Chapter Text
A loud, rapid knocking echoed through the small house.
Ryland Grace groaned and buried his face deeper into his pillow for a brief moment before the knocking came again, somehow even louder than before.
"Alright, alright..." he mumbled to himself.
Blinking away the last remnants of sleep, he reached over to the nightstand and fumbled for his glasses. The familiar frames slid onto his face, bringing the room into focus. Pale morning light filtered through the curtains, casting long shadows across the floor.
The knocking continued.
Whoever was outside clearly wasn't interested in waiting.
"M' coming!" Grace called, his voice rough from sleep.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, suppressing a yawn as he made his way out of the bedroom. As he shuffled down the hallway, he passed Arm-ando standing in his usual spot. The robot's sensors briefly flickered toward him before returning to whatever task it had been performing.
The knocking persisted.
"Okay, okay! Jeez!"
Grace finally reached the front door and pulled it open.
Standing on the porch was Rocky.
The Eridian shifted excitedly on his five limbs, his rocky carapace clicking softly against itself. Even after five years of friendship, the sight of the alien still occasionally struck Grace as surreal. A giant rock-spider from another star system standing on his front porch had somehow become a normal part of life.
"Grace! Grace!" Rocky chirped. "Eridians found something important. Must see!"
Grace blinked, still trying to wake up enough to process the statement.
"What?" he asked. "What is it, Rock?"
"Must show! Rocky tell Grace on way!" Rocky replied, his voice carrying an unusual mix of excitement and urgency. He shifted from foot to foot. "Much excitement!"
That got Grace's attention.
Rocky wasn't usually this worked up unless something genuinely important had happened.
Before Grace could ask another question, Rocky spun around and began scuttling away from the house. His claws clicked against the wooden porch before digging into the sand as he headed toward the beach.
"Rocky, that's not actually an explanation!" Grace called after him.
The Eridian didn't slow down.
With a sigh, Grace stepped outside and followed. Whatever had Rocky this excited was apparently worth dragging him out of bed for.
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The two made their way along the shoreline, the gentle rhythm of waves lapping against the sand accompanying their journey. The morning air was cool, carrying the faint scent of salt and seaweed.
Ahead, the familiar classroom and observation platform came into view, standing as reminders of the years Grace had spent helping bridge the gap between human and Eridian science.
Grace shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked.
"So, what's this about?" he asked. "Or are you planning to wait until we get there before explaining anything?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Rocky replied excitedly, his carapace clicking as he scuttled beside him. "Adrian and team found planet! New planet! Far from here."
Grace raised an eyebrow.
"A planet?"
"Full of strange ocean," Rocky continued. "Like human ocean, but wrong. Full of blood, very strange. Adrian and team sent probe. Found life in giant tree!"
That woke Grace up completely.
"A giant tree?" he repeated.
"Yes! Life inside tree."
Grace frowned. The sentence barely made sense, even by alien-discovery standards.
"What kind of life?"
Rocky made an excited chirping noise.
"Do not know! Planet disappeared before more study."
Grace stopped walking for a moment.
"It disappeared?"
Rocky stopped as well and turned slightly toward him.
"Planet there. Then PLanet not there."
"Rocky, that's not how planets work."
"Exactly!" Rocky exclaimed.
Grace couldn't argue with that.
The Eridian resumed walking, forcing Grace to catch up.
"Probe recover life before planet vanish. Very strange creature. Very, very strange. Must see!"
Rocky picked up speed, clearly eager to reach their destination.
As they rounded the overhanging cliff, Grace finally saw what all the excitement was about.
A new section had been added to the settlement.
The dome stood beside the original structure, its xenonite walls gleaming in the sunlight. Judging by the unfinished support equipment scattered nearby, it had been constructed recently, and quickly.
Inside, several Eridians moved between workstations, all in protective xenonite suits. Displays covered the walls, streams of data scrolling across them in the Eridian language. Others monitored equipment Grace didn't immediately recognize.
The entire facility buzzed with activity.
For Eridians to build an entirely new containment dome, whatever they had brought back had to be significant.
Grace's curiosity began to outweigh his confusion.
"Okay," he said slowly. "Now you've got my attention."
Rocky let out a pleased chirp.
"Do not worry. Safe for human."
The Eridian gestured toward the new dome.
"Creature need air like human air. Still must decontaminate, statement. Safety first."
"Glad to hear the giant mystery organism isn't trying to kill me."
"We think not."
Grace stared at him.
"You think?"
Rocky was already moving again.
"Come, come!"
The Eridian scuttled toward the corridor connecting the original dome to the new addition. Through the xenonite walls, Grace could see more scientists gathered around something deeper inside.
Something large.
His pace quickened.
For the first time in years, he felt that familiar sensation, the one he'd experienced countless times aboard the Hail Mary.
The feeling that he was about to discover something completely impossible.