Hive Study Overview: Xenomorph Colony Seven, Five Years In
Using Scientific Principles developed externally at House Dracul, and assets obtained by the TacPsiOpCon outfit Sovereign Company, Tacticool Toys and Games seeks to be on the bleeding edge of impractical, ludicrously expensive, and absolutely bitchin' entertainment by importing and breeding a live Xenomorph hive on Earth, tremendously cutting the costs that an off-world containment and research facility would have run, and achieving still more savings by disregarding most safety protocols.
While this has not been entirely accident-free, Tacticool now controls a "tame-ish", as our PR team calls them, hive of Xenomorphs. This was achieved by using the sacrifices of those on the Nostromo, Acheron and the Sulaco, Fiorina-161, and the USM Auriga as lesson plans. In every instance, humans initiated or provoked violence, and in each instance, the Xenomorphs proved much more intelligent than initially believed, with telepathic communications from The Dragon who brought Apocalypse to Fury-161 being more likely than not, given what we know now about the Xenomorph's telepathic faculties.
We hired third-party operators to procure us Ovomorphs whose genetic memories carried no trace of human interaction, essential for starting with a clean slate. Of these Ovomorphs, a Queen Facehugger was discovered with non-intrusive scans. To our delight, this Queen Facehugger carried three eggs, a record number to the best of our knowledge that has not been surpassed since.
It is known that Chrysalides, or more colloquially, "Chestbursters", have something called the "DNA reflex" that enables horizontal gene transfer with the host, with about 15% of the host's DNA going into the Chysalide's makeup. Science Officer Ash had the right of it to call one "Kane's son", and we bore that in mind when selecting the hosts who would take the Queen Facehugger's eggs. We knew there would be three but had no real idea of what would come of them. One Queen and two subordinates seemed the most likely and the most provisions were made for this notion while allowing for the observation that Xenomorph behavior is often a surprise.
Considering that our hive would lead a cushy life and it was more important to have a calm, reasonable Xenomorph than a ferocious defender, we were aggressive in our DNA studies of candidates. Quickly, the 1,250-strong volunteer pool got whittled down to 27 that matched the desired profile. Using interviews, brain scans, and careful medical assessments, those 27 candidates became 10. Now we really had to be careful. Of these ten great candidates, we had to sniff out the top 30%. To find that elite tier, we went over everything again- gene profile, interviews, available footage and public records, brain scans, intensive medical exams, we did six months of grilling these ten to really find the best. An initial failure would be catastrophic in an enterprise this expensive.
After all that, we cut half, leaving a mother, 36, and her daughter, 21, both white, a 14-year-old female, Japanese, a 23-year-old female, white, and a 21-year-old female, Japanese. Of this pool, we considered all five acceptable hosts, and it came down to nitpicks and personal preference. We wanted subjects that were extremely docile and even-tempered, in robust health, of above-average intelligence, and we looked for these on a genetic level as well as individual expression. At the time, we didn't know for sure, but later research has strongly suggested that a Xenomorph receives its host's memories in whole or in part, and there was thought given to a host that sets a good example for the Chrysalide.
In the end, we selected the Japanese and white females that were 21 along with the 14-year-old Japanese female. They were extremely cooperative the entire way through, viewing their Chrysalides as extremely special children and a sort of personal rebirth. We later found out how essential this attitude was in good working relations with their Xenomorph daughters, and it was a masterstroke of mostly dumb luck, because all three hosts bore Queens. Unreliable sources suggested that multiple Queen Chrysalides might fight for supremacy. Either because of the nature of their hosts, because all three grew up very different, or a bit of both, the three coexisted peacefully and seemed to form a natural kind of council. While we had not seriously expected three Queens, we had prepared for the possibility by creating sufficient space for them all to enjoy shared areas as well as private chambers.
The white 21-year-old female's Chrysalide was what we expected as a 'normal' human-born Xenomorph Queen. In the span of about six weeks, she stood around 25 feet tall. Her exoskeleton was black and biomechanical in aspect. Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley had aroused the rage of the young Queen of the Acheron hive, but this one behaved very calmly. She was not quite submissive, but she was extremely tolerant of what we did as far as it impacted her, and we make a point to never cause any of them more agitation than is absolutely necessary. We named her Xenobia.
The Japanese 14-year-old female's Chrysalide grew slower, and she surprised us a few molts in by developing wings. They were less rigid than her exoskeleton. At first, we assumed she would be capable of powered flight and build a massive aviary to allow her to exercise her wings. At smaller sizes, she did fly, seeking high perches to build her personal quarters up higher than the other Queens bothered to, creating resin structures that stretched 20 stories tall in a matter of months. Around the time she hit the 15-foot mark, she was no longer capable of liftoff and turned to climbing to find favored perches, which she retains the ability to glide with extreme agility from. Like Xenobia, she is calm, even affectionate, and seems to enjoy impressing us with her regal wings and acts of flight, soaking up the attention with obvious delight. Her height settled at 20 feet. We named her Alcina, after the gorgeous giant Vampire from the eighth Resident Evil game, who also surprised one by turning out to be a flier. Her coloration was the same black as Xenobia's.
The Japanese 21-year-old female's Chrysalide initially looked the same as her sisters, save that she was a distinctive black and purple upon emerging from her mother, which she retained as she molted. That was remarkable enough, and then she surprised us again by growing to a titanic 45 feet tall over the course of a year, necessitating a redesigned chamber for her comfort. Though she towered over her sisters, she proved no less gentle-hearted. Though it was initially a source of some discomfort, she enjoys picking up the researchers and executives who visit her, passing them off to be held in her secondary set of arms before picking up new people, holding us close to her four at a time. The way her head moves suggests she is looking at individuals and taking them in visually, but while we have made tremendous strides connecting with these incredible alien animals, there remain concepts that are difficult to share easily. After we knew for sure she wasn't going to eat or crush us, many employees came to enjoy being held by her, knowing that it's an affectionate act of bonding with this beautiful titan of a Xenomorph. We named her Violet.
I confess that I cherish personal time with all three Queens, including letting Violet hold me, letting myself be amazed as the giant Alcina glides smoothly and silently between her perches, and spending time with the sweet-hearted Xenobia, who is no less majestic and awe-inspiring than her sisters for being more in line with what we had expected.
We hired Draculim from House Dracul and Sovereign Company operators to serve as the interpreters between the Queens and their human cohabitants as soon as we made final selection of our hosts. We've been communicating with these girls since they were barely formed as organisms. Weyland-Yutani and the Colonial Marines constantly underestimated the Xenomorphs and suffered for it. Our revolutionary approach to building a relationship with alien but sentient life was very different: We decided from before we even had Ovomorphs to treat them well, with genuine respect and affection, and to go out of our way to form bonds with these animals. They aren't static research specimens under our control. Xenobia, Alcina, and Violet do not stay in our facility and do as we ask because they have to. Violet alone could bring the facility down around us if she chose. They want to be here with us because they love us, and that's the difference. Betraying these immensely powerful women would be the death of the Earth. Only by harmonious, loving relationships with Xenomorphs can we coexist. In a war to the death with Xenomorphs, humanity stands absolutely no chance. The Xenos would eat the dirt around us if that's what it came to in order leave us with nothing. They survive and thrive by extreme adaptability and finding compatibility with other organisms, and so must we.
Because we went to the expense and trouble of establishing communications from the outset, our Queens did not blindly follow their survival instincts to start building nests and laying eggs. They already have a multilevel nest that covers a total of 12 cubic miles- we knew it was important that our Xenomorphs never feel cramped. Even having allocated that massive a space for the hive, we still had to make modifications and expansions for their comfort and best health.
Once the girls reached sexual maturity and agreed with us to not lay eggs needlessly, we knew we could consider our methods a total success.
The Xenomorph is not, necessarily, a biological weapon. It is not our enemy to be hated and burned out in a struggle to the death. It is not us or them. It is us and them. They are merciless to prey and enemies, but cooperation, allies, friendships- these are not concepts that we have that they lack. Extend a hand in friendship to them, on a clean slate, and it's amazing what's possible.
Our research area was originally just Tacticool Toys and Games' little secret, unofficially termed the Black Site and set up on a large island in an obscure archipelago, digging deep underneath to give the Xenomorphs the darker, subterranean environment they appear to favor. As Alcina grew, the Black Site expanded up and out, allowing Alcina to fly and later glide unrestricted.
In those early days, when every possible corner had to be cut to make this project viable, there were only seven of us living on the Black Site full time. Dracul Himself came from House Dracul to scientifically advise on our process and act as a telepathic interpreter between us, especially the dreams that the Queens instinctively use to reach out to minds of interest to them. From Sovereign Company, we got our security chief and second telepathic interpreter, Taggart. We had the CEO of Tacticool, Mr. Death, on-site as well. He thought it was important that every Xenomorph knows him personally and he knows them as well as any friend, and he also makes sure that revisions to our facilities happen quickly and correctly. Of course, there's me, Doctor Jill Jaeger. For the record of this report, my duty is observation, reporting, and the general healthcare of the Xenomorphs. Like Mr. Death, I spend a lot of my time on and off duty with the girls. When I pursued my degree in xenobiology, never once was I so arrogant as to assume that I would be one of the core staff on a project so ambitious, illegal, and successful beyond anyone's wildest, most irresponsible imaginings.
It's anyone's guess which one originally thought of the name we use to this very day, but it was Alcina that presented it to me during a conversation we were having to help me learn how to send and receive telepathic messages.
Huntress, why did you choose to be here in Colony Seven when you have your own kind to be with? She asked me. 'Huntress' was how the girls translated 'Jaeger' into telepathy. They were saying it normally to their perception, and we just heard it strangely. Nearly everyone's name was like that to them. Names have different significance to them than they do to us.
You are my kind, I thought fiercely, my mind flashing to my love and pride when Alcina, just a small serpent, had burst forth from the chest of her host mother towards me, the mother who would raise and teach her in the present moment, as her host mother had taught her in gestation of humanity and this world as she had known it to be. Alcina projected her memory of it, and the adoration she had felt when my smile was what greeted the young girl in a strange new world. I processed her question a little more fully, noticing she had used a term I didn't know. Colony Seven?
Us, Alcina clarified. Myself, you, Grim Reaper, Dragon, Doom, Titan-sister Violet and Tunneler-sister Xenobia. You provide knowledge, safety, good feelings, so I'm happy to give love, strength, and self-knowledge. I give all of you my love, and I feel it back from each of you. Is this not what my Colony should be?
I projected intense affection for Alcina, who had summed things up so sweetly, with no artifice or deception. She had come from an Ovomorph and the Facehugger it contained, and a significant part of her genes had come from another young woman, but I had raised this incredible, singular, miraculous being, and knowing that she naturally existed in a loving, familial community and knew it moved my heart more than I thought I could be moved. This ten-foot-tall flying alien baby thinks of me as part of her family, accepting my love and returning it with just as much intensity. Whatever else had transpired to create her, this is my daughter, as Xenobia and Violet are my daughters.
So, from that day on, Xenomorph Colony Seven has been our name, even as we've expanded our Xenomorph and human membership. Things go wrong, and we get surprises. That's life anywhere. Our hive currently sits at 37 Xenomorphs, and because we go to great pains to ensure that Xenomorph Colony Seven's interactions with humans are as uniformly positive as possible, we can proudly say we have not yet suffered a single fatality of any species save most of the hosts.
Expect this to be the first report of a great many. I wrote most of them, but some of them give a much better idea of what it's like to be a Xenomorph than my humble intellect and imagination could offer.
Doctor J Yeager, 3150 CE/Colony Year Five
