[center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/Z4tbhP3.png[/img] [color=FireBrick][h3]Captain Piper[/h3][/color] [color=FireBrick]Level[/color]: 2 [color=FireBrick]day/time[/color]: day 3 - evening [color=FireBrick]Location[/color]: Forest of Skyrim [color=FireBrick]Word count[/color]: 547 [color=FireBrick]Interacting with[/color]: [@Zarkun], [@Holy Soldier], [@Mattchstick], [@Lugubrious] [/center] At least Ruben wasn't threatening to shoot them for insubordination, and he was actually thinking about the situation rather than being a yes man, but aside from those two points he was living up to all her worst expectations. She was forced to admit that his comments were accurate when it came to them being outgunned and not splitting up the party was generally a sound plan, but his dismissal of Azura’s abilities was narrow minded in her opinion, and his comment about “orders are orders” was simply despicable. [color=FireBrick]”Stick with that attitude and one day soon you’ll find yourself faced with a decision, to do what's right or to do what you are told.[/color] She warned him, speaking entirely from experience. When she had reached that threshold she had deserted the royal space force rather than being tricked into bomb civilians. When the day came for Ruben to face his own crisis of loyalty she hoped he chose what he should do over what he was meant to do. If he had not failed that test already that is, she did not know the man, nor his history, so perhaps he was already long past the moral event horizon due to thoughtless obedience. The boss continued the trend of brushing off Azura’s abilities, like they hadn't even felt them. [color=FireBrick]Had they even felt that power?[/color] She could say. As for his reasoning for not sending her, it was the most self serving reason for ‘protecting’ someone that you could conceive. The way this was shaping up the prediction she had given Ruben might come true all to soon. While vent laid out the other potential consequences of ignoring the call Piper mulled over her options. Mutiny was out of the question, with the odds beng at best three vs two any violent confrontation involved would cripple their already limited firepower, and she suspected that her taking over leadership of the team would clash with the local’s fear of the steel gods. They might think her some kind of infiltrator, spy or saboteur and that would no doubt end messily. There was another option, one she was very familiar with that would let them go through with it without the boss having the horror of responsibility resting on his shoulders. She avoided joining in with the trading of barbed words, despite the various degrees of prejudice displayed against robots it contained. It was becoming clear, at least in Pipers opinion, that this team, mission and situation where all rapidly becoming unsalvageable. If it was just the boss they could have all simply ignored him. However, with Ruben mindlessly backing him up the opposition’s resolve seemed to be rapidly crumbling, Azura falling in line while Vent more or less walked out on it all to bring Ulfric into the mess. That, she suspected, would likely kill any potential for future insubordination or arguing with the boss lest they damage relations with their new allies. Though she suspected rejecting the call might be worse in that regard. As Vent turned to catch up with Ulfric she put her rather simple plan into motion, striding after and then overtaking him with a simple, meaningless [color=FireBrick]”Right then”[/color]. when she reached Ulfric she asked him: [color=FireBrick]”So, what's the way to the fortress.”[/color]