{"id":2845,"date":"2026-06-01T12:49:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T19:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2845"},"modified":"2026-06-01T12:49:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T19:49:49","slug":"guy-in-the-chair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2026\/06\/01\/guy-in-the-chair\/","title":{"rendered":"Guy in the Chair"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>prompt: Write a story from the POV of a sidekick, or someone who is happy to stay away from the spotlight.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">available at <a href=\"https:\/\/reedsy.com\/short-story\/6ym4ns\/\">Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Captain Charming smiled at the cameras and waved to the assembled crowd. I turned off the sound before the standard speech and crowd adulation. It was enough to keep an eye on the imposing figure in matte black ballistic armor and helmet. The live news carriers were showing the same thing from another angle, with crawl text that changed depending on the carrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCap Charming saves major galactic shipping hub.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCharming thwarts attack by suspected Trinalaxian dissidents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCharming voted \u2018Most Eligible Bachelor\u2019 second year in a row. What makes him so dreamy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMost Heroes for Hire are human \u2014 follow for the surprising reason.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was time for me to get Charming out before anyone took notice of just how much damage was done. As a Hero for Hire all damages were, of course, the responsibility of the hiring party, and there was insurance for that sort of thing. Standing around long enough for someone to get pictures, video or\u2026 void prohibit, holos of the hero with the damage was a good way to drop their ranking and reduce the chance of being hired again. Besides, the Galactic PeaceKeepers were on scene, and when they finished picking up the perps, they might try to capture Charming for questioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I was still pondering that as I pulled in over the crowd and deployed the RAD; rapid ascent device \u2026 a rope on a fast pulley. Captain Charming gave one last wave to the crowd and grabbed the rope. It pulled in fast enough to launch the hero into the ship well clear of the closing iris, to roll to a crouch, right where the boots locked into the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLet\u2019s get out of here.\u201d Captain Charming\u2019s voice was a full, rich baritone, amplified by the helmet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re already headed for orbit and in the queue for exit to the gate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With a fluid ease born of countless repetitions, the hero lifted off the helmet, hooked it to the wall, and opened the armor. As soon as we entered orbit and weightlessness, she disconnected from it and floated toward her more properly sized prosthetics to connect first to the arms, then the legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWelcome back, Carmen. Where to?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her voice was high with a rough edge to it. \u201cBack to Earth. Time for a service on the armor. The right hand\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHas a response lag of nearly half a second,\u201d I finished. \u201cLeft lower leg actuators are operating at only ninety-four percent power, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI thought something felt a little off.\u201d Carmen strapped into her seat before the jump through the gate pushed us into them with the swift, uncomfortable squeeze of a gravity wave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once we were in the hyperlane with nothing to do, I set an alarm to remind us to strap in before we reached the exit gate. \u201cWas it really Trinalaxians?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLet me guess, Andalaran news said it was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c<em>Suspected<\/em>, they said. Andalarans blame everything on the Trinalaxians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWell, I\u2019m sure they\u2019re in for a shock when the GPK picks up all those Andalaran mercenaries loaded with Gort Technologies weapons, tech, gear, and \u2014 get this \u2014 Gort Tech ID badges.\u201d Carmen pulled a meal bar out of storage, took a bite, and let it float near her while she worked on chewing the dense mouthful she had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wondered for a moment what it would be like having to eat as often as a human. \u201cI looked up what I could on their ship. It traced back to a private mercenary force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAndalaran?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo, Darkspring PMC. Human owned, less than a year old, with members from all the Galactic Union species.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOh, not again\u201d She muttered something under her breath. \u201cWhat facilities does Gort have on the station? And what about their main competitor, Aryx?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGort Technologies\u2026 just a small transshipment dock. But,\u201d I&nbsp; said as I sent the information I\u2019d found to her terminal, \u201cAryx Interstellar has a research outpost there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLet me guess, the outpost isn\u2019t at all critical to Aryx.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I dug through all the less-than-public records I could find for Aryx Interstellar. \u201cYou\u2019re right. It\u2019s been underperforming and basically a giant money drain. Why would Gort Tech bother?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe got the anonymous tip about an attack on the station in time to be there when the mercenaries were just getting off their ship.\u201d Carmen talked around another mouthful of the chewy meal bar. \u201cI bet if you trace the origin far enough, it goes back to Aryx. I also bet that\u2019s also who hired Darkspring for the attack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can look that up when we\u2019re back in regular space,\u201d I told her. \u201cTheir encryption is DNA-based, but I know an unnamed person at an unnamed agency that can get the unencrypted Darkspring internal files without a hassle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She floated close to me and smiled. \u201cAh \u2026 my guy in the chair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut I\u2019m not\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGal in the chair \u2026 no, wait \u2026 your species are all both \u2026.\u201d She shrugged. \u201cCan we just take it as \u2018guy in the chair\u2019 is not gendered. <em>Tentacled creature with a species name and personal name I can\u2019t pronounce in the chair<\/em> doesn\u2019t have the same ring to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFine.\u201d I pointed to the transit timer to make sure she knew how long she had until she needed to strap in again, and then it hit me. \u201cWait! If Aryx Interstellar hired the mercenaries to attack their own research center, why would they hire <em>us<\/em> to get there in time to stop them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFalse flag operation.\u201d Carmen sighed. \u201cIt\u2019s reason enough for them to shut down the money sink \u2026 <em>for security concerns<\/em> \u2026 and save money and their standing with stockholders. The primary purpose, of course, is a pretense to corporate war. Of course, the Galactic Union will do everything it can to prevent it, but at this point it\u2019s a done deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI should warn headquarters. We don\u2019t want Heroes being pulled into this mess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes, good idea. Warn headquarters that Aryx is going to war against Gort and already has Darkspring on their payroll.\u201d She tapped her prosthetic fingers together as she did while thinking. \u201cFind out how much they\u2019re on the hook for. They had to pay well, knowing that the operators would get picked up. I just wonder if it\u2019s too much for Gort to buy Darkspring out from under them. Otherwise, it could get messy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ll make sure my contact gets all the data related to the attack.\u201d I pointed to her seat as the alarm chimed. \u201cStrap in, oh mighty hero.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Carmen strapped in and looked at me. \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re my sidekick, but what made you want to do this kind of work?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was something I\u2019d pondered often. \u201cI wanted to help out and have a lot of respect for <em>most<\/em> of the Heroes for Hire, but I wouldn\u2019t want to deal with the crowds\u2026 or the cameras in my face\u2026 or the danger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhatever the reason, I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here. I couldn\u2019t do half of what I do without you.\u201d She grunted as the gravity wave passed and released her straps. \u201cI\u2019m surprised that you weren\u2019t the least bit curious about why the so very manly Captain Charming was actually a tiny, quadruple amputee woman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I positioned my upper manipulator tentacles into a shape that mimicked one of her shrugs. \u201cIt makes sense,\u201d I said. \u201cWhat good is a secret identity that can easily be traced to you? Everyone <em>knows<\/em> that Captain Charming is a big, strong human man, and everyone that knows Carmen Ruiz knows you aren\u2019t any of those things. Good job on acting camera shy and afraid of public speaking when you aren\u2019t him, by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Carmen cleared her throat. \u201cThat\u2019s not acting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I thought for a moment. \u201cWhat I\u2019m hearing is that you are only comfortable in the spotlight when you <em>are<\/em> him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBingo. So, when will\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I cut her off. \u201cI\u2019ve already sent the request for info to my contact. They\u2019ll send the data to me at the repair facility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s why you\u2019re my guy in the chair.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>prompt: Write a story from the POV of a sidekick, or someone who is happy to stay away from the spotlight. available at Reedsy Captain Charming smiled at the cameras and waved to the assembled &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[208],"tags":[210,228,209],"class_list":["post-2845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trunk-stories","tag-fiction","tag-science-fiction","tag-short-story"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pxT7i-JT","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2845"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2847,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2845\/revisions\/2847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}