Chapter Text
This was bad, this was really bad. I don’t know what I'm doing. Recently I haven’t really felt like I knew what I was doing aside from science, but that was besides the point. This was serious.
I was alone in space… again. Well not alone, alone. Rocky was only a few feet away from me, over on his side of the xenonite wall. But he wasn't responding.
No, my only friend in this tin can hurtling through space was currently unconscious. And he would stay that way for an indeterminate amount of time.
It had happened so fast, one of Mary's many alarms started blaring “ Blip-D detected, Blip-D detected”. I’d just barely managed to move us out of the way of the asteroid hurtling towards our direction; but Rocky, who wasn't safely nestled in a pilot's chair like I was, had been thrown from the top of his xenonite tunnel where he stood and onto the floor.
A chill went down my spine when I recalled the sounds that came from Rocky as he hit the ground. It was ear piercing screeching for a moment with the faint sound of something cracking, then silence.
I shifted slightly in my sitting position leaning closer to the wall. I hadn’t moved much since the incident. Only to eat and to check the toumeba, otherwise I didn’t leave Rocky’s side. Someone had to watch.
“We're so close bud, you can hold on for just a little longer … please.”
Gosh this was getting pathetic even for me. You can't just cry your problems away Grace, cmon, I need to check how close we are to Erid. Maybe I can even radio them in a couple days.
“Please, Rocky-hic-I can’t do this without you here… we were supposed to see Erid together, don’t leave me alone.”
Or I can cry, crying works too.
I wasn't sure how long I had stayed huddled up against the wall, silently sobbing. All I knew was that I could have kept going for longer if I hadn't been interrupted by the crackling of the Hail Mary’s radio connecting.
“Identify your♬ foreign space craft ♪♬🎝♫♩♪ we ♪♪♬.”
I bolted to the radio, ignoring the black spots forming in my vision, and in the little Eridian I knew I sang a reply.
“Heelllo am Grace, please no is safe please no a-ttack. Am Grace have friend Rocky, is friend is okay.”
I wasn't completely sure what the Eridian on the other side had said to me other than identify yourself. They spoke quickly and sounded tense.
I'm not taking any chances. It would be beyond terrible if the only help for many, many light years denied to help me because I came off as hostile.
The other line stayed silent. I gave a glance over to Rocky. He was in desperate need of assistance, I began to worry he would never get it, that they would never answer. I tried again.
“ Please, please need help.”
And...nothing.
Gosh dang it I needed help! My friend was in immediate danger!! This wasn’t the time to do nothing. Try again.
“Please friend Rocky no wake. Please friend Rocky no wake, need help. Grace no can help.”
“...”
“ You need assistance(?)”
The Eridian on the other side sounded simpler now, easier to understand. Almost softer. Were they dumping themselves down to match me? Or was this just a different Eridian entirely? I decided not to dwell on it, either way I didn’t mind.
“Yes yes yes!! Friend Rocky no wake.”
“Is Engineer Rocky sick or hurt in any way?”
“Yes!! Hurts, friend Rocky hurts.”
I felt a little silly not even being able to say hurt and having to resort to “hurts” but it was enough to get the message across and that was really all that mattered now.
“Is anyone else with you on the ship?”
“No, friend Rocky Grace on ship, have star fix. Need give.”
I swore I could hear someone else on the other side now, no one spoke into the radio but I clearly heard the faint sounds of musical notes.
There must be multiple people on watch for the Blip-A of course, or maybe there were more people called in to listen to the newly discovered alien try (and miserably fail) to speak their language.
Whatever the case, the news that out of the twenty four Eridians sent to find a solution only one of them came back, and was injured at that, clearly shook them.
“You have the soluti♪♬🎝 for the ♪♬🎝♪♬!”
“Yes friend Rocky Grace have star fix.”
“ Alright good, Grace we need you to do something before we can come help okay?”
“Yes yes, is, ask?”
I cringed a bit, I was bad at this. Maybe I should have gotten Rocky to teach me more Eridian. Not that I could speak most of it anyway.
“We need to get you closer to the ♪♬♬🎝, understand? So we can get on your ship and help.”
What was that I had to get closer to? I recognised the sound but not enough to know what it meant.
“What is Grace need close, ask?”
“The ♪ ♬ ♬ 🎝” They sang slower. “ It's how we can get up to you.”
Oh! It was the space elevator of course. That sounded scary though, I really don't want to crash into the elevator.
“Yes ok ok can.”
“You can!”
“Yes ok. Where is, ask?”
“It’s-“ suddenly the Eridian on the other side got cut off. It sounded like an argument had begun over there. Someone must not like the idea of an alien getting this close to their planet.
If it were any other circumstance I would totally understand that, but now was not the time to argue about these things! The stakes were pretty darn high right now.
A distinctly new voice sounded over the radio now, I really should name these two now so I don’t get confused thinking about them. Audry sounded like a good name for the first Eridian and how about… Doss for the second one? Yeah that should work.
Newly named Doss sounded over the radio “Hello I am ♪♬♬ I need Grace to answer some questions really quick, is that okay?”
I had a strong urge to say no. I didn’t have time for this “Rocky needed help!” a loud part of me cried; but a smaller, scared part of me reasoned that I couldn’t afford to say no to them. I listened to that part.
“...okay, Grace talk. Help friend Rocky, ask?”
“Yes, we will help engineer Rocky, don’t worry it will be okay. We just need to ask you a few things.”
“Okay, thank.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. It looks like they were going to help after all.
“You are not a Eridian are you Grace.”
“No, am no same friend Rocky no.”
“Are you doing alright?”
“No friend Rocky, no wake up!!”
“Yes, yes I know, I mean are you healthy. Will you need any special help from…maybe a doctor?”
“...”
I was sick. I had just about gotten every nutritional disease you could get, all in the beginning stages. Which really meant I was skinny, got fainting spells, was cold and had a general gross feeling all of the time.
My plan so far had really been to just starve, I knew Rocky wanted to fix it and god did I want to fix it. But I didn’t know how long it would take, could I even last long enough?
I knew Rocky would kill me if I didn’t at least mention being sick.
“No… Grace no okay, no have fix for Grace.”
“What needs fixing. Are you hurt? Sick?”
“Grace siii-ck” I tried to mimic the Eridian.
“Sick, you are sick?”
“Yes, is.”
“Alright we will help you Grace.”
“Thank thank.”
“Do you know numbers Grace?”
Were they checking if I knew Eridian numbers? Probably to see if I’m able to do the math needed to fly the ship and stuff.
“Yes yes, Grace know numbers”
“Good, that's really good Grace. One last question, okay? How old are you?”
My age really? What did that matter? To be fair I asked a bunch of similarly useless questions when I first met Rocky.
Now lets see, I was 30 something when I left earth. With time dilation it's been some twenty years on earth but not even ten have passed for me… uhhhh lets call it forty, yeah forty sounds fine. Despite my love for useless math, now was not the time.
“Grace Iℓ+ old.”
The other side went silent again except for the clear sounds of Eridians talking with each other.
I felt a little left out now, I would love to know what they were debating over.
They didn’t take too long talking as Audry spoke on the radio. They managed to reclaim the radio from Doss! Good for them.
“We will come on to your ship and help you as soon as you get to the ♪♬♬🎝, its going to be okay.”
Oh no. “No no! No on Grace ship is bad for am like friend Rocky!”
“What!”
“Small small all is bad for. Aae-ire is bad for am like friend Rocky.”
“Your environment is bad for us?”
“Yes yes, Rocky in other. In xennn-onite, is safe friend Rocky.”
“There is xenonite separating your environment and engineer Rocky’s?”
“Yes yes yes!”
“We will be okay, we will come help you.”
“Thank, thank thank!”
I felt so relieved hearing I will get help, Rocky will get help. I could almost cry…