There are places in this universe that are very different from the planet you and I inhabit. In fact, there are some alien races that don't even inhabit a planet, anymore. Take, for example, the Mijdan. The Mijdan left their home world so long ago that they don't even remember where it is or what it was like. They are a small band that travels NGC 5194 (the Whirlpool Galaxy) in spaceships.
For the most part, they are a peaceful people, who make their living by engaging in mercantilism. But one of their favorite pastimes, which is probably a throwback to a more savage era in their history, is hunting. And more often than not, the Mijdan like to 'bag' a sapient species from whatever planet they are currently visiting. As recreational hunters, the they like to take a trophy. But instead of keeping antlers, or skins, or mounted heads, the Mijdan prefer to preserve a cross-section of the victim's body.
Here are some examples of mounted cross-sections that the Mijdan have collected:
The Mijdan don't realize it, but they've been back to their home planet several times and done some hunting of their own kind.
These illustrations were drawn using Stable Diffusion 2.1.
