Chapter One: The Selection
"One last thing to complete our introduction, ladies and gentlemen-" The Captain smiled widely at his new crew and let the moment last... "Choose your weapon."
They had been introduced the day before and, as was tradition, today was The Festival of the Gods for each ship before they set off on their elected operations.
The containers had been placed in size order. Tallest on the left: shortest on the right. Just like good soldiers.
The First Officer walked forward, placed a hand on his follower's shoulder and led her to the 'Quadruped cylinder'.
The cylinder immediately began to react, a line of moisture running down its side until it dripped onto the floor. A mechanical hand dropped down from the ceiling and carried the cylinder into an adjoining room; one of six secure rooms where the harvests would take place.
The 'Follower' walked almost catatonically into the room. Her god's hand ushered her forward until she was safely on the other side of the door, which closed, giving a satisfying clunk as it shut, the deadlocks securing it well.
"Thank you, Number One." Said the Captain. "It's been a while since the Quadruped triumphed."
The First Officer shrugged, "I just like the thing. I like its claws when it rips out of the belly and starts tearing the place apart."
The other crew members nodded in agreement and appreciation.
"Next." The Captain nodded towards the Logistics Officer.
There were five containers left: There was an enclosed, dark blue Venturi with a lattice network of veins around it; a small, handless cup with a yellow lid; a large, glass cylinder, in which swam a thin aquatic creature that resembled an eel; a large, ominous looking egg with a crossed groove on the top; and finally, a gelatinous looking pearlescent blob resting on a metallic plate that arced electricity around the entity's form.
The Logistics Officer put her hand on the back of her follower's head and pushed her forcefully towards the handless cup. "Pick up the cup, cattle." She said disdainfully.
The female walked to the cup, picked it up carefully in both hands and walked into the next available room. Again, the door closed and deadlocked behind her.
The Captain eyed the logistics officer closely as she walked back in line. "Interesting."
The Logistics Officer stayed silent.
"Your Follower has obviously something resolute hidden. Good becomes great, as they say."
"I tested its physiology yesterday, Captain. It has an incredible metabolic rate. There's a chance of instant regeneration against acid wounds." Said the Logistics Officer determinedly.
The other officers looked at each other and murmured enviously.
Four officers were now remaining, each with their Followers stood before them. Before them stood the four containers, each with the potential to destroy a world- their sole reason for being.
Next container to go was the glass cylinder, followed by the Venturi, leaving just the large egg and the gelatinous blob.
"So, gents, we have just the Xenomorph and the Polymorph remaining. Which one will be chosen next?" His smile was broad. He couldn't remember the last time the Xenomorph was picked last. In fact, he was sure it had never happened before. It was always picked first or second. This was an interesting- or insanely naive crew he had been assigned for his next mission. "Step forward, Wepps."
The Weapons Officer grabbed his follower by the shoulder with a firm hand and led him towards the two remaining choices. "Which one do you want, little one? Which one do you want?"
The other officers laughed at the comedy of it. An immortal talking to an insect. It was absurd. You had to enjoy moments like this.
The much shorter biped flinched away from his god. The god was speaking to him, but he knew that direct words or eye contact from him could cause instant death... or so the mythology went.
The Weapons Officer pointed at the two objects and spoke again. "Use your formidable mind."
It was an honour for any follower to be chosen for Harvest, but to be touched by his god, let alone spoken to by him was almost overwhelming. The laughter from the competing gods was booming and the smaller man could no longer hold himself. He felt the warmth of the liquid as it ran down his leg and onto his foot.
Wepps sniffed the air for a second and looked around before his eyes checked beneath him. He pulled the follower back and looked at the growing puddle on the floor.
The laughter from the other officers filled the room and the minion cowered away from them further still. He was just thankful his bladder was finally empty so he could stop pissing.
The Captain could not help but laugh at this. It happened. The cattle feared their gods. This was hard for them. It would be funny to see what the Weapons Officer did next.
He didn't have to wait long for his reaction.
The giant put one hand on the Follower's shoulder and another on his head before lifting him up and smashing him back down, face first onto the mess he had made on the floor, the creature's blood mixing with the urine and causing a mixture of thick red and transparent green liquids around the circumference of the body. "Bastard. Pissed on my foot." Said the officer.
The First Officer clapped his hands, "Yeah, and you smashed his face in. Looks like you chose the Polymorph, Wepps. Face-huggers need a face after all."
The Weapons Officer looked from his superior down at the motionless mess on the floor. "You little bastard." He said at the dead body. "I wanted the Xenomorph. This was to be my victory." He looked at the Logistics Officer. "Never had a Xenomorph before. It was all mine." He sounded like a sullen child.
He raised his foot and stamped down on the wretch's head, crushing it into the rough, black floor. "Little pissy bastard." He growled beneath his breath. "Give me the Polymorph then... give me the blob."
Two mechanical claws came down, one for the arcing plate on which rested the blob, and the other grabbing the follower round the waist, carrying him into the penultimate vacant room.
The Weapon's Officer stood back in line and shook his head.
The Captain tried to make him feel better: "Being dead is no obstacle for the mass." He referred to the blob which lay contained within the electric field. "It is of little consequence to the Polymorph... no matter how dead he is. The blob will bring him right back. Might makes right. Extra vicious!"
The Navigator patted him on the shoulder in solidarity. "Relax, brother. You'll get another chance... maybe in the next century" He joked. Wepps did not see the humour.
The Captain smiled avuncularly and looked at the final officer. "Come on then, newby... looks like your lucky day. Just a shame for you you're sacrifice is so tiny."
The Stores Officer stepped forward and tapped the figure before him on the shoulder, who flinched and looked up at him fearfully. In her hands was a large, round shape. "Go get your prize, hybrid." He said to her.
She couldn't understand his words. "What does he want, David?" She looked down at what remained of the artificial human.
"I believe he wants you to claim your treasure. Would you be so kind as to point me in the direction of the treasure about which he speaks? My dexterity isn't what it once was." Said David pleasantly.
Elizabeth shuffled David's head around so he could see the Xenomorph egg.
The 'Engineers' behind her were talking boisterously and laughing at this.
It had been about a week since Elizabeth and David had arrived in the Engineer's solar system and had been intercepted before they could get to within a thousand million miles of their destination. They had been directed almost immediately into captivity and spent the time since then incarcerated with a number of voiceless humanoids with very little anima.
Her captors had allowed her to keep David with her as a sort of comforter. It was like she was their pet and David was her bone. Let her keep it.
"I believe, contained within the egg, is an obligate parasite like the one that grew inside you." David informed her. "From what I could discern from the alien's conversation to this point, you are to be a living sacrifice in some kind of celebration. They see you as chattel. Slave. As far as I can understand."
Elizabeth spoke quietly, an unnecessary instinct in the company of the Engineers. "Inside the egg is the same creature?"
"Not the same, I would contend, but something with similar life goals."
Elizabeth could feel her legs begin to shake and her body go limp.
"They want us to go into a room and wait for it to emerge." Said David.
Elizabeth could hear her voice tremble as she spoke, "And wait for it to kill me."
"I would postulate so." Said David. "I don't think its purpose is to suffocate, however, but to inject an aggressive life-form inside you, which will battle with the resultant offspring of the other sacrifices in a gladiatorial tournament."
Elizabeth knew it was pointless to be sarcastic with David. He merely saw all this as the accumulation of new knowledge. Her response was brusque nonetheless: "Thank you, David. I just wish it was you instead of me."
"Thank you, Elizabeth. I envy you."
The Stores Officer pushed her forward towards the final room and she followed the mechanical hand as it carried the large black egg ahead of her.
As she entered, the door closed behind her and the lights went out. It was all she could do not to fall to the floor and weep. These were probably going to be her final moments of life. Alone, in the dark, thousands of light-years from home and from anyone who ever loved her.
She held on to David tightly, though she had almost forgotten he was there. Her fingers ran through his hair and she pulled him to her chest as she moved back towards the wall.
There was only silence.
And blackness.
And fear.
It was another minute before the silence was broken. A sucking sound came from the direction of the egg, followed by an intake of breath.
With this the ambient lighting rose to show the oblong in the middle of the room, now looking more like an open, grey bud.
Elizabeth tried to focus her attention on movement. Her night vision was usually quite strong and being immersed in pitch black for a minute had helped. She tried to move further away from the pod, creeping slowly along the wall, her feet shuffling beneath her.
She reached the corner and could go no further where she tried to compose herself in readiness for action.
One deep intake of breath, followed by a long steady exhale, concentrating on stopping her body from shaking.
Another deep breath followed by a longer, slower exhale. She felt as though she was beginning to take some control of her body.
She breathed in deeply once more-
There was movement! She saw something move on top of the opening of the egg.
Was it fingers she saw? She could not tell.
She continued to control her breathing as the fingers rapped on the petals and dragged its thick body out behind it.
This was it. This was the end of her life. She was sure. There was no way of avoiding this. No white knights and no second chances.
She held her breath, pulled David close and allowed a tear to fall down her cheek.
