"I repeat....this is UPS Ship 138.....we are declaring an emergency and we must land!!!"
"UPS Ship....you are not cleared to land.....we do not have any facilities to assist you!!!!"
"Listen lady.....I am Captain Pettigrew and I'm in charge of this ship.....we've had a hull breach that is causing us to lose atmosphere....I don't need your help to fix it....I just need a place where there's air that we can breathe while we make the repairs ourselves!!!!"
"I repeat....UPS ship you are not cleared to land....you must not attempt to land here...."
"Lady.....we're landing in about three minutes.....clearance or not.....we'll discuss the laws of cooperation between inhabited planets when I see you in person!!!!"
"UPS Ship.....You are....."
"Cut it off Sparks....I don't want to hear anymore...."
"Aye Aye Captain!!!!"
The radio connection went dead as the entire crew readied themselves for an emergency landing in a possible hostile environment.
The landing was smooth as silk and the Captain slapped the pilots on the back....
"Very nicely done gentlemen....."
He picked up the intercom....
"Science Officer......give me atmospheric analysis!!!!"
"Yes Captain.......the atmosphere is 1.1 Earth normal.....it is safe to breathe....I am running a survey of biotics and virii and I should have the results in a few days..."
"Belay that.....we'll be long gone from here before you could finish testing....."
"Aye aye Captain!!!!"
"Well gentlemen.....there's green grass outside and fresh air to breathe.....anyone not on repair duty may go outside and take advantage of this opportunity....our next two stops are on much less hospitable worlds!!!"
He could hear the cheer go up from the crew....
"Security.....I want armed men outside.....I'm not sure why they didn't want us to land....and I don't want any problems with the indigenous people..."
"Aye Captain!!!!"
With the hatches open he could smell the fresh air as the ships airways circulated the lovely scent throughout all the decks.
"Captain.....Security Alert!!!!"
"What have you got?"
"We have locals coming in fast.....ground vehicle.....scan shows two life forms.....no weapons...."
"I'll be right down....."
The Captain wasted no time and was soon standing at the security perimeter watching the vehicle approach.....it was an old style roadster......if he wasn't wrong it was a 32 Ford....he used to tinker with his Grandfather's 32 Ford......for some reason he was never able to get the antigravs and hydrogen drives to sync up and trying to drive it was like riding a bucking bronco.....but this one drove like it was fresh out of the factory....even though that factory had closed back in 93.....
It stopped nearby and two women got out and approached....One older and one younger....the younger caught the attention of most of his crew.....while the older was a no-nonsense type who marched up to the nearest man and demanded to speak to whoever was in charge!!!!
"That would be me Ma'am.....I'm Norman Pettigrew and I'm the Captain of this ship!"
"I demand to know why you didn't obey our instructions.....why did you land here despite our explicit instructions against it!!!!"
"Ma'am....we had no choice.....your planet was the nearest inhabited world that had a breathable atmosphere.....we had about six hours earth standard time before we would all be dead due to a hull breach.....as you can see I have a damage control party plugging the hole as we speak....and I hope to be on my way as soon as it's safe to leave!!!!"
"Still....you should not have come here....."
"Why not Ma'am? Is there something we should know?"
"Would you be so kind as to accompany us....we will bring you to the council.....they will explain all....."
"Alright.....but I'm going to bring my medical officer with me if you don't mind...."
"Not at all....in fact that's a very good idea...."
"Doc....I need you here right away.....standard gear...."
There was no need to explain to these girls that "standard gear" included weapons...
When he arrived the Captain introduced him....
"Ladies this is Edward Everest Smith.....but we all just call him Doc...."
The ladies nodded and they all climbed into the roadster....
As they traveled toward the distant city the Captain couldn't hep but notice that the young lady in the back seat had taken an interest in Doc and he smiled as He watched his medical officer fend off the young girls probing hands!!!!
As they entered the city, Captain Pettigrew couldn't help but notice the complete absence of men....all he could see were women....they were everywhere!!!!
He didn't really mind so much and he relaxed a bit and enjoyed the sights as they drove further into the city!!!!
Finally they stopped in front of an enormous building!!!
"This is our capitol.....I have been instructed to bring you to the council chambers...."
"That's fine by me......I can't wait to reacquaint your government about the Universal Codes of Conduct.....refusing to honor a ship in distress is a violation they may come to regret...."
She led the two men into the building....past the female guards....who eyed them suspiciously....and into a grand chamber where seven women sat on a dais raised above the floor.....
"You have broken our laws....you have violated our planet.....please explain why we should not execute you immediately?"
The oldest woman had spoken and the others had all nodded in unison.
"With all due respect Ma'am....as I explained to the girl here....we had no choice...."
"Such impudence!!!!! Surely we cannot tolerate a male infection in our society....they must be eradicated!!!!"
"Quiet please Councillor Gwendolyn.....they are here...not by choice but by happenstance.....perhaps we could be gracious and treat them as the unexpected visitors they are?"
"Madam, if I nay....you have always been too softhearted where matters of the male sex is concerned....."
"Enough......Captain....how long do you intend to stay on our world?"
"Repairs should be done in less than twenty four hours Ma'am.....and just to let your friends on the council know.....we have transmitted a copy of our radio comms to UPS Command and if they don't hear from us they'll be coming to investigate....and they'll be bringing the Space Marines with them....."
"Alright....you may stay for 24 hours and then you must leave....we won't be responsible for what happens to you...."
"What do you think is going to happen to us?"
"Perhaps you've noticed that there are no men here Captain?"
"I had wondered about that...."
"Long ago, scientists in a lab in a far off province were doing experiments with male and female DNA....and they had developed a virus that they felt would decrease the violent tendencies of our men.....that would imbue them with some of the more desirable traits of the females.....but during their initial tests something went wrong!"
"I'm assuming it killed the men......you could have appealed for help.....there are so many other worlds that could have offered assistance......"
"By the time we realized it......it was already too late.....it was a worldwide pandemic....it affected only the men.......and it changed them....some died.....but most reacted by a slow and painful transformation into women.....and then after a time....it was no longer a problem....there were no more men for it to affect!"
"Unbelievable.....Doc....what do you think?"
"Well Cap......I've been all over this galaxy for more years than I care to remember....I've seen a lot of strange things.....but I'll be damned if that isn't the wildest story I've ever heard!!!!"
"If there are no men....well....pardon the question Ma'am....how do you keep going....I mean how do you have babies?"
"Our ancestors wisely stored enough seed for generations.....we would be very happy if both of you gentlemen could make a contribution......we could use some new men for the sake of the gene pool....."
To the Captains surprise the Doc immediately accepted and was quickly led away by the young girl that had been all over him in the car....
"I think I'll pass on your offer...respectfully.....I have no children and I think I'd like to keep it that way....."
"As you wish Captain......we will return you now to your ship.....your associate will be returned before you leave....."
'Well that sounds okay.....I'd hate to ruin Doc's fun!!!!"
On the ride back to the ship the Captain wondered.....a virus so long ago infected this world.....it must be extinct by now.....after generations had passed....but no matter ....he wanted to leave here as soon as possible....
He arrived back at the ship and found that the Damage Control Party had mostly finished the patch job on the hull....it really wasn't as simple as just welding a piece of metal over the breach.....the patch had to meld with the material the ship was constructed of....otherwise the various systems couldn't detect it and they wouldn't know if it could withstand the rigors of spaceflight.....
Several more hours then.....he went to his cabin and pondered the situation on this world...no men.....none at all....for generations.....how had their society adapted....what about marriage and family....surely this was a problem for them....and if they were really propagating their race by using the stored seed of men who were dead for decades....why weren't any of the new births males?
It all sounded bad to him.....he wanted to leave here as soon as he could....
The ships intercom interrupted hid thoughts....
"Captain.....incoming transmission from the ladies for you.....if they're looking for a young man to satisfy their needs I'm available...."
"Belay that crap Sparks.....put the call through...."
The radio crackled....
"Captain Pettigrew.....a situation has developed......I'm not sure how to tell you this but your companion......Doctor Smith.....is dead.....apparently his heart couldn't keep up with our seed extraction device.....we're very sorry about this....please understand that these machines haven't been used in many, many years!!!! None of us are sure that this wasn't always the result when they were used back then.....what would you like us to do with his remains?"
"You know what lady.....I don't care what you do.....we're getting out of here as fast as we can.....the next men you see here will be heavily armed and you can explain everything to them!!!!"
He angrily slammed the radio commlink down.....
Three hours later they lifted off to resume their mission......none of them realized that they were all infected with the feminizing virus.....and as they traveled from world to world they spread it until it became a true pandemic.....infecting all the civilized worlds....
So that was the origin of the age of women....a simple Universal Parcel Service ship making their regular deliveries to the worlds on their route.....made one unscheduled stop and the known universe became female.....
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