The mission parameters were simple:
Land on the planet.
Carry out an on-ground assessment of the suitability of the star for human habitation. The images and samples from probes sent prior were favourable. This was the last check to validate or refute...
Report back everything seen. This was as important as the penultimate one, if not more. Everything, without exception was to be fed back to Mission Control.
The crew was handpicked. A trio of seasoned astronauts, with at least two voyages under each one's belt.
The outbound leg was uneventful. So were the first ninety six hours. Then a camera caught something.
They replayed the feed many times. In slow-mo. Yet, what showed on the screen was a blur. That was all the HD camera captured of a lighting-fast movement.
They were on high alert, after that. But nothing else occurred to give any cause for concern.
Adrienne was the last one in, from the pre-takeoff checks. She left the hatch open.
The act was so un-Adrienne and out of sync with protocol that the others turned to look at her.
Her face and every other visible part was covered in some kind of purple membrane.
Then the membranes moved. They were super fast organisms with tentacles. All over their purple bodies were shimmering, undulating suckers.
In seconds, they had latched unto the other two.
The last act of the lead astronaut was to hit the launch button. The ship's course was already set for earth.
*Image from pinterest.com
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