Chapter Text
I squint my eyes against the artificial sunlight streaming through my window. I pull the blankets up over my face. I thought Erid was supposed to be dark. This is bullshit. I should probably get to work. Ughhh… I groan and haul myself out of bed, looking around the simple hotel room I’d spent the night in. Most things were made out of some type of xenonite, obviously, but not everything. Definitely nicer than the rest stop at Barnard’s Star. Also not in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. The plan is to head on down to the market and get some nice, fresh, perishable food. I adjust my hair in the mirror and head down.
The market in Little Earth is crowded today. Must be a weekend. I haven’t been keeping track of the days. I pass a suited Eridian carrying a stack of books almost taller than me. I scooch around them and make my way to a little food stall. They’re selling noodle soup with meat and vegetables. We do not talk about the history of meat on Erid. The expensive stuff is imported. The cheap stuff… Well, all I know is it’s “made” locally instead of farmed. I buy a quick cup of noodles and sit down on an empty chair off to the side of the stall. As I eat, I can see the crowd stir. Something must be going on, but that’s not really my problem. As long as it’s not one of those nuts from Epsilon Ran trying to cause trouble. They’re still upset that their name was already taken by Keid Eridani. I sip from my soup and just relax. I can hear chimes. Definitely the Eridian style. Maybe some rich and high-brow Eridian is here to ear-gawk at us poor humans in our big bubble city.
I finish my noodles and head out to browse.
As I walk, a glint of something catches my eye. I see an older human man with streaked hair dressed head to toe in fine Eridian clothes. The upper part is a shirt and shawl. The fabric is a shiny mottled bronze with embroidered Eridian symbols. Various lines and circles. A family crest, maybe? He’s also wearing a long skirt down to just above his ankles. It’s a turquoise green with embroidered geometry on the hem. Around his neck is an Eridian chime necklace that rings with every little movement. He holds a decorative xenonite cane and leans on it heavily as he speaks with a shop owner. I have no clue who this guy is, but boy is he fancy. I almost wanna ask who his tailor is. But I’m a coward and I don’t. I just move on. Maybe I’ll do the touristy thing and go to a souvenir shop.
I hear the shop door ring as I turn a kitschy “Welcome to Erid” mug over in my hands. A thousand years since the Petrova Problem was solved and stupid tourist shit still hasn’t gotten more creative.
“I like that one too.” A voice says over my shoulder.
I jolt, just barely avoiding dropping the mug. “Holy fuck, dude! You can’t just sneak up… on…” I turn around, getting a good look at the person. “Hey, I saw you before.”
“I bet you have.” It’s the guy with the fancy clothes. He has bright blue eyes between very old-fashioned glasses. Who the fuck still wears glasses anymore? I do like the chain on them though.
“I’m sorry. I have to know. Where did you get those clothes?”
The man pulls a face, like a smile done by someone who forgot how smiling works.
“My mates.”
His voice is unusually melodic, like Eridian speech with human consonants awkwardly shoved into it.
“Huh. I guess you live here then? Are your… mates…?”
“Eridians, yes. Many years, I have been here.” Damn, even his grammar is Eridian. I think.
“Then what are you doing in a souvenir store?”
“My students. They like listening to all these things.” He picks up a snow globe modeled after the historic First Biodome. He taps the glass and giggles a little, admiring the mini beach like it’s the most humorous thing he’s ever seen. “This is fun. They will get a kick out of this.”
I blink. They’ll… kick it? Must be some old person phrase. “You been there before? I hear it’s one of those places everyone has to see. A shame they don’t let anyone in though.”
He makes some weird noise I don’t understand. He sounds almost exactly like a regular Eridian. Or at least, as close as an Earthling could feasibly get. I heard at least four simultaneous notes in there. “I have been there many times. They even let me inside.” His eyes sparkle and he gives me a look, like we’re sharing some kind of inside joke. I don’t get it.
“Really? I thought no one was allowed in there. I’m not sure why though.”
His face changes and looks slightly more serious. Reminds me of my old childhood teacher. “Because it is a private residence, of course.”
“Wait, someone still lives there? Is it even safe?”
The man lets out a multi-tonal chuckle. “I would sure hope so! So, what is your name, hm?” An Eridian tone accompanies the question and he taps his cane against the ground twice.
“Uh, Malie. Malie Smitsen. You?”
“Most people just call me Grace, but my full name is…” He brings his two forearms together and sings something long and complicated in Eridian. His arms are criss-crossed with scarification marks, resembling the same family crest thing I saw on his shawl. He also has a bracelet with green, teal, and amber stones linked together like a Venn diagram. Each arm has a singular distinct scar in the shape of an Eridian handprint. I have no idea how long this guy’s been living on Erid, but he is *decked out*.
Once he finishes his little name song, I reply. “Grace is a nice name. Is that…” My brain buffers. Where have I heard that name before? Welp, it’s gone now. “Is that… umm… I’m sorry, I completely lost my thought. It’s pretty. Wait, were you named after the taumoeba guy?”
He does that melodic laugh again. It takes him a couple seconds to regain his composure. “Sorry… Sorry. Something like that, yes. Are you new to Erid, hm?” Two cane taps.
“Yeah. I’m just staying for a couple days. Then I have a long haul to Van Maanen’s Star. I just haul freight. Nothing special. You?”
“I am mostly retired, but I teach and I am a senior member of the Biology Supercluster.”
“Nice, I have no idea what that is.”
“That is okay. Good luck on your journey. Maybe you will see me around.”
“You don’t seem like much of an astronaut. No offense.”
“You know, very few people actually think that. Thank you.”
“Sure? Tell your mates I said hi, I guess.”
“I will.” He smiles again. It’s the warmest, most sincere expression I’ve ever seen, like he never learned how to fake it. Or maybe he forgot.
I smile back awkwardly and head out. That was… weird. Nice, but definitely weird. I get back to my hotel room and flick through the internet for a bit. Something about that guy keeps ticking my brain. I’ve definitely seen him before. The news? Maybe he’s a movie star? No, not charismatic enough. I look up his name. Grace… Wait. Oh… Grace! That Grace? He’s still alive??? I heard the rumors but… how??? “State secret”… Great… Damn, I should’ve asked for his picture. Wait, are his mates THE Rocky and THE Adrian? Yep. Are they still alive?? Yep. Somehow. Well, at least I have all kinds of bragging rights.
The next morning, I’m woken by a knock at my door. I groan dramatically and trudge myself out of bed. I open it and I’m greeted by a brown Eridian with random little spots of green crystals. It… Oh fuck, it’s naked!
As if sensing my panic, the Eridian holds up a hand. “I am fine.” It speaks??? With human words??? I’m definitely still asleep. Wait, I probably shouldn’t be calling it “it” either. That’s probably pretty rude.
“Uhhh…” I stare at… him? Them? I stare at them, jaw hanging open unattended.
“Did you die, hm?”
“Uhhh… Huh. What? No.” My brain gradually comes back online. “Did you? Why aren’t you dead?”
“Long story. Grace-mate has invited you to his house. Are you coming, hm?”
“Grace… Invited… Yeah. Yes. Yes, I’ll come. Now? I need to- I need-“
“Get dressed. I will wait for you out here.” They close the door in my face.
I huff. Rude. Well, better get dressed. I have a savior of the world to visit.
Stepping into the First Biodome is like stepping through time. The first thing we visit is a classroom, because it’s right by the airlock. It’s… interesting. There’s no holographic screens or anything else you’d expect to find in a modern classroom. Just an extremely old-fashioned computer… I think they used to call them lap-sitters? And a whiteboard with some kind of mechanism to translate it into something Eridians could see.
I wander over to a bunch of shelves covered from floor to ceiling in various trinkets. Rocks, carvings, little crafts that kinda look like they were made of garbage… Tons of stuff. I think he’s even starting a second set of shelves for this junk.
Rocky taps his foot. “Gifts from Grace’s students.” He tells me.
Oh, maybe I shouldn’t have called them junk then. Oops. “Very cool. Is he home?”
“Yes, Grace waiting for us.”
We leave the classroom and walk along the rocky beach together. I can see an old-style house in the distance, sitting high on a cliff. A few trees sit beside it. As we approach the cliff, my stomach sinks.
“That’s a lot of stairs…”
“We take lift.” Rocky points at a simple lift sitting along the cliffside.
“Oh, good.”
So we go up the lift. It’s well-made but still slightly terrifying. I follow Rocky through the front door of Grace’s house. It’s… quaint. It reminds me of those museum displays: “Life in the 2000s!” and such. Rocky says something in Eridian and I hear a response back from a different room. It’s human but so… alien. I didn’t know a human could speak Eridian like that. Actually speak it! I heard at least three simultaneous notes in there.
Grace comes out of a side room, wearing an old spacer’s jumpsuit. It’s white with a variety of light stains and repair patches on the knees. He spreads his arms at me, showing off the outfit.
“Well? What do you think, hm?” Seemingly instinctually, he taps his foot twice.
“It’s uh… nice?” I raise an eyebrow. I don’t get it. The clothes are kind of ratty. Why is he trying to impress me with them?
Rocky nudges my leg. “Is Hail Mary mission clothes.” He sounds a little indignant.
“Ohhh… Um… Cool!” I feign excitement. Sorry, I’m just not that interested in space history. Sue me.
“Rocky and I are actually leaving soon. Like in a couple hours. These are my flying clothes.” Grace explains.
“Where- You have a ship? You’re a pilot?”
“Of course I have a ship. The Hail Mary.”
“That thing still works???” I balk at him. I’d seen it at the space elevator when I arrived but…
“Yeah? It’s a little old, but it still works.”
“Bro, it’s a thousand years old! And so are you, apparently!”
Grace looks at Rocky, hands on his hips. “Has it seriously been that long, hm?”
Rocky says something, probably “yes” and “you’re stupid”.
“I guess I haven’t really been keeping track. Anyway, we’re going to Earth.”
Rocky makes a sound that I think means disgust.
“Rock, we’re still not landing on it. Don’t make that face at me.”
I glance down at Rocky, looking as expressionless as ever. “Wait, you’ve never been to Earth?”
“I have! Plenty of times!”
“But you said you haven’t landed on it.”
“Uh… No. I haven’t. I visit the space stations and the Moon but I’ve never landed back on Earth.”
“Why not?”
“You don’t know why, hm…?”
“I don’t really study history much, sorry.”
“Then don’t worry about it. Can I get you anything, hm?”
Rocky says something in Eridian.
“No, I’m not giving her taumoeba. We have real food now. … I don’t care if it’s the authentic Hail Mary diet, I’m not subjecting her to that! … She doesn’t need to have brought gifts. I invited her as my guest. … Okay maybe she does kinda look like Stratt but that doesn’t mean anything.”
I stay out of Rocky and Grace’s weird little argument and start snooping around the house. The living room has a lot of xenonite decorations. A few things stick out, though. A primitive looking bow hangs on the wall above the couch. It’s way bigger than anything a regular human could ever manage. It’s decorated with feathery things… leaves, maybe? Underneath is a quiver of giant spear-sized arrows.
“That’s from Alpha Centauri.” Grace interrupts my snooping, using the old name for Rigil Kentaurus.
“You sure travel a lot, huh?” I ask, admiring an arrow. Its head is made of some kind of crudely shaped crystal.
“I get around.” He says casually. “I’ve been to most inhabited stars in our stellar neighborhood.”
“But Rigil Kentaurus is uninhabited. And no one’s allowed to go there.”
“I’m the one who proposed the rule that no one should go there.” He explains. “There are inhabitants but they need to be protected.”
“Weird. And this bow is theirs?”
“It was a gift.”
“They must be huge! Can you use it?”
He snorts. “Nope. But it sure is pretty, isn’t it, hm? Oh, they also gave me this.” He retreats to his bedroom and returns with a giant knife made of some kind of obsidian. The handle is wrapped in leather. “This was also a gift. I have a normal sized knife from them that I can actually use. It’s almost a thousand years old and it still holds up.” He puts the giant dagger away and pulls a much smaller knife from his pocket. It’s also made of crystal like the arrowheads. It’s slightly curved and has a string of various beads at the end of the handle. He holds out the beads. “This is my waytelem. It’s how they record people’s lives, like a musical diary. Each bead is an important event. My song is in Eridian. Wanna hear it?”
“Oh… umm… No thanks. It’s very interesting though.”
He deflates a little and puts the knife back in his pocket. “Right. Anyway, thanks for coming. It was nice having you. Rocky, can you show her the way out, hm?”
Rocky replied with something at a lower tone and shook his hand. He then hurried me out the door.