At the darkest hour of true night, a faint breeze blew through the empty streets of Cinnfoara, bearing the vague threat of spring. On a technical level, the end of fall and the beginning of spring were mathematically the same; equal amounts of night and day, similar temperatures, and both on either edge of winter. Yet, simple numeric equivalence couldn’t make the two alike. Much like the evening and the dawn, there was something intangibly different about each. The growing light, gradual though it may be, brought with it the heightened energy of change and chaos, like clouds heralding rainfall. Gone was the comfortable fading away into death as the violent age of rebirth began anew.

  As this undeniable breath of life descended upon the city, Rahenzo was no exception to its warning. The bracing wind stung his eyes, reminding him that he had another matter to attend to. He re-entered his office from the balcony, already missing the unbroken view of the stars as he readjusted to the dim light within. After a moment or two, a glowing holographic screen appeared before him, bearing the grainy image of his niece’s face.

  “You know, I was watching the ships come in…” he gestured towards the windows. “…made me wonder if any of them were for your dad.”

  “I wouldn’t know,” Nash said. “I didn’t think big freight came to Cinnfoara. And besides, doesn’t he have enough out there at the ranch?”

  “You never know. I sure didn’t imagine his little fascination with exotic livestock would turn into such a lucrative opportunity. Especially since he pays a small fortune to have new cattle flown in from… where the heck is it? Argentina?” Enzo leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk. His brother’s ways were unconventional, if not a decades-spanning trend among the more ‘eccentric’ Iolites. But he tended not to judge out loud. After all, it was a whole galaxy full of similar enterprises that kept his own trade afloat.

  “My friend says all the best cows come from Nebraska.” Nash’s voice crackled through the screen.

  “I’m sure your friend says a lot of things.” He scrunched his face in a sarcastic expression. “Now let’s get down to it shall we? I’m sure you didn’t schedule a call in the middle of the night to be reminded that your father exists or to tell me about that blowhard Earthling’s opinion on everything.” He leaned back in his chair as he awaited her answer. Meanwhile his restless gaze settled on a potted plant on a stand in the corner in need of watering.

  “Right, I’ll be brief.” She said, as she watched her uncle pick up a glass of water from his desk and briefly disappear from view.

  “I’m listening,” he said as he approached the plant with the glass.

  “If we’re going to continue these types of… excursions. We’re going to need more support, a different kind of support really.” Through unfathomable distances between the stars, she could hear something splashing over crinkly leaves.

  “Isn’t the new ship enough?” He gazed at the water pooling limply on top of the solid soil. “You know I can’t go spending too much money at a time without ‘the powers that be’ starting to notice.”

  “I understand, and of course, the ship is perfect, but…”

  “But…” His voice drifted off. Enzo retook his seat and returned to her view, though his head was still pointed toward the corner.

  “I’ll put it bluntly, if I may.” Nash lowered her eyes in deference, ashamed at having to ask for more, as if it proved she couldn’t manage on her own. “These missions have been more and more ‘physical,’ as of late. Ever since that time under Reccorsha, what was it now, three months ago?”

  “Thereabouts…” Enzo muttered. “Good catch by the way, we’ve been able to fast-track the re-opening of that place to early next year. Remind me to invite you to the ceremony.”

  “And I’m so glad we could make a difference, it’s just that the last four or five places we’ve visited have involved some sort of… altercation. It’s not just unthinking creatures, even the people we run into on these other planets are tense, as if they know that trouble is on the horizon, and they want to hang on to what they have.” She paused, waiting for him to make the next move.

  “So, you want to stop? Even with all that’s at stake here?” His voice lowered. Behind him, a withered leaf fell to the floor. He tracked it briefly with his eyes, but his head remained aimed at her.

  “On the contrary,” she brightened. “I don’t think we need to stop or even slow down at all.”

  “Not at all?” Enzo was still riddled with doubt, but certainly more pliable than he’d been a moment ago.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “If we can be outfitted with advanced on-board, life-support systems that make injury recovery time faster, we can continue to work unimpeded. Better yet, if we get dedicated space to…hone our talents instead of fitting it in where we can, then you may see yields returns two or even five-fold.”

  “You’re really pushing yourselves out there, aren’t you?” He crossed his fingers in front of his face and took a took a deep breath. He knew deep down, ability notwithstanding, he and Nash were cut from the same cloth. She would be no rancher.

  “We are,” she said.

  “I can get you your first request the next time you dock here, five days by my count. Sound correct on your end?” He raised his eyebrows at her.

  “Yes,” she responded, trying not to sound too eager.

  “As for the second: I agree with you, but I need some time to make it happen. Understood?”

  “Unquestioningly.” She smiled so big he might as well have bought her a pony.

  “Good. We’ll talk soon.” He ended the call and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes as they adjusted again to the comforting darkness. Behind him he heard the faint sound of dripping upon the floor, as two more dry leaves fell. He rose, and without looking back, went to find more water.

  #

  Elsewhere in the city, the same wind blew along a few tattered clouds which obscured and revealed the night sky in patches. Two men walked through this breeze as if the air itself carried them along; one behind the other, over a wide pedestrian bridge that spanned a lake in the heart of an elegant park.

  The young man in the rear, a Human, turned his marching orders over in his head until they lost all meaning. He hadn’t been in this line of work, or even on this world, for very long, and already his assertive, purple-faced boss had given him the oddest assignment anyone had ever heard of. “I wouldn’t know him at all if he was any good at making decisions. But now that he’s here it makes more sense to have him with us than against us. You’ll have to help me keep him in line. Make sure he gets where I need him to go and does what I need him to do. No more, no less. Sound like something you can handle, following some delusional pissant around all day?”

  The Human wasn’t certain how he’d accomplish such a vague assignment with an even vaguer target, but he was certain he’d like to get to know him better. Perhaps someone so unreal and mystical would enjoy an abstract topic of discussion. Space itself seemed as good a place to start as any, as it just so happened they’d each crossed a good stretch of it to get here. He stopped without warning, raked a hand through his short hair, fixed his dark eyes upward, and addressed his counterpart.

  “The stars aren’t in alignment. It’s a bad omen.” The words, filtered through a vestigial New Jersey accent, stopped the other, distinctly non-Human, man in his tracks, not out of interest, but irritation.

  The pale specter turned on his heel and replied in a peculiar cadence of his own, stretching each third or fourth syllable into taffy. “You say something that stupid to me again and I’ll beat you like a dog.”

  #

  “Good news,” Nash whispered in Kory’s ear as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

  “Hnnh?” Kory asked, unable to fully articulate due in part to the swollen bruises covering half her face. She lay weary in her tiny bedroom at the back of ship as Nash, fresh off the call with her uncle, stroked her forehead with a damp cloth.

  “We’re going to get the help we need… in just five more days when we get back home.” She smiled sadly as her friend mumbled in approval before fading off. When Nash was sure Kory was asleep, she left her side and walked quietly back to the front, passing Zol’s room as he rested in his equally meager accommodations across the hall. She closed the door to the corridor behind her and let the sleepers lie. Something told her it would take a lot to wake them now. In the living space at a small table, sat Greg, still awake with two cups of coffee steaming in front of him. She sat down and he pushed a cup to her; no sugar, with a splash of cream, just the way she expected.

  “Be honest with me,” he said, raising the mug to his face. “Will it be enough?”

  “I don’t think so,” Nash sighed, unable to meet his gaze. “He doesn’t know the half of it.”

  “Isn’t there something, I don’t know, I hate to ask any more of you, but when y’all are out there can’t you…” Greg searched for the words. “…protect them more?”

  Nash took a long sip of her coffee before answering. “I’m not as fast as they are.” Her face was downcast. “And I try, I really do, but they seem to bolt past me into whatever danger lies ahead before I can even react, especially Kory. Zol might hang back for half a second to strategize, but she just doesn’t think the same way he does. He’s stronger too, so there’s that…” she trailed off, wishing these simple people weren’t the lynchpins of so many complicated situations.

  “I know, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.” Greg resigned, understanding in that moment that her sense of obligation naturally outweighed his.

  “No, I think we’re on the same page.” Nash said, sliding her hand across the table. Greg covered it with his in a gesture of solidarity. “My uncle isn’t the only one who can help us. Once we’re back in Cinnfoara I’ll pursue other… avenues.”

  “Are you sure Mia’s ready?” He implored, jumping to the next logical conclusion, the only other one on his mind.

  “I wasn’t talking about her,” she responded.

  “Billy?” he asked incredulously as she met his gaze. It had been a while since that name was mentioned.

  “Colder.”