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"My name is Olivia Shipp, and I am not on this planet of my own free will."
Olivia Shipp (from Alien: Echo)

Colonel Olivia Shipp was a member of the United States Colonial Marine Corps. Born in 2155 to John and Katherine Shipp, and orphaned by a Xenomorph outbreak as a teenager on Zagreus, Shipp joined the Colonial Marines at the age of 18 and fought against the Xenomorph species for three decades.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Olivia Shipp and her twin sister Viola were born on January 5, 2155 to xenobiologists John and Katherine Shipp. When the twins were three years old, Viola contracted an autoimmune disease which ultimately killed her. Olivia was so close to her sister that, when she died, their parents had no choice but to build an advanced android using Viola's brain scans and recorded footage. Olivia was unaware of this for almost sixteen years; however, she was dragged by her parents through the galaxy under the pretense of looking for a cure for her sister's illness.

Shipp spent time on a colony where kids were prohibited from speaking in the presence of the elders; on another, she and her sister had to work for her parents due to local laws about labor. One of the planets she visited had strict rules around water and food rationing.

At twelve, she learned how to operate the shuttle, While There's Hope during emergency situations.[1] When she turned fifteen, her parents had the obligatory talk and explained everything about her sister Viola's illness, including the medical records.[2]

By the age of seventeen she had lived in at least fifteen different worlds, including Sirius XI and Curtis' Paradise. They were working on a planet with a harsh environment where no one can go outside without heavy protective gear when her parents were contacted by the colonial Governor of Zagreus for an extensive cataloguing of the planet's wildlife[3].

Life on Zagreus[]

"Welcome to Zagreus, hope you enjoy the constant, nagging feeling that something is about to catch fire."
Shipp musing on her surroundings (from Alien: Echo)

When they first set foot on the planet, she helped his father in collecting all kind of animals which bumped into the settlement's biodome.[4]

Olivia had adapted fairly well to the strict norms of the colony, in part thanks to her home located outside the settlement's walls. As they were living of the land they weren't out the strict water and food rationing[5]. She was grateful they have their own vehicles so she hadn't have to make volunteer work in order to use one of the colony's.

She attended school as the rest of their kids while her sister did it online from home due to her illness. It's there where she met Kora Burton, the governor's daughter. In her spare time, she assisted her parents in classifying plant and animal life.

Dating Kora[]

"She's…she’s perfect. All the geneticists in all the world could work for a thousand years and never build anything as effortlessly flawless as Kora Burton, the love of my life."
Shipp describing Kora Burton (from Alien: Echo)

Three months after arrival, she received the visit of classmate Kora Burton, with whom she has a crush. Olivia was confused when Kora explained that the reason for the visit was to see if her sister actually existed, since a classmate, Michel Petrov, had said that Viola wasn't listed on their arrival manifest[6]. The girl later explained that was just an excuse to see her, as the feelings she had were mutual.

Olivia shared a walk with Kora to show her some of Zagreus's wildlife, especially a clearing filled with giant multi-colored flowers. Presently, a lion-worm attacked them and almost devoured Kora; Olivia managed to save her thanks to her knowledge of xenobiology. Kora kissed her in gratitude.

When they return to the Shipp's home, her parents are waiting for her and she is grounded for putting the governor's daughter in danger. Olivia told her parents why Kora visited her. She explained that her classmates, especially Michel Petrov, did not believe in Viola's existence because she was not on the Shipp's arrival manifest. This made her parents nervous.

Viola interceded saying that it was she who invited Kora to meet her in person. That said, John and Katherine Shipp were relieved. The discovery of a new type of carnivorous grass[7] and Viola's intervention diminished her punishment.

Party[]

"“Party?” she asks. “Party,” I confirm."
Olivia informs about the party to Viola, Alien: Echo

Following the incident with the Lion-worm, John Shipp informs the family that he will be part of an explorer group that will go into orbit to investigate an abandoned science ship that the governor has just acquired for the colony[8]. Olivia offers to go with him but is rejected, arguing the danger. Again Viola intervenes, telling him that she suspects that something may not be right, because rumors of colonies that disappearing overnight[9].

Back to school, Olivia is treated differently thanks to Kora. She has a confrontation with Michel about Kora's affection, and she tells him that he shouldn't worry as she is just a stranger who will leave when work is done.

Viola tells Olivia that since the search team will be leaving in three days, and since her mother is going to investigate that new carnivorous grass she found, the girls will have the house to themselves and will be able to have a party. Olivia invites Kora and five other companions.

The day of the party, Kora appears at the residence accompanied by Michel, Alisa, Juan, Lin and Paul. There, the teens met Viola and the party started, thanks to the extra resources present at the Shipp's residence.

Infestation on Zagreus[]

"They’re heading back to Zagreus, and these controls—half these systems are fried. Kate, I don’t know how long you have before the shuttle lands. You have to get out of there. Grab the girls, grab whatever you can carry, and run."
John Shipp's warning message about the xenomorphs. Alien: Echo.

Not long after the party started, the emergency lights and alarms in the residence turned on, the screen shown a recorded transmission by John Shipp from the derelict in orbit. He explains something on the abandoned vessel had attacked them and killed Michel's mom and was now in the shuttle bound for Zagreus. He instructed Katherine to take the girls and leave the planet, not knowing they're listening seconds before a creature kills him and the transmission is off[10].

Viola fled the residence in search of their mother, still on the forest. Olivia, accompanied by Kora, Michel and Paul set out in search of the family ATV. On the way, they watch the shuttle crash into the mountains fifty miles away. Olivia finds Viola in the flower patch from earlier, where they are immediately attacked by two of the creatures, one of them kills Paul, completely ignoring Viola. The teens are saved when a Hippo spurred on by Katherine lunges at the remaining creature[11]. Olivia finds her mother on the shore of a nearby lake, and together they return to the residence.

Race to the colony[]

Back at the residence, the group reunites with Lin, Alisa, and Juan. Olivia questioned her mother about why the creatures didn't attack Viola, and she tells her the truth: Her sister Viola died at the age of three, a victim of her illness. The Viola she knows is actually an advanced android model created from brain scans and video footage[12]. They wanted to tell her the whole truth when she turned eighteen. Viola tells her that she knew the truth, but she decided to play along. A creature attacked the residence. Katherine gave Olivia her backpack, which contained a gun from her times with the Colonial Marines and Viola's schematics, before letting herself be captured to allow the teenagers to escape to the main colony[13]. They reached the gates but Michel does not allow Viola entry, arguing that she is not a "real person", leading to Olivia beating him up. One of the creatures tracked them there and captured Michel. Viola soaked herself in blood and sacrifices herself to save Olivia. The rest manage to get to safety behind the walls of the colony.

Learning the Truth[]

Once inside the gates, She and Kora confronted the latter's mother, Delia, about the Science ship. The colonial governor reluctantly explained that she bought the ship from some smugglers with the intention of using the materials to expand the colony tenfold. She suspected that at that price, the ship was stolen from some corporation, which she confirmed when she learned that the ship was not going to be scrapped but was still in operation and headed for a top secret facility. She still followed the plan but not before sending a team to make sure it was not a danger.

Raid on the Hive[]

Olivia was resolved to find her sister and leave the planet once for all. Kora accompanied her, stating she wants to leave with her. They go back to the residence to pick up some things and Olivia sees a message from her mother. After studying topographic plans, she deduces that the creatures - and her sister - are in the cave system near the site where the shuttle crashed. In the vicinity of the place, she finds the remains of a lion-worm and once in the place she contemplates the total devastation[14].

Inside the cave, they find Michel in a cocoon, along with his mother, Paul, and countless wildlife in the hive. Olivia finds a damaged Viola after escaping from one of the creatures. Viola orders him to behead her so they can escape easier.[15]

Car chase[]

Olivia, Kora and Viola's head escape the hive thanks to Viola's body distracting one of the creatures long enough for Olivia to use the pheromones of a Lion-worm. One of the underground predators appears and fights the alien, giving the girls time to escape, reluctantly leaving Michel and her mother behind, knowing they were already dead.

Olivia drives the ATV at full speed, leaving the hive behind, but one of the creatures emerges from the ground and chases them. She directs the vehicle towards the wetlands with the intention of losing the creature. She knows that Lion-worms do not hunt in wetlands because Hippos are highly territorial and attack as soon as they detect one. Once again, she uses the Lion-worm pheromones to lure one of the Zagreus-Hippos against the alien.[16] During the fight against the two creatures, Olivia managed to shoot and kill the alien.

Colony and escape[]

When the girls reached the main settlement again they discovered with horror that it was attacked while they were out. Olivia reasured that was the reason there was just one or two creatures in the Hive: the rest were assaulting the main colony. After entering, they find the colony empty except for a traumatized Alisa who flees through the streets. Olivia and Kora go to her apartment, and find Delia Burton in a cocoon. She explains to them how she was captured and how one of her creatures brought a flower-like object in front of her[17].

A lion-worm Alien hybrid attacked, ripping Delia in half when she shielded her daughter[18]. Olivia and Kora escaped down the apartment towards the street, the park and the spaceport. Viola asks her sister to leave her behind, as she was splashed with the lion-worm pheromones. Olivia refuses and they continue to the spaceport, more determined than she ever to escape and make known to the rest of humanity what happened there, so that they are prepared for a worst case scenario.

The spaceport was empty when Olivia and Kora entered, exception made for a cocooned man. Olivia guessed Kora had passed a lot of time there because of her lips taste of oil. The lion-worm hybrid attacked once more for the last time. Olivia used all her skills to attract the creature to a raised catwalk, but losing Viola's head in the process. The creature is finally killed when Olivia made it fall over sharp scraps and construction equipment and shoot it on the head.[19]

Safe at last, the girls boarded the family transport, While there's hope and escaped the planet. Once in orbit, Olivia flicked on the emergency beacon and recorded an emergency transmission, warning anyone not to land in the planet and asking for medical assistance.[20]

Aftermath[]

"My parents were scientist. They taught me biology is war. To win, a species must endure, reproduce - survive."
―Colonel Olivia Shipp, commanding officer of UAS Endeavor.

At some point, Olivia, along with her sister and girlfriend were rescued. She, as her mother, enlisted in the Colonial marines. In 2177, Olivia, then a corporal, lead a group of battle weary marines who defied orders to rescue survivors from Katanga orbital refinery, under siege by the same creatures which killed her parents.[21] Things went bad when a civilian with a grudge took control of the refinery, rescue dropships were wasted and Olivia had to escort the survivors to the cargo hangars. [22] By 2202, she achieved the rank of Colonel and was in command of the rapid response ship UAS Endeavor, sent to LV-895 to deal with the xenomorph infestation there.[23]

The Katanga outbreak[]

In 2177, 22 year old Olivia Shipp was a Corporal aboard USS Typhoon, a 20 year-old Nassau-class Attack Transport. Returning from a deep patrol, the ship intercepted a distress signal in the Mid Rim. Her unit found survivors of a Seegson colony huddled aboard the orbital refinery Katanga. The colonists had fled a Xenomorph outbreak on the surface, but after escaping to the refinery, some of them proved to be "impregnated."

The situation was exacerbated by a troubled employee with a grudge against his managers, who insisted he could solve the infestation. When rejected, he overrode Katanga's computers and blew up the Marine dropships.

Shipp and her Marines escorted the remaining survivors through the refinery, from their shelter at the top of Likasi Tower to the shuttle hangars at the base of Bashi Tower. Along the route she fended off xenomorph attacks and the young man's attempts to turn the refinery's machinery against them.

Upon successfully evacuating to the Typhoon using the refinery shuttles, Colonial Marine reinforcements arrived. Shipp's unit retired, and Katanga was reported scuttled. For her initiative, leadership, and dedication to preserving civilian lives, Shipp was awarded the Marine Commendation Medal.[24]

OCS and command track[]

In 2179, Shipp applied for the USCM Enlisted to Officer Program. Though she lacked the formal educational requirements, she scored in the 98th percentile on the AFQT, and her unique expertise with Xenomorph XX121 was recognized by her superiors.

She attended OCS Happy Days on Helene and placed near the top of her cadre. During field exercises on the outer system mining settlement of Dažbog, her insights into the physiology and behavior of the native "sand lice" saved the lives of several comrades.

In 2198, while a Lieutenant Colonel in command of 1st Battalion, 44th Colonial Marine Regiment, Shipp responded to the xenomorph outbreak at Cabrakan (HR 810 b14). Arriving after the withdrawal of Weyland-Yutani security and the destruction of UAS Attu, she coordinated an orderly evacuation of survivors from 3rd Battalion, 42nd Colonial Marines.

When all possible civilians had been rescued, Shipp followed up with a nuclear bombardment of the southern continent to prevent any spread of xenomorphs. Unusually, she assumed the Gunnery Officer's post aboard the attack transport USS Arica during this operation. Shipp's XO noted in the regimental battle history that, "Having concluded the only solution to the infestation was extreme measures against civilian settlements, the Lieutenant Colonel determined that no Marine under her command should share the moral or legal burden of that decision. Accordingly, she personally executed the firing solution."

Given the unprecedented scope of loss, Shipp spent most of 2198 beached for lengthy closed-door hearings with military and civilian leaders. At the conclusion, the Colonial Marine Corps confirmed her decision was "appropriate given the resources at her disposal, and grave consequences of any failure to fully resolve the escalating situation."

In 2201, Shipp was promoted to full Colonel and assigned command of the 33rd Marine Regiment, 11th Marine Division. She transferred back to the Frontier with the 2nd Battalion, assigned to UAS Endeavor to form the 40th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

SERVICE RECORD[]

Olivia Shipp enlisted in the Colonial Marines on her 18th birthday, less than a year after a Xenomorph outbreak on Zagreus killed the rest of her family.

Shipp had no diploma, having been educated through a mix of irregular homeschooling and colonial programs of uneven quality. However, her testing scores were exemplary, and combined with the service record of her mother - an honorably discharged Colonial Marine - this was sufficient for an exemption. She trained at MCRD Fort Matthewson, Hellas Planitia.

Shipp's long and distinguished career defies concise summary. She has fought Xenomorphs on the Outer Rim and Frontier for almost 30 years, and is one of the Corps' most capable field commanders.

ESTHER'S OBSERVATIONS[]

Throughout her career, Colonel Shipp has maintained a keen personal interest in xenobiology. She is likely the Colonial Marines' foremost expert on the physiology and behavior of Xenomorph XX121. It is no secret that is the result of her unique upbringing. As the child of two professional xenobiologists, by age 17 she had seen more worlds than most humans visit in a lifetime. Further, she had received professional credit for cataloguing a number of previously undocumented species.

Beyond that, my interactions with Colonel Shipp are largely of a personal nature, and not appropriate for entry in an official record. As commanding officer of our Marine Expeditionary Unit, she has few people she can interact with on a casual and informal level. As I am classified as "equipment," and technically outside the chain of command, she is free to discuss subjects with me that would not be appropriate between a commander and a subordinate. I have no desire to jeopardize our relationship.

However, I would like to note Colonel Shipp is one of few humans I have been able to interact with as a true equal. She has no suspicion of synthetic motivations and loyalty, nor any uncomfortable excess of admiration for our capabilities, nor any subtle prejudices against human-created intelligence. It is refreshing to speak with someone who understands how synthetic sapience differs from human sapience, but regards it as neither superior nor inferior.

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

External links[]

References[]

  1. Alien: Echo, page 193.
  2. Alien: Echo, page 141.
  3. Mira Grant, Alien: Echo. Page 132.
  4. Mira Grant, Alien: Echo. Page 123.
  5. Alien: Echo, page 13.
  6. Mira Grant, Alien: Echo. Page 39.
  7. Mira Grant, Alien: Echo. Page 49.
  8. Mira Grant, Alien: Echo. Page 42.
  9. Mira Grant, Alien: Echo. Page 46.
  10. Mira Grant, Alien: Echo. Page 69.
  11. Mira Grant, Alien: Echo. Page 78.
  12. Mira Grant, alien: Echo. Page 91.
  13. Mira Grant, Alien: Echo. Page 93.
  14. Alien: Echo, page 136.
  15. Alien: Echo, page 150.
  16. Alien: Echo, page 160.
  17. Alien: Echo, page 183.
  18. Alien: Echo, page 185.
  19. Alien: Echo. Page 206
  20. Alien: Echo, page 207.
  21. Aliens: Colonial Marines -Rising Threat.
  22. Cold Iron Studios, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, intel collectibles - Mission 4 It's the only way to be sure.
  23. Cold Iron Studios, Aliens: Fireteam Elite (2021) - preview.
  24. https://www.aliensfireteamelite.com/en/community/meet-the-crew-shipp/
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