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Why didn't rocky go back to Erid when his crew died?
HOLY SHIT. HOLY SHIT.
I just had a realization.
Why didn't Rocky go back to Erid when his crew died? Or even while they were dying? Is that ever explained? I don't remember, and I've read the book.
So here's my headcanon:
Rocky never went back to Erid because he thought he had some strange, incurable disease that he was somehow immune to. He didn't want to risk bringing it back and contaminating his entire species, so, in a way, Rocky was on a suicide mission too. He was prepared to die alone in space if it meant protecting Erid from whatever had killed his crew.
It would also explain why he stayed, because Erid would have been sent their most capable scientists to the Blip-A working on the problem. From Rocky's perspective, there was nothing he could do except keep himself isolated.
Then Grace explains radiation.
And suddenly Rocky realizes...
He isn't contagious.
He can go home.
He can see his mate again. His friends. His old life.
He gets all of that back because this weird leaky space blob took the time to figure out what had actually happened.
So of course Rocky gives Grace the fuel. Grace didn't just save Eridâhe saved Rocky. He gave him his life back.
I'm losing my marbles over here. Please tell me I'm not the only one who thought of this. đ
ok I know I seem insane for watching project hail mary for the fourth time in 10 days but I got to watch it with the directors commentary tonight and itâs incredible how much thought and love went into this film by EVERYONE. the directors, ryan gosling himself, the sound department, costumes, set production, cameras. everyone has so much pride and the story is so beloved by all. anyway here are some of my favorite things from the commentary
no one knew how to pronounce eridani (air-id-ah-ni or air-re-deni) so they just literally never said it in the film
the âgood luckâ at the beginning is supposed to have been written by the astronauts on the ISS who delivered ryland to the hail mary
when ryland calls stratt after successfully breeding astrophage and he says âcarl and I made a baby,â that was ryan gosling was calling sandra hĂźller on her day off and she had no idea thatâs what he was going to say. that âwhatâ was her genuine first reaction
the scientist whom ryland called a stagnating waste of carbon was the bearded guy sitting next to him and stratt in the initial phm meeting
the idea of the soundtrack being so hopeful was supposed to be like there were two different planets cheering him on
when ryland is sitting on the beach in that donât-go-crazy room and sees a figure walking towards him, thatâs him on erid at the end. heâs seeing himselfÂ
among the markings on rocky were the petrova line mission patch, his rank, family crest, and wedding band
rocky always stamped his claw on the ground twice for a question
they wanted to make it so that eridani could have different tones. so it could be a given series of keys for one word and then you could change the frequencies for happy, sad, scared, etc.
after rocky wakes up and asks ryland if they caught the taumeoba and ryland shakes his head no and then yes, the directors went âwhat an odd thing to doâ
ryan gosling wrapped all the gifts that ryland gave to rocky himself
the entire reason that exchange panel was put on rockyâs ball was so that ryland could pass him the little beanie earth
the movie starts with an upside down shot of ryland waking up. the epilogue starts with a right-side up shot of ryland waking up. he also makes his bed and brushes his teeth to show how time has passed LOL
their headcanon for explaining the rocky nature of the beach is that the eridians tried to emulate sand but got the scale of the grains wrong
rocky had them create a beach, and wave machine for the beach, and a tree for ryland so that he felt closer to home, but rocky was all he needed for that
When Grace is six years old he receives his soulmateâs first lost item. Itâs a strange hollow cylinder, similar to a pencil, semi-translucent and blotchy brown. It looks like glass, but it canât be; Grace has dropped it several times in his clumsy enthusiasm, and hasn't broken nor chiped. He is absolutely overjoyed by the fact that he finally has a soulmate, even if he has no idea what the object actually is. His parents are mostly just relieved that their son has stopped crying over not having a soulmate.
Grace goes to class the next day and shows everyone his soulmateâs strange object. He tells them itâs a pencil cover, something to make pencils look nicer. The classroom stares at him strangely, and his teacher gives him a look of pity, Grace in his young enthusiasm doesn't notice, too enamored with the object in his hands.
His bullies catch wind of it quickly. Grace is a weak kid, an easy target. They rip the cylinder from his hands and throw it to the ground. The cylinder doesnât break, but something inside Grace does. He feels small, insignificant. He cries to his parents about what happened, but his father only tells him he was stupid for taking something precious to school, where things are always lost or stolen.
Grace drags himself to his room, whimpering softly. He doesnât know where to keep something so important without losing it. In the end, he places the cylinder inside a shoebox. He doesnât have anything better.
__________
Grace is twelve when the second object from his soulmate arrives.
One morning he wakes to find the strangest thing sitting on his pillow. For a second, he wonders if he lost a tooth and this is some bizarre version of the tooth fairy, but thatâs impossible. Which means it came from his soulmate.
He jumps around the room in excitement.
Itâs a small figure, around the size of his fist, mostly turquoise with brown spots that somehow blend together beautifully. It looks like a mix between a crab and a spider, five limbs attached to a rounded carapace that spikes upward. The material almost looks 3D-printed, though Grace has never seen anything quite like it before.
Itâs gorgeous.
The figure immediately becomes Graceâs most precious possession. He tells no one about it because he wants it to be his and his alone. He keeps it on his nightstand because he wants to fall asleep looking at it and wake up to the sight of something his soulmate once touched. Whenever someone strange comes to the house or his parents visit his room, Grace puts the figure into the shoe box. Â
With it comes a realization: his soulmate must be an artist, someone who loves arthropods and strange little creatures.
That realization quietly shapes Graceâs future.
He studies biology in school, always choosing every science elective he can. Eventually he discovers that molecular biology fascinates him even more. Sometimes he thinks, distantly, that he owes his soulmate everything. Without them, he might never have found what he loves.
Turquoise becomes Graceâs favorite color.
______________
Grace is eighteen, living in his tiny student apartment after starting college early, when the next item appears.
The box itself is the first thing that catches his attention. Itâs made from the same strange material as the cylinder his soulmate sent years ago. Grace turns it over carefully in his hands, marveling at it before opening it.
The lid is covered in strange mathematical symbols.
Inside is, frankly, junk.
At least thatâs the only word Grace can think of for the bizarre collection of trinkets, rocks, and crystals filling the box. Nothing looks functional, yet Grace loves every single piece anyway.
One crystal in particular catches his attention. Itâs transparent with flat sides, though it isnât any polyhedron he recognizes. A hexagonal prism sits at its center, and the whole thing glimmers beautifully in the light.
The next day, Grace visits one of those tiny crystal shops with incense smoke thick enough to choke. He asks the woman behind the counter if she has a way for him to wear the crystal safely.
The woman is older, dressed entirely in blue, her hair pulled into a tight bun. Her sharp green eyes settle on the crystal the moment he places it on the counter.
âOtherworldly,â she murmurs as she touches it briefly . âYour soulmate is unlike anyone else. Just like this gem.â
Grace freezes.
He never told her it came from his soulmate.
Still, he leaves the shop wearing a spiraling wire pendant that cradles the crystal safely without altering it. The word otherworldly lingers in his mind the whole walk home.
It feels right.
From then on, Grace never takes the pendant off. It stays tucked beneath his shirt, resting close to his heart. The junk box becomes the new shoe box and the upgrade heals something within him.Â
At twenty-four, he receives another figurine.
This one is smaller and rounder than the first, almost its complete opposite. Grace finds that oddly amusing and terribly endearing. Itâs mostly brown, but three of its limbs are tipped with the same bright turquoise.
The figurine becomes his little companion while he works on his thesis in the research lab.
By now Grace has a few friends, enough people around him that he feels comfortable showing off the gifts from his soulmate. They coo over the little crab-like figure, fascinated by its curious design.
For once, life is good.
____________
When Grace turns thirty, life reaches its lowest point.
His thesis about water not being necessary for life is treated like a joke by the scientific community. No one gives him a chance. Linda, his girlfriend, cheats on him with Markâher soulmate. Objectively, Grace knows it never would have worked; they werenât each otherâs soulmates. But the silent treatment and her sudden disappearance still hurt deeply. He spends days crying, trying desperately to understand where he went wrong. He wonders if something is fundamentally broken inside him. Maybe he doesnât really have a soulmate. Maybe heâs simply meant to end up alone, because not even his parents love him, he hasnât spoken to them in four years.
Eventually, Grace becomes a teacher because he has nowhere else to go, nothing else to, the best he can do is to put his science knowledge to work.Â
After his first day teaching, he returns to his tiny apartment exhausted, only to find another gift waiting for him.
Itâs a scale model of a solar system. Not Earthâs solar system, but something entirely alien and impossibly beautiful.
Grace cries the moment he sees it. Because he does have a soulmate. Someone out there likes the same things he does. Someone out there exists.
The gift gives him hope.
So Grace throws himself into teaching. He teaches his students about space with colorful models and impossible enthusiasm. He takes control of his life again, and for the first time in years, it feels good to make a difference in the world, even if itâs only through children who leave his classroom loving science just a little more than before.
________
At thirty-two, Grace is a well-established teacher in his community. The kids adore him. He holds the unofficial title of coolest science teacher in the school, and nobody fails his class.
Life is genuinely becoming good.
Then Eva Stratt appears.
The Petrova crisis drags Grace into becoming the right hand of the most powerful woman on Earth. The pressure is unbearable, and the number of people they fuck over in the process is catastrophic. Part of Grace would rather stay in his classroom teaching children about planets and cells.
But another part of him is enthralled. Astrophage is everything he ever dreamed science could be.
And then it happens.
âDr. Ryland Grace, you have to go as the Hail Maryâs scientist.â
âI put the ânotâ in astronaut,â Grace jokes weakly, voice trembling around the words.
âYou have three hours to decide.â
âI⌠I donât want to go. Iâm not made for that.â
âYes, you are. You have the coma gene and are the leading expert in astrophage. Apprehend him.â Her eyes are cold.
âNoâNO! Iâm not gonna go!â They chase him. Karl included. That betrayal hurts far more than Lindaâs ever did.
They force him to the ground.
âDonât worry,â Stratt says, holding up a syringe. âBy the time you wake up, you wonât remember any of this and will do your job rightâ
âYouâre murdering me,â Grace sobs into the pavement, salt tears soaking into the ground.
Chapter 2 â
Thank you for reading!! Coments and kudos are highly apreciated.
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They sleep together, or else Rocky would apparently have an aneurysm. By Eridian standards, it's a vestigial instinct from a time when their species was hunted by predators. Nowadays, though, it's more a symbol of a happy community and loving partnerships.
Grace hasn't slept beside anyone since Linda, and having company again feels surprisingly nice, even if it's a little strange. Rocky's underside isn't particularly pretty, but the little noises he makes are oddly soothingâsoft purrs and happy chirps that fill the silence around.
 Looking after Rocky also turns out to be much less of a burden than Grace expected. Eridians sleep like rocks, literally. Rocky settles as close to the barrier as possible and promptly conks out without even twitching. As long as Grace is there when he wakes up, Rocky is perfectly content, which means Grace is more or less free to do whatever he wants. Apparently nothing can wake an eridian up, which is exactly why they evolved to watch each other while they sleep.
It must have been difficult to tell if an Eridian was alive while they slept. Grace can't help thinking about Rocky watching over his crew for all those years, never knowing what had happened to them. Why did Rocky survive when the others didn't? He'll have to ask at some point.
The first time Grace rolls over in his sleep, Rocky immediately starts chirping anxiously until he wakes up. That, in turn, lead to an entirely new explanation about how humans sleep, dream, toss, turn, snore, and occasionally make deeply concerning noises for absolutely no reason.
Rocky is starting to believe whoever designed humans must have hated them, and honestly, he might be right. He's going to be horrified the day he learns about periods and discovers that only half the population has to deal with them. Surprisingly, though, he really likes it when Grace snores. To Rocky, the steady rumbling means Grace is alive, and the occasional incoherent mumbling sounds just enough like Eridian speech to make him happy.
Basically, Grace has discovered he can be as annoying as he wants while he sleeps, because every strange noise just reassures Rocky that he's still alive.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Hi, Grace."
"...You're in a ball!?" Rocky is, indeed, inside a giant xenonite ball, rolling around like the galaxy's biggest hamster.
He rolls into the Hail Mary, bumping into furniture and knocking loose tools across the floor.
"Dirty."
Thunk.
"Dirty."
Thunk.
"Dirty."
"Why room so messy?"
"I wasn't expecting company, now was I?"
"No wonder Grace loses so much stuff. Rocky received sock 3,000 seconds ago." Rocky chirps, far too amused with himself.
"I need that sock back. I'm running out of clothes. I don't even think I have matching socks anymore."
"Not true. Grace still has clothes from other crew members."
"That is not a justification for stealing mine. Why don't we trade? You can have some of their clothes instead. They'll probably fit you better anywayâIllyukhina was smaller."
"No. Rocky only wants Grace clothes." He's chittering happily now, stomping his claws against the floor.
"Rocky, there's going to be a point where I actually need those clothes. I can't just walk around naked."
"What naked mean?"
"It means walking around without clothes. All your skin is exposed. It's... kind of a social taboo."
"Eridians also prefer clothes because pretty appearance, but no problem if no clothes. Grace can go without clothes. Rocky not mind."
"Buddy, I know I'm your soulmate and all, but I'm not walking around naked in front of you. Just because Eridians don't mind nudity doesn't mean humans don't. We wear clothes for warmth and protection."
"Human body so weak. Bad design. Rocky want complain to creator. Rocky know because Rocky engineer."
"Sure. I'll get you a call with God."
"Grace being stupid. Now help Rocky move in."
"Wait, what?"
"Rocky come live with Grace on Hail Mary. Rocky finished preparing everything. Easier to live on Hail Mary."
"Hold on! When did you decide this? Why didn't I get a vote? Your ship is biggerâI should be moving into yours."
"Rocky ship atmosphere kill Grace."
"Mine kills you too."
"Rocky ship has no light. Grace cannot roll inside xenonite ball without breaking head. Rocky heard Grace trip with socks, and small things."
"...Is that why you keep stealing them?"
"No. But also good reason."
"...Okay, fair enough."
"But what are you actually going to do? Stay inside that ball forever? What about your life support?"
Rocky eagerly leads him outside the Hail Mary, where stacks of xenonite panels and neatly organized boxes are waiting beside the tunnel.
"Rocky thought of everything. Grace build enclosure for Rocky."
"...Buddy, I've never even finished a puzzle. I'm great at science, but absolutely terrible at building things. I sucked at lego."
"No worry. Rocky instruct."
It does not go nearly as smoothly as Rocky made out to be.
Rocky gives directions constantly, but between the language barrier and Grace's complete lack of construction skillsânot to mention Rocky's perfectionismâit takes far longer than planned. Every time Grace thinks he's finally finished, Rocky produces another box full of xenonite panels.
Five straight days later, Grace is still gluing xenonite sheets together.
It feels disturbingly similar to helping Linda move into his apartment years ago, endlessly carrying box after box of random junk.
Rocky ends up claiming most of the bedroom, insisting that a proper nest is essential and that he needs to stay close enough to keep watch over Grace while they sleep. The laboratory receives only a single observation tube so Rocky can continue helping with experiments.
Thankfully, Grace manages to convince him that the bathroom remains xenonite-free.
Living together turns out to be... surprisingly fun.
They spend hours talking about their cultures while trying to solve the astrophage problem. Eventually they decide to travel to Tau Ceti and collect atmospheric samples.
One day Grace wanders into Rocky's room carrying a burrito.
Rocky is carefully constructing something out of xenonite threats .
"What are you making, Rock?"
"Rocky making base structure for nest. Nest keep same sleeping posture."
"That's actually kind of nice. Do Eridians have a preferred sleeping position?"
Grace takes another bite of his burrito.
Rocky freezes.
"...What did Grace just do?"
"What? I'm eating."
"Disgust! Disgust! Disgust! No eat with Rocky. Why so ugly?"
"...Excuse me? Rocky, I know how to use cutlery. I'm not drooling all over myself."
"No, no. Eridians never eat in front of others. Eating very private. Very ugly."
Grace lowers his burrito.
"...Really?"
"Humans always eat together," Grace says. "There's even a saying: food tastes better with company."
Rocky has completely stopped working. His claws are pinching together nervously.
"Eridians secrete waste, then eat through same orifice. Same hole. Very private âŚ. and ugly."
"...So that's what the opening on your underside is for."
"Yes. Only hole in Eridian anatomy. Eridians much better designed."
"Yeah, yeah, stop reminding me humans are the inferior species. Still, it can't be that disgusting. Humans sometimes secrete waste through our mouths too, especially when we're sick."
"It taboo on Erid. Grace ask no more."
"...Fair enough."
Grace raises the burrito again.
"So... can I still eat around you?"
"Grace can eat near Rocky. As long as Grace not secrete waste from eating orifice."
"...Deal."
Grace grins.
"Now tell me more about Eridian sleeping arrangements."
"Eridians sleep together when mated, or with parents when pebbles," Rocky explained, his voice climbing excitedly in pitch. "If no mate, then friend or colony member watch sleeping Eridian. Nest only shared with mates. Very intimate. Place where sleep and eggs incubate."
He proudly gestured with his claws.
"Some burrows have two sleeping areas. One for partners and family. Other for friends keeping watch. Not as intimate."
Grace couldn't help smiling.
"Nests made with mates' always have sleeping positions in mind, so everyone fits perfectly and can keep watch. Better to have more than one partner. So mates can thrum while other sleep."
"That's... actually lovely, Rocky." Grace rested his chin on his hand. "Humans usually sleep alone if they don't have a partner. We like sleeping with other people too, but it's nowhere near as ritualistic as the way Eridians do."
A part of him ached.
He would have liked that.
To fall asleep wrapped around someone before he died in space.
The thought hit him harder than expected.
He'd never told Rocky.
The guilt settled in his stomach like a stone.
It was better this way. Better that Rocky never knew. It was good that Rocky already had Adrienâsomeone who would still love him and keep watch after Grace was gone.
When had he started thinking like that?
When had the strange sentient rock become someone whose happiness mattered more than his own?
When had he fallen for someone who had spent years throwing boxes full of gifts into space, hoping against all odds they would someday reach him?
He was down bad, wasn't he.
There were worse fates than spending the rest of his short life in love.
His fingers drifted to the crystal pendant around his neck.
"Tell me, Rock how do you sleep with Adrien?"
"Yes, yes!" Rocky chirped happily. "Rocky explain! Rocky already thinking how Grace fit into nest."
Oh, Rocky... if only you knew.
"Adrien bigger than Rocky. Rocky sleeps between two Adrien limbs, and Adrien curls around Rocky so Rocky not roll away. Rocky very round."
Grace laughed.Â
"Aw, Rock. You're the little spoon. That's cute."
"What being little spoon mean?"
One explanation involving kitchen spoons laterâwhich required Grace to actually fetch two spoons from the galleyâRocky understood the concept and immediately decided he liked the phrase.
"Grace big spoon or small spoon?"
"Usually the big spoon." Grace smiled softly. "But honestly... I'd like to be the little spoon sometimes. I really like hugs."
"What is hug?"
"It's when you wrap your arms around someone and pull them close. Kind of like what Adrien does when you sleep. You hold someone close because you love them."
"Eridians do not hug." Rocky paused. "But Rocky really want wrap around Grace and not let go."
Grace laughed.
"I'd like that too. Why don't you get inside your ball and I'll show you?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Rocky now get in hamster ball!"
He still found the word hamster endlessly amusing.
Rocky climbed inside the xenonite sphere and rolled over until he stopped in front of Grace. Grace sat on the floor, opened his legs, and motioned him closer. Rocky rolled into the space between them.
Grace scooted forward until his knees surrounded the ball. He rested his cheek against the cool xenonite, wrapped both arms around it, and pulled it gently against his chest.
"This," Grace whispered, "is a hug."
âWhat does rocky do nowâ Rocky tapped one hesitant claw against the inside of the sphereÂ
âJust get close and enjoy itâ Rocky twitched in place pressing his carapace against the spot where Grace's cheek rested.
"How long hug last?"
"You kind of... just know when it's over."
Grace closed his eyes.
"But honestly..."
He hugged the ball a little tighter.
"I really needed this. Can we stay like this for a while? You're really warm... and I just want to feel you close."
"Yes. Yes. Yes." Rocky's purr rumbled through the xenonite. "Rocky stay close for Grace. Rocky like to bring Grace warmth. Rocky wish could hug Grace back."
The gentle vibrations carried through the ball and into Grace's arms. He let out a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding. His whole body slowly relaxing with Rocky's comforting purrs.
"Hey, Rock? Could you pretty up the necklace, like you said on the tunnel"
"Of course!" Rocky chirped. "Rocky make necklace beautiful. Grace will sound even prettier."
Grace smiled, thumb brushing over the crystal.
"Thank you, Rock."
I think I could love you so much it would destroy me.
â Chapter 1/Chapter 5â
_________
Thank you for reading!
At first, I really didn't like this chapter. I was feeling pretty unmotivated while writing it, and for a while I thought it just wasn't working. But then the ending came together after a burst of inspiration, and I'm actually really happy with how it turned out. I like giving each chapter a bit of emotional depth, and I think this one managed to find it in the end.
Sorry this update took so longâI almost made you all wait two weeks for it. Hopefully the next chapter will finally cover the fishing incident... assuming I don't get distracted by another emotional conversation between these two idiots. đ
When Grace is six years old he receives his soulmateâs first lost item. Itâs a strange hollow cylinder, similar to a pencil, semi-translucent and blotchy brown. It looks like glass, but it canât be; Grace has dropped it several times in his clumsy enthusiasm, and hasn't broken nor chiped. He is absolutely overjoyed by the fact that he finally has a soulmate, even if he has no idea what the object actually is. His parents are mostly just relieved that their son has stopped crying over not having a soulmate.
Grace goes to class the next day and shows everyone his soulmateâs strange object. He tells them itâs a pencil cover, something to make pencils look nicer. The classroom stares at him strangely, and his teacher gives him a look of pity, Grace in his young enthusiasm doesn't notice, too enamored with the object in his hands.
His bullies catch wind of it quickly. Grace is a weak kid, an easy target. They rip the cylinder from his hands and throw it to the ground. The cylinder doesnât break, but something inside Grace does. He feels small, insignificant. He cries to his parents about what happened, but his father only tells him he was stupid for taking something precious to school, where things are always lost or stolen.
Grace drags himself to his room, whimpering softly. He doesnât know where to keep something so important without losing it. In the end, he places the cylinder inside a shoebox. He doesnât have anything better.
__________
Grace is twelve when the second object from his soulmate arrives.
One morning he wakes to find the strangest thing sitting on his pillow. For a second, he wonders if he lost a tooth and this is some bizarre version of the tooth fairy, but thatâs impossible. Which means it came from his soulmate.
He jumps around the room in excitement.
Itâs a small figure, around the size of his fist, mostly turquoise with brown spots that somehow blend together beautifully. It looks like a mix between a crab and a spider, five limbs attached to a rounded carapace that spikes upward. The material almost looks 3D-printed, though Grace has never seen anything quite like it before.
Itâs gorgeous.
The figure immediately becomes Graceâs most precious possession. He tells no one about it because he wants it to be his and his alone. He keeps it on his nightstand because he wants to fall asleep looking at it and wake up to the sight of something his soulmate once touched. Whenever someone strange comes to the house or his parents visit his room, Grace puts the figure into the shoe box. Â
With it comes a realization: his soulmate must be an artist, someone who loves arthropods and strange little creatures.
That realization quietly shapes Graceâs future.
He studies biology in school, always choosing every science elective he can. Eventually he discovers that molecular biology fascinates him even more. Sometimes he thinks, distantly, that he owes his soulmate everything. Without them, he might never have found what he loves.
Turquoise becomes Graceâs favorite color.
______________
Grace is eighteen, living in his tiny student apartment after starting college early, when the next item appears.
The box itself is the first thing that catches his attention. Itâs made from the same strange material as the cylinder his soulmate sent years ago. Grace turns it over carefully in his hands, marveling at it before opening it.
The lid is covered in strange mathematical symbols.
Inside is, frankly, junk.
At least thatâs the only word Grace can think of for the bizarre collection of trinkets, rocks, and crystals filling the box. Nothing looks functional, yet Grace loves every single piece anyway.
One crystal in particular catches his attention. Itâs transparent with flat sides, though it isnât any polyhedron he recognizes. A hexagonal prism sits at its center, and the whole thing glimmers beautifully in the light.
The next day, Grace visits one of those tiny crystal shops with incense smoke thick enough to choke. He asks the woman behind the counter if she has a way for him to wear the crystal safely.
The woman is older, dressed entirely in blue, her hair pulled into a tight bun. Her sharp green eyes settle on the crystal the moment he places it on the counter.
âOtherworldly,â she murmurs as she touches it briefly . âYour soulmate is unlike anyone else. Just like this gem.â
Grace freezes.
He never told her it came from his soulmate.
Still, he leaves the shop wearing a spiraling wire pendant that cradles the crystal safely without altering it. The word otherworldly lingers in his mind the whole walk home.
It feels right.
From then on, Grace never takes the pendant off. It stays tucked beneath his shirt, resting close to his heart. The junk box becomes the new shoe box and the upgrade heals something within him.Â
At twenty-four, he receives another figurine.
This one is smaller and rounder than the first, almost its complete opposite. Grace finds that oddly amusing and terribly endearing. Itâs mostly brown, but three of its limbs are tipped with the same bright turquoise.
The figurine becomes his little companion while he works on his thesis in the research lab.
By now Grace has a few friends, enough people around him that he feels comfortable showing off the gifts from his soulmate. They coo over the little crab-like figure, fascinated by its curious design.
For once, life is good.
____________
When Grace turns thirty, life reaches its lowest point.
His thesis about water not being necessary for life is treated like a joke by the scientific community. No one gives him a chance. Linda, his girlfriend, cheats on him with Markâher soulmate. Objectively, Grace knows it never would have worked; they werenât each otherâs soulmates. But the silent treatment and her sudden disappearance still hurt deeply. He spends days crying, trying desperately to understand where he went wrong. He wonders if something is fundamentally broken inside him. Maybe he doesnât really have a soulmate. Maybe heâs simply meant to end up alone, because not even his parents love him, he hasnât spoken to them in four years.
Eventually, Grace becomes a teacher because he has nowhere else to go, nothing else to, the best he can do is to put his science knowledge to work.Â
After his first day teaching, he returns to his tiny apartment exhausted, only to find another gift waiting for him.
Itâs a scale model of a solar system. Not Earthâs solar system, but something entirely alien and impossibly beautiful.
Grace cries the moment he sees it. Because he does have a soulmate. Someone out there likes the same things he does. Someone out there exists.
The gift gives him hope.
So Grace throws himself into teaching. He teaches his students about space with colorful models and impossible enthusiasm. He takes control of his life again, and for the first time in years, it feels good to make a difference in the world, even if itâs only through children who leave his classroom loving science just a little more than before.
________
At thirty-two, Grace is a well-established teacher in his community. The kids adore him. He holds the unofficial title of coolest science teacher in the school, and nobody fails his class.
Life is genuinely becoming good.
Then Eva Stratt appears.
The Petrova crisis drags Grace into becoming the right hand of the most powerful woman on Earth. The pressure is unbearable, and the number of people they fuck over in the process is catastrophic. Part of Grace would rather stay in his classroom teaching children about planets and cells.
But another part of him is enthralled. Astrophage is everything he ever dreamed science could be.
And then it happens.
âDr. Ryland Grace, you have to go as the Hail Maryâs scientist.â
âI put the ânotâ in astronaut,â Grace jokes weakly, voice trembling around the words.
âYou have three hours to decide.â
âI⌠I donât want to go. Iâm not made for that.â
âYes, you are. You have the coma gene and are the leading expert in astrophage. Apprehend him.â Her eyes are cold.
âNoâNO! Iâm not gonna go!â They chase him. Karl included. That betrayal hurts far more than Lindaâs ever did.
They force him to the ground.
âDonât worry,â Stratt says, holding up a syringe. âBy the time you wake up, you wonât remember any of this and will do your job rightâ
âYouâre murdering me,â Grace sobs into the pavement, salt tears soaking into the ground.
Chapter 2 â
Thank you for reading!! Coments and kudos are highly apreciated.
Sorry fot the late update,.Today more comunication going on.
Rocky was surprisingly easy to understand and get along with. His impeccable memory allowed him to learn English at an astonishing pace, and together they made remarkable progress combining their knowledge of astrophage. Even though saving their worlds should have been their highest priority, Rocky constantly asked personal questions.
Grace found it deeply embarrassing when Rocky started returning things he had lost over the years. The alien seemed endlessly fascinated by every little detail of his life. Rocky brought out stacks of papers he had collected throughout the years and asked Grace to explain them. Grace had to tell him that humans perceived the world through sight rather than sound, and that the reason Rocky could faintly hear the paper at all was because Grace had pressed hard enough into it to leave impressions while writing during stressful moments.
Rocky had somehow managed to preserve years' worth of notes. Some came from Grace's research days, including drafts of his failed thesis. Looking at them brought back a wave of unpleasant memories. Naturally, Rocky became fascinated by the research and asked endless questions. Grace explained everything: his ideas about life without water, the scientific backlash, and how thoroughly his career had imploded. Unlike many of his former colleagues, Rocky seemed genuinely interested. Even though biology wasn't his field, he offered thoughtful observations and surprisingly eloquent questions.
When Rocky declared that he intended to share Grace's ideas with other Eridians, something warm settled in Grace's chest, even though he was also dying from mortification on the inside.Â
"Then later, other papers came. Rocky could hear these better. Grace seemed more frustrated." Rocky waved around a bundle of colorful drawings.
Grace laughed immediately.
"No, Rock. Those are drawings my kids made for me."
"Grace has offspring and didn't tell Rocky? Mad, mad, mad!" Rocky trilled in exaggerated offense.
"Haha, no. I'm a teacher. Those are drawings from my students."
Rocky paused.
"Rocky not understand word."
Grace smiled.
"I teach. I pass information to the next generation. And I was a pretty cool teacher. The kids loved my class." He couldn't help the pride in his voice. Out of everything he'd accomplished in life, being the cool teacher was on the top 5.
Rocky tapped happily against the floor.
"Rocky understand. Eridian word is âŠâŹâŹâŞ."
Grace quickly typed the translation into the computer.
"Grace would be very good parent. All pebbles would love Grace and learn all human things."
Grace immediately felt his face heat up. People didn't compliment him often, and Rocky somehow managed to do it constantly. He was suddenly grateful Eridians couldn't see color.
"What made Grace become teacher? And why teacher on space mission?"
The question made Grace hesitate.
"I have to tell you something, Rocky." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't actually know. I know I became a teacher because I got kicked out of the scientific community, but I don't remember why I volunteered to save the stars."
Rocky tilted slightly.
"Grace also lost memories?"
"Yeah. Humans can't remember everything like Eridians can, but my memory is especially bad right now. The travel sleep the coma messed me up. A lot of things are missing. They're coming back slowly, but there are huge gaps."
"What else Grace not remember?"
Grace thought for a moment.
"The faces of my parents. Why I chose bioengineering. Why this necklace feels so important." He lifted the crystal pendant hanging around his neck.
"It looks like clear quartz with a black dot inside. I like it a lot, but every time I try to take it off, I feel awful. Like I'm doing something wrong."
The moment he finished speaking, Rocky practically slammed himself against the xenonite wall, trilling loudly enough to make Grace jump.
"Mine! Mine! Mine! Rocky gave to Grace! Gift so Grace could have piece of stars!"
Grace blinked.
"What?"
"Rocky sent crystal years ago. Rocky worried because gift came back. Rocky thought Grace died."
The words hit him like a physical blow.
A memory surfaced instantly.
Eighteen years old. A strange box from his soulmate, full of crystal and rocks.
One crystal that had felt special.
A pendant shop.
An old woman telling him his soulmate was otherworldly.
Grace laughed helplessly.
"Oh my God."
He touched the pendant lovingly.
"You gave me this."
"Yes!"
"Thank you, Rocky."
The alien practically vibrated.
"Thank you for giving me that memory back. It was important."
"Rocky happy, happy, happy to provide for Grace."
Then Rocky hesitated.
"Would Grace allow Rocky to improve courting gift? Metal holder ruins sound."
Grace felt warmth bloom in his chest. The idea of letting Rocky redesign the pendant should not have felt nearly as intimate as it did.
"Okay."
Rocky practically exploded into excited whistles.
Then another thought struck Grace.
"Wait. Rocky. What do you mean the box came back?"
Rocky's excitement immediately faded.
"Years ago Rocky suddenly received mountain of things. Many, many, many things. Then silence. Long silence. Rocky thought soulmate died."
Grace froze.
"The coma."
Rocky nodded.
"The moment I entered the coma, all my stuff must have gone back to you."
His mind raced. That wasn't supposed to happen. Soulmates occasionally received objects after severe memory loss, but comas? That didn't make sense.Â
Unless...
(You are murdering me!!)
The memory slammed into him so hard it stole the breath from his lungs.
No image.
No context.
Just terror.
His own voice screaming.
Earth beneath his face.
The certainty that he had not wanted to be there.
Grace went pale.
He hadn't volunteered.
Had he? He knew he wasn't meant for the stars, like the sacred nerd he is.Â
His stomach twisted.
Rocky had disappeared back into the tunnel before Grace could say anything, leaving him alone with the crushing realization.
A few minutes later Rocky returned carrying a familiar box.
"Rocky give Grace back box. Grace should have memories."
The box slid through the airlock.
Grace stared at it.
"So I get the box back, but not my clothes?"
Rocky immediately looked smug.
"Those clothes are Rocky's nest."
"You are evil, Rock."
"Correct."
Grace laughed despite himself.
Inside the box sat decades of memories.
"Oh, I remember this. It lived on my desk. My study companion." Grace laughed and held the figurine up for Rocky to listen to.
"That is âŠâŹâŹ âŠâŹâŞâŞ. Rocky wanted it back but felt bad taking it."
Something about Rocky's voice sounded strange. Was that sadness? Guilt?
"Who is that? You can have it back if you want. The one I really like is this one."
Grace pulled Rocky's figurine from his pocket and held it up, smiling.
"That is Rocky's partner. Living partner. Together for over one 180 years."
Grace froze.
"Wait. Rocky, you're married? Or... have a life partner? Do Eridians get more than one soulmate or..."
It felt like a bucket of cold water had just been poured over him. He had been starting to enjoy Rocky's company and the idea of him being his soulmate, but if Rocky already had a partner, then Grace would be nothing more than a homewrecker. Maybe Rocky's clinginess wasn't romantic at all. Maybe Rocky had simply been alone for too many years and was latching onto the first person he'd been able to talk to in decades.
"Grace not worry for âŠâŹâŹ âŠâŹâŞâŞ. Eridians can have more than one partner. Neither Rocky nor âŠâŹâŹ âŠâŹâŞâŞ found soulmate, but we love each other very much. Very compatible. Created beautiful melody together." Rocky hesitated.Â
"Is Grace upset that Rocky has other partner?"
He had folded in on himself, making himself look smaller, as if he were afraid of the answer.
"No, no, no, Rock. It's okay." Grace immediately waved his hands. "I was just worried about interrupting your relationship. Your partner was already there, and I'd just be... an extra. Humans usually only have one partner."
"Oh." Rocky's claws rubbed together anxiously. "Does this mean Grace does not want relationship because Rocky is already with âŠâŹâŹ âŠâŹâŞâŞ? Humans only get one partner. Rocky cannot leave âŠâŹâŹ âŠâŹâŞâŞ. Love them too much."
The conflict in Rocky's voice made Grace's heart ache.
"Hey, hey, hey. We can figure something out if your partner doesn't mind. I just don't want to break anything between you two, okay?" Grace said gently. "Most humans are monogamous, but we can try. I can meet your partner first and see what they think of me. Im an alien after all" He attempted humor.
The idea of joining a relationship that had already existed for almost two centuries was intimidating enough. The fact that the relationship involved aliens made it even stranger. Still, that was a problem for another day.
"Grace wants to meet âŠâŹâŹ âŠâŹâŞâŞ?" Rocky practically vibrated. "Happy, happy, happy! âŠâŹâŹ âŠâŹâŞâŞ is going to love Grace. Grace is smart, and âŠâŹâŹ âŠâŹâŞâŞ is ecologist. Cares very much about others, like Grace"
"They sound lovely, Rock. I'd love to meet them someday."
Rocky chirped happily.
"Would you mind if I gave them a human name?" Grace asked.
"Please! Please! âŠâŹâŹ âŠâŹâŞâŞ would love. Rocky wants Grace to love âŠâŹâŹ âŠâŹâŞâŞ."
Grace thought for a moment.
"Hmm... what about Adrien? Does that sound pretty to you?"
Rocky immediately erupted into delighted trills.
"Yes, yes, yes! Very beautiful noise coming from Grace."
Chapter 1/ Chapter 5
Sorry for the late update! I try to make each chapter at least 1,000 words long, though I'd like them to be even longer. I also aim to update at least once a week, but I've been feeling a little dry on ideas lately. This chapter covers the rules but barely.Â
This chapter was originally supposed to cover the fishing incident, but I got distracted by other things, and the fact I didn´t wanna go into heavy writing territory,honestly. Writing and exploring their growing connection is something I enjoy and necessary to the plot.Â
I hope the next chapter is a lot longer and includes all the scenes I originally wanted to write, because if I keep getting sidetracked like this, the story is going to end up much longer than plannedâand I have several other projects I need to be working on too.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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When Grace is six years old he receives his soulmateâs first lost item. Itâs a strange hollow cylinder, similar to a pencil, semi-translucent and blotchy brown. It looks like glass, but it canât be; Grace has dropped it several times in his clumsy enthusiasm, and hasn't broken nor chiped. He is absolutely overjoyed by the fact that he finally has a soulmate, even if he has no idea what the object actually is. His parents are mostly just relieved that their son has stopped crying over not having a soulmate.
Grace goes to class the next day and shows everyone his soulmateâs strange object. He tells them itâs a pencil cover, something to make pencils look nicer. The classroom stares at him strangely, and his teacher gives him a look of pity, Grace in his young enthusiasm doesn't notice, too enamored with the object in his hands.
His bullies catch wind of it quickly. Grace is a weak kid, an easy target. They rip the cylinder from his hands and throw it to the ground. The cylinder doesnât break, but something inside Grace does. He feels small, insignificant. He cries to his parents about what happened, but his father only tells him he was stupid for taking something precious to school, where things are always lost or stolen.
Grace drags himself to his room, whimpering softly. He doesnât know where to keep something so important without losing it. In the end, he places the cylinder inside a shoebox. He doesnât have anything better.
__________
Grace is twelve when the second object from his soulmate arrives.
One morning he wakes to find the strangest thing sitting on his pillow. For a second, he wonders if he lost a tooth and this is some bizarre version of the tooth fairy, but thatâs impossible. Which means it came from his soulmate.
He jumps around the room in excitement.
Itâs a small figure, around the size of his fist, mostly turquoise with brown spots that somehow blend together beautifully. It looks like a mix between a crab and a spider, five limbs attached to a rounded carapace that spikes upward. The material almost looks 3D-printed, though Grace has never seen anything quite like it before.
Itâs gorgeous.
The figure immediately becomes Graceâs most precious possession. He tells no one about it because he wants it to be his and his alone. He keeps it on his nightstand because he wants to fall asleep looking at it and wake up to the sight of something his soulmate once touched. Whenever someone strange comes to the house or his parents visit his room, Grace puts the figure into the shoe box. Â
With it comes a realization: his soulmate must be an artist, someone who loves arthropods and strange little creatures.
That realization quietly shapes Graceâs future.
He studies biology in school, always choosing every science elective he can. Eventually he discovers that molecular biology fascinates him even more. Sometimes he thinks, distantly, that he owes his soulmate everything. Without them, he might never have found what he loves.
Turquoise becomes Graceâs favorite color.
______________
Grace is eighteen, living in his tiny student apartment after starting college early, when the next item appears.
The box itself is the first thing that catches his attention. Itâs made from the same strange material as the cylinder his soulmate sent years ago. Grace turns it over carefully in his hands, marveling at it before opening it.
The lid is covered in strange mathematical symbols.
Inside is, frankly, junk.
At least thatâs the only word Grace can think of for the bizarre collection of trinkets, rocks, and crystals filling the box. Nothing looks functional, yet Grace loves every single piece anyway.
One crystal in particular catches his attention. Itâs transparent with flat sides, though it isnât any polyhedron he recognizes. A hexagonal prism sits at its center, and the whole thing glimmers beautifully in the light.
The next day, Grace visits one of those tiny crystal shops with incense smoke thick enough to choke. He asks the woman behind the counter if she has a way for him to wear the crystal safely.
The woman is older, dressed entirely in blue, her hair pulled into a tight bun. Her sharp green eyes settle on the crystal the moment he places it on the counter.
âOtherworldly,â she murmurs as she touches it briefly . âYour soulmate is unlike anyone else. Just like this gem.â
Grace freezes.
He never told her it came from his soulmate.
Still, he leaves the shop wearing a spiraling wire pendant that cradles the crystal safely without altering it. The word otherworldly lingers in his mind the whole walk home.
It feels right.
From then on, Grace never takes the pendant off. It stays tucked beneath his shirt, resting close to his heart. The junk box becomes the new shoe box and the upgrade heals something within him.Â
At twenty-four, he receives another figurine.
This one is smaller and rounder than the first, almost its complete opposite. Grace finds that oddly amusing and terribly endearing. Itâs mostly brown, but three of its limbs are tipped with the same bright turquoise.
The figurine becomes his little companion while he works on his thesis in the research lab.
By now Grace has a few friends, enough people around him that he feels comfortable showing off the gifts from his soulmate. They coo over the little crab-like figure, fascinated by its curious design.
For once, life is good.
____________
When Grace turns thirty, life reaches its lowest point.
His thesis about water not being necessary for life is treated like a joke by the scientific community. No one gives him a chance. Linda, his girlfriend, cheats on him with Markâher soulmate. Objectively, Grace knows it never would have worked; they werenât each otherâs soulmates. But the silent treatment and her sudden disappearance still hurt deeply. He spends days crying, trying desperately to understand where he went wrong. He wonders if something is fundamentally broken inside him. Maybe he doesnât really have a soulmate. Maybe heâs simply meant to end up alone, because not even his parents love him, he hasnât spoken to them in four years.
Eventually, Grace becomes a teacher because he has nowhere else to go, nothing else to, the best he can do is to put his science knowledge to work.Â
After his first day teaching, he returns to his tiny apartment exhausted, only to find another gift waiting for him.
Itâs a scale model of a solar system. Not Earthâs solar system, but something entirely alien and impossibly beautiful.
Grace cries the moment he sees it. Because he does have a soulmate. Someone out there likes the same things he does. Someone out there exists.
The gift gives him hope.
So Grace throws himself into teaching. He teaches his students about space with colorful models and impossible enthusiasm. He takes control of his life again, and for the first time in years, it feels good to make a difference in the world, even if itâs only through children who leave his classroom loving science just a little more than before.
________
At thirty-two, Grace is a well-established teacher in his community. The kids adore him. He holds the unofficial title of coolest science teacher in the school, and nobody fails his class.
Life is genuinely becoming good.
Then Eva Stratt appears.
The Petrova crisis drags Grace into becoming the right hand of the most powerful woman on Earth. The pressure is unbearable, and the number of people they fuck over in the process is catastrophic. Part of Grace would rather stay in his classroom teaching children about planets and cells.
But another part of him is enthralled. Astrophage is everything he ever dreamed science could be.
And then it happens.
âDr. Ryland Grace, you have to go as the Hail Maryâs scientist.â
âI put the ânotâ in astronaut,â Grace jokes weakly, voice trembling around the words.
âYou have three hours to decide.â
âI⌠I donât want to go. Iâm not made for that.â
âYes, you are. You have the coma gene and are the leading expert in astrophage. Apprehend him.â Her eyes are cold.
âNoâNO! Iâm not gonna go!â They chase him. Karl included. That betrayal hurts far more than Lindaâs ever did.
They force him to the ground.
âDonât worry,â Stratt says, holding up a syringe. âBy the time you wake up, you wonât remember any of this and will do your job rightâ
âYouâre murdering me,â Grace sobs into the pavement, salt tears soaking into the ground.
Chapter 2 â
Thank you for reading!! Coments and kudos are highly apreciated.
When Grace is six years old he receives his soulmateâs first lost item. Itâs a strange hollow cylinder, similar to a pencil, semi-translucent and blotchy brown. It looks like glass, but it canât be; Grace has dropped it several times in his clumsy enthusiasm, and hasn't broken nor chiped. He is absolutely overjoyed by the fact that he finally has a soulmate, even if he has no idea what the object actually is. His parents are mostly just relieved that their son has stopped crying over not having a soulmate.
Grace goes to class the next day and shows everyone his soulmateâs strange object. He tells them itâs a pencil cover, something to make pencils look nicer. The classroom stares at him strangely, and his teacher gives him a look of pity, Grace in his young enthusiasm doesn't notice, too enamored with the object in his hands.
His bullies catch wind of it quickly. Grace is a weak kid, an easy target. They rip the cylinder from his hands and throw it to the ground. The cylinder doesnât break, but something inside Grace does. He feels small, insignificant. He cries to his parents about what happened, but his father only tells him he was stupid for taking something precious to school, where things are always lost or stolen.
Grace drags himself to his room, whimpering softly. He doesnât know where to keep something so important without losing it. In the end, he places the cylinder inside a shoebox. He doesnât have anything better.
__________
Grace is twelve when the second object from his soulmate arrives.
One morning he wakes to find the strangest thing sitting on his pillow. For a second, he wonders if he lost a tooth and this is some bizarre version of the tooth fairy, but thatâs impossible. Which means it came from his soulmate.
He jumps around the room in excitement.
Itâs a small figure, around the size of his fist, mostly turquoise with brown spots that somehow blend together beautifully. It looks like a mix between a crab and a spider, five limbs attached to a rounded carapace that spikes upward. The material almost looks 3D-printed, though Grace has never seen anything quite like it before.
Itâs gorgeous.
The figure immediately becomes Graceâs most precious possession. He tells no one about it because he wants it to be his and his alone. He keeps it on his nightstand because he wants to fall asleep looking at it and wake up to the sight of something his soulmate once touched. Whenever someone strange comes to the house or his parents visit his room, Grace puts the figure into the shoe box. Â
With it comes a realization: his soulmate must be an artist, someone who loves arthropods and strange little creatures.
That realization quietly shapes Graceâs future.
He studies biology in school, always choosing every science elective he can. Eventually he discovers that molecular biology fascinates him even more. Sometimes he thinks, distantly, that he owes his soulmate everything. Without them, he might never have found what he loves.
Turquoise becomes Graceâs favorite color.
______________
Grace is eighteen, living in his tiny student apartment after starting college early, when the next item appears.
The box itself is the first thing that catches his attention. Itâs made from the same strange material as the cylinder his soulmate sent years ago. Grace turns it over carefully in his hands, marveling at it before opening it.
The lid is covered in strange mathematical symbols.
Inside is, frankly, junk.
At least thatâs the only word Grace can think of for the bizarre collection of trinkets, rocks, and crystals filling the box. Nothing looks functional, yet Grace loves every single piece anyway.
One crystal in particular catches his attention. Itâs transparent with flat sides, though it isnât any polyhedron he recognizes. A hexagonal prism sits at its center, and the whole thing glimmers beautifully in the light.
The next day, Grace visits one of those tiny crystal shops with incense smoke thick enough to choke. He asks the woman behind the counter if she has a way for him to wear the crystal safely.
The woman is older, dressed entirely in blue, her hair pulled into a tight bun. Her sharp green eyes settle on the crystal the moment he places it on the counter.
âOtherworldly,â she murmurs as she touches it briefly . âYour soulmate is unlike anyone else. Just like this gem.â
Grace freezes.
He never told her it came from his soulmate.
Still, he leaves the shop wearing a spiraling wire pendant that cradles the crystal safely without altering it. The word otherworldly lingers in his mind the whole walk home.
It feels right.
From then on, Grace never takes the pendant off. It stays tucked beneath his shirt, resting close to his heart. The junk box becomes the new shoe box and the upgrade heals something within him.Â
At twenty-four, he receives another figurine.
This one is smaller and rounder than the first, almost its complete opposite. Grace finds that oddly amusing and terribly endearing. Itâs mostly brown, but three of its limbs are tipped with the same bright turquoise.
The figurine becomes his little companion while he works on his thesis in the research lab.
By now Grace has a few friends, enough people around him that he feels comfortable showing off the gifts from his soulmate. They coo over the little crab-like figure, fascinated by its curious design.
For once, life is good.
____________
When Grace turns thirty, life reaches its lowest point.
His thesis about water not being necessary for life is treated like a joke by the scientific community. No one gives him a chance. Linda, his girlfriend, cheats on him with Markâher soulmate. Objectively, Grace knows it never would have worked; they werenât each otherâs soulmates. But the silent treatment and her sudden disappearance still hurt deeply. He spends days crying, trying desperately to understand where he went wrong. He wonders if something is fundamentally broken inside him. Maybe he doesnât really have a soulmate. Maybe heâs simply meant to end up alone, because not even his parents love him, he hasnât spoken to them in four years.
Eventually, Grace becomes a teacher because he has nowhere else to go, nothing else to, the best he can do is to put his science knowledge to work.Â
After his first day teaching, he returns to his tiny apartment exhausted, only to find another gift waiting for him.
Itâs a scale model of a solar system. Not Earthâs solar system, but something entirely alien and impossibly beautiful.
Grace cries the moment he sees it. Because he does have a soulmate. Someone out there likes the same things he does. Someone out there exists.
The gift gives him hope.
So Grace throws himself into teaching. He teaches his students about space with colorful models and impossible enthusiasm. He takes control of his life again, and for the first time in years, it feels good to make a difference in the world, even if itâs only through children who leave his classroom loving science just a little more than before.
________
At thirty-two, Grace is a well-established teacher in his community. The kids adore him. He holds the unofficial title of coolest science teacher in the school, and nobody fails his class.
Life is genuinely becoming good.
Then Eva Stratt appears.
The Petrova crisis drags Grace into becoming the right hand of the most powerful woman on Earth. The pressure is unbearable, and the number of people they fuck over in the process is catastrophic. Part of Grace would rather stay in his classroom teaching children about planets and cells.
But another part of him is enthralled. Astrophage is everything he ever dreamed science could be.
And then it happens.
âDr. Ryland Grace, you have to go as the Hail Maryâs scientist.â
âI put the ânotâ in astronaut,â Grace jokes weakly, voice trembling around the words.
âYou have three hours to decide.â
âI⌠I donât want to go. Iâm not made for that.â
âYes, you are. You have the coma gene and are the leading expert in astrophage. Apprehend him.â Her eyes are cold.
âNoâNO! Iâm not gonna go!â They chase him. Karl included. That betrayal hurts far more than Lindaâs ever did.
They force him to the ground.
âDonât worry,â Stratt says, holding up a syringe. âBy the time you wake up, you wonât remember any of this and will do your job rightâ
âYouâre murdering me,â Grace sobs into the pavement, salt tears soaking into the ground.
Chapter 2 â
Thank you for reading!! Coments and kudos are highly apreciated.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
â Live Streamingâ Interactive Chatâ Private Showsâ HD Qualityâ Free Actions
Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
Messaging the alien goes surprisingly well. They understand most of what Rocky is trying to tell them, even if they are painfully slow to respond, both through messages and in person.
The alienâhis soulmate, maybeâis a very elongated, thin creature. It has four limbs and a small round structure perched atop its torso. It stands on two limbs and uses the other two to interact with the world around it. Rocky waits patiently while the creature finishes arranging its thing on the tunnel. Once it finally settles down, Rocky raises himself to his full height, chirping and trilling with excitement.
"Greetings, greetings, greetings! Space alien and maybe mate! Amaze, amaze, amaze! You mate? You lose so many things. Why so many? Why so many years of silence? Rocky very, very, very worried. Bad, bad, bad."
The alien freezes. Rocky waits for some reaction, wondering if it is listening to his words or to his movements. Wanting to reassure it that he understands the atmosphere difference between them, Rocky points toward the message cylinder.
Nothing.
The alien doesn't move at all.
Instead, it slowly slumps against the barrier.
Confused clicks and whistles escape Rocky. Why is it doing that? Rocky taps harder against the xenonite, curling his claw into a fist and knocking against the transparent wall. The alien finally seems to return to itself.
Then it stands up.
And leaves.
Rocky stares after it in disbelief.
What!?
The alien just fuking left.Â
Rude.
The alien does not return for 10,800 seconds.
Rocky waits the entire time. Patiently. Angrily. There is absolutely no way this creature could be his soulmate. His soulmate would not be this stupid, this rude.
Eventually, the alien returns, although it somehow looks even thinner than before. Rocky briefly wonders if it shed layers while it was gone or maybe is another one. Rocky stands immediately. He balls his claws into fists and shakes them dramatically. The alien visibly flinches.
Good.
Let it be known that Rocky is not happy.
Pointing once more at the message cylinder, Rocky repeats the gesture. This time the alien seems to understand much faster, they open it and bob up and down rocky guesses this a god gesture.Â
The creature retrieves something from its clothing, lowers itself to the floor, and carefully holds the object up against the barrier.
Rocky taps the wall a cuple times, listening.
And freezes.
It is the figurine.
The figurine of himself.
The one he had made all those years ago to sit beside Adrien.
He was right. This is his soulmate. Rocky explodes high-pitched whistles and excited trills bursting from him as he spins in place, waving his arms wildly. He presses himself against the barrier as closely as possible, desperate to be nearer.
Mate.
Mate.
Mate.
The alien seems confused by Rocky's excitement. It takes an embarrassingly long time before it finally presses one of its claws against the opposite side of the barrier, right above his own. .
Rocky's hearts flutter.
Its claws are big.
Rocky loves having big mates.
Then the alien starts making noises, and suddenly liquid begins pouring from the larger openings on its face.
Rocky recoils a bit.Â
Leaking.
His mate is leaking. A leaking space blob.
Disgusting.
Disgusting.
Disgusting.
Rocky will love them anyway.
The sounds his mate makes are incredibly simple. No layering. No harmonics. Just basic noises one after another. Rocky gets the distinct impression that these people are somewhat underdeveloped and cannot properly hear the world around them. The alien appears to have only one sensory receptor; whenever it works on something, it always turns the same side of its body toward the object.
Mate continues gesturing between Rocky and the figurine, waving its front limbs dramatically. Rocky hopes it is not some kind of threat display.
Then the alien leaves.
Again.
Rocky stares after it.
They are doomed.
There is absolutely no way they are going to advance on the astrophage problem or on their relationship.
Matwe returns almost immediately this time, thank Erid, carrying a small round object. It places the item against the barrier before pushing it through the exchange box.
Rocky eagerly retrieves it, assuming it must be some kind of courting gift.
Instead, it is a strange object that stretches, half of it immediately melts, rocky is more than used to the synthetic material slipping through his fingers, now it makes a lot of sense all the things his soulmate lost would melt and brook in Rocky's atmosphere, mates atmosphere is much different, but he would have never guessed the condition would be so extreme. Rocky pulls on it, hoping its function is still viable.
It snaps back and smacks his claw.
Ow.
He does it again.
And again.
And again.
Maybe mate is not that bad after all, it's fun like a toy.Â
While Rocky entertains himself with the fascinating object, mate moves closer to the barrier. One side of its body rests only centimeters away.
Rocky hurries forward, pressing his carapace against the transparent wall in what he hopes is an obvious nuzzle.
Mate immediately gets up and leaves.
Rocky whistles mournfully.
Apparently mate does not enjoy cuddling.
Mate returns carrying several objects. A rectangular device and another smaller round one are carefully placed on the floor. Mate taps the round object repeatedly, it has symbols and they are pointing at one especially. before holding up a single digit.
"One."
Rocky chirps in response, numbers, they are trying to communicate through numbers.Â
Rocky answer back â âŠâŹâŞ âÂ
The machine repeats it.
Rocky freezes. Mate makes a noisy main orifice open and body vibrating, it's beautiful.
A machine that remembers sounds.
A machine that teaches language.
Amaze.
Amaze.
Amaze.
So so so smart, maybe mate is not completely stupid after all. Maybe mate can help with a astrophage problem.Â
GRACE POV
Grace has to retreat back into the Hail Mary because he is having a crisis. A full-blown, scientifically unmeasurable crisis.
His soulmate cannot be an alien.
There is simply no way.
Soulmates are supposed to be people. Humans. Maybe someone from another country. Maybe someone he'd never met. Maybe someone weird.
Not an extraterrestrial rock crab-spider.
And yet...
That hoodie is his, irrevocably, undeniably his. The faded university logo, the coffee stain beneath the letter C, the frayed cuff he'd chewed on while studying for exams.
The hoodie he lost years ago, the hoodie currently being worn by an alien.
Grace spends three hours pacing through the Hail Mary trying to come up with literally any other explanation.
He fails.
Eventually, he gathers enough courage to return, this time he leaves the EVA suit behind. If his soulmate wanted to kill him, he would have had plenty of opportunities already. Instead, he grabs the alien figurine from his workbench and marches back down the tunnel.
The alien is waiting, with balled fists and shaking them, Grace flinches. He didn't expect the alien to be angry, although to be fair grace did abandon it for 3h.Â
The moment he gets closer, it starts tapping against the xenonite barrier. Grace has mentally named the transparent material xenonite. He figures he has the right as the first human in history to discover it.
The alien immediately points behind Grace, that´s what they might have been pointing at before.
"Oh."
Right there's a cylinder. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Grace retrieves it and finally opens it. Inside are several beaded loops. His first thought is to hand cuffs the second is decoration, but after a closer inspection he realizes they represent molecules.
A laugh escapes him.
Of course.
Of course his alien soulmate is a molecular engineer.
One loop represents oxygen.
Another ammonia.
Then Grace kneels in front of the barrier and slowly pulls the figurine from his pocket.
The reaction is immediate.
The alien practically explodes.
It spins in circles, chirping and whistling so rapidly that Grace loses track of the sounds entirely, it climbs so high in pitch Grace stops hearing entirely. Its front limbs wave wildly in the air in what can only be described as alien jazz hands.
Grace cannot help laughing. The giant rock spider is actually kind of adorable, like an overexcited puppy.
The alien suddenly presses itself against the barrier. As close as physically possible.
Grace hesitates only briefly before placing his hand against the transparent wall opposite one of the alien's claws.
The creature immediately leans further into the contact.
Nuzzling.
It is nuzzling the barrier.
Trying to get closer.
Grace feels something inside him crack.
Not painfully.
For the first time since waking up, he doesn't feel alone.
Not completely.
Not anymore.
A few tears slip down his face before he can stop them.
He isn't exactly thrilled that his soulmate turned out to be an alien rock spider.
But the alien clearly likes him.
And after everythingâthe memory loss, the deaths, the impossible missionâhaving someone look at him like that feels nice.
Unfortunately, feelings are secondary to science.
So Grace retreats once more, returning with a measuring tape, math and numbers are a universal language. The measuring tape lasts approximately thirty seconds, on the rocks environment.
Then it melts.
Grace stares.
The alien plays with the tape, uncaring of the melting plastic on hand, which is weird because the alien should feel curious about the melting substance, if they are scientists which he should be from what he has seen so far.Â
The remains of the tape drip onto the floor.
"Oh."
Another realization hits him.
The pens he's been losing since forever are made of plastic.
The hoodie.
The countless things he'd lost over the years.
The alien doesn't react at all.
Like this is normal.
Like it has seen melting plastic thousands of times before.
Which meansâ
"Oh no."
The alien knows exactly how much random crap he must have lost in his life.
Every lost pen.
Every broken pencil.
Every misplaced notebook.
Every forgotten piece of junk.
Every single embarrassing item that vanished over the years.
His soulmate has been receiving them.
All of them.
Grace buries his face in his hands.
"Please tell me I didn't lose anything too embarrassing."
The alien whistles happily. Which somehow feels like a bad sign.
Grace leaned closer to the barrier trying to see across into the alien space but its pitch black, his light stretching only so far he tried to see further he leaned closer to the barrier and tried explaining to the rock to look at the numbers.
The alien comes closer the flat rock side directly against his face, no eyes, no sensor of any kind but lots of noise.Â
Of course.
The alien is blind and moves around with echolocation.Â
When Grace returns again, carrying two computer taped and one of those big round clock with raised numbers, the alien is still waiting patiently.
Waiting for him.
The realization sends an odd warmth through his chest.
The alien immediately perks up upon seeing him and presses closer to the barrier.
Clingy.
Very clingy.
Grace is beginning to suspect his soulmate might be clingy.
The thought should bother him.
Instead, it makes him smile.
Together, separated by xenonite and incompatible atmospheres, they begin the long process of teaching each other numbers, words, and language. He holds a finger up and says.Â
"One."
Rocky chirps in response â âŠâŹâŞ âÂ
He saves it to the computer and then plays repeat. Rocky startles when the computer replies Grace laughs. It's cute. Yeah he has decided to name the space spider crab soulmate Rocky, very original he knows. But he refuses to call it alien.
For the first time since waking up aboard the Hail Mary, Grace finds himself genuinely looking forward to tomorrow.
Brander shouldn't give into his desires nor to the charms of the shadows lord, yet here he is face down on silky sheets Maul whispering sweet nothingness into his ear.
Brander is not sure how he ended up like thisânaked, face down on silky blood-red sheets, body trembling. The galaxyâs Shadow Lord behind him, caressing him gently: one hand running circles on his raised hip, the other tangled in his scalp, clawed fingers threading through his hair. A man like Maul shouldnât be this gentle, yet the carefulness with which he treats his body threatens to undo him.
âLet goâŚâ Maul murmurs.
He squeezes his eyes shut.
The hand in his hair tightens, pulling not enough to lift his head from the mattress or to truly hurt, but enough to send shivers down his spine. He whines.
âThatâs it~â Maulâs voice is on his ear, silky smooth and syrupy sweet as his nose drags across the shell of his ear. He presses a soft kiss behind it. Brander trembles, biting his tongue to keep the sounds that threaten to spill out. He feels Maulâs chapped lips curl into a smile against his neck, hears the soft chuckle, he groans helpless.
âYou look so gorgeous trying to resist the dark side,â Maul whispers, his hot breath making him twitch. âDo not resist, dear. Give in to your desires.â
Maulâs hips press forward, meeting himâcold metal and hot flesh, a strange sensation. Still, Brander pushes back into it, the need in his body overriding any rational thought. He shouldnâtâhe really shouldnât. He has a duty to Coruscant, to his son⌠and yet no one has ever touched him this sweetly. Not even his wife. The desire for more chokes him.
âGood. Let yourself be selfish. Enjoy what you are freely given.â
The praise destroys him. He whines loudly, body going lax as he gives in to the Shadow Lordâs touch.
The hand on his hip slides down, brushing past his member before curling around his thigh, just shy of his balls. The hand in his hair moves to grip his jaw tightly, pulling him up. His back arches as Maul lifts him, he moans, Maul rumbles in appreciation. His jaw aches in a way that makes heat coil in his gut.
Maul tilts his head, angling their faces closer. The yellow of his eyes looks almost golden in the dim light, all-consuming.
The hand on his thigh tightens, sharp nails digging into soft flesh. They donât quite draw blood, but itâs close. The hold is possessive, pushing Brander's rear against Maulâs crotch. He can feel the hardness pressing against himâheâs seated on the Shadow Lordâs lap now, legs spread, pinned in place by that heated gaze.
âBeautiful,â Maul whispers against his lips.
The kiss is hot and messy. Brander gasps and Maulâs tongue slips into his mouth, hotter than anything else. The hand holding his jaw loosens, sliding down his chest, caressing his pecs lazily. He has to strain to keep up with the kiss, head tilted at an impossible angle.
Maul is making him work for it.
Itâs degradingâand yet here he is, whining and gasping for more. Itâs filthy, and he wants it. Spit runs down his chin and chest. Losing balance, he reaches up, gripping one of Maulâs horns for leverage.
Maul growls, biting into his lower lip. It hurtsâjust enough. He feels the skin break, tiny pinpricks of blood, and it feels so good when Maul laps it away.
âYou are just so sweet, arenât you, dear?â Maul says, almost adoringly.
Brander whines and tries to follow him, desperate for more. Boldly, he tugs him closer by the horn.
âSo needy,â Maul chuckles darkly.
He pushes Brander back down, pinning him beneath his bulkâhips raised, chest pressed to the mattress, back impossibly arched, arms stretched above his head.
Brander looks back, eyes hazy, expression wrecked. He wantsâneedsâmore. A needy little cry escapes him.
âIâm going to take such good care of you, dear.â
Maul leans down and kisses him again, harder this time. Their teeth clash, and somehow itâs even better. Maul pulls away with another nip to his lips.
Brander lies there, waiting for the next touch.
âArenât you the best? I donât even need to restrain you,â Maul says, eyes bright as he admires his handiworkâCoruscant law enforcer reduced to a whining mess on his bed.
Maul nuzzles the back of his head, and Brander hums in contentment, eyes drifting close.
Itâs a distraction.
A finger presses inside him, and he cries out in surprise. It doesnât hurt exactly, but the sensation is unfamiliarâstrange, overwhelming. He whines in discomfort.
âDonât worry. Iâm going to make it good for you,â Maul murmurs against his neck, sucking a mark into his shoulder, sharp fangs grazing his skin.
Another finger follows. Brander gasps, writhing. Maul shushes him, his free hand wrapping around his cockânot stroking, just pressing and releasing, enough to distract him, but not enough to offer release. Meanwhile, Maul continues marking his shoulders and collarbone.
The thought of being so thoroughly markedâownedâshould disgust him.
But it doesnât.
All he can think of is tomorrow morning, putting on his uniform, knowing the evidence of tonight lies hidden beneath it⌠still feeling the ghost of Maulâs tongue and teeth on his skin, as he parades around like the picture perfect of that he isn't.
He shivers.
The pressure builds, shifting into something newâsomething he canât quite name. He needs more. Maul seems to sense it, pressing in a third finger. The stretch burns, uncomfortable at firstâbut then Maul spreads them, and itâs like stars ignite in his veins.
He moans loudly, pushing back.
âMoreâŚâ he pleads, voice broken.
âOf course, dear.â
Maul withdraws, and Brander whines at the loss. He wants it back.
Maul lifts his hips higher, forcing his back into an even deeper arch. Brander can only think about how much it will ache tomorrowâand how much he wants that ache.
âDeep breath, love.â
He obeys.
Maul pushes in slowly. The stretch is overwhelmingâalmost too muchâbut also incredible. Brander moans into the sheets as Maul continues, the ridges along his shaft dragging against every sensitive spot inside.
Finally, theyâre fully pressed together.
Itâs too muchâhe feels split open, his entire world reduced to that single point of contact.
Maul gives him a moment before beginning to move, a slow rocking motion that makes him gasp.
âYou are so tight⌠sucking me in.â there is marvel in his voice.
The pace builds gradually, until Maul is thrusting harder. Brander fists the sheets, overwhelmed. Then Maul shifts his angle
And Brander sees stars.
He cries out, pushing back desperately. He needs more. Maul responds immediately, driving into him harder, rougher now. Each thrust pulling broken sound from him.
Maul growls above him, gripping his waist, forcing him back to meet every movement.
Brander obeys eagerly.
Teeth sink into his shoulder again, and he shudders. The rhythm becomes erraticâMaul is close, and so is he. A hand slides down, stroking him in time with each thrust.
He breaks with a desperate moan, spilling into the sheets. His body clenches, and Maul growl's, biting down harder as he thrusts one final time, warmth flooding inside him.
Brander collapses, unable to hold himself up, gasping for air, oversensitive.
Maul pulls out carefully, then gathers him up, turning him onto his back. He leaves briefly, returning with a cloth to clean them both.
Brander is already half-asleep by the time Maul covers them with a blanket.
