Chapter 30

1

WIDE — Ryland's dome on Erid. Clear xenonite bubble of Earth environment in an alien cluster-city. Pitch dark outside. Warm glow within.

WIDERYLANDERID / HOME

"I live in a big dome in the middle of one of their 'clusters.' Thirty Eridians outside maintain my life-support."

2

MEDIUM — Ryland's kitchen inside the dome. Eating a meburger. Vitamin soda. An Eridian clock on the wall reads an alien time.

MEDIUMRYLANDERID LIFE

"I finish off the last bite of my meburger and gulp down the vitamin-enriched soda. Wow, is it already that time?"

3

INSERT — The meburger revealed: Ryland's own cloned muscle tissue, lab-grown by Eridian scientists. Earth science, alien execution.

INSERTMEBURGERERID SCIENCE

"They managed to clone my muscle tissue and grow it in labs. Yes, I'm eating human meat. But it's my own meat."

4

MEDIUM — Early years on Erid. Ryland sick in bed. Scurvy, beriberi, malnourishment. Vitamin drip. "Those were painful days."

MEDIUMRYLANDEARLY YEARS

"My first few years on Erid were touch-and-go. Taumoeba kept me alive, but I became severely malnourished."

5

WIDE — The Eridian thrum: hundreds of scientists gathered, all vibrating together to solve Ryland's nutrition problem. Second-largest thrum ever.

WIDEERIDIANSTHE THRUM

"Pretty much every scientist on the planet came together to thrum up ways to keep me alive. The second-largest science-oriented thrum ever."

6

INSERT — Time dilation timeline. Earth: 71 years since birth. Ryland's body: ~53 years old. 16 years on Erid.

INSERTTIME DILATIONAGE

"I think I'm fifty-three years old now, but I'm not sure. Seventy-one years have gone by on Earth since I was born."

7

MEDIUM — Ryland hobbling across the rock garden grounds. Cane. Colourful rocks — his hobby. "The Eridians just see rocks. I see all the colours."

MEDIUMRYLANDROCK GARDEN

"I grab my cane and head out. There are no plants, but there are some very tasteful and aesthetically pleasing rocks."

8

CLOSE — Ryland's aged hand on the cane. Knuckles swollen with arthritis. Eridian-made wristwatch. High gravity takes its toll.

CLOSERYLANDAGE / BODY

"I'm not a young man anymore, and the high gravity of Erid has only made my bones degenerate faster."

9

MEDIUM — The dome meeting room: warm Earth-side on left, alien Erid-side on right, divided by 1cm xenonite. Their regular spot.

MEDIUMRYLANDTHE MEETING ROOM

"A good compromise. My side within my bubble environment. On the other side of the xenonite: Erid's natural atmosphere."

10

WIDE — From Erid's dark side: Rocky at the xenonite wall, bouncing with barely-contained excitement. Through the wall: Ryland hobbling in with cane.

WIDERYLAND / ROCKYROCKY HAS NEWS

"Rocky waits for me on the Eridian side. 'Finally! I've been waiting for ℓλ minutes! What took you so long?!'"

11

TWO-SHOT — Rocky jiggles and wiggles. "I just heard from the Astronomy hive! They have news!" Ryland freezes. "Sol? Is it about Sol?!"

TWO-SHOTRYLAND / ROCKYNEWS

"I've almost never seen him this excited. 'I just heard from the Astronomy hive. They have news!'"

12

CLOSE — Ryland frozen. Can barely speak. "Sol? Is it about Sol?!" Sixteen years of not knowing — this could be everything.

CLOSERYLANDHOPE / DREAD

"I hold my breath. For sixteen years there's been no way to know if Earth survived."

13

CLOSE — Rocky: "YES! Your star has returned to full luminance!" Sol is back. Earth's sun at pre-Astrophage brightness.

CLOSEROCKYWE WON

"'Your star has returned to full luminance!' Rocky squeals. 'The data was analyzed by a thrum of λV astronomers. It checks out.'"

14

WIDE — Sol comparison: left = dimmed by Astrophage / right = full luminance restored. Earth's sun is back. Taumoeba worked.

WIDESOL RESTOREDVICTORY

"Sol — Earth's sun — has returned to its pre-Astrophage brightness. There's only one possible way that happens."

15

CLOSE — Ryland trembling, tears running. Can't move. Can barely breathe. "It's over. We won. Simple as that."

CLOSERYLANDWE WON

"I can't move. I can barely breathe. I start to tremble. It's over. We won. Simple as that."

16

MEDIUM — Rocky tilts carapace, curious. "Hey, your face is leaking! Remind me — does that mean happy or sad?" Ryland: "I'm happy, of course!"

MEDIUMRYLAND / ROCKYFACE LEAKING

"'Yeah, I thought so. Just checking.' He holds a balled claw against the xenonite."

17

TWO-SHOT — The final fist-bump. Aged knuckles and alien claw, separated by xenonite. Gold glow. "Monumentally epic fist-bump situation."

TWO-SHOTRYLAND / ROCKYTHE FIST-BUMP

"Is this a fist-bump situation?" "This is a monumentally epic fist-bump situation."

18

INSERT — Calculation: beetles travel (~2 Earth years) → scientists implement solution (<1 year) → light from Sol reaches Erid. Earth was fast.

INSERTTIMINGEARTH RESPONDED

"If you account for the time it took your beetles to get there and the travel time for light… less than one of your years to get it done."

19

MEDIUM — Rocky: "Will you go home now? Or will you stay?" Ryland: "I… I don't know. I'm getting old and the trip is long."

MEDIUMRYLAND / ROCKYTHE QUESTION

"The Hail Mary has been in stable orbit around Erid all these years. Eridians offered to refuel it long ago."

20

CLOSE — Ryland sobbing openly. "That news about Sol… it makes my whole life have meaning. I still can't… I can't…"

CLOSERYLANDMEANING

"'Yeah, I know,' Rocky says softly. 'That's why I wanted to be the one to tell you.'"

21

TWO-SHOT — Both heading for the door, Rocky pauses and walks back. "Hey Grace. Do you ever wonder? About other life out there?"

TWO-SHOTRYLAND / ROCKYTHE BIG QUESTION

"I lean on my cane. 'Sure. All the time.'"

22

DIAGRAM — Ancestor Astrophage from Tau Ceti seeded BOTH Earth and Erid with life billions of years ago. Two worlds, one origin.

DIAGRAMANCESTOR ASTROPHAGEORIGIN OF LIFE

"Some ancestor of Astrophage seeded Earth and Erid with life billions of years ago."

23

WIDE — Star map around Tau Ceti. Fewer than 50 stars within range. Two highlighted: Sol (blue) and 40 Eridani (amber). Two worlds with life.

WIDESTAR MAPLIFE IS COMMON

"Fewer than fifty stars as close to Tau Ceti as we are. But two ended up with life. Life might be a lot more common than we think."

24

TWO-SHOT — Ryland: "Who knows? You and I found each other. That's something." Rocky tilts carapace — that's his smile. "Yeah. It really is something."

TWO-SHOTRYLAND / ROCKYFRIENDSHIP

"You and I found each other. That's something." "Yeah," Rocky says. "It really is something. Go do your job, old man."

25

MEDIUM — Ryland hobbling along dome perimeter. Warm inside, pure blackness beyond the xenonite. His smile fades a little.

MEDIUMRYLANDDARKNESS OUTSIDE

"I hobble along the perimeter. Pitch-dark outside all the time. Just inky blackness. My smile fades a little."

26

CLOSE — Ryland's face, darkness outside. "How bad did it get back on Earth? Did they work together? Or did millions die?"

CLOSERYLANDEARTH WORRY

"How bad did it get back on Earth? Did they work together to survive? Or did millions die in wars and famine?"

27

MEDIUM — Ryland lifts head high. "I bet they did work together." Walking toward classroom double doors. "But not right now. I've got work to do."

MEDIUMRYLANDRESOLVE / OPTIMISM

"Maybe I will go home someday. Maybe I'll find out for sure. But not right now. Right now, I've got work to do."

28

WIDE — Ryland at the organ keyboard, facing 30 young Eridians bouncing like idiots on their alien side. His favourite room.

WIDERYLAND / ERIDIANSTHE CLASSROOM

"I settle into the comfortable chair, crack my knuckles, and start the class. 'All right, all right. Everyone settle down.'"

29

WIDE — "Who here can tell me the speed of light?" Twelve kids shoot up their claws. Ryland Grace, teacher at the end of the universe. The end.

WIDERYLAND / ERIDIANSEND OF CHAPTER / END OF BOOK

"Twelve kids raise their claws." The last human from Earth — teaching the next generation of alien scientists. The End.

Project Hail Mary — Fan Storyboard