“If you get some sleep you’ll probably be less worked up when you wake up,” Jane said.
“Trust me, Mom,” I said. “It’s going to take something pretty big to get me over being worked up about all of this.”
NINETEEN
And wouldn’t you know. Something big was arranged.
The Colonial Union showed up.
The shuttle landed and a little green man popped out. And I thought, This seems familiar. It was even the same little green man: General Rybicki.
But there were differences. The first time I saw General Rybicki, he was in my front yard, and it was just him and me. This time his shuttle landed in the grassy area right in front of Croatoan’s gate, and a large chunk of the colony had turned out to see him land. He was our first visitor since we came to Roanoke, and his appearance seemed to give the idea that maybe we would finally be out of exile.
General Rybicki stood in front of the shuttle and looked at the people in front of him. He waved.
They cheered wildly. This went on for several minutes. It’s like people had never seen someone wave before.
Finally the general spoke. “Colonists of Roanoke,” he said. “I bring you good news. Your days of hiding are over.” This was interrupted by another gout of cheering. When it calmed down, the general continued. “As I speak to you, my ship above is installing your communications satellite. Soon you will be able to send messages to friends and loved ones back on your home planets. And from here on out, all the electronic and communication equipment you had been ordered to stop using will be returned to you.” This got a huge whoop from the teenage sectors of the crowd.
“We know that we have asked much from you,” Rybicki said. “I am here to tell you that your sacrifice has not been wasted. We believe that very soon now the enemy that has threatened you will be contained—and not just contained, but defeated. We couldn’t have done this without you. So for all of the Colonial Union, I thank you.”
More cheering and nonsense. The general seemed to be enjoying his moment in the sun.
“Now I must speak with your colony leaders to discuss how to reintegrate you into the Colonial Union. Some of this may take some time, so I ask you to be a little patient. But until then, let me just say this: Welcome back to civilization!”
Now the crowd really went nuts. I rolled my eyes and looked down at Babar, who went with me to the landing. “This is what happens when you spend a year out in the wilderness,” I said. “Any dumb thing looks like entertainment.” Babar looked up at me and lolled his tongue out; I could tell he agreed with me. “Come on, then,” I said. And we walked through the crowd to the general, who I was supposed to escort back to my dad.
General Rybicki saw Babar before he saw me. “Hey!” he said, and bent down for his slobbering, which Babar duly and enthusiastically applied. He was a good dog but not a hugely accurate judge of character. “I remember you,” he said to Babar, petting him. He looked up and saw me. “I remember you, too.”
“Hello, General,” I said, politely. The crowd was still milling around us but quickly dispersing as folks raced to all corners of the colony to pass on what they were told.
“You look taller,” he said.
“It’s been a year,” I said. “And I am a growing girl. This despite being kept in the dark all this time.”
The general seemed not to catch this. “Your mother said that you would be escorting me to see them. I’m a little surprised that they didn’t come out themselves,” he said.
“They’ve had a busy couple of days,” I said. “As have we all.”
“So colony life is more exciting than you thought it would be,” the general said.
“Something like that,” I said, and then motioned. “I know my dad is very interested in talking to you, General. Let’s not keep him waiting.”
I held my PDA in my hand. There was something not quite right about it.
Gretchen noticed it too. “It feels weird,” she said. “It’s been so long since we carried one around. It’s like I’ve forgotten how to do it.”
“You seemed to remember pretty well when we were using the ones in the information center,” I said, reminding her of how we’d spent a fair amount of the last year.
“It’s different,” she said. “I didn’t say I’d forgotten how to use one. I’m saying I’ve forgotten what it was like to carry one around. Two different things.”
“You could always give it back,” I said.
“I didn’t say that,” Gretchen said, quickly. Then she smiled. “Still, you have to wonder. In the last year people here actually did manage to get along without them just fine. All the hootenannies and the plays and the other stuff.” She looked at her PDA. “Makes you wonder if they’re all going to go away now.”
“I think they’re part of who we are now,” I said. “As Roanokers, I mean.”