"Quite right, Barbara," Doctor Peterson said. "Quite right. Now if everyone is ready, let's enter."
Despite his warning about congregating, the others stayed close to Doctor Peterson at first, as if they feared to stray very far from his dominant personality. But upon entering the chamber, they were immediately drawn to the wall of gauges, and spread out to stare at the banks of flickering lights and fluctuating symbols.
"What's happened here?" Doctor Vlashsku said, his skin color slowly alternating between dull red and orange. Another Nordakian would know that the display meant he was experiencing fear.
"Something quite significant, apparently," Doctor Huften replied.
"Could this be related to what happened to us?" Doctor Ramilo asked nobody in particular.
"It must be," Doctor Peterson said. "Nothing was registering on these instruments yesterday."
"Whatever can it mean?" Doctor Vlashsku asked, his skin color flashing ever faster.
"I have no idea, Dakshiku," Doctor Peterson said. "Just remain calm. Everybody remain calm. We'll monitor this wall around the clock and try to determine what's being measured by noting any changes."
"Around the clock?" Doctor Huften questioned in surprise.
"Yes. I feel sure that this is important. We'll all take turns, throughout the day, monitoring the gauges. Keewatin, and one of his more reliable dig supervisors, will be responsible for the nighttime monitoring."
"There is something dangerously wrong here, Edward," Doctor Vlashsku said. "We must call in the authorities."
"No," Doctor Peterson said quickly, "No authorities. I called in the authorities twenty-five years ago at a dig in eastern Syria near the Iraq border when we started receiving unusual radiation readings. They weren't high enough to be dangerous, but I did as required by our permits and reported the readings. Within two days our excavation permits were rescinded and we were physically removed from the area. When we were allowed back in, we found the site had been practically demolished. They had moved in with bulldozers and heavy earth moving equipment, totally destroying the ancient burial ground that we were attempting to uncover."
"Why? What had you found?" Doctor Huften asked.
"They told us that we had found the remnants of a small, radioactive meteor. They said that it was removed for our own safety."
"A meteor?"
"That's what they said, Barbara, but I believe it was something else because they'd never let me or any member of my team see it. Anyway, since then I don't call the authorities unless I know for a fact that there's serious danger."
"And you don't believe that there's serious danger now?" Doctor Vlashsku asked. "Look what this facility did to us."
"What did it do, Dakshiku? Other than a terribly tragic accident that led to the death of one of our laborers, we were rendered harmlessly unconscious for a few hours by a fragrant gas. It might have even been our fault. We might have activated some medical process. Perhaps this was an operating room, and we experienced their form of patient anesthesia. It wasn't painful, and we suffered no ill effects."
"We can't know that yet!" Doctor Huften said. "And what about these instruments?! What are they measuring?"
"That's what we need to determine, Barbara," Doctor Ramilo said. "And like Edward said, the only way to do that is to monitor them and record all variations." Although he was twenty years junior to Doctor Peterson, he usually sided with the older man on most issues.
"And what about that?" Doctor Huften asked, gesturing towards the other side of the room.
All eyes turned in the direction she was pointing. The others immediately saw what only Doctor Huften had noticed until then. A miniature green lamp over each of eleven tall cabinet doors built into the wall was shining brightly.
"What does that do to your theory that nothing is amiss, Edward?" Doctor Huften asked.
"It doesn't change a thing, Barbara," he said, without apparent concern, "except that we have something additional to monitor."
"Edward, I find your position unsupportable," Doctor Huften said. "My sixth sense tells me that we have triggered something here that will have serious repercussions for all of us. I pray that you are right, but feel in my heart that you are wrong. And by the time we know for sure, it might be too late to save any of us."
* * *
In the days following their departure from Earth, most of the Prometheus' crew drifted into normal shipboard routines. Jenetta worked out in the gym after her duty shift ended each morning, usually running or practicing her kickboxing before retiring to her quarters to sleep. Rising in time to eat dinner with the delegation most evenings, she would excuse herself as soon as possible after the meal to work in her quarters until it was time to report to the bridge for her watch. She had begun to spend what little free time she had studying the history of Nordakia and teaching herself Dakis, the only language used on the planet.
At the beginning of the fifth week out from Earth, Jenetta's month long intensive study of conversational Dakis had progressed to the point where she could carry on a limited, albeit stilted, conversation. She instructed the computer interface in her quarters to only converse with her in Dakis, to correct her grammar and pronunciations, and offer suggestions when words didn't immediately come to her. Complete immersion in a culture is the quickest way to learn a language, so a holographic projector system, borrowed from the ship's educational center and linked to the computer, provided an image of a Nordakian female. Thereafter she would spend much of her free time in her quarters, conversing with the computer, via the hologram, in an effort to master the basic skills necessary for normal conversation.
As in the past when they were both aboard the same ship, Jenetta kept running into Captain Kanes during her waking hours. He would be in the gym during her two-hour workout each morning and usually fell in beside her as she ran around the track. Conversation was naturally limited during the brisk run. He also tried to keep up with her during her kickboxing practice, but while he had greater upper-body strength, her skill level was clearly higher than his own, so she usually practiced with other work-out opponents. Her position as second officer provided greater opportunities to become friendly with most of the officers on the ship, especially the senior officers and bridge personnel on all shifts, than she'd had as acting XO.
By the time the Prometheus reached Nordakia, Jenetta's months of daily work with the hologram in her quarters had given her a solid conversational fluency in Dakis, and she felt that she had acquired an acceptable knowledge of their history and culture, at least to the extent of the information contained in the ship's computer. As the ship entered orbit around the planet on October 10th, LaSalle made a ship-wide announcement that a delegation representing the royal family would be coming aboard the following day. When Jenetta arrived for her duty shift, LaSalle motioned to her to take the seat next to her. An image of the bright blue, green, and tan planet below them filled the enormous monitor at the front of the Bridge. Very Earth-like in appearance, the planet even circled a G2 Yellow dwarf like Earth's Sun. Two notable differences were that Nordakia was the closest planet to its star and had three small moons.
After briefing Jenetta on the status of the ship, LaSalle said. "Lt. Commander, this will be your last duty watch until after the medal ceremony. You're relieved of all shipboard duties for the duration."
"But Commander, the medal ceremony isn't scheduled for more than thirty days from now. What am I supposed to do between now and then?"
"I'm sure there are plans for your time; probably tours, state dinners and such. You'll find out soon enough. I'm just passing on the orders that I've received from the Captain."
"Yes ma'am. Who will be taking over my duties here?"
"That's really none of your concern, is it? Carry on, Commander. The bridge is yours."
"Aye, Commander," Jenetta said to LaSalle's back. She had a childish urge to stick her tongue out but restrained herself.
Jenetta was only able to get a couple of hours s
leep before the delegation from Nordakia was due to arrive. She had the option of wearing either trousers or skirt as part of her dress uniform, and during the past year she had usually worn a skirt for such formal occasions, but today she opted for trousers. As this was considered an 'official state visit', she was required to wear her medals. She grimaced as she affixed the ostentatious and weighty decorations that stretched the fabric of her tunic.
So as not to risk being absent when the delegation from Nordakia arrived, Jenetta reported extra early to the flight bay airlock entrance. She was soon joined by the Galactic Alliance delegation, the Captain, and all command officers not on duty.
At the scheduled time, three large shuttles arrived and entered the ship. Once the ship's outer doors were closed, the space around the shuttles was pressurized and the transparent walls that formed adjustable airlocks around each of the small ships folded back up to the overhead. The shuttles then moved to their assigned parking locations, engaged their magnetic skids, and cut their power.
The welcoming party entered the bay just in time to see the Nordakians disembark from their ships. Everyone knew that Nordakians were humanlike, but those who had never seen one in person were amazed at their height.
Like the males, female Nordakians don't have external ear parts, but unlike the glabrous pates of the males, females have hirsute scalps. Black, indigo, magenta, or red hair covers their head just as densely as on their Terran counterparts. While Nordakian females can alter their skin color just as rapidly as the males, their natural hair color can only be altered by standard dying or bleaching techniques. Narrow, delicate noses are the rule for females, as opposed to the wide flat proboscises of the males.
As the Nordakian delegation assembled in the flight bay, Jenetta noticed that the only three women present walked in single file, a discrete distance behind the last of the men. Each was carrying a suitcase and garment bag. Jenetta knew that the Nordakian culture was strongly male dominated, but she wasn't quite prepared for such a formal separation of the sexes. Then again, maybe she was reading too much into this initial contact. Perhaps simple rank and tenure accounted for the grouping and the burden carrying roles.
Each of the women was fairly young, and stunningly beautiful by Terran standards. They seemed to be in their early twenties, separated by no more than a year or two, and could be sisters if their like features were any indication. Most noticeable among their similarities was that each wore her magenta hair quite long, extending precisely to the back of her knees. Jenetta's own blond hair barely reached her shoulders when she let it down.
As the ship's commanding officer, it was Gavin's province to step forward and welcome the delegates aboard the Prometheus. He then introduced Jenetta and watched as the Nordakian delegates immediately turned to her as a group and put their closed hand against their chests. As they bowed their heads once, very slowly, their skin color changed rapidly from Nordakian Aqua to the light color of Jenetta's flesh. It was a tough act to follow and Jenetta was unsure of how to respond. She hadn't found any references to Nordakian protocol in the computer files, so she simulated the actions of the delegation, minus the color change naturally. From the wide-eyed looks that she received from some members, she immediately knew that she had done something wrong. She was greatly relieved when Gavin stepped in to complete the introductions of the Alliance Senators and the rest of the ship's officers. The Nordakian delegation shook hands in a standard Terran greeting with the rest of the assemblage. Gavin then moved to lead the way to the conference room where the dinner party was to be held, but the Nordakian delegation refused to follow until Jenetta preceded them.
Once in the conference room, things became a little more relaxed. The leader of the Nordakian delegation approached Jenetta and introduced himself once again.
"I am Minister Dtaple Gkibuke, the delegation leader and chief of protocol for their Royal Majesties King Tpalsh and Queen Ckuhah."
"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Minister."
"And I yours, My Lady." The minister again put his closed hand against his chest and bowed his head slowly.
"I'm unsure how to respond to your greeting. I felt that I did something wrong in the flight bay. Our ship's computer is sadly lacking in instructional information on Nordakian protocol."
"I understand completely, My Lady, and you must not be dismayed. Some members of our delegation may have shown surprise, but I assure you we felt no insult. I have often been at a loss when meeting Terrans and other species, and have made my share of mistakes. It will take time for our cultures to learn each other's customs and protocols. On Nordakia, military personnel greet formally or salute by touching their right hand to their chest. The hand should be open flat, with fingers together, palm facing downward, and touched to the chest with only the thumb. That is the form that all of our military people use, even when out of uniform, unless they are engaged in undercover operations. In such situations, their response would be appropriate for whatever cover they're maintaining. Your other solecism was to bow your head to us. A Lady of the Royal House bows her head to none but the immediate members of the ruling Royal Family. We must bow to your venerated status and rank, but you should not return the gesture."
"But I'm not a Lady of the Royal House."
"But you are, My Lady! The King has bestowed your status by royal proclamation, although confirmation by your presence at a special ceremony is still required to make it permanent. Following this dinner party, you will accompany us back to the palace, where over the next few weeks you will be instructed in protocol, language, religion, and the history of our planet by the finest tutors on Nordakia. It is all arranged."
Jenetta took a breath and said, "Ute ptuil stnibtes ki Dakis." (I've been studying Dakis.)
"Whutuks e kithwras hasque?" (You speak our language?)
"Iho. Ystaklis ah wriblats quespti geptfuma qee." (Yes. Enough to get by I believe.)
"This is marvelous, My Lady! Your Dakis is excellent. You even have the slight accent noticeable in the speech of our nobles and scholars."
"I've been studying conversational Dakis for the past four months. I imagine the translation materials were prepared by scholars in both languages so I must have adopted their pronunciations."
"This is going to make things so much easier. I should have anticipated your preparedness, My Lady. I admit that I feared that we would not be able to teach you enough of our language in time for all the ceremonies. They are highly ritualized and will require much verbal participation on your part."
"So there's no need for me to stay at the palace," Jenetta said tentatively. "If you'll just give me what books you have, I can prepare for the ceremony from here."
"My Lady, there is much too much to pick up on your own in so short a time. That's why Space Command Headquarters approved our request that you live in the palace. Your hand maidens will help you prepare for the trip."
"Uh— hand maidens?" Jenetta asked, uncertain if she heard correctly.
"Yes, the three young women who accompanied the delegation. They're standing just over there," he said, pointing.
Still holding the suitcases and garment bags, the girls that Jenetta had observed earlier were now standing unobtrusively against the wall inside the entrance to the conference room,. Intently watching Jenetta for any sign that she required them to attend her, they lowered their heads briefly as she turned in their direction.
"They are awaiting your pleasure, My Lady. They have brought suitable attire for you and will help you change prior to our trip."
"Suitable attire? What's wrong with my uniform?"
"My Lady, females are not permitted to wear trousers on Nordakia. Your handmaidens have brought several gowns from which you can choose. Would it perhaps be possible for them to wait for you somewhere else? I'm sure that they are most uncomfortable standing here."
'They aren't the only ones that are uncomfortable,' Jenetta thought to herself as she touched her left forefinger to the face of the
Space Command ring on her right hand and said, "Security, this is Commander Carver, please send someone to 12-136-4-Quebec to escort several guests to my quarters. Carver out." In her left ear she heard a soft chime and then a message that a security person was being dispatched to her location.
Normally referred to as a CT, a miniscule cranial transducer is subcutaneously implanted against the skull just behind the left ear of every cadet when they enter the Academy. Powered by a minute electrical charge produced by the host body, the CT lacks sufficient power to transmit, so messages can only be conveyed or received while aboard ship or on a base properly equipped to handle the communications. When the face of the officer's Space Command ring is depressed by a thumb or forefinger of the owner, the central computer generates a carrier wave to pick up whatever vibrations the vocal cords generate in the skull. Since every officer is assigned a unique frequency, no one else in the room can hear a received message, but it sounds to the officer as if someone is whispering directly into their ear. To insure that the person receiving the message knows that it's not a vocalization by someone standing behind them, a brief electronic tone precedes the message. The carrier is discontinued when the officer speaks their last name and immediately follows it with the word 'out.'
The CT also functions as a transponder, and the security office can immediately locate an officer if he or she is within range by sending a special signal and using ship sensors to listen for echoes on the right frequency. Since the frequency used for that purpose is well above the range of human hearing, the officer is never aware of the special locator signal.
On Space Command vessels, Space Marines provide all security duties. When the requested Marine arrived, Jenetta instructed him to escort the three women to her quarters and allow them entry. He would then station himself outside her door, a standard practice when non-military visitors were in secure areas of the ship. In this case the Marine would be within sight of the sentry at the Captain's door and the sentry posted at the entrance to the bridge corridor where the quarters of the senior officers are located. The three Nordakian women put their hand to their chest and bowed their heads to Jenetta before following the security man out into the corridor.
The Clones of Mawcett Page 5