How would yall feel about the next chapter being from Graces POV? Or should I stick with the readers POV? Also sorry it’s taking so long the next part to come, I was on a personal vacation and didn’t look at my phone much, and now I’m back at work. I promise imma work on it and it will probably be out the week after next, unless I really lock in. Thanks for you patience !
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How would yall feel about the next chapter being from Graces POV? Or should I stick with the readers POV? Also sorry it’s taking so long the next part to come, I was on a personal vacation and didn’t look at my phone much, and now I’m back at work. I promise imma work on it and it will probably be out the week after next, unless I really lock in. Thanks for you patience !
Guys I wanna write another Robby fic that’s a southern gothic AU inspired by this art by @thewitchfromtheswamp from TikTok, like werewolf Robby perhaps
Warning/tags: NSFW smut, Age gap, soft dom Robby, oral m and f receiving, P in V, alcohol, cigarettes
After a long drive through Montana and across the southern edge of Alberta, Michael finally pulled into the weathered motel just off the highway. The sun had long since dipped below the prairie horizon, leaving behind a deep violet sky that stretched forever. His shoulders and back ached from hours on his bike, and the drone of tires on asphalt still hummed faintly in his ears.
The room was exactly what he'd expected. A faded floral bedspread. Beige walls stained by decades of cigarette smoke. A rattling air conditioner struggling against the lingering summer heat.
After checking in, he dropped his duffel beside the bed and let himself fall backward onto the stiff mattress. The rough duvet scratched at the back of his neck, and the springs beneath him protested his weight.
He closed his eyes.
"I need a drink." The words escaped before he even realized he'd spoken them. There was a dive bar attached to the motel's parking lot. Just one whiskey. Maybe two. Nothing more. He had no interest in conversation after hours on the road.
He forced himself up and stepped into the shower.
The hot water washed away the dust, sweat, and stiffness that had settled into him over the course of the ride. By the time he stepped out, steam filled the tiny bathroom and his muscles had finally begun to loosen.
He dressed simply, worn blue jeans, a black T-shirt beneath a faded charcoal hoodie, and his old leather boots.
Then he crossed the parking lot. The night was warm and still.
Crickets sang somewhere beyond the ditch, their chorus mixing with the occasional roar of a semi’s rolling down the highway. Neon from the bar's sign buzzed softly overhead, bathing the cracked pavement in shades of red and blue.
As he reached the entrance, the door swung open. A young woman stepped outside, cupping a lighter against the breeze before bringing a cigarette to life. The tip glowed orange.
Michael caught himself instinctively cataloging statistics he'd spent years telling patients, lung cancer, COPD, heart disease.
Not your patient. You’re not a doctor right now.
He kept walking.
She watched him pass, taking a slow drag before exhaling toward the stars.
"He's cute," she murmured to no one but the night. A crooked smile spread across her face. "This could be fun." She crushed the cigarette beneath her boot and followed him inside.
The bar smelled of beer, old wood, and fryer grease. Country music drifted lazily through aging speakers while a handful of locals nursed drinks under the glow of neon beer signs.
Michael claimed the last stool at the end of the bar.
"Whiskey," he said to the bartender. A few minutes later she wandered in as though she'd never planned to follow him at all. She stopped two stools away.
"Rum and Coke, please." She leaned against the bar, stealing another glance in his direction.
He noticed.
Too young, he thought. Pretty and confident, but definitely too young.
"Wanna start a tab?" the bartender asked. She smiled without looking away from Michael.
"No,” She nodded toward him. “…put it on his." Then she slid onto the stool beside him.
"If that's alright." Michael looked over the rim of his glass.
"As long as you don't plan on drinking the place dry."
She laughed. "I'll try to pace myself." She lifted her drink. "I'm Y/N."
"Michael."
Their glasses clinked softly.
"Nice to meet you, Michael." She tilted her head. "You're definitely not from around here."
"No." He took another sip. "Pittsburgh."
"That's a long way from Alberta."
"It is."
"So what brings you all the way out here?"
He shrugged. "I wanted to visit Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump."
Her eyebrows lifted.
"No kidding? I worked there one summer while I was in university."
"You did?"
"Tour guide." She grinned. "I could probably still recite half the interpretive script."
He laughed quietly.
"That's one hell of a road trip just to see a museum and some history, not that the site isn't significant… God, I know it is."
"It wasn't just the museum,” He glanced toward the window. "I needed to get away."
She studied him for a moment before answering.
"I get that."
He nodded toward her drink.
"So are you from around here?"
"Sort of."
"I'm from Lethbridge."
She rested an elbow on the bar.
"I'm here doing a couple days of fieldwork. Head home tomorrow."
"What kind of fieldwork?"
"Archaeology." She smiled.
"Lots of dirt then." Michael chuckled.
"What about you?" She rested her head in her palm. "What do you do?"
"I'm an ER physician."
The bartender set another whiskey in front of him before he'd even asked.
She blinked. "So this is a well-earned vacation."
"You could call it that." He rolled the glass slowly between his hands.
"I'm not sure I'll go back." The confession surprised even him. Normally he'd have smiled, made a joke or changed the subject when it came to returning from his sabbatical. But she was a stranger, She knew nothing about Pittsburgh or the hospital. There was something freeing about that.
She rested her hand lightly against his thigh. He didn't move away.
"I imagine it's hard," she said quietly. "Especially after COVID."
He looked down at the amber whiskey.
"It was." She squeezed his leg gently before withdrawing her hand.
"We don't have to talk about work." A playful smile returned. "Tonight's for forgetting."
She signaled the bartender.
"Two tequila shots."
Michael laughed. "I honestly can't remember the last time I did a shot."
"Oh, come on." She nudged his shoulder. "Isn't whiskey basically just a slow-motion shot for old men?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Old men?"
"You walked into the bar looking like someone who sighs every time they stand up." She looks him up and down.
"I do not."
"You absolutely do." He laughed harder than he'd expected.
"Maybe."
They clinked glasses.
"To leaving your worries at the door," she said. They tossed back the shots together. The warmth spread quickly through his chest.
Maybe it was the tequila.
Maybe it was her.
Either way, the weight he'd carried since leaving suddenly felt lighter.
"Let's grab a booth," he said. His voice had dropped lower without him realizing it.
She followed him to the back corner. Sliding in beside him instead of across, she left barely a hand's width between them. His hand settled gently against the small of her back, thumb tracing slow circles through the fabric of her shirt as conversation drifted effortlessly from travel to music, terrible roadside diners, university stories, and the strange comfort of anonymous conversations.
Hours slipped by unnoticed.
Then the opening guitar riff filled the room.
Her eyes lit up.
"Oh!"
She nearly spilled her beer climbing out of the booth.
"I love this song."
She started singing along before she'd even reached the open floor, swaying with an easy confidence that made it impossible not to smile.
Michael stayed seated for a moment, watching. She caught him staring.
With a grin, she crooked a finger.
"Come on."
"I don't dance."
"That's not what I asked."
He sighed dramatically before standing. She laughed triumphantly.
"There he is."
He slipped an arm around her waist, drawing her gently back against him.
They swayed together more than danced, following the easy rhythm of the music. She leaned comfortably into him, the scent of her shampoo mixing with beer and the faint trace of cigarette smoke that still lingered in her hair.
He lowered his head near her neck, smiling as she sang every word.
When the chorus ended, she turned in his arms, looping them around his shoulders. For a long moment neither of them spoke. Michael searched her face before brushing a thumb lightly across her cheek.
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Should we get out of here?"
“I don't know, aren't I too old for you?” He says in a teasing tone, the corner of his mouth twitches up into a small smile.
"I like my wine aged."
"That's one way to put it." He chuckled, shaking his head.
She spun beneath his arm, laughing as the last notes of the song faded. When she came back to him, she caught his hand and tugged him toward their booth.
"Come on. I've got to grab my purse."
Michael settled the tab at the bar while she gathered her jacket and bag. The bartender gave him an amused nod as he signed the receipt.
"Have a good night, Sir."
Michael smirked. She was already waiting by the door when he turned around. Without a word, she reached for his hand, lacing her fingers through his.
Outside, the prairie air had cooled considerably. Above them, the sky stretched endlessly overhead, brilliant with stars visible unlike in the city. The motel's buzzing vacancy sign and the red neon from the bar painted warm streaks across her face.
She slipped a pack of cigarettes from her purse. Leaning against the wall, she tapped one free.
"Want one?" Michael shook his head.
"No." He stepped closer, resting one hand lightly on her waist while bracing the other against the wall beside her.
"You really shouldn't smoke."
She held up the lighter, but the breeze refused to cooperate. After two failed attempts, she rolled her eyes.
"Help me out?" He took the cigarette from between her fingers, shielding the flame with his hand until it caught. Instead of handing it back immediately, he drew a slow breath through it before placing it gently between her lips. She looked at him with amused disbelief.
"If you're going to lecture me, why are you lighting it?" She took one drag before he plucked it from her fingers again.
"Because," he said with a faint shrug, "I like the taste." He let her take one more drag before he plucked it from her fingers again.
"That's enough." He dropped it onto the pavement and crushed it beneath his boot.
"Bossy." She laughed softly
"Force of habit"
She reached up, hooking a finger into the front of his hoodie, drawing him closer until only inches separated them.
"I don't mind."
Their kiss was slow .The lingering taste of whiskey mixed with the faint trace of tobacco as they lingered beneath the glow of the neon lights. Around them, the night seemed to fall quieter still. When they finally pulled apart, neither hurried to speak. Instead, she slipped her hand into his again and wandered across the parking lot together.
Halfway there, she stopped.
"Wait! Is that yours?"
Michael nodded. "It is."
She walked over immediately, running her fingertips along the polished tank and worn leather seat with genuine admiration.
"It's beautiful." Without asking, she swung one leg over and settled onto the bike, grinning at him over the handlebars.
"Well, how do I look?"
Michael rubbed the back of his neck, unable to suppress a laugh.
"Dangerous."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Only dangerous?"
He stepped closer until he was standing beside the bike.
"No." His smile softened.
"You look like someone I should take with me for the rest of the trip." He leaned against the handlebars for a moment, kissing her again, taking her in beneath the motel lights before helping her down from the bike.
"Come on." Fishing the room key from his back pocket, he led her the last few steps across the lot.
"After you." She slipped inside with one last smile over her shoulder before he followed, quietly locking the door behind them. The motel room was quiet besides the hum of the air conditioning and the ticking clock on the wall.
He brushed a kiss against the back of her neck, his lips lingering for a moment before he gently slipped her jacket from her shoulders. He draped it over the chair beside the bed. For a second, they simply smiled at one another, the nervous excitement of what came next settling between them. They both bent to kick off their shoes. She laughed as she watched him begin working at the laces of his weathered riding boots.
"Here, let me." Before he could protest, she pressed a hand lightly against his chest, guiding him down into the chair. Dropping to her knees in front of him, she looked up with a playful grin.
"I think I can manage my own boots." Michael chuckled.
"I know," she said, already tugging the first one free. "But I'm offering."
He ran a hand through his hair and pulled his hoodie over his head, tossing it onto the bed beside them.
She eased the second boot off with a satisfied smile before setting both neatly aside.
"There." He leaned forward and she rose just enough to meet his eyes drawing each other into another slow kiss. He brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his thumb grazing her cheek.
"You're beautiful.” The air is thick with quiet breaths as she pushes him gently back into the chair, her touch confident yet tender. Her hand lands over the growing hardness straining against his jeans. Her fingers work swiftly, unbuckling his belt with delicate precision; sliding down both zipper and button without hesitation. He lifts his hips to help her drag now his jeans then boxers.
His cock springs up from its restraints, heavy. A full erection glistened faintly at its tip and it sways slightly as blood pulses through it before settling against his lower stomach. She climbs fully between opened legs that instinctively spread wider when she nestles closer.
Her hand wraps around base first. A few slow pumps , thumb brushing along vein ridges tenderly. She drags her tongue upward from the base all the way to the tip. The long wet stripe that makes him gasp sharply, and he reaches down to lace his fingers in her hair.
She opens wide and takes him inside. Her soft lips enveloping his length . She begins sucking lightly and he guides her gently.
The room pulses with intimacy, he arches his back slightly as her lips glide down again and again, taking him deeper each time. His head thuds gently against the back of the chair as a low groan escapes his throat raw and unfiltered.
"You feel so good." His voice is thick, strained with pleasure. She hollows her cheeks around him and he can’t take it anymore much longer. He lifts her head off his cock just enough to break contact. A string of saliva stretches between her lips and the tip before snapping.
He pulls her into his lap without hesitation. Their mouths crash together, wet tongues meeting in feverish dance, lips parting only to breathe. He tastes himself on her salty-sweet musk mixed with smoke and it turns him on even more.
One hand slides under her shirt , fingers skimming warm skin upward until they reach full breast through a lace-covered bra. His other hand is already sliding beneath the denim waistband. And there she is soaked through panties clinging tight to her core. Two fingertips press firmly over damp fabric rubbing slow circles right against her throbbing core.
She stands up and removes her jeans kissing her hip bones. The bed creaks softly as he gently positions her, back now flat against the mattress, legs spread wide in silent invitation. The cool air brushes over newly exposed skin for a fleeting second before his warmth replaces it.
He kneels at the edge of the bed, eyes locked on hers. Without breaking eye contact, he hooks two fingers into delicate lace panties and tugs them aside, exposing her glistening folds already swollen with arousal.
“I need you cumming first.” His tongue drags slowly and deliberate from entrance to clit making her gasp audibly above him. Her thighs twitch instinctively to close but he keeps them open firmly with strong hands resting on soft inner flesh. His tongue presses down over her sensitive bud in steady circles.
“More please.” She whimpers again higher pitched this time, grinding her hips upward chasing more friction desperately.
He lets out a soft laugh the vibrations making her moan
“Alright baby.” He slowly eased a finger inside and pumped it a few times before adding another. Drawing more moans from her. He licked and sucked at her clit till she was grinding against his face desperately.
“I’m close,” she whimpered, her hands clutching at the rumpled duvet beneath her.
“That’s it,” he murmured encouragingly, his voice low and steady.
The familiar warmth coiled deep within her, building until it washed over her. Her breath caught as she buried her face in the pillow, every muscle tightening before slowly relaxing.
“There you go,” he said softly, pressing a lingering kiss to the inside of her thigh as he stayed close, moving his fingers slowly, giving her time to catch her breath and come down from the high.
He brushed a strand of hair away from her face before helping her roll comfortably onto her stomach. One hand rested gently at the curve of her waist as he adjusted her hips, leaning down to press another tender kiss between her shoulder blades.
He drags his hand down the length of her spine, over the curve of her lower back… until his palm lands fully on one soft cheek.
A firm squeeze.
Her ass fills his grip perfectly,without hesitation, he gives a light slap that echoes softly in the quiet room. She arches instinctively into its silent plea for more contact.
“Ready?” The word is low but clear in his throat. He Reach’s down into bag next to his bed for a condom.
"Yes.” With that he tears the condom wrapper with his teeth. He rolls it down in one smooth motion, a soft moan escaping as his hand glides over heated skin. Her lines up with her entrance cock heavy and thick. One hand braces beside her hip on the mattress, the other gently grips the base of his cock to himself for control.
"Tell me if I need to slow down… okay baby?"
His voice is tender beneath all that raw hunger.
“I will.” She nods. No more words after that
With a controlled exhale, he pushes forward and slams into her completely in one deep stroke. The sudden force causes a sharp gasp to escape from her lips.
He set an unrelenting pace, fucking down into her deep. The quiet slap of skin-on-skin echoes softly through the room. mixed with rising moans from both mouths. hers moans muffled by the pillow.
“You feel so good baby let me hear you.” He growls into the small of her back. When she throws her head back his hand wraps gently around her throat pulling her closer to him. Her moans grow louder now as pleasure overrides restraint. One hand reaches behind her to claw at his thigh fingernails digging in lightly anchoring herself while he takes her hard from behind. A sharp breath from the pain of her nails leaves his mouth
Hee pushes her back down into the pillows, keeping his hand placed on the back of her neck. Then leans forward slightly over her arched spine, caging her beneath him. He places a hot open-mouthed kiss between shoulder blades.
A low groan escapes him when she suddenly tightens around him mid stroke, it makes vision blur for second because “god”, she feels incredible.
“I’m going cum baby girl.” The pace shifts faster, harder, more desperate. as he feels the coil inside him tighten dangerously. Each snap of his hips drives deeper than before, pelvis grinding against her ass with every powerful stroke.
A guttural groan rumbles through his chest when she clenches around him again instinctively. Her body reacting to its own rising wave and it nearly shatters what little restraint he has left. His free hand slips between her legs and finds her clit circling it feverishly.
“Cum with me baby.” Her walls clench around him tightly. A deep, throbbing pressure rising with each powerful thrust. His breath comes in short gasps now, jaw clenched tight as pleasure
Their eyes meet when he glances down at her looking back over her shoulder. Her eyes glazed. Lips parted. Cheeks flushed pink with arousal and exertion. He feels her cum hard around him. With one final surge he slams into her and a wave of white-hot releases tears through him.
For several long moments, neither of them moved. Michael rested his forehead against the back of her shoulder, closing his eyes as his heartbeat gradually slowed.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice rough but gentle.
She nodded, still catching her breath.
“Mmm.”
He brushed a kiss against her shoulder before helping her ease onto her side. The mattress shifted beneath them as he reached for the sheet, pulling it over her. She looked up at him, her cheeks still warm, loose strands of hair sticking to her forehead.
He disappeared into the bathroom for a moment and returned with a damp washcloth and a glass of water.
“Drink. Doctors orders”
She accepted the glass with a grateful smile, taking a few slow sips before setting it carefully on the nightstand.
Michael settled onto the edge of the bed beside her, gently brushing a thumb across her flushed cheek as he studied her face. She reached for his hand without hesitation, threading her fingers through his.
“Will you take me for a ride tomorrow?” she asked softly. “On that bike of yours?”
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Thought you’d ask me to take you to breakfast first.”
“I figured the motorcycle was more convincing but I do know a nice diner around her.”
He laughed under his breath.
She gave his hand a gentle tug, encouraging him to lie down beside her. He obliged, stretching out on the bed and slipping one arm beneath her head. She curled against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat as his other arm settled comfortably around her waist.
“So?” she prompted, looking up at him.
“Sure,” he said, a breathless chuckle escaping him. “Why not?”
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A fanfic story based on the book and movie of Project Hail Mary written by Andy Weir
Pairing: Ryland Grace x female Reader (Y/N)
Tags and Warnings: Smut (in future chapters), Age gap relationship, strangers to lovers, mental and physical health topics, trauma and PTSD, fluff, domestic, military themes, my time dilation math is probably wrong, incorrect science terms
Note: Smut next chapter perhaps? knowing me though ill drag this awkwardness out one more chapter. Also if yall notice any inconstancies with plot or something please let me know I will retcon that.
“Mom.”
The word slips out quietly as I step into the detention center’s visiting room. The sterile white walls somehow make the cramped space feel even smaller, the fluorescent lights buzzing faintly overhead. Everything smells like disinfectant and cold metal. A thick pane of reinforced glass cuts the room in half, separating me from the woman sitting on the other side.
She doesn’t look up right away.
“Don’t call me that.” Her voice is sharp and clipped, the kind that used to stop entire rooms cold.
I exhale slowly and sink into the chair across from her, the metal legs scraping against the concrete floor. “It’s what you are to me regardless.” My fingers begin drumming against the tabletop before I can stop them, an old nervous habit I’ve never managed to break. “I’m leaving, and I might never see you again, so just… give me this one moment. Please.”
For a second, neither of us speaks.
“Launch is in two days,” I added quietly.
“I know.”
Of course she does. Even locked behind concrete walls and security doors, Eva somehow still knows everything. Information always found its way to her eventually.
I study her through the glass, trying to figure out what to say to the woman I owe my entire life to.
“Thank you.”
Her eyes finally lift to mine, unreadable as ever. “For what?”
“If it wasn’t for you, I probably would’ve died in some civil prison in West Asia… or starved on the side of the road before I turned eighteen.”
“You wouldn’t have.” Her response comes immediately, firm and certain. “You were strong. I could tell the day I met you.”
A humorless smile tugs at my mouth.
“But don’t thank me,” she continues, leaning back slightly in her chair. “I ordered you around like a soldier, even though you were just a child.”
“I am a soldier.” My gaze drops briefly to my hands before returning to her. “But I did everything you asked because I was grateful to you. Because I needed someone to believe I was worth something.” I pause, my throat tightening. “But this project…” I shake my head slowly. “I finished this because I want there to be a future worth saving, and that involves communicating with the only other intelligent life forms out there.” I get excited slightly.
Eva watches me carefully now, saying nothing. Her eyes lower for a moment
Then, quietly, she asks, “If you find Ryland out there… if he’s still alive…” Her voice falters just slightly. “Will you tell him I’m sorry?”
I stare at her through the glass.
“Sorry? For what? ” I mutter confused.
A dry, tired chuckle escapes her. “He will understand,” I look at her puzzled, she never tells me the full story. I always figured she must have wronged him in a way prior to the mission. Sometimes I could tell she was guilty of much more than what she was charged.
Whenever I asked about Dr.Grace she would brush me aside. Yet there were more pictures of him in her old office than of anyone else. She carried the weight of entire worlds on her back without breaking, yet whatever happened between caused a wind inside her that never healed properly.
She slides an envelope to me.
“Regardless, give this to him if you find him.” It was a pointless statement. There is no way she would be alive unless somehow Erid was able to accommodate him, at best I’d probably find the Hail Mary and corpse in orbit around Erid. I took the letter and put it in my jacket.
For the first time in years, she looked old to me. I would never see her again.
“I love you.” The words leave me in a broken whisper before I can stop them.
My vision blurs as tears finally spill down my cheeks, hot against skin gone cold hours ago. Slowly, I lift my hand and press it against the glass divider separating us. The surface is freezing.
For a moment, Eva just stares at me.
Then she raises her own hand, placing it against the other side of the glass, her palm aligning with mine perfectly despite the barrier between us. It’s the closest I’ve been to here since her arrest, I almost killed the soldiers when they came for her.
Her expression softens in a way I’ve almost forgotten she’s capable of.
“Goodbye, Y/N.” Her voice is quieter now, stripped of its usual sharpness. “Make Earth just as proud of you as I am.”
A sob catches painfully in my throat. I nod because if I try to speak too quickly, I know I’ll completely fall apart.
“Bye, Mom.”
The word doesn’t earn a correction this time.
Eva’s eyes glisten faintly under the sterile fluorescent lights, though she’d sooner die than let the tears actually fall.
“I love you too.”
The silence afterward hurts more than anything else. Because for the first time in my life, I believe she means it.
I woke up silently crying. How could I forget about the letter? I slowly got out of bed and wiped my eyes. Ryland groans awake on the floor across from me. I start searching my things for the letter Eva gave me. I find it wedged in between some photos I brought with me on my journey.
“What are you doing?” I turn to look at Ryland. His hair was messy and his voice groveled from just waking up.
“Going through my stuff, I remembered something I need to give to you, I don’t know what it says but I think it’s an apology” I handed Ryland the letter, ‘Grace’ was written on the front in Eva’s writing.
“For what it’s worth I think my Mom hated herself for what she did to you.” Ryland takes the letter, turning it over in his hands a few times in contemplation before placing it on his nightstand, “No pressure to read it.”
I turn on a lamp light and he sits down, opening the letter with shaking hands. “I’ll give you some privacy.” I go to step out of the room but he grabs my ankle gently.
“Stay.” His tone is low and pleading. I kneel down beside him as he pulls out the folded piece of paper. He hesitates to unravel it, and takes a breath before doing so. I lean in closer to read it for myself.
“Dear Doctor Captain Ryland Grace,
I would say I am sorry, but if you are reading this, then I was right, wasn’t I? That does not mean I am not sorry for what I did to you.
You were the smartest person I have ever met, but more importantly, you were the right person. I knew it from the beginning, even when you doubted yourself. I believed in you every step of the way. That belief is the reason I forced you onto that ship. It is also the reason I have spent every day since wondering whether there could have been another way.
I do not expect forgiveness. I doubt I deserve it. You once told me I was going to hell. Perhaps you were right about that too.
I have spent years trying to justify my choices to myself. The truth is that I no longer need to. Humanity survived. The Sun survived. Billions of people lived because of what you accomplished. Every calculation, every risk, every decision led to that outcome. I would make the same choice again.
That is the part I am most ashamed of. Not because the choice was wrong, but because I know exactly what it costs. In another life, one where neither of us carried the weight of a dying world on our shoulders, I think we might have been friends. Perhaps even something more.
There is something else you should know. I have taken in a child. She is brilliant, stubborn, endlessly curious, and far too good at questioning authority. She reminds me of you in ways that are both comforting and infuriating. I fear I treat her much as I treated you. She wants a mother. I am still learning how to be one, I don’t think I’ll deserve the title.
If, by some impossible coincidence, she has found her way to you, please look after her. She is precious to me, though I rarely say such things aloud.
Thank you, Ryland. Earth is recovering. The scars remain, but people are rebuilding. Children who never knew the fear of watching the Sun fade now play beneath it without a second thought. They will know your name. I have made sure of it. You gave humanity more than survival. You gave us hope. And, somehow, you gave us friends among the stars.
I am glad you did not die out there.
With admiration, gratitude, and more affection than I was ever willing to admit,
Eva Stratt”
Ryland just closes the letter and says nothing.
“You ok?” I ask placing a hand on his leg.
“I didn’t know I needed her apology so badly.” That’s when I notice tears falling down the sides of his cheeks. “Thank you for this.” He brings me into an awkwardly positioned hug. After a moment he releases me with a deep breath out.
He stands up and reaches down to help me up. “Are you sure you're ok, we can talk about it if you want?”
“I’m alright Y/N, really.” He puts the letter in the inside the left pocket of his jumpsuit, and holds his hand against it for a moment. I wonder what he’s thinking about. What she wrote about me in that letter were words I wish I heard more often. I bet he’s played out what she would have said if he could have come back to earth, so it must be nice to have some closure. Our wounds seem to be the same, just under different circumstances.
I open my mouth to say something when Ryland cuts me off, “you should get packed, Rocky comes back soon and we’ll go with them back down to Erid.” I look at the digital clock on the wall, shit only 4 hours to pack, well it’s not like I have a lot.
I have a lot of stuff, after about 2 hours and with Ryland's help I’ve filled about 10 storage boxes full of things I want to bring. He begs me not to bring things he already has but I insist since I have the latest upgrades.
“Do you really need that?” He points at the portable centrifuge in my hands. “They can’t have improved the centrifuge any further.” I slowly placed the centrifuge into a box despite his protest.
“Ok that’s everything, on to my personal stuff.” And audible groans come from grace.
“Between you, Rocky and my ex-girlfriend from college I’m not sure who has more stuff that I’ve had to help move.” I laugh as he follows behind me. I open up my lockers, revealing many non space related teams, including my airforce uniform.
“Wow” Ryland runs a hand down the fabric of the uniform. He plays with the metals pinned to the left breast piece. “What does this one mean?” He points to the blue one with 6 stars.
“Medal of honor, I received it for this mission, I don’t think I deserved it at all, you got one as well you know?” He looks at me shocked
“I’m not a member of the military or anything.”
“Your official title is Captain, remember? that’s a military role, you are one of the most decorated fallen soldiers in the world Captain Grace, but I guess you're not fallen anymore.” I salute him casually and he waves to ease. His eyes fixate on the astronaut wings.
“I have this pin, it was on my uniform for the Hail Mary.”
“Your Astronaut wings.”
“I was never an Astronaut.” That solemn look takes over his face again, but it quickly fades. “I suppose I became one.” He takes my uniform from its rack and packs it away gently, he then reaches for the case in the bottom shelf but I stop him.
“This baby stays with me.” I open up the case revealing my SIG Sauer P320, Ryland stares at me with a deadpan expression.
“What?” I started putting it together. “Im a soilder, and this is a standard military issue gun nothing crazy, its a fail safe, like Captain Yeo.” I leave it unloaded and pass it to Ryland for him to look at.
“Heavy… like Yeo’s.” He holds it firmly and turns it over inspecting it. He passes it back to me looking a little distended.
He must have Yeo’s gun. Judging from his expression and everything he's told me I bet he's thought about using it before. I place a hand on his shoulder but he shrugs me off and walks back over to my closet.
“Look I leave it in its case, I've never even thought about using it.” I try to reassure him. “I just like having it close, it helps me feel safe. I always had one on my hip while I was serving.” I close the box back up and place it in a create, he's distracted himself with some old photos of mine.
“You were cute back then.” his thumb brushes over a polaroid from my ROTC days.
“Were!?” I fake offence. “I am still cute.” It earns me a laugh.
“I didnt mean you arent cute now you just…” he pauses and his eyes rake over me. I almost get shy. “Look different now.”
My cheeks are hot, “yea I grew out my hair.” I try to take photos of him. He gives me a weak hey and lifts the photos in the air. Gosh he's actually quite tall, I didn't realize. He keeps flipping through the photos. Then he stops and lets his arm down. It's a picture of my mom from my graduation.
“She didn't look that old when I left, she looks so tired.” He passes me the bundle of photos back and I tuck them away. I do not want to keep talking about her.
“Why don’t you and Neo make sure he's all backed up onto that external drive, so we can connect him as soon as possible to your systems on the ground.” I point at the brick sized object laying on my desk.
Over the next couple hours we finish packing everything I’ll need. More importantly, Rocky is back! He came up with the ship that's going to bring us down to Erid.
“Why so many boxes question?” The translator on my arm reads out.
“Lots of important science stuff, personal stuff ect.” He thrums at my sub adequate explanation and crawls over to ryland to talk. This time I make sure my translators are on so I don't miss anything they are saying.
"Grace and Y/N mates now, question?"
I nearly dropped the box in my arms. Ryland, on the other hand, looked like he'd forgotten how words worked.
"Buddy, I told you, it doesn't work like that." He rubbed the back of his neck, his face turning an impressive shade of red. "It's... it's like on Erid. You have to form a bond first."
Rocky's carapace rattled in what I recognized as skepticism. Apparently that answer wasn't good enough. One of his arms pointed directly at me.
"I tell Grace he need mate. Grace is lonely. Y/N good mate option. Grace not like Y/N, question?"
My jaw practically hit the floor. I slowly turned to Ryland, waiting.
My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. Why is it beating so fast? I don't care whether he thinks I'd make a good mate.
...Right?
Ryland's blush somehow deepened.
"No!" he blurted, then immediately winced. "I mean, not no, that's not what I meant." He took a breath, clearly trying to restart his brain. "She's... she's really pretty. And she's smart. But we just met, Rocky. Humans don't usually... mate with people they barely know."
He paused.
"Well... sometimes they do."
He grimaced.
"But that's a whole different problem with our species."
He kept talking after that, rambling about dating, relationships, social norms, something about taking time before people committed to each other. I barely heard a word.
She’s really pretty.
The sentence echoed through my head, drowning out everything else.
After five plus years of being practically alone, hearing the only other person in existence call me pretty sent a ridiculous warmth spreading through my chest.
"It just... takes time, Rocky," Ryland finished, still looking like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole.
“So Grace and Y/N will be mates in future.” Rocky turned to me.
"Y/N like Grace, question?"
I froze. Ryland made a strangled noise somewhere between a cough and a plea.
"Roc-"
"No interrupt. Y/N answer."
Every instinct screamed at me to look anywhere but at Ryland. Instead, I looked directly at him. He looked equally trapped, eyes wide, ears turning pink again.
"I..." I cleared my throat. "I barely know him." Rocky waited.
"But..." I admitted quietly, "I think he's kind and good looking." Ryland blinked and Rocky's carapace clicked happily.
"Good. Y/N think Grace is pretty. Grace thinks Y/N pretty." Ryland's eyes widened. I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
"Very good. Friendship become bond. Bond become mates." Rocky swayed back and forth, clearly pleased with himself.
"It..." Ryland sighed. "It's a little more complicated than that buddy." Rocky considered this.
"Then humans inefficient."
That broke me, A laugh escaped before I could stop it.
Ryland looked over, surprised, then laughed too softly at first, before it turned into genuine amusement. For just a moment, the tension dissolved. Rocky chirped happily. He pushed the crate along with Neo, and kept working as if he hadn't just derailed both of our nervous systems.
"We continue work now."
Ryland watched him disappear down the corridor before rubbing both hands over his face.
"I am never living that conversation down." I shifted the box in my arms, still unable to wipe the smile off my face.
"Probably not." He groaned.
"I swear, I didn't know he was going to ask that."
"I know."
"And I wasn't just saying those things because he put me on the spot."
"I know."
He hesitated. "...I meant them." The warmth that had finally begun to settle flared all over again.
I met his eyes.Neither of us looked away this time. The silence stretched between us, not awkward anymore, just… calm.
Then Rocky's voice echoed from somewhere down the tunnel.
"Grace Stop staring at potential mate, Help carry box." Ryland closed his eyes as the translator on my arm read out the message.
"Oh my God."
I couldn't help it. I laughed so hard I nearly dropped the box.
Not too long later, everything had been transferred over to the Eridian vessel. There was only one thing left to do. I settled into my chair and switched on the recording camera.
"Alright Huston," I began, "the transfer to the Eridian vessel is complete. I'll be remaining in the Erid system. The current plan is to maintain the permanent station in orbit around Erid. Then construct a ground base. The Eridians have already established a biosphere capable of supporting human life."
I paused, glancing at the camera with a grin.
"And I'd just like to officially request that history remembers me as the first woman to set foot in another star system."
Behind me, Ryland looked up from the equipment he'd been organizing.
"Oh, come on." He walked into frame with an exaggerated sigh. "Don't steal all the glory."
I raised an eyebrow. He smiled at the camera and gave a small wave.
"For the record, I'm the first man. I've been living there for almost two decades"
I rolled my eyes and we both laughed.
Ryland offered one last awkward wave to the camera. I reached over and ended the recording, The camera's indicator light winked off.
"Neo," I said.
"Transmission queued."
"Send it."
"Transmitting."
Neither of us spoke as the progress bar slowly climbed toward one hundred percent.
I stood from the chair and took one last look around the Hermes. The consoles, the scuffed floor, the cramped corridors I'd walked thousands of times. This ship had been my sanctuary, my laboratory, and, somehow, my home for more than half a decade.
It had carried us farther than any human had ever traveled. Besides Ryland, I chuckle to myself.Now it was time to leave it behind.
I felt Ryland step up beside me.
"Ready?" he asked quietly.I let my eyes linger on the bridge for one final moment before nodding.
"As I'll ever be." He smiled and held out his hand. I looked at it for only a second before slipping my fingers into his. His grip tightened gently around mine.
Together, we turned toward the airlock.
Toward Erid. Toward a future neither of I could have imagined.
A fanfic story based on the book and movie of Project Hail Mary written by Andy Weir
Chapter in 1, 2, 3
Pairing: Ryland Grace x female Reader (Y/N)
Tags and Warnings: Smut (in future chapters), Age gap relationship, strangers to lovers, mental and physical health topics, trauma and PTSD, fluff, domestic, military themes, my time dilation math is probably wrong, incorrect science terms
Notes: sorry it took so long I’ve been out of town for work and tired at the end of everyday, this chapter was also difficult to write for some reason so it might not be the best but enjoy!
I wake to the soft clicking of a keyboard and the rich smell of coffee drifting through the station.
Rolling onto my side, I spot Ryland sitting at the canteen’s metal table, typing away on his laptop. Every few seconds his eyes flick up from the screen to check on me.
“Why are you watching me sleep?” I ask, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
He closes the laptop and leans back in his chair.
“Eridians watch each other sleep. It’s a bit of a habit now. Sorry.”
Still half-asleep, I simply nod as if that’s a perfectly normal thing for someone to say.
I step out of his line of sight to get dressed. When I peek around the corner a moment later, he’s still looking in my direction. He catches me watching and smiles.
“Perv,” I whisper to myself, fighting back a laugh.
I pull a white tank top over my head and step into my blue jumpsuit, tying the sleeves around my waist. Pausing in front of the mirror, I lean closer to inspect my reflection.
My skin is clear, though I realize I haven’t paid much attention to my appearance in a long time. Since Ryland arrived, I’ve become annoyingly aware of things I normally wouldn’t notice.
I lick my thumb and smooth down an eyebrow that decided to become unruly during the night.
God, I miss brow gel.
After one last glance in the mirror, I step into the common area and sit across from him.
“Morning.”
“Morning,” he replies, wrapping both hands around a steaming mug.
Neo rolls over and sets a breakfast burrito in front of me while Ryland slides a steaming cup of coffee across the table.
“How did you sleep?” he asks warmly.
“I had a hard time falling asleep despite being exhausted, but once I finally did, it was fine.” I take a sip of coffee. “How long have you been awake?”
“Two hours,” he says flatly.
I wince.
“Oh. Sorry. I guess I slept too long.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He waves the apology away. “You slept about ten hours. Yesterday was probably a little overwhelming for you.”
“Yeah. Just a little,” I joke.
I take another sip of coffee while unwrapping the burrito.
“So what are you working on?” I lean farther across the table to get a look at his screen.
“I’m going through your ship’s database. The amount of scientific advancement after 2026 is incredible.” His eyes light up. “The technological leap humanity made with astrophage is astonishing.”
“Yes, it’s great,” I say, a little too monotonously.
Ryland glances up from the screen.
“That’s not exactly a glowing endorsement.”
I stare into my coffee.
“Not everyone used our newfound energy for good.”
His expression shifts immediately.
“What do you mean?”
I hesitate.
“I guess you haven’t gotten to the high-energy weapons section yet.” I force a weak smile. “Best to skip over that part. The atrocities that came from those technologies aren’t exactly light reading.”
My gaze drifts to the wall as memories threaten to surface memories I would much rather leave buried.
“What happened after I left?” he asks quietly.
I take a slow breath.
“I’d rather not get into that right now.” I stand and gather my empty wrapper. “You can read about it, and maybe another day I’ll tell you what it was actually like.”
He doesn’t push.
I carry my coffee into the control room and bring up the station schematics. The familiar blueprints fill the monitors, giving me something concrete to focus on.
I really couldn’t talk about it.
Not yet.
The official reports were one thing. Statistics. Timelines. Casualty numbers. Living through it was another.
Ryland had already sacrificed enough for humanity. He didn’t need to know the full cost of that sacrifice.
I zoom in on the exterior satellite arms and ask Neo to verify their structural integrity. The last thing I want to do right now is a spacewalk just to re-weld them.
I drum my fingers against the console while I wait for the results, watching the rover-sized version of Neo crawl along the hull outside. Beyond him, space stretches endlessly, black and silent.
Behind me, I hear Ryland approach quietly.
“Do you do that when you’re nervous?” he asks.
I glance over my shoulder. “Do what?”
“Drum your fingers like that.”
I immediately stop.
I snort softly. “You figured me out already?”
“You’re not difficult to read.”
“That’s concerning.”
He leans against the doorway, arms crossed loosely over his chest.
“You looked afraid earlier.”
“I wasn’t afraid.”
“You stared at the wall for almost a full minute.”
I don’t answer him immediately. Instead, I tap a control panel and the station’s exterior cameras appear across the screens.
“A lot happened while you were gone. I mean, the entire motivation behind this project was so I could leave.”
Ryland nods. “What happened?”
“I told you to read about it. A lot can happen in three decades.”
EXTERIOR SATELLITE ARM ANALYSIS COMPLETE
2/3 ARMS AT 100% INTEGRITY
3RD ARM AT 75% INTEGRITY
HUMAN WELDING REQUIRED
“Oh, goddamn it.” I groan. “Do you know how to weld?”
Ryland nods.
“If you do this spacewalk for me, I’ll tell you everything that happened during the first ten years you were gone.”
“Alright. Where are the suits?”
I point toward the equipment bay.
“Follow me.”
Ryland follows closely behind as we move through narrow corridors lined with conduit panels and storage lockers. Artificial gravity hums beneath our feet. I press my hand against the equipment room door, and it slides open.
The EVA suits stand upright in charging racks.
Ryland stops.
“Wow.”
I glance over at him. “What?”
“They’re tiny.”
I laugh. “Compared to yours, everything is tiny.”
The old Hail Mary suit had looked more like a personal submarine than a spacesuit. Human technology had become considerably more compact over the decades.
“Still one-size-fits-all, though. The material’s a lot nicer and more flexible.”
I pull a suit from its rack and toss him the undersuit.
“Try not to break anything.”
“No promises.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re standing inside the airlock. I attach the tethers to Ryland’s suit belt.
Neo’s voice echoes around the chamber.
“EVA CHECKLIST COMPLETE. LIFE SUPPORT NOMINAL. MAGNETIC TETHERS SECURED.”
I glance over at Ryland and he gives me a thumbs up looking surprisingly comfortable in a suit. Then I step out and close the air lock
“You seem awfully calm.” I speak into the radio
He shrugs.
“I repaired the Hail Mary in deep space while trying not to die quite a few times. This feels relaxing.”
“Fair enough.”
The outer hatch begins to cycle open. A deep metallic rumble vibrates through the chamber. Ryland steps forward slowly.
“You never get used to this.”
“No. makes me sick almost every time.” I watch him on the cameras.
Then Neo interrupts.
“Repair target located thirty-two meters along Satellite Arm Three.”
“Alright get to work,” I say.
He step out onto the hull. And clips his tether to the rail. The magnetic boots lock onto the metal with a sharp clunk.
“The magnetic boots where a must I might add had a team work on those even before I decided I wanted to go to space.”
“Quite useful wish I had them back then.”
The damaged arm extends away from the station like a skeletal finger pointing into space.
As he walk, Erid slowly rotates beneath him.
“So,” Ryland says through the radio, “the first ten years.”
I sigh.
“You really don’t let things go.”
“You promised.”
“Fine. The first few years after you left were “normal”. Astrophage was solving some energy problems on Earth, and with the large scale production of it for the Hail Mary, it became somewhat commercialized.”
“That sounds ok.”
“It was.”
The damaged section comes into view ahead of him. The camera on his helmet lets me see what he sees. A long crack runs through one of the structural supports.
Micrometeorite impact. Not catastrophic yet.
But given enough time it would become a problem. Ryland kneels beside it. “Easy repair.”
“Good.”
He anchor himself nearby while he opens the welding kit. A bright white arc flashes as he starts work.
“The problem,” I continue, “was that once energy became effectively unlimited, governments stopped asking what they could afford.”
The welding light flickers against his visor.
“They started asking what was possible.”
“And?”
I stare up at the screen and take a deep breath.
“And people got creative.”
The silence that follows tells me he understands exactly what I mean.
Not all innovation is good. Not all progress makes the world better.
Ryland carefully seals the fracture.
Molten metal cools almost instantly in the vacuum.
“So that’s what you didn’t want to talk about.”
“Part of it.” My voice cracks slightly. “I was young, so most of what I know from that time comes from what I learned later. During my twenties, though, I can give you a full account.”
He starts making his way back toward the airlock.
“Want me to keep going?”
“Once I’m back inside.”
I follow his movements on the monitor as he scales back to the airlock with practiced ease. I guess EVAs are like riding a bike, you don’t really forget once you’ve learned.
I meet him on the other side of the airlock. The outer hatch closes behind him with a hiss as the chamber cycles. Even though the process is fully automated, I still oversee every step. Controlling the airlocks myself gives me peace of mind.
Once the pressure returns to normal, I open the inner hatch and help him out of the suit. He pulls off his helmet and shakes out his hair.
“Good job,” I say, relieved.
“It was fun.”
Ryland gives me a small smile, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening.
I return to the control panel and check the readings one more time. Everything looks good. He settles into the chair beside me.
For a while I just stare at the screens, trying to decide how much of the story I want to tell.
“So much ecological damage happened while people were trying to buy us time. Antarctica, for example. By the 2040s Earth’s food systems officially started collapsing, and that started wars. Nations fought each other over stockpiles. Citizens fought governments over rations. It got really bad, and there was only so much aid and peacekeeping available.”
The words feel heavy coming out.
My shoulders tense. My chest feels tight, like someone has wrapped steel bands around my ribs. I rub my palms against my pants, trying to stop the faint tremor in my hands.
“Do you know how hard it is to blame people who are starving for hating you when you represent an obstacle to their version of a better reality?”
My eyes burn. I blink hard and swallow against the knot rising in my throat.
Ryland doesn’t interrupt. He just places a hand over mine.
“I was in the Air Force. I was landing a plane carrying supplies and rations for United Nations peacekeeping troops in Armenia. The plane was attacked on the ground by a rebel group that wanted the shipment.”
I stare past the monitors, no longer seeing the station.
“It was the first time I ever had to kill someone.”
The memory hits harder than I expect.
The hum of the station fades. For a second I can almost hear shouting instead, distant gunfire, the scream of jet engines winding down. My pulse begins to pound in my ears.
Ryland’s hand tightens slightly around mine.
“Hey.”
I don’t realize I’ve stopped breathing until he says it.
My fingers have curled into fists.
“Take a breath.”
I try, but my chest won’t cooperate.
“I was just trying to survive,” I whisper.
Ryland’s expression changes immediately. Not alarmed recognizing.
Like he’s seen this before.
His chair scrapes softly against the floor as he shifts closer.
“You don’t have to keep going.”
“I-,” I say automatically.
But my voice sounds distant, unconvincing even to me.
The room suddenly feels too small. The air too thin. My heartbeat hammers harder.
Ryland reaches up and places a steady hand between my shoulder blades.
“You’re here,” he says quietly. “You’re on the station. You’re safe.” I know he’s right. The problem is that part of me doesn’t.
The anxiety creeps into my chest, squeezing tighter with every heartbeat. When I push myself to stand, my legs feel unsteady beneath me. I stumble sideways and fall against Ryland.
His hand moves slowly across my back.
“Sorry.” I force a shaky breath. “I thought I could talk about it.”
Neo rolls into the room carrying a cup of water and my daily medication. I take the pills and sit back down.
“PTSD,” I say quietly. “It’s manageable until it isn’t. Then suddenly you’re back there again. Those help.”
I gesture toward the pills.
“I’m sure you understand.”
Ryland nods softly.
“To a degree. I had to develop my own antidepressants with the Eridian chemists. Luckily I had plenty of references, but it was still a long period of testing and adjustment. About two years after arriving on Erid, it started. The impending doom. The sadness.”
He looks toward one of the observation windows.
“It’s not like I was lonely. But sometimes the biosphere felt like a cage.”
There is nothing quite like trauma bonding. For the next couple of hours we talk about everything and nothing at all.
Eventually we drift back toward something resembling work. I pull up the designs for a planetary communications hub I’d created years ago.
“They built one on Mars two years ago. My design and everything. I got the message when I booted up the Tenth Satellite Station.”
Ryland grins and raises a hand. I high-five him.
“We should build one on Erid,” he says as he studies the blueprints. “Connect it directly to the biosphere.”
“Good idea. Then I can set up a ground-to-sky transmitter and we wouldn’t need to come up here just to send messages. It’d make a much better ambassador station than this satellite.”
“How long are you planning to stay on Erid?” He tries to sound casual.
“Just curious.” Then, quieter, “I wouldn’t mind if you stayed forever.”
The moment the words leave his mouth, he almost seems to regret them. A blush creeps up his ears.
I laugh.
“As long as I feel like it, I guess. I don’t have any plans to leave. It’s not really like anything is waiting for me back on Earth.”
I shrug.
“My late best friend’s sister is my beneficiary if I decide not to return. Or if I die out here.”
Ryland stares at me.
I realize how matter-of-fact that sounds.
“As I said before, I chose to be here. And I’ll leave if I choose to.”
“Did your mother ever tell you how she got me on this ship?” I was taken aback by the sudden question.
“You volunteered?”
His gaze drops to his lap.
“No.”
The single word carries enough guilt to make me pause.
“I refused.”
“What?” I blink.
“But I read the report. It said you volunteered because you were the next best option familiar with the mission and the leading expert on astrophage after the accident. You’re a hero.” I give him an awkward smile.
Why would he refuse?
“Stratt sedated me against my will and put me into a coma before launch.”
“No.”
I shake my head.
“I don’t believe you. You wouldn’t refuse.”
“I did,” he says quietly like a confession to a priest. “But she was right. I was the only person for the job.”
“Why would you say no?”
This catches me off not because of my mother’s actions. She would’ve done anything to save Earth. Earth was the only thing she was ever truly loyal to. But Ryland I may not know him well but from the way she spoke of him I would have never thought he refused.
“I just wanted to live.”
The defeat in his voice makes my chest ache.
“Well, you certainly fought hard to.”
I lean back in my chair.
“I watched a lot of the recordings you sent home. Self-preservation is human instinct, one I also know well. You thought you were going to die.” I consider it for a moment.
“I suppose I understand.”
“Your mother jailed me after I refused. She kept me there until it was time to launch.”
I stare at him, then shake my head.
“Well, she’s in jail now.”
A corner of my mouth twitches.
“So I guess you’re even.”
The thought of my mother still leaves a bitter sweet taste in my mouth.
Ryland lets out a short laugh, but it fades quickly.
“I never hated her, you know.”
That surprises me.
“No?”
He shakes his head.
“I was angry. Terrified. I felt betrayed. But hatred?” He looks down at his hands. “No. Because when I finally understood the situation, I realized she wasn’t choosing between my life and my freedom.”
He looks up at me.
“She was choosing between me and everyone.”
The station falls silent except for the constant hum of life support. I stare at the monitor in front of me, but I don’t really see it.
For most of my life, my mother existed as two different people. The woman the world knew. And the woman I knew.
To billions she was the architect of humanity’s survival and downfall depending on who you ask. Ruthless. Brilliant. Uncompromising.
To me she was a voice on rare calls. Birthday messages sent months late. A woman who somehow always looked exhausted, even in photographs.A stranger I spent years trying to understand after adopting me.
“I think you where her biggest regret, but then again she doesn’t regret a thing she did,” I say quietly.
The tension that had settled over the room finally began to ease.
Outside the observation window, Erid hangs beneath us. A New Home. A word I never thought I’d use for another world. I look at the ships clock somehow we spent all day working and talking.
Ryland follows my gaze.
“You should get some rest.”
“So should you.”
I shake my head and begin shutting down the engineering displays for the night cycle.One by one, the monitors dim.The station grows darker.
Quieter.
For a few moments neither of us says anything.
Then Neo’s calm voice fills the room.
“ALL EXTERIOR REPAIR TASKS COMPLETE. STATION STATUS: NOMINAL.”
I lean back in my chair and close my eyes. For the first time in a very long time, everything is working. Ryland makes me go to my bed and he sits on the floor insisting to watch over me. I toss him a pillow and blanket and he makes himself comfortable.
Just the steady rhythm of the station and the distant glow of a world below. As sleep begins to creep in, my thoughts drift somewhere I haven’t let them wander in years.
Back to Earth.
Back to the jail cell.
Back to the time I finally accepted my mother belonged to humanity long before she ever belonged to me.
And the memory comes rushing back.
Super emotional Startt memory to start of chapter 4 is already written
Please keep interacting with this post because when I come to tumblr to procrastinate, this shows up again in my notifications and guilts me into writing again
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A fanfic story based on the book and movie of Project Hail Mary written by Andy Weir
Pairing: Ryland Grace x female Reader (Y/N)
Tags and Warnings: Smut (in future chapters), Age gap relationship, strangers to lovers, mental and physical health topics, trauma and PTSD, fluff, domestic, military themes, my time dilation math is probably wrong, incorrect science terms
Chapters: 1 , 2, 3
Notes: I kinda hit a flow state and finished chapter 2, chapter 3 we might get into some smut unless I decide to take their relationship slow.
I’m running around frantically trying to get both myself and the ship ready. Between shoving equipment into storage compartments, securing loose cables, and trying not to crack my skull against the ceiling, I’m still firing messages Dr. Grace’s way.
Oh my god you’re alive.
You need to tell me everything.
How are you even alive?
The effects of Erid’s gravity are beginning to pull against the ship. The artificial gravity from the G force is fading as the Hermes slows and settles into orbit. Which means if I don’t secure everything now, half the ship is going to become airborne chaos the second stabilization kicks in.
I shove armfuls of clothes into storage compartments and slam them shut with my hip. Data pads, tools, medical kits, everything gets strapped down. Neo’s massive robotic frame will start floating sideways in the engineering bay like some metallic corpse once we dock. I grab the edge of the doorway and gently kick him toward his holding cradle.
“Into the box, Neo.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Trust me, nothing is worse than a giant floating robot in a spacecraft. It’s happened twice already, and both incidents nearly ended with hull damage and my death. Never again.
For some reason, I suddenly feel the need to make myself presentable.
After a quick shower, I dry my hair and braid it neatly down my back. There aren’t exactly many hairstyle options in space. Then, unexpectedly, a feeling settles into my chest that I haven’t felt since my military academy days. Insecurity.
I stare into my closet, frozen, trying to decide which jumpsuit to wear.
Why does it matter?
I’ve never cared before. But I’ve also never been this close to another human being in six years.
My mother’s voice echoes in the back of my head.
“You look pretty in that uniform. Blue is your color.”
I sigh softly. “Blue it is.”
I reach for the light blue jumpsuit and step into it.
A few hours later, I’m strapped into the captain’s chair as the entire hull trembles beneath me. Metal groans through the ship as the docking clamps connect with the station. My fingers drum nervously against my thigh while warning lights flicker across the console.
This part is always terrifying.
If docking alignment is off by even a fraction, the pressure differential can rip both ships apart in seconds.
A sharp hiss echoes through the cabin as the airlock equalizes.
“Airlock connection complete,” Neo announces. “Docking process successful.” I finally exhale and unclip from the chair and float toward the airlock now in 0G.
Ryland told me I wouldn’t need any specialized equipment since the station atmosphere had been adjusted to Earth standards instead of Erid’s. Generous of them, honestly, though it also makes years of atmospheric engineering feel slightly useless. I designed entire Zeonite systems to survive Erid’s ammonia-heavy atmosphere. Earth scientists even built me a custom environmental suit capable of handling the pressure and chemistry down while working inside the station.
Now I’ll probably never get to test any of it. Still… easier this way.
The airlock latch releases with a metallic hiss. I float inside and brush my hand along the dark Zeonite walls. Smooth. Cool. Slightly textured beneath my fingertips. This wasn’t my docking chamber design. Looks like they took some creative liberties.
I reach the station door and pause.
“Do I knock?” I whisper to myself. Immediately I cringe.
Before I can embarrass myself further, the heavy gears inside the door shift with a deep mechanical clunk. Steam-like vapor curls from the seams as the station airlock opens. And a man pokes his head through.
“Hi.”
I blink.
“Hi.”
It’s definitely Dr. Ryland Grace, but older than the videos ever prepared me for. His blond hair is streaked heavily with silver now, wrinkles carved deep around the corners of his eyes. His shoulders are broader than I expected, his posture slightly worn, like gravity itself has been leaning on him for years. He steps forward and extends a hand.
“Captain Doctor Ryland Grace. It’s an honor.”
I shake it and suddenly he pulls me into a hug. It catches me completely off guard.
“It’s amazing you made it here,” he says quietly as he steps back. “You’re the first human I’ve seen in over 2 decades. Sorry. I just- ”
His hand awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. Then he motions for me to follow him deeper into the station. And that’s when I see them.
Eridians. Three of them. My brain short-circuits instantly.
I push off the wall and practically launch myself across the corridor toward them.
“Hi, I’m Y/N, it’s so nice to meet you, you guys were literally my entire undergrad research focus— ♫ ♪ ♫ ♬♩!” I hum the greeting melody instinctively.
The Eridian I recognize immediately as Rocky throws two of his arms upward excitedly, clicking his claws together in rapid metallic taps.
Up close, they are breathtaking. The heat rolling off them is immediate, Even through their Zeonit suits I can feel it against my face.Condensation hisses from small vents around their shoulders, probably a life support system of some kind.
Behind me, Ryland gently places a hand on my shoulder.
“Formal introductions are probably due.”
He points toward each of them.
“This is Rocky, as you clearly recognized. That’s Adrian, lead engineer on the project and Rocky’s mate. And that is Darwin, lead researcher in human biology on Erid.”
Rocky’s carapace is scratched and etched with tiny geometric carvings, worn smooth in places from age and use. Adrian, much larger than the others, has deep cobalt tones across their shell with a tall ridged crest rising from their back like a mountain peak. Intricate silver markings spiral across the armor plating, several matching symbols mirrored on Rocky’s shell.
Darwin is smaller, darker, nearly charcoal black and unlike the others, he has six limbs instead of five. His movements are faster, twitchier. Thin instrument rigs are attached to his suit, blinking with pale green lights as they scan me continuously.
All three stare at me with wide luminous eyes set deep behind protective transparent shielding.I reach out carefully, touching Rocky’s suit with the tips of my fingers. Hot. “Oh, you are absolutely going to explain these life-support suits to me, mister.” Rocky lets out a delighted series of chiming notes.
I straighten slightly, suddenly remembering professionalism exists.
“Hello. I’m Captain Doctor Y/F/N Y/L/N. It is an honor to meet all of you. I hope we can continue bridging the gap between our species.” The three Eridians hum softly together, harmonics vibrating through the corridor walls like distant music.
I glance toward Ryland. The man I built my entire life around. The impossible survivor standing in front of me alive.
He smiles warmly. “How about a tour? I know you designed the station, but we may have made a few adjustments.” I follow just behind him, trying to absorb everything around me.
The modifications are obvious now, expanded corridors, reinforced support beams, thermal regulation systems built into the walls. Entire sections had clearly been redesigned around Eridian movement and comfort.
Honestly? They improved it. That’s the thing about anthropology and first-contact theory. You can predict all you want, but until a species actually lives in a space, you’ll never fully understand what they need.
“Any trouble creating the zero-G instruments?” I ask. That had been one of the hardest parts of the mission preparation. The original Hail Mary mission never had time to fully develop them.
Ryland laughs softly. “No. You and your team are geniuses. I was honestly shocked Earth bothered sending something this advanced all the way out here.”
“Stratt put me to work the second she watched your final log. Mom was always thinking about humanity’s next move.”
He stops walking. Slowly turns toward me. “Mom? Stratt is your mother?”
“Not biologically. I’m adopted.”
Something changes in his expression immediately. Not anger exactly.Something sharper. “Of course she sent her own daughter.” The words land heavier than he probably intended.
“I chose to come here,” I say carefully. “She hasn’t controlled my life in a long time.”
Ryland looks away. “So you got a choice. That’s nice.” The bitterness in his voice catches me off guard. But I let it go for now.
“Anyway,” I say lightly, forcing the tension aside, “we can unpack our shared issues with my mother later. Right now I’m more interested in you.”
The final stop on the tour is the observation platform overlooking Erid itself. I float toward the massive viewing glass and stop cold. The planet fills everything, It’s a dark blue with swirl clouds, the ship is illuminated by the faint glow that is cast off its enormous rings. It’s terrifying and beautiful. I press my hand against the glass.
“How are you alive?” I finally ask quietly. “You only had enough food on the Hail Mary for 10 years max. Plus… you know. Plenty of opportunities to die.”
Ryland launches into a long, rambling explanation of his life on Erid, his words spilling out faster the more excited he becomes. He tells me about the scientists synthesizing human-compatible proteins from native organisms and his own body, the so called ‘Meburgers’.
Apparently the Eridians practically rebuilt an ecosystem around him. I get vague descriptions of the habitat they built for him on the planet’s surface; massive insulated chambers, artificial gravity, an entire system adapted for human use. He casually mentions that he’ll be taking me there eventually. Which surprises me, I had honestly assumed I’d be living on the Hermes the entire mission. Guess not anymore.
“So yeah,” he finishes with a grin, slightly out of breath, “that’s basically it.”
I stare at him. “Wow. That is actually insane.” I point toward Adrian and Darwin. “I’m going to need all the data on that.” Both Eridians shake their carapaces enthusiastically, emitting soft chiming sounds of agreement.
“Okay,” I say, forcing myself back into work mode, “before we head planetside, I still have a lot to finish on this station.” I push off the wall and float toward the central control panel. The screens flicker to life as my fingers skim across the interface.
“First priority: integrating Neo into station operations.” Lines of code flood the display while Ryland connects the Hermes wiring systems into the Eridian station network as I instruct.
“That should do it,” I mutter. I tap the console.“Neo, run a diagnostics check please.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ryland watches the screens carefully. “Is it a cognitive AI?”
“Yeah,” I say. “Once Astrophage became commercially viable, it solved the heat-output limitations of data centers. After that, AI development exploded.” I continue typing while system maps illuminate across the displays.
“Neo is heavily regulated tech, though. He’s probably one of the only fully self-learning AIs in existence. He’s independent from me, technically if he didn’t want to obey an order, he wouldn’t have to.” Ryland raises an eyebrow at that.
“We decided autonomy was necessary in case I lost cognitive function during the mission,” I explained. “He’d still be able to communicate, adapt, and complete objectives without me.”
“Comforting,” Ryland mutters.
I snort softly. “Also scary, he doesn’t experience emotion, but he does make risk-based decisions and develop behavioral adjustments. And before you ask, yes, there’s a failsafe. I can terminate and reset his directives if necessary.”
A moment later text flashes across the station monitors.
SHIP AND SATELLITE FUNCTIONS OPERATING AT ACCEPTABLE CAPACITY. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS AVAILABLE. PLEASE APPROVE.
Ryland and I glance at each other.
“Approved,” we say simultaneously. I laugh.
“It’s nice having someone real around,” I admit absentmindedly.
Ryland’s expression softens.
“I agree.”
For the next several hours, the five of us work in tandem; humans, Eridians, and AI.
The station slowly transforms around us. Neo reroutes power systems with ruthless efficiency while Adrian reinforces structural supports for mixed-species gravity tolerances. Darwin installs upgraded atmospheric monitors while Rocky enthusiastically helps everyone whether they ask for it or not.
Eventually, once everything reaches a stable stopping point, we activate the station centrifuge. Gravity returns gradually. The sudden weight settling into my limbs feels strange after so long in transit. Ryland grips a nearby railing automatically, clearly more accustomed to Erid’s crushing gravity than Earth-normal conditions now. I spent the next hour giving him a tour of the Hermes and explaining the technological advancements that happened while he was gone.
He’s fascinated by everything. Honestly, he looks like a kid in a candy store. If the kid was a fifty-something-year-old microbiologist turned astrophysicist with a cane who was actively fangirling over an Astrophage-powered soldering pen.
“You’re telling me this thing can weld tungsten without external fuel?” he asks, horrified and delighted at the same time.
“Yep.”
“That is deeply upsetting.”
“You love it.”
“I really love it.”
I grin.
Once we finish the tour, I glance toward the communications console.
“Want to send our first message back to Earth?” Ryland pauses. For a second something unreadable crosses his face. “Everyone would love to know their savior is alive,” I say more quietly. After a moment, he nods.
“Yeah. Okay.” We sit beside each other at the console while the recording light blinks on.
“Hello Earth,” I begin, “this is Captain Y/L/N of the Hermes. I’m excited to announce that I have successfully reached Erid and established contact with the Eridians.”
I shift the camera toward Ryland.
“But I also have far more significant news.” Ryland stares at the camera for half a second before speaking.
“Hello. This is Captain Ryland Grace of the Hail Mary.” His voice is calm, though I can hear emotion buried underneath it. “I’m glad to know Earth has returned to proper luminosity and that humanity continues to make extraordinary scientific progress. Thank you… for believing in me.” Something in my chest tightens at the look in his eyes. I finish the recording with routine mission updates and system data before nodding toward Neo now back in his Robot form.
“Transmit.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The signal launches toward the next closest Satellite station so on and so forth until Earth. I lean back in my chair.
“Now that’ll reach Earth in about a week. Isn’t that amazing?”
“It really is,” Ryland says softly. But there’s something melancholy in his expression.Like a man staring at ghosts. I don’t pry, not yet we are basically strangers.
“Well,” I say, stretching slightly, “I’m exhausted. Are you all heading back to Erid tonight, or staying here while I finish station setup over the next few days?”
The Eridians exchange musical clicks between themselves.
“They’ll head back,” Ryland says. “But I thought I’d stay.”
I spin in my chair to face him. “Awesome. I’m glad for the company.” And maybe that sounds a little too eager, judging by the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I also fully intend to interrogate you about literally everything that happened on the Hail Mary mission.”
“That seems fair.” He smiles
I get up from my chair walking past him to say goodbye to the Eridians. Rocky waves several arms enthusiastically while chiming something toward Ryland in rapid Eridian harmonics.
Whatever he says immediately turns Ryland bright red. I narrow my eyes suspiciously.
“What did he say?”
“Nothing important,” Ryland says far too quickly. “Just a joke.”
Interesting. I make a mental note to improve my Eridian translation skills immediately.
Once the shuttle departs, silence settles over the ship. Only the low mechanical hum of the Hermes fills the space while Ryland and I work separately at opposite consoles.
The awkwardness is almost comical. The only two humans in an entirely alien solar system, and suddenly neither of us knows what to say. There are a thousand questions trapped behind my teeth. None of them come out.
Finally I break the silence. “You hungry, I have some of the best earth food NASA can offer?”
Ryland looks up instantly.
“Please tell me you have steak.”
“I do. Texas beef.”
The expression on his face is so genuinely emotional that I nearly laugh. For a moment he looks less like a scientist and more like a starving man hallucinating salvation.
“Neo,” I call, “prep two steak dinners please.”
The robot zooms past us toward the canteen. Ryland watches him go.
“That thing still freaks me out a little.”
“You get used to it.”
A few minutes later we sit across from each other at the small metal dining table while Neo places steaming plates in front of us. The smell alone is enough to make my stomach ache. Ryland cuts into the steak like he’s afraid it might disappear.
“I haven’t had dinner with anyone except Neo in six years,” I admit..
“I haven’t had steak in what feels like 30 years.” Ryland groans dramatically after his first bite
“It honestly might’ve been,” I say with a laugh. “Time dilation is wild. I wasn’t even born when you first left Earth. I was born about six months later.”
“What? How old are you?” He nearly chokes.
“Thirty-eight. You?”
“Physically? Fifty-something.” He rubs his forehead. “Honestly I stopped counting. Wait, how old is Stratt now?”
“She was sixty-six when I left. And that would have been 10-12 earth years ago now” I glance down at my plate, memories of our goodbye surfacing briefly before I shove them away.
Ryland stares blankly into space while calculating. “Oh God. That makes me, what… seventy-four on Earth technically? But with time dilation maybe fifty-four biologically?”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, old man.” I point my fork at him teasingly.
He laughs.
“Sometimes I do feel old. Erid’s gravity is brutal on the body. Even with the artificial gravity” He flexes one hand absently around the cane resting beside him. “Been doing strength training ever since I got there.”
I glance at his arms. He definitely wasn’t exaggerating.
“You don’t look old,” I say before I can stop myself. Heat creeps immediately into my cheeks. Thankfully Ryland seems too distracted by the steak to notice, or maybe he’s pretending not to.
The conversation fades comfortably after that.
Not awkward anymore.
Just… quiet.
Nice quiet.
As we eat, Ryland scribbles occasional notes about station modifications onto a datapad while I clear dishes and hand them off to Neo once we finish.
Eventually exhaustion crashes into me all at once. I stifle a yawn.
“Well,” I mumble, “I need sleep. I’m only ten hours post-coma and my brain feels like soup.”
I start toward my sleeping quarters with Ryland following behind me before I abruptly stop.
“…I only have one bed on this ship.”
He laughs immediately. “Right. Fair point.”
“I can set up temporary quarters if you want?”
“No, no. I’ll sleep on the station. Just yell if you need anything.” We exchange quiet goodnights before he disappears back through the docking corridor.
The second my head hits the pillow, exhaustion pulls at me. But sleep doesn’t come. Instead my mind drifts.
“Get up, bitch!” I scream, standing over the other girl after my fist connects with her jaw. “Come on! Don’t talk shit if you can’t back it up!”
The other girl crashes back onto the floor while the crowd surrounding us erupts into shouting.
Breathing hard, I shove my way through the circle of cadets.
On the way toward the administration building, I pass an older woman with sharp green eyes, copper-red hair, and an intimidating security escort trailing behind her.
She pauses as I walk past.
“I bet she deserved it, hmm?” the woman asks, her German accent crisp enough to cut glass.
“Obviously.”
The corner of her mouth twitches upward, not quite a smile.
“So much fight for such a young girl.”
“I’m fifteen. Not that young.”
Her expression hardens slightly. “You do not remember the world before Astrophage,” she says quietly. “That makes you young.” Then she walks away.
“CADET MOVE IT!” Private Lacey shouts behind me. I continue marching toward the bunkhouse.
That was the first time I met Eva Stratt.
I was fifteen. Angry. Being raised to become a soldier.
By then, every orphaned child in America belonged to the state. And during the Defcon Four years, “state care” meant military academies from age ten onward, children sorted into programs based on whatever aptitude made them most useful. At least I was smart enough for ROTC.
I roll onto my side and squeeze my eyes shut. This was not worth thinking about tonight.
Tag list: @unfortunatewriting @ivy-lavellan @qardasngan @energerstar @shittyprofilebutfuckit
A fanfic story based on the book and movie of Project Hail Mary written by Andy Weir
Pairing: Ryland Grace x female Reader (Y/N)
Tags and Warnings: Smut (in future chapters), Age gap relationship, strangers to lovers, mental and physical health topics, trauma and PTSD, fluff, domestic, military themes, my time dilation math is probably wrong, incorrect science terms, using both novel and movie canon together
Chapter 1 , 2 , 3
The cold air bit at my skin as I stared out over the endless stretch of ice.
“Captain Y/F/N, Dr. Stratt wants you on the bridge.”
“Thanks.” I gave the soldier a quick smile before stepping back inside, moving through the ship’s narrow, damp halls.
Eva Stratt stood at the front, eyes fixed on her laptop, her expression unreadable.
“You asked for me, ma’am?” I snapped to attention.
Stratt didn’t look up right away. “You just finished your master’s in space communications engineering, correct?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I hesitated. “Why?”
Stratt finally glanced up. “How would you feel about doing a PhD?”
I blinked. “I mean, of course I’d love to. But I’m currently assigned to serve the UN as a soldier, given the situation.”
A small smile tugged at Stratt’s lips.
“What would you even want to study?” she asked.
“Whatever helps fix… all this you know, whatever you need me to do,” I said, gesturing vaguely.
Stratt let out a short laugh.
I frowned. “Did I miss something?” She was always like this, never- telling me her full plan.
“The problem’s already been solved,” Stratt said. “But I think you can finally put that idea of yours to the test.”
She closed the laptop with a soft click. I rack my brains for what she’s referring to. “What idea?”
Stratt’s voice faded as my eyes fluttered open, aching while they adjusted to the harsh light filtering through the life support bag. My mouth and throat were dry, and an uncomfortable, stiff heaviness clung to my limbs. I pushed myself up slowly, climbing out of the bag and bracing against the table for balance.
“Waking up never gets easier,” I muttered, breathing hard. “I swear… I can’t wait for this to be the last time. Or at least the last for a while.”
“Good morning, Captain Y/F/N. Shall I start the wake-up protocol?” the ship’s AI suggested as it scanned me, making sure my vitals were.
“Yeah, and please don’t mess up my coffee this time. And I need water, stat.” I groaned, rubbing my temple and ripping out my drip IV ignoring the worried alarm from the AI. I stumbled to the storage unit on the wall, pressing it open and pulling out my jumpsuit.
“Oh, and we should be in range of Erid now. Initiate the connection with the planet . Let’s hope they set everything up the way I instructed.”
I paused, thinking back to the equipment I’d designed for this mission, sent ahead long before my arrival back when I wasn’t even sure the stations could be fully assembled, let alone capable of transmitting all the way back to Earth.
I designed 11 small transmission stations over 15 years each one was launched one after another the first one being the one sent to Erid cause it would be the one traveling the farthest. Each station besides the one sent to Erid would be built by program controlled Robots and an AI helper in orbit of an astral body, with a receiver, transmitter and whatever scientific instruments NASA or some other space agency petitioned for.
I walk over to the control room and sit in the pilots seat. “Alright let’s check where we are.” I glance around at the many screens, locating the star chart and what I dubbed the space GPS. “Oh shit” I say excited and drum my fingers excitedly against the panel in front of me. “We are entering an elliptical orbit around Erid in about 7 hours !!”
“Your coffee Dr. Y/L/N.” The robots places the coffee carefully into the cup holder of my chair
“Thanks Neo, can you give me status on the Erid connection?”
“No response.” I press my lips into a fine line, anxiety creeps up my spine but I push it away.
“We might still be too far, are all other long range satellites still online and reviving?”
“10 satellite stations are receiving and transmitting data to the Hermes and earth” I spin around in my chair and shift it down to the telescope.
“Great, keep me updated about our Erid station, I’m going to see if I can find anything on The scope”
“Of course Dr.Y/L/N” Neo rolled away, leaving me alone with the soft hum of the ship and the endless dark outside the observation deck. I turned the telescope back on and flipped between the visible and infrared spectrums, the controls glowing pale blue beneath my fingertips. Technically, I should’ve scanned for IR signatures too, but I didn’t feel like spinning down the drives again.
I slowly panned the scope across the space until a distant planet drifted into view, not Erid, but one of the outer worlds. I glanced at the 40 Eridani A star map displayed on one of my numerous screens and hummed to myself.
“Hello, Eridani A-d… or whatever the Eridians call it. ♫♩♩♫”
I laughed quietly at my awful attempt at the Eridian tonal notes. I’d spent countless hours messing with Dr. Ryland’s translator programs, and later I’d even taken a university linguistics course focused on Eridian speech patterns. It ended up being useful while designing the satellite instructions and receiver stations. At this point, I was practically fluent in understanding the language even though speaking it was another story.
I continued adjusting the telescope now that I had my spatial orientation figured out.
“There you are, Erid.” From this distance it was little more than a pale sphere suspended in darkness. I could barely make out the rings.
“How cool is it that I’m only the second human to ever see another solar system in person?”
The thought settled heavily in my chest. It had been over forty Earth years since another person had stood where I was now. I leaned back in my chair and stared out at the stars. Physically, I was thirty-six. But with the time dilation… I was probably closer to my forties now. Maybe older. I started doing the math in my head before immediately shutting the thought down. If and when I finally made it back to Earth, everyone I loved would be old. Or dead.
Including my mother.
I abruptly switched off the telescope and headed for the medical bay.
“Hey, where are my daily meds located?”
Neo’s voice crackled through the speakers. “Drawer thirty-two.” His tone remained as flat and emotionless as ever. I mean he was just a complex computer.
I searched the wall of labeled compartments until I found it. “Ah, got it. Thanks.”
Inside sat neatly organized packets labeled MORNING. Antidepressants. Anti-anxiety medication. Vitamin supplements to prevent malnutrition during long-term space travel.
“Breakfast of champions.”
I swallowed the pills with a mouthful of lukewarm coffee and grimaced.
“I have a connection,” Neo suddenly announced.
I nearly dropped the cup.
“What?”
Adrenaline slammed into me as I sprinted toward the control room.
“Okay. Okay, yeah. Second contact with Eridians. No big deal. Totally manageable.”
I slid into the pilot’s chair and pulled up the transmitter interface. The software automatically translated my typing into Eridian script.
“I should introduce myself, right? Even though my name is literally on every piece of equipment I sent them?”
“An introduction would still be ideal, Captain.”
Neo rolled silently into the room as I typed. My hands are shaking.
Greetings,
I am Captain Dr. Y/F/N Y/L/N of the Hermes, representative of Earth’s Deep Space Exploration and Interplanetary Relations United Nations Mission. I am also the designer and engineer of the satellite array you received.
I will be entering the orbital range around Erid in approximately six hours. If all systems were assembled according to the instructions provided, I should be able to dock with the satellite station upon arrival. From there, we may begin arranging direct physical contact.
Warm regards,
Dr. Y/L/N
“Transmit it for me, Neo.”
“Transmission sent.”
And then I waited. It should take ten minutes. Maybe less.
My stomach twisted violently as I stood from the chair and started pacing. I ran my hands through my hair over and over, trying to burn off the nervous energy clawing through me.
“What if it fails?” I muttered.
“It won’t.”
But what if it did?
I’d worked my entire life for this. Stratt believed in me. Earth believed in me.
My breathing started to quicken.
“What if I translated something wrong?” I whispered. “What if they assembled the station wrong? What if the docking fails? What if-”
“Captain,” Neo interrupted, “you are panicking.”
My chest tightened sharply.
“I know!”
“Regulate your breathing.”
I tried. I inhaled too fast, air catching painfully in my throat. My lungs suddenly felt too small, like I couldn’t get enough oxygen no matter how hard I breathed. Heat rushed across my skin.
No no no no it's been years since I have had one of these.
The room tilted.
My vision tunneled until all I could see were the glowing control panels and the endless stars beyond the glass. My pulse thundered so violently it hurt.
“I can’t-” My voice cracked. “I can’t breathe.”
“You are experiencing a panic attack.”
My hands shook uncontrollably as I stumbled backward into the chair. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to run even though there was nowhere to go.
The walls felt too close. The lights were too bright. My own heartbeat was deafening.
“Captain -” I couldn't make out what Neo was saying; words sounded distant now, muffled beneath the roaring in my ears.
My chest spasmed painfully. Tears blurred my vision.
“What if I came all this way for nothing?” I choked out. “What if I fail?”
Suddenly, a sharp sting pierced my neck.
I jerked weakly, turning just enough to see Neo retracting a syringe from my skin.
“A sedative,” he explained calmly. “Your heart rate was becoming dangerous.”
My limbs immediately grew heavy. The panic still clawed at me, but it was sinking beneath thick waves of exhaustion. My breathing slowed against my will. My eyelids drooped. The last thing I saw before darkness pulled me under was the transmitter screen still waiting for a response from Erid.
What feels like only a few seconds later, I jolt awake in my bunk. My head throbs with a dull, relentless ache, every pulse pounding behind my eyes. My body feels impossibly heavy, like gravity itself has doubled while I slept. Even breathing takes effort. The dim lights of the ship blur together as I stare at the ceiling, trying to remember what happened, how long I’d been unconscious.
“How long was I out?” My voice comes out rough and weak.
“Two hours,” Neo replies calmly from somewhere above me.
“Two hours?!” Adrenaline cuts through the exhaustion like a knife. I lurch upright too quickly, panic surging through my chest. “Did we receive a response?!”
I try to swing my legs off the bunk, but the second my feet touch the floor my knees buckle beneath me. I hit the cold metal floor hard, pain shooting through my shoulder.
“Yes,” Neo says, maddeningly composed. “Would you like me to read it for you?”
“Yes!” I snap, breathless. I roll onto my back, dizziness churns in my stomach, like waking up hungover. My heart pounds.
Hello,
This is Dr. Ryland Grace. We are excited to welcome you to Erid. Eridian engineers will be waiting at the station to assist with docking procedures, and I will personally be there to meet you.
What an exciting experience this will be for all of us. I look forward to discussing your research with you.
Dr.Grace
Silence floods the room after the message ends.
My mouth goes dry.
“What…” The word barely escapes me.
“Would you like me to read it again?” Neo asks.
“No.”
The answer comes instantly, almost whispered.
That can’t be right.
Dr. Ryland Grace.
Alive.
After all these years… after everything that happened… how?
I stare blankly at the ceiling, my thoughts spiraling faster and faster. Every report, every calculation, every probability Ryland Grace was supposed to be dead. There was no scenario where he survived this long. No scenario where anyone survived this long.
Yet his words were right there.
He was waiting for me. The man that casted a shadow over my entire existence. Earth's saviour.
Hey guys thank you if you made it to the end I’m working on chapter two now, please tell me what you liked and what you didn’t I’m open to criticism this is my first time doing creative writing!
OK y’all I finished the book, let writing chapter 1 of my fanfic commence . Also, I’m thinking about making a lethal mother daughter relationship between my character and Stratt , What do we think?
Also time dilation is really hard to work with so if the timeline seems off, y’all can’t get mad at me
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I am also hand crafting the most diabolical depressing melancholy playlist for my character in this fan fic. I plan of having the fic take place over a significant time where she is away from earth and living on Erid or in space.
So all these songs just kinda make me think of life and evoke a feeling of nostalgia or reminiscences. But they also are a reminder that she is so far away from her home.
Thanks for enjoying my smut, I am also in the process of writing a long multi chapter sequel basically to project Hail Mary once I’m done the book. It’s going to be from my main character POV and not Ryland’s. I’ve been contemplating between it be a Y\N or OC I’d love to know what yall prefer
Here a sneak peek it definitely needs a lot of work but yea!
Future tags: Erid older Ryland (mid 50s) x reader (late 30s) or OC, technically age gap, fluffy, comedy, romance, smut, probably some kind of tragic event, domestic life on Erid
The cold air bit at my skin as I stared out over the endless stretch of ice.
“Captain Y/L/N, Dr. Stratt wants you on the bridge.”
“Thanks.” I gave the soldier a quick smile before stepping back inside, moving through the ship’s narrow, damp halls.
Eva Stratt stood at the front of the control room, eyes fixed on her laptop, her expression unreadable I couldn’t tell if she was happy or sad but these day everyone looked like that.
“You asked for me, ma’am?” I snapped to attention.
Stratt didn’t look up right away. “You just finished your master’s in space communications engineering, correct?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I hesitated. “Why?”
Stratt finally glanced up. “How would you feel about doing a PhD?”
I blinked. “I mean, of course I’d love to. But I’m currently assigned to serve the UN as a soldier, given the situation.”
A small smile tugged at Stratt’s lips.
“What would you even want to study?” she asked.
“Whatever helps fix… all this,” I said, gesturing vaguely.
Stratt let out a short laugh.
I frowned. “Did I miss something?”
“The problem’s already been solved,” Stratt said. “But I’m going to need to upgrade your clearance before I explain.”
She closed the laptop with a soft click.
“Welcome to the team, my new recruit.”
Stratt’s voice faded as my eyes fluttered open, aching while they adjusted to the harsh light filtering through the life support bag. My mouth and throat were dry, and an uncomfortable, stiff heaviness clung to my limbs. I pushed myself up slowly, climbing out of the bag and bracing against the table for balance.
“Waking up never gets easier,” I muttered, breathing hard. “I swear… I can’t wait for this to be the last time. Or at least the last for a while.”
“Good morning, Captain Y/L/N. Shall I start the wake-up protocol?” the ship’s AI suggested as it scanned me, making sure my vitals were stable.
“Yeah, and please don’t mess up my coffee this time. And I need water, stat.” I groaned, rubbing my temple and ripping out my drip IV ignoring the worried alarm from the AI. I stumbled to the storage unit on the wall, pressing it open and pulling out my jumpsuit.
“Oh, and we should be in range of Erid now. Initiate the connection with the planet . Let’s hope they set everything up the way I instructed.”
I paused, thinking back to the equipment I’d designed for this mission, sent ahead long before my arrival—back when I wasn’t even sure the stations could be fully assembled, let alone capable of transmitting all the way back to Earth.
I designed 11 small transmission stations over 15 years each one was launch one after another the first one being the one sent to Erid cause it would be the one travel the farthest.
So let me know what you think please I’ll post chapter one once I finish the book and have a full grasp on Ryland character and his story lines end, obviously I won’t be following Canon to a tea cause this is fan fiction but I still wanna be accurate.
