#not pictured: Clara rescuing Chiana's coffee before she can dunk her hair into it with her headdesking

[eulaliasims]

Chiana: Hi, Mom.

Clara: Hey, kiddo. You want some coffee?

Chiana: Sure. Um, is this a good time to talk? Is Dad around?

Clara: Uh-oh. He's at work, but—

Chiana: It's nothing bad! Just, I think if I ask him, he'll find someway to start talking about his new pie recipe instead, and then I'll just end up leaving with half a pie. And I'd like some pie, but that's not really why I came.

Clara: Good, 'cause we don't actually have any pie right now.

Chiana: Aw.

(Discussion below of reproductive choices, and government-controlled fertility in the context of an alien society. I wrote & shot this like 8 months ago, but in light of Roe v. Wade being overturned, I wanted to add a small warning in case anyone would prefer to skip that kind of thing.)

Chiana: Theo and I were talking about children. And I just wanted to, um, explore all our options.

Clara: I see! And I'm guessing you want to know more about the "Sixam Empire and SimNation Cross-Species Genetic Analysis and Allocation Agreement".

Chiana: Is that the real name? Holy crap, no wonder no one calls it that.

Clara: It's space, kiddo; if something isn't long enough to require an acronym, it doesn't legally exist. Well, I see why you asked me and not your dad.

Chiana: He doesn't really seem to like talking about, well, home.

Clara: He's become a bit disillusioned with the way Sixam does certain things, yes. He told me once he's not sure they should be trying so hard to save the Empire after everything, but I'm not sure if he still feels that way. Of course, he's got four healthy children, which is almost certainly four more than any of his crèche-mates, and the five grandkids. You know, I've always thought you probably have some half-siblings running around somewhere.

Chiana: What?

Clara: When you become an adult in the Sixam, the government gets a DNA sample and a gamete sample. They... I don't want to say own you. But everything you do is supposed to be for Sixam. That includes your fertility, or lack thereof.

Chiana: Mom! Why didn't you ever tell us this? What if we've, like, got siblings in the next town or something? What if I was dating another alien?!

Clara: I mean, the only one of you who ever had to worry about that is Gaila, and Mikhael is definitely not a relative. Your husband doesn't even have DNA, kiddo, let alone alien DNA. Anyway, I think if you do they're probably on a spaceship somewhere, not here on Earth. Chances are Sixam threw out any samples after Three left. Disobedience isn't really the kind of trait they want to cultivate, you know?

Chiana: This is so not how I was expecting this conversation to go.

Clara: I've gotten off-topic, huh? Sorry. Look, if you wanted to sign up, it'd depend on the technician currently in charge whether they're accepting half-aliens. Some of them think it defeats the point of the experiments, or that's what I've heard. If they say yes, you beam up, they do a genetic analysis, do the thing, you pop back.

Chiana: Not entirely sure I want to give them any DNA now, thanks.

Clara: Any particular reason to choose this over more conventional methods? If it's money—

Chiana: It's not. Just, they're my people too. Even if I apparently don't know as much about them as I thought.

Clara: Well, like you said, it's not Three's favorite subject. I'm sure Syx would talk your ear off if you ask, but half of it's gonna be lies, so fair warning.

Chiana: Everything Uncle Syx says is half lies, Mom.

Chiana: That's a... lot to think about. I always wondered, if Sixam wants hybrids, why not just invite sims to join the colony? I mean. It, uh, worked for you and Dad.

Clara: The exchange program was supposed to be a sort of trial run for something like that.

Chiana: Oh, I see. Sixam doesn't want more rambunctious grad students luring away their scientists.

Clara: I'm sure that's not the only reason.