Blue Dust

Excavation

It was just another routine workday.
Wake up. Put on your clean uniform -that will soon be covered in blue dust again. Eat your bland astronaut food. Report to your superiors. Head out to the excavation site and work all day digging up nothing, until the sun sets and the 5 moons rise. Then it's head back with the nothing you've found. Report to your superiors. Clean up. Wash up. Eat up. And get your sleep because tomorrow's another routine work day.
"You know, when I signed up for this mission, to this planet that showed signs of life, I expected to find life." I say to no one in particular.
"Yeah, I think we all did, Thea." Pete replies with his usual sarcasm.
I check the readout on my tablet. Just another empty cavern below. Garret, Tim and Ashly set up charges anyway. I don't know what the big wigs think we'll find down there. "We're probably the only life on this planet."
"That's because the air is breathable, honey." Pete responds as he studies the info popping up on his tablet.
"I don't know, this blue dust is everywhere. My spit is blue and my piss is green."
"You get a paper cut and you bleed purple." He looks up from the tablet and calls out to the other three, "How long does it take to set a few charges, people? Come on! Let's move it!"
Garret and the others murmur amongst themselves as they finish up.
"I'm sure even my tears are blue." I add.
As soon as the charges are ready, the others clear the premisses, and take cover as Pete hits the detonator.

The blue dust clears.
"Holy..."
"Wow!"
Apparently, we have blown the roof off what looks to be a--
"Palace. Five bucks it's a palace!" Tim says.
"And why isn't it a super market?" Garret replies sarcastically.
"It's always a palace, bro."
"Whatever it is, it's definitely something." I say. I never thought I'd ever see something like this again after months and months of blue desert and dust. "Pete, ring up the big wigs."
"What do you think I've been doing?" Exasperated with his tablet he says, "The blast must've disrupted the comm signal."
We all look eagerly into the vestibule below.
"I guess we should head back?" Ashly shrugs.
"If you want." Pete replies. Immediately he searches for the safest route down there. "It's been 9 months since we've been assigned to this rock and haven't seen so much as anything but blue dust. I'm not going back only to be told we can't go in. I'm fed up with all their "confidential information" and withholdings."
No one objected as we all follow him down.
"I'm not reading any heat signatures besides ours. Whatever is down here is either inanimate or dead."
"Being dead makes you inanimate, Tim."
The vestibule opened into four directions.
"Split up, keep your comms on, follow your heat signature back here in an hour."
"Yes, sir." Tim mock salutes as he heads down one hall.
"Ashly, go with him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
She rolls her eyes. "Why do I always get stuck babysitting him?"
"They know you can't stand a moment without me."
Garret takes the adjacent hall.
As I'm about to head into the darkness, Pete says, "Scary things could be lurking in those tunnels, ya sure you don't want my hand to hold?"
I switch the light on my hard hat. "I'm a big girl, thanks."
He steps forward in an attempt to adjust the light on my hard hat. I can feel my pulse quicken. I know what he plans to do next, and I let him. We've been dancing around this since we came here 9 months ago. Never acting on this attraction. He tilts my chin as he leans in, pressing his lips too mine. I can taste the blue dust on his tongue - that dust seriously get everywhere!
The kiss didn't last too long, but long enough to keep me wanting more.
"Is that in case the big bad alien gets one of us?" I tease.
He smiled, "Just the excuse I needed."
"You don't need one next time." I say as I head down the hall. "See you in an hour."