The Feminist Queendom Charlie’s War 61

© 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 61

The Singaporean Prime Minister departed with her entourage from Charlie’s hospital bed in the early hours of the morning after apologising to Charlie for the incident. She was deeply relieved that Charlie and the Australians accepted her apology. She was also very surprised to learn that Charlie was an Australian immigrant with origins In the United Queendom of Atlantica.
As the Singaporean entourage departed, Charlie whispered to the Australian PM and Katie.

“I need to speak to you and Chloe privately.”

The private ward was hastily evacuated except for those three and Charlie explained in a low whisper.

“The bleeding has stopped. I wish to return to Australia now. Aske Juliet to land Dawn on the hospital emergency helipad.”

“Weather’s a bit rough. It’s raining cats and dogs and there’s quite a squall blowing. I can just about see the helipad is closed at the moment; the landing signals are red.” The PM cautioned him.

“That’s how Dawn likes it,” Charlie grinned, “the stormier, the darker, and the rainier the better. Less people will see less details. I want to go back to Oz immediately, before the sun rises,”

“You’re planning something aren’t you Charlie?” Katie queried.

“I need to get back to Woomera with Juliet. Things to do, places to go.” He replied cryptically.

Chloe interrupted.

“D’you want me with you?”

“Your choice darling. It’s just boring stuff, checking to find out when Dawn Two will be ready. I don’t really need you for that.”

Chloe got Charlie’s sublimal message and stepped back.

“Okay. I’ll stay with the Australian delegation then if you want. I’d like to take a look around Singapore.”

“You’ll need an escorting guard to do that darling. The Singaporeans won’t be letting you out of their sight.” Katie advised.

“That’ll be a good thing,” Charlie observed as he stepped out of the huddle. “Now, I’m leaving immediately, cheerio.”

The remaining trio of Chloe, Katie and the Australian PM peered through the deteriorating squall and just managed to see the Dawn descend silently as Charlie, bent double to fight the wind, struggled to cross the helipad and scramble up the Dawn’s cargo ramp. Then the curtain of rain increased and the helipad became invisible as Dawn ascended silently while Charlie lurched thankfully into the warm cosy cabin.

Juliet looked up and grinned at the ‘drowned-rat’ standing by the airtight door.

“You’d better get changed boss.”

“No time for that Julie, we’ve got a job to do. I’ll strip down as your steer for the Island of Riau.”

“Riau?” Juliet exclaimed as she tapped in the name to the navigation computer.

“Yeah. The Chinese have got a military airfield there apparently. It’s like a knife held to the throats of Indonesia, Malaya, Thailand and of course Singapore.”

“Oh-oh, are we on a -?”

“Yes Julie, to be a farmer’s boy!”

Juliet smiled as he grasped the poetic connection and promptly set his co-ordinates while Charlie towelled himself down. Once dry, he slipped on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt than checked the meteorological chart.

“Oh good,” Charlie whooped softly, “I suspected as much.”
“Explain boss,” Juliet inquired as she peered over her shoulder to squint at the display.

“These line squalls, lie along the weather front that snakes from Sumatra into the South China sea. They stretch across Singapore to Borneo and right over Riau.”

Juliet smiled evilly.

“And we are going to hide in one of those thunder cells that’s sitting over Riau.”

“You’re getting the hang of this aren’t you Julie?” Charlie chuckled.

“It adds a new meaning to the term ‘Tropical Warfare’ boss. I’ll just fly along the front from thunderhead to thunderhead where radar can’t find us and turbulence would rip a conventional plane to pieces.”

“They cant find us and they can’t chase us,” Charlie added unnecessarily, “and it’s going to be a bumpy ride. I’d better make some tea now cos it will get spilt later on.”

As Charlie brewed the tea Juliet superimposed the meteorological chart onto her attack radar and arranged a convenient rendezvous where a particularly dense storm cell full of hailstones promised an excellent radar blanket. Charlie watched while casually resting his butt against the plotting table and sipping his tea.

“What a way to go to war,” he joked as Juliet reached for his own mug from the cup-holder in his console.

“The cup that cheers,” Juliet responded as they savoured the anticipation.

Very quickly they finished their mugs and the mood darkened to one of resolve as the first heavy hailstones rattled furiously against the Dawn’s eight-centimetre top and sides of the armoured hull. Juliet lowered the visor while Charlie strapped himself into the co-pilot seat.
“It’s gonna’ be a bumpy ride.” He mused as he aligned his display to match Juliet’s.

“The next cell looks worse,” Juliet observed, “it’s above the mountains with ground effect, multiple draughting and intensified, topographical lateral wind-shears.”

“If you have to, slow down a bit. It’s not the ship I’m worried about, it’s us being jerked around inside her.”

Juliet smiled again and Charlie thought it looked evil in the reddish glow of the console. He shuddered as he interpreted Juliet’s pent-up hatred behind the mask. He tried to soothe Juliet’s pain.

“Go easy Julie. Your time will come.”

“It’s come now boss. My first ever chance to hit back.”

“Yeah. Well I want to come out of this alive. And it wasn’t these bastards who castrated you.”

“Maybe not, but they tried to kill you, and that’s the most heinous crime in my book.”

“Point taken Julie and thank you for your undying loyalty but let’s just leave it at that! No dying! I wanna’ live, so slow down!”

ooo000ooo

Reluctantly, Juliet eased back and the crashing roar of Hailstones on armour plating eased to a tolerable rattle. Charlie eased back the inspection hatch that overlooked the ploughshare blade and soon spotted the runway lights of the Chinese base directly below.

“We’d best retreat up into the storm cell until we locate the planes.” Charlie ordered.”

“After creeping around inside the heavy hailstorm, they found the camouflaged hangars randomly located along two sides of the field close to the tropical jungle.

“How are we going to get at the planes?” Juliet asked. “Those are concrete bunkers.

“We smash through the doors and fly through the hangars to come out through the other doors. Any planes in the way will be smashed and crushed.”

“She’s a flying tank Julie. The Glacis on the forward bow is twelve centimetres thick. I added some extra plate a few weeks ago.”

“It’s like a giant cannon ball then. “Juliet added.

“Precisely,” Charlie replied, “but a very precise one if you’ll excuse the pun. It’s a self-steering wrecking ball that flies.”

“So that’s why Dawn Two has such a thick, armoured hull. The girls in Woomera all reckoned it was defensive over-kill.”

“Well now you know different. The first target is that radar scanner on the mountain top. Just descend out of the storm cell and smash into it then they’ll be blind.”

“Right-you-are boss.” Juliet obeyed as he amazed himself when the scanner and mast toppled to the ground.

“Now the hangars; any order you like.” Charlie ordered.

“They’ve numbered the hangars for us boss,” Juliet chuckled, “so I won’t lose count.”

“Get on with it.” Charlie grinned. “The sooner we’re out of here, the sooner we get back to Oz.
The following thirty minutes brought chaos and darkness to the Chinese airbase as they attacked the power-plant after the first Hangar. Soon all thirty hangar doors and, more importantly, the planes inside were trashed. It was still dark when Dawn and her crew returned to the storm clouds and disappeared into the high atmosphere.

Once free and clear of the troposphere Charlie checked the cabin pressure for leaks and found none. Dawn had proved herself and the pair joked with some relief as they ascended into the edge of space then sped south to Woomera.

As the first tendrils of the outback dawn reached into the sky, the Spaceship dawn descended quickly to her familiar Woomera parking pad and the pair emerged to an almost deserted research base. A surprised lieutenant of the guard hurried to the landing pad in her four by four and looked askance at the scratched hull of the now familiar little spaceship.

“You should have contacted control and warned us. Have you been through customs?”

“The customs office is closed and we wanted to maintain radio silence.” Charlie lied. “We’ve just flown from Singapore because of the assassination attempt on me.

“We heard something about that on the midnight news, so it was true then?”

“Yes, the Chinese tried to assassinate me with a rifle at a formal diplomatic assembly.”

“They denied it.”

“They deny everything. Watch the early morning news.”

“Is that how you got that head-wound?”

Charlie nodded.

“Yes, now how about some food. Juliet and I are famished.”

“Coming up immediately!” She confirmed as she motioned to one of the troopers.

“Full breakfast for Captain Sage and his first officer, and some coffee for me.”

She motioned to a suite of armchairs and they settled to wait for their breakfasts as they talked.

“So tell me all that happened.”

Charlie described the events at the reception and the decision to return Charlie back to Oz for his own protection.

“You were bloody lucky. That bullet could only have been inches from your head. Weren’t you angry?”

“Yes, but revenge is a dessert best served cold.”

“The officer nodded as she admitted.

“I’d be baying for blood if that had happened to me.”

“Well you’ve got a licence to be violent, you’re a woman.”

“No, that’s not fair Captain Sage. The new laws protecting everybody’s rights equally have been enacted. Men are free to compete with women at every level.”

“But without the skills and qualifications. It’s going to take a whole generation to put things right and that generation will grow up in a world of turmoil and violence.
I wouldn’t like to be copper trying to keep the peace during the next twenty-five years. Plus there will be serious external threats of war.”

“Yes but your space-ships will serve to keep things at bay.”

It was Juliet’s turn to stick his oar in.

“You have to realise Lieutenant, that Oz will be making enemies of every country.

China and the other communist, patriarchal dictatorships have no love for democracy. The Islamic patriarchies will not like having their misogynistic lifestyle threatened while the remaining feminista matriarchies will be after Oz’s blood for betraying the feminista cause.

Australia is going to be seriously outnumbered.

As the Chinese say, ‘you’ll be living in interesting times.’”

As Juliet finished his words, the breakfasts arrived and silence briefly reigned. The lieutenant’s phone rang and she motioned to Charlie.

“It’s the base commander. She want’s to speak to you.”

Charlie took the phone, put it on ‘speaker’ and made a few explanations before agreeing to meet the commander in her office.

“I’ll send a car.” The commander offered.

“I’ve got reports to file, the lieutenant of the guard declared, I’ll run you over there in mine.”

“Okay,” Charlie agreed before turning to Juliet. “Can you secure Dawn then go and get some sleep? I’m betting they’ll be wanting us both before the day is out.”

ooo000ooo