The Feminist Queendom Charlie’s War 62

© 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 62

“Have you seen these pictures Captain Sage?”

The base commander swivelled his screen to face Charlie who studied the images.

“No colonel, truth to tell, we haven’t looked at any news items since leaving Singapore.”

“That is you covered in blood I presume?”

“Yes. Superficial scalp wounds that look far worse than they are.”

“Technically, that could be interpreted as an act of war if they ever find the gunman.”

“Not my problem Colonel. As soon as I was patched up, we evacuated to Australia.”

“Have you heard anything about the air-attack on the Island of Riau.”

“No,” Charlie lied disingenuously.

Technically, Charlie had had not heard from any ‘third party’ about the attack. He had enacted the attack, certainly; but he had not actually heard any reports about it.

“Well, the base is a mess and the Chinese are incandescent about it.”

“Have they identified the attackers?” Charlie asked feigning innocence.

“Not yet, they haven’t identified any missile remains or spent weapons anywhere near the base.”

“I’m sure their military forensics teams will find something! If or when they do, they’ll have evidence enough to bring the perpetrators to book.”

“I suppose you’re right,” the colonel conceded. “Now to other business.”

“Go on,” Charlie encouraged the colonel.

“Have you seen Dawn two since you arrived?”

“No, is she ready?”

“Pretty much,” the Colonel smiled, “come and have a look.”

They crossed the base to the newly built covered building slips and Charlie smiled with satisfaction.

“She looks a lot more purposeful than my little ship.”

“Oh yes, thanks for letting our own designers choose the shape and form. The super-smooth finish and streamlining ensures a better transition from high atmosphere to low-space velocities.”

“Are those blisters what I think they are?”

“Yes; gun turrets.”

“Mmmm.” Charlie intoned softly.

The colonel sensed Charlie's mood and asked.

“You disapprove I suspect.”

Charlie nodded more with disappointment than anger.

“Privately, yes. But I have to accept that cruel necessity dictates she will have to defend herself at some stage if events turn out as we are anticipating.”

“Sadly, yes.” The colonel agreed. “When will we be getting more antigrav engines?”

“When I can get back to my workshops and that will be this afternoon I hope.”

“You’d best get some sleep then.”

“I’ll sleep aboard the Dawn; I need to have a long chat with my first mate.”

“That will be Juliet, the Mal.”

“The very same. He’s a brilliant engineer, a catastrophic loss to the gene-pool.”

“Amen to that. Let me know when you’ve got some more engines and we can decide what sort of spacecraft we’ll need.”

“From what I’ve seen and heard about the Chinese air-force, we’ll need fast, nimble and well-armed fighters.”

These somewhat vague but suspiciously cryptic words alerted the colonel.

“Is there something you’re not telling me Captain?”

“Nothing we don’t already know! That is, that the Chinese are prepared to supply aircraft to unknown organisations that have tried to breach Australian airspace. I refer you to the four jets destroyed and captured in Queensland.”

The colonel fell into a thoughtful silence. She was certain that Charlie was not telling her everything but then, everybody knew that the famous physicist was notorious for keeping things close to his chest. The colonel was just thankful that Charlie Sage was now firmly on their side; and she saw it as her job to keep him there.

Her best option was to protect Charlie and his precious anti-gravity secrets.

“Very well captain, I suggest you get on with making some more engines and enabling us at Woomera to build a squadron of spacecraft if only to defend our airspace.”

“Seems like a plan,” Charlie conceded, “all I ask is that Oz doesn’t attack any approaching UFO’s without first identifying them and then checking with your PM and or your defence minister whether it’s okay to attack.

I do not accept that belligerence is the way forward for now.” Charlie finished.

“Yes, you’ve made that abundantly clear. The fact that you persuaded Parliament to reverse the Feminista laws is evidence of that.”

“Do you agree with those reversals Colonel?”

“In the main, yes; but your ‘carrot and stick’ approach using antigrav was a tad forceful.”

“Need’s must colonel, though I would argue I was pushing at a half-opened door.”

The colonel shrugged for she knew Charlie was partly right; but she privately wondered if the new legislation would ‘once-and-for-all’ resolve the previously age-old battles of the sexes.

Having established the way forward for her immediate concerns, namely the construction of a modest but powerful ‘space-force;’ the colonel felt their business was concluded. Charlie also sensed the meeting was over and he motioned towards the door.

“I’ll contact you when I’ve built a dozen engines, that’ll give you an initial force of six space fighters.”

“Thank you, and I’ll let you know when Dawn Two will be ready for her test flight.”

“I think it might be a good idea to let Juliet enjoy that privilege, he’s been a loyal side-kick since I asked him to join me.”

“Are you sure you can trust him? He’s not only a Mal, he’s a malcontent!”

“That's hardly surprising is it? What with the shit he went through! When you next meet him, I’m hoping he’ll be over all that.”

“What does that mean?” The colonel stared uncertainly.

“Trust me,” Charlie replied as he departed for his bed.

ooo000ooo

In the early afternoon, Charlie awoke to find Juliet quietly checking over Dawn two on the assembly slip.

“Pleased with her?” Charlie asked as he crept up behind his first mate.

“Eeek! Bloody hell you startled me! Don’t do that!”

“Gosh you’re jumpy. Calm down mate.” She observed before whispering softly. “Nobody knows and the Chinese are going ape-shit.”

“I hope you’re bloody right,” Juliet replied in a similar whisper. “We’re gonna’ need thousands like this if they ever do find out. You saw how they swarmed a technically superior force when they invaded Taiwan.”

“No, that was Feminista propaganda." Charlie explained. "The Taiwan forces were not much technically superior to the Chinese despite all the feminista republics combining their forces. With the feminista republics fractured and disorganised, the Chinese defeated them simply with a bigger force and better organisation.”

“How do you know that?” Juliet asked while still whispering.

“Just remember I dropped out of society after they stopped my education. Charlie Sage had to choose his own rows to hoe, and those rows bypassed feminista history books. My Mummy told me a lot of unpalatable truths and I learned very early on, not to trust Feminista history.”

“Okay,” Juliet agreed, “but we’re still going to need a few thousands of these to meet them head on.”

“You’re forgetting just how far anti-gravity puts us ahead of their aircraft.”

“How?” Juliet wondered.

“Simple,” Charlie explained, “their air-to-air missiles are only designed to explode in or around an aircraft. They depend on heat sensors or radar tracking and even then they mostly explode within a few feet of the target. That sort of strike does not contain sufficient kinetic energy to penetrate or damage a tank’s armour and these ships are as well armoured as a main battle tank.

The difference is, they travel thousands of knots faster than a battle tank and they can dodge a missile with terrific agility. They don’t depend upon air effect to change direction like a missile’s fins, or an aircraft’s ailerons. They can step aside with remarkable agility as the missile streaks past; just like a toreador playing with a charging bull.

An anti-tank missile has to score a direct hit on it’s target to squash, punch, burn or slice through the armour. That’s bloody difficult when your target is actually faster than your missile. These space craft are going to be bloody difficult to knock out while we only have to touch their jets and their skins break apart.

Their troops are very soon going to lose heart when they see their weapons just bouncing off or simply failing to damage our ships.”

Juliet smiled then conceded the argument but raised other points about the vast size of the Chinese Communist army. Something that Charlie had to agree with, but she pointed out that no country had ever gone to war with absolute certainty on their side.

The pair sat on some crated components and continued drinking tea as they chatted at length about several issues. Eventually, Charlie asked Juliet what he most wanted out of the new liberated government.

“I’d like some compensation for my enforced castration. And then compensation for denying me a chance to make a decent living.”

“You and a thousand million others,” Charlie sympathised.

"I that respect, I can only speak for myself." Juliet sighed.

“You’re making a living now,” Charlie contested.

“Yeah, but no thanks to those feminista bastards. You enabled me to get a decent job with plenty of money to spend but I’m still faced with a life of enforced celibacy until I die. I owe you my loyalty and my life but I owe the Feministas absolutely fuck all!

Score Oz nil Charlie Sage two; at least in my scorebook of life,” Juliet finished.

Charlie let out an involuntary chuckle but it was irony not mockery.

“Sorry Julie, I cant help you with the castration thing. All I can offer you is the privilege to test-fly Dawn Two. How does that grab?”

“You’ve done enough for me already Charlie. You owe me nothing; but thanks for the privilege and I’ll exercise it with your agreement.”

“By all means! Now I want to go back to Singapore to pick up Chloe. Are you game to come.”

“Sure. Are you doing it right away?”

“Yes.”

“Lead on MacDuff.” Juliet grinned.

There was nothing he liked more than whizzing about in Spaceships.

ooo000ooo

Charlie never normally filed flight plans when he flew in Dawn but, because of the unidentified attack on the Island of Riau, he calmed the Oz traffic controllers nerves and declared simply Singapore as his destination, though he did no post an ETA.

Thirty minutes later by prior arrangement with Chloe, he was meeting her at a discreet private Helipad attached to the Raffles Hotel. Once again, a heavy afternoon shower shrouded their arrival and departure, so only a few people noted the incident.

As expected, when Charlie and Juliet arrived, they found Singapore agog with the stories of the attack on Riau. Postulations and theories abounded though nobody seemed to connect the humongously destructive catastrophe at the airfield with the sedate, calm, and secretive arrival of Dawn. The only factor that people noticed with Dawn’s landings and take-offs was the eerie silence that seemed to indicate peace and tranquillity.

By prearrangement on his new mobile phone, Charlie had made a coded arrangement for an early meal at the Raffles hotel and Chloe met them in the restaurant with a pair of security guards at her back.

“Welcome back darling, you too Julie. Dinner is ready to serve.”

They ate quickly and within the hour the trio were embarked on Dawn and heading back to Woomera. Once in space and after agreement with Juliet, they changed their minds and diverted to Hammersley.

As Charlie piloted for a change, Juliet fell to chatting with Chloe about life as a Mal. At first, Juliet was quite reticent about his hardships but Chloe was a well-practiced surgeon with a particularly effective technique to extract people’s real feelings. As they chatted quietly, Chloe had soon determined Juliet’s issues with his enforced teenaged castration.

She realised that eventually, Juliet’s suppressed rage could lead to a breakdown and, if Juliet were piloting a spaceship at the time, there could be a serious incident. Chloe sensed that Juliet was not far off attempting Suicide.

When they arrived in Hammersley, the first couple of hours were spent in a maelstrom of parental delight as they indulged their children while Inspector Margaret Thomas and one of the guards made dinner. Since the spaceship had landed, Juliet had chosen to sit out on the porch with a cool beer as he listened to the children’s shrieks of delight,
Sadly, the longer he sat the more his sense of sadness and loss was reinforced by the sounds of the children.

The greatest loss that Juliet felt was never having become a father nor ever having the chance to become one. Eventually the sounds of ‘family’ from within the house became too much to bear. He retreated to the little cabin in the spaceship Dawn and closed off the heavy steel doors to block out the sounds. There, as tears flowed, he eventually fell asleep.

When dinner was ready, Chloe asked Charlie to fetch Juliet off the porch but of course when he looked he could not find him. A quick check soon located Juliet sleeping in the Dawn’s little cot with his back to the cockpit door and his face turned to the hull. Gently Charlie leaned over to wake his friend but he immediately noticed the tear-stained cheeks so he silently retreated and returned to the house to simply report that Juliet was sleeping.

“He must have been really tired then.” Chloe opined.

“Can’t think why,” Charlie replied. He slept all morning and I shared the piloting from Woomera to Singapore whilst I did all of it from Singapore to here. He’s had a pretty easy day.”

They commenced eating but Chloe could not help noticing Charlie’s subdued mood and when they went to bed she tackled him.

“Okay husband, out with it.”

“Uh. What?” Charlie wondered as she caught him on the hop.

“What’s bugging you? You hardly spoke all through dinner.

“I’m worried about Juliet.”

“What’s wrong?”

Reluctantly, Charlie related his earlier chats with Juliet and the issue of Juliet’s forced castration.

“It really hurts him; emotionally - I mean.”

“Well that must be true for lots of Mals. To have a penis that does not function sexually must be the unkindest cut of all. I mean girls like Katie are much better off, at least they can live, function and orgasm as a woman.”

“Your not getting me Chlo.’ When I found him sleeping in Dawn, he had been crying. Both his cheeks and the pillow were stained with tears.”

“Is that serious?”

“Maybe not for most people darling but for a spaceman, - well, I wouldn’t like to be sharing a spaceship with a mentally disturbed crewmate. I mean there’s so much to go wrong.”

“D’ you want me to chat to him or recommend a therapist?”

“I’m not sure about the therapist. You know how little problems can become major issues if doctors get involved. People can get black-listed or marked down for the silliest of things. I don’t want that to happen to Juliet. He’s been a loyal and proven buddy.”

“D’ you want me to speak to him?”

“Please.” Charlie pleaded, “he trusts you.”

“Okay then, tomorrow after breakfast. He should be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by then.”

ooo000ooo