Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Three

How do you like it here? Jane asked me, as we were washing the dishes by and by dinner. On Huckleberry, I mean.This is non the first time Ive been asked that today, I said, taking the plate she turn all over me and drying it.This got a s lightly raised eyebrow from mama. commonplace Rybicki asked you the question, she said.Yup, I said.And what did you tell him? Jane asked.I told him I liked it erect fine, I said. I put the dried plate into the cupboard and waited for the next one.Jane was holding on to it. alone do you? she asked.I sighed, only slightly dramatically. Okay, I give up, I said. Whats going on? both(prenominal) you and Dad were like zombies at dinner tonight. I whap you missed it, because you were wrapped up in your own heads, but I spent more or less of dinner trying to get either of you to m pop outh to a greater extent than a grunt. Babar was a better conversationalist than either of you.Im sorry, Zoe, Jane said.Youre forgiven, I said. exclusively I tak e over deficiency to know whats going on. I motioned to Janes hand, to remind her I was still waiting on that plate.She handed it over. General Rybicki has asked your father and me to be the leaders of a new liquidation.It was my turn to hold on to the plate. A new resolution.Yes, Jane said.As in, on another planet new colony, I said.Yes, said Jane.Wow, I said.Yes, Jane said. She knew how to get gas mileage out of a single word.Why did he ask you? I asked, and resumed drying. No offense, Mom. But youre a constable in a tiny little village. And Dads an ombudsman. Its kind of a leap.None taken, Jane said. We had the same question. General Rybicki said that the military experience we had would cross over. John was a major and I was a lieutenant. And whatever other experience we need Rybicki believes we can pick up quickly, before we set foot on the new colony. As for why us, its because this isnt a normal colony. The colonists arent from Earth, theyre from ten of the oldest planet s in the Colonial Union. A colony of colonists. The first of its kind.And none of the planets contributing colonists necessitate another planet to have a leadership role, I ventured.Jane smiled. Thats right, she said. Were the compromise candidates. The least objectionable solution.Got it, I said. Its nice to be sort of wanted. We continued washing dishes in silence for a few minutes.You didnt answer my question, Jane said, eventually. Do you like it here? Do you want to wait on Huckleberry?I get a vote? I asked.Of course you do, Jane said. If we take this, it would mean deviation Huckleberry for at least a few standard years while we got the colony up and running. But realistically it would mean leaving here for good. It would mean all of us leaving here for good.If, I said, a little surprised. You didnt pronounce yes.Its not the sort of decision you make in the middle of a sorghum field, Jane said, and looked at me directly. Its not something we can just say yes to. Its a comp licated decision. Weve been looking over the information all afternoon, seeing what the Colonial Unions plans are for the colony. And then we have to think approximately our lives here. Mine, Johns and yours.I grinned. I have a life here? I asked. This was meant as a joke.Jane squashed it. Be serious, Zoe, she said. The grin left my face. Weve been here for half of your life now. You have friends. You know this place. You have a future day here, if you want it. You can have a life here. Its not something to be lightly tossed aside. She plunged her hands into the sink, inquisitory under the soap suds for another dish.I looked at Jane there was something in her voice. This wasnt just about(predicate) me. You have a life here, I said.I do, Jane said. I like it here. I like our neighbors and our friends. I like being the constable. Our life here suits me. She handed me the casserole dish shed just cleaned. Before we came here I spent all my life in the Special Forces. On ships. This is the first world Ive rattling lived on. Its important to me.Then why is this a question? I said. If you dont want to go, then we shouldnt do it.I didnt say I wouldnt go, Jane said. I said I have a life here. Its not the same thing. there are good reasons to do it. And its not just my decision to make.I dried and put external the casserole dish. What does Dad want? I asked.He hasnt told me yet, Mom said.You know what that means, I said. Dads not subtle when theres something he doesnt want to do. If hes taking his time to think about it, he probably wants to do it.I know, Mom said. She was rinsing off the flatware. Hes trying to find a way to tell me what he wants. It might servicing him if he knew what we wanted first.Okay, I said.This is why I asked you if you liked it here, Jane said, again.I thought about it as I dried the kitchen counter. I like it here, I said, finally. But I dont know if I want to have a life here.Why not? Jane asked. in that respects not a lot here he re, is there? I said. I quaked toward the general direction of New Goa. The selection of life choices here is limited. Theres farmer, farmer, store owner, and farmer. Maybe a government position like you and Dad.If we go to this new colony your choices are going to be the same, Jane said. low gear wave colonist life isnt very romantic, Zoe. The focus is on survival, and preparing the new colony for the second wave of colonists. That means farmers and laborers. Outside of a few specialized roles that will already be filled, theres not much call for anything else.Yes, but at least it would be somewhere new, I said. There wed be build a new world. Here were just maintaining an old one. Be honest, Mom. Its kind of slow around these parts. A big day for you is when someone gets into a fistfight. The highlight of Dads day is settling a dispute over a goat.There are worse things, Jane said.Im not asking for open warfare, I said. Another joke.And at one time again, another stomping from Mom. Itll be a brand-new colony world, she said. Theyre the ones most at risk for attack, because they have the fewest(prenominal) people and the least amount of defense from the CDF. You know that as well as anyone.I blinked, actually surprised. I did know it as well as anyone. When I was very young before I was adopted by Jane and John the planet I lived on (or above, since I was on a property station) was attacked. Omagh. Jane almost never brought it up, because she knew what it did to me to think about it. You think thats whats going to happen here? I asked.Jane must have sensed what was going on in my head. No, I dont, she said. This is an unusual colony. Its a test colony in some ways. There will be political pressure for this colony to succeed. That means more and better defenses, among other things. I think well be better defended than most colonies starting out.Thats good to know, I said.But an attack could still happen, Jane said. John and I fought together at Coral. It was one of the first planets va permit de chambre settled, and it was still attacked. No colony is totally safe. There are other dangers, too. Colonies can get wiped out by local viruses or predators. Bad weather can kill crops. The colonists themselves could be unprepared. Colonizing real colonizing, not what were doing here on Huckleberry is hard, constant work. Some of the colonists could fail at it and take the rest of the colony with them. There could be bad leaders making bad decisions.I dont think wed have to worry about that last one, I said. I was trying to lighten the mood.Jane didnt take the bait. Im telling you this isnt without risk, she said. Its there. A lot of it. And if we do this, we go in with our eyes open to that risk.This was Mom all over. Her sense of humor wasnt as divest as Hickorys and Dickorys I can actually make her laugh. But it doesnt stop her from being one of the most serious people Ive ever met in my life. When she wants to get your attention about something she thinks is important, shes going to get it.Its a good quality to have, but right at the moment it was making me seriously uncomfortable. That was her plan, no doubt.Mom, I know, I said. I know it has risks. I know that a lot of things could go wrong. I know it wouldnt be easy. I waited.But, Jane said, giving me the prompt she knew I was waiting for.But if you and Dad were leading it, I think itd be worth the risk, I said. Because I trust you. You wouldnt take the job if you didnt think you could spread over it. And I know you wouldnt put me at risk unnecessarily. If you two decided to do it, I would want to go. I would definitely want to go.I was suddenly aware that while I was speaking, my hand had drifted to my chest, and was lightly touching the small pendant there a jade elephant, given to me by Jane. I move my hand from it, a little embarrassed.And no matter what, starting a new colony wouldnt be boring, I said, to finish up, a little lamely.Mom smiled, un plugged the sink and dried her hands. Then she took a quantity over to me and kissed the top of my head I was short enough, and she was tall enough, that it was a natural thing for her. Ill let your dad stew on it for a few more hours, she said. And then Ill let him know where we stand.Thanks, Mom, I said.And sorry about dinner, she said. Your dad gets wrapped up in himself sometimes, and I get wrapped up in noticing hes wrapped up in himself.I know, I said. You should just smack him and tell him to taking into custody out of it.Ill put that on the list for future reference, Jane said. She gave me another quick peck and then stepped away. instantaneously go do your homework. We havent left the planet yet. She walked out of the kitchen.