Jack and Vicki sat center of a row of stone seats, with a Nicole on either side and a Delmarian of their claim beside them, Vinn dressed rather ancestral formal, and Hyde hunkered under a black robe, which wasn’t out of place. Silence filled the room as about 30 mixed species attendants took their places. The lights dimmed and candles were lit, as the elders in assorted clan colors filed in, everyone bowing except Gizzy, sitting center atop a stone column. A single ray of white light illuminated her.

The council of 12 sat in their chairs, 2 empty seats, one filled with a represented wooden skull and one belonging to Gizzy. One of the elders stood, illuminated by candle and began.

“Gizzy Koi Etlaan Adrian Michael Greggarious. You have been accused of murder, and with both motive, and means, not to mention locational convenience. However with no direct proof or unexplainable evidence, we will begin hearing your defense.

“I choose a human representative to explain.” She said calmly.

Jack stood by her side.

“So you have come here to prove her innocence?” asked the white Delmarian.

“She has, your highness.” Jack bowed. “Since the council contains members known for twisting her words against her, I’m providing new ones. I have here, not only her memory footage of events, but a Delmarian witness to the confession of Gandalf’s Treason.”

“How dare you accuse a council member of Treason!” he growled.

“Not accuse, prove. High council or not, by having Gizzy on trial you have all shown doubt that treasonous acts were happening, and with no proof of her ever committing a crime. I call forth Vendetta…” Jack squinted at the papers “Do I have to say his full name?”

“No, human, I would rather skip the formality than see another primate butcher our native tongue. Proceed.”

“Vendetta, who we know as Vinn, was with Gizzy the evening they met with the buyer that claims Gandalf was selling Osirian technology and Human clones, as well as potentially…A Delmarian clone to foreign species, for profit.” He said, as the members gasped and grumbled at the heresy of either his crimes or the accusation of such crimes.

“Silence,” he said calming the others. “Vendetta, military graduate with honors, and Fupar champion who fought for a human female’s honor. You have high respects among some of the members.”

“High council, I have signed release for memory scans of the event.” Vinn said. Gizzy placed a strange helmet on his head, adjusting the two probes to touch his head. The council watched as they played the very garbled footage.

“What is this footage? Why is it so…broken?” asked a Delmarian woman in gold robes.

“Because the Delmarian organic brain, with little medical study, is not exact science.” Jack explained. “But that also proves it was not tampered with, before anyone even accuses Gizzy of altering her digital memory, which we all know can be faked and therefore an unaltered living Delmarian was brought along for witness.”

“Clever, but the combination of his testimony and memory merely suggests Gizzy was innocent of the slavery and technology sale, not clearing the murder, and not that Gandalf was guilty. Merely a dishonorable buyer’s word that it was.

“Oh I have his memory scans too showing the meeting with Gandalf.” Gizzy smiled. “I present the evidence of that here.” She said removing a jar from a bag containing a Delmarian skull, de-horned and broken down the middle with the brain and spine intact. Still juicy.

“What manner of morbid evidence is this?” objected the white rabbit.

“My second Delmarian witness. He didn’t volunteer, it was taken by full force, but seeing as how it proved his own treason and my innocence, I feel like I get a pass for it. You’ll also note that the clarity of the memory is far better since I was able to get the scanning probed directly into the brain tissue. Can’t do that to em while they’re alive. And you won't let me study the dead.” They all looked horrified as the hologram showed the evidence actions, and the bloody remains dangled from some wires below the projector.

“As…truly disturbing as this is, it does clearly show his treason.” Said the female Delmarian. “But the question remains, who was his killer if not Gizzy?”

“Got that answer right back there. I present my third Delmarian witness…The clone of Kraken, insert rest of name here.” She said as he stepped into the light and removed his hood.

“What proof is this? It is not even is him. The killer’s identity was not named.”

“Because I confess to it.” he boasted. “Kraken was committing treason as well, as my own memory will show. So as his clone, I was aware of his plan to take Nicole as a human slave for research, Osirian cloning technology, and I suspected a double cross to clone me as well. High council I love this human very much and was willing to kill a treasonous council member to protect her. I am not him anymore.”

“Very well. Then you will be exiled rather than hanged for your crime.”

“Oh bullshit.” Gizzy barked. “...Don’t look at me like my outburst is a shock, I do this all the time. He saved a human, and prevented both Osirian and Delmarian technology from being sold to our enemies, and under the title 27 agreement I signed as council member my property and technology will be defended as Delmarian property. Gandalf broke into my private business and in self-defense, this clone killed him. So he committed no crime.” She said. “Except one.” She growled, her eyes glowing. “He stole my fucking kill.”

“Blasphemous!” hollered the white. “Not only is defensive killing a Delmarian right, but so is the claim to a stolen kill. He is a clone, a soulless husk of meat and dark technology, of which he is not legally a Delmarian. Kraken is dead for his treason, and killed by the warrior Vendetta Radravereed Gurverdermnerer who stands here in this court in high honor. This creature here is an abomination, and if anything, just a copy of a traitor. Your claimed kill was lost, Gizzy, not stolen.”

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

“He’s changed.” said Vinn. “He’s got more soul than Kraken ever did and by defending a human, risking his life to confess, and being here to defend a council member, Gizzy, who Kraken swore as his enemy, he has shown mercy, forgiveness, bravery, and I forgive him too. Because that asshole is dead, and the clone is a good person. How can something, without a soul, regain his courage and honor and become a better man?” Vinn asked.

“Strong words, Vendetta. Powerful and bold, but not legally binding nor proof of anything. This just proves that he should not be executed for Treason for crimes committed by a dead man. It proves not that he has a Delmarian soul.” The white bunny said proudly. “Therefore, he shall not be allowed on our land, let alone own land, or a birth scroll, nor any Delmarian rights. Go to some clone world, where flesh and science abominations have rights.” He said, staring Gizzy dead in the eyes the entire time.

“May I speak?” Hyde asked.

“As your last words on this moon, you may have this mercy.”

“By law I am not Delmarian, but by law I am a living being.”

“Much like livestock and free roaming beast.” He replied, with a chuckle, as Gizzy stepped up and ruined his mood.

“Then by law he is my property. I made him in my lab just the same as my fully legal cloned beef factory, and therefore I own his livestock ass. For the crime of stealing my Kill, I therefore, in the tradition of the old ways, volunteer to fight in the arena against a wild beast of my capture. The arena has no law against bringing beasts to fight, especially owned by the fighter.” She said boldly." In fact, it is a tradition for most festivals on old Delmar Prime.

“He defended you, and you wish to kill him as an ancient beast battle tribute?” he chuckled. “Gizzy you amuse me, but as a council member you can declare a festival in your own city and fight whatever beast you want. Kill him, he’s your abomination. Why do I care?”

“Gandalf’s fat ass was mine, he robbed me of that kill. As the finale of the festival I will claim so, and fight Hyde and I request the full council be present, as is tradition when a council member fights.”

“Very well. As is old tradition. Gizzy you are hereby innocent of the accused crimes, and free to celebrate with a battle tribute, which we will attend. Are you satisfied with your verdict? May we leave this chamber and be done with this?”

“Absolutely.” She grinned. “And this is mine too.” She said bare handed grabbing the skull and spine from the jar, dragging it and leaving a trail behind her.

“Uh…what the fuck just happened?” Evil Nicole asked Hyde.

“Gizzy declared a stolen kill, we fight to the death.”

“Uh No…we defended her, and she just does that? I thought she wasn’t evil, we were told she wasn’t the enemy here, and now you’re basically sentenced to death for saving my life? This is bullshit, I declare BULLSHIT in this council!”

“Nicole, please trust me and calm down. Jack is handling things.” Hyde whispered.

“Oh, don’t even use that cheat code on me, how is Jack gonna fix this?” she asked.

“I said…trust me. It’s handled.” He said firmly. “Just this once, I beg you, stop being defiant, Nicole, and prove you trust me.” He said, as she went silent and cold, unable to really process her argument or what was even happening.

“Every time I love someone, they go fight and risk their lives. The next clone of me sure as hell will never fall for a Delmarian again.” She said, storming off, adorably.

The Elders gathered in the private chambers, and gave Gizzy the ceremonial bows. The female Delmarian smirked as if impressed.

“I underestimated you. You really do have brains within that beastly head of yours.” She complimented.

“I may not be Delmarian, and I may oppose some of the broken old laws, but I embrace the ones that strengthen this moon. The people have been without a good fight too long, if he thinks he’s a Delmarian, let him fight and die like one.”

“To the new code.” She grinned. “And perhaps I was wrong about you.”

“And perhaps I was right about you... to the new code.” Gizzy toasted.

“JACK, GET YOUR JACKASS OVER HERE!” Evil Nicole scolded. She slapped him across the face. “You knew. You both knew and you defended her.”

“He didn’t want you to know because you don’t understand Delmarian honor code. Gizzy agreed to clone him back when he dies, and hopefully he will come back as Hyde. Fighting a god is a high honor in their culture. In the old legends, when a Delmarian loses his soul, he must fight the god who claimed it to have it back. He is trying to earn his place back, Nicole.”

“What about me? I lose him for some stupid ritual superstition in hopes he comes back as himself? He came back as Hyde from cloning Kraken, who will come out of that tube if he loses the fight? I won’t take in every rescue animal just because I lost Vinn. Hyde was special, if he dies, he’s gone. She can’t fix Delmarians. I watched Vinn almost die in that pit, and now I can remember watching Kraken die and seeing Hyde’s face… I feel like I’ve been through it already, don’t ask me to repeat it.”

“I’m not asking anything, that’s between you two. Talk to Vicki about it.”

“Why? How would she know anything about it? How can she understand what it’s like to not be yourself anymore, and lose every man you love, watch them fight over and over and having no way of knowing if he’s coming out alive?”

“Nicole, use your head. The reason we’re all here is because of Vicki.”

“Yea, because they have the technology here to cure cancer and Dee had to tell a dozen people that aliens exist and cause a security issue."

“They don’t cure that kind of cancer here. They just clone you back without cancer. It’s safer, faster, cheaper, easier, and less painful than body-rotting drugs. She struggled with the idea at first, but she embraced it and nobody knew her as any different, I’ve died dozens of times on failed missions, and every time I come home, she knows I could be a different Jack than the one who walked out that door. That’s why it kills her to see me leave every time. And she waits for me, and I always come back. That’s just how this world works. Everyone dies, and you can either stay dead or come back, and most people don’t want to know it happened. Some of us need to know to understand who we are." Jack started in

"Nicole, You have no idea how many people you see every day in the stores and in the bank, at your favorite pizza place, we’re just people. It only haunts you if you know about it and think too hard about it. Gizzy will set things right in her own way. That’s how I cope with it. I just have faith in something I can’t understand. Death is unavoidable. It comes for everyone at different times, and you can’t always stop it. Imagine the struggle Hyde is going through when his culture’s belief in souls is stronger than their ability to accept. He can’t stay here as he is. He can’t ask you to go with him and leave everyone you care for, and he can’t ask you to stay behind and be a third wheel rolling behind your own copy's marriage. What choice does he have but to fight? He’s a soldier, he needs his honor so he can stay here with you. Another Delmarian is going in that pit FOR you. He loves you. He watched you die, and he accepted the copy without hesitation, even though you were a little different. Can you at least support him, and if he comes back a little different, give him just a little credit?” he said. "At least see if he comes out the same?"

“Am I just…cursed?” she asked. “Or am I just so masochistic I can only love the damned?”

“Neither. You moved to a world you don’t understand, and you’re fighting their ways as an outsider. You’re fighting someone else’s culture because in your heart you know it’s wrong, and you’re suffering because you refuse to ignore it. Just. Like. Gizzy. She’s bending the rules here every day, this is her world, and it’s fighting her back tooth and claw, so let her work. Don’t be mad at her, or mad at Hyde, or mad at yourself. Go talk to Vicki. Go talk to Hyde, and don’t be mad at his beliefs that he’s already bending for you. Just be there, like Vicki does for me, and when he comes home, have faith he’ll be the same man you knew when he left. If he’s not, then it’s up to you to decide if there’s enough left to love, and nobody will blame you for what you decide.”

“How does she handle that, Jack? Over and over, scared that you’ll come home some day and not be entirely Jack?”

“Xanax. Lots of Xanax. I’m sure she can spare a few. Welcome to the underworld, Nicole. Everyone has a coping mechanism. At least here, the dead get free healthcare.”