From Rowan's diary
Rowan: …recently a couple of students asked me to be their thesis supervisor, they have so many ideas!
River: Oh, what topics would they like to cover?
Rowan: Integration of environmental legislations, mostly. One of them would also like to focus on the rules that regulate the approval of foreign technologies for the Sim City market, using some inventions made in New Sixam as an example, and—
Iris: (bored) For all the satellites, how boring! Are you like this in class too?
River: C'mon, he just likes his job!
Iris: Uh uh, if you say so...
Rowan: (a little annoyed) Why don't you tell a bit about how things are going here instead, then?
River: What can I say, let me think... Eva will graduate soon, while Caleb is about to finish high school too. They really grew up in the blink of an eye…
Rick: That's for sure.
Rowan: What about work instead?
River: Everything is fine in the editorial office, I don't have much to say... But soon I will be able to retire, and I really think I will take that chance as soon as I can!
Iris: Ditto.
River: I bet you and Juno don't want to slow down for a while, isn't it, Rowan? Isn't she organising yet another fundraiser?
Rowan: Yes, she's been working on it from morning to evening to finish everything on time. But she and her collaborators are seriously aiming to meet the requirements for the New Sixam exports support program, so there isn't a real alternative to this.
Iris: But…
Even though finding some free time has never been my strong point, I still do my best to keep in touch with my cousins.
Thinking about it, it's quite curious: even though we've never lived in the same country, we've always managed to spend time together and support each other, just as if we were neighbours. If this isn't a demonstration of how important teleport technology can be for one's life, then I don't know what it could be.
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The following days were rather chaotic, Juno's fundraiser was approaching and there was certainly no shortage of last-minute unexpected events.
Despite this, everything had to be perfect because, according to Juno, this was the most important opportunity she had ever had up to that point.
She had organized this fundraiser as part of an event that aimed to encourage green and environmental policies, many rich and famous people would have participated. And she certainly didn't want to let them slip away.
???: Alien technology? I don't know, I'm afraid it could interfere with my inner energy balance...
Juno did her best to hide her disappointment, with certain people it's difficult for her to maintain her usual affable attitude. However, even if she was sceptical about the perplexities raised by certain guests, she had to maintain a diplomatic expression. Until proven otherwise, they were the ones with the money to invest, not us.
Juno: (diplomatic) Objectively, we Sixamians have been living on Earth for several generations now, we don't really fall under the definition of "aliens" anymore. Do we?
???: Yet, I could perceive it since when I stepped in this room, like an interference in your auras... It must be because you teleport so often, something is surely going wrong every time you reassemble upon arrival.
Juno: Technically, however, our technology doesn't cause the disassembling of anyone, it's more like opening a shortcut in the space-time continuum. In other words...
After a very long and frustrating conversation, even Juno had to shake her head and give up on that person. Some people just can't be convinced just with words, it's evident. Not all guests were the same, luckily, but none of them seemed easy to convince.
Juno: Mr. Fernandez, what a pleasure to meet you!
Fernandez: It's my pleasure. (Looking around) Of all the projects presented today, this is probably the most ambitious: bringing those New Sixam gadgets here, to Sim City of all places... Do you really think they would be such a game-changer?
Juno: They are indeed extremely promising, in particular when considering their application in contrasting climate change. By combining matter recomposers, teleportation and stellar core power plants, New Sixam has already managed to bring down to zero its CO2 emissions and waste production decades ago. If also the rest of the world managed to implement the same technologies, then—
Fernandez: This part is all too clear, madam. But how long would it take? Can a single company really have enough resources and manpower to do all you promise? I heard you would also need to build a whole stellar core plant, or whatever its name is, for any of this to even be remotely possible.
Juno: This is correct, indeed. The stellar core plant is an indispensable element to provide green energy to the whole region, and will be fundamental for dropping greenhouse gas emissions in the shortest time possible.
Fernandez: Then I have to guess you're here asking for a huge sum of money, as those plants don't sound cheap at all.
Juno: You are undoubtedly a brilliant person, Mr. Fernandez. And I am therefore sure that you also understand the importance of—
Fernandez: Certainly. But I don't plan to waste my savings either. I will consider financing your project, but only when you demonstrate that you know how to use my money. To open a whole new electrical plan you'll need a suitable space, infrastructures, and a municipal permission, to say the least. But until these details are finalized, I have no intention of risking even one of my simoleons.
Juno: (diplomatic) It's understandable, Mr. Fernandez...
Having said that, Juno went on to talk to yet another possible financier, and then another, and another one. Many repeated the same words she had already heard, expressing their fear of those technologies that were so unknown and incomprehensible to them, or their fear of investing their money futilely in some project with an uncertain future.
Rowan: So, how's it going?
Juno: At least we haven't lost money with this event, but we're still far from the objective. We sort of expected it anyway, the sum with need this time is just crazy... However, I think we should keep an eye on that Mr. Fernandez. Today he didn't seem in the mood to spend but, in the future, who knows...
Rowan: I'm sorry to hear that, after all the effort you put into organizing everything...
Juno: Don't worry, this is something we can still handle. Anyway, what about getting something from the buffet? It would be a real pity to waste it!
Juno: Cheers!
She never said it out loud, but I suspect she felt more disappointed than she admitted. However, this wasn't a total failure either: maybe what they can propose at the moment isn't tangible enough to totally convince the possible financiers, but they aren't that far from that target. It will take a lot of hard work, but I'm confident she's able to do this.
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From Gaia's diary
In these last few weeks, my parents have been so overwhelmed with work that I barely see them during the day. I really don't understand them, do they really have so much fun working all day?
Well, who cares. At least this way I can go out as much as I like without being lectured.
Gaia: Look at this!
???: (laughing) But you totally missed it!
Gaia: Damn! Give me the ball, I want to try again!
? ?: Maybe another time, it's getting late now, we should go home!
Gaia: C'mon Manuel, it's not that late!
Manuel: Maybe your parents are fine with this, but mine will give me a never-ending lecture if I don't return back home soon.
Having said this, he left in a hurry, waving goodbye to us.
I was just annoyed instead. I mean, he wasn't entirely wrong, it was almost curfew time for me too. But I was having fun and I really didn't want to go home just yet...
Gaia: Hey, hi Nacho! Don't tell mom and dad I was late, okay?
Nacho: Meow.
Gaia: Luckily they're at mum's fundraiser...
Just after school, I planned I'd finish my homework right before going to sleep, but I really didn't feel like it. And then my homework for today is just too much, again, I wouldn't have been able to finish it anyway.
School is getting so boring now that I don't even care about the grades I get anymore. The only thing that still interests me is the exit bell, which finally gives me the green light to go out and go to my friends to have fun.
Manuel: Are you sure that this setting isn't a bit too harsh?
Gaia: I want to try it anyway!
???: I don't think you can do that, Manuel barely managed to!
Gaia: Just watch!
Gaia: (to herself) Phew, that was close...
Manuel: Be careful, the hardest part comes now!
The other kids rarely encourage me, with the exception of Manuel. He's always kind and nice to everyone, thinking about it. Like the other day, when…
Gaia: Ouch!
Manuel: Hey, did you hurt yourself?
More than feeling sore, I felt incredibly ashamed for my stupid fall in front of everyone else. I'm always doing so much better when I'm by myself, why do I always have to ridicule myself like this every time he's around? He's distracting, that's what.
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Finally it's Saturday, and today I could stay away from home for longer than usual too! It was going to be a lot of fun, I was sure about it.
We were lucky to find these sparklers around, someone probably lost them during the New Year's celebrations a few weeks ago.
They are so cool, they almost seem like one of those magic wands in my books! Who knows, maybe it's also possible to assemble them to build a…
Manuel: Hey, hi Gaia, we're here!
Gaia: I'm coming!
???: Let's draw some fireworks, it's the right season!
Gaia: Okay, let's get started!
Manuel: Hey, that part looks great! How did you do that shade?
Gaia: I made a layer underneath with black paint.
Manuel: Cool!
Gaia: And—
And I corrected myself at the very last second, before making a smudge right in the middle of my graffiti. I always got distracted whenever he was around, and I was starting to understand why.
I couldn't stop thinking about him and how cute he was, and I even got butterflies in my stomach every time I talked to him. I mean, it was just like the books I always read: I had a crush on him, that's what!
And I really had no intention of wasting time, so…
Gaia: Hey, Manuel, can we talk about, um… Something?
Manuel: Oh, sure. Has something happened?
Gaia: I was wondering, well... Would you like to go out together sometime?
Manuel: (confused) What? But we see each other almost every evening already!
Gaia: I didn't mean it that way! You know... I wanted to say going out just the two of us.
It took him a few moments to understand what I meant, I clearly didn't expect such a question. At that point, however, his expression completely changed, and not in a good way...
Manuel: Wait, what? I'm sorry, but to me you're just a friend. That's all.
Gaia: Oh.
At that point, we were both too embarrassed to say anything, so he just went back to the others.
Did he really reject me like that, without even an explanation? What did I even do wrong? I really don't understand...
I really hope that Manuel doesn't tell anyone, the situation is already embarrassing enough as it is...
In fact, more than embarrassing, I'd actually say it's humiliating.
I really couldn't remain there for even another second, so I just left without an explanation. That was a day to forget, that's what.
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§HermioneSims§ corner
Hello everyone! This time I'm here for a very quick comment on that last scene. The in-game animations are really over-the-top, Manuel wasn't subtle at all here... Next chapter, we'll see how Gaia is going to react to this, this is clearly something she'll remember for a while...
Oof, what that woman said to Juno made me think - The aliens were harassed in previous generations over their 'failure to integrate', and now even the ones who have accustomed to Earth life and have lived there for most (or all) of their lives are still too alien. Rowan is right - some people just can't be convinced to open their minds to something other than they way they think it works (or in this case, some people can't shake their fake movie science for this story's 'real world' (real in terms of the story world) science.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of integration earlier, I do feel like their desire to share Sixam tech with humans could backfire majorly, even though the overall overarching threat this generation has moreso been from the robots.
It's a shame that the meeting never went to plan, and I agree with Rowan, I think she was more upset than she let on. Oof, seems Gaia shares in her mother's luck right now...Well there's still plenty of time to find the right one!
Hi, and thanks for the comment!
DeleteThis is a chapter I wrote back at the end of 2021, and I have to admit I mostly thought about all the conspiracy theorists that were filling the news back then when writing it (the quality of any discussion back then at my place, both IRL and online, was *top notch*)
In either way, we'll see how this goes. A technology like teleportation has a lot of unexpected implications after all, a lot of different scenarios are indeed possible...
And, yup, this chapter wasn't very lucky for anyone. There are a lot of ups and downs in this part, that's for sure.