The Clones of Mawcett

by DePrima, Thomas

  "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.

  * * *

  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  "Historical reference library covering years 5,372 through 18,014, and news broadcasts covering years 18,012 through 18,014."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 offic
ers 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."

  "For now we'll work together to disassemble the lab," Jenetta said. "Once the Prometheus returns, we'll turn the matter over to Space Command for resolution."

  Using construction plans they were able to download from the facility's computer, the disassembly of the cloning equipment moved along at a brisk pace. The detailed schematics enabled the engineering people to disassemble the equipment without damaging it, and it took just four days to completely dismantle the entire lab. The unique equipment from the sickbay was also packed for transportation to Higgins Space Command Base. The engineers hadn't yet been able to determine the use of most of the more complex pieces, so specialists in medical equipment development would get a chance to examine it once the equipment reached the base. Knowing that it was designed for Nordakian physiology would help significantly. Everything from the facility's computer was downloaded into Jenetta's portable computer to serve as a backup, and then the facility's computer was taken off line for study. The ancient computer core was about the same size as current modules, so Jenetta carefully packed the fist-sized unit and placed it into her luggage. A smaller computer core, cannibalized from a piece of engineering equipment used in the search for the power source, was substituted, and would be sufficient to operate the life support systems, lights, doors, and monitoring functions.

  With their primary task completed, the crew was able to stand down for a few days. There would be little to do now except wait for the return of the Prometheus, expected back in about three months. The former rotunda lab became the new command center for the base, now that the cloning equipment was packed and crated for shipment.

  * * *

  The three Jenettas were having lunch in the mess hall a couple of days later, when the communications chief entered and anxiously approached Jenetta.

  "Excuse me, Commander, but there appears to be a problem with sending our normal com traffic! It's been encrypted, and compressed for burst mode, but every time we transmit, it bounces back!"

  "Bounces back? Are you sure that the transmitter is working properly?"

  "I've run the diagnostic routine several times. The problem occurs after we successfully transmit. Here's the result of a waveform test that I just ran," he said, handing Jenetta a portable viewpad.

  "What do you think the problem is, Chief?" she asked as she looked at the wave analysis.

  "The only thing I can come up with is that IDS sigma-waves are being jammed in the planet's ionosphere."

  Jenetta stopped looking at the viewpad image and turned to the NCO. "Jammed?"

  "Yes ma'am. We studied jamming techniques in com school. That's the only thing that makes any sense."

  "What about normal planetary communications?"

  "The RF bands are unaffected and the planetary communication satellites appear to be working fine."

  Jenetta jumped up from her chair. "Tell Captain Greene that I want to see him immediately."

  The CPO, startled by Jenetta's sudden movement, took a quick step backward, but then responded with "Yes ma'am" and ran from the room.

  Jenetta looked at her 'sisters,' and said, "Raiders?"

  "Has to be," Two said. "There wouldn't be any other reason to jam com traffic."

  "They must intend to take the relics directly this time, instead of intercepting a ship in space," Three offered.

  "It might even be worse than that," Two said. "They might have learned about the clones and come here with the intent of seizing the lab equipment. What better way to replace the fifty thousand people that they've lost during the past year? They can make thirteen-hundred new people each year if they get their hands on this equipment. And if they manage to replicate the equipment first, they can produce an entire army in a couple of years."

  "We're not in a very strong position to defend against a full scale assault here," Jenetta said. "Our two companies of Marines are adequate for holding off an attack by the entire combined scientific presence on this planet, but not for preventing a takeover by Raider forces with fighter aircraft and ground assault vehicles."

  Greene ran into the mess hall within thirty seconds of the com operator leaving.

  "You need me, Commander?"

  "Yes, Captain, our sigma-wave communications signals are being jammed. Check with security and see if any ships are in orbit around the planet. Then put your people on alert."

  "I was on my way to inform you that a ship was entering orbit when I received your message, Commander."

  "That giv
es us a little time, but not too much. Captain, clear everything out of the three shelters topside and bring it down here. Then open the end of each unit and put a shuttle inside it, in launch position. The thirty-ten shelters were designed to alternate as aircraft hangers. It'll be better if the Raiders don't know that we have transportation off the planet. If they're after the cloning equipment they'll be careful not to blast the three shelters for fear that they might destroy something critical to the process. Oh, and have messages sent to the other dig sites on the planet. Inform them that a Raider ship has entered orbit, objectives unknown. We know that there aren't any other ships in orbit, but ask them if they have any FTL transports or tugs available."

  "Aye, Commander. I'm on it," Greene said as he raced out the door.

  "Jen," Two said, "Three and I will round up the scientists and dig site laborers and bring them down here."

  "Right, there's nothing to hide here anymore," Three said. "But they can't be given access to the command center, since the crated cloning and sickbay equipment is being stored in that room."

  "I'll have the tables pushed aside in here. Have them bring their bedding, clothes, and personal effects."

  Captain Greene secreted the shuttles inside the shelters within the first hour and then reported to Jenetta while her two clones were still away. He said that answers to his query to the other sites about the availability of FTL ships had been negative. "Do you really mean to defend this location against a Raider incursion, Ma'am?"

  "You don't agree, Captain?"

  "No, ma'am. It's your call, but I'd blow the lab and take to the woods. If we remain here, we're just waiting to be overrun."

  Jenetta took a deep breath and expelled it slowly as she considered her response. "Besides being charged with protecting the cloning equipment, we have a responsibility to defend the scientific party. How long do you think most of them would last in the wild if the Raiders chose to pursue?"