Caught off guard, Ronin tried explaining himself: “I…Yes, but I didn’t have a choice, they made us—”

“That’s enough from you,” Sima Hui interrupted. “You killed Klepp Tulsi in cold blood. Are you really going to try justifying yourself to his son? You killed his father Ronin! Don’t make things worse than they already are.”

The planetary guardsman snorted as he began mumbling off curse words to himself. Only after visibly reigning himself in, did he continue: “The tribunal will begin shortly... It would be in your best interest to behave... Now, follow me.”

Striding off past Ronin as if expecting him to follow without question, the older military man exited the room with Scrabby in tow. Ronin could tell; this was a man so used to other people's obedience; it had become part of who he was.

Still, it wasn't as if Ronin could refuse.

He reluctantly followed the man out, and to his surprise, Simons came along as well. The guy was not only an excellent employee, but he was also fun to have around, not to mention loyal. A true friend. But... that being said... Simons wasn’t exactly the type of person to hang around someone accused of murder. As he walked out the door, Ronin looked up at the ceiling, sighing. Hopefully, after all of this was done, he and Simons could still call each other friends.

As they walked along the corridors, Ronin tried explaining himself to Scrabby again, but every time he did, Sima Hui stepped in, interrupting him. As for what reason the military man would do something like this? Ronin had no idea, but he doubted it was anything good. For one, Sima Hui had told Scrabby about Exodon, but, what else had he told the kid? More importantly, what had he left out?

Every time Scrabby looked at Ronin now, it was with hatred in his eyes. He could understand Scrabby hating him, but for that hatred to be based on lies? No, that was unacceptable. Hopefully, he would have the chance to explain himself to the boy later.

“...”

As Ronin, Scrabby and Simons stepped outside the hospital, they were led towards a gray triagonal ship, stationed a few hundred meters away.

A rather large craft, Ronin noted as he stood before it. It had to be at least 10 meters tall, and though it was but 2-3 meters wide at the bottom, at the top, it was 5 times that, spanning maybe a dozen meters or so. He'd seen this type of craft before, after his fight with Specter. This ship was larger, but if anything, that only made it more...

Impractical, he spat.

The ship's triagonal shape, would've had it break under its own weight, had it not been for its support. Only the hydraulically powered landing gear made actual contact with the ground. It was probably the only way the ship could land. A ramp began lowering down, and he saw Sima Hui stepping out before it.

“Alright, get in,” the older man said.

Hurriedly, they moved up the ramp and into an airlock as the ship's crew prepared it for launch. Finally, after the airlock closed, the ship rose up from the ground then began moving forward.

Ronin looked outside the window. Skyscraper after skyscraper passed by underneath, transitioning into a blur of gray neon as the ship picked up speed. Apparently, they were not stopping at Ironglades. At a certain point, the gray skyscrapers below, were replaced by reddish-brown soil, and buildings more common to the outskirts of cities. There were waste-processing plants, fuel-refineries... then, after they disappeared, he saw abandoned dig-sites.

The further out they went, the less and less signs of human activity there were, and by the time the ship slowed down, they'd left Ironglades so far behind, there was almost nothing left around.

No humans, no animals, no signs of life. The only thing visible at this point was a huge iron dome, blotting out the landscape like a misplaced bearing ball. Whatever this thing was, it did not fit.

Tens of kilometers across, the massive dome was surrounded by dilapidated streets and foundations of what had once been buildings… It seemed everything but the dome had been weathered down to memory as nature took hold.

The ship descended and a section of the dome began opening up. All the way from the ship, Ronin could hear the heavy sounds of metal grinding against metal. The massive plates moved as large amounts of white gas was ejected, and with a loud rumble, the gate opened.

This place looks like a giant airlock, Ronin realized as the ship moved into the dome wall.

He looked to Simons for answers, and after getting his attention, he gestured towards the metallic wall outside. Perhaps Simons knew what this was…

The plump man, noticing Ronin, began rubbing his chin. He seemed to think it over for a second, then, he made up his mind and began speaking:

“My father once told me about our past. How in the early days of settling these planets, our culture had been different. The capital cities had looked beautiful back then, he’d said… We had little to no crime, artists flourished, everyone had a purpose… but over time… all of this changed. The areas of economic prosperity moved, the planet's atmosphere became polluted, and better trade hubs were found. Eventually, all of those cities died.”

“And what does that have to do with this dome?” Ronin asked.

“I was getting to that,” replied Simons. “You see the higher ups weren’t exactly thrilled with our history being wiped out, so, before the cities fell completely, it was decided that parts of these older cities should be preserved.” Simons gestured to the window. “I think this might be one of those preserved parts.”

The outside wall closed back up, and a series of vents activated as the air outside was filtered. There was more movement, and another section of the wall opened up — this one, leading into the dome’s interior.

“...”

As they flew into the big iron ball, what met them, might as well have been a different world. Through the window, Ronin saw green plants and trees everywhere. Further ahead, he saw high-arched ornate buildings, ranging in colors from brown to white, silver and gold. The sky was a clear blue too. Not that it was real, of course. Most likely, this sky was a projection of sorts, created by tech installed along the dome’s interior wall. Still, even though it was artificial...

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

It is beautiful... Ronin thought. I never imagined we even had a place like this on Concordia. But... if we had something like this around before, how did we end up with gray skyscrapers? What changed?

The ship touched down.

“This way,” Sima Hui grunted.

With his back strait, the man marched out of the airlock, then began leading them into the city.

Walking them down one of the larger streets, Sima Hui guided them to a tall white building. It had a giant archway, so large it looked as if it had been made for giants. They passed through, entering a large hallway as the floor changed from gray concrete into gigantic blocks of polished stone.

Looking around, Ronin first saw a multitude of white pillars, lining up along each side of the hall. And the inner walls, were packed with paintings. All of them showing different landscapes, none of which he recognized. Interspaced between the paintings, he saw densely traced arching windows, illuminating the hall in colors as the fake sun shone through.

This whole place had an old feel to it, and every single part of it seemed to possess meaning and significance. It felt a little like the inside of Raverus Ravent's ship. Only more.

Continuing down the wide hallway, they encountered more and more people. Every single one of them, walked up to Sima Hui and saluted the man, standing stock still as they stood at attention.

A well-respected man, Ronin remarked.

Based on the clothes these people wore, many belonged to the planetary guard, though not all.

More and more people began lining up as they walked, forming two long lines behind them.

Simons looked to Ronin. “I’m beginning to regret coming along with you,” he said, giving a quick glance to the growing procession forming behind them.

“No Shit.” replied Ronin. “This is starting to feel like an execution, not a trial.”

Everywhere he looked, people stared at him with hard eyes. Had it only been Sima Hui, that would have been one thing, but everyone here seemed to look at him like an enemy.

An enemy of the people, Ronin’s mind echoed. Someone you can easily justify doing anything to and not feel bad about it afterwards.

At a certain point, the hall widened out into a huge circular room, marked by three more halls leading into it. In between the halls, were seats. There were hundreds of them, placed progressively higher up the further back they went. At the center of the room, clear for all to see, was a podium, and before it, a raised tribune, several meters in height.

This has to be the heart of this place, Ronin thought.

One of the men lined up beside them, broke his salute, then marched up to Sima Hui. “Everything’s ready for the tribunal, sir. What are your orders?”

“Proceed as planned,” the older man replied, then turned towards Ronin. “Get up on that podium, criminal, it's time to answer for your crimes.”

“...”

Whilst Ronin moved up and onto the stand, a number of the people around, approached the surrounding seats. Simons walked off to the side, whereas Scrabby was led someplace out of sight by Sima Hui.

Next, an older balding figure emerged from the crowd, walking past Ronin as he approached the tribune. The man ascended the raised platform, then sat down, giving Ronin a contemptful glare as he did.

I see, Ronin realized. So, this is my judge.

“Let us begin!” The balding man said in a raspy voice, then slammed down the gavel. Every single person around, sat down on their respective seats, and the room became so silent, you could hear a pin drop.

“You have been charged with the crimes of colluding with aliens, deliberately releasing beasts of terror onto the populus, and multiple counts of murder! How do you plead?” The judge asked, looking down upon Ronin.

“I’m innocent, I didn’t do any of that!” Ronin shouted, realization beginning to dawn on him. Does the government want me back on Exodon?

It made sense. He hadn’t exactly been quiet since he came back from that planet. Still, for it to happen so suddenly.

“Let’s call out the first witness, Group Captain Sima Hui,” the judge said. The grizzled man stepped out, and the judge continued:

“What first arose your interest in this... Ronin Maximus?”

Puffing out his chest, Sima Hui cleared his throat, then began speaking: “Our first reports on the acts of this monster was about 4 months ago, a little over half a year ago according to the galactic calendar. After several outbreaks of ruddle swarms all across Ironglades, we did an investigation of our internal database. Low and behold, before being shipped off to Exodon, this man admitted to releasing those beasts. But it didn’t end there, he bragged about doing it, smiling as he talked about how many people would die.”

That wasn’t true at all! Ronin remembered that interrogation perfectly, and there had been no talk about ruddles. No bragging. No smiling. No nothing.

“He deliberately let those ruddles loose upon the city? How much misery and terror do you estimate he caused?” the judge asked.

Sima Hui’s beard quivered as he struggled containing himself. “We estimate that upwards of 60 000 people have died as a direct result of his actions. As for indirect? I'm not sure, but... it's many times higher than that.”

Several in the room gasped, and the previously orderly atmosphere broke as numerous people began speaking in hushed voices.

“—Quiet!” The judge said, slamming down the gavel. And as the room quieted down, he looked to Ronin. “What do you have to say for yourself!?”

Trying his best to remain calm, Ronin began: “My apartment was blown to bits, damnation, the entire building blew up. I barely survived! I was hunted by numerous men, and only by sheer luck did I find a way out in the sewers. How was I supposed to know that the place I escaped to would be infested with those vermin? I didn’t even know that place existed before I broke down the door! It's your fault for not informing the public. Had I known that place was so dangerous, I never would have entered. Don't put this all on me!”

The judge slammed down the gavel again, silencing him. “You lie!” He roared. “Before this trial, the planetary guard sent us plenty of evidence relating to this. There were no men, that explosion came from your apartment and besides…” Ronin could swear he saw the man smirk for a moment. “You’ve already admitted to releasing those ruddles on purpose — haven’t you? What’s the point in lying now?”

A video began playing before the audience, showing Ronin, with a big fat grin on his face, gloating over how much death he’d cause now that those ruddles were free.

They’d really done it — hadn't they. They’d brought in a fake video in order to frame him.

At that moment, a switch flipped in Ronin’s mind. This wasn’t a trial. This wasn’t an attempt to judge him. This wasn’t about the truth. His own government had turned on him, and there was nothing they wouldn’t do in order to bring him down.

A part of him which he thought he’d long suppressed, began rumbling under the surface. Do it! They’ve played their games long enough, a voice in his mind said. After all, if they were going to be this ruthless. If they were going to destroy him like this… Why shouldn’t he? Why shouldn’t he just end them all? He could be ruthless too.

No! He forcibly suppressed himself, burying the voice deep down where it belonged. He was a spaceship designer, not some violent brute, that was the alien artifact talking. He would face this with patience and a solution-oriented mindset, whatever might come. That was who he was.

“I know my own memory,” Ronin said, after the video finished. “That video is fake. I never said those things.”

The judge, once again, slammed down the gavel and began calling him a liar.

Ronin sighed. This was going to be a long day.