The Clones of Mawcett (27 page)

“I don't see any great repercussions either,” Kanes said.

“Well, there's one thing I haven't mentioned yet,” Jenetta said guardedly. “I found an old copy of the Almuth; a copy of the Almuth from before the time Nordakia was colonized. If it's ever released, that edition will rock the Nordakian religious culture to it's core. As we've seen in other cultures where a separatist group has shunned former values, such as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in mid-twentieth-century China led by Mao Zedong, it usually only lasts for one or two generations. New generations, born into an extremely restrictive society, look for change. It appears that the religious leaders who took the people to Nordakia, rewrote the text to take away most of the freedoms that people on this planet enjoyed, thereby ensuring that the colonists continued to observe the ideology espoused by the original religious zealots. If future generations rebelled, they risked being branded not just as rebels, traitors, or seditionists, but heretics. Women weren't considered second class citizens here, and enjoyed all the rights and privileges of the men, just as in Earth society.”

Gavin and Kanes sat quietly and looked at Jenetta as they contemplated her conclusions.

Finally, Gavin said, “That might be something that we don't release publicly. At least not until after the Nordakians have a chance to review it. You're a Nordakian citizen, an Azula, a Lady of the Royal House, and an officer in the Nordakia Space Force, so perhaps you should present that information to the Royal Family.”

“Yes sir. I'd also like to give them the computer core that I removed from here. It contains all the information that I've told you about, but we have a full copy of it.”

“We'll have to clear that with Space Command Headquarters first,” Kanes said. “There may be information that we don't want to disseminate, such as the cloning process, or manufacturing information on those doors and the outside covering of this facility.”

“Yes sir. I removed all information about the cloning process from the core after placing an encrypted copy on my personal computer. I didn't find any information that specifically referenced the door or construction of the facility, but it might be buried in one of the numerous technical journals I haven't had time to review.”

“We'll discuss it with Space Command Headquarters first,” Gavin said. “Let's begin the debriefing.”

“Would you gentlemen care for a cup of coffee or tea before we begin?”

Jenetta retrieved three mugs of coffee while Kanes pulled a tiny vid camera from his tunic pocket. He moistened a finger and rubbed it on the flattened side of a device smaller than a man's wedding band and stuck the device to the table surface. It would stick in that spot until pulled up. Pulling a view pad from another pocket, he adjusted the focus and aiming of the device so that Jenetta would be perfectly centered in the recorded image, then started the recording.

Jenetta began relating all events from the time that the Prometheus left orbit, until they returned. The debriefing consumed over two hours as the captains interrupted numerous times for clarifications and comments.

“So the Raider captain told you they had your clone on board, but he didn't know that she was a clone?” Gavin asked.

“That's correct, sir. She's an exact copy, except for the length of my hair. My hair was extended using a synthetic process on Nordakia prior to the medal ceremony so the cloning equipment didn't duplicate it. She doesn't have a CT for the same reason. Since I didn't identify myself, and never allowed an image to be sent while we were in communication, he believed that he captured the real Lt. Cmdr. Jenetta Carver.”

“Did you get any feel for where they might be heading?”

“No sir. They could be going anywhere, but if they believe they have me as a prisoner, they'll probably head to the nearest Raider base, hoping to collect the bounty the Raiders have placed on my head. We know there are still five hidden bases in Galactic Alliance space alone, despite their being a little shorthanded these days.” Jenetta grinned.

The doors to the mess hall suddenly opened and Marine Captain Greene entered. “Sorry to interrupt, sirs, but I thought you should know that the St. Petersburg has entered orbit. They report having Lieutenant Crocker and Commander Carver's sister aboard. The shuttles and their cargo are intact.”

Jenetta's heart leaped, both because Three and Lieutenant Crocker were safe and because the St. Petersburg was her brother's ship. Billy, a full Commander, was the First Officer aboard the destroyer.

“Thank you, Captain Greene,” Gavin said. “That'll be all.”

“Yes sir,” he said and left the mess hall, closing the doors again.

“Does everyone here know the commands to operate the facility equipment?” Kanes asked.

“Not all, sir. Only the officers were instructed, but most of the Marines have witnessed the opening and closing of doors and the control of the lighting so they've probably picked up the commands. While the archeological site people were in here, we left the doors open at all times and used manual controls for the lights. We didn't show them that the system operated by verbal command.”

“And you don't know who drugged you and then cloned you?”

“No sir. At first I suspected Doctor Peterson, and then I thought that it might be Bruce Priestly. It had to be someone who knew that Priestly had found a way in, and who could initiate the cloning process.”

“One of Priestly's clones?”

Jenetta shrugged her shoulders. “The clones should only have had the knowledge that Priestly had when he was first recorded, unless he later mentioned the sewer entrance. Everyone knew that Priestly had uncovered a sewer system, and he could have let it slip that one of the tunnels led under this facility. He might have even been followed, but I suspect that he parted with the information freely. He's very eager to achieve recognition for his discoveries. There's another possibility, as well. Since operation of the cloning equipment required knowledge that the language used here was Dakis, the culprit could have been one of the two Nordakian scientists, or one of their many clones.”

The two Captains exchanged glances and nodded.

“Okay, Commander, that's all for now,” Gavin said as they stood up. “Well done, Jen. You accomplished the dismantling task that you were assigned, you saved all these dig site people, and you kept the cloning technology out of the hands of the Raiders. Very well done.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I concur, Commander,” Kanes said. “Very well done. I hope that we can find your sister, Two, but it may not be possible.”

“I'll find her, sir, somehow. I don't doubt that for a minute. And the ones responsible will pay for their past actions, as well as for any harm they do her. The Raiders have again made the mistake of making me mad.”

The_Clones_of_Mawcett

Chapter Thirteen

~ March 16th, 2270 ~

With Commander Cameron's best people working on the project, the main entrance doorframe was unbolted and replaced using the door from the mess hall entranceway within an hour after work began. The framework and bolts, only accessible from inside the facility, were made of the same material as the door and hardly showed any signs of stress from the assault that had been waged against them. A replacement door for the mess hall, custom made from the ship's tritanium plating supply, was constructed and hung, and the swap was hardly noticeable. A dense, scratch-resistant black film similar to that used for anodizing aluminum was bonded to the new door, completely disguising the natural, deep bronze color of the tritanium.

With the almost indestructible door, the remaining cloning equipment, and the special sick bay equipment safely stored aboard the Prometheus, Jenetta was finally rotated out, along with the Space Marine companies and other Prometheus personnel that had spent the past two months on the surface. The bodies of the dead Marines, stored in one of the mess hall's large walk-in freezers since the action that took their lives, were brought aboard for return to their home worlds.

Before Jenetta left, she visited the encampment of the dig site personnel one last time. The camp was a mess, having been generally trashed by the Tsgardi Raiders. The laborers were busy trying to get things in order, but they took time out to thank Jenetta for protecting them. They knew that she had most likely saved them from death or a life of slavery. Several more thirty-ten shelters had been brought down from the Prometheus and erected for the site personnel to use until replacement living shelters could be sent from the Expedition headquarters on the other side of the planet and erected.

Once aboard the Prometheus, Jenetta was able to totally relax for the first time in weeks. She took an extra long shower and let her hair down, literally. The blond synthetic hair created on Nordakia had been kept tightly rolled at the nape of her neck since arriving on the planet. She shampooed it thoroughly, several times, along with her real hair, which was still indistinguishable from the extension. Stepping from the shower feeling refreshed and wonderful, she delighted in dressing in clean clothes for the first time in weeks. She'd been able to take a shower after the Tsgardi had gone, but no laundry had been done since they'd moved from the facility to the pumping station. Sometimes, the simple things in life mean so much.

Since Jenetta arrived back on board the battleship, a third Space Command ship, a Kamakura-class heavy cruiser, the Mentuhotep, named after the pharaoh who ruled Egypt from 2061-2010 BC, had arrived at the planet. Other ships, diverted towards Mawcett, turned back to resume their original course after it was learned that the Raiders were already gone. Jenetta's arrival at the ship had caused quite a stir and virtually everyone that she passed after coming back aboard stopped her to welcome her home. At dinnertime, she was to be the guest of honor at a small celebration aboard the Prometheus. A contingent of senior officers from the St. Petersburg and the Mentuhotep would be coming aboard for the small party.

Jenetta's brother, Billy, and her sister, Three, arrived early so they could all spend some time together before the party began. The initial meeting in the flight bay was spontaneously heart-warming. After the initial hugs, they went to Jenetta's quarters for a little privacy. Billy, like his siblings, was endowed with medium blond hair and azure eyes the color of a clear October sky. The family's Nordic ancestry was clearly reflected in his strong features. And like his father and brothers, he stood over six-feet tall. In official medical records, his height was listed as six-foot, two and one-half inches. Three was still wearing an officer's uniform, minus any insignia of rank.

“I'm glad that you're safe, little sister,” Billy said to Jenetta. “We were pretty worried when Space Command listed you as missing-in-action and presumed lost.”

“Thanks, Billy, I'm glad that my absence wasn't nearly as prolonged as the last time. And now you have three little sisters.”

He grinned. “I'm still not over the shock. Mom and Dad were floored as well. But first things first; we can't very well continue to call them Two and Three. Three and I have been discussing the selection of proper names.”

“Have you picked a new name for yourself, Three?” Jenetta asked.

“I think that I'd like to adopt great grandmother's name of Eliza Kathleen.”

“That sounds wonderful, Eliza. Should we pick a name for Two, or wait and let her pick it herself.”

“I think that we should pick something before Two becomes her permanent name,” Eliza said, “just in case it takes us time to find her. You know how Space Command is. The name Two is probably already listed in a dozen reports.”

“I agree,” Billy said. “She can always change it again later if she wishes.”

“What shall it be then?” Jenetta asked. “How about Christa Marie after father's mother?”

“Perfect,” Eliza said. “So it's Jenetta, Christa, and Eliza.”

“Since you all think alike, I'm sure she'll love it also,” Billy said. “You know, it was like having you aboard the St. Petersburg, Jen.”

“It was me, Billy. Eliza and I are identical. Unlike twins, who may only look identical, we're actually one hundred percent identical. She thinks like me, and has all of my memories up to the day that they were collected by the cloning machine. She is me, and I am her.”

“I've always thought of cloning as taking some cells and slowly producing a new being, as would happen from normal conception,” Eliza said. “When I stepped out of that chamber and met Jen, I was astounded. It's like cellular mitosis on a grand scale; as if we just spontaneously split into two people. I remember every day of our existence, up to the time that the cloning process was initiated.”

“It was a bit disconcerting at first,” Jenetta said, “to suddenly be face to face with a person that has your face, body, and memories, but we became the best of pals after that. Eliza and Christa know what I'm going to say before I say it, and…”

“…can complete my sentences,” Eliza finished.

“But we mustn't do that...” Jenetta started.

“…in front of other people because it confuses them,” Eliza finished.

“I agree with that,” Billy said smiling. “It's a distraction to say the least.”

“We still have to see what Space Command is going to do,” Jenetta said. “Eliza and Christa have all my knowledge and every memory that I have of going through the Academy. They are me, so they shouldn't be forced to start over. I know that they'll want to stay in Space Command, since that's what I'd want.”

“I think there will be some very long discussions at Supreme Headquarters and in the Galactic Alliance Council Chambers before a decision is reached about how to handle this,” Billy said rolling his eyes.

“From my point of view,” Eliza said, “I've earned the right to wear the uniform. I not only know everything Jenetta has done and learned, and have every memory she has, but I was actually there to do it. It's as if I was born the same time as she, and went through everything the same way.”

“That's what makes it so difficult, Eliza,” Billy said. “You're really only a couple of months old, but they can't very well treat you like a newborn.”

“Even if they decide the worst, you'll still have several hundred years to work your way back, sis,” Jenetta said.

“Excuse me? Several hundred years? Have I missed something? What are you talking about, Jen?” Billy asked.

Jenetta sucked in her breath. She had to begin telling family members sometime. “You know about the DNA re-composition that was performed on me, us, by the Raiders? What I haven't told you, or Space Command, or anybody, is that the commandant of Raider-One, Mikel Arneu, said that two treatment procedures were administered. The one I've kept to myself is an Age Prolongation process. Arneu said that I would live to be at least several hundred years old, and possibly several thousand. They weren't exactly sure what would happen because I was only the second one to receive the new procedure that they had developed, after the doctors, that is.”

Billy was just sitting with his mouth hanging open. “Several— thousand— years?”

“Maybe as much as five thousand. What's worse is that I won't age until the last few years and then the aging will be incredibly rapid. I'm always going to look like a recent Academy graduate, until my end is near.”

“And that's bad?”

“It's wonderful from a female vanity standpoint, but I'll be treated like an inexperienced officer by anyone that doesn't know me.”

“Not much chance of there being anyone that doesn't know Jenetta Carver, or at least about you. And you haven't told anyone about this non-aging thing yet?” Billy asked incredulously.

“I didn't want to become a lab rat. And this would be just the kind of information that they'd use to take Eliza for study. They'd try to justify their actions by insisting that she's just a clone. Besides, we have no proof that our age is extended, just that we're changing. I've grown six inches since the process was started, and the doctors predicted that I'll, we'll, grow at least an inch more. You can't tell anyone about this, Billy.”

Billy just nodded. The changes that Jenetta's body had undergone during the past year and a half were proof enough that something radical had been done to her. The discussion had sobered the festive mood they'd felt at first, so Jenetta changed the subject and told them about the things that had occurred after Eliza had left for Vinnia.

Jenetta's entrance at the reception was greeted by loud applause. Eliza was welcomed warmly enough, but the officers that hadn't met her before couldn't stop staring at her. It was as if they were trying to spot something abnormal. She and Jenetta had discussed it before leaving Jenetta's quarters, and she had prepared herself for the awkward moments. By the end of the reception everyone had begun to accept her, and treat her just like Jenetta.

Billy returned to his ship with his fellow officers after the party, but not before sharing a long goodbye hug with Eliza and Jenetta. All three knew that it might be a long time before they saw each other again. Billy's ship was scheduled to leave orbit in a few hours.

Certain that once they reached Vinnia they would be split up, Jenetta and Eliza decided that, for the time being, they would share Jenetta's quarters.

Jenetta wasn't scheduled to resume her bridge duties for three days, so she and Eliza fell into a routine of exercise in the morning, followed by work in Jenetta's office for the rest of the day. To occupy their time, they had begun developing a report outlining the history of Mawcett from the information and news reports that they'd found in the facility's computer. By the time Jenetta was to begin her first watch since returning from the planet, the report had grown from a simple digest to a treatise.

As was her custom, Jenetta arrived on the bridge ten minutes early for her watch. Commander LaSalle, who hadn't been at the reception because she'd had the watch, greeted Jenetta in her usual brusque manner.

“Congratulations on surviving in a sewer for two months. You came out smelling like a rose— as usual.”

“Thank you, ma'am, but I hardly smelled like a rose after two weeks without bathing. The sewer itself dried up twenty thousand years ago and the only moisture was from the facility that we were occupying. But I'm glad I was able to take a quick shower before coming back aboard.”

“You seem to attract trouble like a magnet. Why is that, Lieutenant Commander?”

“I suppose it's the job, ma'am. I certainly didn't invite the Tsgardi to attack us and attempt to steal the equipment that I had been charged with safeguarding.”

Lowering her voice so that the rest of the bridge crew couldn't hear, LaSalle said, “That planetary assignment should have been mine. As second in command I should have been left in charge of the base while the Prometheus went off on a wild goose chase. I know that you have the Captain wrapped around your little finger, but don't think for a second that your latest escapade entitles you to any new privileges up here.” Raising her voice up to a normal level, she said, “You have the bridge, Lt. Commander.”