Building Better Worlds

"Welcome to Freyer's Prospect. Weyland-Yutani's garden amongst the stars."

In an instant, looking up from food that looked like modified algae and probably was, Holly Kinnear gave the flat screen above her full attention. Not because of the words "Freyer's Prospect" and certainly not because of the words "Weyland-Yutani." No... "garden" was the key word of that phrase and as someone who had spent the last three years on Gateway Station, it was a pleasing, yet unfamiliar word. And looking at the verdant world on the flat screen, with rolling green hills and a complex that seemed to complement rather than subtract from their beauty, it was a pleasing sight as well.

"Hey, anyone sitting here?"

"No, go ahead."

Holly didn't even look at the jock that sat by her with fast food from one of the many Company subsidies that existed on one of the largest space stations orbiting planet Earth. After awhile, everyone looked alike and as someone who worked a power loader in one of the station's many cargo bays, the twenty-five year old couldn't care less. It was far more important to keep the ICC happy than yourself and to that end, you were to look at crates, not co-workers.

Or, as the case was, Company advertisements.

"We manufacture the data grids, starships and hypersleep systems a smaller, friendlier place," the voice continued, the screen showing interior shots of the complex simultaneously. "Sometimes home can seem so far away. But the Weyland-Yutani Corporation is here to accompany you on the journey towards a brighter tomorrow."

Sweet words, no doubt chosen carefully by Company liaisons with an advertising agency wanting to make top dollar. Still, Holly had to admit, they were indeed working to an extent, and not just to take her off her mind off her processed food and the equally bland chatter the jock was starting. Admittedly she would have wanted to see the exterior of the complex rather than its interior, if only to see greenery that wasn't part of a hologram, but still, its empty corridors were far more pleasing than the hustle and bustle of Gateway.

"Weyland-Yutani," said the voice, the screen displaying a billboard of a family wearing clothes that belonged to two centuries ago, standing in front of those green hills. "Building better worlds."

With the ad having given way to the latest celebrity gossip, Holly returned to her food. However, her mind was anywhere but.

Building better worlds...Heh, wish I had a credit every time I heard that.

It wasn't an understatement. Weyland-Yutani had surprised the galactic market by moving into terra-forming in the 2150s and surprised it even more when its investments paid off. Sure, there had been that disaster on Acheron thirty years back, one that had wiped out its human colony, the colonists and the marines sent to help them, but history had shown that was the exception rather than the rule. All in all, applying to settle on a terraformed world practically guaranteed you a better life than even what Earth could provide, let alone a giant spacestation.

So why hold back? Why not apply?

Holly didn't like her conscience in her head being hijacked by the voice of Carl Bishop Weyland, let alone raising a point that she couldn't reasonably refute. All in all, there was very little reason not to apply, especially since she was healthy and young enough. Still, she'd read rumours...rumours that something other than a terraforming malfunction had led to the disaster on Acheron, something that had also led to a massacre on Fiorina 161 a few weeks later. While there was no hard evidence to back up these claims, years of starship living hadn't dulled Holly's imagination, whether it be of industrial accidents or rumours of Outer Colony worlds being the subject of attacks by hunter aliens.

But she had to admit...those green hills had caught her attention too. Certainly more than that of diner buddies going on about how he knew that celebrity x was sleeping with celebrity y instead of celebrity z.

Smiling faintly, Holly decided that maybe a change from Gateway was needed. And besides, what was the worst that could happen?

A/N

Somewhat obviously, this was based on the story trailer for Aliens vs. Predator game coming in 2010. It was certainly pleasing for me to see that Rebellion is putting effort into the game's singleplayer and its storyline as opposed to having it as a soulless deviation from multiplayer. Suffice to say my anticipation is higher than it was a few months back.