When Tommy exited the briefing room an hour later after he told D1 to assemble the station's population, he wasn't expecting a riot; over 400 people were gathered there, causing a commotion. Tommy turned toward D1, horrified. "D1, what did you tell them? They look pissed." D1, who was by Tommy's side, responded. "I informed them of our plan. Was that not what you wanted me to do?" Tommy scoffed, "What? Are you insane? I just said 'assemble them,' not scare them! They look like they're about to riot."
"My apologies. Perhaps I miscalculated." D1 said with computerized innocence. It was challenging to remember that D1 was a robot sometimes, and robots often took things too literally. There was a battery of questions as soon as they spotted Tommy.
'What's going to happen to our home?'
'How long will we be on the ship?'
'When are we leaving?'
Tommy felt that he was unqualified to answer all inquiries correctly. He dipped back into the briefing room. "They're freaking out. I can't handle it. I'm not the one." Tommy said to his friends as he returned. He was not in the headspace to take that crowd. He was a superhero, a protector, not a chancellor. His mind whirred as he analyzed the situation. "Wait... Bodi. Come here." Tommy said pulling Bodi by the wrist, Kai jumped in surprise. "Wait..? Tommy? What are you doing?" Tommy didn't answer, but Kai followed, and Kipp pursued them too. Tommy led him to the crowd and deposited him in front of the podium. The crowd was silenced as they saw him. "Stand right there," Tommy ordered; Bodi didn't quite understand. Tommy retreated, and Bodi tried to follow, but the cousin returned and recentered him at the podium. And then he vanished behind the corner again, only his muzzle peeking out from behind the wall.
Bodi felt a surge of unease wash over him as he stood at the podium. The weight of the crowd's expectant gaze bore down on his shoulders, and he struggled to find the words to address them. But then, as if sensing his uncertainty, a calming presence enveloped him from behind.
Kipp emerged from behind the corner, his gaze steady and reassuring. Placing a comforting hand on Bodi's shoulder, he leaned in close and whispered words of encouragement. "You've got this, Bodi. They need to hear from someone they trust." Kipp pointed to Bodi's chest, where his heart would be if he had one. "Just speak from the heart."
Taking a deep breath, Bodi squared his shoulders and cleared his throat. The crowd hushed, waiting for him to speak. Drawing strength from Kipp's support, Bodi began to address the assembled masses; his voice cracked as he started, the microphone surged with feedback, and he and the crowd cringed as the speakers whined. Bodi pulled his mouth away from the microphone to allow it to clear. After a nervous chuckle, he continued.
"F— friends, fellow Omeocoon," His words echoed through the room. "I know many of you are feeling scared and uncertain right now... I just want to say... me too." Confused gazed all around the room. "The point is... we've been scared for a long time. The Xalorians scared us... Kieran scared us, and now, this planet threat scares us. There are about 60,000 of us left... we're it. We shouldn't be scared anymore, I guess. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say?" He looked over his shoulder toward Tommy and Kipp, who offered him sympathetic smiles.
The speech was very Bodi in nature. Had he prepared instead of being thrust into the spotlight, perhaps this would've felt less cumbersome. "I don't want to be afraid!" Someone shouted from way in the back, he jumped up in the air, and flapped his arms like a baby bird trying to fly for the first time. "I don't!" He repeated. The crowd parted to reveal the stranger's identity; it was Howie. He was determined to be seen. And to that, Bodi smiled; that was one, 'open your mind.' That was the last thing Bodi said to him, and now it seemed like he'd done it. And was actually embracing it. He raised his hand once he got tired of jumping in the air, which was more influential for the assemblage because other crowd members were also raising their hands to show support. The crowd was packed with raised hands, and some people were cheering. Bodi's tail wagged happily as they supposed this half-baked plan.