The Feminist Queendom Charlie’s War 29

©Beverly Taff

List of Characters.

Charlie Sage Maths and electronics genius.
Shirley Sage Charlies elderly mother
Chloe Charlie’s one time early school friend.
Josephine Flint Surgeon and associate of Chloe’s.
Mrs Jane Anston Director of Anston Aerospace.
Ronnie Garage mechanic at top of lane
Pauline Garage owner, Ronnie’s sister.
Briony Pauline’s teenaged daughter.
Billy Pauline’s middle son.
Abigail (Abby) Pauline’s youngest daughter.
‘Poppy’ Charlie’s little micro-runabout.
‘Doris’ The armoured mobile home.
‘Lady’ Chloe’s Sports Car.
Dawn Charlie’s armoured spaceship.
Colonel Wilson Vindictive misanthropist doctor.

Chapter 29.

“So, ladies,” Charlie ventured after the tea and biscuits we’re finished. “Sorry I can’t offer you a moon-walk or a picnic. It’s a bit inclement out there. Have you considered what you’d like to be written? Your parting words to the moon as it were?”

“More like the opening shots in the next big gender war.” The defence minister observed.

Charlie grinned.

“I applaud your perspicacity. Yes, that’s my biggest fear as well.”

“I was thinking of something along the lines of the preamble to the declaration of independence.” The prime minister offered. “You know; ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: - “

Charlie frowned before observing.

“I applaud your sentiments Prime Minister, and I certainly concur with them save for a couple of words. The founding fathers suggested those inalienable rights to have been endowed by a ‘maker;’ that is some supreme being, with religious origins. I’m a bit wary of involving religion. Historically religion has invariably proven to be divisive and destructive usually because of its patriarchal origins. Besides, writing that across the moon with my spaceship as the pen would take forever and we haven’t got much time. We’ve only got about six hours of air left.”

“How about some hieroglyphics?” Jane Anston suggested. “You know a picture of a man and a woman being equal and balanced on a set of scales.”

“The graphics would take too long to load into the navigation computer though you’ve given me an excellent idea.” Charlie grinned.

“Go on.” Jane pressed.

“The easiest thing to enter into the computer are numbers, letters and symbols, - mostly maths symbols. How about a simple equation of equality expressed mathematically so as to avoid the language issue? You know; arguments about which language should be used.”

“Can you think of one?” Jane asked.

Charlie paused thoughtfully then had a lightbulb moment.

“Yes, I think I can.”

“Go on,” the Prime Minister cajoled him.

“How about this?”

Charlie enlarged the font on his computer screen and tapped in the following simple equation.
XX-greater than or less than XY = 0

The politicians looked at it and just frowned as they shook their heads, but Jane Anston and Chloe looked at it thoughtfully as they cautiously interpreted their thoughts. Chloe spoke slowly.

“I’m guessing it means female greater than, or less than, male equals the end.”

“Got it in one darling!” Charlie hugged his wife.

“And in the universal language of science!” Jane Anston added; “Maths.”

“Precisely,” Charlie finished.

“I can go with that,” the defence minister offered, and the Prime Minister agreed.”

“Okay then Mr Sage. Go ahead and plough your field. Are you happy Lady Jane?”

“More than. I’m fascinated to see how this ship writes in the dust.”

Charlie set about programming the docking computer, while Chloe went over to a secondary console and released a small antigravity drone that promptly sent images back to the little screen. The guests were split between watching Charlie preparing the docking computer and watching Cloe as she navigated the drone to a spot some hundreds of metres above the Spaceship ‘Dawn.’

Soon they were watching the drone image as they saw their spaceship Dawn lift just fifty centimetres above the billiard-table smooth crater floor. Then Charlie lowered a robust steel skeg and the ship manoeuvred delicately to scribe out the agreed equation. Within an hour the message was clear from the drone but from the spaceship it looked like a badly ploughed field as the guests peered across the newly turned furrows. When it stopped, Charlie settled back in the command seat and gave a little sigh of satisfaction.

“Well! I think we’re done here ladies. Chloe, d’ you want to do the honours and bring us home? We need to discuss where you ladies want to be delivered.”

The three guests exchanged knowing glances before suggesting Canberra. Charlie pulled a wry smile.

“Fancy making an entrance, do you ladies?”

The Prime Minister smiled ruefully.

“I’ve been missing for several hours so there might be a state of emergency in the Parliament Building. I think it best we give the security forces an obvious explanation or they’re bound to be in a blue funk!”

“Yeah. I suppose you’re right, but you must warn them by radio first, or have you got your mobile phone?”

She pulled her phone from her handbag as she nodded.

“Good,” said Charlie. “Okay then, Canberra it is. Chloe, can you take us home please.”

ooo000ooo

Lady Jane watched slightly enviously as Chloe deftly landed the ship precisely on the ‘H’ of the Canberra parliament helipad. Charlie noticed Jane’s envious gaze and smiled patronizingly.

“It’s all right Jane; Chloe’s fully licensed to operate a spaceship.”

“Who issued her license?” Jane asked provocatively.

“I did. D’ you know of anybody else qualified to train and test her?”

Charlie’s ‘put down’ rankled the managing director of one of the most successful aero-space companies on the planet but she was forced to bite her tongue. The Spaceship Dawn had landed amidst a crowd of Australian government officials and the Prime Minister was still busy on her phone as Charlie set about opening the airtight doors.

As the door swung back the defence minister stepped forward.

“I’d better go first. There’s no knowing if some crazy idiot might still think we’re bloody aliens and take a shot at us.”

“Be my guest,” Charlie agreed as he next opened the rear ‘clam-shell’ doors.

This revealed the doughnut of politicians who had been advised by the Prime Minister that they would be disembarking from the rear. Fortunately, the press had been held well back and there was no clamour of photographers or reporters, just a group of relieved yet sombre officials. Being the skilled politician that she was, the Prime Minister spoke first.

“Good morning ladies. It’s good to be back. As I discussed with the speaker of the house on my phone once we were close enough, we must get down to business immediately.”

The speaker, who had stepped forward, acknowledged the Prime Minister and defence minister as they walked down the rear ramp.

“Good morning Prime Minister. It’s a relief to have you back.”

“It’s a pleasure to be back Madam Speaker, now as we discussed on my phone, we must get straight down to business.”
The speaker studied Charlie and Chloe who had slipped masks and sunglasses on to avoid universal recognition.

“Is it really necessary to wear disguises?”

Chloe replied for both of them.

“For now, yes, until we are certain of our safety.”

“Very well, let’s go to the cabinet room, there’s a lot to get done.” The speaker advised.

“You bet your bottom dollar there is!” The defence minister exclaimed. “There will have to be a full sitting of the house, - tonight!”

“Is this right Prime Minister?” The Speaker demanded. “It’s normally my prerogative to call the house unless there’s a state of emergency.”

“When you hear what’s afoot, you’ll be calling a sitting Madam Speaker; and that’s for sure. Shall we go in?”

“Is anybody else attending.”

“Not yet. Just we astronauts and you.”

Astronauts?”

“Yes, we’ve just returned from the moon and if you look through a sufficiently strong telescope, you’ll see another message. That message is the agenda for a full sitting of the house.”

Once around the cabinet office table, the Prime Minister laid out Charlie’s conditions. The speaker read them, and the accompanying endorsements attached by the Prime Minister. When she had completed reading, she took a deep breath and turned to Charlie.

“You’re not asking for much are you?”

“What? A universal franchise, a functioning democracy and equality for all! No, I don’t believe it is much.”

“For the whole damned planet?”

“Eventually, yes.”

“You’re mad!” The Speaker exclaimed.

“I suggest you let your full parliament decide that.” Charlie countered.

“Very well. We’ll debate this in the house, but it will take a day or two to recall parliament. Are you agreeable Prime Minister?”

“More than.” The Prime Minister replied.

Charlie stood up slowly so as not to alarm anybody.

“Well, that seems to have settled it ladies. When I see some progress, I promise to supply you with a spaceship enjoying the same technology as my own ship. It will be slightly larger and will require an input from your own industries. It will be a demonstrator craft for you to negotiate with other countries from a position of strength.”

“Will you be releasing the secrets of your science or just allowing us the benefits of your antigravity drive?” Lady Anston pressed.

“For now, just the benefits; so, I must caution you, that any attempt to learn the secrets by reverse engineering or dismantling the engines could lead to injury or death. The engines will be encased in substantial containers that will protect them from interference. I’ll listen to any more questions after you’ve decided in Parliament what you intend to do.”

ooo000ooo

After laying his cards on the table, Charlie prepared to leave. He glanced questioningly towards Chloe who nodded agreement. Both of them wanted to see their children so they left without further ado.

The grounds outside the Parliament were crowded with women who were still arriving to see if the story was true. When it had proven to be so, there was an excited chatter of expectation. Inevitably, the hastily assembled cordon of federal police struggled to hold the restless crowd as the parliament doors opened and two ordinarily dressed people simply emerged from the parliament doors and started to walk to the ship.

The crowd surged forward simply to get a better look but inevitably, the cordon broke and a few dashed forward in some insane hope of somehow boarding the craft. Charlie and Chloe were forced to sprint the last few yards then only just closed the clamshell cargo door before several hopefuls snatched to try and gain a handhold.

As they heard the shouting and the odd pebble being thrown against the hull to try to somehow attract the attention of the occupants, the pair shuddered and quickly steered for the secret place where their children were hidden. In less than thirty minutes they had crossed Australia and were hovering above Chloe’s home on the access road to the Hammersley mines.

“I don’t see any life down there.” She remarked as they descended.

“They’ll be inside,” Charlie replied. It’s bloody hot down there at this time of day. They’ll be taking advantage of the A.C.”

“I still don’t like it, at least one of the guards should have noticed us!”

Charlie concentrated on landing the spaceship in the limited space provided by the space behind the house that was open to the outback. By the time they had touched down, Chloe was adamant there was something wrong.

“There should be at least one guard coming out to greet us. I’ve got a bad feeling about this!”
By now Charlie was also worried. The government had promised to keep the children safe but there was no sign of anybody. Chloe was growing frantic.

Nervously Charlie emerged from the rear of the ship that was pointing away from the house, then he approached very cautiously only to find the door unlocked.

“Hello-oo! Is there anybody inside?” He called several times.

There was no reply until he entered the kitchen and a muffled groan confirmed the worst. The guard had been overpowered and the children were gone.

ooo000ooo