Planting and Harvest is a 2022 short story written by Mira Grant, published by Titan Books as part of the anthology Aliens vs. Predators: Ultimate Prey. When Xenomorphs get loose on a remote hydroponics station and slaughter its crew, rescue for the lone survivor may lie in a band of disgraced Yautja.
Synopsis[]
Aboard the remote space station Philomelus, a team of Weyland-Yutani scientists conduct research into developing new foodstuffs and crops better suited to planetary colonization and deep space travel. When a similar hydroponics station named Esus suffers an unexplained catastrophic failure, Philomelus administrator Nita learns that the failed station's supplies of seeds will be delivered to the Philomelus by an automated shuttle. Upon its arrival, Nita is confused to find a pilot listed on the supposedly unmanned shuttle's manifest. Investigating further, Nita finds the "pilot", a Lieutenant Terry Ashmore, is actually dead inside the shuttle's cargo compartment, a hole punched in his chest. Before she can raise any alarm, the Xenomorph born from Ashmore emerges from the ductwork overhead and kills Nita.
Within the next 24 hours, the entire crew of the Philomelus has been slain or converted into more Xenomorphs, with the exception of researcher Lisa Olsen, who has managed to seal herself inside her laboratory. Trapped in the small room with limited supplies, she transmits numerous desperate distress calls, despite knowing that the nearest humans likely to receive her transmissions are so far away, she will be dead of starvation long before they can arrive to rescue her. However, unknown to Lisa, something other than humans is within range of the station — her messages are picked up by a roving band of Yautja, eight individuals who have been relegated to a lowly refuelling and maintenance ship as a result of their poor performance in the Blooding rituals. Recognizing the creatures Lisa describes in her transmissions as Xenomorphs, the Yautja immediately set course for the Philomelus, determined to prove themselves worthy hunters so that they might rise above their paltry status and become Elites.
Lisa sees the ship dock with the station through the security camera feeds, and her initial joy at the prospect of rescue is replaced with horror at the thought that her saviors are about to blunder onto the station and be slaughtered just like her colleagues. This fear proves misplaced when she sees the eight occupants step onto the station and immediately slay one of the Xenomorphs. However, as the inexperienced Yautja celebrate, one of their number is discreetly taken and killed by another Xenomorph. Watching this over the camera, Lisa activates the station's intercom and begins talking to the Yautja, offering them tactical oversight that enables them to slaughter the remaining Xenomorphs with relative ease. With the creatures eliminated, Lisa finally guides the Yautja to her hiding place. Seeing that she is unarmed and no threat, the Yautja remove their masks and show their faces as a sign of respect for her assistance, before peacefully departing the Philomelus. Lisa, meanwhile, begins to take stock of the supplies to which she now has access, determined to survive until rescue can arrive.
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