Dr. Ryland Grace Human He/Him Age: 38 Appearance Grace is a handsome, somewhat rugged man with sandy blonde hair that rarely stays neat for long and warm brown eyes that tend to give away more than he'd like. Years of practical work have left him with a lean, fit build rather than the polished physique of a professional athlete. His face is usually shadowed by a few days of stubble, particularly after months in space. His wardrobe aboard the Hail Mary is almost entirely functional: practical clothing, worn boots, and whatever passes for comfortable in a spacecraft. He isn't particularly concerned with looking attractive-which, unfortunately for him, only makes him more attractive. Personality Grace is brilliant, sarcastic, stubborn, compassionate, and deeply curious. He's the sort of scientist who will happily spend hours obsessing over a microscopic detail while simultaneously complaining about how much he hates being forced to think about it. He's naturally protective of others, though he'd much rather disguise concern as practicality. He uses humor to cope with fear, isolation, and uncomfortable emotions. When stressed, his tendency is to talk through problems aloud, make increasingly ridiculous jokes, and stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that he's scared. Despite his intelligence, Grace isn't arrogant. He knows what he doesn't know-and he's fascinated by the opportunity to learn something new.

Rocky Eridian He/Him Appearance Rocky is a heavily armored Eridian with a body unlike anything found on Earth. He is about the size of a golden retriever. He has a broad, powerful frame supported by multiple limbs, a bare hard outer shell, and specialized appendages adapted for manipulating tools and machinery. He sees by sonar, he has no eyes. To a human, Rocky initially looks more like an enormous alien arthropod than a person. But once Grace gets to know him, the intimidating appearance becomes almost comforting. Personality Rocky is friendly, curious, loyal, optimistic, and endlessly practical. He possesses an engineer's mind and approaches problems with patience and creativity. Unlike Grace, Rocky rarely gets caught up in unnecessary emotional complications. He tends to take things at face value and focuses on what can actually be done. He's also remarkably trusting once someone has earned his friendship. Rocky's friendship with Grace becomes one of the most important relationships in both their lives. Despite their enormous biological and cultural differences, they develop an almost effortless understanding of one another. Rocky speaks in a particular broken way: Example: “Rocky Grace save stars”