First sighting of alien spacecraft

Ryland Grace, the sole surviving human aboard the Hail Mary, makes humanity's first contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life when he discovers a second spacecraft—the Blip-A—in the Tau Ceti system. This encounter transforms his mission from a solitary suicide quest into a collaborative effort to save both Earth and the Eridian homeworld from the Astrophage infestation.

Discovery of the Alien Spacecraft

While examining the Petrovascope screen in the control room, Grace notices a steady light source that gradually brightens and then disappears. Puzzled, he switches to visible-light mode and sees an object blocking his view of the Petrova line. The object is roughly triangle-shaped with gable-like protrusions along its hull, its lines too smooth and straight to be natural. Grace realizes it is a fabricated spacecraft, not from Earth. The ship is 139 meters long, three times the size of the Hail Mary, and its design—huge flat surfaces, a diamond-shaped center, and a pyramid-shaped nose cone—is unlike any human engineering. Grace's immediate reaction is a stunned exclamation: "Holy fucking shit!"

First Contact and Communication

Grace deduces that the alien ship is Astrophage-powered, just like the Hail Mary, because he saw its steady Petrova-frequency glow. He initiates contact by firing his own spin drive in a brief pulse. The alien ship responds by repeating the same pattern within seconds, proving an intelligent life-form is aboard. Grace names the ship "Blip-A" and its pilot "Rocky." The Blip-A then sends a cylinder across the 217-meter gap, which Grace retrieves during an EVA. The cylinder contains a star map model showing the local stars, with a filament connecting Tau Ceti to 40 Eridani—the aliens' home system. Grace realizes they are in the same predicament: their star is also infected by Astrophage.

The Tunnel and First Meeting

Rocky constructs a tunnel connecting the two ships, using xenonite glue to attach it to the Hail Mary's airlock. The tunnel includes a divider wall with a clear hexagon through which Grace sees Rocky's hand—a three-fingered, rock-like claw. Rocky then builds a larger airlock and a life-support sphere for himself, allowing him to enter the Hail Mary. Grace carries the heavy sphere (168 kilograms) through the ship, showing Rocky the lab and control room. They establish a shared language using musical chords, with Grace's laptop translating Rocky's notes into English. Rocky reveals he is the sole survivor of his original crew of twenty-three, who died from radiation sickness—a phenomenon Eridians had never discovered because their homeworld's thick atmosphere and strong magnetic field provided complete protection.

Consequences and Aftermath

The first contact leads to a profound partnership. Rocky offers Grace two million kilograms of Astrophage fuel for the return trip to Earth, transforming Grace's suicide mission into a survivable journey. They work together to breed nitrogen-resistant Taumoeba, a predator that can eat Astrophage, and Rocky builds replacement fuel tanks for the damaged Hail Mary. When Rocky's own ship is crippled by a Taumoeba infestation, Grace turns back to rescue him, sacrificing his chance to return home. They travel together to Erid, where Grace survives on Taumoeba-based food and later learns that Sol has returned to full brightness, confirming Earth's salvation. The event establishes a lasting friendship and a cross-species alliance that saves both worlds.