I had never been in such a strange and breathtaking room before. The ceiling stretched well over a hundred feet overhead and appeared to be nonexistent, though, in reality, it was actually the strange A’li-uud glass that was so clear it seemed to be nothing more than air. The stars and night sky above peered down at us while moonlight trickled over the rounded stone walls to cast the beings below in its purple-white glow.

Eleven throne-like chairs with high backs and elegant armrests were placed in a perfect circle around the space. Each was the same distance from its neighbors, and between the chairs were flame-dancing torches that emitted bright flickers of orange-gold light. At the very center of the room was a broad circle made up of the same stones as the rest of the building and likely served as a fire pit in most cases. Tonight, however, there was a round plank resting on the stones, providing a platform for us to stand on as we addressed the Council.

All of the chairs were occupied by their respective Elders, and, as I was led into the room and guided up onto the platform, I felt their eyes boring into me from all sides. I recognized Vi’den and Sevani, of course. The rest were like a hodge-podge of aliens. The Elder to the left of Vi’den looked like he was ancient, while the pair of Elders behind me were younger than Khrel and grinning like two frat boys. Some had sky-blue skin while others had blended hues of teal, indigo, or even what appeared to be stark white with the minutest tint of azure mixed in. Their builds varied as well, some stocky and built beefily like Khrel, others slim and slender and wiry. It was a motley crew of Elders, and they were the ones who would be deciding the fates of both Khrel and me.

I quickly ascertained that Vi’den was essentially the leader or spokesperson of the Council, as the young boy-like A’li-uud led us in to face him and he rose from his chair after the boy left.

“We will speak in English for the remainder of Forum,” Vi’den said, addressing his counterparts around the circle. “Any lapses will be translated, as it is important that Lena understands what is happening.”

There were murmurings of agreement around us. It was strange to hear them all speak words I understood, yet feeling like they were actually speaking a foreign language. Their staccato accents made it difficult to identify what they were saying without straining to listen closely.

“Khrel, War Chief of Pentaba serving under Elder Sevani, has been brought here on two counts of murder and one count of assault against Albaterran colonists of the Novai race,” Vi’den continued. His eyes were on Khrel, but they were not unfriendly or accusing. On the contrary, I felt a slight wash of reassurance in them, and I hoped it meant Vi’den was an ally. “Lena Devereaux, human colonist residing in the Polder Quarter of Pentaba, was a victim of attack by one of the deceased Novai and a witness to said murder.”

Now his eyes were on me, as were everyone else’s. I felt like weights were being dropped onto my shoulders beneath their stares. I’d never been in a courtroom on Earth, let alone one on Albaterra, and that was unnerving enough. To have all attention on me made my head feel light and my stomach drop into my ankles.

“The Council is gathered today to decide if Khrel’s actions were justified or deserving of punishment. It is also the duty of the Council today to visit the possibility of relocating Pentaban human colonists to Dhal’at and putting distance between them and the Novai for their safety. Finally,” Vi’den said sagely, looking around the circle and focusing on each Elder one by one, “it will be the responsibility of the Council to address the continuation of Novai colonization on Albaterra.”

There were murmurings again, but these were not in tandem, nor were they all of agreement. Some voices were calm and merely acknowledgments of Vi’den, but others were louder and angrier. I distinctly heard several protests of the Novai, and a particularly muscular Elder to my right pounded his fist on his armrest and snarled, “They should not have been allowed here from the start!”

Vi’den cast a stern look at the raucous Elder, who looked back at him with rebellion before silencing. Then, the kind Finiban leader turned to me. “Lena, I believe it would be best if we begin with your recounting first of the night of your attack. I would like to make you aware the Council has already been briefed on your tale by Elder Sevani, but now is the time to detail us.”

I glanced up at Khrel for comfort as nerves suddenly crashed over me in my unexpected spotlight, but he was staring fixedly at the wall behind Vi’den. Drawing in a shaky breath, I began.

There was no silence as I told my story. The same Elders who had made their feelings on the Novai clear muttered their disapproval throughout, growing louder and harder to ignore when I reached the part about the Novai leaping to attack me again even after Khrel had stopped him once. It was distracting, but I also felt hope blossoming in my belly as I heard their disgust. It was rapidly becoming clear that the decision to allow the Novai to send in colonists had not been unanimous, and there was plenty of opposition. That meant Khrel stood a chance. These same Elders who so evidently despised the Novai on their planet were likely to sympathize with his predicament, and he may not be disciplined for what I considered to be the right thing after all.

When I finished, I exhaled in a loud whoosh. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath the entire time. Vi’den nodded once and said, “Thank you, Lena. We will return to you for your story of your capture, but, first”—he swung his gaze over to Khrel—“it is time for you, Khrel, to tell your side of that night.”

I looked up at him, the teal-skinned War Chief who had saved me twice. He was still staring at the wall, but there was resolve on his face. I felt a brush of his fingers against my hand. I cared for that A’li-uud. This was not just a matter of right and wrong to me, of fighting for the moral resolution. All those days watching him from sun-up to sun-down, the way he’d opened up to me and allowed me to see past his hardened warrior exterior, how he’d rescued me without a thought of the consequences to himself…and the way he’d touched me, driving me into wild desperation—all of it converged into a mass of emotions for this alien that I had never expected. And I wanted him to know it.

I slipped my hand into his, not caring what the Elders around us thought, and squeezed. He looked down at me, surprised, and for a moment I thought he was going to take his hand away. But he didn’t. A small smile lifted his lips, and his phantom eyes warmed.

Then, he began to speak.