“Alex?”

You blink and in an instant you're back in the hallway, something brushes by your shoulder and it hardly even registers. You see Jesse in front of you and just next to you is what seems to be a giant bipedal boar cloaked in a deep blue leather. It's twice your size and looks you down hard, “Watch where you're going, Min,” its tiny eyes seem to flare as its deep voice mutters out.

You can almost feel your heart stop as you step aside and can almost feel the ground shake as it steps past. You turn your head slowly and mouth out, “What is that?” to Jesse.

He stands still for a moment, timing it as he slowly walks over and nods his head towards the other end of the hall, “Come on, quickly. It's good he didn't recognize you.” He begins walking and you quickly move to follow.

“Who is he? Or why would he?”

“That's Tomboss, he's the chief of police. Breeton, also, have you heard about them?”

“I've heard the name from Pamen, but I didn't expect them to be that big.”

“He's known to have his own special...uh, methods for communicating with suspects. Several of them involve beatings.”

“What about those that don't?”

“Do you know what puppets are?”

“Yes.”

“Did you see how big his arms were...?”

This makes you swallow hard, “That cannot be legal.”

“We don't usually get a lot of suspects. Compared to Earth our crime rate is relatively low, so you're kind of unique,” Jesse says, “...for better or for worse.”

“What did he call me, by the way? Min?”

“Tomboss ain't very fond of humans, calls em all Min instead of Man since that's what he thinks of them,” he says.

You both reach the end of the hallway. Jesse reaches the door first and reaches out to grab it. It opens before he touches the handle and he reels back instinctively, on the other side of the door is a teenage boy. His hair is dark and his nose is a bit bigger than you're used to on someone as young as him.

“Taylor? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, 'ey Mr. Anderson. I was just uh, talking with the council about some personal matters.”

“I see, well I hope at least you'll find some time to relax? We're going to need you at your prime when you come back in.”

“Yeah, I'll try and get some rest.”

“Good, I'm going in there myself for a case. It's going to be quite a doozy if what he says is true,” Jesse says, nodding towards you.

“This guy? What'd he do?”

“I murdered Jayon Cæ.”

“Wow, are you sure that it's okay that he's not like, restrained?” Taylor asks.

“I think I'll be just fine, Taylor. I appreciate the concern, but I think there's something bigger with this one here.”

“Well, whatever you say, I'm getting out of here. Too much work on a day that's supposed to be free of it.”

“I hear you on that one my friend. Do take care,” Jesse says, bringing up his arm. Taylor takes it in his and grins

“Likewise.”

Jesse nods as Taylor walks off. He looks towards you and his smile vanishes, “Did I third wheel you a bit?”

“Something like that,” You say. “It isn't everyday I straight up admit to murder so I guess it was moreso me.”

“Cheer up, this day is only going to get a lot weirder,” he says, regaining his pep. He holds the door open for you and you step on through. You enter a room that's more like an open field. Grass grows on the ground and it seems to extend way above your head with some visual display to make it look like you're outside. The “sky” is the same shade of purple as it was outside, but if you squint you can see where the walls meet the ceiling.

On the far edge of the room you can see a crowd of figures sitting behind a desk that rises almost ten feet high. You can recognize them as the figures from the statue out in front of the capitol building.

Jesse walks up, “Fair council, I bring you the suspect of the murder of Jayon Cæ.” He looks your way and nods you towards his side. You nod your head and walk up next to him. You can feel each of the figures staring holes into you.

On the far left is what looks like a dragon. It's body is slim and all stretched out would probably go well over thirty feet long. It has shined black scales that would look fierce on any creature, much less one so serpentine. “Yaldabaoth of the graceful Yeltian tribe,” he says, more to you than him.

He then moves down the line, you see what you believe is a Psarcian. It's a rather bloated looking creature with what look to be bulbous sacks hanging from its limbs. It has big red eyes that protrude from the side of its head. “Sarkon, of the Psarcians.” You see Sarkon nod its head down and close its eyes.

Next to Sarkon sits one figure you can recognize. “Pamen, it's good to see you once again,” he says with a smile.

“You make this joke every time we meet, Mr. Anderson. It has ceased being funny.”

“Right, right,” he says, letting his smile fade.

You can imagine him going for the same joke over and over. You almost smile, but realize it probably isn't the best time to be doing that. Next to Pamen sits...what looks like jell-o.

“Did...that council member die or...?” You ask.

Right before your eyes it rises up and forms into the shape of what looks like a stick figure, still a weird sickly yellow-greenish color swirling all around inside. “No, this is Khap-Ar, the head of the Lunfilios. Shape-shifters.”

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“I like to surprise all new faces that come in here, their reactions are half of what keep me here,” a smooth voice comes from him.

“Right.”

Next to Khap-Ar is a small thing, probably only a foot tall or so. It's face covers a good majority of its body, its feet and hands only small extensions of it's body. It almost looks like it's only a portion of another creature entirely, but it turns out that's all there is. “Of the Illith clan, Entria Brant. You look really lovely today,” Jesse says with a smile.

“Oh thank you dearest Jesse. You just get me like these brutes don't sometimes,” Entria says with a smile.

You see a Garexian propped up in a chair next to her. He's got a reddish tint to his fur and his mane is all black. You can see he's also missing an eye, you're unsettled by the hole left in his skull. “Tiburr Scarr, alpha of the Garexian race. You look really lovely today as well,” Jesse says, smiling a really fake smile. Tiburr doesn't say anything back. You don't know if he either didn't hear or is just thinking of all the different ways he could slice Jesse open. Probably the latter.

Next to him sits a Breeton, much larger than the one you passed by in the hallway a few moments ago. His stomach looks full to bursting and his arms aren't any smaller, he seems to be whispering something to Tiburr next to him. “Darmande, it's nice to see you,” Jesse smiles a greeting.

“Much of the same, only if it were under better circumstances,” Darmande utters in a monotonous voice.

Next you see an older human. He looks to be ancient, you couldn't even begin to guess his age. His hair is a snowy white and has the only look of actual sadness in the room. “Andrew Cress, Human ambassador. Always nice,” Jesse says.

Andrew nods his head briefly. You see beside him is a long-legged bird that doesn't seem to have any wings. Feathers coat its torso and elongated neck, but its angular head remains bald. “Zyar Harras of the Fal' ZäAr. Try saying that five times fast, bet you can't.”

Fall...Zay-air?

He looks towards the Cæ that is sitting beside the bird. You don't even want to know how that name got decided for a species. The Cæ sits cross legged, you can feel the hatred burning from its eyes as you could feel the fear from Jayon Cæ's in retrospect. “Yes...Uh, Cardus Cæ. I'm just going to leave it at that.”

Beside Cardus Cæ is another man, he's paler than Andrew is. Much younger too, probably only in his forties it seems. He's wearing a skin tight body suit that's black and gold down the arms and white down his torso. “Piscar Okset, the voice of the Messian people.”

“Messian? What the hell is that?” You ask, out loud instead of in your head and instantly regret it.

Jesse comes to your aid, “Messians grew in the Black Eye Galaxy light years away from Sayar on a planet called Tetrose. I'm Messian, if you couldn't tell. We're nearly identical to humans, in fact your kind almost reached out to ours when Earth was destroyed, but we wouldn't have been able to help due to the distance.”

“How could you look so much like us...or us so much like you?”

“History has it that at one point we were similar and both from Earth, but circumstances brought us to Tetrose. The closest sun didn't reach as close to Tetrose as yours did to Earth, or even to Sayar's to it, so they had to rely on the millions of reflections the ice and dust particles gave to them. That's why Messian skin is much paler than that of humans. Eras of genetics passed down,” Jesse says.

“Your suspect seems ill informed of our world,” Piscar says, leaning over to rest his head on his fist.

“I say we get to the vote already. I know my decision,” Cardus Cæ says.

You look to Jesse in confusion.

“So, how the council works is they will vote on your sentence. Majority rules.” He turns back to Piscar and Cardus. “I think you'll want to hear the story that this one has. I believe that you'll find it interesting, and it may even answer your question, Mr. Okset.”

“I do not want to hear the fairy tales of the guilty, Anderson. I want justice,” Cardus Cæ says.

“Now now Cardus. We all know this man harmed your people. We would be feeling similar if it were an attack on our own people, but it isn't like he's avoiding guilt,” Jesse argues.

“Is that so? Do you admit your guilt?” Entria Brant asks.

You nod your head, “I killed Jayon Cæ with my own two hands. I am very sorry that I did it, but I would like to believe that there is an explanation as to why it occurred.”

“Well then, I feel that hearing the full story from the source is important,” Sarkon says and shifts uneasily in his seat. “What say you, Cardus?”

You look over to Cardus Cæ and see him contemplating the decision as if it cost him his own life. “Very well.”

Jesse nods his head and looks to you.

“Okay. I woke up today in a body that isn't mine. I had no memory of my actual life, but knew everything here was wrong.”

“A case of generalized amnesia it seems,” Jesse adds.

“We remember the human's ignorance on much what would seem common knowledge.”

“Okay, do we have a record on who you actually are?” Yaldabaoth says, his voice incredibly rough sounding.

“According to Jesse-er, I mean Mr. Anderson this body used to belong to a man named Roland Duschand?” You say, somewhat unsure.

This seems to get a reaction out of them. “Mr. Anderson, are you certain?” Piscar asks.

“Roland Duschand was a revered philanthropist who suddenly vanished from all of our records seven years ago, and you want us to believe that he's showed up here of all places to commit murder?” Tiburr says.

“You said that it wasn't your body, would you mind specifying what body is yours?” Andrew asks.

“I've recalled things in flashes ever since I woke up, memories I guess of my life. I lived on Earth, and even remembered my name is Alex, but that's about the gist of it. I do not know how or why I ended up here on Sayar of all places in a time when Earth is destroyed.”

“Tell us about Jayon Cæ,” Cardus says.

“I was inside a small little shack when I woke up. It was nearly empty except for a locked wardrobe and mirror. Outside of the shack I saw towering buildings and your weird glass road.”

“Taction, a superglass unbreakable by most standards, and a gift to Sayar from Illith,” Entria says. You can almost hear her patting herself on the back.

“Anyway, it was there I saw Jayon Cæ. Back on earth the closest thing to a Cæ are called cockroaches, and they're smaller than the size of my boot. So I was shocked to see something that people on earth would envision in horror movies right in front of me. No offense, of course to the Cæ.”

Cardus Cæ doesn't respond.

“And you killed him, why?”

“I was scared, infinitely so. Everything I had known just vanished and I felt like anything and everything could have been a part in bringing me where I was. If I had the opportunity now to change my actions I would, but I cannot. I can only explain why I did them and work to fix the mistakes made.”

“Well, that seems to be all, are we ready for the vote?” Khap-Ar chimes in, twiddling his thumbs together.

“I want to see the scene,” Cardus says.

“Cardus, this seems like a pretty open and shut case of misunderstanding,” Sarkon says.

“I don't believe that Roland Duschand has returned from such a stay away for something like this.”

“Well, if it will solve your concerns, let's pull it up,” Andrew says.

“How does that work?” You ask.

“The Taction road you noticed outside is outfitted with constant surveillance features. It tracks any life form that makes physical contact with it and identifies it by its heat signature. If someone were to say, commit a crime, it secures any possible nearby suspects by releasing sound waves that drive their systems to unconsciousness,” Entria says with a bit of pride.

So that is that noise that you heard.

“Let it roll,” Yaldabaoth mutters, moving around in an effort to get comfortable.

You feel nervous all of a sudden. You realize that this could in fact be your final chance to get some answers about why you're here. You hope that some of the questions you have can get answered before you answer for your crime.