"We had just assumed..." The scientist tapped at a picture of the world they resided on. "We... thought we had worked that out, but that's not how science works."

"But not rotating?" asked another scientist, looking bedazzled.

"You've seen the same figures I have. This world is basically stationary. Our satellites, launched at what we thought to be geostationary are geostationary because they are not moving. They're floating there."

A woman took a big pull of coffee. "I think I need something stronger than this. Alright, so... they're floating, and our numbers for launch and re-entry need a complete revision. Answer me this, how did the rockets that got the satellites up there not burn into a crisp?"

"Why aren't they just falling if they don't have rotation to keep them up in the air?" challenged the second man, applying one hand to the side of his face. "The more we know, the less we know."

"Welcome to science!" cried the first. "I want to find out. Don't you?"

"Planes have been increasingly inefficient since the transition," complained a sharply dressed man, tapping a graph that showed a sharp sudden spike.

"But it's not trending upwards," noted another man. "It increased with the transition, then went stable. Maybe the atmosphere is thicker?"

"Whatever it is, we have to use more gas, and the price of gas is increasing steadily. We have to adjust ticket prices to compensate. I imagine all the airlines will have to."

"You're leaving out a silver lining."

"Hm?"

The second man placed a new chart in front of the first. "The power requirements of the cabin pressure systems have dramatically decreased, often at about zero for the entire flight."

With the atmosphere being only mildy chilly instead of life-threateningly cold and perfectly breathable, the automated systems often just never engaged. The cabin never fell below the critical line that the pressurization would begin.

"That's a mild benefit at least..." They had ticket prices to adjust.

The Saddle Arabians rose to their hooves. "Speaker."

The speaker looked over to them. Though allies of Equestria, they were not considered part of Equestria. Nor had they spoken in support of America. "Yes?"

"I propose this meeting be concluded. We have all been given much to consider, and further discussion is pointless with it all in the air, as it were." He looked to Crane. "Strange new peers that call for peace with one hand and wield death untold in the other." He looked to the minotaur chairman. "Others crying for peace through strength. This is not a conducive air to settle other matters."

The speaker clacked her beak. "We have two major points and five minor points on the docket." Her eyes danced up and down along the clipboard in her hands. "Mmm. I propose setting aside the minor points. Votes in favor? Against? 14, 7, motion passes. Next major point."

The Saddle Arabian stallion settled down as the next to last topic was raised. "The floor recognizes the migrant people of the lunar pegasi."

A new pony stood up. She had slit eyes like a cat. Her ears had tufts at the end and the wings on her back were leathery with furry bits, not at all like the feathery wings of all the other pegasi the president had seen before. "Thank you, Speaker, honored circle. I understand we are not a... proper member, and normally not afforded a vote in matters, but this is an issue that concerns us directly, and you as well."

She reached out one of her alien wings. "With the curse of Hollow Shades removed, my people wish to re-inhabit the area. We have no interest in joining Equestria, however. We would do it as our own nation. It is with the blessing of the circle that we would prefer to proceed."

Celestia raised a hoof.

"The floor recognizes Equestria."

"Thank you. Night Flight, know that I wish you and your people well, even if you do not join us."

"How little your platitudes serve," hissed the lunar pegasus with an angry hiss before composing herself. "My apologies, Speaker."

"The land requested..." The speaker flipped through her notes. "Ah, here we are... Equestria would be the nation most directly impacted. Does Equestria object?"

Celestia shook her head. "Equestria does not."

Crane watched the exchange with interest. An outcast tribe casually cutting a slice out of a nation and calling it their own, without a civil war to go with it? That would not have flown back on Earth...

"Does any other representative raise objection to the creation of this new kingdom?"

After a moment of quiet, the speaker nodded. "The circle recognizes the formation of..."

"Hollow Shades," offered Night Flight. "We will keep that name."

"Hollow Shades. Please provide the number of residents you have when that's available. Next on the docket: Piracy has been on the rise. The open waters have become more dangerous."

On one hand, Crane imagined most wooden pirate vessels wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance compared to even a modest American war vessel. On the other, committing to that without congressional input after what he'd already stepped into felt like political suicide. He raised a hand.

"The floor recognizes America."

"The waters around America will be kept clean of illegal activity, of which piracy is certainly included." That was an easy promise to make, since that was the default. Pirates in American waters? Unacceptable at any time.

The minotaur chairman raised a hand. "Pirates know better than to sail where we can see them!"

Despite being a major item, no real proposals came. Some nations, like America and the minotaurs, promised to keep their own waters free of brigands, many nations could not, or would not. Of course, land locked nations could but shrug. No attempts were being formed.

Crane suddenly smiled, looking across to the chairman. "You have a new organization. This may be just the thing for it."

"Hmm?" He raised a thick shaggy brow. "What are you implying?"

"If you have an organized military of multiple nations, you stand in a solid position to act globally against piracy." And America wouldn't have to foot that bill. Bonus. That would also be that much fighting force not directed at American interests.

"We just formed today," he grunted. "This does not happen overnight. Bring it up next summit and we can consider it."

Soft murmurs spread, people considering the idea, seemingly in a positive light. He had planted the seed. All he could ask for at that time.

If America couldn't play the part of NATO and was instead the local equivalent of the USSR, large and intimidating to be defended against, at least it could also skip on the costs involved with playing the global good guy. There were always good and bad sides to things...

The parrot set her clipboard down on the table. "With that, I surrender my position of speaker. It has been a deep honor playing the part today, and I hope you all travel home safely, until next we meet."

The various rulers and delegates began to rise from their seats. Some moved quickly for the exit, others moved to speak with others, and some loitered around.

Novo rose in a feline stretch. "Mmm, the best part of the summit, I think. I confess, missing the summits was one of the better parts of being sequestered."

"Excuse me."

Crane looked to the side to see Queen Ruddertail, her furry hands clasped and working nervously. "Pardon, um, sir? President, yes, you are that. I am Queen Ruddertail," she introduced herself again with a genuine, if a little scared, smile. "Nice to meet you, again, that is, hello!"

Crane felt the overwhelming urge to tell that little adorable creature that everything would be alright, but he resisted the urge to baby a queen. "Hello, Queen Ruddertail. I am President Crane." If she had introduced herself again, it seemed fitting. "How can I help?"

"Yes, Crane, hello." She offered one of her hands towards him as she bent over. "My people, they watch with wide eyes. Your people are... scary, sir, so very scary, but fascinating, so fascinating... I'm saying this poorly..."

He took her hand and suddenly she grabbed him firmly, shaking his hand up and down with strength that belied her five foot stature.

"Do your people like to play, or fight?"

Novo suddenly slid in, idly stepping between the two, her wings pushing the two apart a little. "Ruddertail, nice to see you again."

"Novo!" The otter squealed with joy and hopped forward. The two touched noses, or nose and beak, rubbing gently. "Always nice to see you. Aren't you looking pretty today!"

Novo smiled easily, enjoying the compliment. "And you are as bouncy as usual. Ruddertail, this is Crane. He leads the humans, a fascinating people."

"And scary!" squeaked Ruddertail. "What do you think of them?"

Despite standing right there, the two had seemingly started to speak about him and his country. He wasn't sure how to approach that, but Novo appeared to be known to Ruddertail, so he decided letting it go was the wise course.

Novo shook her head softly. "They have so many interesting toys. Beyond number. Their people love to play, but they are also serious. They can be serious about playing, and serious about serious things. Complicated, I think is a good word for it."

"Very complicated," agreed Ruddertail, slapping the ground with her tail. "Should I let my people say hello to his people? Will they get hurt?!"

"They may, but probably not." She leaned forward, smiling at her otterish friend. "They are like a dolphin."

"Oh! Yes, dolphins, yes. Smooth, like dolphins, yes. Yes! It all makes sense now." She put a hand to the side of her head. "It makes so much sense now. I feel silly. Like dolphins... Be careful with dolphins, but fun. Careful fun." Her eyes lifted from Novo to Crane. "Is it alright to visit? You said not good fly. Is alright to walk a little? What about swim?"

Tourists. Otter tourists. Possibly otter immigrants. "There are rules to follow. Do you talk with Novo often?"

"Queen Novo is good friend. Not visit enough. Need fix, visit more."

"You should," encouraged Novo, reaching to pat the shoulder of the excited otter matriarch.

"Novo can explain where and how to visit." If they kept all the swimming Equestrians to a specific port of entry, that felt like the most reasonable course of action instead of having them coming in from all angles and ruining any attempt at managing it. "Pardon me for asking, but are you a sea otter or a river otter?"

"We are lutrai," explained Ruddertail with a bright smile. "We like rivers and seas and ponds and oceans! Even a pool is nice." She pointed up. "They have a nice pool here. Would you like to swim? I would like to see how you swim. Do you swim like a dolphin?"

Novo softly laughed at that. "Crane here is a dear, but he isn't very 'playful'. He's a serious serious."

"Serious serious," sighed out Ruddertail. "Should try to have more fun." Still, she let the invitation to swim drop. "Novo, swim?" They went off together with the promise of the supposedly excellent pool that awaited them.

Crane felt attention and an approaching presence. He turned in time to see the bullish minotaur chairman approaching him with a bit of a frown.

"Hello."

A voice whispered in his ear, "everything alright?"

"Yes... hello." The minotaur thrust a hand forward, large and beefy. "I am Chairman Krowa, chairman of the minotaur's republic."

Crane took the hand and was almost not surprised to find that Krowa was fast to begin squeezing too strongly by far.

"Hey, wow, what a handshake," Crane called out loudly enough to turn eyes. "You must practice that grip a lot."

Soft chuckles spread and the painful squeezing came to an abrupt stop.

That did not promise to be a good meeting...

Author's Notes:

So ends the summit, with a record breaking, for this story, amount of verbs devoted to one scene. How'd it go? What do you think?!

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