"The Titan Prometheus wanted to give mankind equal footing with the gods—for that he was cast from Olympus. Well, my friends, the time has finally come for his return."— PETER WEYLAND
Humans are arrogant sons of bitches. We leaped into space thinking we’d make it our own. Sure, some of us believed—hoped even—that we’d find other life along the way, but we were absolutely certain we’d always be at the top of the food chain. Our gods were dead, and we were the new gods. Well, that all turned out to be far from true. Our gods may or may not be gone, but they definitely left us a few nasty surprises to humble us—living things that not only go bump in the night but also eat you from the inside out. There is life out here, and it wants us all dead. Here’s a little sampling of what you can expect to find lurking in the dark.
SPECIES INTERACTION
WHY CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?
Let’s face it—there is no love lost on the Frontier. Aliens hate humans, and just like humans, they mostly hate each other as well. Creatures of different types generally don't get along. Sure, a Facehugger and a Xenomorph Soldier will work together, but a Xenomorph Soldier and a Neomorph will go for each other's throats. Feral Neomorphs will attack anything living not of their type—they find androids a curiosity and will only attack them if provoked. Xenomorph XX121s are similar, attacking any creature they perceive to be a threat.
Abominations hate anyone and everyone until they reach maturity—then they begin to settle and tolerate each other’s presence (but still dislike humans, androids, and other aliens). Praetomorphs, on the other hand, simply will not tolerate any other alien species. Xenomorphs from different hives will clash with the intention of killing each other’s Queen. When one hive kills the Queen of another, the leaderless hive is absorbed by the victor. The previous Queen’s eggs and Praetorians are destroyed, while Scouts, Workers, and Drones are immediately assimilated. The Soldiers are another story. While a reigning Queen releases pheromones that bind the new Soldiers to her, many times she will simply have them destroyed as well.
HUMAN’S BEST FRIEND
When humanity conquers a brave new world, they bring their animal companions with them—and with good reason. Pets are incredibly important to the psychological well-being of long haul starship crews, and every ship should have one. While far from common, typical flesh and blood animals found on the Frontier include dogs, cats, mice, reptiles, fish, and birds. Additionally, synthetic copies of both mundane and exotic Earth animals have been produced by a number of companies. Rats and insects have stowed away on many a spacecraft, spreading disease and altering the ecology of alien worlds. Apes are still used in laboratory settings and cattle, sheep, horses, and pigs have all been transplanted to extrasolar farming colonies.
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