"Exactly, but not anymore. Your little press conference has pushed the legislation back to the bottom of the pile. The Council wanted to handle the issue quietly, with little fanfare."
"The issue has been all but dead for eight months, sir. What exactly were they waiting for? They've had ample opportunity to pass legislation quietly and with little fanfare for many months."
The Admiral looked at Jenetta and smiled weakly. "Sit down, Commander," the Admiral said softly, pointing to an over-stuffed chair facing his desk. He walked back around his desk and sat in his own chair. His gruff attitude had evaporated when he saw it was having no effect, and his voice was relaxed when he said, "You've changed, Commander. You've always spoken your mind, but now you have strength and conviction in your voice."
"Yes sir. I've just spent a year as the commanding officer of a new Space Command base. That kind of duty changes a person, as I'm sure you're well aware."
"Yes," Holt said, and then smiled, "it does; which is precisely why you were put in charge and left there for a year. You needed a little rounding out. Instead, I believe that your corners have grown sharper."
"We all have issues that motivate us like no other, sir. This is one of mine. The other is the location of my sister Christa. I will go wherever Space Command sends me, and do whatever job Space Command assigns, but I need the issues of my sisters settled, and I'll do what's necessary to accomplish that. If that means I have to resign my commission in Space Command, then so be it."
Admiral Holt took a deep breath and released it slowly before saying, "Calm down Commander. I've no intention of asking for your resignation; you're much too valuable to the service. You're an excellent leader; you're resourceful, intelligent, and you've almost got too much guts for your own good. We've spent a lot of time watching you and planning your career since you came to our notice. You don't think you became the second officer of one of the two best ships in the fleet by chance, do you? And under conditions that required you to function as the temporary first officer for your trip to Earth?"
Jenetta looked at the Admiral for a few seconds before answering. "No sir, not by accident. At least not the appointment part. I thought that Commander LaSalle joining the ship at Earth was chance."
"We had another officer right here at Higgins who could have filled that post, but we wanted to see how you'd perform in the job. Of course, we didn't know about the Raider ambush at the time that decision was made, and the trip to Earth was supposed to be a milk run. As it turned out it gave us a chance to test you further by giving you your own command aboard the Song, temporarily. Even that turned out better than anticipated. Following the battle for this station, I found myself able to justify leaving you in command of the Song for a full year."
Jenetta was shocked by the revelation. "And Captain Gavin was in on all this?"
"No, not fully. He was only instructed to present you with difficult problems, and give you opportunities to solve them, so that you could be evaluated. At first, he was strongly opposed to having a recently promoted Lieutenant Commander as his first officer for the trip to Earth, but your performance so impressed him that he completely reversed his opinion before the ship had even left the spaceport. His reports on you have been so glowing that you'd think he'd invented you in a workshop."
"Then why did he allow my position on the Prometheus to be filled by someone else? He told me that it would be held for me."
"That was our doing; mine and the Admiralty Board. After hearing how well you did setting up the new base, we decided that you should remain there for a while, but we couldn't leave a senior post open on an active-duty warship."
"But why was I left at Dixon, sir? You must have known that I wanted nothing more than to be on the Prometheus, in any capacity."
"As I said earlier, we wanted to round out your education a little. You did so well the first month that we felt you could handle the job on an extended basis. A year in a duty assignment like that is very educational. Don't you agree that you've learned a great deal? You've met half the GSC captains in this deca-sector of space, and probably a hundred freighter captains, while learning to manage thousands of people and solve a myriad of problems each day, just as I do here. You were not only responsible for thousands of Space Command personnel, but for a large population of civilian transients as well. If you had stumbled a bit, we had the built-in excuse that you were inexperienced and that you were creating an entirely new command structure. A few serious problems were expected; there are always serious problems on a large base. But you performed beyond everyone's expectations. If there were serious problems, neither Space Command Supreme Headquarters nor I ever heard about them. Dixon, although a border post, has been the quietest base in GA space for the past year.
"And you actually became a victim of your own courtesies. The word got out that the entire senior staff of every ship stopping at Dixon was invited to have dinner with you, so almost every captain that could find an excuse to visit Dixon, did so. Probably just for the opportunity to meet Jenetta Carver and hear her stories."
"Was I wrong to show courtesy to the senior officers of the ships?"
"No, not at all, although I've never heard of anyone else doing it on such a consistent basis. Normally, just the captain, and possibly the first officer, is invited to have dinner with the base commander when a ship docks."
"Then Space Command has been satisfied with my performance at Dixon?"
"Extremely. Every report that I've seen from the ships visiting Dixon have praised your accommodation and re-supply efforts. The merchants that have leased space on the station haven't been complaining to Space Command about anything, unlike merchants at most other bases, and the freight haulers haven't complained about excessive bureaucratic delays. I had considerable trouble getting you away from Dixon when your year was to be up. Some members of the Admiralty Board at Space Command were so pleased with your performance that they wanted to turn Captain Desmond back and leave you on Dixon for a full five-year tour. They even promised me that you'd receive another promotion before your tour was up so you'd be able to move right into your own warship command when you left Dixon. I argued that you could be much more valuable to us elsewhere over the next four-years, even though I wholeheartedly concurred that you should get your own ship after that. We have plenty of good administrators, but few enough line officers like yourself. We argued back and forth for months. The final decision to allow Captain Desmond to relieve you as base commander wasn't made until several days before the Havana actually arrived at the station."
"I guess that explains why I wasn't given notice that he was arriving. Thank you, Admiral. I appreciate your support and that you were able to have me relieved on Dixon."
"The Admiralty Board was correct in their assessment of your ability to run that station. Since you left, I've received numerous requests from Captain Desmond for the immediate appointment of additional senior officers to his administrative staff. He claims to be inundated with work and can't comprehend how you were handling it with just one lieutenant as an aide."
"I didn't really have very much time to teach him my procedures. The Havana was only to be in port for seventy-two hours."
"Well, that was done at his request. He wanted to get in and take over quickly without any extended goodbyes to the staff from the outgoing Base Commander. He may have been a bit premature in making such a request before acquainting himself with the operation."
"Yes sir. Are there any plans for me now?"
"There were, but they'll have to be reevaluated in light of the press conference."
"What should I do about the other interviews?"
"Other interviews?" the admiral said, his eyes widening. "You've scheduled more press conferences?"
"Yes sir. We promised every news service broadcasting the opening statements of the press conference that we'd give them a private 30 minute interview."
The admiral stared at Jenetta for a few seconds without saying anything. "With
your and Eliza's cooperation we might be able to turn this around. It'll be up to the two of you, Commander."
"If you'll assure me that the clones will have their status settled, I'll do whatever you wish, sir."
"I can assure you that Space Command is ready to address their status and make a recommendation. I can't speak for the Galactic Alliance Council."
"That's good enough for me, sir."
"When are these interviews supposed to start?"
"Tomorrow. We have six scheduled in the afternoon."
"Okay, Commander. You and Eliza report here tomorrow morning at 0900 hours so that we can rehearse what you'll say."
"Yes sir. Tomorrow at 0900 hours."
"You're dismissed, Commander."
Jenetta stood up, said, "Yes sir" then turned and left the room.
Eliza and Jenetta reported to the Admiral's office the next morning for the interview preparation. The base's information officer was waiting with the Admiral, and over the next couple of hours they discussed the interviews and how to respond to certain questions. The information officer also provided relevant information about the different journalists that would allow Jenetta and Eliza to easily change topics by mentioning certain things that could cause that particular interviewer to go off on a tangent and waste their half-hour in pointless chatter.
Jenetta had arranged for the loan of a small vacant store on the shopping concourse for the interviews, and she and Eliza were waiting there when the first reporter, Cameron Morris, and his cameraman, showed up. It took a few minutes for the cameraman to set up his camera tripod and backdrop so they could began.
"Commander, you made the first statement at the press conference so let me start with you. What will you do now to win basic rights from the Galactic Alliance Council for your sisters and the others from Dakistee?"
"Actually, Mr. Morris, the issue has almost been rendered academic. I learned this morning that Space Command Supreme Headquarters had already addressed the problem. They can't speak for member worlds, so the issue of Terran and Nordakian citizenship will still have to be decided by the Galactic Alliance Council and planetary governments involved, but the Admiralty Board has decided to provide visas to each of the seventy-nine new people that will allow them to travel freely anywhere in the galaxy. The new people were born on Dakistee, with technology legally developed by and for the Dakistee people millennia before the formation of the Galactic Alliance and Space Command. Since Dakistee is within the confines of Galactic Alliance territorial space, Space Command is justified in confiscating and dismantling the cloning equipment, but it considers the new people exempt from personal indictment under a grandfather clause in the Galactic Alliance Charter that addresses the use of pre-existing technology on member and non-member worlds. Space Command is officially considering the seventy-nine 'new' people to be citizens of Dakistee. In fact, they are to be the only Dakistee citizens until a formal government is established on the planet, and immigration privileges become available."
"Dakistee citizens? Then it really doesn't matter what the Galactic Alliance Council decides? Their status as citizens of Dakistee gives them basic sentient-life rights."
"It does. The new people have an identity now and can travel freely as Dakistee citizens. Those were our primary concerns. It would be wonderful if they're offered dual citizenship on the planets their originals call home, but if that's withheld, it won't affect them greatly."
"I see," Mr. Morris said, mentally crossing out many of the questions that he had intended to ask. "Then let's talk about the new book."
The rest of the interviews followed a similar pattern that day. The big nightly news lead was the recognition of citizenship rights for the people born on Dakistee, and the granting of galactic visas by Space Command under a provision in the original GA Charter. The pressure was immediately lifted from the Galactic Alliance Council and the issue died out within a few days. After the news had broken, the interviewers only concerned themselves with asking questions about the new book, or about the attack on the Loudescott archeological site by the Tsgardi ship.
Two weeks later, after the matter of the Dakistee Seventy-Nine had once again slipped into the foggy background of the collective subconscious, Jenetta was called to Admiral Holt's office.
She was only kept waiting for ten minutes on this occasion before being sent in to see the Admiral. Walking up to his desk, she came to attention and held it until he turned from his com unit and acknowledged her.
"Commander Jenetta Carver reporting as ordered, sir."
"Stand easy, Commander. Our attempt to defuse the Dakistee situation has worked better than expected. The G.A.C. is extremely pleased with the solution."
"That's good news, sir. Now perhaps they'll pass the legislation to give dual citizenship to the Dakistee citizens."
"Don't press it, Commander; they'll get to it when they can. The good news is that you stopped the nonsense in time to save your career. After reviewing your initial statement at the press conference, the Admiralty Board has decided that your comments were completely innocuous, and if not for the impassioned oratory by Eliza, the conference would probably have had a completely different tone. Since Eliza is not a Space Command officer, she certainly can't be held liable for her remarks. But don't ever think that I don't know you planned it this way. If you ever again feel that you must take action so contradictory to the precepts of the service, I hope you'll come to see me first. I'd hate to see you throw your career away for nothing."
"Yes sir. Thank you, sir."
"I've decided that you should have a little time away from here. The Royal Family on Nordakia has formally requested that you come for a visit, so I've arranged transportation for you."
"But sir, I haven't had a posting in more than five months. I've sat around on the Havana, sat around on Higgins, and now you want to send me to Nordakia? That's a four-month round trip aboard the Prometheus or Chiron, if we only spend a few days there. If I travel by destroyer, it's six months or more."
"This isn't a request, Commander. You'll travel aboard a Nordakian Cruiser, the Ezillusuh, set to depart two days from now. The Royal Family has also requested that Eliza accompany you. I suppose they want to question you both about your books."
"I can't speak for Eliza, but I think she'll welcome an opportunity to travel a little after being here on the station for so long."
"Fine. You understand that she'll be expected to dress the part?"
"You mean as a noble?"
"Yes, the same way you dressed for the party at the embassy."
"Me too, sir?"
"No, of course not," The admiral said. "You'll wear your uniform."
Jenetta breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's your Nordakian uniform, Commander. Or perhaps I should say Captain, since that's your rank in the Nordakian Space Force."
Jenetta's relief had been short lived. The Nordakian uniform was almost as uncomfortable as the formal wear of the palace. The skirt was only calf length but was almost as tight as the long gowns, and the knee length black leather boots had thirteen-centimeter stiletto heels that made her feet ache.
"How long will we be on Nordakia, sir?"
"As long as the Royal Family wishes you to remain there. A day, a week, a month, a year, five years, whatever. You are an officer of the Nordakian Space Force, Captain, and only on loan to Space Command at the pleasure of their majesties."
Jenetta grimaced. "Yes sir. Is that all, sir?"
"Yes, Commander. That's all. You're dismissed."
Jenetta turned and walked to the door, stepping out of the room as the dual doors slid noiselessly open, and then closed just as silently behind her.
Walking directly back to the BOQ, Jenetta stopped at Eliza's door and waited while the computer announced her presence outside the apartment. Eliza opened the door a few seconds later and stood to the side so that Jenetta could enter.
"Come on," Eliza said, "put on your sweats so we can go to the gym."<
br />
"I want to talk to you first. We're being shipped off to Nordakia. We leave in two days."
"We?"
"Yes, both of us."
"Why?"
"Admiral Holt says the Royal Family has requested that we visit."
"Your voice says you don't believe that."
"I think that the Royal Family may have been asked to invite us. They want us out of the way for a while."
"Why?"
"I'm not sure. Perhaps it's because of the press conference. They might hope that our absence here will let everything die down completely. Or perhaps it's something else."
"Well, I don't have to go. I'm not in Space Command."
"You might as well be. You're being housed, clothed, and fed by Space Command. Besides, a few months away might be good for you. You said you're tired of being cooped up here, so it'll be nice to be on a planet again, with fresh air and sunshine."
"But we'll have to dress in those long, awful gowns, won't we?"
"Yes."
"And wear those terrible shoes with the thirteen-centimeter heels that make our feet ache."
"Yes."
"And you still think that I should go?"
"Yes. They must have a reason for shipping us off. Besides, why should I be the only one to suffer," Jenetta said grinning.
"Are you sure that my presence was requested?" Eliza said, grinning back at Jenetta.
"Come on, let's head over to the gym."
"Okay. It'll just take me a minute to get ready."
Two days later, Captain Jenetta Carver of the Nordakian Space Force reported aboard the Ezillusuh with Eliza and two very large cats. Jenetta was dressed in one of her Nordakian uniforms and the officer on duty at the docking entrance came to rigid attention as she and Eliza approached. They were quite a spectacle to those people on the dock unfamiliar with the forms of dress required of Nordakian women. Eliza was dressed in one of the gowns that barely allowed her to walk, and Jenetta didn't have much more mobility in her form fitting uniform. Both women were again wearing corsets that painfully constricted their waists by five centimeters. Jenetta would have had new uniforms and gowns made, but every time she'd been required to wear the restrictive clothes, she'd believed it was the last time. Although the palace dressmakers hadn't left enough fabric to let out the clothes around the torso, they'd left enough in the hem so the clothing could be altered for Jenetta and Eliza's new height.
The Clones of Mawcett Page 39
