Everyone knows there's something *off* with Ryland Grace. It's just one of those things you feel when you meet someone like him. Something is a little to the left. But most brush it off or ignore it because he's honestly a chill dude. He's so friendly and always knows people or things and is just cool.

Grace grew up knowing what he was, obviously, and he's not quite Earth and he's not quite Humanity but something in between. It's a little clunky being in a human body but what else would he ever be? He's been a man before, or a woman, or both, or neither, or changed, or stayed. He's been all and everything that humans can be and he loves himself, because the world is a part of him

The thing is, if it's not *on* Earth, he doesn't know about it. He can't. But he wants to. He IS humanity and he is so so so curious about what he does not know. So Ryland Grace was born to explore and investigate the stars nice and safe from the comfort of Earth.

Stratt knows almost immediately that whatever Dr. Ryland Grace is he must be on her side. So she recruits him for Project Hail Mary and Grace is thrilled to. He wouldn't die if humanity did- but he wouldn't be the same. He would lose the majority of what makes him *him* so of course he wants to help. Except then the accident happens and Stratt sends him.

Grace doesn't want to go. He's never been off of Earth before but if he does IF HE DOES he won't be himself anymore. He won't be Earth. He'll lose something. He might even lose the part of him that is human, if he's not around any others. He's terrified. He didn't know something like him could BE terrified but he is.

He tells Stratt no. She tells him he's their best hope. He has every scientific achievement of humanity inside of him, a part of him. He can do this. He has to do this.

He tells Stratt no. She locks him up and she tells him he WILL go.

He tells Stratt no. And his body is human, and weak, and vulnerable.

But still. He tells Stratt no, and she sends him anyway, and the fact that she is at all capable of sending him is enough of a yes that she prays to the universe that he will succeed to save himself if nothing else.

And Grace wakes up on a space ship, alone, and cries over two of his children dead in the stars. And he is no longer Earth. But Humanity isn't constrained by the planet it comes from, so he is still part of himself. And he's gonna fix this fucking star problem one way or another because the human spirit is indomitable.