"You're being real nice about this."

"By all accounts it was a fairly civil kidnapping. The rights are universal, though. Do you have any questions for this court?"

"His grace who rescued the other Elves said we were probably going to take an illegal orders class?"

"Did you get something like that in your training at home? How to respond if you're unlawfully ordered to shoot an innocent person, things like that?"

"...sort of?"

"Vanda Nossëo might have different standards than Calado but I'd be interested in hearing how it works in Calado."

"Uh, 'this would more likely be your superior making a joke', 'if you get told to do that then if you go to another blue about it instead of doing it they'll protect you'..."

Nod. "Are you planning to go back to Calado after this is settled?"

"I'm married. I don't know. Maybe we could all leave."

"This court would be really happy to see this settled without seeing anyone who just got caught up in the middle of it in jail, but we have an issue with letting people off for a crime and putting them right back in a situation where they might end up doing it again."

"I mean. I think I'm out of a job now."

"Why don't you and your lawyer talk about what kind of agreement you want to ask this court for, and I'll see you in a couple days once you've got that worked out. I've known your lawyer a while. She works for you, not for me, and she's good at it. You'll figure something out."

Nod.

Lawyer shows him how he can read the evidence. "This is pretty straightforward - you thought you were carrying out a lawful order, your boss should have thought things through a little more - or a lot more - but everything was resolved quickly and peacefully. I want to be careful about saying 'no harm done' because the Elf press will have a field day with that - but privately, you know, no harm done. If you want to go to trial I think we can beat the charges. Or we can ask for a deal that you're happy about and settle it faster with no risk of losing at trial."

"What would happen if I lost at trial?"

"You could conceivably get prison time, you'd have a record - there are a few places that won't take immigrants with a criminal record but not many -"

"...this doesn't count as prison time?"

" - oh, we distinguish holding people for trial from sentencing people at trial to serve some length of time in prison. You'd actually be allowed to go home pending trial if you lived somewhere with a justice system we had an agreement with, but, uh, current directive is not to send anybody to Calado."

"It's really complicated in Calado."

"I don't think they're unwilling to navigate complicated but it has to be the kind of complicated where it's safe to be around while you're learning. Anyway, usually you'd just get picked up for the hearing and then sent home and picked up for the trial, but there's a concern Calado might try to interfere with the arrest officer. I'm sorry."

"Do my family know where I am? I warned them that something came up at work but I didn't know what else to say."

"Can you email them? We can get something set up so emails reach them. If they can make it to - uh, Tapa - there's shuttles here, too."

"They have email, I just didn't realize it'd go."

"It should be up and if it's not I'll file an emergency petition with the judge, you can't have peoples' families wondering if they're still alive or being treated all right."

Nod.