From Venus's diary
I and Cassy are keeping to put just as much effort as we always did with school and with extracurricular activities. At this point, graduation is approaching and we want to show our best to enter the best university in New Sixam!
Cassy: But are you really sure it's a good shot, Claudia?
Claudia: Why not, it went so close to the basket! Look at that!
Our main achievement was the completion of the rocket. It's based on the models built by humans in the last century more than the space shuttles sixamians are using, it's so cute and retrò!
Both Cassy and I took a test ride in orbit around the planet, with the size of the tank we can't go any further at the moment.
This might be the funniest thing we've ever done, even more than the Sixam trip! Everything is so different from up there, the stars look so much brighter and closer!
Cassy: ... and that's Cassiopeia, you can see very well from here too!
Venus: while the planet Venus is over there, it's so easy to spot!
The more time passes, the more time my sister and I spend looking at the sky and thinking about space. Our species reached Earth travelling halfway through the galaxy, if there is one thing our ancestors knew how to do well that was space travel. Since the founding of New Sixam, scientists have worked hard to piece together the knowledge needed to operate spaceships and teleportation devices again, reviving a thriving space exploration business. How lucky are we to be born in the only country on Earth where space travel is the most normal thing in the cosmos?
Cassy: I think I've decided what I want to do once I'm an adult, you know?
Venus: Me too. (Chuckling) Shall we say it together?
Cassy and Venus: I want to be an astronaut!
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From Cassy's diary
Luke: The two little space explorers haven't contradicted themselves, isn't it?
Cassy: We were two when you were reading those stories, for how long do you want to talk about it?
Our parents were delighted when we told them we wanted to be astronauts. We all know that we will have to study a lot to reach this goal, but none of us wants to be put off by a little of hard work.
Luke: I know, I know, you're growing up... In fact, this time I wrote you some books that grown-up people would like.
Venus: (puzzled) Uhm?
Luke: Cassy, I want you to take the one with your sister Venus story. While you, Venus, keep the one about Cassy.
Cassy: (puzzled) Okay, if you say so... Thanks.
[Actually, Luke has finally completed the Aspiration Writer, unlocking the book of life. You never know, it can always come in handy... That's why he wrote one for each of his daughters and gave them the two books]
A few days later, Venus and I applied for scholarships and enrollment at the New Sixam politechnical university.
Waiting for the results was so stressful, the tension was killing me... I mean, it took several weeks before we got any answer, couldn't they speed up a bit?
At that point, we couldn't do much if not trying to find a distraction, I guess...
Cassy: Checkmate!
Venus: What, again?
The answers for the scholarships came first, while for the admission to the university we will still have to wait (phew!)
And the one we received with the scholarships was quite of a bad surprise...
I mean, it actually went well for Venus, she got three scholarships...
[^Quick translation: Venus received the "Strangerville's inhabitant scholarship" of 250§, the "Build the future scholarship" of 400§ and the "Athletic scholarship" of 450§]
While they didn't accept any of my requests! I just don't understand, we have the same requirements, why all this difference?
[^ "We are sorry to inform Cassy Miller that she was not awarded the "Strangerville inhabitant"/"Build the future" scholarship. It will get better next time. ]
For mum and dad it is not a problem to pay for my enrollment and everything, but I still felt very bad, it is so unfair...
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From Luke's diary
Misty has just resumed her old job as a recruit trainer, even if she doesn't seem happy at all about it.
I really can't blame her, that one is a tiring job and a lot of the recruits seem really unbearable. However, above all, what Misty suffered the most was being excluded halfway from the investigation she was involved in. What was going on, what were the foreign spies doing? It was so difficult to avoid such questions, and not even being allowed to ask any question was so frustrating...
So that it was the most we were allowed to do, Misty and I are continuing to talk about it when we were alone, making hypotheses and conjectures. I've been writing about the complex relationships between sixamians and humans for decades now, while she's been working for the secret services for years, so we just can't get the dilemma out of our heads.
Misty: (whispering) Intercepting the human's internet line or what they are broadcasting on TV is not difficult, but for sure we won't obtain any secret intel that way... Just a lot of posts about how dangerous people think we are.
Luke: (shaking his head) Is it getting worse?
Misty: (whispering) To say the least...
Misty: (whispering) ... maybe there is still a way, even if I don't think it's really legal...
Luke: (whispering) What do you have in mind?
Misty: (whispering) You still have the very first teleportation prototype, that of your great-grandfather, the one which is not controlled by anyone... We could use it to get out of New Sixam.
I was blown away, I didn't expect Misty was even willing to risk so much to understand something more. Technically, it was easy for us to sneak into another country unnoticed using teleportation and a disguise, but the New Sixam government kept track of all the teleport jumps we were using to ensure that no one could use it to further undermine our diplomatic relations with humans.
However, considering our very old and untracked teleportation device, how many chances were there of being noticed?
Misty: (whispering) I also already know who to look for, and I think you're thinking about the same person too.
Luke: (whispering) I guess I do, yes.
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