Alien Birth

Alien Birth

Bathed in fire, baptised in horror,
a new breed of death is born of the old,
A Mother resigned to her savage fate,
An alien child is death incarnate.

(See also with text version)

The adventurous reader may be aware of the creature featured in the ‘Alien’ series of films. Few, however, are aware of the real-life personae of this theatrical invention.

But here now, for the first time on this planet, I present the history and lineage of the real-life creature that is called “Morboae”.

Morboae (pl) are natives of the planet Narcisyum in the as-yet undiscovered galaxy of Gorton. Undiscovered, I should add, by earth – but well known and well avoided by other civilized worlds.

Morboae are the correct name for the creature that is birthed in this image. In presenting the history of the Morboae, it is essential to give – albeit sparingly – some account of it’s parentage – the Lithegoths. This is especially so since the birth of the species Morboae marked the end of the species Lithegoths. Evolution is a cruel and heartless director of fortunes.

The Lithegoths were a relatively docile species of almost dinosaur-like physique. The Lithegoths bore a startling resemblance (to you humans) to the grotesque offspring of a Coelophysis and a duck. Though carnivorous, they were not voracious in their pursuit and killing of other creatures. They hunted and ate for survival, and when not hungry were quite approachable by almost any other creature. In contrary to both Coelophysis and ducks, however, they bore live young, and reared them with a love and tenderness almost unheard of anywhere in the known galaxy.

It is sad, therefore, due to some unforseen and certainly uncalled for stroke of evolution, that these relatively peaceful creatures would suddenly, and in as little as the equivalent of 2 earth years, give birth to – and be devoured by – their own offspring – the Morboae.

As Narcisyum was unsettled (though occasionally visited by biological observation teams) there is no known cause of the sudden mutation of the young Lithegoths. All that is known is that instead of the Lithegoth young being born through the female birth canal, suddenly – and violently – the Morboae burst straight from the stomach and – with a ferocity which is almost beyond even today’s jaded belief – they immediately lauched themselves into their parents (Lithegoths) faces and devoured them.

So was born the race that was to be known as the Morboae – the devourers.

Within 2 earth years, there were no Lithegoths alive and the Morboae roamed the planet. The Morboae reproduction cycle was completely different to their Lithegoth parentage. They utilized an three-stage reproduction cycle – begining with egg-like incubators (called Truks). These hatched into a mobility-oriented creature (the Placusii) which then used live animal incubation to produce the final stage of Morboae life form. Contrary to popular belief they retained at least the attributes of male and female, with both being sexually active. Eggs, therefore, could be found anywhere and everywhere.

Unlike the Lithegoth, the final-cycle Morboae are voracious in their hunting and killing. Any creature they manage to catch is torn to pieces in a matter of seconds (including the Maxidontal Arionis – the toughest of the Hamilbest octoped pack beasts).

The hosting creature in the third reproductive phase could be virtually anything above 23 drilums (about 25 kilograms). As a consequence, in less than 5 years the entire animal population was dead other than Morboae.

This is where the story should end. A dead planet, a dead-end in evolution.

This is where story should end. But it does not. Because Morboae in the egg-phase can live for many millions of earth years. And planets are no so isolated as human beings seem to think.

Morboae could have escaped Narcisyum by many means – the unlucky botanist, the occasional tourist and so forth. But in reality, they escaped that planet and have now taken over most of Gorton (the galaxy) because of greed. Greed, you see, is not purely a human trait.

A group of interstellar profiteers discovered that the Morboae made exceptionally fine eating. It was hailed as the gourmet discovery of the era. Morboae eggs were shipped far and wide across the galaxy and consumed in all of the best houses and star liners that could afford the prices.

As it is written in the Contrata Do Riortae – “Life shall find a way”. (tr Treos)

The Morboae reproductive cycle infected many transports, sending many cargo transfer ships into uncontrolled crashes on to populated, and barren planets.

And so, even now, the Morboae lives on. The dead end of evolution spews forth into the universe until everything is consumed.

This is the history and lineage of the Morboae as told by the History Records of the United Biological Defence Corporation.

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