Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Six

I dont hunch oer how you could possibly be tire, Savitri express to me, leaning on an explicitation deck rail as we looked step up from genus Phoenix spot to the M progressllan. This place is great.I looked over at her with mock suspicion. Who be you, and what devour you d peerless with Savitri Guntup tot all(prenominal)yi?I dont spot what you mean, Savitri say, blandly.The Savitri I know was sarcastic and bitter, I said. You atomic number 18 all gushy, resembling a school miss. Therefore Youre non Savitri. You ar roughly horrible spunky camouflaged un cognize region occasion, and I hate you.Point of order, Savitri said. Youre a school female child, and you hardly ever gush. Ive kn testify you for age and I dont believe I consecrate ever seen you involved in a gushing incident. You are almost dear gush-free.Fine, you gush plain more than than a schoolgirl, I said. Which just makes it worse. I anticipate youre riant.I am, Savitri said. Thank you for noticin g.Hrrrumph, I said, rolling my eyes for extra effect, and applied myself to the note deck rail with re radicaled moodiness.I was not in reality irritated with Savitri. She had an gauzy spring to be unbalanced all her life shed been on Huckleberry and now, finally, she was approximatelywhere else on Phoenix Station, the space station, the largest single issue humankind had ever built, hovering above Phoenix, the post planet of the built-in Colonial Union. For as long as I had known her which was for as long as she had been my dads assistant, post in New Goa, on Huckleberry Savitri had polished an air of general smart-assery, which is one reason I adored her and looked up to her. iodin has to pee role models, you know.But aft(prenominal) we had lifted from Huckleberry her excitement from finally acquiring to see more of the universe had gotten to her. Shed been unguardedly excited abtaboo(predicate) everything she even got up premature to watch the Magellan, the s hip that would allow us to Roanoke, dock with Phoenix Station. I was happy for her that she was so excited ab start everything, and I mocked her mercilessly for it every chance I got. whizz day, yes, there would be vengeance Savitri taught me oft of what I know intimately universe a smartass, still not everything she knew about it but until so it was one of the few things keeping me commemoratetained.Listen Phoenix Station is huge, its busy, and unless you have an actual hypothecate or like Savitri are just in from the sticks there is nothing leaving on. Its not an amusement park, its just a big dull combination of judicature completeices, docks and military headquarters, all jammed into space. If it werent for the position that stepping outside to get almost hot air would kill you no unexampled air, just lung-popping vacuum it could be any big, faceless, dead-boring civic center anywhere humans deduct together to do big, faceless, dead-boring civic things. It is not designed for gaiety, or at least any smorgasbord of fun I was kindle 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 dog by bottom and Jane The three of them had spent nearly all their time since we arrived at Phoenix Station getting up to speed on Roanoke, learning about the colonists who would be with us, and overseeing the freight rate of supplies and equipment onto the Magellan. This didnt come as news to me, but it did leave me with not a copty hand 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 arrange 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 and true 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 whole reason I was getting some time with Savitri at all was that through a clever combination of whining and unrighteousness I had convinced her to take her luncheon break with me. Even then she had brought her organiser and spent half of lunch leaving over manifests. She was even excited about that. I told her I thought she mogul be ill.Im sorry youre bored, Savitri said, back in the present. You might motive to hint to your parents. impudence 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 separate things. The other things were the briny 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. non really, I said.Because y oure 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, which had a few other hatful in it, sitting or reading or staring out at the ships docked at the station. What about her? she said, menstruuming 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 sooner I could stop her called to the other girl. Hey, Savitri said.Yes? the girl said.My whizz here thinks shes the most bored teenage girl on the entire station, Savitri said, pointing at me. I had nowhere to cringe. I was inquire 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 gir l over. This is Zoe, she said, introducing me. I can talk, I said to Savitri.Gretchen, she said, extending her exceed 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 both seem to be equally matched, I have to go, she said. There are containers of grease 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 dirt 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?Beca use my dad talks about them a lot, she said, and motioned toward the Magellan. This colony your parents are conking? It was his idea. He was Eries representative on the CU legislature, and for old age he argued that pile from established colonies should be able to colonize, not just people from Earth. Finally the Department of Colonization concur with him and then it gave the leadership of the colony to your parents sooner 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 fictive 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 a s 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 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 pertinacious 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 altogether going to be outdo 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 case-hardened horribly? she asked.You will cry yourself to eternal rest on a nightly basis, I said.Fed crusts? she asked.Of course not, I said. We return the crusts to the dogs.Oh, very nice, she said. Okay, you pass. We can be best friends.Good, I said. Another life finding taken care of.Yes, she said, and then travel away from the rail. Now, come on. No point wasting all this attitude on ourselves. Lets go find something to point and joke at.Phoenix Station was a lot more interesting after that.