ryland grace the ace in space

-🧿

[Grace has been asleep with his head leaning against the table and the blanket Simon brought him around his shoulders. He blinks as he wakes up, and then slowly lifts his head up — it’s as if his body is heavy, unable to move. Grace’s voice is hoarse and weak.]

-🧿

[Grace has been asleep with his head leaning against the table and the blanket Simon brought him around his shoulders. He blinks as he wakes up, and then slowly lifts his head up — it’s as if his body is heavy, unable to move. Grace’s voice is hoarse and weak.]

-🧿

[Grace has been asleep with his head leaning against the table and the blanket Simon brought him around his shoulders. He blinks as he wakes up, and then slowly lifts his head up — it’s as if his body is heavy, unable to move. Grace’s voice is hoarse and weak.]

..everything okay, Grace..?

@s1m0n-th3-butch3r

[He went and got Grace some food, and a blanket, just draping the blanket over Grace's shoulders.]

Of all the kids you’ve taught, I’m sure most of them are fine. In fact most of them should be like… adults, right?

[Grace puts his head in his hands.]

Oh my God…

[Billions of people dead. Nearly 50 of his kiddos. More than his biggest class by far. Maybe if he’d been faster — if he’d collected the taumoeba faster, if he’d gotten the Beetles back quicker, if he’d been braver — maybe his kiddos would have survived —]

[He taught middle schoolers. Kids. Fourty-three sets of parents had to bury their kids. Fourty-three graves were smaller than they should have been. Fourty-three of his kind, sweet, insightful students never got to become scientists or artists or teachers in their own right. Because of the astrophage. Because his solution couldn’t get there quick enough. Because of him.]

They weren't all kids when they died. Most of them died within the last five years. Three more died of non-astrophage related reasons.

The birth-rate of the whole Earth has dropped to 0.37. The highest birthrate of any country is Russia, with 0.65. 80% of all insect species are extinct, 95% of all marine life. Scavenger animals are taking over most parts of the land, but even they're starting to drop in numbers. Political assassinations have increased by a factor of 10 since you were sent away. North Korea forced its citizens to commit mass suicide to save resources for those in power, and shortly thereafter dissolved into anarchy.

Many government bodies have been dismantled entirely due to population crash. Smaller communities of one to two hundred have started forming instead. Literacy rates have fallen by 70% worldwide. During the global hospital crash, over 700 million people dependant on constant care perished.

…Fourty-six.

Of all the kids you’ve taught, I’m sure most of them are fine. In fact most of them should be like… adults, right?

[Grace puts his head in his hands.]

Oh my God…

[Billions of people dead. Nearly 50 of his kiddos. More than his biggest class by far. Maybe if he’d been faster — if he’d collected the taumoeba faster, if he’d gotten the Beetles back quicker, if he’d been braver — maybe his kiddos would have survived —]

[He taught middle schoolers. Kids. Fourty-three sets of parents had to bury their kids. Fourty-three graves were smaller than they should have been. Fourty-three of his kind, sweet, insightful students never got to become scientists or artists or teachers in their own right. Because of the astrophage. Because his solution couldn’t get there quick enough. Because of him.]