A Winter Moon

by S. J. Smith

  “Yes sir, Lord Rixon ordered me to bring this to you urgently. He would like you to report to him immediately,” the courier answered my largely rhetorical question and looked at me expectantly. I stood up from the bed and almost missed the aches and cracks of my old organic body. This one I had now, with new parts, felt too new. It needed some getting used to perhaps.

  I nodded to the courier to lead the way and we exited the medical facility to walk to the nearest Tele Port. The usual bustling streets of the city Voltaire were unusually sparse. The war had wrecked our planet and all the inhabitants within. Planet Rodon would never be the same. The war though, was largely over, save for a few skirmishes of straggling warships here and there about the galaxy. I had wondered what Lord Rixon could have wanted with me. I was nearly killed in a stealth operation gone terribly wrong. If anything Lord Rixon would probably want to demote me as a specialized agent. Specialized agents did not get dismembered on assignment.

  The courier and I stepped into the glass enclosure and he tapped the side panel that would bring the Tele Port to life. He typed in our destination and gave the clearance we needed to get to the palace grounds and then the familiar shifting sensation beneath our feet started. The world around us melded into bright rainbow colors and then it all stopped. The palace courtyard emerged into view around us and a guard opened the Tele Port’s sliding door to escort us out.

  “Lord Rixon has been awaiting your arrival Josiah,” said a guard. The guard was tall, broad shouldered and stocky. He wore the customary gold plated armor over his white uniform that was much like the couriers. My intrigue was piqued and I wondered what was so pressing that the overseer of our planet and king of our race wanted to have a meeting with me in person.

  The courier left. I followed behind the guard through the picturesque courtyard filled with plants and colorful flowers, through the large grand, golden double doors, and directly into the grand hall. The hall was elegant and had an air of understated opulence to it. The floors and pillars that lined the room were made of the same gold-veined white marble. The hall was decorated in crimson tapestries to reflect the blood our kind had lost in the war. Lord Rixon was sitting on his throne towards the front of the room and he was fiddling with his tall scepter rather anxiously. He looked up and his golden eyes widened with purpose and if I was not mistaken, excitement.

  “Josiah, I’ve been awaiting your arrival. Thank you for meeting with me so swiftly,” Lord Rixon was often a humble ruler and it is what gained him so much respect amongst the people. I inclined my head before bowing at the waist with my fist crossed over my chest. “Rise, rise. Come Josiah we have much to discuss…” Lord Rixon was anxious to deliver whatever it was he needed to speak with me about. I rose and then approached his throne.

  Rixon was physically intimidating, like many of the men on our planet he was tall and well-muscled. What distinguished him from the rest is his shock of silver white hair, his intense brow and golden eyes. From birth people whispered how he was destined to be royalty. It is why now Rodon’s colors are white and gold. If not for Rixon we would be a planet destroyed.

  “What is so pressing my lord?” I asked curiously as I stopped at the bottom step of the raised dais which held Rixon’s throne. He gestured me closer and I walked up to stand directly next to him.

  “I have a mission for you Josiah…how are your new limbs?” Lord Rixon studied me with a calculating eye; his gaze was almost tangible as it went from my new legs to my new arms. They looked organic, but were certainly not.

  “They are strange my lord, but nothing I cannot get used to,” I assured him and Rixon nodded absently.

  “Good, I am aware that the new limbs will bring you an intriguing level of strength and stamina…” Rixon looked at me knowingly and I nodded once. “That is what I need. Precision and discretion. As you know the results of the planet wide population census has been reported,” Rixon paused and looked at me expectantly.

  “Yes my lord, I heard the devastating news of our being classified as an endangered race. It will be slow, but I feel we can rebuild our numbers,” I commented and Rixon nodded, his expression was then thoughtful.

  “Precisely. It will be slow because during the war, interestingly enough, not many female children were born. We need females to further our race and to ensure its survival. I had our greatest thinkers look into it and they have found that the women of Earth share largely the same makeup as our kind. Our kind could be renewed quicker if we had some human females here than if we simply left things up to chance as they are now,” Rixon explained. My eyes grew wide as I thought of the implications…or the possibilities. I saw where Rixon was going with what he was saying. But how would it be done?

  *****

  Josiah

  I looked at Lord Rixon with wary eyes as he continued his explanations. “I want to integrate human women in Rodon. We have no other choice Josiah, what if tensions flare up again? What men do we have to protect us?” I took a deep breath; Lord Rixon had brought up a valid point.

  “So you would like me to travel to Earth and bring human women here?” I asked with slight uncertainty.

  “I would like you to travel to Earth and observe them. Report back what you find. If it could be possible without backlash to have more soldiers go to Earth to pick human mates and return with them here…” Lord Rixon looked at me expectantly as he awaited my reply.

  “I understand what you want me to do my lord. Carry out an intelligence mission quietly,” I replied. Rixon nodded.

  “Yes, I do not want to create even the slightest ripple that could endanger our planet all over again,” Rixon looked at me with a severe expression. I knew there was no failing this mission. In any event all I had to do was see what the human women were like and if they’d truly be compatible with Rodonian men.

  “I understand my lord. I am confident in my abilities to carry out this mission to your highest regards,” I assured Rixon. He smiled in a regal manner, though with slight relief I could tell. Even Rixon’s own intended bride was killed during the war. He could benefit from this plan to induce human women to Rodon as well.

  “Wonderful, well then if you are truly healed and familiar with your new body, I have outfitted our fastest spacecraft for your departure to Earth. There you will be given an identity and means with which to survive as well as instructions on how to appear human and blend with their general populace.” Rixon snapped his fingers at a nearby guard who stood vigil beside the dais. The guard called for a courier and the same one who’d originally delivered the message to me, Don, entered the room holding a thin white folder of all the materials I needed.

  “I will walk you to the craft while I explain these materials,” said Lord Rixon. We proceeded within a procession of four guards surrounding us. I looked down at the folder and opened it.

  “That is your identification card,” said Rixon. “It also allows you to drive vehicles which are much like the ones on Rodon, only the humans have not yet outgrown their wheels. Behind that is your passport. Apparently Earth is not united in the same ways Rodon is, so one needs special clearance to travel from country to country. Which you will need to in order to gather all possible information on the human women. You would present that at the check in stations in the human ‘airports’, which is the quickest form of global travel there. I would not recommend you use the space craft to get around on Earth; due to the speed enhancements we gave the craft, we took out all measures of camouflage.”

  As we walked, Rixon continued to tell me about the planet Earth and what I needed to do there.

  We arrived at the flying docks atop the palace’s east wing and there I saw the sleek black spacecraft awaiting our departure. Before I went to climb into it Lord Rixon turned to face me.

  “I would like to convey the seriousness of your need to remain clandestine while on Earth. We cannot disrupt their development or their ways of life,” Lord Rixon made sure I understood the importance of remaining undetected and I as
sured him that I would be successful in my mission.

  “Very good then, be well and successful on your mission Josiah, I look forward to your return and your report in six months’ time.”

  With that I saluted Rixon and he inclined his head. I then tucked the folder, of documents and cards I would need under my arm and climbed into the spacecraft. The glass enclosure lowered down and locked into place. The coordinates for Earth were already set; all I had to do was tell the vehicle to launch.

  I glanced to the side of the landing pad at the grouping of guards, Lord Rixon, and the courier Don one last time before I ordered the craft in Rodonian tongue, “Head to Earth.”

  The craft lifted smoothly into the sky, silent as was usual for speed crafts, and then it shot off into the night sky. Soon I left the atmosphere and the light of countless stars lit the dark expanse of space. I went through the folder once again and used the leather holder that was given to me. The humans called it a wallet. I put the identification card within, as well as the few credit and debit cards and loose monetary notes, after which I studied the passport. I was to be Josiah Davenport on Earth. I was from New York City, and that would be my first stop. I was to get a hotel and then begin observing. Hopefully the females from Earth were beautiful and not too dull to take note of.

  *****

  Melanie

  “Hey watch out lady!” an annoyed bike messenger shouted as he shot right past me on the sidewalk. I got ready to yell at the guy in return for almost knocking me over. Those messengers weren’t supposed to ride on the sidewalks anyways. He was too far ahead by the time I worked up enough annoyance to yell back so I simply let it go and mumbled to myself. The sidewalks of New York City were almost as volatile as the streets. Everyone was impatient, hurrying somewhere. That’s mostly why New Yorkers got a bad rap for rudeness. We simply wanted to get where we were going.

  I, however, wasn’t in any rush today. I had finally quit my dead-end job and I was happy about turning over a new leaf. No more information processing that would give me carpal tunnel, a hunchback, and blindness before I was forty. As I walked down busy Madison Avenue I wondered what it would be like to work for a marketing or advertising firm. How much fun that would be to get in touch with my creative side once again.

  I walked by this pizza shop I had always wanted to try, Giro’s. I’d never actually gone in before because it was always packed and I never had enough time to go in and enjoy the full experience of sitting down at a restaurant, ordering my meal, and eating it in peace.

  I lived a largely lonely life. My only family, my parents, died when I was just starting out in the city and I had chosen to stick to myself ever since then. I wrapped myself up in work and chose the most menial job available. It was mind-numbing work simply inputting data day in and day out. But I was finally breaking that unhealthy mold and choosing to do what I had come to the city for in the first place.

  I’d start this new life by having some pizza at Giro’s. Just before I stepped into the modern restaurant, with its glass storefront, I noticed someone standing across the street. I only noticed him because he was standing completely still in a river of moving New Yorkers. I couldn’t make out his features from the reflection in the glass, but I knew he was watching me. I felt the prickle of awareness along the back of my neck and all.

  I turned around to look at him, but when my eyes reached the sidewalk across the street, he was gone. I shook the feeling of unease and stepped inside the restaurant. I had been feeling an odd shadowing presence for some time now, I’d say about two weeks. But whenever I’d look over my shoulder or think I saw someone staring at me in my periphery, when I double checked there would be no one there.

  Perhaps it was just the increasing anxiety I was feeling over my job. Though since I had finally quit all of that should have gone away…I forced myself to forget about it and I focused on trying the pizza at Giro’s. Spending the rest of the day doing pretty much nothing but eating and walking in the park was a dream.

  I ate slowly. The pizza was terrific. By the time I decided to walk back home it was getting dark. Winter was well on its way and the days were just getting shorter and shorter. I needed to clear Central Park so I could hail a cab to get me to midtown. The trees along the usually friendly paths of the park seemed a bit ominous and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched and followed. Thankfully I made it out of the park and managed to wave down a cab and get home to my apartment.

  I felt marginally safer. I really needed to pull myself together. There was no reason for my being so paranoid. It’s not like whenever I glanced behind me there actually was someone there watching. I dropped my bag onto the end table near the door and deposited my keys on top of the bag. My place was not the biggest in midtown, but it was decent sized and of course rent was way too much compared to square footage. But at least it wasn’t a studio. There was one bedroom and one bathroom across the short hall from that. The rest of the apartment though, was open concept. The kitchen flowed into the living room and next to the kitchen was a small dining area.

  I went into my bedroom to change into something much more comfortable and to grab my computer so I could start sending out my resume. I caught my reflection in the mirror over my dresser and went over to mess with my hair. The tight brown curls hardly ever behaved and my hair mostly just hung around my head like a mane. On some days it looked tousled and sexy, on others it just looked poufy. Thank goodness the winter months were near so I didn’t have to worry about frizz for a while. My eyes were the same clear blue color and my face had that heart shape paired with smooth, milk colored skin that made my eyes look big and my features porcelain-like. I did tend to draw attention from guys, but after turning so many down I think I carried a cloud over my head that repelled them now. Maybe it was because I stopped dressing to show off my curves so much. I did have them. I was just tired of guys catcalling me in the street.

  There wouldn’t be any more of that, now that I’d come out of the funk I was in over having lost my parents. I was going to be a new me. I would dress like I used to and pay more attention to the things I wanted out of life. A job I loved, a great guy to come home to, and eventually two curly-haired little kids. I smiled at myself in the mirror and then went to go send out resumes and query letters to just about every marketing firm in the city.

  *****

  Melanie

  I slept in the next morning and gave a leisurely stretch before I rolled out of bed. Across from my bed was the closet off to the right, and directly in front of the bed was a little seating area where I had my chaise across from the fireplace. As I stood up from bed I could have sworn I saw a flash of movement. The throw blanket on the chaise definitely fluttered, though there was no draft, and the door to my closet closed a fraction.

  My heart raced in my chest. My apartment building was relatively new. I was pretty sure no one had died in the building so there was no reason for it to be haunted. I slowly walked over to the closet and then yanked the door open abruptly. There was nothing but my rows of clothing and shelves of shoes. I took a deep breath and then rubbed my eyes. I had just woken up. I was probably still dreaming, plus there’s no way anyone – or anything – could have been in my apartment with me. I lived in the city and firmly believed in locking doors and setting alarms.

  I went into the bathroom for a shower and to get ready for the day. After my shower, when I went to do my hair in my room I noticed something in the reflection of the mirror over my dresser. It faced the large window in my room and my window looked out over the city, but there was a fire escape directly outside. Someone was standing on the fire escape. I watched him for the longest while. He was simply standing there, facing away from me. He wore all black and seemed to be having a cigarette. I turned around to go and knock on my window, so the guy would leave, but when I went to do so he was gone.

  I pushed my fingers through my hair and wondered to myself if I was seeing things. Maybe I was losing my mind…I refused
to believe that and simply got ready as normal. Though I did glance over my shoulder often. There were no lurking figures, no one smoking cigarettes while staring at me as I got ready for the day.

  I decided to have breakfast out and grabbed my laptop bag and keys then headed for the door. I locked up behind me and made my way downstairs, through the lobby, and out onto the bustling sidewalk. It was only ten in the morning and I had a full day planned to check for any job responses and visit the Met. Afterwards I’d make the trip to Chinatown for my favorite dumplings and then head back home to change. I was going to find me a man that night so I planned on dressing cute, yet casual, and heading to a nearby sports bar to watch the basketball game.

  I went to a nearby coffee shop that had great bagels and wasn’t too packed due to its cavernous space inside. The shop was modern and artistically decorated with cool local artwork around the walls. After I ordered my Americano and bagel with plain cream cheese, I found a little table that was tucked into the back corner. It was pretty quiet where I was and I enjoyed the peace of being able to focus, yet not being too alienated from the people around me. I noticed a tall man as he walked by me and sat down at the round table next to mine. What caught my attention was his sheer size. He was at least seven feet tall, had to be, and he was built with muscle to fill in his impressive frame, though he didn’t appear too bulky under his loose fleece jacket and well-fitting blue jeans.

  I tried to get a good look at his face, but he was looking down at the muffin he had ordered as he unwrapped it. He would probably finish that thing in two bites. I refocused on my e-mails and was happy with the few responses I got in return to some of my inquiries. A couple of really great marketing firms were interested in setting up interviews with me! In my rush of excitement, I moved kind of jerkily and knocked over my cup of coffee. Thank goodness it didn’t spill onto my computer, but it did fall all over the floor.