The Lustful Villain: Every Milfs and Gilfs are Mine!

Gelion appeared to consider this framing.

"The monitoring network interface points were unsecured," Gelion said. "Using those unsecured monitoring network points was the best way to gather information from the surface without sending people into a high-risk area."

"You were spying on that fucking stupid Mordecai’s own network from inside his kingdom," Rex said.

"Intelligence gathering," Gelion said, and the difference he saw between the two frames was real to him.

"And the second-stratum personnel you brought through the threshold?" Rex said.

"The second-stratum civilization’s contact window required a surface-adjacent operational position," Gelion said. "The Underlayer represented the appropriate staging ground."

"Mordecai’s kingdom was already the most developed infrastructure in the accessible strata."

"That’s why you used it," Rex said.

"Without asking," Gelion added, as if he were confirming a fact instead of admitting a problem.

’What...? So it was this fucking slimy son of a bitch?’

He looked at Rex. "You used another faction’s infrastructure, ran intelligence operations inside their network, and coordinated a retrieval mission that sent surface-side teams into conflict with an exploration group. You now think that sequence of decisions was operationally efficient."

"The outcomes were handled," Gelion said. "The surface team that ran into our search pattern didn’t get hurt badly, and the suppression workings were set up to make sure that no one died."

"Two people from that team have been inside the canyon network for two days," Rex said.

"The cave system has viable exit routes," Gelion said. "If they remain inside, the choice is theirs."

"Alternatively, they could be injured, making the choice unavailable to them," Rex said.

"That remains within the possible range of outcomes," Gelion said.

Rex stared at him.

The longer the conversation continued, the more evident it became that Gelion’s confidence was not that of arrogance but rather stemmed from having constructed an exceptionally detailed mental image of the situation.

He acted on this image without fully contemplating the possibility that it could be incorrect. His assurance resembled that of a perfectionist who had confused being right with being precise.

"The Academy’s expedition team," Rex said, "is going into that canyon system tomorrow morning."

"Nine members are involved in this operation."

"The second-stratum retrieval team remains active within the system and has already shown a willingness to confront surface teams that interfere with their search efforts."

"You intended to utilize the presence of the Academy team in the primary approach as a cover for a secondary shaft insertion."

"The distraction element was operationally sound," Gelion said. "A group assembled specifically for extraction capability in that terrain would draw monitoring attention to the primary approach and leave the secondary access unobserved."

"You were going to use them as bait," Rex said.

"As a distraction element," Gelion said. "There’s a meaningful distinction."

"There are people on that team who are important for our future plans," Rex said. "This is in ways that are not accounted for within your operational model."

"I’m aware that subjective attachment to specific individuals is a significant feature of surface-native human cognition," Gelion said. "I’m not dismissing the relevance of that feature."

"I’m noting that in the operational context, its presence does not change the parameters of the retrieval mission."

For a moment, Rex was quiet.

Most of the people in the hall were reading the silence correctly. It was the kind of silence that came before a big change in the room’s mood.

"You’ve been in the Underlayer for fourteen months," Rex said. "In fourteen months, you built an intelligence network, coordinated a multi-stratum contact operation, and developed a retrieval mission for an artifact that affects the dimensional stability of the Underlayer’s boundary."

"And in all of that time, the thing that you never did was come to that motherfucker Mordecai’s council and say, ’This is what I’m doing, this is what I’ve found, this is what I need.’"

"Mordecai’s council’s decision-making patterns are not well-suited to operational urgency," Gelion said.

"So you decided to operate around them instead of with them," Rex said.

"That’s right," Gelion said. "That was the correct decision given the observed council performance."

"And those surface-side people who don’t live in the Underlayer," Rex said, "you’ve decided they have no standing in how this operation runs."

"Their interests are not aligned with the Underlayer’s long-term stability," Gelion said. "The contact strategy serves the Underlayer’s integration with the surface over a generational timeline."

"Surface-side individuals operating within a single lifespan’s priorities are not the relevant stakeholder group for decisions at that scale."

There was a sound in the hall. It wasn’t a loud noise. About forty people took a deep breath at the same time after thinking about what Gelion had just said and realizing what it would do.

Rex stared at Gelion for a long time before saying, "Say that again," in a voice that was completely calm.

Gelion seemed to check over what he had said and decide that it was true. "People on the surface who don’t have a permanent stake in the future of the Underlayer are not the right stakeholder group."

"You’re probably one of those people, actually," Gelion added. "No offense intended."

"That’s just an accurate description of your position in this situation... The Lustful Villain, who came out of nowhere and didn’t even stay for one or two days in the Underlayer."

"Like... what are you doing actually?! Wouldn’t it be better just to end all of those surface sides where we, the ones who live in the underlayer, can actually take over the surface without wasting any more time by waiting for your fucking plan!"

Rex stayed silent, but both of his fists were already shaking with rage.

Gelion continued, apparently reading the silence as an invitation to clarify. "You came down here because... PROBABLY... people you know are in the canyon system."

"That’s what you called a personal motivation! And of course... personal motivations are legitimate, but they’re not the same as a structural stake in what happens to this place over the next several hundred years!"

"Dude... face the fact, yo! You don’t fucking live here and you don’t fucking operate MUCH in here!"

"Don’t act like you are the main thing that’s happening for the underlayer! Some of us are reincarnators here, and each of us has a different purpose to make the underlayer relevant!"

"You’re going to resolve whatever brought you down here and then go back to the surface, and when you do, the Underlayer will still be here with the same problems it had before you arrived."

"Face the fact! You’re no main character, and we are no main characters either, so we do whatever the fuck we want by not being someone else’s bitch!"

Mordecai was bathing in his sweat, hearing Gelion start saying something that he should’ve not said to Rex. "Uh, Gelion, I think you should—"

Gelion shouted while pointing at him. "SHUT YO BITCH ASS UP, MORDY!"

"Now, now, mask guy. I don’t mean that as an insult," Gelion said. "That’s just the operational reality of your position."

Rex looked at him.

"I want to be precise about this," Gelion said, "because I think you’re interpreting my assessment as dismissive, and it isn’t."

"You clearly have the ability to handle difficult situations. For instance, the way you revived those dead demons and created chaos in the capital was impressive. It demonstrated your efficiency and instinctive understanding of the dynamics at play."

"Well... I’m not saying you’re not competent."

"I’m saying that competence at the individual level doesn’t translate to structural authority over a long-term multi-stratum operation. Those are two different things."

"Are you done yapping all of that shit?" Rex said.

"I’m trying to make sure we’re communicating clearly here, not yapping," Gelion said. "Because I think part of the friction in this conversation is coming from the fact that you’re used to being the most capable person in a given situation, and in most surface-side contexts, being the most capable person in the room means you have decision-making authority."

"That’s a reasonable heuristic for the surface, and of course... it doesn’t apply here, son."

"Like... who do you think you are?! LIKE!! WHO IS BROOOOO?!"

Rex repeated, "It doesn’t apply here."

"The scale is different," Gelion said. "What I’m managing is a contact operation between the surface and a second-stratum civilization that has been in isolation for approximately three thousand years."

"The dimensional stability implications alone are outside the scope of what a single surface-native actor can meaningfully evaluate."

"I’m not saying that to put you down. I’m saying it because it’s true, and I think you’re the kind of person who responds better to accurate information than to reassurance."

"The fuck are you even yapping about?! You’ve known me for," Rex said, "eleven minutes."

"I’ve been running intelligence on the surface for fourteen months," Gelion said. "I’ve read a significant amount of secondary data on individuals who interact with the Academy’s senior operations."

"You came up in that data in a limited capacity."

"Oh yeah, key word there..." Rex said. "Limited."

"Peripheral," Gelion said, and the word came out with the specific tone of someone who genuinely believed they were being helpful by being honest. "Not central."

"You appear in connection to individuals who are more directly involved in the main developments."

"Sable. The situation on the northern coast. The dimensional irregularities in the upper strata. You’re linked to those issues, but you’re not the focus of them."

"Like I just said earlier... you’re not him!"

"You’re not the main thing here, son!"