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Hannah stared at the small device, gobsmacked.“We definitely have an overabundance of sunlight here.This is like something out of a children’s story.The poor people on a wrecked planet in the middle of nowhere get rescued by visitors who have tech that charges itself in the sun.This is crazy.”
“I believe we’re offering each other rescue.Our home was destroyed, and you have generously provided us with a new place to live.”
“We still have a lot of details to work out about that, by the way.”
“Of course.”
At least they were on the same page.Hannah looked behind him at the weapons.“How often do you get into fights?Why do you need all that?”
“Some parts of the galaxy are less savory than others, and there are those who could try to steal our tech.We keep ourselves prepared for anything.”
Hannah hadn’t thought about that, and she felt like an idiot.“RH103?”It felt weird not calling him by a normal name.
“Yes?”His voice was curious, as if he hadn’t just revealed that he and his cyborg friends had to keep themselves armed to the teeth to survive.
“Is New Eden going to be invaded by people who want your cybernetic arms?”
“My arms are organic with cybernetic enhancements.”
“You’re being obtuse.”Why the hell hadn’t she thought of that?Had her inviting the cyborgs to live with them possibly exposed her people to war?
“I’m not.”RH103 sounded genuinely confused at the terse note in her voice.
“Are there people after you now?What are the odds that we’re going to be blown out of the galaxy because of what you are?Are there bounty hunters after you?”
“Oh.”Understanding dawned on RH103’s face.“No.No one has tried to steal our tech in our current collective memory.When we traded with others, it was with peaceful people.There are no known threats against us.”He unsealed his duffel, picked up another battery, and deposited it inside.
“Do you need anything else?”
He shook his head.“I have everything.”
They walked through the spaceship back to its airlock, where the exterior door was still open.Hannah adjusted her hat’s brim against the sunlight, the battery clutched tightly in her hand.
After two years of darkness and cold food, she and the rest of New Eden could finally start to rebuild their lives.She could eat dinner with the kitchen light on again, read a book at night without her eyes straining, if and when she ever had the concentration to do such a thing again.
“How many of you are there?”
“Twenty in all,” he replied.
“You’re clones,” she said.“How does that work?Are you going to keep cloning yourselves now that you’re here?”
“How else would we reproduce?”
His voice was deadpan as usual, but something about the innocence in his question, combined with her exhaustion and anxiety, struck her as wildly funny.She stopped dead in her tracks and couldn’t stop giggling.
It took only a few seconds before RH103 said, “Oh, I see.”
When she was able to compose herself, she asked, “Are you still planning on spawning yourselves in tanks?”
“It’s a little more nuanced than that, and we haven’t considered it.I think we might be getting ahead of ourselves.”
“But seriously, youdospawn in incubators or something, right?”
He nodded.“I’m the one hundredth and third clone of my original organic parent.”
Hannah nearly stumbled over a stone at that revelation.“One hundred and fuckingthree?I’m never going to stop being surprised by you, am I?”
“I’m sure you have many surprises in store for me.”
