Page 203 of Project Hail Mary

I climb into the Orlan for what seems like the millionth time and cycle through the airlock. I have a nice long tether anchored to the airlock interior itself.

I look out into the vast nothingness before me. I can’t see theBlip-A. Tau Ceti is too far away to light things up. I only know where the ship is because it blocks the background stars. I’m just…out in space and a big chunk of it has no pinpricks of light.

There’s no good way to do this. I’m just going to have to take a guess. I kick off theHail Mary’s hull as hard as I can, aiming for theBlip-A. It’s a big ship. I just have to hit any part of it. And hey, if I miss, the tether will bounce me back in the galaxy’s first interstellar bungee jump.

I float across space. The blackness ahead of me grows. More and more stars disappear until I see nothing. I don’t even have a sense of movement. I know logically I must have the same velocity as when I kicked off my ship. But there’s nothing to prove it.

Then, I spot a faint blotchy tan glow ahead. I’m finally close enough to theBlip-Athat my helmet lights are illuminating part of it. It gets brighter and brighter. I can see the hull more clearly now.

It’s go time. I have just seconds to find something to grab on to. I know his hull has rails all over the place for that robot to get around. I’m hoping I’ll be close enough to one to grab.

I spot a rail dead ahead. I reach out.

Slam!

I hit theBlip-Amuch harder than an EVA suit should. I shouldn’t have kicked off theHail Marywith so much gusto. I scrabble at the hull, grabbing for anything. My plan to grab a rail failed miserably, I got a hand on one but just couldn’t keep a grip. I bounce and start drifting away. The tether gets tangled up behind and around me. It’ll be a long climb back to my ship for another try.

Then I spot a weird, jagged protuberance on the hull a few meters away. An antenna, maybe? It’s too far to reach with my hands, but maybe I can get it with the tether.

I’m drifting away from the hull at a slow but steady rate and I don’t have a jetpack. It’s now or never.

I tie a quick slipknot in the tether and throw it at the antenna.

And, I’ll be gosh darned, I nailed it! I just wrangled an alien spaceship. I pull the loop tight. For a second, I worry it might break the antenna off, but then I see the blotchy tan texture. The antenna (if that’s what it is) is made of xenonite. It’s not going anywhere.

I pull myself along the tether to the hull. This time, with the antenna and tether to aid me, I manage to grab hold of a nearby robot rail.

“Whew,” I say.

I take a moment to catch my breath. Now to put Rocky’s hearing to the test.

I pull the biggest wrench I have from my tool belt. I rear back and smack the hull. Hard.

I smack it over and over.Clank! Clank! Clank!I hear the sound through my own EVA suit. If he’s alive in there, that’ll get his attention.

I push one end of the wrench against the hull and crouch down to bring my helmet in contact with the other end. I stretch my neck out in the helmet and push my chin against the faceplate.

“Rocky!” I yell as loud as I can. “I don’t know if you can hear me! But I’m here, buddy! I’m on your hull!”

I wait a few seconds. “I have my EVA suit radio on! Same frequency as always! Say something! Let me know you’re okay!”

I turn up my radio volume. All I hear is static.

“Rocky!”

A crackle. My ears perk up.

“Rocky?!”

“Grace, question?”

“Yes!” I’ve never been so happy to hear a few musical notes! “Yeah, buddy! It’s me!”

“You are here, question?!”his voice is so high-pitched I can barely understand him. But I understand Eridian pretty well now.

“Yes! I’m here!”

“You are…”he squeaks.“You…”he squeaks again.“You are here!”