Sailor Moon: The Alien Within – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: "Sailor Moon", "Aliens" (and other related projects) and other genres belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Special note: This story takes place after "Sailor Moon: Samurai Jill", but before "Sailor Moon: Guardian of the Force".
2162 CE.
Usagi Tsukino, after ten years of being part of Starfleet, both as a cadet and a Starfleet officer, after serving on the diplomatic team with Captain Archer, that created the United Federation of Planets' charter, Usagi decided to cut loose. After all, she wanted to see the universe without having Starfleet on her back, and, in spite of Sailor Pluto's advice to the contrary, Usagi wanted to go back to her original home. She still missed her friends, and she especially missed her Mamoru. Besides, she was jealous of the fact that Rei ended up with HER Mamoru anyway. If she can change the outcome of her final fight with "the Un-Named" (aka "Wiseman"), then she'll do what it takes to that, even if she has to use the Rifts as a means of doing so.
At the moment, Usagi had worked as a technician aboard the Nostromo, when the ship had made an emergency stop at an unknown planet. She was on the transport vessel to earn some money, while she was seeking alien technology to help her in her quest. Upon making contact with the alien beacon, Usagi saw an opportunity to explore the planet. However, giving the nature of her employer, "Weyland-Yatani", she had to be careful about being exposing her true agenda.
"Man, why do we have to be here?" Usagi said, as she went over the data logs.
"Well, you know that it is standard procedure to make such a stop, Lieutenant," Commander Ellen Ripley replied.
"Whatever. I just don't like stopping off at strange planets with no atmosphere."
That's when Usagi picked up an alien signal.
"Captain, we got something!" Usagi called out.
The ship's captain, Aaron Dallas comes to Usagi's station.
"Pipe this through the main conference room," Dallas said. "I want the others to see what's going on."
Usagi nodded. Trained in, Usagi could translate alien languages, a skill that garnered the attention of Weyland-Yatani. She quickly ran through a brief analysis and came up with two scenarios. One, the message was a distress signal, or two, the message was a warning. Many alien languages do not have the same idiomatic syntax that human languages did.
With a sigh, Usagi piped the message into the main conference room and left for the staff meeting. However, shortly after she left, Ash, the Science officer comes upon the scene, garbles the second message and leaves the communications wing.
Later, the crew of the Nostromo would learn the horror that was the Xeno-Morphs…aliens.
First scene: Usagi trying to remove the alien progenitor on First Officer Thomas Kane's face. Unfortunately, acidic blood pops into her face, blinding Usagi in the process.
"Aieeee!" Usagi cried, as she rolls on the ground.
"Ash, get some help, now!" Dallas said.
Because of her blindness, Usagi would be unable to do anything about the alien that was developing in Kane's chest. Upon maturation, the alien would grow into a huge monster that would kill the crew one-by-one.
Second scene: Still blind, Usagi is led by Ripley to the escape ship, with the alien predator in tow.
"Be careful, Usagi," Ripley says, as she keeps her flame thrower pointing in the direction of the alien.
Usagi nodded. Thanks to her Silver Millennium Crystal, her eyes were slowly improving.
When they got to the escape ship, Ripley secured Usagi in a stasis tube. Unfortunately, that's when the alien, who went through a shortcut, attacked.
"Oof!" Ripley said, as she ducked out of the way.
Usagi strained her eyes, and saw what was going on…barely.
Mother, Usagi thought, please allow me to lend my power to Ripley…
As Usagi's body glowed softly, Ripley's body went through a strange metamorphosis…
FLASH!
"What!" Sailor Moon said. She quickly looked at her body. She was dressed in a fancy sailor suit with white gloves and tiara, but that's not what had Moon alarmed.
She looked exactly like technician Tsukino!
Moon instinctively took a fighting stance, took off her tiara and said:
"Moon Tiara…ELIMINATION?"
Moon threw the tiara at the alien monster. As it began to spin, the tiara had transformed into a glowing Frisbee. The weapon made its mark…
"RROAR-!"
BLAM!
The creature disintegrated in a shower of sparkles.
"Oh!" Moon said, as she nearly collapsed. Slowly, she transformed back to her original form, that of Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley. Once Ripley composed herself, she looked at Usagi, who was fast asleep.
Smirking, Ellen prepared herself for hyper-sleep.
Twenty years later, both Ripley and Usagi had to deal with the Xenomorphs. After the first encounter, the two survivors had to deal with LV-426, the name of the planet that they had visited before. Apparently, Weyland-Yantani had begun terraform operations on the planet when they came upon the derelict alien ship. So, with the help of the Federation's"Starfleet Marines", Ripley and Usagi was there to help deal with the situation. Both of their commissions were reactivated in the process.
"I'm glad that you two came along this mission," said Carter Burke, the company advisor said. Everyone was assembled in the combined recreation and mess hall. "We could use as many experts on this mission as possible."
Ripley merely rolls her eyes. After all, it was Weyland-Yatani that revoked her flight status since returning home.
Meanwhile, Usagi was going over the data collected by the Weyland-Yatani. There was something was strange, since the communications lines indicated a rather suspicious pattern.
"Hey," said a voice.
Usagi looked up to see Marine Privates Drake, Vasquez and Hudson standing over her.
"What's a flower doing on a mission like this?" Vasquez asked.
"Yeah, it's not like a little girl such as you is of any help," Hudson interjected.
Drake merely chuckled.
Usagi merely shrugged her shoulders, picked up a nearby bar, which was a part of table that the marines were repairing, and slammed it down into her METAL bench easily.
BAM!
The Marines looked shocked. They could easily guess how much pressure per square inch Usagi used in order to do what she did.
And so Usagi continued her reading.
It's a good to have Amazonian strength, Usagi thought. Back in the Mythic Age, she, T'Pol, Hoshi and Minako ("Sailor Venus") Aino were adopted by the Amazon Nation. And thanks to a ritual, each of them received the strength of an Amazon, maximizing their physical prowess by a factor of ten. Thus, Usagi could bench press a single ton (2000 pounds) of weight. She having a lithe form proved to be very advantageous.
Usagi Tsukino would make friends amongst the Marines. She didn't want her friends to die based upon the likelihood that they were going to a death trap.
Upon arriving down to the planet, Usagi used her insight to pinpoint "Newt", the lone survivor out of 158 people. Ripley and Corporal Hicks had managed to go after Newt, and bring her out of hiding. When Newt saw Usagi, her face brightened.
"Will you…save us, Moon Princess?" Newt asked.
Ripley looked at Usagi. Both of them did not know how Newt knew her nickname.
"I'll try," Usagi replied.
The Marines tracked down to the source of the hive infestation to the nuclear processing plant. Apparently, the heat source was attractive to the aliens. Unfortunately, the colonial tags indicated that the colonists were being held there.
"Now, let's go by the numbers, people," Sgt. Apone said, as he led his squad out of the APC.
"Lt. Gorman, may I assist?" Usagi asked.
"Well, I don't think a civilian should accompany the tactical squad," Gorman replied.
"Burke, please assure Gorman that Usagi should go," Ripley said.
Burke merely nodded. After all, Usagi was an adviser, right?
"Fine," Gorman said. "Corporal Hicks, give Miss Tsukino a gear set."
A short time later, Usagi was accompanying the Marine squad. She chosethe light-weight phaser rifle for her troubles.
"I didn't know you were military," Hicks said.
"How you know?" Usagi asked.
"It's the way you move."
"Well, I was a operations specialist for Starfleet Navy."
"I knew it!" Vasquez said.
"What was your rank?"
"'Lieutenant', Senior Grade."
"Hey, we got a two-bar, here!" Hudson exclaimed.
"Two-bar" is in reference to the old U.S. Naval rank of having two, solid silver bars to denote five years of military experience.
"Knock it off!" Apone replied.
"You seem young to be an officer," Hicks said.
"Well, I do age very well," Usagi replied. "And part of my area of expertise is tactical operations. For example…"
Usagi took out a large dagger from her pack. She then stabbed into a wall.
"SKREE!"
An undeveloped Xenomorph falls out of the wall, writhing in pain.
"Holy-!" Apone began.
She then took out her large, battle axe, and chopped the Xenomorphs head off.
CHOP!
As the Xenomorph was silenced, Usagi took a spray can and used it to neutralize the acid on her weapons.
And after all that, there wasn't any additional alien activity.
"There will be more up ahead."
"Why aren't there any more-"
"Alien activity? Well, because I'm using this."
Usagi took out a small, black box. An LED was blinking off and on.
"White noise. As long as we are within a certain radius, sound will not travel."
"Well…okay," Apone said. "Let's move it, people. We got survivors to find!"
Unfortunately, what Usagi didn't know was that the xenomorphs were telepathic.
Thus a trap was laid…
A short time later…
"Usagi, are you okay?" Ripley asked.
Usagi merely shook her head. Only half of her squad made it back from the facility. And now, the aliens were coming after everyone. Furthermore, their flight was "cancelled" by the xenomorphs.
"We have a problem," Bishop said, as he brought everyone to the observation deck.
Everyone could see that nuclear venting system was active.
"How long do we have," Hicks asked. Both Gormon and Apone were out of commission.
"Not 12 hours."
"Well, can we remotely call up another ship on the Sulaco?" Usagi asked.
"Not from here. Everything is busted up," Bishop asked.
"Well, somebody will have to go out there and manually call up the ship," Ripley said.
"I can go. After all, as an android, I should be left alone."
"Good. Before you do, I want you to dispose of the samples we have found."
"I can't. Mr. Burke was very specific in wanting to pack them away for transport."
Thanks to Usagi's documentation, Ripley confronted Burke about the fact that he had specifically asked the colonists to investigate the alien ship, and did not warn them of what was on it. Usagi would not put it past Section 31 for being behind Burke's actions.
Later, he would be found to have sabotaged the security systems solely to get the alien embryo implanted in both Ripley's and Newt's bodies.
Later, when the aliens had performed a blitz on the survivors…
"Get going!" Usagi said, as she transformed into Sailor Moon. "I'll stop them!"
"What about you?" Ripley replied.
"There...is a way I may survive, Ripley."
Moon brought out a vial of blood.
"Inject this into your body."
"What is that?"
Moon explained that it contained specific genetic markers that made up her being, along with nanites. This was something that Usagi had arranged with her old friend, Dr. Phlox, before accepting Burke's offer. Furthermore, her position as a Reverend Mother among the Bene Gesserit would allow Usagi's memories to develop in her "clone".
"It will allow me to be reborn…"
Ripley realized the implication. In effect, Usagi was asking her to be the surrogate mother of her future clone.
"I understand if you refuse, and all…"
"I accept," Ripley replied. "We've been friends for too long for me not to at least consider the possibility."
With that, the two hugged.
Once Usagi injected the contents from the vial into Ripley's body, that's when all heck broke loose.
"Hudson, we are leaving!" Hicks said.
"Game over, man! Game over!"
Once her friends left the command area, Moon faced the in-coming onslaught.
"I am Sailor Moon! On behalf of the Moon, I WILL PUNISH YOU!"
"Rarrrrrrr!"
BOOM!
Ripley felt the shockwaves of the explosion. A tear fell down her cheek.
"Usagi…"
When Usagi came to, she felt strange. She seemed was lying in some circular cell, long hair slicked back with some sort of goo, not unlike hair gel, nails edgy and green, and covered in a white, plastic sheet.
She looked around and saw someone lying there across from her. Slowly, Usagi went over to that person.
It was Ripley.
Except, it was not Ripley.
Ripley was in the same condition as her.
Usagi could hear voices. Some were human, while others weren't. Her sense of smell was sharp.
"Where am I?" Usagi mused.
"Well, it looks like the offspring has awakened," said a voice.
Usagi looked up to see a clear ceiling, where it was apparent that she and Ripley was being observed.
"Who are you?" Usagi demanded. She felt the sudden urge to lash out, but her Bene Gesserit training took hold.
"Apparently, this one is more cognitive than her mother, Dr. Gediman," the man said.
"You're right, Dr. Wren," Gediman replied.
Usagi would learn that her gamble had paid off. She has a new body, though she wasn't sure if she liked being part-Xenomorph.
However, a few things have changed.
The original Ripley had destroyed the Queen xenomorph while leaving LV-426. Unfortunately, the damaged down during the conflict had forced the Sulaco to jettison the surviving crew and squad to the prison planet of Fiorina (or simply "Fury") 161. What was not known was that an alien face hugger had somehow attached itself to Ripley, while a second one waited until it could attach itself to a dog. The embryo that came out of the dog had taken on its characteristic, and proceeded to tear into both the surviving marines and the prison inmates. And without much in the way of high-tech weaponry, the bloodbath that ensued was tremendous.
Ripley's alien embryo was going to be a new Queen alien. However, Ripley had chosen to sacrifice herself instead.
"I'm sorry, Usagi…" Ripley cried. "At least Newt and the others will live.
That could have been the end of both Ripley and Usagi, the super-secret "Section 31", a branch within the Federation that is a hold-over of Earth's clandestine operations, had collected blood samples from Ripley. Twenty years, and seven failed clones later, the Silver Millennium crystal, which was buried on LV-426, activates the process in which Usagi could be reborn.
Her rebirth was remarkable, considering that she grew into maturity at a rapid rate.
However, in the process, Usagi has taken on the more alien aspects through "Clone #8", and thus is part alien herself, though more like ¼ alien, since the Silver Millennium did as much as it could to make Usagi's Lunarian heritage as dominant as possible. So, in effect, Usagi had all the strengths of her friend-mother, but none of her weaknesses (like acidic blood or emotional autism).
"You will make a prized find, my dear," Dr. Wren smirks.
Over the course of 48 hours, Usagi would learn about the crew of "the Betty", who had just delivered human cargo, when they visited the recreation room aboard "the Auriga". They were lounging around while Ripley was "shooting hoops".
"Well, what do we have here?" A rather large man said.
"Perez, I didn't know that you had two…additions here," Elgyn said.
"They are recent," Perez said.
Usagi was busy eating fast, apparently from the side-effect of maturing fast.
"I'll take the big girl," the large man said.
"Just be careful," the man in the wheel chair said. "She might bite, Johner."
"I don't need your help, cripple," Johner replied.
"How about you and me play…ball?" Johner said to Ripley.
That's when Ripley beats him up.
"You want to play?" the black man with dreadlocks said, as he took a bar bell. "Lets!"
CLANG!
Christie, the black man in dreads, thought that his attack would knock out Ripley. Instead, she merely looked at him.
"What-?"
BAM!
With Christie on the ground, Ripley continued to play ball.
One person in particular was interested in Ripley. She also was looking at Usagi.
Which one has the embryo? Annalee Call thought.
Later, Analee sneaks into Ripley and Usagi's holding cell. She saw only Ripley…
SNATCHED!
Annalee felt herself being picked up and slammed into the wall.
"What are you doing here?" Usagi demanded.
Call took out her knife and stabbed Usagi. Usagi dropped Call and looked at the blade. Casually, she took out the knife in her body and examined it.
"Nice knife. I wonder what would happen if I do this?"
With a casual flick, Usagi threw the knife near Call's head.
THUNK!
The blade was sunk half way in.
Usagi grunted, as her wound healed itself. She then knelt down to Call and grabbed her head.
Why are you here? Usagi said telepathically.
"What-?"
"Oh ho! You are hiding a little secret."
Usagi concentrated again.
Why are you here? Usagi said, using tele-mechanics, the art of linking with machines mentally.
Call felt her circuits being adjusted as her internal systems were being arranged.
"I am here to eliminate a potential threat."
By this point, Ripley had gone over to Usagi and the one called "Annalee Call".
"And what threat is that?" Ripley asked.
Call looks at Ripley.
"You, you freak!"
"I'm not a freak," Ripley replied. "My name is Lt. Ellen Ripley, former crewmember of the Nostromo."
"Ellen Ripley died. You're not her."
"Fine, then. I am 'Ellen, Jr.', then."
Then, both Usagi and Ripley turned towards a distant sound.
"You better go," Ripley said simply.
Call left the holding cell, only to be caught by Dr, Wren and some soldiers.
"That was a very big mistake," Ren said.
Call merely sighed.
And that's when all heck broke loose. Again.
Dr. Gediman was working on the aliens, thanks to the embryos that were implanted into "the cargo", when the matured aliens had broken free. Soldiers were fighting and dying, as Usagi and Ripley escaped their cell.
The crew of the Betty had to take a short cut, thanks to the tripping of the security system.
"Man, we have to get out of here!" Christie said, as he locked his gun into place.
Meanwhile, Elgyn was tracking down a path of guns, on his own. It was eerily quiet.
Suddenly, the floor underneath the captain of the Betty gave way. Elgyn was about to fall through, but someone had caught him and threw him away.
"Hey, it's you!" Elgyn exclaimed.
Usagi smiled, as she stood back.
The alien that tried to get Elgyn leaped out of his hole.
"GRAAAA!"
Usagi got into a fighting stance. She was still getting her bearings straight, but she wanted to send a clear message to the hive.
The monster moved with the quickness of a beast. Using her Bene Gesserit training, Usagi dodged the beast easily. She then pulled out her battle axe from pocket space, which was still intact after all these years, and sliced the beasts' head off. Another beast pops up, and tries to slam into Usagi. Usagi ducked. But before it could turn around, Usagi smashed its elongated head into the wall, as acid licked her skin raw.
Afterwards, Usagi turned to Elgyn, who was shocked at what he just witnessed.
"Come with me, if you want to live."
Elgyn merely nodded dumbly.
Over the course of a few hours, Ripley and company would search for an exit. Along the way, they would discover the failed clones. Usagi understood why the Silver Millennium crystal had waited before bring her back. Out of mercy, Ripley had torched the holding facility where the clones were kept.
Throughout the entire conflict, Usagi had realized that the aliens were using tactics that she had learned to whittle down their numbers. Thankfully not all of her skills had transferred over, thanks to the strange racial memory that the aliens possessed; as beasts, they were instinctive rather than skillful. However, Usagi did understand the aliens a lot better, and could turn their tricks on THEM.
Usagi then realized that the Silver Millennium crystal was not on her person, which is why she had to go to the hive itself. Instead of going to Usagi from LV-426, it went to the alien queen.
And it was there that she found Ripley there, as well; she had been kidnapped by the aliens.
"It's okay, Ripley," Usagi said, as she approached the bewildered Ripley. Ripley's alien heritage was calling top her.
"You've sacrificed yourself for me. Let me help you."
Ripley looked at Usagi for a moment before nodding.
That's when the alien queen gave birth to a new type of alien. Unfortunately, the Silver Millennium crystal was stuck in the creature's chest.
And then it killed its mother.
"It's alive!" yelled Dr. Gediman. "It's perfect!"
And then the alien dealt with Dr. Gediman.
"Ahhhhh-!"
Both Usagi and Ripley climbed out of the hole and ran for the Betty. Call had activated the Ariuga's self-destruct mechanism, so they had to hurry.
Finally, with the gang-plank exposed, Ripley called out.
"CALL!"
Call, having hooked herself to the control panel sees this.
"Open the hatch!" Elgyn ordered.
With that done, Usagi and Ripley leaped, fifty feet in distance, onto the ship.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Ripley asks.
"No, I haven't. I'm going to check on something."
Ripley nodded and went to the bridge.
Usagi phased into the bulkhead, and waited. If her precognition worked, then they should have a visitor…
Sure enough, the new alien leaps onto the Betty, just as the explosions began to cascade.
Usagi leaped out of her hiding space, stuck her hand in the creature's chest, and pulled out her Silver Millennium crystal.
"I believe that you have something that belongs to me."
Usagi then kicks the creature off the Betty, and then closes the hatch.
"We're leaving!" Ripley calls out. "Get buckled"
Usagi phases the crystal into her chest.
"Coming!"
And that was that.
Usagi would hang out with her new friends for awhile, who have gone into legitimate business. It would be a while to get used to her new body, including how to deal with her more homicidal tendencies. Eventually, she would resume her quest, which would lead her to the distant past…to a planet known as "Jurai".
But that's another story.
Fin.