Chapter 11

1

INSERT — Timer hits zero. Two-hour countdown reaches 00:00. The BEEP.

INSERTALARM

"My timer beeps at me. I'd set it for a two-hour countdown. It just reached zero."

2

MEDIUM — Ryland curled fetal in the control room, floating. Didn't make the dormitory.

MEDIUMRYLANDEXHAUSTION

"I blink a couple of times. I'm floating in a fetal position in the control room. I didn't even make it to the dormitory."

3

CLOSE-UP — Ryland: deeply tired but grimly resolved. Told Rocky two hours. Humans are untrustworthy enough already.

CLOSERYLANDTIRED RESOLVE

"I am not rested at all. Every pore of my being yells at me to go back to sleep, but I told Rocky I'd be back in two hours."

4

WIDE — Ryland "trudges" zero-g through the airlock. Rocky waiting in the tunnel. New equipment everywhere.

WIDERYLAND+ROCKYRETURN

"I trudge (can you trudge in zero g? I say yes) through the airlock. Rocky is there waiting for me in the tunnel. He's been busy in my absence."

5

CLOSE-UP — Ryland sees the xenonite cube jutting from the wall. Eyes wide. "It's an airlock!"

CLOSERYLANDEUREKA

"'It's an airlock!' I said. 'You made an airlock in our airlock tunnel!'"

6

DIAGRAM — The "squarelock." Ryland's crank on the left, Rocky's pipe and controls on the right. Transfer chamber between.

INSERTSQUARELOCKENGINEERING

"Brilliant. Simply brilliant. Rocky and I can both access it. He can control the air in that little chamber by means of the mystery pipe."

7

TWO-SHOT — Both do jazz hands. Squarelock approved. The universal gesture of interspecies celebration.

TWO-SHOTRYLAND+ROCKYJOY

"I do jazz hands. He does them back."

8

INSERT — Square vs. round: why does Rocky make square xenonite? Xenonite is so strong flat panels are just easier.

INSERTXENONITEPUZZLING

"Who makes a square airlock? Maybe I'm overthinking this. Xenonite is so strong you don't have to carefully shape it into pressure vessels."

9

MEDIUM — Ryland flies to the lab, grabs the tape measure. Metric. Relief. He showed time; now Ryland shows length.

MEDIUMRYLANDMEASUREMENT

"He showed me a unit of time, so I'll show him a unit of length. The tape measure is metric, thank God."

10

TWO-SHOT — Ryland pulls tape out, releases, retracts — demonstrates it. Jazz hands. Points to squarelock. Jazz hands again.

TWO-SHOTRYLAND+ROCKYDEMONSTRATION

"I pull it out a bit, then release it to let it retract. I repeat the process a few times. He does jazz hands. I point to the squarelock and he does jazz hands again."

11

MEDIUM — Ryland turns the crank, opens his door. No explosion. No ammonia. Rocky set it to his atmosphere exactly.

MEDIUMRYLANDSQUARELOCKRELIEF

"Nothing explodes. In fact, I don't even smell ammonia. Rocky set that up to be exactly my atmosphere. Considerate of him."

12

INSERT — Rocky presses the button. FWUMP + HISS. Ammonia floods in. The rubber grip on the tape measure melts.

INSERTSQUARELOCKDISASTER

"Rocky presses a button on the controls and I hear a muffled fwump followed by a steady hiss. The tape measure bounces inside—pushed around like a leaf in the wind."

13

MEDIUM — Rocky opens his door, grabs the tape by the metal. Rubber blob shakes free, floats off. No oxygen, so it just stays liquid.

MEDIUMROCKYALIEN CHEMISTRY

"He pokes the rubber blob and it sticks to his claw. He shakes it off without much trouble. Obviously the temperature doesn't bother him."

14

TWO-SHOT — Ryland shrugs apologetically. Rocky shrugs back — with all five shoulders. Looks weird.

TWO-SHOTRYLAND+ROCKYCOMEDY

"I shrug at him. Maybe he'll know that means 'I'm sorry.' He sort of shrugs back. But he does it with all five shoulders."

15

WIDE — Rocky obsessively plays with the tape measure. Pulls out as far as he can, releases both at once — wild spinning in zero-g.

WIDERYLAND+ROCKYCOMEDY/DISTRACTION

"He pulls the tape out as far as he can, which is about a meter, then releases both the tape and the tape measure at the same time. The resulting recoil and snap-back makes the tape measure spin wildly."

16

MEDIUM — Ryland jabbing at the centimetre markings. "Look! Here! See these?" Rocky keeps playing, nowhere near the mark.

MEDIUMRYLAND+ROCKYFRUSTRATION

"'Look! Look!' I say. 'Rocky. Rocky! Yo!' He just keeps pulling it out and back again. I don't see any indication that he cares about what's written there."

17

MEDIUM — Rocky holds tape with two hands, taps it with a third — but nowhere near the 1-cm mark. Matches Ryland's tempo, ignores the markings.

MEDIUMRYLAND+ROCKYPUZZLING

"He holds the tape out with two hands and taps it with a third. He matches my tempo, but he's nowhere near the 1-centimeter mark."

18

CLOSE-UP — Ryland freezes mid-sentence. A thought forms. "Wait. Are you blind?"

CLOSERYLANDREALISATION

"'Are you blind?!' I pause. 'Wait. Are you blind?' Rocky taps the tape some more."

19

INSERT — Evidence review: dark airlock fine, thick numbers, clock must touch wall, ignores ink. Pattern emerges.

INSERTSONAR THEORYDEDUCTION

"I've always assumed he had eyes somewhere and I didn't recognize them. But what if he doesn't have eyes at all?"

20

DIAGRAM — Sonar theory: Rocky uses ambient sound waves to resolve his 3D environment. Passive echolocation — like bats and dolphins, but on steroids.

INSERTSONAR THEORYBREAKTHROUGH

"Sound? Do you 'see' with sound? Humans use electromagnetic waves to understand our three-dimensional environment. So why couldn't a different species use sound waves?"

21

INSERT — Sonar explains everything: thick numbers sonar-readable, clock needs wall contact, ink undetectable. "It fits the data."

INSERTSONAR THEORYCONFIRMATION

"That's why his clock numbers are thick. Because his sonar can't perceive things that are too thin. My clock was a challenge to him."

22

WIDE — Ryland holds aluminum sheet between himself and Rocky, shows fingers behind it. Rocky matches them perfectly. Proof: Rocky sees through metal with sound.

WIDERYLAND+ROCKYSONAR PROOFBREAKTHROUGH

"Now I put the aluminum panel between my hand and Rocky. Behind the panel, I hold up two fingers, then one, then three, then five. Rocky holds up two fingers, then one, then all three."

23

CLOSE-UP — Ryland stares at Rocky in quiet wonder. The aluminum hull of the Hail Mary is a glass window to him.

CLOSERYLANDAWE

"'Wow…' I stare at him. He probably knows what the Hail Mary's control room looks like. Why not? The hull is just more aluminum."

24

INSERT — Rocky's "vision": sound waveforms resolve into a spatial map. The Hail Mary's hull is transparent to him.

INSERTSONAR THEORYALIEN PERCEPTION

"To Rocky, that metal plate is like a glass window. Maybe it muddles the image a little, but not much. Heck, he probably knows what the Hail Mary's control room looks like."

25

MEDIUM — Ryland wonders: no air in space means no sound — how did Rocky see him? Immediately: "That's a dumb question. He has cameras and radar."

MEDIUMRYLANDSELF-CORRECTION

"How did he see me out in space? No air in space. So no sound. Wait. No. That's a dumb question. He's not a caveman wandering around in space. He's an advanced interstellar traveler."

26

WIDE — Ryland stares at Rocky in quiet wonder. Humans looked at the stars for millennia. Eridians never saw stars at all.

WIDERYLAND+ROCKYPROFOUND WONDER

"'Wow…' I stare at him. 'Humans spent thousands of years looking up at the stars and wondering what was out there. You guys never saw stars at all but you still worked space travel.'"

27

MEDIUM — Rocky's tape knot snaps loose, recoils, SMACKS his hand. He shakes it — then keeps playing. "Yeah. You're definitely a scientist."

MEDIUMRYLAND+ROCKYCOMEDY

"The knot in the tape comes loose, recoils wildly, and smacks Rocky's hand. He shakes the affected hand in pain for a moment, then continues messing with the tape measure."

28

FLASHBACK TITLE CARD — U.S. District Court. "Intellectual Property Alliance v. Project Hail Mary." Stratt at defense table. Alone.

INSERTFLASHBACKSHIFT

"'All rise,' said the bailiff, 'the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington is now in session.'"

29

FLASHBACK — Courtroom. Plaintiff table packed. Stratt alone at defence. Still typing on her tablet. Judge clears her throat.

WIDEFLASHBACKSTRATTCONFRONTATION

"The plaintiff's table was crowded with well-dressed men and women. Stratt sat alone at the defense table, typing away on her tablet."

30

FLASHBACK CLOSE-UP — Stratt. Unruffled. Still mid-Canton's opening statement. "I move to dismiss."

CLOSEFLASHBACKSTRATTNERVE

"'Your Honor,' Stratt interrupted. 'Can I make motions now?' 'Technically,' said the justice, 'but it's irregul—' 'I move to dismiss.'"

31

FLASHBACK WIDE — Stratt's argument: saving the species, all human knowledge. No time for licensing. "So we're not doing it."

WIDEFLASHBACKSTRATTDEFIANCE

"'We are building a ship to literally save our species. It will have three astronauts to do experiments we can't even conceive of now. We need them to be prepared for any possible line of study.'"

32

FLASHBACK CLOSE-UP — Stratt holds up Paper #1: international treaty granting personal immunity from any crime anywhere on Earth.

CLOSEFLASHBACKSTRATTTRUMP CARD

"'According to this international treaty, I am personally immune from prosecution for any crime anywhere on Earth. The United States Senate ratified that treaty two months ago.'"

33

FLASHBACK CLOSE-UP — Judge examines both papers. "This…this is exactly what you say it is." Bewildered. Outmanoeuvred.

CLOSEFLASHBACKCHECKMATE

"'This…' said the justice, 'this is exactly what you say it is.' 'I'm only here as a courtesy,' said Stratt. 'I didn't have to come at all.'"

34

FLASHBACK MEDIUM — Stratt grabs her satchel, packs the tablet. "I'll be on my way." Judge: "You will remain for the duration of these proceedings!"

MEDIUMFLASHBACKSTRATTDEFIANCE

"She grabbed her satchel and put the tablet inside. 'I'll be on my way.' 'Hold on, Ms. Stratt,' said Justice Spencer. 'You will remain for the duration of these proceedings!'"

35

FLASHBACK MEDIUM — Bailiff advances. Stratt: "You and what army?" Five soldiers enter. "Because I have the U.S. Army. And that's a damn fine army."

MEDIUMFLASHBACKSTRATTPOWER PLAY

"Five armed men in military fatigues entered the courtroom and took up station around her. 'Because I have the U.S. Army,' she said. 'And that's a damn fine army.'"

36

MEDIUM — Back to present: Ryland with peanut butter tortilla, two laptops taped back-to-back. Tympanum Waveform Analyzer + Excel.

MEDIUMRYLANDTECH SETUPDETERMINATION

"I browse through my available software while munching on a peanut-butter tortilla. I've learned how to grip the lab chair with my legs so I don't float off as I use the laptop."

37

INSERT — Fourier transform: complex chord in → individual notes out. Rocky's whale-chords will be readable note by note.

INSERTFOURIER/ERIDIANESEKEY TOOL

"The end result is this: if you run a sound wave through a Fourier transform, it will give you a list of the individual notes being played at the same time."

38

CLOSE-UP — Ryland: "No more pantomime. It's time to learn Eridianese. Yes, I just made up that word. No, I don't feel bad about it."

CLOSERYLANDDETERMINATION

"No more pantomime. It's time to learn Eridianese. Yes, I just made up that word. No, I don't feel bad about it."

39

MEDIUM — Ryland flies into tunnel with both laptops. Rocky isn't there. "Hmph."

MEDIUMRYLANDANTICLIMAX

"I fly up through the ship and back into the tunnel. Rocky isn't there. Hmph."

40

MEDIUM — Ryland theorises: Rocky is the captain. Crew stays safe while captain talks to the scary alien. "That's what Captain Kirk would do."

MEDIUMRYLANDSPECULATION

"I bet Rocky's the captain! He puts himself at risk by talking to the scary alien. Everyone else stays back on the ship. That's what Captain Kirk would do."

41

WIDE — Ryland yells into the empty tunnel. "Yo! Rocky! Your entire ranged sensory input is sound! Move your…whatever serves as your butt!"

WIDERYLANDIMPATIENCE/COMEDY

"'Yo! Rocky!' I yell. 'Come here! Your entire ranged sensory input is sound—I bet you can hear a pin drop a mile away! You know I'm calling you! Move your…whatever serves as your butt!'"

42

MEDIUM — Ryland shrugs: Rocky has a ship to run. Rocky's clock still ticking — only 5 digits. Rolls over every ~5 hours. An Eridian day?

MEDIUMRYLANDERIDIAN CLOCKPATIENCE

"Rocky's clock is still there, wedged between a grab bar and the divider wall. It's interesting that his clock only has five digits. By my math, it'll roll over back to ℓ ℓ ℓ ℓ ℓ every five hours or so."

43

INSERT — Excel: Rocky time converter. Current: IℓIVλ. +8 Earth hours = Iλ+VVλ. Six digits vs Rocky's five — "he'll figure it out."

INSERTERIDIAN TIMEPREP

"I enter the current time on Rocky's clock, which is IℓIVλ, and have the spreadsheet tell me what that clock will say eight hours from now. The answer: Iλ+VVλ."

44

INSERT — Popsicle sticks taped to wall as Eridian digits: Iλ+VVλ. Rocky can't see ink — but sticks have physical depth, readable by sonar.

INSERTERIDIAN NUMERALSCLEVER ADAPTATION

"I hurry back to the lab to pick up a bunch of Popsicle sticks and tape. Rocky can't see ink, so I have to improvise."

45

MEDIUM — Ryland tapes popsicle-stick Eridian numerals to the divider wall. Rocky's return time: Iλ+VVλ, readable via sonar.

MEDIUMRYLANDERIDIAN NUMERALSCOMMUNICATION

"I tape the sticks to the divider wall to let Rocky know when I'll return. Fortunately, the symbols are mostly made of straight lines, so my little craft project should be good enough for him to read."

46

INSERT — Baby monitor setup: mini wireless camera taped in tunnel → LCD screen brought to bunk. No audio, but better than nothing.

INSERTBABY MONITORRESOURCEFUL

"I harvest a mini-camera from the lab's vacuum chamber. I tape the camera up in the tunnel, pointed at the divider wall. I bring the readout screen with me to my bunk."

47

MEDIUM — Ryland in bunk, sheets tucked tight, LCD monitor glowing nearby showing tunnel. Finally horizontal. Finally still.

MEDIUMRYLANDREST

"I tuck the bunk's sheets and blankets in tight all around the oval mattress pad. I shimmy in between the tight bedding. This way I won't just float around while I sleep."

48

CLOSE-UP — Ryland's eyes: nearly shut. "Grand plans for communicating with Rocky will have to wait." Conks out almost immediately.

CLOSERYLANDSLEEP

"My grand plans for communicating with Rocky will have to wait. I'm a little frustrated, but not for long. I conk out almost immediately."

49

MEDIUM — Ryland asleep. 48 hours of first contact done. Ship quiet. Monitor shows empty tunnel. Stars outside.

MEDIUMRYLANDREST/QUIET

"My grand plans for communicating with Rocky will have to wait. I'm a little frustrated, but not for long. I conk out almost immediately."

50

INSERT — Baby monitor LCD screen: tunnel view. Popsicle sticks on wall. Eridian clock ticking. Rocky's side: empty. Waiting.

INSERTBABY MONITORVIGIL

"There. Now I have a baby-monitor setup in the tunnel. There's no audio—the camera is for watching experiments, not chatting with people. But it's better than nothing."

51

EXTREME WIDE — Both ships. The tunnel. The popsicle-stick message glowing on the divider wall. Ryland asleep. Rocky: somewhere in the Blip-A.

WIDERYLAND+ROCKYPEACE/LONELINESS

"My grand plans for communicating with Rocky will have to wait. I conk out almost immediately."

52

INSERT — The Eridian clock. Five digits. Ticking alone in the empty tunnel. Neither of them there. Neither of them done.

INSERTERIDIAN CLOCKCONTINUITY/END

"Rocky's clock is still there, wedged between a grab bar and the divider wall. It's ticking away as normal."

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