Chapter Text
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by duointherain
Disclaimer: I do not own Project Hail Mary and you should go read the book, if you haven't!
It was promised.
The Eridians radioed. They had just passed the Saturn line. Their ship, the Touchdown was a modified version of the Hail Mary, but still angular and practical. It had a huge xeonite view shield. The signal left the ship and Rocky and Rocky stood on the bridge as if a reply might come any second, though they knew it couldn't.
Earth was nothing except a tiny speck of light from where they were, though only Rocky Grace could see it. Rocky stood next to his child, whose soft squishy fingers were gently held in a claw. Adrian was behind both of them, watching them because they would get up to some stupidity, any moment now.
Rocky Grace was a hybrid. He looked human and he acted just like the Grace he was named after, with shaggy blond hair and a kindness that Adrian would have fall over had it not been present. Genes are genes, even if you're reusing them. The child was modified though. He had living and growing Eridian bone under that pale human skin. He saw color, but he sang in his native tongue, Eridian.
Eridian ships were much faster now. Having learned all that human science had to offer, they successfully made an Alcubierre drive. They were slowing down, but they expected to be able to slide into a stable Earth orbit in about fifteen Earth minutes. Adrian was making sure they slowed further. They didn't want to get that close to Earth until the humans gave them permission.
They had modified the Alcubierre drive so they would have very high speed and time dilation in the extreme at the start of their trip, but slowed down near the end. They experienced several months of trip.
Even from Saturn they could see Earth's sun was recovered. Rocky-Grace thought he ought to be happier than he felt. He could feel original Grace inside of him, deep down, where all his memories and values started, but that wasn't him. He sang, speaking Eridian, talking about an old fairy tale where a hermit ate children and said there was probably something like that story in Earth folklore and it probably had Eva Strat's face next to the story.
"You don't have to see her or be anywhere near her," Adrian said, patting his shoulder.
"I do," Rocky-Grace said. "I have to see her. He wanted to say something to her."
"You are not him," Adrien said, layering the words with affectionate trills. There was then a song, a kind of lullaby that Rocky-Grace was very fond of. He'd hatched in the same nest with the rest of the Rocky and Adrien's first clutch. Yet, he was profoundly different. Instead of innocence as a pebble, he carried all the memories of Dr. Grace and could hear the grief in his parents' song. At the same time, he knew he was not Dr. Grace.
"You won't let her eat me," Rocky-Grace asked.
"I won't let anything eat you," Adrian promised. Two strong arms lifted Rocky-Grace for kind of a piggyback rideide. "You are the pebble of Rocky and Adrian! Do you not have the family crest on your arm?"
"I do," Rocky-Grace agreed.
Then the Touchdown received a reply from Earth. It was cold, professional, requesting proof of life for Dr. Ryland Grace.
Rocky-Grace had wiggled around so that lying on his belly on Adrien's broad top. "Send them file 4321864," he said.
"What is in the file," Adrien asked.
"Just deserts," Rocky-Grace said.
On Earth, the file came through and played, Rocky-Grace's classmates singing in harmony, layers and as scientists tried to translate using the translation guide that Dr. Grace had sent back on the beetles. The room surely stank of stress and fear. It technically wasn't first contact, but it was first contact for everyone in that room.
Dr. Amira Burkheart had brought her daughter to the office that day. The girl was about twelve, sitting in the back with an iPad and a soda. She looked up, eyes narrowing as she listened to the song. "Fuck," she yelled way too loudly.
Pretty much every head in the room turned to look at her.
"They just rick rolled us," she said before sinking back into her chair with laughter. "There is definitely a human on that ship and it can only be Dr. Grace."
The adults in the room grunted, turned back to their screens and realization went through the room like zits popping up.