Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Six

I dont fill out how you could possibly be bored, Savitri verbalise to me, leaning on an observation deck rail as we looked erupt from Phoenix Station to the Magellan. This place is great.I looked over at her with taunt suspicion. Who argon you, and what leave you done with Savitri Guntupalli?I dont know what you mean, Savitri state, blandly.The Savitri I know was sarcastic and bitter, I said. You are all booty, like a school fille. and then Youre not Savitri. You are nearly horrible spunky camouflaged un cognise aff melodic line, and I hate you.Point of order, Savitri said. Youre a school female child, and you hardly ever gush. Ive known you for years and I dont believe I have ever seen you composite in a gushing incident. You are almost entirely gush-free.Fine, you gush crimson much than a schoolgirl, I said. Which just makes it worse. I expect youre happy.I am, Savitri said. Thank you for noticing.Hrrrumph, I said, rolled my eyes for extra effect, and utilize myself to the observation deck rail with renewed moodiness.I was not real irritated with Savitri. She had an excellent reason to be excited all her look shed been on Huckleberry and now, lastly, she was somew present else on Phoenix Station, the space station, the largest single thing humans had ever built, hovering above Phoenix, the home planet of the entire compound Union. For as farseeing as I had known her which was for as long as she had been my pascals assistant, back 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. unmatchable has to have role models, you know.But after we had lifted from Huckleberry her excitement from finally embark onting to see more of the universe had gotten to her. Shed been unguardedly excited about everything she even off got up early to watch the Magellan, the ship that would presume us to Roanoke, get into with Phoenix Station. I was happy for her that she w as so excited about everything, and I mocked her mercilessly for it every chance I got. oneness day, yes, there would be payback Savitri taught me much(prenominal) of what I know about being a smartass, but not everything she knew about it but until then it was one of the hardly a(prenominal)er things keeping me give intained.Listen Phoenix Station is huge, its busy, and unless you have an actual business sector or like Savitri are just in from the sticks there is postal code going on. Its not an amusement park, its just a big vague gang of government offices, docks and military encephalonquarters, all jammed into space. If it werent for the fact that stepping outdoor(a) to get some irreverent 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 knowing for fun, or at least any sort of fun I was interested in having. I suppose I could have filed 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 cross by nates and Jane The three of them had spent nearly all their magazine 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 intelligence 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 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. hitherto 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 superpower be ill.Im sorry youre bored, Savitri said, back in the present. You might want to twist to your parents.Trust me, I did, I said. Dad really stepped up, too. He said hes going to take me down to Phoenix. Do some last-minute shop 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 moody enough as it was.You havent come across any other colonists your own age that? 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.Now your sarcasm comes back, I said.Im sympathetic to your tediousness, Savitri said. But less so 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 staring out at the ships docked at the station. What about her? she said, proveing 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 git 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, doting 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 then waved the girl over. This is Zoe, she said, introducing me. I canister 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 2 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 verandah 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 hurl 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 dadaism talks about them a lot, she said, and motioned toward the Magellan. This colony your parents are leading? It was his ide a. He was Eries representative 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 plane section 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 maunder 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 on e 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 sure 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 fellate 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 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 tempered horribly? 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 wasting all this attitude on ourselves. Lets go find something to point and laugh at.Phoenix Station was a lot more arouse after that.