Aliens: Beyond Time and Space

Night Raid Base Camp

Unknown Predator Ship

South of Hadley's Hope

Ripley, Newt, Harrigan, and all the members of Night Raid sat back in chairs, taking a moment to process all the incredible information that was shared between them. Only Ripley and Harrigan didn't seem as impressed as the others.

"A corrupt nation, on the brink of civil war, the strong preying on the weak. People slaughtering and tormenting each other in droves. This world was fucked up long before we got here." she concluded.

Najenda looks at her "None of this comes as a surprise to both of you?"

Harrigan simply shook his head "Lady, from where we came from, we've been through much worse. Some punk shot some country's ruler and his wife and started a world war. Then came a guy who valued his race too much that he waged another world war. Top it off, we came close to having nukes falling over our heads. Last time I remember from LA, Colombian and Jamaican cartels were at each other's asses and we have to take care of it"

Ripley smirked and said "On my world, Humanity has had a long sad history of violence, war and suffering. For more than two millennia, the mass homicides and genocides have dragged on. The only difference is it's become much cleaner. People mostly just kill each other to gain wealth."

The leader of Night Raid makes a shuddering motion "You're talking about your employers and their plans for the Aliens and the Predators?"

"Yes. If they ever got their hands on the Aliens, countless worlds would end up like the Hadley Colony. The death toll would go beyond numbering. Same goes for your Predators too, should they be able to replicate such weaponry like the ones you had, there's no guessing what would happen next." Harrigan definitely agreed at Ripley's reasoning

"But what about our world?" argued Chelsea "How can you be so sure these Aliens and Predators can bring about its end? I don't know if you noticed, but our world has its fair share of Danger Beasts. And we've been getting by just fine with them running around."

Ripley looks at her in response "These aren't some species that evolved naturally on this planet. They didn't even originate from my world. Their physiology comes as an unholy miracle from beyond any known space. A perfect killer that doesn't know pain or fear or pity. They exist only to kill all those around them. And their Queen is capable of breeding them to match one egg to a host. As long as there's a planet with life. The Aliens can match it with death."

Harrigan immediately explained on his side "That makes these Predators a lesser evil. Before I fought that creature killing around my city, Keyes told me that they only hunt for the strongest prey they could find. Then after I killed it, their kind simply showed up, took the body, then gave me a flintlock gun as a reward."

"Maybe it's in their culture. If they live to hunt, likewise they would give respect to the one that fell their kind in an honorable combat" Ripley surmised as she inspected the flintlock pistol she borrowed from him.

"Gold plating...1715...my god, your predators have been in your Earth way too long" She was shocked by her discovery.

"If that's the case, perhaps those Aliens have most in common with Esdeath, Seryu and the Prime Minister." surmised Tatsumi

"As long as people like those three still breathe, not a soul on this planet will know peace."

Ripley places a hand on his shoulder "I know those three have caused you all so much grief and misery. But if they are as powerful as you described. Then perhaps they can help in eradicating the Aliens. The Enemy of My Enemy-"

Harrigan immediately raised his hand to stop her mid-sentence, as if he was about to disagree with her.

"If they're that much capable of doing evil at that level, then you may want to abandon that motto for the best"

"He's right, Ripley" Najenda supported him, "Nobody from the Empire would want to kill this species. Worst case scenario, they'll attempt to capture these creatures and turn them into weapons against us."

Ripley shakes her head "They will fail and die"

"And the Aliens will flourish because of it and will make this fight even more complicated." Night Raid's leader adds "Our goal to bring down the Empire remains our highest priority. The Alien threat will have to wait afterwards."

Ripley moans in frustration "It will be too late by then. If left unchecked, these things will swell in numbers and overwhelm any force that might try to stop them."

Najenda shrugs "I'm sorry, Ripley. But every member of both the Revolutionary Army and Night Raid have laid down their lives to bring about change to this world. It would not be right to suddenly abandon the cause, when we have come so close to making the world a better place."

Ripley persisted "If you take me to your superiors, and I plead my case to shift priorities. Would you then focus on the Aliens, instead?"

"We're all soldiers here. We'll follow the orders we've been given." replied Najenda "I can't guarantee that the higher-ups would even listen to you and your story. It would sound too far fetched. What then? Would you fight the Aliens all on your own? You could always join our group and fight for a better future for you and Newt."

Harrigan stood up and slightly raised his voice in frustration "Well what's the point in your goal of changing the world if there's nothing left for you to change anyway? We may be from different worlds but our situation is pretty much the same. I'm fighting for the sake of the people in this city, Ripley and her friends are fighting for the sake of humanity, you all are fighting for the sake of the people in your kingdom. Now that they're all here in your world perhaps we should come to understand the danger around us, right?"

"He has a point. You've already known it would be impossible for me to go it alone. That's why I've decided to follow Night Raid. At least until I'm no longer by myself in this situation."

"You're referring to your comrades, Hicks and Bishop?" Lubbock asked "How can you be sure they're alive and in this world?"

"Because everything that was in the colony wound up here. It stands to reason they'd be here too. We just need a way to find them."

Ripley went to one of the crates and pulled out the transmitter "If I can get to a high enough elevation, this communication device can broadcast a radio signal far enough to reach them in the Dropship. Wherever that might be."

Leone looks at the transmitter with interest "Amazing! To think, you can find your friends and speak with them in an instant. All thanks to this gizmo"

"Big Deal!" Mine rambled "Why don't you use that thing to contact your spaceship? You said the one you came with, the USS Sulaco was a warship, right? Can't you call upon its arsenal to help fight the Empire, and destroy the Aliens as well?"

"It's not that simple, Mine." Ripley explains "This transmitter isn't strong enough to manage orbital communication. At best it can scan for the ship's IFF, but that's only possible with adequate power being provided."

She looks up as if searching through the skies "And even if by some miracle, the Sulaco is up there and we can find it, we still need the Dropship to take us off planet."

Akame walks up to Ripley "How high do you need to get for you to send out the signal?"

The former Warrant Officer looks back up again "The higher I can get, the better the coverage will be. Maybe atop a mountain or flying over the clouds."

Najenda looks at her thoughtfully "Would the Air Manta work?"

"An Air What?" Harrigan asked. Najenda grabs his hand, and leads her and Newt out the tent towards the edge of camp where the Danger Beast is tethered.

The rest of Night Raid followed close by. Ripley, Harrigan and Newt looked at it with suspicion. After a while though, Newt rubs her hand along the Air Manta's smooth belly. The creature makes a pleasant humming tune in response.

"So, you all flew around on top of this?" she wonders aloud.

"We normally use horses and wagons for transport." Najenda informed "But a few of us can use flying Danger Beasts as a means to travel by air. If you can tame one, of course."

Ripley looks at the transmitter in her hands excitedly "Then let's try it out! We've got to find Hicks and let him know where we are!"

Suddenly, a growling noise sounded off from Ripley's stomach.

Another, smaller growling noise came from Newt's.

And finally, a loud growl that sounded more like a roar escaped from the stomach of Akame, who covered her belly in embarrassment.

Everyone looks in shock, causing her to blush.

For a girl as cute as Newt, she has a hell of an appetite Harrigan had thought

Najenda chuckles and says "I think we should eat some dinner first before we try anything. Newt there looks almost like skin and bones. And I can't have my best fighter here, lose her edge by missing out on a meal."

Ripley concedes and nods.

"Su! Prepare this evening's supper. Let's have a feast in honor of our guests!"

Everyone cheered and made their way back to the central tent to set the tables, while Susanoo rolled up his sleeves and headed towards the cooking tent.

After a while, Ripley, Newt, Harrigan, and the members of Night Raid sat together around a large dinner table waiting for Susanoo to serve their meals.

"Hope all of you are ready, because I went all out on this one!" the humanoid Imperial Arm placed several plates of food in front of each person seated

"For our Leader, there's Salt Ramen with hard noodles and a Zesty Chicken." Najenda makes a doe-eyed face "Wow!"

"For Mine and Chelsea you both get Strawberry Parfait with a little extra ingredient included"

Mine clasps her hands in excitement with some hearts floating above her head, while Chelsea quickly grabs the one with the largest portion.

"For you Lubbock, Bokkai Shrimp, fresh from the water."

Lubbock's face lights up with overwhelming joy, as if some gorgeous babe appeared in front of him and asked him out.

"Leone, I've brought you Oden and Chilled Alcohol, a very pricey beverage at that."

Leone makes a cheering gesture "Yes!"

"For you Newt, I've made a Tomato Bisque garnished with Cheddar Cheese and Nutritional Herbs."

Newt looks at the large bowl in front of her with the uncertainty of being able to eat all of it, but she looks up and says "Thank You"

"Ripley, you get Spaghetti and Meatballs with Mushrooms and Assorted Spices mixed in."

Ripley looks up from her plate "For an Artificial Person, you seem to know your way around the kitchen."

"I prefer the term, Humanoid Imperial Arm myself" corrected Susanoo.

"Sounds like something, Bishop would say" commented Ripley.

Susanoo raises an eyebrow "You mean your Synthetic friend? We're not that much similar. I was created by means of magic and alchemy to fight my creators' battles, while your Artificial Person was made by science and technology to accommodate your menial needs."

Ripley smirks "Yet, you both display sincere devotion to the people around you. Nobody would call you a real person but you and Bishop maintain a standard of humanity, people from both our worlds should aspire to imitate."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Please enjoy your meal. Okay! Next, we have Akame. Yours is an Assortment of Meats from every animal I can find, coated in my Secret Sauce."

Akame looks at her food in an ecstatic daze, as her mouth slowly begins to salivate.

"For you, Harrigan, you get a Medium Rare Grilled Steak and another beverage of Chilled Alcohol"

"HEY, ISN'T THAT SUPPOSED TO BE MY DRINK?" Leone complained

Harrigan simply nodded at the food on the plate, finally satisfied at having a decent grub to eat.

"And Tatsumi said anything was fine, so a Special Susanoo lunch set."

Tatsumi looks at his plate, befuddled "Hey. Doesn't this look like a kid's meal?" Mine snorted in an attempt to conceal her laughter.

"Wanna trade?" asks Newt.

Tatsumi shakes his head "Now Newt. When we learned you survived by yourself scavenging for food, it's decided we start you off on the simple qualities. Hence the soup."

Newt frowns and picks up a spoon to begin eating.

"Hey, Tatsumi!" Leone wraps her arm around Night Raid's newest member "You do know what you're supposed to do when your Big Sis' cup is empty right?"

"Yes, Leone. I'll fill it for you." Tatsumi replied as he filled her cup with alcohol.

"Well Done!" Leone tries to give him a chest smothering hug. Mine turns to both of them

"Hey, quit it! I'm trying to eat in peace-Hrk!" she began coughing uncontrollably.

Najenda looks at her Subordinate "Su! Help Mine out! She's choking!"

Ripley looks at Mine also, with a dark suspicion. She slowly reaches for her pulse-rifle hanging off her chair, but Chelsea grabs her by the wrist

"Easy, Ripley! It's not what you think!"

Susanoo rushes up behind Mine and gives her a hard slap against her back. She coughs one more time, and a half-eaten strawberry shoots out her mouth and lands on Akame's recently emptied plate.

"Gross!" Lubbock, Tatsumi, and Newt said out loud.

Mine blushes in pure embarrassment, while Harrigan begins to gently scold her "Kid, Hasn't anyone taught you to chew your food?-!"

Suddenly, Lubbock has everyone stop talking, and picked up one of Cross Tails' gloves

"Boss! The barrier's been tripped. Something's caught in it."

All eyes turned towards the green haired defense operative.

"I feel tugging on the threads. Whatever's been caught, it's Big."

Thwrp!

The threads started to tighten hard "And it's strong!" Lubbock puts on Cross Tails' gloves, knotting off certain lines so as not to be yanked around by the violently jerking force.

Najenda and Ripley, both call out "Which direction!?"

Lubbock feels along the many strands in front of him

"It's from the Northern side of the camp."