Cryo-7

by Metal Pony Fan

Old Friends, Book Ends, and a Bouquet of Flowers.

In his quarters, Captain Nova sat on the small couch in front of the large viewscreen. It was a relic, centuries older than he was, from the days when LEDs and touch-responsive screens were new technology. Old enough, that it had to be modified with a camera and mic to serve as a comm panel. Not many would know, but he had a weakness for old, two dimensional, forms of entertainment. Everything from ancient computer games, to long-forgotten cinema, and especially animation. Just imagine, the dedication it took to sit and draw thousands upon thousands of images in order to tell a story, with or without computers to aid the process. But, for now, his screen was being used for a more important purpose.

He leaned forward, arms resting on his knees as he hit the button on the antique remote control. The screen flashed to life, showing him the mare who had called. "Princess," he said with a nod, "to what do I owe this pleasure."

Rarity smiled, sitting alone in an empty conference room. "Always the gentleman, Halifax. Is this a secure line?"

He intertwined his fingers as he wondered about the reasoning behind this call. "As a medical ship, secure channels are about all we have. Patient confidentiality is important after all."

Rarity nodded, her dramatically styled mane bobbing with the movement. "Good, because I'm calling in that favor you owe me."

"I had a feeling." The Captain straightened up. "So? What can I do for you? Does it have to do with a bounty your crew is after?"

"Yes, and no," she answered carefully. "It has to do with the planet you are currently aiding, Sevus, and one of its former residents."

"Former?" Nova repeated. Only one resident of the planet had left it recently, as far as he knew. "You must mean, Berry?"

"You've met her, then?" Rarity shrugged. "That makes this a little easier. Her grandfather is buried on the planet, I will forward you the coordinates. I don't want you to exhume him, but I need you to quietly and personally check that he is there, and confirm his identity. If you can give me a certificate of death, that would be great, but even a recorded statement will be enough for the Bounty Bureau."

"The Curraxan Bounty Bureau?" He brought his still folded hands to his chin, scratching with his knuckles. "What exactly am I getting into here? Who was he?"

"Grinparch Norland."

Captain Nova froze mid-scratch. For a moment, he didn't move, and when he did, the only thing he did was lower his hands.

Rarity nodded. "Yes, DNA tests have confirmed Berry's lineage, and a piece of his technology, that we couldn't figure out, responded to her as an, 'authorized user.'"

"Concerning," Nova mused, "is she in custody?"

"In a sense," Rarity evaded the question. With a sad sigh, she added. "There is one other thing I need you to do, and this is the personal favor."

"Is it the one that's going to lose me my ship?"

"Heavens, no!" Rarity sighed again. "Berry's grandmother is buried beside Norland, as is Berry's mother. Her grandmother was a close friend of mine, and, though I never met her daughter, I would like to know that they aren't merely forgotten."

"A noble sentiment," Halifax agreed. "And the favor?"

"I would like you to leave some flowers, your choice. I'll be leaving some myself when I get a chance to visit, but until then..."

The captain nodded slowly. "I understand. Responsibilities to your crew never seem to leave time for personal matters."

"That they do not," Rarity agreed. "I am in your debt, Captain."

She signed off, and Nova killed his screen with his remote. With a heavy sigh, he sat there in silence, staring his reflection in the dark screen. When he finally did move, it was look down at the remote, cradling it in both hands like a precious artifact, even though it was just an obsolete device of plastic and circuits, given to him long ago as a joke.

Now, he understood why. Why, back when he first met her, he had thought Berry smelled familiar.

"So," he said aloud to his empty room, "you've finally kicked the bucket, old friend."

Comments

[Da Fennec]

Wonder if Norland didn't touch as many lives as Pinkie Pie in his own way

[Starlight Nova]

How many chapters long will this story be?

[Valkyrie]

In an irrelevant piece of trivia, this is only a second chapter title to have a full stop.

[Metal Pony Fan]

10166552
I'd say it's a little more than halfway through. So, probably less than 200 chapters. Maybe 150. This is Chapter 94. Then again, that all depends on how I split it up. It may hit 200 if I keep doing short chapters more often.

[Metal Pony Fan]

10166850
In another piece of trivia, nearly every single chapter title is a reference, homage, or a corruption of a song, saying, or quote. I will post a list in the author's note of the next chapter.