- "Experience has led me to believe there's a greater power in the universe."
"What kind of experience?"
"The kind we're having right now, sergeant." - ―Melville and Sergeant Roth (from Predator: Life and Death)
Melville was a member of a Seegson excavation team that travelled to the planet LV-797 with the intention of illegal prospecting, only for his crew to be slaughtered by a clan of Yautja, leaving Melville one of the few survivors left. He would go on to ally himself with the USCM after they arrived on the planet, joining forces in a plight to survive against the Predators, and later, the mutated Xenomorphs and two Engineers.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Melville was once a member of the USCM, having eighteen years of service. However, he would go on to experience a humanist epiphany, and ultimately resigned from service.[1] At some point, he found himself in the employment of the Seegson corporation as an asset-stripper.
Slaughtered by the Predators[]
- "We called them hunters. They were here when we arrived -- started hitting us within hours of planetfall."
- ―Melville to Paget (from Predator: Life and Death)
Melville was assigned to covertly strip the assets of the Weyland-Yutani-owned planet LV-797, nicknamed Tartarus.
Upon landing on Tartarus, Melville and his crew set up an excavation site, eventually encountering an Engineer Juggernaut. The team boarded the ship, intending to secure it for salvage. After several weeks however, the team was suddenly ambushed and massacred by a clan of Yautja, who intended to acquire the Juggernaut for themselves. Melville, alongside Captain Humble, was left as one of the few remaining survivors, but managed to stay clear of the Predator clan by moving quietly and unarmed.
Joining the Marines[]
- "My name is Melville, and this is Captain Humble. And we got into your camp the same way we stayed alive. We move quietly, we're unarmed."
- ―Melville to Paget (from Predator: Life and Death)
Melville introduces himself and Humble to Paget's platoon.
After an unknown period, the USCM combat ship, Hasdrubal was dispatched to investigate We-Yu suspicions of illegal activity on Tartarus. Upon Captain Paget's platoon landed on the planet and discovered the excavation site, Melville and Humble peacefully approached the Marines, with Melville introducing themselves and revealing the fate of their team. Melville explained to the Marines that the hunters seemed to be treating the ship as an artefact, and that they were protecting it from invaders.
Plan to secure the derelict[]
- "We thought they were protecting their ship. But our survey suggests that ship's been here a while. We think its an artefact. The hunters consider it valuable, and they're here to recover it -- or scavange it."
- ―Melville to Paget (from Predator: Life and Death)
Paget decided to send Sergeant Roth and his team (alongside Melville and Humble) into one of their dropships to fly over to the Juggernaut and secure its interior whilst Paget's team approach the vessel by foot, attempting to sweep the forest using M314 Motion Trackers to flush out the hunters. However, the Elder Cracked Tusk Predator ambushed the dropship and managed to crash it. As the dropship crashed near the quarters of the Juggernaut, Rucker managed to wound the Cracked Tusk Predator and caused it to flee. Roth's squad entered the interior of the derelict and eventually reach the cockpit, with Humble constantly requesting a gun. Singer suggested that he would be able to get the vessel operational and have the ship leave Tartarus and abandon the Predators.
The Cracked Tusk Predator, unbeknownst to the other Marines, was observing them within the derelict and called for the Predators who were battling Paget's crew to retreat back to the vessel to stop them from lifting it. The Cracked Tusk Predator ambushed the squad a second time, but was finally killed by Captain Humble after gunning it down with a Pulse Rifle. Singer managed to get the ship operational, intending to send it to the nearest USCM facility, Ganymede station.
Awakening the Engineer[]
- "I'm saying we could reason with it. Talk to it. If it built this ship, it's intelligent beyond our --"
- ―Melville to Roth regarding the Engineer (from Prometheus: Life and Death)
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The Engineer awakens from stasis in front of the Marines.
As Singer was attempting to contact the Hasdrubal, Marine Indelicato inspected a sarcophagus that was previously hit during the fight with the Predator. The sarcophagus opened, and an Engineer emerged from stasis. It was immediately hostile and killed Indelicato, sending Melville and the others into a retreat. Melville attempted to protest the Marines taking on the being in hopes of reasoning with it, but after witnessing it wander the corridors of the ship, the Marines were ultimately forced to hide from the Engineer as it began taking control of the ship and directing it somewhere else.
Landing on LV-223[]
- "The accelerant material is potent, Captain Foster. Fire from Heaven. Maybe the Engineer and his kind are frightened of what a child race like us might do if we get our hands on it."
- ―Melville to Foster (from Prometheus: Life and Death)
Six days later, the derelict landed on the moon LV-223. The Engineer walked out of the vehicle and the Marines quickly followed once it was out of sight. During their exploration of the planet, searching for food, water and shelter, Freebody noticed movement with her tracker within a thicket. The Marines were suddenly ambushed by a horde of Xenomorphs, resulting in Rucker being taken and Jhalil wounded by acid blood. As the group were close to being overrun, they were saved by Geryon survivors Angela Foster and Galgo Helder. The Predator Ahab later revealed himself to the group too, much to Melville and the other's shock and bemusement at seeing a non-hostile Yautja.
Roth and the team regrouped at Foster's base, where they also met fellow Geryon survivors Chris and Jill. Melville discussed the nature of the Engineers and the black liquid they previously encountered, with Angela suggesting that the Engineers wanted to kill humanity due to their perceiving of them as being "disappointments."
Later, after Galgo reported to the group that the Engineer had visited a temple to reawaken a second Engineer from stasis to kill them, the team formulated a plan to leave the moon.
Melville brandishes a handgun to combat the Xenos.
In a plan to seize the Juggernaut, Angela had Ahab and Galgo distract the second Engineer whilst Angela, Roth, Singer and Humble went to the derelict to deal with the first Engineer. The rest of the team, Melville, Freebody, Wearing, Chris and Jill were to carry the supplies, as well as Jhalil. Whilst escorting Jhalil to the ship, Melville and the others were suddenly ambushed by Xenomorphs. Despite his passivity, Melville grabbed a handgun to defend himself, and began shooting at the creatures. Meanwhile, Angela, Singer and Humble had managed to board the ship, before the Engineer lifted it and left the planet. During the skirmish with the Xenomorphs, Freebody and Jill noticed the Juggernaut had already lifted off, with Jill assuming that the others had deliberately abandoned them.
Stranded[]
Melville watches as the Xenos take Chris.
Melville and the others were slowly becoming overwhelmed by the horde, with Wearing being killed and Chris taken by the creatures, Melville powerless to stop them. Freebody and Melville (dragging Jill and Jhalil with him) retreated to a safe spot and managed to contact Roth, revealing that he did not make it onto the Juggernaut.
Roth later managed to reunite with the group. Whilst Melville comforted Jill who was distraught at the loss of her wife, an APC suddenly arrived at their junction. To the Marine's relief, the vehicle's drivers emerged to be Captain Paget and Ancane, who had finally caught up with the Juggernaut.
Back at the Hasdrubal and rescuing Chris[]
- "I was right beside Chris when she was snatched. I feel a responsibility. You'll have to lock me in the brig with Goode if you intend to stop me on getting on that drop. I'm in -- I'm going back to the surface to get Chris"
- ―Melville (from Aliens: Life and Death)
Melville insisting he join the rescue operation.
Back at the Hasdrubal, Roth confirmed to the Marines that Chris had been left behind on LV-223, and wanted to return to the moon. Although Ancane was reluctant, citing the amount of losses received, Roth believed that no man should be left behind and that they owe Chris. As a result, Paget organised a "volunteer only" operation to rescue Chris, to which Melville, feeling responsible behind Chris' kidnapping, would insist he join.
The squad landed back on LV-223 and began exploring the terrain, before Jill suddenly picked up Chris' signal, who was still alive from within the hive. Following the revelation that Chris was impregnated with a Queen, Melville and the squad were ambushed by a horde of Xenos, and later the Second Engineer, suffering devastating losses. However, the squad managed to retrieve Chris after the hive's current Queen erupted from the ground and assaulted the Engineer, impaling it with her tail. In the ensuing chaos, they returned to their dropship, only to see it in ruins (previously destroyed by the Engineer). Paget attempted to contact the Hasdrubal, but with no reply, the squad unaware that it had been boarded by the Tartarus Predator clan.
Stand-off at the temple[]
- "You're hurt. This needn't end in death. Do you understand me? There's no need for this. We're all God's children. All of us. You and me. Aren't we? Or did you make us? If you made us, why the hell do you want us dead?"
- ―Melville to the Second Engineer (from Prometheus: Life and Death - Final Conflict)
As Paget concluded that the group had lost contact with the ship, Melville suggested the group retreat back to the Engineer temple that they had initially encountered. The squad returned to the temple to set up camp and waited for one of the Hasdrubal's automatic freight bus to pick them up. Melville attempted to comfort Chris, who had become nihilistic about her chances of survival.
The Tartarus Predator clan soon arrived on the moon, seeking revenge from their previous encounter with the Marines. After a confrontation between Ahab and the clan leader, the clan sided themselves with the Marines against an upcoming army of Xenomorphs approaching the temple, hellbent on retrieving Chris. The Marines and Predators both put up a tremendous effort against the Xenomorph army but their numbers began dwindling, the Alien horde seeping through. In a last ditch effort, Chris sacrificed herself by blowing herself up, alongside the Queen inside of her, sending the Xenomorphs into a retreat.
The Tartarus clan take their leave alongside Ahab whilst the Marines wait at noon for the freight bus to arrive.
Melville confronts the Engineer.
Suddenly, the squad were attacked by the Second Engineer, who had survived the battle against the Queen. After a brief fight between the Marines and Engineer, Melville intervened and confronted the Engineer, trying to reason with it and wishing for no needless violence. It did not not comply, however, and grabbed Melville and throws him onto the ground. As it prepared to deliver the finishing blow, Melville was saved by Freebody after she gunned the being down with a smartgun as the rest fled back into the depths of the temple.
Jill suggested using the Engineer's black goo against it. The rest help her grab an ampule and poured it over the hallway where they first entered. The Engineer arrived and stepped on the liquid. The liquid reacted aggressively to it's bio-suit, giving Paget the opportunity to gun down the Engineer for good.
The group all finally managed to return to the Hasdrubal using the freight bus, and they prepared to enter crystasis for a twenty-three week return trip to Earth.
Personality and Traits[]
Being a pacifist, Melville opted to use words and negotiate matters peacefully with others, making him a rather approachable individual. He was also very introspective, and was usually seen pondering the nature behind the numerous species trying to kill him.
Gallery[]
