Habita

Una by Mochi

Una... are you sure this is safe? I mean, what if we don't find anything? What if we find something dangerous? What if our ship never comes back? What if we starve and have to eat each other to survive?
We will be fine. I promise. We have ten weeks of food. And, we did a scan and couldn't detect any significant lifeforms. Nothing dangerous. We are just going to go in, grab as much data as possible, and head back out. It'll be three days at most.

A lone light blinks through the void. Habita floats there, lifeless. Its satellite arms spin about, reflecting the light off nearby stars. Through the titanic glass dome atop this space station, a vibrant jungle can be seen. Your exploration ship parks at the only available dock; you step out, alongside your two accompanying crew members, Una, and Jess.
They both have a brave face strapped on, while yours is a mix of worry and stress. This massive space station dwarfs the ship you call home. You have been training for this. A mission to explore somewhere unknown.

Life Finds A Way

Jess by Mochi

What puzzles me most is... how? Just, how are things still alive on here? This place must be huge, to have cultivated a self-sustaining environment like this. I mean, this is a full-blown rainforest in a space station. And nobody's detected this back on Earth?
I'm surprised you're surprised, Jess. Given how you loooove to tell us all of these crazy things you've seen out in space.

Una places a small gadget on the locked door to the space station. The gadget seemingly melts away a lock, and Una grabs a handle and pulls, revealing a large corridor inside. The three of you step inside and close the door. Jess flicks a small lever on everyone's suits, enabling gravity, allowing you to comfortably walk down the hallway.
As you walk, you hear a small chirp. Una steps back as a tiny, rodent-like animal scurries about. It has six legs, a tiny head, and an awful smell to it. The rodent croaks as it scurries through a small hole in a dilapidated floorboard. You gulp as the croaks and chirps grow quieter, leaving an eerie silence in its place. On the bright side, you are not alone.
As you walk farther down down the corridor, you find a fork in the road. You and Jess head to the left, while Una follows the right. You remain in constant contact via a small walky talky. Jess trips and tumbles over a small purple root growing from between two metal floorboards.

Ah, shit. You head on, I'll hang back. Think I hurt my ankle a little bit.

You reluctantly lead the way, shining your flashlight down the dark hallway. More of those purple roots seem to be growing, the further down you walk. Suddenly, you stumble upon a large door. How you did not see it from down the corridor, you are unsure.
It has a large handle, with a giant label reading "DO NOT OPEN". You open it.

A Past Not Forgotten

The door leads you into a large control room. Ancient looking levers, buttons, and gadgets lay sprawling across an untidy, abandoned room. You estimate this control room dates back to the early 2000s, over two hundred years ago. Scribbled-on pieces of paper, an archaic form of note-taking, lay on the ground, dampened from moisture in the air.
You pick up a handful of notes and shine your flashlight on them.

BIOSPHERE TEST NO. 17
It's been three days, and it has not eaten.
It knows. I fear this will be yet another failed experiment.
Why we can't seem to get this right, I don't know. But we need to.
We can't give up. Not while they're out there, and still searching for us.

Hey Jess... could you take a look at this?
Holy shit. Something weird happened here. Seems like whoever lived in here was using this place as some kind of refuge, hiding from something... or someone... trying to find them?
I have no idea. I bet there's some more information round here.
Hey uh... we've not heard from Una in a while.
There was a crackle as the walky talky whirred to life.
Hey Una, how are you doing? We've found some control room with some interesting stuff inside. Follow that path we went down to find us.
...

Una?