The Clones of Mawcett (7 page)

“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 sleep 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.

“Should I send some food to my quarters?” Jenetta asked of the minister.

“That would be appropriate. I would suggest a bowl of fresh fruit, if you have any aboard.”

“I'm sure that we do.” Jenetta activated her ring again and gave instructions to the officer's mess to send a bowl of fresh fruit to her quarters, enough for three female visitors.

Over the next few hours, Jenetta visited with each of the Nordakian delegation members, either singly or in a group, using Dakis with several who were not well versed in Amer, the defacto standard language in Galactic Alliance space, and acting as an interpreter in some cases between the Nordakians and the GA delegation members when the proper word wouldn't come. It was considered inappropriate to use mechanical translators at the diplomatic level, although they were commonly available and used on most other occasions. A mechanical device might be oblivious to certain language nuances which would be accurately conveyed by a live translator, and would definitely be unaware of subtle body language.

When the affair was winding down, Jenetta finally had a chance to speak privately with Gavin.

“Sir,” Jenetta said, her apprehension clearly noticeable in her voice, “the minister expects me to go down to the planet surface tonight and to stay in the royal palace until the ceremony. That's more than thirty days from now.”

“Yes, I know,” Gavin replied, as if it were common knowledge. “Space Command Headquarters has agreed to everything that Nordakia has requested. The Galactic Alliance Council desires to use this opportunity to help further cement our friendship with the ruling class of a member planet. They've given their blessings to everything that the Nordakians have requested.”