“Is it someone’s birthday?” he asked dryly. “I forgot to buy a gift.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, that’s right. I can’t buy a gift because the nearest speck of civilization is over seventeen hundred kilometers behind us.” Before Jake could think of a clever reply, Wood turned and headed down the lower set of stairs to C-deck.
Jake started to turn away when Jane looked up at him and whispered, “He’s afraid.”
Jake took a slow breath as he thought of a response. We are all afraid! Is that what he wanted to say to her? Did any of his crew need to hear that particular admission from their captain?
Before he could actually say anything, however, Jane stood and jogged up the stairs to him. “I think I’ll join you after all,” she said then ran over and jumped up onto the chart table next to AJ.
By then, Jessie had managed to clean up the audio and a distinct melody from his childhood filled the bridge.
The sky could Fall, everything could fade to black, but in twenty years, I’ll still want you. In twenty years, I’ll still want you...
“This isn’t possible,” he said.
People change when living just to become whole. But, in twenty years, I'll still want you. In twenty years, I'll still want you...
He looked at his crew. “I know that song.”
Raines nodded his head. “Impressive, Captain. I didn’t realize that you listened to Pre-Fall music. Not many people have access to it these days.”
“My parents were food growers in Capitol City,” he said. “One of the city elders used to secretly loan them music tabs in exchange for extra rations.” He smiled at the memory. “That song was my mother’s favorite. She used to sing it to me when I was feeling down.”
“It’s nice,” Vee said, “but I prefer music without words, like that guy, Beethoven, made.”
“Beet-hoven,” Ash repeated. “That’s a funny name. What did his ancestors do for a living? Farm beets?”
“It’s a Pre-Fall name, idiot,” Vee snickered. “They didn’t pick family names based on what they did for a living back then.”
“Actually, in this case, Ash is correct,” her grandfather said. “Beethoven is a name derived from beet farming.”
Ash sat down on his navigation console and poked a finger at Vee. “Who’s the idiot now?”
She swatted it away. “So, where’s it coming from?” she asked. “The music. We’re so far away from home.”
“Did you say that this song was your mother’s favorite?” Raines asked Jake. “Quite a coincidence, wouldn’t you say?”
It took a second for Jake to figure out what the engineer was asking. “You think it’s coming from the Scimitar? You think Steele’s trying to call us back? Call me back?”
“Makes sense,” AJ added as she jumped down from the chart table and walked over to Jessie’s console. “Captain Steele’s had plenty of time to study your past.” She looked around the bridge. “Study all of us.”
“Shut it off,” Jake ordered.
“What?” Jessie asked, her face turning pale. “Why?”
“Because we are being manipulated. Because I won’t be manipulated by that person.”
“But it’s just music,” Jessie pleaded, “and it’s been so long since I’ve heard real music.” Jake could see tears welling up in her eyes.
“Captain’s right,” AJ said. “Shut it off.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Jane whispered. “It’s going away by itself.” As she spoke the words, the music began to crackle and static slowly replaced it.
“We’re losing it,” Jessie sobbed.
Within a few seconds, only silence filled the air. Jake could feel the sense of loss in the room. It hung there like an invisible wound. If this was Steele’s plan, she had succeeded.
“All right,” AJ said. “The party’s over. Let’s all get back to our duties.”
Jake turned to leave when Jessie asked, “How much longer, Captain?”
He stopped and turned to her. “How much longer till what?”
She lowered her gaze. “You know.”
“You mean Rubicon?” Jake asked.
“Our point of no return is tomorrow at noon,” AJ said sternly. “You know that, Jessie. Everyone knows that.”
“But if we had just held onto the reactor a few more days, we could...”
“We dropped the reactor when we had to,” Raines corrected. “It was becoming quite unstable. Even another few hours might have been disastrous for us.”
“But once we pass Rubicon,” she said, “we can’t change our minds and go home.”
“We don’t have a home to go back to,” Jake said. “Just a jail cell.” He could see the fear building in his crew and realized that if he didn’t stop it now, the situation would only deteriorate. Crews had mutinied for less. “I guess it’s time for a meeting,” he said as he turned and headed back down the stairs. “Have the crew assemble in the galley in an hour.”
Jake stepped out of his quarters twenty minutes later and saw the entire crew sitting at the table, all eyes locked on him. He just shook his head as he walked over and grabbed his favorite cup off the shelf on the back wall, then made his way to the coffee pot. It was empty of course. Old habits die hard.
“Some of us are having breakfast,” Vee said. “Would you like some?”
Ash pushed a soggy, half-eaten corn muffin across his plate with a fork. “If you can call this breakfast,” he muttered.
“You are certainly welcome to make dinner for everyone tonight,” Raines said as he picked up his own plate and walked into the galley.
“He didn’t mean anything,” Vee said.
“Yes, I did,” Ash said, pushing his plate away from him. “I’m sick to death of corn mush for every meal.”
“Do you have some other food source hidden away in your quarters?” AJ asked, leaning in her chair towards him. Her face said she was about to smack him. “If so, we would all love for you to share it with us.”
Jake put his empty cup on the table between them. He would have preferred to eat something before getting into this, but like Ash, he was tired of corn muffins. “Do I really need to remind you all what is at stake here? What’s happening tomorrow?”
“We’re going to be making a decision that could very well end all of our lives,” Dr. Wood said from the stairway. “I think we all have a reason for our moods to be a bit dour this evening.”
“I don’t recall inviting you to this meeting, Wood,” AJ said.
Dr. Wood gave her a cold stare. “I was conscripted against my will into this madness, and my life is as important to me as any of yours is to you. I think I deserve as much a vote in this as anyone here.”
“What vote?” Jake interrupted and then turned to AJ. The look on her face told him there had been some sort of previous meeting, one that he had not been invited to. “Have the rules of shipping changed since I last looked them up?” he asked her. “I didn’t realize the captain’s decisions had become something the crew could vote on.”
“I believe the rules changed when you ran from a colonial guard ship and illegally crossed the border,” Wood said, seating himself across the table.
AJ glared at Wood then turned to face Jake. “No, Captain, the rules of the Shippers’ Guild still apply. You are in command of this vessel, and your decisions are final.”
“Final?” Dr. Wood asked, looking around the table. “Surely you’re not all going to sit back and allow this madness to continue, are you?”
“You’re out of line, Doc,” Ash said.
Wood glared at him. “But you told me...”
Ash cut him off. “Doesn’t matter what I said. The first mate’s right. We don’t get to vote on this.”
Jake silently cursed himself for hiding out in his quarters, or spending so much time working out the last few days. He knew things were falling apart, but since he had no idea how to fix them, he tried pretending they would repair themselves. Obviously, that hadn’t happened. He stood and looked at each
of the faces surrounding him. “Let’s say we did have a vote.”
“Captain!” AJ warned.
Jake glanced at her. “Hypothetical situation. If given a vote, would any of you really choose to go back and face charges of mass murder?”
“Murder?” Vee asked.
“Mass murder,” Jake repeated. “They think we caused the destruction of New Braska. Thousands of people, men, women, and children, all dead in an instant, and apparently we were the only ship to leave dock before it happened. Do you really think they won’t try to pin that on us?”
“But, we can get legal counsel,” Jessie added. “They have to give us council. It’s the law.”
“Everything was falling apart when we left,” AJ reminded her. “I’m guessing that right now, there is no law. Only brothers fighting sisters, families fighting families.” She stood up next to Jake. “Captain’s right. We can’t go back. At least not yet.”
Jake was relieved to find that his first mate was still on his side, but he knew he had to get the rest of them to believe what he believed, no matter what. “Listen, people,” he began, not sure what he was going to say. “I know I haven’t been your captain very long, and I know we’re in a really messed up situation right now, but it really isn’t as bleak as I think some of you believe.” He walked over to stand behind his engineer. “We’re actually in pretty good shape, thanks in no small part to Norman Raines, here.” He patted the old man on his shoulders for effect. “He managed to nurse a very sick reactor in our hold, almost nonstop, for the entire first week of this trip.”
AJ stood up then. “He is also responsible for loading up more supplies than I asked for in New Braska,” she said. “And even though some of us don’t show it”—she glanced sideways at Ash—”the corn meal we have is keeping us alive.”
“All right,” Ash said, “give the man an award, already.”
AJ glared at him. “You’re out of line!”
Raines raised his hands. “It’s okay,” he said calmly. “I’m tired of eating bland corn every day, too. To be honest, I’ve been too busy to get very creative with our meals.” He looked at Ash. “There are actually a number of dried herbs in storage that I haven’t tried yet. Maybe you, or someone else here, can help me do some experiments with them once we pass Rubicon.”
Ash looked embarrassed, but before he could say anything, Wood stood and spoke. “So, thanks to the great Norman Raines, we’ve gone where no man, or woman, has gone before.” He looked at Jake. “Our point of no return is tomorrow at noon, correct? Can we at least agree to discuss the subject of whether or not to go back before then, or are we still expected to just keep our mouths shut and do our jobs?”
AJ opened her mouth to speak, but Jake cut her off. “Let’s remember that you’re the one who stole away aboard my ship. No one forced you to come with us.” Wood looked angry, but Jake didn’t let up. “And while you may not be an official member of this crew, it’s probable that we are going to need a medic at some point out here. Therefore, I’m going to make a deal with you: act like a member of the crew, do your job without complaint, and I’ll discuss our options again tomorrow at Rubicon. Agreed?”
Wood sat back down, shaking his head. Then something just short of a smile formed on his face. “I will agree to your terms, Captain, as long as you keep your promise.”
AJ set her cup on the table with a bang. It had the illusion of a judge’s gavel pounding. “All right,” she said. “Meeting’s over. Let’s get back to work.”
Rubicon 04
Today is the big day, Jake thought as he reached for his clothes draped over the back of his desk chair. He smelled them and wasn’t happy with the aroma. They had shut down all non-essential equipment three days ago to conserve power, which included clothing recyclers. He was standing there, lost in thought, when the general alarm sounded.
He ran to his desk and touched the wall screen. An image of AJ standing on the bridge popped up. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“We’ve got company,” she said, not taking her eyes from whatever she was looking at.
“What do you mean by company?” he asked as he quickly pulled on his smelly shirt and pants.
“Just get up here and see for yourself.” She shook her head. “You’re not going to believe it.”
He didn’t even bother putting on his shoes as he ran out the door, down past the galley, and up the stairs. Most of the crew was already there, standing around the chart table next to AJ, fighting for a better view of whatever she was displaying there.
As he stood at the top of the stairs, he thought of the music they had heard the previous day. “Is it the Scimitar?” he asked.
“Why would the—?” Vee started to ask, but AJ cut her off.
“It’s worse than the Scimitar,” she whispered. As the group parted for him, he saw what they were looking at.
“It’s just a bubble cloud,” he guessed when he saw the line of shapes blocking their path ahead. “A wall of bubbles. There’s probably a fault line out there, like the Rift. Something natural causing it.”
“There’s nothing natural about them,” Jessie said as she sat back down at her console.
“Them?” Jake asked.
On cue, Jessie magnified a section of the display and Jake saw that she was correct; the wall was actually a series of closely spaced but separate objects.
“Those aren’t bubble clouds,” Raines said.
“Then what are they?” Vee asked.
“Bring us to a full stop, Vee,” AJ said. Vee moved swiftly to her helm and killed the thrusters. The bridge went suddenly, and unnervingly, silent. Jake had forgotten just how quiet his ship was when the thrusters weren’t operating.
“We’re still moving,” AJ said, pointing to the movement of the line on the display. “Are we in a tail current?”
Ash was already seated at his navigation console. “Our SOG is zero,” he replied. “We are holding position.”
“Then that wall is moving towards us,” Jake said, feeling a chill run down his back.
“Is now a good time to bring up my idea of turning back?” Dr. Wood said from the stairwell.
“We are not turning back,” both Jake and AJ said at the same time.
“You can’t seriously expect us to—”
“They’ve stopped,” Raines said.
“See?” AJ said. “We’re not in any danger.” She turned to Jake and, under her breath, asked, “Why did they stop?”
“I know,” Ash said, standing up from his chair. All eyes turned towards him.
“How can you know?” Vee asked, emphasizing the word “you.”
Ash smirked but then replied, “Because I’m the navigator.” He pointed to the chart table. “They are right on the line,” he said. “Not ahead of it. Not behind it.”
“What line?” AJ asked.
Jake guessed first. “They are standing right on it,” he said, pointing to the display himself. “That line is our Rubicon.”
“So,” Dr. Wood whispered from the rear, “I would say that my idea to turn back is looking more appealing now, isn’t it.”
“What are they?” Vee asked. Jake was relieved that no one was agreeing with Wood, at least not yet. Curiosity was sometimes more powerful than fear. Sometimes.
“Let’s go find out,” Jake said, sounding braver than he really was.
“You’re not kidding, are you?” Ash asked.
“I know I want to see what they are,” Jessie said. Ash gave her a dirty look.
“Take us ahead,” AJ ordered, and Vee quickly responded. As the Wave lunged forward, she added, “Not too fast. Let’s not startle them.”
“Right,” Vee said. “We don’t want the captains of those ships thinking we are some kind of threat.”
“You think those are ships out there?” AJ asked.
Vee shrugged. “What else could they be?”
“We’re a long way from civilization,” Jake added. “Where did they come from?”
&n
bsp; “From the lost colony, of course,” Vee said matter-of-factly. “The one we came all the way out here to find.” She looked back at the chart table. “I bet that’s our welcoming party.”
Dr. Wood stared at the table, his eyes wide with either fear, or wonder, maybe both. “They don’t look very welcoming,” he said. “It looks more like they are drawing a line and daring us to cross it.”
“They don’t know who we are,” Vee said. “For all they know, we are the lead ship of an invading armada.”
“I think you’ve been reading too many of my books, granddaughter,” Raines said.
“Books?” Jessie asked.
Vee smiled, her attention diverted for a moment. “My grandfather writes adventure stories when he’s not either fixing the ship or preparing meals.”
“Is there anything you don’t do?” AJ asked. Even she had taken her eyes off the display, so it was Jake who saw the change first.
“Full stop!” he yelled. All eyes looked at him then quickly turned back to the table. The objects were now moving directly towards them, breaking up the straight-line formation as they came.
“They’re attacking!” AJ yelled. “Evasive maneuvers, Vee!”
“I don’t know any evasive maneuvers,” she yelled back.
“I said, full stop!” Jake ordered again. When AJ glared at him, he pointed to the numbers below the lead objects on the table. “We can’t move that fast, even going bubbly. If we can’t outrun them, then we stop and face them.”
“We’ll be fine once they realize we’re not a threat,” Vee said as she brought the Wave to a full stop.
“I’ll try to make contact,” Jessie said. “Let them know we mean no harm.”
“You should come here, Jake,” Jane interrupted. He looked up and saw her standing at the command station in the bow, staring out the forward viewport. In all the commotion, he had forgotten she was still on the bridge. She was sneaky like that, somehow able to slip in and out of rooms without being seen.
“We’re kind of busy right now, Jane,” he said as he looked back at the images on the table.
“We need options, people,” AJ said. “The lead ships are less than five minutes away.”
Novum Chronicles: A Dystopian Undersea Saga Page 19