Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Six

I dont know how you could possibly be bored, Savitri said to me, contention on an observation deck rail as we looked out from Phoenix Station to the Magellan. This place is great.I looked over at her with mock suspicion. Who are you, and what entertain you done with Savitri Guntupalli?I dont know what you mean, Savitri said, blandly.The Savitri I know was sarcastic and bitter, I said. You are all gushy, like a schoolgirl. Therefore Youre non Savitri. You are whatever horrible spunky camouflaged alien occasion, and I hate you.Point of order, Savitri said. Youre a schoolgirl, and you hardly ever gush. Ive known you for years and I dont believe I have ever seen you involved in a gushing incident. You are almost entirely gush-free.Fine, you gush even more than a schoolgirl, I said. Which but makes it worse. I hope youre happy.I am, Savitri said. Thank you for noticing.Hrrrumph, I said, rol direct my eyes for extra effect, and applied myself to the observation deck rail with renewed moodiness.I was not actually irritated with Savitri. She had an excellent reason to be excited all her life shed been on Huckleberry and now, finally, she was somewhere else on Phoenix Station, the space station, the largest single thing human had ever built, hovering above Phoenix, the home planet of the entire Colonial Union. For as long as I had known her which was for as long as she had been my dads assistant, hold up in New Goa, on Huckleberry Savitri had cultivated an air of general smart-assery, which is one reason I adored her and looked up to her. atomic number 53 has to have contribution models, you know.But after(prenominal) we had lifted from Huckleberry her excitement from finally establish to see more of the universe had gotten to her. Shed been unguardedly excited about(predicate) everything she even got up early to go steady the Magellan, the ship that would include us to Roanoke, dock with Phoenix Station. I was happy for her that she was so excited abo ut everything, and I mocked her mercilessly for it every chance I got. One day, yes, thither would be payback Savitri taught me much of what I know about being a smartass, but not everything she knew about it but until so it was one of the fewer things keeping me entertained.Listen Phoenix Station is huge, its busy, and unless you have an actual job or like Savitri are just in from the sticks there is nothing going on. Its not an amusement park, its just a big dull combination of government offices, docks and military headquarters, all jammed into space. If it werent for the fact that stepping immaterial to get some fresh air would kill you no fresh air, just lung-popping vacuum it could be any big, faceless, dead-boring civic center anywhere humans come together to do big, faceless, dead-boring civic things. It is not designed for fun, or at least any course of fun I was interested in having. I suppose I could have filed something. That would have been a kick.Savitri, in a ddition to being insensibly excited not to be on Huckleberry, was in addition being worked like a dog by John and Jane The three of them had spent nearly all their clip since we arrived at Phoenix Station getting up to speed on Roanoke, learning about the colonists who would be with us, and overseeing the loading of supplies and equipment onto the Magellan. This didnt come as news to me, but it did leave me with not a on the whole lot to do, and no one much to do it with. I couldnt even do much with Hickory, Dickory, or Babar Dad told Hickory and Dickory to lay low darn we were on Phoenix Station, and dogs werent really allowed the run of the station. We had to lay out paper towels for Babar to do his thing on. The first night I did this and tried to get him to take care of business, he gave me a look that said you have got to be kidding. Sorry, buddy. Now pee, damn it.The only reason I was getting some time with Savitri at all was that through a clever combination of whining and guilt I had convinced her to take her lunch break with me. Even consequently she had brought her personal digital assistant and spent half of lunch going over manifests. She was even excited about that. I told her I thought she might be ill.Im sorry youre bored, Savitri said, back in the present. You might want to hint to your parents.Trust me, I did, I said. Dad actually stepped up, too. He said hes going to take me down to Phoenix. Do some last-minute shopping and other things. The other things were the main reason for us to go, but I didnt want to bring them up to Savitri I was drab enough as it was.You havent come across any other colonists your own age yet? Savitri asked.I shrugged. Ive seen some of them.But you havent spoken to any of them, Savitri said. non really, I said.Because youre shy, Savitri said.Now your sarcasm comes back, I said.Im sympathetic to your boredom, Savitri said. But less so if youre just marinating in it. She looked around at the observation desk, wh ich had a few other people in it, sitting or reading or staring out at the ships docked at the station. What about her? she said, pointing to a girl who looked about my age, who was looking out the deck window.I glanced over. What about her? I said.She looks about as bored as you, Savitri said.Appearances sight be deceiving, I said.Lets check, Savitri said, and before I could stop her called to the other girl. Hey, Savitri said.Yes? the girl said.My friend here thinks shes the most bored teenage girl on the entire station, Savitri said, pointing at me. I had nowhere to cringe. I was wondering if you had anything to say about that.Well, the girl said, after a minute. I dont want to brag, but the quality of my boredom is outstanding.Oh, I like her, Savitri said to me, and wherefore waved the girl over. This is Zoe, she said, introducing me. I can talk, I said to Savitri.Gretchen, she said, extending her hand to me.Hello, I said, taking it.Im interested in your boredom and would like to hear more, Gretchen said.Okay, I thought. I like her too.Savitri smiled. Well, since you two seem to be equally matched, I have to go, she said. There are containers of soil conditioners that need my attention. She gave me a peck, waved to Gretchen, and left.Soil conditioners? Gretchen said to me, after she had gone.Its a long story, I said.Ive got nothing but time, Gretchen said.Savitri is the assistant to my parents, who are heading up a new colony, I said, and pointed to the Magellan. Thats the ship were going on. One of Savitris jobs is to make sure that everything thats on the manifest list actually gets put on the ship. I guess shes up to soil conditioners.Your parents are John Perry and Jane Sagan, Gretchen said.I stared at her for a minute. Yeah, I said. How do you know?Because my dad talks about them a lot, she said, and motioned toward the Magellan. This colony your parents are leading? It was his idea. He was Eries representative on the CU legislature, and for years h e argued that people from established colonies should be able to colonize, not just people from Earth. Finally the Department of Colonization agreed with him and then it gave the leadership of the colony to your parents instead of him. They told my dad it was a political compromise.What did your dad think about that? I asked.Well, I just met you, Gretchen said. I dont know what sort of language you can handle.Oh. Well, thats not good, I said.I dont think he hates your parents, Gretchen said, quickly. Its not like that. He just assumed that after everything he did, hed get to lead the colony. Disappointment doesnt even begin to cover it. Although I wouldnt say he likes your parents, either. He got a file on them when they were appointed and then spent the day muttering to himself as he read it.Im sorry hes disappointed, I said. In my head I was wondering if I needed to write Gretchen off as a possible friend one of those stupid our houses are at war scenarios. The first person my ag e I meet, going to Roanoke, and we were already in different camps.But then she said, Yeah, well. At a certain point he got a little stupid about it. He was comparing himself to Moses, like, Oh, Ive led my people to the promised land but I cant enter myself and here she made little hand movements to accentuate the point and thats when I decided he was overreacting. Because were going, you know. And hes on your parents advisory council. So I told him to suck it up.I blinked. You actually used those words? I said.Well, no, Gretchen said. What I actually said was I wondered if I kicked a puppy if it would whine more than he did. She shrugged. What can I say. Sometimes he needs to get over himself.You and I are so all in all going to be best friends, I said.Are we? she said, and grinned at me. I dont know. What are the hours?The hours are terrible, I said. And the pay is even worse.Will I be treated horribly? she asked.You will cry yourself to sleep on a nightly basis, I said.Fed crus ts? she asked.Of course not, I said. We feed the crusts to the dogs.Oh, very nice, she said. Okay, you pass. We can be best friends.Good, I said. Another life decision taken care of.Yes, she said, and then moved away from the rail. Now, come on. No point squander all this attitude on ourselves. Lets go find something to point and laugh at.Phoenix Station was a lot more interesting after that.