The Clones of Mawcett (20 page)

“I still have every memory and last bit of knowledge that you do.”

“Until we work through these problems, this will be the easiest way to handle it. I can't be giving orders and having you countermanding them.”

“We think alike, remember. I'd agree with any order that you give.”

“Maybe, and maybe not. That's one of the things that we'll have to see. If we find ourselves arguing, like some twin sisters do, then we'll know that we're not exactly the same. And even if you would give the same orders, we can't have you giving them a second time and confusing everyone.”

“O-kay. Tell me about our, your, discovery,” Two said.

“I couldn't crack the language used on the machinery and throughout the facility so I turned my attention to opening the other doors. I spent hours shouting commands at them but nothing worked. While I was eating lunch, I realized that Doctor Vlashsku, as a Nordakian, …”

“…would probably shift to Dakis when angry or frustrated.”

“Exactly. So I tried Dakis and it worked.”

“What else do we have down here?”

“This barracks area, a mess hall capable of seating a hundred fifty, a laundry, and a sickbay with all kinds of interesting, new devices.”

“Have the Engineering people made any progress with the medical equipment?” Two asked.

“They're disassembling and analyzing each piece, recording all steps as they proceed, in a reverse engineering effort to determine the functions. They'll produce their reports when they're done. I've been more concerned with trying to deactivate the cloning equipment.”

“No progress, eh?”

“Lately I've been trying to apply Dakis to the symbols since it works for opening the doors and controlling the lights, but without a starting reference, it's almost impossible. I believe somebody must have broken the code because they were able to produce a clone of me, but we have to figure out how to stop the repeat cycle so we can turn it off without destroying a single life form. With two different cycles now, we can't even shut it down by disconnecting the power source immediately after a batch emerges. Perhaps that was the reason for cloning me. I hadn't wanted to do it anyway, by that point, out of fear that another batch had already been begun somewhere else inside the equipment. A human fetus, in the earliest stages, is incredibly small.”

Two nodded. “You know, the Nordakians can't know that their language is twenty-thousand years old. The Almuth reportedly only goes back about four-thousand years.”

“Just goes to show you how religion can be used to retard a culture, or in this case an entire planet. Twenty-thousand years ago the inhabitants of this planet had made outstanding technological advancements. If the Nordakians are their descendants, or even their antecedents, they should be the most advanced race in the known galaxy, by a factor of ten. Instead they observe strict religious writings that literally hobble their women and stifle their society. There have been religious cultures like that on earth, ones that deny education and free speech to women, while forcing them to wear ridiculous clothing and live a life only of servitude to men, while other tenets of their religion proscribe various actions that would allow for change and natural development in a modern emerging society.”

“But how did the people from here wind up on Nordakia, or vice-versa, and where did the Almuth really come from?”

“Perhaps it was a situation such as that of the radical Separatist group that broke from the Church of England on Earth back in the early seventeenth century. In search of religious freedom, and to escape religious persecution in England, they moved first to Leiden, the Netherlands. After ten years, many of them emigrated to North America. They developed their own rules according to the way they wished to live, and woe to anyone who disagreed with the leaders who made the new rules. You only enjoyed the so-called religious freedom while you followed the strict new religious edicts of the leaders, without question.”

“I suppose there could have been dozens of Almuths through the centuries,” Two speculated. “Whenever a new religious sect gained control, they rewrote the book and wiped out all traces of past versions.”

“Maybe. Perhaps one group even went so far as to change the symbols of their alphabet so that previous existing copies of religious doctrine would be unreadable within a few generations. It would be like trying to read Chinese when all you've ever known was Arabic. It's a miracle that the spoken language remained basically intact.”

“Yes, but what are the chances that a spoken language would survive intact for twenty thousand years?”

“On Earth, it was the interaction of people from different geographical areas where language had developed independently that seemed to have had the greatest impact on each group's language. On Nordakia there is only one language. The same might have been true here. Colloquialisms are bound to creep into any language, but since all Nordakians are required to read a passage from the Almuth each day, perhaps that document is responsible for keeping the language as phonetically pure as it appears to have remained.”

“But even so, subtle pronunciation nuances had to have crept in. Well, it's an interesting hypothesis,” Two said, “and a great subject for discussion, but it doesn't solve our present problem. Let's get over to the lab.”

Jenetta and Two worked together for several hours without making any headway with the symbols. It seems that two heads aren't always better than one, especially when they have the same thoughts, at the same time. But they found themselves working better and better together, not even having to speak most of the time.

“We're getting nowhere fast,” Jenetta finally said.

“Somebody cracked it so we should be able to do it also. Who do you think could have broken it? Doctor Vlashsku? Glawth Djetch?”

“We haven't had any indication that they've made the connection to Dakis. Especially since Dakis currently uses an entirely different set of symbols for their alphabet. But someone could have followed the same logic path I did. Or perhaps the individual translated the code by using some sort of key found in another dig site?”

“If these ancients were so smart, why didn't they give their computer the ability to speak.”

“That's it, Two. The doors are voice actuated. Perhaps we just need to ask a question. But in Dakis.”

Changing to Dakis, Two said, “Computer, are you listening? Respond to me.”

 A disembodied voice that sounded like it came from the depths of a bottomless well, said in Dakis, “I am listening.”

Jenetta and Two looked at each other and grinned.

The_Clones_of_Mawcett

Chapter Ten

~ February 1st, 2270 ~

“Computer, why haven't you spoken before?” Jenetta asked.

“No vocalized response was requested of this unit.”

“Computer, do you have visual capability?”

“Negative.”

“Computer, do you have any other sensory capabilities?”

“Affirmative.”

“Computer, list your sensory inputs.”

“Thermal, olfactory, and auditory sensors are placed in various locations throughout this facility.”

“Computer, do you have any knowledge of events outside this facility?”

“Affirmative.”

“Computer, summarize your knowledge of events occurring outside this facility.”

“Historical reference library covering years 5,372 through 18,014, and news broadcasts covering years 18,012 through 18,014.”

“Computer, why only three years of news broadcasts?”

“I was activated in 18,012. 18,014 was the last year that broadcasts were received.”

“Computer, what year is it now?”

“The year is currently 37,451.”

“Nineteen thousand, four hundred and thirty-seven years since the broadcasts ended!” Two said.

“Computer,” Jenetta said, “when did the inhabitants leave this planet?”

“Space travel has been available for many years.”

“Computer, what was the last year you had contacts with planetary inhabitants?”

 “37,451.”

“Computer, prior to this year, when was the last contact that you had with inhabitants?”

“In the year 18,014.”

“Computer, do you understand the language known as Amer?”

“Negative. No such interface is available in my files.”

“Computer, I'll give you an example of Amer. Tell me if you recognize it, even if you don't understand it.” Jenetta switched from Dakis to Amer. “Computer, this is an example of Amer. I want to know if you've recorded any conversations in this language.” Switching back to Dakis Jenetta repeated the request.

“Affirmative, I have recorded a number of conversations in Amer.”

“Computer, play back the Amer conversations, skipping pauses.”

Over the next several hours Jenetta and Two listened to all conversations between members of the dig site team. The meeting between the scientists and the initial batch of clones was hilarious, as each group insisted most strenuously that they were the originals and the others had to be the copies. Jenetta and Two recognized all of the voices in the playbacks but they didn't learn who was responsible for attacking Jenetta. Jenetta had the computer skip over the hours she had spent trying to open the doors, and halted the playback completely when the computer reached the day the camp had moved underground. With the computer's help, it took just an hour to develop a complete phonetic translation key of all symbols used by the ancient culture. There were naturally many that hadn't been observed in the lab, such as those for weights and measures, but the computer was able to display a graphic of all written symbols using a part of the console surface. Using their new knowledge, Jenetta and Two were able to cancel the repeat function, ensuring that the current two batches of clones would be the last.

As it approached dinnertime, Jenetta received a message through her CT from Captain Greene. He reported that Doctor Peterson was in the camp, requesting to see Jenetta. Two didn't receive the message because the miniscule device wasn't biological and the machinery hadn't created one for her, but Jenetta told her what the captain had said. Jenetta opened the rotunda door and walked up to the surface alone.

“You requested to see me Doctor Peterson?”

“I was expecting you to bring over the clone.”

“Clone?”

“Yes, the twelfth clone that we heard about.”

“And where did you hear about a twelfth clone?” Jenetta asked casually, believing that she had successfully suppressed the dissemination of information about the attack and the machine activation, at least by Prometheus crewmembers.

“Are you saying that there isn't another clone?”

“We've brought you all the clones of your people. There won't be any more for four more days, and you can be assured that we'll bring them to you when they emerge from the incubation chambers. What made you believe that there were more clones?”

“I heard it in the camp. I guess it's just a silly rumor. Good night, Commander.”

“Goodnight, Doctor. Oh, by the way, this next batch of clones will be the last group.”

Peterson's face and voice registered horror. “You're not going to destroy the equipment after they emerge, are you?”

“No, that won't be necessary. I've managed to translate all the symbols on the device and I've cancelled the repeat function. After the machine has completed the present clones, it will shut down by itself?”

The look of horror had changed to one of awe. “You've translated the language? You can't be serious?”

“I'm quite serious. It was the only way I could be sure of shutting down the process without destroying any life.”

“You must give me a copy of the translation.”

“I was under the impression that you had it already.”

“Don't be ridiculous!” he said angrily. “If I had it, I wouldn't be asking for it. It's your duty to share it with us. After all, it was we who found the underground laboratory.”

“Calm down, Doctor. I wouldn't think of not sharing my discovery with you and your fellow scientists.”

Doctor Peterson's mood was changing faster than a Nordakian can change skin colors. “Thank you, Commander, thank you. It'll be invaluable in deciphering the writings on relics that we've found all over the planet. Uh, you're sure that it's accurate?”

“I guarantee you'll find it one hundred percent accurate; not that it will do you much good right now.”

“What do you mean?” He asked guardedly.

“Simply that the symbols are graphics used to represent individual speech sounds, as in our modern languages, rather than being representations of syllables or words, such as an ancient pictural language like hieroglyphics. Pictural languages generally limit the exchange of complex ideas, so most cultures converted their writing medium as they advanced.”

“I'm aware of that. On Earth we credit the Phoenicians and other Semitic people with beginning such conversion around 1000 BC. The Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans all had a major hand in further shaping modern languages on our planet. There have been exceptions, such as Chinese.”

“Exactly. Can you imagine trying to use Roman numerals in a complex mathematical equation. They didn't even have a representation for zero. As soon as I have time, I'll begin to assemble a basic dictionary for use in understanding the language that was in use on this planet twenty thousand years ago. In the meantime I'll prepare a sheet which translates their numerical system and a chart of weights and measures.”

 “Wonderful, wonderful,” he said, smiling. “I had no idea that you were a scholar of ancient languages. Dakshiku has told me about your successes against the Raiders, and the military honors that you've received from Space Command and Nordakia, so I thought that you were just another military drone.”

“Those military drones you refer to,” Jenetta said a little testily, “are highly trained military specialists who perform dangerous and complex jobs with pride and dedication, Doctor. If not for them, your precious shipment of artifacts to Anthius would never have arrived. We lost a great many people at the Battle of Vauzlee in protection of your relics.”

“Yes, yes, I know. I'm sorry. I only meant that I never imagined that you were a fellow scientist.”

“Then it may surprise you to learn that many Space Command officers are trained in scientific fields, just as many are trained in medicine, engineering, and other disciplines. Prior to becoming second officer on the Prometheus, I was a Science Officer. My own field of specialization is Astrophysics.”

Doctor Peterson's brow wrinkled and he looked at Jenetta with new admiration. “I see that I might have seriously misjudged you, Commander.”

“I'll take your comment as a compliment. I'll send the paper over tomorrow. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Commander.”

Jenetta talked the situation over with Two, in a form of verbal thought with herself, when she rejoined her underground.

“Doctor Peterson shouldn't have known of your existence,” Jenetta said, “yet he came here looking for you.”

“If Doctor Peterson wasn't responsible, then the responsible party may have used him to inquire when no word was leaked of my 'birth.'”

“I wonder if the goal was to get a duplicate of me into the Archeologist's camp. Perhaps they thought that I'd reject you, and simply send you to them. Then they could use your appearance to gain access to the underground facility.”

“The idea is ridiculous,” Two said, “because I still have the mindset of a Space Command officer, even if I am a clone.”

After preparing a translation list of the promised symbols, Jenetta and Two printed a copy to be sent to Doctor Peterson. For now they left off all reference to Dakis being the language of the planet's original inhabitants. They also left off all phonetic values so that no one would be able to associate the language with Dakis. Jenetta didn't want them to connect the inhabitants of this planet with Nordakia until Supreme HQ had been briefed. The list would actually be of little use until someone developed a dictionary, or the association to Dakis was known, but perhaps understanding the values of the numeric symbols, and those for weights and measures, would be useful.

Four days later, the final group of eleven clones emerged and was turned over to Doctor Peterson. The eleven chambers shut down automatically, leaving just one operating.

Two had remained out of sight so far, as she and Jenetta spent long hours sequestered in the rotunda lab digesting information from the ancient, but incredibly powerful, computer. As they interacted with the electronic device, they discovered that it had all along been learning from them and adjusting its speech to agree with their pronunciation of Dakis. Watching news broadcasts from almost twenty thousand years earlier showed them just how dramatically the language had evolved since then. Many references were completely unfathomable, but the computer was able to elucidate the topic in every case. It proved to be an invaluable resource.

The second clone of Jenetta emerged from the chamber two days later. The machinery darkened and went silent after she stepped from the chamber. Three, as the newest clone was named, was just as confused as Two had been since they were created from the same original scan of Jenetta, but both Jenetta and Two had had time to prepare for Three's arrival so there wasn't the initial reaction that Jenetta experienced. The doctor declared her to be physically fit, and then Jenetta and Two took her to be clothed. Again, Jenetta removed the rank insignia from the uniform.

“You're the last of us, Three,” Jenetta told her. “While you were being created, Two and I figured out how to operate the equipment and it's been shut down.”

“It's very disconcerting to find out that I'm a clone, and even more so that I'm not even the first. Where do I fit in here?”

“That's yet to be determined,” Two said. “We're actually lucky. The scientists have each been cloned seven times.”