Alien Evolution

stage 1: Ovomorph

stage 2: Facehugger

2

stage 3: Host Species

The most disturbing and threatening feature of the alien reproductive cycle is the integral role required by the aliens of other species. This parasitic molestation casts the darkest shadow of all and horrifies in a way beyond the deadly physicality of the creatures themselves.
The need to reproduce via another organism is the major factor in the relationship between the aliens and all other species.

stage 4: Chestburster

The chestburster neophant stage of the emergent adult alien is when it is at its most vulnerable. The creature's first instinct upon freeing itself from its host is to seek refuge in the hive. If the chestburster is born outwith a hive, it will attempt to evade other organisms until it develops into the warrior stage. As with the previous facehugger form, the chestburster's metabolism is an acid-based bioelectric resevoir, granting the creature a very limited but highly active lifespan in which to complete the cycle of reproduction. So from the initial birth onward, the life of the adult alien is typified by aggressive and violent behaviour, although initially the chestburster's primary asset is speed. The bioelectric 'battery' physique of the alien may also account for its stunning growth rate; this chemical furnace may give rise to a highly efficient nutritional system. Terrestrial vertebrate organisms consume nourishment with a net efficiency of less than 20%; from firsthand accounts of xenomorph encounters, it would appear that the alien can feed on a wide variety of materials with a near perfect transmission of calorific value. The exact nature of this process remains a matter of speculation, since no chestburster has ever been adequately dissected during its development. Nonetheless, the ability of the xenomorph to ascend rapidly to a lethal state is fearsome indeed - the chestburster can reach independent mobility as the warrior stage in a matter of several hours.

stage 5: Warrior

This creature comprises the majority of a fully functioning hive and is the form most frequently encountered by other species, including our own. Unless a warrior continues development towards the 6th and 7th stages, it remains as a multi-function entity, acting as a forager for raw materials and potential hosts as well as defending the hive from external threat and protecting the queen and eggs.
The physical characteristics of the warrior have been well documented since the first non-terrestrial contacts, but there are some aspects that can be elaborated upon.
The elongated head of the adult aliens is their most imposing feature and contains many of the physiological features that define the species. The creatures' lack of eyes is particularly threatening, especially given that its primary senses more than compensate for the absence of visual perception. But the fear this, and the aliens appearance as a whole, provokes is highly significant; the aliens ability to terrify can be regarded as a biological characteristic in itself. Highly covert research has demonstrated the aliens sensitivity to deep-instinct terror responses in organisms above a certain level of evolutionary development. The awareness of the neurological and psychological properties of its enemies is crucial to the alien's behaviour and the anatomical focus for this ability is also within the head.
A bilateral structure occupying the very front of the cranial cavity is arguably the aliens' most vital means of perception. The outer surface of this organ emits two wavefronts which create interference patterns. The incredibly dense neural matter behind responds to the signals reflected from any subject in front, with an effective range of about ten meters. The net effect is that the aliens can not only scan a target organism with intimate physical detail but also examine its psychological state as well, being literally able to 'see' its victims' fear. The impact this has on an alien warrior is more subtle than one might expect - more than just a convenient beacon for the aliens' lethal attentions, fearful prey actually stimulate them to make especially messy and protracted kills. The more terrified a target, the longer an alien is likely to take dispatching it. If the organism is deemed a viable host the aliens will act to enhance the state of fear, perhaps to render their victims defenceless.
In periods between its intense activities, when no threat or hosts are detected, the warrior is able to retreat into a dormant state in order to preserve vital energy.

stage 6: Praetorian

This is one of the most ambiguos entities of the whole alien species and there is some debate as to whether or not it actually constitutes a separate creature. What is clear, is that the 'praetorian' stage of the adult alien is distinctly different from its kin in both form and function. Its size is an obvious difference, gaining almost a meter in height beyond the warrior stage. The limbs also extend in length somewhat, giving the praetorian an asthenic physique. But the most overt feature is the development of the 'crown' from the upper structure of the warrior head, and it is this that gives us the vital clue as to the direction this growth will take.
The nature of the alien species is based, conspicuously, on the social structure of the hive - analgous to a limited extent with terrestrial social insects. This neccessitates the focus of the species as a whole on the single reproductive female at its centre - almost exclusively refered to as the queen. So any hive has only one monarch. Prior to the creation of a new hive, however, no queen exists. And on rare occasions a queen may be destroyed while the rest of the hive remains intact. The propagation of the species is therefore the responsibility of the first creature to emerge in a given location.
The alien species communicates via a complex range of sensory equipment, but the most crucial conection they share is a psychotelemetric matrix that links every individual of a hive. One of the crucial components of this telepathic system is the transmission of a unique suppressant signal by the queen that prevents any other warriors developing beyond their current stage. In the absence of this signal, as when a lone chestburster is born, an individual alien will continue to grow beyond the warrior stage into a fully reproductive queen. From this we can surmise that all warrior/praetorian creatures in a hive are - as with social insects - non-reproductive females, although this analogy should not be considered absolute. During this early period, the individual's primary concern is the establishment of a new hive and the aquisition of more hosts. Passing beyond the praetorian stage, the creature's first new characteristic to appear is the transmission of the suppressant telepathic signal which halts the development of its siblings in the neuter phase.
What has been observed is that, in the incidence of a queen being killed or removed, all the warriors begin growing to replace their absent queen and several bear the distinguishing characteristics of this response before one of their number achieves reproductive status and begins transmitting the suppressor. These borderline creatures - the praetorians - adopt a slightly advanced behaviour from the warriors by remaining in close proximity to the new queen. This has two effects; firstly these creatures form a sort of 'royal guard' around the new queen but more importantly, should the replacement queen also be destroyed, potential replacements are already in prime position to cross that final threshold almost immediately to reproductive status.

stage 7: Queen

This is the pinnacle of the alien species, the most advanced of the 'active' forms and the centre of the reproductive system. Although rarely encountered in xenomorph contacts, at least by those that survive the experience, the queen remains the most impressive symbol of the entire race and continues to exert a powerful influence on the collective conciousness of our own society.
The importance of the queen to the hive is obvious and its physical prowess should not be underestimated: even when isolated from other aliens, the queen retains the same unwavering lethality. The queen is capable of functioning as a self-sufficient unit; whereas the warriors do not appear to consider themselves as individuals, the queen is vehemently aware of its own significance and has consistently displayed a sophisticated decision-making mentality. It is tempting to attribute this ability to conciousness, but that would more than likely be an example of anthropomorphising. The profound division between the concious and the unconcious that so typifies the existential state of human nature is almost certainly inappropriate to the alien species. The queen in particular seems to suggest a more intimate relationship between awareness and instinct within the aliens - although the queen's intelligence is apparent, it is an intelligence in many ways unlike our own.
The crown is the most visually impressive feature of the queen's geometry. It is a physically separate component from the actual head, and most probably houses the queen's telepathic organs. The vast expansion of this region implies a far greater strength, range and even complexity of effect compared to the other creatures. This allows the queeen to retain control of its minions over long distances as well as increasing its telepathic sensitivity; the queen can 'listen' to all the members of the hive at once, and may even be able to detect the presence of other organisms. In fact, the queen's mental influence is such that even sensitively minded humans can be affected by its presence, a revelation of no small significance.
The second charcteristic unique to the queen is the egg sac. Like the crown, it is a distinct organ. The queen can perform the immense sacrifice of separating itself from the egg sac in the direst circumstances to preserve its own life, though this is rare. Once secured within the heart of its hive, the queen can produced hundreds of ovomorphs, assuming nourishment is available. One hypothesis states that the queen may reconsume some of the hive structure or even the carcasses of lower stage creatures that have reached the termination of their metabolic resevoir in order to generate more ovomorphs, but this is an educated guess. Once the eggs are layed through the ovipositor, their care passes to the warriors, who arrange them strategically through the hive as a continuous carpet.
The cycle has now returned to the passive stage, each egg containing the seed, not only of a single adult alien, but an entire hive. All the ovomorphs are identical, as are the facehuggers, the chestbursters and so on up to the point where the alien queen is enthroned at the centre of a hive.
Consequently, any attempt to neutralize a hive requires that every individual must be exterminated to ensure the threat of infestation is removed.
Even a single member of the alien species has the potential to proliferate its kind.

stage 1: Ovomorph

stage 2: Facehugger	2

stage 3: Host Species	The most disturbing and threatening feature of the alien reproductive cycle is the integral role required by the aliens of other species. This parasitic molestation casts the darkest shadow of all and horrifies in a way beyond the deadly physicality of the creatures themselves. The need to reproduce via another organism is the major factor in the relationship between the aliens and all other species.

stage 4: Chestburster	The chestburster neophant stage of the emergent adult alien is when it is at its most vulnerable. The creature's first instinct upon freeing itself from its host is to seek refuge in the hive. If the chestburster is born outwith a hive, it will attempt to evade other organisms until it develops into the warrior stage. As with the previous facehugger form, the chestburster's metabolism is an acid-based bioelectric resevoir, granting the creature a very limited but highly active lifespan in which to complete the cycle of reproduction. So from the initial birth onward, the life of the adult alien is typified by aggressive and violent behaviour, although initially the chestburster's primary asset is speed. The bioelectric 'battery' physique of the alien may also account for its stunning growth rate; this chemical furnace may give rise to a highly efficient nutritional system. Terrestrial vertebrate organisms consume nourishment with a net efficiency of less than 20%; from firsthand accounts of xenomorph encounters, it would appear that the alien can feed on a wide variety of materials with a near perfect transmission of calorific value. The exact nature of this process remains a matter of speculation, since no chestburster has ever been adequately dissected during its development. Nonetheless, the ability of the xenomorph to ascend rapidly to a lethal state is fearsome indeed - the chestburster can reach independent mobility as the warrior stage in a matter of several hours.

stage 5: Warrior	This creature comprises the majority of a fully functioning hive and is the form most frequently encountered by other species, including our own. Unless a warrior continues development towards the 6th and 7th stages, it remains as a multi-function entity, acting as a forager for raw materials and potential hosts as well as defending the hive from external threat and protecting the queen and eggs. The physical characteristics of the warrior have been well documented since the first non-terrestrial contacts, but there are some aspects that can be elaborated upon. The elongated head of the adult aliens is their most imposing feature and contains many of the physiological features that define the species. The creatures' lack of eyes is particularly threatening, especially given that its primary senses more than compensate for the absence of visual perception. But the fear this, and the aliens appearance as a whole, provokes is highly significant; the aliens ability to terrify can be regarded as a biological characteristic in itself. Highly covert research has demonstrated the aliens sensitivity to deep-instinct terror responses in organisms above a certain level of evolutionary development. The awareness of the neurological and psychological properties of its enemies is crucial to the alien's behaviour and the anatomical focus for this ability is also within the head. A bilateral structure occupying the very front of the cranial cavity is arguably the aliens' most vital means of perception. The outer surface of this organ emits two wavefronts which create interference patterns. The incredibly dense neural matter behind responds to the signals reflected from any subject in front, with an effective range of about ten meters. The net effect is that the aliens can not only scan a target organism with intimate physical detail but also examine its psychological state as well, being literally able to 'see' its victims' fear. The impact this has on an alien warrior is more subtle than one might expect - more than just a convenient beacon for the aliens' lethal attentions, fearful prey actually stimulate them to make especially messy and protracted kills. The more terrified a target, the longer an alien is likely to take dispatching it. If the organism is deemed a viable host the aliens will act to enhance the state of fear, perhaps to render their victims defenceless. In periods between its intense activities, when no threat or hosts are detected, the warrior is able to retreat into a dormant state in order to preserve vital energy.

stage 6: Praetorian	This is one of the most ambiguos entities of the whole alien species and there is some debate as to whether or not it actually constitutes a separate creature. What is clear, is that the 'praetorian' stage of the adult alien is distinctly different from its kin in both form and function. Its size is an obvious difference, gaining almost a meter in height beyond the warrior stage. The limbs also extend in length somewhat, giving the praetorian an asthenic physique. But the most overt feature is the development of the 'crown' from the upper structure of the warrior head, and it is this that gives us the vital clue as to the direction this growth will take. The nature of the alien species is based, conspicuously, on the social structure of the hive - analgous to a limited extent with terrestrial social insects. This neccessitates the focus of the species as a whole on the single reproductive female at its centre - almost exclusively refered to as the queen. So any hive has only one monarch. Prior to the creation of a new hive, however, no queen exists. And on rare occasions a queen may be destroyed while the rest of the hive remains intact. The propagation of the species is therefore the responsibility of the first creature to emerge in a given location. The alien species communicates via a complex range of sensory equipment, but the most crucial conection they share is a psychotelemetric matrix that links every individual of a hive. One of the crucial components of this telepathic system is the transmission of a unique suppressant signal by the queen that prevents any other warriors developing beyond their current stage. In the absence of this signal, as when a lone chestburster is born, an individual alien will continue to grow beyond the warrior stage into a fully reproductive queen. From this we can surmise that all warrior/praetorian creatures in a hive are - as with social insects - non-reproductive females, although this analogy should not be considered absolute. During this early period, the individual's primary concern is the establishment of a new hive and the aquisition of more hosts. Passing beyond the praetorian stage, the creature's first new characteristic to appear is the transmission of the suppressant telepathic signal which halts the development of its siblings in the neuter phase. What has been observed is that, in the incidence of a queen being killed or removed, all the warriors begin growing to replace their absent queen and several bear the distinguishing characteristics of this response before one of their number achieves reproductive status and begins transmitting the suppressor. These borderline creatures - the praetorians - adopt a slightly advanced behaviour from the warriors by remaining in close proximity to the new queen. This has two effects; firstly these creatures form a sort of 'royal guard' around the new queen but more importantly, should the replacement queen also be destroyed, potential replacements are already in prime position to cross that final threshold almost immediately to reproductive status.

stage 7: Queen	This is the pinnacle of the alien species, the most advanced of the 'active' forms and the centre of the reproductive system. Although rarely encountered in xenomorph contacts, at least by those that survive the experience, the queen remains the most impressive symbol of the entire race and continues to exert a powerful influence on the collective conciousness of our own society. The importance of the queen to the hive is obvious and its physical prowess should not be underestimated: even when isolated from other aliens, the queen retains the same unwavering lethality. The queen is capable of functioning as a self-sufficient unit; whereas the warriors do not appear to consider themselves as individuals, the queen is vehemently aware of its own significance and has consistently displayed a sophisticated decision-making mentality. It is tempting to attribute this ability to conciousness, but that would more than likely be an example of anthropomorphising. The profound division between the concious and the unconcious that so typifies the existential state of human nature is almost certainly inappropriate to the alien species. The queen in particular seems to suggest a more intimate relationship between awareness and instinct within the aliens - although the queen's intelligence is apparent, it is an intelligence in many ways unlike our own. The crown is the most visually impressive feature of the queen's geometry. It is a physically separate component from the actual head, and most probably houses the queen's telepathic organs. The vast expansion of this region implies a far greater strength, range and even complexity of effect compared to the other creatures. This allows the queeen to retain control of its minions over long distances as well as increasing its telepathic sensitivity; the queen can 'listen' to all the members of the hive at once, and may even be able to detect the presence of other organisms. In fact, the queen's mental influence is such that even sensitively minded humans can be affected by its presence, a revelation of no small significance. The second charcteristic unique to the queen is the egg sac. Like the crown, it is a distinct organ. The queen can perform the immense sacrifice of separating itself from the egg sac in the direst circumstances to preserve its own life, though this is rare. Once secured within the heart of its hive, the queen can produced hundreds of ovomorphs, assuming nourishment is available. One hypothesis states that the queen may reconsume some of the hive structure or even the carcasses of lower stage creatures that have reached the termination of their metabolic resevoir in order to generate more ovomorphs, but this is an educated guess. Once the eggs are layed through the ovipositor, their care passes to the warriors, who arrange them strategically through the hive as a continuous carpet. The cycle has now returned to the passive stage, each egg containing the seed, not only of a single adult alien, but an entire hive. All the ovomorphs are identical, as are the facehuggers, the chestbursters and so on up to the point where the alien queen is enthroned at the centre of a hive. Consequently, any attempt to neutralize a hive requires that every individual must be exterminated to ensure the threat of infestation is removed. Even a single member of the alien species has the potential to proliferate its kind.