version 4 - The Alien Encyclopedia

ing through the core systems by a salvage crew. Ripley was brought aboard Gateway Station inEarth's orbit, where she recovered from the strains of the extremely long hypersleep period. It wasthen when she first met Carter Burke, a representative of Weyland-Yutani. After her release fromhospital, Ripley had to answer for her actions during the Nostromo incident before a committee.During this inquiry, Ripley unsuccessfully tried to convince the suits of the existence of the Xenomorphand Weyland-Yutani's intention to obtain it and was stripped of her officer license. After theverdict, Van Leuwen, the chairman of the committee, informed her that LV-426 had been colonizedfor 20 years without any disturbance.Frustrated by these events and devastated by the fact that her daughter Amanda had died two yearsearlier, she had to settle for a low-paid job in the cargo docks over Portside. However, the pastquickly caught up with Ripley when Carter Burke visited her, reporting that contact to LV-426 hadbeen lost. Motivated to overcome her recurring nightmares from the traumatic events on the Nostromo,Ripley reluctantly agreed to his request to accompany an investigation party to LV-426 inthe capacity of an adviser. This party would consist of a squad of Colonial Marines, Burke and herself...and Bishop, an android and an addition to the roster that was met with great dislike by Ripley,the experiences with Ash still fresh in mind.When Ripley and the marines reached LV-426 aboard the Sulaco, they found the colony, calledHadley's Hope, seemingly abandoned. As the group continued to explore the colony complex, moreand more findings suggested that the colony had indeed been wiped out by the Xenomorph. Afterfinding the sole survivor of the colony's population, a girl called Newt, the marines set up temporaryheadquarters in the command section of the colony. Using Hadley's mainframe to track downthe PDTs of the colonists, the marines were directed to the third sub-level of the Atmosphere Processornear Hadley's Hope. As the soldiers explored the bowels of the station, they discovered an organicstructure spreading over the entire sub-level. They were already deep inside what turned outto be the Xenomorph hive when the attack started. Ripley was forced to watch from the APC outsideas a combination of squad leader Gorman's incompetence and a vicious ambush by adult Xenomorphsled to the slaughtering and capturing of several marines. In a desperate attempt to rescuewhat was left of the squad, Ripley overwhelmed Gorman and drove the APC down the loading accessinto the hive, managing to evacuate the remaining soldiers. In the aftermath, Ripley, aware ofthe incredible danger emanating from what might have been over hundred Xenomorphs, voted fornuking the entire complex from orbit. Burke, concerned about the loss of the colony and, in secret,also the Xenomorph, strongly disagreed, but was outvoted by Corporal Hicks, the de facto missionleader at that time. The dropship took off for a swift evacuation, but crashed down and explodedwhen a Xenomorph, which had infiltrated the craft while it was on the ground, killed Ferro, the pilot.For all intents and purposes, Ripley, Newt, Burke and the marines were now stranded on LV-426.Worn out both physically and mentally, Ripley and the marines withdrew and regrouped at the temporaryheadquarters, only to discover that the Atmosphere Processor's cooling system had beendamaged during the fight on Sub-Level 3 and that, consequently, the reactor would explode in lessthan five hours, taking everything in a forty-mile radius with it. Relatively calm in the face of anearly hopeless situation, she devised a plan on how to call down the second dropship in time to useit to reach minimum safe distance and also played a vital role in planning out the defense perimeterfor the headquarters. It was during that time when she not only developed an affection for Hicks,but also took on the role of a surrogate mother for Newt. Burke, however, had other plans for both:He freed two Facehuggers they had found contained in stasis tubes in the medical station, hoping toget Ripley and Newt impregnated and to be be able to smuggle a Xenomorph inside them aroundICC customs back to Earth. Burke's attempt was foiled, and it was during his interrogation, whensuddenly, the power to the control station went out.Soon after, the headquarters came under attack by hordes of Xenomorphs. During a mad dash to thedropship, several other members of the squad got killed, and Newt was captured and taken to theXenomorph hive inside the Atmosphere processor. Ripley would not leave without the girl, and so,she, the android Bishop and Hicks, the squad's only survivor, flew to the processor station to rescue