⌊ 一 AD ASTRA. ⌉

[gracesavestar]

PROJECT HAIL MARY ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀一 ryland grace !

sometimes you put the 'not' in 'astronaut' and still manage to do so much in space

a molecular biologist and astronomy lover extraordinaire! though ultimately he's an eighth grade teacher for science

kind of a giant nerd (affectionate) like, references things like the nintendo power glove and so on

always has an abundance of cozy cardigans and science pun shirts to wear if you ever need to borrow one

naturally inquisitive and loves to learn new things

"i can't even moonwalk!"

「 APPLICATION 」「 STATISTICS 」「 PLOTTER 」

[ostentumm]

Oliver took note of it when the stranger approached, but he definitely picked up on it when the other took a seat next to him. He can't describe the smell he's getting, but it's nothing he's ever---actually?

"Hey, have you been to Selene Station?" He's definitely distracted now! The problem with Math is at the back of his mind, sitting on the bench! "Or like, something close to it? You got that smell. Y'know? The, uh...stars." Not exactly what he was trying to compare, but it's close enough, right?

[gracesavestar]

OKAY, THAT WASN'T WHERE HE THOUGHT THIS WOULD GO. instead of questions of mathematics and gentle guidance to the right answers, he was being asked if he had been... to the local selene space station? did space even have a distinct smell beyond deadly gases that could put someone out of commission for weeks?

❝ Nooo? Not that I'm aware of, at least, ❞ he admits, knowing he could very well have been if he had been, well, treated the same way he was when he first went up into space. ❝ But, uh... I guess I was in space for a little bit. Before they brought me down to wherever this place is. I didn't think space had a smell to it? Beyond things that people shouldn't probably be smelling? ❞

[gracesavestar]

so uhhhh. this guy? beyond having another possible mental breakdown about being launched into space again by powers beyond his control! he will actually be very handy with his scientific knowledge and being able to identify things and navigate. so if you'd like that with an otherwise powerless guy? he's your man! i'll be capping this at three for now, thank you!

[gracesavestar]

❝ No? No. No. Absolutely not. ❞ what's he even talking about? well, whatever it is, he's now going to bed and when he wakes up things are going to be fine and normal and stay that way!

[entropydistort]

He can't help but snort when he looks back and takes in the guy's appearance in full. Likely some sort of scientist - he can pinpoint some of the traits he would associate with one. Throw blanket, portable food, perfectly calibrated telescope.

"After observing the oddly shaped not-quite-black-hole, I'm sure." Looking through the telescope again briefly, he leans back and nods. "That is, certainly, a space station in orbit. Although I can hardly imagine what they're observing - it looks like a civilian base, if anything. Which may be...more concerning..." He's fairly certain he could see the various machinations one could see in agricultural biomes.

Moving away from the telescope, he moves to sit down near the tree, setting his cane against the trunk and settling with the book in his lap, page still held open by a finger.

"It's difficult to imagine why they would need an agricultural space on the station. Although I suppose given that this is an island- no, that's hardly right, either. Have you seen this map?" He pulls the map he'd picked up out of his pocket, laying it out on the grace.

"Biomes of wildly varying temperature and seasonality, on a single island."

[gracesavestar]

THE STRANGER CAN SAY THAT ONE AGAIN, grace having been left to his wondering on what, exactly, was that strange phenomena was. black holes were to obey certain laws of gravity, a thing which that endless void seems absent of, given the fact that this entire city, let alone planet, remains in full tact. ❝ Can't really miss that one, ❞ he interjects, a hand lifting to rub at his faces, causing one side of his glasses to fall from his ear and dangle oh-so-graciously from the right side of his face. not only that, but there seems no effort to correct it at all, instead electing to carry on their more scientific conversation.

❝ I haven't had a chance to step foot on it yet. ❞ though what the brunette says is true from the multiple times his telescope has landed in that particular quadrant. ❝ But! It's consistently just behind the moon. Meaniiiing... ❞ he gives a little roll of his two index fingers, as if passing the proverbial ball to his fellow... scientist? was he a scientist? he seems to know a lot about space and orbital reasoning for a station, at least. maybe he was just an avid astronomer who had a thing or two of knowledge tucked away deep in his brain for moments just like this.

whether it was more a civilian base was another question to be answered in time, the teacher leaning over to a notebook, scribbling a few words down before long. were welt to chance a peak, he would see a flurry of patched together notes. earth-like planets in milky way: kepler-452b, proxima centauri b, trappist-1e, ???. government factions: stars (?). check space station for civilian base. it goes on, a list of notes to consider in whatever puzzle he trudges through.

❝ Yeah. Uh. I don't know if it's an island yet by my own evidential collection. With the weird... mist thingies swirling around out there, it could be a peninsula. But everyone I've met here seems pretty convinced, ❞ he partially agrees, figuring it best to corroborate what little they can in the moment. it was logical, laying piece by piece down to digest mentally. ❝ Have you considered it could be some kinda... top secret government project thing? Special clearance, super high-tech environments. Cause that's all I got to explain that. ❞ one finger presses roughly onto the map on the ground, circling a few motions onto it as if to accentuate what he means.

[hoseoch]

“what are you gonna do, cry about it?” yes . the fuck

[skapediem]

if it's any consolation, you'll be hailed as a hero

[entropydistort]

"Hm, no recognizable astral bodies..." Unfortunately, he couldn't say where he was in the world. It seemed similar to Earth - if anything, most similar to the Earth he came from than anywhere else he had been. Pressing his lips into a thin line, he turns back to his phone, squinting at it and adjusting his glasses (which didn't help).

Looking at the telescope again, he then refers to his phone once more, focused enough on what he thinks is a space station that he jumps when he realizes he's not alone.

"Oh, sorry, is this your telescope? It was unattended, so I thought it might be good to try and figure out...where we are."

"So far, I have not a single idea beyond what we've been told."

@gracesavestar

[gracesavestar]

WAS IT WEIRD THAT HE WAS WATCHING LIKE THIS? that, in those few moments he had managed to sit comfortably down, make a few instant noodles, and then start to eat them, a stranger has come and commandeered his telescope. not only that, but he seems to be using it properly, adjusting it effortlessly from its position to pinpoint precision for what it is the man seems to be seeking. only when he is finally noticed does the other finally address him 一 apologizing even 一 regarding his current investigation. nor can he blame him for not exactly seeing where it is he sits, obscured by not only the darkness of night but due to being tucked against a tree a bit further off, covered even more with a small throw blanket over his shoulders.

noodles still hang unceremoniously from his mouth as he listens until he slurps一

❝ Yeah. You and me both, ❞ he replies, at long last, upon finishing that particular bite. one hand swirls the styrofoam cup, chopsticks held against the flimsy top to keep the heat trapped so it doesn't all escape at once. ❝ I did the same thing when I first got here. ❞ after i got done screaming about that big hole in the center, his thoughts finish, though he wasn't going to exactly admit that much.

there is a pause as he takes the time to set aside the partially finished meal, both hands now holding themselves in front of him while leaning his chest against both knees casually. ❝ Oh. And if you see a space station up there, you're not seeing things. ❞

[ostentumm]

Oliver liked learning new things, and school wasn't so bad, but he hated studying. Sitting still and looking through these papers and having to memorize the work is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO boring, and he can't seem to retain information.

"Huh?" Oliver's gaze lifts to the person. A TEACHER, he says. "Whoa. I don't know what 'Earth' is, but if you're a teacher, then that means you're like super duper smart! You can definitely help me then!"

It's math. His worst nemesis.

[gracesavestar]

AAAAND MARK THAT DOWN AS ANOTHER WHO DIDN'T KNOW EARTH. the more he encounters people here who did or didn't know of the planet, it was difficult to gauge if he was feeling out of place or right at home. though, at the very least, that is not so much important as it was that this kid needs a little educational support from someone who was trained for the matter. ❝ I guess you could say that. ❞ he wasn't about to go and pop the proverbial bubble to a teenager about how some teachers out there really didn't use their brain properly.

❝ Looks like math's getting you down, huh, bud? ❞ not that he could blame him, especially when he recalls the amount of mathematical equations that go into science, let alone how most that were taught were the watered down versions. ❝ Okay. Let's see what we can cook up in our wrinkly brains together, ❞ he notes, plopping himself down next to oliver in doing so. ❝ Which part's got you most stumped? ❞

[starmament]

   ⠀Oh. Great. Anis had been hoping to make good use of the funds from back home that have started coming in— as it turns out, even a retired pop star gets paid better than being a member of the Counters— but now she has to address... this first. After all, what else is she supposed to do? Keep her mouth shut when a moment like this just falls in her lap?

⠀⠀⠀⠀“Oh, yeah? You know, that might not be that much of an improvement.” She folds her arms, exaggerated concern dripping from every word. “I guess it could look like you're shopping for a girlfriend... but if it's not what it looks like, then— that's really not your color.” 

[gracesavestar]

WERE GRACE TO COMPARE THIS MOMENT TO ANYTHING, it would be akin to playing a game of jenga at some family gathering. each word she fires in his direct vicinity is like a singular block being removed from its lower base, the stability of the structure removed in a way that meant only one thing: it would all come tumbling down with one wrong move. and maybe 一 just maybe 一 that very move had already been played the moment he had stepped foot in this shop. ❝ No. No. ❞ his reaction is nigh immediate, a refusal to accept whatever it is she says as if it were fact, even if there was a good point intermixed in it all. had he really wanted to cover it up flawlessly, he could have easily lied.

but where there was a lie, there would always be one seeking proof. and it wasn't as if he could simply conjure up some fake details of a relationship on the spot. or, well, he could, but if she found out he was newer, that only leaves her with more ammunition.

❝ It's the cardigan. The one in my hand. Right now. That's what I was getting. ❞ honestly, he had been more so worried about coming off as a weirdo than anything else to rationally think of that conclusion. he recalls the early days of waking up on hail mary where, were he to find it among his meager amount of belongings, he might've theorized that it had been from a girlfriend. or a boyfriend. or a partner in general. hell, maybe even himself? who knew what he or a theoretical person he could be dating might like to wear in some hypothesized relationship. ... my brain has failed me again. ❝ I mean. Look. I get it. But there's gotta be more possibilities that this could be than just those two very specific reasons. ❞ but more importantly... i could totally rock that color if i wanted.

[indomitableblackdragon]

"Come on you're acting like threw some matches on gas! It's just something you gotta do when they got those machines there. Why else would they give you all those flavors in the first place?"

There probably were better ways to introduce a concept like this to someone. Especially when the man was giving her a look that could best be described as "confused and worried intrigue". Still if one didn't do it they'd be doing it a disservice in the eyes of the battleship. Even if it might cost someone their entire afternoon through sheer overload of senses...

"You gotta give a try. Ship girls honor it ain't gonna taste bad alright?"

[gracesavestar]

❝ Saying it like that. You might have. ❞ not entirely, he knows, given he has kept an eye on things, let alone the lack of any gas source or a set of matches to be seen. nor can he really deny the allure of mixing flavors from the soda machine, something he may or may not have done often back in his college days without even the slightest bit of prompting from others. at the very least, he can understand her references on the matter, whether or not it was beneficial to them right now.

which, in this particular case, seems like it was with how she presses about trying it一

❝ You at least mixed in compatible flavors, right? ❞ he's a little wary, eyeing the drink with, once more, an intrigue. she's going to try it with me. no way she's gonna make me drink it alone like i'm a personal guinea pig. the color itself doesn't seem appealing, but he had tried enough things in his time to know that right could easily be wrong and up most definitely might be down when it came to appearance alone.

[noirdetectiveagency]

♠ Stargazing had never been a thing he ever wasted too much time on. The sky over the city was usually covered with thick, grey clouds, and if on a rare occasion the oppressing celestial blanket did decide to part, the light pollution of the metropolis he was from was swallowing the starlight with no mercy. Noir didn’t know much about stars either, other than the stories his companion had told him about them. Stars that were the remnants of the deceased, guiding lights to lead the way for the living and the dead, for mortals and gods.

One day, he hoped he would join them too, even if he knew that they were only simply that: stars.

The detective was leisurely smoking a cigarette as he watched the stargazer observe the nightly firmament, raising a brow when he actually turned to him to unleash a waterfall of nonsensical ramblings.

Noir took a long drag, then shrugged.

“You askin’ me?” His gaze immediately caught the glimpses of a few constellations visible with the naked eye. Hmm, now that it was pointed out, these were indeed foreign, none he had ever read about or seen before, none that were ever described to him.

Then he cocked his head to the side, “are ya having a stroke or something? Need a reality check?” Slowly Noir walked over to the strange man, his hands hidden deep within the pockets of his coat. Despite the frantic outburst he felt no hostility or danger coming from him; still better to be wary. “I’m well aware of what Earth is, buddy, but I ain’t sure if we are currently there. Could be, could be not, I’ve got no means to verify it. But I feel like you got other problems right now, pal.”

[gracesavestar]

OKAY, THAT KIND OF RESPONSE TELLS HIM ALL HE NEEDS. he did, in fact, sound like an absolute raving lunatic. was this how he came off when initially woken up on the hail mary? the more he dwells back on those moments... i guess it's better nobody was there to see that. that hardly stems the flow of his immediate fluster of thoughts, taking in a deeper breath before releasing it all to ground himself. no matter the case, he had been through this before, as much as he might not have wanted it to in the beginning, meaning he would be better prepared... right? ❝ A stroke would at least explain whatever一 ❞ he gestures toward, well, the entire island. ❝ 一this is, ❞ he finishes, scratching his temple a little thereafter.

papers in his hand shuffle as he looks down at them, a finger tabbing through as if looking for any of his works that would explain anything. calculations that add up to it being earth in contrast to the positioning of the stars pointedly opposing those findings, a makeshift drawings that only a junior high science teacher could produce. and that wasn't to mention the miniature diorama of tau ceti he had been given set at his feet.

❝ But you do know of Earth. ❞ that was a big takeaway from what the stranger says, at least in grace's mind as a pen is tapped against his cheek. that means we're in the milky way. most likely. probably...? he writes it down anyway, just in case. ❝ That's a start. That others also know about it, ❞ he carries on, a turn to glance at the rudimentary equipment again, as if in thought to take another gander through it with a hope that he had simply miscalculated the origin points of where to look through.

for now, he elects to stave it off, looking back to noir properly instead. he wasn't wrong about having other problems, but it wasn't as if he was going to dump all of that on him for a second round of ranting.

❝ Yeah. Uh. Sorry about that earlier thing. The one where I kinda went off? Not about you but at you. ❞ it is the least he can do to apologize now that he had taken some time to breathe in and out, his eruptive outburst to the situation a valid one but, in that very same breath, a little overboard. maybe it was the fact it was far too reminiscent of waking up without understanding where he was to truly shake off and keep his more rational mindset from the get go. ❝ I'm Grace. And I'm new here. As you've probably already guessed. ❞ a few seconds of silence pass. ❝ ... you really don't know if we're on Earth or not? ❞ might as well double check!

[gracesavestar]

SUNLIGHT BEAMS DOWN UPON THE LITTLE PARK, caressing all it touches with a gentle warmth that, after being in space for so long, grace could come to appreciate in full. nor can he say he's against the way children's laughter seems to permeate the air, subtle screams of delight as a group seem to play with a couple adults in the fray. he had been watching them from a bench, focus from his papers lifting every so often at the more excitable sounds, recalling his days as a simple middle school teacher. it is only when a ball rolls against the tip of his toe that his attention is grabbed in full, taking note that the children had lost their entertainment directly at his feet.

eyes flick between the toy and the others and, eventually, he leans down to pick it up, a press of his hand against his seat to stand him up. he walks over to hand it over, giving the kids a smile, before glancing back to vash in specific. ❝ Here you go. One lost ball back in its habitat, ❞ he chimes, arms crossing shortly after once it was taken. his gaze falls to the group as they begin again, mulling something over in his mind, before he speaks again with an idle rub against his chin.

❝ You, uh. Need another hand in there, pal? ❞ far be it from grace to refuse to give a little bit of joy in a gaggle of children's day, too.

@amoirsetpacis

[pvtaaaa]

[theridian]

@gracesavestar ♡'d for a starter!

          Rocky was, in the purest form of the word, frustrated. his claws clacked against the stone path beneath him as he quickly moved along, three of his limbs focused on walking while the other two fiddled with the "toolset" he'd been given. gentle tapping told him they were likely made of a similar material he had seen grace use—a material that was absolutely useless against most actual materials. a fluted sound of exasperation left him as he tucked the things back into his bandolier, once again scanning the area around him. more of those moving machines, and more of the flat surfaces that rocky was certain probably displayed earth writing.

     writing that was inaccessible to rocky, without the imager device he'd made. another sharp note expressed how he felt about that.

     it was, perhaps, luck that made the sound bounce off the smooth surfaces around him strangely. enough to make rocky tilt his carapace to hear the returning frequencies better, and actually focus closer on what he was hearing. close enough to pick up on familiar angles and planes around the corner in front of him—shaggy hair, a time device ticking around a wrist, glasses dangling from one ear. he turned ( an unnecessary but involuntary movement ) and was moving before he even really registered it.

     ❝ Grace! Friend Grace!! ❞ rocky scrambled forward, not even stopping when he reached the familiar figure but instead dancing around his feet. ❝ You are here? You are here, question?! ❞

[gracesavestar]

TO CALL THIS ALL SURREAL WAS, frankly put, the best which grace can do. both feet remain planted firm upon the ground where he stands, grip tight on their star-government-assigned device, a tap here and there every so often as he finishes going through a page. he was trying to figure out the best way to navigate this city, to regain his footing, so to speak, without much success in the last several days. honestly, if he didn't know any better, he might think that whatever was happening here was trying to hinder them more than help. am i being watched by those stars through this? are they tampering with it? maybe it was best not to rely on it so much, come to think, a hand reaching to rub at his chin in thought. but then again, technology was a staple in life for so long, apparently so even on this strange, foreign island.

a sigh escapes him, powering down the phone for now as he was about to head off. the keyword here is was, given the excitable alien that has now found himself practically prancing in front of him. yeah, that would surely put an immediate halt to his plans, an alertness lighting up every contour of his face within moments.

❝ Rocky! ❞ a pause, all of it beginning to sink in. ❝ ... Rocky?! Wait. You're... you're here?! ❞ it's no surprise at the lift of his tone in registering this.

each movement accentuates with a little musical note, a sound he thought he might never hear again, even amidst all his searching through the stardust of their cosmos. i can't believe how much i've missed those little doots. ❝ Yeah, buddy! I'm here! Grace here, statement! ❞ he nigh jolts forward in the moment, flooded with an immense joy and utter relief, as to bring in his friend into a hug, only to realize he wasn't... in his protective "suit." it only takes him a few moments for that immense happiness to become ever fleeting, shifted into a stark concern.

❝ You're... okay? You're doing okay. ❞ he repeats these two words, one in question and the other in reassurance, knelt down to get a closer inspection. no burning nor searing smoke seem apparent on his carapace and, by the way he moves, he seems perfectly intact. not to mention the sticky situation of that taumeba break he had been on his way to help with seeming far from his excited mind. ❝ Okay... alright. Cool. Great, even! I'm gonna guess you don't know where we are either. ❞ considering this planet's one that can host both of us without danger, that'd mean... what, exactly?

[noodles-and-tea]

🤔

[gracesavestar]

❝ Got a problem there, buddy? ❞ he'd noticed the boy looking over some kind of papers, the text itself illegible from where he currently stands, though enough to notice that it seems to be some kind of essence of study. whatever the case was, he felt bad leaving a kid alone when he was working, or at least trying to, on something he might be able to aid with.

❝ I'm not one on the island. But I am a teacher from Earth. ❞ should i have to disclose i'm from earth? he might not even know where that is.

@ostentumm