The Feminine Queendom Charlie’s War 58

© 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.
Lieutenant Angela Simm Charlie’s first prisoner

Chapter 58.

“Have you got the completed agenda for the negotiations?” The Australian Prime Minister asked her Defence Minister Katherine Bergson.

“For the twentieth time of asking Ma-am, yes.” Katie replied. “And I am fully conversant with which parts are none negotiable.”
“You know the world’s press will be there so remember, NO loose talk!”

“Ye-ess Boss,” Katie smiled and wagged her head affectionately as she added. “Don’t forget boss, thanks to Charlie we’ve got something of a whip hand here.”

“Well Charlie will be arriving with me on the Sunday next week, after you’ve thrashed things out. Especially these attempted incursions!”

“I’m pretty sure they’ll stop when they learn what happened to their first attempt and when they’re forced to reveal who the instigators were.”

“It’s pretty obvious the deal was an opportunist plot when the Middle Eastern Deal went pear shaped.”

“Yes, but this internal plot to try and create mayhem in Oz then turn the feminista out could have gone awfully wrong. It’s a good job we discovered the Algebra organisation and then realised that they and we had the same aims.”

“Once again, we’ve got Charlie Sage to thank for that.” Katie replied.

“Well he and I will be arriving Sunday with the ‘big stick.”

“Meaning you and he will turn up in that home-made spaceship of his.”

“The Dawn, that’s right.”

“It’s going to open a few eyes.” Katie grinned.

“And make them water,” the PM, chuckled back.

“See you Sunday then, wish me luck.” Katie finished as she stepped aboard the diplomatic flight.

The PM stood beside Charlie as they watched the plane clear the airport, then they turned to share a tea.

“Right Charlie. Who do you want in your party in Singapore?”

“We will need the two female Pilots Engadine and Angela. They are the hard evidence that we intercepted their incursion.”

“Of course, that’s a given. Will we be handing them back to their Algebra organisation?”

“That’s a last recourse, I hope we can negotiate an inclusivity agreement if we can persuade the Algebra organisation to accept a peaceful path to further reformation. I’m hoping my two prisoners will sway their minds.”

“I will need at least three security guards to protect me then,” the PM, observed, “in case those pilots have another plan.”

“Of course,” Charlie agreed, “That will just about fill the Dawn if we are to space hop. Seven people in her cockpit will just about fill her to bursting.
If we stayed down at troposphere level and travelled at three thousand knots, we could carry more in the none pressurised cargo hold but that would not demonstrate the Dawn’s capabilities.”

“I thought when we got there, we could possibly offer their Prime Minister a ride into space so that they would get the message.”

“It’s an option,” Charlie concurred, “but it might be better to keep an air of mystery about her first, then use it if the negotiations get stuck.”

“It would concentrate their minds nicely,” the PM, grinned.

The pair finished their afternoon tea and went their separate ways. They had six days before the Sunday summit meeting and Charlie needed a family break.
He stopped over at Woomera on his flight back to Hammersley and Invited Juliet to take Dawn into space for a few days to get him familiar and more confident with operating a spaceship on his own.

“It’ll be your first solo flight into space,” Charlie offered.

“Thanks boss. Much appreciated. I’ll give Mars a go.”

“Yeah. The astronomers tell me their polar ice cap is currently expanding
in the southern hemisphere. Might be a good Idea to collect a sample of the ice. Be back by Friday though, the PM and I are travelling to Singapore on Sunday.”

Juliet wagged her head with a disbelieving smile.

“Hell boss! Here I am off to Mars and you make it sound like a bloody family jaunt in the car!”

“Anti-gravity Julie, anti-gravity.”

“Ain’t that the truth!” Juliet agreed as he lifted silently into space.

ooo000ooo

Charlie turned to Chloe and Engadine.

“I think few days break will suite me just about fine. What about you two?” He asked Chloe and Lieutenant Asi.

“Are you happy to let that Juliet free to go to mars with your spaceship?” The lieutenant asked.

“He’s one of the few I can trust,” Charlie replied. Him and Chloe, that’s about all.”

“What about me?” Lieutenant Asi objected.

“After Singapore, I’ll have a better idea,” Charlie observed.

“Jeeze! What does a girl have to do?” She whined to Chloe.

“I warned you, he’s slow to trust anybody unless he’s got good cause.”

Charlie smiled and nodded affirmation to Chloe’s words.”

ooo000ooo

On the Friday, Juliet returned from Mars complete with several containers of the polar ice plus a large and varied collection of rocks. Each was carefully labelled and Charlie looked approvingly as he and Engadine joined the first mate for the short passage to Woomera.

“Plenty of material to keep your minerologists happy,” Charlie observed as they presented Juliet’s collection to the Woomera labs.

“Yeah. I’m going to do some reading up on geology and minerology before I next go to Mars.” Juliet reflected.

“Or the asteroid belt,” Lieutenant Asi observed. “There seems to be better pickings amongst all those orbiting rocks.”

“Ca-ching!” Juliet imitated a cash machine as she smiled.”

“Let’s not be getting ahead of ourselves,” Charlie cautioned. “The ‘Wild West’ scenario can only prevail in space until colonisation and civilisation, - proper civilisation that is – is established throughout our solar system.”

“Who’s going to do that?” Juliet asked. “They haven’t been very successful on Earth have they?”

“Oh I don’t know.” Engadine opined. “The Antarctic treaty is still holding together.”
They chatted at length until all of Juliet’s samples had been registered and accounted for, then Charlie and Lieutenant Asi resumed their Flight to Canberra where the PM, the first captured pilot Angela, and three specialist assistants were waiting. Unknown to Engadine and Angela these assistants were not only diplomatic staff but also trained in armed protection.

After overnighting in Canberra, the diplomatic mission arrived in Singapore to meet a very surprised reception committee. Outside of Australia, little or nothing was known about Charlie’s type two gravity engines that enabled space flight.

As Charlie watched the reception committee start to expand as various interested parties appeared from the woodwork, he turned to the PM.

“I think I’ll sleep aboard the Dawn tonight and she can hover in stasis where nobody can sneak aboard.”

“That might be a good idea,” the PM concurred, “I don’t recognise a lot of those faces gathered behind their official reception committee.”

“D’ you think it’s a trap?” One of the diplomatic guards asked.”

“It’s crossed my mind,” Charlie replied, “perhaps it’ll be a good idea to keep a guard aboard Dawn at all times.”

As the PM security men nodded, Charlie turned and whispered to the PM.”

“I’ll keep my anti-hijack device with me at all times.”

“By that, I presume you mean your remote controller that enabled you to escape from the Darwin military base.”

“The very same Ma-am. They look as though they’re getting impatient. I suggest you step off the Dawn and commence your diplomatic endeavours.”

“That’s easy Charlie,” the PM smiled, “no negotiation without liberation.”

“And no sharing without caring,” Charlie finished.

The PM grinned.

“That’s a good slogan; you’re becoming a right little politician aren’t you?”

“I’ve spent my whole adult life keeping a diplomatic silence,” Charlie replied then added. “Least said; soonest mended.”

“Ah well,” the PM sighed, “here we go, wish me luck.”

“Dawn is your perpetual ace of trumps Prime Minister, never forget that.”

“Indeed I won’t Charlie. See you later this afternoon.”

Once everybody was disembarked, Charlie silently ascended to the edge of space and all communications were then relayed via the PM’s encrypted diplomatic laptop.

ooo000ooo

By the mid-afternoon, when the tropical heat was at its highest, the first round of preliminary discussions were completed and Charlie got his first call.

“They’d like to see what your spaceship can do.” The PM explained.

“Who, and how many?” Charlie checked.

“Their PM and the defence minister, my and Katie’s opposite numbers.”

“Okay. Just those two plus you and Katie. No armed guards though except your personal guard who’s here with me now.”
“That’s been agreed.”

“Okay. I’ll take them on a jaunt to the moon. That should give them some idea. It’ll take about two hours there and back but no moon walks.”

“Oh that’s a pity.” The defence minister injected.

“Sorry Katie. None of you have had any training with spacesuits. Despite the seeming ease that Dawn demonstrates, space walks and moon walks are still dangerous. I cannot and will not risk the lives of senior ministers. At the moment, you and the PM are the only politicians I trust, I don’t want to lose you.”

His words gave the two Australian ministers some cause for satisfaction and they turned to their Singaporean counterparts.

“That’s the best offer you’ll get. Take it or leave it.”

“We’ll take it.”
ooo000ooo

Twenty minutes later, Dawn was moon-bound with a very important cargo.

During the flight, the Singaporeans were left in no doubt about Charlie’s terms and conditions. Equal and universal rights for both sexes. When the Dawn returned, two very sober Singaporean ministers stepped off the ramp. As they departed to prepare for the formal reception dinner Charlie chatted at length with the Australians.

“Well, d’ you think they’re persuaded?”

“And then some,” Katie replied euphemistically.

The PM nodded. “We’ll get through this Charlie, but I’d dearly like you and Chloe to attend the dinner tonight.”
“What time is it on?”

“Eight o’clock.”

“You haven’t left me or Chloe much time. I’d also have to collect Juliet, my Chief officer to crew the Dawn while I’m at the dinner. I can’t be there until nine. I’ve got to collect Chloe in Hammersley, then find and collect Juliet, wherever he is.”

“Woomera surely?”

“Yes. But where in Woomera. He could be anywhere on the base.”

“Phone him.” The PM riposted.

“You’re forgetting prime Minister, Juliet is a Mal. He never made it academically as a female and he was no longer male thanks to a forced castration at thirteen. He’s one of the truly fucked up detritus of your previous feminista regime. Male in his head, still got a winkie but no balls. The cruellest cut of all. And then condemned to be a female skivvy because he failed one single maths exam during his forced academisation.

He doesn’t have a phone yet Prime Minister, the wheels of your government grind exceeding slow. It’s got to go through all the bloody rig-ma-roll of changing bureaucratic processes in countless government departments plus of course the innate misanthropic mindsets of countless female managers in thousands of petty little government offices all over the country.

It’s not just me who has cause for resentment!”

“That doesn’t explain why you trust him.”

“He’s just the same as me but more on the engineering side. When I accidentally encountered him one late night as I was looking for a small-hour-supper. He was scrubbing floors and there was no food in the men’s canteen because the equipment had crashed.
I was starving after a twelve-hour stint of intensive thinking and when I turned up at the only canteen available at three o’clock in the morning, the equipment was down. As I stood cursing and wondering where I could get something to eat, he came slopping around the corner with his mop bucket and asked me what I was doing in the canteen at this unearthly hour.

There was a bloody great handmade sign saying out of order and there was no food until the maintenance crew arrived at nine.

I was about to walk away with my stomach stuck to my backbone when he secretly offered to fix the equipment, but he begged me not to tell anybody.

I knew why of course, the feminista rules; but I was famished. So he took some tools out of his overall locker and promptly fixed it. I watched him do it and I was impressed with his work. Then I asked him how he knew what he was doing while working as a Skivvy. He told me his story so I told him to see me by my work bench after he’d finished his shift.

I tested him with a few tricky repair tasks and concluded he was a bright mal who’d been unfairly treated by the examiners. I’m sure Katie can give you chapter and verse what it’s like.

Katie, the defence minister, and another wholly feminised man, nodded vigorously.

“Yes. Shitty days, thank god they’re over.”

“Yes,” Charlie agreed, “well anyway; I offered Charlie a job as my assistant and after some help with his maths, he passed some professional exams and now he’s my right-hand-man. He’s unsurpassed when it comes to the spaceship construction and general maintenance.

He can command the Dawn in Stasis while I attend your dinner.”

“I’ll explain why you’ll be late then but I sincerely want you there.”

“Why. To show me off like some trophy?”

“No. More like the colours on a wasp. To tell any potential enemies; look out, we are dangerous.”

“I’ll not be party to violence, unless it’s directed straight towards me.”

“You say that now Charlie but you’ve already retaliated against some that threatened your children.”

Charlie fell into a thoughtful silence as the PM repeated the old adage.

“To find peace, prepare for war.”

ooo000ooo