“I have a robot and a cyborg with me,” Will said. “Each of you can take down three creatures by the time it takes me to hit one. With you at my side, even at three hundred meters, I’m confident we can get them all. But that’s the worst case scenario. The wind won’t change. If there’s a chance we can avoid conflict, we have to take it. You know this.”
Rhea realized he had spoken the last couple of sentences for her. She remembered Bardain’s words.
Combat always attracts third parties in the Outlands. Not only are other bioweapons drawn to firefights, but bandits, too.
She watched the Zargs approach. They looked almost exactly like they had in Bardain’s training, except perhaps even bigger. Their crimson carapaces possessed four long, spindly legs, with many more tentacles hanging from their underbellies. Sharp, white serrations occasionally glinted from tentacles as the creatures moved. The pineapple-like heads existed in varying stages of activation, some of them entirely unfurled, others completely sealed.
The bioweapons kept to the path Rhea had computed after originally sighting them; they were still scheduled to pass by three hundred meters to the right.
As they grew closer, she heard Will’s voice in her head over the comm channel she shared with him and Horatio.
Ever heard of Karnators? Will asked.
Karna who? She tried her internal dictionary but didn’t get a match.
Yes, Will sent. They believe we’re reincarnated when we die. And not necessarily as humans. We respawn randomly, our essences becoming spontaneously reattached to whatever new lifeform popped into existence at the time of our death, be it plant, animal, or insect. And this respawning isn’t restricted just to Earth, mind you, but anywhere life exists throughout the universe. An endless cycle of death and rebirth. According to the Karnators, this renewal process has been taking place throughout all of history and will continue until the end of time.
Rhea considered this for a moment. I’m not sure I buy it.
You really think you only came to exist when you were born? Will sent, sounding amused. Think about how unlikely that is, given the intricacies of the universe. The checks and balances. You know how many cells die in the human body every day? Billions. But billions more replace them.
Let me guess, you’re a Karnator, Rhea sent.
I suppose I am, Will agreed.
She frowned. So, if you’re right, and this respawning as you call it has been taking place since time immemorial, then that means, at one point, you or I could have been a dinosaur.
That’s right, Will told her. When we die, we don’t control what we come back as. Could be a worm. An aardvark. An insect.
If that’s true, then it could have been a long time since I was last a human… Rhea said.
You got it, Will said. By then, the Kargs were passing at their closest to the party, three hundred meters to the right. It’s all down to the luck of the draw. As I lie here, gazing at these bioweapons, I can’t help but wonder if one of them might happen to be one of the many friends and family members I’ve lost over the years. This is why you have to regard all life as sacred, Rhea. Why you have to avoid killing anyone or anything unless you absolutely have no choice. This is why I saved you, when I found you lying helpless in the rubble.
Rhea wondered what form she would take next when she died. Assuming what Will spoke of was even true.
The trio watched silently as the Kargs passed by, and the creatures began to recede from the party once more.
Good thing most animal species are extinct, Horatio commented. Increases the chances I’ll come back as a human.
Doesn’t work like that, Will sent. Like I said, you can respawn anywhere in the universe. So it doesn’t matter if there are less animals on one particular planet, considering there are zillions of other species out there. And besides, you can’t respawn.
Horatio turned his head toward Will. What, why?
You’re an artificial form of life, Will explained. You exist outside the parameters of the universe, at least when it comes to reincarnation.
I refuse to believe there isn’t a place for us in this universe, when it comes to the death and rebirth cycle, Horatio sent. As you yourself said, given the intricacies of the universe, the checks and balances, it seems unlikely that a sentient form of life, even if artificial, would be excluded. For all you know, as soon as an AI is turned on for the first time, it acts as a receptacle for one of these reborn essences you mentioned.
I suppose that’s very possible, Will admitted.
Rhea continued to stare at the retreating Kargs. Then: You know what’s interesting?
What? Horatio and Will sent simultaneously.
She smiled. The two of you have been traveling together for how many years now, and all this time, you never told Horatio you were a Karnator.
I’m a relatively recent convert, Will said. A man’s got to believe in something, at some point in his life. Otherwise, all he has to look forward to when he dies is nothingness. And that’s no way to live. Such a belief will only make him cling to this world all the harder. Not that clinging is bad. But you catch my drift.
Rhea didn’t answer for several moments. I think I understand now why you’ve continued as a salvager after all these years. Despite the danger.
When the Kargs reached the far horizon, the party moved on.
Rhea and the others continued marching all that day. They encountered nothing worthy of salvage: no abandoned homesteads, no crashed vehicles. When night began to fall, Will headed toward a series of small boulders, and after the party members were well ensconced by the rocks, he called a halt.
“We’re easy targets on the IR band,” Rhea commented.
Will nodded. “It works both ways, though. Nothing will get close to our camp. Not without us
