Rubicon Crossing

by Ralph Prince

  “You’re perceptive,” Don said. “I need to borrow about fifty strong men for a couple of hours. I’ll see to it they’re well fed in return for their help.”

  “You need not bribe them,” the Underdweller assured. “After what you’ve done for us, nothing you ask would be denied.”

  “I need some things brought from the Sands of Doom,” said the captain.

  “Except for that,” Stanton appended. “My people are terrified of the Sands of Doom. Many haven’t even traveled as far as the rock wall that surrounds it. What you ask will not be easily achieved.”

  “You have to convince them,” Don stressed. “Without their help, everything we’ve accomplished here will be meaningless.”

  “He’s right,” Will said, approaching them. “Your planet is about to be destroyed by a comet, but if we can get our ship repaired, we may be able to save it.”

  “I remember Captain Garris spoke of that before his battle with Oaklander,” Stanton recalled. “I don’t know how you have learned these things, but I trust you know what you are talking about. If you tell my people they are doomed, it will serve only to panic them, not motivate them into helping you. I suggest we keep this between us for the time being. However, if your need is that great, I’ll see what I can do to enlist the aid you need.”

  “We appreciate it,” Don said, shaking his hand. “If there’s anything else we can do….”

  “You’ve done more than enough already,” Stanton insisted. “You have given us our freedom. If we can’t take care of ourselves, we don’t even deserve that much. By the way, have you located the boy yet?”

  “What do you mean?” asked Don, unaware of the reason for the Underdweller’s inquiry. “I thought he was in the caves.”

  “Weren’t you told?” Stanton asked. “He disappeared yesterday, just after you left to fight Oaklander. I thought he may have followed you to the surface.”

  Glaring at Will, Don found it unnecessary to ask anything. The lieutenant’s face told him everything.

  “Jackie thought it better not to concern you,” Will explained, averting his eyes from the captain’s penetrating gaze. “You have so much on your mind as it is. I’m sure he’s all right.”

  “Damn,” Don said, maintaining a steady tone. “I wish you would have told me. I guess there’s nothing we can do about it now; we have to get the ship repaired.”

  “I’m sorry,” Will apologized, realizing he should have informed the commander. “Maybe after we divert the comet we can try to locate him.”

  “It would do no good if the Tants captured him,” Stanton said. “They don’t take prisoners, except for women. They brutally slay even the children. If they had him, he’s dead by now.”

  All three men stood staring silently at each other for several moments. None of them knew how to express the thoughts they were thinking.

  CHAPTER 12: Unexpected Assistance

  Don looked out over the assemblage of Underdwellers and shook his head despondently. Instead of the fifty men he had requested, Stanton had brought a mere twenty, most of whom were slender and frail from years of malnutrition. Though the solar panels could be transported by vehicle to the ridge surrounding the Sands of Doom once the minefield was cleared, they would need to me carried over the crater wall. Portable winches could be set up at the crest to raise and lower them, but the bulky panels would require six to eight men to steady them during the crossing. Don had hoped that by forming six teams, the twelve panels they needed to repair the ship could be conveyed in two trips. With so few workers, it would take twice the time, and there would be no room for mistakes.

  “I’m sorry,” Stanton apologized, reading the earthman’s grave expression, “but this is the best I could do. Fear of The Sands of Doom runs deep in my people, and most are unwilling to leave their families to venture anywhere near it, believing it to be certain death. Apparently, my people have a short memory when it comes to paying back debts.”

  “We’ll make do,” Don said, wondering how they possibly could. “Get them ready to move out.”

  A hand came to rest softly upon his shoulder as he watched Stanton organize the work crew. He glanced down to see Karen smiling up at him.

  “Jackie and Iva have finished the tests on the food,” she informed. “It’s safe to eat, so long as the containers are undamaged.”

  “Good,” he said, slipping his arm around her slender waist and hugging her. “At least they won’t starve to death.”

  “Jackie said that unless you need her, she and Iva are going to study your blood sample,” Karen said, sensing the irony in his tone. “There aren’t enough of them, are there?” she asked. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “I doubt it,” he sighed, the words of the Overseer echoing in his mind. Perhaps his efforts to save the planet were futile, and all he would accomplish by staying was the death of his crew. “All any of us can do is try, but sometimes it just isn’t enough. This is beginning to look like one of those times.”

  “Couldn’t we all just get on the ship and go somewhere safe?” she suggested hopefully.

  “No,” he replied, shaking his head. “Without the photon compliers fully operational, we can only make short-term flights, and even those deplete the ship’s power substantially. Otherwise, we would just fly the Nova to the Phoenix Complex to do the repairs. We need to conserve as much energy as possible. Besides, the ship can’t sustain that many people, and we don’t know where to find a safe place. Our only hope is to get the ship fully operational in time to alter the comet’s course away from the planet.”

  Both grew silent as Stanton approached, the small group of Underdwellers following in loose formation.

  “We are ready,” he said, gazing upon the ship in wonder. “You need only tell us what to do.”

  Don gazed toward the aft of the ship, where Will worked steadily at removing the damaged photon cells. He knew he was putting a lot of pressure on the young lieutenant to finish the task alone, but resources were spread too thin to assign him any help. He hoped the system analyst was up to the challenge.

  “Then let’s go,” Don said finally, looking helplessly toward Karen. “You can come along if you wish.”

  A smile illuminated her face at being included in the expedition. She had wanted so much to help, but expected to be told to stay behind because it could be dangerous. Unable to contain her joy, she threw her arms around Don, and hugged him briefly.

  “Captain Garris,” Stanton interjected, drawing his attention from Karen. “There’s someone coming.”

  Following the Underdweller’s gaze, Don saw a small group of about twenty-five humanoids cautiously advancing from the direction of the city. The disproportionate extremities readily identified them as Tants.

  “Hold it right there,” Don warned as they neared, aiming his photon rifle toward the crowd. “We don’t want any more trouble from you.”

  “Nor we from you,” said one of the misshapen creatures, advancing to the front of the cluster. “We want only to talk.”

  “I haven’t got time for it now,” Don said. “I’ve got something vital to do.”

  “Captain Don!” cried a high-pitched voice as a small figure broke through the assemblage of Tants. Victor bounded forward, waving his arms excitedly.

  Don dropped to one knee to meet the child’s embrace, his eyes still locked upon the Tants.

  “Did they hurt you?” he asked the boy.

  “They taked me to their house to play,” Victor replied. “They be my new friends.”

  “Please,” pleaded the Tant, the word sounding foreign to its lips. “We have returned the child as an offering of peace. I heard what you told Oaklander back in the city. You said you had enough food for the Tants as well as the Underdwellers. We didn’t believe you then, but the boy has told us the same thing. Most of our warriors and hunters have been killed in their battle with you,” continued the Tant. “The surviving ones have fled the city, taking most of our food and supplies
with them. All that remain are the women, the crippled, the sick or feeble, and the young. We’ll starve without your help. I realize we are not deserving, but you have shown us mercy, only to doom us to a slow lingering death. Either help us now, or kill us.”

  Don surveyed the group of Tants warily. They carried no weapons, and many suffered injuries or were physically impaired by their pronounced deformities. He saw only one option available to him.

  “Come with us,” he said, releasing the boy. “If you help us, I’ll see to it you don’t starve. We’re going to the Sands of Doom.”

  “You are mad,” one of the Tants shouted. “We will all be killed if we go there. It is an evil place.”

  “I assure you, if you do as I say, you won’t be harmed,” Don said, raising his voice above the crowd’s rumble. “If you stay here, you’ll die for sure. That’s my deal, take it or leave it.”

  “He has battled Oaklander on the Sands of Doom and returned victorious,” said the Tant who had originally spoken. “By the laws set forth by Oaklander, himself, he is our new leader. I choose to follow him. Which of you will join me?”

  After a short discussion amongst themselves, all the Tants hesitantly agreed. Even facing the mysterious Sands of Doom was preferable to a slow death by starvation.

  “Karen,” Don said, leading her off to the side. “I hate to do this, but could you stay here with Victor and keep him from following us? A mine field is no place for a child with his curiosity; he’s liable to get himself blown up out there.”

  “I understand,” she said, smiling despite her disappointment. “I’ll take him back to the city so I can tell my people the food is safe to eat. I’ll see you later.”

  “You can count on it,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Donald.” she responded. Slowly, she turned away and called Victor to her side. Taking his hand, she led him off across the dunes toward the jutting structures in the distance.

  Don watched her until he became aware of Stanton clearing his throat next to him. Recalling the urgency of their mission, he cast a final glance toward Karen. Then, shouldering his rifle, he took the lead. In unison, the Underdwellers and the Tants, once bitter enemies, followed the outer-worlder across the short stretch of land to the rocky ridge surrounding the Sands of Doom.

  CHAPTER 13: Band of Brothers

  Scaling the rim to its summit, many of the natives looked upon the Sands of Doom for the first time. The prevalent dark ash absorbed the bright sunlight, making it appear as though the entire floor was shrouded in foreboding shadows, and the surrounding ridge blocked the winds, giving the hollow an eerie calmness that belied the explosive dangers lurking beneath the surface. The sight sent chills through the observers, despite the searing heat of the mid-afternoon sun.

  Stanton stood next to Don, gazing across the still gray plain toward the complex at the crater’s center. He recalled one of the stories his father had told him. “It is said,” the Underdweller recalled, “the war that destroyed our city was caused by places like this.”

  “Places don’t cause wars,” Don responded. “People do. Unfortunately, we’re really good at it. But this place wasn’t built to wage war; it was built to preserve humanity after the war, and give them the tools they needed to rebuild. It’s a shame it was never finished.”

  “This place you come from, Terra?” Stanton asked, unsure of the name. “Did they have such a war?”

  “Earth,” Don corrected. “We had a violent period in our history where we fought over religious and political differences, but we realized it was leading us toward our own destruction. We found peace to be a better option.”

  “Sadly, my world lacked the wisdom yours possessed,” Stanton said surveying the assemblage of Tants and Underdwellers. Even though they were supposed to be cooperating, the two groups sat apart, eyeing one another suspiciously while they rested. The irony that he was born of one group and assimilated into the other was not lost on him.

  “We’d better get the winches set up and continue on,” Don said, glancing at his wrist chronometer. “We’ve got about a day and a half to get the Nova fully operational.”

  Gathering the Tants and Underdwellers together, Don set up and anchored the first of the six winces, explaining each step as they looked on. Satisfied they understood the procedures, he selected half-a-dozen workers: three Tants and three Underdwellers, to accompany him and Stanton to the bunker, while the rest stayed behind to set up the remaining five winches.

  Using the winch line to rappel down the steep inner slope, the small group gathered at the bottom to await further instruction.

  “I can’t stress enough that you must do exactly what I say,” Don said. “The Sands of Doom is a dangerous place unless you know what’s out there. Stay behind me, but close and you’ll be safe. There are devices beneath the ground that will kill you if stepped on. I can destroy them with my rifle and clear a path to the building in the center.”

  Un-shouldering his rifle and lowering his goggles over his eyes, he activated the sensor in his belt. Taking aim at the nearest mine, he pulled the trigger, drawing gasps from those who had not previously witnessed the weapon in use. The photon beam cleanly disintegrated the explosive device before it had a chance to detonate.

  “Once the mines are clear,” he continued, turning back toward the assemblage, “Stanton will use beacon tags to mark the edge of the path for the trip back.”

  Stanton held up a small device with a blinking red light for the others to see.

  “Stay between the lights, and you’ll be safe,” Don said, handing Stanton a pair of goggles. “You’ll be able to see the mines with these, but I don’t have enough for everyone. Just make sure there are no mines between the markers.”

  Stanton donned the eye-wear and gaped at the number of mines in his field of view. Swallowing hard, he nodded in acknowledgement.

  Don took point and began clearing a path through the field as Stanton marked the safe boundaries. The complex was half a kilometer away, and a single missed mine would spell disaster for the return trip.

  The journey to the bunker passed without incident, save minor squabbling between the Tants and Underdwellers. The heat drained their energy, but the water and electrolyte supplements Don provided minimized the effect.

  Don gave a sigh of relief as he led the group through the gaping entrance into the bunker. The massive doors stood open, no longer serving to keep invaders out, but rather inviting survivors to partake of its refuge. Crossing a cavernous room and passing through another large opening, they entered the motor pool he had discovered during his previous visit. The relative coolness of the shelter was a welcome relief to the weary workers.

  “Be careful what you touch down here,” Don warned, as a few members of the group began wandering. “The food here is contaminated, and will kill you if eaten. Aside from that, there are things here that can kill all of us if you mess with them. We have one objective here today, and we need to stick to it. Stay here and rest. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “I will go with you,” Stanton offered. Marveling at the surroundings.

  Don nodded and led him to a wide set of metal panels in one of the walls. Pressing a lighted button, he waited for a moment for the panels to slide aside revealing an empty room beyond. Stepping inside, he motioned for Stanton to follow.

  “There is nothing in this room,” Stanton observed as the panels slid closed.

  Wordlessly, Don pushed one of several lighted circles next to the doors, causing the room to lurch.

  “This room is moving,” Stanton realized. “It is like the platform Lieutenant Porter made to help transport the Tant bodies from the caves. He said there used to be moving rooms in the entrance shaft called … elevators. Those things in the room where we left the others, those were vehicles, weren’t they? My father told me stories about how they were used to travel great distances quickly. At least they did before they ran out of fuel.”

/>   “If you like those,” Don said, “Wait until you see the load lifter.”

  There was a ding sound and the doors opened into a warehouse full of shelves with crates stacked on them. It was much like the ones they had discovered in the caves, though smaller, and the shelves were largely empty.

  “The solar panels we need are over here,” Don said, moving into the room with the flabbergasted native following close behind. “We’ll need at least twelve to repair the ship. We’ll take as many as the truck will hold just to be on the safe side.”

  Locating a wheeled fork truck, Don transported a stack of the panels to the elevator while Stanton watched. Then, taking the elevator back up they rejoined the rest of their party.

  Loud shouts greeted them as the lift opened. The Tants and Underdwellers stood facing off against one another, shouting threats and insults back and forth.

  “Quiet!” Don shouted, dismounting from the forklift and intervening himself between the two. “What’s going on here?” he demanded.

  “Nothing,” proclaimed one of the Tants, scowling at the apparent leader of the Underdweller trio.

  “We have better uses for our energy than arguing,” Don stated authoritatively. “If you have issues with one another, put them aside. Stanton,” he called. “Keep a lid on this while I find a suitable truck.”

  “I will do what I can,” Stanton assured.

  Seeking out a flatbed truck with side rails to carry the panels, and ensuring it was roadworthy, Don loaded the cargo onboard. With everything secured in place, he instructed the awe-stricken Tants and Underdwellers to climb onto the truck, and was met with blank stares.

  “Trust me,” he said, urging them once again to climb onboard and starting the engine. “But make sure you hang on tight, and don’t jump off.”

  Hesitantly, they boarded the vehicle, and were soon underway amid screams of both fear and delight, as they sped across the ash, leaving a swirling cloud of gray dust in their wake. Reaching the ridge moments later, and refreshed by the rush of air, the transport crew disembarked, joining most of the Tants and Underdwellers they had left behind.