Hello Everyone, it's been awhile, so I'd thought I'd reward you with a nice little present for the holidays, the prologue to Alien: Not Alone. Enjoy, big shoutout to AlphaLima1980 for beta reading, and big shoutout to all who like, follow and review.

Happy Holidays :)

Alien (1979) is owned by Disney/20th Century Fox.

The OCs are owned by me.

Alien: Not Alone

Prologue

In a world similar to ours, in the future the problems of old become the problems of new.

Corruption, Greed, Lust for Power.

These human traits still exist, as the future isn't as utopian as scholars of the past would have thought.

With the development of FLT drives in early 21st century Humanity had begun to conquer the stars, establishing space stations and refineries on all planets and moons in our solar system. Corporations had begun to "privatize" space, making adventure all about dollars and cents.

One of such companies was Weyland Yutani. It was formed as a result of a joint merger or rather an "hostile takeover" of Yutani Corps by the Weyland Corporation in 2099.

Simply known as "The Company" it had grown amongst the stars almost like a plague, becoming the dominant force in the corporate galaxy; they hired many kinds of ships for a myriad of jobs, from towing freight, retrofitting space stations, scientific expeditions, and perhaps the most important colonizing new worlds.

One such ship was docked just outside of Panama, a Lockmart CM-88B Bison M-Class star freighter named the USCCS Nostromo, used for towing cargo to and from worlds precisely designed for refining.

She had been retrofitted for such a task several years earlier by adding a towing clamp in the upper hull. Currently, she had a crew of seven.

Firstly there was Captain Arthur K. Dallas, an experienced Shipmaster who had served on several ships before he became captain of the Nostromo. He was a veteran of both the menial everyday issues one would encounter on a ship like his, as well as the bigger situations that required making the right decisions at the right time. Dallas has been captain of his own ship before: the Tremolino, a smuggling ship and before that, the UAS Archangel, a carrier destroyed on Thedus during a peacekeeping mission. He was respected by his crew, and in return he allowed a fairly relax atmosphere on the ship.

His executive officer was a man by the name of Thomas G.W. Kane, he was slightly younger than Dallas, but had almost the same amount of experience with spacecraft, he had served on medical ships and other towing vessels, before ending up on the Nostromo. As a result of a few stints with alcoholism and drug abuse, he was often passed over for promotion to captain, Kane also lacked the drive and determination that Dallas seemed to have, he was a good XO, and that was good enough for him.

The third on the line was the ship's Warrant Officer , a woman by the name of Ellen L. Ripley, young but capable, at the age of 28 she had used her determination to rise the ranks of the ICC, the Interstellar Commerce Commission. Ripley was determined to some and a bitch to others, as due to her height she tended to inadvertently look down on several of her crew members, mainly a pair of engineers she seemed to always butt heads with. Ripley was probably on her way to becoming a Captain or Executive Officer for she had a long career of hard work, paperwork and perhaps even adventure on her way.

With an age of 46, Science Officer Chandler R. Helwig was the crew's eldest member, he had been with the company since interning back in his college days, he was intelligent, but also still had a good personality. The crew often forgot he represented the Science Division of the Company.

Navigation Officer Joan M. Lambert, the second woman on the ship and the latest arrival, Lambert was quiet, na?ve and had trouble fitting in at first, keeping silent, keeping to herself during meals and other social interactions on the ship. Ironically, she also seemed to be the most flirtatious of the crew at least for now anyway. Lambert was not only flirtatious, she tended to marry her coworkers, at least two of them, both captains from ships she'd served, divorced when she was transferred. She was an excellent navigator, having studied the field in college but her sudden nervous demeanor would often inadvertently opt her out of certain duties aboard the ship.

Chief Engineer Dennis M. Parker was either a "SLIMBALL" or an "OK GUY", it really depended on who you asked. Parker was also military and had a number of jobs before he was captured in the Torin civil war, he escaped by building an EEV from scratch. He was very opinionated often complaining about pay or an unfair work load. To make up for these qualities, Parker was a talented engineer, though it would take him a long period of time at points, he had kept the Nostromo running smoothly.

Engineer Technician Samuel E. Brett was a career engineer and he knew it, quiet and reserved with a dry and often satirical sense of humor. He had been on several ships with Parker prior to the Nostromo, the pair were inseparable, this fact was reinforced by the trait of Brett's where he would say "right" after almost every statement Parker would make, much to the chagrin of his crewmates.

Also on board was a Ginger American Shorthaired Tomcat kitten by the name of Jones or Jonesy as Ripley often called him, recently adopted while back planet side by Ripley in order to officially hunt for rodents on the ship, but unofficially to keep the crew company on longer journeys, he was a welcomed addition, though he needed to be house or rather "ship broken".

With the increase in towing duties for much of their freight fleet, Weyland-Yutani had also introduced a new crew member position, Chief Tactical Officer. Their job was simple make sure the check cleared, the cargo was safe, the towing secure, and that most importantly the delivery occurred successfully.

However, instead of hiring people off the streets they decided to simply promote former chief engineers to the position as they would have to have some experience with the inner workings of ships to understand how much they could tow or carry, as well as communicating to the other members of the crew on whether the ship would be running "heavy" or "lite".

Andrew N. Mils, a tall man at 6'2, with groomed brown hair, piercing gray eyes, and a skinny yet toned body, was walking through the dark and damp docks of Panama trying to find the ship. Recently promoted and transferred to the Nostromo to take over as the new CTO. He had been with the company since his days in high-school, said decision caused him and his then girlfriend to break up, he had been married to the job ever since, now at just over thirty was ready for this new opportunity in his life, one that hopefully would lead to make a career in the commercial fleet, he had been an engineer his whole life, able to fix anything from a lawn mower to the massive ships used by the military during the expansionist wars.

His boots made a heavy stomping sound as he marches towards the direction the dock master had said the Nostromo was harbored, when he finally gazed his eyes upon the massive craft, a whistle escaped his lips.

"Well… Hello, beauty" he said striding with his duffel bag hanging from his shoulder. He arrived at the main airlock, pressing the call button next to the exterior airlock. After a few moments, a voice crackled through the audio speaker, he was XO Kane.

"Yes?" he asked through the intercom.

"Um...hello sir...my name is Andrew Mils? I'm your newest crew member." Mils responded

"Didn't think we were getting a new man for some time. Hold on a bloody minute" Kane retorted, his English accent showcasing itself. After what feels like an eternity Kane returned.

"Alright, Come in. We'll meet you in the mess hall, just keep walking straight once you through the airlock... oh and by the way... you'll have to get cleaned before you step in... You know the rules after all..." Kane finished and the line goes dead.

"Yep... great... same shit different ship" Mils muttered as he stepped into the airlock.

(Several minutes earlier aboard the Nostromo)

"I tell ya man...we aren't on Earth for more than a few days... and they're shipping us off again..." Parker states already rambling on about the current lack of rest the crew was suffering from, as he and Brett were playing a friendly game of poker in one of the secluded seating areas in the main lounge space.

"Right..." Brett responded, without stop looking at his hand while placing a set of blue chips on the table.

"See that's what I like about you Brett, you and I think the same... Now, if we can just get Ripley to agree on the whole bonus situation..."

"I wouldn't even try it... You'd have a better chance balling her than getting her to go to bat against the company..." Brett responded shifting his hand around his cards.

Elsewhere in the ship's med bay, Helwig and Ripley were giving the six-month-old kitten a checkup.

"Alright little one... just a little pinch" Helwig said, giving the small cat a shot, causing it to snort.

"Shh...it's okay, no more pain, you're all set Jonesy!" Ripley says picking the kitten up, holding it close to her.

"Welp, that's the last shot and all his tests came back looking very impressive... Not bad for a kitten that was on the streets not that long ago." Helwig said, looking at his screens and charts nearby.

"Yeah we'll keep feeding him mice, cat food and milk on a daily basis so I'd say he'll be just fine, won't you?" Ripley pointed out to Jones, with various meows coming from the small cat. "Do you think he's alright for Cryo?" Ripley asked him.

"Yes... I think so, in fact I don't see any problem with him sleeping with you..."

"Well good, 'cause he's the only "man" who I'd ever let sleep with me right now."

"That reminds me Ripley... How's your daughter?" Helwig asked, grabbing his cup of coffee. Ripley took a moment to answer.

"She's... fine, I have some friends to look after her... When I'm not there which is, very often ... I left when she was five and then when I came back she was eight, after what feels like a few weeks" Ellen says a little upset at missing out on her daughter's life as it were.

"I'm sorry dear. I didn't mean to upset you." Helwig begins to explain but is cut off by Ripley.

"It's alright; we're due for some vacation time anyway." Ripley says, looking down at Jones.

On the bridge Dallas and Lambert were dealing with coordinating their next destination which luckily was a short trip to Pluto, which had regained its planet status is the late 2000s.

"Alright looks like just under a..." Lambert paused while writing down her calculations "12 days to get to Pluto, with another six to get to the off loader near Luna...so unless my calculations aren't correct, based on speed and fuel consumption... 23 day trip and we'll be dozing most of that time."

"Alright...just make sure we're all squared away on our cryo time, I don't want MUTHUR waking us up half way through our round trip... Welp I'm going to get a drink, see where everyone's at... Update MUTHUR on our course too I guess..." Dallas says getting up from his sitting position; taking note of Kane who was currently leafing through a magazine while smoking a cigarette.

"Kane? Any sign of our new guy?" Dallas asks, causing Lambert to immediately become interested.

"New Guy?" Lambert asked but was ignored by Dallas who was still waiting on Kane's answer which came after a puff is taken from his cigarette.

"No... Nothing... Administration said he'd be here within the next few days... But..." Kane began, but was cut off by the outer airlock caller buzzing, which caused Lambert a startle, Kane attended the call.

"Yes?" he says as there was a brief silence at the other end, with their new crew member responding eventually.

"Um...hello sir...my name is Andrew Mils? I'm your newest crew member." he said.

"Didn't think we were getting a new man for some time... hold on a bloody minute" Kane retorts as he turns towards Dallas, who was looking at a terminal, whose screen displayed Mils' profile.

"Yep that's our man... Let him in." Dallas ordered

"Alright, Come in. We'll meet you in the mess hall, just keep walking straight once you through the airlock... oh and by the way... you'll have to get cleaned before you step in... You know the rules after all..." Kane finished and the line goes dead.

"Alright let's go meet our newest addition... C'mon Lambert. Kane get Helwig and Ripley to the Mess hall" Dallas orders ordered as he and Lambert left the bridge, Kane contacted the medical area.

In the medical area, Jones was startled when the intercom crackled with static, he jumped out of Ripley's arms and scatters out the open door.

"Oh God... Jones! Jonesy!" She yelled chasing after her feline friend, with Helwig answering the call.

"Yes? What is it?" he asked

"Helwig? Our new crew member's arrived… Dallas wants everyone in the Mess Hall." Kane informed

"Copy that, I'm on my way... I think Ripley will be late" he finishes as he left his scientific abode.

Mils stepped into the airlock, waiting for the decontamination cycle to begin. Even though they were on Earth, the amount of super bacteria in the planet's atmosphere, with many an outbreak occurring through the past few decades. To eliminate any chance of it breaking out on a spacefaring craft or worse making it to another planet was vital confusing. Even on a controlled climate like that of a ship's, harmful bacteria could sneak and thrive inside vital systems as de-humidifiers, contaminating the ship's water and food sources. This happened on the MSV Wellsing, a merchant ship infected with a highly resistant pneumonia, killing several of the crew and forcing the survivors to utilize the self-destruct sequence.

After a few moments of being sprayed by an antiseptic mist, he waited for the inner doors to open up, when this happened and he stepped out into the sterile space of the ship, however he is not greeted by his new Captain, but rather a...kitten?

Mils didn't really have a lot of experience with cats, but he knew one thing, kittens tend to be curious.

"I suppose you're not Captain Dallas. Are ya little guy?" Mils asks getting down on one knee to try to get eye to eye with the feline. He only meowed, and rolled on his back. Mils cautiously rubs the animal's belly as it pours lightly.

Mils didn't know what to make of the creature's presence however, he had never come across one on the other ships he'd been on, he felt it was best for him, the ship and the kitten if he brought it with him to the Mess Hall. He swiftly and gently picked up his new friend with one hand, and his baggage with the other.

"Alright my friend, here we go. Now, where is the –?" Mils asked out loud looking around for any sign of the crew, his vocalized thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a woman's voice.

"Jones! Jonesy! Where are you, you little wanderer..." the voice yells from around the corner, Mils turned around, as the kitten now identified as Jones looks expectantly as well. A few moments later a young woman with curly long brown hair, arrives from around the corner, looking around the general area before making eye-contact with Mils and Jones.

Ellen Ripley was a woman of judging character, she tended to distrust people right away, this coming from her relationship with her ex, her daughter Amanda's father being fairly ugly to say the least, plus the person she was currently married to wasn't exactly Prince Charming. When she first entered the airlock she was looking for Jones, now she had found him being held by someone she didn't know.

Mils himself was perplexed by the woman's presence before him, she was... for a lack of a better term... beautiful, but in a natural sort of way, of course Mils had been taught by his parents that looks weren't always everything. She was fairly tall for a woman, even though the average height of human beings had been on the rise in recent history, it was still surprising. Her lanky build also helped this image.

There was an awkward tension between the two, one that soon was broken when both muttered a statement.

"Hello..."

"Hello Ma'am…"

"Oh sorry..."

"No my bad, I shot first... are you Captain Dallas?" Mils asked as she approached him cautiously.

"Oh no...I'm Ripley...I'm the ship's warrant officer" She answered.

"Well, I'd shake your hand, but he's currently using it as a cushion…" Mils said, pointing to Jones who was licking his thumb.

"Oh Jones! There you are, little shit... ran away from me after his checkup..." Ripley scolded the cat while taking it from Mils' arm, and then she asked "I'm sorry I didn't get your name"

"It's Mils...Andrew Mils, I'm actually your new CTO." Mils said trailing off.

"Oh gosh that's right, the new position. I should've known... I take it you need help getting used to the ship." Ripley stated.

"Um… Yeah. Actually, I was told to come to the mess hall... Unfortunately, I don't know where that is..." Mils responded honestly.

"Oh um... It's straight ahead, I guess they are there now. Follow me... watch your –" Ripley says as she starts to lead Mils down the tight hallways, unfortunately he hits his head lightly on the doorframe.

"Ouch..." he cursed "Sorry I'm not used to M-classes." Mils admit, following Ripley towards the Mess Hall.

Brett and Parker were, now in the middle of a heated discussion over what breakfast bread tastes better as they sat at the mess hall main area.

"Look, Parker. If you ask me it's simple... biscuits are better with jam alright? Cornbread just crumbles in your hand; I mean it's a disaster if you get them wet..."

"Naw Brett baby! Listen, listen. A little butter, a little coffee and it's..." Parker goes to retort, but is cut off by Hedwig's arrival.

"If you really want to know, Mr. Parker. I think that Mr. Brett does have a point, Biscuits are nice and sweet when made properly... and they also go great with coffee..." he says pouring himself another cup of the steaming beverage.

"Shit! You always get on his side." Parker argued, placing a stick of chewing gum in his mouth.

"Right" Brett added pleased, as Lambert, Kane and Dallas arrived.

"What's happening baby?" Parker said humorously, Dallas just smirked as he grabbed a can of Aspen beer from the cooler nearby, he just stood there as Lambert and Kane help themselves to some coffee.

"Well... I'm going to wait for Ripley and hopefully our new guy didn't get lost." Dallas trailed off opening his beer.

"I could go find him" Lambert playfully suggested.

"If he can't find his way through an M-Class then we're already in trouble." Kane added

"Oh great, a new Boss" Brett points out to Parker rolling his eyes.

"Um... I'd like to point out that... adding another hand on this ship is gonna cause a little more money to be taken out of everyone's paycheck." Parker stated

"Right"

"Mr. Parker... if you read up on the new contracts, you'll realize that with this new added position of a Chief Tactical Officer, everyone's pay was increased by 16 percent." Helwig pointed out, taking a triumphant sip of his coffee as he sat down.

"Yeah, but that means we get 8 percent." Brett mutters under his breath, as Ripley is heard talking nearby, Parker 's grumbles cooled down after hearing his boss' voice. Finally, Ripley walked inside the Mess Hall with Jones in her arms, behind her, Mils followed her. His attractive features did not go unnoticed by Lambert.

Mils nodded to Captain Dallas, who introduced the new crewmember.

"Everyone, this is Andrew Mils, he's our Chief Tactical Officer. He's gonna handle our towing duties, signing off on all our payloads, and making sure we all get our shares in the end" Dallas announced as Mils smiled politely. Dallas then presented him the rest of the team.

"This is Helwig; he's our Science Officer, Lambert our Navigations officer." Dallas said as Helwig lifted his coffee cup up with a nod, with Lambert batting her eyes, trying to test Mils' waters.

"You've already met Kane, he's my XO." Dallas continued as Kane shook Mils' hand.

"So to speak... had a feeling you'd be tall." Kane stated with a smile.

"I guess you've also met Ripley, she's Warrant officer." Ripley smiles as she pours Jones some milk.

"She'll put you to work, that's for sure." Parker points out with a cocky laugh.

"Right" Brett seconded.

"Last, but not least this is Chief Engineer Parker and Engineer Brett...they'll do a good job if you twist the knife a little." Dallas said with a smirk.

"That would make you Captain Dallas then" Mils guessed, as him and Dallas shook hands.

"It does…. Welcome aboard the Nostromo Mils."

"Glad to be here, I'm new to this whole Officer thing, but I'll do my best. I can promise you that" Mils said as he sat down with his fellow crewmates for their first meal together.

It has been a smooth year for the crew of the Nostromo, their new crewmember had fit in well both, doing his job and fraternizing with the crew.

With Captain Dallas got along fairly well, they communicated effectively since they had often the same goal in mind: "Make sure the money was safe". He enjoyed the change of pace a little better than he originally had thought, Mils was respectful and got the job done, though he knew when to joke and when to act serious.

Mils and Kane often joked around occasionally, but more or less kept to their work, as after all Kane was his boss, and tended to be annoyed more easily than Dallas sometimes, though they did both enjoy watching the telecom reports of local football matches.

With Lambert he tended to avoid her as much as possible and keep himself to his work. This wasn't out of spite but was most certainly out of the fact that Lambert flirted with him on a daily basis. At first it was legitimate, Lambert honestly wanting to have a go at what Mils had to offer, though he defended himself well citing a bogus regulation, or simply saying he wasn't interested. Even after the legitimacy had worn off, she tried to perk his interest occasionally.

Though they rarely dealt with each other directly, except when Mils injured himself which tended to happen on a fairly regular basis considering Mils had yet to adjust to the tight spaces of the Nostromo, he and Helwig got along fine.

He, Parker and Brett had formed an interesting comradery, with Mils being a former engineer they tended to work well with each other, Mils acting as the buffer between the engineers and Dallas or in most cases Ripley.

Ripley and Mils however had got closer, they tended to work together a lot seeing as how they were near the bottom of the "Officer Tree" so to speak. Their personalities were fairly similar, Ripley tended to be calm or even a little nervous around people. Mils was reserved and respectful, with a dry and unique sense of humor used to cool any tense situation and make everyone feel a little at ease.

Ripley wouldn't admit, but she felt more comfortable while Mils was around, and a lot more relaxed. He wasn't just a crewmember; he was a friend. He had even come up with a nickname for her "Rip", which in his mind "saved time".

….

Meals were often the only time the crew could truly unwind as a group, all of them discussing various issues, such as the daily routine of working on an M-Class, or how terrible the food was, with the coffee being the only good thing on the ship, which was a blessing as they practically ran on it 24/7.

Shortly after they had shipped off for another long haul, a letter was waiting for Mils near his locker. The letter was from Weyland-Yutani, which made Mils himself raise an eyebrow.

His thoughts were interrupted by Lambert who was notifying him that dinner was ready.

"Mils? Dinner in five? Same stuff as last time" She said standing in the doorway, she doesn't leave however when Mils doesn't respond right away.

"Foreclosure?" she said almost joking.

"No...um no I don't know what it is, was here waiting for me. Come on let's get some chow." Mils said taking the letter with him, as he followed Lambert towards the Mess Hall.

The meal was taken with the greatest possible pleasure, considering the rather tasteless ingredients, and everyone enjoyed the boring flavors.

"This crap gets worse and worse every time" Kane said as he coughs a few bites down of what's supposed to be pasta.

"It ain't all that bad, I mean it's better than British food that I know" Parker said laughing with Brett adding a smirk of his own.

"Right"

"Remind me when we get back to show you what our food is all about " Kane replies.

"Helwig toss me one of those new beers, it's gotta be better than the old flavor... what was it again?" Dallas asked

"I believe Captain it was Cranberry" Helwig said handing Dallas a can of the brew.

"Oh, that just doesn't sound good at all..." Lambert says holding her stomach as she dashes out her cigarette into a nearby ashtray.

"It can't be that bad, probably good for you, which of course means you won't have any right?" Ripley points out as she scratches Jones' head, looking over to Mils on her right who was taking a bite of his artificial salad.

"I'm eating my greens now, aren't I, although these aren't really greens... more like plastic" Mils said looking down at his food.

"Finally! someone said it" Parker approved, clapping hands

"Right"

"Alright, I believe this food has closer consistency to paper than plastics" Helwig disagreed

"Oh God there goes my appetite thanks a lot." Lambert said

"You're welcome" Helwig replied with humor, as Mils decided to open up the letter, Ripley took notice of the piece of paper her friend was holding.

"Top secret?" she asked guarding her lips with her coffee cup.

"Doubt it, probably a bill for the new uniform I ordered" Mils said with a shrug and a smirk. Ripley returned the smirk and paid attention to the conversation of the group.

"Where we off to again?" Kane asks Dallas, who closed his eyes and tried to think. Mils kept reading the letter, his expression changed.

"Jesus!" he exclaimed under his breath.

"Place called... um... Grenara... It's a mining colony near Titan II. Jungle planet last I heard, bringing back um... what are we bringing back again Mils?" Dallas asked turning towards his Chief Tactical Officer, whose eyes are stuck on the paper in front of him, not replying to his Captain.

"Mils?" Dallas said again, his voice raising a little, everyone took notice of Mils' silence, Ripley and Lambert exchange worried glances as Ripley placed a cautious hand on his shoulder which was tense to her touch.

"Mils!" she said making him to put the letter down and look around at everyone, slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry...we're picking up an Iron refinery in the atmosphere." Mils stated

"Right iron, so it should be a lighter load... maybe 10 thousand?" Dallas theorizes with Mils nodding.

"Yeah...about that much." Mils says putting the letter in his back pocket, Ripley takes notice of her friend's reaction to the letter.

….

Grenara had been a quick job, with the ship arriving ahead of schedule the crew had some time to take it easy. Mils and Ripley had the whole ship to themselves with the others grabbing supplies.

Ripley sitting at one of the corner tables playing solitaire with a deck of cards lying around, Mils approaches from nearby.

"Welp, we're all set for our next hall, cargo's safe. So, there's that." He said holding a small clipboard in one hand and a beer the other.

"Mmm... That should make everyone happy. Well mostly everyone." Ripley responded as Mils sat down next to her.

"Yeah, Parker and Brett are gonna be a pain in the ass as usual with the bonus situation. " Mils took a sip of his concoction.

"At least we're going to get some rest." She added, not taking her hand off the cards in front of her.

"True. looking forward to getting some real shut-eye, not that Cryo thing" Mils states signing the documents, Ripley smiled as she taps off the burnt ash on her cigarette.

"Mils? What do you plan on doing when we get back to Earth?" Ripley asked suddenly.

"I don't know, got some business to take care of in the States... but besides that I'm gonna get some good food." Mils responded after a few moments of speculation.

"Anyone waiting for you back home? I forget did you say you have anyone at home?" she asked innocently.

"Well... no, not really... I had a girlfriend back in high school... she wasn't really a fan of me being an engineer... said we started dating for my braun not for my brains" Mils said with a halfhearted smile, ending the relationship with his girlfriend still hurt a little.

"Heh... must've broken her heart."

"Sure. What about you Rip?"

"Well, My daughter's father and I aren't exactly on speaking terms. He left shortly after she was born..." She paused, remembering something "and my current husband isn't going to be in the picture much longer." Ripley admits looking down at her hands which are wrapped around her coffee cup.

"Damn, sorry Rip. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories or anything"

"Don't worry about it, I'm leaving him with a clear conscience, it's what's best for me and Amanda. That's all that matters"

"Is that your daughter's name?"

"Yes. Amanda Tei Ripley, she's turning nine here soon. Hopefully we'll be back before then"

"Do you have a picture?" Mils asked politely, he didn't want to pry too much as even though they were close, they still had only known each other for a year.

"Oh yes... I think I have one here!" She said pulling out her wallet and handing her crew mate the photo she kept of her young daughter, she had straight hair as opposed to Ripley's curly, but she definitely had Ripley's determined brown eyed gaze.

"She's cute Rip." Mils said handing the picture back home.

"She takes after me thank God." Ellen exclaimed; part relieved "She'll probably be my height as well; sure, she'll make whoever she dates pretty nervous"

"Yeah..."

"What about you, you ever think of settling down and have kids?" Ripley asked

"Well, I don't know about the settling down part, I'm on a ship, a family… Kind of. As for kids well, I've technically got that covered..." Mils, hesitated and then he reached into his back pocket, he pulled out the letter he had read over dinner a few weeks earlier.

"I received this in the mail, it's a Weyland Yutani notice".

"I was wondering what that was? It seemed to have your attention..."

"As you remember, contract requires a mandatory sample of "genetic material"

"For detecting any genetic anomaly or disease, so what?"

"Well when I was being interviewed, they offered an insurance policy of sorts. The way it works is that you donate a sample of... uhm"

"Mils I'm not a school-girl you can say the word"

"Sperm...to be frozen, that way if anything happens your future will be secured"

"Sounds like something they would say"

"Yeah, well somehow my ex... she got ahold of one of the samples, turns out she falsified information to try and have her as my primary beneficiary, which means she could get access to those samples... and that's not the best part, she impregnated herself via in vitro... and now I have a son. The letter is to notify me that with him being over 10 years old he can become a beneficiary" Mils explained leaving Ellen speechless for a few seconds, Mils had come to grips with the whole idea, but it was still another headache he wasn't planning on having to deal with.

"Wow...Mils I don't really know what to say, I supposed Congratulations is what people say in these cases"

"Yeah... his name is David Andrew McLaren. She named him after the warrior king himself and she used my name. If we weren't estranged it would be nicer."

"How old is he?"

"He just turned eleven"

"Jesus!"

"Yeah, shit happens right?" Mils says taking a sip of his beer.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Once we're back planet side, I'm gonna put something aside for him."

"Aren't you going to see him?" Ripley asks still a little numb from the conversation.

"Not now, it wouldn't be fair, maybe when he's older. the least I can do is get his mother off my policy... and maybe put him on it"

"Yeah, that's what I plan on doing with my soon to be ex-husband."

"Guess that explains why you don't have a ring on."

"Yeah, well hopefully you can get this mess sorted out. He's lucky to have you as a father."

"Ah no... You're the parent of the year here, doing all this work, dealing with Brett and Parker all the time, a weaker woman would've quit but you're far from weak Ripley." Mils acknowledged her.

"Thanks... to the future?" Ripley says holding up her coffee cup in a mock toast, Mils responded by raising his beer can.

"The future!" Mils says as him and Ripley clinging their respective drinks together, the future would be good for them.

….

Following Grenara the group had a return trip to Earth followed by a few roundtrips to Luna and then to Pluto. Four months had passed since then, with the Nostromo resting in one of the docks over Pluto. Their delivery had been ironized Hydrogen 33, a new chemical element need for hull plating processes.

Inside the docks there were offices belonging to different companies. Weyland-Yutani being one of them.

Mils was currently sitting in one of the offices in front a Weyland-Yutani representative.

"Do you understand the only way this can be changed is via a court order, right?"

"Yes... I got your letter, now I'm here. This needs to be done."

"Very well, this document states that as of today 11/22/2121 you, Andrew N. Mils rename and reassign your primary benefactor as David A. Mils. The benefactor is currently 11 years old, and will remain primary benefactor for the remaining contracted lifespan of yourself, is that clear?"

"Yes, Crystal clear." Mils responded, signing the paper giving his son all benefits effective immediately.

Meanwhile, in a nearby legal office Ripley has finished divorcing her husband Paul Carter and gaining sole custody of her child Amanda. The woman from the legal team looked up at Ripley from her papers.

"Okay, Miss Ripley, the divorce is finalized and confirmed as of today. However, you will need to change who you want the child's legal guardian to be, should anything happen to you, God forbid of course."

"Of course."

"Do you have anyone in mind? Friends? relatives?"

"Um...well" Ripley says pondering the question, she really hadn't thought through all the candidates, she knew a few friends, but legal guardian was something else, it meant legal protector as well, someone she could trust, she only really could consider one name.

"Yes. I do, Andrew Mils, he's a coworker... and a friend" Ripley says suddenly.

"Very good if you could just fill out this information please" the legal rep said handing Ripley the paper which for all intents and purposes allowed Mils to become a subjugate father should anything happen to her.

….

On the Nostromo's bridge, Dallas, Kane, Ripley and Mils were going over the latest assignment as Lambert plotted a new course.

"Alright, by the looks of it... we have one more hall before we can take a vacation of sorts... thanks to the productive year we've had, looks like we'll get a month." Dallas said as Kane lighted up a cigarette.

"'You mean the trip or the vacation?" Kane asked through his cigarette, Mils chuckles at the question.

"You'll figure it out." Dallas stated.

"Well, I'm guessing the trip to and from's gonna involve some sleeping… probably." Ripley said, walking over to Lambert's position.

"What's this place called again?" Mils asked

"Thedus…. we're picking up refined ore." Kane responded.

"Thedus, a planet in Epsilon Reticuli, roughly 59 light years out"

"How long a trip?" Ripley asks looking over Lambert's shoulder.

"I was just working that out now." She typed on the computer "by the looks of it, based on fuel, trajectory and cargo. It's gonna take around 4 months to get there and a return of 6 to 8 months based on weight." Lambert said with everyone grunting responses of displeasure.

"We'll get there for St. Patrick's Day and come back home for Thanksgiving." Mils reluctantly stated, Dallas pressed a few switches to open up communications with Parker and Brett back down in their "hiding spot".

"Parker?" Dallas states after a few moments of silence Parker returns the call.

"Yeah..."

"Prep for exit...we're leaving in five hours..."

"Yeah... Dallas? When we get back, we NEED to talk about all the work Brett and I have been doing, extra hours and all that." Parker let out the same usual rant.

"Right..." Brett added, as usual.

"Yeah yeah" Dallas says switching off communications.

"They're becoming restless to say the least." Kane told him

"Always the bonus situation..." Dallas says scratching his head.

"Right" Mils says mimicking Brett's catchphrase, Helwig walked in at that moment.

"Dallas, can I speak to you? It's important." He said seriously.

"Ahh what now?" Dallas says starting to get slightly annoyed.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news... I'm being transferred to Thedus' medical station, effective immediately." Helwig says holding up a piece of paper, Dallas' eyebrows raise immediately, along with his crewmates looking at each other in surprise.

"Now? Why couldn't they wait till we get back home?" Dallas asked looking at the piece of paper, sighing even more as he sees that it regards the sudden transfer as legitimate.

"Typical corporate schedule if you ask me." Kane murmured under his breath as he takes a sip of coffee.

"I'm sorry. I really am, it's out of my hands. I'll see everyone off before I leave" Helwig said, nodding to everyone.

"Well... Helwig I hate to lose ya, hopefully your replacement is at least half the man you are." Dallas said, shaking Helwig's hand.

"Thank you, Dallas. I suppose it's time to go, though I would rather stay." Helwig told him as he quietly smiled looking at the crew, before he left the bridge.

"It's gonna take a while for us to get used to the new guy." Mils states looking at the space Helwig once occupied.

"What's his name?" Lambert asks.

"Um... Ash." Dallas read the paper Helwig had just given him.

"Just Ash?" Ripley asked.

"Just Ash."

"Great. One of those cases, all mysterious and corporate, like a Rockstar…. could be the next Devo II." Mil says rubbing the back of his neck.

Shortly afterwards, the Nostromo Left Earth, for what would be the last time, making its FTL jump towards Thedus, with the crew getting into their cryochambers. Once they arrived, they received their delivery 20 million tons of refined ore contained with four large refineries. Helwig was rotated out, with Ash replacing him. Ash seemed to be around Helwig's age, but with a lot less personality with his gray hair neatly kept short, their trip back to Earth was set, the report was transmitted, the crew had returned to the their chambers for the long sleep, and the Nostromo was heading home.

Little did the crew know however, their sleep would be interrupted, by a message from an alien world, with the destiny of the ship and its crew becoming unclear for future generations.

So as per tradition, I'd like to name the actor who would play Mils. Well it would be the legend himself Sam Elliott, why Sam Elliott? It's because by the time Alien came out, he wasn't a household name yet, and Alien could be his launching pad so to speak. He also wouldn't have a mustache as young as he was at the time.

For Helwig maybe a Robert Duvall.

Anyway once again big thanks to AlphaLima1980 & DarthTenebrus for beta-reading, and fine tuning the fic.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Holidays, and God Bless :)

Stay tuned for more!