The Feminist Queendom Charlie’s War 41

© 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.

Chapter 41.

With the barbecue over, the whole assemblage decamped back to Chloe’s homestead where Margaret indulged herself by helping Charlie and Chloe put the children to bed. The first night of Charlie’s return always involved some high jinks and bedtime games mostly concerning charlotte as the triplets were still too small. Nevertheless, the three of them all joined Charlotte riding ‘The-old-grey-mare’ along the bedroom corridor while Chloe taught them the song.

Then came endless bouts of ‘whoopsies or plopsies’ when each child would perch on top of Charlie’s bent knees and squeal with delight as he suddenly spread his knees and they would fall into the cradle formed by the duvet. Often these bedroom games would last an hour and as Margaret watched this particular night she turned enviously to Chloe.

“I think he’ll get tired before they do.”

“I don’t think so,” Chloe replied as she nodded towards her youngest daughters, (the identical twins in the triplet group) “those two are pretty much out of it and Chip won’t last much longer.”

Chloe’s words turned true as the triplets fell asleep and a final rumbunctious episode with the older Charlotte soon had her fast asleep in her daddy’s arms.

While the children played their pre-bed games, Margaret chatted confidentially with Chloe.

“You’re a lucky woman! Any other mother would be exhausted by that caper just before bed. I know my sister is just glad to slump off after her children are asleep. She just collapses on the sofa.”

“That’s another benefit to my being married to their father. They can bounce around as wildly as they like and exhaust themselves, but Charlie’s got the strength and endurance to handle them. “You ought to try it sometime.”

“Try what?”

“Finding the right sort of guy. There’s plenty of them spread around the outback who would treat a wife well, I know, because I meet them a lot; they often come by my mining clinic knowing they’ll get fair treatment for any injuries.”

“I know your reputation with the men in the mines but how does it spread to those outbackers?”

“Men do talk Marge sometimes the outbackers even bring their wives if it’s before curfew.”

“And after curfew, if they’re badly injured?”

“I meet them at a secret location’ or I issue them a medical pass and our ambulance moves them legally through any check-points.”

“Secret location?” Margaret wondered aloud.

“Yeah. By prearrangement. It’s one of the issues Charlie put into the green paper, fair and proper treatment for single male outbackers. These guys might have to travel hundreds of miles to get to a doctor and invariably it’s some grumpy, junior doctor; - always female of course and resenting the night shift. If they can make it to my clinic they know they’ll get proper treatment.

Consequently they prefer to endure the pain, treat themselves with painkillers and travel in their ags halfway across Oz. You should see some of the injuries I have to treat, compound multiple fractures, snake-bites; horrendous accidental lacerations; - all the joys of remote, outback survival.”

“So why do they choose to live so far out?” Margaret asked.

“Oh come on Marge! You know as well as I do! They value their freedom and they’ll stay isolated for years just to keep it.
Then they’ll travel huge distances if they need proper medical treatment.”

“What just to enjoy your tender care?”

“Well, it’s the clinic mainly. I’ve got two other doctors who think the same way I do, everybody’s treated equally in clinical terms. The only unfairness is that these outback men have to pay for the treatments while miners get it free, courtesy of the mining companies. Do you call that fair? Women don’t have to pay, do they? They all get free medical treatment.”

“Well that’s not my fault.” Margaret protested.

“Oh? Who’s is it then? Who did you vote for in the last election?”

“I uuhm; - I didn’t vote.”

“’Nuff said!” Chloe snapped. “I’m all right Jack; pull up the bloody ladder!”

“Men can look after themselves,” Margaret protested feebly, “They’ve been doing it for thousands of years.”

“Oh yeah! Say’s you and the feminista army. Men probably can look after themselves, but anybody can have an accident. The feminista attitude is that if an outbacker gets hurt, that’s his own lookout. He can rot out there if he’s so keen on his freedom.

Well I don’t see it like that,” Chloe continued, “that’s why I changed from genetic science and moved over to trauma surgery.

You wouldn’t know any better after having been indoctrinated for years by the feminista culture and education. And I’ll tell you something else, I don’t see hate or resentment in outbacker’s eyes when I fix them up, I see gratitude and kindness!

Anyway, why am I telling you this? Charlie’s written it all down in his contributions to the green paper. That’s what that big envelope was about. This week he’ll be going through it word by word even though it’s the first week he’s had off from building spaceships for months. No holidays for Charlie, no breaks just work, work, work!”

“Has he said anything about his patent rights and intellectual property and stuff?” Margaret wondered.

“We talked about it a lot and he’s devoted about twenty pages to it in his deposition, but he’s still got his trump card,” Chloe replied.

“Which is?” Margaret replied before answering her own question in synch with Chloe.

“He still keeps Antigravity a secret, - in his own head.” The chorused.

“That’s about the size of it. He says he’s never committed the science or the maths to paper; - inasmuch as anybody else can understand it; and truthfully; I believe him,” Chloe confessed.”

“Brain the size of a planet; - figuratively I mean!” Margaret agreed.

“That’s just about the nub of it,” Chloe chuckled mischievously before adding, “and d’ you want to know something!”

“Go on,” Margaret encouraged her.

“It seriously fucks with their minds. Not just the Feminista mind you, but all the others, - - - the patriarchies, the theocracies, the oligarchies, the monarchies; everybody. A week ago our Aussie defence minister confessed to me that their computer records were being attacked hundreds of times a minute and they’d even been hacked once or twice but – nothing, - nada, - diddley squat!

In fact the Defence Secretary of the Feminist Republic of Pacifica actually telephoned her about it. Oh she pussy-footed around it and danced on a pin but the guts of it was, she was trying to find out how Charlie was managing to protect his secret. The poor saps just don’t get it!

Charlie’s got it locked up in his head and his head alone.”

“So if dies or has a stroke or something; we lose the science of antigravity for good.”

“Seemingly,” Chloe revealed.”

“Has he ever intimated to you that there might be a record somewhere, you know a paper record with all his work encrypted in that secret maths you described.”

“Well he’s never mentioned it to me and don’t forget, I sleep with him, every night he’s home.”

“But he makes the engines. How does he keep that a secret?”

“He buggers off into space in Dawn, then assembles the engines in their metal spheres in the cargo hold of Dawn; alone mind you! Finally, he sets the booby traps to prevent anybody opening the hemispheres then delivers the engines to Woomera base where the dummies install them. The truth is, our best scientists and engineers are nothing more than spanner-monkeys.”

“And piloting them,” Margaret confessed, “is bloody easy, you and I have both done that.”

“And also the PM and the defence minister” Chloe emphasised. “He let them play with the controls when he took them for their jaunt. Piloting the bloody things is too easy.

In fact, that’s something they are discussing with the mark three. Anti-theft devices to stop the ships being hijacked or stolen.”

“Hey-up,” Chloe cautioned, “he’s coming back, the children must be asleep.”

Charlie entered breezily and made his way to the kitchen.

“Tea or coffee anybody?”

“Let me make it,” Margaret stood up to serve.

“Nah, I’m here now. Rest your butt lady.

Margaret watched him sort out tea and biscuits with an easy familiarity that demonstrated he was totally at ease in the kitchen. She decided to do a bit of probing as Charlie selected some biscuits from the tin.

“They tell me you and the researchers at Woomera are concerned about these new spaceships being stolen or hijacked.”

“Mmmph,” he replied with a mouthful of biscuit.

He took a deep draught of his sweet milky coffee and cleared his mouth.

“Yes. They’re vulnerable to theft so we’re beginning at the beginning. Even Dawn and Second dawn are being retrofitted with security devices and self-destruct buttons. Additionally, every antigravity engine is designed to explode with considerable force if anybody tries to tamper with them. I intend to keep my secret safe Marge. It’s my only bargaining counter.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Chloe finished.

“So you’re saying if somebody, - anybody tries to look inside your magic balls they get blown to kingdom-come.” Margaret shuddered at the thought.

“They and everybody else for a couple of hundred metres.” Charlie emphasised. “As I said Marge, I’m playing for big stakes and I’m determined to keep my science a secret. I’m playing for keeps!”

“Well on that note, I think I’ll go to bed,” Chloe yawned.

Charlie turned to Margaret.

“Are you staying over or heading home? You’re welcome to one of the bedrooms.”

“I’d like to stay over if you’re okay with it.”

Chloe chuckled as she observed.

“You’d never have dreamed of doing that two years ago, - sleeping under the same roof as an unsecured male.”

“It’s been a learning curve for me as well Chloe,” Marge confessed.

“Or is that an un-learning curve?” Charlie posed. “Shedding the lies fed to you at school and college?”

“Point taken Charlie.” Margaret conceded. “Well, it’s bed for me, is it the usual room overlooking the only apple tree for miles?”

Chloe nodded before making her way upstairs.

“Will you be here in the morning?” Margaret asked Charlie.

“Hopefully. This is a rare chance to be with the kids for more than a short weekend. Goodnight.”

They separated at the top of the landing as Charlie joined Chloe while Margaret went to the end of the corridor to ‘the apple-tree room’ as Charlotte called it.

ooo000ooo