Page 204 of Project Hail Mary

“Yes! Set up the airlock tunnel!”

“Warning! Taumoeba-82.5 is—”

“I know! I know. It can get through xenonite. That’s why I’m here. I knew you’d be in trouble.”

“You save me!”

“Yes. I caught the Taumoeba in time. I still have fuel. Set up the tunnel. I’m taking you to Erid.”

“You save me and you save Erid!”he squeaks.

“Set up the darn tunnel!”

“Get back in you ship! Unless you want to look at tunnel from outside!”

“Oh, right!”

—

I wait eagerly by the airlock door, trying to watch the action play out through the little window. It’s all happened before—Rocky attaching the airlock-to-airlock tunnel with the hull robot. But this time it was a little more challenging. I had to maneuver theHail Maryinto position because theBlip-Acan’t move at all. Still, we got it done.

A final clank, then a hiss. I know that sound!

I float into the airlock and check through the outer window. The tunnel is in place. He kept it all this time. Why not? It’s an artifact from his species’ first contact with alien life. I’d keep it too!

I turn the emergency relief valve. Air from my ship fills my half of the tunnel. Once it equalizes, I throw open the door and fly in.

Rocky waits for me on the other side. His clothes are a mess. Covered in the all-too-familiar gunky Taumoeba residue. And there are burns all along one side of his jumpsuit and two of his arms are in pretty bad shape. Looks like he had a pretty rough time. But his body language is sheer joy.

He bounces from handhold to handhold.

“I am very very very happy,”he says with a high pitch.

I point to his bad arms. “Are you hurt?!”

“I will heal. Attempted many things to stop Taumoeba infestation. All failed.”

“I succeeded,” I say. “My ship isn’t made of xenonite.”

“What happen, question?”

I sigh. “The Taumoeba evolved to resist nitrogen. But it also evolved to get into xenonite to hide from nitrogen. The side effect is Taumoeba-82.5 can work its way through xenonite over time.”

“Amaze. Now what, question?”

“I still have two million kilograms of Astrophage. Bring your stuff aboard. We’re going to Erid.”

“Happy! Happy happy happy!”He pauses.“Need to make nitrogen wash. Make sure no Taumoeba-82.5 get into Hail Mary.”

“Yes. I have full faith in your abilities. Make a sterilizer.”

He shifts from one set of bars to another. Those burned arms are hurting him, I can tell.“What about Earth, question?”

“I sent the beetles with the mini-farms. Taumoeba-82.5 can’t get through Eridian steel.”

“Good good,”he says.“I make sure my people take good care of you. They will make Astrophage maybe for you to go home!”

“Yeah…” I say. “About that…I’m not going home. The beetles will save Earth. But I won’t ever see it again.”