From Cassy's diary
Cassy: Our bosses finally decided to organize an exploration mission to the Moon base, it was about time!
Toq: (thoughtfully) Probably yes, I do not know what Arizhel might have in mind, but I have a bad feeling about this…
Sirio: (interfering) Couldn't you explain to me what's happening too? You're always muttering about that Arizhel, but don't understand what's going on!
Cassy: Well, to be honest, we haven't understood much yet either.
Sirio: Uhm.
Sirio didn't seem at all satisfied with the answer, I actually expected it. He always knows right away when there's something worrying us from his perception of our emotions, and he surely noticed a clear change in us after that trip to the Moon.
Cassy: How much do you remember about Arizhel? She came here once, but you were still quite little.
Sirio: Um, not much. But I remember she was quite upset that time. She scared me quite a bit, actually.
Cassy: Well, she's not the nicest person in town, that true. And now we found out that she and many other ancient sixamians who decided to work for her are hiding in an old base on the Moon, and that they are trying to collect enough resources to establish a permanent base there.
Toq: Also, they are clearly ready to erase the memory of all those who try to interfere with them.
Sirio: (puzzled) Uhm, doesn't seem like a great plan.
Toq: I suspect this is only the first step of a larger plan. I wonder what it could be, though...
Cassy: Anyway, you don't need to worry about us. Now the security section of the space exploration centre was put in charge of this problem, I'm sure they will take care of it in no time.
Sirio: Uhm.
I tried to conform Sirio a bit, he really seemed worried about us, but I'm not sure I really managed to convince him. I'm afraid that, as long as he will perceive the worry in us, this can't be changed. Just another reason to solve this issue as soon as possible, I guess...
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From Sirio's diary
(Because diaries are never enough)
Halley and her friend Sophia weren't joking when they said they wanted to run for the next school representatives elections, we can see them confabulating continuously about the draft for the speech to give or the colours to use for posters. They also asked me to draw one for them, actually.
I don't exactly understand why they find so much fun in all this, but they clearly are really happy when they are busy with these endless preparations, so much happy to affect all the ones around them. Well, good for them. I really hope the elections won't be too disastrous...
Sirio: That's incredible, they're still confabulating about what to say in the last minute of the speech! And, before that, they studied for hours, and they aren't tired at all!
Techna: Your cousin's levels of energy have always been above average.
Sirio: Uhm.
Techna: I heard they also plan to go out for dinner later. Actually, I was also asked to convince you to join them.
Sirio: I know, they asked me already, but I'm not sure I really want to go...
Techna: I was also asked to insist, in case you refused.
Sirio: (tired) I suspected it.
Halley and Sophia know very well that to be voted they need to be popular among the students, so they always do their best to get along with everyone else. Every other day they also go out to hang out with their new friends, and quite often they insist so much (or ask Techna to do so for them) that even I end up joining them. If it wasn't clear enough already, my dear diary, it's very hard to say no to them.
I don't like crowded places, it's hard to concentrate when perceiving the conflicting emotions of so many people around you.
Yet, that time I had one of the most interesting encounters in a while...
???: Hey, are you the famous Sirio? A lot of people told me about you at school!
Sirio: Yes, I am. Instead you are...
??? : Florian, I've just started my first year.
Sirio: I see.
My dear diary, I'm sure that by now even you have noticed that Florian has a quite bizarre head, even for the standard of New Sixam. I'm almost sure of it, he must be half ancient sixamian just like me. There are very few like us, so I can't help but be surprised to meet him just by chance. But there is something even more surprising about him, which we discovered soon after when talking together.
Halley: That's so cool! Does it mean you're sort-of cousins, isn't it?
Florian: Um, hard to tell...
Florian wasn't entirely at ease talking about this topic, but he was also trying to maintain a friendly tone while talking to Halley who, on the other hand, was more curious than ever.
Halley: We know a lot of ancient sixamians, most of them work in the same place as our mothers, and then there's uncle Toq! So maybe we know your parents too, what's their name?
Florian: Well, then perhaps you could have heard about my mother, yes...
Florian: Her name is Arizhel.
Sirio: W-what!?
I nearly choked on the water I was trying to drink, and it took me a good five minutes to stop coughing. How the heck was such a thing even possible?
The ancient sixamians were very different from each other, this is certainly true… But it is also true that, among them all, Arizhel is the hardest one to imagine as a mother.
Meanwhile Florian, who surely could clearly perceive how upset I was, cautiously asked:
Florian: Are you okay?
Sirio: Sorry, I was just... surprised. Let's say that we know Arizhel quite well, but we never heard about her having a family!
Florian: (resigned) Ah. Well, actually I certainly can't say that she spent a lot of time with us...
I have to admit I was distracted for the rest of the dinner, I have no idea about what the other chatted about. I eventually also found an excuse to return at home as soon as possible, this was something also mom and Toq had to head about!
Cassy: Oh, Sirio! You're back soon, are you okay?
Sirio: This is crazy, you won't believe it!
Toq must have already read in my mind what I was about to say, because he just stared at me in silence with a stunned face. Mom, on the other hand, waited for me to spit it out with growing curiosity, she too must have understood already that this was some big, fat, gossip.
Sirio: Arizhel has a son, he was at the diner with us tonight!
Cassy: What!? But no come on, it's impossible!
Looking for confirmation mom turned to Toq who, among us, remains the one who knows Arizhel the best.
Toq : … I had no idea this was the case. But Arizhel is one of the first with whom I cut off contact, so I cannot say I know the details of her private life.
A little later we reported the news to aunt Venus and uncle Steve, we probably should have avoided telling them while they were having dinner because they too risked choking when we told them.
Evidently, Arizhel's life was quite different from what we expected...
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From Venus' diary
The latest news was shocking to say the least, probably I would have been less surprised to discover that the Yeti really exists and that it lives next to the New Sixam's crater.
And instead what Sirio reported to us seems to correspond to the truth: that know-it-all of Arizhel, who never seemed to have made the slightest effort to get closer to the terrestrial lifestyle, really has a family.
I really struggle to imagine how it could have happened, or what kind of person Florian's father may be...
Everyone at home seemed at least as curious as I was, so we soon ended up arranging a meeting with this puzzling family.
Sirio: Hi Florian! And thanks for inviting us!
Florian: Don't worry, our pleasure. Actually, we don't often have guests, that's good news for us!
That little boy was doing his best to always look cheerful, but underneath he seems to be very lonely. How sad...
Florian's father, and Arizhel's partner, seems an extraordinarily normal person. His name is Edward, and we took a while before remembering where we saw him already. He's the silent guy working at the reception of the space exploration centre, he's always the first person to arrive and the last to leave every night. I'd never spoken with him before, he's not very chatty in general.
Edward: (resigned) Oh, so you met her on the Moon. I see...
Cassy: (cautious) I guess Arizhel doesn't spend much time with you, isn't it?
Edward: Not much, it's true. She's always put her work first.
Cassy: I understand…
Edward: Especially recently, she hasn't even been home for months. So I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help you figure out what she's up to this time.
Cassy: …
Edward: I was actually convinced all of her old crew had followed her, so I must admit I'm surprised to see you here too, Mr Toq.
Toq: I do not have any will to return to travel in space. And many others took my same choice.
Edward: I see.
Florian:… Maybe Arizhel doesn't spend much time with us, but deep down I think she cares about us.
Edward: …
That visit really saddened me, by now it's evident that Arizhel was never very present for her family, and that Edward and Florian had to take care of each other all the time.
I think I've never been so far from understanding that it might go through Arizhel's head right now, what could she be planning?
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Meanwhile, at the Millers' house...
From Cassy's diary
TV: “… And that's it for today. The next news will be broadcast at 11pm and…”
Techna told us that, while we were away, the TV signal was suddenly cut off and replaced. But they weren't taken by surprise, and immediately said:
Techna: TV, start recording!
TV: Okay!
And this is the content of the recording that Techna showed us a little later:
Arizhel: People of New Sixam, we decided to speak directly to all of you from our base on the Moon because we cannot afford to waste any more time.
Arizhel's expression seemed to betray real concern, whatever she was thinking she seemed really upset.
Arizhel: (serious) Our simulations ended a few hours ago, pushing aside any residual doubt. The wicked exploitation of the Earth's resources by humans is quickly approaching the point of no return, and the effects on the climate and the environment will soon become irreversible. At this rate, we estimate that the planet will cease completely to be inhabitable in 286 ± 50 years. At this point it is clear to us that even the Earth will soon stop being a welcoming home for us Sixamians, and that we must find an alternative before it is too late.
Arizhel: (serious) Given the evident failure of the Earth colonization project, we decided to program a research expedition to find a new planet where to settle, this time permanently.
She then paused a second, before adding:
Arizhel: To convince you of the seriousness and inevitability of what we are telling you, we have uploaded all the results of our simulations onto your internet servers, so that you can examine the results by yourselves. We look forward to a rational response from the New Sixam government within 48 hours. In case you decided to deny your support, be aware that the chances of success would drop enormously. Yet, even in that scenario, be aware we are willing to proceed even with our forces alone.
I know you are not accustomed to any request for sacrifices of this magnitude, yet I hereby repeat that this choice is now inevitable if we want to ensure the prosperity of our species also for the next generations. Any farsighted person should therefore come to the same conclusions, and decide to join their forces with us.
That said, their broadcast was cut off, leaving most of the inhabitants of New Sixam staring open-mouthed at their TVs. What had just happened?
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§HermioneSims§ corner
This is another of those instances in which it was the game itself to decide the new direction of the story. In this case, I just left Arizhel in a not-played household for about 15 sims days, just to return back to check on her and find that this happened. I actually played this part well before neighbourhood stories were a thing, so it's all MCCC mod fault!
I surely couldn't ignore Arizhel's family, it was too interesting not to be included in the legacy. Yet, her relationship with Edward is completely out of my comprehension, even more so that the magnetic star or the rocketships in the backyards. 😐
Shocking to hear that Arizhel is Florian's mother (but it also makes sense (kind of) and is super interesting - so I'm grateful to MCCC). I don't understand her, but I somewhat understand wanting to take resources for yourself and those you most closely relate to when you're being mistreated. I also hope that she cares about her family and that she just has some difficulties expressing that and other related things like Toq did at first.
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