Xenos: Difference between revisions

|quote = Lusty Xenomorph Maid polishes the Captain's Antique Laser

}}

= What is a Xenomorph? =

Aliens, also known as Xenomorphs to differentiate them from the general term, are extraterrestrial lifeforms that use other living beings as a host during their life cycle. With black carapaces and wicked sharp claws, powerful night vision and the ability to see people through walls, xenomorphs are extremely dangerous. They are intelligent and capable of speaking to one another via a hivemind. In comparison to Earth species, xenomorphs are closest to parasitic wasps that live in colonies with queens and require another lifeform to gestate inside.

Xenomorphs start life as an egg laid by a queen. This egg takes five minutes to develop, at which point it will automatically hatch. Xenomorphs are all female, but still reproduce asexually. Queens can lay eggs, but these eggs cannot develop into adults on their own. In order to get the other half of their genetic code they implant embryos within other life forms and use their DNA. From the egg, the next stage will emerge, called a facehugger.  

In addition, there is also the Alien Empress; a huge xenomorph spawned for the sake of shenanigans by admins. It is unknown whether this will be implemented as another evolution stage in the future.

= Types of Xeno =

==Facehugger==

[[File:Facehugger.png|left|You are already dead.]]

The only type of alien not controlled by a player, it is a parasitic cycle in xenomorph production with the appearance of two [[crew|human]] hands held together and attached to a spiny, powerful tail. It has a proboscis it uses to implant embryos and provide oxygen while strangling a victim. The finger-like appendages are used to attach itself firmly to a host body when they are in a single tile proximity. Once implantation is complete, the facehugger falls off and dies. Very few items are capable of resisting a Facehuggers attack, typically only top-tier military, riot or viral equipment will stop it, otherwise most masks or helmets be easily torn off. Like all of the xenomorph species, not much is understood about its growth, motivations, or senses, but it is known that a facehugger can tell the difference between a living humanoid and a non-living humanoid such as corpses or [[robotics#Cyborg|cyborgs]] and that they are suicidally focused on reproduction. Xenomorphs often use crowds of facehuggers to take down large prey or grouped or well-defended humans.

==Larva==

[[File:Larva.png|left|See? What did I tell you?]]

Also known as chestbursters because of their method of exodus from the host body, larval xenomorphs are the third known stage in reproduction for that species. While developing in the body, xenomorph embryos attach to blood vessels to absorb nutrients and complete its unstable genetic structure using the host's DNA. Through an unknown process, this always results in a functioning offspring. This form is small compared to the adult, limbless and serpentine. They have a strong instinct to hide after forcing their way out through the ribcage and violently tearing their host body apart. If left alone, xenomorph larva will undergo an unknown transformation process to adulthood. It is believed at this stage that the xenomorph is at its most vulnerable due to its small size and apparent lack of many senses, though this should not be misunderstood -- a larva is still deadly. Its powerful thrashing and sharp teeth got it out of a human sternum, after all.

==Hunter/Drone/Sentinel==

[[File:Alien.png|Now everyone is dead.]][[File:Aliensentinel.png|Now everyone is dead.]][[File:Aliendrone.png|Now everyone is dead.]]

The adult xenomorph is a living weapon, with an exoskeleton thick enough to absorb or redirect most trauma and temperature extremes, scythe-like claws, and a multi-tiered jaw system capable of projecting an acidic compound presumingly from their stomachs. Xenomorphs at this stage show semi-sapience and problem-solving abilities, and are capable of using pack-oriented tactics, creative stealth, and psychological manipulation. It is reported that xenomorphs may be able to communicate in a basic way with sentient species, but there is little evidence to lend credence to such an absurd notion.

==Praetorian==

The Praetorian is the next step of evolution for Drones. These xenomorphs are known to be substantially larger than the other castes, and are thought to be bodyguards for the Queen.

==Queen==

[[File:Queen.png|left|Nuke the station out of orbit. It's the only way to be sure.]]

When the Praetorian has aged enough it will eventually evolve into a Queen Xenomorph. They are the only xenomorphs capable of laying the eggs that hatch facehuggers. While much larger and tougher than other adult xenomorphs, they are quite a bit slower. Even accounting for the size difference, a xenomorph queen can take drastically more punishment. A queen is most likely found where there are high levels of [[Backstory#Nanotrasen|plasma]], surrounded by hunters and swarms of freshly hatched facehuggers. They are significantly more intelligent and highly protective of their offspring. While slow, they have quite a few weapons at their disposal, a larger, thicker crest to protect their brain casing, and higher internal stores of plasma which they can utilize for the shaping of resin, the laying of eggs, and destructive survival defenses. Like all xenomorphs, there is little information about them.

=How to Play=

[[File:Alienshuttle2.png|right|470px]]

This guide is fairly comprehensive and long. There is no tl;dr for this shit, so tough it out, soldier.

===Prologue===

Aliens arrive on the station in one of three ways.

right next to you (if this happens you are pretty much stuck being faceraped).

'''"Shit, my face has been raped by xenos."'''

If you've been infected, there will usually be telltale signs. You'll feel sick. Your throat will be sore. You'll cough a lot. These symptoms mean you are forming a babby. Luckily, medbay is capable of [[Surgery|surgically removing alien embryos]]. Making a backup in genetics then cloning you once you burst (or after your infected body is burned) also works, provided you can get the geneticists to stop dicking around for thirty seconds.

===Phase One===

'''''Oh shit I'm a larva what do I do?'''''

*If you're stuck in a room with no vents, and doors you can't open, turn "hide" on in the alien tab and (yeah) hide under the table. Hopefully nobody knows you're there.

*Once you're in your spot, sit and wait to evolve.

'''''Somewhat useful thing'''''

As you develop (after bursting, of course) you will change colour. freshly hatched larva look like [[File:Aliensnake2.png]], evolving larva look like [[File:Aliensnake1.png]] and ready to evolve larva look like [[File:Aliensnake3.png]].

===Phase Two===

'''''Fuck yes, I'm a xeno, time to go kill some motherfuckers.'''''

*'''STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM, don't run off to kill people just yet. Or ever.'''

*As a general rule, don't go into the hallways when you are the first xenos starting out. The most stupid thing you can do is run out slashing everything you see at this point. Going into the halls later on when you have more sisters should still be done by your own discretion and the discretion of your fellow xenos.

There are currently 5 classes past larva stage: '''Hunters''', '''Sentinels''', '''Drones''' and '''Praetorians'''. Drones are the only aliens that can evolve again into a '''Queen'''. Hunters hunt, Sentinels guard, Drones build a nest, and Praetorians guard the Queen. All classes can literally eat people and digest them.

*As a Hunter, you are not just tasked with stealing humans away and taking him to the nest, but also with planting weeds. Since you are the fastest, you can reach various areas quicker than the others. You can set up a small home with the limited plasma you have that others can flock to and make into a full-blown nest.

*You can also pose a great threat to machines with your quick slashes. However, you should always attempt to attack a cyborg while in a group to maximize your abilities. You are a "hunter" after all, and the only thing more dangerous than a hunter is a group of hunters.

'''''Sentinels: The Guard of the Hive'''''

*A Sentinel [[File:Aliensentinel.png]] is a warrior, but not meant to stray far from the Hive. You are tasked with defending the weeds, the Drones, the Queen, if you have one, and the eggs. If a human stumbles upon your home sweet home, you must make sure they don't harm anything.

*Corrosive Acid eats through various machinery, including doors, APC's, and lockers. If you don't want to crawl through a vent to get somewhere, want to open up a door for other aliens to drag humans into, destroy a dangerous weapon, or make an opening for a Queen to get through, this is the power to do it. You cannot corrode humans, monkeys, or any human being with acid. Really, though, you should never want to do something that damaging to a possible host.

*You must make sure the Drones don't get hurt while they plant weeds upon weeds, set up shop, and keep things running. You are the protectors of the working class, not a Hunter with spit and acid. Don't hunt humans down unless you have absolutely no Hunters or larva that can become Hunters.

'''''Drones: Plant Weeds Erryday'''''

*You are a Drone[[File:Aliendrone.png]], a worker. You are tasked with planting a fuckton of weeds until you eventually can become a big, fat Queen. You are far from any bit of a fighter. As such, never go out alone into uncharted areas that may be dangerous without a Sentinel or Hunter willing to help.

*You, if not your own candidate for Queenhood, maintain the hive, making walls of slime and weeds. You're faster than the Queen but slower than most other classes of xeno. Many Drones simply choose to become a Queen, since they satisfy the working class' requirements with the addition of egg planting.

*You are also a sub-par defensive line for the Queen. If the Sentinels aren't defending the Queen, and she is being attacked, you should attempt to defend her, but not at the cost of your life. If she does die, you and/or your fellow Drones should determine the next Queen in line and continue the cycle.

'''''Praetorians: Royal Blood'''''

Praetorians have a similar set of skills to alien queens, minus the egg laying: Neurotoxic Spit, Tail Sweep, Corrosive Acid, Shaping Resin. Praetorians cannot ventcrawl, but are also immune to stuns and very hard to kill.

===Phase Three===

'''''I'm a queen, but how is babby formed?'''''

*You are the only Queen. If you happen to die, then a lucky Drone can take your place.

*For 450 plasma you can promote any alien drone, sentinel or hunter to Praetorian.

===General Advice===

*You do not need air to breathe as a xenomorph! Feel free to walk around the outside of the station and make a good safe area to plant weeds and store plasma on (i.e., the solars, or [[toxins test area]] if no one is bombing or has bombed it). You can also spit acid on windows/grilled to destroy them, so any window is a potential entry point. If you get spaced you're usually out of luck, though!

*You can disable the hostile environment status by destroying the shuttle console.

'''Common Mistakes as an Alien Queen:'''

*Not putting down eggs ALWAYS! If you have free time, you should be planting weeds, making nests, and planting eggs.

*Not disarming cyborgs/other hostiles. If you disarm a cyborg or a person, you'll stun them for a good amount of time. You can easily take a cyborg 1 on 1 this way.

=How to Defeat=

[[File:Fukkenxenoooos.png|right|PAY YOUR DUE]]

*'''Help your friends for fun and profit!''' If someone is impregnated, they have little chance of survival. Immedient surgical intervention to remove the larva is the only way to save the victims life. Alternatively having the victim get a back up clone ready will allow them to survive the ordeal. Killing someone who is implanted will not stop the larva from hatching, and ejecting the body from the station will only delay the larva's return to the station, blowing up or incinerating the body is the only other alternative to killing the larva before it hatches.

*'''Amy Lessen, stop that!''' Certain crew members may seek to make peaceful contact with the aliens, or may actively seek to become infected. Take precautions to ensure the crew know the dangers of consorting with the xeno menace.

'''''But we're all hopelessly stupid and incompetent. The aliens are everywhere! What now?'''''

*Shoot everything that isn't person shaped.

*If you see a larva, chase it.

*Seriously consider calling the shuttle.

'''''Taking the Offensive'''''

*If you see someone be facehugged immediately move up to the victim and remove the facehugger from their face. This will usually save them from being implanted, just move away from the now detached facehugger.

*Use a Jetpack in space if you can, most Aliens need to be in melee to attack you, so being able to fly around out of range will make you invulnerable, and if you do get hit by nurotoxin you will just float around a bit before out of reach.

*USE morphine, at small doses. Being able to run around at sanic speeds while wearing a bulky Sec RIG will help keep you out of the Aliens reach. If the Virologist is able to research the Stimulant symptom ask him to infect you with it.

'''''Everyone is dead but me! What do?'''''

*If you have weapons, use all of them. Even if you don't think something is there, shoot the empty hall anyway! Hunters can turn invisible! They're behind you ''right now'' I guarantee it!

*# Aquire hunters

*# *deathgasp endlessly

===Tips for Fighting Against Xenos===

* '''Guide to Making Xenomorphs Lose:'''

*** GET OUT. COMMIT SUDOKU, YOU BRING GREAT SHAME UPON YOURSELF BY BUILDING A COMBAT MECH EVER

----

* Sleep toxin is pretty robust against aliens

* Bio suit robusts face huggers and acid spits (but not queen spit)