Chapter Text
“I need a break after this one, Rock,” Grace said, stretching out his back in the pilot’s chair, “I’m gonna be sick if I do another EVA.”
“Rocky thought Grace used to EVA feeling, question?” Rocky skittered around his xenonite chamber, preparing to go back into zero-g.
“I am it’s just… taxing.” Grace sighed against the artificial gravity that was set to run out in just a few minutes. “I’m ready to go back home after this.”
They were approaching the final solar system of their journey, and would be headed back to Erid after a well-deserved sleep. Then in a few more months, they’d stock up on more food and resources and head out again in a different direction. Grace couldn’t stop himself from feeling empathetic about it all. The stars dying out. Some of these planets had life that were so underdeveloped they would die out without ever knowing what happened. Some of them had nothing at all. But all were still important pieces of the universe, so Grace felt the need to protect them and their stars.
And Rocky was more than happy to help.
Ever since sending the beetles back to Earth, Grace couldn’t help but wonder if he could fix the other solar systems. Other planets. Other stars. It hadn’t taken a lot of convincing to send them back up, especially since they were using the Hail Mary and not any Eridian ships, but the process was far from simple. Grace wanted to use the Hail Mary for this mission more than anything. Mostly because he had more control that way, both physically and diplomatically on Erid, but also because the Hail Mary was a symbol of hope. At least, it was for him.
Plus, he wasn’t sure about attempting to pilot an Eridian ship on his own. And he definitely didn’t want to go on an expedition without Rocky. Being placed with an Eridian pilot gave him the shivers. He just wanted things to stay as it was. Grace and Rocky. Saving the stars.
Of course, Rocky wanted to go. He grasped at any excuse to be around Grace for longer than a few hours. When Grace proposed the idea, Rocky’s voice went up two whole octaves. Grace could barely understand what he was saying.
Ever since living on Erid and teaching his class, Grace had gotten much better at understanding Eridian. He didn’t need a computer anymore to translate what the different chords and notes meant. There were a few phrases that Grace still needed help with, but most of the time it was fine.
Adrian wasn’t happy about Rocky leaving again. They protested for a few weeks, arguing that the last time Rocky left, he was gone for over 40 years. It took a lot of convincing, but Rocky managed to explain that he’d only be gone for a few months at a time, and finally Adrian allowed him to go.
Their schedule was simple. Stock up their Astrophage fuel at Erid, grab a couple of meburgers, and ship out to the closest available solar system. Depending on where they went, it could take a few months to around half a year to reach their destination. From there, they’d treat the solar system’s star and send out probes (similar to the beetles) to the other affected suns that were close to their current position. The probes would fly directly into the suns, burning up in their atmospheres, and releasing the taumeoba to begin their feeding frenzies.
Before Grace and Rocky were permitted to leave, Eridian scientists tested the probes on their sun, even though the Astrophage population had already been dealt with. They were mostly checking that Rocky’s engineering would’ve worked, and that the taumeoba wouldn’t have been killed by the melting metal. Grace had no doubts it would work. Rocky’s engineering never failed throughout all the times they’d known each other. And the probes were no different.
After running a few more tests (which took longer than Grace was expecting) Erid finally allowed Grace’s mission. He didn’t realize how much he actually missed being amongst the stars with his best friend by his side.
Grace loved his biodome and his classroom and his students, but there was something so mesmerizing about outer space. Either that, or he was just happy to be helping people across the galaxy. It felt like his own personalized version of Star Wars. He showed the whole series to Rocky a few months after moving in to Erid. Perks of the Hail Mary having every available resource known to mankind.
“Engine shut off in 1 minute,” Rocky chirped.
Grace nodded and clipped his belt buckle together. The last thing he wanted was to glide forward and introduce his nose to the wall once the gravity cut off. He’d let zero-g set in and then begin his spacewalk.
They’d shipped out to a sun that Grace didn’t know much about. He’d attempted to study the areas closer Erid, especially since they were unknown back on Earth, but it was hard work. With hundreds of suns and thousands of planets to get through, he hadn’t gotten around to looking into this one.
Grace wanted to stay for a little while, if they could. Just a few extra hours so he could take some scans of the planets and learn a little more about the solar system. He was mostly looking for life. Cells and bacteria would be harder to spot from way up in the clouds, but who knows. Maybe they’d find something interesting.
Mary’s smooth, electronic voice counted down from ten as the Hail Mary slowed to a stop.
Grace felt the all-too-familiar feeling of his stomach lurching as the artificial gravity dissipated. He’d been on so many spacewalks, getting the probes ready and performing general maintenance on the ship, that he should’ve been used to the feeling by now. Grace was happy this was their last stop on the trip.
Rocky floated down his xenonite tube as Grace unclipped his seatbelt and followed, making his way towards the airlock. He was already in his EVA undersuit and quickly slid into the red outer shell. Grace was ready to send the probes on their way and get to the fun part.
The fun part being the science, of course.
They had five probes this time. One would go to the sun that shone brightly in front of them. It’s flares were hypnotizing through the tiny glass window, and Grace had to stop himself from staring for fear of going blind. The other four probes would go in various, calculated directions to hit the other surrounding suns in about a year or so.
“Okay,” Grace slid on his helmet and took in a deep breath, “be back in a second.”
“EVA walk take longer than a second.” Rocky deadpanned, “Grace really be back in hour.”
“You’re right. Be back in an hour.”
Grace sealed the airlock and clipped himself to the bungee cords that swirled around the room. He double, triple checked it before sending himself out onto the hull. The first time he did this, it was right before meeting Rocky. He’d been scared out of his mind with the vastness of dead space that spread out before him. Now, it was like walking down the street.
Strange how quickly the abnormal became normal.
Grace actually finished faster than he thought. It helped that the probes were already positioned and programmed before the trip out. All he had to do was run final safety checks, ensure the taumeoba were alive, and click a button to send them on their way. While it had only taken around 40 minutes, Grace was exhausted. The only thing keeping him going was the excitement of scanning the planets.
He floated his way back inside, pressurizing the airlock and slipping out of his suit. He peeled the white undersuit off and discarded it on the floor next to the red EVA shell. It’s not like he’d be going back out on the hull this trip. And Rocky didn’t go in there, so he couldn’t complain about the mess. Grace told himself he’d pick up later.
“Grace,” Rocky yelled from across the ship, “you are back, question?”
“Yeah, bud. I’m back.” Grace floated back to the cockpit to clip himself in and get the telescope working. Time for his favorite part. His exhaustion faded away, replaced by sheer excitement. He loved being the first human to experience these things.
Even though what Stratt did to him was unethical, it was for the greater good. Grace understood that, and while he didn’t fully agree at the time, he appreciated it now. He found a new home, his best friend, and still got to do all the cool science he’d been ostracized from back on Earth.
And not dying was a pretty good perk.
Grace maneuvered the telescope around until he caught sight of the first planet. And, god, was it beautiful, with wispy clouds and a light hue. But that wasn’t what caught his eye. It’s moon did.
Most of the moons he’d taken note of were blue or grey or yellow but this one was red. Not a soft, casual red but a dark, heavy red that covered the entire surface.
For a second, Grace thought the Petrova Scope was turned on, but no. The moon was just that red.
“Rock,” Grace said, starstruck, “I know you can’t see color but this is…”
“Why Grace no finish sentence, question?”
“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
Rocky angled his screen reader device at the monitor and huffed. “It look normal. Rocky no understand why Grace amazed.”
Grace didn’t worry about arguing and instead gawked in awe at the moon. He wanted to get closer. Maybe even try to enter the atmosphere. The Hail Mary had been upgraded while sitting lifeless on Erid. Eridian mechanics gave it the power to withhold reentering certain atmospheres and even the capability to land.
Something Stratt didn’t care about adding since the Hail Mary wasn’t ever supposed to come back.
“Rocky, you think we could stay awhile? Maybe get some samples and check it out?” Grace asked. It was a big proposal, but there was something about this moon that felt different from the rest. He needed to know more. It was like an itch he couldn’t scratch.
”Rocky thought Grace ready to go home, question?”
“I don’t know,” Grace mused softly, the red hue of the monitor splashing across his face, “I think we should go down instead.”