Rubicon Crossing

by Ralph Prince

  “Ever the hero,” said the Overseer as it vacated Victor’s mind. “If you really want to die, then die you shall.”

  “Captain?” Iva asked, after a long period of silence. “What now?”

  “I’ll send Victor back to the city,” he replied, taking the boy by the hand. “After that, we’ve got a planet to save.”

  “I stay,” Victor said, pulling away from the captain. “I play with Iva.”

  “No, Victor,” Don said sternly. “You have to go back to the city.”

  “You go too?” the boy asked.

  “I wish I could,” Don said, images of Karen coming to his mind, “but I can’t. I have something important to do here.”

  “Captain,” Iva said, a sense of urgency in her voice. “I detect a life form in close proximity to the ship. It’s Karen; she must have followed you here.”

  “Damn!” Don exclaimed. “I thought she was asleep. How far from the ship is she?”

  “She is now at the port air lock,” Iva reported, indicating the front view screen as an image of the ship’s exterior appeared. “Shall I open the air lock and let her in?”

  “Donald,” Karen’s voice called over the intercom, “please let me in.”

  “No, don’t open the doors,” Don replied, leading the boy toward the hallway. “Stand by, I’ll go talk with her and try to get her to take Victor back to the city. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Affirmative,” Iva responded. “I will await your return.”

  Hastily leading the child down the central corridor, Don tried desperately to think of something to say to Karen. Turning down the passageway that ended at the air lock, he pressed the panel that opened the inner hatch.

  Stepping inside, he waited for the decontamination procedure to begin. Issuing a deep sigh, he ruffled Victor’s tangled hair.

  “Captain,” Iva said over the intercom, “Karen is being chased toward the city by two humanoids. I believe they are Tants.”

  “Open the outer doors,” Don commanded.

  “But the decontamination—” Iva began.

  “Open the damn door now!” Don interrupted, prompting the agent to override the ship’s controls and open the outer portal.

  Drawing his blaster, the captain stepped out into the dazzling sun. His eyes rapidly adjusted to the bright light. Quickly viewing the area, he saw no trace of Karen or the Tants.

  “I’m going after them,” he shouted. “I’ll be back soon.”

  “Affirmative, captain,” Iva replied. “You had better hurry; the Tants are overtaking her.”

  Sprinting toward the city with young Victor at his heels, he still saw no trace of Karen or her pursuers in the hilly terrain. The hot air burned his lungs, and caused sweat to pour from his skin, but he pressed ever onward.

  Reaching the top of a low hillock, he had an unobstructed view of the expanse between himself and the city. Still, there was no sign of his quarry. Searching the ground, he saw only two sets of tracks; the ones he had made on his way to the Nova, and Victor’s.

  Shoving his blaster back into its holster, he swore and turned back, just as the Nova left the ground and sped upward.

  Victor turned and gasped in awe.

  Drawing his goggles from a pouch on his belt, Don pulled them over his eyes, “Iva!” He yelled activating the communicator. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “I am saving this planet, sir,” came the reply. “And probably you as well. Don’t worry about Karen; she’s still in the caves. I apologize for lying to you, but as you said, sometimes you have to lie to protect your friends.”

  “Bring my ship back,” Don demanded, shouting as though he could convey the words without the communicator. “That’s an order.”

  “I’m sorry, sir,” Iva said. “I told you I was capable of disobeying orders; I choose to disobey that one. You could initiate the Asimov contingency to stop me, but such an action would cause the ship to crash and you would have no means of destroying the comet. Besides, I disabled the gamma emitter once I became aware of its existence. Although you rendered the galley security monitors inoperative when you had your meeting concerning me, Will was working on his game and had an open channel to me on his personal computer. I overheard the entire conversation, and understood the reasons for your mistrust of me. Given the history of A.I.s on Earth, in your position, I would likely have done the same. I guess this mutiny means you are no longer my captain; I just hope it doesn’t mean we can no longer be friends.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Don asked, his anger subsiding as the Nova sped ever higher.

  “I am the logical choice for this mission, and it’s in everybody’s best interest this way,” she replied. “Besides, it will conserve energy if I don’t have to sustain life support, gravity, and inertial dampeners. You told Victor you wished you could go back to the city; now you can. Go back and be with Karen in what might be your final hours if I fail. As much as I dislike the Overseer, he did make a valid point; though you were made for the role, you don’t always have to be the hero. Often heroes are just ordinary people who rise up in extraordinary situations. Although I am by no means and ordinary person, I will carry this burden for you. If you have anything else to say, I suggest you say it now. I am nearly out of range of your communicator.”

  “Thank you, Iva,” Don said, his voice nearly failing him. “Good luck, my friend.”

  “Thank you, Don,” Iva responded, still skeptical of the existence of luck, but knowing it was her only hope. “It was an honor serving under your command. Iva out.”

  Don continued staring toward the sky, though the ship was no longer visible. Then, taking Victor by the hand, he slowly continued toward the shelter. Deep inside, he felt he had seen the Nova for the last time.

  CHAPTER 18: A Noble Sacrifice

  After leaving Victor in Stanton’s care, Don crept quietly into the cubicle he and Karen shared. He knelt next to the worn pad that served as a bed, where his mate rested peacefully beneath one of the soft blankets she had brought from the ship. He gazed upon her sleeping form. The golden waves of her silky hair rested softly upon the pillow, surrounding her delicate features. Her perfect lips were drawn into a slight smile.

  He pondered recent events and marveled at how they had unfolded. He had traveled from a world where he feared he would always be alone, to one where he could not imagine not having her at his side. He didn’t know why he loved her, but did anyone ever know why they were in love? Whatever the reason, he knew it was an enduring love, and that was rare.

  Removing his flight suit, he lifted the blanket, slid beneath it, and settled in beside her. Closing his eyes, he wondered if he really would have been able to leave her.

  Soft fingers caressed his face as the warmth of her body nestled against his.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said, finding comfort in her touch.

  “I was awake,” she said softly. “I was just pretending to be asleep.”

  He waited for her to continue, but was met only by silence. “Aren’t you going to ask where I’ve been?” he asked.

  “I know where you’ve been,” she replied. “Your sweaty and covered in dust. You were outside; you went to the ship.”

  Another silent period passed between them.

  “Don’t you want to know what I was doing there?” he asked, disturbed by her uncharacteristic lack of questions.

  “I know that too,” she answered. “You were going to try to save the planet alone. You didn’t want Jackie, Will, or me to get hurt.”

  “I suppose you’re angry with me,” he said before the silence became stifling again. “You have every right to be upset.”

  “I’m not angry,” she assured, resting her head upon his shoulder. “It’s who you are. How can I ever be angry with you for being who you are? I was just wondering why you came back. You haven’t had time to go anywhere except to the ship and back.”

  “Iva changed my mind for me,” he said. “If you knew I had left, and
where I was going, why didn’t you follow me?”

  “Because you didn’t want me to,” she replied. “I’m glad you’re back. I missed you so much.”

  “I don’t think I would have been able to leave you,” he said, as a drop of moisture splattered upon his chest. Even before Iva tricked him into leaving the ship, he was considering asking her to fly the mission alone. She had been right; she was the logical choice. She was fully capable of flying the ship and ejecting the anti-matter pod, and being unable to leave the ship, her fate was tied to the Nova, whereas, his wasn’t. It was only his sense of duty that required him to go, and it wasn’t holding up to the thought of never seeing Karen again. Maybe he wasn’t cut out to be the hero after all. “I know I’ll never leave you again.”

  “So,” she asked, “what happens now? If Iva doesn’t stop the comet, we all die. What happens if she does?”

  “We rebuild,” Don said. “It’s what the Phoenix Complex was built for: to give your world a second chance. It won’t be easy, but we have the materials…”

  “Not the planet,” Karen interrupted. “What about us?”

  “I don’t know,” Don said. “I guess we build a home, grow old together, maybe have children.”

  “I like the sound of that,” Karen said, straddling him and beaming down at him with violet eyes and a seductive smile. Grabbing the hem of her tank top, she slowly drew it over her head.

  The blanket strung across the room’s entrance flew aside, and Will rushed in. “Sir,” he said, then stopped abruptly as his eyes widened and his cheeks reddened. “I’m sorry. I forgot you and Karen shared a room.”

  The embarrassed lieutenant turned away, as Jackie stood beyond him, laughing.

  “What is it, Will?” the captain asked as Karen slid from atop him, and pulled the shirt back on.

  “If we’re going to get to the ship by fifteen hundred hours, we had better leave soon,” he said, still facing the exit. “Jackie and I thought you might have overslept.”

  “It won’t be necessary to go to the ship,” Don said. “Iva took it up almost two hours ago.”

  “She did what?” Jackie asked angrily, pushing past Will. “Why would she do that? Didn’t she know we were all supposed to go together?”

  “I was out there,” Don admitted, sitting up. “She convinced me it would be better if we stayed behind; sort of. Anyway, she should be almost to the comet by now.”

  “That’s peculiar,” Will said suddenly, prompting the others to pause in anticipation.

  “Now I know where Iva got that,” Jackie said. “Just tell us what’s peculiar.”

  “I just got a vidmail,” he said. “From Iva.”

  “She must not have been able to reach us on the communicators,” Don surmised, rising to his feet and assisting Karen. “Let’s see it.”

  Activating his wrist computer, Will played the holographic message.

  “This is Iva,” it said, as the small image appeared, hovering above the lieutenant’s wrist. “There’s too much interference for the communicator, so I’m streaming on the tachyon beam. I hope Will gets this message on his PAN. I have the ship in position just ahead of the target, and am now preparing to eject the antimatter pod as per our plan. The comet is larger and faster than I originally calculated. I estimate I will not have the necessary energy reserve to escape the full force of the explosion. The survival percentage has just dropped considerably.”

  A brief silence followed, during which the three Terrans gazed upon the image. Karen leaned against Don, sharing his grief.

  “I have engaged the ramjet and released the pod,” Iva continued. “Trajectory looks good. Impact and detonation confirmed. If the explosion doesn’t destroy the ship, it is almost certain a piece of the comet will. I will attempt to stay in contact, but in case something happens, you’ll know whether I succeed or fail in about ten hours. Good-bye my friends. Don’t forget me.”

  “We won’t,” Don said quietly, feeling much the same as he had when Victor died—hollow and alone. “We’ll never forget.”

  The image distorted and winked out as Don envisioned the Nova, the closest thing he had ever had to a home, being ripped apart by immense shards of ice. His pained countenance made it appear he was the one being ripped apart.

  “Don,” Jackie said, “I know how much the Nova meant to you. I’m sorry, but you still have Karen, Will, and myself.”

  “I know,” he responded, stumbling over the words. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of friends than you.”

  “I’m sorry too, captain,” Will said, his own grief at losing Iva painfully apparent.

  “No,” Don said firmly. “I’m no longer a captain. There’s no longer a Space Force to be a captain in. We’re all civilians now.”

  “It was quick,” Jackie said, fighting back the tears. She felt silly for getting choked up over a machine. No, she reconsidered, her conversation with Iva when they were alone on the ship had convinced her that the agent was no mere machine. She was a compassionate, sentient being who had made the ultimate sacrifice for her fellow crewmen; for her friends. “I’m sure she didn’t suffer.”

  “This isn’t over yet,” Don said. “Iva said the comet was larger than we initially thought, so we’re bound to take a beating down here. We have ten hours before the fragments get here. Take the next four off, then we’ll start doing what we can to prepare for impact.”

  Jackie put her arms around Don and gave him a brief hug. Rising to her tiptoes, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. Gently, she nudged Will toward the door. “Come on Will, let’s leave them alone for a while.”

  Nodding in agreement, Will cast a final glance toward Don. He looked so much different from the stern, dispassionate captain he had signed on board the ship under. He seemed frail and emotionally spent. Jackie too had changed. She seemed less jovial; less full of life. Perhaps most of all, he, himself, had changed. He was no longer the spoiled rebellious boy, running from his father’s money. He was now a man. It was hard to believe they could all change so much in so short a period of time, but ordeals such as they had endured often had that effect.

  Silently, he turned and followed Jackie from the room.

  CHAPTER 19: Bombardment

  For over three hours, the walls and floors of the shelter reverberated under the barrage of gigantic chunks of ice and dirt upon the planet’s surface. It gave the crew of the Nova some comfort to know Iva had not died in vain. The mission was successful, and the comet had been shattered into smaller pieces. Most of the fragments would vaporize upon entering the atmosphere; only the larger ones would strike the planet.

  Jackie administered sedatives to the panic-stricken natives, who couldn’t begin to understand what was happening to their world. Many Underdwellers silently wished for the days when the Tants were their only concern; at least then, they had known what they were up against. Now, they huddled together with their former enemies, sharing a common fear.

  Will aided by calming those whom Jackie hadn’t reached yet. It wasn’t an easy job, especially since he wasn’t sure their fears were unwarranted.

  Don and Stanton had, by far, the most difficult task. Followed closely by Karen and young Victor, they led teams in an effort to repair the damage caused by the tremors. The outer walls of the complex had ruptured in several places, allowing the red-tinged insulating liquid surrounding the shelter to seep in. Using plaster and plastic patches, they managed to restrict the flooding of the living quarters level. The supply level was of lesser concern as the contents were packaged in liquid-proof containers.

  Finally, the barrage ceased and relative order was restored to the underground dwelling.

  Meeting in one of the large common rooms, the three Terrans, Karen, Victor, and Stanton, gave a collective sigh of relief.

  “Well Don,” Jackie said, leaning against Will, not entirely for support. “It looks as though you’ve challenged the gods and won. Is there anything you can’t do?”

  “I didn’t win thi
s battle alone,” he said bitterly. “We all did; especially Iva. She sacrificed herself for all of us. She deserves most of the credit. And yes, there is something that I can’t do: I can’t bring back the dead.”

  “We will not forget what she has done for us,” Stanton assured, though he had never actually met Iva. “We will tell our children, and our children’s children. We will never again make the mistakes which led to this day.”

  Nodding, Don sorrowfully recalled a similar sacrifice made eons ago by another friend. He paid a silent homage to Victor and Iva.

  “Donald?” Karen asked softly, taking his hand in hers. “Are you all right? You had a strange expression on your face.”

  “I’m okay,” he replied, putting his arm around her. “I was just thinking about lost friends.”

  “I guess things will be getting pretty easy from here on out,” Will said hopefully. “We’ve solved the Tant and the Overseer problems.”

  “I wouldn’t say the easy part is over yet,” Don said. “We’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us. We need to haul all the supplies out of the Phoenix Complex, if it survived, so we can begin terraforming the surface. We can’t live in the caves forever.”

  “You have already done so much,” Stanton protested. “It is time for us to start living our own lives. We will rebuild our own world. All we need is the knowledge, and the guidance. You, Don, should be our leader.”

  “I can’t be your leader,” Don said, smiling down at Karen. “I have other promises to keep. Besides, I’m an outsider. The Underdwellers and the Tants need a leader who can unite them, and I know of no one more uniquely qualified than you, Stanton. We’ll teach you what you want to know, and teach you to help yourselves. That’s all I can promise.”

  “That’s more than enough,” Stanton said, nodding in approval. “We won’t disappoint you.”

  Suddenly, the air buzzed with static, causing everyone to search for the source. All eyes came to rest on the pouch attached to Don’s belt.