The Feminist Queendom Charlie’s War 68

© 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.
Charlotte Charlie and Chloe’s older daughter
Michael, Jessica & Lucy Charlie and Chloe’s younger triplets

Chapter 68

Juliet and Charlie had been staying at Charlie’s Hammersley home for a couple of days when Chloe came home the third night to find the pair playing on the porch with the children. They had not noticed Chloe’s arrival via the back lane that emerged out of the bush and consequently, Chloe had a unique opportunity to surreptitiously study Juliet as he interreacted with her children.
Chloe did not recognise the game and she frowned as she watched a typically fatherly physicality having been somehow integrated into a score system with penalty points and multipliers that involved some complex paperwork. Eventually, Chloe became so intrigued by the activities that she revealed herself.

Juliet immediately stopped and turned red with some embarrassment at being ‘caught’ with a triplet daughter riding on his back while he was on all fours being ‘horsey.’

Charlie, also a ‘horsey,’ however just paused as his only son slid down off his back grabbed a hidden token out of a bag being shaken by the third triplet sister and re-mounted his father to complete a circuit to the end of the porch. There Charlotte his older sister kept tally and entered the token values into her book. The whole exercise was accompanied by shrieks and squeals of childish delight.

“What game is this?” Chloe grinned.

“Handicap horsey!” Charlotte declared excitedly, “Jessica is winning!” She added while waving the scorebook.

Chloe looked at the two men, still on their knees, and wagged her head in amusement.

“I won’t even ask.”

“Charlotte invented it.” Charlie explained slightly self-consciously’ “They have some sort of game in school with the kids running around the field and she brought it home. The triplets love playing horsey and things just grew when Juliet arrived and they had two horseys to ride; - him and me.”

“I don’t know who’s the dafter, you two or the kids.”

“They’re enjoying themselves, leave them alone.”

“I’ll bet your knees aren’t.”

“Point taken,” Juliet grimaced as he plucked at the worn rent in the knee of his trousers.

“Well that’s your good deed for the day. You’ve rescued two abused horses.” Charlie finished.

“Well I’ve got another good deed, or more correctly; good news.”

Both ‘horses’ looked up expectantly.

“Your surgeon has booked time off. She’s arriving in two months on Sunday the first of November and operating sometime in mid-November.”

Both ‘horses’ reared up on their knees to imitate two stallions pawing the air and the squealing, laughing children clung on for dear life. When they had finished whinnying and neighing, Charlie and Juliet stood up normally with the children now carried ‘piggy-back.’

“Drinks all around I think!” Charlie proposed.

“Bring it on,” Juliet enthused with a gasp that screamed gratitude.

ooo000ooo

As the adults settled on the porch seats the children argued about the ‘horsey handicap scores until Charlotte and her younger brother Michael brought the scorebook to Charlie for arbitration. Michaels’ twin sisters Jessica and Lucy had disagreed with their triplet brother but when Charlie declared that Charlotte and Michael were right, peace was restored.

As the children scarpered off into the bush, Charlie grinned at Juliet.

“When you have kids, you’ll end up being the arbitrator all too often. Teach them maths early and lots of the arguments, like Horsey Handicaps will resolve in numbers. It’s much easier that way. Just look at them now. Five minutes ago they were at each other’s throats.”

The conversation then turned to the forthcoming testicular transplant and it was Cloe’s turn to shine as she explained the procedures and preparations.

On Sunday I have to expand your atrophied scrotum with an artificial testicle so that there’s room for the real one when she operates. Come with me to the clinic at the mine, it’s usually pretty quiet on a Sunday. It’ll be a bit painful for a week or so as your scrotal sac gradually expands but in the long term it means the new testicle will be loose in the bag when it’s transplanted.

Juliet smiled wanly and even Charlie paused.

“You’re gonna be out of it for a while, Matey. No more horsey.”

“How long before I make sperm and stuff; you know, erections.” Juliet asked Chloe

“I don’t know. She says she doesn’t want you to take hormones before the op because she doesn’t want you having erections before or after the op until the testicle transplant is secure. The important thing is expanding your scrotum.”

“Alright you two;” Charlie squirmed. “That’s enough. I won’t be able to get erections if you talk about it anymore.”

Chloe looked slightly askance at her husband.

“I never had you down for squeamish.”

“Well you carry on discussing it; I’ll check the dinner.”

So saying, Charlie disappeared into the kitchen to find Margaret and one of the guard nannies crossing the yard in anticipation of dinner.

“How many eating tonight?” Charlie asked.

“I’ve cooked for twelve,” the guard nanny replied, “but there’s spare.”

Charlie smiled in anticipation as he laid up the table while Margaret and the nanny portioned out the food. Once the tureens were full Charlie called the adults from the porch before releasing a yell into the bush to recover the children. They appeared with one of the guards in tow and Margaret commented.

“There’s always a couple of guards around in the bush while the children or family are home. Once bitten; and all that.”

Charlie nodded his satisfaction as people started trooping into the large dining room and soon the only sound was that of cutlery on china. After the meal, the children were put to bed and the household settled for the evening.

ooo000ooo

For the next couple of days, the children relished having Charlie and Juliet around until the Sunday when Juliet had her surgery. Chloe drove him in to the clinic and by noon the preliminary work was done. A small inflatable sphere was placed under the atrophied scrotum and the stitches were allowed to heal before the ball could be expanded.

The following two months were truly needed and the time was sometimes painful when the sphere was incrementally inflated. However, for Juliet the pain was well worth it and eventually, when November arrived, the surgeon arrived from Thailand. She was satisfied with Chloe’s preparatory work and on the Tuesday, as agreed, the testicular transplant was performed.

Charlie and Juliet shared the first few days together in a recovery ward then Charlie was discharged and ordered to take things easy for a few days. Never one for being idle, Charlie had a few quiet words with Chloe before slipping away to Coach, their mutually secret hideaway cave in the outback. There he built several small antigravity engines that would suit a pair of private ‘space-yachts’ that were to be presents for Chloe and Juliet.

Now that they were rich it was no problem getting the craft built by the techs in Woomera and as Christmas rolled around, Charlie had Lieutenant Engadine Asi, deliver the yachts to Chloe’s house at Hammersley inside the cargo hold of Dawn 2.

A large Christmas celebration had been organised at the house and Charlie’s spacers plus their guests had been invited. Chloe and Juliet were shocked and delighted when the space yachts appeared on their front lot on Christmas morning.

“For me!” Chloe squeaked.

Lieutenant Asi nodded as she produced the title document.

Chloe read hers while Juliet examined his then they both turned towards Charlie who had a stupid grin on his face.

“They’re fully spaceworthy and will easily reach the moons of Jupiter and Saturn,” He explained,” but you Chloe, will apparently have to get your space licence after passing some sort of test.”

“Ha! Who’s going to be my examiner?” She snorted derisively.

“Well it can’t be me because I haven’t got my own licence yet. Apparently it’s being presented to me ceremonially when next we go to Canberra. I suppose the only persons eligible to examine you are Juliet, Engie or Laura. They are the only other people who have been to Mars, the asteroids and Saturn’s moons. Have you collected your licence Engie?” Charlie asked the lieutenant.

She nodded affirmatively and added that Laura was licensed as well.

“I’m bloody glad to hear it!” Charlie observed loudly enough for everybody to be sure that Charlie didn’t think much of the idea of space licences

Chloe however made a point.

“It may seem stupid now, but what happens when everybody wants a spaceship?”

“I’ll be long dead before that comes to be.” Charlie opined. “This bloody license thing is nothing to do with competency, it’s a security check.”

“And is that a bad thing considering you, me and the children are always looking over our shoulders?”

Charlie didn’t have an answer and fell silent. He had already mused privately that Feministas and other oppressive organisations would not be eligible to share his science. All Chloe had done was expose the realities of addressing his own tightly held secret abhorrence of oppression.

‘If a democratic and truly liberated Oz were to keep itself safe and remain technologically advanced ahead of its neighbours; there would have to be some sort of vigilance and security system in place. He hated the idea for it truly flew in the face of his own liberality; but the reality was inescapable.’

“Chloe had already sensed her pyrrhic victory and it gave her no satisfaction. The idea of licensing and restrictions also offended her free spirit, especially as they had so far entered and travelled through space without let or hindrance. The idea of having to be licensed to operate or command a spaceship somehow implied that Space was no longer the boundless entity she had enjoyed to date.

Presently, space was not the danger, it was the criminals and fanatics who might come after that depressed Charlie.

He resolved to make a strong statement about it, as and when he was ceremoniously presented with a space-licence 1 and he knew with utter certainty that it would upset or enrage a lot of people. For once, Charlie felt he had platform to express his feelings and that gave him peace enough to be good company at the Christmas dinner table.

Having settled the issue in his mind he cleared his head.

“It’s Christmas day!’ He scolded himself, ‘I shouldn’t be spoiling the kids fun!”

Then he chuckled softly to himself as he entered the tumult that was the kitchen as everybody assisted Chloe in the preparation.

“What are you smirking about Charlie Sage?” Chloe challenged him.

“Oh nothing to worry about love. Now what do you want me to do field Marshall?”

“Just get out of the way, I’ve got an army enough of helpers thank you. Go and entertain the kids.”

Charlie chuckled to himself and escaped the mayhem in the kitchen hoping to find calm in the drawing room. His hopes were dashed when he saw the utter shambles of wrapping paper and presents under which he presumed there to be children. Eventually he located Juliet struggling to tidy the mess and he joined him on his knees.

“This is a losing battle,” Juliet confessed, “as fast as I fill one waste bag with paper, more keeps coming. Who bought all these presents?”

“The nanny guards and friends. There’s twenty nannies and guards, each bought something so there’s sixty presents before we talk of family.”

“It’s bloody lunacy!” Juliet grinned as he and Charlie finally made headway on the torn wrappings.

“When this is tidy, lets escape to Dawn 2 and share a bloody drink.” Charlie suggested.

“Best idea yet,” Juliet agreed. “Come on, that’s about it. The kids are outside with Margaret and some of the guards. If we sneak behind the two space yachts, nobody’ll see us.”

The tactic worked and the pair eventually gained the sanctuary of Dawn 2 where they found comfortable seats and peace.

As they savoured their brandies and chatted, Charlie noticed Juliet fidgeting.

“Have you got what I think you’ve got?” Charlie asked bluntly.

A huge grin split Juliet’s countenance as he adjusted his jeans.

“Yeah!” He confessed. “Best Christmas present ever! A stiffy!”

ooo000ooo