Harvest Part I

The story opens up with a lady being chased by an alien, only to find out that the alien is under the command of Doctor Stan Mayakovsky. Doctor Mayakovsky is a scientist that is renowned for his invention of Ari, the robotic ant, which he used to infiltrate the ant hive to study ants in their natural habitat. Similar, his research has made him believe that the Xenomorphs are similar to the ant, and has created a robotic Xenomorph in hopes it can be expected into the hive. The problem: Doctor Mayakovsky suffers from cancer. There still is no cure. But there is a way to escape, the Royal Jelly from the Queen in its pure form (XenoZip is modified) is a consciousness-altering drug used to escape the pain. Julian Lish finds Doctor Mayakovsky and offers him a way to collect as much Royal Jelly as he desires, use the robotic alien to sneak into the alien hive. During their research and planning of the expedition to set the alien into a real hive, the two fall in love, sharing the same love for science and robotics. Finally, a crew is assembled to embark to the alien home world. The crew is introduced to Norbert, the robotic alien, that is at the will and command of Doctor Mayakovsky. Everything goes without a hitch, the crew land and another team explores some debris in space, an empty ship. Doctor Mayakovsky and Julian, still on the mothership, load Norbert into an escape pod and send him down the the surface. Accompany Norbert is Mac, the dog. On Mac's collar is a special device that releases pheromones that mask the dogs presences from the aliens, or so the hope for the experiment is before people enter. On the surface, Norbert has a chance encounter with another mission group collection Royal jelly. Norbert is ordered to kill the all and claim the jelly for himself. The mission crew is quickly defeated as they were stranding waiting for the backup of the Lancelot., a military ship. After the ship is cleared out, the collar on Mac is turned off. Mac is quickly found by the aliens and dragged to the hive, allowing Norbert to follow. Norbert went all the way to the Queen but the Queen did not recognize the scent. Thus Norbert was attack on command by the elite guards, which earlier paid no attention to him. Doctor Mayakovsky is sadden by the lost and prepares to go down to the surface to get the remains of Norbert back and pilot the other mission ship back to the mothership. Then suddenly the mothership is attacked by the Lancelot, and escaping to the surface is a priority one. Before they know it, Julian and Stan are trapped on the surface with the syth, Gill.

Analysis:

This story brings to mind the idea the old saying of understanding ants. I've heard that God sees us like we see ants. We are so much larger than the ants that in order to understand them, we would have to be an ant. Likewise, to understand God, we must be him. In this story, they want to understand the aliens by becoming the aliens.  Yet even then, with the artificial alien, they still do not completely understand. The Queen recognized the scent was incorrect. Likewise, we cannot understand God. No matter what way we try to read him, we can never fully understand. When we read the Book of Revelations, we see the apocalyptic world of the coming of Jesus. The Book has puzzled scholars for a long time, because of its vivid tales. Perhaps it is literal events that might happen, or figurative. Or maybe yet, it does not talk about a second coming like we think at all. Perhaps it is a telling of what already happened, the birth and death of Jesus bring the word to the word was the great battle that Revelations shows, and that the New Jerusalem is already here, not something that is to come. But we could never know, for we are not God. Instead we must but faith into what we believe best. Science can never open the door all the way, for even in aliens, science was still limited.

Genocide Part II

Overview:
We pick back up with Grant talking over his troubles and threats. He states that "nothing is deadlier than the enemy within" as he continues to suspect the entire crew, expect his favorite man, Corporal Henriksen. Finally the ship arrives at the alien home world  where years before a bomb was launched to kill the Queen. Without the Queen, the remaining Xenomorph should be aimlessly wondering around making an easy operation. Or that is what they thought. As the drop ship gets past the think atmosphere clouds they witness a terrific scene. A gigantic war is raging below. "Normal" Xenomorphs are clashing with a new breed of red skinned Xenomorphs. Lucky, the drop ship is equipped with special future technological. This device shots out harpoon like rods that when struck to the ground open up and make a force field between it and another device shot nearby. Doing this the area around the ship is isolated, but still infected. Therefore the soliders gear up and eliminate the aliens. To ensure safety of the ship from the acidic blood of the aliens, special weapons are used that catch the aliens like a net. The alien remains alive but immobile. Corporal Henriksen sees this downed alien and instantly shots it head off, saying that this mission is to take no prisoners. (Note that in practically all missions, if an alien can be captured they most likely are thought after, therefore this would not be an order he was given form this company.) Grant overlooks this and still praised Henriksen as the perfect soldier and doubts the rumors that arise now that he might be a synthetic. (It is common practice that every venture into space be accompanied by a "synth" or a artificial human or robot. It is not unlikely also for the higher authorities to sneak other synth in without the crew knowing.) After awhile of resting after the fight, the soldiers prepare to extend the perimeter. To do this they temporarily take down on of the force field walls, fire two new harpoon like structures and thus make the field again and clear out the remaining aliens. But things did not go so easy this time. When one of the harpoons fell it crushed an alien and its acidic blood destroyed the machine before it could activate. Before another could be loaded and fired, the aliens seized the opportunity, rushing in and killing the operator of the harpoon. Grant begins to get worried by all the lives that getting lost and demands the original wall be restored. Five marines die before the wall is restored. Grant and the other crew become grief stricken and the responsibility falls too hard on Grant. Corporal Henriksen suggested the aliens be nuked. But first the location of the Queen or hive needs to be known. Grant decides that if he is going to accept the burden and move on he is going to the front lines to restore his morality. Grant goes to get but on the special armor made for him, but when he opens the closet he notices that the armor is corrupted and burned and suddenly a facehugger lounges out at him. Major Lee happens to come by and stops the monster before it injects this eggs into Grant. Someone before the flight left had place an alien egg on-board in Grant's locker, one that Grant, the "captain" did not even know about after his own alien he brought aboard. To find the hive of the red aliens, the space ship nukes the known location of the original hive. When the Queen died the living Red Queen signals for all her hive to return, the war is over. Therefore, the marines follow the retreat of the red aliens to the hive. Taking a small crew, Grant descends into the red alien hive before the second nuke is fired to achieve his goal: Royal Jelly. The aliens seem aware of their presence and the reach the Queen's lair without trouble. But the aliens are not the problem. Corporal Henriksen turns the tables, he sabotages the mission. Unlike the rumors, Henriksen is human, but out to destroy Grant's company: Neo-Pharm. They fight back and forth dodging the Queen aliens occasional strikes. Henriksen's demise is XenoZip. To overpower Grant he overdose, and his rage and insanity picks him against the whole hive of aliens without a sense of retreat or caution of acid blood that is burning his flesh away. Grant escapes alive and on the ship back home with his Royal Jelly he reconsiders every event that happened. He believe that he will return to Earth as a better person.

Analysis:
Grant has a change of hearts. At first he was a very greedy, power hungry man that cared not for his workers. He funded a mission for Royal Jelly with "humanitarianism" intentions, which were nothing more than resources being found closer to home for easier money. But during the flight he begins to suspect people of ruining his mission. But he still holds his head high that he remains in power. But when trouble sticks and uncertainty  and death sink in, Grant becomes disturbed. His morality breaks. He can no longer face himself in the mirror. To redeem himself he puts himself in a lower position, he takes the front lines that he order other to do for him. He braves the hive and lives, a change man. He no longer sees people as for hire, but living breathing individuals that need to be protected. He rethinks XenoZip which in effect has harmed many people. This story shows greed and a highly life, such as the one that he had before on Earth raised by rich parents, could weaken the sense of morality or the bond a person can share to others of his kind. Similar, the Israelite of the Old Testament began to life in a highly successful economic times. The place was thriving and growing, but at the same time people started to get more impure. God calls out the be repent but countless times they continue to do bad. So what does God do? He punishes them to exile. Why? For Grant, morality returned to him in the sight of death and hardships. Afterwards he changed this ways. Similarly, when pushed out of their homeland to suffer the hardships of life, the intention was for them to return to their morality now that the safety of high ground was gone.

Genocide Part I

Overview of Genocide

The story begins on Earth years after the horrible alien invasion that threaten humanity. There are no wars, only “Goodwill Games” similar to the Olympic. The representatives try everything to get better scores, and unlike today, death in the attempt of a world record happens frequently. These are not due to violence but by people overworking themselves with the help of a new drug called XenoZip. Yet even with the Goodwill Games the military is still ever vigilant. XenoZip has also been used under the orders and watch of the military for its inhuman effects. A known side effect to the inhuman strength it provides is a nasty rage. A rage so brutal that even having been dismembered the subject still lashes out to kill everyone around him. With these stories looming behind, the story points it focus to the creator of XenoZip, Daniel Grant. In the new world the suffering economy gives big opportunities for business. Daniel Grant created “Neo-Pharm” a business that makes medicines based of the Xenomorph biology. In particular, XenoZip is created from artificial Royal Jelly. (Royal Jelly is the chemical produced by a Queen Xenomorph that surrounds the eggs; it also has healing potential for the other aliens in the hive. Unfortunately for Daniel Grant, the artificial Royal Jelly is making the human patients “go crazy”. Daniel Grant shows to be a very aggressive man almost chocking a subordinate because of the press finding out about these side effects. To save his company that he invested his life’s savings into he approaches the military for permission to voyage out the alien home world. The military allows Grant to go on the voyage, but ask that the “imperfect” product still me made for military use. They enjoy the rage and violence it creates.

                Grant sets out of his quest for Royal Jelly. He is accompanied by Major Lee, a strong woman, and Corporal Henriksen, a big, muscular, stoic man of a man. Grant admires Henriksen as a manly man and distains that Major Lee is a woman, doubting her ability to fight due to her being a woman. Grant wholeheartedly puts trust in the Corporal and only faintly in the Major. Either way, he shows them a secret. On board the ship they are growing human body parts. With the cloned torso are alien embryos kept inside. When one of the chestburster finally “hatches” the scientist overhead names it and treats it as if it were his own daughter. The plan Grant made was to take the baby alien and surrounded in the Royal Jelly. In the presence of the chemical and without the pheromones of a Queen alien to block the process, the baby alien will grow into a Queen itself. This will allow an endless source of Royal Jelly near Earth so that money making will be a lot easier and saver. Major Lee shows disgust with this plans while Corporal Henriksen remains as stoic as ever. Later an emergency breach is issued. The baby alien onboard had been brutally destroyed. When Grant reaches the lab he sees the head scientist holding the dead alien in his arms like a child, even though the blood of the alien is acidic and is slowing eating away at his suit (After years of development specials suits were made to protect against the acid, but most is very bulky and does not stop it completely). Grant begins to wonder who the traitor is. Even though Major Lee was with Grant he still suspects her. No other crew member was supposed to know, expect Corporal Henriksen. Yet even in this undoubted evidence, Grant never even thinks that he could be a traitor.

                Commentary

This reading can draw parallels to the world portrayed in Amos of the Old Testament. In the book of Amos, Amos warns the people of Israel to repent to God for they have sinned against him. Why was God angry at this chosen people? They had forsaken the poor and the needy, the widows and orphans. The rich kept getting richer and richer living in ivory fortresses. One could see this as almost the current situation in American today: a vanishing middle class. The rich make policies to get richer; the poor are cheated out of money and can do nothing to get higher. In Aliens, this is what the world is like as well. Business men have set out to rebuild the world, taking grand projects of scientific advancement. Things like XenoZip make millions of dollars. But somebody has to supply the products. Many marines are killed just to get ahold of a live alien. Many more are killed due to the side effects. There is no middle class. Only the elite wealth upper class military generals and businessmen, and the low grunts and peasants just trying to survive. Just as Amos warned that God would strike punishment for the wicked ways they lived, some people see the Aliens as the divine punishment for the wickedness of their world, as world the authors passed on the America we live in. General Lee tries to warn Grant that business with the aliens will only end in suffer for lots of soldiers, and possibly even Earth itself. But Grant refuses to listen and continues on with his plan to control the Xenomorphs