Chapter 6

“Thank you, John. I like your planned approach. What speed do you anticipate the fencing men to achieve?”

“Once they get there, if we assume the ground will accept the standard fence posts, and if we have reasonable weather conditions, they should manage to complete several hundred metres per day. It is a variable of sorts, as they halt for meal breaks. Someone will bring out their meals to them; meals that do not require to be heated. Think of these as precooked sausage rolls, or alternatively traditional Cornish pasties, washed down with tea or coffee from vacuum flasks. They are tough gents, these fence men; real outdoors workers.”

Reginald admitted, “I am impressed with what I hear, sir. I will look forward to their arrival. Now, your down payment?”

“Ah, yes. I will give you the account number at the Bank of Rehome. You can transfer the fee to that number today?”

“I can.”

“Then it is 6731745. Can you repeat that back?”

Reg did so, as he had inputted the number into his phone as he heard it. “Do I have it right?”

“That is it. When I get conformation from the bank that the amount has arrived, the contract will commence and my installation contractor will get the go-ahead.”

Reginald agreed. “I will get that organised immediately.”

He told Frances what was happening, and asked her to have the stipulated deposit transferred to the numbered account via her phone. She was happy to set that in train, but had a query for Reginald.

“Reg? Can we get the bank to tell us whose account that is?”

“I don’t think they would allow such a query, but if the Governor made a request for information, I can’t see them refusing.”

“Let’s do it! I have my suspicions about this guy, and I’d love to have them confirmed.”

A call was made to the Governor’s office, and the woman was non-committal until she heard the name of Reginald Robertson.

“Why didn’t you tell me your name right off? The Governor has you down for immediate action if you called. Tell me again about this fencing contractor.”

Reginald explained about what was, to them, the suspicious nature of the transaction offered, but that the Governor had approved the man’s business operation, but with a financial limitation to encourage competitors.

“He didn’t want to use his surname nor a company name, and we have to pay the deposit into a numbered bank account. He has now told us that he organises the materials, but arranges another contractor to do the installation, and we have to pay that installer separately. It all sounds eminently sensible, but my wife’s suspicious mind says there is something wrong somewhere. If I give you the bank account number, can the Governor look into it and reassure me, so that my large outlay is not at risk?”

“I can’t promise anything, Reginald, but when my husband gets an interest in something, doors magically open for him!”

“Sounds good, Mrs Kempe. I’ll look forward to hearing further.”

They finished the call, and Reginald was more comfortable with the situation. He had shifted his worry to the Governor – who probably had a dozen other worries at the same time!

Reginald was suddenly aware that he had not seen Elizabeth or Sidra today. He asked Frances.

“Where are Sidra and Elizabeth, darling? I haven’t seen them today.”

“Oh, they went out on their bikes to explore a possible route to our neighbours. They should be back soon enough.”

They were indeed. Less than an hour later, they both appeared at the front door, puffing and panting. Once they could speak, they told Frances, “There are a bunch of teenage boys down the track towards the rail line. They looked like they were coming this way, so we thought we should warn you. We are not expecting a bunch of boys, are we?” This last was directed at Reginald.

He frowned. “No. I heard nothing. If they were friendly and wanted to visit, they would have phoned in advance. Frances, do you and the other girls remember the self-defence training class you got at the university?”

“Of course, we worked on that until it was ingrained in us as a set of reflex actions. You are not expecting these boys to assault us, do you?”

“Not expecting, but preparation is never a bad idea, my love. Can you go get the others to leave their babies in the nursery with Sandra and come here, armed with any implements they might find handy in a brawl? Sidra, Elizabeth, I want you two to stay well back if there is any confrontation; in fact, go help Sandra with the babies, as you haven’t had the same training for possible fighting; Okay?”

“Yes, Dad,” said Sidra, while Elizabeth looked frightened and said nothing, only nodded.

A few minutes later, the teenage boys in question pedalled confidently up towards the house. Reginald stood outside watching, and called to them as they approached.

“Hi, boys. You out on a rural bicycle trip today, or going anywhere specific?”

The four boys halted their bikes and stared at the adult. The tallest declared, “We heard there were new girls out this way, so we came for a look.”

Reginald replied, “There is just me and my family, lads, so nothing to interest you at all.”

“We just saw a couple of teenagers heading this way on bikes, mister, so that can’t be right.”

“Oh, but it is accurate, young man. One is my adopted daughter and the other is my daughter by marriage, so part of my family. They don’t want anything to do with you fellows.”

“How do we know? We haven’t had a chance to chat them up.”

“And you won’t have such a chance; I have already said so. Please be on your way.”

The teenager grinned malevolently. “And what if we don’t want to? Are you going to make us, mister?”

At this point, Frances, Erika, Freda, Prudence, Hermione, Jemima and Fiona, filed out silently and walked over to stand on either side of Reg, each holding a long handled implement; a sweeping brush or a broom, a garden hoe or rake, whatever they could find, even though perhaps looking ridiculous as an assault force, as most of them were wearing their painting and decorating clothes. Frances, now standing beside a smiling Reg, spoke to their visitors and provided the answer they didn’t expect.

“No, he won’t need to make you leave; we will. Do you want to find out what we can do against bully boys?”

“What? A few ugly women, a tall skinny one, and some stragglers, wearing old clothes and holding wooden tools? You and whose army?”

Jessica decided to step out and join them, saying as she waved a kitchen mallet, “Me and them, that is all: an old lady and a bunch of girls. Feel like brave boys, do you? Ready to go into battle against women with children? Perhaps I should formally warn you that these girls are trained in self-defence fighting, so you should be fully aware of the fact before you get hurt, seriously hurt. You have now been legally warned. Still in the mood to tackle us?”

The lad stamped his feet, continuing to act belligerently, but a couple of others behind him advised, “Maybe we should just leave it, Fred...”

This caused the opposite effect on their leader, who felt his leadership position was threatened.

“Leave it be? Nah, it is all talk and bluster, to hide that they can’t do nothing. That right, mister?”

Reginald gave him a friendly chuckle in response. “I wouldn’t put much reliance on your assumptions, kid. Now say goodbye, and be on your way while you still can. You have been adequately warned about the consequences.”

“Goodbye then!” He jumped onto his pedals, accelerated at an angle, swung round as he built up some speed, then turned to face Reginald. He immediately charged towards Reg as fast as he could. As Reg braced himself for the onslaught, Frances stepped forward and thrust her broom handle to the side, shoving it inside the front wheel as the cycle passed, releasing the implement’s handle and stepping aside as she did so. The bike shuddered to an abrupt halt, the broom jerked out and up into the air at an angle, and the shocked teenager suddenly totally lost control. He shot over the handlebars through his own momentum, while Reg stepped to one side to avoid being hit by the flying boy. The teenager’s body obeyed the laws of gravity and arced towards the ground in front of him.

Everyone stared at the resulting carnage, as the teenager’s head struck the hard ground and his arm crumpled under him with a distinct crack as he tried to save himself from his own actions. He gave a grunt and became still after that; at which stage the girls jointly took a single step towards the others, brandishing their implements.

Reginald held a hand up to restrain his women from taking the war to the aggressors, and calmly addressed the teenagers. “Boys, would you mind removing this unwanted damaged body and taking him home with you? He doesn’t seem to be very clever at all. His futile actions were entirely an example of stupidity. He probably has a broken arm and a bad headache.”

Reginald continued after a short pause, “Unless of course you want my ladies to demonstrate what they can do if you volunteer to be as aggressive as him. You can then take the consequences!”

The three boys took a panicky step back in alarm. “No, mister. We’ll just go, if we can drape him over his bike and support him on it.”

Reg stooped to have a look at the bike in question, which had toppled on its side. The broom handle had shot out of the way, but the thick plastic wheel spokes had twisted somewhat under the intense pressure of the impact with the broom handle. The outer rim appeared intact, if unsteadily supported.

“It looks like that wheel will need to be replaced after you get him home, assuming he is just knocked out. Of course, if he comes round he will probably be screaming with the pain in his arm. Would you like us to phone the rescue services for help with him? It may take some time for them to arrive by the rail line.”

The same boy was alarmed at the suggestion.

“No, no! His dad would kill him for having to be rescued that way, after trying it on with you and being felled by a woman. We’ll get him home and say that he hit a rock and fell off his bike; better that way with his dad.”

“Okay. I’ll give you a hand to get him on the bike. Keep his body level, but best to hold his legs out to the sides while you steer, and let his bike freewheel down the slope to the rail line and the cycle track beside it. There is a rail halt there, so you can decide whether to catch a train into the city or help him to cycle home if he has recovered his senses enough to do that, though the pain may prevent that option.

If in future you lads, without him, want to come out this way on a friendly visit, you would be made welcome. We always welcome friendly people. Just remember not to upset my ladies; they can be extremely dangerous if you annoy them. They once very effectively fought off a drugs gang on Earth.”

The boys nodded in awe, finding this fully believable after what had just happened. Between them they got their unconscious erstwhile leader perched on his saddle and draped over the handlebars. He was still not conscious enough to even know where he was, never mind able to ride a bike. Two of his pals supported him as Reg advised, and slowly wheeled the bike like a stretcher, while the other two sorted themselves out to manhandle the other bikes. At some point, one might cycle ahead and try to find help at the rail halt, while the other boy tried to wheel three bikes; not an easy ask. It would take them some time to slowly get down as far as the rail line, but they had a possibility of getting a ride on a train into the city, where medical help would be more readily available. They were still not certain what they should do, for no plan had been made for this sort of emergency. The possibility of themselves getting hurt had never entered their heads. Bully tactics are usually planned without any negative thoughts of the future.

Once they were gone, Reginald thanked his wives for their support.

“Well done, ladies. You may not have had to do much actively, but being there and ready to rumble made all the difference. I could see that you were prepared to use your tools like quarter-staffs. That would have been very effective against bullies with fists!”

Frances nodded, but looked at Reg with a querulous face. Reg noticed.

“What is it, my love?”

“Our neighbours. Do they know how to defend themselves in the same circumstances?

Reg pondered. “I shouldn’t think so. We are unusual in that respect. Are you thinking of teaching them?”

“Not really, but it occurs to me that as a general principle, farming families should be taught some basic self-defence measures, for they are far from immediate help as we have just experienced. Animal attacks could be as bad as nasty humans.”

“You think the Governor should organise something?”

“Yes. Would you ring him up and put it to him as a standard self-defence training offered to all new arrivals? Most of them are encouraged to be farmers in the colony, so getting them prepared to defend themselves in such a rural setting could be important.”

“Good idea, Frances. I’ll get straight on to it.”

This time, he got straight through to Governor Kempe.

“Hello, Reginald my boy. I am treating your ideas about cotton manufactures as a first proposal from your research group. I will also look into that bank account number for you. Have you anything more for me? Is that why you are ringing?”

“It is not so much an idea for colony development; it is more a means of reducing the pressure on your security staff. We encountered a small group of teenage boys today, a little while ago. They were looking to accost teenage girls that they heard were in this area, and were not put off by words. Their leader tried to attack me, but my wife Francis shoved a broom handle into his bicycle wheel. That made the bike stop suddenly, so the kid shot over the handlebars and collided with the ground, knocking him out, and by the sound I heard, breaking his arm.”

“Good grief! That must have been a real scare for your wives.”

“Not really. All my girls came out before the lads arrived. They came armed with brushes, brooms and other implements that could be used for defence ... Don’t laugh, sir. They are trained to use these like quarterstaffs, you see. My ladies and I were all given lessons in self-defence at our university some time back, so I was sure they would deal adequately with these lads if need be. Fortunately, once the leader was down and out, the others, his followers, became amenable to persuasion, and they took him off to seek medical help.

To get to the point of my call: Frances suggested that a standard self-defence training program for all new immigrants would be a good idea, as many of them would find themselves in remote spots with no police or other security to call on at short notice. They might also encounter wild animals. If the immigrants all went through a basic course in self-defence, that would make policing the colony much easier, and would reduce the pressure to get to conflict spots at high speed, when there are no roads to speak of outside the city. Worth a thought?”

“Reginald, I am surprised no-one has suggested this before now. It is a great idea, and one that could be implemented very quickly, if we have enough instructors to offer these classes. Don’t you think we could teach city dwellers the same course? They may be able to benefit from the same defensive techniques, for crime doesn’t just happen in rural locations.”

Reg agreed, “That hadn’t occurred to me, but you are right, assuming you have enough trainers to do the job; most soldiers have the training to be adequate for teaching the subject. If you do have enough personnel to embark on such training, it would be of general value to the population as a whole. It would mean that potential criminals would be deterred for much of the time, if they knew that their targets were able to fight back.”

Governor Kempe decided, “Then I will explore the possibilities with my staff. If necessary, we might recruit some instructors directly from Earth. Who was your instructor at the university?”

Reginald gave the information. “Doctor Tom Hancock. He is a medical doctor and physiotherapist as well as running the self-defence class for students, so he may not be interested in moving from Earth.”

“A medical doctor as well, eh? We need more doctors for our colony, too, so perhaps we can tempt him with his own medical practice here, or possibly a senior appointment at the hospital; but perhaps his own medical practice combined with part-time duty at the hospital as a locum or something might be more to his liking. That might work. I’ll have my staff arrange to speak with him on the phone, to see if he can be recruited. The lack of income tax may help win him over.”

“He is a nice guy, so I hope you are successful, sir. How often do you expect us to offer you new ideas for the colony’s potential benefit?”

“That is up to you and your staff, Reginald. I can’t expect you to produce ideas to order; I know that. Life doesn’t work that way. However, I hope you will justify my opinion of your abilities as a group. Sorry, I have to go; another call.”

With that, the conversation was suddenly over. Reginald was left with a demand to come up with new ideas from his group; ideas that would benefit the colony. He had no inkling where to start but knew there was no time like the present, so he took it to his wives.

“Girls, how do we come up with new ideas for the Governor? He wants proposals for improving the economy, ideas for making better use of natural resources, anything that makes the colony less dependent on Earth. Any ideas, ladies?”

The women looked blank for a while, then started talking together about what came from Earth that the colony would be better managing without, in the long term.

Erika was sure of one thing: housing. “Reg, almost all the parts of our new house was shipped in from Earth as a complete kit, on the basis that only Earth had the technology and equipment to manufacture the parts: the panels, windows, plumbing, electrics, and so on. Surely a lot of that could be made here, and not just the concrete foundations?”