The Clones of Mawcett (31 page)

Jenetta stopped and turned back towards Kanes. “Sir?”

“Have you given any more thought to joining us here in Intelligence?”

Jenetta smiled slightly. “Thank you, sir, but I can't think of anyplace that I'd rather be than aboard the Prometheus.”

Captain Kanes just nodded.

As Jenetta left the office, she wondered why she'd been summoned to the meeting. Since the attacks had already been plotted, they no doubt knew the approximate location of the Raider bases, so her input would have been of little real value. Had it just been another ploy to interest her in joining the Intelligence section by re-introducing her to the officers who comprised Kanes' senior advisory staff?

As the sound-proofed doors closed behind her, Kanes looked at Lt. Commander Lofgren and said, “I told you she was quick. She went right to the area in 8667-4165 that we had identified.”

“It's hard to believe that the Academy staff was so wrong about her,” Lofgren replied. Chuckling, he added, “Her file from those years indicates that she can't reach a decision without taking a shuttle.”

“Apparently she was trying to avoid making any errors by considering every possible permutation in the solution of a problem before acting. Now she goes with her first instincts, and we can't deny her success. I wish we could convince her to join us in Intelligence.”

* * *

The ship's doctor visited Christa in the brig of the Tsgardi destroyer Boshdyte every few days to examine her for serious problems or complications resulting from the daily beatings.

“You're in remarkably good shape considering our Captain's daily visits, Commander,” she heard in the tiny translator earpiece that she was always given when a visitor came into the cell.

“I owe it all to clean living and lots of rest, Doctor; lots and lots of rest. Any chance of getting out of here for a little exercise? I'm going to forget how to walk pretty soon.”

“The Captain will never permit you to exercise freely, but–– I might be able to have you brought to me in the sick bay for your checkups. You wouldn't be released from your shackles though. The Captain knows of your unarmed combat skills.”

“I'd welcome any opportunity to get out of here for a walk; even with the chains on.”

“Very well. I'll tell the Captain that your condition necessitates your being taken to sick bay from now on.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

After the doctor left, Jenetta began her daily exercise routine. Although shackled she was able to adequately exercise her muscles so there was no danger of her 'forgetting' how to walk, but she needed to get out of the cell in order to start developing a plan of escape. Being chained to the wall left little such opportunity.

She completed her exercising in time for the Captain's daily visit.

“So, Commander Carver, are you ready to talk to me today?”

“Why not. Let's talk about families. Did your mother birth any Tsgardi babies that lived?”

The captain's mouth curled into a nasty snarl and he swung the short whip with all his might. Christa felt it land on her left arm and then curl around to her back. The captain's snarl turned into a grin.

“You will not insult me or my family if you wish to survive this voyage.”

Christa shook off the pain and asked, “Where are we going by the way?”

“To your worst nightmare.”

“To your bedroom?” Christa asked in mock horror.

Swish went the whip again. This time the blow landed on her right arm.

“The Raiders have told me how smart you are, but I see no sign of intelligence. Even the dumbest Horway on my planet is smart enough to avoid being whipped continuously.”

“What's a Horway?”

“A child's pet. It's so stupid that it will take any amount of physical abuse without fighting back.”

“You must have derived great pleasure from torturing your defenseless Horway when you were just a little monkey.”

The whip swished again and the tip landed cruelly on her back. But the pain, which had already started to dull, had kicked in the programming that gave her a euphoric feeling.

Christa's giggle brought a scowl to the lips of the Tsgardi. “If you find it so amusing to be whipped, I see that I'll have to start visiting you twice a day.”

“Oh, it's not the whipping,” Christa said, suppressing another giggle.

“What is it then?”

“I just remembered a silly childhood joke. You tell someone that you just received a Henway. They ask you 'What's a Henway?', and you answer, ”Oh, about four or five pounds."

The Tsgardi captain stared at her like she had grown a second head.

“It's a play on words in Amer,” she explained. “It's as if someone asked you, 'How much does a hen weigh?' So when I asked you, 'What's a Horway?' you should have answered, ”Oh, about a hundred pounds."

“Horways are small pets, weighing just a few pounds.”

“But a whore weighs about a hundred pounds.” Christa said, then giggled again.

The Captain shook his head and remarked, “As I said, I see no sign of intelligence.”

When Christa giggled again, he used the whip, and continued using it until her back was crisscrossed with bloody cuts. He only stopped because he feared that he would kill her. He knew that the Raiders wouldn't pay for a corpse. In reality, Christa was only play-acting, but the Captain believed every fake scream and groan, once she had gotten her giggling under control.

The_Clones_of_Mawcett

Chapter Fifteen

~ June 6th, 2270 ~

Lt. Commander Spence called Eliza's room as soon as he arrived at the BOQ. He was early for his date and informed the handmaiden who answered that he was in the lobby, then sat down to wait. Almost twenty minutes later the lift doors opened and four women emerged from the car. It was quite a spectacle. The two Terran women in front were wearing the tightest gowns that Spence had ever seen on a woman. The two women in back, Nordakian handmaidens who were well over six-foot tall naturally, were even taller now because of the high heels they wore.

Lt. Commander Spence jumped up from his chair. There was no doubt that the Terran women were Jenetta and Eliza, but it was impossible to tell which was which. Wearing beautiful gowns made of shimmering fabrics, both stood six-foot three-inches tall in their high-heeled shoes. The woman on Zane's left wore a red and gold satin gown while the other was similarly clad in a gown of blue and silver. Although restricted to taking such tiny steps that it seemed they would never reach the lobby, the women were obviously walking as quickly as possible. Zane didn't wait and walked forward to greet them.

“Wow! Jen?”

The two women looked at one another and smiled.

The one on the left said, “Which do you think…”

“…is Jen?” the other finished.

Zane's mouth opened a couple of times but nothing came out. Finally he said, “I can't tell. You're both Jen, after all. You're not going to do that to me again, are you?”

The one on the left, in red and gold, said, “I'm Jen, Zane. You can tell by my long hair. It extends to one-finger width above the floor. Eliza's hair is only as long as my natural length, so she has to wear the headdress.”

“I see,” Zane said smiling. “I'm glad I have a way to tell you apart. Now you won't be able to play that 'twins' game on me anymore.”

“Unless I cut my hair tomorrow,” Jenetta said mischievously. “I've only left my hair this length so that it would be appropriate for this party. I hope that you don't mind escorting the both of us tonight.”

“Mind? Escorting the two most beautiful and sexy women on the station? Never! Besides, it's more like you're escorting me,” Zane said grinning. “I'm only six-foot-one. All four of you are taller than I am.”

“We have to wear such high heels because the Nordakians appreciate height, but we won't mind being a little taller than you for a change. It's only an inch and a half, after all, since your shoes add more than a centimeter.”

Eliza possessed all of Jenetta's memories about her time on Nordakia, so there hadn't been any opposition to wearing the restrictive gowns, but both women had moaned as the corsets were tightened sufficiently for them to fit into the dresses. Jenetta would have had them altered, but the palace dressmakers hadn't left enough fabric to let them out. The handmaidens were well practiced, so the dressing process had moved along quickly, despite the tightness of the gowns.

Zane took his place between the two Terran women and extended his elbows for them to slip their arms through. “Ladies?”

The slow pace that the women were forced to walk gave the group lots of time to talk, but they had a dinner party to attend so they hailed a driverless cab to take them to the Nordakian embassy. The trip, only a few minutes by cab, could have taken an hour if they'd walked. As they rode, Zane enlightened Jenetta and Eliza with the facts of his investigation into the rights of clones.

“Human cloning was outlawed before any were successfully produced, so the subject of rights has never come up.”

“So that means they have no rights?” Jenetta asked. “Not even basic human rights?”

“By current legal definition, they're not people, so we're at the mercy of the Galactic Alliance Council to establish their status. I've been ordered to drop my investigation and let the Council decide their fate.”

“They'd better make the right decision,” Jenetta said grimly, her jaw set in determination.

The 'oh gee' cab glided silently up to the embassy entrance on a gentle cushion of opposed-gravity waves and dropped its landing struts as the doors of the open-topped, driverless vehicle slid down beneath the frame. Swinging her legs out of the cab and standing up, Jenetta's hair fell to within an inch of the deck, whereupon the doorman at the entrance gate immediately dropped to one knee and bowed his head, his closed hand pressed tightly to his chest. Jenetta asked him to rise and then offered her hand to Eliza as she struggled to get out of the cab. Zane was followed by the two handmaidens.

The embassy was more like the floor in an office building on Earth, than one of the separate high-security buildings typically found on planetary surfaces, but their floor space was nevertheless considered foreign soil. They had their own security staff, but weapons were not permitted outside their 'territory.' Since this was a Space Command base, the Space Marine Corps was responsible for security outside the walls of the embassy. Of the kilometers of common area, hardly a single square meter wasn't monitored constantly by cameras or on-duty Marine personnel, and patrols could be dispatched from any one of dozens of remote security offices, in seconds, if trouble was detected.

As Jenetta's party approached staff members inside the embassy, the males immediately dropped to one knee while the females bowed their heads until they had passed. “What are they doing?” Zane whispered to Jenetta.

“They're paying their respects to me as a member of the nobility,” she whispered back. “The custom on Nordakia is for males to drop to one knee while bowing their head and pressing their closed right hand against their chest when encountering a Royal. The length of my hair and tightness of my gown signify that I'm ranked just below the Royal Family.”

“I understood about your becoming a member of the nobility. How did you become a Lady of the Royal House?”

“Treat this as top secret. The honor was bestowed because one of King's sons was aboard a freighter delivering supplies to Obotymot. It was never publicly released for reasons of national security, and awarding the honor doesn't require that the specifics be released. The proclamation only states that it was awarded for personal service to the crown.”

 As the party reached the main reception area, the ambassador stepped forward and greeted Jenetta by pressing his hand to his chest and bowing his head briefly. He didn't drop to one knee but Jenetta certainly hadn't expected him to. As a representative of the King, on official business, he was only required to bow his head and offer the proper salutation. Also, he was the Queen's cousin and so a member of the extended Royal Family himself. “Welcome, Azula Carver. We are honored to have you here with us tonight.”

“Zrand chekkora u kareerdu,” Jenetta said in Dakis. Then switching to Amer for the benefit of Zane she repeated the same phrase “It's my honor to be welcomed here.”

“Your Dakis is flawless, My Lady, but I think we should stay with Amer for the benefit of most of our guests.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ambassador. Allow me to introduce my sister, Eliza, and Lt. Commander Zane Spence.”

The ambassador welcomed each and then Jenetta held out the small wrapped package that she had brought with her. “Mr. Ambassador, I have a gift for the King and Queen. It's extremely precious and somewhat fragile. I ask that it be sent to their Majesties on a military vessel at your earliest convenience.”

The ambassador handled the package delicately as he accepted it. “Might I inquire as to the nature of the gift? The captain of the ship will want to know if there's a danger.”

“There's absolutely no danger, other than that it be damaged or stolen. It's a priceless, ancient artifact that I discovered on Mawcett. I believe that it holds great significance for the Nordakian people. Its value is— inestimable. Space Command has officially approved of its presentation to the Royal Family. Their Majesties will understand.”

“On behalf of their Majesties, I thank you for this most precious gift.”

The ambassador left, and then returned after locking the gift in the embassy safe. They talked for awhile until the guests began arriving and then formed a receiving line. The Ambassador and his wife were first, followed by Jenetta, Zane, and Eliza.

“You look ravishing, Commander,” Admiral Holt said as Jenetta greeted him.

“Thank you, Admiral. You look very dashing in your dress uniform. You've won your bet, by the way.”

“My bet?”

“You told me last year that you bet I'd be the first of my graduating class to reach the rank of captain, officially.”

“Yes, that's true,” he said tentatively.

“You've won your bet. I was commissioned as a Captain in the Nordakian Space Force while on Nordakia.”

Admiral Holt laughed heartily before saying, “I don't think that qualifies in my wager, although you are technically a captain. My bet concerned your attaining the rank of captain by virtue of appointment from Space Command Supreme Headquarters. It's okay, I'm patient. I still believe that you'll be the first of your class to attain that rank in Space Command, if those shoes don't kill you first. I seem to remember you being a full head shorter.”

Jenetta smiled. “Only thirteen-centimeters are the shoes, but I'm still growing, thanks to the Raider DNA process. The doctors believe that I'll make five-foot-eleven without the assistance of shoemakers.”

The guest list for the party was like a who's who of the space port, and the queue behind the admiral continued to grow, so he and his wife moved along. In addition to both admirals and many of the captains from Space Command, dozens of Nordakians had come to the event. Most of the Space Command personnel were wide-eyed when first observing Jenetta and Eliza since they were unaware of the requirements for female attire on Nordakia. Unlike state dinners at the palace on Nordakia, few of the female guests were required to wear even moderately restrictive attire or maintain very long hair. Female Space Command officers wore their dress uniforms, while the non-military female guests wore normal ball gowns. Other than Jen and Eliza, only the wives of the Nordakian officials wore traditional restrictive garments. Even so, theirs were not nearly so tight, nor could their hair be worn as long. The hair of the ambassador's wife only extended to within twenty-five centimeters of the deck, and her gown allowed easy movement.

Mingling prior to dinner being served, Jenetta spoke in Amer, but slipped into Dakis when exclusively in the company of Nordakians. Doctor Dakshiku Vlashsku and Glawth Djetch were among the invited guests, but the guest list hadn't included their clones.

The ambassador had arranged for a photo session prior to the meal so Jenetta was called away for that. Dinner was announced upon their return, and everyone moved into the dining room. Jenetta was willing to bet this room had rarely seen such a large party as this.

Following dinner, the Ambassador rose and gave a long-winded speech about the contribution that Jenetta had made to the Nordakian people and the galaxy. His times in the spotlight were infrequent, and he made the most of this one. At the end of his speech, he proposed a toast to Jenetta, and then indicated that she should speak. Jenetta hadn't prepared anything, but she smiled and stood up as she desperately tried to think of what to say.

"Ambassador Tlekulva, Mrs. Tlekulva, honored guests, thank you for this great honor. It's been my privilege to be in a position to serve the Nordakian people and the citizens of the galaxy. I'm very grateful to the King and Queen of Nordakia, the Galactic Alliance, and Space Command for the honors they have bestowed upon me.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to speak to you about a topic dear to my heart. I was accompanied here tonight by my lovely sister, Eliza, whom you met earlier. Most of you already know that Eliza was born only a couple of months ago, the result of a process accidentally initiated during the discovery of ancient equipment on Mawcett. A civilization that we thought long dead has reached through the millennia to impact us significantly in our time. Although galactic law prohibits cloning of sentient life forms, we know now that the process existed some nineteen-thousand years ago. Seventy-nine new individuals were created before we could safely disengage the equipment, and the status of these new people is still in question. As a citizen of both Nordakia and Earth, I request that these new people be granted citizenship, and the full rights and privileges normally accorded to all of us.