In 2122, a Weyland-Yutani starfreighter registered as the Nostromo detected and partially decoded
an unidentified signal originating from LV-426, a desolate and largely ignored planet.
A team sent to uncover the source of the signal discovered the remains of a derelict spacecraft,
almost certainly alien in origin.
While compelled to investigate further by Weyland-Yutani regulations, the true nature
of the signal was discovered far too late: it was not an SOS, but a warning.
In the ensuing hours, the seven-man crew of the Nostromo was torn apart by a creature
whose structural perfection was matched only by its hostility.
When every means to combat this “xenomorph” was exhausted, the Nostromo was set to self destruct.
The light shuttle Narcissus escaped with a sole survivor, Ellen Louise Ripley.
30 years old at the time of the Nostromo incident, Ripley was already an experienced warrant
officer having served on a variety of ships in the United Americas merchant navy.
Prior to her final voyage aboard the Nostromo, Ripley had renegotiated her contract with
Weyland-Yutani, intending to take an extended leave to spend more time with her daughter Amanda.
Instead, the Narcissus drifted for fifty-seven years straight through the core systems of
the network until she was picked up by chance by a deep space salvage team.
When she awoke, her report on the events that led to the destruction of the Nostromo was
met with skepticism.
Amanda had died years earlier and this news, combined with her experiences, left her diagnosed
with a variety of post-traumatic and comorbid stress disorders.
Her career stripped away and her warnings over the dangers of LV-426 ignored, Ripley
relocated to Earth, securing employment as a Power Loader operator.
When contact with Hadley’s Hope, a terraforming colony on LV-426 was severed, Ripley was approached
by the United States Colonial Marine Corps to serve as an advisor on a mission to ascertain
the status of the colony.
When they arrived, Hadley’s Hope appeared deserted, but Ripley’s worst fears were
realized when xenomorphs of the same type encountered on the Nostromo were discovered
in far greater numbers.
Despite the marine’s overwhelming firepower, they were far too few to make any difference.
Together with Rebecca Jorden, better known as “Newt”, Ripley attempted to aid the
marines as best she could as they were set upon by Xenomorphs, before retreating to the
orbiting USS Sulaco.
A xenomorph queen, first encountered within the colony’s Atmosphere Processor, had latched
onto their dropship however, and it was only through Ripley’s expertise in the Power
Loader that herself, Newt and Senior Corporal Dwayne Hicks were spared and the queen destroyed.
In a cruel repetition of fate, the Sulaco crashed on Fiorina 161 and Ripley was again
the sole survivor.
A former commercial mining venture, the planet had been repurposed to serve as a penal labor
colony for particularly dangerous inmates.
After repairing the remains of Bishop, an android originally in service aboard the Sulaco,
Ripley discovered that a xenomorph had been responsible for their crash landing, and likely
present somewhere within the Correctional Facility.
The deaths of multiple inmates confirmed the creature’s existence and the inmates of
Fiorina turned to Ripley for leadership, once her previous expertise had been revealed.
However, Ripley had begun to suffer mysterious physical ailments since arriving on the planet,
and she soon realized that one of the creatures was maturing inside her.
After the roaming xenomorph was finally destroyed, Ripley was approached by a team of scientists
and commandos under the authority of Weyland-Yutani.
Despite their assurances that they could save her life, Ripley understood that their only
goal was to study and exploit the creature within her.
Desperate to prevent anyone else from sharing her fate, Ripley threw herself into a furnace,
ensuring the extinction of the xenomorph species.
The horrific events suffered by Ripley traumatized her greatly, but her defining aspect was the
immeasurable will and perseverance she displayed in dealing with tragedy and adversity.
Even before her encounter aboard the Nostromo, Ripley was a professional, capable of maintaining
a calm focus and executing orders in even the most dangerous situations.
She possessed an enormous moral fortitude, routinely risking her own life to ensure the
safety of others.
Ripley held little tolerance for those she deemed untrustworthy or incapable of decisive action.
When the situation required it, she would quickly take command rather than waiting for
permission or orders.
While her encounters with the xenomorphs left her colder and more apathetic towards her
own life, she never lost her compassion or sense of honor.
Through her sacrifice, humanity was saved from the worst aspects of its own nature,
but perhaps, only for a time.
In Dossier, the Templin Institute investigates the legendary figures from alternate worlds.
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