"Shit, why isn't Phalanx answering his comms?" 

Somewhere within a rainforest was a marine soldier trekking through the brush, slicing the hanging Vines and other large vegetation.

He continued to talk into the radio but there was no response from the other end. 

"Great. The captain has already returned to the Endeavor–2 with that brat, and Phalanx isn't answering me, now I'm really alone in this godforsaken forest covered in mud and sweat"

In his frustration Recon stabbed his machete into a nearby tree before sitting on a large rock nearby. 

"I've been wondering in the same direction for an hour, how could I have not found that Xeno?"

Recon threw out his PUPS to scan the area while he took a gulp of water from the canister strapped to his chest.

The wrist device on his wrist lit up as a 3D live hologram was created, sent back from the PUPS sent out earlier. 

To his surprise, the PUPS picked up suspicious tracks left behind by none other than aliens.

Following the map sent by the PUPS, he made his way through the forest until he came upon a large cave, further up ahead was the faint flash of red light.

"Fuck"

The 3D image of the cave's interior was sent back by the PUPS which revealed traces of hive resin plastered along the walls. 

Recon was now standing at the door to an alien hive, giving him goosebumps at the thought of it.

With the location of the hive found, Recon was prepared to retreat. 

The PUPS inside was doing its job smoothly by mapping out the topography inside the cave. 

The 3D image sent to Recons wrist device showed a live feed of it's progress constructing a labyrinth when its signal abruptly cut out.

"It's about time I leave"

Wasting no time after having said that Recon retreated into the wilderness retracing his steps back to Basecamp.

***

[997.9/1000]

⌈ It's unlikely that they would take Tanya along with them in search of me given the dangers and her worrying condition. So it's likely they took her back to their ship. But it's unknown whether the two left together or the other one left in search of ⌋

Raya deduced as she savored her breakfast then looked towards the East. 

⌈ This facility will soon be reoccupied by the marines so there's no future staying here. Tanya should be taken care of right now, then that leaves me with no choice but to flee this area. Should I head East as well? ⌋

She quickly came to the conclusion that the benefits of heading East outweighed the dangers, so without a second thought she made a direct path ahead.

Luckily for her, the day was almost over and the cover of the night would help her tremendously.

As she ran on all fours her senses picked up a familiar smell mixed with sulfur and blood. 

⌈ A fight between the marines and my brethren? ⌋

Following the scent with caution, Raya snuck onto a large branch and peered through the leaves. 

[Injured Human. Marine Scout Team Soldier. 2.2 Bio-energy points]

[Incomplete Xenomorph Corpse. Runner. 3.7 Bio-energy points]

[Injured Xenomorph. Runner. 3.8 Bio-energy points]

[Xenomorph. Drone. 6.6 Bio-energy points]

The situation for the aliens wasn't looking too good, despite them having the advantage in numbers, they had already lost one and another was injured, not far from death's door.

The marine on the other hand only suffered minor injuries, the largest of which being a nasty gash across his shoulder.

Another alien fell which evened out the numbers to one human versus one alien. But perhaps his luck had run out as the clip in his gun jammed.

Dumbfounded by the terrible timing, he threw his gun aside to switch to his sidearm.

The drone who was stalking close by leaped upon this opportunity to shove him to the floor.

Streaks of blood painted the trees and bushes around them as the alien slashed at the marine helplessly lying on the ground. 

His armor was shredded in no time and his other tools were destroyed in the process. 

The drone then proceeded to grab the collar of his barely intact vest and dragged him away.

Raya who was watching everything unfold in the distance licked her lips at the sight of the two dead aliens. 

⌈ It was worth the gamble after all ⌋

Crawling down the tree trunk Raya cautiously approached the two bodies.

After making sure they were dead and the drone wasn't nearby, she ripped it's limbs apart and devoured everything not leaving behind a single finger behind.

⌈ I feel like a beggar eating unwanted scraps. Whatever, as long as it makes me stronger I guess ⌋

[The host has completed the first task]

[A thousand Bio-energy points have been consumed in less than 24 hours of receiving the task. Bonus rewards will be given]

[System Activation in successful]

Name: Raya

Titles: The Perfect Organism – Rookie Apex Hunter

Race: Xenomorph

Stage: Drone

Height: 6.5ft

Length: 13.8ft

Skills: Rapid Digestion (Lvl 1) Voracity (Lvl 1) 

Evaluation: The System is appalled by the host's cowardly behavior. As an uprising Apex Hunter, the host should be hunting powerful foes, instead of acting no different to vultures!

Raya had no way to refute the systems evaluation of her so she could only focus her attention elsewhere, bringing up the rewards given by completing the first task

[Congratulations host for receiving the reward Beggars To Choosers (Title)]

[System Note: Beggars can't choose what they want. Host, please stop being a beggar eating trash and choose worthy foes to hunt and devour]

[Activating the title will increase the hosts stats by 5% and decrease the enemy stats within a 10 meter radius by 5%]

[Congratulations host for receiving the bonus reward Avarice (Lvl 1)]

[There is a small chance to obtain a random skill from devouring prey (skill level cannot exceed your own)]

[Congratulations host for receiving the bonus reward Bio-Armor (Lvl 1)]

[A thin layer of hardened flesh now protects the host from non-lethal attacks and can naturally repair itself. Repair speed can be hastened with the use of Bio-energy points]

There was a lot of information to process right now but something else had caught Raya's attention. 

⌈ The location of the aliens hive? ⌋

Either due to the drones negligence or the marines wit, the wrist device was in a relatively good condition with its current display of the 3D map of the nearby topography, including the caves he had discovered earlier. 

Raya memorized the layout of the map and decided to leave it in an open area for the Gunner to find.

A plan started to form in her mind which would benefit her a lot.