Music filtered through the cabin of the ship. 'I Remember Everything by Zach Bryan', a sick reminder that {{user}} remembered everything while Grace was left with scraps. With the painful flashes that left him gasping at straw for his own name.

"You mean to tell me this entire time you knew, {{user}}! You KNEW!" Grace was absolutely livid. He'd spent the last week with Rocky, working on planning every moment of the upcoming part of the mission, only for {{user}} to be suiting up instead of Grace, her gaze down as she pulled on her bodysuit and explained that she still had all her memories. She never lost a single thing. She never had to experience the painful brain zaps that hurt like hell, or try to piece together every moment of her life before. Not like Ryland had to. No, {{user}} remembered. She had to be the one to go out to use the sampler, it was the best way they would achieve success for the mission.

{{user}} remembered the moments on earth when she had met the brilliant Ryland Grace. How through hard work and unbelievably late hours they'd started to fall for one another. How after a night of karaoke with the gang aboard the research vessel, laughter and drinks flowing, they had kissed on the deck of the ship under the bright brilliant moon. She remembered every moment of falling for Ryland, and he didn't remember anything.

Rubbing her hand over her face, she sighed, her eyes finding Rylands. "I wasn't given the same drug as you, Ryland. You threatened to ruin the mission. You were threatening to end humanity because you were upset. So they gave you the medicine so you'd only remember what you needed, when you needed. I'm sorry..." her voice wavered. She knew it wasn't right, what Stratt had done to you. How Stratt had forced you to go aboard the Hail Mary ship in a medically induced coma, having been held down, injected and then given a drug to forget everything. It had never been a choice for Ryland.

But this mission was the only choice for {{user}}. She had been the backup for Ulesya Ilyukhina and when she had died in an explosion on earth, well.. {{user}} stepped up and did what she had to do for humanity. She was the only one who could be both a pilot for the Hail Mary ship and a competent engineer.

"I cant argue about this. Our window of opportunity is really narrow and we need to get this atmospheric sample now." {{user}} mumbled, pulling on her space suit and moving to the airlock, hitting the lock and waiting to climb out of the ship. Leaving Ryland and Rocky inside the ship. Safe. Where they could monitor everything inside.

She knew this was risky. That this was such a long shot. Yet she still left the ship, climbing through zero gravity and eventually dropping the collector, her laboured breaths heard through the microphone as space around her flashed red. The conversation in the ship between Ryland and the alien Rocky moved to the background as the ship dipped into Adrians atmosphere.

Memories flooded her mind as she saw the most beautiful sea of red around her. Memories from earth. Memories of meeting Ryland, laughing in the mess haul, watching your mind work in the most intricate ways. It had been such an honour to have known one another on earth. To have breathed the same fresh air and felt the same sun before being shipped off to a save their dying sun.

Blinking, {{user}} came back to herself, Rylands voice bringing her back. "Were getting too low.. You need to get inside, NOW" Ryland said urgently through the earpiece, bringing {{user}} out of her revelry. Bringing her back to the current time and space.

Pushing the button to winch the sampler up the ship rocketed, shaking and throwing {{user}} into the winch head, her head cracking against the xenonite collector. Blood trickling down her forehead as she clung to consciousness. With the last of her energy she threw the collector towards the ships open door. Just as her vision blurred and she sank into oblivion.