As I exited the ramp and looked in awe at the blue marble underneath me, I felt dreadful for how I come to the uninterested, forgotten corner of the galaxy on what the humans called mud, or dirt. Recently, my military career as a pack leader led me to assume the horrible transfection of vitamin deficiency, scurvy, amputation and post trauma, which led to me walking on three, rather than four legs. It also led me to delve in other matters such as diplomacy.

With my health in utter ruin and an honorable discharge, my doctor led me to a fouls errand called extended leave of absent, or vacation as she calls it, she recommended visiting our first contact with the wider galaxy, the humans, to mend my wounds and deal with trauma. The diplomatic mission recommended a combat veteran with a hint of insanity to fill out the staff for the embassy for our race and people Nzongos.

Who in the right mind would recommend visiting a death world of category 6, let alone recommend it to a wounded creature such as I? I would have questioned the sanity of my doctor and diplomatic staff if not how appealing it sounded to me. In fact, one of the diplomatic staff had a human contact that was as deranged as I in a metropolis called London, or so I was told, that was willing to host myself in my forced extended leave.

I halted towards the space elevator that would bring me down to this miserable planet, to London, muttering to myself that this is insane, ignoring the stares from several humans that where about to go for the same ride as I.

The Nzongos has full coated fur, but we do clothe our self, you pervert. My fur is grey, with white spots if you must ask. We have teeth that can penetrate skin and bone and is used for close combat with the enemy. We usually walk on all fours, but sometimes we walk on two. We use our two front paws for everything such as holding objects, but for my instance, I used my mouth to hold my rather large luggage. Mainly due to my disability, making holding luggage in one paw, and walking with my hind legs rather bothersome. On four, we can grow up to the stomach of the average human. On two’s we are a head higher. Our smell is 5 times greater than humans, with our hearing 3 times greater. We can see in colors just fine, stop asking!

The ride down to the higher gravity habitual planet, and the subspace plane to London was met with the usual Xeno ignorance as any other foreign habitual Xeno planets in the wider galaxy. No, I do not eat raw meat you barbaric cretin. Yes, I can sit in human chairs perfectly fine, thank you. No, I do not need assistance with luggage. No, you cannot pet me, keep your unsanitized hands off me. No, you cannot boop me in the snoot, back off.

With my first visit and impression to this hellhole called Earth in complete disappointment, and my day utterly ruined, I placed my luggage in front of 28th Cumberland Terrace, I was wondering if the cab driver, a dark brown human, had the correct address. The place it was next to Regent’s Park, practically a forest in a sea of asphalt and mortar.

The row of houses in front of me where extremely white in comparison to anywhere else in the city. With, what is that, wood? Yes, it’s wood. Painted white. I gaped, wood has not been used for infrastructure for centuries, due to the likelihood of fire, disrepair and disfigurement after a while. And that’s on a habitual world category 1. But here, the row of houses with white painting, ignoring the metropolitan pollution, was row of houses in wood.

            My diplomatic pay could cover some of it, but I saw that the plus one human would be a massive bonus as both company and to cover the total cost of staying here. I knocked on the door, anticipating how my human host would react to a Nzongos staying in his place.

            The door opened and I saw a skinny long white human, with dark brown hair. He saw down on my rather triple form and beamed, showing teeth towards me. I have read that showing teeth is a welcoming gesture for humans. It didn’t raise my mood as I naturally felt the hostile intent within those teeth.

            “Ah, there you are. Mr [Thunder Bosche] told me that you were coming.”

            He gestured to me to get in. “Come come”

            I took my luggage and walked in, happy to not be asked from this human to carry my haphazardly packed luggage. We began to walk to where we will be staying, together.

            “So, tell me about your worst habits” the human looked back towards me with quizzingly look in his eyes.

            “Mwat?” I said surprised, with my mouth filled with my own luggage.

            “Flat mates must know the worse of each other. I for one happens to dabble in chemical experiments, and occasionally playing electrical instruments loudly. My music is just a hobby of mine, and the music can make people getting put off.”

            We walked into the house proper, where I placed my bag to the side. “I don’t walk very much thanks to the leg, and occasionally I am of wondering mind. I do like music, and I do want to hear what your humans call music.”

            I began to examine where we both were going to stay for the foreseeable future. The house proper is three four rooms total. A bathroom, two bedrooms and one living room with all the amenities two sapient could ever need. The windows of the living room led straight to the park, and the window of the bedrooms led to the streets below.

            The living room contained some chairs, sofa, dining table, and what was that. Again, I am surprised about humans. It looks like a fireplace, in a wooden building no less! Humans are crazy.

            “What is your job to be able to afford this estate?” I asked.

            “I am of a wondering mind myself. I solve puzzles and doing odd jobs from time to time. I occasionally help where my mind is needed.” The human replied.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

            “How do you know that we are going to live together? We barely know each other”

            “Well, I do know that you are of Nzongos, from clan [Thunder]. You had a misfortune of getting hit by raiders, leading to your amputated front right leg. Your main paw, as a matter of fact. I also know that due to your injury, you got into diplomatic leading you here in London.”

            I gaped. “How do you know that?”

            “That’s my work to know.” The human smiled mysteriously. “But to humor me, how much of that is correct?”

            “Well, the race and clan are correct, that is obvious. But how did you know that I amputated my leg after getting hit by raiders? And how did you know that my right paw was my main paw? I did not tell you anything, other then what my worse habits are.”

            “Observation, my dear Nzongos. For your injuries and how you got them, you have an attentive look in your eyes, you are receptive to rapid chaotic change in both living and mental arrangement, and you carry yourself proudly on your three other legs. Based on your personality, most likely you were a military person, injured in combat. There is no recent war for the Nzongos, so raiders, kidnappers or similar ilk is the most likely type in which you could have received your injuries. I happen to guess right.

            For your right paw being your main paw, I saw you carrying your luggage in your mouth, while walking on your three good legs. Nzongos has a bad balance when they go bipedal, especially heavy lifting over long period of time, as I read, so your mouth was the only good solution to your predicament in carrying your luggage with your mouth.”

            It was obvious, this human is omniscient! I had to ask. The human laughed at that remark, nearly fall off with a fit of laughter.

            “No no, I’m just observing. You can do it to. Now your turn, what does you observe?”

What a quaint question. I had to think how I should respond. Should I be assessing this human by my military grade, or should I assess him through the lenses of diplomacy? I concluded that the human wanted the unfiltered truth regarding himself.

            “I see an underweight human, that have a knack of knowing and can see everything that can be observed. His job must be that of a private detective, or investigator, or spy.”

I stated. The human was quite happy in my answer. He smiled wolfishly to me; my fur straightens into a defensive manner.

            “Two out of four guesses correct, my dear Nzongos. Yes, to I am underweight, it is my own doing and at my own detriment. Yes, to that I have a knack for knowledge, but it’s specific to my cases.

No, I cannot see everything, but I can conclude based on evidence. And no, I am not a private detective, or investigator, or spy. Not in an official sense. I am a consulting detective. People come to me for advice, and I consult them. A fictional character we humans have that happen to have a main base of operation here in London was a consulting detective. Sherlock Holmes was his name.”

“What is your name then?”

The human paused for a moment.

“John Ward, and you?”

“[Thunder Moon]” I replied extending my left forward paw. It was a normal human greeting, to say that human was unarmed and meant no harm. Nzongos normal greetings was circling around each other. Thereby showing that you don’t want to hurt your fellow nzongos.

“Huh, according to my nzongolic, it is Thunder Moon. Odd translation.” Smiles jokingly towards me.

“John Ward is similar odd, might I add.”

“Touche.”

After the normal first contact introductions, we discussed arrangements or so I though. This happen to be topics such as what to eat for dinner, who should do the dishes at what day and which room do we claim as our own, we finally got everything for staying in the metropolitan. We decided unsurprisingly enough to dine outside, where we found an Indian restaurant, where the owner knew Mr John and allowed us to dine without getting stared at by the Londoners.

The days following that were met with the hustle and buzzle of being introduced to the embassy staffs, what they do and so forth. After that, it was just the normal routine of being on call, collect information and connections to handle anything that might come for our embassy. That meant I had plenty of free time to nurse my leg in our shared flat. John in other hand had some clients coming at odd days, and sometimes he hurried out of the flat at odd hours, leaving me for myself.

One day in particular a man, I finally saw the difference between sexes of humans, in grey coating came to our flat. His stride was firm, and he marched up to the flat at brisk pace. Me and John just happen to delve in our own studies. Me figuring out how to navigate the city, and John with his insects.

“Ah, inspector Gregson, what a pleasure.”

The man, or should I say inspector Gregson, was clean cut and had a tiered look on his eyes.

“No time for pleasantries, Mr John, we may need you up on Kennington Film Studios.”

“And why is that, Inspector?”

“There has been a murder, Mr John.”

Murder?! Why in the moon would murder even be considered?! Dear moon!

“And why do you need my help? Surely the Yard are competent enough.”

John said, without paying attention to Gregson at all.

“Well, you see, John, the body was discovered in the film set, but here is the thing, there was no sign of entry, nor any sign of violence. We firstly assume it was suicide.”

“And what changed your opinion?”

“We had an holopad nearby, with the victim’s fingerprints clean on. On the screen, it stood a singular word, revenge.”

John peaked from the microscope at that.

“So, no entry?”

“No sir. We checked all cameras. No sign of the victim entering the building at all within the 2 weeks’ time.”

“Cause of death?”

“Poison sir. The nasty one. Victim died of asphyxiation within 3 minutes.”

“And you can guarantee this was murder, and not suicide?”

“There were no visual ques of forced entry of the poison. We believe that the victim willingly took it. What puzzling is the word on the holopad. Why would someone suicidal wright revenge? Why should taking suicide act as a form of revenge?”

John stopped his hobby of dissecting insects and rose up in eagerness.

“Why indeed?” He looked at me with gleaming eyes. Even I was interested in this horrid unpleasantries of murder.

“Do you want to come with us?”

“Me?” I looked towards John with surprise and horror.

“Yes you.”

“But I’m just an embassy staff member of Nzongos. Not a detective.”

“Your company will be greatly apricated. And you have something else then to be on call.”

“But would it not my presence tamper with the crime scene?”

“We will fit you with the forensic clothing, no harms done. Also, everything important has already been documented. Besides, you have asked about my work beforehand. A firstpaw account will be much appreciated.”

I used the last real shield against going. I looked towards Gregson, silently pleading that he would say no.

“If the inspector say I am allowed into the crime scene, then I see no reason to not come with you.”

The inspector was hesitance with this. But apparently, he trusted John to not get me accidently charged with murder, as he gave his blessing for me to come with. Besides, as he later would tell me, Nzongos would be amiss to lose the opportunity to see for themselves that Scotland Yard, London police force, handle crime investigation.

With haste, me, John and inspector Gregson took road towards Kennington Film Studios, and the case that changed my life.