Praetorian

A young mother or "royal guardian" of a hive. At this phase, an adult praetorian is capable of laying a small clutch of eggs at a time with an ovipositor, which is smaller than a full queen's. Standing at nearly 8' tall, a praetorian is a heavy and dangerous breed of xenomorph. The smaller set of arms on the front of the chest have developed at this stage to assist in crawling low to the ground, as well as for holding and carrying anything the praetorian may consider important, allowing its primary arms to be freely used. The long tail is equivalent in length to a scout. Like many of her other physical features, the dorsal fin found on most xenomorphs is replaced by an elongated exoskeleton spine, holding a much more stable fin shape.

Her roles within the hive are as follows:

Royal Guardian-

Found deep within the hive, usually around the central nest. This is usually true at a phase IV hive, with 2 praetorians. When in this phase, a praetorian does not breed or lay eggs. Instead, she lay dormant until needed, or until she is replaced and can venture from the hive to start her own nest.

Young Queen-

Throughout a phase II hive, a young queen remains in her praetorian stage. Initially, at Phase I, she is very active in all aspects of a xenomorphs life, hunting, breeding, and surviving just as much as her lower caste of followers. When the hive reaches phase II, she tends to stay within the nest during the day, spending a majority of her time breeding and laying eggs. At night, she ventures out of the hive to hunt for stronger hosts, evolving the hive. When the hive is formed beyond its base and frame, the queen enters a state where her primary focus is to mate. A mental key unlocks her followers genetics, forcing a sexual metamorphosis upon her hand picked followers. The aggressive new males will compete to breed. Only the absolute alpha may mate with the praetorian at this stage, as their combined genetics will be responsible for the next generation. This competition can be in many directions. Males with higher intelligence may attempt to make an impression to their young queen through advanced methods, this is common among drones, who are rarely chosen. Warriors take on a more brutal challenge: slaughter their competition. Scouts often leave the hive and travel to extreme distances or dangerous heights to bring back something unique or special. The rate of breeding for a scout is similar to a drone. Though it has never been recorded, it is assumed that a hybrid will be an automatic pick for the young queen, though the competition may still be in play.

Once the alpha is picked, the pair will breed. The male will donate his body to the young queen once he has deposited all of his genetics to her, as this process is fatal. Once the male has passed on, the remains decorate the "throne". It is unknown why these particular remains are used, as they do not seem to reinforce the hive. It has been noted that there is almost a pattern to the parts used. The praetorian will then metamorphosis into a full queen, beginning the third phase of the hive.