Swamped

"Had you spoken with Ash much before then?"

"Well, when he made corporal, I had a few missions under him. He was good at keeping calm in a fight. Smart fellow, too. Taught me some combat tactics I wouldn't have thought of myself." He sighs. "Of course, that sort of thing is how he got a reputation for being underhanded, too. But he's not a cruel man. Sure, he might be willing to go further than Captain Long. Maybe even Captain Burgundy. But he wouldn't do it lightly, not if there was an alternative."

"What about as a sergeant?" you ask.

"Well, I didn't talk to him much after he was promoted until I made sergeant, too. And even then, it's mostly been policy talk. He's not very social. Takes his job real seriously, though."

Hmm. You're getting a rough sense of why he's supporting Ash already, but you want to delve into the details. Where should you try to lead this?