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They were meant to stay in space forever together, to discover planets and help bring people together, nobody could’ve ever expected this outcome.
As the ten of them would explore planets, gather resources and gather friends, they ended up befriending this small species.
The species were a smaller version of the astronauts, creatures that shapeshifter to match what they cared for most. The group was reluctant to allow them onboard, but a person adorned with orange attire was quick to adopt one of the small creatures.
Kindness is a necessity in a world where even if it’s unlimited, it’s still squandered. Perhaps the orange astronaut knew this. Perhaps they were lonely.
It’s hard to say.
However, as the ten of them continued to search and explore the world, and slowly, the strong bonds that had kept the group together slowly began to break, like worn out rope on an abandoned bridge.
A person in purple attire soon grew bored of the life their team mates had created. Believing themselves to be trapped, they slowly turned to resent the group and everything it stood for.
They had confided their emotions into a person of blue, quickly gaining sympathy as their blue coloured friend had faced the same discrepancies. A life of space was truly not one for these two.
And together, they built a plan. They’d sabotage the ship and kill of their other team mates, all in the name of turning their ship around and returning to their normal life.
They’d blame it on the small creature that accompanied Orange, the creature didn’t appear to speak, so there would be no risks.
And so they headed out to commit a task so evil, it was practically unheard of. They set out to destroy the lights, causing the group to go into almost complete darkness, except for the minimal light that the suits would produce.
Purple had their heart set on becoming the first murderer, quickly rushing to find Orange, who had been spending their time in Electrical, attempting to fix the wires while the tiny creature silently accompanied them.
The thick haze of silence made the room feel more like a tiny box, other then the vast room the duo knew it was. Purple spotted the vent in the corner, as they quietly produced their weapon.
Orange turned around to speak, all words caught in their throat as Purple quickly ended their team mates life.
Purple heaved quickly, squeezing their eyes shut. Okay. Now all that was left was the—
Purple’s attention was quickly caught by the creature, who had stood frozen next to Orange’s corpse. Purple tensed up, waiting for the creature to reveal sharp fangs— to attack.
The creature just quietly stared at their friends body, it’s shoulders slumping as they attempted to cry, but no sound came out.
Purple stumbled back quickly, before quickly rushing to the vent and quickly jumping in, escaping the crime scene.
It didn’t take long for the other members to discover the body, quickly calling a meeting at the cafeteria.
The words were mumbled and frantic; nobody could believe that this was reality. That someone would do something like this.
As Purple looked around the room, they noticed that the small creature was no where to be found, and they tried to escape their guilty thoughts.
They evaded death by playing dumb, acting like they had been in Medbay the entirety of the time.
The lights were promptly fixed, and they decided to skip voting on people, deciding that instead, they should focus on attempting to bring everyone home quickly, so Purple had no quarrel with that.
They had won! They’d all go home, and even the little creature got to win, right? Nobody got blamed.
But as Purple walked back into the electrical to continue their task, they noticed the small creature, still stood exactly where their friend had been.
Purple tilted their head. The creature was free to roam; so why had it chosen to stay?
The creature remained there, which prompted Purples curiosity. They decided to read about the information Orange had gathered, as they headed to the communication room.
As they scrolled aimlessly through files, they noticed the files that Orange had collected on the small creature.
REPORT THIRTY THREE: The creature doesn’t like spicy food, my god. I tried feeding some to it and it didn’t look at me for a couple of days.
Purple tilted their head, scrolling back to the first dated report.
REPORT ONE: This creature is a small creature about the size of my leg. It kind of reminds me of a cat.. or a dog!
Purple sighed heavily, before noticing that this report was definitely.. longer then the rest.
REPORT ONE: Yeah, definitely bigger then my dog, but I actually have interesting news to show you. Apparently these creatures are super social, but they’re scared of people! Thats crazy. I could never be scared of people. One time..
Purple’s gaze continued to scan the report, Jesus Christ, why did these reports go on for so long? It was so unprofessional.
REPORT ONE: and that was pretty weird, but it reminds me of this creature. They allowed me to see their home, and they actually have this amazing life cycle! Their skin actually sheds every time they die so they can match whatever they love next. I saw a couple ‘die’ but then quickly come back as new things!
Purple’s heart skipped a beat.. It couldn’t be possible.. Their fingers trembled as they quickly searched for a confirmation, which they got in Report Five.
REPORT FIVE: Oh my god. The creature changed itself so it would look like me! I’m so incredibly flattered, but I’m also kinda worried. If the creature doesn’t seem to understand death.. What happens when me or another crew mate eventually passes on? It’s morbid, but from the creatures perspective, it’s never seen actual death.
Purple gripped onto the file tightly, the dread finally piling higher and higher up into their stomach.
REPORT FIVE: What if it never figures out that I’m dead?