by MJ Blehart
The message this sent was clear. No clones on Earth. No argument.
Hence, Jace remained aboard the Aquila. He wasn’t alone: as it turned out, more than half of the crew and CBI agents had also remained on the ship.
This included Feroz and Dr. Patel. They were sitting with Jace in the lounge, observing the planet through the scaffolding of the space dock.
Feroz and Dr. Patel were eating a meal, and Jace was nibbling on a simple meal bar and a drink.
Clone metabolism was not like normal human metabolism. One meal a day was enough sustenance, as was a third of the water normal humans required. Additionally, clones needed only four hours of sleep for a full recharge and recuperation.
Jace had known clones who, after the war, had developed a taste for food and drink. It was not necessary, but they found enjoyment in it. For the most part, Jace never had.
However, during his time aboard the Aquila, Jace had developed a fondness for coffee. He had no need of its stimulant effect, but between the warmth and rich bitterness, it appealed to him.
Jace still found it amazing that he had people he could consider friends that were not clones. Even among clones, the closest thing he’d ever had to friends were his squads during the war and his roommates in Copy Slum on Raven. This was something new.
In fact, nobody on the Aquila treated Jace like he was an inferior clone. In the beginning they had. But between the time that had passed while he’d remained aboard, how Onima had been nothing but respectful to him, and the things he had done during the investigation, Jace now seemed to fit in.
So Jace sat peacefully with Feroz and Dr. Patel, looking out at a world he would never visit.
“Hard to believe this is where the human race originated,” Feroz remarked.
“Why do you say that?” asked Dr. Patel.
“I mean, it’s been over five hundred years since humankind started to colonize worlds apart from Earth,” Feroz said. “There are now three or four whole generations that have never even seen Earth and have no connection to it at all.”
“Some people never leave the planet they’re born on,” Dr. Patel remarked.
“Of course,” Feroz replied. “And before colonization, how many generations lived on just the one planet? Some never even imagined other worlds humankind might call home.”
“Have you always been a philosopher?” Dr. Patel smirked.
“Sure,” Feroz replied. “Hacking data streams and data drives is like a quest for greater understanding.”
Jace chuckled at that. “So, you have never been to Earth before?”
“Nope,” Feroz replied.
“Dr. Patel?” Jace asked.
“No,” Dr. Patel said, somewhat wistfully. “I was born on Wuruhi in the Wolf 1061 solar system. Earth was more than fourteen light-years away, and that’s not a cheap flight. But Earth is a lot smaller than Wuruhi.”
“It’s very clean,” Feroz commented.
“Wasn’t always that way,” Dr. Patel said. “There was a time when manmade pollution got really out of hand. I think in the early twenty-first century, human-accelerated climate change almost tore the planet apart. But as colonization in the solar system began to pick up and the Alcubierre-Natario Warp Drive was perfected, Earth’s population stopped growing at an unsustainable rate. A lot of work went into cleaning the planet up.”
“Interesting,” Jace commented. He knew very little about humanity pre-colonization. The man named Rojas, whom he’d been cloned from, might have learned such things in his school days, but much of that had been excluded or scrubbed from the brain scan information Rojas’s clones received.
“Many believe,” Dr. Patel continued, “that one of the reasons Earth never signed onto any of the governments was to maintain a certain purity. I think preserving the ‘Cradle of Humankind’ became important.”
“Might have also had to do with discovering the aliens outside of the IHCF,” Feroz said.
“Perhaps,” Dr. Patel conceded. “Except, of course, first contact came sometime after the three governments were founded.”
Jace had been given the basics of the association between humans and the sole extraterrestrial species they’d ever had a relationship with.
The non-human race had had an outpost on the world called LHS 1140b. When an exploratory starship from the IHCF had encountered them, they’d established a relationship.
The aliens were humanoid, with bulbous heads and massive eyes that appeared to be filled with stars. Their skin changed color depending on the light it reflected, though in dim light it appeared to be gray. Their arms hung down to their knees, and their bodies were quite thin. They had no noses, but two slits opening to a nasal cavity and a mouth below it.
The IHCF called the aliens “the canutus.” What they referred to themselves as was not common knowledge. What was more, the canutus had no contact with humans apart from the government of the IHCF—and, at the beginning of its creation, the AECC.
It was only with the canutus’ assistance that the IHCF had been able to overthrow the leadership of both the NEEA and NECC to end the war.
Yet not long after the war had ended—though nobody was sure precisely when—the canutus had departed. They had not been seen since. If anybody in the AECC leadership knew why, they had never spoken of it.
It was known other races were out there. But no contact had ever been made, except with the canutus.
Before anyone could say more, all three of their comms pinged.
“Marshal Gwok is docking,” Dr. Patel said. “She wants us to meet her in her office suite.”
“I wonder where we’re going next,” Feroz mused.
The three of them stood and began to make their way to the mobile bureau command center (MBCC).
Feroz went to his workstation as Jace and Dr. Patel awaited Onima and Yael outside of her office.
“May I ask you a personal question, Jace?” Dr. Patel said.
“Sure.”
“Do you worry about the virus?”
Jace considered his answer. “It was this strange, abstract notion for a time. But then Zee Alpha Three got sick with it, and I watched him die. It occurred to me that John and I may have been exposed too. But we had also heard that, generally, it just hit you and killed you. Zee, however, lingered a while.”
He pondered a moment more, then added, “Yes, I worry because I don’t like that someone intends to use my kind in such a way. It’s bad enough that so many consider us subhuman. To be subjugated by a virus for someone else’s purposes and against our wills is disturbing.”
Dr. Patel nodded. “When Dr. Sager and the rest of the Clones Remembered scientists told us about the idea of restricting clone individuality even more than was already done, it distressed me. You are the first clone I have ever gotten to examine, let alone gotten to know as a person.”
Before Jace could respond, Onima and Yael arrived.
“Welcome back, Marshal,” Dr. Patel greeted her.
“Thank you,” Onima replied, opening her office and gesturing for them to follow her in. “Please.”
They all entered Onima’s office.
As Onima went behind her desk, Feroz joined them. “How was Earth?” he asked.
“You mean there was a whole planet outside of CBI headquarters?” Yael asked, then laughed. “I got to catch up with an old friend I used to fly with, before we both joined the CBI. We hadn’t met up since sometime shortly after the war ended.”
Onima took her seat, and Jace and the others followed suit.
“Thank you for joining me,” Onima said. “First, please know I want what we discuss here kept between us. While I have no doubt other agents will be needed going forward, at this stage I want to limit the scope to this group. With the exception of Jace, we have all worked together a long time now.
“Regarding you, Jace—while Deputy Director Samarin would not allow me to add you to my team in an official capacity, he did agree to allow you to stay on in a consultant role.�
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Jace nodded. “I appreciate that.”
“It will lack some of the usual benefits of a consulting role,” Onima said, “but it allows us to keep you involved. As we dig deeper into what we’ve got thus far, I have a feeling we still will need your insight.”
“Thanks,” Jace replied. Not since he had served in the infantry during the war had he received any praise, let alone this kind of respect.
“That being said,” Onima continued, “let’s get down to business. We have a lot of disparate information between what we already found and what Ms. Varma and the late Mr. Cadoret provided us with.
“We have to be cautious about making any move Gray and Chuang may catch wind of. Apparently, I’ve already rattled them considerably. But the company is, in my opinion, a party of interest we can’t ignore.”
“One question I would like to understand,” Dr. Patel interjected, “is just what the virus might be able to do. All Dr. Sager and the rest of her team have is speculation. I think we need to better understand how the virus could work.”
While Jace agreed with Dr. Patel, he wanted to add his thoughts. “Palmer Cadoret was gathering information and evidence. Given that the Siddique and Lavi murdered with him were infected with the virus, he clearly knew more than we’ve gotten thus far. I think we need to look into who he was, and maybe see if that gives us any insights.”
“Feroz,” Onima started, “was there anything in the data we got from Ms. Varma about any connections to living clone scientists in hiding?”
Feroz swiped at the air over his forearm, and a 3D screen appeared above it. Jace had not noticed before that Feroz had implants.
Feroz scrolled through data. He had been looking it over—as had the rest of the team—ever since they’d acquired it. He paused: something he’d found had demanded his attention.
“Alright, there might be something here,” he remarked slowly, still reading. “A note about DNA and brain scan tech research...and the name ‘Raima.’ No last name. But a planet is mentioned that Cadoret visited a couple months before his death—Vuk.”
Onima called up data on her terminal. “Got it. Planet Vuk. The Wolf 359 system. Anyone else think this is our next destination?”
“Sure looks that way,” Yael said.
Onima tapped at her comm to start a call. “Captain Barr?”
“I was just about to comm you, Marshal Gwok,” the Aquila’s captain answered.
“Is the crew all returned and ready to travel?”
“Aye.”
“Excellent. Please set a course to warp to Wolf 359 and planet Vuk.”
“Very good, Marshal Gwok,” Captain Barr replied. “However, we have a CBI shuttle inbound we need to await.”
Onima began to tap at her terminal. “I wasn’t aware of anyone paying us a visit.”
“That’s what I was going to comm you about,” Barr said. “They will be landing, discharging someone, and heading right back out again.”
“How long?” Onima asked.
Barr was quiet a moment. Then, “Nine minutes.”
“Thank you. Gwok out.”
Onima looked to her team. “As Marshal, I need to see what this is about. We will discuss this further, later. Jace, why don’t you join me?”
Everyone stood and left the office. Jace fell into step beside Onima as they made their way toward the shuttle bay.
As they walked, Onima said, “I tried to get you on my team, Jace. I had hoped to at least get you a full consultant gig.”
Jace chuckled. “A clone, consultant to the CBI? You realize that most people would find that notion laughable.”
Onima sighed. “The worst part is, before getting to know you, I would have agreed. But now....”
Jace shrugged. “My kind are unwanted and, when possible, forgotten. Let me guess—your boss determined that food and shelter would be pay enough?”
“Yes,” Onima said. “Two good things have come out of this, however.”
“What’s that?” Jace asked as they reached the hatch to the shuttle bay.
“I get to keep you on my team,” Onima said, “and I see no harm in allowing you to be armed when we are in the field.”
Jace raised an eyebrow. Before the war, possessing a firearm of any sort had been simply a matter of getting a permit for it. After the war, however, a great many worlds restricted gun possession to only the military and sportspersons’ clubs.
Gun usage and safety was a standard part of education. It harkened back to the start of colonization and space exploration, when many had feared a first-contact encounter might go bad. Gun use and safety knowledge was psychologically proven to reduce the power dynamic a firearm might represent.
Every single clone was a skilled shooter. From medics to mechanics to infantry, all the template people had been able shooters. This was part of the age-old philosophy that everyone, in a worst-case scenario, could join infantry ranks.
Despite programming that inhibited any rebellious ambition in clones, arming clones was generally unacceptable. When Onima had armed Jace during their investigation, she’d done so aware that she was not only violating aspects of her warrant, but committing the crime of arming a clone.
Before Jace could respond to Onima’s statement about allowing him to remain armed in the field, the hatch opened. A woman, dressed much like Onima, in a formal business suit, stepped through. She carried a duffle over her shoulder and a sheet of OLED paper in her hand.
Jace glanced towards Onima. He noted from her posture that something about this new arrival distressed her.
3
Onima had not known what to expect. She had not made any requests for new team members, and Deputy Director Samarin would have told her if he were assigning someone to her team.
“Are you Marshal Gwok?” the woman asked, approaching Onima and Jace.
“I am.”
“Excellent. I am Deputy Marshal Kara Martinez.” She proffered the OLED paper. “My credentials.”
Onima took them from her, then shook her hand. She gestured. “This is Jace Rojas, special consultant.”
Martinez paused, looking uncertain, but then offered Jace her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
“And you,” Jace said.
Onima glanced briefly over Martinez’s credentials. “You have been assigned here to work under me, I gather. However, I have not had a deputy marshal on my team for a while now and have not requested one—no offense.”
“None taken,” Deputy Martinez said pleasantly. “But I have been assigned to the Aquila as a member of your team.”
“I see,” Onima replied. “Who, may I ask, is your governor, and who assigned you?”
“Same person,” Martinez replied. “Director Rand.”
Onima looked at Jace. Surprise had registered on his face as well.
“I hope you will not be offended, Deputy Marshal,” Onima said, “but I need to run this by my own governor.”
Martinez pointed to the OLED sheet. “Everything is there and in order, I assure you, Marshal Gwok.”
Looking once again at the OLED paper, Onima noticed there was another screen. She called up the new screen and read the message:
From: Director Jiro Rand
To: Marshal Onima Gwok
Re: Assignment of a Deputy Marshal
Marshal Gwok,
Deputy Marshal Kara Martinez is hereby assigned to the CBI Aquila and as a direct subordinate to you. She is to be made a part of your team, to have full access to all investigations.
After that, it listed formal information, including a fairly impressive set of credentials for Martinez.
Onima did not like unexpected surprises. “Everything here is in order. Please understand, Deputy Marshal, but I was not previously made aware you were being assigned here. Though everything here checks out, I would still like to consult my governor.”
“Of course,” Martinez replied. “I suspect, in your shoes, I’d do the same thing.”
“Jace,” Onima
said, “please show Martinez to the MBCC. I’ll be with you after I’ve spoken to my governor.”
“Sure,” Jace agreed, gesturing for her to follow him, and Onima was pleased to see that Martinez didn’t seem fazed by the clone leading her.
Onima tapped at her comm.