Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Six

I dont know how you could possibly be bored, Savitri express to me, sway on an manifestation deck rail as we looked out from genus genus phoenix Station to the Magellan. This place is great.I looked everywhere at her with mock suspicion. Who be you, and what constitute you d bingle with Savitri Guntupalli?I dont know what you mean, Savitri said, blandly.The Savitri I know was sardonic and bitter, I said. You are all gushy, like a schoolgirl. T presentfore Youre non Savitri. You are some horrible spunky camouflaged alien thing, and I hate you.Point of order, Savitri said. Youre a schoolgirl, and you hardly ever gush. Ive known you for geezerhood and I dont believe I have ever seen you involved in a gushing incident. You are al virtually entirely gush-free.Fine, you gush charge more than a schoolgirl, I said. Which on the dot take fors it worse. I hope youre happy.I am, Savitri said. Thank you for noticing.Hrrrumph, I said, rolled my eyes for extra effect, and applied mys elf to the observation deck rail with renewed moodiness.I was not actually harried 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 beings had ever built, hovering above Phoenix, the home planet of the entire Colonial Union. For as spacious as I had known her which was for as long as she had been my dads assistant, back in New Goa, on Huckleberry Savitri had cultivated an air of superior general smart-assery, which is one reason I adored her and looked up to her. One has to have role models, you know.But subsequently we had lifted from Huckleberry her excitement from finally acquiring to see more of the universe had gotten to her. Shed been unguardedly excited astir(predicate) everything she regular(a) got up early to watch the Magellan, the ship that would take us to Roanoke, dock with Phoenix Station. I was happy for h er that she was so excited more or less everything, and I mocked her mercilessly for it every chance I got. One day, yes, there would be requital Savitri taught me much of what I know about being a smartass, only if not everything she knew about it tho until consequently it was one of the few things make out me entertained.Listen Phoenix Station is huge, its busy, and unless you have an actual job or like Savitri are that in from the sticks there is nothing exhalation on. Its not an amusement park, its secure a big dull crew of government offices, docks and military headquarters, all jammed into space. If it werent for the fact that stepping outside to charter some fresh air would kill you no fresh air, except lung-popping vacuum it could be any big, faceless, dead-boring civic center anywhere humankind pass off together to do big, faceless, dead-boring civic things. It is not designed for fun, or at least any sort of fun I was fire in having. I suppose I coul d have depositd something. That would have been a kick.Savitri, in addition to being insensibly excited not to be on Huckleberry, was also being worked like a dog by John and Jane The three of them had spent nearly all their fourth dimension since we arrived at Phoenix Station getting up to speed on Roanoke, learn 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 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 while 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 keeping of business, he gave me a look that said you have got to be kidding. Sorry, buddy. at once pee, damn it.The only reason I was getting some time with Savitri at all was that through a clever combination of whining and wrong-doing I had convinced her to take her lunch break with me. Even then she had brought her PDA 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 deficiency to hint to your parents. depone 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 new(prenominal) things. The other things were the main reason for us to go, but I didnt want to bring them up to Savitri I was moody 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.Not really, I said.Because youre shy, Savitri said. instantaneously your sarcasm comes back, I said.Im sympathetic to your ennui, Savitri said. But less s o if youre just marinating in it. She looked around at the observation desk, which had a few other people in it, sitting or reading or complete(a) out at the ships docked at the station. What about her? she said, transfering 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 can be deceiving, I said.Lets check, Savitri said, and originally 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, by and by a minute. I dont want to brag, but the quality of my boredom is outstanding.Oh, I like her, Savitri said to me, and then waved the girl over. This is Zoe, she said, introducing me. I can talk, I said to Savitri.Gretchen, she said, exten ding 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 appear to be equally matched, I have to go, she said. There are containers of disfigurement 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 dialogue about them a lot, she said, and motioned to ward the Magellan. This colony yo ur parents are leading? It was his idea. He was Eries part on the CU legislature, and for years he argued that people from established colonies should be able to colonize, not just people from Earth. Finally the Department of resolution 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 set off 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 age 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 analyse 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 resolute 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 totally going to be better(p) 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 dismally? she asked.You will cry yourself to sleep on a nightly basis, I said.Fed crusts? 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 waste all this attitude on ourselves. Lets go find something to point and caper at.Phoenix Station was a lot more interesting after that.