Bioweapons Division
XT Unit
Database IV
File No. 2753589
On the Origins of the Yautja
By Dr. Alan West
In memory of the late Dr. Abraham Stern who passed away in the fatal accident aboard the U.S.S. Ctesiphon
Let me begin by saying that our esteemed colleague dedicated his entire life to the study of alien life-forms and that it was only through his generous correspondence that I received the information contained in this report. Unfortunately this paper represents only a part of my colleague's work, much of which was destroyed in the accident. Even so, what has survived constitutes a leap in our understanding of the hunters. It is my sincere hope that this report will serve as a helpful reference in future studies of the species.
Dr. Abraham Stern obtained his information from the Tau Ceti derelict. Other theories referenced are the product of earlier research.
Mankind's rare encounters with the yautja*, though rare, have been with deadly results. Evidence suggests that their presence on earth dates back to the late Eocene at the earliest, thus discrediting any half-baked notion that they contributed to dinosaur extinction. Unlike Linguafoeda which is primarily studied from a bio-engineering perspective, the yautja have become the primary focus of a more anthropological approach. The substantially less avid interest in yautja physiology is mostly due to the species' less exotic biochemistry. The little that we do know indicates that they are carbon-based organisms, and like us represent the evolutionary apex on their homeworld. In contrast, Linguafoeda is the only bio-mechanical organism known to us, with the possible exception of the Jockeys. Indeed, there is overwhelming evidence supporting the theory that Linguafoeda is a product of Jockey engineering. Of course ultimately, the complete lack of Yautja specimens is what prevents us from studying Yautja biology as we do Linguafoeda's. Sadly, this situation would have been remedied were it not for the regrettable accident aboard the Ctesiphon. Whatever biological data was extracted from that sole specimen has been irretrievably lost. Fortunately for the scientific community, unlike xenomorphs, the yautja are an advanced sentient race - I hesitate to use the term "civilized" for obvious reasons. Therefore while study of the xenomorphs would be nigh meaningless without specimens, the same cannot be said for study of the yautja. Thanks to the Ctesiphon's groundbreaking discovery, we have been fortunate to learn something of their culture and history beyond the realm of speculation. The record aboard the Tau Ceti derelict contains a brief account of the yautja's history with the Jockey race. Though this unit was able to hypothesize a tentative connection between the two races, the Tau Ceti record affords us a concrete, firsthand account. A crucial function of this report is thus to provide a summary of the Tau Ceti record.
The astronomical time references in the record suggest that the record was made over 100 million years ago. Even more incredible, it also implies that the Jockey civilization had already existed for over 900 million years before that time. Indeed the record makes direct references to a civil war that was just winding down, a conflict that had ravaged the Jockey empire for over four thousand years. These time-frames are so astonishing that double and triple checking of this interpretation is required. The record tells us that the war began when a group of that ancient race delved into "living technology," presumed to be some advanced form of biotechnology. They were condemned by their peers for a crime similar to the human concept of sacrilege. Because Jockey technology till then had been based on strictly inorganic principles, much like our own, these individuals were branded heretics. As living technology attracted more adherents, these heretics grew in number. Eventually Jockey society was torn between the advocates of living technology and forces of the conservative establishment. The civil war soon erupted.
At this point it is worthwhile to note that the Tau Ceti derelict belonged to the conservative faction. Its sleek metallic design and the language used in the record set it apart from other derelicts. The narrative continues with how late in the war, the heretics, on the brink of defeat, engineered Linguafoeda as a weapon of vengeance. What happened next is something we have long surmised. The record states that the enemy at first designed the xenomorphs to be sterile. Initially, use of the xenomorphs swung the tide of war in the heretics' favor. Their creations however mutated and evolved to produce queens. Infestations broke out and both sides were ravaged by these perfect living weapons. A lone Jockey from the conservative faction, our record keeper, managed to escape the chaos and in its wanderings stumbled upon the yautja homeworld**. It began to study the species, seeing the yautja as a potential counter to the xenomorphs. This answers a conundrum regarding yautja technology. Theories formulated before the Tau Ceti discovery proposed that either never-before-seen yautja scientists existed or that yautja technology was stolen. From the semi-savage nature of their tribal society, most researchers preferred the latter. However, both explanations had major flaws. There was no evidence that yautja technology had advanced in the three hundred years since our first contact with them***. Nor was it plausible that a semi-primitive species could somehow "steal" technology on such a large scale from a highly advanced race. The record refutes both theories, revealing that the yautja received their technology from the record-keeper. By abducting and equipping the Yautja with advanced weaponry, the record-keeper sought to build an army formidable enough to suppress the xenomorph outbreak.
The next section of the narrative deals with the events that led up to the yautja's forced recruitment. At first the Jockey only observed, employing stealth probes equipped with a possibly more advanced version of the active camouflage used by the yautja. Soon however the Jockey took to sedating and abducting the yautja in their sleep. Aboard his craft the yautja received sensory implants through which the Jockey could perceive happenings on the ground. The record-keeper however went even further, depositing xenomorph eggs on the yautja planet and studying the resulting encounters. It was the satisfactory performance of several yautja specimens that ultimately led to the Jockey's decision to make contact. Not surprisingly the awed hunters took him for some sort of divinity. The record then goes on to list a number of exterminating missions in which the yautja were deployed but the locations and details remain largely incognizable. Eventually realizing that this force was not enough, the Jockey decided to place the yautja into deep sleep until it could improve upon its plan. The implications of the mass recruitment of the yautja are enormous indeed. For one, though a large number of ancient yautja may have long since escaped their confinement aboard the derelict, it is possible that never-before-seen females and juveniles are still held there in stasis. Obtaining such a specimen would be a tremendous boon to our study of these creatures. Of course by attempting such an undertaking, we would no doubt hazard the hunters' wrath for the hunters guard the derelict fiercely, regarding it as something both holy and untouchable.
* According to Stern, there is reason to believe that "yautja" is a loanword of Jockey origin.
** The location of which is yet to be understood.
*** An interesting theory is that the yautja deliberately limit the technology allowed for hunting. If this were the case, yautja technology might not be as static as previously supposed.