The Feminist Queendom Charlie’s War 54

© 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.
Margaret Thomas ‘Failed’ police security guard.
Sally. 1st Oz Special forces trooper
Jacky 2nd Oz Special forces trooper.
Juliet Charlie’s Mal engineering assistant.
Laura The second mate of the Second Dawn
Kate (Katherine Bergson) The Australian defence minister.
Lieutenant Engadine Asi Charlie’s second prisoner.

Chapter 54

After the children’s early morning bedroom games were finished, the Sage family and guests had another ‘al-fresco breakfast in the orchard. After the meal and some long chats over copious cups of coffee, Chloe arose to return to work at the miner’s hospital while Charlie simply declared he had ‘business elsewhere.’
Lieutenant Asi realised she would be at another loose end for the rest of the day and she asked Charlie exactly where he was going. Charlie simply replied that he had work to do for the Woomera research company and that he would be gone for some time.

Lieutenant Asi had to be content with that vague answer and after Charlie had left she turned to Inspector Margaret Thomas for a more informed answer.

“How long will he actually be when he say’s ‘some time’?”

“I don’t know and I don’t ask. My job is to make sure the children are safe and their home is not attacked.”

“Attacked?” Lieutenant Asi wondered.

“Oh yes. Your principals are not the only people looking to capture, kill or exploit Charlie.”

“Who are the others?”

“Well, the United Queendom of Britain have tried once to kidnap his children to try and blackmail him to return to Britain. They nearly achieved it as well, except for the remarkable properties of his spaceship Dawn. They eventually found out about the abilities of that mobile home he calls Doris, and it’s capacity to travel long distances over land and sea but they, like us, had no idea he was developing a better engine for his spaceship Dawn.”

“Where did he build Dawn?”

“Chloe said she thinks it’s somewhere in Antarctica but we’ve only got her word for that.”

“D’ you believe her?”

“No, but she has not lied because she said she only THINKS Charlie goes down to Antarctica. Anyway, we don’t go snooping, because if we do, he’ll refuse to let us use the technology. It’s enough that we have access to the engines, without needing to understand the secrets.”

“So that’s his deal. Australia returns to a full, universally franchised democracy and he allows you to utilise his engines.” Lieutenant Asi re-iterated.

“You’ve got it missy.”

“So who do you think is behind the plot to obstruct the new liberty bill they’re debating in Canberra?”

“It’s obviously some dysfunctional, misanthropist, extreme faction of the feminista order.”

“Yes. That’s what I’ve come to realise. I hate to say this, but I think Charlie and I have the same aims.”

“He told me that yesterday, that’s why he’s not locking you up under a secure guard,”

“Am I free to come and go?”

“With an escort for your OWN protection, yes. But remember, we have no idea who is and who isn’t a feminista extremist.”

“Are you a member of the feminista party,” the lieutenant asked bluntly.

“No. And Charlie knows that.”

“How?”

“We shared the dangers of the UQ kidnap attempt. Partners in arms. When you’ve shared those dangers, you learn who your friends are.”

“I would like to be on his side.”

Margaret let out an explosive laugh.

“Ha! It’ll take a lot more than some feeble declaration of intent to win Charlie’s trust. He’s walked the walk.”

“So you’ve no idea when he’s coming back?”

“Chloe will know. They don’t keep secrets from each other.”

“I’ll ask her tonight.”

“I doubt that she’ll tell you. She’s every bit as aware as Charlie about protecting the secret.”

“Has anybody tried to hack into his computers?”

“Forget that Lieutenant. He doesn’t keep anything on his computers, or should I say, Chloe’s computers. Legally speaking, he cannot own a computer until the equality bill is passed into law.

“How the hell did he keep track of his science?”

Margaret smiled condescendingly as she explained softly.

“Lieutenant, as far as we know and the UQ people seem to confirm this. Charlie worked it all out in his head, and what’s more impressive is that he keeps it in his head.”

Lieutenant fell silent. The very idea of storing that much information in a human brain was hard to grasp. The additional idea that it was a male brain, was difficult to accept in a mind that had been raised from infancy to believe that females were more intelligent and harder working.

Margaret could almost hear Engadin’s’ mind clunking reluctantly and she smiled knowingly.

“Yeah. Get over it love; we have.”

“Are you on his side?” Engadine asked bluntly. “You know, fully prepared to accept men back as equals. – With all the dangers that implies.”

“I can’t say I’ve ever felt endangered around Charlie. Quite the contrary, he listens to what people say and more often than not agrees with their ideas. Many’s the times I’ve had to change my view after watching him respond to a problem or an issue. I’ve rarely seen him argue or shout. He seems to avoid conflict like the plague. Chloe says that when she met his mother she was surprised that there never seemed to be any parent-child conflict. He never argued with his mother except when it came to maths and science, - and she gave up on that when he was in his early teens..”

Engadine nodded her head resignedly.

“That figures, his maths is way, way out there. I don’t suppose even his mother could understand his maths. I don’t and I was top of my class at uni for maths.”

“And in all else?” Margaret pointed out, “he seems to leave it to Chloe. Politics, humanities, societal issues. He just doesn’t seem to bother his head except to support Chloe. It’s Chloe that drives the marriage and equal rights issues in that relationship. It’s Chloe you should be talking to if you want to drive the equality issues here and elsewhere.”

“That was our plan when we invaded. It’s a pity we didn’t know about Charlie before we blundered in.”

“You do now, so Carpe’ diem. Speak to Chloe tonight.” Margaret finished then added.

“Now, we’re taking the children to the beach today. We never declare which beach just to protect them from any potential kidnapping. There’ll be about twenty discreet but well-armed soldiers covering the picnic. D’ you want to come?”

“I’ve got nothing else to do until tonight. Okay, I’ll get my stuff.”

Lieutenant Asi enjoyed a rare day of restful pleasure at the beach playing with the children while never having to look over her shoulder or worry where the children might have got to. In the evening she met again with Chloe who had returned from work at her casualty clinic.

“Busy day?” Engadine asked.

“A bit,” Chloe replied, “An accident with one of the drag-line excavators, man with a crushed foot. Plus the usual hotch-potch of minor stuff. What have you done?”

“Played on the beach with your kids,” Engadine confessed.

“With Margaret?”

“Yeah, her and half the aussie special forces.”

“Yes, I’ve no doubt you’ve learned why. The danger to our children is still considered to be real.”

“That’s sad, having to worry about your kids all the time.”

“Until Charlie gets things up and running and we’ve got the whip hand with military hardware, Oz is vulnerable.”

” Yeah. I get that. Talking of getting up and running, when will Charlie be back?”

“I don’t know, I’m guessing weeks rather than months but there’s no knowing.”
“Is it true he builds his engines down in Antarctica?”

“You should know better than to ask that.” Chloe censured her mildly.

“Sorry. I wasn’t spying, honestly. After chatting to him, I genuinely want to help.”

“Well, there’s nothing you can do at present. He’s got his trusted helpers and they don’t even know how or where he builds his engines.”

“Yes. He’s right to be cautious, the business up in Darwin told me that. The problem is, I’m bored just hanging around here all day.”

“Ahem.” Chloe cleared her throat diplomatically. “You are technically a prisoner of war; you do realised that don’t you?”

“Yes. It’s hard to remember that, playing on a beach all day.”

“Have you spoken to your wing-mate today?”

“No, if there’s any news, she calls me. I don’t have much to tell her down here in Sleepy hollow.”

“Just be glad it stays that way. Charlie will probably be speaking to me after dinner. If you want to offer your services, speak to him then. Though, to be honest, he’s very cagey about new faces.”

“Can you call him any time?”

“No. He always calls me, usually on the Dawns’ comms, and invariably from space to avoid being traced.”

“Later that evening, later than Engadine expected, the call came through. Chloe explained that Lieutenant Asi wanted to speak to him but her offer to assist was politely refused. Chloe smiled ruefully.

“As I said, Charlie’s very cagey.”

“I’ll just have to be patient.”

“Prepare for a long wait.” Chloe gave a wry smile.

ooo000ooo

It was to be a week before Charlie returned with two large spheres in the Back of his spaceship Dawn. Lieutenant Asi was intrigued to see them strapped down but she did not have time to study them closely. Charlie only stopped by at the house before taking his engines to the research base at Woomera. Lieutenant Engadine Asi would have loved to ask a load of questions but Charlie made it abundantly obvious that questions were not welcome. Indeed the lieutenant was not even invited to accompany Charlie to Woomera.

She watched resentfully as Inspector Margaret was invited instead and that was only because the inspector had reports to file in Canberra after dropping the engines off in Woomera.

Chloe sensed the young lieutenant’s disappointment.

“Don’t get too down-hearted. He’s paranoid about keeping the secrets of his engines just that; secret.”

The engine delivery was quickly completed and when the research scientists asked Charlie how long for the remaining engines he shrugged confessionally.

“Could be a month, could be two. I’m having to search farther afield for certain materials.”

“Materials as in what?”

“Oh come now, you don’t think I’m going to tell what materials or where I get them, do you.”

The researchers shrugged disappointedly and Charlie felt sorry for them.

“Think rare-earth metals from the Palladium group, the asteroids and the moons of the gas giants!”

“WHAT!”

“That’s right, way out there. I’ve spent more time prospecting than actually digging it out then smelting it.”

“Did you find much?”

“Enough.”

“And are you prepared to reveal your sources.”

“It’s pointless. You’ll not be ready to go there for years yet.”

“Yet you seem to get out there.”

“Amongst the asteroids and gas giants, yes.”

“Are you going back there?”

“Of course. Happen I’ve found a rich source, way out past Mars.

“And all that in a month?”

“Yeah. Once you’ve cracked the science; the technology and engineering is not that difficult. Mining the minerals is summat’ else though! Space walks and zero gravity, tell me about it.
We are going to have to make better space suits by the way, but I’ve already discussed this with Woomera. If you want a useful job, you can get involved in designing, testing and producing better space suits.”

“Will that involve me doing space walks.”

“Of course it bloody will. What are space suits for? Operating spaceships, prospecting for minerals and recovering rare metals. Proper jobs; not some bloody arty-farty, bureaucratic sinecure!”

ooo000ooo