Chapter Text
For years, life on 40 Eridani A b had been weakening. Their sun was dying, the planet’s heat was cooling and what this meant for every Eridian life was heartbreaking. An entire race, doomed to extinction. Their hopes resting on a ship that hadn’t been heard from in too long.
It was a scary time for all. There were unseen dangers on their planet that seemed to be growing as time passed. Otherwise healthy Eridians suddenly became sick, before they stopped moving all together. Children were becoming more and more scarce as the years went by, which only exacerbated their fears for their world.
Then one day, on an otherwise ordinary day, something changed. A miracle, of the highest order, blessed them.
A ship approached, one alien in origin. After a great deal of arguments and stress, it was agreed that they would reach out and pull it into their orbit, after it lingered just outside their atmosphere. It was a damn good thing they did.
One of their own, the last surviving member of their last hope, emerged. Weaker and smaller than they’d been before they left. But carrying something so unbelievably precious, it would make them all weep if they could.
The cure. Taumoeba. A chance for them all to be saved.
That wasn’t the only thing they brought. No, they brought home a friend. A friend to all Eridians from here on out, because without him, Rocky, as the creature called him, would never have made it home.
In the months that followed, all of Erid, as Grace would later call it, worked tirelessly to replicate and expand on what Grace and Rocky had managed to achieve. Except of course for a specially selected team whose only job was to keep their saviours alive and well. Particularly Grace, whose alien form brought about countless questions and few answers.
Samples were taken from Grace almost immediately. Blood and hair and muscle tissue, just enough so that they could understand how his fleshy form worked. It was so unlike anything they were used to seeing. Fascinating in fact. But with Grace already so weak, they knew they had to act fast.
Grace was barely conscious for most of it. At least in the beginning. With his food supplies almost run dry, he spent the first few months living solely on what remained of his coma slurry. In that time Eridian scientists worked tirelessly to thrum together and find every way they could to keep him alive. The Taumoeba were bred in vast quantities, not only to fix their dying sun, but to also ensure their saviour’s survival.
Grace would not learn this for some time, but the day he finally opened his eyes and kept them open, was a day all of Erid celebrated. Later on, the day he was well enough to greet them all, would become a national holiday of sorts. Grace’s Day. The day they welcomed their saviour to his new home.
Regaining consciousness felt a lot like being underwater. His sight blurred, sounds were muffled and everything felt distant, yet close at the same time.
“Grace can hear me, question?”
“Mmm-hrmm.”
Everything hurt.
“Grace is hurt, question?”
“Mmm-hrmm,” he repeated. His throat was so dry. It hurt.
“Water. He needs water. Quickly, statement.”
There was movement. Large grey blobs shifted around him, before something firm was pressed against his lips.
Grace cracked open his lips, just enough to let a trickle enter his mouth. It burned. It stung. Yet it felt so damn good, Grace never wanted it to stop. All too soon the water stopped and Grace whined, as best he could. All movement around him froze.
Noise surrounded him, both low and high. He struggled to distinguish one thrum from the next, before everything suddenly stilled.
“Grace can hear me, question?” Rocky repeated.
Grace let out a pained hiss. “Y-yeah, yeah buddy.”
More thrums. These felt different somehow. Less tense, more joyous.
“Good, good, that is good. Rocky is pleased, statement.”
“Did…did we do it?” Grace asked, hissing as another jolt of pain ripped through him.
“We did. All of Erid is happy, happy, happy too. You are our hero.”
Grace sobbed. The thrums stopped, before the noise surrounded him once more. They sounded frantic. They were probably worried about him. But he was just so overwhelmed by it all that he couldn’t help but cry.
Something brushed against his hand. Grace used what little strength he had to hold onto it.
“Grace and Rocky saved stars. Now Rocky and Erid save Grace, statement.”
Grace sobbed again. But this time he was smiling.
Exhausted, his eyes slowly slid shut. Whatever was holding him, Rocky he assumed, continued to do so long after he became unconscious once more. Only when Grace’s breathing finally slowed, did Rocky turn to the others watching them. The edges of his xenonite suit remained pressed against Grace’s hand. It was the closest either of them could come to touching.
“Rocky and Erid save Grace,” he repeated.
The observers didn’t even hesitate. “Rocky and Erid save Grace,” they confirmed. Their thrums made Rocky feel warm inside. So, so warm.
It was a momentous occasion indeed.
After that, efforts to breed Taumoeba surged even more. Those that had been there to see Grace open his eyes and speak, had marvelled at the creature. This squishy, fleshy alien needed their help. And every single Eridian was determined to help him however they could.
By the time the coma slurry finally ran out, enough Taumoeba had been bred. They’d run extensive tests before giving it to Grace. No one wanted to be the reason their first and only human died. But they still all waited anxiously, as he finally took the first dose.
It worked. It actually worked!
All of Erid celebrated once more.
Alongside their efforts to keep Grace alive, they had begun constructing a biodome where he could live, once he was strong enough. Using information taken from the laptop, a machine filled with wondrous knowledge about human life, the best scientists Erid had to offer worked even harder to make it happen.
While he waited, Grace had plenty to keep himself occupied. Like finally meeting the legend themself, Adrian.
“Grace, my mate wants to meet you. Okay, question?”
“Very okay, Rocky. Of course! I’ve wanted to meet them too.”
Rocky was clearly nervous when the two finally met. Like Rocky, Adrian had to wear a special xenonite suit to survive the specialised chamber Grace had been put in upon his arrival. Adrian looked nervous too, as they oh so carefully moved next to Grace’s bed, so they could speak face to face.
Grace’s laptop sat beside him. In recent days, he’d grown strong enough to sit up and type for longer durations. He was thankful as it made it so much easier to communicate with Adrian, even with Rocky there to help translate.
“Adrian thanks Grace. For saving Erid. For saving mate. Rocky is าสㅅと.” Whatever word they used to describe Rocky, they hadn’t translated it yet.
Grace looked to Rocky for help. Rocky shrunk back, like he was trying to make himself smaller.
“Rocky is าสㅅと,” Adrian repeated. They turned and gave Rocky a nudge.
A high pitched thrum escaped Rocky. Somehow Grace understood that Adrian was trying to chastise Rocky.
“Rocky gone long time. Adrian not think Rocky come back. Rocky…Rocky not safe with self. Rocky not eat well.” Rocky finally translated, then let out something that sounded like a whine.
Grace smiled. “Reckless. Rocky is reckless.”
Adrian seemed to perk up at that, repeating the word in their own language. Grace said it once more and Adrian repeated it again. High pitched thrums followed, signalling Adrian was pleased.
“Rocky is also brave,” Grace added. This was something Rocky was clearly happier to translate.
Adrian thrummed in response, nudging Rocky once again. Gentler this time. More affectionate.
“Erid scientists have many questions. Grace laptop helps. Very good. Many human information.”
“That’s good. If they have questions, they can ask me too. I can’t do much right now, but I can talk at least.”
“Grace can heal. Grace can rest. Get stronger. Then meet Erid together. Big celebration.”
“A celebration?”
Adrian thrummed again. Rocky turned to them, waiting for them to finish.
“Adrian helped plan. Grace is hero. Erid thanks Grace. Big celebration.” Rocky nudged his hand, clearly excited. “Rest first. Get stronger. Heal.” Rocky demanded.
Grace chuckled then gave a small nod. “Okay, buddy. I’ll rest. I’ll…I'll heal. But you know, humans need to move their muscles otherwise they’ll atrophy.”
Adrian and Rocky gave curious sounding thrums. Grace paused. “They’ll shrink, get smaller. It’ll be even harder for me to move in the future. Like…like how it must have been for you back on my ship.”
They didn’t like to talk about that moment. About the time they almost lost each other. Even if both would carry the scars for the rest of their lives.
“Rocky help.”
Adrian thrummed.
“Adrian too. We move muscles, question?”
“Slowly. Carefully,” Grace advised. Then he smiled. “But yeah, that would be great. But what about you? How are you holding up?”
“Rocky not understand. Not hold anything up, question?” Rocky raised his appendages, as if to confirm that indeed, he was not holding anything up. Except for now of course.
Grace snorted. A sound that both alarmed and fascinated the Eridians that watched them. For a few seconds they feared something must be wrong for him to make such an unpleasant sound. But then he smiled. It was not a problem after all. How strange. One of them made sure to make a note of it.
“It means, how are you? You’ve barely left my side since I woke up. Don’t you need to rest too? To heal?”
Adrian thrummed, moving every appendage up and down. Apparently Rocky had taught them yes and no in human gestures. Rocky did the opposite, shaking from side to side. Together, they looked like they were performing a strange kind of dance. Grace chuckled. The Eridians made another note.
Adrian thrummed once more. They sounded excited. This time the laptop translated most of it, including some stuff Rocky probably didn't want to admit.
“Rocky work too hard. Not rest long time. Not eat well. Worried. Worry about Grace. Worry about stars. No eat. Bad Rocky.”
“Rocky not bad, exclamation!” Rocky quickly replied. “Just…just worried about Grace. True.”
Grace sighed, wincing at a pain in his side. “Aww, buddy. I know. But I’m here now. I’m still alive. And that’s all thanks to you. To all of you. How about this, you and I heal together, yeah? We rest. We eat. We get stronger.”
“Rocky and Grace strong together, question?”
“Rocky and Grace strong together, statement.”
Adrian thrummed once more.
“With help from Adrian of course. And everyone out there. They’re all doing an amazing job.” Grace stared out into the blackness that surrounded him. He couldn’t see them, not right now, but he knew they were all there. Watching him. Protecting him. Keeping him safe.
Adrian thrummed in agreement. Rocky too.
“Rocky accept.”
Grace smiled.
“Me too, buddy. Me too.”
It wouldn’t be easy, for Grace especially, but they all knew it would be so, so worth it in the end.
“So what have you been doing since yesterday?” Grace asked.
Rocky moved. With Adrian’s help, they carefully pulled down the sheet that covered Grace together. A couple of doctors entered the room too, using what they had learned from Armando, to carefully prop Grace up so he could see them work.
One of the doctors thrummed, a low melodic hum that was somehow soothing. Rocky thrummed back, giving an almost chirp-like sound in return.
“We see laptop first,” Rocky insisted.
Grace obeyed, verbally directing them to where they needed to look. Fortunately, videos on massage and maintaining muscle health had been included. Which made it much easier for the Eridians to follow.
Everyone remembered the difficulties they had with trying to decipher what nutrition Grace needed. Something made all the more difficult when he had been unconscious for most of it. But they’d eventually figured it out. Thanks in a large part to the remaining supply of painkillers from Grace’s ship, which gave them enough time to replicate something similar so they could get the information they needed.
“We move muscles now. Tell us if bad, question?”
Grace nodded, as best as he could. “I will. Now answer my question.”
Rocky let out another noise. Grace was pretty sure it was the Eridian version of a sigh.
“Rocky plan to meet crew families. Rocky explain. Sad. Hurt. Bad feeling.”
Grace grit his teeth and his legs began to tingle, much like pins and needles. He forced himself to tolerate it, assuring the others that this was to be expected. It would be hard. It might even hurt. But he’d already lost so much. He couldn’t bear to lose his ability to walk as well.
“That’s…that’s a lot for you to deal with. When do you meet them?”
“Soon, statement.”
“Want me to come with you?”
Silence.
“Grace not strong. Too much.” Rocky replied. Then he let out another short thrum. One that had Adrian reaching out to him, to provide comfort.
That was a yes. Rocky wanted him there. If only that was possible.
“Can…is it possible for them to come here?”
There was lots of thrumming that time. Some fast, some slow and some so topsy turvy, Grace couldn’t even begin to guess what they were trying to say. It wasn’t just from Rocky and Adrian, but from the others who observed their little group too. After a few minutes, as Grace and Adrian continued to carefully push his legs up then bring them down, they seemed to come to some kind of agreement.
“That is okay, question?”
“It is with me. But I don’t want to step on any toes here. Is it okay with you? With everyone? I understand if it’s too much work.”
“No! Grace not too much!” Rocky insisted hotly, his thrumming growing startlingly louder, before hastily dropping to his normal tone. “Sorry. Too loud.”
“It’s okay, Rocky. I know it’s a lot.”
“Yes. A lot.”
There was a pause. Rocky and Adrian shared a short conversation, before carefully setting Grace’s legs down. The doctors hurried to recover him with the blanket salvaged from his ship.
“Rocky want you there. But…but it sad time. Angry time. Grace need happy. Not sad.”
Grace’s expression softened into something fond. “What makes me happy is seeing you happy too. If you need me there, I’d love to be there for you. Adrian agrees with me, right?”
Rocky translated. Adrian thrummed in agreement.
“There, you see? We both want you happy. Delivering sad news, explaining what happened to the families of your crew, it’s gonna be a lot. Trust me. I…I know what it’s like to have to live with that. But you’ve got us. We can be right there too.”
“Yes. Rocky…Rocky will ask. We will prepare. We meet families first. After…after you meet Erid. We celebrate.” Rocky replied, insistent.
“After, we celebrate. Sounds good to me.”
Would it be easy? No. Grace was still weak. What happened was still fresh in Rocky’s mind. And there was no telling how the families would react. Especially if they were brought before such an important visitor.
Grace didn’t care. He’d survived so far. Right now, Rocky needed him. And after months of lying down, barely being able to move, he needed to feel needed. Desperately so.
Here on Erid, his mission was complete. They were saving the stars, one breeding session at a time. Hopefully Earth would do the same. So what was left for him now?
Grace needed a purpose here. One beyond healing and getting stronger. He needed to find a reason to live. A reason beyond Rocky.
Erid was all too happy to give him that reason.