Sapphire's Place - Marina Twelve's "The Fifth Vector "

A Space-Jump malfunction sends Leslie and the crew of the Retribution into a parallel reality where there never was an ambush and Leslie’s change never happened. When they encounter Leslie’s MALE counterpart, Captain Leslie Webber of the Space Command Cruiser Proteus, In an unregistered ship, and Leslie looking like a ‘dead ringer’ for the wanted Criminal Kora Horst, they have a lot of explaining to do.

The Last Frontier III

The Fifth Vector

By Marina Twelve

Captain Leslie Webber had been waiting for this day for months. In her hand she held her discharge papers. Once again she was a civilian. The retribution no longer operated as a Space Command ship, but a private vessel. It was hers again, or at least belonged to “Webber Enterprises” once more.

Leslie was pleased that the Terran Interstellar Confederation had finally appointed a new ambassador to the recently acquired Terra Nova Colony. She knew that she never was cut out to be a diplomat. She held the post for over a month and no doubt made several ‘higher ups” quite nervous. Yes, having a “reputation” does have its advantages. They wasted no time in finding her a replacement.

Captain Morris and Lieutenant Saunders had just finished packing their belongings and waited on the Retribution’s bridge for Admiral Simmons to arrive. Webber was going over her ship’s checklist when Morris approached her.

“I’ve talked about it with Admiral Simmons. If you decide to stay in the Space Command, you can be my first officer on the Monoceros.”

Leslie smiled. “Perhaps if I had been born a female or never had previously been the Captain of my own ship, I would take you up on your offer, Morris. But you know me. I have to be my own boss.”

“Yes,” Morris replied, “I know you. If you ever change your mind let me know.”

“You were a good man to work with, Morris.

“Coming from YOU, I take that as a real complement, Webber.

She checked the other envelopes in her hands as Admiral Simmons left her ship, The Retribution. Both she and Morris would be getting another Medal for this mission that led to the discovery of the new human colony of “Terra Nova” and the disruption of a Syndicate plot to sell the “REPS” jump technology.

Lieutenant Saunders, the helmsman, Captain, Morris, along with the Admiral would return to Space Command HQ aboard the Battle Cruiser Formalhault, which would soon be back under Morris’s command. Again Leslie was offered First Officer’s position, this time aboard the Formalhault itself, if she elected to remain with the Space Command. It was a top of the line, fleet battle cruiser, but Leslie would have nothing to do with it. She was had to be her own boss and captain of her own ship and that was the only thing that would satisfy her.

Leslie handed Bill the envelopes, containing the discharge documents of the other crewmembers and ordered him to distribute them to the appropriate parties. She then sat down in her seat behind the helm and savored the moment. She was Master (or mistress) of her own ship once more. It was still in orbit around Terra Nova, but it soon would be on its way back to home, her ranch, near port Adrienne on Barnes star Four.

“Melissa, plot us a course for BS4. We are going home.”

Melissa looked at her com-screen. “It will take us Seven jumps. We can be back at the ranch in three days.” She replied.

“Let’s not waste any time, set up the first jump.” Said Leslie.

Leslie next powered up the ship wide com-screen system and made an announcement.

“Attention crew! Sit tight, we are headed home. I plan to stay a few days at the ranch and then contact A & I transport and see if we can begin to run protective escorts on their ships. The contract deal is still on with them.”

“Ready for the jump, Captain” Melissa interrupted.

Leslie queued up Bainbridge, the ship’s engineer. “Ready for the jump Bainbridge. Is everything ready in engineering?”

“All systems are a go down here, Captain.” The small red and green lights on the shiny metal half of his skull seemed to blink in anticipation. “Jump caps fully charged and ready.”

“Okay”, Leslie replied “prepare to jump in three, two one---“ Leslie pressed the ‘Jump’ icon on her com-screen.

ZAP! A flash of blue light and Retribution was now seven parsecs from the Terra Nova system, back in Terran Confederation space.

Over the next two days, Five more jumps went off without a hitch. They were nearly home.

Melissa began to set up for the last jump, but it would be several hours for the Jump Capacitors, that supplied the burst of energy to the jump system, to recharge.

“Well, we will soon be home,” Said Leslie as she stretched out in her chair. “Any thoughts or plans?”

“What’s our next big mission?” Bill asked.

“We’ll run a few escorts for A&I and get us enough funds for an extra load of fuel.” Leslie Replied. “I plan to try out one of those new routes through REP Territory and see what or who is on the other side.”

“Count me in!” said Bill.

“Me too.” Replied Doc, who was within earshot.

“We will talk about this more after we get back.” replied Leslie. “I want to make sure everyone’s on board for that.”

“Ready for final Jump” Melissa finally announced.

“Go for it, Commander.” Said Leslie.

“Three. . . two. . . one. . .”

Melissa pressed the Jump icon on her screen.

KPOWWWWW! A sharp, explosive crack shook the ship.

“What the Hell?” exclaimed Leslie in surprise.

The com-screens glowed red, Alarm horns went off.

“Fire in cap array seven!” said Melissa. “Fire suppression system engaged. . . Flames out.”

The horns stopped, but the screens were still red. One by one they began to return back to normal as the computer automatically checked each system out.

“Bainbridge! What’s going on?” Leslie shouted over the com.

“Apparently we just lost Jump Cap array number seven and about half of array five.” Bainbridge replied.

“Is that bad?” Replied Leslie, knowing the answer.

“Could be worse. Apparently one of the big electrolytic Capacitors, Seven/fourteen, exploded and damaged the rest in sector seven---sector five has fire damage.”

“How the Hell could that happen? Those jump caps are intrinsically safe?”

“This ship was constructed piecemeal with materials on hand, Seven fourteen was one of the older components and apparently was not in good shape at that.”

Leslie climbed down the ladder and joined Bainbridge on the “tween-deck”, The middle level of the ship totally given over the Jump Capacitor arrays. Each jump cap was a heavy, sealed container two meters tall and a meter wide on each side. They were arranged in groups or “arrays” on the Tween deck with barely enough room to walk between them, save for a central passage wide enough to allow a defective cap to be rolled out and its replacement put in.

The ventilators had cleared the smoke, but the entire deck still stunk of burnt electrolyte and insulation. Leslie surveyed the damage. A large gap in the tall rows of gray boxes was impossible to miss. Black debris still smoldered in the empty space that was big enough to park two ATV’s in.

“Danm! It’s gonna take a shipyard to fix this.” Leslie sputtered in disgust. “You think A&I will spring for the repair job?”

“It was their component,” Bainbridge replied “They might be reluctant, but I think I can convince them to pick up most of the tab.”

“Looks like we have to make a stop at the Port Adrienne Shipworks and ride the shuttle home.”

“Begging your pardon, Captain,” Bainbridge interrupted, “But we aren’t going anywhere. Not by space jump anyway. The remaining Jump caps are insufficient to store enough energy to execute a jump. We have reaction engines only.”

“Do you realize that we are still over twenty light years away from BS4?” Leslie countered.

“Yes, and as reluctant as you are to accept it, you are going to have to call for assistance. Find another ship to give us a tow or at least get us another ride home.”

Leslie thought about it for a moment and swallowed her pride. “Ok, we call for help.”

Leslie climbed back up to the bridge. “Melissa, send out a distress call to any and all vessels in the vicinity. Severe Jump cap damage, assistance needed. These cords.”

“Bill! Get on the guns and be ready, we don’t know who will answer the call. We don’t want to be surprised by any syndicate vessels. Zee! Keep watch report any ships within Jump distance.”

“Looks like we are going to have a long wait Leslie” said Melissa. The nearest J-com relay is nearly one light year away."

That revelation hit Leslie like a ton of bricks. “What? Our provisions wont last half that long. We could starve to death before the distress signal even reaches and gets into the j-com system.”

“This has happened before” said Melissa. “In the days before the j-com net was set up----“

“Shut the fuck up! I know all of those horror stories. Just our luck to be stuck in the only dead zone in this quadrant of the Confederation. I suppose that we aren’t going to see any other ships come through here until regular routes between Terra Nova and BS4 are established.”

“Does this mean we’re in deep shit?” asked Bill.

“It doesn’t get much deeper, kid.”

Bainbridge came back on the com. “Captain, I have an idea.”

“Let’s hear it. Whatcha got?”

“There is only one power source on board this ship other than the Jump caps that can provide the energy needed for the jump.” Said Bainbridge.

“You mean the QUELL, Don’t you?” Leslie replied.

“Yes. It was developed as a power generator to begin with. All we need to do is provide it with some matter to turn directly into energy and channel it to the jump cap terminals.”

“Have you ever done that before?”

“No. Nobody’s ever done that before. Starships aren’t usually equipped with QUELLS. But in theory, it should work. It’s good for one jump anyway, and should be able to put us close enough to where we want to go. We should have no problem completing the journey in a few days with the reaction engines.”

“ How long will it take to set up?”

“A couple of days, but its worth a try. Beats being stuck out here a year.”

“Then what are you standing around flapping your jaws for? Get on with it immediately!”

**************************

Bainbridge reconnected the conduits between the remaining jump caps to bypass the damaged units so they would all discharge in unison. Next, he had Bill help him connect power conductors from the QUELL and into the X, Y and Z vector guides, that would alter the spatial attributes of the atoms of the ship and its occupants when the directed energy was applied in one huge, powerful pulse.

The computer next had to be connected to everything and re-programmed to compensate for the changes in the Jump system configuration. Despite its complexity, they finished setting the machinery up five hours ahead of schedule.

Finally, Bainbridge had to have a “target”, a large mass that the QUELL could convert into energy. A block of steel, nearly a meter square, a spare part of the landing gear assembly, appeared to have the needed mass. It would be ejected from the spider and sent on a trajectory that would take it within five meters from the center open end of the QUELL tube.

When the accelerated beam of quarks struck the target, it would shred the nuclei of the target’s atoms, inducing an old fashioned fission reaction. A veritable “atomic bomb”, the energy produced would be enormous, and hopefully converted by the QUELL and sent to the vector guides before the explosion destroyed the ship.

Two days later, as planned, the task was completed. He briefed Melissa and Leslie on the procedure.

“This thing has to be synchronized just right. The QUELL must fire five hundred nanoseconds just before the remaining jump capacitors discharge.” Said Bainbridge. “The computer will initiate the sequence when you press the QUELL Discharge icon.”

“And if the timing is off?”

“Then we will be engulfed in the blast when the target explodes. The Quell has to harvest that energy and send it to the jump caps just before the force of the explosion overtakes and destroys us.”

“Oh that’s nice to know that we won’t be taking any big risks.”

“If it works then we will be in another part of the universe, before the blast gets to us.”

“IF it works!”

“I don’t know about you Captain, but I’d rather go quickly than slowly starve to death.”

“But not before we eventually begin to eat each other, like what happened on the Cassiopeia in eighty six.” Leslie replied.

Leslie turned to Bainbridge and flashed him an apprehensive look. “Hold tight—here goes. Fire up the QUELL!.” The deep hum of the QUELL as it revved up filled the ship. “Melissa, release the target.!”

Melissa, at the ‘spider’ controls, maneuvered the arm bearing the target mass into position. She swung the spider arm along the correct path and released the steel block. “Target released!”

Leslie watched the com-screen as the target slowly moved into position. It had to be hit by the QUELL beam at precisely the right moment.

Jump in three, two, one—“ She pressed the Jump Icon on her com-screen.

The QUELL fired, and suddenly, without warning. POW! The target exploded, shaking the ship. Before anyone could react, There was the familiar flash of blue light and

Zap! Retribution suddenly re-appeared in another part of the universe.

“Whoa!” Leslie exclaimed. “For a moment there I thought we were goners.”

“What’s it look like Captain?” said Bainbridge over the com.

Leslie looked at her com-screen and smiled. It seemed to work. The current cord readout showed that they were well within practical reaction engine distance of Barnard’s Star Four.

“Close enough!” Leslie replied. “We can get home with the reaction engines in a couple of days. You’re a good man to have around, Bainbridge. Congratulations!”

Leslie checked the cords once again. “I used to patrol out here,” she spoke into the com. “Prime Raider territory, so keep your eyes open Zee.”

“We’ve already got company,” Zee replied. “ A Big ship, but definitely no raider. . . A space Command Cruiser.”

“Now, what do they want?” replied Leslie in frustration. “I no sooner get us out of that outfit, when –-“

“Leslie, It’s the PROTEUS.”

“Wow, I’m impressed.” Leslie replied. “They got her back up and back on patrol already?”

“It must have not have been damaged as badly as we thought”. Observed Melissa.

“I wonder who they selected for the Command team? Leslie wondered aloud.”

“It looks as if we will soon find out. They have altered course to intercept us.”

Leslie decided that she would make the first move. “Retribution Hailing Proteus!” She said into the com-link.

Lieutenant Saunders’s image popped on the screen.

“Hello Saunders, what’s up? I thought you’d still be on leave.” Leslie addressed the familiar face.

Saunders seemed puzzled and not very friendly at all. This did not go unnoticed by Leslie.

“This is the Terran Confederation Space Command vessel, Proteus. Identify your ship and state your mission” the man replied.

“Why so formal Lieutenant? Your new captain must be a real hard ass. Runs a tight ship does he? Okay, TCV Retribution, returning to Port Adrienne, BS4, for repairs.”

“There is no vessel named Retribution in our registry. There is no ‘Port Adrienne’ on BS4.” The man replied. “Heave to and submit I.D. codes.”

“What the hell’s going on Saunders? Hey! I’m your former C. O. –remember?”

Webber’s words seemed to shake Saunders for a moment. He looked to the side as if to signal someone off screen.

Now it was Leslie’s turn to be shaken. “Heave to and submit I. D. codes.” Said the woman who appeared on the screen. The woman was Commander Melissa Connor!

Leslie looked up and saw “her” Melissa coolly monitoring the conversation from the navigation station on Retribution’s bridge. Leslie looked back on her com-screen. It was definitely not Melissa playing some sort of trick. The other Melissa was wearing a Space Command uniform and appeared to be speaking from the bridge of the Proteus.

“. . .Ohhh---Kay!” Sighed Leslie “What’s this shit about?”

“I. D. Codes please!”

“Sure!” Replied a by now, very suspicious Leslie and pressed the code submit icon on her screen. Leslie turned off the sound transmission as the codes were sent out.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing Melissa?” Leslie addressed her companion on the bridge.”

“Yes, something definitely odd going on here.” Melissa replied. She looks like me in every detail, but I could detect signs of emotional stress in her face.”

“But why --?” Leslie began to speak, but was interrupted by “Commander Connor’s” voice on the com-link

“These codes are invalid!”

“Somehow I knew you’d say that!” Leslie replied. Leslie pressed her face up close to the screen.

“GODDAMNIT! Listen whoever you are!” she yelled, “This is a Terran registered civilian vessel. I am in no mood to be playing God-Damned games. And trust me, YOU don’t want to be playing any games with ME---Now where is your God dammed captain!”

A man’s face suddenly appeared on Leslie’s screen “Captain Leslie Webber Here! Now what’s your Goddamned problem?--- ”

Leslie’s Mouth suddenly dropped open. She knew THAT face very well---It HAD been her own. She was struck literally speechless.

A spark of recognition crossed the face of the man also “My, my, If it isn’t Kora Horst. What’s the matter Kora, cat got your tongue?”

“Wh. . . what. . .?” was all Leslie could sputter back in return.

Melissa, however, was more on the ball. She saw that her captain was being unnerved by the communications from the Proteus—if indeed that ship WAS the Proteus.

“I’ll speak for the captain!” she said, as she took over Leslie’s com-link. “I am immune to such psychological attacks or machinations. I advise you to identify YOURSELVES or face the consequences.”

The man now look confused, his “Commander Connor” looked awestruck as she saw her double on her leader’s screen.

“Your ruse has failed. The real CCS Proteus is undergoing refitting on Ross 128, two. ” Said Melissa “Unless you identify and explain yourselves. I will take whatever actions necessary to neutralize your threat. My Captain, who is temporarily incapacitated, has no influence over me. I WILL do what I need to do to protect this crew and ship.”

“Hey That really IS the Proteus” Zee interrupted over the ship’s com-system. Her words brought Leslie to cognizance.

“Are you sure?” Leslie whispered

“Yes, I had direct contact with the Proteus on Axel Two. My BT abilities don’t lie.

“Who are those imposters? What are they doing on the ship?

“I don’t know. I would have to physically touch them to get a reading, but know this, that guy actually thinks he IS Leslie Webber.”

That was all Leslie “needed”. Instead of clarifying things, Zee’s observations made the situation seem even stranger.

“You say you’re Leslie Webber?” Leslie interrupted on the com-link, knocking Melissa off the air. “Can you prove it?”

“I don’t have to prove anything to YOU Kora.” The man replied. “This is a Space Command Ship and we are Space Command officers, it is YOU who had best explain herself.”

Leslie was getting nowhere. She decided to change her approach.

“I’m not Kora Horst, Webber. I am her clone. -—sort of. Last I heard of Horst she was being shipped off to Ross 128 to stand trial. I should know, I arrested her.”

“And YOU are?”

Leslie had to think before answering this one. “If that guy thinks HE is Webber I’ll loose him as soon as I tell him MY name”, She thought. She needed to buy more time to learn what was going on.

“I have been working undercover for the Space Command, my resemblance to Ms. Horst allowed me to capture her and her associates. Check the voice stress, I am telling the truth.”

“The other “Commander Connor” wasted no time calling Leslie’s bluff. She looked surprised at the positive result on her com-screen.

“You didn’t answer my question. Who are you?”

Leslie was stumped. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“That does it!” The Man angrily replied. “Prepare to be boarded. This can be done the easy or hard way. Extend your Spider! Otherwise I will penetrate your hull.”

Leslie looked at Melissa. “Deploy the spider, but do it slowly, Take your time.” Melissa understood.

“Bainbridge!” Leslie whispered into the com-system. “Is there ANY way to jump out of here now! These bozos are up to something and I would rather try to figure this one out from a distance.”

“No can do, Captain. The Quell has a half hour left to charge and we have no way to launch a target.”

“The Proteus’s “spider” joined “hands” with that of the Retribution forming a connecting tunnel between the two ships. Leslie could do nothing but sit back and wait. She checked her shivs, they were concealed and available if she needed them. She would likely have to give up her gun though.

A couple of minutes later, Lieutenant Saunders, or at least the guy that looked like him, led a party of about ten soldiers to the retribution’s bridge. Leslie, Melissa and Bill put up their hands. “Saunders”, as expected, relieved Leslie of her pistol. Bill’s weapons were confiscated also.

A couple of minutes later, Bainbridge, Zee and Doc were marched in, hands up, at gunpoint.

“Is this all the crew?” asked “Saunders”

“Yes,” Leslie replied.

“Ship all secure sir.” Said Saunders over the com-link.

“Good! Bring that Horst woman and the one that looks like Commander Connor over here.”

“Lieutenant!” Leslie interrupted “Might I also bring my B. T.?”

“You have a Biotelemetricist?”

“Yes, Zee here is one of the best. She may be of use in straightening this misunderstanding out.”

“Bring her along too.” Said “Webber” over the com-link.

***********************

Leslie, Zee and Melissa were marched through the hollow arms of the “spiders” and into a small room next to the Captain’s quarters.

Leslie “recognized” the entire “welcoming committee”, at least their doubles, anyway. “Captain Webber” sat behind a desk. “Doctor Taylor”, ship’s physician, stood near by. There was the other “Melissa” present, “Saunders” and about three guards. Non of them seemed to recognize her.

“Webber” looked businesslike and calm. He began to speak. “First you should be informed that everything we say here will be recorded. Computer! Begin record! Interrogation of alleged Captain and crew members of suspicious vessel intercepted approximately twelve thirty four hours 14, May, Twenty two sixteen. Subjects seemed evasive and ---“

“14 may?” Leslie interrupted. “It’s friggin’ August, the Twenty fifth of August!”

Webber flashed Leslie a skeptical and irritated look.

Leslie looked on the wall chronometer display, sure enough it said 14 May.

“My wrist chronometer, all the chronometers on my ship! Something’s very wrong here! I need to talk to my engineer!”

“In Good time Ms. Horst, or whomever you claim to be.” Replied “Webber”.

“Goddamn it! Quit calling me Horst!”

“Webber” pushed a com-screen towards Leslie. The display with the ten rectangles on it was familiar. Leslie knew the drill. “Fingerprints please!”

Leslie, Zee and Melissa, pressed their fingers, one at a time into the appropriate rectangles. “Commander Connor” ran the data through the computer. Her eyes widened as she read the results off the screen.

“Give them a DNA and retinal scan reading” she told “Webber”. “Doctor Taylor, Check out their fingers for possible print alteration.”

Webber looked questioningly at his first officer.

“The fingerprint results were inclusive.” She replied, refusing to let him see the screen. “I need further verification before I can give you a report.”

Leslie and her companions each looked at the “spot on the com-screen as a retinal scan was taken. Doctor Taylor gave each of them a card to spit on. The cards were then collected and inserted into a small, hand held machine.

The results soon came up on “Commander Connor’s” Screen. She looked puzzled to say the least.

“The B.T. is legit. All records indicate that she is Hopa Hi, code name “Zee” of the Terran Confederation Defense Ministry. Currently assigned to sector seven, outer region. What she is doing here, however, is not on record. According to this she is on assignment with the Monoceros.”

“The redhead is not on record at all, her DNA matches that of Kora Horst’s, but her prints and retinal scans are different. Those two parameters are not DNA controlled, so we can assume with reasonable confidence that she is NOT Kora Horst.”

“My own double is most puzzling—not only does our DNA match, so do the prints and retinas.”

“Webber” looks at the data and then at Leslie.

“I told you I wasn’t Kora Horst” Leslie replied.

“Damnit!” Shouted “Webber” as he hit his fist on the desk, “Then Who the Hell ARE you?”

“I told you I was working undercover for the Space Command---The presence of Zee, a Space Command officer in good standing, should confirm my story.” Leslie replied.

Leslie leaned closer to Webber. “From MY point of view it is YOU who are the suspicious characters. It is YOU who do not belong out here --- and hell, YOU aren’t even supposed to exist.”

“Put me in touch with Admiral Simmons.” Leslie told the man. “If YOU are legit he will explain it to you, if you are not, then YOU better do the explaining.”

Webber looked at Leslie. ”Alright I’m calling your bluff.” He said, much to Leslie’s surprise “ Do you know his access Code?”

“It’s five, five. . . Whoa! wait a minute!” Leslie caught herself. “That’s classified information, I’ll punch in the numbers. Until I find out who YOU are I can’t risk giving away any information to unauthorized persons.”

Leslie punched in the numbers on the screen. Admiral Simmons’s image soon appeared. “Webber” seemed impressed.

“Admiral Sir!” Said Leslie, “What’s this bullshit with the Proteus and these characters that look me and Commander Connor?”

The admiral looked at Leslie as if she had suddenly grown another head. “Who the devil are you and what are you doing on a classified channel?”

Leslie blinked in disbelief. Her old friend didn’t seem to recognize her. “Admiral! Its ME, Webber!”

“Webber?” Said the man behind the desk and rotated the com-link screen around to face himself. “Captain!” shouted the admiral. “What’s this bullshit about? Who is that woman?”

“We are trying to determine that now” “Webber” replied she claims you know her and can vouch for her identity.”

“I never have seen that woman before in my life.--—Hmmm. . . image matching has tentatively identified her as one Kay Aych, AKA Kora Horst, Biotelemetrist who resigned from The Defense Ministry last year.”

“We checked her prints and retinas she is definitely not Kora Horst. She does have a BT, code named ZEE, with her. Zee checks out. They claim to have been operating undercover for the Space Command. What do you want me to do with them?”

Admiral Simmons thought about it for a moment. “If their story is true, I had nothing to do with it. They might be operating under another command---I’ll check it out. Meanwhile, keep them in custody until I can talk to my superiors. Then we will decide the next step.”

Leslie once again was dumbfounded. “Has everybody lost their minds?”

Leslie looked over at the two Melissas staring at each other. At least Leslie could explain herself away as a clone, but in Commander Connors’s case, It was physically impossible for two such identical creatures to exist.

Visibly shaken, Leslie addressed “Webber” once again. “NOW may I talk to my engineer?”

“Webber” pushed a bracket-mounted com-screen her way. “I’ll be listening.” he said.

The com-link was established and Bainbridge, with a soldier standing behind him appeared on the screen.

“Bainbridge!” Leslie began. ”Do you know of any psychological side effects induced by space jumps?”

“No,” Bainbridge replied “Why do you ask?”

“Crazy stuff is happening over here. We have two absolutely identical Melissa’s, This guy thinks he is Leslie Webber and Admiral Simmons claims not to know me. Either we are being victimized by a very elaborate hoax or I am finally loosing my mind.”

“What do the cords look like? How about the chronometers?" Asked Bainbridge.

“The Cords look ok, but all the Chronometers over here have the date as being 14 May---You have any idea what happened?”

Bainbridge thought for a moment. “Apparently we jumped in time as well as space. Somehow the wave from the QUELL must have also affected the Z-prime (Z’) vector.”

“Z prime?”

“The fourth spatial vector. We change the X, Y and Z spatial vectors to jump from one location to another in the three dimensions of the universe. The Z-Prime vector, the fourth, represents time. The residual harmonics of the QUELL must have affected it. WOW! This has never been done before. If I can figure this out I might be up for a Nobel prize”

“Cool it Einstein! We have a problem here. I can buy that we might have gone back in time. That would explain the other Leslie and Melissa, but we didn’t go THAT far back. I had already been changed and Admiral Simmons knew about me by last May.”

“That IS odd.” Bainbridge remarked. “Hold on while I do some calculations.”

Bainbridge sat calmly as the small red and green LED Lights on his head blinked furiously.

“Whoa!” Bainbridge interrupted once again. “The calculations don’t pan out, we should have been displaced over one year in time. . .”

“So you were wrong again, Bainbridge, what else is new?" Leslie replied.

“The waves may have also affected the proposed Fifth vector, Z-DOUBLE prime. (Z’’) That would account for the mathematical discrepancy.”

“So what does that have to do with our situation?”

“Z double prime! It’s the theoretical “reality vector” Captain, we might not be in the same universe anymore.”

“Are you saying that we could be in an alternate reality?” Leslie replied. “That’s crazy!”

“That’s what I’m saying Captain. It would be just as real as our own but with a few differences.” Leslie looked up at “Webber”, who was listening into the conversation.

“But it’s only a theory.” Bainbridge added.

“Shit!” Said Leslie as she stared at the man sitting across from her. “That theory is the only thing around here that makes any sense.” Things rapidly fell together in her mind. “Son of a gun! If Bainbridge is right you actually could BE me, couldn’t you?”

“Me?. . . You?. . .What are you talking about, woman?” replied Webber incredulously.

Leslie leaned closer to him “You want my name? It’s Webber, Leslie Thames Webber. Service number 755 856 945.

“None of this makes any sense, you know that.” “Webber” replied.

“Well, It’s the only thing that does.” Said Leslie “Hell, how else can we explain the two Melissas? And Zee! I’m sure if you look her up you will also find another ZEE—just as identical to MY Zee YOUR Melissa is to my own.”

Without being asked, “Webber’s” “Commander Connor” entered the Monoceros’s access codes. Zee’s image came up, along with her contact numbers. The Commander entered them and a live image of another Zee appeared on the screen.

“Hello! Operator Zee here! The other Zee replied. Can I help you commander?”

“Sorry for the interruption.” The Commander replied. “I was only verifying access codes. Terminating contact.”

Commander Conner looked at ‘Webber’. The ball was in his court now.

“You seem to have a point,” Webber replied “ and I still can’t eliminate the possibility of an elaborate Syndicate hoax, but let’s assume for a moment that you may be who you claim to be. Do you have an explanation on how this might have happened?”

“That will be up to my engineer, Bainbridge. We had a jump cap malfunction and he rigged up the QUELL to power the jump.---Something must have gone wrong.”

“A Quark Accelerator? On a Starship?”

“Yes, we hear that comment a lot. Bainbridge developed a way to stabilize it and use it as a weapon, but it’s mostly for intimidation. You point that thing at someone you have an argument with and they suddenly start to see things your way.”

“Yes, I can imagine. The engineering report on my auxiliary com-screen confirms that the device is indeed a mark three 15 meter quark accelerator.”

“But enough about ordinance”, said “Webber” as he returned to the subject. “Assuming we are to believe, that you and your ship are from a parallel reality, then what aspects of our universes are different, save that I am male and you are female?”

“How the hell should I know?,” replied Leslie angrily. “We have not even established that Bainbridge’s parallel reality is indeed the case. How do I know that YOU aren’t part of a Syndicate plot against ME?”

“There is a way.” Leslie’s Melissa interrupted.

“Yes, how convenient.” Webber replied sarcastically “create the hoax and provide your own proof.”

Melissa was unmoved. “My counterpart, your Commander Connor, may also examine the evidence with me. If there is indeed any truth to the parallel reality theory, we should be able to discern that. And if it is so, we might be able to find the moment in time that the two realities split.”

“What have you got in mind, Melissa?” Leslie asked.

“In your quarters is a fragment of the hull of the ‘real’ Proteus that you collected on the Axel Two mission. Its quantum matrix can be compared to the materials on THIS ship.”

“Quantum Matrix?” Leslie asked.

“Yes, In modern holographic physics, certain organizing patterns, originating from the universe as a whole, impress themselves on matter configurations, and leave a unique tracing of their changes over the passage of time. If the fragment’s quantum history is different from the materials found here then we will have proof that it originated, or at least had existed for a time in another universe.”

Much of that went over Leslie’s head, but she got the gist of it. “Excellent!, so go get the fragment and let’s run your test or whatever on it.” Leslie looked at Webber. “So are you going to let her retrieve the fragment?”

“Commander Connor, take an armed man and go with her.” Webber ordered.

“Don’t trust anybody, do you?” Leslie replied with a smile.

“And YOU!” Webber continued, we will confine to our guest quarters.

“Room eighteen B” Leslie replied. Causing Webber to raise his eyebrows.

“You do seem to know this ship” He remarked.

“Like it had been my own” Leslie replied with a smile.

The two Commander Connors, along with one of Webber’s security men, made their way, through the connected spider tunnels over to Leslie’s ship. Webber’s Commander Connor soon became aware that her counterpart, Melissa, seemed a bit “Odd” to sat the least. She didn’t smile or joke, not that this was a laughing matter, but she didn’t show any fear or anger either. Melissa’s “even temperament” seemed unnerving. She seemed “emotionally dead”, almost inhuman. Commander Connor felt slightly afraid of her.

“This way.” Said Melissa as she led The Commander into Leslie’s Quarters.

Melissa started looking in Leslie’s dresser drawers, and cabinets. “It’s in here somewhere.” She said.

Meanwhile Commander Connor surveyed the surroundings herself. Little details disturbed her. She saw a small photograph of Adrienne and Justin on Leslie’s desk. A few of the papers Melissa pulled out of the drawers had her own captain’s signatures on them. They looked authentic. And there was an engraved gold souvenir pen from Admiral Simmons, Just like the one Webber had.”

“Oh my God!” Commander Connor exclaimed, as she saw the silver medallion on a chain that rested on the top on Leslie’s dresser. She picked it up and read the inscription.

The Commander reached out, grabbed Melissa by the wrist and pulled her towards her.

“Alright god damn it, who ARE you people? This is Adrienne’s locket. I should know, I had it repaired by a jeweler friend of mine for Leslie, before he gave to his wife.”

“Don’t take that!” said Melissa “It’s Leslie’s most valued possession. It’s all she has to remember Adrienne by.”

“Remember Adrienne?”

“In Leslie’s reality, Adrienne is dead. She and Justin were killed by a Syndicate bomb about six months ago.”

“That’s ridiculous, I just talked to Adrienne yesterday.” The Commander responded. “But I must show this to Captain Webber. I promise I will return it. . . Hey, what’s this?”

Commander Connor reached on top of the dresser and picked up another object, a disk of gray metal about ten centimeters in diameter.

“That’s it!” said Melissa. “It’s the part of one of Proteus’s hull plates. Leslie was keeping it for a souvenir. We can take it over to the Proteus. Engineering has a Quantum flux meter that can read the matrix patterns.”

“Lets go.” Said the Commander. “The sooner we get this over with the better.”

Webber met the two as they returned to the Proteus.

“How did it go?” Webber asked the Commander.

“I have the plate fragment here. I’m taking it to engineering now. I am gonna have them analyze the hell out of it. If these people are trying to pull the wool over our eyes, we should be able to prove it once and for all. . . Oh, and Look what I found in the Woman’s Quarters.”

Commander Connor held up the locket. Webber’s eyes grew wide and he snatched it away. “It’s Adrienne’s!” he exclaimed.

“And look” the commander continued, as she pointed out a detail on the clasp. “Here is where I had it repaired for you on Aphra Two.”

“My GOD! It IS Adrienne’s” Webber turned to Melissa “Where did you get this? If anything has happened to Adrienne. . . I don’t care if you are a woman, I would---”

“It Belongs to Leslie.” Melissa replied. “Let her tell you about it. And I strongly recommend that you return it to her. It’s one of the only inanimate objects she would kill for.”

“Leslie? That Woman?”

“It IS her name. Now please excuse us while we take the sample to Engineering.”

Meanwhile Leslie languished in the “guest room”. Actually that’s what it was, a stateroom not unlike her own quarters on her own ship. Often used to house visitors.

The door was locked. The room might as well be a prison cell. Eventually, though it would be opened. She should have no problem escaping if she needed to. She was still armed with both of her shivs. The wire thin metal shafts, inserted in the seams of her left sleeve and right jumpsuit leg had escaped detection when they searched her for weapons. Again she was in a situation where being a woman was a definite advantage. She was viewed as being a minimal threat. There was never more than one guard watching her at any given time. Killing him, if need be, and anyone else she encountered as she made her way back to her own ship would be a piece of cake. Once aboard the Retribution, she could outrun the larger Proteus with the reaction engines alone, even if she didn’t have any Jump capabilities. And Proteus’s armaments would be no match for the QUELL.

But she wasn’t ready to jump ship just yet. She trusted Zee and Bainbridge. From what Zee said the Captain actually believed that HE was Leslie Webber. And Bainbridge’s theory was the only thing that could make any sense of her current situation. But what they had suggested was just too incredible. She decided to wait for the results of Melissa’s test of the Hull plate fragment.

Webber entered Leslie’s quarters. Leslie was sprawled on the bed staring into space, deep in thought. She suddenly noticed Webber.

“You want to talk, Don’t you?” Said Leslie, as she swung her long legs off of the bed and assumed a sitting position.

“You’re damned right I want to talk” Said Webber angrily. “Where did you get THIS?” He thrust the locket under Leslie’s nose long enough for her to see what it was and snatched it back.

To his complete surprise, Leslie leaped up and was on him like a tiger. “That’s MINE GOD DAMN IT!” She screamed. Luckily, Webber was quick himself. He grasped both her wrists and was barely able to hold her off. “Damn! She was strong!” he thought. But his superior strength prevailed and Webber managed to push her back onto the bed.

Webber braced himself for a counterattack, but it didn’t come. Leslie stared hard at him, but Webber could tell that she had cooled off a little.

“Now I’ll ask you again.” Webber continued “Where did you get my wife’s locket? I know it’s hers, I can see where I had it repaired.”

Leslie froze. “God! How could you have known that? Only Melissa and me knew that the chain clasp had been broken before I gave it to Adrienne. Melissa had a friend of hers fix it. You really ARE me aren’t you?”

Webber, once more, began to look suspicious. “There is only one way you could have got this. You must have stolen it from Adrienne herself. Yes, just to show me how vulnerable she is. NOBODY threatens my family! Do you hear that? NOBODY!”

Leslie knew Webber was serious. His knowledge of the locket confirmed that He was indeed an earlier version of herself, and she also knew that he took any threats, direct or implied, upon his family very seriously. Not even Syndicate operatives would be so stupid as to attempt to manipulate Captain Webber by such threats. Not any more. The last man to do that tried it from the safety of a J-com communiqué. It did not prevent Webber from tracing him down to a saloon at Rakia Three, and putting a bullet in his head. If Leslie wasn’t a woman, Webber would likely have shot her Then and there.

“Don’t you understand? I am YOU! From some other reality. I was skeptical too, but your own explanation of the locket repair convinced me.”

“You may be convinced, but I am not. Not yet anyway. I want to see the results of the Test on that metal fragment first.”

Leslie didn’t respond.

“Alright, if I assume, for now, that you are telling the truth.” Webber continued. “What do you want from me?”

“Until just now, nothing. I just wanted to get back on my ship and go on with my life, . . . such as it is. But now I realize that I might have a chance to see Adrienne and Justin again.”

“Is that it? You want to get access to my family?” he charged.

“Oh god no!” Leslie responded. Then sighed and hung her head. “But I understand you wanting to protect them, especially from some crazy woman that looks like Kora Horst. Forget I asked. It wouldn’t be the same anyway. They are gone from my life now and I have already accepted the fact that I would never see them again.”

They were interrupted by the beeping of Webber’s Wrist com. “Connor here! We need to see you in engineering”

“I’ll be right there!” Webber replied. He looked over at the despondent Leslie. “I’ll be talking to YOU again, later.”

Webber left, Locking the door behind him once again.

About a half-hour later the door opened once again. It was Webber, this time accompanied by Both Melissa and Commander Connor. The dazed look on Webber’s face spoke volumes.

“We tested the metal sample.” Said Webber.

Leslie smiled, insightfully. “Yes I can see that.”

“It is as Bainbridge has suggested.” Said Melissa. “The tracings up to the middle of last January last year are identical. From that point on they are at variance with all of the other materials of this ship.”

“Meaning?”

“The materials are from different realities, but up until January they were one in the same. Some event caused them to split into two different universes. It happens all the time, only we are never aware of it. Since a given reality is complete within itself we have no common reference points, there is no way for us to know if a split has taken place---Except in a case such as this where we have elements from two different realities to compare with each other.”

“Enough with the scientific gibberish already.” Said Leslie. “You are saying that this reality split off from our own?”

“Or vice versa” Melissa replied. “It is all relative.”

Leslie thought about it a moment and then turned to Webber. “January huh? Did anything interesting happen last January near the Sirian ORD belt?” Leslie asked.

Now it was Webber’s turn to think.

Commander Connor spoke up first. ”Yes, That attack on the transport.”

“Yes, Now I remember.” Webber began. “ Three Raiders attacked a transport. We destroyed one and the other two flew off. We began to chase them, but a reaction Coil Relay blew out. We had to abort the pursuit. Thank the fates ---Telemetry revealed that three Enforcer ships had materialized a few thousand Kiloclicks downrange. It looked like a deliberate ambush attempt. They would have come down right on top of us had we followed the Raiders. We barely escaped as it was.”

“In my reality, the relay did not blow out.” Said Leslie “We pursued, I got one of the raiders before the other one jumped, but then the Enforcers came it was all over. We were boarded, I went down fighting, there were just too many of them.”

“They took me to Konstantin’s headquarters, wherever that was. To make a long story short they used some kind of alien DNA altering device on me. Changed my DNA to match Kora’s, that’s why I look like her.”

“Why did they choose Kora Horst?” Asked Webber.

“Availability, I suppose, or likely Konstantin’s ideal woman. Kora was his mistress. I guess she still is, in this universe.”

“So she works for Konstantin himself!” Webber exclaimed. But why go through all that trouble? Why didn’t Konstantin just kill you?”

“He didn’t want to make a martyr out of me—--so he claimed. He wanted me to serve as a warning to other ambitious Space Command officers instead. He also knew about the Space Command regulation that forbids a woman from the top Captaincy of a starship. I would never again be able to captain a starship again.”

“Just for good measure He thought that he would really fuck me up. If the sex change wasn’t already enough, he had his officers gang rape me, before they dumped me, bruised, bleeding and unconscious at the ranch. He figured what he had put me through would end the threat of Leslie Webber once and for all.”

“Apparently it didn’t.” Webber observed.

“You’re damned right it didn’t!”

“Thank God for Adrienne. She saved my life. I woke up in the hospital. . .

Suddenly Leslie thought of something. “Uhhh. . . By the way, Adrienne hasn’t been involved in any local politics lately has she?”

“Nothing,” Webber replied “Aside from the petition to recall Governor Sanders, but then again, most of the Colony is on board for that. We all know he is in the Syndicate’s pocket and this thing with raising the taxes to the point where most of the ranchers can’t pay---well, its just intolerable.”

“A meeting! Is there going to be a meeting?” Leslie frantically exclaimed.

“Why yes, tomorrow at the Convention center. They want me to give a short speech. I plan to begin heading back to BS4 sometime in the morning, as soon as this patrol tour is over and we decide what to do with you.”

Immediately Leslie jumped up and grasped Webber by the front of his uniform and snatched him closer. He was shocked by how fast she moved. For a split second he thought that she was attacking him once again. And he began to move his arms around to pull her off, but then she spoke.

“We’re going back NOW!” she exclaimed in no uncertain terms. Webber could feel her hot breath on his face. “We can’t let Adrienne and Justin attend that meeting!”

“Hey! What’s this---?” Webber managed to say before Leslie released her grip.

“A Bomb! Webber, a BOMB!” Said Leslie. “I . . . I don’t know how much is the same in this reality and my own, but where I came from Adrienne and Justin were among the victims when a bomb was set off in the Sandersville Convention Center on May the fifteenth.”

Webber looked incredulous, but concerned. “But. . . That’s ridiculous. Who?. . . Why?. . . That Sanders is a chicken shit, big man wannabe. He’d be the first suspect. He couldn’t risk. . .”

“God Damnit!” Leslie shot back, “Sanders IS Konstantin! He doesn’t give a damn about publicity or his political career. He wants to make an example of those people who would oppose the Syndicate and their agents. And above all, he wants to kill YOU. He knows you plan to be there.”

“Sanders?, You’re kidding?” Webber replied. “That Jackass couldn’t---“

“He fooled ME too Webber, I’ll not go into how I discovered his true identity, but we don’t have time to discuss this bullshit. Turn this damned ship around and head for BS4 immediately---and pray we don’t get back there too late.”

“Hey, how do I know that you aren’t trying to divert this ship from my patrol area?”

“GOD DAMNIT!” Leslie flew into the man once again. ”If YOU won’t turn this ship around, I will get back on my own vessel and go there myself!----And God help YOU or anyone else who tries to stop me!”

“Aren’t you forgetting that you are a detainee here?” Webber replied.

“Adrienne and Justin are in danger. Don’t think that the small matter of escaping back to my ship is a problem for me. And don’t think for a second that I wouldn’t hesitate to kill YOU or destroy the Proteus, if I had to, to save my wife and child.”

Leslie got back into Webber’s face. “I’ve fried a LOT bigger fish than YOU, Mountie boy, even after my change. You don’t want to take ME on. --Hell! I AM YOU, only meaner, and we both know what YOU would do to protect your family.”

“Okay! Okay! Hold it! I’ll head back to BS4, but YOU are coming with me. If anything happens out here while I am gone or if your warning is a false alarm, I’ll personally see to it that you are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law with everything I can charge you with.”

“Agreed!” Leslie replied, “now let’s change course. My own Commander Connor, can follow us in the Retribution.”

“She is staying here too. Consider yourselves roommates. Ensign Hickson is a qualified helmsman, he should be able to handle your vessel.”

Webber activated the nearby com-Screen. “Mister Saunders, set course and take us back to BS4 immediately.”

“Might I remind you that there are still eight hours left in our tour?” Lieutenant Saunders replied.

“Don’t question me Lieutenant, just do it.” Said Webber, mildly irritated. “And Order Hickson on the Retribution to follow us at ten clicks. Leave the guard on board.”

“As you request, Captain.” Saunders responded.

Webber turned to Leslie. “You know I still can’t trust you, but only a person desperate to protect something as precious as their family would behave as you did. If there is ANY chance that Adrienne and Justin may be harmed, I must do what I can to avert it.”

“That’s all I ask” said Leslie somewhat relieved.

Webber got up from the chair. He hesitated for a second. “Would you really have killed me?”

“If you had to, would you kill yourself to save your wife and kid? I know it’s not quite the same thing but close enough.”

Leslie and Webber smiled at each other. They both knew the answer. “Oh by the way,” Webber asked, “How would you have done it?”

“My secret for now,” Leslie replied, “But rest assured I could have done you in at least three times already today, had I been so inclined. Perhaps later, when you trust me better, I will show you a few of my tricks.”

Webber smiled once again and left Leslie’s room. Melissa tested the door afterwards---it WAS locked.

“He still doesn’t really believe us.” Said Leslie, “Even after all he’s seen, and the anylysis of the metal sample.”

“You have to admit our story IS a bit far-fetched.” Melissa replied. “The results of that quantum matrix reading shook his confidence though. And he did comply with your request to change course.”

“That makes sense. I always took possible threats on my family very seriously.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“He might not consider the evidence as enough basis to swallow the whole story, but what there is of it is enough to concern him.---Hey, I can believe I was him, but he has considerably more of a problem believing the reverse, that I am him too. To me, HE looks like I did, to him, I look like one of his Wanted Posters.”

“So what are we going to do?” Asked Melissa.

“Just cool our heels in here until we reach BS4. That’s where we are headed anyway. Then we are going to help my counterpart find the person who set the bomb and stop him before it is too late.”

“Are you sure there is a bomb, Leslie? This is not the same reality anymore you realize.”

“Oh, I am sure. Until I showed up that day, Konstantin. . . Sanders thought I was completely out of the picture. The meeting had been set up long before and Sanders, no doubt, had also been planning to disrupt it. My own history had nothing to do with his bomb plot.”

“Yes, it does make sense. That except for your own life, and that what you and the Proteus incident effected, events would continue to progress on as they had been, even in this reality. Word of you exploits on the Axel Two Mine never reached BS4 until the day of the bombing. But still, we cant be 100 percent sure. If there is no bomb plot, then “Webber” will not be happy.”

“He’ll be very happy that his family was not in danger, but not happy with us. I fear that it will do little for our credibility. I only hope Bainbridge can figure out a way to use that QUELL to get us back to our own reality. We might need to be ready to make a run for it.”

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2