RUBICON OF ALMATHEA

The novel opens with a haunting apocalyptic dream experienced by Max Amano, a 123-year-old former starship captain suffering from dementia. It is the year 2150, and Max, living on a future Earth threatened by ecological collapse, receives a message from his great-grandson, a scientist in Antarctica. This prompts him to recount a fateful mission that redefined his understanding of humanity's place in the cosmos.
In 2067, Max led a mission to Mars to test the "Beetle," an advanced drilling machine. Accompanied by engineer Janos Jablonsky and biologist Tanya Johnson, the crew witnessed the destruction of a Martian station and rescued Elaina, an alien refugee from the war-ravaged planet Almathea. With her was Salamana, a highly intelligent creature from the planet Sadoy, whose loyalty and brilliance captivated the crew.
What began as a research mission became a perilous odyssey through uncharted realms. On the galactic frontier, they discovered mysterious sand with transformative properties, capable of both creation and destruction. They also encountered survivors from civilizations destroyed by their own technological excesses.
Their journey led to Oceanax, a water-covered planet where they faced a rogue artificial intelligence, and to Sadoy, Salamana's homeworld, where the beloved creature tragically perished. Finally, they arrived at Almathea, where monstrous beings born from nuclear devastation threatened the remnants of Elaina's people. Using the enigmatic sand, the crew defeated the creatures, granting the Almatheans a chance to rebuild.
As Max reflects, he questions whether their journey was guided by higher civilizations, far more advanced than humanity. He warns that Earth could face a similar downfall if it succumbs to reckless ambition and technological misuse.
But will Max manage to warn Earth's people? Will his nightmarish visions vanish, leaving him at peace, hopeful for a bright future for Earth's civilization?