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Blue was fascinated by crewmates. Always had been. Their lives, their anatomy, their taste… Especially their taste. And Red was not very different. They were less interested in what made them tick, and what made them die, but undeniably they were interested. Blue had killed hundreds back in their ore mine before stowing away on this shipment, Red in tow. Red was far less experienced than Blue, always nervous, but they were a spectacular actor when they needed to be, and willing to follow Blue’s orders if it kept them hidden.
Blue cared only for the manipulative aspect of bonding with their prey. They’d mastered charm before they’d mastered murder, after all, and a stunning doctor adored by all was the perfect body to take hold of. They had the medical knowledge to back themselves up, and they’d played many a sweet, caring role among crews. Sometimes they didn’t even need to fake it! Crewmates made it so easy to talk to them, and sometimes Blue did get a little bit more attached than they needed to be, but it only made the killing more fun to watch them scream and cry as their ‘best friend’ ripped them to shreds.
Red had gotten settled quickly as well. The captain was a bit of a fool, and so were they, if you asked Blue. An easy impersonation. The only problem was the crewmate’s complicated relationship with the one called Purple, but Blue had done some scavenging in Purple’s quarters and kept Red informed with all of that delicious drama. So far, the pairing had taking a liking to the crew, and both had found crewmates that particularly liked them. Green trailed Red like some kind of baby animal, always questioning. Red kept them busy by assigning them tasks under the guise of training, and claimed no interest in them, but Blue noticed the frowns of sympathy on their face that sometimes appeared after their interactions with Green. Blue thought that was utterly ridiculous.
And then Blue had met Lime.
Lime who was certain they could trust nobody, who rarely left the vents, who was the only crewmate apprehensive around the doctor. They were strange, and didn’t smell as appetising as the others, and Blue was enamoured by it. In fact, they took it as a bit of a challenge at first. A meal was always more rewarding if they had to work for it. When they started working their way into Lime’s circle of trust, the crewmate had been resistant, and it did not take long for Blue to start getting frustrated. That was chalked up to such a long period without food: settling into a role takes time, after all. But White had been a nice easy victim to get their claws into. They hadn’t even bothered watching any reactions, just scooped up the body, waited for Orange to finish up some paperwork, and tucked right in. Red had wanted some, but Red hadn’t killed them. Their rumbling stomach was their own problem.
Of course there was panic, but panic was opportunity, and Blue had ordered scans for everybody. There, they learned that Green was perfectly compliant, and Orange was a stickler for rules, and Cyan believed in spiritual concepts, and plenty of other little snippets to use to their advantage. But Lime had not arrived. However, they’d garnered from the other crewmates that Lime was quite the little conspiracy theorist, and a little mention of monsters and a promise to destroy their scan was all the persuasion it took. Blue snickered whenever they thought about that interaction. ‘Gremlins’ were hardly the biggest or baddest beasts on the ship.
Plans continued. Red was still yet to make their first kill. The crewmates were concerned, and so was Blue in all honesty. Pizza crusts certainly wouldn’t be on Blue’s list of ideal diet options, and Red was growing visibly weaker. Lime was certainly observant enough to catch it, and Blue had gently broached the subject the next time they saw Lime, halfway out of the vent while Blue searched through medical records.
“Have you noticed anything… different… about Red lately?” They purred, careful with their words. “I’ve noticed that they don’t quite look themself as of late.”
Lime perked up immediately from their place in the floor. “Yeah, and I’ll tell ya what’s wrong with em’: they’re bein’ poisoned!”
“Poisoned, you say?” Blue glanced over their shoulder at them. “Tell me more.”
“I keep tellin’ everybody this, but nobody believes me! The government is poisoning our water with waste from whatever experiments they’re doing on kidnapped crewmates, and sendin’ us up into space so we can’t expose em’!” Lime huffed and shrunk back down onto the vent, so that only their eyes and forehead were visible. “Go on. Tell me I’m crazy. You aaaall believe I’m crazy, until something happens to you!”
Blue smiled. “What a fascinating theory. And entirely possible. I’ll have to agree that our higher-ups in society are responsible for so much of our pain, and I wish I could apologise to you on their behalf. I believe you, Lime, and I’ll keep a close eye on Red. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
“Exactly, and now you’re gonna lock me up like I’ve lost my mi-“ Lime cut themself off, registering what Blue had said. “You do?”
“Yes. I think what you’re saying is completely plausible.” The imposter glided over to the vent, kneeling down in front of Lime with one hand on their knee. “You’ve helped me greatly today, Lime. I offer you my deepest thanks.”
Lime stuttered, cheeks just barely flushed. Blue noticed, of course, but said nothing.
“Well- I- You just keep lookin’ out for more signs, ya hear me? And don’t drink the water. They’ll getcha.”
And Lime slid back down into the vents, the cover snapping shut after them. Blue laughed quietly to themself. They’d never gotten so attached to a crewmate, but then Lime was an enigma, an outlier in their chart of meals they’d had. They were a fascinating creature. A beautiful creature.
Blue needed their innards between their teeth.