Ficlets

Cerlah sat with his feet up on the controls, reviewing the survey. On the monitors, the blue-green planet they had just left loomed in space, wreathed in clouds.
Aelina looked over his shoulder and clicked her tongue. “Looks like we struck out again.”
Cerlah gestured at his read-out.
“Not a single trace of any civilization. And we were so sure, too.” He tossed the viewer tablet onto the control desk.
Aelina looked back at the planet and sighed.
“We’ll find it eventually. After all, we have basically an unlimited budget from the Historical Alliance Of The Western Spiral Arm. They’re determined to rediscover mankind’s point of origin at any cost.”
“True. Let’s circle this planet’s moon for a mineral survey so we have something to show for the trip.”
Aelina altered the course of the ship, and it moved to orbit the moon.
“Wait!” Cerlah’s hand darted out to stop the ship’s movement. “I see something! Zoom in!”
Aelina magnified the object on the moon’s surface: a red and white striped flag.
“The planet was Earth!”