Chapter Text
When the probes finally reached earth 30 years after the Hail Mary left for Tau Ceti. People had expected a solution to the astrophage, which they got. They also received video logs made by Ryland Grace and a small container containing a life form, detailing what happened from when he woke up to the last one before he sent the beetles back to Earth.
The first video logs showed Dr. Ryland Grace as he began to regain his memories and the reveal that only he had survived the coma on the way to Tau Ceti. They also go into some of his experiments as he tries to figure out a solution, including first contact with an intelligent alien life form in the shape of a five legged rock spider cleverly named Rocky.
Though the first confusing thing to happen would be after the attempt at fishing on Adrien. Where an unknown man with one arm appears in the background of one of those logs, he's only seen briefly in that log, passing by in the background.
Dr. Grace doesn't say anything on it, and so some people believe it to be a glitch. Until the next log.
The feed starts up the same as the previous logs, with Grace explaining one of the experiments with the taumoeba to get it acclimatized to nitrogen.
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The feed starts up without issue as Grace goes into the latest experiment, with Rocky making something nearby in his ball, at first nothing is unusual. Until the one armed man shows up again, though this time he isn't just in passing. He comes up behind Grace as the scientist continues to explain the complexity in simpler terms.
The man is a bit shorter than Grace, though he is more built. He’s also wearing one of Grace’s shirts, the one that's black with a ball that says ‘I had potential’, the shirt is tight on the man.
“Simon!” Grace turns around and smiles at the man before trying to face the camera again, continuing to talk about the experiment. He turns back to face the man, Simon, with a questioning look.
“I need help tying my hair back.” Simon says while holding up a hair tie in his one hand. Grace grabs it and Simon turns around so his hair can be tied back.
Grace continues to talk about the nitrogen experiments while tying Simon’s hair back in a bun. After that’s done Simon walks over to Rocky’s ball and shoves it, causing musical notes to fill the air, only some of it is able to be translated as Grace has not put any swear words into the translation program.
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The rest of the log is just Dr. Grace finishing up explaining the current nitrogen resistance experiment. Though the background of the log is disrupted every now and then with Simon walking by, sometimes he shoves Rocky’s ball again, usually ending with him getting chased by the Eridian.
On Earth people are confused, thinking they just forgot to mention sending up a fourth person on the Hail Mary. Though there are jokes about how similar he looks to a certain youtuber.
Meanwhile Stratt is confused, because she knows that she did not send a fourth person to Tau Ceti. And the only people sent beyond our system are the crew of the Hail Mary, of which two died enroute. So where did Simon come from.