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  1. Public Bookmark *

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    I lived with this hunger long before the Hail Mary. This is nothing new. I’m fine.

    Right up until Rocky asks another question.

    “When last time you touch other human person skin, question?”

    Oh. Oh no. “When I… a few days after I first woke up here.”

    Rocky starts to relax for a split second, but then tightens when something occurs to him.

    “Grace crewmates dead when you wake up. You said this, statement. You not even know your own name, remember nothing, see dead bodies, confirm?”

    I nod, because if I open my mouth I will gag.

    “When last time Grace touch ALIVE human person, question.”

    I swallow thickly. I don’t answer aloud because I know Rocky can hear the hitch in my breath. My stomach churns with fresh bile. He senses my vital signs tick over into stress patterns and goes very, very still again.

    “Grace. When last time, question.”

    I clench my jaw so hard my temples ache, and beg him with my eyes to just stop.

    “Grace. Please say not when… when Evil Stratt humans put you to sleep.”

    I can taste grass.

    ---

    AKA: Grace starves for more than just food on the journey to Erid.

    Series
    Language:
    English
    Words:
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    Chapters:
    4/4
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    15 Jun 2026

  2. Public Bookmark *

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    After the Taumoeba leak, after I decided to die after all and turned my ship around to save Rocky, after Rocky's frantic calculations about food supplies, Taumoeba multiplication rates, and human caloric intake needs, after we realized that with some rationing and luck I would make it, but that we were headed toward the unknown territory of trying to rapid-prototype me a life support system and synthetic food supply on an inhospitable planet: after all of that, after everything, I shouldn't have been surprised that it only took a few months on board the Hail Mary for things to get weird.

    Language:
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    27,623
    Chapters:
    8/10
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    723
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    156
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    13 Jun 2026

  3. Public Bookmark *

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    “Proof of concept,” ♫♬♯♩♩♫ says. “We’ve tested it thoroughly to ensure it fits the specified nutritional profile, and several members of our team have ingested small amounts of it to ensure there were no adverse effects.”

    “You ate some of it?” I ask, rudely. I’m too irate to mind my language. Who do they think they are? That meat is for Grace. In a way, that meat is Grace.

    “Yes,” ♫♬♯♩♩♫ says. They and the rest of the human life support thrum know better than to be offended by my occasionally strange behaviour. “Obviously we weren’t going to risk the life of Honoured Grace on a completely untested technology.”

    That doesn’t mean much. There’s a lot of things that are safe for ingestion by Eridians that would outright kill a human.

    Trust Grace, I remind myself. He’ll have thought of all this.

    (OR: Grace's meburgers from the book epilogue. Let's talk about those!)

    Language:
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    1/1
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    06 Jun 2026

  4. Public Bookmark *

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    For three hours, he’s at the beach, takes off his socks and hikes Ilyukhina’s dress up, and stands in the water. He left the cane on the shore; it hurts to let his frame bear the brunt of gravity unsupported. The reliable tide, just cool enough to chill him a little, laps at his shins.

    He closes his eyes and tries to forget about himself, the familiar ache in his joints and spine. Allows himself to imagine something else.

    A different truth, a hypothetical, a thought exercise.


    Rocky can't bear to lose Grace. But he can bear to watch Grace wither away from a sickness easily cured by Earth medicine even less.

    Grace has to make another choice.

    Or: After thirteen years on Erid, Grace leaves his true home for Earth. Eva Stratt lives to see him return. Earth takes note of the changes.

    Language:
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    Chapters:
    6/6
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    29 May 2026

  5. Public Bookmark *

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    'Why born sick?'

    Parent touches the circle on their arm. They do that a lot when they're sad.

    'Parent and mate not supposed to have clutch. Tried many times, but cells didn't fix selves. Finally, Parent fix. Was enough for little while, but was not enough.'

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    Language:
    English
    Words:
    3,681
    Chapters:
    1/1
    Comments:
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    23 May 2026