Alphonse Apone (Earth-9471)

"All right, sweethearts, what are you waiting for? Breakfast in bed? Another glorious day in the Corps. A day in the Marine Corps is like a day on the farm. Every meal's a banquet. Every paycheck a fortune. Every formation a parade. I LOVE the Corps!"

- - Al Apone to the 2nd Battalion Bravo Team

Master Sergeant Alphonse "Al" Apone (service number: 16271-18062-AA) was a senior non-commissioned officer of the United States Colonial Marine Corps, attached to the 2nd Battalion Bravo Team under Lieutenant Scott Gorman. He led the battalion when they were deployed to Aegis VII aboard the Conestoga-class destroyer USS Sulaco on July 27th, 2560, in order to investigate the loss of contact with the planet's population. Like most of the Marines, Apone was killed by the xenomorph onslaught present on Hadley's HopeNew Alexandria.

Early life
Alberto Apone was born on September 2nd, 2515. He enlisted into the United States Colonial Marine Corps in 2567, fighting during the Resource Wars, participating in the Battle of Eridanus II and losing all of his comrades in the process. He was eventually selected by the USCMC to serve aboard the Conestoga-class destroyer USS Sulaco, attached to the 2nd Battalion Bravo Team under Lieutenant Scott Gorman duo to his ground logistics expertise and leadership skills, serving as the second-in-command of the operation to Aegis VII.

Aegis VII Incident
"It's a rescue mission, you'll love it. There's some juicy colonists' sons and daughters we have to rescue from their virginity."

- - Al Apone to his Marines As soon as the Sulaco arrived on Paraíso's system, Apone was one of the first Marines to wake from his cryosleep, leaving a nominal squad which consisted of himself and Private William Hudson. He was quick to gain the loyalty and respect of Ellen Ripley, with the two joking to one another about the decaying state of the destroyer. Ripley's desire to feel at home made Apone appreciate her will and help despite not being a combatant.

As the Sulaco reached Aegis VII, Apone readied his Marines, giving them a morale boost through one of his usual snarky speeches, before taking the lead of the ship's M510 Mammoth an dropping on the planet's surface. He immediately stopped Hudson, who attempted to embarrass Ripley, and then proceeded to enter the Hive, an installation of Weyland-Yutani that Carter Burke revealed to them at New Alexandria, the planet's only settlement. The colony was deserted, although there were signs of firefight, leading Apone to believe that insurgents wasn't involved in the attack. The Marines later found Dr. Charles Ashford and his daughter, Rebecca "Newt" Ashford, although she could not provide any useful information for them.

Entering the hive
"Nobody touch nothin'!"

- - Al Apone The Marines were eventually discovered that the surviving colonists had gathered within the control room of the Hive, and Apone led a squad to investigate; when he and his men and women entered the installation, they stumbled upon a massive xenomorph hive, discovering their enemy was not the Covenant, but something new. He and the Marines continued to progress the installation, whereupon Al was ordered by Gorman to confiscate the ammunition of the squad and deactivate their M56 Smartguns to prevent a nuclear-wide explosion if they hit the reactor of the plant. While Apone protested, he was overruled by Gorman, taking the ammunition and giving them for Private Ricco Frost to guard. The Marines, then reduced to small firearms and M7057 flamethrowers, discovered Hadley's citizens cocooned in the hive, including Mary Coles, the only survivor. However, almost immediately after finding her, a Chestburster erupted from her chest, leading Apone and Corporal Cynthia Dietrich to burn the creature alive.

Death
After the Chestburster's death, Apone, Dietrich, Lieutenant Tim Crowe, and Private Trevor Wierzbowski moved to the laser room, where they were ambushed by the defenses of the Red Queen, activating high powered laser beams. Dietrich and Crowe were killed immediatly. As the laser attacked once again, Apone dodged the beam, but Wierzbowski was also killed. In his final attempt to dodge the Red Queen's laser, he was foiled when the artificial intelligence created a chain laser grid, which passed through Apone and sliced into hundreds of small cubic pieces; Hudson was only seconds away of hacking and disabling the defenses.

Personality
"What do you want me to do, fetch your slippers for you? Gee, would you, sir? I'd like that. Look into my eye, son."

- - Al Apone and Private William Hudson Passionate and boisterous, Apone was a deeply patriotic American soldier, believing it to be the only thing that could hold humanity together in the face of the Resource Wars. Much like his loyalty and love towards the United States Colonial Marine Corps, he deeply admired those under his command, and always did the best he could to get his men and women alive out of engagements, something that was shaped on his persona following the loss of all of his Marines during the Battle of Eridanus II. While Lieutenant Scott Gorman was the de facto leader of the 2nd Battalion Bravo Team, all Marines of the battalion believed Apone to be their real leader, and when he was taken by the xenomorphs, the order among the surviving soldiers was shattered.

Because of the horrors of the Resource Wars, Al always sought to keep a down-to-earth, humorous and positive attitude towards his subordinates, in order to inspire respect and confidence at the face of adversity. He did not hesitate in questioning an order when he believed the directive would pose a danger to his subordinates.

Equipment
Apone used the standard issue M3 Pattern Personal Armor and a M10 Pattern Ballistic Helmet, with a TNR shoulder lamp attachment. His personal weapon was the M41A pulse rifle, although he also carried a M240 flamethrower and a M4C magnum at his holster. Apone also sported a pair of infrared binoculars, which he used to recon a ravaged New Alexandria.