//------------------------------//
// Halifax Nova, and the Holograms of the Not So Round Table 
// Story: Cryo-7 
// by Metal Pony Fan 
//------------------------------//

Captain Nova slammed his palm down on the conference table.  "For the hundredth time, we don't know what it does!"

The hologram of a heavily decorated human general glanced down at the table.  "Control yourself, captain."

The hologram of President Jones, sitting two seats over, glanced over at the general.  "Hey, you're starting to get on my nerves too, you know."

Jasper, sitting in between them, held his hooves up, as if separating them.  "Let's focus on the matter at hoof, please?  The most dangerous stallion in the galaxy has set a countdown on a medical ship.  We don't know what it does, but I'm sure Captain Nova's crew is working to determine that."  He glanced over at the general.  "Asking over and over serves no purpose."

"I'm not asking his crew what it does," the general shot back, "I'm asking him."

Jasper narrowed his eyes.  "What are you insinuating, General?"

Nova pushed his chair back from the table, and stood up.  He leaned over the table, an imposing presence, even as a hologram.  "My relationship to Norland is no secret, Talman.  If you recall, it was why I was chosen to bring him in."

"And you failed," the general reminded him.

"Before you were even old enough to fly an aircar, I might mention.  And so did everyone before me.  But, I came closest to succeeding, and crippled his entire organization."  Nova sat back down.  "Speaking of which, he mentioned something interesting to me, regarding that battle.  He was in possession of Gossamer at the time."

"Impossible,"the general dismissed the notion quickly, "I've read up on him, and intel showed he was months away from even testing it.  And if he had, your ships would never have gotten close to him."

"The ships?"  Nova Scoffed.  The general didn't even know what Gossamer was.  "I believe you are referring to the aether collimation cannon, StarTouch, which was completed as well.  He merely declined to use it."

"You're saying he completed both of his superweapons before you attacked him, and he didn't use them?"

"Yes," Nova confirmed.  "He could have wiped out the entire assault force at any time, and he didn't.  And, because of that, both these weapons were destroyed."

"I'm less worried about the past," Jones interrupted, "and more worried about your ship's immediate future.  You haven't mentioned any sort of demands yet."

"Because he hasn't made any," Nova explained, "not serious ones anyway."

"How do you know the demands aren't serious?"  The general asked.  "You're going to risk your crew's safety by presuming-"

"What use is 2 million bits and an aircar to Norland right now?  He's paraplegic, missing his front left hoof, and dying of Glycodexrin poisoning.  His wife is in cryogenic suspension, suffering from almost the same level of exposure.  If he was going to make demands, don't you think it would be to save him and his wife?"

"I suppose," the general conceded.  "At least we have a bargaining chip."

"Excuse me?" Nova all but growled.  "A bargaining chip?"  He stood up again, and leaned in real close to the general.  "Even Norland never used innocent ponies as, 'bargaining chips,' and I am not about to start doing so.  He will be waking up soon, and I will talk to him.  I may be able to convince him to give this up, but I will not threaten his family.  Raiders do that, criminals do that, not us."

The general leaned back in his chair.  "Nova, you are walking on thin ice here."

"More than you know."

As the captain and General glared at each other, Jasper cleared his throat.  "I hate to disrupt the tension here, but the Curaxxan and Golem delegates you requested are ready to join us.  They've been briefed, briefly, so to speak, on what we know so far."

Nova looked over at the pegasus, and nodded.  "Of course."  He sat down and composed himself as two more holograms appeared on the other side of the General.  One was a plain looking golem, and the other, a haggard looking Curraxxan, both wearing earth-style suits.  "Thank you for joining us," he addressed them.  "As you have no doubt been told, Grinparch Norland is alive and on board my ship.  He has set a countdown, with an unknown purpose, and has not made any demands."

"And why are we here?" The Curraxxan asked.  "I'm a clerk.  A high level clerk, yes, but a clerk none the less,  And, do you have any idea what time it is here?  I just got done processing the paperwork on Eckrt and Visor, two of our most convoluted bounties due to the multi-jurisdictional nature of their crimes, and I'm tired.  I'm not much use to you unless you want to trade him for the credits.  If he's running around your ship, you might want to contact a green team."

"He's not even walking right now.  And, I understand it's late," Nova apologized, "but I asked to include you because the Curaxxan Bounty Bureau is in charge of Norland's Bounty, and the Curaxxan government has the most legitimate claim to him, due to the destruction of the K'ha Kahala, and the loss of her crew."

"Yes, well," the Curaxxan crossed his arms, "The thing is...  Well...  This is highly classified, but, it might be relevant if Norland's still kicking around.  We didn't actually lose any-  Correction.  We didn't lose many of her crew.  It was kept quiet, but once the ship started losing power and atmosphere, Norland mounted a rescue operation, a surprisingly successful one, given he was alone in a fightercraft.  Three dead, out of four thousand crew, and the ship only had escape pods enough for three thousand.  He even compensated us for the vessel itself, and provided for the families of the lost.  He used this act to leverage the non-aggression pact, but he never gave us cause to regret it."

Nova nodded slowly, trying to keep from smiling.  Of course, he already knew all of that, but it was pleasant to see Talman squirm.  He looked over at the golem hologram.  "And you, you're being awfully quiet over there.  Haven't even asked why invited you.  Aren't you curious?"

The golem sighed.  He looked at each of the other holograms, noting the confusion before looking back at the Captain.  It was only him, apparently.  "You know, don't you?"

"Know what?" General Talman asked, looking between Nova and the golem.  "Nova, did you leave something out?"

The captain didn't look away from the golem.  "Do you want to tell them?  Or should I?"

The golem frowned, but didn't speak.

"Very well."  Nova looked over at the others.

"Norland is the finder," the golem said quickly, before Nova could spill the centuries-old secret.  "He is our king, and is responsible for us ever leaving our planet.  We would request that being taken into account, when choosing how to deal with him.  Every good ever accomplished by a golem is only possible because of him."

"Two very short confessions," President Jones muttered, "and we'll be dealing with the ramifications for ages."

The general looked over at the president.  "What ramifications?  With all due respect, this doesn't change anything!"

"But, it does," Jones corrected.  "We were working under the assumption that the pirate Norland was, as an individual, directly responsible for the deaths of thousands.  In the case of the K'ha Kahala, that's been reduced to three.  We have no way to tell how many he killed outside of the assembly, if any, and even so, we would still lack any jurisdiction over the case.  That only leaves the four ponies in that video on earth, three of which were clearly killed in self-defense.  The driver was not a threat to him, but it could be argued that it was a heat of the moment decision, or that he feared the driver might chase him down."

Jasper glanced over.  "Sir," he whispered, "are you taking Norland's side?"

The white gryphon shook his head.  "This has ceased to be a military matter, and is now a legal one.  As much as we may see Norland as a boogeyman, a faceless evil to scare kids with, he is still a pony with rights.  It seems he never was the Curaxxan war criminal we thought him to be.  As such, he will go to trial, most likely on my homeworld, earth.  There are seven deaths he could be put on trial for, under Terran law.  Three of them would be thrown out as self-defense.  The driver is an extremely shaky case, given context, and the K'ha Kahala matter, while clearly his fault, is muddied by his status as sovereign of the golems.  They weren't part of the assembly when that incident occured, but rather a recognized independent world."

"Um," the curaxxan raised a claw, "if it's true that he was king of an accepted independent nation, then his declaration of war prior to the incident was valid, and us sending ships after him could be seen as an acceptance of it."

"And the non-aggression pact would prevent the curaxxans from seeking further retribution," the golem reminded him, "especially since we have officially joined the Assembly.  If you pursued Norland, you would be the first nation in Assembly history to commit hostilities against a fellow member."

"I know somepony who wouldn't too happy about that," Jasper muttered.

"So, one death," Jones concluded.  "The driver.  And the circumstances surrounding it...  If I was still a lawyer, I would wager I could get an acquittal.  And that was only if it went to trial.  Was there a full investigation?  Was enough forensic evidence collected to prove, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the driver died?  Was it properly preserved?  Or at the very least, documented?"

"No," General Talman groaned.  "We use that incident as a case study for debate students on earth.  My own son gave a solid defense as a class project.  If I recall correctly, there was only a little blood on the inside of the windshield, and a single tooth.  Everything else in the car was burned up because it was Hydroline powered, instead of fuel cells or batteries.  There's no way to say the driver didn't survive the crash and go into hiding.  What would you do if your boss died, the most feared pirate in the galaxy wanted you dead, and your organization thought you were in on the whole thing?"

"Then, except for piracy, all we could pursue him for are non-violent crimes," Jasper observed.  "Fraud, financial hacking, burglary of scientific equipment and materials.  And, consider that he disappeared a little over fifty years ago.  Statutes of limitations, amnesty agreements, lack of documentation, even changes of government, are going to make it hard to actually prosecute him.  With one important exception, whatever is currently happening on the Solomon's Ring."

"Then there's the matter of if we even should pursue him for the past," Nova added, drawing all attention back to himself.  "Hear me out.  I know Norland as well as anypony else in this Galaxy, and he has always had a goal that is beyond his own personal wealth and power.  How many raider groups these days can make the same claim?  How many of them operate with a personal code of honor?  How many of them drop shipments of food in disaster zones?  How many of them regularly attack slaver strongholds, free their captives, and provide them safe passage to places of refuge?  How many of them have dropped the leaders of other criminal groups at the doorsteps of planetary police stations?"

"The negative effects of Norland's disappearance have been well documented," the golem smugly pointed out.

"There's no proof that his return would help any," the general argued.  "He has killed dozens, if not hundreds, of other pirates."

"Could it make things worse?" Nova posed the question.  "He was never the aggressor.  He only attacked his enemies after they attacked him, or declared hostilities.  And he never went after civilians."

Talman made a small hand gesture conceding that point.  "There is still one thing I don't understand."

Nova knew the human representative was going to be the most argumentative, but Talman actually seemed to be on board easier than expected.  "And that is?"

"How the fresh-baked hell are you defending the man who is holding your crew hostage?  And not only that, you are fiercely defending him.  I question where your loyalties lie after this."

Never mind, he's nowhere near on board.  With a weary sigh, Nova hit a control on the table, silencing the feed just as Talman began another round of accusations.  "I've just muted you, General.  I will not tolerate my loyalty being questioned on my own ship.  This is a medical ship.  Our mission comes first, whatever that may be, and right now, it's to help the population of Sevus survive whatever is happening to their planet.  As for the safety of my crew, it has already been all but guaranteed.  Evacuations have already begun, and they will be complete well before time runs out.  And it is my firm belief that these evacuations will prove redundant, because my brother would never hurt those I care about!"

Nova cleared his throat.  He had just shouted that.  And he had stood up at some point, leaning over the table, looming over the general, all two and half meters and his skin flushed icy blue.  "Not everything has to be a zero-sum game, General."  The captain sat back down, falling into his chair with a heavy sigh.  All eyes were on him, and no wonder.  "I was about nine years old when I first met the pony Grinparch Norland, and he was three, maybe four.  I was actually the one who first called him Grinparch, my best attempt at reading the inscription on his only belonging, a battered piece of plastic that I can only assume was once a holographic identification card.  At the time, we were property of a mining consortium funded by the Taraxian Raider Coalition.  In the eleven years before we escaped, and the seven years after, before he turned to piracy, we were each the only family the other had.  We owe each other our lives dozens of times over.  And seeing him now, having talked with him...  If anything, he is less likely to hurt anypony now, not more."

President Jones intertwined his talons, staring at the tall humanoid.  Right or wrong, he spoke with conviction.  And, more importantly, he had already put safeguards in place in case his intuition had failed him.  "Why don't you tell us what you are proposing, Captain?"

Nova chewed his lower lip for a moment as the moment arrived.  This was it, either the last or greatest moment of his career.  "I want Norland's bounty rescinded, on the condition he agrees to never again take up the mantle of pirate."  The rest of the room went quiet.  "He is an old and broken stallion, with nothing left but his family.  If he leaves the pirate life behind like this, wouldn't it be a powerful symbol?  Certainly much more powerful than wheeling him out in front of cameras in chains.  And then, there is no reason for whatever plan he's trying to put in place with the timer."

Talman shook his head, chewing his lip before raising his hand.  Once Nova remembered, and unmuted him, the general dropped his hand to the table.  "Fine, let's say I agree with this, which I don't.  This is sketchy as hell, and the sort of shady dealing that's gonna have the C.O.C. breathing down all our necks."

Jasper shook his head, half-smiling, a motion missed by the other attendees.  This was the sort of thing those immortals at the C.O.C. loved.  Redemption, second chances, unlikely family reunited?  Not going through with this would be more likely to draw their ire.  "Any chance he would give up the aether cannnon?  StarTouch, you called it?  And Gossamer?  Or, at the very least ways to defend against them in case there are prototypes floating around?"

"Gossamer was lost," Nova lied, "destroyed in the aftermath of our battle, as was StarTouch, sacrificed for his escape.  But, I will ask about StarTouch, even if it was destroyed, he may be able to build another, or he may be able provide a defense."

"Then, wouldn't he be able to build another Gossamer?"

"That's not the way Gossamer worked general.  There is no more of Gossamer, and there never will be.  It was built on Ancient technology predating most civilizations.  Norland didn't create it, he merely learned to use it."

"As long as it's gone."  Jasper shrugged.  "And as long as he doesn't keep developing new weapons."

"Don't be too hasty," General Talman cautioned the pony.  "What about his comm-breakers and Phase-shields?  There are several technologies he developed that we haven't quite been able to replicate, or even figure out.  Schematics would be useful.  The location of his automated manufacturing center?  Or his personal workshop, the one the K'ha Kahala stumbled on.  We could stipulate, as a condition of his release, that he work with the galactic assembly to atone for what he's done?"

"How did I not see that coming," Nova snarked, "should I present him with your shopping list of super-technology before, or after I tell him you wanted to use his wife as leverage?"

The golem delegate shot up from his chair.  "You wanted to what?!"

"Now, hold on," the general shot Nova a dirty look before facing the golem, "we are under a deadline here, I was merely suggesting-"

"That our queen may be used as a pawn?"

"No!  I didn't know."  The general sighed.  "How did he even become your secret king anyway?"

"There will come a point in the future where he will encounter a space time distortion, and wind up on our planet nearly five hundred years in the past.  He was vague with the details, for our own protection, and protection of the timeline.  He told us we shouldn't try to intervene with matters relating to him, and if we had no choice, we should always do what we believe right and good for all involved."

The general blinked.  "Norland the Pirate told you this?"

"Not to me, personally," the golem clarified, "depending on our magical affinity, a golem's lifespan is similar to a human's.  I do believe there are still stationary golems on our homeworld that met Norland, but they would not be able to tell you about it directly, as verbal communication did not come about until it was taught to us."

Talman threw his hands up.  "All right!  Fine!  Whatever!  Offer the crippled pirate his amnesty, but if he so much as pirates a video game, I will send warships after him."

"Been there, done that," the curaxxan looked over, "it doesn't end pretty."

"And," Jones held up a single talon, "while I support the idea of rescinding his bounty, I have my doubts about simply releasing him into the wild."

"He is not a trout," the golem pointed out.

"No one said he was," Jones countered.  "I am merely stating that it is difficult to suddenly trust that a pirate so feared is now reformed.  No matter how much time it took for that to happen, or who vouches for his character, we have yet to see proof."

"What if he was remanded to the custody of a neutral third party?"  Nova suggested.

"Yes," General Talman agreed, "perhaps the White Flags?  They are a trusted, independent nation of bounty hunters, and equipped to deal with dangerous individuals."

Nova smiled.  He would have suggested the White Flags, but having someone else do it made it that much more legitimate of an option.  "That's an excellent idea General.  Why didn't I think of it?"

"I concur," stated the curaxxan, "their recent work at Iella base has stemmed the flow of toxic, 'challenge,' substances in outlying curaxxan territories.  The numbers of deaths and hospitalizations are already dropping."

"I find it an acceptable compromise," the golem conceded, "so long as Norland agrees."

"I'm certain he will," Nova reassured.  He had already spoken to Rarity, and Norland's grand-daughter would be back on the Nemeton by the time the Solomon's Ring left Sevus' orbit.  "If there's no objection, I will speak to him as soon as he wakes up."  Nova checked his watch.  "There are twelve hours and just over a minute still on the timer, and he is recovering from the Glycodexrin treatment procedure."

"If he is not awake on his own in two hours, wake him up." Jones ordered.  "I know you're confident he will accept the terms, but leave time to evacuate in case he doesn't."

Nova nodded.  "As I mentioned, nearly complete, I ordered an evacuation drill, so everybody not already off the ship is ready and waiting."

"Without inducing panic," Jasper mused, "Smart man."

The captain nodded at the compliment.  "I try."

"Well, I need to make some calls," General Talman said as he stood up.  "This is going to throw the outer rim into an uproar.  Keep me updated on this situation."

The curaxxan stood up as well.  "I'll need to start the paperwork to rescind the bounty right away.  As the requester, captain, I'll be sending you some paperwork to sign.  You, um, you do realize, you will be held liable if anything goes wrong?"

Nova bowed his head.  "I would expect nothing less." 

One by one, the holograms flickered away as each delegate signed off.  He talked them into it, and they were putting their trust in him.  All that was left was to inform Norland once he woke up.

The captain was smiling when a young security guard ran into the conference room, shouting, "Sir!  Something's gone wrong!"

His smile didn't break, his expression didn't waver.  He didn't even blink.  He just stared forward.

"Of course it has."