Chapter 2.20: Cadets

 <-- Previous Chapter

From Leo's diary

Several months have passed since when we moved here, it's winter now. Tonight it started snowing, and we were all stuck in front of the window staring at the town turn whiter and whiter.

At this rate, we could also be able to make our first snowman. In Oasis Spring snow days are so rare, so we can't wait to enjoy the positive sides of this colder climate up north. 

However, today I won't have the time for playing outdoor: it's my first day at work!

I thought a lot about what career to pursue. I wanted to be in a position similar to the one of my mom and dad, who are doing their best to help the other aliens (in disguise or not) to live as normal lives as possible despite the discrimination we are facing more and more often. 

After a lot of thinking, I took my choice: I would have enrolled as a police cadet. 

At first sight, my choice could sound illogical. Policemen are the ones enforcing Mr S. laws after all,  many aliens just consider them as their enemies. However, I can imagine so many instances where it would be useful for the aliens to have some friendly faces among the policemen. For example, I would be able to help aliens reported for any crime receive more equal treatments, as well as those who (too often) are unfairly accused to avoid any repercussions. Also, if I heard of any complaint concerning the use of disguises or telepathy from other aliens, I could warn those families in advance and, in case, help them if they decided to move somewhere else.

To be fair, there is also another reason why I chose this career path: since the days of the scout group I had liked the feeling of being part of a group of people in uniform who help others.

I admit being a bit nervous, like the other cadets who started today with me. We are all starting a new phase of our lives after all, we all have much to learn.

As our first assignment, we were sent to deal with a suspected case of pickpocketing. Our superiors really gathered quite a lot of information to pin on that big bulletin board, considering how easy the case seems. For sure, they are taking any report very seriously here. 

We were sent to a meadow in the middle of nowhere, where a lady was unceremoniously railing against her alleged pickpockets.

Lady: They were the ones who stole my necklace, I'm sure!
Leo: And how would the theft have happened?
Lady: Well, I ​​don't know... But who else could it have been?

The lady who called us reporting the theft kept looking down at those two poor aliens who, in turn, seemed so scared of the situation. I couldn't know if they were the real culprits or not, but I didn't need to read her mind to know she had strong prejudices against them.

Following the rules, we then started looking for clues and evidences nearby.

Leo: Madam, what colour was your necklace?
Lady: It had a big emerald set in a pendant of...
Leo: Like this one?

The necklace had fallen into a small bush not far from there, but it had taken us over an hour before we saw it. At that point the lady had withdrawn her complaint, without much conviction she had apologized to those two aliens, and eventually all of them had then returned to their homes.

We treated them all fairly, found the neckless quickly and resolved that pickpocket report professionally. Overall, I would say we did a good job. 

Back at the police station, they told us to take care of the collection of mug shots and fingerprints, as well as the searches of the suspects. We never have a moment for resting, here at the police station.

Thieves, tax evaders, counterfeiters, humans, aliens... For sure there are many different types of criminals.

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I told my family  I would have returned back home a couple of hours later because I had to work some extra hours, but instead I went to a small village just outside of Windenburg to meet Claire.

My family still doesn't know anything about our relationship, and of course hers doesn't either.

Claire: Can I call you a cop now? I'm sure you look stunning in that uniform!

Leo: Ehm...

Claire: Come on, I was joking! But seriously, how did your first day at work go?

Leo: We spent most of the day looking for a necklace not far from here. 

Claire: A necklace... I think I have heard about it, you know? Mrs Villareal looked really angry!

Leo: Surely she was...

TV: Moving on to the next elections, Mr. S. continues to lead the polls. Let's hear what he has to say...

Leo: C'mon, even in this pub they have to watch that channel?

Claire: I'm just asking the owner to turn it off, I can't stand to ear to his nonsense gibberish any longer...

Claire always frowned when someone mentioned Mr S., which is why I tried to avoid the topic as much as I could. Yet, I know that at their home they quarrelled more and more often, and at that point she couldn't wait to turn 18, graduate and be able to leave those people she had never really considered as her family.

And I too would have liked to help her to get away from those people who only made her suffer, and who forced her to show herself to someone other than the one who really purely in order to save their reputation. 

She, however, never looked like someone who has given up. On the contrary, the more time goes by, the more determined she seems to be to get in her father’s way.

My family may think we are wrong, that all of this is too risky for all of us. But the more time passes, the more I am convinced that I want to stay by Claire's side, whatever happens.

Next Chapter -->

Chapter 2.19: Choices to be understood

 <-- Previous Chapter 

From Luna's diary

It was the middle of the night, so late that even the guys of the disco club who lived next to us were already sleeping peacefully. But there wasn't any way I can sleep too, how could I?

Orion is so stubborn sometimes, at that point I was sure he had decided to stay on Sixam willingly. 

He would have had a lot to explain to me, and he would have been better to have a good explanation too, because I had every intention of grabbing him by the ear and dragging him back to...

Hermes: Luna ...

Luna: What else did you expect me to do?

Hermes: Exactly this, actually. And I want to come with you.

Luna: Well, this could be a good idea. In case we have to drag him away by force, you know.

Leo: Then you wouldn't mind some more arms, isn't it?

Hermes: Weren't you sleeping already?

Aster: It was obvious you were planning, how could we sleep?

We were all a bit nervous, as every time we travelled to Sixam before. What would we have found on the other side of the black holes generator? Since when the planet had turned into the base of those chaotic rebels, any bad scenario seemed plausible. 

On the other hand, none of us would have accepted being left behind in such a situation. Thus, without further hesitation, we just walked into the black hole generator, hoping for the best.

Orion: (amused) You arrived even earlier than what I expected, you know?

(* the more time passes, the more they resemble each other: from left to right there are Luna, Hermes, Orion, Leo and Aster *)

Luna: You better have a good explanation for this! Did you start abducting innocent people with those rickety spaceships too?

Orion: Most of the time we do something completely different, actually.

Luna: Like what?

Orion: (ironic) Let's see if you can guess it on your own... What's left here on Sixam?

Leo: (perplexed) Nothing, apart from rocks, withered plants and ruins of some old building...

Orion: Bingo! Even if I wouldn't call them ruins, it doesn't do them justice.

Orion left us a few more moments to stare at him with a confused expression, before deigning to give us a clearer answer:

Orion: The technology hidden here is impressive, but since we moved to Earth it has been completely abandoned and left to rot. Now there is no one left trying to carry on the knowledge behind the technology of teleportation, that of the elementary recomposition of matter, or even that medical technology so advanced that it can induce pregnancy even in males. And who knows how many other things they knew, but which we have already completely forgotten...

Nobody had interrupted him, the picture was becoming incredibly clear. So the real objective of those rebels was...

Orion: We can't know exactly who could decide to use these technologies in the future, especially on Earth and with politicians like Mr S. ... But, in the meantime, we want to put together as much information as we can from the databases left here, and also understand how all this machinery works before it breaks down completely.

I'm sure Hermes was thinking the same things as I was. A lot had changed since the aliens moved en masse to Earth, when he and I were still very young. Since then, what had been the Elders' Council who used to govern us had completely crumbled when we decided to expose ourselves to the earthlings, as the same had happened to the military and scientific research bodies. The coup de grace was given by the introduction of the rules that prevented the use of any alien capacity or technology, led by Mr. S. and his analogues in other countries. Nowadays we aliens are in complete disarray, divided into small groups and without a united guide, and all our knowledge was gradually being lost.

Orion was not wrong, we shouldn't ignore what is being forgotten and let it be lost into oblivion. However...

Hermes: Orion, I can understand what you mean, but please remember that what you are planning to do is extremely dangerous: on Earth you are considered criminals, and here the rebels are ruled by pure anarchy. You don't have the right tools for such a difficult task.

Luna: Basically, do you really think you can really achieve something? Be realistic.

Orion: I never said it was going to be easy.

Aster: So you really want to stay here? But there is hardly anything left, how would you even just find food?

Orion: We have a few contacts with people on Earth, they supply us with all we need.

Leo: You seem to have thought well about this...

Orion: You won't make me change my mind easily, that's for sure.

Luna: ... your grandfather, Stuart, would have signed anything to be able that technology so closely. Maybe you inherited this from him, you know?

Hermes: The stubbornness instead is all from your side, Luna.

Luna: Touché.

Orion: ...

Luna: Thinking about it, your grandfather left us some of the notes he took at his laboratory. They contain all the blueprints he used to build the black hole generator we have at home, and also a couple of other devices he invented on the basis of what he had learned about alien technology. I think they may be more useful to you than to me.

That said, I had retrieved that old little book which, very conveniently, I was used to keep in a pocket of my alien suit. When I handled it to Orion, he seemed surprised as I had rarely seen him before.

Orion: ... thank you.

Hermes, at my side, seemed thoughtful like never before. I had no idea about what was in his mind, until he finally said:

Hermes: I have several notes, on what they taught us when the Elders' Council still planned of conquering the Earth, and about the following years during which I wrote news for them. Probably those notes won't be very useful to understand the way Sixam machinery work, but you could still try to use them to understand what kind of people the aliens who came before us were, and how they lived.

Orion: ...

Hermes: I will need a few days to put together the material, I will make sure to send it to you as soon as possible.

Orion: ... thank you, really.

I had gone to Sixam to bring my son home, even by force if it was necessary, but his choice had been unexpectedly understandable and rational. He had grown up into a very smart and brave man, I admit I was quite proud of him at that moment.

However, I could not help but say goodbye to him by saying:

Luna: I'm sure you know which are the coordinates to our domestic black holes generator, so remember to come to visit us from time to time. Got it?

Orion: (relieved) Ma'am, yes Ma'am!

Next Chapter -->

Chapter 2.18: Old acquaintances

 <-- Previous Chapter

From Luna's diary

Like every other day, this morning I went to the hospital to start my work shift. I do like my job, my dear diary, but after so many years I can't deny I would like to retire and relax for a bit. However, there is no one else who could fill my role of medical support for the undercover aliens in town, so willy-nilly I can't retire yet.

The boys, on the other hand, seem to be doing well even without their friends from the scout group. Aster is painting again, even if I still struggle to understand his art...

Leo and Orion instead often play chess in the park in front of the house. They have very different characters, but we are all glad to see them managing to get along so well. Even though no one else seems to know what they are talking about all the time...

Orion: You seem to have recovered pretty quickly, after all that mess with Claire.

Leo: (vague) Well... it's not like I had any alternative, you know.

Orion: (sceptical) If you say so ...

Orion: Even I can read on your face you're hiding something. You should be more careful at home, you know?

Leo: I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just glad I got a good grade on the graduation exam. You did even better than me and Aster, why don't you celebrate?

Orion: Changing topic, I see...

Leo: As if I was the only one keeping things to myself

And here I am, cooking cakes once again. For sure this isn't a healthy diet, but with such a large family it's unavoidable, I guess.

In particular today it's a very special day, the twins are turning 18 and can't wait for it. 

Maybe the cats are the ones who are getting hurt the most from this hyper cake-ish diet... 

Luna: Amazonia, the cake's not for you!

Amazonia: Mew....

We also organized a little party and invited some neighbours. The boys would probably have preferred to invite their friends from the scout group but, in that case, we would also have been forced to invite Mr S.'s daughter. Luckily Leo was the first to admit that it would not have been a good idea, so we managed to avoid turning this into a teen drama.

Luna: Are you okay, Leo? You haven't talked much in the last few days...

Ever since we found out about Claire and Orion erased her memory, to be precise.

Leo: We were just studying for the exams, that's all.

Luna: Well, for sure you three were studying very hard...

Admittedly I wasn't completely convinced by his words, and so I preferred to also add:

Luna: Whatever you decide to do, just don't keep any dangerous secret from us, okay?

Leo: I know, I know...

I don't know exactly what is passing through his mind, at least he seems to have recovered quite well from that bad experience. I can't avoid being worried for him but, on the other hand, he is probably old enough to make his own choices...

Also Aster pretended to celebrate his birthday together with his brothers, to be coherent with our fake IDs in which our children are listed as a triplet. We have already decided to celebrate his real birthday in private in a few months, of course.

The birthday party was proceeding smoothly until the late afternoon, when someone knocking at the door made it take an unexpected turn.

I didn't know her, but I just thought she simply was some friend of our sons who came to wish them a happy birthday.

Aster: Hi, Roberta. There wasn't any need to come, really...

Roberta: But it's an important day, isn't it?

Aster: Ehm, I...

Roberta: happy birthday, Alex.

Aster: (embarrassed) ...

Aster immediately stepped back from that hug and wasn't even able to answer her "thank you". On the other hand, we could all notice how he was blushing to the tips of his ears.

That girl, on the other hand, seemed to be hoping for a slightly warmer welcome, and by then could no longer hide a disappointed expression. So she just waved her hand to Leo and Orion, to politely wish them a happy birthday too, and then she found an excuse to leave.

At that point, we all turned to Aster expecting some kind of explanation. But his distress was evident, and he just shook his head and went hiding in his bedroom.

Without thinking twice I followed him, we could not ignore such a scene.

Luna: (kindly) Aster, are you okay?

Aster: ...

He seemed so sad, but he was still refusing to say anything. There really wasn't anything I could say to help him?

Luna: (cautiously) You seem to like that girl a lot...

Aster: ... her name is Roberta, she is in the scout group too.

Luna: I have the impression that you like her too, isn't it?

Aster: (worried) ... you don't want to read my mind like you did with Leo, do you?

Luna: No. But I would also appreciate it very much if you explained to me what troubles you so much.

Aster hesitated for quite a while, before being able to tell me:

Aster: ... she doesn't know we're aliens, of course she doesn't. And I just can't keep telling her lies over lies about us. And then I'm afraid that something could go wrong, and that if it happens I should erase her memories like Orion did with Claire... But I don't think I could ever, I mean...

I thought about it for a moment. On the one hand, exposing ourselves to other people outside our family would be risky for everyone. On the other hand, however, we decided to pretend to be humans to be able to live happier and easier lives, and to be sure that Mr. S. rules couldn't preclude any possibility for our sons. No matter what, I won't allow them to make any more sacrifices than the ones absolutely needed for the success of our cover.

Luna: With Claire the situation was so much more complicated, she had found out about Leo in a public place during a scout gathering and she also risked letting the information slip in front of her father... That was practically the worst-case scenario for us, can you see it?

Aster: ...

Luna: On the other hand, from what I can see you and Roberta know each other well, don't you trust her?

Aster: I ... yes, I think so.

Luna: (encouraging) then I'm sure everything will be fine!

And then, even if something went terribly wrong and Aster wasn't able to erase her memory by himself, most likely I, Hermes or Orion would have been able to take care of the issue before it turned into a real problem...

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We managed to live in peace for almost a week, before yet another misadventure hit us.

Orion: So this is one of those famous spaceships...

Luna: I don't get it, why do they keep returning to us? I thought I've been clear enough the last time, we won't help them!

Hermes: This time they are surely taking longer than usual to bring him back, it's almost morning...

Leo: (serious) To be honest, I'm starting to think he won't return.

Luna: What? Why shouldn't he?

Leo: Well... Orion is curious, and he doesn't mind breaking the rules. If the rebels asked him to help them, he could have answered in a very different way than you did, mom...

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From Orion's Diary

The journey to Sixam left me a bit dizzy, but it's intriguing to be here again. My parents only took us here once when we were kids, so it will be interesting to have another look around. Come to think of it, it's also been a while since I took off my disguise. I have to admit I was missing the pointy ears and all the rest quite a bit.

In comparison with what I could remember about my previous trip here, the place seems almost the same. Only the temperature seemed a bit cooler, was it just a seasonal variation or the effect of the dying star my parents were always telling us about?

Orion: Hey, old man, was it you who brought me here?

???: My name is not "old man", you know? I...

Orion: So, what do you want from me? I don't think this is just a courtesy visit.

???: We were told you could be willing to help us, we...

Orion: Who told this to you? And help you do what?

???: I think you know her, she is ...

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I didn't expect to return to Oasis Spring ever again. I also had to change my disguise a bit and come up with a new name to avoid being recognised, because I was surely taking a big risk. However, when that old alien told me that my name was brought up by my cousin Celine, I couldn't help but come here to talk to her in person.

Orion: Hey, is anyone home?

Celine: (yawning) Ehi, who are you? What do you want?

Orion: ¡Hola, yo soy Orlando!  C'mon, you don't recognize me anymore?

Celine just stared at me with a puzzled expression for a while, before widening her eyes and ordering me:

Celine: What the heck are you wearing, you idiot! Just get in the house, c'mon!

Celine: I sincerely thought you had much better tastes with your disguises, why those moustaches?

Orion: I needed a radical change before I could return back here, right?

Orion: I didn't expect you to be part of that group of aliens that still abducts people. Did your boyfriend take you in?

Celine: Actually, the opposite had happened.

Orion: Oh.

Celine: I think you have a lot of questions, don't you?

Orion: Well, of course I do. For example, why do you keep abducting people? By doing this you only get more people on Mr S. side.

Celine: Mainly, we do it because we need test subjects for some experiments.

Orion: Oh.

Celine: I see... I probably could have told this to you even earlier, you seem to be quite intrigued already.

Orion: Well, I can't deny it.

Celine: Then you would probably enjoy a tour of the labs as well... I really think they would be the perfect place for you.

Orion: Labs? On Sixam?

Celine: Some are also on spaceships, but the main centre is hidden on Sixam, yes.

The alien technology left on Sixam is immeasurably more advanced than any terrestrial device, but since we moved to Earth the knowledge of those technologies is progressively being lost together with the fall of the original Sixam establishment. I was starting to see what the purpose of those rebels was, they were simply...

Orion: I think I got what you are doing. When can I start?

Celine: I was sure you would answer like that. Let's go, there is a lot to do!

Next Chapter -->

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§HermioneSims§ Corner

Are you worried about what Orion could be doing now? For sure I am.

I'm also opening this parenthesis to point out that, technically, also Aster aged up during this play session just one day later than Leo and Orion. However, I didn't manage to add these pictures without making the chapter even more redundant. So, here there is adult Aster: