Convincing Alpha that we should be allowed to leave was easier than we thought.

We’d decided that the best tactic was to feed into his one-track mind. Saban had asked to meet with him privately, but, you know I had to be spying on this interaction. Since—other than Edwig, apparently—I had the highest Level in the camp, there was zero worry about being caught. So I stalked along, dripping with shadowy sneaky-sneak juice, tailing Saban as he met Alpha near the outskirts of the camp. Then I shoved myself into some extremely uncomfortable bushes, and watched as my childhood buddy put on his best convincing face. All with the intention of selling Alpha on the idea of sending a group out to retrieve something that was essentially an unknown variable.

“Listen,” Saban said, after laying out the entire concept to the dwarf. “I have my reservations about this whole thing—sincerely, I do—but that ghost…man, it knows some shit. I don’t trust it—not really—but I trust the information it has.”

“Yeah?” Alpha wondered, scratching at his beard. “You think it’s real?”

“I don’t know,” Saban said, and I watched as he mirrored Alpha’s body language—man, this was some high-level manipulation I was watching. “But, I know that the wall isn’t going to be finished anytime soon with the level of labor we have here—I mean, Mason is our only real builder, right? Everyone else is just sort of…there.”

“Yeah…” Alpha said. “Who’d have thought that limp-wristed—”

“It would definitely speed up the process, though,” Saban interrupted, diplomatically keeping Alpha from continuing from his insufferably bigoted talking points. “Like, he was telling me about it…and I don’t know, man…”

“What?” Alpha wondered.

“I think there’s more that could be done with it than even this supposed ‘Dreadnaught Lord’ can even conceptualize.”

I watched him twist the screw.

“I thought to myself, ‘I’ll bet Alpha can think of some ways to use this that he isn’t even mentioning.’”

“Heh, yeah, I probably could,” Alpha said, nodding. “Like…you say it’ll keep us warm? Well, that’s one step away from ensuring people want to stay! If they want to keep staying warm they’re going to be more likely to comply with all the other shit we’ll need them to do.”

“See! That’s what I’m talking about, my guy,” Saban lied. “You get it. And this was mentioned so casually, too! But I couldn’t let it go, you know? It seemed like such a good opportunity. The ghost doesn’t even know what kind of information he’s sitting on.”

It was impressive to me to see this side of Saban. He was absolutely, completely, one-hundred percent bamboozling this shithead and the guy had no idea. It was also interesting, because he talked…differently, when speaking to Alpha. I wasn’t sure if it was accurate to say so, but the Saban from before—back in the old world—had talked about the necessity of ‘code switching.’ Or IWB, as he called it—interacting while black. It was more than just talk, though. Code switching was something he described as a tool for navigating racial bias back home. Saban's speech wasn't merely casual or formal—it was clever, multifaceted. A kind of social camouflage.

Now, here in this new world, racial dynamics were a whole different ball game—more based around what I’d probably have referred to as ‘species,’ rather than straight up ‘race’ as I understood it. But still, Saban’s knack for shifting his communication style was as effective as ever. His 'code' may have changed, but the 'switch' remained the same.

In front of Alpha, Saban had slipped effortlessly into a different version of himself. He played the part of the persuader, a voice of wisdom and reassurance, and he did it convincingly. The slight change in his accent, the reassuring word choices—they were subtly different from how he spoke when we were alone.

And the most impressive thing? Alpha didn't suspect a thing. He just nodded along, taking Saban's words at face value, oblivious to the skillful act playing out before him.

“Yeah…yeah, alright,” Alpha said, nodding. “You think this is something that would help us?”

“It definitely wouldn’t hurt us,” Saban said with a shrug. “I think I can get a group together that would be perfect for this.”

“And who are you thinking? That…uh…Rua…person, obviously,” he said, as if he was now trying to make sure he didn’t fuck something up with Saban by saying the wrong thing.

“I was thinking Rua, actually,” Saban said. “Rua has that navigation Ability. It’ll really cut down on the time spent searching if she’s along for the ride. I was also thinking that Veruca should go, because—”

“Weird bitch?” Alpha interjected. “What? Why? She sucks.”

“Because she’s part of your inner circle now, isn’t she? Or did I misread that?”

“Well…” Alpha said, and I could tell he didn’t want to admit his loyalty metrics were lower than they actually were. “Yeah, I think she’s coming around.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Saban said. “You’ve got to have people you can trust. So then we should also send Dragoon.”

“Huh?” Alpha asked. “Dragoon’s not loyal to me.”

“I think you might be surprised by that,” Saban said. “He speaks pretty highly of you. Guy was a soldier in the previous world—not sure if you knew that. He appreciates someone who takes charge.”

“I think I knew that…” Alpha said, nodding. “Yeah, it makes sense. He never really argues, just does what he’s assigned.”

“See? Good leadership is going to win him over,” Saban continued.

I knew for a fact that this was all bullshit. Veruca despised Alpha—she hadn’t been mysterious about that. I wasn’t sure what Dragoon’s deal was, but he definitely didn’t strike me as the type to just fall into line. But, I suppose whatever got Alpha to agree was worth the lie. Honestly, it was impressive how effortlessly Saban was able to drop into this mode. He was a lot more conniving than I ever took him for. Back when we were kids, he’d always been the one to talk me out of a bad idea—and I assumed it was because he was always more interested in the greater good. Was that what he was doing now? Lying to push some greater good forth into our camp? Maybe. It had been years since we’d actually been friends, so it was just as possible that Saban had developed into someone that did whatever they needed to survive.

“Then, of course, the ghost needs to go—he’s apparently the only one who knows how to open the secret passageway. Which means that Loon will have to—”

“No,” Alpha said seriously. “Not him. I don’t want to use any plan that involves him having the possibility to fuck shit up for us.”

My heart jumped. Of course he wouldn’t want me to go. That would be the stupidest thing on the planet to let me go on this—and I didn’t blame him. It wasn’t a secret that I wanted that dude dead. How was Saban going to play this?

“Yeah…” Saban said. “No, I agree with you. He and I know each other from before, and he’s basically going to be the biggest obstacle to this going properly. Loon’s definitely out.”

Um…fucking what?

That was it? I wasn’t involved? Just like that. I was getting ready to leap out of the bushes and just kill Alpha, but then I stopped.

“The only reason I brought him up is because he’s not really integral to the projects going on, right?” Saban said. “So, I was going to suggest…myself.”

What the fuck? Himself? Was that his plan all along?

“You want to go?” Alpha asked, looking shocked. I felt like I probably had the same expression on my face right now that the dumbass dwarf did.

“No, not really,” Saban said thoughtfully. “But, it kind of has to be me, right? You can’t go—obviously—since you have to be here at the camp. You could send Dalton, but then we’d have to find someone else to do the general management of the camp, right? I could do that, but that’s less time I can spend on leading the wall construction. Which has to be priority number one.”

“Right,” Alpha said stupidly.

“That means you’ll have to be in charge of that, probably. I don’t think we can trust anyone else to do it.”

Alpha seemed to balk at that.

“This is starting to sound like a lot of work,” he said. “Can’t we just have Leon or Branston?”

Leon and Branston were two of his chums from our previous life. Leon was specced as some kind of hunter class that I didn’t know for sure what it was called, and Branston was a straight-up tank. Big, strong, and, to be frank, not that bright. But they were Alpha's loyal lackeys. They wouldn't question him, which made them the perfect candidates for him.

"Leon or Branston could work, but there are issues with both of them," Saban pointed out. "Leon's skills are pretty indispensable when it comes to keeping us fed. He's the best hunter we have, and if he's gone on this expedition, who's going to fill that gap? Especially with Rua going along, already."

Alpha scratched his beard, contemplating this. He seemed to be understanding the problem, which was good. One point to Saban.

"And Branston, well, Branston's the cornerstone of your defense line. Without him on the frontline, anything could happen, and then what? We'd be inviting all kinds of threats."

Alpha frowned, clearly disliking this scenario.

"You have a point there. But then who?" he asked, frustration clear in his voice.

Saban, ever the diplomat, spread his hands in a gesture of peace.

"That's why I'm suggesting I go. It's a good fit, and I don't have any major tasks that can't be reassigned. Plus, I can guarantee to you that I'll get this job done. You know you can trust me. It’ll probably make the wall project take a bit longer, but, considering this long shot, we should be back in time to ensure that’s not a worry."

“Should?” Alpha echoed him.

“Well, yeah,” Saban said, all smiles. “Without someone who can properly use stealth, apparently it’s going to be an uphill battle.”

He gestured at his armaments.

“I have a lot of confidence in my abilities, but…that ain’t one of ‘em, you know? So it’ll be a little slower going. That’s why, as much as I didn’t like the prospect, I was initially suggesting Loon. He’s got stealth, but he’s also not vital to our rebuilding efforts. But, honestly, that’s fine. He’d probably just get killed, anyway. You’ll have to become more involved in his day-to-day since I’ll be gone, but—”

“Fuck, this is a headache,” Alpha said, shaking his head. “I don’t want to deal with that fucking moron any more than I already have to—it’s bad enough when you’re able to talk some sense into him.”

He sighed.

“If he gets killed, he gets killed, so…sure, send him. You’ll stay though—I need the wall completed.”

“You’re sure?” Saban asked, feigning concern. “I don’t mind going if—”

“I’m sure,” Alpha said. “This whole thing sounds like its just going to be a death march anyways—so, if they fail…meh, whatever. Our current plans are most critical.”

“Alright…” Saban said, not sounding entirely convinced, but there was something about his expression that made me think this was exactly what he planned to have go down.

“I’ll go tell them,” Alpha said, preparing to leave.

“Actually,” Saban said quickly. “It’ll sound better coming from me, I think. Loon trusts me, so if I am the one to bring it up, he’ll be much more likely to go along with it. You show up, and—let’s be honest—it’ll probably turn into an argument.”

Alpha seemed to pause for a second, chewing over Saban's suggestion.

"Yeah... alright," he agreed, scratching at his beard. "You go ahead and tell them."

"Thanks, Alpha. I appreciate it," Saban said with a nod, before Alpha turned and started heading back towards the camp.

As I watched them part ways, I felt a strange whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Saban had managed to change the game entirely.

Seeing him in action was enlightening, to say the least. Not only had he convinced Alpha that sending me on this fucked up cannonball run was the best course of action, he’d also managed to spin it in a way that placed me as a dispensable asset, a low risk sacrifice. He managed to plant his own ideas into Alpha’s head, and allowed Alpha to feel like he was the one making the decisions. It was a delicate balancing act of power and control, one that Saban was clearly experienced in navigating. It was like a masterclass.

Looking back at Saban as he walked away from Alpha, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. Sure, he had been a good friend years ago—my best friend, in fact, and I had always known he was smart. But seeing him now, adapting and thriving in this new reality, made me realize just how much he had changed, and how far he’d come.

But there was another part of me that found all of that a little unsettling. I had to wonder how much I’d actually missed before arriving. It was a little scary. Was he really batting for my side, or was this all part of some larger game?

Congratulations! You’ve raised a Skill!

Insight had advanced to E-Rank Level 7!