The Star Pirate's Return

Chapter 8: Leith

Chep winked. "Already got the green light from upstairs. We're on in five."

"Fantastic. I'm ready." Strump sat straighter and tugged on the lapels of his suit, sliding into his on-camera smile just before they went live.

Chep took the lead with his usual warm, commanding tone. "Good evening, citizens of the Core. I'm Chep Stanley with CMN news, and with me tonight is a man who needs no introduction—our Governor, Reginald Strump."

Governor Strump waved for the cameras. "Welcome, welcome everyone. Wonderful to be here. Thank you, Chep."

"Great to have you with us, Governor. If you don't mind, I'd like to jump right in with some questions about these recent attacks on Surface."

Strump nodded humbly, putting on a gravely concerned expression. "Of course. Terrible, simply terrible. My heart goes out to all of the survivors down in Overlook City. Keep safe in there. We've allotted significant funds for repairs to the dome and they'll be completed very soon. You'll all be safely back in your homes before long."

"Thank you, Governor. Some members of my own family were forced to take shelter under the city during the attacks, so I greatly appreciate the concern. With that said, I must ask a question many of us have had burning in our minds since that day." Chep paused and looked down a moment, tenting his fingers in front of his chest. "Why were we not prepared for them?"

The Governor replied, "Well, I'm not sure anyone could have prepared for what happened. The combination of the pirates pulling the asteroid off course, it nearly grazing Surface, and the pirate fleet hiding in its wake were completely unpredictable. They've never struck this deep into the Core, and after our last intervention in the Belt, Admiral Perry, my intelligence advisers, and myself were all in agreement that a strike of this magnitude was beyond the pirates' abilities."

"But you, the Admiral, and your intelligence advisers were wrong," Chep stated. "Why should we trust you in the future?"

The unexpectedly biting remark took Strump off-guard, and he had to remind himself that while Chep was on his side, the man had his own credibility to maintain. "I would say we've learned from our mistakes. And there are some things that you and the viewers don't know."

"What do you mean by that, Governor?"

"Rather than explaining every detail, why don't I just show you what I mean?" Strump asked.

Maintaining his careful defensiveness, Chep replied, "Please do. The people of the Core need answers."

"Gim, come here, please." Still slightly unnerved by Chep's earlier jab, Strump beckoned to the fabricant, hoping he would bring him some much-needed excitement to his appearance. As long as he kept to the script, things would work out—even if Chep seemed committed to straying off the path. Chep had to play to his audience and gain their trust by advocating for their concerns, but Strump knew he wouldn't push back too hard. The Governor grinned with confidence. "Show us what you can do, Gim."

The fabricant, who in physical appearance resembled any other young adult, was in reality only a few years of age. He'd been taught everything he knew in such a brief life, and yet every time Strump called on him, Gim performed flawlessly and without question. True loyalty was an incredible thing to behold. The beauty of such a thing brought a flutter to the Governor's stomach, a rush of excitement at how the future might unfold for him.

As Governor Strump held that feeling in his gut, cradling it, nurturing it, fantasizing about the power almost within his grasp, Gim approached the edge of the set. He stopped for a beat, then hopped forward into a series of blindingly fast front handsprings, rolled into a somersault, and leaped off the floor into a high arc. In midair, Gim twisted and twirled more times than Strump could count, then landed with another graceful roll and sprang to his feet with a small flourish.