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Time moved differently on Erid. Some days were slow, some days were fast. Time continued to move differently.
For Ryland Grace, the only human on Erid, time showed. He knew he was getting older, his hair turning lighter, one wrinkle at a time lining his eyes, his joints aching. He tried his best to keep time but most days it would slip. Erid had time, but the time was different.
He assumed that five Earth years have passed since him waking up aboard the Hail Mary. Five years since trying to save Earth, five years since he saved Erid.
A knocking broke his thoughts as he shook the webs away. He got up, answering the door.
“Hi Grace!”
Looking down he saw his visitor. A five limbed rock otherworldly living creature waved, one limb up with three claws spread.
“Hey Rock, what’s got you visiting?”
Grace stepped aside to allow his friend inside his house.
“Rocky check up on Grace. Rocky learn from portable thinking machine. Humans love when friend say hello.” Rocky walked right in and paused in the living room, almost looking at Grace with a tilt.
“Thanks Rocky.” Grace gave a small smile as he closed the door.
Although Rocky couldn’t see like a human, the echolocation still picked up on the body language. He took a careful step forward.
“Is Grace Okay, question?”
Grace shrugged. “Of course!” He tried to fake his joyfulness.
Though the two of them had been friends for a short time, well short in Erid time, Grace was still reluctant to share the truth in his emotions. Humans were much more complicated than the Eridians. Rocky had come to understand Grace, and Grace to understand Rocky.
“Grace is not okay, statement.” Rocky caught on. “What troubles Grace, question?”
Grace couldn’t lie to his best friend. He learned that when they were trying to save the stars. Rocky, although another life form, was still extremely smart. Grace needed to come clean. He stepped into his living room and took a seat on a chair and took off his glasses, sighing.
“I have been thinking about it a long time.” Grace confessed, sadness lined his voice.
Rocky picked up quickly, his memory surprisingly intact. “Grace go… home, question?”
Grace nodded. “It’s called being homesick.”
Rocky was silent for a moment.
“You asked me, oh, three years ago if I wanted to go home, to Earth.” Grace reminded.
“Grace go home, think about time long.” Rocky moved as if he was nodding.
“Right.”
Rocky moved away before looking back at the human. If he had a face, Grace imagined the rock looking conflicted or sad, but at the same time, understanding.
“Rocky understand.”
The musical tunes sounded how Grace imagined, low and sad. The teacher reached a hand out and patted the Xenonite suit the creature wore.
Then Rocky jerked forward, an excitable movement.
“Rocky come with Grace, statement! Rocky bring Adrian for Earth visit.”
“Woah woah, no can do Bud.” Grace waved his hands, shooting down the idea.
Rocky shrank a little.
Grace let out another sigh. “The thing is Rock… Earth isn’t as friendly as you think it is. You, Eridians, Erid, are kind and friendly, almost too friendly sometimes.” Grace hung his head. “Earth sent me to space to leave me there to die. The memories… they took their time to resurface and I remember how I got on the Hail Mary.”
“Humans force Grace.” Rocky stomped one of his limbs in frustration.
“Exactly.” Grace pointed. “There are lots of humans like me, who are like you. But there are more humans that are mean, power hungry, evil.”
Rocky made a movement like he was thinking. “Like Astrophage, question?.”
“Just like Astrophage. The more… important humans will see you, will see Adrian and think you are dangerous.”
Rocky took offence and stomped again. “Rocky not dangerous, statement! Rocky and Grace save stars!”
“Yes, we did, and you may be safe with that, but there are still so many humans who will see you as a threat for too many reasons I can’t explain. You will be in danger if you come to Earth.” Grace explained.
“But Rocky make recording for Grace, time on Hail Mary important to save stars. Humans know.”
Grace knew too. “Rocky, I can’t bring you to Earth. Not without the risk of you getting hurt, regardless of us saving our planets.”
He didn’t want to have to explain the military, the government, things that are more complicated than things here on Erid. Eridians were a peaceful race, a hint of animalistic tendencies over human qualities. Grace stood up, placing his hands on his hips.
“Anyways, I think it’s time I go home. I’ve been gone for over five years, I don’t know. But I… I want to.
Rocky took a step back, understanding. He too was once stranded in space and missed home, missed Adrian. He seemed to stand up taller with a new determination.
“Grace miss home, Rocky will send Grace home. Rocky fix. Happy, happy, happy.” Rocky turned around in a circle.
Grace let out a small smile, but deep in his heart something hurt.
***
Systems online, Welcome back Dr. Grace.
Sitting in the pilot’s chair, Grace had to take it in. It had been four years since he set foot on the Hail Mary. Memories of his science adventure warmed his heart but at the same time he was feeling conflicted.
When they arrived at Erid, Rocky quickly transported to his planet while Grace needed to remain on the ship until a biodome was complete. Rocky had taken a laptop with him and Grace was impressed how quick the Eridians figured out some version of a wifi and connected it to the Hail Mary. While the biodome was being created, Grace took the time to clean. He thanked his past self after he got over the nausea from the trip up.
“Grace safe on Hail Mary, question?” Rocky asked through the speakers.
“Yeah, I made it safe.” Grace responded.
“Grace take time adjust to anti-gravity.” Rocky reminded.
“I’ll be okay.”
Grace could feel something twisting in his gut. The hum of the ship, the buttons, lights, hallways of the Hail Mary felt familiar, but the untold trauma Grace experienced wasn’t helping. He woke up alone on this ship, he was alone for the longest time before meeting Rocky. Now his best friend is in a speaker. Pieces of Xenonite still decorated the ship, Grace requesting they stay to remind him.
He walked the hall, going to every room. Ash from Rocky when they left Adrian was still burned into the floor and lower walls. Memories of the alien risking his life to save his friend. Emotions boiled as he sat in the pilot’s chair.
“Grace ready to go home, question?” Rocky asked.
Grace began to click on the buttons. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
Click
****
Rocky sat in the communication room, talking to Grace as the human was in his ship. He patiently waited, knowing that Eridians didn’t have screens like the humans. They managed to at least make sound communication devices called mi-cro-phones that could talk to humans. Eridians didn’t need them, but because they were housing another lifeform, they had to adjust.
“Grace ready to go home, question?” He asked after a bit of time, pressing the button to talk.
The sound came through.
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
Rocky shrank back. Grace sounded sad. Grace didn’t sound like he was happy. Next to him, Adrian stepped close. They too were worried.
“Grace sound not okay.” Their voice was lighter than Rocky’s but still very beautiful.
“Grace think time long to go home.” Rocky sang. “Grace miss home. Grace… conflicted.”
“Rocky go with Grace, question?” The other Eridian nudged Rocky.
Rocky shook his body. “Grace tell Rocky most humans are dangerous. Rocky could get hurt, not good. No, no no.” he nudged the other back. “Grace tell Rocky safe on Erid with Adrian.”
Another bit of time has passed and there has been nothing from Grace. The ship was still in orbit, still attached to the elevator. Concerned, Rocky pressed on the button again.
“Grace go home ready, question?” Rocky asked.
Silence greeted the sound. Rocky began to shake. What happened to Grace?
“Grace answer, statement!” Rocky sang louder into the microphone.
Still silence. Rocky turned to Adrian, worried.
“Grace not answer, Rocky worried Grace hurt.”
“Rocky go to Grace, Adrian stay here.”
The bigger Eridian urged Rocky out to the transportation room to take the elevator up to the Hail Mary. Rocky took off to the other room. The other Eridians moved out of his way, and he quickly slipped into his suit. The room they transported Grace into was specially made to help with his atmosphere. Once inside his suit, he entered the room, trying to detect the elevator car but it wasn’t in the room where it returned after Grace went to the Hail Mary.
Rocky tried to locate the elevator car only to see it descending from the Hail Mary. It was slow and took it’s time to adjust to the pressures and atmosphere. Half an Earth hour passed before the elevator arrived and the door opened. The rock-type alien waited on high legs, other Eridians watching behind the barrier. The door opened and in it stood the alien creature in a special suit.
He took a moment to “see” the human before the human crouched down. Rocky ran forward, leaping into Grace’s arms.
“Grace on Erid, why Grace on Erid, question?” He sang fast, confused but also so relieved.
He heard Grace sniffle. “Erid is my home.”
Grace hugged.
“Erid is Grace home, question?”
Grace let go of the alien before taking off his helmet, knowing the room was safe. His eyes were puffy and he was crying. He shook his head before nodding.
“Erid is my home now. No more Earth. I think my time on Earth is, was, okay, it was good. But now Erid, you, Rocky, are my home. I don’t want to leave.”
Rocky turned in circles a few times too. “Grace is Rocky home, yes yes yes!
“Yeah, I’m your home too.”
The two embraced again and several of the Eridians chirped and sang in happiness. They loved Grace, their pebbles loved him teaching, scientists learning from him, Adrian accepting him as someone important to their mate.
“Grace go home, question?”
Grace stood back up, placed his helmet in the elevator. He then turned back to Rocky. The Eridian waited patiently for Grace to answer.
“Grace go home.”