kind had encountered these kainde amedha. A kainde amedha with parasitic larval stage, that bleeds acid and is controlled by a single powerful kainde amedha. The hunting captain and the other blooded looked up and saw him, Paya’kan’di. The hunting captain and the blooded all kneeled in his presence. Paya’kan’di clicked his mandibles, “Rise” he growled in the yautja tongue.

“Honorable Paya’kan’di, we have arrived on the planet depicted in the old stories. The first world our kind encountered these kainde amedha”

“We've encountered many of these kainde amedha on other worlds, what makes you think these would be any different from the rest? Paya’kan’di replied with a bored tone.

“Honorable one, these kainde amedha have a cunning to them unmatched from the ones we grow for our hunts. These kainde amedha are the direct creations of the mala’kak,” the hunting captain replied.

“So are the ones from the mala’kak star map,” Paya’kan’di continued to be unimpressed by this world, “you may go on ahead,”

“In time, honorable one, you’ll appreciate what this world has to offer,” The hunting captain takes his leave with the other blooded yautja to scout for a suitable hunting spot. 

Paya’kan’di sharpens his wrist blades, collects his wrist computer, medicomp device, plasma caster, speargun and recharge cube. He soon comes across a path leading to a valley filled with white barked broad limb trees. They remind Paya’kan’di of the trees from Korarian Trees from Planet Korari. He remembers the oomen who escaped from him, Vassili Rykov. Paya’kan’di leapt onto the flat broad limbs, he heard something moving around below him.

“The energy surge came from this general area,” said an oomen technician.

“Oomens? Here?” Paya’kan’di spoke while clicking his mandibles. To an oomen his voice would sound like a reptile growling mixed with chattering insects. The oomens ignore the predator prince.

“I’m not reading anything now,” said another oomen technician.

Paya’kan’di quickly scans these oomen with his biomask, they lack weapons of any kind, therefore they weren’t suitable to be prey. Hunting prey that doesn’t fight back is considered dishonorable by most yautja clans. He upholds that law, he taps at his cloaking device before disappearing into a shimmer. He made his way through a small cave leading to a whindy beach. Green water surrounds either side. Oomen guards patrol the beach as if looking for something. The prince pulls out his speargun, he aims at the closest guard, he pulls the trigger and the flying prong spear projectile slices through the guard’s neck.

The other guard turns to find his college lying on the ground, blood pouring from his neck wound. Before he had time to react, a shimmer lunged at him. Blood splats on the grey muddy rock floor. The prince spotted the hunting captain in the distance waving for his attention. Paya’kan’di kickin up mud and rock shards from his sandals as he sprints across the beach. Orange grass dots the muddy beach. Massive bleached white bee-hive like structures dot the landscape along with the white barked trees, fleshy orange plants and a green worm-like mouth plant. The prince skins the two guards before hanging them on the tree branch. He then climbs the rocky bridge past some flowering plants. The hunting captain hands the prince his heavy combi-stick and a smart disk.

The prince examines the heavy combistick, it has a two pronged speartip unlike the more common single spear tip combi-sticks the others had. He thanks him with a nod. He spots the skinned oomens, he didn’t have to inform the prince of their presence. Both of them had realized now that the signal that drew them here was a yautja transmission but had somehow originated from an oomen transmitter.

“What the hell? What happened to unit 2” asked a guard on another beach head. A shimmer slices through a small patrol of them, the guard in the distance quickly runs for help but he is silenced when a spear tip pinned him to a white barked tree. These oomens were beneath the prince to claim as trophies. None of them fought with honor instead they relied too heavily on their rifles. The hunting captain ran up ahead while the prince was busy skinning his kills. His helmet was picking up on the Weyland-Yutani security force’s radio chatter.

“Stay lively. More hostiles possible” said a guard on his rado unit. 

“Clear. I’m seeing all clear” reported one of the oomen guards.

“Bravo team reporting targets down. Two contained. Tell the Doctor the EMP are a success,” reported another oomen guard.

“Load cargo for immediate evacuation. Please confirm number of contained specimens” ordered the head guard.

“Two confirmed. Request shift to status green” reported the guard.

“Negative. Status is still Red. We have no positive headcount. Stay sharp. Commence search” ordered the head guard.

“We can’t raise the survey team on the emergency channel” reported another guard.

“Keep trying. We need to evacuate those people ASAP. Something big’s going on”

“We're approaching their position now,” said a lone guard. He walks down the slope keeping an eye out on the supply crates. Paya’kan’di silenced him with his smartdisk. Sliced the man into twos. It took a while before the other guards noticed something was wrong when their friend didn’t report back. A shimmer moved across the ruins of an old shelter. The three guards were picked off one by one. 

“Bravo team to base, hostile fire confirmed. We’ve lost contact with Alpha Team” the radio on the supply crate reported.

“Pull back, Bravo. Get the specimens out of there” demanded their superior.

Paya’kan’di enters a water filled valley covered in skinny trees and fat pillar rocks. Paya’kan’di leaps onto the tall pillar rocks, to gain a vantage point over the oomens. He spots the oomen’s body signature in his biomask, they were fleeing from something. Dark blue shadow things moved in the background, the oomens were thrown to the floor by silhouettes shroud in the dark and blue. Quickly Paya’kan’di switched vision modes from heat blue to electro red. The oomens were replaced by faint reds and blacks which easily blended with the background while the blacks and blues silhouettes were replaced with monsters endowed by a bright white-blue coloration. 

“Kainde Amedha” Paya’kan’di wasn’t impressed by them. He drops from the rock pillar believing this was going to be a simple extermination duty. The kainde amedha warriors charged at him, he threw his smart disk into the first one which was sliced in half. He stabs the second one with his heavy duty spear before bifurcating its skull. Paya’kan’di had fought thousands of these beasts on regular annual hunts and they are no match for his skill. He collects what he cans from the two dead xenomorph warriors. He heard a distant roar, it was deeper than a usual kainde amedha. He ignored them while he continued to harvest his kills. Rocks fell down into the valley. The water was impacted by something big. Something big, blue and white charged into the royal yautja. 

Paya’kan’di was thrown into the air before splashing into the ankle high water. Paya’kan’di coughed up some green blood into his biomask. He quickly rises to his feet despite the pain in his ribs. He examines his adversary, she was far larger than a warrior and her head almost resembles that of a Queen. The praetorian roars at him, flaring her thick muscular arms out to the side while thrashing around her segmented tail. He extends his combi-stick to its maximum length, he carefully charges towards the praetorian. The preatorian swipes at him with her claws, but Paya’kan’di ducks as he swings his combi-stick at her but misses; he spins around and impales her ribcage with the bladed part. She hisses, she backhands the yautja to gain some distance. Paya’kan’di throws his combi-stick at her but it misses. She head butts him, sending him flying back a couple of feet. He tries to punch the praetorian but she jerks her massive head up then she swipes at him with her claws. He ducks then rolls from underneath her. 

He lost her from his sights, he scans his surroundings and wonders how could he lose a target that is so big? The praetorian emerges from behind the pillar, she whips her tail into the yautja sending him flying backwards yet again. He crashes into the water. He quickly got back to his feet. Paya’kan’di roars at the praetorian as he charges at her, quickly extending his wrist blades as he and the large xenomorph collide into each other. Both aliens wrestle each other in the water filled valley, pushing each other backwards in a wrestling tug of war. The praetorian won out as she shoves the yautja back into a nearby pillar, she throws the yautja at the pillar. He falls into the water, he rolls out of the way of the preatorain’s next attack. She grabs him and pushes his face against the pillar rock, his plasma caster aims up at the pillar’s apex. He desperately fires his shoulder cannon, the white-blue plasma hits the pillar apex. Causing the top to collapse on top of them, fortunately the praetorian took the full brunt of the collapsing rocks. 

Paya’kan’di shoves his fist out of the rocky debris, he pulls himself out. Exhausted but gained a new respect for the kainde amedha. He heard stories from other clans of their existence. But he never in all of his years hunting the kainde amedha ever had the chance to hunt a praetorian. The closest thing was a queen but she was much bigger and took an entire coordinated effort for the yautja just to capture one let alone kill one. He marks this location with his biomask, he’ll have to retrieve her skull later.

Date: December 1st, 2230. 5:13 PM

Locale: Canyons. 3km south of the FOP.

He made his way to the ledge of a cliff, he spotted across the ravine, oomen multi-wheeled transports called rovers. Oomens dressed in white are seen carrying three of his clanmates away including the hunting captain. Paya’kan’di was furious at the oomens. The rovers began to drive away. He runs across the ledge until he passes through a small tunnel, he spots another one of the rovers driving away. He leapt onto the rover, he then cloaked himself. He spots two bar-shaped landers arriving above the canyons.

“Allright, it’s heading our way. Snipers, shoot on sight” said one of the guards on look out. The yautja leapt from the Rover to plunge his combi-stick into the guard in the guard shack. Guards swarm out of their makeshift duty huts as they surround the guard shack. Paya’kan’di begins blasting apart the guards as he makes his escape, he leaps on to the trees to make his escape. He finds a small tunnel to hide in as he pulls the bullets out of his flesh. He coats the wounds with a burning adhesive. He rests for a while to catch his breath. He remembers he must catch up with the Rovers before he loses them, he pulls out a syringe and injects himself with a stimulant. He roars as the drug takes effect quickly.

Date: December 1st, 2230. 11:15

Locale: Forward Observation Pods, ground level. 

Four massive cylindrical metal towers dangle from the suspension beams. On the ground below, a fifth tower lays partially sunken into the ground. The rest of the ground was fenced off. A few concrete defenses here and there, sentry batteries everywhere. Supply crates used as cover for the guards and Iron Bear Mercs. A lift lies in the dead center, four cables pull it up and down from the pod’s hub. Oomens patrol the grounds while the Rovers carrying his clanmates arrive on to the lift. It will be quite difficult for the prince to sneak into this complex but he has to for the sake of his pride and honor.

“Hurry up with that thing” says an impatient security guard to a technician working on booting up the automated sentry guns.

“Almost done,” said the technician.  

“That thing could show up any minute,” the security guard urges.

“I’m working as fast as I can” the technician states, getting rather frustrated.

The yautja fires its spear tip into the sentry gun’s generator before passing by them without incident as he approaches the next couple of guards.

“I thought you were third shift,” said a guard to another guard. 

“Farley’s on sick leave” the other guard replied.

“He looked fine yesterday,” said the first guard.

“He was fine yesterday. The idiot got into a pissing contest with one of Rykov’s men.Crazy Russian bastard broke both his arms, barehanded. Right in front of a security camera,” said the second guard.

“Why does the Corporation even bother with mercenaries? We can handle this situation on our own. We’re trained professionals” said the first guard

“My brother works for the news net. He says the Corporation has a special team for problem solving. I don’t remember the names, but Iron Bears definitely came up. They’ve been accused of kidnappings, assassinations, mass murder… you name it. There’s a joke that the only problem with sending the Bears to educate a town is that afterward, there’s no more town,” replied the second guard.

“Poor Farley. Well, at least they caught it on camera,” said the first guard.

“Like that matters,” the second guard retorts.

“Ain’t fair,” the first guard added.

“You got that right. I’m stuck with double shifts!” the second guard replied.

The yautja spots an opening, the shimmer passes by the two talking guards. He charges up to an oomen, the oomen’s sharp pick up on the shimmer in the dark but before he could alert the others. A spear now sticks out of his throat. He grabs his combi-stick and collapses it as he bolts towards the elevator lift.

“Activate Lift! Take me up! Now!” the panicked guard demands as Paya’kan’di decapitates a guard. He turns around, now he faces the yautja. The lift activates, his body is thrown from the lift 25 feet up.

“Target confirmed! Get me some friggin’ backup” the Pod Hub security picks up on the yautja’s bio-scan.

“Use your EMP grenades!” shouted another guard. Paya’kan’di leaps from the bay doors as lands on one of the supply crates. “Use your EMP grenades!” the guard shouted again. Paya’kan’di avoids the guards as he continues to climb up. One of the guards shoots Paya’kan’di shoulder pads, his plasma caster swivels around, it fires a plasma bolt right into the guard. He is reduced to gibs. The plasma caster swirls to its next target, firing at any perceived threat. The prince climbs up to the next floor. He begins hacking into POD2’s elevator. The elevator door opened, a guard was hiding in the elevator. The Prince throws the guard out like a bag of trash. The elevator door closes. The prince is then taken to Pod 2.

“It’s taking the elevator” a guard shouted,“Warm up!”

“It's on level 2” The security technician located the threat.

“Over here” One of the guards spotted the elevator, the rest of the guards began to mobilize to the elevator door. A shimmer lashes out at the closest guard to the elevator. The yautja roars as he is shot by one of the guards. He fires his plasma caster into the guard that shot him, the guard’s chest explodes as he tumbles over dead. A Combat-synth joins the guards, he begins opening fire on the cloaked yautja. Paya’kan’di bolts around the elevator looking for cover. He dashes behind a series of supply crates to patch up his wound. He arms his smart disk, he throws it around the corner. He controls its flight trajectory through his biomask. The smart disk slices through the guards, sentry guns and combat synthetic. The smart disk flies back around to his hand. He gets up before proceeding into the POD 2, he opens the door and sees stairs.

A security guard spots him and tries to radio for help but is quickly silenced by the prince’s combi-stick. Paya’kan’di sprints up the stairs until he reaches a steamy dark room. He looks around the large metallic chasm, could this be the pod’s core? He leaps onto a large pipe before leaping onto the ledge of a massive power conduit. He then leaps on to a catwalk, where a combat synthetic began aiming his pulse rifle at him. 

“Target spotted” the android said in monotone.

Paya’kan’di put away his smartdisk as he bolts for cover. Prince Paya’kan’di pulls out his speargun, he turns around the corner as he decapitates the android with a single shot. Paya’kan’di grabs the android’s head then crushes it. Three security guards bolt from the door archways, Paya’kan’di takes them both out with his plasma caster. He pulls out his recharge cube to recharge his electronic devices before putting it away. He leapt from the catwalk on to a platform. He carefully patrols the platform until he spots a guard escaping up a yellow ladder. Paya’kan’di chases after the guard. The double seal closed. The text above the door over ladder flashes Evacuate. The yautja prince enters the small room from the main chamber, there was nothing special about this room, other than having a second door leading out into the main chamber and two double doors leading to the rest of Pod 2.

Paya’kan’di climbs into the room, collapses his speargun as he puts it away then extends his wrist blades. The door behind suddenly closes shut, then the door in front of him. He looks up at the two LED lights. The ceiling slides open into a series of small holes. Small balls suddenly drop from these holes, they explode on the floor, EMP grenades! His biomask shorts out as the EMP throws him off his balance, the air is then filled with sleeping gas. The prince struggles to stay awake but collapses onto the grey metal floor. The double door slides open as three humans walk out into the small confining room. General Rykov, Ivan and a security guard. 

“I think you are lost my friend” Rykov says to the unconscious Prince. The large imposing russian looked down upon the yautja with disgust, “Twenty years in my nightmares. You have much to repay” he snarls. 

He then lands his foot on to the prince’s biomask, slowly applying more pressure as he twists his boot on his face. Rykov carefully begins to remove the Prince’s biomask. Unfastening the cable cords from the yautja’s power supply harness. He wrestles the biomask free from Paya’kan’di’s crab-like face. “I will keep this as a trophy” Rykov holds up the crowned golden mask. Pain surges from Rykov’s spine.

“Your medication,” Ivan reminded Rykov.

“Not yet,” Rykov insisted.

The guard of African descent turns to Rykov, “Sir, that’s four. We’re safe then, right?”

“We’re safe. For now. But there may be others” Rykov warned.

Locale: Lv-1201, Outlying Shelters, Outskirts of POC

Date: December 10, 2230. 4:45 AM

Blaney checks on the generator thoroughly, keeping an eye on the generator’s fuel. He feared losing power, without power they couldn’t power their sentry guns. He will punish his men and the convicts with half-rations if they do their jobs sloppily. He had given up hope that Rykov and Eisenberg would send aid. He believed they must have been worse off then they were, why else they didn’t send help?

Date: December 15, 2230. 12:20 AM

The Drone began to molt from her old shell, her back splits open as she wiggles her tubular dorsal spines from her old carapace. Next the dome encasing her head began to split open, revealing a more ridged cranium underneath. She shakes free from her old mesoskeleton. Leaving behind a translucent broken shell. Her new warrior carapace dries then strengthens. The Drone now a Warrior hisses after hours of molting. She turns to her sisters, who have molted either into warriors or workers. They are greeted by a pack of their kin, they weren’t from the POC, they were from the hive. The Warrior sensed their alpha was more experienced than her. She instinctively submitted to the Alpha Warrior.

Date: December 15, 2230. 6:20 AM

The Warrior scouts a distant guard outpost with her kin, a mixed pack of drones, warriors, acid spitters, sentinels and runners. The lead warrior in charge orders them to take out the sentry turrets. Fortunately most of them were out of fuel. They spotted several guards. The Warrior snuck up on one of the guards, she sensed her sisters took out the others,

Blankely did his rounds, he asked his men to line for roll call.

“Where’s Brown?” Joss Blaney asked

“I thought he was patrolling the perimeter with Miller and Thabideau” replied Cheever.

“By the way, where is Miller?” asked Kaplan

“Also where is Thabideau, he owes me 50 WY bucks,” said Pendelton.

“Captain Blaney, what should we do?” Murray asked.

“We will do double shifts. When any of you are at the transmitter, stay alert for regular patterns -- anything other than static. We have to let the Pods know we’re still alive. They have to come for us” Blaney rationalizes. Natasha holds Blaney’s hand.

Date: December 26, 2230

Blaney woke to screaming, he stood up to find the remaining members of his team were missing, he feared they were now dead.

“What's the matter, Captain?” Xavier asked curiously.

“Cheever, Kaplan, Pendleton, and Murray are missing,” Blaney replied.

“Looks like you have no choice but to free us, huh? All of your men killed by bugs” Diller suggested.

“Yeah, it could be the bugs,” the other inmates added.

“I don’t think it was the bugs,” Blaney insisted.

He was on his patrol when he saw blade marks and plasma burns where he once patrolled. “Look no bug could do that,” Blaney points out. Xavier nods his head understanding these markings belong to no xenomorph.

“I understand what you’re up against, one of them attacked the Pods some years back. We will all need to stick together. Guard and convict, together,” Xavier suggested to the Captain. Blaney doesn’t like it but he must do what he must. Blaney sighs Xavier and his men’s release forms.

“You are free to go, you have my word. The first shuttle off this rock, will have your name on it” Blaney tells Xavier. “First we need to get the civilians to the shelters”

Xavier began giving Natasha some suggesting looks, he wandered around the next corner. “Man, what a babe” he says to himself. He bolted towards her and grabbed her by the hand, she screamed for Blaney. Blaney came running down the hall.

“Hey get your nasty hands off her,” he punches Xavier in the face. Xavier falls to the ground, Diller and Mattingly grabs Blaney by the arms. What little of Blaney men came to his rescue. Blaney wanted to shoot Xavier but he needed him for the convicts to follow his orders. The next day the guards, civilians and convicts make it to the shelters. Blaney orders Xavier to post two of his men outside of the shelter while they get things back up and running. A shimmer leaps from the building, onto a truck. It clicks its mandibles, Xavier goes to retrieve his men but finds the two men suddenly missing.

“Okay, Blaney. Stop ducking me. No more holding out. Mattingly told me that you know the combination on the gun lockers in remote tunnel 2. We need those - now. We’ve lost another two cons - and don’t tell me they walked into the bug zone. You convinced me, now back your word up”

“Fine, the code is AX72BY. Leave and don’t ever come near me or my girlfriend ever again, got it?” Blaney growled.

“Crystal” Blaney leaves with the remainder of his men. They head back to the POC for the weapons. They get a sneaking suspicion of the creature tailing them but the motion trackers betray its location. “Just another set of walls, man. We’re nearly out” Xavier said to himself. The convicts arrive back in the POC.

Date: December 27th, 2230.

Locale: Northern Landing, Primary Operations Complex.

“I’ll bring the extra truck once we’re clear or if you call for help” Xavier said while grabbing one of the trucks. “Samson, Kilgore - You’ve got the bridge” he commanded, “Diller, Jock, and Price - get the guns. I will take cover in the tower”

The xenomorphs slowly awaken from their slumber. The Warrior senses the humans return. Her Alpha orders her and her pack to take the armory while she and her pack would head for the bridge.

CHAPTER 9: ARRIVAL

Locale: Lv-1201, Epsilon Draconis 1

Date: December 1, 2230. 

In the deep blackness of space a copper-colored ship resembling a double-bladed spear-tip arrives into the Epsilon Draconis system. The dark green world of LV-1201 comes into view.

Locale: Lv-1201, Forward Observation Pods. Weyland-Yutani Xenomorph Observational Facility.

A lab technician is seen sitting in a room surrounded by computer monitors and consoles filled with flashy buttons. Behind them are General Vassili Rykov and Ivan Hushvatov.

“You’re overdue for your medication,” Ivan reminded Rkyov.

“It slows the mind. I wish to be effective,” Rykov refuses.

“Pain won’t make you effective,” Ivan said matter-of-factly.

“General Rykov! I’ve picked it up again. Definitely some sort of thermal anomaly,” the lab technician reports.

“Meteor?” Rykov presumed. He turns to look at the lab technician curiously.

“No, sir. It’s slowing down” the lab technician reports, Rykov and Ivan now turn their attention to the technician, “Sir, it’s changing course. Zeta region.”

“We have remote monitors there,” Ivan replied.

“Good. I want visuals,” Rkyov orders as he gets closer to the monitors.

The surveillance camera 679067382, an image of scattered rocky islands surrounded by dark green water. Then the copper starship glides across the green sky. Its double prong nose and axe blade shaped wings was not of a human design. It now passes under the lights of Epsilon Draconis 1 and Epsilon Draconis 2. Rykov saw these ships late last month. His men have died at the hands of these creatures, they stole the artifact and sent that message… wait could these alien predators have been drawn here by that transmission?

“Ivan, call the containment teams” Rykov ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Ivan replied.

Locale: Lv-1201, Forest.

Date: December 1, 2230. 9:08 AM

The yautja collected their armor and weapons, they heard stories of this world, that it was the first world their kind had encountered these kainde amedha. A kainde amedha with parasitic larval stage, that bleeds acid and is controlled by a single powerful kainde amedha. The hunting captain and the other blooded looked up and saw him, Paya’kan’di. The hunting captain and the blooded all kneeled in his presence. Paya’kan’di clicked his mandibles, “Rise” he growled in the yautja tongue.

“Honorable Paya’kan’di, we have arrived on the planet depicted in the old stories. The first world our kind encountered these kainde amedha”

“We've encountered many of these kainde amedha on other worlds, what makes you think these would be any different from the rest? Paya’kan’di replied with a bored tone.

“Honorable one, these kainde amedha have a cunning to them unmatched from the ones we grow for our hunts. These kainde amedha are the direct creations of the mala’kak,” the hunting captain replied.

“So are the ones from the mala’kak star map,” Paya’kan’di continued to be unimpressed by this world, “you may go on ahead,”

“In time, honorable one, you’ll appreciate what this world has to offer,” The hunting captain takes his leave with the other blooded yautja to scout for a suitable hunting spot. 

Paya’kan’di sharpens his wrist blades, collects his wrist computer, medicomp device, plasma caster, speargun and recharge cube. He soon comes across a path leading to a valley filled with white barked broad limb trees. They remind Paya’kan’di of the trees from Korarian Trees from Planet Korari. He remembers the oomen who escaped from him, Vassili Rykov. Paya’kan’di leapt onto the flat broad limbs, he heard something moving around below him.

“The energy surge came from this general area,” said an oomen technician.

“Oomens? Here?” Paya’kan’di spoke while clicking his mandibles. To an oomen his voice would sound like a reptile growling mixed with chattering insects. The oomens ignore the predator prince.

“I’m not reading anything now,” said another oomen technician.

Paya’kan’di quickly scans these oomen with his biomask, they lack weapons of any kind, therefore they weren’t suitable to be prey. Hunting prey that doesn’t fight back is considered dishonorable by most yautja clans. He upholds that law, he taps at his cloaking device before disappearing into a shimmer. He made his way through a small cave leading to a whindy beach. Green water surrounds either side. Oomen guards patrol the beach as if looking for something. The prince pulls out his speargun, he aims at the closest guard, he pulls the trigger and the flying prong spear projectile slices through the guard’s neck.

The other guard turns to find his college lying on the ground, blood pouring from his neck wound. Before he had time to react, a shimmer lunged at him. Blood splats on the grey muddy rock floor. The prince spotted the hunting captain in the distance waving for his attention. Paya’kan’di kickin up mud and rock shards from his sandals as he sprints across the beach. Orange grass dots the muddy beach. Massive bleached white bee-hive like structures dot the landscape along with the white barked trees, fleshy orange plants and a green worm-like mouth plant. The prince skins the two guards before hanging them on the tree branch. He then climbs the rocky bridge past some flowering plants. The hunting captain hands the prince his heavy combi-stick and a smart disk.

The prince examines the heavy combistick, it has a two pronged speartip unlike the more common single spear tip combi-sticks the others had. He thanks him with a nod. He spots the skinned oomens, he didn’t have to inform the prince of their presence. Both of them had realized now that the signal that drew them here was a yautja transmission but had somehow originated from an oomen transmitter.

“What the hell? What happened to unit 2” asked a guard on another beach head. A shimmer slices through a small patrol of them, the guard in the distance quickly runs for help but he is silenced when a spear tip pinned him to a white barked tree. These oomens were beneath the prince to claim as trophies. None of them fought with honor instead they relied too heavily on their rifles. The hunting captain ran up ahead while the prince was busy skinning his kills. His helmet was picking up on the Weyland-Yutani security force’s radio chatter.

“Stay lively. More hostiles possible” said a guard on his rado unit. 

“Clear. I’m seeing all clear” reported one of the oomen guards.

“Bravo team reporting targets down. Two contained. Tell the Doctor the EMP are a success,” reported another oomen guard.

“Load cargo for immediate evacuation. Please confirm number of contained specimens” ordered the head guard.

“Two confirmed. Request shift to status green” reported the guard.

“Negative. Status is still Red. We have no positive headcount. Stay sharp. Commence search” ordered the head guard.

“We can’t raise the survey team on the emergency channel” reported another guard.

“Keep trying. We need to evacuate those people ASAP. Something big’s going on”

“We're approaching their position now,” said a lone guard. He walks down the slope keeping an eye out on the supply crates. Paya’kan’di silenced him with his smartdisk. Sliced the man into twos. It took a while before the other guards noticed something was wrong when their friend didn’t report back. A shimmer moved across the ruins of an old shelter. The three guards were picked off one by one. 

“Bravo team to base, hostile fire confirmed. We’ve lost contact with Alpha Team” the radio on the supply crate reported.

“Pull back, Bravo. Get the specimens out of there” demanded their superior.

Paya’kan’di enters a water filled valley covered in skinny trees and fat pillar rocks. Paya’kan’di leaps onto the tall pillar rocks, to gain a vantage point over the oomens. He spots the oomen’s body signature in his biomask, they were fleeing from something. Dark blue shadow things moved in the background, the oomens were thrown to the floor by silhouettes shroud in the dark and blue. Quickly Paya’kan’di switched vision modes from heat blue to electro red. The oomens were replaced by faint reds and blacks which easily blended with the background while the blacks and blues silhouettes were replaced with monsters endowed by a bright white-blue coloration. 

“Kainde Amedha” Paya’kan’di wasn’t impressed by them. He drops from the rock pillar believing this was going to be a simple extermination duty. The kainde amedha warriors charged at him, he threw his smart disk into the first one which was sliced in half. He stabs the second one with his heavy duty spear before bifurcating its skull. Paya’kan’di had fought thousands of these beasts on regular annual hunts and they are no match for his skill. He collects what he cans from the two dead xenomorph warriors. He heard a distant roar, it was deeper than a usual kainde amedha. He ignored them while he continued to harvest his kills. Rocks fell down into the valley. The water was impacted by something big. Something big, blue and white charged into the royal yautja. 

Paya’kan’di was thrown into the air before splashing into the ankle high water. Paya’kan’di coughed up some green blood into his biomask. He quickly rises to his feet despite the pain in his ribs. He examines his adversary, she was far larger than a warrior and her head almost resembles that of a Queen. The praetorian roars at him, flaring her thick muscular arms out to the side while thrashing around her segmented tail. He extends his combi-stick to its maximum length, he carefully charges towards the praetorian. The preatorian swipes at him with her claws, but Paya’kan’di ducks as he swings his combi-stick at her but misses; he spins around and impales her ribcage with the bladed part. She hisses, she backhands the yautja to gain some distance. Paya’kan’di throws his combi-stick at her but it misses. She head butts him, sending him flying back a couple of feet. He tries to punch the praetorian but she jerks her massive head up then she swipes at him with her claws. He ducks then rolls from underneath her. 

He lost her from his sights, he scans his surroundings and wonders how could he lose a target that is so big? The praetorian emerges from behind the pillar, she whips her tail into the yautja sending him flying backwards yet again. He crashes into the water. He quickly got back to his feet. Paya’kan’di roars at the praetorian as he charges at her, quickly extending his wrist blades as he and the large xenomorph collide into each other. Both aliens wrestle each other in the water filled valley, pushing each other backwards in a wrestling tug of war. The praetorian won out as she shoves the yautja back into a nearby pillar, she throws the yautja at the pillar. He falls into the water, he rolls out of the way of the preatorain’s next attack. She grabs him and pushes his face against the pillar rock, his plasma caster aims up at the pillar’s apex. He desperately fires his shoulder cannon, the white-blue plasma hits the pillar apex. Causing the top to collapse on top of them, fortunately the praetorian took the full brunt of the collapsing rocks. 

Paya’kan’di shoves his fist out of the rocky debris, he pulls himself out. Exhausted but gained a new respect for the kainde amedha. He heard stories from other clans of their existence. But he never in all of his years hunting the kainde amedha ever had the chance to hunt a praetorian. The closest thing was a queen but she was much bigger and took an entire coordinated effort for the yautja just to capture one let alone kill one. He marks this location with his biomask, he’ll have to retrieve her skull later.

Date: December 1st, 2230. 5:13 PM

Locale: Canyons. 3km south of the FOP.

He made his way to the ledge of a cliff, he spotted across the ravine, oomen multi-wheeled transports called rovers. Oomens dressed in white are seen carrying three of his clanmates away including the hunting captain. Paya’kan’di was furious at the oomens. The rovers began to drive away. He runs across the ledge until he passes through a small tunnel, he spots another one of the rovers driving away. He leapt onto the rover, he then cloaked himself. He spots two bar-shaped landers arriving above the canyons.

“Allright, it’s heading our way. Snipers, shoot on sight” said one of the guards on look out. The yautja leapt from the Rover to plunge his combi-stick into the guard in the guard shack. Guards swarm out of their makeshift duty huts as they surround the guard shack. Paya’kan’di begins blasting apart the guards as he makes his escape, he leaps on to the trees to make his escape. He finds a small tunnel to hide in as he pulls the bullets out of his flesh. He coats the wounds with a burning adhesive. He rests for a while to catch his breath. He remembers he must catch up with the Rovers before he loses them, he pulls out a syringe and injects himself with a stimulant. He roars as the drug takes effect quickly.

Date: December 1st, 2230. 11:15

Locale: Forward Observation Pods, ground level. 

Four massive cylindrical metal towers dangle from the suspension beams. On the ground below, a fifth tower lays partially sunken into the ground. The rest of the ground was fenced off. A few concrete defenses here and there, sentry batteries everywhere. Supply crates used as cover for the guards and Iron Bear Mercs. A lift lies in the dead center, four cables pull it up and down from the pod’s hub. Oomens patrol the grounds while the Rovers carrying his clanmates arrive on to the lift. It will be quite difficult for the prince to sneak into this complex but he has to for the sake of his pride and honor.

“Hurry up with that thing” says an impatient security guard to a technician working on booting up the automated sentry guns.

“Almost done,” said the technician.  

“That thing could show up any minute,” the security guard urges.

“I’m working as fast as I can” the technician states, getting rather frustrated.

The yautja fires its spear tip into the sentry gun’s generator before passing by them without incident as he approaches the next couple of guards.

“I thought you were third shift,” said a guard to another guard. 

“Farley’s on sick leave” the other guard replied.

“He looked fine yesterday,” said the first guard.

“He was fine yesterday. The idiot got into a pissing contest with one of Rykov’s men.Crazy Russian bastard broke both his arms, barehanded. Right in front of a security camera,” said the second guard.

“Why does the Corporation even bother with mercenaries? We can handle this situation on our own. We’re trained professionals” said the first guard

“My brother works for the news net. He says the Corporation has a special team for problem solving. I don’t remember the names, but Iron Bears definitely came up. They’ve been accused of kidnappings, assassinations, mass murder… you name it. There’s a joke that the only problem with sending the Bears to educate a town is that afterward, there’s no more town,” replied the second guard.

“Poor Farley. Well, at least they caught it on camera,” said the first guard.

“Like that matters,” the second guard retorts.

“Ain’t fair,” the first guard added.

“You got that right. I’m stuck with double shifts!” the second guard replied.

The yautja spots an opening, the shimmer passes by the two talking guards. He charges up to an oomen, the oomen’s sharp pick up on the shimmer in the dark but before he could alert the others. A spear now sticks out of his throat. He grabs his combi-stick and collapses it as he bolts towards the elevator lift.

“Activate Lift! Take me up! Now!” the panicked guard demands as Paya’kan’di decapitates a guard. He turns around, now he faces the yautja. The lift activates, his body is thrown from the lift 25 feet up.

“Target confirmed! Get me some friggin’ backup” the Pod Hub security picks up on the yautja’s bio-scan.

“Use your EMP grenades!” shouted another guard. Paya’kan’di leaps from the bay doors as lands on one of the supply crates. “Use your EMP grenades!” the guard shouted again. Paya’kan’di avoids the guards as he continues to climb up. One of the guards shoots Paya’kan’di shoulder pads, his plasma caster swivels around, it fires a plasma bolt right into the guard. He is reduced to gibs. The plasma caster swirls to its next target, firing at any perceived threat. The prince climbs up to the next floor. He begins hacking into POD2’s elevator. The elevator door opened, a guard was hiding in the elevator. The Prince throws the guard out like a bag of trash. The elevator door closes. The prince is then taken to Pod 2.

“It’s taking the elevator” a guard shouted,“Warm up!”

“It's on level 2” The security technician located the threat.

“Over here” One of the guards spotted the elevator, the rest of the guards began to mobilize to the elevator door. A shimmer lashes out at the closest guard to the elevator. The yautja roars as he is shot by one of the guards. He fires his plasma caster into the guard that shot him, the guard’s chest explodes as he tumbles over dead. A Combat-synth joins the guards, he begins opening fire on the cloaked yautja. Paya’kan’di bolts around the elevator looking for cover. He dashes behind a series of supply crates to patch up his wound. He arms his smart disk, he throws it around the corner. He controls its flight trajectory through his biomask. The smart disk slices through the guards, sentry guns and combat synthetic. The smart disk flies back around to his hand. He gets up before proceeding into the POD 2, he opens the door and sees stairs.

A security guard spots him and tries to radio for help but is quickly silenced by the prince’s combi-stick. Paya’kan’di sprints up the stairs until he reaches a steamy dark room. He looks around the large metallic chasm, could this be the pod’s core? He leaps onto a large pipe before leaping onto the ledge of a massive power conduit. He then leaps on to a catwalk, where a combat synthetic began aiming his pulse rifle at him. 

“Target spotted” the android said in monotone.

Paya’kan’di put away his smartdisk as he bolts for cover. Prince Paya’kan’di pulls out his speargun, he turns around the corner as he decapitates the android with a single shot. Paya’kan’di grabs the android’s head then crushes it. Three security guards bolt from the door archways, Paya’kan’di takes them both out with his plasma caster. He pulls out his recharge cube to recharge his electronic devices before putting it away. He leapt from the catwalk on to a platform. He carefully patrols the platform until he spots a guard escaping up a yellow ladder. Paya’kan’di chases after the guard. The double seal closed. The text above the door over ladder flashes Evacuate. The yautja prince enters the small room from the main chamber, there was nothing special about this room, other than having a second door leading out into the main chamber and two double doors leading to the rest of Pod 2.

Paya’kan’di climbs into the room, collapses his speargun as he puts it away then extends his wrist blades. The door behind suddenly closes shut, then the door in front of him. He looks up at the two LED lights. The ceiling slides open into a series of small holes. Small balls suddenly drop from these holes, they explode on the floor, EMP grenades! His biomask shorts out as the EMP throws him off his balance, the air is then filled with sleeping gas. The prince struggles to stay awake but collapses onto the grey metal floor. The double door slides open as three humans walk out into the small confining room. General Rykov, Ivan and a security guard. 

“I think you are lost my friend” Rykov says to the unconscious Prince. The large imposing russian looked down upon the yautja with disgust, “Twenty years in my nightmares. You have much to repay” he snarls. 

He then lands his foot on to the prince’s biomask, slowly applying more pressure as he twists his boot on his face. Rykov carefully begins to remove the Prince’s biomask. Unfastening the cable cords from the yautja’s power supply harness. He wrestles the biomask free from Paya’kan’di’s crab-like face. “I will keep this as a trophy” Rykov holds up the crowned golden mask. Pain surges from Rykov’s spine.

“Your medication,” Ivan reminded Rykov.

“Not yet,” Rykov insisted.

The guard of African descent turns to Rykov, “Sir, that’s four. We’re safe then, right?”

“We’re safe. For now. But there may be others” Rykov warned.

Locale: Lv-1201, Outlying Shelters, Outskirts of POC

Date: December 10, 2230. 4:45 AM

Blaney checks on the generator thoroughly, keeping an eye on the generator’s fuel. He feared losing power, without power they couldn’t power their sentry guns. He will punish his men and the convicts with half-rations if they do their jobs sloppily. He had given up hope that Rykov and Eisenberg would send aid. He believed they must have been worse off then they were, why else they didn’t send help?

Date: December 15, 2230. 12:20 AM

The Drone began to molt from her old shell, her back splits open as she wiggles her tubular dorsal spines from her old carapace. Next the dome encasing her head began to split open, revealing a more ridged cranium underneath. She shakes free from her old mesoskeleton. Leaving behind a translucent broken shell. Her new warrior carapace dries then strengthens. The Drone now a Warrior hisses after hours of molting. She turns to her sisters, who have molted either into warriors or workers. They are greeted by a pack of their kin, they weren’t from the POC, they were from the hive. The Warrior sensed their alpha was more experienced than her. She instinctively submitted to the Alpha Warrior.

Date: December 15, 2230. 6:20 AM

The Warrior scouts a distant guard outpost with her kin, a mixed pack of drones, warriors, acid spitters, sentinels and runners. The lead warrior in charge orders them to take out the sentry turrets. Fortunately most of them were out of fuel. They spotted several guards. The Warrior snuck up on one of the guards, she sensed her sisters took out the others,

Blankely did his rounds, he asked his men to line for roll call.

“Where’s Brown?” Joss Blaney asked

“I thought he was patrolling the perimeter with Miller and Thabideau” replied Cheever.

“By the way, where is Miller?” asked Kaplan

“Also where is Thabideau, he owes me 50 WY bucks,” said Pendelton.

“Captain Blaney, what should we do?” Murray asked.

“We will do double shifts. When any of you are at the transmitter, stay alert for regular patterns -- anything other than static. We have to let the Pods know we’re still alive. They have to come for us” Blaney rationalizes. Natasha holds Blaney’s hand.

Date: December 26, 2230

Blaney woke to screaming, he stood up to find the remaining members of his team were missing, he feared they were now dead.

“What's the matter, Captain?” Xavier asked curiously.

“Cheever, Kaplan, Pendleton, and Murray are missing,” Blaney replied.

“Looks like you have no choice but to free us, huh? All of your men killed by bugs” Diller suggested.

“Yeah, it could be the bugs,” the other inmates added.

“I don’t think it was the bugs,” Blaney insisted.

He was on his patrol when he saw blade marks and plasma burns where he once patrolled. “Look no bug could do that,” Blaney points out. Xavier nods his head understanding these markings belong to no xenomorph.

“I understand what you’re up against, one of them attacked the Pods some years back. We will all need to stick together. Guard and convict, together,” Xavier suggested to the Captain. Blaney doesn’t like it but he must do what he must. Blaney sighs Xavier and his men’s release forms.

“You are free to go, you have my word. The first shuttle off this rock, will have your name on it” Blaney tells Xavier. “First we need to get the civilians to the shelters”

Xavier began giving Natasha some suggesting looks, he wandered around the next corner. “Man, what a babe” he says to himself. He bolted towards her and grabbed her by the hand, she screamed for Blaney. Blaney came running down the hall.

“Hey get your nasty hands off her,” he punches Xavier in the face. Xavier falls to the ground, Diller and Mattingly grabs Blaney by the arms. What little of Blaney men came to his rescue. Blaney wanted to shoot Xavier but he needed him for the convicts to follow his orders. The next day the guards, civilians and convicts make it to the shelters. Blaney orders Xavier to post two of his men outside of the shelter while they get things back up and running. A shimmer leaps from the building, onto a truck. It clicks its mandibles, Xavier goes to retrieve his men but finds the two men suddenly missing.

“Okay, Blaney. Stop ducking me. No more holding out. Mattingly told me that you know the combination on the gun lockers in remote tunnel 2. We need those - now. We’ve lost another two cons - and don’t tell me they walked into the bug zone. You convinced me, now back your word up”

“Fine, the code is AX72BY. Leave and don’t ever come near me or my girlfriend ever again, got it?” Blaney growled.

“Crystal” Blaney leaves with the remainder of his men. They head back to the POC for the weapons. They get a sneaking suspicion of the creature tailing them but the motion trackers betray its location. “Just another set of walls, man. We’re nearly out” Xavier said to himself. The convicts arrive back in the POC.

Date: December 27th, 2230.

Locale: Northern Landing, Primary Operations Complex.

“I’ll bring the extra truck once we’re clear or if you call for help” Xavier said while grabbing one of the trucks. “Samson, Kilgore - You’ve got the bridge” he commanded, “Diller, Jock, and Price - get the guns. I will take cover in the tower”

The xenomorphs slowly awaken from their slumber. The Warrior senses the humans return. Her Alpha orders her and her pack to take the armory while she and her pack would head for the bridge.

Just finished chapter 1. 

This is really good. Much higher quality than most stuff on here. can wait to read the rest

Thank you

CHAPTER 10: RESCUE

Locale: Lv-1201

Date: January 6, 2231. 5:10 AM

The tientsin-class UAS Verloc exited hyperspace. It slowly approaches the dark green planet LV-1201. The interior of the Verloc resembled the old conestoga interior. Colonial Marines equipping their gear and maintaining the other equipment onboard the ship.

A marine in his 30’s with dark hair, looked at his comrade annoyed. “Hurry up, Frosty. We ain’t got all day” Duke Morrison asked impatiently.

The marine in question was a late 20-something year old, he had a burly frame, rusty brown hair and a perpetual frown. “Don’t you have work to do?” Andrew “Frosty” Harrison asked while carrying the massive load with his P-5000 Powerloader. 

“Everybody‘s waiting on you. Heck, I even prepped your gear for ya. Wasn’t that nice of me?” Duke doesn’t even hide his patronizing tone.

“Thanks, Duke,” Harrison replied sarcastically. “I’ll remember whose ass to pull out of the fire first when everything goes to hell” The power loader drops the large container down.

An attractive biracial woman walks up from behind Duke, “Duke we have an operation to run here. Quit flirting and get back to work” she ordered.

She looks over and sees an elderly marine dressed in green. Commander McCain arrives, “Commander on the deck!” she shouts to get her fellow marine’s attention.

The marines all began to line up in formation. “Gather round and listen up” Commander McCain orders. “Six weeks ago, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation lost contact with a research facility on LV-1201. We’re here to find out why. Duke, what are we looking at?”

“A suicide mission. Hell, we’re still short eight soldiers and our synthetic after that last drop. Half our equipment’s out of commission, damn UPP bastards”

“There’s time pressure involved, and we won the distance lottery. Skip the commentary and tell us what we’re dealing with,” McCain grew annoyed.

“The basic layout is two heavily fortified installations: Primary Operations Complex and Forward Observation Pods. The sites are connected by a secured tunnel network” Duke explained.

“Johnson, flight path” McCain ordered,

An Irish redhead woman with short hair, she was formerly part of the Three World Empire’s Royal Marines before transfering to the United America Colonial Marines “Not much to work with, sir” she spoke with an irish accent.

“I vote for an air strike, sir,” Duke suggested.

“Negative. The higher ups want the site intact survivors or not. We’re cleared for light and medium munitions, but no heavy stuff. That means no air strikes and no Alice. Sorry, Harrison,” McCain explained.

“We’re supposed to evac survivors?” Jones asked curiously.

“Our orders are to put out fires, then dig in and wait for the 6th” McCain explains,

“Assuming we last that long,” Duke added.

“Beta Section will remain here until the ground position is secure” McCain finishes.

“All right, boys. Let’s roll” replies Hall.

Locale: LV-1201, Enroute to Primary Operations Complex

Date: January 6, 2231 5:25 AM

Two UD-24 heavy dropships break through LV-1201’s thick green clouds. “Reading 1500 meters to the landing beacon,” Johnson reports. The two dropships pass over the landing beacon nav point. “Hold on, boys. Where’s the damn facility? We should be right on top of it,” Johnson navigated her dropship in closer. Inside the dropship, contained an APC, with it a red light fills the cramped space as Harrison, Morrison, Blackwell, Jones and Shugi. “What the?” Johnson cried as she regained visuals, a massive spire rock formation suddenly appeared outside of her window. “Hang on!” she shouted. The underside of the dropship scrapes against the rock spire, causing the APC to shake back and forth. One of the dropship’s turbine engines catches fire as plumes of smoke follow it. The dropship folds in its wings moving towards a clearing, the dropship deploys its landing gears as it lands in the clearing. The landing ramp lowers allowing the APC to disembark from the transatmospheric spacecraft. Ichiro landed his dropship somewhere nearby, the second APC arrives at Johnson's dropship and APC.

“Johnson? Where the hell did you learn to fly?” McCain was mad.

“Flight school. The same place that taught me not to fly blind in hurricane wind,” Johnson retorted, feeling insulted.

“What’ll it take to get airborne?” McCain setted aside his feelings, he wanted his dropships in tip top shape.

“A landing beacon and wind shear data for a start. Plus, the ship’s a little beat up. Stabilizer’s jammed. I can fix it, but it’ll take me an hour or so. The antenna’s fried, though” Johnson explains.

“So much for calling down reinforcements,” Jones snarked.

“Once we control the Complex, we’ll control an entire subspace array. Hall, Red team, get the power online. White team, locate security control. Blackwell, you take Shugi and Harrison and make for the landing bay.

We need that wind shear radar up and the landing site clear and powered. Once you’ve done that, activate the beacon” McCain commands.

“You heard the man. Move it” Hall ordered.

“Harrison and Morrison, follow me” Sergeant Blackwell ordered. The three marines move across the clearing, disabled trucks and cars are seen littering the place. The marines quickly take cover behind several large crates as they near the facility’s doors. 

“Harrison, run a bypass,” Blackwell orders Harrison. 

Harrison carefully slides down the keypad interface as he gains access to the circuit board. He pulls out his bypass tool to rewire the circuitry to allow them entry into the facility.

“I got movement,” Morrison said as the doors slid open.

“Harrison, scout ahead. We’ll cover you” Blackwell ordered.

“Yes, sir” Harrison moves on ahead, then Blackwell and Morrison follow suit. The facility halls were trapezoid shaped. Red emergency lights poorly  illuminate the darkness. Harrison shined his flashlight across the room. He opened the door leading to the next corridor.

Xavier is startled by the door’s suddenly open, he briefly sees the marines behind the slowly sliding electronic door but glances over and sees a shimmer lunged at him. Xavier is impaled on something long and sharp. It throws him to the floor dead. The marines stare at the convict’s dead body unaware of who he was or the role he played leading up to this event. 

“Shit man, what killed him?” Duke asked.

“I don’t know… and I don’t want to find out,” Blackwell replied.

“I’ll take point,” Harrison said.

Harrison takes point as he approaches the open door ahead. The door shuts close. He activates the door terminal. The door opens again.

A black boot fell from the ceiling, piles of flesh were lying discarded in a corner. “Oh, no way. Someone tell me that’s just a boot. That better be aboot…” Duke hides behind Blackwell. “Hey, it's a boot” he sighs in relief after kicking it.

Harrison shines his light over at the other end of the room. Three skinned bodies were strung upside down. 

Harrison spots a PDA, “Diller, The lockbox code was AX72BY before the POC was overrun. Thank blaney for the codes (bg) then get the guns and get back here. We’ve made it this far, so whatever’s tripping the sensors isn’t all-powerful. Just another set of walls, man. We’re nearly out. A few more days it’s rescue time. Got it? 

-Xavier” Harrison finishes reading.

“Blackwell, just after you entered the facility. The door entrance suddenly collapsed. We were going to fall back to the LZ. Your team needs to head for the POC and get the power online or we’re in trouble” McCain ordered.

“Understood, sir” Blackwell complies, “Alright Morrison and Harrison, let’s go”

“Sir there is a service hatch here, it leads to a garage” Harrison reported.

“Good, let’s go,” Blackwell nods.

The marines now in the garage below, unknowingly escaped from a tridot laser. Harrison opens the garage tunnel door. He and the others moved into a clearing. Gilgore and Samson spot the marines, he bolts towards them desperate to be rescued. The last few days they witnessed their friends getting slaughtered by the xenomorphs, Xavier abandoning them and now some invisible killer is stalking them. They both run across the bridge waving their arms, screaming “Hey!” three red dots appear on Kilgore’s forehead. A blue energy ball blasts Kilgore into a red mist, Samson in shock turns around before he too is reduced to red mist.

“Shit!” Morrison cusses.

“We need to push forward,” Blackwell commands. The three marines trek across the bridge, three red dots dance across the bridge trying to gain a lock on the marines. The three red dots disappear. Then reappear, a blue ball of energy flies down from the sky as it destroys the bridge behind them. 

The body of a convict is cast down from a rock spire. Followed by the growl of what sounded like a very angry animal.

“Major McCain, we’ve reached the southeast entrance. Doesn’t look like anybody’s home… Security systems are offline” radeod Hall.

“We’re picking up some scattered energy sources… probably emergency backups” said Jones, “Still no response on the emergency channel, sir”

“Keep trying. Hall, proceed to the power core” McCain orders.

“All right, we’re airborne,” Ichiro radioed.

Blackwell’s team spots the outer wall of the Primary Operations Complex, when they get closer they spot two more hanging skinned bodies. Harrison attempts to open the door but the console is broken. Harrison runs another bypass to get White team to enter the POC, East Landing Bay.

“Major, we’re at power core,” Halls reported.

“How’s it look?” McCain asked.

“Okay. Ichiro is restarting the system” Hall reported.

“Looks like the whole system was shut off, so once the maind grid is online, we’ll still have to reset the local relays to get the lights back on in each sector” Ichiro explains.

“When you’re finished there, find a landing bay and get the systems online so we can land this bird” McCain orders.

Blackwell spots the system charge, “Morrison, go pull the system charge” he orders. Duke hesitates, “Harrison” Blkackwell turns to Andrew Harrison,  Harrison pulls the lever instead. The auxiliary power roars to life. The ceiling collapses as a long elongated silvery pipe comes down, it startles Duke believing it was something else.

“Major, looks like the generator has been reset in the east landing bay,” Ichiro reported.

“That’s gotta be white team,” Jones speculated.

“Frosty, get that landing beacon online” Johnson ordered Harrison by his callsign. White team arrives in the landing bay again. They enter the communications building and discover the comms room’s door was torn to shreds. The alarm systems were destroyed. The elevator was still functional. The elevator door slides open. White team boards the elevator going up. They are now in a small office room. The PDA in the desk reads ”Auditor’s report - Appended notes

I had a heated conversation with doctor Eisenberg today. He’s an arrogant one. His family is powerful - the founders of modern synthetics hold great sway on the Weyland-Yutani Corporation board, Still, he’s overestimating  his protection. His father’s foray into medical applications leaves the investors cold. Dubious profit and dubious technology. 

Yes, he’s had successes imprinting neural patterns onto synthetic adaptive networks, but costs are insane - a handful might afford such operations. And there are rumors of facility loss - emotional alterations and instability. Of coarse, given that his subjects are generally terminal beforehand, who’s to say its the procedure”

Morrison reads one of the computer monitors while Harrison taps at the Landing Beacon Control console. The blast doors slide down revealing the glass windows and the outside. 

“There’s the beacon. All right, hold onto something” Johnson demanded. Her dropship passes overhead before circling around to land at the landing bay. White team randevu with the Dropship 8’s crew.

“Good work, Marines. Harrison and Morrison, find the nearest security office and restore the defense grid for the bay” McCain ordered, “Shugi, Blackwell, this Dropship is our lifeline. Don’t let anything get near it. Am I understood?” Major McCain ordered.

“Yes, sir,” the marines replied.

“Okay, let's go Duke” Harrison takes point.

“Great,” Morrison follows.

The two marines enter one of the gatehouses, it houses a Weyland-Yutani APC. Harrison led Morrison up a flight of stairs into the adjacent corridor. They could see Level 1 in big bold letters with the 1 larger than the lettering.  The adjacent door was partially open. Harrison taps the door console, it opens completely. 

“Hey, Frosty, I think there is something behind those supply crates” Morrison runs over to the supply crates with his motion tracker, the floor caves into the sublevel. Harrison follows to check on Morrison.

“Junction of corridor 1-C and 1-D. All clear” Hall reports as she navigates the POC from her end.

“Entry clear. Signs of gunfire, though. Damage from explosives. Probably frag grenades. I’m not seeing bodies” Ichiro added.

Harrison and Morrison leap from frogs around the corridor until they enter another room filled with computers. 

“Corridor IF. Clear. Proceeding towards the core. Hey slow down there, Ichiro” Hall reported.

Harrison spots a massive hole in the floor. Duke’s eyes widen at the burns around the hole, Harrison crouches to confirm what they both are thinking. Harrison looks at Morrison, “Hey, Frosty, are you thinking of what I'm thinking?” Morrison asked.

“This is not good,” Harrison lowers himself down the hole. He carefully placed his feet on a filing cabinet bearing the Weyland Yutani logo. There appears to be another whole below the filing cabinet.

“Hey, what are you doing, Frosty?” asked Morrison.

“I think I see something… Nothing, just some scattered clothes and some ammo. It appears to be the security crew quarters” Harrison described. Morrison lowers himself down into the room. “Watch your step, there is another hole, beneath the cabinet”

Morrison slips and falls into the second hole, “Gakk!” He lands on his side, Morrison stands up, he angrily looks at Harrison. “Damn it, Frosty, you jinxed me” Harrison jumps down the hole, joining his friend.

“I told you to watch your step, didn’t I?” Harrison chuckles.

“Yeah, whatever,” Morrison huffs as he walks over to the door to open it. The two marines enter a corridor with two colored long pipes, one red and one blue, displaying the word steam on them. Hot steam fills the opposite end of the corridor, the marines trek past the steam.

“Heads up, team. This area’s seen definite heat” reports Hall, she spots the acid damage, she now knows what enemy they are going to face.

Harrison and Morrison reach the power nexus station. Morrison stands guard of the exit while Harrison marches over to the nexus control terminal. It was out of power, Harrison glanced over at the power unit on the wall. He walked over to the unit, he pressed a button for the unit to semi-eject its circuit board. “Running a bypass, Duke, so don’t get startled” Electricity starts flowing into the POC once again. Lights begin to turn on in the Primary Operations Complex, the Computers reboot themselves to restore the other central systems, sub systems, and auxiliary systems.

The xenomorphs are awakened by the humming of electrical activity. The hosts have returned. Several of the runners had molted into their warrior equivalent sentinels. The few acid spitters that were born, their hosts came from one of the planet’s more rarer wildlife, remained asleep.

“I got movement,” Jones announced over the radio.

Harrison and Morrison motion trackers begin to pick up several bleeps. They hear a banging sound from one of the maintenance hatches near a grate. The hatch bulges up. Morrison and Harrison took cover behind the server units.

“Hold your position, team! Give me a direction,” Hall commanded.

“All around, ma’am. Something woke up,” Jones reported. They begin opening fire on the xenos.

“What's that sound?” Morrison asked, a sentinel leaps into view. Harrison and Morrison open fire on the rusty brown alien. The sentinel collapses on to the floor dead after being riddled by pulse rifle rounds.

“Pull back, now!” Hall ordered as the xenomorphs began to swarm them.

Another sentinel darts from the server units into view, the pulse rifles rip it apart too. Harrison and Morrison quickly jettison their spent ammo clips for a new one, the bastard isn’t dead yet. They continue to fire on the xeno until it lies motionless. Harrison quickly peaked behind the corner to see the maintenance hatch was intact despite being dented upwards. The torn open grate near the hatch was where the xenos came from. Harrison and Morrison squeezed themselves into the ventilation.

“They’re everywhere. Form up. Forget the drop zone. Watch our six. The Ceiling! The Ceiling!” Hall commanded the Red Team. They continue to lay suppressing fire on the xenos until the xenomorphs in the ceilings burst through; they fall awkwardly out of the ceiling like drunks out of a bunk bed.

“Red Team, hull back to our position. Feeding new telemetry now” McCain ordered.

“Roger, sir. Watch out Jones!” Hall shoots at one of the warriors. It falls back but not dead.

“Harrison, Morrison, get back here. We’re pulling out,” Blackwell ordered.

“Roger, sir,” Harrison replied. Morrison watched the rear, making sure no xenomorphs tried to take them from behind. A sentinel leaps across from one wall to the other before getting blasted by Morrison. He ejects his clip and slaps in a new one. “Please don’t be anymore” he mutters to himself.

“Falling back in good order, sir. It’s really hot” Hall added.

“Prep for lift off. Harrison, Morrison, you’ve got two minutes, tops. Move!” Blackwell ordered.

“Roger, sir,” Harrison replied. Two runners break through the rear, Morrison deals with both of them. A single sentinel tries to corner Harrison but it's dealt with. Harrisona nd Morrison climb a ladder out of the ventilation ducts. He spotted a dead guard alone by a light. A sentinel was waiting for them, Harrison unloads his last clip into it. It falls from the ceiling dead. Harrison walks over to the dead security guard and picks up his dog tags, 

WEYLAND-YUTANI SECURITY

JOSS BLANEY

LEVEL 4

Harrison pocketed, he looked towards Morrison. Morrison looked away as they prepared to leave this room. A sentinel leaps onto Morrison. Morrison kicks the sentinel in the jaw, briefly stunning it as he crawls away. Harrison grabs one of Blaney's pulse rifle clips and uses it to kill the attacking sentinel.

“Man that was close” Morrison shouted.

““I told you I’d pull your ass out of the fire, Duke””

The two pass a sleeping acid spitter, huddled behind the lockers. The two marines opened the door, the door creaked loudly. The acid spitter awakens from the radio chatter, “Major, Hall here. We need assistance. We’re pinned down in Yard Four”

“Understood. Fall back to the LZ. We’ll meet in the open” McCain orders.

“Meet where? Pinned down. …copy?” Hall continues to fire on the enemy.

Harrison and Morrions climb up a flight of stares unaware of the acid spitter slowly following them. They traverse from Level 4 to Level 1. Two sentinels rush the marines out of the corridor back into the stairway. Morrison unloads his last remaining clips into the sentinels. The acid spitter vomits up a bolt of acid towards the marines but misses, the acid melts the wall a bit. Harrison fires a grenade down the stairwell, the acid spitter explodes. “Let’s go!” Harrison says to Morrison. They bold into the Level 1 corridor. No more signs of xenomorphs, they must have gone to Sergeant Hall’s team. Harrison and Morrison have reached the gatehouse. They could see the APC.

“Harrison, Morrison, we’re dusting off. Rendezvous with Hall’s team” ordered Blackwell. The two walked up to the Weyland-Yutani owned APC.

“I always wanted to drive one of these,” Harrison commented. After resupplying themselves with ammo, Harrison takes to the driver seat while Morrison buckles up. The APC began to drive out of the gatehouse. The APC rolls down a narrow street, a cat-walk looms over it. Three marines bolt towards the APC.

“Where the hell did y’all come from?” Ichiro asked.

“Where’s Hall?” Harrison asked.

“She’s gone, Frosty, and Decker’s badly burned,” Jones replied.

“They were everywhere,” Decker added.

“My motion tracker can read life signs, right?” Harrison asked.

“Sure,” Jones replied.

“Listen, we’ve dealt with these things before. These creatures are parasites. They need hosts. They’ll want her alive” Harrison reminded them.

“Hall’s toast. Let’s get the hell out of here,” Morrison added.

“He’s right, Frosty. She’s gone, man” Jones agreed.

“I’m not leaving without her. They’re taking her for incubation. That’s their weakness,” Harrison reminded them again.

“Not much of a weakness” Jones retorts.

“I’ll take what I can get,” Harrison replied.

“I’ll be monitoring you from the APC. Morrison, Ichiro, you're with Harrison. If we can save the sergeant, he’ll need extra man power. I’ll keep an eye on Decker”

“This is a bad idea Harrison,” Morrison complained.

“If we're quick enough, we can save her before they…implant her” Harrison replied.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Ichiro commented.

The three marines make their way down an alley. They navigate past the massive gray buildings and the series of cat-walks hang over the marine’s heads. The cold wind blowing around makes the trek uncomfortable.

“You're heading toward the main personnel quarters” Jones radioed.

There were no xenomorphs in sight. But something was watching them. The air shimmers in the distance. The marines spot what was left of the animal storage. Dead personnel were glued to a makeshift nest. The ovomorphs have long since hatched. Facehuggers lie lifelessly belly up. The streets were empty of activity, the air carried a heavy silence outside of the electric humming. The marines pass through a gatehouse as they traverse to the next district. The road sloped between the two large buildings bending around the quarter, the alley was blocked by a thick wall of secreted resin.

Harrison and the two other marines activate their flashlights to illuminate the black alien wall, there was a passage big enough for a man to walk through.

“What is that?” Morrison comments.

“Its hive resin,” Harrison stated.

“A good reason to turn around. Come on, Harrison, give it up man” Morrison cried.

“I am not leaving her,” Harrison proceeds into the Hive along with Ichiro.

“Fuck it!” Morrison follows in after them.

Harrison and his team spots a woman glued to the hive wall, it was one of the technicians. It was too late, she had already birthed a chestburster days ago. 

“Frosty, this is crazy,” Morrison complains. They traverse deeper into the personnel quarters, spotting two more dead personnel glued to the wall. They trek across the resin corridors, it was more of the same dead personnel glued to the walls. The marines couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. They passed through to a computer room before reaching the elevator. Harrison activates the elevator, it takes him to the lower levels. The xenomorphs in the upper levels slowly leave their hiding spots as they traverse into the lower hive.

“Are you sure you want to go down here?” Morrison questioned. Harrison ignored his friend Duke. Ichiro remained silent. They have reached the lower hive. It seemed empty, devoid of activity. They spot two ovomorphs.

“We're getting interference,” Jones radioed.

“Don’t get too close to those things,” Ichiro warned Harrison.

“Watch your step, man,” Morrison warned Ichiro after stepping on his foot.

The marines carefully avoid the xenomorph’s eggs. They aim their weapons at them in case they decide to hatch. Harrison spots Sergeant hall, she was glued to the wall like the others but she had a facehugger on her face.

“Harrison, they got her! I knew this was a bad idea, man!” Morrison started freaking out.

“Damn it, Duke! Just help me cut her down from here, we can probably get her to the autodoc back on the Verloc” Harrison ordered.

“What if one of those things burst out of her?” Morrison feared.

“Don’t be ridiculous, the facehugger is still on her,” Harrison pointed at the large spider-like xenomorph on the sergeant’s face. They remove the resin as they pull her body free. Harrison throws Hall over his shoulder as he directs his marines to head back. As they head back into the elevator, the ovomorphs stir with activity. Two Xenomorph Warriors bolt towards the elevator. The elevator door quickly shuts as it lifts the four marines to the upper levels. The marines double time it out of the hive.

“Frosty, Duke, Ken. get outta there” Blackwell ordered.

They were nearing the hive exit, where xenomorph runners and sentinels uncoiled themselves from their resin nests. The marines fire open the weaker xenomorphs, they explode into showers of acid. The marines squeeze themselves out of the passage back to the outside.

“Let’s haul ass, marines” Harrison shouts to Ichiro and Morrison. The marines double timed it up the sloping road until they reached the gatehouse. Ichiro quickly tapped the door console to shut the gates. The runners and sentinels collide into the powered gate door.

They entered the next district.

“There's still coming,” Morrison cried.

“Stay focus, Duke,” Harrison shouted.

Morrison and Ichiro open fire on the xenomorphs chasing them from the rear. The runners and sentinels' numbers were dwindling, the marines were halfway to the APCs, then came the drones and warriors. The APC swerved into the next street, the twin cannons made short work of the human-spawned xenomorphs.

“Come on, get in!” Jones hollered.

Sergeant Hall's body was taken aboard one of the dropships. Ichiro flew one of the refueled dropships back to the Verloc, where she could be placed in cryo hibernation. The cryopod should prolong the gestation period by a month. The marines hoped they could get her to a medical facility in time to extract the xenomorph that is growing inside of her.

CHAPTER 11: TUNNELS

Date: January 6th, 2231. 6:55 PM

Locale: Road leading from Primary Operations Complex to the Forward Observation Pods.

Three APCs, two UACMC and one Weyland-Yutani were seen driving down the rocky canyon. Treading carefully so as to not slip and fall into the ravine. Buhlagh and the Chameleons flee from the military transport vehicles. The illusive Venoraptors watched from their mountain burrows. They reach the beginning of a tunnel next work. A blast door gate is built into the mountain. Jones attempts to open the gate but the blast door won’t budge.

“What the hell is going on?” McCain asked.

“No response, sir. The gate won’t open” Jones reports.

“I don’t think - open sesame - is gonna work, sir,” Morrison added.

“How about we use Duke as a battering ram?” Jones was getting really tired of Morrison’s shit.

“Just get that door open. We’re sitting ducks” McCain ordered.

“I’ll go,” Harrison volunteered.

Major McCain chuckled, “You got more balls than brains, son. Exactly what this assignment calls for” he hands Harrison a device, “I rigged up an IR lens for you, but it’ll drain your battery quickly. You’ll only be able to use it for short stretches. Don’t rely on it”

“Like this mission ain’t stupid enough without equipment problems” Morrison complains.

“Deal with it, Duke. Harrison, good luck,” said the Major.

“Looking good Frosty,” Jones compliments.

Harrison takes one last look around, he spots the vaguely dinosaurian venoraptors. They remind him of the acidspitter he encountered in the POC, these must be their host species. They stay clear of the APCs, they seem smarter than the rest of the wildlife. Harrison looked over the edge and saw a dark river flowing in the canyon ravine. He also sees a massive copper tunnel pipe and a rusty stairway leading to its entrance. Harrison moves into the massive pipe, He could see a door at the other end.

Harrison opens the door, “Were in business” he says over the radio. The door splits into four smaller pieces before being retracted into the door frame. The hallway is dark, power must be out but at least the door terminal works.

“All right, I got an update. MU/TH/UR can’t override the access codes as long as the tunnel security system remains online. So we’re gonna have to do this the hard way” McCain explained, “The tunnels are divided into sections by containment areas - short tunne;s gated on either end, similar to an airlock. With the security system active, only one gate in a section can be opened at a time. MU/TH/UR thinks a single marine on foot could allow..”

Harrison climbs up a ladder leading into another hallway. He opens the door, he is now in a large tunnel, he could see the guard post up ahead. “I’m in the first control station, sir” Harrison then pulls down the lever. The front gate pulls open. The APCs began to drive into the first section of the tunnel. Harrison spotted the dead body of one of the tunnel personnel.

“Harrison, I’m gonna need you to find the primary control terminal and shut it down. It should be just past tunnel section four” McCain ordered.

Harrison begins to leave the control station, “Harrison, you’re going to have to seal us in and then open the gate from the other side. Once we’re through, we’ll provide fire support,” McCain ordered, “all right, you should be right near the next control station”

Harrison spots a PDA, he picks it up and reads it, “Transportation handling Procedure 1011-C

Live specimens are not allowed within the tunnel network without secure, electrified containment systems.

Larval specimens must be transported with a class-4 stasis field. Convict Laborers must be accompanied by passive electronic restraints,” Harrison continues into one of the rusty doors. He is in the second control station, he sees the door terminal is busted, so no going back. 

The sounds of doors and gates closing and opening travels through the tunnels. The Warrior slowly awakens from her slumber. She looks over at the alpha in her pack. The alpha hisses for a fragment of her pack to investigate.

He pulls the lever to the control unit. The lever is stuck. The panel’s circuit board is exposed. Harrison runs a bypass on it. The doors behind the APC are sealed shut. “Good Job, Harrison” said Jones.

Something left a dent in the door, Harrison looked over, he heard xenomorphs hissing. Soon a lone warrior breaks through the door. Harrison unloads an entire clip into the warrior, it falls backwards..stunned. “Harrison, get that door open!” McCain ordered, Harrison quickly pulled down the lever before bolting out of the control station. The warrior slowly rises to her feet. Harrison quickly hides in an air vent to escape. The warrior passes by the vent as it patrols the hallway, the warrior soon leaves the vicinity. Harrison makes his way down the hall, Harrison sees the body of a dead inmate along the way. The APCs traverse into section 2, “We’re in section 2. Watch your back. It’s gonna get hot” McCain warns.

“Hey, Major, we got a contingency plan?” Morrison asked.

“You wanna take over for him, Duke?” Jones asked.

“I didn’t say nothing,” Morrison replied.

Harrison spots a hatch on the floor with dead bolts holding the hatch closed. He could see the three APCs from atop of the elevated platform. He moved across the platform to the next chamber but the door was locked. He moves down the stairs to station 3. He finds a note outside of station 3, the note said the tunnel access system was to be closed for maintenance, he glances back to the platform hoping the warrior wouldn’t find him. He taps the door console. It slid open as he gained access to station 3. There was a destroyed air vent and another dead inmate on the floor.

“All right, Harrison, open containment area two. Once we’re through, you’re on your own until you activate the gate on the other side,” Major McCain ordered. Harrison pulls down the lever, allowing the APCs to enter section 3. The sound of gunfire booms across the tunnels. A warrior that was stalking him was destroyed by the APC’s rear cannon. Harrison makes his way up to the platform, he runs across it to the door. He taps at the console, it finally opens. He spots a PDA on the floor, 

“To: Internal Security Protocol Chief

From: Dr. Eisenberg

Although I understand the need to discourage espionage, I think the latest measures go beyond prudent safeguards. By tying the security layer into the node protocol, you do prevent any unauthorized transmissions in the system. However, the data layer is by definition an open layer and vulnerable to attack.

The collapse of this could result in cascade failure of the entire node tree - we’re talking a cold reboot. Fifteen minutes down time. Given the hostility of this world, I would hate to be without protection for one minute, let alone fifteen,”

He puts the PDA down, he finds a blow torch in the hands of a dead maintenance engineer. He walks over to the hatch as he begins to cut through the hatch’s bolts to gain access to the contents inside. It's a maintenance tunnel. There is something down here. He traverses the maintenance tunnel. He briefly spots a xenomorph drone but fortunately it moves down the opposite tunnel. He slips into the adjacent where he spots a ladder. He eventually makes it back into the underground road system. 

“You’re gonna have to find another way in,” McCain suggests.

He briefly spots xenomorphs resting in the tunnels. He quickly makes it up to another leader into the air ducts where he crawls into gate station 4. Harrison pulls down the lever allowing the APC into section 4. The xenomorphs in the tunnels are immediately destroyed by the APCs. Harrison bolts to rejoin his comrades.

“Carter, Mulder, Quaid - You’re up. Head for section 4,” Major McCain ordered. Harrison joins up with them, all four of them enter the last gate station. Xenomorphs bolt around the corner, the marines fire on the runners and sentinels. An acid spitter vomits on Mulder, his armor melts then his flesh: skin, muscles, bones and all. Harrison guns down the acid spitter avenging Mulder’s death. Quaid is grabbed by a warrior and pulled into an air duct. Harrison and Carter are all that is left.

“Maher, Stone, rendezvous with Harrison,” McCain orders. Stone was lying dead outside the final gate station. Maher gets pulled underneath the console into a small air duct.

“Shit!” Harrison cursed. Harrison turns around to see the gate station control terminal was heavily damaged, the lever wouldn’t budge. He looks over and sees a ladder leading down into another service tunnel.

“Damn it, this station is trashed” Harrison jerked the unmoving lever.

“Luis, try to get it online,” McCain ordered. Luis arrives with a box of tools.

“It’s no use. We’ve got to get to the security control station” Luis reported.

“Looks like there’s a service tunnel that should take you to the main terminal,” McCain orders Harrison.

Harrison gestures to Carter and Luis to follow him. They take the ladder to the service tunnel.

“Head right,” Luis directed Harrison. Harrison heads right then opens a door, it splits into fours as it slides into the door frame. 

“That’s it you’re almost there. Okay, now straight up” Harrison takes the ladder back up. In the final section, a power loader was seen in the corner of the room. The Warrior reveals herself to Harrison. Carter gets startled and begins shooting at her, she bolts away as Cartner knicks the explosion barrels near the other last gate station. The Warrior flees inside an air duct.

“All right, marine. Now shut down that security console,” McCain orders.

Harrison pulls down the last lever, it wouldn’t budge. Luis gestures his head to the computer consoles behind him, “Console might be locked, Harrison, try one of those over there.” 

Harrison ran over to the security console and saw an extended console. Displaying LOCKED in bold red letters. He removed a panel off the device, exposing its circuit board, and ran a bypass. The Status changed from LOCKED to UNLOCK in green bold letters. The three marines returned back to the APCs.

“What’s going on, Major?” Jones asked.

“MU/TH/UR says the Weyland-Yutani schematics lacked pertinent data,” McCain explained.

“Which means?” asked Morrison.

“Put it this way, if there are survivors at the Pods, their situation just got a whole lot worse,” McCain explained.

Date: January 6th, 2231. 9:40 PM

Locale: Forward Observation Pods, ground level.

The Warrior along with her sisters abandon the access tunnels as they flood into the gorge leading to the Forward Observation Pods. The lead warrior arrives at the perimeter fence like she has for so many years. She stays away from the electrical fences, she senses the flow of electricity radiating from the fences, knowing their danger from experience. 

An engineer technician is fixing the power grid while an Iron Bear Merc stands guard, it is Dimitri, Dunya’s boyfriend and comrade in arms.

“We should hurry,” Dimitri warns the technician.

“I’m working as fast as I can, dimitri. If you don’t like being out here, why did you volunteer?” she, the engineer technician asked.

“It’s dangerous for you to be alone,” Dimitri replied.

“And I'm supposed to be safe with you? Does Dunya know you’re out here?” the technician asked curiously.

“You are losing focus on your work,” Dimitri comments

“Uh, huh. Listen, this is all double redundancy. We have two layers of hardware between zero current and us. Barring a total software meltdown, we’re as safe here as we are inside,” the Technician explained.

“What makes you think we are safe inside?” Dimitri asked.

“There, good for another thousand years,” declared the technician.

The power suddenly shuts off, the emergency low power light flickers on the sentry cannon. The electrical flow was no longer radiating to the xenomorphs. They grew curious. The xenomorphs hesitantly brushed themselves on the electrical fence. No pain..Nothing. The lead warrior leads most of her kin to the fences, while The Warrior leads her sisters on the suspension cage directly to the Pods themselves.

“What did you do?” Dimitri asked accusingly.

“That wasn’t me,” the technician replied with a hint of fear in her voice.

“Get inside! Now!” Dunya cried over the radio.

The xenomorphs no longer afraid of the fence, they began to climb over the fence. Every stage IV and stage V xenomorph caste documented on LV-1201 were now in the perimeter: Runners, Drones, Acid spitters, Sentinels, Warriors, and even a few Predaliens.

“Oh God,” screams the technician as Dimitri provides cover fire for her.

“Keep moving! Don’t look back,” Dimitri orders as two xenomorph warriors were gaining on them.

Eisenberg was standing on the elevator lift with a combat synthetic, he observed the chaos unfolding before his eyes. Several Iron Bears are killed and the technicians captured by the xenomorphs. On the radio, he hears the teams of scientists suddenly drop from contact. He looks towards his combat synthetic companion, “We should get inside” Eisenberg suggested.

“We are closer to ground shelter 1. I recommend that we proceed there immediately,” replied the combat synthetic.

“I’m not going underground,” Dr. Eisenberg felt insulted, also bad memories of being in dark claustrophobic conditions reminded him of the incident twelve years ago. 

Date: January 6th, 2231. 9:55 PM

Locale: Forward Observation Pods, ground level.

The three APCs make it out of the access tunnels to the ground level of the FOP. The massive suspended towers hang menacingly above the ground. The marines spotted survivors at its base, white body bags were laid near the elevator lift.

“Looks like the Pods are intact. I’m seeing survivors at the base,” McCain observed. The elevator lift descends down to the ground floor, a welcoming party? The APCs park near the elevator lift. Dr. Eisenberg, Rykov and his men approach the APC convoy.

“Gentlemen, welcome to the Forward Observation Pods,” Dr. Eisenberg’s welcome was a cold one, with a hint of sarcasm in his monotone voice.

“You took down our defense grid,” Rykov accused the marines.

“Your corporation decided we didn’t need the complete details of your security protocols,” McCain retorts.

“We made alterations. You can never be too safe,” Dr. Eisenberg added.

“Apparently you can. Regardless, my men are ready to deploy immediately, if necessary,” Major McCain replied.

“You are too late. We have repaired what can be repaired. Six of my men died today,” Rykov growled at the marines.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” McCain offers his condolences, then he asks, “But the situation is contained?”

“We’re still assessing the situation. The Pods are intact, but we have teams in the field for biological and archeological research,” Dr. Eisernberg added.

“Even after what happened to the POC?” McCain asked curiously.

“This facility is self-contained. With security running properly, we’re perfectly safe. Besides, we’ve wired the tunnels with charges. We can seal them remotely in case of contamination,” Dr. Eisenberg sounded confident.

“Three teams still haven’t reported. You may have killed more than we know,” Rykov said grimmly.

“We’ll do whatever we can to get them out,” McCain replied.

“We should move inside,” Eisenberg suggested.

“I would like to re-establish our communication link with the POC,” MCCain added.

“I’m afraid the landline was severed when the facility was overrun,” Eisenberg replied.

“We’ve set up a booster transmitter in the tunnels. With your permission, my marines can modify your software to utilize our transmitter,” McCain suggested.

“Of course,” Dr. Eisenberg complied.

“If you could lend us a terminal, Harrison here can perform work,” McCain added.

“Technician Stiles. Please take this gentleman to the control deck. Assist him in any way necessary,” Dr. Eisenberg ordered.

“Yes, doctor,” Stiles gestures to Harrison to come with him. Harrison is the only marine lifted into the Pods, the rest of his squad stayed outside on the ground, off to rescue the trapped scientists.

“Isolate the Marines’ communication channels. We don’t want them asking embarrassing questions of Pod personnel,” General Rkov asks his trusted lieutenant Ivan Hushvatov, then he asks Ivan for something else, “You’ve prepared the rosters?”

“Yes, General,” Ivan replied.

“Will it hold up to investigation?” Rykov asked.

“Without bodies, who can prove where they died, in the tunnels as we’ll claim or six weeks ago in the POC?” Ivan added.

“We do what we must. Go then,” Rykov ordered.

Date: January 6th, 2231. 10:05 PM

Locale: Forward Observation Pods, Pod 3, Stile’s office.

Harrison, now onboard one of the pods, Technician Stiles points towards the door on Harrison’s right, “Down that corridor on your right. Bear left at the function. It’s at the end of hall,” Harrison walks over to the door on the right. He passes through a couple of rooms and hallways before reaching his destination. He reaches the communications room, it's dark inside filled with several computing terminals and monitors arranged in the shape of a U. Harrison immediately sits down trying to establish contact with the POC.

System Access Console 672

“Access transmission protocols,” Harrison ordered the mainframe.

Access denied. General transmission protocols require Alpha 1 clearance.

“Access landline transmission protocols” Harrison ordered the mainframe, hoping it would accept his command.

Access granted.

“Reset primary transport route to V.290 booster protocol,” Harrison ordered.

Resetting… Override access authorized. Incoming message.

Rosters have been altered. Scientists already dead. Your team is in …

Fatal data fault. Terminal Failure. Shutting Down.

“What the hell? I’m having trouble accessing the transmission protocols,” Harrison reports to the Siles via intercom, as he grows frustrated. The door slides open as a shapely Iron Bear Mercenary walks with a feminine gait. It is Major Dunya, Harrison spins around in his chair to face the female Merc.

“Hey. You startled me,” Harrison examines the mercenary: Harrison thinks she looks very attractive, but the look in her eyes was as cold as a glacier. She had that Russian vibe to her, she carried herself proper and strict. 

“I believe we have a problem in the transmission line. You’ll need to interface with the root system. Please follow me,” Dunya gestures to Harrison to follow her. A series of cat walks stretch out to the adjacent pod in an enclosed shaft. They make it across one of the cat walks between the pods.

“It would take a cunning man to disable our security system,” Dunya began talking again. Harrison walks out from behind as he attempts to cut her off from the door. 

“Yeah, well, that was MU/TH/UR, not me. I was just following orders” Harrison sets her straight.

Dunya smiles, “I like brave men”

Harrison smiles too, taking it as a compliment, “Really?”

“Men like my fiance, Dimitri” Dunya brings up sharply.

“Your fiance? Man, my luck never changes,” Harrison sighs.

“Don’t worry. He is gone. He was outside the Pods when the system went down. A casualty,” Dunya explained.

“Oh,” Harrison pauses, “I’m sorry to hear that,” offers his condolences.

Dunya is contacted by her superiors over her comm unit, “yes. Of course, I understand. I will be there soon” Dunya then looks up over at Harrison, she gestures to him to proceed to the next pod’s door. Harrison feels a sharp pain in the back of his head before blacking out. Dunya glared down at Andrew Harrison with a look that could kill a xenomorph.

CHAPTER 12: PODS

Date: January 6th, 2231. 10:10 PM

Locale: Forward Observation Pods, Pod 4, level 12, ventilation.

The Warrior had been hiding in the ventilation unit for a good 15 minutes before making her move. She could sense her sisters outside had retreated, cut off from their link; she must be careful when traversing the human’s nest. 

“Warning, Xenomorph contaminants confirmed. Please remain in your quarters with doors locked until further notice. All deck officers have been issued Pulse Rifles. Report any problems immediately,” the security technicians sound the alarm, while announcing the situation in the pods.

The Warrior crawls and sneaks beneath the weyland-yutani security guards. She quickly arose from under the floor space, she stings him with her venom before dragging him under the floor. She headbites him, planning on using his body to start a nest; She must find more hosts. She leaves the crawl space once more, she is hit in the shoulder by a pulse rifle round, her blood splats on the floor melting a hole through it. She leapt on the wall, rapidly crawling towards the guard. He fires at her, she leapt to the other wall before pouncing on the guard, tearing out his innards for injuring her. She ends his misery with a headbite. The other guard came out from the hallway firing his weapon. The Warrior bolts as she squeezes beneath the floor panels. The guard stares in disbelief at the carnage she had wrought on poor Anderson. He was a dick though and probably deserved it, a negative thought crossed the guard’s mind. The floor panel started sizzling, a clawed hand burst from the floor, the guard stumbled as the alien surfaced from the floor like an armoured black shark, she pulled him closer to her as she dragged the guard into the crawlspace below.

Another guard fires upon The Warrior, she slices open the injured guard’s throat with her armored forearm blade that grows out from her wrist into her elbow, before sinking into the floor. The guard was too late, Anderson and Weadon were already dead. He carefully examines the damaged floor grates. He could see something moving underneath, he is then impaled through the foot. The sharp stinger worms its way out, the tail’s segmented vertebrate damage more surrounding tissue comprising his foot. The tail stabs the guard in the heart. The guard slumps over dying. The paralyzing venom spread throughout his body quickly. The Warrior Xenomorph dragged him underneath the floor. She spots a scientist covering underneath a death, she drops to all fours as she pulls the scientists from his hiding spot.

She extends her inner jaws ready to eat his brains. But she senses a mental link, two mental links. Her sisters. But they were dominant in the fluid filled cylindrical tank. She moves the scientist towards the tank containing a facehugger. She remembers inheriting the memories of this creature, almost like a past life. She plunges her claws into the glass tank, the fluid poured around her black armored forearm. The facehugger landed in the palm of her claws, she carefully removed her sister from the tank. The facehugger twitches to life, it senses a warm body, the facehugger leaps on to the scientist's face; sealing his fate.

Next was her other sister's tank. She was thankfully in her stage III form, a drone. The Warrior smashes her skull into the tank, a crack forms on the glass. She batters her thick skull against the class once more, fluid begins leaking out. The drone within the tank, quickly awakens to finish freeing herself on her own. The Warrior hisses euphorically, she was no longer alone again. She lifts the scientist onto her shoulder as they both flee outside of the cramped room before escaping into the rafters. The rest the body on its side before fleeing down the rafts to the other compartments of the pods.

“Major McCain. My condolences on the loss of Corporal Harrison. We try to control our convict laborers through the use of technology, but as you know, technology fail” Dr. Eisenberg reports.

“Have you caught the son of a bitch yet?” Mccain could barely contain his anger.

“It’s only a matter of time. We’ve identified the last known position of the missing team. I’m afraid the rescue is not without risk” Dr. Eisenberg comments.

“Where's Wheadon, Anderson, and Abrams?” asked a guard.

The Warrior and her companion fell upon the guards like hawks to mice. The Warrior chased one of the guards into one of the labs. She leapt into the guard, cracking the glass tank behind him. The glass shatters releasing the Runner trapped inside.

“Medical teams please report. Operation Saviors is now at yellow status. All marine personnel report to Major McCain for rescue briefings,” the announcer said over the intercom.

The Warrior destroys a computer unit inside a private room, it releases a Predalien from her stasis. She immediately began feeding on the scientists in the room.

Locale: Forward Observation Pods, Pod 4, Prison Quarters.

Harrison slowly awakens on a stiff bunk bed. He feels pain throbbing in the back of his head. He notices he was no longer in his colonial marine uniform. All of his equipment was taken from him. He was dressed in inmate attire. An inmate, possibly his bunkmate, was staring at him the whole time, the name tage says RIESER on it, “It's been a while since we’ve seen… new blood around here”

Harrison sits up, looking around confused, “What? Where am I?” Harrison asked him. He rubs the back of his head, it's still throbbing in pain. A security guard passes back and forth from a large window overlooking the inmates.

“You just come out of cold sleep? What are you in for?” The inmate asked.

“Huh?”

“What crime were you convicted of?” Rieser was losing his patience.

Harrison arose from his bunk, “I’m not a convict. I’m a Marine”

“Pssh, sure you are. And I’m innocent,” Rieser replied sarcastically. He then chuckles. 

“I’ve got to get out of here,” Harrison looks around the prison cell.

“Attention security. Please escort convict #16 to prep Room B” a lady’s voice booms over the intercom.

“That’s you. Boy, you must’ve really pissed somebody off. Out of the freezer and into the frying pan, It’s too bad we didn’t have more time to get acquainted,” Reiser commented, he chuckles again.

“Yeah, I’m heartbroken too,” Harrison snarked.

Dunya walks into the room overlooking the inmates, she casts a death glare at Harrison. “No sedative for this one,” she ordered the guard.

“Yeah. Okay. Want me to let you know when it's done?” The guard answers back nervously, the Iron Bear Mercs in general scare the shit of him; Major Dunya and General Rykov especially. 

“No need. I will be in the observation room,” she smiles like a venomous snake at Harrison before leaving.

“The guard’s alone. Idiots. They’re getting sloppy lately,” Rieser chuckles.

“Must have their minds on other things,” Harrison replied.

“Hmm, their mistake” Rieser begins to walk backwards, he slowly pulls out a shiv he made. The guard approaches Harrison, now seeing his chance Rieser lunges at the Guard with his shiv. The guard whips out his gun, he squeezed out a lucky shot. Reiser smiled, blood trickled down his forehead. He collapses to the floor as a corpse. The shiv slides over to Harrison, he quickly grabs it, his body moves on its own, years of combat training allowed to overpower the guard. He plunges the shiv into the guard’s neck. Harrison briefly spots an inmate cowering under his bunk, his tame tag says Jonas Richter.

He reaches the guard post, he shoots the next guard before leaving the guard post. He is now in a poorly lit chamber with gas canisters and a single service ladder.

“Containment team report to cell Block C” a voice commands the other guards. Harrison quickly hides in the service shaft. He reaches the elevator shaft, where an elevator containing two guards were sent looking for him.

“Pair off and search by twos. I want this guy found fast” said the head guard. Harrison sneaks under a small space underneath an elevator car floor. The service airlock shuts close. 

“Like we don’t have enough problems already. We still have a bug running around somewhere on level 12,” one of the guards sighed.

“God damn marines,” replied the other guard. After some time the elevator comes to a complete stop. Harrison slips into another service tunnel. He hears something scurrying in the adjacent room. He opens the service tunnel airlock. A janitor has just gotten facehugged by a facehugger. Harrison knew that the janitor was doomed and that there were xenomorphs onboard the pods.

 Harrison attempts to open the door but it was locked, there was a hatch but it had an old school dial lock on it. He was holding something in his hand, it was a welding torch. Harrison carefully removed the torch from the man’s grip. He looks up at the hatch, he closes his eyes as he melts the lock off the service hatch. He crawls into another duct.

“Do you have the results on the test group yet?” asked a scientist.

“Cybernetic rejection is down four percent” says a female scientist.

“Slow and steady wins the race, right? At least it’s improvement. That’s human ingenuity for you,” says the male scientist.

Harrison moves along the ducts to overhear another conversation, “Yes, coming along nicely. Testing pheromone sample four one five. Sample collected during specimen foray number forty. Introducing pheromone now,” the scientist was working on a new variant of xenoborg. Harrison had heard about rumors of failed weyland-yutani xenomorph projects of the 2180’s but to see the corporation making a second attempt, confirmed the old rumors.

“Specimen reacts with increased hostility and aggression, Reducing pheromone now”

Harrison was now out of the ducts. He was in a dark room, QUARANTINED AREA - DO NOT ENTER was in big bold red letters. Harrison used the blow torch to remove the deadbolts from the grate below the sign. The place was torn to pieces, Harrison knew it was the xenomorph’s handy work. The remains of the guards Anderson, Whedon, and Abrams were stuffed down in the damaged floor; their remains were being converted into ovomorphs. Acid burns and holes were everywhere. The xenomorphs could be anywhere, nowhere safe in this pod. The upper deck was too quiet.

Harrison climbed down the ladder into the lower levels, he heard crunching noise around the corner. A massive alien was huddled in the corner. It resembled a xenomorph but it was light green in color. She bit off big chunks of the guard with her mandibles, she slowly turned around, her segmented dreads flop over her shoulders. Harrison was horrified, what manner of creature birthed this thing? Harrison hid in one of the adjacent rooms as the Predalien began searching for more food. She swishes her tail along the white plated walls. Harrison hides under a bed, the predalien slowly walks into the living quarters; it was big, almost too big to fit in the room. It walks around the room growing closer to Harrison. Despite its gruesome appearance, the thing was just an ordinary xenomorph. She quickly lost interest when she couldn’t find him. Harrison waited for the creature to leave. Slowly we crawled out from beneath the bed. He needed a pulse rifle, even at close range a pistol is next to useless against a xenomorph. It would take an entire clip focused on one area to penetrate the  armor of a xenomorph warrior, even then you would have to shoot it point blank which is lethal to the gunman since that is acid blood effective range.

Harrison forced himself off the floor, he carefully walked over to the door. He swung the guard’s pistol down the hallway then spun around down the other. He briefly sees it entering another corridor before the automated door closes behind it. Harrison needs to find his gear quickly. He slowly treks down the right hallway where he finds a service grate with a bolt on it. He carefully uses the blow torch to melt the bolt off before slipping down the crawl space. He slips into the service tunnel, while closing the airlock behind him. He moves through the service shaft until he slips into the maintenance duct. Large pipes containing natural gas and steam align the duct.

“Attention all personnel, please be advised that Pod Two has been placed on Red Alert status. Xenomorph containment confirmed” the announcer’s voice boomed across Pod 2.

Dr. Eisenberg was sitting alone in his room, between this, Rykov’s yautja obsession, the colonial marines, the convicts revolting and the mysterious transmission being sent out from the Pods. Eisenberg was overloaded with stress, damn them he cursed in his head.

“Command, this is Dr. Eisenberg. What is the situation with the contaminants?” Eisenberged asked.

“We’re still tracking one creature, but we think it’s isolated in the maintenance system,” a female technician reported.

“You think it’s isolated?” Dr. Eisenberg growled.

“Shall I send security? General Rykov has a team nearby” a male technician asked.

“No of course, not…” Dr. Eisenberg was starting to have one of his panic episodes. He struggles to contain it but his body begins acting on its own accord, the shaking fits and the hallucinations. He began seeing xenomorphs manifest like ghosts in his room. The sounds of them breaking into his quarters, before an alpha warrior manifests on his desk. She extends her inner jaws at him. Eisenberg screams as the alpha lunges at him.

General Rykov, Dunya and Ivan escort the general into a room with a long rectangular table surrounded by eight triangular chairs. They finally reach Eisenberg’s office. Rykov knocks on the door, he hears a loud commotion originating from the office. Rykov bangs on the door harder.

Dr. Eisenberg had barricaded his office. A desk was blocking one of the entrances. Office chairs blocking the vents. A server unit was blocking the main entrance. Dr. Eisenberg was lying on the floor curled up in a ball shaking, near a fallen lamp, near his large U shaped desk.

The memories from all of those years ago came flooding back to him, back when he was completely human. Observation Post 3, 

“We got a survivor,” said Sgt. Steve Logan, The electronic door slides open, and several United American Colonial Marines enter the room. They spot Eisenberg lying on the floor, huddled in the fetal position.  “My God” he looked around the room to see the carnage, the bodies of the science team were all over the place. “What the hell DID this?” Logan cursed.

“Logan, what’s going on there? Did you locate the team?” asked his commanding officer.

“What’s left of it. One survivor… uh, looks like the others were…eaten,” Logan radioed to his superiors.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Eisenberg growled remorsefully. 

A loud bang echoed through the observation post, “Hey what the hell is that?” asked one of the marines. An all too familiar form of death stalked around the corner. “We got multiple contacts, quick get the survivor out of here” Logan ordered. The M41A pulse rifles scream as they spray in the general direction of the creatures.

The server unit was forcefully pushed away from the main door. General Rykov, Ivan and Dunya stomped into the room furious. General Rykov approached Dr. Eisenberg while the others stand back. Rykov glares down at the pathetic state Eisenberg was currently in, “What is wrong with you?” Rykov snarled, “Get up!”He orders. Eisenberg refuses, “Get up coward” he demands, Eisenberg still doesn’t comply and like a father to his disobedient child, Rykov grabs Eisenberg by the arm and pulls him to his feet. 

Eisenberg recomposed himself, “Are the teams in position? Is the marine rescue prepared?” he asked.

“Yes, the teams are ready… are you?” Rykov questioned Eisenberg’s current mental state.

“We have work to do,” Eisenberg spoke with renewed vigor. Remembering why he came back here to this place, it wasn’t to harvest the xenomorphs. It was to control them! He will make them pay for the suffering they caused him. He will not fail like Dr. Sora Matsuhita, Dr. Micheal Bishop, Dr. H.G. Groves, Dr. Waidslaw Orona, General Thomas Spears, Dr. Ernst Kleist, Dr. Paul Church, Dr. Samuel Kadinsky nor Dr. Lee Chaolan. He is no failure, he will make history, Dr. Arnaud Eisenberg will be the first in history to successfully and truly tame xenomorph XX121. He briefly thought of the old Weyland Corp’s Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, Dr. Charlie Holloway, Dr. Martin Holloway and Dr. Jocelyn Watts; without these four brave scientists the Company would have never been inspired to become something greater.

The Engineer's technology is the key to his plans.

CHAPTER 13: CHAOS

The Warrior crawls in through the air vent. She slowly sneaks up on Dr. Stiles. He was investigating the source of these unauthorized transmissions. He heard a hiss, he looked up from his monitor at his assistant who was screaming at him before everything went red then faded to black. Stiles collapses to the floor dead. The Warrior retracts her inner jaws back into her mouth. Red human blood dripped from her metallic teeth. She now has to deal with the assistant, she would more than likely alert her kin. A security guard bolts into the room, The Warrior fires her inner jaws into the man’s face killing him on the spot. She stings his comrade before doing the same thing to him. The assistant huddles in a corner, fearing she is next. The warrior stings her, paralyzing her body. She will be useful later.

The Warrior observed the rest of the room, there was a large rectangular table surrounded by eight triangular chairs. She encroached on the open door, the room was messy almost as if someone was trying to barricade it from her and her sisters. She took off towards the stairs leading up.

“Two teams still haven’t reported in” says a security guard.

“If we don’t isolate this bitch quick. I’m gonna give the evacuation order” the higher ranking security guard added.

“I don’t think Eisenberg will go for that,” said the grunt Security Guard.

“I’m not gonna ask him,” the Ranking Guard replied.

The two guards heard a noise but it was all over, the xenomorph moved in so quickly neither of them could get a shot on her. The guards lay on the ground paralized like the assistant. The Warrior catches the scent of more hosts coming from the air vent above, she quickly leaps to the vent. She squeezes herself as she traverses its tunnels.

“First the good news,” said the chief scientist, an elderly scientist among his peers in a large open room. Several scientists are looking at a large screen, a map of the zeta hive. The humans are planning something big. 

“Four hours ago, a Marine rescue team arrived at the Forward Pods. Despite their inadvertent disruption of our security grid. We are now safer than ever. In fact, even as we speak, our six weeks of isolation is coming to an end. The Marines have restored our landline to the Primary Complex and thus a link to their mother ship and the universe at large,” the chief scientists praised the marines for their efforts, who are absent in the chamber, “Now the bad news,”

“As you may have heard, one of our archeological teams has become trapped near the Hive. To extricate the team, the Doctor feels we must neutralize the Hive. That means capturing and controlling the Empress,” the chief scientist finishes. The scientists in the room all began whispering amongst themselves of the implications.

“Yes, I understand your concern, but we have studied this eventuality. Next,” The projection changes to another image of the Hive. “As you know, the majority of the Hive extends above the Empress’s chamber. Our people are trapped near the outer edge. Next,” The projection image changes again.

“The operation begins with a surface assault on the Hive as a diversion. No humans are involved in this initial action. We’ll be relying on a strike team of combat synthetics. Yet, as I have said, this is only a feint. As the Hive responds to the surface attack, two things will occur. First, a Marine team will penetrate the Hive here to rescue our comrades” he pauses, “Second, an extraction team will break through from the tunnel system here, at the base of the Hive”

He stares hard at the other scientists in the room, “Our probes have mapped this area extensively. By tunneling in here, we breach a large horizontal shaft that runs directly into the Empress chamber. This shaft will serve as our roadway for extracting her. We expect the Hive to respond aggressively to the human threats. Particularly that on the Empress. By destroying the tunnels of the Hive, the combat synths will cut off the Empress from any assistance, allowing a quick and bloodless escape back to the tunnels below. Meanwhile, our Marine allies easily and safely extract our comrades. Any questions?” The chief scientist concludes with a question.

“Based on what you’ve described, it would seem our defense would be considerably diminished after the attack. What if the Hive retaliates?” a female scientist asked.

“The sympathetic theory of pheromone relationships as put forward by Dr. Eisenberg is quite clear on this point. The Hive will respond to the command of the Empress and the Empress will respond to her own instinctive drive for survival. Once we have the Empress as hostage, we will be protected from the Hive,” the chief Scientist explains.

“Protected during the extraction or protected long term? Are you saying we would then have safe access to the entire hive and to the engineer technology there?” asked a younger male scientist.

“We believe that we are looking at a long-term insurance policy. For those of you whose projects have been frustrated due to incomplete archeologist or biological data, this would present something of an unprecedented opportunity,” the chief scientists also explains.

“Chin's theory of competitive discourse clearly indicates that the Hive will react violently to the loss of the Empress. At a minimum, the Young Queens will struggle to determine a new ascendant ruler. More likely, the Hive will come after us,” said Dr. Mencus. 

“Who is that? Is that you, Mencus? Well, as you can see, Dr. Chin is not with us to discuss his theory. A rather good indication of its staying power” the chief scientist refuted.

“Where is he, anyway?” asked Dr. Mencus.

“Yes, well. To continue with the briefing, we may expect some injuries during such an ambitious enterprise. I’m asking anyone with medical training to assist with any potential triage. Any other questions?” The chief scientist concludes this discussion.

The Warrior finishes her trek through the vents as she slips out of the floor from an open panel. “Implantation sequence set. Data recording commence on my mark. Mark.” The technician looks out from his perched, glass pane wall into an open chamber below where a Yautja is contained in a cyropod. He catches a glance at the Xenomorph Warrior approaching him. The security guards grab him as they retreat to the elevators. The Warrior hisses but is then distracted by the sound of a vent panel falling. 

She moves back to the glass pane windows, she spots another human sliding off the yautja’s pod. To her, he is just like the rest of them. Food. He resembles the convicts she had hunted when she was just a drone. The convict randomly pressed buttons trying to escape the room. The yaut’ja crypod slowly elevated until the pod was vertical.

Paya’kan’di, slowly awakens from his sleep. He spots the kainde amedha staring down at him menacingly yet curiously. The kainde amedha loses interest in him and the oomen. Paya’kan’di glances over at the oomen, he was passing around, lost, looking for a way out. 

Harrison walks past the cryopod once more, he turns to thoroughly get a look at the creature. He was an ugly bastard, he vaguely resembled the creature that was stalking him earlier. Now Harrison understood where the creature had originated from however he knows next to nothing on what this creature is nor where he came from. He walks over to the PDA, he begins reading it “Date: December 10, 2230.

Surgery to remove forearm device has failed. Hard to explain Medically, the specimen was very strong. Then, as the device was removed, pulmonary arrest occurred. Considerable evidence of tamper-proofing within the machinery, but what kind of society would prefer its soldiers to die instead of being disarmed?”

Harrison growing frustrated notices a space between the pod and the floor, there was an opening. He crawls down into the crawlspace. He was in a small room, surrounded by two panes of glass on both sides, a solid wall behind him and a door in front of him. He opens the door.

“There!” shouted a muffled radio voice, “He is in animal storage! Be Careful, looks like he's armed” Harrison quickly crawled into the vent ducts to escape the guards.

“Containment team report to specimen area 4,” the security guard ordered, “Attention, all personnel. A convict laborer has escaped from Detention Cellblock 4. He has killed several guards and one Marine,” The security guard announces. Harrison cuts through a deadbolt with his blow torch as he traverses through the ducts. “All other convict laborers have been recalled to detention. Any convict caught outside detention will be considered armed and dangerous” The security guard continues to announce.

Paya’kan’di is released from his sleeping coffin prison. He extends his wrist blades as he ascends to the upper level. 

“I can’t raise Morris?” said a security guard.

“He’s dead,” said another security guard.

Paya’kan’di leaps into a whole above the door unit, overhearing the guard’s conversation. He understood a little of the oomen’s language but not a whole lot.

“God damn it! It’s one friggin contaminant for god’s sake!” the guard curses.

“Yeah, and it's headed this way. Let’s check in here” replied the other guard. The two guards pass under the whole in the ceiling. Paya’kan’di leaps down from his hiding spot and proceeds to rip their spines out. He then proceeds through the hallways until he slips into a service tunnel.

“Anything?” a guard asks some ways away from the yautja.

“Not yet,” the other guard replied, waiting for something to happen.

“Just stay alert”, Paya’kan’di leaps down from the service shaft behind the guards. “Don’t worry…” he is silenced by Paya’kan’di’s wristblades.

“I’ve limited all communications with the rescue teams to our secured protocol. The Marines can talk only to those you wish” says Ivan to General Rykov. Unaware of the yautja, staring at them from behind the pane glass.

“They accepted your explanation?” Rykov asked.

“They take orders like good soldiers,” Ivan replied.

“Then it is time. Contact the Verloc. Get a dropship down to the auxiliary landing pad. They’ll need telemetry, but otherwise say as little as possible,” Rykov ordered.

“Understood,” Ivan complied.

Paya’kan’di leaped up to hide from their gaze, he smashed a control unit before rewiring its circuitry to his needs. The door to the alien artifact room is now open. Paya’kan’di finds a disk bomb laying on a small table. He grabs them. The disk bomb resembles a gold fat disk with two prong-like razors sticking out from its sides. He enters the room, where the biomask of the hunting captain is laid on a table along with his netgun. Paya’kan’di picks up the mask, he growls mournfully before attaching the biomask to his power cables. A security guard walks in on him, “ah!” the guard shout. Paya’kan’di spuns around and aims the netgun at the guard who is raising his rifle. A net shoots out first as it pins the guard to the wall. The net begins to cut into his rifle before shattering, now the net cuts into the guards armor, uniform, and then skin. Paya’kan’di turns away leaving the guard to his fate. The yautja leaps onto a ladder before arriving in a massive ventilation tunnel. 

The facehugger containment chamber.

“You’re trembling,” says a female voice.

“I don’t like these things,” says a man’s voice.

Harrison was now approaching a grate, a dial lock is seen grafted to it. Harrison removes it with his blow torch, he then kicks the grate hatch outwards. One of the Guards attempts to shoot at him, Harrison falls off the tall holding unit. The guard shoots one of the units, the cylinder pushes itself open, releasing a facehugger. The facehugger leaps onto the floor, the spider-like xenomorph bolts towards the closest body it could find, the security guard, scurrying up the guard’s leg until he latches itself onto his face.

Harrison climbs up a ladder into the control room, “Fuck, a dead end” harrison curses.

“Soldier, in thirty seconds you’ll be dead” a deep voice spoke through the surveillance camera.

“What?” Harrison asked.

“See that security camera over the door? I’ve rerouted the feed so only I can see you, but if I keep it this way for very long, someone’s bound to notice” the voice continues.

“Who are you?” Harrison asked.

“I need you to get me a package,” the voice orders.

“I’m a Marine, not a delivery boy. Why me?” Harrison asked.

“Because you have half a chance of getting it. I had to ditch it where I knew they wouldn’t look, but I can’t get back there. So you’re going. Once you have my package, we’ll talk about your team,” the voice ordered.

“I don’t negotiate with corporate spies,” Harrison retorts.

“I'm not negotiating. Implantation lab number two. Down the belt, buddy” the voice demanded. Harrison flips the switch to open the belt hatch as he proceeds past the panicked scientists. 

“Hey you don’t want to go in there,” One of the scientists tries to stop him but he aims a gun in his face.

“I need out of here, you should better run, I hear these things are parasitic” Harrison growled. The scientist nods his head as he takes his colleagues out of the room. Harrison crawls on the conveyor belt into the egg chamber.

The Warrior was hiding in the rafters above one of the scientists, “I don’t mind research on the drones, but I think we’re crossing an ethical line with this. Those things are clearly intelligent” the Warrior bursts out of the rafters as she attacks the scientists below, she paralyzes them as she heads to the specimen room next door.

“Secure those samples…” the scientist turns around in horror as The Warrior stings them too. The Warrior spots three tanks containing her sisters. She smashes her head against each of the glass containers, cracking the fragile transparency before shattering. Three more xenomorphs join her side. The guards are quickly overwhelmed allowing The Warrior to continue her trek across the pod. She reaches a room where a chamber lies behind a pane of glass. It was a hive, her sisters were trapped in this small room. The Warrior damaged the human’s computer consoles, freeing her sisters from captivity. The xenomorphs began their assault as they lay claim to Pod 4. The xenomorphs arrive at the egg storage chamber where they free their facehugger young. The xenomorphs were seen building nests in the prison facility. The Predalien resided there.

“Electrical security systems have failed.. Doctor the specimens are escaping” The xenomorphs were crawling over the elevator shafts.

“It doesn’t matter,” said one of the scientists.

“They’ve broken free,” screams a security guard.

“True. Our prison was weak. It is time to build a stronger prison”

The Warrior leads a group of her sisters outside of Pod 2. Once outside she began to feel a chemical change coursing her body, the ridges on her cranium grew more pronounced as she gained some size compared to her sisters; she has now matured into an Alpha Warrior. 

Harrison finally leaves the elaborate egg holding facility. He slowly makes his way to the door. “Check the crew quarters. There’s an emergency panel at the end of the hall. Override it and you can gain access. Beyond this point there is an elevator” the voice instructs.

Harrison snuck past the security guards and slowly made his way to the confiscation room. He briefly hears xenomorph hisses, he seals the door behind him. He spots his uniform, body armor and equipment. He grabs his bypass unit, he quickly changes out of his inmate attire back into his uniform, he puts on his body armor, discards the security guard pistol for his standard issued marine variant and then he grabs his Pulse Rifle. He hears the guards screaming in the adjacent rooms. He slowly made his way down into the lower quarters, he could hear the guards were busy containing the alien threat. Harrison ran a bypass to gain access to Dunya’s room. He takes a security clearance off her bed, before leaving the quarters.

“Now take that elevator down to the implantation lab” the voice commands.

Harrison eventually finds himself in a hall looking down at a familiar chamber. The pod containing the weird man-spider face creature looking thing was gone.

“The disk is on the table. Pick it up” Harrison obeys the voice on his comm unit, “Okay, now meet me near the exit lift. Once we make the trade, I’ll help you find your friends. All right, looks like the elevators are back online. Hurry!”

Harrison makes it to the elevators while continuing to evade the guards, security seems to be appearing less frequently. He takes the elevator to the elevator lift shaft of Pod 2. Harrison could see the chaos spreading through the pods like wildfire, the xenomorphs were loose.

“Damn it, they locked up the elevators. Can you bypass that panel?” the voice commanded. Harrison runs a bypass to the elevator doors. They slide open. There a service hatch appeared instead of a hallway. He opens the service hatch.

“Uh oh. Something’s wrong. You’ve got to get out of there” the voice panicked. Harrison continued through the service tunnels.

“So if I turn those two valves, boom?” the guards' voice echoed into the massive tunnel above them. Paya’kan’di begins listening.

“That’s right,” said another guard.

“I don’t believe you,” replied the first guard.

“It's true. I’m going to make that shit up?” the second guard felt insulted.

“Come on, who would design something that stupid?” the first guard asked.

“It’s a jury-rigged system we salvaged from pod 5. Turn one. Fine. Turn the other? Fine. You turn both? Blammo” the second security guard explains.

“Man,” replied the first guard.

Paya’kan’di  drops down from above, he stabs the second guard in the spine before throwing him across the room. The first guard begins opening fire but Paya’kan’di hides behind a crate before leaping on top of said crate, he jumps on the wall before pouncing on the first guard. He skins them both before tying them up in the rafters. He turns the two handles, a beeping sound now emanates from the two units, Paya’kan’di trots over to a safe distance. The explosion can be felt across all of Pod 2. He enters the next room to find his cloaking generator and spears lying on a long table. The oomen scientists' notes were laying next to them. He rips the paper to shreds as he claims his items. He shoves the cloaking device into his gauntlet. He taps at his wrist computer, he is now a shimmer. He now approaches three guards with stronger confidence. Their screens could be heard for a few meters down the hall.

The powered doors open as a shimmer bolts into a room filled with scientists and the dead bodies of his clanmates. Paya’kan’di glanced at the bodies of his clanmates, they were like his brothers and sisters. Paya’kan’di  mourns with a blood curdling roar, the scientists all turn around their heads darting to find the sound’s origin. Paya’kan’di uncloaks, he deploys his combi-stick, he will take no prisoners. The scientists were all slaughtered, Paya’kan’di removed his dead clanmates from the tables and laid them to the ground. He searches the room for more tech they have stolen from them. He finds his medicomp, his plasma caster, smart disk, speargun and his recharger box, then finds the wrist gauntlets of his comrades. He returns their gauntlets back onto their arms, he pops open their wrist computer to activate their self destruction device.

Two guards walk in on him, he targets them with his biomask, and soon the guards are reduced to swiss cheese from the hot plasma fired from the plasma caster. The Honor of his fallen clanmates must be restored.

The lights flickered as Harrison dropped into a storage room. A voice booms on the intercom,“Medical teams please report. Operation Savior is now at yellow status. All Marine personnel report to major McCain for rescue briefings,” Harrison opens the door, he sees personnel fleeing. “Security breach on Implantation Deck 3. Containment teams to their stations. This is not a drill. Security Omega is now in effect,”

“There’s a maintenance passage behind those consoles. See if you can pry one open” the voice commanded. Harrison obeyed, he pulled one of the consoles open and pulled down a lever in the center of the room. The bl;ast shields are pulled away from the windows. He could see the other pods from here and a long walkway to said pods. He briefly sees xenomorphs crawling over the pods. A xenomorph crawls over the glass window, it begins to smash its head against the glass. Harrison doubled back to the console he opened, it was a hidden passageway. He attempts to pull the door close as the xenomorph smashes its way through the window. The door finally closes shut as the drone leaps at Harrison. The xenomorph hissed angrily at its failure.

“You’ve got to get out of that Pod. Fast!” the voice demanded.

Harrison moved around the cramped room, he realized it wasn’t a hidden passage but a service chamber to the Pod’s defense system. He activates the Sentry Gun with his bypass mechanism. The sounds of gunfire can be heard through the wall. Harrison opens a hidden hatch leading back inside a hallway. A dead guard was laying on the ground full of bullet holes. Harrison bolts to Pod 4 across the caged skyway. He spots a dropship departing. He briefly enters Pod 4 after making a turn he is on his way to the skyway to Pod 3. He climbs up a ladder through a service hatch.

“Head back across the skyway,” the voice ordered.

The xenomorphs hiss at Harrison from across the ravine. They attempt to leap onto the skyway from Pod 2 to Pod 4 but are swept away by the strong winds. Harrison double times it across to Pod 3 but struggles against the winds.

“Be careful. The Wind’s pretty strong out there” the voice reminds him. He tries to enter the skyway service hatch but it wouldn’t budge. The guards began alerting the others from within the skyway. Harrison slowly made his way on a thin ledge around Pod 3. The xenomorphs were slowly making their way to him from Pod 4.

General Rykov was knocking on a door to one of the personnel living quarters as Dr. Eisenberg approached the Merc General. Esieberg tries to hold back his sneer as he power angrily towards the Iron Bear Leader. “Your teams still aren’t in position. I won’t stand for insubordination, General Rykov. Or Perhaps you didn’t understand my orders?” 

“I understood,” Rykov growls.

“The news nets would be very interested in your dossier. Don’t you think?” Eisenberg threatens.

“Blackmail can buy my silence, but not the lives of my men. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to,” Rykov snorts.

“Try not to look down,” the voice warns, Harrison ignores the voice. He finally makes it to a large platform with a service hatch. “There should be a hatch there. It’ll drop you down into a backup lift. You can get to the surface from there” Harrison drops into Pod 3, he treks through a few empty corridors while sneaking past the guards. He finally made it to an elevator. He heard a thud coming from on top.

Paya’kan’di felt the elevator moving. The guards below look up at the approaching elevator. They hear a noise come from atop of the elevator.

“Something’s moving!” the first Mercenary calls out.

“What is that?” The Mercenary caught a glimpse of something moving.

“Hurry up and get this APC refueled and rearmed!” demanded another Mercenary. The yautja leaps out and imaples the mercenaries before firing his plasma caster at the combat synthetic. Paya’kan’di jumps down onto the next platform, he briefly looks up seeing the elevator still coming down. Fearing the oomens will bring more reinforcements and the self-destruct mechanism he had activated could explode at any minute, he had to escape. He fired his plasma caster at fueling tanks near the APC. It explodes taking a huge chunk of the Pod wall and APC along with it. Now it was his chance to escape.

Harrison felt the elevator shake, was that an explosion?

“This is Lander One. What the hell is going in there?” a modified version of an old 2099 model Lander craft flies near the hole now visible from the pod’s exterior.

“Lander One, annihilate the Cargo hold” demanded one of the Iron bear commanders

“Please repeat over" the lander pilot replied.

“Destroy the cargo hold” the Iron Bear commander repeats.

“But sir..” said the lander pilot

“Now!” Demands the Iron Bear Commander.

Paya’kan’di cloaks before bolting towards the massive hole in the wall. Harrison just arrives on the top platform. Harrison hears an all too familiar clicking sound, could they be responsible for the POC? Paya’kan’di leaps onto the Lander.

“What the hell is that!” screams the lander pilot. Paya’kan’di glares at the oomen pilots. “Something is on the roof,” cried a female voice. “Holy shit” said the Lander Pilot. Paya’kan’di smashes through the windshield attempt to grab the pilot.

“Lander One, pull up immediately. Lander One, report over” an older female voice booms across the cargo hold. Three Iron bear Mercenaries spot Harrison making it down the ladder. He slowly grabs a shotgun, the three Iron bears turn around. “Hey, it's that marine, shoot him!”

Harrison ducks behind a large crate, “This is for Dimitri, you sorry son of a bitch!” screams one of the Mercs. Harrison rolls out the way and shoots the Merc dead center with his shotgun. Harrison puts away his shotgun as he begins shooting them with his Pulse Rifle. The two remaining mercs fall over dead. The floor began to open up beneath him. He ran over to the crates, the Merc commander was out fitted with power armor, it resembled the ALICE unit on board the Verloc. “Not good,” Harrison commented.

“Come little marine, come out and face me like a man!” the Iron bear Commander Ivan demanded. Harrison attempts to shoot at him with his Pulse Rifle, hoping a stray bullet would hit him in the cockpit. It was no use, this model was given a few armor upgrades. “Cute, cute, you think your puny weapons have an effect on my Misha!”

“Marine, In one of the crates is a missile launcher. Use it!” the voice demanded.

“Alright, get off my back geeze” Harrison dodges the Misha’s hail of bullets while attempting to locate the crate with the missile launcher. 

“Found it,” He pulls the missile launcher out of the crate. He now has to find a safe place to load the thing.

“Quite hiding, little american soldier! I have a kill quota to uphold. You want to know what they called me? They call me Ivan, the destroyer! I am the second most feared man in the Union of Progressive People!” Ivan boasted.

“Second? Who is the first?” Harrison humored him.

“That would be General Vassili Rykov. Pray that it is me who kills you and not the General!”

“Where does the girl fit into all of this?”

“You speak of Major Dunya? You are no match to her, you are but a fly to our boots”

“Marine. Shoot him!” the voice demanded.

“I found you, american!” Ivan screams with murderous intent.

“Goodnight, Rusky!” Harrison fires a missile straight into the MISHA. The Exo-suit explodes into a great ball of fire. Harrison drops the missile launcher as he proceeds to the elevator lift. Ivan limps to Harrison, he fires his pistol but misses.

“It's not over, yet. Little marine!” Ivan’s blonde hair is soaked with blood, half of his uniform is all torn up, blood and shrapnel coating his body. BANG! Ivan’s head comes apart as bone and brain matter splats on the crates, his body falls to the ground dead. A powered door closes. A figure completely encased in black armor from head to toe approaches Harrison. “Didn’t I tell you to shoot him? Now follow me I’ll help you to find your friends” this mysterious spoke with the same deep voice that has been talking to him this entire time. Harrison and this mysterious sniper take the elevator down.

The elevator lift lowers the two to ground level. Pod 3 began to explode, the ravine shook. The pod was torn from its hinges and began to collapse. Harrison and the mysterious agent both run for cover as the Pod collapses into the ground. A piece of debris flies onto the agent, damaging part of their suit. Harrison quickly ran over to his mysterious ally, he quickly removed the debris. He lends them his shoulder, he lifts the agent up onto their feet. He spots an APC, he quickly hauls them to the APC.

“Hey, Harrison. Slow down. I’ve got a plan” the voice modulator was no longer functioning, revealing the agent’s true gender.

“You’re a girl?” Harrison asked, a little surprised.

“Oh crap,” the agent looked away from him, “Shitty software”

“Well, hello there,” Harrison attempts to reacquaint himself with her.

“Don’t even start with me,” she removes her helmet, revealing short brown hair and dark eyes. She is of japanese-descent. Pretty too.

CHAPTER 14: HIVE

“What the hell is the hive?” Harrison asked her.

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Tomiko replied.

“Is that where my team’s headed?” Harrison asked her.

“Looks that way. But why?” Tomiko replied.

“Just get me into the tunnels. I have to warn them” Harrison urged her.

“The tunnels are sealed. There’s no way in from here” Tomiko argued.

“All right. Then get me back to the POC. White Team is there. I bet eight heavily armed Marines and a Dropship can find a way inside” Harrison counter-argued.

They both board the APC as they head back to the Primary Operations Complex. The Alpha Warrior watches the APC from a safe distance before resuming her trek back to the home Hive. A smoke cloud was growing in the distance. The Lander had crashed deep in the mountains.

Back in the pods, General Rykov injects himself with his medication. The synthetic spine of his begins working again at full capacity. He is saddened by the loss of Ivan, saddened and enraged. The lights turn on, Major Dunya enters the private quarters.

“He’s through the net. Out of the pods” Dunya informed the General. She was equally saddened and enraged by the loss of both Ivan and Dimitri; she wanted Harrison’s head.

“Forgive me. It is weak, disgusting” Rykov apologized, “Perhaps this is punishment. So many lives”

“It was my responsibility. I should have taken greater precautions with the egg,” Dunya apologized as well.

“You were only following orders,” Rykov replied.

“Okay… So why here? Seems like a funny place for an Assemblyman’s daughter to take a summer internship” Harrison asked Tomiko while he drives the APC through the access tunnels. He noticed the lack of xenomorphs in the tunnels was certainly refreshing.

“My Brother… He died while he was stationed here. Accidental death, according to the report. Eisenberg signed it himself” Tomiko rested her rifle in a gun holster. While she laid back in the leather seat.

“I’m sorry,” Harrison wanted to turn back to look at her but he had to keep his eyes on the road.

“My brother was a very meticulous man. He didn’t make mistakes” Tomiko replied.

“Everybody makes mistakes,” Harrison countered.

“Maybe so, but he was murdered. I have proof,” Tomiko replied.

“Is that what I am carrying?” Harrison asked.

“Among other things. Kenji’s research centered on genetic modification: human genetics. They used convicts mainly. Pretty sick stuff. It’s this place. It brings out the worst in you. I should have stopped him from ever coming here,” Tomiko continued.

“Sometimes you just can’t hold on tight enough,” Harrison added.

“You okay?” Tomiko asked.

“Huh? Oh, just remembering something” Harrison replied.

Date: January 6th, 2231. 11:10 PM

Locale: Primary Operations Complex

The APC drove past a glowing light stick. The ground and surrounding buildings were covered in black resin. Xenomorphs dwell in the building’s shadows and darkened alleyways. Xenomorphs blending in within the walls and ceilings. The APC doors slide open. Harrison and Tomiko glance at their motion trackers. They got movement. The xenomorphs slowly began encroaching on the APC. The APC onboard A.I began spinning the double cannons and positioning the main turret to its battle station. 

A runner bolts from the rest, three tiny dots are painted on its cranium. A flash briefly illuminates the night sky as a ball of plasma engulfs the runner. Yellow acid blood and copper carapace is sent flying from the smoking crater where it once stood. The APC began opening fire on the encroaching xenomorphs. The xenomorphs reversed their advances on the APC as they fled to a safe distance. The APC ceased fire. Harrison and Tomiko bolted from the UACMC armored vehicle down a manhole. Once they reached the bottom, the sewer was claimed by the hive. Skeletal human remains barely stick out of the resin walls. They traverse the sewer, so far no sign of the xenomorphs. Harrison couldn’t help but think of that ball of light, it reminded him of his arrival here. Two convicts were vaporized by the same ball of light.

They opened yet another sewer hatch, the proceeding room was filled with eggs. Tomiko aimed her sniper railgun at the eggs, she picked them off so Harrison could reach the door. The two bolted up a ladder leading to a platform where they saw the large powered double doors. The door won’t budge due to low power.

“Harrison, looks like we’re going to have to reset the power relay to get this door open,” Tomiko attempts to open the door, “It should be directly under our position” she looks desperately but the resin has covered every inch of wall to point this room was no longer recognizable to her. “Wait, let's look for a stairwell…” A xenomorph sentinel leaps down from the ceiling on top of her. Harrison kicked the sentinel off the platform. Tomiko was helped on her feet by the marine. They both head down a ramp leading to the power unit.

“There it is. Let’s get the power online and get the hell out of here; cover me” Tomiko runs to the power relay. 

She opens the box and begins to pull down the lever. The power hums which awakens more xenomorphs. Red low powered lights flicker on. Harrison finds a smart gun, it once belonged to a marine from Hall’s squad. Harrison took point as he began opening fire on the runners and sentinels that dared get in his way. Once they made it back to the double doors, a drone leapt out of nowhere. It's blown backwards by Tomiko. The drone falls onto its side, its acid blood profusely pours from its wound. 

“Let’s move Harrison!” Tomiko and Harrison bolted to the double doors, they quickly slapped the door terminal to open. The doors slide open. The room was clean, devoid of resin. Once inside they quickly close the doors.

“Harrison. There’s a hall off the second floor that should take us to a security station. If we can get there and we can get the sentry guns back online. That should make things a little easier for us,” Tomiko explained. The two entered a maintenance room. Tomiko made her way to the grate fence area, she pulled out a key to unlock the dial lock. She opened the power box to pull the system charge handle. The door down the hall door terminal flickers on. They proceed down a corridor from the door beyond.

“I think I can override this door for you. Just give me a few seconds” Tomiko bolted ahead of him, she pulled out a small device. She hooks it into the door terminal. “What the hell is that?” she heard a loud roar, “Almost there” she continued to hack into the door’s locked terminal. The two enter the room, Harrison attempts to power up the security systems, Tomiko walks over to the power unit. She pulls down the lever to supply power to the computer systems. The sentry guns were now activated. The guns quickly began thinning the xenomorph’s numbers. The door to the outside slides open.

Harrison and Tomiko bolted down the spiraling staircase until they reached the bottom, then they turned left into a supply depot. “Left” she points. Harrison taps the door terminal, it shocks him. The terminal screen falls off. “Harrison, hurry!” Tomiko cried as her motion tracker began picking up multiple xenomorphs. 

“Give me a second,” Harrison bypasses the damaged door terminal. The door opens, they squeeze down a narrow hall. Another strange roar booms from outside then comes a whistling noise. They spot an elevator lift. The two take the elevator. Xenomorphs could be seen crawling along the walls. Harrison and Tomiko remained silent as the creatures appear to not notice their presence yet. One of the xenomorph warriors turns its gaze towards Harrison and Tomiko before the whistling noise turns its attention back topside.

They waited for the xenomorphs to leave. They could hear faint explosions and the aliens dying screams following them. Harrison and Tomiko make it topside. The cold Lv-1201 winds batters them with a sharp chill. They moved along a curved chain-link fence, then came a bug-like clicking noise.  

In the distance a man-like silhouette fires a ball of plasma at them. Harrison and the agent took cover as it exploded in front of a supply crate.

Harrison and Tomiko leapt from behind cover, ready to engage the creature but they saw nothing but dead xenomorphs. All missing their heads. Harrison directs his companion into one of the buildings, red lights barely illuminating the hallway.

“We’ve gotta get out of there before that thing finds us. The landing bay isn’t far. Should be just up ahead! Hurry!” Tomiko urges. “Up the stairs on the right…” Tomiko directs, she then glances at her motion tracker. A single incoming beep moves at a rapid pace across the LED screen, “Oh God, let’s get out of here, Harrison!”

Both Harrison and Tomiko bolt up the stairway, they could hear heavy footsteps clanking against the metal grate floors. They reach the upper corridor, they pass into a security room. The bodies of security personnel were hanging upside down, their skin stripped from their bodies. A large double window looked out over the streets. “Oh my God,” Tomiko’s eyes widened from the gruesome sight, the security terminal was in shambles too.

“Looks like the console’s fried too,” Harrison added.

“We’re going to have to get to landing bay 3” Tomiko urged. A flash of light flies across from the street. Harrison grabs Tomiko by her arm before throwing themselves to the floor. The large windows explode, throwing shards of glass everywhere. Harrison and Tomiko quickly darted towards the hallway. “We need to go through the landing bay” Tomiko ordered, “Then head for the APC doors below us”

“Harrison, I’m picking up an energy surge just ahead. Be Careful!” Harrison and Tomiko entered through the APC garage from the landing bay. The Heavy Predator watches their movements. He treks across the roofs of the metal and concrete buildings. He spots Harrison and Tomiko leaving the other side of the APC garage. He fires his plasma caster at Harrison but the marine and agent took cover behind the building. The Heavy Predator bolts across the roofs as the two oomens begin to make a run for it. The Heavy Predator leaps over them, crossing the large gap between the two buildings. Harrison and Tomiko reach the end of the valley, the Heavy Predator leaps down from the roof armed with a naginata. A swarm of xenomorphs crawled over the depowered electrical fence as they swarmed the alley. 

The Heavy Predator heard the kainde amedha arriving from the south wall. He quickly switched his biomask vision to the red vision. He spots a praetorian among the kainde amedha, He then bolts past the two oomens to engage the kainde amedha. Allowing them to escape.

Date: January 6th, 2231. 11:25 PM

Locale: LV-1201, Zeta Region, Shelter.

Paya’kan’di woke up from being rendered unconscious. The remains of the Lander were scattered everywhere. He ended up in a shelter of somesorts. He carefully opened a grate door. There was a manhole, he jumped down the hole. He ends up in a pool of water. He slowly climbs out, he is in a dark cave. He heard movement coming from within the cave, so he switched his biomask’s vision mode to electrovision. His vision turns monochromatic red. 

He spotted the kainde amedha gathering freshly captured Venoraptors. They were paralizyed by the kainde amedha’s venom and were being taken out from the cave system. Paya’kan’di decided to follow them. This we lead him to the hive.

He slowly made it across a dark yellow river of acid over a rusty catwalk. The kainde amedha continued to ignore Paya’kan’di as they made their retreat deeper into the mountains. They lead the hunter to a vast network of massive caves. Massive fossils of burrowing whale-like creatures dotted the massive tunnels. He eventually lost the xenomorph's tracks. He spots an oomen made structure; It was an elevator. Paya’kan’di activates the elevator control panel. The cage lift holding the Predator Pince began to ascend to the surface. A damaged Power Loader laid on its side. A Weyland-Yutani lander flies overhead. Its destination was unknown to the Prince.

Date: January 6th, 2231. 11:35 PM

Locale: LV-1201, Zeta Region, Empress Chamber

A massive chamber covered in hardened scretid resin cakes the walls, floors, and ceiling. There the combat synthetics laid their optics on what could be described as a xenomorph queen but she was far larger than any xeno-queen on record with the sole exception of one. The Queen Mother. Fortunately for the combat synthetics, this one was an Empress, a transitory phase between Queen and Queen Mother. The Empress stares down at the combat synthetics from her “throne”, a mass of bone-like structures constructed from resin to hoist the queen above to support her massive egg sack. The synthetics had placed bright cylindrical lights in key corners of the hive. The combat synthetics turn to see a flatbed truck arriving with a MOX power armored suit. Dr. Eisenberg disembarks from the truck with a man in an APE suit as they join the synthetics.

“Advance, soldier. Let us make the situation clear” Eisenberg ordered the APE suit trooper.

“You sure this is safe? The APE suit trooper asked.

“She understands survival. Squad four. Report” Eisenberg ordered.

The combat synthetics in one of the hive’s tunnels continue laying down suppressive fire on the stage IV and V xenomorphs. “Heavy resistance, Doctor. We are ready to seal, however” the combat synthetic reported.

“If I am correct that will not be necessary. The Flame” He orders the APE trooper. 

“Yes, sir” The APE suit trooper begins to spray near the Empress with napalm. The Empress tries her best to avoid getting hit by the napalm. She broadcasts her distress to her children.

“Squad four. Report please,” Eisenberg orders.

“Doctor. We are experiencing something unusual here. The Xenomorphs are pulling back” the combat synthetic reports. The xenomorphs are forced to abandon their mother on her orders.

“You see. Survival” Eisenberg smirks smuggly.

Meanwhile, Major Mccain and his marines arrive at the zeta ruins. The science team has  long been dead; their sternums exploded outward. Jones looked up at the dead scientists. Accompanying him are Duke Morrison, Blackwell, and Shugi. 

“I set those charges right?” Jones asked, “I don’t like this one bit,” 

“It wasn’t an accident, man. Rykov’s leaving us to die” Morrison replied.

“You picked a hell of a time to be right about something,” Jones added.

The newly matured Alpha Warrior returns to the hive with reinforcements. She directed several of her sisters to break from her main pack to flank the androids. Though they couldn’t smell the androids pheromones, they could still detect their movements. The many breeds of Stage IV and Stage V xenomorphs overwhelmed the synthetics through sheer numbers. All that was left between the xenomorphs and the empress was the Combat Synthetics of Squad Four .

The Squad Four synthetics began picking up a surging flood of xenomorphs. “Reports of renewed fighting, sir. Shouldn’t the drones be pulling back now?” asked the APE suit Trooper.

“Something’s wrong,” Dr. Eisenberg was surprised.

“Sir, we’ve gotta get out of here now” the APE suit Trooper suggested.

“Stun her,” Dr. Eisenberg commanded.

 Eisenberg's team begins to cut the Empress down from her resin throne. They destroy her egg sack to prevent her from laying more eggs. She exhales a sharp hiss at the cruel machines. Several power loaders assist keeping the empresses on the flatbed truck as the synthetics strap her down. The truck drives off with the Empress.

The Alpha Warrior arrives at the empress’s chamber too late. She directs her sisters to finish off the straggling weyland-yutani security and APE suit troopers. The Alpha Warrior growled in bitter sorrow for failing her mission. She caught the scent of royal jelly in a chamber nearby. She slipped past the ribbed floor into the lower chamber. Several pools of thick viscous fluid filled the lower chamber like scattered ponds. Sensing the usual royal guards were destroyed by the intruders. The Alpha Warrior threw herself into the royal jelly. She submerged herself in the golden jelly. The jelly triggered a genetic metamorphosis within her, she arose from the jelly sporting a newly formed crown. The royal jelly had accelerated her development into a praetorian. The Praetorian roared as she flung the royal jelly from her developing crown. She hisses to the alpha warriors, alpha sentries, alpha acidspitters and to the predaliens to follow her command.

CHAPTER 15: THE CITY

Date: January 7th, 2231. 1:25 AM

Locale: LV-1201, Primary Operations Complex. White Team Operation Zone

Harrison and Tomiko arrived at a broken door with fresh blood splattered all over the floor. The marine and corporate spy see the bodies of Iron Bear Mercs and Colonial Marines lying side by side. A shootout had happened. As the two traverse through the corridors, they eventually find themselves outside again. Two colonial marine smart gunners and three grunts were gunning down several xenomorphs. A Praetorian escaped from their sight. The marines and the corporate agent retreated inside the communication center, sealing the doors behind themselves.

“Harrison,” they called out his name. Harrison knew of these marines but not very well. Scott, Cameron, Fincher, Strauss and Pierre.

“If we override the security system, I can contact your ship” Tomiko suggested.

“Do it,” Harrison nodded.

“Harrison, you know this lady?” Cameron asked.

“She’s a friend,” Harrison replied.

“If you want to get to communications, take the elevator up and you should find the comm center” Cameron added.

“Thanks,” Harrison replied.

“Harrison, the signal’s fluctuating. Find the comm center and get it online,” Tomiko added. The marines and the corporate agent take the elevator up before reaching the comm center. Tomiko runs over to the Comm center, “I’m contacting the Verloc now” she taps at the console rapidly. “There’s a dropship inbound from the Verloc. ETA 15 minutes. Make sure that landing bay is clear of xenomorphs”

“We're going to need weapons,” Harrison added.

“Got you covered, Harrison” Tomiko replied, “Unlocking armory now”

Harrison walks over to an adjacent chamber, guns of all sorts aligned the walls. M41A Pulse Rifles, Smartguns, Minigun, a Weyland-Yutani Railgun, Flamethrower, and Missile Launcher. The marines grab as many guns as they can. The xenomorphs began gathering outside looking for a way into the communication center.

“Ready?” Harrison asked his fellow marines. They nodded. He nods to the Fincher to unseal the doors. The doors then slide open, the marines rush out to confront the xenomorph horde. They opened fire on the biomechanical horrors. The bullets tear open their black armor, acid blood spewed onto the floor. A praetorian roared angrily as she arrived too late to save her sisters. She bites off Pierre’s head before impaling Strauss. Fincher attempts to regroup with Scott and Cameron but the Praetorian trampled the fleeing marine. Cameron unloaded his minigun into the praetorians' hide. The minigun began to click, he was out of ammo. Cameron drops the minigun as he switches over to his Pulse Rifle. Harrison and Tomiko fired their sniper railguns into the hulking xenomorph’s center of mass, toppling the large xenomorph over to its death.

Johnson’s dropship flies overhead, its landing gear crushes the praetorian’s skull.

“Harrison, I need you to head for the Forward Pods. There is someone that needs our help. She is a friend of mine, several months back she got implanted with a xenomorph embryo. She is currently in cryo hibernation and I can’t leave her in that state”

“Johnson, head for the Forward Pods” Harrison ordered. The dropship changes course as it soars above the rocky canyon. The Forward Observation Pods come into view.

“I’ll keep in contact” Tomiko added

“Be careful, Tomiko” Harrison replied.

Date: January 7th, 2231. 1:50 AM

Locale: Tunnels leading from abandoned landing to the Zeta Ruins.

“Ivan has not reported?” General Rykov asked.

“No sir,” replied Chekov, an Iron Bear Mercenary, 

“He was a good man,” Rykov responded mournfully.

“He may not be dead, sir,” Chekov said hopefully.

Rykov’s body contorts and twists in pain, his arms and legs freezing up on him. How he manages to remain standing and holding the royal yautja biomask in his hand is through sheer will power. “Damn it. My medicine! Cheating black market. The latest stuff is shit. Each batch is worse than the last” Rykov growls to himself.

“It is the adrenaline, General. It breaks down the doses. I will get another,” Chekov replied.

“No. It will dull me. I must be sharp” Rykov insisted.

“General! I have a signal, but not one of yours. The frequencies and modulations are all wrong. It could be encrypted, sir” Chekov reported.

“Pull out the team. I will buy you as much time as I can,” Rykov ordered. He then raises the prince’s biomask up in the air, with a crooked smile Rykov then added, “They will find me.”

Paya’kan’di arrives into one of the oomen prefab structures crudely built within the mala’kak tunnel. He overhears the guards speaking, “The Excavation is still a go?” asked one of the Mercs.

“That’s the orders. If anything, they seem to be in more of a rush” replied the other Merc.

“I thought I heard something about a large-scale collection op. I saw combat-synths”

“The Doctor runs a big operation”

“There’s rumors of casualties. Explosions in the Pods,”

“You been here all day, right?”

“Yeah,”

“So don’t ask so many questions. You’ll feel better”

Paya’kan’di cloaks as he enters the room, he quickly thrashes the mercs throats out with his wristblades. He drags both of the merc’s bodies away.

Meanwhile Eisenberg and the remains of his team were traversing through an underground tunnel that lay just beneath the massive biomechanical city with its towering biomechanical skyscrapers and grand statues of the Space Jockey and their Engineer subjects. Eisenberg looks up nervously at the driver, “Patch me through to security team Zebra”

Locale: LV-1201, Near Hive Access tunnel and neighboring archeological dig site, Outer Engineer City.

“Zebra team, has the Verloc’s dropship arrived?” Eisenberg asked the synthetic guard. He is standing in a starport surrounded by thick walls topped with electrical fences. Behind him a UACMC dropship towers above him.

“Yes, sir” replied the combat synthetic. 

“I have changed the plan. We will not be taking the Empress back to the pods. Instead, we will proceed directly to the Verloc. Secure the dropship for lift off” Eisenberg demanded.

“Already done, sir” said the Combat Synthetic standing over the corpse of a colonial marine officer. His fellow combat synths line up the remaining captured marines before disposing of them; execution style.

“Excellent. Prep for cargo. I am bringing a guest” Eisenberg chuckles.

The Imperial Praetorian roars furiously as her hulking form slowly materializes from the shadows. Thick beads of saliva slog off her large metallic fangs. Her smaller sisters slowly crawl out from the shadows, drooling profusely. The xenomorphs swarm the tunnels within minutes of their arrival. No one was spared from their wrath.

Paya’kan’di wanders around the prephab structure, ignoring the oomen scientists poking and prodding the mala’kak structures. He stumbles upon an old mala’kak maintenance shaft. Its interior reminds him of a kainde amedha hive; except more uniformed and refined. He reached towards the tunnel’s end which opens into a massive hall. The Mala'kak had to be gigantic in size to construct a hall wall this large. The oomens had since constructed a monorail system that traverses the vast network of these grand corridors. The monorail train departs from its station.

Paya’kan’di leapt onto the ancient floor. His sensors were not picking up any oomens in sight. He shifted his vision to see if there was any kainde amedha present and there was something that caught his attention. It registers on the electric-vision but it wasn’t a kainde amedha but yet it was as well. 

The silhouette of the creature gave a distinct xenomorph profile but its head was more bulbous at its face while the apex of its skull was far more narrower than a typical xenomorph. It lacked the hard dark carapace of a typical xenomorph instead it was pale white and fleshy. It lacked the tubes of the drone/warrior variant on its back instead it had a series of fleshy looking spines adoring its spine. The Neomorph grabs something slithering along the hall floor. It too has the same signature as the Neomorph. The slithering worm-like creature’s body was smooth-like a snake. Its head was round and fat, but looks can be deceiving as the round head unfolds into a hammer head. The neomorph drops the hammerpede as it curiously approaches the yautja. Its face was more featureless than that of a xenomorph with only a small orifice in place of where its mouth should be. The hammerpede slithers back into a small acid burned hole littering the ancient city corridors.

The Neomorph lunges at the yautja, the small orifice widens in size as a pair of pink goblin shark-like jaws shoot out from it. Paya’kan’di reactively impaled the kainde amedha-like pyode amedha (soft meat) with his naginata. The creature hissed before falling to the floor dead. Paya’kan’di continues his trek down the ancient halls.

He spots another creature but different from the neomorph he had encountered earlier. This one resembled a neomorph but it was covered in a hard carapace like a xenomorph. However unlike the neomorph, this creature had a defined snout and lacked a tail and back spikes. It reminded Paya’kan’di of the Earth’s frogs. The Deacon opens its jaws, flashing its tiny teeth before shooting out its neomorph-like inner jaws as it growls territorially at Paya’kan’di. A loud groan echoed within the halls, the Deacon quickly retracted its inner jaws before fleeing down the corridor.

Paya’kan’di followed the fleeing diminutive kainde amedha. Another Neomorph leaps down from the monorail tracks on top of Paya’kan’di. He shoves it off, before decapitating it with the naginata. A hammerpede slithers out from its burrow, it unfolds its head into a hammer. It opens its mouth, Paya’kan’di impales the hammerhead snake creature with his naginata’s rear blade before tossing it into the air. The loud groan was heard again. A large fetus-like creature trekked down the halls, its head was even more bulbous than a neomorph and it has eyes. Its legs were small, almost vestigial, its arms were large and well developed…for walking and supporting its weight. 

Accompanying it was another set of creatures, they resembled oomens however they were picked up on the electro-vision like the other strange creatures. The abominations were no longer like the oomens, Paya’kan’di has encountered, they behave like the kainde amedha. Their features were twisted and their behavior feral. Some of them walked like a normal oomen while the others who sported more kainde amedha traits walked like them.

Paya’kan’di targeted the abominations, the tridot lasers marked the creatures. A loud humming resonated from the beam, the plasma caster screams as bolts of plasma rain down on the deformed oomens. The less humanoid ones bolted away from the plasma bolts as they charged at Paya’kan’di like deranged rabid baboons. The Prince turns his plasma caster on one, it explodes into a shower of acid. But he missed the other one. The abomination leapt onto the Prince, it tears off his biomask. The hoses spray compressed air everywhere. Paya’kan’di sees the abomination with his naked eyes, the creature was even more ugly than he thought. Despite only seeing monochrome red, the details of the creature’s face were more visible. The creature’s face was barely even oomen-like, eyes were sunken, nose had dissolved into small nostrils and its teeth were metallic. 

The deacon came back with more of its kind, the abomination looked up only to be swarmed by the diminutive creatures. Paya’kan’di quickly rolls out of the way as he quickly adorns his biomask. He looks back to see despite their shared appearance, the different morphs of creatures hold no loyalty to one another unlike the kainde amedha. The large creature groans as it attacks the Deacon swarm. The deacons quickly swarm the Beluga-head; it joins its fellow abominations in death.

Paya’kan’di quickly bolts down the hallway. The reclamation of his biomask was more important than engaging these new creatures.

Meanwhile back in the tunnels, “Are the sentry guns online yet?” shouts a nervous security guard. A predalien bursts from a grate above, twisting the guards head off. She pounces on the fleeing guard before implanting her sharp mandibles into the base of his skull. The very same predalien that escaped from Pod 5; She had since developed a praetorian crest on the back of her head.

The Imperial Praetorian senses her Predalien sister nearby. She had done her job disabling the annoying power currents the humans rely on for their very survival. The Imperial Praetorian orders her sisters to continue spreading across the tunnels, capturing the less resistant and killing off the most resistant. The Imperial Praetorian and her subordinates continue to follow the intangible connection to their Empress. 

“The dropship is en route, ETA 5 minutes” declared the truck guards. The Imperial Praetorian unleashed a bone chilling hiss, alerting the guards to her presence but they couldn’t see her. But they could hear her footsteps as they shook the ground. Her massive head gleaned from the dim overhead lights as she approached the grated fence. She tears the chain linked fence to pieces with her claws. The guards activate the massive lift to ascendant. Despite her weight and size the imperial praetorian stabs her claws into the metal paneling as she climbs up the shaft accompanied by her sisters. She directs her smaller sisters into the vents. 

“Kill it” the security guard screams

“It's in the vents!” the technician replied.

“Aghhhhhhhh!!!” Their screams echoed throughout the tunnels.

“Attention all personnel. There are xenomorphs loose beneath the landing pad. Do not let them near the control room,” the announcer's words fall on deaf ears as the xenomorphs swarm their way through. The xenomorphs began to cut off the hydraulic pistons that supply the facility with power.

“Hydraulic #2 disabled. What’s going on down there?” echoed a soon to be dead man. A xenomorph spitter vomited up a gallon of specialized digestive enzymes all over the guard’s face. 

Meanwhile the Imperial Praetorian arrives at a massive turn-around bridge. A xenomorph warrior stood alone on the bridge. She had metallic armor grafted onto her exoskeleton. The Praetorian calls out to her for assistance but the metallic-clad warrior ignores her commands; She was a Gen 2 Xenoborg, she only obeyed the humans. The xenoborg growls at her, for she stood between Praetorian and the Empress. The xenoborg locked its targeting laser on the Imperial Praetorian. 

The xenoborg raised a pulse rifle at the Praetorian, she began opening fire. Her thick exoskeleton absorbed most of the bullets. She charges into the xenoborg. The xenoborg is sent flying, the pulse rifle tumbles off the bridge. The xenoborg sprang back. She then swiped at the Imperial Praetorian’s face with her claws. Acidotic blood sprayed the bridge’s metallic surface. The Praetorian swipes at the xenoborg. 

The xenoborg dodges the hulking praetorian’;s advances. The xenoborg scurried like a monkey across the bridge searching for its pulse rifle. Once the xenoborg arrives towards the edge of the bridge, The Imperial Praetorian impales the distracted xenoborg. The Imperial Praetorian pulls her tail back, dragging the tratorious xenomorph along with it. She places both of her large claws on to its shoulder while pushing the rest of her tail through the xenoborg.

Eisenberg climbs out of the truck. He quickly arms himself with the WY-Railgun as he takes aim at the Praetorian. He then aims at the damaged xenoborg. The xenoborg head-case explodes but not from Eisenberg’s rifle but from a two yautja leaping down from the towering electric poles. The Praetorian tosses the lifeless xenoborg at the smaller predator, its acid blood burns the inexperience unblood. The more experienced blooded yautja aims his combi-stick for the praetorian’s neck. The Imperial Praetorian collapses her crown on her neck, the combi-stick scraps across the chitinous crown. The yautja loses his footing as the Praetorian bucks him off. She turns her attention to the injured yautja. She beheads the unblood with her inner jaws. 

The experienced blood quickly hurrles his smart disk into the Imperial Praetorian’s ribcage. The disk slices into her black chitinous armor, acid blood spots all over the ground but the disk then falls flat on the ground. She collapses onto the floor. Eisenberg smiled at the alien predator’s handiwork but they too are a threat to his goals. He must finish them off quickly. The yautja confidently walks over to the hulking xenomorph. The Praetorian waited for the yautja to get closer. He reaches over for the smart disk. The yautja he places it back on its holster before re-deploying his combi-stick. A bullet knicks his shoulder cannon’s power supply. The yautja turned his attention towards eisenberg. The Praetorian impales the yautja through the belly. 

She rises to her feet, she gives Eisenberg a glance before head biting the yautja. He drops his combi-stick. The Praetorian releases the dead blooded warrior onto the floor. 

“Security. Backup to the control room” Eisenberg’s entourage screamed into their mics, “Prepare the cargo trick for evacuation” Eisenberg quickly retreats back into the Cargo Truck. 

A voice booms over the Doctor’s radio, “Banking for final descent. Doctor, landing has not been extended. Recommend abort landing. Recommend alternative routing”

“Your advice is noted. And Ignored. Land” Eisenberg demands as he signals the truck to leave immediately. He glances at the Praetorian out from his window port.

The Imperial Praetorian spots the cargo truck leaving through the next tunnel corridor. She must free the Empress, she commands it. 

The Praetorian turns to see her sisters finally rendezvous with her. The Praetorian hisses to her sisters to follow her and the cargo truck.

“Warning landing beacon offline” the facility’s MUTHUR warning booms over the intercom. The landing beacon was mysteriously fried by an outside source.

Eisenberg orders his men to park the cargo truck, “Destroy the Empress. She will not gloat over me” he growls.

“Where’s the landing beacon?” The colonial marine dropship flies over the landing bay confused on where to land, “Pull up! PULL UP!!!” The dropship diverts from the landing bay, abandoning Doctor Arnaud Eisenberg to his fate.

“Not the dropship! No! No!” Eisenberg runs out to curse the fleeing dropship. The Imperial Praetorian was known by many names throughout her short life, The Ovomorph, The Chestburster, The Drone, The Warrior, and The Alpha Warrior. She orders her sister to surround the cargo truck. She could smell Eisernberg’s fear. Though he may be synthetic in body but he retained a human consciousness and brain. The Doctor raised his railgun at the Praetorian but she shiftly disarmed him, the railgun was sent flying across the landing pad. She swiped at him with her claws. Taking off one of his arms. She grabs him by the legs and raises him up like a doll. She bites off his other arm. She then grabs him by the torso as she then pulls off his pelvis along with his legs before discarding them. The shock from his synthetic body being torn apart renders Eisenberg unconscious.

The Imperial Praetorian holding the doctor carefully within her grasp walks over to the cargo truck. Eisenberg’s men are subdued as they are taken back to the hive. With her free hand, the Praetorian frees the Empress. The Empress roars in gratitude. The xenomorphs slowly retreat to the ancient malanuhm city.

Eisenberg slowly awakens, he is glued to the hive wall in thick scretid resin. His screams echoed the under chambers of the ancient city of the malanuhm. The stone faces of Shaw’s Engineers glare down at Eisenberg, as if they were gloating of his failures. He was surrounded by eggs and the various xenomorph breeds. The Imperial Praetorian gives Eisernberg a final glance before heading off deeper into the ancient city’s bowels as the Empress stood on top of her newly constructed “throne” looking down at the terrified cyborg as he continued to scream. She hisses gloatingly. 

Date: January 7th, 2231. 2:36 AM

Meanwhile deep within the Engineer city in a lone Weyland-Yutani research post. Rykov groans in pain. Without the medication, his synthetic spine will cease to function.

“Sir, your medication” Chekov was very concerned, wishing his general would give him the order so he can administer the general his medication.

“It is nothing. Watch the tracker” Rykov ordered as he continues to groan in agonizing pain.

“Where are they?” Chekov asked.

“They are sadistic. Like children hunting insects” Rykov added.

“Motion” Chekov reported.

“Go now,” Rykov dismissed his mercenaries.

“No sir, we will not leave you to die,” Chekov insisted.

Rykov was now piloting the latest Weyland-Yutani MOX power armor. He now towers over his subordinates like a giant. He approaches Chekov,

“Don’t worry Chekov, I have my own battle to fight. Be well. My friend” he dismisses them again.

Chekov sighs heavily, “Yes, general” he obeys as he gathers the remaining Iron Bears to depart from the outpost station. Rykov turns around as he proceeds further into the ancient city looking for his archnemesis.

“I have something that belongs to you” Rykov announces to his longtime enemy. Paya’kan’di taps at his wristcomputer, filtering through the recorded voice clips he had gathered over the decades.

“I WANT ANSWERS,” Paya’kan’di plays back Lt. Rodriguez’s voice, “Come on, Vassili, come on!” He then plays back a younger Rykov voice. The voice clips fill General Vassili Rykov with renewed anger. 

“I’ve met your kind before. You could not kill me. I have seen you without your mask. I am not afraid of you!” Rykov’s voice booms from the MOX’s amplified speakers. “Come, Hunter. Let’s finish this”

Rykov’s MOX was standing on top of a dead xenomorph queen. Paya’kan’di clicks his mandibles, “Lerrtss… Finish… thisrrrr…” he growls in the language of the oomen. He charges towards Rykov’s MOX. Rykov smacks the yautja across the chamber with his MOX’s mechanical arm. He readies his plasma caster, he locks on to the MOX. He repeatedly fires at the large mecha-suit. Rykov dodges the plasma bolts as they collide into the resin walls.

Paya’kan’di grabs his naginata as he bolts towards a large resin pillar. A xenomorph runner leaps on him but Paya’kan’di  grabs the alien by the leg and throws it at the MOX. Rykov blasts the xenomorph apart with the MOX’s railguns. Paya’kan’di quickly climbs up the resin pillar, he spots the MOX. He leaps down from above, Rykov fires his railgun. Paya’kan’di spins around the railgun slug punctures his plasma caster's power supply. He throws his naginata into the MOX’s left mechanical shoulder. Disabling the railgun systems.

Paya’kan’di pulls out his disruptor pistol, he unloads what charge he had left in the pistol into the MOX. Disabling the machine. The power armor falls forwards. Rykov crawls out from his defeated MOX unit. The general crawls to the Prince’s biomask but his body fails him as his synthetic spine shuts down. There Paya’kan’di stood to claim what was rightfully his, he buried his wrist blade into Rykov’s back before pulling the general’s synthetic spine along with his very natural skull along with it. Prince Paya’kan’di roars in triumph as he reclaims his biomask from his prey.

Date: January 7th, 2231. 2:40 AM

Locale: Airbourne.

“I’ve got her signal, Frosty, but it’s weak,” Johnson reported.

“Tomiko?” Harrison called for her.

“About your unit, I’ve done a little research. I’ll feed you the coordinates of a viable entry site. It’s your best bet for finding your team” Tomiko told Harrison as she typed away on the computer console.

“We are heading for the emergency landing bay. Can you get there with your friend?”

“I’m still processing Dr. Betheny Clements’ transfer. Get your team. Then get me” Tomiko replied.

“I’m coming back for you, Tomiko,” Harrison declared.

“You better,” Tomiko added, “You should have a visual in a few minutes”

“You’ve got an escape plan, right?” Harrison asked as the dropship was slowly encroaching the massive alien city.

“Yeah. Down the main lifts, across the canyon floor, through a gate and up an elevator to the auxiliary landing bay. I can get there in ten minutes” Tomiko explained.

“Ten minutes?” Harrison asked.

“Easy,” Tomiko replied.

Harrison felt the dropship land at one of the established Observation Bases within the ancient city. He looks at the UACMC variant of the MOX, called ALICE. He climbs inside the “cockpit” located in the MOX’s chest region. He wraps himself in its harness belts before pulling the armored chestpiece down. The armament makes a locking sound. The interior of the chest comes to life with a HUD display on its interior monitors.

“Once you start down, I’m taking her up to a safe altitude. I’ll be circling above, and come back for you when you make it topside again. Tomiko is going to feed you information as long as the signal holds” Johnson added.

“Understood,” Harrison replied to her. Harrison directs the ALICE off the dropship. The dropship slowly departs from the biomechanical city. Harrison motions the ALICE down into a massive chasm. The suit’s hydraulic legs absorb the shock from the distant height. The ALICE landed on a man made bridge. He turns around and notices the natural cave formation transitions into an artificial structure. The Malanuhm’s tunnel system. 

The ancient tunnel system was smoothed in comparison to the cave outside . Blue glowing lights adorn the tunnel’s ribs. Harrison remembered his high school history teacher speaking of an ancient ship being discovered on a backwater planet. A woman named Ellen Ripley exposed the truth of its existence. However the ICC ignored her warnings, if they hadn’t then maybe the outbreaks on LV-426, BG-386, Rim, Earth, Fiorina 161, Ryushi, among many other worlds. 

Something moved in the distance, Harrison steered himself as he traversed the alien halls. It was just a damaged sentry gun placement. Harrison looked over the edge of the human-made bridge down at the bottom of the malanuhm tunnel floor. The floor was covered in a series of tiny fungal pods. The bodies of weyland yutani security and iron bear mercs were piled on top of each other; consistently they all had the signature chestburster death however where the bursting originated was inconsistent. Harrison could hear what sounded like bugs chirping followed by a series of random clicks.

A man-sized white creature emerged from around the bend. The neomorph wasn’t alone, more followed in its wake. Harrison uses the ALICE’s flamethrower to scare away the sickly pale creatures. They retreated down the suspended walkway. Harrison founded several more bodies of corporate personnel. Cat-sized worms with insectoid wings quickly flutter away as the ALICE unit approaches. The Neomorphs must have been feeding on their remains. Harrison turned his attention to where the creatures had fled. The hall opened into a chamber. Man-made structure of yellow girder beams holding an elevator was built over a deep shaft. The neomorphs watched from the dark corners as Harrison approached the elevator. 

The neomorphs lept from the corners at the ALICE unit. Harrison blasted one out of the air with the ALICE’s railgun gun, it fell dead onto the floor. The flamethrower burned four others unfortunate enough to approach. Harrison tapped at the elevator door control, closing the elevator gate behind himself as it descended to the lower level.

“This is an old survey site. They abandoned it after the POC went down. These ruins are ancient. Tens of thousands of years old. They’re powered by geothermal energy using incredibly sophisticated reactors. We haven’t even begun to understand this technology. We know for sure that the xenos aren’t indigenous to this planet, the Engineers have been breeding them,” Tomiko explained.

The elevator arrived at the bottom, the elevator gate slid open. The elevator was situated in a large chamber. Just beyond the elevator gate, Harrison could see a large mural depicting several images. At the top of the mural was a ringed planet. Below it was a strange humanoid creature that resembled a woman with two pairs of horns: one bending up and the other bending down. Her head was elongated like a deacon but ribbed like a xenomorph warrior. Her arms flared out in an almost crucified way.

Below her was the space jockey wearing its elephantine snorkel apparatus. Below it were biomechanical humanoids fighting the space jockey. Below the war between the two species was several children species gathering around the large snorkel men, below them was the derelict ship with an engineer ordering a bird-headed creature seen carrying a xenomorph egg below it.

“I’ve read the theories from various archeologists. They theorized that the Engineers were part of a greater species known as the Malanuhm. The Malanuhm once ruled the known galaxy for billions of years. But according to some of the archeologists they found evidence of another race of beings more ancient than the Malanuhm, most of the archeologists called them the Starbeasts but some use the Malanuhm name for them; the Stratonuhm,”

“Looks like they didn’t play didn’t nice” Harrison examined the mural. 

“No, they didn’t. According to archeologists they believed the Malanuhm fought Stratonuhm for galactic supremacy,” Tomiko stated matter-of-factly. 

“So where do the xenomorphs fit in all this?” Harrison asked.

“That's the odd part. The Malanuhm didn’t possess biomechanical technology back then; The Stratonuhm did. The archeologists believed the malanuhm acquired biomechanical technology after they overthrew the stratonuhm. However the xenomorphs were not created by the stratonuhm, according to what archeological studies were conducted on planet G-435. The xenomorphs are the stratonuhm. More likely an off-shoot given what we have seen of the modern xenomorph.”

“I don’t think the xenomorphs were their only creation, I killed a few albino xenos earlier and they didn’t bleed acid” Harrison added.

“You are correct. According to Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, the malanuhm seeded life on numerous planets and even created humanity. As for the albino xenomorphs, according to various geneticists the Neomorph may represent an earlier evolution of the xenomorph,” Tomiko speculated.

Harrison traversed the biomechanical tunnels, a loud hiss resonated from one of the side tunnels. Followed by a series of crunching noises. Harrison slowly peeked into the adjacent tunnel. He caught a glimpse of a large white creature feeding on a juvenile neomorph. Though the larger creature resembled a neomorph with its teardrop shaped head, the soft pale skin and its lack of visible eyes. However this creature was more akin to a xenomorph. The spikes on its back were arranged in two rows instead of the single row of a neomorph. The beluga xenomorph spun its body around to face Harrison. It dropped the half-eaten remains of the neomorph as it slowly approached Harrison. It peeled back its lips flashing its malformed teeth at Harrison. A sharp hiss called its attention away from Harrison. 

“What the hell was that?” Tomiko asked.

“It looks like the white xenos have a bigger brother” Harrison replied, “My question is why is it hunting the smaller ones?”

“Some animals resort to cannibalism in an environment lacking prey animals” Tomiko speculated, “The creature looked like a neomorph but it was slightly different”

“Different how? Other than being bigger?” Harrison asked.

“If we weren’t pressed for time I would have liked to study it… right” Tomiko remembered the mission.

The ALICE leaves the black tunnels. Harrison entered a large corridor, blue lights alline the ribs of the corridors once more. There he saw a  Weyland-Yutani security guard run past his ALICE unit alongside his combat synthetic companion. A large mutated creature followed after them. Its head resembled that of the beluga xenomorph from earlier except its had eyes, it also walked hunched forward on its front legs with its short back legs tucked under it.

The combat synthetic is smacked across the chamber down into a deep ravine. The creature cornered the guard, its featureless mouth opened as a pair of extendable jaws lunged out from the creature’s face over the guard's head. Its jaws retract, pulling the guard's head off. The creature began approaching Harrison when a swarm of xenomorphs crawled out from the ravine. They were not a sight for sore eyes but their intervention allowed Harrison to retreat into the next tunnels. A flood of xenomorphs came charging at him. Harrison blasted them apart with his ALICE Unit’s guns.

“Should be just ahead now. You’re close… Great now what. Harrison? The signal’s cutting out” Tomiko informed.

A praetorian charged into Harrison’s ALICE unit. This xenomorph was larger than any xenomorphs Harrison had fought up until now, including the predalien. Fortunately he was in the ALICE. Harrison shoves the queen-like xenomorph backwards, he aims the railgun at the xenomorph. Its body is blasted apart with a few consecutive hits to the torso and head. He now arrived at one of the Hive’s entrances. Secreted resin aligned the engineer tunnels. A swarm of xenomorph warriors charged from behind and knocked the ALICE unit down into a deep dark resin tunnel. The ALICE crashes through several layers of resin webs before crashing into a pool of water. The ALICE was now rendered unusable, Harrison had to abandon it.

“You hear that?” asked Jones.

“That’s an exosuit. Frosty, is that you?” asked Morrison.

“Yes, it's me, Duke,” Harrison replied.

“Frosty, watch out, something big is coming your way” warned Jones.

“Good to see you, Frosty. We’re in a bit of a tight spot” reported Morrison.

“They’re still coming!” Jones' voice booms over the mic, “God damn it!”

“Stay focused, marines” McCain ordered, “Pull out”

“Ahhhhh” screamed Blackwell as he got his head crushed by an Ultramorph’s claws. The marines open fire on the massive xenomorph. The others quickly retreated down the tunnel. Shugi attempts to run but the ultramorph’s club-like tail splits open as it grapples a hold of his head. Harrison begins firing on the massive creature as he leaps down into the open chamber, he glances over at the dead malanuhm-major growing out of his seat. The Ultramorph was a queen sized xenomorph drone; it glared at her host’s fossilized remains before turning her attention back to Harrison.

The Imperial Praetorian shedded her praetorian shell as she molts into a Xenomorph Queen. The Queen gains a new awareness in her new form. She felt the Ultramorph growing irritated from playing cat and mouse with its prey. The Queen turned her attention back to the Empress, the Empress hissed to her an order. The Queen roars to her underlings to aid the ultramorph. Harrison gets cornered by the Ultramorph, its club tail splits open into an ovomorph-like fashion. Tiny spindley jointed legs shoot out of the opening like a facehugger. A loud hiss booms overhead, the beluga xenomorph slips out from the small crevice like a squashed boneless chicken before inflating itself back into portion. It leaps on top of the Ultramorph’s back. The beluga xenomorph bites into the Ultramorph’s neck, acidotic blood melts away the white creature’s teeth and mouth. The ultramorph pulls the beluga xenomorph over its shoulder before finishing the albino creature off with its inner jaws. 

Harrison had since retreated up the tunnel leading to the outside port. The tunnel bent and due to its biomechanical nature, it reminded Harrison of crawling out of someone’s throat.  He could see his fellow marines up ahead. Jones, McCain, Morrison, and the others. Johnson flew her dropship overhead as she lowered the bay doors. Tomiko walked out armed with her WY-Sniper Railgun. She welcomed the marines aboard the dropship as she waited for Harrison. Harrison came running out of the mouth-like port. He slid down the slope onto the tongue shaped-platform as he sprinted towards the dropship. The Ultramorph emerged from the porthole. Johnson fires a volley of rockets from her dropship into the Ultramorph, it howled before exploding into shards of biomechanical chitin and acid. Harrison was thrown off balance by the explosion’s shockwave as he fell from the platform. His hands grab a hold of the bay platform for dear life. Tomiko grabs Harrison by the arm and with the assistance of the other marines pulls Harrison’s ass back into the dropship. 

“Frosty is onboard, raise the platform, Johnson!” Morrison shouted excitingly.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Duke!” Johnson growled as she closed the landing bay. The dropship flies over the tongue-shaped peer. Xenomorphs now swarmed all over it. The creatures clattered their teeth threateningly at the dropship. The dropship flew off to its next destination, indifferent to them. The Queen roars furiously as the dropship grows smaller in the distance. “I’m reading power spikes off the scale. Hold on everyone” Johnson warns.

The Forward Observation Pods suddenly explode into a nuclear explosion in the canyons below. The dropship barely makes it back into orbit.

Date: January 8th, 2231.

Weyland-Yutani Debriefing. The Incident. Appendix A - Summary

UACM Emergency Dispatch

McCain reporting

Lv-1201 abandoned. Casualties extreme. One Dropship still missing. Evacuation failed. Recommend scrubbing further evac by the 6th Battalion. Primary Operations Complex has been overrun. Forward Observation Pods appear unsalvageable. Sensors indicate a massive rupture of the fusion reactor cells in the Pods. Likelihood of finding additional survivors: negligible. Requesting medical intercept ASAP.

Weyland-Yutani Debriefing. The Incident. Appendix A -conclusion.

Our satellites at LV-1201 confirm that the hive is alive, nevertheless the Forward Pods are clearly inoperable without considerable investment. Given that need for expedient progress on Research Project X11, we are recommending immediate reallocation resources to Site #3.

The Verloc departs from LV-1201 orbit as it continues on to its next destination. New orders for a new mission.

Remote transmission acquired. Boosting for outgoing dispatch. Routing Now. 

…

…

…

The mule has been acquired. Package is en route.

…

ETA. Unknown.

…

Mission Complete

…

Extraction required. Priority status.

The Verloc’s MU/TH/UR mainframe transmitted.

The Marines aboard the Verloc get ready for hypersleep as the ship’s computers make the preparations to enter hyperspace. Unbeknownst to the marines was the yautja clanship slowly following their ship’s trail.

Date: July 12th, 2231.

Weyland-Yutani Security Alert.

Yesterday morning our top WY biological weapons scientist was abducted from his quarters on Gateway. Thirty minutes later. The wife of our division lead at the New Brazil WD plat reported that her husband had not returned from his dailey golfing. By the end of the day, WY confirmed three abductions and two missing person reports.

By all accounts, this sudden activity is not a coincidence but a highly organized operation. Intel experts match the MO to that of the Iron Bears - However, it is well known that Vassili Rykov, the Iron Bear leader, died during the Incident on LV-1201. Besides, at least one onlooker to the Gateway incident describes the team’s leader as a young, dark haired woman.

As we have yet to receive ransom demands, the motivation for these attacks remains hazy.

Date: January 10th, 2231

Locale: LV-1201, former Forward Observation Pods site.

The Pod’s reactor meltdown blast has scorched the local valley of all life. The irriaradate crater was now left barren. However, something stirred beneath the cooked radioactive soil. First the soil hummed softly before growing louder. The soil began to take a glowing blue hue before exploding upwards. A Disk-shaped device escapes into the air. It releases a blue energy wave across the canyons. The xenomorphs stared up at the device that once was their jailor so many millions of years ago. They watched curiously at the device, it seemed harmless at its distance. A massive U shaped ship manifests above the canyons. Instinctively the xenomorphs retreated back into their hives or took cover in the vast cave network. As for the device it flew towards the center of the juggernaut. The bay doors slowly open to allow the artifact to enter the ship.

                                      THE END

 okay making some minor updates to add more detail to this fanfiction

Update 1: I just added some more detail to the Space Jockey, Vulture-Head, and Engineers in Chapter 1.

Update 2: I add more detail surrounding the Amengi in chapter 1

Update 3: I added more detail concerning the shi'larks

Wow its been 2 years since i updated this fanfic. I plan on making more revisions in the future. 

Hi, great fanfic good work and thanks for sharing!

thank you