“The God at the End of Time will look back upon the life of the universe, and use what It finds to create a new and better universe from the void into which all will collapse.”

“That promise of immortality sounds suspiciously like a bribe to me,” the imam said.

“It cannot be,” Eol-2 replied. “Immortality, extending through this life and into the next, is something that only a mature mind can accept. If you are not worthy of it, you would never survive such an existence. And remember, there is no return from the path we would share. You would have to be very sure of yourself to accept such a daunting offer. We do not consider it a bribe. Abandoning all that you are—your belief, your life—is a decision you must come to by yourself.”

“Then tell me why you are alone in the Salvation of Life?” the imam said. “You have been traveling for countless millennia; you have visited thousands of stars. Why has no one else joined you?”

“That is the saddest part of our journey, for we have discovered how terribly rare life is in this galaxy. And sentient life is the rarest of all. So many times we have listened to the faint radio cries of civilizations as they rise and fall. Very few ever succeed in reaching the stage you have achieved. Normally, all we find are empty ruins and creatures who have sunk back into the unthinking abyss as their star grows cold. This is why we love and cherish you so much. You are the most precious of all life; and to coexist in a galaxy so vast in space and time, to actually meet you and offer guidance, is truly a miracle. It will probably only happen a dozen times between now and the end of our flight.”

“Statistics can be a real bitch, it would seem,” the cardinal said in a level tone.

I caught the imam’s lips twitching in surreptitious satisfaction.

“Do you have any records of these lost civilizations you encountered?” Nahuel asked. “I would be most fascinated to see them.”

“I will inquire,” Eol-2 said. “They would be small indeed, for we place no importance on such encounters. Our gaze is upon the future and the glory that awaits us there.”

—