Every Man's Fantasy Ch. 20

One human-interest story the media liked was that the pilot, Robyn Bradford, and the doctor, Jane Bradford, were sisters. They were short, stocky, dark-haired and energetic women, sure of themselves and keen to get started.

There was a poignant but heart-warming scene when the crew said goodbye to their families and went into quarantine for a month.

4 The CSS 'Petticoat'

Exactly on time, with a big splash of publicity, the CSS 'Petticoat' jumped successfully from Celetaris to Samothea, bouncing out of Brad's old beacon as planned.

Robyn released the new beacon, which automatically unravelled itself, spreading its solar collectors to begin powering up. She detached the shuttle-craft from its hyperdrive unit, lit the rockets and took the ship into a low orbit of Samothea. With Brad's co-ordinates, they easily found the site of the escape-pods. Robyn prepared her crew, pointed the ship toward the surface of Samothea and began her descent.

The shuttle-craft with five women made a safe but noisy landing under rocket-power near the salvage site. They secured the craft and began to unload their supplies. Jane Bradford, the crew's doctor, took a quick look at Annela's escape pod. She copied the read-outs into her computer tablet and looked worried.

"What is it?" Robyn asked.

"I'm getting some odd readings from the internal sensors. I hope it's just the instruments not working properly, rather than a fault with the pod," she said.

"All right, Jane. Thanks. Be ready to leave in five minutes."

The women packed instruments and tools into their backpacks and powered up their air-suits from the on-board compressor. They shot into the air together and headed overland, directly to the Cloner City.

The women of the Cloner City were not exactly inured to fantastical sights, such as visitors from outer space, but nor did they rub their eyes and pinch themselves when five grey-suited women hovered over the City that afternoon and slowly descended with a hiss of compressed air.

A visit by men was expected at some time and there were some lusty women who were disappointed to see their visitors were only women. But anyone who came to them from space deserved to be treasured. After just a moment's hesitation, the Petticoat Crew were mobbed by the excited women of the Cloner City.

The Petticoat Crew had barely time to breathe, so inundated by questions were they as the Cloner Tribe escorted them to the Council Chamber to meet Gloria, the Prefect of Samothea, and her Advisory Council.

The crew sat opposite the Council at the high table, surrounded by as many women as could crowd into the hall. They felt a degree of awe at meeting the all-female rulers of Samothea but were soon put at their ease. The rulers of Samothea weren't as dignified as they seemed. They were far too curious and naive for that. They asked the questions most of the women in the hall wanted to know: How was Brad? Did he talk about them? When was he coming back?

That none of the Petticoat Crew had met Brad was hard to explain to women who had never known more than about one-hundred-and-twenty people in their lives.

Robyn explained her mission. They had done first part, which was to establish a tethered hyperspace link between Celetaris and Samothea. This meant that travel between Celetaris and Samothea would be much easier (assuming the Samothea Project could get the money for more trips).

The Advisory Council was cautious in welcoming that piece of news, whose discussion they deferred until later.

Next Robyn explained how there would soon be a permanent videoscope connection to the rest of the galaxy, once a communications probe had been sent, which could launch bursters (transmitters) and sniffers (receivers) through the tethered link from Celetaris to Samothea and back. This was more to the Council's liking. They invited the Petticoat Crew to bring their radio equipment from the shuttlecraft to set up a communications centre in the Cloner City.

Gloria and the Council also happily accepted the crew's offer to use their skills, technology and knowledge of medicine in any way that would be useful to the women of Samothea. Robyn's request that the Petticoats might interview the women of Samothea and study their society was also agreed, though it amused the women to think that their lives were worth studying.

All this while, the Juniors had been ably threading through the crowded hall, bringing drinks and plates of cold food to the Council and their guests.

The next issue to discuss was Doctor Jane Bradford's analysis of the sensors in Annela's escape-pod, which the Cloners found alarming.

"I have the capacity to carry Annela's pod back to Celetaris for medical treatment," Robyn said. "I think it is best if I do this immediately."

"We agree," Gloria said. "We think that saving Annela takes priority. We're grateful to whoever is sponsoring her medical treatment."

"I will head back to Celetaris without my crew ..." Robyn said,

"They are very welcome to stay as long as they like," Gloria replied.

"... which means I have four spaces on the shuttlecraft for whomever you choose to send to Celetaris."

"Why would we want to go to Celetaris?"

"The Celetaris Institute for Science is organising a conference on the future of Samothea. There will be representatives from the Settler Company and, they hope, representatives from your colony."

Gloria frowned as let the import of this statement sink in for a minute; but she smiled when she spoke again.

"You're inviting us to discuss the future of our own planet?" she queried, more amused than affronted.

"Yes, Ma'am," Robyn said. "You see, the problem is, we don't know who owns Samothea."

"The Settler Company has a legal claim," she explained. "But Danielle Goldrick and the Samothea Project Team believe you own your own planet. Some politicians on Earth are hinting that they could take temporary control of Samothea until its status is normalised (although Celetaris and other colonies dispute its authority to do so). The Anglosphere diplomatic corps has offered to arbitrate between the claimants."

"Would you like to send a negotiating team to Celetaris with me, Ma'am? You can also take part in the conference by videoscope, once communications are set up."

Gloria conferred with her Advisory Council but it was not a long conference. The response was unanimous.

"We are in favour of re-establishing contact with the rest of the galaxy," Gloria announced. "Some of us even approve restarting the colonisation of Samothea (especially by inviting more men to come here); but the question of who owns Samothea is not open for discussion. We will not send a negotiating team ..."

Gloria paused.

"... but I will accompany you to the conference on Celetaris as an observer."

Although the women in the Hall had not been party to the discussion between Gloria and the Council, they cheered the decision that there would be no compromise on the ownership of Samothea. The women had not struggled to survive on their own for one-hundred years to give their planet away to aliens!

It was agreed that Robyn would take Annela's pod back to Celetaris as a matter of urgency. Gloria would go with her. Who would take the last three seats (if anyone at all) was a question to be discussed with the other tribal chiefs, who were to be sent for now. Meanwhile, the Petticoat Crew were free to go wherever they liked on Samothea, ask any questions they wanted and live with any tribe who would take them in.

When, a few days later, all the tribal chiefs and Ezra were in the Cloner City again, it was agreed that Ezra, Yael and Freya would go to Celetaris with Robyn, Gloria and Annela's pod.

Freya should go for Annela's sake, because it would be very disturbing for her to be revived on a strange planet, surrounded by unfamiliar people, without her daughter there. It followed that Yael should go as Freya's mentor, to look after the girl while her mother recovered.

It was also decided that Ezra should go because he could help Gloria understand the customs of Celetaris.

Ezra didn't really want to go, though he recognised he could be useful (and he wanted to see his family, of course). He thought the decision to observe the conference on the future of Samothea rather than take part in it was naive, though he sympathised with the motivation. He hoped he could defend the colony of Samothea from the greedy Settler Company, whom he knew well.

Ezra apologised to Yumi for being left behind but she understood. There would be more shuttles and much to do in the meantime. Besides, Yumi liked the women of Samothea very much. She loved how they doted on her son, Hayate, but also how they were careful not to spoil him. She loved the warm and supportive way the women treated each other. She was also becoming good friends with Ash, who often asked Solange if she could sleep with Yumi and Hayate.

However much Yumi missed her family, she was seriously thinking about staying on Samothea, where she could help the women build a technological society, where Hayate could grow up in peace and safety.

******

The Herders gave Gloria, Yael, Freya and Ezra a ride to the Salvage Site. Although she was apprehensive, Gloria hid her fears; but Yael and Freya burned with excitement for a flight on an actual spaceship.

Ezra tried to prepare them for the journey, describing space-flight and hyperspace jumps. He skipped over the dangers of the journey; but even if he hadn't, nothing would scare the girls, who were going on the adventure of a lifetime.

What most excited Yael was the chance to meet boys her own age. She was obsessed by the prospect. Ezra tried to give her a fatherly warning, but his warnings had the opposite effect, making boys even more exciting and attractive to her, so Ezra shut up.

If Yael found the idea of boys thrilling, Freya was beside herself with the thought that she would actually meet an actual dog, actually. She struggled to sit still. She couldn't have been any more excited by the prospect of meeting an actual unicorn, actually.

Annela's pod was secure in the hold. The passengers were in their seats. The Petticoat Crew kept the Herder braves at a safe distance from the shuttlecraft.

"Check your harnesses." Robyn's voice came over the intercom. "Lift-off in thirty seconds."

Ezra and Freya were in front. Having tested Freya's harness, Ezra looked around to check that Gloria and Yael were properly strapped in behind. He saw Gloria looking pale, gripping the arms of her seat.

Ezra tapped the intercom.

"Robyn, can you delay take-off for a minute? We need to change places."

"Let me know when you're secured," Robyn said.

Ezra asked Yael to swap places. He strapped himself in next to Gloria and took her hand. She put both her hands on his, gripping tightly.

He smiled but said nothing. She smiled back and tried to feel reassured.

"Ready, Robyn," Ezra reported.

"Good. Lift-off in five seconds, ... four, ... three, .. two, ... one."

The rocket motors roared and the shuttlecraft shook. Flames and smoke engulfed the vehicle.

The audience of Herders jumped in shock and their horses shied at the noise and violence of the rockets. Soon they saw a white craft emerge from the cloud of dust and smoke. Propelled by long orange flames, it climbed slowly into the sky, gradually accelerating until it was a shiny dot streaking away, painting a grey smoke-trail on the clear blue sky.