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It's been five months since we landed on Erid and I am just finally feeling settled on my new forever planet. Not yet in my forever home, as it is still being constructed and from the blueprints I've seen, the size of it dictates that I might not be moving there for quite a while. When Rocky and I first started talking about making me an environment to live in, I pictured a nice big house, with a big enough yard to for me to run around and relax in. Rocky blew that idea right out of the water and a few days into the design processes I was being asked for approval on massive, domed designs, three miles wide, with lakes and sandy beaches. My absolute insistence that these ideas were excessive got ignored aggressively by everyone on the project's team.
But that doesn't mean I didn't get my nice big house, oh no, they took that idea and made it into my temporary habitat so to speak, until my forever dome is finished. Well, it's actually more of a inner-city penthouse apartment if I really had to describe it, with all the amenities of a house, large garden on a 'balcony' included. It's situated nicely between the hospital where my medical care team are based and the Eridian equivalent of NASA and the space elevator, it's even got a distant view of the beginnings of my biodome. How can I see the view so far on the pitch-black surface of Erid you may ask? Well, thanks to Rocky, my penthouse has also been doubling as a lighthouse, with a giant light mounted to my roof and a little viewing area for me to watch the city. I think he felt bad that he couldn't immediately build me a huge sky filled with sunlight, so he went a bit left field and created the next best thing. And hey, I get to pretend I'm a grouchy old lighthouse keeper, so it's a win in my books.
All this is to say, I'm happy and comfortable at last, after so long suffering in space I can finally relax. I have a home, I have food again, which is what I am most excited about, and most importantly I have Rocky. He and Adrian have moved in below me so they can monitor me closely, visit daily and watch me sleep, just a set of stairs and one airlock away. We have a good routine going, I wake up, we hang out for a few hours, Rocky and Adrian go out to do their jobs, I eat, then I meet with the dozen or so Eridians desperate for my attention. My doctors, scientists interested in human knowledge, historians hungering to know more about human culture. Let's just say I am the most popular man on Erid (never mind the fact I am the only man on Erid).
When evening comes Rocky and Adrian come back home to check on me and hang out again, usually with plenty to update me on. There's been so much to do these days it's hard to keep up with. Rocky has been dragged through so many meetings, first meetings about how to keep me alive, then meetings about Taumoeba deployment, then some more meetings about keeping me alive, interspersed with even more meetings about what exactly happened to us out there. The overall vibe has been meeting heavy, to say the least. Which is why we started having little evening debrief sessions, to commiserate the boring, stressful parts of being the saviours of two worlds together, then relax by watching brain rotting human TV which Rocky shamelessly enjoys.
It's nearing my Rocky and Adrian imposed bedtime when my favourite Rock pal hops up from my couch, he's been abnormally still all day, not fidgeting with his usual gusto. I was beginning to wonder if he's going to tell me about what's bothering him or not when he starts chirping,
"Rocky must tell Grace something, statement."
I feel all my muscles clench up when he talks. He's using his baby-talk voice again. I haven't needed him to use it in some time now, having a much more adult understanding of the language. But on occasion, when he either wants to tease me or tell me bad news, he'll break it out again.
"What do you want to tell me buddy?" I ask, ass clenching.
"Tomorrow Rocky and Adrian have to leave before Grace's wake up time, statement." My ass unclenches. Rocky bobs his carapace around slightly, "Have early early early appointment, can ask Ricky to come watch Grace finish sleep."
Ricky is Rocky's closest clutchmate, and the first member of his family I met besides Adrian. Don't shame the name, it's hard coming up with human names for the hundreds of Eridians I've met. They live in the same city and work closely with my dome construction team, as the Eridian equivalent of an electrician. They're one of the coolest people I have ever met in my lifetime, they look just like Rocky, only with a much spikier carapace and about four times as many tattoo carvings. They're a bit of a thrill seeker, every time we hang out they serenade me with stories of travelling to the most dangerous and epic spots on Erid and badger me for information on how humans use electricity. We get on amazingly, so well in fact that it sometimes makes Rocky jealous. It was kinda funny at first, but I eventually had to reassure him he would always be my favourite before he started planning Ricky's mysterious disappearance.
I relax at the fact it's not world ending news, "That's okay buddy, what kind of appointment have you got at that time anyway?"
Rocky shoots straight up and does some nervous tap-tapping on his claws, "None of Grace business statement!" and my ass firmly re-clenches at the fact he's hiding something, he's rude all the time but when he's rude like this its usually because he wants to protect me from something.
Adrian slaps Rocky firmly with their elbow, "Rocky! My love, tell Grace the truth!"
"He not need to know!"
"Tell him now or I will!"
I feel a little bit like a child watching my parents bicker about me momentarily.
Rocky and Adrian have what I can only assume is a stare off before Rocky flails two arms in the air and shouts, "Fine!"
He nervously shifts back towards me, "Rocky… Rocky have to go to court…"
"…"
"…"
"Did you go outside naked again?!"
"NO!"
"We talked about this Rocky, you have got to wear clothes when you go outside! Adrian and I don't mind what you do at home but you barely got off with a warning last time, just because you saved the world doesn't mean you get to be a full time nudist!"
"Rocky should be able to do anything Rocky wants!"
"That's not how it works buddy!"
"ROCKY DID NOT GET NAKED IN PUBLIC AGAIN THAT'S NOT WHY ROCKY GO TO COURT!!!"
I quickly slam my mouth shut and lean back, startled by his shouting, my eyes are wide and my shoulders tense. Okay now I really am worried. What the heck did he do? If it's not about his nudist activities, then what did he do that he would end up in court for? I assume there's been a few legal processes involved in getting granting me rights on Erid, but if that was the reason, he would hardly have been able to hide it from me until now. Right?
"Oh gosh, is it something to do with me? Is it about me living on Erid?"
"No… not exactly to do with Grace…"
"It is about about me though isn't it?"
"It's about something Rocky did for Grace, yes…"
"What did you do?"
"Grace remember when we first got to Erid? Grace was sick sick sick and couldn't stay awake for long time." Rocky whines the last sentence, like he's trying to sound sympathetic. And I certainly do remember. I was in a bit of a dream state then, just clinging onto life in my starved body. There was too much hustle and bustle the first few days as scientists worked from all over to synthesise what my body needed. It took weeks, but in the end I was on the road to being fine, I'm still on that road, but with every day that passes I improve. I have food, water, light and friends. I'll never go without again. What this has to do with Rocky going to court though I have no clue.
"Of course I remember, what about it? I don't have like, billions of dollars worth of medical bills that you're financially accountable for or something?" I snort a huffy laugh but I still have that American mentality somewhere in there, when I think about how much everything they did to keep me alive would have cost back in California I get sweaty palms and heart palpitations.
"Stop joking! Rocky does not know what that means!" Lucky you, I think.
"Then what do you mean?"
"Rocky did something… extreme, when we first get to Erid. Rocky concerned about how to convince Eridians to care for Grace, Rocky not want Grace to die from malnutrition before Rocky could get him help…"
"What did you do?" I ask, my voice wavering with nerves.
"Rocky took Grace weapon from storage and threatened to use it if Grace did not receive help immediately…"
Oh god, my best friend is a terrorist. And he's going to jail for being a terrorist. "Fuuucccc…."
"Rocky not done…"
How could that not be it! What else could he have done?! Oh god, how did he find a way to make this worse?
"Rocky may have made some threats… may have take Taumoeba hostage and threatened to destroy it if no help Grace…"
Well, guess he's getting a life sentence then. I should say my goodbyes now.
"YOU DID WHAT?!" I stand up, screeching, "ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!"
"Rocky not insane! Did what had to do, statement!" he jumps up and down, thumping his emphasis.
I'm shaking with anger at him, anger that he is this stupid, "You did not have to threaten to doom the entire planet just for me! You know they would have helped me anyway!"
"Could not know for certain! Was not willing to take that risk!"
"What about the risk of being punished for the rest of your life! Haven't you had enough of your life taken from you? Did you even think about the consequences?"
Rocky stays very still, unmoving as my chest heaves from my outburst.
"Did think."
"What?"
"I did think. I thought everyday about what it would be like to lose you, decided nothing would be worse than losing you." He's vibrating softly, leaning into my legs. He makes a shaky sound and wraps himself around me.
"Oh Rocky," I sigh. There's so much pressure building behind my eyes, I could cry for him right now. I love him so much, my self-sacrificing idiot. I fold myself down to put my arms over him. What will I do if he goes to jail? I hope Erid has visitation rights like earth, I don't think I can keep going if I can never see him again.
"Do you have a lawyer? What are you going to do buddy? I'll come with you, I'll testify, no questions asked, we'll get you out of this."
"Grace, my dear, you don't need to worry, statement."
I have a semi heart attack as Adrian suddenly reminds me that Rocky and I are in fact not alone. They have been laying on the couch, observing me having my little meltdown at Rocky's news. Now they have my attention they stand up to put a supportive claw on my arm.
"Rocky will be fine, we have the best lawyer on all of Erid, and he will not go to jail," they trill softly, "Even if he is decided to be guilty, the punishment for his crimes are not so severe."
Not so severe? For acts of terrorism and threatening the entire world? Okay I have to read up on the Eridian justice system.
"What is the punishment then?" And just as I'm getting flashes of Rocky being put to work in a labour camp or getting stuffed into a straitjacket in a psych ward, Adrian says this,
"A few weeks of community service, likely mandatory therapy too."
Community service? For all of that? Really?
I'm suddenly very curious about the punishment for murder here.
"That's it?! For acts of terrorism?"
"Yes, is serious crime, will be taken very seriously."
"With community service?" I'm flabbergasted.
"And therapy, don't forget therapy." Adrian reminds me.
"Really?"
"Really, Statement. Rocky must show ability to be a functional member of society and demonstrate all emotional issues have been resolved before Rocky punishment can end."
An image of Rocky in a high vis vest with a litter pick on the side of the road flashes to mind, followed by him on a reclined therapy couch. The thought is so silly I can finally feel the tension leave my body and I laugh, a big, cackling laugh that makes my eyes water.
"Is not funny Grace!" Rocky cries.
"Oh Rocky it is buddy! You'll be fine! I can't believe that's the severe punishment you're worried about!"
"It is severe! What did you think would happen? What is consequences on Earth?"
"You don't need to worry about that, the important thing is, you will be okay, no matter what happens." I hug him tighter. His arms tighten around me in return.
"Grace want to come to trial with me question?"
"Of course I do buddy, of course I do."