Tangle in the Dark - Kassidor

“It may have to deal with silicon civilizations on a regularbasis. These creatures may be the answer to the Fermiparadox. It has evolved so that it’s tissues drop boulders onsilicates that compete with it for souls.”“What does it do with the souls?” Arthur asked.“It runs them in Heaven,” Ava said, “Maybe this creatureis what we’ve always known as ‘Heaven’ until the Afterlifewas invented.”Arthur turned to her and took a deep breath. “If we allagree that this thing is a single creature and not a hostilemilitary force of hyper-advanced civilization much like ourown.”“It would be more personal about what it is doing. It isjust reacting to germs in it’s tissue. I wonder how manyplanets it’s harvesting souls from?” she asked.“What is it doing with those souls?” The captain repeatedthe bishop’s question.Ava looked blank, she had already answered that.“How many are there?” Arthur asked before she couldthink of a simpler answer.“About four hundred quadrillion in this creature, I think itcomes out to be,” Ava said. “The Atlaneans did all the workon this, it would be nice if we could ask these questions ofthem.”“Four hundred quadrillion,” the bishop said.“Yes sir, and there is no chance that there have been atrillion humans in existence in all of time, even if Alan’s hack566