Chapter Text
Grace is finishing his early dinner in the Don’t-Go-Crazy room (to spare Rocky watching him eat) when the signal comes. He frowns and glances at his watch. Five hours since he’s sent NASA his directions for their transmitters’ recalibrations.
Oh!
For a moment he just stares at his watch, speechless. Whatever time it is at NASA, it’s afternoon on the Hail Mary, but this is the least of his concerns now. Suddenly, he can’t move, in a way paralyzed with the awareness of the possibilities that most probably have just opened for them.
He knows Rocky is in the steering room– he’s heard him chat with Adrian a few minutes ago– so Grace doesn’t react otherwise. Rocky can answer the message the same way he could. If Rocky wants to. Grace’s brain doesn’t want it right now. It’s the standard ‘nope!’ that is so deeply imprinted into his every reaction to sudden and unexpected events, that he’s learnt to recognize, admit to it and wait it out until he can think straight again.
So, he’s going to pretend he’s deaf for a while.
“Dr. Grace? This is NASA actual. Rick Martinez speaking. We implemented your suggestions and– ah, did it work?” The new voice is young, warm and friendly.
Grace realizes that if they are using the Eridians’ algorithm, there is also video attached, and suddenly he wants to see a real human being, who is alive and not in a movie or in a picture or however else ‘not real’. Especially, that it’s a real-time conversation. Like, no delays and no recordings!
He manages to get up– which is easy– but his legs don’t want to move forwards yet.
A moment passes and then...
“NASA desperate or just taking your helmet off, question?” It’s Rocky’s voice now and he seems surprised.
Grace can’t help, but laugh, though he still doesn’t move.
“Rocky?!” Martinez asks in awe. “Is– I mean, it’s an honor to meet you, ah, sir?” he stumbles to say, and then he exclaims, “I don’t believe I’m the first human talking to an alien!”
“Not first,” Rocky corrects him swiftly. “Grace is first.”
Martinez laughs with such genuine joy that Grace’s heart skips a beat. He’s known Rocky would conquer the entire Earth within a day after arriving, but it seems he didn’t even need to actually arrive. His charm is of long-range impact.
“Yes, I mean I’m the first human on Earth who is talking to a real alien!” he rephrases his statement. “Is Dr. Grace there?”
“Of course, he is here, where else would he be? He’s eating. Dinner time. Disgusting.”
Grace sighs. He can’t leave the entire conversation to Rocky, even if it’s a tempting option. He knows he needs to face the music; he just hopes to be strong enough to deal with the resentment and hatred he will be subjected to in a moment.
He’s not alone here, Rocky is with him and Grace knows ‘who he is’– as Carl once said– and he knows that he has, in a way, redeemed himself in his own eyes, but people on Earth don’t know it. He doesn’t need them to confirm his value. He doesn’t need anybody to do it for him, but it’s him who will have to live through... whatever comes in a moment.
He just hopes that people from NASA or from the PTS will be willing to help him, despite what happened all these years ago. Because it’s not just about him, it’s about Rocky too, and most of all about interplanetary relationships. It’s all more important than him.
So, he enters the room. Rocky is resting in his chair with his ‘seeing device’ pointed at the screen, ‘looking’ at the sound-map of his echolocation reflection panel. Grace knows his friend is sensing his heartbeat and other body reactions, but there is no way to avoid this situation and Rocky trusts him to ask for help if he needs it.
Grace walks towards his chair and takes his place. Gathering the entire courage he can muster, he meets Rick Martinez’s eyes. It probably is him, as there is nobody else on the display.
Martinez freezes, his eyes widening, but Grace holds his gaze. At least that much he owes him. He expects anger, resentment, contempt, disgust, disappointment– the list is long. In the best-case scenario: indifference. He prayed for indifference for the entire way to Earth.
There is none.
What he can see is a pure, unadulterated and undisguised admiration. And this is worse than anything he expected, because he is absolutely not prepared for such a reaction. What the–?
“Oh my– –” Martinez whispers. “It’s really you...”
“Yes, it’s me,” Grace nods, though it’s dumb and redundant. Yet, he doesn’t really know what else to say, so he just adjusts his glasses. “Really me.”
The amount of respect and wonder he can still see in Martinez’s eyes is not right, but at the same time it is right, and this mere fact is wrong in so many ways, he can’t even start to comprehend.
You will be remembered as a hero.
“Thank you,” Martinez whispers. “Thank you for saving us!” He reaches his hand out towards the camera, as if he wanted to touch him. “For saving my son’s life... our future...”
Grace can see tears in his eyes, and this does something in his soul that he can’t name, but it feels like being wrapped in the quilt he inherited from Yao. He almost gasps, as it’s not supposed to feel this way, but he can’t look away. They just look at each other and neither of them says anything and it feels like Christmas morning when there are piles of packages under the Christmas Tree, none opened yet, but all hiding a gift that is meant to make him the happiest child in the world.
What is he supposed to do now? They don’t know?!
“You’re welcome,” he says, but his own voice doesn’t sound familiar.
Martinez almost chokes.
“I am so fu– –dging glad you’re alive!” he exclaims.
Grace smiles and it’s a real smile, because he is happier that he is alive than anybody else about it.
“Yeah, me too.”
Martinez laughs.
“I can imagine,” he says, and the relief, wonder and happiness in his voice is overwhelming. “Are you okay, man? Do you need anything immediately? Not that we can send it right away, but at least we would know and prepare some stuff.”
Grace blinks out his own tears. They don’t hate him. They don’t know, but they don’t hate him! Yet?
“We’re good here,” he says, feeling as if some heavy burden was lifted from his shoulders. He will have to tell them, of course, but not now. Right now, he is talking with a real human being!
Martinez nods. Then he looks up, over the camera. Probably there are other people keeping them company.
“Yes, should we know anything else about the algorithm we’ve just included into our systems?” he asks. “I have to admit it’s a piece of art!”
“Thank you for the compliment, Rick Martinez,” Rocky happily joins their conversation. “I will pass this on to my friends who invented this method. Are you a scientist too, question?”
Martinez grins.
“No, I’m mainly a pilot, but I’m also an engineer and biologist for the Ares missions.”
Rocky thrills excitedly.
“You are the first human engineer I ever met!” he says, twirling around. “Happy, happy, happy!”
“Yeah, I’m also happy,” Martinez grins even wider, if it’s possible.
“Nothing more to the solution you used desperately or trustingly. Uses more energy for a while, but not dangerous. Doesn’t involve folding of space as our engines do. No worry, Earth.”
“Folding of space?!” Martinez asks, surprised.
“It’s not important now. It’s a technology that we are using for traveling,” Grace explains. “It’s more complicated. It’s why your radars probably missed us, as we need shields to protect the hull. Can we discuss it later, as it’s not relevant right now?”
“Sure thing,” Martinez nods, but Grace can see how much he would love to discuss it now. Then he again looks at someone out of the frame. “There is somebody who would like to talk to you.”
He gets up and another man takes his place.
Grace blinks. He doesn’t think they’ve ever met, but the man looks familiar. Or is it...
“Vincent?” he asks, surprised.
Vincent sits at the computer and for a moment they only look at each other and his expression answers the question before he says something.
“Dr. Grace,” he hesitantly begins. “Sir, it’s an honor to– I’m sorry, I’m... It’s me, Vincent. The Vincent you were teaching thirty years ago. You remembered correctly. It’s... me.”
“Vincent Kapoor?” Grace says in awe. This man is certainly over three decades older than the Vincent he remembers, but there is no way to be mistaken. It’s truly his former student.
Like any teacher, Grace is used to meeting his students and former students in some totally unexpected places and times, but this meeting takes the cake.
“Yeah,” Vincent smiles. “It’s me. You really remember me?”
“I remember most of my children,” Grace admits. Because they are still his children. “I’ve forgotten many things and some are still missing or blurry, but I remember our last class as if it was yesterday.”
Something in Vincent’s eyes sparkles, as Grace remembers it would at their classes, right before he said something that would surprise them all.
“Yes, it was about the Astrophage,” Vincent nods, and then he grins. “We were all interrogating you mercilessly. And you ran away from the classroom!”
“Yeah, I did,” Grace smiles at the memory. “Not the wisest idea I’ve ever had.”
“It’s common knowledge now.” Vincent grins. “As everything about you. You are a hero, sir, and– I don’t really know what to say. Thank you. For saving us. For saving Earth.”
This dissonance between Grace’s expectations and reality is still disturbing, but he just shakes it off for later.
“You’re welcome,” he says. “I’m glad the Hail Mary mission was successful.”
Vincent hesitates, and then he confesses, “I’m here because of you. You inspired many of us.”
Grace just shakes his head, “How many times have I told you that–”
“Yes,” his former student doesn’t let him finish. “No amount of inspiration can compete with a tiny bit of passion that will always win.”
Grace smiles.
“I’m glad you remembered at least this much from our classes.”
Vincent also smiles.
“I’m really happy to see you again.”
“Me too.”
Now Vincent looks up at someone on the other side of the camera. How many people there actually are?
“You asked for Eva Stratt,” he says. “She’s here. Would you like to talk to her?”
Grace blinks. Stratt? Eva Stratt lives? And she is here?
Suddenly, he feels dizzy. The amount of relief that just floods him, leaves him weak and he wouldn’t name even half of the emotions that threaten to suffocate him, because there are just that many.
He can hear Rocky shift on his seat, but his friend doesn’t say anything.
“Yes,” Grace says. No hesitation. He is not ready to meet her, but he never will be, yet he needs to see her. If nothing else, at least he will get some confirmation about this entire mess.
And he just misses her.
Now Stratt takes Vincent’s place.
“Dr. Grace,” she says and it’s exactly the same way as she always greeted him.
She’s much older than him now, with grayish hair and more wrinkles, but not much more, yet meeting her eyes, he feels as if he was really getting home.
She was his friend. In a different life. In a different universe. And he was her friend. At least he tried. He always tried, but most people, after spending enough time with him to get to know all his faults and shortcomings, couldn’t accept his dreams. And they left. One after another.
Stratt never left.
Yes, she betrayed him, and yes, she even murdered him, but she never left. She stayed with him till the very end. And she’s still here.
Seeing her now– in this bizarre situation– makes the situation feel normal. As if none of these years happened. As if it was just another day of working on the solution of how to prevent the end of the world, how to put together the pieces, shattered by the explosion. How to–
Fudge, she’s probably the only person in the world who knows the truth right now! The only person, except for his Eridian friends, who really knows the real Ryland Grace.
“I should have known you would be here,” he says hoarsely. Okay, he can speak. Relatively calmly.
“You didn’t expect it?” She tilts her head.
“I expected many things and none are– happening,” he admits. “How are you?”
She doesn’t say anything for a moment, but then she nods.
“Not bad.”
Grace winces inwardly. It’s not enough to see her. He needs to talk to her. In private. He will make NASA somehow arrange it. Later. He’s a hero, right?
Or, maybe he won’t have to, because he can see the same wish in her eyes. She is used to getting whatever she wants at any time she wants it, and she saved the world, too.
Some of the tension leaves him and he nods.
“I think I earned the golden wings after all,” he smiles a bit.
“I never doubted you would,” she smirks.
“But you doubted I would get back to collect them?” He narrows his eyes.
Now she does hesitate.
“I didn’t doubt. I was sure you wouldn’t have a chance to collect them. I– I’m pleased to admit that I underestimated you.”
Grace nods.
“Makes two of us.”
Now her smile is sad, but in a way free.
“I’m in good company in such a case,” she whispers.
Grace’s heart almost breaks. How can something be so right and wrong at the same time?
“You didn’t tell them.” It’s not even a question. He’s not going to ignore the elephant in the room, because they will probably have to work together before they could really meet, and he’s not good with reading between the lines. And he talks too much anyway.
“I didn’t,” she acknowledges.
Grace winces.
“I didn’t and I will not,” she continues. “I always keep my word.”
He sighs. Yes, he knows this all too well.
“But you can do whatever you wish, Grace,” she shrugs.
And that is also just so her!
“Now I can do it, huh?” he asks, irritated.
She doesn’t say anything, just smiles sadly. He always remembered this smile, even when he forgot everything else.
“I will think about it,” he says. “For more than three hours.”
There’s a flicker of pain on her face, but she nods.
“It seems you have all the time in the world.”
He would have loved to say ‘no thanks to you’, but he knows it’s not true, because Mary is Stratt’s baby. And she knows it, too.
“I’m going to use it,” he whispers.
The silence is long and not uncomfortable, and then she looks at Rocky.
“Rocky?” she asks.
“Yes, Eva Stratt?”
“Thank you for saving Grace’s life,” she says simply. “For every time you saved his life. And ours.”
“Grace is a friend,” Rocky says. “And Earth is his home.”
Stratt smiles, accepting his answer and then she again looks at Grace.
He hates what she’s done, but he doesn’t hate her. They both were in an impossible situation and unfortunately for him, she held the entire power in her hand. And she was strong enough to force her decisions. She was no coward, and she was never untrue to herself. She never lied and never pretended. She was free in her decisions, while he was not.
And it was Stratt who finally gave him freedom to be himself– without expectations, demands or obligations. Had he stayed on Earth, they all would have probably died. Now, they all live.
Thanks to her. He can admit it and he is admitting it.
Probably she can read some of this in his face. She could always read him like an opened book.
“How many did we lose?” Grace asks the most dreaded question.
She takes a deep breath, before she answers.
“Not many, thanks to you,” she says. “I’ll send you the data and some analyses from the last thirty years.”
He blinks, confused.
“What do you mean, not– many?”
“I was wrong,” she shrugs imperceptibly. “For once, I’m glad I was wrong.”
He still can’t move. It seems she’s telling the truth. She’s never lied to him anyway. Sometimes she didn’t tell him everything, but she never lied explicitly.
Okay, he will believe her for now, though it doesn’t seem possible, because her historical studies and conclusions were valid. Should have been valid. Something must have happened to change the initial conditions and what happened next. He wonders what it was.
“You know as well as I do, that I never had the entire control over everything,” she states.
Yes, like miscalculations in the amount of Astrophage given to a certain couple of scientists.
“How is Carl?” Grace asks, bracing himself for any answer he could get.
“He’s around,” she says with a smile.
Now for what seems like an eternity they just look at each other. He really wishes for a chance to talk to her in private and he can see, she will make it work.
“Thank you, for completing the mission,” she says finally.
He sighs.
“You know how to make my life complicated,” he shakes his head exasperated.
“I’m not doing it on purpose,” she smiles again, with a shyly-confident smile.
“Could have fooled me,” he says softly. “Thank you for making this mission possible.”
“You’re welcome.”
And then she shifts, and he knows what it means. He’s seen it dozens of times before during the numerous meetings he attended as her assistant. She’s a woman with a mission now and she will do everything to make it work.
“Dr. Grace, I’m really glad that you– are coming back,” she says matter-of-factly. “However, we have a situation here and we would appreciate your help with solving the problem.”
He almost laughs.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed it, but I wasn’t present on Earth for the last thirty years,” he says as if he was explaining it to one of his students. “How can I solve any of your problems? I don’t even know about them!”
“I’m afraid there is nobody else who could do it.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Now he really laughs. “I think I’ve had a similar conversation before.”
“And I was right. Even you admitted it yourself. Twice.”
Well, he can’t argue this, but holy fudging fudger! This woman is impossible!
“Will this conversation be released to the public?” he asks, irritated.
She frowns, surprised with this question.
“Not the content, merely that it happened,” she answers.
“Stratt, you know who I am!” he says firmly.
“Grace, you are a hero, not just because I say so. Even if I am right!”
Okay, two can play this game.
“If I am one, then you are, too,” he shoots back.
Now she visibly winces. Well, he also knows how to make it hurt.
“Fair point,” she nods.
She doesn’t say anything more, waiting for his decision. They really have plenty of time, now that they don’t just have to record any messages and send them to each other the conventional way.
“What do you want me to do?” he asks, finally.
She looks up and a moment later she leaves her chair and yet another person takes her place.
This man looks as if he hasn’t been sleeping for ages.
“Dr. Grace, my name is Mitch Henderson,” he introduces himself in a perfect British accent. “I’m the flight director for the Hermes missions. And first of all, I want to thank you for saving Earth. It’s an honor to meet you.”
Grace just nods, “I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Henderson.”
“Mitch, please.”
“Mitch,” Grace smiles. “I’m Grace.”
For an instant Henderson just looks at him, and Grace can see so many emotions in his eyes, he doesn’t know how this man can feel it all and not lose his mind, but then he nods.
“Grace.”
“How can I help you?” Grace asks.
Henderson frowns, as if he didn’t know where to start.
“We are facing an extremely bad situation here and we would like you to consider helping us,” he finally says. “One of our astronauts, Mark Watney, was stranded on Mars, assumed dead after an accident that forced the rest of his crew to evacuate. He’s alive, but we do not have the resources to carry out any effective rescue operation. Would it be in any way possible for you to assist us with this mission?”
Grace just sits there, taken aback.
“Mars?” he asks, confused. “I don’t know if you are familiar with the schematics of my ship, but Mary was not designed to actually land anywhere, and it still isn’t. Let alone to be able to launch again. I would love to help you, but how do you imagine it done?”
But Henderson dismisses his concern.
“We had a rescue mission prepared, one that would not have required actual landing on Mars. Unfortunately, the life support system malfunctioned on Hermes, the ship that was supposed to get back to Mars. This fault could not be repaired by the crew and, unfortunately, they had to return to Earth.” Henderson glances at someone next to him. “Martinez is part of Hermes’ crew. We tried to send Mark food, but the probe did not reach orbit.”
Grace can feel hairs standing up at the back of his neck.
“Food?” he asks in a low voice. “He doesn’t have food?”
Henderson winces.
“Mark is a botanist and he cultivated potatoes inside the HAB, but there was an accident and he can’t produce more food than what he already has. As I said, we tried to send him more, but– but it didn’t work,” his voice can’t hide his pain and desperation, and he isn’t even trying to. “This is why it’s time-sensitive and I am certain that you, of all people, understand the gravity of his situation. He’s been there for over five hundred days now, and the next Ares mission launches in three years. Unfortunately, right now Mars is in a position that makes it extremely complicated to get there from Earth,” now he hesitates. “Grace, Mark Watney is part of my crew. I will do anything possible to save him!”
Grace takes a deep breath. Okay, now Mark is also part of Grace’s crew.
“How did you plan to save him?” he asks, while his brain switches to scientist mode.
Henderson probably can see it on his face, too.
“There is already a Mars Ascent Vehicle for the next Ares mission that will land at the Schiaparelli crater,” he explains. “Everything is ready on the site. If you agree to help us, we will ask Mark to travel to Schiaparelli. He could get there in 60 days. If necessary, probably even in 50. Question is, are you willing to help us?” he asks with so much hope, it breaks Grace’s heart.
But Grace looks at Rocky. He knows it could be done and it will be done, but he is not alone here. So, he reaches out to suspend the transmission. He doesn’t want NASA to hear them.
“Can you wait more days, question?” Rocky asks, before Grace can say anything.
“Can you?” Grace turns towards him.
“I do not care where we are if I am with you,” Rocky ‘shrugs’.
Yes, leave it to Rocky to make him cry. He brushes his fingertips over the Xenonite.
“It may be risky,” he warns.
“Having friends is always risky, but worth it.”
Grace thinks about Stratt. And Carl. And Marissa.
“You will need to make adjustments for another person here,” he agrees with Rocky’s declaration and glances around.
“More is better than less. Another human good for you.”
Another human... He can’t even imagine having another human so close. Alive.
Yet, he knows they can make it work. The upgrades on Mary were made to help them survive virtually any disaster that could have possibly happened on their way to Earth. And this means redundancy of pretty much everything. He could invite here the entire Niners team and nobody would complain about the conditions.
“Thank you, Rock,” Grace says and resumes the transmission with NASA.
He meets Henderson’s eyes.
“It can be done,” he says. “If Watney gets to orbit, we have plenty of space here for another crewman. He can fly this ascent vehicle? To orbit?”
“Not really,” Henderson shakes his head. “It will have to be launched remotely.”
“Who would be piloting?” Grace frowns.
“We planned for the Hermes crew to do it, but in current circumstances it will have to be you, too. We will send you all necessary procedures. Do you think you could do it?”
Grace blinks. Okay, he’s learnt to pilot this ship, after all these years he considers himself kind of an expert, but this is a completely different level of skills. He’s never launched any vehicle to orbit!
Still... there is no way he would ever leave anybody stranded on Mars if he has any way to save them!
“If you send the technical parameters, procedure and other requirements, we will make it work,” Grace agrees.
Henderson doesn’t say anything for a long moment, as if he couldn’t believe what he’s just heard.
“It’s all prepared,” he finally whispers. “There’s enough time to implement it and– practice if needed.”
“In such a case, please send it.”
“Thank you.” Now Henderson inhales sharply, as if still in disbelief. “Thank you! We will send you everything you might need and inform Mark.”
“How do you communicate with him?” Grace asks curiously.
Henderson runs his hands down his face.
“He’s using our satellites and every communication device that was already established there. Unfortunately, such a technology is dated from the previous millennium, so we can only text him and he can send us still pictures. There is no way around it. Until he gets to the launching point, it’s the only way.”
Grace blinks. “He’s using Pathfinder?!”
Now Henderson blinks, surprised.
“How do you– ah, yes.”
Grace thinks about it. He knows virtually everything about the Pathfinder mission; being a science teacher it was in his job description and as a child, astronomy and astrophysics always was his hobby, so he knows there’s no way to implement the Dark Dot Compression on the software and hardware Mark has available. No matter what other modern devices he has at his disposal. But maybe–
“Can we also get access to communicate with him?” he asks, already planning ahead.
“Of course,” Henderson agrees. “It wouldn’t make much of a sense if you couldn’t consult with him directly.”
“You probably can’t hack his stuff on the surface, as it’s too old,” Grace says. “But you could upgrade the satellites software. I assume these are newer. It will still be just texting, but you, at least, get rid of the delays in transmission. And if he uses your satellites, it won’t be a burden to his energy resources. Whatever he has there.”
Henderson winces.
“He has a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator for his disposal. He’s using it for energy conservation and as a rover heating. He will not run out of energy.”
“He has a what?!” Grace freezes. “And he uses it for heating?”
“What is wrong, Grace, question?” Rocky asks, alarmed.
“Radiation,” Grace explains when he again can speak.
“Bad, bad, bad!”
“Yes, bad.”
“Mark knows the risks and he knows what he is doing,” Henderson says, trying to sound calm. “For most of the time, at least.”
Grace just shakes his head. It’s not that he has never done anything stupid.
“Are you giving us permission to use your communication technology elsewhere, too?” Henderson asks.
“What kind of a question is this?” Grace asks with annoyance. “Of course, you can use it elsewhere. We are not going to let him die there!”
And again, they just stay in silence for what seems like ages.
“Thank you, Grace.” Henderson tries to actually smile. It seems as if he’s already forgotten how it’s done.
“No problem.”
“Miss Park and Martinez will explain how to establish communication with Mark and all necessary details about the launch.” Now Henderson fully smiles. “And I’m certain they will have many questions.”
Grace sighs with understanding; he also would have.
Again, they switch places and now Martinez is back, grinning brightly, but there’s also a new blond woman with glasses.
“Thank you!” Martinez says without much ado. “You have no idea how much it means!”
Grace glances at Rocky.
“I’m afraid I do,” he admits softly.
Martinez also looks at Rocky and then he nods.
“Yeah, you do,” he agrees. “Still, I can’t thank you enough that you want to try, man!”
“Well, then how do we do it?” Grace asks.
Martinez looks at the woman next to him.
“Dr. Grace. I’m– I’m Mindy Park,” she introduces herself with a no-nonsense aura round. “I’m responsible for satellite connections and keeping track of Mark Watney’s activities. Rick already said this, but I want to state it too that this solution is simply beautiful. Mathematically speaking.”
Rocky shifts at the praise.
“Yes, math is beautiful, thank you Mindy Park.”
She blinks, startled, but then she smiles.
“Ah, thank you, R-Rocky,” she sounds as if she has just had all her dreams come true. “First of all, thank you for saving my life,” she says with gratitude. “Both of you.”
“You’re welcome,” Rocky says and Grace just nods.
Seeing her face he can relate perfectly. He is also having all his dreams come true in the most unpredicted and wonderful way. He still doesn’t know what to do with it all, but he really has the entire time in the world to untangle it. One knot at a time. Right now, he’s– back. That’s all what counts.
“And thank you for switching off the cloaking device– ah,” she continues. “I mean your shields. I have no idea what they do, but they make it impossible to detect your ship by our radars. It’s much easier to communicate when we know where you are, so we know where to direct our signals.”
Grace frowns. Okay, his suspicions were right.
“I’m sorry for this inconvenience, we didn’t think about it,” he admits. “It’s not that there’s much of a traffic on the way to Earth,” he says sheepishly.
Mindy just looks at him for a moment and then she bursts out laughing.
“You don’t happen to have any teleportation devices aboard, do you?” she asks, only partially joking.
“Aboard? No.” Grace grins. “But I have a real alien here.”
“Okay, you win.” She also grins. “I think it beats all Star Trek universes.”
“No,” Grace shakes his head, wondering how many new Star Treks were created since his departure. “It beats virtually every fiction ever created.”
Mindy looks at Rocky.
“I think you may be right.”
Grace grins. It just feels so good to talk to real people.
“So,” Mindy says matter-of-factly. “With which one of you should I discuss the technical aspects of the MAV launch? I know Rocky that you are an engineer and a mechanic, and I assume you’re familiar with our science and technology?”
“Rocky will teach Grace, so discuss with me,” Rocky says. “Send Grace manuals and science papers for reading. This will work best.”
Mindy nods and Grace shifts to sit more comfortably, because he predicts it to be a long evening. A moment later Mary’s computer starts downloading a brand-new database, containing updates covering over thirty years of Earth history. Probably legal this time.
Probably. Grace is not going to dig too deeply.
“Do you need a break, before we begin?” Mindy asks.
“No breaks, Grace Rocky NASA save Mark,” Rocky dismisses her offer impatiently. “Hurry, hurry!”
“Very well,” she smiles, while Martinez rearranges some papers in front of them and then he reaches for another laptop. “So, the MAV was designed to collect 500 kilograms of Martian soil and samples...”