The telephone rang inside Archy’s office at The Golden Scarab. The voice on the other end belonged to a friend calling about a group of associates who had recently become a concern. One of those names sat within Archy’s own headquarters. Once the call ended, Archy summoned his Right Hand, @Bobby_Tweaks, and placed a familiar list on the desk between them.

The names on that list belonged to people they had agreed to keep under observation. They contributed little, avoided crew activities, and treated the headquarters as somewhere to collect protection rather than somewhere to earn their place. On the few occasions they spoke with the upper structure, their stories contained contradictions, distorted facts, and enough dishonesty to create further suspicion. They rarely acknowledged their fellow associates in the coffee shops, and Archy already knew that some of them would never be trusted with a button.

Archy and Bobby reviewed the list carefully. Decisions had already been made regarding two of the names, and instructions had been sent out. As they were discussing another name, the person unexpectedly appeared for the first time in quite a while and began questioning Archy’s actions. Archy initially regarded the questions as ordinary concern, but the conversation soon became an attempt to play ignorant about people the associate clearly considered friends. That was when the decision became simple.
If your loyalty lies with people who have become a danger to this House, then you are free to follow them. You cannot remain beneath our roof while concealing where your loyalty truly lies, particularly after contributing nothing toward its foundations.

The decisions were followed by hate letters, accusations, and several new titles apparently invented to shame Archy. Some even declared him the most hated person in the country. Archy found the claim amusing. The reaction did little more than confirm the concerns that had already been raised. Such conduct had no place within The House of Scarab and honestly, the opinion of one person, or even one angry group, does not represent every citizen walking these streets. More importantly, those who worked to build this House understand why suspicious associates cannot be allowed to hide behind their efforts.

I have said before on these very streets that I would rather be respected than loved or feared. Affection based on benefits disappears quickly when a decision contradicts somebody’s desires, and the reaction to this situation has demonstrated that clearly enough. I will not apologize for putting this House before the approval of people who never lifted a finger for it. Call me whatever you wish. Protecting those who earned their place beside me will always matter more than pleasing those who merely expected shelter beneath our roof.