The Proto–Hive, otherwise dubbed Alvenventum erebos, was a living construct capable of absorbing and converting artificial materials. Proto–Hives were responsible for consuming and transforming the Weyland-Yutani Corporation mining station Erebos, and destroying several outposts in the Far Spinward Colonies.
History
Creation and destruction
The Living Proto–Hive was created by the Fulfremmen, a humanoid species who were in turn created by the alien race dubbed the Engineers. The Proto–Hive formed part of the Fulfremmen's program of "perfecting" everything in their path, and was duly unleashed on the Engineers. A number of Engineer worlds and outposts fell to the Proto–Hive in the ensuing war, until the Engineers escaped known space by way of the device known as the Lychgate. Following this, the Fulfremmen entered a state of hibernation on the worlds they had conquered.
Transformation
In 2111, the crew of the exploratory vessel USCSS Cronus landed on the planetoid LV-1113 in the 26 Draconis System and were attacked by parasitic alien creatures resulting from exposure to a dangerous alien pathogen. To counter infection, the crew developed a vaccine derived from the pathogen, and dubbed it the 26 Draconis Strain. However, the accidental triggering of an ancient device destroyed the world; the ship's lifeboat Cheiron was ejected and became trapped in the accretion disk of the resulting singularity, which became known as the Ablassen Black Hole.
Over time, the 26 Draconis Strain aboard the Cheiron was mutated by the energies in the accretion disk; several crewmembers so inoculated began to transform into Fulfremmen. The Cheiron itself was altered by the strain, and became a parasitic living organism. Microscopic particles of the 26 Draconis Strain caught in the disk were likewise affected.
Meanwhile, several bases in the Far Spinward Colonies discovered hibernating members of the Perfected; upon being awoken, the Perfected attacked the facilities and attempted to convert them into Proto–Hives. Capelli Colony, July Outpost, and Kareti Colony were successfully transformed, while Sanchez Outpost was destroyed to avoid such a fate.
A dark ultimatum
In 2185, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation plasma trawling and energy storage platform Erebos detected the Cheiron and pulled it from the Ablassen Black Hole into one of the station's docking bays. In so doing, the particles of the 26 Draconis Strain came with it, and both set about infecting the station. Like the Cheiron before it, Erebos was consumed by this Proto–Hive and slowly transformed into a living organism, becoming infested with proto-Xenomorphic lifeforms. Several individuals, including a scientific team from the Geholgod Institute, were caught up in the ensuing incident. They encountered the Perfected, and were tasked with delivering a viable sample of the 26 Draconis Strain, along with providing a means for the Perfected to spread the Proto–Hive beyond the 26 Draconis System to nearby human colonies.