boxofmystery | This is Alien

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This is Alien

Things were usually quiet out here in the middle of nowhere, and that was how Ralph liked it. The Marines had built a base on a little forest planet that was home to no sentient life, but plenty of critters.

After the disaster of a mission he had recently been on, he was glad to have a chance for a more relaxing mission. Most of the other surviving Marines from that mission had been stationed here as well. This place was good for young Marines just starting out, and older ones who needed some calm in between.

There were plenty of other staff stationed here, in case of accidents and emergencies. There was a full medical staff and multiple robotics experts for androids and cyborgs.

However, there had been a small bump of excitement lately, a ship carrying 4 traumatized passengers had entered the sector and the Marines had intercepted it.

A fellow Marine was one of the passengers on the ship, and with information from him and the rest of the passengers, it painted a gruesome tale.

Ralph didn't know much about all of that, just what he had heard from the others. His specialties weren't needed, so he hadn't been on scene.

But, once the group had gotten settled and all the excitement of newcomers was over, everything had settled right back down into routine once more.

Ralph's routine involved a morning jog through the forest, and that's where he's at now. He had grown up on a heavily-forested planet, so he felt like the trees gave him a little taste of home.

As he jogs through the forest, he hears something rustling nearby and he pauses, looking around to see if he could spot it. Maybe it was a bird or a fox or something.

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Newt is exploring. It had taken her a while to get up the nerve to leave either Ripely's side or the bedside of Hicks or Bishop. Luckily Bishop got fixed pretty quickly and so she'd had someone else to follow around like a small duckling for a while. He hadn't minded, neither had Ripley and they'd let her follow them around until she started to feel brave enough to venture outside their quarters and the med bay.

She knew they were worried too, she had a tracker on her arm again, just in case. But that made her feel safer so she didn't mind. She had tried to explore inside but there were lots of people....which was still weird...and she wasn't as good at slipping into the vents....yet anyway.

But there was also the fact that there was an outdoors. She'd never been allowed to play outside at Hadley's Hope. It had been just rocks and dirt. Here there were trees and grass.

Speaking of trees, she's trying to climb one right now, which is where you probably hear the rustling coming from.

There usually weren't any kids at the base. Occasionally, someone's family would visit or kids would stay as a temporary measure, but it was never anything longterm.

So, Ralph is fairly surprised at first when he sees Newt in the forest. It takes him a moment to remember that a kid had come in on that recent ship.

It sounded like she had been through something pretty rough, so he's a little surprised that she's out and about.

After a moment, he decides to talk to her, "Hey, whatcha doin' there?"

Newt looks over. Oh, it's one of the marine's. She's seen them around the base and while it's weird to see ones alive. ...and at first a little hard because she misses Hudson and Vasquez....she's gotten used to seeing them. Most of them don't talk to her though.

She just looks back at the tree, then over to him.

"I'm climbing a tree."

Ralph pauses for a moment, her words bringing a rush of nostalgia.

After a moment of reflection, he chuckles, then lifts a giant hand, "I used to climb trees when I was yer age. Not so much, anymore."

The reason for that is fairly obvious, he's bigger around than quite a few of the trees in the forest.

She nods.

"You're really big."

What is tact, Newt?

"I bet you could climb something really big though. Like a mountain!"

Ralph laughs, it's not the first time he's heard that, and he's pretty sure it won't be the last. However, she puts a spin on it.

He grins, "Maybe! I haven't tried it, it could be fun. You ever climb a mountain?"

"No. I've seen one...in a picture at school once. Normally I just climb in vents. I'm small so I can get in places most people can't."

And she is tiny. Even tinier when next to Ralph.

Ralph tilts his head as he processes this information. That didn't sound quite normal, but, there's many, many planets out there, and they all have their quirks.

"I guess yer pretty good at hide 'n seek, then?"

"I'm the best! But everyone always said I cheated. Just because I was smaller then them."

She's jumped down to the ground at this point....she wasn't very high up anyway. And folds her arms.

"They're just jeal..." She falls silent for a moment and her face grows paler, her voice quieter as she looks away. "....it doesn't matter now anyway. But I didn't cheat."

At first, Ralph was amused by Newt's confidence, then her demeanor changed. He wasn't sure what exactly had happened to her, but it had sounded like it wasn't good.

"Everybody's got their own stuff they're good at. Yer good at hidin', I'm good at bein' strong." He's agreeing with her that she didn't cheat in his own way, but also offering a chance at a change of topic, in case she wants that.

[She nods.]

I'm the best at hiding.

[And she's had time to process things so it isn't as ...fresh as it was in the past. It's just said with a matter-of-factness. That's slightly stiff, as though there's still some raw pain behind it.]

You're good at being strong? ....can you lift really heavy things?

Ralph grins and gives her a nod, "Yep! I can lift a lotta things! Not everything, though, tried to lift a spaceship once and it didn't even budge." He figured that he should throw a little humor in there and see how she responds.

The humour is great, she laughs.

"You can't lift a spaceship, you need machines for that."

Good, Ralph's glad that he was able to lighten things up a little.

"Right! We've got a bunch of 'em here, that way all the mechanics an' stuff can get under 'em to fix 'em up."

She nods.

"So what do you do here?"

Ralph shrugs, "Most days, not much. We're stationed here to keep an eye on things way out here. It's usually pretty quiet, but sometimes ships come in or people on another planet need us to come an' help."

"It's good if you don't have to go places. We had marines on ours trying to help....but all of them died except for Hicks and he got really hurt. Then it was just Ripley and me and Bishop....and Bishop got hurt really bad too."

Ralph's face falls as he hears this, so many lives, so many Marines lost. He's been on a few nasty missions, but nothing with that low of a survival rate. Even the Cy-Bugs hadn't claimed that many Marines.

He's torn on how to respond, he doesn't want to upset Newt any more.

Finally, after a moment, he manages a smile and says, "Sounds like you were pretty brave back there, huh?"

Newt shrugs slightly.

"Ripley keeps saying that...but I just hid. After they killed everyone on the colony and before the marines showed up. I was alone ....I was scared but I had to survive and sneak out and get food. ...Ripley said that's what being brave means. Even if I was really scared."

Ralph goes silent again as Newt talks more about her situation. A whole colony wiped out by something? Something bad enough to take out most of a group of Marines as well?

He slowly nods, "Ripley was right, that's what bein' brave is all about. You were smart, too, to be able to hide all that time."

"I knew all the places on the colony, and I was small so they couldn't get me. Even if they chased me in the big vents. I could hide away in the smaller ones."

Says this all blandly.

"I think they ignored me sometimes because they had everyone else and I hid."

She doesn't seem to have much of an emotional response to what had happened. Was that the result of her trauma? Or was it just how she handled things?

Ralph tilts his head, "Could be. You mighta been too tricky for 'em and they had plenty else to deal with..." So, there was some kind of invasion, something had gotten in and wiped everybody but this one girl out.

"I'm glad you were able to survive."

If Ripley were here, she'd be very worried at the tone. But Ralph doesn't know that.

"Yeah.....they did."

And there's a ....pain behind that last bit that slips out, because what they were "dealing with" was using her friends, family and everyone who hadn't just died as ....things for their babies to grow in.

"Ripley saved me, then Bishop did. At the end."

Her tone is growing more and more....just, possibly going to bolt soon, if that's even a tone.

Ralph might've not been completely aware of Newt's pain at first, but the more they talk, the more he realizes that she's not okay.

He has no ideas of the sheer scope of the horrors she's witnessed, but clearly something very terrible happened at her colony.

Ralph's not sure what to do, he's not very good at this sort of thing, despite his best efforts.

"Sounds like you've got some good friends there."

He then sits down, figuring that maybe his size might be intimidating her. However, it's probably not a great deal of help, as he's likely still towering over Newt, even with sitting on the ground.

I do....

[And that was the best thing to say because yes, make her focus on the still alive people. Her voice grows less numb.]

Hicks is still hurt but they fixed Bishop pretty quick since he's an android. ....And Ripley said she'd adopt me if I want.

I said yes. So now the four of us are a family.

[She knows Ripley still has some issues with Bishop she doesn't really get but Bishop is important and she loves him like she loves Hicks and Ripley....though neither of the other two will compare for her love for Ripley but that's okay because they understand. She knows this without even being aware it's a thought.]

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