The Feminist Queendom Charlie’s War 81

© 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 81.

As Jane Anston carefully parted the chink in the curtains, she squinted uncertainly at the indistinct shape immediately outside her window; indeed. Impossibly close to her window.

The dark faded ‘matt grey’ surface reflected no light and offered no clue as to it’s true shape or identity so she let the curtains fall together again as she stepped back to grab the bedside reading lamp. Then she pointed the lamp towards the window whilst simultaneously clicking the base of the lamp and spreading the curtains.

“Put that bloody light out you fool!”

She immediately recognised the voice but could not believe it.

“Charlie! Is that you?”

“Put what yonder light out you fool.”

She knew he always had a propensity for Shakespeare and a nervous wave of relief rippled through her tummy as she fumbled with her bedside reading light, curtains and the window catch.

“What are you doing here, they’ll kill you if they catch you?”

His tall angular frame emerged from the stygian blackness behind the clam-shell doors of Dawn 1 and she suddenly realised she was only in her sleeping teddy. She wrapped the curtain around her as he answered.

“You sent a note in the Australian diplomatic pouch and the Ozzy PM agrees to help you escape from the UQ if you’re up for it.”

“What! Here? Now?”

“There’s no better time. Is there anybody else in the house?”

“No the gardener lives in the cottage around the back and the maid goes home on Tuesdays.”

“Right, I can’t wait upon your tarry. Do you want to go or not?”

“What! Right now?”

“Immediately, I can hear traffic coming from the road. At this time of night, I’d bet my bottom dollar its Wilson’s mob. Has he been around?”

“Ooh yes. He was around here tonight. He’s got my bloody passport!”

Charlie couldn’t supress a snort of ridicule.

“Bugger your bloody passport, are you coming or not?”

“I need to get dressed!”

“You can get dressed onboard. Hurry woman. It’s now or never.”

“Turn away.”

“Tsk!” Charlie wagged his head as he demanded. “D’ you want modesty or freedom. I’ve read your Missive to our PM!”

Nevertheless, he turned away and just offered an extended arm to help her slip through the narrow, half height windowpane.

Throwing caution to the wind, she grabbed the arm and crawled crouching through the antique leaded window frame as Charlie forced it all the way back on its hinges. She reached out with her foot to step onto the rear cargo threshold but Charlie just reached around her and yanked her easily in board. As she stumbled forward, Charlie pointed out the open door and followed closely behind her. In the low red nightlight she realised now she was virtually naked except for the flimsy whisp of her sleeping teddy.

She moved to put the chart table between her and Charlie but quickly realised he had no predatory or sexual interest in her. As he slid quickly into the control seat he spoke over his shoulder.

“In the lockers on the bulkhead, there are labelled spacesuits for each of my spacemen. Take the one labelled Laura, she’s about your size. Put the teddy-bear onsie on first then fix up the urine pipe. Have you ever inserted your own catheter?”

“Good god no!” She squeaked.

“Welcome to space travel and space suits then, If you don’t feel comfortable with the catheter; just put the onesie on, that’ll make you respectable.”

As he was saying this; Charlie was busy adjusting controls and closing remote cargo doors while Dawn 1 was already ascending. Jane hurriedly opened Laura’s locker and found the onsie. She sniffed it and realised it had been used by Laura but the smell was not sour or objectionable. She was just glad of the modesty the onsie gave her.

Once she had struggled into it she was about to turn and ask Charlie the usual silly question about her bum looking big but instead, there was a tremendous bang and she was flung against the cabinets

“Aaaargh! Fuck! What was that?” She screamed in terror.

“Aak,aak.” Charlie replied. “Don’t worry, they didn’t hit us. It was just dammed close.”

“Are we damaged? The famous engineer asked nervously.”

“I Don’t think so,” Charlie opined. “If we’d been hit there would have been a bloody great clang, like the inside of a bell.”

Jane Anston stepped to look out of the forward visor but saw nothing but clouds. She turned again nervously to Charlie.

“Who could have fired at us?”

“I don’t know, but it was obviously some agency of the government. That was a large calibre anti-aircraft ordinance.”

“But how would they have known?”

“They’ve obviously been watching you for some time. Maybe even monitoring your correspondence.”

“Well that’s possible I suppose but that murderous bitch in number ten has only been prime minister for a few days.”

“And already, hundreds have been killed for protesting quietly on the streets.” Charlie finished for her.”

Jane Anston fell into a thoughtful silence. Then there was another flash followed by a distant crump. Dawn 1 felt the shock but it was too far away to cause any discomfort.

“We’re out of range now.” Charlie advised her. “They might not know you’re aboard so what do you want to do?”

“What choices do I have?”

“The whole planet; anywhere you like.”

“I’d like to protect my niece. She was the one who videoed all the corpses in Little Sanctuary Street behind the Supreme Court.”

“That’s tricky, d’ you know where she might be. The text accompanying the video she sent to Oz stated she was in danger.”

“That video went viral, it’s all over. There’ll be plenty of people offering her safety now.”

“But where,” Charlie asked, “if she’s with a lot of supporters, it’s likely they’ll want to escape and my ship only normally carries one. There’s standing space for five or six at a squeeze but I can’t rescue more.”

“What about that space behind that door we came through?”

“That’s the cargo hold. It’s not airtight, we’d have to stay low so that they could breath and at low altitude we’d be vulnerable to anti-tank missiles. They’d have very little chance of hitting us even way down low because my ship is really fast. But it’s still a risk.”

“How fast does she go?”

“That’s a secret Miss Anston, at least, her maximum speed is a secret. At ground level her speed is restricted by air-friction. At three thousand knots, her anti-reflective coating would begin to melt, at five thousand knots, her tungsten tipped leading edges start to get red hot and melt. She can briefly do five thousand knots at sea level then it graduates upwards as altitude increases and air density reduces.”

“Good god!” Jane gasped. “So at ground speed, a missile can’t catch her.”

“Not if the missile sends out any form of radio tracking or heat detection transmissions. Anyway, missiles can’t harm her. They’re designed to knock down thin-skinned aircraft not a flying tank. That explosion just now was an artillery shell. It only got close because we were ascending slowly. It would take a direct hit by an anti-tank missile to hurt my ship.”

“So you could rescue my niece. She’s an important witness because she took the ‘Little Sanctuary’ massacre video on her mobile.”
“Yeah but who else would want to climb aboard? Think of the panic, it would be Saigon all over again.”

“I could get her alone if she’s still got her phone.”

“What, arrange a rendezvous?” Charlie wondered.

“Yes. I have the perfect spot. I took her and her sister on a picnic once and we were chased by a red deer stag. She knows exactly where it was.”

“No can do” Charlie cautioned her. “It has to be a place that ONLY your niece knows. Otherwise they can torture her sister.”

“Shit!”

“Look,” Charlie offered, “you’re safe now. Let’s take you to Oz and I can get my ship kitted out with some extra equipment to check for ambushes and defence.”

“But my niece!”

“Sorry; it’s too risky. Besides, they might be using you as bait to trap me.” Charlie finished.

“Or as bait to find my niece.” She pleaded. “She’s the one who’s really fucked them up. She’s their worst enemy at the moment.”

“Not any more she isn’t.” Charlie argued. “She’s done her bit for the cause. The damage is done.”

“But if they find her, they’ll punish her simply for showing the truth, they’ll kill her! They’ve killed plenty of others!”

“So? She dies for the cause, she’s a martyr!”

“How can you be so cynical; so uncaring?”

Charlie was testing Jane Anston by presenting himself as a cold, uncaring opportunist. He continued in a combative vein.

“How do I know you’re not setting a trap for me, and or your niece? You invite me to help you rescue her then capture me and her at the rendezvous. You worked willingly for the Feminista for decades, you’ve made lot of money out of their government contracts. How do I know you’re not still working for them?”

“That’s just bloody evil!” She cursed.

“Am I. I just rescued you from your own bedroom, how’s that evil?”

“You didn’t know I needed helping.”

Charlie gave a short Ironic laugh.

“Ha! Anybody who’s just received an evening call from Wilson, is pretty sure to be in a jam or have some sort of problem! Let’s not forget, you chose to escape from your own bedroom window.”

“Yeah but I ask myself now, if I jumped from the frying pan into the fire.”

“That’s as maybe.” Charlie countered, “but I’ll take you to Oz and introduce you to our PM cos’ that’s the last letter you wrote to her. While you sort out any issues with her, I’ll run my own security checks while Dawn 1 is being fitted out with some defences. I can’t ever see myself or Dawn needing them but you never know.”

If the Aussies are happy, I’ll look at rescuing your niece, and a few others while we’re at it. I’ve also got a few friends who might want to get out of that Feminista cesspit.

“How do you propose to do that?” She demanded.

“We’ve moved on quite a bit in Oz. Provided I can organise internal help, I can bypass UQ’s internal defences. Note I said bypass, not overwhelm or destroy!”

ooo000ooo

Jane Anston fell silent as she watched the earth pass silently by underneath her. Eventually she recognised a salient feature.

“Is that Antarctica with all that white?”

“Yes; we’re passing over the Antarctic Peninsular and King George Island. That’s Ross Island to our left.”

“But why d’you come this way, it’s a hell of a long way around?”

“I stick mainly to passing over the Oceans, that’s still neutral territory despite the belligerent endeavours of some. The safest way to reach Oz from the UQ is go south over the Atlantic, then over Antarctica which is neutral territory and finally go north to reach Australia over the Antarctic Ocean then into the great Ozzy bight. That way nobody can accuse us of overflying their patch or spying on them.”

“Then why don’t you go north over the arctic and down the date line?”

“Try threading a spaceship between Alaska and Siberia. They’re still at each other’s throats. The missiles wouldn’t touch us; but the fall out would be catastrophic. Missiles flying up from Alaska and Siberia!? It doesn’t bear thinking about, so I take the long way around.”

Jane couldn’t fault the Logic as she watched the last traces of Antarctica disappear astern.

“Where will we land in Australia?” She asked.

“Canberra. Right by the parliament buildings. Katie will receive us and we go straight into the PM’s office.”

“Who’s Katie?”

“One of my best friends in Oz. She’s the defence minister and the PM’s righthand girl. She was close to me when the Chinese tried to assassinate me. She had a beautiful white silk suit and the hem got splashed with the blood from my splintered face”

“Is that what gave you that horrible scar?”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t it frighten your children?”

“Yes.

“What’s she like; this Katie?”

“She’s a very sharp cookie, a feminised victim of the Feminista laws and a very resentful one. She’s bitterly angry she can’t father kids. If you want to see the consequences of Feminista, teenaged castrations, speak to her!”

ooo000ooo