Chapter Text
Setting up the Hail Mary for a 4 year trip to Erid was quite easy... relatively speaking of course. It was certainly better than a Human-Eridian "fishing" trip, that was for sure. Moving the Taumoeba was about the hardest part, but that was eventually managed between the two of them. Of course complications were bound to happen, the Hail Mary was after all a small vessel, especially for 4 years. After making sure that, yes all of Rocky's tools were indeed within the Hail Mary, there was little time to waste staying around Tau Ceti.
Grace floated into the control room, ready to set a course for 40 Eridani A b, when for the first time on the main panel, he noticed a flashing icon near the top right corner. Upon being selected, the first thing Grace looked for was the time in which the notification appeared. [2 months ago]. How odd, that was around the time when he had released all of the drones while travelling back to the Blip-A, he could only assume that his hyperfocus on saving Rocky pretty much prevented him from spotting the flashing icon in the first place.
Before Grace could even read the text upon opening it fully- "Decryption successful, a new video log is now available." Mary notified, Grace could hear Mary speak from across the whole vessel, so there wasn't too much surprise when Rocky almost immediately responded.
"What first word mean Grace, question?" Ah that ever so curious rock, they had pretty much the majority of their language translated, but there were still many topics to be covered, likely on their trip to Erid.
"Say you want to send a message to someone, but you don't want it to be read by someone else. You first convert your message into something that looks like nonsense, and then you send that, the one you intended to read then uses a tool to convert that nonsense back into the original message. Decryption refers to the last part, and encryption referring to the first part of the process." Hopefully the analogy made sense to Rocky, the lack of response for a couple of seconds gave somewhat of a mixed message.
Finally, "Understand. Way to be able to read secret information. Why Mary keep secret information from Grace, question?"
Truth be told, Rocky did have a point. Everything about Earth was available to the Hail Mary Crew, even all the stuff that was far from necessary for the mission. So then why keep something like this secret, and why a video log?
"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling it's important. Wanna watch together in the screen room?" Grace asked, the muffled sounds of someone making their way into the screen room an almost immediate answer to his question. After picking up one of the laptops he made his way through the halls, up into the screen room where Rocky was eagerly awaiting. Just before sitting down, Grace read aloud the English section of the description attached to the video log. " 'Scenario 7 of 7 - Mission Completed by Science Specialist Ryland Grace', huh, so there's... six other video logs? then why-"
His own thoughts figured it out in the midst of his self-questioning. There were three of them; Commander Yáo Li-Jie, Engineer Olesya Ilyukhina, and of course Grace himself. Each video log represented a scenario for each variation of the three being either dead or alive, the total number can be figured out quite easily - it's the number of combinations of three binary digits. Normally that would result in eight total combinations, but there was no use in producing a video for a scenario where all three crew members died. Hence, seven video logs.
Trust Stratt to come up with something post-mission.
Now cross-legged sitting down next to the xenonite ball, Grace mentally prepared himself for what was most likely the final message from Earth, with substantial odds that Eva was going to be present.
Rocky appeared to pick up on his hesitation. "We don't need to watch now, can watch on Erid if better for Grace."
"I... no, no I need to see this now, I've not heard a familiar human voice since before the launch. Even if it's Stratt, it must be important for her to provide this once the mission was complete. Lets just watch without talking, want to get this over and done with anyway." Grace pressed the play button right as he spoke the last word, ensuring there would be no protest from his Eridian friend.
...
There she was.
He knew it was her within the first half-second of the video.
The background alone indicated she was in her office, and by the lighting- these must've been made in a bit of a hurry given the time between him running out and the launch. Her posture spoke otherwise, maintaining that same level of professionalism he remembered her to have. Her expression was... well it was hard to tell, which again- classic Stratt making him second-guess her intent, but there was something else, something she was holding back, or at least doing a damn good job of trying to.
There was a short moment of silence, which to Grace felt like forever, but finally he hears her voice.
"Hello, Dr. Grace. If you are watching this then you have successfully completed Project Hail Mary, and have sent the four beetles back towards Earth. It also means that you are the only one out of the crew left alive. I cannot know when Yáo and Ilyukhina died, whether they died within the Tau Ceti system, or if you woke up all alone. However much of the mission you have performed alone, you have proven that their deaths were not in vain."
"I have been informed that inducing your coma prior rather than post-launch may have some side affects, amnesia being one of them. For that I am unsure of how much of your memories have come back, enough at least for the mission to be a success, but in the event that not all of your memories have recovered, then the true nature for your appearance on the Hail Mary is to be made clear before your death."
A light pause, "Following the deaths of Dr. Dubois and Dr. Shapiro, you were involuntarily repositioned as the Science Specialist for the Hail Mary mission. Upon being notified, you declined, to which I gave you three hours to 'have a think about it', as you requested. At the requested time you arrived into my office, and made the final decision not to take part in the mission, thinking that there was even a choice to begin with."
"Upon being made aware that you were to be placed into a coma prior to launch, you made the effort to leave the office and attempt to leave the site. Of course such a rash attempt of an escape failed, and as of this video log are now currently in a coma."
This time, Stratt paused for a full moment, likely allowing Grace to pause and process the information had he not already remembered. "This video log is going to be seen by you and me only, Dr. Grace. Were it anyone else or any of the other scenarios, this is where I would continue as standard, however given the circumstances I believe there is a need to speak one-on-one. Dr. Grace I am fully aware, given everything that you know now, that you are currently or at some point were feeling betrayed."
"I make no effort to give excuses as you are already aware of the logic behind my decision, nor do I expect you to even think about forgiving me. Just as much as you were aware of the stakes, I am aware of the morality behind what has happened to you. Know at least that out of all the decisions I've made in my time as head of Project Hail Mary, my decision regarding you was the hardest, but most necessary of them all."
"If this video has reached you, then it means that my decision was more than correct, which makes this all the more worse doesn't it? We can both agree you never deserved this, I believe there is a part of you that regretted ever convincing me to keep you on the astrophage research, as much as I regret ever accepting it. Even if I was to keep you on Earth right now, find someone else to add, that could never reverse this burning of the bridge between you and I."
"At the end of the day I know that I will be forever haunted by you and this decision after all of this is done, even knowing that good did come out of this. In case you are still watching this, there is one final step of the mission, granted an optional step."
"Across the length of the Hail Mary is a phased array of transmitters, designed to output at a frequency of eight point nine two four seven Gigahertz, with sufficient energy to be received by Earth. There will be a dedicated radio dish pointed at Tau Ceti until the beetles arrive. Any signal received is to be transmitted over to me automatically."
"The presence of the signal alone should give us confirmation that the beetles are on their way. There's enough reserve energy for more than a decade's worth of transmission, not accounting for any remaining astrophage. I leave the choice to you as to what your final message to Earth will be, you deserve that at the very lease, but you deserve more than that, you truly do..."
Tears. It was tears she was holding back, granted she wasn't the sobbing mess Grace usually was, but at least the tears were as genuine as his. "I'm sorry, on behalf of all humanity I am sorry. If you somehow remembered everything before the mission completed, then I was wrong about what I said to you."
"You were never a coward, and quite frankly between the two of us, I think my authority over everything has placed a canvas over the truth, that in the end, it is I who is the true coward between us, for not willing to find someone else, for making you my solution, my scapegoat." Her posture straightened back up, wiping her face.
"But there is no turning back now, the launch is in a few hours, enough time for me to encrypt these logs onto the Hail Mary. Don't worry about decrypting the other scenarios, they are for the most part the same, just directed to the other crew members. May you be forever remembered as Earth's saviour, and that through the information you provide your legacy will live on beyond all who live today. Goodbye Grace."
The video feed cut to black, and for at least a full minute nothing was spoken. They didn't move or shift, save for the slight movements on Rocky's carapace. Only the quiet hum of the Hail Mary could fill the silence, until finally-
"Rocky" "Grace" Both of them said simultaneously. "You go first Rocky."
"Grace, I have made a mistake."
Grace's brows furrowed, "Wait what, what do you mean you've made a mistake?"
Their carapace slumped downwards. "Before we separated, I make video log while Grace sleep, one-on-one between Rocky and Earth. I talk to Stratt about Grace decision, said understand why decision made, and if not for decision then Rocky not meet Grace. Decision still wrong, statement. I said Grace better than Stratt, gave Stratt task to admit to humans about decision, Rocky one day travel to Earth and check if Stratt was brave like Grace. Give final parting statement to Grace, but not necessary now that Grace go to Erid. I not hear Stratt before, message possible too harsh for first contact-"
"Whoa whoa whoa Rocky stop. You found a way to make a video log by yourself purely to make a log directed at Eva Stratt herself that I am braver than her- you even ordered her to do something as part of first contact? I... wow, you did all of that for me?" To say Grace was at a loss for words, aside from repeating what Rocky explained, was an understatement.
Truth be told, if it turned out that Rocky went through a similar situation... yeah, Grace would've done the same. "Felt at the time like not enough for Grace. Back-sight is clear may have acted without proper logi-"
"Stop that Rocky. Firstly it's 'hindsight', and second..." As always he couldn't hold back the tears, though quickly continued when he could see his friend act alarmed. "No no Rocky this is happy leaking! I'm beyond happy for what you did. Honestly I should have thought about doing that. Screw the pleasantries of first contact, you did what you thought was right, that's all that matters to me right now... words of encouragement?"
Rocky perked up at the last bit, "You can not just say 'words of encouragement', Grace."
A slight laugh escaped Grace, knowing where this was going. "All right then, words of great encouragement, statement." It took a little bit longer, but eventually Rocky rolled their way over to Grace, their carapace firmly pressing against the side. Grace reciprocated the offer by wrapping his arms around the xenonite ball. It was the closest they could get to hugging each other for now.
Just a layer of xenonite, and of course their completely incompatible atmospheres, preventing them from fully making contact. If only the spin drives were off right now, he would have held up the ball in that moment, or even curling himself around the ball while floating. This was going to be one of those really long embraces, he was sure of it, and couldn't care less if they spent a year doing this, no matter how impossible.
Ah.
Grace drew in air through his nose, ending the embrace. "I have an idea Rocky."
"Smart idea or Grace idea, question?"
Why that little... Grace decided to ignore the eridian, "We both have mixed opinions about Stratt, and she's just given us the opportunity to send a message back before the beetles arrive to Earth. What do you say Rocky, wanna have some fun with this?"