Just a Phase [Worm]

[RogueInquisitor]

Backstage:

"Well, that was a disaster," groaned Weld.

"And whose fault is that, oh fearless leader?" Snapped Connie, her frustration evident.

"Hey, don't look at me," said Weld defensively, "it wasn't my idea. I was told to call on Taylor, and I assumed she had been briefed with a softball question or two, maybe about experiences with bullying as a Case 53."

All eyes turned to the PR coordinator, who wilted under the intense glares of the assembled Wards. "Taylor wasn't briefed. We expected she'd be uncooperative, and didn't want to give her hours to come up with the most damaging question she could think of. Given the damage she did off the cuff, I stand by that decision."

Weld sighed. "So you dropped the ball, cornered her, and got outplayed by a teenager making it up on the spot. Wonderful."

"In the interest of learning from todays disaster," interjected Roulette, "why don't we go do these events at schools that actually have bullying problems?"

The coordinator snorted dismissively. "To avoid outbursts like that. I'm with PR, not Health and Social Services. The logistics are also easier to arrange for the school you actually attend, but that's minor in comparisson."

Stunned silence greeted this cynical admission, only to be interrupted by Lily bursting in. "Taylor just took off, and I don't think she's going home."

 

[DrWhoFan13]

Taylor just got took off

Click to shrink...

It's "just took off", there's no got here.

 

[KingCrimson1081]

Stunned silence greeted this cynical admission, only to be interrupted by Lily bursting in. "Taylor just got took off, and I don't think she's going home."

Click to shrink...

Well Lily you are correct about Taylor not going back home it is in Brockton Bay after all, but she will proabably show back up at Protectorate HQ once she has taken a day or two to cool off so long as no one tries anything.

Also you might want to at FirstSelector in the omake if you want it thread marked.

 

[RogueInquisitor]

Well Lily you are correct about Taylor not going back home it is in Brockton Bay after all, but she will proabably show back up at Protectorate HQ once she has taken a day or two to cool off so long as no one tries anything.

Also you might want to at FirstSelector in the omake if you want it thread marked.

Click to shrink...

Lily is referring to PRT HQ when she says 'home,' because that's where Taylor lives now. The fact the bus wasn't heading that way is very worrying.

 

[KingCrimson1081]

Lily is referring to PRT HQ when she says 'home,' because that's where Taylor lives now. The fact the bus wasn't heading that way is very worrying.

Click to shrink...

Yeah I know I was just pointing out that Lily considers the Protectorate 'home' while Taylor clearly considers it anything but 'home'.

All eyes turned to the PR coordinator, who wilted under the intense glares of the assembled Wards. "Taylor wasn't briefed. We expected she'd be uncooperative, and didn't want to give her hours to come up with the most damaging question she could think of. Given the damage she did off the cuff, I stand by that decision."

Click to shrink...

Well if you actually tried to brief her about it she would have just refused and your current fuck up wouldn't have happened.

 

[Nikas_Zekeval]

"In the interest of learning from todays disaster," interjected Roulette

Click to shrink...

Debrief:

Armstrong knew he would never trigger. Because Kamil hadn't spontaneously gained the ability to choke the PR Coordinator from across the briefing room table.

"So, as an opener, did you or did you not read Phase's file? Specifically the parts related to how severely she was bullied in her prior school? A bullying campaign so severe she Triggered?" Armstrong was surprised. By rights he should be thundering to shake the room and have Gauss physically restrain him from leaping over the table to manually strangle the woman in front of him. Instead his words were measured and his tone level. Later he would reflect the outward calm probably emboldened her to say something so stupid.

"Of course I did. That was the point, to get a real response out of her for both the event and to help her connect with her fellow Wards!" Karen actually looked affronted, and left Armstrong momentarily speechless.

Gauss was quick to pick up the slack, "So, your brilliant idea was to ambush a girl that has been socially and physically bullied by putting her, her pain, and her FUCKING TRIGGER on the spot, in public, using our Wards to do it?!"

Karen nodded, "Of course, now that she's opened up to her fellow Wards, I'm sure she'll get over her hangups and get with the program."

Armstrong had to quickly grab Gauss from launching over the table, "YOU FUCKING IDIOT! YOU COULDN'T HAVE DRIVEN HER FURTHER FROM OUR WARDS IF ACCORD HANDED YOU A PLAN TO DO IT!"

Karen backed up, looking around and the lack of support drove home just how little support her brainwave had.

After making sure Gauss wasn't going to beat this woman to death, however satisfying, Armstrong took control of the meeting. "Your words show you have no business being near a Ward. Don't worry about clearing out your desk. As of right now you are to be checked for Master Influence. Should it turn out this level of stupidity is all you? Then we'll consider charges for endangering a Ward's civilian identity."

Karen looked confused as two PRT troopers grabbed her arms, "Risking her identity? I just had Weld pick her out of a question!"

Gauss glared at the woman, "You had Weld pick out Phase straight away, one of the few people not trying to get his attention. That has already been noted and commented on. Your former colleagues are doing overtime to spin this. We are probably going to have to have Weld go out and look like an ass. Apologize and say given the subject matter he picked a shy looking student and didn't mean for things to get this emotionally raw. Which the Youth Guard is going to love, with them already incensed over your PR stunt targeting Phase."

After the former PR Coordinator was escorted out, O'Hannon turned to Armstrong. "We are going to have to send the Wards out on more of these anti-bullying campaigns, to schools where they are lower income and have significant problems. Because Phase just publicly called us out, and not doing it will tell everyone she was right."

Armstrong rubbed his face with a hand, "and it isn't going to have as much impact, because everyone will know we are doing it because we were called out. And that not doing it is worse. SHIT."

Gauss sighed, "And the Wards aren't going to like or trust your people for a good while O'Hannon. That woman just showed them they can't trust PR to have their backs. That is going to be a long time to rebuild for the entire team, not just Phase."

O'Hannon nodded, "I know, I got an all hands meeting after this to drive that point home. Fuck a duck, this probably damaged PR the least with Phase, only because she doesn't trust any of us at all."

Yeah I know I was just pointing out that Lily considers the Protectorate 'home' while Taylor clearly considers it anything but 'home'.

Click to shrink...

"Keep your shirt on Warden, I mean Weld. I made it back in time for the nightly bed check."

 

[KingCrimson1081]

Your former colleagues are doing overtime to spin this. We are probably going to have to have Weld go out and look like an ass. Apologize and say given the subject matter he picked a shy looking student and didn't mean for things to get this emotionally raw.

Click to shrink...

"Extra! Extra! Wards leader admits to profiling at local highschool."

Yeah Weld isn't gonna have a good time due to this, especially since he already has to deal with the whole negative impact of being a case 53.

Fuck a duck, this probably damaged PR the least with Phase, only because she doesn't trust any of us at all."

Click to shrink...

They say you can't get any deeper than you already are but then someone found a shovel.

 

[RogueInquisitor]

Yeah I know I was just pointing out that Lily considers the Protectorate 'home' while Taylor clearly considers it anything but 'home'.

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Taylor moving to Boston was not a temporary situation. Taylor and Danny are probably the only people to consider Brocton Bay to be Taylor's home, and I'm not too sure about Danny.

Well if you actually tried to brief her about it she would have just refused and your current fuck up wouldn't have happened

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I think by this point the PR department thinks that Taylor is actively malicious, and if briefed, would agree, then use the time to brainstorm the most damaging things she could possibly say. There is also the issue that this entire event was mostly to target Taylor, and show her "hey, we take bullying seriously. You can trust us to tackle this issue which is important to you." This is also a message they need Taylor to engage with them over, not just have it shouted at her and ignored, and handing her a script doesn't really accomplish that.

 

[Rymu]

Given all the shit that BB has ruined for Taylor, I feel like the only thing left for her there is her mother's grave and nothing resembling anything as grand as a home.

 

[Nikas_Zekeval]

I think by this point the PR department thinks that Taylor is actively malicious, and if briefed, would agree, then use the time to brainstorm the most damaging things she could possibly say. There is also the issue that this entire event was mostly to target Taylor, and show her "hey, we take bullying seriously. You can trust us to tackle this issue which is important to you." This is also a message they need Taylor to engage with them over, not just have it shouted at her and ignored, and handing her a script doesn't really accomplish that.

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*golf clap*

Doing a wonderful job of it, ambushing Taylor in public and airing all her dirty laundry. And deservedly getting mule kicked in the balls for it.

Really they shouldn't have been talking to lawyers and PR flacks. They should have been talking to psychologists, crisis councilors, and hostage negotiators.

Taylor's biggest issue is No One Is Listening To Her. Which is her bullying and Triggering all again. Par for the canon material, like in the first interlude where Gauss and Armstrong can only see keeping her safe as making her a fully branded and operational Ward. Which simply confirms Taylor's cynicism that the Protectorate, PRT, and Wards give a damn about her because she is now a cape. That she is potentially useful to them now, rather than before when she was an unpowered civilian.

Because I doubt they were subtle about that attitude at first, and that is also an attitude that filters down the ranks and probably permeates the whole organization. Not a thing that will endear Taylor to them.

Actually to make it worse for the Wards and PRT? One person is listening to Taylor right now. Jim her Youth Guard Rep. Which is why Taylor broke down crying when he didn't blow off Emma messaging her over official channels and using Taylor's real first name in that message. He didn't call it 'a mistake' or 'you are blowing this out of proportion', like Nebula did, and Armstrong and Gauss did by accepting Taylor over her own vocal rejections.

To quote Ender's Game? "For officers we need volunteers." By not getting Taylor's buy in at the start? Or at least dialing back the pressure and let her basically couch surf in the Ward's area with no pressure to actually get into a costume? Armstrong found out too late he needs that buy in well after the point he can easily get it, if he can get it at all.

 

[KingCrimson1081]

I think by this point the PR department thinks that Taylor is actively malicious, and if briefed, would agree, then use the time to brainstorm the most damaging things she could possibly say.

Click to shrink...

Taylor only gets malicious when they force her to participate if given the option she would rather not take part. She starts getting malicious when it is mandatory.

There is also the issue that this entire event was mostly to target Taylor, and show her "hey, we take bullying seriously. You can trust us to tackle this issue which is important to you." This is also a message they need Taylor to engage with them over, not just have it shouted at her and ignored, and handing her a script doesn't really accomplish that.

Click to shrink...

Yeah but instead all it shows her that they are only doing this for her, aka they are only doing this because she is potentially useful for them and that they wouldn't even bother with a sprry if she was just a normal civilian.

 

[Vanbers]

They say you can't get any deeper than you already are but then someone found a shovel.

Click to shrink...

"Well, at least we can't dig ourselves any deeper."

Earth Bet: "Good news everyone! I just had a Tinker specialising in Shovels trigger!"

Also, I remain amazed that this story concept is still good enough to keep a thread on life support for literal months. Last update was in July.

Not a complaint, I love the omakes and the core idea of the story, but still, neat to see.

 

[RogueInquisitor]

Taylor's biggest issue is No One Is Listening To Her.

Click to shrink...

And the PRTs biggest issue is Taylor Isn't Listening To Them. Any attempt to reach out, build bridges, etc., Taylor at best ignores, and at worst takes as an attack.

To quote Ender's Game? "For officers we need volunteers." By not getting Taylor's buy in at the start? Or at least dialing back the pressure and let her basically couch surf in the Ward's area with no pressure to actually get into a costume? Armstrong found out too late he needs that buy in well after the point he can easily get it, if he can get it at all.

Click to shrink...

Armstrong actually did try to get Taylor's buy-in from the start. The problem was, Piggot needed to be the one to do it, and by the time Armstrong got involved, it was too late.

 

[Nikas_Zekeval]

And the PRTs biggest issue is Taylor Isn't Listening To Them. Any attempt to reach out, build bridges, etc., Taylor af best ignores, and at worst takes as an attack.

Click to shrink...

"Let's be friends!" is an old bullying trick, where the bully or an accomplice pretends to befriend the victim only to later use that confidence and lowered defenses against them. Emma played it on Taylor in canon as part of the escalation up to the Locker.

Given the lack of action taken against her tormentors, to the point of running her out of town? It is the PRT, and you, that is assuming a level of trust that is unearned. Taylor hears their words clearly, and that most 'help' and 'out reach' is steeped in the assumption of a payback of her becoming a Ward.

There was an article I read years ago, and a quote remains with me. "For much of the world the face of America and her foreign policy are the actions of some 19 year old Private with a rifle." A lesson on how a low level soldier's fuckup, and how a commander deals with them, can poison the relations with a guest nation's population and with that make or break a mission.

For Taylor? Those faces were Emma's and Sophia's. Piggot running her out of town rather than punishing her two Wards confirmed them as the 'real face of the Wards' to Taylor. Armstrong, Gauss, and Nebula basically patting her on the head and saying "There, there girly, I'm sure it couldn't have been that bad." just shows Taylor the rot spreads much further than Brockton Bay.

There is a reason Taylor didn't go to Weld, Gauss, or Armstrong when Emma messaged her. But instead went straight to the Youth Guard. The one adult she could file a complaint with that stood outside and some times antagonistically to the organization she was conscripted into by her father. That act flat out stated the deficit of trust between Taylor and the PRT.

 

[RogueInquisitor]

"Let's be friends!" is an old bullying trick, where the bully or an accomplice pretends to befriend the victim only to later use that confidence and lowered defenses against them. Emma played it on Taylor in canon as part of the escalation up to the Locker.

Given the lack of action taken against her tormentors, to the point of running her out of town? It is the PRT, and you, that is assuming a level of trust that is unearned. Taylor hears their words clearly, and that most 'help' and 'out reach' is steeped in the assumption of a payback of her becoming a Ward.

There was an article I read years ago, and a quote remains with me. "For much of the world the face of America and her foreign policy are the actions of some 19 year old Private with a rifle." A lesson on how a low level soldier's fuckup, and how a commander deals with them, can poison the relations with a guest nation's population and with that make or break a mission.

For Taylor? Those faces were Emma's and Sophia's. Piggot running her out of town rather than punishing her two Wards confirmed them as the 'real face of the Wards' to Taylor. Armstrong, Gauss, and Nebula basically patting her on the head and saying "There, there girly, I'm sure it couldn't have been that bad." just shows Taylor the rot spreads much further than Brockton Bay.

There is a reason Taylor didn't go to Weld, Gauss, or Armstrong when Emma messaged her. But instead went straight to the Youth Guard. The one adult she could file a complaint with that stood outside and some times antagonistically to the organization she was conscripted into by her father. That act flat out stated the deficit of trust between Taylor and the PRT.

Click to shrink...

I never said Taylor was wrong to distrust the PRT, I was just pointing out the refusal to communicate went both ways. As I pointed out, the actions that could have gotten Taylor's buy-in, punishing Emma and Sophia, is something Piggot had to do, and Armstrong isn't able to do.

Also, I'm pretty sure Armstrong and Gauss never said anything like "it couldn't have been that bad." They've been trying to say "you're not in Brockton Bay anymore, we aren't Emma and Sophia, please give us a chance." Now, Taylor has been, quite justifiably, utterly ignoring this. The PRT needs her to stop dismissing everything they say out of hand, but haven't found a legal way to do that.

As for her going to the Youth Guard, it wasn't just that they 'stand outside and sometimes antagonistically' to the PRT, it is also because they have one job: to represent and advocate for her interests. Gauss, Weld, and Armstrong clearly have other duties and obligations that, at least in Taylor's eyes, conflict with her interests. You will also note that Armstrong isn't so much frustrated by the fact Taylor is trusting and engaging with the Youth Guard, but by the fact she's still refusing to extend any of that trust and engagement his way.

 

[Highlord]

And the PRTs biggest issue is Taylor Isn't Listening To Them. Any attempt to reach out, build bridges, etc., Taylor af best ignores, and at worst takes as an attack.

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And just why the hell should Taylor be extending them any trust at all? They are the ones covering up the actions of their own to spare themselves any PR trouble. They are the ones that are so incompetent that they can't run herd on their own people. They are the ones responsible for everything that was done to Taylor, up to an including her trigger event.

Reach out? Build bridges? No. Fuck them and all they are. If the PRT was in any way, shape or form interested in acting honestly, they would have done so already. Coming down on Emma and Sophia would cause a PR bomb to go off and blacken the entirely unearned reputation and nonexistent good name of the PRT? Too fucking bad, they should have considered that before deliberately deciding that laws and even their own policies didn't apply to their own. Fuck them.

 

[The Dude]

We are probably going to have to have Weld go out and look like an ass. Apologize and say given the subject matter he picked a shy looking student and didn't mean for things to get this emotionally raw.

Click to shrink...

"Extra! Extra! Wards leader admits to profiling at local highschool."

Yeah Weld isn't gonna have a good time due to this, especially since he already has to deal with the whole negative impact of being a case 53.

Click to shrink...

Weld: "No."

PR Team: "What do you mean no?"

Weld: "No. En-oh. An adverb used to express refusal, denial, disbelief, emphasis, or disagreement. In my case, all of the above."

PR Team: "Don't be obtuse, that wasn't what I meant and you know it."

Weld: "After the stunt you just had me pull, which I am very much not happy about if that wasn't already clear, I didn't feel it was safe to assume. Especially given that you're now asking me to fall on my sword to cover up a mess you made."

 

[RogueInquisitor]

And just why the hell should Taylor be extending them any trust at all? They are the ones covering up the actions of their own to spare themselves any PR trouble. They are the ones that are so incompetent that they can't run herd on their own people. They are the ones responsible for everything that was done to Taylor, up to an including her trigger event.

Reach out? Build bridges? No. Fuck them and all they are. If the PRT was in any way, shape or form interested in acting honestly, they would have done so already. Coming down on Emma and Sophia would cause a PR bomb to go off and blacken the entirely unearned reputation and nonexistent good name of the PRT? Too fucking bad, they should have considered that before deliberately deciding that laws and even their own policies didn't apply to their own. Fuck them.

Click to shrink...

And how exactly would Armstrong come down on Emma and Sophia? He has no authority over them, he can't have them investigated, arrested, or charged, because they're outside his jurisdiction. What would you have him do that isn't also illegal?

 

[The Dude]

And how exactly would Armstrong come down on Emma and Sophia? He has no authority over them, he can't have them investigated, arrested, or charged, because they're outside his jurisdiction. What would you have him do that isn't also illegal?

Click to shrink...

Point is he's part of the PRT. Part of the same command structure as Piggot. The command structure that didn't do anything to stop what Piggot was pulling.

The bridge was already burned by the time he got involved, sure, but so far he's completely failed, and continues to fail, to demonstrate to Taylor he acknowledges and understands her very real, legitimate problems with being part of that command structure. Right now all she sees is that suddenly they're treating her nice now that she's useful to them, which is constantly reinforced by their constant attempts to get her to be a good little child soldier.

He may not be able to deal with Emma and Sophia directly, but he could offer mea culpa for the failures of the PRT as a whole that doesn't rely on shifting blame, a guarantee they'll back off on the manipulation and pressure they're trying to apply, and reassurances that the national PRT offices are going to be dealing with Piggot.

None of that will happen, of course, because the PRT as a whole really is every bit as bad as Taylor thinks they are.

 

[MovingTarget]

"Extra! Extra! Wards leader admits to profiling at local highschool."

Yeah Weld isn't gonna have a good time due to this, especially since he already has to deal with the whole negative impact of being a case 53.

They say you can't get any deeper than you already are but then someone found a shovel.

Click to shrink...

Breaking news, Girl looses the last bit of faith in the PRT that she didn't even know she still had

 

[RogueInquisitor]

he could offer mea culpa for the failures of the PRT as a whole that doesn't rely on shifting blame,

Click to shrink...

He and everyone he is actually responsible for are largely blameless here. The failures of the PRT are actually pretty specific to the ENE branch under Piggot. Maybe point out some specifics that can be actually laid at the feet of the Boston branch, and "letting Danny sign her up against her will," and "accepting her transfer from Brockton Bay" aren't on the list. Danny is responsible for his own stupidity, and I'm not sure PRT regulations would actually have allowed Armstrong to refuse.

a guarantee they'll back off on the manipulation and pressure they're trying to apply,

Click to shrink...

Frankly, I wouldn't make that promise, as given Taylor's clear paranoia, she's going to interpret some anodyne, benign gesture as some form of manipulation and pressure, and then she's convinced you've lied to her, with any attempts to explain or clarify just being more gaslighting.

and reassurances that the national PRT offices are going to be dealing with Piggot.

Click to shrink...

There is no way Armstrong actually has the pull to make that happen, and making that promise without any ability to follow through is probably worse than not making it at all.

My move would be, provided Taylor finishes out the month on tour duty without causing any more scandals, would be to take her off that. The time delay signals it isn't because she embarassed them the first time, while ending the tour duty shows they're willing to admit it wasn't working out. It certainly wouldn't address the majority of issues, but it would at least be a start they could later build on. At least a couple weeks later, or Taylor's going to consider that the other shoe dropping.

 

[Highlord]

And how exactly would Armstrong come down on Emma and Sophia? He has no authority over them, he can't have them investigated, arrested, or charged, because they're outside his jurisdiction. What would you have him do that isn't also illegal?

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He's a federal employee that knows his direct superior is dirty by dint of her not coming down on Piggot and the PRT ENE herself.

Ergo, he does what any federally empowered officer is supposed to do and head directly to either A) The FBI, since they are the Federal Agency empowered to investigate and even shut down other federal agencies, or B) Directly to Congress. AKA: The people Armstrong actually answers to. Just like Costacunt does when she's pretending to not be an enemy of the entire human race.

That Armstrong doesn't do either? That he hasn't blown the whistle, brought in the FBI and made a report to Congress on his agency's deliberate undermining of their very own mandate and the Rule of Law? Welcome to complicity, motherfucker. He has real, actionable, no-bullshit evidence of corruption in his own ranks and isn't doing shit. To the wall with him, right next to the rest.

But we all know that Costacunt and her retard brigade will use the wildebeast avatar to avoid that, proving Taylor right and again showing that she needs to use her power to either kill them all, destroy their agency, or preferably both.

 

[Ack]

And the PRTs biggest issue is Taylor Isn't Listening To Them. Any attempt to reach out, build bridges, etc., Taylor af best ignores, and at worst takes as an attack.

Armstrong actually did try to get Taylor's buy-in from the start. The problem was, Piggot needed to be the one to do it, and by the time Armstrong got involved, it was too late.

Click to shrink...

Here's the thing.

You seem to be suggesting that she owes them an attempt at communication.

She doesn't.

There is no form of communication she could employ to get what she is morally owed: a no-strings release from the Wards, and punishment for her tormentors.

Neither are the people who could set such things in motion even attempting to do so.

Therefore, she gets nothing out of cooperating (and doing so will allow them to assume she is okay with all this) so her only recourse is to be the grit in the gears until someone in a position of power finally bites the bullet and lets her go.

 

[Highlord]

Here's the thing.

You seem to be suggesting that she owes them an attempt at communication.

She doesn't.

There is no form of communication she could employ to get what she is morally owed: a no-strings release from the Wards, and punishment for her tormentors.

Neither are the people who could set such things in motion even attempting to do so.

Therefore, she gets nothing out of cooperating (and doing so will allow them to assume she is okay with all this) so her only recourse is to be the grit in the gears until someone in a position of power finally bites the bullet and lets her go.

Click to shrink...

They will never let her go, so her only real option is to do as much damage as possible while trying to burn them down before disappearing.

This actually applies to every man, woman and child in the nation. Contrary to what state-approved curriculum teaches, you, we, ow government and it's representatives absolutely nothing.

 

[Ack]

They will never let her go, so her only real option is to do as much damage as possible while trying to burn them down before disappearing.

This actually applies to every man, woman and child in the nation. Contrary to what state-approved curriculum teaches, you, we, ow government and it's representatives absolutely nothing.

Click to shrink...

That's not necessarily true.

Without government, we would not have access to libraries, fire departments, police departments, and highways. (And in Australia, like a lot of places, we get universal healthcare).

They organise these things so we don't have to.

 

[KingCrimson1081]

The thing is with the communication issue is that Taylor has shown to be willing to work with the Protectorate/PRT as an independent as shown with her going out as Ghost and her interactions with Nebula, so the PRT is aware that she won't go out and become a villain with her powers. Unfortunately it seems that the Protectorate/PRT doesn't see that scenario as good enough so they keep pressuring Taylor to join up, which is more likely to push her into actual villainy than anything else. Which defeats the whole purpose of the Wards program to help young parahumans deal with their trama and practice their powers in a safe environment among peers, and to keep them from falling down the slippery slope to villainy which is very easy to do considering canon Taylor and the state of Earth Bet in general.

 

[libertinlary]

That's not necessarily true.

Without government, we would not have access to libraries, fire departments, police departments, and highways. (And in Australia, like a lot of places, we get universal healthcare).

They organise these things so we don't have to.

Click to shrink...

I would gladly give it all up and far more to avoid the numerous injustices of the monopolists of violence that we call the state some of there crimes including but not limited to what's bellow

the spying on private citizens

the confiscation of personal property in-order to enrich government officials

The endless wars in country's on the other side of the world

the subverting and demonizing of our culture ,religions, economic systems ,and our vary lives in the name of some unknowable greater good

 

[Alucard 109]

There's some serious "we live in a society" vibes in the comments lately. There's more to all this than what's immediately in front of Taylor. Sure, saying that they should burn it all down because there's proof their coworkers is corrupt sounds nice, but then what? Everything is on fire, is what. Literally Noone benefits. Whoever does take the nuclear option is gonna have to convince themselves the pile of corpses left over is the moral high ground.

 

[Nikas_Zekeval]

There's some serious "we live in a society" vibes in the comments lately. There's more to all this than what's immediately in front of Taylor. Sure, saying that they should burn it all down because there's proof their coworkers is corrupt sounds nice, but then what? Everything is on fire, is what. Literally Noone benefits. Whoever does take the nuclear option is gonna have to convince themselves the pile of corpses left over is the moral high ground.

Click to shrink...

You are taking this to the extreme, and taking your side to the extreme ends in "Orders are Orders" and atrocities in the name of not rocking the boat.

Frankly there are times to metaphorically burn shit to the ground, because that is better than letting it fester. Right now it is one department, with a second one splattered for being morally complicit in the coverup. Even if their actions were technically legal.

Let's look at the two Wards teams for starters. Brockton Bay's is fucked. It goes to more than just Emma and Sophia here. Right now the rest? Know the kind of shit those two were allowed to get away with. And have to be wondering, "What if it was me they decide to turn into their next human stress ball?" and/or "Will I be hung out to dry on patrol because they left me alone to get their next hit of violence?"

Piggot shot the ENE Ward's team cohesion in the back of the head and didn't even have the courtesy to bury the body in a shallow grave. Just left it to rot in front of them.

The Boston Wards? Are learning all the 'joys' of having an unwilling conscript among them. Compounded by the fact that despite Taylor saying at several points "Two Wards tried to kill me!" they, and their adult superiors, don't seem to get how that affects Taylor's view of any Ward. It is like being thrown into a dog fighting pit, repeatedly, and then being told to live in a house of a dog lover, who has mostly the same breeds as what attacked you in that pit.

If you want Taylor to be a Protectorate Hero at all (realistically I think turning this around will take so long she'll be too old to be a Ward by then), you need to stop smashing her trauma buttons by shoving the Wards in her face and saying "Don't they look cute? Why won't you be friends with them?" And then move her out of the house.

In this story, that means getting Taylor off-base housing. She'd need an adult to watch her with that, but AFAICT her guardian of record in the PRT hasn't shown up 'on screen' and by the references only seems to have met her on the orientation day. Which has led to her giving the Wards some incredibly clueless advice of how to reach out to Taylor.

When this scandal breaks? The national level Wards program might have to metaphorically burn two departments, at least, to the ground just to contain the damage.

 

[libertinlary]

The longer the injustice festers the more the protectorate as a whole looks like a bunch of criminals