Yes ma'am.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I almost had it!”

“Almost is never enough! That orb is the only thing that gives us any clues to what is on this planet, and you didn’t pick it up because it was “Too scary?!””

“You don’t understand captain, I know I had it within reach but…but it had a sort of aura around it, something that says it’s dangerous. Something that says don’t pick it up, or else…”

He was in a dark cavern with only him and the captain. He heard a continuous drip of what he assumed was water falling onto rock. In front of him, past the captain, he could see the slight glow that the orb produced. It was across a chasm. He gazed up at the stalactite they had their rope secured to. He remembered how just seconds ago he had held on tight and swung back and forth over the chasm, scared out of his mind. He remembered how his fingers brushed its cool surface, and he remembered how something told him not to pick it up. And how he returned back with nothing. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he realized the captain was still talking to him.

“Hey Lieutenant, quit your day dreaming and pay attention."

“Yes ma’am sorry ma’am!” he shouted instinctively.

“As I was saying, we're the only ones left in our expedition. Everyone else has died on this godforsaken planet! And now we have to find out how to live on it! Anything that could help… we need to secure it!”

“I know, but that… that thing isn’t… it isn’t meant to be messed with.”

He loved his captain very much, and this wasn’t how she normally acted. He knew the pressure was getting to her, the fear they might die, and the pain and grief she had to hide when everyone else died. Just so she could keep up the illusion of being strong. He could see the pain reflected in her eyes.

“If you won’t get it then I will,” she cried.

“You shouldn’t! It’s not safe!”

“Listen to me, Lieutenant! I am your captain and you must obey me! I will decide if this orb is dangerous.”

“Yes ma’am… I’m sorry ma’am”

He watched as she swung back and forth until finally she had her hand grasped around the orb, and then, she was back beside him.

“It does feel… strange,” she admitted.

“What are we going to do now?”

“We’ll bring it back to camp and monitor it.”

“Bring it back to camp?! Are you crazy?!”

“Smith, I am your captain, listen to my orders.”

Something about her using his last name made him falter.

“I–Yes ma’am.”

“Alright then, let’s go.”

***

He woke the next day with a sense of apprehension. But he brushed it off and headed out of his tent. It was a calm morning, though he didn’t think he would ever get used to the fact that the earth he stood on was blue. He was about to enter the captain's tent when he stopped. He heard her muttering inside.

“S-s-s-sta–a-a-ay-yy a-a-wa-y,” he heard her gasp over and over again.

With no more hesitation he burst into the tent, only to find his captain sitting in a corner, tears streaming down her face. She looked up at him with a look that broke him.

“I think–I think I’ve made a mistake.”

“What do you mean?”

“You were right, that orb–that orb was… was dangerous, and now–now I’ve set it free, we need to… need to put it back in that cave where it can never hurt anyone!”

“What? Calm down, what’s happening?”

“Don’t tell me to calm down! You don’t understand, you don’t know its plan!”

“I don’t but you do! And I need you to tell me it!”

He awaited a reply but her face had gone blank with fear.

“He’s here,” she whispered.

“He? Who’s he?”

He turned around to see who she was referring to, but no matter where he looked he couldn’t see anything. He whipped back around when he heard her scream, the sound made his insides shrivel.

“What? What? Is it?!”

Her screams continued, but he couldn’t see anything hurting her. But he could see bruises forming, cuts and gashes. Blood started to pool on the ground beneath her. When suddenly something broke.

“Hey you! Stop it!” he cried as tears flowed down his face. “Whoever you are, stop it! She didn’t do anything to deserve this! She was-she was just trying to do the best she could! With as little as she could! When things started to go wrong, she held in her fear! She tried to make everything the best for us! She tried! That’s why she moved the orb! She only wanted to help! And you! You come around! She doesn’t deserve any of this! Whatever this is!”

The cuts stopped forming, and suddenly before him a monster appeared. It had limbs sticking out from its body from everywhere and its head touched the ceiling. Its legs resembled those of a spider, with an almost knife-like sharpness to them. When it spoke it sent chills down his spine.

“You care for her don’t you?”

Its voice was sweet, innocent, but he sensed something darker dwelling beneath it.

“Leave her alone!”

“I”m afraid I can’t do that, you see, she touched the orb, the orb is my life force, it gives me power, now that she has reawakened it, once I kill her, It’ll add another week until the orb will go quiet again. I can finally–”

He didn’t wait to hear anymore, he ran, ran out of the room but before he did, he grabbed the orb from its resting place. He heard the monster give out a shriek, and he heard the skittering of it following him. He ran back towards the cave and didn’t dare to look back. He could feel its presence right behind him. When he reached the chasm he didn’t swing back over towards the ledge where the orb once rested. He knew there wasn’t time. So he hurled it into the chasm. With a bellow the beast jumped after it. He knew there wasn’t time to get out of the way. He felt the monster's body slam into his, and he felt the ground disappear from beneath them as they tumbled into the chasm. Even though he was about to die, he smiled, cause finally he had been able to do something for his captain. And then his body hit the ground.