A Fractured Oath

[Scene 1 - The Cave]
"GO GO GO GO!" Hermann's voice echoed through the cavern, his German accent thick with urgency. The beam from our headlamps created frantic patterns on the crystalline walls as we scrambled toward the exit.

"We can't just leave Dennis!" Ruby's British accent cracked with desperation, her red hair whipping around as she tried to turn back.

Miles grabbed her arm, his dark features tense in the dim light. "He's gone! We'll all die if we stay!"

I froze for a moment, my mind struggling to process what we'd just witnessed. Hermann's voice cut through my daze like a knife: "Musa, you dumbass! Snap out of it now! We don't have a choice!"

The lunar surface beckoned through the cave's mouth, the Earth hanging like a blue jewel in the black sky. We sprinted toward the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), our boots kicking up clouds of moon dust.

Hermann jumped into the driver's seat, his experienced hands gripping the controls. "Everyone in! NOW!" Celeste collapsed into her seat, her Franco-Italian features pale beneath her helmet visor. "Mon Dieu... what did we just see in there?"

I slumped in my seat, covering my face with trembling hands. The image of that... thing... kept flashing through my mind. Ashlyn's face appeared in my thoughts – my pregnant wife, waiting for me back on Earth. I couldn't die here, not now.

[Scene 2 - Earlier That Day on Earth]
The domestic scene in my kitchen felt like it belonged to another lifetime. Ashlyn stood at the sink, her pregnant belly curved gracefully beneath her favourite blue dress.

"Let me help with those dishes," I offered, rising from our dinner table.

She shooed me away with soap-covered hands. "I'm pregnant, not helpless, Musa."

"But you're carrying our little one—" The sharp ring of my phone cut through our peaceful moment.

Commander Alex's voice carried its usual authority: "Musa, we need the DELTA team. Priority One mission."

After the call, I moved quickly, grabbing my mission jacket and keys. Ashlyn caught me at the door, her arms wrapping around me. "Promise me you'll come back. This baby needs their father."

I held her close, breathing in her familiar scent. "I promise, Babe. Nothing could keep me from returning to you both."

Her kiss was soft, worried. "I trust you, just... be careful."

I lingered at the door, memorizing her face. "I love you, Ashlyn."

"Love you too, Musa. Come home safe."

Little did I know then how that promise would be tested.