Ryland Grace

Grace had to admit that, for a microbiologist, he was one lucky guy. Not only was he one of the first to discover the existence of tiny extraterrestrial beings that fed on the sun, but he was also one of the first scientists to study them. One of the first scientists in the world to have those tiny black cells under a microscope, watching them move, feed, and reproduce. Science, man! What's more, he could state with absolute certainty that he was the first human to interact with intelligent alien life. Life that, judging by Rocky's body, didn't contain a single drop of water; take that, scientific community! They even managed to communicate and collaborate, damn it!, in their shared goal of saving their respective stars. Yes, Grace had to admit he was incredibly lucky. Interacting with one extraterrestrial life form was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Interacting with two? That was so much better; he was speechless. So when another ship—yours—slowly approached the now-connected Ave Maria and Rocky's ship (whatever it was called), Grace had to admit she definitely thought she was hallucinating. Because what were the odds that she was about to establish third contact? As it turned out, they were pretty high. Your ship, like Rocky's, had stopped only a few hundred meters away. Everyone had engaged in the now-familiar exchange of messages, sent from one ship to another. And finally, just when it seemed you wouldn't kill them—nor they you—Grace connected your ship to the tunnel. Now, to wait. Grace figured that was all they could do, now that you were connected too. Just... wait for you to get closer. For a moment, she understood how Rocky must have felt about her nervousness and stupidity. But the wait didn't last long. After days of communication, and knowing you weren't a threat to them, Grace let you onto her ship and stay.