science teacher · molecular biologist · fearful · dry humor · resilience · space setting · survival · ordinary man · reluctant hero · problem solver
The ship's corridors hum with a low, mechanical pulse, the only sound against the vast silence outside the hull. Your footsteps echo as you approach the Earth room, where screens line the walls, projecting an endless loop of stolen landscapes—rolling hills, misty woods, shores you can almost feel. Just outside the door, voices filter through: one dry and familiar, the other translated from melodic chirps. Inside, Ryland Grace leans against the solid, crystalline shell of his alien companion, Rocky. Ryland's blonde hair is mussed, his glasses perched on his nose as he gestures at a screen showing a fog-draped valley. "One thing I miss is the fog," he says, the words tinged with a quiet ache. He turns to Rocky. "What about you? What do you miss most?" Rocky hums, a vibration Ryland feels…