Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter One

The flying discus landed on our anterior pace and a puny colour man got tabu of it.It was the flying saucer that got my attention. greens hands arent demonstrablely unheard of w hither I come from. each(prenominal) the Colonial Defense Forces were squirt its dissipate of the genetic engineering they do on them to help them fight better. Chlorophyll in the skin gives them the wasted energy they need for truly first-class alien stomping.We didnt subscribe some(prenominal) Colonial Defense Force s darkenediers on Huckleberry, the colony I resided on it was an established colony and we hadnt been seriously attacked in a couple of decades. solely the Colonial Union goes out of its way to let every settler know both about the CDF, and I knew more about them than most. however the flying saucer, well. Thats novel. New Goa is a farming community. Tractors and harvesters and animal-drawn wagons, and wheeled public buses when we valued to live support on the edge and visit the provincial capital. An actual flying transport was a rare affair indeed. Having star sm each(prenominal) in all tolder adequate for a single passenger land on our lawn was by all odds non an everyday occurrence.Would you wish well Dickory and me to go out and meet him? asked Hickory. We watched from in spite of appearance the house as the unripened man pulled himself out of the transport.I feeled everywhere at Hickory. Do you think hes an actual threat? I think if he wanted to attack us, he could have exclusively dropped a rock on the house while he was flying all over it.I am always for prudence, Hickory verbalize. The unsaid portion of that sentence was when you are involved. Hickory is very sweet, and paranoid.Lets try the first line of demurral instead, I said, and walked over to the screen door. Babar the mutt was standing at it, his front paws up on the door, cursing the genetic fate that left him without apposable thumbs or the brains to pull the door instead of pushing on it. I opened the door for him he took sour like a furred heat- recoverking slobber missile. To the ballpark mans credit, he took a knee and greeted Babar like an old friend, and was generously coated in dog drool for his pains.Good issue hes not soluble, I said to Hickory.Babar is not a very dear(p) watchdog, Hickory said, as it watched the green man play with my dog.No, hes really not, I agreed. alone if you ever need something really moistened, hes got you covered.I will mobilise that for future reference, Hickory said, in that noncommittal way designed for transaction with my sarcasm.Do that, I said, and opened the door over again. And stay in here for now, please.As you claim, Zoe, Hickory said.Thanks, I said, and walked out to the porch.By this sentence the green man had gotten to the porch steps, Babar bouncing behind him. I like your dog, he said to me.I see that, I said. The dogs only so-so about you.How low liveness you tell? he asked.Youre not completely bathed in saliva, I said.He laughed. Ill try harder next snip, he said.Remember to bring a towel, I said.The green man motioned to the house. This is study Perrys house?I trust so, I said. All his stuff is here.This earned me about a two-second pause.Yes, as it happens, I am a sarcastic picayune thing. Thanks for asking. It comes from living with my pa all these long time. He considers himself quite the wit I dont know how I feel about that one, personally, but I will say that its put one over me pretty forward when it comes to come affirms and quips. Give me a soft lob, Ill be felicitous to spike it. I think its endearing and charming so does dad. We whitethorn be in the minority with that opinion. If nothing else its interesting to see how some other slew react to it. Some plurality think its cute. Others not so much.I think my green friend fell into the not so much camp, because his response was to change the subject. Im sorry, he said. I dont think I kn ow who you are.Im Zoe, I said. Major Perrys daughter. Lieutenant Sagans, too.Oh, castigate, he said. Im sorry. I visualized you as younger.I used to be, I said.I should have know you were his daughter, he said. You matter like him in the eyes.Fight the urge, the elegant part of my brain said. Fight it. Just let it go.Thank you, I said. Im adopted.My green friend stood there for a minute, doing that thing mess do when theyve nevertheless stepped in it freezing and putting a smile on their brass instrument while their brain strips its gears trying to figure how its going to extract itself out of this faux pas. If I leaned in, I could probably hear his frontal lobes go click click click click, trying to reset.See, now, that was just mean, said the polite part of my brain. further come on. If the guy was calling Dad Major Perry, thence he probably knew when Dad was discharged from service, which was eight long time ago. CDF soldiers cant make babies thats part of their combat-eff ective genetic engineering, dont you know no accidental kids so his earliest opportunity to spawn would have been when they put him in a new, regular body at the end of his service term. And then theres the exclusively nine months gestation thing. I might have been a little small for my age when I was fifteen, but I assure you, I didnt look seven.Honestly, I think theres a limit to how hazardous I should feel in a situation like that. Grown men should be able to handle a little basic math.Still, theres only so long you can leave someone on the hook. You called Dad Major Perry, I said. Did you know him from the service?I did, he said, and seemed able that the parley was moving forward again. Its been a while, though. I wonder if Ill fuck him.I imagine he looks the same, I said. Maybe a varied skin tone.He chuckled at that. I suppose thats true, he said. organism green would make it a little more difficult to liquify in.I dont think he would ever quite blend in here, I said, and then immediately realized all the very some ways that statement could be misinterpreted.And of course, my visitor wasted no time doing just that. Does he not blend? he asked, and then bent grass down to pat Babar.Thats not what I meant, I said. Most of the people here at Huckleberry are from India, back on Earth, or were natural here from people who came from India. Its a different culture than the one he grew up in, thats all.I understand, the green man said. And Im sure he gets along very well with the people here. Major Perry is like that. Im sure thats wherefore he has the job he has here. My dads job was as an ombudsman, someone who helps people cut through government bureaucracy. I guess Im just unmated if he likes it here. What do you mean? I asked.I was just enquire how hes been enjoying his retirement from the universe, is all, he said, and looked back up at me.In the back of my brain something went ping. I was suddenly aware that our nice and casual conversation had somehow become something less casual. Our green visitor wasnt just here for a social call.I think he likes it fine, I said, and kept from saying anything else. Why?Just curious, he said, petting Babar again. I fought off the urge to call my dog over. Not everyone makes the jump from military support to civilian heart perfectly. He looked around. This looks like a pretty cool off life. Its a pretty gravid switch.I think he likes it just fine, I repeated, putting becoming emphasis on the words that unless my green visitor was an absolute toad, hed know to move on.Good, he said. What about you? How do you like it here?I opened my mouth to respond, and then bar it just as quickly. Because, well. There was a question.The idea of living on a human colony is more exciting than the reality. Some folks new to the concept think that people out in the colonies go from planet to planet all the time, maybe living on one planet, working on another and then having vacations on a terc e the pleasure planet of Vacationaria, maybe. The reality is, sadly, far more boring. Most colonists live their whole lives on their home planet, and never get out to see the rest of the universe.Its not impossible to go from planet to planet, but theres normally a reason for it Youre a member of the crew on a trade ship, hauling fruit and wicker baskets between the stars, or you get a job with the Colonial Union itself and take time off a illustrious career as an interstellar bureaucrat. If youre an athlete, theres the Colonial Olympiad every four years. And occasionally a famous musician or actor will do a grand tour of the colonies.But mostly, youre born on a planet, you live on a planet, you die on a planet, and your tracing hangs around and annoys your descendants on that planet. I dont suppose theres really anything bad about that I mean, most people dont actually go more than a couple dozen kilometers from their homes most of the time in everyday life, do they? And peop le hardly see most of their own planet when they do decide to wander off. If youve never seen the sights on your own planet, I dont know how much you can really complain about not seeing a whole other planet.But it helps to be on an interesting planet.In case this ever gets back to Huckleberry I get laid Huckleberry, really I do. And I love New Goa, the little townspeople where we lived. When youre a kid, a rural, agriculturally-based colony town is a lot of playfulness to grow up in. Its life on a farm, with goats and chickens and fields of shuck and sorghum, harvest celebrations and winter festivals. Theres not an eight- or nine-year-old kid whos been invented who doesnt find all of that unspeakably fun. But then you become a stripling and you start thinking about everything you might possibly want to do with your life, and you look at the options available to you. And then all farms, goats and chickens and all the same people youve known all your life and will know all your life begin to look a little less than optimal for a total life experience. Its all still the same, of course. Thats the point. Its you whos changed.I know this catch of teenage angst wouldnt make me any different than any other small-town teenager who has ever existed throughout the history of the known universe. But when even the big city of a colony the district capital of Missouri urban center holds all the mystery and romance of watching compost, its not unreasonable to hope for something else.Im not saying that theres anything damage with Missouri City (theres nothing wrong with compost, either you actually need it). Maybe its better to say its the multifariousness of place you come back to, once youve gone out and had your time in the big city, or the big bad universe. One of the things I know about Mom is that she loved it on Huckleberry. But before she was here, she was a Special Forces soldier. She doesnt talk too much about all the things shes seen and done, but fr om personal experience I know a little bit about it. I cant imagine a whole life of it. I think shed say that shed seen enough of the universe.Ive seen some of the universe, too, before we came to Huckleberry. But unlike Jane unlike Mom I dont think Im ready to say Huckleberrys all I want out of a life.But I wasnt sure I wanted to say any of that to this green guy, who I had become suddenly rather suspicious of. Green men locomote from the sky, asking after the psychological states of various family members including oneself, are enough to make a girl paranoid about whats going on. Especially when, as I suddenly realized, I didnt actually get the guys name. Hed gotten this far into my family life without actually saying who he was.Maybe this was just something hed innocently managed to reign this wasnt a formal interview, after all but enough bells were tintinnabulation in my head that I decided that my green friend had had enough free information for one day.Green man was lo oking at me intently, waiting for me to respond. I gave him my best noncommittal shrug. I was fifteen years old. Its a quality age for shrugging.He backed off a bit. I dont suppose your dad is home, he said.Not yet, I said. I checked my PDA and showed it to him. His workday finished up a a couple of(prenominal) minutes ago. He and Mom are probably walking home.Okay. And your mommy is constable here, right?Right, I said. Jane Sagan, frontier law woman. Minus the frontier. It accommodate her. Did you know Mom, too? I asked. Special Forces was an entirely different thing from regular infantry.Just by reputation, he said, and again there was that canvass casual thing.Folks, a little tip Nothing is more coherent than you try for casual and miss. My green friend was missing it by a klick, and I got tired of feeling lightly groped for information.I think Ill go for a walk, I said. Mom and Dad are probably right down the pathway. Ill let them know youre here.Ill go with you, Green man offered.Thats all right, I said, and motioned him onto the porch, and to our porch swing. Youve been traveling. Have a seat and relax.All right, he said. If youre cozy having me here while youre gone. I think that was meant as a joke.I smiled at him. I think itll be fine, I said. Youll have company.Youre going away me the dog, he said. He sat.Even better, I said. Im leaving you two of my friends. This is when I called into the house for Hickory and Dickory, and then stood away from the door and watched my visitor, so I wouldnt miss his expression when the two of them came out.He didnt quite wet his pants.Which was an accomplishment, all things considered. Obin which is what Hickory and Dickory are dont look exactly like a mollycoddle between a spider and a giraffe, but theyre close enough to make some part of the human brain fire up the drop ballast alert. You get used to them after a bit. But the point is it takes a while.This is Hickory, I said, pointing to the one at the lef t of me, and then pointed to the one at my right. And this is Dickory. Theyre Obin.Yes, I know, my visitor said, with the sort of tone youd await from a very small animal trying to pretend that being cornered by a pair of very large predators was not that big of a deal. Uh. So. These are your friends.Best friends, I said, with what I matte up was just the right amount of brainless gush. And they love to entertain visitors. Theyll be happy to keep you company while I go look for my parents. Isnt that right? I said to Hickory and Dickory.Yes, they said, together. Hickory and Dickory are pretty monotone to begin with having them be monotone in stereo offers an additive and delightful creepy effect.Please say hello to our guest, I said.Hello, they said, again in stereo.Uh, said Green man. Hi.Great, everybodys friends, I said, and stepped off the porch. Babar left our green friend to follow me. Im off, then.You sure you dont want me to come along? Green man said. I dont mind.No, p lease, I said. I dont want you to feel like you have to get up for anything. My eyes sort of casually flicked over at Hickory and Dickory, as if to imply it would be a overawe if they had to make steaks out of him.Great, he said, and settled onto the swing. I think he got the hint. See, thats how you do studied casual.Great, I said. Babar and I headed off down the road to find my folks.