It is the present day, but in a galaxy far, far away . . . not Tatooine or Alderaan, but the infamous "Planet X," where a colony of aliens lives a life far beyond the tech knowledge of humankind. Their stature appears very human-like in nature but "stretched out" in comparison to the human body. They have a full head of hair, glasses cover their eyes, and they even wear what appears to be human-like clothes. Most of the members of this species, known as Xers, also have a severe allergy to water. The symptoms of a reaction vary but often times it involves swelling of the face and hands. It causes death in 98% of cases. They live in a fully developed society that is self-sustaining and well off; however, they are ruled by a rigorous and authoritative leader who gives no mercy to those who go against him.
This is where the intergalactic prison on Planet X comes in. Any crime that goes against the colony leader is immediately placed in this reinforced, heavily protected facility. It is built with a form of specially designed materials not comparable to even the strongest of metals on Earth. The prison is guarded by aliens holding weapons merely a figment of the humans' imagination. There aren't just aliens in this prison though; humans who have committed heinous crimes on Earth also inhabit the walls of the prison, sent here as an experiment to see how humans interact with and react to the many different species of aliens. The prisoners were chosen because they would be in a controlled environment. Those who enter the facility rarely ever come out, and if they do, they never tell their story.
The prison's authoritative warden is ready to place someone in solitary confinement for something as minor as tying your shoe the wrong way. You can only imagine what the serial killer division of this intergalactic jail looks like.
And that is where your story begins . . .