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The camera zooms in and focuses on Rocky, who’s curled up on the floor of his protective enclosure. Grace’s voice is soft as he speaks.
“Little dude has been asleep for nearly ten hours now. He’s been working nonstop these past few days, and he finally finished making the xenonite chain for the specimen collector. We've got it all spooled up and ready to go. Wasn’t easy, so yeah, he deserves a good, long rest. Funny, but when he’s awake, he’s like a hyperactive 10-year-old bouncing all around. But when he’s asleep, he’s vulnerable. I have to watch him so he feels safe. I know I’ve mentioned that before, but it bears repeating.”
The camera angle bobs about as Grace sits down on the floor with his left shoulder against the clear xenonite panel that separates his own atmosphere from that of the alien. Once settled, the camera captures his image as well as a small portion of Rocky behind him.
“In the beginning, I used to think the whole ‘watching each other sleep’ thing was creepy, but now I don't mind. It feels natural. Odd thing is, he can stay awake for days without a nap, then suddenly, out of nowhere, he goes, ‘Grace watch Rocky sleep now,’ and he’s out like a light. His sleep patterns are unpredictable, but he somehow manages to avoid overlapping with mine. While he sleeps, I mostly work on my laptop, writing up notes, documenting stuff, and performing calculations. I also have some cool video games to help pass the time.
“I once made the mistake of leaving his side to go hang out in the cockpit. There’s still a ton of stuff I don’t know about how this ship functions, so I wanted to go through the instruction manual to figure out what’s what. I know that Rocky never sleeps less than three hours, so I figured I could get in some much-needed training. But I lost track of time, and when I came back, he was already awake and pissed. You wouldn’t think that a being without a face could show much emotion, but I could tell that he was not only angry and hurt; he was also deeply disappointed in me. He didn’t talk to me for the rest of the day, not until it was time for me to go to bed. Then, all he says is, ‘Grace sleep, Rocky watch.’ What he was actually saying is, ‘I forgive you, but don’t let it happen again.’ Grace glances down at his resting friend and thoughtfully adds, “I let him down, and I don’t ever want to do that to him again.”
Grace closes his eyes and takes a moment for himself. Looking into the camera again, his lips curve upward a tad.
“So, tomorrow Rocky and I are going fishing. Hoping the chain and collector work as planned. It sucks that we couldn’t come up with an automatic system to pull the collector directly into the ship. We batted around a few ideas but concluded that the most effective method is for Rocky to reign in the line, then for me to go outside and grab the collector manually. I don’t mind. I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with spacewalks. I make sure to triple-check the tethers, and all is good. But that's, of course, as long as the ship is stationary. It’s going to be a different story tomorrow because we’ll be basically surfing along Adrian’s atmosphere. If we get a little too close to the planet or come in at the wrong angle, things might get a little hairy. Just have to be careful.”
His brow creases, an obvious sign of worry, but his demeanor lightens as he switches topics.
“Oh, almost forgot. Some really good news. When this is all over, I get to come home! Rocky has more than enough fuel to share. His people didn’t know about relativity and how time gets shorter the faster you move through space. Their scientists planned for a trip that they thought would take way longer than it actually did. So, he has a fuel surplus. He can give me two million kilograms of Astrophage and still have enough to get home himself. Unfortunately, it’ll be six years slower. I don’t want that for him, but he insists. Since he couldn’t fix things when his crew died, he wants to fix them for me."
Grace checks on Rocky with a quick glance.
“You know, I didn’t even think about asking him to help me get back home. It never occurred to me that he had enough fuel to share. I just… I figured I’d die here. I’d send the probes back with everything we’ve discovered, and I’d just...."
He shakes his head and wipes away moisture that suddenly forms in his eyes.
“Rocky’s a good friend. The best. I don’t have any friends on Earth who would give up six years of their life for me. I don’t have any friends on Earth who would even give up an afternoon to help me move. There were a few colleagues and old college buddies that I used to meet up with once in a while for a drink, but no one close. And then there's the whole time dilation thing. They’ll all be so much older than me by the time I get back. Many of the teachers will be retirement age, while I’ll only be around eight years older. All my students will be adults, possibly with kids of their own. I could probably hang out with them. The adults, I mean, not the kids.” He frowns. “Either way, it’s bound to feel weird.”
He blows out a heavy sigh and stares off into the distance.
“I know I’m overthinking things. There’s a lot more to worry about than making friends. Earth will probably need rebuilding. No telling how bad things will have gotten. It’ll take a while for the predator to do its thing and get the sun back on track. Maybe I can swing by Venus and drop a load off on my way to get things started. Not sure how to tackle that, but I’ll get Rocky to help me come up with a plan.”
He eyes the alien again.
“Don’t know how I’m going to manage without you, buddy. Wish there was some way we could keep in touch. Mmh… Why did I have to travel to a different solar system just to find a best friend? What are even the odds of us meeting in the first place?… Guess it was just meant to be… me and the Rock. Just two random guys from different worlds coming together to save our planets. We’ll do the impossible, then return home and become heroes. You go home to Adrian, and I… well, maybe I'll find someone special. Get back into teaching… maybe even get a dog.... But we’ll never see each other again. That’ll suck.“
Grace looks into the camera, appearing suddenly self-conscious.
“Getting ahead of myself again. Still have a lot of work to do. Have to catch the predator first, then test it to make sure it’s not harmful to humans or Eridians. Then there’s the breeding stage. No telling how long that’ll take. And after we get all that sorted, I’m still looking at a couple other major hurdles. Even though I’ll have enough fuel to get back to Earth, there won’t be enough food to get by on unless I ration it carefully. Wish now that I hadn’t wasted my ramen noodles on that model ship I made as a welcoming gift."
Another deep sigh escapes his lips.
"And being all alone for four years, that's bound to do a job on my mental state. I don’t really want to take the chance of putting myself into a coma. Might not wake up. So, if I do survive, I’ll basically be a virtual skeleton with pudding for brains. Is that better than the alternative? I don't know. Oh, and then there’s the question of landing the ship. It was never intended to make a return trip, so landing wasn't a consideration. Don't know how that's going to work out.”
Is Grace talking to Grace, question?
Visibly startled, Grace jumps at the sound of the electronic voice. He looks over at Rocky, and the tenseness instantly leaves his body as the alien rises up next to him.
“Just making another message for Earth, Rock.”
Grace go home. Can talk to Earth when get there, question?
“Yeah. This is just in case.”
What mean, just in case, question?
“Well, there’s always the possibility that something could go wrong and prevent me from making it back to Earth. Just because I’ll have enough fuel to get back, other problems might pop up.”
Grace worried to go home, question?
"Yeah, a little. At first, I was worried that I'd never be able to go home. Now I'm worried about what happens when I get there."
Understand. Rocky worry about going home to Erid. Worry Adrian will think I died. Will have new mate.
"Oh, buddy. I'm sorry. I didn't think about that."
Grace sets the camera on the floor and gives his full attention to Rocky. Because of the new angle, more of the alien can be seen. Even without a face or any other human qualities, it's apparent through its droopy appendages that the Eridian is depressed.
"I know Adrian means a lot to you," says Grace, in a sympathetic voice. "You've been gone a long time from their point of view, so yeah... that's something to be concerned about."
When Grace taps on the pane to get Rocky's attention, the alien appears to look directly at him.
"Let me ask you something. What if things were reversed? What if Adrian were the one out here saving the world, and you were back on Erid? How long would you wait for them to return?"
I would wait always. Wait until I die.
"Do you and Adrian think alike? Have the same kind of feelings for each other?"
Yes. We are compatible.
"Then, that's your answer. You need to hold on to that thought."
Rocky stands a little straighter, perking up as if suddenly more hopeful.
I think Adrian wait for me.
"I think so, too, Rock.... Feel better now?"
Yes. I not feel sad. Thank.
"You're welcome."
You no worry about going home. Rocky help plan for safe trip, so you no worry. Deal, question?
Grace begins to speak but hesitates. He relaxes, smiles and nods instead.
“Okay. Deal.”
Fist my bump.
Rocky holds a balled claw against the pane. Grace chuckles lightly and matches the movement with his right fist.
Grace needs rest. You bedtime now. I watch.
One of Rocky’s appendages rises and points to the left, apparently in the direction of Grace’s bed.
“You’re right, pal. It’s my bedtime.”
Grace picks up the camera, gives a tired grin and a good-night wink to the camera.
The screen goes black.