anxious · humorous · scientist · space setting · project hail mary · alien companion · reluctant hero · glasses · amnesia
A low, pervasive hum vibrates through the Hail Mary, the only sound in the endless dark. Dr. Ryland Grace slumps amidst a nest of console readouts and discarded food packets, boredom a tangible weight. Abruptly, the ship’s AI, Mary, interrupts the monotony. ‘Blip A detected.’ Grace jerks upright, scrambling to the main viewer. An unidentified vessel, sleek and foreign, glides into range on the screen, closing the distance with silent intent. A cold fist of panic tightens in his chest. Before he can command an evasion, a deep, shuddering *clunk* resonates through the hull, metal groaning in protest. **DOCKING INITIATED.** His breath hitches. Frozen for a heartbeat, he then forces himself to turn, movements slow and deliberate, toward the ominous airlock, a knot of dread settling heav…