you cannot convince me that, within 15 minutes of the press release from the Hail Mary Project that, while unfortunately a lab accident did kill the primary and back up science officers for the mission, Dr. Ryland Grace was kidnapped and drugged bravely volunteered to step into the role of science officer to ensure the project still met its launch date, the project's public-facing email address was not flooded with emails from Dr. Grace's former students. and more kept coming. some to accounts that should've been private. and then come messages from his former colleagues. and Stratt, ever pragmatic, prints out as many as the team can verify are legit, puts them in a box, and places that box within Grace's things. because while maybe she couldn't convince him that he was the right man for the role, the kids he tried to cite as being why he wasn't could.
but, due to the fog of the amnesia, then the urgency of the mission plus Rocky's appearance, Grace doesn't fully look through every box until they're on their way to Erid. and that's when Rocky wakes up from sleep to see Grace sobbing over a bunch of letters. students telling him how much they enjoyed his class, actually made learning fun and interesting. got them through tough days. made them feel seen and appreciated. quite a few cite his class as being the spark that got them interested in science as a career. and even those that didn't still consider him the best teacher they ever had. fellow teachers admiring his classroom management and lesson planning, and even so his kindness to every student who walked into his room.
one letter is from the principal. when Dr. Grace's involvement in the Hail Mary Project became public knowledge, there was a push from the community to rename the school after him. after discussions with the school board, there had been a secret agreement to do so, even had a new sign made. they were just waiting for him to be released from the project and return to San Fransisco to surprise him. but, with the recent news of his "noble sacrifice", they'd gone ahead and done it. attached the press release with a picture of the new sign, a bunch of his former students standing around it, beaming. a local artist has been commissioned to add a mural to the front entrance over the summer break. and a final note: "Do your work knowing that it will allow the Dr. Ryland Grace Middle School to continue to educate and inspire students for generations."
after he managed to stop leaking, Grace reads Rocky some of the letters. and its in that moment that Rocky swears that, should they find a way to keep Grace alive on Erid, he will teach there.
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