Monday, December 10, 2007

November 4, 2189

Dear mom and dad,

It’s been a while since I’ve talk to you, but I figured now would be the best time to tell you what’s been happening with me. I’m sorry for not seeing you more often, but the Marine Corps had been holding me on Fomalhaut for the past six months with no communication allowed between personnel and their families. What a bunch of assholes!

Anyways, I thought I should bring you up to speed. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about Weyland-Yutani. It’s been on the news since I joined the Marines a few years ago. I don’t know if I want to believe the conspiracy theory or not. For starters, there’s not much evidence to support to support the theory. The colony on Acheron(0) was destroyed and the two ships involved in this theory are both missing. Well, one was confirmed to have self destructed, the other one just vanished. There is also a lot to suspect about the conspiracy itself. I mean, let’s remember that the conspiracy was started by a book written by a prisoner(1). Now, seriously, how much credibility does a prisoner have? What if this whole conspiracy is just his idea of a joke? Then again, Weyland has been acting a bit strange ever since the book was published. I mean, the book was banned by Weyland without giving us a reason as to why. The most interesting thing for me was when word leaked out on the whereabouts of one of the company’s ships, the Patna(2). Weyland insisted that the ship had returned to Acheron to search for survivors, even though I highly doubt anyone could have survived a blast like that(3). What’s suspicious was the area the Patna searched. The company said they were following an emergency beacon, but a freighter had passed by the planet only a few hours before the Patna and picked up nothing. What were they looking for?

Well, it appears as though the company is up to something again. I’m sorry for having to tell you this, but I probably won’t make it home for Christmas. A lot of us a suspicious of the company, because here we are on the U.S.S. Tonoro on our way to some god-forsaken planet to investigate “an object trapped in its orbit.” They wouldn’t give us any details except that we needed to move quickly. Why? Where’s the fire? And what the hell are these medical officers doing with us? I cannot believe that the corps is sending us with these people to some miserable corner of the universe to investigate “an object!” What if it is just a fucking rock?

I know I promised you guys I would be home for the holidays, but I’m sorry I probably won’t make it. It’s going to take us a few weeks to get there, God knows how long we’ll stay there, and it is another few weeks return journey. Hopefully I’ll be home for Timmy’s birthday(4).

In about an hour we’ll be in stasis for the long journey to this miserable planet. Unfortunately, for some odd reason we are not allowed to send messages to our families, so by the time you guys get this, I should be on my way home. I love you guys, and I hope to see you soon.


Love,
Alicia


====================================================

(0)
The alternative name of the planetoid known as LV-426.

(1)
Robert Morse, the author of the book, was a prisoner at the Class-C Doubly-Y Chromosome work facility on Fiorina “Fury” 161. This is where Lieutenant Ellen Ripley’s EEV crashed after it was separated from the Sulaco. Robert Morse’s book told the story of Ellen Ripley and what she did to save mankind from the alien species. Tragically, she committed suicide attempting to keep Weyland-Yutani from getting their hands on the alien queen she was carrying. Lieutenant Ripley and the alien were destroyed after she fell into one of the blast furnaces in the Fiorina facility.

(2)
The Patna was a medical research vessel owned and operated by Weyland-Yutani. She was sent to Fiorina 161 to retrieve Ellen Ripley and the alien she was carrying. After Ripley committed suicide, the facilty on Fiorina 161 was sealed and the only survivor of the Fiorina incident, prisoner Morse, was re-assigned to another facility. After the Patna dropped off Morse on Denobola, the ship headed for LV-426 in the hopes of finding the ship simply known as “The Derelict.”(2-1)

(2-1)
The Derelict is a space craft of unknown origin that was discovered on LV-426 by the crew of the U.S.C.S.S. Nostromo(2-2) 57 years earlier. According to all of the evidence I’ve gathered, “The Derelict” is where the alien eggs were found by First-Officer G.W. ‘Thomas’ Kane (ID#825/G9-01K) of the Nostromo.

(2-2)
Final report of the commercial starship Nostromo, third officer reporting. The other members of the crew, Kane, Lambert, Parker, Brett, Ash, and Captain Dallas are dead. Cargo and ship destroyed. I should reach the frontier in about six weeks. With a little luck, the network will pick me up. This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.

(3)
The blast she is referring to was the thermal nuclear explosion that resulted when the Atmosphere Procession Station (Unit number AP18523) on LV-426 went critical. The reason why it went critical is still unknown, but it is suspected that it was damaged during the assault by the Marines that were sent there along with Ellen Ripley to investigate why Network had lost contact with the colony.

(4)
Timothy ‘Timmy’ R. Hendrick was Alicia Hendrick’s younger brother. He was born on January 8, 2181 in Los Angeles, California.

1 comment:

Adam Johns said...

The use of footnotes in a blog entry is kind of jarring, but interesting at the same time. I wonder if they would have been better or worse listed as comments? Anyway, the way I read this (am I right?) is that the veracity of the events of the Alien movies is under question in the story you're writing... This reads like an application of Danielewski to the Alien franchise.