The Clones of Mawcett

by DePrima, Thomas

  Desmond, having been born and raised in Buenos Aires, was a graduate of SHSA, the Southern Hemisphere Space Academy, class of '30. Dark Latino features belied his Anglo name. His black, wavy hair was beginning to silver slightly at the temples, and Jenetta wondered if he touched up the narrow moustache that graced his upper lip. Twenty-six years Jenetta's senior, the disparity of ages was amplified by Jenetta's appearance as a twenty-one year old, even though she was chronologically thirty-six now.

  "Welcome to Dixon Space Port, Captain," Jenetta said in greeting.

  "Thank you, Commander. It's a pleasure to meet you. I was admiring your operation as I walked here. The base looks clean, efficiently organized, and well run."

  "Yes sir, we've come a long way in the past year."

  "I sort of feel guilty about taking over after you've worked so hard to establish this base and get it operating so splendidly."

  "Pardon me, sir? Taking over?"

  "Yes, Commander. Here are my orders."

  Jenetta accepted the data ring that he held out and touched it to the spindle in the media drawer on her desk before handing it back. The table of contents only listed one message and she tapped the play button to view it. An image of Vice-Admiral Raymond Burke, the director of SC Base Operations, appeared on the com screen. He ordered Captain Desmond to proceed immediately to Dixon Space Port and assume command of the base. The data ring and message was verified as being genuine.

  "I'm speechless, Captain," Jenetta said, clearly bewildered.

  "Weren't you informed of my pending arrival?"

  "I was told a year ago that I would be relieved as soon as a permanent replacement could be found. I suppose it took them a long time to find the right individual, but I've heard nothing about anyone actually coming to take command."

  "You should have been informed of my imminent arrival. I've been on my way here for six months. I guess somebody messed up."

  "Well, you're here now, sir. I'll move my things out of the Base Commander's quarters today and you can move in tonight. I'll move my personal effects from this office to an empty office down the corridor this afternoon."

  "There's no need to move out until you're ready to go to the ship."

  "The ship, sir?"

  "Yes. I'm not here to take command and push you into a supporting role, Commander. You're to proceed to Higgins on the Havana, leaving in about seventy-two hours. That will give me a couple of days to become acclimated, before I officially assume station command. I'll move into temporary quarters for the time being. I can tell you that I'll sure be glad to get out of the ship. I was getting more than a bit claustrophobic after six months on board."

  "Very well, sir. Our VIP suites are well appointed, and quite spacious. I don't think you'll feel cramped in there. Are your bags still aboard the Havana?"

  "Yes."

  Jenetta lifted the com screen and pushed a button. When the image of her aide appeared, she said, "Jason, Captain Desmond has arrived with orders to take over command of this station. Please arrange quarters for him in the VIP section until I can vacate my quarters. His bags are still aboard the Havana. Arrange with housing to have them picked up and brought to his suite."

  "Take command, ma'am?"

  "Yes, Jason. He's to be the new Base Commander of Dixon."

  "Yes ma'am."

  Jenetta pushed the view screen down. "Captain, would you like me to give you a tour of the base now?"

  "Yes I would, Commander. I've really been looking forward to it."

  The big cats rose as Jenetta stood. Turning towards them, she said, "Cayla, Tayna, stay here." Both cats immediately sank to prone positions again.

  "They seem very well behaved, Commander. Are they for your protection?"

  "I acquired them from an Alyysian trader that I arrested. He couldn't very well take them to prison, and wouldn't have wanted to anyway. They were just trade goods to him. I originally kept them as companions, but they did save me from an assassin recently."

  "An assassin? On the base?"

  "Yes, he attempted to end my career in Space Command with a laser pistol. My cats somehow sensed his intentions and terminated his career instead. Tayna broke the arm holding the weapon while Cayla ripped out his throat. He was dead in minutes."

  Captain Desmond's face immediately adopted a sickly look and color, and his right hand went involuntarily to his throat. He swallowed hard as he listened to the story. "Where did this happen; near your quarters?"

  "No, the assassin could never have reached my quarters, or even this office, with a laser pistol. The energy signature from the power pack would have set off alarms at a dozen different points. It occurred on the shopping concourse, because that's the only place he could have carried the pistol. He never would have gotten it onto the base on his person, so it must have been brought in by a merchant, secreted in legitimate cargo."

  "Aren't incoming shipments checked?"

  "They are now, but originally we weren't able to check as thoroughly as we would have liked. I'm sure that some weapons and contraband slipped through in the early months when we were so terribly shorthanded."

  "Of course."

  "We've installed sensors on every block of the concourse since the attempt, so you can't carry a weapon's charged power pack more than fifty meters without setting off an alarm. The new sensors also detect gunpowder and explosives."

  "Who was behind the assassination attempt, Commander?"

  "We don't know, but I imagine it was a Raider operation." Smiling, Jenetta added, "They don't seem to like me very much."

  "I can understand that. You escaped their clutches and destroyed their base, and since then have thwarted them at every turn. Every time they've suffered a serious blow, you've either been behind it or a party to it."

  "Yes, I suppose I've given them enough reasons to dislike me. Why don't we start our tour and we can talk as we walk?"

  Over the next six hours, Jenetta took Captain Desmond on a complete tour of the base, all eighteen levels. She learned that until six months ago, then 'Commander' Desmond had been the Port Operations Officer at Fallsworth SCB. He was posted to Dixon SCB as the new CO when his promotion came through. When Jenetta introduced him as the new Base Commander to the senior officers in each area, their surprise was naturally as genuine as hers had been. The normal tour of duty for a senior officer was five years, unless that officer had done something seriously wrong, necessitating recall. Rumors immediately began to circulate. Some said that she was being recalled to receive another promotion and her own ship, while others said that she must have said or done something to infuriate the Admiralty Board.

  Completing their tour of the base about dinnertime, Jenetta and Captain Desmond walked to the Base Commander's dining room for dinner after Jenetta had taken the cats to her quarters and fed them. Jenetta rarely ate alone, and should have been entertaining the senior staff of the Havana tonight, but there was a great deal to discuss with Captain Desmond so she hadn't contacted the Havana's captain. She would be sure to invite him tomorrow night for her last official dinner as base commander.

  Jenetta and Captain Desmond spoke for hours as Jenetta tried to prepare him for his new post to the greatest extent possible in the limited time available.

  When arriving at the Base Commander's office at 0648 hours the next morning, Captain Desmond was surprised to learn that Jenetta had already been working for an hour. He stayed by her side throughout the rest of the day as she performed her duties. Things had backed up a little because of the six-hour tour the day before and they had little time for personal discussion.

  At 1800 hours Jenetta finished up in her office and left for her quarters to get ready for dinner with the senior staff of the Havana. Captain Desmond left to change also.

  Entertaining the staff of the Havana was just one more dinner party in a long line of dinner parties. She was once again implored to provide details about her adventures and she accommodated the officers, describing the actions that she had
taken, to the delight of her audience. Having only heard rumors about the latest assassination attempt, everyone wanted to hear the details.

  Jenetta spent one more day helping Captain Desmond ease into the job as Base Commander and then at 1600 hours he officially relieved her of command. Captain Desmond requested that she have dinner with him, and she agreed, although she'd planned to get an early start on her packing.

  Arriving at the Base Commander's dining room, she found it empty. Even the mess attendant was absent. Expecting the Captain, as the new base commander, to call ahead and advise the dining room staff of the number expected for dinner, Jenetta hadn't performed the simple daily chore. Captain Desmond arrived a few seconds later.

  "Did you call the mess attendant and tell him we'd be dining here, sir?"

  "No, is that necessary?"

  "I always call ahead so they know how many to expect."

  "Well, too late now. Why don't we just eat in the officer's mess?"

  "Okay. It'll give me another chance to say goodbye to some of my people. Excuse me, your people now."

  Located on the other side of the kitchen, the officer's mess hall was just a short walk away. As they entered, everyone stood and began applauding. Banners expressing goodbye and good luck messages, hung from the walls and ceiling.

  "Your aide asked me to bring you here tonight so the senior officers could all say goodbye," Captain Desmond explained.

  The dinner turned into a real party after the meal was finished, and Jenetta spent time with each officer thanking him or her for their hard work and loyal service. It was almost 2200 hours before she was able to get away and return to her quarters to begin packing her things.

  Jenetta marveled at how much she'd managed to accumulate during the past year as the impossibility of fitting it all into her spacechest and suitcases became apparent. She only managed to complete her packing after she had several empty shipping cartons brought to her quarters. The wall chronometer was displaying 0302 when she slipped tiredly into bed. It was strange to be leaving. She hadn't formed the attachment that she'd formed with her ships, but it still felt very strange to be going away.

  Up early the following morning, Jenetta prepared to leave her quarters after stacking her bags by the door. She performed a quick double-check, just to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything, and left the apartment with her cats. As she took a last walk through the well-illuminated and colorfully decorated shopping concourse, she remembered back to how it had looked when she had first assumed command. It had simply been a dim, somber, storage area then.

  After her nostalgic look around, she walked directly to the Havana. At the airlock entrance, she saluted the OD and said, "Permission to come aboard?"

  The lieutenant (jg) on duty eyed the big cats nervously as he saluted and replied, "Granted, and welcome Commander. If you'll wait just a minute, I'll have the housing officer come down to show you to your quarters."

  Lieutenant Caffrey arrived within minutes and escorted Jenetta to the quarters assigned to her. They were nothing like her old quarters on the Prometheus, but this was just a destroyer after all, not a battleship. Her bags were delivered about an hour later as she sat on the carpeted deck of her sitting room, petting her cats and contemplating her future. The big cats purred contentedly as Jenetta stoked their heads absentmindedly.

  Jenetta didn't report immediately to the Captain since she was just a passenger, not a crewmember. She was expected, and the housing officer would notify him or the XO that she was aboard. For the first time in many months, Jenetta found herself with absolutely nothing to do. Her time would be her own on the journey to Higgins, so she resolved to start working out regularly again. Where she'd once exercised two or more hours every day, her time for such activities were limited while on Dixon. She'd been lucky when she could free up an hour every few days. The four and a half-month trip would give her plenty of time to get back into shape.

  Once under way, Jenetta received a message via her CT that Captain Meyers would like to see her. A lieutenant was sent to show her the way to the Captain's briefing room. She naturally left the cats in her quarters.

  "Come in, Commander," Captain Meyers said warmly as the door of the office opened to admit her. "Welcome aboard the Havana. Coffee?"

  "I never refuse a good cup of coffee, Captain," she said smiling.

  "I only guarantee that it's hot," Captain Meyers said, returning her smile. "You'll have to be the judge of whether or not it's good."

  Jenetta prepared a mug and raised it to her lips. Breathing in the aroma before taking a sip, she closed her eyes and tipped the mug back slightly. Like any good beverage connoisseur, she allowed the black liquid to roll around in her mouth as she savored the taste. Satisfied, she swallowed and smiled. "It's good, Captain."

  "I like it but one never knows if it's good, or if you've simply become accustomed to it over the years." The captain chuckled at his own remark.

  Jenetta had put Captain Meyers age at 50'ish when they met for dinner two nights earlier, and the date on his Space Command ring confirmed that he'd graduated from NHSA in 2239. He was a couple of inches shorter than herself, and probably about fifty pounds heavier, but not egregiously out of shape. He had a pleasant face and a calm demeanor.

  "Commander, we just received a message for you from Dixon. It was forwarded to us by Captain Desmond, who apparently received it in error because it was addressed to the Dixon SCB Commanding Officer."

  Captain Meyers turned his com screen around so that Jenetta could see the message. The face of Captain Richard Dommler appeared on the screen. "Commander, Captain Carlton Desmond will be arriving shortly to assume command of the Dixon Space Command Base. You're to proceed to Higgins Space Command Base at Vinnia on the GSC destroyer Havana. Report to Headquarters upon your arrival here.

  "Captain Richard Dommler, message complete."

  "Well, it's nice to see they at least tried to alert me to Captain Desmond's arrival. I guess you made the trip a little faster than expected, sir."

  Captain Meyers leaned back in his chair. "I think that somebody just fouled up. You should have been notified months ago so you could have prepared for the transition of command. Any idea where you'll be posted next?"

  "No idea at all, sir. I just hope it's a ship this time."

  "You shouldn't have any trouble getting a berth on any ship in the fleet. Who wouldn't want Commander Jenetta Carver on their senior staff?"

  "I'm not so sure about that; I might be a little too well known. Some captains may not want me on their staff out of anxiety that my shadow is too large. At least Captain Gavin was beyond that. His own reputation and seniority ensured that no one would overshadow him. I've also heard that some senior officers in Space Command believe me to be a loose cannon, and may fear that I'll endanger their crew."

  "Loose cannon? Piffle! I'm sure that most captains would be happy to have you. I'd take you in a heartbeat if I had an open post."

  "Thank you, Captain," Jenetta said, smiling. "I appreciate that."

  "I, uh, understand that you brought two rather large pets aboard with you?"

  "Yes sir. I have two cats."

  "Cats? I was given to understand they were as large as Mountain Lions, and black as space."

  "They're Taurentlus-Thur Jumakas."

  "Jumakas? Ah, yes, the two animals that saved you from the assassin earlier this month. Do they present a danger?"

  "To anyone contemplating an attack on my person, they should be considered deadly. Otherwise, they're just as tame as pussycats, and almost as playful. They're extremely intelligent, and sometimes I swear that they can actually read my mind. They're incapable of speech, but they always seem to understand what I tell them, and they manage to make their needs, questions, and moods known to me through their limited vocal abilities."

  "If an animal is intelligent enough, it finds a way to communicate with its master. Will they stay in your quarters or should we find a place in a hold?"

 
"They'll stay in my quarters if I tell them to, even if the door was left wide open during my absence. I take them with me when I exercise though. They need to run also."

  "Of course. While you're on board you have the complete run of the ship, Commander, but please leave the cats in your quarters except when exercising them. And I give you a standing invitation to drop in on me anytime."

  "Thank you, Captain. I'll take you up on that."

  Jenetta spent the next hour talking with the Captain and then returned to her quarters. After changing her clothes, she walked to the ship's gym with the cats and punished the punching bag until her wrists ached. The large cats sat and watched the large brown bag intently, as if ready to pounce on it at the first sign that it was preparing to oppose Jenetta's assault. Then Jenetta walked to a storage bay that was used for a running track and jogged for the better part of an hour. The big cats loped alongside her, as always.

  Jenetta quickly fell into a daily routine aboard the ship, exercising in the morning before breakfast and then working in her quarters for much of the rest of the day. She busied herself organizing all her notes from conversations that she'd had while on the space station, with the hope that something would point to Raider operations and the possible location of Christa. She also practiced her Dakis by having the shipboard computer's audio interface speak to her only in the Nordakian language.

  Visiting the Captain every couple of days provided a little variety in the daily routine, and they ate dinner together almost every evening. Both had become accustomed to the loneliness of command and it was nice to have a kindred spirit aboard. Captain Meyers learned early on to have enough food for four brought to his quarters when Jenetta would be joining him for the meal. Her appetite had waned slightly on Dixon, but now that she was spending so much time in the gym, it had come roaring back and she needed at least thrice the normal portion amount of someone her size.