No one came back from from the Orion mission. Communications fell dead off the research vessel. That’s when the vessel Hassel sent reinforcements.

“I’ve gotta deal with these polarity readings—Rachael, can you take over the helm?” Tacky’s red curls flopped about her green suit as she stood from the helm and headed toward the back of the ship.

Nobs and lights buzzed on and off like old bulbs set to a timer, and at the sound of a beep, Racheal grabbed the helm’s wheel.

“Tacky! let me know before you run off like that!” She quickly hit some buttons and disengaged warping. Her blue suit held the medical insignia, but she was assigned as a science officer.

A few minutes later, Tacky walked back to the front and found a seat next to Rachael. “Take us to impulse… the planet is below. I hope Darling is still alive.”

“Don’t we both. Fern was on the mission with him.”

“Oh! and him, too.”

“You say that now.” Rachael grinned that look you get when you know the other person is putting up a front.

“Go to landing mode. We’ve entered orbit.”

Rachael hit a few buttons and took the ship down to the surface. They landed next to the exploratory vessel. The two ships were identical. A silvery metal coated their exteriors.

“The air is breathable. A nice mix, like on Earth.” Tacky and Rachael stepped outside to a sandy hill near a set of caves.

Rachael set up her mapping detector on a tripod. “Think anyone is still alive?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Rachael held a controller with a screen and hit a big red button. One light showed up all the way to the back. “Someone is alive in the cave.”

Tacky took the stunner from her belt. She turned a knob on the back. “Your armed, right?”

“I’m medical. Off course not.”

“Go get a gun.”

“No. I swore an oath.”

“Set the power low.”

“Do no harm.”

Tacky shook her head and put back her hair with a hair tie on her wrist. “If you get me killed, I’m going to haunt you. Common, we need to see what’s in the cave.”

The cave cracked with the ticking of rolling gravel at the wind. The cave sides played rough down the path The further they walked, the darker it got.

The officers’ suits started to glow all around and the cave illuminated showing rocky steps.

Down the steps, they found Fern’s body facedown. His suit was dark. His skin dried up like a raisin.

Rachael took readings with a medical scanner. “That doesn’t look good for Darling.”

“Don’t say that.” Tacky’s face turned to a stare with a crumpled brow. “Common, let that be you.”

The two followed the path down until they saw what seemed to be Darling. He stood in the dark. His back was to them.

“Darling?” Tacky pulled out her stunner. “Is that you, dear? Is everything okay?”

Darling turned around, his eyes glowing red.

“Dear, what happened to your eyes?”

Darling started: “It’s mine. Mine… all mine. You can’t make me give it back! Fern tried to make me give it back! But we can’t let you stop us. We are stronger together! Stronger! Stronger together. Maybe—we’ll be stronger with you.”

All at once, his legs picked up in full stride and he ran at her. It caught her by surprise. They fell to the ground. The stunner fell from her hands and landed near Rachael. The two on the ground grappled as Darling seemed to be trying to bite her.

“Help!” Tacky pushed against his neck. “Shoot him!”

Rachael wanted to shoot him, but she hated weapons. She walked over and kicked at the body, but it didn’t respond. “I can’t!”

“I don’t think he’s still alive. Shoot him!”

“He’s moving!”

“I don’t think this is a time for arguing!”

Rachael picked up the stunner. “I can give it to you. Get him off.”

Tacky tried to kick him back, but the body wrestled against her. “Not working! Shoot him before he gets me!”

She lifted the stunner to aim, then froze as she watched Tacky struggle.

“You’re useless!” With a stroke of luck, she kicked free. Her feet found ground fast. She ran, grabbed Rachael’s hand, and pulled saying, “Run!”

They ran back up the stairs and through the cave, the light of outside in the distance. Darling’s body followed them. As they exited the cave, Tacky took back the stunner, turned the setting to obliterate and fired on the beast. The body sizzled and heated to ash as it ran toward the two.

The two went back inside, and while Tacky showered off, Rachael sat down in her bunk and cried.

When she got out of the shower, she caught the medical officer crying over an automatic rifle. “I’m sorry.” She just kept crying.

“No, it’s alright,” said Tacky.

“No, it’s not.” Rachael wiped her face with her sleeve. “I need you to show me how to fire it. I don’t even know how to fire it. I’m useless.”

My feet land on the rock and I struggle to keep balance. “Move forward.” I instruct my recruit. “But stay behind me.”

We walk, slowly, making our way across the planet. I step foot into something wet and immediately back out. “There’s water.” I say.

“That’s a good thing, right?”

I look back and nod, then we keep walking forward. I stop when reaching an abnormal hole in the center. I look down into it and it stretches so far down that I can’t see where it ends. “Stay put.” I instruct.

“Sir, are you sure?”

I take a deep breath. “Tie the rope around my waist and hold onto it tight.”

“I’ll go in, sir.” The recruit says. “I’m much smaller. We can’t risk you getting trapped.”

I shake my head. “I’m going in.”

“It’s too risky.”

“This entire mission is ‘too risky’. I’m just doing my job.”

He grabs the rope from off the belt and starts to knot it around his waist.

“Recruit? That was an order. Untie the rope, now.”

“It’s knotted.”

I go over to him and attempt to untie it but it doesn’t budge. “Were you a boys scout?” I ask.

“For five years.” He answers, and I can hear the pride in his voice. “My father made me tie knots every night before bed.”

“You’ll go in and look for anything worth noting. If you encounter danger and need to be pulled out, grab rope and pull on it.” I demonstrate. “I’ll pull you out.”

“Yes, sir.”

The two of us walk back over to the hole and I watch as he climbs in. My heart rate begins to accelerate. “And, recruit?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Stay stellar.”

He looks up at me. “Sir?”

I don’t respond. He looks back down and continues climbing. I hold onto the rope so tight that I think it’s fusing with my gloves. I keep looking down until he’s out of sight. Then, the only thing I can do is keep calm. I’ll pull him out, I remind myself.

I’m not sure how much time has passed before he calls out, “Sir!”

I start to pull him out.

“No, sir, you have to come down here and see this!”

“Recruit! What do you see?!”

“Come down here!”

“There’ll be no way for us to get out!”

“Tie the rope to a rock!”

I hesitate but ultimately, I tightly knot the rope around a rock just a few feet away, testing it multiple times because I’m no boys scout. When I’m sure it’s secure enough, I climb down the hole, using the rope as my guide. It leads me to the recruit.

“What is it?” I ask.

He moves to the side, revealing an entire world of gemstones. There’s a river flowing down a path and plants growing on the sides of it and the walls. The water is the clearest I’ve ever seen. “It’s beautiful.” I whisper.

“Sir, do we report it? This could change everything.”

I stay silent.

“This is exactly what we need.”

“No, we’ll leave this out.” I say.

“But—“

“We’ll go back and tell them that this planet is out. We found mold or something…”

“We can’t do that. It’s wrong.”

“Do you know what’s wrong, recruit? The world was ruined by inconsiderate assholes and now we have to pay the price! That’s not fair. This is a fresh start for us—a beautiful—“

I’m cut off by cracking and crumbling. The rock above us begins to fall. “Recruit!” I push him out of the way, the rock falling and covering me.

“Sir! Grab my hand!” He tries digging through the rocks but they won’t budge. I can hear him yelling but can’t make out the words. I feel myself sinking—my lungs collapsing. I think that I am going to die until there’s a hole.

The recruit’s hand reaches inside and he pulls me out, my suit being ripped and torn. I can hardly breath. I look over to him and his helmet is off. I realize what he used to break the rocks.

“Sir—“ He starts.

“Don’t you talk!” I shout, quickly removing my helmet without thinking.

“Sir!”

I give him the helmet but he declines, leaving me no choice but to force it on him.

“You’ll die.” He says.

The air fills my nose. “So I will.” I say, for some reason, allowing the air into my mouth as well.

The recruit unties the knotted rope around his waist and ties it around mine. “Just stay calm. I’ll get us back to the ship.” He says, dragging me to the exit.

“There’s no use.” I utter.

“Stop talking!”

I drift in and out of consciousness. The next time I open my eyes, we’ve made it out of the hole. He unties the rope and tries to pick me up.

“Recruit,” I say. “what’s your name?”

“My name?” He asks, his voice tinged with sadness. “Oliver.”

I smile. “Oliver?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Stay stellar.” My eyes close.

“Sir?”

I don’t respond. He grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly. My life fades away and I’m unable to get it back.

Static cuts over the speaker in my ear, yanking me from my thoughts.

“Sir? Sir? Pppshhhh, pppshhh… Come in, Mark.”

“I’ve… I’ve never seen anything like it,” I draw on, eyes locked in front of me.

“What is- pppshhh… Sir?”

…

“Recruit?”

…

“Sir?”

I reach up and disable the line connecting me to the server back home, my kids, my wife, my whole life goes with it.

                 .•.•.•.•.

“I know, I know guys,” I fight tears. “Daddy, daddy don’t go,” my youngest says.

“You know it’s daddy’s job. I explore planets. I’ll bring you some moon dust back, okay?”

I know I won’t return to my children. I also know it’s very wrong to promise her something that I know won’t happen.

“I love both of you,” I point to my son and daughter.

“We love you too,” they say in unison.

Beside me, my wife sits in tears. She knows something is wrong. She knows something is different about this departure, but says nothing.

“And I love you too,” I gather her up in my arms and sigh at her warm body pressed against mine, I push a kiss to her forehead and stand.

“I love you, Mark,” she whispers, a hand pushed to her lips, “please be careful.”

“I will,” it’s another lie that I’ll soon regret.

I smile back at them as I exit through the front door, folding myself up in a black federal SUV, with a NASA tag stuck to the rear bumper.

“Mark Shantize,” the agent driving says. “Yes sir.”

He puts the hunk of metal into drive and backs us out of the driveway. I catch a glance of my wife and two kids in the living room window, waving and crying.

“God bless it,” says the driver as I squeeze my eyes shut. “God bless it.”

                   •.•.•.•.•.

“Mark?”

I nod.

“You do understand this is a suicide mission?”

I nod.

“Do you still want to do it?”

I nod again.

The running boss of the NASA unit buckles me into my suit and zips the front. She glares at me as she hands me my bubble hat, the tinted visor raised.

“You can call your family, before you go, if you need to,” she says, a hint of pity in her voice.

I shake my head. Slowly.

I board the 89576 ship, my stomach in a knot as the door slides shut behind me. I sit down at the small command board and punch a few buttons, twist a few knobs.

The planet- planet 00271- is an uncharted planet, the government had been trying to hide it from the civilian eye, since it has possible life forms.

I was recruited as someone who could do the job. Four million dollars will be sent home, as soon as I collect the evidence of life that they want.

I click a few buttons on the circuit and give a weak smile as the shuttle shifts, the jets whirring into motion.

The planet is farther than Pluto, in another galaxy. Getting there is life threatening. Coming back to Earth is impossible, which is why this is called a suicide mission- I’m going in alone, knowing I’ll die.

I take a small picture of my family from my front pocket, I’d smuggled it in through the searching team. I attach the photo to the visor in the ship and sigh.

“Commander? Can you hear me?”

“Yes,” I answer the voice that cuts over the speaker in my ear. “Yes, I hear you.”

“Are we doing this?” She asks, her voice strong.

I nod. “Yes.”

There’s a pause, a click… The ship shutters, shifting into position as it prepares.

“Five…” I look at my family hanging on the visor.

“Four…” I close my eyes, say a prayer.

“Three…” Smoke clouds the window, the rockets erupt.

“Two…” I lean back in the chair, check my buckles.

“One…” The rocket rumbles as it detaches itself from the rails, grey smoke plumes swirling before me.

“Liftoff.” My hands find the armrests of the chair, I squeeze and say another prayer, my heart pumping wildly in my chest.

I fly like a bullet, pinned to my seat as me and my rocket disappear into the sky, never to be seen again.

At least, not in one piece. Maybe they’ll find my burnt shell of a shuttle in the sea some day.

                   .•.•.•.•.

I’ve just reached the unnamed planet. I connect the line and call out to the commander in charge.

“Landed on the pla- pshhh?” She goes out. “Yes.” I reply.

“… you copy?” “Didn’t read. Repeat.”

“Have you been out of your ship?” “No. I was waiting on video feed.”

“You have it. Have you rested?” “Yes.”

“Are you ready to exit your… pttthhhh…” “Yes.”

“Exit.”

I do as the commander commands, and push the door open, pulling myself out in the zero gravity, floating across the planet.

It is barren, but off in the distance something dances in a single ray of light. I squint through my helmet and stare, mesmerized.

I know that back home, the commander is staring at the cameras pictures, jaw dropped.

“Pshhhh… pshhhhh…” “Repeat?”

“The thing with the glow- approach.”

I do as commanded, once again, and approach the pulsing object. I lay a hand over the camera, in attempt to shield the glare, but wind up covering her view, as I notice what the object is.

“Oh my god…” “Sir?” “It’s…”

“What is it sir? You’re blocking the camera.” “A sign of life… I-“ I pull the plug, disconnecting the line.

Static roars over the cord, I kneel and touch the footstep. A shoe too small. Small enough to be a four year old, my daughters shoe. And beside it, a larger print, an adult.

This was never meant to happen. It was just supposed to be a mission to make sure this planet could work for human life. I never expected to find humanesque bones and writing of an intelligent society that caused their own demise. Everything on this planet matches stories of the gods and godesses of ancient times. No wonder they no longer were seen in visions or seen coming down and helping our planet. They all perished due to the greed of a few, but those few couldn’t escape what they had done. They assumed poisoning the crops of the poor would not harm them in the end, but the poisoned crops were stronger and more resilient than the normal crops and they began to spread. Everyone eventually died, all due to the greed of others, and they kept documentation of how they led to their own downfall. Digging further into their library, their were books about how to heal humans and how to care for them on this planet. It seems like some humans have visited, or maybe even lived on this planet. A few rows down I stumble upon a book labeled ‘What Really Happened to Amelia Earheart’. I skimmed through the synopsis and notice how it mentions her plane crashing into one of their ships and how they brought her back to their planet to heal her. There is mentions of how she was trained to fly their spaceships and how she lived a happy life on this planet. There is no telling how many people that just disappeared have ended up here, and while it will give humans answers it will lead them to resent this planet and not want to reside here. This is our only chance at continuing to develop and thrive, staying on Earth means certain death in our future. We must hide these revelations and erase all traces of them visiting Earth or humans residing here. This is the only way to guarantee our survival.

Our spaceship landed on the planet with a thud. As the team captain took the first steps onto the Goldilocks planet, I looked out the window in awe. My grey eyes glittering with a long forgotten hope. It was like we were stepping back in time to when the earth was green. Grass (that plant of legends) covered the planets surface. My breath caught in my throat as I saw it. Strange purple trees blew in the wind reminding me we weren’t home. Trees, actual trees! “Come on Meira!” Clay called, happiness radiating from his smile. His messy neon hair covering most of his face from view from under the mask. As quickly as I could, in the stuffy spacesuit I rushed outside. As my feet landed on the planet my heart rate soared. “Can you believe this! It’s perfect!” I cried. “Ha! Captain to earth!” He said, putting a hand to the side of the suit. “We hear you loud and clear captain!” An ecstatic man said. His words ringing in all our communication chips. As we spread out to explore this miracle we were given our own instructions. “And Meira will explore the lake.” “Rodger Rodger!” I replied. “It’s Bob.” The communicator deadpanned. I snickered as I came up to the lake. Before I descended I did the basics, test the poison levels, checked for man eating jelly fish, the usual. Then with a laugh I jumped in. I slowly sunk into the water. I turned my face camera on with a pop. “Ya getting this?”
“We’re seeing a bunch of black water.” Clay replied. “Perfect! Me to! Wait what is that?” Their in the distance was a strange leviathan. It was a many eyed blob of a beast and surrounded by shattered bones. I gasped and one of the cold eyes turned to me. My suit felt like a trap the tiny space constricting me. “Meira?!” My eyes seemed to fog as I mindlessly floated towards the eye. As I got closer I kicked and screamed and begged. I threw myself in the other direction only to swim back that way. As I lost consciousness I heard, “We gotta go now!” “The people can’t know..”

She landed on the world of Altsevered. She saw a couple tore up and bloody body’s which made her miss her dad that she loved and lost in the last zombie apocalypse. He taught her how to shoot a gun, and how to survive! She almost dared cried in-front of the few family she had left. The smell of blood, stone, and herbs made her delighted. She saw Mr. Apolotarolo get eaten by a hippopotamus/monkey/tiger/eagle/more animals than you can imagine-al. She loved this world already and the deadly creatures around the bend, twist, turn, cleft, ridge, stream, or any other land form you could imagine. She loved it. The first thing she had loved in a while. She screamed with regret, sadness, anxiety, and more feelings I could possibly list, but now she was on her own without the weight of self-consciousness she always feels. She will never go back. EVER! She couldn’t because she knew she would spill this secret that will hide in her mind forever. She also didn’t have the friends that laughed, punched, humiliated, and more things she can’t name, especially this secret world of her own.

“Dead as doornails,” Japes said, blowing a mouthful of smoke at the sleep pod (now sarcophagus). “Ain’t that a damn shame.”

Sister Isabella crossed herself and peered into the pod windows. Each crew member had died sometime during the flight. Their faces were shriveled, icy eyes staring at nothing.

Japes made coffee and opened up a box of protein bars. Isabella busied herself with giving last rites.

“Waste of time,” Japes muttered.

The mission was to explore an exoplanet that had been found to support life. Even with the use of a wormhole and gravity bounces off of other planets, the trip took 2 years.

“Do what you can,” Mission Control instructed. They promised to work on a fix for the last two sleep pods so they wouldn’t shut down like the others.

“It figures,” Japes grumbled. “Crew dead and who’s left? A nun and a sinner who hasn’t had any fun in 2 years.”

Isabella didn’t like it any more than Japes did. He was loud, vulgar, and quick to anger. He was hired for his strength and fearlessness. Not so much for intelligence.

A few days of recovery. Japes spent his time smoking cigars and watching porn on his phone. Isabella spent her time in prayer, writing, and trying not to let Japes annoy her.

“We need to bury the bodies,” Isabella announced.

Japes looked at her in that greasy, oily expression she loathed.

“I s’pose we should,” he grumbled. “I’ll get the jackhammer and shovels.”

By the end of the day, seven mounds had grown in the new cemetery.

Isabella extracted a bottle from her Eucharist kit. She drizzled the holy water onto each grave. It took a while for the droplets to settle, but they did, softly and gently on the surface dust.

The exoplanet was habitable, but not exactly comfortable. The temperature was below freezing and the air was too thin to breathe. If the suit life support was damaged, one would die within minutes.

They settled into a routine. Isabella kept the prayer hours and Japes spent his time smoking, eating, and complaining.

It wasn’t long before he found the stash of whiskey that was meant for celebrating.

“Well they sure aren’t drinking it,” he said. “Isabella, want a snort?”

“I don’t drink hard liquor.”

“Suit yourself. More for me.”

The days passed, until one morning when the miracle happened.

The grave mounds were awash in colors.

Isabella stepped closer. It looked just like moss on stone, but the colors were magnificent-pinks, yellows, magentas, teals, purples.

“Japes, you have to see this!”

“Well, shoot,” Japes said. “Just a little holy water did that?”

“I think it’s just the water,” Isabella said. “And that gives me an idea.”

Japes went back to his drinking and porn.

Isabella attached the hose to the barrel of distilled water and began to spray a square of land, about 6 feet by 6 feet.

The moss started to grow almost immediately. Within days of watering, there were plants. In weeks, flowers.

Japes continued to descend into drunkenness and misery.

“This discovery will make us famous,” he slurred. “Now why can’t you lighten up a bit? Let’s have a kiss!” He lunged toward her, breath stinking of liquor.

Isabella didn’t realize what she did afterward until it was too late.

The shovel just happened to be there. She had grabbed it and downed him in one blow. Killed instantly.

“Oh —“. The shovel dropped with a sick thud.

As she dug the grave, she saw the first insect, buzzing by her face.

The planet was an Eden, she realized, in hibernation. Plants, fungi, insect eggs — the water had awakened them. If they grew this fast, the planet would be habitable within 10 years.

She couldn’t let Earth have it.

Look what happened to the first Eden, she thought. Humans ruined it.

She couldn’t let that happen again.

She had committed a mortal sin. What else did she have to lose?

Sent a report to Mission Control. Nothing here. A wasteland. Toxic. Keep away.

Saying one last prayer, she unhooked the oxygen cable, and laid down on the soft moss.

[Ark 328, Edra Prime. 2 Years into the void]

(Erisa’s point of view)

“Wake up! yah lazy bums” Captain Forests loud voice echoed through the bunk level.

Grumbling Erisa rolled over, tossing the light blue cotton blanket onto the bunk below. Her straight black hair flooding her face and sticking to her full lips. With a grunt she pushed the hair out her face and flung her pillow with vigor into the bottom bunk.

“What the fuck!” Garek groaned, the pillow smacked his face awake. Wide eyed he glared at her as she hopped down.

An ear to ear grin on her face, her pale grey eyes flashing a playful expression. Of course Garek wasn’t nearly ready for touch down day.

“So where you two gonna sleep all day?” Captain Forest asked as Erisa strode into the small makeshift kitchen. Of course he was pouring a cup of coffee, probably his third this hour. “The suns have been up” He chuckled and she groaned.

“The suns are always up.” She glanced in the direction of the chow hall and the large glass window. Showing the two bright red fireballs in space, followed by the large blue one behind them. “It’s still trippy looking at them”.

“So! ready to touchdown!” Garek yawned, rubbing his right arm as he shuffled into the room. Which wasn’t much bigger then a full size bathroom on earth.

“Definitely. I can’t wait to see what we find” Erisa faked a bubbly attitude and rolled her eyes. “We have been watching this planet and getting samples for three earth months.”

“Yeah but still. X678 has seen large animal prints and what he thought were human prints a few times. “ Captain grumbled taking a long swig of coffee. “Can’t be to careful “

“We’ll I’ll bring the android with us and a few weapons from the armory “ Garek took a bite of the toast he’d started to butter as the Captain gave them both a nod heading for the flight deck.

“I have a bad feeling about today” Garek mumbled through a mouth full of toast.

The fall to the ground in pods seemingly took forever. Captain had shot each of their pods within a few miles of each other. He was playing lookout with the android, with the only stipulation being the security of the body cams if the mission went left. Either way they would all be on coms.

“Checking! Checking! Ark to visitors one and two” Captains voice cracked over the intercom ear piece.

“Visitor one checking in” Garek called out.

“Two checking in” Erisa mumbled, stepping out of the sleek metal and glass pod.

Out in the planets air, humans couldn’t breathe. So they were rigged with a suit that covered their face with an air apparatus with eight hours on the clock.

Looking around she could only see the large hanging leaves of small jungle vegetation. A few fallen trees and rocks. Even a stream flowed close by, nearly six yards to the east.

“Let’s get some good shots. Then we can celebrate tonight “ Captain voice cracked into her ear, as she stumbled through some vines.

Nearly four hours in and it felt like she’d been moving in circles. Twice she’d found the pod again. Now she was headed the opposite way, towards the beaches, the Captain had instructed. The forest was covered in large trees, wrapped with thick purple vines. The ground was green like earth had been, yet it seemed to cast an aura off of it.

A growling sound made her stop dead. Something was behind her. Her heart stopped but she turned slightly, reaching for her duel bladed energy sword.

Not but a hundred feet away stood a fairly small alien creature. It had six muscular legs, a large beaked face, feathers of blues and reds across its back and a tail tipped with a crystal looking bladed weapon.

“I’ve encountered a beast. Please assist!” Was all she could get out before the beast charged her.

Slamming into her she quickly rolled just short of its tail digging into the ground. Yet in the roll she’d dropped her blade. Looking around as the creature pulled it’s tail skyward. A faint clicking noise from her right stopped the beasts movement and it gave off a groan before laying on its belly.

“We are on our way!” The captain’s voice sprang through the intercom.

Out of the vegetation stepped a barefoot girl of teenage height. Wrapped in a thin silk looking top that covered only her mid section and bottoms that wrapped around her hips. She was human, with white hair like a beautifully aged ancient medicine woman. Yet as their eyes met hers glowed a purple color.

Neither of them moved as the girls skin started to glow a purple color in elegant patterns across her whole body.

“Your beautiful “ She mumbled without thinking and the girl cocked her head to the side. Looking at her wondering who she was and why her eyes didn’t glow.

Erisa heard the ship in the distance heading their way and tried to motion for the girl to flee. Yet she just stood staining at her.

“You have to run please. Go back to your people. It’s not safe.” She spoke out as the ship opened up and deposited the two men a little ways away. She could see them coming, but they couldn’t see the girl or the beast. “Please go”

Of course the men stood a ways away, silent on the come scanning the trees as the X678 androids footsteps hit her ears. She leaped at it, slamming into its fake skin feeling outer shell. Quickly it perryed and she fell flat in the dirt as it looked at the girl.

“What a spectacular find Erisa.” Its voice was nearly human.

“We didn’t find anything “ She begged, rolling to grab the hilt of her energy blade.

“She looks so human. I was sure I’d seen human like prints but this is wild. How did humanity reach this far previously.”

“Please don’t X678” Erisa pleaded, eyes starting to water as she seen the extinction of their planet unfold before their eyes. An armada of class A starships leaping into battle XO battle troops landing on the white sands, laser rifles at the ready.

The android human male gave a questioned glance her way. Blue eyes looking back at her, then looking at the young woman between then.

“Master Erisa the UHA must get word of this” His tone was flat, yet it still seemed worried. “Your ship mates must know we found life out here”

“Do you not see what humanity does?” Erisa started to sob. “They will enslave these people like they have done to our own people. Bleed this planet dry of resources like we have in the past”

“All in the name of keeping humanity alive?” X678 seemed curious about why she was arguing for these beings.

“If we can’t trust those on our crew. Who can we trust?” Captain Forests voice sent a chill through Erisa as the large tank of a man stepped into the clearing. His lazer pistol in hand, looking disappointedly at Erisa.

“These people are innocent!” Erisa shouted through tear filled eyes, slowly reaching for her duel bladed energy blade.

“It was our mission to find this planet and see if humanity could set up a home here. It’s a success. These aliens are primitive, they will surely be allowed to live peacefully with us” Captain Forest holstered his sidearm and looked at X678. “Send a coms message to the ferry, Garek can scoop us up to send a transmission from the ark”

“Please don’t do this” Erisa held the duel bladed hilt behind her as she sprung to the teenage looking alien girl. Propping her hand under its chin and letting her look at the Captain with fearful purple eyes. “I will not take part in enslaving another intelligent race”

With a sizzle of the air the energy blades shot from each surface of the hilt. Erisa holding it with a single hand, while pushing the girl behind her.

“So you turn your back on your people?” The Captain growled pulling out an energy blade and glaring at her. “Guess your minds made up”

Log 407 “Day three of discovery X Legs. It grew legs. I don’t know how or why but it has legs now. I have no idea what this is. Honestly it’s freaking me out. I don’t think I should take that thing back home. Though if I must it will be dead and bagged.”

Log 408 “Day four with discovery X Nothing new. Nothings changed with X. It hasn’t grown or moved at all. Somehow, that’s more unsettling than it growing.”

Log 409 “Day five observing discovery X I haven’t seen anything change but all of a sudden this weird dust is everywhere. I’m gonna put X in a container so it won’t be affected or contaminated.”

“Turns out that dust stuff is coming from the organism. I have no idea what this is anymore. It started as some moss but now….. now…”

Log 410 “Day six with X It’s getting stronger. Over night it mutated, changed. It looks almost like a humanoid. Is it actually the planets natural life form? Is what I’ve been witnessing the natural progression and I’ve kidnapped and imprisoned it over it? I think I should let it go when I leave. I should now, but I don’t feel safe doing that. End of log”

Log 411 “It’s day 8, it’s changed a lot. It’s taken on the look of a 23 year old female human. I’m recording this out of the room I keep it in. It’s growing still, no, learning. I don’t know what it is or what it’s doing but I think I should be careful from here out. I only have a few days left before I go back home. I’ll just have to wait it out until then. Also I’ve never missed a day of logs until recently. Can’t let myself do that again. End of log”

Log 412 “Day 10. I don’t feel safe. It looks like me. It’s started to mimic me. Like a child learning to walk. I swear I heard it trying to speak earlier. I- It’s doing something I…. I gotta go.”

Log 413 “Day 12 with X Everything turned out fine, I was overreacting. I’ll admit it scared me when he started to look like me, but I realized that it was no harm to me. Anyway todays the day I go back home. I’ll see you all soon. “

That’s all the logs I found. From the before. No one knows what happened except that it was quick. Or maybe it wasn’t. But when the signs started showing, it was over quick. It’s been 20 years and I’ve been alone since. I thought there was no other life in the area until I found some moss. Hopefully it means good food can grow.

2374 was the year the rocket reached Kepler-452b. The crew was tired of floating and dayless nights.

Marcus Howell was the first to take a step onto ground again. He wanted to strip his suit off and feel what looked to be grass, dive into the seemingly safe lake shore they’d landed near.

“Mark!”

Kristen’s voice cut in over the comm. “Get the samples and get in, you don’t have a full tank!”

Marcus winced. “Got it, sorry.” He bent and collected a few blades and soil and moved as quickly his suit would allow to get access to more oxygen. He would have to wait for test results, he reminded himself, before he could relax.

The tests were a bit out of his department as their pilot. Molly was their resident scientist. So Marcus had little to do but ship upkeep and getting used to gravity until they came back.

His internal clock had improved a good bit, and now that they were back on a Goldilocks planet he could cross reference, so when he said the tests took nearly a day he wasn’t exaggerating.

But when they did come back, results were clear: Kepler-452b was capable of supporting human life.

The crew had never heard better news. They began taking calculated risks, until a few weeks after the initial tests, they were wandering the home-away-from home without shoes on. The air was clear, the sun was shining, the water was drinkable. It was paradise.

They couldn’t reach home to communicate so far out, so Earth was still unaware of this discovery. But Marcus wasn’t. He was delighted by it.

One day, about a week before their scheduled departure to share their findings. Marcus was living the high life. After years in a stuffy ship, laying out on the grass was bliss. He was dozing in the sun, feeling like what he assumed the Roman Emperors felt, when he felt a jab at his side. Initially, he assumed it was Kris, waking him up to eat or something, but then he heard a noise that sounded like a chick.

He cracked an eye open to find a small bird, eyeing him suspiciously. A few feet away, a flock of other birds were standing in the shade, waiting to see what would happen.

Marcus smiled, trying to not make any sudden moves. The bird pecked him again, and he slowly shifted away. It peeped in surprise and looked up. Marcus stared back. It was an adorable little creature. Its feathers were a soft teal color, paired with cream tail feathers and a little red plume on the top of its head. It peeped again.

“Hello,” he whispered. The bird squawked and ran away, plume puffed up. He couldn’t contain a laugh. “I’m sorry!”

The birds didn’t approach again, so he stopped talking, laying down again. He even shut his eyes, to see if the illusion of sleeping would make them feel more secure.

The birds continued to study him throughout the day, even when he went back to the ship. The next day, they were there again, peeking out from the bushes. He didn’t interfere, simply smiling and squeaking when he saw them. He didn’t bother telling the others about them; they were his little secret. He knew that the existence of alien birds was perhaps important to know, but as the departure day came closer, Marcus was realizing that those little birds were perfect for domestication. The lake was perfect for vacation homes. The flowers perfect for cultivation.

Kepler-452b was perfect for Earth to ruin.

The day of their departure was chaotic. They prepped the ship, entered in their coordinates, strapped down their food and water for the voyage home.

Marcus said goodbye to his birds. They’d come to trust him, at least a bit. He could pet their backs, though their plumes and feet were a no go.

He didn’t want to hurt them.

So when he got in his seat and prepared to pilot them out of there, he made a decision. He told Molly to pull up the tests when they exited the atmosphere.

Once they were floating, he gave an order:

“Planet is uninhabitable. Make them say that.”

“What? Why?”

He looked down at Kepler-452b, the paradise uninjured by humans. “I think you know.”

He didn’t get a response. But he heard her typing. And that was an answer all on its own.