The Feminist Queendom Charlie’s War 64

© 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 64

In their accommodation block that evening, Charlie and Juliet chatted quietly at length about preparations for the flight and the testicular transplant. Eventually, they slept soundly and woke refreshed the next morning to resume preparations.
They had decided to invite Laura to be Juliet’s first mate on Dawn 2 while Charlie had decided to give Lieutenant Engadine Asi (Engie) a chance to redeem herself by joining him as first mate on Dawn 1.

Laura was currently training at Woomera with view to becoming a spacer but Engadine, or Engie as she had become known, was currently under district arrest in Canberra with her wing-buddy Angela while the parliamentary inquiry was being organised to investigate their incursion and determine the intentions of the organisation the pair of lovers belonged to. The Australian investigations in Singapore had not proved complete because of the rush to get Charlie out of danger from assassination.

With the arrangements finalised Charlie went to Canberra to collect Lieutenant Asi, while Juliet and Laura supervised the secret loading of the prefabricated components of Moon-base Alpha. This was done inside a large shed and invisible to satellites. In Canberra, Charlie was able to use her influence to get Lieutenant Engadine Asi released from her citywide detention while her partner Angie was still detained.

“You’re using me as a political hostage,” Angie protested, “while Engie is free to go into space!”

“Yes.” Charlie told her bluntly. “Technically you are both still prisoners of war and you have not been tried for your crime of attacking Australia. When we return, you will both be expected to answer what ever questions the court martial asks. Just remember, we could have handed you over to the Chinese for stealing their fighter jets. Which would you prefer. A Chinese court or an Australian one?”

Angela fell silent as both she and her partner Engadine (Engie) contemplated the reality. Then Katie, the Australian Defence Minister emerged from the Parliament building to authorise Engie’s release and Charlie promptly arranged for Engie to board the dawn. He took Katie aside and explained secretly.

“Officially it’s a test flight for our bigger version and most people think we’re just doing a few orbital test flights of Dawn 2 but we are going to the moon to start building Moon-base Alpha in Shackleton Crater.”

“That’s the best site on the whole moon isn’t it?” Katie confirmed, thus demonstrating her astronomical awareness.

“Yes, it’s right at the southern Lunar pole but deep in perpetual shadow, while the crater rim is in perpetual sunlight. The base is thus protected from lethal solar radiation while just a few thousand metres away on the crater rim, the sun is fully and permanently visible. Perfect for generating electricity and heat.”

“I’m surprised that other nations have not landed there and claimed the location for their own bases.”

“It’s a difficult place to land while using crude rocket propulsion. If they damaged their craft they might not be able to relaunch and return to earth. That’s the beauty of Antigrav. Full control at all times and endless sources of propulsive power from whatever gravity is present.”

“Does Engadine know you’re going a’ moon?” Katie checked, thus demonstrating that Charlie’s expression for being moon bound was already gaining currency.

“No. I’ll enlighten her once we’re on our way back to Woomera.”

“Well good luck. I can’t wait to inform the house of Australia’s first Lunar landing.”

With these words, Charlie boarded Dawn 1 and returned to Woomera; a voyage of some twenty minutes made at the edge of space.

ooo000ooo

“Right missy,” Charlie ordered Engie once the Dawn 1 was air-born. “Lift your right leg up please.”

“What for?”

“I’m removing your electronic tag.”

“Are you authorised to do that. I don’t want to get into further trouble.”

“For an answer, Charlie held up the key to the ankle tag and grinned.”

“This is my authority; Katie issued it to me just now. I have to remove your tag.”

“Why?” Engie asked.

“The ankle cuff ring of your spacesuit is too narrow and it won’t fit over the tag.”

“Spacesuit!!” Engie squeaked.

“Yes, you don’t think you’re just going for a trip in Dawn 1 do you?”

“I don’t know what to think.”

“You’re coming with me as my first mate on a trip to the moon.”

“The Moon!!?” Engie almost shrieked.

“Don’t get that excited It’s not that big a deal.”

“It is for me. - My dream come true.”

“Believe me,” Charlie cautioned her. “It won’t be a dream; working in a spacesuit for six hours at a time, is not a walk in the park.”

“Working, doing what?”

“We will be assembling the first stage of the moon base. The parts are already prefabricated and if everything goes to plan, Juliet and Laura will have them loaded aboard Dawn 2. We have got other stuff to load on Dawn 1 when we get to Woomera.”

“Like what?”

“Solar panels, Lots of them. The frames to support them and cables to tap the energy down from the crater rim to the moon base.”

“It sounds like a work-up.”

“It is and it’s no walk in the park. Especially inside a hot, sweaty spacesuit where you cant urinate or defaceate for six hours.”

Engie pulled a face as Charlie laughed.

“Don’t worry. There will be pills to stop you going.”

“And then pills to make you go after you’ve finished.”

“Not necessary;” Charlie explained. “Once you’ve finished work you’ll be desperate to go. The pills keep you regular.”

“So we’ll be like bloody robots, slaves to the clock; – and our bladders.”

“Yes. Until the base is finished; and that will take several voyages.”

“Why am I beginning to feel like a laboratory rat?” Engie grinned.

“We all are, leastways, until the moon base is up and running.” Charlie returned the grin. “Now some driving lessons; here take hold of the control column.”

Engie’s eyes widened with appreciation as Charlie evacuated the command seat and offered it to her. She settled into it and grasped the ‘stick.’

“It’s simple; Dawn moves wherever you move the stick. Ascend and descend are the two buttons by your thumbs. Right thumb is ascend, left thumb is descend. When you release the column, all forces are stopped and Newton’s laws prevail. You carry on as you were going just like the old-fashioned rockets do.”

Engie smirked again, “old-fashioned; you’re calling rocket science old-fashioned.”

Charlie raised his eyebrows and looked askance. His silence said it all. Engie took the hint and tried the stick. As Dawn 1 suddenly surged and swerved, Charlie placed a warning hand on the stick and warned her.

“You’ll have to slow down before descending at this speed or you’ll burn her up in the atmosphere; just like the primitive orbiters that the other countries use.
That ginormous dial stuck right in front of you is your safe, ground speed indicator. It’s calibrated so far for Earth, Mars, the moon, the asteroids and some of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. As you see the current setting is obviously Earth.

It’s best to leave the settings on automatic, Dawn’s computers are infinitely better at entering a planet’s atmosphere than we are.”

“The moon doesn’t have an atmosphere.”

“We know that” Charlie sighed somewhat impatiently, “but we still don’t want to try and land on the moon at several hundred thousand knots, do we?”

“Point taken,” Engie conceded as she tested the column with considerably more circumspection.

Charlie watched and nodded with satisfaction. Engie’s jet-fighter training had endowed her with innate skills well matched to handling Dawn 1. He turned to make some coffee for he knew that was Engie’s preferred drink. When he handed it to her he explained.

“When we approach Woomera, the base will interrogate Dawn and I’ll tap in my private code. Then the base will allow you to dock yourself or let their ground control bring you in on auto.”

“Nice and simple,” Engie nodded. “No stress then.”

“Don’t worry girl, you’ll have plenty of stress between now and returning from the moon.”

Engie nodded then released the column and sipped her coffee while Dawn 1 continued on a stable orbital course headed for Woomera.

A few minutes later the interrogation light flashed as the buzzer demanded attention. Charlie responded by tapping some numbers and letters into the control panel and Engie felt the column move of its own volition.

“She’s on auto now all the way down to the landing pad. We’ll be touching down in front of the shed, then you’ll manoeuvre her into the shed next to our big sister Dawn 2. Juliet and Laura should be waiting.”

“I’d like to try docking her myself.”

“Don’t worry you’ll have plenty of other dockings to do until you get bored stiff with them. Today, we’re in a bit of a hurry and auto-landings are usually faster than manned landings.

When we go a’ moon you’ll have all the pleasures of landing without an auto pilot cos it’ll be a virgin location. Once the moon base is up and running, it’ll have an auto landing system.”

As soon as Dawn 1 touched down and ‘housed’ alongside her ‘big sister Dawn 2, Juliet and Laura were outside with the loading team. Charlie showed Engie how to open the rear cargo ‘clam-shell’ doors and soon a load of equipment was being placed aboard. Engie looked at it and Charlie explained.

“This is the first solar energy pack. We’ll be erecting this somewhere on the crater rim to organise solar electricity for the base. While you and I are doing this, Juliet and Laura will be assembling the first phase of moon-base Alpha.

“Will we be able to live in it?” Engie asked.

“Probably after a couple of shifts. Depends how well they get on with it.”

“How long will it take us to erect the solar package.”

“Gosh, you’re full of questions Engie. Frankly I can’t say. It depends what sort of location we find on the rim of the crater. It looked quite rugged when I last flew over it.” I’m hoping we’ll get the solar part sorted in a couple of shifts. Then we join with Juliet and Laura to complete assembling the base. All in all we should remain a’ moon for six to eight earth days then we go prospecting in the belt.”

“The asteroid belt?” Engie confirmed.

“The very same. We have to bring back sufficient valuable metals and ores to pay for the trip.”

“So we could end up rich.”

“I’m already rich Engie. The rest of you should be after this trip.”

“Do we split it four ways?”

“Absolutely, the last thing we want is cause for acrimony.”

“That makes sense. Thanks.”

“Thanks for what?” Charlie asked.

“Well this whole deal, going into space, going to the moon, collecting nuggets from the asteroid belt, everything; - thank you.”

“By the time you’ve spent sweating your tits off and busting a gut, you won’t be thanking me. This is a work trip, not a bloody Cooks Tour. Come on, look sharp, Dawn 2 is moving.”

Engie looked to see the bigger ship already moving forwards towards the shed doors and she quickly slid into the command seat while Charlie chose his usual position wedged standing against the large plotting table and looking over Engie’s shoulder.

“Just follow her out, then accompany her to the moon. That’s the big yellow thing coming up over there.”

Dawn 1 shuddered slightly and Charlie glanced to see Engie silently struggling to suppress her laughter. Her ‘belly-laugh’ had caused her shoulders to shake and her hands had shaken the control column.

“What’s wrong now?” Charlie chuckled.

“It’s you. -The big yellow thing indeed! When I think of all the maths and physics palaver surrounding rocket launches back then. This is so bloody easy.”

“Sign of the times girl, sign of the times. Just keep sight of Dawn 2, think of yourself as her wing man.”

“It’s like driving to the supermarket.”

“You’ve anti-grav to thank for that. Maintain contact with Juliet while I do some paperwork then go and put my spacesuit on. Then you can put yours on before we land.”

“Am I allowed to speak with Dawn 2?”

“You’re expected to speak to Dawn 2. I’ll relieve you in about forty minutes.”

ooo000ooo