The Griffin

[Anonymoose]

Let me out of topic for a bit, and correct you again that Varis was open with his objection against the Meteor project. Gaius seems to be the one who secretly opposed it, with all his backstabbing back then.

I think a distinction just needs to be made between voice and action, in which case "secretly opposed" is still inadequate, I agree.

First, a citation to match your own:

We believe a number of high-ranking figures within the royal household were against the decision, but that they knew better than to oppose the Emperor openly. Of course, this didn't prevent them from making clandestine provisions, in which Roaille played a part.

A man who outranks van Baelsar, yet opposed the late emperor's decision to annihilate Eorzea... This could only be the former high legatus of the Garlean Army, now known as Emperor Varis zos Galvus.

A rephrasing: The Emperor supported Meteor and ordered that it be carried out. Gaius openly opposed it, but follows the orders. Varis vocally disagreed with it, but secretly attempted to undermine it. Publicly the two appeared similar, in reality they were not.

Gaius seems to be the one who secretly opposed it, with all his backstabbing back then.

To follow the above - talk versus action in terms of opposition - Gaius made his feelings on the matter plain; the Emperor just no longer cared what he thought of Meteor or Darnus. Gaius also told Darnus to his face that his plan was depraved and begged him to abandon it multiple times (which you'd assume Nael would have told Galvus, anyway). But Gaius followed every order he was given up until he was sure that Darnus was himself disloyal to the Emperor and deceiving him. In such a case, defying a direct order was following the spirit of Galvus' rule - which Varis undermined throughout, regardless of Nael's intentions, and ultimately later seized.

I doubt he'd just follow Ilberd because he's burned the bridges. <...> I just speculate that their move to execute Raubahn was because Ilberd lied to them, that it was all Lolorito's orders

Can it not be a bit of each? Ilberd sets the 3rd on you while saying "There! The sultanta's assassins!", which proves he was definitely misleading at least some of them. But the two that escape with him - Yuyuhase and Laurentius - shout "Whatever it takes to survive!" and "I'm no hero!" while you fight them, express no surprise at any of the revelations, and follow Ilberd to "be free" despite the charade clearly being over.