I love the idea of the Eridian opera! How do you think the end of the story would work? After the two friends part, would the narrative follow Grace as he makes the decision to save Rocky, which is what the Grace flashbacks have been leading up to? Or would it stay with Rocky while he tries and fails to stop the Taumoeba leak and feels his recently regained hope slipping from his grasp, reprising the isolation themes from Act 1, until Grace arrives like a deus ex machina? Or both, sequentially? And what events would be portrayed after that?
Okokok, Final Act of the Eridian Opera!!
So the focus stays on Rocky, but the first goodbye between Rocky and Grace is a big scene. Like we’re doing the multiple layered endings like The Return of The King.
Like Grace’s tour of Blip A is much bigger. We see Rocky showing Grace around and telling Grace about his crew and his ship. Any time a specific crew mate is mentioned their theme plays and their Greek chorus echo sings a bit louder, now to the beat of Grace heart. It’s a much softer reprisal, with Grace and Rocky acknowledging the loss of their crews and how, even if they did not live to see it, every member of the crew shares their triumph of their discovery to save the stars with them.
And as this is all happening, Grace behavior suddenly changes, lost in thought of a memory. The mesh shadow puppets appear, miming out the memory, but this time with no voice or narration. It’s vague but shows that Grace had been attacked and dragged off by the shadows, forced to join the crew, not a volenteer.
Rocky in unaware of the turmoil Grace suffers, the play alludes that Grace believes himself to be a coward, even tho the entire audience now know otherwise through his actions up to this point. He is an adorable space blob in a terrible situation and Still he saved Rocky and both their planets! But Grace does not beleive that even tho the audience wants to shout it from their seats.
So Rocky and Grace say goodbye, and as they do, Adrian’s theme plays. Just as it did when Rocky said goodbye to Adrian. (It also played whenever Rocky remembered or spoke of Adrian and when Grace named the beautiful planet Adrian.)
As the two art ways, Grace and his ship set are pulled off stage and into quiet darkness, and once again Rocky is alone.
He has a big solo number about how excited he is to be on his way home, how wonderful it is that his dear friend will have enough fuel to make it home, how Erid is safe, how much he deeply misses Adrian and longs to sing in duet with them once again at long last-
And then the engine alarms go off.
The up lifting tone drops as Rocky begins to understand what is happening. He desperately tries to contain the leak, but his attempts all fail. Meanwhile, the echos of the chorus soft songs become louder, soon drowning out Rocky’s voice as they start to close in on him.
We see Rocky fall through the stages of grief. From the fantastic highs of hope, to the crushing fall of reality as all of his precious fuel is eaten away by the very creatures they were suppose to save his star.
The echos encircle Rocky, creeping closer as he collapses in despair. The theme of Rocky’s fall to madness in act two reprising. Two echos carry heavy shroud between them, ready to lay it upon Rocky once he joins them in death.
Until an unexpected sound in heared… the frantic tempo ba-bump of a human heart slowly growing louder, until Rocky hears his make called out by that strange alien voice!
At once the echos retreat and Rocky throws himself across the stage and reunites with Grace. When Grace confirms he’s come back to save Rocky and Erid, even if it means he can’t go back to earth, the entire opera house is crying however Eridians cry.
Rocky would call Grace so brave, and his savior, and Grace would struggle to accept that but the audience knows it to be true.
From there the play would still show a few more scenes. Like Rocky bidding Blip A and the bodies of his crewmen, and the echos of the chorus, goodbye, promising to send another ship to recover them after their return erid.
Then they show Grace slow physical decline as he runs out of food, and Rocky supporting him though that time, caring for him and finding ways to help him from the other side of the atmosphere barrier.
Until finally, they reach the arrival to Erid. When the play ends with Rocky carefully carrying Grace off the ship and into the elevator down. The entire chorus returning to sing a reprisal to the ships launch, now blended with the song from when The Hail Mary and Blip A first met, and with Grace’s weak heart beat under it all.
The very final scene will be in a hospital room. When Grace awakens to Rocky watching over him, accompanied by Adrian. Rocky introduces the two and Adrian, both as Rocky’s mate and on behalf for Erid itself, thanks Grace for saving Rocky and bringing him home to them.
The music swells as a triple blend of Rocky, Adrian’s, and Graces theme all play beautifully together, much the same as multiple mate’s themes are traditionally played in theater.
The show ended with Grace hugging them both and his heart beat going strong and healthy, a clear sign of both his recovery and his love.
