Maeko Hayes

Maeko Hayes was the deputy administrator of Pioneer Station and the main protagonist of the 2023 video game, Aliens: Dark Descent. A deputy administrator working for Weyland Yutani on Pioneer Station above the planet of Lethe,, she was the only survivor of Pioneer Station when the Darwin Era cult caused an infestation of Xenomorphs to emerge on the station. Narrowly escaping Pioneer, Hayes would come to assist the Colonial Marines aboard the crashed USS Otago and become the defacto leader of the Marines as they attempted to escape the infested planet. During this time, she would come to bond with Sergeant Jonas Harper, the highest ranking Marine left in the chain of command after the other officers were killed in the Otago's crash. While fighting the Xenomorphs and the Darwin Era cult led by Joseph Marlow, Hayes learned about the ruthless and brutal past of Weyland Yutani on Lethe, exemplified by Weyland Yutani's leader on Lethe, Barbara Price. Hayes would become the biggest supporter of postponing escape to rescue Cassandra, Harper's daughter, who had been kidnapped by Marlow, before escaping Lethe as it was nuked from orbit.
She is voiced by Julianna Kurikowa.
==Early life==
Little is known of Hayes's early life. However, at one point, she joined Weyland Yutani, believing that their objective of building better worlds was a very genuine objective. She rapidly rose through the ranks, and was assigned the role of deputy administrator of Pioneer Station above Lethe, and was frequently in contact with Director Price in Pharos Spire regarding protocol and objectives. She clashed frequently with Administrator Ian McDonald, particularly over rules, regulation and protocol, as McDonald was more willing to bend the rules, while Hayes was adamant on following protocol. Furthermore, Hayes treated the rest of the staff with courtesy and respect, which was noted in her relationship with Connor, as both praised the other, with Connor noting that Hayes was not the typical higher up on Pioneer. This was also noted with the Working Joe Daniel, as Hayes treated the synthetic like a human and saw him as another person, while most of the staff saw him as a machine. Hayes also had to deal with frequent communication outages due to the storms that frequently occurred on Lethe.
==Discovery of Outbreak and Activating Cerberus==
One day, the the shuttle Bentonville arrived on Pioneer to drop off its cargo. As the cargo was unloaded onto the station, an infiltrator knocked out the man in charge, and released the cargo. As the containers opened, Xenomorph facehuggers, eggs, and a Xenomorph Warrior. Hayes, noticing the Bentonville's cargo weight disrepeancy, asks McDonald to keep the Bentonville from leaving Pioneer, but McDonald refuses, noting that Hayes's shift ended not long ago. Hayes determines that something is wrong and enters her office in order to observe the docking bay. She witneeses several workers dying and screaming and she enters the bay. She finds a worker dying from a chestburster, who informs her of the Bentonville's cargo being infested, before dying. Maeko enters the bay, finding most of the crew dead, and recovering a pistol from a security guard. Approaching the Bentonville and searching the Bentonville's hypersleep chambers, she found Xenomorph resin, wondering what it was before opening the Bentonville's cargo and seeing that it was not Trimonite, but instead opened Xenomorph eggs. Hearing a Xenomorph coming, Maeko ran for the door, but grabbed a welder in order to prevent the Xenomoprh from entering the station proper. Welding the door, the warrior rammed the door with a loud shriek, knocking Hayes to the floor, but unable to break through. 
Running back to the control room, Maeko demanded to know what was aboard the Bentonville, telling McDonald that the crew in the docking bay was dead. Hayes was about to tell McDonald was aboard the station when the power went out. As the emergency generators came online, a swarm of facehuggers emerged from the vents and attacked the staff. McDonald shoved Hayes to the ground and tried to run, but he was immediately snared by one of the facehuggers. As Hayes got up, a facehugger lunged at her, but she grabbed it, and after a brief struggle, threw it to the other side of the room. Running and locking the door, Hayes narrowly managed to stop the facehugger from following her. Breathing heavily in horror at what had just happened, Hayes raced to the security room, only to find the Xenomorphs had massacred the security guards prematurely. Looking on the security terminal, she saw how the entire station was overrun and everyone was dying, while the Bentonville prepared to leave the station. After a partial transmission from the nearby USS Otago came through, Hayes attempted to radio the ship and urge them to stop the Bentonville. However the transmission failed and Hayes had to head to the communication room. Hayes made her way through the station, encountering and hearing several workers being found and killed by the Xenomorphs. Once she reached the communication room, she found Daniel observing the destroyed communication room, with Hayes wondering how the Xenomorphs would know about the room as they were only animals. Witnessing the Bentonville leaving, and no way to contact the Otago, Maeko asked Daniel if the planetary quarantine protocol still functioned. Hayes now realized that only the Cerberus Protocol would stop the Bentonville now, as the Xenomorphs could not get out of the system. Hayes ran for the Cerberus room to activate the protocol. Upon activating the protocol, the computer warned that the USS Otago, Baldwin, and the Bentonville would be targeted and destroyed by the armed platforms and asked for activation confirmation. Apologizing for the innocent lives caught in the crossfire, Hayes reluctantly authorized the activation of Cerberus. The Bentonville was destroyed, preventing the Xenomorph infestation from spreading beyond Lethe, but the Baldwin is destroyed with all hands lost, and the Otago is badly damaged. Hayes solemnly notes she had no other option, before she looked up and saw the Warrior Xenomorph camouflaged in the Cerberus cables. As the warrior descended on her, Hayes backed away, firing a few shots with her pistol, but they only disorient the Xenomorph. Realizing her pistol would just annoy it, Hayes ran as the Xenomorph let out a loud roar and began to pursue her. 
==Extraction from Pioneer and Joining the Marines==
Running into the server room, Maeko hid as the Xenomorph entered, roaring yet again. Hayes moved through the server room to the door, avoiding detection by the Xenomorph. Just as she reached the door, an explosion threw her to her feet and the Xenomorph came to investigate. Just as the Xenomorph had her helpless, the door opened and a trio of Colonial Marines entered. Noticing the Xenomorph, the lead one urged Hayes to run and that the Marines would cover her. The Xenomorph approached, but the pulse rifle fire discouraged the creature, and the door was locked behind them. The sergeant introduced himself as Sergeant Harper, revealing they had lost contact with the Otago. Hayes informed Harper that she was the only survivor. As they moved through the station, Harper repeatedly grabbed his head in pain, before revealing where the Xenomorphs precisely were. As they reached the elevator, Daniel approached them, asking Maeko where she was going. Maeko pleaded with Daniel to come with them as it was not safe on Pioneer, however Daniel was adamant on following protocol and attempted to attack Hayes before the marines disabled him. Maeko was stunned as she had never seen Daniel act like that, let alone raise his voice. As they entered the docking bay, Harper once again had a pain attack, and Maeko urged Harper to get a grip on himself in order to leave. Harper complied and ordered the dropship pilot Corporal Hunslett to extract them. After briefly fighting off the Xenomorphs, Hayes and the Marines boarded the dropship. Once inside, they headed to the Otago, taking a brutal beating from the Cerberus platforms. Hayes informed them that the Cerberus protocol would mean they would shoot at any ship, with Harper wondering why the Otago was targeted. Hayes lied to Harper, claiming a system malfunction, just as the Otago lost control and plunged into orbital descent, crashing on Lethe.
Arriving on the Otago, Sergeant Martinez informs Harper that Captain Cochrane is dead, and that he is now the senior Marine in charge of the Otago. Harper takes Hayes to the bridge and makes her the Intelligence Officer, making Hayes the defacto captain of the Otago. Entering the medical wing, Hayes was greeted by Doctor Bookard, but was treated coldly due to all the deaths and injuries caused by the Otago's descent from orbit, as Hayes encouraged intensive treatment on one of the Marine from Harper's squad. She then heads to engineering, where Chief Engineer Corrigan reacts just as coldly, due to the severe damage and all the work she has to do to keep the Otago from collapsing in on itself. The only warm greeting she gets is in the laboratory from the ship's xenobiologist Doctor Becker, who admits he was present to conduct trials for a new type of hypersleep, but the crash destroyed his lab and his research. Becker asked that Hayes try to have the Marines give him more power to save the backup data, but Hayes refuses, as the Marines are not friendly to her either. Becker attempts to argue that as a Weyland Yutani person, reminding the Marines of the links to Weyland Yutani along with all the money the Marines get from the company, and Hayes concedes, admitting she will consider that option.
Hayes is summoned back to the bridge by Harper, who reveals a distress signal from the settlement of Dead Hills. Harper intends to answer the call, and since as the ranking officer, he has to be in the Armored Recon Carrier, he has Hayes become the oversight officer. Arriving at Dead Hills, Hayes has the Marines enter the colony headquarters to disable the lockdown, then give her the sector map so she can track any surviving colonists. Upon seeing one of the colonists transmitters in the room of the Marines, the colonist comes out, before a chestburster erupts from his chest. Having seen this on Pioneer Station, Hayes tells the Marines that the Xenomorphs are using them as incubators and that a large amount of the population of the settlement has been turned into Xenomorphs. As the Marines save the colonists, aside from the veterinarian, McNeal, or those who are infected and put out of their misery, Hayes after seeing Xenomorph eggs, suggest to Harper that they use the cameras to get the main source of the infestation so the Marines can eradicate it. The cameras show similar containers to the ones on Pioneer in the colony's slaughterhouse and the Marines head there to investigate. Once there, they are confronted by a Crusher, which emerged from one of the cows. The Marines killed it and Hayes realized that the eggs in the slaughterhouse would not be enough to completely take down a colony of this size, meaning the Xenomorphs had another way of reproducing. Looking for Director Gallagher, head of Dead Hills, the Marines entered his office, and searching his computer, found that his communications were encrypted. Unable to do anything else, the Marines returned to the Otago. 
Upon returning, Harper asked Hayes about her first day in the corps was. Hayes admits it was stressing and Harper admitted that she was doing fine. Hayes admitted that she planned to send a satellite into space to get past Cerberus, and met with Becker since he was pestering Harper. Hayes met with Becker who requested some samples of the Xenomorphs for study. Hayes agreed and met with Corrigan, who apologized for her prior coldness, but asked for more materials to help fix the Otago and create more weapons for the Marines. Hayes agreed, and met with Sergeant Martinez in the armory, asking for the last surviving EEV to use as a satellite. Returning to the bridge, Hayes sent the Marines back to Dead Hills. After searching the warehouse and discovering the quartermaster was a smuggler, Hayes sent the Marines to the power station to check for materials, and at the generator, they got the smuggler's supplies. Hayes then found the rest of the colonists in the settlement's old Trimonite mines. When the Marines entered the mines, they encountered a Xenomorph Queen, who immediately attacked them. The Marines attacking the Queen caused every other Xenomorph to swarm. After a hard battle, the Marines managed to kill the Queen. After getting a sample of the Queen for Becker, the Marines recovered McNeil and got the codes from the deceased Gallagher. From the codes, Hayes discovered that the containers that started the infestation came from Berkley's Docks, the main spaceport of Lethe. Since it was the main port, Hayes did not see it as much of a lead since everything that moved around Lethe went through it at some point or another. Harper said that it would be their next stop nevertheless, and that they would rest aboard the Otago.
== Berkley's Docks and Admitting Cerberus ==
Returning to the Otago, Harper praised Hayes again, but Hayes was still adamant to getting their comms online. Harper pointed out that someone moved the container there on purpose. Hayes argued for expanding the comms, noting that Harper needed to think about the people beyond Lethe. Harper revealed to Hayes that he was born on Lethe. Heading back down to the laboratory, Becker revealed that the samples of the Xenomorphs would allow him to make additional resources and improvements for the Marines in the field. He also asked that Hayes should consider trying to capture one alive, so they could study more thoroughly, but Hayes refuses on the grounds that a live Xenomorph is too dangerous to be anywhere near the Otago. Later, as the Marines enter Berkley's Docks to find out more about the containers and to get the supplies needed for the communication satellite, they are attacked by dockworkers opposed to Weyland Yutani. Hayes, noticing how the workers never stood a chance, wonders why they would attack the Marines anyway. Harper notes that the conditions on Lethe changes people and makes them willing to do impossible things. While moving through the docks, booby trapped and rigged with explosives by the workers who turn out to be members of a fanatical anti Weyland Yutani cult, the Marines discover a container graffitied with the words "Marlow was right", alerting them to the fact that someone was spreading the Xenomorphs willingly. The Marines learned the containers were spreading from Olduvai, the main Trimonite mining facility on Lethe. Eventually, the Marines killed another Queen and recovered the parts necessary for Hayes to send a satellite into space. Upon returning, Hayes admitted to Harper that she had activated Cerberus voluntarily. Horrified and furious over Hayes's decision, Harper harshly condemned Hayes for dooming them on the planet and attempted to remove her from the bridge, but Hayes argued that she did not make the decision callously and that she had no other choice to stop the infestation from spreading beyond Lethe. Harper conceded, albeit still angry, and told her new facilities had opened up telling her to see if there was something for her to administer. Hayes then met with the ship's psychologist Kabiri, who was helping the Marines traumatized by fighting the Xenomorphs. Hayes then assigned some of the men to the consulting room before setting the Marines next mission to Olduvai.
== Olduvai rescue and Attack on the Otago ==
Hayes largely sat the mission on Olduvai out, as she was busy making the final preparations to her satellite. She helped the Marines enter the mine complex properly, before returning to finish her satellite. In the mines, she learned that the cult was named the Darwin Era from the prisoners and that they were experimenting with the prisoners genes, and that some were selected for the Cassandra Project they were running, with those selected allowed to meet the namesake lady who apparently served as the Voice for the cult. Harper was furious when Hunslett insulted the name as being old school. Upon entering, the Marines found cryo tubes with experimented prisoners of the cult, with Harper wondering if a woman, around 17 years old could possibly be present. The Marines encountered Guardians, colonists heavily modified to have a chestburster in stasis within their torso, allowing Xenomorphs to be near them without being attacked. They also encountered Praetorian Xenomorphs, largely bipedal creatures who were the guards of the hive. Descending into the mines, the Marines learn that all of the containers are empty and that the whole planet is likely infested. All of a sudden, a large amount of Xenomorphs attack the squad. With Hunslett unable to evacuate the Marines, Harper brings the ARC down to the Marines so its firepower can repel the Xenomorphs. As the Xenomorphs attack, Marlow directly addresses the Marines over the mine's intercom, insinuating that he has met Harper before. Marlow then proceeds to inform Harper that in the past he would have allowed the latter to join his cult, but that he has become too much of an interference. As Hunslett fails to breach the roof of the mining complex, Harper begins to talk to Hayes. However, Hayes, having heard of the desperate situation, prepares to launch her satellite. She has turned into a makeshift missile, intended to punch through the roof and allow Hunslett to rescue the Marines. The satellite destroys the roof, allowing Hunslett to evacuate the squad just as they are overrun.
Back on the Otago, Harper thanks Hayes for the rescue, but inquires why, as she just lost her satellite. Hayes admits that ever since Pioneer, she has been struggling, as in the Company, there was always a protocol she could follow, but now she realized the big picture was just people. After asking about Pharos Spire, Harper informed her that the anti air turrets were still active and almost shot Hunslett down, which didn't reveal much since the turrets were automatic. After bringing up Marlow, Hayes revealed that she had dug into his past, and revealed that Joseph Marlow is a former Weyland Yutani scientist and no one had heard from him in years. She then asked Harper about him going off the lid over his behavior, calling him out for going crazy and how it puts all of Marines and the Otago at risk. Harper confessed he heard a name and just snapped. He revealed the name was Cassandra and that it is the name of his daughter. Hayes, stunned, asked why Harper didn't reveal the information earlier. Harper claims that Cassandra hates him, that he was not around much when she was a child, and that they had not talked since her mother's funeral. He also revealed that the marriage was not happy due to the horrible conditions on Lethe, and that getting away from the planet was his main motivation for joining up with the Marines. They were then summoned to the research lab over the intercom by Becker.
At the lab, Becker proceeded to note that some of the Darwin Era cultists seemed to possess a chestburster in them contained by suspended animation, which allowed them to walk among the Xenomorph hive without being attacked. Becker then asked if Hayes had revised the policy on live specimens, but both Hayes and Harper flatly refuse to reconsider the issue. On the way back to the Command Deck, Hayes and Harper talk once again about Cassandra, with Harper noting that her being on Lethe would be his biggest motive. When Hayes asks about her age, Harper admits she would be 17, if she was even alive. Harper then noted that Hayes had seen the Darwin Era, experimenting on people's DNA, giving Cassandra's name to their main project, and wondering if she had been changed by the cultists, or if she had joined them willingly. Harper also admitted to having flashes, or visions, and believed that he could sometimes feel what the Xenomorphs are thinking, and believing that Cassandra may also have this ability, which the Darwin Era would find useful. Hayes refused to believe that, arguing that Cassandra is probably as stubborn and gritted as Harper, believing that she would never join the cult willingly, telling Harper that he had the situation under control, referring to him by his first name Jonas. Harper noted it had been years since anybody had called him by his first name. Hunslett then interrupted with a communication to the bridge. They noted that Hunslett had found a large army of Xenomorphs approaching the Otago, clearly interested in attacking. Hayes noted that if even one Xenomorph got aboard the Otago, then their chances of survival would collapse. Harper agreed and ran out to ready the Marines for deployment.
When the Marines arrived, Hayes found two particular chokepoints that could be used to keep the Xenomorphs at bay. As the Marines got ready in the Power Loader, Hayes noted that the men should hurry as the Xenomorphs would likely be on them before the turrets were set up. When the first turret arrived at its destination, Hayes expressed doubt it would work, but Harper replied that since it was a plasma turret from an APC, it would definitely work. Once the first turret was deployed, the Marines went back to deploy the second turret at the other chokepoint. Hunslett reported more Xenomorphs from the east. Once the second turret was deployed, Hunslett reported a big storm approaching. Hayes noted the size stating the Otago's weather alarms were going off, and Harper realized the Xenomorphs were using the storm to approach the Otago. Hayes further noted the storm will mess with the scanners of the turrets, and with the Otago's own sensors damaged in the crash, they would be unreliable as well. Hayes recommended using long range motion trackers with the turrets to ensure they would remain operational in the bad weather. Once the Marines got the motion trackers, Hayes marked the best locations for them to be deployed. Once the trackers were deployed and Hayes linked them to the turrets, it seemed as though it was over. However, Harper had another vision where he stated the Xenomorphs were underground. Hayes also noted a ton of signals from inside the perimeter, and using the topography scanner, learned that the Xenomorphs were using two caves to bypass their defenses and that Hunslett needed to bomb them. Harper confirmed the order, and Hayes reduced the motion tracker sensitivity to ignore the underground Xenomorphs to ensure the Marines were not surprised. Once the Marines marked the tunnels and Hunslett bombed them, clogging them and preventing the Xenomorphs from bypassing the turrets, Hayes called for the squad to return to the Otago, since the turrets would now prevent the Xenomorphs from getting anywhere near the Otago. Harper noted Hayes was getting good at being a Marine strategic officer and Hayes noted she had found her inner Marine. When Harper returned to the Otago with the squad, he told Hayes that it was the second time she had saved the Marines and that he was making her look incompetent. Hayes told Harper he shouldn't look at it like that as it turned out to her that blowing things up made her excited and released all the stress from the job, which Harper admitted was better than using alcohol. Hayes then asked Harper about his visions and Harper admitted that it was overwhelming when it started and very painful, and he admitted that since it makes him incapable in the field, he would stick to staying in the ARC. When Hayes suggested that it would be best if he spoke with Bookard, Kabiri or Becker, Harper flatly refused to see Becker, but would see Bookard if the visions got worse.
==Contact with Pharos Spire and Storming Pioneer Station==
The Otago was then contacted by Director Barbara Price, the head of Weyland Yutani on Lethe. Overjoyed to learn that the director was alive, Maeko answered the call. Price showed surprise at Maeko being alive, having believed everyone on Pioneer was dead. Harper noted that Pioneer was overrun, before introducing himself to Price. Price noted that they had issues as well, as with the Xenomorph outbreak, Pharos Spire was on lockdown, but Price's commandoes managed to retake Jackson's Landing and its communications base. Price noted it the situation was horrible, but she was happy to see the quarantine protocols were working. Hayes admitted she had authorized them, as she felt there was no other option, and that they had been fighting the Xenomorphs ever since. Price noted that Hayes had taken control of a USCM and the Marines aboard, and that Hayes was being more resourceful than implied in her psychological profile. Price admitted that Hayes had done the right thing in activating the quarantine protocols, but admitted that her superiors did not share her views on containment. Price then revealed that a few hours ago, the Cerberus Protocol had begun a countdown to activating its second phase. Hayes, stunned to hear about Cerberus having a second phase, asked, and Price revealed the second phase was nuclear sterilization. A horrified Harper asked about nuclear sterilization meaning the entire planet they were stuck on would be bombarded with nuclear weapons, killing everyone on the surface of Lethe. Price admitted that Weyland Yutani would not recognize mistakes, and that the phase two surprised even her. Harper said he would find another job if he was in Weyland Yutani, and Price admitted she would consider it if she survived. Price noted they were not out of options, as while the satellites were coming online, the Protocol could be stopped in Pioneer Station. Price had sent a team there already, but they had already been butchered by the Xenomorphs. Price noted that with Harper's men, Maeko's knowledge of Cerberus and Pioneer and Price's level of clearance, they could stop Cerberus, and asked the Marines to trust her. Hayes immediately said they would send a Marine squad to Pioneer, and Harper agreed, noting that if they required any further help, he would be on communications. 
Once the Marines landed at Pioneer, Harper confirmed the power was out station wide. Harper ordered the squad to proceed to the Transit Hub in order to restore power, since they would need it to deactivate Cerberus. Hayes noted the station's basic operations were still functional and the squad was able to leave the hangar. The marines could not go to the transit area due to the power outage, and Hayes revealed there was an emergency generator that should restore power. The service elevator that led to it ran on a different power circuit that should still be functional. Hayes unlocked the door that led to the elevator, but warned the Marines it would mean going through the Storage Area, and told the Marines to be cautious. When the Marines reached the elevator, they were spooked by a rat. Hunslett mockingly told the Marines to kill the rat since it would eat them alive, but Harper scolded Hunslett and noted the false alarm, before telling the Marines to use the elevator and take it to the headquarters generator. When they reached the floor they needed, Hayes said the Marines should use the catwalk, as it would lead straight to the generator. On the way, electrical wires broke apart, and Harper noted the station was falling apart. Hayes stated that even before the Xenomorphs, the station was in poor condition and it was a struggle to keep it functional. Pioneer was not meant to last long, but Hayes it was cheaper to do maintenance work than build a completely new station, to which Harper noted resembled Weyland Yutani's modus operandi of always taking the cheaper option. When the Marines reached the generator, Hayes noted it should work, since it was designed for frontier work, and could handle rough handling, before noting the Marines could not break it. Harper asked Hayes not to set challenges for the Marines before having the Marines activate the generator. The generator restored power to the station, and Hunslett confirmed that the entire station had power. However, it also alerted the Xenomorphs to intruders on the station and the Marines were attacked. After fighting off the Xenomorphs, Hayes noted that Price had stated her commandoes would have a codebreaker and they could not get into the AI Room without it due to the room being extremely secure. Hayes also told Harper that the AI Room would not automatically shut down Cerberus, but it would hold the cancellation sequence. Harper then ordered the Marines to find the commandoes, and Hayes found a Security Room where the cameras would allow the Marines to find the commandoes. Using the cameras, Hayes found one of the commandoes and encouraged the Marines to search him. When the Marines reached the body, they found the commando did not have the Codebreaker, but Harper noted the trail of corpses. Hayes was surprised, noting that Weyland Yutani Commandoes were supposed to be the strongest fighters in the galaxy. Harper did not deny the commandoes skill in fighting, but noted that the Xenomorphs were much stronger. Following the trail, the Marines found the commando team leader, and Hayes noted that the leader should have the Codebreaker. After the Marines got the Codebreaker, Harper told the Marines to follow Hayes's instructions and head for the AI Room. Upon reaching the AI Room, Hayes pointed out that the Codebreaker will get the cancellation sequence, but it would take time, and the device would be perceived as an intruder by the system. As a result, alarms would be blaring across Pioneer, alerting the Xenomorphs fully to the intrusion. The first attempt failed, and alarms blared all over the station. After fighting off waves of Xenomorphs, the Marines tried again, and the Codebreaker worked. The Marines entered the AI Room, and they plugged Hayes into the system to get the code for the Cerberus deactivation sequence. Hayes retrieved, and they would have to return to the elevator that they found Hayes at when the outbreak started, since the deactivation sequence would only work in the Cerberus room. When the Marines took the elevator to the Command level, they were attacked by the androids. Hayes noted that protecting Cerberus was in their programming and they could not fight it. As the Marines entered the Cerberus Room, they found it was being used by a Queen as the heart of the Hive. The synthetics proceeded to activate and attack the Marines. During the fight, the synthetic processing units exploded, alerting the Queen to the Marines. Infuriated by the Marine presence so close to her, she attacked the squad. The Queen, and the remaining synthetics were destroyed. When the Marines put in the cancelation sequence, the system refused to shut the protocol down, stating the infestation had reached critical levels, with the planet's surface being expendable and chance to deactivate Phase 2 of Cerberus had expired. A horrified Hayes proceeded to tell Harper that they were too late, that there was nothing they could do and Cerberus would nuke the planet. Hayes solemnly told Harper there was nothing left on Pioneer and that the Marines should return to the Otago. 
== Plans to leave Lethe and Repairing the Otago ==
Upon returning to the Otago, Harper asked Hayes and Price to explain what happened on Pioneer. Price noted that her superiors had aggressively exploited Lethe, and Harper informed Price that he had fought in the 2177 uprising against Weyland Yutani, where he witnessed the ruthless approach of Weyland Yutani, saying he was fully aware of how happy Weyland Yutani was to spill blood if it meant helping their coffers. Hayes called on Harper to calm down, noting they still had enough time to leave, but Harper pointed out that the Otago was damaged, and that it could not fly. Price argued that their chief engineer would know for certain if the Otago could fly, and Hayes asked if they should ask Corrigan, to see if the Otago could be fixed. The two head to the workshop, where Harper tells Corrigan about the nukes, only for Corrigan to state that she already knows. Harper then asks about if the Otago could become space worthy again. Corrigan admits that it can be repaired and fly through space again with the right materials, but in order to escape the Cerberus blockade, they will need a stronger shield and enough hypersleep chambers for everybody. When Harper asks about staying in orbit, near Pioneer, Hayes points out that low orbit will not be enough to escape or survive a nuclear bombardment, and Corrigan tells Harper that Hayes is correct and that a stronger shield will be needed. Corrigan says a massive external power source will be needed for the shield, and a possible replacement for the gas mixing chip, which was lost when the Hypersleep generator was damaged in the crash from orbit. Harper tells Corrigan to let him find the missing parts, and tells Hayes they will talk to Director Price. Harper tells Corrigan to get the ship fixed, and fast for when they leave. Returning to the bridge, Harper talks with Price, noting that it was time for Weyland Yutani to live up to the company's motto of "building better worlds" and asked if anything Lethe had a large power source. Hayes told Price that Corrigan believed a large power source could allow the shield to break though the Cerberus blockade. When Hayes suggested that Pharos Spire could have such a power source, Price admitted it did not, but had a better option, but wanted to make a deal. Price asked if she and her staff would be allowed on Otago and when Harper asked about the deal, Price made the offer of being allowed onto the Otago and in exchange, Price would rescue his daughter. Harper, and Hayes were both stunned to hear about Cassandra, and Harper asked if she was alive. Price stated that as the head of Weyland Yutani's operations on Lethe, she had complete access to all of the tracking devices, and confirmed that Cassandra was indeed alive. Price admitted that one of her mercenaries, Theo Stern was leading a team for her at the moment. Price was adamant on the deal, and asked for Harper's word. As Harper became more agitated, Hayes managed to calm Harper down and told Price she had Harper's word, and they would be allowed onto the Otagao, and then asked where they could get the necessary energy for the shield to escape Lethe. Price stated that the power source was in an Atmospheric Processor, they buildings that allowed humans to breathe on the rock without wearing space suits. One of them, Sigma 12 still had a functional power core the Marines could use. Price pointed out to Harper that they did make better worlds, before closing the line. Hayes told Harper to send a Marine team and that she would guide them.
The Marines arrived at Sigma 12. Hayes told the Marines that because the power core was on standby mode, there could be workers performing maintenance on it. Harper told the Marines to head to the Administration building and plug Hayes into the network to see if there was anyone still alive. The squad found a worker who had been chestbursted, confirming a Xenomorph infestation. Once they entered the Administration Building, they found a recording of the plant's director revealing that Price had not bothered to evacuate the staff. Hayes pointed out the Darwin Era had infiltrated the plant and had caused the infestation. Once the Marines entered the processor, fighting their way through a horde of Xenomorphs, the Marines made their way to the Helium Storage area. They were immediately attacked by a horde of Xenomorphs. Harper attempted to warn the squad, but the visions of the Hive caused Harper to black out. Hayes immediately realized the attacks were coming underneath the pipes and directed the Marines to the Pressure Control Room, and freeze the pipes and repel the Xenomorphs. The Marines did as Hayes instructed, and Harper, who had by now recovered, told the Marines that if he fell unconscious again, Hayes was the one in charge. Hayes informed the Marines to look for a malfunctioning door as it would indicate the power core would be nearby. The Marines then managed to enter the Processor interior, and managed to recover an M577 Armored Personnel Carrier. The Marines left the processor in order to salvage the APC, then returned to the Processor. When the Marines found the door, they soon found a large terminal, which Hayes realized would activate an elevator that lead straight to the Power Core after shutting down the Core's containment measures. Once the Marines activated the terminal, a horde of Xenomorphs swarmed them. Hayes realized that in order for the elevator to work, the Marines would have to activate two additional terminals that would shut off the containment measures. Once the Marines did that, Hayes noted that the squad deserved medals, and that the elevator would work fine and that there no containment measures to worry about, as Harper told the Marines to get the Power Core as the Xenomorphs backed off due to the high number of casualties. However, once the Marines reached the Core, the squad discovered that a Xenomorph Queen had set up a Hive directly above the Core. Hayes declared that since the Queen was guarding the Core, the Marines had to kill it, though Harper noted killing a Queen was easier said than done. The Marines soon found several pillars sending out fatal electrical surges, that would kill both Xenomorphs and humans. The Marines activated another bridge to allow them to attack the Queen, and once the Queen was dead, the Marines took the Power Core. Harper hoped that with the Power Core, Corrigan could make the shield withstand the Cerberus blockade, and ordered the Marines to return to the Otago. Upon the Marines return, Hayes noted that with a Queen dead, and the power core with them, it felt like the Marines first big win since they crashed. Harper wasn't so certain and asked if Price had left any updates about Cassandra. Hayes stated that they would contact Price, but after Harper see Bookard due to the fact Harper needed a medical assessment due to blacking out. Harper attempted to argue it was nothing and he just needed to know Cassandra was not in jeopardy. Hayes told Harper she felt Cassandra was fine, then asked Sergeant Martinez about the APC. Martineze noted that despite some minor damage, the APC would be easily fixed and the Marines could now deploy larger squads on future deployments. Hayes then proceeded to take Harper to the Medical Quarters, where Bookard noted how horrible Harper looked. Bookard noted that Harper was finally facing his problem before they became an issue for the whole crew, and noted that the Marines had long talked about his poor health. Hayes noted that the Marines were on his side, and Bookard gave him a sedative that would deal with the worst of his illness, with the belief that once Harper left the planet, and would not be exposed to the Xenomorph presence, he would get better. Harper took the medicine and left the Medical Quarters, telling Hayes he would see her at the Command Deck.
The two spoke with Price, and asked about Cassandra. Price told Harper that she was informed by Stern that he was about to find Cassandra. If things were fortunate, the two would be back at Pharos Spire shortly. When Harper asked if he could speak with her, Price informed the weather would not allow that, but Cassandra would be safe in Pharos Spire. Harper noted they got the Power Core, and it would soon be adjusted to power the shield. Hayes noted that it would only solve one issue, and they still needed to fix the Hypersleep Chamber. In order to find the right gas mixing chip, Hayes suggested one of the ships at Jackson's Landing. Harper told Hayes that Corrigan said they wouldn't work with the Otago's systems, but the Bison at Berkley's Docks could work. When Hayes about the Bison, Harper noted the Monterro was used by rebels to flee the planet during the 2177 uprising against Weyland Yutani. Harper boarded the vessel and grounded it, and when Hayes asked if it would work, Harper noted the Monterro was there at Berkleys for them to check. Hayes noted that they had to be certain it would work, because any small mistake during hypersleep would kill them all. Harper noted the small chance it would work, but they didn't have any other options to go for. Price proceeded to state her knowledge of Joseph Marlow, only for Harper to reveal the Marines already knew about his founding of the Darwin Era. Price noted he was the architect of the Xenomorph outbreak, and that the Monterro was being swarmed in the previous days, as the Darwin Era was trying to flee. Harper noted that the Darwin Era being in control of the Monterro just gave them more reason to send a team there anyway, furthermore, Harper made it clear to Price that if Cassandra was not safe, she would not be allowed aboard the Otago. When the Marines arrived at Berkley's Docks, Harper said they should enter the Monterro, get the chip and leave, and Hayes noted that he was learning about doing things the simple and quick way, to which Harper noted he was easily swayed. Upon the Marines entering the ship, they were ambushed by the Darwin Era. After defeating the ambush, Hayes noted she had seen the Monterro's class of ships frequently on Pioneer and told the Marines the Hypersleep Chambers would be close to the vessel's bridge. Upon reaching the Hypersleep Chamber doors, the doors were locked. However, Harper noted that the doors all ran on a single circuit and that the Control Room would unlock them. The Control Room would be at the far end of the ship, since Harper and the Marines had breached there first back in the 2177 uprising. Upon entering the Control Room, the Darwin Era fought to prevent the Marines from taking the room. Upon the room being cleared, the voice of a young woman was heard mentioning an Alpha Class Brood making an aggressive attack on Sector 15. Hayes noted the voice and wondered if it was Cassandra. Harper denied it, but he was clearly rattled and suggested it was in the comm links of the Darwin Era. Upon activating the doors to the Hypersleep Chambers, the MOTHER AI promptly shut down access, with Harper noting he hated them. However, Hayes noted that the AI was just fulfilling its programming. The Marines went to find the AI Room to shut off Mother and her protections. As the Marines got close to the AI Room, they heard the same voice again, mentioning a Gamma Class Brood attacking a location called Kappa, with injuries theorized. Hayes was adamant that the voice was Cassandra, but Harper did not believe it to be Cassandra, arguing that by denying it was Cassandra, he was putting his faith in Price. Once the Marines entered the AI Room, Hayes noted the age of the MOTHER AI and asked for a moment. After deactivating the Hypersleep safeguards, the Marines could finally get to the Hypersleep Chambers. Upon entering the Hypersleep Chambers, Harper confirmed that the chip would be compatible and it would be in the middle of the tubes. Hayes noted the prescense of several cultists in the chambers and Harper noted they must have been planning to flee. The Marines took the chip, and Hayes told the Marines to return to the Otago, as they now could leave Lethe.
== Imprisoned Guardian and Raid on Tantalus ==
Unfortunately, a Guardian had managed to sneak onboard to the dropship by hiding on the roof of the APC, and he promptly announced his presence to the Marines when they returned to the Otago. As the Marines raised their weapons at the intruder and wondered how he got aboard the Otago, a horrified Hayes urged the Marines to shoot the Guardian then and there. The Guardian stated he carried a message for the father, and Harper furiously screamed his name as the Guardian jumped to the floor. The Guardian noted that Harper was Cassandra's father, and he informed Harper that Marlow wanted Harper to join the Darwin Era. Desperate for information on his daughter, Harper had the Guardian taken to the containment cell in the Laboratory. At the Laboratory, Becker proceeded to ramble about the devices the Guardians were implanted with, as their prisoner finally gave him a way to study them. Becker told Hayes and Harper that everything he had theorized about the device earlier was completely correct, as Marlow had managed to stop the Chestburster from emerging from the Guardian, but the Guardian was acknowledged by the Xenomorphs as a member of the hive. When Becker proceeded to argue his doubts about the Guardian being able to control the Xenomorphs, Harper ordered the doctor to stay quiet. Harper then turned to the Guardian and told the Guardian to start talking, because Harper was seriously considering burning the Guardian with the containment cell's incendiary quarantine failsafe. The Guardian told Harper and Hayes that he only listened to Cassandra's voice and did not talk. An angered Harper warned the Guardian not to mention her, but the Guardian noted that to the Darwin Era, Cassandra was sacred and the key. A furious Harper began to lose his temper, but Hayes managed to calm Harper and asked about Cassandra being the key. The Guardian stated that Cassandra had created a telepathic link between the Guardians and the Xenomorph Hive, and allowing them to understand the Xenomorphs desires and feelings, and what the Guardian presumed was a new stage of human evolution. Harper finally snapped and demanded to know where Cassandra was. The Guardian replied that Cassandra was still with Marlow. Incensed, and believing Price had lied to him, Harper stated his intent to confront Price, while Hayes told Becker to keep an eye on the Guardian. Hayes pleaded with Harper to be reasonable, as she felt that Price still had Cassandra. Unbeknownst to the two, the Chestburster erupted from the Guardian, revealing that Marlow's method of preventing the Chestburster from being born was only temporary, and Becker had failed to burn the Chestburster in the containment cell.
Hayes and Harper returned to the bridge, where Hayes asked Price about Cassandra. Price apologizes, stating she did everything she could, but there is no word from the rescue party about where they are. Harper, sick of Price's stories, demands to know where Cassandra, and asking if Price is working with Marlow. Price denies being involved with Marlow, and states that Cassandra is alive. Harper demands to know where, and Price states Cassandra's last known location was at Tantalus, an underground Weyland Yutani lab created from before Price was in charge on Lethe. Harper demands the coordinates and states the Marines are going there. Hayes, now having serious doubts about Price herself, immediately goes to monitor intelligence for the Marines. Price pleads with Hayes to believe her about Cassandra and states she can explain. Hayes makes it clear to Price that while she will give Price a chance to explain, she makes it clear she wants to have the public see the real Weyland Yutani and not the ruthless callous side she has been seeing, but arguing that right now, Harper needed her. The Marines arrived at Tantalus, and Hayes warned the Marines to check their fire due to Cassandra being in the area. Upon finding the road blocked, the Marines used C4 to make a path. As the Marines traversed the ridge towards the lab, Harper, suffering from more visions, confirmed he could not sense any more Xenomorphs, and Hayes called Harper by his first name to be certain he was all right. Harper stated he had been better, and admitted the sedative Bookard had given him was working. Hunslett reported that Darwin Era cultists were approaching and Harper ordered the squad into cover. Once the cultists were cleared out, Harper noted the large amount of cultists, and how fast they were to get to the lab, noting it would not be easy to find Cassandra, with Hayes stating they would find her. Hunslett reported being able to see the northern structure, and that it was accessible from a western route. Harper noted that the buildings did not look like a top secret lab, and Hayes pointed out the real facilities would be underground. Hayes also pointed out that Price's squad had lost contact with Price before they could determine where the lab really was, and Hayes would need a SatCom link to find the lab's location. Hunslett confirmed a SatCom uplink on the main building's second floor. Harper ordered the Marines to activate the link so they could find the lab and find Cassandra. Upon reaching the SatCom console, Hayes discovered that it was built underneath the Mountain, with a blast resitance elevator shaft being the only way down. Without access codes, Hayes found some Power Loaders in Hangar C that could possibly force the door open and allow the Marines to enter. Without any other choices, Harper ordered the Marines to go to the hangar and use the Power Loaders. Upon reaching the Power Loader, one of the Marines operated, while the rest would cover it on its way to the door. It worked and the Power Loader was able to open the door. Harper thanked Hayes and Hayes noted she had learned from her work with the Marines, which Harper noted she had, before telling the Marines to enter the lab and find Cassandra.
Upon descending to the lab, the Marines heard a message from Marlow over the labratory's intercom, asking why the Marines struggled against the Darwin Era, and encouraged them to embrace the Xenomorphs, noting that not everyone would be chosen as a host by the Hive, but all of them could serve in the cult, before asking Harper if he was right. Hayes noted that the message was not created beforehand, and wondered if Marlow was actually in the lab. Harper hoped he was, so he could kill him. Hayes asked about Harper's health, and while Harper noted the sedatives did help, he still could hear the Xenomorph Hive. Hayes told Harper to hold it together, again calling him by his first name, noting that he would get to see his daughter again. Upon finding some test tubes, the Marines noted how spooky it was, and when Harper asked Hayes for directions, Hayes stated she had no idea, since the lab was secret and so were the plans, so she had no knowledge about it. Hayes simply told Harper to have the Marines search through the lab, recover Cassandra and return to the Otago. The Marines came to a door that had been broken apart by a Crusher, and came to a central room with multiple cells. Hayes noted the terminal at the center would control the cells, and Cassandra might be in one of them. Harper ordered the Marines to unlock the cells, and Hayes called Harper by his first name to reign him in and warning him that there was no idea what could be in the cells. Upon opening the last door, the Marines found a soldier about to be attacked by a Facehugger. Upon saving him, Harper ordered the Marines to patch him up and give him the radio frequency. Harper introduced himself, and the soldier revealed himself as Theo Stern, Captain in Weyland Yutani Corporate Security. Harper noted that it was Price's associate and asked how he got in the cell. Stern replied he was chasing Cassandra and losing all of his soldiers, noting the base was a nightmare. Hayes made it clear they already knew, and introduced herself, notably, formerly of Pioneer Station. Stern noted he had to heal a wound very fast and asked if he could enter the APC, stating he knew how to get out of the lab, and could unlock the inner base for them. Stern unlocked the rest of the lab's doors and Harper allowed him into the APC, but warned Stern not to try anything, to which Stern made clear he would not. Hayes noted that with the rest of the lab unlocked, the Marines needed to search the rest of the lab to find Cassandra. Marlow spoke again, declaring that the Xenomorph was a new stage of human evolution and the ultimate lifeform. Harper encouraged Marlow to keep speaking, as he would happily kill the scientist over kidnapping Cassandra. Upon reaching another large lab, they noted plenty of corpses. Stern revealed that they were prisoners, used as subjects in Marlow's experiments. Markham, Stern's second in command was adamant on trying to save Marlow's prisoners, and Stern conceded, but the cultists ambushed them and slaughtered them all, with the prisoners similarly attacking them. Whatever Marlow was doing to them led them to agree with them. When Hayes expressed sympathy over Stern's loss of men, Stern noted that it was his decision to try the rescue that led to it. When asked by Hayes about the lab, Stern noted Price did not give him any information, and generally would not if she did not think you were worthy or needed to have that information. Upon reaching the Surveillance Room, they found nothing, and Harper was furious. Hayes noted they were getting there, and the Surveillance Room would allow the Marines the rooms with maximum security. Harper told the Marines to use the Surveillance Room, but to hurry, since the Xenomorphs knew the Marines were in the lab. The Marines came upon an Examination Room and it became obvious to Hayes that Marlow needed the Queens to create the eggs for his experiments. Harper noted the Queen had been in pain from being in captivity, and when Hayes noted Harper's sympathetic tone, Harper said the Queen's desire for revenge against Marlow was what he understood, not sympathy. 
At last, the Marines came to a special room, where Hayes reckoned Cassandra could have been held and asked Stern about it. Stern expressed confusion, noting that Cassandra was a project and a secret Weyland Yutani one, revealing that Stern had been lied to. Harper growled that Cassandra was his daughter, and they believed that Marlow was interested, and from how Stern had just described Cassandra as a project, so was Price. Stern pointed he had never been sent as a rescuer, nor had he wanted his team to get slaughtered, and that it was a misunderstanding. Harper noted he was the one who had lost everything, though Stern noted all of his soldiers had been killed in the lab. Harper demanded answers and Hayes told the squad to patch her into the terminal in the room. When the Marines managed to get her the Cradle records, Hayes noted the poor security measures for something this important, Hayes asked for a moment to get all the data. However, upon getting it, a horrified Hayes asked Harper if he could see what she was seeing. Harper replied he could see it as they saw on the video the Cradle being opened, A young woman was seen being in it, asking where she was and pleading to be let go, along with having the nightmares stop, while wearing a helmet that covered everything, but her mouth. Marlow spoke to the imprisoned woman, telling her that what she was doing was necessary, with the woman replying she could not do it. Marlow stated that the pain she was enduring was horrible, but necessary, calling the woman his Cassandra, finally confirming that Marlow had Cassandra. Cassandra, despite being in pain and pleading to be let go, angrily growled that she was not Marlow's property. Marlow told Cassandra that her old life was over, and that her mind desired to be rid of her body, which Marlow believed was obsolete, declaring that he needed her and humanity needed her. Cassandra asked to be let go, and Marlow activated a serum in the helmet to allow Cassandra to sleep, with Marlow that unlike her mythological namesake, he would always listen to her, and that Marlow's cult would lead humanity into a magnificent future. Someone informed Marlow that a new Cradle was prepared, and Marlow told them to move Cassandra to a new location, but to be careful with her, since in Marlow's eyes, Cassandra was the bridge to a better humanity. Harper pleaded with Hayes to find a location for where Cassandra was moved, calling her by her first name. Both were clearly shaken by the footage, and Hayes stated that the woman was Cassandra. Harper confirmed it was, and asked for anything. Hayes looked through the files that had been uploaded to the Otago's mainframe, but the files had been heavily erased beforehand, with only some technical information about what Cassandra was hooked into, and a list of test subjects used in the device's proximity and nothing else. At this point, the Marines captured Marlow. As an alarm blared through the lab warning of a self destruct sequence, Harper ordered the Marines to capture Marlow and bring him to the APC, since they needed him to find Cassandra. As the Marines took Marlow with them through the lab, Marlow noted there was no shame in Harper using his link to the Xenomorph Hive. Marlow noted that out of all the people Weyland Yutani gave him to conduct his experiments, it was Harper that allowed him to get his breakthrough. Marlow then stated he had tested upon Harper when he was in Hypersleep years ago, and that Harper's Marine training and age meant Harper would not have the strong link to the Hive Marlow desired, so he kidnapped Cassandra for her age, lack of training, and naivete about her abilities, which would give her a stronger link to the Xenomorphs. A disgusted Harper angrily ordered the Marines to escape the lab. The Marines narrowly escaped the lab, and Harper and Stern left the APC to confront him. Harper asked why he would blow up Tantalus and all his research and asked about Cassandra. Marlow stated he didn't cause the laboratory's self destruct, it was Director Price. Price could not get the data, so she sent Stern, then Harper to get it. The second the data got to the Otago, Price destroyed the laboratory to kill all the witnesses, disgusting Stern. Harper asked about Cassandra and if she was expendable, and Marlow stated that Cassandra was not expendable, as her telepathic link to the Xenomorphs was what allowed for the outbreak to occur in the first place. When asked about her location again, Marlow said he could not tell them and Harper shot him in the leg. Hayes called out to Harper, and Stern discovered that Marlow was a synthetic body double. The synthetic double revealed that Marlow quickly became aware that Price and the rest of Weyland Yutani was going to try to steal his research and felt he could not trust anybody, but himself. Thus, Marlow created multiple synthetic doubles of himself to make sure his plans were not compromised. Harper asked where Cassandra was once again, but the synthetic stated he did not have that information. However, the synthetic told Harper that the pain he had when the Xenomorphs began communicating to him telepathically was far worse for Cassandra. At that point, Harper finally snapped and shot the synthetic repeatedly in the head, destroying it. Hayes furiously asked Harper what he had done, as they needed the double. Harper noted that the synthetic didn't know anything about Cassandra, but Hayes noted that now they would not know, but they might have if Harper had not shot him. At that point, Hayes ordered Hunslett to return the squad to the Otago, since there was nothing left at Tantalus. Stern asked to come as well, since he stated he would be killed if he went to Pharos Spire. Hayes agreed, but Stern would have to prove he could be trusted. Stern also wondered why Price went to all the trouble of destroying the lab if all the research she wanted was at the Otago. At that point, Hayes repeatedly declared something was wrong with the comm system. Stern then noticed at Harper looking horrible, before Harper fell unconscious.
== Becker's Betrayal and Securing the Otago ==
At that moment, Becker downloaded the data of the Cassandra Project into the Otago, before deactivating the ship's external comms, defensive perimeter, and the ship's security locks. After doing so, Becker lamented he didn't have any other option before opening the containment cell, revealing a fully grown Xenomorph Warrior. Becker left as the containment doors opened, and the Xenomorph entered the laboratory. Hayes noted the comm system was not working, before asking Corrigan what happened to the comms. Corrigan replied that the ship was acting weird, as all the bulkheads were open, with the Xenomorphs easily able to get in. An alarm sounded stating that the plasma turrets were offline, and a horrified Hayes realized there was a mole on the Otago. Hayes raised the alarm and ordered Sergeant Martinez to get the plasma turrets back online. As Hayes raced through the corridors, she noted Becker and called out to him, noting she did not have time for Becker's requests, before entering the laboratory and seeing the massacred staff. She whispered a horrified no as she got a glimpse of the Xenomorph. Hayes activated the decontamination protocol to keep the Xenomorph from running through the ship and warned Corrigan about the Xenomorph, telling her to get everyone into the Armory for safety, as Hayes had an idea. Hayes hoped to grab the Xenomorph pheromones Becker had and use them to lure the Xenomorph into the containment cell. Once the pheromones were set, Hayes raced to the computer. As soon as the Xenomorph entered the cell, Hayes burned the creature with the purge system in an attempt to kill it. Hayes believed she killed it, but the Xenomorph survived and ran off into the hallways as the purge lifted the contamination protocols. Hayes asked Corrigan if everyone was safe, and it turned out that Bookard was still with the wounded. Hayes raced for the Medbay, noting the Xenomorph was in the vents. Reaching the window, Hayes pleaded with Bookard to leave, but Bookard would not leave the wounded. Hayes attempted to warn Bookard of the Xenomorph, but at that point, the creature descended behind Bookard. Hayes screamed at Bookard to leave, and watched as the Xenomorph killed Bookard. Briefly grieving, before seeing the creature jump into the vents, Hayes reported Bookard was dead and Corrigan told Hayes to rush to the armory. Hayes arrived, but Corrigan could not open the door as the commands would not work. Detecting the Xenomorph on the motion tracker, Corrigan told Hayes to hide in the Hypersleep Room. After getting trapped, Hayes opened the Hypersleep Chambers to distract the Xenomorph, then ran out. However, Corrigan could not get the door open as rooms all over the ship were opening and shutting. Hayes realized Becker was responsible for all of it and ran to confront him in the Hangar. Hayes found the door to the Hangar welded shut and went to the Medbay to find a welder. Managing to recover the welder, Hayes returned to the Hangar door and cut it open, finding Becker just as he opened the Otago's roof. Calling his name, Becker revealed he was armed and opened fire. Taking cover, Hayes saw a gunship land, and Weyland Yutani commandoes enter the hangar. Taking cover, Hayes saw the ARC and noticed she had to reach it. Getting into the ARC, Hayes opened fire on the commandoes killing the, and managing to cause their gunship to crash and explode, although the ARC was disabled. Stumbling out of the ARC, Hayes was confronted by Becker. When asked why he betrayed the Otago, Becker revealed he owed money to the Company. Price offered him a deal, that his debt would be forgiven and cancelled, if he gave her the data on the Cassandra Project, and the Otago to escape. Just as Becker was about to execute Hayes, the Xenomorph Warrior appeared behind Becker, to Hayes's amusement. Becker asked what she found amusing before being impaled by the Xenomorph's tail. Hayes ran as the Xenomorph killed Becker. Hayes knew she could not escape the creature infinitely, but fled to the Generator Room and shut off the ship's reactor. Hayes shut off the power core, then hid and waited for the power core to reboot. In order to lure it into the killing zone of the reactor, Hayes taunted the creature. The Xenomorph took the bait and walked into the middle of the power core just as it restarted, electrocuting it to death. Hayes told Corrigan that she had done it and the Otago was now secure.
A little while later, Hunslett returned with the Marines, where Hayes learned about Harper falling unconscious. Looking over the wreckage in the Hangar, Stern asked what happened, and Hayes relayed Becker's betrayal and believed Price had placed Becker among the Otago if needed, and Hayes had managed to stop him. Stern noted he should have left Weyland Yutani long before this. Hayes wondered if Stern was another spy, and when Stern asked her to calm down, Hayes replied she certainly did not feel like it. Stern said that Price had betrayed him as well and made it clear he would be very willing to help the Marines to get back at her. Hayes noted that Stern was employed with Weyland Yutani, and as a mercenary. When Stern asked about if Harper was the same thing, a furious Hayes proceeded to warn Stern not to bring Harper up. Stern apologized and asked what Harper's condition was. Hayes admitted she would have to look, almost saying Bookard's name, but remembering Bookard was dead, admitted she would have to visit the Medbay. Stern encouraged Hayes to see Harper, but made it clear that if she wanted to go after Price, Stern could help the Marines breach Pharos Spire. Hayes noted that at this point, Price was the only person who could tell them about the real Marlow and Cassandra, but warned Stern that if he betrayed the Marines, he would suffer the same treatment as Price.
== Storming Pharos Spire and Confronting Director Price ==
Meeting with Martinez and Doctor Kabiri, the ship's psychologist who had taken over as medical officer of the ship with Bookard dead, Hayes asked about Harper's condition. Kabiri confirmed that they had managed to stabilize Harper, but with Bookard dead, they did not know how long that would last. Kabiri suggested putting Harper in Hypersleep and leave, but Hayes was adamant on getting Cassandra back from Marlow, saying Harper needed to know his daughter was safe. When Kabiri asked if Cassandra was alive, Hayes answered that she was alive and stated she would find her. Hayes noted that Stern had offered his help, and when Martinez questioned if Stern could be trusted, Hayes pointed out that Price was likely the only person who could tell them where Cassandra was being held, and that they would not be able to breach Pharos Spire without Stern. Noting that they had very little options, Martinez noted that Corrigan had told him that Hayes had killed the Xenomorph by using herself as bait, whistling approvingly and noting that it was an extremely daring risk she had taken. Hayes stated she did what she had to do to save the Otago. Martinez noted that Hayes was getting better at being a Marine. Kabiri asked if Hayes was fine attacking Price, and Hayes replied she would be in the APC keeping an eye on Stern to make certain he didn't betray the Marines. With it being settled that they would attack Pharos Spire, Martinez called for the crew to do it for Harper, to which Hayes agreed to do it for Harper.
On the way to Pharos Spire, Stern revealed that Hayes would be accompanying them, and that Stern had served in the Marines. Hunslett was unable to get any closer due to the large amount of anti aircraft batteries, so the Marines were set down at the streets. When asked about APC, Hayes noted it was not that comfortable and asked Stern to drive around any potholes in the road. Stern jokingly acknowledged the request and told the Marines to look for another way up the Spire in order to confront Price. Upon finding dead bodies in the streets, Stern noted that Pharos Spire usually did not have dead bodies lying in the streets, and when asked about Price by Hayes, Stern replied that Price would definitely be alive. As the Marines looked for an entrance to the Plaza for the APC, Upon finding a way to the Plaza, a dropship deployed a combat team to counter the Marines. Once the commandoes were eliminated, Hayes inferred that Stern had alerted them to the Marines, but Stern was adamant that if she wanted to bring down Price, she would have to trust Stern to which Hayes agreed. When the Marines approached the Spire, it was on full lockdown. However, Stern revealed that during the 2177 uprising, rebels detonated a truck of explosives that almost took the building out. Weyland Yutani never bothered to fix the damage and the APC's plasma cannon would easily allow the Marines entry, if it could get into the plaza. Hayes recalled the squad passing a supply warehouse that could unlock the gates and let the APC in. As the Marines approached the security perimeter for the Spire, Stern noted he never thought he would have to fight past his own defenses, and Hayes sympathized due to having to do the same thing at Pioneer. Hunslett noted another commando squad, and Stern recognized they were Price's personal bodyguard, and showed no sympathy to them getting slaughtered by the Marines or the Xenomorphs. When one mercenary seemed to be on the brink of surrendering, Hayes called for the Marines to hold fire due to civilians due to being present, although Stern left the final call to the Marines. Upon entering the warehouse, Hayes noticed the Xenomorph Hive, and the Marines proceeded to open the gates, allowing the APC to enter the Plaza. When the Marines reached the APC, Hayes told the Marines to put C4 on the damaged wall in the event the plasma cannon could not break it. Hayes noted that storming Pharos Spire was a very empathetic offer of resignation, then detonated the explosives, before Stern drove the APC through the damaged wall. The APC breached the wall. Stern moved the APC to the atrium to defend the breach, while Hayes told the Marines to find a way to move up to the second floor. Upon reaching the main floor, the elevators were offline and the commandoes ambushed the Marines. Price simply had too many commandoes and the Marines needed a way to even the odds. Hayes called for shutting off the Spire's outer defenses, allowing the Xenomorphs to attack the building and forcing the commandoes to fight them. Using the cameras to shut down the defenses, Stern shut off the defenses and the Xenomorphs swarmed into the Spire. The Marines would then need to get a security pass to get to the Executive Level, and that would be acquired at the Security Level. When the Marines reached the Security Level, Stern suggested the Security Level, in the event there was a spare pass there. There was no pass, but the cameras revealed multiple commandoes. Hayes asked to shut off the fans so the Xenomorphs could use the vents and attack the commandoes. The Marines fought Price's commandoes to find a pass to Price's office, After recovering the pass, Hunslett reported a large amount of Xenomorphs climbing the Spire, and Stern ordered the Marines to take defensive positions. After repelling the Xenomorphs, Hunslett urged the Marines to get to the next level of the building. Upon reaching the next floor, one of the commandoes expressed surprise the Marines made it this high up the building, but Hunslett the Xenomorphs rapidly scaling the building. After clearing the opening room, Stern told Hayes that the main door in the room led to a landing pad and Price's office, but they would need a security pass from the Main Security Hall in order to gain access to it. Finding the Main Security Room locked, Hayes asked if there was another way, and Stern said that in order to open it, the Marines would have to check the Control Room and see what could be possible. Upon entering the Control Room, Hayes saw a dropship and warned the Marines it would be an issue, only for Hunslett to state she could take out the dropship if the Marines deactivated the anti aircraft batteries. Hayes asked Stern if they could deactivate the turrets in the Security Room and Stern admitted they could. Stern told the squad in the Control Room to look and see if there were any structural integrity issues in the Security Room. It was revealed that one of Stern's men had found a structural weakness while smuggling weapons, and it would serve as their way into the Security Room. Finding the structural weakness in the Armory, and planting C4 on it, Stern noted they would be able to take the route through the Barracks and into the Security Room. Stern noted the commandoes were readying themselves for a final stand. When Hayes asked Stern if he was all right, as these were his men, Stern pointed out they were Price's orders, not his and she would have thrown them away in order to save herself and the Company in a heartbeat. Upon reaching the Security Room, the Marines used the console and opened the doors to the landing pad. However there was no way to shut off the turrets, the Marines would have to disable them manually. As the Marines ran onto the landing pad, Hayes asked about using explosives, but Stern pointed out that with the dropship still flying around, lighting the area up would be suicidal. Conceding, Hayes told Hunslett to wait for their signal, and the Marines would shut off the turrets manually. The Marines deactivated one turret, and then ran for the other one. Once the second turret was deacivated, Hayes gave Hunslett the all clear. Hunslett proceeded to cause the dropship to crash after a brief dogfight. With the dropship down, the Marines took Price's private elevator to her office. Once the final commandoes defending Price's office were taken down, Price had no more defenses left. With the Spire on lockdown, the only way into Price's office was for a biometric scan that could only be passed by a senior executive, and only Hayes would be able to pass it. Hayes called Hunslett to pick her up, but the amount of creatures meant leaving the APC would be suicidal. The Marines secured Price's personal landing pad so Hayes could access Price's office. After clearing the Xenomorphs from the landing pad, Hunslett set down and Hayes joined the squad. Hayes used the biometric scanner and passed the test, entering Price's office, while the Marines stood guard outside.
Upon entering the office, Price was seen holding a pistol, but upon seeing Hayes, Price expressed relief. Price expressed belief that together, the two could fix the mess on Lethe. But Hayes was aghast at trying to fix and continue Weyland Yutani's operations on Lethe after all the deaths that occurred in it. Price pointed out that Hayes was the one who was responsible for activating the Cerberus Protocol, and largely contributed to the death toll. Hayes replies she did activate Cerberus and that she had no other choice. Price argued that Hayes understood that Weyland Yutani and the public's interest were the same thing, and that Marlow was right, before he went insane, and that the Xenomorphs he discovered in Olduvai, had limitless opportunities for medicine, space exploration, and warfare. Hayes replied she could never accept trying to use the Xenomorphs after all of the chaos and death the Xenomorphs had caused. Price then mentioned all the money Weyland Yutani could make utilizing the Xenomorphs, mentioning stations far bigger than Pioneer ever was. A horrified Hayes called Price for reducing the Xenomorphs down to money and statistics, questioning how she could be so ruthless. Price asked Hayes not to give her a lecture and asked what she thought she was. Hayes replied that she was synthetic. Amused, Price asked how Hayes could possibly believe her to be a synthetic, asking how a synthetic could have run Weyland Yutani's operations on Lethe. Hayes pointed how easy it was to believe, two teams abandoned to die, and the knowledge of Pioneer Station and the Atmospheric Protocols, not to mention the way that she assessed things. Price pointed out she was the Director of Operations on the planet, but Hayes stated that despite that rank, it was not enough to halt the Phase 2 of Cerberus. Price argued that everything on Lethe was hers and she could have saved and stopped all the deaths, but Hayes replied Price had all of that power to stop Marlow and did absolutely nothing to stop or hinder his plans. The only steps she took were to help Weyland Yutani and never try to save anybody else in the mess. Hayes pointed out that Harper would have allowed Price aboard the Otago, but Price never considered that idea. Hayes then pointed out that Price never once considered trying to flee Lethe even once, and that a human would have seriously considered fleeing the second Phase 2 became unstoppable. Price pointed out that she did not have any assets left or Marlow's research, since it was all in the Otago, and pleaded with Hayes to take her with them, regardless of what happened to the data. Hayes asked about Cassandra, where she was, or if she was even alive, wondering if a synthetic would have that information. Price angrily insisted she was not a synth, and stated that Cassandra was likely in Marlow's city underneath Olduvai. She revealed that Marlow had found an ancient alien city underneath Olduvai that he was obsessed with, until he became obsessed with Cassandra, stating it would be the only place Marlow would dare to keep Cassandra, and pleaded to be taken back to the Otago. Disgusted, Hayes refused. As Price insisted she was not a synthetic, Hayes pointed that with of Price's choices, it was obvious to her that Price was inhuman regardless. Hayes left the office, as Price pointed her pistol at Hayes. Screaming that she was not synthetic, Price broke down as the Xenomorphs climbed the Spire to her office, while Hayes and the rest of the Marines returned to the Otago, leaving Price to the Xenomorphs. 
== Storming Olduvai, Saving Cassandra and Fleeing Lethe ==
Upon returning to the Otago, the perimeter alarms were blaring and Hunslett reported a massive army of Xenomorphs swarming around the Otago. Hayes ordered Stern to get all the Marines into a defensive formation immediately. Hayes then visited Harper in the Medbay, where Stern reported that their defenses were stable for the moment. However, Stern noted that Harper was looking worse, and Harper was shaking, muttering and calling out to Cassandra, with his vital signs in freefall. Stern noted that if they got clear from the Xenomorphs, Harper could come back. Hayes noted it may happen, while promising Harper they would get Cassandra back from Marlow, calling him by his first name to provide emphasis on it. At the bridge, Corrigan reported the Power Core made the shield operational, and the Hypersleep Chambers were ready, asking if Hayes was ready to take their chances with the Cerberus satellites. However, Hayes called for holding the line. Corrigan was horrified, as the Xenomorphs were all around the Otago and Cerberus was about to launch its second phase and nuke Lethe from orbit. However, Hayes revealed Price's intelligence about Marlow having an ancient city, that were multiple prisoners there and she would not leave them to die to Cerberus, while stating Cassandra was alive for certain. It would be close, but they could pull it off. Stern asked Hayes if she was comfortable risking all of the Otago's crew, and Hayes answered yes, because the job was to save everybody, echoing Harper's words when he rescued her and brought her to the Otago. Hayes stated that she and Stern were part of it, and that they owed those people, because they looked away and did their jobs for Weyland Yutani. Those people were in peril because of Weyland Yutani saw them as only statistics and not people. Stern, after a second, agreed with Hayes, who stated she needed Stern to run oversight from the APC. Hayes then had the Otago take to the air and set a course for Olduvai. On the way, she briefed the Marines. Hayes told the Marines she was asking something from them. She admitted she could not give one of Harper's speeches, only a phrase that if you save one life, you save the entire world. While the phrase would not matter on Lethe due to Cerberus, and that many lives had to be saved due to Cerberus anyway, but there was one last operation to wage on Lethe. She noted that Marlow and the remnants of his cult were holed up in Olduvai, and while the Marines could take the simple option and leave them to burn in the Cerberus nuclear bombardment, there were many captives they had including Harper's daughter. Hayes stated that Harper was the reason they were all alive ever since the outbreak started, they had a debt to him and they would pay that debt and save Cassandra. The plan was to reach the mine and deploy two teams, one would secure a safe landing site, and the other one would look for the captives, including Cassandra. Hayes noted that with Cerberus, the cultists, and the Xenomorphs, there was a high risk it would be a one way trip. The Otago itself would stay airborne. If it was not possible to save the prisoners, the Otago would leave Lethe without the Marines would fight until they were killed. Hayes noted the Marines were survivors that had proven themselves in the outbreak, and stated she knew they would not fail her.
Upon reaching the Dig Site, Hayes told the squad that while they knew the place, but if Price was correct and there was a city, they would have to go deeper. Hayes said they would save all of the prisoners, including Cassandra, and told the Marines to look for a special elevator to reach the city. Upon finding a door to the main freight elevator, the Marines rescued a survivor, who stated that the cult was taking people down to the mine. Upon descending deeper into the mine, the cult activated the alarm. Stern cleared out the cultists with the APC's cannons while Hayes told the squad to check the Security Room for cameras. After using the cameras and deactivating the alarm, the Marines moved to clear the area. After exploring the complex and not finding Cassandra, the Marines opened the bulkhead doors and summoned the APC. After the APC was summoned, a barricade was destroyed with explosives. The Marines then made their way to the garage. Upon reaching the garage, it turned out the cultists had heavily fortified. The Marines opened the garage's doors and Stern destroyed the cultists with the APC. The airlock was shut, but Stern pointed out the cultists trying to stop them showed they were on the right track. The Marines then went to the control room to try to open the airlock. Upon reaching the control room, they activated the elevator and the airlock. Upon returning to the elevator, the Marines took it down to the lower levels of the mine. Upon reaching the lower levels, it turned out that due to the Trimonite, the Motion Trackers would not work. While searching the mine, the cultists killed the power, forcing the Marines to find the standalone generator they were using. Once the generator was brought back online, a bulkhead door the Marines saw earlier through the cameras was brought back online. Entering the door and coming to a large room, the Marines found doors that Hayes recognized were especially secure and would require using Codebreakers on three different terminals, which would inevitably trigger alarms. Stern quipped the designs of Weyland Yutani engineers before having the Marines prepare for a Xenomorph attack. After all three terminals had the opening sequence activated, the door opened and the Marines retreated into the open room. The Marines then activated an emergency lockdown to keep the Xenomorphs from pursuing them. Continuing to explore the mine, the Marines found another elevator. Taking the elevator back to the surface, it turned out the Marines were on the other side of the airlock, with their Motion Trackers and comms back. Hayes and Stern ordered the Marines to defeat the Guardians and open the door for the APC. Once the Guardians were down and the APC entered the room, the complex was searched for Cassandra. While exploring, the Marines found another bulkhead door that was badly damaged. The door's lock was damaged and the door would have to be forced open. There were several Power Loaders that could force the door open if they were not too old and could still work. Hayes ordered the Marines to find a Power Loader and force the door open. As soon as one of the Marines entered the Power Loader, a massive horde of Xenomorphs was detected. The Marines escorted the Power Loader to the door. After the Power Loader managed to force the door open, the Marines resumed the search for Cassandra. The Marines came across the Weyland Yutani Restricted Area, and Hayes realized that Cassandra was being held in that area. Moving through the mine, they discovered a Xenomorph Hive, and Hayes warned the squad to be extremely cautious. As the Marines cautiously went through the Hive, the Marines discovered a Xenomorph Queen. Realizing there was no way to look for Cassandra further with a Queen alive, Hayes and Stern ordered the Marines to kill it. The Marines engaged the Queen in battle and managed to kill it. With the Queen dead, the Marines looked for a way into the cult's stronghold. Coming to a terminal, Hayes told the Marines she believed they had found the stronghold, and the elevator to the city. Finding a large amount of Guardians protecting another bulkhead door, the Marines cleared out the Guardians and let in Stern and the APC. When the APC entered, Hayes noted that they were at an elevator leading down deep beneath the mines. Stern noted that it would indeed be the city Price mentioned and wondered if it was real, though Hayes noted it would be the only place Cassandra could be now, and ordered the Marines to activate the landing pad for Hunslett. As the landing pad activated, Hayes cursed the Weyland Yutani protocols, as the alarm would alert everything remaining in the mine to the intruders. Hunslett as fast as possible through the narrow tunnels, while the Marines held their ground. 
When Hunslett arrived with the reinforcements, Hayes and Sergeant Martinez were there with them, with Hayes dressed in a Colonial Marine outfit, wielding a pulse rifle and shotgun. When asked what she was doing, and Hayes stated that she had made Harper a promise to get Cassandra back, and she would see to it personally. Stern and Martinez, after reminding her about Cerberus, joined her and they took the elevator down to the city, while the rest of the Marines held the landing zone. When the three reached the bottom of the elevator, they were stunned to see the entrance of a city. Hayes told the other two that they had to find Cassandra. After taking a few steps down the walkway, Stern noted the city was old, very old, and Hayes stated that the air was strange humanity was never meant enter it, and that they were not wanted, while Martinez commented on the place's size. The three came across a ring of dead Guardians, and the corpse of Marlow, who had died from a Chestburster long before. They were then met by another Marlow synthetic, who welcomed them to Marlow's tomb, and referred to itself as Marlow's legacy. Stern wondered how many synthetic copies Marlow created of himself, while Hayes asked about Cassandra. The synthetic replied that Cassandra was deeper in the city. Continuing their walk through the city, the three found another Marlow android, who noted the presence of the trio and talked about the Xenomorphs, wondering about the first encounter between humanity and the Xenomorphs. Moving deeper into the city, Hayes noted the size of the city and wondered where Cassandra was. The three then found the corpse of a massive worm like alien, which clearly lived in the old city. Hayes, however saw the chest and realized it had given birth to a Xenomorph, while Martinez found another tunnel. Moving down the tunnel, they encountered another Marlow synthetic, who noted they had seen the original inhabitants of the ancient city. Immediately after encountering the synthetic, the trio were attacked by Xenomorphs. Fighting and killing the Xenomorphs, the three eventually made their way to large versions of Xenomorph eggs, which Hayes noted had been bred to take on the ancient worm aliens they had seen earlier, noting that the Xenomorph would always adapt to its adversary. A third Marlow synthetic invited the triumvirate to walk through the eggs, noting that the eggs were not designed for humans. Though Stern and Martinez did not like the option, Hayes noted they had no choice since they had to save Cassandra. The synthetic taunted them, but the three made it through the eggs without incident and the synthetic revealed that Cassandra was close. After the third, they discovered dozens of Marlow synthetics. Martinez lost his patience and asked for permission to open fire, but Hayes not there were dozens of them, and since they were not hostile, it would be best to hold fire and save Cassandra. The Marlow androids allowed Hayes to take Cassandra, but asked her to take care of her before going into rants about how important Cassandra was. Reaching the end of the synthetics, the three came to a device that Hayes recognized as the same Cradle she saw at Tantalus and knew they had found Cassandra. Hayes unlocked the Cradle and asked Cassandra, still moaning in pain, if she could hear her. When Cassandra asked who Hayes was, Hayes stated she was a friend of Harper. Cassandra asked if her father was there. However, Cassandra then sensed something awakening as Martinez expressed his misgivings. He was then killed and devoured by a Xenomorph created from one of the worm aliens, a Titan, horrifying Stern as he opened fire on it. Stern called Hayes to get Cassandra out, while Hayes asked Cassandra if she could run. Cassandra said she could and Hayes called back to Stern, only to see the Titan swat Stern aside and kill him. The two fled from the Titan, and managed to lose it at the large Eggs, only to be attacked by the normal Xenomorphs. After Hayes killed them, they were chased by the Titan again. Escaping only to be attacked more Xenomorphs, Hayes managed to kill them as Cassandra whimpered in fear. Hayes told Cassandra to run as they were leaving, but as they approached the elevator, the Titan intercepted them. Hayes prepared to shield Cassandra as the Titan approached, but Harper who had regained consciousness, made a telepathic link with both Cassandra and the Titan. Cassandra called out to her father in surprise as Harper ordered the Titan not to attack. The Titan launched its inner jaw, but Harper's link forced the creature not to grab them. Cassandra fell to her knees and pleaded with her father not to do it. Hayes took advantage of the distraction and ran past the Titan. Hayes and Cassandra reached the elevator, and they quickly set to return to the mine as the Titan approached, the link with Harper having ended. The two reached the mine and entered Hunslett's dropship where they fled the mines just as the Marines guarding the perimeter were slain by the Xenomorphs. Hayes told Hunslett to fly fast back to the Otago before the nukes before they detonated. Returning to the Otago, Hayes raced to the bridge and set for leaving Lethe's orbit, ready to take her chances with Cerberus. The shield was activated, and watched as the Cerberus satellites took the shields down, almost breaking the shields. However the shield held, and the Otago managed to escape. Hayes noted that they had done it. Hayes and Cassandra had gone to the Medbay and discovered that the link Harper had made to the Titan had wound up killing him. Seeing Cassandra weeping his body, Hayes comforted her as she mourned over the death of her friend. After the grieving, Hayes, Cassandra, and the rest of the surviving Otago crew entered Hypersleep, with Hayes looking at Cassandra briefly before her own chamber closed, putting her in Hypersleep as the Otago left Lethe and entered deep space, the nightmare on Lethe being over at last.
== Personality ==
Maeko Hayes was a driven and ambitious individual, with a strong desire to succeed, and saw herself as being worthy of a higher position than Pioneer Station. This desire to succeed let to her becoming a strong believer in rules and protocol, which made her hated on Pioneer, since most of the crew, including Administrator McDonald, often ignored, or outright broke the rules, engaging in crimes like smuggling and bribery to make more money. Hayes thus was kept as a Deputy Administrator out of spite by McDonald. Her adherence to protocol was shown when she activated Cerberus to stop the Xenomorph outbreak and contain it to Lethe. However, despite her strict desire to succeed, and her attitude for following the rules, Hayes was a very moral and compassionate person, in a job where both attitudes generally did not work well. This was shown in how she treated the workers with kindness and compassion and treated Daniels, a Working Joe synthetic as a person, unlike most of the crew who saw androids as assets. It was also shown when at the start of the outbreak on Pioneer, Hayes found a mortally wounded worker and tried to help him, and was saddened when he died from his wounds. As she made her way to the Cerberus room, she repeatedly encouraged the other workers to find a hiding place. Hayes was also deeply saddened over all the deaths she caused when she activated the Cerberus Protocol, apologizing for all the collateral casualties to contain the outbreak. When she confessed to Sergeant Harper to deliberately activating Cerberus, when asked by an outraged Harper if Hayes had turned it on without a regard for lives, a horrified Hayes made it clear that she was deeply haunted over all the people she had gotten killed by Cerberus. As she spent more time with the Marines, and as she learned that Weyland Yutani was in fact deeply corrupt and apathetic about people's lives, Hayes's morals and compassion became more prominent, showing disgust towards Price's cavalier attitude towards all the people killed by the Xenomorphs and Marlow, and later deciding to risk one last battle in Olduvai to save the prisoners held captive by Marlow, and later personally entering the alien city to save Cassandra, since she made a promise to Harper to get Cassandra back.
==Trivia==
* Maeko Hayes is of Japanese descent, making her the first Asian main protagonist in the Alien franchise.
* Hayes is also the first Weyland Yutani executive to be a main protagonist in the Alien franchise. While most protagonists of the Alien franchise are affiliated with Weyland Yutani, they are often unaware of the company's true nature, or hold the company in deep contempt because of their poor treatment of them. Hayes however, actually believes in the company's ideals, until she learns just how evil it is and turns on them.
* Hayes has a tendency, both in the tutorial, and the level on the Otago, to refer to herself in third person when she is alone and scared, likely as a coping mechanism due to the severe stress of the Xenomorph outbreak.
* A personal log from Hayes on Pioneer Station speaks about her admiration from Director Price. Part of Hayes's arc in the game has her realize just how horrible Price is, causing her to denounce Price and Weyland Yutani, culminating in her leaving Price to die on Lethe. 
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