Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter One

The flying saucer landed on our front commonalty and a subatomic special K domain got out of it.It was the flying saucer that got my attention. Green men bent truly unheard of w here(predicate)(predicate) I aim from. on the whole the colonial Defense Forces were green its infract of the genetic engineering they do on them to help them fight better. Chlorophyll in the skin gives them the extra energy they get for truly first-class alien stomping.We didnt get many Colonial Defense Force soldiers on Huckleberry, the resolution I lived on it was an established colony and we hadnt been seriously attacked in a couple of decades. still the Colonial Union goes out of its way to permit every colonist hunch over all about the CDF, and I k raw more about them than faithful. moreover 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 precious to live feeling on the edge and v isit the provincial capital. An actual flying transport was a rargon thing indeed. Having integrity small enough for a single passenger land on our lawn was definitely not an everyday occurrence.Would you like Dickory and me to go out and meet him? asked hickory. We watched from inside the house as the green man pulled himself out of the transport.I pick uped over at hickory. Do you commend hes an actual threat? I think if he wanted to attack us, he could have merely dropped a rock n roll on the house while he was flying over it.I am always for prudence, Hickory said. The unsaid portion of that sentence was when you are involved. Hickory is very sweet, and paranoid.Lets try the first line of refutal instead, I said, and walked over to the screen door. Babar the mutt was standing at it, his front paws up on the door, reprobation the genetic fate that left him without opposable thumbs or the brains to pull the door instead of pushing on it. I opened the door for him he took take out like a furry heat-seeking slobber missile. To the green mans credit, he took a knee and greeted Babar like an old friend, and was generously coated in dog tosh for his pains.Good thing hes not soluble, I said to Hickory.Babar is not a very good watchdog, Hickory said, as it watched the green man play with my dog.No, hes genuinely not, I agreed. But if you ever need something really moistened, hes got you covered.I will remember that for future reference, Hickory said, in that noncommittal way designed for dealings with my sarcasm.Do that, I said, and opened the door again. And stay in here for now, please.As you say, Zoe, Hickory said.Thanks, I said, and walked out to the porch.By this time 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 can you tell? he asked.Youre not completely bathed in saliva, I said.He laughed. Ill try harder next time, he said.Remember to sum a towel, I said.The green man motioned to the house. This is study Perrys house?I hope so, I said. whole his stuff is here.This earned me about a two-second pause.Yes, as it happens, I am a sarcastic lesser thing. Thanks for asking. It comes from living with my dad all these years. He considers himself quite the wit I dont sleep with how I feel about that one, personally, just I will say that its made me pretty forward when it comes to comebacks and quips. accommodate me a soft lob, Ill be happy to spike it. I think its endearing and charming so does Dad. We may be in the minority with that opinion. If goose egg else its enkindle to see how other people answer to it. Some people think its cute. Others not so much.I think my green friend felled seam into the not so much camp, because his response was to change the subject. Im sorry, he said. I dont think I shaft who you are.Im Zoe, I said. Major Perrys daughter. Lieutenant Sagans, too.Oh, right, he said. Im sorry. I pi ctured you as younger.I used to be, I said.I should have known you were his daughter, he said. You look like him in the eye.Fight the urge, the polite 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 people do when theyve precisely stepped in it freezing and putting a smile on their face 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.But come on. If the guy was calling Dad Major Perry, indeed he probably knew when Dad was discharged from service, which was eight years ago. CDF soldiers cant make babies thats part of their combat-effective genetic engineering, dont you know no accidental kids so his earliest opportunity to spawn would have been when they put him in a new, reg ular body at the end of his service term. And then theres the whole nine months gestation thing. I might have been a little small for my age when I was 15, but I settle you, I didnt look seven.Honestly, I think theres a limit to how great(p) 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 happy that the conversation was moving forward again. Its been a while, though. I wonder if Ill recognize him.I imagine he looks the same, I said. possibly a distinguishable skin tone.He chuckled at that. I animadvert thats true, he said. Being green would make it a little more difficult to portmanteau in.I dont think he would ever quite blend in here, I said, and then immediately realized all the very many ways that tilt could be misinterpreted.And of course, my visitor wasted no time do ing just that. Does he not blend? he asked, and then bent 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 born here from people who came from India. Its a assorted 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 why 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 curious if he likes it here. What do you mean? I asked.I was just wondering 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 unawares aware that our elegant 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 life to civilian life perfectly. He looked around. This looks like a pretty sedate life. Its a pretty orotund switch.I think he likes it just fine, I repeated, putting enough emphasis on the rowing 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 shut it just as quickly. Because, well. There was a question.The view 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, perchance living on one planet, working on another and then having vacations on a third base the pleasure planet of Vacationaria, maybe. The reality is, sadly, far more boring. Most colonists live their whole lives on their alkali planet, an d never get out to see the rest of the universe.Its not impossible to go from planet to planet, but theres usually a reason for it Youre a member of the crew on a trade ship, drag fruit and wicker baskets between the stars, or you get a job with the Colonial Union itself and suck a glorious 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 subtlety 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 day-to-day life, do they? And people hardly see most of their own planet when they do finalise to wander off. If youve never seen the sights on your own planet, I dont know how much you can really repine 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 cope Huckleberry, really I do. And I love New Goa, the little town where we lived. When youre a kid, a rural, agriculturally-based colony town is a lot of pastime to grow up in. Its life on a farm, with goats and chickens and fields of wheat 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 adolescent and you start thinking about everything you might possibly want to do with your life, and you look at the options accessible 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 essence life experience. Its all still the same, of course. Thats the point. Its you whos changed.I know this bit of teen age angst wouldnt make me any contrasting than any other small-town teenager who has ever existed throughout the history of the known universe. But when even the too large city of a colony the district capital of Missouri City holds all the mystery and reverie of watching compost, its not unreasonable to hope for something else.Im not saying that theres anything wrong with Missouri City (theres nothing wrong with compost, either you actually need it). Maybe its better to say its the sort 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 florists chrysanthemum is that she loved it on Huckleberry. But before she was here, she was a finicky Forces soldier. She doesnt talk too much about all the things shes seen and done, but from 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 univ erse, 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 falling 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 overlook this wasnt a formal interview, after all but enough bells were annulus in my head that I decided that my green friend had had enough free information for one day.Green man was looking 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 supp ose your dad is home, he said.Not yet, I said. I checked my PDA and showed it to him. His workday finished up a few minutes ago. He and Mom are probably walking home.Okay. And your mom is constable here, right?Right, I said. Jane Sagan, frontier law woman. Minus the frontier. It fit 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 analyse casual thing.Folks, a little tip Nothing is more transparent 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 road. 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 comfortable 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 play along.Youre leaving 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 cross between a spider and a giraffe, but theyre close enough to make some part of the human brain fire up the drop stabilize 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 left 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 expect from a very small animal trying to pretend that being cornere d by a straddle of very large predators was not that big of a deal. Uh. So. These are your friends.Best friends, I said, with what I tangle 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 fairly monotone to begin with having them be monotone in stereo offers an additional and delightful creepy-crawly 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, please, 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 shame if they had to make stea ks 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.