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The Feminist Queendom Charlie’s War 73
© 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 73
Not for the first time, Charlie found himself in the PM’s Canberra office discussing the advent of antigravity and it’s socio-political consequences. The Prime Minister was trying to explain.
“But Charlie, you can’t take your own security personnel into the United Nations Building.”
“Then I cannot go.” Charlie replied without rancour or threat.
“Cannot or will not.” The PM challenged.
“That’s immaterial; you cannot expect me to put my life in danger again.”
“But if you refuse to attend there can be no negotiations.”
“You are not going to negotiate Prime Minister., you are going there to expose acts of war and aggression and somehow get compensation. The missile that Dawn 3 recovered is clear evidence of Chinese aggression against Singapore and Australia. The missiles were obviously made in China and fired from China.”
“But China was attacked first on the island of Riau. That’s the claim China is making.”
“Riau is Indonesian not Chinese; It’s Indonesia who should be protesting the attack. Besides, China has no evidence of the aggressors who attacked that Island. There are no planes, no wrecks, nothing to identify those attackers, conversely, Oz has got two wrecked planes recovered from the Queensland rainforest and both are clearly of Chinese origin even if they have no markings. The hypersonic missile by the way, is also clearly marked. China supported a terrorist attack in Queensland by supplying unmarked jets. Then they launched their own missile attack on a country that they had no evidence against.
Oz should be laying charges against China not answering charges.”
“Those are our intentions.” The PM explained. “But you are evidence that China attacked one of our envoys in Singapore. That scar running from your cheek to you ear is evidence of a Chinese assassination attempt. We want you there to show that evidence.”
This last observation was something that Charlie was angry about, namely the determined assassination attempt on his life. Reluctantly, he acceded to the PM’s request. The prime Minister almost slumped in her chair with relief.
“Well thank god for that! You do realise Charlie that we need all the ammunition we can get.”
“Yes; but I still demand protection. The UN is no longer the place it was intended to be.”
“Amen to that!” Katie the defence minister added.
ooo000ooo
“So we’re going in a bloody ore carrier!” Katie scorned.
“Do you know of any other craft that can get you from Canberra to New York in under an hour, complete with your own personal en-suite dayrooms and bedrooms.” Juliet challenged. “Plus a luxury saloon, a first-class restaurant and several suites of large executive offices. Not to mention several separate lounges for private or communal discussions?”
“We-ell, noo,” Katie conceded reluctantly, “it’s just all those grey and white ore residues clinging to the frames in the cargo holds. I mean it hardly smacks of luxury, executive transport does it?”
“This is a working ship Katie. We’re here to work; and anyway, this thing is impressive enough to turn a few jealous heads when we arrive and then take our station hovering over New York. It’s all been agreed and authorised by the Feministas of Eastern American Republic.”
“Were they agreeable or did you have to knock a few heads together?” Katie pressed.
“What do you think?” The PM interjected as she entered the Dawn 3’s public foyer.
“I’d like to have been a fly on the wall, trouble is I’ve been up to my neck with Charlie and the second order for space fighters. Jeeze’ he’s a grafter.”
“Yes, well be thankful for small mercies. Anyway, I can assure you, the foreign minister gave them a good diplomatic kicking. They were like a bunch of sulking schoolgirls by the time she’d finished. When I finally sat down at the negotiating table they treated me like some sort of draconian head mistress!”
‘You are like a draconian head mistress1’ Katie thought but kept her thoughts to herself.
However the PM caught her introspective expression and grinned knowingly at her friend.
“I heard that Katie!”
“Well hear this,” Juliet commanded as she appeared at the top of the central stair. “This ship is shortly leaving for New York and the ETA is thirty-nine minutes. I suggest you ladies go and get yourselves prepared for your arrival.”
“Is Charlie not with us?” Katie inquired.
“He’ll join us en-route with his wife and children,-“ The PM explained.
“And half a regiment of guards I’ll wager.” Katie opined.
“He wouldn’t come without them. D’ you blame him?”
“Yeah, point taken. How many space fighters am I seeing out there?”
“You’re not seeing all of them, there are another twenty accompanying Dawn 1 and 2.” The PM explained. “Plus Dawn 1 is carrying the disabled hypersonic missile as the evidence.”
“I suppose everybody loves a parade!” Katie chuckled.
“I can’t take any chances, the PM lamented. It may look pretentious but it’s essential. Charlie is the ONLY repository of the knowledge for Anti-grav.”
“Yeah, he’s cunning bastard,” Katie added.
“And a bloody clever on let’s not forget,” the foreign minister finished as they retired to their committee room.”
As they sat around the table they peered out of the windows and digested their own thoughts as the huge leviathan that had so impressed them on the apron of the parliament building, started to rise vertically and silently into space.
ooo000ooo
As they watched the horizon start to curve and grow a thin, illuminated corona, Katie spotted Dawn 2 drawing level with her porthole while the PM noted Dawn 1 pulling level on her side. Beyond the two larger escorts, the Australian delegation could make out at least six smaller, more agile space fighters jostling and jockeying for positions thereby demonstrating their agility.
After a few minutes, Juliet’s voice came over the comm’s.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you’ll see we’ve got company. They will escort us all the time now until we return to Australia.”
“Indeed!” The PM agreed, “And they will be stationed above the UN building as part of our negotiated security arrangements to protect Captain Sage.”
“That makes me feel a hell of a lot safer!” Katie confirmed.
“Indeed!” The PM agreed, “And they will be stationed above the UN building as part of our negotiated security arrangements to protect Captain Sage.”
“Well I feel safer for that,” Katie added.
“It’s for Charlie and the antigrav; let’s not be getting puffed up with our own importance,” the PM intoned softly.”
“I suppose he negotiated that.” Katie opined.”
“Yes,” the foreign secretary confirmed; “the UN security council wanted Captain Sage present to try and negotiate some sort of treaty akin to the Antarctic treaty but Captain Sage has something of a whip hand here. Consequently, the security council was adamant he should attend.”
“If he doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the Security
council, what then?” Katie asked.
“Then the UN will be forced to use diplomacy for once. No bullying or two-faced hypocrisy like the human rights council. As I said, Charlie’s got the whip hand and for once that hand is guided by honesty and humanity.”
“What if he doesn’t get a deal?” Katie pressed.
“Then Charlie wins. Who’s to stop him from quarrying the solar system?”
“Jeeze what it is to have power.” The foreign secretary sighed.
“Let’s not forget, that power is on our side.” The PM reminded them softly. “Iron fists and velvet gloves seem to spring to mind.”
“Well to be honest,” Katie continued, “on past records and performances of the security council; Charlie will have quarried the asteroid belt out by the time they reach agreement.”
“Their loss,” the foreign secretary explained,” Australia can continue to trade in rare-earth metals and run a moon-base for however long it takes.”
“Not quite,” the PM explained, “Australia is signatory to several international conventions concerning exploitation of space and colonisations of the planets.”
Katie gave a snort of derision.
“Ha! Australia may be bound by those agreements but is a single individual bound by them. Who actually has jurisdiction in space.”
“I have no idea.” The PM conceded. “The UN’s lamentable record on human rights and arbitration does not give me confidence. My gut feeling is that Charlie’s going to rub their noses in it and force them to come up with a fair and enforceable treaty.”
“That can’t be a bad thing,” the foreign secretary Observed as she craned to look through her window. “I think that’s Manhattan Island if I’m not mistaken.”
“I still can’t adjust to the speed these things go, and Dawn 3 is just an Ore Carrier.” The PM exclaimed as the comms announced.
“Landing in five minutes, we’ve been given diplomatic clearance to hover over the river just outside the main UN building.”
“That’ll put a few noses out of joint,” Katie grinned.
ooo000ooo
“So how do we get down?” The PM wondered.
Her answer was not long coming. There was a low rumble from behind their accommodation; then that was followed by two soft bumps. Dawns 1 and 2 had landed in the service dock.
As the PM’s party watched, the Airtight doors that separated Dawn 3’s accommodation from the cargo-handling area opened and Charlie appeared, accompanied by his wife Chloe and their four children. Behind the family, Charlie’s fellow spacers Engadine, Angela and Laura stood armed, alert and watchful. They were taking no chances with Charlie’s safety.
It was the first time the PM or anybody in the delegation had met Charlie’s full family, so introductions were swiftly completed as Juliet came down from the bridge to join the party.
“Time to go everybody, they are waiting for us at reception he advised.”
“Who is waiting for us?” Chloe demanded. “I’ll not put our children at risk.”
“There is a standard meet-and-greet procedure apparently,” Juliet replied.
“Well, let’s get it over with. The kids can have the grand tour while we get straight to business. Who’s driving Dawn 2? I presume she’s our taxi.”
“I am,” Juliet explained. “The girls are our guards inside her while the space fighters will patrol close by.”
The delegation entered the service dock and settled into Dawn 2 before emerging from the huge ore carrier and flying around the UN headquarters to land at the main entrance.
“Did you see all the faces in the windows Mummy?” Charlotte observed.
“Do they think we’re Martians?”
This raised a roar of laughter amongst the whole delegation and that laughter spilled over as the Australians entered the building. The formalities were mercifully brief and Charlie quickly found himself with the PM and her ministers seated opposite the UN security council.
Copies of the proposed treaty were being handed out for discussion. Without further ado Charlie opened his and started reading before the PM gently reminded him.
“Introductions and courtesies are usually exchanged Charlie,” She whispered.
“I don’t have time!” Charlie replied. “I’ve read the drafts; I’m just checking the fine print.”
His brusque manner quickly enlightened the council and they stared askance as he silently annotated the pages. Annoyed glances were exchanged across the table but Charlie was impervious to them. As he continued reading, it had been made abundantly obvious to the council that they were dealing with one person; Charlie.
Eventually, after long minutes, Charlie turned to his companion, the Australian PM.
“There’s six items I want to query.”
“The document’s been finalised, we can’t change it now,” she protested.
“If this document is to take humanity forward in perpetuity, there are six items that need correcting. They may not seem important now but centuries from now they could lead to interplanetary wars.”
“Such as?” The PM frowned.
“Well to begin with, you have referenced all positions and times to Earth when they should be referenced to the sun. Nothing is static between the planets. All references to weights should be referenced to a solar constant. A ton of Palladium on Earth is very different to a ton of Palladium on Mars or any of the gas-giant’s moons.
In fact,” Charlie continued, “all references to weight are pretty meaningless when gravity can be altered or even negated by my science. All amounts of all commodities will have to be referenced and measured to a universal constant of volume referenced to a universal constant of gravity. Gravity bends space so if you change the gravity, you change the space.”
“You’re giving me a headache Charlie.” The PM sighed. “And our colleagues across the table don’t look very happy.”
“They’re no colleagues of mine,” Charlie replied bluntly, “some of those people have tried to kill me or deny me my intellectual rights.
Still; no matter.” Charlie shrugged. “Here are my notes, I’ve annotated where the treaty figures need to be adjusted for my science. Both sides of this table will just have to take my word for it unless you’ve got a scientist who can dispute them. I’ve listed correction factors for Space itself, then Mars then Jupiter’s and Saturn’s moons. Then if we ever get around to ‘Terra-forming’ Venus I’ve put those figures last. The maths isn’t hard if you understand the science. You can attach those figures to the treaty as an addendum.
The rest of the treaty suites me, it doesn’t affect my human or property rights, or anybody else’s for that matter. I won’t be signing the treaty of course because I don’t represent any country.”
“But you’ll be the only power that can enforce it,” the PM observed.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Charlie finished.
ooo000ooo
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Comments
Charlie at the U.N.
cool!
Density, Not Weight
The correct references already exist in basic physics. I know Charlie's education was restricted but the Periodic Tables would be well-known to the feminista elites. The density of water cannot be changed from one planet to another, nor can the displacement of any material relative to that.
Eureka!
I don't know how the UN will be able to enforce any treaty as they don't have a universal army/navy/air force/space force. Only Australia can do that as things stand and that won't last for ever, but I guess it will do for the immediate future.
I think he should offer to
I think he should offer to supply a limited number of engines to countries that agree to equality between the sexes. That will scare the larger ones knowing smaller countries could out perform them in space.
Leeanna
Mass not weight or density.
The density of water depends upon temperature and pressure. Mass is the quantity that doesn't change if you move a lump of stuff, or change the conditions of its environment.
In this universe we have had space treaties and space law for more than half a century; 111 countries are parties to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
Admittedly it doesn't say much about mining, and like many laws enforcement is amother step ...
actually...
I believe you are referring to the constant called 'mass', as density can most definitively be altered by quanta of energy present, as well as configuration of said elements and compounds. Water, as your chosen example, has three states in which it can exist: steam, liquid water, and ice, and since Ice floats in water, it is evidently less dense; as is steam compared to liquid water. Both steam and ice expand a given volume of water, steam (relative to it's temperature) and ice, being 6 times the volume for the same quantity of H2O. And that's just on One planet.
As to configuration, diamond, carbon60, and charcoal are all made of carbon, but have distinctly different densities.
On the other hand, mass is determined by a comparison between the measured item, and a standardized 'weight' (ie: a liter of water) by being placed on opposite sides of a balance scale, a non solid would need to be containerized and the mass of the container adjusted for, but regardless of the physical state of the item in question, the container would hold a specific amount that could be determined by placing standardized measures on the balance.
Go Charlie!
He is finally wielding the big stick he is carrying around, sometimes you need to show that you are willing to use it before you can be effective with soft words - or even hard ones.
No party favorites this trip
Charlie has a reason to demand protection while at the UN, for experienced reasons.
Those who saw the Dawns and fighters arrive were either amazed or trying to figure out how to get their hands on the ships. Or their hands on Charlie.
Charlie not following protocol in doing introductions was not why he went to the UN. He was all business, there to make sure the treaty was fixed.
So will the other shoe drop in the next chapter? Their initial arrival went to smoothly, and gave those who want antigrav a chance to form a plan to steal it, take Charlie, or his family. Will the next chapter give Charlie the reason needed to make a strong point?
BTW, where are the next chapters?
Others have feelings too.
Do you think...
Could China consider duplicating 9-11, at the UN?
Hi Jamie, Beverly is writing
Hi Jamie, Beverly is writing them at an amazing pace..Sometimes 4 a week. You are all caught up now. I came in at chapter 15, them read back.
He has come a long way from a guy that was threatening to kill himself if forced into sperm donation.
Leeanna
This agreement is basically a
This agreement is basically a paper tiger if they can't get there how can they enforce it. and with China's record they wouldn't play by the rules anyway.
Let's Not Overthink It
Archimedes was not using ice or steam when he performed his famous experiments. He was using liquid water at something between 0 degrees C and 100 degrees C. What his experiments showed was that different materials displaced different volumes of water, but a fixed volume/Mass (yes mass is the technically correct term) always displaced the same quantity of water, so a kilo of gold would displace the same volume of water wherever it was immersed, as would a kilo of (for instance) uranium, except that he had never heard of uranium.
When you take a bath your body displaces a volume of water which is the same unless you have lost or gained weight (mass) in the meantime. This method works for solids. It obviously does not work for gases or compounds that change their characteristics when they transform physically (e.g. water to ice) but what Charlie is looking for is a measurement that works in different planetary environments and for the purposes of mining the materials that he and his allies will be producing.
A cubic metre of liquid water will still be a cubic metre whether on Earth or Luna or Mars or an asteroid and will correspondingly displace the same volume of a mined material in that gravitational environment. Payment for that material can then be determined whatever the location.
Since, for the foreseeable future, the point of sale for 99.9% of the asteroid minerals will be Earth I personally think Charlie is being a bit too careful here, but, hey, it's his prerogative. He has them by the penis and testicles (figuratively speaking, since they are feministas) so their hearts and minds have no choice but to follow.
unless you have lost or gained weight (mass)
Archimedes is really measuring volume not mass . The density or weight of an object does not matter. You are measuring the mount of space an object displaces. You can gain weight without mass. If you had a hollow glass ball , it would fill up the same space if it was filled with lead. or without. The volume of water it displaced would be the same , no matter the weight.
Volume – How much space an object or substance takes up. Mass – Measurement of the amount of matter in an object or substance.
He should invent a weight a Charletonne. The weight of fixed amount of unrefined ore measured on a Wednesday afternoon in non feminista country at sea level.
Leeanna
Measurement By Archimedes Principle
Leeanna, your example is not what Archimedes Principle is all about. Yes, your sphere will displace the same volume of water whether full or empty. However, replace the sphere with the hull of a boat. Empty, the hull will hopefully float and in doing so will displace a volume of water. Now load the boat with a cargo and the hull will sink deeper into the water. The difference between the volume of water displaced by the empty hull and the loaded hull is the weight of the cargo.
The legend is that Archimedes was asked to determine if a crown was made of pure gold. He placed the crown on a scale and applied a balancing weight on the other side of the scale. He then immersed the scale in water and the scale became unbalanced, showing that the crown was made of impure gold. That's when he yelled "Eureka". Believe it or not!