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“What is purpose of this room, question?”
The voice breaks through the sounds of waves crashing onto the shoreline. Opening his eyes, Ryland focused on the screen in front of him. The digital waves continue to break on the digital shore. Reality settling back in, Ryland turns his head toward his unconventional roommate. The alien stops his xenonite ball next to his friend in the middle of the small room. Screens lining the walls show a peaceful beach scene from Earth.
“The screens show me different environments on Earth. To help remind me of home.” Ryland looks back toward the screen with a somber look on his face. “It’s currently showing me a beach.”
“Grace describe beach, statement.” Rocky leans in closer to Ryland. Ryland stares at the screen for a long second.
“A beach has lots of sand and water. The sand is tiny grains of mineral that lined the shoreline. The water crashes onto the sand into waves before pulling back and crashing again. Lots of humans will go to beaches to relax and play. Some people will travel to go to beaches for vacation.
“What vacation, question?”
“Vacations are when you travel to see a new place or to relax and have fun.”
Ryland slowly starts to smile. “Kids will build castles out of the sand. The water will sometimes leave sticks, and rocks, and plants behind. The kids like to use the sticks as flags on the castles. Beaches are very loved on Earth. They even make special beach episodes for tv shows.”
“What is beach episode, question?”
Ryland’s face lit up. “A beach episode is a quintessential part of any tv show. All the characters get thrown into swimsuits and have fun at the beach. And there is always one person refusing to get into the water, and another person who gets pranked on.”
“What is pranked on, question? Why importance of beach episode? Does every show have beach episode, question?” Questions fly out of Rocky’s translator quickly, Ryland breaking into a fit of laughter. “Okay, okay, slow down, buddy.” His hands gestured to Rocky to slow down.
Ryland’s head subconsciously turned back toward the screens as Rocky slowed his questions down. A silence fell between them. Rocky tilted his body as he faced Ryland, seeing his friend fall back into his somber mood.
“Grace miss beach, question? Grace listens to waves a lot.”
“Uh, yeah, I guess I kinda do.” Voicing cracking, Ryland brings his knees up to his chest, hugging them tight. “I do miss the beach a lot.”
Rocky straightens his legs and holds one to his body. “Grace Rocky save stars. Grace sees beach again.” Rocky stood proudly at his friend as Ryland turned back to Rocky. Ryland leans on Rocky’s ball as he continues to watch the waves. “Thank you, buddy. Thank you.”
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The ship is quiet. Spending so long with an alien roommate, the space hadn’t been quiet in a long time. Ryland floated absentmindedly, staring at the wall. The Hail Mary was currently stationed above Erid. Rocky had gone down to his planet to bring his scientist the taumoeba and figure out a plan to help him survive on Erid.
All he could do now was wait.
After taking one last look out the airlock’s window, Ryland pushed himself down to his room of screens. Currently, they showed a dense rainforest. The sounds of distant animals and forest filled his ears. He really missed home. Curling up to a ball, Ryland’s mind drifted to Earth.
Are the beetles making a safe journey? How much damage did the Earth suffer from after he left? He thinks back to Stratt, to Leclerc, to Dimitri. What did they face after the Hail Mary project finally launched?
Ryland pushed himself back up to the control room, floating himself toward the window again. Erid lies far below the ship. His life is altered by his decision to save Rocky, to save the Eridians. He would never change his choice, not in a million years. But, he wonders what would have happened if he did go back. How would the world have changed? Would he survive on the new Earth…
How will he survive on Erid? Rocky had promised him that the Eridians scientist would surely do everything in their power to find a solution. After all, he did help save their star at the cost of going home.
Ryland smiles as he thinks about Rocky. Who would have bet that his best friend would end up being an alien? Rocky would make sure that the Eridian scientists would make something perfect for Ryland.
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Shocked, surprised, amazed. All words to describe the look on Ryland’s face as water laps at xenonite-covered feet. Rocky built Rocky an upgraded, clear xenonite suit to help him transfer into his new biodome on Erid.
A biodome… a biodome with a beach. They built him a whole biodome for him to survive in. And the Eridians made him a beach. Stepping back, Ryland slowly began to take off the xenonite suit.
“Grace like biodome, question? Eridian scientists work very hard. Rocky suggest beach, statement.”
Rocky stood next to Ryland in a similar xenonite suit. His current excitement was very visible on his body as he showed Ryland his new home.
Finally, Ryland pulls himself out of the suit. The smile on his face could rival the sun with how much it was beaming. He took a big breath of the biodome’s fresh air. Ryland turned toward his friend. Rocky could no longer contain his excitement, and started bouncing around Ryland’s legs.
Rocky brought his hands to his face, lightly covering his mouth. “Rocky, I can’t thank you or the Eridians enough… thank you so much.”
“Now we vacation! Happy happy happy! Have own beach episode!”
Ryland let out a loud laugh. “Yeah buddy, we can have our own beach episode now.” Taking a few big steps back, Ryland makes a run for the water, before taking a big leap into the water–
“FUCK!” Ryland took off like a cat once he hit the water. It was freezing cold. Once he was a few steps from the waves, Ryland whipped his head to Rocky as Rocky ran over to him.
“Grace okay, question?”
“I think your scientists need to work on the temperature of the water. It’s a bit cold for humans.”
“Eridian water too hot for Grace. Eridian scientists make water cold like Earth water”
“I think they made the water too cold.” Ryland took a few more steps to the water, feet just out of reach of the waves. Rocky sits next to Ryland, looking out into the water.
“Eridian scientist fix water for Grace soon, statement. Rocky–”Water splashed onto his xenonite suit, startling him. Rocky turned to Ryland doubled-over laughing.
“What? You didn’t see that coming? I told you each beach episode has someone who gets pranked.”
“Grace bad humor! Rocky pranked on Grace back.”
Ryland barely had time to wipe the tears from his eyes before having to dodge Rocky trying to push him into the water. He ran down the off laughing as Rocky ran behind him yelling.
He thinks he is gonna get used to living here.