Emily was not focused on the task at hand, as she should have been. She darted ahead, stepping over these twisted roots that pulsed faintly, like veins or something. Her laughter echoed through the dense, alien forest, all bright and playful, like she didn''t have a care in the world. I was trying to examine this fern-like plant with tiny, glowing pods, when suddenly she pounced, jabbing her fingers into my sides. I jerked, startled, and dropped the damn fern.


    “Emily!” I scolded, trying to sound serious, but I couldn''t. I could never keep a straight face around her.


    “Come on, Luca,” she teased, leaning in close and batting her eyelashes like some kind of cartoon character. “Lighten up. We’re on an alien planet! Have a little fun.” She pinched my cheek, then skipped away, her laughter trailing behind her. “Besides, what’s the point of exploring a new world if you’re just gonna act like an old man?”


    I shook my head, giving her a pout. “I’m not that old.” But as I bent to retrieve the fallen plant, I saw it. A small plant with a long, thick stem shooting straight up, ending in this round, bulbous thing on top. I could already hear Emily’s commentary before she even opened her mouth.


    “Oh wow,” she said, appearing beside me, all fake innocence. “What do we have here?” She pointed at the plant, barely containing her grin. “Looks like someone’s compensating for something.”


    I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help but laugh. “Very mature, Em.” I stole a quick kiss, just a peck.


    Emily shrugged, poking the plant with a gloved finger. “I call it like I see it.” She straightened up, glancing around. “But seriously, this place is wild.”


    “It’s quite suspicious; you think this is a system-designed planet? What are the odds that there’s an Earth-like planet one star system away from Earth? It’s like the system has prepared this for us,” I said, finally managing to grab a sample of the fern and store it. I started to crouch down to cut another sample, when Emily suddenly jumped me, tackling me to the ground.


    “Gotcha!” she yelled, straddling me, her green eyes sparkling with mischief.


    I grunted, I loved Emily, but the ground was rugged and it was a bit painful. “What the hell, Em?” I said, trying to sound annoyed.


    “You were being too serious,” she said, leaning down, her lips brushing against mine. “Time for a little fun.”


    And then she kissed me, a deep, passionate kiss that made me forget all about the alien plants, the mission, and the fact that we were probably visible from camp. I was surprised but not exactly complaining. We ended up rolling around in the dirt, kissing and laughing. And then, she started getting handsy. I mean, really handsy. We were hidden by the foliage, but still close enough to the others that we could have been spotted at any moment. But she didn''t care, she loved to torture me.


    She somehow managed to unzip me enough to pull me out, and then she just… Right there in the dirt, with the red sun shining down through the canopy and the sounds of the others nearby. It was reckless and insane, and probably the hottest thing that''s ever happened to me.


    She pulled back at the last second, and it shot out, arcing through the air, landing somewhere in the undergrowth. She aimed it away from us, then winked at me like it was no big deal. Like she hadn''t just blown my mind. Then she cleaned me off, kissed me again, and went back to looking at plants like nothing had happened. I was left there, trying to pull myself together, my heart still pounding out of my chest, my brain trying to process what the fuck just happened.


    Wait a minute, a thought finally surfaced through the haze of pleasure. Did... what… just? My eyes darted to where my juices had landed. A patch of weird, purple moss. Are we even supposed to be doing that? I''d been so careful about contamination, about not disturbing the ecosystem, except, you know, the nightly bonfire.


    We were supposed to be observers, not participants. What if my bodily fluids fucked up the delicate balance of this place? Could that cause some kind of chain reaction? An ecosystem collapse? Fuck. I''d been so worried about everyone else trashing the place, and here I was, letting Emily make me jizz all over the alien foliage.


    But another thought quickly followed: It''s just a little bit. Probably won''t do any harm. Right? Besides, it wasn''t like I could exactly go and clean it up now. And Emily was already back to examining plants like nothing had happened. Maybe I was overthinking it.


    “Emily...” I said, grinning up at her, trying to shake off the sudden wave of anxiety. “You can''t do that.”


    Emily grinned back, her eyes sparkling. “Do what?” She leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on my forehead. “Now, let’s get back to work, Captain. Before someone sees us.” And before I had time to dwell on the potential ecological collapse of our little escapade.


    I groaned, but I knew she was right. We had a job to do. But as I got to my feet, brushing dirt off my uniform, I couldn''t help but think that maybe, just maybe, this alien planet wasn''t so bad after all.


    We had finally managed to collect enough samples for the day, thank god. My back was starting to ache from all the crouching, and my patience was wearing thin. As we began to make our way back to camp, Emily, of course, couldn''t resist one last jab. She nudged me, pointing at another one of those damn strangely-shaped plants. “Hey, look at that one,” she said, her voice all mock-serious. “I think we’ve found your long-lost twin.”


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    I groaned, shaking my head. Of course, it probably looked like another dick. "Ha ha, very funny," I said, trying to sound annoyed. "Come on," I muttered, grabbing her hand and pulling her along. "Let''s get back before it gets dark." We were close enough to camp that someone was bound to see us, and as much as I loved Emily, I wasn''t quite ready for that kind of show. Not yet, at least.


    <hr>


    Meanwhile, Zoe, Ryan, and Danny were further out, gearing up for their own task, hunting for fauna to analyze. Zoe adjusted her rifle, checking the tranquilizer darts and making sure the safety was on. “Ready?” she asked, a grin spreading across her face.


    Danny managed a weak smile, his cheeks flushing. “Great. That’s... comforting.”


    "Alright, boys, ready to bag us some alien wildlife?" she asked. That girl lived for this kind of chaos.


    Ryan, predictably, was eating it up. "Hell yeah," he said, adjusting his rifle strap across his chest. He looked ready for action, his blonde hair sticking to his forehead in damp clumps. The dude practically thrived on adrenaline. "But let’s be honest, if these darts don’t work, we’re going to learn the hard way. You think an alien predator is gonna shrug this off and laugh?"


    Danny trailed behind them, already looking like he regretted signing up for this. He fumbled with his instruments, his face pinched in that nervous way he got when he was trying to keep cool but failing. "I’m just saying," he started, his voice cracking a little, "what if we… you know… accidentally provoke something? What if the darts don’t work? Or worse, what if it works and we just piss it off before it drops?"


    Zoe turned on him, walking backward so she could face both guys. Her smirk widened, sharp and confident, her hip cocked just slightly as she rested the butt of the rifle against her shoulder. "Relax, Danny. That’s why I’m here. If anything jumps out at us, I’ll keep you safe. Besides," she added, "aren’t you curious to see what’s out there?"


    Danny’s cheeks flushed instantly, his eyes darting to Ryan for support. But Ryan wasn’t paying attention. He was scanning the horizon, rifle in hand, a grin creeping across his face as though he couldn’t wait for something to jump out at them.


    "Don’t worry, Danny," Ryan said, clapping him on the back hard enough to make him stumble. "Zoe’s got your back. And hey, maybe whatever we find will be more scared of us than we are of it."


    "Or maybe it’ll decide we’re the perfect snack," Danny muttered under his breath, his grip tightening on the tranquilizer gun. He wasn’t used to this, no armor, no war hammer, just this silly tranquilizer gun, but he’d try anyway. Probably because Zoe was watching.


    The group pressed on, the thick foliage swallowing the light behind them. Zoe slowed, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the shadows. "Hear that?" she whispered, holding up a hand. The air felt heavier suddenly, like something was watching them.


    Ryan leaned in, his voice low. "What is it?"


    Zoe grinned, her confidence somehow irritating and impressive at the same time. "Not sure yet. Could be our lucky break. Or it could be something with claws. You ready, Ryan? Danny?"


    Danny swallowed hard, gripping his gun like it was the only thing keeping him alive. "Define ready."


    Zoe’s laugh was low and teasing. "Stick with me, and you’ll be fine."


    The sound came again, a rustling from the dense underbrush, followed by an unsettling, clicking noise. Ryan tightened his grip on his rifle. "Okay, that doesn’t sound like anything I want to meet."


    "Relax, Ryan," Zoe said, her tone deliberately calm as she adjusted her stance, aiming the tranquilizer rifle toward the noise. "It’s probably just a herbivore."


    "And if it’s not?" Danny asked, his voice strained.


    "Then we’ll find out together," she said, casting a sideways glance at him. "Don’t worry. I’ll protect you."


    Danny’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, but he didn’t argue. Ryan, on the other hand, just chuckled. "You’re loving this, aren’t you?"


    Zoe didn’t answer immediately. She shifted closer to Danny, her shoulder brushing his as she moved into position. "Maybe I am," she admitted. "Let’s see what’s out there, boys."


    The jungle grew darker, the noises more alien, the shadows longer. And yeah, I wasn’t there, but I could imagine the look on Danny’s face, half terrified, half thrilled, as Zoe’s laughter echoed softly through the trees. That girl always knew how to keep things interesting. The question was, for how long?


    In a regular delve, these three were the perfect team-mates, each in their own element. But in the jungle, exposed and without their armor and internal comms? They were acting like children. Maybe they should have worn their armored suits.


    <hr>


    A flicker of movement caught Zoe’s eye. She raised a hand, signaling the others to freeze. “Shh,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. They stopped in their tracks, and the forest seemed to hold its breath.


    The bushes ahead rustled, and suddenly, a creature exploded from the shadows. Sleek and covered in dark, iridescent scales, it moved skittered forward, its long tail whipping behind it. A ridge of spines shimmered like molten metal under the red light. It hissed, a low, menacing sound, needle-like fangs flashing before it bolted, disappearing as quickly as it had come.


    Zoe lowered her rifle and let out a laugh that was half exhilaration, half triumph. “Did you see that? Holy shit, that was incredible!” She turned to Ryan and Danny, her dark eyes alight with energy. “We have to track it. That thing’s worth every dart in the chamber.”


    Ryan clapped her on the shoulder. “Relax, Woods. You’ll scare the next one off with all that excitement.” His grin was easy, but his knuckles were white on his rifle grip.


    Danny, though, hadn’t moved an inch. His wide-eyed stare was locked on the bushes where the creature had vanished. “Did you see its scales?” he whispered, almost reverent. “The way they caught the light? That’s got to be an adaptation to the red dwarf. I mean, we’ve never…”


    “Danny.” Zoe’s voice cut through his rambling. “You’re adorable when you nerd out, but let’s keep moving before our shiny friend gets too far ahead.”


    Danny’s face turned a brilliant shade of red, and he stammered something unintelligible before Ryan barked out a laugh. “Come on, Doc,” Ryan teased. “Let’s see if we can track it. And try not to trip over your own feet.”


    Zoe smirked as she brushed past Danny, her hand holding his for a moment. “You’re doing great, Danny. Really. Just stick close to me, okay? You know, in case something big decides it doesn’t like how cute you are.”


    Danny froze, his brain clearly short-circuiting, and Ryan shot him a knowing smirk. “Don’t get her hopes up, dude. She’ll eat you alive.”


    She turned, her dark eyes locking on Ryan’s with a challenge. “You volunteering, Mitchell? ‘Cause I’ve got room for two.”


    Ryan coughed, his bravado faltering for a split second before he recovered with a crooked grin. “I’m good, thanks. But hey, if you need someone to carry you back after you trip over your own ego, I’ll be here.”


    She laughed. “Careful, Ryan. You keep talking like that, and I’ll start thinking you’re jealous.”