Chapter 29

Chapter 29 — "Turn Around"

TL;DR: Grace launches the Beetles toward Earth so the cure is safe — and then turns the Hail Mary around to chase Rocky's failing ship, choosing to die for his friend rather than reach home as a hero.

Summary: Grace has time. He calculates Rocky's trajectory. He calculates his own fuel. He cannot save Rocky and reach Earth: every kilogram of fuel he burns chasing his friend is a kilogram he can't burn going home. Earth, however, doesn't actually need him alive. The four Beetles already carry the cure. He sends them on confirmed trajectories — Earth is going to be saved with or without him. Then he turns the Hail Mary around, redlines the spin-drive, and chases the disintegrating Eridian ship through deep space. He fully expects to die out here. He expects, also, that Rocky will not be alive when he arrives.

Key scenes:

• A trajectory plot on the main screen with three options: "stay course / chase Rocky / both" — the third grayed out
• Grace transmitting confirmation pings to each of the four Beetles — "Earth is covered"
• The Hail Mary's spin-drive lighting up with a long gold burn against deep black as the ship rotates
• A shot of Grace's hand on the throttle, alone, not hesitating

Characters present: Ryland Grace, the AI/Computer; Rocky (off-screen, implicated)

Locations / settings:

• The Hail Mary control room, alone
• Deep space — the geometry of the chase rendered as a curving trajectory diagram

Visual motifs: a tiny white ship turning sharply against pure black with a long sweeping gold burn behind it (a literal cover-DNA echo), four small Beetles continuing on their arrow-straight Earth trajectory, a trajectory diagram with the chase-arc rendered in gold on a black-glass screen

Emotional tone: decisive, sacrificial, calm, loyal

Confidence: high — the turnaround decision is the book's emotional climax and is consistently described.