The Feminist Queendom Charlie’s War 87

© 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
Queen Sophia Young UQ monarch recently crowned
Princess Victoria Her fourteen-year-old daughter

Chapter 87

Once clear of Dawn 4, Charlie emerged from the sea and immediately started his ascent for the moon.

Queen Sophia watched fascinated as the ground fell away and very soon she found herself staring at the spectacular sphere that was her world. She let out a small gasp of incredulity as she countenanced the seeming fragility of the planet then her attention was drawn by Charlie to their destination.

“There she is; the moon.”

“Why are you going there?”

“It’s the only place I can be reasonably sure that you’re safe. Everybody working at Moon-base Alpha is an Ozzy citizen. Once I’ve got you and Princess Victoria safe I can discuss ideas with my deputy, Juliet.”

“How are we going forward with this business?”

“First I need to assess the depth of the feminista mood in the UQ. It’s useless me jumping back into the frying pan if the new UQ government is still avidly behind the new Prime Minister. For example, I’ve no idea how you feel about the ultra-feminista mood that swept your new Prime Minister into power.”

“Mister Sage! Really!” The Queen protested vehemently. “Do you seriously think I have any time for a monster who’s booby trapped my body?”

“Well no, - but; well I’ve no idea how feminist you might be. You’ve been on your throne for nearly a year and as far as I can see, you’ve never intimated any anti-feminista sentiments. I’m in the dark love. I’m alone, seemingly without allies back down in the UQ while my companions are in the Hands of that Feminist bitch, the British PM.”

“Well you know constitutionally that the queen is supposed to be neutral; so all I can offer is my support for you. After all you’ve removed me and my daughter from danger.”

“I want your honest opinion.” Charlie declared.

“What about?” Queen Sophia wondered.

“How popular are you; - with your own British subjects that is?”

“I think they’re okay with me Sophia replied. Nobody’s tried to harm me, except for the Prime Minister and General Wilson.”

“If you were to broadcast to the nation. What d’ you think?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never broadcast to the nation yet. That usually happens at Christmas.”

“What about your daughter; is Victoria popular?”

“Oh come on Charlie. She’s only just turned fourteen.”

Charlie shrugged philosophically. Until he reached the moon and had access to Juliet with Dawn 3’s communications, there was little that could be done. He advised the queen to take a nap in the cot in Dawn 1’s little side cabin while he snoozed in the command seat. They had another couple of hours before they reached the moon.

ooo000ooo

Captain Juliet was uncertain what to expect when Dawn 1 arrived to Join Dawn 2 and 3 at Moonbase Alpha. He had called the building team together and prepared them for a premature return to Australia and he had advised the Ozzy government to expect them. Then he had to confront the issue with Princess Victoria’s booby-trapped neck.

‘Was it safe to remove the implant or not?” He asked himself as he wished Charlie would hurry.

Eventually, Juliet saw a tiny dot silhouetted against the Earth’s bright orb and she sighed with relief as it quickly grew to reveal itself as Dawn 1. He tried raising her but for uncomfortable moments there was no response. Dawn 1 was on automatic pilot and Charlie was snoozing. It was Queen Sophia that woke him up after hearing Juliet's call.

“I understand that your ship can reach your moon-base automatically, Captain Sage, but they are hailing you on the radio.”

“Wha! – Oh I see!” Charlie woke from his fractious sleep. “Thanks your majesty.” He offered as he responded to Juliet’s familiar voice.

“Hello Julie. Yes that’s me. We’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”

“We? “Who’s we?”

“I’ve got a special passenger I’m not disclosing who just yet.”

“I’ve got a bloody good idea who it is boss. There’s pandemonium back on earth, well in the UQ anyway.”

“Yeah. Okay, I’m landing now. Can you bring a space suite for my guest, I'm guessing she’s a size medium, female.”

“We’ve got the terminal arrival connection operational. We can connect you straight to the terminal and she can just step a’ moon.”

“Oh good!” Charlie chirped. That makes it easier.”

Moments later, Dawn 1 had settled on the indicated landing marker and two spacers were attaching the giant tube to her access hatch. Sophia grinned as she ‘bunny-hopped’ along the tube ahead of Charlie.

“So much for the royal progress!” She giggled. “Very dignified I’m sure.”

“Needs must Ma-am,” Charlie chuckled back. “It becomes a little more decorous when you see everybody walking like this. It’s the most comfortable way to get around. It will be easier when they’ve got the gravity panels fixed to the floor and we’ll have normal gravity inside the base.”

At the end of tube, Charlie informed the operator and the safety door swung back to reveal the sanctuary of the secondary airlock.

“Suddenly, the Queen staggered back from the impact of a young Princess Victoria who had flung herself tearfully to embrace her mother.”

“Aah! Mummy, you’re okay then.”

“Oooff!” Sophia staggered from the impact. “Steady darling! Yes I’m safe now. Is that a space suit you’re wearing?”

Victoria grinned and did a little twirl.

“Yes, d’ you like it? It’s all the fashion a’ moon. My helmet is the poshest accessory a girl could ever wish for and I’ve been outside helping to build the base; we’ve just finished another habitation pod. The guys said we can use it until things are sorted down there.”

“You’ve been working!” Sophia wondered.

“Yes mum. Nobody get’s a free ride up here. They’ve got a motto. ‘If you wanna’ share the air, you gorra’ share the care!’

“Well that makes sense. Can’t say I approve of your accent though. What do you think Captain Sage?”

Charlie grinned as he sensed the nuance of Queen Sophia’s observation.

“As long as she’s pulling her weight your majesty, she earns her corn. And now Ma-am we’re going to have to ask you to earn your corn. Here comes Captain Juliet with the Base Commander.”

ooo000ooo

“Sorry we couldn’t attend immediately your Majesty,” Juliet explained. We’ve been preparing Dawn 3 to return to earth. We’ve had to discharge all the prefabricated parts for the base. She’s ready immediately if required to assist you.”

“What’s the situation down there?” Queen Sophia asked.

“Well everybody seems to think you’re locked up with everybody else aboard Dawn 4. They’ve placed guards all around the ship but they’re afraid to attack the ship until they know the situation on board her.”

Sophia nodded sagaciously then turned to Charlie and smiled.

“What exactly have you done Charlie?”

“The ship’s exactly as we left it. Everybody is locked down in their own particular, discreet section; just like a high-class prison.”

“What about General Wilson?”

“I should think she’s bled out by now, probably dead.”

“Good riddance!” The queen opined.

“If we step aboard Dawn 3 we can use her comms to speak to Earth and Dawn 4.”

“She’s in lockdown Charlie,” Juliet tried to explain.

“And I’ve got the key to unlock,” Charlie replied as he pulled his mobile out of his pocket. “We just patch my mobile into Dawn 3’s comms and I can easily reach earth.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Sophia pressed. But they were already crossing the moon-base to board Dawn 3.

At the boarding tube Laura exchanged relieved greetings with Charlie before asking the identity of his female accompaniment. For a moment there was an embarrassed silence before Princess Victoria broke the impasse.

“This is my mum Laura, she's Queen Sophia, the new queen.”

Laura’s eyes widened with surprise. Having been raised as a tough outback girl she’d never paid heed to formality. Her recollections of royalty had pretty-much ended with images of the old queen and pictures on the wall in the various colleges she had attended.

During her last year working for Charlie, Laura had been wholly immersed in spaceships and mining. She had paid no heed to political affairs; especially in that ‘far-away’ country where her presumed head of state still reigned. She gave an involuntary expression as she recovered her composure.

“Shit!” She squeaked. “Sorry your uhm, your Majesty. Welcome aboard.”

Sophia grinned with some sympathy for the girl before her.

“Did nobody tell you I was coming?”

“Yes Ma-am, but I wasn’t expecting you here. I thought you’d have been talking to the base commander in his conference room.”

“Well I’m here now Lieutenant. Have you never seen my picture?”

“No Ma-am, I don’t frequent high places or corridors of power Ma-am, I drive spaceships.”

“That’s not what my daughter tells me. You executed her gaolers or more correctly, her kidnappers.”

“That was an emergency Ma-am. When your daughter got the chance to tell me and Juliet confirmed it with Charlie I had to act.”

“Well I must thank you for your bravery and fortitude. It seems I’m thanking everybody today. Now can you please direct me to your communications desk?”

Laura duly did so and Charlie stepped up to patch his mobile into Dawn 3’s communication system. He then explained to Queen Sophia.

“Firstly, we can speak to Dawn 4 and explain to all the captives, what’s going on.”

Everybody gathered around the Video screen as Charlie made the connection. Within a minute all the internal cameras recording on Dawn 4 ,lit up as multiple images on Dawn 3’s main screen. Then dozens of captive faces turned as one when Queen Sophia’s image appeared on screens all over Dawn 4.

Charlie sat back and explained to Queen Sophia.

“You’ve got their undivided attention Sophia. Give it to them with both barrels!”
ooo000ooo

The young queen took Charlie’s vacated seat and invited Victoria to join her on the screen. Laura hurriedly produced another seat then stood back beside Charlie, the base commander and Juliet to watch.

As Sophia ad-libbed and related the recent events, Charlie was quietly impressed by her presentation and resilience.

Eventually the difficult part arrived. Sophia had to try and persuade her people to support her and start to change things in her queendom.

Charlie could clearly sense Sophia’s nervousness as she described her fears and expressed her hopes for support. Cautiously, she finally came to the nub of her presentation. She declared that she had to reluctantly disband the current UQ parliament on the basis that her own life and body had been put in serious danger.

She briefly alluded to the 'treason-against-the-state' act and then named the UQ Prime Minister and Her Chief of state security as the main perpetrators of violence against her person.

Finally, and very, very bravely, in Charlie’s opinion, she flipped her hair up to display the nasty red scar where the explosive device in her spine had been inserted.

While Juliet, Laura and the Base Commander stared in surprise at Sophia’s brave revelation, Charlie had turned to the other screen and was carefully assessing the reactions of the captive audience aboard Dawn 4.

As he stared thoughtfully at the faces he was trying to gauge their reactions but it was hard to get a handle. Charlie had always maintained a phlegmatic, undemonstrative disposition and this had in no small way, after long years of hiding under this disguise, affected his ability to judge others.
As he stared at the multiple images on the main screen, Victoria had left her mother’s side and come over to see what so interested Charlie.

While Queen Sophia continued talking, Victoria whispered to Charlie.

“What are you looking at?”

“How do you think they’re taking it?” He asked the fourteen-year-old princess. “D’ you think they’re angry enough to support a rebellion against the Feminista state? They don’t look too angry. I’d have thought they’d be lynching your Prime Minister by now!”

“Hold on a minute,” Victoria encouraged Charlie, “Look at my scar, it’s much more recent and angrier than mum’s. I’ll show them my scar.”

“Are you sure?” Charlie cautioned her.

“Well if it doesn’t get them to act, it means my mum’s reign is over. Nobody cares about us.”

“Okay then, give it a try. We’ve nothing more to lose that we aren’t already in danger of losing.”

Princess Victoria resumed her seat alongside Queen Sophia and intimated that she would reveal her much angrier and more recent scar. The queens eyes flickered momentarily and uncertainly towards Charlie who mouthed, ‘yes’.

After finishing her last endeavour to persuade her audience, Queen Sophia referred to the atrocity afflicted on her own daughter and Victoria duly co-operated by lifting her long beautiful hair and revealing the nasty scar at the base of her skull.

At long last there seemed to be some reaction from the various groups then somebody cursed and made a grab for the extremist, Feminista, UQ Prime Minister.

ooo000ooo