The Clones of Mawcett (3 page)

“You can't have it both ways, Anthony,” Doctor Huften said, grinning slightly at Dr. Peterson's mischievous taunt.

“Okay, let's all go in— but leave a pry bar in the doorway so the door can't close completely.”

“From what we saw yesterday,” Doctor Peterson said, “I doubt that a simple pry bar could stop this door from closing, but we'll try that as an attempted safeguard to prevent becoming completely sealed inside. Is everyone ready?”

Doctor Peterson led the way in slowly and carefully, taking radiation measurements and checking the air quality as he went. The others crowded close to him and pointed their lights ahead, looking for any signs of life or danger.

After passing through the entrance doorway, the scientists found themselves at one end of a broad corridor. A high, arched ceiling capped a hallway with a floor comprised of large square tiles of polished metamorphic rock. Four more doorways, with doors of a size similar to that of the entrance, disrupted the smooth lines of the corridor walls. Only one, on the immediate left, was open. They nervously moved that way in a tight cluster.

The large open doorway was revealed to be an entrance to an impressive rotunda, at least fifteen meters in diameter. Standing just inside the entrance, the scientists shone their light torches around the room and played the beams across the high vaulted ceiling. Half the room had what appeared to be tall cabinet doors built into the walls, while much of the remaining wall space was dedicated to peculiar looking instrument panels. Roughly three-meters from the entrance sat a solitary table. The floor of the rotunda, like that of the corridor, was surfaced with highly-polished marble slabs with mottled green streaks in a slightly off-white background.

“We need more light,” Doctor Peterson pronounced. “Let's get some of the Chembrite Light panels in here.”

Without waiting for further instructions, the laborers retreated quickly through the doorway and returned promptly with some of the work lights from the tunnel. Once aimed at the highly-reflective domed ceiling, the entire room became brightly illuminated. Now able to see clearly, the scientists ventured further, moving to more closely examine the instrument panels mounted on the walls.

“I shouldn't need to remind anyone not to touch anything,” Doctor Peterson said. “The fact that the outside door opened, clearly indicates that there's at least a small amount of residual power in here.”

“Edward, look at those markings in the floor!” Doctor Ramilo said excitedly as he unnecessarily aimed his powerful light torch towards the polished stone floor in the center of the room. “They're like the symbols that the team at site three found!”

The scientists chattered enthusiastically as they moved to the center of the room to examine the strange gold symbols inscribed into the floor while the laborers continued to carry more portable lights into the room to provide even better illumination.

Mounted on tripod stands, the thin, flat, meter-square Chembrite panels were arranged primarily around the walls of the room, and aimed up at the ceiling, but one was placed on the solitary table and pointed down at the floor to brilliantly illuminate the etched symbols. Suddenly, the entire center of the room, where the archeologists were still congregated, was bathed in amber light, and each of the eleven scientists was paralyzed where he or she stood. A ten-centimeter-thick circular wall, made of a transparent polymer-like substance, rose soundlessly from the floor to enclose the immobilized group. The speed with which the encircling wall rose was phenomenal. One of the laborers, rushing to help the scientists, was carried aloft straddling the wall, a leg on either side. As the wall reached the ceiling, the enclosed area inside began to fill with a dense ocher gas that smelled of persimmons. In seconds it was impossible to see into the walled area.

The laborers who had witnessed the event with terror-filled eyes, ran screaming from the room.

The_Clones_of_Mawcett

Chapter Two

~ June 12th, 2269 ~

The two Space Marines posted at the entrance to the battleship, and the officer of the deck, Lieutenant Elton Chevers, snapped to attention and saluted Lt. Commander Jenetta Carver crisply as she boarded the Prometheus through the forward hold airlock. Chevers was newly posted to the ship, but he didn't have to ask who the tall blonde was or what business she had aboard the ship. Everyone in Space Command, and probably everyone on Earth, would recognize her on sight. There had been few weeks during the past year when her face hadn't appeared on newspapers, magazines, and the vid news. At times, her image appeared on all three media forms at the same time. For that handful of uninformed recluses that perhaps wouldn't immediately recognize her, the medal ribbons, campaign ribbons, and insignia that she wore on her uniform should certainly alert them to her identity. No other Lt. Commander in Space Command had the honor of wearing a gold pip on his or her collar. A gold pip announces that the wearer previously commanded a Space Command warship of destroyer or larger class. Carver wore two pips, having commanded both a Heavy Cruiser and a Battleship. She was also the only serving Space Command officer who wore a Medal of Honor ribbon. She had finally become accustomed to the stares, but she was looking forward to again being cloistered aboard ship for a few months. She took a minute to speak with the new officer before continuing through the airlock.

New crewmen had begun to join the enormous battleship soon after it entered the Mars Shipbuilding Yard for repairs. The yard had done wonders. Battered unbelievably at the Battle for Higgins, just a month after being severely pummeled at the Battle of Vauzlee, the appearance of the restored Prometheus rivaled that of any new ship coming out of the yard. Jenetta had asked the shuttle pilot bringing her from Earth to perform several slow passes before docking. The Lieutenant(jg) pilot couldn't refuse such a simple request from a Medal of Honor recipient. The docking piers on either side of the massive ship were presently unoccupied, so with approval from the station's docking controller, the pilot was able to continue a shallow helical orbit around the massive vessel from stern to bow and back again until she was satisfied.  The docking controller further cooperated by turning on all exterior lights in the dock. Jenetta found it impossible to tell that the ship had fought two life or death battles, which had left it near ruin.

As she walked to her quarters now, it felt almost like coming home. The dull, recycled, and odorless air of the forward cargo bay was like a tonic. But before heading to the bridge to report in, she wanted to take a little time to put her things away. As captain of the GSC Heavy Cruiser Song, her last ship, she'd had a steward to take care of such things, but as a mere second officer again, she would have to oversee her own care. She especially wanted to unpack the spacechest and cases that had been in storage since she ceded command of the Song to its new commanding officer, Captain Charles Yung.

After unpacking the two cases she'd brought from her parent's home, she carried the first of the other small cases to the bed, not realizing until then that the pile contained too many cases, by two. A visual check of the ID tags revealed that all contained her name. Opening the first case, she found only things that her steward had packed on the Song, so she placed it on the floor and picked up a second. That case also contained only things Woodrow had packed before she left the ship. Setting it on the floor next to the first, she opened a third. It contained women's civilian clothes, but they weren't hers. Looking closely at the ID tag again, she confirmed that it not only contained her name, but was apparently written in her handwriting. Leaving that case opened and on the bed, she lifted the final case to the bed and opened it. This one contained lingerie, gloves, shoes, and boots, but what really drew Jenetta's attention was the sexiness of the lingerie and the height of the heels on the shoes and boots. Returning to the previous case, she pulled out the dresses, skirts and blouses.

Suddenly, it was as if she was back in the detention cell of Raider-One. Each piece of clothing appeared to be a match for one left behind when she escaped. In a side compartment of the case, she discovered waist, wrist, and ankle restraints, plus a red electronic controller that would lock or unlock them. She examined the case itself closely, but couldn't find any markings other than the nametag, so she inspected the other case. Like the first, and like her own cases, it was Space Command standard issue. There was nothing to indicate where the cases had come from, but as she was refolding the clothes, she spotted a piece of paper protruding slightly from one of the black corsets. It turned out to be a note. Her eyes widened and she sucked in her breath sharply as she read:

Hi Angel,

Congratulations, you're five and 0 now. You saved the Vordoth, saved the Nordakians, escaped from our detention center, saved the convoy of artifacts, and even destroyed our largest battleship, saving Higgins in the process. I can't tell you how much I look forward to our next encounter. The return of escaped slaves is a top priority and we've reserved your place at the resort.

M.A.

P.S. - I've taken the liberty of sending along a few things to replace the ones that you probably didn't have a chance to pack when you left Raider-One. They've been tailored to accommodate your new body measurements. Enjoy.

“Mikel Arneu”, she hissed, as she expelled the breath that she had been holding since opening the note. “So you didn't perish when Raider-One blew up. You must have been away. That's why no one had seen you for days.”

Picking up the black corset that been folded around the note, Jenetta stared at it. Her expression grew angry as she thought about the weeks of pain and starvation that she'd endured in the detention center, and she drew her arm back to throw the garment against the wall. But something inside her made her stop. Just holding the corset made her feel warm and tingly, and her rate of respiration increased. She wanted to toss everything down the nearest waste disposal chute, but instead found herself carefully repacking the items back into the two cases. She placed them in the bottom of her closet, before properly unpacking her large spacechest and the two smaller cases that had genuinely followed her from the Song.

After spending fifteen seconds in the InstaPress cabinet, her unpacked uniforms were again crisp and wrinkle free. Jenetta straightened her tunic and prepared to leave for the bridge to report in officially, but she stopped at the door, lingering for a few seconds as she glanced at the closet that contained the Raider clothing. Every luggage case was progressively smaller then the spacechest so that they would fit one inside the other when emptied, leaving only the spacechest visible. The two full cases would be immediately apparent to anyone who looked in her closet. At least she didn't have to worry about a steward finding the exotic clothing in the cases.

Jenetta knew that she would have to report having received the clothing. Gifts of any nature have to be reported anyway, but when received from an enemy representative, it made it doubly important that she report it to Space Command Intelligence ASAP. She hated to reopen an issue that she wished could remain closed. An enigmatic expression came over her face, remained for a few moments, then was gone just as quickly as she turned to head for the bridge.

* * *

Seven and a half months had passed since the small, thoroughly battered protection force from Higgins SCB had silently glided up to their assigned docking piers at Earth Station Two. The crippling wounds were obvious to anyone who had access to a surveillance monitor or a viewing port along the docking ring. Jenetta, placed in command of the heavy cruiser Song following the demise of the ship's entire senior staff during the Battle of Vauzlee, had expected to immediately turn her ship over to the newly appointed commanding officer and return to her permanent post as second officer aboard the battleship Prometheus. But Captain Yung's frigate, The Roosevelt, had been on patrol out in Section 8667-1844, and the destroyer Tokyo, bringing him back to Earth, where he would accept his new command, wouldn't arrive for another seven or more months. Jenetta was required to remain on as captain of the Song, and oversee repairs to the ship while she waited. Being captain of a heavy cruiser was a prestigious and highly enviable posting for a young Lt. Commander, but Jenetta anxiously looked forward to returning to the battleship Prometheus.

When the Song's repairs were completed after four months in a space dock, the ship was temporarily detailed to Earth Defense forces. Jenetta spent her days patrolling outside the solar system. Every approaching ship had to be met and scanned before it was permitted to enter the system. She was elated when Captain Yung finally arrived to relive her. She spent a couple of days working with him to bring him up to speed, and then cheerfully relinquished command.

In the seven and a half months since arriving at Earth, Jenetta had been able to arrange little free time dirt-side. Most of her trips to the surface had been to attend functions promoted by overeager military PR and recruitment people anxious to trade on her current fame. Her brothers had all rejoined their ships long ago, but just before reporting back aboard the Prometheus, she delighted in spending two uninterrupted weeks of shore leave at home with her parents. Her father, a retired frigate captain, dragged her over to the base a couple of times, to show off his famous daughter, and she was glad to go, but she especially enjoyed the time she had with her mother.

As her father fell back into his normal routine of playing golf each day, Jenetta had a chance to be alone with her mom. She began to talk about the things that she'd been through and finally showed her mother the 'slave' imprint that she still bore. She'd kept it hidden until then, even though it was a matter of court record and been openly discussed during her court-martial. She'd been cleared of all charges in connection with the deaths of over 18,000 Raiders when she destroyed their base. She also talked of the two men that she'd killed in unarmed combat. Jenetta knew that both deaths had been necessary, and didn't regret her actions, but unburdening herself that way was a catharsis. Her mother wasn't unused to such confessions. She'd heard them from her father, brothers, husband, and sons, but hearing one from her daughter touched her soul as none had before. It had been twelve years since they'd shared one another's company, and each cherished every minute of their time together.

* * *

As she entered the enormous bridge of the Prometheus, Jenetta paused for only a fraction of a second to look around. The helm and navigator consoles were presently unattended, but the other stations were manned, and several junior officers were having a discussion at the tactical station. The captain was standing near his command chair, engaged in conversation with a tall female officer whom Jenetta judged to be forty plus years of age. After moving to a point just a meter away, Jenetta waited patiently until her presence was formally acknowledged.

“Reporting back for duty, Captain,” she said when he turned towards her.

Captain Gavin's strong face broke into a wide friendly smile. “Welcome back, Jen. I hope you had an enjoyable shore leave, what little you were able to arrange.”

Although astonished to hear the captain use her given name, since he'd only addressed her by title and surname previously, she didn't allow surprise at this new familiarity to show on her face as she returned the genuine smile. His knowledge of her activity while she'd been on detached duty, indicated that he'd been inquiring after her.

“Yes sir,” she said. “Thank you. It was wonderful to see my family again.”

“I'm sure it was for them as well, especially after such an extended absence.” Gesturing slightly to the female officer next to him, Gavin said, “This is Commander Genevieve LaSalle. She's assumed her post as first officer so you'll have an easier duty schedule on this trip. Commander, this is Lt. Commander Jenetta Carver, our second officer.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Commander,” Jenetta said to the new first officer.

Commander LaSalle, at five-foot ten-inches, was just millimeters taller than Jenetta. She tore her jade-green eyes away from the medal and campaign ribbons on the younger officer's chest and stared into Jenetta's smiling eyes. “Likewise, Commander. I've seen your face in the news so often that I feel like I know you already. Congratulations on receiving the Medal of Honor; and the other medal honors.”

“Thank you, ma'am. I'm happy that all the attention will be dying down now.”

“Not for awhile yet. This trip to Nordakia is so you can be honored at another medal ceremony, after all.”

“Yes, but it's not a Space Command medal award, so I've been hoping that it won't draw as much attention.”