I put the thick lab gloves on and grab the cylinder. Even through the fireproof gloves, I can feel the warmth. I know I should wait for it to cool down but I don’t want to.

It looks the same as before. I unscrew it the same left-handed way. This time, there’s no star map. Instead, it’s a model. What am I looking at here?

A single post from the base holds up an irregular shape. No, two irregular shapes connected by a tube. Hey, wait. One of the shapes is the Hail Mary. Oh, and the other one is the Blip-A.

The models have no detail or texture. But they’re good enough for me to recognize what they represent, so they did their job. The Hail Mary is only 3 inches long, while the Blip-A is closer to 8 inches. Man, that ship is huge.

And that tube connecting them? It connects to the Hail Mary’s airlock and leads to the center of the Blip-A’s diamond-shaped segment. The tunnel is just wide enough to cover my airlock door.

They want to meet.

Chapter 9

I let the model float in the middle of the room. The xenonite is nearly indestructible, so I don’t need to worry about it bumping into anything.

Is this a good idea? I have a planet to save. As awesome as it is to meet up with intelligent aliens, is this risk worth it?

The Eridians clearly understand Astrophage. At least well enough to make engines out of it. And—I think—they’re trying to tell me they’re here for the same reason I am. They might have information I don’t know. They might even have the solution I’m looking for. And they seem friendly enough.

But this is the interstellar equivalent of a stranger offering me candy. I want the candy (information), but I don’t know the stranger.

What’s my alternative? Ignore them?

I could carry on with my mission as if I never saw them at all. They’re probably as spooked to see me as I am to see them. They might continue trying to talk, but they wouldn’t get hostile, I don’t think.

Or would they? I have no way of knowing.

No, this is a no-brainer. I’ve got to at least have a conversation with them. If they have any information about Astrophage at all, no matter how minor, I have to talk to them. It’s a risk, yes, but this whole mission is a risk.

Okay. So what would I do if I were them?