December 23, 2382

In the light of the recent events, I think it would be best to update this.

The ship that I was assigned to when I first started this (the U.S.M. Auriga) crashed about a year ago. It is now known that the Auriga was involved in a medical experiment to clone the alien species believed to have been extinct. The cloning was done through DNA found on Fiorina 161 belonging to Ellen Ripley. In essence, the officers of the Auriga cloned Ellen Ripley so that they could have the alien queen she was carrying.

What I had feared when I first started writing this came true. Thankfully Ellen’ clone took up Ripley’s old hobby. The Auriga was destroyed when it was deliberately crashed into Earth. No traces of the alien species were found.
I thought the nightmare would have ended there, but it didn’t. A month ago the Tonoro’s missing EEV was discovered. To my horror, my suspicions were confirmed. The United Systems Military found the remains of the four Tonoro survivors as well as the adult alien frozen inside. Given what the United Systems Military did on the Auriga, I can only say one thing;


God have mercy on our souls.

Dr. Even Andrews Ph.D.
December 23, 2382

November 21, 2189 [End]

Unfortunately, I am unable to find more information about what happened from here on out. However, based on the information that I do have, I have pieced the following events together.

At approximately 1400 U.T., Private Hendrick updated her journal for the last time. She was in the Tonoro’s drop ship hanger when she was writing it. Unfortunately, she wasn’t alone(25).

At about 14:12 U.T., one of Tonoro’s EEVs (unit 4172) was jettisoned from the ship. The data in the Tonoro’s computer concerning the EEV was fragmented, but I was able to salvage some bits and pieces. The data indicates Private Henn, Private Stevens, Bishop, and Corporal Wilson were aboard the EEV. At the very least Bishop and Henn were alive (and I suspect the others were too) when it was jettisoned. Tragically, I’m sorry to say that something else was in the EEV with them at the time it was separated. I cannot confirm my suspicions 100 per cent. Hell, I can’t even confirm my suspicions 50 per cent, but data that I found that there was something else in the EEV with them. I cannot confirm what it was, only that it was approximately 100 kilograms in mass and it was moving only moments before the EEV was separated from the Tonoro. I could be wrong (please God, tell me I’m wrong), but there’s a chance the alien was in the EEV with them. I don’t think they lived.

God rest their souls!

The Tonoro continued to drift through space. No one was aware of what had happened to the ship. When the ship did not arrive at Fomalhaut when she was expected to (November 26), the Marine Corps and Weyland-Yutani launched a rescue operation to look for her.

They never found the ship. By pinpointing the location where the last few messages from the Tonoro were sent, the rescue operation discovered that the ship had drifted of course. Based on the information they had, they searched for the Tonoro in the areas they believed she would be based on the information they had. After six weeks of searching, they gave up. The Tonoro was presumed lost and everyone onboard was presumed dead. The EEV that was jettisoned was never recovered, and remains missing today.

Eventually the Tonoro lost power and became a mere ghost ship. She continued to drift for approximately 80 years, getting caught in a few orbits around planets and then sling shot in a different direction. Eventually, about 90 years ago, she crashed on Arcturus. Now she’s just a broken wreck, and a crime scene.

Now, it is rather late to hold a criminal investigation into the Tonoro incident. Everyone who was involved is dead by now. The only purpose this criminal evidence will serve is to clarify things in history books. Weyland-Yutani is no longer around, so there’s no one to get sued for this mess.
We have a lot of lessons to learn from this. We can only hope that what happened nearly 170 years ago does not happen again. What happened to the Nostromo, the Sulaco, LV-426, Fiorina 161, and the Tonoro should stay where it is; in the past. I just hope we don’t make the same mistakes that Weyland-Yutani made. If we do, God help us all.

Dr. Evan Andrews, Ph.D.
Medical Officer, U.S.M. Auriga
February 12, 2357

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

(25)

Dear Diary,

We finally convinced Wilson to abandon ship. We're packing the EEV with some supplies and will be launching within 20 minutes. We've disabled all of the Tonoro's beacons, that way the chances of no one finding this ship are better. Quite frankly, God help whoever discovers this ship.

Hopefull our EEV will be picked up so I can go home. I've just about had it with this mission. I'm scared shitless. That alie (25-1)

(25-1)

The journal stops here. I have a good guess as to what happened to Private Hendrick. Actually, I would have to say it was a pretty educated guess. The data from the Tonoro indicates that Hendrick was being stalked. The alien was following her...and killed her.

This page of her journal has blood stains.

November 21, 2189 [1300 U.T.]

Dear Diary,

I don’t want to sound like I am panicking, but I think we are all going to die!
Oh my God, what the hell are we dealing with?! We’ve been looking for this thing for about 12 hours now and I’m scared! This fucking thing has already killed the three doctors, Gorman, Wilman, Lewis, and Everson. This fucker is impossible to kill. Every time we think we have it trapped, the fucker escapes! How the fuck is it doing that?!

I told Wilson that we should just evacuate the ship and let it crash into some planet, but he still wants to try to kill the fucker!


I’m really scared.

God help us.

-A.(27)

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

(27)
I cannot get much information from this, only that by 1300 most of the crew was dead. How they died, I’m not exactly sure, only that the alien got them. The truth is that some of them were not completely dead. Their vital signs were low, but they were still alive(27-1).

It’s clear that the company people wanted the alien alive. They wanted it alive so much that they intervened at one point as the marines were about to blast the alien into space(27-3). As far as to the order in which they died, Lewis was the first, followed by Everson(27-2). Maxwell was killed almost immediately after he intervened(27-3), then Brunel, Lydecker, Wilman(27-4), and then Gorman(27-5).


(27-1)
From the vital sign readouts, Maxwell, Lewis, Brunel, and Lydecker were killed. Wilman, Gorman, and Everson were still alive, but barely. Ellen Ripley mentioned that the aliens tend to keep their victims alive to use as hosts for more embryos.


(27-2)
Everyone sound off. Who’s not dead yet? –U.T.-05:12:16 [Wilman]

Gorman, head section, level 6. –U.T.-05:12:21

Lewis, head section, level 4. –U.T.-05:12:26

Bishop, head section, level 10. –U.T.-05:12:32

Hendrick, mid section, level 2. –U.T.-05:12:36

Maxwell, head section, level 10. I’m with Bishop –U.T.-05:12:41

Everson, aft section, level 8. –U.T.-05:12:47

Henn, aft section, level 1. –U.T.-05:12:52

Stevens, mid section, level 11. –U.T.-05:13:00

Lydecker, mid section, level 11. I’m with Stevens. –U.T.-05:13:07

Wilson, aft section, level 5. –U.T.-05:13:12

Brunel, aft section, level 5. I’m with Wilson. –U.T.-05:13:17

Alright, I’m mid section, level 12. Anyone find anything? –U.T.-05:13:25

Nothing sir. –U.T.-05:13:35 [Wilson]

Alright, it’s bound to be here somewhere. Let’s keep looking people. –U.T.-05:13:41 [Wilman]

If anyone finds it, don’t shoot it! –U.T.-05:13:44

Maxwell, shut the fuck up! Let us do our job! –U.T.-05:13:49 [Hendrick]

Oh, hang on! I’ve got something –U.T.-05:18:32

What is it Hendrick? –U.T.-05:18:35 [Gorman]

Unidentified object, 12 meters, moving away from me. It’s 2 floors above me. It’s on level 4! –U.T.-05:18:44

Which way is it headed? –U.T.-05:18:35 [Wilman]

It’s moving forwards. It’s going to head section! –U.T.-05:18:39 [Hendrick]

Anyone on level 4, head section? –U.T.-05:18:43 [Wilman]

Lewis here! Yeah, I’ve got it sir. 36 meters directly in front of me and closing! –U.T.-05:18:50

Ok, remember, don’t shoot if it is in front of the hull. We want to kill it, not us! Everyone else, go to level 4! –U.T.-05:19:02

Hold on, sir! I lost it! –U.T.-05:19:23 [Lewis]

What? –U.T.-05:19:25 [Gorman]

Yeah, I don’t have it either sir! Son of a bitch is gone! –U.T.-05:19:32 [Hendrick]

Where was your last contact? –U.T.-05:19:36 [Gorman]

Uh, about 19 meters in front of me. Maybe 2 meters behind the number 5 bulkhead. Hold on, I’m going to have a look. –U.T.-05:19:47 [Lewis]

Alright, just watch your back Lewis. Don’t let it jump you. Everyone, continue to level 4.–U.T.-05:19:52 [Gorman]

Um, sir? –U.T.-05:20:16 [Lewis]

What is it Lewis? –U.T.-05:20:18 [Wilman]

The number 5 bulkhead hatch is sealed. The bastard is probably waiting on the other side. –U.T.-05:20:26

Alright, stay put Lewis. Make sure it doesn’t come across. –U.T.-05:20:26 [Wilman]

Alright, sir, I’m on level 4. I’m gonna try to come up behind it. –U.T.-05:20:39 [Hendrick]

Alright private –U.T.-05:20:41 [Wilman]

Okay Henrick, I’m coming up behind you. –U.T.-05:20:56 [Everson]
I see ya. –U.T.-05:21:01 [Hendrick]

Uh, sir? There’s a problem. It’s not here. –U.T.-05:21:43 [Hendrick]

What?! –U.T.-05:21:45 [Gorman and Wilman]

It’s not here! –U.T.-05:21:47 [Everson]

We are looking at the number 5 bulkhead ha- -U.T.-05:21:51 [Hendrick]

What is it? –U.T.-05:21:58 [Wilman]

Oh shit, I think the bastard is in the ventilation system! There’s some slime crap dripping from the v-
Guys! I think the bastard is in here with me! –U.T.-05:22:14 [Everson and Lewis]

Lewis, what’s the matter? –U.T.-05:22:17 [Wilman]

Does anyone have it? –U.T.-05:22:20 [Lewis]

Lewis, what’s going o-
Oh, fuck! 2 meters! Lewis, it’s right on top of you! –U.T.-05:22:25 [Wilman and Hendrick]

Where?! I cannot see it! –U.T.-05:22:28

Get the hell out of there! –U.T.-05:22:30 [Hendrick]

What the hell is going on?! –U.T.-05:22:33 [Wilman]

Open the hatch! –U.T.-05:22:35 [Hendrick]

Where the hell is it? –U.T.-05:22:37 [Lewis]

Shit, it’s stuck!
What?
It’s stuck! Give me a hand! –U.T.-05:22:43 [Everson and Hendrick]

I’m on level 4. Lewis, where the hell are you?! –U.T.-05:22:45 [Gorman]

I’m [high pitch screech]
Oh fu[static]-U.T.-05:22:49 [Lewis]

Lewis! –U.T.-05:22:51 [Gorman]

Got it![Everson, unlocking the hatch]
Lewis! –U.T.-05:22:53[Everson and Hendrick]

What happened? –U.T.-05:22:55 [Wilman]

Christ, that’s blood! The fucker is using the ventilation system! –U.T.-05:23:14 [Hendrick]

Where the hell is Lewis?! –U.T.-05:23:17 [Wilman]

The bastard got him!
Ah![static] –U.T.05:23:19 [Gorman and Everson]

Everson! –U.T.-05:23:21 [Gorman]

You fucker, eat this! –U.T.-05:23:24 [Hendrick]

[Pulse rifle fire]
Hendrick, hold your fire, god damn it! – U.T.-05:23:30 [Gorman][Rifle fire stops]

What the fuck is going on?! – U.T.-05:23:33 [Wilman]

They’re dead! Lewis and Everson are dead! The fucker dragged them into the ventilation system! –U.T.-05:23:39 [Gorman]

Does anyone have it? –U.T.-05:23:42 [Wilman]

No, sir! It’s gone! –U.T.-05:23:51 [Bishop]

Okay, I want everyone to go back to the hanger! We need to rethink our tactics! –U.T.-05:24:58 [Gorman]


(27-3)
Alright, we know it’s using the ventilation system to move around. Is there any chance we can flush it out of there? –U.T.-06:03:12 [Gorman]

It’s a challenge, but we could. The ventilation system has isolation valves at every junction as well as at every bulkhead between compartments. The problem we have are the vents. If we want to make sure it goes where we want it to go, we’ll have to seal all of the compartments. This way it has no choice but to go through the valves we open. –U.T.-06:03:34 [Wilson]

How are you going to make it move? For all we know, it might want to stay in one spot. –U.T.-06:03:40 [Henn]

Well, that’s a problem, isn’t it? –U.T.-06:03:43 [Wilson]

Guess someone is gonna have to go in after it. –U.T.-06:03:49 [Hendrick]

Any volunteers? –U.T.-06:03:52 [Wilson]

Oh hell, I’ll go. I’m the only one here who knows how to play with fire. –U.T.-06:04:08 [Stevens]


Alright, when you find it, just keep the flame thrower in front of you. Like most animals, it will probably be afraid of fire. –U.T.-06:08:14 [Wilson]

Affirmative. –U.T.06:08:16 [Stevens]


Okay, I’m at the C15 junction, close the valve. Which way now? –U.T.-06:32:12 [Stevens]

Alright, climb up to the next junction and follow tunnel 4C-19. –U.T.-06:32:18 [Gorman]

Alright –U.T.-06:32:20 [Stevens]

Ok, I’m here at the isolation valve. Tunnel 4C-19, right? –U.T.-06:32:59 [Stevens]

That’s right. The son-of-a-bitch should be right behind it. –U.T.-06:33:04 [Gorman]

Huh, yeah, I can hear it trying to get out. –U.T.-06:33:08 [Stevens]

Wilson, how are you guys doing? –U.T.-06:33:11[Gorman]

Inner airlock door is open, outer door is on standby. –U.T.-06:33:15 [Wilson]

Alright, remember, don’t open the door until Stevens gives you the thumbs up. Alright Stevens, I’m opening the valve. –U.T.-06:33:24 [Gorman]

Hello you son of a bitch!
[high pitch screech]
[flamethrower hisses] –U.T.-06:33:36 [Stevens]

That’s right, fire is not good for you!
[flamethrower] [high pitch screech]
Close the valves as I pass them!
[flamethrower]
[high pitch screech]
[flamethrower] –U.T.-06:34:12 [Stevens]

Alright, it’s running! –U.T.-06:34:19 [Stevens]

Don’t lose sight of it! Make sure it goes into the airlock! –U.T.-06:34:23 [Gorman]

Ha ha, come here you little bastard! Let me torch you!
[flamethrower] –U.T.-06:34:47 [Stevens]

Alright, we just passed the D23 junction! –U.T.-06:35:27 [Stevens]

Wilson? –U.T.-06:35:29 [Gorman]

We’re ready for it! –U.T.-06:35:32 [Wilson]

Alright, the fucker is in the compartment. Stevens, you have to drive it into the airlock! –U.T.-06:35:56 [Wilson]

Come on, bitch! Let’s dance!
[flamethrower][high pitch screeching]
Yes, go that way!
[flamethrower] Ready! –U.T.-06:36:19 [Stevens]

Opening outer door! –U.T.-06:36:21 [Wilson]

[Loud noise, presumably air rushing out of the ship]

Come on! Fly out into space, you fucker! –U.T.-06:36:37 [Stevens]

No! –U.T.-06:36:42 [Maxwell]

[Loud noise dies down. Data indicates outer door was closed]

What the fuck are you doing?! –U.T.-06:36:48 [Wilman]

Oh shit, get me out of here! –U.T.-06:36:51 [Stevens]

Get him out! –U.T.-06:36:53 [Wilson]

Shit!
Close it! –U.T.-06:36:55 [Stevens and Hendrick]

Oh Jesus, that was close! –U.T.-06:36:58 [Stevens]

Why the fuck did you do that?! –U.T.-06:37:02 [Wilman]

Gorman, it’s going back into the ventilation system –U.T.-06:37:06 [Wilson]

I go- Oh shit! It’s going down the wrong tunnel! –U.T.-06:37:10 [Gorman]

Aren’t the isolation valves closed? –U.T.-06:37:13 [Wilson]

I just closed them, but I lost it! I don’t know where it is! –U.T.-06:37:17 [Gorman]

Fuck! –U.T.-06:37:19 [Wilson]

That’s great. That’s just fucking great! Now what?! –U.T.-06:37:25 [Hendrick]

You son of a bitch, what the hell did you think were you doing?! –U.T.-06:37:46 [Wilson]

You have no right to kill it. –U.T.-06:37:49 [Maxwell]

Fuck you! That fucker killed two of my men, like hell I am gonna let it live! –U.T.-06:37:46 [Wilman]

We had that thing where we wanted it, you son-of-a-bitch! Thanks to you, it got away! –U.T.-06:37:51 [Wilson]

You have any idea how much a creature like that is worth? –U.T.-06:37:56 [Maxwell]

Fuck that! I’m not going to let you endanger my men so that you people can have something to fuck with! That fucking thing is getting off this ship, whether you like it or not! –U.T.-06:38:06 [Wilman]

I can’t let you do that! –U.T.-06:38:09 [Maxwell]

Watch me! –U.T.-06:38:11 [Wilman]

I’m not going to let you destroy a priceless organism- Oh shit, Wilson, it’s right on top of you guys!
-so that you can save your precious cre- I’m not going to le- I have direct orders fro- -t endanger my crew- Shut up! Gorman, say again?
-m the company to re- -fuck your orders!
-trieve the organi-
It’s right on top of you!
-sm for further examinati-Ah![static] –U.T.-06:38:31

Oh shit! –U.T.-06:38:33 [Wilson]

Hendrick, shoot it! –U.T.-06:38:35 [Wilman]

[Pulse rifle fire]
What’s going on? –U.T.-06:38:39 [Gorman]

Fuck! –U.T.-06:39:41 [Stevens]

Wilson, Wilman, what the hell is going on? –U.T.-06:39:54 [Gorman]

It got Maxwell! Tore his fucking head off! –U.T.-06:39:59 [Wilson]

Did you kill it? –U.T.-06:40:01 [Gorman]

No. It um…it got away. It’s no longer in the ventilation system. –U.T.-06:40:11 [Wilson]

Christ! –U.T.-06:40:13 [Gorman]

I think we pissed it off. –U.T.-06:40:21 [Stevens]

Gorman, we need to talk. –U.T.-06:40:29 [Wilman]


(24-4)
Unfortunately, there’s not much information in the Tonoro’s computer as to what happened to Brunel and Lydecker, but from what I heard I think it is safe to say the alien got them. I did find some radio chatter with Wilman.

Sir, we’ve got a problem! –U.T.-10:12:05 [Henn]

What? –U.T.-10:12:06 [Gorman]

It’s Brunel and Lydecker. They’re gone! –U.T.-10:12:10 [Henn]

What?! –U.T.-10:12:12 [Gorman]

Their weapons are gone as well. –U.T.-10:12:15 [Henn]

They must be out looking for the fucking thing –U.T.-10:12:20 [Wilman]

Shit! Brunel, Lydecker, where the hell are you? –U.T.-10:12:24 [Groman]

Brunel, Lydecker, where are you? –U.T.-10:12:31 [Gorman]

Brunel, Lydecker, answer god damn it! –U.T.-10:12:42 [Gorman]

Fuck! Brunel, Lydecker, where th-
[muffled gun fire and screaming]
What the hell was that? –U.T.-10:12:58 [Gorman]

Sounds like it came from level 6, head section! –U.T.-10:13:05 [Stevens]

Shit! Everyone to level 6 now! –U.T.-10:13:09 [Gorman]


Oh fuck! –U.T.-10:15:23 [Hendrick]

What is it? –U.T.-10:15:25 [Gorman]

I think I just found Brunel and Lydecker –U.T.-10:15:31 [Hendrick]

Oh no. –U.T.-10:15:42 [Gorman]

Poor bastards. –U.T.-10:15:54 [Wilson]

Alright. Well, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s continue looking. Stick together. Bastard is bound to be around her somewhere. –U.T.-10:16:13 [Gorman]

Wilman, let’s go! –U.T.-10:16:21 [Wilson]

Coming. –U.T.-10:16:23 [Wilman]

Ah- -U.T.-10:16:27 [Wilman](24-4-1)

Wilman? –U.T.-10:16:29 [Gorman]

Wilman? –U.T.-10:16:35 [Gorman]

Wilman?! –U.T.-10:16:42 [Gorman]

Jesus Christ, Wilman! –U.T.-10:16:49 [Gorman]

Wilman! –U.T.-10:16:54 [Gorman]


(24-4-1)
Not exactly sure what happened, but judging how this short scream also sounded like a grunt, I’m going to take a guess that the alien grabbed him. Because it was such a short cream, I suspect the alien grabbed him by the head and covered his mouth.


(24-5)
Gorman is by far the most mysterious event that has taken place aboard the U.S.S. Tonoro. No one knew what happened to him. He simply vanished. One clue as to his disappearance were his vital signs. At around 1200 U.T., Gorman’s vital signs took a dive. He was alive, but barely. However, what caught my attention were his vital signs before they took a dive. From the vital signs I can tell that Gorman was in a state of relaxation. To be more specific, his vitals were at the same level as those of someone who is asleep.

Perhaps that was the case. By this time the team has been awake for more than 24 hours. The body is not designed to stay awake for such an extended period of time. By this time, everyone would have been exhausted. Their concentration would have gone to pieces. Perhaps why Gorman’s vitals were so low was because he fell asleep. The alien got him as he was sleeping. From the vital signs, I highly doubt he knew what hit him.

November 21, 2189 [0400 U.T.]

It was a good thing that the Tonoro’s computer was keeping track of everyone’ vital signs and radio communication between each marine. This made piecing the events together much easier, since Hendick didn’t provide much information in the few entries she made in her diary. By 0400, the team had found traces of the alien. Most of these traces were small acid burns and pieces of skin the alien was shedding(24). However, they still couldn’t find it and they knew they had to find it before it grew into an adult, which the company people said was only a matter of hours. The Tonoro had sent a message(25) to network informing them on the situation.

All of the EEVs on the Tonoro were put on standby. The team had divided into three groups(26). Each group had one of the company medical officers with them. The ship was divided into three sections (“Head,” “Mid,” and “Aft”), each group was in charge of searching their section and to report if they found anything. The problem they had was the ship itself. The Conestoga class ship is 385 meters long, 105 meters high, and 77 meters wide with 12 decks. There are thousands of places an alien can hide; ventilation shafts, subflooring, cargo holds, utility closets, etc. The challenge they faced was immense. I cannot imagine how hard it would be to find an alien on my ship. The Auriga is almost ten times the size of the Tonoro. It’s easy to get lost in this ship!

(24)
We know that this alien species has an exoskeleton. As it grows, it needs to shed its outer layers.

(25)
U.S.S. Tonoro C172689 to Network Comcon 01500 –
Pvt. Johnson R19523 – Dead – impregnated by facehugger.
Xenomorph presence in vessel – current location – unknown.
EEVs on standby
Request rescue vessel if needed.
Awaiting response.
Time – 03:29:07 U.T. – 11/21/2189

(26)
Group 1 consisted of Lieutenant Gorman, Bishop, Private Lewis, and Dr. Maxwell. Group 2 Consisted of Sergeant Wilman, Private Hendrick, Private Stevens, and Dr. Lydecker(26-1). Group 3 Consisted of Corporal Wilson(26-2), Private Everson, Private Henn(26-3), and Dr. Brunel(26-4). Group 1 was assigned to the Head section, Group 2 got Mid section, and Group 3 got the Aft section. Everyone was to report back to Gorman if they found anything.

(26-1)
Dr. Gregory Lydecker, born July 3, 2152 in Sapporo, Japan, was the second medical officer of the mission. He graduated from the University of Tokyo in the same class as Dr. Maxwell (class of 2177). His first job was as a medical instructor for the University of Tokyo. In 2183, he joined Weyland-Yutani and worked as an assistant medical officer on the waste management vessel U.S.C.S.S. Kurtz III until 2185. He was assigned as third medical officer on the Weyland-Yutani research vessel Pandora. Lydecker was one of the eight survivors (out of a crew of 17) of the Pandora biological contamination incident of 2186(26-1-1). In September of 2186, Lydecker returned to the Kurtz III as her medical officer until December, 2187. In March 2188, he was briefly assigned as third medical officer on the Patna, where he met his old friend Dr. Maxwell. In June, 2188, Lydecker transferred to Gateway Station and worked as a doctor until May of 2189, when he was transferred to the military installation on Fomalhaut, where he joined the Tonoro for the mission.

(26-1-1)
On February 18, 2186, the Pandora was evacuated when a virus escaped into the ventilation system. Nine of the Pandora’s crew members were infected with the virus. Four died aboard the Pandora, the other five died in the escape vehicle. The survivors were treated for minor symptoms of the disease, but were released from hospital within a week of being rescued.

(26-2)
Corporal Alexander Wilman was born on June 12, 2142 in Sydney, Australia. He joined the Marine Corps immediately after graduating from high school in 2161. He was first assigned to the base of Altair in 2162, where he gradually moved up the ranks. He became a Corporal in 2167 and received an honorary medal for his effort in the hostage incident of 2169 on the Weyland-Yutani freighter U.S.C.S.S. Vancouver. Four out of the seven terrorists were apprehended, the other three were killed in the gun fight. Luckily, no hostages were killed. In 2172, Wilman’s squad made a brief stop on LV-426. They were picked up a week later by the U.S.S. Sulaco. In August of 2179, Wilman joined the effort to search for the Sulaco after Network lost contact with her. After failing to find the Sulaco, Wilman returned to Earth until 2186, when he was transferred to Fomalhaut.

(26-3)
Private Jennifer Henn, born October 24, 2170 St. Petersburg, Russia, is the youngest marine on the Tonoro. She had joined the Marine Corp only three months earlier after graduating from high school.

(26-4)
Dr. David Brunel II was born in Washington D.C., United States on March 13, 2157. Son of a D.C. doctor, he attended the University of Pittsburgh to study medicine. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2170 and worked as a doctor in Washinton D.C. His family moved to London, England to start their own business. In August 2178, Brunel moved to Gateway station and worked as a doctor there until mid 2187. He joined Weyland-Yutani in September of 2187 and worked as a medical officer on the U.S.C.S.S. Landra. He was assigned to the U.S.S. Tonoro for the mission to the Sulaco.

November 21, 2189 [0100 U.T.]

Dear Diary,

We’ve been looking for this damn thing for six hours now without any luck. The problem is, of course, that the Tonoro is not a small ship. There are so many places this “Xenomorph” can hid, it’s not even funny. We have motion trackers, but obviously the damn thing needs to move for us to pick it up. From what the company people told us, this mother is going to try for us all. Basically, we are hunting for a hunter, and as a hunter, it’s gonna try to stay undetected. It’s like a lion. Hopefully when it does move, we’ll pick up the fucker and blast it to hell.
The company people, as usual, are not helping at all. They don’t want us to kill it. They actually admire this fucking thing, as if it is God. Well, you know what?

FUCK THEM!

That damn thing killed Johnson and we’re sure as hell not going to let it live for that. Besides, this thing has been the source of horrific problems in the past(23). I guess Morse and Ripley were right!

If those company people intervene, so help me God I will kill them!


-A.

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

(23)
The Nostromo, Hadley’s Hope, the Sulaco, and Fiorina 161 all encountered the Xenomorph. Ellen Ripley told the Interstellar Commerce Commission at the enquiry about what happened on the Nostromo(22-2), even though the Commission did not believe her. Hadley’s Hope was destroyed when the atmosphere processing station went critical. Why it went critical is still unknown, but it is known now that Hadley’s Hope was overrun by this alien species. The U.S.S. Sulaco was sent to investigate Hadley’s Hope. According to the data retrieved from the Sulaco, the marines encountered what they described as the “alien nest” on Sub-Level 3 at the processing station. All of the colonists, except one – Rebecca Jorden, approximately 6 years of age – were dead. The marines were ambushed at the processing station, at which point they lost Private Front, Corporal Dietrich, Private Wierzbowski, Sergeant Apone, Private Drake, and Private Crowe. Jesus, they lost half their team at the processing station.

For some unknown reason, the drop ship carrying the marines to and from the Sulaco crashed, killing Corporal Ferro and Private Spunkmeyer. What’s interesting is that, according to the marines’ vital signs, Corporal Ferro and Private Spunkmeyer were dead before the drop ship crashed. Could it have been an alien?

The marines sealed themselves inside the main colony complex, about a kilometer from the processing station. Having the aliens to deal with, their problems were escalated when they realized the processing station was on the fritz. They had to remote control the second dropship in the Sulaco to pick them up. It is unknown what happened while they were waiting for the drop shop – perhaps they were ambushed again – but Private Hudson, Private Vazquez, and Lieutenant Gorman were killed. Only Lieutenant Ripley, Corporal Hicks, Rebecca Jorden, and Bishop (the synthetic for the mission) returned to the Sulaco.

Something really interesting occurred on the Sulaco shortly after the four survivors returned to the ship. The Sulaco’s sensors picked up a large organism, approximately 7 meters in height and approximately 1,200 kilograms, moving around in the Sulaco’s hanger. Unfortunately I cannot give any details as to what was happening in the hanger, but the information suggests that the organism was ejected through the airlock. Within an hour or so of this incident, the four returned to the ship’s cryogenic compartment for the trip home.

What really caught my attention was that the sensors picked up something else moving around in the ship. There were two objects, identical in size and mass (approximately half a meter high and about 13 kilograms) moving very slowly – about the same rate at which a snail moves around – in different directions from the drop ship hanger. One of them ended up in cargo hold E and the other ended up in the cryogenic compartment. This actually explains what the crew of the Tonoro encountered on the Sulaco. With the Sulaco about two days into its journey home, the sensors picked up a new organism moving inside the ship. Apparently it originated from inside the object in the cryogenic compartment. I’m not sure what it was, but I suspect – based on the description the company provided to the marines on the Tonoro – that this was a facehugger. It managed to get inside Ellen Ripley’s cryo tube and settled down roughly where Ripley’s head would have been. This explains how she was impregnated with the alien queen on Fiorina 161.

The Tonoro found a small hole in the cryogenic compartment floor hat appears to have been melted by acid. It’s only a theory, but maybe the facehugger that attached itself to Ripley spilled some of its acid blood. This might be the case, since the computer indicates that it was in that small hole where the fire started. The fire is known to have been started by an electrical short. Perhaps the acid shorted the wiring in the subflooring? Could be…

Why the fire was able to spread the full length of the ship is a mystery for me as well. The fire suppression system should have kicked in and contained the fire. For some reason it didn’t. The computer had to jettison the cryogenic tubes in one of the Sulaco’s EEVs. Before the EEV was separated, the sensors picked up the facehugger moving inside the EEV. The EEV was detached from the Sulaco, which later crashed on Fiorina 161. Only Ellen Ripley survived the crash(23-1).

As for the Sulaco, the fire continued to spread. At first it moved forward into the hanger. Here the fire caused the drop ship to explode. The explosion destroyed five decks and forced the fire aft. As the fire neared the reactor room, the computer scrammed the reactor to prevent it from going critical. The ship was now on emergency power, but not for long. I believe the intense heat of the fire caused the emergency systems to shut off, at which point the Sulaco lost all power. This is where the data ends. Whatever happened to the Sulaco from here on was all down to the laws of physics. The fire eventually burned all of the oxygen in the ship and burned out. The Sulaco continued to drift through space unnoticed for ten years, until it wound up in orbit around Gamma Serpentis, where she was discovered.


(23-1)
FURY 161 CLASS C PRISON UNIT IRIS – 12037154
REPORT EEV UNIT 2650 CRASH
ONE SURVIVOR – LT. RIPLEY – B5156170
DEAD CPL. HICKS L55321
DEAD UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE APRX. 10 YRS OLD
REQUEST EMERG. EVAC SOONEST POSSIBLE –
AWAITING RESPONSE – SUPT. ANDREWS M51021

November 20, 2189 [1900 U.T.]

Dear Diary,

I’m going to make this as simple as I can.

Jesus Fucking Christ, what the fuck happened to Johnson?! He’s fucking dead! We found him in the mess hall with a hole in his chest. What the fuck is going on?!(22)


-A.

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

(22)
Unfortunately, there’s not much I can find as to how exactly they found Private Johnson. Hendrick did provide this journal entry, but that’s about it. From here on, she doesn’t update the journal much, and the updates she does make are vague.

I had to go through a lot of data files from the Tonoro’s computer to find what I was looking for. Fortunately, the Tonoro’s flight data recorder keeps track of everything the computer sees and hears. I found quite a lot of video and audio files regarding what was happening aboard the Tonoro since Hendrick wrote that entry in her diary.(22-1) Fortunately, everything is time stamped, so putting it together wasn’t much of a challenge. I think it is safe to say that the crew of the Tonoro had a big problem on their hands. Based on what I have gathered, the Tonoro was pretty much in the same situation the Nostromo was in 67 years earlier.(22-2)


(22-1)
Has anyone seen Johnson? – U.T.-18:14:21(22-1-1)

Yeah, he went to the mess hall to get something, but he should have been back by now. –U.T.-18:14:28

Oh hell! Lewis, see if you can find him. Drag his ass here! –U.T.-18:14:36

[---------------------------]

Hey, Johnson! You in here? –U.T.-18:16:02(22-1-2)

Johnson? Oh, come on man! Stop fucking around! –U.T.-18:16:23

Johnson? –U.T.-18:16:39

Jesus Christ! Sarge! SARGE! –U.T.-18:16:51(22-1-3)

[---------------------------]

What the fuck happened here? –U.T.-18:17:26

How the hell do I know?-U.T.-18:17:29

Jesus Christ! –U.T.-18:17:32

Is it just me, or does it look like something exploded out of him? –U.T.-18:17:56

Where the hell are those...get those damn company people over here! I want an explanation! –U.T.-18:18:07

What is it? –U.T.-18:18:58(22-1-4)

Care to explain what happened here? –U.T.-18:19:04

Interesting. –U.T.-18:19:16

What? –U.T.-18:19:17

Very interesting, indeed. –U.T.-18:19:31

What? What the hell is going on? –U.T.-18:19:35

Sergeant, it appears as though you have a Xenomorph problem. –U.T.-18:19:53

A what problem? –U.T.-18:19:56

A Xenomorph. –U.T.-18:20:02(22-2)

The fuck is that? –U.T.-18:20:05

Remember what I told you about the facehugger? –U.T.-18:20:08

Are you saying we have an alien on the lose? –U.T.-18:20:11

Yes. –U.T.-18:20:16

Great. So, how do we get rid of it? –U.T.-18:20:21


(22-1-1)
Judging by the tone of the voice and by what I can see in the video taken from the camera in the cryogenic compartment, this was brought up by Hendrick.

(22-1-2)
This clip was taken from the mess hall camera. There’s a figure noticeable near the bottom of the frame, but it is not clear what it is because there’ not much light. Lewis is seen walking in and looking around. He is alone.

(22-1-3)
Lewis starts shouting just as he is staring at the unidentified object at the bottom of the frame. The sergeant and the rest of the crew come running, one of them, I presume is Everson, has a flash light. They all stare at the unknown figure. I take it that they are staring at Johnson’s dead body.

(22-1-4)
Stevens is the one who runs off to fetch the medical officers. He returns with all of the company men. The person Sergeant Wilman is talking to, I think, is first medical officer Jason Maxwell(22-1-4-1)

(22-2)
Ellen Ripley claimed at her enquiry that the Nostromo had an uninvited guest, which is why she blew the ship up. She described this creature as being approximately 2.5 meters tall with an elongated head, no eyes, an inner mouth which functions as both a weapon and as a tongue, a though exoskeleton, a long tail with a sharp tip at the end, and acid for blood. It's a fascinating thing, a creature which the Nostromo’s science officer Ash described as “the perfect organism.” It is believed that this organism was also responsible for the loss of the Sulaco, the destruction of Hadley’s Hope (colony on LV-426), and the death of Ellen Ripley and the other prisoners on Fiorina 161, as stated by prisoner Robert Morse in his book.

(22-1-4-1)
Jason R. Maxwell was born on September 5, 2153 in London, England. He attended the University of Tokyo to study medicine and graduated in the top 10 of his class in 2177. He began his career with Weyland-Yutani, starting out as an assistant medical officer at Gateway Station, and moved his way up the ranks. In 2181, he was assigned as medical officer on the U.S.C.S.S. Otago II. He transfers to the Weyland-Yutani medical research vessel Patna in 2183 and is assigned as her third medical officer. He moves up the ranks and by 2185, he’s the Patna’s first medical officer. He was transferred to the Tonoro for the mission to the Sulaco.

November 20, 2189 [1800 U.T.]

Dear Diary,

We’re finally on our way home! Fuck yeah! With a little luck, I’ll be able to make it home for Christmas. I do hope that’s the case. This will be the last time I will be writing before returning to Fomalhaut. At least I updated mom and dad on how I’m doing(21) before we left Gamma Serpentis. Hell, at least they let me send that message. I’m glad we’re finally leaving Gamma Serpentis behind. I know it’s only been about four days, but Serpentis is such a dark and violent planet.

I actually feel sorry for the Sulaco, I don’t know why. When I think about it, that ship didn’t deserve to crash. It’s survived so much, we should at least have tried to tow it home, even though the Tonoro is not what you’d call a towing vessel. I mean, yes, for the past few days I’ve had this serves-you-right-fucker attitude towards the Sulaco, but I think it was just because I was pissed off at it. That ship was the reason why I was dragged all the way out here. But with the Sulaco gone and with our mission completed (I guess), I kind of feel sorry for it.

Anyways, we should be getting back to Fomalhaut in about six days. Come the holidays, I hope the Marine Corps will allow me to take a trip to Huston for our Christmas family reunion. I missed out last year and I’m sure as hell not going to miss out this year!

Now it is time to return to the horrid refrigerators everyone likes to call the cryogenic tubes for our trip home. God, I hate those things, but we have to do it anyways.


-A.

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

(21)
Dear mom and dad,
I’m finally able to update you guys on what is going on around here. About three weeks ago, the Marine Corps sent us to this miserable rock out in the middle of nowhere (known as Gamma Serpentis) to investigate “an object in orbit.” Well, it turned out that this object was the U.S.S. Sulaco. They found her! After ten damn years they finally found her! Of course, I wasn’t really happy to see it, since I had to be dragged out here against my will.

Our original objective was to retrieve the ship. However, we got a nasty surprise when it was revealed to us that the ship’s orbit was decaying. To make matters worse, they sent us on the worst imaginable ship to use as a towing vessel; the Sulaco’s sister, the Tonoro. Our chances of retrieving the Sulaco went from slim to none. We spent four days transferring crap from the Sulaco to our ship, including some strange things which I am not allowed to talk about. Earlier today we said goodbye to the Sulaco and watched it crash into the planet.

We’re on our way home now and we expect to arrive at Fomalhaut in about six days. I hope that I’ll be able to visit you guys for Christmas, just as long as our sergeant doesn’t get any wild ideas.

I miss you guys so much! I meant to write earlier, but I wasn’t allowed to. It’s a good thing two, because you would have had to disregard the messages I wanted to send you anyways. I thought we were going to be trapped out here for a while, but thankfully it was just four days of misery.

You can tell me about all of the things I’ve missed out on when I go and visit.

I hope to see you all soon!


Love,
Alicia, 11/20/2189

November 20, 2189 [1600 U.T.]

Dear Diary,

We have just sealed the Sulaco for the last time. We are expecting the ship to enter the planet’s atmosphere in about 20 minutes (time of impact estimated to be at 16:23 U.T.(19)). The nasty attitude from the company people, coupled with the fiasco the night before, has put everyone around here in a bad mood, including myself. There is a lot of hostility going on around here. I just want to go home.

You know what, I’m glad we can finally say goodbye, and good riddance, to the Sulaco. We’re going to stick around to see the fucker burn. The company people are obviously too preoccupied with their findings to give a damn about the ship. Maybe that was the real purpose of our mission. It wasn’t to retrieve the Sulaco, but to gather whatever shit was inside of it. What I want to know is if the Marne Corps knew that they weren’t going to get their precious ship back? Did the company lie to them as well? We are getting really suspicious about the company.(20)

…are we in danger?


-A.

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

(19)
U.S.S. Tonoro C172689 to Network Comcon 01500 –
Final mission report of U.S.S. Tonoro C172689 –
Unable to salvage U.S.S. Sulaco C172689. Vessel entered atmosphere of Gamma Serpentis at exactly 16:24:12 U.T. Vessel broke apart on entry.
Unidentified objects, possible alien species, found aboard U.S.S. Sulaco. Medical officers investigating objects in Med Lab.
U.S.S. Tonoro C172689 preparing to return to Fomalhaut. Estimated time of departure – 17:00:00 U.T. Estimated time of arrival – Nov 26, 2189, 14:00:00 U.T.
Time – 16:42:16 U.T. – 11/20/2189

(20)
Private Hendrick was actually on the right track here. It turns out Weyland-Yutani had lied to everyone so that they could get their hands on the alien. Because the company was experiencing financial problems at this time, they needed the help of the United States Colonial Marines to get to the Sulaco. Unfortunately after all of the rumors had spread, and after the loss of the Sulaco, the U.S.C.M. at first refused to help Weyland-Yutani, since Weyland had already caused them enough problems already. Eventually Weyland-Yutani convinced the Marine Corp to help them out by promising their ship back as well as helping them repair it.
This was quite a lie, since Weyland didn’t have the means at the time to pay for such expensive repairs to the Sulaco. They knew well in advance that the ship was probably seriously damaged. Trying to repair a ship like the Sulaco requires large sums of money; money that Weyland did not have. One thing that the company did not mention to the Corps was that the Sulaco’s orbit was decaying. Then again, if they had told the Corps that, they would have definitely refused to help them out. Trying to pull a ship like the Sulaco out of a decaying orbit is quite a challenge if you can’t get its main engines going, even for some of the most powerful towing vessels. Sure enough, they send the worst ship imaginable to do the job. The Conestoga class ships are completely useless as tug boats, especially if they have to tow their sister ship. To put it simply, Weyland knew that it would be almost impossible to pull the Sulaco away from Gamma Serpentis, unless its main engines were usable. This might explain why the Tonoro had to leave in a hurry, so they would have time to search the vessel thoroughly before its orbit gave out.

November 20, 2189 [0400 U.T.]

Hey! I found him! – U.T.-04:12:43 – M.T.-67:12:43

Lewis, say again? – U.T.-04:12:47 – M.T.-67:12:47

I found him! I found Johnson! –U.T.-04:12:52 – M.T.-67:12:52

Well, where the hell was he? – U.T.-04:12:58 – M.T.-67:12:58

Cargo hold E. –U.T.-04:13:01 – M.T.-67:13:01

I thought you people said you looked for him there? –U.T.-04:13:04 – M.T.-67:13:04

We did, but I think we couldn’t find him because he was hiding behind some crates. –U.T.-04:13:10 – M.T.-67:13:10

What? Was he playing hide and seek? Let me talk to that idiot. –U.T.-04:13:15 – M.T.-67:13:15

Sorry, sir. He’s unconscious. – U.T.-04:13:18 – M.T.-67:13:18

What? –U.T.-04:13:20 – M.T.-67:13:20

You better come and have a look. –U.T.-04:13:24 – M.T.-67:13:24

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

Dear Diary,

Well, I’m relieved to say that we found Johnson. Son-of-a-bitch was in cargo hold E the whole time. But things are getting weirder and weirder around here. Lewis found Johnson at about 4 O’clock unconscious. We don’t know if he hit his head or something like that, but he was found unconscious on the cargo hold floor behind some crates. Surprisingly, cargo hold E did not sustain any fire damage. Everything in it is intact!

Now, everything that happened after that was weird. For starters, Gorman told all of us not to tell the company people anything and then he and Wilman ran off and boarded the Sulaco. Of course, the company people were suspicious. They started to ask all of us what was going on, but just like them we had no idea, except that Johnson was found. About 15 minutes later, the four of them come back with Wilman carrying this thing that looked like the shit we found in the cryogenic compartment, only not burnt and disgusting, and Gorman holding something that looked like a giant spider with a long tail. Obvously, like the rest of us, Gorman thought that the company people were hiding something. He started demanding answers from them, asking what the real purpose of this mission was and if they knew what that thing he was holding was.
Instead of giving us answers, all the company people wanted to know was if Johnson was infected.

“Infected with what?! What aren’t you telling us?! Answer me, you fuckers!”
I’ve never seen Gorman so pissed off like that, but those idiot company people wouldn’t give him a direct answer. Quite frankly, we are all fed up with them. Gorman had to smack down the law to get them to talk, but the answer they gave us was even more unreal. The thing Gorman was holding was what they called “The Facehugger.”(18) They believe it attaches itself to a host and impregnates them with an alien embryo. The embryo eventually bursts out of the host and grows – within a matter of hours, according to them – into an adult. To be honest, almost all of us found this story to be ridiculous.

They asked if they could have a look at Johnson, but Gorman was so pissed off he basically told them to get lost. Johnson was a little worried, though, having heard what the company had just said. He asked if he could have a chest examination. Stevens took him to the infirmary to have a look. They came back quite relaxed, actually. Apparently they didn’t find anything, which was a relief, because I was starting to believe the company people.

-A.

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

(18)
The information the Weyland-Yutani had gathered about the alien species was all based on the enquiry into the destruction of the U.S.C.S.S. Nostromo by the Interstellar Commerce Commission in June, 2179. The enquiry found Lieutenant Ellen Ripley responsible for the loss of the Nostromo and her crew, dismissing her story as a creation of fiction(18-1).

(18-1)
According the Ellen Ripley, the Nostromo had set down on LV-426 on June, 2122 after intercepting what was first believed to be a distress signal originating from the planet. The signal was traced back to “The Derelict,” where the crew found the alien eggs. According to Ripley, First Officer Kane was carried back to the Nostromo with “something attached to his face.” Kane was impregnated with an alien embryo, which grew and burst out of his chest and escaped. The alien killed Ripley’s crew. She activated the ship’s self destruct system and escaped on the shuttle Narcissus. According to Ripley, the alien had managed to board the Narcissus with her, at which point she blasted it out of the airlock and into space.

November 19, 2189 [2200 U.T.]

Dear Diary,

Sorry for not updating yesterday, but I had nothing to say. It was business as usual. We just looked around for shit with the company people constantly on our backs. Those guys are really starting to get on my nerves! That’s pretty much all that happened.

The reason why I’m writing this is because we have a situation. Johnson(17) is missing! We haven’t been able to find him since 1600 today. We asked Lewis if he knew where he was, since he was the last one to see Johnson. He said Johnson went to see if he could open the hatch to the cargo hold we’ve been trying to get into for the past two days. We went to have a look. The cargo door was open, but there was no sign of him. Where the hell did he go?

I said before the Sulaco was giving me the creeps, but now it’s just fucking scaring me! And I still don’t know why it gives me the creeps. Maybe I do believe in the Weyland conspiracy? What if what the company people want is an alien? Do they think there’s an alien on the Sulaco? Is that what they are not telling us? Dear God, is that thing we found an alien egg?

I’m such a fuck shit, this is ridiculous! What the hell am I thinking? I guess I’m just freaking out because we cannot find Johnson. What if he just passed out somewhere? That sounds just about right. Yeah, that dumb fuck just passed out somewhere.

…if only I could believe that thought.

Well, a few stayed behind on the Sulaco to look for him. I just hope they find him so I can get this ridiculous thought out of my head.

Aliens, yeah right.


-A.

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

(17)
Private Aaron Johnson was born December 14, 2163 in Huston, Texas, United States. His family owned a small ranch just outside of Huston. He graduated from the University of California as a mechanical engineer in 2186. He got a job with Weyland-Yutani in September, 2186 as an assistant technician on the towing vessel U.S.C.S.S. Apollo, but quit his job 8 months later. Johnson joined the Marine Corps in August of 2187 and was assigned to the station on Fomalhaut.

November 17, 2189 [2100 U.T.]

Dear Diary,

Today, for the most part, was really uneventful. We spent the whole damn day sweeping the entire ship front to back looking for…well, anything that wasn’t burnt. My God, that ship is a complete mess. The whole damn thing is burnt! Everything in the hanger was useless. At least it wasn’t a complete loss. The ship’s onboard computer survived, somewhat. Lewis spent the whole day recovering data from the computer. Maybe the damn thing can tell us how the fire managed to spread, and what started it.

We did find something odd, thought. It was a burn mark in the cryogenic compartment. I know this sounds stupid. What’s so impressive about a burn mark in a room that is completely burnt? That’s the same question I asked Stevens(15), the pyromaniac of our group. He knows a little bit too much about fire and the things he’s told us are not comforting. Hell, I expect him to set us on fire one of these days. What’s interesting is that he told us the burn we found was not created by fire, but by something else. He suspects it was acid.

…right. What’s acid doing on the ship? Hell, it kept the company people happy. Funny, they are not interested in anything else around the ship, but we find one small hole in the floor and they are all over it. Weirdos!

Other things we found; couple of personal things belonging to someone called Spunkmeyer(16) in one of the lockers, some food in the galley, and this burnt up shit that looks like an egg in the cryogenic compartment. This is where things get a little weird, because as soon as we found this…whatever the hell it is, the company nerds barged in. Holy shit, it was like Christmas morning for them! They were examining, touching, and probing this pile of shit! What the fuck is it? Sure enough, they don’t tell us. They just hauled it back to the Tonoro. Hell, they’re in the ship’s Med Lab right now doing God-knows-what with it. For all I know, they are masturbating with it. What a bunch of Whackos!

Oh well, at least I had my laugh for the day. One of those company imbeciles fell down a flight of stairs because he was paying more attention to his computer than where he was going. The way he screamed, though, was classic. He sounded like Timmy on that Kiddie-coaster a couple of years back.

Unfortunately, I have to do the same shit tomorrow. At least the company people have something to keep them busy. That should get them off our backs for a while.


-A.

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

(15)
Private Robert Stevens, born May 12, 2165 in Berlin, Germany, had collected a not-so-impressive reputation with the Marine Corp for the five years he’s served. He was arrested four times for setting things at his base on fire. He’s also known by his fellow marines as “a complete nut job obsessed with fire who, without a doubt, will grow up to be an arsonist.”

(16)
Daniel Spunkmeyer, born April 25, 2152 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was the drop ship crew chief on the Sulaco when it was sent to LV-426.

November 17, 2189 [1200 U.T.]

Dear Diary,

Well, today has been both good news and bad news for us. The good news is that Everson was able to restore some of the ship’s power. That guy’s a damn genius. We were able to get the Sulaco’s tumbling under control and we’re now parked up alongside her. The bad news is that we were unable to get the main reactor going again. Everson is at a loss for words as to what is wrong with it, but he thinks that the fire damaged some critical components and that’s why it refuses to start. The problem here is that we need the reactor to power the main engines. Without them we cannot pull the Sulaco away from its decaying orbit. It turns out the company sent the wrong vessel for the job. The Conestoga class ship is a war ship, not a towing vessel. This obviously means the Sulaco is still going to crash. Our job now is to gather up as much shit from the Sulaco as possible and then kiss it goodbye. The atmosphere scrubbers are currently working on cleaning the air to make our job easier. (14)

-A.

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

(14)
U.S.S. Tonoro C172689 to Network Comcon 01500 –
Vessel U.S.S. Sulaco C172688 partially revived. Power restored to some compartments as well as essential systems. Vessel now under control. Main reactor unable to start. Reason – unknown, possible hardware damage. U.S.S. Sulaco C172688 still on decaying orbit. Unable to tow vessel, U.S.S. Tonoro C172689 not adequate to tow Sulaco. Estimated time of atmosphere entry – 3 dys, 4 hrs, 21 mins. Atmosphere in Sulaco being processed, breathable soon. Salvaging as much as possible from U.S.S. Sulaco before atmosphere entry. No signs of life found at this time. Ship severely damaged by fire, but intact.
Time – 12:02:53 U.T. – 11/17/2189(14-1)

(14-1)
The emergency systems provided enough power to operate the Sulaco’s attitude thrusters, but not enough to power the main engines. Unable to rescue the Sulaco, the Tonoro was lined up with the Sulaco so that both ship were in orbit right next to each other. This made movement between the two vessels much easier. When the report was sent to network, Search Squad One had searched a large portion of the ship without finding a single sign of life. The cryogenic compartment, where the fire aboard the Sulaco started, was burnt beyond recognition. The hanger was a complete mess, looking at the video clips. The drop ship that was stored there apparently blew up. The explosion punched a hole through a few decks, but the hull survived intact. Those old Conestogas sure were tough.

November 17, 2189 [0900-1000 U.T.]

Inner doors are secure. Opening outer doors.– U.T.-09:03:21 – M.T.-00:03:21(10)

Alright Bishop(11), take it away.– U.T.-09:03:45 – M.T.-00:03:45

Roger. – U.T.-09:03:47 – M.T.-00:03:47

The shuttle thrusts down to clear the Tonoro’s hull as it left the airlock. The vessels are currently on the dark side of the planet. The Sulaco is approximately 500 meters in front of the Tonoro in the dark. The ship is a mere silhouette against the distance stars. At this time it is difficult to make out the ship, but it is there.

Thrusting forward. – U.T. -09:04:08 – M.T.-00:04:08

Bishop thrusts the shuttle forward. It closes in on the Sulaco at a rate of approximately 100 meters per minute, according to the readout on the heads up display.

100 meters. Rotate.– U.T.-09:08:13 – M.T.-00:08:13

The shuttle rotates 90 degrees up pitch. With the Sulaco now out of sight, I selected a different video clip, this one taken by a camera on the Tonoro. The navigation lights of the shuttle appear small and pathetic against the rotating black mass of the Sulaco. With the help of the shuttle’s undercarriage landing lights, the details of the Sulaco’s hull near mid-ship are visible. From the Tonoro, the structure looks sound, but it is unknown at this time how much damage the Sulaco has sustained.

20 meters. Thrusting up.–U.T.-09:08:57 – M.T.-00:08:57

Bishop had his hands full at this point. He had to time everything perfectly so that the shuttle attached to the Sulaco directly over the airlock. If he missed, it would have been extremely difficult for him to line up for a second try.

10 meters. Gear is down and locked. Thrusting up. – U.T.-09:09:15 – M.T.-00:09:15

5 meters.– U.T.-09:09:32 – M.T.-00:09:32

1 meter. Thrusting Forward. Hang on everyone, this is going to be rough.– U.T.-09:09:59 – M.T.-00:09:59.

From the video clip taken from the shuttle looking at the marines, we see them lurch towards the back of the shuttle. A loud thud is heard over the microphones as the shuttle attached itself to the Sulaco.

Tonoro, Squad One, we are docked.– U.T.-09:10:05 – M.T.-00:10:05

Roger, Bishop. Wilman you may proceed inside. There’s no power, so use the manual override to open the airlock doors.– U.T.-09:10:13 – M.T.-00:10:13

Roger.– U.T.-09:10:16 – M.T.-00:10:16

From Wilman’s camera, Private Johnson is seen manually opening the outer airlock door. As the door opens, it hisses as the air pressure in the airlock equalizes with the pressure in the shuttle.

Alright, the airlock appears intact. No sign of damage. – U.T.-09:11:02 – M.T.-00:11:02

Roger. Proceed inside. – U.T.-09:11:06 – M.T.-00:11:06

The crew makes its way into the airlock, almost floating. Since the power is gone, the artificial gravity in the Sulaco is not working. The small gravity the team experience in the airlock – as evident by the marines falling towards the left bulkhead as they move in – is generated by the ship’s rotation. Bishop stays on the shuttle to make sure it doesn’t detach from the Sulaco and float away.

Alright, we’re all in the airlock. Opening inner door. –U.T. -09:11:44 – M.T.-00:11:44

The inner door opens hardly making a sound.

I think there’s still air in here. –U.T.-09:12:01 – M.T.-00:12:01

Is it breathable? – U.T.-09:12:03 – M.T.-00:12:03

Standby. Lewis, check the air. –U.T.-09:12:07 – M.T.-00:12:07

Alright, according to this, the air is not breathable. We’ve got an awful lot of carbon dioxide with very little oxygen. Guess we’re gonna have to stay in these suits.–U.T.-09:12:39 – M.T.-09:12:39

Alright, let’s move on people. Stay up against the bulkhead when you get out of the airlock.-U.T.-09:12:51 – M.T.-00:12:51

Whoa, hey Sarge! –U.T.-09:13:54 – M.T.-00:13:54

What Wilson? –U.T.-09:13:57 – M.T.-00:13:57

I’m I seeing things, or is this whole place burnt? –U.T.-09:14:02 – M.T.-00:14:02

He’s right. –U.T.-09:14:13 – M.T.-00:14:13

Wilman, what’s going on? –U.T.-09:14:16 – M.T.-00:14:16

Sir, we are looking at a lot of fire damage here. It looks like this whole damn place caught fire! –U.T.-09:14:21 – M.T.-00:14:21

Well, we know the Sulaco’s cryogenic compartment caught fire(12), but the fire suppression system should have contained it. –U.T.-09:14:32 – M.T.-00:14:32

It looks like it didn’t. I think the whole damn ship caught fire.–U.T.-09:14:39 – M.T.-00:14:39

Maybe that’s why it vanished. -U.T.-09:14:43 – M.T.-00:14:43

Could be. -U.T.-09:14:46 – M.T.-00:14:46

Alright enough, we have a job to do. Everson, take Lewis and Wilson to the reactor room, see if you can get us some power. –U.T.-09:15:09 – M.T.-00:15:09

Yes, sir! –U.T.-09:15:10 – M.T.-00:15:10

The rest of you, come with me! –U.T. -09:15:13 – M.T.-00:15:13

The two teams head of in separate directions. Wilman’s team makes its way forward, while Everson’s team makes its way to the reactor room aft of their present location. Because of the ship’s rotation, they have to repel their way down the halls. Everson’s team made it to the reactor room, but they found that it too was scarred by fire. To add to their problems, the ship’s reactor apparently was damaged. When Everson tried to start it up – hanging from the engineer’s control panel – it would scram half way through the startup procedure.

Everson, what’s the matter? –U.T.-09:46:12 – M.T.-00:46:12

Sir, I don’t know. When I get to step four of the startup procedure, something pisses it off and it scrams. –U.T.-09:46:21 – M.T.-00:46:21

Do you know why? –U.T.-09:46:24 – M.T. -00:46:24

No. All of the C.W.(13) lights light up like a Christmas tree. I can’t tell what’s broken and what’s not. Hell, maybe everything is broken. –U.T.-09:46:34 – M.T.-00:46:34

Can you bypass the computer and run the reactor manually? –U.T.-09:46:38 – M.T.-00:46:38

Probably, but I wouldn’t recommend it. One small fuck up and we’re all dead. –U.T.-09:46:45 – M.T.-00:46:45

Alright. Can you at least get the emergency power systems going? –U.T.-09:46:51 – M.T.-00:46:51

I’ll try. –U.T.-09:46:54 – M.T.-00:46:54

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

(10)
To understand what was happening on the Sulaco, the following contains radio transmissions – recorded and time stamped by the Tonoro’s computer – between Search Squad One and Lieutenant Gorman on the Tonoro, and my interpretation of the videos captured by the Marines’ SIVRs (Standard Issue Video Recorders) installed in their headsets, as well as other cameras installed on the shuttle and the Tonoro. Just for clarity, the time stamps on the radio transmissions include both the Universal Time and the Mission Time (M.T.).

(11)
Bishop (unit number 529-A) was an android assigned to the U.S.S. Tonoro. The androids on the Conestoga-class ships serve both as the executive officer of the vessel and the chief mechanic. Since androids do not consume food, they do not have to be put in stasis to conserve the ship's supplies. They are in charge of keeping an eye on the life support systems while the ship is en route, even though the ship's computer is fully capable of controlling all of the systems on the ship.

(12)
Stasis interrupted.
Fire in cryogenic compartment.
Repeat, fire in cryogenic compartment.
All personnel, report to Emergency Escape Vehicle launch pod.
Deep-space flight will commence in T-minus 20 seconds.

(13)
Caution and Warning (C.W.)

November 17, 2189 [0900 U.T.]

Dear Diary,

Search Squad One is already in the hanger preparing for their short hop over to the Sulaco.(7) We’re fortunate that there’s an airlock almost mid-ship, so the ship’s tumbling shouldn’t be much of a problem. The problem will come when we try to re-activate the ship. What these eggheads are telling us is that at the rate she’s spinning, we’ll be experiencing a force of about 2-Gs in the reactor room. How the hell that ship managed to hold itself together this whole time, I have no idea. It’s going to be quite a challenge to restore ship’s power, but it shouldn’t be anything old Jimbo(8) hasn’t done before.

If we can restore power to the ship through the emergency power, we should be able to get the ship under control using the attitude thrusters. Whether we can get the main engines working will depend on if we can get the reactor going again. Once Search Squad One gets the ship under control, hopefully, I’ll be following them in Search Squad Two, along with the company dickheads.

That Gorman(9) sure is a lucky fuck. He gets to stay here while we’re busting our asses out there on the Sulaco. Those company assholes had better follow everything we tell them, or I’ll break their necks. God, they are really starting to get on everyone’s nerves. This begs the question, why are they so anxious to get on the Sulaco? What do they expect to find?

I’m really starting to think that the company is not telling us something. Whatever it is, I’m starting to think it has something to do with how the Sulaco disappeared. What exactly happened aboard that ship?

…I’m getting goosebumps.

-A.

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

(7)
Prior to leaving Fomalhaut, a personnel shuttle (model number WYS-926) was added to the Tonoro’s hanger. This small shuttle is how the team will move between the Sulaco and the Tonoro. The plan was to dock the shuttle up against the Sulaco’s mid-ship airlock. The rotation of the Sulaco made the docking maneuver difficult, since the airlock was not exactly on the axis of rotation.

(8)
James ‘Jimbo’ Everson was one of the oldest of the team, apart from Sergeant Wilman(8-1). Everson joined the Marine Corp only a year prior to the Sulaco’s discovery. Before joining the corp, we worked on the salvage vessel Zapiga. In March of 2186, the Zapiga ran into the Weyland-Yutani freighter Ventra, adrift after her crew jumped ship three days earlier(8-2), so, naturally, the Zapiga claimed salvage rights to the ship. Everson was in charge of restoring the ship’s power. He had quite a hard time, since the ship’s rotation was generating a force of approximately 2.5-Gs in the engine room. Everson was able to restore the ship’s power and got the tumbling under control. The Zapiga towed the Ventra back to Earth where the crew received a big reward from Weyland-Yutani.

(8-1)
Sergeant Andrew Wilman was second in command on the mission to the Sulaco.

(8-2)
The Ventra had experienced a fairly catastrophic malfunction. One of the auxiliary engines on the starboard side blew up as the freighter was leaving Sirius. The blast knocked out most of the Ventra’s systems. Unable to control the ship’s tumbling, the crew abandoned ship. Everson managed to repair some of the ship’s systems and got it under control. The damage to the Ventra was extensive. She was down for repair for 10 months.

(9)
Lieutenant Charles Gorman was the commanding officer of the Tonoro for the mission. He was the brother of Lieutenant William Gorman, who was the commanding officer of the Sulaco. He was killed on LV-426.

November 16, 2189 [2300 U.T.]

Dear Diary,

We are now in orbit around the volcanic planet of Gamma Serpentis. The U.S.S. Sulaco is tumbling in orbit around this miserable rock about 500 meters in front of our ship. To my dismay, we have received the orders from Network to board this 400-meter ship wreck and have a look. If I’m honest, I’m starting to doubt if we will find anything intact. The ship is badly scarred. There is a light cloud of debris surrounding the ship. Hell, I can hear bits of debris hitting the hull of our ship. What exactly happened to her is anyone’s guess.

However, some of us are starting to get a little suspicious. The medical eggheads brought with them all sorts of strange equipment. Some of us are starting to question what the real objective of the mission is. Hell, Johnson said he overheard these medical nerds talking about some sort of creature that might be aboard the Sulaco. I’m starting to think this is more like a research operation. What exactly are they expecting to find in the Sulaco? Whatever it is they are looking for, I doubt it is human.

To add to this, Wilson is starting his whole “I have a bad feeling about this” bullshit, but for once I’m actually with him. It’s hard to explain, but just looking at Sulaco gives me the creeps and it’s ridiculous! It’s just a fucking ship! We built the damn thing, and yet I can’t help but think that it is not ours. It’s almost as if it was an alien vessel, which is absurd. It’s the sister ship of the piece of shit I’m standing in right now, and yet I can’t help but think that it is from another world. What the fuck?

Anyways, tomorrow the boarding party will try to restore the ship’s power, if there is anything left in her emergency system, that is. If they are successful, they might be able to restore the ship’s atmosphere, which will make our job a lot easier. With any luck, we might even be able to get her tumbling under control. Even though our mission is to pull the ship away from her decaying orbit, I can’t help but think that what the company people want is not the ship, but whatever they think is inside. A lot of us are really starting to question what our mission is. These company people have been acting strange ever since we arrived.
We’ll have to wait and see.

-A.

November 16, 2189 [1900 U.T.]

Dear mom and dad,

After about two weeks in stasis, we are within viewing distance of Gamma Serpentis, this miserable rock out in the middle of nowhere. What’s really annoying is that only now they bothered to tell us what the hell is going on. Turns out we’re just a fucking salvage operation going out to retrieve a damn ship. Couldn’t they have asked some salvage crew to retrieve the ship for them?

Actually, I’m being harsh. I think it’s just because I’m in a pissy mood right now. I guess it was somewhat appropriate to have the military take care of this operation. The reason is because the ship trapped in the planet’s orbit is the Sulaco. The son-of-a-bitch was here the whole time and only recently it decide to show its ugly face!(5) Hell yeah, I’m pissed! Why the fuck didn’t we find it earlier? Now we have just four days(6) to get the damn thing going again before its orbit gives out and it crashes into the planet.

I say the hell with it! Let that fucker crash! Hell, after ten years I highly doubt we can get it going again. It’s just a waste of time and I want to go home. Of course, as things go in the Marine Corps, we’re going to be out here until the Sulaco crashes or we manage to get it going again (fat chance).I just hope that when we return to Fomalhaut I’m allowed to go and visit you guys.
And again, by the time you receive this, I should be on my way back.

I’ll see you soon!

-Alicia

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

(5)
One reason that might explain why the Sulaco went undetected for about 10 years is because the position where she was discovered was completely off from where the Sulaco was believed to be. It is still unknown to everyone as to how the Sulaco got there, but some theories suggest that she was caught by a planet or a star and was slingshot in a completely different direction. This would help to explain why the Sulaco wound up where she did; completely off from the coarse she was following back to Earth.

(6)
Network Comcon 01500 to U.S.S. Tonoro C172689 –
Message to be reviewed upon arrival on planetoid Gamma Serpentis.
Probe(6-1) data indicates orbit of U.S.S. Sulaco C172688 is decaying at unexpected rate.
Sulaco expected to enter planet’s atmosphere in approximately 4 days after your arrival.
Permission to board vessel has already been granted.
Top Priority – Attempt to gain control of and tow U.S.S. Sulaco C172688 back to Altair.
Awaiting Acknowledgement.
Time – 21:04:12 U.T. – 11/10/2189

U.S.S. Tonoro C172689 to Network Comcon 01500 –
Message Received.
Time – 18:42:01 U.T. – 11/16/2189 (6-2)

(6-1)
It was Weyland-Yutani Deep Space Probe (DSP) number 19625 that discovered the U.S.S. Sulaco while it was passing by Gamma Serpentis. Upon the discovery of the Sulaco, the probe was put in orbit around Gamma Serpentis to keep an eye on the Sulaco until the Tonoro arrived.

(6-2)
It takes approximately 6 days for radio signals to travel the vast distance between Gamma Serpentis and Earth.

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.